Her fingers trailed delicately along the leather binding of the olive green book. An overbearing smell of decay and grass emanated from it, while feeling old, powerful, and daunting. In her hands she held the solution to everything that had gone wrong from the moment she was drawn to the lake, and brought into the realm of the vampires. Vampires. A word that had previously represented some Hollywood fable, or something of books. Now she was living in a castle filled with them, living in a world controlled by the creatures...no not creatures...people. They were people like her, capable of feeling pain, love, and all the emotion in between. She wasn't like them, and it was not her world to reside in. Tea was tired of it all. What was keeping her in this world?
Seto Kaiba?
She pulled her legs up, wrapping her arms around them, and placed her head on her knees. The guest room in the castle was dark, the bed comfortable with emerald velvet sheets, with a gold trim. Fit for royalty. Enough time had been wasted living with the vampires. The attachment she had for them would only make it harder to leave. The attachement would progressively grow the longer she stayed, and it was hard enough. Her heart ached for home, but her heart ached for him more. Promises had been made, but things had changed and now she had the book.
Slowly she sat up, while opening the book. As Joseph had informed her previously, the pages were blank. She placed her hand on a random page and frowned. Nothing. Quickly, she went to shut it, but noticed a small black speck, one she had not seen before. She stared at the page further, watching more black specks appear, she gasped when she realized they were formulating letters, the letters were creating words: the words necessary for her to discover how she was going to leave.
"The Ancients weave fables of a woman with the power to alter time and space. With her eyes of blue sky, energy of the radiant sun, and power of endless possibility, she will bring about the destruction of the world as it is. Her strength allowing her to travel to a realm not her own, to become one with her linked dobbleganger. To hold her is to hold the sun, the sky, the universe. She is the Lady of Dawn, with the power to heal and destroy."
"Linked dobbleganger? Is that me? Am i tied to her, just waiting to become part of her?" Tea whispered. These words were not enough. For hours she lay reading the book in hopes of a clue to help her, and it came in the form of a passage. To travel between the realms...the willingness to go, and the need to be, must be met. Two sides of the coin must be linked. "So I need something to link me to my realm? I have that, all my memories should be enough, as well as the friends and family that I have left behind."
A knock on the door startled her. "Come in."
Kaiba entered slowly dressed in black slacks, and shirtless. He did not sweat, but she guessed he had been working out. His hair was a mess in every direction, and his eyes were alert.
"You didn't have to leave my room, I would have let you have it."
She shook her head. "No, it is your room. It would be wrong of me to remove you from your own place."
"I am sorry about everything."
"Please stop. Whatever happened is over," she began, "we now have the book, and I can finally go home."
"Do you know how?"
"I believe so."
"I see."
She tried not to meet his ice blue eyes. Although it was as if he was begging her to do so, she also tried not to focus on his sculpted abs, that might proove even more dangerous than his eyes.
"Kaiba, listen to me, I need to go back so Lady can just forget about me, and her grand scheme. There's no reason for me to be here. People are going to die because of me, and I do not want that. Do you understand? Please say you understand why I have to do this."
"I am not sure I could bare seeing you go. I do not care how selfish it sounds. Tea, right now the things I that I want to do you...makes seeing you sitting there, gorgeous, unbearable."
Tea tried to hide her blush, because she wanted him to do whatever he wanted to her as often as he wanted. "Please stop, you are making it so hard for me."
"As you are for me."
"Let me go."
"You are asking me as if I have a choice, you already made up your mind."
She nodded. Her eyes met his and she knew he had won at least for this night. "Seto..I want you."
In a second he was on her, and in her. His hands running along every inch of her, while she latched on for dear life. She could barely catch her breath before his tongue met hers, and then the next second it was gone, running along different parts of her body.
Her feet pattered gently on the stone floor, she was clothed in a simple black shirt, and black pants, shoes, and a heavy jacket. It was a lot cooler at night. Kaiba was still in the guest room, waiting for her to return from the kitchen with food since she had claimed she was hungry. She still felt remnants of him on her. Just the thought sent a pleasant, yet unwelcome chill up her spine. She wondered how long it would take for him to realize she was gone. How much time did she have before he came after her.
She left the castle as quietly as possible through the back door into the garden. All she needed was space to concentrate, and she knew she would be fine. It would all be okay.
She thought of exactly where she wanted to be: home in her yellow studio apartment, laying on her white satin bed sheet in her queen size bed. That is where she wante to be. She imagined her friends waiting for her in her own realm. It all seemed perfect. She held Lady' book against her tightly, and wished to be back her own realm.
When she opened her eyes they were staring at a yellow wall, beneath her was the feeling of satin sheets. The familiar aroma of her perfume wafted up her nose. She was home. In her arms she still clutched Lady's book. She could not believe her eyes she was home. She checked her clock, and calendar. She gasped. She had only been gone three days. Not even enough time for anyone to truly take notice.
Finally, she was a home, yet the feeling inside her left her cold.
Like the worst was yet to come.