Adeption

by HikariEryaviel

July 11, 2004 (2:12 AM)

He could've slapped himself.

It was freezing cold outside, and he was wearing light clothes. Why hadn't he thought of that? He loved rain, but now he was hoping against all odds that it wouldn't start pouring. That…would be bad. And he'd get soaked. And colder.

Yuugi shivered at the thought.

Though, past the goose bumps running down his arms, he was enjoying himself. The regular hustle and bustle of the city was a nice change from the uptight 'lordy guys' in the palace.

Plus, it was nice to be able to walk around and not have to look over your shoulder every five seconds. The palace had eyes everywhere, and it got really annoying. Yuugi could look out for himself just fine; he didn't need people to watch him everywhere he went.

It was a great feeling to be able to walk along the streets and not get bowed to or saluted at whenever he passed someone. Yuugi loved power as much as the next person, but being able to walk around the town as an equal was the best feeling in the world.

He walked along the road until he came to a small line of sidewalk going off in a completely different direction. It took him around the market and behind an old factory. Once there, the scenery changed dramatically. This part of town looked newer and cleaner than the rest of the city, and with good reason.

It was basically the magical district of Jynain. Everyone he knew lived here.

Yuugi walked along the sidewalk and down towards the end of the street. He was just wandering. He didn't have to be at the meeting until later, so he figured he'd just walk around and find something to do.

As soon as he was starting to feel the hints of boredom tugging at his mind, something fixed his problem for him. He soon found a small six year old attached to his leg screaming something incomprehensible.

He leaned down to look at him in the eye. "Hey, slow down there, kiddo. What's up?"

The little boy jumped up and down excitedly. "Mama taught me how to float things, Uncle Yuugi!" All of the children here called him uncle. It was an adorable habit they had picked up, and he had no idea where it came from.

"Really now? Can I see?" Yuugi replied. He loved watching the children learn. They were such good listeners when it came to magic.

The boy jumped up immediately. "Yep!" He closed his eyes and scrunched up it nose. After a few seconds, a wooden log next to the house was lifted up and brought over to the pair.

And then the log caught fire.

Yuugi slapped his hand to his forehead and laughed, but praised the boy all the same. "That was great, little one. But do you wanna shut off the fireworks now?" The child looked sheepish.

"I dunno how to stop fire yet…"

Another voice was added to the conversation. "Well, you should know how to by now, considering you've almost burned the house down three times." The women's' voice laughed afterwards, taking away the harshness of the remark. Yuugi, meanwhile, put out the fire with a burst of water.

The child looked up at the new person in the conversation and giggled. "Sorry, Mama…"

The woman smiled. "Get over here Erek, and stop bugging Yuugi."

Yuugi shook his head. "Ah, he's fine Ina. Besides," he playfully ruffled the boys' hair, "Who couldn't love this cute face?" The little one frowned.

"I am not cute! I'm big and strong!"

His mother nodded. "Yes you are, dear. Now, come here." He did as he was told and ran over to his mother, who scooped him up and held onto him. She turned to Yuugi. "Would you like to come in and get a drink?"

He smiled and nodded. "I'd love to."

They walked inside the nicely decorated house and Yuugi took a seat on a stool near the counter. He rubbed his arms for warmth and looked up, only to meet a pair of eyes staring right into his. Those eyes blinked.

"Well?"

Yuugi raised an eyebrow, confused. "Well…what?"

"What do you want to drink, silly?"

Yuugi laughed. "Do you have any cocoa? It's freezing out there." The woman gave him a look.

"Well, it wouldn't be so cold if you had dressed properly. It's the middle of winter and you're wearing summer clothes. Sheesh! Y'know, high and mighty royals like you should be setting examples for the younger ones." She poked fun at him, and Yuugi smiled.

"Oh, save it. I get that enough at home." She laughed and nodded her head.

"Damn straight, you do. Sorry, but I'd hate to be in your situation Uncle."

Yuugi rolled his eyes. "You're calling me Uncle now, too?" She shrugged.

"Why not?"

She then turned to her little boy who had occupied himself with levitating his toys off the ground. "What do you want to drink, Erek?" He thought for all of two seconds.

"I want hot chocolate like Uncle Yuugi!"

"Alrighty then, two hot cocoas coming right up!"

Yuugi was busy looking at random black spots on the countertop. "Where are these from?" Ina just laughed and shook her head.

"Eh, my kid's a pyro. He just can't help it. I'm even beginning to think that he's not completely Meyol." She laughed lightly.

Yuugi looked up from his observation of the counter, interested. "Y'suppose he might be an Anwen?" She shrugged.

"Could be. His mark doesn't have any indication of it, but that can change pretty quickly. His magic isn't fully developed anyways. Who knows what he'll turn out to be?"

The Prince nodded. "In any case, we'll see in a few years." Ina nodded in return, finishing the two drinks. She called her son over, and Yuugi accepted his own warm drink gratefully. Ina struck up another topic of conversation. "So, what brings you to this side of town?"

Yuugi sighed. "Business, mainly. But it's always nice to come out here. I have a meeting to go to in a bit, so I was thinking about finding Seto and Jou so we can walk to HQ together."

Ina raised an eyebrow. "Seto and Jou? Sheesh, Yuugi. Just make sure you don't walk in on them screwing or something. God knows with those two!"

"Mama, gross!"

Ina turned to her child and smiled apologetically. Yuugi laughed outright. "Ever since they've bonded, they've been going at it like rabbits. Y'think they'll ever stop hanging off each other?" The woman was blunt.

"Nope."

Yuugi shrugged. "Eh. I can dream, can't I?

"Dream all you want, but I'd bet my life that they'd still be sucking face while your back was turned."

Erek scrunched up his nose and made a sour face. "You guys are talking about weird stuff, I'm getting out of here!" And he jumped up and walked to the door of his room.

Ina smiled and watched him walk off. "Anyways, what's the meeting going to be about?"

"The incoming Adepts from Eeon. We still need to figure out their accommodations. I'm not exactly sure how many are coming."

Ina walked over to the refrigerator to get her own drink. "Some are staying at the Palace, right?"

Yuugi nodded. "A few. And may the Gods have mercy on them. I hope Dad doesn't find out."

"That…would be bad."

"Tell me about it."

She sat down across from Yuugi and took a sip from her drink. "Where're the other ones staying?"

"Seto's house. If they can stand it, that is." Yuugi replied.

Ina snorted. "Yeah, because the boogyman isn't the only thing that goes bump in the night."

Yuugi smirked, "…That's gross."

"But oh so amusing, ne?"

"Of course." They both smiled. Yuugi looked at his watch.

"Well, I better start heading over to HQ. It's probably too late to stop by Seto and Jou's house now." She agreed.

"You'll see them at the meeting, no worries." She walked him to the door. And began her goodbyes'.

"I'll see you later, Yuugi, alright? You have to stop by more often. Erek and all the other kids love having you around."

Yuugi gave a thumbs up. "Definitly. I'll make sure to sneak out more often. I keep forgetting how fun it is over here."

She slung an arm around his shoulders. "Of course it's fun here! You can't talk to people and not get glared to death!" She laughed.

Yuugi smiled with her. "Yeah…thanks for the hot chocolate, too. It was great!"

"Anytime."

"…So I'll see you later?"

She laughed. "You'd better!"

"Alright!" He waved at her as he walked off.

She smiled at him one last time and closed the door. 'Yuugi's a great leader. I was getting sick of all the others we had. It's about time someone like him took the position. It's a great thing for all of us.' She was taken out of her thoughts by the sudden shrill ringing sound, and she ran to her son's room.

"Erek! What have I told you about setting you bed on fire?!"

The boy scratched his head.

Author's Notes: This is serving as a filler chapter. I was going to get to the meeting and stuff, but I'm way too tired to attempt that right now. I've been gone at camp lately, and I just got back today. So I didn't have any time to write. I decided to at least get something out there, so you get this. Sorry for the lateness and the shortness. It'll get a lot better once my camps are over.

Did I mention that I have another one in three days?