(A/N: The next official chapter's been giving me some trouble, so I dusted off this old AU I started a long, long time ago and finished it. Basically, it's an AU of Part 04 where Seto and Tyler manage to escape during Hope Organization's rescue attempt. It's a very long two-parter and I hope you guys like it.)

They clutched each other's hands as they kept running towards the portal.

Tyler suddenly started to cough and covered his mouth, staggering forward. "Gas-! It's a gas bomb-!"

Seto smelled the familiar, sweet scent and also started to cough. "Shit-! Keep going-! It's not much farther!"

They could hear the clambering of MonoMonsters behind them, chasing them down. Tyler's knees buckled as his legs gave way. "Go- Go on without me-!" Tyler choked out. "I'll only slow you down-!"

"NO!" Seto replied through his coughs as he continued dragging Tyler with him. "I... I'm not leaving you... I'm not leaving you behind... I'm not..."

The portal was just a few feet away when another explosion shook the ground, knocking them both down face first.

"Tyler?!" Seto asked desperately. "Are you- Are you okay?!"

"S... Se... to..." Tyler mumbled, his eyes half-lidded. "I'm... so... rry..." His body struggled for a few more moments to stay awake before going limp.

The exploding sounds in the background were a distant fuzz. Seto clenched his jaw with determination as he continued holding onto Tyler with his left hand, despite his quivering muscles. He fought the overwhelming urge to succumb to unconsciousness. He could barely breathe, but he had to keep moving...

Still lying on the ground, Seto fought for control of his other arm as he struggled to raise it and reach forward. The swirling purple particles in front of him danced in his whirling vision, almost beckoning him. He was so close... So tantalizingly close... They could make it... He could save at least one person...

His fingertips were only a few inches away when all of a sudden...

...

...

...Someone was grabbing him by the shoulders and pulling him forward. He opened his eyes, which he hadn't realized had closed, but all he could see with his blurred vision was the purple glow of the Nether Portal.

"WE GOT THEM, SHUT IT DOWN!!!" someone yelled in the distance.

As he tried to fight his overwhelming drowsiness and focus on what was going on, he realized that he wasn't holding onto Tyler anymore. "Tyler-!" Seto choked out as he struggled against whoever was holding onto him. "Tyler-! Where are you-"

"Calm down!" the black-suited stranger shouted. "We got him, okay? He's over there!"

Seto blinked rapidly as he tried to stop his head from spinning. He dimly saw Tyler being placed on a stretcher, surrounded by various people. These people... They were part of Hope Organization, weren't they? So that meant...

"SHUT IT DOWN!!!" someone demanded, startling Seto from his thoughts.

Shut what down? Seto glanced at the Nether Portal, his mind slowly connecting the pieces, before shrieking in horror. "WAIT! DON'T CLOSE IT, ANNIE'S STILL OUT THERE!!!" He tried to get on his feet, but his muscles barely responded before he collapsed on all fours.

"We can't risk it!"

Seto turned his head and saw Tristan, who looked so weary and haggard in the harsh purple light.

"I'm sorry Seto, but those robots have been trying to enter the portal too. It's taking everything we have to keep them out. We've lost so many people already-"

"No-!" Seto gasped, trying his hardest to get up. "We can't leave Annie behind-!" He strained desperately, pushing his body up with shaking arms, before crumpling to the floor again with a pained grunt.

Suddenly, they heard someone screaming. Seto looked up and saw Annie halfway through the portal, clinging desperately to one of the obsidian sides as though something was pulling her from behind. "HELP ME!!!" Annie shrieked, her green eyes wide in pure desperation.

But before anyone could even react, her fingers slipped as she was pulled back and disappeared from view.

Half a second later, the purple light vanished as the portal closed.

Seto didn't remember making any conscious decision. One moment he was on the floor, the next he was lunging frantically for the empty portal, screaming Annie's name and fighting against all the people holding him back. Then there was a jabbing pain in his neck and everything went dark.

~~~

Seto opened his eyes with a start.

Annie-!

He tried to sit up, but something was wrapped around his body, stopping him. He raised his head and saw leather restraints tying him down to the bed he was lying on.

The bastards-!

He violently thrashed about, ignoring how much the straps dug into his flesh, when someone called out his name and rushed to his side.

"Seto, stop it!" the person shouted as they placed their hands on his chest and pushed him back down. "It's okay, everything's okay, I promise..."

The familiar voice made Seto stop and look up in a panic.

"...Tyler...?" Seto asked, his voice a wispy croak.

Tyler smiled bitterly. "Hey."

He looked exhausted and his hair was a mess, but otherwise, he seemed fine.

Seto looked around. He seemed to be in an infirmary, but it wasn't the same infirmary as the one in the filming area. Gradually, everything started to come back to him.

Seto tried to clear his throat. "Did we...?"

Tyler lowered his gaze. "Yeah. We escaped," he replied in a hollow voice.

"...And... the others...?"

Tyler didn't respond. Seto realized that he was blinking away tears, and his heart sank. That was the only response he needed. He laid his head back on the pillow and stared up at the ceiling.

He'd saved Tyler at least, right? But his last memory of Annie lingered, haunting him. This wasn't right. If he'd done things differently, maybe Annie would be here instead of himself. Maybe he could have saved her instead of saving himself. Where had the Puppetmaster taken the others? Would they be okay? He didn't want to imagine the worst.

Much to his guilt, another part of him couldn't help but feel relief that he had escaped the hellhole that was the killing game. Was this reality? Was he actually free? He was scared that he would wake up and find himself back in the show...

He didn't know what to feel.

Tyler let go of him and started to leave. Seto objected and reached for his hand without thinking. Tyler froze in surprise before giving him a comforting squeeze, sensing his panic. "Don't worry, I'm just going to tell them you're awake and to let you out of these."

Seto swallowed, embarrassed, and nodded before letting go of him.

"Oh, and..." Tyler glanced at him, smiling slightly. "...Thank you for saving me. I don't know how I can ever pay you back, but I'll try."

Seto didn't know how to respond to that.

"I'll come back, I promise," Tyler said. He had said that with complete honesty...

But Hope Organization had other plans...

~~~

"What do you mean we're not allowed to see each other?!" Seto demanded.

Tristan sighed. "I'm sorry, Seto"--Seto was getting pretty damn tired of hearing him say that--"but it's just a security precaution."

"What?!"

"Basically, you could be spies," Tristan's right-hand man, Joey, explained. "I'm sorry to say it, but you could be the spies the Puppetmaster mentioned."

Seto was so stunned, he couldn't help but laugh. "We just risked our lives escaping them, and you're telling me you think we're working for them?!"

"We're just being cautious here," Joey replied sympathetically. "We can't take any risks at this point."

Seto shook his head and sat down on his bed. This small motel-like room they'd just given him now seemed like a prison cell. He chose his next words carefully. "I understand why you suspect me, but Tyler is not a spy."

"We'll be the judge of that," a third man muttered.

Seto glared at him, making the man flinch.

Tristan gave him a warning glance before looking back at Seto. "You can still talk during mealtimes," he offered. "Plus, we're hoping this will just be a temporary thing until we can figure out who the spies are. We've been doing as much research on you guys as possible. Just work with us here."

Seto supposed he had no right to protest. They were protecting him right now. "Fine. But why won't you tell us what's going on outside? How does us possibly being spies relate to that?"

"...There's a lot you can't understand right now," Tristan said. "We're trying not to let the Puppetmaster know what information we have. But believe me, we're doing this to protect you. In the meantime, you'll live here and we'll take care of you both. Anything else you want to ask?"

"You said the Puppetmaster was broadcasting the show to you guys, right?"

"Yes."

"Can I watch it too?"

"Absolutely not," the man who had originally been cold to him said. "If you are a spy, the Puppetmaster could try to communicate with you through the broadcast."

"Excuse me?!" Seto thundered before reigning himself back in. This man was really starting to piss him off, though. "We're the ones who got kidnapped and put in that shitty game and you're treating us like we're already proven guilty. I need to know what happens to my friends!"

To his surprise, Tristan nodded. "He has a right to watch it."

"Tristan-!"

"It's my call as leader." Tristan turned back to Seto. "We will be monitoring you, but you will be allowed to watch the broadcast if it comes back on."

"...Comes back on?"

Joey cleared his throat. "After our rescue attempt, the Puppetmaster cut the feed."

Seto's heart pounded as he tried to figure out what this meant. "Oh. I- I see."

Joey's face softened. "The Puppetmaster is just trying to get their bearings again. I'm sure your friends are fine, well... As fine as they can be. Rest assured, we will do our best to get them out as well."

Seto merely nodded.

"If that is all, then we'll leave you to it. If you need anything, press that button on the wall," Tristan said. "Tomorrow someone will take you to the cafeteria for brunch. Oh, and we need you for an important meeting tomorrow at 1 PM. Get your rest." Seto couldn't even muster up a goodbye or thank you as the three men left.

He just hoped everyone was okay...

~~~

"Seto!"

Seto's head perked up at the voice. He turned to see Tyler rushing over to him, a tray of food in his hands. "I'm so sorry I didn't come back to see you, I wanted to but for some reason they wouldn't let me in and then they took me to my room and all they would tell me was that you were okay and- and-" Tyler gasped for breath as he plopped down next to him. "Sorry, I'm running my mouth off. Are you okay?"

Seto couldn't help but smile a little at him. "Yeah, I'm fine."

"Good!" Tyler grinned back at him before turning back to his food. "Oh boy, I'm starving..."

Seto was very relieved to have Tyler with him. The cafeteria was bustling with people, all members of Hope Organization, and he wasn't used to it. Though they tried to hide it, they were all talking about them, judging by the sneaky glances and occasional points in their direction. Plus, he was pretty sure those security guards were watching them a little too closely...

"Oi, your food's gonna get cold!" Tyler said as he poked him on the shoulder.

"Oh, right." Seto resumed eating his meal, which was a few bland cuts of ham with gravy and assorted vegetables on the side. Didn't taste like much, but it was better than nothing.

"Did you sleep well last night?" Tyler asked.

Seto shook his head.

"Me neither..." Tyler replied softly, his enthusiastic tone fading.

Seto snuck a glance. As suspected, Tyler's cheerfulness had been mostly forced; he still looked exhausted and weary. He too was probably unable to sleep in such a different place. Plus, the fate of their friends remained unclear...

"...I'm just glad I'm with you, you know?" Tyler said. "At least I'm not alone in this place..."

Seto looked away. "Yeah. I agree."

"You do?"

"...You're... the only other person here who could understand how I'm feeling..." Seto laughed bitterly. "I appreciate them for saving us, but Hope Organization doesn't get what it's like. Not like we do."

Tyler smiled in relief. "Yeah, that's exactly it." Then his smile waned. "But they won't let us talk outside of mealtimes. And even now, there's no privacy. I mean, I get that we could be spies, but I was kind of hoping that I would stop being monitored after I got out of the killing game, you know?"

"...Hopefully they realize we're not spies soon."

"Hopefully..."

They ate in comfortable silence for a while.

"I wonder what the meeting's about," Seto mumbled.

"Huh? Meeting? What meeting?"

Seto stared at him. "You're not part of it?"

"This is the first I've heard of it! I mean, I was told I'd have a health check-up after lunch, but..."

"I don't think Tristan was talking about that. He told me that they needed me for an important meeting at 1."

"Hmm." Tyler dug his fork in and pursed his lips. "Well, I'm sure it's nothing to worry about. They probably just want to ask some questions, right? To make sure we aren't spies."

"I hope so..." Seto muttered, trying not to show his nervousness. What did Tristan want with him? Why had he specified that it was "important"? Why was Tyler not included? Why was it just him, he wasn't... special...

Seto's eyes widened in horror as he dropped his fork, which clattered on the plate.

Oh. Of course. How could I forget? They've been doing their research on us, haven't they? That must mean they probably know about him...

"Seto?" Tyler asked, concerned.

Seto couldn't respond. Instead, his whole body started to shake in pure anxiety and dread.

I should've realized sooner. Of course this would happen.

"H-Hey, what happened? Your face looks really pale." Tyler reached for Seto's glass and placed it in his shaking hands. "Here, drink some water. Do you feel sick?"

Seto followed the order without thinking, but his mind was still racing. He tried to collect himself by breathing deeply, but he still couldn't stop trembling. It was all he could do to fight back the tears that threatened to reveal themselves.

They must know about Slotty... That's what the meeting must be about... And if that's the case, then... there must be consequences waiting for me...

He didn't realize he'd broken out into a cold sweat until Tyler took the glass from him before it could slip through his fingers. "What do you need me to do? Do you want me to give you some space?" Tyler asked in a hushed voice.

No!

Seto reached for Tyler's wrist without thinking and clutched it tightly. He needed Tyler to stay with him, even if it was just for a little while longer, even if it was a selfish request...

"Everything's fine!" Tyler called out to someone behind him (probably one of the guards had approached to see what was going on) before lowering his voice again. "Don't worry, I'm right here. We're going to get through this together. I promise." Tyler gently covered Seto's hand with his own and squeezed it.

Together... The word made Seto want to break down into sobs. Tyler didn't understand. He couldn't. He had no idea how empty all his promises were.

I'm probably never going to see you again... They'll never let me see the light of day again... Not after knowing how dangerous Slotty is...

But as empty as they were, as Seto focused on Tyler's soft words of comfort and the way Tyler was holding his hand grounded him, he gradually calmed down. His body shook a lot less and he wasn't gasping for breath anymore.

"There, that's it," Tyler murmured. "Do you feel better?"

Seto nodded. Unfortunately, his situation remained the same, but... he had to accept his fate. This was only fair. Karma had finally come for him as he'd predicted it would for all these years...

"...Tyler?" Seto asked quietly, turning his body to face him.

"Yeah?"

Seto hesitated before letting go of Tyler's wrist. Then he leaned forward, wrapped his arms around Tyler, and hugged him.

"O-Oh-!" Tyler yelped before hugging Seto back and patting him gently. "Hugs! Hugs are good. I'm glad you like hugs."

Seto blinked back tears as he rested his head on Tyler's shoulder and closed his eyes, trying to drink in the comforting feeling of Tyler's warm embrace. He couldn't remember the last time someone had hugged him. (It was probably Sky, before everything went horribly wrong.) "Thank you for everything," Seto said softly.

At least he finally said it.

"Huh? I mean, um... I didn't really do anything? But I'm glad you thought I was helpful..."

Seto didn't think he could say anything more without bursting into tears, so he just held Tyler tighter, trying not to think about how he only had a few minutes left...

~~~

"Thank you for joining us today," Tristan said as Seto entered the conference room. Understandably, Seto had been escorted by armed guards.

Joey smiled at him. "Take a seat."

Seto hesitated before sitting down at the lone chair on his side of the table. A dozen or so people, including Tristan and Joey, were sitting opposite of him, watching him like a jury in a trial. The guards stayed behind him.

"We just want to ask you some questions," Tristan said. "Please be honest. You'll get no favors from hiding the truth."

Seto nodded mutely.

Tristan looked down at his paper. "...What exactly is your relationship with the Order of the Ender Dragon?"

The blood drained from Seto's face. So he'd been right. This was what the meeting was about.

Tyler, I'm sorry...

Seto realized that they were all watching him carefully. He forced himself to quell his panic. This was what he'd expected, after all. Hope Organization was right to do this. "...I assume you know about Slotty, then," he replied in a hollow voice.

Murmurs broke out as the members wrote on their notepads. Tristan stared at him. "...Yes. I take it you're going to cooperate with us? We need all the information we can get to stop the Puppetmaster and save the rest of your friends."

Seto nodded. "Of course."

"Good. This makes things easier, then." Tristan put his paper away. "I know this is an intrusive thing to ask, but could you tell us everything you know about the Order and what you did with them?"

Seto didn't respond. Tendrils of panic snaked their way around his gut again. He had not spoken to a soul about it ever since he left, and now these complete strangers wanted to know. He'd probably break down in front of them, and he didn't want that.

"It's... been about a decade," Seto finally mumbled. "I'm not sure how much I can remember in detail."

"So you haven't had recent contact with the Order?"

"No, of course not. I'm sure they'd kill me if they knew where I was."

"What makes you so sure of that?"

Seto stared at them. "You don't know?"

"We'd like to hear it from you."

"I mean, I..." Seto gulped as he tried to think despite how lightheaded he felt. "They poisoned my food because they wanted to get rid of me, and I... he, I mean, Slotty wasn't happy about that and freaked out and..."

Seto trailed off again as he averted his gaze and stared down at the table.

"Take your time," one of the members said.

"...He killed everyone in the facility," Seto finally choked out. "Everyone. So when I got back in control, I ran away."

"And how old were you?" Tristan asked.

"Th-Thirteen, I think."

"And that was the last time you interacted with the Order."

"...Yeah. Basically."

"So there's nothing you can say about the Puppetmaster and their involvement with the Order."

"No. They must have been involved in a different facility or joined after I left." Seto blinked. "They did mention something strange, though. I asked them if they were a member and they laughed at me and said they couldn't be a part of something that doesn't exist anymore. But... could they really mean that the Order is gone? I can't really believe that..."

Seto mustered up the courage to look up at everyone. Strangely enough, no one looked surprised.

"As we figured," Tristan muttered to the rest of the group.

Seto's eyes widened. "What do you mean?!"

"Sorry, but that's classified," Tristan replied. "Thank you for telling us that, however. Lastly, about Slotty..."

Seto tensed up as he braced himself.

"It is our knowledge that he can only be summoned if you are electrocuted. Is that true?"

Seto tried to speak despite how dry his throat was. "...Yes. Mostly. The electrocution has to be a specific voltage and current, though."

"And he hasn't appeared since you left the Order?"

"No. I mean..." Seto hesitated. Would he gain anything from lying? If they caught him, it would probably make things worse. "...There was one time. I was maybe 15 or so. Someone threw a weapon at me and he appeared to stop it. But that's all he did."

"Someone was throwing weapons at you?"

"Um... I was in a Hunger Games training center. Someone challenged me to a fight but didn't like that he lost."

"Hmm. And he only appeared to stop it?"

Seto nodded. "But otherwise, he hasn't appeared."

"And you're telling the truth?"

Seto forced himself to meet Tristan's gaze. "Of course."

Tristan stared at him before asking, "And finally, what was Slotty made for?"

Seto looked back down at the table. "Don't you know already?"

"We'd like to hear your perspective on it, if you don't mind."

He did mind. He minded a lot. But he had no choice...

"...He did whatever the Order asked of him. His master--my uncle--he wanted the perfect servant..." Seto faltered again. "Slotty did so many awful things. He... tortured people a lot... and he also..."

Seto blinked rapidly.

"...He killed so many people. He gladly did everything with no remorse."

There was a heavy silence.

"Thank you very much for telling us this," Tristan said finally. "I understand this was hard for you, but this was helpful to us. I'll have the guards escort you back to your room."

"My room?" Seto asked, bewildered.

Tristan frowned. "Er, yes?"

"You're not...?" Seto trailed off.

"Is there a problem with that?" Joey asked.

"No, no, it's just..." Seto looked around at all the members, who were staring at him in confusion. "I thought this meeting was about Slotty."

"And we talked about him, didn't we?" Tristan said.

"I know, but..." Seto balled his hands into fists before releasing a long, anxious breath. "Aren't you going to lock me up?" he whispered.

"...What?" Tristan asked.

"I'm- I'm a criminal-!" Seto stammered without thinking.

What are you doing? They were going to let you go! Stop before they change their minds!

But for some reason, Seto couldn't stop.

"I was part of a criminal organization- I hurt people- I killed people! So many innocent lives are gone because of me and you want to know why I kept it a secret for so long? You want to know why I almost killed Bonks to keep it that way?! It's because I was a coward and knew that if I ever got caught they'd throw me in prison or worse!!!" Seto gasped for breath as tears streamed down his face. "Well- Well now the secret's out! Now you know what I've done cuz I confessed everything! Aren't you going to punish me like I deserve?! I'm a danger to Hope Organization just being here! I'm a horrible murderer!!!"

He choked up and buried his face in his arms before sobbing uncontrollably. He knew how pathetic he looked, but he couldn't stop.

"Seto..." Joey murmured.

Seto flinched as someone patted him on the shoulder. He looked up and saw through his tears the blurred image of Tristan leaning forward.

"We're not here to punish you," Tristan murmured. "We're here to help you. If you really were a danger, Slotty would've shown up after you left the Order and done more damage, right?"

Seto nodded mutely.

"Then that's all there is to it. We're not here to judge you for what happened in the past. I mean, you were just a kid. You weren't doing anything intentionally. None of it was your fault."

None of it was your fault.

Hearing those words for the first time... Seto couldn't describe the feeling. Was it relief? Was it euphoria? Was it freedom? Whatever it was, it made him cry a little harder.

Later, the happiness would fade as the grim reality of the situation would set back in. But for now, he reveled in the feeling of a huge burden being lifted off his shoulders.

~~~

The rest of the day went by uneventfully. To pass the time, Seto had been given a number of books to read. Seto was also offered some movies, but he declined so he could keep the TV on the same channel. However, the Puppetmaster's broadcast remained on standby.

That night though, Seto found himself waking up abruptly after a few fitful hours of sleep. He blinked as he tried to figure out why he'd woken up like that. That's when he realized there was a dim light illuminating the room.

He sat up and saw that there was something on the TV screen. It took a few seconds for him to process that the Puppetmaster's broadcast was displaying something new.

His eyes widened in horror.

THE SHOW MUST GO ON!

DESPAIR CONTINUES IN: 3 DAYS, 4 HRS, 45 MIN, 23 SEC...

The countdown had finally begun.

~~~

Tyler practically wouldn't shut up that morning. He talked on and on about the most random and inane things that happened the day before, like what the doctor had said during his health check-up and how warm the showers here were. It unnerved Seto a little to see him so talkative at a time like this, but the countdown must have understandably struck a nerve.

Still, Seto wished Tyler would just be honest about how he was feeling. He thought about reminding Tyler what he'd told him after Sky's death, but he didn't want to be cold-hearted...

"So there was a spider in my room yesterday and I screamed and threw my shoe at it but I missed and it disappeared and now I don't want to sleep there anymore-"

"Tyler."

"Yeah?"

"...Your food's going to get cold." This is ironic.

"Oh! Right. Thanks." Tyler took one bite of his meal before continuing. "By the way, they gave me movies to watch yesterday. Did they give you some too?"

"Yeah, but I didn't want to watch them."

"Why not?"

"...I'm not a movie person," Seto half-lied.

"Ah, makes sense. Still, we should watch some together. That would be fun-"

"We're not allowed to visit each other's rooms, remember?" Seto asked without thinking.

Tyler blinked and his enthusiasm faded. "Oh... Right..."

Oh, great. He'd ruined the mood.

"...So..." Seto hesitated. What was he supposed to do? Should he take this opportunity to ask Tyler about his true feelings? Would that be too intrusive? He looked at Tyler, who was barely keeping it together.

His chest hurt at the sight.

"...What movies did you watch?"

Tyler's face brightened again. "Well, they wouldn't let me have anything too heavy, so it was mostly Disney stuff..."

~~~

Perhaps to take their mind off of the countdown, Tristan arranged for them to start taking "relaxation sessions". Seto didn't know what to expect when he entered the room, but he saw several members all sitting in a circle on the ground. (It was a little odd, seeing them in regular clothes instead of suits.)

To his surprise, Tyler was there, but there were no open spots near him and Seto felt too awkward to ask people to move. He sat down and waited for the session to start.

"Today, we are going to practice meditation," The session leader said. "It will help clear your mind and calm your spirit."

Meditation? Seto had tried it a few times in the past, but he hadn't thought to do it recently. Perhaps he should've.

At her behest, everyone sat cross-legged with their backs straight. The more seasoned people like the leader did a lotus position with their feet on their thighs.

"Now, there's many ways to do it. An easy way for beginners is to find a spot on the ground and stare at it. Breathe normally and throw away any thought that is unrelated to that spot. By focusing on one thing, it is easier to clear the mind of cluttered thoughts. We will do this for five minutes."

Seto did as she said. He focused on one spot on the ground, dismissing any random thought that intruded his mind. At first, it was difficult. His mind couldn't stop wandering. If he wasn't thinking about what was going to happen to his friends, he was succumbing to his paranoid instincts telling him to scan the room and observe every single detail. That, or he was being annoyed by the random aches and pains he felt. But as he kept forcing his mind to focus on one particular spot, the intrusive thoughts became less and less.

He was starting to feel relaxed for once when the session leader muttered, "Is he asleep? Could someone wake him up?"

Seto looked up and saw Tyler hunched over, his eyes closed. Someone nudged him and he jolted awake with a yell.

"Falling asleep while meditating is common, but not what meditation is for. You must be very tired," the session leader said sympathetically.

"Huh? Oh, it's fine. Sorry." Tyler rubbed his eyes and yawned. "Think I must've cleared my mind too well, huh?"

The leader's lips curled in amusement. "Physically you may be relaxed, but there must be a lot on your mind. That's why your brain is falling asleep rather than staying alert."

"Ah..." Tyler chuckled awkwardly. "Sorry. I'll try not to fall asleep this time."

"Don't worry if it doesn't work the first time," the session leader said to everyone. "Meditation requires practice and training. Sit up straight, maybe focus on the wall instead of the floor."

Seto resumed his meditation, but it wasn't long before he was roused from his focused state.

Once again, Tyler was slumped over.

"Poor thing," the session leader murmured sympathetically.

"...Can't we just let him sleep?" Seto asked, his voice slightly desperate.

She glanced at him before turning back to Tyler. "Yes, I think that would be best..."

~~~

Later that evening, Tyler rushed into the cafeteria.

"Why didn't you wake me up?" Tyler asked, sitting down next to him at the table.

"You needed the rest," Seto replied.

"Not in front of everyone!"

"You needed the rest."

"Not really-!"

Seto glared at him. "Tyler."

Tyler blushed and stared back down at his food. "It's just embarrassing..."

"There's nothing embarrassing about catching up on sleep."

"It is when you do it in front of everybody after you just said you wouldn't."

"...Well it seemed to help you fall asleep, so maybe you should try it tonight."

"...Maybe..."

~~~

THE SHOW MUST GO ON!

DESPAIR CONTINUES IN: 2 DAYS...

~~~

The next morning, Tyler looked like hell. No matter how cheerfully he greeted Seto at the dining hall, it was painfully obvious how much he was suffering inside. The bags under his red-rimmed eyes were darker now and he was poking at his food without much thought.

"They finally called me into a meeting! Finally, someone sees me as important." Tyler said before forcing a laugh. "Hopefully I don't screw myself over and make myself sound like a spy when I'm not."

Seto frowned. "Mmhmm."

Tyler looked at him with concern. "...You alright?"

"I should be the one asking you that."

"Yeah, I'm fine. Just tired."

"Because you didn't sleep much last night, right?"

"I'm just getting used to a new sleeping environment, that's all!"

"That's not the full reason and you know it. Did the meditation not work?"

"So what if it didn't this time?! Besides, you look tired too!"

"At least I'm not pretending that I'm not! I'm not the one saying I'm fine when it's obviously not true!"

"I am fine, I swear!"

"Stop saying that!"

"What else do you want me to say?"

"I don't know!" Seto snapped before sighing harshly. "I'm just- I'm just not in the mood for this, okay?!"

"...Sorry," Tyler mumbled, drawing into himself.

Seto bit his lip. What was wrong with him? He'd made Tyler feel even worse...

"No, I'm sorry. I shouldn't have snapped at you like that."

"It's okay." Tyler forced a weak smile, but his hands were shaking. "I'm being weird as usual, I get it."

"Tyler, don't-"

"I'm gonna go. I'm not hungry anyway." Tyler stood up and turned to leave. Seto reached for his arm, but Tyler wrenched it away and walked out of the cafeteria.

No!

He wanted to shout for him, but he suddenly became aware of everyone staring at him.

He looked down at his lap and put his fist over his mouth, nervously pressing his lips against his knuckles. This... was just a minor thing. He'd made Tyler mad, but his anger wouldn't last, would it? Tyler just needed some time. When they met up again at dinnertime, Seto would apologize properly. Hopefully Tyler would be feeling better by then...

~~~

This was all he could think about for the rest of the day. That, and the countdown that was getting closer and closer to the end.

"Hey, are you listening?"

Seto blinked as he tried to recall what was going on. He saw Tristan staring at him. Oh, right. The meeting. They were asking him stuff about the killing game.

"Sorry, I didn't hear your question."

If Tristan was exasperated, he didn't show it. "During the blackout, the broadcast showed you outside of your room for some reason. Can you tell us what you were doing?"

Seto's blood ran cold. "Oh, um..."

He didn't want to think about it. He didn't want them to know. But of course, it looked suspicious to any outsider. Even his own friends thought it was dubious at best. He had no choice but to tell them.

"...I... I don't know if you'd believe me."

"Well, the truth is the truth."

Seto nodded. "I was, um... trying to maybe..." His voice sank to a low whisper.

"Sorry?"

Seto's face went red as everyone kept staring at him. Did he really have to say it to everyone?

"...Kill myself."

Tristan, to his credit, had the decency to look surprised. "Oh, I'm... sorry."

"It's fine," Seto mumbled. "I changed my mind, obviously. But yes, that's why I was there."

"I see. I'm glad you changed your mind."

Seto stared down at his lap. For once, he agreed. If he hadn't changed his mind, Tyler would've been captured during the escape.

"And finally..." Tristan gave him a careful look. "You are positive that Slotty cannot take control by himself for significant periods of time?"

Seto nodded. "Of course. If he did, I would remember it."

"And you're sure you would remember it?"

Seto hesitated for a moment. "I don't... I don't recall any gaps in my memory, so I'm sure. Besides, if he was able to take control like that, my uncle wouldn't have tried to get rid of him."

Tristan seemed satisfied with this response. "All right. Looks like we're done here."

"...Have you figured out if we're spies or not?" Seto asked.

Tristan's face was suddenly neutral. "I would like to think you aren't," was all he said.

~~~

Seto could barely eat dinner. He kept waiting and waiting for Tyler to show up, but he never did.

Joey finally took pity on him and told him that Tyler had requested to eat in his room.

Was he avoiding Seto? Seto couldn't help but feel like this was because of their argument this morning. It had to be. The timing was too perfect.

I fucked it all up. I made him feel even worse. I should've been more understanding. Instead, I made him so uncomfortable that he doesn't even want to see me anymore.

Unable to stand how alone he felt, Seto got up and left, leaving most of his plate untouched.

~~~

The dim light of the TV screen was all that illuminated his room. No matter how anxious it made him feel, Seto couldn't bring himself to turn off the broadcast. He was so paranoid that something would change or that the Puppetmaster would start the broadcast earlier, making him miss something important.

Seto glanced at the clock. It was about 2:15 am. The morning of the day after, the broadcast would resume. And then he could finally see what was happening to his friends.

He sighed and threw his head back on the pillow. His eyes ached with how exhausted he was, but he couldn't stop thinking...

Just when he was considering some meditation, he heard a knock on his door. He thought about just ignoring it, but the knocks kept going.

"Seto?" Joey asked, his voice muffled.

What did they need him for at this hour? It had to be important. Seto got up, slipped on his cloak, and went to the door.

No sooner had he opened it than someone came crashing into him, knocking him a few steps back. He shrieked and almost shoved the person off of him instinctively, but then he realized who it was.

"Tyler?!" Seto exclaimed, staring at the sobbing man who was hugging him so tightly.

"I- I thought you were dead-!" Tyler choked out, shuddering. "I thought you were dead and I was all alone- All by myself-!"

Seto blinked in shock and looked over Tyler's shoulder to see Joey and a few guards standing there.

"He left his room and insisted on us checking to make sure you were okay," Joey explained sympathetically. "Are you fine with us leaving you alone?"

Seto nodded. "Yes. Thank you."

They closed the door. Seto hugged Tyler back and patted him gently. "Hey, it's okay. I'm fine, I promise." Tyler merely sobbed harder and clung onto him even tighter.

He used his magic to turn the lights on and raised the remote to turn the TV off. Tyler definitely didn't need to see the countdown right now. But other than that, Seto didn't know what to do. He wasn't really sure how to comfort a crying person other than hold them in return.

Tyler continued to cry for a few minutes before finally calming down somewhat. His body trembled as he gasped for air and rested the side of his head against Seto's. He sniffled. "S-Sorry," he mumbled, letting go of him and wiping his eyes. "I- I just had a nightmare and panicked- Sorry for waking you up-"

"You didn't wake me up," Seto murmured.

"S-Still, I keep bothering you with my weirdness-"

"That's not true. I'm... glad you're here."

Tyler sniffled again. "You are?"

"Yeah."

Tyler kept trying to wipe his eyes, but the tears wouldn't stop. Now that he wasn't hugging him and the lights were on, Seto could finally get a good look at him. He'd left his glasses behind and his hair was askew. He was only dressed in a loose white T-shirt and red boxer shorts. He was also a bit skinnier than before.

Seto awkwardly sat down on the bed and gestured for Tyler to sit next to him, which he did.

"You dreamed I was dead?" Seto asked.

Tyler nodded. "I- I don't know how, but... maybe someone murdered you? I don't know, I just remember seeing you dead and... and just..."

Seto didn't know how to respond to that. Tyler was afraid of him dying? He guessed it made sense. If Tyler died, he didn't know what he'd do either...

"It's... not the first time I've had this dream," Tyler admitted. "At least... Not the first time I've dreamed it was just me by myself."

"...Is that why you haven't been sleeping much?"

Tyler nodded. "I wish we could be together more." He flinched. "I mean- Just in general, you know-?!"

"I get what you mean."

Tyler placed a hand over his chest. "Sorry," he mumbled again. "I keep being weird. I wish I was like you."

"Huh?"

"You almost always seem to have your stuff together..." Tyler smiled wistfully. "You're strong, unlike me. Tristan told me that you almost threw away your chance to escape just to save someone. Meanwhile... all I do is rely on people. I can't even handle being alone. I'm not like you."

Seto stared down at his lap. "It's only because I'm used to it," he mumbled. "I've lived by myself since I was 13."

Tyler's face fell. "...Oh... Sorry, I didn't know."

"It's okay." Seto twiddled his thumbs. "If I was by myself, I could probably survive just fine. It's something I've almost always done. But..." He paused, wondering if this was too much to say. Even though Tyler was the one barely dressed, Seto was starting to feel like the exposed one here.

"...I don't want to be by myself," he whispered, half-hoping Tyler wouldn't hear.

"You don't?" Tyler asked.

Seto couldn't speak, so he just shook his head.

"...Well, I don't plan on leaving anytime soon. If you don't mind, that is."

Seto blushed, but the thought gave him some comfort. They sat in silence for a few moments, lost in thought, before Seto found his voice. "I'm sorry for arguing with you like that this morning," he said softly. "It wasn't my place to pry. I shouldn't have made you uncomfortable. I know that's why you didn't show up for dinner."

"What?" Tyler shook his head. "No, I didn't show up because I thought I was bothering you."

"Bothering me?!"

"Yeah! I was clearly bothering you, that's why you got upset! That's why I thought you wanted to be alo-..." Tyler's eyes widened. "...Oh."

Seto couldn't help but stifle a laugh.

Tyler smiled awkwardly as he covered his face with his hand. "Ah geez, I really messed this up, huh?"

"I messed up too. It's fine. For the record, you weren't bothering me at all. I was just worried about you."

"Oh..." Tyler paused. "...I really did try meditation last night, but for some reason I couldn't do it. I think it's cuz I was all by myself in my room. It's just... I keep forgetting we're not in a killing game anymore. I keep expecting MonoWither to pop up any second and say everything was a joke or something."

Seto remembered how MonoWither had tormented Tyler repeatedly after Sky's death. "If they show up, I'll destroy them," he muttered.

Tyler laughed a little. "I'd love to see that."

Seto smiled, but then his gaze turned sad. "I think... I'm most worried about the countdown."

Tyler sighed heavily. "...Yeah... I hope everyone will be okay. The countdown ends soon, right?"

"The morning after tomorrow."

"...Do you think they'll let us watch together?"

Seto glanced at him. "I hope so. I don't want to watch it alone, that's for sure. If something happens..."

"Well, they're letting us talk right now. So there's that." Tyler bit his lip. "Did they only allow it because I pestered them too much?"

"...No, I think they're just trusting us a bit more," Seto replied.

"If so, then... Hopefully they'll let us watch it together."

Seto nodded.

There was silence again.

"Oh geez, it's so late!" Tyler got up with a start. "I'm sorry I kept you up this whole time, I didn't realize-!"

"No, wait-!" Seto cried out without thinking.

Tyler stopped and looked at him, confused.

"Y-You said you had trouble sleeping by yourself, right?" Seto asked, growing flustered by the second.

The gears turned in Tyler's head as he processed what he meant before he blushed. "Seto, you don't have to do that. Besides, it's probably not allowed."

"I don't care about that."

"I would just bother you. Really, you don't have to. I already hogged your bed once, I still owe you for that-"

"...Please," Seto whispered, his voice unintentionally fragile as he gave in to his anxiety. "I know it's a selfish thing to ask, but I don't want to be alone right now. I've... I've been having nightmares too."

Seto forced himself to look up at Tyler, who looked surprised by how genuine Seto sounded.

"If... If you're not comfortable with staying tonight, then don't. But if it's okay..."

"...You're sure I won't bother you?"

Seto nodded.

Tyler released a long breath. "Well, at least I'm not drunk this time," he joked.

Seto could barely hold back how relieved he felt. "Hug me in my sleep again and you'll pay for it."

"What? I did that?!"

"You absolutely did."

You also said I smelled like bananas, but you don't need to know that.

Tyler's face turned bright red. "Wh- I did-?! God, I'm so sorry-" Suddenly, his eyes narrowed. "Hey! I remember you being the one clinging onto me!"

Seto glared at him. "You liar."

"I'm not lying! You were holding my arm so tight, I almost didn't make it to the bathroom in time when I had to puke!"

"Now you're just making stuff up to save face," Seto muttered as pushed the blankets aside and climbed in on one side.

"You, um, sleep in your cloak all the time?" Tyler asked awkwardly.

Seto's face flared up. "That's none of your business!"

"Okay, okay, just wondering...!" Tyler exclaimed before he laid down on his side of the bed.

Seto thought for a few moments. What were the odds that Tyler would notice his scar on the back of his head? In this lighting, probably close to none...

Finally, he slipped out of his cloak and hung it back up before turning off the lights and getting in bed.

"This reminds me of a sleepover," Tyler mumbled as he shifted in the darkness.

"Yeah?" Seto thought back to when he was a teenager, hanging out with Sky and the others...

"Yeah. So are you going to tell the scary story or should I?"

"Once upon a time there was a guy named Tyler who didn't let a sleeping monster lie, so the monster smothered him with a pillow."

The bed shook as Tyler giggled. "Thanks. Now I'll have more entertaining nightmares..."

Seto couldn't help but smile. Now that he recalled it, he never fell asleep during sleepovers. But for some reason, his eyes were drifting shut...

"...G'night, Seto," Tyler mumbled drowsily.

"...Goodnight."

~~~

Tyler was sprawled on the floor, gaping stab wounds covering his whole body. His once-warm eyes were devoid of life. His mouth hung open as a remnant of his final screams.

Everything was soaked in Tyler's warm, sticky blood. His corpse, the floor, the walls...

The knife Seto was holding...

Seto himself...

No, this couldn't be happening. This couldn't be real. Slotty couldn't take over like this! But his body was moving on its own accord as he kept stabbing the corpse over and over and over again, his cackle echoing against the walls...

~~~

Seto woke up gasping for breath, tears streaming down his face, his panicked thoughts reduced to just one desperate word.

No, no, no, no, no...

It took him a while to realize that he was clinging onto someone's arm like a lifeline as they murmured soothing words of comfort and stroked his back. Seto blinked and looked up to see Tyler, who was very much not dead.

Tyler saw that he'd woken and forced a sad smile. "I told you you were a clinger," he joked.

Seto quickly let go of Tyler's arm and drew into himself. "Fuck. I'm so sorry."

"Why are you apologizing?"

"I woke you up."

"It's fine."

Seto squeezed his eyes shut and shook his head. "I wanted you to sleep better."

"I did, though," Tyler murmured. "Only had one nightmare, but I was able to fall asleep pretty fast after that."

Seto didn't feel too comforted by this.

"Really, this was the best sleep I've had all week. Thank you for letting me stay, honest. But right now, I need to return the favor. I'm worried about you."

"Don't be. It's none of your business."

"You can't tell me what to do! Besides, you were yelling my name, so I think it is my business!"

Seto's face paled. "Yelling your name?"

"Y-Yeah, you kept... screaming my name and sobbing..." Tyler hesitated. "And you kept saying this funny word like you hated it... Slotty?"

The reaction was immediate. Seto started to shake as his hands flew to his mouth and he looked away.

Tyler was taken aback. "Oh no- Oh no, was that bad? I'm so sorry, I just-"

"Did I say anything else?" Seto mumbled.

"N-No, I don't think so..."

"...That's good. Okay." Seto took sharp breaths as he tried to calm down. He hadn't revealed too much.

"...You really don't have to talk about it if you don't want to, but... Is there anything I can do?"

"What do you mean? The nightmare's over."

"You still seem a bit shaken up about it, though..."

Seto wiped the tears from his face. "It's fine. I'll live."

Tyler didn't seem too happy with this response, but he relented. "So... I guess they don't care if we're meeting each other outside of mealtimes anymore, huh?"

"Seems like it."

Tyler glanced at the TV. "How much more time until the show comes back?"

Seto turned on the TV and saw that the countdown was still going. "One more day."

"Ah..." Tyler gulped nervously. "Do you, um... Want to just stay in for today?"

Seto glanced at him. "You want to do that?"

"Personally, I don't think I'm up for much... It's up to you, though. If you want me to get off your back-"

"I'm fine staying in. But won't you get bored?"

"See, I was thinking maybe we could... watch movies together?"

For some reason, Seto felt his face grow hot. "Oh- um- Yeah, that could work. What movies do you have?"

Tyler's face lit up. "Hold on, I'll get them..."

~~~

Seto sat on the bed as he sifted through the massive box of DVDs. While he never liked judging a book by its cover, he was far too lazy to read all the descriptions.

Tyler lounged on the bed, stuffing grapes into his mouth. "Yeah, there's so many movies to choose from. Anything look interesting?"

Seto stopped and picked a case up, staring at it. "...I think one of your movies is in here."

Tyler's eyes widened. "What?!" he cried out as he sat up and crawled over. "Oh no, not that one..."

Seto smirked. "Why, is it bad?"

"It's... one of my earlier ones. This was back when they put me in rom-coms. Not that rom-coms are bad, but this one isn't... really the best."

"How many movies have you been in, anyway?"

Tyler blushed. "Um. A lot. Started as a kid, so..."

Seto frowned. "Isn't it tough to be a child actor? A lot of them tend to grow up and... um..." Get involved with the Order for drugs?

"Oh, you're right. Fortunately my parents were good at keeping me away from the bad stuff, shielding me from too much publicity, you know."

Seto looked down at the DVD case. The cover had a teenaged Tyler and another young teen on both sides of a blonde girl, who had a rather bewildered look on her face.

"You sure you want to watch it?" Tyler asked.

"If you don't want me to, then I won't."

Tyler thought for a moment before sighing. "...Nah, I don't mind. Should be fun to watch. But do you even like rom-coms?"

"I've never really tried watching them."

"Ah..." Tyler chuckled and took the DVD from him. "Well, this should be fun..."

~~~

Seto blinked rapidly as the end credits started rolling, a generic rock song playing over it.

Tyler was laughing so hard, he was keeling over and wheezing. "Oh god- I can't fucking breathe-!"

"...I... I don't understand," Seto said faintly.

"What don't you get-?"

"Your character was so much nicer. Why would she ditch you for that other guy at prom? He was a jerk! Does she not even remember why they broke up in the first place?! He forgot to go on their date because another girl had tickets to a stupid concert! HE DITCHED THEIR DATE FOR ANOTHER GIRL!!! But then he shows up to prom in a fancy suit and has the whole band play her favorite song as he apologizes to her and I guess that makes everything okay? What?!"

Tyler could barely stifle his giggles. "I mean, I was the loser bookworm nerd and he was the cooler music nerd. I never had a chance!"

"But you were better! You actually seemed to care about her feelings! Yeah, you said a bunch of science stuff all the time but that doesn't mean you couldn't have been a better boyfriend to her!"

Tyler patted him on the shoulder. "Seto, Seto, I know you don't watch movies, but that other guy was a much more popular actor. I'm not the most attractive one here. This was a foregone conclusion."

"A ridiculous conclusion, more like," Seto grumbled.

"But hey, look! The end credits aren't over!"

Seto glowered at the screen as Tyler's character and the main girl's best friend awkwardly stood together at the food table before suddenly (and sloppily) making out. The credits resumed.

Tyler cackled. "See, my character got with her best friend! It's not that bad!"

"Still stupid. And gross."

"Well, the movie was rated poorly, so I guess most people agreed. But oh man, I haven't seen that in so long. It's even worse than I remember..." Tyler chuckled and wiped a few tears from his eyes. "I think your reactions took the cake, though, holy shit..."

"It's a dumb movie with dumb selfish characters. Except for your character. He was the only one I liked."

"Because he was the smartest?"

"That, and he was just a better person in general than all those teenage idiots."

Tyler exaggeratedly batted his eyelashes. "You sure you're not just biased cuz he was played by little old me?"

Seto blushed and coughed. "N-No."

Tyler grinned. "Well, it's just a generic bad rom-com. There are much worse."

Seto felt his stomach grumble and glanced at the clock. "Should we ask them for lunch?"

Tyler got up. "Yeah, I'll do it. In the meantime, go pick another movie..."

~~~

After a whole day of watching movies back-to-back, Seto could barely keep his eyes open. What was even happening on the screen right now? He'd lost track a long time ago.

In the back of his mind, he knew that this was merely the calm before the storm. In several hours, the broadcast would resume and he would have to watch his friends still suffering in the killing game.

But right now, he felt so relaxed. Tyler was sitting next to him, his arm draped over his shoulder. (He had no idea when he'd allowed that to happen, but he wasn't complaining.) Seto glanced at him, about to ask if he wanted to finish the movie, only to see that he was already fast asleep.

Seto figured he should do the same. He yawned as he turned off the TV and flicked the light switch with his magic. He laid his head back and closed his weary eyes.

Tomorrow would be anxiety-inducing, but there was nothing he could do. He just had to be there for Tyler and hope for the best.

Tyler mumbled something incoherently as he snuggled in closer. Seto was too tired to care. In fact... he was glad Tyler was here...