CHAPTER FOUR

Shiro stood in the kitchen of Kurosu's apartment, now stock full of necessities. He was sure what to cook since Kurosu didn't exactly tell him anything specific.

"He doesn't strike me as a dragon who likes spicy food, even though it's kinda a staple on the islands." Shiro thought to himself.

"If what my mom told is true, then much of the diet in the north is meat and rice"

Shiro remembers as a child his lessons from his mom of how different places cultivate different foods depending on the region.

The North is home of the Heīlóng Empire, the ruling nation of all black dragons; It's very cold according to mother but many boar live there so it's a natural source of food.

"I could perhaps try Curry tonight...I have enough ingredients for it." Shiro got to work, deciding to go with Curry for dinner; He knew he needed to do his best in order to impress Kurosu. Mostly his fault as he did boast a bit about his good of cook he was to him on the way back from the market.

Shiro started to cut up the carrots when he felt eyes staring into the back of him.

Kurosu had made his way into the kitchen.

"I thought I told you to stay out?" Shiro inquired.

"This is my kitchen, you know." Kurosu replied, having sat down at the kitchen table.

"But you staring at me while I am working is creepy!"

"I'm trying to make sure you don't burn my kitchen down"

"Have just a little bit of faith in me!?!"

"No"

"Dickhead!"

Shiro groaned as he went back to cutting, annoyed that Kurosu was still eyeing him. Clearly not trusting his skills.

"I CAN cook! Unlike someone!"

Kurosu's long ears flicked at the mention of that. He growled in annoyance.

The two Dragons didn't talk anymore, Shiro kept cooking the curry as best as he could. Cutting the onions, peeling the potatoes and dicing them to fit into the pot. The rice was nearly done but it could wait a bit as the Curry needed more time.

After a long wait, it was ready.

"OK! It's done!" Shiro proclaimed excitedly at his handiwork.

Shiro then reaches over to the cabinet to try and grab a plate but he was too short, he couldn't even press his fingers on the rim.

"Gods', why was I born so short!?!" Shiro cursed at himself as he tried to stand on his toes.

Kurosu watched him struggle a bit then got up to assist the shorter dragon. Kurosu grabbed the plates with ease, holding them gently.

"I guess I'll need to place these lower for you...hmm?"

Kurosu noticed Shiro fidgeting in front of him. Kurosu hadn't noticed until now but he was pressed very close to Shiro and had the other dragon cornered into the cabinet.

Shiro titled his head up to see Kurosu looking down at him.

"Why are you so small?" Kurosu spoke out loud unintentionally

Shiro pouted and pushed Kurosu to the side and got away from the corner.

"It's not MY fault I was born this way! Geez!!!" Shiro stated angrily.

He then tried to take the plates from Kurosu but Kurosu held the plates up where Shiro couldn't reach them.

Shiro kept trying to grab them but Kurosu would pull away.

"Oh, very funny now!"

Kurosu still held the plates out of reach which further aggravated Shiro.

"DO YOU WANT ME STEP ON YOUR FOOT AGAIN!?!"

"There!"

"Hm!?!"

Kurosu pointed at Shiro's forehead, his black claws making his finger look much longer.

"That thing you do...it spikes up when you're angry at me"

"W-what?"

Shiro was lost. Kurosu huffed, seeing that he wasn't getting Shiro to understand.

"Your aura spikes whenever your angry"

Shiro thought it was odd to bring up such a thing right now.

Aura: The reflection of one's mana. Scholars have studied the effects of Aura but many believe it is merely a mirror showcasing the emotions of a dragon's very soul since mana is the essence of the soul; Everyone's Aura is different. Dragons can "smell" one's Aura if they are strong enough, but that's mostly done by Pure Bloods.

"S-so what??" Shiro sputtered

"Hm!...Your aura is a reflection of your power. When I first saw you, I felt nothing from you. You were weak...but then when you became agitated...your aura became overwhelming to me." Kurosu explained as best as he could. He wasn't the best at teaching.

"Overwhelming?"

"It means your mana spiked. It shouldn't be that way. Your mana should be far stronger if you're capable of breaking my foot like that regardless of your emotions. So I know where we should start your training"

"And that is-?"

"Strength training! To put it simply, your body is weak!"

"Oh nice"

Kurosu pokes at Shiro's chest.

"I don't know why your mana output is the way it is but by strengthening your body, you should be able to maintain a better output without focusing too much on your emotions."

Shiro thought for a moment before speaking

"So basically, if I start exercising, I'll have a better output in my mana.

"It makes sense to me, it would also explain why your hunter's plaque says you're a level 0; Your output is so weak, it can't be read."

Shiro huffed in annoyance at how blunt Kurosu is but at the same time, it's good he tells him what is going on. He's not trying to sugarcoat his issues.

He grabs the plates from Kurosu, who's grip has loosened as he held him down lower within reach of Shiro.

"Will I learn how to use a weapon too? I don't think I can stomp on every bad guy's foot to win" Shiro asked as he started to plate up the Curry for the both of them.

Kurosu moved from where he stood, moving beside Shiro.

"I'm mildly amused to see if such a concoction will taste good." He thought to himself….but back to the topic at hand…"

Kurosu thought to himself

He answered, "Do you have any experience with any weapon….at all?"

Shiro shrugged

"I've had a staff before, ehe..."

"...hmmm...I suppose we could start with that…but it's best you know how to use all weapons"

"W-what!?! That could take, like, forever!"

Shiro set the plates down, both steaming from the Curry, on the small table. He was shocked at the idea of going through hundreds of weapons and learning how they work….and then remembering it.

"Wait...I won't have to get quizzes on this r-right??" Shiro inquired nervously, sitting down slowly on his chair.

Kurosu joined as well, sitting across from him.

"Perhaps. As a Hunter, you must be prepared for anything and everything. By being well versed in all forms of combat, you'll be far more capable and doing the job."

"And your well versed"

"I'm one of the best at this. Don't doubt me"

Shiro raised his spoon and pointed it at Kurosu, giving him an annoyed look.

"I just met you today, I think I can doubt you just a little bit for now."

Kurosu scoffed and turned his head away. Shiro couldn't help but notice that Kurosu's pupils were dilated and his long ears looked like they were flattened.

"He's so much like a cat, it'd be almost adorable if he weren't such a jerk." Shiro thought to himself while eating, "He looks like he's pouting cat. I wonder if he'll hiss at me when we're training if I mess up?"

Shiro laughs to himself at the thought of a cat Kurosu hiss at him for failing a quiz for the 100th time.

Kurosu's ears flick at hearing Shiro's soft laugh.

"You're mocking me now?" Kurosu glared at him, his pupils returning to their regular tiny slits.

"Haha! Not in the slightest! Are you going to eat? Your food is getting cold!" Shiro tried to change the subject

"I worry you have poisoned me. If you doubt my abilities then I should reasonably doubt yours as well."

"...OK fair point but I can vouch for mine since it's tangible! It's right in front of you!"

"...if I eat this, I won't die?"

"I just ate from the same pot as you! Would I poison myself too!?!"

"..."

"..."

Kurosu, still suspicious, took a bite of the Curry. He was shocked at the taste. It wasn't not what he had expected.

"This...isn't bad" He commented aloud, still surprised at how good it tasted to him. He wasn't expecting Shiro to actually be a good cook but this meal was on par with Azalea's almost heavenly cooking.

Shiro had a smug grin as he saw Kurosu enjoy his food.

"Perfect!" He thought, "I showed him! Ha!"

Shiro looked over to see Kurosu's pupils were fully dilated, he was clearly enjoying the Curry as he tried to eat like everything was normal. Shiro couldn't help but smile a bit as he went back to eating his own plate of Curry.

It was the middle of the night and Shiro was wide awake. Kurosu had him stay in a room that apparently wasn't being used. It had a small closet and Shikibuton* rolled up inside

Nothing else, making it very plain.

It didn't bother Shiro too much as this was only until he could afford more furniture to give the room some character. Just a temporary thing.

"I'm honestly not surprised this room is empty. This apartment is honestly too spacious for someone like Kurosu. He barely has anything to decorate a living room, let alone 4 whole rooms!" Shiro told himself, "I'm just lucky that I have someplace to sleep that isn't on the dirt…"

Shiro rolled over in the sheets to face the window that was slightly cracked open. The night sky didn't have any stars tonight so it looked almost like it was a void to Shiro.

No moon, not stars, and not even a cloud could be seen.

Until a tiny ball of pale light directly hit the window.

Shiro sat up abruptly at the sudden tap. Then another and another. The little ball of light kept hitting the window.

Shiro was surprised and hurriedly got out the covers to get to the window and open it, letting in the light.

"I didn't think you guys would follow me all the way here!?!" Shiro whispered in a hushed tone at the ball which turned into a tiny blue creature. The small being had a light blue skin with no clothes on and no defining features to differentiate between its gender with butterfly wings that were transparent and glowing; Its hair was a pale purple that seemed to float like water in the air as it moved and purple eyes with no pupils. Truly an otherworldly being.

A Faerie

"I told you guys to stay put." Shiro held his hand out as the Faerie fluttered into his palm. They gracefully sat down, exhausted from their long journey and nuzzled his thumb.

Shiro couldn't help but laugh at how these supposedly powerful creatures became attached to him.

"You guys are lucky no one can see you." He said aloud.

Shiro remembers the stories his old man would tell him about Faeries.

Small beings with strong attachments to the earth who were subservient to the will of God's. They would act as guides to them and aid heroes into battle. Over time they faded into obscurity and now they are no longer visible to dragons.

Shiro wasn't sure how he could be the only one that could see them but he gave up on ever finding out the truth. It was just how it was with someone like him.

As a young hatchling he could see them and as he grew older, he was able to physically interact with them. They can talk but they're language has long since been forgotten so they communicate through other ways.

He's given them names to help get their attention and so far they seem to respond to them when he calls.

"Nixi, did the others follow you?" Shiro asked the Faerie softly.

The Faerie slowly shook its head.

"Why am I not surprised? You never listen."

Nixi was relatively young from what he had gathered as he spent time with the Faeries as all they would treat them like a younger sibling and over protect them. Nixi was also smaller then the others but was the most rambunctious of them, which often would get them in trouble.

"I wouldn't put it past you to give the others the slip. I'm just glad you didn't get lost."

Shiro stood by the window as he focused on Nixi who had stood up and was attentively tugging at his thumb and pointing at the window.

"What is it?" He asked as he gently took his hand to the window to let Nixi hop onto it.

They kept pointing outside beyond the trees that passed Ryoko and then signaled to themselves.

"There are more of you out there?"

Nixi furiously nodded

"I see...I'll have to look into it later but for now you need to go home. I'm sure your family is worried…."

Shiro couldn't help but feel a pang of guilt within him as he spoke, "I'm sure mine are worried too...but I'm never going back...after what I did."

Nixi patted him to try and comfort him.

Nixi remembers what happened but couldn't verbalize a way to say it's ok other than pat his hand. Something they saw Shiro do with a young girl he called "sister" whenever they were upset.

Shiro smiled sadly but appreciated the gesture.

"...tell them I'll be alright, ok?"

Nixi nodded as they flew to hug his thumb tightly.

Then they left as quickly as they had come.