Note: At last, the moment you have been waiting for! I would like to thank everyone who has reviewed this wonderful story of mine, notably luckygirl777, JustJos16, and most of all Kelekiah Galadrian! Thank you so much! And now, the conclusion of "The Dark Magician's Trap"! Enjoy!

Chapter 23: The First Sight of Love

Atem's milky-veiled eyes widened in astonishment and for a moment his mouth hung open. He could not believe what he had just heard! To think that all this time, Shield the sea turtle was really… "You…?" Atem finally gasped at the woman in front of him, "Y-y-you mean—You're Princess Nimea?!"

Again Nimea chuckled sweetly. "That's right." she said, "I am Princess Nimea, firstborn daughter of Pharaoh Setna."

"Why didn't you tell me?" Atem asked in a soft tone.

"You didn't ask." Nimea replied, "So I guess that means we're even."

"Oh, Nimea!" Atem said.

"What's wrong Atem?" Nimea asked in concern, "You're shaking."

"I never thought that I would actually say this in my entire life!" Atem said, "I almost forgot that you weren't really a sea turtle, so when I made my wish on the Siren's Pearl and you went through the process of returning to your true form, I…" Once again the tears began to flow. "I was so scared! So scared and alone! Nimea, I thought I lost you!"

Nimea smiled, and she took Atem's hand in both of hers. Then as they both stood up, Nimea said to him, "Atem, you have no need to be lonely or afraid. No matter what form I take, I shall never leave you! When Anzu and I came of age, We began our lives of adventure. I became the bold princess you now call 'The Daring Huntress', while Anzu gained the title of 'The Dancing Explorer'. On that day, I promised myself that I would not settle down until I find a man who has a noble heart and is just as daring as myself!" Nimea lifted one hand to wipe away the remaining tears. "When I first saw you as Shield the sea turtle, my heart started dancing like never before. Something in my heart told me that you're the one, the one that I was looking for! And it was right! By risking your life to save me and the treasure hunters, you proved to me that you have the courage, that you have the determination, and that you have the noble heart that is the perfect match to my boldness!" Soon, her own tears of joy started to flow. "My heart knew it, even before I did… and that's why when I first saw you, I had fallen in love with you. It's true, Atem. I love you. And I want you to have me as your wife."

"Nimea, I…" Atem said, "I love you too. But I'm blind! Are you sure you want to have a blind man like me for a husband?"

"Atem, I don't care if you're blind or not." Nimea said, and then she put her hand upon his heart. "You have the heart of a true hero, and I love you for the man that lies within that heart."

"Well, go on Atem!" Yugi said with a mischievous smirk, "Kiss her already!" This made Atem blush furiously.

"Yugi, way to ruin the moment!" Atem shouted.

"And that's for teasing me about Anzu!" Yugi said back, earning giggles from Jonouchi and Honda.

"Why you little--" Atem said shaking a fist.

"Oh, Anzu! You finally found your future husband!" Nimea said, referring to Yugi.

"Nimea!!" Anzu said, her cheeks turning a bright pink color. Seth simply shook his head at the sight. Just then Kisara came by with her father.

"Papa, this is Seth, the High Priest of the Desert Kingdom's royal family." Kisara introduced.

"Ah, so you're the one among those who saved me!" the peasant farmer said.

"Pleased you meet you Sir." Seth replied, shaking the farmer's hand.

"The honor is mine." Said the farmer. "How could I ever repay you for the brave deeds you have done?"

"Well, to be honest," Seth said, "I ask for nothing in return."

"I see," the farmer said, "Well then let me ask you this: What do you feel about my daughter?" The question took the High Priest by surprise, and he blushed when he looked at Kisara. Kisara blushed likewise. "It's all right, you can be honest with me." reassured the farmer.

"Well, I… I…" Seth stuttered, not knowing what to say. Upon seeing this, the farmer turned to his daughter.

"Kisara," he said, "What do you feel about Seth?" Kisara let out a small gasp, looked at her father and then back at Seth.

"Papa," she finally said, "Seth… he means the world to me. He gave me comfort when I got worried about you, Papa, and he chased away all the fears that I ever had. To put in simple terms… I love him."

Seth stared in amazement before he took the peasant girl's hand. "Kisara! Th-that's what I was going to say about you!"

"Really?!" Kisara said.

"Yes!" Seth said, "I love you, Kisara!"

The peasant farmer let out a hearty laugh. "In that case Seth," he said, "you can have Kisara's hand in marriage!"

"Huh?!" Seth said in astonishment, "Me? Marry Kisara? Are you sure you'll let me do that?"

"Do you really mean it Papa?" Kisara said, her eyes sparkling, "Can I really marry Seth?"

"Ha ha, ha, why of course!" said the farmer, "With his status as High Priest, you're guaranteed to live a better life than that of a peasant! And besides, if this isn't true love, I don't know what is! So what do you think Seth?"

"Why, I would be honored to marry your daughter!" Seth said happily.

"Oh thank you Papa, thank you!" Kisara said, hugging her proud father before she and Seth embraced each other and gave a passionate kiss.

Suddenly the scenes were interrupted by the sound of cheering by the river. "Fish!" someone called out, "Strange fish have made it to shore!" All at once, fishermen spilled into the courtyard. In their nets, flapping miserably were tons of strange sea creatures. And among them were… a swordfish with three heads… and a red eel!

"It's the other treasure hunters!" Nimea said in astonishment, "The same ones I've tried to save!" Soon all of those fish fell out of the nets and they too started glowing. One by one, each sea creature returned to their true form, that of human beings. The courtyard was filled with the joyous sound of families reunited with loved ones, and they embraced each other crying tears of joy and shouting praises to their gods. Finally, only two sea creatures remained. The three heads of the swordfish that was Otogi merged together and vanished and in their place was the single head of a young man. And right before the astonished crowd Otogi gave one last jerk and changed back to his human shape. His bronze scale mail breastplate had become green with rust, and the blades on his shield no longer spun in the wind, having been destroyed in his fight with the brainwashed Mahaad.

"Otogi!" Atem said, detecting the soldier with his echolocation, "Welcome back!"

Otogi looked over at Atem and smiled. "Thank you so much for saving me Prince Atem! No doubt you deserve the Daring Huntress more than I do! I salute you!"

Now only the eel Ryou was left, wriggling alone on the ground. In his excitement, he twisted himself into a knot. Everyone sweatdropped. "He sure looks like he's having a good time." Shizuka said as she watched him untie himself. But finally, Ryou too changed back to his rightful human form. The tomb robber's clothes were full of holes, and he had lost his crown, much to the general's dismay. A fringe of seaweed hung from the top of his red robe, and from its sleeves. When he looked up at the two Pharaohs, everyone noticed that his cheeks were swollen!

"Gah!" Honda said, his eyes widening in shock, "Jonouchi look! Does he have mumps?!"

"Ugh!! He better not have caught some contagious disease!" Mai shrieked, waving her hands and backing away, "Get him away from me!" The fishermen also backed away from him, as suddenly, he gave a muffled chuckle. Ryou then put his hand in his mouth and very carefully he took something out of it. He gave a satisfied smirked and a wink as he held up the object for all to see. Everyone gasped in wonder.

"I don't believe it!" Mahaad said.

"Can this be?" Yugi gasped, "Another Siren's Pearl?!" Indeed it was, as big as a goose's egg, and glowing like a miniature full moon.

"Bingo!" Ryou said proudly. "You observe well Prince Yugi!"

"So the second Siren's Pearl really does exist!" Nimea said, "I had planned to find that pearl and use it to give Anzu a trip to the moon and back after I save the treasure hunters!"

"Really?!" Anzu said to her sister, "Why that's so sweet of you!"

"Long life and health to you, Your Majesties!" Ryou said to Akunumkanon and Setna, "Allow me to explain. Ever since the terrible day Dartz changed me into an eel, I was beginning to despair. Yet deep inside, I wanted to get another chance to take a Siren's Pearl from a giant oyster." He looked at Atem and his friends, "When this brave blind prince and his stalwart companions succeeded where everyone else had failed, I was filled with hope and encouragement! I remembered Dartz talking about a second Siren'' Pearl that has yet to be located, so as soon as that nomarch was defeated, I left the cave in search of the oyster that held it. And what do you know? I actually found that oyster!"

"I can see that." Yugi said, "You got the proof!"

"But how did you get it?" Atem asked.

"I noticed how this particular oyster was used to the presence of fish," Ryou explained, "So it ignored me as I got close to it. I remember clearly that you, Yugi, put something in between the shells of the oyster in the cave so it won't shut. I thought to myself, 'why couldn't I do the same with this one?' so I looked for a stone, and when I found it I carried it in my mouth and slipped it on the edge of the oyster's bottom shell, close to the hinge in fact. It worked! No matter how hard it tried, it could not close its shell, so I was easily able to slip inside and grab the Pearl. Slippery as an eel, and I even looked the part, and I still managed to perform the greatest heist in the history of my career! I removed the stone once I got it of course." Ryou hung his head. "Still, I couldn't make a wish until I could get back to shore, which would be next to impossible if you're an eel. Despair once again filled my heart. It seemed that I would die in the sea after all." But then he looked up at Atem and smiled. "But today, because of you Atem, I was saved! I don't know what to do to thank you!" But then the tomb robber looked at the Siren's Pearl and stopped. "Wait!" he said, a secret smile appearing on his face, "I take it back. There is something I can do!" Ryou closed his eyes and held the Siren's Pearl in front of him. "Pearl of the Sirens, hear my call." And once again the Pearl's glow became brighter and brighter. "Behold this prince, a great hero among heroes! With the help of his friends, he risked his own life to save us all from a terrible fate! Yet there is one thing that ails him: from the moment he was born, he was cursed with a thick black sheet of darkness that has kept him from seeing the world, its beautiful colors and its fantastic shapes. For so many years, it has brought shame to his otherwise noble heart." Atem's milky-veiled eyes widened as Ryou opened his and lifted the Siren's Pearl upward. "So hear my wish, Pearl of the Sirens: break the curse that has tormented him for so long! Lift away the mists of blindness, and bestow upon him a pair of perfect eyes!" Once again, the Siren's Pearl loudly exploded in a dazzling flash of light, only this time, two rays of light shot out and struck Prince Atem right in the eyes! He let out a shout of pain as he covered his eyes with his hands and staggered.

"Atem!" Nimea shouted in worry, and she ran to him and held him in front of her. "Atem are you all right?" For a moment Atem gave no reply, and his body shook. Then slowly, he uncovered his still-closed eyes. They squinted at first, but then they became more relaxed; the pain had vanished as quickly as it came. The sound of his own breathing echoed in the courtyard. "Atem?" Nimea said. For what felt like the longest time, he stood still. Then, slowly but surely, Atem opened his eyes. An excited smile began to appear on Nimea's face when she looked into the prince's eyes. From a short distance, Jonouchi and Honda let out a gasp of surprise, as did Seth, and Yugi. And no wonder: The milky white veil that covered Atem's eyes was gone! Gray pupils had become a brilliant black, the crimson irises bright and vibrant, and they were shining! But that's not the only change that was occurring. The moment Atem opened his eyes, colors began to break the darkness he knew so long and dance in front of him. He was astonished! All his life, he had felt colors, but he had never seen colors before, or anything else for that matter!

"Nimea!" he said, "What's happening?"

"Atem!" Nimea said joyfully, "Your eyes!" At this very moment, the colors in front of him began to gather together. Shapes began to form. At first, everything was blurry. But slowly, the image became more and more clear. Finally, when his new vision was fully clear, Atem bore witness to the very first sight of his life: The beautiful face of the Daring Huntress, Princess Nimea. Atem's eyes widened in amazement. He squeezed them shut, then opened them again, unable to believe that he wasn't dreaming. But it was no dream; the Blind Prince was blind no more.

"Nimea?" Atem asked reaching out to touch her face. That was when he saw his own hand. Before long, he was looking at both hands, then at his body all with wonder. Then he looked back at the Daring Huntress.

"Oh Atem! Look at your eyes! The milky white veil that covered them is gone!" Nimea said. Then she took out a strange object and put the handle in the prince's hand. She directed that hand until the reflective surface was right in front of his face. At first, Atem was confused.

"What is this?" he asked.

"It's a mirror." Nimea replied, "People use this to look at their own faces. This is how they look at themselves." Atem once again looked at the image in the reflective surface of the mirror.

"So the man… staring back at me…" Atem said, "That's me?"

"Yes." Nimea replied. Atem stared long at his reflection, and he watched it as he touched his hair. Then he slowly looked up, and was filled with wonder as his now lively eyes scanned his friends and family for the first time in his life.

"Yugi?" Atem said, and his twin brother let out a small gasp of joy, his eyes misting with happy tears ready to flow any minute. "Seth?" Seth's eyes widened at the sight of his cousin's eyes, and he gave a silent prayer of thanks. "Anzu?" The Dancing Explorer began to cry out of joy for him. "Jonouchi? Honda?" Jonouchi and Honda stared at Atem, their mouths wide open in amazement. Atem now looked over to the Dark Magician and his new apprentice. "Mahaad? Mana?"

"Oh by the gods of the desert!" Mana gasped, ready to cry tears of joy herself. Atem looked around and saw even more friends: Shizuka, Kisara, Mai, Otogi, and of course, Ryou.

"Blessed Mother!" Akunumkanon said, gaining the attention of his firstborn son. Atem turned. For the longest time, he stared at his father, slowly walking towards him. Pharaoh Akunumkanon lifted his hands and gently cradled Atem's head to look at his eyes, no longer obscured by swirls of white. The tears of joy were flowing from the old man's eyes by the time he let go. Atem blinked once.

"Father…" he said and before long, he started to smile. "I can see you…!" He spun around and looked at his friends again. "I can see all of you! Everything! I'm not blind anymore! I can see!"

"Atem! Oh Atem!" Yugi cried and ran up and hugged his elder brother. He sobbed, but it was because he was overwhelmed with happiness. Atem gladly returned the hug, his own happiness a match to that of Yugi's. "This is the happiest day of my life!" Yugi said, "You can see me! You can see me!"

Atem looked up from his embrace. "I wonder…" he let go of his brother, and then ran over to the outside of the palace. Atem let out a gasp. Mud brick buildings the color of the desert sand dotted the banks of the gorgeous river that flowed between them. Palm trees swayed in the breeze and where the river spilled away, the waves of the ocean crashed and receded against the white beach. And in the sky, there were shades of violet, red, pink, orange, and gold as the sun was starting to sink into the horizon. At that moment, Nimea stepped by the prince.

"This is my kingdom Atem," she said, "it's just a small part of the world which we live in. What do you think of it?"

"It's beautiful!" Atem said, shedding his own tears of joy, "It's more beautiful than I ever imagined!" Then he turned toward Nimea, and slowly took her into his embrace. "But you know what? All of this does not compare… to the radiance that I can now see in your eyes. I finally understand… what it means to fall in love at first sight. Because when I saw you, my love for you has become even stronger than it ever has before!"

A blushing Nimea shed tears of joy, as her heart danced, and she came closer to her beloved. "Even with your new eyes, my love for you remains strong." She said in a hushed tone, "Please Atem, let me say it again. I beg you… to have me as your wife!"

"Then say no more." Atem replied, "For in due time, it shall be done." And with that he and Nimea let their lips make contact in a kiss. It was a wonderful feeling. And it seemed the crowd agreed, for they were cheering for the happy lovers. Eventually they parted from the kiss in order to breathe.

"Hey Atem!" Jonouchi said, "What about the rest of the reward? You know, the twelve silos of grain and half the Delta?"

Atem smiled at his friend. "I don't want what I already have. But I don't want it to go to waste. So I'm going to divide the land into three, each one holding four silos of grain."

"Split it in three?" Honda asked in confusion.

"That's right." Atem said, "And on the day of my wedding with Nimea, I will give them away as a gift for three more special guests. The first piece of the reward… will belong to Otogi." Otogi gasped in astonishment as the Prince continued, "The second piece will belong to Mai and her troupe."

"Oh my God!" Mai gasped in astonishment.

"No way!" Jonouchi said, embracing his sweetheart, "This is awesome!"

"And the third piece," Atem concluded, "will belong to Ryou." Ryou stared in awe as the Prince smiled at him. "Consider it my reward for giving me my sight." he said to the soon to be ex-tomb robber, "May it help you get started in your new life as an honest man."

There were tears in Ryou's eyes as he fell to his knees and bowed low. "Oh, thank you, thank you!" Ryou gasped.

"It's to know that half of the Delta is in good hands now." Siamun sighed in relief, "But what about the other half of the kingdom?"

"I know just what to do with that." Setna said, "Yugi will become its next Pharaoh."

Yugi and Anzu looked at Pharaoh Setna in surprise as did Atem and Nimea. "What?" Yugi gasped, "Y-you want… me… to rule the Delta? But-but, I don't know if I'm fit to do such a thing!"

"Of course you are!" Setna said, "You were more than capable of protecting my youngest daughter from harm, and you spent more time here in this palace than anywhere else because of her. What makes you think you can't rule this land as king?"

"I agree with Setna." Akunumkanon said, "You've grown up so much since you left the kingdom of the Desert with your elder brother. Please accept Setna's gift."

"Father…" Yugi said, but then Anzu stepped up in front of him.

"Yugi, I believe in you." Anzu said, "If you have any difficulty, you always have me to help you. Become my Pharaoh Yugi. We'll rule the Delta together while Atem rules the Desert."

Yugi looked deep into her eyes, and all at once, his doubts vanished. He smiled. "If that is your wish Anzu," Yugi said, "Then I shall grant it! I'll do my best to watch over the Delta when the time comes! And you Anzu, will be by my side as my wife!" Anzu smiled as he turned to Atem saying, "Did you hear that Atem? I get to be a Pharaoh too!"

"I guess this means that in due time, a double wedding is in order!" Atem said.

"Long life and health to the Daring Huntress and the Dancing Explorer! Long life and health to our twin heroes, Atem and Yugi!" the crowd cheered. As they celebrated, Setna and Akunumkanon looked at each other. The two Pharaohs smiled, and they shook each other's hand in friendship.

The days passed by, then weeks, then months. With the help of Princess Nimea, Prince Atem adapted to his new sense of sight. He continued to train his supernatural senses as he had before and to his delight, instead of dwindling, they were enhanced with his arrival of his sight, especially in dark places.

A few days after returning to the Desert kingdom, Seth married Kisara, making her his beloved royal priestess. Meanwhile, Mahaad went though the induction ceremony and became a full-fledged priest. Mana's training started soon after, and she learned many new spells. On one point, Mana proved to be a source of great frustration for Mahaad, but on the whole, he was proud of her. And indeed, Mana enjoyed her new life as a future magician, and highly preferred it to the life of a kitchen maid. She wouldn't want it any other way.

A few months after all that, Jonouchi and Mai married and set up a new troupe of performers. The couple had become an instant sensation from the day of their very first performance together. It was during that time that Honda started dating the basket weaver Shizuka, much to Jonouchi's annoyance.

Almost a single year had passed, and the love Atem and Nimea felt for each other grew even stronger than before. The same is said for Yugi and Anzu. Finally, that special day came for both of them. The double wedding of the twins was the cause for great celebration for both kingdoms. And in the banquet that followed, The twin princes were given their greatest wedding gift from their father and their father-in-law: their coronations. Thus was fulfilled the dreams of the twins. Prince Atem and Prince Yugi had now become Pharaoh Atem (of the Desert), and Pharaoh Yugi (of the Delta). The two kingdoms had been strong allies ever since. Both of the new Pharaohs look forward to a long rule of peace and prosperity.

For the time being, Nimea was content to stay at her new home with Atem and help him rule his kingdom. Anzu was just as content staying at home, now that she had Yugi by her side. There's no doubt that both couples have a very happy ending.

Or rather, a happy ending that will lead to another exciting new beginning.

For of course, there's also no doubt that in the near future, the Daring Huntress and Dancing Explorer would rise to action again, this time with their beloved husbands by their side. And oh, what stories they will make together!

But until then, Nimea and Anzu are known by their new titles: For Nimea, it is "The Hearthkeeper"; and for Anzu, it is simply, "The Dancer".

The End

Note: There you have it! My work on this story is done! Again. thank you for reading "The Dark Magician's Trap"! Now it's time for me to work on "Blue Eyes White Mermaid", since I'm getting some ideas on how to fill in this annoying gap. And It's also time to write some new stories and post them in the future. Until next time!