AN: Can't be bothered making a really long winded AN about having a laptop now, but I do apologise for leaving all of my readers hanging for so long. Thanks for all the reviews, you guys really make me feel loved. It seems I am going to be doing the Edolas arc, so I may have to rewatch the arc (it's been a while, and I don't want to leave big, gaping plotholes (ahem)) to be able to successfully write everything, and everyone correctly (well, as close as I can get to correctly). Please enjoy this chapter. :-)
I have finally named this story 'Lost and Found' because uh, Ichigo was lost, but then Fairy Tail found him. (or something similar that I will explain more clearly later on in the story)
Disclaimer: I own neither Bleach nor Fairy Tail.
Chapter 11
Ichigo blinked. Twenty minutes later he had found himself being pushed out of the guild to wait outside for Lucy, Natsu and Happy to come back. Mirajane had given him a reassuring smile when he tried to protest and told him that it would be okay, and that it was his first job so it was okay to be a little nervous. When Ichigo tried to tell her that he wasn't nervous, just wondering why he had to be pushed out of the guild when he could have done it himself, she had patted him on the shoulder and told him to get all his stuff together and she had left.
"What stuff?" Ichigo mumbled to himself out loud, ignoring a certain someones cackles. All he had was the clothes on his back (his shinigami robes) and Zangetsu. Where was all this stuff he was to collect? Well, he supposed that as everyone in the guild thought he was from here, they probably thought he kept his stuff somewhere near. Oh, how he would love to prove them wrong (and win an argument for once.).
A cry, sounding suspiciously like his name, made him look up, and return from his thoughts. Lucy was standing at the end of the street with a small overnight bag slung over her shoulder. Next to her was Natsu with a big rucksack, and flying beside was Happy with a bag so tiny Ichigo wondered if it actually held anything at all.
He rasied a hand in greeting, and, in return, Lucy bekoned him over.
"Ready to go?" she asked when Ichigo joined their little group.
He nodded. "I guess so."
They started the walk to the train, passing Levy who gave a "hi" and a wave when she saw them.
"Are you nervous?" Lucy gave him a reassuring smile (he thought that was what it was meant to be).
"Not really."
"It's okay to be nervous on your first job. Everyone is."
"I wasn't." Natsu interjected.
"Neither was I." Happy added. "You were the only one Lucy."
Lucy huffed, and pouted. "Well, you're not the only ones in the guild."
"I wasn't nervous, but I'm sure flamebrain was really." Ichigo turned to see Gray tagging along, shirtless.
"What did you say iceblock?" Natsu snarled, turning to face Gray as well.
"Oh, nothing," Gray said airily, "I was just correcting a statement."
"You weren't correcting anything you moronic block of ice!"
"I was too barbeque!"
Ichigo blinked, and then sighed. They had one more person along for the ride, and all they were gonna do was argue? Really now, that's not how you behave. Such bad insults at that. Even he could do better.
Shiro gave a chuckle. ~Coming from you that's pretty rich. You're always fighting with someone yourself. Usually that redhead.~
Am not! I never fight with people!
~Then what are you doing now?~ Shiro's chuckles increased in volume.
Ichigo bit his lip to keep from yelling out loud. Damn. Shiro was right.
~I'm always right.~
No, no you're not. Sometimes I'm right!
~Rarely.~
Bite me.
~Gladly.~
Wait -no! Don't actually bite me!
~Awww...~
"Um, Ichigo?" Lucy waved a hand in his face. "You there? We're at the train station already."
Ichigo shook his head and blinked. "Oh. Okay." he paused, and looked around the busy train station. "Now what?"
"Now we get on a train silly." Gray snapped. "What else would you do at a train station?"
"You could pick someone up!" Happy piped up.
"Rhetorical question Happy," Lucy sighed, leading the group towards one train in particular. "It wasn't meant to be answered."
"Aye sir!" the blue cat replied, flying over to Natsu, and poking him. "You getting on the train?"
Natsu blanched, and looked at the train. "Do I have too?" he whined.
Ichigo raised an eyebrow. "What, don't like travelling?"
"The flamebrain gets motion sick very easily." Gray snorted.
"What did you call me?" Natsu snarled.
"I said flamebrain!" Gray replied, smug look on face.
"Oh really?" Natsu leaned in close, and so did Gray.
~Are they gonna kiss?~
Read the mood. They're gonna fight.
~And yet again, awww...~
Please, Zangetsu, do something about him, would you? People are starting to give me odd looks whenever I suddenly just stop paying attention to whatever is happening in the outside world. It's starting to get awkward.
-Fine, fine. Shiro, come here. We're going to play poker.-
~Yipeee~ See ya later king, I've got a game to win.~ And with that, Shiros chuckles finally faded away.
Lucy laughed nervously, and pushed Natsu onto the train while he was still distracted with glaring at Gray. "Anyways, lets just get this mission done before someone," she directed a glare at Natsu and Gray, "destroys the train station or something else. Again."
Ichigo hopped onto the train behind Gray, and watched Happy calmly fly through the doorway, giggling to himself about something or another. That was one odd cat. He'd almost say he'd prefer Yoruichi, but he really just did not want to say that in general. Yoruichi was one horrid cat, with no idea of what the word decentry means. He could feel himself going red just thinking abut when she first transformed back into a human in front of him, and Shiro's snorts of laughter weren't helping at all.
As they all took seats on the train, it started to move. Natsu immediately blanched, and fell over Gray, who had ended up sitting next to him in some weird twist of fate. He groaned, but made no move to get off Gray, who seemed to have resigned himself to his fate for the train ride.
"So what do we have to do on the job this time?" Gray curiously questioned.
Lucy gave a small roll of her eyes. "It's just a simple capture the thieves and return the gold they stole to the bank kind of thing. Pays good money, and shouldn't be too tricky for a first job for Ichigo. We're really just here as support for him on his first job in the guild and to make sure nothing goes wrong."
Did it really pay good money? Ichigo pulled the flyer out from nowhere, and took a look at the price. He shrugged internally. He'd never seen this type of currency before, so he had no idea if this was a big amount or a small amount. He was also pretty sure that he would have done fine if someone had just given him a map. He could have just flash stepped there within ten minutes, probably. Oh well. If they wanted to be friendly, he wasn't going to stop them. It was nice to have someone with him, even though he'd never admit that out loud.
He settled back into the seat, and relaxed, prepared to sleep on the train. It was a nice time to get some shut eye in.
"WAIT!" A voice cried suddenly, and Ichigo reluctantly opened one eye. Erza was standing in the middle of the isle, a humongous bag of who knows what behind her. "I'm here too!" She frowned. "Were you guys trying to leave without me?"
"No, not really," Lucy sighed, "I just didn't want to bother you." She gave a smile. "But it seems you wanted to come anyways, so I guess I can't stop you now."
"That's right," Erza said firmly. "Don't leave me behind."
Gray rolled his eyes, and mumbled under his breath. "Maybe it's because you destroy stuff and would probably harm the success of this job even further than it already has been with Natsu along for the ride."
Natsu, unable to reply, just gave a big belch, and Gray started to snap at Natsu, because no-one wants to be vomited on.
Ichigo gave a small smile at their antics, then turned to Erza, still standing, and her bag. "What's with the bag?"
She lifted her chin proudly. "Stuff we might need."
Ichigo raised an eyebrow. He doubted the usefulness of most of the stuff she had put in her bag, but if push came to shove, they could always use it as a shield to hide behind. That was always a good thing to have in mind.
Erza sat in the seat behind Lucy and him, and started up a conversation with Lucy about something or another. Girls talk, Ichigo guessed.
He closed his eyes once more, and decided to go join in the poker game currently bein played in his inner world.
AN: Uh, yea, it's a chapter? I hope you like it, my dear readers.
I have also realised that I have been a very silly idiot and I have been spelling Gray's name with an e instead of an a. Sorry for the mistake... (I think it comes from the fact that I have completely confused myself between Gray's name and how to spell the colour grey (gray?)) I won't be going back and fixing it now, as I'm really not in the mood, but one day I will go back and fix it. (I hope)
