Chapter 19

The rain was coming down relentlessly. But the raindrops couldn't be heard over the roar of the crowd inside the Kaiba Dome. All around the Dome people were cheering, clapping and jumping up and down on their seats. The excitement about what they were seeing was too much to sit dignified in the chairs and watch politely. Down in the arena the crowd watched as the two magicians rose into the air, their staff tips touching as light burst out of the two staffs and raced towards the dragon on the opposite side of the field. The dragon didn't stand a chance, it was easily destroyed. As the dragon disappeared, the crowd's roars intensified. The sound became so intense that it was almost as though the roof of the Dome was about to be blown off. Down in the arena Yugi looked around at the cheering crowd, beaming at them. As he looked through the crowd, he was able to spot his friends at the front and perhaps cheering the loudest. Their cheers became louder as they saw him looking, Joey and Tristan began their victory dance much to the amusement of the people around them. Letting out a laugh Yugi crossed the arena to meet Justin, who was making his way over to him. There was perhaps a slight hint of disappointment in his eyes but mostly he looked on top of the world.

"Congrats Yugi, you deserved to win." Justin said, extending his hand to Yugi.

Yugi shook it, "No, thank you, that was the most exhilarating duel of the tournament. I hope you're not too disappointed."

Justin shook his head, "I got to face the King of Games which was an absolute honour. I just hope you win in the final."

"I'll certainly do my best."

The pair grinned at each other for a moment before turning to face the crowd who erupted into even louder cheers. The cheers seemed as though they would never stop until Mokuba leapt up onto the stage and waved at the crowd to bring the noise back under some sort of control.

"What a duel!" He called through the microphone he was holding, "What a fantastic duel and now we have our first official finalist! The King of Games, Yugi Muto, will progress to the grand final!"

Once again the crowd erupted in cheers. Mokuba paused for a moment before continuing.

"But the question now is who will he be facing. Joey Wheeler or Seto Kaiba. Well, we will find out the answer in forty-eight hours' time when we find ourselves back here for the second duel of the semi-finals! Let's hear it one more time for the King of Games and we will see you all again very soon for the next duel!"

The crowd cheered again and this time it didn't stop. The cries and roars stayed with Yugi long after he'd left the arena and re-joined his friends. His ears continued to ring as they began to make their way home in the rain. Pulling their hoods up over their heads, they hurried along the pavement. Barely speaking as they moved, none of them particularly wanted to get any wetter then they needed to. They had originally planned on going somewhere to celebrate the win but soon decided that they all longed the warmth of their dry houses so split off in their respective directions. They could celebrate properly tomorrow when hopefully the rain would have stopped.

Yugi glanced at his friends for a moment before continuing, as he walked, he couldn't help but think about how a few weeks ago his closest friend had been out in rain like this and been attacked. But Yugi made it back to the game shop, soaked through but unscathed. Stepping through the doorway of the shop, he peeled off his coat sending various rain droplets flying everywhere. Holding his coat away from him like it stank he moved up the stairs into the living room where his grandfather was waiting for him.

"Well done Yugi!" He said, patting him on the back, "We knew you could do it."

"Thanks!" Yugi grinned, "Do I get to choose dessert tonight?"

Grandpa laughed, "Of course my boy."

Yugi looked round for his closest friend but saw no sign of him. He looked to his grandfather and opened his mouth to ask a question but his grandfather, knowing what he was about to ask, spoke before he could.

"He's in the kitchen."

Grinning in thanks to his grandfather he moved into the kitchen. He noted first the temperature change between the rooms, the kitchen was a lot cooler then the living room. It didn't take him long to discover the source. The back door was open, on the floor leaning against the open door was the former Pharaoh. He was looking out into the rain, lost in thought. Moving over to him, Yugi sat opposite his closest friend and took in his appearance for a moment. Atem definitely did look a lot better than he had done the previous week, the antibiotics had taken effect which meant although the once King still looked a little pale he looked a lot healthier then he had before. The cuts and bruises to his face were all at different stages of healing but he was most definitely on the mend. That was not to say he was back to full health, he still had a fair way to go in his recovery but it seemed as though the worst days were behind them. Atem had pulled the hood of his jumper over his head and his gaze was locked on the falling rain, but his eyes were alert, tired… but alert. He was clearly doing some serious brooding. He'd not noticed Yugi sit opposite him and for a long while neither of them spoke, just watched the rain. For Yugi it was nice to sit and think for a moment, to process the day's events. For Atem, the consistent rainfall allowed his mind to focus and process what it needed to.

After a few more minutes Yugi unfastened the straps of his duel disk and set it on the floor next to him. This movement stirred the once King out of his thoughts. He looked over to Yugi and smiled at him.

"Forgive me Yugi, I wasn't paying attention." He said.

Yugi just grinned back, "That much was obvious. Are you alright?"

"I'm alright Yugi, don't worry about me."

"I know you're sick of us asking but you know why we're asking right?"

Atem nodded, "I do, and I appreciate that."

He looked away for a moment, watching as the rain continued to fall. He moved slightly as his broken ankle twinged, despite his best attempt he knew Yugi would have picked up on this, but he didn't say anything. Yugi looked out at the rain and sighed.

"It's been a while since we've watched the rain like this properly." He said, leaning against the wall behind him.

A noise of agreement was the only response he got. This was something Yugi and the Pharaoh had done for a long time now, even when the former Pharaoh had still been sealed within the puzzle. When it had heavily rained like this, they would sit and watch the rain together. Sometimes they spoke, other times they didn't. It was just simply nice for them to just take a break from the world and think through anything they needed to process. Sometimes they would do this more than others. He remembered this happening a lot more frequently after the whole business with Dartz. Atem had had to process a lot then, so they found themselves doing this every time it had rained. Not that Yugi had minded at all, he actually found it allowed him to process that whole business as well. In honesty, it was possible that without this the two of them may not have been able to move on so efficiently from that.

"You duelled well today Yugi." Atem suddenly said, "Well done."

"Thanks, Justin was my toughest opponent yet. I did say it would be a fun challenge to go up against him and it was. Now, it's just the final round to go."

"Don't get excited just yet, you are yet to find out who you'll be facing."

"It could be either of them in the final." Yugi said, looking out into the rain, "Kaiba and Joey are both strong duellists in their own right, I wouldn't like to put a guess on who I think will win."

"It will be a close one."

Yugi nodded in agreement before they fell silent again, both looking out into the rain. They sat there for a while longer, before Yugi looked to Atem. It was clear from the look in his eye that something was bothering him. Part of him wanted to ask but the other part of him didn't want to push him to talk. Yugi chewed his lip for a moment before taking the gamble.

"Is there something on your mind?"

For the longest moment the former Pharaoh didn't respond, just continued to stare into the night. But eventually his eyes found Yugi's, he opened his mouth to speak but was interrupted as Grandpa entered the room.

"Yugi, Joey's downstairs."

Yugi was taken aback, he thought Joey had gone home like the other two had.

"Joey's downstairs?" He asked, "Is he ok?"

"He looks a little troubled if you ask me." Grandpa replied.

Yugi stood, concerned, "I'll go down and get him."

He took a couple of steps before turning to Atem, who'd not moved from the floor. Their eyes met and Yugi didn't have to ask the question he'd wanted. He could see from the other's face that he too was concerned why Joey would turn up out of the blue. Understanding moved between them and Yugi hurried out the kitchen without another word to either of them. Descending the stairs into the game shop he saw his best friend pacing by the door, a hand running through his dripping wet hair.

"Joey? Are you alright?" Yugi asked, when he reached the last step.

Joey paused in his pacing for a moment before restarting, "Yeah I think so…"

From his tone of voice and movement Yugi could tell he wasn't alright. He watched Joey for a moment, he'd still not stopped pacing. He definitely looked troubled, Grandpa had been right about that. Not quite knowing what to say he continued to watch his best friend until he stopped pacing and finally met his gaze.

"You know Yuge I don't think I'm alright." He said, scratching his neck, "I'm worried."

"Worried about what?" Yugi replied, watching his friend with great concern.

"This duel with Kaiba, I'm not sure I'm up for it."

"Of course you are! You'll do great against Kaiba, you've come so far and become a really strong duellist Joey."

Joey shook his head, "Face it Yuge, Kaiba has beaten me so many times before. I don't have a chance of beating him."

"You don't know that."

Joey shook his head again and it looked as though he was about to begin pacing again.

"Why don't you come upstairs?" Yugi asked quickly, "Atem's in the kitchen, you could talk this out with us."

"Is he ok?"

Yugi motioned to him, "Come see for yourself, I'm sure he'd be glad to see you."

Joey seemed to consider this for a moment before he relented and followed Yugi up the stairs. The living room was deserted, the only sounds were from the television which was still on. Yugi assumed Grandpa must still be in the kitchen with Atem but when they moved into the kitchen, they found he was the only person in there. He'd not moved from his position on the floor but looked round at their approach, a smile on his face as he saw Joey. Yugi settled himself in his original position opposite Atem and Joey slowly sat on the floor between the two of them. He looked at the former Pharaoh, this was the first time he'd seen him since that day at the factory. To Joey, Atem did not look particularly well, but he was at least conscious this time.

"Hey man, it's good to see you. Are you alright?" He asked.

Atem nodded, "I am. I must thank you Joey, for helping me."

"No need to thank me. I'm just glad you're alright."

The former Pharaoh smiled gratefully again before asking, "How are you, Joey?"

Joey sighed internally. The former Pharaoh had always had a knack of reading people. Even in his injured state, his mind was still sharp. He looked down at his fingers for a moment before glancing up, the rain outside had caught his eye. He didn't see the two look-a-likes exchange a glance at each other. He sighed and looked down again.

"I just wonder whether I actually have what it takes to beat Kaiba." He finally said, "I know I always say I can beat him and that but now… I'm not so sure. He's beaten me before and maybe he will just keep beating me."

"Joey, we know you can do this." Yugi said, "You're strong and after every duel you get stronger."

"But this is Kaiba."

"Kaiba may be strong but he's not unbeatable." Atem said.

Joey sighed, "You would say that because you've beaten him."

"Maybe Joey but don't give up. You can do anything if you believe in yourself and your cards."

Joey glanced between his two friends.

"Man, could the two of you sound any more alike?"

The two look-a-likes laughed whilst Joey just looked between them, wearing a rather bemused look on his face.

"Well, we shared a mind for years." Yugi laughed, "We came up with these sayings together."

Atem, regaining his composure, gave him a look to which he just grinned innocently back. When the former Pharaoh raised an eyebrow at him, he laughed again before correcting his statement.

"OK, maybe I didn't come up with them. Atem came up with them, I just use them."

The once King smiled but his expression then became distant, and he turned away to look out at the rain once again. Yugi looked at him for a moment, he knew that look. Atem had become lost in a memory, but what memory he didn't know. Had the two of them been alone, he'd ask Atem what as going through his mind but with Joey here he decided against it. Joey was repositioning himself, seemingly getting uncomfortable on the floor. He moved to sit next to Yugi, leaning his back against the wall.

"Do you two just hang out here on the floor? Rather uncomfortable."

Yugi let out a short laugh, "Only when it rains."

When Joey looked at him with a confused expression on his face he elaborated.

"Whenever it rains, we watch it. It's actually a really good way to just take a moment to think. We've done it for a long time now, even when we shared a mind we would sit here and watch the rain."

Yugi glanced at the former Pharaoh, but he'd not moved. As he listened Joey's eyes had moved to watch the rain as well, he had to agree that this was very calming. He felt as though he could think clearer now. It was as though his concerns were melting, becoming less daunting.

"If I remember right then it was Atem who suggested it sometime after Duellist Kingdom." Yugi continued, "When we were just starting to get wind of Marik's plans. It was quite helpful for us to just take a moment and think about everything we learnt."

"Well, it works," Joey said quietly, "It's clearing my mind at least. Good thing you came up with this Atem."

"It was my father who came up with it." Atem replied, his voice quiet.

This statement caught both of their attention; the former Pharaoh had never spoken about his father. At least, it was extremely rare for him to do so. Atem was still looking out into the rain, his expression had become unreadable. Yugi knew he was hiding an emotion behind that look.

"Of course, when I first suggested to Yugi we do this I did not know why it was a good idea, it just seemed like a good one." He continued, "But since I regained my memories, I remember clearly that I used to do this with my father. There was one time of year we could do it, during Akhet. It would rain so heavily that the Nile would burst, and the land around would be submerged."

Yugi and Joey didn't take their eyes off the once King.

"We had this room near the back of the palace where water for the Nile would flood in. I suppose you would describe like an indoor swimming pool. I learnt to swim there, played with Mana and my father. But during the floods that was where my father would take me, we would sit opposite each other and watch as the rain fell. The first time he took me he told me to sit and say nothing, just observe the wonders of nature. Everything became less formidable, things I worried about melted away." Atem closed his eyes, lost in the memory, "I can still remember how the rain bounced off the water, how the birds called to each other and the smell of the reeds. It was so peaceful and one of my favourite moments with my father but then…"

Atem trailed off, there was a short pause. He opened his eyes again but did not make eye contact with them. The other two in the room didn't dare speak. Yugi watched his closest friend, picking up on the look in his eye.

"Then he was gone." Atem continued, his voice even quieter, "And I found myself King. From then I was unable to go back there. I never could watch the rain like this again until…"

He trailed off again, but this time he met Yugi's eye, who didn't need him to explain. Yugi simply smiled a reassuring smile at his closest friend.

"You must miss him." Joey said.

Yugi caught the brief glimpse of anguish in the former Pharaoh's face before it was gone, hidden behind his famous unreadable expression. He looked at Joey for a moment before casting his eyes back to the rain.

"I do, but I know I will see him again one day."

Joey smiled slightly at the once King, regretting his question. He may not be able to read Atem very well but he could tell from the way Yugi was reacting that this was a tough subject for the once King so decided not to push him any further. He did hope Atem would open up more about his Egyptian past as it was fascinating, just that glimpse into his early life had sounded incredible. He cast his eyes over the rain once more and considered what Atem had said. As he watched the rain fall and his mind went back to the reason he'd come here in the first place. The more he watched the rain the more his problem did seem to melt away. Whether or not he beat Kaiba in the upcoming match, he would duel his hardest, after all he'd earnt his spot in the semi-finals. The three of them sat in that silence for awhile longer, all of them processing their respective thoughts. It was only when Grandpa came in to make dinner plans with them that they moved. Each of them feeling more content than they had done before, they all felt things were back in perspective. Each of them ready to face whatever was coming next.