Atem moved swiftly towards the audience chambers in the Ancient Egyptian Afterlife with his friends. He too cared deeply for the dancer who brought him to life and helped him discover his past. His fingertips touched the cartouche she had given him once blank until he remembered his name with her help. The chamber doors were already open almost as if someone was expecting him.
As he entered the chamber he calmly put his thoughts together about his request for her. He wanted her to be welcome into the normally closed Afterlife of Egypt with him. He heard the voice of a soft but powerful Ra behind him.
"You wish to speak with the gods Pharaoh?" The voice was welcoming in a way to let him know he would be heard.
"I have a friend who helped me through all my trials, she gave me hope, she gave me love I was not able to return, she selflessly held her feelings inside so I could return to the afterlife in peace." His smooth baritone spoke the facts.
"You speak of the dancer girl, the beholder of friendship, Tea Gardiner do you not Pharaoh?" Another deeper voice spoke. It reminded him of the guttural roars of Obelisk.
"I do and now I find she is to die young, no marriage, no children, leaving all our friends behind." His heart clenched tightly in his chest.
"Not all mortals die old and gray, not all end with happy endings Pharaoh." A tenor softly hissed from above reminding him of Slifer.
"Not all mortals faced Ancient perils with a smile and a willingness to help…it was not her war and yet she stayed through it all." Atem responded.
"What favor do you seek from the gods young Pharaoh?" The omniscient voice of Horathky asked simply.
Atem bowed his head, "I wish the gates of my Afterlife to be opened to welcome Tea." He placed his hands upon his forehead as he dropped to a knee, "I wish not for someone as pure as her to be alone in her Afterlife."
He could hear the whispers of the gods yet understood not the words they spoke behind him. He felt the briefest touch upon his shoulder, "Rise Pharaoh, while we cannot open the gate to the Afterlife for her…we can send you back to the beginning of the end. You will be granted a choice you did not consider before."
"The beginning of the end, a choice, what choice do you speak?" Atem asked uncertain of their meaning.
"The final duel wasn't about freeing your soul to the afterlife… it was about free yourself and Yugi from your dependency upon one another. You found your balance, now you must choose." Atem looked up at the gods, "What of her illness? I don't wish her to suffer more than she has already."
"Her illness was a response to fate. You are going back far enough to change it…I will give you a gift of knowledge. After the death of her parents she will find herself pained before an audition a minor one which is inconsequential to her goals to be a dancer. Force her to see a physician ask Kaiba for assistance if you must. Do so and her condition will be in its beginning and easily removed."
Atem looked to the gods and then to the door, "I shall say goodbye to my old friends if you will allow it and I will return to where this beginning of the end."
The chorus of voices answered, "We wish you well Pharaoh."
Atem moved from the audience chambers and returned to his version of the afterlife. Isis stood with a smile her fingers lingering smugly on the necklace. "You will be leaving us Pharaoh…I am looking forward to watching over you as this beautiful future comes to pass."
Mana looked at her friend with a smile, "Dark Magician Girl will continue to visit you both I'm sure…she likes you but, she adores Tea!" Mana was more than happy to let her friend live the life he should have to begin with. She was almost annoyed after the Pharaoh returned to them when Yugi defeated him. She almost decided to tell him when Isis and Mahad prevented her reassuring her that everything would be righted in time.
Atem smiled at all his friends, "It seems there was a choice when Yugi defeated me that I remained unaware of. The gods have blessed me with a chance to return to that moment and choose another path." His amethyst eyes were gleaming with a forgotten joy as Mana bounded forward to hug him, "Go get yourself a queen Pharaoh…when you come back next time I want to meet her properly!"
Atem gave a smirk reminiscent of all their trials in Ancient Egypt that many of them had been missing, "When next we meet it will be as equals in the afterlife my friends. I am no longer a Pharaoh but, I will be introducing you to a queen…My queen."
Shimon and Set nodded in approval, "We await that day Atem…when you return you will be welcomed with open hearts and open arms." Shimon said proudly. Set moved forward to clasp his hand on Atem's shoulder, "I cannot wait to meet your queen cousin. I did not meet her myself but, I was told many wondrous things by Mana."
Atem nodded and moved forward with a feeling of empowerment, 'This time Tea…neither of us will walk alone again. This I swear to you,' Atem's thoughts drifted slowly as he planned his way of letting her know he was hers. He would wait until they left the temple and could speak privately after announcing his intent to stay among them. "I am coming my queen." The other's watched as the doors to the living world opened once more and Atem charged himself back into his own body allowing the memories to merge with himself after his defeat from Yugi.
