The Dragon and the Slayer

He walked along, his companion a small almost lizard like bird sitting upon his shoulder. He paused finding the hiding place of the dragon he had been commissioned to take down. Many slayers had some scary nickname to them, not him he was simply referred to as the Salamander because he was an fire elemental user like the mythological creature itself.

Osore Hakobi-te was the name of the dragon he was after one who had struck such fear into others such terrible nightmares according to the reports of the council that they sent him. Natsu moved jumping and climbing easily enough up the side of the building and to the roof across from where his target was, it was mid afternoon and he sighed. This was going to be a rough day for sure although he was looking forward in his own right to the possible fight he was not looking forward to having to try to reign in his powers or once again go without a paycheck..........to cover as the council put it.....the massive excessive damages done when he fought. It wasn't his fault he was a true old school Dragon Slayer not one of those pansy's who went around attempting to do the job.

He moved jumping and landing on the balcony softly.....although any who might watch him was in for a sight, his vest had cuts placed just right lined in silver with a harness over his chest and dips down over his waist. A thick belt sat around his waist with chains hanging off of it low cut and just going over his hip bones. The light gray jeans were skin tight and duel belts wrapped around his right leg while a red chained 'sheath' sat firmly against his left. Around his left bicep was a bracer black and silver metal wrapped around his arm with a 'wing' coming off of the side of it and bracers around his wrists of the same black and silver metal. red material peeked out. No the oddest part about Natsu was the white hair with pink and light blue natural highlights and the three long 'rat-tails' that went down his back. His hair hanging haphazardly in front of his face he really didn't look like a slayer at all not dressed in hard core armor but he didn't need to be..........not when his body could become his armor.

Natsu pushed the sliding glass door open hearing the soft subtle whisper of sound it made as it whooshed open and Pip ruffled it's feathers a clear sign that his target was indeed at home.........

He had been home all day, tired and unwilling to venture outside, he was resting and enjoying the silence of his home when lo and behold, that silence was broken with just the simple sound of an opening door. Sighing, he stood up and began to walk towards the sound, the sound of clinking chains following along with him as he walked.

He had certainly not wanted to deal with company today. This was supposed to be a relaxing day. Opening his eyes, he sat foot into the room to come face to face with an amusing sight. A slayer. How he had hoped to have gotten rid of them all. But of course, there was always one who would stand in his way. "I honestly don't understand why it is you felt the need to enter my home and break my peace...but please...I'd appreciate it if you'd leave...today is a special day..." he said lowly, his glowing red eyes fixated on the man standing there.

Natsu rose an eyebrow as he was asked to leave............as if that ever worked really? The man had looks to him it was a shame he was a bad dragon. Pale skin black hair and crimson eyes toned torso and chains wrapped around his neck, wrists waist no shirt and pants that fit snug but not too tight to be restricting.

Natsu sighed. "Oh if only it were that easy right? Find a safe place Pip." he said as he shifted and stepped fully into the room. "A special day huh sorry. Can't be helped you one day of peace doesn't make amends for everything you've done before now." Natsu said shrugging as he walked towards him easily enough not afraid. Natsu was not a man who knew many fears as far as he was concerned fear was something to be faced and beaten not ran from. Not  cowered or hidden from.  Flames began do dance over his hand sparking up even as the scales of a dragon........appeared over his arm and hand going up as if to shield him from the very flames he wielded.

Sighing, he closed his eyes and simply sat down on the floor, chains clinking as he did. "I refuse to fight you...not on this day..." he said lowly as he simply sat there on the floor, eyes closed. 

Today...today was a special day. It was the only day he wouldn't fight on. Today was his younger sister's birthday. If only...If only she were alive to enjoy the cake he had bought her....

"If you want to kill me..you can do as you please...I will not fight you...no matter what..." he said lowly as he opened his eyes to look up at Natsu.

Natsu looked at him as if that would grant him mercy. As if.....he moved suddenly seeming to flash across the room his fist flying and stopped before him the flames as suddenly as they surfaced went out. He couldn't do it. That was the problem with his flames if his heart and emotions weren't behidn the drive to fight they did this they puttered out and Natsu himself wasn't a heartless man.

Figured he found him and in the end could not fight him and so instead he sighed and turned walking off towards the balcony door before him to leave. "Come on Pip. There's no point in sticking around when there isn't a fight to be had right?" The small red bird moved landing on his shoulder his only friend at least the only one that stuck around Natsu. He walked towards the door. "Fine I'll be back tomorrow to finish this if you disappear I'll track you down you know." Natsu said as if this whole affair was nothing personal and it wasn't. It was his job nothing more nothing less. Pip made a sound without doing there job they went without pay and while Natsu could probably find a willing donor did that mean he went hungry again?

Natsu reached up and ruffled his feathers. "No worries Pip."

He hadn't flinched, no even a slight twitch. He wasn't afraid of death, even if it meant not ever being able to see the home he loved so much. "I won't run...I have no where else to go..." he said lowly as he stood up, chains clinking, and actually folowed behind Natsu. It wasn't stupidity, nor was it bravery that made him follow the slayer, but rather, he wanted to leave, and the door was already easy to get to. Natsu just happened to be going out the same way.

"If you need food or money, take it from me and my home...I don't need it anyway..." he told Natsu as he walked by him, hands in his pockets. He had an important place to go, and no time to put on a shirt or shoes, so he would go without them.

Natsu looked at him as if he was crazy. "No way." He said shaking his head as he moved towards the door himself. "I won't take your money or anything from here. It's not even personal not really I just can't allow you to continue to terrorize innocent lives."

Natsu said shrugging as he moved and jumped up onto the rail looking at him as he seemed bent like there was somewhere he had to go and was in a hurry to get there. He looked off and then shrugged and dropped fully intending on landing on the ground and considering this was a skyscraper of an apartment it was quiet the drop down. Oh well so today was a bust there was always tomorrow and yeah he was a bit odd but he lived by his own codes and he would not take the money from the dragon who he would be fighting later. It just seemed wrong. But more then that it felt wrong.

"Terrorize?" he said, pausing. He had been about to take a step, but the moment he heard that, he stopped and put his foot back down. "I'm not terrorizing anyone...they come to attack me first...I simply defend myself...but...if...they're really that afraid of me...I'll leave the city..." he said lowly, looking at the city and the bustle of people in sadness. If he really scared people so badly...he would leave them so that everyone could be happy. 

"Please...take it so that you won't do without...I'd feel better that way..." he said lowly. If he had to deal with slayers, at least this one wasn't heartless like the others. Looking back, he put his hands back in his pockets and began to walk. He had somewhere to go, and even with no shirt or shoes, he would go to that place.

Natsu sighed as he closed his eyes. "Dam it." he breathed how was this guy a bad dragon??? Seriously he reminded Natsu of a little kid who just had his dog ran over. Attack and defend or more to the point defending oneself Natsu could understand. "Ah shit..." He said and turned finding himself following after the raven haired dragon. Figured.........he found him and this one he found himself.......wanting to cheer up for some strange reason. Oh well it wasn't like Natsu himself was a bad guy. 

"Don't look like that........like someone just ran over your puppy or something......." Natsu said as he caught up to the dragon.

He looked at Natsu and closed his eyes. Ran over his puppy? If only things were that simple. He wouldn't feel like this if someone had just ran over his puppy. "It's not something that can be helped...the way I feel...I feel this way on this day every year..." he told Natsu lowly as he kept walking, his bare feet hitting the cool concrete as he walked. 

"If it was something like that...I wouldn't be quite this sad. This day...is a special day...but...it's also a sad day..." he told Natsu lowly as he turned, walking into a cemetery and walked to a grave and stopped, kneeling down on his knees to look sadly at the name. Hana. 

"Today is her birthday...and she's not here to smile at the cake that I got her...she's not here to celebrate..." he said lowly, sadly as he sat there and looked at the name. So much sadness and pain in his eyes. "She was my younger sister...and she died in an accident when she was only 4..."

Natsu looked at him quietly and then moved kneeling down and holding a hand up before the grave site of the little girl. Of Hana's eternal resting place. He bowed his head slightly and closed his eyes without saying a word at first Pip rushed down onto the gravel soil letting out a low soft cry at the ground before shaking letting small flecks leave himself. He was an ethereal familiar and planting 'flowers' that would bloom and forever bloom over her grave site.

Natsu though kept his eyes closed saying a silent prayer for the child who had everything stolen away from her. Unaware of the spirit that seemed to appear or descend to wrap her small arms around his shoulders and hug him from behind while looking at Kuro. She kissed Natsu's cheek and then shifted placing her hand against his chest before disappearing. A dragon Slayer with a heart. He  only went after the bad dragons. This one wasn't bad.

Natsu opened his eyes to look at the grave site and sighed. "Far too young to loose her life like that.....although if he hadn't found and saved me I'd probably be the same. My mother was a vampire with a living heartbeat my old man from what I hear he was a Fire Salamander and elemental Fire being.........the two completely incompatible so they abandoned me because the heart within my chest was too small didn't have the strength to grow and I'd be dead before I grew up......a dragon found me Yudokuna.....don't know much about his past but it's why I've sworn to only stop the dragons who are hurting or terrorizing people I don't know what he did or how he did it but he saved my life taught me my values and showed me how to use the magic I have........."

Natsu sighed as he slowly stood and Pip made his way back to Natsu's shoulder before placing a hand on the dragon's shoulder. "She wouldn't want you to live a life of suffering, I'm certain Hana would want you smiling she'd want her big brother to find happiness......and even if she can't be here to enjoy it, it probably....no certainly still means the world to her that you remember her on her birthday." Natsu said gently as he let his hand drop from the smooth skin beneath it moving to walk away his hand held an warmth to it that a vampires just normally didn't.

Staring in silence, Makkuro just sat there in complete shock. It was as if he had seen a ghost...and he had. But after a long moment of him just staring at Natsu in awed silence, he actually chuckled and smiled. Even she knew....this slayer had a heart.

"No...she wouldn't want me to suffer. That much I know...but...up until now, all I've ever had to do was fight away the slayers who came to destroy me and my happiness..." he told Natsu lowly as he looked up at the kind hearted slayer. "Today has changed that...she has shown me what I had long forgotten...today...she has chosen you..." he said lowly as he stood up and put a hand on the gravestone and smiled at it. "Thank you Hana...happy birthday..."

Natsu looked at him as he seemed to be stared at in awed silence before being answered. Then looked absolutely and completely baffled. "Huh? She has chosen me? What......" He said confused as he looked at her unable to even hear the echo of the child's warm happy laughter on the wind to her brothers words.

Pip sat on his shoulder as Natsu stared at the dragon before him trying to figure out who she is and why he was chosen.

Makkuro just chuckled and shook his head. "Never mind...it doesn't matter right now anyway...not until the future comes..." he said lowly, but smiled one last time at the grave and waved goodbye to it, as if he were waving to the child herself. "Bye Hana...I'll come visit again soon...don't get into any trouble while I'm gone..." he told her lowly and turned, putting his hands in his pockets and began to walk, going past Natsu and towards the exit.

Hana had told him that it was okay to still have a heart, that it was okay to love someone else...that it was okay to be happy even though she wasn't there anymore. Hana had chosen Natsu to be the one to let him feel again. The tender hearted slayer would be his lover...

Looking up at the sky, he smiled and closed his eyes, feeling the warmth of the sun on his bare chest and shoulders. It was so lovely to have her approval...so great to see her again...to hear her laugh...how he had missed it.

Natsu watched him walk past him and sighed. It wasn't important right now. Natsu sighed again finding himself following after the dragon still not willing to leave the dradon alone just yet. That and part of him was curious about what he meant about chosen. The dragon before him suddenly seemed very happy and light hearted. Natsu followed because there was something about Kuro. That had caught his attention.

When he opened his eyes, he turned to face Natsu, telling him lowly, "If you're going to stick around, you should at least know that my name isn't Osore. My name is Makkuro, Makkuro Ryū. However, my powers are true to my nickname that the slayers have given me...I am indeed the Fear Bringer, but...I haven't used my powers on innocents since the dark ages...I have chosen a life of peace for myself since Hana's death...those who have sent you were lied to..."


But sighing, Makkuro smiled at Natsu. "But that doesn't matter. I'm used to people lying about me...what matters is that she chose you...I chose you..."

His name was....."Makkuro fits better." He said shaking his head as he walked along and then glanced at him, that he had hadn't used his powers since the dark ages. He sighed and shrugged. "Eh Yeah.....Natsu Kaen.....and this is Pip" He didn't have a nickname at least none that anyone was willing to let Natsu hear.

He did glance at him though and sighed. "That she and you have chosen me.....one of these days I'm sure I'll figure out what you've chosen me for. Until then...." Natsu shrugged as he walked along looking ahead. "On another note Yeah I kinda figured out the council was wrong when you didn't get angry but just sorta looked even more broken....." When Natsu swung and told him that he couldn't allow him to continue to harm innocents. Of course the swing never hit and it was at that point that Makkuro had looked even more broken at his words.

Makkuro just chuckled and began to walk along side Natsu. "It bothers me to know that everyone fears me...especially when I haven't even tried..." he said lowly as he walked along beside Natsu. He liked this...walking side by side with the one he had chosen....it was nice and eased his heart. He felt safe. He felt happy.


Looking over at Natsu, Makkuro spoke lowly, "About my offer...would you like to take it up now?" he asked lowly as he walked along. Would Natsu really be willing to feed now that he understood a little better? Makkuro hoped so.

Natsu looked over at Makkuro as he said that it bothered him that others feared him aand he wasn't doing anything to make them fear him. "Eh, they are a bunch of paranoid old people who jump if someone drops something. Honestly....even if you had fought back in self defense I'd still come to the same judgement. You don't come across as evil or mean."

Natsu turned his head and looked at him again as he asked if Natsu would take him up on his offer now. He honestly paused a moment to think about it even as he continued to walk beside Makkuro. Would he? It was an interesting question. "yeah" would he take Makkuro up on his offer now probably yeah he supposed so....did Natsu who was naturally very incredibily dense realize Makkuro meant now? As in as soon as they got back to Makkuro's apartment....which is where Natsu thought they where going did it occur to him that he was being offered blood....no...did Natsu think they where just holding an idle conversation. .yeah he did....but alas that was Natsu in a nut shell.....to which Pip seemed to let out a sighing sound as the bird was aware that it went right over and around Natsu's head.....Makkuro was going to have his hands full with Natsu....

Sighing, Makkuro closed his eyes. How hopeless. Of course he'd have to be interested in a completely dense, air-headed slayer...and of course...Hana had to pick him too. Oh well...couldn't be helped now. 

Opening his eyes, he turned, changing direction and began to walk down an alleyway. "Come on...'' he said lowly as he walked all the way to the end, not taking the time to give Natsu a chance to object. If he let Natsu say no, Natsu would be going hungry for the rest of the day.

Natsu tipped his head and turned "Huh?" the sudden change in direction had him spinning around and following after Makkuro wondering what it was that was so important down this way. Having no idea none at all that he was frustrating the dragon in his own right because the concept of being offered food right now was going over his head. But he had more or less agreed to it.

Natsu walked with him easily enough keeping pace as they walked down the alleyway he glanced about curious as to where it was they were going now since Makkuro seemed to be in such a big hurry to get there. "Where are we going now?" He asked since it seemed to be that Makkuro didn't  mind his company and frankly he didn't mind the dragon's either.

Makkuro just sighed and turned, his back facing the end of the alley. A dead end. Perfect. "We aren't going anywhere...this is where we were going..." he said lowly as he looked at Natsu and then tilted his head. "You did say you'd take me up on my offer...so I found us a safe place..." Makkuro told him lowly and walked over to Natsu and put an arm around Natsu's neck.

"Here..." he said lowly and pulled Natsu into him. Where he was bitten didn't matter. He wouldn't feel it anyway. His skin, despite it being soft in human form, was actually one oft he toughest substances on Earth. As was all dragon skin.

Natsu blinked and went wide eyed when Makkuro was suddenly pulling him into him like that. A ditz very much so...."I....ah.....wah???" He exclaimed startled and his hand landing against the smooth skin of Makkuro's chest. Really what so fast what was......was what was going through his head as he was instantly flustered.

Pip sighed seemed he was going to have to talk now wither or not he wanted to lucky for him he was a familiar and could do such things. "You need to feed Natsu." Pip said having left Natsu shoulder so that he could do just that.

"Ah....feed??" Natsu asked a bit well more then a bit more like highly flustered despite what Makkuro might think being suddenly pulled up close and against the chest of a man who had incredible looks like this was a bit flustering for Natsu.

"Yeah....feed as in sink in your fangs and eat.....he's offering. And you said yes."Pip said as he rested on the fire escape.

Natsu looked back at Pip up at Makkuro back at Pip and shifted a bit before taking a deep breath and leaning in to do just that his fangs finding purchase even if he swore he was about to faint.......was Pip certain for real certain this was what Makkuro was after?? To suddenly be pulled close like that....

Makkuo just sighed and closed his eyes, leaning in to rest his head in the crook of Natsu's neck. Even if this one was ditzy and completely unaware of his situation, of his surroundings...he found himself so completely at ease and happy with him. "Silly Natsu...don't think weird things..." he said lowly as he rested there for a moment.

But soon, his own instincts managed to get the better of him and his once calm red eyes began to glow a little again and he found himself moving to sink his fangs into Natsu's neck. He hadn't realized how long it had truly been since he had lest fed. When had it been last? Ah...yes...it had been a week ago...

Natsu snorted what was he to think? Really? "Can't help it...." He grumbled as he continued to feed but he stifled down on a moan when he felt his neck being bitten into. When was the last time anyone fed from him? He couldn't remember when.

But his skin like a dragon's was much tougher then it looked even still the sensation of the fangs was something he had forgotten how much he missed. He sighed as he continued to feed from Makkuro not in any real big hurry taking leasurely swallows. As ditzy as he could be he could be just as wise and even Natsu knew he needed to feed and yet he wasn't in any big rush to pull away either. What was it about this dragon, about this man about Makkuro that.....held him spell bound when the man himself wasn't doing anything to cause it?