DECLARAION- This story has been written and produced by Cathrath (FanFiction. net ID: 609465). Distribution of any kind is prohibited without the written consent of Cathrath. If you should see this story posted anywhere other than FanFiction .net or under any other name it has been stolen so please notify the author. I do not own Yu-gi-oh.

Chapter 6 – Poison

"YAMI," Yugi cried as Yami fell forward into his arms.

Yugi looked in horror at the arrow buried deep in Yami's back.

"HELP ME, SOMBODY HELP ME," he shouted looking desperately around.

He caught a glimpse of a figure with long white hair on the high wall as it dashed out of view.

"PRINCE YUGI."

Yugi gave a sigh of relief at hearing Honda's voice.

"OVER HERE," he shouted.

"PLEASE HURRY."

Honda came dashing into the courtyard closely followed by Jou. They both took in the sight before them and rushed to Yugi's aid. Yugi was crying openly as he held Yami in his arms.

"Please help him," he pleaded to Honda.

Honda nodded and quickly lifted Yami into his arms being careful so as not to touch the arrow in his back.

"He's still breathing," he said with obvious relief.

"But he's in a bad way. We have to get him to a healer."

He rushed past Jou who proceeded to help Yugi and headed in the direction of Yami's chambers. On arrival they found Mai and Tea just leaving the apartments. Tea placed a hand over her mouth in shock at the sight of the wounded Pharaoh.

"Tea, quickly, we need a healer," Honda shouted to her.

She nodded and left at a run down the corridor. Mai re-opened the door to allow Honda to carry Yami in. Honda approached the bed and gently laid Yami on his side so as not to aggravate his wound. Yami was still breathing but his face was pale and screwed up in pain and his breathing was laboured. Yugi dashed to the side of the bed and grasped one of Yami's outstretched hands.

"Hold on Yami, please hold on," he pleaded with his unconscious friend.

At that moment the doors were flung open and Katara, Ishizu's assistant, dashed in.

"Tea said that Pharaoh Yami has been wounded," she said out of breath.

Katara dashed over to the bed at the sight of the stricken Pharaoh. She looked at the arrow protruding from his back and emptied the bag she was carrying onto the bed. Getting straight to work she took up a piece of clean white linen and wrapped it around the arrow shaft as close to Yami's blood soaked back as she could.

"I'm sorry Your Highness but this is going to hurt," she said as she braced her arm.

Yugi looked up worried.

"What are you going to do?"

"I need to remove the arrow but it may not be an easy job. It depends on how deep it is and whether it's caught any bone. From the angle I would say it's missed anything vital but it's still not going to be pleasant".

She tightened her grip on the shaft ready to pull. Yami gave a soft moan of pain and realising Yami was regaining some consciousness Yugi grasped his hand tighter.

"Yami, Katara needs to remove the arrow."

Yami gave another groan in response and grasped Yugi's hand back. Yugi nodded, signalling that they were ready. Katara took a deep breath and with one strong pull the arrow slid free. Yami gave a howl of pain as the arrow was pulled free and he took deep breaths as he tried to control the sensation. Katara quickly examined the arrow wound and then applied a medicine soaked cloth, which she proceeded to bandage into place.

"It doesn't look like there is any major damage or internal bleeding but he will need to be watched closely. The soaked cloth should help with the pain and aid in the healing. Whoever fired that arrow was a lousy shot."

Yugi nodded and with Honda's help turned Yami onto his back. Yami gave a hiss of pain as he was laid on his back but it looked like the pain killing herbs on the cloth were helping. Yugi gently pulled the covers up around Yami who had begun to shake as shock set in. He again took hold of Yami's hand. Katara retired to a table across the room and started to mix some herbs and liquids together. Honda came up beside Yugi and laid a gentle hand on his shoulder.

"What happened Yugi?"

Yugi's eyes changed from concern to guilt and then to sadness as he recalled the events before Yami had been attacked.

"It's all my fault Honda. W...we had an argument. I was being childish and storming away when Yami decided to follow me. We had been standing under a tall tree during the argument but as Yami moved out of the shade he was hit by the arrow."

Yugi looked up at Honda tears streaming down his face.

"Whoever it was must have been waiting in the garden. If I hadn't been so selfish we would never have argued and Yami would still be Ok."

Honda knelt down beside Yugi and lifted his chin with a gentle finger and looked deep into his eyes.

"Yugi, that's enough. It wasn't your fault. Yami lives with the threat of being attacked every day of his life. If this attacker hadn't struck now he would have struck at some other time in some other place. The fact that Yami and you had an argument and he followed you has nothing to do with it."

Yugi hung his head in shame.

"I...I...know. It...it's just...if he dies, then the last words we would have spoken would have been..." Yugi choked on his sob as he told Honda his real fear and the reason for his guilt.

Honda laid a hand on Yugi's shoulder and squeezed it reassuringly.

"I understand Yugi really I do but you heard Katara. She says he should make a full recovery and I have to agree with her that whoever shot the arrow was a lousy shot. From that range Yami should have been dead the moment it struck."

Yugi nodded and wiped his eyes with the back of his hand.

"Thanks Honda."

Katara returned from the table she had been working at carrying a bowl. She set the bowl down on the table beside the bed and placed a hand on Yami's forehead. Satisfied, she removed the hand and turned to Yugi.

"He's not running a fever and seems to be in a normal sleep so he should make a full recovery with no ill effects, apart from being a little sore. When he wakes, give him this."

She indicated to the bowl she had just carried over.

"It will help with the pain and speed up the healing."

Yugi smiled and nodded his understanding. Katara's confidence filled him with hope.

"Thank you Katara. Has there been any news from Ishizu since she left?"

She shook her head.

"No, but I'm going to send a message to tell her what's happened and ask her to come back."

She moved towards the door.

"Call me if there is any change."

Yugi nodded and gave her a faint smile of thanks as she left the room, before turning his attention back to Yami.

"Will you take some rest yourself Your Highness?" Honda asked looking concerned at the weary Yugi.

"No, I'm fine Honda. I want to stay with Yami."

Honda signalled his understanding and moved towards the door.

"If you need me I will be right outside," and with that he left, leaving Yugi alone with Yami in the candle-lit room.

Yugi reached up a hand to brush Yami's blonde bangs away from his face.

'Please be all right Yami...please don't leave me,' he thought.

A movement underneath him and a low moan disturbed Yugi's fitful sleep. He opened his eyes sleepily and raised his head. He hadn't meant to but he had fallen asleep whilst still sitting beside Yami's bed. Yugi looked over at Yami and panic and shock ran through him at the sight before him. Yami's eyes were tightly shut in pain and he was drenched in sweat, thrashing around and gripping the covers tightly. Yugi leapt out of his chair as Yami gave a pain filled cry. Yugi didn't waste any time. He ran across the room and threw open the main door.

"HELP ME," he shouted down the corridor.

Honda appeared from around the corner at hearing Yugi's cry, closely followed by Jou who had already been on his way over to see how the Pharaoh was doing. He was tired after being up most of the night with the other guardians trying to identify Yami's attacker. With the brief description Yugi had given it wasn't easy. Everyone in the palace seemed to have long white hair. Jou ran towards the Pharaohs chambers as he heard Yugi shout.

"What is it Yugi... What's happened?" they both asked together.

Yugi was beside himself with worry and struggled to get his instructions and explanation across to Jou and Honda.

"It's Yami...he's getting worse not better...fetch Katara...is Ishizu back yet?"

Yugi stood in the doorway wringing his hands. Jou took hold of them quickly.

"Don't worry Yug I'll get her," and with that he left at a run.

"Hurry," Yugi whispered after him.

Jou returned a few minutes later with Katara who instantly rushed to Yami's bedside. Yugi and Honda between them had been desperately trying to calm Yami down and restrain him so he wouldn't hurt himself but Yami was much bigger and stronger than Yugi and his thrashing had become worse.

"Did you give him any of the medicine I made last night?" Katara asked Yugi urgently.

Yugi shook his head.

"No, he never woke up. I...I fell asleep for a short while and when I awoke he was like this."

Katara quickly pulled a piece of cloth from her bag and dipped it into the liquid.

"Hold him still," She said in a tone similar to Ishizu's when she wasn't going to take no for an answer.

Yugi, Honda and Jou did their best to keep Yami still as Katara reached over and squeezed a few drops of liquid from the cloth into Yami's mouth. She then stood back and waited. Slowly Yami's convulsions lessened and he dropped back down onto the bed breathing and sweating heavily.

"That should help calm him down," she said as she began to examine Yami.

"What's wrong with him?" Yugi asked, a slight hint of fear in his voice. Katara shook her head.

"I don't understand. The wound wasn't deep enough to do any damage and the medicine should have kept out infection...I just don't understand."

She turned Yami onto his side with Jou's help and inspected the bandage around Yami's torso. She suddenly stopped.

"No...how could I have missed it?" she exclaimed.

Katara quickly dashed over the table where the offending arrow lay after being placed there in a hurry the night before. She picked it up and examined it closely then she held it to her nose and sniffed. She quickly held the arrow out at arms length, a look of disgust on her face.

"Poison," She said as she threw the arrow to the floor.

"I'm sorry Your Highness I should have realised last night. The archer wasn't a bad shot after all he just didn't need to make a good shot because the arrow had been dipped in poison. A mere scratch would have been enough."

Yugi's face fell in horror.

"P...poison."

"Can you cure him? Please say you can," he said desperately.

Katara returned to Yami's side.

"I don't know Your Highness. This is beyond me I don't even know what the poison is. We need Ishizu."

"Please Katara. You have to try," Yugi pleaded.

She nodded solemnly.

"I will try but I need to find an answer quickly. The poison appears to be an extremely virulent one. It's attacking his heart," she said indicating Yami's rapid breathing and excessive sweating.

"I don't know how much longer he can hold out. It may only be a few hours."

"A...few...hours. Oh Yami please hang on. You have to. I can't live without you," Yugi sobbed.