Chapter 1 - The Scavenger and the Angel

Too jagged. Burnt to a crisp. Full of holes. Twisted beyond repair. Too- Hm? Wait, maybe that one could-

Snap!

...too fragile.

I sighed as I tossed the remains of some battered household appliance back into the scrap heap I plucked it from. To be honest, I wasn't even sure what it was. Some kind of stand or holder for something, if I had to guess. Or at least that's what I had in mind for it. The best part of a junkyard was that it honestly didn't matter what something was supposed to be when I found it; I had the potential to change it into something entirely new. I just wished that there weren't so many sharp things to pick through in the piles of potential treasure. I was running out of clean enough rags to dress the cuts with, and I couldn't waste the few bandages I actually did have. Well, I could always find some more rags out here. Though I'd probably get more cuts in the process. I frowned a little at that thought. Well, no system was perfect.

"Shouldn't be wasting time on trinkets anyway..." I muttered to myself. Income was low for the month, so I really shouldn't bother with every random piece of scrap that caught my attention. But that busted magic-mobile did show some real potential... No! Snap out of it! I had to actually shake my head to snap back to reality. Magic-mobiles were irrelevant. The power source came from the driver, and the one I found lacked a conversion lacrima. The only purpose it could really serve me was a source of temporary shelter, and I already had that covered. Plus, the upholstery was so damaged I'd sleep better on the ground, anyway. Suddenly, a bright, silver glimmer caught my eye from a particularly unstable junk pile to my left. That was an odd color amongst all of the browns, blacks, and oranges surrounding me in the junkyard.

Curious, I tried to maneuver my arm in a way so that it wouldn't get shredded to bits by the surrounding scrap metal, and managed to pluck out the shiny object in question. Fortunately I was practically as thin as a twig, and a rather tall height. Perfect traits for grabbing these hard to reach objects. My prize was a hubcap that probably once belonged to that abandoned magic-mobile. It was dented and stained, but still had enough sheen to show my reflection. Though I did have to turn it from the setting sun to keep it from burning my eyes.

I didn't look very... "presentable," I believed the word was. I guess that explained why I was shooed away the last time I went into town. My light brown hair was unkempt and sticking out to the sides so ridiculously, it almost looked more like brown wings instead of hair. My face and hands had a good amount of dirt covering them from my scavenging, the black mess partly covering up the light tan I had from all of my time outside. Not that that was easy to see, either, with the clothes I wore. I currently wore a gray shirt under a pair of denim overalls, and my arms were covered in bandages that used to be white, and were now the same color as my hair. (I should probably change those, soon...) At least they weren't as dark as the chocolate brown backpack I strapped around my shoulder. And I almost lost my eyes in the reflection, having the same steely color as the metal I was staring at. This was pretty good for a mirror. I wondered if there were any applications for it with my spellbook? Maybe some kind of reflection curse? Or could it substitute for a communications lacrima? Oh, that actually had some potential... I probably had a page on some old-fashioned form of scrying that could work.

I set the hubcap down and grabbed my "broken" light pen from where it was tucked behind my ear. People really just threw out anything these days. Not that I was complaining. I was about to write down a reminder for myself when I heard a disturbing creak that sounded suspiciously like metal grinding on metal. My shoulders slumped in defeat before I slowly looked up at the pile I had just received my latest find from. And sure enough, it was ever-so-slightly beginning to tip towards me. Sighing, I grabbed the hubcap and dashed away as fast as I could with bare feet on the scrap-coated earth. It wasn't the junk pile that I had to be wary of. It was what would come in the aftermath. I did not want a repeat encounter with Miike. And the crash that pile would make would undoubtedly draw him.

This was essentially my life for the past 2 months. Scavenge, flee, repair, sell, repeat. It's been a good gig, for now, but I would probably have to move on soon. The owner of the junkyard was getting tired of Miike not being able to catch me, and the local town was a little too upscaled to be able to sell my goods effectively. Hopefully the next town I found would have a goldmine as great as this dump; the people in town were so well off, they just trashed their belongings without a care in the world, even if it could be fixed with the simplest of repairs. Hmm... Maybe I should take a week to focus on scavenging, then take my leave with my materials? Then maybe I could sell them to the next town I find. They'd probably be better about buying wares from a "travelling salesman" than a "homeless brat" that's creeping around their junkyard. Although, I wasn't sure if "homeless" applied to me when I would have a static hideout whenever I moved somewhere. Oh well. People did enjoy their labels.

"Wah!" a light, female voice called out. Then, suddenly, I found myself on the ground in a tangle of limbs. Ow... I really needed to pay more attention during my escapes... Though I usually didn't have to worry about anyone but the Boss and Miike, so- "Hey! Would you mind getting off? The dirt's starting to get into my hair..." the female voice whined. Right. Stranger. Can't keep drifting off like that. I managed to untangle myself as quickly as possible, then helped the girl up before starting up my jog again. "H-hey! Wait up!" the girl called out. Curious, I turned around to look at her and started walking backwards. The girl was starting to follow me. That was weird. Actually... She looked kind of weird, too. Mostly because everything about her contrasted with the brown, orange, and gray waste surrounding her. To be honest, in comparison to the scenery, she was... Angelic. Her skin was rather pale, and smooth looking. Not coated in dirt and grime, like mine. Her clothes were spotless, as well, despite the fall she just took. She wore a pair of black sandals, which was odd for trekking through a junkyard. She wore a frilly white dress with yellow trimming, and a pale yellow ribbon around her neck. She was practically glowing in comparison to the scrap and junk... And her hair... It only added to her angelic appearance. It wasn't blonde, or silver, but somewhere in between... Like she couldn't decide between the two colors, so she chose to be both. She had put it up into a low ponytail, which was still wavy as it fell to the small of her back. And that headband she wore... It was black, with two white wings poking out to the side on each end of her head. If her hair covered the band, I'd likely have actually mistaken her for an angel. It was only when our eyes met that I could note even one dark thing about her; her eye color. Onyx. I hadn't noticed that I stopped walking until she caught up with me.

"Sorry about that... I've been told I'm a bit of a klutz, so I wasn't really looking where I was going! And I didn't really expect to see anyone else here, so yeah... Sorry!" she apologized, an embarrassed smile on her face as she rubbed the back of her neck. I tilted my head in confusion. Why?

"...s'okay," I mumbled. "Don't be sorry. I did the same." With that said, I turned around, starting my trek back to my hideout. Well that was interesting.

"Wha- Hold on a second!" the girl cried out. Again? I actually stopped this time as I turned around. In her hands, she held the same hubcap I had been carrying earlier. "You dropped this when you crashed into me back there," she explained. Oh. Right. That was why I tried writing that reminder before...

"Thank you," I nodded, taking the item in question. I nearly turned around again, but a flash of red forced me to take another look at the angel. I leaned in to get a better look. Blood. She probably cut her arm during the fall. "You're bleeding," I pointed out. The angel girl blinked in surprise before looking at the injury in question.

"Oh, guess I am. Ah, well, it happens," she shrugged. That was when I knew this girl definitely didn't belong here. I sighed, then took her hand as I once again began my walk home. "What the- would you stop with the randomly walking off thing!? It's getting kind of annoying! And where are you taking me!?" the girl questioned. She was a little... What was the word? Fussy? No, not fussy... Uppity? I think that was it.

"It's not random, I'm sorry for annoying you, and I'm taking you to my shelter. If you get a cut in a dirty place, there's a good chance it'll be infected. It would be best to clean that up as fast as we can," I explained. The girl's ranting calmed down, though she still occasionally grumbled about "moody strangers in junkyards." Oh, maybe she ran into the Boss earlier? That description fits him rather well.

After just a few more minutes of walking (during which, thankfully, the girl quieted down), we arrived at my shelter. An abandoned shipping container that probably belonged to a train, once. The red paint chipping off the sides meant it was probably here for a while before I claimed it. The girl looked curious when I stopped, but didn't say anything. "Wait here," I instructed, before heading inside. That was met with some more grumbling, but I began to tune it out as I entered. I would invite her in, but... Actually, I wasn't sure why I wanted to keep her out. Maybe because it was my space? Eh. I'd probably figure it out later.

There really wasn't much in the container. There were a few misshapen shelves I made by precariously balancing plates of metal between some grates, but nothing's fallen yet, so I was fine with them. The shelves took up most of the right wall, and had an assortment of "broken" lacrima crystals, scraps of metal, and assorted odds and ends resting on them. I mindlessly set the hubcap down by a shelf with my backpack, and started searching for my "emergency" bag. Honestly, I should've been keeping clean bandages on my person, but there was always the possibility that scrap metal could shred them in the bag, so-

"What is this place?" the angel girl asked behind me. I couldn't help but sigh. Was her interrupting my thoughts going to become a thing? Plus, didn't I just tell her to wait outside? Then again, it was starting to get dark out... And with Miike on the loose nearby, it would probably be safer if we waited in here.

"Workshop," I muttered, still trying to find that stupid bag. Let's see... Last time I got hurt badly was that last fight with Miike... That was the gash in my leg, so I was sitting... There. I smiled in triumph as I found the bag in question. I turned to the angel girl, and held up the bag. "I can patch you up. Can you sit on the table?" I asked, nodding towards the only piece of furniture in here, aside from the shelves. A small table that was honestly in perfect condition, aside from the chipping brown paint. Rich people were pretty dumb to let that go to waste.

"Wow. I think that's the most sense you've made this whole time," the girl said in a deadpan tone, though she did follow my request. I dropped my eyes, a little embarrassed.

"Sorry. Don't like talking much," I mumbled, hoping that she wouldn't ask me to repeat it. Growing up alone doesn't exactly make you very... sociable. Especially when most people you meet just want to shoo you away. I moved to grab bandages out of my bag when she spoke.

"You don't have to be sorry. You're helping me, even though I haven't really done anything but whine and interrupt you. So, I'm sorry. I haven't exactly had the best week, so I guess I'm a little out of sorts," she explained. What?

"You don't have to apologize either," I countered. "I hurt you, so I should help you. That's all." I took her arm in my hands to get a better look at the cut. It wasn't too deep, but it ran a good length up her forearm. Thin wrappings, but covering a good area, then. With that in mind, I cut some of the bandages from the roll I had, and grabbed a spare bottle of water to pour over the cut. "This is all I have to clean it. You'll need to unwrap and clean it better later," I advised as I started cleaning the wound. I finally started to grow comfortable again as the silence began to settle. This girl was making me anxious, for some reason. Probably the same reason I don't like talking. I've been alone for about a decade, now. It's hard to adjust to someone just... being there.

"So, how come you've got this little workshop here?" she asked. And there went the comfortable silence. I tried to come up with an answer that would satisfy her, but she just continued to fill the silence herself. "Are those all little projects of yours? Are you an inventor? Or do you just like making things? Do you think you could make yourself some shoes? It's not safe to walk in a junkyard barefoot, you know-"

"Done," I said, finished wrapping her arm. And, thankfully, that put a stop to her babbling. But... It was impolite to leave questions unanswered, wasn't it? "Um... I build things here. Yes. Kind of. Yes. Maybe. And I know," I answered, after taking a second to think back through all of her chattering. Her voice was sweet, but too much of a good thing could become a bad thing. She just looked at me and blinked, as though trying to figure out what I said, before a big lightbulb seemed to flash over her head, and she got a huge smile.

"Oh, sorry! I didn't realize I was babbling so much... I just get kind of anxious when it's all silent like that, so I needed some noise. And I'm kind of a curious gal, so I just have loads and loads of questions swimming around in my head at all times. You don't have to answer me, though! I mean you just said you didn't like talking and all, and-" she spoke, until she suddenly clammed up, and blushed a bit. "And I was doing it again, wasn't I?" she asked. I just nodded, while she sighed and dropped her head. "Sorry." ...I didn't want her to feel bad about talking just because I did. I just wasn't used to it. But if I told her that, she might feel bad for me, which could make her feel worse. Maybe I should just... talk? But about what? Uh...

"You apologize a lot," I pointed out. At that, she looked up with a confused expression. "I mean, a lot," I emphasized. She looked even more bewildered for a second, and I was scared I made her feel worse (why did I point out a flaw to make her feel better!? Stupid!), but she started chuckling to herself. She's smiling again. Good.

"Yeah, I do that a lot. My parents said it's because I care about other people so much. I think it's just because I'm too big a klutz," she says good-naturedly. At least she seemed to bounce back pretty easily. That was good. But... How did I get her to leave? She was still kind of just sitting there and smiling. But I wanted to rest, and she needed to get somewhere to clean that cut. Well, only one way I guess.

"You need to leave," I pointed out. Her smile instantly dropped at that. Crap crap crap- "T-to clean out your wound. I told you, it could still get infected." She still had that frown. Please stop frowning. "A-and it won't be safe out there for long. There's a huge guard dog. Miike. You should leave before he finds us." She seemed to understand. But that frown was still there. Why? I told her accurate reasons that weren't any fault of her own. So why was she still sad about it?

"I understand. Thank you for helping me," she said, a smile finally gracing that face of hers. But there was something weird about it. Smiles were supposed to mean you were happy. So why didn't she sound happy? I almost asked her myself, but I couldn't find the words. What if I just ended up making things worse, somehow? And just like that, the girl was gone. She left, just like I told her to. Why did I feel so bad about it?

Shaking my head, I rummaged through the backpack I left on the ground, hoping that I at least managed to grab something useful today. Some parts, odds and ends, maybe some lacrima... Those things made sense to me. More than that girl did, at least. What was she even doing in this junkyard, anyway? She was dressed too well to be a scavenger, and she didn't have the same accent as the townspeople. So why was she here? Well, she's not here anymore. I chased her off. I sighed as I shook my head, trying to get rid of those annoying thoughts. What was one more person on the pile, anyway? Instead, I started focusing on the bits and bobs I organized on the shelves, until that silver hubcap caught my eye. Right, that was all I had to show for the day... Didn't I have some kind of idea for it? Something with pictures? Or an image? Hmm...

I set the hubcap on the wooden table, and dug through my pack for the one valuable item I had on me; my book. It was bound in dark brown leather, with a strap attaching to a lock on the front. Though, it wasn't like any key could actually open it. I broke that thing ages ago. No, I managed to work a locksmith enchantment that allowed it to open at my touch. I let my finger rest on the lock for a second, until the book started to flutter open, finally resting at where I last placed my bookmark. At first glance, the book wasn't much. Maybe something akin to a scrapbook a child would make; all of the pages were uneven, and some were ripped, while others were simply sections of a page glued onto a blank paper. Odder still were the multitude of languages. And I didn't even know the name for most of them, or even what the majority of them were saying. Really, I should only need the triggering phrases for the magic I would like to use, but the enchantments on those pages wouldn't work without the whole passage, so it was necessary.

Frowning in concentration, I once again took my light pen from behind my ear, and wrote the words "reflection" and "images" in the air before me, so I wouldn't forget what I was looking for. And to use as a kind of light source to read with, now that the sun had fully set. Then, I set to work.

The book wasn't organized in any sense of the word; of course it wouldn't be, when someone like me was making it. None of it was original material, just pages torn from books in old libraries, used book sales, or the occasional rare book thrown in the trash. But there was one common theme: every page was a spell I could cast. Most were mediocre, like a sleep aid, or releasing a sweet scent. Both useful in this area. There were a few that guild wizards would probably find more useful, like conjuring a small ball of light, or recording a message. (I'd probably be using that light ball now, myself, if I could find the darned page.) My book was mostly made of the former, since people tended to find those spells useless, and don't mind if they're gone. But I specialized in finding new purpose in "broken" or "useless" things. You'd be surprised at the amount of utility these mundane spells of mine had. The only issue was actually finding the spell you needed at the time. More often than not, I wound up getting creative with the first applicable spell I could find, and hoped for the best. I really needed to organize this thing. Maybe I could find some ribbon to mark off the most used spells? But they could get all tangled... And how would I know which ribbon marked which spell? I suppose I could use that page on colors magic, but that didn't solve-

Thud thud! Thud thud! Thud thud! Thud thud!

I froze at the loud crashes coming outside my shelter. Mad Dog Miike was out and about. And by the sound of it, he found prey to chase. But... The sounds weren't getting any closer. So he hadn't uncovered my shelter yet. But if he wasn't chasing me, then what else was even in the junk...yard...

...oh no.

The angel girl.

Author's Note - So, hey. I actually uploaded a story! So that's a thing! Sorry to anybody that was initially excited over my first story, but I had reasons, both personal and relating to the story, that I didn't continue it. I have plans to reboot it, though likely not until I'm a good chunk into this story. Speaking of which! Like the summary says, this is a next gen story, so this takes place about 22 years after the story of Fairy Tail ends. Any guesses on who the "angel girl, stripper, and hero" are? Well, the stripper is kind of obvious...
I'm honestly excited for this story mostly because of how I get to write the MC. His thought process at first is going to be weird, maybe a little off, especially for a main character, who's supposed to have it all together. But that's kind of what makes Fane, Fane. (And yes, I know I didn't state his name this chapter. Introductions between him and "the angel girl" will be in Ch. 2, since he's an antisocial little cinnamon roll)

Anyway! Thank you so much for giving this story a chance! I hope that you enjoyed it, and look forward to what I have to post in the future! Have a great day! (^_^)/~