…+…+…
Chapter 6 - Blind in Daylight
Two little dreamers. Two broken little souls. Shielded by bright colors. Wrapped in soft visions. Time marched on and they danced in the sun. The played, and forgot to fear the darkness. Separated from the horrors which stalked the dark of their minds.
The darkness, however, did not forget about them. Darkness stalked them. Waiting for its moment. Waiting to slither forward. Waiting to pounce. Darkness was not quite with its banishment. It contented itself with waiting fir its moment. Unfortunately, time went on and it grew impatient for its chance to drown them once more with bitter memories.
Dreams can propel us and insulate us. They can push us to reach further than we thought we could go. They can keep us safe from the cruelty of a harsh world. However, they must always be tempered with reality.
His work was done. The Traveler did not walk through dreams, inspecting memories. The Painter put away his tools. Now it was time for everyone to enjoy their 'Happily Ever After.'
Pegasus watched as the two children played. He saw them cleaned up and dressed in borrowed clothes. He marveled at how little changes had so much impact. Clean clothes and proper meals transformed two sad little waifs into real children.
He watched as they were happily accepted by Mokuba, the boy of the house. He felt a warmth spread over him as the three played together. The boy's love budded and blossomed for them and their love blossomed for him.
He watched as Bakura watched over the three children. Their happiness was mirrored in him, reflected and redoubled. Finally, the slave could be a person, nurturing his charges- his children. A welcome transformation from his former life, always tending wounds but never able to protect against harm.
He watched as Seto mended. As he healed enough to leave his bed to watch the children play. Love spread and mended him, body, mind, and soul. For the first time in an extremely long time, on those lips, was a smile Pegasus had once thought lost…or unattainable.
He listened as Seto made plans and promises to accept the two children into his family. He watched as Seto's incredible heart opened to encompass these two orphans, to give them shelter and support. He watched as the two children finally found a home. A home with real safety and a real family.
The days grew into weeks and Pegasus watched as Mokuba took up his position as their older brother. He watched the boy as he transformed into their protector, becoming the big bother he had seen Seto be for him. Pegasus realized that he had feared that Mokuba would be a boy who could have easily rejected the intrusion upon his home and family. Instead, he had shown himself to be a person who happily accepted them and opened his young heart to them. Pegasus saw, in every hug, in every smile, in every kiss goodnight, the love that Mokuba had received from Seto being extended to Anzu and Yuugi.
Weeks evolved into months and Pegasus watched as the newest members of the family received new clothes, new names, new identities, and new lives. Yuugi and Anzu Kaiba, brought into the Kaiba family as if it was always meant to be.
He listened as they laughed.
He watched as they smiled.
He felt a dull ache in his chest. For, he saw something in their eyes. Saw in the glimpses he dared to take into their minds the truth which was concealed behind those cheery faces.
He saw that they still walked in lands of dreams and fantasy.
This is not how one should live… But…If they truly awaken…?
Pegasus stared at a picture frame in his hand. It was a photo of all three children. Just a happy photo of three children sitting in their home's garden, having a tea party. Three children at a table, with stuffed animals and treats. All smiling at the camera, for a brief moment before they continued their game.
No one else seemed to see the cloud over Yuugi and Anzu's eyes. This seemed to be a burden for Pegasus alone. He knew what the Traveller had seen. He knew what the Painter had done. He knew what no one else could.
Everyone saw two happy children who had managed, by some miracle, to leave behind the darkness of their early lives. Everyone, who knew what bits of their story could be shared, quietly cheered for these strong children who were living a best case scenario. They marveled at their resilience. They thanked some divine being who must have intervened.
Pegasus knew better. He knew that there had been no wise divine being. He knew what he had done to them…For them…? He knew that they had not overcome anything. Their eyes had simply been covered with a veil. For them the world was a soft and colorful thing. They were not truly seeing what was before them. The hard edges of the real world were too much for them.
He stared into the eyes in the photograph. He thought about how a person could exist in full, when they could not see the world. They could not truly be themselves in this state. Their true selves were frightened and battered victims.
He thought of the screams. The cries. The blood. How could he ever think to make them live with their reality? He had made a decision and it was the best option for them. It was far better to see the world as a dream and be able to smile, than to see it for all of its harsh reality and forever cry.
He knew it was within his power to tear away that veil. It was possible for the Traveller to go once more and explore their minds. He could try to bring light to their darkness, instead of walling it off. Pegasus could always go back… but he had never gone back. The Traveller had not dared to venture back into those minds. He knew about the ocean of black in Yuugi's mind. He knew about the dark red mists in Anzu's mind. He had experienced that horror and uncertainty of their minds and he could not do it- nor could he condemn them to it.
In the lonely and dark moments, when he was sure he was all alone, Pegasus admitted the truth to himself. He was as much afraid of what would happen to those children if he did return to their minds, as he was of what might happen to himself in those minds. He feared what would happen if he removed the barrier but he also feared what would happen to him if he travelled the dark minds again. He knew that the bloody mists of Anzu's wind would roll over him and threaten to swallow him up. He knew that the black ocean of Yuugi's mind would try to drag him under and drown him. He knew that one misstep and Yuugi would be screaming and tearing at himself as Anzu begged and pleaded with him to cease his self destruction.
I gave them something they couldn't have had otherwise. It may not be perfect but-
The telephone rang. Pegasus' eye fell on it. Something whispered to him of castles in the sand as the tide rolled in.
Dread began to rise within him.
+…+
A town car rolled up the drive and Pegasus tried not to fidget or worry as he concentrated. he had hurried over to Seto's house to make sure he met them when they arrived. He stood and focused on the three children. His mind reached out to them.
Sleep…
The car stopped and he opened the rear passenger side door.
Slumped, sideways, Anzu was holding onto Yuugi. Both were sleeping. Pegasus' eye glanced at Mokuba, who was also asleep.Pegasus made an effort not to show his relief. Seto was already getting out of the other side of the back seat.
"I think you may have over done it." Seto said as he bent down to begin unbuckling Mokuba. "Why put Mokuba or Yuugi to sleep, as well?" He looked at Pegasus across the row of sleeping children.
"No, I think it might be a bit odd if only Anzu fell asleep." Pegasus forced a smile at Seto as they began unfastening safety belts. "Besides, children can always use a nap or two during their busy days." Seto made some sort of snorting noise and the two carefully took the children out of the car. Mokuba and Yuugi slumbered in Seto's arms and Pegasus took Anzu.
"I'll go tuck these two into bed, you can use my office."
"No, no, it's all alright, she can go to bed, too. She'll be fine by tomorrow morning, don't worry." Pegasus was already walking towards the house. He hoped that Seto could not read the truth through his back. He hoped that Seto could not see through his words. Hoped he could not see his uncertainty. Just as they had accepted that the children were 'fixed,' it had seemed that Bakura and Seto had accepted that Pegasus had everything well in hand.
They didn't ask him questions. They simply accepted, without seeking for reassurances, that Pegasus was some great manipulator of minds. He felt their faith in him. It had lifted him up in the beginning. He was not as strong as Seto. He was not a great nurturer like Bakura. This had been his contribution. They expected that it was his special skill, honed and perfected.
Their faith in him had made him happy but… This was all unexplored territory for him. He had never done anything as extensive before. He had not dealt with such damaged minds before. He was dancing on a thin sheet of ice, but he felt Seto and Bakura's eyes on him. They were impressed with his grace, mistaking his calm for expertise.
Pegasus laid the girl in bed next to her brother.
A crack in her dream…
+…+
The Painter stood in a valley between two gently rolling hills. He turned his head to inspect his surroundings. Then he looked up at the top of one hill. He squinted and then scowled.
A jagged tear in his perfect masterpiece. A crack with delicate edges ready to give way under any indelicate touch.
The Painter stood before the abomination and looked at the swirling miasma of red beginning to curl in through the breach. He lifted his paintbrush from his pocket once more and began the careful work of setting his work to right. This was just a little crack… a crack about half his height and a third his width. Fixing this was child's play. It was nothing compared to the feat of creating the refuge.
The Painter fixed the fissure. Expert lines and artistic flourishes. He filled the crack and painted a lovely willow over it.
He sat down on the soft grass and watched as the paint dried. The leave changed from light green to darker hues.
The Painter ignored any hints of nagging doubts. He would not give in to the idea that his work could not last for a thousand years. His work was flawless. A simple touch-up was all that was needed. Just a bit of work here or there. The Painter reminded himself that every great work needed a little care from time to time. This was nothing more than a quick touch up. His work might need one or two more but it would hold.
It had to hold.
Despite his faith, he still made the journey to inspect every crevice of the space.
+…+
Pegasus dragged himself outside, into the garden. The night air was cool on his skin. He ventured as was far as he could in the garden and laid down on a lounge chair. He stared up at the dark sky. The staff had all left for the day and the children were sound asleep. Bakura was pacing about in his room. Seto was in his office.
Pegasus needed to be far away from all of them. He needed to be where their thoughts were only whispers. He needed to be far away from them for a while. However, he couldn't leave altogether.
He stared up at the stars. He didn't care to think of how long he had been at his work. Here, alone, he could allow himself to be truthful. There had not been just a single break in the girl's dream. There had been several holes and, more than that, there had had been weak spots. Thin panes of glass just waiting for an errant pebble to break, just the tiniest bit of stress.
He felt his muscles relax as the breeze rustled the leaves about him. He might have to stay close to Anzu and Yuugi. He might have to give up his plans to go home and only visit from time to time. This problem might need a more constant maintenance.
A petal drifted from a flower and Pegasus wondered why he had not thought to adopt the two children himself.
The for nearly every child in this world, there is an adult who wishes that they could give them something more perfect. With rounded corners. With soft edges. With bright colors. Panicking when truth threatens the paradise they so desperately sought to create.