Yu-Gi-Oh! Fan Fiction ❯ Return To Paradise ❯ Death of An Angel ( Chapter 44 )

The Death of an Angel

Aria stepped into Aten's Studio and looked around. Aten's paints and his brushes were still in their containers. The plants were still watered and Aten's statues remained on their table beside the remains of a burnt black candle.

She walked over to the pile of CDs beside a player. Beethoven's `Moonlight Sonata,' Aten's favorite, was still in the player.

“Hello, Aria,” a voice said from the corner.

Aria turned and saw Seto sitting in the shadows. “Oh, hello, Uncle Seto. What are you doing here?”

Seto shrugged. “Figured I'd come here. I was happy to build this for Aten and Robbie when they got married. I know I got my money's worth.”

Aria nodded. “It's beautiful in here. I'm surprised nothing is moved.”

Seto stood and walked towards Aria slowly. “What are the results?”

“Excuse me?” she asked, raising her head.

“Who is Kailani's father? Umi or myself?”

Aria looked down. “Umi….” Seto breathed a sigh of relief. “Is not the father.” Aria nodded. “Yes, Uncle Seto. You are her father.”

“I see.”

Seto and Aria turned to see Umi standing in the doorway. “Umi, I will be a father to her.”

“I don't want your money,” Umi said, glaring at Seto. “Aria belongs to me.” Umi took Aria's wrist and held it to Seto. “See that dolphin ring? Aria is MY wife!”

Seto nodded. “I understand, Umi. I have Joey.”

“I know you can't stop the flashbacks. But I love Aria. I would fight Neptune himself to win Aria.”

“You can have custody of her if you wish.”

Umi nodded. “Kailani is staying with us, but-.” Umi took a deep breath. “I cannot keep her away from her father, either.”

“I placed Umi's name as the biological father on the birth certificate. Otherwise, we would have to enter into adoption proceedings and that wouldn't look good for either of us.”

“Should anything happen to Umi or I, Seto, you would get full custody of Kailani.”

Seto nodded. “Agreed.”

“You can have her over whenever you want, Seto. She is your daughter after all,” Umi said.

Seto nodded again. “Thank you, Umi.”

“I love Aria and I do not plan on losing her to anyone, past or present,” Umi said with determination.

Umi turned and left Aria alone with Seto.

Aria looked at Seto. “I love Umi, Uncle Seto. I don't want to lose him.”

“What did he do when you told him?”

“He was calm about it. He said he'd love her anyway, even if she wasn't his.”

Seto smiled. “Umi is a wonderful man.”

Aria nodded. “I'm very lucky to have someone like him who understands. I know this is difficult for him. I didn't know how to tell him when I found out.”

Seto looked down at her and hugged her. “Umi is perfect for you. If you need anything for the baby, don't hesitate to ask.”

“I won't, Seth,” Aria smiled.

Aria stepped out of the Studio and took Umi's hand. “Are we ready to go home?”

Kai stood beside his mother. Umi picked Rhett into his arms and Aria held the newborn in her arms.

“I'm ready to go home, Little Mermaid,” Umi said with a smile to his wife.

Miranda and Daniel wished the rest of their guests a safe journey home. Miranda saw Heaven asleep in her playpen.

Miranda tenderly picked the baby up and carried her up the stairs. Daniel followed her into the bedroom and watched her place the baby in her crib.

Miranda reached down and caressed the baby's cheek with loving tenderness. “Sleep tight, angel girl.”

Daniel put his arms around Miranda from behind. “God gave Robbie and Aten this baby for a reason.”

Miranda smiled. “As long as Heaven is here, Robbie and Aten are not really gone.”

“We are truly blessed, darling,” Daniel said looking down at the sleeping infant.

“Sleep well, Aten,” Miranda whispered as she turned off the light in the baby's room.

Miranda and Daniel looked into Robbie's room as they passed.

“Robbie, we will always love you,” Miranda whispered as she shut the door to her son's bedroom. “Sleep well, my son.”

******************************

Ryou opened his eyes as a flickering light appeared at his bedside. He rubbed his eyes as he saw two shadows by the bedside. He shook Bakura's arm lightly, but the yami continued to sleep.

“Yami…”

The two figures materialized in front of him. A woman appeared to him, dressed in white. A bright light surrounded her and her companion as they appeared before him.

Ryou's eyes widened as he grabbed Bakura's arm tightly. “Mommy?”

The woman in front of Ryou smiled pleasantly at him. “Hello, my precious Ryou.”

“Bakura…wake up. My mom is here.”

“He will not wake up, mother,” his mother's companion said softly.

“Aten?”

Aten stood beside his grandmother, his hands folded in front of him. “You cannot wake him. This is a dream. Father Bakura continues to sleep beside you in the real world.”

Ryou looked at his sleeping husband, the yami's eyes continued to flutter in his deep sleep.

“You are seeing him in your waking life, my son. Right now, he is sleeping peacefully beside you…as I once did so many years ago.”

Ryou snuggled into Bakura's chest and looked at his son. “Why have you come?”

Aten reached out a hand to his mother. “It is time, mother.”

“Time?”

Rhea smiled. “It is time for you to come with us.”

“Before you suffer my fate, mother,” Aten added.

Ryou looked up at Bakura, the yami's face buried in Ryou's hair. Bakura's arms were wrapped protectively around him. “Bakura….”

Rhea stepped beside Bakura and put her comforting hand on his head. “My son, Bakura will not be long parted from you.”

Aten sat beside Bakura and put his hand on his mother's hand. “Look down, mother.”

Ryou looked down and saw himself still draped over Bakura's chest. Ryou saw his head resting on Bakura's, his hand hanging over the side of his husband, limp.

“I'm afraid you just died, mother,” Aten said sadly.

Ryou's eyes widened. “What?!”

Rhea pet Bakura's hair. “Your left ventricle just burst, my son.”

“You just died of a broken heart,” Aten added, looking at his mother's corpse.

Ryou looked down at himself. “This has to be a dream!”

“This is not a dream, Ryou,” Rhea said. “Your heart could not take the strain of twenty years since your father attempted to murder you. The same poison which took your son's life, Ryou, has ultimately taken yours.”

Ryou looked down at himself, a peaceful smile on his face. “Bakura has made me so happy. I do not want him to find me like this.”

Aten shook his head. “Your heart has failed you, mother. You are dead now. But you need not feel sadness, for you will never know sadness again.”

A tear fell down Ryou's face. “I know sadness now. I know that Bakura is going to wake and find me dead. I know he is going to die in pain and I cannot be there for him.” Ryou wiped away one of his tears. “He's going to be heartbroken when he finds me like this.”

Rhea stood beside Aten. “Many years ago, Ryou, I made a sacrifice for you. Your father wanted us dead. I gave my life so you could live.” Rhea smiled. “You grew up and you delivered two beautiful children into this world. My sacrifice was necessary so that you could live. Bakura has made a similar sacrifice.”

“You sacrificed much for me, too, mother. If it weren't for you, my grandfather would have killed us both in that cabin. He would have shot us both. Do you remember when he pointed that gun at my chest and he threatened to pull the trigger if you did not pleasure him? Rhea put his arm around Aten's waist. “I was here to direct Aten. I came for your son and guided him, just as we are here to guide you…to the Land of the Dead.”

Ryou looked down at Bakura and reached out to him. Ryou caressed Bakura's cheek tenderly. “I love you, Bakura,” Ryou cried. “I will wait for you, my Holy Dark.” Ryou sniffled as he wiped his eyes dry of tears. “Together Forever.”

Ryou shifted off of the bed and looked down at himself and Bakura. “Could I say goodbye to the Ishtars?”

“My father will not see you. Nobody will be able to see you.”

Ryou nodded. “I want to say goodbye.”

Ryou looked down at his corpse again and sighed. He slowly walked out of the door and heard the snoring of Odion in the other room. “Will Isis and Odion be there for Bakura's death?”

Rhea nodded. “Yes. Bakura will not die alone, something that he sincerely wants.”

Ryou walked through the door to the Ishtar bedroom. Marik was cuddled against Malik's back. Ryou walked around to Malik. The Egyptian was quietly sleeping, his yami's arm holding him protectively against him.

“It will be a long time before you see him, mother,” Aten said.

Ryou looked back at his mother. “What will happen to Malik?”

Rhea walked around to the side of the bed and looked down at the Egyptian hikari. “He will have a long life.”

“Will Malik die in pain?”

Rhea looked her son in the eye. “Malik shall succumb to cancer. He will die, but his yami will bear the pain of his death.”

“Marik?”

Aten nodded. “My father will take the pain unto himself. Mother Malik will not survive the cancer. My father sacrifices much to save him. My father's blood will burn with the sting of thousands of arrows.”

“Marik will be there for his Light,” Rhea said calmly. “He will love Malik beyond the reach of death.”

Ryou walked around to Marik. The yami was sleeping quietly, his cheek pressed against Malik's carved back. “I was never so close to Marik as when Aten was conceived. I grew to love Marik. He wanted nothing more than to be a good father and a good provider for his family. He wanted to protect us. When he heard of Aten's illness, he was crushed, but he never gave up.”

“My father was a good father. I do not fault him for killing me. He did what had to be done to eliminate Yami Aten. I love my father.”

Ryou reached down and caressed Marik's hair. “Will I ever see him again?”

Aten nodded. “I have pleaded with the gods. It remains to see if they will answer my prayers.”

Ryou looked at his son. “You mean--?”

“I have been praying every morning of my mortal life for my father. I prayed that they would have mercy on him. I praised them until the moment I died. I devoted my life to the work of the gods. I prayed that he would know peaceful rest.”

Ryou approached Aten slowly. “What about your sister?”

Aten looked at Rhea and back at his mother. “Aria is half-yami. She will enjoy a much longer life than someone without yami blood. It will be a very long time before she returns.”

“How much longer?”

Rhea smiled at Ryou. “Two and a half.”

“Decades?”

“Centuries,” Aten corrected his mother.

Ryou's eyes widened. “Aria will live until she is two hundred and fifty years old?”

“Two hundred and seventy, my son,” Rhea smiled.

Ryou looked down. “How is that possible?”

“She has yami blood. That is more powerful than mortal blood, which corrupts quickly.”

“I could have been as lucky as my sister, had the poison not affected me only,” Aten said.

Ryou looked at his mother. “Seto? Joey?”

“Joey has been given a new lease on life because of your son. Seto Kaiba has made many enemies.”

“Will Seto be hurt?”

Aten smiled. “Seto will be succeeded by his daughter.”

“Daughter? Seto doesn't have a daughter.”

Rhea smiled. “You shall see Seto Kaiba in time, my son.”

Ryou looked at Aten. “Yugi?”

“Yugi won't be able to see it coming.”

“See what coming?”

Aten looked at his grandmother. “The pharaoh will not get a chance to reconcile with Yugi. Yugi will die with Seto.” Ryou looked sadly at Aten. “Uncle Seto will be assassinated.”

Ryou looked sadly down at Marik. “I see.”

“Mother, we must go.”

Ryou reached down and pet Marik's blond hair. “I love you, Malik and Marik Ishtar. Marik, I hope I see you get the rest you so desperately crave.”

Rhea stepped up to her son and opened her arms. “Come here, my son.”

Ryou walked into the arms of his mother and returned her embrace. “I love you, mother.”

Aten stepped up to his mother and kissed his cheek. “Welcome to Paradise, mother.”