Natsu wanted to reach out and touch him, to hug him. He knew the relationship between Toji and Hero had been strained, and he partially blamed himself for it. No matter how hard he tried, the two never seemed to meet in the middle about anything and it hurt Toji to no end. Natsu couldn’t count the number of times Toji had complained to him about his dad. Hawk, his Pater, was a different story. Those two seemed to get along a lot better without Toji even having to try. 

Toji grinned down at him, tugging a lock of his black hair. “C’mon, it’s time to go.” They all made their way out of the house, Ava and Ynda flying down from the roof.

“So what’s the plan?” Chloe asked, her and Peter drawing up next to the twins and Kayla.

Toji’s entire attitude shifted on a dime, same with Lukas. “Ok, here’s how we’re going to do this.” He pointed off in the woods, giving direction to each person on where they were to go and what they were to do. Peter didn’t have to join them since he’d never participated in an exercise like this before, and the chance of him getting hurt was high. Natsu, Chloe, Noah, and Arla, the weakest and less powerful of the group, were to act as targets for Toji, Ynda, Ava, and Lukas. Havik would be the wild card. Kayla and Peter opted for a regular hike, deciding it was best to take Toji’s advice and stay safely out of the way.

Peter grinned at his friend. “What exactly am I in for?” he asked as the rest of them readied themselves, Lukas checking the rifle he had procured, and making sure his knives were securely fastened around his waist and thigh. Chloe adjusted her gauntlet blades and ensured her pistols were loaded and safely holstered at her hips. She tied her hair back, Ava and Ynda following suit.

Natsu grinned. “A hunt.” He tried to explain the best he could about what exactly was going to happen, but not for him to worry too much. “All the bullets are blanks and the knives are dull. I mean, it’ll still hurt. I’ve gotten hit a few times, but they’re not deadly.”

“Wait, you’ve done this with them before? Aren’t they like, way fast and strong?”

Natsu nodded. “And some of them can use magic and energy manipulation. Don’t worry, we’ll be fine.” 

“Natsu, let’s go!” Toji called. 

Natsu punched Peter lightly on the shoulder. “I’ll see you in a couple hours.” Without another word, he and the other three targets took off into the trees, separating into four different directions a hundred yards in, weaving in and out to try and confuse their scent paths, sometimes crossing over one another as they changed course. It was the only time Noah and Arla became two people instead of their typical symbiotic self.

They wound tendrils of energy around themselves and the trees around them, trying to mask their scents, placing red herrings in strategic locations they felt would distract their pursuers enough to give them a chance to get to their goal.

Chloe splashed into the river, swimming along with the current for three minutes before jumping back out on the opposite bank, backtracking her steps, then doing it again. This time she coasted along for five minutes before climbing out on the original side, running in a straight line before she found the tree she was looking for. 

Natsu dashed through the densest part of the forest, purposely going slower as he went deeper in. He wanted to muddle and confuse his pursuer’s senses, making them believe he never really went anywhere. He climbed up trees, leaping from one to the next before landing back on the ground and doubling back. There was a large boulder nearby with a pack of supplies that had been placed there a few nights before in anticipation of this game. He dug into it, mindful of his surroundings. It wouldn’t be long before their pursuers came for them.

He pulled out the light jacket that was shoved inside, along with the hardwood escrima stick and two small pouches that contained three kunai and four other small throwing knives. No matter what, he wouldn’t go down without a fight. He took off his shirt, replacing it with the jacket, and shoved it into the bag before sealing it up and putting it back under the brush where it had been stored.

Properly equipped, Natsu glanced in the direction he had come, his eyes darting back and forth, trying to catch a glimpse of his pursuer. Seeing no one, he pushed off the boulder into the trees, running as hard as he could, his legs and back burning from the exertion. He considered himself to be in good enough shape, but this still took a lot out of him. Especially after all the vigorous activity he had engaged in the night before. 

His feet faltered, nearly tossing himself into a dead tree that leaned dangerously to one side. Now was not the time to relive sexy memories. As much as he would love to, he knew it would be dangerous. Toji and Lukas had taught him that once he lost focus, he was dead.

One thing he didn’t know was who exactly would be chasing him. This entire game had been planned out for weeks, with Lukas and Chloe traveling back and forth to make sure everything was ready and safe for everyone. They didn’t need anyone getting seriously injured or worse, accidentally killed. The first time Natsu had participated four years ago, he was one of those people who nearly broke his leg and got shanked by Lukas because he had lost focus. He admitted to Toji later it was because he had seen Toji running after one of the other targets and got distracted.

It was made worse by the fact that their age difference at the time had made Natsu uncomfortable. Toji might be a god, strong and dominant when he needed to be, but Natsu was two years older than him. Early on in their friendship, he had tried to steer clear of Toji, to not flirt with him so much for this very reason. It didn’t change the fact that he knew exactly how Toji felt about him, or how he felt about Toji. When Toji was sixteen, they finally admitted their feelings and began dating. It wasn’t until over a year later that Natsu gave into his desires for the young god. They hadn’t looked back since.

Now, as he ran, keeping his breathing rhythmic and steady, being conscious to keep quiet, he put everything he had learned from the previous hunts to use. He was mindful of his surroundings, his eyes constantly moving, his steps light and quick as he ran, utilizing the environment to his advantage.

At last, he heard it. The first sounds of attack. He heard the gunshot, smelled the electricity in the air as magic was being used somewhere up ahead.

Lukas was behind and to his right, too far for him to be after Natsu. He must be chasing one of the others. With a burst of speed, he juked quickly to the left, leapt over some rotten tree trunks, using one of the branches as a lever to swing him a few feet further ahead. His palms stung and bark stuck to them but he didn’t have time to think about it. He kept running, confusing his path as much as possible. 

Ahead of him he saw a bright blue flash and the smell of ice floated back to him on the breeze. 

Ynda. She was adept at water and ice manipulation, though she could use other elemental magic as well. He was just happy she wasn’t after him. She was ruthless. More than half his injuries had come from her.

That was two…that left Ava and Toji. Both options made his heart race; they were both incredibly good hunters, deathly silent in their movements and able to out maneuver and untangle any messy path. Ava had once hit him in the head so hard he almost got a concussion. She had apologized profusely afterwards, and made it up to him with homemade fudge and a handcrafted necklace made out of an obsidian stone she had found. He still wore it from time to time…but not once in the last year.

It sat in a box under his bed along with other memories he longed to erase. 

Suddenly, he prayed it wasn’t Ava who was chasing him; she would actually kill him if he was her assigned target for this exercise. 

The terrifying thought drove him onward, his goal in sight. He just had to make it to the top and he was free.

A heavy, large figure landed in front of him. Natsu skidded to a halt, his feet losing traction as he fell, using his hands for balance.

Toji grinned down at him, his eyes glinting with devilish glee. “Where do you think you’re going?” he taunted, his deep voice almost laughing as he spoke.

Natsu recovered himself, reaching behind himself to one of the pouches. He grinned up at the predator before him, his eyebrow raised in challenge, the tip of his tongue sliding against his incisor. 

“Come and get me,” he said. 

Toji’s mouth split open in a wide grin just as Natsu hooked his finger into one of the kunai loops, flipping it into his palm and extending his arm before releasing it to skate across Toji’s stomach. Toji leaned back, barely missing his shirt getting sliced. He laughed as Toji flipped backward and got to his feet, himself leaping up and grabbing one of the tree branches. Toji ran at him and he wrapped his legs around Toji’s neck, twisting in an attempt to bring him down. He was almost successful but Toji grabbed his waist and yanked him down. Natsu threw himself backward, releasing his legs as gracefully as a gymnast. 

Ten years of gymnastics and martial arts did not go to waste. As he landed, he pulled the escrima stick from his belt and spun it in front of him. He advanced on Toji, spinning and striking out, getting blocked at every turn. Every stab, parry, and lunge was met with Toji’s strong arms.

Toji finally managed to get a grip on the stick and pulled Natsu to him, his arm going around his waist. He grinned down at him.

“Got you,” he growled.

“Did you?” He hooked his leg behind Toji’s knee and pulled back.

“Oh shit!” Toji fell hard on his back, Natsu placing his knee on his chest, the end of the stick pointed at his face, his hands positioned in such a way in case he needed to defend himself again. Toji laughed, not allowing a mere human to overpower him, no matter how cute he might be. He reached up and grabbed Natsu by the throat, his other hand going to his waist. Natsu grabbed at Toji’s arm as Toji flipped him over on his back, pinning his arms above his head, his thigh pressed against his groin.

He leaned down, his face dangerously close to Natsu’s. “Got you again,” he said.

Natsu grinned, his tongue flicking out to touch the tip of Toji’s nose. “Think again.” He wrapped his legs around Toji’s waist and arched his back, using all his core muscles to lift himself up. He wriggled his arms free, his palms flattening against the ground before flinging the unstable Toji over his head. He clambered back to his feet, one throwing knife in each hand.

Toji gritted his teeth, glaring upside down at Natsu. “You’re not making this very easy for me, you know.”

“That’s the idea.” He turned his hands inward, motioning with the first two fingers on each hand for Toji to come at him.

Toji’s expression hardened as he got to his feet. “I hope you know what you just did.”

Natsu had sparred with him before, had been in this same position before. When his physical attacks didn’t work within the first two minutes, he resorted to his core energy, his magic. Even though Toji held back, it still didn’t feel comfortable. However, it was important he knew how to combat it if he was ever attacked by a demon.

That was the magic Toji used. He had no ability over elemental magic, nor could he use celestial magic like Havik. The only energy Toji Grace Helman possessed was demon energy.

Energy he still had very little control over.

-*-