Chapter 4 – Race against time

Yugi and Kaiba faced off and Kaiba smirked.

"You're finished Yugi, I'm going to slaughter you."

Yugi felt the pain stab his stomach again and put his hand to it. When he took it away again there was blood on his hand. His wound had opened again. He realised that carrying Yami had made it open again.

"Please Kaiba I can't do this I need, we need medical attention."

But Kaiba wasn't listening.

"This won't take me long and when I have defeated you at last, I will have what I want and you can go."

Yugi knew he'd have to do this whether he was bleeding or not. Yami watched from his shady spot fear reflected clearly on his features. Ishizu shook her head in disbelief. Why hadn't Yugi's wound healed properly? She couldn't figure it out. She had to get both of them to a hospital as soon as possible.

"I summon Desferal Imp!" shouted Kaiba and the monster appeared in front of him. "And I'll place this card face down."

Yugi looked at his cards.

"I summon Dark Magician Girl in attack mode!" She appeared in front of Yugi and he shouted, "Dark Magician Girl attack!"

"Hold it Yugi, I activate trap card Curse of Anubis which causes my Desferal Imp to switch to defence mode!"

Dark magician Girl's attack hit Desferal Imp and destroyed it but Kaiba's life points remained intact.

Yugi frowned and set one card face down before ending his turn. He could feel blood running down his stomach and he hoped this wouldn't last too long. There was a six-hour drive across the desert to face but maybe Ishizu could heal him enough to make it to a hospital. Yami watched as he saw blood begin to drip from Yugi's trouser leg and silently implored Kaiba to have mercy and stop the duel but when he looked at Kaiba's face he saw nothing but the face and eyes of a madman.

'He's not going to stop even if he kills Yugi in the process' he thought horrified. 'Come on Yugi you can beat him.'

But Yugi was out of practice and Kaiba was able to destroy two of his monsters. Yugi was getting weaker by the minute and struggling to stay upright.

"Kaiba stop please! Can't you see Yugi needs medical help?" Ishizu was calling out to Kaiba but he ignored her pleas.

"Quiet woman! He can go as soon as I've crushed him into the dirt like the dog he is!"

All Yami and Ishizu could do was to watch as Yugi carried on managing to destroy another of Kaiba's monsters but activating it's special ability to allow Kaiba to summon a dragon. He smiled and summoned his Blue Eyes White Dragon. Yugi groaned both from the pain and knowing what was coming next. He was down to 1000 Life Points and knew that when Kaiba was able to summon the Blue Eyes Shining Dragon he would be history. Just then his legs gave way and he collapsed to the ground in a crumpled heap as Kaiba gloated over him. His wound was bleeding more freely now and he didn't think he could hold on much longer. He felt so tired all he wanted to do was to close his eyes.

Yami's voice came to him in his mind.

'Yugi I know you can do this. If you don't Kaiba will get the millennium items and will do something terrible with them!'

'Yami, this time……I can't."

He closed his eyes.

"YUGI!" Yami yelled as Yugi lay still on the ground. He tried to get to his aribou, who was lying frighteningly still, but his legs still wouldn't move and his arms weren't strong enough. He howled in anger, frustration and pain as Kaiba strode over to his fallen opponent and dealt a kick to his chest. Yami and Ishizu heard a horrible crack as Yugi's ribs were broken but he didn't move.

"Get up!" He growled, "I will beat you properly, you can't use some little wound as an excuse!"

Ishizu suddenly found extra strength flooded her being as she saw Kaiba kick Yugi.

"LEAVE HIM ALONE!" she roared and Kaiba turned on her.

"I win by default, you will grant me the use of the millennium items."

Ishizu looked down at Yami who nodded his head hoping against hope that Yugi wasn't dead just unconscious.

"Follow me." She said and turned round at the same time releasing a bottle she had concealed in her hand, which dropped on the ground next to Yami. He waited until they had vanished back into the tomb before snatching it up and putting it between his teeth. Ishizu obviously meant for him to help Yugi with it and he prayed the gods would give him the strength to pull himself over to Yugi.

Holding his blanket as best he could he began to pull himself across the hot sand towards the prone form which still hadn't moved.

'Please be alive, please be alive' he silently begged as he made his slow way along, dragging his useless legs behind him.

It was sheer determination that got him across the fifty or so yards of sand to where Yugi was lying.

Yami propped himself up and turned Yugi over onto his back. He reeled in shock as Yugi's shirt was soaked in blood as was the sand around him, but he was breathing. Yami breathed a huge sigh of relief and ripped the soaking shirt off to reveal the ugly stab wound in his stomach.

'You went through all that for me.' The former pharaoh whispered to himself and felt very humble in the face of Yugi's bravery. He knew even for the brief moments of time they had had together Yugi would have died for them but Yami vowed not to let Yugi die. 'You may have lost me once.' He thought 'But I swear I will NOT lose you!'

He applied the ointment to Yugi's wound and watched as the blood stopped running out and the magic in the ointment dried the blood over the wound to form a scab.

Yami shifted himself around and carefully lifted Yugi's head to cradle him in his lap careful of his broken ribs.

The sun was hot on him and he hoped That Ishizu wouldn't be long. He stroked Yugi's hair and brushed the golden bangs away from his face. He loved him so much he knew if anything happened to him as a result if Kaiba's madness, he would not hold back – he would make him suffer and then he would kill him. 'After all' he reasoned 'I am the dark, it is in my nature.'

He knew what Yugi would do, Yugi was so kind hearted, and he would probably forgive Kaiba and mourn Yami's loss quietly as he had done for the last ten years. His beloved Yugi, so caring and forgiving. He didn't deserve this! Tears of anguish ran down Yami's face and onto Yugi's wetting it. He wiped them off and looked hopefully towards the entrance to his former tomb.

After what seemed an age, Ishizu emerged followed by Kaiba who was looking very pleased with himself and carrying six of the millennium items. Yami hurriedly slipped the puzzle from round Yugi's neck and hid it under his blanket; He was NOT going to lose that to this madman.

Kaiba strolled over to the two on the ground.

"Well, well what a touching little scene." He smiled but it was not a pleasant smile and the sight of it sent shivers down Yami's spine. 'Pease let us go.' He silently pleaded.

"I could just kill the three of you, you know, its no loss to me." He gloated. "But where's the sport in that? I know you'll try and reclaim these when you have gained strength and who am I to try and stop you? Besides," He continued darkly "It will be much more fun watching you die trying to get these back."

He laughed a purely evil laugh and turning on his heel, he walked to his car and drove off in a huge cloud of dust and sand.

"Come on we've got to get the both of you to the hospital." Said Ishizu. "Did you use the ointment?"

Yami nodded.

"The bleeding has stopped but he's very weak. Will he make it?"

Ishizu stood over Yugi and muttered a string of words.

"That will preserve his condition exactly as it is until we get him to a hospital." She said and held out her arms. Yami allowed him to be taken and Ishizu hurriedly placed Yugi in the backseat of the car but as gently as she could lest his broken ribs pierced something inside of him. Then she went to fetch Yami who held out his arms to be picked up much as a child would to its mother. He silently cursed his legs and hoped they would gain some movement soon.

When light and dark were safely in the car, Ishizu sped off across the desert. Yami was once again holding Yugi's head in his lap and kissed him lightly on the lips.

"We'll be there soon." He promised. Ishizu drummed her fingers on the steering wheel as she drove wondering why on earth tombs were always so far from civilization!

Six hours later, they arrived at the hospital and Ishizu rushed off to get medical help for both Yami and Yugi as both of them were in a bad way now. Yugi's condition hadn't deteriorated thanks to the ointment and the spell Ishizu had cast, however Yami was dehydrated and his body needed more blood, as Yugi's hadn't really been enough. Both of them were now unconscious.

Doctors and nurses came running with stretchers and whisked Yugi and Yami into the hospital for examination. Yugi had internal organ damage and was rushed off to theatre for emergency surgery. The doctors warned Ishizu that he might not pull through and they needed a signature to operate. Ishizu promptly lied and said they were brothers and she was their elder sister and they had no parents so no questions would be asked. It had been so long since Yugi was the Yu-Gi-Oh that most had forgotten what he looked like in spite of his hair, and the doctors were only too happy just to get a signature on their consent forms from their 'sister'. She was questioned as to how their wounds were received though Yami had no visible wounds he was severely dehydrated.

She lied again and said they'd been attacked and taken prisoner by some robbers near some of the old tombs, which they were visiting. She had managed to hide and set her 'brothers' free and they had escaped. The robbers had stabbed Yugi in his stomach, kicked him and not given them any food or water.

The doctors accepted this and went off to perform the necessary surgery on Yugi. Meanwhile a drip was being attached to Yami to give him much needed fluids and he was also having the first of several blood transfusions.

Ishizu paced around outside the room, which had two beds. One occupied by Yami and the other for Yugi when he returned though it might be a day or two if he survived the surgery.

Ishizu prayed feverishly to every God she had ever known hoping that one would hear her and restore both of them to her. She loved both of them dearly though not in the same way as they loved each other – she loved them as a sister would. When she told the doctors she was their sister she had not entirely lied because that was how she felt.

In the operating theatre doctors were struggling to keep Yugi alive. His heart had stopped twice during the surgery but both times he had been brought back. One of the doctors mused 'It's like he's trying to die.' And carried on stitching up the various internal organs that had been pierced by the dagger. It had gone in deep, stopping just short of his spinal cord and the doctor was glad about that. There was also his broken ribs to sort out though fortunately they hadn't pierced anything internally. The team worked feverishly not wanting to let this small person go.

Yugi stirred and opened his eyes. Where was he? The room was dark and he couldn't see anything apart from a thin strip of light beyond the end of whatever he was lying on. He stretched and felt his stomach. His wound was gone! He felt around and discovered that not only was it gone but there was no trace of any injury at all! Not even a scar, which he felt sure he would be able to feel. He got up and holding his hands out in front of him he felt the space in front of him for obstacles but found none. He made his way over to where the strip of light was and felt around for a door handle or knob. He found a handle and stepped out into a place he knew very well.

"The millennium puzzle! How did I get here?" he remembered passing out fighting Kaiba. Kaiba! Oh no he had got the Millenium items by now he was sure. What about Yami? And Ishizu.

Then he felt guilty. All of this was his fault! Why couldn't he have left well alone? But oh no he had to be selfish and bring Yami back didn't he? Now who knew what Kaiba would do with such power as those items held. Yugi sank to the floor and buried his head in his hands. He had failed. He couldn't defeat Kaiba and Yami had believed in him but he had just given up. He was a failure and the guilt of it weighed heavily on him. He couldn't breathe it was suffocating him and he passed out momentarily. He came round to find the guilt was still there and it had formed into a dark cloud. It grew a little more as he berated himself. Again it descended on him choking him and again he passed out. When he came round again Yami was there and he was shaking him.

"Yami!" He smiled to see him but then he saw his guilt cloud hovering behind Yami and his smile vanished.

"Yami I…" he broke off trying to gather himself.

"It's alright Yugi, You didn't fail, and I don't know what Kaiba was thinking trying to get you to duel when you were bleeding so badly. He had no right to play with your life like that! He's insane Yugi and it is not your fault you understand me?"

"Yes but if it hadn't been for me searching for a way to bring you back out of my own selfish desires, he would never have found your tomb!"

"Yugi, your desires aren't selfish – I would have done the same had it have been you who had left. I love you Yugi Motou and I would have searched the earth for a way to bring you back!"

"Really?" Yugi's hopes raised and the cloud of guilt diminished. Yami stroked his face and Yugi relaxed a bit more. So Yami wasn't mad and he would have done the same? He felt a lot better knowing this and his cloud of guilt dissipated completely.

"How come you're here too Yami? I passed out I remember but you were alright."

"I'm not sure, I remember closing my eyes in the car and waking up in a dark room."

"Not your soul room? I woke up in a dark room too. Do you think it has anything to do with the fact you're not sharing my body anymore? But why have we come where and not to the shadow realm?"

"I'm not sure but one thing I do know is we've got to get back to our bodies somehow. I am not just a spirit anymore, I believe the longer we stay here now, the more chance there is of us not getting back at all and we might end up trapped in this place forever and I for one and a little fed up of it!"

Yugi couldn't help but smile.

"Yes I guess it would lose its appeal after five thousand years." Grinned Yugi. "Can you remember the way back to your dark room?"

"Yes I think so, it was back this way."

They walked down the passages until they came to two doors opposite each other.

"This it you think?" Yugi said and tried one of them. He recalled which way he had opened his door and looked into the darkness within. He could just make out the edge of a table inside.

Yami opened the other door and saw the same.

"I think this must be it." He said "And I think this one was mine."

"Yes I remember opening my door this way." Yugi said and turned back to his dark who held out his arms. Yugi melted into the embrace and they stood there for long moments neither wanting to move.

"Do you think we will meet here when asleep?" Yugi wondered out loud.

"I'm not sure aribou, one thing is sure though, we have to get well and strong again. We must get those items back no matter what. There is no telling what Kaiba has planned for them."

"Yes, heal soon my koi (love)"

"Must we return so soon? I don't want to let go of you." Said Yugi tightening his hold slightly.

"You know we must. Ishizu will be worrying about us."

Yugi sighed and nodded. They had a responsibility to put things right he knew.

"One or other of us could die Yami." He said, fear making his voice tremble.

"Well if that happens, it happens. But I don't believe we would go to the shadow realm, I believe this place is where our souls will reside when our bodies can't hold us anymore."

"That would be nice. An eternity together."

Yami smiled.

"Lets hope so. I also think our bond keeps us bound together, after all we shared the same body for a number of years."

"I heard your voice in the desert Yami, you spoke into my mind. You told me not to give up."

"Yes I was saying that in my mind, we must still share a telepathic link of some sort. This could work to our advantage when dealing with Kaiba."

"We should practice and develop it so we're completely ready when the time comes."

"Yes. Alright I'm not sure how we will return to our bodies but lets see what happens when we lay on the tables again."

They finally disentangled themselves and each went into his own room.

Back in the hospital room, Ishizu was sitting on a chair between the two beds, her head was lolling forwards as sleep tried to claim her. A sudden light made her sit up in alarm. She saw that the Millennium Puzzle that was back in its rightful place round Yugi's neck was glowing. Yugi had come back from intensive care after the doctors said he was well enough to leave.

Ishizu watched as a golden ball of light rose out of the Puzzle and split in two. One went into Yugi and the other into Yami.

"Their souls!" she whispered and fully awake now she watched as both pairs of eyes flickered and opened.

"Welcome back" she smiled and both of them managed a weak smile in return.

Yami was still hooked up to the drips as was Yugi and they looked across at each other.

"I love you," mouthed Yugi and Yami returned the sentiment before they closed their eyes and fell into blissful dreamless sleep.

I know they had just woken up but that was from being unconscious rather than just sleeping – when they're just sleeping they don't enter the puzzle