Tragicshipping (Pegasus x Cyndia x Keith)

He saw her every single day, at the very same spot.

He wasn't stalking her – not at all! It wasn't his fault that she showed up at that same park bench at ten A.M., the one right behind the gazebo, with its back to the lake and playground. He just liked to have a smoke there around the same time every day, that was all.

She was cute – in a naïve kind of way. Long blond hair, pulled back from sparkling blue eyes, which were always focused on the sketchbook that she brought every day with a wide eyed wonder. She never drew in it when she was sitting there, but he figured she must have done them. He didn't understand why she would stare at her own drawings, though.

She dressed nice, like a rich girl. Always in a different dress. He liked the way she looked in green best. It made him feel a little out of place, in his ratty motorcycle jacket and torn jeans. He often wondered how old she was – didn't look too much older or younger than him, and he was eighteen.

A chilly September morning dawned, and, at ten A.M., he showed up at his regular spot, leaning against the big oak tree across the path and to the far left of her bench. He fumbled with the lighter for a few moments, his fingers numb. But after he lit the cigarette, he paused without smoking it, letting it dangle from his fingers. She appeared, coming around the corner of the path up ahead. She wore green today, and it practically shone among the oranges and reds of the trees turning colors. A new, red-bound sketchbook was tucked under her arm with almost reverence.

She'd walk to her bench, sit down, throw a few bread crumbs for the pigeons, and then turn to the sketchbook. She always did.

But today was a little different.

Her blue eyes met his, and he started, dropping his unsmoked cigarette. Swearing softly, he crushed the smoldering tube before it caught the park on fire. The surprise didn't end – she walked over to him.

"Good morning," she said, her voice soft and airy. "I keep seeing you around. I'm Cyndia. What's your name?"

"Ah, uh, Keith," he managed. He hadn't imagined their first meeting like this. He had wanted to introduce himself first. "Keith Howard."

"It's a pleasure to meet you, Keith," she said.

"Uh, yeah, you too," he said, feeling more and more uncomfortable by the minute. "Cyndia, right?"

"That's me," she said, smiling. "Do you come here by yourself?"

"Well, yeah. There's not too much else to do. I see you over there a lot. Any special reason?"

She laughed softly.

"Not really. I just really like this area – I met my best friend here."

"Is that right? Must be pretty special, then."

"Oh, yes," she said.

She had moved the nice, new-looking sketchbook to her chest, hugging it tightly.

"Hey," Keith said. "Not to get in your business or anything, but I notice you've got something like that every time you come up here."

She blinked, and followed his gaze to the sketchbook.

"Oh, this?" she said. "My friend, Peggy, is an artist. After some sketches are done, I look at all of them and choose the one I think should be a painting. Would you like to see? They're really quite good."

She was already sliding the strap out of its hole and opening the sketchbook. The purposefully yellowed pages flipped open, and Keith was greeted with several images of Cyndia herself. One showed her laughing – so realistically that Keith almost expected to see her shoulders shaking. The next two were simple portrait style pictures, and the last one showed her staring into the distance, not so much romantically as she looked completely spaced out.

"What do you think?" she said, looking bright. "Peggy's good, right?"

Keith let out a low whistle.

"Yeah, that's top-notch, not that I'm much of a judge," he said. "I like the first one – the laughing one."

"That's my favorite too," she said, turning the sketchbook to face her.

She touched each image fondly, and Keith felt a sudden surge of jealousy against those pictures.

"So, your friend's an artist?"

"Going to be, someday," Cyndia said. She closed the book with a soft, fond sigh. "I love looking at his pictures. It makes me feel so calm."

"Yeah, that'll be cool," he said.

And then,

"Him? Peggy's a him?"

"Cyndia!"

The call caught both of their attentions. A figure had appeared at the end of the path, waving. Keith couldn't help but feel his lip curl. The boy – if he could really find it in himself to call him a boy – had long, silvery hair, and dressed like he was some British kid, with suspenders and everything.

"Oh, that's him!" Cyndia said, eyes brightening.

"Cyndi!" the boy called Peggy shouted again. "Your father says you have to get home right away so you can finish packing! He wants to leave right away!"

"Coming!" Cyndia called. She turned to Keith, with a smile that suddenly made him feel sick. "It was a pleasure meeting you, Keith. I hope I can introduce you to my friend Pegasus sometime."

She turned and hurried up the hill, her green dress melding with the still green grass as she ran over to the boy named Peggy. They paused on top of the hill for a moment, and Keith couldn't hear their words. But he saw her laughing, and he lingered just long enough to see their hands intertwine. The girl he had watched, with this crazy guy that looked like and had a name like a girl.

"Peggy" didn't deserve her for a second – but Keith did. He knew he did.

But he would never return to the park again.

"Peggy!" Cyndia said, breathlessly as she reached the top of the hill. "I'm sorry, I didn't realize the time!"

"Oh, you have plenty of time, but you know how your father gets," Pegasus said, grinning. "By the way, who's that boy you were talking to?"

"Oh, that's Keith Howard," Cyndia said. "I just met him today – he's the boy I told you about, that I see every day? I thought I'd introduce myself. He liked your drawings."

"Really?" Pegasus said, a little excited despite himself.

He glanced down the hill towards the boy called Keith, slouching away in his black jacket and red-white-and-blue bandana. As Cyndia's hand entwined with his, he felt a strange shudder go through him, like a warning.

"What's wrong, Peggy?" Cyndia asked.

"Nothing, Cyndi," Pegasus said. "Keith Howard, huh..."

A/N: I love this one. :D Keith is still a total jerk, though. I will never like him as long as I live. Next is Tradeshipping (Seto x Sugoroku). Gross...