Nightmare
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Notes: Just one more chapter and an epilogue after this. Thanks for the reviews everyone. Mind-controlled!Serenity is really freaking people out, I take it. She scares me too, and I wrote this.
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Chapter 6
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Seto anticipated that Joey and Mokuba would jump forward, so he swiftly put an arm out. He felt two bodies collide with it, and he pushed them backwards, his other arm instinctively wrapping around Téa.
Serenity was moving towards them slowly, her small fist tightly clutching the butcher knife. Her face was dimly lit by the open door behind them, and the alarm lights flashing rapidly. Her irises were completely blank. Seto didn't really believe in mind-control… but neither did he believe that the creature at the end of the hallway was actually his brother's quiet, sweet girlfriend.
"Serenity!" Joey called, trying to shove past Seto's arm. Kaiba held it rigidly. "Serenity!"
"Serenity!" Mokuba chimed in, but his voice was filled with despair, in contrast to Joey's furious tones.
"Marik wants to kill all of you," Téa said breathlessly, shrinking back. "He'll use Serenity to kill you and take me."
"Well, he won't manage it," Joey said determinedly. "I know my sister. He won't be able to control her for long. Serenity! I know you're in there!"
"Joey," Téa said, her breath catching. "I know you broke his mind-control… but you can't count on Serenity being able to do the same thing!"
"Kaiba," Joey said grimly. "Take Téa and run. I know there are other ways out of this mansion. You'd better get out fast, because I have a feeling something else is going on here."
"I'm not leaving you alone, Wheeler," Seto spat. "Knowing you, you'd get yourself killed in a matter of seconds."
"You're going to get Téa killed if you don't get out!" Joey said loudly, shoving at Kaiba's arm again. Caught off guard, it slipped enough for Joey to duck under and start advancing towards his possessed sister.
Seto hesitated a fraction of a second. The way he was feeling… so strange. He was suddenly overcome by a strong surge of protectiveness towards Téa, the likes of which he'd only ever felt about Mokuba. He had to shield her. He had to make sure no harm came to this girl, ever. He almost felt…
He almost felt like he would die for her.
It made no sense, why he so suddenly cared for her as much as he did for his younger brother. Maybe it was that, like it or not, she'd been with him through the majority of his life-changing journeys. Maybe it was that she'd once put her own life in danger to help his little brother, and indeed risked so much to help Seto himself. Maybe it was the way that she never got angry the way some of her friends did, and when she did argue with him, it was with a passion and depth that he wished he could feel himself.
It was that she was so alive, so intense, so sweet and real and wholesome-
And now she was being threatened-
If anyone didn't deserve this, it was Téa Gardner.
"Let's go, Mokuba," he growled, trying to grab his little brother's shoulder. If Wheeler was stupid enough to stay behind, so be it. He would take the two people who meant the most to him and get them as far away from danger as possible.
"I have to stay," Mokuba insisted. At that moment, Serenity and Joey both lunged forward and collided. The knife flashed through the air, nearly catching in Joey's shirt, but the blonde twisted away and sent them both sprawling to the floor. He pinned the flailing wrist down, wincing as he pressed into his sister's delicate flesh.
"Come on!" Seto nearly shouted, grabbing Mokuba's shoulder and dragging him forcibly away. Téa, with great effort, got her numbed body to move, rushing just ahead of Seto's guiding hand, now placed on her waist. She turned down a long, narrow hallway and started to move faster, but he caught her and pulled her back.
"Wait," he ordered, turning to face a giant painting. It spanned from floor-to-ceiling, leaving only a few inches in between. His hand flew up and fiddled with the elaborate border, then he leaned over and pressed his eye into the cleverly hidden retinal scan. There was a flash of light, a whir, and a click, and suddenly the whole painting slid down and hinged on one side.
"Get in, Mokuba," Seto commanded, moving back. "MOKUBA!"
A mane of raven-dark hair disappeared around the bend. "I'm coming, Serenity!" his voice drifted back. Swearing under his breath, Seto prepared to chase after Mokuba.
"Climb into the tunnel and wait for me there," he ordered Téa and sprinted down the hall. He reached the intersection and flew directly into a new body, stumbling backwards.
The violet eyes of Marik Ishtar gazed down on him as if surprised to encounter Seto Kaiba in his own mansion. Seto scrambled to his feet, eyes automatically darting to the Rod clutched in Marik's hand.
Marik's attention, however, had already diverted to Téa. His eyes lit up with a sick glee when he saw her, paused in mid-step, about to hurry into the darkness of the secret passage.
"Téa!" he shouted, and for the first time since this had all started their eyes actually connected and Téa was sucked into his thoughts for a fraction of a second. The raw lust and greed portrayed on his features scared her badly, and she stumbled backwards, her foot catching on the small ledge and sending her tumbling, battered, down the hidden staircase.
"Téa!" Marik called again, making as if to rush forward to her. He was stopped, however, by Seto Kaiba, one hand held arrogantly in front of him.
"As long as I live, Ishtar, I make you this promise," Seto growled under his breath. His voice raising with every word, he proclaimed: "You… will… never… TOUCH HER!"
"Try and stop me," Marik snarled, brandishing the Millennium Rod. Gold light shot from it, wrapping around Seto's limbs.
And, just as abruptly as it started, the gold light recoiled and shot back at Marik, knocking him off his feet and into the wall, where his head connected with a sickening thud.
"Nice try," Seto called over his shoulder, dashing back to the portrait and slamming the door behind him, sealing Marik out.
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Serenity struggled violently. The hand that wasn't pinned down struck Joey hard in the eye, and he let go for a split second. Kicking him hard in the groin, causing her brother to rear back in blinding pain, Serenity managed to worm loose. She brandished the dagger above his neck, beginning the plunge downward-
"Serenity!"
Mokuba charged into the room, causing her to hesitate for a split-second. In that time, Joey put to use everything he'd learned about gang fighting and tackled her legs, sending Serenity flying backwards and the knife clattering uselessly down the hallway.
Deprived of her weapon, Serenity resorted to clawing with her nails. She caught Joey once in a vicious swipe across the face, but he gritted his teeth and didn't cry out. Instead, he devoted his breath to trying to reach her:
"Serenity, your mind has been taken over by Marik! Fight it! I know you're in there!"
"You don't want to hurt Joey!" Mokuba said, crouching next to her. She lunged at him, catching a lock of his hair and sharply twisting it, but inexplicably fell silent. There was a tremendous crash somewhere else in the mansion, but they all ignored it. Serenity glanced, puzzled, at her fist, which still had strands of hair in it.
"What just happened?" she whispered, her eyes restored to their normal, watery appearance, but by the look of horror that suddenly passed over her face she remembered what she'd done. She looked up at Joey's face, brandishing shallow wounds from her own nails, and burst into tears. He quickly gathered her up in his arms, and Mokuba leaned over, trying to pat her back.
"I'm so sorry," she sobbed, as Joey squeezed her gently.
"Sssh, it's okay, Serenity, you beat it. You fought it off and he's gone now."
"No," she hiccupped. "No, Joey, I-"
"It's okay, Serenity. We don't blame you, it's not your fault," Mokuba whispered.
"No-"
"But you beat him, it's okay," Joey reassured her.
"No, you don't understand!" she floundered, pulling back. Joey and Mokuba looked at her tear-stricken face. "I didn't beat Marik! He left, he pulled back. He didn't need me, he left me alone for now- but he could take over again at any minute!"
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"Where the hell were you?" Marik snarled, in a furious temper. He threw open the door of Seto Kaiba's personal office, and kicked it when it banged back. He kept kicking it until it began to splinter, and then gave it a furious shove and stalked away.
"I was right here, of course," Bakura answered in an infuriatingly calm manner, sitting in Kaiba's high-backed chair and leafing through some papers.
"I could have used your help!" Marik exploded, slamming the Rod down on the table and putting a nice gash in the sturdy wood. "Téa got away! We need to shut off the power!"
"Come again?" he inquired, still maddingly placid.
"Kaiba helped her escape!" Marik growled, his eyes blazing. "Thanks to his eternally-damned security, I can't follow them, so I need you to shut off the power so I can break into the hidden passage!"
"That won't be necessary," Bakura said calmly.
"Tombrobber, you made me a deal!" he hollered. "And I say,-"
"I'm perfectly well-aware what you think you need," Bakura growled, rising from the chair and looking suddenly menacing. "But if you'll calm down enough to take a look at these papers, I'll show you something I think you'll be interested in-"
Marik looked. Slowly, his face relaxed until it once again curved into that terrifying grin.
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Across town, Yugi Moto stared at the telephone receiver in his hand long after it went dead and began buzzing at him.
The call he'd received was one he'd been both dreading and expecting. Except for one strange detail, a detail that made him hesitate to jump out of bed and run across town although he'd been waiting all night in case he had to do just that…
"Yugi, who was on the phone?" Solomon asked, wandering into the room and rubbing his eyes. "I only ask because, you know, it's the middle of the night and I accidentally picked up. The voice seemed quite distressed. Was that your friend…?"
"Yes," Yugi said, making his decision and replacing the phone in the cradle, picking it up again almost immediately. The scrap of paper Ishizu had given him was tucked in his pocket, but he didn't need to look at the number. He'd long since memorized it.
"Grandpa," he said, cupping his hand over the receiver as it started to ring. "I'm going to need to go out tonight."
Whoever was on the other end answered immediately. Yugi turned his attention wholly back to the phone, and Solomon fancied he saw his grandson's eyes flash from wide violet to angry crimson. But he backed respectfully out of the room, trusting Yugi's judgment. He'd been acting so seriously the past few days… whatever could be wrong?
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"We can't go to the Police Station," Téa said breathlessly. "They're all mind-controlled there."
She tried to ignore the look of disbelief Seto was giving her and said: "I don't know if I want to risk the Bank, either. Mokuba said something about a forest-"
"Are you okay?" he asked abruptly.
She blinked at the sudden turn in the conversation, wondering what he expected anyway.
"You fell down the stairs," he said quietly, gesturing at the staircase largely shadowed in gloom. "That must have hurt. Does anything feel broken?"
"N-no," she said, bewildered at this sudden display of caring. "I bruised my shoulder and my leg, but I'm all right. I can still walk."
"That's good," he said, his voice still strangely low. He carefully put an arm around her shoulder: "Does this hurt?"
"No," she said, her eyes fluttering slightly closed. He was touching the shoulder she'd banged, but she'd been telling the truth. It didn't hurt. In fact, his touch felt strangely good…
"Okay," he said, steering her toward a small platform. There was a strange structure there; it looked sort of like a smaller version of a train car, but there was only one. Seto leaned over and punched in a code on the security box; with a whir, the door slid smoothly open.
He helped her into the car, which then closed back up and began moving. Téa had no idea how fast it was going, since there were no windows. The journey was smooth, but she still got the impression that they were moving at top speed.
The car was well-lit by fluorescent lighting on the ceiling. Kaiba heaved a great sigh and sank down on the plain bench, leaning his head back against the wall.
"It's been a hell of a night," he drawled.
After a second, Téa sunk down next to him, studying his handsome face in the harsh light. It was haggard with the stress of not just this one night, but of his whole life. His young face was lined and worn with worries that should be borne by no teenager. Despite this, he still managed to look strangely calm and peaceful when he dispensed with his eternal scowl, as he had now.
"We're going to the forest," he spoke after a minute. "It's about five miles away, so we should be there in another minute or two."
Her eyebrows rose at this: they had to be going a hundred miles an hour, then, since they'd been moving only for a minute.
"Kaiba?" she ventured. "What happened between you and Marik?"
He sat up slowly, his brow furrowing. "I've been meaning to ask you," he said, seemingly ignoring her question. "How much do you know about the Millennium Items?"
She bit her lip. "Not a lot, I don't think," she admitted, "At least compared to everything there is to know. I know that the Rod does mind-control- what do you need to know?"
He slumped back in his seat, a frown creasing his brow again. "Marik attacked me with the Rod," he said, and Téa gasped. A hundred awful thoughts flew though her mind before logic caught up with her again.
"But it rebounded onto him," Seto said in a low voice.
Without realizing it, she gripped his hand. He turned to look at her, startled, but his gaze relaxed and he didn't seem to mind.
"I don't know what happened," she said in a low voice. "But… you remember the tablet from the museum? Yami says-"
And then the power went out, and the car slowly ground to a halt.
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Bakura was satisfied with the way things were going so far. His original plan had worked like a charm- Marik took over the Wheeler girl, had her swing open one of the doors, and when the alarm system went off they simply walked in. All the other doors and windows were bolted, but this one hadn't been subject to the system; and none of the rest of the Kaiba's petty security system was any match for the combined magic of three Millennium Items.
Unbeknownst to Marik, while he was floundering around the house, Bakura had headed straight for Kaiba's personal office and placed in a phone call. At this moment, he was sure, the Pharaoh and his Millennium Puzzle were en route to the mansion. Matching Ryou's panicked voice had been a piece of cake. 'Yugi… come quick!' The runt had been so worried about Téa he hadn't had time to question what Ryou was doing in the Kaiba Mansion, and by the time he pulled himself enough to start wondering, Bakura had hung up.
Then he'd uncovered the plans for the Kaiba's security system, including where the three underground passages would emerge. Knowing Kaiba and Gardner would be heading for the forest, Marik had memorized the exit location and taken off.
Finally, as per Marik's instructions, he'd shut off the main power system. Of course, the escape routes were connected to an entirely different power source, but once that was off he was able to break into the tunnel and completely destroy the power network under there. That had been fun, he recalled with a savage grin, remembering how all the torn wires had sparked about.
His plan was fully in motion. With any luck, before the night was out, both the Millennium Puzzle and Rod would be his.
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Yugi sat in the passenger seat, gripping the seatbelt. He was sure Ishizu didn't usually drive like this, and he actually wanted her to be speeding towards the Kaiba mansion- he couldn't get there fast enough- but he couldn't quite push away the thought that they were either going to be arrested or die.
She jerked the wheel, sending the museum van flying up Kaiba's driveway, then abruptly slammed on the breaks just in time to avoid careening into the wrought-iron gates. "Locked," she muttered, jumping out of the door.
Yugi followed her, nearly banging his head on the edge of the car door. His eyes were locked onto the security system, which was going off, sirens sounding crazily into the night. For a split-second, he wondered why no one else was coming. Then he recalled that the last house they passed had been at least a mile down the road, and the police- doubtless the first people the alarms alerted- were under Marik's control.
"Ishizu!" Joey called, flinging open the front door and catching sight of them. "Yugi! We've got major problems here!"
"I know," Yugi said breathlessly, pressing himself close to the bars as Joey sped up. Mokuba and Serenity emerged from the house, hurrying up as well. "Ryou told me."
"R- Ryou?" Joey asked, grinding to a halt uncertainly. "What's he got to do with this?"
"I don't know," Yugi said grimly. "But he told me to come here, so I got Ishizu and we sped all the way over."
"Yeah, well, Kaiba and Téa are gone," Joey said, sweeping a hand through his hair. Mokuba caught up and grabbed onto the bars as well. "They took an underground train and came out- where would they have come out again, Mokuba?"
"They probably wouldn't have gone anywhere public," Mokuba said uncertainly. "They'd probably have gone for the forest."
"Where in the forest?" Yugi asked urgently, adrenaline pumping into his bloodstream.
"I- don't know," he said, looking about two seconds away from tears. "I never bothered to find out, I never thought I'd have to use the escape route, all I know is that it's somewhere in the forest that runs along the beach."
"Which beach, North or South?"
"South," Mokuba answered after a seconds pause. "I think."
Yugi bit his lip hard. "Can you find out exactly where?"
"I might be able to," Mokuba said hesitantly. "The only thing is, it's on the computer, and I'd have to hack into the file, and the power's off anyway."
"Great," Yugi groaned, starting to back off. "Ishizu, let's go."
"Wait for me!" Joey yelped, rattling the bars. "I'm coming as soon as I unlock this damn thing-" He shook it furiously, then his eyes traveled to the top, fifteen feet above his head. He hesitated, then started scaling the wrought-iron.
"Don't, Joey!" Mokuba cried in alarm. "It's electric!"
"I thought the gate was electric!" Joey said, letting go and sliding a few feet down.
"This is the gate," Mokuba pointed out.
"But- the power's off-"
"Separate loop," Mokuba said grimly.
Joey gritted his teeth.
"We can't wait," Yugi said apologetically, ducking back into Ishizu's car. "Come when you can, Joey."
"I'll be right down!" he promised, spinning around and dashing back for the house. Mokuba and Serenity followed. On the other side of the gate, Ishizu's van peeled away, leaving the faint scent of burnt rubber.
"Can I borrow your cell-phone, Ishizu?" Yugi asked breathlessly. She nodded, not taking her eyes off the pavement zipping by. He fumbled around in her bag until he pulled out the black cell. "We're going to need help," he stated, beginning to dial.
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"Okay," Joey said, kicking open the door that led to Seto's personal garage. "I'm going to join up with Yugi and Ishizu. We'll comb the forest until we find them."
"It's twenty miles," Serenity said despairingly.
"Which is why you and Mokuba should stay here and try to find out where the train's exit is," Joey said, hopping into the closest car. Even in this dark hour, he found time to grin: "A red convertible. Cool."
"Keys are in the ignition, the signal for the fence to open is on this flap," Mokuba explained, tapping it.
"He's not too worried about theft, is he?" Joey said, shaking his head.
"Are you kidding? Who could ever make it past security so far?" Mokuba replied, shaking his head. "Or at least, we thought so…"
"Okay," Joey said, revving up the engine.
"Joey," Serenity said quietly. "I don't think you ought to leave me alone with Mokuba."
"Now's not the time to be worried about you guys having sex," Joey said sternly. "I trust you know the situation is way too serious…"
"I meant about the mind-control!" Serenity protested, her face turning red despite herself. "Marik could take over again any minute!"
Joey hesitated. "I think Marik's got other things on his mind," he said finally. "I hope he does, anyway."
"There's nothing we can do," Mokuba said definitely, reaching over and tapping a button on the wall. The garage door started to grind open: "Good luck."
"Call me if you find out anything," Joey called, holding up the cell-phone Téa had left behind. "Anything at all."
"Right," Mokuba shouted, and Joey peeled out of the garage. He zoomed up the driveway, opened the fence when he was still halfway down, and barely slowed before shooting through the narrow opening.
The figure that had been watching him calmly disentangled himself from the bush. The fence had started closing, but he managed to slip through.
"I assume Marik took over some poor fool's mind and got a ride to the forest," Bakura muttered angrily. "But I'd forgotten about this inconvenient mode of transportation. I had better hurry down there, before the Pharaoh ruins all of my plans…"
Headlights shone in the distance. He grinned ferally and stepped into the middle of the road, causing the driver to slam on the breaks. Bakura watched calmly as the car ground to a halt a mere two inches from his abdomen. The driver opened the door, beginning to curse angrily, but Bakura strode over. Pulling out his dagger, now rusted over at the tip with his own blood, he held it to the man's throat. "Out," he growled dangerously.
The man froze, staring at Bakura fearfully, then began to exit the car. However, Bakura's hand abruptly shot out and shoved him back in.
"Mortal fool!" he hissed, as if getting out of the car had been the man's idea. "I cannot drive! You will have to take me!"
He strode around to the passenger side, flung open the door, and stomped in. The man was frozen, too afraid to run away.
"You will bring me to the forest by the South Beach," Bakura commanded. He wouldn't head directly to the train deposit. It wasn't Gardner he was looking for…
It was the Pharaoh.
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"Someone shut off the power," Seto hissed between his teeth.
Téa stared at the door, frightened. What if it had just sealed itself? What if they were stuck in this prison? What if they would be trapped here, helpless, until Marik came for them, his smug footsteps, his grinning face as he slid open the door-
"I think it unlocked itself," Seto said uncertainly, staring at the door. "It would be a safety precaution." He seemed strangely reluctant to try it, but eventually put his hand on the handle. It clicked open easily.
Seto breathed a sigh of relief. "We'll walk," he said, jumping lightly out and reaching back up to help Téa. She accepted his hand wordlessly, but somewhere in the back of her mind she registered that Seto Kaiba would never have done this before this week. "It's not far," he promised gently. "Maybe half a mile away. Maybe less."
"What'll we do once we're there?" she asked, following him along the platform.
He heaved a sigh. "I don't know," he admitted. "I'm living this night one step at a time."
"I can't fault you," Téa murmured. "I'm barely staying alive at all."
It was only after he squeezed her hand reassuringly that she realized he was still clutching it.
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Marik seethed in frustration. As Bakura had predicted, he'd attempted to use the Millennium Rod to snag the first driver that passed by. The car was an old one, driven by a boy younger than he was and with a girl the same age in the passenger seat. Marik had climbed into the back and let them drive on towards the forest, their gazes now blank and fixed ahead.
And then the fools! Why were such young fools out driving?? The boy had skidded off the road, jolting Marik quite badly and banging up the car. Marik had abandoned them at this point and was traveling on foot. He was almost there- another half-mile along the road before he could peel off into the forest.
Unfortunately, from there, it was another three miles into the forest. He gritted his teeth, half-wishing he had his motorcycle with him now. But it wouldn't be much help in the woods anyway…
Damn. He picked up his pace. He wouldn't let Kaiba get away with his prize, his trophy, his Téa.
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"I can't figure out why Marik's so obsessed with Téa," Mokuba said, scrabbling with the control panel. Serenity shivered, and clutched herself. "I mean, she's nice, and she's pretty, but why Téa? Why not some other girl?"
"When Marik was fighting his darker side," Serenity whispered, her flesh breaking out in goosepimples, "He used Téa's mind as a safe haven and her body as a way to fight his evil half. While he was in Téa's mind, he saw some of the happiness she was used to. He saw all the love that was in her heart. And I think he wanted that for himself."
Mokuba's fingers slowed and he stared at her in astonishment. "How do you know that?"
"He took over my mind," Serenity said, tugging on her hair in distress. "He's still in there. And when he- I- looked at Téa, I got the weirdest rush of emotions. I felt all of those things.
"Marik came to see Téa as his," she continued, her eyes welling with frightened tears. "He possessed her mind, and he became obsessed with her. When Yami defeated his darker side, the Millennium Rod's powers were screwed up for a while and the mind-link was broken. But Marik couldn't stop thinking about Téa. And finally he decided to go after her. He took her parents… he brainwashed the police… and he would have just used the Rod to convince Téa to come along with him, except…" she choked. "He's playing with her! And now he's furious because he lost his big opportunity!"
Mokuba broke away from the control panel to nuzzle her cheek. She clutched him desperately for a second, then pushed him away. "You'd better get back to work on that," she sniffled. "We need to get the power on."
"Right," he said, resuming his attention. "Where do you think the guards are?"
Serenity hesitated. Should she tell him about the lightning-quick image she'd had of all that remained of his bodyguards: Not a trace left of them but a couple bullet shells, and a laughing Bakura tucking away his Morphing Jar?
"I don't know," she said quietly. She couldn't bring herself to talk about it.
"Because I could sure use them-" Mokuba started to say, and then the control panel sparked. Serenity gasped; blue sparks flew along with a puffing cloud of gray smoke. Mokuba fell backwards and didn't move.
"Mokuba?" she scrambled to his side. He wasn't breathing! "MOKUBA!"
Desperately, she put her hands to his chest, trying frantically to recall everything she'd learned about in her first aid course. She slammed the heels of her hand right above his heart, trying to get it beating. After a series of three pushes, she switched to mouth-to-mouth resuscitation. 'Come on, Mokuba, you cannot die. I don't know what I'll do. You have to live…'
"For me," she gasped between breaths. "And for your brother!"
Mokuba's body suddenly convulsed, and he choked. She collapsed on her heels, starting to cry with relief.
"Ugggh…" Mokuba groaned, trying to sit up.
"No," she said firmly, tears running down her cheeks. "You almost died, Mokuba Kaiba. You're not moving."
Thankfully, he didn't argue. But after about five minutes of Serenity watching him and clutching his hand, wanting to get help but unable to (the power was out, the guards were unconscious, and Joey'd taken the cell phone), he summoned enough energy to speak.
"I almost died… and we're relatively safe here at home. What do you think will happen to Seto and Téa?"
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"Here," Seto mumbled, pushing open the door and staggering into the cool darkness of the forest.
Téa followed him, exhausted. During the last few minutes of the trek, the true fatigue of the night- no, of the last few weeks, had set in. She couldn't remember feeling so close to dead in her life, and that was saying something considering everything she'd been through.
"We need to rest," Seto said thickly. She mutely nodded in agreement.
"Not in the open," she muttered blearily.
"There."
She cracked her eyes open just enough to follow his finger. He was pointing straight up. She craned her head backwards…
Some of the sleep vanished. "A fire watch-tower?" she asked dubiously.
"It's empty," Seto told her. "They only use it in the summer, when fire risk is high. The train purposely came out close to here," he added. Then he hesitated: "Do you think you're okay enough to try climbing a ladder?" he asked gently.
Téa looked over at the narrow wooden ladder leading up to the watch-tower. She swallowed hard. "Sure," she said, trying to sound forceful.
He glanced at her doubtfully. "I'll go up behind you," he consented. "In case… well." He motioned to the ladder. "Go on."
She trudged over and began to climb. The ladder seemed to go up and up and up and up forever… It was still dark, so at least she didn't have to worry about looking down. The ground was only a vague idea in the blackness, a hint of dark green among black. A breeze ruffled her hair, and she became mutedly aware of how horrible she looked. Dark circles, chalky skin, a rat's nest of hair, bruised skin, sullen features… she couldn't care less at this point.
Finally, she made it onto the wooden floor. It wasn't the most comfortable surface she'd ever been on, and the wood was starting to splinter, but again it was a case of simply not caring. She scooted over a few inches and laid flat on the ground. Seto clambered up the ladder behind her and fell to his knees, breathing heavily.
"I'll… stay awake… keep eye out," he panted.
She was about to fall into a dead sleep. Drawing on her last reservoirs of energy, she reached up and tugged on his arm. "Sleep," she mumbled, drawing him to the ground. He gave in almost immediately, his haggard face turned toward her. His cerulean eyes opened briefly, and that was the last thing Téa saw before she drifted off to sleep.
So, naturally, that was the sight that hovered in her dreams, watching her peacefully, keeping her safe.