Isn't it Grand What I've Managed to Do?

by SilvorMoon

In which Pegasus discovers that perhaps the only thing more painful than losing Cyndia... is getting her back.

8. Visions

Visions

By: SilvorMoon

Unlike her lover, Cyndia was free to stay in bed as long as she pleased, so it was rather late when she finally bestirred herself. Now she was ready to get up and do something, and it seemed to her that the best thing to do would be to take a bath. She couldn't remember the last time she'd had one. She assumed she must have been washed at some point during her illness, but she would feel a lot better if she could clean herself.

It's funny, she mused, as she carefully ran a soapy washcloth over her arms. I seem to have come through this much better than I would have expected myself to. Her images of people who had been bedridden for long periods of time were composed of pale, withered, skeletal creatures with sunken eyes and lank hair. As far as she could tell, she was still the very picture of health.

Still, what do I know about medicine? she told herself. Espeically now. They could have thought of almost anything while I was out...

That thought distracted her from everything else. No matter how many times she re- thought it, it was still chilling to contemplate the fact that seven years had simply dropped out of her life with no trace of their passing. To go to sleep one day in her comfortable home in California, surrounded by her friends and family, and then wake up somewhere else entirely - she wasn't even sure where - and the only familiar people she could find were Pegasus and Crocketts... well, it was more than a little jarring.

I'll do something about it, she decided. I'll explore this castle from top to bottom, until I know every closet and cupboard of it! That will make me feel more like I belong here. Maybe it will even teach me more about what's been going on while I was... away... and what kind of things Pegasus has been doing. She wanted desperately to know what he had been filling his time with while she was away. She had been the center of his world for all the time she had known him, and it caused her the slightest pang of jealousy to realize that he had perforce been paying attention to things other than her recently.

When she finished her bath and had dressed and groomed herself, she returned to her room to find that someone had left a covered tray waiting for her, which a closer inspection revealed to be protecting a platter of pancakes with peaches and whipped cream. She smiled; someone had remembered her favorite. It occurred to her that she had eaten nothing today, and only a bowl of soup the night before, and before that was a mystery. She literally could not remember the last time she'd had pancakes with peaches and cream, and it didn't take long for her to render these into a mere memory as well.

Feeling much refreshed and revitalized, she set out to explore the castle. Her expedition began with high hopes, and she made her way eagerly through the halls, peeking through doors and out windows as she attempted to fix every room's location firmly in her mind. However, it wasn't long before all of it began to blur in her mind. Every grand room began to look the same, and all the gorgeous furnishings dazzled her mind until she could hardly remember what she had seen from one minute to the next. At last, she had to stop and rest for a while. She found a convenient alcove by a window where she could sit down, close her eyes, and blot it all out.

And I thought the old Crawford manor was impressive! she thought, turning her face to the sun and letting its soothing light wash over her. I can't imagine how he finds his way around at all. He must have spent the last few years just learning the layout!

Still, she recovered her wits swiftly enough. It was a little surprising to realize that she was not at all physically tired, just suffering from a bit of mental overload.

I would have expected to be more tired. For someone who's supposed to be sick...

For some reason, that thought did not set easily in her mind. She made herself finish it: for someone who was supposed to be sick, she showed very few outward signs of actually being so. She seemed, in fact, to be in perfect health. When she had first awakened from her long sleep, she had felt a bit weak and groggy, but that feeling had passed rapidly once she had gotten up and started moving around again. Well, just look what she had ended up doing! That was hardly natural behavior from a convalescent.

Come to think of it, wasn't she supposed to be taking medication? Pegasus had said something about it last night, but this morning it had been completely forgotten. She couldn't imagine him being so careless if she was really supposed to be ill. And if she had really been that sick, shouldn't there be a doctor around somewhere? She had seen no sign of one, but surely she would have had the best care possible. Come to think of it, what was she doing here and not in a hospital where she would receive adequate, round-the-clock care? Why didn't she show any signs of being sick? If she had been in a coma for seven years, there should have some sign of it. There should have been feeding tubes or IVs or something, but the room she had awakened in had held no trace of any kind of medical equipment. There wasn't so much as a mark on her skin, as would have been left by getting a shot.

Stop scaring yourself, she scolded. You don't know anything about medicine, much less what they've dreamed up in the last few years. Things could be possible now that you've never imagined. It's entirely possible that you stayed in a hospital until you began to recover, and then moved here once you were well enough to wake up. Or something. Pegasus will be able to explain it.

That sounded like an explanation, but it didn't satisfy the part of her mind that was afraid of things she didn't understand. Well, then, she would talk to Pegasus. He would straighten everything out. All she had to do was find him in this maze of a castle.

Fortunately, help was close at hand. She hadn't ventured very far before she spied a familiar face, and she hurried over to greet an old acquaintance.

"Mr. Crocketts!" she called.

He turned and faced her, looking momentarily surprised. Then he almost smiled.

"Lady Cyndia," he said with a slight bow. "So pleased to see you up and about again."

"I'm glad to be back," she said, at the same time wondering if it were true. So far, being awake again had held its share of enjoyable moments, but on the whole it was more bewildering than pleasant.

"Is there something I can help you with?" Crocketts asked.

"Yes. I'm looking for Pegasus, but I don't even know where I am, much less where he is. Do you have any idea where I might find him?"

"I am under the impression that he is in his reference library. That was where I saw him last, at any rate. He said he wanted to be left alone, but I think he'll make an exception for you. Come."

He escorted her to the ground floor and off to a quiet corner of the castle, far removed from the bustle of servants. There was a large door which appeared to be closed and locked, but Crocketts opened it with a small key and waved her inside. She thanked him quietly and stepped into the library.

Of all the things she had seen since she came here, this was the one that impressed her the most. All the other dazzling rooms in this beautiful, extravagant castle were filled wall-to-wall with expensive carpeting and antique furniture and priceless art objects - anything that would display the owner's money and taste. Those rooms were designed to impress. This room, she felt, had been designed and furnished exactly the way Pegasus wanted it, and anyone else's opinions on it were not his problem. The focus of this room was the books. There were enough here to furnish a small town library, and many of them showed signs of much use. One of them had the pink tassel of a bookmark hanging out of it, and she plucked the book down and opened it, and smiled as she recognized the depiction of Pegasus's favorite cartoon rabbit on it. It looked a little out of place tucked in a reference book, particularly one that was written in some language she couldn't even identify. She put the book back on the shelf.

Was Pegasus still in here? It was hard to tell. The towering shelves of books limited her visibility to the thin strips of walkways that ran between and on either side of them. She walked slowly and quietly through them with the silence of one who has been brought up to respect libraries.

At the far end of the room was a large desk strewn with papers, a few books and a reading lamp, as well as a deck of the cards she had seen at the party last night. Pegasus sat behind the desk, looking speculatively at a peculiar golden object. It was a bit less than a foot long and shaped a bit like a key, and a bit like an ankh.

"What is that?" she asked.

Pegasus twitched and looked up with an expression that was almost fearful, but quickly melted into a smile.

"So, you've found my little retreat," he said. "How did you get in without a key?"

"Crocketts let me in. I hope I'm not interrupting anything important."

"No, just doing a little thinking, here where it's quiet," Pegasus replied. "I've been challenged to a duel, and I wanted to muse on my strategy."

"A duel?" Cyndia suffered a brief vision of two people facing each other with swords or pistols.

Pegasus laughed. "Not that kind of duel. I mean with cards." He held up his deck as an illustration. "Someone was displeased that I beat him in our last little skirmish, and wants a rematch. Some people just can't accept that they've lost."

"Should I come watch?" she asked. She had heard enough about this game that she was beginning to be curious to see it played.

"If that is your desire, you are more than welcome to attend, but I believe I might find your presence a bit distracting. The boy is as talented as he is stubborn, and I will need my wits about me."

"Then I'll wait," she said. "You promised you would teach me, don't forget."

"I can think of very few things I would rather be doing," he said. "Perhaps once I am finished with this appointment... no. I expect it will be very tiring. Tomorrow, when I'm fresh and rested. Everyone will be gone by tomorrow, and we can practice without interruptions."

"I'll look forward to it," she said. "So what is that key? Does it have something to do with the game?"

"Only in the most tangential sense," said Pegasus slowly. "It is a relic of ancient Egypt called the Millennium Key. It is one of seven such items that were produced three thousand years ago. This is another one." He did not quite touch his golden eye. "I've extended quite a bit of effort to assemble the entire set."

"They must be very valuable," she said. She reached out to touch the golden key, but Pegasus pulled it away from her.

"I must ask you not to touch this," he said. "I'm sorry, but... there are strange stories about these artifacts. Perhaps I'm being superstitious, but it is said that the seven Millennium Items contain magical powers of darkness. I would hate to see something unpleasant happen to you. What if a genie came out and turned you into a frog? Or have I mixed my mythology?"

She laughed. "I think you need to re-read a few of these books. So, your eye is magical, then? Can you see through walls?"

"I'm afraid I never learned the knack," he answered, with a theatrical sigh. "However, it does seem to give me... certain insights. Or perhaps I am just superstitious. At any rate, this is why I choose to wear this golden eye and not one a bit less conspicuous."

"I did wonder," Cyndia said. "But then, you never could stand to be just like everyone else, could you?"

"Of course not! If I were just like everyone else, what use would you have for me?"

"None at all," she teased. "I like you exactly the way you are."

"And I adore you with every fiber of my being," he answered fervently. He took out a pocket watch and glanced at it. "And I'm also late for my duel."

"Hurry along, then! Don't keep him waiting."

He rose to his feet and tucked the key into his desk drawer, and then tucked his deck into a pocket.

"A kiss for good luck," he said. He pressed his lips to hers briefly, pulled back, and then changed his mind and kissed her again more deeply. When they finally parted, it was plain to her that he was seriously considering not having this duel at all, but something seemed to convince him that he was better off keeping this engagement. She could have sworn he cast an almost fearful glance at the desk where the Millennium Key was hidden.

"I'll be back," he told her.

She gave him a gentle shove. "Hurry, before someone gets annoyed with you."

"But it's fun watching them get annoyed," he protested, but he left anyway.

I forgot to ask him my questions, she realized when he was gone. I got distracted by the duel, and the Millennium Key... why do I feel like I've seen it before, somewhere?

She shook her head. She would have plenty of time to ask Pegasus questions. That was good, because she had more of them than ever. Added to her worries about her medical condition were worries for Pegasus himself. She could not forget the fact that he had looked afraid when he had first realized there was someone in the room with him. A man should not be afraid in his own home, especially when he seemed to have a full complement of bodyguards to keep any unauthorized people out of the building. What was he afraid of? He couldn't have done anything illegal to get those Items, could he?

Of course not. He's in the perfect position to just buy anything he wants, so why would he resort to anything illegal? He wasn't afraid, he was just surprised because he knew the door was locked, and he's not used to me being up and about, yet.

Still, the discrepancies nagged at her. There was simply too much going on right now that she didn't understand, and as much as she told herself that she was blowing things out of proportion, the fact that her world had so many gaps in it frightened her.

I must find out. Sooner or later, I have to get someone to tell me the truth, or I'll go crazy.

With nothing else to do, she took to walking again - not exploring, but simply wandering the halls with no inkling of where she thought she was going. Perhaps she was guided by her subconscious mind, because while she was turning her thoughts over in her mind, her feet were leading her down paths they had walked before, until she was surprised to find herself in the hall of paintings that led to the main entryway. She recognized it at once by the fact that the pictures on the wall were familiar.

The man who was looking at them was not familiar.

There was something about him that said he was definitely out of place, something more than the long white robes and turban he wore. The very air around him seemed to hold the secrets of some distant place, so that Cyndia imagined she could almost feel the hot winds of a faraway desert surrounding him. He did not seem to see her, but was intent on examining the portrait that hung in front of him - as well he might, for the face it showed was his own.

"It is not right," he murmured, "that another man should keep my image in his home without my permission."

"Um, excuse me...?" Cyndia began.

The man turned to her, and Cyndia felt her breath catch in her throat as his eyes met hers. There was something strange and ageless about them, as if the man weren't quite human, or as if he had some way of seeing that was different from anyone else's. She did not like him looking at her.

"So," he said quietly. "You are Cyndia, the woman for whom all of this was done."

"I - how did you know my name?"

"I learned it, and many other things, from your lover Pegasus," he answered. He spoke the name as if it tasted unpleasant. "We have had dealings in the past."

"You don't like him?" The question slipped out before she realized how foolish it was. She was squelched by a cold glare from the man in white, and she shivered at the coldness of his gaze.

"We did not part on good terms," he said. "I have come to set things right. I take it he has not explained everything to you?"

She shook her head mutely. "Do you know what's going on?"

"I know many things," he answered cryptically. "Many things that people are better off not knowing. I cannot know the contents of your mind, but I have much experience with guessing people's thoughts, and I sense you are innocent of any wrongdoing. Perhaps you can even help me. Are you aware of an object called the Millennium Key? It looks like this." He pointed at his portrait. She noticed suddenly that his painted self was wearing a necklace that looked just like the key she had seen in Pegasus's hands not long ago. She felt another chill.

"Yes, I've seen it," she answered.

"Do you know where it is?"

She found herself nodding an affirmative.

"Wait until tonight, when your lover is asleep. Then come find me and take me to where the Key is. If you do this, I will make his mind an open book for you, and all his secrets will be revealed. If you wish to know the whole truth, beyond a shadow of a doubt, this is what you must do. I will be waiting here for you."

"You... you aren't going to hurt him, are you?"

"I have no need to resort to physical violence, if that is what you mean. That is not my way. I merely wish to uncover the truth and dispense justice. If he is innocent of any wrongdoing, you have nothing to fear. Are you afraid?"

"No." She forced herself to say the word. "Pegasus wouldn't hurt anyone. I've known him since childhood; he is a good man."

"Desperate men may do desperate things," said the stranger. "I will wait for you here tonight."

"What if I don't show up?" she asked.

He didn't answer. He shot one last look at the portrait, and then walked away. When she followed him around a corner, he was already gone, vanished as if he had disappeared into thin air.

---

The dueling table thrummed softly as electricity suddenly surged through it, preparing it to bring the monsters of the cards to life. Yugi's nerves were thrumming a bit, too, and he wished he had something that would make him feel a little more alive. His head still ached fiercely and his stomach was churning, even after Jonouchi's ministrations. He wasn't entirely sure if that was because of the remnants of his hangover, or because he was about to face the most lopsided duel of his career, and for the highest stakes imaginable.

No. The highest stakes were when I lost my other self. This is nothing. I will win. I have to win!

He looked around the room, trying to take comfort in the closeness of his friends. He could see Jonouchi, Honda, and Anzu standing on the railing watching him. Seto lurked a good distance away, trying not to associate himself with them or look too interested. Pegasus wasn't here yet.

Is he trying to draw out the suspense? Yugi wondered. A wasted effort, in his opinion. He was already as tense as he could be without something snapping. I have to duel against the man who invented Duel Monsters, who has access to every card ever made, who can read my hand and my entire strategy as easy as blinking, and who I've given permission to kill me or do whatever he wants to me if I lose, and I don't have my other self to bail me out if this goes wrong. What have I gotten myself into?

A door opened, and Pegasus breezed in.

"So sorry I'm late!" he called. "I had a previous engagement. As a matter of fact, I had one seven years ago and I'm still trying to get it taken care of, so you'll forgive me if I'm a bit pressed for time."

"Do you have the Puzzle?" Yugi asked. He had no idea why the Spirit of the Puzzle had been so adamant that it had to be present at the duel, but he was not going to let his wishes go ignored.

In response, Pegasus held up one hand, displaying the Puzzle for all the world to see.

"Have a little faith in me, Yugi-boy!" he said. "I am a man of my word. If I promise the Puzzle will be here, then so it will be! Really, you'd think I couldn't be trusted." He slipped the cord over his head and gave Yugi a mocking smile.

Take that off, you slime! thought Yugi, feeling his fists clenched in fury. The sight of his precious Puzzle hanging around someone else's neck filled him with revulsion. He took deep breaths, trying to calm himself. I can't let him make me angry. He's just trying to make me lose my focus. I have to concentrate, for my other self's sake.

"Shall we exchange decks?" said Pegasus.

Yugi shook his head. "You'll cheat anyway. What difference does it make?"

"Have it your way, then. Listen, I'm in a bit of a hurry, so can we play this by the original rules, starting from two thousand points? It would make things go so much more quickly."

"Any number is fine, so long as we get this over with," said Yugi. He felt a moment of outrage; how could Pegasus be so casual about this? Granted, he was playing with a bit of an advantage, but still...

"I'm glad you see it my way," said Pegasus. "Let the games begin!"

"Let's duel," Yugi agreed.

They took their places across from each other and drew their first cards. Yugi studied his hand.

Not bad... He had drawn a few mid-level monsters, nothing that would make anyone shake in their shoes, but good enough for a first move. Of course, Pegasus knows that, too. How am I going to deal with someone who knows every move I make before I make it?

On the other side of the playing field, Pegasus was going through his cards as if he hadn't a care in the world. He casually selected one and laid it face-down.

"Your turn," he said casually. "Do try to make this an interesting duel. I would hate to have this be a waste of my time."

"I really don't care if this is interesting to you or not," Yugi replied. "I just want my Puzzle back."

"Well, you'd better do something, then, instead of just talking."

Yugi gritted his teeth and went back to examining his cards. He had the feeling that this was what it must be like to play chess. The only way he could possibly win this match was to have a strategy so perfect that no matter what Pegasus did, he would lose, even if he knew what Yugi was doing. He wasn't sure he was up to managing that this morning.

The card he has just set is Red Archery Girl, said a voice in Yugi's mind. The other cards in his hand are Dragon Piper, Dragon Capture Jar, Negative Energy, Dark Rabbit, and Prophecy.

Partner? Is that you? Yugi thought in surprise. He looked up and was surprised to see a ghostly form, barely visible, standing behind Pegasus's shoulder. The spirit nodded.

I will tell you his cards from here. However, it is difficult to speak to you across this distance. You must decide... your strategy... on... your...

Don't strain yourself! thought Yugi desperately, as he saw the spirit's outline waver. Just read me the cards, and I'll do the rest!

Yugi looked down at his own cards again and drew his Celtic Guardian.

"I'll start with this," he said. "Celtic Guardian, attack the face-down card!"

The Guardian sprang into action, and there was a momentary flash as it destroyed the hidden card.

"A bit reckless of you, to attack a hidden card that way," Pegasus scolded him. "I would expect you to play a bit more defensively, considering what was at stake."

Yugi's only answer was a shrug. "Your turn."

"Very well."

Pegasus drew his next card, while Yugi watched him carefully, trying to decide what to do next. It would help a lot to know what cards Pegasus had in his hand, but that just barely evened the playing field. He still couldn't read Pegasus's strategy the way Pegasus could read his. He would still need something more if he was going to win at this game. He looked hopefully at his other self, whose pale image was still just barely visible.

The card he has just drawn is Illusionist Faceless Mage. His face down card is Dark Rabbit.

Thanks, Yugi sent back.

Well, that was interesting information. He wasn't sure he liked it, but it was interesting. Why play a weak card like Dark Rabbit when he had a more powerful one in his hand? Yugi guessed that he must be biding his time, waiting until he could draw his all-powerful Toon World card, at which point Yugi would be in trouble no matter what he did. He would have to strike now, before things got too out of hand.

I need a strategy. A good one. Now.

"Come, come, you're wasting time! Do something already!" Pegasus encouraged.

Yugi quickly scrambled to draw a card and place something on the field. He had his Celtic Guardian attack the face-down monster, and then placed Silver Fang in defense mode.

As he was doing this, he became dimly aware of a disturbance somewhere above his head, and he twisted in his seat to get a better look at what was going on. It seemed that Mai had come to investigate what everyone else was doing, and was now leaning on the railing with the rest of the group, watching the duel with a look of interest. He felt his tension ease a little bit at this reminder that his friends were nearby, watching over him.

"Hmm," he said, looking up at them all thoughtfully. He looked particularly long and hard at the blonde woman. Then he gave her a thumbs-up and turned back to his game.

I think I've got my strategy! There's more than one way to win at cards. All right, Pegasus. Let's try out some new rules.

Pegasus made his next draw and began to draw his next monster. Yugi sent a thought to his partner, who sent back a reply. Yugi smiled cheerfully.

"That's the one you want," he said.

"Eh?" said Pegasus, looking mildly puzzled.

"The one you had your finger on. It's the strongest monster in your hand, right?" said Yugi innocently. "It's stronger than my monsters, so that's the one you should play."

"Whose side are you on?" asked Pegasus irritably.

Yugi shrugged. "Just trying to be helpful."

"Well, if that's what makes you happy..." Pegasus played the Rogue Doll from his hand and had it destroy Yugi's Beaver Warrior. Yugi forced himself to continue looking cheerful even as his life points dropped.

"I knew you would do that," he said. "I only let you do that so you'd stop hiding behind your defense monsters. Now I'll send my Rude Kaiser to attack your Rogue Doll!"

Now it was Pegasus's turn to lose a few life points, and Yugi's smile became real as their scores drew closer to even. He still had a good distance to travel before the game was over, but it was at least a start... and he had just begun to use his real weapon. He switched his Celtic Guardian to defense mode and ended his turn.

"You think you're so clever," said Pegasus. "I've only just begun to fight!"

"I know!" Yugi answered brightly. He gave his most angelic smile. "Your turn."

Pegasus looked at him suspiciously, narrowing his good eye. Then he surprised Yugi by wincing as if he'd been struck, and placing a hand over his eye - the Millennium Eye.

What was that all about? Yugi wondered. Is it possible he can't use it?

I sense that he is weakened, his other self sent. I don't know why, but it may be that he doesn't have the strength to use its power right now.

Yugi looked at Pegasus - really looked at him, for the first time since he'd arrived. Sure enough, there was something pale and drawn about his face, something that suggested he had not gotten enough sleep last night. His one visible eye had a faint but discernable shadow beneath it. It stood to reason that the other might not be working so well today.

Then we have the advantage!

Not yet. He still has many strong cards in his deck, so be cautious!

Yugi nodded and turned his attention back to his opponent. Pegasus was carefully selecting another card, looking slightly irritated now. At last, he found one he liked, and began to take it from his hand.

"Oh, the Parrot Dragon," Yugi commented. "That's a good card. None of my monsters can stand up to it, so I guess you win this round, too. Fun, isn't it?"

Pegasus glared at him. He hadn't turned the card over yet.

"Really, Yugi-boy, I'm surprised at you," he said. "You ought to know better than to play those kinds of games with me. I'm an old hand at this sort of thing. I'm not about to be thrown off-balance by a lucky guess."

"I was just saying," answered Yugi with a careless shrug.

Pegasus gave him a sour look, and slapped the card on the field almost defiantly, as if daring Yugi to have anything cheery to say about it.

Not that there really is anything I can do about it, thought Yugi. He winced a little as his Rude Kaiser was destroyed.

"Despite your cheeky mannerisms, I seem to be winning," said Pegasus. "Your turn, Yugi-boy."

Yugi reached for his deck, thinking, Oh, please, oh, please, oh, please... And then he thought, Whew!

"All right," he said. "I'll play Giant Soldier of Stone in defense mode!"

Pegasus made a show of yawning. "What dazzling gameplay."

"And I'll play Swords of Revealing Light to keep your Parrot Dragon from attacking," Yugi added.

"Oh."

"I put Celtic Elf back into attack mode and end my turn," said Yugi. "Your move."

Pegasus glared at him, but set about making his next move. Yugi appeared to be watching him carefully, but was actually listening to his other self.

"You just drew Thousand-Eyes Idol," Yugi informed Pegasus. "Not a very impressive card, is it? That's what I'd think, if I didn't know what you were planning on doing with it."

Actually, Yugi had no clue what Pegasus planned to do with it, but he could hardly imagine Pegasus would put a monster with no attack and no defense in his deck if he couldn't use it in combination with something. In all likelihood, it would turn into something particularly nasty. That was just the kind of thing Pegasus would enjoy.

"How did you know about that?" Pegasus demanded. "That card was never released to the public. How could you know it exists?"

"I know it exists," said Yugi, "because of something that I can see, but which can't be seen."

"Don't give me that," Pegasus snapped. "You are cheating! You - you have one of your little friends up there somewhere spying on my cards! That's the only explanation. You've got this game rigged just so you can steal your Puzzle back from me!"

"Knock it off!"

That remark, surprisingly, came from Kaiba. Everyone turned to stare at him.

"You can whine all you want about cheating," said Kaiba, "but the fact is, I've been standing here next to all of these people, and if they'd been doing anything, I'd be the first to catch it. For one thing, none of them can possibly see your cards from here, unless they have binoculars and x-ray vision. For another, none of them have said a word to him since this duel began. The only way Yugi could be cheating in the way you think he is would be if he had an invisible friend standing over your shoulder and relaying your cards to him telepathically. And since we're all a little too old to believe in invisible friends, you had better either come up with a better explanation, or shut up and play."

Yugi grinned. "Thanks, Kaiba!"

"Don't go thanking me. I'm not trying to help you," Kaiba said. "I don't care which of you wins this stupid duel, but resorting to accusations of cheating just to win a game makes me sick. Now, quit messing around, both of you. You're playing like a couple of amateurs."

"You wouldn't be saying that if I was up there and you were down here," Pegasus muttered. "Where was I?"

"Your move," Yugi prompted. "The Thousand-Eyes Idol."

"Oh, right." He placed the card on the table. Then he said, "Wait!"

"Too late," said Yugi. He grinned; in that moment of distraction, Pegasus had played the weakest card in his hand - in the wrong position. "You've played your monster - you can't take it back now. Now I'll attack with my Celtic Guardian!"

The elf launched his attack, smashing the unfortunate idol and scattering its thousand eyes in all directions. The numbers on Pegasus's life-point counter whirled frantically to keep up with this drastic drop. In a single move, his score had gone from 1800 to a mere 400 points.

I think I just might make it, thought Yugi, as he ended his turn. Of course, there's still that Parrot Dragon to deal with. He's not going to make a careless move like that twice...

He's drawn his card. It's Giant Trunade, his other self informed him.

Yugi looked up at Pegasus to see him preparing to place a card on the table.

"Oh, you're going to play Giant Trunade to get rid of my Swords of Revealing Light?" he commented. "That's okay. I don't mind."

He waited a moment, hardly daring to breathe, concentrating on looking cheerful and relaxed. After what seemed like an eternity, Pegasus slipped the card back into his hand.

"On the other hand," Yugi added, "I don't mind if you don't play it, either."

Pegasus plainly didn't like hearing that. He looked through his cards, his expression one of indecision, occasionally reaching out to take a card, then changing his mind. He shot frequent glances at Yugi, plainly in agony that he could no longer see what was on his opponent's mind.

It's working! Yugi thought jubilantly. He's second-guessing himself. He really does think I can read his mind!

He is losing confidence, his other self replied. He is afraid to make any strategy for fear you will read it and counter it... but without a strategy...

He's finished.

Pegasus finally threw down a monster card face-down and ended his turn in disgust.

Yugi drew his next card and found it was nothing outstanding. He played a monster card face-down and ended his turn.

Pegasus drew a card, looked at it, and grimaced.

"I pass."

There was a flicker of light across the field as Yugi's Swords of Revealing light completed their three-turn stay and vanished. Maybe it was his imagination, but he thought he saw a look of relief cross the face of the Parrot Dragon as it was finally released. He couldn't blame it; there was nothing on the field that could stop it now. The look of worry that had haunted Pegasus for the last few turns lifted, and he grinned nastily.

"Well, that's the end of that little trick," he said. "Have you any more clever moves?"

Yugi looked at his hand for a moment. He still didn't have any cards that would protect him from the Parrot Dragon. He shook his head and laid another card face-down. "Your move."

"Fine. It's time I started reclaiming the field. Parrot Dragon, attack that annoying Celtic Guardian!"

The elf put up its best defense, but it was no use. It vanished in a swirl of sparks, and Yugi winced as his life-points dropped. He still had more than Pegasus, but his defense was shaky at best.

It's all down to this last card...

He closed his eyes and took a deep breath. He drew. He opened one eye and looked at the card.

Very slowly, he smiled.

"Time to end this," he said quietly. "I summon the Dark Magician to the field - and you know what that means!"

Pegasus obviously did, but there was nothing he could do about it. He let out a cry of dismay as the magician attacked his monster, sending his life points to zero. There was more than one whoop of victory from the balcony, and Yugi flashed his friends a thumbs-up. He saw Kaiba roll his eyes, and he grinned. It might be a while before Kaiba could understand just how important his friends were to winning this duel, or any duel.

And speaking of which...

"You lose, Pegasus," he said. "Now it's time to keep your word. Give me the Puzzle back."

For a moment, Pegasus didn't seem to hear him. Then he slipped the cord of the necklace from around his neck and pushed the Puzzle across the table. He turned and stalked silently out of the room. Yugi didn't bother to watch him go. He snatched up his prize and put it back where it belonged - hanging comfortably over his heart. He sighed peacefully as he felt a familiar presence settle back into the back of his mind.

Welcome back, he told him. I missed you.

I missed you too. It really is better when we are together, said the voice in his mind. There was a ghostly chuckle. For one thing, you don't play cards nearly as well when I'm not with you.

Hey, lighten up! I was playing under a handicap!

Their silent conversation was interrupted by the arrival of Yugi's friends, who had rushed down to the ground floor to congratulate him.

"Man, Yugi, I can't believe it!" said Jonouchi. "I mean, I can believe it, but..."

"But it's still awesome!" Honda chimed in. "Now you really have something to be proud of - beating Pegasus all by yourself."

"I wasn't all by myself," said Yugi. "I couldn't have done it if..." He looked around, realizing that Kaiba was also watching him from the fringes of things. "If I didn't know all you guys were there to support me. Even you, Mai."

"Eh?" she said, looking surprised.

"Well, you were the one who gave me the idea," he said. "I knew I couldn't possibly out- plan Pegasus, so I had to try something a little different."

"You psyched him out, huh?" she said. "I thought you might learn something if you hung out with some real duelists long enough." She winked and ruffled his hair playfully.

"Ahem," said Anzu, cutting between them quickly. "Hey, Yugi, that was really amazing! Congratulations!"

"Thanks," said Yugi, grinning and blushing.

"It doesn't take much to impress you all," said Kaiba. "I've seen elementary school students play better. Still, I suppose it was interesting enough. I just hope you do better when it comes time for the two of us to play again."

"Oh, don't worry, I will," said Yugi. "I was just... a little out of sync today. Are you going to challenge me now?"

"No," said Kaiba. "Not now. From what I understand, the ship back to the mainland is about to leave, and if I challenge you now, you'll miss the boat. I don't want to have to fly all the way back to Japan with you and your little fan club in tow... but when you get back to Domino, I'll be waiting for you." He cast a dark look in the direction Pegasus had gone. "I'm going to have to think up something for him, too."

"And I thought Jonouchi here was an ass," Mai commented, watching Kaiba as he stalked off. "I wouldn't want to go anywhere with him... but he's probably right."

"Yeah, we should get back to the ship," said Jonouchi. "Man! What a mess this turned out to be. We didn't even get any prizes."

"Complain on the boat," Honda said. "You don't want to get stuck on this island with Pegasus, do you?"

"Ack!" said Jonouchi. "You're right! C'mon, let's get outta here!"

---

There was some bitter comfort in living in a castle, where at least if you were going to wander without plan or purpose, you had some room to do it in. Pegasus drifted blindly through the halls of his grand home without taking notice of where he was going.

It wasn't supposed to happen this way.

He could make no sense of it; it was too wrong for his mind to even absorb it. He was supposed to win, and he had never been able to envision a world where he wouldn't come out on top somehow. His victory should have been assured. Even with the power of his Millennium Eye weakened, he still should have won somehow. After all, Yugi no longer had his Millennium Puzzle to back him up, and his unbeatable Exodia cards had long since been thrown away. Pegasus should have been able to hold out long enough to bring in his ultimate fighting forces and crush anyone who crossed his path, particularly if that someone was a little boy who had been stripped of all capability of making trouble. He absolutely could not comprehend how he had managed to lose.

How did he do it? He must have had help... but I had the Puzzle with me the whole time, and he has no other Items to call upon, and he couldn't have had his friends helping him, or Kaiba would have spotted them and stopped them. Was I wrong about the boy? Is it possible that his powers lie not in his Puzzle... but in himself?

For a moment, he felt an odd wrench, a feeling of knowing that all the powers he was so proud of were things that were outside him, and could be taken away at a moment's notice. All it would take was another day like today, when he was tired and distracted, and someone could win it all away from him. He could not pretend anymore that he was invincible, and it would be folly to pretend it could never happen again.

My deck was perfect. My strategy should have been flawless. It was I who failed, by letting myself be intimidated. I failed...

He felt as if the things he had been secure in were falling down, one after the other, like a row of dominoes. For a few moments, he'd had everything - his company, the seven Items, and Cyndia. Then he had let himself be talked into giving away the Ring. Now the Puzzle was gone. Would he lose the other Items, next, if their original owners came back to claim them? What about his own Eye?

No! I will never lose that! It is my own, and no one else's. No one will ever take it from me. That man told me that I could only claim it and live if I was the one who was meant to have it. That can't be changed.

But what if he wasn't meant to have it forever? What if it no longer deemed him worthy, now that he was on a downward trend?

It will not happen. I can recover from this. I just need time to regain my strength. Once my energy is restored, I will wrest Yugi's secrets from him, and then I will defeat him, just as I've always defeated anyone who stands in my way. He took a steadying breath. I have to do this. I will win the Items back. I have to get them back, because I can't let anything threaten Cyndia ever again...

"Talking to yourself?"

Pegasus looked up to find a wild-haired boy looking back at him. He recognized him at once as the holder of the Ring - not just the quiet boy who played host to the Ring's Spirit, but the Spirit himself looking through the boy's eyes. He wore a twisted smile that looked wrong on someone so young, and his hair bristled like the hackles of a wild beast. The pupils of his brown eyes were contracted to pinpoints, though the light in the hall was dim. He gave the impression of being some rabid, night-stalking creature whose madness had compelled it to come out and hunt in the glaring light of day.

"I can think of people I'd rather talk to," the Spirit continued, "but I can't imagine there are many people who want to talk to you. Then again, you strike me as a solitary sort, rather like myself. You don't care for many people, do you? Perhaps there really is only one person you care to associate with."

"I certainly don't want to associate with you," Pegasus snapped back. "I'm not in the mood for conversation right now. Go away."

"No, I don't think so," the Spirit replied. "I'm here to talk business. I thought that since the situation has changed somewhat, we might renegotiate our original deal."

"There is nothing to renegotiate. I have what I wanted; there is nothing else you can do for me."

"Ah, but there is something you can do for me. You see, I am interested in acquiring the Millennium Items. I have been searching for them for a long, long time. I believe you still have most of them in your possession. I want them."

"What makes you think I'm just going to say, 'Oh, fine, then, I'll hand them right over'? I've gone through a lot of trouble for these Items, you know."

"Yes, I know what you think is a lot of trouble," the Spirit scoffed. "What you have gone through is nothing. What you have suffered is nothing. I care nothing about any of it. I think you will give me what I want, and you will do it because of what I am."

"And what is that?"

The boy smirked. "I am a thief, and a stealer of souls. I believe there is one in particular you are interested in."

Pegasus felt frozen. "You mean...?"

"Yesterday, you were a man with no weaknesses. Today, you have one very important weakness, one you would do absolutely anything to protect - no matter how difficult, or painful, or vile. If I held her life in my hands, you'd do anything I said, wouldn't you? You'd give me all your rare cards, this entire island, your company, your whole fortune and everything you own. And you would do more than that. You'd kill with your bare hands if you had to, to keep her safe. You'd debase yourself to any level." He laughed. "And they say love is the greatest good in all the universe! You're a pathetic creature, and that is why I am going to go easy on you. All you have to give up are six little shiny objects, and I will go on my merry way and leave you to enjoy yourself."

"And if I refuse?"

"Do you know the power of the Ring? I will tell you. It holds power over living souls. I can, for example, lift them out of human bodies and seal them into anything I please. So here is my offer: either you give me the rest of the Millennium Items, or I will take your woman's soul and put it into something breakable, and then crush it."

"You... murderer!"

The Spirit laughed. "Look who's talking. How many souls did you shatter while you were learning to master the Eye's powers, hm? I can't believe you learned to control it all in an instant. You must have practiced on someone."

"That was different!"

"Yes, yes, you had very good reasons for doing what you did," said the Spirit blandly, "and I'm sure I do not. Nevertheless, that is my offer. Take it or leave it."

"You can't force me into this," said Pegasus. "I don't even have all the Items anymore. I lost one just a while ago, to that boy Yugi. Go pester him."

"That's your own fault for losing it," the Spirit admonished. "I will give you some time. If you don't have the Items here for me by this time tomorrow... Well, you might be able to appease me by giving me only five Items. Then again, you might not. It depends on my mood. You'll just have to try me and see."

"And what if I can only give you five?"

"Then we'll have a problem, won't you?" The Spirit laughed and began walking away. "Have fun. I'll see you tomorrow, won't I?"

He strolled away, leaving Pegasus to stand in shocked silence. For a moment, he was unbelievably tempted to throw a tantrum and scream and kick and cry like a small child. Then he overcame that urge and took out his cell phone instead.

"Crocketts!" he barked. "What are you doing?"

"Trying to locate those intruders who arrived last night, as you ordered."

"Well, stop that! I have something more important for you to do. There is an insane killer on this island, and he needs to be dealt with now."

"Sir?"

"That boy, Ryou Bakura. He has threatened me, and he has threatened Cyndia, and I will not allow it! Find him and deal with him, by any means necessary."

"You mean...?"

"I don't care! Capture him, shoot him, throw him in the ocean, but just deal with him! Make it so he'll never have the chance to come near me ever again, do you understand?"

"Yes, sir. I'll get right on it."

"See that you do. You have twenty-four hours. Hop to it!"

He turned the phone off and stormed away irritably.

"That will fix him," he muttered. "How dare he threaten me... How dare he talk as if he and I are anything alike? I'm not like him at all. I'm not a murderer..."

---

There was a crowd gathered at the dock. It was a rather dazed, blurry-eyed, and in many cases somewhat hung-over crowd, but they all seemed to be there. Yugi stayed close to his friends, feeling faintly edgy.

Do you feel it, too? he asked his other self. A feeling like something is still wrong...

Yes. There are still strange forces at work on this island. If it were possible, I would stay here and challenge them.

I know what you mean... but I think enough has happened. I just want to go home. I nearly lost you. I don't want to put you in danger again, or any of my other friends.

I understand. There may yet be unwholesome powers here, but our work in this place is over.

"What are you thinking?" Honda asked him. "You don't look like you're happy to get out of here."

"I'm kinda bummed, too," Jonouchi said. "All that trouble, and we don't have much to show for it."

"But at least you got your Puzzle back," said Anzu.

"And showed that Pegasus a thing or two," said Honda. "Maybe he'll think twice, next time he wants to go around taking people's stuff."

"I hope so," said Yugi. "I don't want to have to go through this all over again!"

"Same here," said Jonouchi. "I'd be happy if I never had to see this island or anyone else on it ever again!"

"We're on the island," Honda pointed out.

"I mean, besides us!"

"Oh, really?" said Anzu. "What about her?"

She pointed, and everyone looked to see Mai sauntering up to join them.

"Well, well," she said, "if it isn't the dream team again."

"You say that like you didn't just see us fifteen minutes ago," said Anzu.

"I wasn't interested in joining your little victory party," Mai answered. "It was an interesting duel, though. I suppose I'm glad I watched."

"I'm glad you did, too!" said Yugi. "Believe me, nothing is more important to me than having my friends close by in times like this."

She snorted. "Are you sure? It looks to me like you've already dropped one of your little friends. Didn't you start out with four? Where's what's-his-name, the one with the white hair?"

"Hey, you're right," said Jonouchi. "Where is Bakura?"

"I haven't seen him since last night," said Yugi.

"Me either," said Anzu. "I remember him being at the party, but then he wandered off, and then you were sick and we were too busy looking after you to look for him."

Honda climbed up onto a nearby rock to scout around.

"I can't see him anywhere," he said. "You'd think we could see him a mile away with that hair of his."

"You don't suppose...?"

"The Ring?" said Jonouchi.

"Oh, no," said Yugi.

"I guess we're going to have to go looking for him," said Honda resignedly.

"You realize, of course, that the boat will be leaving in fifteen minutes?" asked Mai, raising an eyebrow.

"We can't leave Bakura here," said Yugi. "It's not safe for him. It's not safe for anybody."

Mai laughed. "You mean to tell me you think that Bambi-eyed little guy would cause major damage if you leave him alone too long? What is he going to do, blow up a building? Torch the place?"

"That's not really his style," said Honda vaguely. "I don't think. It's hard to tell."

Mai looked at him. She looked at all the others. Their faces were all completely serious.

"You really do think he's dangerous?" she said at last.

"You have no idea," said Yugi.

"And you still say he's your friend."

"No. Yes. Kind of. It's hard to explain," said Yugi. "Trust me on this one. He's not exactly what he seems to be."

"You really will make friends with anyone, won't you?"

Yugi shook his head in frustration. "I'll try to explain this one later, if we ever get a chance. Right now, we have to figure out where Bakura has gone, before something happens. At least... I know I have to."

"We're with you," said Jonouchi. "If something has happened to Bakura, we can't let you face him alone."

Honda and Anzu nodded.

"Well, if you're expecting me to come along, you're out of luck," said Mai. "I'm getting back on that boat and getting out of here."

"I understand," said Yugi. "You don't have to help us. It might be dangerous, and you don't owe us anything. It's been nice meeting you, Mai. Thanks for everything."

"See you around, kids," she replied.

Yugi nodded and began hurrying away, before any of the guards could realize that someone wasn't getting in line to get on the ship. His friends scampered after him. Mai watched them all for a moment, then shook her head.

"Just when I think I have them figured out," she muttered, and began walking slowly away.

---

"He's still in the castle somewhere!"

"Right! He can't have gone far. We'll split up. You take the east wing, and you check the main hall."

A number of serious-looking suited men, each equipped with a pair of dark glasses and a small firearm, scattered in various directions. Bakura watched them go, smirking to himself. That was the nice thing about rich folks' houses: they were always filled with a thousand nooks and crannies where a cunning thief could hide himself. The guards would probably never think to look for him up on a ledge fifteen feet above the floor, because it would never occur to them that he would have been able to get up there. Granted, it hadn't been easy - his host didn't give much attention to building his body, and his muscles weren't what the thief had possessed three thousand years ago, but he had managed in the end. Now he sat back and watched all those below him scurry around. They couldn't hope to touch him.

They could, however, make life difficult for him. He could only carry out his threats against Pegasus if he could actually get within range of the man or his lover, and that would be tricky if there were always guards around. His shadow powers were considerable, but it was foolish to play games with people who could sneak up behind him and shoot him before he could call up any magic. It would be a great deal better if he could convince them to leave him alone. He slipped his deck out of his pocket and began riffling through it until he had selected a card.

"There you are," he said. "Come out, come out! I have a little job for you..."

A few minutes later, one of the guards was startled to have a pale-haired boy push roughly past him and go sprinting toward the back door of the castle.

"There he goes! After him!"

All the guards in the area rushed off after him, but he already had a head start and was moving remarkably fast. He dashed out into the forest behind the castle and went crashing through the underbrush. The guards ran after him.

"Stop! Stop or we'll shoot!" one shouted.

The boy did not stop. He continued running as if his life depended on it. The man in front took out his pistol and fired a warning shot. The boy barely even flinched. Another shot whizzed through the air, snapping tree branches as it went, and just barely missing the boy's shoulder.

The next bullet struck.

There was a hoarse scream as the shot tore through his back, sending up a red spray. The boy staggered and collapsed into a growth of brambles, where he rustled a while and finally lay still. All the guards stopped running to listen to the last fading sounds.

"Did we get him?" one asked.

"I don't hear anything," said another. "If he's not dead now, he will be soon. Nobody could take a shot like that and live."

"What are we going to tell his family?" asked the youngest of the guards.

Another shrugged. "He was horsing around on the boat ride home and fell over the railing. Nothing anyone could do about it. He washed out to sea and was never seen again. Pegasus will pay the family off to keep them quiet."

"I guess you're right," said the other guard. "Anyway, I'm not crawling through all those briar bushes just to look at the body. Not in this suit!"

The others agreed with their companion, and they left to make their report.

They utterly failed to notice the pale-haired boy who was sitting casually in the branches of a tree near the castle door. He grinned cheerfully as they walked within feet of him without bothering to look up and see if he was there. Why should they? They were certain they had seen him die. He held up a card, which glowed faintly between his fingers before subsiding again. He slipped the card back into his pocket and patted it.

"Thank you, Shapesnatch," he said. "You put on an enjoyable performance."

That... that was awful... said a quavering voice in his mind. How can you stand there and smile, watching yourself die?

"You be quiet. I've been dead for three thousand years, and I don't care anymore. You just keep watching, my host. Before long, you'll see things that are much, much worse."

---

When Cyndia caught up with Pegasus again, she found him to be unusually subdued. He was sitting at his desk, staring out the window, seemingly lost in a world of his own. Once again, she had the strange feeling that he was afraid of something.

"Pegasus?" she said softly. "Are you all right?"

"Hm?" He looked up at her. "Ah, yes, of course! Everything is quite all right. If I seem discouraged, it is because I lost my duel. It's been a long time since I've been beaten, so you must forgive me for being such a poor sport."

"Oh, dear. I'm sorry to hear that."

"I expect I'll get over it eventually," he said. "It is, at worst, a temporary setback. What about you? I trust your explorations have been educational?"

"A little," she replied. "I don't know if I'll ever learn my way around this castle. I'll be getting lost for months before I work it all how. How did you do it?"

He gave her a playful smile. "I got lost. I didn't mind - it gave me a good excuse for being late for business meetings. If you had to go to meetings like I do, you would look for any excuse to avoid them, too."

"I can only imagine," she said. "So everything is all right?"

"Everything is completely and totally without any problems at all," he assured her.

"Good," she said. "Pegasus, there's something I've been meaning to ask you."

"Then by all means, ask! I live to serve you."

"Could you tell me more about this sickness I had? It's been haunting me. I can't remember anything about any of it."

His expression shifted from eager to grim. "I really would rather not talk about it. Can't we just accept that it happened, and move on?"

"But I want to know. Whatever happened, it's taken seven years from my life, time I'll never be able to get back. My whole world has changed because of it. I need to understand what has happened to me."

"I understand," he said. "I really do sympathize, but... I was so afraid, so terrified of losing you forever. I could hardly bear it. I still can't stand to think of if very deeply. It's still too fresh in my mind. Please, give me some time. I'll tell you everything you want to know when I'm ready."

Cyndia did not feel particularly reassured by this. Some of that must have shown on her face, because Pegasus stood up and put his arms around her.

"I'm sorry, my dear," he said gently. "I don't mean to make this difficult for you. Just... let it be a few more days, hm? The tournament has ended, and everyone else is leaving the island even as we speak. Tomorrow we can leave this place - get away from it all. A change of scenery will make this so much easier to deal with..."

She nodded mutely, thinking, He's so eager to get away from here... Why do you want to run away, Pegasus? Who are you afraid of? And why don't you trust me enough to tell me?

She might have found the courage to ask him if she had not been interrupted by a knock on the door.

"Who is it?" Pegasus asked.

"Just me, sir. I have news for you."

"Oh, why didn't you say so? By all means, come in, Crocketts, and let's hear what you have to say."

Crocketts stepped into the door, bowing politely to Pegasus and Cyndia. She nodded back to him, feeling mildly relieved. There was something reassuring about his presence that hadn't changed despite the passage of years. There might be more gray in his hair than she remembered, but his personality didn't seem to have changed at all. At least he didn't give off an air of keeping secrets, and of course he never looked worried about anything, and probably wouldn't if the house was falling down around his ears.

"I'll make this brief," he said. "I just wanted to tell you that the problem you dispatched us to deal with has been..."

"Yes?"

"Dealt with."

Pegasus relaxed visibly.

"Oh, good! Very good! You have no idea how relieved I am to hear it," said Pegasus. "Tell everyone to keep up the good work. I did say I was going to give you a raise, didn't I?"

"Yes, sir, I vaguely recall you did."

"Oh, well. I'll get around to it sooner or later. I have just too many other things to think about, but I will get to it. Eventually." Pegasus waved a hand. "Any more word on that other project I had you working on?"

"Still no word, sir."

"Well, you had better snap to it! You're dismissed."

"Yes, sir." Crocketts bowed again and made his exit.

"What was all that about?" Cyndia asked.

"An intruder loose on the island," Pegasus replied. "Absolute madman, you take it from me. A split personality. Mad as a March hare. Be glad you didn't run into him - I did, and it wasn't a pleasant experience."

"Gracious!" she said. "What are they going to do with him?"

"I have no idea," Pegasus replied. "But you can rest assured that if Crocketts says the problem is dealt with, then it is dealt with! And speaking of dealing... wasn't I going to teach you to play cards soon?"

"I believe you did say something of that nature," she replied.

"Would you like to try it now? I have no other pressing engagements."

Cyndia considered a moment.

Would he really be thinking of playing games if there was something seriously wrong happening?

"Yes," she said, "I think I'd like that."

Cards were found, and Pegasus began explaining the rules to her. They were complex enough that they proved sufficient to distract her from her worries. She was offered a catalog containing a veritable treasure trove of cards to sort through, and Pegasus offered her instruction on how to construct a deck of her own. She spent most of her dinner hour flipping through the book, writing down the names of cards that appealed to her with one hand while trying to manipulate a fork with the other. When she was finished at last, Pegasus helped her narrow down her list to a useable forty, and dispatched someone to fetch everything on the revised list for her. The dinner things were cleared away, and they played their first games together over the empty table. She felt she was doing quite well, and even won a few rounds, though she suspected that he was more interested in coaching her into making good plays than in winning. Their games lasted until after sunset, when she finally noticed that her partner was stifling yawns.

"Are you bored with this?" she asked.

"I could never grow bored with your company," he replied. "It is simply that I am growing a bit weary. It's been an exhausting day... and you didn't let me get much sleep last night," he added slyly.

She blushed a bit, but responded, "Are you saying that I should leave you alone tonight?"

"I wish I could say otherwise," he replied, "but I really do feel that sleep is what I need most right now. Will you take a rain check?"

"I might," she replied. "Actually, now that you mention it, I find I'm a bit tired myself. I may have overextended myself, trying to do so much so soon after my recovery..."

"Don't strain yourself," said Pegasus, instantly turning protective. "Your health and safety are of paramount importance. Perhaps we should both call it a day, hm?"

"I think you're quite right," she replied.

He escorted her back to their room, and the two of them settled down for the night. Pegasus must have been as tired as he claimed to be, because he dropped off at once. Cyndia, however, had been fibbing a bit - she had, after all, slept in that morning, while he had not been allowed the luxury. She was still feeling wide awake. She lay perfectly still, looking at the thin shafts of moonlight that found their way past the curtains, and she thought.

For one of the few times in her life, she was glad that her partner was not in an amorous mood. That bothered her faintly, because it was unusual for her to not want to be touched and held by him, or in fact to feel any kind of reluctance at all to be around him. That had been before these strange things had begun to happen. Now she was confused by his behavior, and worried about what he might be hiding from her. How could she bring herself to be intimate with him when she wasn't sure she could trust him?

How can I be so suspicious of him? He's never done anything to hurt me before. If something was really wrong, could he sleep so peacefully?

A nagging thought replied that yes, he could, if he thought he had gotten away with it. If he was certain that he had dodged whatever the consequences were, and protected himself and her from whatever might happen, then he would suffer no regrets.

Maybe I'm just making something out of nothing. He has promised he'll explain it when the time comes...

But why was he so hesitant to explain it now? Why was he working so hard to keep her distracted?

What are you hiding from me? Even if you have a good reason for keeping it from me, I would still rather know. And if you won't tell me, I'll have to find out myself.

The moon was shifting its position; there were more moonbeams now than there had been a few minutes ago. Cyndia thought it was time she got up and did something. The mysterious blue-eyed man would be waiting for her, and he might have answers. She could talk to him and see what he had to say.

Unless it turns out that he's the one Crocketts says they caught earlier...

Well, if that was the case, she would be no worse off than she was before. She sat up slowly, careful not to disturb the sleeping Pegasus. Then she stopped. The pale light was glinting off of his golden eye, making it seem eerily alive in the darkness. It had not bothered her before, but now she was suddenly struck by how strange it was for a man to have a metal eye that never closed. It seemed to be watching her. She held her breath. A moment later, Pegasus stirred a bit and turned onto his side, and his long hair fell over the Eye and obscured it. Cyndia waited a moment longer to be sure he wasn't going to wake up, but the spell was broken, and she found she could move and breathe again. She got up and walked silently out of the room.

If the castle was daunting by day, it was downright frightening by night, and her heart was hammering as she completed the last of her trek, though she had been walking at a slow pace. She was almost relieved to find that the robed man was waiting for her by the portrait - at least he was familiar, like so few things here were. It may have been her overactive imagination, but she thought she saw his eyes gleam faintly for just a second as she approached.

"So, you have decided to come," he said.

"Only for more information," she replied.

"That is what I intend to give you - if you tell me what I want to know. Where is the Key?"

She hesitated a moment. She had the feeling that if she answered that question, there would be no turning back - that she would unleash something that she couldn't stop once it was loosed.

"This way," she said, and began walking towards the library.

She was amazed at how easily she found it again. She had only been there once before, and wouldn't have expected to be able to find it in the dark without some help, but she had the strange feeling that the robed man knew his way around this castle better than she did. All he needed her for, it seemed, was to show him where one little piece of metal lay hidden. She led him to the desk and showed him the hidden drawer.

He thanked her with a silent nod and opened it, revealing the Key. For a moment, he simply stood, staring at it thoughtfully, as if bracing himself to do something unpleasant. Then he reached for it. He hissed a bit and winced, as if the metal was burning hot to the touch, and withdrew his hand. He muttered something in a language she couldn't understand, and then tried again. This time he seemed to be able to bear the Key's touch, though he handled it gingerly.

"There are loopholes," he murmured, more to himself than to her. "I can control it enough for this..."

"For what?" she asked.

"Has your lover not told you the Key's power?" he responded.

"He - he said it was magical, but I thought he was only playing," she said hesitantly. "He's always been... a bit eccentric, and I thought it was another of his pranks..."

"The magic is real," he said flatly. "I will illustrate it for you. This Key holds the power to unlock the minds of men, and lay all their thoughts bare. I will use it to show you the secrets that are hidden in Pegasus's mind. No matter how deeply concealed they are, this will bring them to light. Then you may judge his guilt or innocence as you will."

"I don't believe you. That's impossible."

"Then watch."

He seized her wrist and began pulling her forward, back the way she had come. She struggled for a moment, but he shot her a quelling look that made her become still. Something in that look told her that he harbored no malice against her - felt nothing at all towards her. Something else said that he was deeply angry at someone, and that there was nothing at all she could do to stop him, even if she brought every guard in the castle down upon him.

They reached Pegasus's room. He was still sound asleep, undisturbed by his partner's absence, or by her sudden return with company. The Egyptian man walked over to Pegasus's bedside and held the Key above him.

"Don't hurt him!" Cyndia protested.

"I told you once before," the man replied. "I am only going to show you his thoughts and memories, nothing more. It will do him no physical harm. Hold tightly to my hand, and I will open the doors of his mind, so that we may pass through together."

This is ridiculous. I've let a murderer into the room, or a madman. He can't possibly do...

Swish. There was blackness all around, and a hot wind. Then Cyndia was dazzled by light, because she was no longer standing in a darkened room, but a bright one - one she had never seen before.

"What is this?" she asked.

"The room of Pegasus's mind," the mystic replied. "This is where we will find his innermost secrets. Come. I will be your guide."

They began to explore - the robed man with a confident stride, and Cyndia creeping uncertainly after him. Her rational mind was telling her that this shouldn't be possible, but the fact remained that she had somehow been transported to a room she had never seen before, and which furthermore didn't appear to have any entrance or exit. It was a broad hall with rich red carpeting and an abundance of ornate wooden paneling. It reminded her strongly of a museum, and indeed, there were a number of paintings hanging on the walls. There was also one set up on display in the center of the hall, commanding pride of place, with many bright lights illuminating it. Cyndia walked over to have a closer look.

She was not entirely surprised to see that the painting depicted herself and Pegasus as they had been when they were teenagers. They were settled together beneath what appeared to be a cherry tree in full bloom, gazing raptly into each other's eyes. The ground was also coated with flowers of every color, and fallen cherry blossoms were scattered over their clothing and hair. The picture was painted in vivid colors, larger than life. The Egyptian walked over to see what she was looking at.

"This is the central image in his mind," he said. "This is what all his thoughts and energy are centered on. A springtime image, signifying a new beginning."

"It's so bright," she murmured.

"Yes. Too bright," he replied. "It may be that his hopes for the future are unrealistic. He desires a perfection that cannot ever truly be... But this is not what we are looking for. We desire to know his innermost secrets, not his surface thoughts."

He began walking away. Cyndia remained a moment, looking up at the picture. It was oddly reassuring to know that she was still at the center of Pegasus's life, but the mystic's reaction to the painting was unsettling.

Other paintings lined the walls, and these were what seemed to be interesting to the Egyptian. He was strolling along, looking at each one briefly before moving on. Cyndia followed him, looking. She recognized most of these pictures as being from his early life, most of them simply sketches or pale watercolors, reflecting the vagueness of childhood memories. Her first appearance came in further down the line, rendered in exquisite detail. Beyond that point, her image appeared more and more often, until she was in every scene. Finally, there came a large and elaborate depiction of the day he had proposed to her, and then... nothing. There was a broad blank space on the wall, with only dark rectangles of wallpaper showing where paintings should have been. She felt a faint chill as she realized that they would have covered the gap where her own memories left off.

"Are they gone?" she asked.

The Egyptian shook his head. One of his hands traced over the outline of where one of the pictures had once been.

"No," he said. "They are repressed, hidden from us and from himself. He does not want anyone to find them... but find them we will. Nothing can be hidden from the Key's powers. Let us continue."

They walked past the blank wall and continued further along the length of the hall. It was darker here; most of the lights seemed to have burnt out, and the ones that remained were feeble and flickering, or simply not there at all. The first picture they came to showed a sweeping desert landscape, devoid of life. Then there was an image of a crowded marketplace, and at the far end of a street, an obvious representation of the man in the white robes, looking exactly as he did now. She found it eerie to think that this was one person who hadn't aged at all in that span of time.

"Now we're getting somewhere," said the man in satisfaction. "Now you will begin to learn something."

With her heart beating faster, Cyndia began to walk ahead, looking carefully at the images that followed, determined to make some sense of them. There was a picture of a dark room, and the Egyptian man holding what she recognized as Pegasus's golden eye. Then there was a picture drowning in whiteness, with her hazy image caught in it.

What is this? I don't remember this...

Ensuing images made even less sense. She saw images of what she supposed were meetings with important people, and lots of scenes of people playing cards. She lingered to look at one of these more closely. All the people Pegasus was playing against had expressions of desperation or terror. She did not like the cold look of triumph that Pegasus wore in each scene, or how it seemed to deepen its hold on him the further along she went. That wasn't right. That look of smug superiority didn't belong to him - it couldn't. It didn't seem right.

"What is going on here?" she asked.

"He is learning," the man explained. "He is practicing using the power of the Millennium Eye. Each of the men and women you see here were defeated in Shadow Games by him as he honed his abilities."

"Shadow Games?"

"Ancient rituals. The winners of such games often win great power. The losers fall into darkness and are lost."

She shook her head. "That's not possible."

"You disbelieve in magic, even though you are seeing it with your own eyes?"

"He wouldn't do such a thing. I know he wouldn't. Why would he do something that would hurt so many people?"

"Perhaps if you seek further, you will find your answers."

Knowing that she would get no more from him now, she took his advice and kept walking. After a while, it dawned on her that the pictures were changing slightly in quality. The previous ones had been realistic, almost photographic, but a subtle change was coming over the images she saw now that grew more pronounced with each frame she walked past. The colors became bolder, shading decreased, details faded away, and proportions shifted. In fact, now that she thought of it, they were becoming progressively more like...

"Cartoons?" she said aloud.

"It would seem so," the Egyptian replied. "He is losing his grip on reality. He has lost touch with what is real, and where his boundaries lie. He has created an imaginary world for himself, where he can never be hurt, and where nothing ever dies."

"I don't see where you can draw all of that just by looking at a picture," said Cyndia defensively. "He's always liked cartoons. They were one of his favorite amusements when we were young."

"So you approve of him trying to return to his youth? It is impossible," the man said flatly. "He believes many things that are impossible, and his desires to attain them are beyond all reason. He is descending into madness."

"You're wrong," she said. "He's saner than you are."

The man said nothing, only looked at her coldly with his inscrutable blue eyes. She glared at him a moment, then looked away.

Cyndia continued resolutely down the hall, trying not to pay too much attention to the increasing strangeness of the pictures. They were no longer laid out at regular heights and intervals, but jumbled together, and she got the sense that their chronology was becoming confused, as if they were no longer placed in the right order. She lingered a moment over one picture, where she saw a familiar face: the boy who had spoken to her at the party. He was staring in horror as Pegasus took a pyramid-shaped object from him.

"He took it?" she said aloud. "But why?"

"That is one of the seven Millennium Items," the man replied. "Perhaps the most powerful of them all. Pegasus desired it greatly."

"Enough to steal it?"

"He did not steal it. He won it in a Shadow Game."

The boy lied to me, she thought, and felt slightly vindicated. At least Pegasus was innocent here...

"I have good reason to believe he cheated, using the power of the Eye to read the boy's hand," the man continued. "The gods will punish him for such transgressions."

Oh.

The light level was beginning to rise again. Cyndia noticed another picture of a boy about the same age as the first, who wore a wild mop of pale hair and a wicked expression; he seemed to be offering a strange sort of pendant to Pegasus, who was eagerly accepting it. Then came scenes she recognized: her awakening, and their subsequent reunion. This made her uncomfortable, partly because she didn't like having this mysterious man looking at pictures of her in such private moments, and partly because she again realized that there was no sign of doctors or any medical paraphernalia. It was as if she had simply appeared again out of nowhere.

Are those the memories he is suppressing?

"That's all the pictures," she said.

"There are more," the man replied. He pointed ahead of her, where the hall descended into almost pitch blackness. "They lie in this direction, cloaked in shadows. These are the things he does not wish to think about, and that is what we wish to discover. Come."

He caught her wrist again and pulled her forwards, and she had no choice but to follow after him. At first, she saw nothing at all, as the darkness filled her sight. Then her eyes adjusted, and she was able to see two paintings, just two, hanging on either side of the wall. One showed a wizened man lying dead on the floor of what appeared to be an antique shop. The other showed the same pale-haired boy she had seen in the previous picture, now with his shirt bloodied and his eyes open and staring. In both pictures, a calm-looking Pegasus was casually cleaning blood off of his hands.

"What... is this?" she asked hesitantly.

"Deaths," he replied. "These two have both died - if not by his hands directly, then because of him. He knows this. He does not care."

"Is this what you wanted me to see? Is this what he's been hiding from me?"

"No. These are not things he is ashamed of. He sees them as regrettable, but necessary steps. What he has hidden from you, he has also hidden from himself."

He began walking forwards. Cyndia started to tell him that there was no more hall left to walk down, but he didn't seem bothered by the fact. The end of the hallway was roped off, but he undid the ropes and let them fall to the ground. Beyond that, there was only a large black curtain. He pushed it aside as if it were nearly too heavy to move, but move it did. For a moment, Cyndia had a strong feeling that she should not look, but her curiosity got the better of her, and her eyes strayed to the pictures that lined the walls.

She almost laughed with relief. Here at last were all the things she had felt were missing: images of doctors and hospitals and all the things she should have seen if she had truly been sick. Since she was seeing them, it meant her suspicions were wrong, and that everything was just the way Pegasus had said it was. He hadn't lied to her.

Then she saw herself lying in a coffin.

She froze. She stared at the picture, trying to make herself believe that she was not seeing what she thought she was seeing, that it couldn't mean what it seemed to indicate. It couldn't be real; it was only recollection of a fear, not an actual event. She could not have really been...

"Dead," said the man softly. "For seven years."

She shook her head, mutely backing away from the picture. She raised her hands to cover her eyes.

"Don't try to block it out," he said. "This is what you were seeking, yes? An explanation for all the years you could not remember. An explanation as to why you feel perfectly well when Pegasus told you that you were deathly sick. An explanation for why he has turned cold and ruthless. He wanted you back very badly, so badly that he reached out his hand for powers that have been forbidden to mortal men, and won them by bloodshed and trickery. He brought together the seven Millennium Items and raised you from the realms beyond. He has seized powers that should belong to the gods alone, and now the gods will bring retribution upon him."

"No!"

She turned to flee, to get away from this terrible man and the terrible things she had shown her, and...

Swish.

She was back in the bedroom, standing in the same place she had begun. The Egyptian man still stood calmly next to her. The only difference was that now Pegasus was wide awake, staring wildly around the room, searching for the source of all the noise.

"What is going on?" he demanded, and then caught sight of the mysterious man. "You! What are you doing here? What have you done to Cyndia?"

"Nothing worse than what you have done to her," the Egyptian snapped. "I have only shown her the truth. Whether or not she found that truth pleasant is none of my concern."

"He... he showed me things, with magic," she said haltingly. "He showed me my own death."

She looked at him beseechingly, waiting for some kind of response. She wanted to see him laugh and tell her there was no such thing as magic, that it was all some kind of trick. She wanted him to look startled, amazed that she could believe such a thing for an instant. She needed him to tell her that none of it was true. He did none of those things. The expression that flashed across his face was one of shock - the shock of guilt, the sick look of being found out and knowing there was no way to deny it.

"No!" she said. "I won't believe it! I won't believe it!"

She turned on the strange man, tears burning in her eyes.

"How could you tell me this?" she demanded. "How could you? You're lying to me! You have to be lying! Pegasus wouldn't... he wouldn't..."

She broke down into tears, sobbing and beating her fists against the man's chest. He took the abuse impassively, not seeming to feel it. At last she used up her energy and sank to the floor at his feet, still weeping quietly into her hands. Pegasus leaped out of bed and rushed to the man's side.

"How dare you?" he snarled. "How dare you do this to her?"

"I do not," the mystic replied. "It is time you face up to your actions, instead of trying to escape retribution. Now you will not run away. Face her, if you can. Tell her that you are innocent and make her believe you."

He turned and swept away. Pegasus stood there a moment in shock. Then he fell to his knees next to Cyndia.

"Are you all right?" he asked.

She looked up at him, her eyes red from weeping.

"Did I really die?" she asked.

He took a deep breath. "Yes."

"I knew it. I knew it wasn't right. How did...?"

"I brought you back. I promised you I'd save you somehow. I couldn't live without you, Cyndia. I couldn't say I was truly faithful to you if I didn't do everything in my power to bring you back."

"But to kill people?"

"I - I had to! There was no other way! I had to have the seven Items or I couldn't bring you back! There was no other choice!"

"There was another choice!" she said. "You could have let me be!"

"Never! I need you!"

She shook her head. "This is wrong."

"You don't understand, Cyndia," he said desperately. "I did it because I love you. Can't you see? It doesn't matter what I did, as long as we're together..."

"No," she said quietly. "You don't."

"What?"

"You don't love me. You don't."

Pegasus was aghast. "How can you say that?"

"Because you don't," Cyndia snapped. "How could you think I wanted my life bought with other people's blood? How could you think I wanted you to trample everyone in your path to get to me? Did you think I was that heartless? You didn't even care, did you? You don't love me. You never once thought about what I wanted. You did this all for yourself, because you couldn't stand to be lonely."

"You can't talk to me like that!" he said. "How dare you imply that I don't care about you? I moved heaven and earth for you! I have done more for you than any man has done for any woman throughout history! You have no right to reject me! You..." He shook himself, a look of dawning horror crossing his face. "What am I saying? I didn't mean it! Cyndia, please..."

He reached out to her, but she flinched away from him, and he recoiled.

"Don't touch me," she said. "Don't even speak to me. I don't even know who you are anymore. Just go away."

"Cyndia..."

"You aren't my Pegasus anymore. You're a monster."

"I'm not! You don't understand. I had to. I love you..."

"If this is what your love is, I don't want it anymore." She struggled to keep the quaver out of her voice. "I don't want you anymore. Go away."

He remained frozen for a moment. Then, with a wail like a dying beast, he turned and fled the room. Cyndia listened to the fading cry and dissolved into fresh tears.

To Be Continued...