"I attack your Dark Magician with Blue Eyes! And if I'm correct with the scoring, that means you are down to your last life points."
Kaiba sat across the table from Yami, engaged in a spur of the moment duel. He smirked at the other boy, pleased that he was winning for a change. "Now that your precious magician is gone, there is no way for you to beat me."
"So you think. My Dark Magician never lets me down." Yami smiled knowingly. He brought the magician back from the grave and in a few short turns had Kaiba utterly defeated.
"I don't get how you do it every time," Kaiba sulked, throwing himself on the couch with a sigh.
Yami laughed, finding the other boy's pouting endearing. "What can I say, my magician and I make a great team." He crawled on top of Kaiba and laid his head against his chest, well aware the brunette didn't like to be affectionate after he lost a duel.
"What is so special about that damn card? Last time I checked, it was five hundred points weaker than my Blue Eyes, yet it continues to be a nuisance," Kaiba asked as he softly stroked Yami's hair, secretly pleased he had chosen to use him as a cushion.
"You might think it sounds ridiculous, but there is a bond between the magician and me. I don't know how to explain it, but he's always there for me, and I know I can count on him no matter what. I think it's the same for you with Blue Eyes. You don't love it because it's one of the strongest cards, but because it's important to you, am I right? The Dark Magician has gotten me through a lot of tough spots and I'm grateful to him. It's thanks to him that I have been able to defeat all the evil we've faced. He's the reason I can live peacefully and happily with you now."
"I think I get what you're saying. Still, I've never liked that card, and I don't think I ever will. I'm certainly not giving him credit for our relationship."
"If I didn't know better, I'd say you were jealous," Yami teased. Kaiba was clearly still moping about losing and he wanted to get a rise out of him. From the look on the other boy's face, it worked.
"Don't be stupid. You'd never stray from me, not even for some second-rate magician." Kaiba grinned as he pulled Yami into a deep kiss.
As they parted, Yami climbed off Kaiba and took the Dark Magician off the table. "I don't know… I mean, look at him. He's pretty sexy, and you have to admit we make a good pair. Maybe if he comes to life I'll run away with him."
"Don't even think it! You're mine, got it?" Kaiba stood and scooped Yami into his arms without warning.
"For a smart guy, you are really an idiot sometimes. But I love you anyway." Yami smiled brightly at the one he adored, his beloved card still clutched in his hand.
Well everyone, that's the end! I still can't believe after all this time I have finally finished this story. Even though Atem and Seto are main characters, I really started this fic hoping to tell Mahad's story. I always felt he was one of the unsung heroes of the series and he deserved a chance to shine. I hope I have done that for him, and I hope everyone who read this story has a new appreciation for the role he had to play. I thought it would be fitting to end the story with Yami and Kaiba, bringing everything full circle. Their love was not the only thing that made it through the centuries; the partnership between Atem and Mahad is just as lasting. I genuinely want to thank everyone who has read Tragic Devotion and especially thank all those who reviewed. I know it took me a long time to finish it, and there were times when I was so stressed out because of school and life in general that I felt like maybe I should just let it go. It was thanks to the readers I had the motivation to finish, and because I felt I owed it to the characters. I'm proud of this story and I really hope everyone enjoyed reading it!