Atem regained himself in front of the gates to the afterlife and felt the warm encouragement of those around him to move on. He remembered the gods' words, the memories of the afterlife he didn't have before, and most importantly his feelings for Tea. He took a deep breath before stating, "I have yet to truly live…my destiny is fulfilled and my debts are paid. I choose…to stay with my friends." The Ishtars looked horrified as the eye began to glow in front of everyone until a series of voices could be heard by all the shocked by standers in the temple.

"Your wish has been granted Pharaoh Atem, as reward for your 3,000 years of service to the gods we gift you a new life in a body of your own." Atem closed his eyes and bowed gracefully, "You have my gratitude." As he stood he was tackled to the floor by Yugi, Tristan, and Joey. Who all laughed in joy and relief Atem had a great impact on them all.

Tea stood heart in her throat and tears of joy in her eyes as the boys tackled the shocked Pharaoh to the floor. She giggled tearfully as she heard Mokuba and Kaiba say their own pieces to the Pharaoh along with the Ishtars who waited for this day to be the equivalent of gaining their freedom from their duties to the Pharaoh specifically. A small tinge of nervousness ran in her abdomen but she just continued to smile and wiped her tears away.

Atem laughed and forced the boys to get off of him and formally introduced himself to the Kaibas and the Ishtars. Everyone was intrigued as his skin darkened to his Egyptian tones and he nodded before moving along to greet Tea who had stayed braced against a pillar. "It is good to have a body of my own, now Aibou is ready to face the world without me and I can experience everything with you all first hand." He smiled down at Tea as he was slightly taller than her watching as she weighed her words.

"I'm sure we are all glad to have you with us." Tea was almost shy but, the warmth in her voice couldn't be mistaken as she hugged the Pharaoh who returned her embrace eagerly whispering, "When we have a moment alone I'd like to speak with you again Tea." She easily agreed and was reluctant to release him from her embrace as his warm baritone reached her ears softly. He gave her a tight squeeze before releasing her with a chuckle.

Tea watched as Atem moved over to Rebecca who glared at him. She watched as the expressions on Rebecca's face changed and ended with a small smile. 'He must have apologized for endangering Yugi's soul…I'm just glad that it's all over and Atem gets to stay with us.' She remembered his whispered words, "With me." She whispered so softly no one heard.

Yugi watched Tea's reaction from the side with a soft smile and waited for Yami to get done speaking with Rebecca. Yugi knew she had been afraid for him when Yami lost him temporarily in a duel. Yugi looked from Yami and back to Tea with a warm feeling in his chest. He thought towards Yami, 'Pharaoh…I hope you and Tea get the happy ending you both deserve.' What he didn't expect was to receive a warm response in return, 'I intend for us both to be happy for the rest of our lives Aibou. Tea's feelings are not unrequited. Should she choose she will forever be my queen.'

Yugi refused to show that he heard Yami still in his mind but smiled. He moved over to stand next to the Kaiba brothers as they headed towards the steps and readied themselves to leave. Once everyone was out of the temple they moved to the sand safe vehicles and noticed the temple sinking into the sand. Ishizu drove a vehicle with Marik, Yugi, Rebecca, Tea, and Atem as ride along passengers. The other vehicle driven by Odion had Seto, Mokuba, Bakura, Serenity, Tristen and Joey as passengers.

It didn't seem like long until most of the passengers fell asleep in the first vehicle. Only Ishizu, Yugi and Atem remained awake. Ishizu glanced back at the Pharaoh through the mirror, "So my Pharaoh, what do you intend to do with your new lease on life?" The Egyptian woman remained respectful even with her shock at the unexpected events. Yugi looked at Yami appraisingly, "Yeah Yami, I thought the duel was to allow you to return to the afterlife?" Yami looked at Yugi and Ishizu, "In truth I too believed the same. I originally did pass to the afterlife." Yugi and Ishizu looked surprised, "Why are you still with us then?"

Atem took the time to explain his circumstances. He told them how he watched over everyone as they achieved their dreams. How some of them had begun families of their own. He then expanded on the depths of friendship he witnessed between the Ishtars, the Kaibas, and Tea. He made sure they understood everything he shared before expanding more. "I also saw Tea become a great dancer. She was on the Broadway stage after graduating from Julliard School of Performing Arts in New York."

Yugi gave a happy laugh, "That all sounds great Atem but, it doesn't explain why you gave up the afterlife." Atem looked down at Tea with a small smile his eyes held a glow Yugi had only seen a few times. His eyes opened wide in surprise, "You really love Tea don't you? You came back to be with her."

Atem looked at Yugi and Ishizu seriously, "I came back to give us the chance we didn't have before. I also came to make sure she lives a long and happy life." Yugi winces, "Well that doesn't sound good. What's up?" Atem took a deep breath, "Tea, she became a great dancer but, she was giving it up to move to Egypt for the rest of her days."

Ishizu looked shocked at that, "Why would she?" Atem sighed, "She was diagnosed with a form of end stage cancer…she didn't want to suffer through chemo like her grandmother." Yugi gave a frown, "So they caught it too late…wasn't there anything to be done?" Atem gave a dry almost derisive smile, "No, Kaiba tried…Ishizu tried but, they found it too late and it was too aggressive to attempt to remove."

Yugi looked in concern for Tea, "You know when it starts? How we can stop it?" Atem sighed, "I plan on speaking with Kaiba finding a way to catch it early so she can get it treated immediately once it's found." He looked up at Yugi, "I may need you to help if you notice Tea cringing from pain in her abdomen at any time…please let me know."

Yugi nodded in agreement, "Of course just keep me in the loop. So what do you intend to do besides that? Is there school or a job you're interested in?" Atem looked at Ishizu, "I was hoping to either stay in duel monsters or help with Egyptian exhibits…I wish to be able to stay close to Tea. No matter where life takes us in doing so, she is my priority." Ishizu smiled and began running plans in her head for the Pharaoh she knew she would need to approach Kaiba as well.