A/N: I wrote this as a cute l'il request ficcy for my beta-reader! Hugs to you, gal! I hope it makes you happy (or happier, I'm really not picky). Um… I suppose I should give you some important notes for the ficcy itself, ne?

Right!

#1: Takes place (approximately) right after Chapter One of "The Dueling Angel," written by the Lady Winged Knight. Observe as I screw mindlessly with the time set and add an extra 48 hours! Bwahahaa! Um. Therefore, it's also set right around the beginning of the Duelist Kingdom arc. Okies? Great.

#2: Egyptian information blatantly ripped from The Egyptian Book of the Dead's prologue. I really just used it for reference of the gods and such… And it's an old civilization anyway, right? So it doesn't matter if the info's outdated, right? Right?

#3: Some lines in here are directly torn out of The Lady Winged Knight's story. Usually for descriptions. Thank you for making me not have to work at being creative, LWK! Love your wordings!

#4: Sarah's probably going to come off as over-dramatically self-centred. As is Pegasus. Apologies! I just like writing extremes…

Yami: (rolls eyes) No…really? I'd never have been able to tell from "And Then There Were Two."

Yuugi: … Yami! Sarcasm isn't nice.

Yami: You're grinning, aibou.

Yuugi: I have no comment.

#5: Ooh! Right! Yami is EvilDarkness!Yami. Because he's cooler/creepier that way. So basically, Yuugi and Yami get along all right, but Yami is probably going to be acting in what he believes to be the best interests of his precious hikari. And so, Yuugi trusts him, but doesn't totally trust him. Except they do get along. Once again: Author Power! Bwahaha!

#6: And Ryou's in this because I like him. And I like to write him. He's probably not actually in the episodes (as "part of the group") until later, but come ON! The sweetie never gets the screen time he should! Ranting!

And so… without further ado, I bring you… the title…

The title is, um…

Come What May

Prologue

The day had opened in wondrous glory, with a radiant sunrise whose copper, pink, and golden beams seemed to pierce the very soul. Now, there was hardly a cloud in the sky, and overhead, the birds soared in aerial ecstasy. It was an absolutely gorgeous day.

Sarah Katoma would always remember that.

She had woken up with the sun. Then she'd quietly gone through her morning routines. When she came back, the others were in various stages of awareness. She watched each member of her temporary group wake up, secure in the knowledge that she was prepared for anything.

First, there was Yuugi, the unofficial, diminutive leader of the group. After a night spent on the uncaring ground of Pegasus' Island, his tri-coloured hair spiked even more then usual. Sarah just couldn't figure him out. Like the pyramid that hung from his neck, Yuugi himself was a puzzle. It seemed at times as if he would act ages older than he actually was, yet other times, he would revert back to an innocent, trusting child. There always seemed to be a fluctuation between the two attitudes, and it was seriously starting to make her dizzy. Still, both personalities seemed to be nice enough, so she let it slide. Besides, none of this should be her affair, right? It wasn't as if she was friends with any of these people!

At the mention of the word "friend," her bluish violet eyes trailed over to the outspoken expert on the subject. Anzu had already woken up and had grabbed her things for her morning shower. The two girls shared a cautious smile, Sarah's mind still busy analyzing. Anzu's sweet personality threw her for a loop – it reminded her too much of her old self: Friendly and unknowing of the pain that the world gleefully delivered on a daily basis. Of how people were trapped and concealed by lies and false fronts.

Oh, she knew she hadn't ever been as goody-two-shoes as Anzu was, but the general faith in humanity had been there.

But that was before.

Before the … marriage.

To her left, the blond, street-wise punk still snoozed on, oblivious to the rousing activities of the camp. He lay on his stomach, his face buried in his pillow. The normally sparkling brown eyes were closed right now, and it seemed as though their absence was felt. The bustling of the camp, especially with Yuugi, seemed to contain a sort of … quiet emptiness. It was as if the wakened friends were merely passing the time until they could laugh and smile again – when Jou woke up.

Even Honda, with his oddly styled hair, was quieter. Of course, he had just woken up, too, and so was hardly ready to run about like the active boy he was so good at being. He currently sat by the campfire, staring blankly ahead. One hand was covering a huge yawn, and the other hand had wandered lazily down to scratch distractedly at his side.

A sudden presence behind her jarred her into motion. She swung around, hands raised defensively, form sliding automatically into the ingrained, defensive stance of ninjitsu and Ryu Tamashi - only to freeze in shock.

Ryou stood behind her, already dressed and smiling cheerily at her.

"Good morning!" he nodded.

She muttered back an equivalent, feeling her face flame in humiliation. That she'd been ready to attack one of the weakest people she'd ever seen…

And yet, like Yuugi, the seemingly gentle, silver-haired boy radiated an underlying sinister aura. Right now, it lay quiescent, but her meditations had picked up a blood-tainted malice that greedily encircled Ryou's body and which actively reached for other victims. However, unlike Yuugi, Ryou seemed to be unaware of its malevolent presence.

'Or perhaps,' her cynical side mused, 'he's all too aware of it.'

Still, the five teens banded together to form an encompassing glow. And, slowly, she could feel their joviality, their true friendship, lovingly wind itself around the icy shell of her heart.

Bit by bit, she could feel herself returning to the girl she'd once been. The decision, now, seemed to be whether she should leave or stay.

Her brain, ever the logical thinker, directed her to abandon this sorry bunch of weaklings. On the other hand, her newly awakened heart convinced her otherwise. All because of –

"Ok, you guys! Come and get it!" laughed the cook.

'…Yuugi…'

.................................................................................................................................................

"Pegasus…Oh, my dear Pegasus. Darling…"

In his four-poster, the creator of Duel Monsters tossed in his sleep. His brow furrowed as his brain worked its way through the trauma-causing, yet also healing, sight of his true beloved.

"Cecilia, darling…"

And there she was, suddenly before him, shining like the sun. And just like the flower before the sun, his arms opened wide to embrace all of her loveliness.

She flew into his arms, as wondrous as he remembered. He let the tears of rapture fall as they may, so involved was he in holding her sweet form against his…

In delirious ecstasy, he borrowed his nose into her hair, smelling her very essence. It caused him to reel, drunk as he was on her very existence. He tightened his embrace, vowing to never ever evereverforeverNO! let her leave him again.

"Cecilia, Cecilia, Cecilia, Cecilia, darling-mine-beloved Cecilia," he chanted over and over, helplessly. He couldn't believe that he was finally reunited with her! After all this time—

He hair still shone like the marigold she had loved. Her eyes remained the colour of the endless ocean on a summer's day. Her lips were ruby red- yet more precious than any gems on Earth.

"Oh, Cecilia darling!" he cried, unable to prevent the words from escaping.

But when he looked down, he saw only unequalled sorrow on her face. At his confused look, she merely let one perfect tear escape her lustrous eyes. Like the tears that still streamed from Pegasus' eyes, it, too, fell unheeded to the ground. It splashed into the growing puddle, causing ripples to form and expand.

"My dear Pegasus! Oh, my darling…" she shivered. She moved impossibly closer to him, as if his presence would chase away the horrible future she could see forming. "You must stop -- !"

He drew fractionally back, confused as he had never been before, yet loathe to put any space between them. "Stop? Stop what?"

Cecilia gazed upwards, hair falling in a careless waterfall down her back. "You must stop your obsession with the Millennium Items! Please!"

He stared at her as if she were an unknown enemy. "Stop? But they are the only thing that can reunite me with you!"

Liquid sunlight flew as she vehemently shook her head in denial. "Wait, then! Wait until the time is right. We shall be reunited at long last then! Not like before…"

"Before? But before, when I summoned you with the Eye, we were as happy as when you were alive!"

She stared up at him, dumbstruck. "Did you not know that it was only your presence that prevented me from screaming in agony, beloved? You tore me out of heaven – only to satisfy your physical need! If only you could wait. Just wait, until the future returns us together. Please! Please, you must!"

Pegasus had fallen to his knees, pain burrowing hurt grooves across his face. "I…hurt…? Cecilia, my love, I'm so sorry. Please forgive me! Please! You must!" Then his face firmed in resolution. "I will no longer seek to bring you to me. Instead, I will give myself to you!"

Cecilia stared in horror at her true love. It hurt her to no end, seeing her in the grip of this madness. "Beloved, wait. You must believe me when I say this. Are you listening?"

A loving, chocolate eye stared endearingly up at her. "Always, my light. What is it?"

She tried to suppress the shiver at the gleaming gold of his other, soul-less eye. "You must turn away from Yuugi and the Puzzle. It shall only result in doom! Oh, please, darling, why can't you see?"

"Keep away from little Yuugi? But why? And what doom? Cecilia, darling, I hear you but I am not understanding!"

She shook her head again, but more gently. "I cannot say. Already I have broken too many rules in appearing to you in this dream. I cannot tell you of the horror that you shall meet if you attempt to defeat Yuugi and the Puzzle in this duel that you have planned. Promise me this! Please! If you will not do it for yourself, then make this promise for me!"

He staggered to his feet, grasping almost desperately at her blue dress. "I promise. I shall not duel him. Anything for you, beloved!"

The growing ripples in the puddle of tears below suddenly grew out of proportion, tearing Cecilia out of his arms and sending him hurtling into the blackness below.

And Pegasus woke with a start, hurling his eyes open and staring blankly ahead. He vaguely remembered the dream, and the warning, and he made up his mind.

"Anything for you, beloved…"

The broken man's sobs echoed forlornly in the moonlit chamber.