Seto itched excitedly while he stood beside Mai, staring with his mouth open at the dragon who was lounging on the grass by a shed in the sun, her body gleaming in an array of blue-green scales, almost hidden by the sheer moth-shaped wings that shone with an elegant gossamer quality that sent a tingle down his spine.
Seto clung to the doorframe and stared.
Holy shit.
Holy shit a real dragon.
And it had long, sinewy arms that ended in 5-fingered talons, each longer than his entire body.
"Anja, meet Seto," Mai cooed as she approached the dragon and gave its nose a loving stroke after pressing a tender kiss to its forehead.
Seto sat down heavily on the ground when he heard the dragon's voice echoing in his mind the moment its golden-yellow eyes landed on him.
B-Baby! Baby. So small and cute. Baby. Little demon. Demon baby. Baby.
"Let's hop on!" Mai said blithely as she climbed nimbly on the dragon's back without offering to help him. "Hurry up. I have an appointment to keep!"
Seto finally found his strength and struggled to his feet, dashing forward nervously to stand beside the elegant creature, seeing it lower its head to let him climb on while still ranting about him non-stop.
BABY! Little boy. Cute. Soft. Baby. Demon. Baby. Demon. Baby.
Seto grit his teeth and clung onto the top of the dragon's head, his palms stinging from the strange rough texture of the scales as he was lifted off the ground and gently deposited into Mai's lap. He jerked away instinctively, causing his cheek to go smashing into one of her large breasts, and he recoiled furiously in embarrassment.
She didn't seem to mind, and even rested her hand atop his head, scolding him, "Stop squirming. This saddle doesn't fit two."
And Seto instantly stilled, his feet swinging dangerously low over the edge of a harness while he was perched precariously on a thin sheet of leather that was strapped loosely to the dragon's body.
"And now…we're off! Up, Anja!" Mai called, and they rose up from the ground in three whooshing beats of the glittering wings, soaring into the sky where the two suns cast stinging rays of heat down across Seto's shoulders.
The wind rushed through his hair, nearly carrying his hat away, so Seto clapped a hand down atop his head, his eyes watering from the way they were stinging when the tips of his hair whipped into them.
An incredible view opened up beneath them as they soared over the clouds, the neat little rows of houses in the village lined up beautifully with a row of trees and jagged rocks that dotted the terrain, looking like a natural but intentional border.
Seto gasped in surprise when the dragon dipped down suddenly, causing his stomach to swoop, and before he knew it, they were landing already.
Damn it. That ride felt too short.
The dragon beat its shimmering moth-like wings into a gentle landing, and Mai climbed off first before offering a helping hand, which Seto took begrudgingly and let the elf help him to the ground with a soft thump! His feet landed on soft, fluffy grass, and he knelt to touch it with his knuckles, fascinated by the texture. It looked like grass, but it felt like…feathers. Odd.
Mai stood in the middle of the empty field and tapped at the air with a delicate finger, calling out to someone. "Yooohooo! I'm heeeere!" And after tapping at the air again, a bright blue light puddled out from underneath her feet before it spread across the entire terrain like an impressive flood, and Seto jumped to avoid it, but nothing happened.
He glanced up curiously to see that an enormous glass greenhouse had appeared before them, and a woman with short dark hair wearing a shimmery cloak opened the door to greet them.
"Mai!" She beamed and the greenhouse flickered like it was glitching, and Seto could only gape.
"Anzuuu! Missed you!" Mai said airily as she brushed past the witch and into the greenhouse. "I'm here to pick up your garbage. Got any for me?"
"Um… sure I do, but who's that?" Anzu stared at the little boy standing beside the dragon, and his piercing blue stare sent a shiver down her spine. He had tiny, pointed ears sticking out from underneath his cap, but they were too large to be elf ears….
"Oh, that's Yami's kid," Mai shrugged and disappeared into the building. "Don't mind him. He's only here for the dragon."
Anzu frowned uncertainly and walked out to kneel before the tiny child, giving him a kind smile and holding her hand out for him to touch. "Nice to meet you. I'm Anzu. What's your name?"
Seto grit his teeth and shook his head, deciding not to answer as he clung to the edge of the dragon's saddle, still hearing the dragon ranting about babies in her head.
"Want to come in and look at my herbs?" Anzu asked brightly, clapping her hands together and giving the baby another smile, pausing when she saw dark flecks of energy gently rising up from his shoulders, and she grasped at one curiously, pulling back furiously when her skin sizzled upon contact. Her heart skipped and beat, and she grabbed the baby by the hand and led him inside, filled with joy and disbelief.
Yami had once again saved another rare species.
This demon infant needed to be treasured because he held eons of knowledge inside him, which meant…
"Can you identify these?" Anzu asked breathlessly as she led him over to a neat row of plants that were encased individually in tall, rectangular boxes made of shiny, magic glass that shifted in color.
Fascinated, Seto leaned closer to the glass and stared at the odd, bulbous plants.
How the hell was he supposed to know? This shit looked like alien poison…with the multi-colored spiked flowers and everything…
"Appraise," he said simply and after a minute, the plants glowed in his vision, followed by the familiar text translating to Japanese the more he stared. The names and statuses of the plants were displayed for him to see, so he pointed at each one and recited flatly, "this one is a Cow Ginger bud. It's at 45% health and grows best in the shade."
Anzu gasped and reached in through the glass to pull out the bulging plant from the roots and ran to place it in a large pot underneath a giant tree that was growing out from the middle of the greenhouse. Seto stared after her, marveling at the beauty of the warehouse. The glass walls were covered in plants, some growing from each other, some sprouting from more pots that were painted with bright colors and labeled with neat handwriting. It looked like a crazy lady's plant nursery in here…
"Thank you!" Anzu breathed as she pointed at the remaining plants. "And this one?"
She pointed at a yellow plant sprouting red, threatening spikes, and Seto answered her steadily, grateful that his voice wasn't rasping like a thousand buzzards, "Elite Lixhult. 62% health, requires constant sun and blood watering." Seto wrinkled his nose and wondered what that meant, and Anzu's face darkened.
"Does it say what kind of blood?" She asked gravely as Mai came bustling cheerfully with her arms full of bulging bags of rotting items.
"No," Seto answered plainly, and Mai sighed, walking away again while calling over her shoulder.
"I'm telling Yami you're using his babies again. He won't like that."
"He's not a baby! He can talk really well!" Anzu called back, determinedly moving down the line of mystery plants, wanting to get all the answers today. "And these? You're being such a great help. Thank you!"
You're welcome, Plant Mage, Seto replied sourly as he quickly identified the remaining plants as his appraisal began to fade, so he talked fast. "Muted Dandelion, in the fertile stage at 89% health. Poison level is lethal to all non-magical beings," he pointed at the flat-leafed green plant and moved on to one that had bright purple pustules dotted along the trunk. "Hemner's Pixy, emits a sweet scent and grows best half-submerged in pine honey. 28% health." And he walked down the row to point at the last two, biting back a laugh at the fat, fan-leafed plants.
"This is Cannabis, in the fully grown stage. 93% health. It has over 540 chemical substances and has psychoactive properties when ingested," Seto felt himself smile and he tapped the glass with interest. "If you can grow more of this, please give me some to use. I'd like to try something."
Anzu gave him a nervous look and nodded, pointing at the last plant that was bearing green triangular fruit with odd, squiggly stripes.
"And these?" Anzu asked quietly, and Seto blinked, his mouth watering at the sight of the fattest triangle-shaped watermelons he'd ever seen.
"Watermelon!" Seto breathed, thumping at the glass with his tiny fist. "Let's eat some now! They're even grown pre-cut for you! Can I take one?!"
"You can eat these?!" Anzu raised her eyebrows curiously and shook her head. "My appraisal said it was poisonous."
"What? Why?" Seto frowned and cast his appraisal again, just to make sure, and sure enough, the words 'WATERMELON' floated up above the fruit.
98% health, ripe for the picking! It had grown really fat because of the two suns overhead.
Mai approached them from behind again, calling his name in a singsong voice, "Setooo, time to go home—What are you two doing?"
Anzu lowered the glass and bent down to gently lift one triangular fruit off the vine, and she hefted it over to the wooden table nearby, giving it a tentative sniff while Mai followed, sounding bored.
"Come on, I need to reopen my bar. Rush hour is coming up, and he needs nap time," Mai stressed, and she felt a tug on her skirt from the annoying baby.
Lift me up! I can't see! Seto growled, and to his slight dismay, Mai ignored him, but Anzu bent down to pick him up and heft her on her hip, so he clamped his hands around her neck for support, eyeing the triangular watermelon on the table before them.
"So how do we eat it?" Anzu asked curiously, poking at the shell with a finger. "Do you want to take a bite?"
Seto frowned and replied, "you cut it. Any way you like." And he could already envision how delicious the fruit would be laid out after being cut into thin slices, and the moment that thought left his mind, silvery white lines appeared across the fruit, and it fell apart on the spot.
Anzu gasped and set the child down to hover over it, her mouth watering at the fresh scent, and she was about to pick one up when Mai's hand shot across her face and stole a slice. She bit down on the tip and chewed thoughtfully, her eyes widening with glee as she snapped her fingers, "We could sell this—"
"You're always thinking about money," Anzu argued as she picked a slice up to sniff and then bit into, the crisp, sweet flavor making her eyes water gratefully. Crispy ….but soft?
Hey! Are you forgetting someone?! Seto cried irritably, and Anzu handed him a large slice that was bigger than his face, which he snatched out of her hands and bit into it viciously, breathing a sigh of relief when the sugary fruit exploded across his tongue.
Oh thank god.
Watermelon was the same in this world too.
He'd remember every single familiar food and try to find it here.
Next on his list was apples.
He rounded off the slice surprisingly fast and the rind was taken from him kindly, and a handkerchief was pushed into his hands from Anzu, who knelt to beam at him. "Thank you for your help! Come back anytime, okay?"
Seto gripped the handkerchief and nodded, feeling Mai's warm hand on his back pushing him towards the door. They walked out of the greenhouse to the waiting dragon, and Mai picked him up by the armpits to plop him onto the saddle. Seto clenched his fists, his cheeks burning pink with humiliation as she climbed up behind him and gave Anzu a friendly wave.
"Bye!" Mai called as the dragon continued ranting inside Seto's head.
Baby. Baby on my back! Baby. Demon. Baby demon.
Seto clapped one hand over his ear and waved at Anzu who was beaming at them, and they rose off the ground in a few steady wingbeats, the grass swirling underneath them as the dragon took off and glided into the clouds effortlessly.
"Why does she talk like this?" Seto asked loudly over the rush of the wind, and he had to remember to hold his hat down over his ears so it wouldn't fly away. "Do all dragons talk like her?"
Mai shook her head and wrapped a protective arm around the baby's waist as they dipped suddenly again, and Seto felt his stomach swoop.
"Her egg was badly damaged!" Mai called over the loud whumps of the wings beating on either side of them as they began their shaky descent. "Yami healed the cracks every time they formed, and she barely made it out alive. She sustained a brain injury from the early trauma!"
Seto's stomach twisted unpleasantly and wondered if it was because of the way they had landed too fast, or if it was from the horrible words Mai was saying.
The dragon curled her tail around her side, and Mai gingerly set her foot on it to balance herself, holding tightly onto Seto's hand as he hopped down from the saddle and safely on the ground.
"Okay, now…nap time," Mai said sternly, and Seto bit back a sigh. God…dammit….
"I'm going to pet her some more first," Seto insisted, turning around to face the dragon's magnificent, pointed head. He rested his tiny hand on her forehead and felt her nudging him back happily, still chanting, "baby. Baby so small. Smells good. Baby. Seto. Baby."
You know my name?! Seto cried silently as he gave her nose another rub, and felt Mai grab him by the wrist to pull him away.
He was led up the stairs and back into his room where she sat him down on the edge of his bed and took his hat off to hang it up on the bedpost, gazing deeply into his eyes for the first time, so much that it made Seto squirm uncomfortably.
What? After one dragon ride, they were suddenly friends?
Here, he thought she hated him for being a demon.
"I don't hate you, okay babe?" Mai said quietly as she knelt by the edge of his bed and adjusted his cloak around his shoulders. "Yami enjoys saving creatures while on the job. Dangerous creatures like you," she tapped her manicured finger on his nose playfully, "and my darling dragon out there. Heck, he even saved me by helping me open this place up. But you gotta pick a side, kid. Whose side are you gonna be on when you grow up?"
Yami's side, Seto answered instantly, and Mai gave him a soft smile.
"Yami is a District Mage, one of the bad guys," Mai said quietly, shaking her head. "Those mages are deployed to wipe monsters all the time. Siding with him is like siding with humans, okay? And you don't want that. Think about it some more while you sleep. I'll start dinner and you can come down in a bit."
Seto nodded anxiously and watched her leave, his chest tight with a swirl of turmoil.
Sure, Yami was a District Mage, a supposed 'bad guy', but he used his position to do good.
He'd seen that firsthand, and Yami's contempt for the other district guards was obvious.
I'm still going to be on his side, Seto thought darkly as he pulled the covers up over his head, staring at the wooden rafters above and listening to the commotion downstairs as the tavern began to fill up.
It was so loud, the crowds could be heard through the floor and the walls, so Seto stood up on the bed to peer out the window, shocked to see a long line of monsters and demi humans, circling the back of the building, all waiting to come in.
His mouth dropped open in amazement, and he sank into a sitting position back on the mattress, hearing footsteps pattering frantically up the steps before his door burst open, and Mai stood breathlessly in the entryway, beckoning for him to get up.
"We're swamped!" She cried happily, her eyes wide with glee as she ran forward to drag the child out of bed and across the room, not caring that she was interrupting his resting period. He was a demon with a 9-digit status sphere. It should be fine.
Seto listened to her thoughts silently and let her deposit him behind the bar and point at the empty bowls waiting to be filled.
"Make 50 more bowls and you'll get another ride on the dragon," Mai said cattily, poking at the pouch of spoiled soybeans. "Hurry up! We've got lots of hungry people waiting!"
Seto shook his sleeves back and sighed, picking up the paste and wondering if there was a spell for duplication he could learn because doing each bowl by hand was wasting his time.
Taking a deep breath, Seto wrapped his hands around the bowl in front of him and shut his eyes, cursing at it under his breath. Fucking duplicate you piece of shit—
"Excuse me," Mai's voice shattered his faux meditative state. He glared at her coldly while she stood over him with her arms crossed. "Are you taking a nap now? When I need you the most? Come on, kid."
Shut up! I'm trying to do a spell! Seto raged, and she shook her head in amusement, kneeling by his table and looking thoughtful.
"If I help, you'll promise never to use this spell against me, okay?" She said seriously, and Seto gazed into her face for a long moment before he nodded. Sure. Fine.
Mai gave him a nod in return and hovered her palm over an empty bowl, speaking quietly, "this is an old elven spell for duplicating potions. I can't use it on your soup because I'm not nearly as powerful as you. Give this a try, "etsgan jopor fliek mjanis!"
Gibberish bullshit, Seto thought, disgruntled, and Mai reddened with fury after hearing that.
"Hey! Keep your thoughts to yourself!" She snapped, and she rose to her feet to cross her arms again. "Now try it. Hurry up. People are hungry."
Seto rolled his eyes and hovered his tiny hand over the bowl, muttering the gibberish spell under his breath, "etsgan jopor fliek mjanis," and to his utmost surprise, the bowls steadily began to fill up with the mixture of soybean paste and seaweed feathers while the pouch of paste began deflating the more bowls began to fill up. H-Holy crap! The elf magic worked…!
"Took you long enough," Mai sniffed as she bent down to pile several bowls onto her tray and she bustled out through the barrier, leaving Seto sitting there to stare at his 50 completed bowls.
Now what? Seto thought sourly as he crossed his arms, listening to the commotion outside that made his ears ache. He wanted some peace and quiet. Time to head back to his room. Where the hell was Yami? It had been a while since he'd seen that spiky-haired mage.
He's dumping me here because I'm a burden and a menace, Seto thought darkly as he trudged up the steps to his room, passing by the crowded tavern unnoticed because the top of his head barely met some of their shins.
Locking himself glumly in his room, Seto leaned back against the door and breathed a sigh of relief as the clamor was instantly deadened, and he sank into a sitting position, hanging his head between his tiny legs as a wave of sullen despair overwhelmed him.
He was useless in this tiny kid body.
Maybe…I can use Yami's magic the way I used Mai's, Seto thought darkly as he rose to his feet with determination, tired of sulking and feeling sorry for himself. He approached the dusty bookshelf and cast his appraisal, watching all the spines glow and begin to translate slowly.
There had to be something here in this hoard of old books that Yami kept, something here that could help. It was nice to see they were all in alphabetical order.
"Ancient Fairy Dragons"
"Alexandrite Dragons"
"All-Eyes Photon Dragons"
"Blue-eyes White Dragons"
"Black-Rose Dragons [Synchronization]"
"Clearwing Cursed Dragons"
"Different Dimension Dragons"
"Guivre the Fire Guardian Dragon"
So many fucking dragons! Seto reeled as his hand hovered enticingly over the thick volume about Blue-Eyed Dragons, but he held back, reminding himself of his goal.
He needed something about age, and time. He could pursue this dragon shit later, so he pressed on, eager to read all the spines before his appraisal faded.
"Genies – legendary magic and myths, vol. VII"
"Glass spiders and their types of venom"
"Rainbow Kuriboh nests and mating grounds"
These are all about monsters! Seto fumed.
Of course they would be.
Yami was a notorious savior of monsters.
He'd only gotten to the second shelf when his appraisal vanished, leaving him to stare at the odd swirls and squiggly writing with his frustration on the rise. He needed an all-in-one spell book and the only one he could think of was the one Yami kept on his body, the giant grimoire. That, or he'd have to brave the terrifying librarian demon without Yami's knowledge…or help.
Almost as if he'd summoned the mage with his thoughts, Yami burst into the room without knocking and slammed the door behind him, breathless and wide-eyed. The hems of his cloak were soaked with mud, and his boots had severe grass stains.
Someone had fun outside, Seto thought sourly as he sat down stubbornly in front of the bookshelf, opening his mouth to ask about borrowing a book on Comprehensive Shadow Magic when Yami reached forward to grab him by the arm and yanked him to his feet.
"I told myself I'd never do this," Yami said guiltily, his angular violet eyes shining as he tightened his grip around Seto's wrist. "But I need your help. Just this once, please Seto. Will you come with me and lend me your strength?"
Seto frowned and contemplated asking for an age-up spell in return, but Yami cut across him firmly, anticipating his request.
"I will do anything within my power to make your life-in-hiding comfortable," Yami vowed, lowering his head so much, Seto could only see a spiky crop of blond bangs. "I will not age you up. Please don't ask me again, because I can't do it, and even if I could, that spell is dangerous when performed correctly—or incorrectly."
Fine, Seto scowled and nodded, and Yami looked relieved.
"Good. Now, listen closely," the mage reached down to lovingly adjust Seto's cloak around his tiny shoulders. "The humans are at it again. They're burning down a giant nest of Dark Spiders and its egg-laying season. They do this on purpose, trying to drive these spiders into extinction, even while knowing their webs are extremely useful, and they are not carnivorous insects. The mere sight of these spiders sun-bathing in fields affect the real estate of the nearby towns, or so I'm told."
Yami's face darkened handsomely, and Seto felt a pang of Yami's resentment sear through his chest.
Oh man, Yami would hate who he was as a human.
Seto Kaiba was all about real estate. His skyscrapers were all about the premium view they offered, so if monstrous spiders were crawling over the rooftops of nearby buildings, the need to exterminate them was…understandable….
But he wasn't a dumbass who would build or dump money into any land near potential nesting grounds, so these humans were clearly idiots.
"We're teleporting to the outskirts of the forest, sneaking into the cave, and removing as many nests as possible to a secure location, okay?" Yami whispered, dipping forward to pull Seto into a tight hug and feeling the tiny demon tense. "If you can communicate with them, tell them to follow us. I have found a secondary cavern that might hold all of them…if we can get them out in time."
Seto nodded gravely and hung onto Yami's hand with his own, daring to feel a tiny pang of satisfaction and triumph as the teleportation circle glowed under their feet.
Yami needed him.
It felt nice to be needed.
Author's note:
Seto is having trouble finding where he fits in, his adult feelings clashing with his child-like appearance
Lots of mai and seto interaction in this chapter, which I think is nice and interesting bc in canon, they barely ever talked, and mai is one of my favorite characters ;;;crii
(mai is really hot and cold here tho lets be honest)