Chapter 9: Prior Game
After having completed the task of the sky maze most of FairyTail was elated. Natsu currently was looking at the boozing guild members while wondering how they managed to drink like they did and still get anything done – well, honestly he supposed it had something to do with their tolerance or their magic. Personally he would drink a bit from time to time, but he didn't like the way it made his nose burn and his ears pop. Saya was standing next to him in questioning before looking at him as Lucy chatted away with Levy while the Time Dragon Slayer next to him was thinking about something. Finally she sighed and then looked to the pink haired slayer next to her fully.
"Natsu? Will you go with me to get something right quick?" she asked.
"Sure." The others noticed the two of them leaving and most paused.
"Hey! Natsu! Where you going? Aren't you gonna join us?" asked Macao. The boy shook his head.
"Saya said she needed my help with something so I'll be back later." With that he went out the door with the girl.
The moment they were outside the door they both took a deep breath of fresh air. Sometimes having stronger senses of scent and taste were a real nuisance only because of moments like the ones they'd just left – too much going and far too many things to intake. Natsu looked at Saya who grinned as she led him to down the street towards where she knew what they would need was located. Natsu and herself had idle chatter as they walked through Croucus. They reminded each other of their childhood and Natsu made a notion of something from when they were only about five and the girl laughed as they turned a corner and the two paused.
Saya had led him to a place that he had least expected but Natsu shrugged and went on in with her and allowed the girl to begin speaking to him in their first language. He nodded as they went about the place looking through things and poking through the items until they each had found three things that they would need. Saya had asked the man at the front for two specific items and he had nodded before giving the items to them and then soon after they arrived they left and walked back onto the street in the sunlight where Natsu had to pause to look at the sky. It was a very vibrant blue which made him smile in hope that the sensation of bad things to come would just pass over them.
Natsu made a mention of something to Saya who paused in her step – a rustle of wind came by and he looked at her as she turned and smiled to her before all to soon they were heading back to the hotel where they would be back in the madness. However, Saya dragged him away from the street and ran with him to an empty building which she went into. As Natsu looked around he sighed and then went into the building with her. It was as they were going about their plans that Lucy sighed back at the hotel where the guild was.
"Awe come on Lu don't get so antsy," said Levy.
"I'm not antsy Lev I'm confused about something…" the blue haired girl raised an eyebrow.
"What? I heard you got together with Natsu – that's awesome!" she stated. Lucy nodded.
"He gets a little bit rough sometimes…but he hasn't done anything to hurt me or anything else like that Lev…it's…I don't know like his instincts overtake him when he gets around me." The blue haired Script Wizard nodded with a grin.
"Well you did choose a Dragon Slayer – they tend to get that way about their mates," Levy told her.
"Natsu said something about that…something to do with a bite?" the girl nodded.
"Well…believe it or not some Dragons have venoms – Fire Dragons included. So the fact that Natsu is a bit worried about biting you like he probably would like to is rational…if he senses venom in his system then he wouldn't bite his mate," the girl said with a nod.
"Venom? What next? Blood drinking?" Levy laughed a bit.
"Despite the vampire-like quality darker types of Dragons have I can assure you he won't let himself give into that. A book I read said that Fire types are included on that list, so are time dragons and shadow dragons – not many other ones can do that though except well an element that's been brothered into the Fire Dragon linage and that's a rare Blood Dragon itself," Levy told her.
"So Natsu is…" she sighed.
"Lucy, listen…that is basic to a majority of them – they can thrive on that element if its connected too their element…blood is connected to Time, Fire, Shadow, and the other rare Black Ice Dragons since most of them are gone those four are low chance. No big deal, Saya might get a knack for a secondary element, but rarely do any Dragon Slayers get second elements. I would count it as a farfetched chance. Now, no more talk about this – tell me all the details about you and Natsu," she said grinning.
Lucy was saved from embarrassment by the boy she was about to speak of and Saya coming in the door. Both of them looked a little worse for wear. A few scrapes and dirt on them. The group around them went silent and Natsu sighed as he looked at Saya's scratched hand and dragged her towards Mira for some medical help before going over to Lucy. Levy watched as the boy snuggled up to Lucy on the sofa next to her and the blonde wizard smiled as he sighed. Levy herself was seated in a chair next to Lucy who was at the end of the sofa. Natsu frowned before glancing at the blue haired girl from under his bangs. She smiled as she looked them over and then glanced at the boy.
"I like the new look," she said eyeing his appearance – black pants, boots, and his normal overlay that was at his waist with a belt and the shirt he'd typically wear consisting of a closed front, high collar, scarf, and a sleeve on the side opposite of his guild mark that had a leather strap latched around his upper arm.
"It's not really that different." She shook her head.
"I like your hair too – your bangs not being styled back looks much more mature and it suits your eyes…brings out the green in them," Levy told him. Natsu sighed as he leaned back on the sofa and Lucy curled to his side and intertwined their fingers.
"You okay? What happened to you and Saya?" he looked to the side.
"Um well…we kind of got turned around and an old building almost fell on us," he said.
"Oh my God! Are you okay?" he nodded.
"Just a few scratches…" Lucy frowned as she rose their hands up to look at the three straps of leather in three different colors that were on his wrist.
"What's this?" she asked.
"Saya made it for me – something about late birthdays…" Levy laughed at the statement.
"That reminds me! We don't know when your birthday is!" she told him and Natsu looked down.
"Yea she just said it was for that though…it's nothing serious," he said off-handedly.
"If you say so. Well, what did she need?" Natsu looked to her.
"She went to get books – said she was looking for something," he told them.
"Really? Maybe I can help her!' he shook his head.
"No, Saya said she wanted to do this alone – she's really stubborn…" rubbed his arm.
"What happened there?" he looked at Lucy.
"She freaking hit me is what happened! Got angry because I said I would help her. She's always been that way even when we were kids…damn and her hits are stronger too." Lucy laughed as she leaned over and kissed his cheek.
"Don't get onto her Natsu – she's just got a lot of pent up energy," she said. Natsu smiled and then looked to the staircase.
"Oh boy…" there was a thump and then…
"NATSU! I NEED YOUR HELP FOR A MINUTE!" Saya's voice rang out and the pink haired slayer sighed as he stood.
"And there's the curtain call on my peace and quiet…I'm coming Saya…Jeeze says that she can do it alone and then all the sudden I'm her butler…what a contradictory…" the girl peeked over the banister.
"I heard that!" she said.
"You were supposed to!" the others watched as Saya narrowed her eyes.
"NATSU! I'M GOING TO KILL YOU! TIME DRAGON…" Natsu jumped.
"We need a shield!" he snapped.
"ROAR!" the burst of metal and the clicking of clocks caught their attention as people blocked the attack.
Everyone slumped, panting when the girl looked over them with anger and then narrowed her eyes at Natsu who was glowering back at the girl with flames flickering – Lucy caught a spark and gulped before the boy walked up the staircase and snatched the girl by her arm and walked into the room she had come from prior to slamming the door. All eyes went to the pair next to him and there was a sudden clap of electricity before it went quiet. They heard someone yelling and another person talking back sharply in a language most hadn't heard before. Levy looked at Lucy who shrugged. Before the door rattled and then it again went quiet.
Natsu looked out at the crowd and smiled defensively causing most to ease as he glanced back at the fuming Saya. He rolled his eyes and dragged her out where the girl apologized before marching back into the room with Natsu hot on her heels. Everyone attempted to go back to their earlier routine, but Levy was scrambling through the door and dragging Lucy with her. The two girls were down the street to the nearest bookstore in minutes. Lucy sometimes wondered how the girl dragging her along ever got anything but reading done – then again her magic circled around it.
The two girls arrived shortly after their walk – run in Lucy's opinion – and entered the building. It smelt of old paper and leather bindings, and ink. She smiled a bit while Levy went up to the counter and rang the bell. A man came out of the area behind a stack of books to which the girls stared at. He huffed and puffed in irritation before slamming the books down. They looked between each other as he growled when he realized someone was still standing behind him.
"I done told you! I don't got nothing more on the stupid virtues and vices I…oh…sorry! I thought you were someone else!" he explained and they nodded.
"Its fine, I was wondering if you had any books on Oriental language," Levy asked. Lucy stared.
"Ah I don't get many requests for that – I do have some though. Which area are you looking for?" Levy paused.
"Japan," she stated.
"That's a beautiful country – did you meet someone from there?" she shook her head.
"Nope, two of my friends are from the Orient so I decided to look into their history and culture more," she said smiling.
"That's nice of you – those two orients that were in here earlier just about drove me insane." The two girls paused.
"Orients?" the man nodded.
"They spoke the language you're looking into, had names from there too…both of them looked like they walked out of a freak show..." Lucy frowned.
"What do you mean by that?" the man shrugged. He began leading them to the books and looked for the one they requested.
"Well…the girl looked normal enough except she had gray in her hair, and brown and blonde like some kind of vagrant…and the boy…well he suited something from a fictional story," he told them smugly.
"What did he look like?" the man paused.
"Had lightly tanned skin, black eyes and….his hair was this weird shade of pink – I swear some kids these days are so idiotic!" he turned around with their book in hand to meet a pair of glaring eyes.
"Pink hair? His name is Natsu, he's a member of FairyTail – the Salamander," Lucy said coolly.
"Salamander?! That boy?" Levy took the book and crammed some Jewl into the man's hand.
"Keep the change. Just remember this sir, the Salamander is just called that for kicks! He's a Fire Dragon Slayer – and a damn wicked fighter…just be glad he wasn't here to listen to your smack talk about his friend Saya," she said as they left the store.
Lucy fumed to her friend as she walked back with her to the hotel. Natsu and Saya had been in there earlier and the man had thought so poorly of them just by appearance? She frowned – for one she was offended because by saying those things about the two of them he'd insulted a FairyTail Wizard and that didn't settle well with her. Secondly she would be the first to admit that Natsu was anything but freaky looking – she found him to be quite attractive and it was nice to look, even before they were together – he wasn't some kind of freak of nature either, and as for Saya well as the guys had said she was quite a beauty with her pale skin and silken black and multi-metal colored hair and chrome-pink eyes.
As they finally entered the hotel which now they were thank that it was close by – the minute Levy sat down she felt like if she'd had Natsu's flame power she would give that man a piece of her mind. Of course, he was probably spooked because he'd learned Natsu was The Salamander. She sighed and flipped her book open and then began to breeze through the information. It was on the cultural history of the country and some of the magic that came from it. As she scanned the page her eyes went wide. Along the list were a few interesting forms of magic that she was dying to learn about but the most notable was a type of magic called Seisho no mon majikku. Lucy sat beside her as she scanned the pages and then took note that Gray and Gajeel were present as well. She waved them over and they took their seats with Lilly who stared at the strange words. They looked to one another and then Levy began trying to decode the words.
She worked on it for twenty minutes straight and thus far Lucy noted – after her getting what she'd needed – that Levy had only made one single translation which is nothing like what she expected from the blue haired girl of all people. She tapped her pen on the table in thought as the others looked at the words trying to think of what this brand of Magic was. Levy threw her hands up in the air with a scream of frustration as she looked at the words as if they were the vilest things on earth. Gray sighed and made a mention of a dictionary to which Levy snapped.
"I've been using one! Nothing is coming up for the Sea-show!" they heard someone coming down the stairs and looked to Natsu who joined them before banging his head on the table.
"What's with you pyro?" asked Gray.
"Saya's in a mood because she's not able to find something she needed in the books she's been looking at. I don't get why she's so frustrated with them – I mean it's a fairytale…she literally wanted to look up the story of Titania and Oberon…she's killing me….." dark jade glanced at Levy.
"Nice to see I'm not the only one having a rough time," she said.
"What are you doing anyways?" she looked at Natsu.
"Translation," Levy stated.
"Of what?" she huffed.
"Japanese Magic. There's this word right here Sea-show so I figured it has something to do with the ocean," she told him this and Natsu looked at it.
"Ah…Levy…your about as far off as the council is on disbanding us." The girl stared.
"You're serious?" Levy asked.
"Yea…" she slapped her hand on the paper and Natsu looked at her before looking at the piece of parchment.
"Natsu, tell me what it says!" she begged. He sighed as he looked at it.
"Seisho no mon majikku…Scripture Gate Magic – it's that basic."
They were floored as Natsu wrote out the translation and gave it to Levy who frowned as she looked at him and then grinned like a fool. Natsu felt oddly violated when she did that. Lucy looked at her friend, teammates, and boyfriend knowing she'd missed something and then she looked at the blue haired girl who smiled even wider if it was possible. Lilly stepped back a bit and Gajeel nudged her in the side so Levy dropped the creepy smile much to their relief as she looked the paper over.
"I knew it! Your from Japan aren't you!" she asked this and Natsu practically sputtered in shock.
"What the hell Levy! Where'd you get that from!" she smiled.
"Your language is Japanese and your name is as well!" Levy told him this and he rolled his eyes.
"Yea sure whatever," he said as he laid his arms on the table and proceeded to use them as a pillow.
"Saya's from there too isn't she?" he looked away from her.
"Natsu!" Levy pleaded and he huffed.
"I'm half-bred…" they eyed each other.
"What does that mean?" Gray laughed.
"I always knew you were crossed with something! What is it elf? No wait an Imp!" he said laughing. Natsu snarled at him.
"My dad was from Fiore thank you! And for starters neither of my parents were non-human as far as I know." Gray frowned.
He then reached out and tugged at a lock of salmon pink hair causing the other to tilt his head to avoid any pain as he pulled enjoy to expose the roots of his hair, which to his surprise was just as pink as the rest of his hair. He eyed the boy's eyebrows and eyelashes which were the exact same color. Gray frowned again and then let go before looking at Natsu.
"Your roots are pink too!" he said.
"What?! Did you think I dyed my hair?" the Ice Make Wizard looked to the side.
"Yea or that it was a spell….but it's natural?" he nodded with a huff.
"My dad had the same hair color – my eyes are my moms." The group looked the boy over before he stretched out.
"Wait…your mom's eyes?" asked Levy as Natsu looked at her.
"Yep…what about them?" she got close and he backed up into the backrest of the chair he was in.
Levy eyed him as if to inspect his appearance closer. Natsu didn't look like people from the Orient, he lacked the black hair and fair skin like Saya, but his dark eyes were normal – except they weren't black or brown but a deep, dark jade color. She looked him over seeing faint features that showed his heritage, but were far too weak against his father's apparently strong genetics. She sighed as she tugged on his bangs and he hissed before she frowned again.
"You don't look like you're from the Orient, but you are…I gotta ask Natsu…what was your father's name?" he glared at her.
"Why is that important to you?" he visibly tensed. Almost bristling like an animal in warning.
"Because I wanna find out if you may have any relatives over in…" he slammed his fist on the table.
"Natsu…" he was shaking, his entire body was trembling as if he was freezing, and his energy was sparking showing that in small flickers of fire that appeared off and on.
"I have no more family…Levy" he stood and she stopped him.
"Why?! What happened that's so bad you don't want to see any of them again!" he paused at the stairwell.
"Levy don't…" started Lucy.
"Come on answer me Natsu!" she was met with feral eyes from under his bangs. Her blood went ice cold.
"They're both dead…you want to know how I'm sure? I got to watch…as someone I trusted ripped my mother's head from her body after torturing her…I got to watch that person butcher her corpse…and I got to watch my dad die not long after in a far worse way…" with that he walked up the stairwell and the door slammed causing them to flinch.
Levy stood there terrified of the answer. She knew Natsu had been through some hellish things, but that right there had never crossed her mind and now she was staring at where he was in fear that she had not only upset him but deeply hurt him. Levy made a move to the stairwell, but Gajeel put a hand on her shoulder and shook his head.
"No, don't bother him right now…bunny girl…" Lucy nodded.
"I'll go see if he's alright," she said as she left up the staircase.
Gajeel looked at where the blonde had left to and wondered how that boy had hidden that so well. He'd always seemed so laughable and silly – and all of the sudden he had done a one-eighty on them and become more brooding, more dangerous than before and he knew it came from what he too was sensing and that was the feeling of bad things to come. He sighed as Gray and Lilly stood there while Happy was standing at the door where Natsu and Lucy were wanting to go in, but knowing he could do nothing to help him right then.
"I…feel awful….how could I demand him to answer that kind of question? I should have known something was wrong when he tried to avoid the question…I'm such an idiot!" Gray shook his head.
"Natsu's been through more than we actually realized Levy – none of us really knew not even Lucy did. It scared me to hear him admit that so calmly…he just needs some time to breathe. The Opening Ceremony is tomorrow I suggest we just get some rest for the remaining time of the day and we'll worry about it later," he said.
"Gray is right Levy. Salamander's tough as a Dragon…don't worry…" she looked at the Iron Dragon Slayer.
"Gajeel…" he sighed.
"Just think about supporting bunny girl, frosty, Salamander, Clicker, and me tomorrow okay?" Levy smiled.
"Okay...thanks…" he shrugged.
"I guess we'll just wait and see what tomorrow brings," said Gray.
{Chapter 9: Prior Game – END)
Author's Note: Alright, the next chapter is the real beginning of the GMG – there will be more back story than reading through battles, the ones that count towards the way this story is going is what's going to be seen since I don't want any bored readers.
Thanks to: SakuraPetal91 & Wakco12 you two are great!
{NEXT TIME….
The Grand Magic Games has its opening ceremony and the first battle is set in gear – but the question is…can FairyTail face their enemies and some…not very enemy-like faces? Perhaps the games can tell us-kabo!}
Arigatou Nakamas!
