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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
- 43
- 44
- 45
Chapter 44 Splinter of the Mind�s Eye

��
Pegasus followed Shadi into a graciously appointed chamber. Stunning Egyptian hieroglyphics and paintings adorned the walls. They might well have been in a pyramid that sank beneath the sands thousands of years ago. The thought triggered a memory in Pegasus� mind and suddenly he knew exactly where they were. Now how to get that information to Joseph and Kaiba-boy?�hmmm�

�Would you care for some tea, Master Pegasus?� Shadi offered, gentleman to gentleman when they were seated across from each other in chairs worth more than a king�s ransom a piece.
�Though your offer is kind, Shadi, I�d much prefer wine.� Pegasus countered as though much more were at stake than mere refreshments.
�Of course.� The Egyptian snapped his fingers and a woman Pegasus knew only too well appeared. �Bring wine for our guest.� Shadi ordered.
�Anya, isn�t it?� Pegasus asked, stopping her before she could slip away. Cecelia�s midwife froze, startled by the unexpected recognition. �Oh, come now, surely you remember me?�
�Sir?� The woman hesitated, looking to Shadi for direction.
�Bring us the wine, Anya.� He told her simply and she made a quick exit. �What exactly is it that you want, Maximillion?�
Pegasus was bristling with rage inside. They had torn his life apart and his veneer of civility was sorely tested. �On your orders, Anya murdered my wife using some ancient curse you taught her, correct?�
Shadi gave him a mild look that neither admitted nor denied anything.
Pegasus shrugged and dropped the topic as though it were trivial in spite of how he felt. �What is it that you are exactly? What do you gain by sundering the seal between the realms of Shadow and Substance? It cannot be power that you are after. Power could have been yours ages ago.�
�True power is subtle, Master Pegasus. But since you have entered your own tomb, I see no reason not to give you the answers you seek.� Shadi replied blandly.
�Hmm�This is mine?� Pegasus appraised his surroundings again. �I�m rather flattered, Souleater.�
A shadow of a smile passed over Shadi�s face at the use of one of his more colorful nomenclatures. Anya reentered the chamber and served two goblets of wine in silence. As she handed Pegasus� to hi, he quickly brushed through her thoughts. All he truly wanted to know was if the wine had been poisoned, but he discovered a bit more. Anya performed her task with meekness and subservience, yet her in her mind she was fanatically power-crazed and nearly insane. He also noted, much to his amusement, that she was absolutely terrified of him.
�Yes,� Shadi shattered the silence, �As you guessed, Anya is my protégé. I sent her to take Cecelia�s soul and your son. My intention was that you follow a trail to reclaim the child and then I would bait the trap with the possibility of your wife�s resurrection. Of course, your son would have been lost to you in any case. Anya would have raised him as her own, but no matter. Destiny finds a way to be fulfilled regardless of the path it travels.�
Max stiffened and only a lifetime of living by his own too high standards of a gentleman�s behavior kept him in his seat. He was stunned to realize that Shadi was entirely disconnected from humanity. The Egyptian belied no emotion, no remorse, not even a petty sense of victory over his unsuspecting victim.
�The one Yugi calls Yami reigned in Egypt as Pharaoh Atem. I was a simple scribe until the Ennead offered me something more. My task was to merge the Shadow Realm, which is merely a passageway for the use of the dark gods, with your reality. To make certain I could fulfill my purpose I was given immortality. All I wish is the end of my existence.� Shadi continued in the same soulless tone.
�Are you quite certain that I cannot grant this particular wish of yours?� Pegasus asked a manner that suggested a topic of trivial importance.
Shadi�s eyes flashed in anger momentarily. How dare this petty human make light of such matters! �I am.�
�Such a pity. I would be most willing to oblige you.� Pegasus mused.
��.
Shortly after take off on Pegasus� jet Seto received the call he�d been so anxious to get, but he had known almost instantly that Mokuba was being evasive about what he told him. Seto tensed upon learning that his baby brother and his baby brother�s boyfriend were staying in an apartment above a tavern in Cairo, but tried to convince himself that what really mattered was that Mokuba was safe.
While Jou was relieved by the news about Mokuba, his agitation on Yugi�s behalf was enough to make Croquet want to slap a parachute on the kid and drop him out over the ocean. His self control and rigid reserve were pushed to the limit. Joey paced ceaselessly and with each step Chris was reminded of his father as if the point that Max was missing needed to be driven deeper into the older man�s soul.
Joey paused occasionally to ask Seto a question about what Mokuba had said before continuing to wear the carpet into threadbare remains. He could not stop thinking about Yugi and how intricately their lives were bound together. If Pegasus had chosen to raise him would they have been enemies? Jou couldn�t conceive of any universe where they would not have overcome their differences.

We are all prisoners of our own secret and private thoughts, Cecelia mused to herself. She wanted to confront Croquet about whatever it was that had been troubling him all day, but she would wait until she could approach him privately. She felt like an interloper in her own life. Finally, she excused herself and retired to Max�s private cabin.
Once Jou expended some of his restless energy he settled down with Seto in the reclining seats. Not knowing what the day would bring he knew he would need to get some sleep. Ironically for someone who had been unable to relax five minutes before, he drifted off almost instantly.
��
�You truly seek your own death by sacrificing countless innocent victims. How noble! And to think I�ve been accused of being a monster. How is it exactly that you will merge the two dimensions?� Pegasus allowed his voice to carry a finely sharpened edge.
�Ancient rituals will be performed. The soul of the vessel containing the spirit of the pharaoh shall be sacrificed. Once the spirit and the vessel are purified they will be rejoined. The magics of the Millennium Puzzle will return to the Shadow Realm. My curse will be lifted when the pharaoh is back on his throne. Anya will succeed me as High Priestess of the Ennead. All the powers of the Shadow Realm will become Atem�s. He will serve the as the dark gods� messenger on earth and he will be invincible.� Shadi intoned crisply.
�Yami isn�t evil.� Pegasus protested as he stalled for time.
�Are you certain, Master Pegasus? Stripped of light all that remains is darkness. Your definition of good and evil is too narrow, too limited. You yourself spent half of your life seeking power over death and disregarding morality whenever it got in your way.� Shadi countered smoothly.
Max only half-heard him as he concentrated on an idea. �Perhaps death is too gentle a fate for you, old friend.�
�If you had lived an unrelenting life bound to darkness for five thousand years, Maximillion, you would know that nothing is gentle.� Shadi held the Millennium Key out in his hand as he prepared to force his way into Pegasus� mind.
Max inwardly flinched, although he had suspected Shadi would choose to murder him in this manner. He would have home field advantage though, and he intended to make full use of it. Toon Castle Pegasus was no place for the unimaginative. The final battlefield always lies within one�s own mind�
��..
Jou slept soundly to the steady rhythm of Seto�s heart, but his eyelids twitches in the throws REM sleep.
He wandered the halls of a vaguely familiar castle. The technicolor brightness made his eyes water and disturbing, but faint lunatic laughter emanated from the walls. He found himself in a suspended dueling arena and nearly slipped on a carelessly discarded book. Jou picked it up, knowing even as he opened it that the action would have consequences.
A wild seven foot tall creature popped out of the unassuming book bouncing on a spring and wearing a fiendish grin. Joey yelped, dropped the book, and nearly fell off the platform. A firm grasp steadied him accompanied by a low chuckle, �Now, now, Bickuribox, mind your manners. We�re not here to frighten Joseph.�
The bizarre excuse for a jack-in-the-box vanished back into the innocent looking green book. Pegasus picked it up and wiped imaginary dust off of it.
�Pops! You�re okay!� Joey grinned and hugged him enthusiastically.
�Joseph, we�re in my soul room.�
�Huh?� Jou looked around, �Soul room? How�?�
�Apparently you inherited a touch of my psychic abilities, Joseph, though you may not choose to believe that. Your dreams have become doorways. I merely guided you through one of my own.�
Joey frowned as he considered this. �Are you telling me that all the times I dreamed about being in the Shadow Realm�?� He gulped, unwilling to finish the question. �What happened to Yugi?�
Pegasus looked down at the book to avoid his son�s eyes and then handed it to him. Joey shook his head and backed away. Nearly getting trounced by one Toon was enough for him.
�There isn�t time to discuss this, Joseph. Please take the book. We�re safe enough for the moment, but I have a game of cat and mouse to commence.� He pulled Jou into a quick embrace and forced the book into his hand.
Joey stared at it wondering how a book the size of a paperback novel could shrink to the size of duel monsters card. When he looked up he realized he was on his father�s jet. He jerked up out of his recliner, smacked his head on the bulkhead, cried out, and landed in Seto�s lap. All and all it could have turned out worse, Jou decided.
�Jou?�
�Uh�morning, Seto.� He lamely responded and handed Seto the card that had been a book a moment ago.
Seto looked at it, looked at Jou, flipped the card over, and glared at the offending piece of cardstock. On one side there was a green book opened to reveal the pop-up realm of Toon World. The other side was white with neat handwriting detailing an exact location in Egypt. Toon World. The card Pegasus had used to defeat him. Keeping his voice low and steady, the dragon master asked, �How did you get this?�
�Father gave it to me.� Jou shrugged.
�Are you telling me that Pegasus gave you this card while you were here asleep and you brought it into the real world from a dream?!� By the time the brunet finished his question his voice had risen several octaves and Croquet was staring at them form across the cabin.
�Well, not exactly�in the dream it was a book.� Jou admitted sheepishly.
Croquet was standing over them now and Seto mutely handed the bodyguard the card. Chris examined it, shook his head, and walked off to the cockpit to give the pilot directions to their next stop after Cairo while muttering, �I hate magic�He knows I hate magic��
��
As if on cue, the moment Croquet went to see the pilot, Cecelia came out of the private cabin. Joey got out of Seto�s lap reluctantly and hugged her. She was so radiantly beautiful that for a moment he imagined Death coming to claim her and fleeing in the face of this woman who was so vibrantly alive.
�You�re beautiful, Mom.� He told her in greeting as he kissed her cheek.
She smiled, �People tend to want to judge others by what seems to be when all that really matters is what�s inside.�
Seto raised an eyebrow, �So you married a master illusionist?�
Cecelia laughed, �We weren�t always caught in a web of magic, you know.�
�Mom, speaking of magic, Father�s okay.� Joey was excited now, �He gave me directions to where he and Yugi are. I was dreaming and somehow he brought me into his soul room and gave me this magic card, only in the dream it was a book. When I opened it Bickuribox jumped out and I almost fell off the dueling platform. But then Pops was there�� He trailed off realizing that the whole thing sounded crazy. �Croquet has the card.�
�I believe you, Joseph.� Cecelia reassured him. She sat down at the table and indicated that he should do the same. �I want to know everything about you. I�ve missed out on your whole life.�
�Everything?� Jou gulped
Seto smirked and joined them. �There isn�t much to tell, Cecelia, he�s just your average Jou.�
�Hey! You�ve been around Tris too much!� Joey whined.
��
Pegasus stood on the second landing down from the entrance to the castle calmly waiting for his honored guest. Granted, this castle differed in some ways from the one on Duelist Kingdom. It existed only in Max�s mind for one thing and the forest was filled with such exotic flora as Darkworld Thorns and Rainbow Flowers. The castle itself was impressive. A duplicate of the real Castle Pegasus in design this one had risen from its unnatural landscape as smooth as glass and as black as obsidian. Ah, some pleasure palaces had sultry harem girls, his had a pink rabbit.
Shadi glided over the steps with inhuman speed and Pegasus briefly entertained thoughts of his and Christopher�s childhood days playing hide and seek in the castle. He decided that this might be amusing after all.
�Your son and his friends won�t find you in time to prevent events from unfolding as planned.� Shadi addressed him, �Did you really think I was unaware of your true intentions?�
Pegasus just smiled. Funny Bunny popped out from behind him and giggled. On oversized rabbit feet the Toon hopped over to Shadi, planted a buck-toothed kiss on the startled Egyptian�s cheek, and then performed a happy dance while shouting loud enough for all of Toon World to hear, �Our guest has arrived! Our guest has arrived!�
While Funny Bunny distracted Shadi, Pegasus vanished. Joseph and Kaiba needed as much time as he could give them. By using traps and Toons alike he hoped to be able to provide it for them.
��
Yami lost all sense of his existence to the pain of being pried from the Millennium Puzzle. The Puzzle remained intact, but the spirit felt shattered. He no longer had any sense of his light nor did he know who or what his light was, only that his survival depended on it.
The spirit lacked the memory of any of his previous existence, reduced as he was to the awareness of an animal struggling merely to survive. This state of consciousness may have endured for moments or eternity. He had no concept of the passage of time, much as he had not when he had been imprisoned in the Puzzle for five millennia.
��
Shadi retreated from Pegasus� mind in a very controlled and calculated rage. He stared at his prey�s half empty wine goblet imagining what it would be like to drain every drop of blood from the man�s body considering it a far finer wine than any vineyard had ever produced. He withdrew the Millennium Ring from a pocket of his robe. It was useless to him except for one small detail.
There was a spirit attached to this item just as there was to the Millennium Puzzle and if Shadi remembered correctly it was the spirit of one of the more notorious criminals of his day. Without hesitation Shadi entered the soul chamber of the Ring. He would seek out an alliance to trap and kill Pegasus. Reinforcements may not be necessary, but Shadi was too close to completing his work to chance failure.
It had been Bakura who had nearly killed Pegasus a year ago by taking the Millennium Eye. Shadi doubted that Bakura would be adverse to another opportunity to take the life of the man. It was also absolutely essential that Shadi make Pegasus believe in his own death within his mind for the mind would convince the body and the body would fail.
The turbaned Egyptian came upon the tomb robber almost immediately. Grotesque only in that his heart was blackened, Bakura was fair to look upon. His eyes were like mystical chasms and his hair fell like snowfall over his tanned and naked chest. He wore only a pair of flowing white pants and a jeweled sword. His soul chamber was a lair laden with stolen treasure glittering in torchlight.
�You are the thief. It was you who wrongly took the Millennium Eye,� Shadi accused without preamble.
�And you trespass where you are not welcome.� Bakura observed stonily.
�By coveting all of the Millennium items you have cast your lot with criminals of the most heinous variety.� Shadi continued as if there had been no interruption.
Moving fluidly, Bakura�s path traced a circle around Shadi. Like a hawk, his sharp eyes missed nothing. �I assume you include Pegasus on your list of unsavory individuals.�
�Pegasus was a tool,� Shadi turned with the spirit so they were always facing. �Pegasus didn�t desire power, only love. You have no capacity for love and desire only power.�
�And that excuses him, but condemns me?� Anger tinged Bakura�s voice.
�Your soul is not worthy of the lenience of mere imprisonment. It is my charge to punish those who misuse the items. Your soul should be destroyed,� Shadi responded placidly. �However, it is also within my power to grant you freedom from Yami�s spell.�
Bakura stopped moving and his eyes narrowed as he tried to discern Shadi�s intent, �What is your proposition?�
��..
Ryou woke with a sudden premonition of danger, which under the circumstances was not particularly strange, but this was from a source that the others were unaware of. He reached out to touch the Ring, but its familiar weight was gone. Still he felt its presence like an amputee does a limb that is gone.
�What is going on?� He asked aloud in the strange dark room.
�Huh?� Mokuba answered him with groggy suspicion.
�The Ring��
Mokuba moved so he could face Ryou in spite of the dark. His lover held his hands to his chest, shaping the outline of the Millennium Ring. An explicable light glowed outward from Ryou�s chest as if his heart�s pure love was made manifest for all the world to see. He had transformed into an angel of light, his face radiant and his lips curved into a gentle smile of triumph. The Millennium Ring appeared on his breast and drove its spikes into the naked flesh.
Awestruck, Mokuba slid from the bed to the floor without being aware of it. He had fallen in love with a supernatural being who seemed to have made a wrong turn in the cosmos, entering this mundane plane by mistake.
�W-who?�W-what are you?� Mokuba stammered and backed away.
�Kuba?� Ryou peered over the bed with large puzzled eyes, �Are you okay?�
Mokuba blinked, surprised himself. Ryou was once more only Ryou, but the younger boy was beginning to understand his brother�s apprehension about the Ring. �How�how did it come back to you?� He pointed a shaky finger at the Ring.
The albino blond shrugged, �I don�t know, Mokuba. When Cecelia and I were in the Shadow Realm she told me that she thought I could use the Ring�s magic to return to my body. But my body wasn�t an empty vessel waiting for my return. Bakura was in control of it and prevented me from reclaiming it�.� Ryou trailed off as a realization struck him.

�He�s gone. Bakura�s gone�that�s why I was able to summon the Ring.�
��..
Dark Rabbit, Mimicat, Manga Ryu Ran, Bickuribox, Funny Bunny, and assorted other Toons gathered in a preposterous dining room of slanted floors and funhouse mirrors to attend Mad Max�s tea party. The master of ceremonies was once again attired in his frilly red suit serving �tea�. The mismatched china might have been filled with Kool Aid the color of a rich claret, but the liquid most certainly did not appear to have been derived from herbs.
Pegasus raised his tea cup in a toast, �No one makes an assault on Toon Castle Pegasus and gets away with it. Those bold enough to try get what they deserve.�
While the party ensued amid clinking china, chuckles, springs, flapping wings, and a general cacophony of sound, Shadi and Bakura appeared in the castle foyer. With his sword slung low on his hips, Bakura�s gleeful dark eyes met untroubled blue ones. This is going to be more enjoyable than I thought. Victory and freedom are already mine�

��
Over the intercom the pilot announced the beginning of their descent into Cairo. Croquet rose smoothly and joined the pilot once again. He was relieved to have an excuse to escape Cecelia�s reminiscences about Max.
Seto, on the other hand, was not as fortunate. He thought if he heard even one more mention of how perfectly wonderful Pegasus was he would be seriously ill. �I�ll make some arrangements for a taxi for us to pick up Mokuba and Ryou, Jou.� He turned to Cecelia, �I�m certain the jet will need to be refueled before we can go after Yugi and Pegasus anyway.�
Cecelia nodded, her blue were clouded with worry though. �I hope it doesn�t take too long. I�ve spent too much time separated from my husband as it is. Souleater�Shadi has no conscience at all. He�s not human anymore.�
Jou slid closer to her and put his arms around her, �He�ll be fine, Mom.� But his own doubts were revealed when he looked to Seto for reassurance.
Seto cleared his throat before he spoke. He couldn�t hardly say what he thought, that they would be better off if the desert sands swallowed Pegasus alive. �We�ll get them as soon as we can, Cecelia.�
��..
Pegasus stood in the studio of Toon Castle Pegasus and carefully examined the canvas in front of him. He tapped his cheek with the handle of his paintbrush.
Shadi was back and it seemed he�d brought an old friend to the party. Max had come to the conclusion that in spite of his Toon army and various traps that two minds were better than one. It was a harsh lesson he�d learned from Yugi, one he doubted he�d ever forget.
He pursed his lips in concentration. Many of the cards Industrial Illusions produced for the Duel Monsters game were his own original creations. The Millennium Eye allowed him to give them limited Shadow magic. The power he required now was a bit different. This particular creature�s soul was not formed out of the substance of the Shadow Realm nor would it be summoned into another dimension.
This soul would be summoned into his mind. He had briefly contacted Joseph much the same way he intended to do this, but that had been made easier by the link they shared as father and son. Joseph also possessed some degree of Max�s psychic abilities. Conversely, Christopher was about as psychically neutral as it was possible for any human being to be. It made him the perfect shield against the vibrations Pegasus was constantly bombarded by. Max couldn�t be certain that because of the physical and emotional distance their relationship now suffered that Chris would be responsive to his summoning at all.
He set aside his doubts, closed his golden brown eye, and turned his back on the painting of Croquet. He concentrated solely on feeling the comforting presence of the man and focused the Millennium Eye�s magic to bring the painting to life.
��.
Croquet and Cecelia stood on the runway while they waited for Jou and Seto to come back. For Croquet waiting was second nature, a long practiced discipline of the art of stillness. His memories drifted to a time when the small jet was newly purchased and outfitted for the research and inspiration Max required for his game and the power to return the dead from the grave.
He glanced at Cecelia and wondered if he had any right to begrudge her a second chance at her life with her husband. It was what she and Max both wanted. Chris had the man in his life so much longer than the relatively brief time that this woman had. Still, he couldn�t help feeling possessive of his master�s heart. What if Max doesn�t survive this time? What will Cecelia do? What will I do?

�You have a tremendous amount of patience, Croquet,� Cecelia broke in on his thoughts. �Do you come by it naturally or is there a secret technique to it that you could teach me?�
�Just practice,� Croquet answered in a clipped tone that suggested further conversation was unwanted.
�But Max is in danger!� Cecelia snapped, frustrated by her inability to change the fact.
�I know. He often is,� Croquet admitted calmly.
For an instant, Cecelia thought the bodyguard was joking and she was going to reprimand him, but she stopped when she saw the somber expression on his face.
�Maybe having you back in his life will succeed where all my efforts to keep him out of trouble have failed. Maybe he�ll want to be more careful.� Croquet added bitterly.
Cecelia�s eyes widened in surprise, �But Christopher, you haven�t failed. What would he do without you?� Chris winced at her usage of his first name, but with his shades in place she was unaware of it. � I can�t imagine that it�s just a paycheck that keeps you working for him or you probably would have quit long ago.�
�I did quit.� He reminded her.
She nodded, �I�ve never understood why you resigned, though it was always seemed to me that I was the source of conflict between you and Max.�
�Very perceptive, Lady Pegasus.� Croquet wanted nothing more than to have some pressing errand to attend to at that moment.
His words stung and she felt that for a hired gun the man was way out of line. Whatever Croquet�s problem was with her, she was going to get to the bottom of it. She was his boss� wife and it wasn�t necessary that the man like her, but he would treat her properly or find another job. �Would you care to explain to me what the difficulty is? Perhaps a compromise can be reached.�
She spoke gently enough, but she was definitely offering him a challenge and he was momentarily angered by it. She had no concept whatsoever of the snare he was caught in. He remained outwardly calm as he removed his sunglasses and moved into her personal space. �It�s complicated. When I resigned it was because I thought I was in love with you.�
Cecelia shrank away from him as much as possible. Suddenly she had no desire to know any more than what he�d just told her. For every step she relinquished, he advanced another until she felt something metal at her back. She realized that she had found the folding staircase that led into the jet. She had never thought of Croquet as being particularly imposing until that moment and she fought back an instinctive fear.
�And while I do care for you, my feelings are but a shadow of his.� Chris tenderly trailed his fingertips down the side of her face, �A shadow without light or substance.�
�I�I didn�t know, Christopher. I�m sorry�I think I�ll just go lie down now�� Unnerved by his intense gray gaze, she tried to back up the steps without looking, but her shoe caught and she stumbled. Strong arms caught her around the waist and the intimate pose only served to increase her apprehension.
Chris held her there a little too long as a sense of nauseating vertigo swept through him. He wondered if he was overheated although it was still early and not especially hot yet. Finally, he set her back on her feet, aware that he had frightened her. He knew he should leave the issue between husband and wife to work out, but he wasn�t certain that Max would ever tell Cecelia the whole truth. Taciturn most of his life, Chris found that he could no longer remain silent, �There�s much more to the situation than that, Lady Pegasus.�
He clung to the railings on either side of the steps to remain standing. Once again Cecelia started to back up the steps, her eyes never leaving the face of the obviously disturbed bodyguard. He was deathly pale and his eyes were lit with a feverish glow. �Are you ill, Croquet? Do you need a doctor?�
He ignored her questions as he fought to remain conscious, finally aware that it was the irresistible pull of the Millennium Eye that he struggled against. He was being summoned by his master. Please, Max, whatever else may come, don�t deny me this� �He�s ashamed of what we�ve shared. We�ve been lovers for over a decade��
Croquet�s voice trailed off as he surrendered his will to the man he loved. His soulless shell toppled forward. Cecelia staggered and went down under his dead weight. Her shock at his sudden collapse eclipsed any meaning his words might have had.
��.
�Your yami is gone? But doesn�t he need the Ring to survive? I mean, I know he�s not exactly alive, but� You know what I mean.� Mokuba said giving up on his attempts at clarification.
Ryou nodded, �That�s what I�ve always believed.� He was ever bit as bewildered as Mokuba. Had Bakura simply ceased to exist? Somehow he doubted it. �Your brother will be here soon. We need to get cleaned up.�
Moments later a loud insistent knock announced Seto and Joey�s arrival. Ryou opened the door for them and from across the room a blurry figure shot forth. �Big brother! Big brother!�
Mokuba flew into Seto�s arms and the tall brunet staggered backward from the unanticipated impact. If Jou had not been behind him, he surely would have ended up in an undignified sprawl on the filthy floor of the hallway.
Joey handed the duffle bag over to Ryou. �We need to leave as soon as we can. Yugi and Pops are in a lot of trouble.�
�Do we even know how to find them?� Ryou asked, motioning for Joey to follow him to the bedroom while Seto drilled Mokuba on what had happened the night before. He set the bag down on the bed and started looking for clean clothes.
�Yeah, Father sent me a message, Shadow Realm style. I�m surprised they let you keep that,� Jou commented, indicating the Ring.
Ryou sighed, �They didn�t. We have another problem, but I�m not sure what it means. Bakura�s spirit isn�t attached to the Ring anymore. He�s gone��
The Kaiba brothers entered the small bedroom and Ryou gathered up his fresh clothes. �I�ll just be a minute,� He said as he headed for the bathroom.
�Hey, wait. What do you mean he�s gone?� Joey frowned.
�As a condition for letting us go, I had to give up the Ring. This morning�I don�t know�I felt it pulling at me so I summoned it and��
Seto gave him the most icy of glares, �You summoned it? Just like that?� He snapped his fingers for emphasis, but he looked like he could snap Ryou�s neck.
�Yes. That�s my point. Bakura would have resisted if his soul was still housed in the Ring.�
�So now we have a psychotic disembodied spirit on the loose to worry about?!!!� Seto shouted.
Ryou slunk out of the room, ashamed of his lack of control over the ancient spirit. Mokuba met his brother scowl for scowl and Joey attempted to lessen the tension. �Hey, Kuba, look, shoes!�
He pulled them out of the duffle bag as if they were the most amazing items he�d ever laid eyes on. Mokuba had to grin. Joey was just too goofy to resist.
��.
His effort to summon Croquet drained Pegasus� Shadow powers to the point of exhaustion. He had not felt so weak since the day Bakura stole the Millennium Eye. It was quite unnerving to know that Bakura was now roaming his soul room.
�Master Pegasus?�
Max turned to look into mystified gray eyes and smiled. Beyond Croquet the canvas was as blank as an unused soul card. �Christopher, welcome to Toon Castle Pegasus. I�ve never had the opportunity to invite you into my soul room before.�
Mimicat slithered into the room with the speed only a cartoon cat was capable of and wrapped its long sinuous body around Pegasus before reporting to him in a conspiratorial fashion.
�Of course. See to it.� Pegasus agreed and the Toon was gone as quickly as it had appeared.
�You what?! I�m where?!� Croquet sputtered in disbelief. �Sir, while I�m pleased to see that you are unharmed, what in Hades am I doing here?!� He felt physically ill, though in truth his body was still in Cairo. The technicolor brightness of the room made his head spin. He was in Pegasus� crazy mayhem of a mind.
�Why protecting me of course. You are my bodyguard, Christopher.� Max chuckled.
�Exactly. Your bodyguard. Your body is not here. I will be glad to guard your body while you do whatever it is you�re doing here.� Croquet stated firmly.
Pegasus took the older man by his broad shoulders and kissed him full on the mouth. Chris jerked out of his grasp, shock turning to anger in a split instant. �Your wife is worried sick about you. All she can think about is not being separated from you ever again. What do you think you�re doing? You brought me here so we could have a little tryst?�
�But, Christopher, I didn�t really kiss you because you aren�t really here��
Croquet groaned. The man was impossible. Why me? �I told Cecelia. I told her about us. Keeping the truth a secret isn�t fair to anyone, least of all me.�
Pegasus scowled, �Isn�t it bit late to be so selfish? You always knew I wanted her back! Damn you, Croquet! This isn�t the time to deal with our personal problems! Shadi and Bakura are here, in Toon World, trying to kill me because I�m the only thing standing between them and the destruction of the world as we know it!�
�You are a pompous arrogant fool! Maybe the world as we know it should be destroyed! What makes you think you�re the only person capable of saving it? There are others with Millennium items who are aware of the situation. You are not fighting this battle alone. And no, I don�t think it�s too late to be selfish. Actually, I think it�s time I started to be selfish.� Croquet said emphatically.
Pegasus calmly waited until he was sure that his guardian had finished with his tirade before speaking again. �Christopher, I have no intention of fighting this battle alone. I brought you here, remember?�
Chris swore under his breath and then asked, �What are your orders, sir?�

��
Cecelia sat on the steps leading up to the jet with Croquet laying prone at her feet. She managed to get out from under him and pulled him off of the stairs. She�d checked him over to the best of her ability and decided that since he had a pulse and was breathing he was in no immediate danger. Then she gave herself over to tears of frustration and anger.
She could easily relate to Ryou�s feelings of helplessness, but as she sat there trying to decide what she should do next Croquet�s last words to her finally sank in. Her composure slipped and she wanted to beat on the unconscious man with a tempest�s fury.

She could have lived the rest of her life in peaceful oblivion without knowing the truth. She would have rather embraced her soul�s destruction at Souleater�s hands than return to this.

She tried to be reasonable. Max told her the truth�or at least part of it. There was no other woman. No, her beautiful Maximillion had a male lover instead. Cecelia gagged and flew up the stairs to prevent herself from emptying the contents of her stomach on said lover.
By the time she entered the jet she was giggling manically to herself and wishing she had done just that. The man deserved far worse than to be puked upon and it certainly would have made quite a point about what she thought of the whole affair.
She took a deep breath in the attempt to calm herself and smoothed her rumbled dress. As she did she felt something in her pocket and pulled out the Dark Magician Girl or rather the playing card version of her. A sob caught in Cecelia�s throat. �Oh, Gina, I wish you were really here. I�ve never felt so alone.�
The card fluttered out of her fingers as if it had a will of its own. As it made its descent to the carpeted jet floor it changed into a prismatic display of pink and blue lights which in turn reformed into the petite pixie pictured on the card.
�Gina?� Cecelia felt her knees go weak. She�d been through so much in the last day or so that she was both mentally and emotionally exhausted and unable to accept what her eyes told her.
�Lady Pegasus? What�s wrong?� Gina caught her and gently lowered her to the floor.
Cecelia embraced her desperately, �Gina, there�s so much happening, so much that has happened�� She wiped the tears off her face and started to tell her friend everything up to the point where Max had told her about Joseph and Seto Kaiba and then she faltered. �My son�s gay,� she whispered to Gina, �but that isn�t the worst of it. It�s Max, he�s been�he�s been involved with�with another man for years�� She started to sob uncontrollably and Gina rubbed her back until she calmed down somewhat.
�I�m so sorry, Lady Pegasus. I wish I could wave my staff and make everything as perfect in your life as you deserve it to be. Unfortunately, magic isn�t a cure-all,� the Dark Magician Girl looked unusually solemn. �It is obvious from all that you have told me that your husband is still very devoted to you. All is not lost, my Lady.�
��
By the time the four teens had returned to the jet, Gina had teleported Croquet to Pegasus� private cabin. Cecelia had searched for evidence to support the bodyguard�s claim and finding nothing to suggest that the jet had served as a mobile love nest, she started to question the man�s integrity. Yet she could fathom no reason for him say what he had if it were not true. Gina had returned to the Shadow Realm only moments before and Cecelia was grateful that she hadn�t been left alone with her thoughts for too long.
Joey and Ryou entered the jet while Seto and Mokuba went to get the pilot. They were both immediately aware that something was wrong. Cecelia�s face was pale and drawn as if she had not slept in much too long.
Ryou hugged her affectionately, �Are you all right, Cecelia?�
�Where�s Croquet?� Joey asked at the same time, pinpointing the cause of his unease.
�He collapsed. He�s in Max�s quarters. We�I think his soul was taken.� She explained wearily.
�We?� Ryou prompted softly.
But Jou�s voice drowned his out, �What do you mean his soul was taken?!�
�Who�s soul was taken?� Seto asked brusquely from the doorway, his shadow overlying his brother�s making poignant comment about both his domineering and protective tendencies.

No matter what, if something happened to Mokuba there is nothing on this planet that would heal him, Jou thought pensively, not even me. �Croquet�s.�
�Oh. Pegasus is up to his old tricks again.� Seto replied with a complete lack of sensitivity. �Who else would summon the old man? The pilot is ready. Let�s go get Yugi and your father, Pup.�
No one could argue with that and so they settled in for the flight into the middle of nowhere or at least as close to it as they could get with an available runway.
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