Title: Canvas

Summary: If your painting is a complete failure, just get a fresh canvas so you can start over. Pegasus might have failed to bring Cecelia back the first time, but this time, if he enlists in the help of someone completely unexpected, how can he fail? Unusual pairing requested.

Warnings: None yet.

Chapter 1: Paint

'Thoughts'

'I wonder how Kaiba-kun does it. No matter where he is, he can get helicopters to fly to his exact location. And how does he find people with such ease, I wonder…'

The thought had come out of absolutely nowhere, right in the process of painting. Of course, Pegasus didn't dare call it painting anymore. Cecelia never materialized on his canvas the way she used to; in place of her beautiful, golden hair were daffodils and butterflies and that weird yellow tape they use to keep people out of construction areas, behind all of which lay miles and miles of nearly uninterrupted sky, testimony of when Pegasus had found and gone crazy with that blue that so resembled Cecelia's stunning eyes.

But Cecelia was never there.

He would start to paint the curve of Cecelia's hair or perhaps her slender fingers, visualizing her in his mind, but his hand would tremble so violently the paint would fly everywhere. More often than not, his 'painting' sessions would end up with his taking a shower, the walls and himself more painted than the canvas. And when he returned, just the sight of that one brush stroke that was to be the start of Cecelia's portrait, and something would squeeze at his heart until he collapsed, the hollow of his left eye burning in agony. It shamed him to be so weak, but he tried again and again, telling himself that this time, it would be different, that this time, he would succeed.

Usually, these endeavors ended with Pegasus backing up to the canvas, eyes squeezed shut, until he could grasp it and tear it off its easel and shred it to little tiny bits so that he would never have to look at it again.

Sometimes he tried painting other things. What had he painted before Cecelia? He spotted a mangy old cat outside the castle, and, after studying it for a few moments, made a quick sketch. Nothing squeezed his heart, but his heart didn't respond either. It just sat there in his chest like a pillow, taking up space. Occasionally, in the sporadic crazy fits that he was prone to now that the Eye was gone, he wondered if he shouldn't just cut it out. After all, the Eye was gone now, and with it any hope of resurrecting Cecelia, leaving no trace, no memory.

But sometimes, he thought he could remember a great battle, unimaginable strength, and dangerous eyes framed by light hair. Bleached or white, he couldn't remember. Perhaps it was even gray. Either way, it was something to go by, and what if he could find his Eye again… oh, but what if!

Before he had lost the Eye, he thought that he had had nothing to lose. If he succeeded, he'd have Cecelia back. If not, he would have… nothing. But now that someone had stolen his Eye, he realized that even having that little object embedded in his skull would be some comfort. The Eye gave him dreams of Cecelia, did it not? At least he when he had the Eye, he was able to paint her beauty without having a heart attack. Now, he had to resort to painting travesties of her beauty: flowers that would pale in comparison to her golds, skies that grayed in comparison to her blues. Now… now he really had nothing, didn't he?

Nothing. At least there was plenty of nothing to go around. Even now, in the middle of painting a dog with a beach ball and entertaining a thought, like many other whimsical thoughts that flitted through his mind, about Kaiba-kun and his helicopters, Pegasus couldn't help but chuckle. Plenty of nothing to go around, ha. It was true, though, no matter how ridiculous it sounded.

'My nothing can be shared, and I would still have nothing. Really, I have nothing to lose. Not like before. This time, I know that if I don't do something soon, I'll die.'

It was true, of course. How could he live knowing he'd failed his sweet Cecelia? How could he survive knowing that he'd never see Cecelia again, never feel her in his arms, never taste her lips…?

'So I'll do something!'

The solution was so simple, so brilliant, that he chuckled again. Of course! If he could not survive like this, he would have to change the conditions. He could try again. If he managed to get his Eye back, just seeing Cecelia would give him strength. And then… he would continue. It wasn't impossible, and he just knew that every Item he got would make Cecelia more real, more solid…

Kaiba-kun.

The thought struck him with such intensity that he thought his hand was trying to draw Cecelia again by accident. Indeed, his heart was thudding so hard he nearly did faint. Kaiba-kun was the answer to all his problems. Kaiba-kun had technology, while Pegasus only had artistry. If he went to Kaiba-kun, if Kaiba-kun consented to help, how could they fail?

He would get the Eye back, he knew it. He knew it. As long as the other consented.

"Cecelia, darling, hope is not lost. I will give whatever it takes to find the Eye again, and then we'll be together, love!"

Already, his brilliant mind was working overtime, clicking and whirring with thoughts of how to persuade the CEO of KaibaCorp to aid him in his venture. Barring the fact that Kaiba-kun hated his guts, this should be easy, for what wouldn't he give? Even his entire company—

Wait.

Kaiba-kun had always wanted power, had he not? And if he had control of Industrial Illusions, he would have more power, would he not? And since all the power on Earth, besides that which might bring Cecelia back, was worthless to Pegasus, if he could trade this company for his Eye…

One man's trash is another man's treasure.

It would work. It had to. Giddily, Pegasus ripped the dog painting from the easel, and grabbed a new canvas. With a few light strokes, Pegasus easily drew the image from one of his favorite cards. "Shishasousei," he whispered to his wife. "Monster Reborn."

To Be Continued…