Guest: Thank you! I'm glad you enjoyed the chapter. It's definitely one of my favorites. I love playing with their fears/worries, especially as Yami's abilities are growing. And I'm glad you enjoyed the moment between them! I was kind of nervous it wouldn't be as impactful because of how quiet Atem was with the declaration. But it also felt right for him so I'm glad it was received well!

Chapter XXXII: Sight

When they landed on the beach, the dark sand was cold and soft beneath his paws. Yami blinked and raised his head, studying the area around them. The water touched the shore gently, creeping across the sand but retreating moments later. Yami bounded toward it, pacing and watching, and spun around to look at his parents. Timaeus had gone back to the den, unwilling to hinder them with his night blindness or encroach on Yami meeting more family. He'd said he wasn't willing to move about under a waning crescent moon, but had spent some extra time with Yami to make up for his absence. Atem had led them during sunset in order to reach the beach before the sunlight was completely gone. Yami could see him narrowing his eyes and blinking, straining them to spot him properly there with the limited moonlight.

"Atem?"

His father looked over at Yugi. "Mm?"

"Can you see?" Yugi had tilted his head and narrowed his eyes, studying him intently. "You look really uncomfortable."

"I'll get over it when my eyes adjust." Yami felt the inkling of shame that came through Atem and raised his head, stunned. Was he lying? Yami tilted his head and focused on Atem. The bramble barrier and heavy mist came to him immediately, but there was a slight gap that Yami had never noticed prior. He supposed he'd never tried to find it before, because usually the barrier blocked him reading Atem's thoughts. He'd never tried seeing through his eyes before. "It'll just be a minute."

Yami shifted his weight and focused more intently. He pictured the brambles, saw the gap that he'd never noticed before, and pushed past it. The mist Atem used so often was disorienting. Yami struggled a moment to understand what he saw.

Everything was dark. The sand was a pitch black shadow, the grains indistinguishable. The moonlight was so limited Atem could only see the surface of the water where its waning presence touched one particular spot. The water was grayish, the only distinguishing feature from the sand. The slope of the cliffs nearby were invisible and he could see nothing of the stones and boulders peppering their faces. He couldn't even see the cave his parents used as a den.

This is miserable, Yami decided.

He felt something curious and bewildered at the edge of his consciousness but didn't care to focus on it. Even as it grew stronger and something seemed to prod at his thoughts, trying to force him away, Yami ignored it.

He focused on his own vision, the way the sand was glittering gray and each grain shadowed by black. He saw the waves as they played about gently, stroking the beach with gossamer paws. Every little droplet of water was silver or brilliant white. The clouds, limited and scarce, were defined by the halo the waning sliver of the moon cast. He saw the stones among the cliff faces, the giant pillars of rock that jutted from the sand like irregular trees.

And, slowly, fascinated, Yami forced the two images together.

The shadows slowly changed and took definition. Shapes emerged. Moonlight glistened where it touched the water. Black turned to gray, gray to silver, and eventually even the cavern took shape.

Yami nodded to himself, pleased, and felt that insistent prodding grow dull. The curiosity flashed with indignation, then a split second of anger, and slowly grew bewildered and shocked. Yami felt exhausted by the time he forced his way out of the brambles again.

He shook himself out, blinking against the darkness that crowded his vision for a single moment. Then he looked at the moon and the water, and over to his parents again.

Atem saw him now. His eyes were narrowed, glittering with mild anger and confusion. He tilted his head and studied him intently, the top of his mouth curled into a slight snarl.

"How did you…?"

Yugi looked between them, eyes narrowing. "Atem?" He bristled, fearful and uncertain when he did not respond. "Yami?"

He blinked and shook himself out again. He felt exhausted the longer he looked at them both. He didn't know why he hadn't expected Atem to be angry. Yami felt a trill of shame course through him. He was so foolish to not realize Atem might become upset. He had thought he'd be okay with it, because it meant he could see.

He lowered his head, voice choked as he mumbled, "I just thought you might want to see better."

Yugi blinked and stood straighter. "What?"

"He couldn't see," Yami blurted, voice bordering a whimper. "He could barely make out the water. And I thought maybe he wanted to see better. And I—"

"What?" Yugi blurted, scrambling forward. "You can do that?"

"I'm sorry. I didn't mean to—"

"It's okay," Atem said softly. "I just…didn't realize you could do that."

Yami risked a peek at him. Atem was watching him, eyes narrowed, but his expression had softened significantly. He wasn't exactly happy, but he was not angry, either. He looked bewildered, contemplative.

"I didn't know I could, either." He glanced at Yugi's astonished face so close to his and looked to Atem again. His chest was tight and he felt small and tired again. The shame was almost impossible to shake. He should have asked, he realized. He'd probably scared him. "I'm sorry."

Atem shook his head and looked away. "It's okay." He glanced all around and studied what he'd been blind to before. Yami felt the weight in his chest lighten slightly when Atem seemed to appreciate the new ability. "You were right. It was miserable."

Yami raised his head, blinking, and then sprang forward. "You could hear me?"

Atem didn't look over, instead glancing at the moon and tilting his head. "I could, for that moment. I've never heard you before then." He glanced over and stared. "What tempted you to try this?"

"You lied when you said your eyes would adjust. And I…really wanted you to be able to see." Yami blinked and raised his head further, a new thought forming. Maybe he could do as he'd wished before. His eyes widened and he almost trembled with excitement. But he forced himself to remain steady and peer at Atem. "Are you okay? It didn't hurt, did it?"

"No. It was startling, but I was not hurt." Atem turned away. "Yugi, remain with him."

He wandered off without a second look. Yami looked over at Yugi, flustered. He seemed proud but perhaps wary as well. Yami ducked his head, shame creeping through him once more, but found himself startled when Yugi asked, "Is it permanent?"

Yami blinked and stared at him. "I don't know."

Yugi studied him a moment. "I didn't realize his vision was so poor at night. If this fixes it…" He trailed off, seeming to debate his next words. "Do you see as well as me?"

Yami tilted his head. "I don't know."

"Can you test it?" Yugi prompted, then bristled. He looked excited but worried as well. "I don't want you to if it will hurt you—or Atem, but if he's blind at night…"

He peered at him for a long moment, then glanced over at Atem where he was speaking quietly. Yami turned back and considered, then tilted his head. "He's mated to you. Doesn't that mean suitors aren't going to come for him any longer?"

"It's not suitors I'm thinking about," Yugi growled, flexing his claws. "It's Jaden or Yusei. Even the Leviathan has keen night vision. If any of them were to take advantage of Atem's species' night blindness, they could easily kill him."

Yami didn't believe that for a moment. As long as Atem was still in one piece, he was guaranteed to win. Even if he lost one sense, he'd be able to compensate with another. He knew that. That was the strength of Atem's abilities. He didn't need night vision. He didn't need to even be able to hear his opponent. He just had to know they were there. He had to know at least their weight and their height, their scales. If he could make contact, it was over for them.

That was the power Atem held.

But he didn't think explaining this to Yugi was going to stop the nightmares. He didn't think telling Yugi what Atem could do would prevent what Ironheart had predicted.

Yami looked away and faced his father again. Atem was still talking, tail tip flicking back and forth with agitation. He didn't have to hear to know Atem was warning them not to be too loud, not to overcrowd him, and never to speak his name to anyone else. It was so apparent in his body language that Yami didn't need his ability to understand.

Yami turned back. "I'll…I'll try," he said softly. "It didn't hurt the first time. I don't think it will now."

Yugi nodded eagerly. "Okay."

Yami stepped closer and locked eyes with him. He focused so hard on Yugi that his muscles locked in place and his bones ached. He pressed forward as he would have when he tried to get past the lemon tree. There were no barriers this time, however, and Yugi's thoughts were as they had been when he'd showed Yami images prior.

He felt his excitement, heard his hearts racing, and was almost overwhelmed by the coursing wave of hope. It was exhilarating but also disheartening. If he failed…

Yami forced the thought away and focused on Yugi's senses. Atem had said it was only his best that counted, and that if he anticipated failure that was what he would receive. As long as he had some hope that this would work and put as much effort in as he had before, even if he failed it was worth trying. That was what he needed to remember.

He could hear less than usual, and he didn't see the territory as if it were a map any longer. The trees were not charted in his mind and the world became limited to what was directly around him. He no longer felt the presence of other dragons but for Atem and Yami and their immediate family so close by. He felt the air warmer than he had before due to the increase of body temperature.

But he saw so much more.

Whereas Yami saw more than Atem in dull colors and shades of gray and black and white, Yugi saw in full color. He saw the red of Yami's scales, though darker due to the limited light, and every ridge of his beak down to the most minute scale. He saw the gem on his forehead as if it were a beacon, a piece of sky carved into his flesh. He saw each individual grain of sand as if it were a stone, porous and rough but shiny as well. He saw the moonlight as if it were the sun, rays dancing down from the heavens. The stars were bright and brilliant, their cores white and laced with silver and then gold. The sky wasn't dark overhead anymore, instead varying shades of black, gray, white, blue, red, violet, and gold. The clouds seemed to shimmer where they were touched and the sky was the embodiment of Paradise as it was meant to be.

Yami shivered, surprised but also cautious. He had not assumed someone might have such better vision than him. He knew he had Atem's in daylight, which was keen enough he could see a beetle almost twenty yards away when he sought it. He'd thought his eyes were keen at night as well, but he realized now he knew nothing of acuity.

He wondered if he'd been reliant upon his abilities and supplemented it before. But this portion of territory was new and he couldn't see it the way he had before. He didn't know this area, and he would not remain there for long, so he had never considered before that he might want to know the territory so fully. He'd made a point of suppressing it, but he wondered now.

If he did it now, would his vision get better?

"You see like this all the time?"

"It's almost like daytime for me at night," Yugi replied. "I don't see as well during the day, though. I'm nocturnal, so it's not as important that my eyesight is keen in daylight."

Yami frowned and tilted his head. "But you're not active at night. Shouldn't your eyes have adjusted?"

"I don't know that's how it works, Yami."

He huffed. "Well, it should."

Yami stood straighter for a moment, focusing on Atem now. Yugi was still watching him intently, and Yami could still see every hint of light as if the sun had risen around him. The colors were brilliant, the moon felt more than a sliver, and the air was somewhat warm from the ocean. He saw the brambles and mist as he had before, a tangle of shadows and icy wind, and prompted for the break in barrier as he had before. He found it much easier this time—Atem didn't know how to strengthen the defense, so he wasn't trying—and found himself peering through his father's eyes again. This time, however, there was a pause. The curiosity was a lot stronger and Yami felt as if he were being nudged insistently, startled when he heard, Yami?

He ignored it and focused on Atem's limited vision, then Yugi's. It took a moment longer. Yami wasn't as sure of himself doing this. Yugi's vision was harder to maintain like this, but he was able still to focus on both. Slowly, at an almost painfully awkward pace, Atem's vision began to turn from gray and muted colors to brighter shades and keenness that had always belonged to him in the daytime.

Atem prodded at him again, but Yami ignored it as he had before.

He was too exhausted to answer when he said his name once more. When he slipped away from Atem's mess of senses and mental guard, he took a seat. He panted and suppressed a groan when Yugi panicked and demanded, "Yami? Are you okay?"

His tone made Atem turn around from where he'd been speaking and Yami could feel his sharp stare. He huffed and got up, shaking himself out.

"I'm fine," he grumbled, voice caught somewhere between sharp and tired. "I just…wasn't expecting it to be so exhausting."

Yugi blinked and looked over at Atem. "I didn't know it would tire you like this. Why didn't you say anything?"

"I didn't know it would, either!" he protested, though he wondered how stupid he was not to. He'd been tired when he'd given Atem his vision. Why shouldn't he have felt it tenfold when he granted him Yugi's? Yugi's was far better than theirs combined and so using Atem's limited vision to support Yugi's had been far harder than his own. He glanced at Yugi's face, relieved but somehow scared as well.

He could still see just as well as when he'd been borrowing Yugi's eyes.

He wondered if it was permanent.

He hoped it was permanent for Atem—or, rather, he hoped one of those two changes of vision was. Even if Atem didn't see as well as Yugi, being able to distinguish more than blotches of black and gray was an improvement of some kind.

"Are you all right?"

Yami looked at Atem and nodded. "Yeah, I'm good!" he chirped, grinning. "Did it work?"

His father blinked and considered him, then looked at Yugi. "I assume this was your idea?"

Yugi ducked his head sheepishly. "I didn't realize it would exhaust him. I…"

Atem nodded slightly but turned to Yami. "Don't do this again, okay?" he said quietly. "It was fine the first time, but it was unnecessary a second. Don't worry about what I can and can't see and focus on catching your breath. Your legs are still shaking. Mana and Valon are excited to meet you and my parents will be delighted. We'll be staying the night seeing as dawn will be here in a few short hours, and we'll leave tomorrow night."

Yami nodded. "Okay!"

"Rest for a moment. I'll let the two monsters meet you when you've caught your breath."

He tilted his head and looked toward the den. He could see Atem's parents, heads tilted and eyes caught on them. They were sitting in a position that blocked the two hatchlings from looking out and seeing them. They weren't as blind as Atem, but he doubted they were much better off than he himself had been prior. He turned to Atem again.

It felt odd. Timaeus had been there to see Atem and Yami had rushed from the den to meet him against instruction. Seto had gone to see Atem and found him and Yugi instead by pure coincidence. And now, for the first time, he was actively being asked to meet four other dragons.

He blinked and studied them from his peripheral. Were they excited? He hoped to the gods he didn't somehow disappoint them.

"Yami?"

He looked at Yugi and blinked. "Yes?"

"You okay? You look upset."

"No, I'm fine…" He hesitated. Atem was peering at him intently now as well. "Just…what if they don't like me?"

"What's there not to like?" Yugi asked in turn. "You're the most amazing little hatchling ever. They'd be stupid not to know that."

Yami felt warmth flood through his chest. "That's true!"

Atem snorted. "Someone has no sense of modesty," he teased, licking his forehead.

"It reminds me of a certain little God Dragon."

"Such lies. Any lack of humility Yami possesses I blame on Timaeus. He's a terrible influence."

Yugi burst out laughing. "Bad parenting gets blamed on Timaeus. Got it."

"Absolutely," Atem snickered.

Yami blinked and stared at them in bewilderment. "But…you're amazing parents. Why would you say that?"

Atem fell immediately quiet and a trill of something like fear crept through him. Yami blinked huge eyes and opened his mouth, but the God Dragon mumbled, "I'll be back" and left before he could speak. Yugi stared after him, as startled as Yami, and turned to him with a tight smile.

"I'm glad you think so," he said after a moment of awkward silence, "because we have no idea what we're doing."

Yami snorted and shook his head. How could either of them think otherwise? They were the best parents ever, admitting mistakes and helping with what they could to support him. They'd even gone so far as to invite another male into their den just to protect him from Jaden. As far as Yami was concerned, there were no better.

He went to answer, then faltered. His head whipped around. Two dragonets had bolted past Atem and were barreling toward him. Yami bristled and spun on them, hissing and spitting before he could stop himself. He raised a paw and bared his teeth as he let loose the most hideous snarl he could manage.

"Mana, Valon," Atem intoned, voice sharp. "What did we just discuss?"

Both siblings stopped short, Valon slamming into Mana and both of them tumbling about the sand. Mana slipped out from beneath her brother and turned around, complaining, "But Atem!"

"You got us caught," Valon griped. "If you didn't sound like a stampeding water buffalo, he wouldn't have noticed."

Yami couldn't help but snicker, caught off guard by the complaint. He blinked wide eyes, studying them, and laughed harder when Mana spun on him yowling with outrage. They launched themselves at each other, growling and biting. They tumbled about, and Yami took a seat, no longer bristling and for a moment wondering where he could leap into the fray.

"They're harmless," Yugi promised, licking his cheek. "They're just related to the grumpiest God Dragon ever, so they're full of energy and don't know what to do with it."

Yami snickered and risked a glance at his father. Atem was watching his siblings, smirking and shaking his head. Yami sprang forward to his side, rubbing against his paw and enjoying the way his father snickered in turn. He nudged him away gently toward them and Yami considered the two hatchlings again. They were twice his size—maybe even bigger now that he approached them.

And, as he watched them, they untangled and hurried over. Yami blinked, suddenly surrounded and unsure what to do. He tipped his head to try to look taller even as they circled him curiously. Mana chirped, "Hi!" and Valon barked, "He doesn't want to meet you! He came to meet me!" The noise made Yami bristle again. He risked a glance toward where Atem had gone to speak to his parents again. Yugi had gone to his side, though the Gandora was watching them as well.

Mana poked him in the side and Yami squeaked before he could stop himself. He hunched to the ground like a wounded animal, flattening his wings and barely suppressing the urge to take shelter beneath them. His eyes shot between Mana and Valon rapidly as Mana smiled at him and Valon grumbled she was going to get them in trouble. They stopped circling abruptly, as if it were a synchronized torture session they'd discussed before implementing, and both sat with huge grins and wide eyes.

"Yami?"

Yami shrank for a moment, looked toward where Atem had come and lingered a couple of yards back, and dashed for him. Atem visibly startled but stood firm when Yami pressed behind his paw and refused to move.

Mana looked slightly hurt but Valon seemed amused as he chirped, "You scared him, you dog-brain!"

"I did not! Your ugly face scared him!"

"I'm not ugly! You are!"

"No!"

Yugi lowered himself to lay down in front of Yami, voice soft and soothing. "Did they scare you?"

Yami looked at Yugi for a long moment, then glanced at Atem and back. When he nodded, his eyes had wandered to Mana and Valon again. Atem noticeably shifted his weight. Yami caught it from the corner of his eye, but he'd taken a more direct stance between the three of them. He'd shifted just enough that he could easily intervene and scare his siblings off.

Atem glanced back at his parents and then his siblings. All four of them were bewildered, studying Yami with wide eyes and tilted heads. Yugi looked uncertain, considering Yami with a small frown. He didn't think any of them truly understood and sympathized with Yami at the moment. Yugi was more likely, but the Gandora species as a whole was solitary and their siblings were often disowned upon reaching sexual maturity.

Atem had grown up with his brothers, as terrible as they were. Yugi had grown alone but for his parents, able to watch Atem but never interact before he'd come to challenge him for courtship.

"Mana and Valon are harmless," he said finally, mumbling as he looked down at Yami once more. Yami had turned to him, expression miserable and ashamed, as if he knew already Valon and Mana wouldn't hurt him but couldn't rally himself to try again. Yugi looked at Atem and then his siblings, flustered and unsure. He closed his eyes after a moment, clearly trying to think of a way to comfort Yami.

When he saw Yami staring at Mana and Valon as they wrestled and squabbled about who had scared him, Atem understood the smallest fraction of something he'd neglected to notice before. Yami was not afraid of them because he was a single hatchling and the only one they'd ever produce. He was afraid of just how easily they'd cornered and rushed him. He had never been approached like that before. He'd approached others like that, immediately bounding to Timaeus and snuggling with him. But no one had ever rushed toward him, no matter the intention.

Atem had never allowed someone to greet him like that. Yugi had been so distracted by Atem's parents that he'd overlooked it as well. And Yami had rushed over to play with them before he'd realized they would mirror the action.

Yami wasn't truly afraid in the sense he suspected they'd hurt him.

He was afraid because he thought they'd abandoned him to them…

Atem considered his son a moment, then stretched out to plop down, cornering Yami between his paws. "You know, little flame," he said quietly, sure to keep his voice low so only Yami and Yugi could hear, "when I was your age Seto came rushing up to me the first time we were all left alone. He scared me so badly I ran out of the den screaming."

Yugi blinked and looked over, startled. Yami snorted and turned to Atem with a scoff. "What? No, you didn't."

"Oh, yes. I ran for my life." He paused, picking his words carefully. Bakura and Malik had chased him when he'd fled and their father had rushed in to check on them. When Atem had hidden behind him as Yami had him, his father had laughed until he choked while his mom scowled at him and quietly comforted Atem. She'd had to explain they were bigger because they'd hatched first, that all four were different species of Sky Dragon, that they wouldn't hurt him. And they hadn't that day, too stunned by his terror and too young then to consider it.

"And my mom had to remind me I was late hatching. She had to remind me they were my siblings and they were bigger because of that. I didn't believe her at first. And Seto was really angry with me for the rest of the day. He ignored me because he was scared of how afraid I'd been of him."

Atem couldn't stomach the idea of eye contact with Yugi even though he knew the Gandora clearly sought it.

"It turned out I'd scared him so badly that he didn't want to spend time with me for the rest of the day. The next day when he came after me, though, I ran away and he chased me." He tilted his head. "I bet you wouldn't believe how fast I was. I could run four times as fast as they could. I didn't even have to worry about them catching up."

Yami tilted his head, then sprang to his paws. "I'm fast, too!" he chirped. He looked proud of himself now, kneading at the ground with excitement. "I bet I'm faster than they are!"

Atem nodded. "And if they scare you too badly, you can always come over to me. I'll scare them off for you," he agreed, smiling when Yami purred. Yugi was looking at Yami now as well, eyes soft with amusement. "What do you think?"

"Okay!" Yami puffed himself up, wings half-open and his purr rising in volume. "But I could always chase them too, right? I could chase them away! I'm fierce!"

He's got Yugi's bravery, Atem thought with a smile. "Of course. You're fierce and brave and you could scare them away if you have to. You're half Gandora."

He chirped, jumping and bouncing on his paws again. "I'm part God Dragon! And Gandora! I'm super fierce!"

Yugi chuckled and licked his forehead. Atem nodded at him before he took off to see the two dragonets once more. Atem watched him go, then sat up and turned to Yugi.

"You're a good dad," Yugi announced, eyes warm as he sprang over to rub beaks with him. "I always said you would be!"

The God Dragon glanced sideways at the three hatchlings again. Mana and Valon were happily sniffing Yami now, all three of them trying to memorize each other's scents. They were young enough that they would have one for a few more moons. Then their bodies would begin to develop harder scales and they'd be almost invisible to the nose before they became sexually mature and their scents became overpowering due to the increased pheromones. Yami abruptly sprang at Mana a moment later and Valon burst out laughing when the female squeaked and fell over.

"I suppose," the Sky Dragon mumbled, turning away and looking to his parents. "But I think that was luck more than anything."

Yugi bristled, blue-violet eyes flashing with ice for a split second. When he sighed loudly, he trembled with tension and turned away again with a huff. Atem ignored the disappointment he saw on his mate's face when he glanced over again, then turned and wandered toward his parents.

"He's so cute. What species is he?"

"Hybrid," Atem answered with a snort, dodging when his dad swiped playfully at his head. "I don't know. But he's almost a perfect cross between Yugi and me."

"He's adorable. You said his name is Yami?"

"It is."

"What's the meaning behind it?"

Yugi was still watching Yami play tag with Mana and Valon. "It's a human word for darkness. It's from the village beneath the mountains." He paused for a moment. "He was actually named Yami because when I was taught to write our names, it's the only word they knew of that had two letters from both of our names."

Atem blinked and glanced at his parents. His mom looked astonished, and his father seemed amused. He shifted his weight. "He learned to write our names for fun before he came to challenge me."

His mom smiled awkwardly but his dad smirked. "And did you learn Atem's name first?"

Yugi looked over, surprised. "I… Yes."

His dad snickered. "That seems right."

Atem tilted his head, puzzled, and snorted when his mom laughed, "Oh, I see. Because he's so devoted to Atem."

Yugi ducked his head, embarrassed, but grinned at Atem. "I guess I'm pretty predictable, huh?" he snickered. He turned to watch Yami leading the other two hatchlings away and then springing back. Atem marveled for a moment at the keenness of his new vision and smiled faintly. Yami must have felt his stare because he paused mid-play, glanced at him for a moment, and then pounced away as Valon tried to tag him.

"How old is he?"

"About six moons, on the cusp of seven." Atem refused to meet his mother's slightly concerned expression. He knew he was smaller than he should have been. He didn't need a reminder.

Yami came running a moment later, weaving around Yugi's leg and taking shelter there. Atem stiffened, sitting up taller, and looked over. Had they scared him again? But Yami was peeking around Yugi's leg, with the obvious intent to launch himself again, and Mana and Valon looked exhausted. Mana panted, huffing, and took a seat to gulp in air. Valon shook himself out, sulking, and plopped down.

"He just keeps running!" he whined. He looked at Atem, panting. "He must kick your butt when you play tag."

I don't play tag, Atem thought, chest aching for a split second. He smiled instead, trying not to grimace.

Yami turned around and grinned at him, wiggling with excitement. Atem licked his forehead as he purred. And then the hatchling spun around again, grinning wider. "They're big enough they can catch me!" he said, kneading his paws. He looked so content Atem's heart ached. He almost wished he could have given him siblings somehow. "It's super easy for them to catch me!"

Mana huffed and then grinned. When she sprang, Yami squeaked in surprise as she caught him. She pinned him, laughing, and beamed at Valon. "I win!"

Yami squirmed out from beneath her as if he were made of water. Mana gaped, eyes wide and stunned. She blinked, then bristled, and her gaze shot immediately to Atem. She huffed and plopped down again, looking dejected.

"He gets it from you, doesn't he?" she grumbled. She glanced at Valon, sulking. "It's the God Dragon part of him. Has to be. Gandoras aren't fast like this."

Yami bounced on his paws again. But he stopped when he saw how exhausted they both looked. After a moment he circled twice, a restless movement meant to help calm him, and finally took a seat. He was within reach of his parents but also far enough that his siblings could have easily pounced at him as well. When he turned back around to look at Atem, his eyes were bright and glowing in the moonlight and the grin on his face made Atem's entire body warm.