Chapter 28-Ryou
Inside the Li Mansion there was a warm hallway adorned with red wooded floors. There were entrances to each room that were tall and round, and those that were rectangular had long strings of beads hanging down from the top. It was a beautiful place, with wooden tables and chairs, and the walls covered with wallpaper filled with scenes, perhaps from the Li history.
Even so, the place looked shabby and old. Cobwebs adorned every corner and mice crawled about nibbling at the legs of the various chairs. There was a bowl of rotten fruit on one table and a painting on another, half finished. There was a rug in the middle of the floor, slightly tilted, as if it had just been put there. Further on there was a bundle of candles, with some on the floor, an open book with a page folded at one corner. There was a tray on the floor with a shattered teapot on it, and the cold tea had spilled in it. The cups were rolled out by the side. Tickings of a clock were heard, and the window flaps shuddered in the wind.
We dared not speak. All of us felt that if we spoke it could be disastrous. This was the house of the dead.
" Nnnh." But Seto was not as careful. He writhed, groaning. Pegasus and Touya
quieted him down.
" Li Yelan." He mumbled.
" Yelan's Syaoran's mother." Touya told us. " Stay quiet."
But Seto was too delirious to answer. He went on moaning.
Crack!
Seto started and began whimpering. Pegasus, too stunned, covered his mouth with his hand. Seto began squirming. Touya whispered soothing words to him. We waited.
There was a sob.
Chantings began. We crept closer. Suddenly, rays flashed out. We leaped back, surprised.
" Of course!" Kaho answered. " They know we're here."
The zodiacs appeared. There were six of them. They attacked at once. Pegasus and Yue blocked with mind and arrow.
" Hurry!" Touya cried. " Yue, Kero, Yugi, Ryou, Mokuba, you four go get Syaoran! Jou! You and Honda get Seto to the room behind over there. Pegasus Kaho and I will handle them with the Yamis!"
We hastily agreed. I gave Akira a glance and he nodded, smiling, and I hurried off with Yue.
Downstairs there was a dungeon that smelled of new paint and brick. It was a
new dungeon, set up by the zodiacs themselves. While the others were upstairs
fighting their way to the blood or trying to distract the zodiacs, we came downstairs
to look for Syaoran, simply because Yue felt him there.
Yugi and I set the Dark Magician and the Man Eater Bug to guard the door before turning our backs and heading further on. Yugi and I called, Yue and Kero were silent. But there was no answer.
Gradually we came across the book, which must have been dropped by accident. Opening the book, Mokuba drew out the Glow Card, and with it we were lighted somewhat. When we reached the last cell we stopped.
Syaoran was in his robes, green with the color of life, stained with the fluids
of life as well. He was face down, his wrists and arms tied at his back with a strong
rope, blindfolded and gagged. His ankles were tied together as well. But he really
didn't need that because we came too late. The boy was lifeless.
We hurriedly forced open the gate and Yue rushed in. He gently turned Syaoran over so he was on his back, but he received no response from him. Everyone was quiet as the guardian gently gathered his master into his arms. Syaoran did not even moan.
" Is...is he..." Yugi stopped.
" I don't care." Yue suddenly said coldly. He lifted the limp body up and held the
child protectively. " We're getting him out of here, dead or alive."
Pushing the door open we followed the suddenly cold guardian out. But both
Yugi and I knew that Yue was burning with anger.
We went out by the side entrance into the garden with the pool in the middle
filled with dead goldfish. Ignoring the stench Yue searched for someplace cleaner,
and hurried to the other side where the rosebushes blocked the smell. Yue, Yugi and
I quickly untied Syaoran, taking off the blindfold and the gag. More blood poured
out.
" Syaoran, Syaoran," Yue gently shook him. After trying and receiving no response the guardian choked and held Syaoran's hand in his own, and bowed his head.
Suddenly he stared at Syaoran.
" What is it?" Mokuba asked.
" He's, he's squeezing back." Yue answered, surprised.
" He is?" Kero asked hopefully.
" He is! He's squeezing my hand." Yue lifted his hand, letting it stretch out, and
Syaoran's hand hung on it for about two seconds before dropping.
" Syaoran!" I cried, rushing to him. " Syaoran, can you hear us?"
Syaoran didn't answer.
" Syaoran, can you open your eyes?" I asked hopefully.
I saw his head turn ever so slightly, ever so slightly, and slowly his eyes
opened to reveal slits of what should have been his amber eyes.
" He's conscious." I told Yue.
" Good." Yue looked up. " We'll get him to the hotel. Then you. Mokuba and Yugi
will stay with him and I'll come back to help the others, if I need to. Kero, you stay
here."
Yugi and I climbed on Kero's back and Yue flew off carrying his precious bundle in his arms. Mokuba climbed up behind us as Kero followed his fellow guardian. Handing Syaoran reluctantly over to me, Yue flew off. Kero followed, and we watched briefly after the two guardians before hurrying into the hallway. No one was around.
Taking out the keys, Yugi turned the lock.
" I can't believe this." Yugi said as I laid Syaoran on the bed. " It took us so long to
get here, and they did all they had to do already."
" Hopefully Seto was able to reverse it all." Mokuba answered. " I'll get some
water."
" Warm." I told Mokuba. " His forehead and sweat are ice cold. Give him some
warm gruel."
Mokuba didn't answer. He hurried out. I took off Syaoran's outer robes and Yugi grabbed a first aid kit. We treated his wounds.
There were gashes everywhere. Across his neck. Across his shoulders. His belly. His back. After wrapping them I hurried to the bathroom to vomit, and finishing, Mokuba had hurried back with a cup of warm water.
Yugi gently tilted the cup into Syaoran's mouth, supporting his head with a free hand. Syaoran parted his lips and the water drifted in. He swallowed. The child winced ever so slightly, perhaps because of the wound. He swallowed again, no longer wincing. The need for water overrode his pain. After finishing he sank down and didn't move again.
It was nighttime when the others came back. Yue was carrying Seto, who
was unconscious. I groaned. Is there someone new to worry about?
" He's fine." Touya answered me. " He's just unconscious from lack of blood. Yue,
you go take care of Syaoran. Pegasus, Kaho, you come with me to take care of
Seto. Everyone else, try to find something to eat and help Yami over there."
Yami was bleeding at the head, although Yugi wasn't, and Akira helped him
the best he could with Jou, Honda and Anzu. Yue ventured over.
" Ryou, can you go out and buy some soup?" Yue suddenly asked.
" Soup?" I blinked dumbly. Then I took a closer look at Syaoran.
He was all skin and bones.
" No doubt he didn't eat at all during his stay here." Kero answered. " It'll kill him if he eats anything too solid."
Nodding, I took the keys and some money, converted from yen to chinese money, and went out.
Chicken soup was good for the soul, they say, but chicken soup was also very
nutritious and it probably saved Syaoran's life. He could barely swallow the chicken
but he was so hungry that if Yue hadn't kept it from him he would have gone on
and drank the whole thing. Mayhap it was because it was so warm and soothing to
him, but Syaoran at that time looked pitiful.
Yue stayed with Syaoran for the entire night and all of us knew that he was very sorry. Now the guardian knew what would have happened if he had let Syaoran go with the zodiacs. Does he regret his decision now? I do not know. All I know is that Yue was very gentle with him in the morning, and sometimes I caught him talking quietly to Syaoran. The boy never answered, though.
Seto, Jou and Honda had ventured into the room where there was a huge crystal bowl filled with blood in the middle, and five more along the sides, all filled to the brim. It explained why Syaoran was so weak after all. We had arrived too late to spare Syaoran, but just in time to ruin the ritual. After adding a pint of Seto's blood to each of them and performing a magical spell they succeeded in nearly getting themselves killed from the roof collapsing on top of them, and as Seto was already sick enough already it was really bad for him.
Yami, Akira, Pegasus, Kaho and Touya managed to fight off the zodiacs for a while until Chenlong blasted Yami's head, which explained why he was bleeding, but as he was a spirit, and the Egyptians have a way of mummifying Pharaohs, there were no brains to blast out so Yami was perfectly fine. Kaho was limping a little when she came in, obviously wounded. Akira had several wounds as well but they were minor. Pegasus was perfectly fine save for a killer headache.
It was a while before Syaoran was fully conscious again. We managed to get
him back to Japan through a trick of Touya's coaching and Mokuba's magic, since
Seto was still a little muddled.
He glanced around in stupor and did not recognize any of us except for Seto and me, which was quite strange. He never spoke, and was forever trying to rise from bed, and one time he did, but he couldn't keep his balance and fell. When we found him he was crawling towards the door, and Yue had to pick him up and put him back in bed, and stay with him to prevent him from getting up again.
Seto wasn't much better. He gazed around him with a kind of sleepy expression and took a long time to register what was being said to him. He couldn't respond fast enough to his surroundings, even his reflexes had slowed. We later found out, though, that Seto's mind was as sharp as ever, and when he was finally better he was so relieved because he was frustrated at being physically limited for so long.
Yes, we all felt bad for Syaoran. It was terrible for him because he was traumatized afterwards and was forever trying to escape us. We do not know why. All we knew was that he was afraid of us. And that it would be a long time before he could be cured.
