Weapons of the Old Ways

A/N: This story is firmly in the AU territory. It's a very different take on a wide range of elements and characters from the source material, alongside plenty of original content. In addition to that, a small number of out of universe characters and concepts will be adapted for this story and sprinkled throughout the world. One of whom you'll be introduced to shortly. I want to stress that this is not a crossover fic. I'll address that a bit more in another note at the end of this chapter. With all that out of the way, I hope to earn your long-term interest! Even if I don't, I thank you all for taking the time to read this.

"Blah blah blah" - Speech

"Blah blah blah" - Emphasis

"Blah blah blah" - Thought

Chapter 1: The Heart of Nowhere

Lounging beneath a veil of fading stars, Natsu Dragneel was adrift in a trance. He stared unblinkingly into the reddish orange flames dancing around his fingers, weaving them into shapes drawn from his memories. The phantom sensation of his father's scales digging into his skin sent tingles through his fingertips as he played, ridges that he'd memorized over countless flights. Earthy scents permeating the morning mist added a comforting haze to his reminiscing, an aroma he'd grown accustomed to over the countless days he'd spent exploring the wilds. As the elements about him merged and oozed through his thoughts, a warmth spread through him that rivaled his flame. "We're almost there. Maybe this time-"

"Natsu. You're wandering, concentrate."

Natsu, unceremoniously returned to the present, immediately lost the flame he'd been toying with to the air. Mustering a weak glare at the young man who had interrupted his reveries, he said "I wasn't wandering Kimimaro, I was thinking about something important."

Moments passed in silence. When it became clear that no response was forthcoming, Natsu shifted his attention to the crackling fire pit between him and his companion. He gazed longingly at the bubbling pots and sizzling pans above the open flame, barely able to restrain his desire to dive in whether or not the food was ready. He could practically sample their contents on the breeze, taunting his belly.

"What are you making?"

Kimimaro began to answer, only to pause. After taking a moment to stir one of the pots, he finally continued "How about you take a guess, tell me what you smell. If you can identify at least three different ingredients, I'll make you a sweet torch or two later."

Natsu grinned, his maturing fangs glinting in the light of the campfire. "Deal!" Leaning towards the food, he closed his eyes, rapidly testing the air through flared nostrils. As he sifted through a patchwork of scents and triggered memories, he raised a brow and made his guesses. "I smell something greasy and... heavy. That's the only way I can describe it. It reminds me of Igneel's cooking after a hunt. Bacon, right? The Garlic is easy, I'd recognize that anywhere. Sharp and biting, it almost stings. Other than that... " He crinkled his nose and slightly furled his upper lip. "I'm not sure. I know you're using different herbs, but I can't tell them apart. I think there's some kind of cheese in there too." He took a few more lengthy draws of air before laying back on to the soft patch of Earth he'd been occupying all morning. "I can hear the sauce bubbling, does that count?"

A ghost of a smile curved Kimimaro's lips at Natsu's eager tone. "Sure. For now, that'll earn you some torches. I'm making a simple breakfast pasta. I won't bother telling you everything that's in it, but I'm sure you'll like it."

Natsu's stomach growled in agreement. "You say that like I've hated anything you've made so far."

"Then why did I have to force you to eat vegetables for weeks?"

"That's different, they barely count as food."

"I know you prefer meat, but poor nutrition will literally stunt your growth. Besides, you eat fruit all the time without complaint."

"Dad never ate vegetables and he was as big as this entire goddamn forest!" Flicking a stray leaf off his shirt, he continued "Fruits are delicious. That's like comparing a hug to getting punched in the throat."

Kimimaro gave the pasta a gentle swirl. "I refuse to believe you're unaware that your body doesn't function like his."

Huffing, Natsu turned away from the campfire. "I still don't like them."

"Hmm. In any case, it will be ready soon. In the meantime you should return to your exercises."

After grumbling for a few moments, Natsu responded. "I still don't get why I have to do this. I know how to make, and fight with, fire."

"Is that right?" Kimimaro glanced over Natsu.

"Yes!"

"I think you have room for improvement there as well, but that's another topic for another day. For the training you're doing right now, creating fire isn't your goal. You need to search for the heat within yourself, your life energy, the well you tap into a split second before you cast a spell. Relax and take your time Natsu. Lyme Town isn't going anywhere."

Natsu snorted. "You still haven't explained what this life energy stuff even is! Maybe if you told me what the point was I'd be more into this." He sat up so he could more easily meet Kimimaro's relaxed gaze, an inquisitive gleam in his eye.

"Shouldn't I be working on my hand to hand skills, learning new ways to use my magic, or something else like that? Sitting here meditating isn't going to help me find new ways to win a fight, or blow stuff up, when I need to. Come on Maro."

"I keep telling you to stop calling me that. You waste too much energy with your spells, this training will help you address that weakness. It doesn't matter how hard you hit if you run out of steam after a handful of attacks. Unexpected things happen in fights all the time and spending yourself early might cost you your life." Kimimaro patiently explained, moving some of the cookware away from the fire as he did.

"Remember that group of bandits who tried to rob us a few weeks ago? You exhausted yourself in about two minutes and if I hadn't been there you could have been seriously hurt or worse. There isn't always going be a convenient fire around for you to snack on in the middle of a fight... And there may be a day that I'm not there to assist you when you need it."

Natsu shifted around a bit. "That's because I was already tired, your training sessions start way too early. I would've found another way, and I've never asked you to protect me! Dad taught me how to fight, I can take care of myself and you know that."

Kimimaro trained a steady look at him. It was far from the first time this had come up, and he wasn't in the mood to rehash that particular argument at the moment. "Natsu."

"I know, I know. You swore some stupid oath, something else that you still haven't explained to me." A flash of annoyance bloomed in Natsu's chest, but it began to fade just as quickly. "I can focus! It's just..." He took a long breath, re-positioning himself against the tree while he searched for the right words. "It's just that this is the first hint we've gotten about something, anything, that might help me find him ya know? I'll try again, but I want to leave after we eat."

Kimimaro slowly nodded. "I get that, but next time I'm going to make sure you maintain your focus." A few seconds passed in relative quiet, broken only by the rustling of leaves on the breeze. "I'll explain what life energy is and how it works when we plant ourselves somewhere for a while, I apologize for that. And when we get to Lyme Town I'm going to restock our supplies, so you'll be on your own for a few hours. Just promise me you'll at least attempt to control yourself."

Making a noncommittal grunt, Natsu closed his eyes and brought his palms together in his lap. It took him a few minutes to completely settle his nerves, but eventually his awareness of everything outside of his body faded. As he focused on centering himself, and Kimimaro plated their breakfast, the waking sounds of nature about them steadily grew.

"Monsters? I'm sorry, no. I've never heard of anything like that around here."

"Oh there's a monster around here alright, my goddamn ex! You wouldn't believe the shit I was put through, don't even get me started on the time that-"

"Have I seen what? Monsters? Where are your parents?"

"I saw a pretty scary play a few months ago if that's any help. I thought their costumes were really convincing. Gave me nightmares for weeks."

"You're what, at least ten right? Sorry to break it to you champ, monsters ain't real. At least not the kind with fangs and claws... Don't believe everything people tell you, alright?"

Natsu collapsed into the embrace of a well-worn bench, draping his arms across its width and letting his head succumb to gravity's pull. Rolling his neck and shoulders, he tried to exercise the tightness that had accumulated with every dead end he'd run into throughout the morning. "All that time for nothing." He sighed. "Just like everywhere else."

As he gazed at the cloudless sky, a flock of birds flitting around caught his attention. He watched them go about their business till they eventually started to head away from the town. "They have the right idea, there's no reason for us to stay here. Maybe I can get some peppers or spicy chocolate to snack on before we leave. Wait, do I get a boost from spicy foods too? Huh... I gotta test that out some time, that feels like it should count."

"You, the young man with pink hair. I know that look all too well. Something on your mind son?"

It took Natsu a moment to realize he was being addressed, and longer still for him to locate who he assumed to be the owner of the gritty baritone that'd called out to him. Eyeing a graying man reading a newspaper on a bench nearby him, he asked "Are you talking to me?"

"Do you see another pink-haired person around here?"

Sitting upright, Natsu planted his elbows on his knees. "I was wondering if I wasted my time by coming to this town."

"Ha! Probably. You picked an unusual place for a vacation, if that was your goal." The man paused to turn the page in his paper. "Well, I suppose the flowers are pretty nice this time of year if that's your sort of thing."

Natsu looked away from the stranger in favor of some indistinct point in the distance, playing with the fringe of his scarf as he did. "I'm not here for anything like that, I came because of an interesting rumor I'd heard. But, no-one has any idea what I'm talking about."

"I'm not surprised."

"What do you mean?"

"Look around you." The man waved towards their surroundings. "If it wasn't for Little Rosie and its train station a couple dozen miles down the road, I doubt anyone would even know we were here. This town has always been a speck in the middle of nowhere and I doubt that'll ever change. So, you're out here looking for what exactly?"

"Someone told me there were monsters here. But half the people I've asked looked at me like I was crazy and the others were just confused. So, I guess they were wrong." He flicked a small stone across the street with his foot. "I didn't expect much but it's still annoying to turn up nothing again."

The older man stilled, lowering his paper to look directly at Natsu for the first time. "Monsters, you say?"

Turning from the horizon, Natsu peered at the man out of the corners of his eyes. "Yeah. You saw one?"

"Maybe. Well, I haven't personally seen anything. But, I think Bob was talking about something like that the other day." The man thumbed his jaw. "I believe he said something about creatures attacking people at night?" He shook his head and shrugged. "That's all I can remember, sorry. It's hard to follow that man, and I was working on something at the time. Maybe you can go talk to him."

Natsu perked up, a brilliant smile stretching across his lips as he leapt to his feet. "Thanks old man! How do I find this guy?"

"My name's Ross by the way, and I'm not that old! Don't let the gray hairs fool you!" Ross chuckled, as he reached into a messenger bag resting at his side to withdraw a notepad and pen. After tearing a sheet of paper from its binding, he jotted down something on it and handed it to Natsu. "Follow those directions and you'll be fine, you can't possibly miss the place." Rolling his left wrist over, he glanced at his watch. "If you hurry, you should be able to make it there before he takes his afternoon break."

"My name's Natsu, and I really can't thank you enough for this." After taking a moment to look over the directions, he stuffed them into his pocket. "By the way, is there a place I can get some peppers around here?"

"There's an open air market a few blocks west of here. One of the vendors sells spices and peppers." Chewing on the corner of his bottom lip, he tossed out a question "Before you go, I feel the need to ask. If these monsters you're searching for turn out to be real, are you sure you should be looking for them alone? That sounds dangerous."

Natsu waved his hand dismissively. "Don't worry about me, I can handle myself." Bringing a small flame to life in his palm, he swirled it around a little before letting it fade. "I'll be fine. Thanks again Ross!"

Ross watched as Natsu sprint away towards his destination, far faster than he'd ever seen a child move. Once Natsu rounded a corner and slipped from his line of sight, he unfurled his paper and returned his reading. "A mage huh? It's unusual to see one of them all the way out here. Wait, didn't Bob say something about some big shot guild coming to town today? What was their name, Elf Knee? Ah, darn. I lost my place."

"All we had to do was wait until tomorrow morning Erza. We could've been safe and dry right now like normal people, but we just had to leave today huh? " Macao Conbolt groused at the young woman marching ahead of him while doing his best to ignore the soaked fabric plastered to his skin. "At the very least, we could have gotten a ride from someone in town if you'd been a little more patient."

"If you walk faster, we can make it by nightfall." Erza strode at a steady pace, no hint of strain in her voice. "It's barely forty miles Macao, you should be in better shape."

Macao's left brow started twitching violently. "You and I have very different ideas about what it means to be fit." He looked to the ever darkening sky as the angry boom of thunder drew nearer. Alongside the worrying sound, the rain was shifting from an annoyance into intrusions of cold that were increasingly difficult for him to ignore. "Are you sure you don't want to at least set up a temporary shelter and wait for this to pass?" He cast a concerned eye over his guild mate's attire. "You're wearing steel armor in a thunderstorm. That doesn't exactly seem safe to me."

Erza didn't so much as break her stride. "Do you think this is the first time I've had to deal with bad weather on a job? Besides, you're a master fire mage. You can keep yourself warm for a few hours." She coolly replied, seemingly impervious to the elements. "Lyme Town is supposed to have nice weather today, so we'll make our way out of this storm if we keep moving."

Macao glared at the back of Erza's head, but he swallowed the dissent on the tip of his tongue. "I should have picked Wakaba for this job. At least he's out of shape and I'd be relaxing at a bar back in Little Rosie right now."

With little else to say at the moment, the two strode forward in somewhat companionable silence. Eventually, the chill of the storm made Erza's suggestion far more appealing to Macao. He glanced down over his clothes, working through a brief series of mental calculations.

"I can keep warm. It's not like I haven't done it before, but..." Looking into the distance down the winding road, a heavy sigh left his lips. "I'll be a little drained by the time we get there... Eh. Worth the comfort." His mind made up, a magic circle flashed in Macao's right hand and a gentle warmth seeped into his skin. The silence continued for long minutes, and Macao had started to sift through a list of mundane things that needed to be done back in Magnolia Town when Erza broke the silence.

"I really dislike tarnishing the reputation of the guild. We told our client that we'd be there tonight, I just want to honor that Macao." She explained evenly, a determined edge in every syllable.

Macao watched her for several moments, his gaze lingering on the symbol of allegiance painted on her armor in particular. For a moment, he saw Erza as she had been when she joined the guild nearly two years ago. "You were rail thin, exhausted, draped in rags, and smudged with dirt. It's amazing what a sense of belonging and a little support can do for someone. Maybe I do understand you. Just a bit."

"Alright, I get that. Who knows, maybe we'll be lucky enough to get a ride with someone on the way. Just... try not to set a pace that's too brutal for me alright?"

Erza simply nodded.

Kimimaro hefted his purchases onto the table he was sitting at, canvas bags laden with ingredients, teas, hygiene products, and a few things Natsu had requested. He carefully arrayed everything on half of the table, and once it was to his liking he unfastened the pouch tied around his belt and placed it beside himself. After looking over his set up one last time, he opened the pouch and felt around for what he needed.

The first thing he withdrew was a notebook, thick enough to fill the web of his thumb. As had been the case since he first saw it, he couldn't help but stare once it was freed. The way the dozens of scales covering the notebook shifted between raspberry, garnet, and ruby, depending on how the light caught them fascinated him. For a time he moved it about, admiring the craftsmanship.

"It really is beautiful. I wonder if Natsu's dad made it himself? I don't remember his scales being this small or delicate looking." His contemplation only lasted for a few breaths before he grabbed the other items and placed them in his lap, a small steel container and a fountain pen made of banded black onyx. Popping the lid off the container, he turned it over and deposited a white cube in his palm.

As he applied a burst of magical power to the square, it unfolded into a thin sheet that spread across the unoccupied half of the table. With that done, he opened the notebook to a section labeled "Food and Drink" and flipped to the subsection he was looking for. After placing a container of tea leaves on the sheet, he picked up the pen.

"If we ever see him again, I need to thank him for all of this. The past few months would have been rough without them." Kimimaro muttered appreciatively under his breath amidst his preparations.

After he unscrewed the pen's cap and slid his finger down a groove in its side, the tip began to glow. He drew a blue luminescent circle around the container of tea leaves, and they vanished with an audible *poof* along with the circle he'd drawn. Tapping a blank spot in the notebook, a holographic image of the container popped into place. He sat for a while, methodically sorting and storing everything, till he was distracted from his task by the words "monsters" and "robbed" at the periphery of his hearing.

Glancing around, he spotted a young woman with titian hair, a dusting of freckles, and bright hazel eyes gesturing animatedly towards an emerald eyed blonde woman sitting across from her. Between them, he saw an assortment of tea sandwiches and a pitcher of red liquid filled with frozen fruit cubes. "That might be a coincidence, but if it's not…" Returning his gaze to the items he was packing away, he trained his hearing on their conversation and tuned out the ambient noises of the park.

"I know it sounds crazy Sadie, but I believe her. Miranda has always been honest to a fault, and she sounded pretty shaken up when she called me." The titian haired woman gently brushed some offending crumbs off her dress, shifted one leg over the other, and nabbed a sandwich.

"I just find that hard to believe. Monsters?" Sadie responded, dropping her head and lifting a brow. "Are you sure Evelyn? I know some wild shit goes on in the world, but nothing like that ever happens here. They were probably just some assholes in masks or something."

"Well, that's what she said. I'd heard about a similar thing last week, but I thought it was crazy talk until Miranda told me about what happened to her and sent me a holo of the aftermath."

Kimimaro watched Evelyn withdraw a circular metallic object with a mirrored surface from the handbag resting beside her. She tapped on the center of the device, causing a projection to hover a few inches above it which she started manipulating with her hand. Watching with interest, he dissected the device before him. "Those communicators seem to be ubiquitous in town after town. Just how much have magic-based tools spread among the general populace? I might have to look into that later."

"Holy shit! Why all that destruction for a robbery?" Shaking her head, Sadie passed the device back to Evelyn. "My mom told me about an incident during her time on the force where this abusive bastard tore one of her coworker's apartment to shreds after they broke up. But that was clearly personal." After taking a moment to adjust her clothes, she continued "I guess that monsters are motivated by all kinds of weird shit in folktales, but still. Damn."

"That's the craziest part. She said a huge beast dropped out of the sky and burned half the house down after they were cleaned out. Luckily, nobody was hurt. At least she didn't think so."

Kimimaro glanced at the cover of the notebook on the table.

"That's easily the most bizarre crime I've ever heard of." Sadie blinked, rapping her fingers on the table. "Wait, can monsters even commit crimes? Huh... we should go see how she's holding up, I'm sure she'd like the company."

"I was planning on that, I'll call her after we're done eating. We should ask her if she needs us to pick up anything. Remember that one time she..."

As their conversation moved on, Kimimaro ruminated on what he'd heard. "Natsu would be deeply unhappy if I didn't look into a possible lead and it's not like we're hurting for time. I owe him at least that much." With his mind made up, he tied the refilled canvas bag to his belt and strode over to where the two women were seated.

"Excuse me. I don't mean to bother either of you, but did I hear you say something about monsters?"

"This can't be right." Natsu flipped the piece of paper in his hand, double checking his directions. After bouncing from the torn page to the storefront before him a number of times, any hope that he was mistaken was dashed. "No, this is really the place."

As he took in the aggressively clashing patterns painted on the bricks, bizarre statues displayed in front of the mirrored windows, and the wood planks and bits of metal peppered everywhere, a dull ache began to form between his eyes. "Did they... Was it built this way on purpose? I'm pretty sure buildings aren't supposed to have stuff sticking out like that.'' He mused aloud, earning a response from a man in a dark blue suit passing by him.

"I keep saying the same thing, I wish the mayor would do something about that eyesore. For some absolutely insane reason people love that horror as well as the fool that runs it. It-it looks like it was built by a drunken madman with pure contempt for the concept of safety! I have to see that atrocity every goddamn day!" Turning away from the store, the man locked eyes with Natsu. "Don't let him drag you into his insanity too kid." Shaking his head and ranting under his breath, the man stormed off down the street.

As the stranger left, Natsu returned his attention to the sign above the rotating doorway. He lingered only a moment before entering the store, a threshold he'd barely crossed when a booming voice blasted his eardrums.

"Welcome to Big Bob's Bolts and Beams! Feel free to look around, and if you need assistance then don't hesitate to ask!"

Heading towards the back of the store from where the greeting had originated, he responded "I'm looking for a guy named Bob, who I'm guessing owns this place. Is he here?" As he passed the aisles, he glanced over their contents."It's pretty normal in here. Somehow, that makes even less sense than the outside."

"Ah! I need to fetch something from the back, I'll be with you in a moment. Wait by the counter please!"

After reaching the counter-desk in the middle of the store, Natsu plopped down on a bench in the small waiting area set up across from it. Within a few minutes, he picked up the sound of upbeat whistling and the clacking of hard leather soles heading towards him. Not a moment later, the most eye-catchingly dressed giant of a man he had ever seen exited an aisle and waved at him in greeting.

"Why hello there young man, welcome to Big Bob's! What did you need my assistance with?"

Natsu barely registered the question, as he was preoccupied with processing what he could only interpret as a full fledged assault on his eyes. Between the neon splashes of every color he could think of and the collection of animalistic patterns he could only guess at, the nausea he'd managed to suppress minutes before started to roil his stomach once again. As he was drawn ever deeper into the insanity of the cloth, he discovered that the stitching was glowing in a cycle of rainbow colors. "So much… oh no… gonna… gonna hurl." Barely managing to choke off an involuntary lurch, his cheeks puffed for a few seconds.

Reaching out, Bob gave his shoulder a light tap. "Are you alright son? You look a little green."

"I, uh... You said you're Bob right?" Natsu sputtered, trying to look at anything other than Bob's suit.

"Indeed I am! What can Big Bob do for you? HO-HO, maybe you have a project you're working on? Youthful vigor you wish to spend in the pursuit of handmade perfection? My store can provide everything you need to turn your dreams into unmatched works that will drive your neighbors wild with jealousy! Just ask mine!" Bob laughed heartily as he perched his meaty hands on his hips. "So, what'll it be?"

Clearing his throat behind his fist, Natsu managed to pull himself together. "My name's Natsu. Ross told me that you had some sort of information about people being attacked at night by monsters. I'm looking for information about that."

The corners of Bob's lips fell ever so slightly and his eyebrows flattened to a tight line. "I didn't think you'd be here till later. Hmm. And you're a little younger than I thought a mage would be." Rubbing his gleaming head, he sighed. "Where's your partner by the way, there are two of you here to address the problem aren't there?"

"Probably out buying some food and whatever else." Natsu shrugged. "How does he even know that?"

Nodding his head, Bob looked over his desk with a distant gaze. "Right, right. Well, come with me." Slipping around the bench, he made his way towards the windows at the front of the store.

"As you know, we've had monsters invading people's homes and taking their valuables around here recently. Creatures that are said to look like green skinned feral men of some sort." Curling his bottom lip over his teeth, he worked his mouth for a moment before continuing. "I've seen far too many homeowners and contractors come into my store over the past month trying to rebuild or replace a heartbreaking number of things. The police haven't been able to catch the creatures and I don't know what they can even do. Frankly, it seems like they're hardly even trying. Even after Mr. Lockwire was nearly beaten to death and Miss Kerridy barely survived that stabbing they're still so blase about it all." He scoffed, crossing his arms over his chest.

Natsu didn't say anything, opting to listen attentively.

"From what I can tell, it seems like all the attacks have been on this side of town. Every story so far has been the same. The monsters break down the doors in the middle of the night and rush-in to grab everything they can, making a terrible racket. After they've gotten whatever they wanted, some flying thing sets the house on fire and they all disappear."

"Flying thing?"

"All I know is that it flies, it's huge, and it breathes fire." Gesturing towards the array of statues before the store, he smiled softly. "If it wasn't for the needless destruction I'd love to capture such a creature's essence in one of my pieces."

"I can see why your town wouldn't be able to handle that."

"Indeed, the glory of such a statue may have blinded everyone around here. They would have trembled at the fusion of my genius and such a menacing display of power! Oh, the songs they would have written about my craft would have gone on for generations!"

"Bob."

Pupils darting to and fro, Bob's smile steadily grew till it reached his ears. "I could have carved it from the luxurious wood of a false keek tree, adorned it with the scales of fire lizards, and set it on a base of jewels. It would have glimmered like the skyline of Odyssa while striking both terror and admiration in all who saw it, an eternal reminder of the beast's horrific majesty!"

Natsu poked him in the side. "Hey, Bob. You-"

Moving in a rhythm-less dance, Bob began to caress his suit's lapels."I would have put on a one man show, lathered my masculine form with oil and crushed diamonds, and re-enacted the rampage of this menace every year! The fruit of my loins would-"

"Bob! I need you to focus!" Natsu shouted, jabbing Bob in his ribs. Tell me anything else you know. Just the stuff about the monsters, I don't need to know about your... art." Pulling his hand back, he shook the sting from his knuckles with a frown. "Damn this guy's solid."

"Ah, yes. I can save such sorrowful thoughts for another time." Pointing out the window, he resumed where he'd left off. "If you head that way you'll see a blue water tower at the edge of town. Can't miss it. You should find some old signs a few miles down the road from that, leading you through the forest to the abandoned mines. One of the victims claimed they saw some of the creatures scamper off in that direction after the attacks."

Turning towards Natsu, his eyebrows jumped as he pursed his lips. "I wish I could tell you more about what you can expect. We tend to stay away from that place, it's a reminder of a time only fit for history books now…" Placing his hand on Natsu's shoulder, he expelled a half-whistled gust of air. "Anywho! When you take care of those monsters return to me and I'll give you your payment. I can't tell you how much I appreciate this. I may not have had my own home invaded but I couldn't just sit by and watch people suffer. This is the least I can do."

Natsu blinked. "Payment?" Putting the question out of his mind, he gave Bob a confident smirk. "I'll take care of it, you guys have nothing to worry about now that I'm here!" For added effect, he breathed a small puff of flame into the air.

Bob's grin started to inch up his face once again, sparkles dancing in his eyes. "I like your spirit Natsu! Now, go out there and get them! As a matter of fact, you've inspired me to start a new project! I'll call it Praise Be to The Great One and it'll be a forty foot tall mountain shooting flames to the heavens with liquid rivers of gold flowing from its peak and fields of multicolored plaid will-"

Navigating his way around the increasingly manic business owner's flailing limbs, Natsu darted out of the store. Once he was outside, it didn't take him long to spot the blue water tower. "That's not that far. If I hurry up, I can finish this before Maro comes to find me…. This might be it. I might have finally found some dragons!"

Nearly vibrating with energy, Natsu made it all of three steps before it burst free from him in a string of jumps and flips that was capped by a lengthy "woooooooooooo!" His celebrations continued as he half-jogged and half-skipped down the street, flinging the occasional greeting at the people of Lyme Town. After a time, Bob's words started to cycle through his thoughts and his mood dimmed. As his pace slowed, his hands drifted to his scarf and found a home in its bulk. "Robbing people and burning down their houses…" With his frown deepening, he mulled over one of the last lessons his father had given him.

"We are aggressive by nature, Natsu. Remember that. Pride and the urge to dominate others have long been central to our kind, they nearly define us. Many, if not most, of us would rather die than submit or let a challenge go unanswered. Remember that, because once you pick a fight with a Dragon it is almost certainly going to be to the death. As you train to become a slayer those traits will become part of who you are as well. You'll need to learn how to restrain your impulses if you're to succeed. That need, a desire for ever more strength, has its dangers."

"But… Why? Isn't it a good thing if I want to be the strongest? That's why you taught me how to fight right?"

"Wanting to be as capable as you can is fine Natsu, healthy even. But raw hunger for power can lead to disaster, especially for you. By the time you've reached your full potential you will be like fire itself, and nothing good can come from a flame that's out of control. And speaking of fire, your break's up son. Time to get back to working on your roar. You can't be a real dragon without that now can you?"

Natsu blinked, refocusing on the streets before him. "Pride and domination…. Robbing and running away." Unsure what to make of the situation, he took out his bag of peppers and let their heat distract him from his doubts.

Kimimaro could feel the burning gaze of the woman to his right sliding over him from head to toe. Though he wasn't bothered by her curiosity, he decided to call attention to it. "Evelyn, is there something you'd like to ask me?"

"Yeah, actually." She cast an intrigued look at his clothes. "If you don't mind telling me, why exactly are you wearing a robe on a warm day? You mages tend to stand out everywhere you go, it's like there's some code you all have about refusing to blend in. Don't get me wrong, I like the color, red looks good on you." Trailing her eyes up his torso to his face, she continued. "And what made you choose the eyeliner and the hair bands? You almost have a fresh off the runway thing going on. I don't think I've ever seen a guy dressed like you before. Interesting choices."

"...Right. I wear a robe because it's easy to slip out of in a fight, my particular style makes that necessary for me. And it's a lot more comfortable than you may think. To put it simply, it's made of fabric that has some helpful qualities." He paused. "The marks around my eyes are from something I'd rather not talk about, and the bands just keep my hair out of my eyes. I wasn't going for a look, this is all for combat. But, thank you for the compliment."

"Oh, I guess that makes sense. In any case, you look nice." She flashed a smile at him, which quickly morphed into a side pucker. "Wait, you fight people with nudity?"

Turning his head towards Evelyn, he gazed at her flatly. "No. Why would you- No. My abilities just present different challenges than most forms of magic."

"Really?" Sadie interjected. "How so? I wanted to ask the moment you said you were a mage, but what can you do? I've never actually seen magic up close."

Kimimaro pointed at the metal and crystal gadget in Sadie's hand.

"That doesn't count! I mean real magic, not this mass produced bullshit. I've been fascinated by mages since I was a kid. My mom and I used to watch the Mythala tournaments all the time, before the rigging scandal tore it down." Sadie sighed, shaking her head. "I never got a chance to attend one in person and I'm still pissed about that."

"I can't put on some sort of show for you if that's what you're asking. My abilities aren't flashy, they're just meant to be effective."

"Aw come on. You can't go walking around looking like some kinda high fashion warrior monk and expect people to not be curious about you. Could you let me see a single spell, please?" Leaning towards him, Sadie clasped her hands and fluttered her eyes.

Taking a short breath, Kimimaro weighed his options. "What could it hurt? They've been kind enough to guide me through town."

"Fine." With a flick of his right hand and a flash of white, a gleaming blade was soon in his grasp. He gave the short sword a twirl before holding it out for them to look over.

"Wow! How did you do that? You can make swords?" Sadie questioned with parted lips.

Leaning towards the sword, Evelyn studied it keenly. "What is that made out of? I'm no blacksmith but I don't think I've ever seen metal like that."

"It isn't metal. It's bone." Kimimaro drew his arm closer, looking over the blade with a sudden solemnity. "And I can do a lot more than make swords." His voice dropped a bit in volume, matched by a mild contraction of his eyebrows.

"I'm sorry but WHAT!" Sadie asked, her eyes threatening to leave her skull. "Holy shit! How does that even work?"

"To put it simply, among other things, I can create, alter, or manipulate bones for whatever reason I need to."

"But how can you do that? Shouldn't you like-" Sadie waved her arms about. "Be all floppy if you start popping bones out? Also, gross. Okay, maybe not gross but that is a lil' freaky."

Evelyn didn't say anything, as she was still captivated by the blade in Kimimaro's hands.

"I'm sorry. I don't mean to be rude, but I can't go around telling people my secrets. All I can say is that I'm a little different from your average mage." He stated evenly, careful to keep his tone free of pride. After a moment's concentration, the blade in his palm burst into fine particles that rapidly dispersed.

"That's... wow. I don't know how you can think that isn't flashy, that's the coolest shit I've ever seen! I really wish I could do magic, you're making me a little jealous." Sadie sighed, pouting slightly. "I've always wanted to take the attunement and aptitude test, but I'm also a little afraid I'll find out I just don't have it in me. I don't want to be stuck in this-this nothing town for the rest of my life, managing a store or some other beige collar bullshit."

Kimimaro nodded, but opted to remain silent.

The three of them talked about a range of other things as they walked, and before long they made it to their destination. As they neared the house, Kimimaro took in the extensive damage that had been done to it. The caved-in upper floor of the home immediately stood out to him, but he was unable to make out anything more than busted windows and a missing front door on the lower level of the house.

"If this was the work of a dragon then how did anything survive?" He swept his eyes across the neighboring homes which looked to be completely undamaged, aside from a dusting of ashes and some slight scarring on the home to the right. "This entire street should be nothing but cinders. I can't rule out that a dragon could have pinpointed this particular house with a minor attack, but why go through that effort?"

As Kimimaro analyzed the house, Sadie and Evelyn rushed over to the visibly distraught raven-haired woman who was waiting in front of it. Evelyn threw her arms around her, and Sadie placed a hand on her shoulder as she looked over the destruction. Evelyn held her embrace for a time, whispering encouraging words, until Miranda pulled away from her and dried her onyx eyes. As she did, Evelyn turned to Kimimaro and beckoned him with her hand. "Kimimaro, could you come here please?"

The sound of his name being shouted broke him from his thoughts. Obeying the summons, he strode over to the group of women.

"Miranda, this is Kimimaro." Evelyn made a waving motion towards him. "He's the one who we told you about, the mage who wanted to help out." Releasing her hold, she moved beside Miranda.

"Hello Kimimaro." Miranda greeted him stiffly. "What do you think you can do? Can you rebuild our house or something?"

"Unfortunately, I can't do anything like that. However, I can eliminate the monsters who did this so they don't do this to anyone else. If you let me take a look around your house I may be able to find some clues about them."

"What could you find that the cops couldn't?"

"I can assure you that I have a few skills and tools that they did not."

Miranda considered him for a moment before responding. "Fine, you can take a look. But I want to go in with you. I'm glad you're here to help but I don't think I'm comfortable with a stranger poking around my family's house alone. Even if it's, well..." She motioned towards her house, pursing her lips.

"I understand."

As Kimimaro walked towards the remains of the front door with Miranda in tow, Evelyn called out to him. "Is there any way that we can help out?"

"You could take a look around out here and see if you spot anything that looks particularly unusual to you. Let me know if you find anything."

Once they were inside, the first thing Kimimaro locked on to was the massive hole in the roof. "Interesting, that looks more like the result of an explosion than raw flame. It must have originated from the outside given everything is bending towards the interior of the home. The damage is extensive, but if this was a dragon it was either holding nearly all of its strength back or it was far weaker than average."

After shifting his attention away from the most obvious sign of damage he took his time and inspected the main floor. Drawers had been ripped out of the kitchen, small tears dotted the walls where items had been hastily taken down, and in every room things had been overturned and emptied. All over the floors and walls there were markings that at first glance appeared to be from claws, but when he looked at them more closely the gouges more closely resembled something from fine man-made edges. Once he was satisfied that he'd extracted all the information he could, he made his way down the stairs to the basement.

"My dad's vault used to be there." Miranda offered unprompted as they descended, pointing at a large hole in an exterior wall that daylight was flooding through.

"How large was it?"

"Maybe about two feet tall and a foot wide? It wasn't huge, but it was pretty heavy." She looked at him for a moment before she continued. "He kept some expensive tools in there, as well as some jewels and rare lacrima he'd managed to get a hold of over the years. My dad is a jeweler now, but he used to be a gem hunter."

"Hmm." Kimimaro strode over to the hole and followed a trail gouged out of the dirt with his eyes. "You said the police already came by and conducted an investigation right?"

"Yeah, why?"

"Did they say anything? Offer you a theory at least?"

"Yes." Miranda spat. "They said they were probably some ordinary bandits, and that we had likely imagined things in all the chaos."

"...I see."

Stepping through the hole in the wall, he followed the trail until it disappeared at the edge of the yard. He looked around to see if it picked up elsewhere, but there was no trace of it beyond the limits of Miranda's property. With little else to go on there, he turned back towards the house to study the destroyed roof and damaged upper floor again. "Can you tell me about what happened in the lead up to the fire?"

Miranda recoiled slightly at the question, crossing her arms tightly against her body. "S-sure. Well, uh... The monsters forced all of us to move into the living room while they raided our house. My mom and I stood in the corner while our dad tried to protect us with his body... They didn't really attempt to hurt us, but they kept saying that if we moved they would kill us. With the way some of them were eyeing us and playing with their weapons, I believed them."

She stopped to take a deep breath, and Kimimaro waited for her to continue. "After a while there was this roar unlike anything I've ever heard before, it was so loud that I could almost feel it in my bones. Then there was a bright light and a huge explosion... I don't really remember what happened after that, but the next thing I knew I was on the neighbor's lawn across the street and everyone was yelling and running. I didn't understand what was going on until I looked up in the sky and spotted this huge flying monster. I couldn't really see it that well in the dark, but it was so... I was terrified. It circled overhead a few times before it disappeared above the clouds."

"You were blown across the street by the explosion?"

"I doubt it, I didn't have any injuries. Well, other than being scared out of my mind. Maybe my dad moved me."

Kimimaro eyed the tremor in her hands and shoulders. "I'm sorry to press you, but I have to ask you one more thing. I need you to think back to that night, how did the fires go out? Your house clearly wasn't completely burned to the ground, so it was stopped somehow right?"

"I-I'm... not sure. Maybe our neighbors were throwing buckets of water on it? I don't remember." Her brows knitted together. "Now that I think about it, I think it started dying down on its own not too long after the flying beast left. A water truck showed up and they started spraying the blaze, but I swear I remember it shrinking before the firefighters ever got here."

After walking over to the side of the house, Kimimaro touched a spot that had been blackened with soot. He carefully rolled the grit between his fingers, digesting everything that he'd seen, and an inkling of an idea formed in his mind. "I may be able to hunt those creatures down, but I'll need Natsu."

Macao idly noted that the sky was a mix of violet, orange, and red by the time they'd made it to Lyme Town. Just as Erza had promised they had reached it before nightfall, but to his immense displeasure they hadn't even seen so much as seen a horse and buggy on their walk from Little Rosie. Dragging his feet and hunching over, he had reached his limit. A fact he voiced to the red-haired knight before him. "Erza, I need a break. I think my heart is going to explode if I have to walk another mile and my feet are absolutely killing me. We have to find a hotel for the night. Well, maybe you don't but I do."

Erza looked over at him and took in his condition from scalp to sole. "He's right. He's in no condition to do much more than sleep for a few hours." Nodding reluctantly, she conceded his point. "Alright, but I still want to meet with our client. Once we find a place you can stay behind to get some rest. You need to do more conditioning though Macao, a walk like that shouldn't be so hard on you. You're basically s-class and you can't walk a few miles? You're not setting a good example for the rest of us."

Sighing in relief, Macao started to scan the town for any sign of a place where they could stay. "Uh huh. Thanks." The two of them found an inn before long, and as Erza asked the Innkeeper for directions Macao plodded off to his room. After stripping off his slightly damp outer layer of clothing, he staggered to the bed and was dead to the world within a minute.

As Macao slumbered, Erza set off towards their employer. Though she had resolved to get started on their job as soon as she could, a sign hung in the window of a bakery promising "Freshly Made Perfection" sidetracked her. Standing outside the bakery, she stared at the treats on display in the window for several seconds. The strawberry cake in particular called out to her, its glistening frost made that much more tempting by the warm glow of sunset. "Macao did say I should slow down a little."

Half an hour later, full of contentment, Erza resumed her walk to Big Bob's Bolt's and Beams. As her destination came into view, the warmth she'd taken from her indulgence was abruptly replaced by horrified awe. For all her discipline, she couldn't resist the compulsion to gawk. Her trance was only broken by the shouts of an enraged man in a dark blue suit.

"AHA! Twice in one day, people are finally waking up to the horror of that ridiculously tasteless store! Big Bob's is a threat to our collective sanity I tell you. A threat!" After saying his piece the man stomped away, gushing vitriol all the while.

After giving herself a shake and squaring her shoulders, Erza strode through the rotating door and immediately spotted a giant bald man that she was certain had to be the owner. For a moment she watched him whistle and dance, shaping what looked vaguely like a mountain to her out of a giant wooden block. He worked a pair of scissors with furious speed, cutting away at an ocean of mauve, burnt orange, and plaid lime green fabric that was laid out around him. An industrial sized can of glue sat off to the side of his workspace, beside a table covered in sequins and other shiny objects. Before she could call for his attention, the towering man greeted her enthusiastically.

"Ah! Another soul comes to my establishment seeking wonders! How may I help you, young lady?" After pirouetting away from his mountain of materials, he glided to a stop before Erza and tapped her cuirass. "Perhaps you wish to build a stand for that delightful armor you wear?" Tap dancing away from her, he waved towards a chalkboard filled with tightly packed cursive with a flourish.

"Maybe you wish to sign up for my art classes? They're free of charge, personal expression is not to be stifled! Name your desire and I shall remap your worldview to include a land of wood-based fulfillment and dare I say absolute joy! Let Bob be the guiding light to a new you!" Arms splayed and fingers waving, Bob's teeth glinted under the artificial lights. With a flick of his wrist, his suit burst into swirls of color that began to strobe across the walls.

Erza managed to reel her lower jaw in with a great deal of effort, but the kaleidoscopic lights were all but impossible for her to stop gawking at. Some time later, she found the words to form a response. "No, I don't need... wood based fulfillment." Rapidly blinking and clearing her throat, she managed to re-balance herself and put on her serious face before she continued. "My name is Erza Scarlet, I'm a mage from Fairy Tail. I'm here about the job we accepted from you, an investigation into monsters who've been robbing people."

"Oh-ho! So you must be the wonderful partner of the young hero who came in here earlier! Have you lost him?" His lips formed a perfect o for a moment. "I'd usually be concerned about one so young being left on their own, but after seeing his passion I have the utmost faith! Ha ha! I'm even creating this piece to honor the two of you!" Pointing towards the materials he'd been using with both hands, his eyebrows began to roll from one side to the other in waves.

As Bob's words pierced her mild delirium, Erza narrowed her eyes. "Partner? He definitely isn't talking about Macao, so...?" All thoughts of Bob's oddities vanished from her mind as she honed in on her suspicions. "Yes, I didn't run into him on the way here. Why don't you fill me in on everything you told him?" As Bob spoke, Erza worked through what she was being told. "Why would other mages be here in the middle of nowhere looking into this? Was there some kind of mix-up with the magic council? Whatever is going on, we need to look into this."

A/N:

Before you raise your pitchforks, let me just say a few things. Outside of my version of Kimimaro, there isn't much of anything at all that I'm taking from that series. Speaking of him, I didn't forget about magic circles for his little show and certain omissions about his appearance were deliberate. I'm aware he's very different than canon, and as I tell this story you'll come to see why that is. Just so you're aware, a number of characters will be portrayed differently here than you may be used to. Time reveals all things, I promise!

I hope you all enjoyed this chapter. I'll be updating this story roughly once every other week. I don't have a beta, so if you catch something please let me know. I've looked through this multiple times but I certainly could have missed something. I hope you all have someone as positive as Bob in your life! Just toned down a bit, hopefully.