The Ties of Family

Still at the temple, Seto and Joseph started recoving from the harsh cruelty of their losses. They had to believe that somehow, some way, Kisara and Freya would return. That hope would give them the strength they needed to keep going.

That wasn't the only thing on Seto's mind, however. He was still in pain from the fight as well as his past battles. "I'm such an idiot," he scolded himself. "I try to protect the people I love and instead, I only bring them pain."

Jospeh stayed by his friend's side to help him. "But that wasn't you. You were just influenced by the darkness trying to control you."

"Be that as it may, I still nearly lost sight of what was important to me: my family. I almost destroyed them in order to fulfill my own selfish desires." Seto sighs and turns away. "Cobalt was right. For too long, I have kept my emotions contained. As happy as I was for the pharaoh, I was also jealous of him. Even though he rightfully deserved all that I helped him to achieve, I wanted just as much because I had worked so hard. But I did not want him to see it because I did not deserve what he did."

"Maybe not, but he wanted to share it with you. He wanted to share it with all of us because we were family. As a family, we stand as equals and share what we have."

Still not facing his friend, Seto sighs and debates, "That's how it was years ago when we were kids who had nothing. But it's time to stop acting and see the truth behind it all."

But Joseph refuses to give in. "But you don't have to act. You are the pharaoh's family. You've always been. Even before you found out you were cousins today, you were brothers to each other; sons of the same goddess."

Seto knew Joseph was right, but he couldn't find it in words or actions to agree. He instead sat down and curled up and wrapped his arms around his legs. "I don't deserve the family I have no matter how close we are or how strong the bonds we formed. I was never even a true friend to begin with. I was given so much, but could never give back in equality."

As Seto continues to mumble to himself, Joseph keeps trying to bring his friend back to his senses. He could see that once again, he was keeping his emotions contained and letting the darkness surround him. Refusing to let that happen again, Joseph raises his hand and strikes Seto.

"Oww!" Seto cries, now standing up. "What are you thinking?"

Joseph grabs Seto by his neckpiece and pulls his face closer. "Listen to me, Seto. I don't care how much you want to be left alone. I'll never leave you alone to suffer every time you say want to be left alone. Friends stay together no matter what." He releases the tears in his eyes and continues, "However, if you really want to be left alone, then I'll respect your wishes and disappear. I'll even get out of your life forever. But only if that's what you really want and I mean really want."

Seto looks away. "No," he replies. "That's not what I really want. I want you to stay with me like you always have because that's what a true friend does. I know I can't stand you most of the time, but I can't be away from you either." Seto had always sought Joseph's companionship whenever he was in trouble or needed something to rebuild his humor. Joseph would always try to get Seto into trouble, but in the end, he would always be there to get him out of trouble.

Joseph could see that it really was what Seto truly wanted. That was why he refused to leave him. "And another thing, Seto. You need to stop comparing yourself to the pharaoh. You guys are like two different attribues. You're fire and he's ice. But despite your differences, you're still able to work together and be a great team. It also doesn't mean one is better than the other. It just goes to show how brothers can help each other."

Seto sighs once again and makes Joseph lose his grip. "I understand, Joseph. But after all that has happened, things can't go back as they once were. We're not kids anymore and those days are over."

"They don't have to be!" Joseph cries. "We can live those days again with our new family. Kisara and Freya will come back and when they do, we'll get married and have children and relive the fun we had." The tears in his eyes start flowing again and he starts shuddering. "Now stop putting yourself down with your past battles. You're always telling us to move ahead, but you're the one who's still looking back. The past is past, Seto. You need to let it go and stop thinking about trying to change things that can't be changed."

"He's right, Seto," said Atem's voice. Seto and Joseph see him and Mystery and Mana standing in front of them. Atem couldn't wait any longer and knew Seto needed his friend by his side. He and Mystery even heard the song their friends were singing. Atem moves closer and places his hand on Seto's shoulder. "I'm not leaving you alone anymore, Seto. I see that you need me here and I'm staying with you."

"You have us, Seto. Remember that. We have always been with you in the past just as you have always been there for us, like a true big brother," said Mystery.

Mana nods. "What Joseph said may sound contradicting, but we have to put the bad things behind us. We can also have fun like how we used to. We just have to keep the faith that good things will come our way."

Seeing all of his friends and hearing their words, Seto starts having flashbacks of the days he shared with them in his childhood. He started seeing their smiles and hearing their laughter. He even saw the smile the princess showed him when they first met. "After all this time, it finally hits me," Seto tells himself. "People really do care about me. They don't insist on helping me because they think I'm helpless, but because that's what friends do for each other. And I've done the same thing in return. We have given each other strength and wisdom to support one another. And while we know our places, we share them because we belong together."

Seto speaks up and tells his friends his gratitude. "Thank you all for being here with me." He places his hand over Atem's and says, "Especially you, Pharaoh. I've always known you were different from the rest of our friends and now I finally see why; it's because we are family. We carry the same blood in our veins." He tries to smile, but instead, he adds, "Now it makes sense how we have so much in common that we would call ourselves brothers. We actually were brothers to each other based on how close we were." He knew Atem had heard him say it several times, but Seto had to say it once again that his king was the little brother he never had. Atem wasn't even tired of hearing Seto say that because he always considered Seto his big brother and was fortunate to have him in his family. Even now, their bond and their feelings toward each other had not changed even after their discovery as cousins.

But Seto wasn't finished. "Now that you are all here, I can finally be honest with you as well as myself." He keeps his gaze on Atem because he's the one who really needs to hear all this. "Pharaoh, I admit I had often pushed you away. I did it because I didn't want my emotions to get in my way and cause pain. But I failed to see that keeping my feelings locked inside only made the pain worse for me. Even now," he stops himself, trying to hold back his coughs. "I find that really… I just want to cry."

"Then cry," said Atem. He was even finding that he also wanted to cry. It would be all right for them to do so because they would be showing their true selves. Deep down, they were still boys seeking comfort from the one person who understood them better.

Realizing that and being given the word, Seto releases the tears in his eyes and starts crying. He apologizes, but not for letting the people he loves seeing him this way, but for all that's happened. "Oh, Pharaoh, I admit, as happy as I was for you, I was jealous and wanted what you had. Only now do I realize I had nothing to be jealous of and did have what you had: a home, a real family, good health, and true friends. And I almost destroyed it and lost everything. But now, I… I…" Unable to hold it in any longer, he wraps his arms around Atem to hug him and cries harder.

Atem hugs Seto back and tells him he understands. "I would never let the shadows take you. We're family and nothing can change that; not even the darkest magic."

"Mm-hmm," Seto sighs. "And I'm back where I belong; with you." He puts his eyes on Atem and looks at the rest of his family. "I admit in the past, I've made a lot of selfish choices and I'm not proud of everything I've done. But know this: I did it for our family so that we'd all have happy and better lives."

"We know," said Mystery. "Though we did not approve of everything you did, we still became grateful because you thought about us. And we are still grateful to you and we love you."

Seto nods and releases his tears. "And I love you; all of you." He and Atem smile and hug each other again. Atem places his head against Seto's chest to hear his heart beating. Seto wraps one arm over Atem and places his hand on his head. Admiring the scene, Joseph, Mana, and Mystery start crying. It was good to see two best friends turned brothers turned cousins bond again like how they used to.

When they finally release, Seto turns his attention to the rest of his friends starting with Joseph. "Thank you, Joseph, for staying with me. You refused to heed my requests because a true friend would never abandon someone who was suffering or in pain. I always thought you were stubborn and reckless, but actions speak louder than words and your actions have proven to me that you are a true warrior of friendship."

Joseph didn't want to brag about his element. Instead, he accepted his friend's kind words. He never heard Seto speak to him this way before and he was grateful with what he just said. To show it, Joseph hugged Seto. Seto hugged him back and scratched his head like he was a puppy. He even continued to complement Joseph by saying he was as loyal as a dog. Joseph didn't even take that as an insult. He instead found that his amulet was glowing.

Seto lowers himself and dries Mana's tears. "You have been as much as a good friend as the others," he tells her. "Always so optimistic and helping us to see whatever good may come our way. Your ways of making us happy and giving us something to smile about help us when we're sad. You've done that for me a lot and I thank you."

After what Seto was saying, Mana finally started to understand what set her antics apart from Joseph's. They both had ways of making their friends laugh, but different methods. Joseph did it just to be ridiculous while Mana liked making her friends feel good and happy. Letting the tears go, Mana tells him, "And thank you, Seto, for your wisdom. I know I don't always understand what you're saying, but what you just told me helped me to realize something." After telling him what she found out, they both hug. Seto lifts Mana up and lets her wrap herself around him. In the past, they didn't always understand each other, but they never let that come between their friendship.

Seto sets Mana down and finally turns to the queen. He smiles at her and tells her, "I am sure you're tired of hearing this, Queen Mystery, but you have a big heart and you care too much. That's always a good thing because it has helped me to realize how much you truly care about me. It's even helped me to open my heart a little also." Remembering what happened all those years ago in the Moogle village, everyone else says the same thing.

Mystery nods. "Everyone has love in their hearts just as they want to be loved by someone. It is a personal strength, but also a gift that is meant to be shared just like the rest of our personal qualities."

Atem nods in agreement. "To help one another to learn and grow, we have shared our personal strengths: courage, wisdom, friendship, reliability, joy, hope, light, and love. We all have those qualities in our hearts, but those who have them as a personal strength have helped others to realize it."

Hearing that, everyone looked at their amulets and saw that they were glowing. Everything made sense to them. Whatever theme each amulet was meant to promote was a personal strength, but also a gift that was meant to be shared. Just like Kisara used her light to protect everybody and Joseph was always a friend to those who needed one, everyone else had shared their strength. That was why these amulets were made for each of the friends; to understand their gift and share it.

"You know something?" Mana wondered. "Millennia brought all of us together. And though we've all started going our own ways, she's going to keep all of us together because we're her children; her family."

"That's right," said Atem. "The Children of Millennia will never come apart. The Great Goddess lives within all of us and she will never desert us." Knowing that, everyone realized that the Children of Millennia will never come apart because none of the people they love have been lost forever. They always promised each other that no matter what paths they took, they would always be together in heart.

Atem takes Emily from Mystery and places her in Seto's arms. "She is your family too and I want you to be a part of her life. Besides, she really likes you."

Seto looks down at the tiny infant. She was his family and he was her guardian. Even though Seto had kept insisting that he wasn't one for small children, he still felt obligated to watch over and protect her not just because she was a princess, but because she was family to him. Seto even once promised Atem that if anything should happen to him or the queen, then he would be the one to take care of their child. Even the rest of their friends agreed to take part of the promise.

Princess Emily opens her eyes and looks up at him. At first, Seto feels a little nervous because he had never handled an infant before, let alone held one. He tries to smile and whispers, "Hello again." He had to say that because he knew she probably wouldn't recognize him. Seto hadn't spent as much time with the princess as the rest of his friends had. Seeing her trying to smile, his own smile spreads and his heart starts racing. Seto lowers himself and gently kisses her forehead. "It's all right now. You're not just a princess to me anymore. You're my family and I'll always take care of you," he turns to the king and queen and finishes, "Just like I did for your parents." After gently hugging her, he hands her to Joseph. He felt anxious in an excited way because he never actually spent quality time with her like this either. In fact, he was so excited, he wanted to play around with her. But again, he had to mind his manners and be gentle with her. So he just babbled and cooed to make her laugh. The others even laughed along.

It made Atem and Mystery happy to see everone being a real family. Seto and Joseph even wondered if they would get this kind of feeling if they would have children of their own. It was a feeling they liked and wanted to experience again. Looking at the cousins, they knew their lovers would return and they would have the futures they planned. Joseph gives the princess back to the queen and he and Seto approach Kisara and Freya. "Rest here and we shall return for you," Seto says and kisses Kisara's forehead. Joseph does the same to Freya. "So what do you say, guys," asked Seto. "Ready to go home where we all belong?"

"We are, but aren't you forgetting something?" Mana asked. She walks up to Seto and gives him his hat. He had forgotten that he hadn't been wearing it since his fight with Atem.

Seto thanks Mana, brushes his hat, and places it back on his head. "There, how's that?"

Joseph smiles and tells him, "Nice. Now that's the Seto we all know and love." He pats him on the shoulder and adds, "Good to have you back, my friend."

Seto smiles and does the same thing. Kirara alters her size and changes into a big cat. Mana takes Sakuya in her arms and she jumps on after Queen Mystery. Joseph climbs on Flygon and Seto climbs on Salamence. He reaches for Atem's hand and pulls him up. "Come on, Cousin. Let's go home." Atem nods and clings to Seto to hold on and together, they all leave the temple and return to the palace.