Yu-Gi-Oh! Fan Fiction / Final Fantasy - All Series Fan Fiction ❯ Final Fantasy 7 - Yu-Gi-Oh Style ❯ Finding Atem ( Chapter 22 )

Final Fantasy 7 - Yu-Gi-Oh style Chapter 22: Finding Atem             &nb sp;    Mai looked around, rubbing her eyes. She was standing in what appeared to be a jumbled version of Nibelheim. All around her was the glowing green goop of the Lifestream. “Where’s Atem?!” she said, noticing she was alone. “Atem! Where are you?!” She suddenly felt a sharp pain in her head and grasped it in her hands, desperately trying to stay on her feet. “Who… are you?!” she cried in pain as hundreds of voices began to talk all at once inside her head. “Stop it! Get away! I’m not doing anything!!!! Atem! Someone! Anyone! Help!!!!!!!!” She then screamed and collapsed, unconscious from the excruciating pain.            &nb sp;   Minutes, or was it hours?, later, the blonde woke up and struggled to stand. Once she was able to keep herself steady, she looked around and saw that she was still in the Daliesque Nibelheim. But this time she saw Atem hanging upside down above her, holding his head. Or was it Yugi? She couldn’t tell. Three other spiky haired figures stood around her, each a different age.            &nbs p;   “Just what is going on?! Am I in your dream? Am I dreaming? Or is this your mind?” She couldn’t stand it not knowing what to do. “You’re searching for the real you are you? Well don’t worry I’m here now. I’m gonna help.” She had nothing better to do right? She didn’t know how to get out of there so looking around and trying to talk to the figures seemed like the best thing to do at the time. “So where to start?”           & nbsp;    She decided to speak to the figure that seemed to be five years younger than her. ‘Five years ago…” she murmured, “Where it all began.” The figure was indeed Atem. The Atem of five years ago. “Five years ago Bakura came through those gates,” he said pointing to the gates of the abandoned Kaiba mansion. “That’s how this mess started.”            ;     “So it all comes back to Nibelheim,” she mused. “To the Kaiba mansion. Well like the Mad Hatter said, ‘Start at the beginning’.” As she strode over to the gates, there was a sudden blinding light. When she was able to see again, she found herself staring at the entrance to Nibelheim. “The town well, the inn, the town’s one and only truck. It’s all here. It’s just as I remember it. “Is this how you remember it Atem?” She saw Atem standing by the truck, as if he were waiting for her. “Five years ago… there were two guys from Kaiba’s SOLDIER unit. Bakura and… a little guy.” As if on cue, said general appeared and strode past them, Yugi following eagerly behind. “Do you know what happened next?            &nb sp;   “It was the first time I saw him. ‘So that’s the great Bakura’, I thought. I then realized he wasn’t so great as his rep made him be. He gave me a creepy feeling to tell you the truth.”           & nbsp;    “I’ve been keeping that from you all this time. I was afraid that if you found out, something really bad would happen to you. I’ve learned my lesson the hard way. I’m not gonna keep anymore secrets from you anymore, Atem. The little guy with Bakura wasn’t you. You never came back to Nibelheim five years ago. I waited and waited, but you never came.            &nb sp;   Bakura then came out of the inn, followed by Yugi who stuck to him like glue. “You mean the one with Bakura was…” Atem asked.            &n bsp;   “I’m sorry for keeping it from you for so long. I know it may be too much so just take your time. One step at a time right?”           & nbsp;    The blinding light returned and Mai found herself back at the jumbled Nibelheim, however, one of the figures had vanished. She walked over to the figure that resembled a much younger Atem than the one of five years ago. “That night we met at the well…” he said in a much higher voice. “Was that promise I made a lie too?”           &nb sp;    “Easy Atem,” she said gently, “Don’t rush into things here. What do you remember about that night?” Another blinding light later, they found themselves watching to children hanging out at Nibelheim’s well – a blonde girl and a spiky haired boy.            &nbs p;   “Hey! I remember that dress!” she said, recognizing the girl’s blue sundress. “Even back then you were shorter than me. No one could believe you were actually older than me.” She let out a giggle at the memory. “I wonder, was Bakura telling the truth when he said you made up your memories from mine? No! This is definitely your memory. Not some fake! You just don’t believe in yourself now.            &nbs p;   “You’ve got other memories, right? They’re just locked up tight in your heart. You have to find the key. I know! Why don’t you tell me something I can’t remember that good. That should convince you that your memories are lies!”           &n bsp;    Chibi Atem frowned. “I was real bummed. I just wanted to be noticed. I thought if I got stronger, I could get them to notice me.”           &nbs p;    “Who?”          &n bsp;     The spiky haired boy blushed profusely. “You.”          &n bsp;     It was her turn to blush. “Why me?! What’s so special about me?”           &nbs p;    “Did you forget Mai?”           &nb sp;    “Forget what?”           &n bsp;    The light returned and the scene changed back to the jumbled up town. They were now standing before a window that had no wall or any building of any kind around it. “Don’t blame you for remembering. Things were rough for you back then.”           &n bsp;    “What are you talking about?”           & nbsp;    “Are you sure you want to see? It’s a really important memory for me.” He then vanished and the last of the shadowy figures appeared. “A locked away secret…” the new Atem started, “A wish… special memories… that no one should know. Do you know where this window is from?” The blonde nodded. “Alright, then let’s go.”           &nbs p;    The light then took them to Mai’s room in her old house in Nibelheim. Chibi Mai appeared followed by a bunch of other children. “We’e in my room!” she said.            &nb sp;   “It was my first time inside your house,” chibi Atem said solemnly.             ;    “Really?”           ;      “I was too shy to ask to come over, so I would look at your window every time I passed by.”           &nbs p;    “Ooo look it’s the freak shrimp!!” one of the kids said noticing chibi Atem standing outside the window. “Ya think he wants ta play too?”           &nb sp;    “Now I remember!” Adult Mai said, “We lived right next to each other. You were so shy, so I never really got to know you that well. Though I always thought we were close. Funny isn’t it?”           &nbs p;    “You were always with your own friends so I never bothered butting in on your fun.            &nbs p;   “Yeah, I remember those brats.”           & nbsp;    “I always thought they were a bunch of idiots. Even you.”           &nb sp;    “N-Nani (What)?!!” she bellowed, a vein popping in her forehead.             ;    “You were so childish. You laughed at everything, no matter how stupid.”                 “So what?!!! We were kids!!!”                 “I know. It was me who was the stupid one. I wanted a friend so much, but because of my size and my hair, no one would let me play with them. Especially your friends Mai. It really hurt. I began to think I really was the freak that they always called me. When I asked you to meet me at the well, I thought you’d never show.”           &n bsp;    “I remember now. That was so sudden. But I came anyway. You know, when you left town, I started to think about you a lot. I would say to myself, ‘How’s Atem doing?’ or ‘What’s he up to now. Did he get into SOLDIER yet?’ I kept reading the papers in case you did become famous like you wanted.”                 “You’re a good friend Mai. You really should tell him what you told me. That should make him happy.”           & nbsp;    “I will. So tell me, what was so special about that day?”           &nb sp;    “It was the day your mother…”           ;      The scene shifted and the younger version of Mai was pestering her grieving father. “I want mama!!!” chibi Mai wailed. The poor man didn’t know what to do. He had tried to explain that she couldn’t see her mother anymore, but Mai had run out of the house, refusing to believe him.            &nbs p;   The scene shifted yet again to one of Mai and her childhood friends Standing at one of the rickety rope bridges on Mt. Nibel.            &n bsp;   “You guys ever wonder what’s behind this mountain?” she asked, staring off past the mountain’s peak.            &nb sp;   “No way. It’s scary,” replied one of the children, “My Pa said that it’ll kill you if try to cross it.”           &nbs p;    “So? I’m gonna go through and see Mama!” she said defiantly.           &nbs p;    One of the boys ran off, obviously going to tell on her. Mai didn’t care. She ran across the bridge and was soon out of the others’ sight.            &n bsp;   “I don’t remember how I got there,” Atem said grimly, remembering what happened next. “You stepped the wrong way… I tried to stop you, but I didn’t get there quick enough. We both fell down a cliff. I was lucky… only had scraped knees, but you…”          &n bsp;     Both chibi Atem and Mai were lying on the ground. The boy shakily got up and slowly made his way to his companion. The blonde hadn’t moved, she was out cold. He started bawling, fearing he had killed his friend. Just then a group of men came rushing up to them.            &nb sp;   “What the hell were you thinking?!” Mai’s father shouted, “How dare you make Mai come to a place like this!” He then slapped the boy on the cheek, making him to cry even louder.            & nbsp;   “Where’s your head, Atem?!” the boy’s father scolded, spanking him.            &nbs p;   “She could die!” the first man, yelled.            & nbsp;   “You were in a coma for a week,” older Atem continued, “Everyone was certain you were going to die. I was so angry for not being able to save you. I’ve always felt that you blamed me for what happened. I went bad… always got into fights… I never cared who got hurt. It was about that time when I heard about him. I believed that if I was strong like Bakura, then everyone would… You would notice me.”           &nbs p;    “So that’s what happened…” she said, “If only I hadn’t forgotten, I might have been able to help you sooner, Atem.”           &n bsp;    “Anata sei ja nai (It’s not your fault), Mai,” he said, placing a sympathetic hand on her shoulder, before vanishing. Mai was again back at the distorted version of Nibelheim.           &nbs p;        “But I finally remember… you were there when we were eight. That means that you aren’t a puppet like Bakura said! My memories are fake! Ganbatte (Hang in there)! We’re almost there. Just bear with me a bit more, ok?”           &nbs p;    There was yet another scene shift and Mai found herself watching the events of five years ago play out again. She watched as she, Bakura, and Yugi made their way up the mountain.             ;    “No, not there,” she moaned as the memory Mai finally lead them to the reactor. “Why didn’t you come back, Atem? Why did it have to be Yugi instead?!” She jerked her head away as Bakura ran her father through with his Masamune.             ;    “I was there, Mai,” Atem said, appearing next to her. “I saw the whole thing.”           & nbsp;    “But I never saw you! How can you say that?!”           & nbsp;    “Watch,” was all he said.            &nb sp;   Reluctantly, she turned back and watched as the now insane commander fought with his lover and defeat him. She winced as he turned to her and shoved his sword into her chest. “Don’t look away,” Atem commanded. What she saw shocked her for she’d been completely unconscious by this point of the memory. She stared as the soldier, who had originally blocked her from entering with Bakura and Yugi, gingerly pick her up and then just as carefully laid her down off to the side at the foot of the steps.            &n bsp;   He then ran up the stairs after picking up Yugi’s discarded sword. He then boldly tapped Bakura’s shoulder with the tip of said sword.            &n bsp;   “What do you want?” he said in a rather bored tone.            &nb sp;   “’Ka-san (Mom)… Mai… my home… give them back!!! I admired you so much… I respected you…”          &n bsp;     “Don’t tell me,” the current Mai said, in disbelief, “that was you?”           &nb sp;    The memory soldier undid his chin strap and took of the visored helmet off to reveal the red, gold, and black spiky hair of Atem.            &nb sp;   “My God!” Mai cried, finally realizing the truth of that day. “You really did come home! You were there, watching over me all that time.”           &n bsp;    They continued to watch as a severely wounded Yugi crawled over to his slightly taller look-a-like. “You okay?” he asked before blocking out.            &nbs p;   “I never made it into SOLDIER,” the Atem of the present explained. “I was too ashamed to show my face, not after bragging to everyone that I’d definitely get in.”           &nbs p;    Mai couldn’t help herself, she rushed over to him and hugged him tightly. “You kept your promise after all! You came when I needed you!”           &nb sp;    “I wasn’t fast enough,” he said returning the hug.            &nbs p;   “Who cares, you kept your promise.”            ;     The memory ended and she was taken back to the jumbled Nibelheim. Eight year old Atem came over to her and hugged her. “Arigatou (Thank you) Mai,” he said, smiling, “I’ll see you again.”           & nbsp;    She watched as he flew up to the upside down Atem and then merge with him. The spiky haired man then floated back down to the ground and righted himself. Opening his eyes, he looked around dazed and confused.             ;    “M-Mai?” he asked finally seeing that he wasn’t alone.            &n bsp;   “Atem!” she beamed, glomping him, “Is that really you? Are you alright now? Is everything all there?”           & nbsp;    “Sorry for being away for so long,” he said, smiling, glad to finally be whole and his own person again. His eyes bugged out as the blonde who had previously squeezing the life out of him, slap him on the cheek.            &n bsp;   “You aho (dumb @$$)! Do you have any idea how worried we all were?!”         He suddenly grabbed his head in pain and doubled over. “Atem!” she screamed, fearing the worst, “What happened?! What’s wrong?!”                 “V-Voices… in my head.”           &n bsp;    “It’s the Lifestream,” Mai said, wincing at the memory of the attack from all the souls wandering around the glowing green goop. “We’re in the Lifestream. Let’s get outta here. We’ve kept the others waiting long enough.”                 “Sounds good to me,” he said, and suddenly found himself floating up towards what he hoped was the way out. Smiling, in relief, Mai followed him. She wept tears of joy as Honda and the others pulled them from one of the many fissures that now covered the utterly destroyed Mideel.            & nbsp;   “You ok, Mai?” the taller brunet asked.            &n bsp;   “Where’s Atem?” she asked, darting her eyes over the group.            &n bsp;   “He’s fine, babe,” Ryuuzaki, “He’d still be here if a Brontosaurus sat on him.”           &nb sp;    “While we were in the Lifestream, I saw the Atem. That is Atem finally found himself. He knows who he really is now.”           &nb sp;    “About time too!” Honda said, smiling, “It was really getting annoying with him acting the way he was. I gotta hand it to you, Mai. You’re really something, standin’ by his side all this time.”           &n bsp;    “It’s strange isn’t it? How we can forget things, especially when we’ve got all that junk pent up inside.” She then collapsed, the after effects of being submersed in pure unrefined mako taking its toll on her.            &nbs p;   “Mai!” Honda shouted, quickly catching her before she hit the ground. “Mai! Wake up!”            &nb sp;     Once everyone made it safely back to the Black Tyranno, Atem called them all to the conference room, Mai being the only exception since she was still recovering from her not so voluntary swim in the Lifestream.           &nb sp;    “Minna (everyone), I know saying ‘I’m sorry’ won’t fix things, but…”          &n bsp;     “’ey, it’s cool,” interrupted Jou. “We’re just glad you’re back, pal.”           &nb sp;    “But I lied to you. Everything I told you about five years ago was a lie. I never even got into SOLDIER. I left my home thinking I’d get famous once I did get in. I was so embarrassed… then I remembered my friend Yugi telling his story. When I lost my memories, I began to pretend I was someone else. I kept doing it for so long that I eventually began to believe it.”           &nbs p;    “That must have been some lie,” Honda said shaking his head, “for it to fool you like that.”           &n bsp;    “The irony is that I’m built like someone who is in SOLDIER. It was Pegasus’s idea to clone Bakura. It wasn’t hard for him to do it at all since he used the same procedure when they made members of SOLDIER.” They stared at him, confused, “You see,” he began to explain. “Once you join SOLDIER, you’re not just exposed to Mako energy. You’re injected with Zorc’s cells. Only those strong enough can enter due to the high risk of getting possessed by Zorc. Those with weak wills, like me, could easily be controlled by Zorc. I knew that, but chose to ignore it and continue lying to you all and myself. But no more! It’s time I woke up and start living in the real world for once.”           &n bsp;    “Atem you baka (idiot),” Mai chided, coming into the room.            &nb sp;   “Glad to see you’re ok,” greeted Jou. She gave him a grateful smile.            &n bsp;   “So what,” Honda said, “You’re still a part of this group, SOLDIER or not.”           &nb sp;    “What’s our next move?” Ryuuji asked, “You’re not going to run out on us again are you?”           &nb sp;    “It’s my fault Meteor got summoned. I’ve got to do something.”          &nb sp;     “Darn right you are!” Honda said, glaring at him.            &nbs p;   “It’s like you told me, Honda.”           & nbsp;    “Huh? Oh you mean when…”          & nbsp;     “When what?” Jou queried, curious.                 “There’s no getting off this train. It doesn’t make any stops,” explained the tall brunet.            & nbsp;   “Atem, I think you should know that we’re in the middle of collecting the Huge Materia from all the reactors before Kaiba gets their hands on it. We got the stuff from the ones at Corel, and Fort Condor, but we were on the way to the one in the sea near Junon until we got a bit side tracked.”            ;     “Then let’s go,” the spiky haired man said, a determined look on his face.            &nb sp;   “You got it, boss,” the cat said giving him a mock salute then dashed off to give the pilot the order.   ~TBC~   Sakura: Woot!!! Got another chapter done!!!   Yami: Good for you.   Sakura: I’m warning you pharaoh, one more crack…   Bakura: Want me to feed him to my deck, pet?   Sakura: As wonderful as that sounds, love I don’t think that’s a good idea. I don’t need moneybags *bleep*ing at me because he won’t be getting any.   Bakura: Suit yourself. Just call me if you change your mind.   Sakura: Will do Bakura-sama! Anyhoo, minna, tell me what you think of this. I liiiiiiiiivvvvvvvvvvve for feedback!!!