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I Know You're Out There Somewhere	By : Firewing Category: Yu-Gi-Oh > Yaoi - Male/Male Views: 3536 -:- Recommendations : 0 -:- Currently Reading : 0
Disclaimer: I do not own YuGiOh!, nor any of the characters from it. I do not make any money from the writing of this story.

Chapter List
- 26
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Chapter 27: Three Horses and a Puppy

Disclaimer: I still haven�t convinced anyone that I should be getting paid for this�

��
Friday morning.
Pegasus unlocked the door of the nursery and stepped inside the actual room for the first time in seventeen years. The windows had been shuttered from the outside and the furniture hidden under dust covers. He pulled one off of an oddly shaped item.
It was his own boyhood rocking horse. Custom made to order by an Italian artist, the wooden horse was intricately detailed and hand painted from the tips of its outstretched fiery orange-gold wings to the end of its flaming tail. The horse, or more accurately pegasus, was a shade of blue Max particularly loved-the same blue as Cecelia�s eyes. As a small boy the wooden horse had taken Max on many fanciful flights, and he had later created a Duel Monsters card in honor of the little rocking horse, transforming him into a proud rearing stallion.
Finally, he pulled a covering off the wall, revealing the only portrait Cecelia had ever requested. He could deny her nothing, but this painting tended to wrench his heart from his breast, as it was such a deep and painful reminder of the life he could have lived and yet refused.
Joseph had been only five days old the first time Max had given him a bath. It was a small task he believed he could handle on his own while Cecelia napped. Later, much to his chagrin, he discovered his wife had silently trailed him armed with a camera and prepared to catch the new father unaware. It seemed he was not the only Pegasus to have a devious streak.
Two days later, his charming and dignified lady had pounced on him as he tried to recover a few lost hours of sleep, waving a handful of photos under his aristocratic nose and insisting that he owed her a painting for all the hours she had patiently sat for him as he painted her repeatedly. She had begged, pleaded, and finally tickled him into submission.
It was the only self-portrait he had ever done. In it his hair hung loose, his white linen shirt was untucked and almost completely unbuttoned. He cradled his naked newborn son to his exposed chest, protectively cupping the tiny child�s head against his shoulder. He had whispered some babbled nonsense to Joseph in that moment that was forgotten as quickly as it had been spoken.
He stood in the abandoned nursery looking at the much younger version of himself and his infant son. �Why did I let you go, Joseph? Why? You were mine to love and protect.�
Tears ran down the right side of his face as he staggered out of the nursery. Croquet instantly appeared out of nowhere, locked the nursery door, and said nothing.
�I can�t do it, Chris. I can�t face him. How can I face the son I abandoned when I can�t even face myself? He has to hate me like Kaiba and Yugi do. How could he not?�
�You have been invited to Kaiba�s mansion to meet with Joseph, sir. That would seem to be a positive indication.� Croquet said noncommittally.
�Yes, I�m meeting my son on Kaiba�s home turf, probably because Kaiba has plans to trap my mind in a virtual reality world and dispose of my body.�
Croquet rolled his eyes. �Sir, surely he could come up with a more original plan to do away with you.�
Pegasus stared at his bodyguard in astonishment. Croquet raised his eyebrows and bounced on the balls of his feet a bit.
�Why is it you always choose the most inopportune moments to joke around?� Pegasus demanded.
�Joke, Master Pegasus? You know I have no sense of humor.� The bodyguard said in all innocence.
Pegasus huffed and strode down the hallway. �Kaiba is a master strategist. He doesn�t do anything unless he thinks he knows what his opponent has planned. By then he�s six moves ahead of you. What is Joseph doing with Kaiba anyway?�
�I don�t know, sir.� It was all Croquet could do to keep up with Pegasus, as it appeared his boss was determined to charge through every hall in the castle. �Master? Uh�I think we�ve been through this hall already.�
Pegasus stopped, took in his surroundings, and huffed again. �You�re right,� he agreed, and he took off in a different direction.
��.

Morning comes too early, Joey thought as he dragged himself off to the shower. Today would be a long day.
He had gotten his things moved into his (and Seto�s) new bedroom. The kitchen table had been replaced by one with a black ceramic tile top. Seto had insisted on something that could deflect knife blades. Joey hadn�t had the opportunity to test it out�yet.
The door to Serenity�s bedroom had been repaired. His painting of Cecelia and Red Eyes had been framed and hung over the futon. He wondered what Pegasus would think of it. Seto was determined that Joey show the apartment to Pegasus. Perhaps Seto didn�t want Pegasus to think he made Joey sleep in a dog house, or chained up in the basement the way Pegasus had kept Mokuba chained up in his dungeon.
Instantly, Jou was enraged. He got out of the shower, grabbed a towel, and stomped back to the bedroom where Seto was still miraculously asleep.
�Seto! Wake up!�
�What is it? Did something happen to Mokuba?� The CEO was instantly alert and reacting to the panic in Jou�s voice.
�Mokuba�s fine! I�m not doing it! I�m not having that silver-haired, one-eyed lunatic around your brother! There is no way that man contributed to my gene pool! No way he fathered me! My dad was a hero! He died trying to help others! He would never chain a kid up in a dungeon!� Joey ranted.
�Jou, come here.� Seto wrapped his arms around his shaking lover. �We�re going to get through this day. It was your idea, remember? Tonight you can tell him what you just told me, if you like. Once this is over with we can put Pegasus behind us and move on to other things, like Serenity and our vacation. Okay?�
��
Evening arrived before anyone was prepared for it, with the exception of the Kaiba estate servants. Seto had arranged for Andre, his retired chauffeur, to drive for the evening. His duties would include picking up Pegasus from his private jet and returning him to it at the appropriate time.
For the occasion the three boys had made deviations from their usual attire. It was obvious to Joey that Mokuba had found his way back to Gothic Goodness. The kid was all belts and silver chains, from his black biker boots to the three looping belts around the waist of his black jeans and the chains that draped across his chest over a red T-shirt hanging from his black leather vest. Mokuba would have made Yugi proud had he been here to see the younger Kaiba.
Seto went sleek and formal in a slim cut white suit with a black silk shirt. He had sent his puppy into a panic an hour before Pegasus� arrival when he asked Jou if he�d thought about what he was going to wear. At the bewildered look on Joey�s face, Seto shook his head and shoved a box at Jou. �Some of us plan ahead, Pup.�
Jou was almost afraid to open the box, expecting a fancy monkey suit or a ridiculous trench coat. What he found instead was a luxuriously supple and classy dark green leather blazer and a black stretch silk muscle shirt. He threw on a pair of faded blue jeans and grinned at himself in the mirror. He looked hot.

He went to the mansion looking for Seto peeking in various rooms and wandering the hallways. Seto caught his stalker searching for him and snuck up behind him silently.

�Looking for something?�

�Crap!� Joey wheeled on his lover startled out of his wits.
Seto smirked. �Pretty dragon-pup, did I frighten you?� He looked Jou over. �I know what I�m having for dessert.�
�Uh�guys? He�s here.� Mokuba announced.
�Let the show begin.� Seto headed to the music parlor where he had instructed Liz to take their guest. Mokuba fell in step beside Joey exchanging apprehensive looks before following Seto.
The parlor was about as homey and welcoming as a deep freeze. It was a large, stark room done entirely in white. Three white couches formed a U shape in the center of the room. A white baby grand piano set off to one side, an empty glass bar was on another side of the room, glass top occasional tables displayed white orchids in crystal vases, and the walls and the floor were painfully unadorned.
Pegasus waited patiently, serenely sophisticated in a black silk suit and red ascot. He suspected Kaiba of choosing this room intentionally, knowing that his guest would be uncomfortable without things of beauty on which to cast his eye.
As Seto pushed open the French doors and entered the room all trace of the brother and lover vanished; his doppelganger, the Ice Man, had taken command. The difference was as dramatic as the difference in Yugi when Yami was in control of his host�s body.
Pegasus rose to greet his host and his son with the ever-present Croquet at his back.
Silence.
Joey and Mokuba exchanged another look, wordlessly confirming that they would both like to run screaming from the building.
�Pegasus.� Seto said and gave his guest a short stiff bow. �Welcome to my home.�
�Thank you for inviting me, Kaiba-boy.� Pegasus could not hide a slight smirk.
Joey could feel Seto tense beside him and noticed that the brunette�s fingers were twitching. He could almost see the gears working in Seto�s mind, plotting how many ways he could take Pegasus out before Croquet interfered�uh, intervened. But Pegasus� attention was focused solely on Joey.
�Joseph?�
�Yeah? Do you think you could call me Jou or Joey?�
�Hmm�well, you can call me Max. Agreed?�
�I�d rather call you Pegasus, if you don�t mind.�
�And I�d prefer to call you Joseph, if it�s all the same to you.�
�You can call me Kaiba.� Seto interjected with a small snarl. �Just Kaiba.�
Mokuba�s eyes passed to each of them in turn as the conversation deteriorated. He started easing his way toward the door, taking comfort in the presence of an escape route. Behind his dark sunglasses, Croquet rolled his eyes and prepared for action without giving any outward sign of it.
�Hmph�all this wealth and you still haven�t managed to acquire a sense of humor, Kaiba-boy.� Pegasus taunted.
�You are a guest in my home�� Kaiba started moving forward.
Joey casually stepped on the brunet�s foot and earned himself a glare. �Seto, do you play the piano?�
�Yes.� He answered shortly.
�Really, Kaiba? You are a man of many talents.� Pegasus smirked. He was secretly delighted by how easily his son was able to counter Kaiba�s charge. �As our gracious host, perhaps you�d care to entertain us?�
�Fine. Make yourselves comfortable.� Seto stalked over to the baby grand and sat down.
Joey grabbed Mokuba by the chains on his vest and pulled him over to the nearest couch where they both sat as if they were about to endure some sort of perverse torture. Pegasus seated himself on the center couch and raised an eyebrow at the two younger boys.
Seto started playing Beethoven�s �Ode to Joy� with flawless precision, although he performed it in such a way that it would have been more aptly called �Ode to Rage�. As he finished, Pegasus applauded and Jou and Mokuba belatedly joined in unenthusiastically. Seto graced his lover and brother with a dirty look.
�Lovely, simply lovely, Kaiba.� Pegasus praised. �I�ve never heard it performed with such emotion before.� Kaiba glared at him, but Pegasus� expression was completely innocent.
�Mokuba, would you show our guests to the dining room?� Seto asked.
�Uh�okay.� Mokuba got up and went to the doors, feeling weird about leading the one-eyed kidnapper and his head rude goon through the Kaiba mansion.
Joey had already begun to follow Croquet out when Seto ordered, �Mutt, stay.�
Pegasus heard the command and raised an eyebrow, filing the odd nickname away for later perusal.
Seto still sat at the baby grand and Jou went to him. Their eyes locked and Seto let out the breath he was holding. �We need to be very clear on one thing, Jou.�
�What�s that?�
�If he ever does anything to hurt you, I will kill him.�
Joey lowered his eyes. The intensity in Seto�s gaze was too much to bear. �We shouldn�t leave Mokuba alone with them too long.�
�Jou, look at me. I have to know that you understand what I�m telling you.�
Joey was more intent on changing the subject than acknowledging Seto�s capacity to do murder, so instead of answering him, Jou kissed him.
�Big brother!� Mokuba stamped his foot in irritation. He grabbed Jou�s arm and pulled him away from Seto. �I knew you two couldn�t be left alone together!�
Joey was relieved by his awkward rescue and followed Mokuba out of the room with Seto on his heels. They entered the dining room together and Seto went to the head of the table. Joey took his place on Seto�s left and Mokuba sat beside him. Pegasus sat on Seto�s right with Croquet standing behind and slightly to the left of his master in a perfect position to tackle their host should he find it necessary to do so.
Seto raised his eyebrows at the bodyguard and gave Pegasus a contemptuous look that said �coward�. Pegasus smiled thinly in response and waited for someone to say something, anything. The silence was deafening. This was not the most talkative bunch of teenagers.
�Joseph, I must express my condolences on the loss of your father. I am certain he was a good man. You must miss him terribly.� Pegasus said sincerely.
Anger warred with a need to keep things civil in Joey�s mind. It was so like Pegasus to hit a nerve.
�Yeah, my father never chained me up in a dungeon.� The words were out before Joey knew what he was going to say.
Seto smirked, Croquet frowned, Pegasus blinked in surprise, and Mokuba fell victim to a fit of hysterical giggles and then fell out of his chair, doubling over on the floor. After a stunned moment, Pegasus and Joey laughed along with Mokuba�s gale force giggles. Seto was disappointed; he�d lost his opportunity to strangle Pegasus�for now.
Joey scooped Mokuba up off the floor and got him back in his chair, but the ebony-haired boy avoided looking at Pegasus the rest of the evening for fear of another giggling fit. A fact of which Max was undeniably aware. Throughout the many courses of their formal meal, he kept a small part of his attention focused on the younger Kaiba and never missed the opportunity to try to crack the kid up. Joseph and the elder Kaiba seemed distracted. Mokuba fidgeted nervously and made architectural designs out of his food to avoid Pegasus� attention.
With some of the tension dissipated and supper winding down, the diners' polite small talk became tedious. Pegasus watched the interaction between his son and Kaiba closely. He finally knew why Joseph was with Kaiba-boy; he was simply mystified that he hadn�t thought of it sooner. The only other person Kaiba would go out of his way to protect was his little brother, therefore it naturally followed that Seto�s defensive stance on the subject of Joseph came from love. They were oddly perfect for each other. It would take someone far more demented and far less sensitive than he was to attempt to drive them apart.
Now, if only he could convince Kaiba of that.
�Umm�Pegasus, would you like to see my apartment? It�s nothing much�� Joey invited hesitantly.
�Of course I would, Joseph.�
Outside the apartment Pegasus stopped Croquet. �Would you retrieve that package?�
Croquet bowed and left.
�What package?� Jou asked.
�It�s a gift, Joseph, though you probably won�t want it.� Pegasus said sadly. They entered the apartment. Jou flicked on the lights and Pegasus nearly had a heart attack on the spot.
Joey knew the painting would have an impact but hadn�t expected such a dramatic reaction. He had had no difficulty accepting Cecelia as his mother. The angelic beauty easily filled the void that Maria Wheeler had created. Pegasus had tears running down his face and Joey was a little ashamed of his thoughtlessness.
�I�m sorry. I shouldn�t have hung it. I should have warned you�� Jou shut up when his father faced him. Pegasus� expression was of sheer childlike wonder and joy. Joey felt everything he thought he knew about the man in front of him slip away and a strangely familiar darkness open its maw ready to swallow him again. �Uggh��
Jou quickly sat down on the futon and put his head between his legs.
�Joseph? Jou?� Pegasus said bewildered and worried as his son took carefully measured deep breaths.
�I�m fine�I was just a little light-headed is all.� Jou finally answered.
Croquet returned carrying a large flat wooden crate which he sat on the floor near Joey. He gave Pegasus a quick glance to confirm that his boss was okay as he left, taking an unobtrusive post on the balcony.
Joey puzzled over the crate. �It�s one of your paintings, isn�t it?�
�Yes.� Pegasus pulled out the office chair from the computer desk and sat down. �You don�t have to open it now. I�d actually like to hear about that one.� He said indicating the painting over Jou�s head. �Are there others?�
�I have a sketchpad.�
�May I see it?� When Pegasus had first seen the painting of Cecelia and Red Eyes on Jou�s wall, he was awestruck on so many different levels at once he was rendered speechless, a state which he had seldom fallen victim to during the course of his life. Joey retrieved his sketchpad and a kitchen chair which he straddled backwards. He wanted to be able to see what Pegasus was looking at and try to gauge his reaction to it.
�Hmm�why don�t you paint more, Joseph?�
Joey shrugged. �I guess I don�t feel like it very often.� He looked up at the wall. �I started that one before I even knew who she was. I dreamed about the fire my dad died in every time I went to sleep�� He hesitated before continuing. �I met her.�
Pegasus gave him a startled questioning look. �In your dream?�
�No. She was there that night, the night of the fire.�
�That isn�t possible, Joseph. She died when you were barely two months old.�
�I know. Tea found your journal and read it to us after Yugi won your tournament.� Joey replied warily.
Pegasus� eye went wide. His sanctuary. Those snoopy kids had gone back to his sanctuary. He sighed. �You met her?�
�She was a spirit. Somehow she was drawn to me. She probably saved my life. My dad and I got separated, I went looking for him, but it was too late. I just wanted to give up, but she tried to keep me awake. She managed to get�someone�s attention to get me out of there.� Joey tried to make a long story short. �There was this one dream I had about the fire. It changed at the point where she found me. She took me to the Shadow Realm and brought Red Eyes to me.�
Joey�s words triggered something deep in Pegasus� mind. Why was Cecelia in the Shadow Realm? And he knew she actually was in the Shadow Realm, but he didn�t know how he knew. Memories drifted just beyond his reach and he struggled with a sense of apprehension. He had forgotten something of great importance.
Joey was rummaging in a kitchen drawer looking for tools to open the crate with. Finding a hammer, he went to on work prying the crate apart.
�Your mother asked me to paint this for her.� Pegasus said feeling dazed.
Jou got the crate open and pulled away the packaging. He gaped in awe at the painting completely unaware that his face mirrored the expression on Pegasus� when he had seen Jou�s work. The way Pegasus was portrayed on this canvas was totally different from the image Jou carried in his mind: tender, loving, sensual, and proud of the little child he�d helped bring into the world. It brought home to Jou the fact that Maximillion Pegasus really was his father in a way nothing else had. Pegasus had loved him, truly loved him.
�Why? Why did you give me up?� Joey asked in a choked voice.
�I don�t have an answer that can really justify my actions, Jou.� Pegasus went and sat beside him on the floor. �In a way, I was trying to punish myself. I felt there was something I could have done to prevent your mother�s death and that I didn�t deserve to have a child. I knew at that point in my life I wasn�t capable of raising you on my own.�
Joey reached out and tentatively touched the baby in the painting. �It�s okay. I think I understand.�
�Really?� Pegasus was stunned by Jou�s simple acceptance. He opened his arms to his only child and, for the first time in seventeen years, held his son.
Joey relaxed in the embrace and laid his head on his father�s shoulder. As hard as it had been to accept, he belonged to the silver-haired maniac, and finally, he felt he would be able to live with it.
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