Chapter 10- The Questioning

Yugi walked down into the dungeons with Rishid at his side.

"Why would this man wish to harm the children?" Rishid asked.

"That I do not know, but I intend to find out." Yugi said.

"Will you allow him to live if he tells you what ii is that you want to know?" Rishid asked.

"No. The laws are the laws. I cannot go against them." Yugi replied. He approached Otogi and Hondo, who were still guarding the cell.

"Sire." the two said, bowing.

"Is the prisoner still here?" Yugi asked.

"Yes. He has not escaped. He keeps attempted to use his magic to escape, but it has failed him." Otogi said.

"As it should. Open the door." Yugi said.

The guards did as they were told and opened the door for Yugi.

Yugi walked into the room where the man was sitting.

"Well, his Royal Highness actually visits prisoners." the man said sarcastically.

Yugi grabbed the man by the shoulder and jerked him violently to his feet, causing the man to cry out as his shoulder was wrenched painfully. "I would shut up if I were you. I am not in a mood for games of any type." Yugi growled.

The man glared. "Why should I?" the man asked.

Yugi's eyes narrowed. "Don't tempt me." Yugi said.

Honda put the wrist cuffs back on the man's wrists.

"Take him to Interrogation Chamber 3." Yugi said.

"Yes, sire." Honda and Otogi said.

The guards grabbed the man and led him out.

"Do you think that he will reveal anything to you?" Rishid asked.

"I expect not, but I have to follow protocol." Yugi explained.

"I see. Prince Heba and your cousins will not be in the room as well, will they?" Rishid asked.

"No. I know that they would kill the man in an instant if they were in the same room with him. I cannot chance that. Honda and Otogi will be the only other ones in the room with me." Yugi answered.

Rishid nodded. "The council will wish to know what it is that he says." Rishid said.

"I will explain in the council meeting today." Yugi assured him.

"Very well, sire. I shall see you later then." Rishid said. He bowed before he left.

Yugi started toward the interrogation chamber.

"I wish that I could be ion that room, too." Jou said.

The group was standing in a room with a glass window that looked down into a room.

"Jou, you would kill the man in an instant." Heba said.

"He should have been killed on the spot." Malik growled.

"Yugi is only following protocol. We all know that it is how things are done." Heba said.

"Still, it just seems like he should have done a little more than this." Ryou said.

"We're all fine, and that guy is going to get what he deserves in the end." Seto said.

"Yeah. I'd like to know why he did that, anyway." Bakura said.

Yami glanced down and said, "He's here."

They all looked down through the window to see the guy being led into the room by Otogi and Honda, who remained in the room.

"He should be killed for trying to harm innocent children." Atemu said, looking over to where the kids were playing.

"He'll get what he deserves." Heba said. 'After all, one thing that Yugi has never stood for is someone who harms a child.' Heba thought.

"So, where's the Emperor?" the man sneered.

Otogi and Hondo chose to ignore the man, knowing that he was just trying to get a rise out of him.

"The idiot doesn't even have the gall to face me. He's a coward." the man said.

Hondo was close to punching this guy in the face for what he was saying.

"The bastard is too much of a coward to face someone who almost killed members of his own family." the man sneered.

Before the man knew what happened, his head was slammed into the table.

"What the hell?!" the man shouted, looking up and glaring.

Yugi walked around until he was in front of him. "You should watch what you say. You never know who will hear." Yugi said.

"Oh. You think I care that you heard that?" the man asked.

"No, and I honestly don't give a damn about what you think of me." Yugi said. He had his cold, emotionless expression on his face. "Who sent you?" Yugi asked.

"How do you know that I didn't do all of this on my own?" the man asked.

"You're a hired assassin. You don't do anything without a reason." Yugi said.

"Doesn't matter. Not like I'm going to tell you who hired me." the man said.

Yugi's expression remained unchanged. "You went after three small children, and yet, they are not old enough to have done anything to you or your employer. Why them?" Yugi asked.

"I don't know. I wasn't told." the man said.

"Yes, you were. You know why they were the targets." Yugi said.

The man swallowed. He was losing his confidence.

"Why were the children the targets?" Yugi said in a deathly voice.

"The power that they would hold. My employer feared the power that they would one day possess and wanted them dead before they could reach their full potential." the man said.

"Why the hell would that matter?" Jou asked.

"Yeah. It's not like they would have been anymore powerful then us." Malik agreed.

Atemu, Yami, Bakura, Marik, and Seto exchanged nervous glances.

"Whatever it is, there is more to this than we know." Heba said.

"And why would your employer be afraid of children. After all, their power would not be more powerful than any of us." Yugi said.

"I wouldn't know. I wasn't told, and that is the truth." the man said.

Yugi could tell that the man was telling him the truth. He also had a suspicion of why. "So, your employer wanted them dead the same way that someone tried to kill me, my brother, and my cousins when we were the same age." Yugi said.

"You couldn't remember that." the man said.

"No, but talking to servants do wonders for finding out things, especially since the servants tend to know everything worth knowing that goes on in the palace." Yugi said.

The man gritted his teeth. He hated how when he thought that he was one up on Yugi, Yugi was already ahead of him.

"Who hired you?" Yugi asked.

"Go to hell." the man said.

"Don't tell me. Doesn't change a thing. You are going to be put to death." Yugi said.

"I didn't attack a member of the Royal family." the man protested.

"Yes, you did. You see, your entrance knocked my brother and my cousins out, which constitutes attacking the Royal family. You also attacked their husbands, which is also attacking the Royal family. You attacked their children as well, which is also attacking the Royal family. Then you attacked me, which is attacking the Royal family. You also attacked my persona; servant, which is also against the law. You're not getting out of this." Yugi said.

"Why do you care so much about three damn brats?" the man spat.

Before anyone knew what happened, the man was out of his seat and was slammed against the wall with Yugi's hand around his throat, squeezing so that he had trouble breathing.

"Remember this," Yugi said with such venom that the man was beyond terrified, "if you mess with my family, you face my wrath, and those three children are my family." He released the man and said, "Honda. Otogi. Take him to the dungeons and guard him. He's not to escape."

Honda and Otogi did as they were told and took the man out of the room.

'He'll die tomorrow.' Yugi thought.

"Well, that was certainly helpful." Bakura said sarcastically.

"Not now, Bakura." Seto growled.

"He makes a point. That was not especially helpful." Malik interjected.

Heba looked a little lost in thought.

"Something wrong, Heba?" Atemu asked, putting hand on Heba's shoulder.

"I'm wondering what that assassin said to make Yugi slam him against the wall, and I wonder what Yugi said to him before he told Honda and Otogi to take him back to the dungeons." Heba replied.

"Yeah. Neither of them said it loud enough for us to hear." Jou agreed.

"Probably more of his snide comments, and Yugi threatened him." Ryou stated.

"Maybe." Heba said.

"What will happen now?" Yami asked.

"Yugi likes to take carte of all matters as soon as possible, so my guess is that the assassin will be put to death tomorrow." Heba replied.

"Good. He deserves death for what he tried to do." Marik muttered.

Marik, Seto, and Bakura got the children, and they all left the room.

"Hey. Doesn't the council need to know what happened in that interrogation?" Jou asked.

"Yes, Jou, they do."

They all turned to find Yugi behind them.

"Are you going to inform them now?" Heba asked.

"There's a meeting later today. I'll be telling them then. I'm also going to place guards in the west wing now." Yugi said.

They all nodded, knowing that it was for the best.

"Will we need to be there for the meeting?" Ryou asked. He really didn't want to leave Bakura and Crystal alone after what happened.

"If you want to be there, you can, but if you don't, you don't have to. Excuse me." Yugi said and walked off.

"Well, I don't think that I'm going." Jou said.

"Me neither." Malik agreed.

"Please don't tell me that you're not going because of us." Seto said.

"Trust me. I wouldn't want to go one way or another." Jou said.

The group headed back to the west wing to find that there were several guards already there.

"Man. That was fast." Jou said.

"Well, when you're given an order from a cold Emperor, you tend to act fast or die." Malik said.

Malik, Marik, Seto, Jou, Bakura, and Ryou all went to their rooms with their children.

Yami turned to Heba and said, "Heba, can I ask you a question?"

"Yes. Go ahead." Heba replied.

"Jou, Ryou, and Malik are Yugi's cousins, right?" Yami asked.

"Yes." Heba replied.

"Then why do they speak so badly of him so often?" Yami asked.

Heba sighed. "That's a long story. Yugi changed when he became the Emperor, and they don't like it, and they speak like that about him because they hate how he's become." Heba explained before walking to his room.

"It upsets him, doesn't it?" Yami asked Atemu.

"Very much. There was a fight between them before I got pregnant about it. Heba hates how people talk about him. It makes him really angry." Atemu said. He looked at his brother and said, "You might not want to call the Emperor by his name, or you could get in trouble."

"He actually told me to call him by his name, and he told me that I could call him that in front of any of you." Yami said.

"Oh. Okay. I think that I'm going to lay down. Too much excitement for me." Atemu said.

Yami nodded, and Atemu went into his room.

'Shit!' Yami suddenly thought. 'I haven't done any of the work that I'm supposed to.' Yami thought. He rushed into Yugi's chambers only to find Yugi laying on the bed with an arm draped over his eyes.

"I noticed that you haven't done any of your work, Yami." Yugi said quietly.

"I know. I'm sorry. I'll get to it now." Yami said.

"Why didn't you?" Yugi asked.

"Well, when my brothers finished showing me the palace, we went to the lounge and found Heba, Jou, Ryou, and Malik there. I was about to go and do my work when that man attacked." Yami explained.

"I see." Yugi said.

Yami bit his lip. He was worried that he was in trouble for not doing his work.

Yugi sensed Yami's fear. "You're not in trouble." Yugi said, removing his arm and sitting up. "I'm naturally curious, and I was just curious why." Yugi told him.

Yami smiled. "I'll get to work now." Yami said.

Yugi sighed. "You don't have to worry about it today if you don't want to. After what happened today, you can take the day off if you want." Yugi said.

"No. I think I'll do my work. When I've had something like that to happen to me, I feel better if I keep myself busy." Yami said.

"If that's what you want. I'm going to rest. Let me know when it's three-fifteen." Yugi said.

"I will." Yami replied.

Yugi lay down and covered his eyes once more.

Yami got to work.

Yugi's POV

I can hear Yami moving around the room as he cleans. I can also tell that he's trying to be quiet so that he doesn't disturb me.

I don't usually get the chance to rest like this. I know I shouldn't.

I have all that paperwork on my desk that I need to get to. I got most of it done before I sensed the intruder in my palace.

My palace.

Even after being Emperor for twelve years, it still feels strange to call this place my palace.

I will always think of it as my father's palace.

It's been twelve years since his death, but I still miss him a lot. My father was the only parent I had. My mother died when Heba and I were a year and a half. We never knew her. My father took on the role of father and mother. I was always amazed that he managed everything so well. I can barely manage being Emperor alone. I can't imagine being an Emperor, a husband, and a father at one time.

I hear a fall and a curse.

Yami must have tripped over the raise in the floor to the tub in the bathroom.

I've found myself forgetting and tripping over that on more than one occasion.

I wonder about Yami's parents. I wonder what they were like.

I never bothered to ask before because I wasn't worried about it when Seto, Marik, Bakura, and Atemu came here.

Okay. I may have had some curiosity, but I just found out where they lived and what they did and that satisfied my curiosity then, but now, it's heightened. I want to know more about the people who raised these five.

I admit that it's Yami that has spiked my curiosity.

I don't know why, but I want to know more about him and his family. Maybe it's because it's the first time that I've had anyone near me so much.

Sure, Heba comes around, but that isn't often. I rarely see my brother. He's got a husband and a baby on the way, so there's not going to be much time for me.

I sigh. My minds too worked up. I know that I won't be sleeping. I glance at the clock and see that it's two o'clock. I have two hours before my council meeting. I doubt any of the others will be there. They will want to be there with their families.

Giving up on sleep, OI sit up.

It's then that Yami walked back in the room.

"Yugi, what are you doing up?"

I can see that he's surprised.

"I can't sleep, and I can't stand laying down when I can't sleep." I reply.

"Oh. Is something wrong?" Yami asked.

I am shocked by his concern, but hide it. "No. My mind's working on overdrive, and when that happens, I now that I can't sleep." I tell him.

"Oh." Yami replies.

"Did you trip on the raised part in the bathroom.

A light blush tinges his cheeks. "Yeah. How did you know?" he asks.

"I've done that on more than on occasion, especially when I'm tired. I just forget and trip." I explain.

"Glad I'm not alone. It's kind of embarrassing." Yami says.

"I know." I assure him.

I watch as he goes to clean around the room a little more. I lean against the headboard of the bed as I watch him.

I can't resist asking. "Yami, what are your parents like?" I ask.

Yami turns to me. "You want to know about my parents?" he asks.

I nod.

"Well, I told you that my father's a blacksmith. He's great at what he does. He's a really kind and gentle man, but he has a temper. He's not one to take it when someone's giving him crap. He takes up fro himself. He also defends his family, no matter what. He was great when we were kids. He would teach us to play games. As busy as he was, it always amazed me that he had the time." Yami says. He doesn't stop working as he tells me this. "My mother is a very beautiful woman, and no one will ever match her cooking in my eyes. She is a wonderful cook. She's also a good listener. She always listens when you have a problem and offers her advice. She often gives advice even when you don't want it. It's always good advice, though. Of my parents, she was the disciplinarian. Father was the fun parent. She was the strict parent." Yami laughs. "She was great, though. She was fair, too." Yami says. He smiles in what I can only describe as a warm smile. He looks at me and says, "What about your parents?"

"Well, my mother died when Heba and I were a year and a half, so I don't even remember her. My father was a terrific man. He actually had to raise five children, too. He raised Jou, Ryou, and Malik alongside me and Heba. Their parents died when they were young, so my father was all that they had left. They're more like older brothers than cousins. My father was the Emperor and a father at the same time. He always made time for us kids. There were a few hours out of the day that he spent with us. He would play with us, he would help us with our studies, and he would just have fun. In those times, I didn't see anyone but my father. He was a really kind and compassionate man although he was a strong and powerful man at the same time. He wasn't one you got on the bad side of. He was also a great teacher when he was teaching me about being the new Emperor." I tell him.

"Do you miss him?" Yami asks quietly.

I noticed that he is sitting on the edge of the bed now. "Yes, I do. I'll always miss him. He was an important part of my life, and he was taken from us too soon." I say.

"How old were you when he died?" Yami inquires.

"I was seven. I became Emperor two days after his death." I say.

"You were seven when you became Emperor?" Yami asks. Surprise is written all over his face.

"Yes. I didn't have a choice. Granted, the council handled most of the things about the kingdom then. I was still being trained. Rishid finished my training. I guess that's why I value him so much and made him head of the council. I know that I can trust him." I say.

Yami nods in understanding.

I look at the clock and see that it's three forty-five. We've been talking for An hour and forty-five minutes! I didn't even notice!

"I have to go. I have a council meeting in fifteen minutes." I say, getting up.

Yami nods as I leave.

It's weird. I just realized that I opened up to him. I haven't done that in a long time. Something about Yami is making me feel open with him.

Yami's POV

That was a weird experience for me.

Everything I have heard about Yugi has pointed to me that he was cold and didn't really care about anyone. I always thought that being around him would be a tense and miserable experience.

I didn't feel that at all. In fact, I felt privileged. All I've seen since I've been here is that cold emotionless mask. Sure, he still was a little cold, but I have some insight into who he is.

I don't know why, but I think that some of the reason he is cold is because he became Emperor at such a young age. Seven is too young to have to rule kingdom in my opinion.

I have to help him. I know that this isn't who he is, so I plan on helping him. I'll help to be more open with not just me, but everyone. I need to talk to Heba, though. He might help me understand a little more. At least who was before he became Emperor. I'm going to help Yugi become who he was before he was Emperor. Or at least help him rediscover who he once was so that he's a little more feeling.

I thought I'd give you a little insight on Yami. Also, I want to clarify that Yugi isn't falling in love with Yami, yet. He's feeling friendship at the moment. They will fall in love, though.

THe next chapter had Yugi doing something nice for Yami, Atemu, Seto, Bakura, and Marik.

Also, let me know if you want to see more of Otogi and Honda. Tell me if they should be the last two Elementals and if you want them to be a couple.

R&R.