Child at Heart
Chapter 4
They talked for a long while, those two. And I cannot remember what exactly they said, but I knew that Mokuba was in the Shadow Realm and he wasn't supposed to be there, and that Pegasus apparently was not too happy about it.
When he came out I asked him to tell me everything.
He gave me a queer look.
" Since when did little Yugi become interested in the health of Kaibaboy?" He asked, quite bluntly, for once an honest question. He probably was too puzzled to cover it up with anything, since he realized I didn't really know either.
" Well, for one thing, I do like his brother. How come Seto didn't kick you out of there?"
Pegasus looked even more confused. " Kick me out?" He then started laughing. " A twelve year old kicking an adult out! Imagine that! Well, Yugiboy, that is very entertaining, but I must be going. I suggest you do not go back-Kaibaboy's not handling things well."
" It's your fault, you know." I muttered.
Pegasus stopped and gave me a look that chilled me to the bone. But it looked strange because it was an honest and truthful look, not one filled with suspense. His answer was, though, and I had always hated it.
" What do you know, Yugi Motou? You don't understand."
The next time we met him Seto wasn't exactly twelve years old anymore. He acted a little jumpy, and I would be too, especially since Yami, Joey and I crashed face to face with Maximillian Pegasus. He didn't really comment on our meeting-he carried two thick books covered with silken cloth, and didn't speak a word to us even as Joey threw insults at him. Joey was a sweet guy.
Finally, tired of listening to poor Joey, Pegasus just kicked open the door, the books so heavy he probably couldn't hold them with one hand. The door opened easily, much to our surprise, and Pegasus walked in without fear, very strange.
Inside it was a mess. We paused for a minute, observing. There were charred holes in the walls, some burnt wood on the shelves, soggy books, dirt all over the place, and electric shortcuts.
" You've been working hard, haven't you, Setoboy?" Pegasus asked.
The answer was a loud explosion, and Seto came out, as a sixteen year old, with a very annoyed look on his face.
" Don't scare me like that!" He snapped. Then he murmured something, and the cracks, the holes, the electric shortcuts, disappeared as if they've never been.
" This is an interesting development." Pegasus decided to reply. " I've never heard of magicians who cannot control their magic."
Seto gaped at him for a brief moment before whirling around and storming back into the living room, apparently looking for something.
Pegasus set his books pleasantly on a spare table and gestured at us to sit.
" Please." He offered. " After all, you'll probably come out of here alive if you don't startle him."
Joey was vastly annoyed. Yami didn't say anything, just sat. I sat down, and Joey followed suit.
We heard the conversation very clearly.
" No, I didn't call the office. If I was so sick I couldn't go, I wouldn't be able to reach the phone in the first place." Seto replied.
" You know," We heard Pegasus say. " I think you abuse that body of yours too harshly. It could explain why you are throwing magic all over the place...literally."
" Any cure? Quick?"
" This isn't a disease, little one."
" Then what did you bring all those books for?"
" Have you forgotten Mokuba?"
" No! I haven't forgotten him! But how am I supposed to go around like this?"
" You aren't. It's your own fault." Pegasus appeared with Seto sulking behind him. Although it was strange, it was also very interesting. We watched in curiosity as Seto continue to sulk for a while before dropping back to business, folding his hands behind him so he won't burn anything. Pegasus was reading from one of the books.
" Do you want to try this one?" Pegasus asked. " It's an ancient Egyptian spell." This perked Yami's interest very much. " And this was how they do it to bring back souls that were banished temporarily."
" My brother's not banished." Seto mumbled. " Can you read these?"
" Oh, actually, no, I know what it means, but I don't know how it's pronounced. Little Pharaoh, mind helping us?"
Yami was fairly offended, but for the sake of Seto he ventured forward and looked from the book.
" Oh...yes. This is the spell." Yami sounded surprised. Then he mumbled something under his breath.
There was a flash. Everything went dark for a brief second, and then we were back in the room again.
" Why did you do that?" Pegasus snapped. It was the first time we heard him speak that way.
" I didn't mean to!" Seto retorted indignantly. " I just panicked for a minute there! I have no idea what the spell is about!"
Pegasus growled. " Do you want me to help you or not?"
" Of course I want your help." Seto's face twitched. " But so far you're not helping."
The two legends stared at each other for a long while, with Yami backing away from them.
Pegasus sighed and rubbed his forehead.
" You do need to get that childish heart of yours under control, Kaibaboy."
" I am that child!"
" I meant that twelve year old."
" I am that twelve year old!"
" Really?" Pegasus cocked an eyebrow. " Then what happened to the shield?"
" It's gone." Seto answered quietly. " I guess I spent most of my energy developing the other powers, so I don't have enough for...that."
By now we were seriously confused, especially Joey, because first of all, the little twelve year old couldn't possibly have grown to a sixteen year old in several weeks, and second, Pegasus seemed to know something we don't.
" Hm." Pegasus answered thoughtfully. " Curious. Very curious."
Silence.
" Listen," Seto sounded defeated, " I really don't think I can handle anything right now. I mean, I've repressed the memory of this entire magic ordeal for so long, and right now it just came back to me all at once." Seto sighed. " I don't know what is going on, Max. I still don't know why you're bothering."
" That's an interesting question." Pegasus answered pleasantly. " Because to tell you the truth, I don't know either. But that is besides the point, isn't it, Setoboy? But if you say so, we'll save the spell for another day. Just stay calm and don't break anything."
" Sure." Seto walked him to the door. " By the way, Max?"
" Yes?"
" Can you stop calling me Setoboy?"
Pegasus smirked. " In your dreams."
And what confused us more was his answer.
" I thought so."
When Seto came back we were all sitting on the sofa, comfortable and quiet, including Joey. I kind of feel sorry for him; he must have felt a little stupid, being that he had insulted Pegasus when in truth it seems that Seto and he had settled all scores for the time being.
" Well?" Yami demanded, not too gently, with a quiet and deadly voice. Seto recognized it.
" Well what?" he asked.
" You have a lot of explaining to do." I answered. " I think this is a time for some story telling.
Seto ran his fingers through his hair nervously as he suddenly realized he just got into trouble.
" Well..." He began.
" Sit down." Yami beckoned, sympathetic at his discomfort.
He reluctantly sat down, seeing no way out of this.
" You can start from when Pegasus and you had that little appointment." I suggested.
He didn't really want to talk, but we weren't really giving him a choice in the matter.
" Pegasus found out that Mokuba got trapped in the Shadow Realm."
" That we know." Yami answered. " It's called eavesdropping. What else?"
" He offered to help me get Mokuba out."
" Why?"
" Well," Seto swallowed, " I don't really know."
" He could be lying, you know." I warned. It's not like Seto to just trust anyone, but then again, if this Seto was the twelve year old we just met, then who knows.
" I know." Seto answered briefly. " But I knew he was telling the truth."
" How?"
" I don't know."
" You're bluffin." Joey glared.
" I'm not."
And he wasn't. He really didn't know. He just knew.
" And why did you call him Max?" I asked.
" Max for Maximillian." Seto answered sheepishly.
" And the book?"
" The book I don't know where he got it from. He just said that it could help somewhat. It will bring us to the entrance of the Shadow Realm, but we're going to have to do everything else by ourselves."
" Oh?" Yami tilted his head. " What if he leaves you there in the Shadow Realm and abandons you?"
" I don't care." Seto answered in an offhanded way. " As long as I'm with Mokuba or I know he's safe."
There it was. Right in front of our noses. But we didn't see the logic.
" You're willing to take the chance."
" There are no chances. Only fate."
That sounded too much like Pegasus.
" What's gotten into you?" Joey asked bluntly.
Seto looked at Joey weirdly. And what baffled us was not his answer really. It was the fact that he said it as if we should know it already.
" What? I'm dead."
Chapter 4
They talked for a long while, those two. And I cannot remember what exactly they said, but I knew that Mokuba was in the Shadow Realm and he wasn't supposed to be there, and that Pegasus apparently was not too happy about it.
When he came out I asked him to tell me everything.
He gave me a queer look.
" Since when did little Yugi become interested in the health of Kaibaboy?" He asked, quite bluntly, for once an honest question. He probably was too puzzled to cover it up with anything, since he realized I didn't really know either.
" Well, for one thing, I do like his brother. How come Seto didn't kick you out of there?"
Pegasus looked even more confused. " Kick me out?" He then started laughing. " A twelve year old kicking an adult out! Imagine that! Well, Yugiboy, that is very entertaining, but I must be going. I suggest you do not go back-Kaibaboy's not handling things well."
" It's your fault, you know." I muttered.
Pegasus stopped and gave me a look that chilled me to the bone. But it looked strange because it was an honest and truthful look, not one filled with suspense. His answer was, though, and I had always hated it.
" What do you know, Yugi Motou? You don't understand."
The next time we met him Seto wasn't exactly twelve years old anymore. He acted a little jumpy, and I would be too, especially since Yami, Joey and I crashed face to face with Maximillian Pegasus. He didn't really comment on our meeting-he carried two thick books covered with silken cloth, and didn't speak a word to us even as Joey threw insults at him. Joey was a sweet guy.
Finally, tired of listening to poor Joey, Pegasus just kicked open the door, the books so heavy he probably couldn't hold them with one hand. The door opened easily, much to our surprise, and Pegasus walked in without fear, very strange.
Inside it was a mess. We paused for a minute, observing. There were charred holes in the walls, some burnt wood on the shelves, soggy books, dirt all over the place, and electric shortcuts.
" You've been working hard, haven't you, Setoboy?" Pegasus asked.
The answer was a loud explosion, and Seto came out, as a sixteen year old, with a very annoyed look on his face.
" Don't scare me like that!" He snapped. Then he murmured something, and the cracks, the holes, the electric shortcuts, disappeared as if they've never been.
" This is an interesting development." Pegasus decided to reply. " I've never heard of magicians who cannot control their magic."
Seto gaped at him for a brief moment before whirling around and storming back into the living room, apparently looking for something.
Pegasus set his books pleasantly on a spare table and gestured at us to sit.
" Please." He offered. " After all, you'll probably come out of here alive if you don't startle him."
Joey was vastly annoyed. Yami didn't say anything, just sat. I sat down, and Joey followed suit.
We heard the conversation very clearly.
" No, I didn't call the office. If I was so sick I couldn't go, I wouldn't be able to reach the phone in the first place." Seto replied.
" You know," We heard Pegasus say. " I think you abuse that body of yours too harshly. It could explain why you are throwing magic all over the place...literally."
" Any cure? Quick?"
" This isn't a disease, little one."
" Then what did you bring all those books for?"
" Have you forgotten Mokuba?"
" No! I haven't forgotten him! But how am I supposed to go around like this?"
" You aren't. It's your own fault." Pegasus appeared with Seto sulking behind him. Although it was strange, it was also very interesting. We watched in curiosity as Seto continue to sulk for a while before dropping back to business, folding his hands behind him so he won't burn anything. Pegasus was reading from one of the books.
" Do you want to try this one?" Pegasus asked. " It's an ancient Egyptian spell." This perked Yami's interest very much. " And this was how they do it to bring back souls that were banished temporarily."
" My brother's not banished." Seto mumbled. " Can you read these?"
" Oh, actually, no, I know what it means, but I don't know how it's pronounced. Little Pharaoh, mind helping us?"
Yami was fairly offended, but for the sake of Seto he ventured forward and looked from the book.
" Oh...yes. This is the spell." Yami sounded surprised. Then he mumbled something under his breath.
There was a flash. Everything went dark for a brief second, and then we were back in the room again.
" Why did you do that?" Pegasus snapped. It was the first time we heard him speak that way.
" I didn't mean to!" Seto retorted indignantly. " I just panicked for a minute there! I have no idea what the spell is about!"
Pegasus growled. " Do you want me to help you or not?"
" Of course I want your help." Seto's face twitched. " But so far you're not helping."
The two legends stared at each other for a long while, with Yami backing away from them.
Pegasus sighed and rubbed his forehead.
" You do need to get that childish heart of yours under control, Kaibaboy."
" I am that child!"
" I meant that twelve year old."
" I am that twelve year old!"
" Really?" Pegasus cocked an eyebrow. " Then what happened to the shield?"
" It's gone." Seto answered quietly. " I guess I spent most of my energy developing the other powers, so I don't have enough for...that."
By now we were seriously confused, especially Joey, because first of all, the little twelve year old couldn't possibly have grown to a sixteen year old in several weeks, and second, Pegasus seemed to know something we don't.
" Hm." Pegasus answered thoughtfully. " Curious. Very curious."
Silence.
" Listen," Seto sounded defeated, " I really don't think I can handle anything right now. I mean, I've repressed the memory of this entire magic ordeal for so long, and right now it just came back to me all at once." Seto sighed. " I don't know what is going on, Max. I still don't know why you're bothering."
" That's an interesting question." Pegasus answered pleasantly. " Because to tell you the truth, I don't know either. But that is besides the point, isn't it, Setoboy? But if you say so, we'll save the spell for another day. Just stay calm and don't break anything."
" Sure." Seto walked him to the door. " By the way, Max?"
" Yes?"
" Can you stop calling me Setoboy?"
Pegasus smirked. " In your dreams."
And what confused us more was his answer.
" I thought so."
When Seto came back we were all sitting on the sofa, comfortable and quiet, including Joey. I kind of feel sorry for him; he must have felt a little stupid, being that he had insulted Pegasus when in truth it seems that Seto and he had settled all scores for the time being.
" Well?" Yami demanded, not too gently, with a quiet and deadly voice. Seto recognized it.
" Well what?" he asked.
" You have a lot of explaining to do." I answered. " I think this is a time for some story telling.
Seto ran his fingers through his hair nervously as he suddenly realized he just got into trouble.
" Well..." He began.
" Sit down." Yami beckoned, sympathetic at his discomfort.
He reluctantly sat down, seeing no way out of this.
" You can start from when Pegasus and you had that little appointment." I suggested.
He didn't really want to talk, but we weren't really giving him a choice in the matter.
" Pegasus found out that Mokuba got trapped in the Shadow Realm."
" That we know." Yami answered. " It's called eavesdropping. What else?"
" He offered to help me get Mokuba out."
" Why?"
" Well," Seto swallowed, " I don't really know."
" He could be lying, you know." I warned. It's not like Seto to just trust anyone, but then again, if this Seto was the twelve year old we just met, then who knows.
" I know." Seto answered briefly. " But I knew he was telling the truth."
" How?"
" I don't know."
" You're bluffin." Joey glared.
" I'm not."
And he wasn't. He really didn't know. He just knew.
" And why did you call him Max?" I asked.
" Max for Maximillian." Seto answered sheepishly.
" And the book?"
" The book I don't know where he got it from. He just said that it could help somewhat. It will bring us to the entrance of the Shadow Realm, but we're going to have to do everything else by ourselves."
" Oh?" Yami tilted his head. " What if he leaves you there in the Shadow Realm and abandons you?"
" I don't care." Seto answered in an offhanded way. " As long as I'm with Mokuba or I know he's safe."
There it was. Right in front of our noses. But we didn't see the logic.
" You're willing to take the chance."
" There are no chances. Only fate."
That sounded too much like Pegasus.
" What's gotten into you?" Joey asked bluntly.
Seto looked at Joey weirdly. And what baffled us was not his answer really. It was the fact that he said it as if we should know it already.
" What? I'm dead."