Chapter Eight

The bomb was very ancient looking, he could disarm a new age bomb, but one this old was either up Mana's or Seto's sleeve. This bomb was so old, it glowed with a golden hue bright enough to illuminate this entire area, and had a mysterious look about it.

Earlier, Yami had scaled the wall gracefully and pulled the bomb down and now it was sitting in front of him and Yugi, just waiting to explode. It wasn't heavy or too big, but it just looked dangerous. Yami watched at Yugi examined it thoughtfully, "I think I know what to do," he said confidently. The older looked up at him, "How do you know?" "Well, when you're in a town that has no communication, and your grandfather's best friend is an old scholar, you tend to get a lot of reading done."

Yami sighed, he was trapped here with him anyway until Mana could rescue them and by the time that happened, it would already be past noon. It was now or never, and his only option is to trust this teen in front of him. He single handedly found the bomb, and he looked confident about this. "Okay, I trust you."

Yugi toyed with the bomb and Yami did his best to pay attention but it was he couldn't see well enough over the younger's shoulder to see what he was doing. But the teen sounded triumphant when he said, "And that should do it!" The ancient looking bomb fell apart right in front of them and the glow died down, created a dark atmosphere around them.

Yami sighed in relief and allowed his shoulders to slump. Finally he could relax and let his guard down some. It was just him and Yugi anyway.

The two sat quietly in the dark, Yami was leaning against wall and Yugi was right next to him. Before he knew it, he heard a light sounding snore right next to him. "Yugi?" he said quietly. No response.

Yami was about to follow suit and allow his eyes rest as well when he felt Yugi's head hit his shoulder. He held back the urge to jump, and let out a sigh of relief. Ever since the death of his father, he just now realized he hasn't really relaxed since then.

Yami leaned right back onto the small teen and closed his eyes. A nap would do him some good since he didn't know how long they would have to wait.

A couple hours passed and Yugi woke up to feeling something warm in his lap. He blinked the drowsiness away from his eyes and saw the outline of the king's head in his lap. Oh, we must have fallen asleep. Yugi mindlessly twirled Yami's bangs. In result, the king turned in Yugi's lap and wrapped his arms around his waist. The young teen blushed a bright red. He was glad that no one was around to see, but either way it was still dark.

"Dad..." Yami mumbled. He tensed in his sleep and Yugi felt pity for him. He wasn't much older than he was and he was feeling the same way. Alone with out any real family. Yugi's own sadness began to swell up in him. He ran his fingers through the older's hair, "It's okay... I understand how you feel. Now relax..." he whispered to the older and Yami automatically relaxed his tense feeling, but kept his arms around Yugi's waist possessively.

Yugi pouted about being held down, but he didn't mind it so much considering who was holding him.

A crack of light shone in the ceiling above them and Yugi's heart skipped a beat, "Yami, Yami! Wake up!" Yugi shook the king gently and Yami opened he eyes wearily. He realized the awkward position he was in and automatically sat up. "Ahem, um, sorry." He looked away. Yugi smiled, "It's okay, but look!" he pointed to the ceiling that was starting to crack even more. "I think they're rescuing us!"

Both the boys stood up and looked at the ceiling, shielding their eyes from the immediate sunlight. "Prince!"

Yami looked up to the outline of the girls head peeking through the crack, "Mana!"

After finally getting out of the underground cavern, Yugi was sitting in the tent while Yami was talking to a few people about investigating the area they fell into. Everyone seemed surprised when Yami told them that Yugi was the one that saved the day. Of course, Yugi being as modest as he was, didn't really soak too long in all the praise he received.

The flap opened and the blond guard came in, "Oi, Yugi! The carriage is ready for you and the king. Y'all are gonna ride in the same one since a lot of us are gonna stay behind and help clean up the mess and he also said that we need to figure out what was up with that underground cavern."

Yugi jumped up from his seat, "Okay," he said cheerfully. Joey smirked, "He's been talking very highly of you since the incident. Actually, I caught wind of what your job is going to be," Joey winked.

Yugi's eyes widened, "What is it?" Joey leaned in close, "It's going to be... A secret!" He backed up and laughed, and Yugi looked annoyed. "Sorry, but I promised I wouldn't tell, but I promise you that it's going to be good."

Yugi follwed Joey out of the tent. Yami was waiting by the carriage, and smiled when he saw Yugi. Yugi returned the smile, "Hey, your highness."

"Please, call me Yami, Aibou," the king said proudly. "Er, y-yes."

The two climbed into the front carraige, Mana, Serenity, and one girl Yugi didn't recognize climbed into one behind them, and the last one they filled with four soldiers (Joey and Triston stayed behind to help out around town).

As the carriages took off, Yugi took one last look at his town as they traveled down the forest path. Yugi accidentally let out an audible sigh, causing the king to look at him with a worried expression.

"Yugi, I know that you're probably feeling a bit... off about your choice, but I promise that we're going to take very good care of you from now on," Yami said, a tinge of guilt in his voice. Yugi sat back down in his seat properly once the city was out of sight, "I don't regret it, I just feel like I can't slow down... or.."

"Reality will catch up to you?"

Yugi looked at the king, "Yeah, exactly..."

"My father died not to long ago, and I haven't had the proper time to mourn about it either... I suppose we're in the same boat as far at that goes..." the older admitted. Yugi looked sullen, but mustered up a sad smile for Yami, "Well, I'm sure he would be proud that you didn't slow down because of his death in order to fill his shoes and take care of the kingdom."

Yami returned his sad smile, and then let out a light yawn. The sun was going down and he was feeling a little sleepy himself. They had a long day, even with the nap they still had a lot of running around, people to talk to, and citizens to reassure. It was exhausting, but Yugi didn't mind helping the king.

Yugi started yawning as well, and before he knew it, both the boys were asleep, leaning on each other again.