Ready to find out what happened? Well, I won't keep it from you any longer.
Here it is. I see most of you don't like cliff-hangers? He he, me neither,
when I'm reading them.
Disclaimer: If you *honestly* believe I own Yu-Gi-Oh, you're too stupid to be reading fanfiction. Go away.
Chapter 9: Hanging By A Moment.
* * *
Yami stopped mid choke-hold, and lowered his hands to his chest, his fingers coming away red. Pain, worse than he had ever felt, wracked his body. His knees gave way and he fell to the floor.
"Yami!" cried Mokuba, almost hysterical. Seto, in the moment's confusion, brought down the gunman, knocking him out.
"Mokuba! Get help!" called Seto, kneeling beside his wounded rival. The former pharaoh was breathing hard, eyes closed. Blood oozed from the bullet hole, and he was loosing it fast. "Yami..."
He opened his eyes. Looking at Kaiba, he managed to splutter between pants, "I always... have to... save... your... bloody neck..." He coughed, bringing up blood.
"Shhh, Yami. The paramedics will be here any minute. You'll be okay."
Yami stared at Kaiba, a look that clearly said 'do you honestly believe that?' His maroon shirt was drenched with blood. He coughed again, his lips red. Seto watched helplessly as his eyes slid shut once more.
"Yami! No..." In that one moment, as the shorter duellist began to lose consciousness, Seto knew, clearer than he'd ever known anything in his life. He bent down, and kissed Yami's blood-soaked lips.
"I Love You."
* * *
"Ohmigod! Did Jou *really* just beat Yugi?" asked Anzu, gob smacked.
"He can't have. It's just... Not possible." said Honda. They checked the life point counter again. He had.
"All right! I *won*!" Jou celebrated. Yugi was *not* happy. In fact, he looked ready to spit the dummy in a major way. It was averted, however, by the arrival of several hospital staff tearing through the crowd, wheeling a trolley.
"This way!" cried Mokuba, ushering them upstairs.
"Is everything okay, Mokuba? Is someone hurt?" asked Anzu. The child was hysterical, tears ran down his cheeks, and he seemed completely out of it.
"Yugi! Yugi! It's Yami! He got him! He got Yami!!" They tried to calm him down enough to figure out what the hell was wrong.
"What's up, short stuff?" Honda persisted, as if he was talking to a kindergartener. This achieved little, except to piss Mokuba off.
"YAMI!" Mokuba screamed at them. "He's been *shot*!"
* * *
Yami succumbed to the darkness. He could no longer feel the pain. He could no longer feel *anything*. Just an awful cold, and emptiness, as the life seeped out of him.
"I Love You." The words echoed through his soul. That voice. It was so familiar. He knew the words would normally affect him. But how could he feel anything but this dreadful cold?
Suddenly he recognised the voice. Seto. Seto Kaiba! Seto had said... that... but it was too late! Yami knew he was dying... but he must still be alive, to know he was dying, mustn't he?
The darkness pressed in around him, but this time Yami didn't let it take him. He fought it with every ounce of strength he could muster. He had to see Seto again! Seto loved him. That's what he'd said.
He opened his eyes. Seto was crying. He tried to call out to him, but he was too weak. His head spun, dizzy from the pain pulsing through his body. He closed his eyes again, and passed out.
But he was alive.
* * *
The six teens sat around in the hospital, anxiously awaiting the arrival of the nurse. Yugi and Mokuba were crying, as was Anzu, though she was doing her best to conceal it. Jou and Honda were more subdued than anyone had ever seen them. Seto, meanwhile, had composed himself on the outside, but inside he was a wreck. What if Yami didn't make it?
They were there for hours. Sugoroku turned up, comforting Yugi. Finally, a nurse came out of the operating theatre.
"Is he going to be okay?" Kaiba asked, jumping up.
"He's stable, but still out cold. He'll be okay, I expect. It's amazing, he really *should* be dead with that kind of injury. He must be a real fighter."
"He is," Seto muttered softly.
"Can we see him?" Yugi asked, wiping his tears away with the back of his hand.
"All of you? Well, uh... I suppose so." They ambled in. Yami was lying on the hospital bed, devoid of his usual punk-revival leather, his tanned Egyptian skin deathly white. The only sign he was still alive was the slight rise and fall of his chest.
Anzu gently peeled back the sheet and lifted his shirt up a teensy bit. She gasped, finding an ugly scar, just under his rib-cage on his right, marring his otherwise perfect skin. "I know," said the nurse, coming up behind her. "The bullet punctured his right lung, which explains his coughing up blood." She looked up at Kaiba, who was staring ashen-faced at Yami. "I don't know what you did, before we got there, but whatever it was it worked. That would normally have been a fatal wound."
Seto continued to watch Yami. He was alive. His little hero, his love. He was alive.
Jou, Honda, and Anzu found no point in staying, looking at an unconscious body. Anzu felt sick. It didn't help, seeing Kaiba going all cow-eyed. She wasn't sure what had gone on in the past week, but those two were definitely in love.
And it pissed her off something chronic.
* * *
So, it was Yami after all. Did you think it was Seto? My brother did. (Yes, he's four, but I read him all the innocent stuff.) That chapter was the hardest one yet to write, I loooooove Yami, and it was so hard to make him in pain. So reward my hard work, please!?
Disclaimer: If you *honestly* believe I own Yu-Gi-Oh, you're too stupid to be reading fanfiction. Go away.
Chapter 9: Hanging By A Moment.
* * *
Yami stopped mid choke-hold, and lowered his hands to his chest, his fingers coming away red. Pain, worse than he had ever felt, wracked his body. His knees gave way and he fell to the floor.
"Yami!" cried Mokuba, almost hysterical. Seto, in the moment's confusion, brought down the gunman, knocking him out.
"Mokuba! Get help!" called Seto, kneeling beside his wounded rival. The former pharaoh was breathing hard, eyes closed. Blood oozed from the bullet hole, and he was loosing it fast. "Yami..."
He opened his eyes. Looking at Kaiba, he managed to splutter between pants, "I always... have to... save... your... bloody neck..." He coughed, bringing up blood.
"Shhh, Yami. The paramedics will be here any minute. You'll be okay."
Yami stared at Kaiba, a look that clearly said 'do you honestly believe that?' His maroon shirt was drenched with blood. He coughed again, his lips red. Seto watched helplessly as his eyes slid shut once more.
"Yami! No..." In that one moment, as the shorter duellist began to lose consciousness, Seto knew, clearer than he'd ever known anything in his life. He bent down, and kissed Yami's blood-soaked lips.
"I Love You."
* * *
"Ohmigod! Did Jou *really* just beat Yugi?" asked Anzu, gob smacked.
"He can't have. It's just... Not possible." said Honda. They checked the life point counter again. He had.
"All right! I *won*!" Jou celebrated. Yugi was *not* happy. In fact, he looked ready to spit the dummy in a major way. It was averted, however, by the arrival of several hospital staff tearing through the crowd, wheeling a trolley.
"This way!" cried Mokuba, ushering them upstairs.
"Is everything okay, Mokuba? Is someone hurt?" asked Anzu. The child was hysterical, tears ran down his cheeks, and he seemed completely out of it.
"Yugi! Yugi! It's Yami! He got him! He got Yami!!" They tried to calm him down enough to figure out what the hell was wrong.
"What's up, short stuff?" Honda persisted, as if he was talking to a kindergartener. This achieved little, except to piss Mokuba off.
"YAMI!" Mokuba screamed at them. "He's been *shot*!"
* * *
Yami succumbed to the darkness. He could no longer feel the pain. He could no longer feel *anything*. Just an awful cold, and emptiness, as the life seeped out of him.
"I Love You." The words echoed through his soul. That voice. It was so familiar. He knew the words would normally affect him. But how could he feel anything but this dreadful cold?
Suddenly he recognised the voice. Seto. Seto Kaiba! Seto had said... that... but it was too late! Yami knew he was dying... but he must still be alive, to know he was dying, mustn't he?
The darkness pressed in around him, but this time Yami didn't let it take him. He fought it with every ounce of strength he could muster. He had to see Seto again! Seto loved him. That's what he'd said.
He opened his eyes. Seto was crying. He tried to call out to him, but he was too weak. His head spun, dizzy from the pain pulsing through his body. He closed his eyes again, and passed out.
But he was alive.
* * *
The six teens sat around in the hospital, anxiously awaiting the arrival of the nurse. Yugi and Mokuba were crying, as was Anzu, though she was doing her best to conceal it. Jou and Honda were more subdued than anyone had ever seen them. Seto, meanwhile, had composed himself on the outside, but inside he was a wreck. What if Yami didn't make it?
They were there for hours. Sugoroku turned up, comforting Yugi. Finally, a nurse came out of the operating theatre.
"Is he going to be okay?" Kaiba asked, jumping up.
"He's stable, but still out cold. He'll be okay, I expect. It's amazing, he really *should* be dead with that kind of injury. He must be a real fighter."
"He is," Seto muttered softly.
"Can we see him?" Yugi asked, wiping his tears away with the back of his hand.
"All of you? Well, uh... I suppose so." They ambled in. Yami was lying on the hospital bed, devoid of his usual punk-revival leather, his tanned Egyptian skin deathly white. The only sign he was still alive was the slight rise and fall of his chest.
Anzu gently peeled back the sheet and lifted his shirt up a teensy bit. She gasped, finding an ugly scar, just under his rib-cage on his right, marring his otherwise perfect skin. "I know," said the nurse, coming up behind her. "The bullet punctured his right lung, which explains his coughing up blood." She looked up at Kaiba, who was staring ashen-faced at Yami. "I don't know what you did, before we got there, but whatever it was it worked. That would normally have been a fatal wound."
Seto continued to watch Yami. He was alive. His little hero, his love. He was alive.
Jou, Honda, and Anzu found no point in staying, looking at an unconscious body. Anzu felt sick. It didn't help, seeing Kaiba going all cow-eyed. She wasn't sure what had gone on in the past week, but those two were definitely in love.
And it pissed her off something chronic.
* * *
So, it was Yami after all. Did you think it was Seto? My brother did. (Yes, he's four, but I read him all the innocent stuff.) That chapter was the hardest one yet to write, I loooooove Yami, and it was so hard to make him in pain. So reward my hard work, please!?