Chapter XCV: Mercy

Atem flicked his tail and ignored the amazed and startled look on his best friend's face. He tilted his head as Yugi went to Jonouchi's other side curiously, and the newcomer remained seated with his gaze locked on the Red-Eyes. Jonouchi groaned after a long minute, then blinked and looked at the four of them huddled around him. His eyes flickered first to Yugi, then Atem, Timaeus, and finally to Yami.

"Hey, you're still alive," Jonouchi grunted as he stared at the hatchling. Yami didn't blink, watching him intently for a moment before glancing toward Atem.

"I would have come with an announcement, but Jonouchi seemed like he was still struggling more than he should have." Yami tilted his head. "I don't understand why. Unless Dimitri has some kind of poison, but it didn't smell as if he was rotting, so I don't know what happened."

Atem watched him for a long moment, then nodded. "It doesn't matter. As long as he's healed, it's not something we have to worry about, right?" he muttered. His eyes flickered to Timaeus briefly. The Knight Dragon had not looked away from Yami since he'd entered the den. Atem almost thought for a moment he wasn't even breathing. He was statuesque and staring, eyes huge and boring into Yami's face. "Until we have to fight him, there's no reason for us to speculate."

Yami shifted his weight and nodded slightly. "Okay." He looked over at Timaeus and tilted his head. "Hi. I said I'd come by to visit you at some point."

Atem snickered when Timaeus opened and closed his mouth stupidly twice before letting out a noncommittal grunt. Yugi smirked and looked away, though Atem felt his eyes briefly on his face. Yami laughed and shifted his weight, tilting his head as he considered the teal male.

"I wasn't expecting it to be so soon," Timaeus finally managed, and Atem found himself almost guffawing again. He looked so amazed, as if Yami were nothing but a mirage. He knew for a fact he'd stood similarly frozen upon realizing Yami was still alive, but his expression had not been so amazed as angered. The smallest hint of betrayal reared itself once more and he fought away the wave of frustration in his bones. "I… Atem said you would wait until you thought it was safe Dimitri wouldn't follow you to us."

Yami didn't answer for what felt a lifetime. Then his head turned and his eyes locked with Atem's once more. "He's going to come. I can sense it. I saw it when I slept. He's going to come here by midday, if it even takes so long. I don't know that he'll be hunting for me or if something else will drive him, but he'll come."

"And you're here to prevent him killing us?" Atem asked slowly, voice dripping with skepticism he couldn't suppress. "You say that as if you suddenly have an idea of what you need to do."

"No. I still don't know. And no, I don't think I could hold my own against him right now. But I don't believe he means to come to kill anyone, either." Yami shook his head. "I came to see the four of you, and especially to heal Jonouchi. He wouldn't have survived the night otherwise."

Yugi shifted his weight. "Why? I don't understand. He was recovering some…"

Yami nodded slightly. "But not enough. The wound was…festering on the inside. I don't know how or why, but the infection was in his blood." Yami sighed. "He would have died and come back, but why allow the loss of another heart if I could prevent it?"

Yugi glanced at Jonouchi uncertainly, and Atem ignored the urge to reassure him he had done what he could. Instead he considered Yami again, curious as he murmured, "You said he's coming. How soon?"

Yami shook his head. "I don't know that many details. I just know he'll be coming here soon." He shifted his weight. "The most I saw was that he comes here, to this territory, in search of me or Jonouchi."

"Jonouchi?" Yugi echoed. "Why?"

"Because Dimitri doesn't know Timaeus isn't dead. And Jonouchi is your best friend. If he can get to Jonouchi, he can get to you and that means Atem will follow." Yami got up and shook himself out. "I think he's hoping if he can get to you both, I'll come running to try to intervene. That's about the extent I can understand of it. Why else risk crossing paths with you? He's still afraid of you, Atem, which means if he's willing to do that he must have better plans than to hide away and wait for you to kill him."

Atem hummed and glanced at Timaeus. His friend had finally turned away from Yami to face him again, though he kept the hatchling in his peripheral. "Well, you're here now. He's not going to try to sink his claws into you again with you in my territory like this."

Timaeus grimaced. "For how long? He won't stay scared of you forever."

"It'll have to be long enough," he dismissed. "He'll stay afraid and we'll use his fear to our advantage. It gives us time to do whatever else we need."

Yami was quiet for a long time. "Kris is with the Wind Clan, if you wanted to visit. She fled and hid near the border but she's exhausted and she'll need to lay her clutch soon. Now might be the best time to see to her."

Yugi bristled faintly, as if he were offended somehow by the offer. Timaeus blinked and looked at Yami in surprise, and Atem shifted his weight awkwardly as his eyes fell on Jonouchi. The Red-Eyes had moved to sit up, watching the four of them with a bewildered expression.

"I…" Timaeus hesitated, then turned to Atem.

The God Dragon considered him a moment. "I'd go, but that's obligation rather than affection. But if you do this, you should tell her you don't plan to return for a while. I'd like to keep Aki from having a reason to call in her debt and I'd rather not put the Clan in danger just by visiting them." Atem looked at Yami. "Does he have plans to invade any of them currently?"

"Not that I've seen. I don't think he cares all that much about them. I think he went after Honda and the others to force Jaden out. And when you came, he was caught off guard." Yami flicked his tail and shook his head with a small sigh. "I'm not sure I see his decisions in the present or future. I think I see them mostly in the past. I don't know why, but it always seems like every time I think he's making plans they've already happened."

"You said that's what happens with Atem." Yugi was staring at him headlong now, blue-violet eyes glittering. "You said you can't see him until he makes the decision. Dimitri is related to Atem through Seto. Maybe that's why."

Yami tilted his head and Atem fought a bristle; everyone was watching him again. He didn't understand what they thought they'd find by studying him like this, but he was sure it wouldn't be to their satisfaction.

Yami's lips twitched and Atem huffed. He'd be petulant if he wanted.

"No. Dimitri doesn't have the same scope of abilities Atem does. Atem's are…far stronger than anything either of us possess. I think he's managed to block me from seeing his future by pretending he doesn't know what action he'll take. It's simple enough." Yami tilted his head. "Although, I block him by forcefully keeping him or the other three from seeing me. It's not the easiest thing, but it's a lot simpler than trying to convince myself or any onlookers that I haven't made a decision."

Timaeus glanced at Atem again, considering. Atem didn't know what he was searching for, meeting his eyes with an unblinking stare and waiting, but Timaeus grinned suddenly and turned away.

Yami snickered. "He's thinking you're a lot more a handful now than you were a hatchling."

Timaeus shot him a dirty look. "Shush. Don't tell him. He might send Yugi to box me upside the head again."

Yugi puffed his chest and tipped his chin up. Atem snickered and shook his head. His mind briefly recalled settling before his parents as his brothers slept soundly as he lay awake and struggled not to race around the den. His mom had called him over to her and she'd begun the familiar story, one he'd dismissed years prior to meeting Yugi but found himself constantly recalling the longer he'd spent time with him.

"Every dragon has a mate especially for them. They'll come into your life when you most need it."

Atem glanced at Yami when he saw the hatchling's face soften and grow warmer. I think if I can send Yugi to box someone upside the head just because I say so, he must be the one for me, huh?

Yami laughed and grinned. "Oh, is that all?" he snickered.

Atem smirked. "It could be."

Yami mirrored his expression, eyes warm as sunlight, and glanced at Yugi sideways. I concede. He does run off to beat someone up on your command. He turned back and smirked wider. Think I could get Timaeus to do that for me, too?

Atem snorted. "I don't know about that. He always said no to me."

Yami didn't look upset by the comment, instead laughing, "You'd have sent him after everyone under the sun!"

"Don't call me out," he chided, smirking again and ignoring the puzzled looks they both stared at him with. "I would have at least helped."

The hatchling scoffed and laughed as he dodged Atem's swipe. He grinned at him after a moment, then shook himself out and turned to Timaeus. "Go visit Kris. She'll want to see you're okay and now might be the only time you have to do it."

The Knight Dragon hesitated for a long minute, then glanced at Atem sideways. "I… Will you be here when I get back?" he demanded, turning on Yami once more. He looked annoyed when the hatchling didn't immediately answer. "Yami."

"Father told me not to lie unless absolutely necessary. Now isn't quite that time, so I'll tell you instead I'd like to be, but I'm not sure. I came because Dimitri will come here soon, not because I have time to catch up." Yami looked agitated as they considered each other. Atem didn't think he was so angry he might lash out, but his voice was considerably removed from its usual friendly timbre. "I'd also like you removed from the situation before he should realize I shared my heart with you. Do not mistake it for anger or cruelty, Timaeus. I need you away so that he cannot target you again for the purpose of sinking his claws into me as he did before."

Atem looked away from the startled and hurt expression on Timaeus's face, but after a moment the Knight Dragon murmured, "You're right."

Yami nodded. "See to it that Kris is okay. Don't come back here until either Atem or Yugi go to fetch you." He paused and glanced outside before a grim expression crossed his face. Atem considered him curiously but the Divine Dragon didn't speak for a long minute. "Or once the darkness clears."

Timaeus blinked. "What?"

"Nothing," Yami answered a little louder, turning to him abruptly. "Just wait until you are retrieved. I don't want to take any risks. He knows how to fight you and win. We don't need it to happen a second time."

Atem was almost stunned by the sharper notes in Yami's voice. He seemed so cold and far away, as if he were afraid of something and didn't have the words to explain. Or perhaps he was too scared to face it head on. Atem couldn't tell. Yami had closed himself off, standing stiffly even as he softened his voice.

"Kris will be glad to see you again, especially after what happened."

Timaeus blinked and shivered. "Was she awake when it happened?"

"Yes. She was awake. She didn't come to help because of her pregnancy." Yami flicked his tail. "She was there when I shared my heart and she was present when I began to leave. I convinced her to go. It took longer than I'd expected, but she buckled soon after. I don't know where exactly she went when she fled at first, but I know she's with Aki now."

"Did she expect to get more details from her?" Yugi asked quietly, voice gentle rather than accusatory. Atem considered his face, curious, but Yugi merely seemed troubled. "I mean, did she accept her into the Clan to be able to ask questions?"

Yami shook his head slowly. "I don't know. I don't know what Kris told her. All I know is she's among them. Aki could have taken pity on her for the fact that she's a Wind Dragon and so close to her due date." He flicked his tail again, but he didn't seem nearly as agitated as before. "I don't believe she even knows Kris was mated to Timaeus prior."

"She wouldn't have reason to," Atem commented. "Unless they interacted at some point?"

"No. We avoided the Clan at all costs. The only time the clutch got too close, I dealt with them. She and her patrol came to see me when Kris was out hunting. I told her about the situation, but I think she always summed it up to an attempt to impress her." Timaeus laughed, butting Atem's shoulder. "Just like when she said she thought my claims of being your friend was just to impress her."

Atem smirked. "Right. I remember. And then she said she thought you'd told it to her because it would make her more likely to mate with you and you pretended you were a stud."

Yami laughed softly. "Oh?"

"I am a stud." Timaeus huffed and shook himself out, then chomped his teeth at Jonouchi when the Red-Eyes snickered. The other male snarled in turn, startled, but Timaeus ignored him as he turned back. "Or, I was, anyways. Settling with females for long periods of time to raise nests kind of prevents you reclaiming the title."

Atem snorted and shook his head. "Whatever."

He headed for the entrance then, pausing. He turned to stare at Yami for a long moment. Atem fully expected him to speak, to say something in parting, but the Knight Dragon turned away again immediately and left them there.

Atem watched him go before turning back. Yami hadn't turned his head to see him off, but Atem could tell he was acutely aware when he became airborne. Yugi shifted his weight awkwardly and turned to Jonouchi after a moment, wandering closer as if to check on him. Yami wouldn't meet Atem's eye for what felt a lifetime.

"How long do you think you could keep Dimitri unaware Timaeus is alive and well?" he asked slowly, narrowing his eyes. "As much as I'd like to say otherwise, Dimitri doesn't seem stupid. He's definitely rash and he doesn't like being told no or to leave even at the cost of his life, but he's not stupid."

Yami nodded. "It's an unfortunate development," he mumbled. "I was hoping he'd have the tunnel vision Seto does, but it doesn't seem like it. You can rattle Seto so easily and make him bristle and lunge thoughtlessly if you give him the right look. Dimitri seems a little stronger than that. But I don't know. I don't think Timaeus will stay a secret past today, if I can even manage so long as sunset."

"He'll be back before then. There's no way he'll stay there all night."

Yami nodded slightly again, eyes glazed with distant thoughts. Atem could see him struggling to think of a response for a long moment before he abruptly turned to him and grinned. "But that's okay. He doesn't need to stay there all night. I just…wanted him to visit Kris again. She was terrified and stressed when she realized what had happened. I think she'll be happy at least to know he's not dead. She really does love him."

Atem didn't know what to say but he nodded slightly. Yugi looked over at him sideways and Atem hesitated for a moment before locking eyes with him. The Gandora blinked, then grinned, and Atem snorted at the exuberance Yugi showed just to be acknowledged.

"Aren't you even the slightest bit worried?" Jonouchi muttered, sounding unsure of himself. Yami didn't look over, studying the sky beyond the den entrance instead.

"Why should I be?" the dragonet asked quietly. "Timaeus can choose to stay there or return. My heart is in his chest, but that doesn't mean I'll bind him to me as you're suggesting. His choices are his own. If he wishes to remain with Kris and take her again as a mate, I won't speak against it."

Yugi bristled slightly and looked over at Yami in surprise. "He wouldn't."

"How do you know that?" Jonouchi asked, tilting his head. "He's a Wind Dragon, not Sky. He could choose to stay with her and have more nests."

Yami hummed. "Truthfully, I'd almost rather he did. But he wouldn't." He paused, stretching and shaking himself out as he straightened. "Timaeus wasn't so easily ruled by mating instincts after he met Atem. Things changed a lot for him when he took care of him. Why else stay with Kris to raise the nest they produced? Most males would have left the moment they hatched or the mother would have been forced to chase them out for fear of them being eaten. Meeting Atem when he did and at such a young age changed a lot for him. Honestly, I think if he hadn't realized he would hinder Atem if he stayed, he would have chosen that instead."

Yugi blinked and bristled, looking at Atem with wide eyes.

"It wouldn't have gone so far," Yami muttered, looking at Yugi. "I just meant to say Timaeus would have stayed here with Atem instead of visiting biannually if he had not known it would have caused problems for Atem later."

Jonouchi huffed. "What are you even talking about?"

When Yami and Yugi both refused to answer, Atem looked over.

"I left the nest prematurely. I was wounded and Timaeus was nearby when I was starving to death." He lashed his tail. "He took down a horse and I was so hungry I tried to fight him for it. He let me have it without even taking a bite. From there we became almost inseparable and we stayed together while my wound healed. We were on the border of the Badlands and the Lightning Clan territory where they cross. So the next mating cycle was a nightmare and we had to constantly travel, which was…so pleasant. We spent over two years together and then Timaeus said he wanted to try again with the mating cycle. I told him that was fine, because I'd decided to head back to my home territory because I remembered the huge mountain and the village and the river and how the winter I remembered living through had still been abundant with prey. It made the most sense, so we separated that day. Timaeus visited every heat cycle to check up on me."

The Red-Eyes stared at him for a long time. "Yugi never told me any of that."

"Why would he have?" Atem snarled, almost salivating with anger. "You never asked and he wouldn't have betrayed my trust like that."

Yugi stared at him for a long moment. "What do you mean it would have hindered him to stay there?" he asked quietly. "I don't understand. Atem was healed and Timaeus wasn't interested in mating with him. It would have probably sheltered him from a lot of suitors."

Yami looked at Atem. "That's the problem. He's a God Dragon. If Timaeus had remained and helped him with suitors, it would have stunted him. He wouldn't have known when to draw the line with fights and he wouldn't have learned mercy because Timaeus would have been there to remind him." He lashed his tail, voice growing frustrated. "You learned mercy through him when you lived together, but you had no reason to execute it when they challenged you. Timaeus taught you to hold your paw when you didn't have to kill, but having a constant reminder of teachings and a mentor to never leave your side causes more damage than good. You'd have waited for him to tell you to stop or go through with the death blow. Not to mention being alone again didn't taint you. You weren't wracked with loneliness or doubt. You didn't spend your nights wishing Timaeus would come back. Being alone helped you so much. You understood mercy and patience and you realized the most boisterous of your suitors were usually the youngest and stupidest. You drew the line at them being too young to understand how to use their claws properly, something that Timaeus couldn't teach you. I remember one time, in your nightmares, you wallowed about him leaving you. You were bitter and angry and you hated him for a little while, because he left you there and you had deal with everything on your own."

Atem blinked and flexed his claws. "It lasted a day. Don't look at me like I planned to take his head off," he mumbled, considering the raw frustration in Yami's eyes. He looked so much like Yugi when they argued, when the Gandora snapped at him for self-deprecating remarks right before he fell into apologies and tried to snuggle against him to make him feel better. "I wasn't mad for long. I understood after the first moon."

Yami narrowed his gaze for a split second, then growled, "Your abilities…stemmed from that."

Atem blinked again. Yugi bristled and snarled softly behind him. Jonouchi sat up and looked between the three of them with huge eyes.

"They were already active the moment you were born. But they were stunted when you lived with Timaeus, because he took care of you. You'd never had someone that worried about you before. He constantly worried you'd die in the middle of the night if he didn't check that you were breathing. He spent hours watching you to make sure you didn't just pass away." Yami lashed his tail again, flexed his claws, and shook his head angrily. "Your abilities were stunted for a while. And then, on your own, they flourished again. I could feel it sometimes when I traversed your dreams or got snippets of your memories. By the time Yugi came, you were so independent and your abilities were so close to the surface, you couldn't have been undone by anything."

Atem tilted his head and glanced at Yugi slightly. The Gandora snarled a little louder, looking to him after a moment.

"Your abilities are still always there. They're just beneath the surface constantly. You use them everyday and never even realize it." Yami shook himself out and sighed loudly, the anger dissipating from his lean form as he closed his eyes. "You'll understand what they are later. It won't be much longer now. I just wanted to say the reason you grew so much in the time Timaeus was gone was because you began to use and rely on them again. I know it was hard and you hated much of your life back then, but it was all for the best."

Yugi shook himself once, then twice, and finally the bristling ceased. He trembled with anger for a split second, but it dissipated when he lowered his head and flexed his claws more pointedly into the stone beneath them. Atem watched his claws dig through effortlessly for a moment before he turned away.