Happy Thanksgiving!

Chapter CXIII: Fate

Atem couldn't name what had changed, but something in the air felt charged and strange. He lifted his head from where he'd been resting, rising to his paws. Yugi immediately scrambled to his paws beside him, yawning and stretching before hurrying after him when he made his way toward the den entrance. He peered about for a moment, flicking his tail and wondering. Had he sensed something? Had he been dreaming and startled awake? Maybe something had bitten him and he'd woken because of it. Had it been an ant or a beetle?

Atem looked at Yugi, unsure of himself, and almost asked if he sensed something, but the Gandora was not paying attention to him. He was staring up at the sky, as if he were studying the clouds overhead. Atem glanced up as well, considering, and wondered at the way the air felt almost…electrified.

Was he imagining it?

Had Yugi merely responded to him and stood there looking at the sky for a sign of what might have disturbed Atem?

He blinked and flicked his tail again. The snow was coming tenfold, he realized in surprise. The falling flakes had grown larger than ever, falling so quickly he was amazed there was even any greenery left. He considered the heavy clouds gathered overhead, bewildered, and then glanced at Yugi sideways. The Gandora stood just as statuesque as he did.

"What is that?" he breathed.

Atem shivered. "I don't know."

Yugi's eyes shot to his. "I don't understand. I woke up from a dead sleep because of…this—whatever it is. And I can't even identify it," he mumbled, sounding unsure. He glanced around again, then stretched once more. Atem could see him struggling to fight the exhaustion of the temperature change again. They'd taken the den Yami had hatched in to wait out the snowfall for the season, but Atem wondered suddenly.

It seemed inconceivable, but an impending sense of dread came over him.

He stared at the snow falling and wondered if he'd somehow set something into motion.

He wondered abruptly where Yami was, and whether he was okay. And then his thoughts crossed briefly to Dimitri. He wondered if he was slowed down in the cold as most Lightning Dragons tended to be, whether he was stronger than Atem had assumed. He wondered what newest shapes he'd acquired and whose skin he might wear should they go to blows.

"You feel that, though—right?" Yugi asked softly.

Atem glanced at him. "As if something's wrong? Very much so."

The Gandora fell silent for a long time, staring at him briefly, and then muttered, "I just hope Yami is okay, whatever is going on."

The Sky Dragon thought to answer him, maybe to reassure him or ask if he was thinking the same things he was, but the words died. He couldn't force them into his mouth, so he looked away and took a seat. He glanced back toward the den again, wondering. Jonouchi was still asleep; he'd barely managed to stumble through the cold temperature. Yugi had been forced to nudge and coax him forward and bite him at times to keep him moving. Timaeus had left to join the Wind Clan for the moment upon Atem's insistence.

He couldn't protect him should something happen when they were so busy tending to the Red-Eyes. For the moment they'd have to settle for separation and eventual reunion.

He didn't like choosing Jonouchi over Timaeus by any stretch, but it made the most sense. Timaeus hadn't been at the end of Dimitri's claws so recently, and Jonouchi was still a little slower and sluggish from Yami healing him. Yugi had insisted he stayed with them just a little while longer, and Atem had the smallest thought it was a desperate bid to somehow pretend things were normal in some aspect. At least with his best friend—though Atem wondered if it was not just guilt which kept Yugi so intent upon his recovery and wondered then if they were former best friends still—there, it might have reminded him of his time in the desert living with the Red-Eyes and his younger sister.

But he also doubted that. Somehow it didn't quite make sense. Yugi had never seemed too drawn to the idea of reminiscing about the past if it did not pertain to Atem in some way.

He blinked and looked over. "Yugi?"

The Gandora stopped watching a nearby drifting flake to look over, eyes stretching wide. Atem almost cringed upon seeing the immediate affection sparkling in his brilliant gaze. "Yeah?"

He opened and closed his mouth, but the words wouldn't come. After a moment he jerked his beak toward Jonouchi, tilting his head in askance. Yugi blinked and looked over, then turned back uncertainly.

"Do you want me to get rid of him?"

He didn't even say it hesitantly. It was almost as if he had been expecting it and so the implication seemed almost somehow natural to him. Atem blinked and shook his head, flustered, and managed to hiss, "No, no. I…I just don't know why he's still here. Why did we not escort him back to his territory yet? He can't be comfortable here right now."

"He's just sleeping," Yugi muttered, looking at him in surprise. "He's basically hibernating. He's too cold to stay awake, so that's what's going on for the moment. But I… I was afraid he'd get himself into further trouble or hurt or something if he left. That's why I asked him to stay. I—I'm sorry. I should have asked you first."

Atem thought briefly to asking Timaeus if he wanted to stay with them without permission and almost laughed aloud. Was it payback? It seemed so childish, and he knew it wasn't something Yugi would have done, but some small part of him almost hoped it was. Somehow it made more sense to him at the moment than the idea the Red-Eyes truly needed to stay with them. Somehow the latter made his head spin and he couldn't quite…understand it.

"Don't apologize," he finally said. "He's your friend. You're concerned about him. I just wasn't sure. I… It's strange to share a den with a Fire Dragon like this."

Yugi grinned at him, both grateful and amused. "I get it," he murmured, leaning over to lick his beak. "But thank you for letting him stay. It means a lot."

Atem nodded distractedly and looked away again.

"Do you think it has to do with Dimitri?"

Atem tilted his head toward him slowly and considered for a split second. What was he supposed to say? Of course he thought it had to do with him—but it felt like Yami instead. Something in his bones said it was Yami, not Dimitri, and that terrified him. Was he hurt? Was he dying? Was that what he hadn't felt when they'd found his staged attack? Was that the sensation he should have had?

"I…I don't know."

Yugi shivered. "Yami's okay," he said abruptly, as if he'd read the hesitation in his stance. Atem blinked and lashed his tail. Yugi shook his head and offered a small smile. "I feel like there would be a lot more if it was about Yami. An eclipse even with the sun hidden behind the clouds or something? Maybe the entire world just going dark."

Atem couldn't help but snort, startled. He tilted his head and smiled faintly. "An eclipse to announce his hatching, another to announce his death," he laughed, but hadn't he thought similarly before? He felt a wave sweep through him, something he couldn't quite understand, and for a split second he almost whimpered. But it passed. "What do you think it is that he's so afraid of?"

Yugi blinked and tilted his head. "What do you mean?"

"He's obviously afraid of something. He's been hiding behind Dimitri as an excuse to not discuss it. I don't know what it truly is, but when I asked him if it had to do with me dying, he got tense and seemed to close himself off," he admitted. He ignored the way Yugi stiffened and narrowed his eyes, lashing his tail and flexing his claws as if he might be able to fight death itself. Atem closed his eyes halfway and flicked his tail. "He was extremely agitated when I asked him if that was what he was hiding back at the Fire Clan camp."

"Is that what the two of you were talking about?" he asked sharply, voice lowering into a faint snarl. "I didn't realize that was what you were discussing before. You'd already gone quiet by the time that I'd gotten so close to hear you."

Atem hummed and looked away. "Yes, well, it wasn't a discussion for you to witness," he said softly in reprimand, though he paused and turned back to him. Yugi looked furious with the comment, but he did not argue. Atem could tell he agreed even if he hadn't wanted to admit it. "I don't mean that negatively, Yugi. It just wasn't a conversation that anyone else should have been a part of."

Yugi nodded a little too sharply. "I'm aware," he answered, then shifted his weight. "That's not why I'm upset."

Atem blinked. "Then what is it? What did I say otherwise that struck your ire?"

The Gandora jumped to his paws, snarling. "Your disregard, you pee for brains!" he spat. Atem tilted his head, startled, and almost laughed at the insult. Yugi curled his lips back to show the ridges of his teeth and snarled louder, beak mere inches from his. He was trembling with outrage, flexing his claws indignantly in the snow. "You speak of your death as if it won't matter."

"Everyone dies, Yugi—"

"And that just makes it okay that you don't care about your life?"

"I never said—"

"No, you never say it. You just act like it. You just act as if your life doesn't matter and you should lay it down for whatever reason you decide that day," Yugi continued scornfully, voice cracking briefly with agony. He tossed his head violently and snarled as he stepped closer. Atem considered him curiously for a long moment, unsure whether to argue. "I understand that your life was hard, okay? I understand that sometimes you likely don't think you should have survived and you might even wish otherwise but… I don't. I don't wish for any of that. I love you so much, and you just…never seem to care about yourself."

Atem exhaled slowly. He wasn't wrong. There wasn't often that Atem cared enough to be concerned about his own death. When Keith had come for him, he'd said nothing more than he would face him and win. He'd prepared himself to battle Jaden to the death should they both declare war upon each other. None of it worried him so much that he'd sat there and debated whether it would be the end of his life altogether.

"I still have all my hearts," he muttered, and he was surprised when Yugi let out an infuriated noise. The Gandora threw his head back, almost screeching with outrage, and Atem couldn't help but let out an astonished laugh. He didn't think he'd ever driven Yugi so mad before. He grinned despite himself, then leaned forward to nudge him gently with his beak against his neck. Yugi huffed and whipped around to sit with his back to him, still snarling. Atem laughed loudly and pressed against his side, moving to face him again. Yugi tipped his head up and looked away, growling in acknowledgment but refusing to turn back. Atem licked his cheek and snickered once more. "Yugi, it is not as if I disregard my own life. I just… I do not value it as much as yours or Yami's…or even Timaeus's. I do not actively seek to die."

Yugi's head whipped around, and his teeth closed barely an inch from his face. Atem stared at him, motionless with shock, and the Gandora glared, tail lashing furiously. He sprang to his paws again, spitting once more. "Timaeus's life is more valuable than yours?" he all but roared. "Are you insane?"

Atem couldn't help but laugh again. He was stunned, so startled by Yugi's anger that he couldn't stop himself. He looked away, smiling widely, and shook his head. "I would have thought you'd know that before. I said so when Yami told us the cost of saving me at the Lightning Clan camp."

Yugi trembled. "So, what? I care about you more than you do yourself?" he burst out, and Atem looked over in surprise. He had the impulse for a single split second to sneer at him that he should have always known, but he could see it then. Yugi had always known, but he'd also hoped otherwise. He'd always harbored some backwards, hidden desire to find that he was wrong. He'd wanted Atem to deny it even knowing otherwise, despite always suspecting the truth. "Atem."

He shook his head and looked away. "You always knew that," he answered. "I do not seek death, but I will not back away from it when it comes for me."

"I—You—You're a stupid head!" Yugi burst out, trembling and tossing his head angrily. He scowled, growling, and opened his mouth as if to say something else. Then he stopped short, glaring, and closed his mouth once more. He tried twice more, struggling for words, and then just screeched again. He stomped a paw, dug his claws through the snow, and spat, "Why can't you just…? You… I hate that you…"

Atem risked a sideways glance at him, but could not find any words. Yugi looked so furious, mouth opening and closing once more, and finally he turned away with a sharp shake of his head again. The Gandora looked so broken, as if the realization his suspicions were true had overwhelmed him.

He hesitated for a long moment. "You care about me more than yourself, do you not?"

Yugi faltered, then narrowed his eyes. "Yes. But I don't think Jonouchi is worth my life just because we're best friends. I don't think my life is worth yours or Yami's, but I know that it weighs more than Timaeus's or Jonouchi's or—gods forbid—Jaden's."

Atem burst out laughing at his appalled expression, tilting his head and smiling widely. "You're so cute when you're angry," he laughed softly, shaking his head again. Yugi opened and closed his mouth, glaring, but Atem could still see the small flicker of affection that came through his eyes. His lips even tugged for a split second with warmth before his expression hardened once more. "Yugi, little one, I know the worth of my life. It's not that I think it lacks value of some kind, but I… It's not worth the loss of yours, Timaeus's, or Yami's."

Yugi huffed and bristled. "Why is it you measure his life against yours? I don't understand! He's your best friend, but he's not your son or your mate!"

Atem blinked. "Yugi, he was my only friend for years and years. I think of him more as my family than my own parents at times," he muttered, and Yugi blinked wide eyes before narrowing them slowly. He looked surprised, yet somehow as if he'd expected him to say something of that nature. Atem hesitated, then shook his head. "I owe him for even caring enough about me to bother with seeing it through that I survived, Yugi. I know he doesn't see it that way, but I still think of it like that. I owe him my life, because he could have easily killed me or left me to starve and he didn't. He chose to help me and make sure I could stand on my own paws again before we parted ways."

Yugi shook his head, annoyed. "Atem, you do not owe him your life. And your life isn't an equal payment for his."

He shifted his weight. "Is it for yours?"

The Gandora froze for a moment, then snarled and thumped his tail. "I should box you upside the head," he spat. "Stop twisting things."

"No. I genuinely want to know. Do you think my life is worth yours?"

Yugi hesitated for a long moment. Then he looked away angrily, growling softly. He nodded his head sharply, baring his teeth. "You know I think that. You know I think my life laid for yours is an honest payment. I would rather never think of you dying—least of all for me, but…" He finally looked over, sighing. "I hate when you start questioning me like this."

Atem snorted. "I couldn't tell," he teased, searching his face, and licked his forehead. "I know you'd rather never think about me dying. I know you'd rather like to think my death is a long way off, but we don't know that. And sometimes I have to wonder how long these abilities will last."

"Why would you think you'd lose them?"

He shook his head. "I don't know. It's just…crossed my mind at times," he admitted softly, looking away to prevent Yugi locking eyes with him. He glanced at him in his peripheral but made a point to avoid eye contact. The Gandora was staring at him blankly, with an expression he couldn't read. "Sometimes I wonder if laying Yami's egg was a sign that my time is going to come up soon."

Yugi blinked and bristled, stiffening. He stood a little taller, eyes sharp as fangs, and flexed his claws anxiously.

"He's so strong and he swore up and down that I'm the most powerful out of the God Dragons and even more so than he is as a Divine. It makes me wonder if these abilities were meant to just last long enough to deal with Dimitri and then they'll fade."

"He also said you've had them since the moment you hatched, but you didn't utilize them until you were on your own before even Timaeus crossed paths with you," Yugi said a little too sharply, and Atem flinched despite himself. The Gandora growled softly and leaned forward, and Atem almost recoiled before he felt his tongue run over his cheek. Yugi stepped closer and burrowed into his side, pressing against him as if he hoped enough force would help them melt into each other. After a moment he lifted his head and lay his chin atop his shoulders, sighing softly. "That won't happen. You aren't going to die—not if I can help it. And I don't think that Yami would let you."

"You asked me once about fate—"

"That's not your fate," Yugi snarled more firmly. "It's not. I won't let it be even if it were."

"How do you think you'd stop it?"

Yugi was silent for a long time, then scoffed, "You've never bowed to fate before. What makes you think you will now?"

Atem couldn't put into the words the fears that had crept to mind recently. Somehow some small part of him recoiled at the idea of explanation, and yet he wanted so desperately to all the same. He thought briefly of Yami pleading with him about whether he was just meant to be a sacrifice, because the fifth and sixth God Dragons had been and he was afraid. And then he thought of their failing powers and the way Sartorius had suspected Yugi a God Dragon and—

"What if it was supposed to be you?"

"Hmm?" Yugi asked, blinking and pulling away to consider him. "What if what was supposed to be me?"

"What if you were supposed to be the God Dragon, not me? What if I was supposed to be the fifth or sixth?" he asked slowly, tilting his head. "Sartorius was so sure you were supposed to be one and yet…"

"If anyone would have been the fifth or sixth, it would have been me, not you—never you," Yugi said quietly, voice softening. His tone had become gentle as he looked him over, tongue running over his face once more. "Atem, I don't believe for a second you weren't meant to be a deity. If I had a doubt in any of it, it's that Sartorius wasn't just crazy and misunderstood what he saw."

Atem snorted, startled, and grinned despite himself. "Oh?"

"You heard the same story from Yami that I did," Yugi scoffed, shaking his head disdainfully. "He was crazy and he deserved what he got. I don't think for even a second I was ever supposed to be a deity and I don't believe you'd ever have been anything less—no matter what. I think you were always going to be divine, and Yami was always going to be born to you."

Atem blinked. "But not you?"

Yugi was quiet for a long time. "You chose to let me win that challenge. I didn't win by brute strength and I didn't win with speed. I outsmarted you and you chose to agree to allow it to count as a victory. I think if it had been someone else, Yami would have still been born. He might not have gone by that name and he might not have looked the same by any stretch, but I think he was always going to be yours."

He flicked his tail. "Then how do we know I wasn't just the catalyst for his birth? What if that's all I was meant to be?"

"You wouldn't be as strong as you are and you wouldn't have survived so much even after his birth. You wouldn't have survived laying his egg," Yugi said more gently, licking his forehead. Atem flinched and stared, eyes wide. "You never said anything, but I always wondered. It couldn't have been an easy ordeal for you. You weren't even female at the time, Atem. And it happened the same day. I realized after the conversation with Honda, when you got so distracted and looked so horrified when he said the females at the camp laid their eggs so prematurely. I don't know how dire their blood loss was, but I always suspected you barely survived it."

Atem flicked his tail. "Astute," he confirmed quietly.

Yugi smiled tightly. "I pay attention. I always have."

He nodded slightly, looking away. "Yes, you always have."

Jaden hadn't fallen asleep despite tangling up with Jesse and listening to his quiet breaths. He'd wanted to, but it had been too exhausting somehow. The reality he'd very nearly lost him made his skin crawl too much to welcome sleep. So he'd laid there with his head on his shoulders, eyes wide open as he scanned their surroundings and kept vigil. It was the most he could do to convince himself Jesse would remain safe for the moment…

It was the only reason he spotted her. Jaden immediately untangled himself, whispering for Jesse to go back to sleep when he grumbled a groggy "Jaden?" He waited for him to curl back up, listening for his steady breathing, and then rushed forward. She wasn't close enough she'd spotted him, but she did whip around as he almost slammed into her.

She scrambled aside, snarling and bristling, and Jaden eyed her with his teeth bared. He looked her over, a spark of something resembling remembrance surging through him. He lashed his tail, considering her for the longest moment, and then narrowed his eyes. He did know her… He knew he did, but his mind couldn't recall why. She looked insignificant but for being far outside of the territory she should have—

He stiffened and snarled. "Why are you here?" he spat, flexing his claws. "I would have assumed you'd never raise your head from that den you buried yourself in."

Her eyes sparkled with outrage for a single moment before she shook herself out. "Is it true the God Dragon of the East has a son?" she said quietly, staring at him coldly.

Jaden bristled. Atem would rip him to pieces if he spoke of Yami, and he owed him for saving Jesse. He owed them both some form of silence, though his claws itched to rid them of the mounting problems. If he disposed of Yami, Dimitri wouldn't be able to go for his hearts as well. And if he couldn't get to Yami's hearts, he would be manageable. He had caught them by surprise when he'd come out of the nursery to say he'd been waiting for them, launching himself at Jaden and changing shape so quickly.

But now they all knew what he was. They all knew he could change shapes. They could anticipate it better. They could face him and kill him. If he got to Yami and ate his hearts as well, Jaden didn't know how powerful he might become…

Jaden didn't even know the full extent of Yami's abilities, even with Yubel sneering at him about watching them. She'd said Yami had not touched the greatest of his abilities yet—or not fully, at least. And the way she'd spoken, with such clarity and strength, made him realize she had been blind and starved but never defeated. Some part of her had hardened where it was necessary and grown to adapt as she needed.

The lucidity she'd shown struck him to the core.

And if she knew so much about Yami, his abilities, and all the things further Jaden was so blind to…

"Your silence gives you away," the female sneered at him, lashing her tail. But she paused and tilted her head. "Is his name Yami? Does he look like a Uria with four paws?"

Jaden blinked before he could stop himself from showing his surprise. She bristled, then laughed softly and stared, eyes burning into his. How did she know that? Why did she know that? What had brought her to him? And why had she thought to approach him to begin with? She was so far from Atem's territory, but he noticed with surprise she didn't seem slowed down even slightly by the heat.

"Rumor has it you're looking for him," she said slowly, voice low and sharp and cold. Jaden blinked and raised his head, startled by her hardened eyes and stiffened stance. He flicked his tail, studying her intently, and she peered back with the coldest expression he'd ever seen. "You don't seem so inclined to ask me for more details."

He bristled uncertainly. Was she being truthful? Did she truly know where he was?

"Wow. Hide your enthusiasm," she noted wryly, snarling softly.

"You killed your own hatchlings for fear of me," he commented quietly, then stopped short for a long time. He lashed his tail once more, blinking slowly, and tilted his head. "I haven't forgotten."

"You wouldn't have let them live. At least I could ensure it was a fast and painless death."

He blinked slowly, narrowing his eyes. She wasn't wrong; he would have been forced to kill them regardless, but the fact that she'd turned on them herself just to ensure he could not sink his teeth into their hides…

"I still remember what you promised Atem." Jaden flicked his tail again. "Is that why you've come here to see me? Because you wish for me to inflict the pain you wished upon Atem that day?"

She eyed him for a moment. "Funny of you to suddenly develop a conscience," she sneered, flicking her tail and stretching leisurely. She peered at him as if he weren't a God Dragon, but rather a simple pest. Her eyes glittered like gems for a moment and she looked away with a snarl. "You can see to it that you get to sink your claws into him as you've always wanted or you can hide away like the coward you truly are."

Jaden bore his teeth but didn't answer.

"I don't think you're quite so powerful as you'd like to pretend if you're so utterly afraid of Atem."

"I owe Yami a visit," he answered slowly, cautiously, "and Atem will not stop me when I seek it. I can assure you of that much."

"Then why haven't you asked yet where he is? Why has the thought not even crossed your mind?" she sneered, shaking her head. "The Great Equalizer frightened by a mere hatchling of a deity and a Divine who can't even know his full strength yet. It's amazing to me how much fear and paranoia feeds through you so constantly. You're weaker than I assumed, Jaden. You would have come for my nest immediately, yet you cower at the thought of seeing to destruction of Atem's."

He blinked. "Cower? I have no reason to cower," he answered shortly, though he wondered. Was Yami close to Atem? Was that how she knew where he was? Was that why she was so assured of herself on the matter? "But you don't have the ability to drive me to action, either, Camula."

She blinked and bristled, raising her head in surprise.

"Did you think I didn't know your name after what you did to your own nest? It wasn't hard to find your name through rumors and horrified whispers of your choice." He tilted his head, eyeing her for a moment. "I've fought Atem before. I went after Yami once already. I am not afraid to do it again."

"Then why do you stall?"

He'd saved Jesse. He'd saved him and healed his wounds and left him there for Jaden to find when he could have easily fled from Dimitri instead. He flicked his tail, considering her for a long time, and then slowly looked over his shoulder. The sooner he got rid of these two Divines, the sooner they'd all be safe. He turned back slowly.

"Where is he?"

She blinked, then smiled wide and cruel, raising her head and peering at him with burning eyes.

"The human village beneath the mountains."