02

Research

a detailed study of a subject, especially in order to discover (new) information or reach a (new) understanding

Natsu lay on his bed clad in just a towel. He let out a sigh of relief - the shower did calm him down a bit but he was still on edge. Running a hand over his stomach he groaned, the heat from the scalding water unknotted a notable amount of tension in his muscles. Another thing he was exceedingly grateful for was the community gym. Working out was one of the only ways he released his anxiety; he wouldn't know how to cope with his stress if the gym suddenly added a subscription.

His dark-green eyes were dragged to his window as soon as he heard a sudden tapping. Dark obsidian eyes stared at him through the glass; they were charged with mischief. It tapped at the window again growing impatient as it licked its seemingly blue fur. Jumping up to open the window, he let the minuscule, furry creature in. He would be lying if he said the blue cat hadn't given him a mini heart attack.

He found it ironic that he struggled so much trying to dye his hair, yet the cat now laying on his bed had managed to permanently dye its fur after it got its paws on some blue hair dye Natsu had attempted to use. The feline was now mewling loudly on his bed in a cry for attention. Natsu sighed again, that cat loved to ruin his train of thought. "One sec Happy, lemme get dressed first," he grumbled, searching for some sweatpants.

He leapt onto the bed, startling Happy, he placed the cat onto his chest and allowed himself to be engulfed in his own world again. Angst was clouding his mind once again, he despised not knowing what that loan shark was up to. Attacking a man in broad daylight was so unlike him. Was the debt so large that security didn't matter or did he want his men captured by the authorities? A sudden idea erupted in him.

"Happy, what do you say we do some research?" the cat merely meowed in response. Natsu gently shifted Happy onto the ragged pillow at the head of his bed and scrambled to find his laptop. The device was bulky and vintage – Natsu struggled to balance it in his arms. He hopped back on the mattress, once again changing Happy's position towards him. It was like the computer was trying to stay down when he attempted to lift the screen. Antique devices were always a struggle to turn on. He used a little more force to open up the computer this time, grinning in victory as he finally got it open.

Loading the machine was always a lengthy process. Natsu scanned over the dust particles on the inky electronic, trying to kill time. When it finally loaded, he cracked his knuckles, eager to do some investigating. His tanned, calloused fingers were coordinated and swift over the keyboard. Firstly, he decided to do some research on criminal activity in Magnolia. His chest was flooded with relief when he soon found out there had been no significant change. Magnolia had always been a peaceful town anyway.

He was trying to convince himself that the incident this morning was just a one-off from a faceless gang. Alas, he knew better than to swim in delusion. Something was urging him to explore further. He set on checking crime activity over the whole of Fiore. Once again, his fingers flew over the keyboard, his chest tightening as he hit the search button. The anxiety building in his consciousness was slowly easing out whilst he scanned through the data. Everything was fine.

He closed out of the tab, letting the browser rest on his home page. He was more relaxed now, even if the men had been sent from him, it was probably just a one-off. Just as he was about to close the browser something. caught his eye. It was an article. The headline made his heart drop.

BREAKING: Woman in Margaret town attacked by gang members over debt!

Angst came barging into his mind once again. He expanded the news section on the browser, revealing other articles. It felt like his stomach was going to burst as more headlines about attacks all over Fiore. There were incidents in two other cities besides Magnolia and Margaret. An old retired businessman had been mugged in Oshibana, and a higher-up in Magic Mobile corps had been assaulted. In all cases, witnesses had claimed to have heard the gang members roaring about 'debt' or 'loans'.

He knew it was too good to be true. Natsu was now certain he was now active again. The acid in his belly was now bubbling violently. Feeling like he was going to vomit, he swallowed down the large lump in his throat. He just prayed they didn't aggravate him enough to strike him and Igneel next.

In haste, Natsu scarfed down a slice of toast whilst buttoning up his shirt. He opted to not bother with his tie as he could already hear the frustrated honking from outside the house. Natsu lived near the edge of Magnolia, in a less wealthy area of the city; he used to live on the very outskirts in a nice little cottage and then things changed. Everything changed. He still missed his old home. The one he currently lived in was his house but never his home.

Going to school was always a long journey as Tenrou Academy was right on the other side of Magnolia. The list of things he was grateful for increased as today was one of the days he got a ride to school from his cousin. He quickly dived into his shoes and clutched his backpack as the car horns grew louder and longer. "I'm comin'! I'm comin'!" he yelled in annoyance hoping that his cousin's impatience didn't disturb his neighbours.

Natsu galloped out the door and bounced into the car. "Geez, Gajeel, you don't have to wake up the entire neighbourhood!" Natsu muttered seething, buckling the seatbelt. His cousin in the driver's seat next to him glared at him, crimson red eyes piercing into the teen in the passenger's seat. "Shaddup and be grateful. I could be driving Levy instead of you." He retorted. Gajeel adjusted the mirrors while fixing the headband framing his charcoal tufts of hair.

"You know, you could just drive me AND Levy to school on the same day," Natsu grumbled back. The older teen thought about it for a moment, scratching the bottom of his chin. An aggravating smirk painted his lips and he turned towards his cousin. "I don't like the idea of an idiot like you hangin' round with someone a bookworm like Levy," he stated bluntly.

Natsu's jaw dropped, truly offended by his cousin's response. If it wasn't for him, he wouldn't even know her! "First of all, I am not an idiot, second of all I was friends with Levy way before you even knew her!" he argued. Gajeel really knew how to get on his nerves sometimes. He was just as bad if not worse than Gray. At least he wasn't related to that cold bastard. Gajeel merely let out a stupid sounding chuckle and started the car.

"So, did ya hear about the news yesterday?" Gajeel asked nonchalantly. Gajeel wasn't aware of the current situation going on with Natsu as Igneel didn't want to worry him or his brother, Metalicana. Nonetheless, the recent incident had been shocking to everyone – activity like that simply didn't happen in Magnolia. "Yeah… pretty crazy right?" Natsu replied, hoping the topic of conversation would steer soon. He only just managed to calm his angst down for school, he didn't need to be consumed by any more paranoia.

"Yeah, I didn't know Magnolia had those kinds of people in it," Gajeel replied, rolling the car slowly down the silent street. There was an uncomfortable silence poisoning the car. They had worry filling their chests, only Natsu's was way more prominent. Gajeel turned on the indicator as steering the vehicle towards the next road, they were now passing Magnolia park. Natsu felt slightly queasy at the sudden turn.

"Did you not put on any patches or somethin'?" his cousin scolded; he did appear to have some sympathy in his eyes though. Motion sickness ran through their family, they all needed some kind of medication to cope with it. "I took a pill but you were rushing me so it didn't exactly have time to sit in…" Natsu gulped down the excess spit in his mouth. Gajeel muttered something incoherent under his breath and continued driving.

"So, who're ya sittin' next to in homeroom? I'm sitting next to Levy of course" Gajeel said with a boastful tone. Natsu gagged. He really didn't care about whatever he did with his girlfriend in homeroom. "'Course you do." Gajeel's shit-eating grin only grew wider.

"You really need to get a girlfriend man," he laughed as the car came to a halt at a red light. They were nearing Magnolia's central path now; it was a large road with multiple lanes that ran through the middle of Magnolia, connecting to other highways and streets. It usually took longer to reach the central path as there was always traffic. However, the congestion was significantly less that day. It was something the pair wouldn't complain about. Seeing the main road so empty was uncanny though. Natsu was certain it had something to do with yesterday's incident.

He ignored his cousins teasing and shook his head. "I sit next to Lucy." He responded bluntly. Gajeel did a double-take and eyed his cousin. "Really? You're talkin' about Levy's friend, right?" Natsu simply nodded in response.

"Blondie's pretty cool, but that woman will be the death of me…" Gajeel grumbled, "Though, I thought you would've sat next to the ice bucket or student president…" Natsu smirked and drummed his fingers on the dashboard trying to ease the churning in his stomach.

"Well, she sure beats those two options."

Natsu practically leapt out of his seat when the bells indicating lunchtime rang. His appetite was already sizeable and his angst from yesterday only fuelled his hunger.

As soon as he stepped out of the classroom he broke out into a sprint, with a few other students who were aware of the horrors of the canteen line. The food in the cafeteria was barely edible, let alone pleasant-tasting however most students didn't have a choice but the buy it. Some students brought their lunches from home but usually, they were either financially well off or actually had enough time to make their meals. Since most students bought their meals at school, Natsu didn't look like the black sheep rushing to the lunch lines or buying school meals at all for that matter.

Although he wanted to inhale as much food as possible, he also had to be careful not to go over his monthly balance. Money management would always be something he struggled with; there had been several times in the past where he'd accidentally gone over his limit, meaning skipping a few meals was in the foreseeable future.

He almost gagged at what seemed to be a violent sea of bubbling mud. Glancing over the sign labelling the main course he read 'Beef Stew'. The kitchen staff needed to be fired immediately. Natsu was certain this so-called 'stew' was violating multiple health policies and breaking several laws too.

When he swivelled around to observe other students' reactions, he wasn't surprised to see that the queue was significantly shorter. He opted not to give himself an upset stomach and stepped out of the queue. It would be better for him to save money anyway. Begrudgingly, he plodded away from the queue, surveying the cafeteria in search of his friends.

His eyes gravitated towards a head full of blonde hair. It was his homeroom partner, she was sat with Erza and Levy, happily enjoying their packed lunch. Natsu felt jealousy flare-up in his chest for a fraction of a section. He would kill to have a freshly made sandwich or a chicken salad. Even so, part of him was glad that they didn't have to witness the horror the lunch staff had made.

Finally locating where Gray and Gajeel were sitting, he was welcomed by two disgusted glares. Ignoring the hideous looks painted on their faces, he ambled over to them. He noticed the other two were also empty-handed, they'd probably opted not to get heart disease from the school's food as well. At least they'd be hungry together. Natsu shook his head as a smile crept onto his lips from the stupidity of his thoughts.

"What's got you all smilin'?" Gajeel asked, scowling at him. The wine-red lakes in his eyes appeared offended by his presence.

"Nothing 'just thought of something funny…" he replied taking a seat on the bench adjacent to Gajeel. He was careful to avoid the mysterious stain in the centre of the curved bench. Who knew what kinds of infectious bacteria remained on it? Gray looked as if he were about to retort with a snide remark but was quickly interrupted by another voice. "Guys you'll never guess who's in my chemistry partner!" the voice sang joyously.

Before them, stood a tall ginger-haired boy. His hazel eyes were shielded by tinted sunglasses yet the excitement in his eyes was still visible. He adjusted his shades as the others groaned "No one wants to hear about what you want to bone Loke." Said Gray cutting off his question.

Loke retorted something incoherent to Natsu; he had stopped listening to him the moment his opening conversation started steering towards the topic of girls. He wasn't interested in hearing whatever unfortunate female Loke had set his eyes on that day.

His eyes drifted as his brain did, subconsciously landing on other students in the room. It wasn't surprising to him when he caught a few underclassmen glancing his way. He'd slowly gotten used to the odd stares over the years, though, he would still appreciate not being stared at, at all. The cafeteria had its usual disordered atmosphere and ear-splitting volume; Natsu was definite that his ears had been numbed from the intense sound.

Inadvertently, his vision landed on Lucy once again in his boredom. They had exchanged contacts earlier that morning to keep in touch for Saturday. Natsu would be dishonest to himself if he said he wasn't excited for the weekend. Not only would he be able to use a quality hair dye, but he would also get to spend time with a new friend. Quickly he'd noticed Lucy could ramble on in certain subjects, but he didn't mind her company. 'Quirks add character' was a phrase his dad taught him.

"Anyway guys, I've actually got real important news today," Loke announced, catching the attention of the others at the table.

He waited a moment to report the news leading to Gajeel growing impatient. "Could ya hurry up and spit it out already?" he grunted, scowling at Loke. Loke replied with a smug smirk, further irritating Gajeel.

Loke chuckled unzipping his backpack to pull out his lunch "Right so, word on the street is a new nightclub is opening…" the bag made a crinkling sound as he pulled out a sandwich. The other looked slightly intrigued, prompting him to continue. Natsu immediately didn't what Loke was suggesting; if he was implying that they'd go to that nightclub, underaged, he was only asking for trouble. He glanced over to Gajeel. He could tell Gajeel was sceptical of what Loke was insinuating from the strange scowl on his face.

"Sabertooth right? I think I've heard of it too…" Gray remarked, scratching his chin. "Yeah, that one! I saw it in construction a lot on my way home in the summer," Loke exclaimed. He pulled out a few snacks from his brown paper lunch bag and tossed them to his companions, noticing the ravenous looks on their faces. They all graciously accepted. "You guys wanna go?"

The others were taken aghast from his bluntness. To even suggest going to a club underage was scandalous, yet Loke was so nonchalant about it. Natsu felt his gut twist in knots. Attempting to do something like that would surely be illogical. He was glad he wasn't the only one who was wary about it; observing the faces Gajeel and Gray were making. "Uh- how would we even get in?" Gray inquired.

"We'd need ID to get in…" Gajeel added. He had a glare locked on Loke. In Magnolia and Fiore as a whole, you needed to be at least 18 to enter a place like a nightclub as alcohol was served without restriction there. Loke merely shrugged.

"No need to worry about that, the newer clubs always have the worst security, we can just get a fake ID." Gajeel gawked at him as if he were insane. "You do realise that would be very illegal and very stupid right?" Gray asked with concern written on his face. However, the cocky grin on Loke's face indicated that he didn't care.

"You know this isn't like Fairy Tail, right?" Natsu added. Fairy Tail was a local bar they occasionally hung out in. Unlike nightclubs, citizens of any age could enter them. "We also aren't regulars there so anything we damage; we have to pay for." Natsu truly thought Loke's proposal was ludicrous. He didn't Loke was a genius but this genuinely had him questioning his IQ.

"Well, if you guys don't wanna go to Sabertooth, we could always try the Blue Pegasus casino, it's so easy to get in!" Loke suggested, trying to offer a variety of options. Natsu was quick to dismiss him, not wanting to waste money on gambling. "Either way, I'm gonna go to one of them, just imagine all hot babes hanging around there!" it looked as if there was drool spilling from his mouth.

He coughed after a moment of fantasising, "Not to put any pressure on you guys though, you don't have to come with me, only a suggestion." The rest exchanged eye contact with each other. Natsu swallowed the lump in his throat, still not feeling convinced about the situation."

"Eh, I don't like the idea of you going into one of those areas on your own… I guess I'll go. I still think you're being stupid though." Gray said unenthusiastically. The image painted on his face made Natsu think he was still uncertain. "I'll go if I have nothin' to do I guess…" Gajeel murmured. Natsu wasn't surprised at his reaction; Gajeel was known to be responsible yet reckless. Natsu was known to be careless too, but something was churning in his stomach, making him feel uneasy about it.

They all looked to Natsu for his opinion. Even though Loke stated that it was his choice, he still felt pressured to agree. The only positive thing about going was the fresh experience that would come with it, but Natsu would be content with waiting for it. He scratched the back of his neck and sighed.

"I'll think about it."

AN: Just a little bit of setting up for future events for this chapter, but the next chapter will be Nalu I promise! Sorry for the long wait guys, I've just finished my GCSE's and I've recently got outed (I'm fine now) so I haven't been able to work on HD for a minute. But, I'm on summer break (from now until august) so updates will be coming more regularly now (maybe every 2 weeks I think).

Also thank you for all the favourites follows and reviews! It makes me jump in joy making me read them.

Sorry for the slow chapter but I hope you enjoyed it!

Bye for now!