HCG: Hey everybody ^_^ How exciting...the very last chapter in my story!

Karma: And it was a good story, too.

Slash: *muttering* Suck up.

Kaiba: *still passed out*

HCG: o_O;; So...only one of my muses is really...working. Good Karma! *rewards him with some great fudge she got for Christmas*

Karma: ^_^ Nummy...

HCG: Anyway...I've also got two guests here for the final chapter, Yugi and Yami!

Yugi: ^_^ Hiya!

Yami: *twitch* *groan*

HCG: o_O;; Yami? What's wrong?

Yami: That last *twitch* chapter was *twitch* very *twitch* painful... *double twitch*

Yugi: ^_^;; Oopsie?

Yami: *twitch* *faint*

HCG: *blink* Um...okay...

Karma: Why don't you give'em the special note, Guardian?

HCG: Right. Listen up, people, 'cause this is important. My updating of chapters is probably going to get a little irregular, now, as well as my reading/reviewing for others' chapters. There is a reason for this, which is also in my bio, but I'll explain it anyway. I got my own computer, so I don't have to use my parent's computer anymore. I also have online privileges, but unfortunately there is a Parental Restriction thingie set up on it, and it blocks FF.net. Therefore, I have to do all my updating at school, and since there isn't much free time, I won't have a regular "updating schedule." I won't be able to read as many other fics, either, but I'll be checking my review history pretty often to see who's updated and who hasn't. (Thank god they put that history in, huh?) I'll try to review people's fics as much as possible, but don't expect me to move very quickly, alright?

Karma: It's clear.

HCG: Good.

Slash: Now we answer the reviews, right?

HCG: Right. Here we go:

Sparky 16 ~ Sorry, but because of the above note I wasn't able to email you this next chapter. I apologize for the inconvenience this may have cause you *shrugs*

Delphine Pryde ~ Stupid virus...hope you feel better by now ^_~

Towairaito Zoon ~ Other-M, I've heard of it before. In fact, I've written Sonic Fanfiction as well, although it's too long to post at FF.net (it's not broken into chapters; it's just one, long, 72 page story). Actually, Karma and Slash are characters I made up to fit into the Sonic verse; Karma's a lizard Guardian and Slash is an anteater thief/assassin.

Slash: KILL...SONIC...*insane grin*

HCG: o_O;; Um...right.

YumeTakato ~ When I said you were close to what I was going to do, I meant the dream sequence in chapter 7. You said that Yugi should meet Yugi in the dream--I had planned on his meeting Yami, which was pretty close.

Finally, to ALL reviewers (and particularly Aibou *laughs*) I thank you for your reviews. After the chapter is over, there's a special surprise for all of you ^_~

Slash: Who's gonna stop'em from skipping the chapter and going straight for the gift?

HCG: They like my fic, that's why. They've gotta read the epilogue first, just so all their questions are answered.

Slash: *grumbles*

HGC: Quit whining. Do the disclaimer.

Slash: *sigh* Guardian does not own Yu-Gi-Oh or it's characters--

Yami: *briefly waking up* Thank *twitch* Ra! *passes out again*

Slash: --but she does own me and Karma. And the fudge, too.

HCG: Thanks, Slash. *gives him a piece of fudge* Now, notes!

/word/ ~ A Hikari to a Yami

//word// ~ A Yami to a Hikari

italics are thoughts or dreams/memories.

Hmm...first part's sorta from Yami's point of view, a bit different than usual...I've just done Yugi before now...but they ARE Hikari/Yami, so bleh! *sticks out tongue*

And, people, it's now the TRUE REALM! TRUEREALMTRUEREALMTRUEREALM! Don't get confused, or I'll have to get mad. *sighs* Geeze!

Shadow Turned Light

Epilogue: Realms Return

Deep in the mental trap that had captured Yugi and his Yami, the ancient Pharaoh had become frantic. He had seen his Light drop from the lip of the high, shadowy hole and into the silver, flowing portal, disappearing completely; at the same time, his mind link with the boy had abruptly cut off, and he could no longer sense the young teen. This worried him to no end; how could he possibly tell if his Hikari was safe or not if he couldn't even sense him?

Even worse was his discovery when the mental landscape melted away and left him in the real, physical world once more. He was horrified to discover that Yugi was not only missing in mind, but in body as well--for the young boy was nowhere to be seen.

Yami immediately tried the mind link again, only to find something much like an invisible wall between his mind and his hikari's. With a sigh of despair, he stopped attempting to contact his charge, instead glancing around the alley he was in, trying to find the smallest details that would signify his aibou was okay. Perhaps he was just playing a joke, like teenagers would from time to time...

His thoughts were temporarily interrupted as a wave of exhaustion swept over him, making him sway slightly. Blinking in surprise, he glanced down absent-mindedly at himself, and discovered he was in his transparent, spirit-like form--not quite existing, but at the same time still easily visible to the common eye, with the exception of a slightly see-through frame.

But...but I can't exist in any kind of form unless Yugi is near...the Pharaoh thought to himself in astonishment. He came to the relieved conclusion that Yugi must still be alive, even if Yami couldn't contact him, or the spirit wouldn't so visible. Nevertheless, it was sapping most of his energy to keep the false form in existence.

The ancient Pharaoh sighed and leaned back slightly on his heels, closing his eyes and tilting his head back a bit in a rather tired and worried position. He was on the verge of leaning back against the alley wall when his eyes suddenly snapped back open, registering the startling detail he hadn't noticed before in his anxiety.

The silvery portal was gone.

With a cry of angered startlement, Yami dashed forward to where the portal had been, swiping hopelessly at the air that had held it, as if attempting to re-open the atmosphere. After several seconds without any result, the dark spirit groaned in anger and stumbled backwards, reaching the alley wall and sliding down it's surface into a sitting position.

He knew now what had happened to his Aibou...the boy had been pulled through the portal, there was no doubt about it. He wished desperately that he knew where the portal had lead...

He reassured his troubled thoughts slightly with one strong conclusion: the portal had not lead to the Shadow Realm. He was comforted slightly as he realized that his hikari was not suffering in the dark Realm, unprotected by the draining effects it brought upon it's visitors. He gave a small shudder as an old memory came to him for a few seconds; a memory of a duel, his hikari's duel against Pegasus, when Yugi had nearly been lost to the Shadow Realm...

By the gods, Yugi, I hope you aren't suffering like that, whatever's happened to you...

Drawing himself up slowly, though leaning on the alley wall with obvious fatigue, the ancient spirit came to another conclusion: he needed to get help, and quick. He wasn't sure how long he could sustain his faded, translucent form, and he didn't know what would happen to him once it lost it's energy and disappeared; however, he had to get somebody to continue the search for his aibou.

But who could he get to help? Surely he couldn't call on any normal means of assistance; what common person would believe his story of a person being drawn into thin air? In any case, he couldn't risk being seen in his transparent form, or somebody was sure to cause trouble later.

With a sudden flash of inspiration, Yami realized who he could get help from. Yugi's friends. They knew about him, of course, and they would probably be willing to listen to his strange stories, after all the other odd occurrences that they had found themselves in.

Taking one last glance around the alley, almost as if he expected the portal to suddenly return, the Pharaoh stepped out of the darkened space and headed carefully down the street, being careful not to be seen. With a quick check to see what the street's name was, he journeyed out onto the larger roads, heading towards the school.

He wasn't really sure where any of Yugi's friends were at the moment--he had woken up and contacted Yugi after the boy had left the school without any of his classmates. However, the spirit was becoming accustomed to his hikari's schedule; whenever Joey or Tristen didn't join him after school, it was an easy guess to say that they were probably at some sport's practice. He had no idea where Tea might have been, or Ryou. On reflection, he decided finding Ryou probably wasn't the best of ideas, as Bakura would most likely try to take advantage of the Pharaoh's weakened state to attack him.

After several minutes of walking, in which Yami tried his hardest not to be seen, he finally reached the small field next to Domino High's main building.

The Pharaoh observed the large group of students out in the center of the field, carefully staying out of their line of sight. He scanned the group carefully, and after a few seconds was rewarded as he spotted one of the taller students, his unruly mop of blonde hair and bangs shaking back and forth slightly as he ran. The boy was laughing as he chased after a black and white patched ball, kicking it into a large net despite the attempted block by a fellow student. Grinning wildly, the boy--obviously Joey--threw his hands into the air and yelled loudly, "GOAL!"

"Very nice, Wheeler!" an older, smiling man, the coach, yelled, giving the blonde a thumbs up signal. "Take a quick break, you've been working hard out there!"

"Thanks, coach!" Joey replied, grinning fiercely as he moved off towards one of the benches. Seeing his chance, Yami dashed forward quickly, reaching the bench before his friend.

Joey had noticed Yami running forward, and quickened his own pace. "Hey, Yugi!" he began, but stopped in mid-greeting. He frowned slightly and squinted, looking at the spirit in front of him and his slightly translucent appearance, before speaking again. "Yami? What're you doing here? And where's Yuge?"

"That's what I'd like to know!" the Pharaoh hissed, his voice more steely than he meant it to be from his worry. "I need your help, come on..."

Joey blinked in surprise, staring slightly downward at the spirit in front of him. Yami looked extremely worried, and the teen could instantly tell that something very, very bad had happened. When Yami was worried about something, it usually meant that any normal person would want to start running in the other direction and screaming frantically because of that same thing.

"Right," the boy said slowly, turning behind him to trot back towards the coach. "Lemme just tell Coach I'm leaving, okay?"

The Pharaoh nodded in reply, though impatiently. Joey hurried quickly to the teacher, quickly thinking up an excuse for his reason for leaving as he did so.

"'Ey, Coach, you don't mind if I take off early, do you?" he asked quickly, forcing himself to stand calmly and not to fidget.

The teacher raised an eyebrow. "And why would you want to do that, Mr. Wheeler?"

"Well, see, er, it's...Serenity," he offered. "She, er, she's coming down for a visit for a few days, and I forgot all about it. I was hoping I could leave early and go meet her...I don't get to see'er much, ya know."

The coach smiled. "Oh really, Mr. Wheeler? Yes, I know. Alright, I'll allow you to leave early, but you'd better make up for it next practice."

"Yessir!" the blonde teen rapped, whirling around on his heel to dash off towards the waiting dark spirit.

As he reached Yami, the ancient being turned as well, breaking into a jog as he headed back towards the roads. He asked one question quickly. "Where's Tristen?"

"He'd never get out of practice if the sky fell down on our heads," Joey muttered. "His coach is pretty tough. Might as well just leave."

"Very well. Come, we must hurry." The dark spirit lead his friend down a twisting maze of roads, heading slowly back towards the alley where he had discovered his hikari missing. After several minutes, during which their travel was completely quiet, they reached the dark, depressing-looking opening between two buildings.

"Here," Yami muttered slowly, glancing around the alley once more. "Here is where it happened."

"Where what happened?" Joey asked quizzically, confused.

The ancient Pharaoh sighed and retold the account that had happened hardly more than a half hour ago. Joey stared in shock as the spirit finished.

"He got pulled through a portal?" the teen said disbelievingly.

"Yes, he did." Noticing the teen's doubtful look, Yami said seriously, "Do you think I would lie about my Aibou?"

"Well...no...it's just that it doesn't really make sense," Joey said sheepishly. There was a moment's pause before he muttered under his breath, "then again, I'm talking to a person who's over five thousand years old. So I'm not really one to talk, huh?"

The Puzzle-spirit sighed again, this time in fatigue. "I'm not sure how much longer I can keep up this false form. You have to stay here, in case...in case something happens," he finished helplessly.

Joey nodded. "Right. I know what you mean. What should we do in the meantime?"

"Look for clues. Maybe there's something here that'll tell us what happened to Yugi."

Separating, the two spread out among the rubbish in the alley, checking every inch of the space for the smallest details that could possibly reveal a clue. Joey was doing more of the searching than the ancient Pharaoh, as the spirit was often forced to stop and rest, recovering what little strength he could to keep up his illusion form. No matter how hard he tried, however, he could not build up enough energy to hold the form for lasting periods of time--it was like trying to hold water in his cupped hands, constantly dwindling down into nothing.

They stayed within the alley for several hours, searching for the clues that they knew didn't exist, but that they wanted so badly to appear. Yami finally dropped out of the search entirely, sitting against the one of the alley's walls with an exhausted look, and finally falling into a light doze. Joey let him rest, knowing that he desperately needed it to keep his strength up.

The boy had taken to pacing in rough circles, eyes darting around the alleyway as though he had missed some clue, when in reality he had run over every inch of the place at least three times. He sighed and ran a hand through his messy bangs, closing his eyes against a small headache that was forming.

He almost missed the odd occurrence that came next. The air a few feet away seemed to almost...well, flicker. Joey blinked in annoyance; this stupid headache was probably messing his mind up. He stared hard at the air, as though to prove to himself that there was nothing wrong with it, that it really was just his head.

It flickered again.

Wide-eyed and staring, Joey backed up a step and turned to glance at the dark spirit sleeping gently behind him.

"Er...Yami? Maybe you'd better wake up..."

Slowly, the ancient Pharaoh groaned and stirred, opening his heavy eyelids and barely lifting his head. "What is it, Joey?"

"You might want to take a look at this, dude."

Sighing, the spirit raised his head higher and glanced at the area Joey was indicating with his finger. Almost instantly he was dragging himself to his feet, staring in awed surprise at the thin line now slicing it's way through the air.

"I...don't...believe it!" the dark being said, shocked, taking a step forward towards the line. It was now slowly spreading apart, opening up into a shimmering, oval-shaped, silver portal. A few rouge shadows poured out the bottom of the opening in the air, circling in a small area below it.

"Is that what caught Yugi?" Joey asked, eyeing the portal with obvious dislike.

"Yes...it is!" Yami's voice was becoming more determined as he took a few more quick steps forward. "If he's in there, I'm going through after him!"

"Woah, man, wait up!" Joey yelped in surprise, but the Pharaoh was already standing in front of the portal, staring up at it as if it was a new enemy that had to be defeated.

Just as he was about to move forward and touch it's shimmering, not-quite-solid surface, however, the silver coloring within the center grew darker and formed a vague outline of...a person.

The darker color began to part slightly, and it was evident that something behind it's surface was pushing it's way out of the portal. Yami and Joey wore twin expressions of shock at the sight, as if they didn't expect it to happen--which, obviously, they hadn't.

Quite suddenly, with perfect silence, the silver coloring withdrew completely, and the person within stepped out and fell forward almost instantly. Yami instinctively reached out and caught him gently. Meanwhile, the portal, now done with it's task, withdrew it's shadowy fog, curling back up on itself in the air and disappearing completely.

Yami blinked slowly, suddenly filled with a new source of strength, and gazed down at the person now resting in his arms. His eyes betrayed his shock as he discovered his hikari slumped limply in his strong grip, obviously fatigued.

"Yugi?!" Joey yelped behind him; Yami found his thoughts echoing his friend's exclamation of surprise.

The young Hikari stirred slightly in his darker half's arms, weakly opening his eyes and gazing up at the Pharaoh and his best friend. Slowly, voice raspy as though tired, he spoke. "Am...I back...in my Realm?"

"What do you mean, Yugi?" the ancient spirit asked worriedly, shifting his hold on his small charge so as to make his hikari more comfortable. "Are you all right?"

The young Puzzle owner smiled weakly. "Yeah...I'm fine...and I'm back...nice to see...the real you...again...Yami." With this said, Yugi closed his eyes and fell limp again, head lolling slightly into Yami's chest.

Quickly opening the mind-link the two shared, Yami was able to run through his Light's thoughts and reassure himself that his charge was indeed fine.

"He's just fatigued," the spirit said out loud, more for Joey's benefit than anything else, as the poor boy was looking greatly worried.

Joey blinked slowly, the anxiety plainly showing on his face fading just a bit. "Wonder what got him so tired..."

Yami shook his head. "I have no idea, but at this point it doesn't matter much. I need to take him home so he can rest; I don't have time to sit here and ask questions."

The blonde beside him nodded, excusing the slightly rude tone embedded in the Pharaoh's voice. He had a reason; he was obviously worried sick about his hikari. Joey did notice, however, that the spirit looked much stronger now that Yugi was back, and silently thanked fate for that.

Yami gently laid his hikari down on the ground of the alley, then closed his eyes and concentrated. Joey felt a chill run up his spine as the spirit completely faded away into nothingness. The Eye of Horus on the front of the Puzzle glowed brightly; the next second, Yugi was sitting up calmly as if he had never stepped out of a portal hovering in mid-air.

"Er...still Yami, right?" Joey asked, raising an eyebrow.

"Correct," the spirit, now in possession of his host's body, said calmly. "I'm just controlling Yugi, but letting his mind rest."

"Ah," the blonde teen muttered, shaking his head at how strange his life had become.

Yami began to walk slowly towards the alley's exit, obviously being troubled slightly by the fatigue in Yugi's body. As he reached the street, he turned his head over his shoulder and spoke.

"I thank you for your help, Joey, and for taking time out of your schedule to help me."

"Aw, it was nothin'," the teen said calmly. "I would've done the same for any of my friends."

"Yet I will still thank you." The Pharaoh smiled slightly before speaking again. "Don't be surprised if Yugi doesn't show up at school tomorrow. His exhaustion his very great; it surprises even me."

"Don't worry," Joey replied. "I'll explain it to the others. Get Yuge home now, and both of you rest. You both need it."

Yami laughed quietly before stepping out of the alley and onto the streets, heading back towards the Game Shop.

After nearly fifteen minutes, he reached the Shop that made his aibou's home, stepping quietly into the building with a jingle from the door's bell. He slunk up the stairs onto the second floor, pacing down the hall to Yugi's bedroom. Opening the door, he quietly stepped into the room and walked across the floor to the bed.

He sighed in relief and laid down on it, before separating from his young Hikari. The spirit suddenly found himself standing next to the bed, gazing down at his weary charge with the fondness every guardian has. The ghost of a smile on his lips, the ancient being bent down and covered his Light with the blankets, protecting him from the chill in the room. His task complete, he retreated to his soul room to rest for himself for the night, pausing only to check on his hikari in his soul room. No Shadowdreams, thankfully; he seemed calm, but tired.

Still smiling, the ancient being entered his own soul room again, settling down into a peaceful sleep. The calm, happy expression stayed on his face as he drifted off into his dreams, knowing with absolute certainty that his Hikari was safe once more.

* * * * *

The next morning Yugi woke with the sun shining painfully bright on his eyes. He groaned and rolled over slightly, squinting his eyes shut against the sunlight--and suddenly noticed that he was in a bed.

Snapping his eyes open, he stared at the red, glowing numbers of a digital clock only a few inches away. The time read 7:50 AM; Yugi realized with a shock that classes were going to start in ten minutes, and that he had to get to school. His sudden surprise wiped the memories of his past day completely from his mind as he sat up suddenly, tearing the twisted sheets off of him so that he could get out of bed.

The Millennium Puzzle, still around his neck, glowed brightly, the Eye of Horus shining bone-white. A second later, Yami appeared in the room in a complete temporary form, as real looking as the next person.

"Where do you think you're going, Aibou?" Yami asked, raising an eyebrow at Yugi's jumpy response to his appearance.

"Oh...Yami..." the boy sighed in recognition. "I'm going to school..."

"No, Yugi, you are not." The ancient Pharaoh stepped forward and gently pushed his charge back onto the bed by his shoulders. "Stay here and rest. You've obviously been through a lot, though I can't say exactly what, and you're very tired. Just relax; you're staying home today."

"But...but I have to go to school," Yugi protested weakly, as his darker half drew the covers over him.

"One day of missing school won't hurt you, Aibou," the Pharaoh said practically, "but such exhaustion as you have very well might, if you don't take care of it. Just rest, Yugi."

The young Hikari sighed in annoyance. He really did have to go to school...and yet, he yawned loudly despite himself. He vaguely registered his darker half smile slightly, or how the spirit was soothingly stroking his hair, making him feel even more tired than before.

"All right...Yami..." the boy muttered drowsily. "You...win..." With that said, his head tilted the tiniest bit as his muscles relaxed, and he drifted off into a deep, peaceful sleep, not bothered once by Shadowdreams.

He was free of them now. He was worthy...

* * * * *

"Don't wake him if he's asleep, Yami. We don't want to disturb his rest, after all."

"I thank you again for that, Joey."

"Stop thankin' me!"

Yugi stirred softly in his bed as the distant sound of voices from the floor below him reached his ears and filled his senses. He opened his eyes slowly, blinked, and sighed in relaxation. He had had a nice rest, thanks to Yami's concern, and he now felt refreshed and ready for anything.

The voices downstairs halted abruptly and lurched into silence; several seconds later, Yami's voice could be heard. "He is awake. Come, follow me."

"Stop being so formal sounding, dude!" Tristen's voice floated up the steps, where Yugi could distinguish four pairs of feet coming towards him.

"I can't help it. It's how I speak."

There was an exasperated sigh--Yugi guessed that it might belong to Joey, but he wasn't sure--and then silence once more. A few seconds later, there was a quick, rapid knock at the door.

"Come in," the young Hikari called cheerfully, sitting up on the bed as the door opened.

Yami was in the front of the small group of four that entered through the door; he headed immediately to the chair near Yugi's bedside, where the boy could tell he'd been sitting for most of the day. Joey followed soon after, grinning as he usually did. Vaguely, the young Hikari thought he could remember seeing Joey somewhere recently...he shook his head as the memory failed to come to him, instead looking at the last two members of the group. Tristen smiled as he came into the room, followed by Tea, the last of his friends to enter.

"Hey, Yuge!" Joey said pleasantly, sitting down in a nearby bean-bag chair and making himself comfortable. Tristen took a regular chair near the window, and Tea settled herself in a third, near the end of the bed.

"Hey, guys! Nice to see you," the hikari said, smiling around at each of his friends. He didn't notice the look exchanged by Yami and Joey; Yami shook his head quietly, and Joey shrugged before launching off into an account of the school day. There didn't seem to have been much that went on that day, but Yugi enjoyed hearing of the small, unimportant gossip and activities that made up so much of a teen's life. Tea had thoughtfully brought over his homework, as well, as she shared a majority of his classes.

After a good half hour of regular chatter, in which all of the teenagers participated in--with the exception of Yami--the talk finally came around to Yugi's odd journey.

Surprisingly, it was the boy himself that brought it up, when he asked a single question. "How long had I been gone? When I went through the portal, I mean?"

Yami answered the question instantly. "It couldn't have been more than five hours. Why?"

Yugi looked shocked. "But...but over there...I was gone for almost a day!"

Yami blinked. "Over where?" he asked, confused.

His Light replied easily. "The Negative Realm. It's...it's like a reflection of our Realm here...with all of us...but acting differently, almost opposite..."

Seeing his friends' confused looks, Yugi sighed. "I suppose I ought to tell you the whole story, hmm?" At the encouraging nods from his friends, he leaned back against the backboard of his bed, thinking carefully. "Alright. I guess it started after I got pulled through that portal..."

In as much detail as he could possibly manage, Yugi told them of his entire journey through the Negative Realm. Each of his friends had been surprised, but interested. Tristen had found the news of his own death rather startling, for he had turned a pale shade and had leaned back in his chair slightly, as if trying to back away from the story-teller. Tea hadn't really enjoyed the story much, finding the whole idea of such a troubled Realm nerve-wracking. Joey had enjoyed the tale the most, particularly hearing about himself in the Negative Realm. He had scoffed at the idea of him getting along with Kaiba; in fact, he had laughed for several minutes straight as his friend told him of the two working together flawlessly to break into a well-guarded building.

Yami hated the entire story. He despised his other self, and of hearing about everything his Negative self had done. When he learned that he was responsible for the deaths of Yugi, Tristen, Mokuba, and the torture of Ryou's and Kaiba's minds, he had become withdrawn from the rest of the group, mulling over the whole story in anger. However, once Yugi had finished retelling his journey, Yami had snapped out of his thoughts to speak.

"Well, Yugi, I believe I have the answer to your question. It is very possible that time would pass differently in different Realms. This...this 'Negative Realm' must have a faster time flow than our own time span...yet at the same time it is coupled exactly with our own Realm. Quite interesting..." he broke off, muttering to himself, obviously returning to his previous thoughts on his Negative self.

Yugi sighed when he was done, glad to have finally shared his story with somebody from his Realm. He blinked, looked around his room, and suddenly asked, "but...how did I get back here?"

Joey answered his question this time. "Me'n Yami found you...you got chucked outta that portal thing back in the alley, but Yami caught you and took you home."

"Oh..." Yugi smiled at his darker half, sending a thought through the link to the still-muttering Pharaoh.

/Thanks, Yami./

//You've nothing to thank me for. I had to help you, you were tired and you needed it.//

/Be that as it may, thanks anyway, Yami./

The boy could feel a smile through the link before his darker half spoke. //You are very welcome, Aibou.//

Tea broke their mind conversation with a question of her own. "But...but why did that portal...thing...take just Yugi? Why didn't it take Yami too?"

The ancient Pharaoh frowned thoughtfully before speaking. "Balance," he said slowly.

"What?" Tea asked, confused.

"Balance. Everything has to be in balance. My guess is that the Negative Realm was too off-balance to continue to exist successfully, and those that lived in that Realm could not fix it on their own. So the Shadow Realm drew Yugi from our Realm to fix the balance. But it couldn't take more than was necessary, or the balance would be thrown off completely in the opposite direction." Yami sighed, shaking his head. "The problem is, if my theory is true, then it could happen again."

Yugi blinked in surprise. "It could?"

"It could, and if the balance is upset again, it most likely will. Though it may take a different person next time, according to what requirements the balance needs." The Pharaoh shook his head again. "I honestly do not know, Yugi. I've never been a philosopher or scholar. It's just a guess."

There was a silence that filled the room, as each person went over the tale of the Negative Realm that they had received. After several seconds, somebody spoke, but it was quite unexpected--the speaker was Yugi.

"Well...if it happens again, we'll just have to go along with it and help out."

Yami nodded slowly. "If the Shadow Realm desires balance between reflected Realms, than so be it. I, at least, would have no choice but to obey."

There was another long period of uncomfortable silence. Finally, fidgeting, Joey started up a new, friendlier topic about a sports game that was coming up within a few days.

Talk strayed back to normal subjects, and pretty soon most of the teens had forgotten the conversation in favor of more interesting talk. Yugi, however had not; nor had Yami. While Joey and Tristen got into another heated argument about which school athlete was the best, the Yami and his Hikari were chatting quietly about the whole Negative Realm ordeal. After several minutes of talk, Yugi finally brought the conversation near it's end.

/Yami?/ he asked slowly, waiting for the comforting response of his guardian.

//Yes, Yugi?//

/Just promise me one thing, whatever you do./

//And that would be?//

/Never get separated from me again, okay?/

A deep laugh coursed through Yugi's mind as his darker side formed his thought reply. //I intend to uphold that promise, Aibou.//

End

* * * * *

We come back to HCG's room, where all the muses and guest characters are waiting for her to finish the story. Kaiba and Yami have long since re-awoken. Slash, Karma, and Yugi are standing patiently along the sides of the walls, watching HCG. Yami seems a bit annoyed, as HCG is staring directly at the eye symbol on his Millennium Puzzle unblinkingly.

HCG: Eye of Horus?

Yami: *exasperated* YES, it is an Eye of Horus!

HCG: O_O! ^___^ EYE OF HORUS! ^______^

Yami: o_O;;

Karma: -_-;; Don't let her start. She's been doing that aaaaaall day!

Yami: Doing what?

Karma: Yelling about that Eye. She found a picture of the Eye of Horus online today and noticed that it looked the same as the symbol on the Puzzle. Ever since then, every time she watches Yu-Gi-Oh! and sees you or Yugi, she points to the Puzzle and yells about that Eye.

HCG: EYEOFHORUS!EYEOFHORUS!EYEOFHORUS!

Karma: Gack! *rams head against wall* Somebody shut'er up!

HCG: *hurt* But it looks really cool...I even drew it on my hand!

Yami: o_O;; Oookay...

Yugi: Er...think of something else, HCG...like...like Duel Monsters! ^_^

HCG: Hey, that reminds me! I got a Yu-Gi-Oh! Kaiba starter deck the other day.

Kaiba: O_O;;

HCG: And that means...I NOW HOLD A BLUE-EYES WHITE DRAGON! HAHAHAHAHA! *waves dragon card around*

Kaiba: NUUUU! *grabs card and rips it to shreds* Now I am again the only holder of the Blue Eyes!

HCG: O_O;; YAMIIIIII! MIND CRUSH HIM FOR MEEEE!

Yami: *evil grin* My pleasure...

Yugi: Deja Vu?

Kaiba: O_O EEEP! *runs off, Yami chasing him*

HCG: I lost a muse...oh well...*snaps back to fic* RIGHT! Presents! Well, firstly, to all you great reviewers out there...thanks so much for surviving through my fic! Here is your first gift: a plushie of the Negative Realm Character of your choice! *places a basket of plushies out for the reviewers to take* And...Aibou....this one is for you, straight from N.R. Bakura *holds out a N.R. Bakura plushie* It's got a note on it...it says, "Hug THIS, not ME." o_O;; Nice guy, but not terribly good with words, huh?

Slash: Next gift!

HCG: Right! Well, to all you reviewers who asked me to keep writing...sorry, but this is THE END. However...I AM writing a sequel! And lucky readers, you, you get an early summary of the story! ^_~

Negative Chaos

High Crystal Guardian

~The Shadow Realm's power is beginning to grow to high for the Realm alone to sustain, and now a great amount of energy and magic is overflowing into the True Realm with disastrous results. Yugi and his friends try to stop the power before it completely covers the world in death and darkness, but they aren't strong enough. So the Realms' Balance is put into play, and a new gate to the Negative Realm appears, with three old friends coming through to assist against the dangerous Shadow Powers...

HCG: How's that for a summary? ^_^ Sit tight and wait for the above story to start! Just give me a week or two to write out a full outline...I personally think it'll be a lot longer than this current fic here...anyway, please review! Just cause this story is over doesn't mean you can't review! Please! And take a plushie! ^_~