Very short A/N: I put translations in italics and parenthesis. You'll figure it out when you get there, don't sweat. Also, this is probably my upload schedule now. At least a chapter a week. Alright, enjoy.

Natsu slowly proceeded to a half-awakened state from rays of sunlight shooting him in the eye. 'Damn you sun…' he thought to himself. 'If you weren't so important I'd figure out a way to eat you…'

While Natsu was drearily plotting his revenge on arguably the most important object in the entire galaxy, Mira herself was slowly rousing from her slumber. 'I don't remember the bed being this warm…' she thought to herself as her eyes slowly fluttered open. What she saw, however, was not the hotel bed she expected to see. It was Natsu.

"EEEEP!" she squeaked, nearly falling on the ground if not for Natsu's reflexes.

"Ugh...Jane it is far too early for this…" he grumbled, placing her back on top of him, much to her embarrassment. "Give me like...fifteen more minutes…"

Words seemed to be failing the white-haired barmaid, and eventually, she just accepted her new position. 'Well...he is rather comfortable...and warm…'

They stayed like that for another half hour, twice the length of Natsu's initial plan, when Natsu awoke again, gaining some sense of reality this time. "Jane...time to get up…"

"Mmmm….Natsu…" she mumbled.

'Hmmm...dèja vu…' he thought. "Jane...come on, get up!"

"Hmmm?" she asked, slowly rising.

"Not that I mind, but why exactly are you on top of me?"

Mira blushed fiercely and scrambled off. "U-um e-er y-you put me there!" she stumbled out.

"Oh...my bad," he replied. "Well, we should probably get ready, eh? We have a dragonkin to slay!"

"Ok!" she chirped.

The two got ready and showered, before heading downstairs to check out of the inn. They stopped at a local cafè to get a simple breakfast, and then they were off.

"The mayor said that most of the damage was done over in this direction," Mira said, pointing ahead of them. "Do you smell anything lizardy yet?"

"Lizardy?" Natsu deadpanned.

"Don't make fun of my speech patterns, Drakeneel!" Mira scolded. "Do you smell anything or not?"
Natsu chuckled and shook his head. "Not yet, we'll have to get a bit closer for that. Remember, it's a lot harder to differentiate scents in towns and cities, and it's near impossible if I haven't been there before."

"I guess that's true. You said they control the element of earth, right?"

"Yep, so with your satan soul, you should be fine. Not that it can't reach you, of course, you'll have to pay close attention when it goes for aerial attacks, but it's better than being on the ground. Not only that, but they can reach fairly high up into the air, even though they don't have arms or legs. They actually make up for that-"

"Natsu...you're doing it again."
"Sorry…"

Mira giggled at him. "Don't worry about me so much. I'm not an S-Class mage for nothing, you know! Besides, if anything goes wrong, I have you there with me. Right?"

"Aye, sir! Speaking of, I wonder how Happy is doing?"

"You know him, probably gorging on fish somewhere."

Meanwhile - Fairy Tail Guildhall

"Erza~," Happy whined. "I'm positive that they'll have strawberry cake when we get there! There is no reason to go so fast!"

"Nonsense, cat! Strawberry cake is the perfect breakfast for any person, if we aren't there early someone else could snatch it up first!" she declared, quickly continuing her march towards the guildhall.

"Has anyone ever taken all of the strawberry cake before?" he deadpanned, finally deciding to just land on her head rather than attempt to chase after her.

"No…but that does not mean that they won't suddenly develop an interest and become cake rivals!"

"That doesn't make any sense, Erza!" Happy told her, as she opened the guildhall doors. "Obviously what we have to worry about is all the fish being taken!"

"Nonsense! Fish is inferior to strawberry cake in every way!"
"Happy?" a voice came from ahead of them.

"Aye?" Happy pondered, turning away from the knight, only to somehow be tackled off the redhead's shoulders.

"HAPPY! IT'S YOU! I MISSED YOU SO MUCH!" she squealed, rubbing her face all over his soft fur.

"AHHHH! ERZA! HELP MEEE!" Happy whined, unable to determine what was assaulting his very being.

"What? You don't remember me?" she asked, sounding like she was about to cry.

"How would I-" Happy stopped when he finally got a look at who was smothering him. "TREYA? YOU'RE ALIVE!"

"HAPPY!"
"TREYAAAAAA!" The two proceeded to hug on the floor crying on each other while the few people who knew what was going on watched on fondly.

"You're alive! I'm so glad! Wait, how are you alive? Does that matter? I DON'T CARE! TREYA'S ALIVE! NOW YOU CAN TAKE ME FISHING!" Happy exclaimed.

Treya broke out into laughter, wiping tears from her eyes. "I have wanted to hear you ask me to take you fishing again for years! We can go today, ok? Do you know any good fishing spots? I don't know the town very well yet. I don't even have a place to stay, Lisanna offered me her sister's room for the night but I don't think I could take that again."

"You can stay with Natsu and me! Apparently, he stopped by a contractor to fix up our hut to add a few additions while he was away!"

"Oh, I don't know if I could do that, Happy...I'm sure I'll find my own place."

"Are you two going to stay on the floor all morning, or are you going to come have breakfast with us?" Lisanna piped up from behind the bar, smiling at the two.

"Oh! Of course, thank you so much!" Treya replied, bringing Happy over while Lisanna handed him a plate of fish.

"Aye! My pre-fishing fish! Thanks, Lisanna!"

She giggled at him. "No problem, Happy! Make sure you guys have fun!"

"Aye, sir! And next time you can come with us!"

"We'll see!"

"So, Happy," Treya started after ordering her breakfast from Lisanna. "Where's Natsu?"

"Nraftschu isch ern er mrssrn wrtsth Mrrerjrn," Happy replied, mouth full of fish.

"Happy! Have you forgotten all the table manners I had to teach you two?" Treya scolded.

Happy swallowed. "Aye, sir!"

"Natsu was just as bad when he first got here, so don't feel too bad," Lisanna told her, serving Treya her breakfast. "My sister and Erza fixed that up real quick though!"

"Oh?"

"Aye, sir! Natsu's on a mission with Mira right now! They loooooove each other!"

"Really~?" Treya squealed. "Tell me all about her!"

"Silence feline! That wench is not going to steal-I mean corrupt Natsu!" Erza declared, slamming her gauntlet on the counter.

"Oh, I see! So Natsu's popular with the ladies now, is he? He better be good to you two, or I'll give my big brother the scolding of a lifetime!"

"You can say that again!" Lisanna giggled, thrilled to have another person to talk about this stuff with. Almost everyone else she was extremely close to was either involved, like Natsu, Mira, and Erza, or was not good for stuff like that, such as Levy and Elfman. She was slowly starting to corrupt-I mean introduce the method of a matchmaker to the new girl, Lucy, but she hadn't fully accepted the role yet.

"Well, we definitely have to talk about this later!" Treya said excitedly. It seems talking about her 'big brother's' love life was something that let her easily break out of her normally shy and nervous persona. "But when is Natsu going to be back?"

"Until that wench stops holding him hostage…" Erza muttered, taking her frustrations out on her third piece of strawberry cake.

Lisanna sweatdropped at her. "Riiiight...I would say Natsu could be back tonight at the earliest, but I'd say he'll probably be back tomorrow or the day after."

"I guess that's good," Treya nodded. "I can't wait to see him again. It's been such a long time!"
"I'll bet he'll be thrilled to see you again! Occasionally he'll tell a story about you guys and it always brings a smile to his face." Lisanna leaned in slightly and whispered. "And I think you were always his favorite!"

"Of course I was!" she giggled, grinning. "That's why I always got first pick of his souvenirs!"

"So~," Cana drawled, sitting on the other side of Treya, who was now surrounded by a cake obsessed knight on her left, an alcoholic on her right, a fish loving cat in front of her, and a giggling barmaid on the other side of the counter. "When are you gonna tell us all the embarrassing little Natsu stories?"

"Well~," she said thoughtfully. "I suppose I can give you a few, but you have to give me all the embarrassing Natsu stories you have too!"

"Aye, sir!" Happy exclaimed. The group chuckled slightly and started to swap stories about their slightly bizarre dragon slayer, laughing and joking and carrying on like a family.

'You have quite the surprise when you get back, brat,' Makarov said fondly, watching his children from the other side of the room. 'About time you were given something back instead of having something taken away.'

Back to Natsu and Mira

"Yeah, you're probably right," Natsu replied, scratching his chin thoughtfully. "But for some reason, I feel like beating up Happy."
"I'm sure it's nothing," Mira reassured.

"I hope so…" he grumbled, earning a giggle from the demon. Either way, the two continued to the outskirts of town to find themselves a Khmer dragon.
Shortly thereafter, they reached the area that was supposed to be the primary target for the creature. Natsu spent a little bit of time picking up the scent, and eventually he managed to catch it.

"I think I've got him, but it's weird…" Natsu commented, giving a perplexed look.

"What do you mean it's weird? Isn't it just…" Mira pondered for a moment trying to think of the right adjective to use.

"Lizardy?"

"Natsu!" Mira complained, weakly punching him in the shoulder.

"Oh relax, Jane! I'm just teasing you!" Natsu replied, ruffling her hair, much to her displeasure. "But what I mean is that it doesn't smell right. I've never caught the scent of a Khmer dragon before, that's just how rare they are, but it doesn't smell...natural? If that makes sense?"

"Not really…" she deadpanned.

"It's really hard to explain…" Natsu pondered for a moment. "Wait! I know! How about you smell for yourself?"

"Natsu, I can't smell things nearly as well as you can. Are you doing alright?"

"I'm fine, but I remembered talking with Erza earlier."

"I see…" she said with a frown.

Natsu sighed. "I mentioned in passing that there is a spell that can increase someone else's senses to be rather similar to a dragon's, but I found it rather useless so I never really bothered to practice. How would you like to be the first to try it out?"

"Really?" Mira asked, instantly brightening up.

"Of course! It won't be quite as strong as mine, but I'd estimate you'd have a nose about half as strong as mine, which is fairly close to an average dragon slayer mind you, so don't think you're missing too much."

'This is so exciting! I'll finally get to figure out what Natsu experiences all the time! I wonder what I smell like to him? What if I smell terrible and he's just being nice…'

"Jane?" Natsu said, waving his hand in front of her face. "You doing ok?"

"Eh? Yes! I'm fine! Are you ready to try it out?" she said, snapping back to reality.

"If you're sure…" Natsu told her. "Ok, move a bit closer."

"Like this?" she asked, moving closer in front of him, now only about six inches away.

"Almost, a bit closer."

"H-how a-about now?" she stuttered, now all but fully flushed up against the slayer.

"Perfect!" he said softly, leaning closer and pressing his pointer finger on the center of her forehead. "Lost Art of The Dragon King: Sensory Boost!"

Suddenly, a rush of smells entered her nose and everything suddenly got exponentially louder. Even though the only sound was the breeze and their respective breathing and heartbeats, the sound was loud enough to almost make her wince. But what stuck out more than anything was the scent that was right in front of her. 'It smells like campfires and earth…' she thought to herself, unconsciously leaning into the smell.

"So how is it?" he whispered softly, trying not to hurt her ears too much.
"It's loud…" she whispered back, still lost in the incredible scent she seems to have discovered.

"You get used to it. Also, now you know how I feel when I have to smell you every day," Natsu teased.

"D-do I r-really smell that bad?" she stuttered, close to tears.

"No! Not at all! I'm sorry, you misunderstand!" he panicked, bringing her in for a tight hug. "Actually, the exact opposite. I'm guessing you didn't notice how you were completely entranced in sniffing me?"

"W-what?"

"You were just mumbling answers while sniffing me. That's what I meant. Every day I have to convince myself that I shouldn't just spend the day breathing in your scent. I'm sorry if I made you think otherwise, Jane. You smell wonderful."
Mira's blush reached unimaginable heights. "O-oh, u-uh...thank you…" she stuttered out. "S-so, can you tell me what I'm supposed to be sniffing for?"

"Of course!" he responded happily, releasing her from his hug and giving her a grin that showed through his shadowed face. "Right around here. You should be able to smell something...lizardy."

"You're never going to let me live that one down, are you?" she sighed.

"Not a chance. Now c'mon, the faster you figure out what I mean the faster we can deal with this."

"Alright, fine." Listening to his instructions, Mira sniffed around the area and caught a scent that she could only describe as...you guessed it...lizardy. However, Natsu was right. There was something almost...unnatural about the scent they found.

"So what do we do about it?" she asked, after agreeing with the slayer's initial thoughts.

"Well, I'd say we keep that in mind when we track it. Ready to remove the spell now? I'm kind of tired of whispering if I'm being honest."

"I guess so…" she sighed. 'Aw, come on! I liked him whispering!'

"Very well." Natsu reached over and touched her forehead again, and she felt her senses dull down to normal levels. "Now let's go!"

"Wait a minute, how come you didn't need to get super close to me to take it off?" Mira asked, chasing after him.

"I have no idea what you mean."

"You did that on purpose! Natsu! Get back here!"

Natsu ran away chuckling, the demon barmaid close on his heels, as he chased down the scent of the somewhat unnatural dragonkin and Mira chased down the tricky slayer.

Shortly after, they slowed their pace down to a companionable walk and continued to search for the creature for around another hour and a half. Natsu stopped abruptly, halting the two of them as his ears twitched and his nose flared.

"What is it, Natsu? Are we close?" Mira questioned.

"Yeah, we're entering its territory now. Remember, Khmer dragons are very advanced, so they should be willing to negotiate. We may not have to kill it. I'll just warn you ahead of time that they also follow a lot of dragon customs as well, which I'm not sure if it will help or hinder us in the long run. Only time will tell, I suppose."

"Uh...I don't really know any dragon customs, Natsu," Mira pointed out quietly.

"Don't worry about it, Jane. For the most part, you can either copy me or I'll tell you what to do, and since I speak draconic, I'll be the medium. Just let me do the talking, not that he could understand you anyway."

"Sounds good!"

They continued walking for a brief period of time before a loud rumbling noise began to echo around the forest they were currently traveling through.

"Was that…?" Mira started.

"Yep. Can't say I'm not excited though."

A large creature at least sixty feet in length came slithering out of the forest in front of them. Its scales were a brilliant shade of jade green, with bright shimmering gold fins and crests, and its eyes were a dark and deep red like rubies. It had a row of razor sharp teeth and a long slit tongue and a white, quartz-like underbelly. The creature rose its mighty head into the air to gaze upon the two travelers who traversed his domain.

"Svaust ui coi batobot beviri ekess ossalur boga sia thaczil?" he grumbled, in a deep, echoing voice. (Who is it that dares to travel across my land?)

"Just follow my lead, ok?" Natsu told Mira, to which she nodded in response. "Zexenuma janikup vur tall, ihk yth darastrixi re tiichia," Natsu told him, igniting his right palm and showing it to the dragon. He slowly grabbed Mira's left hand and turned it so the back was facing the dragon and gestured for her to coat it in magic as well, which she caught on after a moment and did so. (Stay mighty and tall, for we dragons are blessed.)

"Hmmm…" the dragonkin rumbled thoughtfully and lowered himself to inspect the new visitors. "Munthreki svaust posses irthir di wer nesimtok Vs'shtakvi fekiikir… Visp ve munthrek, svaust re wux?" (Humans who possess knowledge of the traditional draconian greeting... Tell me human, who are you?)

"Deevdru di Igneel, Natsu Drakeneel, heir di wer aussir ixen darastrix daar. Aciv ui Mirajane Strauss, vi danthe thurirl di sia kurjh. Svabol ominak tepohaic coanwor majaktor unto wux?" (Son of Igneel, I am Natsu Drakeneel, heir to the white fire dragon kings. She is Mirajane Strauss, a dear friend of my own. What name hath been given unto you?)

"Fekiikiri, kwi deevdru di Igneel. Si tepoha coanwor ingowila mrith thric ominak acht nomenoi." (Greetings, oh son of Igneel. I have been graced with no name upon these lands.)

Natsu gasped while Mira just shot him a very confused look, as she had no idea what the two were talking about, not able to interpret anything other than names from the rough speech that is draconic. "Svaust ui coi batobot loritic dout title zara vi trelka cage?" (Who is it that holds your title behind a closed cage?)

If at all possible, the dragonkin seemed to let out a sad sigh as it continued. "Si shilta ti yenta, shar si mi lorita persvek nomenoi lands halkvri si sia ominak ui." (I cannot say, but I am trapped in these lands until my name is returned.)

"Well...that certainly is troublesome…" Natsu muttered to himself. "Nomagqe si nomag regipre ekess wux vi title, zyak wux nomag shafaer de nomeno togofor?" (Perhaps I may bequeath you with a title, so you may move on from this plane?)

"Sjek coi ui irsa dout huvenic, deevdru di Igneel. Svabol ui coi wux huven persvek?" (If it is within your wishes, son of Igneel. What is it you wish in return?)

"Coi ui shar vi banpri. Persvek ihk dout freedom, si wux jaseve wer shripomn wyogada dampra miles ilache loaw." (It is but a simple request. In exchange for your freedom, I request you leave the village located several miles South alone.)

"Hmmm…." the dragon rumbled, eyeing the two suspiciously. "Zi algbo, deevdru di Igneel. Svabol ominak nishka wux regipre ve mrith?" (Very well, son of Igneel. What title shall you bequeath unto me?)

"Jane, I need you to help me name him," Natsu told her, while the dragonkin continued to gaze upon them, awaiting his new title.

"WHAT?" she questioned loudly.

"I'll explain it quickly. Basically, a dragon's name is his pride, which we are known for. He doesn't have one, and he requires a title to be free. As a dragon king, I am eligible to bequeath him with a new title, the only other being his father, which is unlikely if not impossible. I am terrible at stuff like this, you aren't, so please could you help me out here?"

"Uh...sure…" Mira told him, still not fully grasping the concept. "Let's see...is he a male or a female?"

"You are so lucky he doesn't speak the common tongue…" Natsu said, rubbing his temple. "He's male."

"Then how about...Lapide! It means gemstone!" (Pronounced La-pee-day)

"That's...actually...really good. Well done, Jane!" Natsu turned to the Khmer dragon, who was patiently awaiting his freedom. "Si regipre wux wer ominak di Lapide, Khmer di Gemstones. Origato coi qe vucat wer thaczil, batobot dout title jahus regiprea ini Natsu Drakeneel, deevdru di Igneel." (I bequeath you the name of Lapide, Khmer of Gemstones. Let it be known throughout the land, that your title was gifted by Natsu Drakeneel, son of Igneel.)

"Si majak wux sia, deevdru di Igneel. Origato dout altiuiri wiap yoweth vur dout ibafarshani valignat nomenes svaust stand seanf wux." (I give you my thanks, son of Igneel. Let your wings fly high and your flames burn those who stand against you.)

"Veitrelg, Lapide, Khmer di Gemstones. Grigato dout crest qanesc itmen vur dout janik nar l'gra sari dout irlymi," Natsu replied. This time, however, he unleashed a weak fire dragon's roar at the beast who responded in kind with an earthy roar of his own, meeting him in power with clumps of rock and earth. "Nomag yth tafiaf acht wer janik di vi darastrix…" (Farewell, Lapide, Khmer of Gemstones. Let your crest shine bright and your might strike fear into your enemies. May we meet upon the might of a dragon...)

"Vur hysvear sari wer mitne!" Lapide roared back, before turning away from the two and disappearing. (And soar into the light!)

"Well...that went better than I expected," Natsu mused aloud.

"I would say the same...except I HAVE NO IDEA WHAT JUST HAPPENED!" Mira complained loudly. "Are you gonna catch me up to speed on what you talked about?"

"Of course, Jane! I'd never just leave you hanging like that!" Natsu replied as the two began to return to the town. "He detected us in our territory and inquired as to who we were, and I responded with a traditional dragon greeting. It's fairly simple, and it translates to 'stand mighty and tall, for we dragons are blessed.' It reflects a dragon's pride and gives respect to the dragon you are greeting."

"So what was that thing with magic?" she asked, inquisitively.

"Male dragons raise their right front limb coated in their magic with the palm facing towards whoever they're greeting, while female dragons raise their left with the palm facing away. For males, it's a show of strength and for females, it's a show of civility."

"So what I'm hearing is you dragons think women are weak?" Mira asked with a terrifyingly sweet smile.
"Not at all. In dragon culture, female dragons tend to be far less aggressive than the males," he answered slightly nervously with a cold shiver up his spine. "That's not to say they weren't powerful, but they really only fought in emergency situations, excluding the queen of course."

"Hmmm… Well, I suppose you didn't come up with these customs, so I'll spare you for now."

'Spare me?' Natsu thought with a shiver. 'I can never tell if I prefer the demon or the sweet barmaid…'

"So, what happened next?"

"We introduced ourselves! I couldn't really give you a...proper...introduction because I don't know who your father was."

"I didn't know him very well myself…" Mira replied softly, giving a slight sad frown.

"Hey, it'll be ok," Natsu told her, giving her a quick one-armed hug and rubbing her shoulder. "When dragons introduce themselves, they start with the name of their father, as a sign of respect to those before you, as well as spread tales of legendary dragons. For example, a mighty dragon would give his father fame even if his father himself was not a well-renowned dragon simply because his father raised such a strong one."

"That's actually kind of cool," Mira said, smiling at his casual show of affection. "I could say 'granddaughter of Makarov, the master of Fairy Tail, Mirajane Strauss!' That has a nice ring to it, don't you think?"

Natsu chuckled. "That it does. Maybe we'll meet a dragon or a dragon slayer sometime, and you can help me with the introduction. Sound good?"

"Yay!" she exclaimed. "Ok, so after that. Why did we have to give him a name?"

"Well, that's a tricky one…" Natsu replied thoughtfully, scratching his chin. "As I mentioned, respect and pride are extremely important to dragons. Humans often see dragons as cocky or overconfident because of this, but pride is part of our culture. Without pride, you are seen as lesser. Somehow, he lost his name."

"How do you lose a name? And why did we have to give him a new one?"

"I'm not entirely certain, but there are a few ways that could happen. One is that he was defeated in battle where terms were arranged prior, but I highly doubt that. A Khmer dragon wouldn't be defeated by just any old human, and I can't imagine a dragon or a dragon slayer taking another's title as their spoils of war. I can't think of any that have been that evil. Most would rather give up their lives."

"It's that important? It's better to die than live without a name?" Mira asked, shocked.

"That's the thing, it's more than a name. It's a title and a way of life for us. Without it, we are bound to live menial lives for the rest of our existence. If we hadn't come along when we did, he would have no choice but to stay there until he died. He was a dragon with no pride, and thus would have been happier dead."
"Wow...that's terrible," she said sadly. "But if someone didn't win it in a fight, how did he lose it?"

"He could be afflicted by some sort of spell or he could have been summoned here without a title. I would say the latter is the most likely of the three."

"There's a spell that makes you forget your name? And you can summon Khmer dragons?" she asked in shock.

"It's more of a control spell, and the reason I don't think it's that is that that spell was lost to time. Lost magic is lost enough, this is like...lost five times over. I would be shocked if any records of it exist and even more shocked if anyone actually knew it. And yes, it's possible to summon them, though I genuinely have no idea how. I would guess it's similar to the celestial spirit magic that new girl uses...what was her name again? Lute...Loopy...Lucy! That's it! Anyway, I would say it's probably something like that where they are summoned and receive their title. The strange thing is that if that were the case, he wasn't given a title, meaning whoever summoned him is either an idiot who shouldn't know that magic because he knows nothing about dragon culture, or is pure evil who summoned something just to torment it."

"Wow...I guess that makes sense. And if he was summoned, would that explain why he didn't smell correct?"

"Exactly. That's another reason I'd say that is the most likely."

"I guess that makes sense. I wonder who'd do such a thing? Anyway, why did we have to name him? Couldn't he have named himself or just gone and asked someone for a name?"

"Absolutely not! Proclaiming your own title is disgraceful and disgusting! The only dragon who has ever done such a despicable and vile act was Acnologia himself!" Natsu shouted angrily.

"Ok, ok, calm down there, Natsu. I didn't know."

"I'm sorry...I get really worked up...about…"

"I know, it's ok. So if someone else couldn't name him, why could we?"

"Royalty has its perks. Titles are either given through family or by royalty, so when you came up with Lapide, I gave him the full title or 'Lapide, Khmer of Gemstones.' So if he were to ever introduce himself, he would say something along the lines of, 'Gifted by Natsu Drakeneel, the White Fire Dragon King, I am Lapide, Khmer of Gemstones.'"

"Wow, so you could get famous among dragon culture from him?"

"If he was a mighty Khmer dragon, which he seemed fairly strong to me, and dragon culture was as prevalent as it once was, yes. Honestly, though, I can't imagine him ever having to introduce himself like that, it would be rather odd."

"Speaking of strong, why did you two attack each other? I almost joined in, you could have at least warned me…"

"It's another pride thing. We show off our strength and power. If there is a clear superior dragon, such as me because I'm a king and he's a Khmer, the superior is expected to match in power that of whoever was below him as a sign of respect. If I didn't respect him, I would've sent a full power roar into his scaly maw!"

Mira giggled. "Of course you would have! So let's get back. It's already late afternoon and we skipped lunch."
"Aye, sir! Would you like to stay here another night?"

"Can we?" she asked, hopefulness in her eyes.

"I don't see why not. We can catch the morning train tomorrow and be there by lunchtime...God I hate trains…"

"Oh don't be such a baby," Mira teased.

Natsu shook his head and sighed, but he couldn't get rid of this eerie feeling he had. Who on earthland would strip one of the last remaining Khmers of its title? And how would anyone know how to summon one?

Elsewhere

"Greetings, Nu Wa. How did the experiment go?"

"It was a complete success, master Heavens, though I must ask why we are doing this? It doesn't make too much sense to me."

"Tell me Nu Wa, why is it that we beings crave conflict?"
"I don't understand master Heavens…"

"We of the earth, them of Heaven, and them of Hell. We all crave conflict. Do you know why that is?"

"No, master Heavens."

"Of course not. Conflict has raged since the dawn of time, and will continue to ravage until the end of time. It's rather simple. Conflict breeds conflict. The more we fight, the more we desire to fight, no matter the reason. It is because of this, Nu Wa, that we shall coax the gate of Heavens to open with war. When they arrive, we gift them glory and pride, strength and victory, and they shall take their rightful place at the helm of earthland. And when they do, we of the tower who brought them here...we will achieve true heaven! We shall bring this world to its knees with the light of the heavens and build it to be better than ever before!"

"I see, master Heavens. But must it be done with the guardians of earthland?"

"Of course. If we were to bring humans into this, the beings of heaven would take it as an insult to their pride! If we open Helgrind, they would take it as a declaration of war against their existence. No, we bring them a mutual foe that they may destroy and begin their conquest to take earthland as its rulers."

"Very well, master Heavens. I shall take my leave."
"Of course, Nu Wa…"