Hero
A train whistle screams, telling everyone it's about to leave the station. Sapphire, Erza and Lucy are already off the train.
"Wow, that was a lot quicker than usual " Lucy said surprised.
"You're right..I wonder if it's because we didn't bring along the boys" Erza said placing her finger against her chin.
"You know what...you're right" Lucy said with a grin. "taking care of Natsu's motion sickness took out the joy of riding the train but why didn't Gray join us?"
"He's busy...with Juvia" Erza said giggling.
"Oh really..hehe" Lucy said with a devilish smile.
"I'm taking you two are talking about the rest of your team...Natsu Dragneel and Gray Fullbuster" Sapphire said crossing her arms.
"Yup" Lucy responds.
"I really did want everyone in team Natsu to join me" Sapphire said, turning around. "Especially Natsu"
"..Why Natsu?" Lucy asked raising an eyebrow.
"Because…" Sapphire responds and starts walking. "He's a dragon slayer"
Lucy is surprised by her response. Erza isn't as much. The two starts to follow Sapphire.
"Just because of that reason?" Lucy asked.
"Well he's the closest thing I can get to a real dragon...he was raised by a dragon right?" Sapphire said and smirked slightly. "The fire dragon king Igneel"
"You really did your research" Erza spoke.
"Of course...I always do when it catches my interest" Sapphire tells her.
"Well that proves how perfect a job you have" Lucy said with a smile. "I always did wonder doing something like you sometime in my life"
"It's not a easy job...there is always something blocking you" Sapphire states.
"Really? Like what?" Lucy asked curious.
"...People trying to be a hero.." Sapphire said in a uncaring tone.
"What's wrong with that?" Erza asked.
"...We are living a time where heroes are pretenders...that talk big but don't show it and even the ones that do...they think of themselves of being unstoppable.." Sapphire said shaking her head. "Dealing with those types of people everyday sure is annoying...almost every story I've written, they are there"
"Ha, ah..that does sound annoying" Lucy asked with a nervous laugh.
"Do you two think of yourself as hero's with the magic you both have?" Sapphire asked, turning her head a bit to them.
"Hero's...never thought of myself as a hero" Lucy answers looking up.
"Hmm...well being called a hero is flattering but haven't thought about it...almost everyone knows magic so there really isn't any need of hero's" Erza exclaims.
"Uh" Sapphire said walking further from them.
Their conversation ends. Lucy and Erza starts making their way to where Sapphire is leading them. They still don't know any details but are curious about what Sapphire has for them.
Hours has past and the three girls are walking through the forest. They haven't talked since the train station. It has been a quiet and peaceful walk.
Lucy has been admiring the things around her. "It's so quiet, I can't remember a time where it was this quiet...probably because Natsu" she thought and chuckles quietly. "That Natsu...wonder what's he doing now...probably nothing good" she thought and sighs.
"Well we're here" Sapphire said with a smile.
Erza and Lucy reaches her and are surprised. There is a huge crater in front of them with burn marks. The tree's surrounding the crater are just twigs. However behind the twigs, the tree's look pushed back.
"What is this?" Lucy asked Sapphire.
"Where it all started...this is what's left from the dragons that were here" Sapphire answers.
Erza couldn't speak. The sight made her freeze in the spot and isn't because of what she is seeing but remembering. There is another time where something like this happened but with less damage.
~~~
Hours of walking, made Natsu feel sick. Just like when he's motion sickness. His stomach hurts and everything is spinning.
"Damn...should have eaten something" Natsu said weakly. "Need foood!"
He trips over a rock and falls face first. He slowly pushes himself up but doesn't stand up. He stares at the ground. His stomach starts to growl. He hears it and leans his forehead against the ground. The lack of sleep is also taking over him. For a dragon slayer, there is a certain amount of food and sleep they must have to be at their best.
However, Natsu for once didn't. He can imagine Igneel in his head, hitting him for not eating enough. He chuckles softly until his nose twitch.
"This smell" Natsu said, raising his head.
Rapidly, Natsu gets up and starts running to the direction of that faint smell. He slides down a small hill and jumps over rocks. He starts to feel some energy coming back and jumps across a fallen tree. He continues to run until he hears the sound of keys hitting each other. That metal sound echos in his ears.
Natsu stops running and wonders where the noise came from. He looks around and see's nothing that would make that sound. He realizes that he's out of the forest by seeing no tree's in front of him. It's just a clear land with rocks sticking out of the ground and a small crater shape like an oval.
He scratches his neck through his scarf but stops after noticing something wrong with the ground. It is hard to see but there are skid marks going out from the middle of the crater.
"A fight went down here" Natsu said to himself.
"Indeed" said another voice causing Natsu to turn around.
Coming out from the forest, a top hat is seen. Underneath, is a person wearing a black blazer with silver pants. A silver cross necklace is also seen.
"How did he sneak up on me without me noticing" Natsu thought surprised his dragon senses didn't sense him.
"Who are you?" Natsu asked him.
"I'm someone, anyone and everyone" He answers him. "But in short, I am called...Hero"
Hero said giving his hand to him. Natsu hesitates with a puzzled look from his answer.
"I'm Natsu" he replies shaking his hand, awkwardly.
"Well then.." Hero said turning to the scene. "You're quite observant noticing what happened here"
"What do you mean...I don't know anything" Natsu replies.
"That's what you say but what you said tells me otherwise" Hero exclaims, bending his knees.
"Whats he doing?" Natsu thought staring at him. Hero slides his finger tips on the ground. He stands up and turns to Natsu.
"Tell me..you said a fight happened here, why?" Hero said raising his eyebrows.
"Uh...because of this oval shaped crater" Natsu answers not sure of himself.
"Not many people would say that there was a fight here...want to know why?" Hero said stepping forward, staring into his eye's.
"..." Natsu just nods.
"Not many people are fighters" Hero said turning around to the scene. "and from looking into your eyes, you're not one either"
"What!?, I'm much a fighter than you!" Natsu said flustered.
"...you sure about that.." Hero said slightly turning, staring at Natsu with one eye.
Natsu eye's widen a bit after feeling something cold pass him. His hands start to shake and his feet feel stuck in the ground. His senses start going haywire feeling danger. He can hear his heart, beating faster. "Whats going on...why do I feel scared?" He thought continue to stare at Hero. His eyes never left his. From just staring at Hero's one eye, he feels like time has stop. "Did he do something to me" Natsu thought but doesn't feel angry instead just fear.
After one blink from Hero, Natsu breaths in and starts coughing. He bends forward, with his hands on his knees. He stares at the ground for awhile.
"W-what was" Natsu stuttered quietly.
"Two people fought here" Hero states looking at the oval crater.
"Uh?" Natsu spoke, standing up straight. "...how.."
"...You may be a fighter...but not a true fighter who fought fights that would cost your life or others….and you can tell through a person's eyes because they show a story but I do wonder.." Hero said turning to Natsu. "Your eyes don't look like a true fighter yet...you were able to tell what happened here"
"I-i'm not sure myself to be honest" Natsu said understanding what Hero means.
"Hmm...the oval shaped crater was caused by a clash" Hero states pointing his finger at it. "The faded marks, on the ground are burn marks making me think someone who has control over fire fought here"
"Over fire...how can you tell that for sure?" Natsu asked.
"Because.." Hero said staring at the scene in front of him. "I can see the battle in front of me...and how it is played out...I can see the power the two people had"
A red flash, sparks in Hero's eyes. He starts visualizing two figures fighting. Clashing with one another non stop. He blinks, stopping what he visualized.
"Tell me Natsu...what specifically brought you here?" Hero asked without turning to him.
"I could ask you the same question.." Natsu replies.
A card is shown in front of Natsu's face. Hero is holding the card which reads. 'Detective'
"Someone who looks for answers...don't let my name full you…" Hero said smirking. "I'm more than just a hero"
"Yes you are...a crazy person" Natsu thought not buying Hero. The way he is acting and saying, is puzzling for Natsu to understand.
"Now you answer my question" Hero tells him in a serious tone.
"Hmm...I followed a strange scent" Natsu states plainly.
"Hm?" Hero said confused. "What scent is that, I don't smell anything out of the ordinary.
"Of course you don't..I'm a dragon slayer whose senses are sharper than a normal person"
"Dragon slayer.." Hero said slowly.
"Ya...well nice talking to you but I need to leave now…" Natsu said taking his first step.
"There is one thing you show know Natsu…" Hero spoke staring at the sky. "You shouldn't have been able to tell what has happened here...because...it happened hundreds of years ago.."
Natsu stares at Hero, not stepping a foot further. A cool breeze pass the two. The sky starts to darken.
Sapphire slides down the walls of the crater. Erza and Lucy follows her not sure why. The two starts to see something the further down they go.
~~~
Sapphire stops sliding and walks toward a dark stone in the middle of the crater.
"What is that?" Lucy asked Sapphire.
"What is left from the two dragons that fought here" Sapphire answered.
"There's writing on it" Erza states analyzing the stone. "But I don't understand the language"
"Don't worry, I can figure out the translation from the research I gathered" Sapphire tells her.
"Just realized, You haven't told us about the other dragon that attacked besides Acnologia" Lucy states.
"Oh right" Sapphire said remembering. "The other dragon, is called...the Crimson Dragon Emperor, Nexus"
"Dragon Emperor?" Erza said surprised. "Never heard of him"
"me either" Lucy said.
"Probably because it's hidden..like most things in this world" Sapphire tells them, turning back to the stone.
"What do you mean by that?" Lucy asked curious.
"You do know why I asked you here right?" Sapphire asked.
"Yes, to be your bodyguards" Erza answers.
"Yes, that's true but...there is more to the job" Sapphire said, placing her hand on the stone. "who you are guarding from is someone...dangerous, someone who can take everything...all my hard work away"
"And who can that be?" Lucy said, feeling a bit scared.
Sapphire turns around and lays her back up against the stone. She stares at the two.
"...you must be careful around this man because, he tricks you just by looking at you, he can use his words to chain you…"
~~~
"How do you know?" Natsu asked shocked.
"Isn't that the question of the day" Hero said with a small smirk. "I'm a man of mystery...but believe me, the only person that could have known what has taken place here would be the fighters themselves or me"
Natsu starts getting goosebumps hearing Hero. That scared feeling comes back to him but this time he can move. He grabs his right arm. He doesn't know why, what he says is scaring him. "What does this even mean" Natsu thought.
"Don't stress about it" Hero spoke. "There is no reason to if you weren't involved….you look to be around 16 or 17 and you couldn't possibly be alive 100 years ago...so don't worry"
"Ya, he's right" Natsu thought chuckling softly. He's letting what Hero said affecting him. He shakes his head and starts walking to the place he thought of going to.
"I can't stand around here anymore...I'm leaving" Natsu said, waving. "Goodbye Hero...I'll leave you to whatever you are doing"
"Ok..I'll just stay here alone..in such a strange world I don't know" Hero said in a sad tone, trying to get Natsu's attention.
"Not going to fool me again weirdo...see ya" Natsu said, entering the forest again.
"So close...but was fun while it lasted" Hero said putting his hands in his pockets. "Sadly, it isn't over just yet"
