Epilouge
Disclaimer: WOW! I just made an AMAZING discovery I just HAD to share with you all! I don't own Yu-Gi Oh! OR the characters therein… aww, damnit!
Author's note: After much debating, I've decided to use the English dub version of events for this fic, mostly because more people here will be familiar with it.
Reviews would be nice. I like praise and CONSTRUCTIVE criticism, but flames irritate me. So if you feel the need to say something nasty that has no actual constructive basis, go pester someone else.
I don't often write angst- I feel I do it dreadfully tackily, but this was a spec done with a friend online, and it was too much fun to waste.
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Jolt, jolt, jolt.
He was moving.
Jolt, jolt, jolt.
Down stairs?
A numb sort of headache was forming as feeling slowly came back; he was being carried on someone's back, a murmur of voices made a low hum in his already ringing ears. What had happened? He took a long breath and immediately wished he hadn't, the headache seemed to realise he was awake and the pain increased alarmingly, to the point it felt as if a pickaxe had been jammed into his left temple. He moaned, unable really to summon the ability to make any more significant sound.
He felt the pace slowing...
'What happened?'
The voice seemed distant and shrill, like the voice of some seabird, had he heard correctly? He tried to shake his head free of the clinging fog that seemed to have taken residence in his senses, but was mildly alarmed when he realised he could barely raise his head.
'Pegasus has taken ill.'
That voice seemed to rumble out from beneath him. Whoever carried him had spoken.
Croquet, most likely. The pain intensified as he tried to lift his head again. Damn it!
'What about my Grandpa and the others? Pegasus promised to release their souls!'
Who…? Who's grandfather? He silently cursed the confusion, struggling with it, trying in vain to ignore the increasing pain that had spontaneously decided to compete with the numbing fog for complete possession of his mind
'Not my department'
Croquet replied blandly moving away.
The slight drop in temperature indicated they'd made it back inside somewhere, the steps of what sounded like an entourage echoed around the halls.
'He's stirring a bit, sir.' Someone said from nearby. No matter his mental state Pegasus knew whoever had spoken was referring to him. Again he tried unsuccessfully to raise his head and was rewarded only with a nice fresh stab of pain.
'He has been since was bumped into those kids.' Croquet replied tonelessly, shifting Pegasus' weight on his back. 'Can we hurry up?'
'Too heavy for you, Croquet?' Someone to the left asked, sneeringly. Pegasus didn't recognise the voice. But that wasn't surprising, there were too many people on Duellist kingdom for him to know them all personally.
'Not really he's just awkward to carry. Here, we'll put him in his suite.'
He was rather unceremoniously dumped on something soft, his limbs seemed sprawled and ungainly but he didn't have the energy to move them. There was a silence.
'Holy heck what the hell did they do to him? It's like his eye's been gouged out or something. He's a right mess.' One someone said, sounding slightly sick. Well, Pegasus thought ruefully, that WOULD explain the headache.
'Get a doctor.' Croquet commanded sharply.
'Doctor? The guy needs more then a fucking doctor!'
Pegasus started to feel slightly worried. How bad was it? He tried to ask, say something, anything, but nothing came out but a faint moan.
'Rimley, go- there should be a physician on the third floor. He should be able to keep things stable until we can fly in someone else.' Croquet ordered.
'Why bother? It's no skin off my nose if he dies.' A new voice replied drawlingly 'Hell, if he didn't pay so well I would have been off this godforsaken island ages ago. Just think, if he snuffs it, we'll all get a nice, fat payout… Or someone else'll take this nuthouse over instead, someone SANE.'
Something began to run down Pegasus' cheek, something unpleasantly wet. It moved too sluggishly to be sweat or tears. He frowned very slightly, wondering what it was.
'You forget, Rimley, if one of the most famous, richest company directors in the world dies from some sort of attack minutes after holding one of the most broadcast events in the world, we ain't GUNNA get rehired.' The guard who'd exclaimed when they first put him down replied heatedly. The drip ran down his face and along the line of his mouth, liquid, like smoke, found anyway in. Blood. He could taste it. He was bleeding?
'Just say he killed himself when he lost. Not hard to believe…'
'Unless the autopsy find out differently , now get out and get the doctor! You're paid to obey, NOT speculate.' Croquet snapped. There were angry footsteps and a door slam.
'Rimley's an idiot.' The first voice sneered moving closer. 'What actually happened Croquet?'
'Don't know.' Croquet sighed. Pegasus focused his slipping attention on his security chief's words 'Mister Pegasus vanished into that tower of his after the boy defeated him in the duel. I'm standing at the door and I hear him talking through- pretty much ignored that, he talks to himself a lot. Privilege of the rich and insane, I guess. Then I heard him scream and came in. found him under that portrait of the lady- the one that's all over the place.'
'How do you know he DIDN'T just try to do himself in?' the other voice sounded mildly interested
'Don't think so.' Croquet said decisively 'I saw movement when I ran in, someone running off, but my first duty's to Mr. Pegasus' safety, security is secondary, so I didn't have a chance to hunt down the assailant. I've ordered the island searched, however'
It suddenly all came back in a sharp, hideous relief. Yugi had beaten him, defeated his Millennium eye, the souls were released, the boy, the strange white haired kid that had been with Yugi had come in with the Millennium ring, they'd duelled he lost again, losing the eye, he'd failed…
Cecilia…
'You think they attacked him to steal his… magical… thingy?' The unnamed guard asked, sounding very close.
'Looks like it. Can't say a word to the fuzz if they get brought in though, don't think Mr. Pegasus would like that at all.'
Despair was more painful then the sharp horrible agony of his missing eye, lost it… all… everything, now even the millennium eye, the last POSSIBLE shred of hope. A door banged open, but his curiosity at the goings on around him died
'Got him.' Rimley's disgruntled voice rang through the room, footsteps more.
He gasped for breath, trying in vain to stop hopelessness crush him completely.
Somebody's cold hand encircled his thin wrist.
'He's still alive. Has he moved or said anything?' A deeper voice came out of the silence.
'Groaned is about all, his expression twitches a bit now and then, but no more.' Croquet answered. Through the haze he heard, and strangely registered hearing the sound of some shuffling movement and something tearing. Shockingly something cold and damp touched his face.
'Blood everywhere, this isn't good. Have you got any idea what happened?'
He assumed it was the doctor speaking. It didn't matter though, nothing mattered anymore.
There was a silence
'No idea. All we know is he was attacked' Croquet answered uneasily. The doctor continued to clean off as much blood as he could, off his face and neck. There was more then he thought, little wonder he was light headed. And odd contrast with the leaden feeling in his chest.
'Someone hold his arms would you?' The doctor asked calmly, as two pairs of hands grabbed his arms and pinned them to the bed. He didn't fight.
He wasn't really aware of what the doctor had done, but insufferable pain jabbing his head redoubled. Unable to help himself he cried out sharply, struggling against the straining guards holding him down and opening his eye to a dazzling painfully bright room of colour.
A doctor leaned over him, looking surprised. The roof of his room was above and
Croquet and the nameless guard to one side.
Cecilia's portrait was off to his right on the wall, staring at him mildly
'Ah- you're awake' the doctor said, a little startled, his expression calculating, leaning in fairly close to examine his face, before turning to Croquet 'He's not quite with it blood loss, shock most likely, I can't say I expected him to be conscious however. Would you hand me my bag? Yes- thank you…'
The doctor turned and started rifling through bag. Croquet leaned forward.
'Mr. Pegasus, did you see who attacked you? We need to know anything we can- anything that would help…'
Pegasus looked about the room, everything looking over coloured, the shadows too bright, the light too intense, his bed spread seemed iridescent and the distinction between the red of his suit and the blood staining it was so defined…
He took a breath to reply but his eyes meet Cecilia's in the painting. She'd be disappointed. Was she already? Why then were her eyes so soft, so forgiving? How could she possibly forgive him, why, he didn't even forgive himself…? The reply died on his lips as he stared into those eyes.
'Mr. Pegasus?' Croquet asked again, glancing a little nervously at the painting.
'Ah, here we are…' The doctor turned back, waving Croquet off to one side. 'We need to clean up that eye and we have no chance right now, so I'm afraid sir…'
He cheerfully stabbed a needle into his arm, draining it and leaning back slightly, waiting for it to take effect.
It didn't take long. Pain started to numb, the words the doctor exchanged with those around him were muffled and blurred, totally incomprehensible. He sensed more then felt himself sink back onto the bed, his eye still on Cecilia.
To unconsciousness or death. As long as he didn't have to feel anymore.
