"Yugi?" Téa came downstairs. "I want to show you something." She had waited for some time, just to see how things went, but nothing had changed. There was no new adventure, no new clues, and no information that anyone could find. It was time to move onto the area that might provide something they needed.

Yugi looked toward her. His expression sweet like always. "What did you want to show me?"

She moved closer to him. "Maybe you or Atem will see something that I don't?" She gestured to her necklace as she approached him. "It's Masika's death scene."

"Really?" Yugi looked uncomfortable. "Is she okay with that, Téa?"

"We worked out a deal. She can spend time with her old friend here safely for awhile, and eventually I'll be okay with letting her go with him away from the Game Shop."

"The Bandit Thief King?" Yugi didn't look happy with that at all. "You don't have to make such a bad deal, Téa."

"It's going to be awhile. We haven't found anything to help, Yugi. Look? She's taking part of the responsibility of my body, so I have to compromise too," Téa said. "She's going to spend several sessions safely in the Game Shop with me present until I feel like I'm okay with her leaving away from it. It's a good step to take in between going back to New York."

"But, but things happen!" Yugi practically yelled at her. "She could do anything with your body."

"She could already do anything with my body. She could leave in the middle of the night and sneak away and do whatever she wanted before I returned," she reminded him. "It's really about trust. Once I trust her enough, then she should be able to leave the Game Shop and live a life."

"Yeah. But." Yugi was fumbling. "I hate it. It's not hers. She's not alive." Yugi stood up. "Did she make this deal?"

Geez. "No, I did," Téa answered. "I want to show you guys what feels to her like her death. She doesn't know anything after this moment. She was highly offended by the thought I wanted to do this."

"Then maybe we . . ." Yugi groaned. "Atem says we should look, but . . . do you really have to-"

"She could run away, and I could run right back, and she could just run away again," Téa said again. "Masika has never done that once though. Please, Yugi? This could really help. You might see something that helps."

"Fine," Yugi muttered. "We should find out what's going on. It could clear Atem's name."

The Millenium Necklace Vision . . .

Atem watched the scene being played out when Téa used the millennium necklace. It was hard to see much. He saw someone that looked like a very young Mokuba in Masika's arms. /Atem: She really does look like Téa. Interesting./ He watched as a young woman summoned a monster.

Why would he ever want something like this? He had millennium items, he wouldn't put regular people through this. Atem looked all around. He noticed the cards being summoned, and other cards being summoned.

He was nowhere near there. /Atem: This event must have happened without my consent./ Was someone else in charge of this, saying that he condoned it?

Then, he finally heard someone. Chosen for the Pharaoh? He headed toward the sound with Yugi's agreement.

Farther and farther they left the vision area. This was their chance to find out what was going on.

Until? Ebonnee. Her cat was there.

"Using the millennium necklace already?"

A woman with a cat's head appeared next to the cat. Oh they knew who this had been!

They immediately bowed. A well known Egyptian goddess.

"As we showed grace for Seto Kaiba, so too will you receive the honor," she spoke. "I am Bastet. This is the moment where Masika was chosen to play her future part with you. Now that you have seen this, we will restore her memories of her real death in Kul Elna. She sacrificed her life to the Egyptian gods to save Bakura's soul. Though this promise was not granted right away, our deal is now completed."

Bakura. That is why Bakura's past friend was chosen for this role. "Is there another way that we can provide a sacrifice without involving living beings?" Atem asked, knowing this might be their best chance to find a solution.

They were all out of the vision. Téa looked terrible.

"Are you okay?" Yugi asked.

Téa just stared at Yugi a second. "Yugi." Then she held onto him. Not like a nice friendly hug, it was a hug like when he found her after the virtual duel on her body. She was absolutely terrified.

"It's okay, I'm here."

"I know how Masika died," she trembled.

"I do too. Atem and I saw an Egyptian Goddess in the necklace," Yugi told her.

"I know how I died," Téa said softly.

How she died? "What do you mean, Téa? Are you an incarnation of Masika?"

"No." She clung to him tightly. "It's just too much. I'm scared, Yugi, this isn't good. This isn't good at all. This isn't it, this isn't just two spirits playing body games with us! We know it, they want us for something huge."

We. Us. Téa was talking like the two of them were exactly the same. "I'm here. You don't have to get it exact, Téa, but could you tell me a little about the connection of you two?"

"I'm not . . . I'm not . . ."

"She is part of the tear of Ra, while Masika is the other half." Bastet had appeared before them, along with Ebonnee. She was disguised as a black cat this time, but her voice was the same from the vision. "You can explain with this contraption." She nudged a rubik's cube towards Téa. "Masika did once."

Yugi looked at the rubik's cube.

Téa started to move it around. "I'm green I guess? All of this is me." She said it without any emotion, almost dull. She mixed it up. She pointed to another side. "I'm not as good, but imagine I got all the greens on just two sides? If I can. Just." She started to cry. "My way." She went over to the Christmas tree Yugi's grandpa had set up. She picked up a few balls. "I'll be careful, Yugi."

"That's fine." However she needed to explain.

"So, let's say these red balls are me." She put four red christmas bulbs on the floor. "This is my whole soul." She split the red christmas bulbs into groups of two and added a green and yellow ornament. "The red is still my soul, but it's on two sides, and there's other parts. Making me different? The rubik's cube probably was smarter." She looked at it.

Yugi couldn't quite see what was going on, maybe the rubik's cube could help? "I can help," Yugi insisted. "I can get green on two sides for you if that's what you need." He played with the rubik's cube a few minutes. "There you go." He gave it back but side-hugged her. "It's okay, Téa, take your time."

"I'm green then, instead of red." She pointed to one of the green sides. "This is all Masika, but the green is me still." She pointed to the other green side. "This is all me, but the green is also Masika. We come from the same soul, but with different parts?"

Oh. "Like Egyptian's belief of souls? They are in different parts?" Yugi understood it better now. "So, when you saw Masika's death-"

"I saw our death and the beginning of me separately from her." Téa closed her eyes, trying to get her crying under control. Téa watched Ebonnee crawl at her shoe and meow. "A lot of memories hit me."

"Not much, not overwhelmed, and you won't remember everything for long," Bastet said to her. She looked toward Yugi. "You are the same squares with the Pharaoh Atem."

What? "You mean, we had parts of the same soul?" Yugi asked.

"A soul is so small and complex like salt and death is a strainer. While most of Pharaoh Atem went into the puzzle not every piece did."

Okay. He was once . . . /Yuugi: I will wrap my mind around that later./

"How else would you be able to share one body? Souls are quite complicated things, pieces must fit right," Bastet said.

/Yuugi: I guess this is a way to break the ice?/

/Atem: Yes. Ask about the connection now, Other Me./

Other Me. That was a phrase they hadn't used in awhile. "Is there a way to pay the price for what happened, without having the spirits sharing bodies on Earth?" Yugi asked Bastet.

She just smiled. "No."

No? "There must be something that-"

"Oh. I almost forgot?" Bastet gestured toward Ebonnee. She moved toward Téa. "Your favorite pet cat, now one. Divinity and Ebonnee share a similar connection. They will each stay with you through these changing times, and will end their lives only when you end your life. A lifelong companion."

/Yugi: Did? Did she really just brush us off . . .?/

/Atem: Try again, Yugi, she was distracted. Bastet is a great ally to cats./

"Sounds great," Yugi said to her. "About the body sharing?"

"The sacrifice you made gave your bodies to the gods and goddesses of Egypt," Bastet told him. "This arrangement is just."

"For how long?" Yugi asked. "Weeks? Months?"

"Until the end of your life," she answered. "Don't quibble with me. Thoth has already written it."

/Yugi: Oh no. I'm not getting anywhere, Atem! What do I try?/

/Atem: Anything! This is important, Yugi, this might be the only shot we have left, just anything!/

"Anything!" Yugi yelled at her. "Look, Téa and I are mortal beings, and we are living a half-life."

"You agreed to it." Bastet did not look happy. "I brought your chosens their cats and gave the gift of a longer life for them to allow continued companionship, and you insist on this? I suggest you stop your squabbling. Your friend Seto Kaiba has some cards to give you. He also knows what happens if you don't agree with the cat."

/Yugi: Seto Kaiba? She visited Seto Kaiba? Atem?/

/Atem: Anything. I was desperate to save my friend, but I didn't want to hurt others. I can take on any mission you wish to deal, I will not shy away from any challenge, please let Yugi and Téa leave our presence./

The goddess definitely heard Atem, but she didn't look like she was changing her mind. "My last words. Squabble afterwards, and I will call Sekhmet." She breathed slowly. "The you's that will save the world? Are in fact surviving in a dying vision of Domino City. There is nothing but sand and ruined buildings, people with millennium power subduing the people, and another Pharaoh who has power over all. Pharaoh Atem has no power at all, he is surviving in the last vestiges that survived with the tears of Ra, Joey, Mai, Bakura, Serenity and the Kaiba's. To grant your wish of separation into another body would kill them all, and every universe afterwards, including yours."

/Yugi:. . . Atem?/

/Atem: I don't need a body, I don't seek a body, and neither does Masika need hers! We would go away again to the afterlife, and leave our living halves alone./

Yugi watched as a lion now appeared before them. Oh no, Sekhmet.

"Let me help explain." Sekhmet came toward them, bending on all fours and moving as fast as a lio. She looked like a predator wanting to play with it's prey. "I'm the one called when idiots cannot talk peacefully with one of the nicest goddesses! I am Sekhmet. I do not need a lot of reason to start gnawing on humanity, so let's make this as clear as day."

/Atem: Watch out, Yugi! Bend down on the ground with your whole body quickly and fast!/

Yugi pulled Téa down with him, hoping she would catch on as he started to kneel down. He kept his whole body out, exposing his back to Sekhmet. What a creepy feeling. Téa started to do the same thing.

/Yugi: Ask for forgiveness and quickly or she will take a limb!/

"I'm sorry!" Yugi told her quickly. "We don't mean to upset anyone."

/Atem: Nothing and no one, we forgot our place, and will not pursue this matter anymore./

"You say so now," Sekhmet said as she still creeped around Yugi. He tried to remain still. "We know your hearts, all of them. This future is already written by Thoth. You will risk a limb to approach this subject again. Which is good, we could use one."

"Sekhmet," Bastet called out. "With their emotions, the humans are overwhelmed. We should give the half option. They will need it temporarily anyhow to pay more."

"The half option? We don't need to give that now," Sekhmet disagreed. "You're too good. They aren't the important ones, they are just paying the fee. They aren't even worthy of seeing our true forms."

"A half option," Bastet said toward Yugi and Téa. "You will all have your own bodies, but only one half will have the souls at a time. Whether in Atem or Yugi Muto's body, both souls would only be in one."

A half option? "Atem and Masika can have their bodies part time, but we'd be with them anyhow?"

"Yes, they are already blessed with living bodies just comatose. Your bodies will do the same when you leave them. Be thankful," Sekhmet warned him.

"That's just switching bodies," Téa pointed out. "That's not much different at all, we still share the same space."

"There is a difference," Bastet said. "Taking over a body that isn't yours feels parasitic. If you allow them theirs, they will feel better, especially over time. This is for life so it would be nice to give them that choice. However, once you cross this bridge, we can't do anything. Nothing less than Horakthy could reverse it."

"It doesn't matter," Sekhmet said to them. "Unless you want the universe to end and not give your world a chance by paying the price? Then this is the best outcome."

/Atem: I don't like this, Yugi. There was no reason they needed to give me or Masika a body for such a short time, and there is no reason that they would be offering it part time. This feels risky./

/Yugi: Then we shouldn't pick it yet./

/Atem: It's a choice right now. These goddesses are not offering any choices for us. We seem more beneath them than the other us' who are saving their universe./

/Yugi: I would save the universe if it broke us free from this punishment./

/Atem: I know, Yugi, I would rather do that too. It's clear that is not our fate to decide. For now, we should remain steady. I feel as if when we open another body door, we might seal all options away forever. No one uses Horakthy lightly./

Right. "We don't want a half body option," Yugi said.

"Yet," Bastet said. "You will have to, at least for the tears of Ra, but give yourselves time to adapt to your new life. Get to know each other. It's not changing anytime soon. Now, I am off. We have others to speak to."

"Like Seto Kaiba?" Yugi asked.

"He got the gist. He knows the price," Sekhmet said as she stalked wearily toward Yugi. "He knows because I rambunctiously couldn't help taking a finger. Bastet granted him a favor and told him what it had been. He remembers now." She moved back and forth around Yugi. "I could offer that. Cut through all the wondering what it all costs and what you can get back? Just offer this goddess your finger."

"Sekhmet," Bastet scolded.

"One finger, I'll tell you everyone you know that's involved in payment and what it's all really for, it's much bigger than just making up for the millennium item use."

"Sekhmet!"

/Yugi:That will really hurt./

/Atem: No, do not fall for it, Yugi. We will know soon, and we will not have to lose a finger./

"How about this? How about I give you a tiny taste of information? So you'll give me that finger," Sekhmet encouraged. "Seto Kaiba is involved too."

"When?" Yugi asked.

"Before you." Sekhmet licked her lips. "I can't feast on the other one, but you are only giving payment. Just a tiny finger for all the knowledge you will never know. Things will happen all around to your friends, and you'll never know why."

Yugi held his fingers closer. "Thank you for letting us know Seto Kaiba knows about you."

That only made Sekhmet angry. "Give me that finger!"

"Sekhmet!" Bastet called out. "Let's go drink some God's Brew and feel better."

Sekhmet stared at Yugi. "Just call my name when you are ready to know the truth." She disappeared along with Bastet.

"Kaiba. Involved. How? Things happening to all my friends." Yugi looked at his finger. "Would I get to pick the finger?"

/Atem: Yugi!/