THWACK!

A loud crack in the air resounded in the room as Kurosu hit a sleeping Shiro with a pillow.. It was only five o'clock in the morning so Shiro wasn't exactly thrilled to be awoken so harshly so early. 

Shiro sits up, the warm blanket covering his fluffy hair. He groaned, tired and annoyed 

"Uggghhhh-!" 

"Wake up, snowflake. It's time to train" Kurosu unceremoniously threw the pillow he had in his hands to the floor.

Shiro looked at his attacker now more annoyed when he realized it was Kurosu.

"Ughh!! Why are we up so early!?! The sun's not even up yet!" He groggily shouted, letting the blanket covering his head slip down and fall to his shoulders. 

Kurosu didn't take pity on him

Kurosu started to poke at Shiro through the blanket with his sharp nails, making him squirm and yelp as Kurosu kept going.

"It's the perfect time to work our bodies until dawn comes. Now get dressed! We're leaving in five minutes" Kurosu instructed the other dragon as he moved out of the room.

"AH!!! H-HEY!! OWWW!! WHAT ARE YOU DOING!?!? THAT HURTS!?!"

"I'm going to train you like I told you I would!! Now get the hell up! I'm done being nice!"

"WAIT-! THIS IS YOU BEING NICE!?!" 

Kurosu gripped the Shikibuton and pulled the covers away from Shiro, forcing his body to face the cold morning air since Shiro had left the window open last night.

"OK! OK! I'M UP!! GEEZ!!" Shiro screamed as he tried to cover his bare chest, the cold is not something Shiro wasn't used to being an islander. 

Kurosu stood in place as he observed Shiro silently, unnerving him as he thought Kurosu was going to do something else to him.

"....Just get up or I'll come back with my sword. Be ready in 5 minutes!" Kurosu demanded as he stomped out of the room abruptly.

Shiro was left alone and confused but also relieved Kurosu wasn't tormenting him further.

The streets of Ryoko were quiet and almost eerie to Shiro as the two walked so early in the morning. Not a single soul was outside and even the stores were still closed. 

"Where are we going?" Shiro inquired as he followed Kurosu

Kurosu looked over his shoulder as he spoke

"There's a forest just past the south gate of Ryoko. It's perfect for what we're about to do." 

"You make it sound so much worse" Shiro retorted, still annoyed with how early Kurosu had woken him up at. 

"What if it is so much worse? What if it's an ambush or even a murder conspiracy? You never know"

"...fuck you" 

Kurosu chuckled as they passed the south gate.

They went down a dirt path and into a dense wooded forest. It was still dark but Shiro was greatful all dragons have superb vision even in the dark. He could see a clearing up ahead that had a dirt circle. It looked like someone had trudged it up recently.

"We're here" Kurosu stated, "This is a spot I made for my own training so it's perfect for what we'll be doing….eh?"

Kurosu felt a pull on his purple scarf as he tried to walk further. He thought it got snagged on a thorn bush but it was Shiro gripping the bottom part of the scarf. 

"...you can let go now"

Shiro came back from his thoughts and let go of the scarf. 

"O-oh! Right!"

"He kept going so fast, I just grabbed it so I wouldn't be left behind. I feel like such a kid now" Shiro thought to himself, embarrassed by his childish actions.

"Heads up" 

"Ah!" 

Shiro reflexively grabbed what had been thrown in his direction: A Bokken*

It didn't look too shabby but was clearly used as he had cuts and marks from where the Bokken had been used in sword training prior.

"Will start with a sword since it's the most common weapon of choice. Come at with all you have, snowflake" 

"I'm far better with my fist then a metal stick"

"I still will teach you how to use this metal stick but will start with a wooden stick since I'm not here to kill my student"

Shiro rolled his eyes "Oh, how thoughtful of you"

"This is important. Hunters are seasoned killers and spies so the more weapons you can wield, the better. Now-"

Kurosu flicked his wrist and the bokken made a whipping noise as it sliced through air.

"Attack me. If you can knock my sword out of my hand: you win. You have to have 25 wins to call it a day. If I win 25 times, then I'll make you run a full lap around the forest. Now go!" 

Shiro felt a swift wind and in the nick of time as Kurosu moved to strike with incredible force. 

"Nngh!" Shiro could feel the pressure as Kurosu pressed his bokken on Shiro's.

"Good, you can block. But that will only get you so far in a real fight."

Kurosu then kept pressing until he left up suddenly, making Shiro lose balance. Kurosu took the opportunity and jabbed at Shiro's hand holding his sword, making him drop it.

"You lose" 

"Nnngh!!!" 

This is going to be a tough one.