New Story: Eyes of Stone and Hearts of Fire.

Book 1: Earth

Chapter 1: A Runaway, A secret and a Fighter.

Natsus stomach clenched horribly as the boat he was crammed into lurched forwards. People yelped and held onto each other for dear life, children cried, women quietly sobbed and men brooded. It was not a happy day.

Or maybe it was, because today they would be saved. The moon shone on the black, bottomless sea, it was a clear night but no one saw the stars. The small boat rocked and swayed with every tiny little wave, it was uncomfortable, horrific and many people died of disease, hunger and asphyxiation but they all thought it was a small price to pay for freedom.

Natsu clutched his aching stomach, wishing for some sort of salvation from the dizziness and pain. Instead he was given a large wave that sent his mind reeling. The universe sure loves me! He thought sarcastically.

Pulling the the dark green hood of his cloak further over his bright pink hair, he reminisced over the life he used to lead. Servants to his every beck and call, a lovely soft bed, delicious food. He didn't hate his life but he was deeply unhappy. Extremely unhappy. His life had been awesome until the year X777, then it had all gone downhill. His father had always been distant but on that year he took 'uncaring' to a whole new level.

Pushing the horrid memories to the back of his mind, he told himself to focus on the situation now. They were getting close, they had to be. Hargeon, Hargeon port. That was where he was headed, the only functioning port in the Earth Kingdom, he was going to search for the greatest sensei to teach him earth bending. The future of the world was resting on his shoulders.

He was meant to be their saviour. Their only source of light in a seemingly never ending darkness. Ha! If only they could see their saviour now. A runaway prince hiding from his father, the Fire Lord, huddled on a small boat full of Fire Nation refugees. They'd probably laugh.

"Land Ahoy!" One of the smugglers shouted. The parents sighed in relief while the children whooped in joy. Natsu, on the other hand, was too busy nursing his poor stomach to cheer but the happiness was there. He hadn't been this happy in a long time.

Natsu stumbled off of the boat, desperate to keep his balance (and the contents of his stomach) in check. He was free, the first thing he was going to do was eat and sleep, not puke.

Shuffling to the nearest inn, Natsu used the emergency money he had stolen for a room for the week. His father had so much, he wouldn't miss a couple hundred thousands missing. Not when he had billions and trillions. After finding it, Natsu ate an apple and collapsed on his bed, dreaming of earth bending.

The following morning and Natsu was back to normal, leaping off his bed he decided that he would start the day going around the market. As he stepped into the warm earthy smelling air, Natsu pulled off his cloak. He was wearing typical Earth Kingdom clothes- a pale green tunic, cottony trousers and black slippers. He also had a white scaly scarf wound tight around his neck, for once, Natsu looked normal.

The market was bustling, full of delicious foods and busy people. In the centre of the market there was music and laughter, dancers twirled around and around, prompting the audience to join in. For a country on the brink of a horrid war, they sure were happy.

There was nothing like this in the Fire Nation. Fire Lord Igneel had banned all sorts of market dancers after...well, after the disappearance of Fire Lady Grandine.

Natsus attention was diverted to two boys that had passed him, they both looked about sixteen and seemed to be deep in conversation.

"yo!" One started, "you going to the Fighting tournament today?"

The other nodded vigourously and waved his arms around for emphasis,

"Hell yes! Didn't you hear, the Blind Goddess is fighting today. She's only, like, the best earth bender in the whole country. I don't think anyone would miss her match"

Running to catch the boys, Natsu tapped one on the shoulder. They turned around and scowled.

"sorry, I wish to buy tickets to the fighting tournament. Where might I find them?"

The boy scowled and crossed his arms, dark brown hair swept across his forehead.

"There's none left...however- if you were able to pay well, I might be able to give up my ticket...what'cha say?"

Natsu eyes him warily, the boy stared back. Pulling out three thousand jewels out of the pocket of his tunic, he held it forwards.

"This is all I have" Natsu said, "Take it or leave it"

The boys smile stretched wide, gently taking the money, he then placed the small dark green ticket with silver writing in the palm of Natsus hand.

"Go to Gajeels Metalwork shop and ask for 'metalicana'. Gajeel will let you through."

Nodding, Natsu blended into the crowd and disappeared. Leaving the boys to wonder if he had even existed.

Gajeels metalwork shop was a small and dingy place, there was an iron sign hanging up out side, it had bite marks taken out of it. Pushing open the heavy door, Natsu wandered into the shop. Like its exterior, the shop was small and slightly dirty. Small metallic trinkets littered the display stands and shone like diamonds in the darkness of the shop.

A loud grunt was heard from the back of the shop behind the counter. A small door was pushed open and a large man walked through, he was big and burly, piercings covered his eye brows and the sides of his nose. He must have had ten in each of his ears and there were unmistakingly two on each forearms.

His wild black hair cascaded down to his back, tied by a grey headband and his bloody eyes pierced into Natsus soul. He appeared to be putting on a special outfit of sorts. A black vest, black baggy trousers and leather boots.

"What do you want!?" He growled, "I'm try'na get ready for the fight."

Holding up the ticket, Natsu tried to think of the name.

"Looking for...Megalitana?..."

The tough looking guy sighed and covered his face with his hand. He then snatched the ticket and began to do something to it behind the counter.

"Yer not from around here, are ya? Why'd you even come to the tournament?"

Natsu sighed and looked around the shop curiously,

"I'm looking for an earth bending teacher and someone mentioned that the Blind Goddess was the best earth bender in the kingdom, so I was going to ask her if she would be willing to mentor me...do you know her?"

The man smirked and let out a strange laugh that sounded like 'gihi'

"Yeah, I know 'er alright. I'm Gajeel, her mentor. She's A stubborn wee thing. About your age, and the rumors are true. She's the damn best earth bender there's ever been, well apart from the previous Avatar. I'm not sure if she'll mentor you. She's not the most...friendly person you'll ever meet"

Gajeel finished on the ticket and held it out for Natsu. Natsu shrugged and took it,

"Eh, I'm a very persuasive guy. I'm sure I'll win her round"

Gajeel smirked showing pointed canines.

"I'm sure you will, now," He gestured to the second door, a black one with silver markings around the door frame. He smiled sadistically. "If you'll go through. The games about to begin."

The arena was a large hexagonal platform with two bridges at either side so the fighters could enter and exit. There were no barriers around the battle floor, only emptiness that lead down into the deep depths of the unknown. The audience sat about ten metres from the side of the floor, the front row were protected by a small barrier that barely reached a grown mans rib cage.

A large light illuminated the centre stage as a long, ratty looking man holding a microphone stood observing the small crowd. Natsu sat in the front row right in the centre so there was equal space on both sides. He looked at the man and immediately decided that he didn't like him.

"Ladies and Gentlemen!" The man yelled to the crowd, "Welcome to the last fight of the season and it's sure gonna be a cracker!"

The crowd cheered and the man bowed.

"Now let's get down to the good stuff! On the left we have the famous Black Steel Gajeel!" The burly man from earlier walked into the stage, grinning like a madman. When he reached the centre the ratty man took his right arm and held it up in the air. The crowd went wild, even Natsu threw in a few cheers. Gajeel searched the crowd and when he met Natsus gaze he smirked.

Gajeel went back to the left side of the stage and stood silently while the presenter announced the next act.

"And now...who you've all been waiting for. She's small but she ain't weak, she's the one, the only...Blind Goddess!"

The crowd screamed and shouted with all their might as a young girl of about sixteen with long blonde hair and brown eyes walked into the arena. Her face was stoic, she was barefooted with a long green dress and white pinafore. She was beautiful. Her movements were fluid and smooth, she had round breasts and curvy hips, Natsu observed that she looked more like the woman she would become than the young girl she had been.

Keeping her eyes glued to the rocky floor, she made her way centre stage where her left arm was hoisted into the air and if it was even possible, the crowd seemed to get louder.

The girl yanked her arm away and stalked back over o the right side of the stage. She was a little smaller than Gajeel but Natsu knew she was tough.

"Now, the match will start in three, two, one. Fight!"

END OF FIRST CHAPTER.

Next chapter: 2. A Princess, A Prison and A chance.