Disclaimer: Yu-Gi-Oh, mine? Sadly, no.

A/N: Well, this is the last chapter, and it'll be kinda short. Hope you enjoy it!

Ally: This is your shortest story yet!

Anevay: I know, I know, but I didn't have much to go on and… never mind.

Ally: Good girl! You stopped yourself from giving a long, lengthy, unnecessary explanation!

Anevay: Put a cork in it, child.

Ally: If you say so. Read on!

Returned to You

Despite her commitment to be as cheerful as she could, Mana was having difficulty fighting against her own self-pity.

More of them. More troops returning. It all hurt. Could they please stop cheering? It was selfish to ask, but it was what she wanted, and at the moment, she didn't care about being selfish. It hurt to hear the others screaming in joy at the return of their own loved ones. Mana wasn't as lucky. Couldn't they be sensitive to that?

Apparently this was the last load of them. There would be no more returning soldiers. Maybe Mana could finally move on and forget about all this – without the daily reminders, she might be able to do it.

Mana wanted to be happy for everyone else, really she did, but how could she?

She pressed her hands harder against her ears. That never stopped the noise or the pain, but it was worth a try. It always was.

Someone pounded on her door. "Mana!" Mother. "Come outside, please," she sounded anxious. Excited, even. What was to be excited about? All Mana wanted to do was disappear and melt into the ground.

"No," she responded stubbornly.

"Please, Mana, for me?"

She inwardly groaned. Her mother had been one of her greatest comforts, as she always had been. She had to do it for her mother, and for some odd reason, she wanted to. It was irrational; getting up, leaving the room, going outside… it was only open old wounds, so why was she doing it?

"I'm coming…" she muttered. She pushed her fingers through her hair and attempted to straighten her dress. She shrugged; she looked alright. No need to look good anyway.

Her mother beckoned her outside.

And then down the street.

It hurt to walk. Every footstep was another stitch being torn open in her heart. She wrapped her arms around her chest and shook her head: "Don't make me go any further, mother, please."

Mother wrapped an arm around her shoulders, "Just around the corner, dear, you want to see this, trust me."

Why did mother sound so happy? Couldn't everyone just let her crawl in her hole and stay there? What on Earth was there to be happy about?

But she went. Something in her gut told her to go.

Upon seeing what was at the docks, she knew she couldn't go any further. There they were: the soldiers, embracing their families and friends, kissing their lovers. She closed her eyes. This was exactly what she hadn't wanted to see.

"Why did you want me to see this?" she demanded, eyes tight shut.

"Look," mother whispered, voice full of open convicted excitement now. "Look, Mana!"

"I don't want to! Leave me alone!" the tears tore at her throat and eyes. "Do you want to torture me? I—!"

She was cut off.

"Mana!"

She froze. That voice. That voice! Was she imagining it? She had to be. The voice called to her again.

"Mana!"

She opened her eyes and stared at the ground, but didn't look up. Again, they called to her.

"Am I really that hard to look at? Mana, my love, please."

She took a deep breath and, at a nudge from her mother, looked up.

Her breath hitched in her throat and she blinked the moisture from her eyes. She had to know it was really him. When she wiped away the tears, her vision focused very clearly on a man with tri-spiked, chaotic hair, amethyst eyes and a confident smile. His eyes appeared wet, even at this distance. He was sitting on a stool at edge of the dock, and beside him was a tall man with short chestnut hair.

Mana hesitated a moment, taking a step forward. She watched as Mahad helped Atem to his feet; he wobbled for a moment and took an unsteady step forward, and his eyes implored of her. He smiled.

Then there was a sound that had seemed long forgotten: Mana's bubbly, giggling laughter.

Atem opened his arms for her.

She went running. She slammed into him, arms going tightly around his neck and torso, clutching him tightly but gently. For a man who had been shot and impaled by arrows, it was remarkable that he kept his feet. He absorbed her impact as he had all his life, holding on to her tighter than he had ever held on to anything.

Mana was half sobbing and half laughing. The feelings in her chest were old feelings that had seemed forgotten, and yet here they were, emerging anew and causing her heart and head to pound; making her chest burst with joy.

"Atem," she choked through the crying and laughing. "I thought…"

He brought their faces around just enough to see her aquamarine eyes and the tears there. "Mana," he said softly. It was incredible to finally hold her after so long. "I've returned to you at last, just like I promised."

Then finally, after years of separation, their lips met once more.

Atem rubbed her back, holding her close. They didn't say anything. They knew how the other felt; words couldn't express their feelings. There were only three words that could possibly convey the meaning, and Atem whispered them in her ear before kissing her neck.

"What about me?" asked Mahad, but he was smiling.

Mana beamed and jump-tackled Mahad, "Of course, I'm happy to see you, Mahad! You're the reason he's here. You're the reason you're alive at all. Thank you, thank you! I thought I would never see you again," she wiped her eyes, "I thought you were goners."

"I made a promise, Mana," he said, winking. "And I never break a promise."

From there it was a love-fest of hugs and kisses. Families were embraced and friends were greeted – words were said and emotions were high. It had been a long, tiring war and an even longer, even more tiring wait for their return, but they were home now, safe and sound. Everything was finally over, and now they could get some peace. Some happiness.

Later that night, Atem was asleep beside Mana, resting. They had been staying up together, sitting beside one another in a quiet, companionable silence, when Mana heard Atem's quiet snoring. He had fallen asleep as they sat side-by-side on the porch, an arm around her.

She just smiled and kissed his cheek. "I'm glad you're home, Atem," she breathed, resting her forehead against his cheek.

It was ironic, really. Just the day before, she had been in the depths of despair, pitying herself and hating everyone else. And now… now she only felt content, happy, and peaceful. All the good emotions had returned, replacing the bad of the weeks before. It was as if they had been a bad dream, and when she had awoken, everything had been set right. It was hard to believe that this wasn't a dream, but she had checked multiple times. She was awake. Atem was really sitting next to her, safe. With her.

What could be better?

Mana sat there for a long time, leaning on Atem, listening to his breathing. Before long it grew cold, and she very gently shook his shoulder. "Atem," she said softly, kissing his face, "You need your rest. Time to go to sleep."

He just grunted, blinking wearily. He sat up and stretched, smiling at her when he was more awake: "Bed time already?"

"Yep," she said cheerfully. She wrapped her arms around his waist and hauled him to his feet, an arm dragged around her shoulders. "Come on, bed-head."

"Bed-head? Is that a hair joke?"

"Of course not," she said innocently.

"Mm-hm."

Mana laughed. "It's good to have you back, Atem. I missed you."

Atem kissed her head very softly. "I missed you too, Mana. Don't worry. I'm not going anywhere anytime soon."

"You better be right."

"Of course I'm right. When have I been wrong?"

"Hm, let me think. Oh, I know," she said sarcastically, "When you said it was a 'good idea' to go swimming in the rain."

"You've really got to let that go. How old was I?"

"Fourteen."

"Now you're just exaggerating things to make me look bad. I was twelve."

"Same thing, really."

Atem just laughed.

Anevay: I figured I'd leave it at that. A good, joking conversation between lovers/best friends. Hope you enjoyed that!

Ally: oh, oh, T&R!

Reviewers: RedRosePetal, SerenePanic, kate, BlAcKoNiX, & Chistarpax!

RedRosePetal: Gracias, my friend! X)

SerenePanic: hahahah naughty girl! Get those dirty thoughts out of your head ;) hahah! I suppose I'm somewhat responsible for that… ^o^ whoops!

BlAcKoNiX: It's whatever time period and whatever war you want it to be, really. I didn't specify for a reason. I don't know where to put it, so I left it up to you! Anyway, thanks! :)

Chistarpax: Thanks much! I loved writing how happy Atem was. Cause yeah, he totally deserves it! As to letting it end, I can't say I'm unhappy to see it finished – I had tons of blocks on this story, but I think it's one of my personal favorites that I've written. Thank you so much for all your kind words!

Anevay: Well thanks much to everyone who has reviewed, and I hope you'll give it one last review! Whether for this last chap or for the story as a whole! I've said it before, but I really appreciate my reviewers! You guys are what keeps me writing!

So, in other news, I have no idea when my next story will be posted, so keep up to do date by reading my blogs (links on my profile) or just checking my profile from time to time. Putting me on author alert would help if you wanna know when another story is posted. I think I might take a break from the awesome Yu-Gi-Oh! for a bit and write some Mentalist fics, but we'll see what I decide to do.

Ally: Love ya all!

-Anevay & Ally

(Ally: just one more time…)

-Ally & Anevay

(Anevay: Uh, no)

-Anevay & Ally