Chapter 2

Yugi pulled the towel off of his head, rubbing on the solid mass of black sitting in the middle of his bed. After drying it he put his hands on it once more, rubbing his fingers over the surface.

It was very warm to the touch, but not burning, the outside nearly radiating warmth. Yugi tapped it again with his knuckles, he received the same sound he had gotten earlier, a strange resounding ring. It was almost musical.

Yugi sat back, folding his legs and crossing his arms over his chest as he stared at the object in front of him. From what he had just seen in the movie, this was a dragon egg. But they weren't real….were they?

He didn't know what to think. He wanted to ask his Grandpa, but he had managed to sneak around the elder man to take the egg up to his room. He decided to wait and see what would happen to the egg, if it would hatch or if it would remain a strange black stone for the rest of time.

He reached out, petting his hand across the warm shell. He supposed that if it was a dragon egg, and it was going to hatch, then it should have already tried to bond with him. After all, dragon eggs didn't hatch until they found the one that was meant to ride them. At least, that's what had happened in the book and movie. In the movie the scar had not appeared until after the egg had hatched, though…

At that moment there was a flash, and Yugi let out a muffled cry as pain seared his right palm. He threw up his left hand to hide his eyes, his right frozen in place by the egg. As the light faded Yugi brought his hand up, looking at his palm.

The white scar curled over the heel of his hand, the mark of a Dragonrider. Yugi stared with wide eyes and open mouth. He had been chosen…. this egg was his…

Yugi stared for a moment more, and then a wide smile spread across his face. 'Sweet!'

For two more days nothing happened. The egg remained still, and Yugi was starting to wonder if it would hatch at all. He had been hoping to have it hatch before Grandpa left for the week and a half that he was going to be gone, but the way it was looking it wasn't going to happen that way. Grandpa was leaving that night.

Yugi spent most of the day with his grandfather, working with him in the shop. Near closing time the older man backed down. "I want to watch you close the shop, Yugi. I want to be sure that you can do it on your own, you have to care for the shop while I'm gone."

Yugi nodded, going through the routine of closing down under his Grandpa's watchful eye.Sugoroku watched as Yugi correctly closed everything down, proud of the boy that he had raised for most of his young life. He knew that Yugi would be able to take perfect care of himself while he was away, and that everything would be under control.

After Yugi had completed everything Sugoroku smiled at him, going forward to hug his grandson. "I'm proud of you Yugi."

Yugi hugged his caretaker tightly. "I'm going to miss you Grandpa. But I hope that you have fun, and that you find a lot of cool things with Professor Yoshimori."

His grandfather grinned at that. "I'm sure we will, Egypt always has amazing secrets to reveal. It just depends on when it chooses to reveal them."

Yugi hesitated as they stood there in the darkened shop. "Um, Grandpa, I'd like to show you something, before you go."

Sugoroku blinked, but nodded. "Alright Yugi. What is it?"

The boy bit his lip. "Well, I'm not really sure. I found it the night that my friends and I went to see the movie." He held out his hand, and his grandfather gasped as he took Yugi's hand to look at the scar.

"Yugi, where did you get this mark!.? I don't remember it being there!" he exclaimed, running his fingers over it.

"It's the mark of a Dragonrider, the one from the movie. I found something on my way home, and I'm pretty sure it's a dragon egg. I found it in the gutter, I tripped over it. When I was drying it I got this scar. Now that I look back, that's rather early for it to bond with me, but either way, that dragon has chosen me as its rider." Yugi said quietly, allowing his grandpa to examine his hand.

"Dragon?.! Are you certain, Yugi?.!"

Yugi nodded. "Come, I'll show you the egg."

The two made their way upstairs, where Yugi had left the egg sitting in the middle of his bed. As he came into his room he saw that the egg was moving, rocking back and forth on the blanket. He instantly ran forward, placing a hand against the cracked shell.

His touch triggered something, the pieces of the shell blowing away from the tiny form inside it. Yugi let out a small cry, shielding his face with his arms. When he lowered them he saw a tiny form shaking in the middle of the egg shell, unfolding little wings and trying to stay on tiny legs.

He felt a surge of warmth through him, and he reached out carefully, holding out the hand that held the symbol of the Dragonrider on it. The little nose nudged his hand, and then hot breath blew over the scar. Then the tiny creature nuzzled him gently, purring.

Sugoroku was in awe. "A dragon…"

Yugi ran his hand down the back of his little dragon, studying it. The dragon was a shining black, the same color as its egg had been. It was small, about the size of a half-grown cat, its little wings covered in feather-like scales that clinked together softly. The dragon looked up at him, and Yugi looked into eyes of the purest crimson he had ever seen. "Beautiful…"

There was a purr from the small creature, and it clambered into his lap, curling into a ball and laying its tail over its nose as it got comfortable. Yugi continued to pet it, his fingers moving absentmindedly. He looked up at his grandfather, a smile on his face. "Well Grandpa?"

The old man shook his head. "I don't think I would have believed it if the proof wasn't sitting in your lap. Amazing." He reached out, and the dragon raised its head as he did, sniffing at the man's fingers. It made a tiny growling sound, but Yugi made a disapproving sound in his throat. The vermillion eyes traveled to his face, and then the dragon allowed Sugoroku to pet it gently.

Yugi smiled, trailing his own fingers lightly along the dragon's back. It purred in pleasure, rubbing against his hand. 'Wow, I don't think that I've ever been happier. I've got to be the luckiest kid alive!'

The dragon licked at his fingers, and then the large vermillion eyes blinked as there was a small rumble. Sugoroku laughed. "I'll bet that this little guy's hungry. I'll be back in a moment, Yugi."

Yugi nodded, still stroking the dragon's back. It purred louder in pleasure, rubbing its head against Yugi's fingers. "I wonder what I should name you…" The boy examined the creature in his lap, thinking as he did.

At that moment Sugoroku came back up with a bowl, raw meat from the freezer that had been warmed in the microwave. The dragon started cooing and making growling noises, sniffing as he extended his neck, tongue flicking out to taste the air that he knew was scented with meat.

Sugoroku chuckled, setting the bowl on the floor. The dragon leapt out of Yugi's lap, darting to the bowl and eating ravenously. Yugi made a face, but smiled as he watched his little dragon eat.

After a few moments the dragon backed away from the bowl, which was completely empty, his small black sides bulging. He tried to clamber back into Yugi's lap, but didn't get very far; his still damp wings couldn't support his inflated stomach. Yugi laughed, reaching down and wrapping his arms around his dragon, lifting him into his lap.

The black creature purred, and then burped loudly, smoke drifting from his nostrils. Yugi petted him as he curled up in his lap, and then blinked when he felt a curl of something in his mind, satisfaction, joy, and happiness.

Yugi blinked, and then smiled. He was feeling the emotions of his dragon! He grinned then, the perfect name popping into his mind. He stroked the dragon's neck. "What do you think of Yami, little one?"

A curl of joy and approval came through his mind, and Yugi grinned. His dragon was officially named Yami.