I do not own Harry Potter or Fairy Tail.


Fangs Are First Bared

"Can you pass me that apple?"

"Sure."

Kagura nibbled on the fruit and leaned on the caravan's canvas as the boy in front of her went back to his book. Not very surprising – she would be astounded if the boy decided to one day not read.

"Oi, you better not be eatin' the cargo!" yelled an older voice from behind the white flaps. "I'm payin' you to guard my goods, not eat 'em!"

The girl pulled the fruit from her mouth in alarm, only for Bahamut to chuckle. "It's fine. Just don't leave the core on the floor and he won't notice anything."

"Oh…but isn't it wrong?"

The black-haired mage shrugged. "It's just an apple. It's not like we're eating the whole sack. I've eaten a fruit or two from merchants before and they didn't say anything."

While skeptical, the girl relented and ate the rest of the apple (quietly this time), while Bahamut went back to his book. As she chewed on the fruit, her thoughts took a stroll down memory lane.

As promised, her black-haired…friend agreed to take her with him on his next task. It was quite the experience compared to…well, just about everything she had gone through, especially these past weeks: from living on the road to being offered a chance to learn magic and travel, all with food in her belly and a warm blanket. Sometimes she felt like she was dreaming; but here she was, acting as a bodyguard to a caravan with another child.

She was a little nervous at stepping out of Crocus after getting accustomed to its safety, but Bahamut's presence calmed her. The way he interacted with the merchants; it was like he was an adult rather than the children they both were. They treated each other with respect and professionalism and not even a single comment about their age was mentioned. The merchant raised an eyebrow at her when she introduced herself, but otherwise just smiled genially and shook her hand.

She asked at one point: "Um…doesn't it bother you that we're both kids?"

The merchant looked at her and tilted his head, but then shrugged.

"Well, my friends tell me that the magic guilds use kids only a little over your age for their jobs, so yeah it feels weird, but not that weird. Besides, my contacts tell me that I can trust the kid and that he's never failed a job."

That was reassuring.

She finished off the apple and peeked under the cover of the canvas. Lacrima-powered carts were fast, and the rate they traversed the road showed it. Crocus was long gone; only tall trees and greenery rushed past them.

"Bahamut? Where exactly are we going?"

"Hm?" He looked up from his book. "We're going to this village up north, I think. This is their fruit shipment."

"You 'think'? Didn't you ask what village it is?"

"I did!" The boy blushed. "It's just that I didn't see on the map so…" he trailed off, mumbling and Kagura couldn't help but giggle.

'For someone who likes reading, that's kind of an important detail to miss.'

"W-well, I do know that we should be there soon!"

"You know? Or 'think'?"

He tried to retort, only to grumble and return to his book. The brunette smiled and returned to leaning on the canvas.

The calm silence from the beginning resumed, with only the faint whirring of the lacrima engine and the wheels rolling on the road being heard. Half an hour or an hour later, the caravan suddenly stopped, waking Bahamut up from his nap.

"Huh? What happened?"

Kagura got up and approached the front, where she heard the voices of the driver and another person.

"State your business!"

"Here on delivery from Crocus. Fresh produce for the market."

A piece of paper rustled. "Hmm. Seems to be in order. Anything else in there with you?"

"Yeah, just two bodyguards. Oi, both of you, get out here!"

Kagura poked her head out of the caravan with Bahamut doing the same a second later. A small village stood in front of them, with tiled roofs and old-fashioned shops. People were out, walking along the main road and going about their business, a few stopping in their tracks to look at the caravan. In front of that scene was a man wearing a white conical hat and a white cloak, draped over a sky-blue uniform with a key-like symbol on the chest. He held a silver lance in his hand.

A Rune Knight. Part of the Mage Council's military force.

He blinked in surprise at the sight of the two children and gave the merchant a questioning gaze. "You said you had bodyguards."

"I did."

"I find it hard to believe that children suffice these days for the merchant-folk" replied the Knight with a small sneer. The merchant just shrugged.

"Believe what you will, but the boy's a good one. From what my associates tell me he's never failed a job."

The cloaked soldier turned and looked at Bahamut with suspicion for a moment, before his eyes widened in realization.

"I was under the impression that no Mage Guild operated in Crocus."

"There aren't" replied the child, returning the stare unrelenting. "I'm independent."

"And her?" The knight gestured to Kagura.

"She's with me."

"Hm…" the knight narrowed his eyes at the girl. She tensed behind the curtain. Was he going to arrest them? Would she have to run again?

"… Fine. Move along, you're blocking the road." He stepped to the side, annoyed.

The merchant nodded and the caravan drove forward. They soon approached a store, where a muscular man wearing an apron stood.

"You're early!" he greeted.

"What can I say, good weather!"

The man smiled and met the brunette girl's eyes. "Didn't know you settled down. Is the mother that girl from the –"

"Oh, shut up! They're the hired help."

The apron-clad man's brows creased. "Aren't they a little –"

"Yes, I know, why does everyone keep asking me that!?"

"Woah, relax," the man said, raising his hands. "I'm not judging you; I just didn't believe that they start at this age."

"Excuse me…"

The merchant and vendor turned to Bahamut. "But we're right here so…"

The two grown-ups blushed. "Ah, sorry about that young man," said the vendor. "So, everything I've ordered is in there?"

"Yep. Fresh from the capital."

The muscular man grinned. "That's great; it's hard enough to get supplies out here as it is." He walked around the cart and peered in the back. "Well, better get this outta here."

"Hold on, I'll help you with that." The merchant hopped out of his seat and went to help the vendor, pausing for a moment to look at the two children. "You can look around the street if you want, just get back here when I call you and don't go far."

They nodded and climbed out of the cart. After she dusted herself off, Kagura turned to her companion. "Now what?"

Bahamut gestured to the street. "We look around, of course."

And so, the pair started to explore the street. They walked past the quaint and simple shops, while the locals gave them little to no mind.

"It's very quiet here," noted Kagura.

"Well, it isn't Crocus."

The girl rolled her eyes. "Obviously." She stopped for a moment to admire some jewelry on the display of a shop. Bahamut just crossed his arms and looked down the street.

"…I don't really know what was I expecting. I don't see anything special about this place."

"I think it's quaint. I like it."

The black-haired mage shrugged. "I've seen towns like these lots of times. I haven't seen one that makes it different from the rest."

"Maybe you just can't see it," said Kagura as she approached him. She took in the sight of the street, the life of the small village passing in front of her. It had that tranquil feel to it.

Rosemary Village was the same before…that.

"What's it like?" she asked. "Visiting a new place?"

Bahamut turned his head at her. He then bit his lip and scrunched his forehead.

"It's…exciting, in a way. You can hear a lot about a place, but you don't really know anything until you're actually there. Then you get excited or disappointed. Yeah, sometimes it looks all the same, but I don't mind."

His shoulders suddenly dropped and he frowned. "But there's no bookstore or library here, so I don't like it."

Kagura stifled a giggle. Of course he would judge a place if it had books or not.

"Oi kids!" the call of the merchant drew their attention. They turned around and saw the man in question waving to them from beside his cart. "I'm done here so come on over! We'll be leaving soon!"

"Okay, thanks!" replied Bahamut. Without another word, he walked toward the caravan, with Kagura following him. The pair climbed inside the wagon – now devoid of cargo – and leaned against the canvas, waiting for the merchant to arrive. As they did, the boy looked at his companion.

"So…how was it?"

The girl tilted her head. "…You're right. It was exciting; I liked it." She flashed him a quick smile. "But I didn't think it was boring because there were no books."

"Hey, I like books! What's wrong with them?"

"Nothing, but they aren't what you judge a place on. You might grow mushrooms on your head if you keep reading all the time."

He puffed his cheeks and grumbled. Damn it, why was she so good at this!? Well, she was so...so…gah!

Seeing how he didn't respond, Kagura crossed her arms with a smile that he didn't like.

"You kids alright back there?" asked the merchant. The boy blinked as he recalled the situation.

"Yeah, we're fine. We can go now if you want!" he replied.

"Okay, hold on to something!" A low hum reverberated underneath them as the cart wobbled in place for a moment. The hum spiked in volume for a moment before it grew steady, a sign of the lacrima engine starting. Sure enough, they felt the vehicle slowly reverse itself until it performed a turn and moved forward.

"Are all the places you visited like this?" asked Kagura, releasing her grip on her sword.

"Most of them. The big cities don't really need mercenaries like me because the Magic Guilds supply the work, and the roads are safer. I did visit a couple of port towns down south, they were interesting. The sea smells weird. How about you?"

Knowing he meant her travels until she met him, the girl replied: "Only a few small towns. I didn't really pay attention to them."

A sigh drifted from her lips. "I was more concerned with finding some food to eat or a place to sleep but...maybe I should have stopped to look around a little."

Bahamut scratched his head hesitantly while smacking his lips, trying to find the right words to say. "Well...if you're gonna be coming with me, we can see lots of new places. Maybe in one of them, we can find your -"

BOOM!

The two children jumped out of their spots as the caravan shook. Screams pierced the tranquil village air as Bahamut scrambled to the front of the cart.

"What's going on!?"

"I don't know!" hollered the merchant. "One of the houses just blew up all of a sudden and-WHOA!"

Bahamut poked his head out of the back door and froze. Kagura noticed her companion's state and poked her head out as well, only to encounter a sight burned into her memories:

The village was in chaos. Flames were spewing out of windows and enveloping the walls, driving people out only for yellow bolts of lightning to strike nearby, sending them into further panic. Flashes of light shone from the nearby woods, a crackling echo following them. In the middle of the carnage, standing behind a blood-soaked body was a tall, masked mage. His hands crackled with lightning and his black hood nearly obscured the white wolf mask that rested on his face.

The brunette was broken from her shock at the display of terror not too dissimilar to her own memory at the sound of woods cracking next to her. She sharply looked to the side...only to nearly stumble at the sight of Bahamut grinding his teeth and giving the mage a look of such barely-restrained, animalistic fury that for a moment she forgot that a boy wasn't there.

But a beast straight from myth.

She hesitantly raised her hand. "B-Bahamut? Are you okay?"

Whether or not he had heard her, Kagura didn't know because no sooner than she had asked him her question, he charged out the door with a burst of speed towards the mage, his right fist glowing a pale red. The mage tried to block him but was instead blown back by the force of Bahamut's punch, leaving a smokey-red trail behind him as he crashed into a house's wall.

The boy clenched his fist twice and tensed his body as a red swirl of plasma gathered around his fist again. He moved to attack the downed mage, only to be forced to raise his arm and block a lightning bolt streaking from the forest, forcing him away.

Kagura shook herself and grasped her sword. She couldn't just stand there, she needed to help him!

She drew her blade and dashed towards the masked mage, who was just recovering from the earlier blow. He dodged to the side just as she slashed where he stood. He raised his arms to attack but she just dashed at him again, forcing him back.

"Find the other one!" she called out. "I can take him!"

Another bolt streaked from the forest towards her, but a shot of plasma intercepted it. With a small boom, Bahamut was gone from the scene. The girl narrowed her eyes and readied her sword as the mage shifted his feet.

"I don't care who you are, so I suggest you leave," said the mage, his voice muffled from behind the mask.

The girl's eyes narrowed. "Why are you attacking this village?"

"Hmph. As if I need to explain myself to a little girl."

He raised his arms again, yellow magic circles appearing in his hands. "Considering you'll be too dead to hear it!"

Kagura jumped to the side as two massive lightning bolts shot out of the circles and charged at him. She swung her sword upwards and he sidestepped, firing lightning again. She rolled to the side as the bolt nearly sizzled her ear and lunged at him. He dodged the stab but she kept on attacking, slashing her sword up and down, left and right, not fast enough to hit him, but enough to keep him on his toes.

The masked mage let out a snarl. He dodged another slash that nicked his cloak and raised his arm. A flash of yellow later, and his hand was alight with crackling yellow lightning.

"Lightning Palm!" he lunged at the girl, arm outstretched. She jumped back to avoid a nasty shock, but the mage slammed his palm down and a trail of electricity coursed through the ground and right at her. She tried to dodge again, but she was too slow - the trail reached her and a burst of sizzling yellow erupted from the ground, throwing her back.

A small cry escaped Kagura's lips as she clutched her arm. The sleeve was charred along with a part of her shirt, thankfully the skin only had a slight reddening.

She looked up at the mage, whose hand was still glowing yellow. While she couldn't see his face, she wouldn't have been surprised if he was smirking.

She barely managed to raise her sword when he charged again, arm outstretched. She jumped to the side as the lightning-covered appendage tore through where she stood. He turned and charged again, only this time she raised her sword just in time to guard against the attack. The weight of the blow nearly knocked her down, but she kept on pushing with clenched teeth. The rogue mage smirked as this palm grew brighter, expecting to hear the girl's agonized screams any moment now…

...only to widen his eyes when her sword glowed yellow as well.

"Hah!" With a strained yell, Kagura swung the blade upwards as a bolt of lightning struck the mage and blew him back. The girl let out a few calming breaths and readied her stance once more, her blade crackling with electricity as the smell of ozone entered her nostrils.

With a pained grunt the mage got up from the ground, his robe charred and hood burnt to a crisp. His mask was still intact, although this time Kagura noticed a strange symbol on the forehead part of it.

"That's a nifty little trick you have there, little girl," said the mage, dusting his robes. "I wonder how long you can keep this up."

She didn't reply; only narrowing her eyes and bending her knees.

"You seem like you have skills. Why don't you join me and my guild? I promise I won't let such talent go to waste, like being a merchant guard."

Kagura just gripped the hilt of her sword. The blade glowed brighter and sparks started to fly off.

"Touchy girl, aren't you?" He raised his arms and arcs of lightning crackled between them. With barely a grunt, twin bolts shot from his outstretched palms. The brunette guarded again and flung the lightning back, only for the mage to counter with a flick of his finger. With a yell, she swung her sword down and a massive crescent of lightning shot towards the mage, carving through the ground as it moved. Just as it was mere centimeters before him though, the mage sidestepped and let the wave semi-cleave through a wall.

"Again, impressive skills. Though I wonder how long you can keep up. I'm older, stronger and more experienced than you, so I'll get you eventually."

Kagura grimaced as she felt the fatigue slowly creep up on her. Grudgingly, he had a point; she didn't know how many more times she could absorb his attacks.

"I'll say this one more time; surrender. My guildmate should be arriving any time now, not that I imagine he had a challenge fighting your little friend."

She couldn't help herself and a snort escaped her lips.

The mage tilted his head. "Oh? Is something funny?" His hands glowed brighter as more arcs of lightning spouted from them. "You cannot truly think that a child could beat a trained mage -"

BOOM! A massive explosion of red drew the attention of the mages towards the forest. The force behind it sent a shockwave that tore out several trees. The spectacle made Kagura smile with satisfaction.

The mage turned to her and the light from his hands briefly dimmed. "You're bluffing. I don't know how, but you're bluffing."

The girl gestured to the forest. "Why don't you go and find out?"

The mage responded with a snarl and slammed his hands on the earth, unleashing powerful torrents of lightning that crashed into Kagura. She let out a pained cry as she dropped her sword and was sent flying back into a wall.

"You know, I think I will," the mage raised his hands and a sphere of pure lightning began forming between them. "After I turn you into ashes so your friend can cry over them!"

Kagura grimaced as she tried to get up, ignoring her body's screaming protests. If she timed it right, she could roll out of the way and -

CRACK! BOOM! "AAAHHH!" The mage was suddenly blown away by a red streak. A sigh of relief escaped her lips as Bahamut came charging in and landed in front of her. His cloak was tattered and his breath was heavy, but his eyes were narrowed with fury and smoke emanated from his fists. He shook himself and turned to look at her, his eyes briefly moving up and down before nodding. She nodded back and the boy returned his attention to the mage, who lay sprawling on the ground with red flames eating his robe.

The black-haired mage walked over to him and planted his foot on his chest, making the mage grunt. He looked at his mask before he bared his teeth.

"Are there more of you here?" he asked. The mage let out another grunt but didn't reply. Bahamut grabbed his robe and pulled off the mask, throwing it to her. Kagura tried to see what the mage looked like, but the haze from the fire and smoke obscured her vision.

He raised his fist and a swirl of plasma gathered around it. "Tell me. The other one didn't say anything."

"N-no, it was just us."

"Where did you come from? Why did you attack this village? WHERE ARE THE REST OF YOU!?"

Bahamut recoiled as the mage spat at his face. He stood there, pain and anger etched on his face as his fist kept glowing. Kagura smacked and tried to speak…

...but it was too late.

"Ion Crash!"

She shut her eyes as the winds from the new explosion buffeted her face. When she opened them again, she gasped and recoiled; her friend stood over the mage...with his knuckles covered in blood.

Kagura's mind froze. Did he just…? Why?

The boy turned to look at her, and she swallowed. He was breathing heavily, his fingers were twitching like mad and his eyes were slightly narrowed. He met her gaze and his posture slightly relaxed.

"...are you alright?"

The brunette blinked not just at the question, but at his pained tone. "Y-yes, I'm fine. He didn't hurt me too much."

Bahamut nodded and slowly approached her. She inwardly tensed, almost crawling away, feeling the pang of shame sting her chest. Yes, this was her friend, but amidst the flames and smoke…

He stopped in front of her, an odd look on his face before he looked down at the mask he had thrown earlier and picked it up. He stared at it and clenched his fists, a low growl escaping his lips.

"What's wrong?"

The boy blinked and looked at Kagura, who had pushed herself away. He bit his lip before speaking in a strained voice:

"I...I know these people. I didn't think I would see them again."

"Who are they?"

The boy hesitated for a moment before letting out a pained sigh. "...they attacked my village and killed everyone. They wore this symbol." He turned the mask and pointed at its forehead, where a wolf's head lay in front of a crescent moon.

The girl let out a gasp as her eyes widened. That was what he meant by him being lonely!

"They're called Midnight Wolf. I think they're a Dark Guild, I just didn't know it then."

"What's a Dark Guild?"

Bahamut scratched his head in thought. "Well, I remember a book saying that they're guilds that don't sign up with the magic council, usually because they're criminals. If they do this kind of stuff…" he looked around at the hellish ruins of the once peaceful village. The fire had spread wide, with many houses now lit like bonfires.

"...then it makes sense."

Kagura grimaced. Criminals seemed tame compared to this.

The raven-haired mage sighed and slipped the mask under his cloak. "We should look for the merchant. People don't usually pay if they're dead."

"Y-yeah, we should," she said. She sheathed her sword and slowly stood up, clutching her side. He looked at her for a moment and nodded before heading down the ruined street. As she followed him, the girl glimpsed the corpse of the rogue mage and looked away, trying not to puke. Instead, she tried to focus on Bahamut, but her attention was drawn again to his blood-covered hand.

Why did he do it?

Kagura shook her head. No, now was not the time.

They wandered the ruined village, searching for any signs of life, to no avail. It was only when they passed the village entrance and a little further down the road that they saw a group of people huddled near a cart, all bearing frightened faces. The faces that stood out were their client and the Rune Knight. Their footsteps drew the attention of the two, the knight readying his lance. He didn't relax when he saw them.

"Where were you!?" asked the merchant, stepping forward. "You suddenly bolted from the cart and next thing I know I hear even more explosions!"

"Oh...I'm sorry about that" replied the child, scratching his head. "But you don't have to worry anymore."

"What do you mean? Who and where are they?" asked the Knight.

"They were Dark Guildmages, and one of them's somewhere in the village" he gestured to the blaze, "and the other one's in the forest" he gestured to the trees behind it.

The Rune Knight's eyes narrowed, a flash of something Kagura didn't recognize sparked in his eye before he just sighed and lowered his weapon.

"...which guild were they?"

"Midnight Wolf." The brunette knew her companion was holding back a growl.

The Knight bit back a curse. "Those scum? Didn't think they would be all the way out here, at least not now."

Bahamut's eyebrows perked up. "Why? What do you mean?"

The Knight shook his head. "It doesn't concern you kid." He turned to the merchant and the survivors. "Okay, I've sent a call ahead so help should be on the way. Just don't scatter and I promise you everything will be okay."

He turned to the two mages again. "You two," he said and pointed. "Should head back to the capital. While I appreciate what you did, the fact that you aren't with a guild is gonna make things uncomfortable for all of us. I'll smooth things over with the command, but you'll have to leave now."

She wanted to ask why - and so did her friend from the looks of it - but Bahamut just nodded and turned to the merchant. "Is the caravan ready for travel?"

He blinked for a moment and nodded. "Y-yeah, it's ready. Just hop on in and we'll head out."

The children rushed over to the caravan and climbed in. After they sat down and settled against the canvas, Kagura drew her sword and held it in front of her. As she inspected it for any damage, she glimpsed Bahamut hunching over and hugging his legs, leaving a stain of blood on one of them. His head was bent down, but she still saw that rage thrumming in his eyes - now, however, it was...quieter. Not gone, far from it, but controlled.

A few minutes later and having wiped the sword clean of any ash or dirt, the merchant peeked inside. "Sorry about that! Just had to say a few things to the folks! Are you all ready?"

They nodded. "Great! Hold on tight!" He withdrew his head and soon they were off, at a faster pace. The girl let out a sigh of relief. They were safe now.

The light of the inferno dimmed as they distanced themselves from the village, not a word passing between them. Bahamut didn't even reach for his book. When only the light of the moon illuminated them faintly, Kagura swallowed and asked Bahamut:

"Why did you kill them?"

The boy slowly raised his head. "...what do you mean, 'why'?"

"Couldn't you have just knocked them out?"

He hesitated briefly before slightly shaking his head.

"That's what I'm asking then."

He looked at her, his now clean fingertips drumming on his knees, and looked down again. "...I got angry. I saw that symbol and I just…" he sighed. "Sorry you had to see that."

She gave him a look of understanding. To see the ones who ruined your home right in front of you, doing the same thing...it must've been horrible. But still…

"Did you kill anyone before?"

"Yes."

"When?"

"I think it was two or three missions ago."

Kagura shot up in surprise. "S-so you kill any bandit that attacks you?"

He gave her a confused look. "Yeah. What's wrong with that?"

"What's wrong -" she held herself back and sighed, pinching her nose. "Again, why kill them?"

Bahamut's gaze lost focus for a moment before he looked up.

"...my father told me to never show mercy to an enemy. They tried to kill me, so I killed them. I killed them, and I proved that I was strong; that I wasn't weak."

He gripped his forearms and his eyes narrowed. "And I can't be weak. Not again."

The white ribboned girl looked at him with shock, trying to say something, anything

...but she just looked down as well. Yes, it was frightening that someone her age could kill so easily, but on the other hand…

She sighed again. She needed to think. What kind of man was his father?

"...what do you want to do now?"

Bahamut hummed in thought, rubbing his chin as he did so. A minute later, he spoke.

"We return to Crocus and rest there for a while. Then we leave for good. We can start looking for your brother along the way."

For the first time that day, a smile appeared on Kagura's face. "Really?"

He nodded. "Mmm-hmm. We practice our magic on the way, and we get stronger. And if we meet more mages from that Dark Guild…"

He clenched his fist and plasma enveloped it, illuminated his face and revealing his nearly fanged grin.

"...I'll destroy them."


Ta da! I'm back! Not dead! A thing or two first:

Regarding the chapter itself, we see another action piece and the start of the two's solo journey. Any feedback on the action scenes (that was the hardest thing to write here) is highly appreciated.

I've had some RL problems and writer's block so I'm sorry about the delay, but better late than never, no? I hope to have more free time in the future to work on this story along with my other ones, so don't bail out!

Related to that, I do need some help. I'm reaching out to you my dear readers for anyone with experience with not just grammar, but other things like character and plot development. I have a Discord user sengo#0312 so you can contact me easily.

Hope you all enjoyed this chapter and most importantly:

Read and REVIEW!