We've reached the final part. I tried to get the level of grief just right, without getting bogged down in the emotional state of everyone too much. So I hope you like what I have written.

I should probably warn you that there is a little bit of swearing in this chapter.

Chapter 3.

Having lost the ability to see the future, Ishizu had not been expecting a call from Seto Kaiba, although, in hindsight, she perhaps should have.

He wanted, or rather, he demanded to know what Yugi was doing in Egypt.

However, when she explained, quite eloquently, how Yugi had fulfilled his destiny to return the Millennium items to their place of origin, and helped the Pharaoh take his place among his forefathers in the afterlife, by winning the Ceremonial Duel, he became furious, angrily accusing her of manipulating them with her endless prophecies, by putting ridiculous ideas about destiny and fate into Yugi and his friends heads.

Apparently, it was her fault for making Yugi send the Pharaoh away, which made her feel even worse about being the one to carry the Tomb Keepers burden of guiding Yugi and the Pharaoh, ensuring the fulfilment of their destiny – a destiny forced on everyone involved by the selfish actions of their ancestors.

Watching the Pharaoh walk stoically through those doors had been so heartbreaking to witness. She should could not begin to imagine how Yugi and his friends must be feeling.

Her initial surprise that Seto was feeling so grieved, cheated and angry about the fact that he had not been invited to the 'send-off' as he put it, started turning into guilt, when she realised that even though he would rather pretend he did not give a damn about any of it, he did in fact, care a lot.

"I'm coming to Egypt. I want to see the tomb, or temple, or whatever you call it, for myself!" He said, forcefully.

"I am afraid that will not be possible," she tried to explain. "The temple containing the stone tablet collapsed and the items have been swallowed by the desert."

"I don't care how deeply the temple is buried. Tell me where it is?" He demanded.

"I'm afraid I cannot disclose it's location. All I will say, is that it is in an area closed off to the public." She felt bad for him. But he had always made it abundantly clear that he did not believe in destiny, or his connection to the past. What had triggered his change in attitude?

"I don't buy that for one minute Ishizu. If you won't help me, I will find someone who will." That errant brother of hers struck her as the sort of person who could easily be bribed.

"I am sorry Seto. I cannot help you. My brothers and I are leaving Egypt very soon to start a fresh life in California. I will be lecturing at the University there." It had been with a heavy heart that she had resigned her job in Egypt, but with the Tomb Keepers role now ended, new challenges and new opportunities lay ahead.

Seto huffed. "I might have guessed I would get no help from you."

"Please, don't do anything rash Seto. Atem is gone, and so too are the Millennium Items. It would be unwise to disturb them. But if you are ever in California, please do not hesitate to visit us. You will be made most welcome."

He did not respond to the invite and merely said "goodbye." He hung up without giving her a chance to say anything else. It did not really matter that she was not going to help him anyway –he was already formulating a new plan.

Didn't she just say that Yugi had duelled? That meant he would have activated his duel disk. In order to function, every duel disk needed to connect to the duel server via the nearest satellite. All Seto had to do was check the data stored on his duel server and he would have the exact location of the duel.

Once he had this information, it would be easy to find a team of archaeologists who were desperate for funding, and also desperate to make a name for themselves. He would then bribe whoever needed to be bribed for access to the site, and dig until he found Yugi's Millennium Puzzle.

::::::::::::

After clearing through customs, Yugi and his friends took the train home from the airport.

They were all feeling exhausted and were relived to be back in Domino.

Otogi lived within five minutes walk of the station, so it was just a short walk home for him.

Since she owed him a favour for the number of times he had been asked to babysit Joji, Honda asked his sister to pick him and Jonouchi up. She grumbled, but agreed.

Anzu had called her father the moment they left the airport, and he was already waiting outside the station for her. Since Yugi and his grandfather lived not far from their house, her father was happy to take them home as well.

Sat in the back of the car, Yugi and Anzu were fairly quiet as they listened to Yugi's grandfather telling Mister Mazaki about their trip.

Anzu was relieved not to have to answer any of her dad's questions. And Yugi's grandfather seemed to spin a great yarn, without a single mention of why they had really been in Egypt.

When Yugi's grandfather said they had visited a tomb he had once helped to excavate, belonging to an unknown Pharaoh who's name had only just been discovered, Yugi gave Anzu a little look and they both shared a sad smile.

It was the first time in over three thousand years that anyone had said Atem's name out loud in friendly conversation, to anyone other than their close knit group of friends, and hearing it gave them both a tingling sensation in their spines.

Arriving outside the Kame Game, Yugi went to get out of the car. "Wait up! I will walk to the door with you Yugi," Anzu said, opening the door on her side to get out.

"Thanks," he smiled at her, heart fluttering. It would save him from having to say anything that might make him feel awkward in front of Anzu's father.

From inside the car, Mister Mazaki popped the latch on the boot of the car and it swung open automatically for them to retrieve their cases.

As he lifted his case out, Yugi did not see the silver/blue limo parked opposite.

Seto Kaiba got out of his limousine and marched across the street towards his target. He could already see that Yugi was not wearing the Puzzle and it made his blood rage through his veins.

As soon as he was close enough, he confronted his rival. "What have you done Yugi? Where's the Pharaoh?" His voice was trembling with anger and hurt. Part of him hoped that Yugi would say the Pharaoh was 'right here' and touch his chest where the Puzzle usually rested, but there was no escaping the part of him that already knew the Pharaoh was gone.

Yugi flinched. "Kaiba?! I.. I.." He did not know how to explain. Luckily his grandfather stepped in.

"How dare you come here and shout at my Yugi like that!" Kaiba was a rude young man and Sugoroku did not like him – especially after the terrible things he had done. Yugi might have forgiven him, but he certainly could never forgive him. "Can't you see we are all grieving? Atem has left us to take his place in paradise so you should show some respect!"

Atem! Was that the Pharaoh's name?

Taken aback, Seto clenched his teeth to stop his jaw trembling. His heart hurt and he was struggling to hold back tears of anger and frustration.

"Kaiba... I didn't know you felt that way. I would..." Yugi began, but Seto spun on him making him stop mid sentence. He could not let Yugi know he was hurt and upset. Attack was the best defence.

"You know nothing of what I feel Yugi," he spat.

Protective of Yugi, Anzu stepped in front of Kaiba. "Leave Yugi alone Kaiba!" she pleaded. "Can't you see it's not a good time? We've just come home after a long, exhausting journey and we said goodbye to Atem and..." Yugi placed his hands on her shoulders to stop her from continuing. His rival needed an explanation from him and no one else.

"I need to tell you something Kaiba. But not out here. Can you come inside for a moment?" He hoped that by speaking calmly, even though he felt anything but calm right now, Kaiba might back off and be less aggressive.

Seto scowled at him and snorted a long, strained breath out through his nose. "Very well."

Yugi's grandfather unlocked the door to the shop and gestured for them to enter.

"Would you like me to stay with you Yugi?" He asked, worried that Kaiba might hurt Yugi. But Yugi shook his head.

"It's okay Grandpa. Anzu. If you don't mind, I'd like to speak to Kaiba alone."

Sugoroku hesitated before nodding. "You can go through to the back of the store. I will be here if you need me." He made sure to fix Seto with a 'just remember you're on my property, boy!' Glare.

Anzu stayed close to Yugi. "Do you want me to stay too?" She asked, tentatively. Yugi was still grieving and was not at his strongest right now, and she feared Kaiba's accusatory stance might be too much for him to deal with emotionally. He was probably in no fit state to duel if Kaiba challenged him.

Yugi rested his hand on her arm and rubbed it gently. Even if he was not feeling it right now, he did his best to appear in full control of the situation. "I will be fine Anzu. Your dad's outside, you shouldn't keep him waiting. I will ring you later. Okay?"

"Okay," She nodded pursing her lips to stop her jaw trembling. She was doing her utmost to hold in the emotional outpouring that she did not want anyone to witness.

But studying her as closely as he was, Yugi noticed how watery her eyes were.

"Hey! It's gonna be okay," he said softly enough to weaken her knees. Smiling sadly, he gently touched her face with the tips of his fingers, using his thumb to wipe away the little tear that had decided to start trickling from the corner of her eye. He wanted to cry too, but life had to go on, regardless.

Her reaction was to throw her arms round him and hug him tightly.

"Oh.. Yugi." He had said goodbye to Atem and was now about to face the Wrath of Kaiba. Yet, just as Atem had always been, he was so stoic.

Not impressed at their affectionate little display, Seto cleared his throat Impatiently, reminding them he was still waiting.

The couple parted. Anzu regained her composure and gave an awkward little wave as she hesitantly left the store. She wanted to stay –maybe she would ask her father to wait for a bit and she would come back inside.

Gesturing for Seto to follow him, Yugi showed him to the room in the rear of the shop. It looked to Seto like it had been recently re-decorated to make it more comfortable. The paint still smelled fresh and a new table and chairs was set up under the window. But Yugi did not offer him to sit down at the table. Instead, looking up at his rival, he folded his arms and stood tall so as not to appear weak and inferior.

He's trying to mimic the Pharaoh, Seto thought, with a sneer. Yugi ignored the attempted intimidation.

"What did you want to know Kaiba?" He knew he needed to stay in control of the situation.

"Why wasn't I invited to Egypt?" Seto could not keep the emotional pain from his voice, but surprisingly he did not care.

In response, Yugi's stance softened. Was his rival genuinely upset?!

"I'm sorry Kaiba," he answered, apologetically. "I didn't know you felt so strongly. If I had, I would have... but I wasn't sure how to reach you and... you made it clear you didn't want anything to do with the past."

"Don't give me that shit Yugi. You know how to contact me. You have Mokuba's phone number! All you needed to do was let him know so that I at least had an option to be there."

Yugi's face flushed. Mokuba had said he did not want his brother to know he was friends with them. That was obviously not the case.

"What I don't understand is why you let him go?" Seto continued. "You and he were a powerful team. Without him, you're as good as worthless."

Ouch! That hurt and Yugi flinched. "I had no choice Kaiba," he said quietly, trying not to look at the floor and shrink into himself. "After Battle City, we faced a demon from his past, that almost destroyed the world. It would have if Atem hadn't... We found his name and he got his memories back. Ishizu said –or rather, the prophecy said, that we needed to face a final duel, and our worth would be judged before the Gods."

Ishizu had said Yugi duelled him. But how?! Without a duel simulator that was impossible. And the only simulator's were in Kaiba Land and his laboratory.

Was it possible that both Yugi's fought together and faced...?

The only other duelist in Yugi's little friendship group was Jonouch. The horrific thought that the Mutt had been the one to be given the honour, was too much for Seto to bear.

Unable to control his temper, he grabbed Yugi by the collar and almost pulled him off his feet.

"I'm his rival," he snarled in Yugi's face. "It should have been me, not that worthless cretin Jonouchi." He had not thought to check the data from the Mutt's duel disk to see if had been used recently.

"Wh.. what?! Yugi winced, gripping Seto's wrists and digging his fingers in hard to make him let go. It worked and Seto shoved him away.

But Yugi did not fall to the ground as he once would have, and instead brushed himself off and stood his ground. Heartbreak at sending Atem away was starting to turn into rage and he was going to dam well stand up to Kaiba. "Jonouchi wasn't the one to duel him. It was me."

Seto gasped. "But how?! You only have one body!" Confused.

"Magic. Magic that you don't believe in." His comment made Seto want to scowl but he kept his face neutral.

Satisfied Seto was not going to call it bullshit, Yugi continued. "Ishizu took us to the temple at Kul-Elna. Inside there's, or was, a large stone tablet set in front of a carved doorway leading to a place Egyptians called the underworld. I placed the Millennium Items in their respective slots and a bright light shone from the doors, splitting Atem and me into ourselves. We then faced each other in a Ceremonial Duel and...well..." he could feel himself fighting back his emotions and it was all he could do to force out the words. "I won. I defeated him so he left."

Seto stared at him for a moment, dumbfounded. After a moment, he found his voice. "You won?!" He said, incredulously. "Why? All you needed to do is lose and he could have stayed."

"You have no idea how hard it was to let him go, but I didn't have a choice Kaiba. He.. Atem, completed the tasks given to him by the Egyptian Gods and he... he was meant to leave. All I had to do was prove that I was ready to take his place as King."

Seto could see that Yugi was sad. Empathy took hold and Seto's fury subsided. His demeanour softened. But he was still Seto Kaiba, and while he might empathise, he did not feel any respect. "Everyone has a choice Yugi. It's us who decide what we want, not a bunch of obsolete Gods. You should have demanded that he stay long enough for me to duel and beat him."

That was a selfish thing to say, but Seto was not about to take it back and it was Yugi who apologised anyway!

"I'm sorry you didn't get a chance to duel him one last time Kaiba. Really I am. But he's gone now. And as hard as that is, we've got to accept it and move on. Perhaps you and I might even duel each other again one day. But right now, I'm tired. I would like to be alone."

For some reason, Seto felt he should give Yugi some space, for now. Maybe it was because he could see genuine grief and loss in Yugi's eyes. Still, whatever Yugi was feeling, he was not about to give way to sympathetic sentiment. "Don't think this is over Yugi," he growled, turning to leave.

Giving no explanation as to what he was planning, for fear that Yugi may try to stop him, he swept out of the Game store and stormed over to his waiting limo.

Rubbing the back of his neck, Yugi wandered back out to the front of shop. He was not surprised to see Anzu still there. She hurried over to make sure he was okay.

"Yugi!" She was relieved to see he appeared unhurt, although his shirt collar was slightly torn.

"It's nothing. I'm fine," he said, noting her concern. "He was just a bit upset because we didn't invite him to the Ceremonial Duel."

"A bit upset?!" She shrieked, hurt and angry. She could not understand how Yugi was not angry as well.

"You heard us talking?" He already knew that voices at a normal level could be heard from the shop if it was quiet, let alone if the voices were raised. He looked between Anzu and Grandpa.

"Yes, Yugi. We heard perfectly well." Sugoroku was irate. "He had no right to speak to you like that!"

"He's so selfish, it makes my blood boil," Anzu seethed. "It's like he doesn't even care how you might be feeling."

But Yugi calmly held his hand up. "Oh, believe me, I'm angry and upset alright. But there's no point in letting Kaiba get to us. Anyway, I can understand how he feels. I know he always tries to deny his connection to the past, but I think he feels more than we assume. I should have given him the chance to come to Egypt."

Anzu huffed. "All he would've done is complain and say it was all nonsense."

Yugi let out a long sigh. "That's because he finds it hard to accept things that he's not in control of. But, whatever his problem, he still played his part in bringing the God cards and the Millennium items together."

Anzu rolled her eyes. "Only because he wanted the cards for himself," she huffed.

"You're probably right, but still... he did the right thing when it really mattered. And what's done is done –I can't change that he wasn't there to see Atem leave. I guess he will just have to try and deal with it and move on. Maybe once he's calmed down, he will understand."

"I hope you're right. I wouldn't put it past him to try something stupid," Anzu huffed.

Yugi snorted. "Don't worry. I'll deal with him if he does," he winked at her, making her chuckle.

He was the one who had lost the most, yet Yugi was handling his loss, Kaiba's grievances and her petulance so calmly and rationally. She knew Yugi was hurting so badly inside, because she certainly was. She just wished he would let his grief show. They could let their grief out together, and hold each other tightly until that grief subsided.

Instead, she knew they would both go and lock themselves in their respective bedrooms and cry into a pillow alone.

She leaned over and kissed his cheek. "I had better not keep my dad waiting any longer. See you tomorrow?"

He nodded. "Yeah. Tomorrow."

::::::::::::

After a nice soak in the bath, Yugi tried to catch up on some the school work they had missed, before giving up and going to bed.

As he settled down, he noted the small scratch marks on the bed post. They were a reminder of where the Puzzle used to hang.

He was glad he kept the Puzzle box as a memento though. It had pride of place on his desk and sparkled in the moonlight that was drifting in through the skylight.

He lay down on his back with his hands behind his head and stared up at the ceiling. He was tired but his mind was too active for him to sleep.

Without Atem, Kaiba did not see him as a worthy rival.

The insensitive way Kaiba had barged in and spoken to him had upset him more than he care to admit.

But even though Kaiba was the aggressor, Yugi was the one feeling guilty.

Sighing, he rolled onto his side and stared at the empty chair by his desk. He remembered how Atem would sit there every night. They would mostly chat about duel strategies and their friends. Sometimes they would chat about random stuff that had happened that day. Yugi would fall asleep and Atem's spirit would go back inside the Puzzle until morning.

He wished he was here now. He wondered what he would say about Kaiba's attitude. He certainly would not be happy about him calling Yugi as good as worthless, that was for sure. In fact, he would probably have a few sharp words to say to Kaiba about it, and then challenge him to a duel –rivals to the bitter end.

If Kaiba had been at the ceremonial Duel, would it have made a difference? Probably not.

But it was over now, and Kaiba would have to move on from the loss of his rival, just as Yugi was trying to move on.

He had not realised he was crying until his face and pillow was all wet. In the privacy of his own room, it was okay to let his grief out.

Sniffing, he wiped away his tears with the sleeve of his pyjamas and turned his pillows over to the dry side and went to sleep.

::::::::::::

Having avoided all radar detection, Seto slowly flew his Blue Eyes Stealth Jet over the Valley of The Kings.

With the latest sonar equipment he had on board, it was not difficult to penetrate the ground and see the exact spot where Yugi had buried the Puzzle.

A temple, not far from the Valley of The Kings, that had never been open to the public.

A temple, heavily guarded by Tomb Keepers who reported only to Ishizu.

A temple, that had recently been swallowed by the desert, but hushed up by the authorities.

The temple was about a mile over the hill, in the middle of a once thriving village known as Kul-Elna.

According to the history data that popped up on his screen, the village had been populated by the people who dug the tombs. But they had then turned to robbing the very tombs they had once worked on and knew inside and out. Rumour was, the priests of Karnak had themselves sanctioned the robbing of the tombs, using the thieves as scapegoats should anyone get caught.

The village was the perfect candidate to be destroyed by a high priest known as Aknadin, in return for the Millennium Items. The man was his ancestor's father. How did he know that? He had no idea, he just did.

That three thousand year old act of violence was what had started this fucking mess in the first place. Yugi might think he had ended it and given all those poor souls some peace, but for Seto, it would not end until his own soul was satisfied.

It would not end until he had brought the Pharaoh back for one more duel.

The End.

I'm assuming that everyone reading this has seen Dark Side of Dimensions, or at least, knows that Kaiba sends a team to dig up the Millennium Puzzle because he thinks it will bring the Pharaoh back.

Anyway, until my next story! Adios.