Chapter 10: Natsu's lost years part 3
The 'Dive' as it was known was one of the shadiest bars in all of Fiore and hidden in the alleyways of Begonia City. Smooth jazz music played creating a peaceful atmosphere the dark mages and criminals seemed to enjoy.
There was one bar counter with four tables around the room; some of the tables had dirty plates and glasses. Behind the counter there were half empty hanging glass racks and dozens of different alcohol bottles.
The bar tender wiped his counter clean as he watched the comings and goings of the bar, carefully keeping his eye on everyone.
The doors to the bar flew open and two mages entered in a hurry. The first was a massive monkey like man with slim limbs and very long, fluffy, albeit, spiky hair. The second man also resembled a monkey but had a large black afro. The two men were dressed in white suits.
They were dragging behind them a resistant young girl. The average looking teenager had black hair and blue eyes. She had a very lean frame which with her short, unkempt hair that was spiked out at the sides gave her a less than feminine appearance. The girl's dress was tore and ragged from being dragged around.
"Gato, Zato, I wasn't expecting you. I'll clear out the bar." The bar tender apologized as he began forcing all the patrons out.
With everyone gone, the bartender locked the front door and went into the back. Then, the two turned to the young girl.
"Welcome to your new home Ayame." Gato laughed as he tossed the girl to the ground.
"This is the new secret location of the naked mummy guild. After our last one was burned down we were forced to relocate." Zato explained.
"You can't keep me here!" Ayame screamed.
"Your father owed us a lot of money, more than he'll be able to pay back. You're 16 now. You should be able to work off the debt by the time you're 40." Zato explained.
"I'll never work for you." Ayame refused getting up.
"You don't have a choice in the matter." Gato said grabbing her arm.
"Let go of me." Ayame cried out as she slapped the ape like man.
"We need to teach her some manners." Gato shouted as he threw Ayame on to a table.
"I'm with you on this. She needs to know her place." Zato agreed as he held Ayame down.
"Trust me; you're going to enjoy this." Gato laughed as he ripped her dress off leaving her in her underwear.
Before Gato could do anything the entire bar shook before an explosion tore a hole the back wall and sent the bartender flying across the bar.
Gato and Zato released Ayame who ran to take shelter behind the bar counter. The two dark mages had their attention focused on the hole in the wall and the smoke pouring out of it. They didn't have time to react as a fire engulfed figure emerged from the smoke like a rocket flattening Gato with a clothesline tackle before grabbing the back of Zato's head and smashing him face first into the floor.
Ayame peered up over the bar counter trembling as she watched her savoir. He was covered in crimson red flames and burning brightly. The flames died away as he turned to her. With the flames gone she could see his most distinct feature, his pink hair.
"You saved me, thank you." Ayame cried.
"I didn't save you. I am merely a reaper come to collect the souls of this dark guild." Natsu responded as he walked over to the front door and kicked it down.
"A crimson… reaper…" Ayame mumbled.
Natsu then removed the jacket and pants of Gato and tossed them to Ayame.
"Leave now!" Natsu ordered.
Ayame pulled the large jacket over her and jumped into the oversized pants having to hold it up to keep it from falling. The young girl then left and ran as fast as she could. Ayame turned around as she put distance between herself and the bar and watched as the entire building went up in flames, flames that burned crimson red.
XXXXX
A tired white haired girl stepped off a train carrying a single bag. She did her best not to let on that she was running on empty. She looked around the train station intently; she was surprised that so many people were at the Era train station.
She had been travelling for a while but mostly to small, under-populated towns and this was the first major city she visited in months.
The stairs were filled with people rushing to get to their train or out of the station. Rune Knights walked around checking for anybody suspicious, stopping and searching groups of young people.
Announcements were being broadcast by Lacrima speakers but no one could hear them over the noise of the crowd. The white haired girl held her head, as she nursed her headache. The sounds of bells, people talking, laughing and trains coming and going did little to help.
As she left the train station, exhaustion took over and she collapsed. Before she could hit the ground someone caught her. As her eyes closed she could make out his spiky, blonde hair.
The white haired girl stirred as she pulled the covers over her head. Slowly it donned on her that she was in a bed she didn't remember getting into. She sprung up and looked around. She was still in all her clothes.
She realized she was in a hotel room; it wasn't a very fancy one. It was just the bed and a table in the room with a small TV on it. Blocking the door was her older sister sitting on a chair. The elder sibling stared daggers at the younger.
"I should be so angry with you Lisanna." Mirajane scolded.
"This place is a dump." Laxus said walking out of the bathroom.
"It's nice to see you, Mira-nee." Lisanna greeted as she made herself comfortable. "Did you have to bring him?"
"It's not like I wanted to see your depressed face." Laxus shot back.
"Please don't fight." Mirajane pleaded.
"Why are you here?" Laxus interrogated the tired Strauss.
"I really like this city." Lisanna lied.
"Oh, so it has nothing to do with rumours that a guy calling himself Salamander was seen in Era." Laxus retorted.
"I didn't hear that. Maybe I should check it out" Lisanna replied.
"You've been searching for so long, you should come home. You're wearing yourself out." Mirajane said.
"I won't be able to go back there until I find him. I just have to find him." Lisanna responded.
"Then let us help you." Mirajane proposed.
"Help me? You gave up searching for him after only a few months." Lisanna muttered.
"I'm sorry that you think we betrayed you and him by giving up but we couldn't put our lives on hold. He doesn't want to be found." Mirajane answered.
"What if something happened to him? What if that's why we haven't been able to find him?" Lisanna theorized.
"There's always been that possibility." Laxus gritted his teeth.
"Lisanna, please come home with us." Mirajane pleaded.
"I have leads that I should run down." Lisanna replied.
"Laxus and I are getting married. Please, I want you at the wedding." Mirajane revealed.
"You're lying." Lisanna accused.
Mirajane raised her hand and showed off the ring. "I can't get married without you there."
A realization donned upon the youngest strauss sibling, in her efforts to find Natsu she had neglected her family and her nakama.
"I'm sorry." Lisanna apologized as he jumped her sister and hugged her. "I completely ignored you and Elf nii-chan."
"I understand. Let's go home." Mirajane cried.
XXXXX
Natsu stumbled in the dark of night through the streets of Forsythia Town shaking the feeling of dizziness and disorientation off. He had just destroyed the Naked Mummy guild a few miles away, they were involved in making explosives. He used his fire recklessly and ended up creating an explosion that even he had trouble with.
Now he was in this boring port town. The town wasn't very magically inclined and more about sea trade. Since there weren't many wizards, there weren't any dark guilds around, only small gangs.
As he moved further into the town he came across a beautiful brunette in a long white dress. The woman had hazel brown eyes that were furious as she was being accosted by three men.
"Oh come on, you know you want to have fun." The first man laughed.
"We can make thinks very easy or very difficult for you." The second man threatened.
"You don't really have a choice in the matter, come with us and enjoy it." The third man scoffed.
Before the brunette could respond Natsu joined in, the dragon slayer grabbed the first and second man's head before slamming them together rendering both men unconscious. The third ran away but Natsu didn't bother with him.
"You should have knocked him out too." The brunette gulped.
"I don't care, I was walking by and this whole scene was annoying me." Natsu retorted.
"Well now, that guy is going to run back to his friends and call for back up. You're going to have close to fifty wannabe gangsters here in a few minutes." The brunette warned. "That's going to annoy you a whole lot more."
"Oh, this could be interesting." Natsu smirked.
The brunette grabbed his arm and dragged him away. With his balance and equilibrium off, Natsu went with the flow. The dragon slayer followed the brunette through the streets and back alleys. She knew where she was going like she had run before.
They stopped behind a house and the brunette began unzipping her dress.
"You must really be thankful." Natsu laughed.
"Don't flatter yourself." The brunette retorted.
She had a tank top and tights on underneath. She ditched the dress and continued running while still dragging Natsu with her. She ran until she came to a park area that was high up in the town and had a perfect view of the ocean and harbour.
The brunette looked out to sea as she caught her breath. Natsu watched her and noticed a mark on her lower back and recognised it.
"You're part of Titan Nose?" Natsu accused.
"Huh?" The brunette responded confused.
"You have the guild mark on back." Natsu said.
"That's not a guild mark. It's a mark I was branded with when some guy drugged me on his ship." The brunette explained.
"Bora got you?" Natsu realised.
"Yeah, he was a bastard. A real sadist." The brunette gritted her teeth. "I was an idiot run away looking for the easy life."
"I remember him being more pathetic then sadistic." Natsu scoffed.
"Luckily the guy who bought me from Bora was much kinder and not the least bit pathetic. He's waiting in the boat down there with some other girls." The brunette smiled.
"So you're a…" Natsu responded.
"Yes, I'm a working girl in the world's oldest profession." The brunette smiled. "Not the kind you find on the streets. I'm high class."
"So what was that back there?" Natsu asked bored.
"I just finished up my visit with the mayor and those guys thought they could have some fun. Like I said, I have standards." The brunette explained. "Are you regretting saving me?"
"I didn't save you." Natsu laughed. "I was bored and looking for a fight."
"And here I thought you were a big strapping knight saving a damsel in distress." The brunette sighed.
"You can't save everyone so why even bother." Natsu muttered.
"You lost someone that you tried to save." The brunette realised.
"Chelia, it will be painful what happens next with these bastards and their experiments but stay alive, hold on, I promise I will get us out of here."
Natsu remained silent as he remembered a promise unfulfilled.
"I can tell, I'm good at reading people." The brunette nodded. "I was thinking about dying my hair blonde, people love the whole ditzy blonde act."
"What the hell are you talking about?" Natsu scoffed.
"You seemed upset so I thought I would change the topic." The brunette explained.
"You said there would be fifty of them." Natsu said breaking his knuckles and walking back where they came from.
"If you're ever in Oak Town look me up, they call me Diamond." The brunette waved goodbye.