The Prince and The Pauper

Chapter 31

Black Mist calmed down after a while, but his eyes held a deep sorrow. He remained in his older brother's embrace. Astral stroked his hair and made sure he was okay while everyone else worked. They were sitting under the shade of a grove of trees that bore fruit.

This was definitely one of the bad days. The worst of these days that they were apart since the cloud took Black Mist. Now, they were orphaned with no other Astral Being from the kingdom with them. There were no more guards, his entire family was gone, and who knew when he would be able to make a portal to go home? What would happen to his world, anyways? Now that the king was gone, they had no true leader. Besides, he wasn't old enough to be crowned king, not yet.

"What's going to happen now...?" Black Mist asked in a soft voice. "With Father gone..."

"I don't know," Astral sighed. "I don't know." He softly kissed the top of his brother's head. "We'll have to figure something out."9

Black Mist nodded. "Will we be staying here for a while?"

"Yes. We will stay here until I can make a portal."

~.A Few Months Later.~

A few months later, Hearland City was rebuilt. It took a long time, and the Astral Beings that remained helped. They took the bulk of the work that the humans couldn't do without taking even more time. As a result, less time was taken, but it still took a long time.

As promised, Yuma taught Astral how to duel. Black Mist, who was still very depressed about his father dying, found that dueling passed the time and made him forget for a while. They were both exceptionally better than any human, and they really loved to duel each other.

Astral had long since stopped wearing his adornments and cape. They were in the room upstairs, waiting for the day when they would go home.

"I attack you directly with Hope!" Astral declared. The golden warrior Number Card slashed its swords at Yuma. The boy's life points plunged to zero.

Astral grinned. "How many losses has that been?"

"Too many to count..."

Astral chuckled and slipped off the duel disk. "That was entertaining. Now, I have to go. I have something I must attend to."

Yuma nodded, and Astral wandered off to find his brother. He found him on the roof, staring up at the sky.

"Think you can do it now?" Black Mist asked before his elder brother could say anything. He was referring to the portal that would take them home. "Think it'll work?"

"Enogh time has passed. I am certain it will work."

Black Mist smiled slightly. "Then I suppose we say farewell to our friends."

"Yes. Come. We need to get our things."

The brothers slipped inside and retrieved their capes and adornments, helping each other into them. Even though they didn't wear them for months, they retained that fluency that they gained from years of dressing in the royal garments. They stepped outside.

Yuma and his friens saw them come out in their capes and adornments, confusion settling in.

"What's going on?" Kotori asked, furrowing her brow. "Is there a special event, or...?"

"We're going back," Astral stated bluntly. "We came here to bud you all farewell." He smiled softly. "I hope our paths cross again."

"W-wait!" Cathy spoke up in her timid voice. "Can...can we come with you? You know, to see you off?"

"Sure." Black Mist no longer had such a thick accent. When he spoke in the human tongue, he sounded like a human somewhat. "Follow Astral. He knows an ideal spot."

"Should we tell the others?" Tetsuo asked. "I mean, they should know, right?"

"Wrong," Astral sighed. "We plan to leave without their notice. We already left a note saying that we were leaving. They should not see our departure, for there is no more need for a tearful goodbye."

They nodded and followed Astral into a clearing with Wattchimera joining them. The trees formed a ring around them, a thick barrier. No one would see them, and since it was far from the city, they couldn't hear what was going on. They would be in private.

Astral carved a complicatedly decorated circle around the clearing with a controlled beam of lightning from his finger. As the others watched, they thought about themonths that they spent together. It would be sad to see them leave.

When he was done, a large portal opened up. They all had to step back so as not to be accidentally sucked in! Wattchimera faced them.

"I believe it would be fitting if I went in first. That will give you all the privacy you need to say goodbye," he said. "Goodbye, everyone. Thank you for not bothering me while I rested." He took one step into the hole in the ground, and then he was gone forever.

It was Black Mist's turn. He looked at them all with a smile. "I guess I should go. Thanks for putting up with my...evil side," he apologized with a nervous laugh. "I know it can be a handful."

"It's fine," Yuma assured. "I'm glad you could put up with us humans for a few months."

"I hope you come back," Kotori sighed. "It was sure fun."

"Next time, please don't ruin the city," Cathy laughed.

Black Mist smiled. "I won't be the one in charge of that." He looked into the portal. "Well, farewell." He stepped back and dramatically fell through with his arms crossed over his chest. The friends chuckled a little.

Astral looked at each of them in turn with his stoic gaze. Then, a smile found its way to his face. "I hope you all cope well. The city would be a nice place to visit should we get the chance."

They smiled back at him. "That's good to hear," Flip piped.

"In conclusion, that means you'll be visiting again, right?" Takashi asked, pointing one finger up.

"Yes. Now, I think you should all go home."

They nodded and left without a word. The only one who lingered was Yuma. Astral was once again confused by his actions.

"Yuma, why do you not go with your friends?" he asked with a puzzled expression. "It is fine to go."

Yuma chuckled. "Back to being yourself, huh? You act like I need your permission to go." He stepped closer to his crush. "There's...there's something I haven't been able to tell you. It's always been slipping my mind."

"For these many months?" He toyed with the headdress. "Do humans have such terrible memorization skills?"

Again, Yuma laughed. "Some of us." Then, he got closer. "Astral, I've been meaning to tell you that I've sort of had a crush on you, too. There just hasn't been enough time to say it over our travels, and it's slipped my mind during the months."

Astral's face flushed red, and he looked away. "I-I never thought..."

"I can prove it to you if you like." Without waiting for a response, Yuma stepped forward and planted a kiss on the prince's lips.

Astral was flabbergasted, but he found himself enjoying the sensation that bloomed in his chest. He found himself melting slowly into Yuma's warm embrace, wrapping his arms around his neck.

After a while, they broke the kiss. Astral smiled at the boy.

"Was that an incentive to get me to stay?" he asked teasingly. "Because you know that is not an option."

Yuma laughed. "No. It was more like a parting gift." He smiled back and kissed his nose. "Visit soon?"

"Of course. When I can." He separated from the embrace and jumped down, his adornments catching the light of the day. "Farewell!" he called before the portal closed.

And that's the end! Special thanks to Laurcaty831 for helping me out with this kiss scene! We all know how hopeless I am at romantic parts X3 I HOPE YOU ALL ENJOYED~! -Chibi Astral