A/N: This chapter . . . I don't really know how to describe it. It moves a bit slowly, all things considered, but I feel like I accomplished quite a bit in terms of character development. If you feel like it, please drop a review and tell me how I did in terms of character development this time around. I feel like I don't give the thoughts of other characters enough, but at the same time, that has to be balanced with progression of the plot, and I often think it's obvious what some of the characters are thinking, so I abstain from being redundant and putting their thoughts on paper (or, in this case, digital document) when a facial expression pretty much suffices.
Anyway, I wanted to get this chapter out quickly, but that didn't happen due to some seriously ridiculous restraints on my time as of late. My schedule's been fuller than ever, and I'm honestly a bit disappointed that my summer's gone mostly to being busy, but at least I've gotten to talk to friends a lot, which is a blessing in itself in my eyes. I start back to college this month as well, but on the bright side, I drop all the other things I do over the summer when I'm in school, so maybe that combined with the way my muse assists me during the school months will allow me to publish in a timelier manner. I thank you all kindly for waiting and, as always, providing me with kind words and encouragement to continue.
Some thoughts for my next story (which will be written ONLY after I finish this one, as I don't wish to degrade the quality of either) include the Fallout series or Elder Scrolls series. I personally think writing about the utter misery and hardships of living in a post-apocalyptic world would be highly engaging. While writing about anime is certainly entertaining and challenging, I feel like the characters aren't prone to a lot of vices. Vices are interesting psychological phenomena to explore, and it makes the characters seem much more human. As for the Elder Scrolls series, that world is teeming with possibilities, particularly in terms of survival, culture, and aesthetic description. Anyway, onto review responses!
Hell Dragon Slayer: Hey man! I'll check out your Natsu and Erza fic when you post it. I'm glad you're enjoying my story. Here's another chapter for you. Cheers dude! :D
treeofsakuras: Oh, you could say that Natsu and E.N.D. will have a connection ;). It probably won't be what you expect, though, and it won't come until later. Trust me, there's a good reason they had a feeling of unease. Things are gonna get messy, but have no fear: Zeref isn't here . . . not yet, anyway. He may be soon, though not necessarily physically.
gratsulover117: Thanks :D. I appreciate the read! Here's the next chapter; I hope you find it worthwhile!
pitfall115: I enjoyed your use of active verbs there XD. This chapter took a while; I apologize for that. I hope it was worth the wait :).
DualStarduster: O.o I appreciate the support. Thank you :D. I hope I can continue to live up to everyone's expectations!
Visitor: Thank you for the support! Here it is :).
guythatreads: Your name is awesome XD. Thanks for reading!
WraithoftheNight: It's always good to hear that I'm keeping the characters, well, in character XD. It's true that I'm much more partial to a NaZa pairing than a NaLu pairing, mostly because I feel that NaLu is too . . . well, expected, to be blunt. I don't like things to be too predictable.
Disclaimer: I do not own Fairy Tail, nor am I in any way affiliated with its creation or distribution. I am simply a fan who wishes to present a different take on events than the canon series. I also don't own any rights to Zen and the Art of Motorcycle Maintenance, of course.
"But to tear down a factory or to revolt against a government or to avoid repair of a motorcycle because it is a system is to attack effects rather than causes; as long as the attack is upon effects only, no change is possible. The true system, the real system, is our present construction of systematic thought itself, rationality itself, and if a factory is torn down but the rationality which produced it is left standing, then that rationality will simply produce another factory. If a revolution destroys a systematic government, but the systematic patterns of thought that produced that government are left intact, then those patterns will repeat themselves in the succeeding government. There's so much talk about the system. And so little understanding." – Robert Pirsig, Zen and the Art of Motorcycle Maintenance
"Here you go," a kind voice seemed to echo around her. Mavis cracked open an eye to see that Natsu had brought back the water much more quickly than she expected. They had had no water left from before, so Natsu had to search a few minutes for a nearby river. She supposed he cured the water in a flash of fire.
"Thank you," she said tiredly, still not fully recovered from the excessive use of her magic. She took the flask from Natsu and drank deeply from it, inwardly sighing in relief as the liquid cooled her throat and helped to clear her mind a bit. When she was done, she handed it back to Natsu and proceeded to look up at the sky. Through the canopy, which, despite how thin this area of the forest was in comparison to where they were before, was still decently thick, she saw wisps of clouds lazily float by. She noted that the thicker clouds must have passed in another direction.
"You think a lot, don't you?" Natsu asked, sitting next to her.
She smiled. "I do. I can't really help it."
Natsu smiled before looking over to her. "Do you want to sleep for a while?"
She nodded, "But I can't. I need to stay awake in case soldiers or the captains come. I don't think the king will send any of the captains, though; that'd be a really dumb move on his part. It'd leave him totally defenseless. If anyone needs sleep, it's you. I'm used to functioning on a few hours of sleep; you aren't."
Natsu raised an eyebrow. "I noticed. Why is that?"
She smiled, though her expression held a tint of sadness. "You can't sleep much in war, Natsu-kun. I was up for three days straight sometimes."
He looked sadly at the woman before looking away. She's been through so much . . . . How does she keep going? "Well, Mavis-chan, you'll be getting some sleep now, at least for a couple of hours."
She looked over at him. "But Natsu—"
"Don't worry," he grinned, "I'll wake you up if any of those bastards come."
She smiled a full, happy smile, and Natsu couldn't help but think it was one of the most amazing things he'd ever witnessed. "Arigatou, Na-chan," she murmured, resting her head against the bark of the tree she was sitting up against. Natsu watched as her eyelids drifted downwards, closing softly over her aniridic green eyes. He watched as she fell asleep, her gentle, even breathing a rare sight to him. After a moment, Natsu looked around him. Erza was building a new fire pit and talking intermittently to Gray about something, Happy was bothering Carla as usual, Wendy appeared to be looking for sticks, and Gajeel was resting against a tree, the shadow of it preventing him from being hit by the sun's rays. Despite the fact that it was nearly eleven, it was still fairly temperate. If Natsu had to guess, it was spring in Edolas (provided that Edolas had the same seasonal system as Earth Land, anyway). Mavis had initially been just as intrigued as he had that Edolas shared Earth Land's twenty-four-hour day, but she said she also expected this because Edolas's gravity was incredibly similar to Earth Land's, and that for planets to sustain life, they needed to be a certain distance from the sun. He looked back to the woman in question, who now seemed to be fully asleep. Natsu briefly wondered if she was dreaming, and what kind of things she dreamt. When he realized he had been staring for well over a minute, he quickly looked away, that odd coiling feeling in his stomach happening again. He briefly looked over at Gray and Erza, noting that they were now sitting and talking. Natsu thought this was rather strange; Erza, despite her brevity and compassion, was typically a woman of few words when it came to general conversation. He wondered what kind of topic must have been brought up for Erza to be very actively engaged in the discussion.
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With Erza and Gray
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"He's looking over here," Gray pointed out, smirking.
"I know," Erza smirked in return.
"Probably wondering what we're talking about. Oh well. He'll never guess we're talking about him and Mavis."
"It's so obvious he likes her. He was literally just staring at her for over a minute while she slept. I wonder if he even realizes it."
"Probably not," Erza sighed. "Natsu's always been dense, especially when it comes to women and his own feelings."
"You're right," Gray said, leaning back on the stump he was on. "I just wonder what the straw's going to be that breaks the camel's back."
"We'll see," Erza said. "By the way . . ."
"Yeah?" Gray said, looking up at her.
"Your clothes," she replied, turning her head.
"WHAT THE HELL?!" He screamed, tumbling to the forest floor. "Seriously, I know I had pants on when I sat down! Something is stealing my clothes, damn it!"
"You took them off in the middle of our conversation," she pointed out.
"What . . . I did? Where are they now?"
She shrugged. "They blew off that way, I think," she replied, pointing in Gajeel's general direction.
"Damn it . . ." Gray murmured, walking into the forest not too far away from Gajeel.
Erza smirked as she watched his retreating figure, amused at his incredible misfortune with clothes. Her smirk only widened when she noticed that Carla yet again covered Wendy's eyes to keep her from seeing Gray in his birthday suit. She then turned her gaze to Natsu, who was sitting under a tree not far from Mavis. She noted that he looked incredibly tired, but he was remaining vigilant in case of an enemy attack. She also noted that he would occasionally turn his gaze to the sleeping woman and then quickly look away, almost as though he was afraid she'd wake up and see him staring at her. Natsu, you really do like her, don't you? she thought to herself. I thought he and Lisanna were in love, but I guess not. Come to think of it, when I really look back at those times, Natsu always seemed to have closer to friendly feelings for her. Lisanna was the one that had stronger feelings for Natsu. She looked up at the sky. Not that any of that matters a great deal now. Lisanna's gone. I still remember how terrible Natsu, Mira, and especially Elfman felt. The whole guild went dead for nearly a month, and even for a few years after that, it just wasn't the same. Her thoughts then turned to Mavis's words earlier. She said Natsu had more potential than any Dragon Slayer to exist. That means that Natsu may become more powerful than any of the old legendary Dragon Slayers. Unfortunately, I know very little of the past. She gritted her teeth in frustration. The past is so shrouded in mystery that much of what I know is incredibly fragmented. Accurate records of history only started being kept in the last two hundred or so years. Anything that happened before that is known to us only through letters, some records, and word of mouth, and so much of that is shrouded in mythology and flat-out nonsense that I would be hard-pressed to take a great deal of it at face value. Her gaze then turned to the woman a relatively short distance away from her. Maybe I can ask Mavis about the old Dragon Slayers when she when an appropriate time arises.
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Three hours later (around 2 p.m.)
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Mavis's eyes slowly opened. Her body felt heavy. She certainly wasn't used to having so much sleep, so it left her body wanting more to catch up on the incredible amount of sleep she had lost during the countless battles against Zeref. She noticed that Natsu was indeed still on watch, his eyes drooping a little but otherwise fully alert. She felt a small warmth at seeing that he had kept his word. She smiled as she looked around, noting that everyone was just sitting around talking.
She then creeped over to Natsu, who hadn't yet noticed that she was awake, and whispered in his ear. "Na-chan," she purred, causing him to nearly jump out of his skin.
"GAAAH!" he yelled, falling over. He then looked up to see Mavis looking down at him with mischief in her eyes. "You scared the hell outta me! Jeez."
"That was the plan," she said cheerily. An involuntary shiver ran down his spine as he registered how she'd whispered his nickname in his ear. Mavis, being as perceptive as ever, caught this. "Oh? Are you cold, Na-chan?" she asked, smirking.
"Wh-what? No!"
She then inched slightly closer to his face, narrowing her eyes slightly. "Then why'd you shiver?" she breathed, the same smirk still playing on her face.
Natsu's stomach was coiling into an almost painful knot at this point. "D-damn it, stop asking that stuff!"
Cutting him some slack, Mavis let up on him and settled for sticking her tongue out at him. "Whatever, Na-chan. Avoid the question if you want."
Natsu's eyes softened. "Did you sleep well, Mavis-chan? I know you didn't sleep for long."
Her eyes softened in return. "I did, Natsu, and I got more than enough rest. Thank you for keeping lookout even though you didn't have to," she said sincerely, gesturing towards the others.
He smiled. "I said I'd do it, so I did. Plus one of them might have snuck up without us knowing it if I'd been asleep."
After a couple of minutes of idle chatting, Natsu lay on his back and looked up at the sky, a lazy smile on his face.
"Do you want to rest a while, Na-chan? I think a couple of hours of sleep could do you some good as well."
"That sounds like a good idea," he said drowsily, his eyes lazily drifting shut.
"Good night, Na-chan," she whispered in his ear.
He shivered again. "Good night, Mavis."
She smirked, getting an odd sense of pleasure from seeing him shiver from the tone of her voice and her breath in his ear. Her eyes momentarily turned predatory before she averted her gaze. She saw that Wendy was now chatting with Carla, Happy was apparently bugging the living hell out of Lucy judging by the look she was giving the blue Exceed, Gajeel was leaning back under a tree looking relaxed after chatting briefly with Wendy and Carla, and Gray and Erza were talking, with both pausing contemplatively every now and then.
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Two hours later
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"Hey," Natsu heard a voice call faintly, "wake up, Natsu. We need you to light the fires."
Natsu cracked an eye open, clearly drowsy, but smiled when he caught sight of Mavis, who smiled gently back at him in turn. He got up and saw roughly the same setup as before, although this time it was Gray who had hunted and brought a fairly sizeable animal for them to cook. Natsu lit the fires to cure the water and cook before walking tiredly back over to Mavis, wiping his eyes.
"How long was I out?" he asked, his speech slightly slurred.
She smiled apologetically. "Only about two hours. I predicted they'd wait another hour or so before hunting and gathering supplies, but I must have underestimated how quickly the boredom would get to them. I apologize."
"Mavis-chan, you don't have to apologize for anything," he said, chuckling lightly.
"But I was wrong . . . ."
"Mavis, look at me," he said, putting his hand gently on her shoulder. She turned her eyes towards him, looking quite sad at her miscalculation. "You don't have to be right all the time."
"H-huh?" she asked, startled.
"You don't have to be right all the time. I know you hate it when you're wrong, and you especially hate it when you mess up in front of other people." Her eyes were wide. "I'm telling you now that you don't have to feel that way around me, or anyone here, really. You were wrong, and I got a little less sleep. I honestly don't think I'm any worse off for it. Just . . . don't feel so pressured all the time, okay? You don't have to be perfect."
"Na . . . tsu . . ." she murmured, still staring at him wide-eyed.
"Mavis, are you alright?" Natsu asked worriedly, not ever having seen the woman in such a state. Her eyes then changed, becoming slightly narrower. "Mavis . . .?" He then noticed her eyes dart to the others, and they became normal once more.
"Thank you, Na-chan. It's just . . . no one's ever said that to me before . . ." she trailed off, looking away, though he could tell she was happy from the small smile on her face. He might have been imagining it, but he could have sworn he could see a pink tint in her cheeks.
"Hey Flamebrain, get your ass over here and relight the fire! It went out!" Gray called over to Natsu, causing a vein to pulse in the latter man's forehead.
"What'd you say, Ice Princess?" Natsu asked, his head connecting with Gray's in an instant.
"Light the damn fire, you fire-breathing jackass!"
"Like hell I will! Why don't you try to do it, you icy bastard?"
"Because it'd be stupid of me to try since someone who can use fire magic is right here, dumbass!"
"Stop fighting," said a voice beside them. They both turned their heads slowly to see Erza standing there with a deceptively kind smile. "And if I have to get you two to stop fighting for a third time today, I'll make sure you have a few more bruises to incentivize you to behave yourselves."
Both men looked at each other before Natsu said cheerily, "Sure buddy, I'll light the fire! No problem."
Natsu bent over to light the fire. When Gray and Erza had started to walk away, he quickly sent a flare at Gray's ass, burning it.
"Ow! What the hell?!"
Natsu pretended not to notice Gray's distress and lit the fire. He then smirked, looking up at the other man. "Something wrong, Gray?"
Gray gritted his teeth but knew better than to pick a fight after Erza's threat. Natsu then felt a pair of eyes on him. He looked over to see Mavis watching him, an amused look on her face. His heartbeat sped up as he met her eyes. She returned his gaze. Gray stood there for a moment, noticing their locked eyes, before walking back over to the stump and reclaiming his seat. "Yeah, those two are definitely getting closer," Gray said, eyeing his old friend as if he was seeing him in a new light.
Erza caught his look and smiled. "You really can't believe your eyes, can you, Gray?"
Gray looked over at her, and she saw something that slightly shocked her: a tint of sadness. "I guess things really can't stay the same forever . . . . I just can't wrap my mind around it. He's always been like a brother to me, and I feel like I'm the one getting left behind."
Erza looked at him sympathetically before saying, "You're not being left behind, Gray. Natsu cares about you like a brother, too, even though you two definitely don't always act like it." Gray looked at her gratefully, then returned his gaze to Natsu, who was walking back over to Mavis by then. "Gray," Erza said, putting a comforting hand on his shoulder, "you'll find someone too."
He smiled at her, nodding slowly. He cupped his face in his hands, looking off into the woods around them. He turned a serious expression towards Erza. "Erza, what the hell is up with all this?"
She shook her head. "It's a lot to take in. I could not have imagined a place like this even existed, let alone set foot in it. But we must save our friends and restore Magnolia to Earth Land."
"Are you afraid to fight yourself?" asked Gray curiously. He knew he would certainly be intimidated by such a prospect.
She looked at him and gave a quick smile, turning her gaze to the sky. "An old friend once told me that the only way to get stronger today is by reaching deep inside yourself and pulling out the strength you'll have tomorrow."
Gray smirked, his eyes darting to Natsu. "Is that so? Odd. My old friend said the same thing to me . . . ."
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Four and a half hours later
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The moon casted an eerie glow on the tops of the purple-leaved trees, though the moonlight peeking through the trees did nothing to compare to the beauty of the radiant glow of the decently large blue-green field that stretched out beyond the Fairy Tail members. Just as Mavis had predicted, Happy and Carla had returned moments before with news that soldiers had indeed been deployed out the east side of the city, though they couldn't confirm whether or not the south side had any soldiers being deployed due to both the distance and the encompassing darkness. They did, however, confirm that there was a more or less steady flow of people going into and out of the north gate.
"Alright," Mavis said, gaining everyone's attention, "this is it. Is everyone wearing Edolas attire?"
There was a silent nod from all gathered individuals. They'd gone on a very roundabout search for houses and clothing therein earlier to help them blend in with the other travelers who were visiting the city. If the guards from before had any information on their appearances, which Mavis doubted due to the speed with which they had evacuated the area, then at the very least, they looked less conspicuous in average Edolas apparel. Lucy had called upon Virgo to temporarily store their clothes in the Spirit World. Mavis and everyone else raised a brow when Virgo came back a short time later and asked if it was time for punishment, but other than that, everything so far had gone off without a hitch. The plan was for everyone to go into the city in pairs with the exception of Gajeel, who would go in last. Erza and Gray were the first to go onto the main road, waiting for a particularly large group to come near the bushes in which they were hiding to slip into it. In a couple of moments, the duo joined in the group. Everyone waited with bated breath, and, after a moment, sighed in relief. No one seemed to have noticed them slip in. Mavis then nodded to Wendy and Lucy, who slipped into the next large entourage minutes later.
Mavis looked to Natsu. "Ready, Na-chan?" she whispered.
Natsu nodded slowly, looking for an opportune moment to slip into the crowd. He and Mavis slipped in about five minutes after Wendy and Lucy. Natsu inwardly sighed, realizing they had a decently long walk ahead of them. He looked down at the woman beside him, making sure she had been able to blend in as well. He soaked in her appearance. The wings in her hair and dress were gone, now replaced by a farmhand's short-sleeved brown shirt and a bluish-brown pair of shorts. She looked different, but no less stunning in Natsu's mind. His stomach turned a flip as her hand suddenly shot out and grasped his. He gave her a questioning look a moment later.
"So we don't get separated," he heard her whisper.
He swallowed hard, nodding, before looking ahead of them. They had just passed the tree line. Now it was a straight shot to the city. Mavis noticed Natsu swallow, and she tried to calm her heartbeat. She wasn't nearly as expressive as Natsu was, but she was feeling something to. She wondered where things were going between them. After they'd made eye contact, she and Natsu had just sat in peaceful silence, occasionally speaking about whatever came to mind. She felt as though there was some kind of understanding between them, but the kind that should come after years of friendship, not months. She turned her gaze to him. He was wearing a sleeveless black shirt with blue pants, dressed much like everyone else. The only thing that stuck out about him as unusual was his pink hair. She quickly averted her gaze after she realized she'd been staring . . . again. After about ten minutes of walking, she was starting to sweat. The air was very warm, even for nighttime. Her clothes were starting to stick to her body, and she noticed her hair matting a little on her forehead. Her fingers were still interlaced with Natsu's, and she knew her hands must have started to feel a little wet as well. After a couple of more minutes, she heard Natsu whisper, "Are you okay, Mavis-chan? Do you need a drink?"
She flashed her companion a brief but sincere smile, remembering that Natsu had filled up a canteen before dumping the water and dousing the fire. "I'm alright, Na-chan. It's just really warm tonight." She then fanned herself lightly with her hand, which served to cool her down a little. Natsu nodded but nonetheless gave her hand a squeeze, silently letting her know that if she needed his help for anything, he'd be there. She looked at him appreciatively before turning her sights forward. She didn't realize just how far out the northern woods were from the city. They had at least another mile to walk before reaching the city gates. Twenty minutes passed, and Mavis was panting lightly, but not so loudly that Natsu would hear it over the crowd's sometimes loud, disjointed conversations. They were very close to the city gates by then, but Mavis was starting to feel quite hot. She didn't know if it was the night air, holding Natsu's hand for so long, or both, but she was starting to regret not asking Natsu for a sip out of water. She decided she'd ask Natsu for some once they were safely inside the city walls. She looked to her left, noticing that some people, though not many, were leaving the city, stumbling drunkenly out of the gates and into the field. Mavis figured some of them must live at a couple of the empty houses from which they'd scavenged clothes in the forest.
Mavis suddenly felt self-conscious, though she had no idea why. She looked down at her attire. So plain, she thought to herself, uncharacteristically concerned about her appearance. I must look ridiculous in these clothes. She suddenly looked to Natsu, squeezing his hand gently. She tried to convey her distress to him. He raised an eyebrow, clearly not understanding her sudden concern, before making a subtle gesture to the canteen with a concerned expression. She shook her head lightly before gesturing towards the gates, indicating she'd talk to him about it once they'd passed through. He nodded in understanding and waited until they crossed the threshold of the gate. The Fairy Tail members planned to meet a couple of blocks away from the gate, so there was no danger of them being overheard. Mavis didn't want them to think she was being petty or anything. After another minute, they passed through the gate, and a few moments later, Mavis dragged Natsu out of the crowd and into a small alley. "Can I please have a drink, Na-chan?" she asked, her throat dry. He nodded, handing her the canteen. She drank deeply from it before sighing in relief.
After she was finished, Natsu took the canteen back, fastening it onto one of his belt loops. "Do you have something you want to talk about, Mavis-chan?" asked Natsu.
"I-I do," she stuttered, sounding embarrassed. This shocked him; he'd never heard her speak in a tone nearly as sheepish as this. "Natsu, do you . . . think I . . . lookalrightintheseclothes?" she blurted, saying the last few words as though they were one large one.
Natsu looked at her, dumbfounded. W-what?! Mavis took his expression and subsequent silence as a "no." She turned away slightly, sad that she really did look dumb in these clothes, and for a reason she didn't care to pinpoint, she was even more sad that Natsu thought she looked ridiculous. He suddenly grabbed her shoulders, startling both her and himself. She looked at him questioningly. Natsu fought the lump in his throat. "Mavis-chan, you look . . ." she waited with bated breath, "just as amazing now as you ever have." Her eyes widened. That last part came out very rough, as though he had a hard time saying it. She looked in his eyes and saw incredible nervousness. She realized that he had a hard time saying it not because he was lying, but because he was staving off the fear of how she might react. What he'd said to her must have taken a lot of courage, she realized. She stared at him for a moment, before embracing him tightly, quietly relishing in the feeling. She put her chin on his shoulder.
"Thank you so much, Natsu," she whispered in his ear. She felt him shudder and subsequently let go of him. "Let's go meet up with everyone." The two then stepped back out onto the street. They began walking, and without either of them noticing, their fingers became interlaced once more. Natsu felt relieved that Mavis took his compliment positively, even though he had no idea why he said it, or moreover why he had so much trouble saying it. He had no reason to think she wouldn't, he realized, but in that moment, everything seemed so much more . . . intense? Yes, that was the right word. Intense.
Mavis was feeling very bubbly. She was feeling warm again, but not an uncomfortable kind of warm. She was happy in general.
A couple of minutes later, they saw Gray, Erza, Lucy, and Wendy all standing outside a café. Lucy raised an eyebrow as she saw they were holding hands, Wendy's eyes widened slightly, and Gray and Erza were smirking. They looked at the group questioningly before realizing they were reacting to. The two quickly let go of each other's hands, feeling an almost electrical pulse running through their bodies. They both looked away, blushing slightly. They all remained silent until Gajeel joined them less than a minute later, casting a questioning glance to all the gathered members. When he received no response except very subtle gestures towards Natsu and Mavis, he pieced it together and, silently nodding, dropped the subject. Mavis made a subtle hand gesture, and they went into the nearest alley, their absence on the street going unnoticed by the people flocking into the city.
"Alright," whispered Mavis, casting her eyes around the group, "the soldiers will no doubt be doubled up in the castle. We need to be very careful in our movements here. If worst comes to worst, Erza," she turned her eyes to the knight, "you must pretend to be your
Edolas counterpart and act as though you're taking us to the king for questioning. If that fails, then we will have to fight our way to the Anima machine and throw it in reverse. Stick together, move by the shadows of the night, and be as quiet as mice." Everyone nodded.
As they walked down the street, Natsu looked up, and, just as he expected, two catlike figures were flying high above them. Stealth certainly wasn't Natsu's forte, and truth be told, he was nervous because he didn't want to mess up Mavis's plan. Having his blue friend watching him from a distance reassured him, at least a little. Natsu looked at the woman not three inches away from him, noting that her eyes were moving constantly, no doubt observing people and looking for any unusual behavior that might suggest they'd been found out. He thought about what had transpired between them nearly twenty minutes ago. Why did she ask that? I've never seen her so embarrassed before. And when I didn't say anything, she looked like she was about to cry . . . . Since when was she concerned about her appearance? Come to think of it, the only person I really know who's that concerned about her appearance is Lucy. I just don't get it. Is it really that important to women? I don't know any guys who care about stuff like that.
Natsu didn't realize it, but everyone in the group was paying attention mostly to him. Lucy watched with a mix of curiosity and amusement, Erza with a knowing smirk, Gray with a mix of happiness and sadness, Gajeel with slight incredulity, and Wendy with curiosity similar to Lucy's. Just what the hell is going on between those two? thought Gajeel. Salamander never seemed like the type to get hung up on a woman. His eyes shifted to Mavis. I don't give a damn who you are. You'd better treat Salamander right. Gajeel would never voice it, but Salamander was the one who really got him to turn his life around. He was already changing by the time Makarov came to him. He didn't know what it was about Natsu. He just had the effect of bringing out the best in people even when they were at their worst. Sure, they regularly fought, but Gajeel would be by Natsu's side in a fight in a heartbeat if he was needed. Salamander, Makarov, and Fairy Tail had saved him from the darkness, but more importantly, they saved him from his own darkness, and that was something he'd never forget.
Soon, they came close to the entrance of the castle. Two guards stood out in front the double doors leading into the castle, and an entire courtyard separated them from said entrance. They turned down the street and, after a couple of minutes, they slipped into the shadows of a nearby alley. They saw that Carla and Happy had begun their descent. The plan Mavis set out was for them to be carried to a higher level of the castle and bypass all the entrances, effectively destroying the chances of them getting caught by sneaking into the castle. The only problem would be avoiding attracting attention as Carla and Happy flew them through the air, but Mavis doubted that'd be much of a problem considering the fact that the direct line of sight with the guards protecting the entrance was broken and that that particular area was more oriented towards wealthy residents rather than tourist attractions. It was nearing ten o'clock by then, so many people would probably be either preparing for bed or paying attention to some late-night distraction. They'd also passed what looked like a fairly crowded theater on the way there, which Mavis guessed was a central attraction for many people in the area. In other words, they essentially had the best setup they were going to get in terms of infiltration, and Mavis fully intended to take advantage of that. Mavis felt herself being lifted up by Carla. She looked over, seeing Happy lifting Natsu as well. They flew them up to the castle's fifth floor and dropped them off.
"Thanks pal," Natsu whispered to Happy, giving him a high five a moment later. Happy and Carla then made the descent to go get two more of the group.
"Natsu," Mavis whispered, gaining the Dragon Slayer's attention.
"Yeah Mavis?" he inquired in a low voice.
He froze when she threw her arms around him. "In case things don't go according to plan . . ." she trailed off.
"Mavis," Natsu whispered, and she looked up at him, "we're all going to be okay, alright?" She nodded, though Natsu could tell it was half-hearted. He wrapped his arms around her protectively, surprising her. She relaxed into the hug, enjoying it more than she probably should have, and felt surprisingly reassured when they broke apart. They stared at each other for a moment before looking away.
"Thank you, Natsu," he heard her murmur before Carla and Happy brought up Wendy and Erza, respectively, before making their descent once more.
Once all the Fairy Tail members were in the castle, they began to swiftly but quietly maneuver through the halls, the inky shadows clinging to their forms as they raced higher and deeper into the castle. Soon, though, they emerged into what looked to be an amusement park.
"What the hell . . .?" Gray trailed off, a confused expression on his face as he took in his surroundings. "Who puts an amusement park in a castle?"
"We do," a snide voice seemed to echo all around them.
Mavis closed her eyes. "How long have you known we were here?"
A man with ridiculous blonde hair and pink armor stepped out from behind a nearby pillar, a cocky smirk on his face. "Since just now. We figured it was only a matter of time before you all infiltrated the castle, and anyone who wants to get to the king has to come through this amusement park on the walk there. Unless you know where the secret passages are, of course, but that doesn't matter."
There was suddenly a clang of steel. Natsu and the others looked behind them to see Erza holding her sword defensively behind her. Her Edolas doppelganger stood behind her, a wicked-looking staff connected with her blade. Erza wordlessly turned to look at her attacker before sending a ruthless slash her way, sending her crashing through the wall. She looked back at the other Fairy Tail members with a grim expression. "I'll take care of her. You all handle this guy." She then dashed through the hole in the wall she'd just made. Sugar Boy looked on, a thin bead of sweat making its way down his face. Never had he seen Knightwalker get knocked through anything, let alone a wall, so flippantly. He knew then that the people in front of him were no pushovers. He audibly swallowed and prepared himself for what he knew would be a hell of a battle. He just hoped he came out of it alive . . . and that Hughes got there in time.
