My Darling My Love My Life

The End Is Nigh

Atem watched a very silent Qetesh look up into the sky and smile as a tornado of smoke appears and once the tornado disappears her spirit form rushes over to the body that now resides where the smoke once was and hugs it gently with a relieved expression on her face "everything's alright now little dove!"  Qetesh whispers softly into Marik's ear then she kisses his cheek "Marik! it's over! your evil side has been banished forever!"  Atem promises "I knew master Marik's will was strong enough to overcome the darkness in his heart now his inner light can truly shine"  Qetesh hears Odin think to himself and she smiles at him Odion returns her smile with one of his own as Marik says softly "pharaoh.... there's still one more task that you and I must complete I still have one life point left!"  Yami Marik's one eye appears next to the good Marik and asks in a surprised tone "huh? what's going on?"  Qetesh replies as she takes the good Marik's hand in hers "you've simply switched rolls Yami.... now!.... why don't we see who truly is the stronger form of Marik shall we!?!"  Yami Marik replies in a scared shocked tone "no! this can't be happening! you can't do this Marik! listen! we can crush the pharaoh together! remember how you wasted away your childhood serving this fool?!"  Yami Marik says to Marik "I remember a much different childhood!"  Qetesh whispers into Marik's ear with a soft tantalizingly smokey tone then she nibbles and gently pulls on his lower lobe his body quivers at the feeling and visions of a Qetesh/Isra with magenta colored hair flowed through his mind a girl he.... at least in the vision.... met when he was a child, befriended then fell in love with memories he doesn't remember.... yet.... "it's not too late to destroy him and take what you deserve! the infinite power of the pharaoh could be yours! if we win this duel you and I can claim the three Egyptian God Cards and the Millennium Puzzle we'll rule the world together! don't be a fool Marik! we've come so far don't throw away everything we've worked for we can still win!"  Yami Marik says not realizing that Marik was watching the new memories he was not meant to have yet flow through his mind it was Atem's voice that broke Marik out of his or perhaps her spell when he says "your move"  Marik replies "I'm sorry pharaoh it was my duty to help you and instead I turned my back I can't change the past but I can start over by embracing my family legacy I'm proud to be a Tomb Keeper and I'm proud of my sister and my brother"  he squeezes Qetesh's hand as he looks over at Odion and Ishizu "thank you sir"  Odion says softly "my family has waited 5000 years for your return now you're here so I must fulfill my destiny by letting you fulfill yours"  Marik says looking at Atem "ah! no! you can't do this!"  Yami Marik says as Marik lifts his arm up and says "I must I hold the key to helping the pharaoh unlock his true powers the secret is imprinted on my back in an ancient Egyptian text but before I reveal this mystery the pharaoh must be in possession of all three Egyptian God cards!"  Yami Marik replies "you're making a huge mistake!"  Marik says as his hand gets closer to the arm that holds the duel disk "no for the first time in years I'm making the right choice"  Yami Marik asks as his one eye widens "what are you doing?!"  Qetesh replies "I think it's time to shut you up for good Yami"  Marik says as he places his hand on top of his duel disk "I agree.... I will honor the Ishtar name! by surrendering the duel"  Atem gasps then says "of course! by forfeiting the duel his life points will drop to zero and his evil side will vanish into the Shadow Realm"  Yami Marik tries to speak again but Qetesh looks over and narrows her eyes at him and his one eye disappears the last thing they hear from Yami Marik is his screams as he gets sent into the Shadow Realm "I hear they're looking for their own pharaoh within the Realm.... do you think the Shadows will choose him!?!"  Qetesh teasingly asks Marik laughs and his lips meet hers....

It took Marik awhile to figure out that the Qetesh that stands at his side is her spiritual side but once he does he smiles as he realizes that he along with Atem, Yami Marik and Isra could see what her spirit self was doing with/to him and he says to Atem "it's finally over my pharaoh"  Atem replies as the skies begin to clear as the Shadow's clouds disappear "yes and the darkness has lifted from your heart"  the real Qetesh lets the curtain of her own magic fall as she lands on her feet beside Atem and her sister and Yugi returns to where he belongs within his own body "I think he forgives you don't be a pigeon fly free my little dove!"  Qetesh's spirit whispers softly to Marik as it returns back to where it belongs and Marik chuckles Atem hugs both Isra and Qetesh and teases "that was from Yugi!"  the two women laugh "Marik has overpowered the evil that controlled him for so long my pharaoh... thank you you've saved mankind"  Ishizu says "we did I wouldn't have been victorious had it not been for all of you"  Atem replies Marik nods with a hum in agreement "and the winner of the Battle City Champion Crown is Yugi Moto!"  Roland calls out "he survived!.... he was so silent I thought we lost him!!.... though working for someone like Seto I'm sure nothing phases that man not even the Shadows!"  Qetesh teases softly the group around her laughs Isra and Qetesh give DM and DMG a hug before they disappear and as Tristen, Duke, Joey and Téa climb up to see Atem both Isra and Qetesh walk over to Marik and give him a hug then walk him over to his family then they leave the tower side by side without a word.... "I'm worried about the spirit that lives within Bakura.... we both know that he still lives within it and I fear what that might mean"  Qetesh says softly as she and her sister walk down the stairs towards the elevator she pauses as the elevator opens for them and they walk into it once the doors close she continues "when my spirit was with Marik.... we shared a vision.... though it felt more like a memory.... his memory!.... perhaps it is of a time where none of this happened or perhaps it is of a different future.... one where it did happen but we may not have been a part of it.... or we were just in a much different light.... her name was Surayya.... which is odd because it was one of the names I said to Seto when we chose my name.... Isra.... what if the memories we have.... these childhood ones we lived aren't ours but someone elses!?!.... girls who look like us.... our grandchildren perhaps!.... Inara.... it's close enough to Isra to possible be thought as it or Xyra.... all that's left is Raet.... those are the names I spoke.... I just never thought that they would have a separate meaning.... Seto, Bakura, Marik.... those are the only three I can think of..... no wait.... Maxy.... but he has Cec.... they wouldn't.... would they!?!... after all they put him through just to get....!"  she pauses then bursts out laughing and says "Shadi.... we've spent so long trying to get him to smile.... if there's a deeper meaning to that.... oh boy! I can just see the blush blooming on his cheeks at the thought.... maybe even Odi.... I mean think about it.... all the people we've felt something for.... something that was deep but not AS deep as what we feel for our priest and our pharaoh!.... perhaps it was their emotions we were feeling.... it would certainly explain a few things.... maybe!"....