Chapter LVIII: Buried

Jesse wasn't sure what happened. He'd been asleep beside Jaden one second and then he'd been alone and listening to screeches and snarls just short of turning to war cries. He sprang to his paws instantly, rushing forward to find the commotion. He recognized Jaden's snarls, furious and resentful. He scrambled from the den, throwing himself forward as quickly as he could, and skidded to a halt as he spotted them.

Jaden was soaked in blood along the side, muzzle scratched and teeth bared. Yusei blinked blood from his eye where Jaden had temporarily blinded him with a strike to his skull just above it. Jaden had clearly sensed him and gone to see what Yusei wanted when Yusei had taken advantage and turned to ambush.

"Jaden—Yusei—what—?"

"Stay out of it," Yusei snapped, never looking away. "Or I'll beat you to death in front of him."

Jaden glanced sideways at Jesse and then back, snarling. Every scale on his back had risen into a bristle. His wings were braced at his sides and his claws flexed restlessly. "What is the meaning of this?" he spat.

"Yes, please explain," a new voice sneered. "The last I saw of the two of you, you were buddies and in agreement as if you were joined at the wing. And now you're fighting like siblings. Explain it to me. I'd like to know."

"What are you even doing here?" Yusei grumbled, shooting the Leviathan a furious look. "No one called for you."

"Have we all forgotten what my domain is?" he scoffed. "This is clearly an act of war."

"An act of war?" Yusei snapped. "I haven't gotten that far."

"Gotten that far?" Jesse echoed, springing forward. Jaden snarled and snapped his teeth just inches from his face. Jesse blinked and backed up a step, startled but unwilling to move too far aside. "What are you talking about? You're trying to declare war against Jaden? Why?"

"Did he tell you about Yami?"

"Yami?" Jesse shot Jaden a bewildered glance. "Who is…?"

"What does Yami have to do with anything?" Jaden snapped. He straightened slightly from his tensed position and scowled. "You mean to tell me you came here to fight me over a hatchling? You risk war with me because of a hatchling that isn't yours? Are you kidding me?"

Yusei stepped forward with his mouth opened as if to snap. Leviathan stepped between them with ease and took a seat, plopping down as if he were always meant to be mediator. Jesse was both thankful for and terrified of his presence there. His stomach rolled as he looked past the Divine Serpent to Yusei. The Stardust Dragon glared at his brethren but made no move to strike.

Jesse thanked the gods past Yusei wasn't mindlessly violent—though he wondered now. Who was Yami and why was Yusei so riled up? The last he'd seen of them fighting like this, it had been when Yusei had decided the edict needed to end. Why had he turned on him now when there was no such thing in progress? There was no edict and everything had seemed okay prior between the two of them. What could Jaden have done to set him off now?

They'd scarcely seen anything of each other for almost six moons…

"Why did you do that? We were in agreement and you went behind my back!"

Jaden looked mystified. "I'm sorry? What are you talking about?"

Yusei bristled and sprang forward though he didn't make contact with the Leviathan. "Yami! You went behind my back!"

The Prime Material Dragon blinked and looked at Leviathan and then Yusei. Finally he turned to Jesse in bewilderment. And then he looked away again, tilting his head. "What are you talking about?" he snapped finally. "What in the name of Paradise are you going on about?"

"We were in agreement! He was to stay with them!"

"Yes." He tilted his head further and glanced at Jesse sideways. It seemed for a moment almost as if he'd forgotten he was there. His red-orange eyes flickered back to Yusei's brilliant blue. "I left him there as we agreed."

"And then you killed him after."

Jaden blinked, eyes growing huge.

Atem ignored the way Yugi's mother sized him up as if she meant to lash out. Her entire body was rigid, shoulders stiff with tension, and she eyed him as if he might declare the edict himself. He stared back at her, meeting her gaze directly, and ignored it when Yugi bristled and huffed, shooting her a dirty look. Yugi's father groaned and mumbled under his breath, and Atem couldn't tell whether he was amused or livid.

"I came to ask questions. I'll leave as soon as I have answers," he said softly in an effort to shake her aggression—or at least ease his own growing anger. He forced himself to shake his bristle and turned to face her mate, though he kept his attention focused on her in his peripheral. Her stare was cold and unwavering, burning into his face. He felt sick to be under such intense scrutiny but it was not enough to make him back down. "You both fled the edict when it was still in effect, yes?"

Yugi's mother huffed. "Yugi wouldn't be alive if we hadn't."

Atem ignored the remark. "When did the edict end?"

"I think about two moons before his egg was laid." Yugi's father glanced at Yugi. "The edict had officially been declared void moons before, but there were still a few dragons that had taken it upon themselves to further decimate numbers as if they'd been personally asked."

That was interesting. He'd never heard that before.

"I think… If I remember right, Yusei killed the leader when they refused to stop. He and Jaden were still feuding at the time because Yusei had forced him to declare an end to the edict."

"Do you know why the edict began?"

Yugi's father was silent for a long handful of minutes. He looked once as if he might answer then stopped short. A few heartbeats passed and finally he looked away.

"That's not really…my place to say."

Atem blinked and looked over when Yugi's mother let out an enraged noise.

"Why is this important to you? Of all the God Dragons why is it you asking for details about…?" She faltered and then bristled, glaring. "You truly did produce an egg, didn't you? And you didn't kill it?"

Yugi spun on her. "Close your mouth before I do it for you," he spat. "Yami deserved the world and more."

"Yami?" She looked at him in disbelief. "You named and raised it?"

Atem opened his mouth to answer, but Yugi sprang forward a step with a snarl. He thumped his tail, glaring and spitting. "Of course we did! He was a miracle!" he snapped. He huffed and slammed his tail into the ground once more. "He was a miracle, and I would have let myself be eaten alive before I ever would have let someone harm him."

Yugi's mother scoffed. "An unnatural birth for an unnatural God Dragon."

Atem shoved Yugi aside when he leaped for her. The Gandora huffed, rolling to his paws, and shot him a furious look. "Yugi," he hissed, "we are far from home right now. The dragons here are convinced I plan to go to war with Jaden. If you draw attention now, whose to say someone won't panic and further the rumors? We are in the cusp of the Leviathan and Jaden's territory, right where they meet. We make the wrong move now and we could cause panic enough to have war declared against two God Dragons."

Yugi huffed again, then shoved him away as he pushed himself to a standing position. "You're just going to roll over while she—?"

"Yes. Yes, I am. Because, truthfully, it doesn't matter. She says what she wants—about me, about you, about Yami. It doesn't matter. You forget Yami wouldn't want you to pick fights, let alone about him."

The Gandora opened and closed his mouth as if he wished to spit at him, bristled, then looked away and back. He glared at his mother for a long handful of seconds. "You have no right to talk about him like that. And I won't have you insult Atem, either."

His mother scoffed but looked to Atem, meeting his stare headlong. "You put him in so much danger. You did this. We kept him safe and hidden for so long and then you made Jaden and Yusei and the Leviathan aware of him."

"They were always aware—from the moment I left the territory, they knew he existed. The edict was over. They didn't turn on him because it was over." He shook his head. "They don't know where he is when he is with me. The others can't see me. I…was the only dragon they couldn't see no matter how hard they sought me out. That's why Jaden never made contact with me when I was younger."

"I can't imagine he'd have wanted to when he realized you were a Slifer, either."

Yugi chomped his teeth so loud it sounded as if a tree had fallen. Atem flinched before he could stop himself, looking over with huge eyes. Yugi's mother huffed and turned to stare at him with an unimpressed expression.

"Do not."

"Leave him alone," Yugi's father grumbled. "You don't need to anger him more than he already is. We always knew he was in love with Atem. I know we hoped he'd grow out of it so he wouldn't attract attention, but it's over. He courted him, and they're mated. Leave it as it is."

Atem studied her face. She was angered, but clearly used to being on the losing side of this argument. He glanced at Yugi. "She wanted better for you," he mumbled. "I don't see how you can fault her for that."

Yugi shot him a furious look. "There is no better."

He wanted to argue, but it was a tired one and he didn't want to fight him any longer. It wasn't worth the pain that came from sharp words and bitter tones. It tired him out and upset him more then it seemed to make his stance firm. He turned away, looking at Yugi's father. The Luster Dragon stared at him in shock, as if he'd expected him to bristle and snap at his mate as Yugi did.

"This group of dragons who went after the Gandoras after the edict ended… Who were they? Do you know?"

Yugi's mother laughed bitterly. "You don't know?"

Atem shot Yugi a puzzled look he mirrored instantly. They turned back to her in unison, blinking in bewilderment. She sighed loudly and shook her head, voice full of resentment.

"Do you know anything"—Yugi snarled loudly and she shot him a withering look full of impatience and frustration—"about the edict at all?"

"I know very little. That may be ignorance on my part, or it may be due to the secrecy surrounding the edict altogether. I couldn't tell you which of those two it might be." Atem blinked and tilted his head, frowning. "I only just learned how recently it ended. I'd thought it had been over far longer than it has."

"That's a common misconception. A lot of dragons would rather bury it than bring it to the surface. And to admit that Jaden and Yusei were involved in that amount of bloodshed is enough to make everyone pretend it was longer ago than it was." Yugi's father sighed. "What do you know about the edict, Atem?"

"My understanding is limited to what Yusei told me earlier today," he mumbled, tilting his head just enough to consider Yugi in his peripheral. The Gandora still seemed flustered but his expression had rapidly changed to exhaustion. "He is the one who told me the edict began because of Shadi's death."

"Shadi?" Yugi's father echoed. "Oh, yes, I remember him. I was only alive a year before he was killed. The Gandora…ate his heart, is what my brother told me to scare me."

Atem nodded slightly. "Yusei told me that as well. He was killed in the Water Clan camp in front of the others and his heart was hollowed out and eaten." He paused. "I don't understand why no one stopped him. The Leviathan was active at that time. He's older than Yusei. He was active. And he lived there with the Water Clan. Why did he not…?"

Yugi's parents swapped looks and turned to him in bewilderment.

"Leviathan was active, yes, but he…" Yugi's father tilted his head and narrowed his eyes. "Do you know what species Shadi was?"

"A White Night Dragon. But what does that have to do with anything?"

Yugi's mother barked a laugh. "A White Night Dragon? Who told you that?" she scoffed. She stared at Atem as if he had grown a second head, flicking her tongue. After a moment she looked to Yugi incredulously, then turned back with a shake of her head. "Shadi wasn't a White Night Dragon, Atem. He was a Judgment Dragon."

He blinked. "A Judgment Dragon?"

"He was. He wasn't related to Ironheart but distantly, but the two of them were best friends. And he had the strongest healing abilities as well as the best visions." Yugi's mom huffed and shook her head. "If rumors are right, Shadi demanded that Leviathan let it happen. If not, then Leviathan decided to sit it out for reasons unknown."

Atem shook his head. "I don't believe that. I can't see Leviathan honoring a death wish like that. It's more likely he didn't intervene because of the Divine's father."

"You think it was Jaden to stop him?"

He glanced at Yugi. "I almost killed Jaden for Yami. I can't imagine Jaden wouldn't have done the same for Sartorius."

Yugi's father blinked and raised his head. "Sartorius? Was that the name of the Divine?"

Atem nodded slightly. "Yami said it during an argument with Jaden. Jaden recognized the name instantly. And so did Yusei when I spoke it to him. I have to assume that's the name." He paused. "I could be wrong but I doubt it. Jaden's reaction was nothing short of pure rage. And Yusei was extremely disturbed and upset for a moment. And if Yami plucked that name from Jaden's head, it had to be it."

Yugi's mom bristled. "Plucked the name from Jaden's head?"

"Yami read thoughts," Yugi supplied with a proud but melancholic smile. "He liked to read thoughts and jump through everyone's dreams. It was his favorite thing to do."

"How did he die?"

"Jaden got to him when we weren't there to defend him," Atem said when Yugi looked away and stared blankly at a nearby fern. He studied the Red-Eyes for a moment. "He wandered out of the den and Jaden got to him before any of us could try to help him."

"You didn't wake when the attack happened?"

Atem had wondered about that as well. Why hadn't he woken? Why hadn't he sensed Jaden nearby and rushed to help Yami? It didn't make sense. Everything in his bones protested the realization. He should have tried. He should have been able to catch up to him and stop Jaden and yet…

"I…I didn't. Yugi didn't. Even Timaeus didn't wake." He faltered, struggling to think long enough to pick his words. "I don't… I don't know why none of us woke when it happened."

A long silence passed and Atem bristled, uncomfortable and almost lightheaded with the wave of grief that swept through him. Why had no one woken? He expected Yugi's mother to say something, even if it was only to ask who Timaeus was, but she kept silent. Her eyes had softened slightly but she still looked more irritated than sympathetic.

"It was probably a mercy," Yugi's father mumbled, staring at his paws. "I couldn't stomach watching someone kill Yugi. It wouldn't matter who it was. I'd rather die."

"Yeah, well, no one is ever going to kill me! Not without getting through Atem and that's all but impossible." Yugi cast him a grin, one full of warmth and pure adoration. Atem almost wanted to smack it from his face. He didn't understand why he believed he could protect him when he hadn't managed to do so for Yami, but Yugi had always been mindlessly hopeful… "And I'm a Gandora. I kick butt!"

That made him smile and snicker. Yugi beamed. His parents smirked and shook their heads.

"Are you sure Shadi was a Judgment Dragon?" he asked, unable to maintain the light and airy feeling Yugi's declaration had brought about. It faded immediately as Yugi's parents looked at him again. "He was the same species as Ironheart?"

"Down to the blinding white scales."

Why would Yusei lie about that of all things? Why had he decided Shadi's species was an issue? Was it because of Ironheart? Or was it because Leviathan was Ironheart's son?

"What about Rafael?"

"Rafael?"

"Where was he in the midst of all this? Where had he wandered off to when all of that was going on?" he demanded, bristling faintly. "And Ironheart?"

Yugi's father glanced away and back. "Ironheart was…next in line to become the leader of the Water Clan. Rafael was…rumored to be the one to lead Sartorius to the camp to kill Shadi."

"What? Why would he do that?"

"Ironheart took an instant disliking to Rafael, almost from the moment he was born. I don't know the details of it, but I remember hearing he all but immediately turned from him. The mother never truly cared one way or the other. But Rafael was extremely jealous and spiteful. He grew up resentful of the Leviathan. Ironheart clearly favored the Leviathan more than any of his other hatchlings, no matter the clutch. I think… It's speculation, but I think Rafael let Sartorius in to kill Ironheart, not Shadi, but being the same species, Shadi protected him and pretended to be Ironheart."

Yugi's mother shook her head. "No, he set Sartorius on Shadi to ensure he had a place by Sartorius's side when he took over the free dragons. That's what I was always told." She snorted. "Either of those could be true or they might not. Who knows? At this point I'm amazed it's even still discussed."

"But it's not." Atem frowned. "That's why I'm here now, asking. Because it was never…spoken of before. I don't understand why not…"

"Some things should always remain buried in the past, no matter the desire to remember or recall," Yugi's father sighed. "This…would be one of them, if it weren't for the fact Jaden could declare an edict at any time. Or that there's another Divine walking about."

"Are they sure it's a Divine?" Yugi's mother scoffed. "I have yet to hear of Atem healing someone or seeing visions. Are we sure—?"

"Yami did both," Yugi cut in forcefully. "He saw thoughts and traversed dreams and he saw beyond the borders of our territory. He gave Atem the ability to see at night. And he healed us both when Jaden attacked us two years ago trying to get to him. He saved me when I fell down a cliff in the snow. If Atem didn't have abilities, if he wasn't a God Dragon, how would you explain all of that?"

She stared at Yugi as if he'd struck her. Then she turned back to Atem.

"I'd almost forgotten how indignant he gets on your behalf. Do you show him the same courtesy or do you sit there pretending everything is okay even when someone undermines him?"

Atem blinked slowly. Yugi huffed and moved to press into his side, offering as well as seeking comfort. "If there was a reason to defend him, I'd do so in a heartbeat. But he is not under threat. And you may poke and prod at my temper as much as you so wish. You anger your son, not me. It is his stress you are responsible for."

Yugi's mother faltered a moment, staring, and then snarled low in her throat. "Do you even know loyalty?"

He narrowed his eyes. "I should assume so, considering my species."

"I don't mean loyalty in failure to leave Yugi's side. I mean fighting for him the way he does for you."

"Drawing blood over petty words has never been a declaration of loyalty," he snapped. "I understand he's overprotective of me and he lashes out when he feels I'm insulted, but I'm not a hatchling. I don't need protection from words."

Yugi rubbed against him more forcefully, though Atem did not know now whether it was to offer comfort or because he was frustrated by the declaration. But Atem had told him that on multiple occasions. If he still did not care to listen, that was his choice. It did not matter to him one way or the other if Yugi continued, as long as he did not draw blood senselessly.

"You understand that should an edict be placed again, I'll protect him, yes?" he asked, turning to Yugi's father. "Jaden can declare one and I'll fight him fang and claw. It's not as if I have not done so before. We quarreled at the meeting, even if it was the Leviathan to be recipient of my claws. A vote would have to be taken as well. Leviathan will likely side with whoever gets the most support for the sake of convenience. But Yusei will side with me. I know that much. He tried to stop Jaden getting to Yami… If that's to be believed, then I should think he'd stand with me to prevent further needless bloodshed."

Yugi's father nodded. "I didn't doubt it. It's just not something I like to think about. The entire species was almost wiped out and Yugi is…the standard Gandora. He didn't get any off marks or different jaw structure or anything others sometimes have. He looks as the original Gandora did. He sticks out. If Jaden went after him…"

"I've yet to lose a fight—God Dragon or not. Jaden goes through me."

"And he'd be stupid to do that," Yugi announced, rubbing against Atem's side. "Because Atem is way better than him."

Atem snorted. He didn't think that counted for much in the grand scheme of things but he'd let Yugi pretend it did. He smiled faintly and shook his head. "Regardless, nothing will happen to Yugi as long as I have breath in my lungs."

Yugi's mother stared at him, skeptical, but did not argue. She looked at her son again after a moment. "You understand if this becomes war, he'll come for you before he does Atem, yes? Atem is the threat. You are nothing but a hatchling to them. You're an inconvenience at best."

"This inconvenience has teeth and claws and a temper," Yugi said with a small shake of his head. "They won't go after me because they don't want war with Atem. If that was even a deliberation, Jaden would have come after him long ago. He did not even come after him again when Atem originally attacked him in our territory."

Yugi's mother turned to him. "You've fought him before?"

"Twice."

"And you're still alive."

"It would appear so."