(A/N: Part 04 is still being worked on I promise, I just wanted to write this short thing.)

What if Seto went with his second choice and tried killing Tyler instead of Bonks in Part 02?

Seto took a deep breath and mentally prepared himself as he walked over to Tyler's room and knocked on the door. A few seconds passed before the door opened a sliver. Tyler hesitantly peered through the crack before opening the door a little further. "Seto?" he asked, rubbing his eyes and yawning. "What's up?"

Seto did his best to look nervous, which was simple enough since he was already feeling uneasy. He swallowed. "T-Tyler? Can I stay in your room for the night?"

"What? Why?" Tyler asked, bewildered. "Did something happen?"

"I... I was in my room and all of a sudden I heard someone trying to open my door. They kept trying to turn the doorknob! I wanted to answer it, but I was scared that someone was trying to get in to... you know... kill me..." Seto looked around. "I mean, I could probably defend myself with my powers, but just in case... Can I stay in your room for the night? I'm pretty sure no one would think I'd be in here, so-"

"Of course, of course!" Tyler said, moving aside so Seto could enter. He shut the door behind him. "I wonder who would try to get into your room like that, though. At least you were smart enough to ask for help!"

"...Yeah..." Seto mumbled, not moving from the door.

Tyler moved past and sank into the chair. "So, uh, you can sleep on the bed! I'll, er, sleep on this chair or something..."

Seto didn't seem to hear him. His whole expression had blanked out and his entire body was trembling.

Tyler frowned. "Uh, Seto? What's wrong?"

Seto shut his eyes and forced himself to stay calm. "I... I'm sorry Tyler."

Tyler's eyes widened. "What?"

Seto's hands shook as they glowed purple. He removed the hood from his head, something he never did in front of others. It was something he always did to hide the surgical scar on the back of his head. The scar Master Hennessy had left after messing with his brain and altering his soul... But now it didn't matter. He needed as wide a field of vision as possible. "I'm so, so sorry..." he whispered.

Tyler let out a terrified squeak as he shot to his feet but quickly forced a grin. "S-Seto, stop joking around!" he said, laughing hysterically.

Seto stepped forward and Tyler started backing away. "V-Very funny, you're- you're actually making me scared! You can stop now, you got me! Seto?!" Tyler's back collided with the wall and he gulped as Seto continued to approach him, his lips pursed with resolve. "I said you can stop!!!" he cried out. "You're- you're taking this joke too far!"

"I'm so sorry," Seto whispered, a few tears leaking from his eyes. He wiped them away as he stepped closer. "I'm so sorry, but I have to do this..."

At the last second, Tyler tried to run, but Seto reached his hand out and magically lifted him up into the air. Tyler clutched the invisible force around his neck, gagging and writhing desperately as he attempted to free himself. All Seto had to do now was snap his neck, and it would be over...

Suddenly, the magic flickered out from his hands and Tyler collapsed to the floor, wheezing as he gasped raggedly. "Sh- Shit... Why... Why now?" Seto cursed. He knew the reason why, however. He was emotionally compromised, he couldn't concentrate very well, and so his powers were failing him...

Tyler used that opportunity to flee, but Seto was faster. He grabbed him by the shoulders and threw him against the wall. He then wrapped his hands around his neck and strangled him. Tyler choked as he struggled for air, his fingers scrabbling desperately as they tried to pry Seto's hands from his neck, but Seto only tightened his grip further. Tyler's eyes bulged, tears streaming down his face as he stared at Seto in utter disbelief. Seto glared back at him, trying not to feel any remorse. This was for the best...

Tyler's movements weakened significantly before his whole body went limp, his arms dropping limply to his sides. His eyes slid shut as his breathing stopped...

That had taken much less time than Seto had expected. Still, he kept his hands firmly held for a little bit longer before letting Tyler go. He laid Tyler gently on the floor, trying not to look at his bruised neck. Now he needed to make sure no one could trace this murder back to him-

Suddenly, Tyler scrambled to his feet and lunged for the door. Seto shrieked in surprise before tackling Tyler to the ground. "You- How did you-?" Seto asked wildly, easily pinning Tyler down face-first despite his struggles.

"Ngh- I faked it-" Tyler rasped weakly. "P-Please... Seto, don't do this..."

Still pressing his back down with one arm, Seto trembled as he reached into his cloak and pulled out the knife. "I was afraid... my powers wouldn't work..." he whispered, clutching the hilt tightly. "So... I got this knife just in case..."

Tyler coughed and cleared his throat. "This... This isn't like you at all... S-Seto... What's gotten into you...?"

Seto's eyes were filled with tears. "You don't know who I really am!" he yelled, holding the knife in a stabbing position. "I'm a monster!"

"That... That's not true... I know you're not a monster... Let's just talk about this..."

"Nothing you say can change my mind! Nothing!!!"

Tyler turned his face to the side and tried to look at Seto, his tear-filled eyes bloodshot and swollen. "...Did I do something wrong...?" he whispered, heartbroken and lost. "Is... Is this because... of what I did to Jade and Sky...?"

"Shut up! Shut the fuck up! I'm- I'm gonna do it, I'm going to kill you!!!" Seto's grip tightened as he tried to bring the knife down, to plunge the blade deep into his back through the heart. But for some reason, he couldn't do it. His muscles wouldn't listen.

"It's not that hard, Seto. All you have to do is stab him," Seto heard Master Hennessy's voice say.

No...

"STOP CRYING!!! KILL HIM!!! THAT'S AN ORDER!!!"

Seto's grip on the knife began to waver.

"You have to obey! That's what you were meant to do!"

Suddenly Seto thought of MonoWither. "You have to obey! That's what you were meant to do!" the machine repeated in his mind, sneering.

No...

"You've already soiled your hands with the blood of dozens, what's 12 more deaths going to do?"

No...

"End this show... Sacrifice those 'friends' of yours, those friends you don't need..."

No...

"Leave this place and start anew..."

No, I won't!

With a sharp cry, Seto brought the knife down next to Tyler's head, stabbing the carpet. Seto's hand still gripped the hilt, trembling violently. "I- I can't- I won't-" he stammered. "I'm sorry... I'm so sorry, Tyler..."

Tyler suddenly shoved Seto off of him and reached for the knife. Seto's pupils dilated in horror. Without thinking, he fled to the shower room and slammed the door shut. "Wait, Seto!" Tyler shouted, his voice slightly muffled. "Come back! I'm not going to kill you, I promise!"

Seto searched desperately for the lock before his sluggish mind finally remembered that only the girls' shower rooms had locks...

Tyler pushed the door open, sending Seto reeling backward. Seto shied away, his eyes fixated on the knife in Tyler's hands. What a fitting end for him, killed with the same weapon by the very friend he had just tried to kill...

"I... I just want to talk," Tyler said as calmly as possible, although his shaking hands betrayed his fear.

Seto backed up against the wall and sank to the ground next to the toilet, trembling violently as he clutched his head in his hands. "I'm sorry..." Seto whispered as he sobbed regretfully. "I'm sorry I tried to kill you... I didn't mean to..."

"I'm not going to kill you. I just want to talk..." Tyler repeated before placing the knife down on the floor.

Seto shook his head and pressed his back further against the wall, whimpering in shame. How could he have tried to kill Tyler, his friend, and taken advantage of his trust? How could he have succumbed to MonoWither's despair-filled speech?

He slowly registered that Tyler was standing right in front of him, staring down at his crouched figure. "Seto?" Tyler asked, reaching out his hand.

Seto instinctively raised his arms in front of his face. "I'm sorry- I'm sorry- I'm sorry-" he mumbled over and over again as he shut his eyes tightly, paralyzed in fear. His breaths were now choked gasps for air as he realized that although Tyler had said that he wouldn't kill him, he had never said that he wouldn't hurt him. Tyler had every reason in the world to expect some form of punishment for what Seto had done, of course he would...

Seto cringed, waiting for the blow he knew would come. Would he kick him first? Or would he slap him in the face? He had reached out with his arm, so that was likely. Then again, it would be hard to slap Seto with the way his arms were guarding his face. Maybe he wanted to grab his hair and smack his head against the wall? Tyler was in the optimal position for that...

Tyler slowly kneeled down so that they were eye to eye. "Do you need some space...?"

Seto's eyes opened in confusion. What the hell did that question mean?

"Um... I don't know about you, but I know that sometimes when I'm having a panic attack everything's a bit too close..."

Oh, so that was it. Tyler didn't want to hit him while he was panicking. Wait, did that even make sense? He couldn't tell, his mind was a whirlwind of franticness and regret. His heart felt like it was going to pound its way out of his suffocating chest. Why wasn't Tyler doing anything? Was he somehow relishing in his terror and vulnerability and drawing it out? Was Tyler even capable of something that cruel? Some of the people back in the Order had been...

"J-Just- Just get on with it-" Seto forced out, sobbing. "P-Please- I'm sorry-"

"Huh? Get on with what?" Tyler asked in bewilderment.

"Make it quick- Even if it hurts more- please just make it quick-"

"Make what quick? I don't understand."

"Stop making me wait!!! Just hit me now!!!" Seto shrieked, finally mustering the courage to meet his gaze. He wasn't sure what he expected, but to his surprise, he only saw confusion and concern in Tyler's face.

"H-Hit you?!" Tyler stammered. "What are you talking about?!"

"Aren't you-?" Seto trailed off, praying he hadn't planted the idea in Tyler's head.

"Why would I hit you?! You stopped attacking me!"

Seto swallowed shakily, not replying.

"You really thought I was going to hurt you? Why?"

"I- I hurt you..." Seto whispered, barely able to breathe, let alone speak. "So... It's only natural that you'd want to... punish me..."

Tyler shook his head. "No, what good would that do?"

Seto felt his chest ache even more. Poor Tyler was stuck in denial, yes, that had to be it. "D-Don't you realize? I tried to kill you... I hurt you terribly in the process..." he said tearfully, staring at the reddened marks around Tyler's throat. "I don't deserve pity..."

"Can you at least tell me why you tried to kill me?"

"I..." Seto bowed his head, his mind going blank. "I can't... I'm sorry..."

"Why not?"

Seto's face burned with shame as he buried it in his knees, shutting his eyes again.

"Does this have to do with the new motive? But you confessed yours, and I don't think you'd kill someone over that...

"...I... lied..."

"You what?" Tyler was stunned. "But you confessed to something so honest!"

"N-No, that wasn't the lie... The lie was it being my worst secret..."

"So did you lie just as a cover-up? Were you planning on killing me the whole time?"

"...I'm sorry..." Seto briefly wondered how many more tears he could possibly shed. He felt like his throat was about to burst. "I swear... It's not because of anything you did... It's just that... you trusted me, so I thought..." He shuddered. "I'm sorry..."

Tyler went silent. Seto cringed again, curling up even more into a pathetic ball. Maybe this was the moment Tyler would react violently, now that Tyler knew what Seto had done, now that he knew exactly how much he had premeditated this murder attempt. He'd probably start yelling at him too. Maybe he dreaded that more than the retaliation...

Finally, Tyler moved. Seto flinched as Tyler sat down next to him. What was he planning on doing to him? Wasn't he afraid of him?

"What could possibly be that bad?" Tyler asked. "I can't think of any reason why you'd kill someone over a little secret."

"My secret's not little..." Seto muttered sadly.

"Y-Yeah, I guess so," Tyler said, laughing sheepishly. "Yeah, you wouldn't try to kill someone over something stupid like my secret, you're not that kind of person. I guess it's pointless trying to ask you what it is, but I just don't understand why someone like you would choose murder over just letting the secret get revealed... Is it really that bad?"

"You- You don't understand, if you guys find out, you'll all hate me-! Then you'll all abandon me and forget about me and then I'll have no one left and I'll be all alone by myself forever and ever and then- and then- and then-!" In that moment, it felt like a dam had suddenly burst inside Seto as he started to sob hysterically. It felt like all the years of pent-up sadness, anger, self-hatred, and remorse had all finally exploded and he couldn't hold them back anymore.

Tyler slowly wrapped his arm around Seto's shoulders, pulling him closer. Seto braced himself, hyperventilating with terror as he waited for the inevitable strike, but then Tyler gently patted his back and murmured soothingly. "It's okay now, everything's going to be okay..."

Seto couldn't even stop to question why Tyler was doing this, it seemed like all of his tears were being purged from his very soul. He gasped raggedly, leaning against Tyler's chest and burying his face in his jacket to muffle his cries.

Tyler held him even closer. "Yeah, just let it all out... There we go..."

After a few minutes (which felt like hours), Seto's wails died down to soft hiccups. He felt empty inside, hollow.

"Um... Do you feel better now?" Tyler asked hesitantly.

Seto drew in a shaky breath. "...Why... are you being so nice to me? I don't understand... I didn't do anything to deserve this..."

"Well, uh, it would be kinda messed up to just leave you crying like this, you know?" Tyler scratched the back of his neck awkwardly.

"But I tried-"

"-to kill me, yeah, I obviously know that. But you seem really torn up about it and you stopped yourself for a reason."

"Don't you think I'm awful?"

"No, you just have... uh... very poor ways to deal with your anxiety? I don't think you're a bad person, though..."

Seto swallowed. "You won't be saying that when you find out the secret in a few more hours..."

"Uh, I'll be the judge of that. I'm sure it'll be fine!" Tyler said reassuringly, patting his back again.

Seto paused and closed his eyes blissfully, relishing in the momentary comfort of being kindly and warmly embraced again, before finally raising his head and pulling away from Tyler slightly. "Your neck..." he whispered softly, observing the bruises with a pang of remorse.

Tyler gulped and brought his hand to it. "What about it?"

"You really should get that healed... I might have messed something up..." Seto shakily tried to rise to his feet. "I'll go to the infirmary and get a Potion of Healing-"

"No, I'll go get it," Tyler said, standing up. "You said the infirmary? Where's that, the second floor?"

Seto nodded. "You'll need your e-Handbook..."

"All right, I'll get a Potion of Healing," Tyler said, leaving the shower room. However, it was only a few seconds before Tyler returned with a flask in his hand. The flask was filled with a dark-red liquid. "Um, there was one just sitting on the bed..."

Seto stared at it skeptically. "Really?"

"Yeah, it must be MonoWither's doing..."

"Maybe they didn't want you walking out there during Night Time."

"Probably..." Tyler said, pulling off the lid and swirling it experimentally. "Well, saves me some time!" And with that, he brought the flask to his lips and guzzled down the potion.

Seto stood up and stared at himself in the bathroom mirror. God, he looked like a total mess... His eyes widened in realization before he put his hood back on. That had been close!

Tyler sighed as he wiped his mouth with the back of his hand, the flask now empty. "Woah, I can feel it working already..."

Seto turned around and saw to his relief that Tyler's throat was indeed returning to its normal pale color.

"So, uh... What are you going to do now?" Tyler asked tentatively.

"Just wait for the end of Night Time in my room, I guess... What else is there for me to do?" Seto asked in a hollow voice. When Tyler didn't respond, he made his way to the door.

"Will you be okay?" Tyler asked.

"...Do you think so?" Seto replied, turning the doorknob.

Tyler stared down dejectedly. "Well... Whatever happens tomorrow... I hope everything will turn out better than you're expecting."

Seto stopped and stared at him perplexedly. Tyler was becoming more and more of a confusing enigma to him. How could he continue to act like nothing had happened between them? Seto didn't understand at all. He had almost killed him and had hurt him severely. He had taken advantage of his trust. So why was Tyler continuing to support him? Why was Tyler still acting so nice to him? What had he done to deserve this?

...Would he really continue to act this way after learning his secret?

"...Thank you, Tyler," Seto muttered hoarsely, smiling slightly despite everything.

"It's nothing, really..." Tyler replied, laughing awkwardly.

"Thank you, nevertheless..."

Whatever happens tomorrow... I hope you're right...