Welcome to Gaia! ::

“So that recovered her?’ asked Seto Kaiba.

“Yes, Onii-Sama.”

“Well then you have permanent custody and care of her.”

“WHAT????”

“Lower your voice, Daikin,” said Seto paternally. “You’re not yet big enough to shout me down. Is it any different to what Compassion did?”

“Compassion hides from me.”

“Yes but that is because you were a soulless shell.”

Daikin’s eyes went large. “Oh…”

“She doesn’t want to be responsible for stuffing you up.”

“Oh.”

“Amaterasu already has a soul so you can’t stuff her up. You go along and have fun,” said Seto with an end of discussion finality.

Daikin nodded and with a happy-go-lucky Amaterasu scampering around his knees he went off with her, his head lowered so they couldn’t see the tears rolling down his face.

Since then, Daikin grew to a handsome adult pony. He looked at the sky as Amaterasu played with the snapdragons and reminisced about their first meeting.

~~~~~~~~Flashback~~~~~~

Daikin dipped his nose into the pond water to wash a scratch when he heard whispering behind him. He turned and saw no-one. He turned away again and there was rustling. “Okay whoever it is can come out because I don‘t want to play.”

“Doesn‘t that mean I shouldn‘t come out?”

“Huh?” asked Daikin- the bush had TALKED!

“Well if you don‘t want to play with me then I shouldn‘t come out because you‘ll yell at me for following you.”

“Well… okay please come out? I promise not to yell at you?” asked Daikin, his shyness offset by his curiosity.

“Well if you promise…” Amaterasu had walked out. “I‘m Amaterasu but you can call me Suki, Onii-San.”

“Okay, I‘m Daikin,” said Daikin. “Why were you following me?”

In answer, Amaterasu flew to encircle him with a hug. “I knew it! I knew it! Onii-Daikin!”

“Wha- get off me!” said Daikin. “What‘s wrong with you?”

Amaterasu let go and looked up at him with ill-concealed wonder. “Nothing is wrong, Onii-Daikin.”

“Why do you keep calling me your brother?”

“Because you are! You must be!”

“Why must I be?” asked Daikin slowly. Maybe this girl knew about his past!

“Because you look like me!”

“Oh,” said Daikin, put out, “is that all? Well then I can say with clarity that I‘m not related to you.”

Amaterasu backed away from him. “Not?”

“Yes.”

“Yes!”

“No!”

“Oh… does that mean you don‘t like me?”

“Why would that mean I don‘t like you?”

“Ponies say I‘m too high maintenance.”

“Maintenance?”

“Yeah.”

“Why?”

“I faint a lot,” said Amaterasu absently.

“That‘s not good. Why?”

“I starve.”

“WHAT??? You should eat then!”

“I eat sunlight but I use it up quick,” said Amaterasu. “Onii-Sama says I should grow out of it but…”

“Well I don‘t think fainting is good for your brain.”

“You‘d think not, hey?”

~~~~~~End Flashback~~~~~~

Daikin came to when Amaterasu, still a hyperactive baby, jumped on him. “Wake up Daikin! Sleep time is for nights!”

“Okay, okay,” said Daikin, slightly happy to have a sister but sort of sad that he had a child before his time.

Seto Kaiba sat with his laptop in the dark. He worked on some algorithms, then realised he’d already done them. He sighed. He was not used to feeling lonely but he had gotten used to having a kiss await him at the end of a long day, someone to prattle on about their own (less important) day while he settled down for sleep. Someone to make him a nice coffee in the morning. He missed that. She’d been good to him. He’d gotten soft.

Before he realised it, he’d been sitting at his computer not doing anything for fifteen minutes. He sighed and shut it down- that was a mistake. He had a picture of Kala and his kids as a background for his icons and it showed as the computer shut off. Seto scowled at how childish it was and shut the laptop and pushed it away. He was momentarily distracted by the sound and wind vibrations of beating wings. He looked up. “Brittania, what are you doing in the herd’s grounds?”

Brittania- for it was she- curled her wings in, showing Kaiba her good side, and sat down with her tail wrapped around here. “I’m part of the Matchstick Herd too.”

Seto snorted. “’Matchstick Herd- whoever started such a ridiculous name?”

“I don’t know,” said Brittania softly. “You look sad, Kaiba. Why?”

Kaiba’s gaze hardened, “I do not look sad.”

Brittania smiled. “If that’s what you want me to think, I’ll think it.”

Seto looked at her a moment longer and turned away. “What do you want?”

Brittania lowered her gaze, remembering that she was not supposed to be above him… for now. “I suppose… I got lonely.”

Seto’s eyes wandered. What? Isn’t that- no, can’t be. Coincidence. “You have Jin Kyoshi up there.”

Brittania’s head shifted forlornly and her mane slowly, then with speed, fell into her eyes. “He won’t talk to me.” She looked up- quickly meeting his gaze and then dropping it.

Before he could lose interest and counter with a snide comment, she continued; “He won’t forgive me for the event.”

“It was your choice to help the wrong side,” said Seto, but not as nastily as he could have. He felt… pity? No- why would Seto Kaiba feel pity! No! It’s not! Maybe it’s… comradeship? She’s lonely too.

Brittania stood in one fluid motion and converged on Seto before he could do more than flinch away. She lowered her head to be close to his and met his blue gaze with hers in a show of timidity. “Don’t you know?” she whispered. “Don’t you know why I did it?” Seto couldn’t speak for a moment- the shock of being so close to- and breathing her scent- no! “I wanted to be… near you… Se..to…” She said, lowering her eyes as she said his name hesitantly. She felt a black illness bubbling inside her. She was lying. She hated him- she hated Seto Kaiba! Kill him! Kill him!

“You’re lying.”

Brittania gasped and met his eyes again- and again she pulled away, taking a few steps backward and dropping to her knees. “No.” She breathed. “No- why would I lie? You- you hate me anyway,” she dropped her head. “You hate me like everyone else does. But I want you- I want you to know,” she approached him again and seized his hoof, holding it near enough to her cheek to feel the warmth. “That I don’t hate you. I have… always admired you-”

Seto wrenched his hoof back. “Yes, you like me so much because I broke your wing.”

Brittania let out a (theatrical) dry sob. “You know I’m attracted to power- it is my flaw- but isn’t that good? I mean for you? You are stronger than I am. You deserve my,” she paused, trying to think of the word she meant. “Devotion.”

It is hard. Very hard. For a lonely man to turn down a woman who radiates strength and youth and beauty who happens to be throwing herself at him. And be he anything else, Seto Kaiba was still a man. He felt a hot seed of desire enter his blood. He closed his eyes to try and block it out.

Brittania’s lip curled when she saw him fight her. b*****d! She twisted around and grabbed his face between her hooves and kissed him. His eyes flicked open and he tried- unsuccessfully- to force her off- before he just… gave in. He relaxed and tentatively held her in his arms. Brittania grinned. Finally!

The need saturated his blood- the need for closeness. For a warm body against his own, to be needed by someone. To be selfish and take when it was also a gift.

Brittania felt ill. She wanted to purge herself- but she wasn’t clean. She hadn’t been clean for a long time. This was just a new stain. She let herself go with it. She thought of why she was doing it- for Jin- no! The thought sickened her. When he found out what she’d done… she gasped in horror- but Seto did not notice. She didn’t want this- no she didn’t- but it was too late…

Seto winced as he shrugged on his jacket. Three red lines had already bled through his shirt to make a darker shade of black. Brittania was free with her claws. Wrong, wrong. It felt so wrong. His mouth worked as he tried to form his thoughts. He realised that any forming couldn’t be done now. He retrieved his laptop and walked out, his left flank was painfully stiff and needed working out,

Brittania kept her eyes closed in a mockery of sleep until Kaiba had left. She sat up and pulled herself in- making a smaller target. She wanted to cry, to scream but she knew she couldn’t. She was worthless and the only person who saw worth in her-something she hadn’t seen in a long time- now would never see it again. She felt dirty- his touch still burned her skin. Her flesh crawled. She couldn’t help re-living it. She hated it because… on some level she had enjoyed it.

She fell back, then flinched as she felt something hard. “A… pendant?” she said. She snapped open the necklace pendant with the front of a card. “Oh.” Inside was a torn picture of Mokuba. She hadn’t actually thought that this might hurt Kaiba. Not that she cared. At all. No. She pulled the pendant over her head. She’d need this to prove it to Jin… Poor Jin.

She looked at her golden nails. They were crusted with dried blood. She licked them clean. Then she fixed her hair. So undignified. She rose to her feet and tried not to gag as a waft of scent reached her nose- Kaiba’s scent. No time for a bath.

She took off- relishing for a simple moment the feeling of the wind before the memory struck her again and she sobbed dryly- this time a real one. She collapsed onto the ledge outside her cave and went inside. Again, she didn’t notice Jin Kyoshi.

His eyes were red with tiredness. He’d waited up for Brittania. “Brittania- where have you been?” he asked.

“I don’t have to explain myself to you.” She knew it had to be done- it had to- it must be done. He had to know. He had to find out. But the will deserted her.

“At least you’re back now,” said Jin brightly. “Are you okay?”

“Ah…”

Jin blinked slowly and edged over to her. “Are you okay, Brittania?”

Brittania swallowed and remembered she was wearing Kaiba’s locket- it burned her neck where it lay. She turned away, to hide it. She couldn’t do it to him. Not to Jin. It was too harsh. She was sorry. She didn’t want to have done it. She’d have to find another way. Let’s just forget it…

Jin wrinkled his nose. “Brittania are you really okay? What’s that smell?”

As soon as I wash his scent off… “I’m fine, leave it alone, leave me alone,” she said unhappily.

Jin’s mouth worked in concern. “O… okay Brittania. If you need me… even, even if you don’t… I’m- just over there,” he said, pointing to the cave entrance. “Right?” he asked, turning away from her with one eye still glued to her green form. “Kay?”

“Just go!”

“Gone! I’m gone,” said Jin hopping and flapping away.

Brittania ripped off the loop and flung it into a corner and curled up. Then she thought better of it. She retrieved it and took it deep into the cave system. She hid it in the deepest, darkest cavern and laid it in a cranny. This was also the place where she had talked to Rage. She talked to Rage again.

“This was a stupid thing to do!”

“Well, was a good idea at the time- you just chickened out.”

“Well I thought better of it! Your thoughts are stupid! I don’t want this anymore!”

“Fine.” Rage sounded like it shrugged. “Don’t call me next time you ******** up your life.”

“No reason to use bad language, Rage! Rage?” Rage was gone and all that was left was Brittania. With Brittania’s problems.

The plan was to never think or talk about the Seto thing again. The plan was not working.

Firstly, Brittania was trying to talk to Jin about… well leaving, and he was too thick to actually notice. He was just being so nice and kind… and God knew whatever he did with all the metal he’d taken from inside these new caves. He stayed for hours in his sorry excuse for a cave with… Brittania didn’t know- some huge block of metal… just making... something.

And as for Brittania… she wasn’t doing too well. Mentally, all she could do was think about that night- when she closed her eyes she could feel him-touching her and she felt nauseated. Then when she had her eyes open, she actually felt nauseated. She was famished for the strangest things- like pork. Pork? When had she ever eaten pork before? But she wanted it! Raw, cooked, kabobbed- she NEEDED it! Jin was really good about it, though. He was getting her whatever she wanted- obviously to make up for his slip-up a few weeks back. But it just made Brittania feel guiltier.

Well as for Jin Kyoshi- he knew exactly what Brittania was doing. Or thought he did, which for a teenage male is everything. He knew Brittania was trying to push him away. He knew it was because he was too young. He knew that he has to do something impressive to prove that he loved her more than the sky and the ground and more than the feeling of the air in his wings and his face. So he sat in his cave, making her something really… well to tell the truth even he didn’t know what it was. He debated on a sculpture of her- without the scars, but then he thought it might upset her. Then he thought, maybe a nice sandpit or a chair, but them… no. Then he thought- what about… well girls like pretty things? Pretty things are… well sometimes antiques? Antiquey stuff seemed a good bet, then? So… metal and antique? Well girls like looking at themselves… metal was reflective… what about a mirror? But it would have to be one whopping mirror, for all the metal he had. Why not one of those old posh study table desk things? The ones with the mirrors? Okay- make one of those.

(Looks like this, for reference: )

So he set about making one of those, and getting Brittania pork. Lots of it. She was eating loads more than usual lately… and, not to sound like a typical male, she was putting on a bit of weight… which was weird because her face looked gaunt and haggard and the scales were greyish and bagging. He didn’t want to say she was less beautiful… but she looked… yeah let’s not finish that sentence. Jin wouldn’t forgive himself if he finished that sentence. He worried about her.

Brittania, however, didn’t notice her bagging skin. She didn’t leave the cave for fear of running into Seto Kaiba and him… just being all… looking at her! With his eyes that saw her… She shuddered.

Seto Kaiba, by the way, felt terrible. He felt like he had betrayed his children and his family. He could barely get up in the morning. And when Mokuba found out that Seto had lost his locket… well, let’s just say it is definitely something when Seto Kaiba cringes at the anger in his baby brother.

Seto could still feel her scales on his skin. He was not repulsed by the memory, only deeply saddened and almost betrayed by it. He couldn’t bear to look at his children, and when Izanami turned up with her new babies he nearly wept with the injustice of it all. He was having one of these episodes when Brittania suddenly choked on the pork kabob she was eating.

She’d figured out why she liked pork suddenly. She’d figured out why she’d gotten fat- oh even she could tell she was fat when she couldn’t easily fit through her own tunnels!

She was pregnant.

Seto was asleep when the first blow landed. He woke with a start and found that his locked had been pegged at him and the sharp edge and scraped skin off his forehead. He picked it up. “Wh-”

“I’ll be asking the questions!” screeched a very wet looking Jin. His hair was slicked to his head. Seto looped the locket around his neck and under his shirt, out of the rain. The cut was beading red and mixing with the rain Seto stood in, out of the safety of his bed bower. “Why did you do it?”

“Do what Jin- keep your voice down,” said Seto, standing up and wiping the blood off. “Why did you-”

“I’ll be asking the questions!” cried Jin again. “You took advantage of Brittania! Why did you do it! You monster!”

Seto blanched. “I didn’t take advantage of her,” he said carefully. “She came to me-”

“Liar!” cried Jin, lashing out at Seto. Seto parried with his left arm. “You- you forced- you’re evil!”

“I’m not evil.”

“You’re a monster!”

“I’m not a monster.”

“You are!” Jin lashed out again and feinted up before taking off and diving right at Seto. Seto collapsed under his weight and rolled Jin underneath him.

“What will you accomplish like this?”

“Your death!”

“You want me dead?”

“For Brittania’s honour,” hissed Jin.

Seto’s eyes hardened. He realised that Jin would attack him until he was too weak or incapacitated to move. He strained to reach up and pinch Jin’s neck- and find the nerve that, if blocked, would cause temporary paralysis, but Jin twisted away and whipped at him with his tail- his spikes narrowly missing Seto’s face.

“That is enough!” Said Seto, now thoroughly wet and cold, his jacket having been inside his sleeping space. “I am not going to fight you! You’re a teen!”

“I am going to fight for Brittania’s honour, now or never!” Jin dived at Seto again, who brought up his foreleg to stop a collision- and Jin collided with the buckles on the arm bands Seto wore, splitting his face. He fell back, whimpering, touching his torn scales, then he turned his furious eyes back onto his former big brother.

“Jin- you know that was not intenti-” protested Seto before Jin roared- in a deep and threateningly adult way- and charged him. Seto flipped him up and onto his back, pinning down his vicious talons and forcing a knee into Jin’s stomach. “Wake up and smell the coffee, Jin! I am not fighting you!”

Unbeknownst to either of the combatants, they had collected a ring of spectators. Heketoro and Kyo looked at each other and nodded. The stepped forward, into the rain, and pulled Seto off of the gasping Jin. Jin coughed and spat and stood up. Heketoro gasped.

“Seto- you did that to his face?”

“He did that to himself,” said Seto in a tone dipped in bile. “Let go of me!” Kyo snorted and released him. Heketoro reached out to Jin to cup his face and check the bruised and torn scales traced with dragon blood. Jin shoved him away and he sprawled into the mud. Jin glared at Seto, who had blood trailing into his left eye. “There will be a better time. And be sure, I’ll be the one chewing on your throat.” He sniffed a bit of blood up his nose and sprang into the air.

Kyo turned to Seto. “What the hell was that about?”

Seto rubbed his chin. “Something about that she-dragon, Don’t worry about it. Growing pains.”

The herd nodded- knowing the agony of growing.

Amane crept over. “Onii-Sama- you’re bleeding.”

“It’s a head wound, they bleed a lot.”

“Yeah, but-”

“Look, I’m okay- you’re all getting wet. Get inside. Go away. Let me deal with my problems,” snapped Seto. Eventually the crowd dispersed. But many a long glance wondered why a boy with such a sweet disposition would turn against the man who was once his hero. The love of a woman can do a lot of things to a man- even if he’s still a boy.

“You know, Onii-Sama’s been acting a bit strange,” said Mokuba pensively to Noa. They were playing a friendly gave of chess in the shade.

Noa frowned and moved his Bishop. “Yeah, I guess. He’s acting like a lovesick teenager without the lovesick. All moony and moody.”

“Isn’t that strange?”

“Yes. I thought he was over Kala.”

“He is,” said Mokuba defensively. “It’s not that.”

“When did he start acting like this, then?”

“Uh…” wondered Mokuba. “When he lost my locket.” Mokuba scowled. “Then Jin threw it at him.”

“How did Jin get it?” asked Noa with the air of one opening a delicious and sought after chocolate.

Mokuba chewed his lip. “I don’t know, actually.”

“Well however that was is probably why Seto is annoyed,” said Noa deftly.

Mokuba fixed his elder sibling with a narrowed glare. “Why can’t you refer to him politely? Onii-Sama.”

“I was born before him,” Noa said sourly.

“But he’s now older, so you should call him so,” demanded Mokuba.

Noa bit back a retort and sighed at Mokuba. “Fine.”

Mokuba nodded. “Check.”

Noa frowned, moved his knight, and smirked. “Checkmate.”

“What? Wait!” cried Mokuba. “Wait this is… absolutely checkmate…” He sighed “You win again.”

“You’re getting better.”

“Or you’re getting worse,” said Mokuba with a grin.

Noa smirked. “Then you’re getting sub-normal.”

“Then you’re getting-”

“What’s going on here?” interrupted Seto.

The two teens looked up.

“Hi, Onii-Sama,” said Mokuba brightly.

“Hi…” began Noa without enthusiasm, “Onii-sama…”

Seto looked at them both. “You’re acting strange.”

“No, that’s you!” said Mokuba sternly. “You’re acting totally weird!”

Seto frowned. “I am not.”

“Yes, you are,” said Noa. “It’s making you a bit of a drag to be around.”

“You don’t have any idea what you’re talking about,” growled Seto. “You two haven’t’ even reached puberty!”

“So it’s a girl thing?” asked Mokuba.

“Yeah- uh, no,” said Seto, frowning. “Yes and no and it’s none of your business.”

“We’re your brothers!” said Mokuba indignantly. “Of course we have business.”

Noa rolled his eyes. “Seto, people are starting to notice. If you keep acting this way, you’ll lose your leadership.”

“Maybe I shouldn’t be a leader then,” snarled Seto.

“I’d be leader, if you wouldn’t contest me, then,” said Noa with a glint in his eye.

Seto glared at Noa. “You don’t have what it takes.”

“Well you don’t either, the way you’ve been acting,” snapped Noa.

“Stop it,” said Mokuba. “Okay, Onii-Sama, what’s wrong?”

“Nothing is wrong,” said Seto.

“Seto,” said Mokuba sternly. “Don’t lie to me. There is something wrong and you’re acting like a zombie! Why are you acting like a zombie?”

“Well how should I be acting?” snapped Seto. “All carefree and happy?”

“I wouldn’t say no to that,” began Mokuba, “but I know you’re being sarcastic.”

Noa rolled his eyes. “You’re so subtle.”

“Okay, well first of all you keep shunning me,” said Mokuba shortly. “I don’t like it and I want you to stop.”

“Fine,” said Seto much more aggressively than he really felt.

“And you need to update your computer,” said Noa blandly. “I’m getting bored.”

“Fine,” repeated Seto without much enthusiasm- he kind of knew that but had been procrastinating. He had been procrastinating a lot lately.

“And would it kill you to start acting like yourself again,” asked Mokuba in a small voice. “I miss talking to you.”

Seto frowned, looking at Mokuba. His whole world had once started and ended with him. Maybe it was time to go back to his roots and begin again. “So what now?”

“Pizza!” Mokuba cried, throwing his arms in the air.

Seto actually cracked a smile.

Brittania sat at the window, thinking.

"Brittania?" asked Eerinna.

Brittania turned to the girl. "Yes?"

"Sorry, I just..." Eerinna smiled sadly. "You seem so sad."

"I never expected anyone to come to me for relationship help," said Brittania seriously.

Eerinna grabbed Brittania's hand. "Oh, no, you're the only one I'd ask! My father kind of sucks at that stuff," she said fairly bitterly. "And no-one else in the herd... well I feel like I can talk to you. you won't go gossip about me behind my back. And Jin was my friend once, and he thinks you're okay." She smiled sincerely. "I hope you're my friend, too."

Brittania squeezed Eerinna's hand. "You're my friend," she said quietly. "I like our visits."

Eerinna giggled. "Yeah. Did I tell you about Zared's last visit?"

"Which one was that?"

"When he came to dinner- waiting for me."

"Oh yes, you did. He seems straight up and down," she said with consideration. "He lives under us in the mountain and he comes up to see Jin sometimes." Brittania drew on the ground with a talon. "He's working on something on the other side of the mountain. I said I didn't mind as long as it stayed on the side, and didn't intrude on my area."

"What's he doing?" asked Eerinna excitedly.

"No idea, he's secretive," she said and shrugged.

"Aww," said Eerinna with mock desolation.

Brittania sighed. "I think it would be nice to be so innocent and in love."

Eerinna touched Brittania's shoulder. "It's not all it's cracked up to be. I come to you for advice, don't I? But sometimes I do wonder... if maybe I think Zared feels less than I want him to."

"You mean he might not love you?"

"Yet," said Eerinna knowingly. "Who can resist me?" She posed cutely.

Brittania inhaled for a deep, booming laugh it catch in her throat. She felt a a sharp twitch of her lower abdomen and she clutched her stomach convulsively.

"Brittania?" squeaked Eerinna, her voice tight with fear. "What's wrong?"

"I think... I think.." Brittania gasped raggedly.

"Are the babies coming?" asked Eerinna, her voice rising even further.

Brittania grunted and nodded.

Eerinna flapped around,staring frantically and dashed out the door. "I'll go find Jin!"

Brittania nodded and pressed her eyes shut. She concentrated on breathing. In. Out. In. Out. Another wrench of agony and she let out a roar of pent-up fear and pain.

------------------------------------

Jin's head snapped up when he heard Brittania's voice on the wind. "Oh my god," he hissed.

"What's wrong?" asked Shoubu worriedly.

"I gotta go," he said shortly. "See you later." He started running to take off and launched himself up over the trees. He glided easily until he saw Eerinna waving him down frantically. He landed in front of her. "What?" he bleated.

"Brittania's in labour!" Eerinna shrieked. Every pony in earshot looked up and blinked.

Jin froze. Then he started to shake. "O...okay... Okay. Can you help?"

"'Course, of course!" Eerinna flapped.

"Go back up to Brittania, I know now and I'm faster than you, I'll get water and blankets and... whatever else I need," he said vaguely. He took off before he heard Eerinna's answer, leaving her unknowingly to go take care of her new siblings' entry into the world.

Eerinna patted the sweat from Brittania's face. "It's okay, it's gonna be okay," said Eerinna breathlessly. "Just focus on relaxing and pushing," she patted more vigorously. "And let it out."

Brittania roared in Eerinna's face.

Eerinna blinked, coughed, and began to massage Brittania's shoulders. "Jin will be back soon."

"What is he getting this time?" Brittania snapped.

"Ice chips," said Eerinna. "Don't take it to heard, dear. He's only making himself chores to do so he doesn't have to see you in pain."

"b*****d," Brittania moaned. "I can't strangle you."

Eerinna paused. "Uh. Thanks?"

Brittania laughed in a gasping way. "I am never having children again," she huffed.

Eerinna blanched. "Er... Maybe you'll have enough kids for you to be happy."

Brittania felt tears fall across her cheeks. "I'm scared," she said.

Eerinna hugged her. "It's going to be fine; we've got this stuff here from Bella, it'll be fine, you won't have any marks, and your babies will be all okay."

Brittania wept harder. "I'm so afraid."

"What are you afraid of?" asked Eerinna.

"The children."

"Oh," said Eerinna blankly. "Do dragons kill thier parents?"

"No," said Brittania. "Sometimes. But... I'm not sure they'll be dragons."

"But with you as a mother," said Eerinna reasuringly, "and Jin as a father, you should have a great chance at dragons."

Brittania gulped and looked away.

Eerinna swallowed tightly. "He's... not..."

"I-"

"It doesn't matter," said Jin, casting a shadow over the two women. "They were mine the moment they were concieved. My children," he inforced the notion. He pressed some ice chips to Brittania's lips and rubbed her throat. "I got you some meat," he said hopefully, pressing a mass of blood and flesh at her. "Will it help?"

Brittania gasped and shook her head.

"Later," said Jin, smiling wanly. He put it in some ice. He put his hand on her belly and Brittania roared again. "Bella said if I can count ten ripples in under a minute, they're ready."


Eerinna waited a minute, then asked; "How many was that?"

"A million!" cried Brittania.

"It was nine," said Jin. "But close enough." He grabbed the towels and started arranging. "Thanks Eerinna."

"Anytime," said Eerinna sadly.

"Never again!"

-------------------------------------------

It wasn't as easy as Bella had promised; the long incubation had forced the children together. Jin swaddled the first child and Eerinna leant Brittania against the wall so she could clean her up. her eyes filled with tears as she sat down next to Brittania again. "It's a girl," she murmured. "And she's a dragon."

Brittania let out a sigh of relief and pain. To have been the first one, she had not been sparing in the use of her claws. Dragon mothers were not prone to survive childbirth with any of their own kind. "She's beautiful," she gasped.

Eerinna patted Jin on the shoulder and put the first baby in a nearby cot to keep out of the way. The others followed.

Brittania staggered up to take a first real look at her children before she fellt heavily into Jin and he carried her away to sleep.

Eerinna entertained the kids until Jin returned. "They're beautiful," she said softly.

"They are," he agreed. he ticked the second baby under the chin.

Eerinna striked the first girl's hair. "A blue eyes white dragon," she murmured. "They're... Daddy's... aren't they?"

Jin looked at her solemnly. "Brittania doesn't want him to know."

"He's a great father, you know," she championed.

"Might be so," said Jin. "She's afraid he'd take them away from her. Eerinna," he said sternly. "You can't tell anyone. It's best they just think the babies are mine. No questions."

"It will come out," Eerinna protested. "I mean, they're my brothers and sisters!"

"They are," admitted Jin. "And they need you. But I am their father. I can take care of them. Until they're ready to face the world."

"You mean face my father?"

"Yes."

Eerinna wiped her face. "It sounds so sad."

"It will be okay," said Jin. "We just need to leave things for the future."