Disclaimer: I do not own YuGiOh.
Rated M for language and mature content
Summary: When Marik begins stalking Téa and ruining her life, Ryou Bakura offers up his home. He wants her safe at any cost, but Ryou is continuously plagued with illnesses. Téa finds herself left with only Yami Bakura for protection, but the tomb robber is far from anyone's savior. As Marik's attacks grow worse, Téa finds that not everything is as it seems...
Blood on the Moon
By: Chi Yagami
Téa had thought that would be the end of her misery for the evening. But it wasn't. The entire ride home, Bakura berated her for thinking he was being nice, something she had accidentally let slip. As they threw insults back and forth, Téa had dared to tease that Bakura might even be starting to enjoy having her around. "What is there to like?" he kept mocking.
She had given up and rolled her eyes. She didn't understand him; Bakura wasn't even nice to Ryou, who had to share his body with the spirit for years. It would have made sense that he might decide to show some compassion to the boy who had housed his evil soul before helping out "that damn woman." So Téa couldn't help it that she had drawn such a crazy conclusion from such crazy circumstances. Still, they had argued all night about it.
But today was a new day. She would just steer clear of Bakura and help Ryou study for his make-up test. He had to take it this Wednesday, when all of the seniors were supposed to stay off campus. The school enforced such rule so that all of the hung over seniors stayed far away from the sober and studious freshman. Basically, it was an excuse for the teachers to get rid of the graduating class faster. The graduation ceremony was Friday evening, and the caps and gowns were supposed to arrive by mail before then. Ryou had received his last week, but Téa supposed it must be taking them a while to remember that she had filed an address change… If she didn't have it by Wednesday, she'd have to storm into the school and demand replacements.
Téa supposed her night with Bakura had been good for something though: she had promised to herself that she would start eating regularly and healthy. She hadn't realized how all of the stress from Marik and school and everything had been affecting her until Bakura had literally forced the food into her mouth last night. She hadn't paid much attention to her weight lately, but after the tomb robber's comments, Téa noticed she did look thinner. She had a dance review coming up, not to mention her academy audition, and she really shouldn't have skimped on her meals. So it was time to consciously fix that, and she started with a full, traditional (in both a Japanese and a Western sense) breakfast.
After she finished eating, Téa joined Ryou in the living room to get started on a math review. "What did you do last night?" she asked Ryou as he dug through his backpack for paper and a pencil. "When we got home, you were already asleep."
"Eh my evening was boring. I ended up watching Titanic and playing Duel Monsters against myself."
"You borrowed Bakura's deck?" And lived to tell the tale?
"No, haha, Bakura would kill me if I touch his cards. I just used my spare deck; it is made up of all the extra cards I have. Not very fun playing against yourself, especially when you already know which deck is guaranteed to win."
"We can play together again," she suggested. "The game is fun when no one is threatening to seal your soul away."
Ryou smiled gratefully. "So how was the dance? Was Bakura a gentleman, or did he and Yami argue from beginning to end?"
"Actually... we decided it was best to just have Bakura act as you," Téa explained slowly, watching for his reaction. Ryou stopped groping around in his bag and stared at her for further details. She couldn't read his face for once, and she was hesitant to continue. "Well," she said tentatively, "I figured it was best; I didn't want everyone else throwing speeches about how evil Bakura is. I already know that! And, well, I had already told both Yami and Tristan that we were going together… so, yeah… I hope you're not mad…"
His blank face immediately broke into a smile. "Mad? Of course not! I'm surprised Bakura was willing to behave, and even more surprised he behaved so well that no one discovered it was him."
"Yup he stayed under the radar… unlike me," she mumbled.
"You didn't 'stay under the radar?'" Ryou inquired curiously, opening his math book to the appropriate page.
Damn, she was hoping he hadn't heard that. "Umm, well… Basically Kaiba lectured to me that he is in love with Serenity and has no interest in me, and that I need to get over him and stop sulking. So we argued a lot and I told him to sod off and I ran from the room…"
"Kaiba thinks you like him? Where'd he get that idea?" he asked, scratching his head thoughtfully. "Do you like him?"
She blushed. "Err well I suppose I did… I mean, just his looks! But now he's with Serenity and it's probably for the better anyway; our personalities don't fit together."
"Aww, Téa, I'm so sorry!" Ryou comforted, patting her on the back. "Kaiba is just a jerk! You deserve better!"
"Thanks. Oh, and Yami apologized for stalking me. It seems he just wanted to be friends all along but didn't know how he was supposed to communicate that."
"Yay! One stalker down," he cheered. Then his expression grew serious. "Was Marik there?"
She hadn't seen him, but... Téa had been so distracted with Kaiba and other stuff that she had forgotten to worry about him. She should probably have been on the lookout, but there had just been so much going on... Thank god he wasn't there though. Perhaps Ishizu finally caught him, or possibly Marik had avoided it because there would be too many people around. "No, I didn't see him at all."
"Wow! What great news! Hopefully this means Shadi and Ishizu are getting down to business."
She hoped so, too. Unfortunately, Téa had a bad feeling in her stomach… like something was going to go wrong. But she had been getting that feeling a lot lately, as pretty much everything had been going wrong. Hopefully this was nothing new…
As Ryou started on his review problems, she went out to check the mail. That graduation stuff better be here today, she thought angrily. The ceremony was only… four days away! She needed to make the gown fit and that it didn't clash horribly with her outfit.
Praise Ra! The dumb things had arrived, finally! It looked as though the post office had experienced some difficulty; there were about six 'Forwarded Address' stamps on the package. Curiously, she had also received a letter with no return address... could it be from her parents? No, they were overseas, surely it would have some sort of international label. Strangely, Ryou had also been sent a similar letter… and even one addressed to Bakura!?
"Hey, Ryou," she called, going back inside, "Bakura, you, and I all got the same letter…"
She return to the living room and handed him the majority of the mail. Setting the graduation package aside, Téa anxiously opened her envelope, Ryou following suit. Who would send the same letter to her and the boys? Scratch that— Who would send a letter to Bakura period?
Dear Domino High Senior Student,
Friday May 27th at 5:00pm is the official graduation ceremony for the 2005 senior class. The ceremony will end around 7:00pm, give or take some, after which you are all invited to the Post Graduation Party at Seto Kaiba's residence. The driveway is at the end of the road; bring this invitation and a guard will let you on to the property. You may park your cars in the vacant lot across the street. The party begins at 9:00pm, and will end at 8:00am, unless you wish to leave early. For those staying, there will be room accommodations in the Kaiba Pool House.
You are not allowed to step foot inside the Kaiba Mansion, security will be watching around the clock.
No RSVP needed. Dress appropriately.
—S. Kaiba
She stared at the paper for a long while. A party. Seto Kaiba's party. SETO KAIBA'S party… SETO KAIBA'S PARTY! Since when did Kaiba throw parties? Téa tried to wrap her head around that. Seto Kaiba was going to allow four hundred miscreants into his pool house? Must be one big pool house to room four hundred people… And he would WILLINGLY allow them onto the property? Okay, so it did state that no one could go inside the mansion… but still! Allowing commoners like Joey to get into his pool? Unheard of!
"Is this a prank?" Ryou wondered, concerned. "I didn't think Kaiba was the type to throw parties."
He wasn't. However, he wasn't the type to date Serenity either. She guessed she shouldn't be so surprised. Serenity was so sweet and caring; she probably melted Kaiba's heart and asked him to throw a pool party… Yeah, unbelievable.
"But why was Bakura invited?" Téa pressed, staring at the unopened envelope.
"Kaiba probably just sent one to every senior in the school's database," Ryou reasoned. "Although he has never really attended class, Bakura is technically still a student."
"Does he have enough credits for a diploma?" The idea of Bakura standing on stage with a cap and gown, receiving an award, was laughable.
"Of course not. And he doesn't care; when the school called to say that he failed his classes, he said they could 'shove those F's up their…', well, you know…"
Téa snorted. Ryou put the mail aside for the time being, returning to his math. Téa sat on the couch and helped him, though she was only partially paying attention.
Should she go to Kaiba's party? He would probably look all hot and… wet in his swim trunks. Oh the images…! Her face flamed; there was no way she could go! Not when her hormones seemed to be out of control. Anyway, surely he would be there with Serenity, playing in the pool or something. Serenity would have a tiny, cute swimsuit. She wasn't ready to face either of them.
What was she going to do?
. . .
Why had she let Bakura talk her into this? Téa couldn't believe she was here at Kaiba's pool house. Not in the pool, of course, just in one of the guest rooms. The house was HUGE! Over a hundred rooms! The mansion looked even bigger; there were probably a thousand rooms in there! Anyway, Bakura had managed to talk her into coming, and now she was going to kill him for it! Because, instead of enjoying herself and facing Kaiba with dignity (like he said she should), Téa was hiding out in this room.
If Bakura had been surprised at his invitation, he didn't show it. When Ryou had shown him the letter, the tomb robber had merely grunted about not having any swimming trunks. Later, Bakura had advised her to go to the party with him and Ryou. He'd said Téa should face Kaiba, show that she had moved on, etc. Strangely wise advice, coming from him. But it was useless. Kaiba was looking pretty good right now, water dripping from his hair, running down his chest… Serenity hanging onto his right arm.
So Friday had arrived, and Téa had still been on the fence about the party. Ryou said that he was going, but that if she wanted him to stay home too, he would. How sweet! But Bakura had shut them both up, ordering that they take him to the party, because he wanted to "throw that damn pharaoh in the pool." Right after the graduation ceremony ended (at which Valedictorian Kaiba gave an incredibly boring speech), Bakura had marched them straight home and forced them to change for the party. Tch, Bakura could have just come by himself! But nooo, he had to insist that they accompany him. Téa figured he was just scared to show up alone; Bakura didn't want Yami and the others to see him attend a party of his own free will. Which was why he had explained to everyone that Ryou dragged him here. Liar.
Currently, Bakura was arguing with Yami by the buffet table. Téa could see them from the window, which looked out over the pool area. Unlike at the dance, here, everyone knew Bakura was Bakura, and Yami didn't seem to accept the tomb robber's presence. Oh! Bakura pushed Yami into the pool, right on top of Mai. Now she was yelling at Bakura.
Ryou was playing a game of volleyball with Yugi, Tristan, Miho, Duke, Joey, and some other seniors. Joey's team was losing; he did not look happy at all. Miho, on the other hand, was positively radiant in her yellow polka dot bikini. And Téa could see why: Duke could not take his eyes off of her. He had been following the lavender-haired girl around ever since the prom, when he'd found out Serenity was dating Kaiba. Also, Miho had mentioned that Duke loved Chinese food, a cuisine that Serenity disliked. Téa was sure Miho wouldn't mind eating some Kung Pao Chicken if it meant a date with Duke Devlin. She hoped they were happy together, really.
She just wished she had the same happiness with someone. She couldn't help glancing over to where Kaiba stood with his girlfriend. He was running his fingers through her hair. She shouldn't be spying on them. It was depressing.
She flopped onto the bed and kicked off her shoes. She hadn't brought a swimsuit, much to Yami, Joey, and Tristan's collective disappointment (bunch of perverts, she thought). Almost as soon as they'd arrived, Téa had told her friends that she needed to use the bathroom, and she had hid up here before Kaiba or Serenity could so much as say hello. Bakura probably thought she was a big baby for running, but she really didn't want to talk with either of those two. She might make one of them cry and the other one… well she might do something stupid again if she talked to him.
"Hiding again, are you?"
EEP! Téa yelped and fell off the bed as Bakura entered the room. She peered up from the ground to see him standing in the doorway, an amused smirk on his lips. He was drenched.
"Don't do that! Don't pop out of nowhere and scare me!" she scolded, watching him close the door and proceed to remove his wet shoes and socks, throwing them in the bathtub. "What happened to you? Did Yami get revenge and push you into the pool?"
"No," he answered coolly. "…Mai did."
She openly laughed; Bakura certainly deserved it. He scowled at her, not finding his predicament funny. He peeled off his shirt and threw it onto his socks, and proceeded to take off his pants too.
Téa quickly looked the other way, a blush spreading across her cheeks. "You could warn me, you know!"
He chuckled. "Why should I bother to hide what you clearly want to see?"
"Trust me, no one wants to see that," she seethed, still pointedly facing away and had gone so far as to close her eyes.
"Calm down, woman. I put clothes on."
She peeked out from between her fingers, then relaxed, but only slightly. Bakura was clothed, but he was only wearing a pair of clean boxers, slung low on his hips. He wasn't even wearing the Millennium Ring, which he had taken off to dry with a hand towel. Téa's mouth felt dry and she wet her lips instinctively. She noticed he took extra care in drying the Ring, going over each and every crevice. It was a bit mesmerizing, almost like watching someone at their trade, like watching a dance with how easily his hands moved.
"Does it rust?" she asked curiously. Bakura caught the way she was watching him with interest, and he smirked. He stepped closer, holding the Millennium Item up for her inspection.
"I don't think the powers of the seven Millenniums Items can be so easily conquered by the likes of mere rust," he answered, voice tinted both with pride and dry humor. "But all the same, I take great in maintaining its condition." Téa's eyes followed his hands as they moved the towel across the Ring's shiny surface. "You know," Bakura stated offhandedly, though his eyes betrayed something more barbaric, "I'm rather good with my hands."
Téa unthinkingly hummed in agreement, still watching him clean. His hands looked rough and worn, and she wondered if it was a trait that had carried over from ancient Egypt. He certainly hadn't received these hands from Ryou, whose frailer hands were smooth to the touch. She followed these hands as they dropped the wash cloth and restored the Millennium Ring to its rightful place around Bakura's neck. It gleamed there, hanging over his chest.
"Wouldn't you like to know," he murmured, catching one of her hands between his chapped fingers, "what these hands," Bakura held her gaze, watching as her mouth opened slightly in protest and confusion and anticipation, and he guided her hand to rest just below the Ring, splaying her fingers across the muscles there, "can do for you?"
Damn... was the first thought that came to mind. Then Téa couldn't help but eat her words. Bakura's abs were well-sculpted under her palm, and she admitted to herself that, yes, she imagined quite a few people would want to see and certainly feel that. But all she could feel was his hot skin under hers, and Téa snatched her hand back as though she'd been physically burned.
"You... you..." Téa fought to contain her blush. Bakura looked highly pleased with himself as he continued to lean over her. "You pervert!"
He laughed deviously. "Oh, lighten up won't you?"
She rolled her eyes, still flushed. "Oh, just go shower or something already, won't you?" She made to push him towards the bathroom, but after realizing she would have to touch his bare skin again, Téa drew her hands back.
Bakura's smirk just kept growing. "Care to join me?"
Téa groaned in frustration. "You are so–"
"Handsome?" he supplied arrogantly. "Good-looking? Toned? Sexy?"
"–disgusting! Perverted! Cocky!"
Bakura leered gleefully. "Why yes, I can agree with you there, I am quite cock-y indeed."
Téa flushed deeply at his lewd joke, even if a small part of her did find the pun amusing. "Oh my god," she groaned, stepping away and creating distance.
"You walked right into that one," Bakura told her with satisfaction.
"I..." Téa was having trouble thinking straight. Her mind was filled with thoughts of Bakura and his hard abs, and even harder– She vigorously stamped that thought out before it was completed. "I..." I have to get out of here!
"I'm going down to the pool, damn it!"
There was a cold shower joke waiting to happen, but Téa was gone before the tomb robber could say it. Bakura continued to laugh at her misfortune and embarrassment long after she had slammed the door behind her.
. . .
"…and then he said, 'Hey, you're really good at this!' Well, no shit Sherlock, I invented this game!"
Everybody laughed, even Miho, who had never played Dungeon Dice Monsters before and hadn't been able to follow the story fully. Duke tapped her nose and promised to teach her all he knew.
After pacing the hallways for a good fifteen minutes, fighting off the shock and embarrassment and very suggestive thoughts that had Bakura had induced, Téa had gone downstairs to find her friends. Now they were sitting by the pool, chatting and sharing stories. Duke had just finished a story about some noob gamer who had challenged him to DDM, without knowing that Duke invented the game; currently he was telling Miho about the time he beat Joey at Duel Monsters. Joey flinched and started an argument, supported by Tristan and Alexis. Mai had left for her room a while ago, and everyone had all joked that Joey should follow her. Ryou was discussing the math exam with Yugi, trying to guess if he passed or failed. And Téa picked at the remains of a cheese and cracker tray, talking with Yami about what he was going to do next year.
He planned to return with Ishizu to Egypt, where they would meet up with Shadi and explore the pyramids. Yami didn't expect to find any new mysteries; he just wanted to roam through the place where he once lived, and see what had become of his homeland. Yugi would undoubtedly accompany them.
"What about Marik?" she asked quietly. "Is Ishizu taking him back with her?"
"We haven't been able to find him." Yami's face darkened. "I'm sorry I couldn't protect you from him, Téa."
"It's not your fault! You sound just like Ryou, blaming yourself for how that creep stalks me! You couldn't have done anything," Téa told him firmly.
"Hn, well glad to see Ryou was looking after you while I was… struggling with my feelings…"
She smiled fondly. "Yeah, Ryou's a great friend… one of the best."
Téa glanced over at the white-haired boy still talking to Yugi. He caught her eye and smiled back.
"And how is Bakura?" Yami wanted to know. "If you've been hanging out with Ryou a lot, I'm sure you've seen him a few times. Is he behaving? I should have Mind-Crushed him for that neck injury he gave you."
"Oh, he's fine," she replied, a bit too smoothly. Then, noticing Yami's expression of disbelief, she hurried to add, "Don't worry, I gave him a long lecture and a good slapping. I haven't seen that much of him, honestly."
That was a load of bull; she lived with the infernal man. But Yami didn't need to know that.
Now was as good a time as any to change the subject.
"Hey Joey! So, you're really okay with Serenity dating Kaiba?" Téa asked, loud enough to catch the blonde's attention
Joey choked on the hotdog he was eating, and Tristan had to pound him on the back before he could answer the question. "HELL no! I'll never accept the fact that my innocent baby sister is dating that rich scumbag!"
He swallowed the rest of his food, and continued begrudgingly, "But if Serenity is happy… and like she said, there's nothing I can really do about it." His face split into a crooked grin and he added, "But that doesn't mean I won't make Kaiba's life as miserable as possible!"
"Jo-ey," Alexis warned, "whatever you are planning will probably backfire. It will also likely hurt Kaiba, which in turn will hurt your sister. This won't go well, trust me."
"You know what we should do?" Joey said suddenly, standing. "We should start a garage band!"
"A what?" Alexis asked, amused. "Is that a Brooklyn thing?"
"Wha? Oh yeah… maybe, I dunno…" Joey pondered for a minute or two, then continued, "Whatever, we can be the first garage band in Domino City! Whaddya say, Tristan?"
"Ehh well, I don't know Joey… seems like a lot of work," his friend replied, scratching his head.
"'A lot of work'? That doesn't sound like the Joey Wheeler I know," Téa teased. "And I didn't even know you knew how to play an instrument; learning to read music and play something requires a ton of work…"
"Oh shaddup," Joey retorted, rolling his eyes. "When my parents were still together, Mom put me and Serenity into music class. Serenity can play the flute and I can play the drums." He put his hands on his hips and grinned gloriously.
"Well… when was the last time you played the drums?"
"...in that class."
It felt good to be aimlessly chatting with her friends again. Téa hadn't felt this way in a long time… She hoped they all could spend the summer together, go to the beach or something. Because come September, everyone would be at different universities. Joey had been accepted to Domino U, and he planned on majoring in engineering. Almost all of his friends had been surprised upon hearing this; it was widely known that Joey didn't exactly excel at math. Joey even admitted as much, but he also wanted a hands-on job and engineering sounded interesting. Well, she supposed he might enjoy mechanical engineering
Tristan was off to Tokyo University to study law, and Alexis was trying to get into a culinary school. Miho would be going to a small junior college in Battle City, and Duke was set to attend Domino U for a business major (no surprise there). Mai was already halfway through her cosmetology schooling. And when Yugi and Yami returned from Egypt, Téa had a hunch they would pursue history or something related. Well, Yugi would want to attend college; Téa was not as sure about what Yami would do.
Ryou had been accepted to Kyoto University. He wanted to go into medicine, perhaps be a pharmacist or a doctor, he wasn't sure yet. But he had spent so much time in the hospital throughout his life, he had decided to work in one, or someplace similar. Bakura, well Téa knew for a fact that he hadn't been accepted anywhere, not that he even had applied… or even had a diploma! The tomb robber would probably just follow Ryou and continue to mooch off him. Téa thought of her own audition with the Osaka Ballet Academy in July. She planned to study there for two years, after which (if she was good enough) she wanted to study at an American ballet school and go into performance. Even further though, her secret wish was to study at a Russian ballet academy and perform in a famous ballet there. She doubted that would happen, for she would have to be very very good… which, while she was good, Téa wasn't confident she would ever be that good. The world of ballet was a competitive one. And she would have to speak Russian, a language Téa had tried and failed to pick up. Her private lesson teacher had denounced her accent atrocious and informed Téa that she sounded like a German farmer, whatever that meant.
"What's he doing here?" Tristan growled, his voice low and unkind.
Téa looked up and followed everyone's gazes over to the hot tub section of Kaiba's enormous pool. Only one person was sitting there, his arms draped on the poolside, wearing a face of explicit arrogance. He caught her looking and smirked, and then he stood and began to climb out of the tub.
"Shit, how da hell did Marik get in here?"
"I dunno but he's getting out as fast as he got in," Tristan threatened, rising. "You guys protect Téa; I'll go get Kaiba to throw him out."
And he left before she could even protest. Téa really didn't need Kaiba coming over here, even if Marik was on the property. Yami could easily kick Marik out without the CEO's help. Yami hadn't noticed yet though; he was currently over at the buffet with Yugi and Miho, restocking on hotdogs and chili-cheese fries, foods he claimed would have been worshipped back in his day. Yeah, all hail to the chili-cheese fries.
Joey and Alexis stood up over her defensively, trying to shield her from Marik's view. It didn't work obviously; he was still looking straight at her. Téa bit her lip. Alexis and Joey had nothing over Marik; he could take them out with one swing of his Rod. And then he'd take her. Téa decided it was best to distance herself from her friends, who otherwise would become potential targets. Going upstairs, back to the room, where Bakura was... Well, even if Bakura refused to help her, maybe Marik would feel threatened. Besides, he may have been able to climb into a window on the ground level, but there was no way Marik could get up to the fourth floor! Not unless he could fly. Which, come to think of it, she wouldn't put past him… he probably knew some Ancient Egyptian mumbo-jumbo, or owned a flying carpet.
Ignoring Joey and Alexis's protests and claims that they could protect her, she hurried off towards the pool house entrance, walking slightly faster than normal, all while trying to keep Marik in view in the corner of her eye. Thankfully, he didn't quicken his pace… but he did change direction to match her. Then, he was obscured from view as Joey cut him off, pushing him lightly. She couldn't hear exactly what they were saying, but words were being exchanged and they definitely didn't sound friendly. Téa broke into a mad dash and reached the safety of the pool house.
Two drama club students were making out in the lounge on an expensive couch. The front desk was abandoned and people were just grabbing random keys to random rooms, only occasionally checking for a specified floor. Téa waited by the elevators with a loud group of athletes, all talking about the last baseball game and how Domino creamed the other team. She let them take the next elevator by themselves. She didn't feel like being smashed and trapped into the back wall of that crowded space.
The last of three elevators arrived almost as soon as the other one had left. She pushed the button and sighed with content as the doors closed–
Marik's foot squeezed itself between them and forced the elevator to stop. He grinned victoriously as the doors closed behind him.
"Leaving so soon?" he inquired sweetly. "Téa, dear, you weren't possibly avoiding me, were you?"
"Of course I was, you creep!" she shouted, pushing the button for the doors to open, but the elevator had already started moving. "Why can't you just leave me alone?"
Marik twirled a strand of blond hair around a tan finger. "Because, Téa, I want just the opposite."
Oh, why hadn't she just made do and taken the other elevator? Téa pounded on the silver doors, hoping someone would hear the commotion. She screamed for help, screamed for Ryou, Yami, Yugi, Bakura, anyone. Marik wrapped a hand around her throat and pulled her away from the doors, slamming her into the back wall. Téa's eyes zeroed in on the Millennium Rod he had in his other hand.
The little 4 above the doors lit up, but before the elevator could stop properly, Marik thrust his Millennium Item into the air. The lights flickered and the elevator jerked, knocking Téa off her feet. Landing hard on her knees, she crawled away from Marik.
"And just where do you think you're going?" he mused evilly. "I've jammed the machine. You have nowhere to go, Téa."
He crouched down in front of her. "I've waited for this moment for a long time."
I bet you have, she thought with frightened determination. But it couldn't end here. Swinging her right foot up, Téa kicked him straight in the crotch. Marik howled in pain, fell back, and curled up in defense. Téa banged on the doors with her fists, pressed every button on the slate, kicked the walls with her feet. She let out an ear-piercing scream as Marik recovered, yanking her ankle out from under her.
His hand was everywhere… Marik was sitting on her legs and held her by the wrists with the other hand. "I guess this is the way it's going to be," he said gruffly, before smashing his lips into hers.
But Téa was ready. She bit down fiercely on the tongue that had pushed its way into her mouth. Marik drew back sharply with a look of deepest loathing, before smacking her across the face. "You will learn to like this, Téa." He leaned in to attack her mouth again, but a loud bang caused him to look up. Someone was trying to get in.
With Marik distracted, Téa pulled hard at her wrists and freed herself from his grasp. She managed to shove him off of her body just as the elevator doors were noisily pried open. Marik groped at her ankle again while she rushed to stand, causing Téa to trip and fall through the open doors. She reached out to catch herself on the nearest thing... which happened to be Seto Kaiba's trench coat.
Wait... Seto Kaiba's?
Kaiba towered over her, something dark flashing in his eyes. He quickly stepped over her, however, and snatched Marik up by the hair, throwing him out of the elevator. The Egyptian stumbled into the arms of two burly security men, one of them prying the Rod from his clutches. Kaiba wordlessly accepted the Millennium Item without even glancing at it. Then he shot Marik a vile look that Téa prayed would never be directed at her. If it had been directed her way... she would have thought to prepare herself for death.
Then Kaiba waved his hand and the two men began to drag Marik Ishitar away. Marik spat venomously at Kaiba, though he was too far away to hit the intended target. And then he looked at her, something between anger and lust.
"What did he do to you?" Kaiba demanded, finally turning back and blocking Marik from her view with his tall form. "Did he hurt you?"
"I'm fine," she muttered, still coming down from the rush of panicked adrenalin.
"I heard Taylor yelling my name from across the pool yard, something about Ishtar following you. Well, he certainly wasn't invited. I spotted him walking into the building and followed," Kaiba spat, disgusted that Marik had entered onto his property (and broken an elevator to boot). "Are you sure you're all right? Your cheek looks swollen."
"I'm fine. I don't need any help from you." The bitter words came out harsher than she meant.
"Oh sure you don't. You seemed to be handling that just fine. You do realize you could have been raped or killed? Why would you ever get into an elevator with that freak?"
"I didn't! He came after me! Didn't Tristan tell you he's been stalking me?"
Kaiba crossed his arms. "He only mentioned that Ishtar had somehow gotten passed security."
"Yeah, well, he's been stalking me for about a month!" Téa snapped, not in the mood to deal with Kaiba's haughty attitude.
"I don't make it my business to know everything about you, Gardner. You aren't the center of the universe."
She was furious. Téa was angry at Marik for what he had done to her in the elevator (not to mention everything else), and angry at Kaiba for talking to her that way. Had she been given the chance, Téa would have chewed him out for talking down to her like that, like he always did. But she didn't get to say anything to Kaiba.
Ryou had just turned the corner and was waving at her from behind Kaiba. Sensing the distraction, Kaiba whipped around and spotted him. Satisfied with the situation, he strode off towards the elevators, probably to go find Serenity and—
She really needed to stop thinking about them.
"Téa, what's up?" Ryou asked cheerily. "Was that Kaiba I saw leaving? And, bloody hell, what happened to that elevator? Bloody double hell, what happened to your cheek?"
"Nothing much. Yes, that was Kaiba. And Marik broke the elevator trying to feel me up," she responded bitterly, starting down the hall for her room.
Ryou's eyes bulged. "He tried to do what?"
"Just the same old stuff, being the little creep he is. Don't worry about it, Ryou," she added, unlocking the door. She felt guilty unloading her problems onto him so much.
Ryou closed the door behind them, and Téa fell straight onto the bed. She glanced over at the bathroom, briefly wondering if Bakura was still in there, but the door was wide open and she could hear only the sound of the shower dripping.
"I always worry about you, Téa," he said quietly.
He looked at her with such concentrated care, it broke her heart to think she was the cause of his worries. He stroked her head gently, and Téa couldn't help but cry at the kind gesture. Ryou had always been sweet, but now that he could come out of his shell, without Bakura inhabiting his body and harming him... She treasured his friendship very much right now. She was trying so hard not to let Marik get to her, not to break down, but Ryou was just so comforting and kind. He was so important to her. He was everything she could ever want in a boyfriend, and yet... she cried even harder knowing she couldn't feel for him the way he had wanted her to. And oh how she wanted, she really did. But something just... wasn't there.
Ryou ran a gentle hand through her hair until the crying slowed and her breathing evened, and Téa finally fell into a troubled sleep.
.
I promise there's romance in here eventually... There's fluffy moments with Ryou, and some interesting exchanges with Bakura, too, right? Kinda, sorta? If you squint?
So Marik's obviously still on the loose, Kaiba's still sexy, and Téa is still stressed out. Thankfully they get to relax in the chapter, right? Probably not.
If you're still with me, leave a review and say hi :D