Complete Opposites - A Second Impression (Legacy & Dragofox)

The time was here again. Kihen had worn out his guitar picks and, upon realisation that he had none left, had headed to Magnolia. Kihen was rather fussy with his guitar picks. The couldn't be too thin or they were useless for playing heavier music. They couldn't be too large or they became difficult for him to play due to him being used to smaller picks. Unfortunately the only decent place that sold the picks he needed were all the way in Magnolia. Thus here he was.

Although the streets were somewhat crowded they were also rather spacious, so his anxiety levels were actually surprisingly low. In fact, this was actually a nice day out so far. The sun was shining in the sky above him (although he still preferred rainy weather, but it was nice to be warmed up for once) and the general atmosphere around him was incredibly relaxed, for the time being at least.

Kihen entered the shop he was after, which was a few streets away from the Fairy Tail Guildhall, the guild of someone he had worked with once before; Tamao Naruto. As Kihen bought his picks and thanked the shop owner he couldn't help but think back to that job. It had been strenuous both physically and mentally. However what he was thinking about was the young man that he and Sephiria had worked with. Kihen had never been able to make a proper opinion of him even this long after the job.

On one hand he was rather confident, perhaps too much so. The way he'd spoken to Mr. Albert had been very informal, something Kihen didn't agree with too much. The man had been a client after all. He'd taken on the role of leader, something Kihen wasn't too fussed about. On the other hand this mage had shown skill in his magical ability and was a reliable man to have on-side. He'd also been capable of teamwork, as shown when he and Kihen had blown the barricade off of the track.

He was odd...that's for sure... Kihen thought to himself. He soon returned back to what he was doing though, heading down the street a short way before coming to a stop as his stomach grumbled. He'd been travelling all day and, once again, hadn't eaten beforehand. With a sigh he looked around for any kind of a food stall or cafe, spotting one about 30 metres away from him. Perfect! Kihen immediately made a beeline for it, his hand resting on his stomach as if to hold back the grumbles and groans of his stomach to no avail.

There he was, in the guildhall, loafing around as he got nothing to do that day. It was a day where Naruto supposedly wouldn’t have any job to take on, hence the loafing around. As usual, the hall was rather noisy, and full of ruckus making people. Some got themselves in meaningless fights, or more preferably spars, to fight for their own individual interests. It wasn’t something that caught Naruto’s interest, actually, as he continued sitting on the table where he usually would.

“Damn, with all this ruckus, I can’t eat peacefully.” Naruto said, complaining after getting his favorite mug of hot chocolate knocked down onto the floor, as one of the staggering fighters staggered all his way till he hit the table which Naruto was sitting on. He was a bit irritated and annoyed, but deep inside he liked this kind of noisy surrounding, rather than having his day all alone without someone to scream like a fool. “Well, complaining won’t do anything..” Naruto sighed, getting up on his legs after. With a smile, he left the guildhall, hoping the annoying, noisy surrounding would continue being as it was at the moment.

It was several days after he had taken down the blockade job, a job he thought the most exciting one he’d ever take. Recalling his partners, Naruto chuckled at some of the moments he had with the duo from Eclipse Soul. The female mage, Sephiria was a tad bit too polite with the people around her, and the bows and respect she gave was something rare to see. The other was a male mage, namely Kihen, and he looked all sorrow and alone, it almost looked like he needed a therapist to build up his confidence. Giggling, Naruto continued the aimless walk, as he tried finding a good café or restaurant to walk in and have a bite at.

Then again, it was not a long walk before a café finally caught his attention. “Yesh! Hot Chocolate!” Naruto jumped in joy internally, picking up the pace as he walked towards the café. Unfortunately for him, there were so many people in line, waiting for their turn. Naruto couldn’t help but to get in the long bee line, and as he rushed in quickly bumped onto someone. “Oh, sorry there, mister.” Naruto staggered a little after the bump, not knowing who did he bump onto yet.

The prospect of food was becoming more and more powerful the closer Kihen walked to the cafe. He was aware he should've had breakfast that morning, but he did his usual morning routine; wake up, get dressed, realise he needs something, shoots out the door without a second thought. Then again, had he eaten breakfast then he certainly wouldn't be smelling the incredible food that was wafting from the open door of the cafe. He could almost picture a large Full English Breakfast in his head, causing his mouth to water. Even though there was a queue he simply couldn't say no.

THUD! He had just begun to enter the rather long queue when a figure bumped straight into him. In his daze it took him a few moments to actually register what had happened. It took even longer to register the words spoken to him.

“Oh, sorry there, mister.”

Kihen looked down at where he'd been bumped and rubbed at it for a second. No pain. That was good, since it meant the bruises he'd obtained on the job were pretty much healed now. He raised his head again to speak only to freeze in place. ...seriously?! What're the chances?! Stood directly in front of him was none other than Tamao Naruto, the very mage he and Sephiria had worked with on the job in Clover Town. Kihen couldn't help but smile. After all, he didn't think he'd actually meet this mage again and yet here they were waiting in the same queue to a cafe. "No apologies needed...no bread this time then?" Kihen joked...although he wasn't sure if it sounded like a joke. Joking wasn't really something he did often, so it certainly wasn't something he was good at. In fear of having his joke laughed at for the wrong reasons he spoke up again. "It's good to see you again..."

“Uwoo, Kihen!” Naruto was indeed surprised by the sudden reunion, something he had never anticipated before. Well, Naruto expected for them to be meeting again when there is a job that would require him to be partnered up with someone from other guild, but meeting him in a casual event? Now that’s a surprise. Naruto smiled, simply replying his as he seemed a bit surprised at the sudden meeting all the same. He seemed to be a bit different from how he was back then while they were doing the blockade job. Kihen’s face was somehow enlightened by confidence, something Naruto would give a praise about. “Breads? Nah, I had cereals earlier, am here for hot chocolate.” He answered simple, chuckling lightly after he realized the joke coming from Kihen.

“Yeah, it sure is nice to see you again.” Naruto nodded, a hand on his chin. “So, how’s things going? And you look better from the first time I saw you.” Naruto asked, not wanting silence to fill the two’s friendly reunion. “Anyway, what’re you doing here? It’s a surprise to see you here, out of all the places around the world.” Naruto pondered, his pupils skating away as he did. Shrugging, Naruto wanted to talk to him, but he also need to get in line. Slowly moving, Naruto got himself in the line, standing behind him as the two male mages spoke.

Kihen looked to the ground as the Fairy Tail mage mentioned about him changing. It was true, he had certainly changed a little. Only around those who he knew and at least somewhat trusted. While he may not have obtained the best first impression from Naruto, he knew he could trust the younger mage at least.

"Sometimes people can change due to a different environment...I guess I'm just proof that that." he replied simply, looking up at the sky briefly as if remembering something. "I'm...I'm not good with people. Crowds. I guess...I guess you saw the way I was back at the train station..." he continued, chuckling nervously.

"“Anyway, what’re you doing here? It’s a surprise to see you here, out of all the places around the world.” At this Kihen put his hand into his right pocket and pulled out a tin roughly the size of his palm. He opened it up to reveal all of the guitar picks he'd just bought; the tin was now full rather than completely empty like it had been just 20 minutes before. "I ran out this morning so I had to buy some more. My guitar picks are kinda like your kunai and papers...I need them for my enjoyment and for my magic..." He closed the tin and returned it to his pocket. "...unfortunately I'm fussy with my picks. The music shop here is the only shop to sell my favourite pick..."

Kihen suddenly froze, realising how daft this must have sounded. "S-sorry." he took a couple of steps forward to keep up with the ever shrinking queue. While they were getting closer to the counter, the queue wasn't getting any shorter. In fact there were people still joining the queue and it was getting progressively longer as time passed on. "So what brings you to this cafe? Your guildhall is nearby isn't it...?"

“Ahaha yeah, I remembered the way you were all awkward the last time there were crowds.” Naruto chuckled, realizing the minor change in Kihen, realizing that the two were, in fact, in a crowd and he didn’t seem to be bothered by the obvious fact. Naruto had a bit of thought as a momentary silence again filled a gap between the two male mage’s conversation, having pondered about things related to jobs and guilds. He recalled having asked Kihen what he was doing here in Magnolia, when his guild lies in some other town. Naruto took a measly step forward, getting closer to the counter, and getting nearer to having his turn at the counter itself.

“Oh.. Picks. Damn you’ve got hellish lots of em.” Naruto burst into small laughter, it was something he wouldn’t take as an obsession, but rather, excessive liking for a hobby. “Well, tho I’ll admit that I don’t really know anything about those picks, I dare admit that most of the best shops in Fiore is here in Magnolia. Maybe because it’s a place where people would mainly go and search for things of their interests to buy.” Naruto nodded, agreeing with the fact that including picks, some of the best shops in the whole Fiore itself mostly were located here in Magnolia.

“Ahaha, it’s okay. It’s not bad to tell people of something that you favor, you know?” Naruto smiled, sighing after. While Kihen had some of himself changed, there were still parts of him that hadn’t change at all. “Well.. i could just go and eat there in my guildhall, but the people there are making such a ruckus, I can’t eat in peace.” Naruto sighed, crossing his arms against his chest after.

"Heh...well I'm still no good with crowds. It's getting busier here but it's not so bad since most of the people are in this queue." Kihen replied with a shrug. He shuffled forwards a couple of steps as the queue went down again. The two were almost at the counter now, meaning food wasn't far away. His stomach growled as if sensing the source of the delicious smell in the air.

I don't collect guitar picks...I just kinda need them. I buy them in bulk so I don't have to travel to get them as often...they're cheaper that way too... he continued, desperate to show he wasn't just collecting picks for nothing. It was true that he was fussy, and he'd accept that. But a pick kleptomaniac? Certainly not. Although guitars were certainly another story...

After a short while Naruto revealed why he was waiting in this queue with Kihen. Apparently his guildhall was rather lively and he couldn't eat in peace with such a ruckus going on. Kihen frowned, confused at this. Eclipse Soul was lively, but never so lively that he couldn't eat in peace. Was there a lack of respect in Fairy Tail? Was this why Naruto was the way he was? Kihen wasn't going to ask these questions of course, but it was certainly an interesting thing to hear. Instead he'd find out more another way. "So...what exactly is Fairy Tail like?"

Naruto listened as Kihen started his turn to speak, admitting that he actually still had problems with crowds, only now it wasn’t as severe as it was before. Naruto nodded, understanding that people’s nature wasn’t too easy to change, so Kihen might need more time before he can actually stand in a crowd without getting bothered by the presence of so many people around him.

Kihen moved closer to the counter as the line shortened for them, Naruto following him soon after. “Wow.. that amazes me. Just how many picks do you wear off a day?” Naruto cracked a joke, chuckling on his own after. He bought the picks in a quite enormous amount so that he wouldn’t have to go back and forth from his guild to Magnolia just for picks. Naruto understood that too, knowing that Eclipse Soul’s distance from Magnolia wasn’t something someone can actually cover daily.

He seemed to have himself lost in deep thoughts, Naruto deciding to just observe Kihen as he immersed himself in his world of thoughts. “Fairy Tail? Well.. it’s a ruckus filled guild, but it isn’t that bad tho. We members tend to favor and be fond of the ruckuses they cause daily, cause it’s what makes us.. us.” Naruto smiled after, slightly moving closer to the counter. The next turn will be Kihen’s, and he wondered what kind of food will he be ordering.

Kihen reached the counter, his stomach growling as he did so. "Hi there, what would you like?" the clerk smiled over the counter. Kihen could see the kitchen from where he was stood, and that just made him want it more. "A full cooked breakfast please. Bacon, Sausages, Egg, Beans, Mushrooms, everything. Large please." he replied, his stomach seemingly growling in agreement at the end. He paid for the food before turning to Naruto. "I usually wear down a pick a day. Unless I'm on a job I just kinda...play all day. With the stuff I play it really wears them down..." he replied before turning to look at the cafe. despite how long the queue was the cafe itself was fairly empty. It seemed most people were getting drinks or food to takeaway.

“Fairy Tail? Well.. it’s a ruckus filled guild, but it isn’t that bad tho. We members tend to favor and be fond of the ruckuses they cause daily, cause it’s what makes us.. us.” Naruto smiled afterwards. He obviously didn't mind it afterall. Kihen couldn't imagine what it was like to be in a crazy, ruckus-filled guild, but it was obviously a very lively place. A little too lively for his liking no doubt. "Sounds like the opposite to us. We're generally quite relaxed most of the time."

Looking around he noticed a table that was in the corner, away from the business of the entrance. The perfect spot to relax and eat in. "I'm gonna go sit down. I'll see you in a minute. Feel free to join me."

It was Naruto’s turn after Kihen’s passed. He went and took a seat for the both of them, and he did actually made a perfect choice for a place to sit. “Nice, he knows how to pick.” Naruto chuckled, walking towards the counter after. “Well sir, good morning.” “Spare the long introduction. It’s me, Naruto.” He addressed himself, giggling after. The female clerk tagged along, giggling as he did. “Oh, so, I guess no food, but beverages only?” Naruto nodded, revealing himself to actually be a regular costumer in the café, hence the choice to eat at the café itself.

“So, who’s that guy who was with you earlier?” “A friend of mine. Why? Interested?” Naruto teased the clerk, making her blush after. “Well, he’s quite the good looking guy, but he doesn’t look like the talkative type.” The clerk added after a nod, the blush faded away from her face. Despite his good looks, Kihen’s apparent quietness had become a catch for ladies to really take a liking on him. “Maybe I should encourage him to talk more.” Naruto chuckled as the thought ran through his mind, casually walking towards the seat where Kihen was with his right hand holding a mug of hot chocolate.

“Yo, kept you waiting?” Sitting comfortably, Naruto put his mug onto the table, quite surprised at how much Kihen would actually eat for his breakfast. “Woah. You’re quite the eater.” Naruto giggled, taking out from his pouch two packets of burritos. “These are all I’ve got.” Unpacking the first burritos, Naruto thought of a reply to Kihen’s statement about his guild earlier. “Well, I don’t know about Eclipse Soul, but if what you said was right, then I’d die from quietness.” Naruto chewed on a bite of the burrito, smiling after. He favored his guild the most, and he was obviously fond of the noise and ruckus the members usually create.