Natsu was drifting in and out of consciousness, he was aware he was being moved, but he only caught glimpses of the person carrying him, from the scent he could tell it was female and also human, other than that all he knew was that they were moving through an alleyway he recognized the smell off, his vision would waver and fade every time he opened his eyes, so he opted to leave them closed and rely on his nose, whoever this girl was she smelled intoxicating, if he had the strength he would have drained her in seconds likely against his own will, his body entered a three way war with his unconsciousness, his instincts and his control. Unconsciousness seemed to win out and he slumped against the human. The girls eyes flickered the person, well thing, she was carrying, she wasn't even sure why she had decided to help him she knew she didn't know him, he was familiar it was kind of like looking at a picture of something you had seen before, a kind of reminiscent feeling she couldn't quite place and it pissed her off that because she felt like she really shouldn't have forgotten it.
She raised her free hand and beat on the door in front of her and looked around, glad it was nighttime and the alleyway they were in seemed relatively deserted.
"Yes, Coming!" She heard a shout from the inside of the building, she recognized the voice of the local clinics doctor.
"Who would come here at this ungodly hour," A dark voice growled, that one she didn't recognize "Probably Natsu with another body, or Kaneki for food. You know how they are."
'body?!' The girl had a fleeting moment of panic, before she stopped, this was a medical clinic, it was not uncommon for autopsies to be done in these places, she nodded, 'That's probably what he means.'
The door opened and the doctor stared at a girl he recognized in wide-eyed surprise, a human had never come here this late, he hadn't bothered masking his appearance. She stared at him in surprise and unconsciously took a step back, the movement caught the doctors eye and he darted forward, grabbed her arm pulling her forward and placing his hand over her mouth the muffle the scream. He pulled the door closed with his foot and locked it.
"Listen very closely, I am going to let you go and explain the situation, all you have to do is not scream and know that I will do nothing harm you." He spoke quickly and clearly.
The girl unable to do anything else nodded, she was also quite curious at the change in her doctors appearance and she wanted to know what exactly the boy on her back was.
"If I remember correctly, your name was Erza? Correct?" The doctor stated as he walked past her and moved into one of the rooms for his more, supernatural patients.
"Yes." Erza answered stiffly as she followed him, he indicted for her to place Natsu on the bed and obliged, it was odd, his weight had changed from when she first picked him up, at the start he was light, almost weightless, it wasn't until he started stirring did he start to gain weight as, it added fire to her curiosity.
"Well, miss Erza," The Doctor flopped down on his chair heavily and pulled it back to his desk, picking up his mug of coffee and sipping at it casually "Shall I begin with myself, or your companion?"
Erza took the empty seat in the small room, the desk lined the wall on the left side of the room, diagrams of various anatomies lined the walls and the bed was occupied by the boy she had brought in, it was a bare as any room in any hospital or medical clinic. She looked at the boy on the bed and then at her doctor and sighed "Start with yourself." She said after a moment.
The Doctor inclined his head slightly "Before that, You know all the stories you have been told, about Werewolves, Vampires, Ghouls," She nodded "Good, all of those creatures exist although the way humans have twisted them would not be an accurate representation of those beings as a whole."
Erza could only nod, the scene she had found the boy had confirmed he was most definitely not human and the man in front of her seemed to have two separate lives contained in a single body.
"You would do well to remember that, I don't think the races like the savage way you humans portray them." The darker side of the doctor growled.
Erza nodded again.
"Good, Now as for myself, I am what you would call a Unique being, Over the nine thousand or so years the Supernatural races have been united and living with humans relatively peacefully, beings and races of all kinds began emerging from the…unions, of races and humans." The doctor glances at the girl to see his message was not being overlooked, the slight tint in her cheeks made him smirk "I am more of an offshoot of an offshoot, As humans and races experimented with magic's, breeding and various things a race was born that we know today as Shadowmancers, as the name implies they have dominion of the shadows, manipulating them at will, they make fine assassins and information gatherers," To demonstrate his point, he lifted the coffee mug from the table with the a shadow he had extended from himself and sipped at it "It was a few hundred years later when the polar opposite of this race was discovered, Humans called them Angels, but in reality they can bend light at will, Unfortunately the Name stuck and they have been known as Angels sense, but These two races, you could say have a disposition to hate each other, the wars these two races raged went on for centuries before the council pulled them under their wings, although animosity remained, incurring the Wrath of the Black King at the time meant and untimely and brutal end. So they agreed to disagree."
Erza nodded and the Doctor continued, he bent a small amount of light and it hovered above him like a lamp, he walked over to Natsu and placed his hand on his wrist, 'His pulse is steady it looks like he just burned himself out' The doctor thought simply, he reached into a cold cabin and drew out a small bag full of blood, Erza watched the man silently as he hung it on an IV and pressed the needle into the boys arm rather harshly, before he turned around and sat back down, the light winked out.
"But due to both of these races being under the control of the council, They had no say in who they were partnered with on certain missions, If the council thought and Angel and a Shadowmancer would completely the mission most efficiently then they would be partnered," He paused and took another sip of his drink "My existence is what you would call a result of a Romeo and Juliet situation, My parents were both fairly young when they were paired on a mission, but neither held the hatred for the other like the rest of their race, Although this story ends much more happily than your rendition, As they were immortals and also free beings the races could not object to the eventual union and I am the result of that, The council was quite pleased when I showed aptitude in both fields my parents had mastered, although I was never one for combat and I entered the medical branch of the Council," He shrugged and chuckled "I don't think they like my decision, Well, This boy's father was certainly understanding," He gestured to Natsu "I doubt that man would like it if I slacked off and let his son die."
"I think he would most likely tear us in half, Even if we're are…as you say a Unique being." The darker half, who had remained silent the whole time, growled.
Erza sat silently, processing the information that was given to her, all the terrifying monster stories were likely true, but most of them were misinterpretations and if that was a lie she was sure there would be a whole lot more unexplained murders on the news and in the papers, she had no reason to doubt the ma-being in front of her, she nodded and looked up "So, What's he?"
The doctor raised an eyebrow at her "Hm, no, 'There's no way that is true? Monster's don't exist?'."
"Everything you said adds up, in a way," Erza replied flatly "So, What is he?"
"Smart girl." The dark side growled.
The light chuckled "In one word, Vampire, would be what you would call him." He glanced at her, she was watching Natsu out of the corner of her eye "Don't worry, He is nothing like the Vampire's you humans have portrayed over the years, even if he does like to act like one."
"What do you mean?" Erza asked, 'he is nothing like them but acts like them?' She thought.
"Well, the boy's father and I are rather close friends," Light replied "In a way I have watched him since he was very young as someone who happens to be stationed around him, although he has never really figured it out until recently I presume when he saw through my disguise."
"That doesn't really explain it." Erza responded as he gaze shifted to the doctor.
"Wait a moment girl," Dark growled "We can't just tell you everything about him, it is not our life to share."
Light nodded as a he furrowed his brows in thought "I can tell you what we know about Vampires, at least while I think."
Erza nodded.
"Well, The Vampire Race is immortal, as we know there are currently three Vampires alive at the moment, The two clan heads, Natsu's father and the current leader of all the Supernatural races as a whole also known as "The Black King." The name he gained on the battlefield for annihilating anything that opposed him, he was truly frightening and his brother and leader of the intelligence and combat branches of the Supernatural Council, Korangar, he is eccentric and not half as deadly as he brother, he did try to gain the throne and become the leader of the Council at the time it was convened but has sense been content in his role after the loss."
Erza nodded, although she was a little surprised the boy she had carried here was the Supernatural equivalent of royalty, but she remained silent.
"His father has shared limited details with me on Vampire's themselves, For instance, Vampires do not actually require blood to live, They drink a specific amount and they will stay immortal, but they burn it like a fuel source when injured or in combat by activating what they call 'stages' In terms of actual feeding, they could feed once and as long as they never activate the stages of suffer wounds they would never need to again. They can eat human food, Walk in the sun, Are immune to all forms of poison and they can burn alcohol faster than it can intoxicate them, Currently the only known way to kill one is to burn all of their fuel, or place them in a position where they must heal repeatedly until they lose their immortality, that will allow them to be killed, although I doubt you could just bleed a vampire dry and expect to land that killing blow anyway."
"So, What are they just perfect beings or something?" Erza rolled her eyes, it seemed relatively pointless.
"Not at all, in fact from what I know, I would say they have it the hardest of any of the supernatural races, Unlike Werewolves, they can't turn people to increase their numbers and Vampire's experience love much differently from humans, it's also much stronger, His mother was not an immortal being at all, Can you imagine having to wait around and watch your loved ones die whilst you don't age? Well, fortunately Natsu, his Father and Korangar, all have one countermeasure to this, They can choose one person, to bestow a form of immortality on, They won't age and they gain a portion of that Vampire's strength, Natsu's mother is also known as a force to be reckoned with during the Supernatural wars, although if you met her you would think was completely harmless. So, It's known that a Vampire around the time they become their races version of a teenager will often attempt to make such an emotional connection that they can bestow that immortality onto someone, The catch is, it's only once…Imagine giving someone immortality and then have them leave you, They can't take it back there is no way to do it a second time. They have to be more wary of love than most, I imagine that would be quite taxing."
Erza stared at the unconscious boy on the bed 'I wonder how old he is in his races terms? He doesn't look much older than me.'
"Natsu there," He gestured to him "Is still very much a teenager in his own races terms, Although he is Eighteen hundred years old, But unfortunately he didn't have the best of luck when he made his first…Emotional connection, You may recall a time in history when the Catholic Church murdered a number of women on suspicion of witchcraft, Well Natsu's first connection was around that time, although he never bestowed his immortality on the girl out of fear that she would reject him afterwards, I feel he regrets it, He has held a certain disdain and hatred for humans ever since and gained a name as a being who is utterly terrifying and overwhelmingly powerful, But his father recently told me that in order for Natsu to beat the man he is currently chasing, He will need more power than he can gain in the state he is in."
"What's that supposed to mean? Who's he chasing?" Erza asked, the information was beginning to make her head hurt slightly, but she still wanted to know.
"It means his current emotional state is preventing him from entering, Stage three or Four, All I can tell you about them is nobody has ever been able to record what changed occur and tell anyone else about it." Light explained, glancing at the boy from the corner of his eyes, he seemed to be breathing regularly.
"The Being his is chasing is known only as Ragnarok, The being is Chasing you and Natsu is likely the only being on the planet besides Death and Natsu's own father Ragnarok has reason to be wary of, But due to The Council itself Natsu's father is unable to take action against Ragnarok personally and Death only ends lives that are out of time, So he won't touch Ragnarok until someone kills him or he dies of old age and if I had to guess, He's an Immortal." Dark growled.
"Why is chasing me?" Erza asked, This would explain the feeling of being followed she had been having recently.
"Because of what you are," Light said casually "Even all of the Supernatural races are forced to admit that when it comes to hidden potential Human's have the most of it, On average you only use about Ten percent of it to be exact, But there are a few among you, over the course of you history that have, Unlocked the potential of your race, Da Vinci, Einstein for example, We as the Supernatural Council believe that human's like you are worth assigning guards. Natsu's seems to hate it, but in reality he applied for both Da Vinci's guard and Einstein's, he claimed "We can't have someone do a half assed job and get them killed." But I think he still holds Humans in high regard."
"You may think what you will," Natsu growled as he sat up "It was humans that made me like this, nothing will change that."
"Isn't blaming the race for the stupidity of few against your beliefs?" Light taunted.
Natsu glared at him "Quiet." His gaze turned to Erza "How much did he tell you about me?" The question was expecting an answer, there was no room for anything else.
"A little about what he knows of your abilities and something about a connection that the church broke in the middle ages." Erza managed to get out.
"Did he tell you I slaughtered the group that prosecuted that emotional connection?" Natsu growled through a sadistic grin, Erza caught something, it was a smile that never reached his eyes, it was basic psychology when someone was pretending, the eyes always give it away, his eyes glistened slightly as if he was about to cry despite the grin and the way his fists were clenched.
Natsu noticed her studying his eyes and he stood up sharply and walked to the door.
"Where are you going?" Light asked.
"I used too much power, I think I am going to find a pretty girl to drink and then I am going to fuck her, just so she will enjoy it too." Natsu growled out darkly as he left.
Light and Dark sighed simultaneously "See you in an hour." Light said
"What do you mean?" Erza had a look of disgust on her face, but what the doctor had said surprised her.
"I'm going to call his father here, You can go home, he doesn't like drinking humans, he never has and he certainly won't do it out of anger." Light sighed.
"Why are you calling his father?" Erza asked curiously
"Someone needs to beat a lesson into him and we certainly can't." Dark growled
Erza turned and looked out the way Natsu had left and then nodded "I assume I will be seeing him again?"
The doctor nodded "Hopefully he will be a little more, himself."
Erza nodded and left, she walked slowly to process the information she had been given.
The doctor stared at the doorway "He's your son, You fix him, I am tired of cleaning up his mess, I Had to get a school closed down for days because of him."
The man in the doorway sighed "I will deal with it." Natsu's final words of that conversation left his father with a specifically bitter taste, there was only so much freedom he could grant before he had to put his foot down, unfortunately that meant pain for Natsu.
Natsu laid on the ledge of a skyscraper, one leg hanging off the side and his right arm over his eyes, he was angry with the damn doctor for telling the girl about him, 'What the hell does he know? Damnit.' "Damnit," His voice shook and quivered so much he wasn't even sure it was his "Why won't these feelings just die?" He said aloud.
"Is that really what you think? You honestly think she would want you here, crying over her six hundred years later? You think she would rather you pissed off at her race all this time, denying yourself any kind of connection? Denying yourself any kind of happiness?" Natsu knew the voice so well he didn't need to move.
"So that was you in the other room, huh? Father." He practically spat the last word, he didn't care he was livid, in more ways than one.
"Natsu, Enough of this. There is a levels of grief and you are overstepping my leniency, Your mother and I will not deal with your façade forever." His father stood a few meters from him, leaning against the roof access of the skyscraper wall.
Natsu's father barely registered the movement before his son had him by the collar and was lifting him off the ground, his head was turned to the ground to keep his face obscured "What the fuck do you know?! You should have been there to help me! Why did I have to deal with the whole fucking church alone, You knew I couldn't keep her safe and you refused to take her in, to help me!"
"I am supposed to cover for your decisions now?!" His father shoved harshly and his son flew back and slid along the ground "You made your decision to protect that Village from the church, All you were supposed to do was get rid of a pack of Feral Werewolves and leave, You made the decision and I honored it."
"It's pathetic, I couldn't do anything….I finally found something to protect and I couldn't do it, I lost and all I can do is cry about it." Natsu hadn't gotten off the ground his shoulders shook and he kept his arm over his eyes.
"Natsu, The Churches leader at the time, rivalled even my strength," His father spoke calmly, he could only really feel sympathy for his son, but there was a time even sympathy wasn't enough "I am honestly still surprised you managed to kill him, but your revenge doesn't give you acceptance, sometime you can't protect everyone."
"Why couldn't it be anyone else? Why did she have to be the only one I couldn't protect?!" Natsu shouted painfully.
"Life is never fair, But you aren't being fair either, We carry the wishes of the people we kill and the ones that we care about, I think if she saw who you are know she would be disgusted." Just saying it caused bile to rise in his father's throat, it didn't matter that it was true it was disgusting to have to say it.
Natsu laughed, a mirthless cold laugh that was more just saddening than anything else "She would be disgusted? I'm disgusted, Who could be happy with themselves like this? I am going "Eat and fuck her," I can't even believe I said that, When did being like this become easy? That's what scared me, I don't even have to think about it anymore."
"A façade of yourself is still yourself, It's simply a matter of a decision and learning from your mistakes, Even if you believe you cut all ties with everyone, I arranged a few people who know who you really are to join you, I'm sure they will be glad your back."
"I'm back huh? Is it really that easy, To just decide to get over it and move on?" He raised his hand and looked at the back of it and up into the sky, he couldn't see the stars anymore, he wondered if she was still watching him. He could already imagine what she would tell him, 'Of course it's that easy, What's hard is the choice.' that's what he imagined, he was sure she would be much harsher with him.
"Everyone loses their way sometimes, You need to have faith that someone will come and point you on the right path again." His father walked over to him and pulled him up "It's not weakness to rely on other's, in fact it's a strength to be able to trust someone else with things that are important to you."
"But what if it happens again? I don't want to feel that kind of loss again." Natsu rubbed at his chest and his eyebrows furrowed painfully.
"There is no guarantee you will be strong enough, Life is not the fairest of beings, but it's not always all bad, sometimes it throws you a gift in an odd way. You just need a little safe it will never give you more than you can shoulder." His father rubbed his head
Natsu nodded.
"Natsu, I don't want to have to say this again, But you need to call your mother, Just one time would you do it so she will stop attacking me about it at Council meetings." His father complained.
Natsu choked on his laughter a moment, picturing his mother scolding his father in front of the entire council, They wouldn't even stop her, she is just as terrifying when she was angry as his father, maybe even more so.
"I'll keep that in mind." Natsu chuckled.
"Good." His father nodded "I need to be back at the Estate before they realize I have been gone, I trust you to deal with this Ragnarok and Introduce your mother to the girl that will carry her grandchildren, You know she is getting impatient with you too."
Natsu paled slightly "Um, yeah, I'll be sure to do that."
His father nodded again before disappearing, it was more of a blue traveling through the streets to Natsu's eyes. Natsu took a deep breath and took his first sure step in centuries.
A/N: This chapter was sort of difficult to write out, I wasn't sure how much of Natsu's past I wanted to show, I experimented with an unconscious dream scenario and a few other things and I didn't like how they played out, There will be more stuff that goes into his past a bit more, revealing the identity and the girl and the village and the events and such, but as of now I am keep it mysterious, I am hoping you can relate to both sides of this argument, with the little information I provided, This chapter might see some edits in the future but I am relatively happy with it as it is. Yeah, so Tell me what you think and I Hope you enjoyed!