Disclaimer: I do not own Yu-Gi-Oh

Update schedule: Part two on 16th, part three on 26th, part four on 6th, part five on 16th

Story Warnings: Mentions of Past Abuse, BLOODSHED, Dragon Biology, Dragon Behaviors, Death, Mentions of Various Dragon Rituals

All right so this is the sequel to Sky Dance~! You DO NOT have to read that story to understand what's happening in this one (my beta went in blind and could follow the story without reading it so I'm assuming that others can do the same). It's not bad to go back and read it if you would like, but it's not necessary either.

So, the lore is going to be expanded on in this story but not drastically, however. I'm still working on much of the lore and I want to be able to swap details of it later on. Anyways, besides that, some of it is mentioned, but some of it is just kind of alluded to. You'll see later, because the secret of how Atem's opponent got his abilities isn't revealed until the next story in this little series when Atem explains it to Yugi.

Yugi refers to the mountains as his birthplace. Which is technically correct. He lived in the mountains when he was younger and it was around ten moons that he and his parents traveled to the desert. The desert is actually where a Gandora would be at their strongest. They're built for it due to their heavier scales and their various natural adaptations. Yugi himself, however, didn't quite grow up in one, and you'll find out more about that later.

Part I: Propositions

His tongue was an interesting mixture of soft and rough as it ran over his forehead, lingering for a moment on the gem in the center and then slipping over the crown of thorny red scales beyond. He grunted, eyes still tightly shut, and the other dragon chortled softly with warm, affectionate amusement. The tongue returned a heartbeat later, flicking now along the back of his large cheek, and he huffed and flexed his claws to regain his semblance of balance.

"You simply will not allow me rest, will you?" he grumbled, opening his left eye into a miniscule slit of glittering gold to rival the sun. The other male was seated extremely close, sharing what little body heat he retained during early morning hours, and he huffed again when the silence stretched between them. "Yugi."

The black dragon beside him tilted his head. He seemed almost to beam with absolute delight a moment later, as if he had doubted for a moment that the red dragon might have granted him his attention for that heartbeat. Perhaps Yugi had not assumed him to so much as remember his name.

The thought gave him pause, something which made him flex his claws again nervously. He was groggy, his mind racing despite this for a moment, and he shook the hesitancy from his sleepy trail of thoughts. Then he drew himself into a seated position to mirror him. An ache spread along his spine, however, something sharp and pulsing, and his bones threatened to crack beneath the pressure.

He paused, legs all but quaking beneath the force of it, and drew in a deep and ragged breath.

Yugi immediately leaned forward, confusion and alarm coloring his expression. His eyes were wide, a brilliant galaxy of bright blue and mesmerizing violet that put the night sky to shame. He began to sniff at his side, then his wings, and continued to shuffle closer still in order to get towards the center of the red dragon's spine.

Immediately, instinct making him fearful, the red dragon spun on him. His jaws opened slightly, both mouths parted only minutely. He snarled, bristling and glaring at him with darkened golden eyes.

The two of them stared at one another. Yugi looked visibly startled and unsure of himself. And so the red male snarled louder, furious as the other failed to heed his immediate warning. Slowly, eyes still wide with concern, Yugi finally backed up a step. He lowered himself to the ground, wings flattened as he put his chin to the dirt. He peeked up at him, somewhere between calm and anxious to check on him once more.

The submissive position was one that the Sky Dragon was incredibly familiar with. He had beaten various other dragons into such a stance often enough that he had come to ignore it upon being exposed to it. In fact, even now, his first instinct was that of a dismissive snort. He had the impulse to simply watch Yugi get to his paws and fly away before he himself might limp away to nurse his wounds.

But his wounds were internal now.

His ache, he knew, was wear upon his muscles and so, as he looked at Yugi, his companion's submissive state shook him.

The Sky Dragon looked away slowly. Then he drew himself into a seated position despite the pain. A scale twitched and rose into a harsh bristle. It jerked upwards and outwards in a nervous fashion. Then it slid back into place, a jutting scale of red the size of one of his own claw tips, among the two rows which trailed the entirety of his long body. He blinked in the darkness, tipped his head upwards, and considered the blankness of a sky painted almost entirely black.

"Did I summon a storm?" he questioned, voice thoughtful, and turned to Yugi with growing bewilderment. The other male had long since straightened—most likely when he had taken his eyes off him to begin with—and seemed more relieved than ever that he was not paying him full attention.

The wave of shame which came through him made the Sky Dragon almost quiver. He had not meant to strike such fear into him. He had not meant to make him feel so uncomfortable and unhappy like this. And it hurt to realize that he had done such a thing to him.

"I don't believe so?" Yugi glanced about them. His head tilted and turned upwards, a light wind making him shiver slightly. When the red male glanced up again, the clouds were so tightly drawn together that neither he nor Yugi could tell one from the next but for the stray discoloration amongst the shadows of them. Then he glanced to the red dragon again, eyes bright but somewhat hurt regardless of his former recovery from the slight. "But, even if you did, I don't mind it. I woke you because you were whimpering in your sleep, Atem."

Probably because of the sharp pain in my body.

He held his tongue, however, knowing better than to say this. He did not find it necessary—nor did he think he might be satisfied—to produce more pain in his mate than he already had. Yugi had never meant to hurt him in any way. And he'd witnessed the various displays of guilt the black dragon had shown him regardless.

There had been long, gentle baths. There were soft mumbles of "I love you" under his breath when he considered Atem to be asleep despite their shared restlessness. There had been snuggles into his side, the black dragon seeming to all but attempt to bury himself beneath the scales of his belly. There had been long moments of examination along his body, from the tip of his beak to the very crest of his lengthy tail. He had witnessed them in silence—far be it him to cause Yugi more guilt—and so had merely accepted such gestures.

He had tried his hardest to be graceful about doing so as well. He was not one to be touched, as most often such sensation brought about pain for him. And so he had struggled at first not to snap at him and bristle and bite at him when he drifted too close. But then he had calmed, repeating to himself that he had nothing to fear from Yugi.

He had forced himself to lay his chin upon his paws, giving Yugi more room to investigate and allowing him his necessary reassurances. He had let him sniff his wings, touch his shoulders, trap his tail between his paws and inspect it thoroughly. He had allowed him to lick at his face and scent at the glands along his neck. He had even let him press his muzzle into his flank and breathe in deeply as if he were trying to memorize what little smell he could gather from him there.

And he had allowed this to continue for the better part of the rather bleak night.

But now Atem supposed his whimpering explained much of Yugi's intense examination as well.

The Sky Dragon flexed his wings, pulling his tail to wrap around his paws for a brief moment. He looked at the closed design, almost a spade in the layering of the long extended scales of keratin and powerful bone. He considered it a moment longer, then rose slowly to his paws.

The muscles in his shoulders flared, jerking violently beneath his scales. And then he almost bellowed beneath the pressure of such immense pain. But, despite himself, even knowing Yugi's feelings for him, Atem could not allow himself to voice such discomfort in front of the other dragon.

Despite their union hours before.

Despite their conversation about compromise.

Despite knowing what Yugi had gone through in order to get the chance to even challenge him as it was.

Atem looked away swiftly, shame wracking his insides. "We can move into my den if you would like," he offered quietly. It was the smallest sense of middle ground, but it was the only thing that the Sky Dragon could think to offer. Then he glanced up, considering him with a tilt of his head and a twitch of his tail. "Or I suppose I might always move the storm along…"

Yugi blinked, getting up as well, but now he did not think to move any closer than a couple of steps. Atem's reaction mere heartbeats before, the way his eyes had flashed so dangerously and his mouths had been poised with parted teeth to strike out, was fresh in his mind. He fought away a shiver. "You don't have to. I promise, Atem. It's not why I woke you."

The Sky Dragon seemed to deflate at these words. If anything, the reassurance seemed to make him more miserable than ever. And it occurred to Yugi only then exactly why Atem might try to ignore his statement seconds before.

He nearly apologized.

The words were on the edge of his forked tongue.

And then he remembered himself, the guilt making his bones icy.

Atem would simply grow more upset…

Yugi's hearts hurt to consider such a thing. He lowered his head, looking down at his paws, then braced and forced himself to look up with brightened eyes. "Actually, your den sounds like the perfect place to take shelter," he announced. He did not allow Atem time to second guess the declaration, instead pouncing forward and jumping easily away from his side.

When he turned his head to look over his shoulder Atem was staring straight at him. He felt satisfaction as a keen blooming warmth inside of him. The action had caught the Sky Dragon's attention, just as he had known it would. And so he bounced again, springing as a bunny might, and looked at him with soft eyes.

"I've actually seen it," he revealed, voice low and soothing so that it would take the attention away from his former accidental slight, "but I've never gotten close enough to look inside or anything."

Atem blinked, then shook his head with a soft snort. "It would never have surprised me in the least should you have told me otherwise," he admitted. He smirked for a moment, his expression one of playful abandon. And then he glanced away again swiftly, as if the wind which whistled by them seemed to have called his name.

The Sky Dragon remained facing the sky for a long handful of minutes. How odd that the weather had changed from clear blue to so cloudy and dark as this. He specifically remembered sunlight against the bright blue of the sky overhead mere hours before. And he knew that he had not planned to give this area rain for another handful of days. He would not even give it a brief shower for the moment. The autumn storms would come passing through in a moon or two as it was, so stray showers were going to be scattered about in a few days…

Atem considered it a moment longer, then glanced over his shoulder to peer into the trees beyond the cliff face. Normally, in the last throes of heat the summer offered, should rain truly be imminent, the branches would mist faintly from the pressure and humidity.

However, now it was not so much that they shivered with such fine sweat…

And that would mean…

Atem turned back to Yugi, troubled. "Do you perhaps sense someone else here?" he asked in a soft voice, one which was underlined with caution. What little shame he'd felt moments before had grown tenfold as Yugi blinked wide eyes and peered at him in obvious surprise. A sense of humiliation raced through Atem rapidly now, a faint bristle overcoming him. Flustered by his own ability and displaying such vulnerability, the Sky Dragon continued in a much sharper tone, "I am often asked sanctuary when a dragon should enter my territory. And I know their signatures—"

Yugi had begun to bristle, his beak tipped upwards. He was scenting the air heavily enough that his sides were heaving with the very effort. And then he let out a hideous, deep bark of a noise. It was quiet against the air as it was loosed, but Atem could sense the strength within it as it traveled through the thin air.

The Sky Dragon bristled angrily now, a glare forming on his face as he considered the younger male beside him.

If he had so wished to challenge them, he would have done it himself.

It was not Yugi's place to do such a thing.

He was in his—

Atem blinked slowly, flexing his claws.

It was no longer just his territory any longer, however, was it? They shared it now, did they not? Because Yugi had won against him, had become his mate…

He faltered, his head turning away immediately so that Yugi could not catch the expression on his face. The shame was tenfold now, a bitterness which came through his veins. A fresh blister of hatred passed through him now in a rush.

It heated his blood and coiled in his marrow.

He had forgotten himself already.

He had done it so easily.

And he had even been prepared to fight Yugi for overstepping.

"Yugi—"

The answering noise interrupted what little apology Atem had considered to give him. His head snapped around, pointing skyward now. His eyes stretched wide as he tilted his head. Yugi rose beside him, confused and startled as well. Then they slowly glanced at each other, bewildered and alarmed.

Were they nuts?

They had actually answered with a war cry of their own?

Yugi had clearly assumed like him that the newcomer would simply let out an answering bellow, not a challenging cry. If one was called and answered in such a way, it normally meant that they came with a battle in mind. If that were the case, surely they would have recognized that it was not Atem to have issued it, right? Surely they would understand that his own cry was nothing like that of a Sky Dragon's?

Then Atem blinked slowly. His head tipped up. The second cry which came was an echoing boom. And it sounded high-pitched at its core, billowing outwards in a harsh roar. He was clearly focused on this noise for a second.

And then Yugi watched him freeze in place.

His head tipped to the side, his eyes narrowing.

The noise came a third time.

A clarity swept through Atem's gaze.

A snarl came through his jaws.

The red male was bristling furiously and breathing roughly.

Then he opened both jaws.

The noise which came out of him made Yugi flinch away. The Gandora trembled, instinctively pressing himself to the dirt. Atem's war cry was so powerful it split the sky and made the air crackle. Yugi watched the clouds visibly distort overhead. A burst of lightning forked downward as if to strike the very noise. He swore the clouds seemed to crack, splitting like sheets of fresh ice, and Yugi's hearts began to race with desperation.

Atem was in no state whatsoever to take on a challenger of some kind.

He was exhausted from being mounted.

And he was exhausted from mounting Yugi in turn.

Yugi himself had recovered rather well. But the cooler night temperatures had done well to soothe the tired aches in the muscles beneath his scales. He was nocturnal by nature, after all, despite his lack of action during night in the moons of following the humans in order to learn the ability to utilize their nets. But Atem being a Sky Dragon had also done well to remove any sense of pain that had come with the mating ritual as it was. He himself had inflicted far more damage that Atem ever could have.

He'd watched Atem writhe for hours on the riverbank.

He'd watched him scream and try to flee.

Then he'd watched him succeed in doing so before hiding underwater.

And Yugi had feared that he had ruined everything already. Atem had not come out of the river for a moment or two, but when he had, he'd appeared stunned to see Yugi waiting there on the bank. And when he had crawled onto the sand, he had been in obvious agony, writhing and panting.

Yugi glanced at Atem and then back towards the dark sky. The answering call was no longer one of challenge, but by far one of distress. It was a question, one of fear and desperation, rather than anger. And it was higher in pitch now, crackling around the edges as if with a long and heavy wheeze. The high octave was a warning of Lightning Dragon genetics, though he did not believe them to be pure. But the edges and core of the noise where it crackled and boomed sounded much akin Water and Wind as well.

Yugi cast another glance at Atem, wondering at the sound. It had seemed almost alike Atem's own, but the God Dragon had sounded more powerful. He had sounded eternal and strong and beyond the knowledge of another mere mortal dragon. It had startled him to hear it, and now it still shook him to his core.

But now he had something else to worry about as well.

The red dragon was bristling.

His entire body was shuddering with hatred.

His golden eyes were glowing with vivid anger.

His claws had flexed, sinking deep into the earth.

His tail quivered and the ends opened, the blades snapping forth with a hiss of cold air as they exposed themselves from beneath the sheath of scales.

And then he snarled and flicked his bright blue tongue.

The sky blue gem in his forehead was flashing with black torrents, stormy in the way it danced with what almost appeared to be an immense tornado.

Yugi had never seen Atem so hateful before.

Even when he had come to realize that Yugi was a Gandora dragon, Atem had not shown him such disdain.

Was it an old suitor whose voice he recognized?

Were they truly so foolish as to return?

Or was it—?

Realization slammed through him. Yugi bristled. Hatred made his body grow hot. His tail lashed. His throat vibrated with a snarl. The base of his tail rose. His body bristled as he braced his muscles and lowered his chin. His snarling grew hideous. The noise became incredibly ferocious.

Atem blinked, startled from his own anger. His head turned, his curiosity peaked.

Yugi had taken an offensive position. His body was quivering. His tail thumped once. His paw rose slightly, his claws flexing. His jaws parted, saliva thick on his teeth. And then he crouched for a split second.

Atem did not get the chance to blink.

Yugi was airborne before he could think.

Atem tilted his head as he sought him against the dark clouds. But the shadows were too thick. He could not spot him against them. He had seemingly disappeared altogether. And Atem was bewildered, dismayed as well.

Yugi would leave him now…?

When he clearly understood his—?

The scream startled him. His eyes focused on a single brilliant flash of orange. A spot of white and blue shot forward, another immense orb of magic. There was a loud snarl. He recognized it to be Yugi. But when he blinked, a spitting noise entered his ears.

A blast of white and blue energy flickered through the sky, a bright orb which severed the clouds. The darkness was cleared for an instant. Yugi was hovering just out of range of the attack. And then he opened his mouth. A bright stream of orange came from his jaws. The scream came again now.

Atem tilted his head. That was Wind Magic that was being used against Yugi. And the Gandora was responding with Fire. Even when he closed his jaws and disappeared again, he was using Fire magic.

The noise was horrified, shocked and bewildered. It was a squawk of pure alarm and distress. Atem blinked again, peering up into the clouds. Neither of them loosed magic again. He wondered if perhaps the newcomer was too wounded, as they were crying out in pain and he would have known Yugi's voice…

Atem was stunned. Yugi had actually…

He shook the amazement away, then crouched and leaped into the air. His wings flapped only once as he pushed himself upwards. The wind currents were hot, pressing hard against his wings. The muscles in his body rebelled at the sensation. But the pain seemed to be alleviated from the pressure despite his discomfort. His muscles no longer throbbed, though his wings still pulsed with slight tremors. He flapped them twice, then stretched them out about himself to hover.

His eyes flickered about the clouds again. He didn't want to breach them yet. It would be a chill to greet him if he did so. And that would only make his wings ache. For the moment staying beneath the cold was his best bet. He did not do well with abrupt temperature changes. He needed to acclimate himself or he'd drop like a rock…

The black dragon was mere yards from him. He was watching something in the clouds ahead of him. And he was snarling, almost spitting. His scales were in a full bristle, his claws stretched and braced. His jaws were parted only minutely.

But Atem could hear it now.

He had grown far more alert to such a noise upon being challenged so often by his "potential mates". Many of his suitors had not realized he was so powerful and capable of adaptation. And so they had thought to overpower him by means of using their fire breaths. The faint, sizzling noise was such an obvious warning to him that he almost flinched upon hearing it.

"Yugi, enough."

The Gandora startled upon hearing his name. He blinked. His head turned. The crackling noise faded from existence. And then he faced him completely. The concern in his face was overwhelming. Atem blinked, startled, but moved quickly closer to him. The flash of cold air made him grimace and he flapped rapidly to regain heat in his limbs.

But he did not get to his side completely. It was an instinct to hover those few feet away. Instinct had taught him never to underestimate and always to regard another's temper with caution. Atem's hearts were racing in his chest and his muscles had grown tight with tension once more.

At least, with this distance between them, if Yugi were to attack, he could at least dive for land first. Aerial combat in this state would ruin him. He was not capable of it with his shoulders aching as they were. And his wings were still not warm enough to take such frigid temperature. The electricity was too hot beneath him, the currents of energy terrible to the touch.

He would have to make Yugi follow him to the ground again. At least with this distance that was assured. And then he could try to use the dirt and stones to shield himself.

"Atem…" The black dragon appeared more troubled than ever. The concern was still clear in his eyes. And he looked nervous as the Sky Dragon considered him. The vulnerability in his expression made Atem drift somewhat closer.

But his body was too tightly bunched. And his stomach ached with tension. He was too afraid to move. If something tipped just slightly towards his misfortune, Atem would break beneath the pressure of it all.

To his surprise, the blue-violet eyes—a striking blast akin starlight and embers against the darkness—shot away. They regarded something further in the clouds and Atem glanced at the newcomer disdainfully. Then he looked back to Yugi as the Gandora turned to him as well.

Atem did not care to acknowledge the interloper yet. It was exhausting even being in his presence. And that made him want nothing more than to lower himself to the ground again. Yet he forced himself to flex his toes and keep himself balanced. The heat was finally coming to his wings. The Sky Dragon hovered a bit more peacefully.

But the sensation was still a new one to him.

He was not used to doing such a thing.

Usually when he hovered it was to allow himself a plan to further endanger his challengers. And when he flew like this, jumping between altitudes so rapidly, it was in order to summon a rainstorm or correct an error within the weather patterns.

He used flight beneath the clouds to find suitable rivers for hunting and better caverns to rest within between suitors in order to recover and have his scent all but lost to them should he have been harmed. He would use flight above the clouds in order to travel large distances for the sake of cover. And most oftentimes he did not spend long hours on the lower ridges of the mountains as he had in his time with Yugi. Had it not been for this, the change of altitude would not have been existent to begin with.

Without the dire situation of life-or-death struggles with his potential suitors and the need to find the answers to winning a challenge, this was uncomfortable. And it was almost bewildering to him.

The seconds passed.

He could not think of anything to say.

And Yugi was staring at him.

But his eyes were on the interloper as well.

His lips were curled back further to show the ridges of his teeth.

His claws were braced and ready.

But there was something different there.

His body was angled in a new way.

And Atem was stunned to see it.

Yugi had moved subtly.

But he had placed himself as a barrier between the other two dragons.

He was truly trying to protect him…

"Come on, Yugi." He faltered, hesitating. He flapped his wings to stay airborne, staring at the Gandora pointedly. "We can go rest and—"

"You mated with a Serpent Night?" the newcomer spat in a somewhat shrill, shaken tone that was still somehow full of mockery. Atem blinked. Yugi tilted his head in open bewilderment. His eyes flickered to Atem and then to the interloper. And immediately he turned back to his mate. His peripheral was filled with the dragon before them.

Yugi had never considered that any dragon would mistake him for a Sky Dragon of all species. The Serpent Night was a stronger one, but also much smaller and sleeker and far more compact than even Atem was in his origin or battle form. They had shimmering deep black scales that looked rainbow for the smallest of moments when they were in direct sunlight. But they also had smaller muzzles and longer, narrower beaks. They specialized more in lightning-based attack patterns than most Sky Dragons.

They even had some dorsal cape scales which looked like lightning bolts. They had long, wicked claws that came in threes and they had sharper, smaller wings that made them nearly silent in flight.

Atem was similarly gifted with quiet when he flew. But one could hear him if they just so tried. It would require straining their hearing by all means. Were they not focused they would never assume to catch the smallest sound of his wings. Yugi knew this only because of how long he had been hiding beneath his nose, smeared in a mixture of berry juice and mud while amongst the humans in his quest to properly utilize their nets.

And he had used every sense he possessed in order to detect where Atem might be. He had strained his hearing, had struggled to watch him in the darkness. The Sky Dragon had been all but invisible and nonexistent much of the time he'd been there…

But Serpent Nights were gorgeous dragons, even if they too were not silent as they appeared. Yugi thought them beautiful and serpentine and powerful. Finding that their hideously unwelcome guest thought him to be one was no insult to him.

"He's not a Serpent Night." Atem left this statement at this and did not speak any further. He turned to Yugi pointedly now. And the Gandora could see the slight shakiness in his wings, the tiredness in his eyes. He shivered. Atem looked almost nervous, perhaps even slightly anxious. "Let's just go back and rest."

Yugi found himself hesitating for a long moment. "But he's…" His words trailed off when the other dragon looked towards him slowly. He chomped his teeth at the newcomer, furious and hateful. His blood was burning within his veins as he looked back at him now.

Atem was silent for a moment. Then he looked between the two of them, clearly uncertain and bewildered. Yugi looked furious and incredibly fierce. It was beautiful and surprising and exhilarating. The Sky Dragon smiled faintly, though a part of him was unsure what to say.

"I know, but I can deal with him on my own—"

Yugi spun on him violently. His tail lashed with anger. The action nearly knocked him off balance. He had to flap his wings quickly to regain his balance after such a violent movement, his eyes sharp and narrowed and furious when he looked at Atem. "No, Atem. I am not going to allow you to be alone with him. That is not happening."

Atem blinked, both surprised and annoyed. He wanted to sneer at him that it was not his decision should he do so. But then a sense of immense relief came over him. His forelimbs ached, nearly shaking with the weight of it.

Yugi wanted to protect him.

He truly wanted to protect him and shield him should the other dragon attempt to turn on him…

"Very well." Atem snorted and glanced at the newcomer. Then he flicked his second tongue where it lay within his smaller top mouth. The sneer was aimed lazily at the interloper. "We will at least land then. And we can see if I am feeling generous enough not to let Yugi take your head off afterwards, yes?"

"You clearly would have let him when he had first attacked had you—"

"I stopped him for the sake of putting my own mind at ease," Atem interrupted him in a dismissive tone, snarling softly and baring his teeth more pointedly. "It had nothing to do with you yourself. I simply did not wish to have him attack when I could not see him well enough to kill you if he were to get hurt."

Yugi chortled at the words. Then he moved closer to Atem. The action held as much possession as if he had personally scent marked him. The only thing stronger than this obvious declaration would have been if Yugi had claimed him right then and there. The thought made Atem snicker in amusement as he banked abruptly.

The Gandora came to his side almost immediately. They landed easily, though Atem felt exhausted. His wings almost drooped now as he began to pace forward a few more steps. Yugi did the same, turning immediately as their tagalong began to land. Atem turned back only when he heard the slight snarl that Yugi released. A tremor ran through his left forelimb as he faced their interloper.

Atem nearly cursed. He took a seat quickly in order to cover such a weakness. But this had not been the first time this had happened, after all. And so he wondered if he had perhaps somehow hurt it.

It was possible that he might have somehow sprained it.

There had been numerous occasions within the last two days alone that he could name to have been the source. He had landed pretty hard in the net and that could have potentially caused harm to his leg. Then when he had gotten up and brought Yugi to the cliff, the mating had scared him enough to attempt to flee while Yugi was still upon his back. He had leaped and tried his hardest to become airborne. The landings had been hard enough—and with such a heavy male draped upon his body—that he could have potentially broken his own limbs from the impact with the ground.

It had been amazing, in fact, that he had not suffered such a painful conclusion. He had known this in the back of his mind, however. But he had been so scared and he had been in such pain that he had tried regardless.

He glanced at Yugi and then quickly away again.

If he had hurt himself this way, it was his own fault.

Yugi was not to be blamed for his own sheer stupidity.

The Gandora had moved closer to him again. He was at his side, close enough that he shared his slight body heat with him as he had earlier. But he was also a couple of inches forward in front of him, acting as a shield. He was positioning himself to be able to leap forward should their newcomer attempt to harm him in any fashion.

"You're a Gandora…"

Yugi blinked. He had been watching Atem from the corner of his eye. But now he turned fully to the other dragon. He had seen him only once or twice now that he was older. But he recognized those flat, terrible icy blue eyes. And his tongue flicked dismissively, black and oily in the darkness, and spat, "And I have no idea what you might be."

Atem snickered behind him. The sound made Yugi feel warm.

"He is a Felgrand. They are not the most typical of Sky Dragons. But they are not rare either."

Yugi snorted and lashed his tail, flexing his claws. He nearly snapped his jaws, but held himself in place to prevent himself unnecessarily leaping at him. Those icy blue eyes were no longer focused on him. And he did not want him looking towards Atem at all. "He's not special enough to be considered a rarity," he declared spitefully, peeling his lips back further to show his brilliant teeth in the darkness.

The comment made the newcomer snarl softly. His blue eyes shot furiously to Yugi once more, his voice low and scornful and full of hate. "There's a reason your species is almost extinct."

The words made Yugi pause for a split second. And Atem considered his mate with a curious tilt of his head. When he blinked and looked towards the newcomer and back, he wondered at the statement. It was made out of pure spite, backlash towards his comment about his own insignificance.

But it made Atem wonder if there were others under such an impression.

That was not entirely true. Real Gandora dragons were truthfully all but nonexistent. Most often they were likely to appear to be another dragon entirely, however. They often did not appear to be the hybrid that he himself was. They usually had another species mixed within their bloodline, something beyond the genetics of a Fire or Wind Dragon. They usually took on one or the other's appearance and never truly a mix any longer.

The truest Gandora dragons were meant to seem a perfect blend of the two species, as Yugi himself appeared to be.

He had the smoother belly and softer ridges along his tails, a sign of Wind Dragon genetics, with the darker glossy sheen that most Fire Dragons possessed. His beak was larger and sharper, the sleek almost nonexistent indentation of his skull pure Fire Dragon. But the smooth muscle tone of his belly was entirely Wind Dragon. His smooth chest plates, where he could not see the proper parting of them to display the layering, was another of Wind Dragon. And he had the five front toes, another sign of Wind Dragon genetics, but his hooked claw tips were those of Fire Dragons, built for evisceration of any prey or species they might fight.

It was the tusks on the sides of his mouth, curved inward towards the tips of his beak, that Atem could not quite place. And it was the gems that littered his body from his toes to his tail that confused him. It was the various spikes of silver-tinted scales and spears of bone that made the base of his large leathery wings along the inner connective muscle that Atem found strange. By far Yugi was the truest definition of a Gandora dragon in every manner.

Just as he himself was the purest of the Slifer dragon archetype but for his second mouth.

But Yugi had the softest demeanor when it came to Atem, a characteristic unlike either of his two species' combinations. Wind Dragons mated with multiple partners and often acted as a protector only until the eggs hatched before leaving them once more. Fire Dragons were vicious and fled immediately upon copulation for their own sakes as the females were more likely to kill than let them leave alive.

Yugi, on the other hand, had fallen in love with Atem the moment that he had come to lay eyes on him upon being six moons old. He had waited until he himself was old enough and sexually mature. Then he had spent his time hunting down the rumors spread about the God Dragon that was killing their suitors and had come to find him.

He had not thought to fight Atem to the death as many Fire Dragons had. And he had not thought to use his magic against him to force him to the ground as many Wind Dragons then had. Instead Yugi had simply outsmarted him, something that Atem admittedly had not considered possible and found attractive despite himself.

He had used a human net to weigh him down and pin him just long enough for his declaration of Yugi as the victor of their little challenge. And then he had let him out from beneath it and asked him if he was okay when he'd seen Atem checking on his wings upon being released.

Yugi was twice as much a threat to any dragon to cross their paths because of his cunning now. Where no one could truly recognize his species at first glance, he had an advantage and his dual control of magic would surprise them if they did not know immediately.

Atem considered him for a moment, relishing in the way Yugi bristled angrily from his position so perfectly set to protect him. The thought made him wonder for a moment and his instincts were at war with impulse. He wanted to step forward, around him, and declare his own strength. But another part of him wished to simply reach out and nudge him to show him the gratitude which flooded him so powerfully now.

Instead he forced himself to sit there. He admired the way Yugi glared at this newcomer, watching him keenly with hateful blue-violet eyes. His black tail was lashed every few moments, claws flexing, as Atem studied him some more.

"Gandora dragons are not almost extinct." Yugi glanced at him in surprise at the declaration and Atem shook himself out, tucking his wings firmly along his sides. He suppressed a heavy yawn and shook himself out again to combat his slight grogginess. "They are simply rare—especially one to have patterns such as his. Normally there are the other Gandora dragon forms, the ones that have the thicker scales along their forelimbs and the different wing formation without the bone joint at the top. His parents weren't mixed so he came out as a Gandora should appear."

Yugi looked incredibly proud, chest puffed out and chin raised with satisfaction.

"And you're…mated to him."

"Your point?"

The other dragon flicked his tongue at him, long and slow and full of condescension. "You cannot even lay eggs with him. What point is there in allowing him to—?"

"And your eggs got eaten by your rival when he usurped you," Atem cut in dismissively. Yugi spun on him with a horrified look, clearly startled by his calm tone. But the Sky Dragon hardly cared to look towards him in any manner. "So perhaps your eggs did not do you much in the long run either."

The dragon lunged.

Yugi shot forward.

Atem did not have time to even blink.

His mate had knocked the other dragon from his paws. His head was forced down into the dirt. A paw lay on the back of his skull. And his jaw was lowered. His teeth were bared, snarling viciously. His blue-violet eyes were glowing furiously. He lashed his tail and thumped it once.

"Should you ever even consider coming closer to him, I will destroy you."

Atem blinked, stunned. The words sounded almost unnatural as they came from Yugi's mouth. Then he blinked again, shook himself out, and wrapped his tail around his paws. "Really, Seto? You saw how willing he was to attack you for even entering our territory. And now you are asking him to spill your blood." He chortled, delighted despite himself, and looked at Yugi with incredibly fond eyes. "He is very capable of killing you."

The younger dragon glanced at him from the corner of his eye. The smallest of smiles tugged at his jaw but he kept his snarl on his face. He looked quickly back to Seto and snarled loudly. And Atem realized rather abruptly that Yugi would have killed Seto had he not intervened.

Yugi truly did not think that Seto deserved to be anywhere near him.

He was truly willing to protect him from the bastard…

Yugi pressed his weight into Seto's leg and snarled louder. He was not going to get near Atem at any rate. He would never get closer to him if he had a say. If Seto so much as looked at him, he would make a snack out of his throat.

And he could not see Atem truly caring for his brother if he were to do so.

It was not as if Seto truly deserved to even look at his brother like this.

Atem was worth so much more than the bastard beneath him was. And when the golden dragon—he had only seen him twice and he had assumed he was golden, even if his colors were somewhat dull in shade—moved he almost snapped at him. The Sky Dragon stilled beneath him, eyes sharp and glittering in the dark. His tongue flicked at him and Yugi thumped his tail again. Seto snarled but there was a glint in his eye that seemed almost fearful and he smirked in amusement.

Yugi had no reason to fear Seto's tail as he would have Atem's.

Atem had a feather-like design in his origin form, of two scales on either side and the center one that was somewhat thicker. In his battle form, however, the formation was held closed, for when he spread them apart into an open formation, they were five long knives of keratin and bone which came through the red scales.

And they were used so quickly that one's head could be removed from the body within a single strike.

And a strike took but one heartbeat to perform.

Seto did not have this.

His tail was long but simply tapered off. The most he was capable of was hitting with it. He could knock an opponent off balance as he whipped them, but there was no further damage it could perform.

Yugi considered this a blessing to know. Neither Seto nor the other golden-colored dragon Malik had such a design. But the silver and gray one—Bakura—had a hook-like extension on the end of his own. The tail was long and spindly and the very end of his tail was much like his own claws. It was thin and narrow at the ends, hooked and curled inward so sharply that it was capable of breaking through armor and cutting through the belly if he found an angle to do so.

It was used like a scorpion's to strike at the eyes from what he understood of Hunter Dragons. It was one of the easiest hunting techniques for the lightweight dragons. They were incredibly small, unusually so compared to most. Although, from what he knew, Bakura was unusually large to be a Hunter Dragon—he was the same size as Seto and Seto was an inch or perhaps two smaller than Atem himself was at the moment…

"You have someone else fight your battles now?"

"I could fight you on my own. But I would much rather allow Yugi to beat you down a few times, brother." Atem smirked when Yugi cast him a sideways glance. He was flicking his tail and looked more amused than anything. When he looked at Yugi in turn, his eyes were bright and warm. "I think you would prefer it to be me to beat you, after all. Since I last told you I would kill you for venturing here again. And Yugi, being unknown to you, beating you senseless would make for a very humiliating experience for you, no?"

Yugi snorted loudly. "Not to mention that you did not even know what I was at first." He chomped his teeth when Seto shot him a disdainful look. He nearly laughed and bit at his face with the amusement which bubbled up in his lungs. "A Serpent Night, truly?"

"You are certainly as useless as one."

Yugi went to sneer at him. But there was a loud hiss of disturbed air. Yugi almost thought that perhaps something were slicing through it. He flinched, horrified. Seto froze, eyes wide and stunned. Atem's tail was open. The blades were directly in front of his sibling's face. Yugi shuddered, looking to Atem again.

His lips were peeled back more fully. His teeth were bared noticeably. His mouths were opened, his breathing heavier. His golden eyes glowed. His claws flexed into the dirt forcefully. The blades of his tail were a claw-tip's length from Seto's beak. And Yugi could see with horror the ease with which Atem could simply snap his tail forward. He would kill him…

He was truly willing to kill him…

"You do not talk to him in such a manner."

The smallest touch of pride came over Yugi. Atem was willing to fight his brother for him. But it also came to him that he should never have to even threaten to do such a thing. His brother should have been more understanding, more like family than an enemy.

But then Seto had always treated him as if he were nothing more than a pest. Seto had absolutely tormented Atem. He had attacked him relentlessly and gone so far as to have his siblings help him to carve a gaping wound into his side.

Atem had fled after that. He had only been a quarter into his growth and too young to truly know how to survive on his own. And Yugi had been desperate to find him since. But he had witnessed the way that the other three had bullied him so often. Malik would knock him from the sky or try to drown him by keeping his head underwater until he was no longer flailing. Bakura would rip his claws off for the fun of hearing Atem scream and squeal. He had once tackled him so hard from behind when they were flying that he had crippled Atem's wings for a full moon.

Now the smallest dragon was the largest.

He was the strongest where he had once been the weakest.

He had the best control of his magic.

He could fly faster and swim far better than his siblings could ever hope to.

And he was also the one who had killed other dragons in a singular sum somewhere in the hundreds.

"You forget yourself, Seto. You are within my territory for a second time upon once being told that I would kill you should I find you here again. You are a guest here, and you are not welcome. Do you wish to further incriminate yourself? Your life will become forfeit when you do."

Yugi shivered, but there was that small flash of pride in his bones again as he fought the urge to puff his chest out. But Seto had begun shaking beneath him. He was growling fearfully, staring up at his youngest sibling with a horrified expression. Yugi blinked and looked at Atem for a split second, tilting his head. The terror on Seto's face was brilliant.

"I thought not." Atem closed his tail again. He rolled his shoulders and Yugi noticed that his muscles appeared incredibly stiff. He wondered if it was from the humid air or his former sleep position. But Atem had gotten to his paws again, and turned away to wander off. "Yugi, release him and come with me. He can rest the night where he is and we will come back tomorrow to deal with him."

The younger dragon hesitated for a moment, blinking wide eyes at the statement. Then he looked to Seto and sneered angrily. "You are lucky he still seems to care. I would personally love to kill you for hurting him." He snarled softly when Seto blinked. Then he pounced away as he noticed Atem pause a few yards away. The Sky Dragon had turned to look at him over his shoulder and seemed more or less upset with his attention there. Yugi hurried to his side, jumping gracefully there as if he were merely playing with sand beetles from what would be considered his native lands.

"So…what do you plan to do with him?"

Atem blinked and looked at him sideways, then snorted and tucked his wings into his flanks. "I have not decided," he admitted in a calm tone. "You seem to enjoy knocking him around, so why not simply allow you to continue doing so?"

Yugi chortled and nudged his shoulder with his beak. "Because you are better than that," he said gently.

The words made Atem pause. He was watching him, golden eyes wide and puzzled. And then he turned away abruptly. Am I? he wondered, leading them towards a rocky outcrop just large enough to offer them shelter should there be any rain.

Seto must have summoned it in order to gather his attention. The air was still hotter than it should have been, muggy and far too weighted. He hated the sensation, disgusted by it, and it made him almost itch with frustration.

Yugi seemed to understand the unspoken declaration that Atem did not wish to go any further as it would leave Seto out of their sight. He moved past him, settling into the furthest part of the stone, pressing into it hard enough that he brushed some of the dirt from the rock overhead. Atem wondered if perhaps it would have reminded him of the desert terrain he had grown up in after they'd left the mountains, the caverns he must have rested inside of…

He waited for Yugi to settle comfortably, then moved to tuck into his side, his wing draped across his mate's flank as he laid his chin on Yugi's paws. Then Yugi put his own chin on the Sky Dragon's neck and settled comfortably there. He yawned softly, letting out a small noise that sounded almost like a bird cooing.

Atem snorted softly at the sound and shifted his chin just enough to lay his jaw more comfortably in the crook of Yugi's toes where the scales were warmest amongst them. He was still pondering this easy sound when he fell into a restless state of slumber. And it was not this gentle noise which woke him hours later.

When he blinked an eye open, Yugi had raised his head. He was shaking and snarling furiously. He sounded akin a snake that meant to spit venom at the nearest target. His claws flexed endlessly. His breathing was ragged and hideous. There was a small, gentle wheezing which accomplished each, a proclamation that he was close to using his fire breath.

Atem blinked and shook his head. He considered him for a moment, confused and groggy. Why was he so upset? It took him a long moment for his restlessness to leave his mind. And then he remembered that Seto had found his way back, something that he had warned him against formerly.

The red dragon huffed a breath, turning his head in the direction he knew him to be. But then his body stiffened and a snarl began to rumble within his throat. A bright, shining golden dragon had come forward and was seated beside Seto. Its eyes were purple like freshly bloomed lavender, and there lay a bright blue gemstone in his forehead. And a slimmer, dark gray barrel-chested dragon with a gleaming silver tail and muddy brown eyes stood nearby. The smaller wings were tucked into his sides and he seemed to be grooming what looked to be dried blood from his hooked tail tip.

"I do not recall permitting a family reunion in my territory," Atem spat, hurriedly untangling himself from Yugi and stepping forward. He charged at them, spitting only once as he gained speed and readied his claws.

Seto flinched away and hurriedly flattened himself into a submissive position. Malik glanced up with a bewildered expression and Bakura peered at him as if he did not recognize him. It took them both a moment to realize Atem was showing aggression. It was a technique he had learned when facing his suitors. If he did not appear outwardly aggressive when he leaped at them, they would not realize until it was too late. It was one of the best ways to eviscerate them when they refused to leave.

And now it proved successful again. Bakura climbed to his paws just before he reached them. And Malik snarled in shock, uncertain as to whether he should consider him a true threat.

Atem hit Bakura much like he would have a buffalo. The Hunter Dragon skidded but kept his weight balanced to prevent falling over. His tail lashed. The tip was pointed at Atem's face for a second. The red dragon snarled and paced a step. Then he feinted at him. Bakura did as he knew he would. He had not grown past the instinct to aim his tail for his eyes as he had during play. And so Atem simply reared up on his haunches and slammed his front paw down.

The tail was caught easily there, pinned. And Bakura snarled as he attempted to find a new sense of balance. Atem smirked, thumping and lashing his own tail once in amusement.

In the corner of his eye he spotted Malik. The golden-scaled male attempted to spring. And he was blocked immediately. Yugi lashed out with his claws. The Sky Dragon snarled, spitting, as blood dripped from his long muzzle. Malik turned on the Gandora with burning eyes. He lashed his tail and Yugi thumped his in turn. They glared at each other.

Atem kept his main focus on Bakura even as he watched them. And his brother used his wings almost akin a third pair of legs. It gave him a new, firmer sense of balance. And, when he sprang at him, it was almost a powerful enough launch to allow him to pull his tail from beneath his paw. Atem kept his grip, however, crouching. And then he sprang upward. His teeth caught his brother by the throat. The Hunter reacted instantly.

His claws sank into Atem's face, grabbing but not gaining full purchase. His back legs kicked and cut at his throat. But his armor was stronger than it had been when they were hatchlings. Atem did not even feel the pain he would have back then. Now all he felt was mild itching. And he shook his head violently as he raised his free paw to cut into his flank.

Bakura screeched, kicking harder. He clawed at the air sharply. And then he hit the ground and quickly scrambled for his paws again. He shook himself out again. Atem thumped his tail, furious for a moment. Bakura angled his head downward, opening his jaws. And a small sizzling noise hit his ears.

Atem boxed him upside the head. Bakura snarled and bit at him, missing. Atem kept his weight more concentrated on his right paw. His left forelimb stung hideously. He ignored the urge to simply allow the leg to crumple beneath his weight. He thought to collapse there, to lie down instead.

Bakura shook himself out again. Then he lunged at him, claws outstretched. He aimed for his throat and eyes. Atem turned slightly, angling his wings to shield his flanks. Then he reared up. He released his tail only when he nearly lost his balance. And then he slashed at his face in turn.

Bakura let out a pained noise. He scrambled for his paws and attempted to shake himself out. His tail lashed forward in an instant. Atem quivered, hateful, as the hook hit his head. He felt dizzy from the force of it. Bakura had gotten faster, had become more forceful. And, when he flipped the head of his tail and aimed for his eye, Atem snarled furiously.

He had gotten more lethal as well, hadn't he?

Pain struck him heavily even as he jerked away in time. The flesh of his jaws burned. And he thumped his tail as he opened the blades angrily. He lunged and Bakura snarled, aiming again.

Bakura was going to attempt to hinder him entirely. He did not care for familial loyalties. He did not care that Atem was the God Dragon.

He was looking at his favorite target, the red male realized.

And it simply infuriated him.

He leaped fast enough that Bakura clipped his injured shoulder, missing his face entirely. And his teeth opened and snapped shut on his throat again. He pulled him off his paws, tossing him into the ground hard. He shook him violently, threw him into the ground several times more, and then tossed him when Bakura clawed at his face again.

Blood was heavy in the air. Atem snarled and thumped his tail again. The pain lingered in his jaw and around his eye. And he flexed his claws for a moment. His shoulder burned. His wing stung faintly. He had scraped him there too, he supposed.

Bakura lay on his side for a long moment. Then he moved to scramble for his paws. He shook himself out, body caked in loose dirt clinging to his blood.

Atem snarled and moved to charge him again.

But it was not Atem to strike again.

The red dragon was startled and frozen at the sight.

There was nothing he could have done to prevent it.

And at first he could not understand what he was seeing.

His mind saw only shadows of gray and black.

And then he blinked again, realization slamming into him.

Yugi had sprung at Bakura. His claws were on the Hunter Dragon in a heartbeat. The Gandora was rabid in his snarl, vicious as a wolverine. And he lashed out as quickly as a mountain lion. His paws slammed into his sides continuously. Blood sprayed the air in rapid arches. And he let out snarls of pure hatred that made Atem tremble.

Bakura was in a panic, he realized. The gray dragon was screeching and flailing. He was kicking with all four limbs. His claws cut at soft flesh but Yugi did not slow in any manner. The blood sprayed the air faster. And Bakura spat and panicked and snarled and cried out.

In his terror Bakura attempted to bite at him. He instinctively rolled to form a ball. He tightened his muscles as if to save himself. He snarled and struggled. He kicked and flailed. His tail aimed for Yugi's face and missed, hitting his shoulder in turn. But he could not hook into any of his muscle. And Yugi opened his jaws wide and snapped them shut again.

Bakura screeched louder, kicking harder. Atem blinked. But Yugi's teeth cut through hardened scale and muscle. Bakura screamed now, seething and snarling. He clawed at his neck but Yugi hardly seemed to notice. The Gandora was still lashing out with his front limbs. He was cutting through scale and blood and his wings were flailing. Bakura was scrabbling at the air and screeching.

Atem was amazed, unsure of what more to do. He could no longer tell who was bleeding the most. Yugi moved too fast. He was far too limber. He was far too powerful. He had agility unmatched by any other dragon Atem had ever met. His rage had lent him speed and ferocity and hatred.

Bakura himself had often possessed all of these qualities as well. But they paled beneath Yugi's anger. The Hunter was not as agile. He could not prevent the Gandora from tearing into his face or clawing at his eyes. He could not stop him from inflicting as many wounds as possible.

And the dirt was so incredibly stained—

"Get off of him—"

Atem spun on his older brother, snarling. His weight was pressed heavily into his right forelimb. His left shot out to slash into Malik's side. The blow knocked the golden dragon off his paws entirely. Malik glared at him, furious, and scrambled to a stand. The red tail flashed forward. The tip rested a millimeter from his throat.

"Move and I take your head."

It was odd how easily the threat left his mouth. When he was younger he would have let them all do as they wished to when it came to him. He would have flinched away and fled but he had never truly fought back when it came to such a thing…

Bakura screamed. The tone was of agonized infuriation. And Atem glanced sideways just enough to see. Bakura had lashed out and missed. He had caught his balance sloppily and was standing a couple of inches from Yugi. The Gandora was snarling and spitting and his tail thumped twice. But then Bakura moved to raise his head. And the angle showed his throat. Yugi clenched upon it immediately, lunging forward. Bakura wheezed beneath the pressure. His eyes were huge with shock. And he flailed rapidly with his claws. He kicked and struggled. But the panic had made him sloppier than ever. And his claws kicked and pedaled without proper aim.

And the Gandora did not give him the chance to find his footing. He tossed his head violently. He shook Bakura as if he were part of a tree branch. He clenched down harder as if Bakura were but a chunk of meat.

It was much harder than he had shaken Atem the night before.

It was so much more volatile than Atem had ever seen.

He himself did not have the same amount of strength the Gandora possessed.

And Yugi was throwing his brother much like a cat would a mouse.

He was by far stronger than Atem could ever hope to be in his tossing Bakura about as he was. Fire Dragons shook their mates in order to make them fall limp if the poison they injected them with did not subdue them for long enough. And so the Gandora, being half Fire Dragon, was capable of grabbing Bakura by the throat and slamming him into the dirt and clawing at him in the meantime. He was incredibly violent in his actions, and he displayed the strength of a Fire Dragon in his erratic tossing.

Atem could barely have kept up with the actions had he tried.

But Yugi seemed to run on endless energy with this violent display.

Bakura was completely limp by the time that Yugi released him. The Hunter Dragon was thrown, rolling a good foot across the clearing. He landed hard on his belly. His wings twitched. Blood dribbled from his jaws. He blinked and shivered, eyes dark with hatred. His thin claws flexed once.

"You'd let him kill your brother?"

The question brought a smirk to Atem's face. His eyes flashed, his tongue flicking outward in a sneer. He turned to Malik with a snort. "I will kill you if you dare lay a claw on him," he replied calmly.

"Get up," Yugi spat. His tail lashed and thumped. His scales rippled in a bristle. "It's no fun if you don't get up."

The words made Atem falter. Malik blinked. His head snapped around. Atem saw Seto raise his head from the ground. His blue eyes were huge. And the three Sky Dragons remained frozen for a split second. Then Atem shook his shock away, hurrying forward. His recovery from the words was much faster than his siblings'. And he knew he would be able to get to Yugi and not worry about them for at least a few heartbeats.

But Yugi spun on him, a nightmare of black and red. His mouth was wide open. He was snarling and spitting. His forked black-blue tongue flicked. His right paw rose, aimed for his throat. The base of his thick tail rose. His spine arched and he bristled furiously. His wings rose slightly to shield his flanks.

And then he realized himself.

His offensive position melted away immediately.

His tail fell. The bristle relaxed. He lowered his paw. His wings fell to tuck along his sides again. He closed his mouth. His back lost its defensive arch. He blinked. Then he turned quickly back to Bakura.

Atem was able to see blood staining Yugi's teeth. His white fangs were covered in it. And he was amazed that it did not drip from them. But the ridges of them were soaked. And his breathing was harder, violent with anger.

"Yugi…" Atem hesitated for a moment. Then he stepped forward again slowly. He was close enough to almost reach out with a paw and tap him. But it was impossible to bring himself to. He stared at him, troubled for only a moment. And then he looked down at his sibling.

He, like Seto and Malik, remembered those words all too well.

Bakura had knocked Atem violently out of the sky that day. It had been harder than all of the other times. Bakura had not purposefully harmed his wings or actively drawn blood before then. But something had seemingly snapped within him that day. And so he had thrown Atem around as if he were nothing more than a pebble. He had pinned him that day. He had tossed him around a few more times. He had torn his claws out. He had cut into the soft flesh of his sides. He had torn at his wings. And all the while he had spat at him to get to his paws and—

"Get. Up." Yugi slammed his tail into the ground, patience lost. He had stepped closer, was spitting and glaring down at Bakura now. "You came here to see Atem, didn't you, you worthless piece of dung? If you want to do that, you have to go through me. Now get up, Bakura."

Atem hesitated a heartbeat longer. And he was aware of just how dangerous doing so was in the heat of the moment. He leaned forward slightly. The scales along his spine rose in a jutting bristle. And then he tapped Yugi's shoulder with his beak. The Gandora focused on him immediately. He was curious and questioning. But there was ferocity in his eyes as well. And Atem wondered at the sight for a moment.

Did he look similarly when he was in battle?

Yugi looked godly…

"It's okay, Yugi," he tried, forcing his voice to come out soft and soothing. He hated to think that Yugi would lose his ferocious edge. He was actually amazed and some part of him almost adored such a sight. "He's in no condition to—"

"No. And I don't plan to let him live to get back to that."

In an instant Yugi had sprung forward. Bakura was just on his paws again. And he was stumbling for his balance. His head snapped up, brown eyes wide. He spat, attempting to cover his sides. But his wings did not fold fast enough. And Yugi lashed out violently once more.

His claws cut through the harder scales along Bakura's exposed flank. The Hunter wheezed, spitting. Then he snarled and opened his jaws wide. He aimed for the paw nearest him. He looked as if he planned to bite hard enough to snap the bone in half.

Yugi did not allow this, however. He rose up onto his hind legs to hinder Bakura's balance. But his grip in his side did not last with the quick movement. Blood sprayed upwards. Bakura staggered, gasping for air.

His side had become a bloody, gouged mess of muscle and scale. Atem could only gape at him, stunned by the terrible upward strike. The wing along Bakura's flank had been caught as well, the ends of it frayed.

And all Atem could think of were those longer, darker nights in which his side was open in such a similar manner. The blood would not stop then. And the pain was always there. The air burned it. Breathing made it flare. He could not fly more often than not. The pain had been too excruciating. And he had almost starved…

There was so much blood…

"Yugi."

The Gandora turned his head just enough to consider him. But it was clear his attention remained clearly caught upon the Hunter Dragon before him. His claws flexed. His tail lashed.

"Stop."

The blue-violet eyes blinked. "Why should I?" he demanded harshly. He lashed his tail violently once more. Then he thumped it forcefully. But he did not turn towards Atem in his anger. He kept his eyes on Bakura. And his bloodied paw rose an inch from the ground. "I haven't done nearly as much damage as he deserves."

"It doesn't… Please, just…just stop…"

Yugi turned to him now. He was clearly startled by his strained voice. A sense of confusion came over him as he turned to face him with a scrutinizing expression. Then he saw the stormy quality which encompassed Atem's gem. He saw the blank stare and dulled shade of his eyes. And his hearts began to break for the other dragon as he reluctantly forced his scales to lose their bristle. It took him only a moment longer for the tension to leave his body, but he did this as well.

"Anything for you," he finally mumbled. He looked away guiltily, feeling almost ashamed now. He stared at the ground and put his paw down again. Then he flexed his claws.

How had he failed to take into account that Atem might be uncomfortable after he saw his brother's side?

His eyes fell on his paw. The blood was still bright and fresh. And his stomach turned as he flexed his toes. The gems gleamed up at him for a split second.

Perhaps he should groom himself before he even considered coming back to lie down with…

But no.

That was not going to happen.

He would not do that with his brothers around.

Atem could defend himself—he knew that.

He was well aware of that.

And he knew even then that the three of them would be no problem for him to fend off.

It was the fact that Yugi could not help if he was not there that made him so reluctant.

No, he would not leave him alone with them.

Atem blinked. His eyes flickered to his brother's all but broken form. Bakura was snarling. His claws were caught in the dirt. His tail was lashing. The metal hook on the end glinted in the sunlight. His flank was a bright and hideous red. The muscle was swollen with disfigurement.

Malik and Seto were still behind him. They remained a safe distance a few feet away. Atem stared at his fallen sibling. The bubble of resentment had grown swollen. It pulsed beneath his skin like a throbbing pain. And it made him angry. For a moment he wished to lash out as Yugi had done.

But then he blinked, reconsidering, and turned to his mate again.

Yugi had truly done it.

He had gone up against his brothers.

He had turn one of them almost to shreds and had attempted to kill the other hours before.

Yugi had…

He was amazed and incredibly tired.

"Here, come with me."

Yugi blinked, turning his head in bewilderment. Then he frowned and tilted his head. Atem waited until he was sure he had Yugi's full attention. Then he launched himself into the air. Yugi seemed to hesitate, glancing back towards the other three Sky Dragons for a split second. Then he snarled low in his throat and joined him.

The flight was silent until they reached the river. The rushing water was roaring loudly enough to drown out Yugi's heartbeats. The younger dragon landed beside him, flinching. Atem refused to so much as glance at him now. He had probably brought back a ton of memories that the God Dragon had not wished to suffer through. He tucked his wings forcefully and flattened them against his sides, lowering his head.

He opened his mouth—

"Thank you."

The words were said so softly that Yugi almost missed them altogether. He faltered, dazed, unsure of whether he had said them or not. He had meant to apologize, and yet that was not what had been said. He blinked, turning to Atem in confusion, and then felt his eyes stretch wide with shock.

Atem had said it…

The red dragon was not looking at him directly. But Yugi could feel his stare all the same. He was focused on him regardless, expression full of something between wonder and laughter. No doubt he had seen the shock in Yugi's face and found it incredibly amusing. But he also seemed incredibly self-conscious as well. He was looking at Yugi as if he awaited his sneer about his weaknesses or to perhaps say that he was leaving for a new mate…

The thought made his wings droop for a split second before he looked quickly away again. "I'm sorry for scaring you," he mumbled. There was a weight in his chest, near his hearts which burned and ached in despair. Atem had so little idea how much he cared for him and he perhaps didn't even understand why he did. The thought made him want to pull him closer or maybe snuggle into his side…

Atem blinked. "I won't say that you didn't, but it was hardly you yourself directly. It was the words and the wound itself." The Sky Dragon turned to face him now, but Yugi was focused entirely on his bloodied paws. Atem did not look upset, however, though the Gandora was not willing to raise his head to see more clearly. "I had not considered you would have been there when that had happened."

"I… You were really close to my den that day, Atem. I was scared you would see me because I was so close to the opening, but they were picking on you instead. And Bakura was relentless that day and…" Yugi shook himself out, lashing his tail angrily, and forced the memory aside with a deep breath. "Are you all right? He…"

Atem had glanced down at his paws at the question. He peered at his right one a moment longer than his left. He flexed and wriggled his toes. His claws made soft clicking noises in the dirt. And then he looked back to Yugi, a slightly troubled gleam in his eyes. But when he did not offer an explanation for his behavior, Yugi did not push to ask.

"It is fine, little gem," he mumbled. The new nickname made Yugi stand a little taller, eyes widening as a thrill swept through him. He quivered faintly, wings twitching comfortably. And he almost bounced with pure happiness upon hearing this new endearment. "I just need to soak my cuts. But I thought you might want to clean up as well."

Yugi stayed quiet for a moment, curious more than anything. He remembered once hearing that Water Dragons had the ability to heal instantaneously when they used their own saliva or a pool of water.

He had never seen it before. Large bodies of water were not something he wished to be around. And Water Dragons themselves were interesting, but not so much as to desire watching them heal themselves. And Yugi was not sure he believed this lore as thoroughly as many claimed. He did not think it reversed internal wounds or healed broken bones or sprained muscles.

He nodded regardless. "Yeah, I think that might be a good idea," he agreed quietly.

The action of getting into the water was a bit harder than Yugi had initially assumed it might be, however. While Atem leaped into it as if he were part fish—and by the gods, weren't Water Dragons so much like them anyways?—he himself hesitated.

He had learned to fish while with the humans, but in doing so he had been in his human form as well. He had been within shallow pools of water to catch them late at night to all but be ensured that the Sky Dragon did not find him. And this river was clearly deeper than any of those. He had witnessed Atem hide beneath the surface and reappear upon their first mating.

Yugi hesitated, braced at the edge. But his genetics dictated he fear the water. Fire Dragons lived in such dry terrain and when the rains fell and the land might become muddy, most often they would migrate. Wind Dragons were prim in the fact that they hated to have their paws wet. They naturally drifted when rain fell. They hated to have much of anything to do with water in general.

Yugi glanced at Atem again. The Sky Dragon was studying him with a curious expression. And the Gandora felt slightly abashed, ashamed of the fact that he was showing such obvious weakness. He had told Atem formerly that he had been willing to compromise and adapt to be with him. And now he was showing his fear of something that was so keen to Atem.

He leaned forward, reaching out a paw. The water foam touched his toe and he nearly squeaked with dismay. It was so cold it was startling and he bristled faintly with shock. He jumped when a bit of spray hit his beak, turning tail and bolting a few feet back. His natural instinct was to find his way to higher ground, however, and he was amazed that he did not end up doing so. There were harsh gaping outcrops overhead that he could have hidden atop and looked down at Atem from there, playing the part of the lookout and protecting him from there.

But then he heard Atem snicker. The noise startled him away from his thoughts. He turned with wide eyes. And the Sky Dragon was smiling, pure amusement making his eyes brighter than Yugi had ever seen them. He swam to the bank, moving to his side. He was soaked, dripping water which was absorbed by the sand in gulps. Yugi shivered and shook his head, flustered to realize that he'd have to retrain himself to come near water. He would have to—he could not ask Atem not to enjoy water simply because he himself could not. And not being able to join him just seemed foolish.

Atem got to his side, paused as if he might say something. Yugi blinked up at him, tilting his head. And the Sky Dragon smirked at him. Yugi had expected him to tease him, ready to hang his head and sigh and admit to being a coward. But then the red male simply shook himself out much as a village dog might.

The water came at him in a torrential downpour. Yugi flinched but could not move to find cover in the slightest. He did not even have the chance to fold his wings overhead as a shield. And when he blinked, Yugi was soaked, but his paws and face were washed clean.

"Oh."

Atem chuckled, licked his forehead, and turned away. "You're clean now," he announced, teasing, as he smirked at him playfully. Yugi hesitated for a moment, watching him with wide eyes. He'd never quite seen him so playful before, though seeing as it had only been a day that they had been together, that should not have been surprising to him. Abruptly Atem licked him again, then nudged him gently in the shoulder with his beak, golden eyes bright and warm. "Not even a speck of blood to be found on you."

Yugi blinked, startled by the declaration. Then he purred, butting the bottom of Atem's jaw with his head. He got up after a moment, stretching himself out fully, and licking his bottom jaw with bright eyes. "And you're okay, Atem?"

"Perfectly." The Sky Dragon rolled his shoulders easily, as if shrugging away Yugi's concern entirely. Then he turned away, all but yawning as he blinked heavy eyelids. Then he looked away and flicked his tongue. "I do not wish to have to deal with them."

Yugi turned to him, tilting his head. His pupils had most likely flipped into a horizontal position, as he could feel the tension and discomfort coming through him in waves. It was a common sight for many species of dragon. It was only Atem he knew of so far who did not have pupils. And that worked in his favor, though it had alarmed Yugi upon his challenging him.

He had not seen his pupils flip or dilate. And he could not have told immediately if his challenge had been received as he'd wished. It made Atem perhaps lethal and fatal in this regard. One could not see his emotions. One could not measure how their words affected the Sky Dragon. It was only the gem in the center of his forehead and the way his eyes might darken or lighten that gave much indication. Atem had learned a long time ago to shield his body language, Yugi knew, because oftentimes he could not match his attitude with his actions.

Most likely it had saved him from many of his suitors.

"I can run them out…if you would like?"

Atem blinked and his eyes stretched wide with curiosity. The surprise was enough to make Yugi nearly tremble, though the red dragon soon smirked and shook his head. "No, let us find out what it is that they want from me first, shall we? It might do me well to listen and deny them all together rather than one at a time as Seto seemed to originally think to do." He blinked, watching Yugi with darkened eyes and the Gandora could see a stormy quality developing in the core of the gem. "But I would not suggest for even a moment that it will go peacefully. I suppose if they act out once more there is no reason we should not chase them out entirely."

The younger dragon tilted his head curiously. He considered him for a moment. Then he flicked his dark tongue and closed his eyes for a brief moment, voice hopeful. "Can I bait them?" he inquired.

Atem snorted a bright laugh, though he looked stunned by the question when Yugi opened his eyes again. Then the red dragon smirked and pressed his beak into the center of his forehead. Yugi trembled gently with something almost akin delight at the touch. "To your heart's content should you so desire."

The Gandora laughed softly, ducking and dipping his head in order to lick at his chin. His scales were cold from the water which still weighed them down. And, as he nuzzled Atem's jaw for a moment, he thought to shake himself dry as the Sky Dragon had before. But then he would soak Atem and that was not something that he wanted.

Atem was the first to be spotted when the two of them returned an hour or so later. Seto spotted the red dragon before his other siblings did. His head snapped around and something of relief seemed to color his eyes for only a second. Atem wondered if he had expected him to flee entirely with Yugi rather than return. The Felgrand certainly appeared relieved to see him, after all; but then Malik and Bakura looked up as well. They blinked dark eyes and tilted their heads.

Yugi, on the other hand, in the corner of his eye, snarled low in his throat. He was trotting at a pace just a few steps slower than a charge. And he kept himself positioned at Atem's side with darkened eyes.

"Are we going to fight again?" Malik asked, voice a sneer of near singsong tone. He flexed his claws and growled, and his purple eyes were singled in on Atem alone. "I don't think I ever got a proper attack in, after all."

Yugi snarled, leering at him. "And I'll be the one to kill you for laying a claw on him," he promised. He was bristling, moving a little faster, and Atem snorted as he shook his head. He came to a stop, not surprised that Yugi himself did not. He was trotting angrily, as if he might leap straight into that of another fray. Atem swung his tail to bar his way, the tip of his coiled appendage hovering mere inches from Yugi's chest. There was no malice in the action—he had no intention of hurting him after all—but it was a necessary physical manifestation of caution and the plea to stop.

Yugi in turn came to falter visibly. His eyes fell on the appendage in surprise. And then he turned his head towards his mate in obvious question. His gaze flickered back and forth between his face and the long tail. Then he relented finally, backing up several steps and plopping down on his haunches.

Atem dropped his tail and moved close enough to brush against his side. The action was reassuring enough that it allowed the larger portion of the tension in the Gandora's body to fade. They considered each other a moment longer, then Atem turned away again with a soft growl.

"If you would like to try your paw at winning against Yugi, feel free to do so, Malik. But I am not going to stop him should he decide to simply eviscerate any of you. I did not send invitation for the three of you to come here within my territory. And I will not allow you to remain here for a moment longer if you should so foolishly continue to pester my mate. I will kill you myself this time."

He lashed his tail violently, thumping it once, and noticed Yugi watching him. His pupils were wide, encompassing much of the blue-violet of his irises. He looked proud, affectionate and happy. And Atem ignored this, though a part of him felt warm at the adoration in his eyes.

"Now. I have already warned Seto that I would kill him myself should he ever return here. And now all three of you worthless bastards have found your way here to me. Should it have to do with allegiance for his mate, I will not offer such aid. This battle is not my own. Let that be clear now."

"You do realize that your escape was never foolproof, yes?" Bakura snarled abruptly, turning to him with darkened brown eyes that seemed almost black with rage. "We could have hunted you at any time we so much as chose. I knew exactly where you were hiding."

"And then you came to know that I was not alone"—beside him Yugi seemed to flinch as if he had been struck, clearly startled by the statement; Atem would have to explain that to him at a later time—"so tell me again how much such words mean."

Malik twitched his tail and watched his youngest sibling with sharp eyes. The simple jerk of muscle was a display of nerves, one of which Malik had clearly failed to outgrow upon reaching maturity. Atem considered this, smirking in amusement as he shook his head and sneered.

"Ah, so you were simply bluffing. That is rather good to know." Atem made a point of ignoring the way Yugi studied him so pointedly. He flicked his wings and lashed his tail for a moment. The movement was enough to make his brothers stiffen, hesitating to speak, and it bought Atem a heartbeat of time. He needed only this moment to simply steady himself again. "And now shall I assume that it was only Mother to have the common sense to look for me? Yes? Good."

Seto bristled, his tail lashing in response to Atem's sneer. "No one cared to find you," he spat, eyes flashing. Had Atem been younger, he might have flinched at the jab. Now he did not even blink. "And you could stay in these mountains to rot for all the care I have for you! If it were not for circumstance, you and I would never have come to cross paths again."

"Oh, and what a shame it would be to never see you again," Atem snorted dryly. He had the impulse to nudge Yugi and snicker when he saw the black dragon grin and duck his head in amusement. But to do so would have put Yugi in their line of sight again and he did not want that. As long as they focused on him instead, the God Dragon did not have to worry about Bakura perhaps plotting to turn on Yugi in retribution. He doubted that Yugi could not handle him—he had proven that already—and it was not that he would have let him get so close. He simply did not wish to have to kill him at the moment. There had been enough bloodshed for the day. "But you came to find me for things which have no bearing upon me whatsoever. You are the one who so chose to mate with the Lightning female. The fact that you did not find outside territory to lay your nest is no mistake of mine, Seto."

Yugi tilted his head towards his mate. The bewilderment on his face was clear as he whispered, "Atem, what is he asking of us?" under his breath just loud enough for the red male to catch.

The words failed to connect at first. Atem was still staring at his infuriated older sibling, seeing the way his muscles further coiled with tension. When Yugi spoke the words had seemed at first to filter through one ear and then out of the other. And Atem went to open his mouth to snap, ready to bait his older siblings further, when he understood the query better.

Then he blinked and turned to Yugi curiously.

"Us?" he asked before he could help himself. The Gandora blinked, though he did not seem offended. Atem flexed his claws and butted him gently in the shoulder with his muzzle to make up for his own forgetfulness. "Seto did not leave the female's territory as he should have. She nested there and another dragon has moved in and usurped them all. No doubt he is killing what little nests remain and has forced himself upon the females there."

The last few words brought a distant thought to him, of the many promises his suitors had given him upon challenging him. His golden eyes darkened and dulled for a split second. And he knew this only because of the way Yugi stiffened faintly and peered at him in concern. But the moment passed. The red dragon blinked, considering him, and a few heartbeats continued in silence.

"You mentioned that you had seen him that day when he originally came to ask my aid, yes? You caught sight of the wound on his face and side, you said. He had come to me then for assistance in the fight to potentially overtake this new dragon. He would like me to help him gain control of his territory again." Atem fell silent for a moment. He glanced towards his siblings for a single moment, then turned back to Yugi. He had felt far more scorn then than he did now, though he'd also been far more enraged formerly upon seeing his brother before him after so many years of estrangement. "He wishes to rescue Kiara."

"Kiara?" Yugi mumbled softly, tasting the name. So then that had to be the name of Seto's stolen mate. That would make the most sense. The Sky Dragon would never have had a big enough heart to want to save all of the eggs rather than simply his own. Seto knew no selflessness, after all.

The Gandora turned to Atem again, his eyes widening slowly as he searched his face. "You said no initially and threatened to kill him," he reminded himself and the other dragon.

"And I will gladly keep to such a promise."

Yugi nodded after a moment, though he looked somewhat excited and concerned as well. He continued to study him for a long handful of minutes, opening his mouth to speak again.

"It is not the eggs or the females he wants, Atem."

The statement made both dragons look up, golden eyes fathomless with puzzlement and blue-violet curious and bewildered. Yugi tilted his head. Atem bore his teeth a bit more pointedly, curling his lips back just enough to bare his white fangs.

Seto stared at his youngest sibling with cold, dead eyes. The God Dragon wondered at the haunting quality within his gaze but did not comment. And it was strange to see that the Felgrand refused to blink, not intimidated in the slightest, despite the way that he seemed somehow unnerved regardless. Perhaps his mate made him brave. Perhaps the thought of getting his favor in order to help her was what kept him from responding more visibly.

"He wishes to mate with them, yes, but he has another plan as well. He is picking only the strongest of them, within each of the Clans he has already decimated. He is working to create a breed stronger than even the God Dragons."

Atem blinked curiously, considering the statement. His head tilted and his eyes narrowed faintly. Yugi, however, bristled and leaped forward beside him. His tail was half-raised as if to perhaps thump it heavily in his anger. His teeth were glittering where he bore them angrily. The Sky Dragon beside him blinked and considered him now, curious.

"That's impossible!"

The outburst was enough to make both Seto and Atem startle. Their staring contest stopped and both faced Yugi with bewildered expressions. And Atem found himself unable to think straight. The pure, wild disgust and hatred which shown in his bright blue-violet eyes was amazing.

He had expected something more akin fear. The words, if they had been spoken before, had to have struck such emotion in many other dragons' hearts formerly. Such a statement had to have horrified many of the others. And, from what he knew, the others had been too shocked to so much as breathe properly. Something more powerful than the God Dragons themselves was not a welcome idea in the slightest.

But this young black dragon looked simply irate and furious. It was as if the words had done nothing more than prove his anger more truthful.

"The God Dragons are the most powerful forces in existence. If he truly wants to play with nature itself, he will have to go through a lot more than just us." Yugi lashed his tail, then forcefully thumped it against the earth again. Atem bristled faintly, the small ripple of air and heat crashing upon him for a moment. He flexed his claws, narrowing his eyes, and tilted his head. "How does he plan to take on Atem or Yusei, the God Dragon of the north? What of Jaden, the God Dragon of the south or the Leviathan in the west? He is a fool! He cannot defeat any of them."

"I suppose now I understand why it is that you chose to mate with him," Malik commented wryly. His expression was a sneering smirk of amusement. Atem blinked and tilted his head. "He is so full of worship, little brother. It must be a monumental rise to your pathetic ego."

"Kill yourself," Yugi snarled at him. But his head snapped immediately towards Atem as well. His eyes were troubled, his pupils flipped horizontal once more. But the God Dragon was still facing Seto and he could see the puzzlement in Yugi's eyes now. He seemed to be wondering if he had even noticed that Malik had spoken to begin as it was.

But Atem was fighting himself for the moment. He was trying his hardest not to simply launch himself at Malik as it was. He was tired of the taunts and his claws itched for blood. He pressed his tongues against the roofs of his mouths and then flexed his claws again.

Beside him Yugi had begun to bristle.

And the distress was clear on his face.

Atem considered him from the corner of his eye.

He wondered what might be going through his head, if he was worried that the words had made more of an impact than the artificial scratch it had gained.

"He has boasted of victory against Atem."

The words startled the Gandora, who spun around with a horrified expression. Atem, however, felt relief upon no longer having his attention. And he remained still for a long moment, calming himself, before he turned to face Bakura as well.

"He claims to have fought me? And won?" he echoed softly, tilting his head slowly and considering his cold dark eyes. "I have not been bested in a battle ever before."

And for a split second Atem wondered at this. It was a truth that he had never truly considered before. Not a single dragon to come to challenge him had been capable of besting him. They had been more violent, had hit harder than he had when they'd faced off, but none of them had won. None of them had ever managed to so much as knock him off his paws. He had taught himself to never lose his balance. And none of his challengers had ever come close to winning in battle against him.

So who was so foolish as to claim otherwise?

Yet Bakura was staring at him as if he were perhaps the stupidest creature on earth. "Then, how ever shall you explain what it is that that Gandora is doing beside you?" he sneered in a condescending tone, chuckling and turning to Yugi with a hateful expression. His yellow tongue flicked outwards and seemed to sample the air for a split second. "You have grown soft, Atem."

"He is powerful in battle, yes, but he did not win by brute strength," Atem said dismissively, snorting and tilting his head. "He managed to outwit me."

"Your mind must be weak then," Seto scoffed. His tail lashed, his eyes cold and mocking as he too came to focus upon Yugi entirely now. He sneered and flicked his tongue in turn, blue gaze sharp and hideous. "He is too young to know enough to have outwitted anyone else."

Yugi did not respond to him, instead looking to his mate with a more concerned expression. He was clearly trying to ignore the others that were staring at him, but Atem could not focus on him for the moment. His thoughts were racing for the moment. And the slight was nothing that he cared to acknowledge either. Whether his brothers thought him foolish was beyond him.

"If he's heading in this direction, Atem…"

The God Dragon ignored the leer on his brother's face. Then he flexed his claws and watched him with darkened golden eyes again. "He did not win against the whole of that Clan by himself," he stated simply. "So, then, Seto, how is it that he managed to defeat all of you?"

Seto bristled and lashed his dark tail, spitting in outrage. "He has control of five elements," he snarled. His tail thumped and he spat loudly. His tongue flicked out in a show of disdain, hatred making his eyes crystalline. "And it was not as if he were truly alone. There were a great many more than just him."

The God Dragon tilted his head slowly. "More?" he commented in a quiet voice. He tasted the word on his tongue and narrowed his eyes slowly into slits. "As in an army, Seto? You mean to say that he has built an army in order to face the four God Dragons?"

Yugi huffed out a breath, losing his bristle now. He seemed satisfied with this new information, as if he had not believed in the slightest that simply one dragon could pose a threat to the God Dragons as Seto claimed.

Atem considered this thought. Yugi was not wrong in his skepticism. One God Dragon alone was said to be great enough to possess immortality independent of human belief. He did not know what this immortality truly entailed, however, as he had never quite tried to test the odds of his own death. They had numerous abilities unique to only themselves. And none of them were fully known.

An army was truly the only way to even remotely pose a threat of any kind to a God Dragon, he supposed. He had to perhaps agree with Yugi in that manner.

"You did not truly think that I lost a fight with a single dragon in such a humiliating circumstance, surely."

Atem smirked at the indignation in his oldest sibling's tone. He turned, eyes glittering, to Yugi and smirked wider. "I have a very clear recollection of you knocking my brothers about, no?"

Yugi smiled at him slightly, but then shook his head and frowned. He was searching his face now, Atem realized, and the red male considered this in bewilderment. "Atem, this is serious," he urged softly, gently, in a tone that was affectionate but unnerved as well. "He could be a true threat."

The Sky Dragon lost his amusement altogether. Slowly, dismissively, almost spiteful of Yugi's words, he turned his head away. "You say he controls five different types of magic, yes?"

"From what I was able to witness, he controlled fire, wind, lightning, water and earth." Seto stayed silent for a moment upon concluding his list. Then he bristled, lashed his tail violently, and snarled softly in distress. "But I believe he has the most control over fire and lightning. Or that is the rumor I have heard, anyways."

Atem tilted his head, considering the statement. To have control of five elements was virtually unheard of. He could not remember hearing any such thing except but for perhaps within one myth. And that was a story meant to scare dragonets into doing as their parents bid them.

"What…did he look like?" he finally asked. If he had crossed paths with this dragon at some point, he would surely come to remember if they told him, right?

Bakura looked towards Yugi and narrowed his eyes. Then he opened his jaws wide, gaping them in a smile. "He seems much more like your mate than you would like," he commented dryly. Yugi turned to him with widened, curious and slightly horrified eyes. "But his wings are always covered in blue electricity and his muzzle is much longer. It opened so far that perhaps it would be wide enough to swallow your head, Atem. His jaws seem almost to dislocate. His eyes are narrow and silver and white in color."

Atem watched his brother twitch. The gray dragon was nervous at the simple mention of the beast. And Malik was flexing his claws in a show of distress. Seto was snarling softly, flicking his tongue. He glanced at Yugi but the Gandora was simply puzzled.

"He has reinforced scales and longer claws. He has jagged teeth that lay within rows and rows of one another." Bakura fell silent after a moment. Then he flicked his tongue and snarled, sneering at him with a smirk. "I heave never seen another creature like him before. You would not even truly assume him a dragon."

Yugi looked almost sickened. "Then…how does he look like me?" he inquired, turning his head towards Atem. He seemed scared that Atem might consider him to be a threat and the red male looked at him curiously.

It was clear he was trying to judge himself against the image that had formed in his head. He shivered upon seeing Atem's eyes on him. And Atem wanted for a moment to reassure him. He wanted to tell him that his jaws were not too wide and his eyes were not too narrow. He wanted to reassure him that reinforced scales were the trait of Fire Dragons.

It was necessary of them. They lived in the desert and their armor was made to maintain their body heat during the night. And they had to have such a strong state due to the various fights that came about due to their territorial natures.

Many of them were spiteful and hateful when another came into their space. And any fights were often hideous and deadly.

Even their mating habits were terrible…

"He's dark gray and black," Seto answered coldly. He was smirking, his tongue flicking, and his eyes had fallen upon Yugi again rather hatefully. "Perhaps you are even siblings."

Atem lashed his tail and the sound made his brothers flinch away, hissing and spitting with frustration and tension. They backed up a step in near unison as the God Dragon snarled low in his throat. "Do not accuse him of such unnecessary things," he spat. It was the closest he could do to reassure Yugi, because he could not find the words to tell him that he and the dragon Bakura had described seemed nothing alike. "He is the only of his nest to survive."

But when he glanced at Yugi, the God Dragon wondered. Was it possible, in any way possible, his parents might have been fleeing such a cause as this dragon in question? He had said that they had been fleeing. He had said that at one point, had he not? He had told him that the stress had killed his siblings and he had been the only to hatch, yes?

Was it possible that perhaps they had been fleeing from the dragon in question?

But then…

Who was it that Atem had fought and allowed to leave alive?

It was true that he had never killed without cause. Had they not threatened to force him to his belly and mount him repeatedly or attempted to force themselves upon him regardless of his own victory, they were allowed to leave. He had offered the same to Yugi. He had told him that if he accepted his loss when Atem won, he would allow him to leave with the agreement that Yugi never return to his territory.

He did not allow his more arrogant suitors to leave from their battle alive.

So how was it that such a thing was possible?

He could not think of a single dragon who had claimed to have won and then fled all the same…

"An army to face the four God Dragons."

Yugi blinked at him, shivering at the detached tone of his voice. The golden-eyed dragon turned away again to face his elder siblings.

"An army of dead bodies to add to my collection."

So! A note for this chapter! When Atem says "signatures", he means that he understands and recognizes them through their magic. Each dragon has a set of lungs which produce different types of breaths, and depending on genetics, the dragons can be told apart by it. Atem is technically able to tell apart EACH of the dragons in his territory—with information ranging from sex, exact age, status of health—through their magic if he is around to hear it when it is produced or any calls they make.

Atem's territory is huge. The way he would keep track of the dragons (should he try to) in it is via "calling". He would use a war cry (which Yugi himself executes instead) and listening to those who answer. From there he can tell if anything has changed without actively seeking the others out.

Atem does not often do this, however. He's not territorial and does not ask them for homage as others might due to it being their core territory. Atem has, as he's already shown, the philosophy that as long as one does not butt in his business he won't do the same to them. He shows courtesy where it is given. Which is why he and the others in his territory do not truly interact and none of them intervened when Atem had various suitors crossing paths with him.

Terminology:

Dragons use "paws" for their feet, "beaks" for the tips of their mouths, and "muzzles" for the bases/bridges of them. They use these because they all have human forms and they use other terminology for their human counterparts than their dragon forms.

Each dragon has a battle and origin form. The origin form is their natural form, the one they were born in which would be them in the anime. Their battle forms are more compact and deadly and makes them all around the same size but for natural variances (Bakura is almost six inches smaller than Atem, Atem is about four inches taller than Yugi, Seto is about two inches smaller than Atem, etc). It also tends to be the form that they mate in for the sake of being roughly the same size (as Slifer absolutely DWARFS Gandora in size and build in the anime).