Written By: DaisukiFox
Chapter 1
DaisukiFox: Hello people of Webnovel! Here's my story and hope you guys enjoy! I'll try to post these often! Please let me know what you think!
-line-
Daylight slowly blanketed the land of the rising sun, bringing about a new day with new possibilities. Every day people go about their lives as they normally do, adults readying themselves for their daily commutes, Cross guards safely escorting children across streets, people refilling vendors outside of school, and students walking to class together.
Among a few students, however, was a boy who stood out from the rest, mostly because of his odd red hair which shimmered radiantly from the sun's beams. In his hand was a black touchphone with an article on his screen reading 'Become the Next Golden Sun in Japan's next Rising Sun Tournament! Coming soon!' and much like someone slowly spreading butter across a piece of toast, a smirk formed on his face.
"Please! Come on!" a boy in a long-sleeved black gakuran reached out for his wallet as he sat on the cold ground.
"Don't be that way, pal... I'm only borrowing a little..." a boy in a similar uniform said as he counted all the yen inside the other boy's wallet.
His words hadn't gone unheard as the redhead found his ears tuned into the conversation, "That doesn't sound like he's..." muttered the boy as he trailed off the beaten path and followed their conversation.
He could see that one boy with spiky hair and a borderline sadistic toothy grin towered over another boy with a bowl cut, reaching his arm out for what could only be assumed to be his property. "Just some dirtbag picking on the weak, this is exactly why I train, but maybe I still oughta help..." the redhead muttered to himself and came to an abrupt stop.
"How about you cut the crap and give him back his money..." another voice called out as it came from behind the tormentor's victim, stepping out from behind a tree.
"Hmm...?" whispered the unknown spectator as he zeroed in on the sudden intrusion, watching the sight of a brown-haired boy wearing a red bandana.
Said bully groaned as he slid his hand across his face and over his beige spiky hair, causing the tips to flick off the ends of his fingers, "What's gonna' happen if I don't? Huh?" he questioned as he looked over his shoulder and looked as rabid as a deeply disturbed hound.
"Then I'm going to need to teach you some manners..." the mysterious man answered.
"Ooo... think I'm afraid of you, Snaggletooth?" he mocked as he pocketed the wallet and punched his open palm with a look of absolute confidence.
"Never seen this guy before," the crimson-haired observer remarked.
"Good, that's what I was hoping you'd say..." the boy with the headband replied with an icy stare.
"Please don't... I don't want anyone else getting hurt!" the victim of the bully cried out, trying to defuse the tension.
"Don't worry about-" the fang-toothed stranger replied with his eyes closed until his brows raised as he quickly batted the bully's wrist away from his face, he then raised his other arm and delivered a swift jab to the thug's gut, staggering him as he fell to his knees and grabbed his stomach.
"Ugh!" he groaned as he forced his head to meet the one who hindered him.
"Ah... dammit, was that it…?" The savior commented with a look of disappointment before sighing and placing his hand on his forehead.
"Wow... all it took was one hit?" the once helpless student said as he stood up cautiously, almost as if he couldn't believe what was happening.
"What're you waiting for? Get your money back." the unenthusiastic hero commented as he saw that the one he had helped cautiously went over to the bully.
The student watched his attacker with uncertainty and kneeled to reach for his stolen property, keeping his eyes glued to him as he finally grasped what had been taken from him.
"Just try it you little-" the downed boy exclaimed as he attempted to grab the one trying to take back what had been stolen from him. "Ommph!" he groaned out as he landed on his back.
"Ah! I'm sorry, please do-" the boy began but was unable to finish as the one who had helped him was standing with his hands in his pockets and one foot sticking out where the assailant's chest had been.
"Why don't you try that again?" the bandanna-wearing boy seemed to encourage as he narrowed his eyes. "I dare you..." he was met by an even colder stare than before, this time the jerk sensed the intense malice behind his words and quickly reached into his pocket and threw the other boy's wallet in his general direction.
"T-thank you!" the smaller but appreciative boy said as he bowed his head toward his savior.
"Don't mention it..." he said offering a small smile. "I've got zero tolerance for jackasses like him..."
"Lucky me then, huh?"
"Don't worry about it..." he scuffed as he began to walk away.
"Should've just let the guy solve his problem on his own..." the redhead commented before putting his hands behind his head. "Well, at least that means I have something to look forward ta'..." the redhead commented with a slight smile, closing his eyes.
The school bell rang and the redhead looked towards the school again, continuing as before.
Inside the typical Japanese classroom stood a teacher as he held a clipboard in his hands while writing on it with his pen, "Alright class since we have some new students for this year how about we get some introductions underway, huh?" his asked before looking to his clipboard.
His question was more a statement than something to respond to so they waited for him to begin.
"Alright then, we'll start alphabetically so don't be afraid to share a little about yourselves if you like, it never hurts to grow as a class together," The teacher paused as he checked his chart and then pointed to the first seat to his right with his pen.
From near the back with his feet kicked up was the redhead from before as he held his hands behind his head, his uniform shirt undone to show that he didn't need to be prim and proper like everyone else, although, clearly he wasn't the only one as five others had appeared to do the same, 'Geez, makes ya' feel a little less special when others do it too...' Natsu thought but stopped when his thoughts were suddenly interrupted by him seeing that the boy from earlier had stood up for his class introduction.
"My name is Araya... Ryuji Araya, I'm a third year but someday I want to be the next Golden Sun, just like my father before me..." stood the fang-toothed future hero.
"Oh? Are you saying your father is?" the teacher inquired as his interest peaked, the class also seemed to wait with bated breath.
"Matsumoto Araya..." Ryuji confirmed.
The classroom gasped in awe and even seemed to try and probe for answers, all of which caused the boy to avert his eyes, eventually making him stare at the ground. "Wow! Hey... is your mom...?"
"Y-yeah... she's The Blind Maiden..." Ryuji confirmed as some of the girls gushed and clapped their hands together while a good part of the guys all smiled and some even proudly, no doubt made the guess before confirmation.
"The son of the Proud Flame Matsumoto, huh?" the crimson-haired boy said as he put his hand on his chin and scratched it.
"Now, now... I'm sure you all have questions concerning Ryuji and his parents we really should finish introductions first..." the teacher commented as he finally got the class to stop mentioning Matsumoto and his many exploits.
The roll call began as it usually did, each student standing and giving their names, not all choosing to tell a little about themselves but when finally reaching the redhead he straightened himself out before standing.
"I'm Honoki... Natsu Honoki. I'm a third year but someday I want to be the greatest, manliest martial artist ever!" Natsu exclaimed as he looked at Ryuji, the redhead saw the expected response whenever anyone had the same goal that involved anything like being the best.
It was then that Ryuji stood up from his seat, surprised that someone else in that class was interested in becoming a great fighter, one could almost say his eyes were like that of a wild primal animal trying to contain itself from the thrill of the hunt. "Don't go getting my hopes up!"
"I meant every word of it," Natsu declared as he turned to face Ryuji eye to eye.
"Then I want to challenge you to a one-on-one match!" Ryuji exclaimed clenching his fist as he peered into Natsu's eyes, unknowingly feeling as though he was staring into a mirror for he could sense that Natsu's aura was attuned to his.
"Thought you'd never ask..." Natsu accepted with a smirk, the thought of a good fight making his heart race.
"Get a room you two!" One of the masculine voices in the room exclaimed, making a few classmates inside laugh or roll their eyes.
The class hadn't said much for it felt as though they were watching some smack talk between two pros before going at it, the tension between their stares captivating the teacher enough to distract him for a while.
"Lucky for you two I happen to be a fan of the Rising Sun tournament so I only encourage healthy sportsmanship," he stopped to clear his throat. "But we have a schedule to keep so I expect you two to deal with it elsewhere..." He advised.
"Can't wait..." both said in unison as they finally plopped themselves down on their seats.
Students swarmed like ants to honey, some even taking this as their chance to make a profit, going as far as selling food on campus to help make some side income. At the center of it all, stood the two warriors as their auras burned brightly at the anticipation of their battle.
"You ready for this?" Ryuji asked as he allowed himself to speak openly while cracking his knuckles and popping his head to one side.
"I'm just waiting on you, Araya..." Natsu fired back while stretching his arms over his head and behind him.
"Sorry, I was just wondering whether or not you were out of taunts..." Ryuji stated before stomping his foot out in front of him, holding both hands out with open palms.
"I've got a million of em' but that ain't why we're here..." Natsu replied while taking his stance, easing himself into the position rather than so boldly stomping his foot in return.
Tense was the best way to describe the feeling in the air, students patiently waiting for the fight to start and some silently cheering with their palms clenched into fists. If the area's atmosphere could be compared to anything, it had a school pep rally feeling.
Patiently they narrowed their eyes and calmly proceeded toward one another, they encircled the other as though the two were the same mighty beasts waiting for the perfect moment to strike. It was then that Ryuji's eyes widened as he took two steps, first to his right and then to his left before swiftly reeling his right arm back.
His opponent dodged with nearly perfect timing as he felt Ryuji's arm brush against the back of his head but taking no risks Ryuji quickly swung with his other arm to prevent a counterattack after recovering from his miss.
"Huh!?" Natsu's eyes widened in shock as he was forced to shift the left side of his torso out of Ryuji's upcoming attack.
"Not bad!" Ryuji exclaimed as the cocky redhead brought his hands to his chest as a means of exchanging fists with his opponent; only to try and kick him right before he could attack. Ryuji cringed as he felt Natsu's shin crash onto his hip.
It was then that the audience around him gasped as they saw that not only had "The Son of The Hero" taken a hit but it was from someone they had no idea about, so naturally, it came as a shock to them.
Taking his chance the redhead spun himself around to deliver a kick to the brunette's face, "Hiya!" he shouted mid-kick, only to feel Ryuji's forearm absorb blunt force in his kick.
"Finally!" Ryuji exclaimed before closing the distance between him and Natsu, slugging Natsu's face with a mean left hook.
"What the!?" Natsu gasped as he rode the strike that had sent him a good three yards before he took control of the momentum of Ryuji's swing, shifting his center of gravity, and rolling himself into an upright position.
"Wow! That Natsu guy's tough!"
"He took a hit from Ryuji!?"
"Go Natsu! You can do it!"
Like two bullet trains about to collide the two martial artists wasted no time going back at it, once in front of one another they traded rapid blows, their arms leaving faint afterimages from their exchanges.
From Ryuji's perspective, he found his heart rate reaching new heights as they continued to fight, the way his pupils would remain focused on Natsu's face, looking for any signs of weakness or an opening. Only to constantly find his attacks getting slapped out of the way or dodged with what felt like a supernatural force.
Natsu's face could only be described as a solid poker face, eventually, Natsu's face began to contort into something much more comparable to someone desperately seeking to gain an edge over their opponent.
All the while Ryuji's intense focus had slowly grown into a small smirk, until spreading into a full-blown grin, 'It's been so long since I've felt this, I've missed it so much…!' Ryuji thought as his heart felt as though it were soaring.
"Keep smiling you big goofy looking oaf! I'll make it all the better when I-" Natsu attempted to goad his enemy only to have his wrist caught by Ryuji's hand and then pull him in to strike him in the face with his one free hand.
"Enough!" Ryuji started talking between actions as his punch had gotten caught by Natsu's hand. "Talking!" Ryuji shouted as he arched his head back and bashed the top of his head straight into Natsu's face, sending him falling on his back.
"Whoa..." the crowd roared as they saw Ryuji towering over his beaten opponent.
"If I go any further you'll be in the hospital..." Ryuji said as he panted, a few beads of sweat coming down his face.
"I-it's not over..." Natsu muttered as he tried to push himself up into a sitting position, suppressing groans of pain as one hand reached up to try and calm the pain in his head.
"I'm sorry but I could end this if I wanted to..." Ryuji replied his voice trailing as he was now standing before Natsu with his foot lifted and ready to kick Natsu in his face.
"It ain't over till I say it's over..." Natsu forced himself to stand, looking quite sore as one of his eyes was closed.
The crowd began to talk amongst themselves, some possibly wondering if Natsu was stubborn or unable to accept defeat. Although this was the situation with the crowd the same couldn't be said for Ryuji who only stared with his arms crossed now, putting his foot down.
"How's about you take some time to rest and then come say that to me again..." The Proud Flame's son recommended with a slight smile.
"What's the matter? S-scared?" Natsu coughed once before lifting both hands and smirking as if he were fine.
"You're too much, Araya..." Ryuji chuckled as he turned around and began to walk away.
"Dammit..." Natsu muttered, he began to hear some of the students not only cheering Ryuji's victory but some of the students even cheering for Natsu as he turned to his fellow students.
"Thank you for giving Ryuji a good fight!"
"Yeah! We can tell he's a bit bored with the usual competition..."
"I lost... there's nothing ta' celebrate..." Natsu scuffed as he stuffed his hands in his pants pockets and seemingly ignored the compliments being thrown his way, his response gave the students a mixed bag of feelings.
All of which meant very little to the determined redhead, all he could do was try and figure out what had happened during their fight and where he had gone wrong, "This ain't over, Araya... " he muttered as he narrowed his eyes and put his hand to his chin.
"...Not by a long shot..." Natsu added.
Inside a large palace-like dojo, students dressed in white gi's faced the north side of the building, their heads staring at the centerpiece on the wall, where a golden lion ornament hung, its mouth open as though it were roaring.
Off to the right of that decorative piece was Ryuji, dressed in a white gi with a black belt hanging from his waist as he straightened his posture and then bowed to the class, "Alright everyone we have some more classes throughout the week, remember to stretch and have a good day," the teacher for the class said as his students returned his bow with one of his own.
"Not bad Ryuji..." A deep but strong voice said as it caught Ryugi's attention once he stood up.
"We'll make a Sensei out of you yet..." a woman with a gentle tone spoke right after.
"Mom, Dad..." Ryuji greeted the two he referred to his parents, a man wearing a red gi with torn sleeves, "I've done these katas a million times, It was nothing really..." he rubbed the back of his head.
"Come on boy, you know that's not what she's getting at..." Ryuji's father said as he dismissively waved a hand.
"You're doing very well as their instructor Ryuji," his Mother complimented as she looked toward Matsumoto.
"Even managed to get a new pupil to join..." Matsumoto added as he looked back at his wife's lavender blindfold.
"Shiro? Oh... he just saw what I did to this jerk trying to pick on him and I guess that inspired him to take up martial arts..."
"Either way you've helped someone down a path they'll never forget..." The Proud Flame's voice trailed with a calm inflection.
"I imagine that was the highlight of your day?" Ryuji's Mom asked as she rested her head against her husband's arm.
"Not really..." Ryuji smirked as he lowered his head, tightening his palms into fists. "I finally met someone..."
"Are you serious?" Matsumoto questioned in disbelief, his mouth partially agape.
"Oh, my..." With her one free hand, she placed her hand over her mouth.
"When it happened it felt like my heart was racing and I went short of breath..." Ryuji explained as he looked at the ground, one hand over his chest as he recalled the fight that made his heartbeat play to the sound of an intense drum.
"Wow... and so soon too..." The Proud Flame crossed his arms while his wife's arm held onto one of his.
"I know! I couldn't believe it either!" Ryuji looked up to his parents with unbridled optimism.
"I'm so happy for you dear! I hope you consider letting us meet this special someone!"
"Huh...?" Ryuji blinked, confused by what his Mother meant.
"Anyways, your mother and I have a few things we need to handle before we can go on our date night..." Matsumoto said while running his hand through his spiky hair.
"Once you finish your chores and schoolwork you can do what you like..." The Blind Maiden instructed calmly.
Ryuji blinked his mind switched subjects.
"Thanks, Mom..." Ryuji waved his parents off before they walked away. "Still I wonder what they met by that... special someone...?" As he spoke and repeated his mom's words he slowly realized her exact meaning and his eyes widened to nearly cartoonish portions.
"W-What!? M-Mom!" he screamed in the direction he had last seen his misunderstanding parents.
All he could hear was some faint laughter in the distance.
Deep within the city where a large concrete apartment complex sat a redheaded boy with his arms crossed over the railing to an apartment balcony. "Man, I could've sworn I had him..." whispered Natsu as he kept jumping back into his fight with Ryuji, his face scrunching up as he recalled Ryuji's words. "If only that stupid old man were still around..." Natsu muttered as his eyes narrowed a little before shaking his head.
"Now why would you want that?" a soft but oddly subtle hint of an Irish accent voice asked from behind Natsu.
"It's not for anything bad Mom! I wanna get stronger is all!" Natsu defended his reasoning before turning around to see a lovely-looking pale-faced Irish woman wearing a green kimono with decorative clovers encircling her sash.
"Are you sure, dearie?" his mother asked quizzically quirking a brow.
"Plus I met someone today and..." Natsu averted his eyes and balled his hands into fists.
"Oh! I didn't know..." Natsu's mom put a hand over her mouth, causing the bag of fast food in her hands to come into Natsu's line of vision.
"What're you gettin'-" the redhead started but stopped immediately to see that she had gotten them takeout. "Is that Chinese?"
"I didn't feel like cooking today so I just bought something from work and it's something new on the menu..."
"I ain't knocking it, thanks Ma!" Natsu exclaimed, completely focused on getting his meal as his mother retrieved a bento from her plastic bag and handed it to the hungry redhead, who upon getting it ran past the screen door and into the living room slash dining area.
Taking her bento out of the bag she also made her way over to the kitchen part of the room, taking a seat across from Natsu as he split his chopsticks and then clapped his hands together with his eyes shut. "Thanks for the food!"
Opening her bento, she split her utensils before clapping her hands together, after a few bites she paused, furrowing her brows for a second before rolling her eyes, "Well, if I get to know Mister Takayama a little better, maybe we can see about you joining his dojo..."
Natsu paused while slurping some noodles into his mouth, "Bat by brom-?"
"Don't talk with your mouth full lad," she interrupted then put her hand on her cheek.
"Oh, Mom..." Natsu rolled his eyes before swallowing. "Sorry..."
"Good boy!" she teased as she smiled knowingly.
"But seriously..." Natsu said, holding some rice on his chopsticks, "You mean that guy you met online a while back?" Natsu pressed for answers.
"He's told me he has his dojo and two lovely daughters..."
"Wait... he has kids?" Natsu blinked.
"Oh don't worry! One of them is about your age dear..." She smiled with her eyes closed to which Natsu scoffed before closing his eyes.
"Great to know I'll finally have sisters..." the redhead muttered as he started to eat again.
"Come now, Natsu... they're not at all what you're thinking, although one may be considered like that..."
"So I'll have a sister and a brother...?"
"Natsu! T-That's rude!" she stopped to mull it over for a second, "...I think."
"Whatever her deal is I ain't gonna' bother her long as she doesn't bother me..." The younger redhead commented nonchalantly.
"W-we're not even that far yet so we shouldn't be talking about the possibility of a family..." She shut her eyes before slowly averting her gaze, a small blush across her gentle face.
"I'm just a sweet innocent lass…" the mother of Natsu said in an overly dramatic way as if she were some fair Celtic beauty.
"I'm just a sweet innocent lass..." Natsu repeated almost mockingly before suppressing a laugh, although plastered on his face was a cheeky smile.
The redheaded mother opened her eyes to her own words echoed until she opened her eyes and pouted her lips to see that her son had become a lovely redhead with blue eyes, "I wouldn't say yer so innocent my sweet little lass..."
"Huh...?" Natsu flinched suddenly and felt some additional gravity added to his chest as he opened his eyes to see two bouncing breasts, "Dammit!" she exclaimed before dropping her head.
"Natsu..." her mother began to laugh as she couldn't help but be amused at the convenience of her own son's teasing.
"Man this curse sucks!" Natsu exclaimed as she dropped her head, the front of her hair covering her eyes.
"Well, let that be a lesson to you..." Despite this happening Natsu's Mother continued to eat at a more even pace than her unfortunate child. All she got out of Natsu was a disgruntled-sounding muttering sound as she began to eat with lightning precision.
"Dearie if you don't take the time to enjoy your food it's like your stomach doesn't know you're eating-" the worrywart of a mother tried to get across as she saw that Natsu was in a hurry to leave.
"I'm going out! I'll be back!" Natsu exclaimed as she ran to the door to the living room section before heading out and shutting the door behind her.
On a quiet suburban sidewalk, Ryuji casually walked with his eyes closed as he bobbed his head up and down. Not a care in the world as the music filled his soul, his lips pursed ever so slightly as he allowed the guitar riffs to take him on a journey. It felt as though everything else around him was suddenly less important, only the rhyme of the guitar solo blasting into his ears.
That was until he came to a sudden halt, a dinging sound echoed in his ears as he quickly widened his eyes and pulled out his phone from his pants pocket. "Oh, man! Not again!" he begged as he saw the symbol of an empty battery flashing over his yellow cellphone before the screen went black.
All he could do was stare in silence, his mouth agape as he looked at his surroundings, and panic soon overtook the one from his phone dying. "Where the hell am I...?" he muttered as he swallowed thickly; pocketing his phone.
Behind a failed plaza building sat Natsu, "Come on..." she muttered, her eyes squinted shut, appearing to be in an intense state of focus. "I can do this..." she mumbled before hugging her knees.
She sighed in defeat before she rested her forehead against her knees, "Ugh..."
"Figures I get lost and there's not a soul around..." A strong but familiar voice struck Natsu's ears, causing her to perk her head up and look down the alley, she came across the back of Ryuji's head, with a hand on his hip with his eyes closed.
"Araya...?" Natsu unintentionally whispered but upon releasing this could give away her position she slapped her hand over her mouth.
"Huh?" Ryuji turned around just in time to see a redheaded woman duck around the corner of a wooden fence. "Wait! Hold on!" Ryuji pleaded as he stuck his hand out.
"Dammit!" Natsu whispered to herself while running up to a dumpster, looking as though she was about to duck behind it.
"Please, I need your help!" Ryuji called out, now seeing a redheaded beauty come to a screeching halt.
"D-Don't come any closer!" Natsu demanded as she spoke over her shoulder, avoiding eye contact as best she could.
"I'm not going hurt you, I just need some directions..." Ryuji admitted as he blushed and looked to the side while holding a hand out.
"Directions...?" Natsu mumbled to herself in surprise. "Man! Just use your phone..." she answered as though it were the most obvious thing to do.
"It's dead..." he answered as he stopped looking off to the side, getting a good look at the girl in question but the moment he saw her face he was able to spot that she had beautiful but fierce blue eyes, 'She's pretty, wait, focus Araya!' he thought to himself.
Natsu looked back out in front of him and pondered the request for help, sighing through her nose she lowered her head a little before reaching into her pocket and searching around. She stopped for a second with a surprised look and immediately checked her other pocket.
"Is everything alright?" Ryuji asked cautiously raising a brow.
"I forgot my phone at home..." Natsu stated in utter disbelief, to think she had left without some way of contacting anyone.
"Y-you're kidding..." Ryuji commented, his mouth slightly agape, thinking that his luck had finally turned around.
"I wish I was, man..." Natsu reluctantly said before looking over her shoulder, 'Really wish I was...' she thought.
"Well, thanks anyway, I guess..." The fang-toothed boy put his hand to his head and began to walk away.
"Just because I ain't got a phone that doesn't mean I can't help you..." The redheaded beauty remarked with a sigh. 'Lose to the guy earlier and now I gotta help the oaf find his way back home,' she thought, silently cursing her current predicament.
"Are you sure...?" Ryuji looked at her quizzically.
"Yeah, I'm sure..." Natsu replied, crossing her arms over her chest. "Just be glad I'm feeling generous enough to help a total stranger..." she finished opening her eyes to see Ryuji smiling in relief.
"Thank you, I do appreciate this!" Ryuji clapped his hands together as if in prayer.
"Yeah, yeah..." Natsu replied putting her hands behind her head. "Just follow me and I'll get ya' where you need to be..." Natsu began to lead the way as she could hear Ryuji's footsteps behind her.
Rounding the bend at the corner of the failed plaza they reached a street corner and saw that Natsu had stopped, seeing as the light was red. Ryuji placed his hand on his chin, the second he got a much clearer look at the girl he paused. "Hey..." Ryuji spoke up while they crossed the empty street.
"Huh?" Natsu's eyes widened for a split second, sure he couldn't get a good look at her.
"You wouldn't happen to be from Omitarou High?"
"What are you talking about...?" she asked in a low tone, obviously avoiding eye contact.
"You're wearing the same uniform as I am so I just figured..." Ryuji replied bashfully, feeling as though the air was tense given how she presented herself.
Flinching for a moment, she stopped as they reached the other side of the road, putting her hand behind her head, "Okay! You got me..." she replied with a bit of panic underlining her voice.
"I knew it..." Ryuji said, smiling softly as he put his hands in his pockets and sped up a little to walk alongside her.
"Well, my name is Ryuji Araya if you've heard..."
"How couldn't I? The whole damn school nearly chanted it..." Natsu rolled her eyes and crossed her arms.
To which Ryuji just bashfully chuckled, blushing a little.
"The name's Nat-" the redhead felt her mind hit the brakes before she finished. "Nat-Natsume Honoka!"
"Natsume..." Ryuji said suddenly going silent as his eyes landed on her hair. "You wouldn't happen to be related to Natsu Honoki would you?"
"The hair gave it away, didn't it?" Natsu asked but in a way cursing how obvious one could make the connection.
"Hard to forget someone like that," Ryuji mused for a moment before looking back to Natsu who appeared to be pretty reserved at this point with the calm she looked. "So... are you related to Honoki?"
"You could say that..." Natsume admitted with a small smile. "What surprised me was that you managed to win..." commented the redhead.
"Why's that?"
"I know Natsu and the guy's a prodigy and all..." She secretly boasted since she was talking about herself when she was in guy form.
"I don't doubt it, I haven't fought like that in a while..." Ryuji remarked as he recalled the rush of adrenaline that had tingled his body.
Natsu felt a sudden calm wash over her, even going as far as to smile in response to Ryuji's indirect compliment, 'Least he isn't full of himself...' she thought with a light dusting of pink to her cheeks before clearing her throat. "Oh? Really...?"
"It was the most fun I've had in a while," Ryuji said, giving Natsume a confident smile. "Believe it or not, it gets harder to look forward to every day when there aren't many who can push you to new limits…" His voice trailed softly but sadly, an image of a younger version of himself was seen pushing someone who had been on a swing but was instead seen flying in the air with another child staring in shock, his hands held out in an attempt to catch said airborne offspring.
Natsume couldn't help but quirk a brow in wonder, hadn't she felt something like that, 'Ever since Pops vanished I ain't had anything close to a decent challenge either…' she pondered to herself as the melancholy musings as she looked away from him, stuffing her hands into her pockets.
"You sound like you get a real kick outta fighting..." Natsume added with a small chuckle, after a second she found her eyes going wide before gently relaxing as she put a hand on her chin and closed her eyes. "I wonder..."
The fang-toothed boy did not attempt to correct the redhead on her assumption but stopped to notice her pause, the inflection in her voice apparent to even Ryuji as he stopped and stared at her. "Huh...?"
"I wonder how you'd feel if I told you I'm even better than Natsu..." she said posing an interesting idea as she casually continued walking.
"Do you mean that or are you just saying that to mess with me...?" Ryuji probed, his levels of interest spiking as he was presented with an interesting suggestion.
"Why don't you try finding out for yourself, huh...?" Natsume goaded as he suddenly stopped to face him.
"Are you sure you want to fight here...?" Ryuji answered Natsu's goading with bold confidence he was looking forward to it; from Natsu's point of view.
"You okay with fighting a girl?" She asked sounding playful, smiling like a cat playing with its prey.
"Man or woman! It doesn't matter! As long as you can put up a fight!" Ryuji clenched his fist in front of him as if he were psyching himself up.
Only being slightly taken back, Natsu blinked once. "I know a place close by..."
"Lead the way..."
Reaching an empty lot the two martial artists stood on opposite sides, waiting for the other to present them with an opportunity to attack. The ends of Ryuji's headband blew gently in the wind, the dirt beneath their feet shifting the sand as they sized up their target.
Natsu was the first to go in, starting with a swift right hook, Ryuji's left hook met Natsu's attack, and Natsu followed it with a low right jab, only to have him backhand it. The brown-haired boy launched his counterattack by going in for close-ranged jabs, starting with his right he attacked once at Natsume's face and then down to her torso.
Taken by surprise she found herself on the defensive, forced to take two steps back to maintain her distance, dodging at the right moments to try and take the lead once more, only to see that his onslaught continued with a spinning roundhouse kick.
Her eyes widened as she ducked and then narrowed her eyes, reeling her arm back, going in for his exposed back, only for Ryuji to shift his stance and meet Natsu's fist with a backward elbow attack before quickly turning around and putting his guard back up.
Meeting eye-to-eye they gazed into one another's faces, as they went back to the assault, neither's eyes leaving the other's as a flurry of fists and kicks was exchanged between the two. Combos upon combos traded, either ducked out of the way or sidestepped.
In the middle of one of Natsu's punches, Ryuji got in close and grabbed Natsu's still-swinging arm, twisting himself around to hurl her over his shoulder and towards a nearby fence.
"Argh!" he cried as he threw her.
Flying through the air the redhead shifted her body like a contortionist before landing crouched over on a fence railing, "Close..." she complimented before immediately leaping into the air and delivering a powerful ax kick to her resilient enemy's crossed arms. This only brought her back into the air but rather than landing on the fence, she landed on the ground level away from Ryuji.
"Damn you're fast..." they said at the same time, clearly at a loss for breath from the sounds of it.
They paused to blink and closed their eyes, chuckling as they appeared to find their little moment together amusing before letting their arms drop in exhaustion for a bit, looking as though they had slouched over before charging back into one another, and both reeled their arms back.
"Ahhh!" they both screamed as they both struck each other's cheeks, both landing on their backs with their arms to their sides.
The two lay there as they tried to desperately catch their breaths, although whenever they tried to move their bodies would only tremble as they struggled against their battered bodies.
"Hey, Natsume..." Ryuji spoke as he sat up a little, one eye closed as he looked at the fallen redhead.
"Yeah... Araya?" Natsume asked, not having lost her will to fight, though, the same couldn't be said for her body as she tried to get back up.
"Thanks for the fight, you are better than Honoki..." Ryuji sighed in relief as he closed his eyes and breathed deeply, his body trembling.
"Me? Better than Natsu?" Natsume asked, clearly faking being surprised as she smirked but as she straightened herself out enough she could see that Ryuji believed her.
"W-What...?" Ryuji stuttered as he heard this startling revelation.
"I was just egging ya' on and I gotta say he must have been holding back a bit..." Natsume said sounding as though she was surprised that Natsu had lost to Ryuji.
"Honoki...? But why...?"
"Believe it or not Snaggletooth, it's true..." Natsume's voice began to crack a little as she spoke.
"That guy is just full of surprises..." Ryuji commented as he laid back there but couldn't help but smile until he fell on his back suddenly.
Natsume laughed as even though she hadn't exactly won that, at the very least Ryuji wasn't the one to taste victory either; plus him falling on his back was pretty funny for her.
Ryuji went silent for a moment before joining Natsume's laughter.
"Hey, Ryuji…" Natsume began as she groaned loudly, trying to push herself back up.
"W-what are you doing?" Ryuji asked as he turned to face her from his downed position.
"Winning! That's what!" Natsume explained with every fiber of her being.
"Stop messing around!" Ryuji warned and tried to get back up, only to fall back down.
"R-Ryuji, there's something you ought to know about girls…" The girl known to him as Natsume began while trembling through it, forcing herself to stand.
"Huh…?" Ryuji appeared dumbfounded as a blush creeped onto his face.
"Girls are better at taking pain…"
DaisukiFox~