A/N: Thanks for the reviews! I've been thinking about the future of this story lately. A couple of people have asked what will happen after Illusion Island. I did have an idea for a sequel but I'm not wholly sure about it yet. I do think that there is definitely further to go when it comes to the boys and their relationships, but we'll have to see how it goes. Still, I am thinking about it. Now, enjoy!

Note: Camp NaNo (you write 50,000 words in one month on a new original story, basically) begins today. I will do my best to keep my updates coming regularly, but six stories plus camp is insane, even for me. You're going to have to bear with me during June.

In the resulting confusion, as everyone clustered around to see if she was alright, Pegasus took the opportunity to make a run for it. The passages that he had shown to Mokuba and Shizuka were not the only secrets that Illusion Castle was hiding. He grabbed the edge of the curtain hiding Cecelia's portrait and concealed his body behind them, gazing up at the painting with reverent eyes. It had been commissioned shortly before their wedding, just mere months before the disease that had threatened to take Cecelia's life had been diagnosed, and it was one of the few mementos he had of his wife where she didn't look ill.

"My love…" he whispered, taking a moment to stroke the canvas gently before closing his eyes and sighing. A quick scan of the minds in the room behind him told him that his disappearance had not yet been noted. He reached for the edge of the frame, digging his nails into the back, and lifted, revealing a tunnel. It was an escape route that not even his yami knew about. Cecelia herself had designed and implemented it as a safety measure after she had decided to make the north tower a nursery; the portrait, of course, had come later.

Pegasus slipped into the tunnel and carefully eased the portrait back into place. It formed a seamless meld against the mouth of the tunnel, and he knew from experience that no one would notice it unless they knew exactly where it was already. Hidden as he was, he felt for a moment that Cecelia herself was beside him, helping him to escape the cruel words that were trying to tear his world apart. He realized he was panting from anger and took a deep, nearly silent breath, listening closely as the children on the other side talked amongst themselves without even noticing he was gone. A satisfied smirk formed on his face and he almost wished he could open the portrait and mock them for their foolishness. Of course, he couldn't, but he did stick his tongue out.

"Amateurs," he mumbled, spinning on his heel. He left them behind, traversing the tunnel with a familiar, experienced gait. How many times had he and Cecelia played in the dark, their voices bounding off the rounded walls, laughter lighting the shadows in a way that nothing else could? Even now, the echo of their happiness seemed to surround him, lifting his soul. "I won't give up, my love. I will find a way to return you no matter what it takes. I promise you that."

The tunnel gradually took him down, deeper than any of the servants would have gone, far below the ground floor and the sea and into the very depths of Illusion Island. His legs were burning by the time he finally stopped, but he paid no attention to the minor, unimportant demands of his body. Pegasus placed a hand on his chest and pulled a golden locket out from underneath his red suit. It was in the shape of a heart. He lovingly caressed the outside before fitting it neatly into a heart-shaped mark in the stone door: it was a perfect fit. Slowly, the door creaked open, revealing a room shrouded in shadows. Standing in the middle of it was his yami.

"Hello, my light," Hafiz purred.

Just hearing those words caused a massive amount of tension to uncoil from his body. Pegasus smiled with relief and strode forward. As soon as he was a few feet away, he dropped to his knees and crawled the rest of the distance, gratefully winding his arms around the man's waist. "They told me that you wouldn't follow through on your promise," he said, voice muffled. "They said you were lying to me."

Hafiz sighed. "I warned you. They believe I am a bad person. But they are the ones keeping the power of the Millennium Items away from you, hikari. If they weren't being so possessive, you would already have Cecelia back."

His grip tightened at that. Cecelia. She had been the light of his life, the one thing that had made his existence worthwhile. Before her, he had never understood why he was even alive. He didn't know why he had been born, what his purpose was, or why he should bother to try and find out. But then Cecelia had come into his life and an accidental meeting had changed him forever. The second he saw her beautiful smile he had been smitten, and he'd known that he never wanted to spend another day without her. It seemed like the gods themselves were mocking him when she was taken just a paltry few years after they had met.

"I want her back," he said. "I want her back and I don't care what it takes."

A vague feeling of unease permeated him as he spoke. He'd tried to move on after Cecelia had died, knowing that she would have wanted him to be happy, but he just couldn't. Then he'd found the Millennium Eye and his yami, and after that, things had begun falling into place. His path in life had been certain again and he had not floundered. Until now. For the first time, he couldn't stop himself from wondering if he was doing the right thing. The passionate words of that girl stuck with him, sliding into his mind like slippery black oil. He didn't believe her, and yet something about the fervent look in her eyes rang undeniably true.

"I know you do," Hafiz was saying. One hand reached down and tangled into Pegasus's silvery hair, sliding through the long strands. Pegasus repressed a shudder. It wasn't the first time that Hafiz had tried to mimic offering him comfort. It seemed to be physically impossible for the man to actually give comfort; the best he could manage was a weak parody borne of having studied the process in others. The result was always lacking and left him yearning for Cecelia's understanding touch.

"What do we have to do to make it happen?" he asked. The question made him sound - and feel - unbearably young. He closed his eye, wishing for youth, for the time when he had been foolishly in love and had nothing else to worry about except for how to make his wife smile.

"The Millennium Items are close. All we have to do is steal them," Hafiz replied. "The Puzzle… the Rod… the Ring… The Tawk… They are under my roof. The other three are already in my possession and I can feel my power growing." His eyes flashed with triumph. "Imagine what it will feel like to have them all."

Pegasus swallowed, the distinct feeling of something not being quite right mounting. "I'm sure it will be wonderful."

Obviously his statement wasn't as convincing as he'd hoped, because Hafiz looked down at him with a narrowed gaze. "Do you not want your precious wife back?" he hissed. Swiftly, he knelt and gripped Pegasus's chin between unforgiving fingers, squeezing until the younger man cried out in pain.

"I'm sorry," he whimpered. His instinct was to pull back, but he forced himself to stay still, knowing that Hafiz's grip would only grow more ruthless until he submitted to the hold. He leaned forward instead and tried to relax, lowering his eyes in submission. For a split second, the desire to use the Millennium Eye to peer into his yami's mind and find out the truth flickered through him, but he instantly pushed it aside. To those who were used to shadow magic, the presence of the Eye's power could be felt, and Hafiz would be truly enraged if he discovered that Pegasus had scanned his mind. That, plus the fact that it was unlikely he would learn anything in the few precious seconds he'd have before Hafiz caught on, kept him from doing so.

"You will remember who is in charge," Hafiz said softly, slowly releasing his grip. As the blood rushed back into his face, Pegasus could feel his chin beginning to throb, and he knew he would have an impressive set of bruises there later on. Knowing that he'd gotten off lightly, he remained on his knees, head lowered as Hafiz rose to his feet and turned away. He clenched his fists, struggling against the urge to give into tears, as his yami lifted a hand and snapped his fingers.

The shadows shifted as the Field Barrier recognized his power and allowed it to pass through. A girl appeared in the darkness, just barely visible to anyone who took the time to look. She had long, pale hair and dark eyes. One side of her body was dressed like an angel and the other was dressed like a devil. She visibly twitched when she looked at Hafiz, like part of her wanted to run away, but slowly – very slowly – she bent forward in a low bow. Her hair fell across her face, hiding a grimace that only Pegasus saw. He wouldn't call her out on it, though. Not when he could practically feel the lower half of his face swelling.

"Change of Heart, what have you to report?" Hafiz demanded.

"It is as you foresaw," the girl replied, keeping her eyes on the ground. Like all duel monsters summoned into Illusion Castle, she knew better than to challenge Hafiz by looking him straight in the face. Only Pegasus was granted that privilege, and at the moment, not even he would have dared. "The boy trusts me. I should be able to get close to him if that is what you desire."

"You know me so well." The anger left Hafiz's voice, and he sounded sickly sweet as he crossed the room and cupped her cheek. She continued to stare at the floor even when he tilted her face up and his smile widened. "I want you to continue acting like you want to protect him. Go to him and lead them into my trap, understand?"

"Yes," she whispered.

"Good." There was a flicker of satisfaction in his voice as he rocked backwards, looking between the two of them with an altogether possessive expression. "I'm going upstairs to speak with our guests. Both of you get ready to implement the final stage of the plan. If this fails, I will not be pleased." The temperature in the room dropped as his shadow magic swelled with warning. Pegasus shivered and curled in on himself further, staring down at the floor. "Do not disobey me, or the consequences will be severe." He turned and swept out of the room.

It took several minutes for him to remember to breathe again, and then only when he realized that his lungs were burning from a lack of air. He passed a shaking hand over his face and closed his eye, trying not to think about how the past few hours had gone. Hafiz didn't get truly angry very often, but when he did, it was safest to stay well out of his way. He grew cruel when he was upset, and he didn't care who or what was standing in his way as a result. Everyone suffered when he decided that someone had failed to live up to his expectations. Pegasus had lived the past few years thinking that was what was a yami was supposed to be - after all, they were darkness personified. But some part of him was recoiling in doubt now that he had seen the others. Something... something didn't seem right.

"Just ignore it," he muttered to himself, anxiously sliding his hands into his hair. Cecelia had always loved his hair. She could go on for hours about the beautiful shade of silver as she combed her fingers through the strands. He gritted his teeth as he pulled hard, willing some sense back into his head. Why was he allowing those children to create doubt in his heart? Cecelia would forgive him for everything he had done on his quest to bring her back to life. Wouldn't she?

"Are you alright?" The question was soft, tentative, hesitant. Change of Heart stepped in front of him and leaned down, pulling his hands from his hair. Several strands were yanked out along with his fingers and he flinched as the burning pain shot across his scalp. She frowned, chewing on her lip, before gently sliding her hands onto his head to soothe the ache. "Don't hurt yourself. He's not worth that."

"Why?" he asked, gradually relaxing under her patient touch. "He's your brother."

There was a long pause and then she took a deep breath. Her hands fell away and she stood up. "You wouldn't understand," she said harshly. She spun on her heel and stalked out of the room.

He stared down at his hands, feeling lost and alone. No, he probably wouldn't, but that didn't mean he wouldn't have tried. The nagging feeling continued to persist, but he tried to ignore it as he shakily got to his feet and straightened his suit, plucking at the jacket and trousers until they hung from his body in straight, impeccable lines. His eye socket ached and he absently put a hand to his eye, tracing the line of the Millennium Eye almost absently. Unbidden, a thought flashed into his head and refused to leave. If he wasn't a hikari, if Hafiz wasn't his yami, then what was he?

GMA

"Mai? Mai, are you alright?" Anzu fell to her knees beside the woman, panic thrumming through her when Mai failed to respond to her call. The older woman was laying face down on the floor and didn't move even when Anzu touched her shoulder. Between her and Mokuba, they managed to roll the blonde over onto her back. Her eyes were closed and her breathing was weak and shallow. "Mai? Can you hear me?"

"Let me see," said Isis, moving closer. She placed a hand on Mai's forehead and frowned at the cool temperature. "She's going into shock. We have to warm her up somehow."

All of them exchanged clueless expressions. Their luggage was long gone, abandoned in the cars and near the dock, and their summery clothing would not help. Mokuba finally stood up and took charge. "Anzu-san, you and Harpy Lady try to keep her warm with your body heat," he instructed. "The rest of us will look through the trunks. Maybe there's something up here we can use."

Shizuka moved instantly, throwing open the nearest trunk and perusing the contents. She could tell at a glance that most of them would be filled with old junk that likely meant something to Pegasus, but which was useless to them. The little clothing that she did find was dusty and worn to the point of falling apart. She kept looking, only barely conscious of the fact that Mokuba and Isis were beginning to search as well, and came to a small chest that had been tucked away into the corner of the room. It was older, the top covered with burnished gold, with a rusted lock on the front that broke apart easily when she tugged on it.

"Wow," she breathed, running her fingers across the heavy fur cloak that sprang out of trunk. It was a little old-fashioned but it would do well enough for Mai. She grabbed it and stood up, tucking it beneath her arm. Something toppled out of the pocket and she paused to pick the object up before she scooted across the floor. "Here, this will help. Tuck it around you."

"Thanks," Anzu said, receiving the cloak gratefully. She pulled it around the three of them, keeping Mai between her and Harpy Lady. "What's that?"

"I don't know." Shizuka examined the little round orb curiously. There was a thin chain connected to it, so presumably it was a necklace of some kind, though it seemed a little heavy for that. Her close inspection revealed a small seam and, curious, she slipped her fingernail inside to pry it open. Her eyes widened and she gasped softly when the two sides fell apart and revealed what was inside. "Oh… It's a locket. Cecelia's locket. Look!"

Drawn by her comment, Mokuba and Isis clustered around to see what she was looking at. For all that it appeared to be simple, the locket was apparently quite technologically advanced. When it opened, a small hologram projector was activated, and it projected an image into the air above the locket. The image was of three children, two girls and a boy, who was being held by the older girl - Cecelia. The younger girl was undeniably Mai, and the boy was definitely Bakura. All three children were dressed in summery clothing and the background behind them was some kind of cabin.

"Aw, they're so cute," Anzu said softly.

"This is it!" Shizuka's eyes were sparkling. "This is proof that we can show to Pegasus to make him understand that Mai was telling the truth. He'll have to believe her now."

"But he's gone," Mokuba pointed out wearily, having just noticed the truth of it. He thought about the dizzying path Pegasus had led them on to get here and rubbed his head. "I don't know how we're going to get close enough to show it to him. He's got secret paths all over this castle. He could be standing right outside this room and we would never know."

"Leave that to me," Anzu muttered, taking the locket carefully from Shizuka. It dangled from her fingers, swaying gently in the breeze. She would make Pegasus listen to her no matter what it took. The man had to know the truth about what was going on. "Do you know where the Field Barrier is, Isis? Can you destroy it?"

Isis turned and walked over to Cecelia's portrait wearing a thoughtful expression. After pacing back and forth a few times, she reached for the golden cord and tugged, pulling the curtains open and revealing Cecelia's cheerful smile. "The Field Barrier," she announced grimly.

"No!" Shizuka stared at her, pressing a hand over her mouth. "You can't be serious!"

"I'm afraid so. He - " the amount of disgust in her voice made it clear she was talking about Hafiz - "would have put it somewhere he deemed safe. There's no way that Pegasus would have accidentally thrown this portrait out, or gotten rid of it, or been anything but careful with it. It's one of the few things that someone would hesitate to destroy in this room." She placed a hand against the frame and winced at the feel of the shadow magic oozing out of it. "Yes, it's in here, definitely."

"But we can't… Can we?" Mokuba asked uncertainly. He didn't feel right in destroying the portrait when it meant so much to Pegasus. In spite of what he had done to Mai, he couldn't get the man's expression of complete reverence and love out of his mind. Pegasus cherished the painting so much and it seemed wrong to harm it in any way. "Is there a way to deactivate the card without…?"

"Not unless one of us had a Field Barrier card and the ability to use shadow magic in spite of the fact that one is active," Isis replied. "I know how you feel, but we don't have a choice. We're at too much of a disadvantage right now and I'm worried about the others. They might have met up with Hafiz already."

At the thought of his brother going about against that man without magic, all doubts about getting rid of the portrait instantly fled Mokuba's mind. "How do we do it?"

"Harpy Lady is the only one who can." Isis turned to face the duel monster, who was still curled up against Mai. "In a normal duel, Field Barriers can't be destroyed. We would have to search the castle until we found one of our own to activate, and that could take days. But in this case, since the card has been attached to a physical object, destroying the portrait should break the barrier."

"And I bet if we tried to physically attack the barrier, we'd be killed," Shizuka said slowly. It was the perfect plan in many ways. If it hadn't been for Mai, who was able to summon duel monsters inside of the castle, they would have been in a lot of trouble. She shivered. "Harpy Lady, can you attack the portrait?"

The duel monster stood up, leaving Mai's side with clear reluctance, and moved around until she was facing the portrait. She tensed and closed her eyes, centering herself and focusing on the thrumming beat of shadow magic. Mai stirred at the feeling of her monster preparing for battle. Her eyes fluttered open and she groped for Anzu's hand, the movement hidden by the thick cloak. Anzu started at realizing that Mai was awake, but willingly slipped her hand into Mai's, intertwining their fingers and hold on tightly. She felt a tug on her magic and swallowed a gasp as Mai drew heavily on the borrowed magic to give extra strength to Harpy Lady.

The air in front of Harpy Lady flickered and then a long, curved whip appeared: the Rose Whip, which would hopefully give her the edge she needed. She reached out and grabbed it, uncoiling the whip with a thin crack. "Whip Punish!" she shouted, her high-pitched voice ringing through the air as she drew her hand back and then slammed it forward. The whip followed the arch of her hand, slicing through the air in a deadly manner. It slammed into the portrait with the force of a speeding truck. A barrier appeared instantly, violet lightning crackling as the force of the whip carried it straight through and into contact with the painting. The gossamer canvas exploded into pieces as the barrier shattered. A thin shiver ran through the air and the difference was noticeable immediately; it was as though a heavy weight on their shoulders had been lifted.

"It worked!" Mokuba whooped as Shizuka clapped her hands together. "Good job, Harpy Lady!"

"You should be able to summon your monsters now," Isis told them. She watched as the two pre-teens instantly reached out to their partners and called them forth. Ryu-Ran and Red Archery Girl flickered into the room a moment later as Harpy Lady staggered, exhausted by the effort it had taken to destroy the barrier. The two duel monsters moved to support her before she could collapse.

"Mai, you did it," Anzu said softly, brushing the soft blonde hair back. She felt significantly drained; Mai had borrowed more than she had been expecting, but she couldn't argue with the results. Mai gave her a weary smile and nodded before her eyes fell shut again. Her head tilted to the side as she passed out.

"Alright. Let's go find Pegasus and Hafiz," said Shizuka.

"Here, take this with you." Anzu held out the locket. As much as she wanted to go with them, she knew that Mai couldn't be left alone. The blonde was too weak to defend herself, and Anzu was so low on magic that she wouldn't be of much help during the battle, anyway. "I'll stay here and watch over Mai, but please make him listen, Shizuka-chan."

Shizuka took the little globe and curled her fingers around it tightly as she looked down at Mai and Anzu. "I will," she said. "I promise. Be careful, Anzu-chan." She turned and walked out of the room, choosing to take the main stairway instead of the secret pathways that Pegasus had shown to her and Mokuba. No matter what it took, they were going to make Pegasus realize the truth about his situation, if only to save him from himself.

GMA

It was impossible not to notice when the Field Barrier spell came down. Yuugi felt the change in the air and he didn't even use shadow magic. It was like the air itself shivered and then the temperature rose a noticeable few degrees. He could feel the tension easing from the rest of the group as they, too, were affected by the change. "The girls must have gotten to the barrier and removed it," he remarked, looking back at the others.

"Good," Seto said, his blue eyes cold. Blue Eyes White Dragon roared to him in greeting when he reached for her and he could tell that she hadn't liked being cut off from him, either. He gratefully received the extra energy she willingly sent in his direction and took Jou's hand to share it. The blond smiled at him as the combined force of dragon strength spiraled through their veins, lighting them up from the inside out. It was like drinking six cups of sugary coffee all at once, but better.

"This means we have to be even more careful," said Bakura grimly. "Hafiz is going to realize that one of his little protections has run its course. He won't be messing around now." He had an arm wrapped protectively around Ryou, keeping the younger boy as close to him as possible. Ryou didn't seem to mind.

"It doesn't matter how careful he is." Mariku had been unusually silent until now, but the dark look in his eyes told more about his state of mind than Yuugi cared to interpret. His voice was a low, threatening growl. "If he had any degree of intelligence, he would have fled the island by now."

"He probably hasn't. I can't imagine he would back down from a challenge," Yami observed.

Yuugi shifted uneasily at the increasingly dark feeling that was settling into the air and the hair on the back of his neck prickled. He hadn't really known Yami, Mariku, Bakura or Seto that long, but he was pretty sure that the men had never been as angry as they were right then. Hafiz was pushing all of them well past their limits and the strain was starting to show. If this situation went on for much longer, he didn't know what would happen, but he was beginning to think that there was a real danger of someone snapping and bringing Illusion Castle down around their ears in an effort to get to Hafiz.

\Be calm, little one.\

The voice, warm and dark as honey, slipped into his mind and he jumped. He looked up to see that Yami was smiling at him. "I'm trying," he mumbled back, not feeling up to trying to push thoughts back through their bond. Hopefully the method of communication would become easier with time, but he was too exhausted to make the attempt right then. "I'm so tired, Yami. I want to go home." Just saying the words made him feel unbearably young, but he couldn't help it.

Yami's eyes softened and some of his building rage drained away as he reached out and took Yuugi into his arms, momentarily stopping the group's progress. Most of their friends took the opportunity to rest as Yami pulled him close. "I know," he whispered, running gentle fingers through Yuugi's hair. Yuugi pressed his face into Yami's chest and swallowed back tears. "I know, my little one. It's alright. Shh."

"I'm sorry," Yuugi mumbled, fisting his hands into the cloth of Yami's shirt.

"There's nothing to be sorry about, Aibou." The hand dropped to his back and began rubbing a soothing circle. Yuugi could practically feel the tension leaving him. It was so hard to be worried or frightened when Yami was holding him like this. "This will all be over soon, I swear, and we'll go -"

Whatever else Yami had been had about to say was cut off by a sharp, happy cry from Ryou. Both of them looked up in surprise as Ryou started to take a step forward, only to be held up as Bakura's hand tightened around his shoulder. Ryou scowled at his other half, but it didn't stop the brilliant smile from appearing on his face as a duel monster walked sedately down the stairs towards them. Technically Yuugi had never seen her before, but he did recognize that she was very familiar to him. His knees went weak and it was a good thing that Yami was holding onto him, because he might have otherwise fallen straight to the floor.

"Amane-chan?" he whispered, shocked.

"Hello, Yuugi-kun," Change of Heart said with a smile. She turned her head and looked at Ryou. "Hello, little brother."

"What are you doing here?" Ryou asked, looking pleased.

"I'm here to help. I know where they are," she replied. "And I will lead you to him."

"How do you know?" Bakura's eyes narrowed.

Change of Heart seemed to be unaffected by his suspicion because she gave him a blank stare. "It's obvious that I've been following him," she said. "Come on. I'll show you." She looked at Ryou and smiled before turning to walk back up the steps. Ryou followed her without hesitation and Bakura was right behind him, and, after a moment, the others followed.

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