...Hey. Uh... LOOK A SQUIRREL *runs*
...
"...I'm bored." Natsu lay on the ground, chewing on nothing in particular, unimpressed with the taste.
Zeref leant on tree stump ahead of Natsu, flipping through his worn leather book with his left hand. "Natsu, it's only been two days."
"I'm bored!" Natsu hopped to his feet. "Where's some action when a guy needs it huh?"
Zeref gave a withering glare. "I recall you had some fun with that rabbit-bear the other day."
Natsu shifted. "Yeah, but…"
"But nothing. You've already lost the staff, and history or no history, a hunt is a hunt, but playing with your food is unacceptable Natsu."
"I can take on any rabbit now th—" Zeref slammed his hand on the stump. Natsu flinched.
"That. Is beside. The point. Natsu."
A terse silence.
"Sorry."
"Good." They were on a small cliff that overlooked the town, a little farther back from civilization as always. "What about my sandwiches?"
Natsu gave a sly smile. "What sandwiches?"
"The ones I made for me when you took them."
"They were probably stolen."
"Right, just like the lunch we had yesterday was also stolen by raccoons."
"And I bet they had a whole family to feed with those delicious sandwiches."
"And how would you know they were delicious?"
"I smelled em."
"Hm."
Natsu leapt to a stone nearby. He raised his hand to shade his eyes as he stared at the heavy mourning sunrise.
"...It's been 5 years Z. Still nothing." Zeref crouched beside Natsu.
"Hey. We'll find him. By the way, how old are you going to be again?" Natsu frowned.
"What?"
"You heard me."
"Uh, like 17 why?"
"Oh, I just wasn't sure. Look, we will find him. I promise." Natsu leaned on his friend, closing his eyes.
"Yeah."
...
...
...
"Oh look at the time, could you go get today's flour?"
Natsu raised an eyebrow.
"Flour? Again? Do you mean bread?"
"Does the flour come before the bread?"
"Yes?"
"Huh. Humans are weird. But I guess if they can make bread they have to be smart. The bread, if you please. And this time, don't eat any of it."
Mava, a seaside port town with a bustling market, lots of life, vendors, and the accompanying throng of noise that came from out yelling competitors on the busy streets. Children would tiptoe under adults who did and didn't notice them, carrying planks or food or sacks to wherever the next person wasn't. Anyone who walked amidst the crowd would invariably be affected by the purposeful atmosphere.
Natsu was no different, and a cheeky smile caused many passerby to tip their hats or call out friendly greetings. Natsu responded to them all, jauntily sauntering through.
"What a good place," He inhaled deeply without breaking stride. "What a good smell!" He increased his speed, entering the bakery on the corner with his mouth watering.
"Ooooy! Obaa-chan! Got any snacks for me!" A larger lady with cheery face only barely touched by wrinkles turned and smiled at the sound of the call. She had a white headdress and a partially frilled white scarf, with her sleeves rolled up and out of the way.
"Well well, looks who's back! Isn't this already the fourth time this week Natsu? Not to mentioned last week." Natsu shrugged happily.
"Z wants more bread, so I came to get him his bread." The lady laughed, banging a bag of definitely-not-bread flour on the counter.
"Bread, wheat, carbohydrates! Same thing hey?"
"Sure!"
A hearty laugh. "Ah, you crack me up dear boy. Here, I'll give you a couple pastries. Be sure to come back okay? Maybe even make Z come along next time."
"Naw, Z's too shy to come into a big ol' crowded place like this. Yum!"
Natsu took his time munching on the sweets, wandering around the water enjoying the view. Really, seeing busy places like this was so different when you weren't the starving tyke struggling to find the next meal. Time…
"…Five years…"
He sighed. He'd never ceased searching for Igneel. The months he'd spent with this father, though grueling and harsh at times, were warm and undying. What had been first been a selfish grasp for strength from the pits of a dump had blossomed into a life worth living.
He had gained a father… a real, even if dragon father. And now, he had a brother. Natsu smiled to himself as he turned down an alleyway, avoiding walking along anywhere too public because of the wanted posters in the city squares.
Z.
His selfless ally in this human world. He and Z had wandered near and far, searching for Igneel while avoiding others. He closed his eyes, remembering the last time he'd forced Z to attend a lights festival.
They had gone into some town they'd been passing and snuck into the square to watch the fireworks. Natsu had intended to celebrate the day they met, but…
Well. It wasn't the first time he'd seen a dead body. Or a someone dying. But he'd ever seen anyone that had their life sapped like that, much less a population of people. They hadn't even had to run away, nobody was left to chase them.
Even with the sun high in the sky on a warm summer day, he shivered.
"Oy." Natsu had been so occupied with his thoughts he'd failed to notice a group or three men who only could've been loved by their mothers for their looks, and even that was doubtful.
"Why are there never any good-looking street thugs." He murmured to himself. Of course, he knew what an unrealistic statement this was, but that didn't stop him from hoping.
"What did you just say?" The one with the dark brown hat and scraggly bear turned to look at him, only one eye open. "Say that again." He turned, revealing a boy, and a girl in black and white outfit?
"Sir! Please run while they're busy with me!"
"Shut it." Baldy's foot slammed into the older girl's stomach, and she gasped.
"Sir?" Natsu's voice was amused, but his eyes narrowed fractionally. "Nobody's ever called me that before."
"Hey buddy," The last man, one with one ear and no eyebrows stuck his tongue out like some sort of creep. "You better take her advice and go because–"
"No Brow."
No Brow frowned, although it looked pretty wonky without his brows.
"The fuck did you just say?"
"Did your eyebrows run away? I bet you were ganging up on them like those two."
"What?"
"You have the stupidest brows I've ever seen. And I know seen rabbits."
"Who the fuck—" Natsu's fist connected Hat guy's nose and he was knocked into No Brow, flying across the street into a dumpster that an old man had just placed garbage in. The elder yelped and looked around, not seeing anything past the crowd that hit Natsu from view.
"Idiot," He turned to Baldy. "So? Wanna go?"
Baldy spat to the side, slamming his fists together with a solid thud. "Fucking weaklings. Guess I—"
Natsu's palm told Baldy's face a big nono and smashed it against the concrete wall.
"You said it." As Baldy slumped to the floor, there was a small yelp. "Don't worry, he isn't dead. Just a broken face nobody will miss on these streets."
The girl let go of the child in relief, and he scurried off back to the safety of the gutters, disappearing into the crowd.
"Uh…?"
"It's okay, as long as he is safe."
"What he wasn't yours?" The girl tinged red.
"No, I have yet to lie with a man." Natsu coughed and looked at something interesting that was anything but the girl.
"Oh, yeah, right, ahem. Cool." He twisted the ends of his scarf.
"Jena!" A youthful voice called out from the crowd. A delicate hand was waving over the sea of heads. "Jenaaa!"
"Someone you know?"
"Yeah." Jena smiled, and Natsu couldn't help but do the same.
"She seems important."
"Yes, I have been taking care of her for many years now."
"Take good care of her."
"Of course." He gave her a quick sniff but he couldn't smell any blood.
"… I guess… See ya."
She bowed. "Thank you, sir. I will not forget this. Might I ask your name?"
He was about to comply until he remembered those pesky pieces of paper with a ransom in his name. Honestly, you'd think with magic drawing sketches of criminals would be easier, but they had only a secondhand witness drawing of him in disguise. Still, no reason to give them a clearer picture of his features.
"Call me Salamander."
…
"Hehehe…" Natsu peeked above the bush. Zeref sat with his legs and arms crossed, looking down at a carrot and a loaf of the bread Natsu had bought the other day. His aura faded before his footsteps, as he slithered out of the bush, creeping without a sound. A bird flew past him and he froze, waiting.
"A wise move. It would have been worse if she'd flown into you." Natsu's face fell faster than he'd been caught, his hands curled poised to ask—
"You should try masking your presence before you enter my radius Natsu. Although your silent movement was good. Keep at it." Natsu waved the words away.
"Yeah, yeah." He plopped down crossing his legs and his arms, sticking out his tongue. "You're just saying that."
"Mm. Sure."
"…"
"…"
"So what's that?"
"Happy Birthday Natsu."
"What?"
Zeref sighed. "I was going to make some stew? I think?"
"What? With a carrot? And bread?"
"I have the rabbit you caught earlier and—"
"Bread?"
"I haven't had food in ages. Isn't stew that thing where they burn the bread and peel the carrot to—" Natsu hunched over, his shoulders shaking, his body shaking.
"Don't enter my radius Natsu, keep up the good work Natsu, you're so bad at being sneaky Natsu." Zeref's face crinkled.
"I was pretty close to getting it—"
"No,"Natsu collapsed onto his side. "Not even close." His laughter took over. Zeref looks to the clouds and sighed. Eventually, Natsu's laughter subsides, returning partially every few chortles.
"…Are you done?"
"Not if you keep remembering my birthday I wont be."
"I'll get it right next time."
"We'll see. If you can I'll be shook."
"Mm. Can we focus now?"
"I'm always focused."
"Sure. Well if you're always so focused—"
"East."
"North-East specifically."
"Ugh, you're so annoying."
The leaves were thrust to the side, thwapping back into place as the small black-haired girl ran free wearing a grin, her mission accomplished.
But the leaves in the treetops above swished with movement, and the little girl squeaked as she was picked up by the scruff of her clothes.
"Told you I knew she was there."
"Yes, in a vague direction."
"I said East!"
"And she was North-East."
"I hate you."
"Could you put me down please?" Natsu and Zeref blinked once, looking at her.
"Did she talk?"
"I think so?"
"And why is that so surprising?" Natsu and Zeref blinked twice, still looking at her.
"When do kids start speaking again?" Zeref shrugged.
"I dunno."
"I am eight thank you very much!"
"She talks big for someone so small."
"You did the same Natsu."
"Shut up!"
"Did you like my gift?" They looked at her.
"Huh?" She grinned.
"The bread! Don't tell me you didn't see it!" Zeref scratched his head as Natsu pulled a loaf of bread from within the folds of his coat.
"You mean this thing? Is that what it was? A gift?"
"Uh, yeah. It's a thank you for helping out Jenna. She told me you like bread from Aunty Ava." Blank stares. "The baker?" And the two boys nodded in agreement.
"Ooooh. Yeah, yeah. She's great. Love her."
"Sooooo can I go now?"
"Hm? Oh yeah, sorry." Natsu placed her on the floor gently. "You okay?"
"Yeah, I'm fine. Thanks for helping Jenna. She is very important to me." Natsu smiled.
"She is huh? That's great. You're doing an awesome job of taking care of her. Keep it up kiddo."
"Milady!" A feminine call floated through the trees. "Milady!" The little girl jumped excitedly.
"Oh, that's her! Thanks for saying hi you two!" But when she turned back, both the two boys were gone. "Huh."
"Milady! What do you think you're doing in the middle of the forest on your own at this time of day! What if something had caught you?"
"They didn't keep me—" The maid rushed to her, wrapping her arms around the girl.
"You crazy girl. Oh, I'm just glad you're okay."
Lucy grinned.
…
Natsu crouched on the branch, hands on his knees and a big smile plastered onto his face, watching both girls walk away, the smaller figure tucked into the larger's protective embrace.
"Heh. That's nice." Zeref was standing with his arms on his side with his book in one hand wearing a small pleased expression.
"Yes. Yes it is."
"And so when're we gonna eat that gift of hers?"
"I already ate it."
"… You're kidding."
"I am not." Natsu sniffed.
"…Screw you."
"I was kidding. It's back at the site." Natsu bolted off before Zeref had finished his sentence.
Hi everyone. Hey. I'm back. Not much to say, I was lazy and my life in and out of school kept me busy. But what brought me back was all of you. Every time one of you favourites or follows me, or leaves a comment, even just a small one or a critique or anything, remind me that dang, people still come to read this and like it. And I've gone back to read my reviews from time to time, and I thought man, I forgot that I haven't been writing for myself. I haven't done any short stories in forever, but your love for what I do makes me want to keep doing this. And man, it's kind of only hitting me now, (I'm admittedly not the quickest to the chase) but people are reading this from multiple countries from all over the world. Nice.
When I was in the height of my fanfic fever, 4000 words came out like a piece of cake. Now, I need a lot more self-discipline before I can climb back up to that level. I am horrible at long distance runs (although I can binge like you've never seen), but sprints are my best. I think I'll keep my chapters around 2000 words now and focus on just keeping them coming.
I still have no plan for this fanfic really. I don't have a planned plot, I used to have some crazed idea for an ending but I've scrapped it. So now I'm just continuing this writing for the love and cause I enjoy knowing you all enjoy it :)
Thank you all for your constant support and love for this work.
Welcome to my world my Otaku brothers and sisters 3
Justin.