AN: Here we are! Back with Arc Two! Hurray! Be sure to leave a review and tell me your thoughts on the chapters! I love to know what you all think! Enjoy!
Berserk
Arc Two: Chapter Ten
{those intrepid heroes; those who wade out into battle}
His eyes follow Lucy as she flits around Makarov's shop, muttering to herself as she gathers cases of vials and other magicked objects and places them into a pair of baskets to bring into town. She shoves her hair back away from her face, strands falling out of the sloppy bun she tied it into earlier in the morning. She stops briefly to smile at him when he catches her eye, but says nothing, engrossed in her work. Her lips move, forming silent words as she goes through their stock, counting carefully.
A large cat Natsu hadn't noticed before sits between the baskets, blue eyes large and piercing, seeming to look right through him. It stares, silent and still save for the agitated twitching of its tail. It seems more curious than anything, though it hissed and swiped at him with one paw when Natsu first tried to pet it. Lucy laughed then, explaining that the cat, oddly named Happy, isn't fond of strangers, but that he would come around eventually.
Natsu is more confused than hurt by the animal's rejection. Besides the deer in the forest, not many animals have taken kindly to him, or any other Berserk, for that matter. Igneel used to say that the animals know what they were breed for, that they could smell the lingering of blood on their skin and the violence in their bones. Some animals seem to look passed it, after a time, but not all.
He can't fault them for that.
The cat watches him, gaze never leaving his, even when Lucy rubs him behind the ears and coos his name softly. A soft, happy trill leaves the animal, and he squints, pleased, though his gaze never once leaves Natsu.
There's something peculiar about the animal that Natsu can't place, something not quite right. The cat is large for one, reaching halfway up Lucy's thigh at his shoulders, much too tall for a normal housecat. His coat is near blue, almost silver in the moonlight, an unfamiliar shade. The eyes are what unnerve him the most. There's something entirely too human in his gaze, something youthful but also wise beyond years. Timeless. Ancient.
A ring of gold surrounds the blue in his eyes, and Natsu's mouth goes dry the longer the creature stares at him, looking right through him, peeling back the walls he's placed around himself.
"Happy!" Lucy chirps suddenly, potion bottles clacking together as she places them in the nearest basket. The cat snaps to attention, glancing at her with owlish eyes, another trill leaving the beast. His tail flicks again, friendly this time, and Lucy reaches out to pet him. Happy purrs at her touch, the low rumbles seeming to shake the room, a row of empty vials rattling together on Makarov's desk. One bottle threatens to fall, wobbling precariously, but Lucy catches it before it can slip to the ground and shatter.
The cat looks near smug at the glass in her hands, self-satisfaction flickering in his blue gaze.
Lucy continues, not pausing in her work as she places the bottle back on the table, humming to herself as she continues to fill the baskets. Natsu watches her for a long moment, gaze flickering between her and the cat, unable to tear his eyes away from the strange creature. Some minutes pass before Lucy suddenly stops humming, and Natsu glances up to find her already staring at him, an amused smile on her lips as she watches him watch the cat.
"You want to know what he is, don't you?" Lucy muses, grinning though there's something heavy in her gaze, almost leery. She scratches Happy behind his ears, sighing when the cat rumbles back to her happily. He stands and stretches, sharp nails scraping against the wood lightly, and then leans into Lucy, rubbing his head against her cheek. His face is level with hers as he stands on the desk, and Natsu is again stunned by the tremendous size of the animal.
Lucy coaxes her magic to ruffle the cats fur, and he swipes at her, though Lucy only snickers when his paw pats at her arm harmlessly.
Natsu drinks in her amused words carefully, noting her phrasing curiously. Slowly, Natsu lets his gaze slide back to the cat, finding the creature already looking at him. "He isn't normal, is he?" Natsu asks lowly, eyes narrowing at the gray cat.
"No," Lucy says, sighing as she runs her fingers along the cats spine, Happy arching into her touch. "Happy is a Kalfee. An Encan Fae cat." The name is unfamiliar to him, but not unsurprising. Fae creatures seem to attract each other, and he already guessed there was something odd about the animal.
He wets his lips. "Is he magic?"
Lucy pauses in her work, placing a final bottle into the basket before turning to face him more directly, fingertips still absently stroking the cat. "He's… something," Lucy tells him, trailing off slightly. "No one is quite sure what they are." Happy trills and paws at Lucy when she stops petting him. "Rumor has it they can live to be over one hundred. Others say they never truly die." She smiles wryly, as if it's some kind of poor joke, but he doesn't ask. "Happy is only five." She shrugs. "Gramps figures he'll grow much larger than this, perhaps even taller than me." Natsu stiffens in shock, but Lucy only smiles at him, gaze reassuring. "Don't worry about him. He won't hurt you, he's just wary."
"Because I'm a Berserk?" Natsu asks, grinning faintly, though the joke is bitter on his tongue.
Lucy sends him a sharp look in return, unamused by his self-deprecation. "Because you're a stranger," she corrects him, eyes narrowing a tick. She holds his gaze until he nods, Natsu relaxing slightly at her reassurance, and Lucy turns back to her baskets, lifting them with ease. "Are you sure you'll be okay while I'm gone?"
Natsu snorts, crossing his arms. "Of course I will."
Her grip on the baskets loosens, a troubled expression on her face, her lips pursed and her eyes narrowed just a tick. Lucy's gaze is thick with something he doesn't like, not pity, but something close, something that makes his tongue feel thick and dry. Happy trills softly to gain her attention, batting at her shoulder when she doesn't look at him. Seconds pass, the shop quiet. Lucy doesn't speak, but her eyes say she doesn't believe him.
Unsurprising, given he hardly believes himself at times.
She watches his expression closely for any hint of a lie, and Natsu smiles down at her fondly as he steps closer to her, their chests brushing faintly. His hands come up to cup her face, and Lucy sighs as she leans into his touch, eyes slipping shut briefly. Her eyelashes are dark against her skin, and they flutter when her gaze locks with his. "Lucy, I'll be fine," he promises, leaning down until his nose bumps against hers.
Sighing, Lucy nods, grin faint when she looks at him. "I know you will." His thumb slides against her jaw line and she presses up on her toes to press her lips to his cheek softly, lasting only a moment before she's gone, whisked from his arms with the breeze. The smell of stardust lingers in her wake, tickling at his senses as a smile creeps across his expression. His hair ruffles with a gust of air and Natsu opens his eyes slowly.
Natsu's gaze locks with a disgruntled shade of blue, Happy staring at him, curious but displeased. He watches the cat for a moment, the beast still sitting on the desk, mere inches away from him. Natsu doesn't startle, doesn't flinch, though he does tense at the eyes staring back at him, more human than not.
Happy's tail flicks as he stares at Natsu, and then he hisses, tail puffing to twice its size, and the cat leaps from the table and disappears out the door without a second glance.
He finds himself unsure what to do as the day drags on. With Lucy gone to work at Makarov's shop in town, and Makarov gone with her, Natsu finds himself alone. Jellal disappeared at some time early in the morning, though Natsu figures the man will be back at some point, his things still scattered around the guest room upstairs. The cat, Happy, has been following him like a shadow, just out of sight, but Natsu can smell the creature. Stardust clings to his fur much like it does to Lucy, faint and tinged with something he can't place, but their magic is apparent.
Natsu has noticed that Laxus and Makarov smell much the same as Lucy does, only Laxus smells near sour, something sharp in his scent. Makarov only smells weakly of the stars, the same magic that flows through his grandchildren not present in his own blood. The old man doesn't look like much, frail and thin and small, but there's a tremendous amount of power clinging to him, perhaps even stronger than Laxus and Lucy's combined.
The only thing he's felt that comes close to it magically is the collars.
His skin crawls at the thought, but he trusts that the magic in their little clan isn't the same that used to course through his blood and tear his mind apart, leeching off of him like some parasite. Makarov's magic is strong, intimidating so, but it doesn't feel malevolent, not like the collars.
A low rumbling from behind him makes Natsu tense, the sound a low warning. He glances over his shoulder, seeing the large cat staring at him from atop a tree, the beast staring down at him critically from the high branches, tail flicking harshly. Natsu stills as the cat eyes him, unsure if he should ignore the creature or not. He doubts it would hurt him, if the cat wanted to it certainly could have done so by now, but Natsu also doesn't want to take that risk. His control has already slipped once in recent days, and he isn't keen to test himself so soon.
"What do you want, Cat?" he sneers up at the creature, bristling at the cat's critical gaze. There's something unnerving about it. Lucy said the Kalfee is only five, but something about those eyes seem ancient, as if he knows exactly who and what Natsu is, as if he can peer right down passed his flesh and bones to see the deepest part of him. Lucy's eyes do the same thing to him at times, as if she's looking straight through him, knowing exactly what he's thinking.
A Fae trick, he thinks, there's always been something enchanting about them, mysterious and mystical. They've always seemed wiser than their years and more beautiful than any man. All Fae must have that same look in their eyes, youthful, but as if they've seen too much, felt too much. It must be the magic thrumming through them, creeping through their veins.
The cat yowls at him again, breaking him from his thoughts, and Natsu watches as the beast leaps from the tree, branches quivering beneath its weight. When the cat lands, the ground seems to shake, trembling beneath the enormous weight of the beast. Blue eyes lock with his, the gold ring around the cat's iris growing larger as the cat stares at him, seeming to overtake the blue. It snorts lowly, breath fogging in the chilly air, and takes a step towards Natsu, fur turning silver in the light.
It stares at him for a long moment, blinking at him slowly, and then lunges for him.
Natsu stumbles back, a hiss leaving him as a wooden cart smacks against his knee, a sharp ache hitting him briefly. The cat jumps passed him, missing Natsu by a breath, but it doesn't stop and turn back for him, merely keeps running for the trees. Cursing, Natsu whirls on his heel, staring at the beast with wide eyes. Happy stops at the tree line, tail swishing impatiently as he glances back at Natsu, waiting.
Staring back at Happy, Natsu doesn't move, unsure what the cat wants from him. Snorting, the cat shakes himself, shifting on its paws, claws digging into the soft earth. Happy gives a low cry, deep and not nearly as harsh as before. He waits for Natsu, eyes going from blue to gold and back again. He seems to grow impatient the longer Natsu stands there, tail beginning to twitch and eyes narrowing. For a moment, Natsu thinks the cat might leap at him again, but Happy only blinks and turns his back on Natsu, walking off into the trees without pause.
After a moment, Natsu finds himself following the Kalfee, nearly tripping over himself in his hurry. He doesn't understand the sudden urge to chase the creature, the linger scent of its magic clinging to his senses. The cat had done nothing but growl and hiss at him since Lucy left this morning, wanting nothing to do with Natsu. If the cat wants him to follow it must be of some importance.
It could also be a trick, he knows. The cat could be leading him to the woods to wander aimlessly for hours, chasing a creature that's merely teasing him. Though, Natsu decides that wouldn't be such a bad thing. There's nothing for him to do back at the house, the place too quiet for his liking. The woods feel like a home to him, and chasing a phantom seems better than being lost to his thoughts.
Natsu follows after the cat quickly, Happy running ahead of him, but stopping every hundred feet for Natsu to catch him. He sends Natsu a critical look every time the Berserk finally reaches him, gaze near reprimanding, but the Kalfee never stays long enough for Natsu to make a quip back at him.
As he weaves through the trees, Natsu notices them growing sparser, the tall oaks giving way to patches of tall grass. He hasn't been to this part of the woods before, finding himself near the Fae tree more often than he would care to admit. He vaguely knows that this direction leads further from Magnolia, out towards the fields he and Lucy passed on their way to her home. He hadn't been there yet, not knowing who the land belonged to, the space too open for his liking.
He follows Happy regardless, a strange part of him trusting the cat, just as he did with Lucy the first time they met. He had no reason to believe she wouldn't simply kill him after what he did, but a part of him just knew he could trust her. He hadn't felt that way about anyone since he first met Igneel, and that was so long ago at times he can barely remember it, bits and pieces lost to him.
Happy stops at the edge of the trees, waiting for Natsu to catch him once again, though looking less irritated than he was before. The cat yawns as Natsu approaches, revealing a mouth full of sharp fangs. The action isn't as threatening as Natsu expected, yet he still eyes the cat, unsure what the Fae creature wants with him.
A sudden shout breaks through the silence, and Natsu's head snaps up, gaze jerking away from the lazy stare of the Kalfee. His shoulders tense as Natsu hears another muffled grunt and swearing, the sound closer than expected. Natsu glances around the area wildly, straightening to his full height to look across the field, the grass tickling at his calves.
Romeo stands in the middle of the grass, his back to Natsu and a sword gripped in his hands. The grass is cut lower there, ankle height at best, and a circular ring of dirt surrounds the grassy patch. A dummy stands across from Romeo, made of sticks and hay, a ripped shirt haphazardly strewn across the wooden frame.
Happy trills when he sees the boy, squinting slightly as his tail sways, relaxed as he sees the familiar figure standing in the field. Natsu glances down at the Kalfee, quirking a confused brow and feeling slightly foolish. He thought the cat was leading him out here for a reason, but Natsu doesn't understand why the beast would want to show him Romeo.
The cat glances up at him and snorts before standing. Happy shakes himself slightly, arching his spine and seeming to sigh. Natsu turns back to Romeo, ignoring the Kalfee and staring curiously at the boy. Romeo swings at the dummy, hacking almost crudely at the figure, and Natsu raises a brow when a brief plume of fire sparks from between the boy's fingers, the fire crystal clenched in his fist.
Happy crouches low to the ground as Romeo strikes at the dummy once again, leaning in to an upward strike. With Romeo's back turned, the Kalfee suddenly darts forward, belly practically dragging across the dirt as he snakes through the grass. Natsu starts to call out a warning, unsure what the cat is doing, but something stops him before he can speak, curiosity bubbling inside him. Something about the Fae doesn't seem threatening, at least not to Romeo.
The cat is prowling, but not hunting, exactly.
Happy yowls as he gets close to Romeo, startling the younger man. He whirls on his heel, yelping as he stumbles, slipping on the grass. Happy leaps for him and Romeo shouts, dropping his sword and his stone to the ground as the Kalfee slams into him, knocking them both to the dirt. Romeo groans under the cat's weight, struggling beneath the Kalfee, who seems content to lie there. Happy's bristled tongue lavishes Romeo's hair, the boy squirming beneath him, swears muffled by the cat.
Natsu bites back an amused laugh, smiling as Romeo finally shoves the Fae off him, scrambling back to his feet before Happy an trap him again. As Romeo rights himself, Happy pushes back onto his feet, head butting against Romeo's chest playfully, the Fae trilling lowly as he noses at Romeo, who merely laughs and pushes his large head away.
Romeo exchanges his sword for a stick, holding it in front of him challengingly as he says something to the Kalfee that Natsu doesn't catch. Natsu eyes him critically as the Fae swipes at Romeo, who stumbles again, easily knocked aside by the cat. The boy tries again, but the beast merely swats the sword aside, sending Romeo into the dirt as his legs are knocked out from underneath him.
Natsu starts forward before he can stop himself, moving silently through the grass as Romeo roughhouses with the Kalfee, Happy swatting at him playfully. The batting of his paws is harmless, no claws to be seem, and Romeo laughs as Happy rubs his cheek against Romeo's, fur tickling the boy.
"Your stance is wrong," Natsu says suddenly, stopping when he's only a few feet away from the pair. Romeo stills, head snapping around to meet Natsu's gaze, and he blinks up at Natsu with wide eyes, mouth dropping open slightly. Natsu only stares back at him, shifting his stance, slightly uncomfortable with the boy's staring. He knows Romeo means no harm by it, but Natsu never has enjoyed people watching him so keenly.
Romeo's head tilts to the side curiously. "What?" He wiggles on the ground, shoving the cat off of him easily.
Happy makes a show of yowling as he's shoved away, the cat dramatic, as if he's been wounded by the boy. Romeo pays no attention to the beast, gaze on Natsu, and Happy snorts, displeased. The cat sends Natsu a bored, irritated look as he rolls away from Romeo and flops down onto the grass. The Kalfee sighs, eyes slipping shut, though Natsu can feel the beast watching him from the corner of his eye, tail swishing around absently.
Natsu clears his throat, glancing at the worn dummy before turning back to Romeo. "Your stance," he repeats slowly, raising his voice so Romeo can hear him over the loud purring of the Kalfee. "You're putting your weight on your heel. That's why he's knocking you over so easily." He jerks his chin towards Happy, who cracks open a lazy eye to glare at Natsu, sniffing slightly.
Romeo purses his lips, shoving himself to his feet as he feels around for his sword. He fumbles with it for a moment, gaze flicking between the blade and Natsu aware of his eyes on him. Natsu stays to the edge of the training circle, watching as Romeo slips into a better stance, more balanced than it was before. As he shifts his feet into position, Romeo glances at Natsu, a silent question in his eyes.
"That's better," he praises, earning a smile from Romeo. Natsu grins back faintly, clearing his throat as he takes a slow step forward. "Didn't your family ever show you how to do this?" He almost regrets asking, remembering suddenly that Romeo is an orphan, but the boy only shrugs.
"Lucy did," Romeo tells him, sliding his sword back into a leather scabbard Natsu hadn't noticed before. "But I didn't have anyone to spar with while she was gone." He hooks the scabbard around his waist, stooping to grab his fire stone from the ground.
Natsu frowns. "Laxus didn't help you?" He doesn't know why he asks, but if he's being honest, Natsu is curious about all of them. Laxus may not like him, but Natsu would like to know him regardless. He's always been interested in the Fae, and Laxus is strong, clearly disciplined in his own right, though he has a mean temper. In some ways he seems like Natsu, both of them ruled by their anger.
Laxus just isn't as conscious of his.
Romeo shakes his head at the question, lips quirking sadly at the edges. "Laxus… he doesn't fight with swords anymore. Not since…" Romeo trails off abruptly, biting his lip to keep himself from saying anything else. Happy lifts his head from the ground, cooing at Romeo as he shifts on the ground. Absently, the boy places his hand on the Kalfee's head, rubbing between his ears and making the beast purr.
"Just his fists?" It comes out as something of a joke, and Natsu relaxes slightly when Romeo's lips twitch into a small smile.
He sighs, fiddling with the hilt of his sword. "Something like that," he says simply.
They delve into silence for a long moment after that. Romeo continues to play with Happy's ears, the Kalfee purring loudly and rubbing his big head against the boy's leg, yawning as he leans into Romeo's touch. Natsu watches them with a small smile, glancing back at the battered stick dummy, practically falling apart at the seams. It's worn, but seems relatively new, as if it's only been there for a short time, a year at most.
"How long have you been training?"
Romeo glances up at the sudden question, seeming startled to notice that Natsu is still there. He colors slightly, running a hand through his hair in embracement. Lucy does the same thing when she's frustrated, raking a hand through her hair, her fingers catching in the knots and tangles.
"Lucy started teaching me when I was nine," Romeo tells him softly, sending him an awkward smile, "but that was just with sticks." He seems embarrassed by the admission, and Natsu has to bite back a laugh, not wanting to make the boy feel bad.
Natsu crosses his arms, glancing out across the field as Romeo pets Happy, chewing his bottom lip. "That's how everyone learns," he promises, smiling widely at Romeo. The boy blinks when he seems Natsu's sharp canines and the crinkle of Natsu's eyes, but slowly he smiles back.
"Even you?" he teases, though there's something genuinely curious about the question, as if he can't fathom a Berserk training with sticks. Natsu has heard all of the stories, how they come out fighting from the womb, in mad frenzies from birth. Igneel used to laugh at those stories so hard that Natsu's ears would ring from the booming sound.
They all had to train to become warriors. The anger is what came naturally, but not the skill to use it. Berserks may be natural fighters, but if they don't train that raw force is useless in a real fight. They become careless and sloppy.
Natsu wets his lips. "Well, I can't say I'm much of a sword fighter," he jokes. Natsu knows enough to stick them with the pointy end, but most of the finesse that comes with sword fights is lost on him. He'd be worthless in a battle of blades.
"But you are a fighter," Romeo says. It's not a question, though it's weighted like one, almost as if Romeo is testing him.
Natsu raises a brow at the boy, cracking his knuckles slowly. Romeo's gaze seems to flit to the scars on Natsu's chest, from fights or otherwise each one branded deeply into his skin. "You tell me."
Romeo grins, snorting softly, and opens his mouth to respond, but someone cuts him off before he can.
"Romeo!" A familiar voice calls out, a figure stepping out from the trees. "Come on, I need you to—" Laxus cuts off abruptly when he sees Natsu standing only a foot away from Romeo, Happy still lounging lazily at their feet. His jaw snaps shut so harshly that Natsu can hear the click of his teeth from a dozen yards away. Bruises still line Laxus' jaw, ugly things, purple and green in places.
There's a heavy pause before either of them react. "Laxus," Romeo's smile dims, but only slightly. He slips away from Natsu's side, running up to Laxus, who stalks towards them slowly, eyes on Natsu. "I was just—"
"Training with the Berserker," Laxus finishes for Romeo, glaring at Natsu over Romeo's dark mop of hair. Laxus reaches out slowly, placing a protective hand on Romeo's head and ruffling his hair. He eyes Natsu warily, free hand clenching into a fist, his posture defensive. He doesn't seem angry, exactly, only cautious as he shifts, trying to place himself between Natsu and Romeo. "Three for three, huh?"
It takes Natsu a moment to understand that he's referring to people, how he's already hurt both him and Lucy.
Natsu blinks back, something nasty rising in his chest, a sneer pulling at his lips. "Someone had to teach him," he snips, grinning at Laxus almost lazily. He knows he's only egging the man on, but Natsu can't get hold o his tongue. "His form was sloppy. Thought you'd be a better fighter than that."
Laxus stiffens and Romeo sucks in a sharp breath. Natsu manages to bite his tongue quickly, aware that he's overstepped in some way.
Laxus sucks in an angry breath, hands beginning to shake. The Kalfee stands slowly, bristling slightly, though at whom Natsu isn't sure. "You shouldn't be out here," Laxus tells him firmly. "You shouldn't be in Magnolia at all."
"You shouldn't be picking a fight so soon after the last," Natsu says in return, shoving down bitter words as he turns his back on the pair, raising a hand in parting before stalking off into the woods.
AN: Almost caught up. I'm not making edits on Arc Two unless noted at the top of the chapter. There's really not much I feel the need to change, aside from a few lines and character mentions. A completely new chapter will either be out this Saturday (June 2) or the next Saturday, as I'm restructuring the arc and trying to remember exactly what I was trying to do with it.