"So tell us, how did you get away from getting raped?" Gray asks.
"Well uh... I found a knife on the ground, and I managed to pick it up and stab their leader. I took that chance to run away, and I ended up collapsing at the door of someone's house. There was a family inside, and they took me in and healed me. But of course, I didn't stay because... well families don't count as gangs and they can't go anywhere. I like to roam free, even though I'm not in a gang." I answer.
"Well now you're in with us, so there's nothing to worry about!" Natsu exclaims.
"Well... nothing to worry about except Konoha's #1..." Erza says.
"What? They're not a challenge to us... we can beat them up the next time we see them! I can take all of them at once!" Natsu exclaims.
"No, Natsu. You can't. They're nothing like the other gangs. They're different. When we're around them, I can feel this powerful aura coming from all of them. But... it's not magic. It's something different that I can't put my finger on. And Natsu, we've all lost our magic already. This is like Edolas, except we don't have the pills for us to be able to use our magic. All we can use here are the guns and weapons provided." Erza says.
Gray looks at me and says,"Don't mind them. This must be confusing you a lot, but uh... there will be a day where you'll understand all this."
"I don't care! I try every day, willing for my magic to come back. I think I'm starting to be successful because eating the fire from the stove helps me get some sparks." Natsu says.
My eyes widen in fear and curiosity, and this time everyone notices except Natsu, and Erza says,
"Sorry, Kaori. You'll understand soon."
"Natsu, it's no use. Even my keys don't work here. It's like the connection has been broken. Nothing works here!" Lucy says.
"Hey, you forgot about me! I can still sort of fly... well it's more like gliding now in the wind, but still!" Happy exclaims.
"Whatever, the point is, we can only go home if we find out what sort of game Konoha's #1 is playing. I wonder if they're the ones who took away our magic abilities and trapped us here." Gray says.
"No, I'm not sure if it's them who trapped us here and took away our abilities. I mean, before our abilities were gone, it was like the sky extracted it out. And during the process, Natsu's fire exploded and it spread and burned two of their girls to death. We were pretty much trapped before that happened, and it seemed like they weren't in an easy position either." Erza says.
"I strongly regret killing those girls, and I'm still living with that guilt right now, but I was in no control of my fire! But they still didn't have to kill Juvia right on the spot, I mean, that's crazy! That guy with weird hair just threw a dagger at her, and it killed her at the speed of light! That day is still confusing to me..." Natsu says.
"Don't think about it then. Let's just... forget about this topic for a while now, alright? Let's just get Kaori settled in here right now because she's obviously terribly confused about what we're all talking about." Gray says.
"Right, well we do have one spare room here..." Lucy says.
"Oooh I can escort her to her room!" Natsu exclaims.
"Hey, no! You're just gonna end up scaring her away! I'll help her." Lucy says.
"Well... I don't really care, so anyone can show me around." I say.
Lucy puts her arm on my shoulder and says, "Trust me, you don't want Natsu showing you around."
"Hey, I heard that!" Natsu exclaims.
"Shut up, idiot! Just let Lucy do it." Gray says.
Lucy grins and Natsu exclaims,"Hey, you're the idiot here!"
Gray sniffs and says,"Ha yeah right, in your dreams."
Lucy leads me away from them and says,
"Don't mind them, they're always fighting. They're fire and ice... opposites so I'm pretty sure that's why they fight so much. But anyway, let's get you settled in first."
She leads me into a hallway with rooms, and points at the first one on the right.
"That one there, is my room. If you need anything, you can always ask me. As long as it's not in the middle of the night..." She says.
I nod, and she points to the room across from hers.
"That room is Natsu and Happy's. Unfortunately they're right across from me, so I can hear them pretty well..."
I chuckle, and we move forward a little.
She puts her hand on the door to the room next to hers and says, "This room is Erza's. I can always rely on her to shut the boys up when they're fighting in the middle of the night."
"Right across from Erza's room is Gray's room, and unfortunately for him, he's right next to Natsu. Meaning the whatever destruction and mess Natsu and Happy cause, Gray will get most of it. They're sharing a wall... so if Natsu pounds on the wall, well... tough luck for Gray. I guess that's why they fight in the middle of the night..." She adds.
I look at the two remaining doors left and say,
"Wait, I thought there was only one free room left."
"Oh yeah, there is. The door next to Erza's is the bathroom. Thsi apartment unfortunately only has one bathroom... and that's the biggest problem here. Some of us can't hold in our pee for too long and bust down the door. I can't even count how many times we had to fix the bathroom door. So your room will be next to Gray's. I'm sorry if you won't be able to sleep at night... hopefully they won't fight as much at night. But if not, well, you'll eventually get used to it." Lucy explains.
I walk over to the door and turn the knob. When I open the door, I see that there's dust everywhere. I walk inside and say,
"Um..."
Lucy walks in after me and says,
"Oh my gosh, sorry! I didn't know we haven't really cleaned this place up!"
She slowly takes out a golden key and brushes her fingers over it.
"I guess it wouldn't hurt to try right now..." She whispers, but I hear.
I walk over to her and ask,"What's a key gonna do?"
She looks at me and says,"I wish I can show you, but I'm not sure if it'll work... I've tried many times before already..."
I reach over and touch the golden key. It's shiny. But I still don't understand it's significance other then... hey it has a zodiac sign on it! Maybe that's what it is? Golden zodiac sign? Lucy takes a deep breath and says,"I'll try this."
I take a few steps away from her and she holds out her key and says,
"Gate of the Maiden, I open thee! Virgo!"
A faint glow can be seen at the very tip of the key, and I watch as Lucy holds her breath. I'm eager to know also, so I'm also watching intently, hoping that whatever's supposed to happen, happens. Just then, the glowing gets a little brighter, and a woman in a maid's outfit appears in front of us! Lucy gasps and exclaims,
"Virgo! I can't believe it!"
Whoa, what just happened?
Suddenly, the figure twitches, like a hologram disconnecting, but it regains form.
"Is she a hologram?" I ask.
Lucy's expression lowers and she says,"Oh no... it's not stable..."
Suddenly, the woman speaks."Princess, it's been two years! I thought you were... gone! Please, tell me what you need. I'll do all I can to help!"
"Well... I wanted you to clean up this room here, but... you don't seem like you're really here in this world. Can you?" Lucy asks.
The woman, or Virgo as Lucy called her, nods and says,"I think I can."
She takes out a feather-duster from behind her back, and starts cleaning. Every time she touches something in the room, she seems to solidfy. Suddenly, Lucy seems to realize something because she gasps and shouts,
"Natsu! Erza! Gray! Come here, quick! It's a miracle!"
When no one comes, Lucy shouts louder.
"GUYS, HURRY UP AND COME ALREADY!"
I hear the sound of running footsteps, and then Natsu, Gray, Erza, and Happy appear in the doorway.
"What happened?" Natsu asks.
Lucy squeals and points at Virgo.
Everyone's eyes widen except mine, because I still don't get it. But I think that normally when she's supposed to appear, she doesn't and she finally reappeared again?
"Oh my fish!" Happy exclaims.
"No way..." Gray says.
"How?!" Natsu exclaims.
"Hmm..." Erza says.
When Virgo is finished cleaning the room, she returns to where we are and says,
"Princess, I see all your friends are here. Would you like me to return all of you back to your world?"
"Yes, yes, yes, yes, YES!" Lucy exclaims.
"Let's go! I'm all fired up!" Natsu exclaims.
"Wait, what about Kaori?" Gray asks.
"She can come with us and join Fairy Tail." Erza says.
"I still don't... understand..." I say.
Virgo bows and says,"As you wish, Princess."
She raises her hands and I see sparks start to come out of them, but suddenly her form flickers and disappears.
Lucy's jaw drops and she exclaims,"What?! No! What happened?! No!"
"Where'd she go?!" Natsu exclaims.
"I think the connection is broken..." Gray suggests.
"Yeah, that seems to be it..." Erza agrees.
"Noooooooooooo..." Happy wails.
Lucy drops to her knees and says,"We were so close..."
Natsu puts her hand on Lucy's shoulder and says,
"Hey, don't give up now! Try again!"
Lucy raises her head and says,"Yeah!"
She stands up and takes out the key again.
"Gate of the Maiden, I open thee! Virgo!" She exclaims.
This time, the light at the tip of the key glows, then flickers and dies.
"No..." Lucy says sadly.
"I don't get it. Why did it work last time?" Natsu asks.
"I don't know either... maybe it was just... luck?" Lucy suggests.
"Retrace your steps. Maybe you did something extra the time that it worked to make it work." Erza says.
"What did you do last time to make it work?" Gray asks.
"Well I... I was so excited that I'm not sure!" Lucy says.
"Try Lucy, please try." Happy says.
Lucy nods, and says,"Well I came in with Kaori... and we saw this dusty room that isn't dusty anymore and I decided to try to call on Virgo. So I held the key in my hand and desperately hoped for it to work... and I think... I think that was it. Then I called on her. I did all those things the second time."
"Hmm... weird, there must be something you're missing, Lucy. Try to think about it. But right now, that's not most important. What's important right now is Kaori." Erza says.
I look at everyone and say,"Oh no, it's okay. If you guys have your matters to deal with, it's fine."
"No, you've been ignored all this time. Here, put your stuff down and come with me." Erza says.
I put the meager stuff I have in my pockets and hands onto the nightstand, and follow Erza out. Everyone moves out of the doorway and back into the living room, except Lucy and Erza and me of course. Lucy's still puzzled, trying to solve the mystery, probably thinking it has something to do with that room, and Erza leads me further down the hall.
"Where are we going? Isn't that the fire escape?" I ask.
"Yes, but the fire escape isn't where we're going. We're going to get you a gun, but that's under the fire escape so just follow me." Erza says.
I follow close behind her as she stops in front of the fire escape and punches in some numbers in the keypad next to it. Suddenly, a square part of the floor in front of me right at the fire escape opens mechanically, and there is a set of stairs, leading downward. So it's a secret basement. Just like Konoha's... Well, not exactly like Konoha's, but it's still secret... and a basement.
"It's safe, don't worry. Just follow me." Erza instructs and starts down the stairs.
I follow behind her and it gets darker as we descend. By the time we reach the bottom, the lights automatically switch on.
"This is our weapon storage room. I preferrably don't use a gun, so that's why this room is mostly filled with swords. Although, we do have a selection of guns, and you can pick one of them and test them out to see which fits you best." Erza explains.
I follow her and look around the room. Damn three fourths of this whole place is filled with various types of swords... and armor too! But all the armor here looks like it's fit for a woman... so... no male armor?
"Hey um... how come there's no armor in here for the guys?" I ask.
Erza chuckles and answers,"Oh, that's because all the armor in here are mine."
My eyes widen and I exclaim,"All these are... yours?!"
Erza nods and says,"Yes, they are all mine. But this is a story for another day. Right now, we need to get you equipped."
I look at all the armor and say,"Hey, some of your armor look really cool... I kinda want to try them..."
Erza laughs and says,"If you like armor, we can just go out and buy you some."
"Nah, it's okay. I'm fine the way I am now." I answer.
She leads me to a section where it's all guns. She stops and says, "These are all the guns we have. Would you like to try them?"
"Um... sure." I reply.
I look at the selection of guns and see that the magnum, which I now own, is not in there.
"Would you like a semi-auto rifle? Or perhaps an assualt rifle?" Erza suggests and pulls off two big guns from the wall. My eyes widen and I say,
"Um... no thanks. I would prefer a much... smaller gun."
"Small guns... well we don't have a magnum... hand guns are way too weak... hmmm... oh!" Erza says.
She reaches up and pulls off a small gun from the wall that looks like a regular hand gun, but it's a little more complex and the ammunition bar is huge. She places the gun in my hands and says,
"That's a submachine gun. It isn't very heavy, it's about the weight of a hand gun, and I think it would suit you."
I weigh the gun in my hands and ask,"Can I try it?"
"Absolutely." Erza answers and leads me over to a target practice.
I hold up the gun like how Sasuke taught me, and pull down on the trigger. A barrage of bullets come out and I let go of the trigger. The impact of it causes my hand to jerk backwards. I need to control it. I try again, and keep my hand as steady as possible. It works out alright.
"Nice hold you have on the gun there. Are you experienced?" Erza comments.
I look at my hand, then at her and answer,"No, I just... learn quickly."
Erza smiles and says,"Then that's a wonderful thing. Okay, let's get back to the others now. If you need any help, you can just ask me."
I thank her, and we go back up to where the others are. I don't see what's so bad about these people. They're nothing like how Sasuke described them. When we get back to the living room, Lucy's still wondering how she summoned that... lady. I can tell she kept trying but it didn't work. She buries her face in her hands and groans,
"I don't understand! What made it work the last time?!"
Gray notices me and asks,"Got your weapon?"
I nod and hold up the submachine gun.
"Nice. You've got the same gun as me." He says.
"I do?" I ask.
He nods and says,"Yeah, but I don't use my gun that often."
"Oh. Um... now that I have a weapon, am I allowed to go out to places alone?" I ask.
Gray raises an eyebrow and says,"I guess so... as long as you're sure you can protect yourself. But why? Where are you going?"
"Um... the first people that helped me want to make sure I'm fine, so I want to go back to them to reassure them." I answer.
He gets up from the couch and grabs something from the table. He puts it in my hand and says,"Here, take this just in case."
I look at what he put in my hand and see a phone.
"Who's is this?" I ask.
"Don't worry about it. It's your's now. All our contacts are in there, so if you're in trouble, just call us." He answers.
I thank him and start for the exit. I have to get back to Naruto and the others and maybe try to convince them that Fairy Tail isn't really bad. I think the reason for this whole rivalry is because they're all misunderstood. I have two phones in my pockets. One from Konoha, one from Fairy Tail. I have two guns as well. One from Konoha, and one from Fairy Tail. I'm getting confused myself. If they make me choose sides, where will my loyalties lie? I really like both gangs, and I don't want to choose. I somehow remember the location of Konoha's hideout, so I manage to get there. I take out the phone that Naruto gave me, and text him to open the hideout door. A few minutes after I texted him, the door swings open and I thought Naruto would be there, but instead, it's Kiba!
"Hey Kaori! Did they accept you?"
I nod and he asks,"So you're back to tell us?"
"Sorta. I can come in, right?" I answer.
"Of course!" He replies and leads me inside. When I walk down the stairs, I hear music from the bottom coming from an electric guitar. Whoever's playing seems to be really good... I continue down the steps until I enter the living room, where this whole thing started, and I see Naruto rocking out on his electric guitar. Wow... he plays the guitar! Really well too!
"Hey Naruto! Kaori's here!" Kiba shouts over his playing.
Naruto stops playing and turns around. He sees me, grins, and asks, "How'd it go?"
"Pretty good. And man, you're amazing on that guitar! You don't seem like the type to play!" I answer.
He smirks and says,"I've taken an interest. It really lets me unleash my wild side, y'know?"
I laugh, and suddenly everyone else seems to join together in this room since they realize that I've come back. Well, everyone except Sasuke. I smile and say,
"Hey guys... so... I got in."
A few guys cheer, and I say,
"But you know... Fairy Tail isn't as bad as you guys say there are."
Right after I say that, everyone falls silent and looks at me with uncertainty on their faces. Naruto puts his guitar down and sits next to me on the couch.
"Kaori-" He starts.
"Not bad?" A voice interrupts.
I turn to the source of the voice and see Sasuke step out of the shadows.
"Yeah, they treated me really well. And they don't seem like bad people. I don't see how-" I say.
"Are you telling me you're on their side now?! Are you double crossing us?!" Sasuke exclaims.
"No, I'm just saying that you shouldn't-" I try.
"I never really trusted you. You may be a girl, but that doesn't change anything. I'm not gonna let you endanger my friends. Unless you can give me solid proof that you're still on our side, then go away. Leave. I don't want traitors here." Sasuke says coldly.
"Sasuke, I'm not-" I start.
"Did you hear what I said? If you're still on our side, then prove it. Get secret information from Fairy Tail, and tell us. Tell us all their weaknesses. But as of right now, you're a traitor to us." Sasuke snaps.
Naruto jumps up from his spot and exclaims,
"Sasuke, don't treat her like that! She's doing all she can, and you have no right to call her a traitor! Did you forget that you betrayed all of us when you went to Orochimaru? Did you remember that?! We all tried so hard to get you back. Even though you betrayed us. And now that you're back, I try to forget that you ever betrayed us. But when you treat someone like that, when you treat someone who isn't even a traitor like a traitor, I have to bring it up. You may think you're the leader here, but you're not. I am. And I was never used to being the leader, but I'm taking charge here and now. I need to step up and take charge if I ever want to become hokage, and it'll start here. Kaori is not a traitor. She simply wants to explain some things, so let her."
I stare at Naruto. He just stood up for me. No one else has ever stood up for me before. This guy... I can't help but think how wonderful he is. Are there more people like him out there?
Sasuke growls,"You may have managed to become the leader here, but you're still a loser. You don't know anything. Fine, have it your way. But when she stabs us all in the back, you'll know that I knew all along. But you won't be able to admit it because by that time, you'll be dead." After that, he stomps out of the room.
Naruto sighs and turns his attention to me.
"Just go ahead and tell everyone what you want to say." He says.
I stare at everyone and hesistate.
"It's okay, we'll listen." Gaara says.
I take a deep breath and say,"Well... I met all the Fairy Tail people, and... they're not really bad. I've gotten the gist of their personalities, and they don't seem like bad people. Did they really kill two girls of Konoha?"
"Truthfully, Sasuke is the one who really pushes it and is set on them being the most horrible people ever. But... they did kill the girls. But I'm not sure if it's an accident, or if they killed them intentionally. Sasuke's certain that they did it on purpose though. Either way, they're all still really dangerous." Kiba says.
"Sasuke didn't really come back to us on his own... he still had his goals set on revenge. But... I'm still not really sure on why he came back, but when he did I was glad so I didn't really ask. But now I know that he still hasn't let go of the idea of revenge. He still wants it." Naruto states.
"Fairy Tail said that you guys were different from the rest of the gangs, like them. Does that mean both of you aren't origanally from this world?" I ask.
"Yeah, we aren't from here. It's complicated and you wouldn't understand now, but it seems like we were taken captive to this world. I don't know about Fairy Tail, but based on my observations, they're not from this world either." Shikamaru says.
"It's okay, you don't have to tell me now. But I'm pretty sure they're from another world as well. That explains about the talk about eating fire and everything..." I say.
"Fire... it's that pink haired guy, huh? The super hyperactive one like Naruto?" Gaara asks.
"He is not like me." Naruto protests.
I laugh and say,"I don't know... I think you guys have some similarities."
Naruto pouts and says,"Whatever. Fire's not my thing."
"Well what do I do, guys? What I really want is for you guys to not fight anymore and just get together. That way, you guys have a higher chance of finding a way back home!" I say.
"Not gonna happen. Especially since Sasuke's here." Kiba says.
"Besides, even if we somehow forgive them, it doesn't mean that they'll forgive us. Also, it's gonna be impossible to form a truce. Every one of us is gonna have to agree to it, and every one of them are gonna have to agree if we're gonna form a truce. And over here we already have a problem. Sasuke. And I'm pretty sure we all don't completely forgive them for what they've done. We can't do this without proof that they're good people and that they are willing to form a truce. And we won't back down. You might be able to convince us, but Sasuke's unconvincible. When it's come to revenge, Sasuke's mind is dead set on it. Believe us, we've tried for another matter." Shikamaru states.
"But you have to try!" I exclaim.
"Kaori, right now it's impossible. You're gonna have to have proof. Sasuke may not be the leader, but he won't stand by if we come to a decision without him. He'll do everything in his power to make things go his way." Gaara says.
"The point is, you need proof Kaori. Without it, there's nothing much we can do. I'm all for peace, but even as the leader, I don't have the power to form a solid truce. Even if we try, it's not gonna last very long. Fights are gonna break out and soon the truce will be broken. What's more is that you need Sasuke to trust you. So as much as I don't like this, you do have to tell him some valuable information about Fairy Tail. Maybe just one little thing that's kind of valuable. And you also have to make Fairy Tail not hate us as much as Sasuke hates them. A truce is hard to make." Naruto says.
I sigh and groan,"This is impossible..."
"Hey, don't give up. I'm with you, okay? I want to have a truce. I want to go home. So I'll do my best to convince Sasuke, and you... you get close to Fairy Tail, alright?" Naruto says.
I smile at him and say,"Sure. As long as you deal with Sasuke."
Naruto rolls his eyes and says,"Sure, give me the hardest job ever. But... I'll try my best. I won't give up either."
"We're all gonna try for the sake of Konoha!" Kiba exclaims.
"What about Suna?" Gaara asks.
"Psh, majority of Konoha is here!" Naruto answers.
"Yeah? Well have you forgotten that I'm the kazekage?" Gaara says.
"Hey, it's not my fault I went to go train for two years and I couldn't become hokage! But I'll become hokage in a matter of time, believe it!" Naruto exclaims.
Gaara snickers and says,"I wonder if they've already elected a new kazekage..."
"So... what really is Konoha, really? And Suna?" I ask.
"Konoha is a village of ours back in our world. Suna is Gaara's village." Shikamaru explains.
I nod in understanding and say,"Well I guess I should get going now if I want to convince Fairy Tail... "
"Oh, wait!" Naruto says.
He pulls out a purple jacket with a hood and says,"I got this for you because my jacket seems to be too big for you."
He tosses me the jacket and I catch it. I take the phones out of the pockets of Naruto's jacket, take the jacket off, and toss it to him while putting on the new jacket. It fits perfectly, and suddenly, the phone in my left hand rings! It's the Fairy Tail phone! I put the Konoha phone into my jacket pocket and answer the Fairy Tail phone.
"Hello?" I say.
"Kaori, are you okay?!" The person at the other end shouts. I believe it's Natsu.
I watch the anxious expressions on everyone's face as they look and listen to me.
"Yeah, I'm okay Natsu. Don't worry." I answer.
"Oh, good. Because if you were in trouble, then Erza would've killed us all before coming to help you out. But she's mostly gonna kill Gray since he let you leave without telling her." Natsu says from the other end.
"Oh... um... tell Erza I'm sorry. And Gray too." I say.
"Okie dokie! I think you should come back soon before Erza gets worried and pissed off again. I think she'll blow up at you too. Possibly." Natsu says.
"Right um... I'll be back soon. Tell Erza and everyone else not to worry." I say.
"Okay, and Lucy wants you back too so she can tell you something. So hurry." Natsu says.
"Got it. Okay, bye." I say and hang up.
I put the phone back into my pocket and stare at everyone's curious expressions.
"So um... I think I should be going." I state.
"Natsu's the pink haired, hyperactive guy, huh?" Kiba asks.
I nod and he says,"Hmph..."
I'm not sure what's that supposed to mean, but Naruto asks,
"They want you to go back?"
I nod and he says,"Oh... okay. But come with me real quick first."
Without waiting for an answer he starts walking to the other side where there's a hallway, and I follow him as he walks down the hallway and there's a row of doors. He opens one and says,
"You can always come back. We accept you as one of us, and you can always count on us to help you. This would be your room if you decide to just ditch Fairy Tail and stay with us. I don't care what Sasuke thinks. You're one of us now."
I smile at him and say,"You're really sweet, you know that Naruto?"
Naruto blushes and says,"Nah... I'm just doing what a real friend would do..."
I grin and say,"I'll come back pretty often. But I don't know if I'll come back long enough to stay overnight. And you promised that you'll deal with Sasuke, right?"
He sighs and says,"Yeah, of course. I never go back on my word."
I nod, and head back for the living room where everyone is.
"I'll text you guys, okay? Or you guys can call me. But don't worry about me, I'll be fine!" I say to everyone, then head up the stairs to the exit. But then I just remember that Naruto gave me a new jacket, so I say,
"Oh, and thanks for the jacket, Naruto. I really appreciate it."
"No problem, see you soon!" Naruto answers.
I nod, and exit the hideout. I move the dumpster back in place so that their hideout can stay a hideout. I quickly head back to Fairy Tail's hideout, and it's a good thing I still remember the way. Gosh, I really don't know why Sasuke hates me so much! What did I ever do to him?! I just hope that I can make a truce happen, because I really need a truce to happen! These two gangs are special, and they have to work together. And I'll help!
