Chapter 9...
"You...have got to be KIDDING ME!" Natus shouted angrily. When Him and Mindy had arrived at the site that was burning, it turned out to be Natsu's camp.
"What happened here?" Mindy asked confused. Natsu had ran ahead of her, so she finally caught up with him, and as soon as she got to where Natsu was, he was staring at a burnt down camp site.
"I SPENT WEEKS COLLECTING ALL THOSE FISH, NOW IT'S ALL JUST CHARCOAL!" Natsu yelled as he kicked over a burnt bucket, and out came various fish, or at least was supposed to be fish, but it was all burnt to the point where it was unrecognizable. He then walked around, seeing if anything survived, a look of horror then washed over his face."Please tell me it's safe." Natsu then went inside a burning tent, as he looked around for something."SON OF A BITCH!" He shouted angrily.
"What is it?" Mindy asked as she came up to see what he was looking for.
"My father gave me this book when I was little. He told me to keep it safe at all costs, and to never let anyone take it." Natsu said as he punched the ground.
"Whats it about?"
"Haven't a clue. All I know is that he told me to keep it safe no matter what." Natsu said as he stood up.
"Was it really that important?" She asked.
"Yeah, my father told me it was anyway." He then stood up and looked around the camp, as he watched it all slowly burn." Hey Mindy get back a little."
"Huh? Ok." She said as she stepped away from him. He then began inhaling the flames around the camp.
"That's right, I forgot that he can eat fire." Mindy thought, as she watched him swallow up the flames around the camp. after a few moments, the camp was then put out, and Natsu exhaled, as he slung over."These flames taste...weird." He thought as he felt his stomach.
". . . I think a mage did this."
"Huh, how can you tell?"
"These flames tasted like magic." He said as he took another look around."Also, everything is out of place."
"Do you think they were looking for the book?"
"Well, they certainly didn't just stop by for a bite to eat." He said sarcastically, as he walked over to the center of camp.
"But why burn the camp?" Mindy was confused.
"That's what I want to know." He then began sniffing the air, he then coughed a little. "I can't get his scent anywhere, too much damn smoke from everything around here. I guess they were looking for the book."
"But how would they know about it? Did you show it to anybody before?." Mindy said as they were thinking.
"Not that I know of." He then sighed."I'll just have to scavenge what's left."
"Ah, why don't you spend the night at the guild?" Mindy suggested.
"If its sleeping, its not that much of a probl-"
"IT IS A PROBLEM!" Mindy suddenly shouted, which surprised him. She then recomposed herself."Er, I mean it would probably be best to sleep inside, just for tonight." She said, Natsu then thought about it for a moment, he then nodded.
"Ok, lets go." Natsu said, as Mindy then smiled.
"Alright, my mom should still be up right now, so don't worry about waking anybody up." The two then left. Natsu then took one last look back at his camp, before narrowing his eye.
"I don't know what's in that book.." Natsu then clenched his fist. "..But i'll be damned if i'm gonna let that bastard get away with it!"
Guild...
"Your kidding me!" Lyner shouted in disbelief. He and Darla were sitting at the table with Natsu and Mindy, as they explained what happened.
"I wish I was." Natsu said.
"Do you know who could have done it?" Darla asked.
"Well, their was magic in the flames around the camp, so i'm guessing a mage." He said as he folded his arms.
"Who'd want to do this to you? You reckon you probably had beef with someone in the past?" Lyner asked. Natsu then closed his eye and was thinking, but shook his head as nothing came up.
"Well your welcome to stay here as long as you want." Darla said happily."As-a-mat-ter-of-fact~, Mindy was just telling us the other day that she wanted you to spend the night here."
"I-I was only concerned that he might be more comfortable on a mattress then the dirt." Mindy said as she was a little red.
"Well, I don't mind, but are you sure abou-" He got up as he asked.
"OK, that settles it! I'll prepare the guest room!" Darla said as she happily walked to another room with her plate of food.
"Aaaand she ignored me." Natsu said as he sat back down.
"Well, anywho', i'll keep my ears open for any suspicious mages who might have come through the area. Who knows, maybe they came here and we didn't know it." Lyner said as he took another drink.
"Thanks Lyner." Natsu said as he smiled.
"Anything for you Natsu, just promise me to find this guy before he goes after my building." He said as he chuckled.
"Heh, promise."
"Ok Natsu, Mindy, time for bed~!"
"Sure, just let me get my...Wait, what did you say?" Natsu was unsure, as he thought he misheard her.
"Well, Mindy's bed is all dirty from food spilling all over it, so she's going to have to sleep in the guest room as well." She said as she smiled brightly.
"What? I never spilled anything." Mindy said as she got up to go take a look at her room.". . .. WHAT IN THE WORLD!?" She screamed.
"What's wrong?" Natsu shouted.
"Why is my bed covered in food, it wasn't like that a minute ago?!" She demanded from her mother.
"What are you saying dear? That happened this morning when you ate on your bed." Her mother said, as if she was surprised.
"You eat on your bed?" Natsu asked as he raised his eyebrow.
"NO! I'm telling you that that wasn't there before!" Mindy tried to explain.
"Ok dear, time for bed."
"Huh? But i'm still ea-" She then generated a murderous aura, as she smiled sweetly at him."I-i'm coming." He drooped down in defeat. As the two left, Natsu and Mindy just sat there.
"Well, I gotta go grab a couple things at my camp first." Natsu said, as he got up and walked towards the doors.
Natsu and Mindy just stared, the two beds were pushed to each other. "Uh, let me move them apar-huh?" Natsu tried to pull them apart, but they wouldn't even budge. He then looked in between them and turned white, the sides were nailed together."Whats the matter?"
"T-they're nailed together."
"NANI!?" Mindy couldn't believe it."That scheming hag!" She clenched her fist, as she knew this was her mothers handiwork. "Um, i'll just sleep on the floor." Natsu said as he went to grab a pillow, but was stopped when Mindy grabbed the back of his jacket. Her eyes were foreshadowed, as her cheeks were a little pink.
"I-its fine, just keep yourself on one side." Natsu made a noise of surprise.
"Ok, if that's what you want." He then took off his jacket and laid it on the floor, as he got in under the covers. Mindy then blew out the candles, as she then got on one side of the bed. The two then were silent for a few minutes, they found it rather awkward to fall asleep in this situation.
"Hey, you awake?" Mindy asked.
"Yeah."
"I'm sorry about this, my mom can go overboard with this sort of stuff."
"Its fine, I don't mind it that much." Mindy then smiled a little, as she then closed her eyes and waited for the next day to come.
Morning...
"Mindy! Time to get up!" Darla called. Mindy slowly opened her eyes, as she blinked, adjusting her eyes to the light. She then sat up as she stretched. She looked over to the other side of the bed, and Natsu wasn't there.
"Ah, your awake." She then turned her head to see Natsu at the door."I figured I shouldn't wake you up, seeing as how you looked kind of comfortable sleeping in."
"Yawn, thanks." She then slowly got out of bed, and followed Natsu to the kitchen.
"Morning you two. Did anything happen last night?" Darla asked.
"Darla would you give it a rest, Natsu is not that type of person." Lyner said as he cut up some meat.
"But if she turned out to be pregnant, then he could stay with us-"
"GIVE IT A REST!" Mindy shouted, as she swatted her across the head with a fan.
"Owww, your mean Mindy~!" She pouted. Mindy then sat down at the table as she sighed."So, what are your plans for today Natsu?" She asked, as Natsu was eating a plate of eggs.
"I need to find the book, and i'm going to go see if I can find out who did it."
"Oh yeah, I asked a couple of regulars who come here if they saw anyone strange around lately, and they said that their was some guy with long hair and freaky eyes passed them on they're way here." Lyner said from his grill.
"Long hair and freaky eyes? Great, looks like i'm going to need to find this guy myself." He sighed, in a irritated tone.
"We, are going to find him." Mindy said as she took a drink from her mug.
"Huh?"
"You heard me, I've always wanted to see what's beyond Selion."
"Oh yeah that's right, you haven't really been to another town before have you?" Natsu thought."Well, it could get dangerous."
"Don't worry, I've now mastered every lightning spell in that book you gave me a while ago." She said proudly.
"WHAT!? But I gave you that book two months ago!" Natsu exclaimed.
"Heheh, i'm gonna shock you when see me in action." She smirked. Natsu then sighed in defeat.
"Fine, we'll leave in a hour."
"Yay!" She cheered as she ran off to get ready.
"You sure about this Natsu? Mindy is smart, but she tends to get overconfident from time to time." Lyner warned him.
"Well, I've been promising to take her with me once she mastered that book, but I didn't think she would finish it THAT fast." He face palmed.
"Well, I guess good luck, hehe you'll need it." Lyner said with a smile."Oh yeah, those two guys also mentioned he was heading east towards a place called Daron. So I guess you can start there."
"Got it, thanks Lyner." He said as he stood up. "I'm going to take one last look around my camp before we leave." And with that, he headed out.
Campsite...
"Oook, why would I burn down someone's camp?" Natsu said as he looked around the charred remains of his camp."Hmm, he just threw things around and then thought he should burn it...but why?"
"Nice to know your doing well." Natsu then turned around, and he was surprised as he recognized the person.
"Rouge? The hell you doing here?"
"I came to check to see if you were still alive and kicking." He said as he walked towards him, as he looked around the site."What did you do to your camp?"
"Wasn't me."
Rouge then rolled his eyes.
"Honest! I was coming back from a job yesterday, and I found my camp set on fire!" He protested.
"Who would want to set fire to your camp?"
"Don't know, I'm going after the guy who did it."
"I see, well good luck. I have to go help Sting with his job, I hope you find your culprit."
"Mm, thanks." Rouge began walking away."Oh yeah, i'm taking Mindy with me." Rouge then stopped, as he made a noise of surprise.
"She's done with that book?"
"Yeah, I couldn't believe it either." Natsu sighed.
"Well in that case, best of luck to you both. Keep a close eye on her." Rouge then disappeared in the shadows, as Natsu watched him leave."That guy needs to lighten up a little...ahh doesn't matter, I don't think I'm going to find anything here." He then got up and headed back to the guild.
Natsu was at the guild entrance as he waited for Mindy."Sorry to keep you waiting." She came out wearing her boots, blue pants, and a green poncho. She also had a sash wrapped around her waist. Her hair also ran down her back.
"Oh? You look fired up."
"Yeah, i'm ready to go-"
"Hold it." Natsu held up his hand, he then walked a fair distance from her, as he turned around and had his hand on his hip."First, I need to see how good you are." She then made a sound of surprise.
"Y-you mean you want me to attack you?" She was a little hesitant.
"Yeah." He said plainly.
"But, what if I-"
"What, you scared?"
"Huh? Alright you asked for it!" She then was more motivated, as she then stretched her arms to the side, as two bright yellow magic circles appeared in front of her arms. "Get ready,"Shock Disks!" She then swiped her hands forward as the two magic circles were sent flying in Natsu's direction. He then summoned his sword as he slashed the two disks in half, as they went past him and made explosions behind him.
"Not bad, are those disks used for penetration?" Natsu said as he smiled.
"Yep, those were supposed to slice you up, but then again, you are my first opponent I've tested it on." She explained.
"Heh! That was good! Hit me with another one!" He said as he waited for the next one.
"Okay! "Lightning Arrows!" She shouted as she moved her hands in front of her, and a bunch of arrows comprised of lightning were sent towards Natsu. He then grabbed his sword by the string and began spinning it in front of him. He blocked most of the arrows, but a few hit him. He then stopped spinning his sword, as he grabbed it by the handle. He then notice Mindy was above him now.
"Huh, when did you-"
"Thunder Spear!" She then threw down a large lightning bolt at Natsu."Oh shit.." He cursed as he took the hit. He felt the electricity surging throughout his body. He then fell to one knee, as he felt like he was paralyzed. Mindy then landed on the ground. She was panting, that spell had taken a lot out of her, as she looked tired already.
"What the heck, I feel stiff all over." He asked.
"That was the effect of Thunder Spear, it paralyzes it's target upon contact." She smirked as she thought it was her win.
"With this its over!" She then had her hands in the air, as a large magic circle appeared above Natsu."Thunder Pillar!"A large current of electricity then came down and enveloped Natsu.
"Grrrrrgh!" Natsu gritted his teeth in pain from the shock. The lightning then dispersed, as Mindy fell to her knees.
"D-did I get him?" She then stared wide eyed, as Natsu then got up. He was stretching as he then looked at Mindy.
"Not bad, that one stung a little."
"But I thought..."She stared in disbelief, he took her two most powerful spells and acted as if it was nothing.
"Well, you've impressed me Mindy, I shouldn't have let my guard down around you." He chuckled, he then came up to her and offered her a hand."Lets go!" He smiled, she then smiled as she took his hand and got up.
"Mm!" She then fell forward a little as Natsu caught her.
"Using that much magic must have took a lot out of you, you going to be ok?" He asked.
"Yeah..its my my first time using that much magic that fast. I feel a little dizzy." She said as she tried to regain her balance.
"Well, if you use that much that fast, your bound to feel tired."
"Your strong, so I figured I should hit you with everything I got." She said as she smiled.
"Yeah...Well, lets shove off." He said as he made his sword disappear.
"Waaaait!" Mindy and Natsu looked to see Darla running towards them, she was out of breath as she finally caught up with them.
"Mindy, don't forget your pack." She said as she handed her a bag with a sling on it.
"Oh, thanks mom. I almost forgot it." She thanked her as she slung it over her back."Now you two be careful out there. Natsu, i'm counting on you to keep my little girl safe from harm."
"Heh, don't worry about it. If anything, i'd feel bad for the sucker who picks a fight with her!" He chuckled. "Well, lets go Mindy!" He said as he began walking down the path.
"Sure...oh yeah!" She then turned back and hugged her mother, Natsu noticed this and smiled a little.
"Don't worry, i'll keep her safe...no matter what." The two then left as they waved back at Darla.
Gracia...
Ultear was in the middle of town sitting down with Meredy at a tea shop, they were taking a break from running errands all over the place. They were in the middle of a serious conversation.
"So the council says that we should be a little cautious right now."
"Why, is something happening?" Meredy asked she put her tea cup down.
"Well from what they told me, a series of attacks have been happening nearby at neighboring towns. Not much was known about them, but from what they could gather, every place they investigated was burned to ashes by the time they got there."
"Burned?"
"I thought they may have been erasing evidence, but no leads have been found yet." She said as she took a sip.
"So the sites were set on fire and completely destroyed, as well as any clue as to who might have done it." Meredy said, as she thought out loud.
"Well we do know it was a mage."
"Huh, how?"
"There was no evidence that the fire was started by normal means, so we concluded that it had to be done by magic." Ultear sighed, as she took another sip. She then smiled a little."Kind of reminds me of Natsu, of course he wouldn't have done it."
"Oh yeah, the girls told me he used fire magic in his fights with Kagura and Mirajane." Meredy recalled.
"Actually, I think it was Dragon Slayer magic."
"Dragon Slayer magic?" Meredy repeated.
"Yeah, After Natsu's fight, I decided to do a little research on the origin of his magic. And I read that it was a type of anti-dragon magic used to fight dragons themselves."
"The power to slay dragons..." Meredy said as she found it interesting."Natsu is a Dragon Slayer then?"
"Hmm, I think it was Azure Dragon or something like that...Yeah, an Azure Dragon Slayer." She nodded as she was satisfied with her answer."Well, we'll ask him next time he comes to visit." She smiled.
"Ultear." Ultear and Meredy turned to see Erza and Kagura heading towards them.
"Ah, you two are back. Did you find out anything at Daron?"
"The same, a burnt down library, and no evidence of who did it." Erza said.
"That makes the eighth one this month. Aaah, who the hell is doing this!?" Ultear said angrily as she slammed her fist on the table.
"Whoever it is, they seem to be targeting the libraries." Kagura said, as her and everyone was trying to think of who it was. Ultear then stood up as she made up her mind."Alright you two, we're going to go take a look at that last site, maybe I can reconstruct something there that will give us a lead on whoever is behind this. Meredy, tell the guild i'll be gone for a few days." Meredy nodded, as she got up and headed for the guild."Lets go you two." The two nodded they're heads, as them and Ultear had left to go see if they could find the person behind the current chain of events.
Ooooo, looks like someone is causing some problems in Fiore! Keep with the story to find out who!
As always, thanks for reading and leave lots of reviews.
Laters!
