authors notes at bottom
Ise awoke to the smell of… a cat? He slowly began to remember everything that happened the night before, and noticed how Shi-Shi's tail and ears popped out while they were talking before bed.
A random fact Ise had discovered is that, like a cat, Kone… Shi-Shi adored being petted in the head and scratched behind the ears. However, she also hated to admit it. He decided to go ahead and scratch behind her ears and see what happened.
Shi-Shi shot awake instantly, and her eyes instantly went low, as she began to purr like a cat. Ise couldn't hold in his laughter, a happy sound that somehow filled the room. It was a whole laugh, the kind that makes everyone want to smile and laugh with him. And smile Shi-Shi did. She had never heard Ise laugh like that. As far as she knew, she was the only one who had in a very long time. She still pouted at his actions, which only made him laugh more. She eventually joined in, a small sound, yet somehow just as powerful as the man she was in bed with.
Eventually the pair calmed down. "So, are you ready? It's gonna be a busy day."
"Yeah, I'm ready. And super excited." Said Shi-Shi excitedly.
"Oh, yeah, and why is that?" Ise smirked.
"Because I get to watch you get beat up by a bigass dragon!"
"Hey, that's not cool."
"And?"
"I have chocolate." When he finished speaking, he paused. 'Did she just purr?' He thought. 'Good to know.' "So, who's gonna win?"
"It'll be you, Ise, because you're the best!" Said Koneko- wait, no, she wanted him to call her Shi-Shi now. He was trying, but it was kind of weird. Shi-Shi. The small upturn of her lips betrayed the truth, and soon, they were both laughing. After a minute, their laughter slowed down, and Shi-Shi spoke softly. "I guess that sometimes, you really are the best," she said, quietly, probably assuming that Ise couldn't hear.
He blushed at this obvious statement, but made no other signs that he had noticed, before straightened up. "Get ready, the old man will be here soon. I'll meet you at the gate." Shi-Shi nodded, and Ise left.
Ise had sprouted his wings and they were now flying, Shi-Shi on his back. They were flying to the mountain, when all of a sudden Ise deviated his course. Tannin, surprised, followed. Ise explained. "In our last fight, we almost destroyed the mountain, so there is almost nothing left. I figured it's time for a new spot." Tannin nodded, surprised at his trainees intelligence, and together they set down. Shi-Shi got off of Ise's back, and stood back. Ise gave her a bag. "I told you I had your chocolate." He smirked. Her reply was a simple thanks, and a small smile. Tannin transformed into his human form, a giant man with purple hair, and he and Ise faced each other. The wind gusted around them.
She couldn't tell who made the first move, but the next thing she knew, Ise and Tannin were locked in a deadly exchange of blows. She was in awe of the sheer amount of power the 2 exuded. Ise's aura was raw and untamed, angry and yet, there was also a hint of tranquility in it, like a calmness combined with strength. And then there was Tannin.
Even though he was clearly limiting his power, she could feel how powerful he was. His strength was a raw, unbridled fury. It could not be tamed. 'Could I get that strong?' She wondered. Even Ise outclassed her by miles now. She reached into her bag of sweets, pulling out a candy bar. She also felt something else inside the bag, of a rectangular shape. 'Get Well Soon!' Said the card as she pulled it out. She opened it. Instantly, a magic circle opened up, and Ise's voice spoke. 'Hey, Koneko. I just wanted to tell you to get better soon, because I miss you!' Then, mini-fireworks popped out of the card. Shi-Shi was once again amazed at the pure kindness of Ise. If she lived his life, she would've been bitter and cruel, and yet Ise was always thoughtful, and unfailingly kind. And to be so nice to someone like her, someone who used to repeatedly berate him for the littlest things… She was quickly alert again, as Ise took a devastating blow to the stomach, making him fly back almost 60 feet into a large stone wall. He came flying out the rubble faster than she could see. She cheered him on. "Come on, Ise, you can do it! Show that mean old dragon who's boss!"
It was later, about mid-afternoon, when Ise had taken a break from training, that he walked over to Shi-Shi. He sat down in front of her. "We need to talk." His voice was simple and steady. "About Senjutsu."
"I know." She spoke steadily. "I've thought about it a lot. I think that maybe if I can master Senjutsu, I can be stronger. But I don't want to… I don't want to do it alone." The last part came out as what it was, a desperate plea for help.
Ise smiled. "You don't even have to ask."
And so continued the next five days, with this repeating over and over again. Ise would always bring Shi-Shi to watch him train, in the afternoons she and Ise would train in Senjutsu. Shi-Shi's instincts were really helpful there. After that they would go to bed together. They slept together out of a mutual agreement. He didn't like sleeping alone, and She liked spending time with Ise.
But it was the third day that was really special.
He and Shi-Shi had just woken up when Tannin appeared.
"You're having the day off, youngling. No complaints. Understood?"
Issei didn't have to be told twice. He took a look at the rather pretty girl next to him. "Okay, Sensei." He smiled. "Hey, Shi-Shi?" He asked. "How would you like to spend the day with the baby dragons?"
She gasped. "I… I would love to." She said, mentally picturing all the baby dragons with their tiny faces and big ears. She smiled in anticipation.
Ise smiled even brighter and spread his wings. He kept them out when he was here, and used the wings to cover the both of them like a blanket."Get on." He said.
Without hesitation, she jumped on his back, clutching his neck tightly. She smiled.
As it wasn't far away, it didn't take long for the look on Shi-Shi's face to turn into pure wonder. She was amazed at what she saw, a sight she would never forget:
Thousands of dragons, flying, lounging around, and even training and roughhousing, together. It was beautiful. Issei smiled his smile, the smile that always made her knees weak, at the look on Shi-Shi's face as she took in the beauty that he had fallen in love with not too long ago. "It really is amazing, isn't it." He asked. "Look at them, so free. Not a care in the world. No wars, no fighting. No anger or violence. Just dragons being dragons. Playing all day. This is how it should be." He spoke in reverence of the life the dragons here led. "This is why I respect Tannin so much. This is all thanks to him. This is his land." He added at the end.
"Ise's here!" Came a sudden cry from what looked to be a baby dragon. The rest soon followed, flying towards them. "Ise's here, Ise's here!" The cry was repeated over and over again.
Then one of the younger ones spoke up. "And look, he brought his mate! He must not be lonely anymore!" Koneko flushed as all the dragon's roared, even the older ones on the ground. Ise flushed too, but he smiled. "Well, hello to you too, Typhon." Ise said, before closing his eyes. All of a sudden, he opened his eyes, and let loose a loud roar. All the dragons cheered.
"What just happened?" Shi-Shi asked.
"I just let everyone know two things. The first is that I'm back. As for the second, well, I'm sure you'll find out for yourself soon enough." He smirked evilly.
"Ise! Tell m AHHHHHHH!"
The last part was her screaming because Ise suddenly dived down at what was just shy of a straight angle. Ise whooped for joy and Shi-Shi held on for dear life. Eventually, she too began to enjoy the drastic turns and sharp dives that he employed when flying with the dragons, even whooping for joy at one point before they landed. Ise only smiled and roared louder.
As they landed, one of the older dragons, clearly a female, walked over. "Ise, will you be staying with us again?" She asked, softly.
"Of course, Granny, we'd love to stay with you." Shi-Shi shot him a look, and he mouthed later.
"Alright. The younglings will be happy. You know how they adore you." She smiled softly. Everything about her was soft, but happy.
Ise smiled. "No more than they adore you, I'm sure."
She laughed. "Oh please. The younglings love you, they'd never let you leave if they had a choice."
Ise just smiled. "Granny, you know they love you and so do I." They both chuckled.
"Granny" smiled. "Well, I have to get going, I've got to go and make sure everyone's rooms are ready."
"I can help…"
"You will do no such thing. You and your mate will go and frolic with the children and leave this old soul to her job." She said fiercely.
Ise smiled. "Well fine. Be that way." He hugged her snout. "See ya later, Granny."
As the dragon walked away, Ise was faced staring at an angry Shi-Shi. He turned around. "Granny, HELP ME!!!!!!"
She just smiled. "Sorry young one, you made your own bed, now you got to lie in it." She laughed.
"TRAITOR!" He said, running.
Shi-Shi gave chase. Most of the older dragons laughed. "And that's why you don't piss off your mate!"
The baby dragons called after him. "Ise. Fly! Fly away from your angry mate!"
Ise jumped, but Shi-Shi did too, and landed on his back. They landed, and Ise ran, with Shi-Shi giving chase.
And that was how they spent the next hour before eventually Ise was captured and beaten into submission. It was a terrifying sight.
After the "stress relief" Shi-Shi stood. "So what was that about?" She asked.
"Well, Granny is essentially like the mother dragon. She takes care of all the baby dragons when their parents are busy or… not there." When she understood his meaning, she nodded, and he continued. "Well, when I first visited, she made me sit down and talk to her. She helped me when I was having a tough time coping with… well, you know." He said, softly.
"Anyway, she's helped everyone here save themselves. And she's always got time. Always. Even when she's tired, if she hears someone having a nightmare, she always comforts us. She's like the ultimate mom."
"That's… actually kind of sweet." Shi-Shi responded. "I wish I had someone like that."
"Now you do." Ise said. "Granny doesn't care about who you are or who your family is. All you have to do is ask, and she'll be there."
"But I wouldn't want to impose"... she trailed off.
"Nonsense." He spoke. "She'll be more than happy to help."
Shi-Shi smiled. "Okay."
so I decided that I am not going to go the harem route on this story. I hope you guys enjoyed the chapter. please make sure to review. I personally enjoyed writing Granny, and want to make her more involved in the story, what do you think? oh, and next chapter is back to training