I finally got this up! THANK GOD! This took a whole week to type: i had to make sure i capture everything appropriately,especially cause when i envisioned this i had the whole scene in my head so it was a pain trying to convey it accurately, and while I'm not completely satisfied with it, I feel it got the point across.
Sorry for the long wait-WAY too much going on.
Note to anonymous reviewers: I don't mind anonymous reviews, but recently I've been getting some amazing reviews asking me questions but i couldn't answer them because they were anonymous, so if that's the case PLEASE sign in so i can respond to you. If in the event you don't have a FF account, then please leave you're e-mail address or something, just some way of me getting in touch with you so I may answer your questions and properly thank you for your wonderful comments.
Disclaimer: I own nothing but the plot and the twists. This is loosely based off the Beauty and the Beast fairy tale and the disney movie. I'll leave up to you to decide which ones from the movie, fairy tale and my own imagination. Yugioh Yugioh GX and all its characters however belong to Takahashi (who i'm CONVINCED is a SHONEN God!)
Warning: Drowning, mentions of hypothermia, slight yoai, nudity and body heat
Again I apologize for the long wait, as always read, review, critique, ask questions, leave comments, concerns and if you must, flame don't be a trolls and just say "it sucks" and leave it at that: tell me WHY so i can fix it.
Chapter 20: The Rescue
"Is that everything?" Seto asked tapping the collection of papers against the desk. Once they were even, he handed it to Zane.
Zane flipped through them with calculating eyes then tucked the stack under his arm. "Everything appears to be in order. Our food and textile expenses have gone up considerably, but they aren't cause for too much concern. "
Seto laughed. "Well, now that Malik and Bakura actually have a subject to test their food and clothes on, I doubt we'll be able to control those expenses beyond a certain point. Anything else I need to look over or am I free?" Seto asked standing up.
Zane shook his head with a small smile. "No, that's all. I'm sure Yami and the boys will be happy to have you join them." Zane bowed and turned to leave, not failing to notice the excitement in Seto's once dead eyes. The teenager had done wonders for the castle's atmosphere over the past few months. The change in his Master's temperament was…refreshing, to say the least. And not just Seto, but the staff as well. Even his brother was smiling more often. It was wonderful having the once dead castle so full of life again.
Zane jumped when a loud crash echoed behind him. He turned around to demand an explanation, than froze. Papers slipped from his shaking hands. A cold shiver he hadn't felt in over a century shook his body to the very core. Almost too frightened to look up, Zane found Seto standing over the remains of a broken bottle. Ink and glass spilled around Seto's feet. His entire form racked with anger and fear. His claws shook uncontrollably at his sides like they were contorted from pain. His eyes focused on the window.
"Seto…"Zane breathed almost too afraid of the answer to speak.
As if on cue, a loud scream echoed through the forest, sending a storm of black birds screeching into the air. Zane's heart sank into his stomach. All form of etiquette forgotten, he bolted past Seto, stormed outside and rushed to the balcony. "That was Syrus!"
Another cry followed, but this time it wasn't Syrus.
Seto suddenly shot up. His eyes shifted from blank shock to pure terror then to absolute rage. He growled, baring his fangs. His claws curled into fists and his bangs shaded his face until finally the Dragon King released an ear-splitting roar mimicking that of a dragon protecting its endangered mate. Enormous gusts of wind sent dust and snow into the air so thick Zane had to cover his eyes with his arm when Seto flapped his wings. With a powerful leap and two strong gales, Seto was in the air and took off through the sky like a streak of lightning. Zane clenched the banister to keep himself from falling, unable to take his eyes of the Dragon King as he flew by.
He wasted no time bolting from the room, and down the steps. On the stairway, Joey stormed upwards, a look of panic and confusion on his face. "Zane what's going-"
"Get the staff now!" Zane ordered without giving him so much as a glance, and stormed downstairs in a flash. The maître d' didn't need to be told twice.
Yami couldn't breathe. Couldn't see. Couldn't think. Couldn't scream. Bubbles exploded from his mouth. He tried to cover it with his hands to keep from crying out, but horrible pain in his ankle and the rush of water in his ears made it impossible to think clearly. Watery darkness suffocated him. Even more terrifying was the monster clamped onto his ankle-the same corpse-like monster with blood red eyes from his nightmares. Its twisted jaw opened at an unnatural angle releasing a piercing wail, that made Yami scream in pain but only bubbles came out. The creature stretches its gaunt claws towards him, clawing and pulling on his legs to climb him. Thinking quickly, Yami pulled his other leg back and delivered a powerful kick to the monster's jaw. The creature spiraled back screaming in rage, letting go of Yami's ankle.
Wasting no time, Yami started to kick and battle the water as fast as he could. Light from the surface guided him upward. A screech made him look down. The creature swam in circles like a shark before coming at him like a torpedo. His body acting on autopilot, Yami pushed himself to the left. The creature flew past him, but not before it locked eyes with its prey. Yami's heart nearly stopped beating at the naked hunger burning in the smoldering, fiery pits of the monsters eyes. The creature stopped before it reached the surface and dived back into the darkness. Yami quickly broke the surface and gasped desperately for much needed air.
"Yami!" Syrus called from the shore. Jim panted and shook violently. His spirit form fading until he returned to his transparent human form.
Cold air froze Yami to the core. He threw a shaking arm over the unstable ice and tried to climb, but his gloves slid each time he tried to grip the slippery surface.
"Hold on, we're coming!" Jaden yelled, about to jump back onto the ice.
"Jaden, no!" Yami screamed. The boys stopped in their tracks. "Get out of here they're something in the water! Get out-AH!" Yami screamed as something grabbed his leg again. A violent tug and he lost his grip on the ice.
"Yami!" The boys screamed as he was once again dragged beneath the surface.
"What the hell is that?" Jesse demanded, trying to help his semi-conscious older sibling to his feet. The horses screamed in fear from the other side of the lake, except Phantom who was pulling at his reigns trying to break them.
Chazz's eyes scanned the pond then he looked at his fading hands. Already he was beginning to return to his spectral form. Syrus and Jaden crawled to the rim of the pond. The ice fragments shifted position crashing together like giant puzzle pieces. They watched a black shadow move across the surface and their horror as Yami tried to swim to the surface.
"We have to do something." Jaden grabbed his hair in frustration, and moved to dive in but Chazz grabbed him and pulled him back.
"Are you stupid? We'll just make things worse!" he said frantically. "The ice won't stop moving, it keeps breaking, the water is below freezing, and unless we can somehow make our spirit forms grow ten times they're normal size, we can't even so much as pull Yami out!"
"But we have to help him?" Syrus pleaded, large tears of fear pooling down his face. "We could…"
"Do what, Syrus!" Chazz screamed and punched the ground. "We're ghosts, remember? We can't do anything!" Tears of frustration started to fall from his cheeks. "Even if we wanted too, we'd have to use our spirit forms, and they're too damn small! Don't you get it! There's nothing we can do!" Chazz ranted, hopelessly and fell to his knees. It took all his will power not to cry.
Suddenly, all feelings of doubt shifted when a powerful roar echoed through the woods.
Water crashed around Yami like tidal waves, chilling him to the bone. He chocked as the cold seeped into his body. It took all his will power not to scream as the creature dragged him deeper into the depths of the lake. When the creature finally let go, it grabbed his shoulders, its jaw twisted into a gruesome needle-fanged smile. Yami's hands flew to the creature's claws. He kicked and thrashed wildly to get it to let go. The creature just laughed, pushing its victim deeper into the mud; its talons wrapped around his neck. Yami bunched his legs kicked the monster in its decaying torso. It released him with a howl of rage.
Yami wasted no time and launched himself off the ground towards the surface. Kicking and swimming as fast as he could, knowing the creature wasn't far behind him.
Except it wasn't following him, it was circling him with a mocking smirk. Like it wanted him to think he had a chance to escape. Yami's blood boiled with anger and realization. This… thing… this monster…It was playing with him! Like that man in the woods who taunted him like he was a common whore. Like that monster that tried to rip Seto and him to pieces. Like the Sorcerer who played with innocent people's lives when he cursed an entire castle and reduced everyone he'd come to love to mere imitations of human existence.
Just the thought sent a new wave of determination blazing through his being. Fire burned in Yami's eyes. His fists clenched in anger. Sparks and heat crackled in his hands, unnoticed by the monster that'd resumed its shark-like play and started circling him before charging, like a freight train, towards its prey. Yami didn't notice that his eyes were glowing. Or that his palms were suddenly alive with blue fire that blazed under the water like lanterns. "You want me?" he taunted with his mind. Bubbles leaked from his parted lips when he smirked. "Then come and get me you hideous piece of filth!"
Blinded by rage, the monster screamed in furry and charged. Jaw expanded to swallow him, claws flexed, but Yami showed no fear. Instead he smiled, a new wave of determination swelled within him as fire burned in his hands. He held his flaming hands over his head waiting. Too late the monster realized its mistake. It halted in its tracks but its own speed sent itself hurtling straight into the full force of the young man's anger.
"Iah!" Yami screamed. With the flick of his wrists, bolts of dark blue fire crackling with lightning blasted the creature in its hideous face. Its body contorted with pain as fire and electricity burned it alive underwater: its eyes froze in horror, its jaw hitched at an unnatural angle as it screamed its pain, and its face formed a contorted mask of shock. Flames consumed the corps-like form until only a pile of ashes scattered across the water then faded into tiny puffs of smoke.
I did it. Yami thought triumphantly, staring at his hands with a mixture of victory and shock. Suddenly, his entire body felt heavy. His limbs sank like iron, and his lungs ached for air. His vision began to spiral and his mind faded in and out of consciousness. He struggled to move his arms and legs, to keep his eyes open, by every time he tried to move his body betrayed him. Slowly, his strength began to diminish. His body collapsed, weakly. His eyes started to close, just as he began to sink.
Seto bolted through the woods and sprang into the sky above the clearing, his wings expanded to their full length against the gray sky. His eyes meticulously scanned the area. The frozen lake was shattered to pieces floating unstably on top of black water. The horses were screaming and thrashing to get away; only Phantom managed to free himself and was circling the edges of the lake. In the corner, Jim met his eyes. The man struggled to stand and pointed to the lake. The boys were screaming, jumping and pointing to the lake, hollering Yami's name over and over again. There was no sign of his desert rose, but it didn't take him long to piece together what had happened.
Just as he was about to dive again, a jolt galvanized him from head to toe. Seto shot up, glancing across the clearing, through the shadows of the trees. Just in time to catch the triumphant green eyes. Ice blue eyes blazed with horror; sea green flashed with victory and arrogance. Blood red lips curled into a smirk. Seto bore his fangs and released an inhuman growl of rage that morphed into the roar of a dragon. He flex of leaped into the air then dived straight down towards the water like a dive bomb.
He crashed through the ice, water exploded around him. He flew through the water, scanning the surface for his captive. "Yami!" he screamed, though he knew Yami couldn't hear him underwater.
The sound of his name brought Yami back to consciousness. His foggy vision made out a bright light over head. Faintly, he heard a loud crash like splashing water. Above him a dark figure appeared against the background of the light. At first he feared the monster wasn't really dead, but then he made out long, extended shapes…like wings.
Wings…his dreams came back to him. His dream lover, the man with wings, was actually the dragon that saved him. Then he saw them: brilliant silvery blue scales glittering like a galaxy of stars, leathery, wings expanded across the bright light, and brilliant ice blue eyes with dragon slit pupils. A familiar form came into vision, followed by the concerned call of his name. "Yami!"
"Seto?" Yami breathed, and forced himself to raise his arm. His eyes widened as his savior swam towards him. Ice blue eyes blazed with so many emotions. Reaching towards him with all his might
Suddenly, it all became clear. Yami could've kicked himself earlier for not realizing it. His dreams, no his premonitions. The man he kept seeing in his dreams. His dragon. His savior. It all made sense. How could he have missed something so obvious…
Yami reached closer, feeling a strong comforting hand embrace his own. "Seto…"
Seto's heart hammered in his chest when he felt Yami's hand clench his firmly. The dragon swiftly pulled his precious rose against his chest and flapped his wings, vigorously. Beating them against the water, he propelled himself and his heavy burden towards the surface. Yami's half-lidded eyes and the bubbles leaking from his blue lips only made him swim faster. Adrenaline coursed through his veins, increasing as the light of the winter sun grew brighter. He shifted Yami so his head and torso were pressed against his chest and covered Yami with his arms. With another powerful flap of his wings, he broke through the surface. Water shattered like a blue volcano raining fragments of ice and liquid. Seto burst into the air and crashed against the shore. He landed on his side, hissing when he fell on one of his sore wings, Yami still clenched in his arms.
"Kaiba! Yami!" everyone screamed, rushing over to them. Seto coughed and wheezed loudly. He rolled over and gently placed Yami on the snow. When Yami didn't move, and his lips and skin started turning pale blue, ignoring his own cough and soaked clothes, Seto proceeded to strip his captive of his soaked coat and forced Yami's freezing shirt over his head.
"Yami!" Syrus screamed seeing the teen's shaking form, blue lips and his paling skin.
"Syrus, get back" Seto ordered. Syrus stopped in his tracks. No one dared defy Seto's order. Seto placed his palms flat on Yami's chest, just below his ribs. His claws flexed so they didn't touch Yami's skin, and pushed down firmly.
"He's not breathing!" Syrus panicked.
"He's turning blue!" Jesse screamed.
"Shit! Shit!" Jaden freaked, grabbing his hair. Chazz was the only one not moving. His horrified eyes remained transfixed on the paling body of his friend. Not moving, even as his Master tired to force life back into his body. Already Yami's lips were turning blue and ice started freezing his hair together.
"Damnit Yami, breathe!" Seto commanded slamming his fist hard against the teen's lower torso, before pressing down on his chest again.
Suddenly, Yami's eyed flew open, his body shot up and he started coughing, violently. A moment later, he rolled over and vomited a stomach full of water. His body fell limp and he fell over coughing and shuddering. Seto caught him and started rubbing his back to help him breathe better, but all the teen could manage was a series of heavy, desperate rasps. When his eyes started to close, Chazz shot forward and slapped him hard across the face, waking him instantly.
"Don't you dare go to sleep!" He commanded, and started taking off the rest of his wet clothes. "Don't just stand there, help me!" he yelled at Jaden and Syrus. "We have to get him out of these wet clothes or he'll freeze. Master, you too, you'll get him wet!" Jaden and Syrus nodded and started helping him.
"Jess, go get the blankets from the horses! And get Phantom!" Seto commanded, stripping his own soaked coat and shirt, and whipped away the sweat from his flushed brow.
Jesse nodded and bolted. Jim shook his head to clear his thoughts and stood up. He removed his own coat and wrapped it around Yami's trembling shoulders. "You alright?" He asked Seto, noticing how red the Dragon's skin had become.
"I'll be fine," Seto said quickly. "Don't worry about me."
Jim felt Yami's forehead and cursed loudly. The teen struggled to stay awake, but his eyelids felt like lead and his body couldn't support his weight. "Seto we have to get him out the cold, now! He's barely conscious!"
"I know!" Seto snarled, but Jim could sense the terror laced in the King's voice.
"We got the blankets!" Jesse hollered, and started wrapping them around Yami's naked form. Phantom panicked loudly and nuzzled his master's cheek to keep him awake.
"Jim, take the horses back to the barn." Jim nodded. "You four," he told the boys "Go with him, when you get back change your clothes and get whatever Duke has for treating hypothermia. I'm taking him back to the palace," Seto ordered and scooped Yami bridal style in his arms, double checking to make sure the blankets and coat were wrapped securely around his body before holding him as close to his chest as he could-anything to block out the cold.
But before taking off, he growled furiously and turned to the woods. "I'LL GET YOU FOR THIS. YOU SON OF A DEVIL'S BITCH! YOU HEAR ME? I'LL HUNT YOU DOWN AND I'LL RIP YOU LIMB FOR LIMB FOR THIS! I SWEAR IT!" He screamed a terrible combination of a declaration of vengeance and the furious roar of a dragon determined to avenge its fallen comrades. "I'LL GET YOU FOR THIS IF IT'S THE LAST THING I DO!"
He turned around, flapped his wings flew back to the palace as fast as his wings could fly, roaring in anger and terror the entire way.
"Do you see them?" Jou asked, searching the sky. Zane scanned the sky for his master, but found nothing.
"Damnit, where are they!" Zane cursed and punched the banister. "Marik! Any word from the guard tower!" the Stewart hollered towards the golden gryphon guard flying over-head. The guard shook his head.
"Nothing's broken the border. All of the exits are intact," Marik reported. "Nothing is inside the castle. And I don't see any—wait…There! Zane look!"
Zane obeyed and scanned the sky. A shape appeared among the gray sky. It grew larger as it got closer. Quickly, Zane made out the shape of ice-blue wings. "There! It's the Master!"
"Look out!" Jou screamed. Zane and Jou barely had time to jump out of the way when Seto crashed onto the balcony. His bare back and wings slammed against the ground barely missing the glass doors. Yami was still shivering in his arms.
"What happened!" Mai screamed dropping the blankets she'd been holding. She rushed outside, dropped to her knees and felt Yami's shivering forehead.
"He has hypothermia." Seto stood up with a struggle and carried Yami inside. His tired wings dragged limply behind him. "Shut the doors, you're letting the cold air in!" Seto commanded.
Zane and Jou obeyed and locked the doors tight. Without being asked, they began pulling the thick curtains over the glass to keep the cold out.
"Get the fire going, and get lots of blankets, and… and…get Duke!" Seto stuttered ordered. He placed Yami on the bed, gently and started removing the damp blankets with his shaking hands.
"Master, please come down," Mai assured him. "I'll take care of him." Once the blankets were removed she cleared the ice and water from Yami's hair. Once his skin was completely dry, she proceeded to wrap him up in as many warm, wool blankets she could find. Seto watched her work transfixed on his captive's shivering form. He'd finally fallen into an uneasy sleep, and his breathing had transformed to raspy coughs and pants.
"Seto, where are the boys?" Zane asked panicked. "Are they alright?"
"They're fine," Seto said quickly. "Jim's bringing them back. Where the hell is Duke?" Seto hollered, furiously tugging at his hair.
"Master, please," Jou chided, gently. He turned to the logs in the fire and squeezed his palm. When he opened it and black flame filled it and immediately lit the logs. He left the gate open and flapped his own wings hoping to spread the warm, dry air.
"He's right, Kaiba," Mai said gently, tucking the blankets around Yami's torso to stop his shivering. "You need to get out of those wet things too or you'll freeze too."
"I'm a dragon, Mai. My body will warm up on its own. I'll be fine." Seto said quickly, not caring he was still only wearing his damp trousers.
"Zane!" Marik burst into the room, followed shortly by Duke who was holding a basket of herb jars and Tea who has a bewildered look of concern on her face. All three of them stopped at the sight before them.
"What happened!" Tea gasped. Duke wasted no time and rushed to Mai's side, and set the basket on the bedside.
"Not now, what is it Marik?" Zane ordered since his Master's attention was focused on his shivering captive.
Marik straightened himself and cleared his throat. "Jim is back, the boys are with him. They're demanding to know is Yami's alright." He answered.
The entire staff, including Bakura and Marik who were bound to the hearth and guard towers respectively with the Master's permission, had all relocated to Yami's room. Malik and the girls had gathered every blanket they could find and piled them on top of him. Jou and the servants managed to get the fire going and seal off all the cold spaces in the room. Everyone had panicked and demanded an explanation until Duke finally got fed up and kicked everyone but Ryou and Seto out of the room. However, after some heavy pleading and promising not to do anything unless told, Duke let Syrus, Jaden, Jesse and Chazz back in.
Unable to do anything else, the boys just sat at the end of Yami's bed, flinching every time he rasped or shivered. Whenever the fire started going down they threw more wood in and kept it going. If they felt a slight draft, they fished it out and suffocated it with a blanket. No cold dared leak into the room with the four guarding every inch of the room.
No one dared to ask Seto to leave. Instead the dragon paced back and forth, his wings flapped angrily behind him and flexing his claws impatiently. "What's taking so long!"
"We're doing everything we can," Duke said civilly. He could tell his Master was terrified, but the Dragon's constant pestering was pushing the Botanist' to his limits.
"He's in bad shape, Duke," Ryou whispered, hoping not to worry Seto. "His skin is still freezing, and his fever won't go down."
"Can't you give him anything?" Seto panicked, shaking and brushing his damp brow. His own skin was flushed and damp from heat, but he ignored it.
Duke growled and shot up. "And what exactly should I give him, Seto Kaiba? In case you haven't noticed he's unconscious! It's too dangerous to give him anything. Even if I did give him something to bring down the fever, it would only make the hypothermia worse! So tell me, Seto Kaiba, what exactly do you want us to do, that we haven't already done?" the botanist demanded harshly, but quickly calmed himself down enough to speak rationally. "It is very dangerous using treat hypothermia using medication. Too much heat is just a dangerous as too much cold."
Seto stood like a statue, looking like someone had slapped him. "Is there, I mean…is there anything we can do? You? I? Just tell me." he pleaded, his eyes never leaving Yami's unconscious form. His skin was no longer blue, but was flushed with fever and shaking with hypothermia still in his system.
Duke ran a hand over his bangs and gripped the banister to keep himself steady. Vaguely, he caught the shaking, fearful faces of the boys, who turned to their friend with worried eyes. He cursed himself for losing control so abruptly. "We need to get his core temperature back up. Unfortunately, that's impossible at this point."
"Why? What is it?" Seto demanded, instantly.
"What do you mean impossible?" Chazz demanded, jumping onto all fours, trying to look intimidating but it was difficult to be afraid of the kitten-sized dragon.
"It means we can't do it," Duke answered "because it requires something none of us are able to properly do long enough to bring up his core temperature."
"What is it?" Seto demanded, again, his voice dangerously low.
"Body heat," Ryou answered, whipping away the sweat from Yami's face with a dry wash cloth.
"Then what are we waiting for?" Jaden jumped to Yami's side and cuddled his furry kuriboh body against the teen's chest, but Ryou shook his head sadly.
"Unfortunately, our spectral forms don't give off any type of body heat, even when physical. Our spirit forms probably can, but none of us can provide the necessary amount of body heat due to the differences between the human body and our monster ones." Ryou clenched the wash cloth so hard it began to leak. "We're ghosts. We can't do a blasted thing!"
"What about me?" Seto shot up. "I'm purely physical, and I'm a dragon, my body's naturally warmer than a human's. I can give him my heat, can't I?" he stepped forward, but stumbled. Duke shot forward and caught him, his hand grazing Seto's forehead. He pulled it back like he was burned.
"No you can't! Kaiba, you're burning up?" Duke exclaimed concerned.
"Yes, I told you I-" Seto began but Duke cut him off.
"No, I mean you're over-heated!" the man pushed one Seto's shoulder so he was sitting down. "You're body's overheated to combat the cold! Do you have any idea how dangerous that is? Combating cold with intense, rapid heat is like filling a hot glass with cold water!"
Seto's eyes widened. His mind trying to wrap around what he was just told. He ran his claws through his hair, barely nicking his fin-like ears, until he heard another haggard cough. His eyes shot to Yami, who was coughing again, barely able to move. The boys held him down trying to keep him steady.
Seto made up his mind.
He walked past Duke, removed the trench coat he'd been given when he came inside, and worked off his boots. "Duke, Ryou take the boys outside. Tell everyone what's going on and check on Yami's vitals every so often until he wakes up. Take shifts if you must."
"What? Seto, did you not-" Duke started but Ryou grabbed his shoulder.
"Wait, Duke. I think I know what he's thinking. Yami's too cold, and Kaiba's too hot. They're combined temperatures should even them both out, right?"
Duke shook his head, "No! I mean, it's possible, but what if it doesn't work? Kaiba's over-heated so, it might get Yami's core temperature back up, but if he doesn't cool down in time, he could-"
"Would it give Yami a chance?" Seto asked, sitting on the edge of the bed and gently scooped the protesting kuriboh, dragonroid, ruby carbuncal and shadow dragon into his arms.
Duke's jaw dropped. "Well, yes, but the damage to you could-"
"That's all I need to know," Seto decided, placing Jaden and Syrus in Duke's arms and Jess and Chazz in Ryou's.
"This isn't fair, Master! Let us stay too!" Syrus pleaded, squirming to escape his prison.
"No!" Ryou chided, gently. "Listen you four, I know you want to help, but the best things we can do right now is wait. Trust your master."
All four of them opened their mouth to protest, but Ryou's smile silences them.
"You better know what you're doing, Kaiba!" Duke glared, but his worry was visible in the green depths.
"I do," Seto told them, undoing his belt. "Leaves us."
The Botanist's eyes narrowed, but he obeyed and followed Ryou outside. Just before closing the door behind him, Duke warned "Don't bother with his arms or legs. That'll only work the cold back towards his heart and lungs. Focus on his head, his torso and his groin. If he doesn't warm up by morning come find us immediately."
When the door shut, Seto stripped the rest of his clothes and slid under the thick cocoon of blankets. He carefully pulled Yami to his warm chest, and pressed their torsos together. He hissed when Yami's icy skin touched his. He bit his lip and pressed Yami's forehead against his collar. He wrapped a wing around Yami's head and hair, the other around his back and hips. He tucked the covers into every crevice around him, making sure no cold seeped through.
"Yami," he whispered, hoping his desert rose could still hear him. He rubbed the young man's back when he started shivering again. "I'm sorry." He hugged Yami closer. "I'm so sorry I didn't protect you. I never thought—I didn't think that bastard would go this far. I know I should've seen it, but…" His voice broke on the last part, and he had to stop to keep himself from breaking down.
He lied his precious rose down again, smiling when Yami stopped shivering, but his skin was still cold, and his fever still high. He gently kissed the boy's forehead and pulled him closer, wrapping him in his warmth and letting the coolness of Yami's flesh wash over him. Seto hadn't realized just how hot he'd been until now. Already he could feel drowsiness overcome him.
"I promise," Seto whispered his Yami's ear. "I promise, when you wake up, I'll protect you. I don't care what he throws at me; I'll never let that—that—monster anywhere near you, again. I won't!" Seto clenched the blankets at his side, before settling down against the mattress, the warmth of the cocoon the staff created for Yami and the soothing coolness of Yami's skin, lulling the Dragon King to sleep. "Please…come back to me, Yami." A small tear rolled down his cheek, gently damping the teen's forehead. "I can't lose you too, Yami. I can't…" he said at last before the stress, anxiety and the terror finally took its toll on him and he collapsed into darkness. "I'm not strong enough too."
Zane slide his back against the door to the room his younger brother shared with the three other servants. After a flurry of questions and concerns, panic attacks and hours of reassurance from Duke and Ryou, he'd finally got the four boys to settle into an uneasy sleep. He'd been annoyed when Syrus clamped onto Jaden the entire time before finally falling asleep in the boy's arms, but he didn't have the heart to comment on it. There was too much unrest already.
"How are they?" Zane looked up and found Jim standing in the hallway.
"They'll be fine. They're just worried. We all are." Zane explained and slouched against the door, anxiety taking its toll of him as well.
"I'm not surprised. Who knows what those kids saw," Jim took off his hat and ran a hand through his dark hair, and closed his good eye.
"Speaking of that," Jou slipped into the hallway. "What exactly happened today?" the maître d' asked gravely. "This was more than just a simple ice break wasn't it?"
Jim's eyes scanned the hallway, double-checking to make sure no one was there, and gestured Jou and Zane to come closer. "I didn't want ta say anything in front of everyone but something doesn't add up," Jim whispered "I checked that ice meself and I swear on my brother's life it was at least six inches thick. And I think we can all agree there's no way Yami's heavy enough to crack it, let alone fall through. And something else was there, in the lake."
Jou's eyes widened in horror. He turned to the Stewart whose eyes were hard and unreadable. "Zane?"
Zane said nothing. Then he closed his eyes and sighed. "Double the guard. No one is to leave the castle without an escort and at least one of the guards, myself, you two or the Master. Until winter is over, everyone is confined to the immediate grounds until further notice. If our fears are correct, then we're not taking any chances."
All the information on Hypothermia in this was taken from the internet and hospital sources, i have a few relatives who deal with medical care. Basically, given he was underwater and near drowning I felt it was appropriate for Yami to suffer hypothermia.
Also, i rememeber one of my anonymous reviews asking for a chapter when Seto realizes his feelings for Yami after he gets sick, well you got your wish-granted i had this plan in mind, LONG before i got that reviews, but its always a near death experience that makes us realize just WHAT is important in our lives-in this case, seto's willingness to risk his own health for Yami's.
Fangirls, feel free to drool over the fact that two drop dead gorgeous guys are completely naked and using the other for warmth. XD
Anyway, Yami's fire magic returns! More on that and his premonitions next chapter. Oh, and i finally decided on a length for this story! including the next chapter it will be somewhere between 25 and 30 chapters, preferably somewhere in between (though i usually like ending things on a nice solid number, i no longer care) Prepare for things to heat up all my wonderful reviews, because Summer is here, and you wonderful Queen of Plot Twists is ready and willing to reign supreme now that nothing is holding her back!
MWHAHAHAHAHAAHAHA