Ishizu’s Gift Part 8
The sun was rising slowly in the horizon. Ishizu kept looking at her watch before glancing left and right. Time was not their friend at the moment. If the Ceremonial Duel were to happen, it had to happen soon. The young Egyptian woman glanced around the small area. Mokuba was leaning against his brother. Joey and Tristan were standing facing option directions. Even Marik was looking around.
“There they are,” yelled Joey as he pointed in the distance.
Ishizu sighed a breath of release as she watched the once nameless pharaoh walked towards the small group. The young brunette dancer was within his arms sleeping against him, his jacket draped over her shoulder. He nodded to his friends and followed everyone through the door and down the stairs.
Arriving on the bottom level, everyone was shocked to see the Millennium Tablet along with the door to the After Life. Atem stepped back to gently lay the young dancer upon the ground, making sure that the leather jacket covered her bare shoulders. Atem returned to stand in front of the Egyptian woman. Ishizu explained that Yugi would need to complete the remaining parts for the duel to commence. He only nodded as he exchanged the hourglass for the Millennium Puzzle, draping it over his neck and allowing the young duelist to take his place. It was there that Tea woke to see the pharaoh disappear as she moved to lean forward, draping her legs to the side.
Yugi never looked back at the young dancer as he took the duffle bag from his friend and approached the tablet. He removed all the Millennium items before finally taking the puzzle off and placing it in the correct spot. He slowly backed away and everyone watched as Atem took a spot next to the young duelist.
Tea watched as the young pharaoh reached for his duel disk and placed his deck within it. He was still without his jacket since Tea was gripping it tightly in her hands. She tried to get him to look at her as he took his place on the opposite end of the platform, but she remembered what he said that morning when they woke up within each other’s arms. She had to allow the duel to commence. Tears began to pool within her eyes as she watched as each duelist placed their first card, her heart secretly hoping that the pharaoh would win.
Throughout the duel, there were many times that everyone thought the pharaoh was going to win. However, Yugi was able to come up with a better plan to beat the cards that were dealt in front of him. Even Kaiba commented on how strong Yugi was, that he was actually the King of Games. There was also another comment from Joey stating how Yugi was enjoying the duel of a lifetime, that this was a chance both could prove one thing to another. While Tea knew that this is how everything should be, it didn’t help the pain that she was feeling. The duel was the main reason why she jumped off the boat and tried running away. She couldn’t bear the pain of seeing the pharaoh lose. However, once more the memories of that morning came flowing through her. He was holding her close, kissing her passionately when he gripped her shoulders forcing her to look into his crimson eyes. He made her promise not to run, to watch the duel to the end. He told her to hold on to what they have shared, that nothing would replace it. He made her promise, and it was a promise she wasn’t going to break.
The duel ended with Yugi being the victor. The young duelist dropped to his knees, tears splashing upon the ground. Atem removed his disk and approached the young man, dropping to his knees. He congratulated Yugi on well-played game, that it was proof that he was strong enough to be on his own.
“Stand before the door and call out your full name,” stated Ishizu as she took a small step forward.
Atem nodded and turned towards the door. His voice echoed around the small chamber lighting the eye with a golden gleam. “My name is Atem.”
Tea watched as the door slowly opened, the light blinding all the darkness within the room. She tried closing her eyes against the pain, but she didn’t want to miss seeing him once more. Rolling to her knees, she slowly tried to stand gripping the jacket tighter around her bare arms. Her voice was a whisper as she tried to call out his name. She tried walking forward only to stop.
Atem turned at a side and looked around at all his friends, but mainly at the young brunette in the back. Slowly, he stepped down from the platform and walked towards her. His arms wrapped around her, pulling her flushed against him. The tears she was trying so hard to suppress fell like unending streams. He slowly cupped her face, forcing her to look into his eyes. His lips gazed against hers before sealing them in a burning passion. He dropped his arms to pull her against him, dragging out a soft moan from the woman’s lips. He kissed her with everything he had and the promises he wished he could keep.
When breathing became an issue, he pulled away to lean his head against hers. “Remember, last night was not a night of weakness, but one full of promises.” With one more chaste kiss upon the young brunette’s lips, he turned away to walk back up the platform and through the blinding light.
Tea watched as he disappeared, the door closing behind. Her hands shakily went to her mouth as the jacket fell to pool around her feet and her knees gave out allowing her to fall to the ground. The only sound that echoed within the chamber was his name as she screamed it out.
Tea tried moving on. When the group arrived back at Cairo, a silence was thick that a knife could easily slice through it. Tea held the jacket close to her heart, her eyes containing tears that wouldn’t fall. Even on the plane ride back to Domino City was quiet. Yugi tried to speak with the young dancer, but she only shook her head. Even when Yugi questioned Joey, there was no answer. It was as life itself was sucked out of the young dancer.
The young dancer quickly went to her books, studying hard for the remainder of the school year. She was surprised one day at home when a letter arrived explaining that she received a full scholarship to the Juilliard School in New York City. She would be leaving for America in the fall to begin her studies. While the knowledge that she was able to follow her dreams made her happy, the thought of who she was missing never left her side. Instead, she kept his jacket close by allowing the memories of the night before the duel to flood through her.
It was the last week of summer before Tea was leaving for America. She tried enjoying summer watching as Yugi became a famous duelist and Joey matured into an amazing man especially when Mai returned to stay with him. She tried smiling especially when she told everyone the news that she was leaving for America.
The young dancer was enjoying the evening as she walked around areas that brought back memories of past events. She slowly walked to the rail where she and the pharaoh once looked out at the same setting sun. The water was splashing against the sandy beach. Stars were starting to twinkle within the sky. “I miss you, Atem,” she whispered softly as she closed her eyes and allow a single tear to run down her face.
Her hand was resting against the rail. Her eyes were closed shut. She didn’t hear as the footprints approached her, but her mouth did expel a short gasp as a hand was draped over her own. She quickly opened her eyes and glanced down before turning to the side. Her brown eyes widen as tears began to pool and slowly cascade down her cheek.
The once nameless pharaoh stood before her. No longer dressed in his normal black and blue clothing, he stood dressed in dark blue jeans and blue button up dressed shirt with the sleeves rolled this elbows. His smile was the same as he pulled his hand back to place them both within his pockets.
“Atem… is this… real?” choked Tea as she raised her hand to her mouth, tears running like unending streams.
Atem nodded before slowly approaching. He cupped the face of the young dancer before leaning down and placing a passionate kiss upon her lips. “Remember Ishizu’s gift?” Tea nodded. “I made a promise to you regarding to one night, that it wasn’t a night of weakness, but a night full of promises.”
“I still don’t understand.”
Atem smiled as he wrapped his arms around the young brunette and pulled her flush against him. “Easy. Ishizu’s gift had two parts. She gave me a physical form before the duel and life afterwards.”
Tea’s eyes widen with understanding. Her body began to shake with her sobs as she wrapped her arms around the young man, her mouth crashing against his. While the pain at first was difficult for to harbor that she thought the best idea was to escape, forgetting everything and moving on, it turned out that there was something else planned for them.
Atem loved the young brunette too much that he never wanted to be apart. He was lucky when Ishizu whispered to him that night upon the boat explaining how she found a loophole using the magic of a hidden item, that even though the duel had to commence, there was away for him to return. It was because of Ishizu’s gift that two people whose love was stronger than the Millennium Items themselves that they were able to be together forever.
END