The Final Goodbye

Yuugi Mutou fell to his knees, tears streaming down his face. “Oh my gods, what have I done?” He half whispered to himself.

He called his final attack, sending his yami’s life points down to zero. Atemu was free. Yuugi fought so hard to set his other half free, he forgot the consequences of doing so. Atemu was set free from the millennium puzzle; now he was going to the afterlife. Yuugi and his friends weren’t going to see the former Pharaoh ever again. He felt his heart breaking as he tried to unsuccessfully put on a good face.

Yuugi heard the click of Atemu’s boots as he approached the smaller boy. The taller man got down on bent knee. Yuugi braced himself for the lecture his other half was sure to give him about crying, honor, and pride. However, Atemu stunned him by scooping the smaller boy up into a tight hug, letting him cry on his shoulder. To Yuugi’s surprise, Atemu almost seemed as visibly upset as he was.

“It’s okay, Yuugi.” Atemu whispered into his ear. He patted and rubbed the smaller boys back, trying to hold back emotion himself. “It’s okay.”

“I’m going to miss you so much.” Yuugi let the last of his emotions out before he pulled back, wiping his damp eyes on his shirtsleeves. “I know you would not want me to cry right now. It is not something you would do yourself, I know, but you’ve meant so much to me in the time you’ve been with me. It’s really hard not to cry. The realization is just sinking in that I might never get see you again, but if you love something enough, you have to let that something go.” He let out a small sniffle, touching Atemu’s cheek lightly. “It’d be selfish of me to keep you here with me when your true self belongs somewhere else. I’d feel wrong asking you to stay.” Yuugi’s voice cracked with emotion as more tears fell. “I’m sorry, I know you probably don’t want me crying over you, but I can’t help it. I… I… I’m in…” Yuugi was to overwhelmed with emotion to finish.

“Oh how you’ve changed me, aibou.” Atemu smiled faintly, caressing Yuugi’s cheek with the back of his hand. He wiped away some of the boys stray tears. “It’s okay to cry, little one.” He cupped his partner’s small face with both of his large palms. He looked directly into Yuugi’s eyes. “I want to stay with you too, Yuugi. I do. It’s not fair, but our paths will cross again someday. Remember that.” He shut his eyes and leaned his forehead down to touch Yuugi’s lightly. He whispered gently a question that burned through his mind the entire time the two shared a body. “Aibou, what you tried to say before. Were you trying to say that you love me?”

“Yes.” Yuugi answered back in a whisper, confessing it for the first time. “I love you, Atemu. I always have. I think I always will.”

Atemu shut his eyes, feeling the warmth of his partner for the very first and very last time. It was time to be honest; he would not rest without letting it be known. “I love you too, aibou. And I always will.”

He felt a new set of wetness slip down his partner’s cheeks as Yuugi’s small hands too cupped Atemu’s face. This time, Atemu joined him, letting his emotions get the better of him. He didn’t want to leave his hikari, but he had to fulfill his destiny.

“I’ll be your memories.” He remembered Yuugi crying to him the first night he realized his feelings he felt for his partner. Atemu now wished he had never searched for his true self. He wanted more time. He would have rather lived as a ghost and be with Yuugi, then be human and have to die. He was human though, and now his time with his aibou was up. It was time to say good-bye and go to the afterlife.

He felt Yuugi pulling away from him, drying his eyes again. “I’ll miss you.”

“As will I.” Atemu sighed. “But we will see each other again some day. Please don’t wait for me though, Yuugi. I beg you; don’t try to follow me. Live your life with your friends and family. I won’t let you stop yourself from true happiness because you are morning the loss of me in your life. Know that I will always be with you, even when you won’t be able to see me. I’ll always be right here, aibou.” Atemu placed his hand over Yuugi’s heart.

Yuugi nodded, understanding, pulling Atemu into a tight hug. There wasn’t anything more to be said between the two of them except for the obvious. ‘Don’t leave.’ They both knew saying that would not be fair to each other. Atemu stood up, helping Yuugi to his feet. Pulling Yuugi into one last hug, he placed a small kiss on his forehead, and then hesitated before slowly, but surely placing one on his lips. Yuugi gasped at the feel of his first real kiss (the one with Anzu when he was a child didn’t count). He blushed deep red. It felt so right. Wrapping his arms around Atemu’s neck, he leaned up on the tips of his toes, kissing him back before letting go entirely.

He gave Yuugi’s hand a small squeeze before turning away from him, leaving Yuugi touching his lips in pure shock, his face still in a deep flush.

He stopped before the great grey wall with The Eye of Wdjat displayed in gold on top of ancient Egyptian hieroglyphics. Turning around, he bowed to the others before him. “Thank you all. Without any of you, none of this would have been able to happen. I am eternally grateful to each and every one of you.”

He turned away from them. Shutting his eyes, he swallowed down a large lump of emotion that was beginning to form in the back of his throat. He sharply raised his head, calling out to the large eye before him.

“I am the son of The Great King Akhenamkhanen. My name is Atemu!”

Like magic, the wall opened right down the center, filling the room with bright light. Everyone shielded there eyes from it.

“Please give me the strength, Ra.” Atemu silently prayed. He took two steps towards the light.

A cry was heard in the distance. He stopped; turning around he saw it belonged to Anzu.

“Atemu, please don’t go!” She cried out, running towards him. He turned away from her and kept walking. She was quickly grabbed by Jonouchi to stop her from going any further. “Let me go, Jonouchi! He can’t do this! You know he can’t do this. We have to stop him! He is making a horrible mistake!”

“You can’t leave us like this, man!” He stopped in his tracks again, this voice he recognized to be Honda’s. “It’s like we’ve just gotten to know you. You’ve just gotten to know yourself. Now you are leaving? Just like that? It’s not just us either; do you know what you are doing to Yuugi right now?”

“I’m fine guys, really. It’s okay.” Yuugi said, dying his tears. “Please don’t worry about me right now. He has to go.”

“No, it’s not it’s not okay, Yuugi! He can’t do this to you.” Honda turned his argument back to Atemu, who refused to turn around. “You are just going to ditch him like this, after everything he just confessed to you and you confessed to him? Did you not learn anything from Yuugi? Don’t you have a heart? If you love him as much as you say you do, then why are you leaving him like this?”

Atemu clenched his fists at his sides, gritting his teeth. He was on the verge of saying something he was sure he would regret.

“He has to!” Ishizu yelled, making Honda recoil. “He has to fulfill his destiny. He has to sacrifice himself once again to end the yami no game and be rid of its evil forever. It’s what he was waiting in the puzzle all these years to do. He doesn’t belong here with us anymore! Yuugi understands that, and if you care about him as much as you all say you do, then you’ll understand that too and let him go. He belongs with his true friends and family in the afterlife.” She turned to Atemu, urging him to go on. “Go to the light, my Pharaoh. Go be with your family, friends, and loyal servants. You deserve to be finally put to rest.”

“But he is our true friend, Ishizu. He’s our family and we are his. Can’t you see that?” Anzu cried, struggling against Jonouchi’s arms to get free. “You just don’t understand how unfair this all is! You haven’t been with him as long as we have. You don’t know him. Not like we know him.”

“I know enough!” Ishizu fired back. “The Ishtar family has studied and protected this tomb long before you were even born. What is unfair is your selfish desire to keep him here, you foolish girl. You are the one making the mistake.”

“Stop it, guys.” This voice belonged to Yuugi, trying to desperately smooth the situation out. “We have to let him go, guys. He has no other choice. He doesn’t like this anymore then we do, but we’ll see him again someday. We have to remember that. He has to be with his friends and family now. He has to pass on, but he’ll always be with us.”

“We were lucky to even know him at all.” Jonouchi added, breaking his silence for the first time. “Be thankful that we had the time we did with him. I know I am.”

“Thank you Yuugi and Jonouchi.” Atemu quietly said. He started walking once more, certain he didn’t have to stop anymore. It was getting unbearable listening to what they where saying. He didn’t like seeing them fight over him. It didn’t make it any easier. He wanted to just get it over and done with. He wanted to rest. Tears streamed down his face that he tried very hard to wipe away. He had to be strong. He was sure his father would not want to see him like this.

When he got half way to the light, he stopped again. He turned to look behind him one last time. He waved good-bye to them all before locking eyes with Yuugi. Yuugi nodded at him, urging him to go on.

“Goodbye, little one.” He whispered.

Turning around once more, he went to take a step, only to find he could not move. He felt a chill move throughout his entire body, as if someone had just thrown a bucket of cold water over him. Out of him came his former self. The man was dressed in ancient robes and jewelry he wore when he use to rule over Egypt, and his skin was a dark tan. Atemu tried to step forward, but the spirit held out an out stretched arm and halted him, stopping him from going any further.

“I cannot allow you to go with me.” The spirit spoke to him in Egyptian.

Atemu raised an eyebrow at himself. “But I have to, it’s my destiny…”

The spirit cut him off before he could finish. “I am the great Pharaoh. I am what the afterlife wants. I am the sacrifice.”

Atemu was fully frazzled. “But I have my memory again. I was set free of my host’s body. Surely I have to move on too.”

The man shook his head. “That is where you are wrong, dear boy. I am the true Pharaoh, the memory of him at least. The boy set you free, yes. He set you free of his body. Hearing how much you love and care for your friends, I cannot let you come with me to die. It would be a selfish act on my part. You unlocked my long lost memory, so in return, I am setting you free of your duty.”

Atemu’s mouth dropped slightly ajar, not believing what he was hearing.

“They need you, Atemu.” The Pharaoh explained, motioning to his friends behind him. “And you need them. It is obvious you hold tight connections with each of them from your adventures over the years. Forcing you to leave them behind would be heartless and cruel of me. The young one, Yuugi you call him, said something interesting that caught my attention. He said that if you love something enough, you set it free. Do you know the other half of that saying?”

Atemu shook his head no.

“If it is meant to be, it’ll come back to you.”

Atemu shook his head, still in shock. “But… I…”

The Pharaoh silenced him once more with his hand. “Go to Yuugi, Atemu. Be with him. Love him. Grow old with him. Have the life I never got to have with him. Now I must go.” The Pharaoh bowed to him. “Farewell my friend. Be safe, after all, you are a mortal now.”

“Farewell.” Atemu nodded, bowing as well.

At that time, they both turned away from each other, Atemu heading back to his friends and the great Pharaoh heading off into the grand light to be with those he left behind all those years ago, his purple cape billowing out behind him as he went.

“What’s going on?” Marik piped up. “He’s changed his mind and is coming back now? He can’t do that! He has to go into the light or it won’t work!”

“No brother, he… he split… split into two!” Ishizu explained, even she didn’t fully believe it. “See? Someone is going into the light.”

“He split into two? How?! It’s not possible.” Marik was generally shocked.

“It looks like the Pharaoh is going into the light and Yami no Yuugi is coming back to us.” Ryou explained, speaking for the first time himself. “It’s like the Pharaoh knew that part of him still belongs here with us and let him stay.”

Yuugi didn’t need any more of an explanation and began to charge towards his yami. Atemu didn’t get to far before he was sent to the ground in a tackle hug by him. Yuugi pulled him into a hard, passionate kiss for someone who normally is so shy and bashful as his light.

“You’re staying?” He asked him when he broke apart from the kiss. “For good? You are really, really staying?”

Atemu nodded his answer. He found himself incased in another fervent kiss from his partner in response. Time and space seemed to stop as he let the kiss take him over. They didn’t hear the walls slam shut or feel the tomb start to shake. They didn’t hear the crumble of the sculpture that held the Millennium items, or see them fall into a bottomless pit of nothing.

“Hey guys, I hate to ruin the little moment you two seem to be having, but I think the place is about to collapse on us.” Jonouchi yelled, letting Anzu go. “We got to get out of here, or we’ll all be going to the afterlife too and I don’t know about you guys, but I think I have a very full life ahead of me that I don’t want to miss. So can you please save the mushy stuff for when we get outside this place?”

“Jonouchi’s right, the sacrifice is complete. The tomb is now self-destructing. Everyone, please stay together and follow us out. We have to go, now!” Ishizu yelled over her shoulder as she and her brother Marik ran for the exit with Otogi, Ryou, and Honda assisting Yuugi’s grandfather, Sugoroku. Seto and Mokuba followed close behind. Atemu helped Yuugi up, and they both trailed the others out as they all narrowly missed the rocks falling down upon them as the tomb caved in around them. Yuugi almost thought he saw Shadi watching them go, but he disregarded it. He knew he could not stop for a better look without being flattened by the falling rubble.

Once safely outside, they all caught there breath, falling against the outside of the tomb or resting on the ground.

“Jeeze ‘Tem, I understand you had to protect the place from grave robbers like Ryou’s former self, but don’t you think that was just a little bit extreme going all Indiana Jones And The Raiders Of The Lost Ark in there?” Jonouchi complained, bushing dust off his coat and hair. “Way to almost kill us.”

Atemu turned to Yuugi confused. “Indiana Jones?”

“It’s an American movie.” Yuugi answered. “We have it at home. I’ll show it to you when we get back to Japan. I think you’ll like it.”

Sugoroku piped up. “Speaking of Japan, how are we going to get Atemu home? He doesn’t have a passport and the flight we are leaving on tomorrow is completely booked solid.”

“I’m sure Seto and I can take him home on our jet.” Mokuba offered, looking up at his brother. “Right, Seto?”

Seto fell silent, thinking it over.

“Come on, big brother.” Mokuba said, trying hard to reason with him. “After all he has done for us, don’t you think we owe him this? I mean, he did save us from being trading cards for the rest of our lives. We at least owe him this much, if not more. There is no way for him to get home. Please?”

Seto sighed to himself, still staying silent.

“Come on Kaiba, lighten up! Don’t be such a jerk! It’s just one ride home, it’s not going to break your bank.” Jonouchi said, clapping him hard on the back, earning a scowl from the man. Jonouchi backed off to hide behind Honda, laughing nervously and apologizing under his breath.

Seto let out an irritated grunt, rolling his eyes. “That’s fine; you can ride home with us. I guess you’d also like some help discreetly getting your hands on some citizen papers as well, correct? I think may have the right connections to be able to help you with that too, but it’s not because I like any of you or anything. I’m just paying back my debts to you.” He heaved another sigh, checking his watch. “I’ll get on the phone with my contacts and get the stuff faxed to the hotel. It should be here by tomorrow morning. We can work on the papers on the way home. What we are going to be doing is highly illegal, so if any of you mention this to anybody else, you can just forget about it.” The last point was heavily aimed at Jonouchi. He pointed to Atemu before turning away. “Think of a last name and a convincing back story by tomorrow morning. I’ll see you at ten AM sharp or the jet takes off without you.”

Atemu nodded to Kaiba’s back and watched him walk off with Mokuba following close behind. The others said goodbye to the Ishtar’s before heading back to the hotel themselves. The day left them feeling completely zonked and after a quick dinner in the hotel’s bistro, they all retired to there rooms for some much needed rest. Sugoroku followed Atemu and Yuugi back to there room.

“Now you know the only reason I am allowing you two to stay together tonight is because I originally just got this room for Yuugi so he’d have some time to himself. However, I feel you two have earned it.” Sugoroku said as he stood in the doorway. “With that said, you two need to be on your best behavior. No funny stuff, you hear? When we get back, Atemu can stay in the guest bedroom. I’ll further explain the house rules when we get back home.”

The two nodded in agreement.

Sugoroku continued. “Alright, well you kids get some rest. We are sure to have another big day tomorrow.”

After exchanging goodnights, Sugoroku started back to his room.

“I think the hotel staff must have thought we were pretty strange.” Yuugi remarked, falling on the double bed, while Atemu made his way over to the window to look at the view. The bed creaked lightly as the little one bobbed up and down from the force of his fall. “We pretty much ate dinner completely covered in dirt.” Yuugi chuckled. He then sat up, kicking off his shoes and socks, shaking off his school jacket. “Well I don’t know about you, but I’m exhausted.” Yuugi grabbed his pj’s and headed into the bathroom to change and wash his face for bed. “Are you coming to bed or are you going to stay up for a little bit?”

Atemu broke his gaze from the nightlife he’d been watching below them on the street. “Hmm? Oh, right. I’ll come to bed.”

He picked up Jonouchi’s spare pj bottoms he borrowed to sleep in. Once Yuugi was behind the bathroom door, he stripped out of his dirty clothes, tossing them near Yuugi’s pile he had made from the day before. He slipped on the pants and settled himself into bed, waiting for Yuugi. His little one soon came out and joined him after shutting off the light. He snuggled himself in next to him.

Resting his head on top of Atemu’s bare chest, Yuugi asked. “Do you think you are going to miss Egypt? After all, it is your home.”

Atemu brushed his fingers lightly though Yuugi’s hair, smiling at the question. “I don’t think so.” He answered. “Egypt has changed so much since I’ve ruled. Now my home is wherever you are, aibou.”

Yuugi sighed in content, feeling himself begin to nod off to sleep. “I love you, Atemu.” He whispered.

“I love you, too, Yuugi.”

And with that, they drifted off to sleep together, wrapped up in each other’s arms.

The end.