Yu-Gi-Oh! Fan Fiction ❯ The Young God ❯ Chapter 5b ( Chapter 10 )

Chapter 5b

Pegasus held his head in his hands as he sat on his bench outside the castle. Usually at night he went there, just to be there. He doesn't do anything. Moonlight was not light enough for reading and there is not enough room for anything else. Most would think he was there to think but he wasn't.

In fact, when he was there, Pegasus was no longer Pegasus. He was an empty shell.

It was snowing.

True, summer just passed a week ago, but it was snowing the entire day and was still snowing that night. Pegasus did not heed to the snow. He did not look at the snowflakes that fluttered in the air, nor did he smell the freshness of the air.

" Splendid night, is it not?"

Pegasus woke to the sound of the voice and wondered who it belonged to. The voice had a familiar tone but a very musical sound.

Raising his head, Pegasus held back a gasp.

Seto was as white as the new fallen snow and his eyes were just as blue as the snow is white. His skin had a glowing quality that made him seem mystical and mysterious. There was a golden circlet with a sapphire around his forehead. His hair had grown longer at the top, giving him a graceful look. He wore light clothes-all of which were pale blue gray. He did not have the sneer he use to have. Instead he looked as if he were at perfect peace, if not a little sad.

" What are you doing here." Pegasus sneered. " Are you not afraid I'll force you into the Shadow Realm?"
" You won't." Was the answer. And to his surprise, Pegasus realized Seto was right. Even with his powerful Millenium Eye still at hand, Pegasus could not bring himself to draw Seto's soul out of his body again.
" What are you here for?" Pegasus suddenly felt tired. " How did you get here without me knowing?"
" I come and go as I please." The figure answered. " And I wish to be here."

There was a moment of uncomfortable silence. Pegasus sighed and put his head in his hands again. He was tired.

He heard snow crunching softly and noticed that Seto had approached the bench. The boy slowly sat down next to him. Pegasus tensed. Why was he feeling so uncomfortable?
" Look at the sky." Seto said softly, but Pegasus could hear him extremely clearly. " Is it not beautiful?"

Pegasus could only look up himself and see.
" Thousands of tiny stars." Seto continued. " Every one of them shining. Offering little samples of light."
" Quit it with that nonsense." Pegasus growled. He was in no mood for this.
" What do you see when you look up in the sky?" Seto asked.

Pegasus looked up. In the back of his mind he realized Seto had changed. He became more...grand.

" Do you see your family?" Seto asked. " Your loved ones?" Pegasus thought of Cecilia. " Your hopes and dreams?"
" Why are you asking me this?" Pegasus was suddenly quiet.
" You are uneasy." Was Seto's queer reply. " This world is filled with such unease."

The two of them made eye contact. Seto's pure blue with Pegasus' brown. Seto was the first to turn away.
" Thinking about your love?"
" I always have."
" Why do you pursue the past?"
" Don't you?"
" I use to think the past was my future."
" Well, I do too, then."
" Perhaps. How much do you love her?"

Pegasus looked at Seto in surprise. " What do you mean? What kind of question is that?"
" The question is as asked." Seto answered. " How much do you love her?"

Pegasus was silent for a moment. " I would give my soul for her." He whispered. " I would give up all my dreams, all my hopes, my future and my name, just to be with her."
" You are a foolish man." Seto answered quietly. " One in love, but foolish. However I shall not judge you now." He stood up.
" Being with your love will not be hard." Seto said to Pegasus. " I do not exact payment. You cannot pay me with anything nor do I wish you to." He advanced on Pegasus, who cowered suddenly, afraid of what may happen.

Seto laid his hand on Pegasus' forehead and watched as the man's eyes flutter to a close.
" Sleep." He commanded quietly. " Sleep the eternal restful sleep within one night. In the morning, be reborn, and start over. Mayhap your future will be more confident."

Pegasus woke up to the bright sun on his bed at the castle.
" Oh. It's just a dream." He muttered.
" It took you long enough to wake."

Pegasus froze. That voice. He'll know it anywhere.

" Cecilia?"

" Snow in September!"
" That is quite absurd." Seto looked at the sky.
" Are you sure you're not the one who made it, Seto?" Yugi asked.
" I'm quite sure." Seto answered dryly. " In fact, I'm absolutely sure."
" I hope it's not like that snow that you made back then." Yami said dully. Seto looked back at him with a dull look.
" This is cool." Jou nodded. " Yeah! I like it!"

Anzu giggled. " I think this is fun too." She agreed.

" Seto, you seem rather quiet today." Bakura looked at Seto. " You're not nervous about the competition, are you?"
" The competition?" Seto blinked. " Iie, I wasn't thinking about the competition at all."
" What's wrong then?"

Seto was silent. Yami knew the answer.
" What did you do this time Seto?" Yami asked. " What's going on? I thought it was strange you're not hiding your circlet. It's like the other time in front of Anksuna."
" Anksuna?" Jou blinked.
" She's...someone from the past." Bakura quickly said.
" I hope you're doing this on purpose," Yami began slowly. Seto was silent.

Yami groaned.
" Seto, why didn't you tell us earlier?"
" What are you going to do about it?" Seto asked.
" There's a thing called makeup these days."

Seto paused. " It wouldn't work. My skin glows. Recently it has been glowing more brightly."

Yami sighed.

" Ah..." Jou began, " Anyone mind tellin me what's goin on here?"

Of course, they all ignored him.

The arena was noisy. Seto felt his blood pounding in his ears but he remained silent and calm. He was dressed the same way he normally did when he was acting as a mortal. Today, he knew it would be interesting. First of all, the duelists will see his circlet. Second, he'll be as pale as a ghost. He knew he'll receive some questions. For now, he'll enjoy the ' peace' he's having all alone there, with no one daring to speak with him.

Pegasus is at the other end with Cecilia. Lord knows what that guy made up to explain Cecilia's sudden appearance, but Seto didn't bother finding out. He was quite tired and weary. He wouldn't have come to this tournament if it hadn't been for Yami. Yugi, who wanted to participate in this competition.

Personally he still thought Duel Monsters was retarded.

Then he thought about the Blue Eyes White Dragon. Well, it certainly wasn't retarded. But it was a card, anyhow.

Seto decided to take it back.

The show has begun. Seto listened to the announcements before the manager approached him.

" Good luck." He said.

Seto liked the man. No matter what happened, he always said that to every duelist and never forgot any of them. It was very reassuring. Although Seto had tried his best to act as hostile as possible, he still appreciated it. Today, he no longer had to act. So he did what he never did before.

He smiled at the manager.

Surprised, the manager only managed to smile back, puzzled at his circlet and his sudden change of behavior. Seto walked into the arena.

He gazed at the audience. They didn't really cheer solely for him anymore, ever since his loss to Yami. He didn't care. Far ahead he saw Pegasus stir slightly and Cecilia whisper something. He turned back to his opponent.

Seto noticed that the boy was rather young. About eleven years of age. The child was nervous and badly frightened, but Seto could tell that the boy was an experienced duelist for his age. He mentally rolled his eyes at the thought.

Since when did I become serious about this? He thought. Actually, I never was. I just acted that way.

He was certain Pegasus heard that. The bastard is looking into his thoughts now, perfectly perplexed as to how he brought his beloved back. Seto shut his mind off, feeling Pegasus gasp. Now is not the time.

He laid down his cards and waited patiently for the boy to make the first move. The child did.

" I lay down the Celtic Guardian in attack mode!"

Yami swallowed over and over again. He could hear the other duelists talking. Seto Kaiba had changed from a sneering jerk into some kind of quiet god. He swallowed again as the girl commented that Kaiba looked even more scary as a quiet, patient man. Boy, Yami reminded himself. Seto is a boy. He couldn't be more than thirteen in immortal standards. He has the emotions of a child.

How did he get so tall?

Thirteen or sixteen? He wasn't sure. Seto Kaiba was a young immortal.

Yami was mostly worried about Seto's behavior. There was a time when he was happy, and open...but now he seemed to close off and resign.

Resign. Yami felt a lump in his throat, even as he was sitting in his soul room and Yugi was listening for him. Did Seto really give up?

" And the match goes to Seto Kaiba!"

He expected no less. Seto had always been a good duelist.

/ Yami?/
// Hai, Yugi?//
/ I think Seto is really losing it. He's visibly freaking everyone out./
// I heard.//
/ His skin and circlet aren't helping much either./

Yami was silent. It was Yugi's turn to duel.

Pegasus wasn't too worried over what Kaiba was. It was obvious. He was mostly concerned over why Kaiba was here.

Cecilia remained quiet when it came to Kaiba's issues. She told him that he wouldn't understand. Of course Pegasus didn't understand. He thought Kaiba hated him. Why did he help him? If Kaiba was a god, why was he affected by his Millenium Eye? Why is Kaiba once so sneering and all of the sudden so fragile and quiet?

So many questions. When Pegasus had tried to find out what was going on, Kaiba immediately shut off his mind to him.

No one had ever been able to do that.

What puzzled Pegasus also was how Kaiba reacted to his victory. Instead of looking impassive as he had always done, or perhaps proud, he looked almost sad and weary. He stared at the other boy for a long time and smiled at him, said something to him that Pegasus couldn't hear and patted his hand, making the child smile finally.

Oh, this is definetely not the Kaiba he knew.

Pegasus rubbed his temples. This is getting too much.

He was certain Kaiba was up to something, knowing him as he was, but suddenly Pegasus wasn't so sure anymore.

I do not exact payment.

Yeah, right. As if any would not exact payment. But Kaiba was acting weird lately.

Oh curse it.