Thanks for the comments everyone! I'm almost finished with the much more
amusing sequel to this story, so don't get too depressed, Amber, by the sad
note here. =)
Alright, with that done, keep responding people! If you've ever written anything here, you know what I mean when I say the responses help keep me going. *g*
* * *
Part Seven
He was breathing too hard, that was a given, but somehow it didn't really matter. Pegasus had been standing in the alley, but as the Eye continued to call and the pain pounded away, all thought of self melted. He scarcely noticed when he slid down the brick wall, or when he ended up crouched on the wet asphalt, his knees clutched to his chest as he stared vacantly into space. He saw nothing, the force of the mental communication enveloped him, leaving him weak. So he sat in the alleyway unmindful of the filth and the sludge. He concentrated on his breathing, willing with every ounce of his remaining power to send peace to the Eye, to reassure and comfort it. The thing was mindless, demanding, and without any reason. Pegasus was shaking violently as his heartbeat pounded away relentless as a subway train. The Eye spoke to him without words, told how it had been discovered, and how it desired a reunion. It sent its power out to him, and Pegasus sent some of his own in turn. They fed off each other, floating on a wave of nausea, lost somewhere between anguish and pleasure. :: . . . kill the grave robber . . . .::
Pegasus clutched his head, hissing in pain as the searing pain seemed to caress the place where the Eye had once been. "No . . . there's been . . . enough of that."
Again the Eye tried to merge, its consciousness pushing in vain against his own. It was a futile attempt, and the Eye relinquished when it felt its owner in pain. :: . . . come to me . . . ::
Pegasus shook his head. His eye was alight with its own inner fire, gleaming like a madman's. "I need -"
:: . . . i know . . . i have always known . . . come . . . ::
"Soon . . ."
The Eye held him, caressed him like a lost lover, and accepted his answer. It had always had faith in its master. Only one in every century was born to bear the Eye. The grave robber could not wield it, only the chosen could wield the item that he had been destined to wield. It felt the pain in its wielder, felt the loss and sadness, and was encouraging as ever. It would wait. Pegasus would come.
As the presence of the Eye receded Pegasus slumped forward, his head on his knees, his face to the side. He stared into the alley as though he'd never seen one before. It would take a few moments to recover his sense of self. The Eye was insistent. It knew he could not refuse for much longer.
It was a hand on his shoulder that startled him. "Pegasus."
He turned, dimly beginning to realize exactly how he must appear. There was Yugi Moto, his eyes wide and innocent though his darker half lingered there behind the violet irises. He looked at the boy and wondered how one so young could bear it, the curse of a Millennium Item. It seemed strange how very wrongly fate could deal her cards. He sighed. "I was chosen, you know. It approved of me. Only I may wield it safely."
Yugi's eyes darkened, but the darker one did not emerge. "You tried to kill us. You would have stolen my soul, sealed me and my friends into cards, held us all while you took over the world. It seems you didn't use the Millennium Eye very wisely."
But Pegasus shook his head listlessly. His strength was slow in coming. "No, I tested you. You just happened to pass." The boy seemed unimpressed, so he changed the subject. Even half out of his mind, his curiosity could still get the better of him. "Tell me, Yugi, does your Millennium Item pain you as much as mine does me? Do you . . . " He paused, unsure of how to phrase it. The old look entered his eye again, a look of desperation. "Do you sometimes hunger for the sheer power you know lies just beyond your reach?" He moaned softly, his eye large and childlike for a moment. "I could have saved her! Had I only gone to Egypt sooner, I could have prevented everything from happening . . ."
"That's no excuse, Pegasus."
"Tell me though! Do you suffer and delight in the suffering but don't quite know why?!"
Young Yugi took a step back as though the question had burned him. Perhaps it had. His lips moved just barely as he posed the question, "Yami, what does he mean?"
"Oh just answer the damn question! Don't go running to him all the time. You depend entirely too much on others." Pegasus stared, his amber eye fierce and suddenly sharp. "Someday, you may not have anyone to turn to. What will you do then, little Yugi Moto, when you are at last alone?"
"I don't know what you mean!"
"Of course you don't! That's my point!" He was drawing strength from the act of conversation. He reached out and grabbed Yugi's hand, pulling him down. The boy gasped and the puzzle flashed in warning, but Pegasus meant no harm. He held Yugi's shoulders and said without a hint of mirth, "I'm not the enemy you believe me to be. The more you discover of yourself, the more you shall come to understand the true nature of the items. As of this moment, you barely understand yourself. The Eye . . ." His eye glazed, and for a fleeting moment he was the sorrowful young painter who had desperately journeyed to Egypt so many years ago, not the terrible soul- robber he had become. He was simply a lost man, who with tangled hair and smudged face knelt in a dirty alley with a boy who was just beginning to understand the concept of loneliness. "The Eye is immensely powerful and, as all power does, it tends to corrupt. Power seduces, Yugi, and we both know that your particular item holds more power and potential than the six others." He smiled sadly and caressed the boy's face with affection. "Use your power wisely, Yugi, otherwise you may regret it."
Yugi had been afraid, and his yami had nearly demanded that he take over, that Yugi retreat to the soul chamber and allow his dark half to take control of the situation. But as Pegasus had spoken, Yugi began to understand. It was true that the power frightened him sometimes, though he didn't let on to his friends. When he'd completed the Millennium Puzzle, he'd never expected such a burden. Softly, Yugi moved the cascade of silver hair aside. Pegasus closed his remaining eye, sighing as Yugi lifted the patch and the wind kissed his wound. Yugi gasped at the sight of the scarred and empty socket, but then realized he'd expected such a thing. Tentatively he traced his fingers over the wound. "Does it hurt?"
"All the time."
Alright, with that done, keep responding people! If you've ever written anything here, you know what I mean when I say the responses help keep me going. *g*
* * *
Part Seven
He was breathing too hard, that was a given, but somehow it didn't really matter. Pegasus had been standing in the alley, but as the Eye continued to call and the pain pounded away, all thought of self melted. He scarcely noticed when he slid down the brick wall, or when he ended up crouched on the wet asphalt, his knees clutched to his chest as he stared vacantly into space. He saw nothing, the force of the mental communication enveloped him, leaving him weak. So he sat in the alleyway unmindful of the filth and the sludge. He concentrated on his breathing, willing with every ounce of his remaining power to send peace to the Eye, to reassure and comfort it. The thing was mindless, demanding, and without any reason. Pegasus was shaking violently as his heartbeat pounded away relentless as a subway train. The Eye spoke to him without words, told how it had been discovered, and how it desired a reunion. It sent its power out to him, and Pegasus sent some of his own in turn. They fed off each other, floating on a wave of nausea, lost somewhere between anguish and pleasure. :: . . . kill the grave robber . . . .::
Pegasus clutched his head, hissing in pain as the searing pain seemed to caress the place where the Eye had once been. "No . . . there's been . . . enough of that."
Again the Eye tried to merge, its consciousness pushing in vain against his own. It was a futile attempt, and the Eye relinquished when it felt its owner in pain. :: . . . come to me . . . ::
Pegasus shook his head. His eye was alight with its own inner fire, gleaming like a madman's. "I need -"
:: . . . i know . . . i have always known . . . come . . . ::
"Soon . . ."
The Eye held him, caressed him like a lost lover, and accepted his answer. It had always had faith in its master. Only one in every century was born to bear the Eye. The grave robber could not wield it, only the chosen could wield the item that he had been destined to wield. It felt the pain in its wielder, felt the loss and sadness, and was encouraging as ever. It would wait. Pegasus would come.
As the presence of the Eye receded Pegasus slumped forward, his head on his knees, his face to the side. He stared into the alley as though he'd never seen one before. It would take a few moments to recover his sense of self. The Eye was insistent. It knew he could not refuse for much longer.
It was a hand on his shoulder that startled him. "Pegasus."
He turned, dimly beginning to realize exactly how he must appear. There was Yugi Moto, his eyes wide and innocent though his darker half lingered there behind the violet irises. He looked at the boy and wondered how one so young could bear it, the curse of a Millennium Item. It seemed strange how very wrongly fate could deal her cards. He sighed. "I was chosen, you know. It approved of me. Only I may wield it safely."
Yugi's eyes darkened, but the darker one did not emerge. "You tried to kill us. You would have stolen my soul, sealed me and my friends into cards, held us all while you took over the world. It seems you didn't use the Millennium Eye very wisely."
But Pegasus shook his head listlessly. His strength was slow in coming. "No, I tested you. You just happened to pass." The boy seemed unimpressed, so he changed the subject. Even half out of his mind, his curiosity could still get the better of him. "Tell me, Yugi, does your Millennium Item pain you as much as mine does me? Do you . . . " He paused, unsure of how to phrase it. The old look entered his eye again, a look of desperation. "Do you sometimes hunger for the sheer power you know lies just beyond your reach?" He moaned softly, his eye large and childlike for a moment. "I could have saved her! Had I only gone to Egypt sooner, I could have prevented everything from happening . . ."
"That's no excuse, Pegasus."
"Tell me though! Do you suffer and delight in the suffering but don't quite know why?!"
Young Yugi took a step back as though the question had burned him. Perhaps it had. His lips moved just barely as he posed the question, "Yami, what does he mean?"
"Oh just answer the damn question! Don't go running to him all the time. You depend entirely too much on others." Pegasus stared, his amber eye fierce and suddenly sharp. "Someday, you may not have anyone to turn to. What will you do then, little Yugi Moto, when you are at last alone?"
"I don't know what you mean!"
"Of course you don't! That's my point!" He was drawing strength from the act of conversation. He reached out and grabbed Yugi's hand, pulling him down. The boy gasped and the puzzle flashed in warning, but Pegasus meant no harm. He held Yugi's shoulders and said without a hint of mirth, "I'm not the enemy you believe me to be. The more you discover of yourself, the more you shall come to understand the true nature of the items. As of this moment, you barely understand yourself. The Eye . . ." His eye glazed, and for a fleeting moment he was the sorrowful young painter who had desperately journeyed to Egypt so many years ago, not the terrible soul- robber he had become. He was simply a lost man, who with tangled hair and smudged face knelt in a dirty alley with a boy who was just beginning to understand the concept of loneliness. "The Eye is immensely powerful and, as all power does, it tends to corrupt. Power seduces, Yugi, and we both know that your particular item holds more power and potential than the six others." He smiled sadly and caressed the boy's face with affection. "Use your power wisely, Yugi, otherwise you may regret it."
Yugi had been afraid, and his yami had nearly demanded that he take over, that Yugi retreat to the soul chamber and allow his dark half to take control of the situation. But as Pegasus had spoken, Yugi began to understand. It was true that the power frightened him sometimes, though he didn't let on to his friends. When he'd completed the Millennium Puzzle, he'd never expected such a burden. Softly, Yugi moved the cascade of silver hair aside. Pegasus closed his remaining eye, sighing as Yugi lifted the patch and the wind kissed his wound. Yugi gasped at the sight of the scarred and empty socket, but then realized he'd expected such a thing. Tentatively he traced his fingers over the wound. "Does it hurt?"
"All the time."