The Dragon's Companion
Summary: Dragons, the most powerful magical beasts, can't live without a certain companion; their other half. Join them on their adventures as they travel to find a safe place to live freely.
Chapter 1:
Fires burned as he ran from his village, desperately trying to fulfill his fathers last wish. He can still hear the crackling of the houses as they collapsed in on themselves and his skin still crawled every time a scream sounded out in the woods. His eyes stung, and from more than just the heavy smoke in the air. But he refused to cry! He was a dragon, for pity's sake!
Dark laughter echoed behind him as he heard a familiar voice scream in pain and his blood suddenly ran cold. It was the voice of his father.
The boy ran faster as he sensed his village's attackers following him. He knew that there was no way he could transform, it would alert his would-be attackers to his exact location. He also knew that hidden somewhere within these woods was a strange village of beings almost as powerful as his own kind. He hoped they would offer him refuge, even if for a little while.
Just as he felt those who were chasing him get closer, he saw the woods clearing ahead of him. And just as he was about to be grabbed by what he presumed was these murderers' leader, or the second in command, the whole group of fifty or so men were sent flying with a powerful blast of pure shadow energy. He could feel its might in his very bones and it made him shiver.
And just a bit ahead, peeking out from behind a tree, the brunet boy saw a girl his age look at the attackers with a strange eye glowing on her forehead. Just as he collapsed, he saw the girl running towards him as strange creatures chased away the killers of his whole family and village.
00000
A blue eye snapped open.
The cruel laughter of pirates echoed over the small ship as the passengers trembled when the last of the ship's crew was killed. The little traveler vessel had been attacked just as they were approaching land, and although the ship's crew was well-trained for something like this, they stood no chance against these criminals who killed for fun. Now, the passengers could only watch in horror as they were left to fend for themselves and too far off from land for other ships that scout the area to find them in time to be of any help.
The pirate captain was extremely pleased that most of their prey were women and children, with a few old men and cowardly youngsters that dared not defy him and his men. It made his men laugh and it caused his ego to swell as he puffed out his chest at their newest accomplishment. They were all terrified of them, trembling and ready to beg for their lives ...
All except one girl.
She didn't even flinch as his men, more than twice his size, made to grab for her. She just gracefully sidestepped them and glared boldly at her would-be captors. With her bold and pridefully brave gesture, the captain's interest grew and he ordered his men not to touch her.
She would be his.
The girl was truly a sight to behold, what with her strange spiky, tricolored hair that slightly defied gravity and resembled the sunset with its color-set, and her ivory skin and lithe form. She wasn't something you could see every day. She wasn't exactly short nor was she tall, but with long elegant limbs and a figure that made most women in her presence jealous and the men to swoon and droll. Her face was heart-shaped with sharp lines that still looked gentle. She had high cheekbones, full lips that made many men fantasize about kissing them and a small nose. Her elegant, ivory neck was swan-like and her long legs had everyone looking at her as she walked.
The exotic girl was dressed in a lose crimson tunic with gold, blue, silver and white dragon-like decorations all over it. She wore black leather pants, a black shirt under the tunic and a white cape over her shoulders. Around her waist were two belts, one gold and the other was made of black leather and and containing a small dagger, some gold coins and a map. Around her neck was a chocker and a small, upside down gold pyramid necklace on a white gold chain.
Yet, despite all the gold, the most beautiful thing about the girl were her eyes. Like untamed rubies, her eyes shined in the sun as if they had a burning fire in their depths and at night, they seemed as dark as freshly drawn blood. Framed in long, thick black eyelashes, they looked even more intense then they might truly be.
It was truly beautiful to behold.
And Bandit Kieth, the pirate captain, wanted her.
''Well, well, well! Look at you! You could easily be the most expensive thing on this godforsaken wreck.'' The blond captain comments as he approaches her.
Something shifted under the white cloak the girl was wearing, but it went unnoticed by everyone but her. It made her want to reach up to her left shoulder, but she fought against doing so. If she got in trouble, she knew she would be alright with him there to look after her.
She stood up straighter. ''I would advise you not to come any closer.'' The voice was smooth and gentle, but it spoke of a hidden strength that was better unexplored.
Kieth smirked down at her as he stopped right in front of her. ''Oh? Is that so?'' He mocked with an arched blond eyebrow and lustful gaze.
She nodded with a warning glare. ''Yes. Now step back!''
The pirates all howled with laughter as their captain took hold of the girl's slim wrists and drew her to his larger body roughly. He leaned in to her ear and whispered, ''And just what are you going to do about it?'' He started nipping down her neck even as she tried to struggle when, suddenly, a white, crackling light and a cracking noise made him pause and pull back to look.
Big mistake.
Now free to jump off of his companion's shoulder and properly face his enemy head on, the little white-scaled dragon with sapphire eyes grew to its full size and hovered over the ship with a protective roar that promised death to all those who dare hurt his precious companion. The passengers screamed in fright as the pirates desperately tried to fight off one of the most powerful mystical beings. Blue eyes narrowed at Kieth and his men before the mighty jaw opened, revealing the blue-white thunder he was about to unleash. Fearing for their lives, the pirates started abandoning their loot and weapons in order to escape to their ship, but as soon as every last one of them was on it, the lightning collided with the pirate vessel and it started burning. Using his large wing, the ferocious white dragon blew wind into the traveler's sails, leading it away from the panicked screams of those criminals.
Soon, the ship was approaching the harbor and the white dragon turned back to his smallest form, which was the size of a small kitten, and landed on the crimson-eyed girl's shoulder once again. She took control of the ship and slowly started to maneuver it so they could dock in. As soon as the ship was tied in place by some muscular brunet man with light blue eyes that worked in the harbor, the girl with the dragon jumped out of the ship and left, leaving the other passengers to wonder about her.
"You should have been more careful with those idiots.' The girl heard the growled reprimand in her head and she looked down at the scowling little dragon sitting on her left shoulder once again. 'They could have hurt you!'
She smiled at him, making her look even more beautiful. 'I knew you were there, so I knew that I was safe.' She passed a small merchant group as she headed out of the small harbor town, towards the woods. 'You know that I trust you, right?'
The dragon with white scales grumbled, knowing that what she was saying was true. She was his only worthy companion; of course he was going to protest her! Still ... 'I won't always be here to protect you, you know.' He knew that, unless it were impossible for him to be there, this was not true. He planned on forever keeping her safe, even if it ended his own life. She was far too precious to him.
After all, she was his companion.
Dragons. They were one of the rarest and most powerful magical beings in existence. With their size alone, dragons were already far too dangerous but some even had magical powers as well as they could breath fire and the like. There were a lot of different types of dragons: fire dragons, water dragons, earth dragons etc. However, there were also dragons of light and darkness, and some were far too big while others were really small. The dragon that was now grumbling while he made himself once again comfortable on the girl's shoulder was one of the last remaining Blue-Eyes White Dragons, Seto Kaiba. His fellow dragons had been killed by a dragon hunters group that worked for a nasty, deranged man, Dartz of Doma. The then five your old Seto had returned to his burning village from playing around the woods surrounding his home, only to see his very human father trying to defend his dragon mother, who had been carrying his newly born baby brother, as she took off. His father's last words were that Seto should find the one he was destined to be with. Seto had been too young to understand what his father had meant, and he was a bit busy running from the hunters, but he understood once he met the girl he was currently traveling with.
Yuna Kaiba, as she had taken her companion's name since she didn't have or remember her own, had been the one who had found Seto when he finally stumbled across the forest that surrounded the village of Summoners and Mages. The two were truly rarest creatures on Earth, especially Summoners like Yuna. It was said that they could do almost anything with their powers as they can summon the very energies of the world itself to serve them, and the little crimson-eyed girl who had saved him was one of the most powerful Summoners that was ever recorded born. No one knew from where she came from; she had just turned up one day and so they had accepted her, but no one had been powerful enough to teach and train her. Yuna was left to practice alone, and that was how she found the White Dragon. Also being a Mage, Yuna had been able to heal Seto and she then took him to her little house with the help of one of her creatures.
From the first day, Seto knew that she would be special to him. Ever since he opened his tired blue eyes to her blood-red ones, he knew what it was his father had meant and he knew that this little girl would grow to be his destined companion.
He was right, but he still didn't know to what level it was true.
Although, at 16, neither of them were ready for that ritual. Actually, Seto was still trying to figure out if his father had meant that he should find his companion or his mate. Dragons changed a lot of companions throughout their life, be it human, wizard, another dragon or anything else, but they only had one mate, a dragon of their kind. If his father had meant the later, Seto didn't know if he could do it.
And it was not just because he didn't know if any of his kind was left. No, Seto hesitated because he knew that once a dragon finds its mate, all companions are to be dropped or even worse, killed.
And he knew that he couldn't kill Yuna.
He never told her any of this, fearing she would be scared off. Instead, he told her that companions were a dragon's best friend throughout their lives, and the girl had said that she would gladly become Seto's companion. For a decade Seto had been lying to her and now that they were approaching a dragon sanctuary that his mother may have fled to, Seto knew that soon his lies would cost him Yuna's trust.
'I doubt that.' She commented as they walked through the small harbor town. 'After all, we have this connection, so I doubt you will ever not know if I need you.'
Seto sighed, knowing she was right. For some strange reason neither could explain, Seto and Yuna had somehow bonded mind and soul the first time their eyes had met. Yuna had known that it hadn't been her powers, no matter how strange or instinctual, that had triggered it, and dragons just couldn't do that. In the end, neither ever told anyone about it, and it turned out to be very useful for sharing secrets and secrete conversations.
'Still ... '
Yuna's eyes softened and she nuzzled her currently small companion. 'If it will make you feel better and ease your mind, I promise I'll be more careful in the future, Seto.'
Said dragon nodded his head and licked Yuna's cheek as a form of a thank you kiss and the two continued onward, not noticing the strange, lustful looks Yuna attracted. Yuna's habit of humming her favorite songs, like always, was lulling Seto to sleep and soon Yuna was covering his small dragon form with her cape again. It was nothing new and Yuna enjoyed the trust that existed between them. She continued on, making sure to walk as gracefully as she could so that Seto could sleep peacefully.
The next time Seto woke up, Yuna was getting ready to make dinner that the Silver Fang wolf she had summoned had caught. Said wolf was already sleeping, enjoying its free time in their world before he was sent back. Deciding to help, Seto allowed his powers to awaken and Yuna was soon joined by a tall, lean brunet with the same sapphire eyes as when he was in dragon form. He had pale skin, a strong jaw, high cheekbones, broad shoulders, muscled chest and long limbs. Yuna, like always, blushed as he started helping her out, despite his half-armor (that resembled his true dragon form) wasn't the best outfit to kneel down in and lean over a pot of rabbit stew.
Under the silvery chest and shoulders armor, Seto wore only a dark green leather pants and a dark green muscle turtleneck. It was really fit, so it left nothing to the imagination nad that often caused women to swoon. Even Yuna, who knows Seto the best and longest. The brunet liked dark colors, although he had been the one that had given YUna her own tunic. Seto saw those little dragons as a sign of possession, but he was never going to elaborate that to his companion.
After they ate, Seto saw just how tired his friend was. Yuna's eyelids were obviously too heavy for her and she looked ready to collapse. The dragon took her small form into his arms and the girl snuggled into his warmth. His eyes softened as her breathing evened out, knowing she felt safe with him. He placed a small kiss to her temple before turning to his full dragon form. Covering her with his large wing, Seto made sure his companion was comfortable before settling down himself. But, unlike the pretty girl, Seto wasn't planning on sleeping at all. They might have been near the main path, and a little town wasn't far away ahead of them, but the dragon wasn't risking it.
Blue eyes scanned the surrounding forest, looking for a potential threat to his precious companion. He did this every night, be it in towns, ships or forests, ever since Yuna insisted on going with him on his journey to find his mother and younger brother who he didn't even know. Knowing she could get hurt because she went with him, Seto had made himself, and her, a silent promise to always protest her. He has yet to fail, and he refused to do so now.
So, the Blue-Eyes White Dragon stayed up all night, watching the fire and observing his precious companion.