He smiled softly to himself. He had beaten Yami… no, Atem… in the Ceremonial Battle and given him a body of his own. After all of this time, Atem could finally live the life that had been taken from him.
Atem walked up to him. "Yugi… thank you."
An intolerably bright light shone around the former Pharaoh, forcing Yugi to shield his eyes from the resurrection. When Yugi finally looked up, there was Atem, looking just as he was when they were dueling. Only now it was permanent.
Atem smiled warmly at Yugi and was about to speak when Joey, in his typical blunt attitude, burst in. "So this means ya get ta stay wit us! Dis is awesome!"
"Yeah, man, think of all the stuff we can introduce you to!" said Tristan.
"Ya got pizza, action adventure movies…" said Joey.
"Chocolate, Christmas, those cute cheerleaders at school…" Tristan broke in.
"Shut up, both of you!" scolded Tea, exasperated.
Atem chuckled. "It's alright. I'm looking forward to experiencing more things in this modern era."
"So Atem, are you ready for your next adventure?" Yugi asked.
Atem looked at everyone around him. Yugi and the rest of the gang, the Ishtars, Duke, Grandpa, Bakura, and the Kaibas… they had all become his friends. And even though this world was foreign to him, he knew that all of friends would be right behind him.
"Let's go home."
Yugi lay on the deck on their boat to the airport. He was alone; everyone else was asleep.
He gazed at the brightly twinkling Egyptian stars. "I wonder what's going to happen now?" he asked himself. "All this time, we've all been searching for Atem's memory. Now that we've found it, what will we do? Live a normal life?"
Yugi sighed, and he wasn't sure if it was from exasperation or relief. "After everything I've seen, can I live a normal life?"
He chuckled. "At least my grades will go back up. Thank goodness it's summer vacation…"
More moments passed, and Yugi nearly dozed off as he reclined peacefully on the smooth wood. It was very warm, so sleeping outside would have been comfortable.
"I wonder if Atem will like school…" he mused, before his thoughts were interrupted.
"Yugi?" Tea asked, walking up beside him. She was clad in soft pink shorts and a tank top. "What are you doing up?"
Yugi sat up to look at her. "Just thinking…"
"Trying to get used to alone time?" she asked. Of course, she was right. The silence, the emptiness in his head, was disconcerting.
He nodded. "I'll get used to it eventually."
"Just like you got used to a person in your mind all the time?" she asked. Again, she was right. He had felt uncomfortably exposed after he knew that Atem was sharing his body. For the first few months, anyway.
"It's strange. Everything has changed so much since last year."
"I know. Just look at you, Yugi. You're taller, you're more mature, you're a better duelist, and…" her voice trailed off. "You're sixteen now."
He smiled. "Yeah... and you'll be sixteen in just a few months now."
"Don't get all smug because you're three months older, Yugi!" she said defensively. "We all know I could kick your butt in a fight."
He giggled. Tea had always made him laugh, ever since they had met in 2nd grade.
"I wonder what Atem would say if he saw you out here." Tea said, sitting down behind her.
"What's that supposed to mean?" he asked.
"Come on, Yugi. It's your first night apart and you're out here thinking."
"I was thinking."
"That's not what I meant." she said seriously. "You and Atem are separate now. You have to be careful not to grow apart."
He didn't respond. She went on. "You can be an extreme introvert sometimes. But Atem isn't going to be there in your head to hear all of your thoughts. You're going to have to share them if you want to stay as close as you are."
He nodded. She was right again; this was like a record for one conversation.
"No secrets?" she asked.
"No secrets."
She nodded, smiling. "Did you want to sleep out here or are you going back to bed?"
"It's too hot for covers!" He moaned, throwing an arm over his eyes.
She laughed. "Then I'll see you tomorrow. Are you going to tell Atem what you were thinking about tonight when he finds you here in the morning?"
"Yes, ma'am."