Chapter XVI: Siblings

Atem should have returned home immediately upon leaving Lightning Clan territory, but he found it impossible. After the time spent with his brother and siblings he could not stop himself. He couldn't convince himself to return for the moment. He was exhausted, mind reeling. He wanted to see Yugi, but the weight of Yami's existence pressed upon him like stones. He banked toward a beach of black sand, with small seashells scattered about, and landed in the soft grains. The air was cold with ocean spray, splashing across his tail as he came forward. He glanced around, studying the sky and the bright white of the clouds scattered briefly about the blue. He blinked slowly, tilting his head, and considered the brilliance of the two colors.

There was only silence beyond the gentle waves behind him. He moved from the water, glancing around, and went to the center of the beach. He took a seat and looked around again. He'd wait there, he decided. It was far enough from the den so as not to seem threatening but close enough they'd spot him quickly.

He flexed his wings and stretched them to allow the sun to soak into his scales. He waited there, entire body warming beneath the sun, and felt almost rejuvenated for the fact. He opened his eyes and turned his head when he sensed movement.

"Atem," his father greeted, tilting his head and smiling. "Welcome back."

He smiled and got to his paws, hurrying to rub beaks. "It's been a while, huh?" he asked quietly, feeling guilty for the fact. He'd promised Valon and Mana he'd come sooner, that he'd bring Yugi to visit again as well. Neither of these had come to fruition and he felt the smallest prickle of disappointment for his lack of mind. "I'm sorry for not coming sooner."

"It's not as if we had gone to war and needed aid. You visit when you can. We will see you when there is time, not because you feel you must." His father looked him over. "Yugi has been taking good care of you."

"I am not incapable."

"No, you simply overlook your own necessities." His eyes sparkled with laughter. "Are you all right? You seem exhausted."

He nodded and hesitated. "I…wanted to speak to you and Mother about something."

"Are Valon and Mana okay to join us, or shall I send them away for the moment?"

His mind raced for a single second. Then he shook his head. "No, let them hear. It is nothing bad. It's…alarming, but not terrible." He smiled faintly. Yami was not terrible. He was as good a hatchling as anyone could hope for, intelligent and kind and willing to obey when asked. "I… I wished to ask for advice as well as an opinion on the matter."

His father nodded. "Okay."

Atem considered him a few seconds longer, then turned away with a faint smile. He looked past his father to where his siblings had come racing over, Valon visibly in the lead as if he were charging at him. Mana protested angrily but Valon ignored her and immediately stopped in front of Atem, bumping beaks with him in greeting.

"I win!"

Mana huffed. "You cheated."

Valon smirked and ignored her, looking at Atem. "I'm bigger! Did you notice? I'm bigger!"

Atem chuckled. "I did. You can reach my beak without me straining my neck to meet you now," he teased. He tilted his head when Valon raised his head proudly and paraded around in a circle. Mana hurried over with a scowl, ignoring Atem, and pounced on her brother. They rolled around several times, playfully biting and growling softly.

Atem had the abrupt longing to play with Yugi again. He missed tumbling about with him as they had that morning. He didn't trust himself not to panic around anyone else but for Timaeus and Timaeus didn't play for long periods of time. He tended to lose stamina easily. Atem was always left pent up and flustered with tension and frustrated that he could not rid himself of it.

He glanced toward his mother as she approached. She smiled warmly and rubbed beaks, butting his shoulder and leaning into him. "Oh, it's so nice to see you again, Atem," she said affectionately. She sighed contently and then looked past him, frowning. "Yugi is not with you?"

"He had something more important to attend to."

Someone shoved into his side and Atem looked over to find Mana glaring. "I'm important!" she snapped. Her green eyes flashed as she butted his side again, but Valon slammed into her and they rolled away with a peal of laughter.

Atem watched, then turned to his parents again. "She's brave," he snorted. His mom huffed and looked as exasperated as she had when Atem had realized Mana was chewing on his tail at the gathering. "I see you haven't taught her any manners since the last two times I saw her. Attacking God Dragons is a sin, you know?"

"You don't count!" Mana burst out. "You're my brother! You wouldn't hurt me."

Atem snorted. "You're lucky you're right," he muttered. "Shall we go back to the den? It's…unusual news and needs to stay under paw."

Immediately his siblings ceased play. They turned and trotted toward the den, pausing to glance over their shoulders. Atem blinked and followed a moment later, and their parents hesitated before doing the same. He watched his siblings squabble quietly to each other, debating why Atem was there if it wasn't to see them, and then Mana squealed, "No, you're a dung butt!" indignantly as Valon snickered and dashed ahead.

Atem shook his head, smiling, and wondered at how much larger they were than Yami as well. Of course, they were several times his age, but Seto's clutch had been born the same day. It did not help, however, that Kisara had likely not gone through the physical distress Atem had, nor had to move dens like he and Yugi.

Dimitri was unusually large, however. He was barely a head smaller than Valon who was a head taller than Mana. He should have been smaller.

"You smell of hatchlings," his mom said quietly as they all moved into the den. Atem glanced over his shoulder before circling around to face his parents. "Did you visit Seto?"

"Yes."

"They're so cute, don't you think?"

She was trying to alleviate the tension, he realized, but he didn't know how to help. Atem didn't think "Mine is cuter" and launching into discussion about Yami was the proper way to tell them that he'd done something so impossible.

Instead he nodded slightly, smiling despite the knot in his throat, and turned away to glance at the ground. How did one drop this kind of news?

"Atem?"

"I…" He paused, then raised his head. "Do you ever regret not killing me when I hatched on the false moon?"

Valon and Mana both froze and turned huge eyes toward him. His sister hurried forward, rubbing against him to offer comfort, while Valon opened and closed his mouth and then stared at their parents. They looked oddly devastated, which Atem wasn't quite sure he understood, but he ignored it to watch his parents.

His mom looked stunned, his dad perplexed.

"Maybe when you chewed on my tail for four moons straight," he snorted, and his mom smacked her wing into his side to make him stumble. Atem snickered when she glared at her mate with narrowed blue eyes. "But besides that? No, never. Why would we have?"

Atem tilted his head and frowned. "Because I was a God Dragon?"

"We didn't exactly know you were a God Dragon when you began hatching. We just knew our dragonet was about to see the world," his mom answered, tilting her head. "Atem, what are you getting at? You're making me nervous."

"I don't mean to. Sorry." He paused. "If…if I said something similar has happened in terms of the eclipse, what would you say then?"

"A hatching during an eclipse?" his dad queried, then snorted. "It's not the day they're born that matters. It's what happens after. I never believed a false moon would cause disease. And I don't believe the eclipse is an ill omen for anyone born beneath it. Why?"

Atem glanced at Mana as she continued rubbing against him. "I… Yami was born during it." He exhaled deeply and fought a snarl. "My…egg hatched during the eclipse."

His mom and dad both stared at him as if he'd lost his mind. Then his mom blinked and murmured, "An asexual reproduction?"

"No…he's Yugi's." Atem raised his head. "He is the perfect cross of our features if you see him. He looks…exactly like you'd expect."

His dad blinked. "You're saying Yugi fertilized an egg—with you?"

"Yes."

"Atem…have you been eating mushrooms?" His dad stumbled again when his mom slapped him with her wing and glared. He huffed and shifted away from her, turning back. "I'm confused. How did that happen? Yugi is a Gandora."

Atem scoffed. "I know that; thanks." He huffed. "I don't know how. I just know that it did. His name is Yami and he's…"

His parents waited for him to finish, but Atem looked away.

"And you worry you made the wrong choice in letting him hatch because of the eclipse?"

"I worry because he shouldn't exist."

"That's rude," Mana snapped at him, glaring. "Yami deserves to exist just as much as the rest of us."

"Mana," Valon hissed, "don't."

"Shut up, Valon!" she growled, never looking from Atem. "You're being rude."

Atem blinked, startled, and tilted his head. "You're right. I am. I'm sorry."

She bristled and glared a moment longer, then happily licked his beak. "Okay!"

He snorted and glanced at his parents. They were looking at each other in pure amazement, doing what he'd always considered a matter of silent communication. Now he understood it was body language and stolen glances and eye contact and twitched lips. He'd learned they weren't telepathic as he'd always imagined when he was younger.

Yugi wasn't telepathic. He just read every muscle and movement Atem made. He made eye contact with him when he was unsure and he got permission through it when he interacted with Yami. Atem had understood before meeting Yugi, as he'd had such moments with Timaeus, but it was much easier with the Gandora.

His mom turned to him. "It doesn't matter if he hatched under the eclipse. What matters is that you and Yugi raise him no differently than we or his parents did. You can't treat him any differently than we would have you." She paused. "Even if you'd been born under the eclipse, I would have fought fang and claw for you. You know that."

He nodded slightly. "He's Yugi's world."

"But not yours?"

"I'm just…tired." And scared. "I have so much in my head all the time. It's…exhausting."

"And you don't share your fears with Yugi?"

"I don't want to argue. I just…want guidance." He sighed. "I want someone to tell me what to do. I'm tired of doing so much on my own like this all the time. Yugi doesn't think there's a reason to worry about it. He just…loves him so much already."

His mom smiled widely, eyes sparkling with warmth. "That's because he loves you so much."

"I'm aware. I just…" Atem blinked and sighed again. "It's a lot. We shouldn't have been capable of breeding and yet here he is. Yami is…alive and well. And I'm just scared that the eclipse was an omen of some kind. I don't know if it's because I've convinced myself of that due to the circumstances or if it's because of the fight Jaden put up before in order to get into my territory that day. Either way, I'm fearful. If it is to foretell something terrible and I caused it…"

"You couldn't cause something terrible," his dad scoffed. "You're too sweet. Aside from bloodying your paws when forced, I've never seen you so much as snarl when you're angry."

Atem snorted. "I definitely snarl."

His mom laughed and shook her head. "Just barely."

He huffed but found himself smiling all the same. A heartbeat passed before he looked at Valon and Mana. They were staring up at him, excited and almost quivering as they sat there in front of him. He went to ask what they were so excited about, then stopped short. He risked a glance at his parents and back.

"Did you want to meet him?"

Mana sprang to her paws. "Please, please, please! Valon is no fun sometimes!"

"I'm always fun! You're no fun!"

"Shut up, Valon! I'm asking to meet Yami. He's going to be my new best friend, because you're terrible."

Atem burst out laughing. "That's asking a lot, Mana. He's only met a couple of dragons besides Yugi and myself."

"What? Why?"

"He's…so special he has to stay a secret."

His mom smiled, eyes brilliant with warmth. "Could we meet him?"

Atem turned back. "I don't see why not. We just…have to be discreet. He can't be visible at anytime in daylight. At night he's more likely to be overlooked. So maybe sometime in a few moons. He's…just so small right now. I don't know that he could make that journey."

His dad snorted. "Yugi would carry him if he only asked."

"I would carry him if it came to that. I'm hoping it won't, because if he needs help and Jaden should cross paths with us in the meantime…" He trailed off, refusing to continue in front of Mana or Valon. "It doesn't matter. I'll only bring him when he's capable of flying and he's not there yet."

"Of course."

Yami raised his head. He'd been quiet since the moment Atem had left, though it was more to rest than anything. But Yugi had seen him growing restless as time passed. He would wander the den, sniffing at spots where he must have known Yugi and Atem lay before. He'd pick spots Yugi was certain were where Atem lay prior. Every now and then he'd get up and circle once more, then sigh and toss his head before getting to his paws. He didn't speak but to answer when Yugi asked if he was okay, and that was an obedient response of "Yes!" out of respect rather than caring to answer.

When he turned his head to look at him, it was for the first time in over an hour. Yami seemed melancholic for only a moment, then he got to his paws and moved toward him. He took a seat inches away, studying, and finally murmured, "Dad?"

Yugi blinked and tilted his head, smiling. "Yeah, little shadow?"

He fell silent for what felt a lifetime, seeming almost to struggle to find the words. And then, abruptly, eyes almost glowing in the darkness of the den, he asked, "Father…doesn't like himself, does he?"

The smile fell from his face instantly. Yugi felt a small surge of panic course through him, and then the instinct to deny it in order to protect Atem. He could lie and say he didn't know what he was talking about, deny it so as to slow him from asking again.

But the thought died.

Yami sensed emotions. He knew thoughts. He traversed dreams.

Yugi couldn't lie to him. He sighed softly and looked down at his paws. "Why do you…?" He trailed off and almost laughed bitterly; how much longer would Atem be gone? Why had he given him the opportunity to ask?

Yet, Yugi couldn't find any anger in him for the situation or the other two dragons. There was no reason to be upset. Yami was too precious and Atem was his heart.

"He doesn't like himself," Yami repeated more firmly. His voice took on a sharper note as he continued. "He didn't even want me to know he laid my egg."

Yugi flinched and looked over, eyes widening. What was he supposed to say to that?

"He hates himself—a lot. That's why he doesn't want me too close to him sometimes," Yami said slightly louder, voice sharp as claws and frustration flashing in his eyes. "He thinks he's going to hurt me."

Yugi got to his paws, unable to shake the bristle developing along his spine. "He loves you. You know that!" he snapped, flustered. Atem had never said so. And he'd never said it to Yugi, either, but he saw it. Every gesture he made toward them… It didn't have to do with being a Sky Dragon. It had to do with the fact that he loved them, even if he didn't say so. He… "You know he loves you—so, so much."

Yami huffed. "I do. I know that. I wasn't questioning that," he snapped more insistently. "I want to know why he does not like himself."

What was he to say? Yugi faltered, debating, and then sighed. "Atem has had an extremely hard life, Yami. It makes him uncomfortable and he's scared anyone who knows he laid your egg will see him as weak. He's still so…unused to not being alone, little flame. He still struggles sometimes with the fact he even has a mate, let alone that he's a father."

"He doesn't…let me see inside his head anymore, unless he's trying to tell me stories to fall asleep," Yami said more quietly. "I can never tell anymore…if he's actually okay."

Yugi fell silent for a long time. "How did you know it was Atem?" he finally muttered. "How did you know it wasn't…?"

Yami's eyes brightened with affection, so warm they made Yugi's hearts swell. "I recognized you both differently while I was inside the egg. He was with me the most often and he spoke to me a lot. He also…thought so much of you, of how excited you were and how scared he was and how much he just wanted you to be happy." He paused. "I also tasted his fear when he thought he'd lost you after that fall over the cliff."

"Yami, little flame, listen." The hybrid tilted his head, studying, and allowed Yugi to pull him closer. "I can't answer your questions. Atem has to, not me."

Yami didn't answer but for a slight nod.

"And you need to approach it as straightforward as you can. Ask him like you did me. He won't be able to backtrack then. But if you give him enough wiggle room, he'll dodge the question. He's good at that. You ask directly or you don't ask at all."

"Will he be okay if I ask him?"

Yugi hesitated, because his first impulse was to say it was unlikely. But Atem had always surprised him when it came to things like that. He might have withdrawn for a while and sorted through things by himself a lot of the time, but he always seemed to recover.

"He might be restless and unhappy for a little while, but he'll be fine after."

Yami sat and waited for Atem to return. He felt him like a wave of warmth when he came to the territory, as if the clouds had opened and parted for the sun to soak his scales. Yami glanced back to find Yugi asleep still, expression blissful. Yami could only imagine he was dreaming of Atem. He slept the best when he dreamed of him.

Yami turned back and leaped atop the perch, heading through the tunnel and quickly to the entrance. He hesitated there, studying the height for a single moment, then turned his head and looked around. Atem had just landed nearby. He was maybe a few yards away, where the cliff ledge widened and he could take a seat and think about whatever it was he'd needed.

Yami landed softly, pausing and flattening himself to the stone for a moment. He tested his weight and his claws, wiggled his toes and flexed his wings to touch the ground, and stood when everything seemed to support him.

He knew it would. Atem and Yugi had traversed it and they were much heavier than he was. But he thought it good practice anyways. If he ever needed to know his weight on a surface, now seemed the time to learn the technique necessary.

He trotted forward and paused when he spotted his father. Atem looked tired but happier than he'd seemed in a while. He almost appeared relaxed, eyes half-closed as he groomed a wing in his seated position. Yami paused, not wanting to disrupt but also anxious to have an answer to the questions in his head.

"Father?"

Atem stopped short and blinked, eyes widening in surprise. He sprang to his paws and moved toward him, staring in mild alarm. "Where is Yugi?"

"He's asleep."

Atem blinked. "Oh." He shook himself out and took a seat. The tension from moments before relaxed but did not fully alleviate from his stance. He searched his face, then butted his shoulder. "What are you doing out here, little flame? Did you just wake up?"

Yami shook his head. "I've been awake." He frowned. "I know I disobeyed in coming out here, but I… I wanted to speak to you."

Atem bristled faintly and twitched as if he meant to flee. For a single second he stared at him, then he leaned forward. He sniffed him from beak to tail, then relaxed again. "What did you wish to discuss?"

Yami hesitated, then stood taller and locked eyes with him. Atem narrowed his gaze but did not turn away.

"I want… I want the truth, Father."

The God Dragon was silent for a long minute. He stared at him as if he were trying to read his soul before he finally murmured, "I have never lied to you."

"I know. You've never even considered it." Yami hesitated, then moved closer and took the spot beside him, burrowing into his side to get comfortable. Atem lay down after a moment, curling his wing to block him from anyone overhead, and turned his full attention to him once more. "I want to know why you never wanted to tell me you laid my egg and why you hate yourself so much."

Atem stiffened and stared, expression sharpening and growing unreadable as the seconds passed. Yami noticed for the first time that his gem had turned so dark as to be black, then abruptly brightened as if it were part of the sky overhead. When he blinked, the sharpness receded from his features and the firmness faded to a quiet, exhausted patience. "That is what you wish to talk about?"

"Yes. I want to know."

The God Dragon went quiet a moment. Then he sighed loudly and flexed his claws. Yami was certain there wasn't much room for him to maneuver around the answer. He'd said plainly what he wanted to know. He had not even asked. He'd told him.

"The simplest answer to both problems is that I'm a God Dragon," Atem said finally. Yami blinked and watched him intently. He was picking his words carefully and his mind felt like a dense fog at this proximity. Yami waited and waited, until it felt hours had passed and he was sure Yugi would wake and join them. Atem nuzzled him and sighed. "I am the God Dragon of the East. That comes with a lot of burdens, from the time I was born to now. You've been told why there are sometimes mating calls in the territory. My union with Yugi is not recognized by everyone, and some suitors are more persistent than others. The fact that you…are here is not an easy thing. And now that Seto knows of your existence, it is likely Bakura and Malik do as well."

Yami blinked and shifted his weight. He did remember hearing mating calls when they were in the valley. They'd ceased just recently with the den move, and each time Yugi had bristled and snarled irritably while Atem licked his beak and left to answer them. Yugi would ask a simple, "How did it go?" and Atem would say "Well enough" or just look away without answering.

Yami had come to realize "Well enough" meant they'd survived the encounter and the lack of answer was signal he'd taken their head off. He'd never seen it in action; Yugi often forced that lemon tree into his mind when he felt he might remember an occurrence like that. He'd start humming and picturing that tree and Yami would just watch the lemons grow and the leaves rot and wilt and fruit fall until it was bare and then regrew.

"Dad said it was because you think it would be seen as a weakness."

Atem paused the affectionate gesture. "Yes. It would be." He hesitated. "Males aren't supposed to lay eggs."

Yami huffed. "Well, my daddy did."

He snorted and butted his side gently. "Yes."

Yami hesitated a long moment, then looked at him intently again. "I don't understand why some dragons are mean and pester you so often. And I don't understand why your brothers were so…angry all the time. And I don't understand why you're so sad sometimes when you look at me." He huffed again, shaking his head. "All I know is what Yugi's memories have sometimes leaked. Seto is a menace and Bakura is a nasty problem and Malik seems to just go with whoever leads the way for his…fun. If you don't want to tell others you laid my egg, then don't. It doesn't matter. I know, you know, Yugi knows. Timaeus knows. If it helps you, then just…say you found it like you planned. I don't mind."

Atem blinked and tilted his head. "I didn't find an egg. I laid one. And one look at you would show you're mine." He snorted. "I'd hoped you'd look more like Yugi. If you had…I could have said otherwise."

Yami couldn't detect any anger or disappointment. Atem was just tired.

"Well…"

Atem chuckled. "Well."

Yami snuggled more firmly into his side. "Where did you go? After you visited Seto and his clutch?"

He opened his mouth, then faltered. In the span of a second, Yami found himself looking at Yugi as he trotted over with a glare.

"When I said ask him yourself, I didn't mean leaving the den and giving me a heart attack," he snapped, huffing for a single moment before nuzzling Atem and laying down. Immediately he set to the task of grooming the God Dragon with rougher, longer strokes that looked almost forceful.

Yami frowned, guilt lacing through him. He'd scared him and Yugi was trying to regain his composure through the action. Since he refused to be violent toward either of them, rougher grooming seemed his method of coping.

"I… Sorry."

"Little one, you're going to chafe my scales," Atem snorted, trying to paw him away playfully. Yugi huffed and scooted closer, licking more vigorously. Atem snickered until Yugi abruptly sprang. Then he burst out laughing. Yami squealed as he was caught between the Gandora's paws and groomed just as roughly. He scrabbled but the hybrid pinned him with a paw to his back and continued.

"You deserve that." Atem smirked. "You definitely deserve that."

Yugi snickered and Yami huffed but didn't argue.

"I went to see my parents." Yugi froze as the words connected in his head. Abruptly he blinked and turned to stare at Atem, eyes stretching impossibly wide. Yami frowned, puzzled. Atem was watching him again. "We discussed you. And a visit in the future."

Yami blinked. "Me?"

Yugi tilted his head, looking between them uncertainly. Embarrassment rolled from him in waves and Yami realized for the first time Yugi had overlooked the chance they'd been talking. He'd just wanted to know where Yami was. Atem had abated his anger because Yami was with him. Had he not been, the Gandora would have remained furious.

"They asked to meet you when you were old enough."

"Well…how soon is old enough?"

Atem snorted. "You have to be flying and at least twice this height."

Yami blinked. "But that'll take forever!" he whined.

Yugi laughed and nuzzled him and Atem smiled faintly, but his expression had turned slightly troubled. Yami wondered if he really did fear it would take forever for him to grow any larger. He knew Atem dwelled on that far too often, because when he'd been able to see into his mind before, it had been obvious more often than not. He was scared Yami would die. He knew that much. In the back of his mind, Yami knew Atem feared that so much it almost blinded him to everything else.

"Well, I promised two siblings and parents they'd meet you. So, hopefully it won't take quite so long."

Yugi smiled and licked Yami's face. "Hear that? If you want to start flying, we have to get you breathing fire!" he teased. "And then you'll grow so much faster after that."

Yami blinked. "Really?"

Atem snorted and looked away, but Yugi nodded. "Oh, us Fire Dragon hybrids; once we start using our breaths, we grow twice as fast." Yami huffed, but he still felt a wave of excitement. He wanted to meet Atem's parents! If breathing fire actually helped him grow a little—even if it wasn't as much as Yugi claimed—then he couldn't wait.

"Let's start now!"