Nightmare
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Notes: I use single quotation marks for dialogue in flashbacks. My stupid paragraph breaks last chapter were because my old ones didn't show up the first time I uploaded them. Desperate to fix it before anyone read the chapter and became confused, I went with that weird 'title-in-brackets'. Hopefully the ones here will be less annoying.
::drumroll:: Yes, the stalker shall finally be revealed. Be afraid, be very afraid…
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Chapter 4
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Téa didn't remember when she started to scream, but after a while she became aware that her voice was joining in the chords from Serenity, still in the kitchen. Joey left her side and lunged at the first figure in the doorway.
"Wait, Joey!"
The rain-drenched man lifted a hand and Joey stopped in his tracks. "YUGI?" he cried incredulously. "What are you DOING here? You scared us to DEATH!"
"I'm sorry," Yugi said hastily. Téa's screams slowly wound down. "I'm so sorry. But Ishizu and I saw the door, and she could tell it was unlocked, and we figured we'd better get inside before he found a way to."
" 'He'?" Joey repeated, and then Serenity came charging from the kitchen. The small red blur flew directly to Joey and fastened herself to him.
"Oh, Joey," she sobbed into his shirt. "I was looking in the cabinets and I couldn't find the flashlights and then the lightning flashed and out the window I saw him! The lightning lit up his face for a second and he grinned so evilly and he terrified me and I know it's him who's after Téa!"
"Who is it?" Téa and Joey demanded at once. Yugi bit his lip.
"The blonde boy from the blimp," she cried, her words muffled as she hugged Joey's shirt harder. "It was the blonde boy from the blimp."
The world started to swirl around Téa. Suddenly, Ishizu was by her side, clasping her shoulder firmly. On her other side was Yugi- no, it was the Other; it was Yami who had come in with Ishizu.
"Yes," Ishizu said sadly. "It's my brother. Marik is the one stalking you, Téa. That is why I am here. I want to help. I'm so sorry he's caused you so much trouble."
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"You look dead," Shiara said bluntly.
There was no way to tell her friend how much she disliked the choice of words. Téa simply nodded tiredly and dropped her backpack on the floor.
"We're peer-editing the Othello essays today," Shiara said, taking a desk next to her and dragging it closer. "Mine stinks. I need help. Although, I'm not sure how much of it I'm going to get from you…" she eyed her friend critically.
Téa wasn't listening. Last night had been pure torture. Yami confessed that he had kept a close eye on her, and broke into the police station (he used softer words, like 'borrowed your file without telling the guard at the front desk') and figured out that someone was stalking her. At a loss of what to do, he'd gone to Ishizu- the Ishtar family had long since returned to Domino and retaken their old positions, Ishizu in her job at the museum. He'd forced her to reaccept the Millennium Necklace, too, not that she needed it. She'd noticed her brother's odd behavior lately and Yami's story was all she needed to fit the last piece in the puzzle. From the trash can in the museum basement, they picked out shredded drawings of a bleeding heart. They exactly matched the photocopies that Yami had illegally made.
The two of them waited for Marik to come home. When he never did, they decided to assume the worst and headed towards Téa's house. Halfway there, Ishizu made them turn around, and they ended up in the Wheeler's backyard just as the storm started. They entered through the junkyard, climbing over heaps of trash until they found the slit in the chainlink fence that Marik had been using, apparently made by the Millennium Rod.
'That's why the police have been snubbing you, and your parents left for Aruba,' Ishizu had informed her. 'Marik is using the Rod to control their minds.'
Téa's eyes widened to the size of saucers. 'What am I supposed to do now?' she'd wailed. 'How can I protect myself against someone who can turn everyone else against me? Can't he even control my body then?'
'He could if he wanted to. Which means that he doesn't want to, for whatever reason, and you're safe.'
'Hardly,' Téa snorted, but under her breath.
'Hey,' Joey spoke up. 'Don't forget, Marik can't control everyone. He can't control me.'
'Or me,' Yami added.
'I don't know if he can control me,' Ishizu had said, looking tired. 'I hope I never have to find out. I don't know if I'm stronger than he is.'
With these ominous words, a heavy silence had befallen the room. They hadn't accomplished much after that. A few minutes of discussion, entailing what Téa would do the next day, had been concluded when Serenity boldly dragged Yami into the next room. Joey and Téa stared blankly at each other while Ishizu looked immensely guilty. Téa had just brought herself to say 'It's not your fault your little brother is a psycho bent on making my life hell,' when Yami- no, it was Yugi now- and Serenity reentered the room.
Yugi and Serenity were both blushing; Serenity for her forthrightness and Yugi for what he had to say next. 'Téa', he'd poured out in a rush. 'I don't want you to think I'm trying to boss you around or anything, but can you do me and yourself a favor? Go where Serenity tells you tomorrow?'
'Fine,' she said flatly, not having the energy to argue. Yugi looked taken aback and relieved at her quick acquiescence.
Then… not much had happened. Yugi and Ishizu had actually stayed at the Wheelers. The five of them had shared various pillows, sleeping bags, mattresses, and couches. And Ishizu had opted for her own clothing rather than borrowing Joey's pajamas, as all of them had done at one point or another.
Then Téa trooped off to school, surrounded by her 'bodyguards'. They dropped Serenity off at the junior high, Ishizu peeled off to head to her job at the museum, and Joey, Yugi, and Téa had entered what would probably be the worst day of their school careers. Téa was so tired she was about to collapse. Yugi had ugly circles under his eyes, but appeared cheerful at first glance. Joey was exhausted, and that made him grumpy and sullen, and even now he was getting into a fight with Tristan, the peer-editing partner he'd been assigned at the beginning of the year. Téa, of course, had ended up with Shiara. Yugi had been assigned a quietly intelligent girl who he claimed helped him a lot with the essays. Ryou Bakura was the sympathy target of half the class, for he'd wound up as Seto Kaiba's partner. (The other half were drooling girls who bemoaned that they couldn't end up with either one of the silent, but gorgeous, boys.)
"Is anyone absent today?" Mrs Douglass, the English teacher, asked from the front of the room, surveying the class. No one answered. Finally Yugi's partner shook her head no.
"And we have an even number of people?" she asked. Once again, no one answered- they were too busy picking at their nails or falling asleep- but Mrs Douglass took a head count and figured out the answer for herself.
"Well, we have a new student joining us today, so we'll have to have a threesome. He hasn't started an essay, of course, but he can listen in on your conversations. Let's see… a group he'd benefit from…" She raised her eyebrows at Joey and Tristan. Joey snorted and buried his head in his arms, and Tristan grinned goofily and waved. Used to their antics, Mrs Douglass simply lifted her eyes upwards and continued surveying the room. "All right, Yugi and Br- Yugi and…" her voice trailed away, and her face scrunched up. Her head swiveled mechanically to look at Téa. "Téa and Shiara, you will have our new student joining you, if that's all right."
"Yeah," Shiara muttered, brushing her curly black hair from her face. Téa didn't answer, but she suddenly got goosebumps up and down her arms.
"All right. You can all start on your peer-editing. I'll go to the office and get him." She exited the classroom, but as the door slowly swung closed the class could hear her conversation. "Oh- hello. You're all ready then? That's wonderful. Well, come on in. They're working on their essays right now. I've assigned you a group; you can listen in on their discussion. Class," she now addressed the whole room, pushing the door open. The new student followed her in. "This is Marik Ishtar, transferred here from private tutelage. Marik, welcome to Domino High. Good luck making it through the semester. There is your group. I suppose you'll be together for the rest of the year, so get comfortable."
"No!"
The entire class turned to stare at her, with the exception of Yugi, Joey, and Tristan. Tristan was staring at Marik, looking confused and vaguely worried. Yugi had shot halfway out of his seat- rather, Yami had taken over and begun to rise. Joey's whole body had tensed up, and a vein had popped out on his forehead. "Marik," he growled through his teeth.
"Is there a problem, Miss Gardner?" Mrs Douglass asked, looking irritated and worried. She scanned the room. "Mister Moto, please sit down. Mister Wheeler! What has gotten into you all? I expected more of this class, really."
Marik's eyes hadn't left Téa once. He wasn't wearing a school uniform; she bitterly thought that he must have brainwashed the principal into letting him appear in a too-small violet tanktop, tight leather pants, and far too much gold jewelry. Even through her fear, she scanned his persona quickly for the Millennium Rod. He didn't seem to be holding it, but she suddenly realized that he had been using it on Mrs Douglass, to get himself assigned to Téa's group.
Suddenly, a grin appeared on Marik's face and he leered at her. It was all so surreal. This stalker wasn't supposed to be someone she'd known, someone who she'd thought was cured of darkness. And he definitely wasn't supposed to be here, in broad daylight, in her very own English classroom.
"How dare you!" A righteous voice boomed. Téa cringed; it was Yami. Who knew how this would end up!
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Unlike his partner, now Marik, and most of the other students in the class, Seto hadn't diverted his attention to Moto. He was still eyeing Gardner. Téa looked remarkably pale, a curious reaction. Last he knew, they were all holding hands and singing carols as Marik's so-called 'darker half' was banished to the 'Shadow Realm'. Wouldn't such a peppy friendship-preaching freak be bouncing around, all happy that she had a brand-new friend?
Much as he hated to admit it, maybe Yugi knew something he didn't. Had something gone wrong with Marik once again? He wouldn't doubt it. Once a freak, always a freak.
Of course, that didn't apply to himself.
He finally turned to look at Yugi, just as the short boy launched himself across the room, lunging for Marik's neck. His eyes widened. It was so out-of-character for the normally reticent and meek duelist! Or… was this what they meant when they spoke of the 'Spirit'…
No. Foolish.
Speaking of foolish, Wheeler had just joined the fight. And of course, their little gang wasn't complete without Taylor, who obviously had no clue what was going on. He snorted.
The whole class had erupted. Some of the more immature ones were whistling and goading the four boys on; this was the most excitement in English class in months. Most of them, however, were screaming in horror, including the teacher. Mrs Douglass was hovering on the edge of the scuffle, obviously unwilling to risk her own neck and enter. He snorted again. He could probably break up the fight… but was it worth it?
"Yami, stop!" Téa finally shrieked. So, she'd found her voice. Seto leaned back in his chair, folding his arms. His partner, Ryou, stood up, and Seto shot him a cool look. "Stop, Yami! Joey and Tristan! Don't!"
A golden clash suddenly lit up the whole room. The class gasped. When the light cleared, Ryou was standing in front of Marik, and Moto, Wheeler, and Taylor had retreated to behind the first row of desks. "No more," someone said in a harsh, grating voice, and it took everyone a few seconds to figure out that this was Ryou. But something seemed off about him.
"Mister Moto!"
"Buuus-ted," someone whistled.
Mrs Douglass, face red, snatched Yugi up by the collar. He was blinking slowly, as if he just realized what had happened. Suddenly, his face flared up in a hot blush.
"Mister Wheeler and Mister Taylor, follow me," she snapped, dragging Yugi out the door. Ryou smirked ever so slightly; Marik smirked quite obviously. Téa slid down into her seat as the teacher and her last three hopes exited the room.
Ryou and Marik started circling her desk like sharks. She squeezed her eyes shut. Next to her, Shiara flipped her hair over her shoulder and asked, "So, what was the deal with that?"
"Yugi and Joey and Tristan obviously lost their tempers," Marik shrugged, stopping his scrutiny of Téa to survey the classroom. They looked stunned, and ready to argue. That wouldn't do…
A sudden murmur broke across the room as everyone started conversing about their essays, putting in more work than they'd ever done before. Looking satisfied, Marik gracefully hooked over a chair and weaseled in between the two girls. Téa promptly dragged her chair over to the other side of the desk.
"So, you're Marik Ishtar," Shiara said, leaning closer and propping her chin on her hand. Both of her partners ignored her. Téa was looking desperately around the room. The only other people in here who knew about Marik's past were the two boys in the back, Kaiba and Ryou Bakura. She didn't know if she could count on Ryou. That scene he'd just made… he seemed to have broken up the fight between Marik, Yugi, Joey and Tristan, but whose side had he been on? Did he even know Marik was coming back? And had it really been Ryou?
Her gentle classmate seemed to realize he was being stared at. He glanced up and gave her a soft wave. When he caught sight of Marik, his eyes widened slightly and he cocked his head in confusion. That answered some of her questions for her- it hadn't really been Ryou who'd broken up the fight. It had been his other half. And while she didn't know what side the yami was on, she was pretty sure that Ryou himself would try to help her. Not that she could count on him. His yami took over too easily.
Their eye contact had drawn the attention of two people. Marik, who was now glowering at Ryou; and Seto Kaiba.
Something seemed funny about Kaiba. He was glancing around the room, like he couldn't believe what he was seeing. Then he glared furiously at Marik and shot Ryou a suspicious look.
Whatever he'd done to her classmates, it hadn't affected Seto Kaiba. Téa wasn't sure whether to get her hopes up or not. Kaiba would be a great friend to have at a time like this, but would he help her? He hated Marik… but did he hate Yugi more? Would he hold that against her? And why hadn't he been brainwashed too?
Something brushed against her foot. She stiffened. Across the room, she noticed Kaiba sitting upright and peering down at something, but she had bigger worries.
Whatever brushed against her foot was now gently kneading up her leg, reaching the bare skin on her leg. Upward it worked, massaging, pushing-
She looked up to find Marik two inches from her face. He was smirking seductively.
She shoved back her chair and bolted from the classroom. She hid out in the bathroom until the bell rang for next period.
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"Téa! God, where've you been? You ran right out of English! You're lucky Mrs Douglass didn't think to ask where'd you went!" Shiara caught up with her friend as Téa tried to creep anonymously out of the building. "Not that I'm not grateful," she said, smiling mysteriously and hopping in front of Téa's path. "Leaving me all alone with Mr Sexy? You're the best friend a girl could have!"
Téa swallowed. That hadn't even occurred to her. She was the worst friend a girl could have. She supposed she was lucky Marik showed no interest in Shiara, although it was a bitter kind of lucky.
"Of course, he didn't seem much interested in talking," Shiara sighed. "Or even editing my essay. He kept doodling these figures in his notebook. Lots of bleeding hearts." She giggled. "Now that's my kind of guy!"
Her blood froze and she didn't say anything. Shiara just shrugged. "So, anyway, where'd you go?"
"Téa!"
She'd never been more grateful to see Yugi trotting up to her. Joey and Tristan, faces grim, were right behind him.
"Shiara, I've got to go," she said hurriedly. "Bye, see you tomorrow."
"Bye!" Shiara called as Téa practically ran up to Yugi. She grabbed her friend's hands.
"Yugi, what happened?" she asked urgently.
To her shock, Yugi blushed and looked away. Joey's face formed a slight grin, and he answered Téa. "Let's just say, Marik's not the only one who can do mind-control!"
"It's not mind-control!" Yugi protested. "It's just… scrambling their brains a little. It wasn't me anyway. It was Yami." He pouted defensively.
"Yeah, well, long story short we didn't get in trouble," Tristan said, scratching his head.
"So where have you been all day?" Téa asked miserably.
"Following Marik," Joey said in a low voice, glancing around. "Yug and I told Tristan what's been going on."
"You could have told me, Téa," Tristan said immediately. She hung her head.
"Anyway, as we were heading back to class, the bell rang and everyone came out of English room- except for you. Marik was the last one out. We were afraid he'd done something to you, so we followed him. Then Tristan overheard Melinda saying you must be sick or something because you'd been in the girls bathroom for the last half hour. We tried to find out more, but…"
"See, I'm not really on Melinda's good side," Tristan said, wincing. "Remember how I blew bubble-gum in her hair last week? Speaking of which…"
"Mister Taylor!"
"Yeah, him," Tristan muttered. They all glanced up to see the elderly History teacher, Mr Brundst, marching across the yard towards them.
"I hope you weren't planning on going anywhere," Mr Brundst said sternly, "Because you still have a detention to serve."
"The bubble-gum thing," Tristan whispered to Joey, who laughed.
Mr Brundst looked at him and raised his eyebrows. "You wouldn't care to join him, would you, Mister Wheeler?"
"Ah, no thanks," Joey said hastily. He lifted a hand to Tristan, who began to trudge after the professor. "So long, buddy!" he called, then laughed a little again.
"Téa, I told Grandpa I'd go home right after school to help with the Game Shop," Yugi said, looking guilty. "I mean, I promised this like a week ago, before…"
"It's okay, Yugi," she assured him. "The most important thing is for you to keep your promises."
"No," both Yugi and Joey said in exasperated unison. She blinked, and Joey continued. "The most important thing is for you to be safe, Téa." She flushed and looked away.
"But I'll walk with you guys to the junior high," Yugi said, brightening a little. "Then I'll hurry home."
"Why are we going to the junior high?" Téa wondered aloud as they started off. The other school was just a block away.
"To pick up Serenity," Yugi reminded her. "She's got a plan."
"Oh yeah, what is that plan?" Téa asked.
"Oh yeah! Hey, Yug, what's my sister's plan?"
Yugi looked distinctly nervous. "Um, I think I'll just let her describe it to you. I think she could do a much better job than I can."
Joey and Téa exchanged raised eyebrows. Yugi stumbled forward.
"So… where did Marik go?" Téa asked, desperate to break the silence but immediately wishing she'd chosen a different topic.
Joey shrugged. "He left school right after English and we all followed him. He just prowled the streets a lot. Didn't go near Domino Museum, where Ishizu is. He didn't go near anything important, really. He avoided the Game Shop, KaibaCorp, Duke's Game Shop… he stuck to the low-life areas."
"He knew we were following him the whole time," Yugi added quietly. "Finally, about an hour ago, he turned around and challenged me-I mean, Yami- to a duel."
"He did have the Millennium Rod, too," Joey chimed in. "Stuck in his back pocket. I don't know how he carried it without anyone noticing, but it doesn't matter."
"Did you duel him?"
"Well, we started to," Yugi said, brushing his bangs away from his face unhappily. "About halfway through the duel, we- that is, me and Yami- were winning. Then he played this weird card I'd never heard of. The alley filled with smoke, and we could barely breathe. By the time it went away, Marik was gone. We headed back to the school after that."
"Strange," Téa murmured, lost in thought.
"Yugi said it wasn't really that strange. Marik had nothing to lose by running away. All he cares about now is you, for whatever sick and twisted reaso- oowwww!"
Yugi had nudged Joey sharply in the ribs. "Sorry," he apologized, his face pink. Téa, for her part, was feeling slightly sick.
"Well, this is where I leave," Yugi said, peeling away. "Take care, guys. Call me if anything happens. I'll call you tonight- on your cell phone, Téa, because I don't know where you'll end up."
They didn't have time to question him further, because he was already jogging down the street. Téa swallowed nervously, feeling an urge to clutch onto Joey's arm. But the junior high had evidently just dismissed, and kids were pouring out onto the grounds. At least the crowd made her feel slightly safe.
"So let's be on the lookout for Serenity," Joey said, staring at the tops of the kids' heads, already searching for a cap of red hair. Téa nodded and began scanning as well.
She didn't see Serenity, but she did see one boy that looked familiar. 'Mokuba Kaiba,' she realized. She hadn't known he was in junior high already. He must be older than he looked.
And, evidently, more mature too. He was walking hand in hand with a slightly taller girl. As she watched, they stopped and faced each other. Mokuba leaned up and planted a kiss on either one of the girl's cheeks. She giggled and turned her head slightly.
It was Serenity.
Joey's head was starting to turn in the direction where Mokuba and Serenity were now very publicly making out, so Téa did what any other of Serenity's true friends would do in this situation.
She stomped on Joey's foot and shoved him to the right.
"Hey!" he yelped, flailing his arms to keep his balance.
"Sorry, I was startled," she lied, moving around behind him. He turned his head toward her, and away from his little sister. She saw Serenity look up, recognizing her brother's voice. When she saw the back of Joey's head, she gasped. Turning quickly to Mokuba, she spoke a few hurried words. He nodded, gave her a quick peck on the cheek, and ambled away. Serenity wiped her mouth quickly and hurried over.
"Nothing's wrong, Téa?" Joey was demanding when his sister came up behind him.
"Hello, Joey!" Serenity said cheerfully.
"Nothing's wrong," Téa told her friend, then turned toward Serenity. "Hi, Serenity. How are you?" She winked slightly, so Joey couldn't see.
Serenity blushed brightly. "I'm fine," she said, gnawing her lip.
Téa glanced over Serenity's shoulder to see Mokuba casually leaning against the flagpole. When he saw her staring, he gave her a sheepish wave. She smiled back at him. She'd always liked Mokuba; good for Serenity.
"Hi, Serenity," a blonde girl said, sidling up real close. She turned her bright smile on Joey. "You must be her brother!"
"Yup," Joey said absently, glancing around. The blonde blinked, then renewed her efforts.
"You're in high school, right? I'll be there next year! Will I see you around a lot? How is the high school? Is it exciting?"
"It's school," Joey said blankly. "How exciting could it be?"
The blonde trilled. "You're so funny!" she exclaimed.
Serenity groaned and dug the palms of her hands into her eyes. Téa herself felt like melting into the ground.
"So what are your plans now?" the girl asked, leaning in closely to Joey and batting her eyes. "Are you and Serenity going anywhere? Would you like company? I'd love to spend time with one of my dearest friends and her older brother!"
"Nah, just hanging out with Téa," Joey said, clapping the brunette on the shoulder. "We're still in the planning stage." He affectionately ruffled her hair, in a sort of cross between an affectionate pat for Serenity and a viscous noogie for Tristan. Evidently, he forgot that she was neither. Téa's head jiggled back and forth and her eyes nearly crossed.
The blonde sent Téa a speculating look. Téa tried to shake her head no, but Joey's hand was still there. She settled for making a big 'X' with her fingers. 'No, we're not together!' she mouthed. Serenity had progressed to being amused.
"Well, we should go so you can tell us your brilliant plan, Serenity," Joey announced, removing his hand from Téa's head. She gingerly rubbed her peak. "Come on." He nodded good-bye to the blonde, who looked flustered for a minute but then called, "Bye!" She then turned to her group of friends, who were all standing by with their jaws nearly hitting the ground. In unison, they all squealed.
"What was that?" Joey asked, startled by the noise. He began to turn around and look, but Serenity dragged him back. She was sure that, back there, they were all going, 'He was so hot!', 'Nicole, you are so lucky!', 'What did he say?', 'Are you dating yet', and 'Who was that other chick with him?'. She heaved an irritated sigh; the other girls in her school were pretty darned shallow sometimes.
"That," she said lightly in response to his question, "was probably the worst display of flirting I've ever seen Nicole do."
Joey looked thunderstruck. "Flirting?" he asked dumbly. Téa rolled her eyes.
"Men…" the brunette muttered, rolling her eyes at Serenity. The redhead giggled.
"You should be flattered, Joey," Serenity teased. "Nicole obviously liked you."
Joey blinked. "How could you tell? She doesn't know me!"
"Wouldn't have mattered to her," Serenity said, shrugging. She stopped walking, since Mokuba was shooting them a curious look. She'd asked him to wait there. Joey and Téa stopped as well. "She just wanted to go out with you."
"Me?" Joey pointed at himself. "But… I don't like younger girls."
Suddenly seeing an opportunity, Serenity plowed through eagerly. "Yeah, you like older girls… like, Mai's age, right?"
"I don't like Mai!" Joey spluttered.
Serenity raised her eyebrows innocently. (So what if this opening involved embarrassing Joey just a teensy-bit?) "I didn't say you did, big brother. I just said you liked girls her age."
Having succeeded in striking Joey speechless, she hurried on. Téa watched in amusement. "It's okay. I happen to like younger guys."
Joey's mouth opened and closed, rather like a fish. "In fact," Serenity said determinedly, "I'm dating one now."
Well, that worked to snap him out of it. "You're WHAT?"
"Yeah," Serenity smiled. "He's really sweet and smart. Incidentally, he lives in a big house."
"Wait a second-" Joey began.
"Actually, it's more of a mansion," Serenity said thoughtfully.
"You have a boyfriend?"
"And it's very high-tech, high-security. I already asked him. He said Téa could stay over there. It's the safest place in Domino. It's probably safer than the bank, even."
"Since when have you been dating him?" Joey demanded.
"Hi, guys," Mokuba said, appearing suddenly at Joey's left shoulder. "How's everything going over here?"
"Oh- hey, Mokuba. Hey! Do you know who Serenity is dating?"
"Oh, uhhh…" he started, glancing around nervously.
"Mokuba, are you serious?" Téa interrupted in a low voice. "You'd really let me stay at your house?"
"Not only would I let you, Serenity and I are gonna make you," he said, crossing his arms and eyeing her. "She told me you might not want to. But it's no big deal, trust me. She told me everything that was going on. That Marik guy's a real creep."
"Excuse me? Big brother here, got a bone to pick with you!"
"I-" Téa started, but Mokuba and Serenity each grabbed a wrist.
"You'll be safe there, I promise," Mokuba said, looking directly at her.
"Trust Mokuba," Serenity begged, squeezing her hand. "And Joey and I will come along too. Nothing will hurt you. And you won't be inconveniencing anyone."
"I suppose," Téa said reluctantly. The idea of staying at the Kaiba mansion spooked her, but not because of Marik. Maybe it was Seto Kaiba himself? She would just try to stay out of his way, she reasoned. "Okay."
"Good?" Mokuba asked eagerly.
"Good," Téa consented.
"Good!" Serenity affirmed.
"No, seriously, guys. Who is it?"
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Notes: I thought no one was going to get it. I admit, I hoped no one was going to get it. Then, quite literally at the last minute, someone submitted a review guessing Malik (probably meant hikari, which I intend). '….' didn't leave a screen name beyond the dots, but congratulations!
These were some of the most fun reviews to read. I was quite pleased at the range of guesses I got. My hints were extremely subtle but should make a lot more sense now. I did have a couple people hitting close to home:
Yamiko Yakou, who brought up Téa's nightmare about the stalker carving the bleeding heart onto her back, and actually said it could be Marik back in chapter 2.
Angelfirey, who realized that Yugi and Joey were in the picture with Téa, and therefore couldn't be the stalker. Funny how many people thought it was one of them anyway. :P
A smiley face (the symbols won't show up, much to my ire), who said that the stalker 'had some kind of power' and was a 'psycho'. Yep, that's our Marik, all right.
Hobbit13, who made me laugh, if you remember your review from Chapter 2. ;)