A new family? (Tohru would make a good mother, I guess)

I cough and gasp for breath.

"Hurry the hell up," I swear to myself.

I still remember the way to my mother's apartment at least. The one that she lived…before I was born. She moved shortly after my birth. The memories of me and my mother in that apartment are hazy at best.

I turn the corner and stop to catch my breath.

"H…Hah…Here it is."

I can see the four-story apartment across the street. In my memories, the apartment I remember the apartment being surrounded by trees. As a home it was a perfect, quiet island in the middle of a busy city. That was a long time ago though. The apartment has seen better days. The paint is already falling apart and the windows are covered in wooden boards. I climbed the stairs. My mother's apartment is the center room. I arrive on the top floor. My fist knocks on the second door as hard as I can.

"Katori…Tohru…Are you here?!"

No response. I knock a second time, but instead of my fist hitting the door it phases through it.

I force myself through the door. Inside is a clean and tidy room. The laundry lay on the couch. The kitchen is clean. Each plate is shining bright like a star.

"Shiro…" Katori ran into the living room.

"How did you find us?" Tohru appears behind me. She grabbed me by the shoulders and threw me against the wall.

"I'm sorry for barging in. I needed to find you…It's urgent."

Katori shields me from Tohru. Her arms extend outward, "You can't hurt him."

"It doesn't matter. We need to move."

"Wait…" I look at Katori. "Please take me with you…"

Tohru looks at me with a snide expression, "Yeah? Why should I?"

"My grandmother is dead. I have no one else."

Her smile fades, "I'm sorry to hear that. But we can't let humans discover our location."

"I won't tell anyone. Please," I get on my knees and bow, "Please if you care for my mom that much won't you take me in?"

"Mr. Kobayashi. It's not that simple."

"Nothing ever is," I nod, "It doesn't matter though. You must be like sisters. Would you allow the son of your sister be taken away before you could get to know him? You know my mother more than anyone else does. You of all people would understand a Kobayashi."

Tohru struggles but manages to smile. She puts on a wide grin.

"I will…take you in."

Kotori breathes a sigh of relief, "Mother…"

Tap, tap, tap.

We can hear footsteps from the outside.

"It must be the guys from before," I whisper.

Kotori readies her claws.

"We can't hurt them," I stand up.

"Shiro!" she calls to me to get back down.

"I can deal with them," I sneak outside and take cover behind the rails.

I can see from below four men in armor.

"They're knights," Tohru explains. She holds her breath.

"I have a better idea."

I pull out my drone and have it hover over their heads. I press a button on my controller.

Beep

A loud screech plays from the drone's speakers.

"Dragon!"

"Where?!"

I set the drone to auto-pilot and direct its course far away from the apartment.

"They're gone," I speak in my normal, loud voice.

"You really are miss Kobayashi's child," Tohru compliments while watching in awe.

"It's nothing. The drone is a gift she gave me."

"Drone?" she scratches her head.

"It's like…a flying machine."

"Oh! So, does that mean you know how to fly?"

"Not exactly…"

Tohru pats me on the head, "Excellent job… Mr. Kobayashi.

I look away. My face felt like it was going to melt. I'm blushing. Something I've never done before.

"It's nothing…I'm only helping someone in need."

"Ah, so you inherited Kobayashi's compassion?"

"No…It's not like- Never mind. I'm…Hyah," I yawn, "I'm tired.

I pass out as I say that. I don't remember for how long, but I eventually woke up.

I lay in a warm bed. My clothes were gone and replaced with pajamas.

"You're already awake?" I see Katori folding my clothes.

"Hey…You shouldn't be handling my clothes like that."

"Hmm? Why not?"

"It's strange. What if you had to do my underwear?"

She blushes. Her hands wrap around her face and she shakes her head furiously, "No, No, No. I'm not allowed to. That's for mother."

"Oh. I guess that's okay. Still…School is today. What if the knights come back?"

"Then we will have to deal with them. For now, they don't know where we are."

"Wouldn't they just search the neighborhood?"

Katori taps me on the forehead, "Don't worry so much. Mother cast a perception block around the block. They will have to go through a maze that changes every day."

I think too much? I worry too much? I guess she's right. Still…Those men don't look like the type to quit. I guess I have no other choice but to trust them.

"It's breakfast time…Let's eat," she grabbed my hand and brought me to the kitchen.

The plates were already prepared. It looked like some sort of huge tail. The steam from the meat cover my glasses. I can smell pepper, salt (and some exotic spices I didn't know the name of) tickle my nose. I cut a small portion of the meat and chew on it.

"Tohru. It tastes good. What is this made from?"

"My tail," she laughs.

"Hahah…But seriously though. What is it made from?"

She gives me a mischievous look.

"Oh…You weren't joking," I look at the place and back at her.

My stomach rumbles, "It can't be helped," I shrug and devour the entire tail.

"Don't worry. I always grow it back," a tail slipped out from underneath her clothes.

Ring Ring Rin-

Kotori smashes the snooze button for the alarm clock. It shatters into several pieces.

"Katori! That is the sixth alarm clock you broke!"

"I'm sorry…"

"I'll have to replace it again," she opened the cupboard. A hundred alarm clocks lined the inside of the cupboard, "Anyway…You two need to go to school."

"Of course," I find my things and head toward the door, "Oh and Tohru. Thank you so much…It means a lot to me…What you did for me."

She turns around so that her backside is facing me. She shakes, "I-It's no problem at all!"

As I open the door and leave, I hear Tohru mutter, "That boy is just as adorable as his mother…."

I took a seat in my classroom next to the window.

The classroom teacher knocks on the wall to get their attention, "Today we have a new student. Please introduce yourself."

Kotori walks into the class and bows, "Hi. My name is Kotori. It's a pleasure meeting you."

She sits right next to me, "Shiro!"
Everyone in the class mutters and whispers to each other. They give me curious looks.

I sigh. It would have been better if they didn't notice me. Now I'm the talk of the school.

Kotori flips open her book and reads the material while the teacher lectures. I breathe deep and focus on the teacher's presentation.

Ring Ring Ring

I leaned in my chair while Kotori worked on her assignment. A random student drops a letter on top of my desk.

"Sorry," he said, "Some random people told me to give this to you."

Kotori looks at me with a worried expression. We both nod. The letter came from the knights.

"The assignment can wait."

In the contents of the letter they gave us directions to the countryside far away from the city. The only we could reach that place was by flying. Katori shapeshifts into a dragon.

"Please. Ride on my back."

"Are you sure this is safe?" I wrestle my way to the top of her back.

"Don't look down," she stretches out her wings.

I close my eyes. A gust of wind whips through my clothes.

"Open your eyes."

I do as I'm told. When I open my eye-lids I see the blue sky. Kotori glides through the clouds. The sun flashed in my eyes.

"Are you okay?" Kotori takes a glance at me.

I tightened my grip on her, "Barrel roll. Now".

"…Shiro are you sure?"

"Go!"

She does a spiral spin. My head spins. My eyes try to adjust to the sudden movement.

The ground and the sky blend together as we spin out of control.

"Are you okay?"

"Bleegh," I puke my breakfast to the side, "You're too damn fast..."

"Hmm? What was that?"

"You're too damn fast!" I repeated louder.

"Says the person who asked to do a barrel roll."

We land at the meeting place. A green meadow with rolling hills. Two men in armor approach us.

"You came. As expected."

"Who are you people?"

They place their hand on their sword, "We're knights. Dedicated to protecting humans."

"Those boys from before. Are they yours?"

They nod, "Yes. They're not knights. Yet."

"We didn't harm them. So you have no reason to hurt her."

The knight paces back and forth. My words reached his thick skull somehow.

"True. But we can't let anymore dragons come to our world."

I turn to Katori.

"It's a long story, Shiro. Long story short: We don't get along. My mother wasn't born here."

I hold on to my controller, "These dragons took me in as one of their own. They won't hurt anyone unless provoked."

Swiishh

The two knights draw their swords.
Kotori holds her breath. The smoke and fire is dripping from her mouth.

My drone hovers over them, "No one has to die."

The two men charge at me. Kotori blocks them with her giant claw. They swing and bash at Kotori. "Hurgh!" "Hyah!"

"That tickles," she knocks both off their feet with her tail.

"Argh.." a knight tries to get back on his feet. My drone flies over and sprays pepper into his eyes. "Gyahh!" He falls back down.

"Pepper spray?" Kotori stares at me. She bit her lips. She is about to burst out laughing.

"…I don't really use it as a weapon."

"Maybe you should use their sword?"

I take their sword, "I guess I could practice with this," I perform a few wide swings.

Kotori pokes both the knights.

"Argh. I can't feel my legs…," they roll around in the grass and mud.

Her eyes flash, "Don't bother us again, okay? Tell your boss we fled. I promise I won't cause problems if you don't bother us."

The knights under her spell nod, "That sounds fair. We agree."

Kotori signals for me to get on her back.

I jump on without hesitation. The sun is already setting.

"Kotori….Let's go slower this time."

"Haha. Sure," she takes off into the sky.