Story name: The Fairy's Jinchuriki.
Summary: "The boy who eats fire." She murmured. Eventual Lucy/Erza. Lucy is the nine tails Jinchuriki.
Disclaimer: No, still haven't bought either Naruto or Fairy Tail.
"So your back eh, shikamaru?"
Leaning heavily in a slouched position the dark haired man gave a non comical shrug. Lidded eyes searching the little tavern settling on a hooded figure lingering at the bar.
"It was a drag." He worded carefully. "But nothing I couldn't handle."
Again his eyes looked over.
A rouse of laughter brought his attention back to him. "That's shikamaru." A large man stated. "Beats the magic councils most advanced seal in three days because it was too troublesome to delay."
"Tell me old friend, how long did it really take you to complete your task?"
Even to half listening ears the threat rang loud and clear. Time was of the essence after all, if their mission hoped to succeed. Shadows pooled at the young wizards feet. While he was in no danger with the likes of Byard, he wouldn't allow the man to make a scene here. He didn't particularly want the attention of a certain woman.
Many assumed Shikamaru's lazy demeanor to be a weakness. They were wrong. The Nara laziness wasn't a lack of effort or even unwillingness to do what was needed. It was knowing when and how much effort could be used to complete a task. Too know each detail, every possible outcome and complete it with ruthless intent that was Nara. He was a shadow, a looming patient entity, he cared not for time, time was meaningless to him.
Byard loomed large over shikamaru. A single eye propped open fanning intrust. Byard was a large man, with an explosive type of magic. Already shikamaru's mind worked on the twenty six different synerious this could go, give or take a few.
His guild mate was a fool. The confined space they found themselves worked against him. Gaze leaning to the bar once again he sighed. Shikamaru's head glanced over motioning to the collection of candles light. The slightest breeze flickering through the taverns open doors causing the small flames to dance. The light shifted shadows casting out.
Byard confusion halted his ire his eyes following Shikamaru's own before widening. The man had thought himself safe without a large source of light in the small building. What he didn't know was Shikamaru in all honesty didn't even need the light to create shadows. The light only enhanced his power.
"It took what it took." He shrugged.
Byard was unsteady for a moment but he nodded all the same.
Having had enough Shikamaru decided to take his leave. Rising with a slow moninitous groan his back slumped hands filling his pockets. He didn't even bother to open his eyes as he addressed his guild.
"Well that's all I came here for. The floot is ours." He paused his senses stretching out. It was risky to mention such a thing in the open but he needed to know for sure. Sure enough the patron shifted in their seat their attention focused fully on him.
He let out a long annoyed groan. "I'm off." He told the others simply.
"Wait!" One of the members spoke up quickly. "We're supposed to report to Za-"
"Quiet you fool!" Another hissed. "Don't say that name"
The two shared a look before glancing out worriedly. They even cast their eyes to him testing his response. If they thought him to care at the blunder they were mistaken. That would take far too much effort. For a moment Shikamaru gave the others words a second thought. Their leader was. . . Impatient at best. He considered leaving them to deal with his anger themselves but in the end thought better of it. A member of the legendary swordsman wasn't someone you actively provoked. Well, not twice.
"Tell him I'll be tying up loose ends."
With that Shikamaru took his leave. He didn't bother explaining what he was up too, it wasn't necessary.
Walking with careful steps the dark wizard didn't react when he noticed a hint of scarlet red spilling from a dark hood.
"Troublesome." He did mumble.
The Fairy's Jinchuriki
(Lucy)
A low growl rumbled in the back of her throat. She held the darkness at bay, if only just. It wasn't enough, it was never enough.
Inch by inch she felt the demonic power slowly reside. It was uncomfortable, a ripe hot phantom itch that burned against her skin. Pulses of fiery hot raging power being pumped through her heart across her veins.
The blonde haired Jinchuriki's head snapped back, a hiss on the tip of her tongue. It had to be enough. Today it would be enough.
Her determination wasn't something she liked to test. It took a great conscious effort to push anything down the demon granted. Countless times in the past she had lost. Giving in for just a moment, one small second of weakness and all hell had broken lose.
Not today. Not 'now'! It was a slow soothing mantra she had adopted. Her will was her greatest weapon, it would hold.
Endure. Survive. Run. It was what she did best. An animal instinct engraved since her horrific change. Dark slitted eyes grazed over the two slumped forms with a predator view. They knew, those two foolish mercenaries had known who and what Lucy really was.
It came as to no real surprise. They were apart of the dark underbelly of this world. Mercenaries, assions, dark guilds: they always seemed to recognize her identifiable features. Being the ones who actively hunted her, Lucy should have seen the obvious.
It had been one of their ill fated attempts to gain the hefty reword on one of her kind, that a younger version of herself had a name to put. Jinchuriki.
The name itself tasted stale, a curse rolling off her lips. She was a Jinchuriki. It was almost like a hideously cruel joke. For a very long time she wanted a name, something to help understand her affiliation. And it had come, in the form of a loose lipped man trying to plunge his knife into her heart.
The lot of good it did him. There was pain, blood, even fear. Death however hadn't come. Well, not to the one the Merc had expected. Even as Lucy returned the favor, ripping his own still beating heart from his chest the girl had thanked him. Because of that horrible poor excuse of a man Lucy knew what she was. The container of the Nine Tails biju.
Lucy had never had the misfortune of meeting one of her own kind. For a time, the fleeting errant thought of seeking one out had comforted a young girls tormented mind but her own self doubt and fears restrained her. They were just like her. Violent, dangerous monstrous creatures bent on destruction. If they were like her then she wanted nothing to do with them.
A wild burst of light caught the girls attention. Heat flared across the room as an inferno stirred just down the long arched hallway adjoining the entrance.
Blonde locks still free, billowed lightly against the winds of smoke floating though. Her hands curled at her sides, face blank as she stared out onto the quickly darkening room.
"Natsu," she sighed. Rising Lucy didn't spare the two dead men a second glance before running off toward the flames quickly rising.
The Fairy's Jinchuriki
(Natsu)
"Fire Dragon's, Iron Fist!"
On command, a torrent of flames summoned at Natsu's will hardening as it shaped around his fist; the fire becoming a physical object.
The flaming hand barreled into a wall of earth as it flew towards him in pattered waves. His fist sunk into the marble infused dirt with enough force to send shuddering echoes across before exploding apart.
The girl, only recently revealed as Virgo had made a far too common assumption about his flames. She used dirt believing to have an advantage.
He didn't blame her; even if a small part of him felt slighted she thought his magic to be ordinary flames. Earth, water, ice, it hardly deterred a Dragon.
That wasn't to say there wasn't a slight disadvantage in terms of elemental attacks but there was a reason why Natsu's flames could handle even magic like Gray's. An 'ordinary' fire Mage would simply freeze over their very inner core stopped cold but not Natsu. He wielded Dragon Slayer Magic.
It was a common misconception people tended to make about him. Given the name was in fact called Dragon Slayer they believed he used a special type of magic that countered the creatures of old. The opposite was actually the case.
He became a Dragon.
His flames were different. Natsu's very will gave them life. Imagination and determination forming the shape and power respectfully. The flames even contained a semblance of a physical body. The teen was still in the infancy at such techniques but even still, his flames brought with them blows beyond just heat.
Sensing the opening a second fist snapped out across the spirits jaw.
The strike was explosive in the literal sense of the word, the Iron like fist sent noticeable shock waves across a pale jaw line staggering Virgo a moment.
A single foot backed up stamping hard into the ground as the girl regained her composure, the very earth swelling around her ankle holding Virgo steady. Whipping her head back the Dragon Slayer saw the challenge burning behind her passive exterior.
Lucy was right; the spirit was much stronger than those Southern Wolves.
Realizing herself to be at a disadvantage the pink haired girl whipped her chains out across from her body intending to ensnare Natsu once again. Unfortunately, Natsu was ready.
With a grunt, Natsu absorbed the blows. Chains whipping out diagonally across his body, his still flaming hands shot out just in time snatching them before they encased him in a barf inducing tornado ride.
"You lose." He grinned.
With all his might, Natsu Dragneel tugged on the chains, flames erupting from his elbows as he launched the girl over his shoulder. The odd maid was nothing but a black blip in the corner of his eye as she shot across the room before smashing into the wall behind with a loud 'boom'.
It was enough to make the boy winch. It was moments like this he could sense a lecture coming, he had probable overdone it just a bit.
Taking notice of the winged blue dot suspiciously near the impact zone Natsu had the decency to look abashed as a very unhappy, Happy scowled in his direction.
Laughing lightly the teen scratched the brim of his nose. "Huh, didn't see you there buddy."
Happy wasn't pleased with the oversight.
A low rumble had the two boys looking over. Tunneling her way out of her wreckage Virgo popped out in a spin as she oh so casually dusted herself off.
The spirit was an odd girl. Instead of the expected anger, fear, or even annoyance she simply cast her passive gaze at him. There wasn't even concern as the other pinkett noticed he still had her chains firmly in his grasp.
Surprising both boys enough to openly gap, Virgo suddenly bowed to the two of them. "Master."
"What?" Natsu squeaked.
"I accept my fate." She told him, still bowing.
Natsu's brow furrowed at that. "So that's it?" He questioned. "You're just giving up?"
Her head tilted up a fraction, eyes peering out through pink locks curiously. "What do you mean? I have fought. You are clearly the victor. My fate is in your hands."
Natsu scoffed.
Releasing her literal chains they clanked nosily against the ground. Virgo's back straightened, her eyes narrowing. "Why did you do that?" She demanded. "You will not inflict the finishing blow?"
"Why would I?" He countered. "You already gave up. It wouldn't be fair."
Intrigue flashed across the spirits otherwise passive face. Head cocked, eyes squarely focused on Natsu and his partner she made no pretense about openly observing the two.
"You are a strange human, Natsu."
Natsu would have taken offense had Virgo not beat him with a sudden action. Throwing something his way she cut off the affirmative 'Aye!' Happy was about to shout.
A glint shown across the air as the small object thrown his way reflected off the light illuminating down on them.
Without thought Natsu's hand snatched it out of the air, opening to reveal a golden object with a strange symbol atop.
"My Key." Virgo stated simply.
"Hey Natsu!" Happy exclaimed gaining his attention. His tiny paws flailed across his back. "That's a golden key, just like Cana uses. But she usually carriers them with her." His face took a momentary thinking pose. "Why do you have your own?"
"Simple." Virgo told them serious. "My contract with Mr. Everlue is void."
"What?" Both boys asked only for the girl to puff out of existence.
"Hey!" Natsu shouted. "Where are you going?"
"She went back to the spirit realm a voice called out."
A cold chill went down Natsu's spin at the revoltingly skin crawling voice. Panic shot through the Dragon Slayer the likes he had never experienced. He saw his death, a snake poised above his throat ready for the kill.
Suddenly he was hungry for it, he needed it all to end.
His hands shook. Why was he feeling this way? What was he feeling?
It was like being trampled under a frozen oozing force that he couldn't see, couldn't comprehend. Was this fear?
It was agony, pure unadulterated terror. The reality of the situation was suddenly made apparently clear, the blackness closing in . . .
He realized he hadn't addressed the voice. He felt them, smelt their disgusting odor that reaped of death. It took a whole three long seconds to turn, his eyes moving over to the man atop the balcony.
"Who the hell are you?" He demanded from the man. The man, the imposter looked just like their employer Mr. Kabby. He wasn't though, no one could fool Natsu's noise.
The man laughed a cruel condescending sound escaping his lips. "It is a pleasure to finally met you, Natsu Dragnel.
A/N: so this was uploaded a bit later then I expected but alas life got in the way. So as always, thoughts and ideas always appreciated. Till next time.
-RRR