Disclaimer: I do not own Yu-Gi-Oh
Update schedule: Part three on 6th, part four on 16th, part five on 26th, part six on 6th
A false full moon is the day before or after the full moon, when dragons can already see a sliver of a shadow on the moon. Dragons hatched on these days tend to mark a terrible omen for the most superstitious of dragons (and most of them are extremely superstitious). Dragons hatched on the full moon are meant to bring great happiness, while the false one is meant to bring devastation and despair to the parents. New moons signify a dragon that can bring a lot of change and those hatched on the eclipse are meant to be killed the moment they are born as it means death and destruction for a great many. So that's the explanation behind that and why Atem is always ashamed of mentioning the day of his hatching.
If Atem were born to other parents, he most likely would have been thrown out of the nest to be eaten or die of starvation. Dragons being as superstitious as they are often kill their hatchlings when there are even deformities in their eyes (slivers of different colors or discoloration around the pupils). Considering that, Atem actually got off extremely lucky since his parents decided regardless to raise him (which they would have done even if they hadn't known he was a God Dragon) despite two malformations in his hatching.
So, some dragons lay eggs basically instantly (Ice and Water Dragons mostly) after mating, while others take a longer gestation/development period and can go moons before they properly lay their eggs. Fire Dragons like Yugi's mother would have a period of over two moons, while one like Atem's mother would have one of over six.
Part II: Faults
Atem watched Yugi a few minutes longer. He could not think of the words he might need to help him relax again. And the Gandora looked miserable, head down as his wings drooped visibly at his sides. He had not looked at him in what felt like a great many hours. The young male looked as if he might vomit, in fact, flexing his claws with visible distress. Atem hated the submissive stance that Yugi showed him now.
He hated the vulnerability Yugi was displaying to him more than ever.
He wanted to snap at him to grow past this. He wanted more than ever to tell him to stop. He wanted to tell him to raise his head and snap at him in turn. And he loathed himself for such an instinct.
It reminded him too much of his brothers.
It reminded him too much of the raw dismay and despair and pain that he had suffered at their paws.
And it made him want to tremble.
But to do so would mean to display weakness and he could not do so when Yugi was in such a state as well. If he were to break, he did not know what might happen.
But, gods, if Atem was not exhausted…
He shook his head and moved his tail to wrap around his paws. He did not coil it around himself, however, and the lack of action made it feel almost like a mockery of the usual comfort it carried.
"What has upset you so much, little gem?"
Yugi flinched violently at the use of the nickname. When he breathed, he was trembling but it was not with fear or misery. Atem recognized the anger in his stance. He knew the way Yugi growled so softly and huffed out a breath from behind his large teeth. He was still considerably upset, perhaps more so than ever now that he had no target to take his aggression out on. He shifted his weight and clawed restlessly at the ground for a long moment.
But he never spoke and so Atem decided to fill the silence for himself now.
"You were worse than my mother when she could not stop fretting about my late hatching," the Sky Dragon teased after a moment. The words sparked instant curiosity from the Gandora. Yugi's head rose, his blue-violet eyes wide and bright with wonder. Atem thought he saw the smallest degree of excitement as well. And that was enough to wind the Sky Dragon.
He had never truly shared much with Yugi, had he? He had never truly told him much about his life before he'd crossed paths with him, had he?
Much of it had been terrible, but an almost equal amount of it had been good as well. And he wondered how much damage it could do to reveal some to him and hide more than he told.
It was a terrible consideration. And Atem wished more than ever to look immediately away. But it caused him to reconsider as well now.
Yugi deserved to know such things. He had come to him without all of this knowledge. He had come to him knowing only that which he had managed to stumble across when he'd witnessed it. He did not know much else. And that was something that Atem knew he needed to change.
But it could never be an instant thing.
And he was not sure he'd be one hundred percent comfortable with it. But he could put in the effort, he was sure. He could at least try to eventually reveal to Yugi later as much as the Gandora was willing to him.
He felt small and vulnerable before this new determination, however. It was enough to make him want to turn and flee if only his paws could carry him fast enough or his wings hold him long enough.
He wrapped his tail a bit more pointedly around himself, but it lacked its usual comforts.
"You hatched later than your brothers?"
Atem flicked his wings and flexed his claws uncomfortably. Yugi was aware of the fact that he was the youngest of the four of them. And even if he had not been, it could not be too much of a surprise with the way they'd treated him. Yugi had seen it before when he was younger and he'd witnessed it mere moons ago when they'd entered his territory. Yugi had nearly mauled them for their efforts to insult him, after all.
But he had a feeling that Yugi had always known of the fact that he was youngest. He had a feeling even if he had not seen them playing and the way they bullied him or their heights compared to his, he would have known. But he had clearly never considered that Atem might have been far behind them in their hatching.
Atem had formerly forced himself to lock those thoughts away. He had not wanted to taint the few good memories with the numerous instances of bad. And it made him nervous and uncomfortable to think back on them. He did not know that he might be able to keep it good if it was measured against the bad as well. But he had also locked much of it away in pure disdain.
He had hated the role of the God Dragon.
It had made him spiteful of his younger years.
And it had poisoned many of his memories of his life back then as well.
"I hatched a moon or two after the others, on one of the false full moons."
He looked away, unable to face Yugi any longer and he was not sure if it was shame or distant frustration which made him do so.
It was considered an omen of good luck if an egg were to hatch on a true full moon. But it was one of illness and famine when it hatched on a false one. The fact that his own had hatched after the true full moon, the day of which it had begun to wane, had always made Atem incredibly nervous to admit.
And he would not have blamed Yugi should the Gandora have become alarmed with the news. He himself was beyond such simple superstition at this point. He had grown past it, had become frustrated enough to all but shun it, but another dragon might have cowed before such news. And his being a God Dragon on top of it most likely would have made them flee to others for protection.
The fact that his parents had not chosen to kill him in turn was amazing. Superstitions were large in many dragon species. And the first thing to happen among many nests was judgment of their likeliness of survival according to their birth. Atem had shown various weaknesses upon being born. His parents could have taken his day of birth alone to simply kill him as it was.
And the fact that Yugi was so quiet now made him incredibly nervous. Atem had the abrupt urge to crawl away on his belly, somewhere between dizziness and anxiety. He shuffled his paws and stared at the ground pointedly. He wondered if the fish he had swallowed earlier might come to make a second appearance.
"My mother had been worried I was dead during the time it took me to hatch. She was in an absolute panic." He couldn't look up. His voice was quiet and he felt as if his hearts were lurching and dancing and beating far too fast in his chest. "And my father kept telling her to simply relax and give me the room necessary to become acclimated with the temperature before I hatched."
Yugi blinked and Atem noticed him leaning forward with increasing interest and curiosity. His hearts seemed to rattle in his chest. "She thought you were dead?" he muttered.
Atem kept his eyes on his longer claws, flexing them nervously as he drew in a breath. "She certainly did not expect that I might hatch in the middle of the night when they were all fast asleep." Atem frowned, remembering the way his parents had woken only when he had come to poke his head out. He had been trying unsuccessfully to crawl out of the opening.
But he had also been two sizes smaller than the usual dragonet, perhaps only the height of his mother's paw and twice the length. His mother had been all too eager to welcome him into the world. She had helped him by way of hooking her claws and pulling the egg apart for him. Her face had lit up when she had spotted him trying to struggle his way out, his father's eyes wide and amazed…
Atem glanced at Yugi, surprised by his silence. He had assumed the younger male was perhaps lingering more than anything on the fact that he'd admitted to the bad omen that was his birth. But it was then that he noticed Yugi was staring at him with wide eyes. And Atem swore he saw something almost heartbroken and dismayed within his expression.
Atem blinked, startled and unsure. Had he said something to invoke such an expression? He rapidly sought through his words, puzzled, and then stiffened.
Yugi was staring at him in this manner because he was horrified. And it was not the day of his birth which had done it. It was because he had never even considered that it had been suggested he might not have survived to birth.
Atem looked away again and shifted his weight. He felt abruptly too large, exhausted and just overall lengthier than he wished to be.
"My mother watched me for the first two moons I was born. She did not leave my side for the majority of it." Atem blinked, long and slow. A knot began to form in his throat as he considered it. None of those things had gone over well with his siblings, he remembered. Her kindness in helping him to hatch, her remaining at his side when he was born and choosing to lay with him over them more often than not, her scolding them when they got too rough with him…
When she had finally grown restless of being in the den and had left his side…
Atem turned away from the memory instantly. It was painful, clawing hideously at his insides. Yet, somehow, he found himself glancing up and turning to Yugi, watching him anxiously as he faced him in turn.
The Gandora looked absolutely crestfallen. He looked as if he still could not get past the thought that at some point Atem had once been considered dead. But he also seemed somehow slightly determined. Atem tilted his head, puzzled by the emotion in his beautiful gem-like eyes. He wondered if Yugi was perhaps under the assumption that he would be able to ensure that such a thing was never thought of again.
"That is beside the point, I suppose. Regardless, you are reminding me of her now, Yugi. Why were you so terribly upset? There was no reason to be."
Yugi was silent for a long handful of moments. He looked more inclined to ignore the question, though there was clear consideration put behind it as well. He paused, studying him for a moment, then searched his face instead. "Did they know immediately that you were a God Dragon?" he asked instead.
Atem blinked. The words might have distracted him any other time. But now he noticed a slight tremor in the Gandora's wings, a shiver which made him tilt his head. Yugi was still upset, something which Atem had not quite considered at the moment.
Whatever it was that Jesse had done had left a deeper impact than Atem had initially assumed.
So Atem took this change of conversation with ease.
"They knew," he answered after a moment, tilting his head the smallest degree. "My father was stunned. He cursed a few times in his shock and then he became extremely excited. And my mom was very protective of me once I hatched."
He supposed it went without saying that she had cared before he was born as well. She had often checked his egg and continued incubating him much of the time that it had taken for him to hatch after his brothers. Atem wanted almost to smile at the thought; he'd heard her little mutterings about how he needed to come out of his egg to see what the sky looked like and the way the world around him would change with the seasons…
His father had often laid with her at night, sometimes asking if she thought he would hatch. Other times he had gone about introductions of his brothers despite Atem's inability to see them as of yet. He'd told him of Seto being the oldest, of how his scales were a glimmering gold like the metal and his eyes a shade of blue so light they seemed silver in the sun sometimes. He'd told him of Marik being a deeper golden shade, how he was brighter and had wide lavender eyes like the petals of blooming wildflowers. And he'd mentioned Bakura, how he had scales of silver that looked dark gray in the shadows and eyes like mud puddles when there was fresh rain. He'd talk afterwards sometimes about the way the river felt when a dragon splashed into it, the way Sky Dragons were special dragons altogether and he should be proud of his heritage when he was born.
The thought made him tilt his head. He'd never minded being a Sky Dragon. He had sometimes been bitter that he was not as heavy as the many suitors that had come to challenge him for mating rights. But he had never been resentful of his own species. But, as he'd laid with his father once when his mother had gone hunting and his brothers were fast asleep, he'd asked him about it.
Atem, unlike many dragons, had been able to recall his time within his egg. He'd been able to listen and understand and memorize those words long before he'd hatched. Atem did not know if it was because of his stance as a God Dragon that had caused this, but either way it was what he had grown to believe to be usual for him. When he'd found out his brothers did not remember their time in their own eggs, he'd realized it was perhaps not something he should mention to another dragon so long as he lived.
But he wondered now. When he'd asked his father about it, inquiring about why he should be proud of his heritage and what there might be to upset him, he'd stared at him in surprise. And then he'd told him that Sky Dragons were the best of the species, the usual nonsense said to hatchlings to make them feel special. But he'd also told him he especially needed to remember it, though at the time he had not told him why or what might have made him say such a thing.
He'd been about a hundred before he'd known the truth of it, as Timaeus had finally come to explain it to him. The Knight Dragon had blinked at him, surprised by the question, then smiled and come to lay down with him to explain. And he'd told him almost everything there was to know about a Serpent of the Sky. He'd told him gently about the history that so many did not wish to acknowledge. And he'd groomed him around telling him that just because it had happened before did not mean it would again.
The Gandora dragon flexed his claws, the sound jarring his thoughts and making Atem turn his head towards him in surprise. He blinked and Yugi looked slightly nervous as he peered back at him. "Do you ever think you were so small like that because your siblings were born?"
Atem could not understand why he would ask such a question for a long moment. Then he blinked, realization coming through him as he frowned at him in consideration. He raised his head the smallest degree as he remembered the lore he had so often chosen to abandon for the sake of ignorance.
Yes, he remembered such a story.
It was something that Atem had never quite applied to himself. It was said that the God Dragons possessed the ability to deny the birth and growth of their siblings. And some, like the Leviathan, truly seemed to have done just that.
The giant Water Dragon had been born within a clutch of seven, a considerably large nest for his species. None had hatched but for him. Atem did not know if it was the stress that had to have been put on his mother due to their mating rituals. Water Dragons tended to mate underwater, the male constricting around their mates until there was an egg to be produced. And, if the mother was not fast enough, the father would eat the egg and then repeat the torture of forcing her to produce another until they were exhausted.
The Sea Serpent species, however, produced about two or three eggs at one time, the fathers fertilizing them when they constricted the mothers. And oftentimes the females were able to paralyze the males through excreting a small toxin from their scales. It was enough to numb them, to leave them frozen and unable to move for a few minutes at a time. It gave the females the chance to move the eggs to a safer spot. And, considering the size difference in the two genders, where the female could fit into crevices, it did not always ensure the male could join.
The Leviathan, however, had been born larger than was natural for any dragonet Atem knew of. He was said to have been almost three or four times the size he was meant to be when he'd hatched, something that Atem was not sure to be truth or mere rumor. But, regardless, it made him incredibly wary.
The Leviathan had always seemed somewhat malicious to Atem. He'd seen him only a handful of times in passing as the Water Dragon liked to move north during the hottest days of summer and Atem would often see its huge leathery wings and sharp claws. And Atem always felt he sensed malice rather than benevolence.
It had been something that had made him narrowly suppress the urge to cower and snarl in his mounting fear. And he might have outgrown such instinct but the impression of fear was still fresh whenever he spotted the other male in the air.
Atem could not truly tell if this was superstition or raw instinct on his behalf. He did not like to consider himself superstitious in the slightest—he'd love to pretend he was above it, in fact—but he had to wonder. The Leviathan was a Water Dragon bigger than his own father at a young age. He could not imagine that this was somehow natural…
And the rumors surrounding the Sea Serpent had no doubt lent a paw in making him see more anger in him than he truly possessed. Between the legends that he'd emerged from the water the day he was born—something unheard of with Water Dragons, as they were born aquatic with gills and special scales to absorb oxygen into their lungs—and the fights he was said to have participated in, Atem could not know. Anything to do with the Leviathan made him want to simply hide.
He had never attempted making contact with him. The Leviathan traveled from the west and to the northern climates when it became too hot. And when it became too cold there he traveled back. And Atem saw him twice a year due to this, knowing almost the exact moment he would do so. As the Leviathan never attempted to land, Atem had never had a reason to interact with him. The sky was free domain for each and every dragon, no matter the species or their lifespan or anything of the matter. If they could fly, they were welcome to travel in it.
As they all lived beneath the same sky, saw the same stars and the same sun, none of the dragons had ever been so foolish as to attempt ownership over it. But the moment a dragon was to set paw on the land beneath, it was considered encroaching on another's territory. And from there they could be punished relentlessly. Atem had always been increasingly cautious of such a thing, though Timaeus had told him he was always welcome into his territory. He was north of him, miles away but close enough that it took perhaps a mere hour for him to make the journey at a leisurely pace. At top speed it took only a few minutes at the most.
Regardless, he had never taken him up on the offer. Timaeus had told him the exact way to find his nest if he should ever need him, something Atem had done in turn as well. Timaeus knew exactly where his nests were scattered about, though he was well aware the Knight Dragon would never come to any of them. He'd likely settle nearest the one he sensed him more closely at and wait for his acknowledgment. And Atem was so used to his signature that he did not have to worry in the slightest when it came to knowing where he was in his territory the moment he passed over the border.
The Leviathan had never set paw in his territory. And Atem did not know if that was because he had decided it was not worth the detour, or if the rumors had done well in hiding him from the war god. From the rumors, the Water Dragon was uncharacteristically vicious and always willing to shed blood. He was constantly prepared to attack and all but kill his enemies and he doubted that rumors of disposing of his suitors would slow the God Dragon from approaching him should he so desire.
"I've never considered it, no." Atem tried to shake the heavy shadow of power the Leviathan so often cloaked him in. But his lungs felt slightly tight and his claws flexed in distress. Speaking in an even tone was harder than he cared to admit at the moment. He was just thankful he was not trembling as of yet. "I had always assumed that it was simply because I was smaller than them and had hatched so much later."
"Oh." Yugi was watching him, concern and curiosity brilliant in his bright eyes. "What do you think now then? Do you think maybe that could be why?"
Atem blinked and narrowed his eyes into slits. "No," he grunted with a shake of his head.
Because, had that been the truth of it, his siblings should never have come out to be such monsters, right? The lore said that siblings to the God Dragons were meant to be extensions of them, their souls and powers. And if that were to be true, then they should not have turned out as they had, not unless Yugi were truly wrong and he had been right formerly. Unless his nature, at its core, was truly malevolent and more ferocity than friendliness or hope as the God Dragons were meant to be. Yugi had said it was his temper when he snapped and lashed out at another, but for that to be true…
Atem flexed his claws again, feeling sick to his stomach. He'd had this train of thought one too many times growing up. And it had been enough to all but overwhelm him on several occasions. According to the lore, God Dragons were meant to be able to change the world due to their even minds and grasp of hope even within the darkest of times.
He had done his best to shun this aspect more often than not. The darkest times had passed centuries before he had been born, however, when the species had all turned on each other. It had been a terrible ordeal, one that had all but wiped each species from existence. A few species truly had gone extinct during that war. And, from what Atem knew, no such thing had been repeated and current times laws were in place amongst the dragons to prevent such a thing ever happening again.
Sure, the lore alluded to more than simply that time back then and more towards the time in which the God Dragons existed in general. It meant to say that at their core they were the ones who held the most hope. But he did often wonder. It did not feel like that in the slightest for himself.
And he doubted the Leviathan harbored much time for something so small as that…
"I do not think that."
Yugi sighed, and the look on his face was more akin disappointment than melancholy as he'd expected. But it lasted only a split second before he shook it away and sprang to his paws. "Well, I think so," he declared with a small smile. He raised his chin and peered at him with bright eyes. "I think that's why you were born so small."
Atem frowned, considering him with a tilted head. He wanted to look away from Yugi altogether, perhaps to even run or fly on his own for a moment. He could put a couple of miles between them before Yugi would even be able to catch up. And it would have been easy to do so.
But his hearts were aching with memories he'd disregarded formerly. And now his stomach rolled more painfully as he lowered his eyes to the ground for a moment.
Yugi had only ever seen him when he was but a few inches smaller than his brothers. He had not seen when he was a mere speck of red versus their lumbering metallic forms. He had not seen them growing rapidly and his own stunted performance in catching up with them.
He had never seen when his wings were three sizes too small or his paws too big and his head too large for his awkward and scrawny neck. He had never seen his wings grow from too small to one day too wide and all-encompassing of his body. He had not seen him with short stubby legs and large paws which made him fumble and fall every other step…
Atem tilted his head.
Well, now that he thought of it like that, it was no wonder his brothers had found it so much fun to tear into him as they had. They'd probably suspected he wouldn't make it a full decade before he died, regardless of his parents telling them he was a God Dragon.
Atem shook this thought away. But the burden of considering it after so long ignoring it made the weight of it heavy and cumbersome. And he could not think straight for a moment. He was small and tired and everything about him simply ached.
Maybe if he could have blamed everything on the lore, it would have made his life easier. He would be ecstatic to do it, in fact. He'd have no reason to feel so broken and exhausted all of the time.
"Jesse irritated me."
Atem blinked and looked up, confused and bewildered. Who…?
"He didn't know what he was talking about and then he's just going to say something like that?" Yugi's tail slammed into the ground loudly and Atem eyed it in surprise. It was rare that Yugi looked so incredibly angry, though he had witnessed his attack against Bakura and Seto. It had been violent because he'd aimed truly to kill them both.
Atem nearly smiled at the thought, affection sweeping through him. Yugi was a little tornado of desert heat and ferocity when he was upset. He'd attacked Seto the moment he'd spotted him in the sky after Seto had answered his war cry and he'd gone after Bakura the moment he'd harmed Atem himself. The Gandora was fast when he first started fighting, and he'd pinned Seto in seconds and torn Bakura almost to pieces in a matter of minutes. But, by his own admission, Yugi was prone to slowing down after the first few minutes he fought.
He wondered briefly how terribly Yugi might have carved Jesse up had he not grabbed him. When he'd caught him by the back of the throat, he'd expected the Gandora to lash out. But Yugi had seen him right before he might have swung, realizing himself, and then backed away submissively when he'd released. He could not imagine the destruction Yugi might have inflicted on the Rainbow Dragon before the Ice Dragon could have reacted. Yugi was designed for short bursts of power, to kill in those few minutes he had such speed, and then to be able to recover steadily when his opponents tried to fight back.
Atem had never personally fought a Gandora before, not one of the first generation nor one of the alternate hybrids that were far different in physical design to what Yugi himself looked. But he had heard the rumors and he'd been fearful of their ability to catch on fire as violently as they did. They were overwhelmingly powerful in every manner when it came to this technique. Yugi had displayed such a technique against Keith in the fight at the cliffs, when Keith had come to kill Atem or perhaps forcefully mount him. He did not truly know; the Barrel Dragon had claimed both at one point or another, he knew, so he did not know which would have been more likely. It was not impossible to assume that he would have mounted him and then attempted to kill him afterwards.
"He deserved to be boxed upside the head. His jaws really needed to cease moving. He should never have said such a thing about you. He had no right to call you bitter."
It took a long handful of heartbeats for the words to properly make sense in his head. Atem blinked a few times, confused, flicked his tail in shock, and then tilted his head slowly to the side. "That is what upset you so much?" he scoffed, nearly laughing with surprise. He blinked again, staring blankly. He shook his head slowly and stared at him with darkened golden eyes. "He is not the first to have named me such, Yugi. It has always been a description for me."
The Gandora bristled, shaking his head furiously and flicking his tongue. "And I hate every one of them to ever say it!" he spat wholeheartedly, trembling with his rage. "They have no idea what you went through. They have no right to say anything! None of them know what happened. None of them have any idea. They don't have any right to talk about you in any way!"
"But it does not offend me."
"That's because you're used to it!" Yugi burst out, snapping his teeth fiercely. Then he faltered, breathing hard and snarling for a brief moment. A wave of shame and grief came through him a split second later and he looked down at his paws. He flexed his toes anxiously, the long hooked claws digging into the dirt as he breathed hard and trembled with anger. "And I hate that too. I know that you were just trying to survive but I hate that you settled for letting other dragons call you a bitter killer."
Atem tilted his head when Yugi glanced up at him but Yugi barely noticed it as he looked back down at his paws quickly. He didn't look upset but he wasn't sure he could trust that kind of thing. Atem had been scared for years and no doubt had learned to mask this behind indifference when he dealt with his suitors. If that was the case, he could not afford to take this expression to be a sole indicator of his emotional state.
"It is not a problem to me, Yugi." A heartbeat passed, then a second. Yugi almost trembled. "Little one, I do not mind that others speak of me in any manner. It was inevitable that someone might speak of me at some point. I am a God Dragon."
The God Dragon stayed quiet for a moment. He watched him with those solid golden eyes for a heartbeat. Then he scooted closer, paw rising and stretching out.
It landed on Yugi's shoulders, tugging him closer to his side. Yugi blinked wide eyes, startled. The paw flexed and his claws tickled the joint of his wing. He almost laughed despite himself, but turned his head to stare at Atem with wide eyes.
Was he upset with him? He had to wonder. Atem seemed rather tired more than anything. Maybe this conversation was something he should have left for another day…
He blinked as a bright blue tongue ran over his forehead. The red male leaned forward immediately, running his rough tongue over his face and Yugi snickered. He squirmed as a hatchling might, enjoying every moment of it as he watched him from whichever eye was furthest from his mate's tongue. He let him groom every inch of his face, snickering all the while, and settled as Atem butted his shoulder and nuzzled him gently.
"I am grateful," the Sky Dragon stated after a long minute. He shifted his body to press into Yugi's side and the Gandora nearly trembled at the touch. He raised his head and turned toward him, surprised and full of warmth that made his entire body feel alight with happiness. Atem butted him in the shoulder again, rubbing there for a moment, and then flicked his tongue. "I am grateful that you care so much about me that even an insult should upset you so. But the truth of it is that I do not care in the slightest. They shall say what they wish and I will always be the same dragon I have always been. It changes nothing that they simply say things, little gem."
Yugi bristled again, unable to force away the onslaught of frustration that came through him. He was trembling before he knew it, snarling as he prepared to speak again. And, yet, as he opened his mouth to snap, Atem ran his tongue over his face again.
He snickered, tickled by the affectionate action, and trembled with satisfaction when Atem licked at his neck and rubbed along the underside of his jaw. "You might not be concerned about it, but I hate it. They have no right to say anything about it. None of them know what happened. And they shouldn't have the right to say a godsforsaken thing if they don't know what made you so violent. It's not as if you were born some crazy wild animal that needed to be struck down!" he snapped, voice somewhere between a snarl and sneer. Atem had stopped moving and Yugi feared he'd upset him but he could not stop now. "And some of the rumors go that you went so far as to eviscerate your 'victims' and leave their corpses dangling from trees!"
Atem blinked long and slow. He tilted his head, clearly startled, and considered him with wide eyes. "Well, that would have kept quite a number of suitors away," he commented in a somewhat surprised and thoughtful tone. Yugi watched him as he turned his head to look over his shoulder at the trees beyond them. And Atem wondered if the trees would have even been able to hold such weight as many of his suitors had possessed. Many of them had been heavyweight dragons, hoping to use their additional body mass to suppress him and force him to the ground.
But he did not think that the branches would have been able to hold it and he wondered at the picture which formed in his thoughts. It was not a kind image, one which made him nearly bristle before he shook it away effectively. It was not as if he would have desired to litter his own territory with any carcasses of this kind. He would leave that to the humans beneath the mountains. They did such strange and unbelievable things, after all.
Yugi was laughing when he leaned forward to lick his forehead. "Well, once we get around to marking the territory again, I'm sure my scent will scare them away just as well," he teased.
Atem wondered at the thought as he turned back to Yugi with a blink. Would he have to mark everything with him? Or was it possible that his juvenile form might release more of his scent—enough to keep such a thing from being necessary?
The colder temperatures of the mountain cliffs did well to suppress much of his own scent from carcasses or excrement. It was harder for his suitors to truly find him unless they knew of where he sunbathed near the river. Of course, Yugi marking it as he had that day two moons prior to his challenge had done well to make it harder to miss such a thing. Atem had considered it a blessing, however, as the Gandora had been so excited he'd marked quite excessively and in doing so it had scared several suitors away.
It had been amusing, in fact, to see how quickly they turned tail at the smell. Atem had perched nearby out of sheer curiosity, somewhere between territorial interest and amusement, and watched to see if he'd find the perpetrator. But Yugi had hidden away again with the humans, he was sure, and he had simply watched for any other dragons which drifted through.
It was only by the way they stopped, scenting at the markings and looking alarmed and confused, that he'd known none of them had done anything to mark his territory. And it had been more amusing than ever when they'd backed up, bristling and looking around as if they expected some sort of demonic creature to be lurking in the shadows ready to pounce on them. They would search a few minutes, terrified, and then turn and flee.
Atem had been happy to lounge about near the markings, assured that no one would cross them for sheer fear of the unknown. Yugi's juvenile markings had been stronger and highly concentrated, his sexual maturity highlighted but his physical immaturity making it hideously dense and overpowering.
If it had been a desert terrain or anything akin such a climate the smell would have been a million times worse. Atem could only imagine it being strong enough to make him close his nostrils for days at a time. He wrinkled his lips back a degree further so that the ridges of his teeth shone bright white and snorted.
"They may just see you and simply run."
Yugi blinked wide eyes, then startled and gaped at him. Atem tilted his head, staring at his blue-black tongue curiously. "Are you saying I'm undesirable?" he sputtered with a sharp shake of his head.
Atem snorted loudly, surprised by the expression of pure shock on his face. He wondered if Yugi might feel more ashamed or if perhaps he was afraid that he truly thought such a thing of him. He had never been keen upon mating to begin with, which perhaps would have highlighted just how terribly Yugi felt at the moment amidst his misunderstanding.
"You're very desirable," Atem answered, hoping to assuage the horror in Yugi's eyes. He leaned forward to butt him in the shoulder again.
And he did think Yugi was desirable. He had no scars to mar his features and his personality was one of an excited hatchling. He was extremely gentle and beautiful and in general Atem thought him more amazing than he truly found himself able to articulate. But he also thought him naive and sometimes that angered him. As with Jesse, Yugi could become easily surprised and single-minded when he was curious. And, despite himself, Atem did not like seeing Yugi's attention elsewhere when it came to other dragons.
He knew the Gandora was faithful, had been since before Atem had even come to know of his existence. But it still rattled him at times, despite how much Atem tried to claim otherwise.
He studied him for a moment, curious as he tilted his head and blinked long and slow. He could not tell what he could see in Yugi's eyes at the moment as it was. "I simply mean that some species are still scared of yours."
Yugi was quiet for a long handful of moments. That was true. Many dragons still did not know what it was they were meant to do with a species regarded as Dragons of Destruction. But a lot of them did not know what to do with the Serpents of the Sky either. The fact was that many dragons came to court Atem for the sake of mounting a God Dragon.
Most likely none of them had known he was a Slifer or how rare he was in that regard. Not many of the Serpents actually existed any longer. There were a few that looked a small degree like them but none which possessed the exact features.
The Slifer dragons had been abundant at one time in the past, but that had long since ceased. They had turned on each other at one point, a rather violent incident in fact. The Serpents of the Sky had become overabundant and violent due to territorial needs and the larger nests they produced—their minimum seemed often to be six instead of three for most, their maximum anywhere from ten to twenty.
And it did not help that they had turned on each and every other dragon that crossed their paths due to the overpopulation. They'd attack anything and everything that entered their territory and during other species' mating seasons it became absolute slaughter. Due to this and the sheer prowess they naturally possessed from jaw power and wing strength alone, the God Dragons had become involved.
From what he understood, they had come immediately to deal with them. They began to kill them relentlessly, though several of the other Sky Dragon species had intervened. It was only due to their mercy that the God Dragons had been swayed…
Oftentimes a Slifer was considered a stain on Sky Dragon history because of their violent nature and many of them were rather nervous upon coming to cross paths with a Serpent of the Sky. He and Atem's species were both regarded as incredibly dangerous when it came down to it, he realized as he considered it now…
And, as it was, the truth of the matter was that Atem's name had not been known among many of the dragons. He had hidden himself so well away from public eye that none of them had had the right to know it. Many of his suitors had come simply at the call of a God Dragon and the rumors of his killings had been greatly exaggerated in an effort to scare away the younger dragons looking to carve a name for themselves through Atem's hide. Yugi had known it only from his siblings saying it when they would mock him for squealing when their games became too rough…
If he had not been so close to their nest and play area, Yugi would never have even known it. The thought was disheartening to the Sky Dragon for a moment. But he shook it away as Yugi spoke again.
"Well, as long as they're not only scared of me."
Atem smirked at him in amusement, then thumped his tail playfully before pouncing on him. Yugi let out a startled squawk of a noise and flailed upon their collision. Atem knocked him onto his side and growled, flicking his tongue to run it over the Gandora's beak. When Yugi laughed at the ticklish sensation, Atem moved to drape across his side and pin him there with a deep rumbling purr of noise. Yugi snorted and looked up at him with bright eyes.
"You're the scarier of the two of us."
Yugi put a paw on his chest lazily and tipped his head up to lick beneath his chin for a moment. Atem allowed it for only a second longer. Then he trembled and rose quickly to his paws again. He shook himself out and there was a distant gleam to his eye as he moved a few steps away. Yugi blinked, confused, and then stiffened in surprise.
Atem had not expected his teeth so close to his throat, he realized, a sense of horror and sickness crashing through him in a wave. It had been okay if he was nuzzling and licking from the sides, but from beneath scared him. Most likely he remembered the fights he'd had to aim in a similar manner in order to kill various suitors who had refused to heed his victory.
Yugi hesitated when he got to his side. "Uh…so… Are we going to be attending this meeting?" he asked softly, hoping more than ever that he had not somehow alienated them by doing such a thing.
He had only wanted to show him affection.
He had only wanted to love him.
Atem had settled for biting at his wing, preening some of the scales and making it glossier in the way of licking away any remote trace of shedding skin. Now he paused. His eyes stretched comically wide and he turned his head with an expression of pure bewilderment. He blinked at Yugi a few more times, tilted his head slowly, and folded his wing away to tuck into his side as he had the other.
"Meeting?" he echoed. He peered at Yugi curiously, confused and puzzled and more than slightly unsure of the question. "What meeting?"
Yugi snorted and smiled at him warmly. "Between the God Dragons and the Clan leaders and all of the dragons involved in the fight," he reminded him softly.
Atem blinked again, confusion making his eyes a shade darker. "I am sure they would rather listen to Jaden than they ever would me," he sneered softly, shaking his head. "After all, he is the Neutralizer, not me."
Yugi tilted his head, puzzled by the anxiety he could see in his mate's frame. Immediately he leaned forward to lick at his face again, instinct bidding he try his hardest to calm him. But Atem let out a low snarling noise that made him halt before sighing softly and taking a seat unhappily in front of him. He hoped he looked as crestfallen as he felt and his mate felt bad about it, because he was decidedly not a happy Gandora at the moment.
And, just as he'd expected, Atem blinked and lowered his head guiltily. His eyes darkened faintly and his head tilted away a fraction as the gem in his forehead became cloudy. Atem flexed his claws and tilted his head and huffed out an unhappy breath.
"Why are you so upset, Atem?"
"Why am I so upset?" Atem snarled, nearly roaring with his outrage. He spun on Yugi with such intensity it reminded the Gandora of a sandstorm, an immense dangerous form of bright red scales and hideous sharp claws and terrifying teeth.
And Yugi almost wished he might have denied his anger, turned to him and simply said he did not know what Yugi was saying when he asked that question. But the more prominent part of him was incredibly proud. Atem had not backed away from the confrontation, nor had he attempted to suppress his emotions as Yugi had initially feared he might. He had been scared Atem might turn away from him entirely, attempt to force it away so that he could instead handle it alone.
He was so proud of him in that moment Yugi nearly trembled. He would never have blamed Atem had he decided to do so. He was aware of the fact that he had been relatively alone for the better part of his life and so he had most likely learned to ignore the things that troubled him the most. So if Atem had simply said he wasn't upset Yugi would have asked one time more and then left it at that. He would never force Atem to do something he did not want to. And if Atem wished to hide from the potential conversation, Yugi would have gladly allowed him to do so.
"Because I thought that it was over. I thought that upon killing Keith I would have no more to do with it," the Sky Dragon spat at him, lashing his tail. "And, yet, somehow this continues. Somehow he haunts me even now, because apparently I am not allowed to ignore the dead."
Yugi blinked, then shook his head slowly and inched closer. He was not foolish or brave enough to get any nearer him than this, however, as he knew that Atem was struggling. He remembered the way he had trembled and snarled and simply quaked that day on the cliffs, right after killing Keith and challenging the few dragons that remained of his so-called army. He had been too hurt to properly tell friend from foe, nor mate from abuser, and so he had snarled and prepared himself to leap at Yugi all the same.
Had it not been for his own instinct and Timaeus telling him to stop and back away as slowly as possible, Yugi was not sure he would have made it out of the situation in one piece. Atem had been so scared and angry, so ready to lash out at him because he got terrified when he fought. His suitors had conditioned him to be fearful even when he'd killed them, making him think that any near when he tried to recover were a threat.
He had, after all, relieved Timaeus of his eye when the Wind Dragon had gone to check on him too soon after he'd killed another suitor. And Atem had been so fearful he'd hurt Yugi as well that he'd spat and snarled and glared at him until he'd backed away as Timaeus instructed…
He sighed softly. "It's not about him anymore at this point, Atem. It is about whether or not we should kill innocent dragons for the sake of their bloodline," he protested in a gentle tone. He did not want to upset Atem more than he already was but he could not stop himself from continuing as softly as he could. "After that, it will no longer have anything to do with you or me or anyone else. It simply has to do with the sake of saving or destroying."
"Because of the unfortunate circumstances that they are the hatchlings of Keith," Atem snarled. Yugi wondered at the tired tone and the disgust which made his voice sound so incredibly weak. "It is because they are his that this is under discussion as it is. Had he never come to be so determined to kill and breed them into existence, this would never have been an issue."
And then Yugi understood.
And his hearts broke into a million fragments.
"This isn't your fault."
The God Dragon bristled violently, head snapping up. His lips curled back to show off brilliant white teeth, his gums at the root of them a splash of blue-black much darker than his sky blue tongue. The Sky Dragon thumped his tail once, then twice, and finally he snapped his bottom jaws at him as if to scare him away.
And Yugi might have fled when he was younger. But now, heartbroken by the burden Atem had placed on himself, he simply shook his head and stared at him.
"This. Is. Not. Your. Fault."
Atem lashed out at him and missed. His claws were mere inches from his beak. But he did not make contact. And Yugi knew from a great many rumors that Atem did not miss when he meant to strike out. And so Yugi knew too that it was only by Atem's own core nature, as benevolent and beautiful as it truly was, that he had not been struck.
The God Dragon trembled hideously for a long moment. He bristled so harshly that both rows of scales upon his back rose upwards, shuddering and fracturing at their bases. Yugi watched him warily, considering for a moment the defensive mechanism Atem was displaying. He had always known certain species of Sky Dragons were capable of doing such a thing. Their scales would elongate and in the pressure of breaching the surface of their armor they would snap from the force.
From there the fractures would further split the scales and the very tips of them would break. They would shatter outwards like the base of a broken limb, and, when the Sky Dragon aimed and swung their tail or their opponent leaped at them from behind, they sank straight through armor and flesh. And, much like a porcupine's quills, they latched. They would lodge in the muscle upon connecting and they would hold there. It was almost impossible to dislodge them. It was incredibly violent and difficult and often times it caused extreme internal bleeding where they lay in the muscle. It would take weeks for full recovery when the quills were removed…
He had used them against Keith as well. But the other male had been so odd in his genetics and his species altogether that he'd been able to pull them out almost effortlessly. Of course, Atem had merely meant to use them to judge the force he'd need to crack his armor, but it had still been horrifying to Yugi altogether.
And Yugi was watching them now. He saw them rise and splinter further, as if perhaps he meant to utilize them against him. And yet, as Yugi watched, Atem began to pant. He was far more fearful than he was angry, and finally he seemed to snap away from this panic. He shook himself out, forceful and nearly staggering from the action, and finally simply calmed enough to stop his tremors as well.
"Keith only grew into such a huge threat because he got away from me during that fight," the Sky Dragon ground out from behind his sharp teeth. Atem scowled at him, then shook his head violently. "If I had just killed him then and there, this would never have happened. He would not have found the way to gaining more magic as he did, he would never have gone after Clans and killed so many of them in cold blood. He wouldn't have killed my potential family and he would never have—"
Atem stared at him for a long moment. He seemed startled by whatever he had been about to say. Yet, when he blinked again it seemed to be long gone and his momentary discomfort was nonexistent. He looked away again rather abruptly, breathing in deeply and sighing.
"He would not have made it this far."
Yugi shook his head. "You never had any idea that this was going to happen! In fact, why is it that you feel guilty when it is Jaden and Yusei who can see the future? They could have put an end to it before it even began!" he snarled, crestfallen further when Atem merely blinked at him as if he were unsure of how to respond.
Yugi wanted for a moment to move closer, to draw him into him and lay his chin on his head until he was sure Atem felt calmer and safer and happy. He wished more than ever that he could do such a thing. He wished he could truly offer Atem such comfort in a way that Atem would accept and understand.
"The Leviathan can see even further than they can! He can see at any time he wishes just by staring into the surface of still water! And he is rumored to be the strongest God Dragon in existence. He could have done something at any time and he never even considered it, did he? At the end of it, you are the only one of them who got involved in it at all. You are the only one who was truly willing to fight him."
"He was my responsibility regardless," Atem growled in return, shaking his head slowly. "I am the one he was truly after. They had no reason to interfere as long as I was breathing, Yugi. You are being emotional, and that is not what you should do. You know that when it comes to threats, no matter who you are or what species you may be, if it affects only you at the core of the situation, it is you who is meant to take care of it."
That was something Atem had truthfully always been rather thankful for. The reality of it was that he would have perhaps died of shame had any of the others within the territory thought to check on him upon hearing his pained cries. Had they seen him struggling to get away from Yugi, begging and pleading that he let him go, upon their consummation he did not know how he might have survived the shame.
And he knew that they would have heard him. As a Sky Dragon, his cries traveled far and fast. Most likely Timaeus had even heard them from the northern tip of his neighboring territory. Atem would not have been surprised in the slightest. He assumed that they had not reacted due to the fact that he was the God Dragon and had probably prayed instead that nothing had happened to him.
Atem shrugged the thought away, peering at his furious mate now. The anger was still there in him as well, but it was fading rapidly with this thought. Had they prayed for him? He wondered. As a God Dragon, he had not done the more spiteful things that the Leviathan did while sharing his territory. The Leviathan had decreed that once a moon every dragon in the territory but for those too young to hunt was to bring him homage. He would gorge himself on the food they brought and then let them go along on their way without further interruption.
Atem himself had been shocked when the first pair of mates had brought him homage, a large buffalo leg which he had gaped at stupidly. When they'd declared eternal loyalty to him he'd nearly spat with his shock. And then he'd shaken his head and told them to take it for themselves because he was younger and he was capable of providing for himself, that they were looking to nest and he was not. He'd refused to back down from the stance, because the female was already swollen with eggs that she'd soon lay and he'd been healthy. He'd had no need for their gift and had reminded them of such several times. But they'd also asked him for a Blessing before they'd left and so he'd performed that and told them to take their offering as well.
Atem tilted his head a fraction. That had been the first. But it had not been the last. Similarly he'd dismissed the ones to follow, telling them he did not need the offerings and homage was not necessary. All of them had pledged allegiance to him, however, and so he'd told them that all he asked was that they come when he called. But he was not sure even then what it was that he would need to do to summon them should he ever have necessity to.
But he'd been told they would pray for him. And he had often heard this each and every time they crossed paths with him for the purpose of paying homage. He had not been sure what it was that truly meant for him. But he also knew the humans in the village beneath, which he had heard called Domino on more than one occasion, worshipped him as well.
They'd created straw replicas of him, burning them twice a year during the solstices, littered with the freshest oils so that he could smell them from his place atop the mountain. He had always enjoyed watching them, especially as he had loved to see how each design differed. They had never truly seen him in great detail. And so they had never quite gotten his features right.
The year before, however, during the summer solstice, the replica had been extremely alike him. The wings had been huge, the body long, the two mouths, golden berries used for his eyes and a single small pile of blue feathers for his gem.
Atem could understand it now. He had been rather confused and shocked when he'd initially seen it. But Yugi had said himself, upon their consummation, that he had been there four moons short of a year. That would have explained everything as far as Atem was concerned.
"That's for territory skirmishes and mating rights!" Yugi snapped at him, puffing up angrily and bristling. He looked three times his size with his wings flared out as they were and his body bunched so tightly. He was almost trembling with his anger, Atem noticed. "That has nothing to do with life and death struggles that so clearly involve others! That's why the Clans exist, because of the fact that they offer protection in numbers. When a dragon is too wounded they'll find aid in the surrounding Clans and then they'll be allowed to rest until they are strong enough to fight again. And oftentimes they won't have to do it alone anymore!"
"They also are normally one of the native species to that Clan, all of them amongst the same family lineage as well." Yugi was shaking his head angrily. Atem smirked, snorting at the Gandora's adamant denial of his words. "Yes, Yugi, they are. I am well aware of what a Clan is. Just because my species is accepted into three doesn't mean anything. I'm considered Lightning, Water, and Wind. And I could surely get a place among any of them just for my species alone. But it still changes nothing. They are a family unit and they are often—"
"I know what a Clan and a family unit are too, believe it or not," Yugi snapped in turn, glaring at him now and shaking his head again. Atem found him almost adorable in his ferocity. He was a ball of scales that shook and snarled and glared with brilliant glowing blue-violet eyes and gleaming white teeth. "But that doesn't mean that outsiders aren't accepted into them just as often—"
"That also does not mean that they are not just as often denied entrance."
Yugi faltered, visibly startled, and Atem hated himself for hissing at him as he had. "Atem…"
The Sky Dragon flicked his tongue, somewhere between amusement and frustration and bitterness once more. He had never turned to a Clan for aid before and as far as he was concerned, Timaeus had been Clan enough for him when he'd needed him. It was simply that Yugi was overlooking it all in his necessity to make a point.
He was trying too hard and it was frustrating to him.
He had not needed the other God Dragons to intervene. He had never cared for them to do so when he'd met Timaeus. And he no longer cared for any of them. Whether they even existed any longer was something he did not even wonder to find out more often than not. They could have been struck down recently and he still would not find it in himself to care.
"It does not matter," he said quietly. "God Dragons are not the same. We have different laws, different truths. Our situations are not the same as many others' at all. We are expected to be powerful and stand on our own at all times. We are never meant to rely on each other or anyone else to solve our problems. And that is why none of them interfered."
But he didn't know that for sure. That was his speculation. And it came more from what his suitors had said than anything else. It was that they spoke of how strong he was meant to be in their jeers when he was quiet and simply listened. And it was more that they were sneering about the rumors of his forgiving nature in letting those in his territory coexist without homage.
"That's cattle dung," Yugi snarled at him, staring at him with a sense of disgust and bewilderment. He shook his head sharply, eyeing him, and then huffed so forcefully his body shook. "That's absolute cattle dung. None of them bothered to help you because you all are God Dragons? Atem, you're centuries younger than all of them. You are not even a portion of the Leviathan's age, nor that of Jaden's. You're closer in age to Yusei and even then he's got about twenty centuries over you! You're still a hatchling compared to them and you're not even physically mature! One of them should have helped you!"
The statement rattled him. He had never considered the age difference between himself and the other three God Dragons. He was by the far the youngest and he'd always known that. But when Yugi put it in such terms he had to wonder why it was that they truly hadn't come to his aid at any point.
He truly was but a hatchling compared to them. And every dragon was bound by the lore to aid a dragonet in need. Every dragon was meant to put a hatchling before themselves or to help in any way they possibly could…
"Perhaps we do not work that way," he answered after a long heartbeat.
He couldn't figure it out now that Yugi had said it. It made no sense. He knew the God Dragons were not always friendly with one another but they had always come to each other's aid when they were needed. He remembered that in many of the myths he'd heard as a hatchling.
They should have been there at some point or another. He was the youngest. They were older than him by centuries, perhaps even millennia in all reality. And any of them were capable of doing so.
Jaden and Yusei and the Leviathan all had the gift of seeing into the future. All of them were capable of running interference at anytime had they so much as wished it.
And yet none of them had done it. Atem had been forced to endure the abuse, had allowed only Timaeus to see the damage that had been done, and ensured that he survived. He had rallied himself to kill the dragons that so often threatened him in their attempts to court him and he'd done so without qualms after the first handful of deaths…
"I do not know that I will bother to attend, regardless."
Yugi blinked and tilted his head. "Why not?" He got to his paws, bristling now and staring at Atem with pure determination in his blue-violet eyes. Atem watched him as he glared at him, nearly smiling in amusement. He recognized that gleam to his gaze from the day he'd challenged him for courtship. It had nearly cowed the God Dragon back then, but now he almost welcomed his fiery temper against his own. Yugi was beautiful when he was so upset. "Why not show them just how much stronger you are for the fact that they never helped you to begin with?"
It was adorable how ruffled Yugi truly was. It was as if he was personally affronted by the fact that the other God Dragons had not come to find him at some point.
But there was one problem and it made Atem snort with laughter.
"We can't."
"Huh? Why not?" The petulance in Yugi's voice made the Sky Dragon chortle. Yugi huffed and glared. "Why can't we?"
"Yugi, we never got any news of where this meeting is meant to take place. You got too upset with Jesse to allow him to continue, remember?" he teased in a soft tone, smiling wider when the words connected for Yugi.
The Gandora gaped at him stupidly for a moment, eyes huge. Then he lowered his head, ducking awkwardly, and whined as he flexed his claws in embarrassment.
"Oops."
The Leviathan accepting homage from the dragons in his territory is a power display. Atem is the opposite in the fact that he is so reclusive not many dragons know his name to begin with. That's why the God Dragons don't know his name and why Yugi didn't use his name in the first chapter when Jesse was there. He ONLY knows Atem's name because of how close Atem and his siblings were to his den whenever they played.
Atem does not often interact with the other dragons in his territory. He occasionally performs a "call" which is a slightly altered war cry that the other dragons will respond to. The dragons in his territory do not often respond to any OTHER calls he makes due to his constant suitors. They do not react to mating calls or calls from suitors as Atem prefers to be on his own and to mind his own business rather than butt into other's.
Clans are basically large groups of dragons that are usually the same species and sometimes of the same lineage. They can have anywhere from hundreds to thousands of dragons in them. And they are usually led by only one or two dragons (usually mates), and all dragons in the Clan tend to mate and produce clutches. They usually do not allow random dragons outside of their species into their Clans (no Fire Dragons in a Clan of Water Dragons basically). Due to this, Yugi could gain sanctuary in two Clans (Wind and Fire) and Atem could technically do so in four (Sky, Wind, Water, Lightning). Sky Dragons don't tend to often have Clans, however, which is why Atem says he'd be accepted into just three.
The God Dragons' ages go like this. Atem is by far the youngest, Yusei is second youngest, the Leviathan is second oldest and Jaden is oldest. Their ages also influence some of their actions, as you'll see later in the story. The various names/titles for each God Dragon will be explained later as well.