Strength It Takes

Chapter Eleven

Jack cursed savagely as he threw his bag on the ground, slamming the door behind him with his foot.

Five fucking minutes into his mission and he's already spotted!

He had been scouting the town of Magnolia where Fairy Tail was rumored to reside, making sure he knew the layout like the back of his hand in case he should ever have to find a hiding spot quickly, when his keen hearing had picked up a startled gasped. He had turned his head to see where it had originated from in time to catch a pair of wide, terrified brown eyes with his. He hadn't recognized the blond that the brown eyes had belonged to, but he sure recognized the fear he saw etched onto her face. Her entire face had paled and her eyes had gotten impossible wide. Whoever she was, while he didn't know who she was, she sure seemed to recognize who he was.

If it hadn't been for his quick thinking that had prompted him to duck into the closest shop behind him, he surely would have been spotted by the blond's armored friend. And that sword at the red head's hip hadn't looked like it was just for show.

Jack cursed again and flopped down on the hotel bed on his back, his dark green eyes narrowed in thought.

"Your brother wasn't the same after you left. He…changed."

His uncle's words repeated themselves in Jack's mind, causing him to frown. Hiro had changed since Jack had been thrown in jail three years ago. According to his uncle, not for the better. What did that mean? Had Hiro tried to follow in his brother's footsteps and become a career criminal? Or had it been something…worse?

A thought suddenly accured to him. Hiro and Jack had always looked alike, had often been mistaken for twins despite their four year age difference. This town was the town that housed the guild that the mage, Salamander, that had killed his brother came from. Maybe…maybe that woman hadn't recognized Jack…but had thought he was his brother. His dead brother.

That would explain why she looked like she was about to faint. But, he frowned, closing his eyes on a weary sigh, but what does she have to do with Hiro? What happened between them?

Sitting up, Jack ran a hand through his black locks, his handsome face twisted into a scowl.

Who gives a shit? He thought, growling. I didn't come here to find out what Hiro did with his life. I came here to avenge him. And avenge him I will.

With that thought in mind, Jack got to his feet and headed to the bathroom, a hot shower and a decent meal the most prevalent thing on him mind.

Natsu sighed as he closed the door the Lucy's bedroom softly behind him. Erza looked up from her hands as she sat on the couch when he approached, her face grim with worry.

"She's finally asleep," he said, settling next to his teammate with a sigh.

"Did you figure out what scared her so badly?" Erza asked, eyeing Natsu's ragged face and his worried eyes. He met her gaze and his lips turned down in a rare scowl.

"She...thinks she saw the mage that hurt her from our last mission," he told her curtly. When she jerked in surprise, he nodded. "Exactly."

"But I thought you killed him."

"That's the thing," Natsu said, his eyes clouded and filled with conflicting emotion. "I did. He was dead when we left, I'm certain of it."

A moment of silence fell between them as Erza contemplated the possibility of a dead mage coming back from the grave. It simply didn't seem to possible. Since she had joined Fairy Tail and even a little before, she had come across all kind of magic, but as far as she knew, once a mage was dead, they stayed dead. Sometimes their magic would linger, depending on their state of mind at the time of their death, but never have a mage been reported coming back to life. It all just seemed so impossible.

"Could it be a mistake?" she asked finally. Natsu leaned back against the back of the couch, his eyes closed. "Do you know if he had a brother or anything?"

Natsu simply shook his head. "I didn't exactly ask about his life story, you know?"

Erza nodded and got to her feet, the air rang with the sound of metal sliding against metal as she straightened her armor. It was time she got to the bottom of this. "Well, I guess all we can do is look into it. No matter what Lucy says, I find it hard to believe that the mage is back to life. There has to be an explanation for this and I'm going to find it." As she spoke, she made her way to the door, but paused with her hand on the handle. Turning to look back at Natsu, who had since sat back up and watched her with dark eyes, she managed a smile for him. "You're not alone in this, Natsu. We all love Lucy and we'll make sure nothing happens to her…together."

Natsu gave her a grateful smile and nodded. "Thanks, Erza. I'll meet you at the guild later."

After Erza was gone and it was just Natsu in the darkened living room, he couldn't seem settle his stomach. Despite Erza's adamancy that there had to be a logical explanation, there was something that was bugging him. Something he had scented on Lucy when he had been holding her. He hadn't been sure at the time, but now that he thought back on it, he was almost certain.

Underneath her nature scent and the sour odor of her fear, it had been there. It had been light enough that if Natsu hadn't been as close to Lucy as he had been, he wouldn't have noticed, the dark mage's scent. There was no doubt about it, there was something strange going on and it all revolved around the damn dark mage.

(AN: I know, it's been forever since I last updated and I left you guys hanging. Unfortunately, this chapter is even more confusing that the ones before it. It's crazy, this story really seems to have a life of its own. I honestly, when I started this, had no idea that it would turn into this! I really tried to keep it as in character as I could, but with the seriousness of the situation, I made Natsu a little more mature than I usually do. I hope you guys don't totally hate me for this, but I can't seem to stop myself! Thank you to those of you that reviewed, I adore you all!)

Jane