Desiderium
"Disgusting creatures may haunt your dreams, but wrong decisions will deem their demise."
Horrid monsters ravage quaint, unsuspecting towns, turning them just mere wisps of folk-lore. Ending their wrath won't be easy. A small group of warriors meet up to dream of the inevitable, but with doubts, debts, and barely any training, they don't know where to begin. Being humanity's last hope has its perks, but finding a traumatized young woman hiding in the forest -full of monsters- reality sorta just smirks and spits in your face, reminding you that you live in a dystopia.
Chapter 1: Warm Memories and Dark Pasts
The street was barren. Lifeless. Dead. It was if Mother Nature had taken her sweeper and swept away the human filth. Disgusting. The bone-chilling cold wafted through the air, seemingly unfazed by the street's stillness. The male exhaled, fog from his breath visible in front of his pink tinted nose. He shivered- just a tad- while craning his neck to look at the sun-ridden sky. Snow slowly started to accumulate, just adding onto the suspicious aura the weather emitted. He sighed, snuffling deeper into his scarf while placing his hands into his hoodie pocket, trying to conjure warmth with a plume of smoke evaporating into the crisp, cold air from his sound of his boots clacking was the only sign of life. His pace quickened, suspicions growing with it. His fingers started to numb as he was rushing down the cobblestone pathway. Another puff of air escapes his body, much more in a haste than before. People who said running keeps you warm in the cold might as well be damned, but he was still determined to leave this freezing hell-hole as soon as humanly possible.
Quickly scanning each building, he scrambled inside his pockets in search of his key ring. House 372 on Octarila Avenue. Weird name, yes. Spooky looking house, also yes. But it was home to the rejects, who valued everything they were given; even if given meant stolen. He perused through all his keys, slightly jumping when the outside porch light flickered to life, sensing it was nighttime as an ominous dark cloud loomed over the town. His keys clinked together as he stuck the right one into the slot, then turned it. A low moan sounded in the distance, signaling he was to hurry his ass up. He threw himself inside and slammed the door behind him. He instantly cringed at the loud noise, hoping to all the gods it wasn't loud enough to hear from far away. He let out a breath he didn't realize he was holding in, and slumped against the door.
"Looks like someone just about pissed their pants. Also, don't go slammin' doors 'n shit, its like you're begging to be brutally torn to shreds." A tall, dark haired brute sauntered his way into the room, a frown of disapproval plainly showing. " Natsu...where have you been all day?"
Natsu grunted while stripping off his hoodie, not bothering to give a proper answer, or rather, one that Gray would be wanting to hear. He turned, locked the door, then yanked the curtains to a close, cutting off any light the windows were filtering in - which wasn't very much to begin with.
"Get along, now is not the time for arguing." A scarlet haired woman emerged from the hallway, arms crossed indicating she wasn't pleased with the dark haired male's behaviour. She raised a brow at his scowling. Pushing that aside for later, she welcomed Natsu back home with a smile, but a tinge of worry escaped her features for a mere moment. That was enough for Natsu to realize something seemed off with the two; in fact ever since he stepped foot in the household.
Suddenly, a flash of white light illuminated the curtains; barely peeking out from the uncovered sides. Following it was a distant grumble of thunder, agitating the ground slightly. Small knick-knacks clattered against each other while a pencil rolled off of a desk.
"Thundersnow.1. Not much to fret over. What's with you two? You seem…" Natsu paused, "...off." He draped his hoodie on the arm of the couch, not noticing the coat rack screwed to the wall behind him. Either that or he just didn't care.
Gray sighed, arms going limp on his sides, he pondered over his choice of words, obviously disgusted with what he was about to say. "We were…...worried about you. It's not like you to go out without telling anyone, and you were gone for hours. We thought you were….." His voice broke a few times, trying to grasp a hold of his words; he began again."We thought you were subjected to to horrors that everyone else was given." His hands were now clutched at his sides, bangs covering his facial features.
Natsu squinted his eyes at Gray's choice of words and thought about why he sounded so worried. It wasn't like Gray to get worked up over much, he never jumped to conclusions much. He also never shown any regard towards Natsu, unless they were fighting.
The scarlet haired woman spoke right after, "Natsu, you should know not to go outside like that. It's dangerous for your well being as well as ours. You should know full well that those things are closing in on our base. Stay here and do not leave until we are ready to move out."
"Move out?!" Gray's head flipped back up. "W-we can't just 'move out,' have you lost your mind? There's no way in literal Hell we could ever get out of here unscathed or alive. Soon they will find us and there will be no escape, leaving isn't an option!" He started to hyperventilate, distraught with her plan of action.
"I somewhat agree with you Gray, but it wouldn't hurt to try." His voice was low and understanding. Lightly tapping his chin with his fake golden claw, he predicted what should be their plan of approach.
"Are you insane?! 'Wouldn't hurt to try' my ass! It would literally 'hurt to try,' we might even die!" Natsu's eyes widened, never had he seen Gray so distraught over something. He opened his mouth to speak, but was cut off with another voice.
"Calm down Gray. We have something the other civilians will never have." The three looked at eachother and spoke without words, all silently exchanging looks; giving approval of leaving the base. Gray seemed to start calming down from the show he put on earlier.
"So, Natsu, I still don't think you answered Gray's question earlier." All eyes directed towards said male; slowly shifting uncomfortably under their gaze.
"I've been….out?" He gave a fake smile, sensing impending doom on his poor, old, fragile soul.
"Natsu. Answer. Now." She was starting to get ticked off, he could tell. A sense of anger radiated off her. He decided not to dawdle any further.
"S-sorry Erza.. I've been gathering intel about the monster's whereabouts and practically jotting down anything i can about them. The more we know, the better." His hands fumbled with his scarf, a sign he was distressed with the vexatious2 feel in the air. It was a habit, his scarf gave him the contentment he needed. It also helped with fumbling over words; it happened a lot to say the least.
"Sufficient answer. I'll take it." Erza elbowed Gray's side, earning another scowl from him.
"Yeah." Was all he said, giving Erza a rude look.
Erza nodded. "I want you all well-rested for tomorrow. Make sure to pack everything you need, but not too much it will slow you down. I really don't need someone else succumbing to a tragic fate."
Both Gray and Natsu exchanged glances, slowing shaking their head as to why she was so formal sometimes.
"Just say die." Natsu tilted his head, but jumped up at her murderous intent. Gray chuckled lowly, muttering an 'idiot' under his breath. Natsu decided to share Erza's murderous intent to Gray, nobody needed to be left out, now did they?
Erza slowly stalked off, leaving the two disgruntled men by themselves. Not the wisest of decisions made. When she was out of sight, Gray spoke up.
"You lied." He seethed. Clenching his teeth, he had given the most repulsive look directed to Natsu.
"I didn't lie. I just stretched the truth a little bit. No harm, no foul." Natsu was a bit irritated with the look he was getting but shrugged it off. He turned around and began to walk out of the room before Gray clenched the ending of his low-riding scarf and yanked it backwards, throwing the male to the floor along with it.
"What the Hell?! What do you think you're doing, you asshole!" Natsu rubbed his sore throat, trying to push up off of the floor and sock Gray in the nose.
"No harm done, eh? How about harm when Erza beats the shit out of you for deceiving her with your lies? Putting her in a false sense of comfort? She really believes you are finding information, do you really wanna know what she would do when she looks to you for guidance tomorrow when we leave here? And when she figures out you've been out drinking? You'd be dead where you stand. I can literally smell it, fire breath." Gray grabbed Natsu's scarf one last time, raised it upwards with his head following and dropped it, a loud thump and yelp resonating from the now injured male.
"Cut that shit out before I beat it out of you." Natsu grumbled, rubbing his scalp. "Look, I know she'll be mad, but I do have a few things written up about them." Natsu finally pushed himself back up on his feet then started to readjust his scarf.
"Like what?" Gray scoffed, watching Natsu's futile attempts at getting the perfect position for the scarf. He eventually just took the whole thing off and draped the two ends on each side of his neck. Gray raised an eyebrow when his eyes met back up to his.
"That they...like to kill?" Natsu averted his eyes. He knew he was going to receive an unthinkable punishment.
"NO SHIT SHERLOCK! " Gray roared, throwing his fist against Natsu's cheek. Obviously pissed to the brim with Natsu's fucked up antics.
"YOU WANNA GO WATSON?!" Natsu grasped his cheek in pure anger and kicked Gray in the stomach, sending him to the floor.
"YOU TWO BETTER NOT BE FIGHTING!" Erza yelled from her room. Both boys stopped, a sense of dread washing over their bodies, fearing for their lives, they simultaneously laughed.
"Of course not! We were just playing a game in here!"
"Aye!"
"Good." Erza replied just loud enough for them to hear from how far the two rooms were. It was surprising to hear how calm she was, yet they were so far away from her, they could barely fathom how they could understand her.
They both sighed in defeat and began rubbing their sore spots. Exchanging looks, they both nodded silently. Natsu held his hand out, grabbing Gray's and hoisting him back up, mumbling a soft apology while Gray sounded his own.
"So is that all you really have about them?" Gray sounded upset in a way, like he was actually hoping to hear something useful from Natsu once in a while.
"'Course not, whaddya take me for, a moron?" Natsu chuckled, plopping himself on the couch seated right by where he was standing.
"Well, actually, yes. I do." Gray smiled, seating himself right by Natsu.
"Oof, bullet to the heart." Natsu motioned that action, earning an eye roll and a shake of his head from Gray.
"Anyway, I have a whole sketchbook full of things. I don't draw in it, since I've never seen those bastards yet. It's just full of notes and things that I hear from other people who actually faced with them, and yet managed to escape. Pretty badass if you ask me."
"So what you're saying is, you went to the bar down the street and asked a couple drunkies about this? Are you even sure they're in their right mind? Not considering you may not even have a mind, sorry I even asked."
"Alright wise guy, you think you have better info than me? Check it!" Natsu proudly flipped his sketchbook over so Gray could scan over it. Neat, small handwriting filled the pages. Notes were scattered in a few places, enough to fill the whole page if not for the weird drawings placed here and there. Looked like Natsu's interpretation of those creatures. What a disgusting plague they were. Ridding himself of the thought, he nodded and looked back over to Natsu's beaming face, obviously proud of his findings. Gray didn't know whether to feel annoyed, thankful, or sad. Sad that he couldn't see Natsu's ass get beaten alive if he turned up to Erza empty-handed. Thankful they had something to refer to, even if on close inspection it was all shit. Annoyed with that smug smirk on his face, cocky bastard.
The wind began to pick up, the cheap glass windows they had rattled violently as if they were to shatter sometime soon. Cold air began to creep up in the house through the weathered down wood and door opening. A few minutes passed before Gray spoke up.
"Good not everything you said was a lie." Gray watched as Natsu slowly got back up to pick up the pencil that rolled off his desk earlier and set his sketchbook down. He then sat back by Gray and began to fiddle with a set of golden, fake claws he had on his fingers. With that man, his fashion sense was a lost cause. Not like Gray's was any better.
Natsu hmphed in response, too lazy to answer. He lounged back, the old sofa protesting over the weight. His fingers slid down the intricate details on his claw. The bottom was shaped like a deer's footprint, yet still came to a sharp point like a claw should be. Holes were put on the base of it, 5 to be exact, and the rest had a bumpy fixture to it, giving Natsu something to rub his other fingers on if bored.
Gray wasn't bothered with Natsu's lack of conversation. The silence was comforting too.
Breaking the silence, Natsu sighed long and hard, obviously upset with something. Gray didn't say anything, nor batted an eye. Natsu did it once again, even more long and hard than before. Gray now raised a brow. Natsu was about to do it again, but was stopped.
"What the fuck is wrong with you? Can't get enough air to your brain?"
Natsu glared back, but only uttered out a single word.
"Backpfeifengesicht3."
"Excuse me? Wanna run me by that again, Smart Aleck?" Gray fumed, clutching the chain attached to his jeans.
Natsu just shrugged his shoulders, irritating Gray to the very brink.
"If you're gonna fucking say something, say it so I can hear."
"MAYBE if your ears weren't so CLOGGED with earwax you could hear me clear as day!"
"So you wanna be like that huh? Let's see who is DEAF when I'M THROUGH WITH YOU-" Gray quickly snatched the end of Natsu's scarf once again, getting ready to throw him down. Natsu had his hand on the rim of Gray's shirt and leg pulled up, ready to kick.
A dark shadow loomed from above, making the two boys jump out of their skin. They didn't have to turn around to know who it was. It was Satan getting ready to take them to Hell and back. So long world, you were shitty till the very end.
"It's 10PM. Gray. Natsu. Bed. Now." Erza growled, grabbing two tufts of their hair and slinging them towards the doorway. The males slowly glanced back to Erza, only to find her menacing glare staring right back at them. Goosebumps traveled along their arms and weirdly, their legs. Erza's glare suddenly grew, causing them to skitter down the hallways to their rooms, slamming the doors shut. Erza was left alone in dark silence. After a few moments she sighed. Walking over to the window, she opened the curtains just a tad to peek outside. Snow was still falling, coating the streets with a thin layer of white. The moon was huge, engulfing almost the whole window. Looking down the street was a red light. She instantly shut them again and rushed to her room, closing the door very slowly with only a mere click indicating it was fully shut.
Natsu took in the sight of his room when he walked in, letting the warmness that was trapped in there flow out of the door and onto him. Moonlight poured out of the window, falling down on his bed like it was showcased in a spotlight. Small knick-knacks couldn't be seen quickly, the shadows from his bookcase and dresser were easily found on the other hand. He scanned the compacted area, thinking beforehand on what to take and what to leave behind. He was known for hoarding a few things here and there, nothing major, it seemed this task may prove to be more difficult for him than the others. On the bright side a couple things had caught his eye. While walking up to them, the floor creaked with every step, protesting under his weight. Squinting and shoving a few things out of the way, he grabbed the essentials. Lighter, matches, pocket knife, pencil sharpener, pencils, erasers, a spare sketchbook, a few handfuls of candy, a picture, books, and his necklace. That would do for now he guessed. He packed those in his backpack and carefully placed the picture in the front pocket. Hoisting it up, he laid it in the corner of the room, giving one last look to everything else. He had time, but for now he closed the curtains and clipped them shut, all light diminishing into nothingness. Throwing back the covers, his bed creaked while he settled himself onto it. His body thanked him instantly, it was like the bed had swallowed him whole and wouldn't let go for shit. Looking up with glazed over, hazy eyes, he stared at the ceiling. He sketched out lines and shapes from it, following each dip and indentions it had. His eyes had traveled every line before closed his eyes again, only now was he greeted with the warm embrace of his covers, the sweet sensation lulling himself to sleep.
"I never understood why you take an interest in those dastardly beasts. Why don't you like something innocent like a house cat?"
"You're one to talk about "dastardly beasts,' Dad, and why not a lion instead of a house cat? They're so much cooler and bigger, perfect for cuddling." A little boy twirled a pencil in his fingers, sitting on the cold rock of the cave under him. He was drawing a big lion with feathers, graceful yet dangerous. He gave the biggest and most wholehearted smile to his not so likely father.
The dragon gave a displeased look to his son. He swiveled his head downwards, cautious of not hitting the human child with his snout. "I'm just trying to get you to value the small things in life. Even if it's extremely small. A sunny day, laughter, a smile from someone you care about. All those things mean a lot, but can be taken away very easily. Don't take them for granted. I want you to live a life worth living."
"I-is something bad going to happen Papa?" His voice shuddered, his arm shaking while trying to hold on to the dragon's nose. "Is e-everything okay?" Fear was laced within his voice. The pencil was long gone now, hiding in the dark cracks of the cave, forgotten from the young child.
"Don't worry about it. That's for older you to figure out. No ill will will come to you if you choose the right pathway. Now go on and get ready for bed."
The boy reluctantly got up and put his stuff away in his corner and warily crept up to his father's side. Warmth radiated off of his scales, enveloping his whole body.
"Night night, Neel." He cuddled up against his father, closing his eyes, the sweet sensation lulling him to sleep.
"Good night, Natsu." Igneel rested his head on his arm right by where Natsu was fast asleep, snoring away. The dragon gave a soft smile before he too, fell asleep.
Natsu was pulled away from his slumber by a dark figure, shaking him restlessly. He pressed his hands against their nose, not having enough strength to fight back.
"What the hell's wrong with you?" Gray harshly whispered, only audible for Natsu and anyone else in the room. Not that anyone was, he didn't think. Testing that theory, he flicked his head left and right, only seeing Gray in his room. Gray pushed Natsu's hands off of his face.
"What are you doing? It's like.." Natsu's sentence trailed off while he leaned over to look at his alarm clock. "Gray its 2 in the fucking morning, the real question is what you're doing." He mimicked Gray's level of voice, already knowing Erza was asleep and they didn't want to wake her.
"I heard you sobbing like a baby and mumbling about cuddling? Sorry if I intruded on a wet dream."
Natsu shook his head, running his fingers through his hair. "No...No, it wasn't that. Honestly I can't remember what my dream was about." Natsu casually lied, letting out a yawn before placing his hands back in his lap.
"Well whatever it was it had you riled up. Just don't do it again, you might blow our cover." Gray sat on the edge of Natsu's bed, keeping him company, also to make sure he was okay before taking his leave.
"So uh…" Natsu started, pondering his choice of words. "Excited for our big escape tomorrow?" He inwardly cringed.
"Don't even start." Gray huffed, crossing his arms. "Can't believe we are leaving. There's nowhere else to go."
"You don't know that. There's always something. Don't be an acosmist4.I plan on making a map for wherever we go, we can learn things, y'know?" Natsu smiled, he was somewhat excited to leave. All he knew was this building. Correction, all they knew was this building.
"Since when did you want to learn things?" Gray gave a low scoff, impressed how everything was turning out. Never had Natsu wanted to learn, nor used big words that sometimes Gray never knew what he was talking about. Never had Erza liked to leave places she knew, out into the open where their coffin was placed in every corner. And yet, never had he been so careful or scared. The world changed and so did they. He decided he didn't like change either.
"I thought it would be a good idea to learn and know things about the creatures trying to kill us." He sarcastically replied like it was just a normal thing to say. It really wasn't.
"Fair enough." Gray sighed, pushing himself up off Natsu's bed. The two men nodded, signaling this was the end of their conversation. Gray stalked off to the door, looking at the full backpack in the corner. He hung his head low and opened the door.
"Good night, Gray. Sleep well."
"You too, buddy." Gray turned around and smiled, slowly closing the door. A soft click echoed through his room Natsu couldn't help but smile as well.
"A smile from someone you care about. "
1= Thundersnow. Sometimes when it snows, it thunders! Very rare to happen, ain't that somethin'?
2= Vexatious. Causing someone to feel annoyance, frustration, or worry.
3= Backpfeifengesicht. "A face that needs a fist in it."
4=Acosmist. A person who believes nothing exists.
Qwertys Notes: Woah! The first chapter of Desiderium is finally finished! Whaddya guys think? Yae or nae? Anyywayy~ heads up, future chapters will be very sad and gorey considering this is a dystopia! Also, if you couldn't already tell, i put numbers by words, just in case some of my readers don't know what they mean! In this story, Natsu is a bit OC, but I hate it when fans perceive Natsu to be stupid and not know anything. When those monsters came to life, he needed to get smarter to survive and save his friends. At least, that's what he has given up all hope, as usual. I don't have an updating schedule, but reviews do help my process go faster! I have a lot planned for the future, hopefully you guys stick around for it! This is my first ever fanfiction, criticism is always welcome. Stay tuned for the next chapter!