Chapter LIV: Threats

"So, the last time the pool froze," Yusei said slowly, looking at Atem, "was when the Divine killed Shadi. I thought…because you replaced him, it might have had to do with you."

Atem blinked, considering him intently. Was that true? Or had he come to see how he and Yugi were doing without Yami? Had Jaden sent him to spy? Or was Yusei genuine in his concern? Why would he have told them so much if it was a reconnaissance mission rather than fear he'd find something akin the bloodshed he'd witnessed prior? If Shadi was all but erased from even conversation among the dragons, he had no doubt Jaden would not have lessened his decree just to enlighten Atem.

"Because you can't see me."

Yusei tilted his head. "Yes. You're invisible to us. We can't see you and I didn't know if something had happened to you in the meantime."

"You assumed it was me. But what if it was Jaden or Leviathan?"

"I would have been able to see it—in my dreams prior to waking to the pool in that state or within the water when I broke the ice." He blinked and studied him. "You seem irate with me."

"I'm irate no matter who speaks to me."

Yugi snickered beside him and got to his paws, pacing several steps anxiously. "That's true."

Yusei shot him a skeptical look and turned back. "Regardless. Yes, I was concerned about the two of you so I came to check and make sure you were all right."

Atem watched him a long moment. "Thank you for your concern," he said finally, straightening and shaking himself out. "I suppose I should be thankful you were so worried you came to investigate and check on us both."

Yusei's eyes flashed. Atem couldn't tell if he was irritable with the dismissal or if he was struggling to find words to answer. The elder God Dragon nodded and looked away. Atem glanced at Yugi sideways and found his mate staring at Yusei with narrowed eyes. He'd noticed the look as well, but Atem wondered if he understood it more than he himself had. Abruptly Yusei turned back to him.

"Are you always so brusque? I would have thought a display of concern would have warranted a bit more reaction than that," the Stardust Dragon scoffed. He narrowed his royal blue eyes and curled his lips to display his sharper, thinner teeth. "I didn't have to bother coming here to check on you. You realize that, yes?"

"I also realize you're the only one who might have cared enough," Atem snapped in turn, staring back and trying to fight back the anger in his blood. He didn't care for the confrontation. It was unnecessary and bordered stupid. "I also remember you letting slip that Jaden has threatened Yugi in an effort to control me. And I remember you initially preparing to fight me at that gathering so that you could perform a third edict on hatchlings."

Yusei blinked. "Jaden says a lot of stupid things. He makes threats with no plans to follow through."

"It's beside the point. I have no loyalty to the three of you, no matter what you say. The point of this discussion right now is that my reaction isn't what you expected and you're upset because I do not throw myself at your paws with gratitude." Atem bristled and shook his head sharply. "You act as if I owe any of you. I don't. I don't owe you for taking time to check on me. That had nothing to do with wanting to see me safe. It had to do with alleviating the guilt you feel toward the loss of Shadi."

"Oh, by Paradise," Yusei spat. "Are you serious? You really think I feel so guilty now that I would have run to find you and see to it that you were safe when I saw an omen?"

"Yes." Atem noticed Yugi pacing and flexing his claws as if he might lunge at any moment. He shrugged the impulse away to try to get between them. Maybe Yugi boxing some sense into the God Dragon might help him. "I do. I think that. I believe that."

"That's not the truth of it, Atem. I didn't come here because I thought I could save you and…alleviate my guilt from when I could not save Shadi. I had no control of that Divine and I wasn't directly involved in anything to do with him. I received the omen and I was too late then. It doesn't matter any longer. We buried him in the past for a reason." Yusei narrowed his eyes. "I do like you, Atem. You're reliable and you're level-headed. You think for yourself and you aren't afraid to lash out when you feel necessary. I'd much rather have you as an ally than an enemy in any circumstance."

Atem ignored the snarl Yugi loosed. "I'm glad to know at least one of you realizes it would be best to seek allegiance rather than battle," he snorted. He sighed and shook himself out, studying Yusei as the Ice Dragon growled irritably. "I don't want to argue with you any longer, Yusei. I'm tired. I'm grateful you came to check on us, but I do not bow to omens and I know how to use my teeth and claws. I have no qualms killing if it becomes necessary and I will not shy from bloodshed when it is inevitable. I am not Shadi. His life may have been ended by a portent but death shall only claim me when it earns me."

Yusei blinked and straightened, startled.

Atem looked at Yugi sideways. "Cease."

The Gandora paused from where he'd bunched his muscles as if to spring at the older God Dragon. He huffed and looked at Atem with a head tilt, eyes narrowing with frustration. His pupils had flipped to a horizontal position, displaying his anxiety like blackened ice.

"There is no fight to be had here. Yusei will leave in a moment or so and you shall not raise a paw in the meantime." He looked back to Yusei. "You claim this has nothing to do with Shadi yet you hurried here."

"I came because we already know of one Divine in existence. And we don't know anything about how much trouble that may cause."

"Yami is not a threat." How many times did he have to repeat that? Yami was dead. Yami was in Paradise somewhere, likely watching them and wondering why they bothered Atem and Yugi like this when they knew that. Unless… "He never was."

"No, but there's a second one. You know that."

"You mean Seto's clutch?"

Yusei nodded.

"But Seto isn't a God Dragon, no matter how much he wishes otherwise." Atem snorted. "And I certainly did not mount Kisara."

"No, but Seto is of the same clutch as you. And he survived. God Dragons don't usually leave their siblings alive when they hatch."

Atem stopped short, staring. "What?"

"Usually their eggs rot. It's not…usual for an entire clutch to hatch when there's a God Dragon among it. And the fact that they survived this long to adulthood and one of your brothers even has a nest…" Yusei shook his head. "It's peculiar."

Yugi bristled and lunged, snapping his teeth an inch from Yusei's face. To his credit the God Dragon didn't even flinch. He looked over and tilted his head as if awaiting the outburst of an insolent hatchling. Atem wondered for a moment if that's what they truly considered Yugi to be more often than not. They tolerated his outbursts and his threats as if he were nothing more than a wayward dragonet.

"That's because Atem isn't a bastard who syphoned his brothers' souls like the rest of you," he snapped. Atem blinked, staring in bewilderment. "I always heard stories about how God Dragons chose whether their siblings lived, because they have the ability in the egg to take their lives and ensure their own survival. Atem didn't do that. You, Jaden and Leviathan did."

Yusei snorted. "That's a myth, Yugi."

"Can you prove that?"

He blinked. "What?"

"Can you prove it's a myth? I'll believe you if you can prove it. But from what I've seen, it reigns true." Yugi glanced at Atem sideways, eyes vibrant with anger, and the defiance in his expression made his belly ache. For a split second Atem wanted to ask what he meant, but the words died in his throat. Yami had saved him when he was in his egg. He'd sensed Yugi weakening and going into shock and he'd saved him. Yugi could have been right. It could have been a choice every God Dragon made when their egg was laid. Perhaps it was unconscious that it happened, but Yami had chosen to save Yugi. It had set his hatching back a few days, or stunted his growth while incubating. He'd been too small…

He'd been as small as Atem when he hatched…

"What you've seen?" Yusei echoed, incredulous. "You can't tell me you've been present when a God Dragon was born. Atem is the youngest and he's at least a couple of decades older than you."

Yugi huffed. "That's not what I meant, but I don't think I need to explain to you, either."

"Bold words. But you're right. I don't need an explanation." He turned to Atem again. "I assume Seto must have passed the trait on to one of his hatchlings, because he's not a God Dragon himself but he's clearly bred a Divine. I don't know how or why, but there's obviously one among his clutch."

"How are you so sure?"

Yusei studied his face for a moment, eyes sharp and glittering. "There's a certain aura they give off. I felt it the moment I stepped into that den and chose to lie to protect the clutch. Since then it's only gotten worse. My dreams are plagued oftentimes with images of broken Lightning Dragon bodies. I taste blood whenever I wake. And this is the first time I've seen the pool ice over. Something is going to happen soon."

"Not to Atem," Yugi said firmly. "Nothing is going to happen to Atem."

"You see to that then," Yusei dismissed, never taking his eyes off Atem. "I also felt it when I last visited. They tried to pick at my thoughts and memories. They wanted to know what I was thinking of and why. It only lasted a second before they realized I knew what was happening, but it did all the same."

Atem glanced at Yugi. "I felt them do that before as well. I had hoped I was wrong. I'd hoped I was simply paranoid for some reason or other."

Yusei snorted. "I can't see you as so illogical as to be paranoid about something like that."

"You don't know me very well then," the Sky Dragon scoffed. "I'm very paranoid. You can ask Yugi. He has to put up with it constantly."

The Ice Dragon didn't smile. "I've never heard of two Divine Dragons being born at the same time like this. God Dragons come in fours, but a Divine is usually a singular incident. There are two of them now, and they're both already powerful. The extent isn't known, but—"

"Why do you keep saying that?" he spat, bristling. "Or did Jaden not tell you?"

Yusei blinked. "What? Did Jaden not tell me what?"

"Yami is dead. Yami has been dead for two years now. The night the three of you were in my territory, he wandered off and Jaden found him."

Yusei froze, staring at him with wide eyes. For a split second he seemed too horrified to even move, and then he blinked. "What?" he breathed. "No, he wouldn't have…not so…"

"Not so what? Not so soon?" Atem snarled. "But he did. He got to Yami, and Yami is dead. He's been dead. I don't understand why you persist in pretending otherwise. If Jaden didn't tell you, then he didn't care enough to share. That's not my fault. But Yami. Is. Dead."

Yusei looked at Yugi as if he expected him to say something different. Yugi looked away, head lowered and wings drooping.

"I… Oh my gods. I'm sorry. I didn't… Jaden never…" Yusei shivered. "I couldn't see Yami, either. I tried several times and he never appeared. I figured it was because of your presence or your bloodline or something like that. But he…he was dead all this time."

"Yes, he's been dead all this time." Atem shifted his weight and bore his teeth. "So, there's only one Divine Beast as you so elegantly put it. Leave my son out of it and keep his name off your tongue. He's gone. And your former mate killed him."

Yusei blinked stupidly once, then shivered again. "Oh gods… Jaden, what did you do?" he muttered. Atem saw him tremble, surprised by the sharp movement and how terrified he looked. The fear seemed genuine, as if Yusei were gripped in the midst of a nightmare. "We can't see the other Divine and the one we could have allied with is dead…"

Atem tilted his head. "Allied with?"

"I…I thought I'd convinced Jaden to back off. I thought… H-he'd seemed like he was listening when I said we should wait and try to see if there was a chance to utilize Yami's abilities to…" He blinked and looked at Atem again. "I…I was trying to stall and buy time for you to figure out how best to protect him and keep him from crossing paths with us again, but he… I didn't think he would come after Yami so soon. It never even occurred to me… I…"

Atem scoffed. "Paranoia seems to run pretty deep in your friend, Yusei. Perhaps you should reconsider how much you value him."

Yusei snorted. "No offense, Atem, but after the amount of things we've gone through together, I don't think eliminating your son weighs in as reason to disregard him."

Yugi lunged and Yusei dodged back. Atem snorted and reached a paw out to slap Yugi's tail in place. It wasn't violent by any means and Yugi glared at him when he turned around, but Yusei seemed more irate than anything.

"I never said disregard him. In fact I'd continue to hold him in high regards as far as you're concerned. He should make sure to never cross paths with me without the two of you present, but as for his relationship with you, I hope you never find yourself at the end of his paranoia. I wouldn't want to hear you'd disappeared like the Gandoras."

Yusei stared at him for a moment, then chuckled. "Fear mongering works for the weak hearted, Atem, not a God Dragon such as I."

"I have no doubt you're above listening to my tales of caution." Atem released Yugi's tail and moved beside him to stand in front of Yusei more pointedly. "Maybe you should ask him why he returned so soon if he'd pretended to agree with you about all of this. An allegiance with a Divine Dragon, despite his apparent hatred of them, and that same night my son is killed. It sounds like someone didn't truly care for your opinion, Yusei. Not that it matters. Remember yourself right now."

"I can't tell if that's a threat or if you're blowing hot air."

"Best not to test it. My patience wanes easily, Yusei." He turned to Yugi. "Let's go."

"Where are we—?"

"I have to speak to Timaeus."

Yugi blinked wide eyes and frowned, puzzled. "Okay."

Yusei didn't move from where he stood feet away. Atem looked back to him as the seconds ticked by. Did he need incentive to leave? Atem thought for a moment to sharpen his claws on his flesh. He didn't think that would be too terrible, if Yusei refused to leave of his own accord. Why not remind him why those rumors existed about him? If he tore his throat out in the meantime, he could say it was in the heat of battle, right?

"Your blessing has expired."

"Atem," Yusei hissed, "I understand you're upset. I get it. I do. But don't make more enemies than you can defend against."

"Is that a threat?" he asked, blinking. "I wasn't aware you knew how to bare your teeth anymore."

"Don't test me." Yusei shook his head, eyes flashing. "I don't tolerate threats well. Especially directed towards the others."

"You mean Jaden. You only care when they're directed toward Jaden."

"No. I cared when they were pointed at Yugi or you. I care when they're directed at the Leviathan. I care. I just don't always intervene. You scare Jaden enough on your own. You don't need my help to send him off the warpath."

Yugi seemed to preen at the words, but Atem ignored the raised chin and puffed chest. The Gandora was always proud of anything Atem did. It was one of his favorite things about him. Yugi was supportive about anything and everything Atem desired, though he would put his paw down when Atem was wrong or pushed too far with things. The fact that he was preening over Atem being able to scare Jaden was unsurprising. It was amusing and actually more than a little heartwarming to him. Yugi had such unwavering faith in him and everything he did, even when Atem second guessed so much as the way he breathed.

"I didn't scare him enough to prevent him killing Yami."

"If he hadn't dealt with the aftermath of what happened with Shadi, I'm sure he wouldn't have wanted to lay a claw on him."

"That's wonderful. I'm glad to hear it. That doesn't apply now, does it?"

"No," Yusei conceded, appearing momentarily flustered. He looked away and ducked his head slightly. "No, it doesn't apply now. I'm sorry. I thought I'd slowed him down from—"

"It doesn't matter. It's over. It's done with." Atem looked to Yugi and found the Gandora staring at Yusei with an unreadable expression. His eyes looked glazed over and dazed, as if he'd been struck dizzy somehow. "Now, as I said before, I have other things to attend to. Yugi?"

He turned to him immediately, eyes still glazed but attention caught solely on the red male.

"Let's go."