AN: Chapter 17 is up! Wuhu, update time! But it's hard to say: there's only one chapter left. OMR will end with the next chapter. I'm already thinking of writing a sequel or prequel to it. What would you like more?
Enjoy chapter 17! And thanks to all who reviewed this story so far! Especially to presea221 for her great feedback on every chapter! I really appreciate that!
An info for the final duel: I cut in here at turn 9 :-) if some of you want to know.
Chapter XVII
Four Letter Word
The moment of truth drew closer and closer. The pharaoh was able to beat his all-time rival Kaiba in their duel and kicked him out of his own tournament. Now Yami had to face his most dangerous challenge in the final round against Marik's evil side. And the closer the confrontation came, the more anxious Jesara became. What if his dark side was right that her hoping was senseless? And maybe it was her fault that Marik forfeited his last chance to stop his split personality and regain control over his own body earlier. Guilt feelings invaded her mind; maybe things were different now if she didn't interrupt and distracted him as she barged into the situation. With finally having a clue about her long forgotten feelings for him it almost killed her mentally that she didn't have a chance to tell him about it. Jesara felt lost without being lost physically, but now that Marik was possibly gone forever… She had no idea how to describe this feeling, but it hurt.
"Pharaoh…" She muttered as she ran into him and the gang on the corridor of Kaiba Craft 3. "Please help him. I wished that I could have done more to help you… but please, bring him back."
Yami nodded confidently at her words. "I'll give my best… but it won't be easy."
"I know you can, my pharaoh. Your destiny will guide you." Ishizu said wisely and rested her hand on Jesara's shoulder and squeezed it a bit to let her know she wasn't alone right now. "Please, save my brother from his demons."
"I know Yugi can kick his arrogant butt in the final round. He won't get through with that!" Joey reassured them. Again Tea slapped his back of the head because of his uncareful choice of words.
Jesara narrowed her eyes to the ground and let out a sigh. "It's time… You should go now."
"Won't you come with us? I'm sure that you want to…" Tea paused a second to think about the right words to end this sentence. "…be there for him."
"I will, but first I want to have a minute alone with Odion. Please don't wait for me." She answered her brunette friend and forced a reassuring smile. Her gaze then drifted over to Ishizu as like she wanted to tell her that she should join Yugi and the gang right away. Her sister-in-law nodded at her as her hand left Jesara's shoulder.
"Good luck…" She mumbled as they walked away into the direction of the duel tower, leaving her alone with the silence. After letting out another hopeless sigh she turned on heel and entered the room where Odion was still laying in his coma. The room was dark, lights off and silent. Jesara stepped closer to the bed in which he was lying and set down on the chair that was situated beside it.
"Oh Odion…" She whispered, her voice close to breaking into whimpering. "I wish you would wake up and seal Marik's demon away again. You knew about the danger that rested inside of him. You are such a loyal soul…"
She gently took his hand into hers and rested her forehead on them, closing her amber-olive eyes like she was telling a silent pray. "You were right, Odion… You've always been right about what you told me a few days ago. You always knew me better than I do, even through the years of separation. And I was too stubborn to see it; too focused on trying to hate him. If there was anything I could do to get another chance and change what happened…" Jesara sighed heavily and tried to choke back some tears. "I wish you would wake up and give me one of your advices. I really need you now, Odion."
Jesara dug her face into his hand as her gaze drifted over to the window and to the duel tower. The pharaoh was possibly starting his duel against Marik's alter ego right now. A salty tear ran down her cheek and down Odion's wrist. "I hope it's not too late."
She stood up from her seat and walked other to the attached bathroom of the room to wash her tear-stained face. Her cheeks burned and the cold water felt somehow soothing to it. She knew she should get going now and be there for Marik, although he probably was far, far away. Would he even know that she was there?
Before exiting the room she took off her duel disk from her right arm, she won't need it anymore and placed it on the coffee table before her gaze went back to Odion. Jesara focused on him for what felt like an eternity; the latest events have put her in some kind of trance. It felt like she was carrying the weight of a ton on her shoulders.
As she slowly stepped down the stairs that led out of Kaiba Craft 3 she rose her head to look at the duel tower in front of her. Jesara gasped as she saw a familiar dark fog that covered the top area of the steel made tower. 'They're fighting a shadow game again…' she thought to herself and started to walk into the direction of the tower. Her steps felt like she was walking on shattered glass again; anxiety was now present in every inch of her body.
Also the ride on the elevator to the top floor felt like it lasted for years; by now she had lost every sense of time. Everything she wanted to push away, forget and get rid of forever - him - was now the only thing she felt like she wasn't able to live without.
As the doors slid open she was met by Ishizu's piercing blue eyes which shot her a concerned glance. There was almost no more natural light inside the dark fog of the shadow realm she had just stepped into.
"Hahahaha. I'm glad you came to see how your precious Marik loses his soul to the shadows, my sweet Jesara." A familiar, low voice laughed down at her, just then she lifted her head to see what was going on the duelling platform. Her palm met her mouth as she saw Marik's unconscious body floating beside his evil half; it seemed that he was held by invisible chains. His sandy blonde bangs hung before his head, he looked so weak and almost dead. Jesara's eyes shot wide open in shock at what she saw. Also little Yugi hung up in the air beside his alter ego. Parts of both of their bodies were somehow missing.
"W-What sick game are you playing here!? What are you doing to him!?" Jesara snarled in tears at Marik's evil side. Yami now glanced back at her over his shoulder, his face holding an unreadable expression. Was it a poker face or concernment that was plastered on his gaze?
"Ahh, my dear Jesara…" Yami Marik let out a chuckling sigh. "With every life point I loose my weaker half looses a part of his soul to the darkness of the shadow realm. The same rules affect the little Yugi. Isn't this duel exciting?"
"Please, stop that!" She cried out, her focus still glued to the weak Marik beside him. Big parts of his abdomen, legs and arms were already missing. Jesara felt like somebody ripped out her heart from her chest. "Marik! Can you hear me!? Wake up, please!"
An evilly amused laugh left Yami Marik's throat at her try to speak to his weaker half. "It's chanceless, sweetheart. My pitiful weaker side can't hear you." His blank eyes stared down to her with a smirk. "And if you don't mind I'd like to move forward with my turn and get a step closer to the pharaoh's defeat."
Just then Jesara saw what creatures were fighting against each other in their shadow game. Yami must have had a hard time before she showed up. A huge, silver coloured monster that looked like Obelisk the Tormentor stood tall behind Marik's darker half, while Yami controlled the original Obelisk (4000/4000) in attack position on his side of the field. Did he made an exact copy of an Egyptian god card? Whatever it was, it meant nothing good.
Yami Marik then summoned his signature monster Revival Jam (1500/500) in defense position and activated a spell card. Yami's eyes widened in disbelief as he saw which spell card his opponent played. It was Polymerization.
"Hahaha. I use my Polymerization card to fuse my Egyptian God Slime with my Revival Jam! Now I have an almighty creature that's an egyptian god and a slime monster at the same time. You know what that means, pharaoh! He can't be destroyed!" He explained grinning diabolically as the two monsters united to one. Yami growled at this unlucky twist of the duel and drew his next card.
He then summoned his Big Shield Gardna (100/2600) in defense position and commanded his original Obelisk the Tormentor to attack Yami Marik's Egyptian God Slime, but it revived itself right away. Yami Marik used the same strategy against Yami like his weaker half did before, but this time it was worse - much worse.
"Hahahaha. Nice try, pharaoh! But I already told you that my Egyptian God Slime can't be destroyed! Hahaha. That's it, this duel is almost over." He grinned in amusement. Yami glared daggers at him as he drew a card from his deck, but said nothing at his threat. "Now I summon my Bowganian (1300/1000) in defense position. He may be weak, but his special effect will cost you 300 of your life points each turn. Hahahaha."
Jesara watched the duel from her spot beside Ishizu, just some steps away from Joey and the others. Marik's alter ego used every possible dirty trick against the pharaoh. And if Yami loses more life points Yugi will lose more of himself to the shadows. Her amber-olive eyes drifted back to what was left of Marik. His eyes were still closed; although he was in great danger he looked so peaceful. She wondered how long it has been that she saw him so peaceful.
"Ishizu…" Jesara whispered and looked to her sister-in-law. "What happens to Marik when the pharaoh wins this duel? He'll be lost in the shadows forever when his demon's life points reach zero…"
Piercing blue eyes locked with hers at her words. Ishizu didn't know what to answer; all she could say were some comforting words to help her not giving up on hoping. "I'm sure that the pharaoh will find a way to save the world and my brother's good side…"
"I hope you are right…" Jesara muttered. "And Ishizu? You've been right about my feelings for him. Now I know what you meant. I tried to hate him so badly, but now I know that I still love him. I'm finally able to confess that to myself…"
Ishizu smiled at her slightly and placed her hand on her shoulder. "Maybe Marik's fate isn't all too hopeless now that you know about your heart's feelings."
"Maybe…" Jesara sighed and looked back to the duel. It was Yami's turn and he should better find a way to get rid of Yami Marik's Egyptian God Slime.
First of all he sat a card face-down in the field. "I tribute my Big Shield Gardna in order to summon my Dark Magician Girl (2000/1700). And now I order her to destroy your Bowganian!" He commanded with a loud voice as his magician girl rushed forward to attack; she shot an energy ball towards Yami Marik's monster, but then the attack got negated by the Egaptian God Slime. It shot back the energy ball and hit Yami's Dark Magician Girl who fell to the ground from the impact.
"How is this possible!? My Dark Magician Girl should have destroyed your monster! You owe me an explanation, Marik!" Yami spat from across the field.
"Hahahaha, nothing would I like to do more, my pharaoh." With this a trap card flipped open in front of Yami Marik; the card was all too familiar to the pharaoh. It was Jam Defender. "I guess you already know this card from the duel you had with my weaker half. Whenever you attack any of my monsters my Egyptian God Slime will go in-between and negate it. And since it's fused with Revival Jam it can't be destroyed. Hahahaha."
"I won't loose this, Marik! Take my word for it!" Yami yelled in fury; he was so sure that his Dark Magician Girl will be successful. "Make your move…"
"With please, pharaoh. But first the effect of Bowganian activates and steal 300 of your life points. Hahahaha" Yami Marik laughed triumphantly as his monster shot his arrow towards Yami, hitting him at full tilt into his chest. He let out a painful moan and bowed down in pain. Since it was a shadow game it wasn't just a hologram; everything was quite real here.
"Yugi! Are you okay!?" Tea whined from beside the field as she saw her friend suffering.
As his life points dropped from 1300 down to 1000 parts of Yugi's body started to vanish away, making him whimpering in pain.
"Everything alright, Yugi?" Yami asked in concernment, still slightly bowed from the impact of the arrow. Yugi nodded at him painfully, but forced a reassuring smile.
"Still hoping the best until the end, huh?" Yami Marik chuckled as he drew his next card and then activated a spell card. "I play my card Mining for Magical Stones, pharaoh. It allows me to take a spell card from my graveyard back into my hand. I guess you know which card I decided to get back." He explained and smirked at his opponent, then sat a card face-down on the field. "Additional to that I summon my Swallowtail Spike Lizard (1900/700) in defense mode. As long as it remains in defense position I will gain 1000 life points during each of my turns. Hahahaha."
"It's not looking good for Yugi, guys…" Joey muttered as he watched the duel from the side. "He can't attack Marik's monsters and while he gets stronger with every turn Yugi loses life points… This creep doesn't even need to attack him. Argh"
"I'm sure he will find a way to defeat him." Ishizu said and locked eyes with the blonde teen.
"But what about Marik's good side? He will die with his evil side if Yugi beats him." Joey asked and raised a brow at the black haired egyptian.
Jesara cringed at his words as a shiver shot through her body. Joey was probably right. She started to sob as reality hit her, maybe she really had to watch him dying.
"Jess…" Joey muttered as he saw how tears gathered in her eyes. "I'm so sorry for ya."
Her amber-olive eyes locked with his for a second before she looked down to the ground again. "I didn't even had the chance to tell him goodbye… or what I feel."
"Don't loose hope, Jesara." Ishizu stroked the back of her head gently.
Suddenly something changed about Tea; her eyes turned blank again and her body language was different. "Pharaoh…" Her voice sounded warped; Jesara cringed as she heard her brunette friend speak like that. Could it be that it was Marik again?
"Please, destroy my dark side - come what may. Don't care about me. If his death means that I have to die too… then this is how it should be." Tea said expressionless and pointed her index finder towards Yami Marik on the platform. He shot her an annoyed glare.
"Tea?" Joey waved his hand in front of her face. "Are you home? What's wrong with you?"
"Marik?" Jesara asked whispering as she drew closer to her brunette friend. She nodded at her without saying another word.
"W-why do you say that? Don't tell me that you want to die…" She stammered.
"If that's what it takes to destroy him I will go down with him. I'm sorry, Jesara." Tea, or to be exactly Marik, answered in sorrow.
"Hahahaha. You will die however this duel ends, my dear Marik. You loose. Hahaha." Yami Marik laughed down to them. "But I promise to make it short and crisp for you."
"Marik, I… I need to tell you something…" Jesara spoke up, ignoring his dark side's threats. But he then interrupted them again.
"Nah, I guess you had your chance, sweetheart." Yami Marik chuckled evilly as a golden light enhanced from the millennium rod in his hands. With that Tea's gaze suddenly turned back to normal as she inhaled deeply. Marik was gone again… His dark side must have broken his control over Tea.
"No!" Jesara cried out as she realised he was gone. Her teary gaze shot up to Marik's dark side, who grinned at her in evil amusement. "You are a monster!"
"Maybe. Hahaha." He shrugged his shoulders with sarcastic innocence. Yami growled at him in anger. He never thought someone could be that heartless.
"And if it's the last thing that I do, Marik. I will send you straight back to whatever hell you came from!" Yami spat and drew his card. His words were only answered by a devilish smirk from his opponent.
In Yami's next turn he summoned Gazelle the King of Mythical Beasts (1500/1200) in defense position and set two cards face-down. He needed to build up a good defense while thinking of a new strategy to beat Yami Marik's Egyptian God Slime. But as his turn ended Yami Marik's Bowganian's special effect activated again; once more his arrow hit Yami at full tilt, taking another 300 life points from him. (700) Yugi's left eye now disappeared into the shadows, he was almost gone - just like Marik.
"We're coming to an end, my pharaoh!" Yami Marik chuckled as he drew a card. "Thanks to my Swallowtail Spike Lizard my life points rise by 1000." And as his monster gave him life points back (1700) also Marik's body started to regain from the shadows equally to the amount of his evil sides points.
"I guess you already know what's coming next, pharaoh. I activate Monster Reborn!" Yami Marik said triumphantly. Everybody knew that he wanted to bring The Winged Dragon Of Ra back to the field - and so he did. The Egyptian god (0/0) appeared in his dangerous phoenix mode on the field, covering the field in flames like he did with Joey earlier.
"Then I pay 1000 of my life points to activate Ra's secret ability to attack and destroy Obelisk! Hahahaha." He explained grinning and the phoenix immediately started it's attack, but suddenly it got negated by Slifer The Sky Dragon. Where did he come from?
"What!?" Yami Marik shouted out loud as his phoenix destroyed Slifer The Sky Dragon instead of Obelisk. "Where did Slifer come from!? Now you owe me an explanation, pharaoh!"
Yami smirked at him as his face-down card flipped open. "You're not the only one with a Monster Reborn card in your deck! I activated it to bring back Slifer and save Obelisk! Ans since Ra only stays for one turn when he's summoned from the graveyard he now leaves the field again!"
"Nice turn, pharaoh. But I guess I have a surprise for you." Yami Marik chuckled and activated a spell card. Yami's eyes and also Jesara's shot wide open as they saw which card it was. "I activate Surprise Attack from Beyond! This card allows me to repeat Ra's attack! Hahahaha."
Again fire surrounded them and Ra rose into the sky. (0/0) "I will also transfer all of my life points to Ra, except of one. That gives my creature 699 attack points." Yami Marik explained, his body slowly started to fade away until just his eye was left. And so did the real Marik's body. His one left half narrowed eye locked with Jesara's watery eyes like he wanted to say goodbye now. His darker half had fused with the Winged Dragon of Ra in the meantime.
"Not so hasty, Marik!" Yami yelled and activated one of his face-down cards - it was Soul Taker. "Soul Taker allows me to tribute one of your monsters immediately! And I use it to sacrifice your Egytian God Slime to activate Obelisk's special effect! Now its life points are infinite! I'm now also able to attack you during your Battle Phase! The only thing I have to do for that is giving you 1000 life points in top!"
"Great turn, Yugi!" Joey cheered in excitement.
Yami Marik's eyes widened in disbelief, now he was close to losing the duel. "Wait! I tribute Bowganian and my Swallowtail Spike Lizard in order to increase the attack points of Ra equally to theirs! Ans since you gifted me with 1000 additional life points because of your Soul Taker card I can transfer them to Ra too! Now he has 4899 attack points!"
"My Obelisk is still stronger than Ra! His attack points are infinite!" Yami snarled and ordered his Obelisk to attack Yami Marik, who was fused to his Winged Dragon Of Ra.
"Close enough, pharaoh!" Yami Marik laughed evilly as he activated another trap card. "I activate Class System! That means that Ra can only be destroyed by a monster with a higher level! And since Obelisk and Ra have the same amount of stars your attack fails! Hahahaha."
Yami growled again; again he was so close.
"It's my turn to attack you, pharaoh! And since the attack points of your Obelisk dropped back to 4000 again it's really for Ra to destroy him!" Yami Marik grinned and commanded his golden Dragon to attack.
"You wish, Marik! I activate Magical Dimension to tribute Obelisk and my Gazelle to summon my Dark Magician (2500/2100) in attack position! And now it's time to finish this duel and send you straight to hell, Marik! I activate Ragnarok!" Yami shouted, his eye filled with confidence. By now he knew there was no way out for his opponent.
"Master Marik!" A low, but weak voice shouted out loud behind of them. Jesara immediately looked back; her amber-olive eyes shot wide open as she saw Odion on his feet. He must've woken up and used all his remaining strength to come all the way up here. She ran to his side to support him with standing, but he kept on walking towards the platform step by step. "Master Marik, don't give up! I know you can beat him and fulfil your ancient duty! I know you have a good heart!"
"Odion… please be careful." Jesara said worried as Odion drew closer and closer. Yami Marik narrowed his eyes dangerously at the bulky egyptian.
"Shut up! You can't seal me away anymore!" He spat and sent a shockwave towards him with the millennium rod, which caused that Odion got wafted off of his feet and hit the railing behind him with his back. But he didn't give up, after letting out a painful moan he managed to get up to his feet again.
"Master Marik! You've created this monster! And you can also destroy him! You need to fight!" Odion shouted again, trying to motivate the weak Marik to fight his dark side with all his remaining strength. Marik's single left lavender eye stared at Odion weakly, maybe it was too late to start a fight.
Suddenly Ishizu's words from earlier shot into Jesara's mind. 'You give Marik a reason to fight.' Maybe it was the last chance to tell him what she really felt for him, and maybe this was the key to help him out of his misery. Jesara made three calculated steps forward and came to a halt beside Odion, locking eyes with what was left from Marik.
"Marik! Please fight! Odion is right, you can do it!" Jesara shouted at the top of her lungs, her voice more confident than it ever was during the last days. Her right hand lifted up to her upper chest as like she wanted to grab something. "I'm sorry that I tried to hate you, that I pushed you away and broke my promises that I gave you a long time ago! But now I know that we both made mistakes and now I'm able to forgive you every single one!" A tear ran down her cheek as she took out the necklace with her golden ring attached to it. Marik's lavender eye shot wide open as he saw the sparkling jewellery dangling from it. "And although you gave me literally a million reasons to run away from you and leave you to your demons… now I know that there's just one good reason I need to stay. And that's you, because you are my anchor!" Jesara's brave voice slowly turned into a whimper as more and more tears ran down her cheek. Yami, Joey and the others stared at her in utter surprise.
"I just wanted you to know that I love you too. Please come back… and don't make me a widow now." She confessed before she started to sob heavily. Her vision got blurry from the tears.
With her words spoken a new fire started to burn in Marik's eye before it suddenly disappeared into the darkness.
Suddenly Yami Marik started to scream in pain, his palms met his temples like he was suffering from an unbearable headache. He moaned and groaned in pain; his hand started to cover his left eye like it was the source of the pain.
"Pharaoh! Please! Attack him!" It was Marik's real voice that came from his mouth. "I can't take this for too long! You need to attack and destroy him as long I can keep him at bay! I'm sorry for everything I did to you and your friends! But please, attack him! Now!"
"Master Marik, how long did I wait to hear those words from you…" Odion muttered as he looked at the scene in front of them. Jesara tucked her arm into Odion's and pressed her whole body against his, her anxiety almost overwhelmed her.
"I'm thankful to see you safe and sound, Odion… I really needed you." Jesara stared at him with watery eyes. He smiled back at her and nodded before his gaze drifted back to the duel.
"Well then, Marik! It's time! To unleash the power of Ragnarok I have to remove all my monsters from my deck! With the united powers of my Dark Magician and Dark Magician Girl they bundle their forces together with all my other monsters to destroy your Winged Dragon! And since you fused yourself to him, you will disappear with him!" Yami shouted with confidence in his tone.
Suddenly all of Yami's monsters appeared behind him; Slifer, Obelisk, Gazelle and even his Kuriboh appeared to fight against Ra. Slifer and Obelisk started to clutch Ra in a tight grip; they lifted up into the air and then… with a loud bang and a bright light like it was a supernova everything went silent.
The explosion covered Yami Marik's side of the field in thick smoke. Jesara tightened her grip on Odion's arm as she stared at the smoke, trying to get just a little sign of Marik… or what happened to him.
"Did Yugi win?" Joey asked curiously beside them.
"We'll know soon…" Yami muttered, his gaze fixed in the smoke in front of him too.
The smoke started to lift slowly, a male silhouette appeared in it. But Jesara wasn't sure if it was Marik or still his evil side. She prayed with all her might that it was the real one. He breathed heavily, exhausted and weak. His legs trembled heavily.
When the fig finally lifted Jesara couldn't believe her eyes; it was Marik. Also Ishizu couldn't help but shout in excitement. "Marik! My brother!"
Jesara wanted to run and climb onto the platform, but she suddenly was held back by Odion. He looked down at her and shook his head. "Don't. This duel isn't over yet." She stared him in confusion, but he was right… They weren't finished yet.
"Marik, it's over. You're save…" Yami said softly but stern as he eyed the young sandy blonde Egyptian, whose hair was finally back to normal.
"Pharaoh…" Marik muttered, fighting for air. "We still have to bring this to an end."
Yami raised a curious brow at his words. Marik still had 1 life point left, he could still try to win this duel.
"Since my birth it was my destiny to obey you and stay guard in front of your tomb, airing for your return. I never wanted to sacrifice my life for you and so I refused to fulfil my ancient purpose. I was so full of hate and anger that my dark side was born from this. I can't undo my actions, but at least I hope that you can forgive me one day. And today I start with doing the right thing…"
In the meantime his dark side, or at least what was left of him, appeared beside Marik - in the very same spot where he used to be before. His only eye was filled in horror has he realised that the tables had turned for him.
"Marik! No! Stop that! We can still win the duel and claim the endless power of the pharaoh when we work together!" He begged in horror as his weaker half started to lift his right arm to his duel disk.
"No, you caused enough damage. It's over. I don't need you. I'm doing the first thing to get my life back on track with surrendering the duel." Marik said and placed his palm onto his deck, which was the typical gesture when someone wanted to give up a duel. With that his dark side disappeared into the shadows with a painful scream.
"And the winner of the Battle City tournament is Yugi Muto!" Roland announced from the side of the field; this was the official ending of the duel. The gang climbed onto the platform and ran over to their friend to hug and congratulate him. Also Yugi's soul was save again.
Before Jesara was able to start into a sprint Odion lifted her up onto the platform and she immediately ran over to him, throwing herself into his arms. She almost wafted him off of his trembling feet. Jesara buried her head into his chest and wrapped her hands around his abdomen. Marik stroke softly over the back of her head and rested his other hand on her waist.
He inhaled deeply, it was finally over and he made his way back. Back to his body, to his life… to her.
Jesara looked up at him with teary eyes, but this time they were tears of joy. Her amber-olive eyes locked with his lavender ones; oh how she had missed to look into this breathtaking shade of pale violet. She smiled at him softly, still holding him in a tight hug.
"Hi…" Marik murmured with a smile as he brushed a few hair strands out of her face with his index finger. His eyes examined her carefully like he didn't see her for years.
Jesara swallowed hard, her smile grew wider at his gentle greeting. "Hi… I missed you…"
"I missed you too… Mrs Ishtar." Marik placed a soft kiss onto her forehead. "Or should I still call you Switzerland?" Marik cracked a smile, as charming as one could possibly be in this kind of situation.
"Well… Although it's tempting, Marik… I think I prefer to be called Mrs Ishtar. It plays way better with my first name than Switzerland." Jesara grinned at him with a wink. "I can't believe that you're back…"
"Same here… Thanks to your words; they gave me a reason to fight." He whispered and pulled her closer to him again and into a kiss. As he broke the kiss he wrapped his arms around her. For the first time since many years he felt something like joy and happiness. The anger that overshadowed his mind for so long had vanished, allowing him so literally breathe again.
"Brother, I'm so glad to have you back." Ishizu said as she approached the two with Odion.
Marik nodded at his sister with a thankful smile, still holding Jesara in a hug. But she loosened the hug when she heard Ishizu beside them. "Ishizu, Odion… Thank you. You've been so right all the time. Sorry that I didn't believe you…"
"You and the pharaoh saved him after all, that's all that counts." Ishizu said wisely and smiled at her.
"Jesara, there's still something I need to do before we can celebrate our reunion. It's time to fulfil my destiny." Marik said gently and loosened the hug as Yami and the gang walked over to them. She could tell from Joey's face that he was quite disappointed to see her in Marik's arms, although he probably had high hopes to date her after Battle City.
"Pharaoh." Marik spoke up as Yami came to a halt in front of them. "Thank you, you saved my life and destroyed my dark side. I'm sorry for what I put you and your friends through; I did horrible things and I wish I could undo my mistakes. As a tomb keeper it was my purpose to serve you and keep your secret until your return." Sorrow filled his voice. Yami locked eyes with the sandy blonde teen that used to be his worst enemy just a few minutes ago.
"First of all I owe you my rarest card, The Winged Dragon of Ra. You'll need it soon." Marik handed over the golden card, Yami could tell from his gaze that he felt ashamed and tried to hide it. Then Marik handed over the Millennium Ring, which his darker side took from Bakura in their shadow game, such as his millennium rod. "They are yours now, pharaoh. The ancient millennium items will help you to regain your memories."
Jesara placed a supporting hand on his shoulders; she felt proud of him. She thought she'd never hear those words from him. He was like a different person now; like the person she fell in love with.
"Thank you." Yami said firm and looked at all of the three god cards in his hands.
"There's one more thing I have to show you, pharaoh." Marik undressed his upper body from his black tank top and turned so that his back was faced towards Yami. Jesara bit her upper and bottom lips as hard as she could to cover a sheepish grin. 'Oh god, at least I can't complain about that chest…' She said to herself mentally as her cheeks blushed into a deep shade of red.
"The key to your secret was carved into my back when I was twelve. When you read the old scriptures on my back your destiny will fulfil. And that's when my mission as a tomb keeper ends." He explained, his back still faced to Yami, he examined the old hieroglyphs carefully.
"I'm sorry to interrupt this little story time!" Kaiba cut in, wearing his typical arrogant smirk. "Congratulations, Yugi. But if all of you want to get back to Domino you should get going now. This island is going to explode in one hour."
"What the…, Kaiba! You blow the island? Did Yugi roast your brain in your duel or what's wrong with you?" Joey yelled at the young CEO's words.
"Oh how much I'd like to leave you here, Wheeler." Kaiba growled at the blonde.
Jesara rolled her eyes at their little argument. "You really loose no time though, Mr. Rich & Explosive, huh? Calm your ego."
Marik raised a surprised eyebrow at her statement. "I like how temperamental you got in the last two years." His words were followed by a friendly smirk. She blushed slightly again at his compliment.
"Battle City is over, so why stay here longer than required?" Kaiba spat back and turned on heel as he left towards the elevator.
"I guess you cracked his oversized ego, Yug'." Joey sighed and rubbed the back of his head. Yami just shrugged his shoulders. Marik had put on his tank top again in the meantime.
"Thank you, Marik." Yami said before he looked over to his friends. "Well, I guess we should get going before Kaiba starts his firework."
AN: Sorry for that abrupt ending of chapter 17, but since there's just one chapter left to write before this story ends I wanted to save a bit of content for chapter 18.
Please leave a review with your thoughts :D