Passionshipping (Pegasus x Jonouchi)

(Follows anime canon, so Pegasus is still alive after Duelist Kingdom. Takes place just a day or two before Battle City, before Jonouchi loses his Red Eyes to the Ghoul)

There was no bringing Cyndia back. Pegasus had had to come to terms with that after Bakura ripped his eye out. There wasn't even a chance of seeing her anymore without the Millennium Eye. And he had given up on trying to take Kaiba Corp in order to make holograms of her. Seen through hindsight, the very idea of it seemed terribly desperate and depressing.

But, now that that venture had been thrown aside, Pegasus wasn't sure what to do anymore. He didn't care much for taking care of his company, because it could take care of itself. He had no friends or relations, having spent most of his life alone creating a business and chasing after wisps of Cyndia.

So he decided to spend most of his time annoying people. It was one of the few things that continued to bring a smile to his face.

Unfortunately, Kaiba boy had doubled security on KaibaCorp due to Battle City coming up, and Pegasus had been unceremoniously thrown out. So bothering Kaiba boy was out of the question. Too bad. The uptight CEO always had the best reactions to Pegasus' teasing. He wandered aimlessly down a few streets, watching duelists with the new Duel Disks testing out the holograms, businessman shaking their heads and scowling at the duelists, groups of giggling girls darting in and out of shops, and the all-too-prevalent breed of humans that were growing cell phones out of their ears, oblivious to the world around them.

Pegasus was about to be forced to conclude that today was going to be a terribly boring one, until he heard a familiar voice.

"Yeah, yeah, okay, Honda. Get off my back. It's not like I'll be late to my little sister's operation. What kind of a person d'you think I am?"

A smile tugged at Pegasus' lips unbidden, and he skirted around a few more groups of people until his target came into view. The blond haired former delinquent Katsuya Jonouchi was rambling towards him. He had the iconic Duel Disk box tucked under one arm, and a plastic back looped around his other arm, which was also holding a cell phone to his ear.

He caught sight of Pegasus almost instantly. His mouth dropped open. He stared for just one more moment, but then it appeared that the person on the other end of the phone caught his attention.

"Uh, yeah, uh, Honda? Can I call you back? ...yeah, see ya."

He flipped the phone shut.

"Hello, Jonouchi-boy," Pegasus said with a grin.

"Uh, hi?" Jonouchi said. "Uh, Pegasus...what're you doing here?"

"Oh, America's too boring. I decided to come and visit Kaiba-boy. But he won't let me in."

Jonouchi half smiled.

"No surprises there."

Pegasus' lips definitely twitched into a smile, although he tried to suppress it.

"I suppose Kaiba-boy doesn't let you in, either, hm?"

"Pft. Of course not. I wouldn't go even if he wanted me to, anyway."

Pegasus really couldn't stop his smile now. Jonouchi frowned, looking suspicious.

"What?"

"Oh, I was just thinking. Young love is so charming."

Jonouchi's face reddened. He spluttered for a half a second. It was so priceless – well, in lieu of Kaiba-boy, teasing Jonouchi was certainly the second best option. His reactions were almost as good as Kaiba-boy's.

"Are you trying to say that I'm in love with Kaiba? What are you, crazy? I'd rather punch his face in!"

"Ah, 'Love is a smoke made with the fume of sighs,'" Pegasus said.

Jonouchi very nearly cranked his fist back, and Pegasus was almost sure that the young boy would punch him.

Then his cell phone rang. For a minute, Jonouchi looked as though he would ignore it. Face still red, and still glaring at Pegasus, he reached for his cell phone. He looked at it. The redness faded almost instantly from his face and he flipped the phone open.

"Hey, Shizuka. What's up?"

His voice changed so suddenly. It made Pegasus pause, staring. There was a sudden warmth to that boy's voice, a maturity that Pegasus was surprised was possible in the young boy.

"Hey, hey, sis. Don't...oh, Shizu, it's okay. I know, know. I'd be scared too."

The boy turned slightly so that he wasn't facing Pegasus anymore. The conversation seemed so...so gentle. Pegasus almost felt like he shouldn't be there.

"It's gonna be okay, Shizu. You're going to see again, nothing'll go wrong. And I'll be there, I promise. ...no, no, you won't have to be alone. Not ever again."

His voice coursed with passion at those last words. It was like a blow to Pegasus' stomach.

"It's okay. I'll be there, Shizu. Just don't cry, okay? Your big brother doesn't know what to do when you cry. ...yeah. I love you, too, Shizu. Stay tough, little sis."

He clicked the phone shut. A silence passed between them, although, the chatter and bustle of people around them made it not quite a silence.

"That was..." Pegasus started.

"My sister," Jonouchi said. "Shizuka."

He paused.

"That's why I joined your tournament."

Pegasus blinked. He didn't quite understand.

"The three million yen," Jonouchi said, clarifying. "Shizuka's going blind. We couldn't afford the operation to fix her eyes. I needed that prize money."

"But Yugi won," Pegasus said.

Jonouchi shrugged.

"Yeah. But he's my friend. He didn't want the money – he gave it to me, and I gave it to Shizuka."

Pegasus looked at Jonouchi. Really looked at him, for the first time.

Back in Duelist Kingdom, he had considered Jonouchi only a minor inconvenience. Some friend that had tagged along with Yugi like a lost puppy. He had surprised Pegasus with his skill and in making it to the finals, but yet, he was still just a normal, impulsive former delinquent. Nothing to see there.

Although...that passion that burned in his eyes. That had always intrigued Pegasus. What could make those fire burn so brightly?

Now he thought that he knew.

"Oh that's right, we were at the point in the conversation where I punch you, right?" Jonouchi said, suddenly switching back to angry mode. "Ya got any other bullshit to throw at me?"

Pegasus just laughed softly. His heart beat slowly, steadily. He looked at Jonouchi again for a moment. Whatever was in his eyes, it made Jonouchi blink. Confusion crossed his face.

Then Pegasus just patted him on the shoulder, turned around, and walked away.


A/N: Pegasus is a puppyshipper XD but purely for the reactions it draws from the two people in question. He loves to mess with people. Next is Parasiteshipping (Jonouchi x Haga).