Most of the seats in first class had gone dark in preparation for the long flight to Cairo. It was going to be over thirteen hours to reach Egypt, but Kaiba didn't intend on getting any sleep. He never could sleep comfortably on planes. Perhaps it was because he never trusted the pilots to be as careful or confident in their actions as he was, perhaps he was just paranoid about anyone else being in control, but nevertheless he had brought plenty of things to keep his mind busy for those thirteen hours: his suitcase full of work for KaibaCorp, a few of his favorite science fiction novels, and his deck which he needed to look over before they touched down.

It wasn't that he absolutely needed to refresh his mind about what cards were in there. He would know those in his sleep. Looking them over was comforting and would help him keep up his resolution to take up the Rod. It seemed silly, but he needed that confirmation. Something about looking at the Blue-Eyes made him more determined to do it. It always was a source of strength for him, though ever since his last trip to Egypt, he wondered how much of that was from the Blue-Eyes monster that he loved, and how much of that was Kisara's influence.

He pushed his suitcase of work aside and opened the window flap so that he could look out into the night sky. Beneath them it was raining, and occasionally flashes of lightening would light up the hull of the plane. It was beautiful, but at the same time rather dangerous. He couldn't tell from this angle if the pilot was flying too close to the thunderstorm or not, and he had to temper the temptation to make a trip to the cockpit to ensure the pilot was doing his job properly. It would probably make Pegasus annoyed.

His phone buzzed and he reached into his pocket to fetch it out. Mokuba had responded to a text he had sent earlier. Despite the fact that they were fighting, he didn't feel right leaving Japan without informing him. The world could be falling to pieces, and the two brothers might be arguing, but they would still keep each other in the loop on things like that. Deep down they still knew that they were the only family they had, which made it difficult to even start fighting to begin with.

Wish you had told me earlier. Let me know when you get to Egypt. Miss you.

Those last two words struck Kaiba harder than he would have liked. They felt like a punch to the stomach, like the wind had been knocked out of him, and he leaned his head back against the leather seat. It was a testament to how much their fight had been weighing down on him. With two words Mokuba had rendered him relieved and speechless in a way that no one else could. It meant that this fight wasn't going to last forever, that there was still a chance to patch things up, and that Kaiba's ego hadn't chased his brother off for good.

"Everything alright?" Pegasus sat down beside him with that knowing smile on his lips.

"Yes," Kaiba said as he pulled himself together into a straighter posture. "Everything's fine."

Pegasus glanced to the phone in his hands, "I was worried. You were staring at your phone like there was a fire or something."

"No, no fire," he said. "It's just Mokuba. I'm glad to hear from him."

"Oh yes, I'd heard you two were having a fight."

Kaiba huffed, "I knew Kimi had found out, but I didn't think it had gotten around more than that. She's usually good at keeping her mouth shut about such things."

Pegasus waved him away, "Nonsense. I'm astonished that you hadn't told me the moment it happened. I mean, I know that you and I didn't part on the best of terms, but I thought we were still close enough that you would let me know if your little brother had a fight with you."

There wasn't any mocking on Pegasus' face, just simple fact. He had a good point too. "We didn't exactly part, did we? You just kind of faded away, and I got caught up in work."

"You always get caught up in work, Seto. That certainly isn't anything new, and it's no excuse either. We both knew that I couldn't stay in Domino forever, and that it would end up having to be a long distance thing." He gave a wicked smile that brought up a surge of memories from dark nights in large bedrooms. Seto shifted in his seat. "Don't change the subject though. Why didn't you call me? If we're not lovers anymore, then we're still at least friends. Good friends even, who are supposed to share things like this."

To anyone else it would have sounded childish to be lectured on what 'good friends' were supposed to do, but Seto wasn't as well versed in social situations, not outside of an office or from behind a desk at least. Pegasus had a way of dropping little nuggets of advice here and there that would come back to be life preservers for Kaiba in sticky social situations. "You want me to be honest?"

Pegasus smiled, "Please be honest. It's one of the things I love about you: your painful, prickly honesty."

"I had hoped that it wouldn't last long." He chuckled and looked outside at the clouds beneath them, at the blanket of stars above: crisp and clear in the black night sky. "I thought that it couldn't last more than a day, that you were probably busy, and I didn't feel like finding out what time it was over there. I came up with excuses, I guess. I didn't want to try to explain it because I knew you would see me as the bad guy."

"You thought I would side with Mokuba?"

Kaiba shrugged. "It sounds flighty when I say it out loud."

Pegasus put a hand on Kaiba's hand, one of the few areas of his body that wasn't clad in clothing. He trailed fingertips along Kaiba's knuckles and down the long fingers. Kaiba shut his eyes and took a deep breath. He really didn't need this: Pegasus showing up in his life again and drawing up all those old feelings inside. He had thought it was a simple fling and had put it aside, choosing not to dwell on it. Kaiba hardly ever dwelled on anything. If it didn't affect KaibaCorp, Mokuba, or his Blue-Eyes, then it wasn't worth the time. Pegasus apparently felt otherwise.

Pegasus looped his fingers around Kaiba's hand and squeezed it tight. "I still love you, you know. And I'm worried about you."

Kaiba nodded, knowing exactly what Pegasus was referring to. "The Rod. It's the right decision, I know that, but it doesn't mean I'm comfortable doing it."

Pegasus leaned in close and lowered his voice so that Kaiba could breathe in the subtle cologne. It made his leather pants feel terribly uncomfortable suddenly and he lamented his decision to wear his duelist gear on a thirteen hour flight. "That's what I'm concerned about to be honest with you, Seto. I had to fight to get the Eye to be mine, and it wasn't easy. I spoke with Marik a few minutes ago. Apparently Ishizu had even more trouble taking back the Necklace. I'm worried that it'll be even more difficult for you, especially because you've never taken up any Item before."

"But it's mine. The visions, what we saw in Egypt, they all point to me…"

Pegasus stared at him, "Yes, but something has taken them over. Something is controlling them, and I believe that whatever is trying to prevent us from taking up the Items is also torturing the spirits."

"The Pharoah and the Thief."

"Precisely."

He stared down into the bag at his feet, and at the deck box lying down there. Almost unconsciously he pulled it out and removed his Blue-Eyes. "I hate magic," he said. "I hate what it represents and I hate that it's such a large part of our world. It goes against everything I believe in, and it goes against everything I've learned my entire life. It doesn't make sense, it doesn't fit, and by all accounts it shouldn't exist at all."

Pegasus nodded, "But it does. Nothing you do can change that."

"I know. That's what's so infuriating about it."

Pegasus pushed the armrest between them apart so that he could curl up even closer. Kaiba tensed, a bit worried about what Pegasus was planning. Yugi and Joey weren't that far away from them, and if Pegasus tried to kiss him square on the lips, he could only imagine what kind of reaction it would get out of Joey. Pegasus didn't try to kiss him though, he just got closer so that Kaiba could feel his warmth even through his Battle City coat and turtleneck.

"Think of how it was when they first discovered electricity. Suddenly there was this energy source that nobody knew existed before. It could be harnessed, controlled, and used to power all sorts of things from lights to circuit boards. Think about if we were talking about this crazy new electricity and not magic. Do you think you'd still feel apprehensive about it?"

Kaiba laughed, "I grew up tinkering with electronics. That's a difficult comparison to make."

"Alright then, so you grew up with it. Now imagine that you grew up with magic. Don't you think it would be silly to talk with someone else who didn't believe that magic existed, no, someone who hated that it existed at all, when you had grown up with it. Do you see what I'm saying?"

Kaiba gave a small smile, "So you think I'm silly because I'm afraid of a telephone electrocuting me."

Pegasus smirked, "I knew you'd understand."

"When you put it that way, I guess it is a bit ridiculous. It is like a new energy source, I suppose."

Pegasus nodded, "Yes, precisely. The only difference is that unlike electricity, there are creatures that have learned to live in these magical fields, in these magical holes so to speak."

"No, that's not it." Kaiba said, "Magic is something that is used, not lived in. Spirits don't dwell in magic. They exist on another plane, maybe another dimension. That's how I make sense of it at least. That's why Yugi was able to have two souls in his head. They had a pocket dimension in Yugi's mind. Whatever is trying to control the Millennium Items, I think it's existed in that other dimension, but it's learned about magic. Now it's trying to control all of it. It's also found a way to turn other souls into an energy source, just like electricity."

"I love hearing your mind at work. All you really needed was to get through that block of yours."

"No, call it what it is," Kaiba sighed. "It's fear that holds me back."

Pegasus shrugged, "Call it what you want. I just think your brain is sexy is all."

Kaiba laughed. "I don't think I've heard that part of my body be complemented quite like that before."

"That's a shame. You should hear it more often. You know, it's a shame that we're sharing this jet with so many people."

"Hmm. I'd agree with that," Kaiba sighed and gently pushed Pegasus back more fully into his own seat. "Please try to keep that in mind. Otherwise you're just teasing me."

"I thought you liked a tease."

There came that heat in his groin again. How could a man turn him on with words alone? Shouldn't that sort of thing be illegal? "Just go back to your seat. You're upsetting a passenger."

Pegasus smiled, "Does that mean we're back together again?"

Kaiba rolled his eyes. "You think that's an easy yes or no answer?"

"I was hoping so!" Pegasus said before heading back to his seat.

Kaiba closed his eyes and took deep breaths to calm down. Damn, Pegasus had a way of getting under his skin. Normally he didn't mind, but sometimes the man was an unexpected assault on the senses. Especially when he kept trying to trick Kaiba into agreeing to go out with him again. He knew that game. Pegasus was incredibly good at manipulation, both in the boardroom and outside of it. It was perhaps his most dangerous attribute, but also quite alluring. Put a mouth and a mind like that on his body, it was amazing they hadn't seen each other sooner.

He pulled out his phone and typed out a quick response to Mokuba: I'll let you know when I get there. I miss you too. Can I call later?

He and Mokuba had been fighting long enough. They were standing on opposite sides of a line, neither wanting to cross it to shake hands. Kaiba didn't mind being the first to offer the olive branch. He hated arguing with his brother, and he suspected Mokuba hated arguing with him just as much.

They had passed the thunderstorm now the were surrounded by a beautiful starry sky and a black wilderness below. Kaiba closed his eyes and leaned back against the seat. Perhaps he might try to sleep just for a little while. He doubted he would be able to sleep for long on this flight, but for the first time in over a week, he felt calm. Despite the fact that he would have to take up the Rod soon, he at least might have Mokuba as a friend again, and Pegasus too. It was amazing how much more confident it made you to have friends and family that cared. Sometimes Kaiba forgot about that.