A new day had begun, with sunlight hitting the wall against which she was turned. She sat up blinking and pushing her hair from her face.
A smile spread on her face.
It was today.
She was going to meet her special friend and they were going to find the secrets from the ruins.
She wasn't allowed there but it was okay to sneak behind her father's back.
Rolling on the bed towards its edge, she threw her legs out of the covers and hopped down to the cold tiled floor. The long nightshirt unfolded down her legs, nearly covering her feet. It was with a grumble that she shook her head and walked to the window.
Clear blue sky, a radiant sun rising to her left, the distant sound of the sea and closer the men who were singing while they worked.
Yes, it was going to be today.
Getting into her old pants, shirt and jacket didn't take long – thankfully, she couldn't help but think – and the fact that her long hair wouldn't need anything special besides a simple hair tie was another reason to rejoice.
Looking carefully out the door, the corridor was empty. She could go now.
The family hall was what worried her the most. Once she got to the servants and helpers' quarters she could relax slightly. They would let her pass and not rat her out to her parents. At least she had allies in the house. With a sly smile, she went to the kitchen, walking through the usual bustle that always managed to produce such amazing treats. She snuck a bread from the large bread basket and took an apple from the fruits' basket. The head cook caught her and they shared a look before the old woman winked and turned around to boss the two busy helpers who were working on what looked like pastries. She left the kitchen.
And bumped into her friend Chico. The tall, dark man with blue eyes held her before she fell and made her twirl over herself, eliciting a laugh from her.
"Where are you going in such a hurry?" asked him, surprised.
"You know me, places to go, things to do…" she waved her free hand before getting back on her way. "I'll see you later."
"Alright. Be careful." Said the other as he wiped some sweat from his forehead.
"Oh, don't worry. I always am." She took a bite of the bread before breaking into a jog.
"Ah, if you wanted me not to worry you shouldn't have said that." She could hear Chico say behind her. It made her laugh a bit as she ran through the working area – thankfully it was still too early for it to be busy – and slipped into the forest.
She finished the bread and started on the apple, the tartness only making her hurry to eat the fruit. Her strides were sure and fast on the familiar forest path. As she was nearing the meeting point she threw the apple's core carelessly to a few bushes nearby.
And then, she was stepping into the clearing. He was already there.
The windswept short brown hair and the green clothes that blended so well with the forest green.
He turned and his always changing face split with a smile. In the man it looked handsome while in the woman it looked radiant.
"Ah, so you finally got here." He walked towards her.
"Of course!" She said with a large smile. "Wouldn't miss it for anything."
He extended his hand and she took it without hesitation.
At first glance, the ruins did take quite a bit of land and they were practically unsheltered. There was a small strip of land from them to the edge and then downwards was a cliff – though it wasn't of much height – and at the bottom, rocks were hidden by the white foam of the waves that crashed against the base.
To their right – if they were positioned with the sea to their left, the ruins in front of them – was a small slope dotted with low shrubs before the forest emerged imposingly.
To Natsu it felt like the forest was watching them, their every move. It was odd. And most likely just in his head but… there was an itch to the back of his head that didn't allow him to relax.
That and the fact that they were back to the island of weird.
The team walked slowly, it was a large space and the rocks were still there outlining the places where once had been a building, filled with people and movement. It was strange. The rocks nearly seemed like they wanted to sing, tell their stories. Lucy might even take a few stories out of them, were they able to listen.
And Natsu had to snort at the silliness his thoughts were turning to. The others were being serious, grave even, and he had to behave like that too. Probably. But he couldn't. Strangely, Natsu felt like laughing and looking at the sea. He jumped to where there was the remaining of a wall, one area free of the not overly carved stone and looked at the sea, back firmly against the forest. Sure, the trip to the island had been the usual ordeal – 'Happy, I won't leave you behind, ever again. Gut feeling or not… I miss you…' he thought morosely while looking at the blue waters, seeing one fish jump out from the water and dive flawlessly. It made him laugh and jump over the dirt squares that were lined out by the grey, white and brown rocks, until he reached the strip of dirt and looked down.
It was strange. Natsu was feeling like he was overflowing with energy but he hadn't done anything. The others were already starting to look strangely at him. Natsu shrugged. He wasn't doing anything wrong.
While the others were inspecting the ancient structures and trying to connect them to what might have been their function, Natsu noticed that where more ruins were, a little away from them. It seemed like a small sconce in the native stone, also with structures.
Slowly – which was a feat for Natsu at the moment – the fire mage approached the sconce. First he noticed the outer wall, in a "U shape" and how on the ground seemed to be a slab of dirty beige stone, finely carved in smaller partitions. There were seven, being that the partition on top was larger than any other and in a semi-circle.
The fire mage knelt and touched the stone but his hand snapped away from it as if it had been shocked. There was also a strange scent coming from it and all that bounding energy from moments before seemed to be bleeding out of him.
"Hey guys!" The dragonslayer called the other mages. "I think I found something."
"What did you find?" Asked Lucy, the first to arrive since she was closer.
"This stone." Natsu pointed at it.
Erza and Gray got there and the four mages looked at the stone.
"It looks like it might have something underneath." Gray commented.
"And should we open it?" Lucy asked cautiously, taking a step back. "I don't know, guys…"
"But what if it has the key to all the mystery?" Asked Natsu, going up and down on the balls of his feet.
"And if it makes it worse?" Erza interjected. "I don't know if it's wise…"
"Come on. I bet that there's something under it!" Natsu whined. "It would be easier if at least one of you gave me a hand. I don't think that it'll be good if I break the stone but it's as thick as the width of my hand and heavy."
"Fine. We'll help you." Erza said.
The four mages managed to dislodge the slab of stone on one first push and then they slid it down, unearthing a hole on the ground. The dusty tops of six urns were unveiled by a gust of wind that ripped away the thin veil that had been covering it. And then, at the place of the semi-circle was something covered in white cloth.
That was when the wind became sharper and it seemed like the few clouds that had been littering the sky had grown and darkened, from one moment to the other. But Natsu approached the cove and pulled the cloth, before the others realized. It was a tablet in shiny obsidian. A purple fume came off it, raising and starting to cover the fire mage who was startled and attempted to let the tablet go but he seemed to be stuck to it. The fume reached Natsu's throat and started to heap in that area, making the fire mage gasp.
It was the combined action of the others that took the tablet from his hand, ripped him from there and helped take the purple dust from his throat.
The Salamander was panting heavily, trying to catch his breath.
"Okay…" he started. "Now I know how it feels for a candle to be snuffed out." He let out a mirthless laugh.
"You moron!" Gray yelled, stomping to stand in front of him. "What did you think you were doing?"
"Seriously, Natsu." Lucy glared at him.
"That thing reeks of dark magic." Erza said while she looked impassively at Natsu in that 'you try one thing like that again and you're dead' look of hers.
The fire mage gulped.
"Hey, it's not my fault!" he tried to say before they threw him off the cliff. "I just… did it. Don't know why. One moment I'm just looking at it and then I have that thing, which won't come off, and I'm feeling everything slipping through my fingers. It was hella weird."
Lucy facepalmed, Erza pinched the bridge of her nose and Gray covered his eyes with a hand.
"Don't tell me that you're the trouble magnet now." Lucy grumbled.
"Don't know about that. But I can pass without being like a candle, thanks." Natsu said with a snort while he slowly stood up.
The glares he received made him lift his hands in an "I'm innocent" kind of way to try to ease the others.
It was going to be a long day.
A/N: I'm so sorry that this chapter was short and nothing much happened. I had four more topics to develop on the chapter (more or less) but got some news that made me sad. The street cat we "had" died today and, well, it kind of ruins one's mood to write, ne?
He was old already but that doesn't mean that I'm not extremely sad. This one's for you, Chico.
Anyway, usual stuff. No beta. To Citrus Sunscreen.
Okay. Feedback is great.