A/N: Hello everyone! Sorry- didn't want to keep you waiting too long. But, I've got chapter four up and ready to go! Hope you enjoy! And a big warm and chocolatey thank you to The Duelist's Heiress for being Super-Beta!! (Yes- that's her new award)

Warnings: Possible gigiantic cliffhanger. Manipulashipping. And...yeah.

"Let your mind start a journey to a strange new world. Leave all thought of the life you knew before."
-The Phantom from The Phantom of the Opera.

Téa waited for what seemed like an eternity before making any movements or- to the very least- attempting to do so. Marik had long since been gone, left to fix some snag that had appeared in one of his plans. She couldn't begin to convey how grateful she was when that interruption showed up.

She hadn't cried through this whole ordeal. At least, not yet. She was determined not show Marik her fear or her at her weakest. She would prove to him that she wasn't easily subdued. All the same, it was her pride that kept her from breaking down at that very moment. Pride that she was determined to cling to so she would remain even minutely sane and clear-headed.

After about a point where the seconds seemed to tick into endless minutes, Téa shifted- straightening from her fetal position to lift herself up. She then wrapped her arms around her legs, face level with her knees.

Maybe her situation wouldn't seem half as bad if Marik didn't have that frightening ability to take over her mind. Without that small, mystical factor, she at least felt she had some chance against him. Maybe not a very probable chance, but still…

Where was Marik now? How long would he be gone? And what did he plan to do once he got back? Téa shivered at the last question- not wanting to know the answer. She had a pretty good idea of what he had in mind; it wasn't that hard to figure out as much.

Where were Yugi and Mokuba and Seto Kaiba and Joey? Why hadn't they come to rescue her from this place she had come to dread? Why was she still here?

She sighed, unable to come up with answers to any of her questions. So what was she to do now? She didn't know if she could stay here any longer and still keep her sanity. What was this all about anyways; trading cards or just the sadistic whims of a madman?

The room was as dark and cold as ever- the same from the last time she'd remembered being in there with the supposed Namu. But something was different about it this time. And that something seemed to be coming from the door…

Téa turned her head to look and saw the light from outside penetrating the room's darkness. She stared at it in confusion; that seemed to be odd. Why was the light showing through the cracks now when it hadn't before?

Slowly and very cautiously, Téa crawled her way to the door, careful not to make any startling noises as her movements where echoed by the metal room. When Téa had reached the door, she examined the entryway and discovered why light was peeking into the room.

It was still open.

However, only slightly. Just enough to produce a crack large enough to filter yellow light from the hall. Téa gasped in slight disbelief at her luck, quickly covering her mouth with her hand.

Was this her chance of escape? Was this some miracle thrown at her by some merciful force from above? Could it really be happening that she had an opportunity to leave this place? Would Marik be this careless to leave the door open? She checked the knob; it was locked- just not completely shut. Téa was about to eagerly slip through the door before she abruptly stopped herself.

Would Marik really be this careless? It seemed highly unlikely. Even though he was obviously insane, he wasn't stupid. Was he setting up some kind of trap for her, right now? Expecting her to walk out only to end up recapturing her again? Was Marik really that careless?

At that point, Téa had to make a decision. Risk everything and try to escape? Or stay here, without even trying to leave? She weighed her options and decided that escaping was at least worth a try…

As silently as she could, Téa pulled at the door, making the opening wider and easier for her to slip through. When she had safely made it out into the brightly lit hall, she stood up and turned to close the door, hearing the lock click into place. Now if someone were to pass by, suspicions of her escape wouldn't arise. Just yet, at least. They would have to unlock the door and then take a good look inside before figuring out she had left.

She took a deep breath and looked anxiously around the hall. Right or left? Which way was out? Which way should she go? Téa felt her pulse quicken as she realized she was at a standstill. She didn't know where to go; one wrong turn and she'd end up being captured again.

There was a sound, coming from the left. Téa froze, straining her ears. The noise seemed to be people conversing with each other. And the sound helped prompt her decision as she impulsively went right, making her way out of the hall as quickly as possible.

At the end of the hall, she turned and saw the open space of the warehouse spread out before her. It was untidy, extremely cluttered with various boxes and other such items. There was more noise coming at the far end of the room and she instinctively ducked down behind a large pile of these boxes and waited until the room was completely silent before moving once again.

When she stood up after a few minutes, Téa looked around the large room. To her dismay, she could find no door or other means of exit. She sighed before swiftly traversing the length of the room, eager to get out of this place.

She was met with yet another hall, more broader than the last, and interspersed with a variety of other corridors. She hesitated before each one, sweat gathering on her back as she wondered where to go. After a few moments of examination, she took the largest passageway, going left this time. It seemed more inviting.

Téa followed this hall as it intertwined this way and that. She noticed how there were no more hallways that branched off from this one. Upon this realization, she sped up her pace, afraid she might run into one of the Rare Hunters.

However, to her relief, she did not run into any as she finally reached the end of the hall, a large metal door blocking her path. Taking a deep breath, she went up to this door, grasped its latch, and, with one firm heave, managed to wrench it open. She jumped slightly at the loud noise it made, praying with all her might that no one had heard her opening the door.

When she managed to shove the door open enough for her to step through, a wide room revealed itself to her, filled with bright light. Téa blinked away her temporary blindness and gasped at what she saw.

This room must have been adjoined to the ocean for there was a very large motorboat standing imperiously before her. The room was cut directly in half: one part was solid concrete, the other consisted of water. And it was in the water that the boat resided. Across from Téa was a large wall that looked as if it were a garage door for boats to enter and exit.

Forsaking her predicament momentarily, Téa went over to the boat to gaze at it curiously. Why would Marik have a boat here; unless that was how he got in Domino city in the first place? Did that mean he was from overseas? Then why cross oceans just to win a card game tournament in a small, insignificant city?

From the corner of her eye, Téa caught something dark in the bright room. She turned to see a dark purple cloak draped over the railing that separated concrete from the water. With one quick sweeping gaze of the room to confirm that she was really alone, Téa cautiously tread her way over to the cloak.

It was just like any other cloak the Rare Hunters wore. So why would they just leave it lying around? And then, an idea came to Téa's mind. She could use the cloak to disguise herself as a Rare Hunter so she could escape without detection. She picked up the dark-colored cloth from its spot and, as she did so, something drifted to the floor. Téa looked down, seeing something white. Paper?

She bent down to pick it up and saw that it wasn't just paper, it was a photograph. The photograph was faded slightly, hinting at its age. And the simple picture depicted three young people.

One was female, with dark hair and piercing blue eyes. The same color of Kaiba's. Her clothing was that of a long, cream-colored dress robe. And gold jewelry was displayed around her neck, on her ears, around her head… She seemed the oldest of the three, the one that held the solemn, most mature smile.

And then, Téa remembered the woman from the museum that she persuaded Yami to see. The one that warned them all of this. Ishizu Ishtar was her name. But why…?

And then it hit Téa: Ishizu had said that Marik was her brother!

Téa looked at the other two. One was only slightly younger than Ishizu, bald, and had a face marred by hieroglyphic tattoos. But the third person…

Unmistakably, it was Marik. Though granted, he was a lot younger when the picture was taken. He just looked like a small boy. But his platinum blond hair, sharp lavender eyes, and tanned skin did nothing to disguise the appearance of Marik Ishtar.

But there was something…different.

In this picture, Marik looked a lot different than he did now. Not just because of physical appearance changing over time. Rather it seemed as if the innocence in his eyes had turned malicious, the carefree smile of a boy hardened into a mocking replica of true happiness. And Téa found herself smiling at the picture and- beyond all rational belief- felt sorry for Marik. If he had been this happy at some point in his life, then something had to have happened to make him into the person he was now. Téa even thought she could understand Ishizu's motives for wanting to save her brother.

Poor Marik, Téa could only think. I wonder if…

Téa's thoughts trailed off momentarily but then she shook herself into awareness. What was she thinking, pitying Marik? Marik was a bad person and didn't deserve her pity. Whatever happened to him was his problem, and his alone. Just because she saw a picture of him when he was younger didn't justify everything he did.

Téa sighed, unable to convince herself that Marik was entirely a bad person. If Ishizu still had faith in him, then… What if…

She had to be careful. Her mind was journeying to strange thoughts. She couldn't forget everything he did just because-

"And what do we have here?" asked a cold voice from behind her. "Snooping around, are we?" Téa jumped, turned around, and found herself facing the one she had just moments before pitied.

Yes, I ended it on one of those pivotal character reaction moments. So sorry. But notice how the characters are progressing... Again, thank you to The Duelist's Heiress for being a wonderful Beta.

Please review- don't let TDH's hard work go to waste!

-Nuit Songeur