Hide and seek.

By:LemonSherbert

Chapter 1: Magicless

I do not own fairy Tail, as it is the work of Hiro Mashima, anyway, enjoy and don't forget to review.


"Gajeel... are you sure this is the right place... it doesn't look... well anything like in the picture?" She asked nervously as they walking up the broken, cobbled path that was being consumed by grass and weeds. Dead leaves crunched under her feet as she walked and she couldn't take her eyes off the building in front of them. In the picture it was beautiful and well tended too, the marble pillars were shining and the windows gleamed in the sun light. Standing before them was a mansion that had been a victim of neglect and battered by weather, not to mention mother nature was slowly climbing up the stone. The pillars that kept a small roof on the door standing, well they were cracking and dirty, she was kind of worried the would collapse at any moment. The windows were broken, boarded up and thick with dirt and water marks, vines were slowly travelling up the walls, and everything in the garden was over grown.

"I have to agree with Levy, this place is nothing like we thought, I have a bad feeling about it..." Lily, Gajeels black, flying cat spoke. Levy could see the worry in his eyes and reached up, gently taking the exceed in her arms and he put his paw on her arms as his tail flicked, he looked alert and unsure. The little bluenette felt just as worried, something about the place was just... not right, she could feel cold chills crawling up her spine and her heart pounded lightly in her chest as she bit her lip.

Gajeel though, had not said a single word, he just walked on a little ways in front, his large body was tense and rigid, like the stone walls before them. He had his bag over his shoulder with the other fist clenched and he kept looking around as if he was waiting for someone to attack them. The obsidian haired dragon slayer was in his usual tunic but under it was a black vest top due to it being a little chilly and he had his normal beige, baggy pants on and studded boots.

"Maybe we should turn back, it doesn't even look like anyone's in there, it's practically falling apart..." Levy suggested, clutching Lily a little tighter as a cold breeze chilled her to the bone. It threw her short, blue hair around her face and the skirt of her yellow dress flapped around wildly. Her brown boots and black leggings held off some of the cold and her white coat kept some of the chill at bay. The whole atmosphere just seemed to be freaking her out, there was a thick fog setting in and the dark grey clouds over head were getting closer.

"We're here now, there's no point leaving... lets just get inside before those storm clouds get any closer..." Gajeel said, his voice was low and annoyed as they walked up to the door and Levy leaned against a pillar that made a strange crunch and she instantly moved out of the way. She watched as Gajeel knocked hard on the door and they waited, standing on the small porch just as it began to pour down with rain. Levy's hazel eyes watched the drops of water batter the floor around the roof, they waited a little longer, being sheltered from the rain by the pillared roof. "Fuck it, I'm heading inside..." Gajeel mumbled and went to grab the large, brass handle, before his fingertips so much as grazed it, the handle creaked downwards. Levy's heart skipped a beat and she watched the door open slowly, her eyes widened as the face appeared and she almost yelped.

His face was ghostly pale, his eyes were tired and glazed over, he looked almost dead, he was thin, almost sickly thin and he was tall, about three inches taller than Gajeel. He was in a dusty, old suit that had moth marks on it, it was as if he'd been in it for years, wasting away in an arm chair until someone came to the door.

"Can I help you...?" He asked in a slow, croaky voice, the kind that you'd hear from someone who was possessed, Gajeel seemed clearly taken aback as he coughed and squared his shoulders.

"Yeah, we're from Fairy Tail, we've come to help you with your vandal problem" the large mage said and the man looked him up and down, as if he was checking him out and his lips slowly turned into a polite smile, though it looked like his face would crack at any moment. He looked behind Gajeel to Levy who was almost trying to hide behind the dragon slayer, she gave him a nervous smile and Lily waved at him.

"I see... well you should come in... wouldn't want you to catch a cold now... would we?" He asked and Gajeel nodded as the old man stepped aside and let them in. Levy followed close behind and couldn't shake the feeling of him being... ominous. He was almost to old to be alive, to old to walk or talk, something was just off about him. The door banged behind them, making Levy jump and she looked back, her eyes widening and she grabbed Gajeels arm, shaking it violently. He looked down at her in confusion and she pointed to the door, the shock on his face was obvious as he looked around.

"What... where did he... that's not possible, he could barley open the door in ten seconds...!?" Gajeel exclaimed as they stared around, the man had completely disappeared, there wasn't a single trace of him, even the dust on the floor was still, other than their own foot prints.

"I really don't like this..." Lily said and Levy nodded, still not letting go of Gajeel as they stood there in the large foyer, it was dark and smelt like damp wood, the whole house seemed to be creaking under them. Levy stared around, trying to find a light or anything but the whole house was pitch black, there wasn't even a candle.

"Solid script:Light!" Levy said and signed the air, she waited for it to appear but nothing came out, not even a spark and her heart missed a beat. "Solid script:Light!" She snapped, waiting but still nothing happened and she began panicking, her breath coming out in rapid short gasps. "W-what's going on... my magic... it won't work?!" She exclaimed and stared up at Gajeel who was just as stunned and he flexed his muscles. Levy's eyes widened when she saw him trying to change his skin to iron but nothing happened, it was like their magic had been sucked out of them. Lily even tried to get his wings to work but to no avail.

"All right, let's go, I'm not playing this game...!" Gajeel growled and grabbed Levy by the elbow, steering her towards the door and he grabbed the handle pulling it but it wouldn't budge. He cursed and punched it but it was like it was made of titanium, it didn't even splinter under the force of his hit. "Fuck... let's try a window instead..." he mumbled and they walked into a small study room, there was furniture covered in white sheets and the window was already cracked. With out even so much as flinching, he pulled his arm back and thrust it into the glass, Levy braced herself for the smash but there was a thud and Gajeel yelled. Levy looked up, watching as he was thrown backwards into a desk that collapsed under his weight and he groaned. "That is it, where's that fucking old guy!?" He snarled, standing up and sniffing the air. Levy hoped for his sake he had a very good hiding place because even she wasn't going to get in the way once Gajeel found him...