Chapter LXXX: Timaeus

It took several minutes to navigate the darkness that threatened to swallow him. Had Yami thought it would have helped, he would have used his fire breath to try to find his surroundings. Instead he walked unsteadily into the dark, only finding relief when he came upon a small but winding path of gray amidst the shadows. It was as if ashes lay about the ground and they threatened to choke him when he stepped upon them. Pain swelled through his limbs and the ground seemed to try to surge upward and swallow his paws. He smelled blood then, harsh and distinct, and it made his head spin.

His lungs threatened to collapse upon themselves as he forced himself forward again. His mouth was dry again, the darkness tugging at his senses and swelling as he continued. A flash of something in his path made him bristle. He tilted his head, then relaxed.

Atem.

The hatchling peered up at him, bright golden eyes boring into his. He didn't speak or move but to tilt his head in mimicry and blink. After a moment he blinked again, then squeaked and sprang away as if to lead him through the dark. Yami ignored the sudden urge to flinch away and hide. It came suddenly but powerfully, almost to the point of being overwhelming.

He shivered and forced himself forward again. The trail remained ashen and burned, much like the charred mess he himself had created for Atem to find. He wondered how he'd reacted, if he'd been so upset he'd almost declared war or if it had been as easy as he'd hoped. Yami ignored the nagging thought and continued through the dense shadows.

"Why am I here?" a voice muttered, and Yami blinked as he realized it was not his own. He blinked and raised his head. Timaeus stood further ahead, barely visible, with his eyes trained on Atem. The hatchling tilted his head, squeaked, and then turned and fled the other way.

The teal male huffed. "I've followed you," he snapped. "I've followed you from the dark, to the meadow, to the light, to here again. Why am I back?"

Yami went to speak, but a voice chirped, "Hi" and he lost his focus. His head snapped around. Was that…him?

Timaeus remained statuesque, blinking slowly. "Yami."

He looked over again, though he kept his younger self in the corner of his eye.

"I went to see Yugi and Atem. We spoke and I'm here now. I wanted to talk to you…if that's okay."

Yami blinked and looked over. His younger self was staring at Timaeus with an adoring expression, though he seemed tired and puzzled. He turned back, the back of his mind itching as he stepped forward. Timaeus was silent, staring down at his younger phantom.

The phantom stepped forward. "I just…I don't know. I guess I wanted to make sure before I traversed your dreams like this again. I didn't ask last time, either."

Despite the silence, the smaller dragon continued a moment later.

"Am I always welcome here?"

Yami blinked and looked at Timaeus closely.

"In your dreams—your mind. Am I always welcome here?"

The teal male remained silent still, watching the phantom unblinkingly.

"I just… I always wondered why you never made a barrier. Yugi uses the lemon tree. And Atem forged that valley of mist and thorns." Yami looked over. "It just made me curious. You never worried about what I might find in your head."

Again Timaeus did not respond but for the smallest tilt of his head.

"I was just curious. I'd like to stay here if I'm allowed—or at least I'd like to keep the ability to stay here. I want to have an invitation forever."

"Is this what death is?" Timaeus said suddenly, spitting the words. "That little bastard did it. I know he did. I remember that much. And I wasn't here. I was… Atem led me… And now I'm back."

Yami glanced at the phantom to his left. It was greeting him again, chirping, "Hi" as if it were on a continuous loop. Yami stared for a moment, then blinked and stepped forward. Timaeus blinked and looked over abruptly, bristling and then peeling his lips back to show the ridges of his teeth.

"What…?"

Yami searched his face for a moment. "Hi," he murmured, and for a split second the phantom next to him wavered. He stepped forward. Timaeus recoiled and bore his teeth, snarling. "Do you remember what happened?"

The teal male stared at him. The hatchling to his right continued his one-sided dialogue. Yami wondered, glancing at the phantom to his side, how often Timaeus had thought back to this conversation. Was this the memory Seto's son had chosen, or had Timaeus forced it to the surface himself?

He turned back. Timaeus was staring at him again, amber eyes glinting. "Seto's son came for you. I…guess he trapped you here at some point?" he asked, tilting his head as he considered. Why wouldn't he have chosen the moment they'd all seen the kill site Yami had constructed? "It was probably to keep you from killing him when he realized you were a lot stronger than he thought."

Timaeus was silent for a long minute. "Are you…real?"

Yami smiled faintly. "I could be," he said softly, studying him. He smiled a little more and tilted his head. "But…maybe it's best I'm not."

Because Timaeus could tell Atem. And if Atem knew, all things could come to an end.

"But I've come to help you. I'll guide you out. I'll bring you back to life."

Timaeus bristled and stared. "I can't."

"Why not?" he asked gently. "Your body is alive again. You're just…not in it like you should be."

"What?" Timaeus snapped. "What does that mean?"

"Your mind is here…but your body is out there." Yami searched his face and tilted his head again, smiling a little wider. "And, for your body to be out there while you're in here, it means you're comatose."

Timaeus blinked and huffed. "I just died, didn't I?" he hissed. "I know it happened. When I managed to… I know I died. Atem… He led me to… But you're saying…"

Yami nodded and stepped forward. This time Timaeus did not flinch or back away. "I need you to come with me now, instead of following Atem or…answering your memories any longer. I need you to follow me, so that you aren't dead anymore."

"What? Why would I…?" The teal male scoffed. "I never imagined I'd…lose my mind this much when I died. I have a juvenile Atem, a hatchling Yami and a juvenile one, too."

Yami smiled tightly. "Do you trust me? You used to. You said before you'd trust me with your life." He ignored the urge to glance sideways at the phantom beside him. It was repeating itself in his voice, saying the same thing as it had before. "You told me once you'd follow me to the afterlife and back if I ever asked it of you."

Timaeus blinked once, long and slow. "You're not real."

"I'm real enough." He tilted his head. "But whether you think me real or not, it doesn't change anything, Timaeus. You're alive. And I'm sure Atem will be relieved to see that. But we must move along. We must return to consciousness, Timaeus, so that we may move you out of the open. I have to bring Atem to you, and I need you safe when I do."

"Atem?"

"I need him to stay with you…to protect you for a little while."

"I don't need his protection."

"You will." Yami smiled and searched his face. "But that's only until you recover."

"Recover from death? Yami," Timaeus huffed, "what am I to expect? That someone stumbled across this and shared their heart?"

"Yes." He narrowed his eyes. "You can believe that. It's more or less what happened. But I need you to trust me and follow me now. Atem needs to come, and I need to…go."

"Why?" Timaeus looked as if he'd been struck, crestfallen when he considered him. "Why do you need to go? Go where? Back to Paradise? I don't understand. Why do you need to go? Just…stay here…with me."

Yami blinked and considered him for a long moment, then stepped forward. "I would like nothing more, but I can't. Believe me when I say I'll see you again, but not for now." He paused. "Death…will have its way with us another time. For now, trust me like you did when I was new to the world. I'll make sure we both are okay at the end of this."

"End of what?" he spat, lashing his tail. He stood statuesque after a moment, lips twisted back into a snarl. Yami was almost surprised by the ferocity in his stance. "End of what? I was at the end. And now I'm here."

Yami nodded. "You're alive again. Atem is going to need you and so will I."

"You? You're dead."

"No, I'm a shadow of death," He fell quiet a moment when Timaeus blinked and tilted his head in bewilderment. "Peace, Timaeus. There's a lot to discuss with no time. I'm here for you, to bring you back to the living. Atem needs you. I'll need you there as well when the time comes. But for now… Can you trust me again and join me?"

Timaeus blinked once, long and slow, and seemed to debate his request. There was a long minute where he stood in front of him with his eyes narrowed and darkened thoughtfully. And then he raised and turned his head. The phantom in front of him had turned into an adult Atem, watching him in turn. Yami could see the thoughts behind Timaeus's eyes as he considered. It made sense he was drawn to the idea Atem needed him rather than Yami. He thought he was losing his mind, because he'd died and come back and he was speaking to what probably seemed a dream to him.

Abruptly he turned his head. "I'll see you again?"

Yami nodded, smiling. "Absolutely."

Timaeus stared for a long minute. "Okay. Then lead us from here."

He turned around and led the way. The gray seemed to change slowly to color, as if the world were bleeding into this strange place between life and death. Yami almost thought it dream-like, but there was something almost sinister lingering at the edges. He wondered if the cold chill in his bones came from the residual fear of death everyone knew. He wondered if that was what death truly felt like—cold and terrible, or if it could be warm and soft under the right circumstances.

Had the fifth God Dragon felt so cold when she'd sacrificed herself? Or had her resolve held so firm she'd never regretted or feared it?

He woke with a small, almost painless throbbing in his head. Exhausted, the juvenile raised and turned his head. Timaeus groaned and twitched, shivering, and drew a deep breath that made his body shake.

Yami leaned forward to lick his beak and forehead, then slowly pulled himself to his paws. He straightened, shaking himself out, and wondered at the strange chill which still lingered in his bones. He wondered if it was because of Timaeus or his brush with death in retrieving him.

It didn't matter, he decided. He searched Timaeus's face when the Knight Dragon trembled and slowly blinked his eye open. "Hey," he whispered, relieved when Timaeus looked confused and exhausted. He hoped the pain he felt pulsing through his limbs wouldn't last for long, nudging his shoulder gently and then his cheek. "It'll hurt for a little while. But I'll make it stop soon. I just need you to come with me, okay?"

Timaeus blinked up at him without recognition, though he tried to stumble to his paws and collapsed back.

"Try again," Yami murmured, searching his face and smiling. Timaeus stared back almost coldly, though he blinked once and then tilted his head. "Please, Timaeus. Try again."

The Knight Dragon stared for a moment longer, then braced his muscles and slid his paws beneath himself to stumble to a stand. He panted from the effort, blinking an eye glazed with pain, and then looked at Yami uncertainly.

"Good job." He rubbed beaks with him. "Now, come with me. Follow closely. I can't have you trail behind."

Timaeus blinked. "W…why?" he croaked.

"Atem needs you safe before he comes." Yami flicked his tail. "And I need you to remember how to use your limbs before he arrives. I know it hurts. But I can't do it for you. And you'll need to memorize that pain for when Atem wakes you."

"Wakes…me?"

Yami nodded. "Yes. I'll need him to wake you."

"Why?"

"Because I can't stay here with you. So, I'm going to make Atem come to you." He paused, smiling a little as he considered him. "But it might be a little while longer, which is why you need to rest when he comes."

Timaeus blinked and stared. "But…" He trailed off, then groaned. "Why do I need…?"

"Because you have more healing to do. And you can't remain awake for it."

He looked as if he wanted to argue even as he struggled to stay upright. Yami admired him for the stubbornness, though it was misplaced. At least it didn't seem as if he'd somehow inadvertently changed Timaeus. He'd never thought to wonder if perhaps sharing a heart might alter a personality or anything. He remembered the story Yugi had told about Amun, and some of the other dragons' experiences doing it.

Sometimes they shared their breaths due to the combination of magic and the tie binding them to their savior. But he'd never heard much else.

He'd never thought to ask, either.

He felt it would have been mentioned at some point, however. It didn't seem as if that was something to be overlooked in gossip or myth.

He led Timaeus across the bloodstained clearing, refusing to look around at the scuff marks where they'd thrown each other so violently. He had seen a portion of that fight. Even if it had only been Timaeus's death, he did not want to see the rest. He did not want to imagine it.

The tunnel was just large enough for Timaeus to lay in and for Yami to curl up beside him.

"Go in as far as you can. I'll lay with you until Atem gets here."

Timaeus stared at him for a long time, as if in a trance, then mumbled, "Yami."

He nodded slightly, smiling faintly. "Yeah. That's me."

Timaeus reached out and tapped his shoulder with his beak. "You're flesh and blood."

"I might be," he whispered. "But for right now, I'm just a shadow. So, Timaeus, do as I ask and lay down, okay?"

Timaeus hesitated for a moment, breathing out from between his teeth, and then grunted, "I'm going crazy, aren't I?"

"You could be," he laughed softly, nudging his shoulder and guiding him more pointedly toward the entrance. "I wouldn't be surprised."

The Knight Dragon smirked faintly but wobbled on his paws. Yami leaned forward to lick his face again, then butted him gently in the hip to make him move forward. Timaeus eventually moved past him and into the tunnel, until he couldn't get any further, and lay down. Yami followed a moment later, looking him over as he settled against his side.

"Lay your head down. I'll help you rest."

Timaeus blinked at him, and Yami swallowed a wave of despair when he spoke.

"You're leaving, aren't you?"

Yami forced a smile onto his face. "Not forever."

Timaeus opened his mouth, then shut it slowly. He looked too exhausted to argue, though he did mumble "Please…stay…" even as his eye closed and his head drooped. Yami licked his forehead and drew his paws to his chest, listening to the sound of his heart echoing throughout the tunnel. Timaeus's was shaky and twice as erratic his own, and Yami waited until he could hear his breathing even out almost in time with his.

He pressed his beak to his shoulder, murmuring, "Rest and stay safe. Atem will be here shortly." Timaeus didn't hear him; he was fast asleep already, but Yami took comfort in saying it regardless. He hoped it would keep Timaeus asleep as it had years before, when he'd told Timaeus he loved him before waking and leaving with Yugi.

The vision faded slowly.

Atem blinked a few times, then leveled Yami with a steady but annoyed look. He fought a bristle and glanced at Yugi sideways. The Gandora sat watching them, as if he were expecting an explanation, and for the first time he wondered if at some point Yami had stopped showing them both and only focused on Atem. He felt small and tired as the seconds passed, more overwhelmed than he wanted to admit. Yami had grown into his abilities faster than he'd assumed possible, and when he'd thought him dead he'd almost been grateful.

It meant Yami would be spared the future Ironheart had spoken of.

But he wasn't dead. He was alive, seated in front of him and showing him all these memories that threatened to swallow Atem whole.

"Ironheart saw a path. But that doesn't mean it's the only one," Yami said, standing and shaking himself out. Atem hated himself for letting the juvenile hear him, but Yami didn't seem upset. He'd probably suspected it when he'd convinced Yugi to take him to Jonouchi. "And every path begins narrow and treads to nothingness when the end is reached. But each has forks and turns. So, whereas he saw me hunted, perhaps now I might hide instead. We don't know until we reach the point he saw. And from there we'll have to adapt and change as we must."

Yugi looked at Atem and back. "Timaeus…said it was you. He said it had to have been you to share your heart with him." He paused. "And he was convinced. Because he thought it was Atem before and then he…spoke to you, or so he said. And he knows it wasn't us. So, I…"

Yami blinked once, long and slow. "Then feign ignorance."

"And hurt him as well?" Atem hissed, shifting his weight. Yugi turned to look at him, and Yami faced him with narrowed eyes. "Haven't you done enough damage already?"

"Timaeus needs to stay in the dark just a little longer." He shook his head. "Feign ignorance for the moment. I don't want him to try to seek me out. I want him away from Dimitri's attention. His focus needs to remain on you and the other three. From there things can progress, but not before he does what I'm anticipating."

Atem snarled softly. "How do you know he's not waiting for you to take action?"

"Timaeus believed me dead. He was heartbroken when it was brought up and Dimitri believed him for that agony." He bore his teeth and turned away. "As much as it may hurt him now, it will save you and Yugi and myself later."

"You think playing this game will right the wrongs done?"

Yami looked back. "No. Nothing will right the wrongs. You'll still feel betrayed and angry until you can no longer, and Timaeus will be hurt that I've lied yet again. But the truth stands. You and Yugi are alive because of what I chose to do. Timaeus is alive because of it. If it means your safety, then I'll lie until my scales rot."

Atem risked a sideways glance at Yugi. He'd felt the same, hadn't he? He'd said he didn't regret what happened as long as he was okay at the end of it. Was that what it really meant to love unconditionally? Atem couldn't remember ever thinking he'd offer someone else's life for a loved one's. But then…hadn't he thought if it had saved Yugi from Keith, he would have left his brothers to be eaten alive?

He blinked and stared at the Gandora. Yugi glanced over, locking eyes with him and tilting his head in bewilderment. He smiled hesitantly and Atem studied him for a long minute.

"My life…isn't worth Timaeus's," he said finally, turning to Yami and growling softly. "Dimitri couldn't kill me if he tried. Timaeus shouldn't have been caught in the crossfire, especially not for me. He's done enough for me. His life shouldn't have been offered as well."

Yami's stare was unwavering. "It likely wasn't yours in payment for his." He straightened and shook himself out. "It was more likely mine."

Atem narrowed his eyes. Yugi blinked.

"I am the main reason all of this has happened. Dimitri and I both brought about the eclipse. I saved you both, but I saved myself as well. In doing so, death demanded payment. Timaeus was my fault, never yours. The nest; all of it. It's my fault. I changed things. The path got narrower and I never noticed because I did what I desired at that time."

He curled his lips back to show the ridges of his teeth. "Yami."

He locked eyes with him again. "I will not let you shoulder blame that isn't yours," he said softly. "It was my fault. I changed what would happen. And I made this happen. Timaeus was collateral and I wish it hadn't happened, but your death didn't bring his. Dimitri almost killed the other three. Jaden's life would have been your repayment."

Atem tilted his head. "Jaden?" he mumbled, then looked at Yugi who blinked back at him in surprise. "I feel cheated."

His mate burst out laughing, grinning wide and nudging his shoulder gently before turning back. "That's not fair at all. That's definitely not a fair trade." He glanced at Atem sideways once more, hopeful. "I think Leviathan or Yusei would measure to more akin Atem's life."

Yami hummed. "The world doesn't measure to it," he mumbled, and Atem blinked as he looked over in surprise. The Uria was watching a point past his shoulder and Atem hesitantly glanced back. Akunadin was speaking to Kisara a few yards off, toward the center of the camp. "I'll see the world burn before I see either of you dead for its sake."

Both of them turned around simultaneously, eyes wide. Yami was watching them again, golden eyes glittering with frustration.

"You told me death can only have me when it earns me, yes?" he asked, watching Atem intently. "The world shall rot before it claims your corpses. That's my promise."

Yugi opened his mouth, visibly shaken, and Atem hissed, "Yami."

"I'll fix it where I can. I'll fix everything where I can, but the largest part of this game relies upon you. You're the strongest God Dragon and you will be the one strong enough to kill Dimitri if the four of you should brandish claws against him again." Yami searched his face, then smiled and stepped forward to rub beaks with him. "You're the blind spot. You can do what the others could never imagine. And…when you realize your capabilities…Dimitri will die."

Atem tilted his head, bewildered. "Yami… You said I can't know what my abilities are."

"No. You'll find out. You're not stupid. You've never needed to rely on them like you will later." Yami shook himself out. "But I cannot tell you. And the only other dragon who knows is sitting beside you."

The Sky Dragon looked over. Yugi met his eyes and then turned away.

"So, it is what I thought it was?"

"Yes. And it's going to reach its peak soon." Yami twitched his tail and Atem could see the hollowed pockets of the open scales. When Yami noticed his gaze, he laughed softly and four blades of bright keratin surged forth with a soft click. "I need you to hone that ability, Atem. I need you to sharpen your instincts and control until you feel you can't anymore. Everything relies on that. I cannot kill Dimitri without you and I cannot allow the other three to die."

"And what happens when Jaden realizes you're alive? You're forgetting yourself, Yami."

Yami raised his head and watched him intently. "Jaden will declare war. And you'll have to remember to temper your anger and refuse to kill him. He must be alive when Dimitri dies. All three of them must be there. I need all three of them. When war comes, you must remember your promise to me. Do not kill him. Beat him until he can't stand if you must, but do not kill him, or Yusei or Leviathan."

Arem grimaced. "You ask a lot of me." He snarled softly. "That's a lot of faith to misplace in me like this."

"It's not misplaced. You'll understand when the time comes."