Part IV: The Present

Chapter LXXIII: Inaction

"So, you truly are related to Yugi and Atem?"

Yami blinked and nodded, shaking himself out as he tucked his wings into his sides. "Yes." He looked over again. "We said otherwise to be able to prevent Jaden catching up to us. It helped, but not enough. He found out because of Bakura and Malik."

"Because of Seto."

Yami nodded again, ignoring the disdainful look that crossed Akunadin's face. "Yes. Seto told them. Bakura decided I was the easiest way to destroy Atem, so he came after me. And when I killed him, Malik went to Jaden."

He fell quiet for a moment. Akunadin didn't look the least bit surprised, as if he'd been expecting something like that. It couldn't have been hard to come to the conclusion, Yami knew, and he wasn't surprised to find Akunadin's attention split between the conversation and other drifting ideas. His thoughts were somewhat stunted, more from anger than anything, but Yami could see in the base of it that he was thinking more than ever of Atem scaring Dimitri off.

"Atem would have killed him," Yami said quietly, "had it not been for me. I told him once to spare Jaden and he gave me his word. To kill Dimitri now would have meant he'd have to go back on that. And even if he thought I was dead, he couldn't do it."

Akunadin eyed him critically. "Is that so?"

He smiled faintly. "He wouldn't have spared Dimitri if not for that. He came here to kill him. He would have been here even sooner if it wasn't for me."

The Clan leader tilted his head. "Meaning?"

"I showed him Timaeus and he went to help his best friend before he came. And he made sure Aki took him into the camp before he left him. The first half of that was by my influence. The second was because he refused to leave Timaeus in the open when Dimitri could have returned." Yami paused, watching him intently. "He pledged to me once that he would spare Jaden, because I told him things depended upon Jaden surviving to see the end of Dimitri. If not for that, Jaden and Dimitri would both be dead."

Akunadin bore his teeth. "You said Atem is the strongest God Dragon in existence."

"Yes." Yami searched his face and drew a deep breath. "He is. He's the strongest. I don't know if he's the strongest to exist before, or if he will be the strongest in the future, but for now… He could have the world at his paws bowing before him and punished to his every whim. It wouldn't be hard for him. He's smart and his ability ranges far wider than anyone else might have assumed. Even I did not realize its reach until recently. I knew the world might end should he lose his way, or learn of it, but the power it encompasses was beyond what I realized back then."

He narrowed his eye. "Why did this happen?"

Yami looked away. "It's…terrible circumstances and poor timing, rotten luck and bleeding wounds. I'm sorry, Akunadin." He looked back when he felt a sharp, lurching wave of spite course through him. Akunadin didn't think in the exact manner as Atem or Yugi, but rather in the way Jonouchi did. He saw things in fragments and shifting images, not in full sentences and sequences. "This isn't because of Kisara. It's not her fault. It's not Seto's, either. It's…"

Just something that happened.

He almost laughed at himself. "It was no one's fault. Dimitri was…rotten the moment his egg was laid. It could have happened to anyone."

He didn't believe that. It had to have been Seto, because Seto was related to Atem. Dimitri had too many abilities similar to Yami himself. It was impossible it was coincidence that made it so. Dimitri could read minds, could plant ideas, and likely traverse dreams as Yami could. What else he was capable of was beyond Yami. All he knew was Dimitri had done the impossible and changed shape as if he were merely shedding.

It was horrifying.

And Yami didn't know how he acquired the ability to change into different dragons, either. He suspected killing Timaeus had been why he was capable of using his shape, but he didn't know for sure.

Seto was alive. And if Yami recalled correctly, the form he'd used to attack Echo and Patty had been Kisara.

Both of them were alive—devastated, but alive.

He glanced away from Akunadin then, over his shoulder. Atem was ignoring Yugi pointedly, looking at the remains of the nest with narrowed eyes. Yugi sat nearby but wasn't speaking, only watching Atem from his slouched position. He'd pulled his wings forcibly into his side, head bowed, legs drawn toward each other to make himself visibly smaller. He looked as if he had been stricken, as if Atem's silence choked him. Yami knew it did. But he wasn't going to try to convince Atem to forgive him, not when the wound was so raw and he knew Atem was not going to accept anything of the nature.

Atem needed time to process the hurt and work his way through it. If he was not given that opportunity, he'd turn far angrier and Yami did not think he'd recover. The bitterness would swallow him whole if anyone were to try to force their opinions on him.

Atem glanced over at him abruptly, searching his face. Yami smiled faintly, considering him a moment, and then turned back. Atem had a theory. Yami had seen it only briefly when he'd come to see Atem chase Dimitri off. He'd lingered until the other three God Dragons left, waiting and hiding until he knew they were gone, and then he'd approached.

Yami had the feeling Atem was correct. He thought the theory likely. Despite how unfortunate the idea, Yami did think it warranted some truth. It made him feel sick as he considered it, but the nausea faded as he faced Akunadin.

"I promise you, Akunadin. It has nothing to do with Kisara or your family. It's not something so terrible and cruel like that. It's just… It was… I'm sorry for what's happened. If I had known who it was doing all these things before, perhaps it could have been resolved so much sooner. But it…" Yami shook his head, voice going mute. He tried to reconsider and pick his words again. Akunadin watched him, expressionless even as Yami felt the cold edge of his mind where the Clan leader wondered what it was worth to even consider the words of a God Dragon. The anger was not new, nor the mistrust, but it was raw and growing as they looked at each other. Yami considered him a moment longer, then smiled tightly. "I wish I had answers for you. But my understanding of all of it is limited, no matter how much I wish otherwise. All I can tell you is it wasn't because of Kisara or you no longer trusting the God Dragons. You didn't bring this on her, and there was no way to know."

Akunadin scoffed. "You said Atem suspected it."

"He thought he smelled rot in the nest. He didn't know where it originated or why. Yugi couldn't smell it, so he assumed he was just afraid and that's all it was. Don't blame him for not wanting to hurt someone for his lack of understanding."

He huffed. "Dimitri said Atem should suspect he wasn't a God Dragon."

Yami laughed aloud. "Right. He should suspect that. Because he's not the strongest and I can't possibly be a Divine Dragon, right?" he teased. "I'm not capable of reading minds or emotions, walking through dreams or sharing images with others. I can't see into the future or anything."

Akunadin watched him for a long time. "Is that it? Is that how you knew what I was thinking?" he asked slowly. "You and Dimitri can both do that."

Yami felt the smile fall from his face. He nodded. "Yes. It makes me suspect it's Seto's tie to Atem that gave him that ability."

"But Seto is not a God Dragon."

"No. He's not."

"Then how did he manage this?"

Yami shook his head. "I don't… I don't know why this happened. I don't know how, either." He opened and closed his mouth. The lie sat heavy on his tongue, but he didn't want to tell Akunadin. Atem would be the one when the time came. He could sense that much. Akunadin didn't need that information now. He needed it when Atem was ready to explain it all. "But I promise it wasn't prophesized and this could have happened to anyone."

"Is that so?" he sneered. "Then why did it have to happen here?"

"Because sometimes things just have to happen. Sometimes they happen and they can't be averted."

It wasn't comforting. And Yami wasn't sure how to make it comforting. He just didn't know what else to say but that it wasn't targeted at him or Kisara. No God Dragon had decided to punish him for his dislike of the deities.

"I have to see to my father now," he said quietly, searching Akunadin's face. He was still angry, but there was no more tension in his bones as there had been before. He was not ready to launch himself or start screaming at Atem any longer. "I'm sorry. None of this should have happened."

Akunadin nodded slowly, staring at him. "Yes, well, it has," he mumbled, getting to his paws. "You see to your father. I must see to my daughter."

Yami dipped his head and waited a moment longer before turning to pick his way across the clearing. Atem looked up immediately and Yugi turned and lifted his head. They both looked relieved, as if maybe they'd expected him to up and vanish before he spoke with them. Guilt gnawed at his gut, but it faded. Yugi was swallowed by misery and Atem was burning with anger and hurt.

He slowed a few feet away.

"Everyone seems to be healed," Atem commented, tilting his head. "It used to exhaust you. It no longer does?"

Yami couldn't help but grin. He should have realized Atem would be the first to notice. "No. I learned how to better do it. It no longer exhausts me or the one I'm healing." He tilted his head. "It took a…few changes to my idea about what healing actually meant. Before I…would have done anything to see you both healthy and happy. It was sacrificial in that I gave my energy to restore yours, but now I know how to trade it evenly."

Atem tilted his head further. "I…don't understand," he admitted finally.

Yami grinned wider. "I know!" he laughed. "I know you don't."

Yugi was watching Atem from his peripheral even as he murmured, "I guess we should start sharing, huh?"

Atem refused to look over. "Whenever you wish, Yami."

He sighed, looking between them. Atem felt so raw, like he was bleeding and the wound had begun festering with infection. Yugi's misery was like a storm at its peak, heavy rains and pulsing winds. His stomach lurched as he took a seat in front of them. Yami locked eyes with Atem and sat straighter, studying him intently.

"I'll start with the day Jaden attacked." Yami sorted through his thoughts, ignoring the flash of indignation that came from Yugi on Atem's behalf. He ignored the surge of annoyance from Atem, and the suffocating feeling of loss which came through him. "It was…during the fight between the two of you that I saw…something. It was just a flash in my head, like lightning. I didn't really understand it at first. But when we went back to the den, I saw it again in clarity. I was seeing Dimitri and Jaden fighting and Jaden was going to die."

Atem snorted. "It seems that almost happened regardless of your departure."

"Yes, well, Dimitri needed another way to reach you when I left. Going through Timaeus and then challenging the other three God Dragons was his only hope then. Because, if I'd remained, he could have followed Jaden to us."

"And? I would have struck him down."

Yami searched his face. "At the expense of Yugi."

Atem didn't flinch but he did shuffle his paws, eyes narrowing with annoyance. "I don't believe that," he said shortly. "That's not…"

Yugi glanced at Atem sideways. "Yami showed it to me."

Atem shot him a furious look and turned back. "How? How would Dimitri have managed that? Gandoras are sturdy. They're known for shaking attacks off like they're nothing."

Yami smiled tightly. "Yes, well, Dimitri would have known to follow Jaden sooner because Jaden would have come to visit at some point. Dimitri sees things as well as I do, with the same clarity. It takes a split second for us to understand what we see and analyze the situation, whereas it takes Jaden or Yusei a minute or two. The difference in power is…amazing, Atem."

He tilted his head, eyeing him skeptically. "If I had not laid your egg, I'd question as to whether you were mine."

He laughed and sat up a little straighter. Even Yugi cracked a smile at the wry comment. "The attack would have happened mid last year if he'd known how to find me. Jaden wasn't willing to lift a paw to you, because Yusei was down his neck about refusing to let him. But it all came down to whether or not he thought I was growing. When he didn't feel anything unusual and no one spoke my name, he assumed it was fine. You didn't declare war. Yugi didn't go after him. Timaeus withdrew to his own territory again. Jaden had no reason to suspect anything had happened nor to intervene. Even Dimitri had gone silent. The inaction between us both stilled his paw."

Atem's eyes narrowed once more.

"Yugi would have gotten between you and Dimitri and he would have gotten his throat ripped out. You would have killed Dimitri soon after, but…" He didn't need to continue. Everyone knew what happened to Sky Dragons when their mates died, especially violent deaths. Even if it was only for a few minutes before one of Yugi's secondary hearts started up, the devastation would have been crippling. "So, I was laying there and you fell asleep first and then Yugi after, still mad at you for saying you'd step up and kill me should the time come. I walked his dreams and we discussed a few things. I told him what I'd seen. I showed him when he initially denied it."

Atem looked at Yugi for a moment. "You denied it?"

The hope that swelled in the Gandora made Yami almost flinch. "I didn't think Dimitri could hurt you so much as to slow you down so that I had to intervene."

The God Dragon studied him, then snorted and turned back. The dismissal made Yugi's misery return tenfold. Yami struggled not to shift his paws and back away a few steps.

"I guess that shows how blind your faith is."

Yugi flinched. "I…"

Yami shook his head. "He only agreed to help me when I told him it was imperative to your survival."

Atem curled his lip but didn't answer.

"I told him he needed to find someone who could take me far from here, where you wouldn't seek me out. I told him I thought it best I went with Jonouchi."

"Jonouchi?" Atem spat, then whipped around to bare his teeth at Yugi. "At the Badlands, when you visited him and nearly took his head off."

Yugi nodded without looking over. "Jonouchi said Yami had run off when he wasn't looking and he'd gone searching but couldn't find him."

He said he'd lost something precious to Yugi… My own son… Atem huffed, snarling softly under his breath, and got to his paws. For a moment Yami feared he might leave, but the God Dragon merely shook himself out, paced in a circle, and took a seat again. His stance was rigid with anger and Yami heard his tail click as it twitched beside his paws.

Yami met his eyes again. "It wasn't to hurt you." He paused. "I would do anything to make sure you and Yugi survived. I did what had to be done."

Atem snarled louder but still did not speak.

Yami nodded slightly, studying him. He was no longer so tall and gigantic as he'd been when he was younger. For the first time Yami noticed just how tall he himself was, how much bigger he'd become due to Fire and Wind Dragon genetics. He almost stood at Atem's height, an inch or two taller than Yugi, with the longer legs of a Sky Dragon. It made everything seem so strange to him. He knew Atem and Yugi so well. He loved them dearly. And yet, somehow his own height and presence there made everything seem so…odd.

"I'll…show you instead," he offered quietly. "I should show you, because I think you need to understand it better than I can offer in words."

Atem studied him for a long minute. "Is that so?"

Yami smiled and nodded, searching his face. "It'll be faster, too. I know you want to go home and think about everything. You're overwhelmed and it's upsetting you. I know. I understand." He paused and smiled a little more when Atem curled his lip. "Don't act like I don't know these things. I'm intuitive and can read minds and emotions."

Atem huffed, but his top mouth pulled slightly with a smirk.

"You're surely the biggest threat to everyone."

Yami laughed and tilted his head. "Well, technically, behind Dimitri I truly am," he remarked quietly. "I'm related to the strongest God Dragon and my abilities developed in the egg. I don't think anyone can argue Jaden is wrong in that matter."

"It doesn't make it right," Yugi snapped. "Hunting someone down because they have power doesn't make any of this right."

Yami shook his head. "No. It doesn't." He frowned. "But I understand his fears. I know why he's so determined. It solves nothing, but being able to understand makes it easier for me to accept he's against me like this."

"Then you understand I'll kill him if he chooses to hunt you down," Atem said, unwavering in his cold stare. Yami watched him intently for a moment, studying, and found again nothing but raw determination. There was no malice to taste or any bitterness to fuel the words. Atem meant he would strike out hard and fast and kill Jaden where he could if things should go any further.

Yami smiled faintly. "Yes. But let's hope it doesn't come to that." Atem looked at him as if he couldn't fathom why. Yami smiled a little wider and Yugi's melancholy lightened slightly with short-lived amusement. "We need him alive to take care of Dimitri."

"Why? I can kill him myself."

Yami's body felt cold as he forced himself to nod. "I know," he murmured, fighting the urge to flinch, "but for the time being, Jaden can entertain him."

Atem opened his mouth to argue, then snorted and turned away. "I suppose so."