A/N: I am so, so sorry it took me so long to post, but I spent a long time working on this chapter, mainly because I consider it an important one.

Marik: What the frigg is so special about this chapter? They're just talking!

RN: Clearly you've never heard of character development.

Marik: What the frigg is that?! You know what, never mind, your writing makes about as much sense as the idea of you owning Yu-Gi-Oh! Meaning NONE!

RN: True, if I were to own Yu-Gi-Oh, a lot of things would be different. There'd be a lot more suspense for one...

Marik: Not to mention violence, blood, death, heartbreak-.

RN: SHH! No spoilers!

Chapter 7: The Decision

The night before…

"Thank you for coming, Taisuke. It really was wonderful to see you again. And please accept my apologies for my grandson's behavior."

"Oh, Solomon, I wouldn't dare take offense! I know, quite frankly, how insane my request must sound. I probably would have reacted the same if I were in his position."

"…Well, all the same, take care. And don't worry; I'll make sure he answers you in due time."

"Please, he must take all the time he needs. I'm sure this decision could be quite literally life-changing."

"Good night. Take care."

The Pharaoh only half-listened to the conversation between Yugi's grandfather and Keichi as he washed the cups. He glanced out of the corner of his eye when he heard the door close and saw Grandpa Mutou shuffle with a sigh to the guest room and begin to pick up the sitting pillows.

Turning his attention back to his chore, the Pharaoh let his thoughts run with the sound of the tap water. The sound and repetitive motion of washing dishes began to act as white noise. The Pharaoh allowed his emotions to sink into him, turning over each one with his thoughts.

Cloning me…he means to clone me…And what's more, he means to separate me from Yugi…

The Pharaoh sighed. He could not do it. The man was practically Dartz himself. How could he not be? Even the hair color was the same…

And a scientist who dealt in souls? Who had heard of such an occupation? If this was a disguise, it was a very poor one indeed…

Then again, perhaps that proved it. Dartz was a meticulous, calculating mastermind. He had remained hidden in his power for centuries. Why would he bother to go through such sloppy methods now? Perhaps Keichi's words held some merit after all…The Pharaoh had seen the passion in the scientist's face. His unaltered devotion to his work was unmistakable. Perhaps that meant it was okay to go through with it.

"I must be crazy," the Pharaoh muttered. He set a cup in the drying rack.

Maybe that's his intention. To unbalance me. Let me let my guard down, because it's so obvious, it couldn't possibly be a trap…

The Pharaoh shook his head, chuckling to himself in amazement. He was overthinking this far too much. I should never have let Yugi make me watch the Pink Panther.

Another cup went to the drying rack.

Give him a chance.

The Pharaoh's eyes closed momentarily. He sighed deeply, set down the cup he was holding, and slung the drying towel over his shoulder. Gripping the edges of the sink, he pushed himself away, hanging his head between his arms.

He couldn't do this alone. How he wished Yugi would answer him…The Pharaoh thought back to Yugi's sudden reaction. It had seemed unprecedented, and perhaps even without reason, but the Pharaoh couldn't help but think there was something driving Yugi's temper, something he was missing.

"Whoa there, young man! Watch the water!"

The Pharaoh jerked up, stumbled backwards, and nearly slipped, catching himself on the kitchen table. He looked down in surprise to see himself standing in a growing puddle of water on the floor. It was the sink overflowing in his distraction, the Pharaoh realized, and he rushed to turn the tap off. Letting out a shaky sigh of relief, he covered his face with one hand.

"Good save. We can't have the shop flooding now, can we?" Grandpa Mutou chuckled as he went towards the cabinet to fetch a mop.

"Sorry, Grandpa, I…I was distracted," the Pharaoh admitted, lowering his hand.

"More than that, Pharaoh, you were darn near hypnotized!" Grandpa joked as he gingerly made his way to the wet area, mop in one hand and bucket in the other. "You looked plenty deep in thought. I'd have left you there, if not for the sink."

"Here, let me do that," the Pharaoh offered. "I caused this mess, I can clean it up."

"Not a chance while you're brooding that heavily, sonny," Grandpa scoffed. "Here, just sit down, I'll take care of it."

Suppressing a sigh, the Pharaoh complied without a fight. He drew up a chair and sat slumped at the table, chin resting on his crossed arms. For a while neither of them spoke, and the only sound came from the swish of the mop and the occasional drip of the faucet.

"Keichi…He looks like Dartz, doesn't he?"

The Pharaoh jerked, and looked up at Grandpa Mutou in surprise. "How…?"

Grandpa chuckled at his reaction. "You have to admit, it was a little obvious, especially after what you told me about your trip last year."

He wrung the mop in the bucket, then left the mop there and put both items besides the counter. He made his way to the opposite end of the table and sat down with a sigh. A moment of silence passed before he spoke again. "I honestly would be surprised if you agreed to his offer. There seems to be every reason why this is a bad idea."

"Then you think I should turn him down?" the Pharaoh murmured, half to Grandpa, half to himself.

Grandpa Mutou opened his palms in a shrug. "Unfortunately, I cannot make this decision for you. I can offer you my thoughts and opinions, but this is a decision where it is certain…no, more than that, it is essential that you and Yugi make this decision yourselves. These are your souls and your bodies we are talking about. Taisuke was right; this decision could very well change your lives. All of our lives."

The Pharaoh's eyebrows contracted. He let out a long breath through his nose, then sat up, hands clasped in front of him and eyes fixated on the table. So many questions whirled through his mind, though many had been squashed down by Grandpa's response; the majority of his questions the Pharaoh had wanted to ask Grandpa. He searched through this internal maelstrom for the right wording.

"Grandpa," the Pharaoh said finally, looking up, "you know Professor Keichi. He's been your colleague for several years. What can you tell me about him?"

Grandpa Mutou tilted his head back thoughtfully, as if he had been expecting the question. "Taisuke is perhaps the most pacifist soul I have ever come across, besides my grandson of course—" the Pharaoh allowed himself a wry smile, "—and one of the most curious and brilliant minds this old man has ever had the privilege to be friends with. His sole passion is his work; you won't find him occupied with anything else. I'm sure you saw it when he talked earlier; by all the deities, there were times when I had to remind him that he had to be alive in order for his work to be complete." He chuckled nostalgically. "He'd forget to eat sometimes. Never once have I seen him speak or act out of violence. He truly believed what he was doing would become the solution for bereavement. He would hate to see a world torn apart from the grief of loss."

Grandpa paused. He stared into the distance, as if searching the past for his next words. "Poor Taisuke…He never gained much popularity in the field, you see. All his work about souls and their nature, he was practically a laughingstock to our other colleagues. Only a few would even listen to him, and it took much persuading for him to gather any funding for his work. I admit even I was largely skeptical for a while. But Taisuke…Taisuke had the odd habit of just when all hope seemed lost, and it seemed that we were about to be done for good, he would come up with something, just out of the blue, that would save everything. Just some bit of proof that made his story a little more believable, and we could go on supporting him with that much more confidence."

He smiled, and shifted so that he was facing his grandson directly. "I will tell you this about Taisuke; from what you've told me about Dartz, Taisuke is the farthest thing from him. Whatever his intentions are, the last thing on his mind would be to harm you, or cause you any amount of pain. He wouldn't dare; it would be against his personal beliefs."

"I'm sure he wouldn't, Grandpa. It's just…" The Pharaoh bit the inside of his cheek, unable to summon the courage to say exactly what he thought.

Grandpa gave an understanding nod. "I know," he said.

The Pharaoh put a hand to his forehead. This conflict within him was making him weary, and he could feel a headache beginning to grow. He was not sure he would be able to rest tonight; in fact, he may never be able to rest until some sort of decision had been made.

Grandpa noticed, and suggested lightly, "Perhaps we should come back to deciding whether or not you trust Keichi, and just think about his idea for the time being."

The Pharaoh gave a chuckle that was not entirely mirthless, and shrugged. "Perhaps you're right. But even if I were to think it up myself, it'd be a hard decision."

A yawn escaped him, and he rubbed his eyes. He looked at the clock, letting out a snort of surprise when he saw the time. "11:30. You should be going to bed."

"Don't presume to tell me about my health, young man. Especially when you need to be listening to your own words more than I do," Grandpa Mutou said good-naturedly. His smile faded. "But you're right." He took a deep breath and let it out in a sigh. "What has Yugi said about this? You've been out for a while, and I haven't heard a peep out of him throughout this whole affair."

Give him a chance.

The Pharaoh's headache was persisting, and he rubbed his temple. He didn't know how to tell Grandpa that he still hadn't been able to talk to Yugi. Once Keichi had left, he had felt the barrier between himself and his partner lower slightly, so that he was no longer completely cut off. The Pharaoh had immediately reached out to him, and was greatly relieved to feel Yugi at last acknowledge him. Despite this, Yugi had yet to respond directly.

"He…he's willing to consider it," the Pharaoh answered slowly.

Grandpa nodded. "That sounds like him," he said simply.

He pushed himself up from the table, groaning as he did so. "Ooh, this old body…" He took up the mop and bucket and replaced them in the closet. "All right, off I go, then. Though, Pharaoh, I have to ask…"

The Pharaoh looked up, and met Grandpa's gaze questioningly. There was a knowing, almost mischievous sparkle in his eyes. "Do you think that if that entire business with the Orichalcos hadn't happened, you might be more accepting of Keichi's suggestion?"

The Pharaoh began to answer with a definitive "No", when something made him hesitate.

"I'm not sure I can answer that right now, Grandpa," he admitted.

"Hm. Well, all right. Food for thought, and all that…" Grandpa went on to his room, shutting off the lights in the house as he went. "Good night, Pharaoh."

"Good night, Grandpa."

The Pharaoh didn't go to bed right away. He lowered his chin onto his crossed arms on the table, feeling extraordinarily tired but unable to even think about sleeping.

The house became incredibly silent in Grandpa's absence. He noticed a steady but slow drip coming from the sink, and the ceiling fan made a gentle, almost imperceptible buzz as it whirled round and round and round. It was an eerie setting, and the Pharaoh suddenly felt very alone.

To distract himself, he thought about what Grandpa had said. He milled his last question around in his head. Again and again he tried to imagine, tried to visualize in his mind how his discussion with Keichi might have gone differently. A discussion where Keichi was simply another stranger, and a friend of Grandpa's, and his proposal, as wild as it was, was just that—a wild idea. The more the Pharaoh tried to wrap it around his mind, the more the scene slipped from his grasp, until he gave up with a groan and buried his face in his arms. No matter how hard he tried, Grandpa's question was impossible to answer.

It's because you can't forget.

The Pharaoh's head whipped up. Aibou! He thought joyously. He faced the left and saw, to his delight, the ghostly outline of Yugi, looking as tired as the Pharaoh felt but wearing a welcoming smile.

Are you all right now, Yugi? I was worried when you didn't answer…

Yugi's eyes grew sad at the Pharaoh's concern. I'm sorry I kept silent for so long, he said. I wasn't sure what made me talk to you that way earlier, and when Keichi left, I wasn't sure how to approach you.

The Pharaoh gave a smile of his own. Don't worry about it now. In fact, I think you're right.

Yugi stared at him, confused. What do you mean?

The Pharaoh sighed. This entire time, I've been so infused with my suspicion towards Keichi, I continue to forget the fact that he and Grandpa have been friends for years. Keichi was here long before our business with the Orichalcos. It's not my place to judge him simply because he holds the image of Dartz.

He furrowed his brow and turned his gaze back to the table. Yet still I cannot accept the idea that his proposal is purely intended to be beneficial. Perhaps I've fought so many enemies that I can't help but feel like something bad is intended for us. He closed his eyes. I do not know what to think, Yugi. Perhaps I'm merely getting paranoid…

I said it before; it's because you can't forget.

The Pharaoh raised his head once again to gaze at his partner questioningly.

The Orichalcos was the hardest battle you ever had to fight, and Dartz was at the center of it all. And with Keichi here to bring back your memories, it's no wonder you can't forget. I guess you could say you have a slight post-traumatic-stress disorder.

Post traum—. The Pharaoh gave up, shaking his head. It would take him years to grow used to the terminology of this era…

Grandpa suggested that I re-imagine Keichi's offer without our history of the Orichalcos.

I know, I heard every word.

Then, can you picture it? I am unable to; to do so would to mean forgetting the battle with Dartz, and no matter how much I wish to, that is something I cannot do.

Yugi shook his head slowly. No, nor me. But maybe we don't have to.

What do you mean?

Yugi bit the inside of his lip and stared down at the table. Don't deny you've been thinking about it too. About how it would be to live in separate bodies.

Inexplicable guilt washed over him to admit it, but the Pharaoh could not protest. Yugi was not speaking bitterly, the Pharaoh could feel, much to his relief. Instead, the sentence seemed tentatively curious.

In that instant the Pharaoh realized…He's considered this already.

A sudden thought flashed through his mind, and a trickle of fear burned its way down his back. Yugi…The time from before, when we fought those bullies…

Yugi said nothing, and continued to avert his gaze.

It was difficult to get the words out. Am I…holding you back, in any way?

Yugi's head shot up. No! he said quickly. Not at all, definitely not. That's not…that's not why I'm asking.

The Pharaoh's relief resonated through their link. Oh. Then why…?

Yugi clasped his hands together in front of him. It's not you, it's me. Pharaoh, you… A sharp pain flashed through the Pharaoh's chest, and he struggled to mask it. What do you suppose will happen once we find your memories? Will you…I mean, your purpose here, on this world, will have ended. You'll no longer need to stay… He trailed off, seemingly unable to finish.

The pain that grew in the Pharaoh's chest was now his own. It was a topic both of them knew was inevitable, yet neither of them had wanted to discuss. He took a deep breath. I cannot say what will happen, Yugi. True, once we find my memories, my purpose in this war against the shadows will have finished. Yet…perhaps that does not mean that I will be finished. There is a chance I could stay…and I do not want to leave, he admitted.

He could feel Yugi's gaze on him, but he could not bring himself to meet it. Yet I cannot deny my nature. I am a spirit, Yugi, a 3000 year old spirit. There are occasional times when I can feel the years wearing on my soul like a boulder—and these are the times that I feel I do not belong here. I should have passed on long ago, yet I have lingered because of my destiny. I wonder what place there can be for me once my destiny is complete.

It was fact, and they both knew it. Their anguish over it was magnified twice-fold, and increased with every sentence.

A long, heavy sigh was drawn from the Pharaoh. I know you realize there will come a time when you must continue on without my aid, and I sense your doubt in your ability to do so. That is why you have considered before our separation, is it not?

I thought it would make it easier in the long run. Yugi's voice was quiet, and halting. I thought…I thought I could prepare myself for it, because I know it's…it's the most likely resolution…

I know, aibou, the Pharaoh soothed, though his own tears threatened to spill over. You don't have to tell me everything; I know it all.

Yugi nodded, and a swell of gratitude warmed the Pharaoh through their link. They sat in silence for a few minutes, comforting each other.

Then the Pharaoh rose, taking in a deep breath and blinking away the wetness in his eyes. We should get some rest. I do not think we should decide tonight, at least.

I agree. I'll take over for tonight; the whole ordeal's been draining, especially on you.

The Pharaoh was too tired to argue, and gladly obliged. Yugi set about turning out the lights in the shop and getting ready for bed. Neither of them spoke for the rest of the evening, merely glad they could get a chance to sleep. Yet rest did not come easy that night, and it was well into the hours of the morning before Yugi could settle into slumber.

The following night, Yugi crept down to the shop long after his friends had left and he heard his grandfather go to bed. As quietly as he could, he tiptoed to the telephone and dialed a number, squinting at the smaller-than-normal business card. The fact that the shop was barely lit in the middle of the night didn't help.

The phone rang twice before the other line was picked up. "Hello?" a sleepy voice answered.

"Professor Keichi? This is Yugi," Yugi whispered.

"Yugi, yes, hello! I'm sorry, I wasn't expecting a call so soon, nor, admittedly, so late…" A yawn could be heard through the receiver.

"I know, I'm sorry. I just wanted to tell you my answer. To…to your proposition."

The receiver was silent for a moment. Then Keichi's voice, as quiet as Yugi's own, whispered, "And?"

Yugi closed his eyes. "I'm going to do it, Professor," he said.

"The answer's yes."

A/N: The bold key is really messing me up...If you want to know what happens next, leave a review!