Title: Seto Kaiba of Pern
Author: Lucidscreamer
Genre: Crossover/AU; gen fic
Disclaimer: Yugioh is the creation of Kazuki Takahashi. Dragonriders of Pern is the creation of Anne McCaffrey. Both properties belong to their creators and any legal copyright holders. This story is a work of fan fiction and is for entertainment purposes only. No profit is being made from this work nor should any be inferred.
As the Lord Holder's eldest son (only son, since the deaths of twelve year old Seto's older brother Noa, and his baby brother Mokuba), he should've been ineligible for Search. But when the dragonriders came, Seto refused to hide with the others. Give up the chance to see, to hear, perhaps even to touch one of the magnificent creatures that haunted his waking thoughts and his every dream? Lord Gozaburo would be furious, but when wasn't he, where Seto was concerned?
Seto crept onto the parapet, the stone sun-warmed and rough beneath his calloused hands. The morning breeze lifted his shaggy brown hair, tugged at the deep blue cloth of his everyday tunic. A gust of wind, and the faint scent of sulfur, made him look up... into the faceted, multicolored eyes of a dragon.
The breath froze in his throat. The dragon was looking directly at him, its brilliant eyes sharp and intelligent, the colors whirling within the facets. His heart pounded so loudly it almost drowned out the human voice that asked his name.
"Seto..." Only sheer stubbornness kept his tongue from stumbling over his own name. Eyes still locked with those of the great, winged creature before him, he barely registered the soft laughter of the bronze's rider as the dragon's demeanor radiated smug satisfaction.
"Yes, you're a clever fellow," the rider murmured, slapping his gloved hand against his beast's arched neck. To Seto, he added, "Faranath told me we'd find you here."
That finally pulled Seto's attention away from the dragon, if only for a moment. He stared at the dragon's human companion. "...What?" They were looking for him? Why? Gozaburo would never let them take him to the Weyr, never let him --
"He thinks you'd make a good dragonrider." The bronze rider's words interrupted his thoughts. Seto stared at him in confusion, though his frozen expression didn't change.
Gozaburo thought that--? Seto stared up at the dragonrider. The man must be mad. "Who?"
"Faranath." The bronze rider smiled. "So, how about it, kid? Want to be a dragonrider?"
Gozaburo would never stand for it. Gozaburo would beat him for his disobedience, perhaps even kill him if he said 'yes.' Gozaburo...
He gazed at bronze Faranth, who gazed placidly back, warmth and welcome in his faceted eyes, and Seto felt his heart threaten to explode right out of his suddenly constricted chest. He almost panted for air, excitement and fear and a sudden, exhilerating freedom surging through him on a burst of adrenaline and hope.
Gozaburo could go to hell.
"Yes," he said, and, without hesitation, accepted the gloved hand the dragonrider held out to lift him onto the dragon's back.
The dragon surged into the sky with a powerful leap, great bronze wings catching at the air, and Seto found himself doing something he had not done in the four years since his little brother had died.
He smiled.