Kasumi: Wings and the Ocean

Chapter 2

As Natsu, Kasumi, and Happy moved further into the city, they talked about the Salamander that they had come looking for, unknown to them that Lucy had already beaten them there.

"Thanks for saving me back there, Kasumi." Natsu mentioned, still not feeling a hundred percent after the train ride. "I almost rode the train twice." She nodded, rubbing her own stomach. 

"That would've been a nightmare." She agreed. She didn't get quite as sick as Natsu did, but she certainly wasn't a fan of trains herself.

"You two have got to get over that motion sickness." Happy told them, but Natsu was already onto the main topic in his head.

"Now I'm so hungry I could eat my hand." 

"It's too bad we don't have any money for food." Happy reminded them, and Kasumi crossed her arms.

"If someone hadn't been so gun-ho about getting out here, we could've grabbed that messenger job that was here in the first place." She reminded them. "Then we could've earned some money on the way!" 

"Hey, Kasumi? Happy?" Natsu had already moved on to the other important topic in his head. "This Salamander we're looking for has got to be Igneel, right?"  Happy nodded, but Kasumi got distracted.

"Aye, it has to be, because the only fire dragon I've ever heard of is Igneel." Natsu nodded, having never heard of another one himself.

"That's true." 

As they grew closer, they could hear loads of women, screaming and calling for Salamander. They praised his appearance, but Natsu could only hear the word-

"Salamander?" He and Happy looked to each other excitedly, and Kasumi squealed.

"Eee!! Let's go!" She grabbed Natsu's hand, seeming almost more eager than he was to see the Salamander. They had come so far to see him! 

"Ha! Well, speak of the devil!" Natsu laughed as Kasumi yanked him along. "We're in luck today, Happy!" 

"Aye!" Happy jumped up happily, and Kasumi let go of Natsu, running ahead and squealing as she joined the crowd of girls. That's how Natsu knew that this Salamander was Igneel! 

But what Natsu didn't realize, that standing there was not the fire dragon he, Kasumi, and Happy had searched so long for. Instead, it was a dark hair man, with a guild mark just above his eyebrow. He wore a long cloak, and had a smirk that was complimented by his dark blue eyes and the two rings that he wore on one hand. 

"Isn't he handsome?"

"He's so cool!" The girls surrounding him couldn't help but swoon and be amazed by him, and that included both Kasumi, and of course Lucy, who was so starstruck by him, she was speechless.

"Why is my heart beating so fast?" she thought to herself, her heart nearly pounding out of her chest, and her mind whirling. She had never felt so crazy about any guy like this! "What's gotten into me all of sudden?" Meanwhile, the Salamander was most definitely enjoying the attention he was getting from the young women around him.

"You ladies are all so sweet." he then glanced at Lucy, and her heart practically stopped.

"He looked at me!"  She clutched her chest. "Is it because he's a famous wizard? Is that why my heart's throbbing out of control?"  She gasped again, and started walking closer to him. "Could it be? Am I in love? Is he the one?" But Lucy's fantasy was soon to be crushed.

"Igneel! Igneel, it's me!" Natsu burst through the crowd, several girls gasping, now in shock that their small gathering had been interrupted by another man, Lucy's love spell broken when she saw him. But Natsu was focused on one thing, and he wasn't impressed with it.

"Who the heck are you?" The man gasped, his face paling.

"Who am I?!" Kasumi buried her face in her hands.

"Natsu! You're embarrassing me!" She grumbled, and the man threw up his hand, his two rings glinting in the sunlight. 

"I'm Salamander. Surely you've heard of me before." Natsu and Happy turned and started walking away, and Salamander was in shock. "Hey, wait a minute!" 

"Natsu!" Kasumi's heart was going nuts, as several other girls became aggressive, attacked him.

"Now, now, my lovelies, let him go! I'm sure he didn't mean anything malicious by it." Kasumi turned to him, her hands clasped together.

"Mr. Salamander, I am so sorry!" She told him, her eyes watering. "He's my brother, and sometimes he's a little insensitive! He just doesn't know what to do when in the presence of such a great wizard!" Natsu gave her a strange look.

"Kasumi?" 

"What are you doing?" Happy asked, but Salamander had her attention to the fullest.

"Don't worry about it, my dear." He told her, caressing her cheek sweetly, and her cheeks flushed red. "How's about you make it up to me and keep me company tonight? I'm having a little soiree on my yacht, and I would love if you would join me." She bit her lip, nodding eagerly, and he turned to the other girls. "In fact! You are all invited tonight! Join us!" He then snapped his fingers, and with purple snakelike  creation from his magic, he was gone in a flash, the girls swooning again.

"Who the heck was that guy?" Natsu wondered out loud.

"I don't know, but he was a real creep." Lucy said, making them both look up as she waved, Kasumi coming back over with a dazed look. "Thank you for your help." Lucy continued, with a smile. She figured out what was going on, and knew that she wouldn't have figured that out without Natsu's help. "Can I buy you guys lunch?"