Atem and Joey spent the next week by each other's sides, the knowledge that their time together was running out lingering in the backs of their minds no matter how much they tried not to focus on it. Still, putting the matter aside could only work for so long, and before both of them knew it, it was their last day together before Joey would return to his time...
"Let's go out, Joey." The suggestion was as abrupt as the hand that reached out and grasped the blond's, the young pharaoh looking up at his lover with an expression that only just barely hid his desperation. "There's a festival going on in town to celebrate the night of the sow swallowing the moon, and there will be stalls and games and food and music... It will be much better than staying here and waiting." Though staying and waiting would admittedly be the safer choice—after all, if they were even one second too late, Joey wouldn't be able to return home for another two to three years (which Atem would say that he didn't mind if he could allow himself to be selfish for a moment, which he couldn't... Joey didn't belong in this time, as much as he wanted the blond to stay with him).
"Sure, sounds like fun, anything that lets me be with you." Joey leaned down and gave Atem a quick kiss on the lips. "Let's make the most of what little time we have left." The blond was feeling the pressure of their impending parting, but he was trying to stay positive nonetheless.
Atem couldn't help but smile at Joey's sweet statement, kissing back as Joey's lips pressed against his own. "Yes... we should make the best of our time together." Atem wasted no time in leading Joey out to the stables, getting them a horse and hoisting himself up onto its back, waiting for Joey to do the same behind him before setting off for the town.
Joey hopped on the horse behind Atem, wrapping his arms around the smaller boy's waist. "So what are we going to do at this festival? Hmm?" The blond knew he was pushing it showing so much affection in public, but this was his last evening with Atem, he didn't care.
Atem smiled as he felt Joey's arms wrapped around him, leaning back against his chest in return as he spoke. "We can get food, play games..." 'Make memories' was on the tip of his tongue, but he couldn't bring himself to say it—it would be just another reminder of what little time the two of them had left. He slowed his horse down to a trot once they reached the town, dismounting and leading the horse over to where a few other horses were tethered before turning his attention back to Joey. "Pick whichever stall catches your eye and we'll start there."
Joey's eyes rested on a food stall right off the bat. "Can we go there?" The blond always seemed to be hungry and the smells coming from the stall were very mouth-watering and tempting.
Atem couldn't help but laugh-even with their imminent separation looming on the horizon, Joey was still Joey, and as always his appetite was near insatiable. "Of course," he replied, taking Joey's hand and walking towards the food stall. "You can buy as much food as you want."
"And this time no one is gonna hurt you!" Joey hugged Atem, a little bit awkwardly, to his side. "Not while I'm around anyway." The last part came out quieter with a hint of sadness. Even though he was trying, Joey was finding it hard to forget about the fact that this was their last night together.
Atem's expression softened, and he leaned against Joey as the blond hugged him. "Thank you—I know you won't let anything happen to me," he replied, taking Joey's hand and giving it a gentle squeeze. He caught the last part but decided not to comment on it—this was something that was weighing heavily on both of their minds, but he saw no sense in spending their last day together feeling depressed when they could be spending it making fond memories. "So, which food did you want to get?" he asked as they reached the food stall, figuring that a nice, full meal would help lift the blond's spirits a bit.
"Anything would be good really." Joey wasn't all that picky when it came to food. He pointed to the first food item that caught his eye. "That one." The blond had chosen a loaf of sweet smelling bread. "What foods do you like anyway? I hardly see you eat much of anything." Joey ate like a horse though so it was a little hard to compare their eating habits.
Atem bought some of the bread for the two of them, shrugging with a small smile in response to his question. "I will often eat whatever I'm given, so I don't have any particular preferences... I just don't eat very much in general, that's why you hardly see me eat much of anything." He handed one of the loaves to Joey, taking a bite of the other loaf and eating it before asking, "Have any other stands caught your attention?"
Joey looked around the place, trying to find something fun to do together with Atem. An archery game where you shot a target to win prizes caught his attention. "That one," he pointed to it.
Atem took another bite of his loaf of bread, looking over where Joey pointed and smiling as he saw the game stand. "That looks good to me. Let's finish eating and head over there."
Joey took a few shots at the archery game, he hit two out of three but soon got bored with it and wandered off to look at something else. Without realizing it, he found himself separated from Atem. He looked around, but even with Atem's very distinctive hair, he couldn't spot him anywhere.
Atem stepped up to try the game when Joey moved aside, his focus narrowed to the targets—archery wasn't his forte, but a game was a game regardless, and so he fired off each shot without missing the mark even once, his serious expression melting into a smile as he accepted his prize. "Sorry for the wait, J—" He cut off with a frown, his brows knitting together in confusion and worry as he didn't see Joey anywhere. This isn't good... we can't afford to get separated at a time like this.
Atem wandered around, weaving through the crowd as he searched for any signs of a familiar head of blond hair. What he didn't expect was for a hand to suddenly reach out from a nearby alleyway, roughly grabbing him and covering his mouth as something jabbed into the side of his neck, knocking him out and unwittingly cutting the rope that held the pharaoh's puzzle around his neck. The golden necklace remained on the ground in the shadow of the alleyway as the pharaoh was carried off, his captors binding and gagging him before tossing him into the back of a cart with a small group of other young captives. With the sounds of the festival as a cover, the criminals led the cart through the town towards its exit.
Joey was getting a little frantic, he had searched the entire festival grounds and still there was no sign of the young boy. As a last resort, the blond tried looking down the alleyways, just in case Atem had wandered down one of them. What he found made his heart stop. The Millennium Puzzle lay on the ground of the alley, the rope attached to it cut in half. There was no way the pharaoh would leave something so important abandoned in the dirt. Joey picked up the Puzzle and dusted it off. This was serious, someone must have taken Atem.
…
Atem groaned as he slowly regained consciousness, wincing at the pain in his head and the aches and bruises on his body. Where...? He cracked an eye open, his heart dropping as he realized that he had no idea where he was—and furthermore, he was bound and gagged, the ropes around his wrists and ankles preventing him from moving. His eyes narrowed, and he took a breath in before letting it out slowly behind the gag, trying to stay calm and think back to what happened.
I was at the festival with Joey, and then we got separated... so I was kidnapped, then? Since I was taken alive instead of killed, I'm assuming my captors either didn't know who I was, or they did and their aim was to get some sort of ransom... Atem frowned, just barely making out the silhouettes of other children around him. There would be no need for other people to be taken if I were kidnapped for ransom, though, so... slave traders, perhaps? He tensed up as someone entered the room, grabbing one of the struggling children and dragging them out before closing the door again. I have to get out of here, and fast—I need to be at the ceremony to help send Joey back home, and I don't even know how long I've been here for... but I'm sure we're running out of time. I just hope Joey is safe and didn't get captured too...
…
Joey was very worried about what might have happened to his friend. His first thought was to go and search for the boy by himself, but he had no idea where to even start looking. The festival was a big place and Atem could have been taken practically anywhere. Joey used his head for once and thought of a much more logical course of action: to go back to the palace and get Mahaad to help him locate the missing pharaoh.
Mahaad frowned as he searched the palace halls for the pharaoh and his blond-haired friend-though he wasn't surprised that the two had sneaked off somewhere, he had at least hoped that they hadn't gone far, especially considering how the spell needed to be performed in just a few hours, and it couldn't be done without the pharaoh's puzzle (and more importantly, without the boy that was supposed to be going home through the use of the spell in the first place). Thankfully, he'd prepared everything well in advance, knowing that he would need a bit of cushion time in case anything went wrong-though he had no idea just how wrong things were about to go...
"Priest Mahaad! The pharaoh's servant is at the front gates and requesting your presence, sir! He says it's urgent!"
Mahaad's heart dropped at the guard's words, a feeling of foreboding washing over him as he gripped his Millennium Ring, and he wasted no time in following the guard out to meet the blond, the sickening feeling in the pit of his stomach worsening as he saw the blond holding the pharaoh's puzzle with an anxious expression on his face. "Where is the pharaoh?" he asked as soon as their eyes met, getting straight to the point so as not to waste any time.
Joey hung his head in shame. "Well, I honestly don't know. We were at the festival and got separated. I found the Puzzle in an alley and have no idea where Atem is. My best guess is that he was taken by someone." The blond was really beating himself up over this whole thing. It really was his fault for the whole mess...if only they hadn't have gone to the festival this would never have happened.
Mahaad clenched the Millennium Ring tightly in his hands, hardly even paying attention to the fact that he was breaking skin on the sharp edges. "You not only snuck out of the palace, but allowed the pharaoh to get kidnapped?" he hissed, using all of his willpower to keep his voice down so as not to cause a panic. "... Gods, of all the times..." He took a breath, letting it out slowly and shaking his head slightly before speaking once more. "I will go and search for the pharaoh, but I can't guarantee that we will make it back in time to send you home." Eyeing the puzzle, he reluctantly added, "Or we could wait and perform the ceremony, but we would risk the captors getting too far away to be tracked."
Joey balled his hands into fists, a determined look on his face. "This is my fault so there is no way I'm going home without finding him first. I couldn't live with myself if I didn't know he was safe." Even if it meant being stuck here forever with Atem, Joey was finding it hard to imagine life without his friend.
Mahaad nodded in approval—at least the boy was taking responsibility for his irresponsible actions. "Very well then—let's hurry. The longer we wait, the further away they'll get, and the less of a chance we'll have of getting back in time to perform the ceremony." With that, he ordered one of the guards to fetch his horse, getting on it as soon as it was brought to him and waiting until Joey remounted his own horse before focusing his magic on trying to track down the pharaoh—it was significantly more difficult when Atem didn't have the puzzle, since the millennium items were naturally drawn to one another and thus tracking him would have been simple, but Mahaad wasn't known as Egypt's most powerful magician for nothing. Without warning, he set off the very second he caught a trace of Atem's Ba, sparing a second to make sure that Joey was keeping up behind him before returning his focus to the small trace of energy that he was following.
Joey tied the severed ends of the Millennium Puzzle's rope back together and slipped the gold object over his neck before mounting his horse and following after Mahaad at a gallop. He was quiet; there really wasn't anything he could say. Mahaad was obviously, and rightly, furious with him. The blond only hoped they could find Atem before something horrible happened to him.
Mahaad kept riding with no signs of stopping or slowing down, his heart briefly lifting in relief when he felt Atem's Ba growing the slightest bit stronger. We must be getting close... He kept his eyes peeled for anyone or anything suspicious, and before long he was able to spot caravans in the distance. "That has to be it, I feel the pharaoh's Ba from that direction!" Instead of charging straight in (like part of him admittedly wanted to do), he wisely decided to force his horse to a stop while gesturing for Joey to do the same. "If we act rashly, we could put the pharaoh's life in danger—more so than you already have," he added with a touch of anger in his tone, making it clear that he still wasn't all too pleased about Joey getting the pharaoh into life-threatening situations not once, but twice already. As he tied up his horse, he continued to speak. "We need to act quickly and quietly, so don't do anything unnecessary. Is that understood?"
Joey gulped, nodding and following behind the magician. He warily tried to be as quiet and inconspicuous as he could. He really didn't want to do anything to make this situation any worse. Though judging by how he'd screwed up so badly already, Joey didn't really have all that much hope of not doing anything stupid again.
Mahaad silently made his way towards the caravans with Joey in tow, frowning when he sensed just how many people's Ba there were. He ran through all of the spells that he knew in his mind, picking out the ones that would best help get the pharaoh back and get the three of them out of here safely as the two of them snuck around, Mahaad following the pull of Atem's Ba to a larger caravan towards the back. The high priest came to a stop with a frown when he saw how many people were surrounding the caravan, his frown deepening into a disgusted scowl when he realized that this was the group that had been stealing high-class children from all across Egypt, selling them off to the highest bidder to the sleaziest of men. With that in mind, he already had some idea of what he would find when he went inside, and though it made him sick to his stomach, he at least knew that he would be able to stay composed—unlike the blond behind him, who would no doubt do something stupid that would just get them surrounded and captured.
So why not have him do something stupid to make a distraction instead? It was a bit cruel to make him the decoy to attract the attention of so many people, but if Joey wanted to take responsibility for getting Atem into this mess to begin with, then this was the least he could do. "You still have the pharaoh's DiaDhank, correct?" Mahaad asked as he glanced back at Joey, though the question was rhetorical as he glanced at the metal band around the boy's wrist. "Use it to summon your Ka and draw all of those people away from the caravan—I will go inside and bring the pharaoh out, and if all goes well we should be back at the palace just in time to perform the ritual." Of course, Mahaad knew that it was rare for anything to go just as planned—especially when dealing with this troublemaking blond—so he wouldn't be surprised if this entire plan ended up blowing up in their faces somehow.
Joey blinked. It took him a moment to remember that that was the name of the contraption on his wrist. "Oh, right, that sounds like a good idea." He lifted his arm and summoned the glaring black dragon. "Come on, Red-Eyes, let's save Atem!" Red-Eyes let out a loud roar and whipped his tail a little too far and knocked over one of the tents of the caravan.
Mahaad couldn't help but roll his eyes despite the seriousness of the moment as he watched the blond already start to bring about chaos within a few seconds of summoning his Ka. Luckily, he had the foresight to use his magic to bring himself a short distance away just as Joey was summoning his Ka, hiding in the shadows as people rushed out with weapons to try and take down the 'beast' that suddenly appeared.
Once the area was clear, he focused on tracing Atem's Ba once more, slipping into one of the caravans and grimacing at the sight of small cages lining the inside. This is horrible, they're being treated like animals... I have to find the prince and get him out of this place at once. It took Mahaad only another minute or two to find Atem's Ba amongst the Ba of all the other young children crammed into the small caravan, but once he did he felt like throwing up. Seeing his young, innocent pharaoh chained up, stripped of everything but a small bit of cloth providing him with the bare minimum of modesty, dirtied, bruised, bleeding, and unconscious...
Mahaad took a shaky breath, forcing himself to not rush off and find the person who was responsible for this in order to drag the bastard back to the palace and have him tortured for the rest of his miserable life—right now he needed to focus on rescuing Atem and getting him and Joey back to the palace as quickly as possible. With that in mind, he got to work with getting the cage open, letting out a relieved sigh as it put up less resistance than he thought it would and immediately throwing the door open as soon as the lock was taken care of. "Pharaoh... my prince, I'm here to bring you home. Please wake up..." If he doesn't wake up... then by the gods' names, there will be hell to pay.
Atem was distantly aware of a familiar voice calling out to him, and he groaned as he forced himself to return to consciousness, grimacing as a wave of pain reminded him of why he'd chosen to let himself fall unconscious in the first place. "Ma... haad...?" he murmured, forcing his eyes open and letting out a relieved breath as he just barely managed to make out the familiar figure of his old friend. "Where's Joey...? Is he safe...?"
"My lord, with all due respect, I believe you should be worrying about your own well-being instead of asking about the one who got you into this mess in the first place," Mahaad responded wryly despite his relief as he carefully helped Atem out of the cage. "But yes, he's safe." As if on cue, there was a loud blast from outside, and Mahaad grimaced in response. "Safe, and as reckless as ever—he's providing a distraction so we can escape, so let's not put his efforts to waste." With that, he carefully lifted the young pharaoh into his arms and slipped out of the caravan, sending a silent apology to the young children that he was forced to leave behind—it didn't sit right with him, but they were running low on time as it was, and if he tried to rescue them all then they would never make it back to the palace on time. "Joey!" he called out to the blond once he was within earshot. "I have him; let's go!"
Joey just barely heard Mahaad's call and put Red-Eyes back into the DiaDhank on his arm. He sprinted towards the magician and the battered pharaoh, dodging people as best he could. Once he got closer he saw just how beat up Atem was. "Who the hell did this?!" he demanded, ready to fight whoever it was then and there.
"If I knew who did this I would have taken care of them myself," the high priest responded with a frown. "But regardless, we don't have much time—take the pharaoh and get on your horse; we're returning to the palace at once." In all honesty, he would have preferred to be the one keeping hold of the pharaoh, but he knew that the two of them had very limited time left, and even in his battered up state Joey had been the first one that Atem asked for... so as his friend Mahaad could at least let them have these final moments together, though he was sure that it wasn't the most pleasant of moments for either of them.
Joey gently took Atem in his arms, trying his best to not hurt him anymore than he already was. "I'd find those bastards who did this to you and beat the crap out of them, but we really need to get going if I'm going to go home." He said this quite sadly, he really didn't want to go home right now. Not with Atem in this state. It would be horrible to leave on such a bad note. Even so, Joey knew that he really did need to get home. He didn't belong in this time. Still his heart hurt thinking about how he'd never see his friend and lover again.
Atem couldn't even remember when he'd fallen unconscious, but he was relieved to find that the first thing that he heard upon returning to consciousness was Joey's voice. Cracking an eye open, he looked up at his lover, a small, sad smile working its way onto his face as he processed what Joey was saying. "It's okay," he murmured, leaning his head against Joey's chest. "I thought I wasn't going to get to see you again... so I'm happy just with this."
The young pharaoh didn't want to think about not being able to see Joey ever again, but... well, he had a strong belief in the gods and in reincarnation, so perhaps if he was lucky enough, the gods might answer his prayers and allow him to be reborn into Joey's time, so the two could live out their days together as a normal couple. For now, though, Atem just had to focus on staying conscious so he could help see Joey back home—he would worry about what came after that once the blond was safe and sound back in his own time.
Joey urged his horse to go as fast as it could back to the palace. He had a giant lump in his throat as he carefully set Atem down on the ground near where the ritual would be performed. "Do we really want to do this?" The blond was having second thoughts about the whole thing. What if it didn't work at all? What if it killed him, or worse?
Atem held on as best as he could for the entire ride, wincing at each bump but forcing himself to remain silent. He forced himself to his feet once he was set down, nodding his thanks to Mahaad when his old friend draped a robe over his shoulders and helped him into it. "We have no choice," he responded, meeting Joey's eyes firmly. "As much as I wish that you could stay here... you do not belong in this time. The longer you stay here for, the more you put your future-your home, your friends, your family-at risk." Atem reluctantly reached out and took his puzzle back from Joey, feeling its power flowing through him the moment it came to sit against his chest, allowing him to stand and breathe a bit more easily. "We only have a few minutes left-Mahaad, is everything ready?"
"Yes, my lord, all the preparations were finished this morning," Mahaad responded, tactfully withholding any scalding comments regarding the couple's disappearance-he knew that the two had only been trying to spend their last few hours together doing something fun, and that neither of them had planned on Atem getting kidnapped. He instructed the rest of the high priests on where to stand and what to do, giving Atem and Joey one last minute of privacy.
Atem took one last chance to press a kiss to Joey's lips before pulling away with a sad smile, gripping the blond's hands in his own. "I won't ask that you remember me when you return, or think of me... just be happy. If you can live the rest of your days happily, surrounded by the people you care about, then that thought alone will be enough to see me through the rest of my days."
"But how can I forget you, after all we're done and been through?" Joey returned their last kiss, wishing it would last longer, but knowing that it couldn't and that he really did need to return to his time. He gave Atem's hand one last squeeze before letting go of it and stepping back. "Okay, let's do this. What do I need to do?" He stood determinedly, putting on a brave face.
Atem's expression softens in obvious gratitude. "Thank you, that means a lot to me... and I will never forget you for as long as I live." He reluctantly let go of Joey's hand before going to stand in position on the outer edge of the circle, waiting for Mahaad to begin the spell.
Mahaad gestured for Joey to stand in the center of the circle, where the bag that he'd arrived with was waiting. "All you need to do is stand in the center and focus on the things that remind you of home-the stronger your will is, the more chance that the spell will be a success, so try not to get distracted," he added wryly, before moving closer to Joey and speaking quietly. "I put a scroll in your bag-when you return to your time, give it to the bearer of the Millennium Puzzle." Without giving any further explanation, Mahaad moved over to his own spot on the outer edge of the circle, glancing up at the sky and gripping his Millennium Ring. "Just a few seconds left; everyone, get ready!"
Joey did as he was told and stood in the center of the circle. He picked the bag up and clenched it tightly in his hands. He closed his eyes and thought about home; about Yugi, and Tristan, and Téa, and all his other friends. Using every little ounce of self-control he had, he didn't think about Atem and thought only about everything and everyone at home. The blond was trying so hard that a tear escaped his eyes. This really was the end.
Atem closed his eyes, focusing on drawing forth the power of the Millennium Puzzle at Mahaad's command. Gods... please let this work! Please return Joey to his own time! There was a large flash of light and raw energy, one that nearly sent him and the high priests flying backwards, but they all held their ground until the energy finally died down. Feeling exhausted and drained, Atem cracked an eye open, both relief and grief hitting him simultaneously as he saw that Joey and his belongings were gone, as if he'd never been there in the first place. The young pharaoh collapsed to his knees, ignoring the worried shouts from his high priests as he stared blankly ahead with a sad smile and tears rolling down his cheeks. Goodbye, Joey... and may the gods be kind enough to let us meet again someday...
...
Tristan wandered the streets, his worry evident by the dark circles under his eyes and the stiffness of his gait. Four days-it had been four days since Joey had gone missing, and between Tristan, Téa, and Yugi, they'd searched every last inch of the city to no avail. God damn it Joey... where the hell did you go...? The brunet ran a hand through his hair in frustration, blinking in bewilderment when he found himself standing in front of the Domino City Museum. This is... where the Ancient Egyptian exhibit is, isn't it...? Ever since getting involved with Yugi, it seemed as if they were constantly surrounded by supernatural happenings with their roots in Ancient Egypt. Something in his gut told him to give the museum one last look-they'd already searched there, of course, but on the off-chance that Joey somehow found his way there... Shrugging to himself, Tristan pushed the museum doors open, frowning when he saw how empty it was despite being the middle of the day.
Something doesn't feel right...! There was a sudden flash of light, and he brought an arm up to shield his eyes before rushing towards the source of the light as soon as he could see. "That's..." He slowed to a stop in shock when he found himself nearing the large, Ancient Egyptian tablet depicting Yami's ancient past-but it wasn't the tablet that stopped him; rather, it was the familiar blond lying unconscious in front of the tablet that drew him to a halt. "Joey...?" Tristan stared in shock for a moment, taking in the blond's odd clothing and battered up state before snapping himself out of it and rushing towards his friend. "Joey! Hey, Joey, wake up!" He scrambled for his cell phone, pulling it out of his pocket and calling Yugi. "Yugi, it's Tristan-I found Joey! Tell Téa and head over to the museum; we're inside!" Once he hung up, he turned his attention back to his unconscious friend, falling into thought as he waited for the blond to wake up. Joey... what the hell happened to you...?
Joey blinked his eyes open slowly, gradually becoming aware of Tristan looking down at him. "Huh, what?" He went to sit up and a stabbing pain filled his head. Traveling through time and space was painful, apparently. "Tristan?" The blond held onto his head as he slowly sat up. "So I made it back," he said out loud to himself. He couldn't help a note of sadness coming out as he said it. So he really wouldn't see Atem again, he'd been dead for thousands of years now.
Tristan immediately reached out and helped the blond sit up, taking note of his murmured observation but not voicing any of his questions for the moment-he'd wait until the others showed up so Joey wouldn't have to explain himself twice. "I'm glad you're alright... you've had us all worried sick, you know-disappearing for a few days without telling anyone is no joke." Frowning slightly, he added, "Yugi and Téa are on their way right now, so when they get here you'd better have one hell of a good explanation for where you were-and for why you're dressed like that, for that matter."
"It's not like I chose to disappear...and huh, it's only been four days? For me it's been a lot longer..." A lifetime even with all that had happened to him. It wasn't every day that you fell in love like that.
"And how much longer is 'a lot longer'?" Tristan asked, before shaking his head. "Never mind, forget it—it'll be better to just wait until Yugi and Téa get here before you start explaining things." As if on cue, he heard people approaching, and he looked up to see their two friends rushing towards them wearing matching expressions of relief upon seeing Joey safe and sound.
Joey gave his two friends a weak smile. "Hi, guys, been awhile." Joey didn't have the strength to stand just yet so he stayed on the floor. It was a wonder that no one in the museum had taken note of his strange arrival and attire yet.
Yugi couldn't help but tear up in relief as he saw Joey, rushing over to him and hugging him. "Joey... We were all so worried! What happened to you? Where were you? And... what are you wearing?" he added with a curious expression when he pulled away and properly took notice of his friend's odd attire. Thankfully the museum seemed to be fairly empty, otherwise he was sure that Joey's clothing would have attracted plenty of attention to say the least—heck, some people might have even thought he was one of the displays come to life with how similar those clothes looked to the ones on the tablet they were in front of!
Joey finally managed to find the strength to stand. "Um, Yugi, can I talk to your other self, in private, for a bit?" Joey would tell his friends what had happened to him, but he thought it best to keep it a little quieter about his relationship with the ancient pharaoh.
Yugi's brows furrowed in confusion. "Ah, sure... Hold on, I'll switch with him."
Yami switched places with Yugi, blinking in a mixture of curiosity and worry. "Is something wrong, Joey?" he asked once Tristan and Téa left, promising to wait outside for them.
"Um, maybe this scroll thing Mahaad gave me will help..." Joey handed the scroll that the magician had put in his bag to Yami.
"'Mahaad'...?" For some reason, the name seemed familiar, yet no matter how much he tried to remember, all that came to mind was a faint blur and a feeling of comfortable familiarity. The nameless pharaoh hesitated at the sight of the scroll, sensing the magic contained within even without touching it—yet something told him that it was safe, and so he decided to trust his gut and take the scroll in hand, unrolling it curiously and reading over the foreign yet familiar pictures on the parchment. He started when magic began flowing from the scroll, resonating with the puzzle around his neck and flowing into him—and with the magic came images, sounds... Memories...! These are memories of... me and Joey...?
Yami wasn't even aware that he'd momentarily blacked out until he found himself kneeling on the floor, the parchment clutched tightly in his trembling hands and tears rolling down his cheeks. "I... remember...," he breathed out, before looking up at Joey with a smile that was both nervous and elated. "Joey, I remember everything... including... us." The only thing that he couldn't remember, frustratingly enough, was his own name—it was as if every instance of his name that was mentioned in the memories was blocked, but though he knew finding his name was important, right now it was the last thing on his mind.
"You do? Everything?" Joey asked, blushing a little at the memories of their more intimate moments. This was more than he could have hoped for. He thought it would just go back to the way it was before he was sent back in time. But now, could he and Yami just continue where he had let off with the pharaoh?
Yami nodded, feeling his own face heating up as well. "Yeah, everything...," he replied, glancing away in embarrassment. "I, well... I won't claim to be the same person as I was back then—as I am now, well... I'm quite literally just a shadow of my former self, without a name or form of my own—but if you would have me... my feelings for you remain unchanged."
Joey reached down and took Yami's chin in his hand. "Me too, I...I love you." The blond gave the shorter boy a kiss. It felt a little different from his kisses with the pharaoh, he was a different person after all, but he did share the same memories of their time together. That was good enough for Joey. He felt strangely at peace in this moment, now that he was reunited with his lover.
Yami's blush darkened as Joey gently grasped his chin, yet he couldn't help but smile. "I love you too," he murmured, moments before their lips connected—and suddenly it felt as if everything was right in the world, as if a part of himself that he hadn't even known was missing had finally returned to him. Yes, there were still plenty of trials ahead of them, and of course being together like this would only add to their troubles... but for now, Yami was here with his lover and his best friend, and that was all that mattered.
~THE END~