Last Night on Earth, a yu-gi-oh fanfic

I'm sure you could tell, but this one-shot was inspired by Delta Goodrem's inspirational and heartbreakingly beautiful song "Last Night on Earth".

I heard it when I was reading a Doujinshi... =^^'=

I do not own Yu-Gi-Oh or the song. (Believe me: This shit would be legit, in-your-face, denial of cannon if I did.)

~ Last Night on Earth ~

It's the last night on earth
before the great divide
My hands are shaking time was never on our side
And there's no such thing as a beautiful goodbye
As an ordinary day I prayed for you a thousand times

"Go on, your move," he whispered, eyes warm and sad.

There he was, standing before me. I closed my eyes as he willed me forward, towards the end. The end of these adventures, of late nights giggling like schoolchildren, telling secrets and reminiscing on the past. The end of our Bond. The end of Yami and I...

The end of US.

I took a deep breath, unable to hold back my tears as I sent the Silent Magician to directly attack his Lifepoints. When they counted down to zero, it was if they were a lifeforce draining from my own body. My legs buckled, and I fell to my knees, not able to stifle the sobs leaving me. Yami, my Yami, walked up.

"Congratulations! Well done," he said softly, cheerfully.

'How can he be so... happy? I've betrayed him! I'm sending him away!' I screamed internally.

He knelt down beside me, a hand falling gently to my shaking shoulder. "Yuugi, a champion does not belong on his knees," he murmured warmly, "You achieved a great victory for us both."

I whimpered, another pitiful sob escaping my lungs. I looked up to him, moisture running down my cheeks. "I was focusing so hard on playing the game that I forgot what winning this Duel would actually mean," I admitted, heart breaking. "By defeating you I've sent you away... for good."

He smiled. My heart fluttered uncomfortably. It was not an uncommon reaction to his smiles.

"No," he insisted, "You have opened the door for me! Thanks to you, my spirit can finally be at rest once again: I'll be back where I belong." I inhaled sharply, trying to control my trembling cries. 'But what if you DON'T belong there?' I wanted to selfishly shout. 'What if you belonged here, in the twenty-first century? Here! With me?!'

Yami continued, obviously unable to hear my mental pleas. "Fate brought the two of us together for a reason, and we fulfilled our destiny. We've protected mankind from the return of the Shadow Games and we've both grown tremendously along the way."

It's never enough
No matter how many times
I tried to tell you this is love

If tomorrow never comes,
I want you to know right now that I,
I'm gonna love you until the day I die
If tomorrow falls asleep, can you hold me first?
I'm gonna love you like it's the last night on earth
Like it's the last night on earth...

'I don't give a dead rat's rotting ass about mankind!' I mentally screamed. 'I LOVE YOU!'

"I'm going to miss you..." is what came from my lips instead. Instead of this crushing emotional confession, I said I would miss him. I would, don't get me wrong... but...

"You realize we'll never truely be apart, right?" he soothed, hand tightening on my shoulder. I blinked, sniffling.

"Huh?" I allow him to guide me to my feet, and he embraces me in a strong hug. I return it, trying to will the tears and hiccupping whimpers away.

"The gift of kindness you've given me and the courage I've given you will remain with us, and that will forever bind us together."

I opened my mouth to speak, when a bright light shone. "Hey, look!" Honda gasped. Jounouchi gave a surprised noise, "Hey, what's up with the Eye?" It called my attention, and I turned to see Wadjet's Eye glowing in a heavenly golden light.

Ishizu finally spoke up. "Now that the battle ritual is complete, the Eye of Wadjet that guards the door to the Spirit World has awakened, and the Spirit of the Great Pharaoh which was trapped within the Millenium Puzzle for three thousand years is now free." Yami's face briefly showed what I could only describe as pain when we looked back to one another, and I stepped back. It vanished before anyone else could notice. What... What was that about? I desperately wanted to call out to him. Beg him not to go...

I knew that I would never forget this moment.

A penny for your thoughts,
A picture so it lasts
Let's knock down the walls of immortality

His fingers brushed away, briefly over my cheek as he approached the Door to the Afterlife. I couldn't help the blush, and silently relished at the warming touch...

Your fingers on my skin,
Only you can hear my fear
Only you can help me heal
I see forever with you here

"The time has arrived: tell the Eye of Wadjet your name."

"I am the son of King Aknamkanon, my name is Atemu!" his deep, seductive voice powerfully called. I heard the calls of his friends, speaking their selfish pleas for him to stay, like I so very much wanted to.

"So that's how it ends huh?" Honda demands tearfully, "Nice! You think you can just go and change everybody's life, and then just leave?" Yami looked hurt, and I resisted the urge to slap the fool behind me.

"What Honda means is... we don't wanna say goodbye." I explained lightly, voice quiet.

Anzu spoke next. "Exactly," she affirmed, wiping at her bright blue eyes. "Pharaoh, I know walking through that door means your spirit will finally be free and it's all for the best, but it doesn't seem fair. I mean, I feel like we're all just getting to know you. In fact you were just beginning to get to know yourself, and now you're being taken away from us!" I looked down sadly at her words, and dared to gaze to my Yami. Our eyes locked, and I swear I felt my heart stop. Anzu spoke the words my heart were sobbing. "I know we should be happy for you, but it's really hard to do that when you're losing your best friend and you just don't understand why it has to be that way!"

"I guess there are some things we're not suppose to understand," Jounouchi retorted gently, "Just look at me: I go through half my life not understanding what's going on. But I know that true friends may be hard to leave, but they're impossible to forget. And even though his stay wasn't as long as we would have liked, we're lucky we knew him at all."

I felt my heart swell at my friend's words. 'Thank you, Jounouchi,' I praised him silently.

Yami smiles at me, as the blinding glow of Egypt outlined boldly behind him. I could see his friends, his family. A girl I recognized- Mana- she and I locked eyes for a moment. Her green gaze was soft with sympathy and understanding, and something... urgent. In fact- all of them were staring at me. As if begging me for something important...

'Heba.'

I froze. Where the Hell did THAT come from?

"Hey Pharaoh," Jou shouted as Yami began to walk away, "I hate to break the terrible news to ya' but you're not going anywhere, 'cause everything you've given us stays right here in our hearts!" Yami smirked, looking over at us once again.

"Right!"

I forced myself to look away from his family, and stared straight at Yami. "Like we always say," I grinned, giving him a thumbs-up, "'It's your move!"

What happened next was in a matter of seconds.

Mana stepped forward a few paces. "Heba!" she shouted, looking desperate as tears began to gather in her eyes. I stopped, smile falling. Visions... memories? flashed before my eyes.

"Hey, Heba!"

"Heba, where are you?"

"Jeez, Heba! If I didn't know any better, I'd swear you and Atemu were conjoined at the face!"

I fell to my knees with a pained cry, hands instinctively moving to clutch at my burning mind. My brain felt as if someone had taken white-hot metal to it, stabbing repeatedly. Yami stopped, eyes wide and alarmed. Then, one memory in particular came to my attention.

An Egyptian boy- was that me?- stood before a crowd of powerful-looking beings. They were tall and proud. The boy was my exact height, and had my body structure. Amethyst eyes contracted shockingly against the sun-kissed tan of Egypt's people. "Paradise is not Paradise without him," he- I- said, fighting away tears.

One of the beings, with the head of a jackal, blinked. Anubis? The one next to him, green-skinned and wearing the Red Crown, nodded slowly. The others were silent, only gazing down at me. "The Afterlife is meant to hold everything to keep a Ba and Ka happy and restful for Eternity! Well, mine can't be that. Not without Atemu."

Anubis spoke. "We are aware of your longing for your lover, young one... But what is it you are asking us to do? His spirit is sealed within the Millennium Pendant, which is now shattered. It has been this way for almost three millennia. No one has succeeded in solving it or its mysteries."

I nodded, growing solemn. "Yes, I know. But... I know him better than anyone. Please- let me be reborn to the World. Give me a second chance at life, so that I may end his suffering!" Tears began to trickle down my cheeks, but I held no shame in crying before the Gods. I loved him to much to care.

"Please," I whispered, "I can't breathe without him..."

The great Ra stood, his gaze warm and sympathetic. "If we grant your request, your mortal body will not be able to hold your past's memories. If you do manage to free Pharaoh Atemu, and send him back home... If you cannot join him, regain your lost memories, I am afraid you can never return. You will never come back to the Neter-Khet- even after you die. And you will never see your beloved, your friends or family, ever again."

I looked up boldly, hands clenching determinedly. "And if I don't go, he will be stuck in the Hell of the Shadows for the rest of eternity," I pointed out, almost feeling bitter. "I am willing to take the risk."

The mighty deity's eyes softened with compassion. "Very well," he murmured. "Then go,"

My eyes closed, as energy shot throughout my form.

"Bring him home, young Heba."

A shuddering gasp left my lips, and I looked up. The concerned faces of my friends peered over at me. At some point, I had sort of... curled into myself. I blushed with embarrassment. Yami was staring at me, frantic. "Aibou!" he called, "Yuugi, are you alright?!"

The afterglow
The horizon line
The shadows fall

I looked to him. "H-Heba..." I breathed. "M-My name is Heba."

Behind Yami, Mana grinned, face bright and happy.

I felt a disbelieving smile cross my face. "I... I remember..." I gasped quietly, joy spreading in my heart as memories of Atemu's- my... OUR past flooded into my mind. I looked up to him, eyes watering, begging him to remember. "Will... will you still be mine?" I wonder aloud.

Will you still be mine?
Will you still be mine?
Will you still be mine, I ask

"Até," I whispered, still grinning. His face flashed a vague remembrance. "My Pharaoh. My... my husband."

His eyes widened, and I heard our friends gasp loudly.

"Yuugi..." he mumbled, blinking as if to focus his vision. His lips slowly parted in a grin. "He-Heba." I couldn't help but giggle, tears turning joyful. I had succeeded. I was bringing my lover home. "Heba! My Queen," he laughed, face wide with unfathomable joy and pure love, "Habibi!"

I shot to my feet, arms outstretched as I raced to his side. "Atemu!" He spread his own wide and I crashed into his chest, a mess of laughter and tears. He buried his head into my hair, and I wrapped my arms around his neck. "I-I did it!" I sobbed, "I freed you! I br-brought you home with m-me!"

I heard someone clear their throat, and turned to see Jou eyeing me expectantly. "Wanna explain what's goin' on here, Yuug'?" he asked a but impatiently. I looked over to Ishizu, who smiled in relief, and bowed slightly. "The Pharaoh Atemu had a lover back in ancient Egypt," she explained, "His former personal slave, named Heba. Atemu released him from his lowly slave's rank, and wedded him days after his coronation, making the boy his Queen.

"After the Pharaoh sealed his and Zorc's souls away into the Items, Heba passed away from grief. He was embalmed and laid to rest in his and Atem's tomb, hidden in the Valley of the Kings. He waited almost three millennia, waiting for his beloved to return to him. One day, he went to the Gods, Themselves, and made a bargain. He would be reincarnated on Earth, to find his lover, and free him from the Puzzle's Darkness. His past memories were wiped away. If Heba could not regain his own memories with Atemu after the Ceremonial Duel, he would be barred away from the Afterlife for eternity... Never to see the ones he loved again."

They all stared at me. Jounouchi blinked, looking deeply saddened and nervous. "S-So... Your real name is... Heba, Yuug'?" he asked. I nodded slowly, arms still around my beloved. After so long... we were finally together again. I feared that this would all be a cruel dream to wake from if I loosened my grip.

"So, my boy..." I turned my head to the man who raised me: My Grandfather. "I suppose this means you will be returning to the Afterlife with the Pharaoh, then?" He blinks, smiling a bittersweet smile, tears beginning to gather in his eyes. I hesitate, but nod. I pause, looking up at my love. He nods, smiling comfortingly.

I race over to the man I have looked to as a father for the majority of my second life, and wrap him in a tight hug. His thick arms envelope me tightly, and our tears flow freely. "I'm sorry, Jii-chan... But..." he pulls away, holding me at an arm's length. "Don't be. You belong with him, Yuugi. You belong in the past, just as much as he does." I smile softly, wiping away tears.

He smiled back. "Go... Heba," he murmured supportively. I embrace him once more.

"Thank you, Grandpa..." I whisper. Stepping back, I stumble as Anzu throws her arms around my shoulders. I return the hug firmly. My other friends, Jounouchi and Honda, quickly join. I stepped back, and stared each of them straight in the eye. I sweep my gaze over the others, smiling again. "Thank you..." I murmur, "Thank you for helping me, and being my friends."

Honda rubbed the back of his neck, as if uncomfortable. "So this is the end?" he asked, "Feels weird..."

"Yeah," Jou muttered, looking as if he'd drawn a blank.

Seto scoffed. "Well, what were you geeks expecting?"

Jou shrugged, smirking. "Fireworks... Sappy music... something!" he joked sadly, "At least make one of your little wrap-up speeches, Yuugi- er, Heba!"

I laugh, grinning widely. "Well, sometimes the end of ONE adventure is just the beginning of another!" I obliged.

Jou chuckled. "Ahh... Much better!"

I give them all a thumbs-up, which everyone returns. "Be safe, Heba!" they called.

I turned back to Atemu. My lover. My everything. I raced back to him, and press my lips against his once more in a mind-blowing kiss. I feel him tilt his head downwards to deepen our intimate embrace, and a heavenly wind sweeps through the tomb we are standing in. I can sense Their approval as They watch on.

After three thousand years... We were going back Home.

I turn one last time to my friends. "I'll see you all, when you come back home, too!" I grin. I get puzzled looks. "Jono, Teana, Hondo, Isis, Mariku, Bakura, Siamun!" Ishizu blinked, and smiled softly. She bowed once again.

"I bid the a peaceful Afterlife until our return, my King, my Queen."

I grin, and hooked my left arm around Atem's right. And together, we walked towards the light, our modern clothing flowing and morphing to that of ancient Egyptian royals. I lean against his strong form, as he signals "all is well" with our trademark thumbs-up. I watch as our friends and family race forwards to meet us, and the doors slide closed, sealing away the Future we once dwelled in.

There is something special about a story about a Pharaoh, but everyone has his or her own story. And this is a story that ends in the Light. And... My story is just beginning.

Because now We are Home, where We belong.

If tomorrow never comes,
I want you to know right now that I,
I'm gonna love you until the day I die
If tomorrow falls asleep, can you hold me first?
I'm gonna love you like it's the last night on Earth
Like it's the last night on Earth...
Like it's the last night on Earth...

YAY! FLUFFY, ADORABLE, BITTERSWEET PLOT-BUNNIES!

I LOVE how this one-shot turned out :D

I know people usually put Atem choosing to stay in the modern world, or Yuugi sneaking through the door after him... But I decided, 'What if Yuugi was really from the past, as well? As Heba? And that's why he was destined to get the Puzzle and free Atemu?'

So, my own little twist! :D

Yuugi is now an adorable, tan Egyptian called Heba! ^O^

Review please!