Tale of the Twin Dragons

Kazuki had been seated at the bar, watching the antics of his guild with a relaxed smile. With both arms resting back against the highly polished, reflective counter-top, Kazuki leaned against the structure from his stool. Next to his right elbow was a glass full of his favorite liquor, which happened to be the contents of the green bottle that another would partake in only moments later. He let out a small laugh as he pointed at a duo of wizards too drunk to really fight, so instead they lazily flopped against one another while shouting curses. Pointing at the two he merely allowed the chuckle to fall into a sigh. it was times like these that he was the most proud to be the leader of the guild. Most would find that silly, but Kazuki didn't. He was always proud of his charges, or as he called them, his guild mates. Whenever they completed a tough job, whenever they did something others deemed impossible, sure those were things to also be proud of. But here, in this atmosphere, they were family and it showed. All races, backgrounds, walks of life meeting together to not fight about their differences, but embrace them. They didn't let the color of their skin, nor the shape of their ears define their guild mates--no, for Fairy Tail it was simple. They were defined by their guild crest. If you bore it, for better or worse, you were family.

And it was that mentality that Kazuki was proud of.

The doors swung open, and hardly anyone noticed. The Dragon Slayer did, however, as he was always apt and quick to spot a pretty lady. Fairy Tail had their fair share, but a new one on the premises was something that quickly caught his attention. He cocked his head, allowing his left arm (which had been pointing) to fall back to resting on the counter top once again. She shouted that she wanted someone to buy a drink, and was escorted to the bar by one of his members with a snarky smirk. Kazuki shot him a look, and as soon as the new comer reached the bar, her escort wandered back into the Fairy Tail crowd.

He heard her request a raised a brow. That was a bold move, and Kazuki could only stand the liquor because he--and she drank it. His other brow raised as she lowered her glass and an unmistakable wisp of flame exited her lips. Leaning off the bar, he rotated on his stool. Giving a sniff before he talked, most would think it common place--though any that were raised by a Dragon knew that it wasn't. The sniff was just a bit longer than a common one, as if he was trying to pick up on something..

"Ya know, I've only seen one person drink that so easily." Whether or not she looked to him, he followed up. "Ah, forgive me. Here's a pretty lady and I forgot my manners. Name's Kazuki Kobayashi." As with most S Class wizards, that name carried weight in the wizarding community, or at the very least was very well known. You didn't get this far without gaining fans...or enemies, after all.

"Could I have the name of the beautiful vision that you seem to be?" His face held his usual cocky smirk, and his crimson eyes a mischievous glint.

Kazuki couldn't help but grin when she said she'd challenge the man. Honestly, he could drink. He didn't know if it was because of his size or his fortitude as a Slayer, but he wagered with both he could drink this skinny, well endowed, woman under the table. The belch that followed, however, made him blink adbsently. He honestly wasn't expecting that to come from such a small woman, but the Slayer in him couldn't fight the grin that spread (outside his regular grin) at the sound. He didn't know why such a thing appealed to him, but he decided not to dwell on it for the moment.

Kazuki took note of the fangs and his eyes narrowed, only slightly. The fire from her lips, the fangs...no, couldn't be. This girl wasn't much younger than he. He was with Ignis when he left, so he couldn't have trained another Slayer, in case he fail at his given mission. He didn't have time for that, though, as she spoke.

"Hmmmm.... Kazuki, never heard of you."

He couldn't fight the gasp that came. He was a proud man. He had accomplished much in his time away from Ignis, and he was very well known because of it, for ill or good. The woman before him saying this made him lean on the bar, producing a finger for each example he was about to announce.

"The savior of Whitehaven? Defeated a hundred bandits in combat? Me. The Wizard who re-lit the brazier of Northend, which caused a winter storm in the village? Me. The GUILD MASTER OF FAIRY TAIL!? Me. What do you mean you never heard of me!?"

He was honestly appalled? Had he been out of the mix that long? It had been a long while since he helped people, true, but he still did interviews with Sorcerer Magazine. He was famous. As famous as any Wizard in his line of work, even more so because he could KILL A DRAGON.

When she produced her name, the pieces began to fit together, and the Fire Dragon Slayer eyed her suspiciously. "Oh really? Perhaps I should rephrase who I am. Kazuki Kobayashi, Fire Dragon Slayer, and King of the Dragons."

He downed the rest of his drink, with a straight face, and then slid from his stool. "My office is upstairs. Do not claim to be that which you are not, dear. We Slayers are protective of what little community we have." His grin was gone, replaced with a half lidded look. Perhaps this was the man that hid behind the flirtatious facade? Or perhaps he was honestly offended? Whichever it was, he took a pause to lean on the bar. "If I was a King, which I am, I'd remember having a Queen. Especially one with your looks. We'd already have princes and princesses."

The glare didn't go un-noticed, but Kazuki still slid from his stool just before she did. She muttered under her breath, which his heightened senses caught and he raised a brow at her. When she slid from her stool, to stand before him, the Fire Dragon Slayer and Guild Master stopped to gaze upon her. When her fires lit upon her fist, Kazuki's own fists lit upon fight. Her challenge didn't go unnoticed.

"Mine isn't some imitation, dear Tsubaki. I assure you, my flames could melt the flesh from your bone."

As she stood before him, threatening him with Hell Fire Dragon's Magic, the Dragon Slayer couldn't help but grin. That sounded like something made up by someone looking for a cheap buck, a person who fabricated a magic close to his but not at all it. He could eat fire, whole, without burning himself. Hell, he did it half the time just because waiting for food was boring. Why wait when there was a fire in Fairy Tail's hearth, that he could snag and eat at any time he wanted? Hellfire Dragon Slayer? She might as well tell him she could slay rainbows.

These thoughts vanished, though, as the woman leaned in and sniffed him. Kazuki raised a brow at this. Sure, he had done it himself plenty of times, but he had only met one other, true, bonafied Dragon Slayer. And she didn't lean in to sniff him as he did others, if only to throw them off guard.

He heard her speak, and at the name of someone he didn't know, Kazuki let out a laugh, true and boisterous. "No, definitely not. I was raised, and trained, by Ignis the Fire Dragon. THE Fire Dragon. As in leader of the others? I assume this Atlas was in human form? Probably asked for a Jewel 'donation' before he trained you?" He sighed and cocked his head. "You're a beautiful woman, but I hate to break it you. He swindled you. No human can teach Dragon Slayer Magic."

With the words that Atlas wasn't a human, but a Hellfire Dragon Kazuki couldn't fight the laugh that burst forth from his lips. Was she serious? Hellfire? What kinda crap was that? Still, he retorted.

"10 years? With a Dragon? In a villiage? I may play the fool rather well, but Dragons don't live in villages." He reached up to pat her head lightly, as one would a child if she didn't pull away. "But that's a nice thought."

However, the light mood dropped when she offered her fire for him to eat. He retained that smirk, though it was no longer the light, half hearted cocky smirk. Was this girl serious? Very well, if she was challenging him, he wouldn't turn her down. After all, he mad met plenty a woman who asked for him to prove he was the Kazuki Kobayashi. With her fist near his face he turned to it and made a small 'o' with his mouth, attempting to draw in the element.

Nothing happened. Blinking, he tried again, inhaling deeply.

When that too, didn't work he went with Plan C. Opening his mouth fully he would engulf her fist entirely with his mouth. This lasted half a second before he wrenched back fully, releasing her fist from his mouthy hold and grabbing his tongue.

"Ah! Ah-Uck! Ats Ot Egulah Hiyah Ah-Gic," he called as he held his tongue in hand. He had never been burnt by fire before, so this certainly was a new experience for him. One could probably translate what he said, if they tried. Regardless he looked at her with a bewildered eye. "Or Nah Hihard...Or Ah Hitch!"

" Your the one that put my fist in your mouth! Thanks for that by the way!"

Finally, with his tongue cooling down, Kazuki retorted. "You told me to eat it! Sometimes I like to sample the goods with my tongue before sealing the deal!" He used his scarf to dab at his tongue, as if that would help. Crimson eyes, eyed her up and down as she declared herself to be the real deal. He honestly wasn't sure what to think of the situation. Ignis never mentioned other Fire Dragons, then again he could picture his father telling it was because he never asked that he was never told. Still...he supposed stranger things had happened. He had a Shadow Dragon Slayer in his guild who insisted she hated him, and that clearly couldn't be true. He was damn awesome, after all.

"Fine. I apologize for insulting Lexicon, or whatever his name was." He couldn't fight the huff of a sigh he released. He really wish he could go back and speak with Ignis. Knowing what he knew now he would have been more singular with his questions. The Dragon had tried to fool him and tell him humans came from eggs when he asked where babies came from, after all. Thankfully Kazuki had followed with the question of if he came from an egg, forcing the Dragon to elaborate on the difference in their specie.

You never know how much a Dragon knew about human mating rituals until you sat down and asked.

Kazuki shivered and dismissed the thought. She asked if he wanted some liquor, and then proceeded to down the entire bottle, causing Kazuki to frown deeply. "H-hey, I had to buy that! We don't just keep it on hand here!" He sighed when the empty glass bottle hit the counter top with a thud. "And there goes fifty thousand jewel..."

With her suggestion to simply go get another, Kazuki found his fingers reaching the bridge of his nose. Honestly, this woman was vexing. Was he like this? No, he supposed not. She wasn't making suggestions they go away for a holiday, just the two of them.

But then...

The mischievous glint in his eyes returned, as did his cocky grin. His hand left his face and he shrugged. "You know, that bottle came from a resort island. It's not easy to get, and since you drank it all that makes you responsible. You have to come with me to secure the purchase of another."

Though she continued on, stating that he could easily afford another, Kazuki shrugged and then leaned upon the bar, looking her over. "Well, no, I suppose not. Perk of being a strong, well known Wizard I suppose." Her flushed face told him she was drunk, and while he was quite the flirt Kazuki wasn't one to take advantage of a woman. And so, he decided to follow up. "When you sober up, at least, we can talk about it. Until then, I do believe that was the strongest liquor we had in the place."

Despite trying to maintain his playful facade, the realization that he had a lot to think about dawned on him. She was a Fire Dragon Slayer, or rather Hell Fire Dragon Slayer. What was more was that it wasn't a power replicated with Lacrima. She claimed to have met and lived with a Dragon. This meant that there were other Fire Dragons in the world. The same could be said for the other types of Dragons, he'd wager. From what Ignis told him, it was rare for a Dragon to teach Slayer magic to a humanoid race. So, why the increased numbers now? Was something going to happen? Had the Dragons planned this out? It was a troublesome line of thoughts, and beneath the facade the Guild Master certainly wasn't as base as he played himself out to be. He would have to do some thinking, and research.

With the announcement that he was an idiot, Kazuki raised a brow. He went the first five minutes of conversation and that was the first time she called him an idiot? Either he was losing his touch, or that was progress. Shifting his weight he narrowly avoided the stream of fire that came from her mouth. "Well, try and keep that fire there and not all over my guild hall, eh? This place has expensive upkeep."

The giggle that she gave made him eye her with a different look than he had before. Was that actually a cute sound coming from alcohol guzzling fire spewing woman? Fairy Tail had seen it's fair share of oddness, but that he would wager would take the cake. He decided to try and different line of questions.

"So, tell me about this Atlas. Is he the one who taught you to drink like that, or did you discover that on your own?"

Kazuki was a sharp man, despite his innuendo filled wise cracks and flirts that he hid behind. The fact that she said 'hates' instead of 'hated' said volumes. She did't think he was gone, just missing. Or more along the lines of that one day she truly would find him. Perhaps there was more to her whimsical attitude, perhaps not. Either way, he noted her stare as he himself nearly adopted one. It sounded as if this Atlas had a lot in common with Ignis. Though Ignis never said anything about Kazuki's drinking because, well, Kazuki didn't really have access to alcohol in the middle of nowhere.

She continued on and at the end of her explanation and at her pout, Kazuki couldn't stop his laugh that burst out, nor would he have wanted to. "Sorry, about that." He replied after he had reached up and wiped his eye lightly. "It's just...Ignis was much the same. He was every bit your stereotypical old man, preaching and preaching and when I wouldn't pay attention he'd grumble about how 'young people today have no respect'. He was all about a code that, as a young man, I didn't really care anything about." His smile from the laugh seemed to fade, if only slightly as he stared at a random point of the bar. "But they were good lessons, even if I was too head strong to see the value of them at the time."

He blinked, his face suddenly going blank before he looked to Tsubaki, a horrified expression.

"Dear gods above, I sound just like him..."

Naturally, with a look at his inner self, he covered it back up with his dose of sarcasm.

When she embraced him, Kazuki raised both brows as he lowered his eyes to her, though not his head. He felt his face redden, though he quickly raised his body temperature to accommodate it, so it was gone before it could truly appear. Perk of being a Fire Slayer, it would seem. Still, he was put off by the sudden embrace, and raised a hand to gingerly pat her head in an awkward manner that showed he was at a loss. Her words seemed to snap him from that, though, giving her a small grin.

"Well, yes. Or at the very least woefully uninformed. Now that you've hugged me in front of the entire guild" he gestured to the other inhabitants, "I have to take you back to my place. I have an image to upkeep and all, I'm sure you understand."

He gave her his large, cocky smirk which bared his own fangs at her. It had occurred to him now that raising his body temperature would have burned someone else, or at the very least made them shirk away. it was likely she hadn't noticed, or if she had, certainly wasn't bothered by it--being a Slayer herself. As if being unable to eat her fire wasn't proof enough.

The Guild Master had planted his feet, expecting that hard slap to come that he was so accustomed to. He had played this scenario many times before, after all. Make a rather up front pass, the hard slap came, and he feigned hurt as the woman stomped off. Instead she seemed to want to walk with him, him taking note of the slight flush.

W...what had just happened?

He seemed hesitant as if unsure of what the hell was going on. Probably because he truly was so. Did he read more into the hug than he should have? Was it not nothing more than a pity hug? Because their situations were very similar? Regardless, he didn't have time to think as she spoke to him, asking if this was common place.

He quickly gathered his thoughts, to bring back that sly grin and mischievous glint to his eyes. "Not as often as you'd think, or as muck as I'd liked." He paused, only slightly. "How about you? Get wooed many places?"

Reaching the stairs, he guided the way first, taking time to cast a glance at the guild. Whom, of course was casting spare glances at the duo as they made their way up them. He figured that would happen and decided to stop his ascent up the stairs and looked to her. He was going to speak, but she beat him to it, stating that she didn't do stuff like this.

Ever.

He sighed heavily. He was too nice for his own good.

"Slap me." Before she could question he spoke quickly. "A reputation like that shouldn't be wasted on me. Slap me and storm off, and it'll save you face in the long run." Perhaps this was a look at the type of person Kazuki really was. While he played the cocky, swarmy, Guild Master, perhaps he wasn't that underneath. Where she seemed irked by Atlas' teachings, maybe Kazuki took them too much to heart. This facade could be merely shielding the man who Ignis, the father that left, truly raised. Whichever way, Kazuki shrugged.

"Either that or I can assume you the wagging tongues might destroy your otherwise spotless reputation. I mean, as spotless as it could be as a Slayer." Another smirk.

Kazuki stood straight as she spoke, asking why he would do such a thing for her and he gave a small, barely noticeable shrug. "Because this too is part of my reputation. I've never taken a woman to my office for anything, let alone my private quarters. Hell, most people don't even get to see my office, male or female." The smirk faded to a soft smile. "We both win. The people get what they expect, and you get to save face. Far be it from me to destroy your reputation at the cost of advancing mine. That's not what Fairy Tail is about."

When her face suddenly became angry, Kazuki gave an alarmed look. "H-hey--" Though he was cut off as she railed him hard in the jaw and stomped past him, leaving him leaning against the railing. Reaching up and he rubbed and moved his jaw, but cast a glance back to the guild before they erupted in a roar of laughter.

"Almost had one this time, Master!"

"You owe me two thousand Jewel, Leon!"

"At least this time the woman didn't knee him in the groin!"

"It's what he gets for making a pass at anything with breasts."

Kazuki merely gave a goofy smile and shrugged to his on-lookers before he glanced back up to the second floor. She was supposed to go down, not up. And so, he trotted up the stairs after her. He'd give her one thing, though: she certainly hit like a Slayer.

Reaching the landing, he looked around for her, but decided to call out to try and pinpoint her location. "You know, you're supposed to go down and receive your public, not come up here and avoid them. I'm sure someone woulda even bought you a drink!"