Chapter XI

As soon as we handed over the four kidnappers to Eren, who had taken them into custody with a considerable amount of satisfaction, we had left again. There was no time to waste because in two days we had to be in the deserted village Rose to meet this Ripper.

In my opinion, this name alone does not bode well for this person, for what good-natured person would give himself such a code name? And then there was someone who was brash, or stupid enough, to hire such amateurs as these four kidnappers. In addition, my instincts told me that we would certainly not have an easy time with this Ripper.

As we were already in the south of the kingdom of Fiore, luckily it was not a very long way to this fishing village. However, we did not manage to get there by train, because our destination was quite isolated from any civilization, so we had to walk around the area for a while, until we came upon the first dilapidated houses.

The seagulls became more numerous again and a salty smell of the sea was in the air. That meant we were finally at the finish. The path we had taken consisted only of a beaten track and led us now in the middle of some dilapidated and partly collapsed houses. Some plants were already overgrowing these remnants, and here and there a hare ran among the rubble, suggesting that this village had not been inhabited for a long time. Briefly, I wondered what had happened here, because there was almost no house that was still fully preserved. It almost seemed as if a whirlwind had swept through this place and turned it from one day to the next into a ghost village. What had happened to the former residents?

But these questions did not interest us now. We were here for one reason only: to meet Ripper. However, with a glance at my comrades, I sensed that they had similar questions and thoughts as I had. And even if I did not like to admit it, but somehow there was a certain weird aura here in this place. It was hard to explain, but it was almost as if a dark omen hovered over this deserted village.

"If the statements of these kidnappers are correct, then Ripper would have to show up tonight.", Erza broke the ghostly silence. She led our small group and finally stood with her arms crossed in a place that used to be the village center.

"A fitting meeting place for someone who calls himself Ripper.", Gray said coolly and looked around.

"Well, I think it's a bit scary.", Lucy said, instinctively taking a step closer to Natsu. As always, he looked quite unimpressed and just grinned cheekily.

"What's up, Lucy? Do you think this is where the ghosts of the former villagers are haunting?", he grinned, raising his hands threateningly. Immediately the blonde threw him venomous glances and folded her arms slightly offended.

"Stop it, Natsu.", she reprimanded him, but he just grinned wider and started making howling ghost sounds. Of course, Happy immediately agreed and it was not long before the two chased a screaming Lucy between the houses, pretending they were two ghosts. I rolled my eyes annoyed. Could not they even be serious?

"Well, I think it's pretty scary, too.", Wendy murmured quietly next to me and looked around a little anxiously.

"You do not have to be scared, Wendy.", Erza said to her in a strong voice and smiled at her, "Ghosts and such things do not exist.". Although the girl nodded next to me, but she looked as if this statement would only partially satisfy her.

Suddenly there was a loud crash behind us and judging by the sound, old and rotten wood shattered there. We all jumped in alarm and next to me Wendy squealed hysterically. No sooner had I heard her screeching than I already felt her clinging fearfully to my arm and pressing herself close to me. Without first noticing, I threw my head around to see what this noise had caused. Behind us, a large cloud of dust had whirled up where it covered and obscured the view. But when it slowly cleared again, we looked into the big eyes of Happy, who was sitting on a broken roof beam of one of the houses. He had probably jumped on it and the rotten wood had given way beneath him and broken through. But still anger raged up inside me. Did he, and Natsu, notice that this was not a place or an opportunity to fool around? We were on a mission and would soon meet the initiator of the kidnappings and these two had nothing better to do than run stupidly around here?

And only then did I really register that Wendy was still clinging to me and immediately stiffened. Slowly, my eyes slid down to her and a cold shower ran down my spine. Why did she have to do almost everything the way Isabel always did? How many times would she torture me with it?

"Let me go.", I muttered in a low and silent voice and had to control myself, not simply to snatch my arm out of her. Her eyes shot up to me and only then did she seem to realize that she was still clinging to my arm. Almost startled, she immediately released me and took a step back.

"Sorry.", she said quietly and looked down, "But I was just so scared.". I almost did not come to that fact, I thought cynically and looked down at the floor. A jumble of feelings raged in me again, because on the one hand I felt again the pain that her presence made me, but somewhere deep inside me was a kind of happiness. Lucky that she just stood here next to me.

"Hehe. Wendy thought I was a ghost.", Happy chuckled and we all turned our heads back to him,"She was so startled that she almost jumped on Levi's back.".

"I was not!", Wendy shouted immediately embarrassed and went fiery red on the face. Even the way she blush reminded me of little Isabel, I thought in frustration as I looked at her.

But somehow it already looked cute as she blushed, it went through my head and at that moment I wondered what I was thinking?! But still, I could not help admitting that it was frenzying me to watch Happy make fun of Wendy.

Without thinking much about it, I started moving and headed straight for the still-smoldering cat. With one smooth motion, I embraced his tail and pulled him from the bar down on which he had just been sitting. Immediately his giggling stuck in his throat, because now he hung upside down in front of me and looked at me with big eyes.

"Natsu! Help me! Levi has gone crazy!", he exclaimed in horror, trying to free himself from my grip, which he did not succeed. With a lot of noise Natsu came running immediately and stood in front of me indignant. Behind him, I spotted Lucy, who seemed quite happy that Natsu was not turning back to her and could not chase her around.

"What's up, Levi?", Natsu snapped at me, putting his hands on his hips, "Let Happy go!". In his eyes, I immediately saw the fire and the anger flare up and it was obvious that he would start a fight with me without hesitation. For a very brief moment it seemed really tempting to compete with him in a fight and to give him a proper beating, but I was just able to fight against this urge.

"No!", I growled at him, "The question is, what should that be, what you are doing here?! We are here because we meet Ripper and not to play ghosts and run around uselessly, you damned brats!". At the growling and threatening sound of my voice, Natsu actually jerked a little and Happy started to tremble in front of me.

"Spoilsport.", Natsu murmured insulted and continued to look at me and angrily I narrowed my eyes to slits.

"What?", I snapped irritably. This kid did not seem to quite understand that we were not here for fun!

"Alright, Levi.", he said placatingly, looking at me as if I were a monster, "Was not meant that way. But now please let Happy down.". With a snort, I responded to his request and let Happy simply flop to the ground on the spot. He squealed in alarm and could just spread his wings to avoid a hard fall. Then he immediately flew frantically behind Natsu and stared at me anxiously.

The others had followed our little quarrel with a safe distance and a brief uncomfortable silence entered between us, in which nobody knew what to say.

"All right.", Erza finally broke the silence and cleared her throat, "We should then take up positions.". Hopefully, Natsu and Happy could at least finish this without doing anything stupid again, I thought grudgingly, but this time I was silent. If I started a quarrel again, I would certainly irritate Natsu too much. He already looked like he wanted to rip my head off.

"Sooner or later, this guy will certainly turn up here in the village center.", Gray thought aloud, "It would be best if we hid here.". The others nodded.

"Okay.", Erza agreed, and together we looked for a place to hold out. Between the large fallen beams of a house right at the village center, we found a good hiding place, from which you had a good view of the surroundings, but still could not be discovered so easily. When the others got comfortable there, I stepped away from them a few paces.

"I'll take another look around the village.", I said to them while turning my back to them.

"Alright.", I heard Lucy say, as I walked away from them quickly.

Grumbling, I walked through the neglected streets of the village and looked at everything exactly. It was necessary for me to get away from the others again, because sometimes they all got on my nerves so much that I could not stand it anymore. Especially Natsu and Happy, when they behaved like they did! I snorted annoyed. It had never been so bad with Isabel and Furlan, I thought sadly. Although the two of them had also often brought me to incandescence, but it had never been that I could not stand it in their presence. Actually, we had even been inseparable. I had often wondered how the two of them had endured it with a cynical and grumpy bastard like me. They had this special way of making my dark heart laugh. I probably had forgotten how to engage with others since the two were gone. That's probably why I got upset about the many other little things that my comrades here did. But actually, there was no point in thinking about it now, I thought, folding my arms. It has gone by and I would never get back Isabel and Furlan.

Somewhat melancholy, I stopped now. I had reached the edge of the village, which bordered directly on the sea and now I looked at the clear and wide waters of the sea. Many seagulls floated over my head and the air tasted salty. The sun slowly dipped towards the horizon, creating a wonderful, almost calming mood through its radiant and warm light.

"Someday, we will go to the sea, right Levi?", Isabel laughed next to me. The three of us were lying on a large blanket in a meadow and looked up into the dark starry sky. A mild summer wind blew around our noses and let the leaves of the trees gently rustle.

"What do you want by the sea?", Furlan asked laughing and turned his head to us. Isabel was lying between us, her arms crossed on her stomach and looking up into the sky, beaming with joy.

"Enjoy the wide, the freedom!", she replied cheerfully, "We have lived in a confined space for so long, so it would be wonderful to finally be able to see the sea.".

"Yeah, but what do you want to do then if you're standing by the sea?", Furlan smirked, grinning, "All the while staring stupidly at the water?". Isabel then turned her head to Furlan and I was almost sure that she looked at him reproachfully.

"You're really stupid, Furlan.", she said, but still had to laugh brightly, "Of course I want to go swimming then!".

"You can not even swim.", I said and then she turned her head and looked at me with a big smile.

"So what? I have my two strong boys.", she giggled, spreading her arms and putting them around our necks to pull Furlan and me closer to her," If I go down, you two will just save me.".

I snorted lightly as she pressed my head against her shoulder. "I would not be so sure if I were you!", I grumbled.

Then she laughed again bright with her wonderful, carefree laugh and before I knew it, she pressed a big kiss on my forehead. "I know that I can always rely on you.", she whispered happily, as I grimaced in disgust.

"Stop that shit.", I grumbled, making her chuckle.

"Hey!", Furlan protested from her other side, "And what about me?". With another giggle, she turned her head to him and also pressed him a big smack on the cheek. Unlike me, he laughed happily now, but somehow I had to admit that it was amusing to be so threesome here. It was a familiar and homely feeling and although I did not like it when Isabel became so attached, it was somehow nice to know that I was not alone.

With a sigh, she pulled us both a little closer to her and looked up at the stars again. For a moment I looked at my little Isabel from the side. She was always so happy and confident and she, like Furlan, relied on me. I was never allowed to let her lose her smile one day, so I swore to myself. Slowly I also looked up again to the starry sky.

"Someday, we'll go to the sea, Isabel.", I said softly to her, "I promise you that.".

But I had never been able to keep that promise and that guilt still haunted me like a dark shadow. It was only years after their death that I was able to overcome myself for the first time in my life looking at the sea. At that time it almost felt like a betrayal of my two friends and now again in a similar place, brought these feelings in me again.

You would have liked it here, I thought sadly, looking at the soft, rushing waves. Screaming, Isabel would have run down to the water and thrown herself into the water while Furlan ran after her like an over-worried mother. But now it was only me who stood alone and lost here, gazing into the distant horizon. What an unjust world.

Sometimes I wondered how my life would have been if the two were still at my side. Would we still work for Erwin? Or if the three of us would eventually have joined a magician guild? Maybe even Fairy Tail?

With a loud sigh, I shook my head as if to get these thoughts out of my head. To pity myself would not bring them back to life, I thought to myself and slowly started moving again to continue my tour. At first I got upset about Natsu because he did not take this seriously enough and then I stood around here staring silently at the sea. How pathetic!

I ran on amidst the dilapidated houses without a word, before I had declared my tour finished and I was sure that I was again able to withstand the presence of the others without getting angry again immediately. So I headed purposefully towards our hideout at the village center when I stopped short of it. I thought that I had just heard my name from the murmur of the others and now remained instinctively completely calm.

"... completely over the top, how he reacted.", I heard Natsu's voice say. He still sounded quite offended and did not seem to have digested that I had bruised him and Happy.

"If you are honest, you have to admit that he was justifiably angry. You two are too chaotic sometimes.", I heard Erza say and heard a muffled, agreeing murmur.

"What can I do that he does not understand fun? He's always miserable and colder than Gray's ice.", Natsu tried to defend himself and I snorted softly. This naughty snob!

"That 's just his nature.", I suddenly heard Wendy's voice and raised an eyebrow in astonishment, "I think he has his reasons why he is the way he is now.". Was the kid actually trying to defend me from Natsu? How did she come to such a thing? Somehow I was uncomfortable knowing that Wendy was working for me in whatever way, so I quickly started moving again.

"If I were Ripper, you were probably already discovered, if not dead.", I growled at them as I entered the hideout and they all scared winced a little. For a moment, they looked guiltily to the ground, but I pretended not to hear what they had been talking about before.

"He's supposed to show up here later. So do not panic.", Natsu said immediately unconcerned and I took a few deep breaths, not to tell him again how his naive and carefree way annoyed me. It would not be wise to start a fight now, because soon dusk would set in. Silently I sat between Gray and Erza and tried to stay calm.

More or less silently, we then just waited until the darkness slowly set in and it became noticeably quieter. Only the sound of the sea still came to us and a ghostly silence lay over the fishing village.

As it was already completely dark, we finally heard steps and alarmed we ducked instantly in combat-ready positions. None of us dared barely even breathe when we all peered into the village square and saw a tall figure coming to a halt with slow steps in the middle of the square. The moon was now shining down on us, plunging the person there in an eerie and cold light. The figure was tall and strong, apparently a man, and wore a broad hat that hung low over his face. A long, dark cloak wafted around his body, reaching almost to the ground, giving him an eerie look.

"My goodness, my goodness.", the figure spoke suddenly in a deep, scratchy voice, but kept his head lowered and I immediately had a shiver down my spine. Could that really be?

"I did not think we would see each other like this again.", the man laughed grumpily, finally raising his head and looking directly in our direction. How could he have noticed us so fast?

"What is it? Aren't you glad to see me again, Levi?", the man asked, laughing hoarsely and my eyes widened in horror as I registered who this man was. For a short moment I was terrified, because I knew this person who stood in the middle of the village square in front of us only too well.