Requested by DragonLover & Blackbutlerfan1 & hetaliafangirl465 & Fandom_Collector

Sequel to "Bitter Sweet (RusLiet)"

Seriously debating whether to make this a book of its own or do like a final chapter after this, so comments would be great.

Narrator's POV

A dragon flew over the land, using his keen vision to pick out any signs of people, especially scorch marks, in the forest.

'How could they escape me?'  Ivan wondered as he clicked his tongue.  'And how could they evade me for one whole year?'

Since the dragon festival where Ivan had learned his former slave was alive and bore his child, a half dragon half human, Ivan has been searching, searching everywhere he could think they could be.

'Where could they have gone?'  Ivan thought as he landed on a large cliff.  'Not in human city or village, da.  That child has no control of his dragon skills, the humans would know instantly he is not human.'

Ivan turned his head to look at a body of water nearby.

'No, over the seas is not an option for the same reason,'  Ivan thought.  'One sneeze and the child will burn a ship down.  And I doubt the child could fly yet on his own, never mind carrying a human with him while flying.'

Ivan shook his head.

'That leaves travel by land, and no animals or carts will do again, so by foot,'  Ivan thought.  'But where would they hide...'

Just then Ivan remembered something, causing his eyes to snap open.

'Of course!  They would take my advice and go to another dragon, and I know just the dragon who they would go to,'  Ivan thought, spreading his wings.

~Meanwhile In Another Distant Land~

"Hmm... I understand your situation, aru."  Yao said, sipping some tea in his human form, showing only his tail and horns.  Toris sat across from him as the child was playing nearby.  "So to summarize, aru; you wish for me to take care of your half-ling child rather than you or leaving him to his sire, aru?"

"Yes,"  Toris said softly, bowing his head.  "That is correct."

"And the situation is as dire as you say, aru?"  Yao asked, wanting to be certain.

"U-unfortunately so,"  Toris said, looking very uneasy.  Yao's eyes seemed to gaze through him.

"Show me your arm, aru."  He said.  Toris nodded and pulled up his sleeve, showing Yao his scarred arm.

"Yes, I believe you, aru."  Yao said.  "Those scars are from a dragon's claws and a dragon's tail whipping, aru."

"Thank you Elder Dragon,"  Toris said respectfully, bowing his head again.  Yao nodded.

"But are you certain that you wish to leave, aru?"  Yao asked.  "Previously when I raised half-lings, it was either due to their human parent dying with their sire wanting nothing to do with them, or the human parent abandoning them to live normally, aru."

Toris gave Yao a weak but grateful smile as he bowed his head.

"Please believe me when I say that I truly do wish to be with my son and help to raise him but... as things stand, especially with his sire... I will be nothing but a burden and put him in danger."  Toris said, his eyes beginning to sparkle with tears.  Yao frowned and sighed.

"Aiya... I wish what you said was not true, aru.  But as you said, you are right, aru."  Yao said, putting his hand on his forehead.  "I suspect that you are Ivan's main target, aru."

"Yes... I suspect as much too."  Toris said.

"I simply wish not to separate a whelp from his sires, if it can be helped, aru."  Yao said.  Toris shook his head, his hair falling in front of his face. 

"I wish with all my heart it could be helped, but it cannot,"  He said.  Toris then took a scroll from inside his robe and handed it to Yao.  Yao opened it and glanced at it before closing it and nodding, a shadow covering his eyes as he stored the scroll in his own inner pocket of his fancy robe.

"You had best say your farewells now, aru."  Yao said in a strained voice as he stood from the table.  Toris stood as well and bowed.

"Thank you again Elder Dragon, I am eternally grateful."  He said.  Yao only nodded as he watched Toris walk over to his child.

"Sūnus [son],"  Toris called softly, getting his son's attention.  "Please come here."

"Yes tėtis [dad],"  The child said, hurrying over to his father.  Toris got down onto his knees and put both his hands on his son's shoulders.

"Sūnus, tell me, do like this place?  The Elder Dragon's home?"  Toris asked.  The child smiled brightly and nodded.

"Yes I do tėtis, I like it a lot.  There's lots of yummy food here and no angry people."  The child said.  Toris forced himself to smile, holding back his tears.

"I'm glad, I like it too."  Toris said softly as his son looked up at him with a bright smile.  "In fact, I like it so much that I asked Elder Dragon if you could stay with him."

"Really?"  His son asked, his eyes lighting up.  "We really get to live in this wonderful place?"  Toris nodded, his throat going dry.

"Yes, but before that, I must do something very important,"  Toris said softly, making his son tilt his head.

"What do you have to do tėtis?"  He asked innocently.  Toris wanted to cry very badly but knew that he must hold back his tears.

"I have to go on a journey,"  Toris said in a low voice.  His son pouted.

"But I don't wanna go on another journey tėtis!"  The child whined.  Toris couldn't help but chuckle as he shook his head.

"No, no sūnus, you aren't going on this journey, I am."  Toris said, making his child tilt his head.  "I want you to stay here with Elder Dragon."

"What?"  His son said, sounding shocked.  Toris gave his son a comforting squeeze on the shoulder as he nodded.

"Yes sūnus, while I am gone, I want you to stay here with Elder Dragon and listen to everything he says."  Toris said.

"But tėtis, I don't want to be away from you,"  Toris's son said, grabbing onto Toris's leg.  It broke Toris's heart but he swallowed the lump in his throat and gently pried his son from him, making the teary-eyed boy look him in the eye.

"It... It won't be forever,"  Toris said softly for fear of his voice cracking.  "Your tėtis has some unfinished business that he has to take care of."  Toris said, gently bringing his son into his embrace.  "If I don't take care of it, then we can't live here, and I want you to have a happy life."

"But tėtis-"

"Sūnus, please,"  Toris said, cutting his son off.  "Please promise me that you will do as the Elder Dragon says and be a good boy, like I know you are."

"Y-yes tėtis, I-I promise,"  Toris's son said, his tears spilling over.  Toris wiped them away.

"Good boy sūnus, I love you and I'm so proud of you,"  Toris said.

Yao sighed as he watched the tearful farewells exchanged between the two.  Yao stepped forward beside the child, swishing his tail as Toris backed away and bowed to Yao.  Yao nodded as Toris straightened up.

Yao placed his hand on the child's shoulder as they watched Toris leave, waving goodbye.  The child cried at being separated from his father, but he surprised Yao by remaining strong and not trying to run after his father.

"Be strong child, aru."  Yao said.  "You promised your father, aru."

"Y-yeah,"  The child said, sniffling.  Yao swished his tail.

"Good, aru."  Yao said.  "Now come with me, you and I will get your room ready young one, aru."

"Okay,"  The child said, following after Yao.  Though while they walked through the great halls, Yao realized something.

"Child, what is your name, aru?"  Yao asked.  The child tilted his head, looking up at Yao.

"My name?"  The child asked.

"Surely your father must have called you something, aru?"  Yao asked.  The child tilted his head.

"Tėtis only ever called me sūnus,"  The child said.  Yao nodded.

"Then your name from now on shall be Sūnus, aru,"  Yao said, thinking that this was better than nothing.

"Okay Elder Dragon,"  The child, now called Sūnus, said.  Yao nodded.

'This will do for now, aru,'  Yao thought to himself.  'Now I can only hope that Toris's prediction does not come true.'

~Time Skip~

It had been a month since Toris had left young Sūnus in Yao's care, and it had been difficult but not impossible.  Sūnus was still missing his father terribly, but he was still holding true to his promise of listening to Yao.

But Yao knew better than to allow himself to believe that this atmosphere would last forever, thanks in part to Toris's predictions.  And he was proven right;

Early in the morning, Yao heard the distinct shriek of a dragon.  Yao was quick to act, heading out to meet an enraged Ivan whom had just arrived.

"Where are they?"  Ivan hissed.  Yao swished his tail as he held his head high.

"I am not sure whom you are referring to, aru."  Yao said.  Ivan growled and shifted into his human form as well.

"That slave of mine and the child he bore."  Ivan said.

"If you mean Toris, he is not here, aru."  Yao said.

"But the child is, da?"  Ivan said.  Yao nodded.

"Yes, however, you have no right to that child, aru."  Yao said.  A flash of anger ran through Ivan's eyes.

"That child is mine, I am his sire."  Ivan said.  Yao remained steadfast.

"You have no right because that child claims to have only one parent, and that is Toris, aru."  Yao said.

"So?"

"So, aru, do you really think that child will obey you, aru?"  Yao asked, glaring at Ivan.  "The only reason this child listens to me is because Toris told him to, aru."

"I am his sire."  Ivan declared.  Yao snorted.

"Were you there when he was born, aru?"  Yao asked.  "Have you been in his life from the point of his birth, aru?  And what about how you've treated his father Toris, aru?  What child wishes to obey a sire whom hurt their parent, aru?"

"..."  Ivan was speechless, having no good answer to any of these questions that Yao had asked him.

"Unless you could even do the bare minimum of getting the acknowledgement of being his parent by his father Toris, there is no way I can allow this child in your care, aru."  Yao said, peeving Ivan more.

"You listen to me, da?"  Ivan said, grabbing Yao by the collar of his robe.  "I will have them both.  That is a promise."  With that, Ivan shoved Yao away and turned, spreading his wings before going off, knowing that Yao would never reveal where Toris was.

Yao stood tall as he watched Ivan disappear off into the distance as the sun began to rise.

'Right on the money with that prediction Toris, aru,'  Yao thought to himself as a wary Sūnus came forward from the entrance of Yao's home.

"Elder Dragon?"  Sūnus questioned.  "Is what that other dragon said true?"

Yao glanced at the child beside him before turning his eyes back to the horizon where Ivan had disappeared off.

"By blood, that dragon is your sire, though you should not acknowledge him as such unless your father says to, aru."  Yao said, deciding to be honest with Sūnus.

"..."  Sūnus averted his eyes to the ground.  "Is... is he why Tėtis had to leave?"  The child asked, making Yao sigh.

"He is a large reason."  Yao said, turning to look at Sūnus.  He then swished his tail as he bent down.  "Your father left for several reasons, but the biggest reason was to protect you from that other dragon."

"..."  Sūnus felt tears gather in his eyes.

"Your father knows on his own that he cannot protect you from that dragon, or from other dangers, which is why he had to make you stay here where I can protect you, and teach you that which you need to know in order to survive in the world, aru."  Yao said, placing his hand on Sūnus's shoulder.

"But now, I fear that even I will not be enough to shield you from him, aru."  Yao said, making Sūnus look up.  "Ivan is persistent and known for his cruelty, aru.  I must protect you just as I promised your father, but in order to do that, I need you to trust me, aru."

"I-I trust you," Sūnus said in a shaky voice.  "Tėtis said s-so."  He said, making Yao nod.

"I am going to take you to another Elder Dragon, aru,"  Yao said.  "He is wise and his home is very secluded, aru.  He is known as Kiku of the Rising Sun, aru.  I raised him as a brother, and he will help to keep you safe, aru, while I keep Ivan away and at bay, aru.  For it is only a matter of time before Ivan returns with enough anger in him to attack, aru."

"But what if Tėtis comes here?"  Sūnus asked.   Yao shook his head.

"Then I will bring him to Kiku and you, aru."  Yao said.  "That is my promise to you, aru."

Sūnus paused before nodding, getting a nod from Yao who stood up.

"Now come, we must hurry young one, aru."  Yao said, getting another nod from Sūnus who hurried inside the cave, while Yao paused to turn back to look out into the distance.

'May the Gods be on your side Toris, aru,'  Yao thought to himself.  'For you will need it if your predictions continue to come true, aru.'

Yao bit his lip and hurried back into his home, knowing that time was of the essence.

~To Be Continued~