As Yami had told the younger, the king had lunch earlier than usual and was waiting in the library. Yugi had stopped grinning by now. Yugi tested the food and was then dismissed. Yami caught up with the boy on his way to Yami's study.
"We need to talk." he said.
"About what?" Yugi asked with a confused frown.
"About your past." The elder answered.
"I thought we agreed we would leave that particular topic untouched." Yugi hissed.
Yami gently shoved the younger into his study. "Ra, Yugi! I can't trust you until I know what motives you to kill. You don't seem like the killing type which makes you unpredictable. This makes you dangerous." he said with some desperation. "I don't want to have to kill you, Yugi. You hold too many keys to too many puzzles and I . . . I'm scared for you."
"Look, Yami. I just. . . I can not talk about it right now." Yugi snapped at him. "You need to grasp the fact that not everyone will tell you their life story just because you command them to do so."
Yami studied the younger; he seemed to study Yugi a lot.
Analyzing him.
The boy's personality.
What Yugi might do next . . .
Yugi understood Atemu Yami was not the most trusting person in the world but neither was Yugi and the little one trusted him, why could Yami not trust the younger too? It would save them both a lot of trouble.
"You'll have to tell someone some day and that information will travel back to me." Yami threatened. "You might as well just tell me now and it won't go any farther than my ears."
"Or I could take it to the grave." Yugi muttered. Yami glared at him so the younger tried a different tactic. "Look, I trust you, Yami, but not that much. I would trust you with my life but not my secrets. Until you can trust me just a little on blind faith, I will say nothing of my past to anyone. Besides, you would never tell me your past."
"I see where you're coming from and I understand but it looks like we're in a bit of a stalemate." The elder said with a sigh. He was silent for a minute.
Yugi watched him as the assassin sat at his desk. "I sense that there is more you wish to ask. What do you want of me?" the younger asked and the elder looked back up at him.
"I want you . . . not as an unwilling servant but as a loyal friend. You're intelligent and an amazing fighter. I want you to be as dedicated to keeping the king safe as I am. Can you give me that?" he said, his eyes burning a deeper shade of crimson than usual.
"I do not know." Yugi said "there is so much. . ."
"That you haven't told me?"
The boy nodded, unable to speak..
"Trusting is hard and knowing who to trust is even harder." Yami said.
"And my track record has been rather horrendous, a weakness of mine."
"No, a strength. Look at what you have, Yugi, look at Jou. He wouldn't poison you because you befriended him when no one else has bothered except Honda. You've earned the healer's friendship, the cook's and the king's respect. Think about it." he said.
"And you, Atemu? What have I earned from you?"
He smiled ever so slightly. "You have my attention, Yugi, but give me what I want and you can have everything."