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NATSU WAS A BLADE IN THE NIGHT, slicing through the wind as it quickly encased him. His breath was heavy as the weight of demonic, red wings weighed him down, the path he took seemingly endless.

The bells rung, shaking to the core, vibrations making contact with his body and senses on high alarm. Natsu had learned throughout the past few days he was here, it meant a monster attack and to hide in their houses while the big scary bad guy terrorized them. Somewhat pathetically, the more he thought about it.

He continued down the path, salmon locks breezing throughout the wind. The library in this town had zero to none books on Zeref, so it was a complete waste to stay. Not only that, he had no one to talk to and keep him entertained.

That wouldn't be a problem if you didn't tell Lucy to go away, his mind remarked.

"Now my own mind is bullying me..." Natsu muttered, shaking his head. Focus. He needed to focus on the task at hand and start forgetting about Lucy and the others. He only had one priority: find Zeref.

Easier said than done.

The stupid black wizard had gone and hid himself; again. All Natsu wanted was to eradicate the disease of a man, but the universe said no.

You could always skip towns and search those with dark energy.

Natsu looked over to see the small, pitch black cat following him. They had become acquaintances throughout traveling together, and he had still yet to figure out its purpose. "Even if I did that, all towns have some area of dark magic roaming throughout the streets, and plus, we need to check every library, not just the areas."

But this is sooo boring. Can't you have just a little fun? Maybe find a new blonde girl while we're at it...

"Are you a replacement for Happy or something?" The cat just purred.

I'm not an exceed.

They continued throughout the path of a different town he had chosen, library coming into view. It was extremely wide, only containing one floor, possibly a basement. The wooden walls had it look cabin-like, but then again, this new town was definitely more on the woodsy side.

Bells jingled as he walked in, an elderly woman greeting them behind the counter. Olivia, the name tag on her chest read. She didn't look up, thankfully, because Natsu was pretty sure his coat showed the outline of wings.

I'll have to stop at a clothing shop next, he decided.

Walking around to the history section, the demon quickly selected a few books, heading towards the small booth near the back. The sweet aroma of coffee and pastries filled the air, followed by french fries and chicken.

There's a diner and bakery connected with the library so they don't get bored. The cat mused, informing him.

Natsu sighed, "such a shame I can't eat any of it..."

Don't worry, I'll eat it for you and describe the taste. Mmm, salty.

Opening a book, he scanned over the words, looking for a specific name. Zeref, the page was titled. Big, red calligraphy decorated the page, small black lettering to be read over and over for him to decipher.

All this says is that he's the big bad guy.

"Don't you think I know that, you damned cat!" Natsu grumbled in frustration, slamming it. He tensed at the noise, prepared for the old lady up front to shush him. She just nodded in understanding and went back to scanning.

The next book was a repeated cycle, giving no information on his magic and just what he did. Natsu was close to giving up once the sixth book said the exact same as the previous five. Feeling a tap on his shoulder, he looked up, finding the old lady had given him a magazine on magic.

"It has all the details about evil wizards magic, including Zeref. Don't worry, your secret is safe with me." She winked, disappearing in an instant to greet the adults entering the library.

That's one cool Grandma.

He looked out the window to check time, noticing the sky was darker but people were running about. Next, he checked the lacrima screen. "Major thunderstorm in the Eastern part of Fiore," was all Natsu caught, but it was good enough.

Midnight fur rubbed against him, It's raining, it's pouring, he sang.

Grabbing the tail and pulling, Natsu returned to reading the catalog, once again speed-reading for the important topic. Salem hissed at the demon, wrapping his tail around Natsu's arm. "Found it," he grinned.

Standing up, Natsu went to the small check out line, mainly consisting of children. As he was standing there, a little girl tugged on his coat, "Woah, mister, your coat is shaped really weird..." She yelled, catching the attention of the other young kids.

They all ran over and surrounded him, checking out his coat. "They're like wings!" One yelled in excitement, laughing. "Are you a good guy, mister? Do you fight off the baddies?"

Natsu froze, "Ye-Yeah..."

Nice, lying to a kid. We really need to get you that new coat, huh?

"Do you fly into the sky and fight with your magic? What type of magic?!" Another little boy questioned, grinning up at him. "Is it ice, or water? Oh, oh, maybe fire!"

He ignored them, placing down his magazine to check out. The woman smiled at him, "please return on February 16th, maximum time is February 18th." She handed him back the book, a yellow sticker placed proudly on top of the cover. He nodded, walking away.

A little girl followed, tugging his jacket, causing it to slip off a little, revealing a webbed wing with small spikes. She laughed, poking at it. Another kid followed her, tugging the jacket again, the whole fabric slipping off this time. Natsu quickly caught the falling jacket, wings opening out of discomfort.

The children wowed, looking at him in interest. "He's so cool, Mommy, look!" The little boy yelled, clasping his hands together in excitement. An older woman followed the boy, nodding.

"Yes, he is, honey. But you know it's not polite to stare and point fingers." She dragged him back, opening a notebook and sitting down with the younger. Natsu quickly left, the little kids' waving goodbye.

What shop should we go to? I think this place is quite nice.

The cat lead them into a small cabin, hangers lined along the walls, only breaking the chain for the windows to carry in sunlight, or in this case, rain. Coats and clothing pieces of all sorts were hung up, small holes in some. A small man ran out into the front, smiling up at Natsu.

"What can we get you today, young man?" He greeted.

Natsu looked around, "Do you have any coats that could possibly, well, um... hide wings?" He asked, tense.

The old man laughed, "of course! Follow me." He lead the team into the near back, jackets taking over the whole room. "I would recommend the Cheshire coat for hiding them, but don't worry, we accept all creatures in this town! Take a look around, we also can cut holes for you!"

He seems a bit too excited about this.

Natsu snorted, "let the guy have some fun."

What about this one, Natsu? It's leather, and plus, extremely fashionable, if I do say so myself. How about we cut holes in it this time? Everyone seems to like your wings.

The salmon-haired just nodded, not sure on what looked good or not. Picking up the black jacket and walking out of the room, he called over the old man, who was ecstatic at his choice. "Holes or no holes?" He cheered, taking it from Natsu's hands and holding it up.

"I'll try it with holes..." Natsu confirmed, looking down.

"Great choice! It'll be ready by tomorrow. I would go home now, young man, the sky is darkening and the stars are twinkling!" He ushered the two out of his shop, closing the door and shutting the windows.

They stood there for a second, rain soaking into fur and skin, blinking in confusion. "Well, I guess it's time to hide out in a tree for the night, Salem."

I'm already ahead of you.

[a/n]
I'm not even gonna read over this probable tragedy.