Yu-Gi-Oh! Fan Fiction ❯ Shadowy Links to the Past ❯ Goodbyes ( Chapter 19 )

Hey! This is the FINAL CHAPTER of Shadowy Links to the Past! I hope you enjoy!

Calupe: Thanks for the continued reviews! I'm glad that someone takes the time to write one…

Disclaimer: After 19 chapters, I still don't own Yugioh…

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Chapter 19: Goodbyes

The three stepped out of Marik's portal and into Yugi's living room, where they were greeted by the concerned faces of Grandpa, Joey, Tea and Tristan. Though it had been the middle of the night, Grandpa had called the three friends over as soon as he had discovered that Yami, Yugi, and Sekhmet were all gone. They had been worried sick since.

Yami and Sekhmet stood back by themselves as Yugi was hugged by his grandpa and his friends.

"We were worried about you, Yuge!" Joey was saying.

Tea had little tears in her eyes. "I'm so glad that you're alright…"

"So did ya kick butt or what?" Tristan wanted to know.

Yugi quickly told them what had happened.

"So it's…finally over then?" Tea asked.

Yugi looked back at Yami and Sekhmet for an answer. Yami had his arm around Sekhmet's waist, and Sekhmet was resting her head against his shoulder. They both looked tired. Yugi was ready for a good long rest himself.

Yami and Sekhmet looked at each other briefly, before turning back to Yugi. Yami sighed. "For now it is…but it will never be *truly* over. There will always be someone else who wants the power of the Millennium Puzzle."

Yugi smiled. "Well, whoever it is, we'll be there to stop them, together!"

Before anyone could agree, there was a flash of blue light, and four men in flowing white robes appeared before them. It was Noden and the Council of Magick. They were back again. "I'm afraid you won't *all* be here…" Noden said with a slight grin.

"What do you want?" Yami growled at Noden. He tightened his arm around Sekhmet's waist.

"Why, we're here for Cerridwen, of course. Or have you forgotten our little deal?" Noden snapped his fingers, and one of the men behind him stepped forward. He was holding a squirming Doberman puppy in his arms.

"Bestian!" Yugi cried happily.

The little dog barked happily at recognizing Yugi's voice, and squirmed even more, trying to break free. But he man kept a tight grip on him. "Silence!" he ordered, wrapping a hand around Bestian's muzzle to prevent him from barking. Bestian started to whimper in response.

"Let the dog go," Sekhmet said quietly. She sensed a strong connection between the dog and Cerridwen.

"Not until we have Cerridwen," Noden said, narrowing his eyes at her.

"How do you know she's not Dwenny?" Yugi asked.

Noden laughed. "Haven't you figured it out yet, young one? I *know* that this is the sorceress Sekhmet because I'm the one who brought her here!"

Everyone stared at him in shock.

"You were the one who cast the spell?" Yami asked. "But why?"

Noden gave a small shrug of his shoulders. "The Council agreed that Sekhmet would be better…suited in helping you." He smiled slightly.

"You're lying." Sekhmet narrowed her eyes at him. "I can sense it. You never intended for me to be here."

"Hmm…very perceptive of you, Sorceress. And you're right. We didn't want *you* here…just your magick." He sighed. "And now it's time to send you back to where you belong…" He prepared to summon his magick. "And to return things to their "natural" order."

So Noden was responsible for Yami's body as well.

"Hey!" Joey said suddenly. Everyone looked at him. "Give `em a break, will ya? They just saved the world after all. At least give `em a chance to say goodbye."

"Since when did you become so sensitive?" Tristan asked jokingly.

"I'm *always* sensitive here." Joey grinned.

Noden sighed. "Very well. You may say goodbye to each other."

Yami looked into Sekhmet's beautiful green eyes. So much to say, yet so little time. He brushed back some of her bangs with one hand, and sighed deeply. "It appears that Fate is against us once more," he said quietly.

Sekhmet nodded. "But perhaps it will smile down upon us again, and reunite us once more. In the meantime…" She reached up and removed the amulet and its chain from around her forehead. She took Yami's hand, turned it palm-up, and placed the amulet and chain in its center. Then she closed his fingers gently over it, placing her hand over his fist. "Keep this to remember me by." She smiled. "You can give it back next time we meet."

"This time…" he whispered hoarsely, "I won't forget you…" He leaned forward and pressed his lipped fiercely against hers. She returned the kiss with as much passion as he. Suddenly, Sekhmet broke the kiss, pulling back with a small gasp. Her eyes widened, her breaths coming more rapidly.

"Sekhmet! What's wrong?" Yami asked in alarm. Then he felt it. Magick. Coming from Noden. Yami glanced at the old Council member, whose eyes were closed, lips moving silently. Apparently, Noden had decided not to wait any longer and was casting his spell.

Sekhmet's hand dropped from Yami's as she took another step back. Yami turned his gaze back on Sekhmet, and their eyes locked. "I love you…" she mouthed the words. A small smile crossed her lips as she closed her eyes and collapsed onto the floor. Yami was about to rush to her side, until he noticed his out-stretched hand. He was once again just a "spirit". He took a step towards her and fell on his knees next to her. He ran a transparent hand over her forehead. "I'll wait for your return," he whispered. "Until Fate brings us together again, my love." He closed his eyes and bowed his head.

Yugi looked sadly at the Pharaoh. "It's not fair!" he cried out suddenly. "All they've ever wanted is to be together! They've saved the world *twice*, and this is the thanks they get?" He turned his angry glare on Noden, tears at the corners of his eyes.

Noden looked at the boy calmly. "Life is never *fair*, young one. You just deal with whatever hand Fate gives you." He said this rather harshly.

"Well, this still bites though," Joey said. Even though Yami had faded away to the point where he could no longer see him, Joey could still *feel* his hurt and sadness.

A low groan came from the girl lying on the floor, causing everyone to look at her. Yami too raised his head and opened his eyes. The girl's eyes fluttered open, and she raised a hand to her head. "Ouch…my head…" she muttered. "That was some trip." Then she noticed Yami was leaning over her, staring, his mouth hanging open a little. "Oh, hello Yami. Nice to see you again."

"…Dwenny?"

The girl nodded. "Uh huh. I'm back now. Miss me much?" She said this with a half-smile, but when she noticed the look in Yami's eyes, her smile faded. "No, I suppose not. You wish Sekhmet was still here, don't you?" she asked quietly.

"You know about Sekhmet?" Yugi asked in a surprised voice.

Dwenny nodded, sitting up. "Of course. I saw everything, you know. That jerk Gwydion hitting on Sekhmet, the park, Egypt…" She looked at Yami. "Congratulations on saving the world…again…" She paused. "Who would have thought Gwydion still had some good left in him after all? I guess he finally realized how blind he's been…"

Tristan was still confused. "Wait…I thought Yami and Yugi had said that the spell had switched you and Sekhmet's places? So if Sekhmet was here this entire time, then how could you have seen everything?"

Dwenny shook her head. "We didn't exactly switch places. It was more like…Sekhmet's soul came and uh, took control of my body. Kinda like how Yami sometimes takes control of Yugi's body. Except that I couldn't communicate with Sekhmet, nor did she know that I was there. Apparently, *someone's* spell went very wrong." She glared at Noden.

Noden saw her glare, and cleared his throat nervously. "Well, it all worked out for the better now, didn't it?"

"Did it really?"

"Of course," Noden said quickly. "Marik has been stopped. The world is safe."

"But at what cost, and could that cost have been avoided?" Dwenny looked at Yami. "I'm sorry that you had to through all of this, Yami. Having Sekhmet here with you…then losing her again must be very tough on you." She looked back at Noden. "Yami's, and Sekhmet's even, feelings could have been spared."

"What does it matter if *Sekhmet* is gone? You're back, and he loves you anyways." Noden was starting to get annoyed.

Dwenny shook her head again. "Wrong again, Noden. Yami was never "in love" with me. Not exactly."

Everyone looked at her in surprise.

She continued. "He was, and still is, in love with Sekhmet's…essence. Her spirit. He recognized her in me, and that's who he is in love with." She looked at Yami again, and their eyes met. "A love for all eternity, right?"

Yami nodded, opening his hand and staring at Sekhmet's amulet. It was "transparent" as well. It was a part of him now.

Dwenny saw the look of longing as Yami stared at the amulet in his hand. "I'm sorry," she said again, softly.

Yami gave her a small smile. "At least I know that she's out there, waiting for me. Waiting for Fate to bring us together again." He smiled wistfully.

Noden cleared his throat roughly. "As *touching* as this all is, we must be going. We have a *burning* to attend to." He narrowed his eyes at Dwenny.

Dwenny nodded, getting to her feet. "Free Bestian first. Then I'm all yours."

The old man snapped his fingers, and the man holding the dog put him down on the floor. The dog happily ran over to greet Dwenny. Dwenny knelt down to stroke his head. "It's good to see you too, boy. I'm glad that you're safe now." She stood up with Bestian in her arms, looking around the room. Her eyes rested on Yugi. "Yugi, I know this is a lot to ask, but…Would you please take care of Bestian for me? He doesn't really have anyone else to go to…"

Yugi stepped forward. "Of course I will. I promise to take good care of him."

Dwenny smiled gratefully, whispering "Be a good boy now" into Bestian's ear as she handed him over to Yugi. Yugi carefully took him, but found that the dog was a bit big for him to hold, so he put him down on the floor instead.

Joey stepped forward a bit, shifting his weight from one foot to the other nervously. "Hey Dwenny…before ya go, we just wanted to say…we're sorry and all. For not trusting you, ya know. You never were after Yugi or anything like that…"

Dwenny smiled. "A concern for a friend is understandable. All is forgotten."

Joey, Tristan and Tea smiled back.

"Cerridwen," Noden said impatiently. "Enough dawdling. It's time to go."

"Wait!" Yugi cried. "Does she really have to…die? Couldn't you give her another, less severe punishment?"

Noden shook his head. "No. It is our way. Unchangeable."

Yugi was about to protest again, but Dwenny cut him off with a shake of her head. "It's okay Yugi. I knew the consequences of my actions. I'm ready to face them."

"Will…it hurt?"

Dwenny smiled a little. "Not so much." She bent down and whispered into his ear, so Noden couldn't hear her. "I'll use magick to block most of the pain." She straightened back up, then turned to Yami. "Beware of Seto Kaiba. He's up to something. The spirit of the Millennium Ring is also still out there. Waiting to make his move. Beware of him as well."

Yami nodded his understanding. Dwenny nodded and walked over to where Noden and the others were standing. One of them quickly bound her wrists behind her back. Dwenny kinda grinned as she looked at Yami. "Maybe the next time you and Sekhmet meet, the world *won't* be in danger."

Yami smiled in return. "Thank you for everything. You've done so much for us…for me. Thank you."

Dwenny smiled. "Don't mention it." She bowed her head towards him. "Goddess bless, Pharaoh." Then she and the four Council members disappeared in a flash of blue.

Yami stared at the post where Dwenny had been standing. His eyes stayed glued to that spot long after she had left. Yugi and the others just let him be, not wanting to disturb him. One week… Yami thought sadly. It had only been one week since Dwenny had come into his life, and things and things had changed so much already. Marik was no longer a threat, he discovered some of his ancient past, he was reunited with his love, even if briefly…Such an impact of one person, in such a short time. And such a sacrifice. Yami now knew that Dwenny had known what was going to happen when she disobeyed the Council's orders and used dark magick to help him. She had *given* her life, so that he may save the world. *She* was responsible for saving the world as much as he, Sekhmet, and Yugi were. But the thing that Yami would remember the most about Dwenny was that she had given him a sense of belonging in this world, and a sense of hope. Belonging in that he was here to protect the world from the ancient Shadow magicks, and hope that he may one day be reunited with his love…Yami finally looked away from the spot where Dwenny had been, glancing outside the window. The sun was coming up, signifying the beginning of a new day…and of his new-found strength.

THE END

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Bah…this whole story looked so much better in my head. Yeah, I really stink at endings. This was supposed to be one of those "thought provoking" endings…but uh, maybe not.

Thank you thank you thank you for all of you who have read this fic! It means a lot to me. And special thanks goes to those of you who took the time to review. I hope you all enjoyed this fic, and wasn't too confused by the end. I tried to tie up all the "loose ends" of the story, and I'm hoping that I did here. Well, any final thoughts? Tell me how sorry this fic really is… ;) Thanks again for reading and reviewing!! Now, off to work on my other fic, Guardians of the Watchtowers! :D