Ch 7 You Can Lead A Horse To Water…

"Have you found anything?"

"I'm sorry, I haven't."

"Neither have I."

"There was nothing in the Lelanian files?"

"Yami, it's only been two days since we started looking into this. We still have many more files to go through."

"What about the Priest's files. Have you found anything there?"

"No. I'm sorry, Yami, but we just need more time."

"He doesn't have a lot of time!"

Yuugi whimpered at the harsh voice that stabbed at his ears like a knife.

"Yami, control yourself. We're doing everything we can to find out what he's afflicted with."

"What about your medicines? Have any of them worked?"

"No. I've tried most of them from the common cold to foreign poisons -Mana has even given me some medicine from Caria to try- but none of them have taken effect. Keep in mind, I've only been trying for two days. Some of these may need more time in order to set in."

"Not to mention that we don't know how these medicines will affect a human. They might not even work at all."

"The only medicine that seems to have at least calmed some of his fever has been my glorean antidote. It seems to calm his sense, but the effects don't last long."

"So this could be something to do with the glorean?"

"'Possibly, but I'll have to look further into it."

Yuugi began to feel hot under the covers. Sweat covered his skin in a fine sheen and soaked the heavy furs and blankets on top of him.

"What of the council? How are they handling this?"

"Rumonbothe, Dovai, and Odamanai are all having a field day, although they only show it behind my back. The rest are concerned but are more focused on the town."

"What of them?"

"I've heard some things coming home these past two nights. They know that the Young Lover is not well. The verdict seems to be split on whether it's good or bad."

"Mana's right. They're no better than the council. So are the priests. Between Abur and Yuugi, the temple of Mira is at ends with itself."

"Do they still not believe that Abur kidnapped you and Yuugi."

"Hardly. Until there is more agreement amongst the council and priests, the only thing we can do is keep her locked in the castle dungeon."

"I never thought that I would have to use that again."

Yuugi rolled onto his side trying to get comfortable; however, he soon found another issue arise. His mouth was dry and a bitter tang stained his tongue. The salvia that coated his mouth was thick and sticky and was ill-suited to saturate properly. What was worse was the cavern that seemed to be his stomach. He was hungry and the longer he stayed aware of it, the stronger the feeling became. It wasn't long before his stomach rumbled to remind him of his issue.

"So long as I reign, she will not be able to leave this castle."

"But then what are we going to do? We can't keep her there forever."

"Yet we can't kill her either. Too many people don't believe what she's done, and even if they did, Mira has to approve the punishment."

"There's been some problems with that."

"What do you mean?"

"Some of the priests are beginning to say that they can't contact Mira or that they don't feel her presence. It had started a few days ago when they felt her presences weakening, but they didn't think much of it."

"She has been dormant before in the past, but the priests fear that this is something different."

"What if she's mad and has decided to abandon Lelania?"

"No. Our goddess would never leave our people. She created us, she gave us a home, she has guided us through all the fear-driven decisions, she would not leave us now."

"Then what could it be?"

Yuugi squeezed his eyes shut and tried to ignore the aching pain in his stomach. His fingers twitched against the sheets and his brain fought to understand all that was around him. He could hear voices, but they all blended together into one noise. It was hard for him to tell who was talking, but they were upset, frustrated, and angry.

The emotions crowed his mind and jumbled his thoughts. He couldn't understand what was his own and what was theirs. It blended together and left no guideline for him to follow. Another rumble tore through his stomach and he whimpered at the pain that wracked his body.

"There's something going on here, but we have yet to know what it is."

"You don't think Mira's silence and Yuugi's illness has something in common do you?"

"I have no idea. It's too soon to say, but not too late to make claims."

The voices grated on his nerves like a sword to a grindstone. They shrieked, sparked, and sharped the longer they spoke only to leave him scared and worn. His ears were beginning to ring until he swore they were going to pop. His stomach roared, his brain screeched, and his body ached. He needed silence, he needed everything to stop. Stop. STOP!

"Shut up!" Yuugi yelled only to keel over in a coughing fit.

Yuugi couldn't hear the voices over his throat-tearing coughs. They were silent. Now all that was left was his thundering coughs that were like nails on a chalkboard. What was worse was that each cough shook his body and tore at his throat like claws. He couldn't breathe and he couldn't stop. He could feel a liquid fill his mouth and dribble past his lips. The liquid was sour and wet his lips as they overflowed, but his focus was not on the taste: it was fighting for the breath that seemed to elude him so dangerously.

"Shit! Mana, go get some water and clothe. Yusei and I will try and calm him down."

"I'm on it!"

There was the click of a door then weight on the bed.

"Do you think the medicine will work?"

"It will stop the coughing, but I don't know how his mental state is."

"Will you be able to pull him out of it?"

"I can try, but I'll need to rest afterward. Will you be able to handle him if I go down?"

"Yes."

Hands forced Yuugi back until he was sitting up on the bed. Even though he was coughing, he could feel the blood dripping back into his throat and clogging the passageway. He struggled to breathe and his limbs began to flail wildly. He lashed out at the bodies next to him, but they dodged the sloppy movements and tilted his head backward. Adrenaline made his heart beat fast and his eyes darted to every moving shadow and shape that entered his vision.

The hands moved until his head was tilted back and his jaw was forced open. He screamed when he failed to breathe; instead, he gurgled on the gathering blood and lurched his body away from the hands that latched onto him with an iron grip. Something was poured into his mouth. It felt like a powder and tasted spicy.

The powder clung to his mouth and his throat, soaking up the extra liquid and allowing air to come through easily. His chest rose and fell and he gulped in breath after precious breath; however, his pace began to quicken when he could feel the fingers on the hands grow. They became long and pointy with sharp talons meant for shredding and ripping skin. They wrapped around his bony arms and squeezed.

Yuugi screamed and thrashed around the embrace, trying to run away, but the hands were strong as steel and dug into his skin. Wild amethyst eyes dared to look over his shoulder where he knew the entity was. He immediately regretted it.

Sitting behind him, with its lanky arms trapping him was a tall, skinny figure, shrouded with shadows with white piercing eyes and its limbs twisted backward. It stared at him as though it could see his soul and leaned closer.

Someone tore his head away from the entity and he felt something lean on his forehead. Something -a presence- ripped him from the figures embrace and dragged him away from it even as it reached out for him. The presence pulled him through a mess of cobwebs, slowly, slowly, until the colors became sharper. Every sound was clear and his heart began to calm. When he was released from the spiderweb grip, it felt like someone had popped the cork off a bottle of champagne.

Something heavy fell onto the mattress in front of him, releasing his face and making him lose balance. His body tried to collapse on the bed, his energy drained, but two strong arms caught him and pulled him into a warm chest. While the heat from the body was becoming too much, the cold air that surrounded him was just as unappealing.

"Yuugi?"

That sweet baritone was like music to his ears, "Yami?"

Yami pulled back so that he could look Yuugi in the eyes. The elder took a shuddering breath and rose a hand to cup Yuugi's pale cheek, "Are you alright?"

More tears welled up in Yuugi's arms. Slowly he shook his head, "Yami, I don't know what's wrong."

The look of anguish that befell Yami's face was enough to break Yuugi. With a desperate cry, Yuugi fell into Yami's arms which wrapped around him securely. Yami pulled Yuugi into his lap and the two of them clung to each other, desperate for the other person and yet lost as to what to do.

There was movement on the bed and Yuugi jumped as he looked around for the source. He only relaxed when he realized it was just Yusei who was passed out on the bed.

Amethyst eyes still watching Yusei, Yuugi asked, "What happened?"

"He helped sort your mind, to put it simply. Whatever illness you have is messing with your brain and giving you not only realistic but strong hallucinations as well. Luckily, Yusei is able to use his magic to bring you back, if only for a short time," Yami sighed, "It's temporary, but I'm not sure how much longer Yusei can do it."

Yuugi reached out a hand and placed it on Yusei's head. The Neko's ears twitched before the body fell still once more. As Yuugi rested his hand on Yusei, silently thanking him for his help, he noticed a feeling wrapped around his torso. At first, he thought it was restricting his movements and fear spiked through his brain. His muscles tensed, ready to fight off whatever was around him, but the fear slipped like water through a siff and he was left feeling calm and secure. Slowly, his amethyst eyes moved from his friend, up his arm, and to the scarf that was tied around his arms.

Yuugi blinked and touched the familiar fabric. Warmth radiated from the soft threads and soothed his mind as the scent of dessert spices danced in the air. The fabric felt less like the restricting coil of a boa constrictor and was more the secure embrace of a loved one. When Yuugi looked to Yami, he noticed that Atemu's scarf was no longer tied around the king's arms.

"You wouldn't part with it, so I decided to let you have it."

Amethyst jumped to crimson with a curious expression. Yami let out a soft chuckle as he looked down to the scarf, "It seemed to be able to calm you when I couldn't. I figured that you needed it more than I did."

"But wasn't this Atemu's? Shouldn't you have it back?" Despite the spike of anxiety that crashed into him like lightening at the thought of handing the fabric over, Yuugi swallowed his fear and began to fumble with the knot, intent on handing it back to Yami.

Yami placed his hands over Yuugi's shaking ones and halted his movements, "I kept it because it reminded me that Atemu was always there and calmed me when I was upset," They locked eyes once more, "Now it can do the same for you with me."

Fresh tears welled in amethyst orbs, although they were bittersweet. He dropped his hands from the scarf, but also ducked his head from Yami's loving gaze, "You talk about Atemu as if he was the most precious thing in the world," he hiccuped and rose his hands to his mouth, "Meanwhile, I'm just a burden."

"Yuugi, you're not a burden-"

"How so?" Yuugi snapped but refused to meet Yami's eyes, "If it weren't for me, you wouldn't be stuck in Lelania and your father would still be alive. The council wouldn't hate you and you wouldn't have o be judged by the Lelanian people. You wouldn't have to worry about me on top of running the kingdom. There's so much in your life that could be better, but because of me, you can't have it."

"Yuugi, stop it. You're not a burden; in fact, you are the greatest thing that has ever happened to me. Yuugi," Yami tsked as he forced Yuugi's head towards him and waited until the younger looked up, "While I did love Atemu, and I still do, I also love you. Yes, there are things that I can't change and I wish they were different, but I would hate not having you in my life more than anything. Nothing is your fault: everything that has happened was bound to happen," He offered a small smile, "I'm just lucky that I got to experience it with you."

Yuugi shook his head, "But with this illness, I'm no help to anybody. I'm hurting so many people, even though I don't mean to, and I hate it. I want to help, I don't want to be a burden."

"Whatever this illness is, it's not your fault. Mana, Yusei, and I worry about you because we care about you. We want you to get better. I will admit that it hasn't been easy with this illness, especially when you haven't been open as to what has been happening to you, but I'm more concerned about you getting better. If you want to help, healing would be the best thing that you can do. Please, let us help you."

"He's right, Yuugi," Both Yami and Yuugi turned to see Mana walking in through the door with water and some washcloths in hand. She sat down on the bed with a smile, "When Atemu got sick, he tried to put up a brave face, make it look like it didn't hurt as much as it actually did. It was agonizing to watch him put himself through so much pain all because he didn't want any of us to worry," her brown eyes lingered on Yami's before they both looked away, "By the time he couldn't fake it anymore, he was too far gone for us to save. Please don't make the same mistake."

"I don't have any idea as to what this could be though," Yuugi whimpered.

Yami tightened his hold on Yuugi, "Neither do we, but we're looking into our history to see if something like this has happened before. So far nothing has come up, but we still have more files to look through."

Mana flickered her gaze around the room and chewed on her bottom lip, "I'm not sure, but I think Priestess Abur may know something about this."

Amethyst eyes widened and his muscles tensed. He curled closer to Yami while he gripped the scarf around his arms. He felt Yami tense as well before he relaxed, his crimson eyes hardened as they studied Mana.

"Do you think it could be another attack from her group?" Yami inquired.

Mana shook her head, "No, this is different from last time; however, she seems knowledgeable about these types of illnesses. If she wasn't the one to do this, then maybe she has some answers."

Yami growled, "I'd rather not talk to that witch."

Mana leveled him with a hard stare, "But right now she's our best bet."

Yuugi shivered at the tension that strung between the two of them. Mana was typically so cheerful, but now a cloud of dread hung over her like a fog. Not only did it dim her light, but it seemed to drag her flighty spirit down. Old wounds shone in her brown eyes, but Yuugi couldn't tell just what they were from.

Likewise, a sense of foreboding lingered around Yami. His confidence fluctuated as fear and uncertainty crept inside of him. Seeing Yami so reluctant and afraid struck something deep inside Yuugi. It felt like his pillar was slowly eroding and the strength that it promised was unstable.

Something in Yuugi's mind laughed. It was jovial, malicious, promising. Its dark undertones reverberated off the walls and echoed back in his ears and ringing deep within his core. It wanted him to go to meet Abur, but not to get answers. It wanted Yuugi to drown in her 'purifications' and fall lifeless at her hands.

Yuugi heard a shuffling and jumped out of Yami's arms when he felt something breath on the back of his neck. He landed close to Mana with his wide eyes searching for the source of the breath, but he was met with empty air. His heartbeat picked up when he thought he heard something scuttling closer to the bed.

Yuugi?

"Yuugi!"

Said teen whipped his head to Yami who was watching him with fearful eyes. Yuugi gripped onto the scarf and took a few deep breaths. When he was sure that his heart wouldn't beat out of his chest, he crawled back over to Yami and sought shelter in his lover's arms. Despite the small sense of security, he felt when Yami held him, Yuugi still bounced his eyes around to every shadow in the room, searching for the source of the scuttling that seemed to be all around them.

"If we go then Yuugi can't come."

"Yami he has a right to be there."

"I don't need Abur trying to hurt him while we're down there."

"Ask him first before you make a decision for him."

"I'm trying to keep him safe."

"By leaving him by himself?"

"Please," Yuugi whispered as he dared to take his eyes off an undulating shadow behind the couch in order to look up to Yami, "Don't leave me alone."

"Yuugi, you shouldn't be moving if you're sick," Yami countered.

"If you all leave then I don't know what it will do," Yuugi let his eyes slip back to the shadow that now sulked at the edge of the bed.

Guilt flashed in Yami's eyes as he turned to look at what Yuugi saw. When he came up with nothing, he sighed, "Alright, but if it becomes too much, just let me know. We'll leave right then and there."

Yuugi nodded his head while his eyes remained unblinking on the dark mass, "Thank you."

Mana leaned back, unintentionally getting closer to the black shadow. Yuugi twitched and almost screamed when it began to cling onto her. The only thing that held him back was the feeling of something clawing at his legs, threatening to break them if he made a sound.

"Let's wait for Yusei to wake up. We'll need him," Mana suggested.

Yuugi squeaked as he nodded his head, "That would be best," he whispered.

()

The halls were dark and dank, so much unlike the friendly halls from above. The crystal lights here flickered and glowed teal as opposed to the usual vibrant blue. Also, it wasn't the pleasant chill like above but an arctic frost that seemed to inhabit the stone walls. It felt like they were exploring an abandoned castle.

Yuugi's eyes shifted along the bare walls as he watched shadows jump around, stalking behind the group. They didn't dare come close with Yami, Mana, and Yusei nearby; however, they were growing impatient. Their growls filled the dead silence and he could hear their sharp claws scratch the stone surface.

He huddled closer to Yami, pressing into the other's side while his arms remained a vice grip around Yami's. He would stumble every so often, but Yami would catch him. Their walk was slow for Yuugi as his limbs felt heavy and were hard to move; however, he refused to be carried. He wanted to walk if only because it was the only thing he felt like he could do.

Yusei walked in the front of the group with his ears perked and his tail low. Even though Yuugi couldn't see his face, he knew that Yusei was fighting the exhaustion that still lingered from his energy drain. Still, the Royal Champion kept a brave face as he led them into the depths of the castle.

Mana, on the other hand, let her unease show. From her jittering eyes to her shaking hands, her nerves were getting the best of her the deeper they went. Even with the fur coat she had, the unforgiving air chilled everyone to the bone. Yuugi almost couldn't feel his fingers.

The long, empty hallway was void of any decorations or doors. It was narrow and the ceiling was lower, making Yuugi feel trapped in the tight courters. It was not a place for Lelanians to visit.

Finally, the hallway opened up into a small room made of black stone. There were no windows, but there was a shallow pool of water that sat in the center of the room, providing most of the light int he space. Potted glorean shimmered int he corners making the room more ominous than what Yuugi was comfortable with. He stalled in the doorway, staring into the iron cells that lined all the walls.

His head told him to run, his heart told him to hide, but his body refused to leave. Yuugi wanted to collapse and curl into a corner, but it was thanks to Yami that he took his first step into the foreign room. Yuugi could feel Yami's muscle's tense under his hands.

"My, my, not many dare brave to enter a place so far from Mira's love," Abur's taunting voice trailed out of a cell on the left.

Yusei walked up to the cell, "We've come to talk."

"Why would I talk with any of you? Two half-bloods and two foreigners: you should count yourself lucky that you get to even see a priestess."

Yuugi couldn't see Abur from where he and Yami stood, but he could hear the knowing smile on her lips.

"You are not a priestess of Mira. You don't preach of love and peace: you cause pain and torment," Yami hissed.

"And a cursed Prince like yourself has a better right? You disgrace our goddess with your filthy blood and tainted spirit."

"His title is king now," Mana quipped as she walked past Yami and Yuugi to stand beside Yusei, "You should address him as such."

"He is no more a king than you are a Lelanian."

Mana recoiled at the comment, taking a step away from the cage. When she composed herself, Yami moved forward to stand beside her, but Yuugi let go of his arm. His feet were rooted to the ground and he was too scared to move further into the room.

Yami paused in his pursuit to look back at Yuugi, "What's wrong?"

Yuugi shook his head, but the action threw off his balance. He swayed until he needed to use the wall as support; however, touching the stone was like touching ice. It froze his numb fingers until they turned red. All the warmth drained from his body and he could see his breath when he exhaled. The only warmth he felt was from the scarf around his arms.

"I-I can't…" He shivered.

Abur chuckled from her cage, "You have a right to be afraid. You have no right to be here."

Yami growled, "What do you know? He has every right to be here."

"My Prince, we have our rules for a reason. No human must ever step foot into Lelania and he has overstayed any privilege he thinks he has."

"This town holds itself high with talk of love and peace, yet the only people here with 'privilege' are those of pure blood," Yami snapped as he walked up to Abur's cage, "Yuugi has done nothing wrong, you have no right to treat him like this."

"You have forgotten, Prince, as have the rest of Lelania. Our rules are for a reason and with them, you are meant to trust."

"You mean blindly follow," Yami growled.

Abur tsked, "You forget the land in which we live. It was once uninhabitable and only through Mira's blessing were we able to live here. There is a reason only Lelanian's survived the attack, my Prince."

"So you do have something to do with Yuugi's illness," Yami muttered before yelling, "Just like you planned the epidemic a few years ago!"

"You are wrong, my Prince. That human's illness is nothing more than the reason that we have our rules. Had they been followed, you would not be faced with the predicament you have now."

Yusei's tail flicked, "Explain yourself."

Yuugi whimpered as the lights in the room flickered although the rest of the people didn't react. Only Yuugi noticed the stirring shadows that began to stretch in the cages as though waking up from a deep slumber. They crawled and paced behind the bars until the space was nothing but an inky void. Then they moved towards the bars and reached out, their lanky arms and sharp nails cutting the empty air.

He jumped when he felt nails graze his ankles and looked at the floor. There were more shadows seeping through the cracks in the stone and reaching out to grab and tear his flesh. Despite his weak legs, he bound over to Yami, nearly tripping when one of the shadows wrapped around his leg. Yami caught him and pulled him close to his chest, making the shadow release him and slink back into the growing mass around him.

Yuugi's attention was pulled into the cage when he heard shuffling.

Abur wrapped pale fingers around the iron bars, but she kept her head hung low so that her eyes were shrouded, "Mira's gift was not a home, my Prince, it was protection."

Slowly, she rose her head and her piercing, pale blue eyes stared back at the group. The rest seemed unfazed by the act, but Yuugi shrunk back from the stare. She was stabbing him with her eyes and the pain increased the longer they held each other's gaze; however, Yuugi couldn't look away. He was frozen and the shadows took that as their chance.

With a roar of triumph, the shadows shattered the iron bars and lept from their prison's. Yuugi screamed as the room was filled with darkness and all he could see were the iridescent glorean and Abur's eyes. Then, the arms that surrounded him disappeared and he could no longer feel Yami's presence. He was alone and hungry eyes glared at him, even though he couldn't see them.

He ran.

Through the dark, through the halls, and through the pain, he ran, desperate to find another living body nearby. He couldn't be alone: he was in the castle, surrounded by people. There was Kalo, Kora, Kalypto, Kura, Mana, Yusei, Yami, Safia, Odette, Dovai, Syracuse, Rumonbothe, there had to be someone! Even outside of Lelnian, he had people who cared for him, therefore he couldn't be alone. Sadly, no matter how many times he screamed those words in his head, they felt empty and he knew his heart didn't believe them.

Low rumbles and growls echoed around him, only interrupted by the sound of his own broken sobs. His legs were getting tired and they burned like fire. He couldn't feel his hands as the cold wind blew past his face. It froze his very core until he couldn't move anymore. He fell with a cry.

Tears burned down his frozen cheeks and gripped on the floor below; however, instead of creating a small pool of water, the floor rippled as though his tears broke the surface of water. Amethyst eyes blinked as he stared at the floor until he could see his reflection on the water's surface. His eyes were closed and his skin was pale. He screamed when the eyes opened, revealing dead crimson eyes.

Yuugi fell backward, breaking the water's surface, and he could feel himself begin to dip into the frigid waters. Before he was completely submerged, he saw other bodies bob along the water, each with dead eyes and blood dribbling past their open mouths: Khloe, Kley, Kannon, Kore, Coral, Lazulin, Teryn, Yusei, Mana, the King, Yami…

With a final cry of terror, Yuugi let himself be overtaken by the black waters. He barely felt the warm pair of arms that wrapped around him lovingly.