So comes the eve of battle,
The final task is nigh,
As every life the tale has touched
Raise souls up to the sky,
As all both wise and clueless
Who were destined from the start
To play a role in Fate's hand,
Connected to one heart,
Share a solemn moment
To remember one they knew:
Scattered world over,
Lost into the sky's deep blue.

So comes the eve of battle,
The final, fateful fight;
The hour draws ever closer,
As sunset turns to night.
The time to part or to back down
Looms nearer into view:
The test of whether destiny
Can conquer friendship's glue.
For one last solemn evening,
Combatants stand as one,
As they to the final resting place
Pursue the dying sun.

Upon this eve of battle,
Which I swear shall be your last
Before your spirit finds its peace
And ends its fateful fast.
I also pledge despite that I
Can't bear to see you go,
Will help complete what you began,
Centuries ago.
After four years with your guidance,
I must learn to stand alone,
And it all begins right here and now
As I fight to send you home!

So here's the eve of battle--
At last and yet, too soon.
For to me the thought of winning
Is as lonely as the moon.
For although I know that your true place
Is not here by our side,
I dread tomorrow's battle
And your future's sweeping tide
Will carry you away from me,
Forevermore, and I,
Even though I care for you,
Won't have even said goodbye.

The restless eve of battle,
The calm before the fight.
No soul can rest in slumber
As e'er onward plods the night.
While some brood on the battle
And others lie awake,
And others strengthen their resolve
For conflict come daybreak,
They journey ever onward
On their final, fated quest
Together as they sail toward
An island in the west.

So comes the eve of battle--
It's finally here, at last!
It really takes me back to our
Adventures in the past
From a boat like this from Domino
To Duelist Kingdom's shores,
To Battle City's tower-top,
The credit's all been yours
To change me from the guy I was
To duelist of today.
But there's one whose life changed even more,
And it's both of your big day.

So here's the eve of battle,
Though the honor should be mine,
For I don't believe in magic or
In destiny divine,
But I do believe between us
There is something incomplete,
For as long as I hav known you,
You were e'er my one defeat.
I shan't say (though it could be true)
That you and I were friends,
But I feel the need to help you
As you near your journey's end.

So comes the eve of battle,
My final duel at hand.
And even though it's opposite
My goal that I must stand,
I trust that you will see me through
Unto where I must go,
Even though I shan't hold back,
For this duel will also show
Whether we can separate
And part forevermore,
And only this ability
Unlocks the hidden door.

So comes the morn of battle,
As sunrise turns to day,
As preparation finishes
For final, end-all play;
Although it's true the stakes are set
The highest they can be,
Although it's true a win or loss
Would hardly be woe-free,
Although it's true it's grief to stay
And equal grief to part,
Stand proud and say, 'come what may!'
For the cards have their own heart.

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Background:

The big 'un. This is one of my first and favorite poems, written in response to "The Final Journey", the fifth-to-last episode of the original Yu-Gi-Oh!, May 2006. There's a verse for each of the major players and the scenes inbetween: Pegasus' speech for the minor characters, Yugi, Tea, the rest of the passengers, Joey, Kaiba, Atem, and the very end. I wrote the final verse in math class the Friday before the first of the the four parts of the final duel. The last two lines were for me; I was pretty distraught myself.