Chapter VI: Water Clan

The Clan lived in a series of caverns dug into sheer upright stone. The sun was blocked due to depth and the air was no longer as stifling. Sand had been scraped and burned to a more polished stone-like floor where Atem's paws almost slipped from its sleekness. The Leviathan snickered when he saw him stumble and Jaden gave him an alarmed look. Yusei seemed puzzled, then laughed softly at his embarrassment. Honda had smirked, though he'd never taken his eyes off him since they'd started walking. The Red-Eyes had taken the lead and Honda had gotten to his side and stayed there, never once wavering from his flanking position.

Atem tried not to bristle whenever the Clan shifted the wrong way or moved just enough for him to hear. He remembered hearing they lived underground to avoid the sun due to their nocturnal natures. He imagined with the blinding intensity of it, even burrowing under the sand likely didn't do much to block it away. Huge gaping caverns were made more apparent as they approached, with black entrances drenched in shadows. Atem faltered when he heard something from within, a hideous scraping and shifting noise as sand fell to the bottom of the tunnel. He shivered, entire body jerking in an undignified twitch.

He remembered all too well fighting an Earth Dragon that had dove under a slab of rock and used magic to tunnel beneath him. They'd struck him so hard in the stomach that Atem had been paralyzed for a moment or two before he'd beaten them senseless. She'd attempted later to use pheromones to entice him and Atem had struck her down for it immediately after, just as he had so many other suitors.

"Atem."

He blinked and looked over. Yusei paused in front of him, turning to face them both with a puzzled expression. Honda had taken a seat a few feet from the entrance, watching rather than glaring.

"I'd like to speak to you."

"Oh, thank Paradise," Atem mumbled, scurrying to leave the tunnel as Yusei burst out laughing behind him. Honda chuckled as Atem scrabbled to drag himself up and over the high, abrupt lip of the entrance. He truly wished for a moment he had Yugi's claws. He dragged himself up, stumbling, and then pounced forward to land gracefully near the Clan leader.

Yusei was still laughing when he looked over his shoulder. Jaden snickered from where he'd joined him. Atem kicked some loose dirt as if he might bury them and they laughed louder at the antic. He turned to Honda, blinking when the Tyrant Dragon considered him wryly.

"Do tunnels upset you so much? I would have assumed you took shelter in them whenever tired."

Atem could hear the other three moving further into the camp. "I did. I still do." He wasn't about to explain his unease to him. "But they are all dens I have personally made or found and settled in. They do not go far underground usually and no one else inside them is tall enough that their wings scrape the top. The noise and enclosed space make me itchy."

"And you're the one Yugi decided he had to have."

The God Dragon snorted. "Yes, well, I don't dictate these things. I just put up with them." He looked around, glancing at the sky where not a single cloud hovered against the expanse of blue, then at the ground where the water had seemingly evaporated despite the downpour the Leviathan had summoned. He shifted his weight, shook himself out, and moved toward an expanse of shadows the sheer walls of stone cast. Honda twisted around, watching him keenly, and then followed suit when he realized where he was going. Atem took a spot a foot or two into the shade, relieved the air didn't quiver with heat so much there, and wrapped his tail around his paws as he settled comfortably. "So, you wished to speak to me?"

Honda snorted. "I just watched you kick sand at older God Dragons. You can't pretend to be mature with me now."

Atem snorted. "They deserved it." He tilted his head, studying him. "Is it about Yugi?"

"You must have read my mind."

"I don't have that ability. There's just no other reason for you to speak to me." Atem smirked wryly. "You're afraid of me. I can see it in the tension in your shoulders. You think I would destroy your camp on a whim, because rumor has it I might just be stronger than the Leviathan. I'm a Slifer, with two mouths, and I've got the worst reputation for destruction within my own territory. If you were not afraid of me, you'd be foolish."

Honda stared, considering him before slowly taking a seat as well. "Astute."

"I didn't survive this long without knowing how to read opponents."

"So, now I'm an opponent?"

"Everyone is until proven otherwise." Atem ignored his puzzled look. "What did you want to ask me about Yugi?"

"It's not a question. It's a request."

The Sky Dragon blinked and tilted his head, eyeing him cautiously. "A request?"

"I want him to know if war does break out, he is welcome to come here." Honda growled softly. "I assume he will not take me up on the offer, seeing as he'll be stuck to your side no matter what should happen, but if you are…miraculously struck down, he can come here."

"It would not take a miracle," Atem scoffed. "It would just take dedication and a sharper mind than my own. I'm sure a dragon like that exists already."

Yugi was such a dragon. Atem just would not say that. But the unspoken name hovered between them and Honda narrowed his eyes as he studied him more intently. Atem had no doubt Yugi could kill him if he put his mind to it and truly lent some of his ferocity toward the task. He was too sweet and soft like he was now, but Atem was sure if he'd been angered enough, the little Gandora could have killed each and every one of the God Dragons in one shot if he so tried. Between human means and dragon, Yugi had to be one of the most clever little creatures Atem had ever graced himself with.

"Yugi would never turn on you."

He snorted. "I'm aware."

"He'll probably be the reason you exist until you're a million if rumors are to be believed," Honda snorted. He looked away. "That stupid little hatchling. He's impossible to shake when he puts his mind to something."

"A million years would be far too long. I'll take a thousand," Atem grunted. He looked away. Just the idea was exhausting. Yugi would pass long before he did, which would likely cut his lifespan significantly due to heartache. Sky Dragons often had such problems. Mating for life was a blessing in some cases, a curse in others. But Atem thought it only a blessing. If he got to die young, then at least he'd known what it was like to have a mate who cherished him. And he could not imagine living forever like stories alluded. He did not want to live for so long everyone and everything he knew died around him while the world continued on its journey. "I do not want an eternity."

"Eternity sounds miserable," Honda agreed. "But I imagine it'd be worse for you."

Atem glanced over. "For any reason in particular?"

"I was just imagining your suitors. They'd become far worse and more hostile as time passed, especially when Yugi was deceased. I can't imagine you'd want to live fighting every day all over again."

"No." Atem turned away again, listening as movement began underground. They were all scurrying like rats under straw. His skin prickled. The sound the Earth Dragon's magic had made before he'd burst out from beneath him—

"How long ago did Yugi win?"

He blinked and puzzled for a moment, trying to find a definitive date and failing. He glanced around at the arid terrain, staring at the large expanse of dirt and the shadows cast by those strange squiggles in the grains. "It has been almost a year now, perhaps? I…believe it is just short of eight moons."

Honda blinked and shifted his weight. "Eight? I had expected it to be much longer. I haven't seen him in so long."

"He was in my territory four moons shy of a year without me ever knowing. Altogether, he's been in my territory a year and a half. The other year and a half, I assume he spent with Jonouchi somewhere in this region."

Honda tilted his head. "Oh. I had thought he'd challenged you sooner."

"He spent time with the humans to learn their tricks so as to challenge me with a better chance of victory." Atem blinked long and slow, turning to him again. Honda looked stunned, mouth half-open and eyes nearly popping out of his head. Atem chuckled. "I'd assume you didn't realize he'd be with humans, either."

"I… No. That's… He's crazy."

He laughed and shook his head. "I think Yugi would have a great many allies. I cannot imagine he'd have a hard time finding aid should he ever have need."

Honda watched him, expression growing skeptical. "I know you're a Sky Dragon, but…" He tilted his head. "I suppose you have to love him if you let him consummate the courtship. I just… It's so…"

Atem blinked, the word burning his skin. He didn't love him. It was not to say he couldn't learn to, but the feeling he had for Yugi seemed only like fondness for the moment. He did not equate it to some all-powerful force as everyone explained it in stories. He did not see it as such.

I also do not feel attachment to an egg I laid, he sneered to himself. I am likely damaged beyond measure and this is how it manifests.

The thought made him smirk as he turned away. "Yes."

"How do the two of you even coexist? He's a Gandora. You're a Sky Dragon. I don't…" Honda looked flustered. "He was always dead set on claiming you as a mate, but I… He did it and you stand in front of me speaking of him fondly. I don't understand."

"Compromise." Atem looked at him. "It's simple in theory, harder in reality."

Honda snorted. "You sound ridiculous."

He nodded. "I'm aware." He stretched his forelimbs and rose to his paws again. "They've finished visiting the nonexistent nests."

"How do you know?" Honda looked over his shoulder and then turned back. "They're not outside the camp yet."

"The nursery is about twenty yards west of my position now. They've been there talking for a while, since they have not been moving. They are coming this way now." Atem shook himself out and Honda narrowed his eyes. "You do not survive for as long as I have with so many threats and suitors without learning something of other dragons and their movements."

The Tyrant Dragon snorted. "I suppose so."

Atem ignored him when the other three came out of the tunnel. Yusei turned his head, appearing almost relieved to see him there. The Ice Dragon smiled at them brightly.

"Are you ready to visit the Water Clan?"

Atem would rather have puked blood. "Yes. Let's go." He looked to Honda a moment. "I will tell Yugi what you asked. But know that if war comes and I survive it, he is safe at my side."

Jaden and the Leviathan looked over with wide eyes, staring at them with an expression he saw as only stunned bewilderment. Yusei had lost his smile, statuesque where he stood bristling with shock. Atem padded past Honda and over to them, ignoring their expressions.

"Do you think he believes what he said?" Yusei finally asked. He was at Atem's wing rather than Jaden's, though Atem didn't know if this was for the sake of speaking to him or keeping them from going to blows as they almost had in the desert. The white male was staring at him in his peripheral, watching intently as if he meant to judge the situation on Atem's word alone. "He seemed so…"

"Determined to get ahead?" he supplied, not looking over. Jaden and the Leviathan were still noticeably further ahead. Atem wondered if Jaden had even noticed Yusei was not with them. "If he's afraid of war, it makes sense he'd be bracing himself for what he thinks inevitable."

Yusei grimaced. "The whole point of our existence is to bring peace. Half the time I don't know what that is anymore. It means too many different things to different dragons. And humans…" He shuddered and righted himself quickly. "I don't even want to consider them in this mess."

Atem glanced at him sideways. Why should they consider them in all of this? It was not as if they mattered in the long run. The species would destroy itself one day. They were a festering wound, ruining the world whenever they so much as touched it. He didn't know what to think of them most days, let alone how to interact with them. It made his mountain den all the more appealing.

"He asked me to tell Yugi he was safe to find refuge in their Clan should war begin and I be struck down," he said quietly, trying to assuage the suspicion he knew he'd seen on the Ice Dragon's face before their flight. Yusei wobbled from the shock of the statement, wings dipping for a single second before he straightened, staring at him in alarm. "He believes war is on the horizon. I do not know why. But I do know that much. He is preparing and he even means to offer allegiance to Yugi. As far as I am concerned, his opinion of the situation is just. I do not know what I expect of…an eclipse so soon after the fight Keith waged."

Yusei blinked, expression flustered. "Are you all right?"

"I am glad Yugi has allies. Why should I be discontent?"

The Ice Dragon opened his mouth but did not speak. For a moment he looked as if he were struggling for words. But it faded when he shook his head and angled his paws as if to land. Atem had not noticed they were so close to the Water Clan camp until that moment.

Water had eaten away rocks into a sheer hundred-foot cliff. The sides were gouged open like bleeding wounds, sea froth dripping from the surface. The expanse was blackened like rotting flesh and atop the plateau of stone was a small layer of grass which cracked through the rugged terrain. An immense river twice the size of Atem's body trailed the expanse of it, from its eastern corner to its western, rippling and roaring as it spat forth water and cut through rock. Where the terrain became uneven, more and more grass rose in small patches of bright green, the blades short and feathery in appearance.

Jaden visibly slowed, hovering, and made an annoyed sound as he landed near the water. He looked at the waves where they crashed against the stone and then turned back with a huff. Atem landed comfortably alongside Yusei and the Leviathan launched himself into the water without a care. Jaden snarled when it landed on him and Atem snickered as he shook himself out. Yusei grinned and hurried to the water's edge, staring into it as if he might see something besides shadows and broken stone.

The Leviathan appeared a moment later, poking his head out and dragging himself from the river. He got to the shore, looked at Jaden, and shook himself out so forcefully the water came in a torrent and the Fire Dragon screeched with annoyance. Atem smirked and Yusei cackled as he sprang over the river and padded a few feet along.

"Leviathan!"

Atem looked over and blinked, entire body locking in place as his eyes widened. The dragon before him was twice the Leviathan's size, standing so large Atem almost felt he could swallow the sky. He was pure white, the color of sea foam against the rocks or fresh snow like what littered his home territory. His face was huge, pristine, with wide jaws and scales like feathers which trailed his entire body to his hindquarters. There they lengthened and grew sharper, like strands of hair or abnormally long whiskers. Every scale on his body was layered so densely it looked like a bear's pelt. His claws were the color of Atem's scales, a bright and stunning red like fresh blood, and his paws were the size of his head. Even the scales on his wings were feather-like, long and draping and layered so that they looked almost like icicles. His tail was of similar plumage to his chest, long and skinny and without a single scale raised along his spine.

Atem backed up a step, stunned by the sheer size of this male's Battle Form. He saw Yusei stiffen briefly in his peripheral, though he seemed to realize Atem was merely startled rather than fearful. Jaden was staring headlong at the immense dragon, studious and uneasy but nowhere near aggression. The Leviathan was the only one undaunted, smirking as he murmured, "Father."

Atem blinked and tilted his head. So this was Ironheart? This was the last remaining Judgment Dragon? He supposed stories had not embellished his huge size or powerful stance. Atem could feel his strength in waves. No wonder the Leviathan was so powerful, so large, and the God Dragon of War.

No wonder he was rumored to have the strongest ability to see visions in water. He was the son of the last species of dragon said to naturally see things. He was the son of the last remaining member of said species. He could probably see prophecies in dreams if he tried. He could probably judge a dragon at first glance and see into their soul without trying to use magic and—

The Judgment Dragon was laughing at him.

Jaden, Yusei and the Leviathan were staring at him. The Judgment Dragon was staring at him. Atem couldn't tell if he looked as stupid as he felt, but he hoped to the gods not.

"Atem," Yusei laughed, "are you all right?"

He nodded slightly and shook himself out. Ironheart smiled at him wider than ever, searching his face. His eyes were sparkling gray orbs, the only splash of color against his white scales. He chuckled and looked him over and Atem swore he saw something flash in his eyes. It seemed almost akin wonder or perhaps caution, maybe even shock. Atem could not properly read it at this distance or within such a cold, estranged color.

"I'm fine." But he didn't feel it. He could not tell if it was fear, caution or excitement he felt. He suppressed a shiver and looked away again. "I just… I'm tired."

Ironheart chuckled. "It is a pleasure to meet the newest God Dragon," he said warmly, somehow fond despite the lack of familiarity between them. Atem looked over and fought a bristle. His eyes bore into Atem's face and the red male almost snarled with frustration. Why was he staring at him like this? "You are everything, yet nothing like what I expected."

He bristled and barely suppressed a snarl. "What does that mean?"

"Don't be so sensitive," Jaden scoffed. "You had to know we all had our own ideas about you before we met. Just as I'm sure you did us."

Atem bore his teeth. "I had not expected you so unfavorable to common sense, I'll admit," he snapped, "but I had no preconceived notions toward any of you but for legend and rumor."

"And what do you remember of your own?" Ironheart asked softly. "You are known as the Corpse Gatherer and Red Death, a Blood-Scaled Beast and a vicious monster. What should they have assumed of you otherwise, God Dragon of the East?"

"Many suitors survived to regale their tales, whether they chose to or not. I did not make them pledge oath not to speak of their experience, though I am sure their pride kept their mouths shut." Atem stared at him, feeling almost as if he were being looked through rather than at. "Rumors are not what makes the being of any dragon. I have never stopped and decided rumors are all there is to another. I merely listen to them and remember for fun."

Yusei smiled slightly and shook his head. "Not many Sky Dragons have their present bathed in blood, Atem."

He spun on him. "My past is bathed in blood, not my present. Yugi is alive and well," he spat. "He is my present."

Ironheart considered him curiously. "Come, Atem," he said abruptly, "I wish to read your spirit."

He bristled. Read his spirit? Did he mean to tell him his future? Did he mean to see his past? Did he mean to discuss his present? Atem scoffed and shook his head.

"I am not so superstitious," he snarled, "that I believe you to know my future."

Ironheart eyed him. Yusei blinked and frowned. Jaden tilted his head. The Leviathan glanced between them.

"It will not cause harm," Ironheart finally said. "I merely wish to…study the shadows I see in your path."

Shadows? Atem blinked and stared. What did he mean by shadows? What kind of shadows? Were they long and dark or short and gray? He almost laughed aloud. He sounded like a superstitious loon even in his own head. He snorted and shook his head again, looking at the ground with a wry smile.

"Shadows shall always follow me, just as my scales are red and my claws stained with blood," he hissed. "Yet, I do not require another to tell me such things as I already know."

Jaden snorted. "What are you so afraid of?"

"Superstition is for fools," he spat, looking at Ironheart and fighting the urge to lunge. He bore his teeth. "Superstition has no bearing on anything and I am tired of pretending otherwise. You made me come here, Jaden, because you are afraid of your own shadow and think the world shall end over an eclipse. I came here because you all arrived in my territory to find me. I should be at home, in my den beside Yugi. And yet I am here. For whatever reason I have been forced to remain with you while you take your sweet time touring territories. I did not want to come here. I did not care to be here. I do not wish to stay. And I have no need to hear my future before I live it."

Yusei frowned and shook his head slightly. "Every God Dragon has their future seen. It's just tradition, Atem."

He scoffed. "Is that so?" He turned to stare at Jaden. "I would not put it past you to decide it necessary to try to see my future for the sake of controlling me."

The Fire Dragon blinked, then smirked. "You give me a lot of power, Atem, much of which I cannot wield. Ironheart has always looked into our futures and told us whether it might be good or bad."

"And did he proclaim yours bad? Considering your decision for two edicts?"

The Leviathan burst out laughing. "Oh, this little Sky Dragon is amazing."

Ironheart chuckled. "Atem, brother, let me speak to you alone."

Atem huffed, about to argue, and then nodded slowly with a sigh. Ironheart chuckled and turned to lead him away. The Judgment Dragon slowed a few feet ahead, glancing back. Atem eyed him a few moments, growling softly, and hated himself for folding on his own resolve. He should have argued. His agreement now made him incapable of backing out. They would think something was wrong.

No.

They'd know something was wrong.

He had no grounds for such wet paws.

And if he should continue so foolishly, the God Dragons might realize he was hiding something. Whether they realized it was an egg or his dragonet hatching during the eclipse, he could not be sure. But they'd realize something was wrong. They'd turn on him, try to force it from him.

And Atem would gladly kill them all just to ensure Yugi and Yami were okay at the end of it.

He almost laughed at himself, then slowly began to pick his way along after the white male. He did not know how much a match he was for the three of them should they turn on him. But he was sure he could lay waste to at least one of them. And if he were truthful, his target would have to be Jaden.

He'd declared edicts. He'd tried to completely eradicate species.

He was the biggest threat. Yusei would likely back down when Jaden dropped dead. The Leviathan might find it amusing to keep fighting, or he could see the error in such combat and back off.

Atem didn't know.

But he was sure he could at least kill Jaden in the time it took them to strike him down.

He shook his head to scatter the thoughts and followed the Judgment Dragon more faithfully. He allowed him to lead him to the far edge of the rock formation they stood upon, to the cliff which dipped abruptly downward in the length of his body. Ironheart glanced at him as if he did not believe he'd still be following, and then began moving forward again. He was slower than he would have been otherwise, clearly giving Atem more room to understand the space he would need to follow.

The cliff sheered sharply downward and Atem clenched all five toes atop it, claws scraping the rock sharply. He crept along behind him, not quite at a loss as to navigation. He was used to cliffs due to his own terrain, though normally his paws were atop dry dirt rather than slick stone. He did not slow as he followed, eyes narrowed against the spray of sea water that struck the air in droplets. He pressed his right side to the stone, left wing straightened so the tips touched the rock beneath his paws. He kept his tail straight behind him, long and trailing and secured atop the wet rock.

It took a few minutes.

Ironheart led him until he seemed to determine a large crack in the rock face to be his destination. He did not look back again, as if somehow assured he was there despite Atem's near silent trailing. He blinked and narrowed his eyes as he saw the immense crack in the stone before him. It was three times his own height, the bottom just wide enough to allow the two entrance.

"Come, Atem. I wish to see your shadows against the darkness."

He bristled and bit back a snarl. Instead he raised his head, narrowed his eyes, shook himself out, and growled, "Very well."