Hey guys! Thanks for the reviews last chapter guys; I'm glad that you guys seemed to enjoy it. Well, here's the next chapter. Enjoy!
xxxx
"What da hell happened ta her?" Upon hearing Seto call Alissa's name, her group of friends rushed to the alley to find him kneeling next to her encased body.
"Isn't it obvious, Wheeler? She turned to stone."
"Dat's not what I meant Money Bags! How did dis happen?"
"She got hit by one of that freak's blasts." This doesn't make any sense! She was fine when I left her here.
"How could ya let dis happen Kaiba?"
"Do you think I wanted this to happen?" Joey was about to speak but Tristan put a hand on his shoulder.
"Stop it Dude. Drilling and blaming Kaiba isn't going to help." Joey huffed and shook his shoulder out of Tristan's grip.
"Zorc is gone, shouldn't she be back to normal?" Yugi asked.
"Yes, normally she would be, "Atem said with a nod. "But her soul was probably sent to the Shadow Realm. She'll find her own way back. It'll just take time."
"And what if she doesn't?" Seto snapped, his eyes narrowed sharply at Atem.
"Why would you care Kaiba? Ya never cared about her ya asshole." Seto stood and grabbed the collar of Joey's shirt.
"I dare you to say that again, Wheeler."
"Let him go, Kaiba! This isn't going to help her." Kaiba growled and pushed Joey away.
"Whatever," he snarled, walking to the entrance of the alley. He crossed his arms over his chest and leaned against the wall of the alley. Joey's words replayed in his mind. Ya never cared about her. He let out a low sigh and massaged the side of his head. We broke up. Why am I even feeling guilty about this? I didn't ask her to put herself in danger. It's not my fault that she's an idiot.
"Kaiba! She's waking up!" Yugi's voice brought Seto out of his thoughts. He turned to see Alissa now sitting up and surrounded by her friends. He wandered over to where the group was and stood behind them.
"Alissa, are you okay?" Tea asked, her light blue eyes wide with worry.
"Yeah, I'm fine. I mean, I feel like I was hit by a bus and I can't really feel my toes, but other than that I'm peachy."
"I thought I told you not to fall asleep." Alissa glanced up at Seto after he spoke.
"Okay, well first, I don't have to listen to you. Second, technically speaking, I didn't fall asleep. I turned to stone. There's a big difference. Besides, why would you care crotch bucket?" Seto smirked.
"Hm, she's using creative insults. She'll be fine." Alissa ignored his comment and threw her arms around her friends.
"I'm so glad you guys are all okay! Pharaoh said you went to find his name. Did you find it?"
"My name is Atem."
"Well, I guess we finally know what to call you then huh? So what happened while I was a statue? I'm assuming by the lack of frightened screams that you defeated Zorc."
"Yes, Zorc's gone."
"Too bad I was a sculpture when it happened. I would've loved to see that freak get his ass handed to him."
"Why do you insist on making jokes about yourself turning to stone?"
"I've learned to take things in stride, unlike you, Kaiba. Why do you even care?" He frowned and crossed his arms.
"You make a good point. I don't care. Now that you dorks are done playing hero, how about we find a way to get out of this dump?"
xxx
Alissa groaned and cracked open her eyes. Her gaze rested on the ceiling of the tomb where the Tablet of Lost Memories now resided. She pulled herself into a sitting position and rubbed the side of her head.
"Hey, we're back," Tristan replied. She looked around to see her friends and Seto already standing.
"I guess that means it's over right?" Tea asked. "I mean, the tablet returned us all to the present."
"I think so," Yugi answered, rubbing the back of his head.
"Is Atem okay?" Alissa asked from her place on the floor. "You don't think he's stuck back there do you?" The others shrugged.
"Pharaoh, are you there?" Yugi called, holding up the Millennium Puzzle. The Millennium Puzzle began to glow and Yugi and Atem switched places.
"I'm right where I belong," Atem replied with a smile.
"You did it!"
"We all did it, Tea. Together. Now, the darkness unleashed by the Shadow Games so many years ago is finally over."
"I mean it only took ya five thousand years! And I'm glad I was here to help," Joey grinned, gripping Atem by the shoulders.
"Me too," Tristan agreed. "I mean, I can get used to this saving the world thing."
"Remind me again how getting possessed counts as saving the world?" Joey asked with a chuckle.
"Wait, Tristan got possessed?" Alissa asked in surprise. "Damn it, I miss all the action! Instead I get stuck with Mr. Tight Ass over here on all our adventures!" She pointed a thumb at Seto with a grin. He scoffed at her and crossed his arms.
"Hmph, cute."
"Don't get your knickers in a twist, I was joking. Now, can someone help me up? I'm lazy." Joey laughed and grabbed onto one of her hands to lift her up. I don't even wear knickers, Seto thought with a huff.
"Well, now what?" Alissa asked. "I mean, the ultimate evil is kaput, so what happens now?"
"I'm not sure," Atem answered honestly.
As Alissa talked with her friends, Seto wrapped his hand around the Millennium Eye that was still in the pocket of his trench coat.
"Hey Yugi," he called before tossing Yugi the Eye. "I believe you'll be needing that." The group looked at the Eye as Seto walked past them.
"Hey! How'd ya get your hands on dat Rich Boy?" Joey asked.
"Kaiba?" Seto ignored both Joey and Atem and continued towards the steps of the tomb.
"Ya can't just chuck a Millennium Item at someone den walk away! I'm sick of your silent treatment routine Money Bags! Don't walk away from me!" Joey followed behind Seto. They both froze at the foot of the steps when they saw Bakura walking towards them.
"Hey! It's you!" The white haired teen stopped and looked around.
"Hello. Where are we?" When Bakura spoke, his voice was a lot gentler than the group had heard while in Egypt.
"Call it a hunch, but dis is da good Bakura." Bakura touched the side of his head with a grimace.
"The last thing I remember is hearing this weird voice-." He didn't finish his sentence before he collapsed forwards. Joey stuck out his arms and caught Bakura before he could hit the ground.
"What's wrong?" Atem asked in concern.
"I need some food."
"Well so do I, but ya don't see me passin' out."
"Joey! Shush!"
"We all need something to eat. We should head back up to the world of the living." Joey nodded. He caught sight of the Millennium Ring around Bakura's neck. He removed it and handed it to Atem.
"I think dis belongs ta you."
"Come on, we better help Bakura up these steps. They're pretty steep." Tristan, Tea, Alissa, and Joey all helped Bakura up the stairs. Seto and Atem followed shortly after. The group found the Ishtars waiting for them just outside the tomb.
"My Pharaoh," Ishizu greeted with a smile. "Were you able to recover your lost memories?"
"Yes."
"After five thousand years, our family's task is finally complete."
"You're right Marik. And the seven Millennium Items are finally gathered together."
"Yes, now I must seal them away forever so I can enter the Spirit World."
"You're leaving us?"
"Yes, it's the final task of my mission, Tea."
"Pharaoh, if you would like us to, Marik and I could lead you and your friends to the final resting place of the Millennium Items."
"You mean the Millennium Stone?"
"Yes my Pharaoh. Are you ready for your final task?" Atem nodded. "Then allow me to be your guide."
xxx
The group drove in the green land rovers they came in until they reached a dock. A large ship floated next to the dock. Alissa climbed out of the car and looked at the boat with a small frown. I can't believe this is the last adventure we're going to have with Atem. Knowing that it was almost time to say goodbye to the spirit who had become one of her closest friends left her with a knot in her stomach. She didn't want to say goodbye.
"Ahoy there!" a voice called. The group turned to see Grandpa Muto, Mokuba, Mrs. Todd, and a black haired boy, who Alissa recognized as Duke Devlin from school, standing on the ramp that lead into the boat.
"No way! How did they all get here?" The group ran to meet their relatives and friends with large smiles.
"Mommy!" Alissa called, throwing herself at her mom in a tight hug. Abigail smiled as she hugged her daughter close. She pulled away and brushed a hand through her daughter's hair.
"Did you have fun?"
"As much fun as you can have battling ancient evil." Alissa decided before she left for Egypt to tell her mom everything about The Pharaoh and her reason for going to Egypt with her friends. She figured it was better for her mom to hear from her than from Grandpa Muto when she would call him up to ask where Alissa had gone with her friends. In all honesty, she was still surprised that her mom let her go.
"Thanks for letting me go, Mom."
"I could tell by the look on your face that you weren't going to take no for an answer. I wasn't about to deal with your bratty attitude for weeks if I didn't let you go." Alissa hugged her mom again.
"It meant a lot though. Thanks for trusting me Mommy. I love you."
"I love you too, Sweetie."
"Hey, Alissa! Come on! We're gonna explore da ship!"
"My mom and I call a room with a window!" Alissa called, running after her friends.
xxx
The waves lapped against the side of the large cruise ship, sending splashes of water into the air. By now, the sun was long gone and replaced by the moon. The passengers of the ship deserted the deck hours ago and now sat in their cabins or the dinning hall. All except for the young CEO of Kaiba Corp. Seto stood at the bow of the ship and looked out at the water. The light breeze blew his chestnut locks around his face. Who the hell does Yugi think he is? Turning me down for a duel to have one with his imaginary friend!
"Here you are." Alissa came to stand next to the brunet. "Everyone was wondering where you were." Seto looked at her with an unconvinced raise of his eyebrow. "Okay, so it was really just Mokuba wondering where you were. I told him I'd go find you. So, why are you out here?" He frowned and turned his gaze back to the water.
"I don't need to explain myself to you."
"You aren't seriously upset because Yugi is the one who's going to duel The Pharaoh are you?" His silence gave her the answer. "Oh, come on Kaiba. You can't seriously be upset because of that? It was the best choice, you can't take it personally."
"Why are you here?"
"I already told you, Mokuba was wondering where you were. He's worried about you, you know?"
"Why are you even talking to my little brother?"
"He's one of my friends. What, because we broke up, I'm not allowed to be friends with your brother anymore? Now stop changing the subject, I'm here to talk about you."
"Why don't you go back to your loser friends and stop wasting your time worrying about me?"
"Because Mokuba is worried about you. He said that you hardly leave the office anymore. He said you're eating and sleeping even less than you did when you were coordinating the Grand Championship."
"I can take care of myself."
"When was the last time you slept or had an actual meal?" He didn't answer. "You're a real idiot sometimes, you know that? You have a little brother to take care of, you can't just ignore your health like this." He smirked.
"Hm, be careful Alissa or I might start thinking that you actually care about my wellbeing."
"Just cause you're an monumental asshole doesn't mean I want you to work yourself to an early grave. You know what, you're going to eat something, come on."
"I'm not hungry."
"You know, I thought you'd say that considering you're antisocial so I brought this!" She pulled off the backpack that she had been holding on her shoulders.
"A backpack?"
"A backpack filled with food!" She opened the backpack and pulled out a Styrofoam container. "It's your favorite too. Let me tell ya, the Ishtars know how to run a cruise to The Pharaoh's final resting place." He looked at her for a moment before sighing and popping the container open. She was right. It was beef filet, his favorite. Alissa pulled out her own Styrofoam container and sat down on the deck.
"Well, are you going to sit?"
"You don't need to stay here."
"I'm staying here until I see you eat so you might as well get used to it and sit down." He rolled his eyes but sat down next to her anyway. A long silence passed between the two as they ate.
"Did you know that there's a city called Rome on every continent?"
"Really?" he asked with a sarcastic drawl.
"Yep! Pretty cool huh?"
"Very cool." The sarcasm was still present in his voice.
"Oh, and did you know that all polar bears are left handed?"
"What is with you and sharing useless facts?" She shrugged.
"I don't like silence." She winced as she felt a sharp pain in her stomach. Even though the wound from Zorc's blast didn't transfer back into the present, she still felt a little sore where the wound once was. He noticed her pained expression and frowned.
"What's wrong?" She shook her head and set her container aside.
"Nothing. I'm just a little sore is all." He set his container down and turned so he could face her better.
"Why did you do that?"
"Do what?"
"Why did you try to protect me? I could've done it myself." She shrugged and wrapped her arms around her knees.
"The same reason you took the knife for me earlier this year, I guess. I didn't want you to get hurt."
"You didn't have to do that. I didn't need your help."
"I wanted to. Um, Kaiba?"
"You don't have to be so formal. You can call me Seto."
"Seto, I'm really sorry. I said some really insensitive things."
"It's alright. Some of the things I said weren't exactly pleasant either."
"I miss talking to you." She put her hand over her mouth in shock. She hadn't meant to say that. He smiled softly.
"I miss talking to you too. Every day when I drive to Kaiba Corp I can't help but think of all the comments you'd make about the stupid drivers. At early morning the idiots are abundant." She laughed.
"We all know how I feel about stupid drivers." Without thinking, she wrapped her arms around him tightly. "I'm really sorry Seto." At first, her actions made him freeze. Slowly, he hugged her back. He couldn't help but smile. He missed this.
"It's in the past now, Alissa."
"So, are we okay now?"
"I suppose." She smiled and hugged him tighter. "This doesn't mean we're back together." She'd be lying if she said his words didn't hurt her. She plastered on a fake smile and pulled away.
"Oh no, yeah. I know." She wouldn't be lying if she said she wished that it did.
xxxx
Well, there's the next chapter. Dang, this story is getting long! I'm still trying to decide if I should make a third one or not. Let me guys know if you want another sequel or for me to finish everything up in this one! Next update HOPEFULLY will be up Sunday. That's my goal, but I won't have time to type tomorrow because my parents are taking me out for a birthday/pre back to school dinner thing. Anyhoo, if it isn't up Sunday, it WILL be up Monday. Let me know what you guys think of this chapter! Love you all!