Chapter 55
The sound of five screaming infants pierced his dreams and forced his eyes to open to the dim early morning light of a new day. Rolling over towards, he was shocked to find Catilin gone and in her place was a screeching Crovell. As soon as the infant saw he was awake his screams and the screams of the other babies died away to nothing. His large, tear filled eyes then gazed down at him.
'All that noise, just to wake me up?' Duke frowned at him. 'But... why?'
'Cat.'
'Has something happened to her?' Fear leapt through him.
'Cat,' Crovell reached his chubby little arms out towards him.
'Take me to her,' sitting up, he took Crovell into his arms.
In the blink of an eye Duke found himself stood at the end of an alleyway surrounded by the unconscious forms of Nayta, Mokuba and Serenity. Nearby, with her back rested against the wall, was Catilin; her cheeks stained with tears.
'Are you... are you okay?' He took a hesitant step towards her.
'Jay's gone,' her words were soft and mournfully dull.
'Gone? Gone where?'
'Back to the light,' her lower lip wobbled. 'I think... I think he cured Mokuba and Serenity but it killed him. I know... I know killed isn't the right word when you're already dead, but...'
'I know what you mean,' he kept his voice as soft and gentle as possible. 'But... if he cured Mokuba and Serenity, why is their hair still white?'
'I don't know,' her gaze shifted towards them, 'but the way the air dances around them means they're fully alive. They're not Veronsen anymore, but I... I don't know what they are.'
'Are they going to be stuck like that or is there a way to fully cure them?'
She shrugged, but said nothing. For a few long moments there was silence, then the sharp cold air around them caused Catilin to shiver.
'I know you miss him, but we really should get everyone somewhere warm right now,' he pressed his lips together. 'Jay gave his existence to bring Mokuba and Serenity back to life, the last thing he would want is for them to die of hypothermia.'
'What about Nayta?'
'What about her?'
'She... she needs to be punished, doesn't she? What she did...' Catilin's face pulled with the weight of her own emotional distress. 'How could it be her?'
'I wish I knew Cat.'
'She was supposed to be our friend, how could she do this to us?'
'I don't know. But... but we'll let the others worry about her, okay? You've been through enough today.'
'Do you... do you think hiet braysta will still want to kill her?'
'Yeah I... I think he will, but I'm not sure he'll be able to bring himself to do it anymore,' Duke lowered his gaze.
She nodded sadly but said nothing.
'Come on Cat,' he shifted his hold on Crovell so he could reach a hand down towards her, 'whatever happens next will be what it is, right now we should just get everyone back to the Southern Palace before we all catch our death of cold.'
When Taylor's cries had broken through his sleep and forced him back to the world of the living, he was surprised to find both his son and Kaiba huddled protectively in his arms. Instantly alert, he picked up his crying son and tried to comfort him. After a few minutes, Taylor quietened and he was able to turn his attention back to his partner. Kaiba's hair was thick with sweat which stuck it to his equally damp forehead. His face was pale and his whole body was shivering continuously. It was pretty obvious he was exhausted and feverish, as if one or the other wasn't bad enough.
'Tristan you have to protect us,' Kaiba's voice was little more than a dry murmur. 'Don't let him get Taylor, please don't let him get Taylor.'
'I won't,' he carefully lay Taylor back down on his chest and gently stoking some of the damp, matted hair back from his forehead. 'See, he's right here.'
'You have to protect us.'
'Don't worry, I will; I won't let anything hurt either of you. I promise.'
'You can't let him hurt him. You can't.'
'Nothing's going to happen to him as long as I'm here Seto,' a slight smile twitched across his face, 'and nothing's going to happen to you either.'
'You can't stop me from going blind,' he shook his head as his voice broke slightly, 'but you can protect Taylor. You must protect Taylor.'
'Seto, calm down, you're not well and you're not making any sense. Why would you think you're going blind?'
'He cursed me,' there was almost no strength left in his voice now. 'He cursed me Tristan. You can't help me, but you have to help Taylor. You have to protect him, you have to.'
'How... how do you know he cursed you?' Tristan's heart was suddenly pounding with fear.
'He was here; he was going to kill Taylor. I protected him,' his voice broke several times. 'But I'm so tired. I'm so tired. You have to keep him safe.'
'I'll keep you both safe,' shakily he kissed his forehead, before swinging himself out of bed. 'How long ago was he here?'
'I... I don't know, I couldn't see the time; I still can't see the time. I've just been lying here for so long. I…'
'It's okay,' he rapidly started to dress himself. 'Where did he go, do you know?'
'With Jay, I think it was with Jay. I think he was trying to help us.'
'I'm going to wake the others; we're going to find this guy and we're going to take him down once and for all.'
'Don't leave me,' his voice trembled, 'please don't leave me.'
'I promised to protect both of you Seto and the best way for me to do that right now is to make sure this guy is no threat to you or Taylor.'
'No, no don't leave me, please don't leave me. I don't want to be on my own. Please don't leave me.'
Swallowing hard, he made his way back towards the bed. He hated seeing Kaiba like this, with his mind wrecked with fever and his body weak with exhaustion; it wasn't right. Lying back down next to him, he wrapped his arms around both him and his son.
'It's okay,' Tristan kept his voice quiet and soft, 'I won't leave you. I'll never leave you.'
'Do you promise?' Kaiba turned his head towards him, but his eyes focused blindly on nothing.
'Of course I promise.'
'I love you.'
'I know,' he tightened his grip slightly.
'Marry me.'
'Now I know that's the fever talking,' laughing lightly, he kissed his forehead again.
'No,' he shook his head, 'I mean it. Marry me. I don't want to lose you.'
'And I told you, I'm not going anywhere.'
'Then marry me.'
'You're not thinking straight right now.'
'Yes I am,' his voice took on a strangely pleading tone, 'I know I am. Don't you remember that vision we had of our future? There were three things I noted and two of them have already become a reality, this has to be the third. This is the third. Marry me.'
'Seto…'
'Tristan, please.'
'This is too weird,' he shook his head, 'and I still think it's just the fever talking.'
'But its not. It's me talking. Marry me.'
'You'll change your mind; when the fever's gone, you'll change your mind.'
'No I won't, I promise I won't.'
'Then ask me again when the fever's past and I'll let you know.'
