Chapter 4: You Must Return
Normal POV
"That can't be true, I would have heard of this darkness long ago if it were." Said a tall man that looked like Yugi, but with longer hair, tanned skin, and crimson eyes. Two men stood in front of him, one had pale light brown hair and looked like Malik, while the other had white hair, a scar under his right eye, and looked like Ryou.
The Malik look-a-like glared while the other snorted.
"Forget it Marik," the Ryou look-a-like said, "the pharaoh's not going to believe us."
The pharaoh looked between the two, unsure. He wanted to believe them, but he didn't know if he could after all that had happened in the world of the living.
"How do I know if I can trust you Bakura?" He asked. "Or you Marik? You were both willing to hurt others to get what you wanted."
"You think that you're the only one who had to give up something for someone else?!" Bakura shouted, "Do you really believe that you're the only one who wanted to stay?! Do you really believe that we didn't love someone enough to want to stay?! To love them enough that you wanted them to have their own bodies back? To be able to get their lives back?"
Marik looked away, but Bakura kept his eyes locked on the pharaoh, not realizing that he had begun crying. The pharaoh looked at Bakura in shock, but it was quickly turning to pain as he realized that Marik and Bakura had wanted to stay as much as he had.
"Alright," he said, "tell me about this darkness."
Bakura and Marik relaxed and then told the pharaoh a story of a darkness before the shadow games.
"This darkness takes the shape of whoever holds the most pain, basically it's a copycat." Marik told the story, for it was told to his other half when he was a child. "The darkness enters that person like a parasite and the more pain the host feels, the stronger it becomes. The darkness will create nightmares for its host, so that it can grow stronger and as the host falls deeper into the nightmares, the darkness can begin to twist its host's reality. When the host breaks, unable to take anymore, the darkness is then able to take over and push the host's subconscious out of the way. Eventually the host's subconscious will grow weak and die out, allowing the darkness to take full control of the body and the mind. The host's subconscious is like a light in the back of the mind that is slowly being put out by the dark."
"What does this have to do with Yugi?" The pharaoh asked in confusion and shock.
"Because of our other halves connections to the past, they were more vulnerable to the darkness. Mine and Bakura's other halves were able to overcome it." Marik told the pharaoh, grim.
"Yugi, on the other hand, could not push it away so easily." Bakura said.
"What? Why?" The pharaoh asked, worried.
"Because he was being consumed by the darkness before we showed up." Bakura answered. "From what I've seen of Ryou's memories, Yugi was suffering from the darkness's nightmares long before he met you."
"I believe that while you were in Yugi's mind, you were somehow suppressing the darkness in Yugi." Marik said. "I don't quite understand it, but I do know that he needs you, Atem. You must return to the world of the living."
The pharaoh, Atem, nodded. "I will go speak with Anubis."
"No need," said a voice from behind them, "I have heard everything and I agree with Marik."
The three talking quickly turned around and bowed down to the Lord of the Dead. He was barefooted and was wearing the same Egyptian robes as the pharaoh, but his were black. Anubis had black hair, gold eyes, and face markings that completely covered his face and resembled a wolf.
"Your Hikari is growing weaker and if the shadows are not stopped, you may be too late to save him." Anubis said sadly and Atem's eyes widened in fear "But," Atem looked up hopefully, "I can send you back to the world of the living and give you a body and life of your own."
"Can I stay?" Atem asked.
"Yes, if you can save your Hikari, then you may stay." Anubis replied. "However, there are some things that you must know. First, you and your Hikari will still have your telepathic link and you will still have your power to speak with the ancient spirits. You also need to know that Yugi, Ryou, and Malik have the powers of you, Bakura, and Marik. Yugi can see and speak with the spirits of the ancients, Ryou can find whatever he seeks, and Malik can read, write , and speak ancient languages that are no longer spoken in the present."
Atem, Marik, and Bakura stared at Anubis in shock, they had never known this.
"One more thing pharaoh." Anubis said seriously. "Atem, the darkness that has possessed your Hikari is the strongest it has ever been. It has grown its own consciousness, instead of just a will to spread and cause pain it also has a will to live, to keep the form it has, and to completely destroy one person, even if that person were to disappear forever. Atem. that one person the darkness wants to destroy until there is nothing and no one left to show he ever existed is your Hikari, your Yugi."
All the blood left Atem's face so that he looked even paler than Yugi. Bakura and Marik looked at each other, that hadn't realized that the darkness was that strong.
"Close your eyes Atem." Anubis said and Atem did so. "The last thing you need to know is that the darkness has chosen a new name. That name, is Shadow." Atem nodded. "Now when you open your eyes, you will be in the world of the living. Good luck pharaoh."
Atem's POV
Atem opened his eyes to see the door to the roof of Yugi's school in front of him. He opened the door and right there, standing in front of him, was his Hikari, his other half, his light, his Yugi. Atem saw all his other friend's eyes widen in surprise and he smiled at them. Then he went up to Yugi and wrapped his arms around him, but he could already feel the coldness that seemed to be oozing off Yugi in waves.
Did Shadow already take over? Atem wondered, worried. Was I too late? No, I couldn't have been, Anubis would not have sent me here if that were true.
"Did you miss me, Mou Hitori No Boku?" Atem asked to see if he could get a reaction out of the person he was holding. He wanted to know if Yugi would still react to the name that only Atem could call him. And react he did, Yugi - or was it Shadow? - stiffened and then passed out in Atem's arms. The moment that Atem caught Yugi, he could feel how thin Yugi has gotten.
Oh Yugi, I never should have left, Atem thought sadly. I wanted you to live your life without having a 5000 year old pharaoh intruding in your life. I never realized how much you would need me. Do not worry though my Hikari, I will be here for you now and I'll never leave you again.