Disclaimer: I don't own yugioh. lf I did, I wouldn't be writing fanfiction about it.

A/N: Deep down I've always been a writer but somewhere along the way I lost faith in my skills and didn't want to write if what I made would end up being awful. However, ever since I've had the pleasure of reading awesome fanfiction recently (shoutout to InTheShadowOfSignificance and Bellamy Taft) as well as a lot of free time since graduating college I've decided to rekindle my romance with writing, even if it does end up being terrible. I hope you enjoy reading! I always got the feeling Ryou would have a lot of sympathy for Pegasus given in the manga he (Ryou) lost his sister and mother, which led to his fascination with the occult, much like with Pegasus.

"There are two tragedies in life. One is to lose your heart's desire. The other is to gain it."

George Bernard Shaw

My millennium eye...my magic...it all failed me…

Pegasus tore himself from the dueling platform, rushing headlong out of the corridor leaving the shadow realm to dissipate and the stunned but victorious Yugi behind him to come to.

Ruined, all ruined. He felt both feverish and chilled at the same time, the realization of his failure sinking ever deeper into his gut. It didn't matter that he still had the soul of the boy's grandfather, the souls of the Kaiba brothers, that he still held control over KaibaCorp. Without the puzzle to call forth Cecelia, to restore the very essence of her—all he was left with was a pretty lights machine and another company to bother with. The millennium puzzle would only yield its power to one worthy enough to fairly win it in a shadow game; it was useless to a thief. He cursed himself; all his cunning, all his wealth and connections, only to be stopped short at the hands of a child.

He dragged himself up the staircase to his private quarters to release the souls he had captured. There wasn't any point in keeping them anymore. Not when his reason for surviving without his other half was destroyed. At the very least he could meet the afterlife as she knew him: a man of his word.

His fingers fluttered over the soul cards of the Kaiba brothers and for a moment he faltered; to release their souls would mean accepting all the consequences that defeat entailed. There could still be a way, a desperate voice within him entreated. He dismissed the thought with a forceful shake. There was no longer any avenue left to gain Yugi's puzzle. The best he could do was come out of this with his pride intact.

In the light of the setting day the millennium eye flashed momentarily and the profiles of the Kaiba brothers vanished from their cards as their souls fled from their imprisonment. As soon as he released them he felt a wave of despair engulf him. He wished there was a pit he could throw himself into but he still had one more soul to free. He turned to face the portrait of his late wife to steel himself to discharge his last captive.

"Cecelia...my love...I'm sorry. I have failed you." he implored to her portrait, pleading with her to understand that he had done everything, everything, he possibly could to restore her. "My attempt to take over KaibaCorp, my efforts to obtain the millennium puzzle, they were all done for you my darling. In the hopes that I could restore you body and soul and reunite us once more."

"How sweet." The mocking voice of a teenager shattered the intimacy with his wife like a brick through a chapel window.

Who would dare?! He felt a current of rage pulse through his veins that screamed at him to strangle the living daylights out of the insolent trespasser but it was then that he noticed the glittering piece of gold around the boy's neck.

"You! You're the one who has the millennium ring!" Of all the people in the world to swagger in his private chambers and have the brass to provoke him, Yugi-boy's cheerleader was the last person he imagined.

"Yes, and I intend to have all the items. Care to wager yours in a shadow game? What you couldn't win from Yugi perhaps you can win from me."

Pegasus felt both indignantly furious at the patronizing words and stupidly hopeful. But beneath the arrogance, however, was an unshakeable confidence that made Pegasus instantly suspicious. To wager a millennium item was an unparalleled risk, a risk both he and little Yugi had undertaken only to reclaim those who made life without them worse than the shadow realm. But the temptation of a second chance, so soon after his defeat, was too much for him to resist.

"What are your terms?"

Bakura smiled like the cat whose dinner had just walked itself onto the platter.

"Your millennium item allows you to look into people's minds Pegasus," He said casually, conversationally, as though this was all just a friendly chat between amiable acquaintances. "Mine allows me to see into their souls." He strode over to Pegasus's desk as if he owned it and, Pegasus noted with a flare of irritation, helped himself to his deck, shuffling it skillfully before laying out three cards face down.

"I have but to look into your deck Pegasus and it reveals to me your true nature." he drawled as he flipped the first card face up. "The happy lover card shows that you have experienced the joys of love. However this card is upside down which means your romance ended in tragedy. What a pity." At this he gave Pegasus an amused glance before moving to flip the next card.

"Well, the next card should show me more about your present than your past. Ah, the mask of darkness," he said with a knowing smile. "So your recent actions were all just an effort to mask your true objectives, objectives that came from deep within your heart?" He sounded gleeful at the thought of stripping bare Pegasus's cherished desires. "Who would've thought that you even had a heart? Let alone one so easily broken."

"Quiet!" He had had enough of this little shit mocking his failures. "Let's just play the game!"

Bakura smirked in a way that made Pegasus want to punch him. "But first there is one more card to be revealed. Don't you want to know your future?"

Despite the fury he felt Pegasus felt a tremor of apprehension at the boy's words. He had not become the CEO of Industrial Illusions by indulging in emotional tempests when a crisis came knocking. He knew in his bones with the same instinct that had told him that his business partners were trying to screw him, that Cecelia was never going to recover, and that Kaiba-boy would go to the ends of the earth for his brother, that the seeming child in front of him would shred him to pieces given half a chance.

"Doma, the angel of silence." The wolf-faced child intoned softly. "It's an appropriate card for your future since I will now silence you forever." At this the boy turned to face him, the millennium ring glowing brightly on his chest, its end edges pointing towards him. "Prepare yourself mortal for a shadow game the likes of which you've never played! For this match will be played on the landscape of our minds!"

Instantly, he knew he had made a mistake.

He had barely a moment to prepare himself before the spiritual power of the millennium ring shot towards him and he was just able to scrounge up enough energy to defend himself before Bakura's force was stopped by his own just inches from his eye.

The shadow game had just begun and it was all he could do to defend himself from Bakura's penetration into the very recesses of his mind. The spiritual power of the ring was merciless; he could feel it trying to claw its way into his mind with mental lances assailing him from all sides, constantly searching for a way in like a starving serpent that had cornered a helpless mouse in its hole. Just as in his duel with Yugi he had overestimated the power of his millennium eye; while the millennium eye gave him the power to know the secrets of his enemies it was limited by his own stamina and strength.

And while it appeared that the millennium ring could not read minds and steal the secrets of opponents the same way the millennium eye could, he quickly realized that it made up for that in the terrifying blood-lust radiating off of it. Its spiritual energy threatening to penetrate into his mind and violate it. He had been too eager, too desperate after his loss to focus on anything but winning his dream back that he hadn't considered what he could lose.

Beyond the sound of his frenzied efforts to stop what was quickly seeming to be the inevitable devastation of his mind he heard the boy laugh. Strange, he thought, for such a vicious creature to have such an innocent laugh.

.

"Really now pegasus is that all you can muster? Ah, but you've been fatigued by your shadow duel with Yugi. Your mind is weary while mine is fresh!" The fair-haired teenager tossed his head back and laughed and once again Pegasus could not help but feel disturbed at how unnatural the gleeful laugh sounded out of the boy's throat.

Every second that passed brought the looming devastation that he had walked right into nearer and nearer. It wasn't a matter of if he would succumb; it was a matter of when. At the very least, he thought bitterly, this hell will be over. He knew from experience of overwhelming the minds of others that it would be easier to give in. Once he let down his mental barriers and allowed the stronger opponent entrance, his consciousness would be swept away to oblivion. His attacker would rightfully claimed the eye and banish him to the shadow realm. But while he had allowed himself to become a villain, he would not let this wretch to steal his pride.

Scrounging up every last bit of ferocity he had left he threw himself at the devil masquerading as a lamb, battering with his whole being against Bakura's defenses. His righteous rage, his overwhelming grief, his consuming bitterness, he rallied them all in his arsenal to fight in his last stand. If he couldn't avenge himself against the one who felled him he could at least do some damage as his parting gift. The heady mixture of rage and desperation that rushed through his veins made him feel invincible the way men on the battlefield who saw death grinning down at them became berserkers.

There it was. He nearly didn't recognize it when he found it, almost passed over it. Not an opening, not something nearly so vulnerable, but a place where that devil's defenses weren't as strong. There was blackness crowding the edge of his vision with his battle fury quickly draining but he launched himself against the barricade all the same. He already knew he wasn't going to penetrate through to the inner sanctum but he could at least impair the boy's fortification for the next enemy to exploit. He had expected to make a dent in the white haired boy's defenses or even to be rebuffed by a shield of spiritual energy.

He hadn't expected what felt like arms try to yank him within the boy's mind and a terrified voice screaming "Please, help me!"

Stunned, he didn't capitalize on the opportunity offered to him, immediately suspicious of a trap. It was too convenient, too miraculous to be genuine. And yet after a moment's hesitation he found himself rushing into the opening regardless, because while the chances were slim that

entering into the doorway wouldn't end in annihilation, remaining outside certainly would.

The terrible scream of metal grinding upon metal swelled in the car until it seemed to seep into everything. His mother's body was flung from the driver's seat into the windshield, hugging the broken fragments beneath her as red oozed over the hood of the car. The acrid stench of smoke and blood choked him when he inhaled and burned him where his skin was exposed but did nothing to impair his sight. His sister who had been sleeping against his shoulder during the ride was thrashing against the seat, sputtering helplessly against the shard of windshield lodged in her throat, blood spurting out every time she tried to gasp in a breath.

"Amane..!" He rasped; there was barely any moisture left in his throat for him to speak, but he needed to reach her; if he could just touch her, just hold her, he knew he could put her back together again. Everything hurt, every nerve in his body screamed in agony when he tried to move but he needed to touch her first. He just needed to touch her and she would be fine. He twisted his arm free from underneath the driver's seat and as he stretched out his arm to grasp her he could feel where his bone had broken through the skin and the air burned the shard of his bone with icy fury.

His fingertips grazed her skin and her skin was cold, so cold, but it was okay, because he was there and she would be fine. She was still spurting blood from the glass in her throat but that was okay too, because he was there and he could fix it and he squeezed her hand to let her know. Her eyelids fluttered open when he did and her eyes rolled wildly until they met his and despite the blood that was surely choking her and the pain that must've been unbearable, his sister, his precious, precious sister squeezed his hand back. It didn't matter that his body was being slowly crushed under the seat or that he could feel his bones popping out of his skin. He and Amane were together. That was all that mattered.

Nothing existed. Nothing else was real except their hands together.

Her breathing had slowed, the blood coming out of her neck in slower and shallower spurts but she was still holding his hand. She didn't take her eyes off him either, her eyes half closed but still looking at him.

In the darkness of the car Amane's bloodless face glowed like the full moon and her luminous eyes were so bright Ryo thought he could use their light to find his way back home as lost sailors did with stars. Suddenly, she started to wheeze and gasp, frantically trying to inhale but unable to, her left hand clawing at her seat but her other hand clutching his weakly, still looking at him. He squeezed her hand tighter, tighter, because as long as he was touching her he would never let anything happen to her but he couldn't deafen himself to the crescendo mounting in his ears. Those shining eyes were wide open and threatening to pierce into his and he looked right back, refusing to look away even if it blinded him. Her eyes went wider, wider, wider, the pupil expanding until it seemed to swallow up her iris and her eyes were just two horrible black discs on white that seemed to mock him and the monstrous roar in his ears howled with triumph.

With a sound like the air escaping from a tire the tension slipped from her face, her eyes snapping shut and her lax mouth gaping open. There was silence now, stillness so final it seemed to erase the fury that had preceded it moments before. For the first time that night, panic found him.

The fountain of blood that had been spurting from his sister's throat had now stopped; a gentle trickle now took its place and that terrified Ryo more than anything. "Amane.." Ryo whispered, knowing that the terrible silence, the potential eternal stillness, could only be broken by Amane's voice. "Amane!" He called out louder; his voice was the high screech of crushed glass. "Amane!" He screamed now. The pain was nothing compared to the panic.

He thrashed in his seat in spams, his arms and legs flailing and kicking, screaming with all the pain, fury and dwindling life he possessed to try and shatter the terrible silence, to smash the stillness that seeped into everything.

"AMANE! AMANE! AMANE!" He screamed over and over again; if he could just break the stillness, if he could just stop the silence from-

This wasn't his memory!

Pegasus ripped himself from the memory that had almost consumed him, his own consciousness barely holding itself cohesive and separate from being absorbed into Ryo's mind.

Dear God, this boy had almost swallowed him whole! The nightmare that had almost devoured him wasn't the memory of the monster who had challenged him; Ryo must have a spirit sharing his body like little Yugi. He needed to hold his soul together and get the hell out of the boy's memories before he forgot his own existence.

Despite the position he found himself in he felt a fount of gratitude swell up in him. He had nearly had his soul banished to the shadow realm and his eye ripped from his skull. Ryo, the real Ryo, had saved him from certain destruction but why? What would make Ryo so desperate to betray the spirit of the ring, his partner?

There's only one way to find out.

He was going to have to fight his way through.

Years of using the MIllennium eye had made Pegasus Crawford an expert in understanding the minds of people he spied on; if he ever decided to abandon his company he could be the world's most successful therapist. But he had been a spectator before. Now he was a gladiator in the arena. If he was overwhelmed, if he didn't make sure to maintain his own consciousness, he would be absorbed into the child's mind forever.

At the present moment he was in what looked to be a vast corridor of some sorts that looked to be underground. Behind him he could see the bloodstained door that housed Ryo's worst memory bolted shut with what had to be enough chains to subdue a giant. Pegasus could see his own body, his soul's chosen avatar within Ryo's mind, transparent and intangible, but when he focused his spiritual energy he became opaque and heard the weighty thud of his feet hitting the ground.

So it would seem that the strength of his avatar within Ryo's mind was directly related to how strong a spiritual presence he maintained. All the better, then, that he press on as quickly as possible before his stamina was exhausted and he dissipated. He took a moment to assess his surroundings, turning around full circle and surveying his settings carefully. The dripping stone walls that surrounded him were caked with lichen and seemed to curve inwards before turning sharply in three directions to two corridors on the right and left and one winding path ahead that twisted out of sight. Upon closer inspection he could see that the bolted doorway that he had just escaped from was rusted and groaned feebly against the weathered chains that held it shut.

He took a few steps down the passageway to examine a particularly large mass of lichen that had taken over a chunk of the stone wall. He rubbed his fingers against it feeling the damp plant crumble into his hand as his skin came into contact with smooth wood. He hesitated a moment and then with both hands began rubbing away the plant matter until the greenery gave way to the wooden structure underneath. He was faced with a door that had once been painted a cheery yellow, but now appeared a faded mustard color. The doorknob was tarnished and the hinges blanched, though they had probably shined gold once. At three and a half feet tall and two feet wide it seemed as if it had been made with a toddler in mind. Although how a toddler could reach a door set up five feet from the ground was beyond him.

Grasping the aged handle he gave an experimental pull with equal parts curiosity and caution and succeeded in getting the lock to turn and the door to creak open an inch. A waft of warm air heavy with the smell of cinnamon hit his nose and he could hear the faint squeal of a little girl's laugh. So this was a happy memory. Old, and nearly forgotten, but happy.

Knowledge was power and he was going to need every bit he could get if he wanted to get out of the child's mind alive. With that in mind Pegasus grasped the handle of the door firmly and pulled with all the conviction of a man asking for a bride's hand.

The sunlight shined down in a arabesque between the trees, making the tall grasses come alive and twist serpentine in a dance of gold and amber. Flat on his belly with the hum of cicadas against his skin and the hot air in his lungs he knew he belonged to the forest just as much as the birds in their nests and the foxes in their holes. Like his fellow forest creatures, he knew what it was like to want and to fear.

It was a difficult thing to hide from someone and try to find them at the same time. He thought that Amane's platinum blonde hair would've given her away by now, a challenge he had overcome by camouflaging his hair with bits of the yellow grass and the red dirt, but he should've figured that she could be just as sly as him.

A flutter of movement in the grasses ahead of him caught his attention. It was too big to be a rabbit and too small to be a doe. That left only one option.

He felt a smile spread across his face as he raised himself into a crouch, legs tense and ready to start sprinting full speed ahead. Silly Amane, she always got clumsy when she got excited.

The rustling of the grasses came closer this time, only a couple strides away. Perfect. Trying to quell his growing excitement from giving him away he took a deep, silent breath to calm himself. He exhaled slowly between his teeth, his eyes concentrated on the spot ahead of him with all the focus of a starving spider on a fly.

Like a rubber band snapping, his legs propelled him into the air in a moment of flight before the balls of his feet struck the spongy earth like a match against sandpaper. He catapulted himself forward the last few strides and threw himself onto the quivering grasses.

He wrapped his arms around his sister's waist and began to pull her up against him to start carrying her off to his lair to devour her except-

Except Amane wasn't nearly this big and would've started pouting at this point instead of shaking with repressed laughter. Ryo opened his eyes tentatively to see his captured quarry. Instead of Amane's spindly body caught in the web of his arms and legs he was sprawled across a yellow gingham-covered back. Swan arms grasped him and turned him around and Ryo felt very silly indeed because it was Mama who was laughing underneath him, turning him around and catching him in her arms, her diamond white hair hidden with a yellow bandanna and her basket of cinnamon cookies underneath her. Laughter bubbled up and out of the two of them, and Ryo wondered if this was how the universe began.

Pegasus felt his heart clench and his body tense as he cut the link to the glimpse of happiness he had just seen. Ryo couldn't have been older than six in that memory. He felt a pang in his chest at the knowledge that the boy's happy memory in the sun was almost completely forgotten, too close to his worst memory to revisit.

Even after his parents and Daniel had passed...even after Cecelia had left this world...he could still look back. That was all he did anymore. Then again, he was a grown man who had already made and lived a life before it had all been torn from him. But a child, a baby really, who had barely begun to live before the only experience he had with intimacy and closeness was despoiled by unspeakable horror? Pegasus didn't blame him for throwing out the baby with the bathwater so to speak, considering how poisonous the bathwater was.

But alongside his empathy for the boy he could feel panic begin to tether into his muscles in a desperate prayer to keep moving, to keep treading above the swampy mire that had almost swallowed him whole, a terrible warning ringing in his skull not to wade too deeply into Ryo's memories.

Before Ryo drowned him.

A/N: Looking back I wasn't satisfied with how this chapter turned out so I went back and edited it and I'm rather amazed at how much my writing's changed since then. Starting Covetous has made me write every day now and I've shot up my daily word count from 200 words a day to 1,000. Next chapter (which I'm uploading tomorrow) is where the story really starts picking up steam and, in my humble opinion, runs far smoother. Pegasus's next stop is Ryou's soul room.