I want to thank you all for following me, I am glad that it has kept you all entertained. The next one is set to be a powerhouse of emotions so I hope it keeps you all intrigued as chapters past. For now, I will leave you to this final chapter of part 4 and will being to prepare for the next and final chapter of the whole Yu-Gi-Oh series.

Disclaimer: Remember that I do not own anything YGO but I do own Aurora and her friends. I claim no financial gain to anything except Aurora and her friends. (It's still weird for me to say that lol )

Yami's eyes traveled along the darkened corridors of the puzzle as his aibou slept. They had finally returned to Yugi's home and made an attempt to relax before the next leg of their journey. He struggled with admitting to himself he was concerned about attempting to use the God cards again to open the portal to his memory. He was still uncertain his memory would return.

Help me...

A faint voice called out from somewhere in the darkness. Yami frowned. He knew there should be no other voice aside from Yugi's to be heard within the puzzle and he could not be sure how someone else could have gotten themselves within it. Especially where he, himself, had not placed them there.

Help me, please...

The voice was female. It was weak and not from being lost somewhere in the distance. He could hear the strain on it as the one calling tried to reach out. It was almost... familiar...

"Where are you?" He called out into the shadows. There was no answer as he waited. "You have to keep talking to me so I can find you!" His pace quickened as he began to move forward, checking doors within the puzzle along the way. "You have to tell me where you are so I can help you!"

So weak... I can't stop this falling...

"Falling..." He froze and turned his gaze upward. Nothing but darkness stood above him. A tingle of something flashed within his mind. He had heard this before. He was certain of it. He looked around again as more voices began to be heard. They were all faint, like a memory trying to break through and he frowned as he tried to remember.

"You can't do this!"

"Your people still need you!"

"His sacrifice will not be in vain..."

"Phoenix!"

Yami's eyes widened in shocked as the walls seemed to vibrate with the final shout. This was unlike anything he had ever felt before within the puzzle. A gust of wind blew through and around him, almost pushing him forward down a corridor several feet away. Yes, he knew this. He knew the voices and recognized the sound of fear. He came to an abrupt stop when he realized a figure was seated on a set of stairs just ahead of him. His eyes narrowed as he took in the tattered red shirt and pants. Black hair seemed matted and ruffled about the man's head. Yami would have been on the defensive had he not felt such a crushing sensation of defeat. Deep inside, Yami knew this man. He desperately searched his mind for a name.

"I remember the first time I met you, Pharaoh," the man told him quietly. "Though I was not so much in a physical form then. I was more... spiritual." He looked up at Yami. "Not saying I am any more physical now than I was then. The rules seem to apply differently within this puzzle and your mind than they did all those centuries ago."

Yami remained silent, still searching for a name.

"It's okay that you may not remember who I am by name. I see in your eyes that you know my face. You know who I am."

"You... you were Aurora's husband once."

The man gave him a distant smile. "Yes... I was. Though I must say, I was right to place her future with you. Some might have thought it odd, but you have been good to and for her. Just as she has spent so many years alone being good to and for you. A woman who remains loyal till death. She never once looked at another, always knowing that one day you would come back to her. Leave it to me to be the one to show you how once again."

Yami blinked at the man's words. "What do you mean?"

"Pharaoh, her memory has always been here, waiting for you. Just as she has in the physical realm. It was just waiting for you to find it." The man slowly stood and gave a quiet sigh. "I was the one who granted you the path to her the first time. I will be the one to guide you to another locked door this time."

"There are so many doors still locked to me. I had not realized that she was within one of them once I found her out there."

"That was just a stepping stone. This is also the reason why she was never far from you even when she was. Why you could always smell her perfume or her the soft strings of the music she would play. She is no ghost in your memory haunting you. Part of what connects you both is also here. She does not even know what it was you did before you were sealed here..."

Yami tilted his head thoughtfully. The man was telling him things that he wondered about, but had never thought to ask. "You have my attention."

"Your people were important to you, but not as important as Aurora and your children. You could not bear to be completely cut off from them." The man turned slightly as a humming sound began to be heard and a soft golden glow could be seen. "I do believe that door is for you."

Yami frowned slightly, but stepped around him, carefully approaching the door and stopping in front of it. The light held a strong source of power but beyond it, he could heard the sounds of laughter. Children's laughter. Almost fearfully, he touched his fingertips to the handle on the door and it clicked, opening before him. He flinched at the strong light the burst forth from the room and blinded him temporarily. When he could see once again, he peered inside. On a brightly colored Egyptian rug, he watched a small boy and two little girls playing contently with wooden blocks. He recognized the blond head of Zahara, and the darker hair of Sanura's that vaguely reminded him of his own. It was the little boy who shocked him. He looked so much like Yugi, for a moment, he thought he was looking into one of Yugi's memories.

The man stepped up beside him. "Seem familiar?"

"My... children..." All three young faces turned to him and they jumped up to rush him at the door. Cries of "Daddy!" made him drop to his knees and accept the warm hugs they gave him. He felt the sting of tears behind his eyes especially when the little boy kissed his cheek. He looked down into familiar eyes and felt his breath leave him. "Adais..." he whispered.

The man remained standing behind him as he watched them all reconnect. "I see some more of your memory is coming back."

Yami looked up at him. "You helped save his life the night he was born." He waited for the man to acknowledge the remark. There was a brief bow of the man's head. "Blaze... only Aurora... she called you Reno that night..."

"That was once my name, yes. Yes, I did answer your call." He cast a gaze downward at Adais. "He fulfilled all of the prophecies Aurora said he would, too. He brought into this world the one you are most connected to. The one who released you from this prison."

"He is Yugi's father..."

Reno nodded again. "He doesn't come around much these days as he is still trying to protect where your body rests. Where even my spiritual power is at rest with you. But you have met him."

"I remember..." Yami told him as he thought back to Battle City. He kicked himself for not acknowledging it sooner. He took a hold of Adais in his younger form and hugged him tightly.

"A part of you couldn't let them go. You knew what you had to do, but you feared forgetting and never having the chance to see them again. So you kept a piece of them here. When you are able to reconnect again, they all will be able to become whole once again."

Yami stared at all three with solemn eyes. "I loved them all so much..."

"They know. Aurora made sure they always knew. Pharaoh... it's time."

Yami let Adais go to play with his sisters again as he stepped back from the room and watched the door shut. He turned to look at the warrior once again. "It's time?"

"All of these doors are about to be unlocked for you and it will be a lot to take in at first. You will be overwhelmed. But you kept one more piece of your life with you that will help you as they open."

Yami followed Reno's gaze further down the hall where another faint glow was beginning to be seen. "Is that...?"

Reno shrugged lightly. "It's your puzzle, your soul, your memory, Pharaoh. What or who is beyond that door is for you to learn and accept or reject. I am just the messenger to bring you once again to a place you need to be. Call it being tied together by Blaze's power and spirit."

Soft in the darkness, Yami heard another faint memory. His own voice, this time speaking to someone within the light of the room at the end of the corridor.

"I have to know. I deserve an answer. Are you only here to protect me?"

There was a whisper he could not make out. He guessed it was his name that was constantly eluding him. The voice speaking it almost sounded tearful, and her voice had cracked, masking the word from him.

"Aurora..." he whispered, nearing the door. He touched the handle and, like before, the door opened before him. He saw her within the room, struggling with her words. Without hesitation, he took her into his arms, holding her close, his hand cupping the back of her head. He felt the fear in her body as she tried to give him an answer that scared her more than anything she had ever faced. The way she held him was as if she was pulling away, yet clinging to him at the same time. He remembered this. It was faint, but it was a memory he treasured. It was a memory he clung to. He closed his eyes as she began to speak again, his mental voice repeating her every word.

"No, it is not the only reason I stay. I stay... I stay because..." She gave an almost defeated sigh as her heart beat through her internal walls. "You once told me that you loved me. I never did answer you. But I should have."

He pulled back and cupped her chin with his fingertips, gently bringing her face up so he could gaze into her eyes. "Are you saying that..."

She nodded. "I am. I am saying that I love you. But this is not like any love I felt before. This shakes the very core of my soul and threatens to overwhelm me. It... It scares me..."

"It scares me, too," he murmured, holding her tighter against him. The memories were not weak by any means and he could feel the soft tremors within his own body. "But no matter what happens in the days to come, Aurora, should something happen to me, I will do everything I can to come back to you. I love you, my Queen. Not even Destiny can keep us apart."

The vision faded from him and even Aurora's body disappeared from his hold. Yami bowed his head and closed his eyes tightly, struggling against the emotion that began to boil within him. He was so tired of being just out of reach. He was done having fleeting moments with the Aurora in his memory. He just wanted to have her back. But a thought in the back of his head reminded him that his body had been dead for centuries. He began to wonder if he would never be able to really hold her and have her and be with his family. The logical part of him told him it could never happen. He had to prepare for the moment in which when his task was done and the evil finally defeated, he would have to leave them all forever. There would be nothing left of his body for him to completely return to. He would never have what he wanted. The weight of that realization sent him to his knees within the room and an agonized cry tore from his lips.

"I can't do this, Aurora... I can't," Yami whimpered, lost within himself. "I complete this task, I'm done... I gave up everything and am so close to having it all back, yet I cannot fully have it. But I would rather live this way to be able to see you and our children, then be nothing..."

"You will never be nothing, Yami."

He started and spun around on one knee, his other leg braced to leap up at the voice. He had thought himself completely alone. But when he saw Aurora standing in the doorway of the soul room, leaned casually against the frame, the tension left him and he slumped, his shoulders slouching in a defeated pose. "Aurora..."

She sighed and left her place at the door, entering the room and kneeling in front of him. "I know this has not been easy for you. But you made a promise. You made several..." She reached out and touched his cheek. "You have fulfilled nearly all of them, too."

"I have?"

She nodded with a light smile. "Just one more left, my love... time for you to come home." Her smile faded briefly. "There is but one more battle before you can be free once more. But this time you will have all the help you need. What you were missing before you have finally achieved. You must be able to recognize it and use it to the best of your ability now. But you will most definitely not be alone."

Yami stood silently watching her for a moment before vaguely familiar words fell from her lips once more.

"There is only one way to end this war, Love." Aurora lowered her gaze but a moment before she looked up at him again. "No one then was strong enough to do so. There was only one way to win the war. You did what you had to do and you sealed the Power of the Shadow games and yourself within your puzzle. It was not easy. But now, centuries later, there is enough Power within you and those around you, we all stand a chance. You have gone through this lifetime not knowing who were were, not knowing when your children had been present around you, not knowing me... All because it was the way it needed to be. It is what helped you find the Power and strength you were going to need to face this final enemy."

Yami watched her as she grew silent. He took a few steps closer to her and lightly ran his finger along the side of her cheek. "You always were my rock. I remember telling you that I would always remember you even if I didn't remember your name. I would know your touch. You voice. The scent of your perfume. Your courage in the eyes of trouble. The way you always seemed to know just what to say..." He kissed the top of her head as she bowed it slightly before him.

"Aurora, I remember you telling me that I would forget you completely. But how could I possibly do that when what I feel is just too strong to be forgotten? How can I possibly forget how good we are together? The way you and I blend together... It is as if the world around us no longer exists so long as you are in my arms. Yet, at the same time, you can bring me back and remind me of what I am and what I stand for during times of struggle and worry."

"Yami-"

"No..." Yami shook his head and stopped her from saying more. "I understand now that I was not ready then. As strong as I knew I was with you, I still felt like I had to do it alone. I needed to come to this time with a clean slate and learn what it means to meet friends and work as a team. To trust my friends. To trust my family. And to trust myself to know when it was time for everyone to stand as one."

Aurora smiled warmly. It did seem to her that he had learned the lesson he needed to learn. It warmed her heart and she rose on her tip toes to place a chaste kiss on his lips. "My love, I do believe you have got it."

His arms slid around her waist and he pulled her closer to him, kissing her again. "So I am ready? Do you envision a win for us this time?"

Her smile was playful even with its hinted apprehensiveness in her eyes. "You always win one way or another," she told him truthfully. She did not feel ready to explain what the final end would mean. She did not even wish to see it for herself as she surrendered to his kiss once more. She just wanted to remain in the warmth of his arms. She wanted to feel the love he felt for her radiating from him and surrounding her.

Hoping to keep him from asking her anything further, she deepened the kiss, threading her fingers through his hair as the room seemed to shift around them. The darkened soul room of the puzzle gave way to her own magic and changed into an elaborately decorated bedroom. When she felt it complete, she pulled back to take a breath, allowing his gaze to roam the room. "Do you recognize it?" she asked him softly.

"Our room," he answered, equally as soft. "The balcony, the candles, the colors, the incense..." He breathed in the scent around them and closed his eyes, afraid to open them and find it all gone. "This was our room... At the palace..." He looked down at his own Egyptian garments before he turned to look back at her blinking in shock as her appearance had altered as well.

She gave him a tender smile. "I did tell you where you could always find me if you ever needed me. I have been here all along. But you had to find me first." She felt his gaze follow her as she glided over the floor in a floor-length cream colored tunic and a sheer shawl draped at the bend of her elbows. It was a look she used to wear in the evenings at the palace just before bed. The tenderness in his eyes told her that he remembered. She lifted her arms up in a welcoming manner and wrapped them around his neck when he came to her.

Aurora felt his warmth breath at her neck and his arms around her waist. A soft whimper escaped her lips when she felt his kisses begin to caress her skin. Desire seemed to overcome him and he pulled back, drawing the shawl from her arms and untying the lace holding her tunic at her shoulders so that it pooled at her feet. A gasp rushed from her when he scooped her into his arms and carried her to the bed. Gently, he laid her down and knelt over her, his thumb brushing over the side of her forehead, moving a few stray hairs away from her eyes. He slowly lowered his head, his lips capturing hers as his arms slid under her, holding her tightly against him. He shuddered as he felt her warmth, already his body reacting, growing, hardening. His lips found the nape of her neck and he heard the sound of her purr as he nuzzled the soft, tender skin. He carefully pulled her up, turning them both so she sat atop of him, gazing down into his crimson eyes. He was in a seated position on the bed, her legs straddled on either side of his hips, her arms resting at his shoulders. His fingertips grazed the skin at her waist before he moved them up along the side of her torso, up and over her shoulder, and lingered just slightly over the velvet skin of her breasts.

Aurora curled her fingers in his hair, the love in her eyes shining as she leaned in to faintly kiss his lips once more. She shifted, using one hand on his shoulder to keep her balance as she used the other to lift up on his shendyt to expose him. Her fingers traced alongside the skin of his manhood, feeling it quiver at her touch. She never took her gaze off of him and enjoyed watching his head tilt back against the headboard with a groan. She felt his grip on her arm tighten and watched his other hand leave her body to grip the comforter on the bed. His eyes slit open and he watched her through his hooded gaze, lust filling the crimson orbs. A slight adjustment and her own eyes closed with pleasure as she slowly lowered herself upon his member. From their position, the moment she began to move atop him, Yami circled his arms around her, holding her close to his chest, his head buried in her neck. Aurora curled her arms almost possessively around his head, kissing the top of it and moaning as she felt his fingers grip her shoulders.

Slow and steady, she purposely moved to make their time together last longer. The days to come were going to be the hardest yet, and she wanted to enjoy this moment while they had it. She was already enjoying his moans of pleasure, his craving touch, the hungry kisses. She heard her name from his lips more than once and felt her body responding eagerly. It became a struggle for her to continue her deliberately slow pace as the heat began to rise. She moaned into his hair, gripping him more tightly as her body shuddered in climax, her inner self rippling around his member and causing his own euphoric end.

Breathing heavily, Yami continued to hold her tightly against him as he laid back on the bed and turned to rest her beside him. He felt her curl perfectly against his body, snuggling against his warmth. He placed several light kisses upon her forehead as he stroked her hair back away from her face. The last leg of the journey was fast approaching. He was ready to go home. He was ready to be reunited with all memory intact. He was ready to reclaim his family, his place, and his life. He knew Yugi and his friends would be leaving for Egypt soon. Yugi's father had traveled with the ancient tablet and Ishizu back to Egypt, so they would have to follow in order to complete the final step.

Yami held her tighter and nuzzled his head against hers. Soon, he thought. Soon this will all be over...

Part 4 has officially concluded.

Onward to Eternal Love Part 5: Pharoah's Fate

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