Disclaimer: I do not own Yu-Gi-Oh or Dragonheart; they both belong to their respective owners. I do, however, own bits of the plot.
Warning: Blood.
Chapter Eleven: Changes
Thus we entered a land where dragons here be,
And the blind was given a chance to see
Yugi smiled to himself as he brushed his hand down Atem's back, watching as the former dragon gave a purr and cuddled closer. He sighed at the warmth of the other at his side, burying his face into the crook of Atem's neck and wrapping a leg around Atem's to hold him in place. It felt good to be like this, pressed close to the one he loved above all else. He gently nuzzled Atem's neck, earning another purr from the former dragon as Atem wrapped and arm around Yugi's shoulders.
The prince supposed he should have been a little freaked out that Atem looked like him, but he didn't really see the similarity between the two of them. Atem was tan compared to Yugi's pale skin and well muscled while Yugi was still skinny. Atem looked more like an adult than Yugi did, although the prince had lost some of the roundness in his face that he had possessed up until he was twenty. The hairstyle, while the same colors, had three streaks of blonde invading the black in Atem's hair, unlike Yugi whose bangs framed his face. The best part was that Atem had retained his stunning crimson eyes that drew Yugi in. And Yugi found that he didn't care what Atem looked like, because it had been the soul he had fallen in love with and not the outer covering.
Atem muttered something in his sleep, the soft sound making Yugi chuckle, repressing a yawn himself. He should be tired after everything they had been doing. He should have been passed out beside Atem a few minutes ago, but he remained awake. It gave him time to study his lover and appreciate the human form that Atem had taken to please him, just as Yugi had attempted a dragon courtship to prove that he cared about the dragon. The smile caused by the memory disappeared as a cold breeze drifted through their secluded place, Yugi pressing close to Atem as he shivered.
He looked up as Atem shifted, sitting up and holding Yugi close. The prince was about to question him when he felt the first brief touches of magic as Atem turned the magic onto himself. Yugi gave a soft moan, loving the feel of the magic against him. The black tendrils carried the same warmth as Atem instead of being cold like Yugi thought they would have been, nor did they burn, just the soft touch of warmth and the soft scent of spices. Yugi looked up as the body that held him shifted, the shadows expanding to cover Atem as he returned to his natural form.
Before the magic had even dissipated, Atem was holding out a wing and shoving Yugi back towards his side and under the wing. The prince sighed at the warmth of the dragon, giving Atem a sleepy smile as the dragon ducked his head under his wing. The dragon laughed, reaching up to nuzzle Yugi. "Sleepy, love?"
"No."
"You should be." Atem smiled, gently pushing Yugi with his muzzle. "I worked hard to make you so."
"I feel too good to sleep."
"You say that now, just wait until you try and stand up." Yugi reached out and cuddled Atem close, enjoying the feel of the leathery scales under his hands. Atem allowed himself to be cuddled before pulling slightly back. "We should get you back before you freeze. I need to hunt anyway."
Yugi's stomach gave a grumble of agreement, making the both of them laugh. Atem lifted his wing, folding it back to his side before shifting his leg. Yugi wrapped his arms around himself realizing that he didn't have any clothes, having left them behind when he changed forms the day before. He blushed at the thought of walking into the tent village without any clothes and no explanation of how that had happened. He poked Atem as the dragon laughed, figuring out Yugi's predicament at the same time. The dragon merely shook his head and pulled it away, still laughing as Yugi pouted. "Don't worry. I'll try to protect your dignity."
The prince rolled his eyes, wincing at the pain in his lower back as he stood up. Atem gave a worried croon, shifting himself as Yugi went to step onto Atem's foreleg, yelping as the dragon helped him up to his back. Yugi quickly leaned against Atem's neck, closing his eyes tightly as the dragon stood up, suddenly aware of how large Atem really was. He clung to the dragon as he felt wind brush by as Atem flapped his wings. He was sure that he gave a short scream as Atem leapt into the air and began to fly towards the camp. Yugi kept his eyes closed tightly, pressing his face into Atem's scales until he heard the deep rumble of the dragon's voice. "It's okay, Yugi. I won't let you fall."
Carefully, Yugi sat up and opened his eyes, squeaking before closing them again. He listened to the laughter from the dragon, considering just keeping his eyes shut for the remainder of the flight before he finally opened them again. He blinked, shivering as cold air moved around his naked body. But he soon forgot about that as he stared at the land that rolled out beneath them, looking a bit like a quilt as plants criss-crossed over the ground in no set pattern. He leaned forward to watch Atem's shadow drift over the land. He sat up with a smile, reaching forward to pat Atem's neck. The dragon seemed to understand and kept flying, Yugi letting his hand rest on Atem to feel the muscles work underneath the scales.
The flight, despite his initial fear of flying, seemed too short. All too soon, Atem was circling around, turning his head to find a place to land on the outer edge of the clump of tents. Yugi held onto the dragon tightly as he settled to the ground, folding his wings before gently lying down and gently tipping one side of his body closer to the ground. Yugi gave Atem a pat on the neck before sliding off. He hesitated for a moment before pulling Atem's head down to give him a kiss on the muzzle before dashing towards his grandfather's tent, thanking the gods that his grandfather's profession had him setting up his tent on the edge so that the herders could reach him easily in emergencies.
He flung open the flap of the tent, rushing for his small pile of possessions and quickly grabbing underclothes and pulling them on before scrambling for loose trousers. He was just pulling them up and wrapping a belt around his waist when his grandfather ducked into the tent, Yugi freezing with the belt still held in both hands, about to buckle it. He blushed at the look that his grandfather gave to him, one eyebrow raised as his state before Solomon moved further into the tent, searching among his dried herbs. "Have a good time last night?"
"Grandpa!" Yugi's blush deepened as he hurriedly bucked his belt and pulled a shirt over his head. He refused to look over at Solomon, not wanting his grandfather to see how embarrassed the simple question had made him. After all, he was twenty-one; these things shouldn't make him blush anymore. He peeked over his shoulder to see his grandfather in deep thought over by the dried leaves.
"What was the occasion? Or were you just celebrating Atem's good luck in his mating flight?" Yugi coughed at the innocent question, now openly staring at his grandfather, who was still oblivious to Yugi's gaze. "I'd thought that he was going to avoid choosing a mate this season, but I guess that love is unavoidable. But I've never seen that dragon around here before. So who was the lucky girl?"
"Um…there was no girl." Yugi ducked his head and made to run for the tent flap, stopping at the surprised sound that his grandfather made.
Solomon had turned away from his collection, staring at his grandson as he tried to figure out what had happened the night before. He slowly let his hands fall to his sides and Yugi shifted nervously, already wanting to flee and find Atem. He began inching towards the exit, stopping again as Solomon glared at him. "Where exactly were you last night and, come to think of it, most of the day?"
"I was with…someone." Yugi bit his lip as his grandfather continued to stare at him, knowing that he would lose this battle. He couldn't lie to save his life, something that he had never been able to get out of. He finally looked down, dragging his bare feet over the ground, making a mental note to go back and retrieve his boots, before speaking. "With Atem."
"But he found a mate!"
"I know." Yugi glanced up once before looking back down, wincing at Solomon's gasp. He flinched as he heard his grandfather walking over and jumped as Solomon grabbed onto his shoulders. He looked up at his grandfather, hoping to see something other than the hatred that he expected. Instead, he saw shock and fear. Solomon gave Yugi a gentle shake, enough to get him swaying. The prince winced at the motion, suddenly aware of how sore he was, looking away as his grandfather's eyes widened.
"Yugi…what happened yesterday?"
"There was…I…" He was stumbling around for the right words as he realized how awkward the situation was becoming. Yugi rocked back onto his heels, the motion pulling his shoulders out of Solomon's grip, his grandfather letting his hands fall back to his side to give Yugi the space that he needed. He looked down at the ground, refusing to meet his grandfather's gaze. "I don't know how to tell you..."
Yugi glanced up through his bangs as Solomon took a step back, the elderly man sighing and looking back to the dried herbs. His grandfather rubbed a hand over his face before looking back at him, Yugi immediately lowering his eyes and listening as his grandfather spoke. "I trust your judgment, Yugi. But just tell me that it is what you want."
"It is." Yugi backed out of the tent with those words, not sure if his grandfather had guessed what he had done, or was just leaving Yugi to deal with the choice that he made. The prince let the flap of the tent fall back with a long sigh, his fingers still resting on the hide, curling to keep their hold on the tent. Why did the real world have to invade into his happiness? He was happy loving the dragon and being loved in return. Why did everyone have to question this?
He turned and walked out of the camp, heading toward the open space. Atem was sure to see him walking and come and talk to him. Yugi just needed to be near the dragon now, knowing that the dragon was one of the few creatures that understood what he was going through. He barely realized that he had begun to jog, searching the area for the dragon until he fell to the ground, clutching the back of his leg in pain. Yugi turned to look at the limb, lifting his hand from it and expecting to find blood. But there was nothing, not even his pants were torn. Yugi stared at his hand for a long while before he realized what this meant.
The prince pushed off of the ground and ran, limping as his body was convinced that it had just suffered a wound. Yugi turned his head, slowing as he saw a large group of dragons, Timaeus standing at the head. He hesitated, nearly jogging in place as he tried to figure out where Atem was. Could the dragon have been injured hunting? If that was true, then Yugi would need to have a dragon find him, because he couldn't cover ground fast enough. He turned to ask his favor of the dragons when he saw the group suddenly scatter, forming a circle around a snarling Atem.
Yugi's eyes widened in surprise at the confrontation, standing completely still as Timaeus and Atem glared at each other, the green dragon tipping his head to the side before reaching down and using his height to his advantage as he bit down on Atem's neck. Yugi screamed in pain, falling to his hands and knees as pain lanced through his neck. He stared at the ground as he waited for the pain to subside, vaguely listening to Atem's bellow of pain. Yugi groaned and looked up, watching as Atem clawed at Timaeus, managing to get the larger dragon off of him. Fearing a second attack, Yugi forced himself to his feet and ran towards the dragons.
"Atem!" The dragons turned their heads to look at him, most glaring in hatred. Yugi winced as a few opened their mouths, flames licking at the back of their pointed teeth as they looked at him. The prince covered his head with his arms, hoping that the threat wouldn't be carried out. He heard a snarl, looking up to see Atem crouching on the ground, his own fire flickering in his mouth. Yugi dove for the cover that Atem offered, clinging to the dragon's leg as Atem pulled himself to his full height. The black and red dragon gave a hiss of displeasure before looking back at Timaeus.
The green dragon glanced down at Yugi with hatred before focusing on Atem. "What have you done?"
Atem lowered himself closer to the ground, Yugi finding himself pressed close to the dragon's leg with the move. The black and red dragon stared at Timaeus for a while before finally responding, his words nearly masked by the growl that rumbled from him. "Nothing that you approve of, apparently. Tell me, Timaeus, why do you suddenly care about me? Is it because you nearly lost your precious Morningstar?"
"No." The green dragon turned his head and coughed, shaking his head in disgust. "I can still smell that human all over you Atem."
"So what?"
"This isn't what you are supposed to be doing."
"What should I be doing then? Should I forget Yugi, choose a pretty female who doesn't really care about me and make sure that we have chicks on the way before throwing myself carelessly into danger so I can fulfill this stupid title of mine? Is that what you want, Timaeus?" Atem waited until the larger green dragon was ready to speak before he continued, Yugi noticing how annoyed the larger dragon was getting. "But what should I die for, the destruction of all humans or for things to go back to the way they are? Or are you as confused as all the other dragons?"
"Atem…"
"Tell me, Timaeus, because I really want to know. How would you prefer to kill me?"
"Enough!" Yugi dodged out of the way in time as Timaeus lunged at Atem. He still fell to the ground as he felt something collide with him, leaving him gasping for air. He groaned and rolled over to his side, wincing as flashes of pain appeared on his body as the two dragons writhed on the ground, Atem clawing his way out from under Timaeus and digging his claws into the thin membrane of the green dragon's wings. Timaeus roared and whipped his head around to close his jaws around the closest foreleg. Atem threw his head back as Yugi screamed in pain, clutching his own arm as the imprints of teeth appeared briefly there.
"Yugi!" He looked up to see Atem shove himself away from Timaeus, curling around him and pushing him close to his body. Yugi reached up to stroke Atem, still holding his other arm close to his body as he waited for the pain to disappear. He looked at the affected foreleg, gasping as he saw blood welling up from marks.
"You're bleeding."
Atem glanced down at his leg, dismissing the injury with a snort. "It's nothing." He lowered his head to press it against Yugi. "I'm sorry. I shouldn't have provoked him. You wouldn't be hurt."
"Don't worry about it." Yugi gave his arm a last rub before standing up, using the dragon's side to steady himself before he crossed his arms and glared at the assembled dragons, hearing Atem get up behind him. The black and red dragon stepped over him, raising his head to glare up at Timaeus. The tableau held until the green dragon gave a curse and looked away, claws digging into the ground.
"Gods damn it all, Atem. Why are you rebelling like this? You'll end up breaking this human's heart in the end."
Atem gave a warning growl. "You think I would use any creature to do such a thing? I didn't give him half of my heart so I could use him. It was an honest gift so that he could live! If I wanted to fight against my fate, I would fight alone!"
"There is no changing this, Atem. You are the Morningstar."
"But the title can be passed on. After all, it's just a title." Atem finally looked away from Timaeus, jerking his head in the direction of a small dark green chick that had wandering over, the baby dragon looking in awe at the larger adults. "You could give it to him and, the worst part is, he would like it and thank you for it. Just wait until you have to tell him that he will have to die!"
Yugi darted out of his hiding spot as the chick trembled in fear, tears leaking out of his eyes. He knelt down beside the small dragon, surprised when he just jumped into Yugi's arms. Awkwardly, Yugi stroked the young dragon's back as Atem and Timaeus continued on, ignoring the other dragons who were watching the baby dragon.
"We wouldn't, not until he was ready for it." Timaeus narrowed his eyes. "You were too young when your father told you."
"My father is suffering because he wanted to save me." Atem snarled, flames licking at the back of his teeth again. "He told me what this title really meant so I would understand what he had done for me. It was the right time, or else I would have blithely lived my life, thinking I was meant for great things, allowing myself to be led calmly to the slaughter like a sheep."
The other dragons were shifting nervously as Atem dealt them all a scathing glare, most of them quickly moving away on suddenly remembered other things that they would rather be doing. Timaeus ceased his glaring contest with Atem to watch them go, dropping his head when there were only a few left. The green dragon tipped his head to the side, for the first time revealing the scar that crossed over his right eye, rendering the eye useless. "What do you expect us to do, Atem? We were told that you are our only hope for surviving."
"I'm not. Those were the dying words of a desperate dragon." Atem finally relaxed, his voice dropping back to a civil tone. "We have to change with the world, Timaeus, not throw ignorant dragons to their deaths because it is the only thing that we can think of. That makes us as bad as the humans."
The black and red dragon turned away, calling the discussion to an end as he walked over to Yugi, stretching himself out on the ground and tilting his body so more of it was in the direct sunlight. The prince gave him a smile, rubbing the small dragon that he was holding fondly on the head before walking over to Atem, happily snuggling up to his dragon. Atem gave a purr of contentment, his eyes slowly closing. Yugi found his own eyes beginning to close, the events of the past few days finally catching up with him. A soft nudge to his hand made him open his eyes again.
The forest green dragon chick was standing in front of them, cowering slightly as Atem lifted his head to look at him as well. The small dragon shifted before staring at the ground. "Are you really going to die? Because I don't want you to." Tears started to drop out of the chick's eyes again. "I saw you in the desert, and I thought that you were going to die then. Did we make you like that?"
"No, little one." Atem rolled back fully on his stomach, the move hiding the scar that was still there. Yugi shifted too, finding himself pressed against Atem's chest over his heart. The baby dragon trotted up to him, trying to wiggle himself in the small space between Yugi and Atem, accepting the nuzzle that Atem gave to his back. "That was not your fault or anyone's fault."
The chick gave a sideways look at Yugi, seeming to debate something before he spoke again. "But the three elders said that the humans had hurt you."
"But I am fine now." Atem nudged the chick away from him, gently bumping him in the direction of the few other young dragons that were out in the sunlight. "Go play with your friends."
The baby dragon nodded and bounded off, leaving Yugi to sit back against Atem, absently petting the dragon's foreleg. "Atem?"
"Not you too." The black and red dragon lowered his head, making Yugi look him directly in his eye. "I'm not going anywhere, not for a long time."
"I know." Yugi wrapped his arms around Atem's muzzle, encouraging the dragon to lower his head the rest of the way. Atem sighed and allowed the human to arrange him however he liked. Yugi gave a slow smile before he returned to petting the dragon. Under the influence of the sun above him and the warmth of Atem behind him, Yugi drifted off to sleep.
Bakura jerked awake as Thoth began to squirm under him again. The thief groaned and rubbed a hand over his face, scowling when he realized that it was broad daylight. He turned and poked the dragon, earning an annoyed snort from the creature. "I thought you said that we would get to this place late last night."
"Contrary winds and contrary dragons." The reply was curt and almost delivered as a snap. Bakura crossed his arms in exasperation. Of course Ryou would have no problems talking to the dragon and actually get the creature to like him. He could only annoy the dragon more. The thief rolled his eyes and glared at the ground, watching as it slowly got closer. A rumble from the dragon made him look up, getting a glimpse of his lover as the poet sat up straight. "We'll be landing away from the main campsite. I don't want Timaeus to overreact to the sight of humans."
That was the only warning they got before the dragon dove abruptly, spreading its wings to tip itself back onto its hind legs at the last minute. Bakura found himself sighing as the dragon lowered itself closer to the ground, carefully setting Thoth down to one side before falling to all fours. The thief scrambled off his frightened mule, stroking the animal as he tried to calm Thoth down. He looked over his shoulder as Ryou slid from its back, the poet stepping back to allow the blonde to help the girl down. The thief raised one eyebrow as he realized that the girl was blind. He shook off his amazement and walked Thoth over to stand next to his lover, lightly slapping the poet on the shoulder.
Ryou recoiled, rubbing his shoulder and pouting. "What was that for?"
"Whatever you did to make this the only course of action!" Bakura rolled his eyes and began walking after the dragon, turning his head slightly as Ryou ran to catch up. The thief noticed that the poet was clutching a pack, probably filled with what Bakura had left behind on his aborted scouting mission. Out of habit, he shifted closer to the mule so that the animal wouldn't try to bite the poet. Ryou gave him a smile and fell into step beside Bakura, being bold enough to brush his shoulder against the thief.
And, as simple as that, everything was forgiven. Bakura would continue to grumble about the situation and Ryou, being Ryou, would smile and nod, and the subject would be dropped. He had never had a relationship like this, part of him wondering where the mad screaming matches had gone because he found himself losing the quiet arguments that usually occurred.
"You said you could help her." The thief looked up at the young man, hurrying Thoth along so he could hear the conversation. By his side Ryou was bounding excitedly. He was close to punching the overenthusiastic poet when Ryou grabbed his arm.
"Magic, Bakura! Can you believe it? We've found some of the few creatures who can still use magic. This is amazing!" Bakura let himself be shaken by the poet, shooting a glare at the dragon as it gave an amused chuckle. Bakura was about the question the dragon on what it planned to do when he saw the gathering of dragons. He managed to conceal his own shock as Ryou's mouth dropped open, and the thief couldn't blame him. Before now, they had only seen individual dragons. It was even more stunning to see such a large gathering of the creatures. With the sunlight glittering off the scales, it almost looked like many jewels.
The thief shook his head, blaming his extended time with Ryou for the content of his thoughts. He turned his head, staring at the tents that were pitched close to the field of dragons. Bakura had never seen humans living voluntarily so close to dragons. He reached out to pet Thoth's muzzle as the mule began to shift nervously. The thief was about the back away from the group and take to the mule to a place where the animal could calm down, and he could watch everything from a good distance, when the dragon broke into a jog. "Hermos!"
A red dragon whose back resembled a porcupine looked up, walking over when it seemed to recognize the one who had hailed it. As the dragon ambled over, Bakura realized how large the dragon really was. He pushed Ryou and Thoth behind him as the dragon came to a stop, tipping its head to one side to look at the humans before staring at the lavender eyed dragon. There was a squeak as the dragon pushed the blonde and red head forward to confront Hermos, the young man nearly wrapped around the girl as they found themselves trapped between the two dragons. The smaller dragon looked up at Hermos. "I promised that we would try and help the girl. Humans burned her eyes out."
Hermos snorted dismissively. "Humans. It's a wonder that they haven't killed themselves off yet." The dragon crouched on the ground, looking closely at the girl before gently lifting up the fabric from her eyes, the positions of their bodies blocking the sight from Bakura. The dragon hissed at whatever he saw before letting the fabric settle back over her eyes. "We're going to need Solomon and Atem as well. It will take more than two of us, not with Atem still recovering."
"Recovering?" The pale gold dragon was cut off with a glare from Hermos, sulking as he slunk off toward the human camp. Hermos looked at the human before standing on his hind legs and craning his head before bellowing out a name. "Atem!"
Bakura held onto Thoth's reins as the mule panicked, quickly calming the animal down to just a shiver. The thief soothed the nervous animal, looking up as a shape coasted over them before landing a few steps away. Bakura's eyes widened as he recognized Yugi's dragon, the black and red beast strolling towards them. "You better have a good reason for calling me over, Hermos."
"There is." Both of them turned their heads, the motion the only warning that the humans had of the approach of the pale gold dragon, loping over with Solomon seated uncomfortably on his back. The elderly man slid off the dragon's back and walked quickly over to the girl, peering at her before giving a nod and wiping his hands on his pants. The old man turned to smile at the blonde, patting his shoulder. "Don't worry. If we can't restore her sight completely, she'll be able to see shadows and shapes until we are ready to try again."
The blonde gave a stiff nod and took a step back, hands clenching into fists. Ryou pushed forward, eyes widening as Solomon placed both his hands on the girl's shoulders and closed his eyes. Bakura felt a sharp snap in the air and took a step back before tendrils of color leapt from the ground, wrapping around the girl and Solomon. Bakura tensed at the obvious use of magic, not finding it as wondrous as Ryou, who was watching with a huge smile. Magic and its users were something that should stay in the shadows and stories, where they both belonged. It was foreign and different, very dangerous in the wrong hands. The thief could too easily imagine those tendrils wrapping around his neck at the end of a bungled job. He shook the thoughts away, forcing the hand that had risen to rub his throat to fall back to his side. He didn't want to feel fear, not with dragons around en masse. Reluctantly, he allowed Ryou to pull him closer to the event, brown eyes sparkling in excitement. Bakura sighed and wrapped an arm around Ryou's shoulders.
As suddenly as it begun, the magic disappeared, a few black tendrils still stroking over the girl's face before Solomon opened his eyes and slapped them away, glaring at the panting black and red dragon. Yugi's dragon looked away, Solomon reaching up to pull the cloth away from the girl's face. He waved his hand in front of the girl's face, her brown eyes blinking open. The girl's face contorted into a look of confusion as she squinted, turning around and rubbing her eyes. When she let her hands fall back to her side, she was facing the blonde man, her lips twisting up in a smile. "Joey!"
The two rushed at each other, the girl getting pulled into a hug by the blonde. Ryou started scrambling for a pen and paper, halting his frantic movement when Bakura gave his shoulders a squeeze. The thief shook his head, keeping a tight hold of Thoth's reins as he began to steer them away from the happy reunion, intent on following Solomon as the old man made his way back to the camp. When Ryou started to protest, Bakura tapped him with the end of the reins that he held. "Save your scribbling for later. I'm hungry, thirsty and tired. And I demand that my pillow be with me the entire time."
"But-"
"Sleep now, scribble later." He quickly cut the poet off before Ryou could protest anymore. The poet sighed dramatically and leaned against Bakura, allowing the thief to pull him towards the camp.
Atem finally looked up when Solomon was gone, smiling as he saw the blonde and the girl still hugging. That was good, she deserved to see after having her eyes burned out. His smile disappeared as he met Hermos' gaze. Atem shrunk back against the ground before he could stop himself, not used to seeing the usually jovial Hermos angry. He scrambled back as the red dragon pulled himself up to his full height, looming over Atem. "What did you think you were doing?"
"Helping her. I could tell you who burned her eyes out and assure you that it was for a stupid reason. I wasn't going to make her go through another session if I could help it."
"And I suppose exhausting yourself would have helped as well?" Atem grunted and looked away, not willing to comment. Hermos sighed, lowering himself down so he could speak to Atem on the smaller dragon's level. The black and red dragon stiffened as Hermos purposefully made him meet his gaze. "You know as well as I do that if you are still drawing magic that it would kill you if you passed out. And then where would that leave you?"
"I had it under control."
"Yes." Hermos took a step away from Atem, chuckling as he did so. "I'm sure you did. Humor an old dragon and take things slowly. You're not in the best shape still, Atem. And now you have your mate to think about."
The simple statement of fact silenced all protests that Atem had. He hung his head, sides expanding as he sighed. Of course he would do nothing that would hurt Yugi, it was incomprehensible to him. But it was merely a reminder of all the responsibility that he had now. He was no longer on his own, he had his mate to look after, even if they were two different species. Atem smiled, looking towards where he had left the human sleeping. It was best that he return before Yugi woke up, the prince was still prone to worrying about him. Atem gave himself a shake and began to walk back, not feeling the need to waste energy on the short flight back. He stumbled a bit as another dragon bumped into him, the lavender eye that peered into his own familiar. Atem raised his head, ready to smile at his friend, only to be stopped by the hurt look in the dragon's eye. "You abandoned me."
Atem rolled his eyes. "I have not, Marik."
"You did." Marik tried to look pitiful, failing miserably as a smile kept sneaking across his muzzle. "We promised that we would never find mates and just become old and grouchy bachelors together. What happened to that promise, Atem?" The pale gold dragon got a thoughtful look on his face, bumping into Atem again. "Or did Kisara finally become attractive enough for you? Gods knows she's turned me down enough."
"Kisara?" He winced at the mention of his other childhood friend. Of course she would still be alright, she had her human mate to take care of her. But that didn't mean that Atem would just forget about her. He shook his head, the motion partially in answer to Marik's question. "No. She found someone else. She's back up north right now."
"She'd better be careful. It's dangerous up there."
"Her mate will take care of her."
"Lucky her." Marik snorted, rolling his eyes. "So, what female finally made you give up this life of freedom. Please don't tell me that she only loves you for your title. If you've fallen that low, I may have to hurt you."
Atem laughed and shook his head, watching as Marik relaxed. "No, they're not in love with my title. In fact, I'd say that they hate it as much as I do."
"So, who is she?"
"I'm not going to tell you." Atem could see the area where he had left Yugi, a smile crossing his muzzle at the thought of his mate. He was looking forward to a lazy day of nothing, recovering like all the other dragons were demanding that he do, even though he felt fine.
"Come on."
"No."
"Atem." Marik whined out his name before pouncing on him, shoving him to the ground and shifting so he could hold the black and red dragon there. Atem blinked up at his friend, chuckling as Marik glared, trying to appear threatening. He shook his head, wriggling to try and get out of the hold. Marik gave a half hearted snarl and shifted to a more secure hold, one hand resting over Atem's heart as the other pinned a foreleg to the ground, Marik leaning over the hand on Atem's chest. "Tell…"
Marik stopped midsentence to stare at the hand over Atem's heart, eyes narrowing as he felt something. Atem went still at the serious look on his friend's face, wondering what was causing this stop in Marik's teasing. He craned his head up, shifting one hind leg to press against Marik's stomach in a plea to get off of him. The pale gold dragon shook his head, apparently still trying to puzzle out what was wrong. "This is…" His other hand closed even more tightly around Atem's foreleg, claws digging in. Atem winced, head whipping around at the yelp from somewhere around them.
"Yugi!" Atem wiggled some more, now trying to shove Marik off him. "Marik, get off!"
The pale gold dragon blinked and stepped away, realizing what he had been doing. He blinked slowly as Atem got up, seeming extremely nervous. He stared at his claws before looking up as his friend, Atem tipping his head at the fear that was in Marik's eyes. The black and red dragon took a step forward, intending to talk to his friend when Marik spoke first. "Have you told your mate about your heart?"
"What?" Atem blinked slowly, suddenly lost. He began to walk towards where Yugi was, Marik still trailing after him.
"Your heart…it's not right." Marik shook his head. "I mean, it's beating at the normal pace…but it's like it isn't all there."
"Marik, I'm fine."
"Then why did Hermos say-" Marik was cut off as Yugi sat up from the grass, one hand covering his mouth as he yawned. Atem smiled at the human before lying down on the ground and curling around him, purring as Yugi absently petting his scales. Atem looked up at a surprised snort, tilting his head as Marik came to an astounded stop in front of them. The pale gold dragon seemed to stumble for words at the sight, Atem's eyes slowly shutting as he lowered his head to the ground, tipping it so Yugi could reach the one spot above his eye. It took a lot of effort to open his eyes again, the combination of being with Yugi and the sunlight relaxing him. "What's…I thought…Atem I thought you were going back to your mate."
"I am." Atem gave a soft moan as Yugi moved his hand down to the sensitive spot under his jaw, tickling it before returning to his petting, the motion slowing as the human leaned back into Atem. In response, Atem curled closer around Yugi. He glanced back up at Marik, giving his friend a smile before nuzzling Yugi. "I never said my mate was a female."
"Not a…gods Atem." Marik slumped to the ground, staring at him incredulously. "What did those humans do to you?"
Atem looked up with a growl, pulling Yugi closer to him. "Not you too." He had thought his friend would be a little more accommodating of Yugi instead of immediately taking the view that the others had. "The humans have done nothing to me. Yugi hasn't done anything to mess with my mind. I am perfectly serious and nothing you will say can convince me otherwise."
Marik swallowed and looked down at the human again, digging his claws into the ground. Atem snarled at the motion, shifting again so that Yugi was protected better. The pale gold dragon realized this and pulled his claws out of the dirt, looking sheepishly up at Atem. "Atem I…I just don't understand."
"Simple. I got to know him and I gave him half my heart." Marik stiffened at the words, glancing at Atem's chest before lowering his head to the ground, shaking it.
"Gods…Atem…What happened up there during those years of the dragon-slayers? I come back and they're all talking about you needing to recover from something and you're telling me that you ripped your heart in half for the sake of a human. You wouldn't have done that before."
Atem relaxed as Marik spoke, convinced that the dragon meant no harm to Yugi. The black and red dragon rolled to his side, allowing Yugi to clamber up on him to rest on his shoulder. He smiled up at the human before closing his eyes, debating on how to best answer Marik's questions. His friend was right that he would have never helped a human before, or even looked at one. But Yugi had changed that, Yugi had trusted him enough not to eat him when the prince had no reason to believe that the dragon wouldn't break that trust. Yugi was the one who looked at him like an intelligent creature after years of trying to be killed. Yugi was the only one who could call Atem back to his senses when his temper got the best of him, no matter what. Slowly, Yugi was the one who was helping him win his sanity back.
Atem gave an awkward shrug, catching Yugi as the motion sent him tumbling. The black and red dragon laughed as Yugi glared at him. "Sorry."
"Better be." Yugi treated him to a dazzling smile while playfully tapping him on the muzzle. Atem gave a growl and gently picked Yugi up by his shirt, moving the flailing prince from his body to the ground. "Atem. Darn it, Atem, put me down!"
He dropped Yugi down, quickly maneuvering the human so he was caught between Atem's forelegs and chest as the dragon shifted to lie more on his stomach. Yugi looked around his prison before looking up at Atem and pouting, making the dragon laugh again. "Do you blame me for wanting to keep you close?"
"Starved for attention."
"Three months without you." Atem gently licked Yugi's cheek, letting his tongue trace down his neck before pulling back, leaving the human swaying a bit at the unexpected sign of affection. "Of course I would be."
"He was worse when he was younger." Atem looked up as Marik spoke, embarrassed that he had forgotten his friend was there. The pale gold dragon gave Atem a slow smile, a sure hint of trouble. Yugi finally scrambled up onto Atem's foreleg, watching Marik as the other dragon rolled onto his back, exposing his belly to the sun. "He was very needy then too. Poor little Atem, never getting any attention from anyone."
Yugi and Marik laughed, the human resting his forehead on his knees as he gasped for air. Atem snorted and looked away. "I was never like that."
Marik rolled his eyes, the effect comical when the dragon was on his back. "Trust me, you were. I remember this one time..."
Atem rolled his eyes, turning his head to pretend that he was annoyed as he listened to his exploits being blown out of proportion. He let his eyes fall shut, chuckling at times as Yugi laughed, Marik scolding the human for interrupting the tale. A smile twitched at the corner of his mouth as he relaxed; this felt right. This was the life he wanted, one of contentment. A purr rumbled through him as Yugi began to pet his leg, earning a giggle from the prince. If only they could stay this way forever.
But there were others here now, others that would remind Yugi of what he had been before this time together. They would want their prince back and they would rip Yugi away from him. The dragons and humans from the camp would help them too; there were already mutters of how unnatural that their relationship was. The dragons wanted their Morningstar to produce chicks, an eternal memory of their great savior and possible victims for the next time they were in need. Atem bit back a growl at the thought, his eyes snapping open. He needed to have time with Yugi, away from the others.
He glanced back at Yugi realizing that Marik had stopped talking. The prince reached out to trace the underside of Atem's eye, the dragon allowing the caress before raising his head. The pale gold dragon rolled back onto his stomach, giving his friend a questioning glance before shaking his head. "No, Atem."
"No what?" Yugi was staring at him with confusion. Atem snorted and looked away, keeping Marik at the edge of his vision.
"They won't let me spend time with him, Marik. We both know that. So, I'm going to take the first step here. Let's see how well they do without their precious Morningstar to advise." He rolled his shoulder, inviting Yugi to climb up on his back. The prince smiled and clambered up onto the dragon, settling down where Atem's neck met his body. The black and red dragon smiled at his mate before standing up, offering an apologetic look at Marik. "I'm not abandoning them; I just need time to be me."
Marik gave a reluctant nod before stretching out more fully on the ground. "Whatever you say, Atem. I'll try and cover for you."
Atem flashed a smile at his friend before taking to the air, listening to Yugi's yelp of surprise as they climbed into sky. He circled once to wave at Marik before turning and heading for the desert. He had no idea where he was going, but it would be fine. As long as he had Yugi, everything would be perfect.
Gozaburo stared down the purple and brown dragon that had just arrived, crossing his arms and leaning back. His blue eyes flickered to the sides as he looked at the five other dragons that had accompanied this one. He had simply been going out to check on the status of his dragon when this one had plummeted from the sky, demanding to see the king. Who was this creature to demand such a thing from him? The king finally motioned for the dragon to speak, thinking that he had allowed the dragon to stew in silence for long enough. To his surprise, the dragon gave a bow, lowering his gaze from the king. "My apologizes, your majesty, I am just tired from my long flight here. I have come with news and the intention of helping you."
"What news?" He had almost asked how the dragon could help him first, but that would only further bind the dragon to him, something that Gozaburo did not want to do if the dragon would be of no help. His eyebrows rose as the dragon came up from his bow, claws tapping against the stone as the creature crept forward, eyes wide. "I have seen your nephew, your majesty, alive and well."
He scoffed, turning away from the dragon. "I stabbed him in the heart myself. I saw him die. There is no way he could be alive."
"If that is true, then why do you still live?" Gozaburo froze at the dragon's words, finding his own gaze moving to the black dragon that was chained down in the courtyard. His hands clenched at his sides as he forced himself not to press one of them over his heart. He heard the dragon shift behind him, the brown muzzle appearing close to him. "Why else would you keep a dragon like that unless you have reason to make sure that it is kept safe? And, if one dragon gave the same favor to you, why wouldn't another do it for your nephew? Unless, of course, there was no dragon."
Gozaburo gave a low curse. There had been a dragon the night that he had stabbed Yugi. It had been the one to scatter all of them, even attacking Mahad before flying off with what Gozaburo had always assumed was a body. After all, Yugi couldn't have survived much longer. But why would a dragon do that for Yugi, unless it was part of one of the small patches of resistance that the peasants were cobbling together against him. But the peasants didn't even know about this. It had to be kept silent to avoid rebellion. After all, there was still too great a chance that they would rise up for the rights of the unborn brat. He tapped a finger against his leg before turning around to face the dragon. "What do you offer then?"
The dragon gave a slow smile, lowering its voice so it would not carry far. "The ones who are gifted with the heart of a dragon cannot be killed unless the dragon is slain, they have an almost immortal life."
"I know this." Gozaburo ground the words out. "Now, what can you offer me?"
"I have five dragons that follow my every command. That leaves you five dragons to extend the lives of five knights. And I would be willing to throw myself into the bargain, for a small price."
He was tempted to accept the deal right there. If his five most trusted knights were given the same power as he, with the dragons being controlled by their loyalty to their leader who served him alone, then he could easily subdue the rest of the kingdom. Even expand beyond this meager valley. It was a good deal, except for that vague price. He rocked back on his heels, pretending to think about it. "And what would that be?"
The purple and brown dragon smiled. "I just want the pleasure of killing the dragon who gave Yugi his heart myself. Nothing more. Is that too steep for you, your majesty?"
Gozaburo shook his head. He had already killed Yugi once; that was enough for him. As long as his plans were carried out, this dragon could kill all the dragons in the world for all he cared. It just further proved that this deal was flawless. Five dragons for five knights, and one still left over for Seto. It was time to tear him away from that whore of his. Gozaburo smirked. "I accept your offer."
"Good." The dragon settled himself on the ground. "Call out your chosen knights and we'll complete this task now. You can start the attacks after they have recovered."
Gozaburo looked up at the clouds, shaking his head. "After the snows have gone, that way we can have soldiers to secure the holdings instead of rendering them all to ashes. No one rules over a barren land."
"Very wise." The dragon gave a wide smile, showing its pointed teeth. "We can afford to wait, but not for the placing of the hearts. Now would be the best time so that dragon and human can figure out a way to work together. I, for one, would rather not be pierced by a sword as your knights fumble about. Call them out."
"Wait." Gozaburo held up a hand and walked away from the dragon, surprised that it did not growl at his order. He had initially thought that this one would be hot headed, ready to attack him if his deal was not accepted. Now he could see that he had read the dragon wrong. Still, he was the one who would decide which dragon when with which knight. He scanned over the dragons, smiling when he found that they were all in good shape, except for one small one. The king turned around to look at the purple and brown dragon, who gave a shrug.
"That one is at his full growth. He's a bit of a gamble, but extremely loyal." Gozaburo waved the words away, the purple and brown dragon relaxing again. He couldn't trust the small white dragon on the battlefield with his knights; it simply wouldn't inspire the fear he was going for. He would keep it here, as a threat for the other dragons if need be. If not, then he could plan around it. One little dragon wasn't going to stop him so easily.
"Have them ready." Gozaburo stepped around the orange dragon, giving him an even stare. "And I will have my men out as soon as they can be gathered. But have that little one set aside."
The purple and brown dragon stood up, giving another bow. "To a wonderful partnership, your majesty. And to the downfall of your enemies."
Gozaburo smirked and strolled into his castle, pulling a page from his spot by the door and sending him off with the order to find his five trusted knights. Another one was sent to find his son and his whore. They should be witness to the growth of the kingdom. He rubbed his hands together against the chill, pulling his cloak more tightly around his body as he waited for the ones he had summoned.
His knights did not disappoint him. The king smiled and motioned for them to follow him, one hand resting on his sword. He waited until he had led them out into the courtyard before he pointed at the small white dragon. "Lector, chain this one up beside the other one."
The knight bowed and went on his mission. Gozaburo then pointed to one of the dragons who cowered behind the purple and brown one. "You, come here." The dragon inched forward as Gozaburo pulled Crump out of the small group of knights. "You know what to do?"
The dragon nodded miserably as Gozaburo turned to look at his knights. "You swore loyalty to me no matter what happens. Is that correct?"
Silence fell over them for a moment before the nods started, some of the knights verbally confirming what he had said. Gozaburo smirked at their eagerness, his expression silencing them. "Good."
With that, he plunged the sword into Crump's heart and shoved him away, the purple and brown dragon catching the knight as the chosen dragon plunged his own claws into his chest and ripped out half of his heart. Gozaburo turned away from the cries of pain, motioning the next knight forward.
Seto looked up as a panting page entered his chambers. He stood up, gesturing for Kisara to remain reclining on the bed. He ignored her noise of protest as he strode to meet the messenger. The boy looked up at him before averting his eyes to the ground, preferring to look at the floor. "Your father sends for you, my prince. He summons you and…" The page glanced up at Kisara before looking back at the ground. "To the courtyard, immediately."
Before Seto could question the boy further, he had scampered off, leaving Seto standing at the door in shock. His father was actually sending for him instead of sneaking up on him and trying to surprise him. Seto's hand tightened on the doorframe, eyes narrowing. He didn't like this situation at all. Releasing the doorframe, he rubbed his forehead before slouching against the door. He didn't look up at the creak of the bed, but he did raise his eyes as Kisara rested a hand on his shoulder. "Seto?"
"Dress warmly, we're going to meet my father." Seto pulled away from her to gather his cloak, fastening the clasp before walking to the door. He saw Kisara still standing there, fiddling with her hands. He sighed and pulled her close, whispering into her hair. "I know this isn't a good idea, but what more can I do?"
"I don't know." She pulled away and gathered her own cloak before follow him out, quickly slipping her hand into his. Usually, Seto would let go so that they could continue the act, but he wanted this moment to prepare himself for whatever twisted plan his father had. He led Kisara down the halls, stopping before they entered the Great Hall to raise her hand to his lips and give it a kiss. Kisara blushed and looked away, smiling as he dropped her hand and gestured for her to enter the open area before him. "After you."
The mask slipped on easily as they stepped out of the shadows of the corridor, Seto becoming the prince of the realm and Kisara a mere servant. He forced himself to keep his eyes from slipping over in her direction or reaching out for her because his self control was the only thing keeping her safe. If anyone found out what they were or what she meant to him, they would use her. Seto was more concerned what his father would do to Kisara than any of the populace. He brushed her aside as they reached the open door, stepping out into the frigid night air and looking around.
Torches burned at the end of the courtyard where the black dragon was chained, making shadows dance on the walls. Seto stepped away from the castle and made his way over, his sure strides slowing down as he heard the frantic rattling of chains and bellows of a creature. His father's prisoner had long since ceased making those noises because the dragon knew there would be no escape. There was no reason for the dragon to revert back to its previous behavior. Still, Seto walked faster, quickly rounding the corner of the castle.
He stopped dead in his tracks, Kisara peeking around him with a gasp. Chained beside the large black dragon was a smaller one, its shape reminding Seto of the dragon who had saved him from the peasants years ago. When it saw Seto, the dragon gave a miserable whimper and strained against the chains, throwing its whole body weight against the iron. Blood gleamed in the torchlight from where the dragon had already injured itself.
Before he could stop her, Kisara ran over to kneel by the dragon's head, whispering soothing words to it. The dragon stopped struggling, instead staring wide eyes at Seto. The brunette walked over to the dragon, intending to speak with it when he noticed the blood that stained the cobblestones. He followed the trail with his eyes, abruptly standing up from his crouched position when he saw his father standing at the end of it.
Seto moved in front of Kisara as he noticed the bloodied sword that swung loosely in his father's hand, the blood reminding him of the last time he had seen that sword. Seto suppressed the urge to gag, not wanting to appear weak in this moment. He shook his head and looked behind his father, mouth dropping open as he saw the bloodstained knights leaning against dragons, all except for Lector who was standing nervously next to his king. Seto took a step back, reaching for Kisara as the woman shot to her feet. "What have you done?"
"Silence!" Gozaburo pointed his sword at Kisara, blue eyes sparkling dangerously. "I will not have you interfere with this moment of triumph. Here I have assembled the beginnings of my elite force, one that will serve the kings of my line for years to come. We will rule over this world through wits and strength. Nothing will be able to stop us!"
He turned and plunged the sword into Lector's chest, the knight crumpling with a cry of pain. Seto lunged forward, only to be stopped by Kisara as the purple and brown dragon stepped forward, looming over Lector as it clawed at its own chest, face contorted in strange ecstasy. Seto thought he heard Kisara mumble something, but was distracted by the pulsing light that the dragon pulled from his chest and dropped into Lector's chest. A burst of flame obscured the bright light before they both went out, leaving a dazed Lector on the ground.
Seto took a step back as the knight stood up, eyes moving from his father to the knight that should have been dead. There was no rational reason this should be happening, which left it up to magic. But Seto knew that the ability to use magic was slowly dying out, there shouldn't have been any left in the word by now. This shouldn't be allowed to happen so easily with magic users so scarce. It went against all his beliefs.
He reached out for Kisara, keeping her close behind him as he backed them toward the castle. If they made it into the Great Hall, then the dragons couldn't come in, leaving the knights vulnerable to attack. He could rush Kisara out through a servant's entrance and then…Seto's eyes narrowed as his father began to laugh, walking forward and leaving his knights leaning against the dragons that they were bound to. Without his permission, Seto's body cringed away from his father, making the king laugh.
"Does it disgust you, Seto? Does knowing what I am…what they are, disgust you? Do you think it unnatural or unholy?" Gozaburo paused long enough for Seto to draw a breath before he continued on. "Well, your thoughts on the matter are useless, seeing as you will be joining us soon."
He gave Kisara a shove backwards, one hand groping for the hilt of his sword as Gozaburo gestured to the white dragon that was pinned to the ground. "That one is for you, my son, so that you may live forever unlike your weak mother and brother. Too bad it is too afraid to face up to its future. Perhaps having part of its heart in you will give it the courage it needs. Lector, Nesbitt; hold him."
Seto pulled his sword partially out of its sheath before the two knights got a hold on him. He grunted as the sword was knocked out of his hands and sent spinning away on the cobblestones. Seto glanced at his now useless weapon before beginning to struggle in the hold of the knights, gasping as they wrenched his arms back into an uncomfortable position. He gritted his teeth and looked up at his father, leaning back as the bloodied sword came closer to him. Gozaburo laughed, the sound making Seto repress a shiver. The man was not sane anymore.
"Don't fight your destiny, Seto. You and I will bring the world to its knees." Seto increased his struggles as his father brought the sword up over his heart. The man was panting for air as he leaned back, nearly bent in half as he tried to avoid the sword. He gasped as his movements were brought to a stop, the point now hovering over his heart. His eyes were wide in fear, but he wouldn't beg his father, nothing could bring him that low. Instead, he glared up at the man, trying to put all of his hatred into the gaze.
A bright flare of light distracted him. Seto turned in his captor's grip, his father momentarily forgotten as he looked for the source of the light. He got a glimpse of Kisara before the light consumed her, his heart pounding quickly as she disappeared. His mouth felt dry as he realized that he had lost her. Seto slumped in the hold that the two knights had over him, trying to figure out what had happened. He closed his eyes, breath coming in short pants as his anger grew. It was the time for revenge against whatever Gozaburo had done to Kisara.
He was about the lunge forward when he heard the roar of a dragon, wind whipping past him as something came crashing down to the ground. The two knights that were holding him suddenly let go, allowing him to turn around the face the thing that had appeared.
Bright light still poured off of the dragon, the familiar dragon shaking it off as it turned angry blue eyes toward the knights. The humans scrambled back, even Gozaburo running from the dragon's wrath. Seto flinched as the dragon took a step forward, surprised when it placed itself over him, a growl echoing around the castle walls. "You will not harm him."
"So this is where you were hiding, Kisara?" Seto stared at the purple and brown dragon before looking up at the white dragon that stood over him. Kisara? But that wasn't possible. He was pushed out of the way as the purple and brown dragon took a step closer, his protector making sure that he was kept away from the dragons and humans. "That's too bad. If only Atem had known, then maybe he wouldn't have had to go through half the things he put himself through. Maybe he would still be sane."
Kisara snarled, the only reaction she gave a flicker of worry in her blue eyes. "He can take care of himself."
"I'm sure he can, but it's you I'm more worried about. Binding yourself to a human. Carrying his child. What happened to your pride, Kisara?" Seto clenched his hand into a fist, glaring at the purple and brown dragon. He would admit, if only to himself, that he was not able to follow this conversation to the fullest. But that did not give this dragon a reason to insult and belittle this dragon that protected him. Seto wasn't sure what to think about the resemblance of the dragon to his lover, but he would get to the bottom of this when there was room to breathe.
She snorted, now beginning to push Seto back to the castle. Her appearance had caused a stalemate, which kept Gozaburo from advancing his plan forward. Kisara paused again at the door to the castle, glaring at all of them. "You will not harm him as long as I am around."
"And what happens then?" The purple and brown dragon shuffled forward, Gozaburo following the dragon with a similar smile on his face.
"There will be others willing to protect him." Her eyes narrowed. "I am not afraid of you."
The blinding light returned, making Seto raise a hand to cover his eyes. He peered out from under his arm, waiting for the pulsing light to disappear. He was shoved into the doors the next moment, another nudge urging him to swing open the doors wide enough to allow them both to enter, leaving Gozaburo and his twisted creations out there.
Seto slumped against the doors, watching as the light disappeared, leaving Kisara shivering and naked in the middle of the great hall. Without thinking, Seto swept his cloak from his shoulders and wrapped it around her, beginning to guide the woman up towards their chambers. Silence fell between them, lasting until they reached the door of their shared chambers. Out of habit, Seto opened the door for her and motioned Kisara in, following after her and locking the door. Once inside, the close call finally occurred to him, slumping against the wall and sliding down until he was sitting on the floor.
"Seto?" He looked up as Kisara's voice, finding her sitting on the edge of their bed, his cloak wrapped tightly around her. She flinched at something in his gaze, looking at the floor as she talked. "I meant to tell you before, but then I didn't know that I would be able to change back. I was ready to spend my entire life with you and I still am. Nothing that I ever told you was a lie."
He sighed and stood up, wondering why his head felt so empty when he should have been in a rage. Kisara had been lying to him the entire time he had known her. But, in the light of knowing that his father had just assembled an unbeatable force, this was something minor. After all, Kisara had saved him again, and she hadn't run off to leave him. He ran a hand through his hair, pacing for a moment before settling beside Kisara on the bed. "Why?"
"I thought I saw the true Seto when no one else could." Kisara winced as she spoke. "That sounds really cliché now, but I still think it's true. I watched you as a dragon and fell in love with what I could see behind that mask. And giving up everything wasn't that bad, because I never had much as a dragon in the first place, just a good friend. Is that alright?"
"Kisara I…" Seto slumped, leaning into her when she rested an arm over his shoulders. "What else would you have me do? I don't want to throw you out and I can't be mad, at least, not right now. I never asked you where you came from, or why that dragon chained in the courtyard seemed to know you. I never looked for you past like I should have. Partially, this should be my fault." Seto cast around for more words before falling backwards on the bed with a sigh, one hand resting on his heart. He had been so close to losing it all tonight because of his crazy father. He looked up at Kisara, his eyes glancing down at her stomach. "Is…"
"The baby?" Kisara rested a hand on her stomach with a faint smile. "It's alright. I wouldn't have done that if I wasn't sure."
Seto gave a nod, closing his eyes. He shifted to hold Kisara close as she rested beside him, using the moment of calm to begin to collect himself. He meant what he had said, it was useless to get mad with Kisara over such a trivial thing when much more was at stake. Gozaburo was sure to move as soon as he was sure that he could take what he wanted with the minimal loss to his already small forces. And Yugi was still out there, somewhere, probably in the same state that his father and the knights were, bound to a dragon to keep him alive. Hopefully, Yugi and Mahad would appear out of the woodwork to incite rebellion before Seto had to act himself. Because striking against his father without backup would mean that he would end up losing something precious to him.
Read and review please. Constructive criticism is always welcome.