Divine Sky

by YamiYugiPuzzleshipper

"I could not care less as for what happens to the disgusting beasts spawned before his death. And I care little for the neighboring dragons that might have been involved in the fight. I have done my part. So I hardly need to remain involved with such things."

3. Mates

Disclaimer: I do not own Yu-Gi-Oh

Update schedule: Part four on 16th, part five on 26th, part six on 6th

So, in this chapter Yugi and Atem discuss molting and shedding. The difference for the dragons is that shedding comes in one large sheet of skin like a reptile's, but molting is like a dog losing its undercoat in the summer as it comes in clumps of scales.

As a juvenile, all dragons tend to molt. As they become more physically mature, they begin to shed depending on the species. Yugi's own species sheds twice a year, as it is used to help with mating cycles. It helps to cool the body down after such strenuous periods of time. But they will always shed regardless of mating.

So, Yugi will shed twice before he will ever become fully physically mature. The secondary point of shedding is to loosen the scales and harden the plates and allow the juveniles to more fully develop in form. For dragons, it's basically like outgrowing their old skin like a snake in order to become larger. Atem shed at first when he was younger and had later begun to molt, due to his species and his constant time in the sun. When he grew older and went off on his own, being closer to water or in damper environments and being able to fly in the clouds kept his scales moist. Due to this, he no longer molts or sheds as it is not important for his body to do so and he is constantly growing. If he were to continue molting or shedding, it would likely kill him as it would keep happening constantly and he would exhaust himself trying to get it off so often.

Wind Dragons use a defensive mechanism to turn themselves invisible. Yugi himself turns into stone when he panics, which is a Fire Dragon trait, but Atem can turn invisible at any moment. But when he does so, he also casts a shadow and when he's standing close enough to something, he casts a distortion around the edges so it looks like a warped mirror or water rippling.

Part III: Mates

"But there has to be some way to…" Yugi trailed off, still visibly distressed. "I mean, surely we can still find a way to get there, right? It wouldn't make sense for us not to go! You're the one who killed him after I managed to knock all of his teeth out!"

Atem snorted, delighted with the little Gandora and all his righteous anger. He leaned forward just enough to lick his beak affectionately before butting him softly in the shoulder. "Yes. No one can ever forget that you hit Keith hard enough to make him lose his teeth, little gem." He laid his chin on his head, not the least bit surprised to feel him trembling with affection. He was so excitable it was amazing to the Sky Dragon. "I suppose the best option would be to find Timaeus. I told Jesse how to get there before he fled. That being the case, I would assume that he went to speak with him already and he will have the information necessary to tell us where we are meant to go."

"Oh! That's true!" the Gandora cried in open delight. He pulled away from Atem and sprang into the air much like a deer might, trembling again with his happiness. His eyes were full of satisfaction when he turned back to Atem. "You're right! And since you and Timaeus are such good friends we won't even have to worry about him trying to attack us to keep us out."

Atem chuckled, watching him and shaking his head. Yugi truly was the most adorable dragon he had ever come to cross paths with. "Timaeus is a Wind Dragon," he reminded him gently. "He checks his borders often and he's inclined to run others off. Although he is far more lenient if he has to come across confrontation. He's never killed from what I know. And after the beating you gave Jesse, I'm sure he got out of there without any issues."

Yugi hesitated for only a moment, then bounced happily once more like a deer. He peered at him with bright blue-violet eyes, the words obviously shaken off. But Atem had to wonder if he was bouncing now out of excitement or if he was simply doing so for his amusement.

"So when do we go?"

The Sky Dragon chortled and moved to wrap his tail around his paws, lazy and smiling at him. "Well, as excited as you must be to share your story of knocking Keith's teeth out"—He ducked when Yugi playfully swatted at his head—"we should wait a little while longer. I do not personally feel inclined to see Jesse again so soon should he still be there."

In an instant Yugi lost his excitement. He bristled, glaring, and thumped his tail hard against the ground. Atem stared at him, surprised and bewildered by his change of demeanor.

"I think it's best that we wait then," Yugi decided, nodding and ducking his head when Atem continued to stare at him with growing bewilderment. He flexed his claws uncomfortably and kept his eyes lowered to the ground. "I don't want to see him any sooner than absolutely necessary. I think I might claw his face open again."

Yugi didn't get a warning. Atem simply snorted. And then he felt paws crashing into his shoulders before lifting. Yugi stumbled forward, eyes huge, then spun around. Atem had pounced away from him, watching him with growing amusement.

Yugi scrambled for his footing again. Then he turned on him and pounced. Atem growled softly, crouching. The blow landed on his shoulder but his weight was enough to toss him. They tangled in a knot of limbs for a moment.

"You're a violent little Gandora, aren't you?" Yugi huffed and swatted at him. When Atem raised a paw to swipe at him, the Gandora nipped him lightly. Then he jumped away. Atem spun around immediately after, growling and crouching. "You almost took my paw off!"

Yugi laughed in delight as Atem waved it in an exaggerated motion.

"I'm also convinced I was right about what I told Timaeus before, how you're so vicious that you'd rip his throat open."

Yugi snickered and wiggled his rump before pouncing at him again. "I might!" he crowed, leaping at his shoulder and pawing him there. The two of them stared at one another for a second longer and then Yugi jumped over him and ran a few feet away. The Sky Dragon watched him with such a blank expression that Yugi nearly wondered if he'd lost interest or perhaps he might have somehow hurt him.

And he was incredibly worried, convinced for a moment that he truly had somehow hurt him. He'd been so sure that he'd only lightly tapped him, yet he was fearful that perhaps he might have somehow cut through his scales. And he could not shake this. His claws were made for evisceration, for the task of finding the smallest crevices between scales so that he could rip through flesh with ease. If he had done something to Atem—

Yugi burst out laughing, somewhere between disbelief and relief. Atem had pounced while he was worrying over this. And he'd landed near his shoulder, extending a paw to push him off balance. Yugi stumbled, still laughing, and turned to paw him in the forelimb. But then he noticed that Atem had taken a seat and realized he would not be getting up again; the game was over.

It made Yugi wonder for a moment if perhaps he had cut him or dislodged some of his softer scales where he'd tapped him. Atem did not have the heavier armor that Yugi himself did; he had softer ones, which were slippery to the touch rather than hard. He was able to slip out of his opponent's grip for the most part, if he only tried. It was his chest and the raised scales along his back and tail which were harder, stronger and sturdier. They were almost impossible to damage, while the rest of him was easy to cut and scrape if someone were to try. He bled easily, but he also seemed to heal faster.

And, as Yugi considered it, if he'd hurt Atem, he'd need to help stem the wound, wouldn't he? Unless it was so shallow that Atem did not even care for it in the slightest? But the timing made him incredibly nervous.

Atem was moving, Yugi noticed. He hasn't realized it at first, but the Sky Dragon was staring at him keenly. And, when Yugi peered back at him stupidly, the Sky Dragon leaned forward. His rough tongue ran over his forehead between his eyes and the Gandora forced himself to relax, nearly falling over with his relief.

"Do you ever still think about me Claiming you?"

Yugi blinked a few times, startled by the question and unsure he had truly heard him properly. It seemed odd to him that Atem might be asking him such a thing now. And so he simply stared at him, unsure, then tilted his head and considered him a moment longer. "Think about it?" he muttered, uncertain and gentle in his tone. He didn't want to say anything to upset him in some way. "I don't honestly think about it, Atem. I don't think about it because I don't believe you want to do it yet. So I'm not going to get anxious about it when you're not in the same state of mind as I am."

The Sky Dragon stayed quiet for a moment and Yugi could see the various thoughts churning behind his eyes. The gem in his forehead had become slightly cloudy for the moment. He was going through thoughts and ideas and various concepts which Yugi was not privy to as of that second…

"Would you still let me?"

The Gandora moved to stand. Then he tipped his head up and away from him, exposing the bottom of his jaw to let him sink his teeth into the soft flesh there. But Atem simply studied him for a long moment, considering him, as Yugi had known he would.

Atem was not one to rush such a thing. He would rather see if Yugi was still willing before he'd do anything. And so, satisfied, the Sky Dragon turned away abruptly and flicked his bottom tongue.

"Do you ever actually consider it, Atem?" he asked quietly, watching as the God Dragon turned to face him with a tilt of his head. "Or are you just curious about it?"

"I like to see if you're truthful," Atem admitted, "because it makes me feel as if I am not as unlovable as I originally assumed myself to be."

Yugi blinked, shaken by the words and shivering as his hearts ached and his insides rolled and twisted uncomfortably. He hated the idea that Atem was so terribly unhappy with himself. But he was not able to think beyond this at the moment. Atem truly didn't care what the other dragons said about him. Because he believed much of it. His suitors had only reinforced the many tragedies and pains his brothers had inflicted on him.

Yugi forced the thought away, determined to fix this at some point. He'd do that if he did nothing else. But he could not shake the misery which blanketed him either, and he knew his expression was still incredibly crestfallen when he looked at Atem again.

"I'll happily let you do it if it would make you feel better."

Atem shook his head slowly, though Yugi could see that the thought seemed both intriguing and troubling to the Sky Dragon. He wondered if it bothered him that he was willing to do that. Or maybe it was the phrasing, that he would do it for him at any time. It was something that he wanted to assure him of, but he had to wonder if perhaps saying it as he had could have alarmed Atem…

But then, he also wondered if perhaps Atem thought it to be something of a trap to make Yugi remain by his side. He had told him once he was unsure he could love Yugi in return and that probably made him more than slightly uneasy about the subject. Yugi was unsure of what made Atem so doubtful, but he hated it more than he could ever put into words.

"I love you, you know," he said softly, leaning forward to nudge him slightly with his beak. The Sky Dragon blinked at him, curious more than anything, and the Gandora smiled in amusement at his expression. "You're far more amazing than you think you are."

Atem scoffed noisily, staring at him as if he did not know the appropriate way to tell him he thought he was lying through his teeth. And then, when he seemed to find words, he abruptly deflated from his anger and turned away, flexing his claws and folding his wings nervously into his sides. "I would think that leaving a couple of hours before sunset would allow Jesse to move on to find any other dragon he might need to speak to."

Yugi blinked, flustered by the words and somewhat undone all the same. "That's probably a good idea." That should have given the Ice Dragon enough time to be long gone before they arrived. And it would still take about thirty minutes for them to travel to the northern territory at a leisurely pace.

Atem had managed the feat in less than ten the day of the fight on the cliffs. But there was no such urgency in their flight now. There was no winded and hurt dragonet with huge eyes begging Atem for help and unable to properly speak due to his exhaustion. And there were not three other Sky Dragons to leave before them in order to fight Keith and his army at the cliffs. Atem was not angrily demanding to know where Timaeus was when he realized who the dragonet's father had to be.

"You think Timaeus will be expecting us?"

"I have never entered his territory but to help him with the fight last moon," Atem said, clearly confused by his questioning. He peered at Yugi as if he did not understand why he might have assumed otherwise. "I cannot expect that he would ever think I would want to be there at any rate."

The Gandora felt the smallest sense of satisfaction and cold relief flash through him at this thought. He had not considered that Timaeus was the only one to travel to check on Atem. He'd thought formerly it was both ways around, that one moon Timaeus might come to see him and the next Atem might do so.

It had never occurred to him that Atem would not have left his territory for the sake of venturing into his friend's. Perhaps he was wary of the Clan that lived near his friend's borders. Or maybe he just had not been inclined to do so due to the terrain and climate that it housed.

The windy, open plains and tall grass would never have been enough to shelter Atem in the slightest. The grass was not as tall as he was, not like the pine trees and the various evergreens beyond the cliffs. He could use these to cover for himself, especially were he to trigger his camouflage genes. Should he do that he could very easily duck away and hide, using the various shadows to simply keep his scales' distorting qualities unnoticeable for the most part.

Yugi could not imagine Atem being happy in a place of rolling hills and grasslands. He couldn't imagine that the harder winds would do well for him either. He had a softer climate here, where the air was crisp but not too cold and the open cliff face was easily navigated to higher ground or to the trees for shelter. He had a strategic vantage point in doing so. The rains would make the grounds harder to traverse. The snow would make any dragon cower and hide away. The crisp air put pressure on heavyweight dragons looking to fight him in the air. And the cliff face itself gave a good view of much of the village beneath and the territory beyond it.

No doubt he used this spot as a way to keep track of the other dragons in the area, should he ever have need to.

"Okay."

Yugi was ashamed, though his relief put this sensation aside for the moment. He wondered if Atem recognized this on his face as the red dragon continued to stare at him curiously for a long moment. Then he seemed to shrug it off and the smaller male relaxed at the thought that perhaps Atem did not quite recognize it for what it was. "Well, then that's what we'll have to do! We'll go find out from him!"

The God Dragon eyed him uneasily for a moment. Yugi considered this with wide eyes, unsure of what he might have done to put such an expression on his face. He seemed somewhat skeptical or perhaps more alarmed and annoyed than anything else. And Yugi wondered at this, concerned and extremely unnerved.

But when he leaned forward to press his beak to Atem's, the tension seemed to dissipate entirely from the Sky Dragon's frame. The thought rattled him that Atem might be so unhappy, that he was well aware of the emotion he had read on Yugi's face but had decided against commenting on it. But then the God Dragon ran his tongue over his forehead and there was a glint in his eyes that spoke of forgiveness but also of bewilderment.

Yugi was not brave enough to speak about it at the moment. So he simply nodded slightly and looked away.

"Timaeus will likely be more confrontational after that fight with Keith's son," Atem mumbled, considering. "And he might be twice as aggressive seeing as he has a clutch to consider. But then, Wind Dragons grow faster than the other species. It is possible he won't be as aggressive as a Fire or Sky Dragon due to it."

Yugi blinked at him, eyes stretching wide in surprise. "Would he be aggressive towards you?" he asked in bewilderment, a new thought clicking into place. Atem had never ventured into Timaeus' territory because of the Wind Dragon mating seasons. They varied some years, as they took place on the coldest day of the year and the warmest as well. Most often those would have been a time in which Atem would have been risking multiple fights simply for drifting too close.

But there was some small part of him which questioned whether Atem might ever be in danger of such a thing. He could not picture Timaeus turning on Atem in any sense. It was bewildering and strange to him in every way. It seemed impossible to him that Timaeus might ever turn on Atem angrily or even so much as snarl at him.

He seemed so incredibly patient and he clearly adored Atem in the way a family member might. He clearly cared for him more than he did others. And he had even forgiven him for the fact that he'd attacked him and crippled him in terms of destroying his eye. So he could not imagine Timaeus turning on Atem in an aggressive manner in any way.

"I am more concerned about the mother," Atem admitted calmly, though his eyes flashed and he tilted his head slightly. "If she snaps at us, I am sure he will react. He will follow his instincts to help her to aid his hatchlings. He is not above instinct, even if he is far more mellow than most males of his species."

The words were spoken quietly and Atem seemed almost shaky in the way he turned away and his eyes grew wide. He did not look at Yugi again for a long handful of minutes.

"I do not truly anticipate a fight, however. They should be old enough or large enough at the very least that neither parent will react to our being there. But with the fight that happened…"

Yugi tilted his head. That was true. The Wind and Fire Dragon species tended to grow at a rate almost five times faster than a Lightning or Water dragon. And that was almost ten times as quickly as the Sky Dragon. Their lifespans were much shorter as well, however. He knew that.

And the fact was that their easy, quick growth did well to help them to be independent much sooner than many other dragon species. It was actually the only reason Yugi had been able to find Atem so soon as it was.

If he had been a Sky Dragon he would barely have been Atem's size and far from sexually mature. He would have been perhaps a fifth of the Sky Dragon's size, if even that. And he would still have over another hundred years before he'd be sexually mature.

So perhaps he was right in saying that Timaeus might not react as his hatchlings should have been at least twice as big as they had been before. But then, with how little time had passed since that fight, it was possible that alone might trigger more of a reaction from them as it was. But Yugi doubted that Timaeus would strike out at Atem. It just seemed utterly impossible to him.

They were too close. Timaeus cared about him too much. And Atem was clearly loyal to him regardless of his status as a God Dragon. He'd gone to help him when Keith's son had attacked their den. If Atem wasn't loyal to him, he would have simply let it happen regardless of Critias seeking his help, which only further proved Jesse a fool for believing such things about the God Dragon.

"I cannot be sure that she would react to you in any manner, however. You are the one who helped Critias that day, after all," Atem continued in a soft voice. He tilted his head and seemed to consider Yugi for a long moment. Then he shrugged it off and reached out for him.

His paw stretched out, then pressed upon his shoulders insistently in order to make him lower himself to the ground on his belly. A small trill ran through Yugi, though it was neither of fear or anticipation of any kind. It was pure bewilderment which surged through him now.

The action truly made no sense to the Gandora.

Most often if a dragon were to do such a thing with their mate, it was for the purpose of declaring dominance in a mounting. But Atem simply stretched out and moved closer, plopping down at his side. Yugi tilted his head and Atem ignored his questioning expression to begin licking at his neck and picking at a couple of scales.

Yugi whined and flexed his claws unhappily. Atem must have been eyeing those scales for days now. His molting had been terrible and he'd tried to maintain his appearance as well as possible but he did not know that he'd done too great.

"I hate getting near shedding season," he whined, angling his jaw upward. It helped give Atem the proper room and direction to clutch one of his scales and pull harder. When it came away, the red male spat out a large dulled black scale about the length of one of his toes. It made a dull thudding noise as it hit the ground and Yugi reached out for it to place between his paws. His skin was tingling where Atem had begun to lick at his scales again, grooming them back in place.

"Yes, well, little one, just wait until the moment that you should see me molt," Atem grunted. He pulled another, larger scale from where it rested loosely near his wing joint. Yugi huffed, surprised to see it was twice as large as the original. He flexed his claws anxiously and nearly whined again. Shedding was so incredibly embarrassing. "You'll wish I only shed like you."

The Gandora laughed in delight, turning to him. "You don't shed or molt!" he chortled, bumping him in the shoulder with his beak and purring happily. "You're a Sky Dragon! You guys don't do either!"

"It's a well maintained secret," Atem teased. "We molt."

"I almost believe you."

Atem chuckled and licked his face once. Then he sniffed lightly along his side and around his neck. When he could find no others on this side, he moved to the other and settled there for a moment. He stretched his neck out, sniffing for a small handful of minutes, and opened his jaws to catch one of the more misaligned scales that lay out of place. He tugged one, then the next, until they were lying on the ground beside him and he could lick at the others on Yugi's body and smooth them out.

Yugi was oddly complacent throughout, simply flexing his claws and looking at him. He did not appear anxious nor upset. But he was clearly embarrassed and that was something that would have made most dragons up and flee or lash out angrily. The fact that he was allowing him to do this was amazing in and of itself. Fire Dragons were especially privy to lashing out when something ruffled their pride. And Yugi might not have been so focused on his pride as Atem was forced to be as a God Dragon, but he was still proud regardless. He groomed vigorously, with both paws at times, and would do so for hours before Atem would even wake up.

"If I was not in the sky so often, I would molt," he answered after a moment. He plucked another scale away and then dropped it, looking him over with the smallest gleam of pride in his golden eyes. Yugi nearly melted at the prospect of being the subject of such an expression. He was looking at him almost as if he were absolutely precious. "You'd be horrified. You'd probably run for cover."

Yugi laughed again, then turned to face him fully for a moment. "I would not!" he snickered, smiling at him. "I saw you guys molting when you were younger!"

"Then it's a wonder you came back to court me," Atem snorted softly. His tongue flicked from his bottom jaw in a teasing fashion as Yugi squirmed and hurried to nudge him in the side of his mouth with his smooth beak. "I would have been disgusted and fled as fast as my tiny paws could carry me."

The black dragon let loose a rumbling purr of delight and shook his head. "You were too adorable for that," he teased, licking his forehead. "And I shed so terribly as it is, I figure I can deal with a yearly molt from my mate."

The God Dragon flexed his claws and tilted his head a moment before licking at his neck again. Yugi nearly squirmed and pulled away, huffing. Shedding was a disaster. Atem would be picking loose scales from his skin for weeks at this rate.

"You shed twice a year," Atem commented, sounding content with the job he was doing, "and it will be several times harder for you in a few more years when you're truly physically mature. Then you'll be all raw muscle and hard plates and you'll be able to give any dragon a run for their territory."

Yugi laughed, butting him in the shoulder as he pulled away slightly. "I can't wait!" he laughed. He flexed his claws as another small scale was tugged out of place and Atem's tongue ran over his neck once more.

It was true.

Yugi couldn't wait to be that strong. He couldn't wait to look as mature as the other Gandora Dragons did. He was sexually mature, as many dragon species became long before they even grew into their final physical definition.

He could mate with Atem, but if he were ever to fight a challenger or got into a battle much like that of which he had Keith, odds were he would not get out of it unscathed. He did not even know if he could survive a second encounter like that. If it hadn't been for the fact that he had been trying his hardest to slow Keith down before he got to Atem, he was not sure he would have even been able to get up again after he'd caught himself on fire.

Using his body heat as he had was incredibly dangerous. It was one which could have killed him with Keith and should have done far more damage to the other male. He'd knocked the trophy teeth and claws Keith had reinforced his paws and jaws with, but he had seemingly barely winded him as well. Yugi himself had risked one of his hearts doing it, because using his body heat as he had, when he was still so young could have rotted his organs and forced his primary heart to burst.

But, had he been physically mature, there would have been a bit more internal padding to prevent that kind of damage being done to himself. As long as he ate red meat at least once a week, he'd be able to store fat around his organs and it would be this that would be harmed. He wondered if it was only Atem's insistence that he eat that deer meat the night before that had saved him.

He angled his neck for Atem to grab at another scale along the bottom of his jaw. If he had been physically mature, Keith would never have been able to shock him as violently as he had either. Had he his proper scales and plates rather than harder muscles and softer plating, the shock would have been stunted by far. And his scales would have ignited further and the blast would have been far more powerful when he'd used that last defensive measure…

"Can you even imagine what a shed would look like for me?" Atem commented thoughtfully, cutting into his thoughts entirely. Yugi turned to him in surprise, watching him place another dulled scale down and flex his claws. He was watching him with bright eyes, clearly on a different path of thought than Yugi himself had been. "I'd have to be in my Origin Form for days until it would properly shed away. And it would be massive. I'd probably be able to cover half of my favorite river with it!"

Yugi laughed and shook his head. "You'd cover the river and the banks for their entirety!" he crowed.

The Sky Dragon growled playfully, narrowing his eyes into near slits. "Did you just call me fat?" he demanded. He peeled his lips back far enough to show the ridges of his large white teeth. The Gandora began to snicker, tensing his muscles expectantly.

The red male moved at him in a lazy fashion. He pressed lightly upon his shoulder to push him onto his back for a split second. And then he snarled in his face aggressively, boring down on him.

Yugi laughed harder, flicking his tongue out to lick his beak. Atem blinked, eyes stretching comically wide in bewilderment. Yugi shrugged him off in that moment of confusion and pinned him in turn. He threw himself to lie across him and licked his face happily, laughing at Atem's startled expression all the while.

"You're not fat! You're just incredibly pudgy!" he teased, licking the gem on his forehead as Atem scowled at him.

"You're a funny little Gandora," Atem sneered. "It seems my lungs are too strained to breathe I'm laughing so hard."

The black dragon snickered harder, then moved to nuzzle him, the wry statement making him smile wider. "You're not fat," he said after a moment, in a tone he was not sure didn't sound almost like a promise. The Sky Dragon hardly seemed upset in the slightest, but some part of Yugi truly worried that he was perhaps wounding his ego with such teasing. He had to know that Yugi did not care what size he was or his weight in the slightest, but Atem did not seem to have as much confidence as Yugi would have liked. And so he was not comfortable enough to simply let this rest without further comment. "You're at the perfect weight."

Atem blinked at him as if he could not understand why he might say that. Then he smirked at him, both mouths curling back deviously. "You're right. You're fat enough for both of us," he joked, earning a swat to the shoulder as Yugi let out a low squawk of outrage. The Sky Dragon snickered in delight and moved to sit up after a moment, shaking himself out and flexing his claws.

"Timaeus will likely wish to speak to me before we attend this meeting," he said quietly, voice somewhat disturbed for a brief second. Then he shrugged it off and turned to his mate again with a small tilt of his head.

He wondered for a moment whether he should ask him to mount him. It would be a way of scent-marking him, after all. And if he were to do that, any potential suitors lying in wait at that meeting might be smart enough to reconsider…

Atem shook the thought away. It was petty. He could take on other suitors if they were stupid enough to attempt to speak to or court him at the meeting. He was not without defenses. He was not without wit. He could easily knock them around, regardless of whatever climate and terrain they were to meet within.

"I assume he will be curious as to what my opinion is of all that has happened."

Yugi tilted his head. Then he frowned after a long moment. "What is your opinion on it? I never even thought to ask you before now…" Atem turned to face him with a confused look. "I mean…a-are you okay after…?"

Atem blinked wide eyes, confused. Then he slowly shook his head and butted him in the shoulder. "I did not mean it in that manner, Yugi. But I am fine. It did not bother me to have to kill Keith."

He watched him for a moment, skeptical that his words had truly sounded as sincere as they were meant to. And then he straightened in his seated position and slowly tipped his head back to allow his neck to pop softly. The noise seemed to startle the Gandora but he also appeared relieved. No doubt he was looking at the spot where Keith had managed to sink his teeth in and dig about an inch into his flesh.

It had healed perfectly, as it had been rather shallow compared to what the Fire Dragon could have done. But he knew Yugi so often looked there as if to reassure himself. He had seen him when he would sunbathe at times. Yugi would lie closer, then look along the underside of his neck. He would sniff every once in a while, eyeing it when he thought Atem was asleep.

In the corner of his eye Yugi leaned forward. Startled and somewhat alarmed, Atem turned his head to face him, blinking and bewildered. He angled his jaw downward, considering him, but the movement did nothing to block the Gandora from pressing his beak into the flesh there. Yugi's beak was warmer in temperature than his own scales, managing briefly to startle him.

The lack of rejection was enough to make Yugi purr, pulling away from him after a moment. His eyes were soft and warm, startling him further, but the Sky Dragon did not feel the need to respond beyond looking at him curiously.

Yugi was looking at him almost as if he were proud of himself for achieving a feat that most others could not understand the immensity of.

And Atem supposed he was not entirely wrong in this train of thought, should that truly be where his mind had gone. He would never have allowed even Timaeus to do such a thing and he would have most likely snarled if his parents had thought to do it either.

"I'm glad you're not upset," Yugi said after a moment, smiling at him brilliantly. He leaned forward again, nuzzling at his neck once more. And then his tongue flicked over his scales there. Atem allowed him to do this for another handful of moments. Then he paused, blinking once, and slowly reached out a paw to press upon his shoulder in an effort to lower him to his belly. Yugi hesitated a moment, seemingly confused, and then slowly did so.

Atem turned to his wing, picking at the loose scales there where the shedding was a pale patchy formation. It was small, barely the size of a pebble in truth, but Atem was still somewhat bothered by it. Yugi flexed his claws in front of him, clearly flustered and unnerved, and laid his chin upon his paws. It gave Atem more room to pick at his scales without the threat of turning his head and hitting him.

The gesture was small but incredibly kind and powerful to him. Atem almost shivered at the thought. Yugi had more kindness in him than he imagined a million dragons did. The Gandora was soft and sweet and gentle, his hearts a thousand times bigger than his physical form altogether.

And Atem wondered at what it was he was meant to do with this. He himself was not soft and gentle like Yugi was. He was not easygoing and often he lost his temper with his own actions. He had memories burn through his mind so fiercely that it made him flee. He had done this many times, regardless of the fact that he knew it was just Yugi there with him rather than his siblings.

Atem had the feeling Yugi was suspicious of his behavior towards his shedding. It wouldn't have surprised him in the slightest. Atem had picked at every little dulled scale and licked at any patch of molting skin with vigor. And he knew it had to seem odd to the Gandora.

But he couldn't put into words how hard it had been shedding when he was younger. His siblings had not tortured him during that time. But he'd gotten himself caught in his excess shed skin and he'd hurt himself several times attempting to shake it away. But regardless of this, Atem had handled the situation rather well upon his mother helping him to discard the scales and skin when he'd whimpered pitifully for her aid. He'd been too small to kick it away by himself and his underdevelopment had caused him to almost suffocate in it.

But it was not this which upset him so much. It was the nightmares. He didn't like to consider them. But he knew that Yugi had seen him react to them in his sleep. He'd pant, occasionally peeling his lips back further to show the line of his gums. Other times he would wake panting, eyes snapping open in confusion as he blinked in bewilderment and shook his head. He'd climb to his paws and slowly shake himself out, glancing at Yugi only once before turning to wander away on his own.

Yugi had never asked him why he would do such a thing. He never asked him what it was that haunted him so much. And he would look at him with clear relief when Atem would return from his ventures hours later, exhausted from chasing fish underwater and flying after birds when they tried to flee from him. Yugi would merely lick his head and nuzzle his beak when he lay down beside him again.

"I think I've managed to get it all," Atem muttered as he forced the thoughts away entirely. He looked his flanks and tail over for a long moment. Then he remained quiet for a handful of heartbeats, turning to Yugi and searching his face. "I do not see anymore scales. Can you think of anywhere I might have overlooked?"

Yugi considered him in turn for a moment. Then he got to his paws and turned about himself several times in an effort to examine every inch of his body. He lifted his paws slowly and flexed each toe in a thorough examination. Then he turned around to inspect his tail and eventually along the inside of his back legs.

"I don't see anywhere," he said finally. He turned back to him with a tilt of his head. Then he leaned forward to lick his cheek and nuzzle him. "Thank you."

Atem nodded slightly, then leaned forward to butt him in the shoulder again. "I can't allow my mate to fail to look as gorgeous on the outside as he is on the inside," he answered in a voice that was somewhere between snide and proud. Then he seemed to realize his tone and licked his forehead. But there was a distant gleam in his eyes and Yugi wondered at this idea. "I'm sorry. You're my beautiful little gem."

The Gandora shook his head slightly and leaned forward to nuzzle him. "And you're my cranky Slifer." He smiled at him gently and Atem looked away as if he'd been struck. Yugi moved to lean forward into his shoulder. "Why are you so upset, Atem? Is it Jesse or the meeting in general, dear heart?"

The Sky Dragon was silent for a long handful of moments. He turned to him with a tilt of his head, an annoyed expression crossing his face. "Both," he hissed in frustration. "I do not wish to see Jesse again and I do not understand why it is that I must take more time to deal with Keith. I killed him and yet he continues to have an impact on my life."

Yugi frowned. "It'll be dealt with. It's not as if this will be something that stays like this forever, Atem. I promise you that much. You won't have to worry about him or his clutches again later, just for right now. It's because it's so soon after his death…" He hesitated, inching a small degree closer to him in order to lick at his forehead. "After this is over, he shouldn't even be an issue to be discussed ever again."

Atem blinked and then stared at him, studying him closely. "I think you might be a little too optimistic about such a thing."

Yugi frowned at him now, tilting his head curiously and studying him in bewilderment. "You're all doom and gloom today," he commented playfully, though he wondered if he was okay beyond this conversation. He wondered if Atem was upset about something else entirely, if he was frustrated by something Yugi might have overlooked.

Atem flexed his claws and narrowed his eyes. He scratched lightly at the ground and looked at him rather pointedly. Yugi considered him curiously for a moment, tilting his head before he got to his paws and came to his hindquarters. As he'd expected, the Sky Dragon moved to lift his tail and pull it away to give him more room. Atem didn't look back at him at any rate, but he braced himself and flexed his claws as if to keep from leaping forward and fleeing altogether.

Atem still had instincts of self-preservation, Yugi knew, despite his initiation. He would bristle and hiss and tense up as much as he could. Yugi would have to then lessen this by way of relaxing him through careful positioning and softer licks to the back of his throat.

"Are you sure you want to do this?" Yugi asked softly. He ignored the annoyed look Atem shot him from over his shoulder. His golden eyes were more furious than Yugi cared to admit. "I mean, we don't know if the meeting is tonight. If that's the case, you might not want to do this. We don't know if any of them are going to be in a good mood or not about this either."

"Between Yusei, Jaden and the Leviathan, I am rather certain that I am able to kill at least one of them should it come down to it." He snorted when Yugi shot him a horrified look and smirked widely as he shook his head. Atem studied him for a small moment, then flexed his claws again. "I'm kidding, little one. I just meant that all of them would likely be more complacent than me regardless."

"The Leviathan is not complacent."

The Sky Dragon looked at him for a moment, then moved to take a seat on his haunches. Yugi pounced away from his hindquarters immediately, as if he were somehow concerned Atem might sit on him. The God Dragon burst out laughing at the sight, the thought alone making him smirk. A moment passed before he tilted his head curiously. "You're so adorable," he commented, facing him with bright golden eyes. "You act like I'm going to claw you up for getting near my hindquarters."

The Gandora was quiet for a moment, then ran his paw over his muzzle, embarrassment making his eyes wide as they darted towards him. "I thought you'd changed your mind. I didn't want to seem as if I was pressuring you or anything." He felt incredibly stupid saying it now, as Atem blinked and peered at him in clear bewilderment, tilting his head after a long moment. "I mean, I… You get nervous every now and then when I go behind you. And I didn't want you to feel like I was…"

The Sky Dragon remained quiet for a long heartbeat. "I had not suspected of you to attempt to do such a thing," he said quietly. He tilted his head again, narrowing his eyes the smallest degree. "I am sorry if I ever made you feel that I suspected you of that…"

Yugi shook his head vigorously. "You haven't! I just didn't want you to feel like that at some point. I…" He hesitated, flicking his tail and narrowing his eyes. "I just didn't want you to think I was going to take advantage of you since we're mates…"

Atem blinked, tilting his head. It was always surprising to him when Yugi would move away from him. It wasn't that he got too close to the red dragon's hindquarters and he would get angry and try to scare him off. It was that he himself would initiate and then abruptly change his mind.

Yugi would immediately move away and take a seat himself or come to groom his face until he thought Atem was more comfortable with it all. Then he would lay beside him without a word about it, nor the smallest hint of discontent towards his mate's refusal.

"I never truly considered you might," he admitted. And he hadn't. Yugi was extremely sweet and softer around the edges than he'd expected a Gandora to be after hearing all of the lore for the species in question. They were meant to be incredibly vicious and headstrong, to the point of being extremely territorial and pushy. And Yugi was the exact opposite of what he had initially expected to see of a Gandora had he ever crossed paths with one.

"I didn't really think you had," Yugi hurried to reassure him, feeling incredibly stupid now for even insinuating such a thing. "No, I just meant that I didn't want you to ever have to feel like that. I mean… I just remember your brothers jumping on you from behind and I didn't want you to think I was…"

He didn't want him to think that he was going to leap at him from behind or forcefully mount him. He didn't want him to assume that he might hurt him in any manner. Or to think that anyone moving behind him was meant to hurt him. He didn't want him to assume any of those things. And he didn't want Atem to suffer new terrors of any kind. He didn't want him to fear him whenever he moved behind him. He didn't want him to feel that he couldn't allow Yugi to step behind him for any reason…

Atem considered this curiously for a moment, then huffed and moved to lie back down again. Yugi hesitated when the Sky Dragon failed to so much as glance at him but relaxed again as the older male stretched his chin out to lie upon his paws. With this he moved his wings to brace at his side, folding them to lay perpendicular to each flank, and let them press into the dirt there. The Gandora hovered a moment, unsure, but the position was self-explanatory for any dragon.

"You're sure?" he repeated, though he felt it unnecessary at this point. Atem blinked and raised his head just enough to look over his shoulder before he lowered it back to his paws. "I'm not offended or upset or anything. I swear I will never hold it against you if you don't want to."

"No, I didn't expect you would."

He sounded almost sleepy and Yugi hesitated again. Briefly he thought to simply curl up beside him, but the idea of upsetting him by not mounting him made him hesitate further. It was not that he truly thought Atem might become upset; it was simply that he did not know if it might make him feel as if he'd been rejected. And that was never anything Yugi wanted him to feel…

So he moved closer, nudged at his hips with his beak to make him lift his tail, and licked at his spine. The action made Atem tense briefly, then relax as much as he could. The initial pain hadn't faded as he'd hoped it would, Yugi knew. So the Sky Dragon would bury his face against the dirt, breathing raggedly, until the Gandora could lift his hips and press his weight into him. When he was able to do this, he could alleviate the pressure from the barbs he possessed and Atem could begin to enjoy their mating as well.

Yugi would have to thrust up and down and pull Atem's hips with him to keep him from feeling as much pain, but the Sky Dragon didn't seem to want to complain about the situation. And he had not fled or so much as attempted to as he had the first time. He had not even writhed as terribly as he had then, though he still panted and sometimes rolled about, breathing hard but forcing himself to relax in some way.

Yugi had found this comforting, even if he worried as to how quickly Atem seemed to adapt to this. It was slightly concerning to him. He didn't know if this was a good thing or a bad one. Either Atem was ignoring the pain or he was adapting. He hoped it was the latter but it seemed impossible. They'd mounted twice at the most with Yugi being dominant in the role. But they'd mounted twice as many times with Atem as the dominant dragon between them.

Atem had no barbs. He had a small hook but it was much like a teething dragonet biting his flesh, soft and cool due to his body temperature. They simply had to be airborne in order for Atem to disengage their mating before it stretched for too long a period of time. The problem was that Sky Dragons were lightweight, were capable of holding each other in air for hours on end. They would lick and nuzzle and simply bond—something that other species did not do—and eventually they would separate naturally when the swelling receded and the hook disengaged itself from the female.

However, Atem could not do this with him. Yugi was about three times his weight even now, when his juvenile form was at its lightest. He could not physically hold him in the air for long enough to disengage naturally. And so, as Sky Dragons had learned long before, Atem had implemented the rapid dive downward and twisted swiftly in order to disengage them. Yugi had allowed him another mounting in the den a few days after the fight with Keith in which the Sky Dragon had only been able to withdraw entirely when half a day had passed. Atem had been so exhausted that he'd slept for another handful of hours and Yugi had been so drained in turn that he'd remained resting there for several hours with him as well.

But he'd been determined not to sleep at that time. He'd been determined to stay awake for the sake of guarding the den, as Atem had been wounded. His forelimb had been shaky and barely capable of holding his weight. The reality of it had been horrifying to Yugi and so he'd been frantic in his desires to make sure his mate was not hurt and remained safe after. When Atem had gotten up hours later, uncurling from a tight ball as slowly as a leaf in autumn, he'd told him he would go to find food for them both. Yugi had initially attempted to follow him but it had been too exhausting to try to get up and chase him so he'd been forced to wait for him to return with a huge amount of fish and a couple of small deer.

"You sure?"

"Go ahead."

Atem squirmed for a moment at the sensation, but he made no noise of anger or frustration. And, as the seconds passed, his movements lessened entirely. Yugi leaned forward to lick his neck again before pivoting his weight lightly forward.

Atem hissed at the light intrusion but did not bristle or snarl. Yugi did not expect him to do so in the slightest, but he did worry that the Sky Dragon pushed harder than necessary at times. He was so eager to make Yugi happy on occasions that the Gandora feared he'd eventually hurt himself trying to make him feel better than he himself did. And so he often watched more pointedly for muscle tension and the way he flexed his paws. If he was so stressed that he might sink his claws into the dirt, Yugi would move further along his back and simply crouch, grooming him rather than mounting as had initially been instigated.

This had only happened twice but Yugi had not cared in the slightest beyond moving and licking him until the slight tremors in his wings would stop. But he'd come into this knowing that Atem would have trouble with it all. He'd been attacked relentlessly by his siblings when he was a hatchling. He'd had his side carved open violently and it had gotten infected due to Atem's inability to clean it properly at his young age. He'd had his wings broken for moons due to one sibling knocking him out of the air. Sometimes he'd been tackled from behind hard enough to roll a few feet and have to catch his breath for several awkward minutes under his siblings' spiteful eyes.

But that had not been the worst of it. Yugi had only come to realize the threats that most Atem's suitors had spat at him after he'd won the challenge to mate with him. And they were far more violent than they had any right to be. Keith alone had threatened to kill him and bring him back by sharing one of his own hearts, properly enslaving him as his mate should he have gotten the chance. Another had threatened to tear his wings off should he have squirmed too much during their mounting.

Understandably these were things that made Atem nervous. At times, if Yugi brushed against his wings when he stretched across his back, the Sky Dragon would stiffen and then start trembling when he moved away from them. Other instances occurred when he moved behind him when they were hunting. Atem's head would snap around, eyes narrow and mouths opened slightly as if to snarl. Then, once or twice, he had thumped his tail in warning when Yugi had gotten too close to his side during a different hunt. Atem had a lot more trust issues than Yugi had originally been prepared for. But the fact was that they were well-deserved and he could not blame him for them. And the moment that the Sky Dragon would see him he'd recognize him, but the warnings would already have been given and his eyes would be sharp and terrible for that brief second.

Yugi threw the thought aside, pressing a little further into him. Atem kept relatively relaxed, though his spine shivered with a bristle, scales rising and falling and shuddering. The smooth backwards formation of them rose as if he were about to break them and then began to rapidly sink back. He had done this each time they'd gotten close to mounting, however. And Yugi could not tell if it was truly nerves or a mixture of this and excitement.

"Still okay?"

Atem flexed his claws and shifted his weight as if he might pull away from him. Then he drew his back legs slightly up as if he were stretching and lowered them again, dragging Yugi with him. "Fine." The response was short but did not sound angry, and he seemed more amused than anything.

And so he was clearly comfortable, Yugi knew.

The red dragon didn't argue when he pressed forward again and so the Gandora moved until he could no longer. The feeling of his barbs sinking in was instant, his stomach rolling with fear that it might make Atem struggle. But the Sky Dragon was rubbing his face anxiously against the ground instead, claws flexing and wings quivering with tension. The Gandora immediately lifted his hindquarters again, pivoting his weight into his forelimbs, and Atem panted gratefully, the shivering continuing in his wings but his rubbing ceasing. His heavy breathing continued for a moment longer before Yugi pressed his weight further into his hindquarters and began to lift Atem's again.

"Does it still hurt?"

The Sky Dragon shook his head slowly and flexed his claws again as if he might further relieve his stress this way. "No," he muttered.

But he wasn't purring yet. He didn't look as comfortable as Yugi wanted. And he wasn't voicing his pleasure as he had formerly. He was not moving his hips in time with Yugi's or quivering with excitement in the way he had the first time. He had been so pleased after his initial panic and trying to flee, after Yugi had shaken him limp and they'd struggled to stand up properly, that he'd begun purring and rasping softly when he would say "Yes." Now he seemed more uncomfortable than anything. And the Gandora wanted to hiss with displeasure at the thought.

He leaned forward to lick at his neck again, then angled his hips to bring them off the ground further. Atem flexed his claws again, though he did not purr yet, and instead turned his head to rub beaks with him for a moment. The action was enough to startle Yugi, his blue-violet eyes stretching wide with surprise, and the Gandora eagerly nuzzled him in turn. He'd never quite expected Atem to initiate that kind of comfort when he himself had upon letting the Sky Dragon mount him.

Yugi wondered if perhaps he was making sure it was really him back there—because something in his eyes seemed distant at the moment—or if he was simply looking for some kind of physical contact beyond Yugi's body draped over his. Sky Dragons were the only species to truly mate for life by choice. When they sought mates, it was not for one breeding period. If their mates were to die, they did not replace them and often lived in solitude without so much as a companion to be seen within the territory. They were the only species to love their mates for an extended period of time that did not involve simple mating cycles. They lived the duration of their partnerships with their mate, as close as possible at first and then more comfortable with distance. But Yugi had yet to see a pair of Sky Dragons that did not love each other so wholly that they weren't together almost constantly.

Atem was having trouble balancing his need for space and his desire to be near him, Yugi knew. The instincts he had were for close physical proximity to him, but his self-preservation was stronger than these oftentimes and he would snarl and back away when Yugi got too close to him for too long an amount of time. They could be fast asleep next to each other and Atem might startle awake and move away from him to the other side of the den to sleep more.

"I love you."

Atem hummed at him, a soft melody of noise from deep within his throat. Then he closed his eyes and tipped his head to the side lazily. Yugi moved to lick at his jaw and along his muscular cheeks, nuzzling him under the soft flesh between his jawbone and his neck. Yugi could feel his shoulders moving beneath him in this position, the raw strength he possessed as he flexed his claws and shifted his weight forward in a steady motion. He was moving to tip his hindquarters up again, Yugi knew, and so the Gandora forced himself to do the same, though he felt slightly cold at the loss of Atem's muzzle against his. The Sky Dragon had turned away again and put his chin on the ground once more, eyes closed.

But now Yugi could hear a soft and steady purr as well. Atem was no longer panting and his wings' tips were quivering with growing delight. The dragon beneath him was letting out the softest rumbling purr that Yugi had ever heard one of their species generate, almost like distant thunder but as easy as a babbling brook as well. Yugi felt an immense warmth in his chest at the realization. Atem was enjoying himself already…

Yugi licked at his neck again, then along his shoulders between his large wings. The red male let out a small breath of appreciation towards this soft affection. It was so low and buried beneath the purring that he almost would have missed it had he not been listening for it. The Gandora almost quivered with happiness at the thought that he was pleasing the other male so much. As long as Atem was happy at the end of it, he didn't care about much else.

The higher Yugi positioned his hindquarters, the louder the purring became. Atem had begun clawing at the dirt and releasing small contented breaths, so relaxed that the Gandora was almost winded with his mounting delight. The Slifer turned his head just enough to look over his shoulder and allow them to rub muzzles again, and the Gandora licked at the bottom of his jaw as he rocked his hips just enough to perform the up and down pseudo thrust that Atem seemed to enjoy so much.

The Gandora wondered what it would have looked like had someone been coming to see them at some point. If they stumbled upon the sight, would they assume he was a Serpent Night Dragon as Seto had?

Or would they realize he was a Gandora and Atem a Slifer?

Would they realize Atem was a God Dragon at first glance?

And what of the positioning? Would it be assumed he'd bettered Atem and forced him to lie upon his belly? Or would they hear the purrs and automatically know?

Yugi shook it off after a moment.

It wasn't worth worrying about. What he became more concerned about was whether Atem would react as he had the last couple of times. Would he writhe as terribly as he had the first time? Or would he be more subdued as he had the second? He didn't want him to scream and scramble as he had the first time. But the second time he'd laid there as if he were almost comatose and had not moved for what had been hours beyond occasionally scratching his side against some stones.

It had been more that he'd dumped himself into the river and lay halfway in and out that had scared Yugi than anything. But Atem hadn't had his eyes open either, and he couldn't see him breathing as well as he could have had he remained on land…

"Little one?"

The words startled him from the thought. He blinked, head turning just enough to see the God Dragon peering at him with a confused expression. The gem on his forehead was slightly cloudy and his eyes were a shade darker than usual, widened only a fraction. "Huh?" he muttered before he could stop himself, blinking again and frowning when he saw the relief that crossed the other's face. His hearts hurt at the sight. Had he hurt him somehow? "What's wrong?"

Atem blinked at him, then tilted his head. "I was always okay," he commented, much as he had the night after the fight when Yugi had startled awake from his nightmare to the red male pleading with him to wake up. The simplicity in his tone relaxed him somewhat now. "It is you I'm worried about. What are you thinking about so hard, little Yugi?"

The nickname made him feel warmer for a moment. Then he shook it off. "Nothing important," he promised, though the words tasted foul on his tongue.

The red male considered him with that same tilted his head, though now his eyes narrowed faintly. "Then why have you stopped moving?" he asked slowly. Yugi blinked, startled by the question. "You haven't moved for a few minutes now. I thought you would have snapped out of it before I might have to ask but you did not."

The Gandora felt a small wave of shame and embarrassment crash through him. Then he rubbed his beak against his and moved to raise his hips again. "Sorry, it was just something I was thinking about. I didn't mean to worry you," he murmured, running his tongue from his beak to the crest of the red crown of thorn-like scales upon his head. The gem was oddly warm now, as if Atem's concern had caused the temperature change. He pulled back slightly to look at it, finding it strangely cloudy and darker than usual, and Yugi felt sick for a brief moment. He'd truly worried him more than Atem cared to admit, hadn't he?

"Are you sure you're all right?"

The Gandora purred and bumped his muzzle with his, following it with a lick to his cheek. "Absolutely, Atem!" he said warmly, licking him once more and turning away after a moment. He pressed his chin into the base of his shoulders and nestled into his scales for a brief second.

Atem didn't ask again, nor did he bother to speak after this confirmation. It bothered Yugi only when the Sky Dragon slipped away from him upon his release and immediately disappeared in the direction of the river. Yugi shook himself out, legs much like weak tree limbs, and hurried to follow him, exhausted. When he got to the river, Atem was already submerged and hidden under the water. He hesitated, then moved to take a seat, panting heavily and watching the river.

The Sky Dragon came from beneath the current a few minutes later, raising his head above water and moving to swim to the bank. But he didn't pull himself entirely onto the soft sand. And Yugi was surprised to see how much darker the gem on his forehead was. He looked somewhere between frustrated and curious.

The Gandora scooted closer to the water, though his strongest instinct was to remain away from it. Being half Fire Dragon did him no good when he was near a body of water. And the current's stronghold and the harsh crashing sound of its water as it coursed through the territory was enough to make him bristle slightly. He drew in a deep breath, however, forcing himself to ignore his self-preservation in order to check on Atem instead.

"You're still okay?" he asked, exhausted but firm in his demand. The Sky Dragon drew himself halfway out of the water, much as he had before, but now he no longer lay on his side and rather stretched out upon his belly. Yugi looked him over, but he didn't see any punctured muscle as he had initially worried. He hadn't grabbed him hard enough to cut his flesh. "I didn't hurt you, right?"

The God Dragon blinked and flexed his claws. The water that fell from his scales soaked the dirt into a muddy paste and his claws punctured it easily. "I am fine," he assured him, "tired but fine."

Yugi nodded, though not entirely satisfied with the answer. "Are you worried about the meeting?" he muttered after a moment, drawing in a deep breath as they looked at one another.

Atem blinked and lowered his chin to his paws. His voice was a little deeper from this position as his neck was pressed so heavily against his limbs, trailing out of his top mouth now. But Yugi was admittedly relieved that it did not sound as his voice had when he'd been in his Origin Form when he'd come to challenge him. Then Atem had sounded as if he had a million voices merged into his own, all of them roaring and snarling and speaking in tangent and dancing in the air like snow. But it was closer to that sound than when he spoke from his bottom jaw. He wondered if Atem even noticed the difference. Maybe it was an intimidation tactic…

"The meeting is of no consequence to me. We may attend but I do not see much coming from such a thing. I doubt Yusei or Jaden or the Leviathan will be too happy to see me as it is."

Yugi tilted his head and thought to inch closer but his legs were so tired beneath his weight that he forced himself to lie down instead. He'd need more strength to get to Atem's side. This would do him no good as he was now…

"Why wouldn't they want to see you?"

The red dragon was silent for a long handful of minutes. Then he moved his wings to arch them almost delicately along his flanks, peering at him with darkened eyes. Yugi thought he could see hesitation sparking in them, as if he were unsure he should tell him the answer to such a question. "None of us have properly met before," he finally grunted.

Yugi stiffened. "Wait, what?" he demanded. The God Dragons were all supposed to meet upon knowing the existence of each other. It was a law of some kind, though he was not sure which. But all God Dragons were meant to meet at least once upon knowing of another's existence, if only solely for the sake of identifying them in some manner. "I thought… But Jesse said that Jaden and Yusei both knew of…"

Atem shook his head. "I do not think that they entirely knew," he answered after a long heartbeat. "I think that it came down to chance that they even heard about me at any point. I think it was more the rumors that told them I even existed. But having two mouths doesn't entirely mean that someone is a God Dragon and I don't think any of them truly acknowledged that there was a fourth God Dragon until recently. Perhaps because I dealt with Keith they are more inclined to believe that I am a deity as well."

The Gandora bristled. "That doesn't make any sense!"

"I'm a Sky Dragon." Atem stretched his limbs, burying them in some of the mud. He was shimmering in the sunlight where it touched him, and his dried scales looked like flame where the light bounced from them. "We can be born with deformities and it does not ensure divinity. It just means that we're more prone to having an extra set of wings or more claws than usual or a longer tail. It doesn't make us a god."

Yugi jumped to his feet, snarling. "But you've been spoken about for years now! And they just ignored it?" he spat. He trembled, legs threatening to fall out from beneath him. Atem eyed him warily for a moment, considering something. The Gandora almost wished he would come closer so that he could use his weight to brace himself. "And it might not be common for a Sky Dragon to be a deity, but it doesn't mean it's impossible!"

Atem was silent for a moment. Then he moved to raise his head and get to his paws. When he shook himself out, the droplets were like a miniature rainstorm. Yugi almost hurried back but couldn't find the strength to, the water hitting him almost immediately. "Most of those Gods could heal," he commented dismissively, moving to his side. He reached a paw out and lightly tapped Yugi's shoulders to make him lay down before following suit. He leaned forward and began grooming before Yugi could think to argue that he'd already gotten the loose scales. "I do not harbor any ill will towards them for neglecting to meet me, Yugi. It was never my intention to get their attention as it was. And my doubt of being a God Dragon did nothing to make that easier."

The Gandora hesitated, flicking his tail unhappily. He still couldn't believe that Atem had doubted himself so much. It was incredible to him, how seemingly self-destructive Atem's confidence actually was. He was confident only in the manner of attacking and killing when he was threatened. Otherwise he seemed hesitant and more likely to back down. He did not even seem to have much confidence in knowing that Yugi was willing to let him mount him. He often hesitated, sometimes even questioned him, and rarely he would move away entirely from him as if he thought Yugi might strike out against him.

He knew, of course, that that behavior had much more to do with his suitors than just his lack of self-confidence. But it still made him wonder. Because Atem could put on a facade like no one else when it came to shrugging away stress. But he would slip up when he slept, twitching and snarling and breathing too hard to be ignored.

"Well, it's still stupid that they never put in any effort to find out what was going on. I mean, they had to have heard the rumors, Atem."

"But for all they know I could have been like Keith and saying that I was a God Dragon when I'm clearly not." He hesitated, then leaned forward to lick at his neck beneath his jaw. He breathed out heavily against his softer scales and Yugi thumped his tail with excitement. The action was enough to make Atem tense for a split second, startled by a movement that was normally perceived as aggressive in nature.

Yugi felt his hearts shatter for a brief second at this thought.

---

"And here we are." Atem shook himself out and flexed his claws for a moment as they landed. He bristled, folded his wings tightly along his sides, and began moving forward. Yugi hurried to copy his body language, wondering for a brief moment if perhaps it was critical to a Wind Dragon as he had never seen Atem take such a position before.

When he glanced around much of the area was gently rolling plains, clear bright green grass with some frayed yellow ends. There were a few random green bushes scattered about, none of them particularly clumped together. And the hills seemed never-ending but for where they faded into cliffs before the face of the sea. The forests were miles behind them when Yugi turned his head to look and he knew instinctively that this area was windy and could easily be overcome with water should harder rains push through.

He looked at his mate curiously. Atem was picking his way across the territory expertly, as if he had always known this place. He did not seem to pause in even the slightest. And Yugi wondered if he was being truthful when he'd said that he'd only entered this territory that one time to aid Timaeus. But then, he had no idea where it was that Atem had sought shelter when he was wounded. Most of the prey he mentioned lived in grassy plains such as this…

So it was possible that they'd been closer to the water, near the cliffs. But Atem had not implied that Timaeus was with him in the time that he'd been near the alligators while his side was still infected. He'd mentioned nothing of the Wind Dragon then. It was possible that Atem had hidden near the forest, near a larger area of water for easier access. He wasn't entirely sure, but he knew that Timaeus had lived with him near a cavern where there were a few trees. He'd said that when lightning had struck a trunk near him he'd fled into the cave with Timaeus, screaming like a hatchling.

Due to that, he had to assume they were in an area where the forest slowly but surely spread into the rolling plains of Wind Dragon territory. He had to assume that they had remained there for the most part from then on. And from there they would have gone their separate ways.

Timaeus would have gone further north, on the very edges of the Wind Dragons' Clan territory. Atem would have traveled southeast, to the heart of the mountains nearest the human tribes. It was a deterrent, Yugi knew, as many dragons were simply suspicious of the human species altogether. Humans could be volatile sometimes and that was enough to scare many. But it had not been a big enough one to keep his various desperate suitors from him.

Atem had layered his dens with various deterrents.

He was near a large river which cut through half of his territory in the way it weaved and stretched about. This would scare any Fire Dragons or Earth Dragons who were too inexperienced around water. He was at a high altitude due to the mountain peaks he'd chosen as his home. This was enough to put pressure on any dragons that were not used to such things, as well as being high up enough that many would simply turn tail. He was near enough to the human tribe that worshipped him that oftentimes one could see their fires without effort in the darkness.

Atem had defended himself as much as he could…

"Well aren't you a sight for a sore eye?"

Yugi looked up, startled, and blinked in surprise. He had not even noticed that Timaeus was sitting nearby, waiting for them silently. He had a small, genuine smile on his face, his single amber eye sparkling. The Gandora hated himself for how jealous he felt at that moment.

"Hello," Atem greeted warmly, hurrying his pace. When he got close enough, they bumped heads and Atem nuzzled his side as if he were a dragonet before his parents. Yugi slowed awkwardly, tilting his head, and hovered at the edge of their union, feeling small and much like an uninvited hatchling.

"Yugi," Timaeus murmured, moving to butt heads with him as well. The Gandora paused, startled, and then hurried to do the same. The Wind Dragon chortled and Atem smiled warmly at the younger dragon. Yugi was flustered at the acknowledgment, though he smiled bashfully and took a seat with his tail around his paws.

"What brings you two here?" the Wind Dragon asked curiously, looking between them and focusing on Atem when the God Dragon moved to take a seat closer to his mate. The red dragon came within a couple of inches of him, then sat down with his wings tucked into his sides and his eyes half-closed with relaxed features on his face. Yugi beamed at the thought of being chosen over his older friend but then a small wave of shame filled him as well.

He was being petty again.

"The Rainbow Dragon, Jesse, did he come by here?"

Timaeus considered him for a long moment. "He left a couple of hours ago," he admitted, watching him and then tilting his head. His eye flickered briefly towards Yugi and then back slowly. "I didn't think you would want to attend this meeting."

Atem grunted. "Yugi convinced me," he muttered, casting a quick glance towards the Gandora and nuzzling his neck for a brief heartbeat. When he pulled away again the Gandora nearly whined with dissatisfaction.

The Wind Dragon turned to Yugi. "I assume you'll be attending as well then?" he teased. The youngest male opened his mouth, the words "Of course!" on his tongue before he startled. There was a small flicker of movement in his peripheral. His head snapped around and Atem sat up with a more curious expression beside him, visibly confused by his reaction.

The little dragonet was a few yards away, crouched low to the ground in preparation to spring at him. It was pale, a soft violet shade that was barely apparent against the whiter scales of its soft underbelly. Yugi grinned, snorting, and turned to face them with a wiggle of his rump. Atem snickered and Timaeus smirked when he pounced at the hatchling. It paused, eyes growing huge as Yugi landed. Then it reared back, squealing as if it'd been struck, spun around so fast it tripped over its tail, and hit the ground. It shook itself out, sprang to its paws, and ran away as quickly as it could.

Yugi gaped after him, horrified. Then he remembered Timaeus was behind him, as well as Atem. And his head snapped around in a panic as the thought occurred to him that Atem would turn on Timaeus if the Wind Dragon lunged at him as they'd spoken of earlier. He was breathless as he blurted out a panicked, "I didn't mean to scare him so much!"

But, to his relief, Timaeus was laughing with a bright amber eye, shaking his head and beaming at him. And Atem was so relaxed Yugi could have melted just seeing how clear the gem in his forehead was, the way he had lost any sense of tension and was smiling at him warmly.

"Mahado often tends to bite off more than he can chew when he decides to stalk around," Timaeus explained gently, looking past him towards where the dragonet had so quickly retreated. "I promise you haven't scared him any worse than the rabbit did yesterday."

The Gandora blinked wide eyes. "Rabbit?"

Atem snickered and immediately Yugi turned back to him, searching his face. "I'm sure it's similar to my experience with that frog."

Timaeus blinked, then tilted his head curiously, considering them both with a questioning look. Yugi was satisfied with the idea that perhaps he knew a bit more about the Sky Dragon than Timaeus did. But the Wind Dragon hardly seemed upset with such a thing, smiling goodnaturedly. "He went after a rabbit yesterday, but when he caught it, it screamed. So he screamed and ran as fast he could. Critias teased him about it all night."

Yugi sat up, adrenaline crashing through him. "How is he?" he demanded. "Is he okay? I hope he wasn't too frightened by all the fighting?"

"Well, now you're making me feel like a bad father," Timaeus laughed. "You seem more worried about him than I was when I took him home!"

Yugi laughed, but he noticed now that Atem was no longer paying attention. His golden eyes had blinked and his head had turned the smallest degree. He was looking past him, to a large tunnel with a lip barely visible against the long grass. He could tell by the darkness of it, the way it seemed like the bottom of a large pool of water beneath moonlight, that it branched off in several directions. It was much akin a rabbit's warren, he realized curiously.

He narrowed his eyes, searching once more. Near the tunnel were several lower bushes and the grass was long enough that it could have covered a dragon crouched down amongst its frail blades. He bristled, flicking his tail. He knew the feeling of being stared at too well to ignore it.

He tried his hardest to pinpoint the direction, turning his head and focusing his attention as fully as he could. But the sunlight was stronger than he was used to and the grass seemed to dance with a light wind. The shimmering blades gave off enough light to remind him of rippling water and he nearly snarled at the disadvantage. His eyes were made for sharper colors to help him see underwater as the rivers were often dull with shadows but the dark like an abyss towards the bottom and the fish often had scales of soft silver and shiny gray and heads of pink. His eyes were made for distance but not for constant movement.

He had trained himself to predict when an opponent might move in the slightest. But he could not detect it with movement so swift around him as well. The blades of grass moving as they were could almost overwhelm him.

And then he saw her.

It was only because of her pupils. They had flipped, shifting position, and now he could see the blackness like a pool of blood against ice. He considered her, flicking his tail tip uncomfortably.

The Wind Dragon lay several yards away, using it to blend in with her pale, shimmering yellow scales. She was the shade of the grass blades, perfectly blended in as if she were invisible amongst them. Her eyes were a light brown, barely darker than the grass surrounding her. But it was so little in variance that Atem knew if her pupils hadn't flipped he would have had no chance to spot it. Her legs were a black color, almost akin his brother Seto's and her features were much akin those of the Felgrand now that he considered it. She had a smooth head, a body of soft ridges indicative of the Wind Dragon species.

And she was watching Yugi like a hawk.

"Yugi," he warned softly, tilting his chin towards her now. The sound of his voice cut his mate off from what he was saying to Timaeus and immediately he turned away to look as well. It took Yugi less than a second to spot her, his eyes made for such a thing due to his nocturnal nature. Hunting in the dark was almost impossible for Atem but for his electroreception in the water. On land he was more useless than a gutted fish.

But Yugi's eyes could see shades of shadow and differentiate between them. His eyes could tell apart the movement of wind from a body shifting weight and walking through strands of grass. His eyes were made for darkness, but by no stretch was he blind in any manner. His eyes were adapted for harsh sunlight and camouflage due to the desert terrain that should have been his home. He was made equally for nocturnal activities and hunting throughout the day.

"Oh!"

Yugi shot him an incredibly embarrassed and ashamed look, as if he were horrified that he could have forgotten their mother might be nearby to watch her clutch. Atem studied him for only a moment, then leaned forward to lick his forehead. He didn't mind in the slightest that the Gandora was so playful or sweet in nature. He didn't mind that he was so excited to see a playful dragonet that he'd forgotten himself for a moment.

What he did mind was the abrupt thought that crossed his mind.

He knew nothing of Kris's temperament. He knew nothing of how she might react to them there. If she saw Yugi go near the den, she was sure to react. And if she did, would she try to kill him or simply warn him off?

Atem did not entirely think it bad for Yugi to be surprised by her should she leap out at him. It was something that all dragons needed to learn. Yugi couldn't just leap into a game with another dragon's nest and forget their parents might be around. But if she was deadly and fierce…

Atem wasn't willing to risk it.

"Critias is fine, however. He's actually so proud of the little scratch on his side that he runs around and boasts about it to anyone who will listen. We've all heard about ten different stories about how he got it." Timaeus smirked, though now he looked to Atem for a single moment. The God Dragon tilted his head faintly in the female's direction and Timaeus looked over as well, but he did not show any visible discomfort. He did not seem alarmed as if she might be a true threat. "And I'm sure any minute now he'll come running out to tell you all about it as well."

Atem grunted, looking over again. "Will your mate be okay with that?" he demanded in a curt tone, one that he had never truly taken with the Wind Dragon before. Timaeus turned to him without a hint of surprise in his expression, however. "She's looking at Yugi as if she plans to gut and eat him."

Yugi stiffened in surprise, eyes wide. Timaeus snorted and shook his head. "Kris is extremely protective of them. They are her first clutch, after all."

Yugi turned to him with huge eyes now. "But not yours?" he asked curiously. He watched the Wind Dragon with kneading paws. Timaeus would be the first dragon he'd ever crossed paths with that had failed to mate for life. He had grown up with both of his parents, of two species that went against their own nature to remain mated for life.

And he had chosen Atem from the very heartbeat he'd seen him upon turning six moons and spotting him playing with his disgusting brothers. And Atem himself naturally mated for life, something that some species considered a curse while others thought it a blessing.

Yugi definitely considered it the latter.

"I've had three."

"You're not getting around much," Atem teased, giving his mate a sly look that made Yugi immediately grin. With a sideways glance at Timaeus, he continued. "Are you functioning properly?"

Timaeus laughed and swatted at his head. He missed by several inches and smirked, eye shining as he thumped his tail playfully. "Yes, you little snake, I'm functioning properly." He grinned fondly at his snickering friend and Yugi wondered briefly if he and Atem would ever be so close.

"Well, you would think that your friendly Sky Dragon neighbor killing everything that moves would do you well to have the females flocking to you."

The Wind Dragon snorted and swatted at him again. Atem nudged Yugi, snickering against his throat. The Gandora trembled with delight at the sensation. "It's done well to scare some males away but some of the females get too panicked to come this direction after realizing that you're south of here." He rolled his wings, shrugging at the younger male. "But I also haven't done much with mating either. It's burdensome going back and forth between mates. Remembering names and all that."

Atem burst out laughing. "You're ridiculous." Yugi smiled and tilted his head curiously. His mate nudged him again gently. "It is a burden, however. I sometimes forget his name too."

The Gandora huffed. "You couldn't forget my name if you tried!"

"What was that, Yogi?"

Yugi whined and butted him in the shoulder. "Dog-brain."

Atem ran his tongue from his beak to his crown and then turned back and faced his friend. "I think I see a certain hatchling running over here as we speak," he commented, smirking and turning his head.

Yugi turned immediately, hearts quickening and eyes widening as his wings tucked along his sides. "Critias!" he called in delight as the pale hatchling came running forward as quickly as he could.

"Look at my scratch!" the dragonet crowed immediately. He bounced, bounding about the grass and its tall strands like a fawn jumping. He was trying his hardest, Yugi noticed, to show off his little wound. The Gandora couldn't see it very well, however, with the way the dragonet sprang in such uneven intervals. He smiled and moved to meet him halfway.

But he got only within a yard of him.

His mother sprang.

Yugi jumped backwards, horrified. He bristled and gaped at her. Critias crouched low to the ground, hiding in the grass.

Yugi couldn't see either dragon more than a heartbeat, however.

Atem was in front of him. His legs were braced for a lunge. The front half of his body shielded Yugi entirely. His wings were raised and folded, arching from his sides. If he flapped once, he could get more speed, Yugi knew. His head was lowered, his tongues flicking from between his sharp teeth. He was snarling, spitting, and the scales on his back rose and fell. But Yugi did not hear the blades of his tail unsheathing.

And he thanked the gods for this.

Kris was bristling in turn. Her pose was a direct mirror of his. Her teeth were bared. She was quivering with tension. Her claws tugged anxiously at the grass beneath her paws. Her tongue flicked as she sized him up.

Atem could see her positioning herself to protect Critias more pointedly. But the hatchling was cowering so low to the ground that he was invisible. And he didn't need to look to know that Yugi was still staring in shock.

Atem made no move towards her. He would not harm her if she did not attack first. He respected her for at least trying to protect her hatchling. That was something he could not be upset over. In truth, he did not want to hurt her to begin with. But if she turned her teeth on Yugi he'd likely kill her for it.

"Hey, okay, Atem, relax!" the Gandora pleaded at his side. But his words simply made Atem bristle further. Kris had turned her head slightly. She was trying to spot him past Atem. He flicked his tongue, snarling. Her eyes shot back to him immediately.

Timaeus, however, simply moved between them. Atem growled in annoyance. But the Wind Dragon did not look at him even slightly. He was facing Kris instead.

"It's okay, Kris. Atem and Yugi wouldn't hurt him. Atem is the one I sent him to find to help us, remember?"

The female Wind Dragon stared at him almost blankly for a moment. Atem could see the thoughts churning behind her eyes. She was torn between the instinct to protect Critias and to listen to her mate's words. He knew she recognized him. It was why she was trembling faintly even now.

But she looked to Atem a moment. And then she turned her head and he knew instinctively that Yugi was no longer behind him. He'd moved to his side, was trying to get between them if a fight did break out somehow. But her eyes were uncertain and Atem knew she had to be considering the lore surrounding their species. Critias was still laying flat on his stomach, staring with wide horrified eyes. He did not look inclined to get up.

"But he…"

"He's the one who hid him before he left to fight. Yugi is the reason Critias is still alive and Atem is the reason we survived the entire ordeal."

The female watched Timaeus for a long handful of seconds. Then she stared at Atem for a few heartbeats. She seemed to be studying him more than showing aggression. But Atem still found himself bristling aggressively. He was frustrated as he watched her.

"All right."

Her eyes flickered to Yugi. Atem snarled, flicking his tongue. She turned immediately to him again. And Timaeus looked at him with a tilt of his head.

"She's not going to hurt him. You can stop snarling now, Atem."

The Sky Dragon ignored him for a moment. It wasn't that he thought she'd turn on Yugi any longer. It wasn't that he wanted to aggravate the situation any further. It was simply that he hoped to make sure she knew he would defend Yugi no matter what.

Yugi tapped him on the shoulder with his beak, coaxing him to disengage. The God Dragon ignored him as well, snarling low in his throat. But Yugi simply nudged him again. And he could feel his anger melting as he slowly straightened to his full height and turned away with a huff.

"I'm okay," Yugi said gently, assuring him with a smile. Atem glanced at him sideways, tilting his head, and nodded.

"Now, little dragon, what was that about your scratch?" Atem asked, turning to Critias with a small smile. Kris blinked, straightening, and looked at her son. The dragonet was staring up at her with a hesitant expression. When she did not object, the hatchling sprung to his paws and angled his side to show Atem with bright eyes. He stretched his wings upwards, displaying a bright pink mark along his flank from elbow to hip.

"It's a battle wound!" he cried. He made sure that Yugi was watching too before he straightened and looked at him proudly. He raised his head and turned his body to display every inch of his side. "There were these huge dragons that came a little while back to attack us! And Mahado and Ishizu and Hermos were too afraid to come out of the den. But not me!"

Yugi was already laughing, watching him with brilliant eyes. "You're so brave," he said softly, tilting his head the smallest degree. "You were willing to come out to help your mom and dad fight, huh?"

"Mmhmm!" Critias sat down with flourish, angling his head up in a proud and extremely exaggerated manner. He beamed at Yugi with bright, pale eyes. "I came out the moment the fighting started! One of them tried to eat me so I clawed them in the eye and hit them with a fireball!"

Atem was snickering now as well. In the corner of his eye he could see that the other hatchlings were coming to see the two visitors in question. Mahado was in the far back, watching Yugi with huge, pale bluish eyes and dilated pupils. In the middle was a small female with pale beige scales and wide bright blue eyes like ice. And in front was an orange-red male with a tilted head and curious brown eyes.

"That's amazing. I couldn't even form a fireball when I was your age," the Sky Dragon commented, turning back to Critias. The hatchling preened beneath his attention now, as if the statement made his storytelling all the more important now.

"I took him down!" he crowed. Yugi nodded, giving him an immensely focused and fascinated look as Critias paused to make sure he was paying attention as well. Atem nearly burst out laughing. There was no doubt who his favorite truly was. Timaeus was smirking and shaking his head now. "He was bleeding everywhere and turned tail. So then I went after the next but he got me in the side so I had to stop and recover."

Yugi glanced sideways at Atem. The Sky Dragon was smirking wider than ever, trembling with suppressed laughter. Yugi couldn't help but smile. "You're as strong as the Leviathan," he murmured, turning back to Critias. The hatchling trembled with excitement, the praise making him let out a cooing sound of pure happiness.

"Surely a God Dragon," Atem agreed, smiling as he studied him. But something inside of him ached hollowly at the words. He glanced at the other three hatchlings who now sat a couple of feet away. They watched him with wide, gorgeous eyes.

And he wondered, feeling sick, if any of them might be jealous as his own siblings had been. But their fascination was acute and fixated so completely on their brother that they hardly seemed to notice him or Yugi any longer.

Thank the gods for such small mercies…

"Mom and dad were surrounded! So I had to jump in to save them after that! So I hit another one with a fireball and they went 'boom'!" Now he pounced at Yugi who pretended to be surprised, jumping and flattening himself to the ground with widened eyes. Timaeus snickered at his dramatic antics and Atem smirked a little wider.

"You're so brave," Yugi said again, shaking his head with an amazed look. "I would have been terrified. I don't think I could have dealt with that at all!"

Atem looked at him for a moment, laughing, but his hearts ached as well. Yugi was never going to get his clutch. He was never going to have a nest to tell stories to or offspring to play with…

Critias went on, pouncing at his siblings as they squeaked and moved aside. Hermos batted at his brother, however, and quickly the two of them dissolved into a mock battle. Yugi remained lying at his side, relaxing and smiling as the two of them lunged at one another. Atem watched him a moment longer. He rose to his paws and shook himself out to lose what little tension remained in his limbs.

"So, how much of that was true?" he asked curiously.

"Not a thing," Timaeus laughed, shaking his head. "He's exaggerated all of it."

The Sky Dragon snickered. "I had guessed as much." He took a seat to wrap his tail around his paws. "He's got a lot of you in him, hmm?"

"He's got his mother's temperament," the older male answered with a smirk. "Very excitable, very dramatic. He's got my senses though. He knew to duck and hide when I told him to find you."

"So how did he end up caught then?"

Now the Wind Dragon grimaced. "Yubel poked a paw in. He bit her and broke a toe but she got him in the side," he answered with a shake of his head. "And then Keith's bastard son tried to get him when he squeaked. Kris fought him off long enough for Critias to run while Yubel turned her back and pretended not to see it."

Atem nodded slowly. "Do you think it will scar?"

"I doubt it. She hardly did any damage. He bled a lot due to his soft flesh. He was not too deeply wounded however."

Yugi looked over now as well. "That's lucky. He could have gotten a lot worse."

The Sky Dragon glanced at him. But Yugi's blue-violet eyes were no longer focused on him. He was looking at Timaeus. And Atem saw them both as they swapped brief, fleeting glances. He sighed loudly, shaking his head, but did not comment. He knew what they'd been communicating silently like that. He wrapped his tail around his paws again, ignoring the urge to snarl in annoyance.

"I'm impressed he attacked her though," he admitted. "That's more than most newly born hatchlings would do."

"He's a very brave little dragon." Timaeus looked down at his hatchling fondly. And, as if to make his hearts ache, Yugi turned to Critias with similar fondness. Atem felt as if he'd been gutted; no doubt Yugi was attached to him. "He didn't want his siblings to get hurt. I'm honestly lucky that Yubel didn't cry out when he bit her and none of his siblings said anything or made any noise. He was going to dig them up but I lied and said Critias was the only one in the clutch."

Yugi nodded, turning back to him. "That was a good idea."

Timaeus nodded in turn. His eyes fell on the clutch for a moment before he turned to Atem. "I honestly think he takes a lot more after you than he does me. Considering his running around like a little brat. I think you rubbed off on him somehow."

Atem burst out laughing, eyes shining. "That's a delightful little lie." He smiled at Timaeus when the Wind Dragon butted him in the shoulder affectionately. Then he looked away to face Kris once more as he watched her offspring pounce about and tire themselves out for a handful of seconds. The female turned to him after a heartbeat or two, as if she had been summoned by his attention.

When she realized he truly was staring at her, her head rose slightly and she sat up the smallest degree straighter. It was as if she expected him to react violently to her presence. The Sky Dragon smiled faintly.

"Kris, correct?"

Yugi blinked and looked up from where he'd been watching Critias. In the corner of Atem's eye he saw his head turn back and forth between the two of them almost expectantly.

"Yes." She hesitated. "Atem, right?"

"Atem, God Dragon of the East," he answered with a nod. Her eyes widened slightly at the statement then her head snapped towards her mate as she hissed, "You didn't say he was a God Dragon!" and Yugi snorted loudly.

"I assumed you knew."

"Why would I know that?"

"The God Dragon lives south of here, has a second mouth, kills all of the dragons that challenge him for mating rights?" Timaeus blinked at her and snorted. "Besides, he came to deal with Keith's son. And I told you my best friend is the God Dragon."

"I thought that was some kind of stupid line to make me want to mate with you."

"I'm a stud. Why would I need to do that?"

Atem snorted loudly and turned away when Timaeus shot him a dirty look. Kris swiped at him playfully but Timaeus dodged away with a snicker. He trotted a few steps, turned around with a smirk, and plopped down beside Atem as if the Sky Dragon might protect him.

"Keith's son even addressed him as the God Dragon!"

"Keith's son also called Keith a god," she sneered. Her tail thumped and she turned away with a huff. "Besides, I did not consider that the God Dragon would have a male mate of an entirely separate species. And I came from north of here. I didn't have reason to hear stories about him until you mentioned him. The most I ever heard about was a Sky Dragon that was unusually temperamental and violent. Sometimes they called him the Red Death and others they didn't. So, no, I didn't go around assuming any red male Sky Dragon I met would be a God Dragon. Besides, he's a Slifer. And I've never heard of a Slifer being a God Dragon before."

"He's the first in that regard." Timaeus grinned at Atem for a split second, then turned away. "It doesn't matter, though. Atem is Atem. He's not going to hurt anyone until they give him reason to."

"Then I suppose I'll make sure not to give him a reason."

Timaeus laughed out loud. "That's easy enough. All you have to do is make sure you're nice to Yugi."

Yugi smirked in amusement and tilted his head curiously. Atem looked over at him, then bumped him gently in the shoulder with his beak. When Yugi turned his head, his tongue came over his face and the Gandora melted into the touch.