---
By the time Yugi awoke, they were hovering over land again. The sky was fading, and he could see the city lights of Los Angeles begin to pop into view. He hadn't been to America since the Grand Prix tournament, so it was nice to come back. It wasn't much of an ordeal, they all packed light since they would only be staying for three days. They simply waited their turn to get off the plane and exited together, following other passengers down the narrow corrodor that connected the plane to the terminal gate.
But even so, it was a shock to see him standing there smiling as he shook hands with Seto Kaiba as if nothing had happened between them. He was even wearing the same suit in which most of the pictures of him were taken; red with gold trim. The only difference that Yugi could actually see on Pegasus J. Crawford was a slim black band trailing from under his hair across his forehead. When Pegasus turned to see him, the silver locks took to the caprice of the air, and Yugi could see an eye patch where the scarred eye must have been when the item departed him.
"Yugi-boy! What a pleasure to see you again, isn't it?" He was so zealous, Yugi couldn't help to smile at the familiar face. The four of them; Yugi, Jounouchi, Honda, and Anzu; had really looked into Pegasus's life before leaving the castle, and they knew that he was just an honest man trying to do the best he could. He was misled, but it seemed as if that shadowy bane that he was to them had disappeared. Jounouchi beside him slowed to a cautious halt, but he still nodded in recognition to Pegasus. Honda slumped over Jounouchi's shoulder waving, even though he didn't know Pegasus well. Anzu thoughtfully bowed in Japanese tradition.
"Good to see you, Mr. Pegasus." Yugi looked up, the high-toned English came from Anzu. He was taken aback that she spoke so naturally. He felt put to shame; he wasn't really a worldly traveler, so he never worked on his linguistic skills. Pegasus seemed to smile at it as well, but he shook his head as he did so waving her off.
"You don't have to worry about it, I speak Japanese, you know." Pegasus did reply in a clear Japanese wording, but his zealous American accent did show up. Yugi hadn't heard many Americans speak Japanese, but he was still pretty sure that Pegasus must have sounded overly zealous to other Americans as well. The tall man nodded to the group simply and led them through the terminal. He seemed very much at home, so he must have traveled a lot in his day. Yugi could only assume such, from the stories that Shadi had told him of Pegasus's trips to Europe.
Yugi could hear the discontent in Seto's mutterings as they were all led to the same limousine. As an executive, Seto must have thought himself above simple gamers from his homeland. Pegasus seem to have a different idea in mind, so they all shuffled into the limousine together. Yugi was shocked when he noticed the rear-view mirror of the car. The same servant who had been at attendance to Pegasus since their first meeting was still at the wheel, his hair was greying a little more than usual and his mustache a little fuller, but he was still recognizable.
"So how have all of you been, hm? It's been a good two years, hasn't it? You all look so esteemed now instead of the bunch of kids wandering my chateau years ago." Pegasus was quick-worded but long-winded, still a social butterfly when in a good mood. Seto turned to stair out the window, but Jounouchi took to the call to action.
"Pretty good, I'd say. Yug' here's been famous eva' since your Duelist Kingdom tournament, and he's built his way up from there." Jounouchi eggingly nudged Yugi to speak up about everything, but Yugi should his head to try to deter his friend. If Pegasus knew about the conquest of the Millenium Items, or was even reminded about Ryou's actions he might become upset. He tried to handle the situation as vaguely as he could.
"Well, yeah. . . There's been a lot of big famous tournaments and everyone has had it in for me ever since I beat you!" He posed embarrassingly, shrugging his shoulders and scratching the back of his head. Pegasus no longer could read minds without that eye of his, so he would have no way of knowing that all seven Millenium Items were in the vehicle. Seto's very formal looking trenchcoat seemed to conceal the Millenium Rod well, so Yugi just had to trust it to luck at this rate.
"Is that so? Well, being the game's creator I'm sure you caused a ruckus. I'm sorry there's been a slow in production, it's been about half a year since anything new or grand came out. You see, I plan everything in advance. Well, now that I'm back in the fray again I can start doing that again. We're about to finish the entire 300 series!"
They swapped stories until they finally arrived at a new mansion that Pegasus must have procured at some point. The drive was long, involving leaving the bulk of the city for the green hills of the area until they reached the new establishment. There were many cars parked at the entrance, and it seemed that whatever Pegasus was planning, he was planning to enact it this evening.
---
"Aren't they beautiful?"
The ball room was fairly packed with a variance of spectators from reporters to investors, and of course the motley crew of Yugi and his friends. But there was a silence in the air between two important figures on opposite sides of the room. Yugi swung his head around at the sound of a broken glass, and turned to see Seto with the same blank stare at the projection screen.
There were two screens on either side of Pegasus as he spoke at a podeum into a microphone so that he could ellaborate on his art and inspiration to the entire crowd. To his right, the screen bore the image of the lavish soldier covered in golden armor with an glimmer of dawn in the background. To his left, a crystal dragon made of something dark covered in an opposite silvery metal with the aura of an eclipse behind it.
To Yugi, the Dragon was completely unrecognizable, but the Soldier was in absolute cognition in his memory. It was reasonably similar to one of his favorite Ritual Monster cards, the Black Luster Soldier; but it carried itself with much more danger and esteem. Just like the one who spoke to him in his dream. . .
Yugi slowly slid his gaze back to Seto, but he was gone. As he turned back to the where Pegasus stood giving announcements, there was also an absentee figure. Looking back to the projection screens against the marble walls, he no longer saw either the Dragon or the Soldier, but other card art that was being displayed. There were some interesting pictures, but nothing interested him, he had to find the two that were now missing from the scene.
Shuffling his way to the back of the grand ball room near the food and drink tables that were left unattended from the fascination with the images Pegasus's equipment depicted, Yugi examined the contents of his backpack. Seeming a little out of place already amidst the established and wealthy figures, the boy didn't see any harm with carrying his backpack around. He already was misplaced.
The Millenium Ring at last made it's way to the surface of the contents of the bag, and he focused his thought into it the same way he would the Millenium Puzzle. This item was used to locate the others, and if both Seto and Pegasus had stormed off, they were most likely in the same place.
Quietly meandering through the crowd to the other end of the establishment, down quiet halls and past familiar staff that had come from the original Chateau, Yugi had made his way to a dead end that had nothing but a large mahogany door where it ceased to go on. He could hear unrecognizable shouting, and while he hesitated to open the door, something inside him rushed forward to fling it open.
"What's going on? I want answers from you now!" Seto had Pegasus by the collar, lifting him slightly in the air with a sneer on his face. There was a frantic feeling in his Seto's eyes, the boy could tell that his rival of some time was very disturbed by the same imagery that Yugi was. . . Or was that the issue? Yugi didn't recognize the Dragon, and yet Seto was standing dead opposite it as Yugi was the Soldier in gold.
"I'm telling you! They were just images and ideas I had in my coma! I was partially aware! Doctors say that it's possible!" Pegasus freed his arms violently from Seto's grasp, and shoved him back. The glimmer in Pegasus's eye against the chandelier reminded Yugi of the more ambitious and vindictive nature that the artist carried within.
"They are masterpieces and the focal point of our upcoming 306 set: 'Controller Of Chaos.' In English, we are calling them Black Luster Soldier: Envoy Of The Beginning and Chaos Emperor Dragon: Envoy Of The End. In Japanese, which you might understand more. . . Chaos Soldier: Messenger Of Creation, and Chaos Emperor Dragon: Messenger Of The End." Pegasus matted out the wrinkles in his suit, but then gestured to two painting encased in glass of the two monsters. They appeared to be the originals of the artwork to be depicted on the card.
Yugi stepped forward and pressed his hands against the glass of the Chaos Soldier's prism prison. You could barely see the eyes under the helmet, but the face was relatively similar to the original monster that Yugi had used. It was Azure with eyes that seemed to pierce the gaze of anyone who stared directly at it. As his eyes focused, he felt himself linger between existances as the spirit within tried to get a glimpse as well.
"So you're telling me we both dreamed of this monster?" Seto pointed at the Chaos Emperor Dragon's painting with a shaking hand, obviously distraught by the existance of the painting. Yugi glanced over at the what seemed to be a focus of much of the ruckus. The dragon was somewhat eerie; it stood on hind legs in some symbolic gesture of pride. He found himself entranced with it, as he steadily made his way towards the other painting to stare. It was interesting, and certainly new compared to the Chaos Soldier's depiction.
Seto reached at Pegasus's collar again, but he was diffused and sent sprawling back by another shove from the older gentleman. The frustrated youth crashed into Yugi, the backpack coming undone again as Yugi himself was forced into the weight of the puzzle. He let out a heave and closed his eyes.
The Millenium Ring jangled into view, and Pegasus hopped back from the sight of it. The Millenium Scale tipped slightly out of the bag, and rolling out of one of the weighing plates came the Millenium Eye rolling out into view. It stopped before Pegasus with the symbol that each golden object possessed pointing directly at him. The two stared at each other for a long time in silence, until a crystal clear voice cut through.
"Pegasus, I have come back here to give you back the eye so that you can master its foresight and tell me exactly what it going on."
---
By the time Yugi awoke, they were hovering over land again. The sky was fading, and he could see the city lights of Los Angeles begin to pop into view. He hadn't been to America since the Grand Prix tournament, so it was nice to come back. It wasn't much of an ordeal, they all packed light since they would only be staying for three days. They simply waited their turn to get off the plane and exited together, following other passengers down the narrow corrodor that connected the plane to the terminal gate.
But even so, it was a shock to see him standing there smiling as he shook hands with Seto Kaiba as if nothing had happened between them. He was even wearing the same suit in which most of the pictures of him were taken; red with gold trim. The only difference that Yugi could actually see on Pegasus J. Crawford was a slim black band trailing from under his hair across his forehead. When Pegasus turned to see him, the silver locks took to the caprice of the air, and Yugi could see an eye patch where the scarred eye must have been when the item departed him.
"Yugi-boy! What a pleasure to see you again, isn't it?" He was so zealous, Yugi couldn't help to smile at the familiar face. The four of them; Yugi, Jounouchi, Honda, and Anzu; had really looked into Pegasus's life before leaving the castle, and they knew that he was just an honest man trying to do the best he could. He was misled, but it seemed as if that shadowy bane that he was to them had disappeared. Jounouchi beside him slowed to a cautious halt, but he still nodded in recognition to Pegasus. Honda slumped over Jounouchi's shoulder waving, even though he didn't know Pegasus well. Anzu thoughtfully bowed in Japanese tradition.
"Good to see you, Mr. Pegasus." Yugi looked up, the high-toned English came from Anzu. He was taken aback that she spoke so naturally. He felt put to shame; he wasn't really a worldly traveler, so he never worked on his linguistic skills. Pegasus seemed to smile at it as well, but he shook his head as he did so waving her off.
"You don't have to worry about it, I speak Japanese, you know." Pegasus did reply in a clear Japanese wording, but his zealous American accent did show up. Yugi hadn't heard many Americans speak Japanese, but he was still pretty sure that Pegasus must have sounded overly zealous to other Americans as well. The tall man nodded to the group simply and led them through the terminal. He seemed very much at home, so he must have traveled a lot in his day. Yugi could only assume such, from the stories that Shadi had told him of Pegasus's trips to Europe.
Yugi could hear the discontent in Seto's mutterings as they were all led to the same limousine. As an executive, Seto must have thought himself above simple gamers from his homeland. Pegasus seem to have a different idea in mind, so they all shuffled into the limousine together. Yugi was shocked when he noticed the rear-view mirror of the car. The same servant who had been at attendance to Pegasus since their first meeting was still at the wheel, his hair was greying a little more than usual and his mustache a little fuller, but he was still recognizable.
"So how have all of you been, hm? It's been a good two years, hasn't it? You all look so esteemed now instead of the bunch of kids wandering my chateau years ago." Pegasus was quick-worded but long-winded, still a social butterfly when in a good mood. Seto turned to stair out the window, but Jounouchi took to the call to action.
"Pretty good, I'd say. Yug' here's been famous eva' since your Duelist Kingdom tournament, and he's built his way up from there." Jounouchi eggingly nudged Yugi to speak up about everything, but Yugi should his head to try to deter his friend. If Pegasus knew about the conquest of the Millenium Items, or was even reminded about Ryou's actions he might become upset. He tried to handle the situation as vaguely as he could.
"Well, yeah. . . There's been a lot of big famous tournaments and everyone has had it in for me ever since I beat you!" He posed embarrassingly, shrugging his shoulders and scratching the back of his head. Pegasus no longer could read minds without that eye of his, so he would have no way of knowing that all seven Millenium Items were in the vehicle. Seto's very formal looking trenchcoat seemed to conceal the Millenium Rod well, so Yugi just had to trust it to luck at this rate.
"Is that so? Well, being the game's creator I'm sure you caused a ruckus. I'm sorry there's been a slow in production, it's been about half a year since anything new or grand came out. You see, I plan everything in advance. Well, now that I'm back in the fray again I can start doing that again. We're about to finish the entire 300 series!"
They swapped stories until they finally arrived at a new mansion that Pegasus must have procured at some point. The drive was long, involving leaving the bulk of the city for the green hills of the area until they reached the new establishment. There were many cars parked at the entrance, and it seemed that whatever Pegasus was planning, he was planning to enact it this evening.
---
"Aren't they beautiful?"
The ball room was fairly packed with a variance of spectators from reporters to investors, and of course the motley crew of Yugi and his friends. But there was a silence in the air between two important figures on opposite sides of the room. Yugi swung his head around at the sound of a broken glass, and turned to see Seto with the same blank stare at the projection screen.
There were two screens on either side of Pegasus as he spoke at a podeum into a microphone so that he could ellaborate on his art and inspiration to the entire crowd. To his right, the screen bore the image of the lavish soldier covered in golden armor with an glimmer of dawn in the background. To his left, a crystal dragon made of something dark covered in an opposite silvery metal with the aura of an eclipse behind it.
To Yugi, the Dragon was completely unrecognizable, but the Soldier was in absolute cognition in his memory. It was reasonably similar to one of his favorite Ritual Monster cards, the Black Luster Soldier; but it carried itself with much more danger and esteem. Just like the one who spoke to him in his dream. . .
Yugi slowly slid his gaze back to Seto, but he was gone. As he turned back to the where Pegasus stood giving announcements, there was also an absentee figure. Looking back to the projection screens against the marble walls, he no longer saw either the Dragon or the Soldier, but other card art that was being displayed. There were some interesting pictures, but nothing interested him, he had to find the two that were now missing from the scene.
Shuffling his way to the back of the grand ball room near the food and drink tables that were left unattended from the fascination with the images Pegasus's equipment depicted, Yugi examined the contents of his backpack. Seeming a little out of place already amidst the established and wealthy figures, the boy didn't see any harm with carrying his backpack around. He already was misplaced.
The Millenium Ring at last made it's way to the surface of the contents of the bag, and he focused his thought into it the same way he would the Millenium Puzzle. This item was used to locate the others, and if both Seto and Pegasus had stormed off, they were most likely in the same place.
Quietly meandering through the crowd to the other end of the establishment, down quiet halls and past familiar staff that had come from the original Chateau, Yugi had made his way to a dead end that had nothing but a large mahogany door where it ceased to go on. He could hear unrecognizable shouting, and while he hesitated to open the door, something inside him rushed forward to fling it open.
"What's going on? I want answers from you now!" Seto had Pegasus by the collar, lifting him slightly in the air with a sneer on his face. There was a frantic feeling in his Seto's eyes, the boy could tell that his rival of some time was very disturbed by the same imagery that Yugi was. . . Or was that the issue? Yugi didn't recognize the Dragon, and yet Seto was standing dead opposite it as Yugi was the Soldier in gold.
"I'm telling you! They were just images and ideas I had in my coma! I was partially aware! Doctors say that it's possible!" Pegasus freed his arms violently from Seto's grasp, and shoved him back. The glimmer in Pegasus's eye against the chandelier reminded Yugi of the more ambitious and vindictive nature that the artist carried within.
"They are masterpieces and the focal point of our upcoming 306 set: 'Controller Of Chaos.' In English, we are calling them Black Luster Soldier: Envoy Of The Beginning and Chaos Emperor Dragon: Envoy Of The End. In Japanese, which you might understand more. . . Chaos Soldier: Messenger Of Creation, and Chaos Emperor Dragon: Messenger Of The End." Pegasus matted out the wrinkles in his suit, but then gestured to two painting encased in glass of the two monsters. They appeared to be the originals of the artwork to be depicted on the card.
Yugi stepped forward and pressed his hands against the glass of the Chaos Soldier's prism prison. You could barely see the eyes under the helmet, but the face was relatively similar to the original monster that Yugi had used. It was Azure with eyes that seemed to pierce the gaze of anyone who stared directly at it. As his eyes focused, he felt himself linger between existances as the spirit within tried to get a glimpse as well.
"So you're telling me we both dreamed of this monster?" Seto pointed at the Chaos Emperor Dragon's painting with a shaking hand, obviously distraught by the existance of the painting. Yugi glanced over at the what seemed to be a focus of much of the ruckus. The dragon was somewhat eerie; it stood on hind legs in some symbolic gesture of pride. He found himself entranced with it, as he steadily made his way towards the other painting to stare. It was interesting, and certainly new compared to the Chaos Soldier's depiction.
Seto reached at Pegasus's collar again, but he was diffused and sent sprawling back by another shove from the older gentleman. The frustrated youth crashed into Yugi, the backpack coming undone again as Yugi himself was forced into the weight of the puzzle. He let out a heave and closed his eyes.
The Millenium Ring jangled into view, and Pegasus hopped back from the sight of it. The Millenium Scale tipped slightly out of the bag, and rolling out of one of the weighing plates came the Millenium Eye rolling out into view. It stopped before Pegasus with the symbol that each golden object possessed pointing directly at him. The two stared at each other for a long time in silence, until a crystal clear voice cut through.
"Pegasus, I have come back here to give you back the eye so that you can master its foresight and tell me exactly what it going on."
---