"I wish I had some music to listen to…" Natsu muttered to himself as he sat in the dining room with all of his firearms spread out across the large table. He was in the process of inspected each one, mainly out of habit as they had been sitting in his magical pocket dimension and since objects under effect of Requip aren't exposed to the elements, they wouldn't deteriorate from poor maintenance and care. But none-the-less, he was dutifully working through them and had only the SR32 DMR and the SPSR-14.5 left.

"Natsu?" A soft voiced woman called out from the doorway, causing the man to shift in his chair and look over his shoulder as Lelyanna entered the room. "Oh my…" Her eyes roamed the collection of deadly weapons with shock and awe. "These are all from your world?"

"Yes." Natsu placed the M18 shotgun he had just reassembled down on the table and rose to his feet. "I'm just doing some maintenance since I've got nothing else to do right now. I decided to take your advice and have a little break from writing, but I needed something else to fill in the time gap."

"Could you run me through them?" Lelyanna asked quietly as she placed a bag on the seat next to him. She fiddled lightly with her clothes; it was a little off-putting wearing something so… not her usual style. But she since she was taking her training seriously, she took Natsu's words from the other day to heart and bought herself a pair of small light-grey shorts and a matching singlet, both of which clung to her slender figure and emphasised her lithe body. Of course, it was too embarrassing wearing something like this out in public, so she brought it to his manor in a bag and got changed up in the spare bedroom she had claimed for herself.

"Maybe some other time. But that big rifle is the one I used in the last mission I was on." Natsu nodded to the large rifle at the end of the table. "It's my SPSR-14.5, an anti-materiel rifle." He walked near to the end and grabbed the SR32 DMR and returned to his seat. "When I wasn't using that, I'd be using this, though not this one in particular. An SR32 Designated Marksman's Rifle."

"What on earth did you fire this big thing at?" The woman's pale-turquoise eyes widened first at the weight of the weapon as she struggled to lift the large rifle and shoulder it, then even further when a pair of cartridges appeared in Natsu's hands, one substantially larger than the other. She instantly recognised the smaller of the two, it was the 10mm she had been training with. "You've got to be kidding me…?"

"Soft targets, people in other words, as well as armoured targets, which could be people in Juggernaut Armoured Exosuits, or light armoured vehicles ranging from troop transports to surface-to-air missile trucks." Natsu explained, but was met with a puzzled, incomprehensive gaze. "What are you stuck on?"

"Mainly the Exosuit, the second thing I can guess is just something like a motorcar with armour plating, and the third I guess fires things into the air."

"Eh, close enough. An Armoured Exosuit is basically just like a knight's suit of armour but powered and capable of stopping standard ammunition. That's why all of my ammo for these rifles are armour penetrators, with this SPSR-14.5 firing a special type of round; an Armour-Piercing High-Explosive Incendiary round, of if I want them to glow in the dark, an Armour-Piercing High-Explosive Incendiary Tracer which creates a glowing trail of light that traces the round's path through the sky."

Lelyanna carefully placed the large rifle down on the table and rubbed her biceps which had started to spasm from the dead weight. She glanced at the man and was surprised at his fast movements; he was expertly disassembling the rifle in his hands. "And you said the one you're holding is an SR32?"

"Yup. It'd be the one you'd probably see me use most often if I want to take something out at range, for the safety of others. The rounds contain a Tungsten-Carbide-Cobalt alloy penetrator inside which can punch through most body armour." He placed all the parts down on the wooden tabletop and then placed down the respective cartridge. "Not as big as the other one, but it's more suitable for soft targets. Feel free to take a look at them all, but once I'm done with the next rifle, they'll all be going away. We can get down to your training after that."

"Alright." The bluish-silver-haired woman walked back to the pinkette and sat down in the chair next to him, quietly observing his trained movements as he cleaned and lightly oiled the weapon before reassembling it then cycling the charging handle and pulling the trigger a few times before he was satisfied with the smoothness. "You make that look easy."

"This isn't the most complex weapon here. It's a toss-up between the battle rifle and that big bastard, though the grenade launcher has a computer built into it to program the smart grenades it fires. That one would be the hardest to remake the ammo for, I'd have to settle for plain impact detonated high-explosive once I run out. The components to make them 'smart' grenades don't exist here, so I'd have to return to my world to gather the components needed to make those." Natsu placed the rifle down on the bipod and rose from his chair. He grabbed the largest rifle and moved it to where he was working before sitting down and pulling it apart, falling silent while he worked with deft speed.

"I'd hate to say it again, but…" Lelyanna murmured, leaving the sentence hanging as she slumped down on the table lightly, resting her head on her arms while she watched the man work. "Say, could you teach me how to use some of those?"

"This baby would break your shoulder, and the shotgun might dislocate it since it's a ten-gauge though it is recoil operated so it should soak up some of the shunt." Natsu glanced at the slim woman, reaching out and lightly grasping her shoulder to size it up. "Yeah, someone your size would take some damage and would definitely be knocked on their arse."

"Then maybe you should be holding me and keeping me stable so I don't go flying to the moon or skidding along the dirt." The woman chuckled softly and gave him a small smile as she slapped his hand lightly. "Ok, what about the others?"

"I don't want to run out of my stock of forty-mils, so the launcher is off the table. The SR32 and the MG80 would be good from a bipod though the machine gun would take you for a ride on the pain train if you hold down the trigger too much and it digs into your shoulder, even with the padded stock. The M7 would probably be the easiest even though it fires the same rounds as the machine gun, you'd have to learn to properly handle something of that calibre from various firing positions." Natsu let out a dejected sigh as he leaned back in the chair, his eyes sweeping across the disassembled rifle. "The main thing is, unlike the pistols and knives, I only have one of each. I didn't think to grab extras since these are all the weapons my squad had, minus the shotgun. If Gray's weapons didn't get fucked up when he got vaporised, I would have had a second battle rifle." His eyes drifted along the polished wood until they met Lelyanna's pale-turquoise eyes and he gazed at her for almost ten full seconds before finally speaking again. "If you're serious about wanting to learn how to shoot these, I can scavenge some from my world. Though, I probably should do that anyway, just in case I need extra parts."

"Is there anything you could find that would be a little more usable for someone like me?"

"Maybe a short-barrelled variant of the M7, I can get the heavier subsonic ammo for it fairly easily so it'll be as quiet as the pistol but really fuck things up"

"How short is it?" Lelyanna asked as she hopped up from her chair and hurried down the table, grabbing the weapon she thought was the M7 and bringing it back. "This is the right one, right?"

"Yes." Natsu carefully took the weapon from her and placed it on his lap, putting one finger at the start of the barrel and another at the start of the suppressor. "So, this gun run an eighteen-inch barrel, and the shorter one has a twelve-inch barrel." He slid his finger down the barrel and stopped once he had shortened it by six inches. "Even with a suppressor on it, the short barrel makes it extremely compact because of the bullpup configuration." He shouldered the rifle and flexed his right fingers to draw her attention to the grip. "That's when the firing grip is in front of the breach, it allows you to fit a longer barrel into a shorter package. So that puts the overall length down to about fifty-eight centimetres without the suppressor and sixty-eight with it, instead of just a tad over seventy-three without and eighty-three with for the standard variant." He handed the rifle back to the woman and watched her cradle it to her chest, she was definitely a cute little woman who seemed very innocent, and that made things easier when it came to giving her weapons. No one would expect a cute priestess to be packing firearms that could wipe out an entire room full of people in a few short seconds. He would have to teach her requip magic so she could store her weapons when not in use.

"Natsu, are you thinking lewd things about me?" Lelyanna tilted her head curiously, a sly glimmer flickering in her pale eyes as she glanced down at her outfit. "I know these clothes leave little to the imagination but…"

"While that wasn't what was going on in my mind…" The man shook his head lightly and ran his eyes up and down the slender woman. "You do look good in it. And it's also nice and casual training gear that won't get caught on anything or get in your way like your dress would."

"I'm afraid my breasts would move about too much…" Lelyanna murmured softly and placed the weapon back on the table. She slowly brought her hands to her chest as she turned to the man, her cheeks tinting a light pink. "And in something like this… they could come… free."

"Strap them up with a bandage if you don't have something to hold them in place." Natsu offhandedly suggested as he leant back over his disassembled weapon and began cleaning and applying a light coat of oil to the operating mechanisms. "I'm sure something like that would exist in this world."

"Hmm, I do have something I could wear… some brassieres made from satin with an elastic thread band around the base, but I don't really wear them due to the style of dresses I wear. That's probably why I didn't think to grab it."

"Ok. Well, you could also use a bikini top if you have any?"

"A what…?

"Top half of a Two-piece swimwear?"

"Never heard of it." Lelyanna gave the man a small smile and shook her head. "The only thing I have that would hold them would be my nightgowns, but they are also made from satin and barely go past the middle of my thighs. I doubt they would be good to train in."

"And, admittingly, would be pretty distracting." Natsu conceded, giving the woman another look-over and earning a soft giggle. "I'll be honest with you; while those clothes you have on look good, I can only see them as training clothes."

"But if I was in something I sleep in?" The corners of Lelyanna's lips curled up in a slightly coquettish smile as she leaned in closer to the man. "Would that make training me difficult?"

"Depends on the training… Oh, fuck me." Natsu immediately slapped his hand over his face and groaned at his automatic flirtatious remark and gave the woman an apologetic grin. "Heh. Sorry, old habit that won't die."

"Don't be. I trust you enough to want you to speak freely to me." The silver-haired woman's smile morphed into a genuinely happy smile as she leaned back again. "And it's nice to know that you see me as a woman, and not just another person who happens to be the opposite sex. Most people only see me as the head of my church, as Archbishop Lelyanna. And sure, you do get those grimy thugs who throw lewd remarks at you whenever you pass by, but those get lobbed at every woman who passes by. They get especially vile if you're a priestess, they talk about wanting to defile the sanctity of your body. But, like I said, I trust you and want you to be open with me."

"Sounds like want me to complement you more or something?"

"Hehe, well the occasional lewd remark or complement wouldn't be unwelcomed since I know you're, well, not some grubby guy off the street who comes into my cathedral to hit on every single one of my priestesses they come across in the building. But please do keep the more promiscuous flirts to private settings, where it is just us two." She blushed and scratched the right corner of her lips bashfully, turning her gaze away from the man as she brought her thighs a little closer together. "And maybe the occasional grazing touch too... your warm hands have left distracting thoughts lingering in my mind."

"I'll think about it." Natsu reassembled his rifle and dry fired it a few times to see if it felt smooth before sending it and the other weapons away, one by one. He rose to his feet and turned to the android watching them from near the room's entrance. "Sorry if I made a mess, I tried to keep it all as clean as I could."

"It's only a few specks of oil, Master. Nothing to worry about." Henrietta nodded her head lightly and crossed the room, removing a cloth from her apron's pouch.

"Come." Natsu glanced back at Lelyanna as he started to leave the room, jerking his head towards the entrance. "You want me to be transparent with you?" He asked as the woman hurried after him and met his pace as they crossed the entrance hall, moving deeper into the manor.

"Yes. I know I'm the only person you know here, besides Saiko but she's only seen you twice. So, I want you to be upfront with me and speak your mind, whatever it may be that crosses it."

"So be it, I'll speak my mind, whatever may be going on at the time. But don't cry if I say something you don't agree with or get angry with you." As Natsu pushed open a side exit, his body was enveloped in light which quickly faded to reveal his military combat uniform, the dark multicam camouflage shifted and perfectly blended with his surroundings. He let out a slow breath as he felt something change within him, his relaxed stride changed to a more purposeful march and his expression stiffened, his eyes narrowing. He came to a sudden stop in the middle of the shooting range and did an about-face, turning to face the priestess with his hands clasped behind his back. "Now. I won't be using full force on you, only enough to bruise. First, I'll run you through the basic movements so stand five metres to my front."

"Right." Lelyanna glanced down then stepped back one step then another half step before looking back up at the man. Her heart was racing, not from excitement but from the raw power and authority that Natsu was now exuding. It was a little terrifying to see but in the back of her mind, it reassured her, knowing he could protect her out in the field.

"You're too stiff." Natsu observed, his eyes roaming the woman's body. "Get a hold of yourself and bring your body back in line, I can hear your racing heart." He watched as she quickly nodded and bounced on the balls of her feet, shaking her arms and body to rid herself of the heebie-jeebies. "Good. Now bring your hands up. Don't close them into fists but furl them into an open claw." He instructed, bringing his hands up to demonstrate what he meant. "This allows you to flow into punches, parries, or grapples seamlessly. Or at least that was what I found in combat."

Lelyanna mirrored the Shock Trooper, her eyes darting from left hand to right hand as she slowly flexed her hands into fists then back to an open claw. But her focus was destroyed when a sudden clap fried her concentration. "Wha…?"

"You're still stiff, mentally. What, need to go rub one out to calm down?" Natsu growled softly, his dark-green eyes narrowing further as the bored into the woman's soul through her eyes. "We have time, just make it quick. Either find a bush or go back inside."

"Wha…?" The woman couldn't help but repeat herself in shock as her cheeks became aflame. "N-no. I'm fine, I don't need that."

"Then calm yourself down, relax. You're tunnelling too hard onto my hands and you won't see anything other than a punch coming like that. Pull your vision back, look at me as a whole, what my body sway and shift as I move." Natsu shifted and twisted his body in the movements he would use to put more force behind his attacks but without actually throwing a fist forward. "The body telegraphs what the limbs will do, so watch how they move not how they are attacking."

"Ok." Lelyanna dropped her hands, leaning back as she looked to the sky and took a deep breath which she let out slowly. She repeated it a few times before she felt settled and focused back on the soldier, bringing her hands back up into the ready position. "How's this?"

"Better. Now stay put." Natsu moved to the woman and walked around her, checking her stance. "Put your feet wider apart, and move your right slightly behind of your left. You want them in line with your shoulders." He watched the woman adjust herself and shook his head. "Too far forward, come back a little. There we go. Now bring both hands just above your chin and tuck your elbows and your chin in. Now you're squared up, it's important to stay relatively square on with your opponent."

"I feel like a boxer…"

"I'm not teaching you boxing, I'm teaching you hand-to-hand combat. The first is a competition for points, the second is a fight for life or death. As I said before, I'd rather teach you how to kill and then teach you how not to kill." He came to a stop just out of arms reach of her and looked her in the eyes. "Extend your right arm with your hand in a fist. Slowly." As the woman thrust out her right fist, he guided it with one hand at the elbow and the other rotating the fist into the proper position. "You want to land the strike with your first two knuckles, that allows the force to go right down your arm and not break your hand like it would if you landed one flat on the fist. Now, pull that back and do the same with your left."

"Have you ever considered participating in the underground fights?" Lelyanna asked curiously while she slowly moved her left fist forward, then her right, and then left again.

"Ceres mentioned something about it, I just hadn't snooped around enough to find them. I probably will in due time. Why?"

"I just think it would be interesting to see you fight another person."

"Wouldn't be much of a fight if you ask me. But the money could be good." Natsu caught the woman's fist, stopping her at full extension. "That's enough of that for now. I want you to watch my body, I'm going to move my body with the attack and put my weight behind it which will add a shit load of more force into it. Move around me as you see fit." He moved back and turned to put the woman out of harm's way before bringing up his hands and almost immediately diving into a series of punches, keeping them just slow enough that she'd be able to follow while keeping his momentum going. "See how I twist and push into the attacks with my back and legs? That's how you want to do it."

"Ok." Lelyanna took position next to the pinkette and glanced at him before mirroring his movements. She instantly felt the difference between just the arms and using the whole body. "Wow, it's noticeable…"

"Now I want you to actually feel the difference between the two." Natsu stopped and moved in front of the woman. "Hit me in the stomach first by just thrusting your fist forward, then again using the full body. I'm not going to tense, so don't worry about hurting your hand."

The slivery-haired woman nodded and brought her hands up to get herself ready, then threw a punch at the man's stomach. It felt solid but didn't get a reaction from the man, so she brought her arm back and put her weight behind it which caused the punch to thwack against his abs. Lelyanna pulled her hand back and shook it gently. "Ow… what on earth are those made out of?"

"High density muscle which has been rigorously trained and strengthened by a chemical solution. You made good contact and I felt you land it with your first two knuckles instead of the full fist so most of the force should have gone up your arm. However, there is one thing you should remember, never use your bare fist on the head, you'll break your hand that way, opt for a tougher part like using your elbow."

"It did, felt like a jolt ran up it. I'll keep that in mind." She shook her arm then looked at her knuckles, her usually pale white skin had taken on a pink tint around them, so she flexed her fingers a few times but it felt normal. "I'm good, we can continue."

"Alright, keep copying me." Natsu stepped back and brought his hands up once more, waiting for Lelyanna to be ready before he started swinging; a right straight, left, right hook. He went through the basic motions with her to get her used to the movements.

After a little over an hour of basic movements, of punches and kicks, blocks and parries, as well as counters, it looked like the priestess would be ready for practice fighting. But first she would need a break to recover. Natsu had told her to slowly walk to and from the gazebo while she wound down, and after her third lap, he handed her his canteen.

"Drink slowly so you don't bring it back up. And don't drink too much because you will bring it back up if you get hit in the stomach."

"What's next?" Lelyanna asked softly, taking small sips of water as she caught her breath. She sat down and handed the canteen back before lying down on her back, her chest rising and falling freely.

"A practice fight, where you put everything that I've shown you into it, this will be the main form of training from now on. No point swinging your arms around day-in day-out, you need to have proper combat experience to actually get anywhere in a fight." Natsu put his hands on his hips and leaned over the woman, towering above her. "So, when you're ready, come at me with everything you have."

"You won't be using Reflex?"

"No. I'll be putting myself at your level so don't expect me moving faster than you can react to, but that doesn't mean I won't be throwing you around. If I get to a point where I get you into a critical position, say I force your elbow to full extension then I'll call a stop to the round because if I am able to put you in that situation then I can fuck your entire arm in an instant. Likewise, if I put you on the ground and you can't prevent me from delivering a finishing blow in time."

"Alright." Lelyanna rolled onto her stomach and pushed herself up onto her feet. She took a few deep breaths then turned to Natsu with her hands ready. "Let's go."

Natsu straightened and gave her a look-over before dropping his hands from his hips and slowly stalking around her, keeping her to his left and staying just out of her attack range. Good, she keeping her relatively square on him, turning with him to keep him in a defensible position. Suddenly, he shifted his weight to his left foot but instead of coming toward her, he pivoted on the ball of his foot, bringing his right boot whipping back through the air on a direct line to her head.

Lelyanna ducked under his leg and was about to move forward into an attack but the man's quick footwork had brought him back around and he now towered over her with his left near vertical above her, his eyes glowing red and full of lethal intent. She moved back just in time as the boot came racing down, barely missing her nose and chest by only a few short centimetres. Her heart was racing faster than ever and her eyes were as wide as dinnerplates, her whole body tingled and she stumbled back. "Wait!" She called out as the man's right fist surged forward, stopping right before her eyes and causing her to fall flat on her ass.

"There is no waiting in a fight to the death, Lelyanna. Get up." Natsu snarled softly but his hand was held out for her to grab a hold of, the red in his eyes no longer there. "What you just felt was primal fear, the kind prey feels when they see a predator."

"You said you would be at my level…" The woman murmured as she let herself be pulled to her feet.

"And I was at your level, you're just not used to mortal combat yet." The soldier replied as he took a step back. "Are you ready for another round, or do you want me to show you the level I usually fight at when I aim to kill?"

"No, I'm sure I'll see that in due time…" Lelyanna dusted herself off and got ready once more. She steadied her heart and breathing, willing the tingles away as she watched the man pace back and forth in front of her.

"Does it rain often here?" Natsu grumbled a quiet question to the priestess next to him as they stood under the glass roof of the Magnolia Train Station. He was looking up at the dark clouds that let loose a torrent of rain down on the building.

"Yeah." Lelyanna looked up at the man from under her hood and lowered her voice to a murmur. "Was it different with you?"

"Mhm. Never rained this much where I'm from, I guess the environment is better here."

"Well, things may have developed differently there." The bluish-silver-haired woman let out a small sigh and hugged herself, trying to fight off the cold made worse by her damp garb. A fairly heavy weight draped itself over her shoulders and she was enclosed in a warm embrace. She glanced at her shoulder then to the coat-less man as the sword that he had been carrying returned to his back in a flash of light. "Are you sure this is fine?"

"Worrying about someone seeing what I'm carrying comes below the welfare of a companion. I'd rather you not catch a cold right as we're starting a job." Natsu placed a hand on her shoulder underneath the coat and ran his magic down over her body; quickly drying her clothes. Since his pistol was out in the open, he decided he might as well carry it the way he had been for years before coming to this new world. So, he quickly requipped away the magazines and holster as he drew the pistol, transferring it to his right thigh where a new holster was already waiting. His magazines appeared in front of his left hip, stacked two-on-three like a topless pyramid. Strangely, with his knife on his left thigh and his pistol on his right, he felt more like himself, like how he was before coming here. His demeanour must have physically changed too, as he sensed worry and curiosity coming from the woman next to him. "Nothing, just thinking about something." He reassured her, taking his hand off the grip and closing it into a fist a few times before letting it hang by his side.

"Hmm… the train is behind schedule." Lelyanna muttered as she looked over her shoulder at the large clock behind her. "It should have been here four minutes ago."

"It's about a minute out." Natsu informed the woman, glancing down at her then looking along the train tracks. "I can sense the thrum of the engine."

"Oh, good." Lelyanna smiled and lightly grasped the coat, pulling it tighter around her body to trap the warmth inside. "How can you stand wearing something so heavy every day?"

"It's heavy?"

"You're telling me that you seriously didn't notice?"

"I knew it had a little bit of weight to it, but it didn't seem heavy to me." Natsu shrugged and slipped his hands into his pockets. "Though, I suppose it would be heavy due to having some kind of soft but sturdy armour sown in between the inner and outer layers."

"Probably some kind of monster hide. There are some monsters that are known for having supple yet very tough hide that can soak up a tonne of damage, some from physical attacks and others from magical." Lelyanna's head flicked left as the tracks began to rattle lightly. The train glided into the station and came to a gentle stop, the doors opening with a faint ticking. They hurried aboard the last carriage and waited in the corner of the walkway as people entered their compartments. "There were too many people on the platform… We're meant to be up in the second carriage."

"Is there a guard that comes through to check tickets?"

"Yes." Lelyanna nodded lightly. She slipped the heavy coat off her and held it up for Natsu with slightly shaking arms. "This really is heavy, you know…"

Natsu took the coat from the woman and effortlessly swung it around his body as his sword vanished, slipping his arms through the sleeves and flicking it up into position and returning the sword to his back, complete with scabbard and harness. "I'll have to take your word for it."

"Show off." The woman giggle quietly and rolled her eyes. She folded her hands in front of her hips as she turned and began walking down the narrow corridor, not looking through the glass windows on the doors to her right as she passed by though she did draw plenty of attention due to her looks and rank within her sect. What drew even more attention was this delicate and seemingly innocent priestess was accompanied by a stone-faced man who was thick with the air of a battle-hardened veteran.

"People are talking about us." Natsu growled quietly, looking into the cabins out of the corner of his dark-green eye. "Nothing malicious, just curiosity."

"Then there isn't anything to worry about." Lelyanna replied with a glance over her shoulder. She opened the door at the end of the carriage and crossed over into the next carriage. "Besides, I'm sure you're more than intimidating enough to dissuade most people, at least when you're fully functioning."

"Yeah, yeah." He shook his head lightly and gazed at the back of the woman's hood. "Run this job by me again."

"We've got to investigate missing persons in a rural farming town about thirty minutes west of Dianthus. It's a place called Papaver with a population of one-and-a-half-thousand, mostly localised within the town itself but some live in houses on the farmland."

"Then why do they need a Jaeger for a missing persons case?"

"Because there have been reports of monsters near the town. Footprints and some eye witness accounts, though those could be of questionable quality."

"Sounds like someone saw Big Foot…" Natsu murmured to himself. He ran his hands through his long hair, drying and sweeping the spikes back and keeping them out of his eyes. He was debating on getting it cut but hadn't bothered searching around for a good barber. "So, it sounds like they believe that monsters have been kidnapping them? Has it been only women?"

"Some men and children too, but the males are sometimes found out in the fields a few days later, or in the nearby woods."

Natsu growled softly, the corners of his mouth tugging back and revealing his fangs. "So, they think it's monsters. Humans are also capable of such atrocities. We can't rule out coincidental occurrences."

Lelyanna spun slowly, walking backwards with her hand on the wall to keep her in the middle of the corridor. "It could also be both, too." Her pale eyes shimmered with sadness as she held her left hand in a fist over her heart. "We would have to work out which one has the missing people then."

"Yes. But we'll have to remove both from existence, both are a plague on that town. And both would move onto the next once they've plundered it enough."

"I suppose you're right…" Lelyanna sighed softly and turned back around, opening the door and crossing the small gap between the carriages. "How do you want to handle it?"

"Ask around first, even a small town like that would have a pub, inn, or tavern, somewhere everyone gathers and where travellers can get rest. Barkeep would hear all the gossip." Natsu looked over the woman's head just as a man in a blue suit stepped out of the closest cabin, the man had a baton hanging from his belt on one side and a pistol on the other, so he must have been the train's guard and was doing his routine ticket check. But what really drew his attention was the man's pistol, he remembered that Lelyanna had said that the pistols were single shot breach-loaders but the guard was carrying an early revolver from what he could see. It seemed to be a single-action top-break type, not exactly a quick weapon unless in the right hands, and only had six shots before you had to reload. His eyes narrowed as he took in the man's general physique, he was fit but not honed for battle, and since the hammer of the revolver was forward, if the guard tried anything then he would lose the draw.

"Hmm?" The guard turned to the two passengers, but his sight was more drawn to the woman in front as he offered her a quick bow. "Ah, good evening, Archbishop. You don't have the usual veil?"

"I've decided it isn't polite to hide away behind with when travelling with a trusted companion." Lelyanna informed the kind-looking man as she returned the bow, keeping her hands folded against the front of her hips. "Would you like to see our tickets?"

"Yes." The man replied, stepping forward as the young woman fished two slips of paper from a pouch attached to the belt on her waist. He gently took them from her and inspected them before placing them into small clamp-like device and pressing down, stamping them with the train company's insignia. "Thank you. Enjoy your trip, Archbishop."

"One more thing; are there any empty cabins in the second carriage?" Lelyanna asked softly as she placed the two tickets back into her pouch. "I'm accompanied by a Jaeger and we were looking for a cabin where we could talk about the job in private."

"Ah, yes." The man lifted his eyes from the woman's adorable features and looked at the man behind her. He took a slight step back at the sight of the cold near-black eyes staring right into his soul, something in those eyes made his skin prickle and a cold shiver run down his spine. "Yes, there is an empty cabin two down from the front."

"Thanks!" The priestess chirped softly and moved to the side to allow the guard to pass by. Natsu mirrored her movements but his eyes never left the man as he passed by and disappeared beyond the door. Lelyanna struggled to control her expression as a giggle burst through her sealed lips and she lightly slapped the man's chest with the back of her hand. "You're a big meanie, you had the poor man shaking in his boots!"

"Wasn't intentional, my mind was just on the job. Risk assessment, so-to-speak."

"I know." Lelyanna gave him a small grin and tugged at his sleeve. "Come, let's get to this cabin." The woman started back down the corridor. "I wonder what you looked like back then, were you just like this?"

"Depends on the situation."

"Is that all?"

"It's all I plan on saying on the matter, I don't want to dredge up old painful memories."

"Yet you carry these around, a painful reminder of what once was." Lelyanna turned and placed the tip of her forefinger against the man's sternum, right where she knew his dog-tags and ring lie. She kept the finger there as she opened the door at the end of the third carriage with her other hand, not taking her eyes off the man. "I understand that they signify who you are, in more ways than just having your name and rank. But carrying hers around is like dragging her body along with you."

"Then what do you suggest I do?" Natsu growled quietly, bearing his fangs angrily as he grabbed the woman by the front of her dress and drew her in closer. "Do you expect I throw it all away? To forget everything I've been through, everything I have lost?"

"No." The priestess whispered softly, defiantly staring into the void that was the pinkette's dark eyes as she offered no resistance to his iron grip. "No, I do not think you should cast it all aside." She placed her palm over his sternum, feeling the mementoes hidden under his shirt. "But carrying it all around weighs on you more than you realise, the weight of her absence is hanging around your neck like a noose. I believe you should create a memorial, just a small inconspicuous one, but keep the memories of your old life there so they don't distract you when it really matters. You came here to start all over again, you specifically chose a world where you didn't exist so you had your own life to live once more. So, you either remain trapped in that hell you left behind, or you fully commit to being here."

Natsu fell silent, his nostrils flaring with every breath as he stared into the bold pale-turquoise eyes. Not once during the two-minute-long staring contest did the woman break eye contact. And in those two long minutes, Natsu considered her words carefully. Finally, his gaze slid down. Down her face, past her thin pale neck, over her chest that was threatening to spill out due to his grip on her dress, and along her arm until it finally came to rest at her hand, pressing gently against the dog-tags at his sternum. It was still almost another two minutes before he finally broke the silence between them, the edge in his voice gone, replaced by a soft murmur. "I'll… consider it."

"Good." Lelyanna lips stretched into a gentle smile and she took her hand off his chest, letting it fall to her side. "Now, could you please wait until we're in a private cabin before you try and rip my dress off." She whispered playfully as she shot a glance down at her chest. "If you pull on it any more, I feel like I'm going to end up exposing myself in the middle of a public train."

Natsu released his grip and watched as she tugged her dress back up to where it should normally sit but murmured quietly to herself about the fitment. He reached past her and opened the door once more, letting her pass through first before following her into the second carriage. They walked in silence as they glanced into each cabin until they came across the empty one and Lelyanna opened it, locking it behind him and closing the blind so they had privacy.

"I think you might have stretched my dress…" Lelyanna murmured as she unfastened the cloak from around her neck and tossed it onto the plush leather bench. She ran her hands through her bluish-silver hair and leaned from side to side, looking down her sides to check how the normally form-fitting dress sat on her. "Yeah…" She sighed. "I hope it will tighten back up in the wash." A pair of fingers pressed against her back, with her spine resting between them, so she looked over her shoulder with a faint blush and a small playful smile. "Oh? First you grab me and almost rip my clothes off, now you're going to feel me up?"

"Don't let your imagination run wild." Natsu replied flatly as he drew his fingers down her spine until they reached to top of her ass.

The action caused loosened dress to return to its former state, tightening back up around the woman's midsection and hugging her chest snugly. "Oh!" Lelyanna gasped softly and carefully readjusted the dress before turning to the man with a grateful smile. "Thank you. How did you do that?"

"I used Enhancement to adjust the properties of the fabric and make it become tighter again. Does it feel off?"

"No, it feels as good as new." Lelyanna glanced down at the dress and lightly tugged at the fabric below her breasts. "This was actually how well it fitted when it was made for me, almost like a second skin but not too tight that I felt restricted. I wonder if you could make it feel even softer than it was when I bought it?" She pinched the top hem of the dress, tugging it upward gently and causing her breasts to bounce lightly. "Yep, they don't seem to be going anywhere anytime soon. Thanks again for fixing it, I was thinking I'd have to put up with it until I got back to the city and have a new one made up."

Natsu slipped the sword off his back and rested it in the corner of the room, right next to the outer window as he sat down and gazed out at the rain. "Have I ever told you that I hate the rain, or why I hate it?"

"No. But you do seem different when it rains, more morose, and easier to set off." Lelyanna replied, her naturally soft and gentle voice laced with compassion as she sat down next to the man and followed his gaze outside. "I figured that it had something to do with how it all ended."

"The last few days of the war were fought in a heavy storm. Needless to say, when we were deployed from the All Under Heaven at the Capital, we dropped through the storm clouds. They were depressingly dark, lit sporadically by explosions, gunfire, lightning… It was pouring with rain right up until the warheads went off, the shear heat evaporated the rain and clouds along with any unlucky fucker caught off-guard on the ground." Natsu tilted his head a little higher, gazing up through the glass ceiling of the terminal. "Sometimes I wonder if those holes will appear in these skies, the heavens ripped asunder by humanity's insatiable need to kill whoever isn't like them or doesn't agree with them." He sighed softly and put his back against the outer wall so he faced the priestess. "Anyway, how are we getting from Dianthus to Papaver? I doubt you meant a thirty-minute walk."

"I was thinking that we either hire a taxicab or travel with a farmworker who was heading that way. Maybe we could find a ride on a motorbus?" Lelyanna shifted on the seat and faced the man, curling her legs up beside her and leaning her body against the back of the seat while resting her head atop her arms. "Maybe you could carry me there, after all you can move really quickly. Do you think you have the stamina for that?"

"I can easily run the distance, but I don't want to do it in the rain. If I slip, I'll come down on top of you and do some decent damage, whether we ending up taking a tumble on the road or compacted dirt wouldn't matter when you have someone the size of me falling on you at high speeds." The train lurched and both of them were pressed into the plush bench lightly as they began to pull away from the station. "So, we'll have to travel by vehicle."

"Hmm… Could you give my bag, I have a map book in it." She watched the man hold out his hands and her rucksack appeared between them. She immediately unbuckled the top and pulled it closer so she could stick an arm inside. After a few moments of rummaging, she pulled out the book she was after and closed up the bag. "Thanks."

"Do you want it kept out?"

"No, it's easier if you hold onto it and just bring it out when it is needed. And it also prevents people from trying to pickpocket things from it." Lelyanna waved the man off, keeping her eyes on the book as she flicked through the pages until she found the map for Dianthus. "Dianthus has an agriculture and horticulture store that supplies the surrounding farm towns. If we head there, we can ask if there are any deliveries to Papaver scheduled for today and if we can hitch a ride with one."

The rucksack disappeared from Natsu's grasp as he leaned in and gazed down at the map. "Hmm, quite detailed… I'm surprised you can get maps like this in a world like this."

"What did you have?" Lelyanna asked curiously, lifting her gaze to the man in front of her.

"We had extremely detailed digital maps. It was all computer-based and accurate down to the millimetre. Very useful for planning where to deploy and how to attack or infiltrate. It was also updated in real-time with traffic, construction, detours. All projected from a device smaller than the wristwatch I'm wearing"

"I can't even begin to imagine what that would look like…"

"Wouldn't be any point trying anyway. It would be no use here, not without proper scanning equipment." Natsu sighed softly and leaned back against the window once more. He closed his eyes and shut out all the ambient noise except for the sound of the rain thumping against the train carriage, hoping to grow able to enjoy its tranquillity once more.

"Hmm. It looks like that store is a short walk from the station, somewhere fifteen to twenty minutes maybe."

"Lelyanna, I have a question." Natsu slowly opened his eyes and looked into the pale-turquoise pair not even a metre away. "That man, the guard, was carrying a repeating pistol, a revolver to be exact. I thought you said that this world had single shot pistols?"

"Oh, umm…" Lelyanna blushed softly as she scratched her cheek with her right forefinger, looking down and away from the pinkette. "I don't really know much about firearms beyond what you've told me and the duelling weapons I've seen some nobles fight each other with. But I can say for certain that no weapons like your own exist in this world, the weapons have to be manually actuated, none of them operate like yours do."

"What kind of rifles are there? Shotguns too."

"Um. Shotguns only come in ones that you tilt open and load the shells in by hand, they are either single or double barrels; side-by-side or over-under." The priestess tapped her chin as she raked her brain, slowly explaining what she knew. "For rifles… you still have to operate them by hand, either swinging a lever down and forward or by pulling a handle up and back. They don't have detachable box magazines though, like your rifles, I think they store the cartridges in a tube under the barrel. Hmm… now that you mention it, I think I've seen some rifles that had a revolving cylinder, but those are rare. Last time I saw one was at an auction and I think a museum curator bought it."

"Okay, that changes things a little with this job." Natsu murmured softly as he turned his gaze out the window, watching the countryside pass by. "Bandits may have greater firepower than I was expecting, but I'll need you in case people need medical attention." He let out a little sigh and closed his eyes. "I'll decide what to do once we investigate them." A pair of small hands landed on his knees and a light pressure pushed down on them, he could sense sadness and something else in the woman as she leaned in, so he opened his eyes and was met with the cute woman's small sad smile and downcast eyes.

"I'm sorry I messed up… and wasn't of much help… It was my job to help you settle in and get to know this world and I gave you incorrect information."

"Don't apologise, it's not a big deal." Natsu replied softly. He placed a hand over her face and gently pushed her back until she was sat down with her legs curled to her sides. Once she was sat back down, he crossed his arms and shook his head gently. "It's not something worth getting upset over, bad intel happens all the time. My error was asking you something that you're not really used to, you're a priestess not a guard or hunter, you don't normally handle weapons let alone fight."

"In fact, you only offered to train me because I was joining you out here, you wouldn't have given me weapons otherwise, right?" Lelyanna gazed down at the pistol sitting beside her left breast and the knife strapped to her exposed right thigh.

"No, I wouldn't have. Because I wouldn't have put you in danger. And since I am putting you in mortal danger, I'm making sure you can handle it and come out the other side alive." Natsu sighed softly and uncrossed his arms, reaching out and gently pinching and tugging here-and-there on the woman's dress, ensuring he only got cloth and didn't pinch her soft and sensitive body. "Speaking of which, I think the next thing I'll get you is some kind of armour. Even if I have you use my curses to bolster your dress."

"I… don't wish to tarnish my appearance as a priestess by wearing visible armour." The woman murmured softly, lowering her head and turning it away slightly. She raised her eyes and looked at the man through her eyelashes. "Would you be able to use that Enhancement thing to protect me?"

"Yes and no. I can make it so things can't damage the dress, but say you take a bullet, it won't penetrate since that's considered damaging it, but that won't stop it from punching into you and most likely through you. That kinetic energy has to go somewhere and that somewhere is either into or through you; broken bones and bruising at best, full penetration and destruction of vital organs causing death at worst." Natsu gently pressed his forefinger into Lelyanna's slim stomach and narrowed his eyes, gravely. "So, say my finger is the bullet. If I did that, the bullet will carry the dress through you and out the other side of the wound channel." He pulled his hand back slightly then placed it flat against the same spot. "I can make it so it stops penetration and disperses the impact along the dress instead of into you like how normal ballistic body armour works but even then, you'll still have it transfer into your body which leaves you with bruising and cracked or broken bones. And that doesn't account for an impact to these." Natsu lifted his hand off and pointed at the woman's breasts. "I can tell you now, I always copped a massive earful from the girls during training when they took paint-filled bullets to the tits, so I have no doubt that it's very painful. And they were wearing padded vests, you only have a thin dress on. See what I'm getting at?"

"Then what do you suggest?" Lelyanna asked as she instinctively brought her hands up to cover her chest, compressing them lightly. "These clothes are the garb of my sisterhood…"

"And it's all good and well wearing it outside of jobs, but with your life in danger, you need to make compromises." Natsu replied while running his eyes up and down her dress, boots, and then across to the half-cloak discarded on the other bench. "I'm sure we can work out something that would be seen as suitably for a priestess' travelling clothes, and make it subtly armoured. Granted, it won't stop someone getting you through the head…" Natsu threw his hands up and sighed. "Right now, I've got no ideas. Maybe we can con Ceres into giving you another one of those divine treasure things so her favourite priestess doesn't get killed because some fucking bastard has been dragging her along on dangerous jobs."

"I can ask her now?" The priestess chirped as she brought her hands together in front of her but didn't close her eyes, waiting for the man's go-ahead.

"No." Natsu shook his head. "We've already asked for something recently, at least give it a few days to a week after we have returned before contacting her about means of protection. And… make sure you clarify that it is protection against ballistic weapons… I have the feeling she'd give you the kind of reply that you wouldn't be after."

"Hmm…? Oh!" Lelyanna's cheeks exploded with a crimson hue and she immediately broke eye-contact, preferring to look out the window than at the rugged ex-soldier in front of her. "I-you-we don't have worry about that other meaning…" She curled in on herself a little as her blush started running down her neck and tinted her shoulders a light pink. "M…most women, and girls, capable of magic use a spell to protect themselves. Just in case we get taken captive by unruly men or monsters seeking the pleasures of flesh… But thankfully, I haven't been tainted by either, but I still make sure to use it just in case the worst happens."

"Lelyanna."

The young woman slowly brought her gaze back to the man when he took her right hand and raised it, lightly tapping the ornate golden ring that sat on her ring finger. She glanced at his eyes and shivered slightly at the violent, aggressive red eyes that were narrowed at her. "Yes…?"

"If something feels off to you, if someone might be following you, or you find yourself in a bad situation. Then use this, tell me right away. I'll come to you, and I'll massacre anyone and anything that tries to harm you. I'm very familiar with your scent now, I could track you down easily, hell I could probably sense something is wrong thanks to my demonic side." Natsu growled and bared his fangs, his brow furled. "I'm serious, I'm not going to lose someone again just because I stood by and didn't act. If you need help, tell me, and I'll come as quickly as I'm capable of."

Lelyanna opened her mouth but closed it quickly and gave the man a warm smile. "Thank you." She murmured softly, she shifted on the seat and rested her body against the back of the bench seat once more. "For everything you're doing for me… teaching me, training me, keeping me safe…"

"Like I said, I'm not about to lose anyone else." Natsu turned his gaze back out the window, his eyes returning to their dark-green state as he watched trees whip past the window through the thick curtain of rain. "You should probably get some rest. I've been pushing you pretty hard over the last few days." He shifted and sat normally on the bench, leaving a gap between him and the outer wall as he brought out his guitar and a pick.

"You're going to play something?" The silver-haired woman asked, softly, as she rose off the leather seat and switched the lights off at the door. She carefully walked back in the dark and laid down beside the man, glancing up at him before worming her way forward and resting her head on his thigh, near his knee.

"Yes." Natsu looked down at her then closed his eyes as he checked the tune of all six nylon strings of his narrow-body acoustic. "You sure you want to use me as a pillow? I'm not exactly anything close to what I'd consider comfortable, hard muscle and not much cushioning from fat…"

"I've slept on worse."

"Suit yourself." Natsu's fingers slowly danced across the frets as he picked the strings and after a minute, he began to hum the words to the song he was playing, bobbing and turning his head slowly with the beat. He felt the woman turn her head and sensed her eyes on him, but he paid her no mind as he played alongside the music in his mind. After a few minutes, he heard her heart slow and felt her body fully relax and give into sleep. He opened his eyes slowly, glancing at her peaceful cute face before turning his attention outside, letting his hands play whatever they felt like while he contemplated her words. He felt a little bad for reacting aggressively to her statement, but it was because she was right and he just didn't want to see it. Her boldness must have stemmed from knowing he wouldn't have hurt her even though he had pulled her close and snarled at her, it must have fuelled her to push her point rather obstinately.

Natsu reached down his shirt and pulled the tags out, gazing at them silently and paying no heed to the passage of time. She was right, his past was just that, dead and gone, and for him to move on with his life he needed to stop dragging his past along with him. He carefully placed the guitar down next to him so he didn't disturb the sleeping priestess and unfastened the fine chain that hung around his neck, he removed the loop holding Lucy's tags and her ring then refastened it around his neck. A quiet sigh slipped from his lips as he gazed at the gold ring sitting on his palm and he closed his fist around it and the metal tags, his hand shaking lightly. "I'm sorry, Lucy… I'll keep living for you, but I can't cling onto you like this for the rest of my life. I need to start moving forward but you'll be in my memories for as long as my mind stays healthy. Our rings, your tags, the photobooks you kept, I'll keep everything of ours in a secure place in my room. I just can't keep dragging your dead body along, chained to me until I die…" He slipped off his wedding ring and placed it on the loop right next to Lucy's then sent it all away for safe keeping and turned his gaze back to the heavy rain outside. "Rest in peace, my love. If there is life after death, I hope you are doing well, living happily with our friends. I'm going to try and move on, fully give myself over to this new life I have, fight tooth and nail in this second chance I was given by Ceres, for those I've met and will meet."

I hope you've enjoyed this chapter. Lelyanna has undergone some more training so she can defend herself and not be a liability in battle for Natsu, so he doesn't need to keep an eye on her all the time. They are also taking their first job; it won't be a pleasant one either so you've been warned.

If you're by any chance wondering about the guitar or song, the guitar is an Ibanez TOD10N (something I really want to get my hands on but every place I look has it on backorder). It's an acoustic guitar with a side sound port and an electric internal pickup along with a preamp and tuner combo and a 6.35mm (1/4-in) audio jack in the side so you can plug it into an amp or just play straight acoustic with the full sound of a standard acoustic guitar. The song was the one I was listening to while writing that particular segment; Nothing Else Matters by Metalica.

That's it from me. I hope you liked this chapter, don't forget to follow/favourite, and maybe leave a review if you would be so kind. I'll see you all next time.