Zorrrrrrrc! (Part 2)

The Border Between the Afterlife

The sands of the afterlife. Atem knew them so well. He started to walk, looking for her. "Masika!" Hmm. He kept walking and then saw his kingdom ahead. Grandpa had said he was gone from it. Was everyone else? He called out again for her as his part of the pendant started to shine.

There was no horse this time. He walked the distance the puzzle was signaling. Trust in the pendant. The afterlife wasn't the real world, he just needed to keep faith that he could find her. "Masika!" He called out. He kept trudging through the sands, unable to tell how much time was passing.

It could have been minutes. Hours. Years. The afterlife, time always felt so different. Doing nothing but endlessly walking in sand. He called out again. "Masika!"

There, he heard her. A small smile formed on his face. Life's not over yet for her. Which direction? He called her name again and heard her ahead.

When he first found out about the old Atem, the one that used to be him and Yuugi combined, he was not surprised by the outcome of what he had heard about the parallels between them. The whole of Atem had loved the whole of Masika.

Atem already knew Yuugi and Anzu were meant to be, almost as long as he met him. He could feel it. He felt it within Yuugi. Anzu back then wasn't ready at all, but now her heart had blossomed for his other self. They were destined for each other.

They were the parts of the ancient Atem, that once shared love with the ancient Masika. A bond that was unbreakable.

Atem's bond to the current Masika was different. He had no idea if a romantic love was in there itself, but he knew he felt something different ever since he knew her. Ever since their first game. Ever since that date where he was trying to get her to sacrifice herself.

Each time she accomplished something new, felt something new, he delighted in it as much as he did his own. There was a sense of protection, of caring that he just didn't understand yet. One that he mostly ignored, only letting it seep in casually. Especially since she was such good friends with the Bandit Thief King of all people.

A mere night's span, and he felt the disconnection. He felt changed. Even his appearance had changed more to his time of separation in the puzzle, before he could speak to Yuugi.

Atem could see a figure ahead, but it wasn't clear. He pressed onward toward the figure. It had to be her. "Masika?"

"Atem." That voice was not Masika's, but it actually used his name. Not part of Atem or Spirit or Spirit Trapped in Human's Body.

He turned and saw a deity he hadn't seen yet. Part hippo, lion and crocodile, but with a human base between. That had to be. "Tawaret." Another goddess.

He disappeared and then found himself right outside the stone area that once held Mahado and the Millennium Stone. Right where she should be. "Masika?"

"Atem." Her voice.

Atem went inside and . . .she was there, wearing a similar cloak as him, but no other clothes. Not even a gold robe like Anzu.

"Atem. You came." She lifted her gaze toward him. "We have Tawaret to thank for protection, but there is something sinister afoot."

"I guessed as much." Atem looked at her again. "I collect you as mine, and you are now my wife." He would get it official before she came down this time. Maybe Set had suspected he lied and he was hiding her away until he knew for sure? "It's officially declared. I am your Pharaoh, and Set cannot own you."

She didn't really respond. She already knew about the lie last time. It only made sense he would make it come true.

Masika was mostly covered up, yet she wasn't clinging to the robe like Anzu would. She spoke to him as casual as if she were wearing full proper clothes. That was because she was lower class Egyptian. She had fewer clothes if any.

She didn't have to remember everything for her inner self to feel like that. It was just like him. Before Yuugi met him, he dressed differently. As soon as the first night he arrived, Atem felt the privilege and desire to deal with that Ushio man. Not remembering a thing of his life, he did desire something more though. He went looking through Yuugi's things and found a neck collar trapped away. He could feel how much better it was to wear it.

Though fashion statements of Yuugi's modern times were different than his, he wore Yuugi down to wearing more of his fashion slowly. Because he was Egyptian. Even his jacket, he preferred to wear it as a cape. ///Atem: Why am I dwelling on any of this? What does any of this matter right . . . now.///

"Honda found me here. I might have died if he didn't give his cloak up for me. He was a brave man being a hero at the end."

It was him or her. ///Atem: That sounds like Honda./// At least they couldn't use him in their plans anymore. "Come. Everyone is waiting on the other side."

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DIMENSION: MANGA (The One That Saves the Day)

KaibaCorp

Anzu couldn't help but wrinkle her nose playfully at Hikaru. She should have known it would be fine. It wasn't easy to take out Satiah. ///Anzu: I don't even know why I fretted. Everyone tries to do something against her, or she tries to help and it's supposed to end her, and it never does. She's just invincible.///

"Are you eager for Masika to see him?" Yuugi asked.

"Not really. We don't? Well, um." Oh heck, she should just tell Yuugi. "Masika's husbands had kids. Lots of them, and . . . whenever they did something wrong, they blamed it on Masika. If it was proved to be them, then we'd still get the blame for not raising them correctly." Anzu shrugged. "There was no winning against those brats. They often got in trouble, just to get her in trouble." Anzu stared at Hikaru. "He's so fascinating though, so maybe she'll be happier about this one."

"Hikaru is a good baby," Yuugi agreed. "I'm sure she'll get to know him and like him too."

"Yep." Anzu handed her over to Yuugi. "Here. I want to give her a great big bear hug when she comes over." She smirked. She'll stand there flabbergasted. Really, it almost felt like Satiah herself had been tricking her. At this rate, it just felt like Satiah would never leave.

"Okay." Yuugi held up Hikaru. "If there's one thing I need to teach you? It's that you always have to believe, no matter how hard it is sometimes, that everything will be okay. Have faith and try your hardest." He brought his son in closer.

Anzu smiled. Oh, she was so ready to see Satiah. She kept staring outward and watched as the strange shuttle started to come back. Set would pay for trying to hide her, but of course they found her.

Atem was the first to come out. Already, Anzu could see a difference. His hair seemed more back to it's usual style, instead of the overdone wildness. His eyes seemed much more back in control too. "We have returned. It's a good thing Kaiba eventually made this for two." He smirked. "Sometimes I swear it's him that can see the future."

Then, she watched as Satiah started to emerge from the back area. She came out in some sort of cloak. It must have kept her safe. Still? ///Anzu: Button up, Girl./// She spoke to Satiah with her mind like she always did, but she didn't answer. ///Anzu: Satiah? Not that you're showing anything, but you easily could with that cloak flapping around./// Satiah still didn't bother to answer. ///Anzu: Satiah?///

Then, Atem and Yuugi went on their guard as Set showed up.

"Masika?" Set growled, looking from Atem and Yuugi. "How dare you try and hide her from me. That's against the rules."

"Hide her from you?" Atem went off on him. "You are the one who claimed she was dead, and then shoved her between a dimension of death and life!" Atem pointed accusingly at him. "Set, you are the one who was in the wrong!"

Yet, Set's anger seemed to diminish. He looked confused more than anything. "No, I didn't."