A/N: Thanks for all of the reviews. I'm so pleased that you guys think I did a good job with Pegasus because, all in all, he was the one "bad guy" in Yugioh that I think really deserved a better ending than what he got. In regards to this chapter, I've been seriously contemplating whether I wanted to do a sequel for this story and I have decided that I do. So, remember that while you're reading. Enjoy!

For a long, horrified moment, silence hung over the courtyard and no one moved. Everyone was staring at the spot where Pegasus had disappeared. Then a bird swooped over their heads and voiced a hoarse call and, like a spell had been broken, Shizuka launched herself forward with a panicked cry. Otogi knew what she was going to do a split second ahead of time and he was moving before anyone else had even fully registered that she intended to jump off after Pegasus. She let out a yelp when he grabbed her around the waist and lifted her off of her feet. The two of them teetered dangerously on the edge of the cliff and it wouldn't have taken much to send them both over. Bakura and Malik dove forward at the same time, hauling the two away from the edge.

"Are you crazy?" Malik yelled. "That would have killed you!"

"You don't know what I can do!" Shizuka screamed back, still fighting furiously against Otogi's hold. He was hanging on, determined not to release her, knowing that if he did she would jump. "I can... I have a relationship with the sea, I could save him! Let go!"

"No! Shizuka, stop it." Otogi swung her around and gripped her shoulders, forcing her to look at him. "You think Pegasus would want you to save him? Do you think he would thank you? Because he wouldn't. He wanted to die. He wouldn't have given you that otherwise." He grabbed her wrist and opened her hand, revealing Cecelia's locket. "And regardless of how much the water loves you, there's a good chance that you would be dashed to pieces against the rocks at the base of the cliff."

"But... But..." Shizuka flailed against him weakly, still crying. Jou finally made his way to her and clasped his little sister in his arms, pulling her close. She broke down immediately, sobbing into his shoulder, as he stroked her hair and tried not to look at the spot where Pegasus had jumped.

"There's nothing we can do for him, is there?" Malik said quietly, wrapping his arms around himself. He was staring at the cliff and the sea beyond with a haunted expression. There had been a few times in the past where he had briefly contemplated taking his own life to get away from Hafiz. Thoughts of his sister had usually been what stopped him; he couldn't even consider leaving Isis behind to deal with Hafiz all by herself. There was no doubt in his mind that Hafiz would have killed her. But to be driven far enough to actually do it... he started to shake, shoulders visibly trembling, and Mariku immediately stepped towards him, bringing Malik into the safety of his arms.

"No," Seto answered him quietly, folding his arms. The other duel monsters had vanished after Pegasus disappeared into the ocean and they were alone again. "Otogi is right. Even there was some way of reaching him, the current is too strong. By now he'll have either struck the rocks if he didn't hit them on the way down, or he'll have been swept out to sea. And I can't imagine he would have tried very hard to save himself as it was."

Yuugi shivered, unable to resist the urge to look out over the edge. His stomach tightened when he saw what a long way down it was. He was by no means afraid of heights, but gazing straight down such a steep cliff was enough to make even his knees weak. The water was a deep, dark blue color, churning and foaming where it broke against the sharp rocks at the base of the cliff. It was easily a hundred foot fall, and he knew that Seto and Otogi were correct. There was no way that Pegasus would have survived that kind of fall: the impact from hitting the water alone would have killed him.

\Aibou, step back.\ Fear mingled with concern washed over him as Yami's hand came to rest on his shoulder, pulling him gently but firmly back from the edge. Yuugi fell back against his darker half unresistingly, unable to conceal a shudder. Out of all the ways to kill himself, that was one way that he would not want to go.

"I believe," Isis began thoughtfully, "that Pegasus and Cecelia were soul mates. Though they can exist without each other, it becomes progressively difficult." She folded her hands and stared out to sea pensively. "The loss of her drove him mad. He can - could not be blamed for his actions. They were the work of a desperate, deprived man."

Jou swallowed hard. Shizuka felt him go stiff and pulled back to gaze up at her brother questioningly, but he avoided her eyes. "Where is Hafiz now?" he asked, and he was relieved that his voice remained steady.

"He must be inside the castle." Yami looked at the duel monsters that had gathered around them. "Find him," he commanded. "Do not harm him unless you absolutely have to, but I want him found before he finds a way off of the island. We'll split up, but don't go anywhere by yourself." He took Yuugi's hand in his and pulled his partner along towards the castle.

Jou remained standing still as the others, including Shizuka, began to head back inside. He stepped closer to the edge and glanced down, feeling slightly sick. Pegasus and Cecelia were soul mates and her death had driven the man to the point of insanity. There had been times when he'd wondered what would happen if Seto died. Since they weren't light and dark, he hadn't thought that it would really be a big deal. Apparently he'd been wrong. His stomach clenched and twisted. The thought of Seto dying was bad enough, but then to know on top of that, that there was a chance he would be driven crazy by it? Or worse yet, what if it was the other way around? Seto was so brilliantly intelligent.

Warm arms encircled him and pulled him against a tall, firm body. "You're borrowing trouble, my pup," Seto's voice rumbled deep in his chest. The vibration again Jou's back was soothing.

"I can't help it." Jou leaned back against Seto fully, relishing the strength radiating off of his lover. He felt safe. "I was thinking about Pegasus and Cecelia and how they were soul mates, too."

Seto sighed, his breath mussing Jou's hair even more. "I knew that you were. Pup, listen to me. You can't know what's going to happen, but if you worry too much about the future you're going to drive yourself crazy. I'm not going anywhere, I promise." He turned Jou around. His hand was oddly gentle as it came to rest on his lover's cheek, forcing Jou to look up into his eyes. "Believe me when I say that we have many years left, alright?"

Jou wavered. He wanted to believe Seto, truly, he did. They were both young and healthy and possessed a good portion of shadow magic, so really, there was no reason why they wouldn't have an above average life span. And yet... the raw desperation in Pegasus's eyes and voice still haunted him. He lowered his head so that it was resting against Seto's shoulder, feeling completely wrung out. What had begun as an adventure had turned into something so much more, and although he had enjoyed every minute of it, there were times when he wished that he and Seto could merely be a normal couple whose biggest occupation was whether or not they'd be having sex that night.

"I just want to go home," he said softly, curling into his taller lover. He'd never admit it, but one of the things that had attracted him to Seto in the first place was the fact that the brunette towered over even him. It got a little tiring looking down at people all day and sometimes it was very soothing to have Seto all wrapped around him, knowing that his lover would never judge him for that small bit of weakness.

A gentle kiss was placed on top of his head. "We will. As soon as we find Hafiz, this ordeal will be over with," Seto promised softly. "Can you wait that long?" He sounded worried, and Jou knew that if he said he couldn't, Seto would find him a way off of the island then and there. It was just the way his lover was, and it was another thing in a long list of what he loved about Kaiba Seto.

"Yeah, I want to see that bastard get his just desserts." A mischievous smirk spread over Jou's face and he leaned back just far enough to wink up at Seto. "We've come this far, I think I can hang around long enough to watch Yami totally kick his ass."

Seto smirked and pressed a harsh kiss against Jou's parted lips before releasing his lover and taking his hand. "Come on, Pup. We'd better go do damage control before our pharaoh starts tearing the castle down."

Though it had been meant as a joke, Seto actually sounded kind of worried, and the two of them immediately set off towards Illusion Castle at a light jog. The grounds were deserted, with no sign of their friends, the palace servants or rogue duel monsters, so they went straight inside. Jou looked around, wondering where Hafiz would have gone, but as it turned out he didn't have much time to think about it. From outside there came a raucous sound, and it was so out of place on the island that it took him a second to remember what it was. Helicopters. His face lit up. People! People who wouldn't be trying to kill them! Seto must have been thinking the same thing because he spun and yanked the door back open.

"Those are Kaiba Corp choppers!" Jou yelped with excitement and relief, falling against Seto's back. He would recognize the symbol emblazoned on the side of those machines anywhere.

One of the helicopters landed and a tall young woman wearing a crisp blue suit hopped out. "Kaiba-sama, we received word from Mokuba-sama that you and your friends had been sequestered on this island and required immediate help." Her eyes swept over them clinically, searching for any obvious wounds. "Several of your personal doctors have been brought, as Mokuba-sama indicated that there were injured people in your party. Where can I direct them to?"

"The Northern Tower," said Jou, realizing that he didn't know where the entrance was. "Find Mokuba. He'll know where it is."

"Yes, Katsuya-sama." The woman gave a short bow and then spun, bringing something up to her mouth. She began speaking into it rapidly and Jou realized that it was a cell phone of some kind, or possibly a radio. Two more of the helicopters landed and a few men dressed in white coats got out, along with the more familiar, dark suited men and women of Kaiba Security. It was a relief to see them, to watch them move into the castle and know that their presence meant at least some form of safety was near.

"We'll wait out here," Seto said suddenly, taking Jou's hand in his.

"Eh?" Jou shot his lover an incredulous look. "But Seto - "

"Shh, Pup."

It only took half an hour for Kaiba Security to search the castle from top to bottom, including the secret halls and pathways that Shizuka and Mokuba had pointed out. One by one, Yami, Yuugi, Bakura, Ryou, Malik, Mariku, Otogi, Honda, Shizuka, Mokuba and Isis were led out of the castle and herded into a small spot just to the right of the stairs, where Seto and Jou were already waiting, along with their duel monsters. An unconscious Mai was carried out and placed straight onto the helicopter with Anzu right behind her, though Anzu did pause long enough to give them a comforting thumbs-up sign as an indication that they were both alright. Shortly after that, one of the security personnel approached Seto with a deep frown.

"Kaiba-sama, we have searched the castle and the surrounding woods and there is no sign of Hafiz Ishtar," he said. "It appears that he has fled the building through the use of an underground cavern and a submarine that was waiting for him."

"A submarine?" Malik echoed incredulously, eyes wide. For as long as he could remember, his father had utterly loathed the ocean. Refused to so much as step foot in it, claiming that so much water was unnatural. He couldn't believe that the man would have escaped using a sub. It sounded ludicrous.

"So he got away after all that," Yuugi whispered, hardly able to believe it. There was something about that that seemed so wrong. He'd never liked or approved of violence, but when it came to Hafiz, he would have been willing to see an exception made in order for some justice to be dolled out. The fact that the man had escaped without facing up to what he'd done was... He shook his head. "Isn't there a way to catch him?"

"He has a substantial head start and we have no way of tracking which direction he went in," the security man said apologetically. "We'll send boats that are equipped with sonar equipment out, but honestly the odds of finding him are low, especially at this point." He cast a glance out towards the sea, where the sun was beginning to set on what had been the longest day ever. "We'll have to wait until morning to begin the search. But I suggest that in the meantime you and your friends should return home, Kaiba-sama. We'll search the rest of the island and make sure that anyone who is still here is detained for questioning."

"Thank you," Seto said, ducking his head. He'd been expecting this. From the moment that Pegasus had thrown himself off the cliff, Seto had begun to suspect that Hafiz had fled the island. It made sense to send someone out as a distraction while he took the coward's way out. His jaw tightened and he shifted restlessly, feeling distinctly unfulfilled. It didn't take much to know that Yami, Bakura and Mariku were feeling the same way. After all of the trouble and pain Hafiz had caused, he was walking away from it without a care in the world, and worse yet, no one knew when he would be back.

"We'll catch him," Yami said suddenly, his hand clenching into a fist. There was a shadow in his eyes as he released the bond that held Dark Magician to the world. As the others followed suit, he added, "No matter where he goes, someday we will find him, and Hafiz will pay for his crimes."

A heavy silence descended over the group, all of them staring out to sea. One of the security men started to step forward, intending to usher them onto the helicopters, but another stopped him. It was plain to see that the children needed a moment to themselves. And sure enough, after a few minutes, Seto sighed and began wearily directing people to the nearby helicopters. There was more than enough space for all of them and he made sure to keep everyone as close together as possible. He was the last person to get on, and once he was settled between Mokuba and Jou, the helicopters took off for the mainland.

GMA

It was cold, and dark, and wet. Amane shivered in her costume and wrapped her arms around herself loosely in a bid for extra warmth. She thought longingly of her brother, of standing on the cliff with warmth and sunny skies and a gentle wind, but forced herself to shake the image out of her mind. There was no point in thinking about Ryou because she had chosen to leave him behind. Hafiz had been leaving and, having successfully distracted Ryou and his friends, she'd made the decision to go with him. God she hoped that someday Ryou would forgive for this, but she couldn't help her nature. That was what being Change of Heart was all about, a constant balancing act to be caught in the middle of good and evil, and she had no choice.

Hafiz was standing near the front of the sub, looking out into the dark, murky waters with his hands folded behind his back. It was impossible to tell what he was thinking, but he didn't seem to be overly pleased. The duel monsters manning the submarine were doing their best to stay out of his way, none of them wanting to take the blame for his impending wrath. His tantrums were like the elephant in the room that no one wanted to talk about. You could tell when one was coming, but not who it would be directed towards or why, and it made you want to hide just so that his ire wouldn't be drawn in your direction. She shivered and huddled further into the corner.

Suddenly, Hafiz doubled over. His hands flew to his neck and he let out a choked gasp as he staggered and then fell to his knees. Amane leapt forward, white hair flying behind her, and knelt beside him. She was trying to see what was wrong (even though it would have been far better to just let the man choke to death) but he kept pushing her hands away, refusing to let her see. A faint gurgling sound emerged from his throat, like there was something in his lungs. Her brow furrowed as she sat back on her heels, staring at him in increasing bewilderment. If she didn't know it was impossible she would have said that he was drowning.

"That… fucking…" Hafiz breathed raggedly, pounding his hands on his chest as he gagged. Nothing was coming up and he continued to cough and splutter. "He killed himself!"

A chill went down her spine. She thought she knew who he was talking about. There was only one person who could have caused this reaction and if that was the case, she prayed he had found a better end than the one Hafiz had planned for him. "Who are you talking about, sir?" she asked, just to be on the safe side.

"Pegasus!" he roared, shoving her away. Amane couldn't keep back her yelp of pain as she hit the side of the sub and slumped to the floor. The duel monsters around her carefully ignored her, pretending that they hadn't noticed her discomfort. "Instead of fighting against the pharaoh he went and killed himself! The Millennium Eye is at the bottom of the sea!" He sounded so infuriated that it would have been funny had he not been lashing out at anyone close enough to strike.

"Can't you retrieve it?" Amane cried, propping herself up on her hands. "Surely someone could…"

"We'd have to find his body and without the Ring, that will be exceedingly difficult." It sounded like his teeth were gritted. "I will have to map out the currents and try to see where they will bring his body. It could be anywhere up and down the coast of Japan. If we had the Ring…" His voice trailed off and he uttered a low growl. "Maiden of the Moonlight!"

There was a dull flash and then the duel monster appeared. She was in bad shape, Amane saw. Her face was nearly white and her golden hair was ragged. There was a lot of blood covering the back of her costume and the cloth had split, showing off a deep wound. "Yes, Master?" she whispered fitfully.

Hafiz turned to glare at her. "You and Silent Magician were supposed to protect the Rod and the Ring," he hissed. "Silent Magician knew better than to return to me without an Item. He fought to death and went to the graveyard serving me as was his purpose in life. Yet here you stand before me, without the Ring or the Rod, still alive. I know the wound in your shoulder is not bad enough to warrant the graveyard. So may I ask what you think you're doing?"

It was a loaded question and Maiden of the Moonlight knew it. The duel monster struggled to find an answer that wouldn't make him angrier. "I… I had things under control, sir, but they came up behind me," she said in a rush. "The blond ones. The light challenged me and then his yami came out of no where…"

If it was possible, his face became even more twisted with rage. "You lost to them?" he practically screamed, taking a threatening step towards her. "How could you?"

She shrank back, fear flickering over her face. "I… I told you," she stammered. "I was occupied with trying to keep the girls subdued. They snuck up on me. I didn't know that they were there. And besides, you said that you wanted him for yourself."

He let out a long slow breath and shook his head slowly, turning away from her. "You have failed me yet again," he stated coldly. "Maiden of the Moonlight, you are a continual disappointment to me and I grow tired of it. The hikari of the pharaoh has escaped and he is no longer under your spell. Furthermore, the bond between him and the pharaoh is now strong enough to keep your power from ever ensnaring him again." His eyes narrowed. "What use are you?"

"I still control the boy's grandfather," she said desperately.

"Until what end? No, you have outlived your usefulness and I no longer have a need for you." Hafiz reached into his pocket and drew forth the golden disk with the symbol of Ra on it. Amane sucked in a sharp breath, her eyes darting towards Maiden of the Moonlight. She wanted to do something to help, to prevent what was about to happen, but she felt frozen. Hafiz wouldn't listen to her and it was likely that if she pushed him too far she would suffer the same fate. And she had already died once, and she had no desire to have it happen again. So she just closed her eyes and turned her face away.

"Please, Master, give me another chance," Maiden of the Moonlight pleaded, backing away. Her eyes searched the submarine desperately, looking fur support. She could have tried to escape, but where would she go? A duel monster could only exist in the real world as long as they were given energy by their master, and if she was returned to the shadow realm it would only be a matter of time before the duel monsters of those children sought her out. It was death now or death later. She closed her eyes. "Please have mercy."

"Be gone," Hafiz growled, the disc flushed with light. "There is no mercy for those who can't follow the simplest of orders!"

In the end, there was not even time for Maiden of the Moonlight to scream. It was like a blip on the screen. One minute she was there and the next she was gone. It was the most silent death that Amane had ever experienced, but there was no doubt in her mind that Maiden of the Moonlight had been sent to the graveyard. Gradually, the light of the disc died away and Hafiz tucked it back under his shirt. His face was a blank mask when he turned back to the window. Now that he was no longer paying attention, Amane felt it was safe to get up off the floor. She felt tired and dizzy, but that was a great deal better than suffering Maiden of the Moonlight's fate. She shuffled over to the corner and stood there, shivering, arms wrapped loosely around her waist, and wished more than ever that she might have chosen differently.

GMA

Rebecca was having a wonderful dream. Somehow the aches of having spent hours in a hard-backed hospital chair had faded away, leaving her in a world where Yuugi returned her affections and his yami didn't mind. They were walking through a field of giant teddy bears when she felt the hand on her shoulder, shaking her gently but firmly. She groaned and tried to squirm away, but whoever was trying to wake her up was determined to succeed, and finally she couldn't keep her eyes shut any longer. Sugoroku's brightly lit hospital room came into painful clarity and she winced, lifting her hands to rub at her eyes, giving her another few seconds in blissful darkness.

"What is it, Grampa?" she asked sleepily, finally letting her hands drop to her lap. She straightened up slowly and grimaced as her back protested the action immediately. At some point during her nap she had slumped forward so that her chin was resting on her chest, and she could tell she would be paying for it. Her lower back muscles were all spasming in protest.

"Someone wanted to say hello," Arthur said gently.

"Good evening, Rebecca-chan."

"Huh? Oh!" Rebecca's eyes went wide as her face lit up. Jumping up, she ran the few steps to the bed, gazing happily at the man who was sitting upright. "You're awake!"

"Yes, I am." Sugoroku smiled at her. "I must say, I've never felt better. I'm ready to leave this place any time."

"Now Sugoroku," Arthur said with amusement, "you know the doctors said you have to stay for observation. They're not sure why you ended up in a coma. It could happen again if you're not careful."

Sugoroku wiggled his eyebrows. "I'm not too terribly concerned," he said, and winked at Rebecca. She grinned.

"Perhaps you should be. I know you had us all very frightened." Arthur placed a hand on Rebecca's shoulder as he continued to speak and she leaned against him, relieved that her duty was done for the time being. It was exhausting spending all her days in the hospital and she longed for bed. Slowly, her weight came to rest against her grandfather more and more, her eyes fluttering shut, until she was essentially sleeping while standing in place. Sugoroku glanced at her and chuckled, placing a finger over his lips.

"You should take her home, Arthur," he advised.

Arthur nodded and leaned down, scooping his hands beneath Rebecca's arms. She fussed as he lifted her but settled quickly into the curve of his body. He huffed gently. "Almost too old for this," he said, patting her on bottom fondly.

"They grow up fast," Sugoroku said with a sigh. "Good night, my friend."

"You're sure you'll be alright?"

"Yes, Arthur, go. Take Rebecca-chan home. She's done well." There was a glint of pride in Sugoroku's eyes.

"Indeed she has." Arthur smiled and, with one last nod, carried his granddaughter out of the hospital room. His little girl had done a woman's job, and now it was time for her to rest.

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