Chapter XVI: Epilogue

Oh, my goodness! It's been far too long since I updated this tale. And I know many of you have been wondering when Whisper would finally conclude. I never forget about stories; I do, however, need something intangible to finish them. Fortunately, that inspiration has come. It is with great pride and mixed pleasure that I bring you the finale to Whisper.

As usual, I don't own the Yu-Gi-Oh franchise. I just play in the universe and play around with different ideas. Thanks!

On August 24, 2006, Yugi Muto smiled to himself as he buttoned his white dress shirt in small room off the sanctuary of a small church. It had been over a month since he left Domino Children's Hospital and with the help of his family and friends, he had been able to come to terms with Atem leaving him. Life moved on, and so could Yugi. As he put on a violet tie and then a dark gray suit jacket, he reflected not for the first time that life was pretty good.

His thoughts were broken into by a shout. "Stupid pants!" the groom exclaimed, fitting himself into a pair of dark suit pants. Evidently, the barbeque rehearsal dinner from last night had made it a little bit difficult to button the pants. "I should get Mai…"

"Joey, if you hadn't eaten the potato salad and three racks of pork ribs, they wouldn't be so tight," Seto Kaiba pointed out with a slight groan. He, Tristan and Duke had been charged with keeping the groom from going to find the bride. She had left strict instructions that her husband-to-be was not to see her before she came down the aisle. "And she wants you to be surprised when you see her dress."

"Yeah, Joey," the bride's brother reminded Joey. "Besides, you got your pants on," he noted.

Joey buttoned the fly of his pants, zipped them up and got his tie on. "Yuge," he began with a smile. But then for some reason, his brown eyes got suspiciously bright. The smaller young man moved close to his best friend and the blonde knelt to hug him. It took a moment for Joey to compose himself, but he managed it quickly. "I'm… glad you're here, man," he said finally, pulling back to look right into his surrogate little brother's eyes. "I couldn't have stood it if you weren't."

Yugi grinned back, trying to make sure his friend didn't get too emotional. "Thanks, Joey… And I'm glad to be here too."

About twenty minutes later, Yugi stood at the front of the sanctuary next to his best friend. Joey had elected to have co-best men instead of a best man and groomsmen. And so Yugi and Tristan stood at Joey's side, waiting for the bride to make her appearance. Teá and Serenity, Mai's co-maids of honor, also stood at their places. In the pews were the Kaiba brothers, their bodyguards and Kisara, Elizabeth Wheeler, Duke, Rebecca and Arthur Hawkins and Valon, Raphael and Alister. It was a small wedding, but it was exactly what Joey and Mai wanted.

Yugi looked up at his best friend, noticing just how pale he'd gotten. "Joey, are you okay?" he whispered urgently.

"Y-yeah… Just th-thinkin', man. This is big…"

"Bigger than when Seto offered you that job?"

"Yeah. I still can't believe he gave it to me… But now… Man… I don't know if I can do this…" Joey was in training with Seto himself for a job in Kaiba Corp's airline division. He wasn't at liberty to discuss his eventual position, but for some reason, he was excited. All he would say was that the job would more than take care of him and Mai.

"Keep it together, Joey," Yugi soothed him. "You can do this, and I know you're going to be a great husband to my sister. Atem believed in you too. And I know he's watching us today."

Joey actually managed a smile at that. "Thanks, man…"

And then the doors at the back of the church opened. Mai walked in on her grandfather's arm. She wore a floor-length strapless empire-waist white crepe dress with a delicate silver design embroidered at her belly. Her hair was loose and she wore a silver tiara on her head. She was smiling and her face was glowing with love. Solomon strode beside her, dressed in a navy blue suit, white dress shirt and dark tie.

Today was a happy day, Yugi reflected again. I have a sister and she's getting married. I'll have a brother-in-law, and he was like my brother in the first place. I would've missed all this… Atem, if you're watching, I'm going to be okay. In his mind, he could see Atem in the pews, smiling. I'll see you again someday, brother. And then, the wedding began as did the rest of Yugi's life.

THE END

Thank you, everyone, for your patience with this story. It's been nearly 2 years since I started this tale, and I am glad to have finished. I hope you have enjoyed it. If you're considering taking your life, please seek help. As always, I would enjoy a review from you. Thank you again, and see you around.