The door to The Shack slammed open, rattling the grimy windows. Natsu stormed in, his eyes blazing with a fury that threatened to burn the entire bar down. His fists were clenched so tightly that his, already bloody, knuckles were turning white through the blood. The bitter taste of iron coated his tongue.

Toru, ever the apathetic bar owner, looked up from behind the bar, his grizzled face unfazed. He nodded towards the usual corner table where Natsu’s crew was already lounged. “Over there, kid. Try not to break anything,” He looked down toward his knuckles, “And don’t get any blood on my table or I’ll make it worse.”

Natsu ignored him and stalked over to the table, each footstep echoing against his already beating heartbeat. Boro visibly straightened up, sensing the intensity of Natsu’s emotions radiating off him. “Yo, Natsu. You ok?”

“Gale,” Natsu growled through gritted teeth as he threw himself into a chair at the table. “Those bastards need to pay. All of them.”

“Shit,” Boro said, “What do you think we’ve been discussing?”

Natsu looked around the table and saw nearly everyone there was showing a similar pained expression as his. The only one who had the same face as always was Shadow, who sat shrinking away from the table.

“Good. They’re gonna pay for messing with my crew.” Natsu’s eyes glinted dangerously. “All of them.

Shadow eyed him with squinted eyes, glancing at his knuckles. Boro leaned forward, lowering his voice, “You know we have your back.”

Natsu’s mind raced, images of Gale at the hospital fueling his rage. He pictured his own fists connecting with the face of Ryo, to get back at his targeted attack on him.

“First thing we need to do,” Natsu said, his tone low and menacing, “Is figure out everything we can about them. I’m not so worried about that other lackey of his, but Ryo is supposed to be some real martial artist. We need to find out his fighting style, where they hang out, everything.”

Boro nodded grimly. “Consider it done. Ain’t no rock they can hide under that I can’t crush.” He flexed his muscles, an obvious attempt to lighten the mood. A task that proved hard without their resident comedian Gale.

“Good. Once we know if they have any tricks up their sleeve, I can hit him hard.”

Ari leaned back in her chair, her red hair falling over her shoulders as she fixed her gaze on Natsu with a determined stare. “I’ll stay with Gale at the hospital as often as I can between college classes,” she declared, her voice unwavering, “To make sure no one tried anything weird while you guys go after them.”

Natsu nodded, a flicker of gratitude softening his hardened expression. “Thanks, Ari. I know you’ll keep him safe.”

Ari’s pierced lip curled into a smirk. “Damn right I will. Anyone tries to mess with him will have to go through me.” It was funny to think that not many people nowadays remembered Red, her delinquent name when she had been in High School. She had reached the top of her, admittedly smaller, school with her signature kicking fighting style.

Boro’s deep voice cut through the shirt-lived silence, devoid of the humor he attempted earlier. “I’ve got your back Natsu. No matter what.” He leaned forward, his elbows resting on the worn wooden table. “I’m going to stick with you at school, whenever we aren’t in class. If anyone tries jumping you from behind, I’ll make sure to crush them plenty.”

Natsu went to argue but saw the determination in Boro’s eyes and decided not to. He knew how loyal Boro could be, and though he didn’t often admit it, he deeply treasured that aspect about him. With a curt nod, Natsu acknowledged the unspoken bond between them, a silent promise to stand together for Gale.

Reaching for the bottle of cheap whiskey that sat at the center of the table, Natsu poured a generous shot into his glass. The dark liquid sloshed against the sides of the glass as he tossed back the shot. The burn of the alcohol seared his throat, creating a welcome distraction from the turmoil in his head.

Shadow, who had been silently observing the exchange, finally spoke up. “I’ll handle information. I can study his fighting, and more importantly: his weaknesses. That way when the time comes, you’ll be ready.”

“Good,” Natsu said as he gazed at Shadow. While he would essentially be doing the same thing as Gale had been, he knew that Shadow was more equipped to not be noticed. The more he thought about it, Shadow should have been the one doing recon to begin with, Gale had always been a rather loud person. “We can clean this all up soon then.”

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“Before all that though, I have some questions.” Shadow asked in his flat tone. He took back a shot himself.

“Questions?” Natsu asked.

“The first. Are you sure you want to do this?” Shadow asked, “From my limited understanding, Ryo should be honorable enough to accept you backing out of this.”

“Backing out?!” Natsu growled, “After what he did? How could you even suggest he’s honorable?”

“You do know what this will bring? I thought you had made it clear you didn’t want to participate in the delinquent hierarchy in town.”

“I don’t.”

“Beating Ryo The Beast, the Tenth Ranked at Hatsuka, will immediately get you involved. If you think the constant fights you get into are bad, wait until people realize you’re getting in the game. Most of the powerful people have kept you at a weary distance because they didn’t see you as competition.”

“I honestly don’t give a shit about any of that.” Natsu said back, downing another shot. Ari and Boro watched the two, but didn’t dare speak yet.

“I will not help with this plan unless you can at least understand that it won’t be in your control to not be, if you go through with it.” Shadow spoke plainly, in contrast to Natsu’s glare. Natsu contemplated for a while before speaking up again.

“Alright, I get it. I’ll still try and let those idiots know that this was personal, but I’ll deal with whatever comes.” He conceded. No fact was going to stop him from pursuing revenge.

“Okay. Good.” Shadow nodded with his eyes closed, “Now on to the more important question. You keep mentioning things like ‘the rest of them’, and your knuckles are bloody. You also seem.. different right now.”

Natsu’s eyes went cold, briefly, “Is there a question in there?”

“What did you do?”

“I ran into one of them,” Natsu said, his eyes colder than ever, his voice low and gritty. “One of the two bastards who attacked Gale. He just popped up on my way from the hispital.” He poured another shot, hand steadier than before, but the fury in him still permeated into the room.

The others at the table knew that when people heard he was The Demon, they attributed it to his usual demeanor; loud, abrasive, and at times visibly angered. But they knew better. The loud version of him was just how he was, often getting that way even when embarrassed, and was nearly harmless, granted you didn’t attack him first. The ones who had been there when he got his nickname knew that it came from his emotionless state. When he got truly angry, the air seemed to be sucked out of his immediate vicinity, his eyes darkened with a cold glaze, and it became, in the heat of a fight, as if he couldn’t feel pain.

While Shadow’s observation on to why the more powerful fighters left him alone was correct, it wasn’t the full truth. The reason that the strongest avoided him, yet the bottom of the ladder fighters all tried him constantly was because only the strongest had been around while he had earned his nickname. Having seen his serious fighting style, they unilaterally decided the name fit. A real Demon.

The others leaned in, their eyes filled with anticipation and a subdued fear of what was to come. Natsu’s serious fights were few and far between, but legendary by delinquent standards, and knew however the encounter had gone, it would have been explosive.

“Not a lot to say. We fought. Hard.” Natsu’s words were short and direct, his jaw clenched.

After waiting a few seconds with no follow up, Shadow asked, “And?”

“I didn’t hold back. Broke his nose and a few ribs I’m sure. Left him bloody in the street like the trash he is.”

He tipped the shot glass to his lips, welcoming the familiar burn as it slid down his throat and settled in his chest, numbing any lingering pain. The others around him mirrored his actions, tossing back their drinks with practiced ease, the clinking of glasses filling the air. Each swallow brought a rush of heat, each easier than the last.

“I feel no sympathy for him. But you left him heavily injured out there? And you fought him that hard when he has no skill?” Shadow spoke slowly, contemplating as he talked, “Why? It’s not like you.”

Natsu’s mind flashed back to the fight, the sickening crunch of bone beneath his fists, the coppery taste of blood in his mouth, not from any hits he had taken but from the pressure his jaws were putting on his cheek. He had lost himself in the violence, the Demon that he so loathed being called unleashed, fueled by more than just rage at Gale’s injury. But he knew he couldn’t very well say what he had actually been feeling to them. Guilt. He felt, deeply, that his injury had been avoidable, that it had been his fault for not warning him.

But now, in the harsh afterglow of the alcohol and receding anger, the weight of his actions settled heavy on his shoulders. He knew that in his rash decision making, he had once again proven the disgusted glances he received daily right. A darkness that stained his soul had come to be shown yet again, despite his best efforts to disallow it. Even now, as he looked around at the faces at the table, it felt as if there was judgment.

“Had to be done.” Natsu invited no further inquiry.

The group fell silent. Without Gale’s usual livety, the atmosphere felt like a suffocating blanket. Natsu’s mind swirled with dark thoughts, aimed both internally and externally. Shadow’s face gave no hint at what he was thinking. Boro, looked worried at the situation. Only Ari had a hint of a smile on her face, having been the closest in temperament and reputation at the height of her delinquency. While she worried for Natsu, she also understood how he might be feeling, and through experience, how it might come to pass with time.

“You twerps need to leave soon. I need to get some rest.” Toru broke their pensiveness with his rough tone. If he had heard any of the conversation, he showed no signs of it. “Finish up what you have and go home already.”

“Yeah, yeah, old man, we’re going.” Boro said, laughing at the release of tension. They all took the sign to take a few more shots before they started heading their own ways.

I guess whatever I may want, I’m in the power struggle now, Natsu thought, thinking back on Shadow’s warning.