Okay, back to short again, sorry! But I can't give you TOO much at once. Not healthy… or something. So, I'm out of town next weekend, and cleaning like a mad woman so that my friend won't know I'm a slob when she house-sits… and the next chapter is in need of a bit of an overhaul… so, sorry about the mini-cliffie, but… Hey, at least I updated, right!

Part 2: Sex, Lies and…Soccer?

Chapter 8

"A Pharaoh. From 5,000 years ago."

I think that I had said that at least three times already. As if repeating it would make it easier to believe. Or to pretend that I did. I had always seen this nonsense as a grand melodrama, but it occurred to me, now, to wonder if Yugi was psychologically hale. Could a delusional person make others believe their delusions so easily? All of the dweeb gang seemed to take this story as truth. Could they all be unbalanced?

I knew that I had seen some pretty weird stuff over the past couple of years, and that those events should make it easier for me to believe. My own visions and nightmares should help, also. These experiences, in fact, made me even more determined to close my mind to what Yugi was trying to tell me. But we were not going any further until I budged on this matter. Not that I am a sex fiend… well, maybe. But it was also about getting closer emotionally. Never something I cared to try before, I found myself…thirsting for emotional intimacy, and Yugi was surprisingly closed to me, except on this one topic. There was no going around. Or so it seemed. I was, after all, a business genius. I would find a way through this without losing myself in the process.

Yugi was unavailable on Thursdays, so I dedicated the next Thursday evening to considering everything that Yugi had told me, and making a sort of sense of it for myself. Digesting the information, I had told Yugi. Friday when I saw him, I needed him to believe that I believed. I did not want to start out my new, honest, real relationship with a lie, but what other choice did I have? I could not entertain the possibility that the Pharaoh was real, and I would not give up Yugi, now that I had him.

Most of the 'mumbo-jumbo' was easy enough to digest, as I had heard it before and come up with the most reasonable explanation with what facts I had. When Mokuba and I supposedly had our souls 'taken' by Pegasus, clearly we were drugged. Why anyone insisted that our souls were held in Duel Monsters cards when drugs worked to subdue prisoners well enough, was beyond my comprehension. I knew the stories that the others told, and Yugi had retold them to me over the past week. I could pretend: use those stories in place of the truth if either tournament came up in conversation. In the case of Yugi, and his 'split personality,' I had to be convincing that I believed that Yugi was two separate people. I could tell 'them' apart, now: the change of eye shape, and color, the more severe expression, and deeper voice. Even his hair seemed a little different. I'm not sure how he does the last, but the rest was reasonable variance for a very expressive person. If Yugi wanted to refer to this part of his personality as a separate person, well… it did not seem to be a harmful delusion. I could play along.

Yugi had actually made it rather easy for me. Proof, in my opinion, that it was a delusion, and able to change when the situation warranted it. "You don't have to address us separately, most of the time," he had told me. "We have been living merged most of the time lately. We used to duel that way, both of us, as one person. That was before I completely realized that the Pharaoh existed. Once I recognized him as separate from me, we co-existed, sharing our body, but not at the same time, and communicating through our mind link. But, since it seems that we will continue to share this body for the rest of our lives, we decided to share equally all the time, or most of the time, anyway. So you can just call me, us, Yugi, and you'll be addressing both of us. Or, rather, the one of us. Okay?"

Okay. So all I really needed was a convincing expression to wear when I told Yugi that I believed. It helped to visualize his face when I told him. If I could get him as happy as he was in my imagination, it would be worth it.

Review responses:

Yana5 – Thanks for the 'whoo.' Glad you like!

Dimitri – Hope you still think Kaiba is sweet… heh. I had a tangent to my theory on your story deletage… but I can't seem to find it. It's a bit cluttered up in here just now… But I hope you will be reposting?

Kis – Wow, three reviews, I'm honored! I also like puppyshipping. Um… not sure if this chapter answered any of your musings. Since 'we' only have Seto's pov, its hard to say exactly what's going on in Yugi and Yami's head. I'll update as fast as life allows. Hope it satifies!

Ailisa - …guess your question is answered now. Sort of. He knows, but does he KNOW?

Streea – So, back to short chappie, sorry :) As far as Michelle winking… guess we won't know unless Seto asks her, but maybe… maybe she just thinks he is too cute!

kisara-san – Jump right in, go ahead, it's warm! I have made a note to read your story soon… having a bit of a hell week… but I will make it a priority when I get back next week.

Blue Eyes – I made time to update due, in large part, to your demands. They made me laugh; thanks for the motivation! And who needs sleep, anyhow. I'm so glad my little story is meeting with your approval. Means a lot, thanks!

Aku – well, we can't all be a little off our rocker, can we? Thanks for the encouragement. So glad you posted a new story, too!

So, I felt your potential glares, and thought: I could borrow my step-father's laptop, and sneak out of the wedding reception to edit the chapter, then post it when I got back… Then I remembered that real life is important, too, and that you are all such nice, understanding people… right? Right? RIGHT? hey, what's that growling noise…?