"Are we going to another city, Teacher?"
"...No, I finished everything I needed to do in this area." Teacher took a swig from her flask. "Other than for your training, there aren't any necessary fights to be had here."
Natsu sped up to overtake her, his bare feet leaving deep indentions in the wet grass. "So does that mean we're fighting again?"
"Sparring with people stronger than you is a good way to develop a better battle sense, but you need to learn how to better apply your techniques, so I suppose we'll just find Grimm that are moderately hard to kill and see where we go from there.
Fighting isn't the only component needed to become stronger, however. Proper physical conditioning and sustenance is also important. You eat plenty of meat, so you don't need to worry about protein. Eating leafy greens every now and then would be good. Since your still a kid now, makes sure drink milk and eat bones so you get taller. Reach is another vital aspect of combat. Also make sure that your hair is cut short. Long hair tends to be a liability in a fight."
"Don't you have long hair, Teacher? I don't think I've seen any other humans with hair as long as yours."
Brushing a gentle hand through the messy, long hair that trailed to the back of her legs, Teacher murmured, "A very important person often complemented my hair. It's the only aspect of my body I take any pride in. Even if it holds them back in combat, there are things people will not let go of if it is precious."
He smiled brightly, flashing his sharp teeth. "Feels like everything is related to combat in some way."
She hummed. "Yes, I suppose that is correct.
Ideally, No one in this world should live a life filled with only combat. In the end, violence doesn't do anything other than hurt people. It's just another cruel source of human suffering. Most martial arts masters will tell you...
The purest form of battle... is to make peace with those that try to kill you...
Stop any conflict before it can begin... That is the mindset of a true warrior." She looked over to where the boy was walking alongside her. He stared back at her dubiously, not getting a word she was saying.
It was only after the air was imbued with a cold hint of malice that she continued speaking.
"If you ask me, that's nothing but the worthless ramblings of old fossils. Don't bother humoring 'honorable' fools who defend that mindset. The people who parade these ideals are either naive romanticists who don't know better or old hypocrites who did the exact same thing they claim to condemn when they were younger.
That "peace" they value so much is protected by an overwhelming violence that few wish to oppose. That is how things truly are. In the end, most people fight to get what they want. They fight to win. If they are content with what they have, then they stop fighting."
Her voice softened. Any malice in the air disappeared. "Hey, boy, could I ask you something? Will you really think about it and answer truthfully?
Why do you like fighting so much? Many kids daydream about being the strongest, but they quickly give up when they experience the dangers and difficulties with that path. It may sound cliche, but power alone can't bring you happiness. Friends... maybe a family one day... these things can fill the void in most people's hearts. You've been alone for a long time. Far longer than any kid should be. With the way you continue to live, you won't fit in with any normal society. People who learn of your true nature will eventually be disconnected from you. Is fighting truly worth so much to you?"
". . . . . ."
The boy heard everything his Teacher said. He did not know every word, but he understood the message. There were times when he was lonely and times when he was badly hurting. Despite that... the thrill he got from battle was like nothing he'd ever known. He could never get enough.
It seemed that was becoming a curse as well. Every passing day, the boy became stronger. Enemies who could entertain him were dwindling. What would he do once he really becomes the strongest?
Would he just fade away, having lost his purpose?
Even so...
"That's just the way I am." His gaze was remarkably calm and tempered. "Every piece of my soul and every drop of my blood tells me to fight... to become stronger. If I stopped, I wouldn't be myself anymore."
They came across a steep, rocky cliff and allowed their heels to quickly skid down it. Nothing but jagged rock and dead trees surrounded them.
"I won't change. I'll live...
and live...
and live...
and die. I fight as long as I breathe, and when there's nothing left to fight, I'll rest."
The woman stared at the boy through veiled eyes. His answer was honest. His resolve was firm.
—And it was incomplete, or rather... it couldn't be complete in this moment...
Teacher took a deep, silent breath and exhaled frigid air. "Even if you say that, you are still a child. The longer you live, the more your environment will change you. What else will you fall in love with? What will you eventually come to hate? What might you feel is precious, and what will you believe to be evil?...
In the end, those are all for you to decide. You'll learn about many things and see many different scenery. For better or worse, the man you'll become in the future may not resemble the boy you are now."
Natsu huffed a small puff of flames. "Yeah, I'll be a lot taller and stronger in the future."
She sighed, a habit she'd taken on since the day she met the boy. "That isn't what I meant, kid. I'm trying to s-"
Her heart rate spiked. Time seemed to slow down around her. A shadow in the ground was becoming distorted. Every instinct within her was screaming out. She grabbed the boy and dashed to the side.
Not even a second later, the stone they were walking on was blasted to pieces. Teacher unsheathed her odachi and deflected the eleventh projectile. It was sent into the cliffside and detonated. The area it struck was broken and pulled towards the high caliber bullet. Now she could hear the sound of the bullet firing. The attackers were at her 8 o'clock.
She grabbed Natsu and ran behind cover. The attackers continued firing. The uniquely made bullets ripping straight through rock and twisting everything they impacted. These projectiles were banned in the Kingdoms, because they were created specifically to kill humans with unlocked Aura. Even if a trained Huntsmen activated their Aura and compressed it into a protective shield. The concentrated gravity Dust inside the bullets would twist that protection apart and render it useless.
Only about a dozen individuals in the world had the possible knowledge and skills to create such weaponry, both the bullet and the firearm needed to shoot it. As far as she knew at least.
Natsu heard where they were as well. He turned his head around and blasted the area the bullets were launched from with a heavy torrent of flames. Pained screaming came afterwords.
Teacher dropped him and swiped behind her with her blade. A thrown knife was split straight down the center and the two halves diverted from her body.
A man came walking out from behind a corner, dressed in militant garb: Heavy duty pants and boots along with a padded jacket and reinforced gloves. His body was tall and lean, supported by toned muscle underneath. He seemed to be an albino, with white hair and pale red eyes. A scar was etched across his nose, doing no favors for his cruel smirk.
"Well well, so this is where you were. It was easier than I thought to find you. You're even more beautiful than the descriptions implied."
She grimaced. Compliments from a man like him irked her far more than insults ever could. She kept guard up, analyzing every centimeter of her surroundings. The boy was also on his guard.
The man continued to speak. "It is rather disappointing for me, really. I expected someone who'd cast aside their humanity to attain true strength, not a pitiful woman grasping onto strings and regre-"
He bent his body ninety degrees back. The skin was shaven clean off the tip of his nose. In a single step, Teacher had closed the distance and nearly cut his body in two. The disgusting smirk still hadn't left the man's face.
'Montell Sandoval,' The woman replayed the information she already knew in her head. 'Arrested for manslaughter of at least thirty-seven individuals, including the former headmaster of Shade Academy, twenty-five years ago. Evaded capture from Vale's huntsmen units for five years, killing eight on-duty huntsmen and huntresses in the process. Taken down personally by Ozpin and executed one month later... Or at least that's what was recorded...'
Once the sword passed, Montell slashed at her thigh with a knife hidden in a device under his sleeve. Teacher released a hand from her weapon and knocked the knife aside before kicking the man back with enough force to shatter metal.
He rolled back and raised his right hand. The cuff on his wrist transformed into a heavy gun that fit into his palm. Montell pulled the trigger.
She deflected the bullet by shifting its trajectory slightly with the back of her hand along the knuckles and reversed the grip on her sword. She shifted her left foot forward and swung her blade at the man's shoulder. When he still managed to dodge, she immediately reversed the blade's momentum to continue after him.
Montell just barely managed to catch the blade between his left pam and the barrel of his gun. The edge started to chip away at both. His body was forced back. He angled his firearm towards Teacher and started firing.
It was just a bluff. He didn't have enough leeway to properly aim at her. She held her ground and allowed the bullets to fire past her.
Running out of options, he pushed a switch inside his boot to shoot out a shard of wind Dust. The high pressured gust forced distance between the two. Montell threw another knife at the woman while she thrust her sword forward.
Her cheek was cut, blood started to flow down from it. The knife continued until it embedded itself deeply into the side of a mountain, forming cracks multiple meters in length.
The tip of her blade reached his heart, but he condensed his Aura enough to the point that his skin was not pierced.
On his way across the ground, he flipped back to his feet and landed upright. "No no no, that isn't the way. Don't tell me this is the one who-"
BLOODLUST
That is what Montell felt behind him. A scorching claw approached his neck like the reaper's sickle.
Another attacker struck the boy across the chest with a long blade extending from his full body armor. He had a youthful face like a college student and brown hair trimmed neatly into a bowl cut. His flexible armor suit covered every inch of his body, save for the head.
"Careful boss. Even when dealing with insects, you have to make sure to squash with every single one."
The woman's eyes widened for a moment before narrowing down. She started to slowly walk forward. "Hey, kid."
Natsu jumped back to his feet, rubbing the place where he was struck. The rags he was wearing were even more ripped than before. "What?"
Run.
Or at least that's what she would tell him if if she didn't know better. If she was responsible in the first place, she'd never let a child get involved in her business. He would not stay out of this fight, but these people were not like the Grimm or random thugs they've fought so far.
They would likely kill him.
She could feel the blood rushing to her head. The best course of action... the true solution, would be to ■■■. But if she did that, could that possible future occur?
Montell scowled. "Shut the fuck up, Drew. You couldn't even kill the one you called insect. What is the firing team doing?"
"They were injured by the blast, so I took their gear and left them by the ravine. We'll just say they went missing." He said this with a plain smile on his face.
Natsu stopped waiting for them to finish talking and charged at them. His path was blocked by Teacher, who held out her sword in front of him.
"Stop. Calm down."
He looked at her. He didn't recognize the tone behind her voice. It was unfamiliar.
She killed her emotions.
"Focus on the man with brown hair. I'll handle the other one. Use everything at your disposal, or you'll die." After she said what needed to be said, she seemed to vanish. Appearing once more after striking Montell with her odachi and sending him over the edge of a ravine. She jumped in after him.
"Don't die."
Natsu felt confused. What exactly was happening? Who were these people? Teacher wasn't actually worried, was she?
He tilted his head to the side to avoid another projectile. He could feel his scarf get slightly pulled towards the bullet as it breezed past.
"Oh? You managed to dodge." Drew reloaded the gun he took from one of his allies. "Didn't expect a kid to be able to do that. You an escaped subject?... No, actually, you're a couple decades too young to be."
The boy turned to look at him with a gaze filled with animosity. "Who the fuck are you?"
Drew smirked, "I'm-"
Natsu struck him in the stomach with a blazing fist, sending him flying away.
Fire Dragon's Iron Fist
"Nevermind. I don't care."
The black armor, covering his entire body like a skin-tight suit, protected Drew from any damage caused by the attack. He smiled like this was just an amusing pastime for him. He raised his firearm, now fully integrated with his armor, and started blasting.
With a swipe of his hand, Natsu ignited all the projectiles before they could reach him. The gravity Dust actually ended up pulling the resulting explosion inward. Any and all explosive weaponry were useless against the fire dragon slayer.
Continuing the attack, the boy ran forward, boosting his speed with fire ejecting from his feet before kicking the man in the head. Drew's body automatically raised his guard to block the kick with one arm. What he wore was no ordinary armor. It tremendously increased his power and defense. Sensor's embedded in the material would react to any attacks in the vicinity to aid his movements.
"Tough luck, brat, my armor makes steel look like butter. You can't touch me!" He kicked Natsu right in the face and sent him crashing through dead trees and finally into a boulder.
Spittle came flying from his mouth as he coughed out. Blood started trickling from his nose. He forced his body to ignore the pain and stand up. When he looked up, the armor bastard wasn't there.
Something hard and metallic struck the back of his head.
Drew continued to smile, but he didn't expect what would happen next.
Natsu didn't even reel from the blow. He spun around and kicked his attacker's legs out from under him before uppercutting the stomach, sending him into the air.
"Oh, I think I get what she's feeling right now... Teacher's pissed."
The woman crashed to the ravine floor. A crater was left in her wake.
Montell was waiting for her. He leapt out of the shadows and struck down at her with dual knives. They seemed the go right past her. Her movement's timing and precision gave the illusion that she didn't move at all. Only a slight tilt was needed to dodge and regain her position.
She was relentless with her attacks. Every attack was strong enough to kill. Every brief stance she took had no holes to exploit. Her face was still veiled by her hair, yet the way the air started to chill around her said more than enough.
The man was pushed back more than a few kilometers. Rock and dirt alike was scarred by his feet being dragged across them. He sidestepped just in time to avoid an underhand slash that split the ground open.
To describe Teacher as a force of nature would not be accurate. Nature does not target. It does not calculate. It doesn't focus its destruction on a single entity.
Even now, Montell did not stop smiling, as if his victory was absolutely ensured. He fired at the woman, emptying out his magazine. She didn't stop her pursuit and deflected away every single one as if they were cotton balls. The man blasted the ground with a bullet infused with fire Dust to knock himself to the side, just in time to avoid being stabbed in the back.
They stood only twenty paces apart.
Montell sighed, "I've always wanted to face one of your kind, but it seems that I'll just be drowning you in a puddle of your own blood." He dropped his gun. "The era of humans is coming to an end. Almost a shame you won't be there to see it. Curse your luck if you wish. There will be nothing to hear your screams.
I'm going to play with you. I'll rip you and rip you and rip you and rip you and rip you and rip you and rip you and rip you and rip you— until there's nothing left." His skin started to twist and stretch, changing from pale white to dark purple. Dark colored veins pulsed strongly as his blood changed from red to black. Patches of his skin split open underneath his clothes and living fibers sprang out. His right arm was encased in black substance that hardened into a jagged blade. His eyes became pure red.
"Be a good girl and don't run."
She lowered her weapon. 'I can not defeat him,' she assessed.
The criminal exploded forward with speed dwarfing his previous displays. He raised his arm and struck at her with a massive limb that resembled that of a Grimm. It stretched and twisted, closing the distance between them.
Stepping to the right and swaying out of reach, she avoided a hit that carved out the ground.
The killer, that now bore little resemblance to a human, circled around her, using his grotesque arm to trap her in. With the arm that had turned into a blade, he stabbed at her abdomen.
She met him with her sword, pushing the attack to the side, but the blade bent on its own and continued its path. Ducking down, she rolled out of the way. After regaining her stance, she put some distance between them.
He leapt towards her like some sort of missile. Once again, she dodged out of reach. A cunning grin formed on his face and he immediately propelled himself off the ground he landed in and swiped at her neck. Though she blocked with her sword, she was sent crashing backwards.
Montell's black appendages hunted after her. Striking at her vital areas, they didn't let up. She kept on taking hit after hit. Any counterattacks she made were repelled of his newly strengthened body. Once again, he outpaced her and attacked her exposed back. His arm transformed into eight separate blades that attacked her simultaneously, each with enough force to cut reinforced flesh into pieces, Aura or not.
After being sent crashing into a wall, a small gasp of air escaped her lips. Strands of her hair fell to the ground.
"KAHAHA! HAHHHHH! DROWN IN DESPAIR, YOU WENCH! MY SPEED, MY DEFENSE, MY POWER ALL RENDER YOURS OBSOLETE! YOU'RE NOT EVEN A WORM COMPARED TO ME!"
"You cut it-"
His eyes widened. Some kind of shadow passed by his back. Her long hair flowed past like a cursed spirit.
The man immediately jumped away and turned back to face her, Montell did not see her move, nor did he see her attack. It was what he didn't see that caused his blood to freeze so much. He couldn't see out of his left eye. He couldn't hear with his right ear. The organs were intact. They just stopped working. All the damage he sustained was only a delicate cut on his neck.
It started to rain, a heavy downpour that would wipe away all the filth on the land.
He touched his eye, unable to true comprehend what happened. "WHAT THE HELL DID YOU DO!?"
She rushed him, causing him to stumbled back. His foot caught on a shallow crack in the stone.
'Shit! That was a misstep! How did she get behind me? I'm supposed to outstrip her in speed!' Panic was quickly starting to infect him, causing the strange substance covering his body to creep further into his organ systems. 'Calm down! She isn't too fast for me to follow her movement! Just don't lose track of-'
The woman disappeared.
His body reacted before his mind. His spine broke itself to bend out of the way, just in time to avoid an attack that would've cut his heart in two. Though it was excruciatingly painful, the spine managed to fix itself back in place.
Once again, she had gotten behind him without him noticing. Though it was now drenched, her hair no longer covered her eyes. A truly beautiful face was revealed to the world. Piercing eyes that shined like crimson gems looked down on him with silent malice. Her entire persona had changed, unrecognizable to what she was before. Her body went limp and lost all tension like a puppet whose strings had been cut. She wasn't even looking at her opponent anymore. Vision going hazy for a moment, she thought she saw her body covered in blood not her own... again. The hallucination disappeared as quickly as it came.
"You have my thanks... I've been having a very pleasant dream... but you reminded me of my reality, of what I am...
Did you know? There are two kinds of people that exist in this world: Those Who Deserve Happiness And Those Who Don't...
I am one of the latter."
Finally, she raised herself back up, looking at him with hollow eyes devoid of anything but the intent to kill.
"Now... Will you become another sin of mine?"
Sandoval had awakened something he shouldn't have.
In an instant, all the strength he had attained by abandoning his humanity was rendered pointless. He formed both of his arms into jagged blades and charged at the woman like a raged beast. A guttural scream burst out from his lungs.
"DON'T YOU DARE UNDERESTIMATE ME, YOU BITCH! THIS ISN'T EVEN MY F-"
Her image flickered.
[FULL MOON]
She turned and walked away. "I'm a rather hideous person on the inside, unable to sufficiently provide something only as bitter as 'defeat'...
for the only thing this person can truly grant is death."
Neck. Left bicep tendon. Left femoral artery. Right femoral artery. Right bicep tendon.
"This is the one thing I did not want that boy to witness."
Blood flowed from the cuts on Montell's body, following the momentum of the attack and forming a circle of crimson-stained black around him. He fell to the ground, choking on his own blood.
And then he died.
Drew activated his head guard, encasing his head in a protective, green visor. The internal computer automatically tracked the boy's movements. A glowing indicator in his vision flashed red and showed the boy rapidly approaching. It tracked his trajectory and stimulated the armor to react.
The boy jumped towards the man's head and whipped his leg around for a kick, throwing his entire body's momentum behind it. Just a second before impact, wires sprung out from Drew's wrist and wrapped around his leg. Natsu was yanked towards the ground and smashed into gravel.
He pulled back the leg wrapped in wire at the ankle. They held taut. Pulling anymore felt like they'd cut through his skin. The boy grabbed them with his hands and tried to throw the man the same way he was thrown.
Smirking, Drew flexed a finger and enough electricity to instantly kill was discharged through the wires. Natsu grit his teeth and focused through the pain, igniting his foot. He lifted up his leg and kicked down. The wires were snapped and burned through. A wave of fire continued onwards.
Lazily raising his arm up, Drew blocked. The flames passed over him with no effect. "Would you stop already? This is getting embarrassing. Try dying with some pride!" Wires emerged from the wrist on both arms and whipped towards the boy.
Natsu jumped up and kicked off a dead tree towards a mountainside. The wires passed through where he was standing and sliced cleanly through a thick boulder. Wasting no time, the boy ran alongside the wall, dodging gunfire and wires. 'I need to get close to him!'
Gritting his teeth, he blasted off the wall, propelled by a self-made explosion. Natsu flew towards the man like a comet, striking him in the stomach with an elbow.
It had no effect.
"Can't you see I'm in armor!?" Drew laughed. He punched Natsu in the head and grabbed his scarf before retracting a blade from under his wrist, stabbing at the kid's eyes.
The boy stopped it with his teeth. He lashed out with his arm and destroyed the devices on both wrists containing the wires. Biting down, the blade was shattered. Natsu changed his position and kicked the back of the man's head. Dodging the next attack, he struck his lower back.
Drew glared at him and aimed a deadly punch at the boy, his power drastically increased by his armor. He'd killed several people with a single attack this way.
Natsu saw this coming as if time was going in slow motion. He avoided the blow and struck at the armored man's chest.
"!"
But instead of his fist breaking something. He felt something in his chest break. Flying across the ground, the boy slammed headfirst into the hard mountainside. A still spinning bullet was lodged in his chest, his flesh was being pulled towards it.
"HaHAHAHAA! This is what technology can do, you insect!" Firing devices were hidden on both of Drew's shoulders, designed to shoot at any targets that enter in close range. He felt that his victory was assured. His partner had surely beaten the woman by now. Montell wasn't nice enough to just let her die with a bit of pain, so she was probably still squirming, but the job was more or less complete.
He raised a hand to his helmet to deactivate it.
The moment he touched it, it shattered into dozens of pieces.
"...What?" He felt his face be exposed to the air once more. It took a few seconds for him to realize what had happened, looking down at the broken scraps in his hands. His face contorted with rage. "How dare you break it!"
Something warm and sticky flowed down from his neck. As if the world itself was trying to warn him, rain started falling from the sky, making him shiver.
"It's really annoying." Natsu got back to his feet with little difficulty, wiping the blood away from his cut lip. The rain evaporated as soon as it touched his body. He felt the area where he was shot and pulled out the bullet, flicking it away. The projectile hadn't managed to reach his bones nor his vital organs. "You kept on leaving yourself open for kill strikes. So distracting..."
Blood dripped down from Drew's neck. The man frantically covered the wound to stop it from gushing open. Fear spawned in his mind. The fear of death made his knees shake. Managing to diagnose himself, he reached an assessment. 'It's just a superficial scratch. Nothing major. My Aura will heal it in an hour.'
He aimed his gun and both firing devices at Natsu, but he wasn't there anymore.
His right arm went limp. Drew stared at it. The tendons were ripped out.
Lightly shaking his hand and setting it on fire to clean it, Natsu looked apathetically at the guy. "See? You're full of openings."
"YOU-!"
Natsu grabbed Drew's skull and smashed a knee into his face, shattering the teeth and nasal bones.
"Shut up," The boy listlessly whispered.
Drew brought up his left arm to desperately stab the boy. A light cut should be enough. The blade was coated in poison. That arm went limp as well. Pain was finally starting to register, but he wasn't allowed to scream.
"You guys really annoyed me."
Kicking both of the man's kneecaps, Natsu shattered them. He stomped the man's torso into the ground while igniting his foot, breaking Drew's ribs into pieces. The ribs were crushed so quickly, they didn't even have time to rupture any organs.
Now feeling bored, Natsu looked down on the man like an apex predator looks down on those at the bottom of the food chain. 'Looks like I guessed right. Fighting people the same way I fight monsters isn't fun at all. It's even worse when I keep using what Teacher taught me.'
A gentle hand was placed on his shoulder. Natsu looked up at Teacher as he always did, still unable to see her face through her flowy hair. She turned and started walking towards their original destination. The boy followed after her.
". . . . . ." She stopped. Glancing at the boy, she saw the blood stemming from numerous injuries on his body. After forcing him to sit down and sit still, she patched him up.
Natsu was quiet. For some reason, Teacher looked sad.
Drew crawled forward, his eyes filled rage.
"That fuckin' bitch... that worthless insect!" He swore revenge. The emergency systems in his armor allowed him a limited range of movement. He would lay low, giving his injuries time to heal in a few weeks. If he pilfered his allies supplies, he'd have enough to go on for even longer than that.
"Just wait... I'll have you both begging me to..."
Gargantuan, beastly limbs stood in front of him. Looking up, his pupils dilated when he saw a deformed humanoid standing before him.
Its body was mangled and crooked. Surely, it would die soon... but its hunger still needed to be satiated. Specks of Montell's blood and flesh surrounded the creature's funnel-like mouth, filled with rows of sharp teeth, resembling a lamprey.
"W-wait... don't-"
The monster devoured him.
For the first time, they rested in a town's inn. The town, Natsu noticed, was a lot nicer than the ones they visited before. He couldn't hear anyone fighting and he could even see kids playing around. He quickly fell asleep on the floor after Teacher went to take a shower.
He woke up on the bed the next night. The room was silent. He looked around himself, seeing no one and hearing no one.
The boy was alone again.
Reassembling the rags he used as clothes, he wandered outside, ignoring the stares and whispers of the people around him. Traces of Teacher's scent still lingered in the air, burning copper and blood.
He raced through the illuminated streets. Common people were startled when they saw a blur dash past them. Some thought they were just sleepy and seeing things. One or two huntsmen, who happened to be on patrol, spat out their coffee when they saw him. The kid disappeared before they could even call out to him.
Coffee shops, bakeries, flower shops, grocery stores... he paid no attention to any of it, jumping over a traffic street on green light.
*Thump. . . Thump. . . Thump. . .* He could hear her heartbeat now. When he exited the town's borders, a good sight awaited him.
The moon shined brightly tonight. Outside of humanity's influence, it could embrace everything with silver light. Rolling, green hills, as far as the eye, could see, covered the landscape. A lone figure was resting against a tree, her black cloak swaying with the wind. She stared down at the horizon with her sheathed blade resting next to her.
After reaching her, the boy stopped to catch his breath. Injuries he'd been accumulating during their journey, and even before that, were starting to take a toll. Even if they healed, they left him with a degree of fatigue and shadow pains. Rest is what he needed most, especially since he was still growing.
"Hey, Teacher, I finished sleeping and I don't think I'm still bleeding anywhere... so where are we going now?"
". . . . . . . ."
"...Teacher?"
She stood up, picking up her sword and concealing it within her cloak. The tree cast a large shadow, hiding her from the world. Stepping into the moonlight, she walked three paces to stand in front of the boy.
"Sorry, I've got business to take care of, so we'll be stopping here."
"Oh," Natsu pulled his scarf down to give himself more room to breath. "Are we staying back at that inn or finding a place outside?"
"That-"
Her voice broke. She wasn't able to breath all of a sudden. Gritting her teeth, she forced her heart to beat at a steady rhythm and her lungs to take in oxygen.
"That isn't what I meant. Our travels together will be stopping here. There are things I need to do, and there are things that you need to do. Our paths do not align, so we will part ways."
The boy said nothing and looked down.
"Did I do something wrong?"
"...No. You are violent and callous to an extreme degree for one so young, but you have a good heart. That is my belief. If I'm a part of your environment, it'll be corrupted, assuming you don't die. Although, I have the feeling that fate will have a stressful time bringing death to you... This is what I believe is for the best." She looked away, her expression somber.
"Do you resent me for this?"
He shook his head, clenching his fists tight. His onyx eyes became frighteningly intense, though they soon calmed down. "You were just letting me tag along anyways. Not like it was ever going to last."
"Yeah, it wasn't." The woman hesitantly raised her hand. Her vision blackened for a mere moment, but in that moment, her hand was still stained in blood. She shut her eyes tight and took a deep breath... before softly placing her hand on the boy's head. "I... enjoyed our time together."
She smiled. It was delicate and forced, yet real nonetheless. "For me, it was like a peaceful dream, the first I've had in a very long time. Be that as it may, all dreams must eventually end. It's fine if you hate me... and it'd be fine if you forgot about me... but... please just try to remember these last lessons I'm about to impart to you.
Be kind and patient to those younger than you. Otherwise, respect must be earned. Don't waste your time cleaning the messes of others if not for yourself.
Eat well and sleep well. That's the most important habit for growing up strong. You have no problem with eating, but I've noticed that you don't sleep much when you go hunting. Sleep from dusk till dawn whenever you can.
When fighting for your life, use everything. Even if you lose your humanity, don't lose your life.
You have a good smile, kid, don't let it disappear. I've been told that good things eventually happen to those who smile from their hearts.
Finally, though this may be hollow coming from me, try giving people a chance, okay? Though they can be weak, and cruel, and unsightly, and you may not understand them, and they may not understand you... there exists at least one person out there who in time you can trust. Have faith in that."
The woman gently ruffled his hair one last time before walking away. Every step she took seemed to cause a rift between them to grow more and more.
Natsu reached out, as if he wanted to pull her back, but eventually lowered his hand, respecting the wishes of the first human he ever cherished. An old memory resurfaced. Igneel had taught him about greetings. He also told him about departures. Specifically, a word that conveys blessings for safe travels.
"Bye."
She stopped, looking over her shoulder at the boy for the last time.
"Take care, boy. And Goodbye."
Beacon Academy: Present day...
"Damn, it's getting late."
The sun was already starting to set. Natsu put a hand behind his back and stretched the sore muscles so they wouldn't stiffen up while he slept. A good meal and a good nap would bring him back to a hundred percent the next morning. Actually, he was perfectly ready to fight immediately if he chose to.
"So~, what'ya think about my little story. Kinda dragged on longer than I thought."
Ruby was sitting right in front of him, scooching in closer and closer as the story went on. Her wide eyes looked a little nervous. "Um, your childhood kind of sounded... really... sad?"
"Sad!?" Weiss exclaimed, slamming down her notepad. "More like suicidal! What were you thinking!? How are you not dead!?"
He looked at them like they were crazy. Natsu pointed at himself like it was obvious. "Dragon Slayer. Also, what the Hell was sad about it? My kid days were a joy! Sure, I was a bit of a brat, but I grew out of it."
Blake, who was silent up until now, spoke up. "Natsu, I know you're a bit of a thrill seeker, but acting like that is insane. Suicidal would be putting it lightly."
Natsu puffed out a thin stream of flames, as he tended to do when he's annoyed. "When did this even end up being about me. You wanted to know about Teacher, so I told you."
Weiss pinched the bridge of her nose. She fumed, "Don't even get me started on that woman! What kind of terrible, irresponsible adult allows a child to-"
The ground was shattered as if an earthquake suddenly hit. Natsu punched the ground next to him while staying seated. He tilted his head at Weiss. "Watch yourself," he growled. "I wouldn't give a damn if a god cursed me to rot in a pit, but I will NOT let anyone just insult Teacher like that. Understood?" He opened his eyes, staring down at the girl with an intensity that shook her.
She found it hard to speak. Though she always believed Natsu to have a short temper, she never saw a trace of what it was like when he felt genuine anger. It would be in her best interests to pray that she never does.
"So Teacher was really really strong then?" Ruby tugged on Natsu's arm to get his attention. "You didn't mention her using guns or anything, so she must be really good at close range." Her innocent smile softened him up.
He smiled, reminiscing old memories. "She was the first human I thought was stronger than myself. Before then, I was always able to burn or tear whatever was in my way. Sparring with her was the greatest fun I had in a while."
The ears on top of Blake's head twitched. There were many holes in Natsu's story. Mainly what his "Teacher" was doing in those cities. Not to mention, who were those two that attacked them in the end? Were they arrested? Did they stop after being defeated, or...? She shook her head. Whatever it was, happened years ago. Natsu was just a kid, so it's not like he'd remember everything perfectly.
"You enjoyed that time with her didn't you?" Yang asked kindly with a warm smile. "There were some rough times, but you didn't regret any of it."
Natsu rested his chin on top of his hand. "Glad you understand. If I get CPS called on me one more time, I swear I'll- OW! OW! OW! OW! OW! What the Hell!?"
Yang grabbed his cheek and was pinching it tightly. "Even if you were a naughty child, you shouldn't have been so reckless! Were you trying to give me a heart attack with that story!? You're lucky that woman was there to help you, or who knows what might've happened!" Her eyes were filled with concern for his younger self. If she could, she'd have given little Natsu all the hugs in the world.
But for now, she'd scold the reckless fool in front of her.
"I would've been- OW! fine!" Natsu protested.
Ruby tried to tug Yang's hand off Natsu. "Stop bullying him, Yang! You're being mean!"
"Thanks, kid. I always liked you best." he ruffled her hair, causing her to giggle. "You should take Teacher's advice too. Eat well and get plenty of sleep so that you grow up strong."
"Don't worry. I drink milk!"
Finally letting go of Natsu's cheek, Yang stood up and clapped her hands. "Alright, it really is getting dark right now, so we should head inside. Blake, Ruby," she addressed them both. "Weiss already took her bath, Natsu doesn't need hot water, and I only take showers in the morning, so you two decide who goes first and make sure to leave enough hot water for who goes last. I'll get started in the kitchen."
With that, they started walking back to the dorm. Ruby grabbed Natsu's hand and was practically dragging him forward as she skipped across the ground.
Weiss gathered her notes, looking over them once more. She liked Natsu. She was fairly sure of that. But she still couldn't understand him for the life of her. His lifestyle just seemed so reckless to say the least. Weiss reluctantly brushed those thoughts aside. It didn't matter right now. She'd figure him out later. He was just another human like everyone else, after all.
'Huh... don't think I've ever talked about myself like that. Must be more tired than I realized.' Natsu suppressed a yawn, not wanting to accidentally breathe fire on Ruby.
A gentle hand was placed on his head, ruffling his hair, causing him to jolt.
Yang gave him a teasing smirk. "I'll just say this once. You're destructive and a bit insensitive at times, but I think you're an okay guy, better than okay actually. It's fine that you love fighting so much. It's actually one of the things I like best about you, but try to relax every now and then. Kay?
I know it isn't my place to say this, yet I'll say it anyways. Your dad and Teacher would be proud of you. If they somehow aren't, they should be."
She lightly brushed his shoulder and dashed forward to walk alongside her sister, holding her arms behind her back while humming a worldly tune.. "You kinda smell now, so at least wash your face. Think I'll make pork cutlets tonight... as thanks for the nice tale." She gave him a little wink.
". . . . . ."
Natsu was taken aback. For a second, she looked just like... 'Nah, must be getting nostalgic. What am I, an old man?' He closed his eyes, breathing in the night air. Opening his eyes, he could see faint beams of moonlight shining from behind the clouds.
'Am I following your lessons well, Teacher? I think I'm doing pretty good. It'd be nice to spar with you again. Maybe one day, we'll see each other once more.'
Thunder boomed from within the clouds after flashes of lightning appeared. Rain started pouring down.
Ruby pulled him indoors before he could get soaked.