[fic] Coming Forth by Sundown, Chapter 12 - Yugioh, drama/romance, PG-13
Title: Coming Forth by Sundown
Author: Chey (duelist_gurl163)
Chapter: 12/13
Overall rating: PG-13
Genre: Drama/romance
Pairings: YamixYugi, JouxMai, and references to YugixAnzu and YamixAnzu
Archive: You're lookin' at it
Warnings: None
Spoilers: Post-series, so many spoilers, including Yami's real name.
Summary: His was a story that ended in light. At the time, nobody realized that ending one story would only cause the beginning of another.
Disclaimer: Yugioh = Not mine.
01 - 02 - 03 - 04 - 05 - 06 - 07 - 08 - 09 - 10 - 11
---
Atemu stared, and finally broke the silence as he said, “Aibou, what are you-?”
“This isn’t fair!” Yugi shouted, his voice oddly muffled by the sound of the power whirling around them.
“Aibou, what are you doing? You promised me-”
“I can’t keep that promise!” He grit his teeth, staring up at him. I’m sorry Atemu…I can’t keep that promise.
He had fought with himself all the way here. Even as he and the others backed away, he had argued with himself over what he should do. He knew what he promised Atemu. But he’d only made that promise because he knew it was what Atemu wanted to hear. He hadn’t felt it in his heart.
And as he stood, watching as Atemu’s body seemed to resonate with the magic in the room, he thought to himself: Sometimes people have to hear things that they don’t want to. I can’t spend my life lying to people just because I want to say what they want to hear.
Why should Atemu be the martyr? He had sacrificed his own happiness for far too long. He deserved to live in peace, but he would always choose to endure pain to help other people. He always suffered alone.
We promised…we promised we would see each other again. If you leave this way…
He knew it went against his promise. But if he could go with Atemu, if he could stop him from having to be alone again…maybe that in itself would be enough to make up for breaking the promise.
“We’re bonded, aren’t we?” He demanded, his arms locked around Atemu’s body, which stung with an odd mix of ice and heat, as if the light and darkness inside Atemu had risen to his skin. “The Puzzle chose me. Ishizu told me that some of your power was in me, which means some of Atum’s power is in me as well. I can go with you, I can help you-”
“Aibou, no!”
He clung more tightly still to Atemu, who could feel the magic in the room, no longer swirling gently, but crashing around him now. It seemed angry that he was holding back. But he couldn’t let himself be taken. With Yugi holding onto him, it seemed likely that Yugi would be taken as well. Yugi had a point, their spirits were connected somehow and Yugi’s spirit could easily be mistaken as part of Atemu’s. And if Yugi’s human spirit was taken…
Fear gripped him. “Aibou- you must let me go. Please-”
“I’m not going to stand here and watch you sacrifice yourself for people who will never understand your legacy,” Yugi snapped back, his eyes stinging as tears sprang to them. “It isn’t fair…you shouldn’t have to be the one to make this sacrifice. I know how much being all alone hurts you…and you’re going to do this, which might cause you to be alone for eternity! You don’t deserve that!”
“Aibou, please. I have to do this. There isn’t another way.”
“Then let me come with you!”
“I don’t want you to come with me.” He tried to shove him away, but Yugi wouldn’t be budged. Finally his voice grew harsh, trying to force him to let go. “You promised me you would respect my choice...this isn’t you, this is selfish. You used to have pride, you let me go before. Why do you choose now to dishonour me and yourself like this?”
Yugi buried his face against Atemu’s chest. “Pride…honour…what do they matter? You can be angry at me, you can hate me…but I won’t let you do this alone.” He looked up at him, his eyelashes heavy with escaped tears. “Yes, I let you go before, but didn’t you realize what it did to me? Did you really think it was easy before? That I just moved on and it never hurt?”
“Aibou, I…”
His voice rose. “Maybe it isn't honourable, but I have watched you suffer for too long…believing that you alone have to take on all the world’s problems. Don’t you realize…that the people who love you hate seeing you never have a chance at happiness? Don’t you realize how much that hurts us? Don’t you realize…how much it hurts me? Maybe I am selfish, but I don't want to lie to you anymore. It's not okay. It's not okay that you have to go through this alone."
Aibou…you…
Finally, Atemu understood. Yugi didn’t need to say the words, his eyes and tone said them for him.
He rested his hands on Yugi’s shoulders and shook his head, his voice soft as he spoke. “Aibou, you must go. You must go back to your friends and save yourself. Even if you do have a fragment of Atum’s power inside you, it might not be enough. If Marik is right, I can at least be sure that I’ll pass over with my God soul even if my human one is taken. But if it goes wrong, you could lose your soul forever. You won’t be alive, but you won’t be able to cross over to the afterlife either. It would mean an eternity of nothingness, you can’t risk that.”
“No! Atemu, I don’t want you to be alone. I want you to be happy…I…you don’t understand how badly I want to see you happy. You don’t understand…”
“Aibou.” He reached out and tilted Yugi’s head up to meet his eyes as tears suddenly escaped down his face.
Yugi’s eyes widened. Atemu…you’re crying. You never let yourself cry in front of me…
Atemu’s gaze gentled as he looked into Yugi’s eyes and whispered, “Aibou, I understand. I understand that feeling." He swallowed and took a deep breath, his voice finally shaking as he said, "I...have always loved you.”
Yugi’s heart leapt to his throat. “Ate…”
“That has been my happiness all along. You have been my happiness. Even though we were never meant to stay together…even though we never had it all, the time spent with you was the greatest gift I ever received. I do not think of myself as having suffered.”
“But Atemu…I…I love you too much…it isn’t fair,” he choked. “At least let me go with you.”
“If you truly care for me…you will let me go and let me do this alone,” he whispered. “You will understand.” He passed his hand over Yugi’s hair, stroking the soft locks for the first and last time. Yugi felt his own tears stream harder down his face at the touch.
“But Atemu…”
“Please, Aibou.” Though soft, his voice had become steady again. He caressed Yugi’s cheek. “Please hear me. I want to leave, knowing that you’re free. I have never been able…to give you very much. We never had that kind of time. But your freedom…saving you at this time and this place…I can do that much. I can go on and make the afterworld safe again so that one day, I hope many years from now, it will be safe for you. You're going to be fine...you were always going to be fine, you never needed me. You have everything you need inside you. This is something I can do to make a difference for you, something I can finally give you. So please…if you want to give me happiness, give me the comfort…of knowing you’re safe here. Let me go with the knowledge that there’s someone in this world who loved me. Someone who will remember me. Not as a God, not as a pharaoh…but just as Atemu.”
Yugi stared up into his crimson and amethyst eyes. Bright from tears, they had never looked more beautiful. And they were amazingly clear. At that moment Yugi felt as if he could stare into them and see all the way to the very depths of Atemu’s soul. He raised his hand and pressed it against Atemu’s, holding his hand against his face. His fingers curled, clutching his hand as he felt Atemu wiping away his tears.
“There's someone here who loves you," he whispered. "It's not past tense."
Atemu didn't reply. Yugi knew he was waiting for an answer. Finally he swallowed hard and said, "Promise me this isn’t forever. Promise me you won’t forget me. Promise me, mou hitori no boku.”
Atemu smiled at the long-forgotten name, forgetting his aversion to it for the moment. Somehow, it was comforting to hear it again, just this once. And he wrapped his arms around him as Yugi hugged him back desperately, gripping him. “Oh Aibou…” He said, his lips pressed to the top of Yugi’s forehead as he squeezed his eyes shut. “We’re part of each other. I will always remember you…that’s how I know it isn’t forever. We will see each other again, I promise. I will be waiting for you.”
Yugi waited long enough to hear one last beat of Atemu’s heart, then released him, backing away, his lips quivering and face awash in tears. But somehow he managed to nod. And as he did he could see the peace in Atemu’s eyes.
He’s happy… Yugi thought as the man who had once been his other self looked back at him, whispered, “thank you Aibou,” and closed his eyes as his body was enveloped in dark fog.
Yugi found himself running then, running from the chamber, running from the tomb until he reached the Earth and faced the setting sun as the last sliver of it cast its glow over the horizon.
He couldn’t say good-bye in that tiny chamber. Atemu was more than that. He was more than the body he was leaving behind. He was more than the human spirit he was giving up.
Yugi loved him…that made him something even more than a God.
And he deserved something better than a whisper in a dark, cold chamber. He deserved a farewell that was screamed to the Earth and the sky and the world, and Yugi could only stand there helplessly, his tears beyond control and chest heaving, unable to say the right words. But as he watched the sun vanish, he had a feeling that Atemu was there, all around him.
Yugi knew he didn’t have to speak aloud. He knew Atemu could understand perfectly the words that called out to him from his heart.
x-x-x
Notes: Before you come after me with pitchforks and torches, I have two things to say:
1) I’m leaving town very early tomorrow. Mom and I are going up to the mainland for a Yugioh tournament, (watch us be the only women in the tournament as usual. xD And if you’re not too angry to wish us luck, your wishes are appreciated. x3) So even if you track down my address, I won’t be here for you to lynch.
And 2) There is still chapter 13 left to post. And if you kill me now, I won’t be able to post it, and you’ll never find out how the story ends. So please, hold off on the torture plans until you’ve read the last chapter, okay? …Please? *gives innocent Bambi eyes*
I’m going to let this chapter speak for itself. I tried to shove a ton of themes and messages into two and a half pages and I want the comments to show me if I succeeded in my goal or not. As terrible as it sounds, I hope I got at least one person to get misty-eyed. ^^;
Author: Chey (duelist_gurl163)
Chapter: 12/13
Overall rating: PG-13
Genre: Drama/romance
Pairings: YamixYugi, JouxMai, and references to YugixAnzu and YamixAnzu
Archive: You're lookin' at it
Warnings: None
Spoilers: Post-series, so many spoilers, including Yami's real name.
Summary: His was a story that ended in light. At the time, nobody realized that ending one story would only cause the beginning of another.
Disclaimer: Yugioh = Not mine.
01 - 02 - 03 - 04 - 05 - 06 - 07 - 08 - 09 - 10 - 11
---
Atemu stared, and finally broke the silence as he said, “Aibou, what are you-?”
“This isn’t fair!” Yugi shouted, his voice oddly muffled by the sound of the power whirling around them.
“Aibou, what are you doing? You promised me-”
“I can’t keep that promise!” He grit his teeth, staring up at him. I’m sorry Atemu…I can’t keep that promise.
He had fought with himself all the way here. Even as he and the others backed away, he had argued with himself over what he should do. He knew what he promised Atemu. But he’d only made that promise because he knew it was what Atemu wanted to hear. He hadn’t felt it in his heart.
And as he stood, watching as Atemu’s body seemed to resonate with the magic in the room, he thought to himself: Sometimes people have to hear things that they don’t want to. I can’t spend my life lying to people just because I want to say what they want to hear.
Why should Atemu be the martyr? He had sacrificed his own happiness for far too long. He deserved to live in peace, but he would always choose to endure pain to help other people. He always suffered alone.
We promised…we promised we would see each other again. If you leave this way…
He knew it went against his promise. But if he could go with Atemu, if he could stop him from having to be alone again…maybe that in itself would be enough to make up for breaking the promise.
“We’re bonded, aren’t we?” He demanded, his arms locked around Atemu’s body, which stung with an odd mix of ice and heat, as if the light and darkness inside Atemu had risen to his skin. “The Puzzle chose me. Ishizu told me that some of your power was in me, which means some of Atum’s power is in me as well. I can go with you, I can help you-”
“Aibou, no!”
He clung more tightly still to Atemu, who could feel the magic in the room, no longer swirling gently, but crashing around him now. It seemed angry that he was holding back. But he couldn’t let himself be taken. With Yugi holding onto him, it seemed likely that Yugi would be taken as well. Yugi had a point, their spirits were connected somehow and Yugi’s spirit could easily be mistaken as part of Atemu’s. And if Yugi’s human spirit was taken…
Fear gripped him. “Aibou- you must let me go. Please-”
“I’m not going to stand here and watch you sacrifice yourself for people who will never understand your legacy,” Yugi snapped back, his eyes stinging as tears sprang to them. “It isn’t fair…you shouldn’t have to be the one to make this sacrifice. I know how much being all alone hurts you…and you’re going to do this, which might cause you to be alone for eternity! You don’t deserve that!”
“Aibou, please. I have to do this. There isn’t another way.”
“Then let me come with you!”
“I don’t want you to come with me.” He tried to shove him away, but Yugi wouldn’t be budged. Finally his voice grew harsh, trying to force him to let go. “You promised me you would respect my choice...this isn’t you, this is selfish. You used to have pride, you let me go before. Why do you choose now to dishonour me and yourself like this?”
Yugi buried his face against Atemu’s chest. “Pride…honour…what do they matter? You can be angry at me, you can hate me…but I won’t let you do this alone.” He looked up at him, his eyelashes heavy with escaped tears. “Yes, I let you go before, but didn’t you realize what it did to me? Did you really think it was easy before? That I just moved on and it never hurt?”
“Aibou, I…”
His voice rose. “Maybe it isn't honourable, but I have watched you suffer for too long…believing that you alone have to take on all the world’s problems. Don’t you realize…that the people who love you hate seeing you never have a chance at happiness? Don’t you realize how much that hurts us? Don’t you realize…how much it hurts me? Maybe I am selfish, but I don't want to lie to you anymore. It's not okay. It's not okay that you have to go through this alone."
Aibou…you…
Finally, Atemu understood. Yugi didn’t need to say the words, his eyes and tone said them for him.
He rested his hands on Yugi’s shoulders and shook his head, his voice soft as he spoke. “Aibou, you must go. You must go back to your friends and save yourself. Even if you do have a fragment of Atum’s power inside you, it might not be enough. If Marik is right, I can at least be sure that I’ll pass over with my God soul even if my human one is taken. But if it goes wrong, you could lose your soul forever. You won’t be alive, but you won’t be able to cross over to the afterlife either. It would mean an eternity of nothingness, you can’t risk that.”
“No! Atemu, I don’t want you to be alone. I want you to be happy…I…you don’t understand how badly I want to see you happy. You don’t understand…”
“Aibou.” He reached out and tilted Yugi’s head up to meet his eyes as tears suddenly escaped down his face.
Yugi’s eyes widened. Atemu…you’re crying. You never let yourself cry in front of me…
Atemu’s gaze gentled as he looked into Yugi’s eyes and whispered, “Aibou, I understand. I understand that feeling." He swallowed and took a deep breath, his voice finally shaking as he said, "I...have always loved you.”
Yugi’s heart leapt to his throat. “Ate…”
“That has been my happiness all along. You have been my happiness. Even though we were never meant to stay together…even though we never had it all, the time spent with you was the greatest gift I ever received. I do not think of myself as having suffered.”
“But Atemu…I…I love you too much…it isn’t fair,” he choked. “At least let me go with you.”
“If you truly care for me…you will let me go and let me do this alone,” he whispered. “You will understand.” He passed his hand over Yugi’s hair, stroking the soft locks for the first and last time. Yugi felt his own tears stream harder down his face at the touch.
“But Atemu…”
“Please, Aibou.” Though soft, his voice had become steady again. He caressed Yugi’s cheek. “Please hear me. I want to leave, knowing that you’re free. I have never been able…to give you very much. We never had that kind of time. But your freedom…saving you at this time and this place…I can do that much. I can go on and make the afterworld safe again so that one day, I hope many years from now, it will be safe for you. You're going to be fine...you were always going to be fine, you never needed me. You have everything you need inside you. This is something I can do to make a difference for you, something I can finally give you. So please…if you want to give me happiness, give me the comfort…of knowing you’re safe here. Let me go with the knowledge that there’s someone in this world who loved me. Someone who will remember me. Not as a God, not as a pharaoh…but just as Atemu.”
Yugi stared up into his crimson and amethyst eyes. Bright from tears, they had never looked more beautiful. And they were amazingly clear. At that moment Yugi felt as if he could stare into them and see all the way to the very depths of Atemu’s soul. He raised his hand and pressed it against Atemu’s, holding his hand against his face. His fingers curled, clutching his hand as he felt Atemu wiping away his tears.
“There's someone here who loves you," he whispered. "It's not past tense."
Atemu didn't reply. Yugi knew he was waiting for an answer. Finally he swallowed hard and said, "Promise me this isn’t forever. Promise me you won’t forget me. Promise me, mou hitori no boku.”
Atemu smiled at the long-forgotten name, forgetting his aversion to it for the moment. Somehow, it was comforting to hear it again, just this once. And he wrapped his arms around him as Yugi hugged him back desperately, gripping him. “Oh Aibou…” He said, his lips pressed to the top of Yugi’s forehead as he squeezed his eyes shut. “We’re part of each other. I will always remember you…that’s how I know it isn’t forever. We will see each other again, I promise. I will be waiting for you.”
Yugi waited long enough to hear one last beat of Atemu’s heart, then released him, backing away, his lips quivering and face awash in tears. But somehow he managed to nod. And as he did he could see the peace in Atemu’s eyes.
He’s happy… Yugi thought as the man who had once been his other self looked back at him, whispered, “thank you Aibou,” and closed his eyes as his body was enveloped in dark fog.
Yugi found himself running then, running from the chamber, running from the tomb until he reached the Earth and faced the setting sun as the last sliver of it cast its glow over the horizon.
He couldn’t say good-bye in that tiny chamber. Atemu was more than that. He was more than the body he was leaving behind. He was more than the human spirit he was giving up.
Yugi loved him…that made him something even more than a God.
And he deserved something better than a whisper in a dark, cold chamber. He deserved a farewell that was screamed to the Earth and the sky and the world, and Yugi could only stand there helplessly, his tears beyond control and chest heaving, unable to say the right words. But as he watched the sun vanish, he had a feeling that Atemu was there, all around him.
Yugi knew he didn’t have to speak aloud. He knew Atemu could understand perfectly the words that called out to him from his heart.
x-x-x
Notes: Before you come after me with pitchforks and torches, I have two things to say:
1) I’m leaving town very early tomorrow. Mom and I are going up to the mainland for a Yugioh tournament, (watch us be the only women in the tournament as usual. xD And if you’re not too angry to wish us luck, your wishes are appreciated. x3) So even if you track down my address, I won’t be here for you to lynch.
And 2) There is still chapter 13 left to post. And if you kill me now, I won’t be able to post it, and you’ll never find out how the story ends. So please, hold off on the torture plans until you’ve read the last chapter, okay? …Please? *gives innocent Bambi eyes*
I’m going to let this chapter speak for itself. I tried to shove a ton of themes and messages into two and a half pages and I want the comments to show me if I succeeded in my goal or not. As terrible as it sounds, I hope I got at least one person to get misty-eyed. ^^;