Well, this is the last chapter. I hope it's good. Thank you to all my reviewers or anyone who's just been reading. I hope to see you in more stories. Enjoy!

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Chapter 8: In Your Arms

As Atemu made his way to the courtyard where his horse was waiting, he gave out orders and instructions to soldiers. Atemu approached his horse and strapped a sword and sheath to his saddle. He whispered a quick, silent prayer then mounted his horse. Once his priests were ready they rode of into the desert just as the sun was beginning to rise.

Atemu did not bring any soldiers with him. "All I need are my priests. Also, I would be more at peace if I knew all you soldiers stayed here to protect my thrown. Seto is badly injured. As he is in charge in my stead, you must protect him."

They couldn't refuse a pharaoh's orders. The soldiers watched in concern as Atemu left with his priests.

"Retrieve my son!" He shouted as they entered the dunes. They nodded once and kicked the sides of their horses to make them go faster.

Atemu's heart was beating harder and faster then the hoofs of the creatures they rode. He was terrified. Atemu could sense that Yuugi was in pain and he feared the worst for his son. 'Please, I beg you, most honorable Gods. Do not let Isis' vision come to pass!'

Time seemed to slow down for Atemu. He didn't know how long it took to arrive at the place he saw in his dream, nor did he care. But when he laid his eyes upon the oddly specifically shaped rock, he knew he was there. He pulled on the reigns of his horse, bringing everyone to a stop.

Atemu dismounted and walked towards the dune directly across from the rock. He knew that the chain that would unlock the door to Bakura's lair was just underneath the sand. This was his chance to rescue his son and he wouldn't let it pass.

Atemu reached for the dune when a hand grabbed his wrist. "Naughty pharaoh, that's not for you."

Atemu jumped back and ripped his arm away. "Bakura! Release my son now!"

He smirked as the priests dismounted. "Why, of course my dear pharaoh! He's just dying to see you."

Atemu glared. He drew the sword from his saddle and held it tightly in his hand, pointing it at Bakura momentarily. "You monster! What have you done!?"

"I haven't done a thing." He grinned. "It's his own fault that he lay dying."

Atemu's eyes widened as he felt his heart shatter. Isis' vision had come true after all. His body tensed with anger. He wouldn't let Bakura live. He let out a cry and ran towards Bakura, sword in hand ready to cut.

Just as he was about to plunge his sword, a snake burst out of the ground and knocked Atemu back. He looked up as his priests surrounded him, making sure he was unharmed. "What is that creature?"

Mahado glared. "How did you summon that shadow creature, Bakura?"

He chortled and raised the sleeve of his robe showing off a glittering diadiankh. Bakura smirked as his creature burst from the ground. It had the body of a demon and a grey snake instead of legs. It was covered in grey scales making its red glowing eyes stand out with even more malice.

"My precious Diabound." He looked up at the monster before returning his gaze to Atemu, who had stood up. "Defeat him and you can get past me. But time is running out for your fragile son, Pharaoh."

Atemu growled. He stepped forward, anger and hate flaring in his eyes. "If you want a shadow duel then that's exactly what you'll get!"

Atemu, along with his other priests, raised their arms and summoned their own monsters. Beasts of all kinds now floated just above them poised for a fight.

All of the monsters on Atemu's side fired attacks towards Diabound. The thief simply smirked and didn't make any attempt to defend. The impact of the attacks created a huge booming noise that made everyone's ears pound with pain.

Atemu looked up at Diabound. As the dust cleared, he was shocked. There wasn't a single scratch!

Bakura chuckled. Without even a word to his creature, Diabound built up energy for an attack. Isis sent her monster in front of all the others. She erected a defensive barrier but Diabound's attack was far too strong. It blasted through the barrier and destroyed half of the monsters they had summoned.

The force of the attack alone had knocked them off their feet. Atemu sat up and cursed. 'His creature is more powerful then I had anticipated. But I cannot let him win! We must save Yuugi!'

He looked to his right and saw Mahado coughing, regaining the breath he lost. He smirked. "Mahado," Atemu said quietly. "I have an idea."

Bakura watched them carefully. He could see their lips moving. He instantly knew they were coming up with some kind of strategy. "Keeping secrets, pharaoh?"

Mahado nodded at the king once before glaring at Bakura. The priest summoned a monster that Bakura recognized as Shadow Ghoul. Both the monster and the magician disappeared as they phased through the sand to Bakura's lair below.

The thief glared. But his malicious leer turned to a bitter smirk. "It won't matter. By the time Mahado reaches your son, he'll be dead."

Atemu fumed. He wouldn't let his son die. "Attack!"

--

It hurt to breath. He could barely keep his eyes open any more. The blood that pooled under him was no longer warm, nor was his body. Everything was cold. He was shivering. He was so tired. He wanted to sleep.

He forced his eyes open. He couldn't sleep. Not yet. He wanted to see his father again. 'Will I ever see papa again?'

The metallic smell of blood was all around him. It was bitter. He hated it. But he hated Bakura even more. He put Yuugi through so much and now, he was probably going to die.

Tears spilled from his eyes. 'But I don't want to die. I want to be with papa. I want to go back to the palace and see Uncle Seto and Mahado and Shada and Isis and Karim. I want Shimon to keep teaching me about the Gods and about the ways of the kings. I'm not ready to leave yet!'

He sobbed a bit making his wound hurt even more. He felt so trapped. There was nothing he could do to find his father's arms again. Yuugi quietly cried until he no longer held his consciousness. 'I'm sorry, papa. I should've tried harder.'

--

Mahado phased through the earth and landed on the stone of the hallway. He was shocked to see two shadow monsters surrounding a cage. 'Did Bakura know we would devise this strategy?'

The monsters leapt forward to attack. Mahado sent a spell to destroy one monster while Shadow Ghoul sliced the other one. The monsters disappeared back to the Shadow Realm. Then, all was silent.

Mahado ran over to the cage and gasped. "Prince!"

He ran inside and knelt in the pool of blood beside the prince's body. He gathered Yuugi in his arms and shook him slightly. "My prince, please wake up. Please!"

There was no movement from the boy. Mahado wasn't even sure if he was breathing. He ran back to the Shadow Ghoul and ordered the monster to take them both to the palace. They phased through the walls and traveled under the sand until it was sure Bakura wouldn't see them escape. Then, as fast as it could go, the Shadow Ghoul ran to the palace.

--

The monsters on Atemu's side fired their attacks at Diabound. Bakura was weak and Atemu knew this was the perfect time to attack. 'A monster is only as strong as his master.'

Bakura had fallen to his knees. Diabound had been injured on his side badly and Bakura felt his pain. It was the same area where Yuugi stabbed him.

Atemu scoffed. "Look at the Thief King quivering on his knees. How pathetic."

Bakura chuckled. He looked up at Atemu with a dark sinister scowl. "This fight hasn't ended, pharaoh. You cannot get rid of me. We will continue this another day."

There was a black portal that opened up underneath Bakura dragging him down below the sand. Atemu cried, "Get back here you coward!"

"Don't you have your son's funeral to plan?" He laughed as he finally disappeared. Diabound faded away so there was nothing left of either of them.

Atemu cursed. He looked up into the sky when he heard an eagle shriek. It was Mahado's symbol that he and Yuugi had reached the palace. He quickly mounted his horse. "Back to the palace! Now!"

XxX

Atemu glared. "How dare you! Remove your self from my path! I must see my son!"

"The prince is receiving medical attention, my pharaoh." A guard said. "Please, the healers have requested that no one disturbs them. I'm sorry-"

"If you're sorry then let me through!" Atemu was about to barge past them when Mahado stopped him.

"Pharaoh, please. Let them take care of your son." Mahado said. "Do not interrupt them. They need to concentrate on his injures and having a concerned father in there would distract them. It's for the prince's best interest."

Atemu sighed. He knew Mahado was right. As desperate as Atemu was, he had to wait. Both of them walked back to the thrown room where his other priests were waiting.

Seto greeted him. "I'm glad to see you've arrived safely, cousin. I am sorry about the prince."

"Don't be." Atemu said and resumed his place at the thrown. "Mahado, please. I need to know. Why must my son be treated by three healers?"

Mahado bowed in front of Atemu. "My pharaoh, I'm sorry. The prince was badly injured. When I found him, he was laying in a pool of blood. There was a knife wound in his side. It also appeared that he had been beaten very badly. I'm afraid that he was near death. Forgive me, pharaoh."

Time froze still. Atemu was in shock. He couldn't believe what he had just heard. His son was dying? 'How could this be?'

Atemu gripped the cord of his Item and closed his eyes, bowing his head. 'Don't let him die. Yuugi is my only son. How can the line of kings continue without him? Please . . . I don't want my son to die!'

XxX

Atemu watched sadly as his son was breathing deeply. His face was covered with sweat. Yuugi was trying to fight off the lingering death that threatened to swallow him into its dark depths.

The prince suffered from terrible nightmares. These dreams caused him to scream with terror, as he would call out for his father to save him. But rarely, in his dreams, were his cries answered or heard.

Bakura stood over him, a knife clenched tightly in his hand. Blood dripped off his clothes and his hair. The thief was covered in this life giving substance. He chortled and licked the blood that coated the blade. "Who thought a pharaoh's blood could taste so good?"

But then, there was another dream.

Bakura was standing there, glaring at Yuugi. He raised the knife over his head but suddenly he sank into the sand. He disappeared. Yuugi was confused. Where did the thief go?

There was a bright light above him. Yuugi raised his arm to shield his eyes. Two gentle hands took hold of his and pulled his arm away from his face. "My dearest Yuugi, don't be afraid."

Yuugi opened his eyes and looked up. There was a beautiful woman standing over him. Her eyes were violet and her hair was long and black. She smiled down at him and held him close. "I'm sorry I can't be there with you, my dear. I want so badly to see you and hold you in the real world."

Yuugi smiled. She was warm and her voice was so soft and kind. He leaned towards her. "Don't be sad. I'm not mad at you."

She chuckled. "You're just as sweet and beautiful as I always hoped you would be."

The woman pulled back and looked deeply into Yuugi's eyes. "Dearest Yuugi, it's time that you woke up. Your father and his priests are all very worried about you. Open your eyes and tell him that you're all right."

Yuugi shook his head. "I can't! I'm trapped here. Bakura-"

"He won't hurt you any more." She smiled. "He's gone now. You don't need to be afraid of him anymore. I'm here to protect you in this world and Atemu is there to protect you in the other world."

Yuugi nodded. "I know. But . . . I don't want to lose you."

"I swear, Yuugi, I'll always be with you." She said sadly. "You won't see me, but I'm there. Forever. I am a part of you."

He nodded and wrapped his arms around her. "I'll miss you."

She sniffed as tears fell from her eyes. "And I'll miss you."

"I'm glad that I got to meet you."

--

Atemu carefully watched over his son. Yuugi had stopped panting and was breathing easily now. He held his son's hand tightly and kneeled beside his bed. All his priests stood in the room off to the side.

Yuugi had been asleep for three days now. By this time, everyone was sure that their prince didn't have a chance. If he did die, they needed to prepare his body for the boy's journey to the afterlife.

Atemu refused to believe that his son was dying. He may have been close, but he was still alive. Yuugi couldn't die. He just couldn't.

Atemu squeezed his hand. He whispered, "Please, wake up, my son."

Yuugi stirred. He gasped as the boy's eyelids cracked open. He looked over at his priests. "Mahado! Hurry!"

The magician ran over with medicine and a bowl of water. Seto handed him a cloth and the priest dunked it in the cold liquid. He curled the cloth to ring out the excess water and handed it to Atemu. The pharaoh gently dabbed his son's face. "Yuugi, please. Open your eyes."

The prince groaned. He finally opened his eyes and looked over at this father. "Papa!"

Yuugi's voice was weak and it cracked from lack of use. But Atemu didn't care. He kneeled on the bed and brought Yuugi gently into his arms. He sobbed against his son's head holding him in a loving embrace. "My son! Thank the Gods! You're alive!"

Yuugi smiled. He watched the priests silently rejoice and watched the two of them. Isis started crying and Shada smiled at her. "Our prayers worked, Isis."

She nodded and wiped away her tears. 'There's no end to the line of kings. Not yet.'

Mahado sighed thankfully. He was glad to see his prince was alive. Seto looked at Mahado and smiled. Karim went to fetch a healer incase Yuugi's wounds still needed to be treated.

Atemu sobbed. "Yuugi! Oh, Yuugi. I thought I was going to lose you."

Yuugi smiled and leaned against his father. "I told you before, papa. I'm not going anywhere."

He nodded and kissed his son's forehead. "I know, Yuugi. I know you're not."

Yuugi smiled. "Oh, and before I forget, mama says hello."

The entire room gasped. Did Amisi speak to her son?

"Yuugi . . . did you see your mother when you were sleeping?" Atemu cautiously asked.

He nodded. "Yup! She protected me from Bakura and said that I shouldn't be afraid. She told me to wake up because all of you were really worried about me. I had to open my eyes and tell all of you that everything was ok. She said that she misses all of you and promises to watch over everyone!"

Atemu closed his eyes. 'Amisi, my love . . .'

"Papa, mama told me to tell you to stop blaming yourself. She doesn't want you to be sad any more." Yuugi said with a huge grin on his face. "She wants you to always be smiling just like this!"

Atemu smiled sadly. He drew his son into another embrace and sighed. 'I promise, Amisi. In your honor I'll always smile.'

XxX

Yuugi happily jumped around in the gardens. "You can't catch me, Mana!"

"Slow down, prince!" She jumped towards him but landed in the grass instead. This was Yuugi's favorite area. The one place where there was grass instead of sand. The palace gardens were always fragrant with beautiful flowers and plants of all kinds. He loved it here so much.

Atemu watched him carefully. He had just finished eating his lunch with Yuugi and had no kingly duties. There was nothing for him to worry about. Not at the moment, at least.

Mahado and Seto walked over to Atemu who sat on a large rock watching Yuugi and Mana play a new game Yuugi invented.

"My pharaoh, I'm sorry but there's a meeting with the architect you must attend." Mahado said. "He needs to know exactly what you had in mind for the-"

Yuugi screamed. Atemu gasped and stood up ready to run to his son's rescue only to discover there was no danger. Mana had pinned Yuugi to the ground and was tickling him. "I can't catch you, eh?"

Atemu chuckled and shook his head. Mahado smiled. "The prince has been healing well, hasn't he?"

The pharaoh nodded. "Yes, he's been doing very well. There will be a scar on his side from the knife, but nothing else permanent besides that. He said he doesn't feel any pain now."

Mahado smiled. "I'm glad to know he's doing so well."

Atemu nodded. He called Yuugi over and smiled at his son. "I have to go to a meeting right now. I'm going to have Seto watch over you."

Yuugi wined. "Do you have to go, papa?"

"Yes, I do. I shouldn't be too long." Atemu ruffled his son's hair. "Ask Seto to play with you."

Yuugi grinned. "Will you really play with us, uncle Seto?!"

He blinked. "I guess I'll have to. I have a feeling the son of Horus will order me to anyway."

Yuugi giggled. "Yay!" He grabbed Seto's hand and pulled him over to where Mana stood waiting for him. Yuugi turned around and waved to his father. "Bye papa! Have fun!"

Atemu smiled. He and Mahado walked towards the thrown room. He didn't have to be afraid for Yuugi any more. He truly felt that his son was safe and happy. Atemu would make it his mission to keep it that way.

XxX

It was the next day. Mahado awoke to hear a knock on his door. He beckoned the person inside and got out of bed. A guard entered his room and bowed. "Master Mahado, I have a message for you from the prince."

Mahado nodded. "All right. What is it?"

--

"Where are Mahado and Yuugi going?" Atemu watched as his son and high priest rode away with a few guards.

Seto watched them as well. "A guard told me that the prince wanted Mahado to take him to Salidji's grave site."

Atemu looked at him. "What? Why?"

"I suppose he wants to say goodbye." Seto suggested. "As well, he told anyone he spoke to about this outing not to tell you. He doesn't want you to worry about him or get upset."

Atemu sighed. He watched the horses they rode on turn towards the graves. "I'm going out there, you know. Yuugi and I need to talk."

"Of course." Seto walked out of the room to fetch Atemu's horse.

The young pharaoh sighed. 'Why does he worry about other people so much? I would have taken him there myself if it meant that much to him.'

Atemu's thoughts were filled with confusion as he rode towards the graves with Seto. He accompanied the pharaoh to protect him as well as to make sure that the prince would be all right. After Bakura kidnapped him, Seto had become very protective of his family.

They arrived in time to see Yuugi standing in front of Salidji's grave. In his hands, he held the black embroidered pink vest that he gave her as a symbol as his guardian. He knelt down before the grave and gently laid it on top of the ground. He then put his hands together in silent prayer.

Atemu sighed quietly. He dismounted and walked over to Mahado, laying a hand on his shoulder. The magician turned and nodded walking back towards the horses. The guards also stepped away from the pharaoh and his son. The two of them needed to talk alone.

He walked up to Yuugi. He knelt beside his son, faced the grave and put his hands together in prayer. The two prayed for a while before they looked at each other. Yuugi had tears in his eyes. "Papa, why did she die? Salidji was a good person. Why did Bakura have to kill her?"

Atemu put his arms around Yuugi's shoulders. "I don't know. Bakura is a terrible fiend. He shouldn't have killed Salidji. But the Gods have reasons for why things happen. We cannot question them. All will make sense in time."

Yuugi nodded against Atemu's chest before looking up at his father. "Papa, I have a confession. When she told me she was going to be my guardian, I asked if Salidji would be my new mother."

Atemu's eyes widened. "What?"

"Please, don't be angry at me. I only did it because I was lonely." Yuugi looked down at the ground. He couldn't look into the eyes of his father. "I did it because . . . I wanted a mother. I knew my real mother was gone forever. I wanted a mother so badly. I made her do it. Please don't be angry with her or me . . ."

Atemu lifted Yuugi's head. "My son, I'm not angry at either of you. I understand that you were in need of a mother. But you should always know that your real mother is there with you." He took hold of Yuugi's hand and placed it over the boy's heart. "She's inside of you."

Yuugi nodded. "Because she's a part of me. I know. I'm sorry. I didn't mean to replace her."

"No one can ever replace your mother, Yuugi." Atemu smiled. "Salidji was a substitute, that's all. Amisi will always be your mother, no matter what world she's in."

Yuugi smiled. He embraced his father and nuzzled his chest. "I love you, papa. I love my mama, too."

Atemu held his son close. "We love you just as much and even more, Yuugi. And we always will."

They gave one last prayer to Salidji and stood up. They walked back to the others, hand in hand. Atemu squeezed Yuugi's hand. He felt so proud of his son. 'Thank you, Gods of Egypt, for blessing me with this gift from heaven.'

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As per usual, it's time to thank my faithful anonymous reviewer, "Andrea". HEY BABE!! Check your email ok? (wink) Anyway, thanks for always staying with me and reading all the chapters. That means a lot to me. (heart) I hope you liked the ending. Email me back! Ja matta ne!

Once again, thank you everyone!