Marik had never met Pegasus Crawford before. In fact the only way he heard anything about the elusive creator of duel monsters and eclectic archaeologist was through Ishizu's cryptic tales. She would often leave large gaps in the stories that made Marik suspect that they used to date. She would never have come right out and said it, just in case Pegasus didn't see it the same way, but Marik knew how to read between the lines. He had seen plenty of pictures of the man, but always in that same pink suit and giving out trophies like some glorified Vanna White. He didn't expect to find him sitting on the couch with legs crossed and sipping on a mug of coffee from Rishid's favorite cup, nor did he expect him to be dressed in a khaki safari getup. The whole image of it all threw him off guard, and he stopped in the entryway to the living room blinking and speechless.

Pegasus smiled, all teeth, in that grin that made paparazzi cameras flash. "Marik! It's a pleasure to finally meet you!" He was on his feet in a moment and shook Marik's hand with both of his. It was as though Pegasus was as happy to meet him as Marik was.

"Hi," Marik finally stammered. "You're shorter than I thought you would be."

He laughed and put a hand to his chest in flattery, "All smoke and mirrors, I assure you. All it takes is a good suit and a few good camera angles to make someone look any way you want them to." Pegasus narrowed an eye, the empty socket carefully covered by a long strand of platinum blond hair. "You look like you've had a long night!"

That was probably the last thing that Marik expected to hear from his lips. He gave a nervous chuckle and felt a flush rise to his cheeks. "Yeah, I guess you could say that."

Pegasus gave a knowing smile and led him to the kitchen, as though this was his house and not the Ishtars'. "Let me see if I can help you out a bit. Trust me when I say that I've had my fair share of hangovers over the years, and after a while you get very good at coming up with cures. If there are ingredients enough for it, of course. It's pretty much the best concoction of all the vitamins and minerals you'll need."

Marik watched in amazement as Pegasus found his way around Ishizu's kitchen, completely positive that he must have dated his sister at some point in the past to be able to find his way around their home so well. He pulled out the blender, a slew of fruits and vegetables, and had them mixed into a kiwi green soup that he promptly poured into a glass.

"Drink it," he ordered. "You'll thank me for it in a few minutes."

Marik took a sip. It tasted mostly fruity but with an aftertaste of spinach, which somehow wasn't at all bad. "Ishizu told me that you found the items by the way. All of them." He watched the reactions move fluidly across Pegasus' face: mild surprise, a brief glimpse of fear, and settling on concern. He hadn't expected Ishizu to tell him all the details, and he was definitely terrified of something, but was working very hard to hide it. Where his sister was good at telling the future, Marik prided himself on studying people. He was good at reading emotions, at reading motivations, and seeing what people chose to hide behind masks. It was part of the reason he favored taking on a false identity during Battle City. Yugi and his friends took him on without question when he gave a simple ploy of friendship. It was almost too easy in retrospect.

Marik trusted his instincts, and right now they told him that Pegasus knew more than he was letting on. He wished he had gotten more out of Ishizu before running off.

"I didn't just find them, I uncovered them. I doubt Ishizu accidentally had the entrance to that cavern demolished."

"She did it to keep them safe."

He nodded, "Or she did it because that was what her family said to do." Pegasus put his hands up when Marik started to protest, "Either way, I'm not questioning her actions. If I were put in her same position, I would have done the same. However," Pegasus walked over to the kitchenette table and opened the briefcase that sat in the middle. Marik felt his chest clench. "Perhaps if you saw them yourself, you would understand where I'm coming from."

As soon as Pegasus opened the briefcase, Marik knew exactly what he meant. All of the items were facing him, but the Rod was staring directly at him, as though it saw his mind inside of his human shell and wanted desperately for him to take it up again. He tightened his grip on the smoothie Pegasus had made for him, and grabbed hold of the kitchen counter to steady himself. It took an enormous force of will for him to look away from them all, sitting there in a simple briefcase where they had once stood on velvet trimmed pedestals.

"Close it, please," he whispered. It felt difficult to breathe suddenly, and only once the latch was on the briefcase again did he find the air clear. "What the hell is wrong with them?"

Pegasus shook his head, "I don't know, but to be honest I'm glad you feel it too. Ishizu didn't seem to even notice."

Maybe the two hadn't dated after all, Marik decided, because Pegasus was terrible at reading Ishizu. Either that or his poor perception skills were precisely why they broke up. He would have to bring it up to Ishizu later when she was more in the mood to talk. Marik took a long drink from the smoothie before he said, "Ishizu told me that you needed my help. What do you need me to do?"

Pegasus shifted his weight to another leg and clutched the back of a chair. "I need you to help me put the Eye back in."

Marik laughed and wiped his mouth on the back of his hand. "Are you sure you came to the right place? I mean, I think it's important for me to mention that I have a terrible hangover right now. And I might be a little drunk."

Pegasus sighed and shook his head. Surely he knew what it was like to go overboard with the drinks occasionally. Wasn't he the one the Thief said had a 'wine madness'? It was annoying the way he acted all high and mighty, as though he'd never been in Marik's shoes. Marik braced himself for a lecture, perhaps not quite the flavor Ishizu favored, but of the same breed. Instead Pegasus stepped forward and clutched at his elbows in a fearful stance that looked utterly foreign on him.

"To be honest with you, it might help if you are a little drunk. I'm afraid it will be very bloody, and I don't think your sister or Rishid is prepared for that level." Pegasus' brown eye bore into him and Marik felt a shiver curl up the back of his neck. Never before had the insatiable cruelty and malevolence of his past been spoken of in such a favorable way, and certainly not to his face. Never to his face. Ishizu and Rishid would barely even talk about that time in his life, let alone refer to it in a good way. He was both afraid and proud that Pegasus thought he would have the stomach for such a gruesome task.

In fact, the thought that it would be so gory only made Marik more interested. "When do you want to do this?"

"As soon as possible. Now, even, if you think you're up for it."

Marik put up a finger and downed the rest of his smoothie. It gave him brain freeze, but Marik was too excited to care. He hadn't had someone come to him for help with anything, not since he lost the Rod and his mind slaves. Pegasus smiled and retrieved his briefcase.

"Do you know where we can do this?"

He shrugged, "In the basement maybe. Do I need to put down newspapers?"

Pegasus broke into such a laugh that he had to lean against the table to support himself.