Authors Note: OMG Guys! I Am So Sorry! This Year Has Been So Difficult For Me And My Family That My Fanfiction Has Totally Been On The Back Burner. So Please Forgive Me. My Condition Got a lot worse and My Dad had to have intense Back surgery. My Brothers have been going through a lot of psychological trauma that is still ongoing. My Mom has always needed my help Physically because of my dad. But I want to thank you guys for being so patient and hanging in there with me! So Without Further To Do! The New Chapter: A Promise To Be Kept !
Chapter 126: A Promise To Be Kept...
"WE MADE IT!" Bloom cried triumphantly as they manifested into the room by the door before Kaiba, Duke, Loore, Noah, Yugi, and Atem All followed after her. "BLOOM!" Flora beamed happily as she hurried and ran right into her arms and gave her a warm welcoming and much-needed hug. "Oh, I'm So Glad You're Alright! I Was So Worried!" the faerie of flowers exclaimed as Bloom offered a weary smile in return. "Me Too, Flora, I'm Glad You're Alright." the faerie of the phoenix flame admitted before she paused to look around.
"But...I Don't See Any Of The Others Girls...Have They Not Returned Yet?" Bloom questioned but Flora only shook her head worriedly. "No, But I'm Sure They'll Arrive Soon, Until Then We Just Have To Be Strong For Them. The Professor Was Right Though, These Trials Are Much More Perilous Than What We've Had To Face In The Past..." the faerie of flowers admitted. "You Can Say That Again, The Last One Wiped Me Out. So, I Think I'm Going To Go Over There And Just...Rest For a while..." Bloom murmured.
"Oh, OK. Good Idea. I'll Keep A Look Out For The Others." Flora replied softly as she watched her friend slowly walk away. With each step, it was almost like Bloom's smile gradually began to fade. The faerie of flowers wasn't the only one to notice this, as Kaiba too couldn't seem to take his eyes off his fiance in concern before he was distracted by a certain unruly Blonde that charged towards Yugi in excitement. "YUG! ALRIGHT! I KNEW YOU COULD DO IT!" Joey beamed as he wasted no time in glomping his best friend.
"HEY JOEY!" Yugi laughed as he felt his hair being ruffled by a familiar face. "Ya Know! Fer A Second I Was So Excited Ta See Ya! Dat I Swore I Coulda Seen Two Of Ya!" the blonde admitted with an amused laugh before he paused as he heard someone clear their throat from nearby. "Um, In Case You Didn't Notice, I'm Standing Here As Well Joey, Are You Not Going To Say Hi To Me Also?" Atem questioned before the blonde paused for a moment. It was only then that he lifted his head up slowly to meet The Pharoah's eyes.
"Uh... Yugi...Did You Guys Switch Places Again...? Cuz If Ya Did I Missed Da Memo...?" Joey questioned as he kept his arms around the scarlet-eyed male. "Uh Nope...um let's see how do I explain this...you see...Atem Somehow...Came Back To Life Again...That Body...Is His Own..." Yugi tried to explain as he found himself fumbling with the words coming out of his own mouth. "Oh!? Is Dat All!? Well I Suppose Dat Does Happen From Time To Time!" the blonde laughed before he paused.
"WAIT! NO, IT DOESN'T! HOW DA HECK DID YA PULL DAT OFF!? I THOUGHT DA ONE WE WERE SUPPOSE TA BE BRINGIN' BACK TA LIFE WAS XURI!" Joey cried as his eyes began spinning in his head while smoke began pouring from his brain. "GAH! Joey! Don't Pass Out On Me!" Yugi cried as he found himself almost smothered until Amourette quickly came to the rescue. "J-JOEY-Kun!" The Blunette squeaked and just barely managed to catch him before the scarlet-eyed male was pinned under him. Yugi could only sigh relief afterward.
"Phew! Thanks, Amourette! I thought I Was Gonna Be Compacted there for a minute!" he expressed his gratitude before the brunette only laughed nervously in response. "We Short People Have To Stick Together." she teased slightly before as the scarlet-eyed male giggled. Yugi then turned his attention back towards Atem who seemed to be almost frozen in thought for some reason or another. Yet, the look on his face couldn't help but fill him with worry.
Amourette paused as she looked at Yugi and Atem before she gradually pulled Joey with her so they could leave the two alone for the time being. "Come On Joey-Kun...HEAVE...HO..." the bluenette exclaimed as she used all her strength to remove them from the situation at hand. The scarlet-eyed male sweatdropped as he couldn't help but laugh nervously before he once again turned towards The Pharoah. Gently Yugi placed his hands on Atem's shoulders before he found himself pulled back towards the present.
"...Atem...Are You Alright...?" Yugi asked him softly. "You Seemed Like You're Off In Your Own World. Well Not That, That's Anything New To Me." the scarlet-eyed male attempted to make light of the situation. The Pharoah however avoided his eyes as he only offered a smile in return. "It's Nothing, I Was Merely Lost In Thought. A lot Has Happened After All." Atem answered half-heartedly before Yugi narrowed his eyes skeptically and grabbed The Pharoah's head with both of his hands before he forced Atem to look at him.
"When You Talk To Me, Look Me In The EYES Atem...While It's True That We Don't Share A Body Anymore, That Doesn't Mean That I Still Can't Read You Like A Book!" the scarlet-eyed male muttered. "I KNOW That Something's Bothering You...And You Don't Want To Talk About It Because You Don't Want To Worry Me...Does That Sound About Right...?" Yugi questioned before Atem sighed heavily in defeat. "...I'm...Worried about Daphne..." The Pharoah finally confessed. "Daphne?" the scarlet-eyed male questioned as he blinked a few times in surprise.
"...Yes...It's...In Regards To... What Joey...He Mentioned...Once Before...A Question I Too...Have On My Mind..." Atem mentioned before Yugi turned his attention towards Bloom who almost seemed as if she was mirroring The Pharoah's facial expression and body language. "Actually...I Think Bloom...Has The Same Thing On Her Mind..." the scarlet-eyed male pointed out before Atem also looked in the distressed faerie's direction as Kaiba slowly approached her. Bloom only frowned as she felt her head and closed her eyes while she remained isolated from the others in the room.
"Daphne...Daphne...Please Answer Me...Say Something!" the faerie of the phoenix flame pleaded as she tried desperately to reach out to her sister as she had done several times before. But no matter what she did, she just couldn't feel a connection at all. Was it possible that it was because of the kind of place they were in? Or was it that The A.O.J and the Requiem Knights were interfering with their ability to connect? Bloom just couldn't figure out the answer.
Kaiba himself hesitated as he watched his fiance struggle. While he hated anyone poking their nose into his business or pushing him back into a corner as a result, The CEO couldn't help but remind himself that although Bloom often put on a brave face, inside she was screaming out for help that she feared asking him or anyone else for. That Kaiba knew well. Either way, he couldn't stand to see her like this, The CEO had made up his mind. He was going to talk to Bloom.
Kaiba took a deep breath before he made his way over towards her. However, before he could even open his mouth to respond, the faerie finally broke the silence between them as this time she didn't even try to conceal the hurt and worry that seemed to brewing inside her like a howling storm. "Oh, Kaiba...I...I Can't Reach Daphne...No Matter What I Do...She...She Just Doesn't Answer...I...I Don't Know What I Should Do..." Bloom sobbed before she ran into Kaiba's arms and clung to him as tight as she possibly could.
The CEO only frowned as he tightly placed his arms around his fiance and held her close to him. "I'm Sure, There's A Perfectly Reasonable Explanation Behind It." Kaiba began. "You Have To Remember, That You, I, Yugi, And Atem All Were Just Put Through A Rigorous Test. Not To Mention That Yugi Only Obtained The Power To Help The Pharoah Through Your Sister's Power, Using The Gem Of Destiny Stored Inside Of The Draconian Archive." he reminded her.
"Frankly, I Wouldn't Be Surprised If She's As Exhausted As You If Not Even More So..." the CEO added as the faerie listened quietly as she sniffed while tears rolled down her cheeks. "If I Had To Guess, I'd Say That She Used Up Almost All Of Her Power During That Last Trial And Can't Answer Due To The Fact, That She's Probably Been Rendered Into A Dormant State To Restore Her Energy..." Kaiba reasoned before Bloom slowly turned her eyes back up towards him as a ghost of a smile gradually returned.
"...Kaiba...Thank You...I Needed To Hear That...You Always Seem To Know What To Say...Thanks Again...I'm Sure You're Right...Daphne And I Will Be Talking Again In No Time...I Just Have To Believe That Everything Is Going To Work Out..." Bloom murmured as she smiled through her tears before a hint of red appeared on the bridge of Kaiba's nose. "Well...No Matter What Happens...You'll Always Have Me On Your Side...So It's Impossible To Lose Either Way..." The CEO noted before Cupid couldn't help but let slip an amused chuckle which earned him a duel monster's card to the fact.
"OW!" the redhead cried as the corner of the card just barely brushed against his forehead. "Be Nice." Flora giggled as she caught the card. "Be Glad It Wasn't Worse Dude..." Duke remarked as he continued to keep his distance from the CEO. "Yeah, No Kidding. Those Two Idiots Almost Wound Up In Body Bags!" Noah added as she stretched out. "Try Putting Your Energy Into Something More Productive For A Change..." the sorceress suggested.
"Well, It Can't Be Helped, Seeing As We Still Have Some Time Yet, Still Before The Others Return From Tests Of Their Own...Along With Some Unexpected Interference..." Takuna muttered as he lit up a cigarette to try and calm his nerves. "...I Just Hope That Everyone Makes It Back Safe And Sound..." Akiba confessed as he tried to keep his non-visible fur from standing up. "So, Shall We Take Bets Who Will Be The Next Group To Return?" Loore chimed in.
"YEAH! CUT ME IN FOR A PIECE OF THAT ACTION!" Noah cheered. "ME TOO!" Duke called out. "Um...I Don't Think That's What The Professor Had In Mind..." Cupid argued only to get a dice thrown at him this time. "Ow! Why Me!?" the redhead cried out as he found his head a victim once again. "Maybe Someone Should Keep Their Big Trap Shut This time..." Noah remarked. "That's Not Very Nice You Know," Flora replied with a disapproving frown. "Oh, Blow It Out Your Ass..." the sorceress hissed.
"Anyways, I'm Gonna Go Out On A Limb Here... And Say That Whoever Is With Undine's Pet Will Be The Next One To Arrive...While He Is Annoying He Is Useful Too...Kinda..." Noah placed her bet. "What About You Duke?" she questioned. "Whoever Is With Stella, After All, She's Got The Power Of The Sun, Similar To The Phoenix...Sorta..." The Dice Master threw his chips in. "Geesh, Nothing Phases Them Does It?" Yugi questioned with a slight laugh before he noticed Atem separate himself from the group.
"...I Thought So...Something's Still Not Right...This Has To Be About More Than Just Daphne..." Yugi murmured as worry glistened in his eyes while he watched The Pharoah's back gradually grow further and further away from him. It was only after that Atem reached the wall nearby that he stopped. Slowly, The Pharoah reached out his hand and gently touched the stone wall in front of him before it briefly reflected The Wall Of Prophecy from within the test.
{...I...I Just Don't Understand...What Happened...Cellos?... That Caused Everything To Change...? And How Did Undine...Manage Get Her Claws On You...!? Daphne And I Saw You Die...Yet...Like I...You Continued To Exist Yet Still...While Your Memories Were Lost...It's Almost Earily Similar...Daphne...Help Me To Understand...}
Flash Back...
Atem found himself back In the cold frozen snow once again, which was stained with blood yet still, while he clutched the child wrapped up in a dark blue blanket protectively. The Pharoah, could only stare in horror at the dagger which had found its way into Cellos's heart. Who Could Have Done Such A Thing? Atem barely had time to take everything in, that was happening before he noticed a familiar golden aura in the distance of the snowstorm. The Pharoah's blood turned to ice itself as Daphne hurried towards his direction.
"ATEM! There You Are! I'm So Glad You're OK! I Was So Worri...ed..." The Nymph's words trailed off before The Pharoah's eyes met hers as she saw the pain and fear reflected within them. "...Atem?" Daphne questioned fearfully before she stopped dead in her tracks as she caught a glimpse of the red snow. Although she was terrified, The Nymph continued to follow where the trail led until she froze from the sight. Daphne shook her head in disbelief before she couldn't seem to stop herself, as she ran over towards The Keeper whom was lying face down in the blood-stained snow.
"No...No...No...OH PHOENIX CELLOS NO! CELLI...ANSWER ME!... Celli...Please..." Daphne screamed as she picked up Cellos's cold and frozen body and held him in her arms as she wailed in agony unable to contain her grief. Atem felt so helpless for the first time in his life as tears of his own escaped down his face as he mourned with her. "...Atem...What Are We Going To Do...Now...?"Daphne asked as she choked on her tears. "...We Protect...What He Gave His Life To...Entrust With..." Atem responded as he bit down hard on his lower lip while his hair concealed his face.
"Come On...Let's Take Cellos and This Little One Back Into The Tower..." The Pharoah gently coaxed before The Nymph nodded softly and took the infant while he carried The Keeper back into the room they were staying in for the time being. Once they were inside, Atem carefully laid Cellos's body on the bed while Daphne sat in a rocking chair with the small child by the warmth of the fireplace. Bloom's soft cooes echoed from nearby in one of the cradles nearby with another one that was empty.
"...I Wanted Cellos...To Protect Bloom...To See Her Grow Up...And Continue To Watch Over Her...And Our Child Someday Too..." Daphne admitted sadly as she gently rocked back and forth as she rubbed her stomach which carried their unborn baby. "But Now...Yugi Will Grow Up Without A Father...Because Of Me...It's My Fault...I Brought Him Into This..." the Nymph sobbed. "...Daphne...You Mustn't Blame Yourself...Cellos...He Made His Own Choices...He Stayed And Faught...Because He Believed In The Dream We Are All Fighting For..."The Pharoah assured her as the pain seemed to only deepen.
"But He Trusted ME! I Should Have Gotten Back Here In Time! I Could've Saved Him! I Could Have Done Something! If I Wasn't Pregnant Right Now I -" Daphne paused as she released the words that were coming out of her mouth. "...Daphne...I" Atem began softly as a sense of sadness filled the both of them. "...I'm Sorry...It's Just...Celli...I Don't Know How I Can Keep Doing This..." Daphne apologized as her heart ached before a soft cooe came from Yugi as her tears fell upon his face.
"...If We Allow The Angels Of Justice To Win...Then Our Child...Your Sister... And Cellos & Azrael's Child Won't Have A Future..." The Pharoah finally found the courage to utter his thoughts out loud. It was only then The Nymph paused before she softly wiped her eyes. "...You're Right...If We Give Up Now...Then There Was No Meaning To Any Of This...We Have To Be Strong...No Matter What..." Daphne tried to convince herself.
"...I As The Phoenix...Can't Allow The Flame Of Hope To Burn Out..." she continued. "And That's What We'll Name Our Baby...Bright..." The Nymph decided as she forced a smile. "Yes, I Think That's A Beautiful Choice Daphne..." The Pharoah admitted as he smiled in agreement as he gently placed his hands around her shoulders. "Thank You, Honey..." The Nymph smiled in return before they shared a soft kiss between them.
"By The Way, I've Been Wanting To Ask, Why Do You Think Celli and Azrael Picked The Name Yugi? Although I Do Think It's Still As Cute As He Is...Yes It Is..." Daphne questioned as she nuzzled the little one on the nose which evoked a giggle out of him. Atem couldn't help but chuckle as his smile broadened. "Well, All I Know For Certain Is That It Means Game..." The Pharoah began. "This May Just Be Pure Speculation, However, It Could Be Referring To The Game Of Life We Play, As Well As Our Pull Towards Light And Dark...Battling For One Over The Other..."
"...Perhaps Cellos and Azrael Were Pinning All Of Their Hopes On Yugi...And That He Would Find An Answer...Which Would Bring Both Light And Dark Together...He Whom Contains The Joint Powers Of The Sun And Moon..." Atem continued before a gasp of realization escaped from Daphne afterward. "...Oh No...I completely forgot About Azrael...He's Going To Be Heart Broken When He Finds Out..." she covered her mouth before The Pharoah only frowned.
"...Unfortunatly...No One Has Seen Or Heard From Him In The Past Year...Not After The Knights And Mages Began To Die Once Again And Sparked And Entire War Between Them...It's Almost Unthinkable Considering How Close Cellos And Azrael Were...But Now It's As If He's Vanished Off The Face Of All The Known Worlds...It's Quite Possible...That Too Has Been Killed...We Just Aren't Aware Of It...Nor Was Cellos...For That Matter..." Atem began as he gradually walked over towards The Keeper's bedside.
"...After All...During These Times...A Mage and A Knight...Being Together Is Considered Unforgivable...That Dagger Driven Into The Keeper's Heart...It Wasn't Just Wound Of War...THAT WAS Personal...Almost As If The Attacker Were Sending A Message Of Their Own..." The Pharoah pointed out as he narrowed his eyes while he eased himself down to his knees to get a closer look at the dagger. Now that he did so, he noticed that the blade appeared to be laced with some kind of purplish-black liquid.
"Daphne, Could You Come Over Here For A Moment, That Is If You're Alright To Do So..." Atem requested. "One Moment, Sweetie," Daphne replied as she carefully took the infant in her arms and slowly approached her husband. "I Want You To Take A Look At This...There's Some Kind Of Substance That's Been Smeared Onto This Dagger Used On Cellos...See There?" The Pharoah questioned as The Nymph tried to rein in her emotion as she did so.
"Yeah, I See It, That's An Extremely Strong Poison... Used On Dragons, Due To Their Tough Hides Or Scales...It's...Just Horrible...It Causes Their Body To Attack Itself...With Their own Powers..." Daphne shivered at the thought as she used her magic to allow Yugi to float briefly in the air before she got down and examined The Keeper's body closer. There were small cuts all over his body with blood running down the sides of his mouth.
"I'm Sorry..." The Nymph almost whispered as she gently ran the back of her hand down the side of his frozen cold face. It was only then that The Pharoah gently placed his hand on her shoulder while they trembled. "Cellos's Last Words To Me...Were To Protect...What Was Most Precious To Him...Yugi...Daphne..." Atem almost whispered as he gently took the child out of the air and back into his arms. "And I Intend To Do So..." he continued. There was just something about the child that he felt connected to.
"...I Understand How You Feel Atem...But We've Already Got Bloom...And Our Own Child To Think About...It's Going To Be Challenging To Watch Yugi Too When Bright Is Born." Daphne pointed out. "...I'm Well Aware Of That..." Atem began. However, That Doesn't Change The Fact, You And I Both Were Entrusted With Him...Cellos Was My Friend Too...A Dear One In Fact...This Is Difficult On Me As Well Daphne..."
The Pharoah confessed as his entire body trembled as he held the infant in his arms. But just as The Nymph was about to answer, she noticed Yugi trying to grab at the Millniuem Puzzle that was wrapped around Atem's neck. "I Think He Can Sense The Light Inside Of It...And You...Apparently." Daphne giggled as Yugi missed and instead began to grab The Pharoah's hair instead. "Ow! Ow Ow!" Atem winced as the infant only giggled in delight. "Help..." he squeaked as Yugi only pulled harder.
"Awww I Think He Likes You." Daphne teased as she reached her hands out to relieve The Pharoah from babysitting duty. However, just as she did, something unexpected happened during that very moment. The Symbol of Both The Sun and Moon manifested upon Yugi's forehead before the Millennium Puzzle illuminated as well along with the Egyptian eye of Horus upon Atem's. "A-Atem What's Happening!?" The Nymph questioned but The Pharoah only shook his head.
"I-I'm Not Certain As To What We Are Witnessing Either Daphne..." he just barely managed to reply as they both saw a beam shoot out from the Millennium Puzzle and strike the infant's forehead. It was only in that instant that the symbols of The Moon And Sun were replaced with the same mark that Atem himself bore. But that wasn't all, as Daphne let out a surprised gasp once she watched Yugi's dark blue eyes turn into scarlet ones, and the blue within his golden hair was replaced with both black and scarlet.
"...Oh My Gosh! Yugi...Look At It Him...He's Changed...He Looks Just..." The Nymph lost her train of thought as she just stared at the little one in confusion while he tilted his head while he looked back at her. "...Like Me...But...How Can This Be...?" The Pharoah finished as he couldn't help but question himself as he stared at the eye of Horus until it gradually faded from his tiny forehead. It was only then he slowly turned towards Cellos as Yugi continued to play with his hair. {...Could It Be That Cellos Arranged For This To Happen...? If So What Could The Reason For Doing So Be...?} Atem asked himself.
"The Moon And The Sun Symbol...Were Sealed Just Now...By The Power Of The Millenium Puzzle...That Couldn't Have Happened By Accident...But...Maybe It's Because...Neither The Power Of The Moon nor the Sun...Could Be Trusted To Protect Yugi...So He Needed Something That Was Neither...Connected To Someone He Did Trust..." Daphne suggested as she turned towards Atem.
"...Perhaps The Best Thing We Can Do, Is Return To Earth For Now And Hide The Children There In The Palace Of Egypt, We Need Time To Recover Before The Next Attack Now That We Have The Gems Of Destiny..." Atem Added. "Yes, I Think That Would Be Wise, Seto's There, So He Can Help Protect Them Too. We Should Discuss It With Artemis Moon Before We Go Though..." Daphne suggested before The Pharoah nodded in agreement before he gently passed Yugi back to The Nymph. Afterward, Atem eased himself back down to The Keeper's bedside.
The Pharoah took one last look as she shook his head again in sorrow before he took Cellos into his arms and held him close while his entire body shook. He didn't even try to hide the tears as they fell one after the other. "...Goodbye Cellos...My Friend...I Shall Never Forget This...Or You...And I Will Protect Your Son...With My Life..." Atem choked out through his tears before he gradually removed himself from him. Slowly The Pharoah was pulled back from the memory into the present however, the tears on his face yet still remained.
"...After That...Daphne And I Crystalized His Body...Until We Could Give Cellos A Proper Burial...And We Left To Speak To The Great Mage About Our Predictiment...But While Daphne And I Returned To Egypt On Earth Briefly...We Were Told He Had Disappeared From The Twilight Tower...Did Undine Revive Him To Serve As Her Vessel...?" Atem questioned as he felt a sickening feeling in the pit of his stomach.
The Pharoah couldn't help but recall everything that took place between Lord Loric &Yugi Along With Lord Tybolt & The BriarBlood Twins. Not to mention within The Trial where Yugi's powers awoke once again due to Daphne's guidance and Atem's return to life. There was no way it was a coincidence. Not when the whole reason they were here in the first place was because of Bright. Their Son. The Pharoah suspected it, however, it wasn't until he got his memories back that he knew for sure. "...You Didn't Want Bright To Go Grow Up Without Either One Of Us...You And I Who Died Once Before...Following Cellos To The Afterlife...Daphne..." he reasoned.
(...It's Funny Though...It's Only After I Died A Second Time...That I Realized...That I DID Want To Live...For You Yugi...And More Than Just A Promise...And Now Thanks To Daphne...I Can...To Her...To Cellos... And To You...I'm Only Sorry...That It Took Me So Long To Figure It Out...I Won't Run Away Anymore...I WILL Protect You Yugi...Even From Your Father...) Atem swore while the tears in his eyes turned into ones of determination before he turned around as Yugi made his way over to him.
To Be Continued: Sorry Guys I Know It's Shorter Than Normal But There's Another Longer Chapter Coming Up Next! It'll Be Posted In The Next Few Days I Promise! Chapter 127: Trial By Fire... Look Forward To It!