Yu-Gi-Oh was created by Kazuki Takahashi. I claim no ownership of any of the series, or characters in the series; further more I do not and never will earn any money for writing fan fiction of any sort including this fiction.

Warnings: Sexual Assault, Sexual Harassment, and Strong language. Trying to find the correct names for the characters from the manga so wish me luck with that, also and trying to research things to make sure am accurate in character descriptions…it has been a while since I was acquainted with this series besides in fan fiction form.

If I've spelled any names wrong please let me know. :)

The Dragon's Child

Chapter 14: Mending and Meeting New People

Daiyu was falling behind because his pains were coming on strong. He began to lose altitude as fatigue took over his body. The black dragon cradled the young human boy in his arms protectively but soon he feared that he would crash. "I must land!" He shouted ahead.

Kiamana circled back immediately, "Is anything wrong? The boy? Is he in pain? Are you hurt?"

"I will be fine, these damned cramps have stolen my energy," Daiyu lighted on the ground and rested Jou in the shade of a huge pine tree. Jou groaned in pain as his broken arm was jostled. Daiyu looked to the white dragon as if assessing his integrity. He sighed in frustration. His pain would not subside until he mated and he knew it, but he could bare it for Jou. What he could not stand was the thought of making his kit wait until he rested to get treatment . "Take Jou," He whispered, "Please make certain he gets taken care of. I will catch up with you as soon as my body allows it.

"…But," Kiamana began.

"No buts," Daiyu growled, "I can find my way to the mating grounds and the city is just below them so I will have no trouble finding Jou. Just…please just make sure my kit is safe and sound. I-I realize you were only trying to help me and now is your chance to atone for your mistake." He finished softly his heart wrenched at the thought of leaving Jou to the care of a strange dragon but his instincts told him that Jou would be fine.

Kiamana took the human boy as gingerly as he could and took off into the air…

"…Grandpa! I'm back from the apothecary!" A short slender boy of fourteen, looking more like he were twelve, ran into the infirmary. The room was the only one painted white in the entire of the castle it resided in. The physician had insisted it was necessary to help keep the room sanitary. The boy was holding a bushel basket of dried herbs; bottles of mysterious powders and a few pieces of hide that had come from various magical creatures. The boy was pretty with lovely amethyst colored eyes that turned heads, thought he was oblivious to this. If his eyes and feminine visage were not striking enough he had a strange combination of hair colors and is hair was arranged in spikes that seemed to defy gravity.

"Wonderful, Thank you Yugi," Said the elderly man whom looked much like the boy only his hair was grey and he was a stout man with age lines on his face and laugh lines around his mouth. His face told the story of a hard but happy life. He set down the book he had been reading and asked, "They had the wolf's bane we need?"

Yugi nodded and smiled before listing off what else he had purchased, "Yes and nightshade, lavender, basil, barley, charcoal powder, soda ash. They were running a special on mushrooms! I bought some death caps, angel's wing, and bitter cap. Dried kappa flesh, griffon's beak powder, ground unicorn horn."

"Well that's good then," The old man patted his grandson's head, "We will be well stocked for a while." The boy smiled proudly and moved to put away the supplies. There was a knock on the door and the old man stood from his chair and reached for the heavy wooden door (also painted white on the inside.)

The old man opened the door and smiled as a young teen lead his little brother in.

"Good afternoon Lord Mokuba and Lord Noah," The old man bowed. Yugi paused in his task to take a respectful bow then turned to finish putting away the things he had bought. The old man gestured for the boys to take a seat and then he sat across from them, "how are the young masters doing today? Master Noah, are you doing well?"

Mokuba smiled but there was worry in his eyes. Noah looked indifferent to the man, but honestly he liked the doctor better than most of the other castle servants.

Since Noah refused to speak Mokuba cleared his throat, "Noah hasn't been sleeping well at all Dr. Mutou."

"Mmm," The physician frowned, "You've been taking your medicine Master Noah?"

Noah nodded slowly, still looking unemotional. It hurt to watch this nine-year-old looking like a statue. They need not know that he was having horrible chest pains in the night, or the nightmares. He may not have admitted to liking Seto but he looked up to him as an example and perhaps a possible rival. If Seto could be cold and unemotional even in the most harrowing of situation he could bare a little pain and the nightmares of decapitated corpses coming for him were just that—they were just bad dreams.

The man beckoned the small boy over and began to look him over. He was still frowning. He pulled a device over his eyes that magnified his face comically. Still Noah didn't smile. Dr. Mutou looked at his blood shot eyes and pale skin. He didn't like it one bit. He knew there was more to the story and it worried him greatly he had been one of the few staff not to be dismissed by the young governor when he took his step-father's seat of power. He had been there at the castle since Gozaburo was a young man. He had also been the one to warn the monster that his delicate husband need not suffer any more abuse lest he perish. He knew Gozaburo was raping the beautiful man but he had been powerless to stop it. He also knew what a difficult birth Noah endured. Both parent and child nearly perished. Magnus was never quite the same after…he had loved Noah but somehow the child frightened him just a bit. He had done his best to be a good parent for the baby but in the end his weak body gave out and Noah was left in the care of his two older brothers.

Before he could really examine the boy a deafening roar was bellowed as a shadow blocked out the sun. Mokuba stood and bolted out the door without a word. Noah turned and followed him thanking his luck to be out of that examination before something was discovered.

Yugi looked to his grandfather imploringly as he held a bottle of what looked to be crushed beetle shells. The old man nodded and Yugi smiled, "Thanks Grandpa!" He set the bottle down and took off after the other boys to see what was going on…

…Kiamana landed in the center of a large courtyard. It was flanked on one side by the castle and the other were the dragon stables behind was a wall of solid granite. This was all set about three quarters up a huge mountainside and sitting on a forebodingly steep cliff face. There was only one way up to the city by foot, a precarious and narrow path that often mislead a traveler to his or her untimely death.

Most just traveled by air; either by a flying creature or by magic of some sort. The city itself was only partly exposed to the outside world being carved into the mountain's nearly solid granite. Water fed up through springs that some of the citizens claim were actually created eons ago by the ancients with magic. Regardless if this were true or not the people had a clean and constant supply of water.

As Kiamana had expected both guards and servants came rushing to his aid after hearing his alarm. He was neither surprised when the young lords and their small friend with the star shaped hair came out.

There were shouts and questions, "Master Kimana! Are you harmed? Is there danger? Shall we alert the militia?" Kiamana had barely touched his hind legs to the ground and not been given a chance to set the boy down lest he be crushed in the frantic mob of people.

One guard however seemed to have sense to see the injured boy. A brunette with a rather prominent spike of hair coming to rest above his forehead resembling the fin of a shark shouted, "Quiet! Everybody! Can you not see that Master Kimana has a boy in his arms? I am certain that our questions will be answered in time but for now that boy looks hurt."

"Thank-you Honda," Kimana said then smirked and added, "Youy're not the hot head I have always taken you for."

"Why you! Come here and say that to my face you big albino salamander!" Kiamana ignored the young man's harsh words and brought the boy down to the guard's feet.

"We can fight later," He then turned the crowd quickly cleared out of his way as his long tail swished through the throng, "I will explain when I come back but there is an ill dragon that needs assistance. Please take care of him he is the dragon's charge. Consider him to be a dragon kit and remember the rights of a dame whose kit is harmed. He needs to see Dr. Mutou."

Yugi rushed over to see the young man before Honda gathered him up, "Let me look at him first." Yugi began a quick examination and worried his lower lip. The boy was beautiful but he held an expression of discomfort. His arm was hanging funny and there was a definite bump in the forearm that shouldn't be there. The skin stretched around it as bone strained to puncture the flesh. He couldn't see the blonde's back but the faint smell of burned flesh emanated off of him and the smell of blood was even worse. He nodded to Honda and said, "Mind his left arm it's broken…in two places I'm pretty sure."

The brunette picked him up and Yugi placed Jou's arm so it rested on his stomach He whispered a spell that bound his arm and made it still. He was not able to mend breaks like his grandfather could but he could do more basic spells.

Yugi led the way; Honda followed carrying this strange boy while Mokuba and Noah trailed behind…

…When Seto heard the bellowing roar he was unnerved. He had recognized the sound of his eldest white dragon. Seto rushed to the nearest balcony facing the court yard where he had seen the dragon landing from his study window. He leaned in close looking for signs of injury. He'd seen the strange boy and wondered what Kiamana was doing carrying a human about then watched as the castle physician's grandson began to examine him. He knew where they would be then.

Seto decided a visit to the infirmary was in order…

…The physician was besieged with a troupe of frantic boys one injured and unconscious and one of the palace guards. Honda was a good friend to Yugi, much like an older brother and had often looked out for the boy. He was very young but a brave solider. He didn't always see eye to eye with the lord of the castle but despite this he was respectful and generally followed orders he was a third generation paladin. Many of the other guards were regular mages and wizards. Paladins were special for their holy powers and could only be given such a rank by divinity. A god would sponsor a family of knights and chose those special enough to hold the holy title. Honda's father and grandfather before him had been blessed with the title. Since he was sponsored by a goddess named Atremis he was able to oppose Seto at times of necessity without fear of his title being stripped. Seto disliked the paladin but could easily recognize the benefit of having a goddess' protection, so he allowed the pest to maintain his position as captain of a guard squad.

It was always thought odd that the goddess of young women, virginity, and childbirth had taken an interest in a line of male warriors but there was a special reason…one that Honda would hide if he could possibly help it. If anyone ever realized his goddess' nature he would point to his bow and remind them she was also in charge of the wilderness and the hunt. While his sword arm was strong; it was his bow that never failed him in battle.

Honda laid the boy out on the examination table for the doctor.

"What have we here?" The doctor asked.

"Kiamana brought this guy in, said something about him being like an adopted dragon kit. Yugi says he's got a broken arm," Honda explained.

"Ah," The man nodded, "That is strange. Well no matter to me he is a patent and I shall treat him as such." He smiled and began to work on the lad muttering in an ancient tongue as his hands glowed white. The boy's eyes opened his face contorted in fear then he relaxed and his honey colored eyes closed again…

…Servants whispered and scurried when word spread that their lord was stalking the halls. His long white robe fluttered behind him in contrast his legs and chest were clad in black leather. He held his golden rod (his conduit for channeling magic as well as his symbol of power) at his side as he strode purposefully toward the eastern side of the castle where the infirmary was. The rumors had already spread about the strange boy that had been brought in. Their master had an almost constant scowl set on his face. They were used to it though none enjoyed working for a joyless tyrant. At least they were fairly certain he was more sane then his predecessor, but not by much. One thing Kaiba had going for him was his lack of interest in sex. Gozaburo had a tendency to sexually abuse his pretty servants both male and female. Even after marrying Magnus and raping him nightly he somehow found the energy to pull one of the maids (occasionally a young guard would be the luckless victim) to his office during the day and force her/him to perform some sort of sexual act on his person. Seto was the opposite of this. If a male or female thought they could use their body to get leverage in their status they were quite mistaken. Seto had become known as the prudish autocrat and the person stupid enough to try something sexual with him got fired, or worse.

A maid had managed to get in his sight and he scowled her into a crying fit. He ignored this and walked past while she ran off to hide in one of the many unused bedrooms of the castle. He didn't bother to knock when he made it to the infirmary he just opened the door with almost a flourish and stepped in silently…

Jou's heart raced at the memory of being crushed by a huge white paw. Then he remembered his Ma's frightened and angry face. He groaned he wasn't going to be hearing the end of it anytime soon. He looked around to see he was not in the forest but a strange white room. There were several eyes peering at him with a range of expressions. Curious and defensive from a tall boy with brown hair. Curious and Friendly from a pair of coal black eyes and a pair of purple eyes. Blue green eyes looked bored then then their owner turned and moved off to a chair to sit. Another set of purple eyes looked concerned and caring.

"Hello young man," The elderly one spoke quietly, "I'm Sugoroku Mutou, the physician here. Might I ask your name?"

"Katsuya Jounouchi," Jou mumbled, "Call me Jou." Jou barely managed to lift his head for some reason he felt drained of all his energy.

"Nice to meet you Jou," Sugoroku smiled, "You are quite an interesting person, your magic fought me the whole time I was healing your injuries." Well that would explain it why Jou felt like crap. Suddenly the door opened and everyone looked away from the boy.

"What's going on and who is this that was brought here by my dragon?" Seto demanded in an even voice.

Jou locked eyes with the man, icy blue met molten honey. He might have gasped if he were not Seto Kaiba. Their staring contest did not last long as Jou's energy waned and his eyes closed once again…

…I wish it were longer but I need a break and some sleep. I will update again asap. ;)