Summary:

This story is loosely based on How To Train Your Dragon. However, this is not How To Train Your Dragon retold with Yu-Gi-Oh characters. The beginning is similar but this story has a different plot.

Disclaimer:

I do not own Yu-Gi-Oh! It belongs to Kazuki Takahashi.

I do not own How To Train Your Dragon. It belongs to DreamWorks Animation.

People of the Dragon

The Bond

Yugi groaned as he rolled over. Whatever he was laying on was hard and very uncomfortable. He rolled over in an attempt to get into a more comfortable position, but sharp points still poked his back.

"Yugi?" a deep voiced asked carefully. "Yugi, are you all right?"

Yugi groaned again and slowly opened his eyes. He was surprised to see a blue sky over him instead of the wood ceiling of his bedroom. He blinked a few times before it really clicked.

When it did, he sat up quickly, too quickly, as he immediately became dizzy.

"Whoa," he murmured as he raised his right hand up to touch his forehead. He froze, however, when he noticed a mark on his arm.

It was shaped like a dragon. Not a realistic dragon. It looked more like a dragon seen in drawings. It had a long thin body, its open mouth near his wrist. It tail extended past his elbow and curled on his bicep. The entire marking was pitch black.

"What is this?" Yugi asked on impulse. He jumped when Atemu, who he had completely forgotten about, answered.

"It is the sign of your bond," the man answered as he walked up to Yugi with a leather pouch. He handed the pouch to Yugi and the sloshing sound alerted Yugi to the fact that the pouch contained water.

Quickly, he chugged down the liquid. His throat was so dry!

Atemu chuckled. "Take it easy there. There's plenty of water here."

Yugi took one more big swallow before lowering the pouch and sighing loudly. "Thanks," he said as he handed the pouch back to Atemu.

Atemu nodded. "Your welcome."

There was a long moment of silence. Yugi not knowing what to say and Atemu waiting for Yugi to begin a conversation. Finally, Yugi couldn't take it anymore. "What bond?"

"My people call it the Cha'risa, the soul-bond," Atemu said as he held out his own right arm and pulled up the sleeve of his black, long sleeved shirt. On Atemu's left arm, was the same black dragon mark that was on Yugi's right arm.

"They're the same!" Yugi cried as he looked at the mark on his own arm.

"Yes. It signifies a soul-bond with a Senka, a Shadow dragon."

"A Shadow dragon?" Yugi asked as he pushed himself off the ground and stood.

Atemu nodded again. "It is the term used for their breed of dragon," he said as he pointed to mother and son, who were feasting on a huge pile of fish.

"Oh," Yugi murmured. "We call them a Night Fury."

"Night Fury?" Atemu asked with a confused expression on his face. He suddenly shook his head and said, "What a strange name."

Yugi smiled but refrained from pointing out that, to him, Senka was a strange name.

"So," Atemu began as he inspected the mark on Yugi's arm. "How are you feeling? Any nausea? Dizziness? Headache?"

"No, I feel fine." Yugi looked at the mark again before glancing over to the feasting dragons. "What does it mean to be bonded to a Shadow dragon?"

"There are many different species of dragons," Atemu began to explain. "The color and design of the mark depends on the species of the dragon you bond to. That is why our marks are the same, because we are both bonded to a Shadow dragon."

"Where are you from that you know all this stuff?" Yugi asked as he waved his arms around.

"I told you when I first arrived, I am from Salanthia."

"Yes," Yugi interrupted sharply. "I know, but the name of a place I've never even heard of doesn't-"

Yugi froze as he realized that he had heard of Salanthia before, in the Book of Dragons.

Legends speak of a land of peace and beauty far, far across the sea, toward the North. Beyond the Great Mist is the land of Salanthia. This land is that of dreams, where the royal family of Farai, the family of rejoice, is respected and loved by the people they protect.

In this land, the people are said to be at peace with dragons. They help one another to survive, work, and grow. Tales mention a "bond" between man and beast that allow to them to move as two and think as one.

However, for over five hundred years, these legends have remained legends. Dragons continue to destroy and attack the land of Domino, destroying what little faith people have in the dream of Salanthia.

When Yugi looked up at Atemu, the man looked worried. He was about to say something, when Yugi spoke first.

"What is your last name?"

"What?" Atemu asked as his eyes widened. "Why?"

Yugi did not fail to notice that Atemu had avoided the question. "What is your last name?"

"Why do you-?"

"Just answer the question," Yugi said slowly as he looked up at Atemu.

Atemu stared back at him seriously. "My name . . . is Atemu Farai."

This land is that of dreams, where the royal family of Farai, the family of rejoice, is respected and loved by the people they protect.

"You're royalty," Yugi murmured to himself before he looked at Atemu sharply, who looked like a deer in headlights. "You're a member of the royal family that rules Salanthia."

"H-How do you know this?" Yugi guessed from the stutter and fear in Atemu's voice, that this was something Yugi should not know.

Yugi waved his hand around as he said, "We have a book at home that describes all the dragons we know of. It also has small stories and notes of legends. There's a few pages that mention Salanthia. It talks about how it is such a great place where the Farai family rule. So, what are you? Son of the king? Nephew? Cousin of the prince?"

"No," Atemu said carefully. He took a deep breath. "At home, my people call Farai Adjoa. Farai, of course, is my family name. Adjoa is my title. It means king or ruler."

It took Yugi a few moments to realize what Atemu was saying.

"Wait! You're the king!"

"Yes, I am."

"Whoa! Whoa!" Yugi cried as he stood and pointed at Atemu. "You're a king!"

"Yes-"

"Oh my god! I'm in the presence of a king!"

Yugi continued in his hysteria. So, he never noticed when Atemu turned toward the two dragons, who had stopped eating to stare at them, and motioned them to come.

Lioth walked straight to Atemu and watched with him, as the younger dragon slowly approached Yugi.

Yugi, meanwhile, was worried about the punishment for capturing and harming the dragon of a king. He was so preoccupied that smaller, black dragon approach him until it was just a few feet away.

Yugi.

Yugi froze. He looked around, wondering who spoke. He looked at Atemu but knew that the voice was definitely not his. If it wasn't Atemu, then who was it? Atemu and he were the only guys-

Yugi gasped and looked at the young dragon.

It was crouched a few feet away, staring at him with large, intelligent, yellow eyes.

"Did you-?" Yugi began. He watched as the dragon tilted its head.

Yes.

"Wow," Yugi sighed as he looked at Atemu. The man was smiling, looking back and forth between Yugi and the dragon.

When Atemu saw Yugi staring at him, Atemu smirked. "What did he say?"

Yugi got the feeling that Atemu didn't really care what the dragon has actually said, but was more saying that to confirm to Yugi that it was, indeed, the dragon speaking to him.

"Is this that bond you were talking about?"

"Yes," Atemu nodded. "It is part of it. The soul-bond allows us to communicate with one another telepathically. When separated, it allows us to know each other's location." Atemu smirked again. "Tell me, what is his name?"

"You don't know?" Yugi asked, surprise.

Atemu shook his head. "No, a dragon knows its name the moment it is born, and will not tell anyone until it bonds with someone. He or she is the only person a dragon will tell its name to."

Yugi looked back at the dragon, about to ask it what its name was, when he remembered the voice he had heard before he'd passed out. The same voice he was hearing now.

"Kaede," Yugi whispered, and heard the dragon, Kaede, hum softly, yet loudly. "Your name is Kaede, right?"

Yes.

"Kaede," Atemu said as he walked up to said dragon and rubbed his head, making the dragon purr. "A good name."

For those of you who had already read the first chapter by the time I post this chapter you may notice something strange. Originally, I had Atemu introduce himself as the ruler of Salanthia in the first chapter. However, as I was typing this chapter, I realized that I wanted Yugi to be informed in this chapter. So, if you go back to the first chapter, you will see where I have changed it so Atemu merely says that he is from Salanthia. I just wanted to explain so that no one is like, "Wait, didn't we already know Atemu was a king?"

The idea of a mark showing the bond is inspired by the book Eragon, which is an amazing book along with the three other books that complete the series. In Eragon, a mark appears on the palm of those who bond to a dragon; however, this mark looks a slivery spiral. So, my mark is completely different.

I got the following names from www . 20000-names . com:

Cha'risa is a "Native American Hopi name meaning 'elk.'"

Senka is a "Serbian name meaning 'shadow.'"

Farai is an African name meaning "rejoice."

Adjoa is an African name meaning "Monday-born."

Kaede is a "Japanese unisex name meaning 'maple.'"

This chapter has been sitting on my chapter like this for months. I wanted to add more to it than this, but I really don't know where I want to go from here. This story was never meant to have a developed plot. It was more to vent my idea. Maybe one day I will turn this into a full plot, but not now. Anyone else is welcome to use the idea.

I am so sorry that I have appeared to drop off the face of the earth! I started nursing school in August and boy, I knew I was going to get busy, but I had no idea I was going to lose all my life. I get up, go to school, get home, study/homework, and go to bed. Repeat. I have no time for writing anymore. I really should be studying right now considering I have an exam in the morning, but I got in the mood to post this chapter so I'm going to do it.