Author's Note: Welcome to my first Fanfiction, set in the world of Fairy Tail! This is my first attempt to do something much more story based, having done one offs up until now but due to an idea that was, for me, too good to pass up I wanted to write it and begin sharing it here, all involving a character of my own making involved in the Fairy Tail world. Thank you for viewing my first chapter, and please do leave me a review so I can get your thoughts and opinions as I continue to work to making as good a story as I'm able. Anyway, please do enjoy the first chapter of "Something in the Rain".
It was getting dangerous. People from the town were getting too close, too curious about why there was fighting in the streets. For all he knew his opponent could try to turn the tide of the fight and use them as shields, or even throw attacks their way to try and escape, but he couldn't let Fishbones know that that was what he expected. One bad read and he could personally endanger their lives. He needed to get the man away.
Yet, as the other part of him knew would happen, Fishbones was more than happy to talk big. Standing on the opposite roof from him, the blue haired dark wizard pressed his hands to his hips and guffawed loudly. "Frozen in fright at long last huh Blackwell? It's taken long enough to get you to see my power~!" he said loudly, inwardly making Hayden groan. He was far from powerful, by far one of the weaker members of Ocean Mammoth he had faced, but with the battlefield he'd chosen it offered so many risks. The heights from having to fight on a rooftop didn't help either.
"Sure, let's go with that. Though when you say that, I haven't yet seen you land a single hit on me so I don't think it's fright. I think it's more..." Hayden played about with his hands, making it out that he was thinking out the right word, though with a cheeky smirk he added "...Disappointment."
Fishbones grit his teeth angrily and stamped his feet, cracking the roof tiles beneath him. "Don't call me disappointing you little freak! You're the one that barged in on Ocean Mammoth and expected to take us down! You're not one to talk!"
"Think of it like sampling a good restaurant. You're like appetizers, not a good enough meal to fill me up nor do I have to put in the effort. I could take you down in one hit if I wanted, but you have information I need. So, how about this Fishface, you tell me where your boss scampered off with his tail tucked between those legs of his, and I'll consider taking you down in two hits."
"It's Fishbones you dolt! Fishbones!" he shrieked, his already large mouth opening wider in rage, "You cocky little shit, I'll show you the power you're against! I, Fishbones of Ocean Mammoth, will destroy you and your little crusade! Tuna Bomber!"
Flexing the metal claws of his gloves, he prepared for the attack. Fishbones raised his hands and summoned a torrent of bubbles to appear, forcing them together to take shape into a massive fish. A loud pop shook the rooftops and the bubble tuna took form into an actual tuna, though its eyes displaying a countdown in seconds. He had to disarm it before it hit touched anything, the explosion from a spell that size likely to injure onlookers. He had to get the cut right first time.
"Take this you insufferable child!" Fishbones cried out as he lobbed the tuna into the air, Hayden's eyes instantly following it. Crouching a little, Hayden took the risk and leapt, claws outstretched and ready to swipe. He had to get it right first time, no exceptions. A single miss, one inch off point and that tuna would explode hurting who knows how many. He had to do it, he needed to.
His claws sunk into the surprisingly soft flesh, ripping through with ease. The claws touched the magical seal hidden within the tuna head and with a sudden sharp stab, Hayden shattered the seal and made the tuna unstable.
Landing with a hard enough thud on Fishbones's roof to further damage the rooftiles, he smiled as the tuna exploded on its way to the ground. "So... what was that about destroying me? Right now it's not looking too good for you."
"Damnit you stu-" the wizard's speech was stopped short with a strong strike to the jaw followed by the telltale crunch of a bone snapping. He cried out in agony, but Hayden wasn't done. He grabbed the wizard's collar and pulled him forwards, right into the second punch that sent him flying.
"It's a shame that you had to go down so quick but I don't have time for weaklings like you." Hayden chuckled with a smirk, watching with amusement as Fishbones soared through the sky and down into the streets below with a crunch. Turning to the crowd that had watched with a mix of fear and awe, Hayden shouted "Call the Council to get this guy swept up. I'm going after the rest of them!"
Dropping to the ground and instantly feeling much more confident and calm, he instantly began a sprint out towards the second hideout for the dark guild.
It was much more known that the casino in the town held some members, but it was while Hayden was tearing through the gambling establishment that he learned from one of the lackeys where their leader would run when under threat; magic council or otherwise. Only thing he didn't know was how to get in, something he hoped Fishbones could offer but with little choice but to wing it, Hayden ran through the streets to his destination.
He knew enough about Revolo to get a gist of his location at all times, and being able to see the casino most of the time helped even more. The stupidly obnoxious structure covered in bright lights and practically begging to be blown to bits did offer help in knowing how far he was from the ocean as well as the direction he was to head. A metal door hidden beneath a bridge on the west side of the town. With only so many bridges tucked away in a town like Revolo, there wasn't many wrong choices he could make.
"There he is! Get the bastard!"
Hayden turned his eyes up to the roof ahead of him, a pair of wizards from Ocean Mammoth waiting there with massive, arrogant smiles on their ugly faces. He skidded to a halt, and despite the annoyance in having to stop when he was so close to the hideout it did offer him something solid. "Wicker and Vestiel, right? Huh, didn't expect to see you two so soon."
"Damn right buddy boy-oy. Ain't no way-ay that you're getting close to the boss." the one named Wicker said, pointing right at Hayden with an even wider smirk.
"So I am going in the right direction afterall, Thanks for confirming that." Hayden replied, a comment that instantly made the smiles on both men fade. "I'm guessing you're gonna get in my way too? Fine, I'll kick your ass like I did Fishbones and all those goons in that stupid casino. Once I'm done with you, your leader is next."
"What do we do Wicker? Should we get more in here to fight him or do we take him on ourselves?" Vestiel asked, starting to appear a little flustered. Hayden couldn't help a chuckle in seeing it.
Even with Wicker getting anxious as well, he turned to his comrade and jabbed him in the chest. "Quit with the drama! We gotta get him stopped no matter what! Come on, the boy-oy may have gotten past Fishbones but now its two on one! You hear that boy-oy?! You're not getting past us!"
"Y-yeah! That's right!"
It was fun to see the two try to talk tough, but it was clear they were already doubting themselves. How they managed to survive so long as a guild, or even pose any form of threat to anyone with magic, was beyond him. Though knowing that even in the short time he'd been in town his presence was already enough to warrant that much of a defence of their master, it certainly was flattering in an amusing way.
Vestiel lept from the rooftop and landed with a thunderous boom, the ground cracking beneath his feet. He was a hefty man but the damage he caused was surprising despite his size. Flexing his claws, Hayden readied for the man's bull rush. "Gonna run you over kid! Juggernaut Buffalo!"
He was faster than Hayden anticipated, each footstep breaking up a chunk of the ground. Gritting his teeth and flexing his claws, Hayden stood his ground for the man. The impact ran straight down his palms and to his elbows, the force causing his own feet to sink into the ground and push him back a few feet, but no more.
"Seems your attempt to face me head on... isn't up to snuff." he taunted, clenching his fingers to sink the metal claws into Vestiel's armor, "My turn..."
With all his strength, Hayden lifted the surprisingly heavy man above his head for just a moment before slamming him down hard into the ground headfirst. Vestiel's head disappeared, leaving him propped up by his shoulders. He wasn't about to let Wicker know that the impact of the Juggernaut Buffalo had sent the shock up his arms, briefly making his muscles tense up. Even after disposing of Vestiel, his arms weren't at full movement, and Wicker was never known for patience. His arms slung to his sides, Hayden was prepared to dodge each attack until his arms worked again.
"Get ready for this, die you damn freak! Gatling Magma Cannon!" Wicker shrieked out, his hands flung out straight ahead of him. Creating a magical ring in the air, the dark mage laughed loudly as his confidence soared higher and higher.
At least until a foot collided with his face. "YAAAAAAAH! There you are you bastard! Running away from me like that!" Wicker's attacker shrieked, flames literally spewing from his mouth in anger. A woman and a blue cat ran up the street below him, and Hayden felt not just a moment of shock at this sudden attack from the stranger, but an odd sense that he knew who they were. They seemed so familiar...
"Natsu that isn't the same guy! The one that ran from you had a green hood!" the woman called, attracting her partner's attention. He seemed confused at first, grabbing Wicker's collar and lifting him. He inspected him for several seconds, his face dropping.
"Why didn't you tell me before I knocked his ass out Lucy?!"
"Now it's my fault?! You're the one that ran at him without even thinking about it!"
The two kept shouting at each other for a time, neither one backing down from their side of the argument. He couldn't stop staring at them in utter confusion, where did they come from? Who were they?
"Wait... Natsu? Lucy? No, it couldn't be..." he mumbled to himself, yet looking over the two it was almost impossible to say it wasn't them. A blonde haired girl with a chest that people didn't seem to stop talking about during the games, a blue cat with wings and the obnoxiously loud, pink haired kid with a passion for hitting things. "Uhh... are you guys Fairy Tail?"
The two stopped arguing and turned to face him, the blonde jumping at the sight of Hayden standing there with a man's head buried into the ground. "What? Where did you come from?!"
"I was who they were fighting before you showed up, actually. So... I was here the whole time?"
Natsu leapt down from the roof and slowly walked up to the much larger man, looking up to stare right into Hayden's eyes. Hayden stared right back, not backing down if Natsu hoped to intimidate him. The silence was deafening, and in the end it was Happy the cat who shattered it like glass. "Must be strong then huh?"
"Very." Hayden replied simply, his lips slowly curling into a smile, "Thanks for the help. Wasn't sure if I was going to get hit by him but you showed up at the right time surprisingly. Though... why are you lot from Fairy Tail here?"
"We have a job to get rid of Ocean Mammoth, a dark guild, though if they were attacking you like you said perhaps you already know them?"
"I have had my experience with them yes, only got here a few hours ago. I assume less for you lot, as you weren't at the casino when I trashed it looking for their guild master."
"That was you?!" Lucy cried out, jumping a step back. She was sweating instantly, a look of utter panic on her face. "That casino was practically falling apart at the foundations when we got there. Was a miracle it's still standing really..."
"I... uh, yeah. I kinda went a bit overboard with it." Hayden scratched the back of his neck sheepishly. He had gone overboard, and there were innocent civilians inside using the casino's questionable machines that could have gotten hurt.
Natsu however looked a little bit amuse by that. "Sounds like you know how to have a good fight! How about you come with us? Sounds like you have some deep beef with them too."
"You sure that's a good idea Natsu...?"
"Why not? No harm in it Lucy, you worry too much."
Fighting alongside Fairy Tail? Not for one moment did he ever expect it to happen, but the words Natsu had spoken were there, real and sure. "Always wanted to see how I compared to you. I guess now's my chance."
Hayden and Natsu smirked, their eyes locked and a new rivalry formed. It was going to be fun for both of them, though Lucy and Happy couldn't help but feel anything but terrified.
"Why does this always happen to us...?" Lucy quietly said to herself, her head and arms dropping in defeat.