Puella Magi Megami Tensei

I've had an idea for another Yumi for the Yumiverse:

Fantasy!Yumi, where she is half dragon, half human, and 100% Yumi! How did she meet Kohaku in that world? She rescued her from a bunch of weird people in cloaks (READ: Kidnapped Kohaku when she was about to be sacrificed to Yumi's mother, whom they believe is the guardian deity of the mountains. She is not, as she has told them multiple times).

If anyone wants to write Dragon!Yumi, go right ahead.

[X] "Teach me...!"

"Well, uh, since you're offering and all, do you think you could..." You mumble the last bit, "...Tutor me in swordsmanship?"

Kazuya crosses his arms, listening carefully.

"I... It just feels like, with everything going on, I'm just not doing enough, not helping enough, and I'm not strong enough to do anything." You confide in him, "So, I... I want you to tutor me."

Kazuya blinks at you. "Is that it? I thought you were gonna make me buy you a bunch of weapons and armor."

"What? No, I have my own kit! Why would I make you get all new stuff just to teach me a few things?" You follow him as he begins to walk down the stairs, as does Cerberus.

"Sorry. Force of habit, I guess." He doesn't slow his pace, "So, you wanna be a swordsman?"

"No, Master Kazuya!" Cerberus interjects, "She will be a swordswoman!"

"Well, not yet." He replies, hands in his hoodie's pockets, "She'd be a swordsgirl first."

"...I mean, I guess...?" You barely follow their train of thought, "Hey, can we stop at Mami's before we go... Wherever we're going? I need to get my sword."

"Oh, okay." Kazuya shrugs, taking a sharp left, "Why don't you just keep it on you? You have transdimensional storage set up on your summoning program, right?"

"That's something I can do?!" You shout, making multiple people give you off looks. "Uh, that's an option?"

"Yeah. Stephen might've moved it, but it should still be there." He comments, stopping in front of the stairs to Mami's apartment, "I'll be in Jack Bros.' if you need me."

"Oh, uh, it shouldn't take too long!" You race up the stairs, "I've been working out when I can!"

"Congratulations." Cerberus says, following you up.

"I thought you'd go with your master?" You turn back to face the demon, eyeing him with a little bit of suspicion.

"The weakest of the pack must never be left alone," Cerberus argues, "Lest they become a target."

...Well, it's the thought that counts.

You knock on Mami's door, and--?

"C-Coming!" You hear her voice from behind the door, along with various bumps, thunks, and "ow"s, until...

...The door opens, revealing Mami in casual wear. "Ah, Sayaka! Come in, I was just about to make lunch!"

[] ?????????????????????????????????????

[X] "Treat?!" "NO TREAT!"

"Oh, I'd--! Uh, actually...!" You trail off for a moment, "Should we eat before my training or after? I kinda did just ask Kazuya to train me, so--?"

"Ah, I see!" Mami smiles as she steps into her apartment, "Then, I might as well make up some lunch and bring it with us!"

"Huh?" You snap to attention, "You're coming, too?"

"Of course~!" Mami smiles brightly, "I mean, I might as well, seeing as I'm carrying your sword and all!"

"I would also be interested in lunch." Cerberus sticks his head between Mami and you.

"Aww, of course I'll make something for you, Cerberus!" Mami reaches over, petting him gently, "A big boy like you has gotta eat!"

"Actually, I am rather normally sized as far as my race goes." Cerberus says, wagging his tail, "But I would still like food!"

"Does Kazuya, like, not feed you or something?" You ask, trying to keep the large demon from pushing past you into Mami's apartment.

"Not table scraps." Cerberus grumbles, "Master Kazuya keeps me to a strict diet of kibble, Magnetite, demons, and the occasional treat."

"Oh, you poor baby...!" Mami, using her ribbons to continue making lunch, stops down and nuzzles Cerberus's face, "You're basically skin and bones!"

You glance at the white giant of a dog, then back at Mami. "You're, uh, not serious about that, are you?"

Mami winks at you playfully while saying, "Of course I am! Look, you can see his ribs!" She points to a thick patch of fur.

...You have no idea how to react.

[] ????????????????????????????????????????

You stare at your "birthday" gift, with a great deal of confusion and suspicion. It's been in your possession for a few days, but you haven't the foggiest idea as to what you're actually going to do with it. What confounds you the most is why they felt like they needed to do this, and why they actually went ahead and did it.

Was this a sort of bribe? In times before your own, people would leave offerings at shrines like these in order to gain favor from gods and spirits, so perhaps the same thing is happening here? They must've figured out your heritage, or at the very least some connection to Sparda...

...But what if these supposed gifts are poisoned? Contaminated with some glittery, neon toxin that could kill within seconds? The Sailor Guardians could be using your (frankly slim) trust in them to slay you without battle. From there, their leader would only have to pin the blame on the Dark Kingdom, and the others will redouble their efforts.

"Sailor Moon, you devious...!" You mutter under your breath, "...Feigning incompetence so that I would let my guard down, only to poison me...!" You glare at the basket of snacks as if it had pulled a gun on you.

...No. You shake your head, banishing the idea from your mind (not fully). From everything you've seen her demonstrate, tactics and forethought are not her strong suit. Besides, they surely must know about Father being... Your father, so any poisons they can concoct will be ineffective at best, and detectible at worst.

Hesitantly, you reach over to the basket, plucking some sort of pastry wrapped in plastic. Despite being five days old at this point, it's still spongy and looks to be in good condition.

You slowly unwrap the pastry, checking for any abnormalities in its form. Finding none, you bring it closer to your mouth, and...

...Take a bite.

...

...

...

...It's good passable.

So this is your very own birthday cake? And you don't even have to share any of it with Dante?

A smile threatens to creep upon your lips. Seeing as there's nobody around, you let it.

"...Maybe..." You swallow another bite, "...Maybe this year's birthday isn't entirely bad."

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

"It took him five days to finally try something!" You tell Ami as you sit on the table, "Five days! It's like he thought they were poisoned or something!"

"Vergil seems to have trouble trusting people..." She replies, nodding to you, "...But thank you for keeping an eye on him, Luna. I'm glad he's doing alright."

"No, he's not!" You cut her off, "He barely sleeps, he doesn't have a bed, there's no kitchen in that little shrine, and the only time I've seen him eat or drink anything is when he finally dug into your gift basket! He's...!" You sigh, "...There's just too many unknowns about him."

"I know that." Ami says calmly, "And so do Usagi and Rei. But even still, he... He saved Rei when we first met him. He honestly gave his thoughts on our abilities, even though he was a little ornery about it. He tried to save Nephrite and Naru, all by himself." She looks you in the eyes, and you can feel Ami's quiet determination, "I trust him, Luna. The others do, too."

You sigh, shaking your head, "...I hope it's not misplaced."