Guest: Good observation! Seto knows exactly what Yami is, but his species won't actually be named until chapter 41.

Chapter XXXVI: Mimicry

Akunadin nudged him a few more times, sniffing and inspecting with something akin fondness. He tapped him with his beak and licked his cheek, then breathed against his side and finally stood. He looked increasingly pleased, as if he were enthused to see a hatchling before him. Yami almost thought Akunadin saw him as a gift, as if Atem had brought him to visit him rather than his extended family. Perhaps Akunadin simply loved hatchlings so much. He seemed overjoyed just to see him.

Yami had done nothing worthy of praise or attention but say he saw Atem and Yugi as his parents to confirm his lie. He had hidden behind Timaeus until he couldn't any longer. And he'd spoken when Akunadin asked questions. He didn't understand what was so exciting. But he began to as the seconds passed.

Akunadin truly was excited just because he was a hatchling. He loved hatchlings. He was a cold leader and stronger than most other Lightning Dragons. He'd killed challengers for control of the Clan. And yet he loved hatchlings. Each and every one of them he was excited to meet and nuzzle and scent. He didn't care whose they were. They just made him feel light and happy.

It was strange.

Yami had never considered someone could feel such adoration like that. It almost mirrored the simplistic affection Yugi possessed for Atem, but it was a ripple of water in comparison to a roaring ocean. Atem's existence made Yugi happy enough he'd willingly lay his life down at any moment for him. Akunadin was warm and saw only affection for hatchlings, but he would not sacrifice himself or anyone else for a random dragonet as he still considered Yami.

"He says you came to see Kisara's clutch?"

Yami noted with interest how easily Atem picked up on the phrasing. Laughter tickled at his thoughts as Atem murmured, "Yes. Seto mentioned that Kisara would like to eventually meet Yami, and Yami wants to see the nest. He's just gotten large enough to make the journey and who knows how long he'll remain dependent upon us? He's already eight moons. He'll likely grow far larger sooner than we'd expect and then he'll be on his own."

He looked over at Atem, anxiety twisting his belly. Did he believe that? Did he truly think Yami would leave them? He couldn't even imagine it. He never wanted to leave them. They were his parents! They were amazing and loving and warm. He loved them more than anything. Why would he leave them?

Yami shuffled his paws and turned to Seto. The Felgrand was staring at him, expression uneasy although not nearly as anxious. He seemed to be more confident, as if listening to their lies now had given him some strength. The blue-eyed male dipped his head almost imperceptibly, as if he were offering deference of some kind.

"Ah, yes. Fire Dragons and their short lifespans."

Yami turned to Yugi, horrified. How short? How short was his lifespan? Would Yugi fall ill and die suddenly? Or was it expected for him to die young? Yami couldn't imagine it. It seemed impossible. Yugi was so beautiful a soul, sweet and kind unlike anyone else. Why should he pass sooner than someone like Seto or Akunadin?

He smothered a whimper. Yugi looked over, bewildered, but offered a smile. Yami studied his face and then shuffled his weight and turned back. Akunadin was watching Atem.

"They grow fast and leave quickly."

"They die faster," Rafael sneered.

Akunadin looked over. "You'd be wise to hold your tongue. You would have waged battle to prevent a hatchling meeting his siblings."

Rafael scowled but didn't speak.

Yami saw Yugi smirk slightly even as he looked away. Atem had turned to Timaeus at some point, though they were both still silent. Yami wondered for a split second if they were communicating, but it passed. Timaeus was a normal dragon, and Atem's abilities didn't stem from mental prowess as Yami's did. He had no idea how to read thoughts or traverse dreams or see beyond his eyesight. Atem was normal in that manner. But he was extraordinary in others.

Yami looked at Akunadin. "Can I meet them?" he demanded, and he made sure to raise his voice into a slight whine. It sounded more childish, like he was as young as they claimed. He could pretend then to be as soft as he looked and as warm as he seemed. He could hide the anxiety crawling through him and the unfamiliar sensation of being watched or studied so hard. He could smother his fear where it threatened to claw through his bones.

Something was wrong.

He could feel that much.

He didn't know what.

But he could tell something was utterly wrong.

He turned his head and looked toward the entrance of the nursery. There were two pairs of eyes watching him there, one glinting blue and the other green. A little further back was a pair of gray that bore into his, unblinking and curious.

Yami felt as if something were trying to claw at his flesh, to tunnel into his scales and dig through his bones. It was as if someone had dumped water on him, then left him in the cold as the sun began to set and the world seemed to ice over. He looked quickly toward Atem. Did he feel it, too? Or was it just his nerves that caused such an unshakable feeling?

His heart was racing when he locked eyes with his father. Atem didn't look uneasy on the surface. He seemed relaxed, almost bored, but the question was clear in his eyes.

Do you sense it, too?

He wanted to agree and beg they leave. The sensation was suffocating and he felt weighted down, laden with fear. He didn't understand what the force was that pressed upon him, but it was terrifying.

"Yes, yes, feel free."

Yami turned to Akunadin, bewildered but comforted somehow by his obliviousness. If anyone else had seemed to feel the pressure he and Atem did, they would have surely panicked. He relaxed slightly and shuffled his paws, glancing at Atem sideways. His father had returned his attention to the Clan leader, but he knew he was watching him in his peripheral.

"Bring them out instead," Atem said quietly. "And we can all meet them. Yugi has yet to see them and Timaeus would like to meet them as well. And Yami is not used to tunnels. He's used to a den system, but it's not as long or wide and we are unsure how keen his eyesight is in the dark."

Akunadin looked over. "He seems to see fine in the dark."

"Yes, but he isn't used to pitch black. There is usually starlight, and the clouds don't often cover the moon. We don't know that he sees well in blackness, or if he requires moonlight as I do."

"He's a Fire Dragon."

"Not all of them are nocturnal."

"Most are."

"Regardless, he's not used to such conditions. Allowances should be granted."

Akunadin went quiet for a long time. Then he sighed. "Very well. Seto, retrieve my daughter." He looked at Yami and smiled. "One day you'll have to discover your limitations. That's the only thing that allows you to survive sometimes."

Yami tilted his head. He knew his limitations. Yugi's eyesight was stunning at night. He could see color and light in the pitch black. Yami still saw everything as brilliantly then as if the sun were shining overhead. But he didn't plan to reveal that, and he realized Atem was not requesting the nest to come outside for his own sake. He was doing it for Yami. He must have sensed how scared he was, how uncertain and uneasy.

Seto locked eyes with Yami for a moment. He felt a prickle of tension from the Felgrand, but it was gone when he turned and headed for the nursery soon after. He vanished inside for a while and Yami looked to Atem. He was watching his brother with a cold expression, though it cleared rapidly again when they locked eyes.

I'll protect you.

Yami blinked and nodded slightly, comforted despite the simplicity. He smiled and took a seat, shuffling his paws. If anyone could protect him, it was Atem for sure. He was far too great a father to miss a cue if it came to that. He knew that, even if his skin still felt somewhat tight. He smiled brightly at Atem, who considered him a moment before smirking and turning away.

"Do you see well by moonlight?"

Yami blinked as he turned to Akunadin again. "I thought everyone saw well by moonlight," he mumbled, tilting his head. "I'm not…blind, but it's easier to see now than it is other times."

"Your eyes must be weak for the moment. I'm sure you'll grow out of that. Most Fire Dragons are nocturnal."

Yami tilted his head. "I'm active in the day," he finally said. "Atem and Yugi are awake then, and I don't want to sleep without spending time with them."

It was such a simple answer, but some of the other dragons looked at him as if he'd grown a second head. One or two stared at Yugi in sheer amazement and bewilderment, as if he'd done something somehow to make Yami say that. It was only when he saw Rafael's startled look toward Yugi that he remembered.

Yugi had rearranged his entire existence to coincide with Atem's. He was nocturnal by nature and he had forced himself to become active during the day and sleep at night. He had done everything he shouldn't have to ensure Atem wouldn't have to compromise his stance on anything but the occasional red meat.

Yami remembered that only as he tossed it about in his head. But it had become so normal to him that he'd never considered it any other way. Yugi seemed made for the daylight. He seemed made for the mountain terrain he called home with Atem. He had just seemed so at ease the entire time that Yami had never considered it any further after he'd initially realized.

"You might want to change that habit one of these days," Akunadin murmured, though not unkindly. Yami locked eyes with him, bewildered. "You don't want to go against your nature forever."

Yami smiled and nodded. "Maybe eventually I will."

But what was his nature? They didn't know. He wanted to be as close to Atem and Yugi as possible. But what if he grew to be the exact opposite? He couldn't imagine waking one day being a completely different dragon like he feared, but it was possible. They didn't know anything about him.

Atem shouldn't have been able to lay his egg.

It shouldn't have been fertilized.

It should have rotted from overheating and never even been noticeable to Atem.

Atem had somehow managed the impossible, though Yami was sure it wasn't by choice. He'd always wanted to make Yugi happy but hatchlings hadn't been part of that plan. When he and Yugi had both accepted the impossibility, it had not crossed his mind to try to provide one against all odds. He knew Atem had offered to let Yugi leave to mate with a female to procure a nest without his interference, but that hadn't meant anything but what he'd said.

Yami's existence had been labeled impossible in Atem's head. And so he hadn't ever considered it. When the egg had come, he'd been scared but determined to at least try to see it to survival. But he hadn't laid him and thought Yugi would be overjoyed. He'd thought Yami was dead because it was impossible and he didn't harbor hope for miracles.

His hatching had scared him more than anything, especially with the eclipse overhead. Yami still sometimes thought of Atem's voice whispering to kill him, to do it before Yugi could catch sight of him. It wasn't something he faulted Atem for, and he didn't think it was unreasonable. But he still sometimes heard it in his dreams and he wondered…

If Atem had taken that chance…

Yami forced it away. Atem hadn't done it. And he and Yugi were fine. All three of them were healthy and he supposed happy for the most part. He didn't know what else to make of it. It had to be better than what most other dragonets got.

"Yami."

He looked up, startled, and found Atem studying him. He blinked and tilted his head, bewildered. Even Yugi was watching him now, and if he wasn't mistaken Timaeus had shifted his weight enough to almost nudge him imperceptibly.

He'd missed something. He looked around briefly, then spotted the female Blue-Eyes. She was staring at him, eyes wide with wonder and delight, and Yami sprang forward to meet her. Seto was standing at her side, watching as he trotted over.

"Hi," he chirped, smiling and rubbing beaks with her. "Yugi said your name is Kisara."

It was simpler to lie and say that than explain he'd heard Yugi's thoughts. The Gandora had gotten briefly excited. He liked her, though he thought little of her until he saw her or heard her name. He thought she was sweet, and far too good for Seto.

Yami could feel the wonder brimming through her. It lapped at his paws and made his skin tingle. She knew him as he was, the son of Atem and Yugi born to the God Dragon, divine in his own right. She was wondering if he had abilities, if he truly could sense things he shouldn't have been able to. She was curious about whether he could find out who was doing it where the others couldn't.

She wanted to know if he was a God Dragon, too, because she believed wholeheartedly in Atem's status.

Yami wasn't sure where the blind faith came from. It didn't quite make sense to him. Kisara and Yugi both believed in him blindly, as if his word might just constitute law. Yugi did it out of devotion, but Kisara did it from admiration.

He couldn't understand it.

Would others do that with him as well when they realized?

It couldn't stay hidden forever. Everyone knew that, even if they never said anything.

And then would he have someone who believed in him from sheer admiration? Atem had proven himself to be worthy of it. He'd carved through hides and severed heads and raised himself from the ground when he fell. Yami didn't want to have to hurt anyone, but he supposed if it came to survival he would certainly need to.

"Oh, you're adorable!"

Yami grinned and tried not to puff his chest out proudly. "I try." Yugi snorted and Atem chortled. Yami ignored them and smiled wider. Kisara licked his cheek and rubbed her beak against his flank affectionately. Yami preened under the attention, though he risked a glance at his parents. Yugi was undeniably uneasy but not in any way that made him aggressive; he didn't like that Seto was so close as well. He wasn't happy with it, though he refused to say a word of protest. Atem, on the other hand, was almost indifferent but for the cold glint that colored his eyes. He wasn't okay with Seto being so close, nor was he entirely comfortable with Kisara's proximity.

It had nothing to do with dislike, he realized, but rather Atem was tempering his instinct. He wanted to snap at her to get away from him, to scare Seto off entirely, and yet he was still standing there watching instead.

It occurred to him that if Seto so much as made the wrong move or Kisara tipped her head in a manner Atem didn't like the Sky Dragon would be between them in a split second.

It was comforting.

And it made dealing with the anxiety in his gut a little easier.

There was something actively clawing at his skin now, as if trying to burrow through his flesh and into his bones. His wings ached and he wondered at the sensation.

Do you feel that?

He was so focused on Atem that he was amazed he didn't see a reaction from the God Dragon. His father never blinked, never looked away, never stopped breathing. His eyes were trained on Kisara still.

Yes.

Yami shivered and turned around. He was about to make his way back to Atem when he realized he was surrounded. There were five hatchlings, four of them brightly-scaled and the fifth darker, with wide eyes and round faces and soft claws. Yami blinked, at first bewildered and then puzzled. There were five? In Yugi's memories he'd heard there were six.

Yami felt a gaping absence when he focused on that thought. There was no identifier for the hatchling missing from their clutch. It was just a void in his senses, as if it had been swallowed away.

He blinked. So, they'd rotted then.

"Hi!" he chirped, forcing his voice to come out light. He raised his head to make himself seem friendlier and tried to smother a snarl. Someone was trying their hardest to get into his head. They were trying to provoke him to make an outburst. They were…

None of the five of them spoke for a long moment. And then finally the smallest, a Felgrand with extremely pale gold scales and eyes the color of storm clouds, came forward.

"You look like Atem!"

Yami faltered a second. His body itched with the smallest wave of panic. If it was so apparent to this hatchling, how clear was it to their onlookers? The adults had to be somewhat suspicious. It was impossible to think they weren't.

"And you look like Seto," he said, trying to recover. He grinned again, noticing for the first time that the hatchling wasn't quite golden in color. He was strangely silver-white but when a shadow bounced across his scales he turned gold. Yami supposed it had to be because of the cross species.

The Felgrand looked proud of himself for a moment. But he was shoved aside almost immediately by the hatchling that was pale blue almost like the sky, with brilliant white scales that seemed almost to glisten. He came up, stood almost an inch from Yami, sized him up, and declared, "You don't look like Atem! Mokuba lied."

"He looks like Atem!"

Yami watched them bicker a moment before the newcomer launched himself at the Felgrand. They rolled around for several feet and growled and chirped enthusiastically. One of their brothers watched curiously, bounced on his paws, and then threw himself into the brawl as well. Yami watched them, relieved to have the attention off him for a brief moment, and struggled not to sigh. He saw Atem studying him, though he was paying far more attention still to Seto and Kisara.

Yami turned back to the other three, pausing. He plucked the species from Yugi's brain, and the names from Atem's.

Mokuba was the Felgrand, and the pale blue and white male was named Leon. The pure white male who peered at him with a tilted head and glowing green eyes was named Zigfried. The darker blue male with the slight silver tints in his wings and limbs was Noah, who had eyes with the most startling slivers of color Yami had ever seen. And the final male, sitting feet away and watching him with brilliant blue eyes, with scales of black and blue, was Dimitri.

Yami glanced at Atem, puzzled. Why were they just standing or sitting in front of him like that? Yami tilted his head, considering the three of them.

"Hi. I'm Yami."

None of them responded for a moment. And then the black and blue male with icy eyes chirped, "Hi. I'm Yami" in an exact mimicry of his own voice. Yami bristled and backed up a step, studying him intently.

Seto snorted. "Alternative Dragons are known for mimicry."

Yami stared at the other male a moment. Dimitri; his name was Dimitri. He came forward a step. "That's really cool! Who else can you mimic?" he demanded. He could see Atem in the corner of his eye. His father was looking at Yugi, and Yugi was staring at the Alternative Dragon with a puzzled expression.

Dimitri watched Yami with glittering eyes. Even in the moonlight Yami felt something was odd. It wasn't wrong. It was just…odd. His eyes seemed almost reflective, his pupils sharp and slit rather than wide like pools. Yami had never seen that but for when Yugi's eyes were hit directly by sunlight. His pupils changed and became thin lines of black. Timaeus's pupil always remained wide and searching as if to compensate for his loss.

Yami looked at Seto, about to open his mouth, when a voice grumbled, "Why are they here?"

Yami turned back to find Zigfried glaring at Atem. He looked up and tilted his head. Had something happened between them when Atem had first visited?

"Don't be sore that you couldn't lay a claw on him," Dimitri said, voice like rippling water and grass rustling in the wind. He had turned to Atem, too. "He's a God Dragon."

He said the last two words in Atem's voice, and Yami found himself bristling again. His eyes shot to his father's as the Sky Dragon considered the hatchling. He didn't look upset by the mimicry, but Yami could see that though Yugi had initially seemed delighted now he was uncomfortable.

"Why are you here?" Zigfried repeated louder. "I don't get it."

Atem snorted. "Yami wanted to meet you."

"At night?" he scoffed. "Why?"

"We were testing the theory about his night vision," Atem answered quietly, failing to look at Yami even as Yami wished he would. "He sees better than me, but not as well as Yugi. So, I doubt his species is solely nocturnal knowing that."

"Why not fly during the day then?"

Yami felt a prickle of irritation crash through him. He suppressed a huff. "I wanted to see if I could fly here in the dark," he answered, voice tinged with slight spitefulness. He felt stupid when everyone turned to him again. "Flying is harder in the dark. You can't see as well and the air is heavier. It's also colder. You can't catch as much warm air to keep you airborne."

Everyone was watching him. And, as he prepared himself to be antagonized for his tone at the very least, Mokuba raced over, blurting, "You can fly?"

Yami blinked, confused. "Yes?"

"Dad won't let us yet!" Mokuba huffed, pouting. "And Mom always sides with him."

He fought a small pinprick of panic once more. Should he have pretended otherwise? Was his ability to fly now a problem? Did it hint at his being half Sky Dragon? He'd never considered that perhaps Yugi couldn't have flown at his age. But they were saying he was older, right? He was supposed to be older than he was and then he'd be more in line with the age that a Fire Dragon flew…right?

It seemed so stupid and insignificant a detail, but perhaps he should have lingered on it longer. Maybe he should have said something else, come up with an excuse that didn't make him sound as if he were an oddity. Perhaps—

"Your father has more reason to prevent you flying sooner than necessary," Akunadin said gently. He nudged Mokuba with his beak and the hatchling huffed and tried to spring away, but was caught with a paw and pulled back to the Clan leader. "And you don't quite have the same room for practice as Yami does in the forest."

Yami glanced at the large sheer walls. There were ledges everywhere, just large enough for a dragonet to balance on the majority. They were just wide enough that several could stand, straighten, and launch themselves. He assumed the target would be to glide from one wall to the adjacent or parallel.

"I bet you can get a lot of warm air here," he mumbled. "The stone must get really warm during the day and help a lot with staying airborne."

Akunadin snickered. "It does."

Yami turned back and huffed. "It's probably easier flying here than it is in the forest!" he continued, casting Atem a small glance. He felt a burst of appreciation rush through him. Atem hadn't initially planned to teach him because he had not thought him interested, but he'd granted his wish immediately. He'd told him instantly how to do it, taught him the moment he'd gotten the chance. He hadn't argued or dissuaded him as Seto seemed to have. "I bet once you're practicing, you'll have it easier than I did."

Mokuba huffed. "Maybe," he grumbled, pouting and glaring at Seto. "But I don't think he'll let us do it anytime soon."

Yami smiled awkwardly. "Maybe." He searched his father's face, the smile growing more genuine as Atem returned the stare. He felt fit to burst for as they looked at each other. "But you probably don't need to fly as soon, either. You're in a Clan."

"You look like Atem," Dimitri said suddenly, cutting him off. His head was tipped to the side and his eyes glittered where the moonlight touched them. He blinked long and slow, then smiled. "But you're not actually related, are you?"

Yami smothered the budding anxiety. "No," he said quietly. His mouth tasted bitter and his tongue was almost stuck to the back of his teeth. "We're not. I'm not…related to either of them."