A Nerd at Youki

When my parents told me I was switching schools, the very last thing I was expecting was to end up at Youkei. Well, other than the sudden transformation into a fricking Dragon! Man, this is going to be a long year.

Before we begin, I've had a guest reviewer make suggestions for how I should use my Dragon races based on Fire Emblem. All great ideas and I appreciate the thought, but I already have how I'm setting up the Dragons in mind. And while it is true that Dragon Lords as so powerful they make Alucard look like a fluffy bunny in comparison, that's because they are essentially Gods and are literally Gods in some cases. Mark obviously isn't that strong of course nor will he ever be because he isn't a Dragon Lord and it isn't a title you can earn. Now thats out of the way, lets get started. Enjoy!

Chapter 8

A few weeks after the incident with Gin (after it reached the point where the Werewolf could step outside without being stomped on by angry girls) we were out once again handing out papers to the student body. The main difference was that today I was in a truly foul mood and just wanted to kill something, as proven by the glare I was wearing.

"Seriously Mark, what is wrong with you lately?" asked Tsukune after I sent a group of girls scurrying by snapping at them.

"I don't bloody well know!" I snarled, "I just feel so damned cranky all the time and this bloody itching isn't helping matters!"

For the past week, my skin had started to become extremely uncomfortable and was itching constantly, no matter what I did. At first I thought it was an allergic reaction to something, but the Nurse couldn't find anything wrong with me other than a slight, brownish discolouration of my skin. As a result of the discomfort, my temper was on a knife's edge and, as was standard for the males of my family, said discomfort made my tongue razor sharp and ready to cut anyone who pushed me even a little. Not even my friends were safe and even Kurumu had been on the receiving end of a few biting comments, although I was able to curb my tongue somewhat around them.

I sighed and turned away.

"Maybe I should go somewhere else," I said, "After putting so much effort into the paper, I don't want to scare everyone off just because I'm feeling a little cranky."

I walked away without waiting for a reply.

I headed into the forest a short way, before leaning against a tree with a groan of irritation. The itching was getting worse to the point that I felt like tearing my skin of, just to get some relief.

"Excuse me, you're one of the Newspaper club members, right?" asked a familiar voice.

I turned and saw Mizore stood a short distance away.

"Yeah," I snapped, "If you want a paper though, you should head over to our stall."

"Hmm."

Mizore turned to leave. I groaned as I realized that my temper had gotten the better of me again.

"Wait a sec Mizore," I called.

She paused.

"Sorry about that," I said, "I've been really irritable lately, but thats not an excuse. Sorry for snapping at you."

"Not a problem," said the Snow Woman.

"Here."

I tossed her a spare paper I had in my pocket.

"They've probably ran out by now so you can have that one."

"Thanks," she said, catching the paper, "See you later."

She vanished back into the trees.

"Hey Mark!" called Kurumu as she emerged from the tree line.

"Hey Kurumu, are you done?" I asked.

"Yeah, Moka suggested that we throw a party to celebrate a job well done," said the Succubus, "You wanna come?"

I winced.

"Um, as fun as that sounds, I think I ought to pass," I said, "With how irritable I've been lately, I'd probably end up ruining the fun."

"But…"

"Later."

I walked away in the direction of the dorms.

That night, I was sitting at my desk, trying to get my homework done. I say trying because I wasn't having much luck concentrating when I felt like clawing my own skin off was a good idea.

"Oh for the love of all things holy, this is a total waste of time!" I groaned, leaning back in my seat, "What the fuck is going on with me?!"

I stood and flopped down on my bed with a groan of irritation.

"If this keeps up I really am going to snap at someone," I mumbled into my pillow, "And I don't think I want to know what'll happen when that happens. Maybe I should call home and ask if this is something related to Dragons…"

Just then, the sound of someone knocking on my window reached my ears. I looked up and was only mildly surprised to see Kurumu floating outside.

"Hey Kurumu, whats up?" I asked, opening the window and letting her in, "And you do know that this is against the rules, right?"

"I don't care," said the Succubus, looking at me worriedly, "I can tell you're worried and feeling like crap and I want to help you feel better."

I let out a sigh and slumped down on my bed.

"Well, I'm open to suggestions," I said, "But unless you have some kind of miracle cure for agitated Dragons, I think you're going to be disappointed."

"Actually…"

I looked up at her as she pulled out a jar of something.

"I wrote to my mother about what you're experiencing and she wrote back telling me that the Dragon she knew at school went through something similar."

"Really? So whats wrong with me?"

"Your shedding."

I stared at her for a moment, before standing up, walking over to my desk and slamming my head down on it repeatedly.

"Stupid, stupid, stupid!" I said with each blow, "Dragons are reptiles, of course they shed!"

Kurumu grabbed me to stop me from braining myself or breaking the desk and guided me back to the bed.

"So what, I need to take my True Form and shed or something?" I asked, "Because that might be a problem. I have no idea how to transform fully."

"Mum said that when she was in her first year, her friend went through his First Shed and it was much like what you're going through," said Kurumu, "Apparently the first is the worst because you can't simply transform and discard your old skin in one go. Its also indicative of your reaching maturity and you should transform fully at some point in the next few days."

"And until then I need to put up with itchy skin?" I asked.

"Sorry, but she did say that this stuff helps."

She handed me the jar that was full of a greenish paste that smelt like the inside of a greenhouse.

"That reeks," I groaned, "Still, if it helps…"

Before I could do anything else though, Kurumu snatched the jar, making me glare at her.

"I said I wanted to help you, didn't I?" she asked, grinning in a way that made me fear for my life, "And this is how I'm going to do it. Take off your shirt and lay down on your front."

I did as I was told, doing my best to ignore the way her eyes lit up and she licked her lips as she saw my torso. I lay down on my front and nearly jumped out of my skin when Kurumu straddled my back. Then her hands touched me and I melted into a puddle of goo. I have no idea what was in that stuff, but whatever it was did wonders for soothing my irritated skin and Kurumus warm, soft hands did an even better job of massaging away all the kinks and tension I'd built up.

"Man, you're really tense," said Kurumu as she worked a particularly large knot of tension out of my shoulder, "Has it really been that bad?"

"Worse," I said, "I really hope that I don't have to go through this again...Oh, right there!"

Kurumu finished with my back and turned around.

"What are you...holy...!" I groaned as she started working on my legs that I think might have been even tenser than my shoulders.

This continued for a while, not quite advancing into M rated territory, just Kurumu rubbing the cream into me and, while I could see that she wanted to go further, she kept it (mostly) T rated. Eventually she finished and headed to my bathroom to wash her hands, returning a moment later and cuddled up next to me.

"Thanks Kurumu," I said, "You have no idea how much better I feel."

Kurumu smiled up at me.

"Glad I could help," she said.

The next morning I woke up to an unfamiliar feeling of something warm and soft pressed into my side. I cracked an eye open and looked down, only to see a mass of light blue hair. I sighed and closed my eyes again.

"Good morning Kurumu," I said.

"Aww, is it really?" groaned the Succubus, "I was enjoying myself."

"I'm sure. Now let me up."

Kurumu let out a moan of protest.

"Don't wanna, your warm."

I glanced over at my clock and saw that it was still fairly early so there was no rush.

"Fine, but I'd rather not be late."

"Yay."

Kurumu hugged me a bit closer and I wrapped my arm around her shoulders as we just lay there for a while longer, enjoying the quiet company.

Later, after class, I met up with my friends in the corridor.

"Hey Mark, are you feeling better today?" asked Tsukune.

"Yes, thanks," I said.

"In that case, why don't you come to the party?" suggested Moka.

I sighed and smiled.

"Alright, if you insist."

"YAHOO!" yelled Kurumu, "Come on Moka, lets go!"

The two girls headed off, leaving Tsukune and I behind.

"Well, I've gotta go," said Tsukune, heading of as well, "See ya later."

I nodded and waved as he walked away.

"You know, you don't need to hide," I said, turning to the pillar where Mizore was stood.

"You spotted me," she said, stepping out.

"Smelt," I corrected, "You smell of fresh snow."

"I see."

"Did you need something?" I asked.

Mizore held up the paper I'd given her.

"I read your paper," she said, "And, as usual, your articles were the most entertaining ones."

Thats probably because the article I wrote mostly made sarcastic quips aimed at whatever idiot had landed themselves in the newspaper clubs radar that week.

"Thanks, always nice to hear my works appreciated," I said.

Mizore handed me a book she'd pulled out of...somewhere.

"Even when I wasn't in school, Miss Nekonome would still send me over issues of the paper for me to read," she said, "Out of all the articles, the only ones I saved were yours."

I decided not to ask exactly how she'd been stalking me if she hadn't been in school and I knew she had because I often smelt her scent and caught glimpses of her if I turned around quick enough. I opened the book and, as expected, found a load of cutouts covered in annotations and little hearts drawn around them. Putting aside the obvious stalkerish vibe the whole thing gave off, some of her observations were actually pretty good.

"This is quite impressive," I said.

"I find I can relate to many of the arguments that you make," said the Snow Woman, "You always write from both the view of the strong and the weak and it intrigues me. I want to figure you out."

"Really?" I asked, feeling my eyebrow twitch.

She sounded like a mad scientist who wanted me on her dissecting slab talking like that. Mizore nodded as she took a step closer, before wrapping her arms around mine.

"You seem so lonely, just like me," she said, "Trust me, I know exactly what thats like."

"Hmm, lonely?" I mused, "Not really."

Mizore blinked.

"I certainly know what its like to be lonely, but personally I've always prefered being alone," I said.

"See? We're the same," said Mizore happily, "Come on, lets go."

"Huh?"

Before I could protest, Mizore ran off down the hall, dragging me along with her.

We ended up at one of the ponds in the woods with a small, shingle beach around the edge.

"Heh, nice place," I said, grabbing a piece of flat slate of the ground, "Perfect for…"

I stepped up to the shore and, with a flick of my wrist, sent the stone skipping across the waters surface.

"Stone skipping," I finished, turning to grin at a gaping Mizore.

"W-woah," she said, "You're good."

"My dad taught me when I was a kid," I said, before glancing at my watch, "I don't mind hanging out, but I do have a prior engagement. Do you mind if we take a rain check?"

Mizores smile faded instantly as I started heading for the trees.

"You wanna go to that buddy buddy club of yours, don't you?" she asked in a perfectly flat voice, "That girl, Kurumu, shes who you really want to see, right?"

I paused and glanced back at Mizore.

"Let me give you a piece of advice, little miss Snow Woman," I said, "Its never a good idea to threaten a Dragon's Hoard. While for most that may be treasure, for me, its my friends. I like you, you're an interesting person, but if you hurt my friends, I won't hesitate to turn you into ice cubes."

Mizore finched back in response to my leaking Dragonfear, a look of fear in her eyes. I let out a sigh and reigned my aura in.

"Look, you seem to have this idea that I'm somehow lonely, but I'm really not," I said, "I have my friends, both here and back home, and I'm always willing to add to them."

I held out a hand.

"If you want, you can come with me. I don't think the others would mind and you won't have to be lonely any more. What do you say?"

Mizore stared at me for a moment, before bowing her head, her shoulders shaking.

"So...you're rejecting me?" she whispered.

"Aw crap."

"WHYYYYY!" she shrieked, an icy wind whipping around her, freezing everything around the pond and forcing me to shield my eyes.

When I could see again, Mizore had vanished, even from my other senses.

"Aw man, why did she have to react like that?" I groaned.

"Mark!"

I looked up at the familiar voice and saw Kurumu carrying Moka flying down towards me.

"Let me guess," I said, "Mizore sent an ice puppet after you?"

"How did you know?" asked Kurumu.

"Lucky guess," I grumbled.

"She said she was with you," said Moka, "We were worried."

"She was here," I said, "But she seemed to take offence to the idea of making friends."

"Really?" asked Moka, looking curious.

"Well I say good riddance," scoffed Kurumu.

"Not yet," I said, "I think we should go find her."

"What? Why?" asked the Succubus, looking at me in surprise.

"Because shes currently very vulnerable," I said, "Do you really want to leave a girl in a state like that alone in this school?"

Kurumu hesitated.

"You really think she could be in danger?" she asked.

"I don't want to take that risk," I said, "Plus, despite how shes acted, I can't help but feel sorry for her. Shes so lonely and she was just looking for someone to help take that away. All she needs is a friend."

Kurumu sighed..

"Fine."

"I'll get the others to help find her," said Moka, running off into the woods.

"Where shall we start looking?" asked Kurumu.

"Hmm, lets try the sports field," I said, "Its not that far away and I doubt she'd get far in her condition."

Kurumu nodded and we headed in that direction.

It didn't take long to reach the sports field and, when we got close enough, I manipulated the wind so it would draw the scents in the area towards me. Almost immediately, I found Mizore's scent, as well as the smell of Kalamari that I recognized as the smell of the Gym teacher, Mr Kotsubo. That wasn't good.

"That way," I said, running in the direction of the scent with Kurumu on my heels.

We weren't far from the source of the scents when a terrified scream reached our ears.

"What was…?" started Kurumu, but I had already opened my wings and taken off, blasting towards Mizore fast enough to strip the few remaining leaves from the trees.

I shot out into a clearing far enough away from the field so that anything going on within it would be unseen and heard from it. As I expected, Kotsubo was in his Monster Form, trying to get a good grip on Mizore with his tentacles while the Snow Woman kept wriggling free. I charged forwards, transforming my arms as I went and slammed a tornado covered fist into the teacher's side, sending him flying across the clearing.

"Sorry teach, but I'm not interested in henti," I said.

"Read," spat Kotsubo, getting to his feet as his tentacles thrashed wildly, "But out, this is no business of yours."

"I beg to differ," I said, flexing my claws, "You were hurting a friend of mine and I don't take to kindly to that."

I noted that Kurumu had caught up with me and was checking Mizore over for injuries.

"Now, it seems to me that you have a choice," I said, "You can either leave now and we'll keep quiet about this and avoid quite a bit of unpleasantness, or you can try and silence us and I'll slice you into sushi."

"I have a better idea," said Kotsubo.

Before I could react, a tentacle I hadn't noticed slithering through the loom on the forest floor shot up and caught me in the chest, sending me flying through the trees to land in a pond with a splash. I barely had enough time to surface and take a gulp of air before Kotsubo was on me, forcing me under the water with a tremendous amount of strength that I didn't have a chance of fighting without leverage.

"I'll just kill you!" snarled Kotsubo, "Can't have my flawless record be tarnished by some jumped up punk like you."

I struggled against the Krakens grip, desperately trying to get a grip on his tentacles so I could cut them, but he was far too wily and kept moving his grip so I couldn't get a hold. Not even my wings would help since they would only drag me down more. Despite my larger than normal lung capacity, I could already see the edges of my vision start to darken. Some dark part of my mind wondered if the 'rule of three' applied to Dragons while the rest of it was desperately trying to come up with a way out of it.

"You know, once your dead, I think I'll have some fun with the girls," hissed Kotsubo in my ear, "I hear Succubi are really good and the young ones are especially juicy."

I froze, my mind going blank as I realized what he meant by that. Then, white hot fury shot through me as my instincts let out a roar of pure rage and surged to the surface. I felt the water around me begin to vibrate and bubble as my body began to shake violently, seemingly coming apart at the seems in a way that should have been painful were it not for the sheer amount of fury currently fueling me. My body changed, shifting as far as it could, but that wasn't enough. Even in my partial state, I still wasn't strong enough to break the Krakens grip. However, it also wasn't enough to contain my rage and, deep inside, I felt something break.

The pond erupted as I suddenly grew, throwing the displaced water everywhere and soaking the two girls who had just ran into the clearing.

Third Person POV

Kurumu stared in amazement and no small amount of fear as the creature that had been her Destined One erupted out of the water, throwing water everywhere, the droplets that clung to its scales glimmering like diamonds in the sun. It was simultaneously the most magnificent and most terrifying thing she had ever seen.

It was huge, with massive wings and a long, whip-like tail, razor sharp claws and a huge maw filled with razor sharp teeth. Its entire body was covered in metallic scales the colour of rust, creating a segmented armour that created looked strong enough to deflect all but the strongest of blows. It was surrounded by a swirling barrier of cold, black wind that turned the water thrown up by its emergence into a storm of razor sharp shards of ice. Its fearsome, icy blue eyes glared down at the Kraken who had been thrown onto the shore as if it was nothing more than a bug to be crushed.

"Oh…" said Kotsubo, apparently realizing just how much trouble he was in.

The Dragon proved that a moment later by letting out a roar that echoed around the Campus, before diving, slamming into the ground right in front of Kotsubo and snatching him up in his jaws, shaking him like a dog, before spitting him across the clearing where he landed, unconscious, in a puddle of drool. The Dragon snorted and shook its head, before glancing at the two girls.

Kurumu swallowed, feeling a faint tickle of fear as the Dragons gaze fell on her, only for it to vanish a moment later when the Dragon flinched back slightly and looked down.

"Mark…" she started, but before she could say anything, Mark spread his wings and took off, swooping away from the school and off into one of the uninhabited parts of the grounds.

"Wait!" shouted Kurumu, opening her wings and taking off after him, leaving a shaken looking Mizore behind.

Because of his sheer size and his control over the wind, Mark easily outpaced Kurumu, but she doggedly followed him until he finally landed a fair distance from the school, alighting on top of a small rock formation. Kurumu landed in the a short distance away, deciding to make her way closer on foot rather than landing directly on him, and began to make her way towards where he had landed. As she approached, the sound of stressed metal creaking reached her ears and she quickened her pace.

She exited the treeline, just in time to see Mark slowly stretching out his wings and neck, causing the scales right between his wings to bulge up and tear. The tear slowly lengthened, revealing silvery white skin beneath as he slowly pulled away from his old skin, leaving it to fall to the rock with a dull thump. Kurumu watched in awe as he finished discarding his old skin, letting out a satisfied growl as his silvery scales slowly darkened to a metallic grey.

"Amazing," whispered the Succubus.

The Dragons head snapped around, his sharp eyes pinning Kurumu in place, before he flinched and looked away. Kurumu slowly approached Mark as he slowly made his way down from his perch, his claws easily finding perched on the rock. As he set foot on the ground, his form rippled and shifted, morphing back into human form.

"Hey Kurumu," he said as the Succubus reached him.

Kurumu paused when she heard the tone in his voice. She was expecting self deprecation, shame or any of the other reactions normally associated with a powerful character unleashing so much power, but her Destined One sounded pumped.

"Um…" she said.

"What? Were you expecting me to think I scared you or something?" he asked.

Kurumu's silence was all the answer he needed. Mark grinned and darted forwards, grabbing Kurumu around the waist and twirling her around.

"Nah, not a chance," he said, "Besides, I'm a Dragon! I think I'd be more ashamed if I didn't inspire a little fear."

Kurumu smiled widely as Mark put her down and hugged her, eagerly returning the hug.

"Then why did you fly away?" she asked.

"I wanted to get my shedding over and done with," said Mark, "Besides, I don't want to be seen looking all ragged and rusty like that!"

"Since when do you care about your appearance?"

"Since it caused me a weeks worth of discomfort."

Kurumu giggled at the answer. It was so utterly Mark she was surprised she didn't see it coming.

"So, do you know what kind of Dragon you are?" she asked.

"Well, I have a guess, but I'm not 100% sure," said Mark, "Mainly because I'm pretty sure the Dragon is from a game. Then again…"

Kurumu cocked her head on one side, but Mark didn't finish the thought.

"Anyway, I think I'm a…"

"Kushala Daora," said a voice from the edge of the clearing.

The two friends turned to see a man in what appeared to be white priests robes with errilly glowing eyes stood at the edge of the clearing.

"You're the Headmaster, right?" asked Mark.

"Correct young Elder Dragon," said Mikogami.

"Right, did you say I was a Kushala Daora?"

"I did."

Mark let out a groan.

"Of course I am," he grumbled, "Anyway, we should go check on Mizune."

"Oh don't worry about her, shes fine," said Mikogami, "Your little show attracted quite a bit of attention. Mr Kotsubo has also been dealt with."

"Thats a relief," said Kurumu, "I hope that creep didn't get off easy."

Mikogamis grin made it clear they shouldn't ask.

"Don't worry about it. You two should be getting back to your friends though, I think they're worried about you."

The two teens nodded and Mark grinned, before he transformed and grabbed Kurumu by the back of her collar and tossing her onto his back with a deft flick of her neck.

"Fancy making an entrance?" he asked.

Kurumu grinned and nodded. Mikogamis grin didn't vanish.

"Just this once, I'll allow it," he said.

Mark nodded and spread his wings, taking to the sky with a massive gust of wind that tugged at the Headmasters robes.

"Yes, I think he will make quite the interesting subject, much more interesting than that Aono boy," said Mikogami as the Dragon vanished into the clouds.

Marks POV

As I flew through the clouds, I couldn't help but marvel at the sheer strength and power I felt in this form compared to my Humanoid one. I felt like I could take on anyone and crush them utterly! However, I also instinctively knew my limits. I knew that, despite the fact that just about everyone in the school would fall to my strength, there were a few that could still kick my scaly rear if it came down to it. That said, I wasn't going to worry about that right now, especially not when I felt so damn good!

I glanced back at Kurumu, who was hugging my neck tightly, apparently taking the opportunity to be as close to me as possible.

"You OK back there?" I asked.

"Yeah," said Kurumu, "But where are we going?"

"I can smell the others over near the coast," I said, "I thought we could drop in on them."

"What are they doing over there?" asked Kurumu in surprise.

"Fighting Mizore by the looks of it," I said, focusing my gaze on the fight I could see as we approached.

"What? Why?"

"Lets ask."

I let out a roar that shook the ground as I swooped down over their heads, making all of our friends duck, before landing a short distance away.

"W-what the hell is that?" gasped Tsukune, staring at me wide eyed.

"Another enemy?" asked Inner Moka who was apparently out, taking a stance.

"Woah, I don't feel like getting my teeth kicked in today!" I gasped.

"What the...Mark?" gasped Tsukune.

"Hey guys!" called Kurumu, hopping off my back.

"And Kurumu? Where have you guys been?"

"Shedding," I said as I squished my body back into Human form, "We helped out Mizore with a slight tentacle problem she was having and I managed to transform. Speaking of, why exactly were you lot fighting?"

"Everyone thought she attacked Mr Kotsubo and she was going to get in trouble for it," said Yukari, "Apparently she thought she was all alone and went off the deep end a little."

"Hmm, maybe we should have made sure she was OK before taking off," I mused.

"Yeah, probably," said Kurumu, looking embarrassed.

"So, you've fully matured," said Moka as she approached me.

"Apparently so," I said, narrowing my eyes at her.

"Hmm, well, I certainly don't mind fighting beside you if it comes to it," she said, "Dragons are among the few that can keep up with us after all. Just don't forget your place."

"I have no interest in getting my tail kicked," I said.

"Humph."

Moka headed over to Tsukune to reclaim her Rosary while I walked over to where Mizore was lying and crouched down next to her.

"Are you OK?" I asked.

Mizore opened her eyes slightly and just looked at me.

"Right, silly question. Look Mizore, I'm sorry I left you there alone. I should have made sure you were OK before taking off like that."

Mizore stared at me for a moment, before nodding slightly.

"Apology accepted," she said.

"So, friends?"

I offered her my hand. Mizore stared at it for a moment, before nodding and taking it.

Later, we were gathered in the Club Room with Tsukune, Moka and Yukari wrapped in blankets with steaming mugs in front of them.

"Man, you guys sure took a beating," said Gin.

"Yeah, sorry we weren't there to help," said Kurumu, looking guilty.

"Not a problem," sniffed Tsukune, "Alls well that ends well."

"Thanks to the five of you, Mizune's gonna get off without being expelled," said Nekonome, looking as cheerful as ever.

"ACHOO!" sneezed Tsukune as a cold wind suddenly blew into the room, "Hey, is it just me or did it get really cold in here?"

"That would be because of the Snow Woman at the door," I said, pointing at Mizore who had just opened the door.

"GAH!" yelped Tsukune.

"Hey, your hair's different," said Moka.

"I decided to shorten it," said Mizore, "Does it look OK?"

"Yep, looks great," I said with a grin.

"Your hair's different to," said the Snow Woman, indicating to the way my hair now stuck up at the back.

"Yeah, but that's not my doing," I grumbled, "It turned like that after I matured and won't lie flat."

"I think it looks good on you," said Kurumu, grabbing my arm and dragging it between her breasts, "It kinda reminds me of your horns."

Mizore glared and appeared on my other side, grabbing my other arm, glaring at Kurumu as lightning crackled between the two girls.

"Oh bloody hell, not this again!" I yelled as my friends all laughed at my predicament.

And thats the end of that. So some people did figure out what Mark was before hand, the Elder Dragon of Wind from Monster Hunter, the Kushala Daora. So, do we think hes the only Monster Hunter beasty to appear or will some others show up? Like maybe as enemies for Mark to fight? Hmmm…

The confrontation at the shore was the same as it was in canon because mark and Kurumu didn't stick around, so everyone assumed it was Mizore's doing because of all the ice from Marks winds.

If you want to get some idea of the shedding process for Kushala's, go watch the Ecology video. Thats what I used for that scene.

I admit, I was sort of tempted to insert a minor citrus into this chapter, but I decided not to in the end. I might do some in the future, but I've never really written any before so I'll probably screw them up. Plus, since the characters based on me, it strikes me as kinda arrogant and self congratulatory to do that.

Now, I'll leave you with a Bitesize Monster Dictionary to chew on while I sign out. Later!

Bitesize Monster Dictionary

Kushala Daora: Also known as the Steel Dragon, Kushala Daora are a four legged Elder Dragon that primarily make their homes in mountainous and snowy regions, although they can also be found in Jungles. There scales are made of steel, formed from the consumption or ores and are nearly impervious to all but the sharpest of weapons. They have the ability to control the wind, creating powerful storms to attack and defend, in addition to their natural weapons. Like all Elder Dragons, they are extremely fierce and territorial and possess the ability to use Dragonfear. Their scales rust over time and must be shed regularly in order to keep them strong and to avoid irritation. Despite their incredible defences, they are vulnerable to poisons.