Chapter XXX: Fishing

Yami hurried forward when he was called. The hatchling sprang toward them like a little streak of flame amongst the foliage. Yugi felt his hearts race with excitement. He reminded him so much of Atem, even with the streak of black across his head and the smoother angle of his skull. The similarities to what Atem had looked like as a hatchling made his entire body warm with happiness. He smiled, glancing toward Atem as Yami sprang up to his full height and craned his head back to bump beaks with his father. Immediately after he scurried over to Yugi and did the same. Then he took a seat and looked at them, eyes wide and glowing with excitement.

"What are we doing?" he demanded.

Atem chuckled. "What do you think we're doing?"

Yami narrowed his eyes and considered, shifting his weight and peering at them both with a bewildered expression. He looked between them as if he could find an answer if he made eye contact with them properly enough. And then he huffed and peered at Atem again. When he didn't seem to find an answer, he sprang to his paws and declared, "Hunting?"

Yugi burst out laughing as Yami glared at the God Dragon when Atem snorted. "That's a good guess," he teased, "and it's somewhat related."

Yami blinked, puzzled, then raised his head. "Fishing?" he demanded, jumping up and down. He turned to Atem. "We're fishing?"

Atem snorted and butted his shoulder. "We are indeed."

Yami jumped up higher and then bounced in a circle, ending in his original spot with flourish as he spun around to face them again. "How soon? How soon?" he asked, stomping a paw and spinning around once more. Yugi noticed with a laugh that he was purring with excitement.

"In a few minutes. I'm going to speak to Timaeus first. Stay here with Yugi and I'll be back." Atem stepped over Yami without a second look, trotting ahead and back the way the hatchling had come. Yugi watched him until he could no longer, then turned to Yami. The hatchling had turned around to watch Atem leave as well, but he looked at Yugi instantly after Atem disappeared from sight.

"Are you going to teach me how to use a net?"

Yugi blinked, then smiled. "No, but I will, if you'd like." He tilted his head. "But it'd be another day. And I don't know how soon."

"Oh," Yami mumbled. He didn't look too disappointed, but his voice inflected a lot. "Okay. Well—where are we going to fish? Father should hurry! I want to learn to fish now!"

He snickered and shook his head. "You're too cute." He searched his face a moment. "We'll do it the second your father returns."

Yami sighed. "What's he talking to Timaeus about anyways?" he asked. Then he huffed and raised his head. "I bet it's not as important as teaching me to fish!"

Yugi laughed and shook his head. "No, it could never be so important."

Yami nodded, proud of himself, and looked over his shoulder. Yugi knew he was looking in direction Atem had gone. He glanced up as well, slightly hopeful Atem might just suddenly appear, but the other dragon failed to show. He turned back and Yami looked away, slightly flustered.

"I think you'll like fishing," he said to distract the disheartened dragonet. Yami immediately looked up, startled. "What?"

"I didn't think you liked fishing," Yami answered, tilting his head. "You always use your human form and the net. Atem goes swimming…"

"Yes, but who knows? Maybe you'll like fishing as a human more than a dragon, too," he snickered. He searched his face and shook his head. "Or, maybe, you'll end up more like Atem and absolutely love water, too. We don't know. You're still half of me, too, Yami. You might love water now and learn to hate it later or vice versa."

Yami blinked. "What's that?"

"What's what?"

"Vice versa; what does that mean?"

"It's a nicer way of saying the other way around." Yugi studied his son a heartbeat. There were moments where he seemed to understand every little function of the universe, like he saw so much farther and grasped the intricacies of it all. And then there were ones like this, where he seemed as young as he physically was and asked the questions others would. Yugi wondered if he leaned more upon his abilities when he thought they needed him to and thus forced himself to know things he shouldn't, or if he just tried harder so he could keep up with discussions that should have otherwise gone over his head.

Yami blinked at him, then looked over his shoulder again. "He needs to hurry. I want to go fishing."

Yugi smiled and shook his head. "He'll come when he comes. Don't rush a God Dragon."

"Well, I'm a God Dragon, too," Yami reminded him, huffing, "and I'm always punctual."

Yugi snickered and butted his shoulder. Yami grinned. "You were the one called to us, not the other way around," he laughed. "If it was the other way around, Atem would be here in a heartbeat."

Yami smiled a little wider, nodding, and Yugi could see the faintest inkling of pride on his face. He wasn't sure what it pertained to. He just knew he saw it there. Yami looked away and back. "Is Timaeus coming with us?"

"I don't think so. That's probably what Atem went to talk to him about."

"Oh, okay."

Yugi frowned. "Are you not listening to what they're saying?"

"No. I've figured out how to focus well enough to suppress it when I might overhear things I shouldn't." Yami blinked up at him, then looked over. "I can still see them, though. Timaeus looks amused. Atem is kind of…flustered. I think he's saying your name."

Yugi blinked and then froze. Atem had gone to talk to Timaeus about the Fire Dragon superstition, about the fact that he'd been so gullible about drowning. He felt foolish and stupid now. Of course Atem would be talking to him about it. Why wouldn't he?

Yami looked over. "You should have more faith in him."

Yugi blinked. "Huh?"

"He wouldn't do that to you. He's not going to mock you behind your back like you just insinuated." He blinked. "He's just telling Timaeus he wasn't aware you knew how to swim and he feels like he should have known."

Why would he have known? Yugi opened his mouth, but Yami interrupted with, "He thinks you've done so much compromising already that he should have realized you'd have learned to swim to make him happy."

Yugi blinked and looked away. "You know, having better senses and hearing thoughts and answering questions like that really takes the wonder out of things."

Yami laughed. "You know you would have lost your mind with worry if I hadn't told you."

He snickered and shot him a sideways look. "You know me too well."

His son grinned wider and turned away, golden eyes sparkling. He sat up straighter and then jumped to his paws, bouncing forward. Yugi looked over and saw Atem coming through the trees. Timaeus wasn't with him, and Yugi was almost surprised to see his assumption had been correct. Yami glanced at him sideways but didn't say anything from his spot rubbing against Atem's leg. The Sky Dragon snorted and pushed him away with his paw, snickering, "Stop trying to sweeten me up."

Their son laughed and rubbed more insistently. He'd begun purring loudly and Yugi grinned. He was definitely more akin him when it came to trying to get his way.

"I would never!" Yami protested, grinning at Atem when the God Dragon looked down with a snort. "Why would you accuse me of such deviousness?"

Atem butted him with his beak, forcing him forward. "You're related to me. That means I know you're a devious little hatchling."

Yugi snickered as Yami darted ahead, leading the way toward the river. Atem watched him for a long moment, then called, "You're headed the wrong way."

Yami spun around so quickly he actually lost his footing and rolled a few inches before springing to his paws again. He blinked huge eyes, bewildered, and tilted his head. "Huh? The river is that way."

"The river is too dangerous to learn to swim in, and fish live in lakes as well, Yami." Atem beckoned the opposite direction with his beak. "Come along. I'll show you."

Yugi had forgotten about the lake, he realized with wide eyes. He'd forgotten about it there, toward where the forest slowly turned to a wide and luscious meadow. The lake wasn't huge, but he remembered the humans frequented it during summer in order to get fresh water when Atem was active in the river. They respected him too much to risk crossing paths and potentially startling him. They worshipped him for the deity he was, and every encounter they had with him was of festival and nightly prayer. Atem had only gone near the lake about ten times in the moons he'd been there in the human village. He'd gone there when a deer had drifted and the rest Yugi had seen him using the lake as an alternate sunbathing spot and eating a few mouthfuls of fish.

It was wider than he remembered, but that might have been because he was not usually the one to gather water from there. He'd preferred to let the others gather water while he helped with the majority of the hunting parties. The water was pristine and rippled softly, as if stroked by a gossamer paw. Along the edge was a small handful of rocks, glistening and granite, with mud along the bottoms of each. A fallen tree served as a partial bridge to get halfway through the lake without making contact with the water. The rest of the area was pure bright green grass, soft beneath his paws and warm where the sun shone upon it.

"Oh," Yami murmured, "this is the lake. I didn't know what it was called."

Atem glanced over. "How far into the territory can you see? I don't believe we've ever discussed it."

"To the very edges," Yami stated definitively. "It's everywhere you drift and mark as ours. I can see all of it."

Yugi felt a small trill of fear creep through him. "You're that tied to Atem?"

Yami looked over in confusion, no doubt startled by his alarmed tone. "Well…yes. He laid my egg." He said it so simply Yugi almost couldn't believe he'd thought more of it. But then he sighed and shook himself out. "And he laid with me the most. He laid and spoke to me a lot. I think it's also because we're God Dragons."

Yugi looked at Atem. "But neither of you are tied to Yusei, Jaden, or the Leviathan."

"No," they said in unison. Yami looked even more puzzled than before. Atem watched Yugi intently.

"Then it's just because he's your father?"

Yami frowned. "Yes, I…I think so. He laid my egg and stayed with me most of the time. I think that's why I have a stronger connection with him. I can still see you wherever you go, too, though."

But he had a far stronger bond with Atem. And Yugi understood that. He'd accepted that a long time ago, but it hadn't occurred to him until then just how strong. His hearts skipped a beat and he looked away, flustered.

"Do you sense anything from him?" he asked, watching Atem.

"No." The God Dragon peered at him with narrowed eyes. He looked confused, maybe startled, and Yugi could see unease tightening his muscles. He'd pressed his wings into his sides, he realized, in an effort to comfort himself. "Why do you ask?"

"I just wanted to know if you were both capable of it."

Atem shifted his weight. "Nothing has changed for me."

Yugi nodded slightly and forced a smile. Yami stared at him uncertainly for a moment, then glanced at Atem and back. Yugi forced his smile to stay on his face and butted Yami's shoulder gently. Atem was staring at him intently, as if studying him and trying to read further into his expression. Yugi had the abrupt but clear thought Atem was scared now.

He likely thought Yugi was upset with him because he was closer to Yami, that they had this connection that bound them so fully. He probably remembered his brothers and thought the situation would so easily go downhill as his relationship with them had. He remembered Atem saying his mother doting on him because of his smaller stature and his later hatching had caused the worst of the envy. It made sense then that he might think something similar would happen now.

Yugi forced the pain back and raised his head. "Let's go. I want to see how well you can swim."

Yami stared at him for a long moment, as if trying to judge what emotions he could feel coming off him. Yugi had forced the lemon tree to the forefront of his mind, picturing it growing and blooming and lemons forming and dropping to the ground before rotting in the grass. Yami tilted his head, looked at Atem, and then sprang away toward the water.

"Daddy!"

Atem immediately turned his head but his eyes stayed focused on Yugi. Even without pupils, Yugi could tell his focus was entirely locked on him. The Gandora opened his mouth, but the God Dragon grunted and turned his attention to the hatchling who had catapulted himself into his chest plate. Yami glared up at Atem and huffed.

"Father," he growled, wheedling, and then spun around to lead the way again. Atem snorted and started forward, glancing at Yugi again when he didn't move.

"You're coming…right?"

If Yugi hadn't already deduced why he sounded so hesitant, he would have been worried. Instead he grinned, licked his beak, and took off after Yami. Atem followed far more slowly, watching them both, and grabbed Yami's tail gently when he began to splash into the water. He tugged him back and Yami whipped around to lick his face before taking a seat and peering at the water enthusiastically.

Yugi laughed and shook his head. Yami wiggled but didn't pounce away as he so clearly desired. Atem moved over to his side, leaving Yami between them as if as a peace offering, and murmured, "You can't go running in when I haven't even told you what we're doing."

"We're fishing!" Yami sprang to his paws and looked at Atem. "And that requires fish."

Yugi snickered. "He's got you there."

Atem butted Yami's shoulder and looked at the water. "We're only doing shallow water fishing right now. That way you don't get too far. But, if you'll notice, you've scared the fish on this side. So, we need to follow the bank to another spot."

"I didn't scare them. They were already scared." Yami trotted obediently after Atem. "They live their lives in fear because I'm amazing and I'm going to catch them and eat them all."

"You're planning to fatten up to three times your size then?"

"I'll get a growth spurt afterwards, I'm sure."

Yugi burst out laughing at the optimistic response. "I don't think that's how that works."

"You wouldn't know. You've never tried."

Atem snickered. "Now he's got you."

Yugi grinned and butted Yami's hip. "You're a sassy little critter."

"I'm adventurous."

Atem shook his head and looked toward the water. "Okay, so do you see that shadow right there? The fish with the whiskers?" he pointed with his tail tip as Yami hurried to his side.

It took a moment for the hatchling to murmur, "Oh, I see him!"

Yugi was relieved. He hadn't quite seen it before Atem pointed with his tail. The fish was almost the same shade as the rocks and sand surrounding it. Atem's eyes were made for movement; he could spot a fish likely miles underwater if he hovered overhead before diving. He was easily the best fisher Yugi had ever seen.

His own eyes were made for direct sunlight and overgrown grass where prey hid and grazed about. He could spot movement above water so well he thought it rivaled Atem's ability to spot fish. But he was finding it harder recently to see further ahead. At times his vision blurred when he wasn't focused and he had to blink several times to get the crystalline eyesight he was meant to have.

He supposed that had to do with being half Fire Dragon. Most of the species were known for nearsightedness. If they were beyond fifty feet, their faces were unrecognizable and their species unknown. Yugi had hoped the gene had passed. His dad had acute vision all around, but for at night. Yugi had hoped he'd gotten the best of both of their genes in that regard—able to see in the dark as if it were day, vision acute no matter how far or what direction he looked.

The only dragons he could see from a distance with no uncertainty was Atem and Yami. Atem's shape was unmistakable, tall, lean, with two gaping maws of teeth, immense wings the length of his body, and a gem on his forehead. Yami he knew because he looked so similar, smaller and with one mouth, but clearly his son by his lean frame and the gem on his forehead.

He'd hoped one day he'd wake up and the strain of his nearsightedness would fade. But it hadn't. He could tell it was getting worse, actually. He could see better in his peripheral than straight forward at times, attracted more so to movement than he wanted to admit.

And he understood he was rapidly becoming a liability for Atem. If something happened and he couldn't protect him—or even help him—what good was he?

Yami was halfway toward the bank when he turned his head with wide eyes. Yugi stiffened, startled, and felt a wave of shame course through him. He hadn't been concentrated on blocking him. Yami stared for a moment, then spun around to look at Atem again.

"What am I supposed to do with it?"

Atem snorted and wandered past him, unfazed by his momentary falter. He probably thought it was because he didn't know what to do. Yugi was just grateful at that moment Atem didn't have the abilities their son did. He couldn't imagine just how much worse things could be if Atem had been capable of reading his every thought and emotion.

"Stay here."

Yami huffed and stomped his paws in defiance but didn't make a move to follow as Atem got closer. He swiped into the water, catching the fish and spraying blood and droplets, but the animal remained in the lake. Atem stepped aside.

"Go get it."

Yami blinked and hurtled past him. He was in the water immediately, springing about and trying his hardest to catch the injured fish. It flailed and kicked its tail every opportunity, nearly slapping Yami in the eye with its violent throes. Yugi watched him scramble to cut it off when it nearly escaped. The mud and water and his relatively blunt claws made it all the more apparent Yami likely wouldn't catch it.

Atem had taken a seat, studying. "Don't use your paws to catch it. Use your teeth."

Yami splashed about, then snapped his jaws at it. For the first time, Yugi noticed something he'd never quite paid attention to.

Yami had two mouths. The other was inside the larger, however. They were not on top of each other as Atem's were, but instead there was a smaller one with much sharper teeth than his outside jaws. He couldn't figure out how he'd overlooked it before. But Yami's mouth had always seemed small and pointed and his teeth were long and sharp and when he held the fish in between them, it was impossible to see what Yugi swore he had.

Yugi wondered then if he'd been seeing things. It was possible Yami had just moved quickly and maybe his tongue had seemed blue-black or grayish and in that moment he'd seen something that wasn't there. It was possible. But Yugi had the feeling he was wrong to suggest it.

Did Atem know about Yami's second mouth? Or was Yugi truly making something up in his head?

"Good job. Now hold it, because it's not dead."

Yami blinked, yelping when it flailed and nearly tossed him to the ground. Yugi hurried forward before he thought it through, but Atem didn't look away.

"Bite down harder. Some prey is easier to kill than others. The whiskered fish tend to be sturdier and fight harder."

Yami looked at Atem with huge, startled eyes. He fell for a split second, then straightened again. His teeth clamped down harder, until the fish began thrashing even more erratically. Yugi heard a sickening crunch as he got within a foot of him. The fish flailed, twitched, gasped as if for air, and slowly went still.

Yami dropped it unceremoniously and panted, looking as if he'd been struck. His pride was dampened by the exhaustion weighing his features and he gulped air as if he had been drowning before. Yugi looked at Atem, flustered, but his mate was watching Yami. He didn't even seem to realize Yugi was staring at him.

"Good job." Atem got up. "Let's find another."

Yami blinked, hesitating. "Should I move it?"

"No. I'm hoping the smell of fresh blood will attract another or two."

Yugi tilted his head. "You think leaving its corpse will bring another?"

"If I fish in a lake and do not wish to swim, this is how I hunt them. The method has never failed me before." Atem paused. "But I also do not usually take so long to kill and drop them. They might be startled away for a little longer than usual."

"Well…what kind of fish eats that one?"

"Would you believe it's usually much bigger whiskered fish?"

"What? Gross!" Yami squeaked. He looked over his shoulder at Yugi. "Did you know that?"

"No," he replied, and wondered if Atem was teasing. "I didn't know that at all."

"It's true. Watch. Another will come to eat its brethren soon enough." Atem looked back at Yugi as well, pausing to wait for him. "They're very mean fish."

"Why would they eat each other?"

"They're territorial. They don't care about anything but their own space and eating another of their species doesn't slow them in the slightest. I've never seen a whiskered fish be picky before. They even come into the shallows to eat the green moss beneath the water."

"There's moss underwater?" Yami demanded. He hurried to the shore and peered into the depths. "I don't see any."

Atem chuckled. "Lining that stone to your right, Yami."

The hatchling looked over and bristled curiously. "It looks slimy!"

"It is." Atem led the way along the shore somewhat further. The hatchling rushed forward to meet him, splashing into the shallows when the Sky Dragon struck another fish. Yugi watched Yami splash about to get a grip, then snatch the scaled prey into his mouth and clamp his jaws. It was faster now than it had been before, and the hatchling dropped the fish into the water and followed dutifully.

"How long should we keep doing this?"

"Just a couple more. I want the whiskered fish afraid of us."

"Huh?"

"I don't know how large they are this year. I know they grow and grow, until sometimes they're almost the size of my jaws. So I want them afraid for when you go swimming."

Yugi bristled. "If they're bigger than him, he doesn't need to go into the water," he snarled before he could stop himself. He ducked his head when Atem and Yami both looked over. Atem was patient, but Yami looked confused and perhaps concerned.

"I'll be with him."

"I understand that, but…" Yugi opened and closed his mouth, then huffed. "They're territorial and nasty, and you'd do better to teach him in the river than here."

"The river has currents that could easily tug him away," Atem answered calmly, tilting his head and studying him. "I cannot so easily get to him there as I can here. The water is still here and I can catch the fish should any of them approach. The point of luring some of them further onto the shore to kill them is to keep them cautious and docile."

"I don't…"

"It's okay, Daddy," Yami said quietly, grinning. "Nothing will happen."

Yugi faltered, watching Yami for a moment. Then he sighed and glanced at Atem. He knew he wouldn't have let anything happen to Yami. He knew that more than anything else. But it still made him uneasy. Just the possibility something could go wrong made him want to stand firm and argue.

But then how was Yami going to experience life? He couldn't shelter him under his wing forever.

"Yeah, all right." He startled when he heard a splash. His head whipped around. One of the whiskered fish had begun to mouth at the body of its deceased brethren, just as Atem had promised. The God Dragon shot past him and struck this fish as well, and Yami finished it off by clamping his jaws until it ceased movement just as he had before.

Yami was beginning to look proud of himself and Atem seemed satisfied. Yugi smiled slightly, shaking his head, and watched as Atem took guard at the edge of the bank and Yami trotted beside him, jumping about but never overtaking or trying to weave past Atem to the water.