Chapter 9

Yugi stared around at the many pits around him, he couldn't help but smile. This trip had certainly lived up to his expectations so far. They may have only been there for just under two weeks but so far everything had been going exactly how he'd wanted it to. His main hope for the trip was that they could all have some fun and that was certainly what was happening. Yugi was certainly having fun helping his grandfather but also exploring with his friends. The many different things for them to do meant that so far everyone was having fun and more importantly relaxing. What more could you ask from a summer holiday?

Looking down at the ground below him he caught a glimpse of something in the sand. Kneeling he carefully picked it up. It was a small, round object although it was difficult to be sure as dirt clung to it.

"Hey Gramps." Yugi called.

Grandpa, who was standing nearby, turned to look at his grandson. Yugi held out the object to him.

"I found this." Yugi said, "What do you think it could be?"

Grandpa took the object from Yugi examining it closely. A frown appeared on his face before he spoke.

"Looks as though it may have once been a coin. Good find Yugi!"

Yugi grinned and watched as his grandfather placed the coin into a box on the ground. They continued to dig in relative silence for a while before Grandpa decided it was time for a break. Yugi waited until his Grandpa had climbed out of the shallow pit before handing him the box and climbing out himself. Glancing round he couldn't see any sign of any of his friends, he knew they were around here somewhere each taken up with whatever had interested them. Wiping his brow Yugi headed in the direction of the canteen tent, a nice cool drink was what he deserved after all that hard work. As he walked he saw two tall teenagers, one with blond hair the other brown.

"Hey guys!" He called.

Joey and Tristan turned round and grinned at him.

"Yug!" Joey greeted, "We were about to head back to our trailer to cool off, want to join?"

"Yeah sure!" Yugi replied, brightly, "Where are the others?"

"I think Tea is coming and I haven't seen Atem for a while."

Yugi glanced around, he hadn't seen the former Pharaoh for a while now either. Not that he was worried, he knew that Atem was perfectly content and it was more then likely that he was simply off doing something. Turning back to his friends he grinned as Tea appeared and together they moved towards the trailers. The group of teenagers chatted animatedly as they walked before entering Joey and Tristan's trailer which thankfully was cooler then outside. Before taking a seat Joey flicked the latch on the door, wanting to allow some sort of air in.

"I've said it before, I'll say it again it's really hot here." Joey said, he slumped in one of the chairs.

"Well, it is a desert but even I'll admit it is hotter here then I first imagined." Tea said.

"I know that!" Joey exclaimed, "I'm just pointing it out in case Tristan didn't know."

Tristan looked over rather confused, "What?"

"Did you know we're in a desert?"

"Yes Joey… I had noticed."

"Well… good."

Yugi smiled, relaxing into his chair as he watched his friends bicker. He would never tire of his friends doing this. But then a sudden thought came into his mind. What would they be doing this time next year? In the next summer holiday they would officially be adults, out in the big bad world. Would they all still be here or would they have jetted off to whatever life held for each of them. But then his mind turned to someone else, what would happen to the Pharaoh? Once they went their separate ways what would happen to him? Taking a sip of water a frown came over his face without his knowledge.

"Hey Yugi, you ok?" Tea asked.

Yugi jumped slightly, "Err yeah I'm fine."

Tea gave him a look which clearly said she didn't believe him. This drew the attention of the other two teenagers in the room. With all three of his friends looking at him he sighed.

"I was just thinking about what's going to happen next year, I mean once we leave school everything will change."

"I'm not going to worry about that yet." Joey said, "We've got twelve months before we have to worry about that."

"That's not all I'm…" He trailed off, regretting his words slightly.

Tea frowned, "You're worried about Atem aren't you?"

He bit his lip, "I just… I worry about leaving him behind to go do… well whatever. I mean what's he going to do?"

"Atem can take care of himself, he always has a plan." Joey said.

Yugi sighed, "I know… I just worry about him."

"We know you do pal but he'll be fine and it's not like we're all going to abandon him. We'd never do that."

Slowly Yugi nodded, feeling a little more reassured. Looking at each of them he smiled before the conversation turned to food, a topic that Joey and Tristan were particularly fond of. As the four teenagers continued their conversation about food which was becoming more animated by the second they failed to notice the moving shadow by the open door.

Standing on the other side of the door the former Pharaoh gazed at the door for a moment before taking a few steps back. Regarding the door for a moment, he took a breath before turning and walking away. He didn't really know where he was going, he just felt that at that moment he needed to walk. He needed to think. He walked past a few people without looking at them before someone caught his arm.

"Are you alright Atem?"

It was Solomon. He was looking at him with an expression which could almost be concern.

"Yes, I'm fine." He said.

"You sure? You look deep in thought."

Atem smiled reassuringly at the elder man, "I'm fine, I assure you. I'm just going to take a walk down to the Nile for a while."

Solomon eyed him for a moment before nodding slightly.

"Well, you know this land better than I ever could so I won't tell you to be careful but, be careful."

Atem smiled and nodded before walking away. He could feel Solomon's eyes on him as he walked but he held himself up tall giving no indication that there was something on his mind. Walking away from the dig site the desert opened up around him, it felt as though the desert was welcoming him back. He could see the Nile ahead of him, calling him. The Nile had always been his escape, especially before he'd become Pharaoh. As Prince of Egypt he'd spent a lot of time by the Nile, either playing with Mana or his father. Sometimes he came simply to think. Once he'd ascended to the throne he'd spent less time by the Nile, the demands of being King of this great land had limited his time. Atem smiled to himself thinking back to his conversation with the professor, how he'd talked about the responsibility of being a Pharoah. Oh if he only knew. Walking down a slight slope he came to the Nile's edge. The river flowed gently past him, the current was not strong at the moment. Green grass lined the edges of the river, along with the reed bushes and tall palm trees around him which gave him some shade from the sun. Closing his eyes he took a long breath in, breathing in the smells of the Nile oasis which were so familiar to him. As he opened his eyes, he gazed around before spotting a large rock nearby which he then sat on top of, looking out along the river. His thoughts turned to the conversation he'd overheard. He probably wasn't supposed to hear that conversation but perhaps it was a good thing. It was better maybe that he knew what Yugi was concerned about. Perhaps Yugi was even right, what was there in this world for him? His life should have ended five thousands years ago, his second life should have ended nearly two years ago but he'd decided to stay. Had Yugi resented that all this time?

Letting out a sigh, he put his hand in his hands for a moment before feeling something brush against him. Looking down he saw a large leaf perched next to him on the rock. A small smile etched its way onto his face as he picked it up, examining it. A memory stirred as he looked at the leaf. He could see his father hiding behind that leaf before jumping out from behind it. The sheer joy he'd felt as a child watching his father brought a strong feeling a longing. A feeling he'd not felt for a while. His gaze locked onto the water once again, turning the leaf over in his hand absentmindedly. Many thoughts floated through his mind, he wasn't sure how long he sat there still holding the leaf. But eventually he was brought out of his thoughts, someone was approaching. Turning to look he saw Yugi walking down the slope, he was clearly worried about slipping from the way he was walking.

"There you are." He called, an almost relieved smile on his face.

Atem smiled half-heartedly at him before turning back to the river. Yugi hurried over to the former Pharaoh, standing in front of the rock he was currently perched on. Looking at him Yugi sighed, he knew that look. That was Atem's brooding look, something was clearly on his mind. Taking a moment Yugi looked around taking in the surroundings, it was certainly beautiful down here. The rustle of the reeds in the wind was so peaceful. As beautiful as it was another thought went through his mind and his eyes fell to the nearby waters edge.

"Are we safe here? There could be crocodiles or something like that."

"No wildlife will come to this part of the river."

"Are you sure? How can you be sure?"

Atem started before turning to look at Yugi, a slightly irritated look on his face as he stared at Yugi for a moment.

"Ah yes…." Yugi said, sheepishly, "Sorry I wasn't thinking."

Atem turned away again and Yugi mentally kicked himself. Of course, Atem would be able to tell which parts of the river would be safe for them to be near. There was silence for a while as Atem continued his brooding and Yugi gazed around as well although he kept glancing at the former Pharaoh.

"Gramps told me you'd come here." Yugi said, breaking the silence, "What's on your mind?"

For a moment it seemed as though Atem hadn't heard him but then he looked away from the river and turned to Yugi.

"You know that I am grateful for everything you, your grandfather and your friends have done for me."

"Our friends." Yugi corrected, "Yes of course I am."

A sigh, "Without you all I would have never been able to come this far but there's something I must ask."

Yugi frowned in concern but waited for Atem to continue.

"You must never let me hold you back."

Yugi blinked, what did Atem mean? What was he saying? He held the former Pharoah's gaze, who was still looking at him. It took a few long seconds but his stomach dropped and the realisation dawned on him.

"You heard…"He said, quietly.

Atem dropped his gaze for a moment before looking back at him and nodded. Yugi felt a horrid chill flow through him, he hadn't intended for him to hear that. The last thing he would ever want to do was make Atem feel like a burden, but that apparently was exactly how he felt at this moment.

"I'm serious Yugi," He continued, holding Yugi's gaze, "You have your whole life ahead of you and I will never forgive myself if I come in the way of you chasing the opportunities life will give you."

"You're not." Yugi said, his gaze almost desperate, "You're not coming in the way of anything."

Atem smiled slightly, he'd known that Yugi would reply like that. Yugi would always comfort others where he could, it was one of his greatest strengths. Except this time he couldn't help but think that Yugi might have a point. Time was moving on for Yugi and his friends, they were making future plans which brought the question of what he would do. Yugi and his friends had every opportunity available to them, but what did he have. He was an ancient Pharaoh, what purpose did he really have in this modern world.

His eyes fell to the palm leaf in his hands, which he was still absentmindedly turning over and over. He was aware that Yugi hadn't moved, he could feel his gaze on him but for the moment he was unwilling to meet it. The silence between them stretched before Yugi's hand appeared on top of his, stopping him turning the leaf over. He heard Yugi call his name, obviously wanting eye contact for whatever he wanted to say. Taking a subtle, steadying breath the former Pharaoh looked up. Yugi was watching him with a sympathetic look on his face.

"You never could hold me back or stop me for doing whatever I decide to do. All I want is for you to be happy and pursue whatever you want to. You have as many options as I do, you can do whatever you want."

"Yugi I meant what I said." He replied quietly, still holding Yugi's gaze.

"And so did I."

A huff of frustration was all Yugi heard before Atem was up and off the rock. He moved a few paces away from him before turning his back, the palm leaf still held in his hand. Yugi watched him, hating himself for making his closest friend feel this way. He wasn't entirely sure what more he could say to Atem to reassure him, it was at times like these he missed their mind link. At least with that he'd be able to pick up on some of his thoughts. Despite Yugi being able to read the former Pharaoh like an open book there were occasions where even he struggled to know exactly what he was thinking. Atem could be so closed when he wanted to be. Regarding him once again Yugi slowly moved forwards, not entirely sure what his reaction would be to his approach. He knew that Atem was aware of what he was doing but so far made no response.

"Atem?"

The once King still made no movement but Yugi took encouragement from that, he was listening.

"I'm sorry. I don't ever want you to feel like a burden and you know I will always be honest with you just like you are with me."

An audible sigh escaped Atem's lips before he finally looked around at Yugi and smiled a small smile. Yugi returned the smile, placing a hand on his shoulder. Atem's gaze moved down for a moment, the leaf was still in his hand. In his mind's eye he could see his father, hear his laugh. He took another breath to steady himself before looking at the river once again.

"My father used to bring me to the river." He said, "We'd play for hours on end, we played games that might sound silly and perhaps they were. But they just…"

He trailed off, looking once more at the leaf. He felt Yugi squeeze his shoulder slightly.

"They just meant a lot to you." Yugi replied, knowing how his sentence was going to end.

For a moment Atem made no response, his gaze far away deep in thought but then he shook himself pushing the thoughts away.

"Forgive me Yugi." He said, "I shouldn't have said anything. We should be heading back, Solomon will be worried about you."

Before Yugi could make any sort of reply, Atem had moved away and closer to the water's edge. The leaf was still held in his hand. He watched his closest friend carefully as he crouched down and gently placed the leaf in the water, watching it as the current gently swept it away. Neither of them spoke, they simply watched the leaf drift away up the river and out of sight. Once the leaf was out of sight Atem still didn't move. He waited patiently but for the moment the former Pharaoh remained still.

But Atem wasn't watching the leaf anymore, he hadn't been for a while. As the leaf had travelled up the river something else had caught his eye and now he was finding it hard to turn away. He was vaguely aware of Yugi moving closer to him, he was saying something but he couldn't hear what. He was still looking at the figure standing on the opposite side of the riverbank. The figure looked back. Such a familiar figure yet he still did not know how. He continued to stare at the figure, and the sightless figure stared straight back at him.