Everyone doesn't agree, but Natsu considers himself a patient person.
Growing up, he's had to go on more than one shopping spree with his aunt, cousin, as well as his friends such as Lisanna and Mirajane. Years of being dragged to retail stores by them and spending hours cooped up in the waiting rooms of changing rooms had helped strengthen Natsu's unpredictable patience. Waiting all those hours during all those years had given Natsu a deep understanding on how to wait for long periods of time without going crazy.
Of course, Natsu wasn't always alone during those dreadful trips or the only one to be dragged along to browse racks upon racks of women's clothing since Lisanna's older brother Elfman was also dragged to join them. Natsu even thinks that he's gained a sense of fashion for women after spending so much time in retail stores with Lisanna. So much so that he sometimes is the one that their female friends go to when asking for his opinion on an outfit that he unconsciously helps them pair with shoes and jewelry. A skill that has gotten his friends to make fun of him on more than one occasion, but he honestly didn't mind. Nor did he understand why men made such a big deal about helping out their girlfriends choose an outfit or walk around the shops.
When his help wasn't needed, Natsu and Elfman would simply sit in the waiting area in the changing room or browse around the store if there was a men's section to see if they found anything they liked. It was a strange hell that Natsu realized he would never get away from.
Chapter 6
Disclaimer: I do not own Fairy Tail
rEAd oN if YoU sO dArE!
"How much longer do you think they'll take?" Gray asks from where he's slumped over Gajeel's couch in the male's living room.
"It'll prob'ly be another hour or so," Gajeel grunts while keeping his eyes trained to the television where he was playing a fighting game with Jellal.
After eating breakfast at the restaurant, everyone went their own separate ways for the rest of the morning. It gave Natsu a chance to go visit Igneel at the hospital with Gajeel and his adopted sister Juvia while Metallicana was at work. The older Redfox had actually gone to pick them up after he got out of work to take them home where they would get ready, along with the others, before heading out for the night.
Currently, they were just playing the waiting game while the girls took their time to get ready in Juvia's room.
"They're still not out?" a tall burly man asks after emerging from the kitchen wearing a dark green jumpsuit covered in grease.
He has a beer in his equally grease-stained hands as he walks through the living room to stare at the television to watch his son's character get defeated by Jellal's own character. His steely blue eyes, almost white, are filled with mirth as he then turns to scan the room filled with exasperated teenage boys who were all bored and ready to go.
He receives a unision "no" from all of the boys, causing him to give a deep throaty laugh.
"Wait till you start dating," Jellal mutters to Natsu who returns a glower to his cousin.
"No boy, wait till you get married," Metallicana guffaws at the horror struck faces of the boys which leaves him laughing even harder.
"That ain't funny old man," Gajeel grumbles at his father who takes a swig of his beer and heads towards the garage door.
"Nothing's funny fer you," Metallicana jibes at Gajeel while smacking the back of his head as he walks by behind the couch. "Well good luck tonight boys, try not to get into too much trouble, especially you Natsu," Metallicana calls over his shoulder as he moves to walk out the door. No doubt on his way to the bar for the night shift as Natsu glowers at his uncle and shouting an insulted "hey" at the male who ignores him, "And you best take care of your sister," metallicana then says while pointing at Gajeel with a warning finger.
"Yeah, yeah I know," Gajeel grumbles back while rubbing the back of his head and glaring his piercing red eyes at his dad who returns the glare before disappearing through the door without another word. "Damn old man," Gajeel mutters before returning his gaze back towards the television where Jellal had started up another round.
Natsu sprawls himself on the ground in front of the television and scratches his bare shoulder while he watches both of his cousins play and brawl against each other in the videogame. After a few minutes he decides to cover his head with the hood of his cloak that encompasses his whole body up to his ankles like a massive blanket. He wants to take a nap, feeling extremely exhausted from having been woken up so early and not getting a chance to nap since then. He begins to feel himself slowly drift off slowly to sleep as he allows the heaviness from his body to take him under in hopes of relaxing for just a while.
~It's almost time!~
Jolting from the sound of a scratchy sing-song voice, Natsu pushes away his hood to find the girls rushing down the stairs in a wave of squeals and giggles. Each one runs around the living room talking over each other while looking for anything they might have forgotten downstairs while checking themselves one last time in the nearby mirror for any touch ups.
The boys keep their eyes on the television screen as the girls continue to race around one another to finish getting ready. Juvia is the only one who retracts herself from the girls to sit next to her brother looking sullen and a bit defeated.
She was dressed in a periwinkle blue princess dress with a small tiara sitting atop her short cornflower blue hair that was styled to curl a bit at the tips. She had on a light amount of makeup that wasn't overdone or too flashy which seemed to suit her since Juvia wasn't one to overdo anything that came with fashion.
"I told you not to fight them," Gajeel grunts while looking at his sister after beating Jellal at the next game.
Everyone knew that Juvia was a shy girl and hardly ever hanged out with Gajeel's friends unless they dragged her along. Recently that's been more the case with Juvia no longer finding any excuses to keep the overzealous girls from dragging her around to have fun. Thankfully Juvia never really minded hanging out with them, though she did prefer to sometimes just stay at home and be a hermit even when she knew it bugged her father when she did so.
"I think they overdid my makeup. It feels like I'm wearing so much of it," Juvia says while ducking her head glumly.
"Nonsense, you look great," Gray says while eyeing the blushing girl sitting between him and Gajeel, "Whoever did your makeup knew what they were doing. You look beautiful."
Steam seems to burst from Juvia's ears as her face and ears burns a bright pink.
Natsu opens his mouth to tease his cousin, who couldn't be more obvious at having a crush on that loser ice princess, but one look from Gajeel kept him quiet. The last thing they needed was for her to feel more self-conscious about herself and lock herself in her room.
"Natsu!" Turning at the sound of his name, Natsu looks up to find Lisanna standing in front of him scantily dressed in what he imagined was a cat costume. "What do you think?" she asks while giving a twirl and swishing around her furry tail that was attached to her shorts.
Squinting his eyes, Natsu can tell that Lisanna was trying to catch his attention with the skimpy costume, though he didn't understand why. Didn't she know it was going to be really cold tonight? Hadn't they talked about how cold it was going to be in the morning?
"What are you supposed to be?" Natsu asks without thinking.
Drooping her shoulders, Lisanna crosses her arms across her chest with a frown. "I'm a cat," she mumbles through her pout before walking away towards where the girls were all congregated around the mirror.
"Way to go flame brain," Gray taunts from his seat on the couch but Natsu simply returns a blank stare.
Truthfully, Natsu had realized what she was from the cat ears and tail, but he couldn't help saying otherwise. He could have amused her by at least trying to guess, but due to lack of sleep he really wasn't in the mood to be lifting the spirits of others. Natsu honestly only wanted for this day to end so that he could go back home and sleep until Thanksgiving arrived. Without nightmares of course.
Heaving a heavy sigh, Natsu stands and fixes his cloak which had gotten lopsided when he was lying down. He watches the girls finish getting ready and then begin to rush the guys to finish their game so that they could leave already with Cana leading everyone towards the door. A cold breeze hits them when they open the door, but the girls don't complain as they shrug on their jackets and walk out to brave the cold night.
Peering around a corner, Lucy surveys the dark and empty hallway lit up by the gaslights lining the walls. It's empty other than the doors lining the walls and dusty furniture and that fact only leaves her on edge. Simply because by this hour she was already being chased down hallways until she either entered a room full of nightmares or found the door with the golden knob.
The silence made her panic.
It was unpredictable, dangerous, and for once she wanted to hear the tell-tale sound of her constant pursuer's laughter. Just so that she knew where they were and in which direction to run, but there was nothing. Noting in sight and no noise except her feet shuffling down the carpeted corridors, the rustling of her clothing, and her soft breathing.
"Where the hell are you?" Lucy questions under her breath as she continues to search the walls with the golden knob. The only door, she had found, to be a safe haven so long as you remained in there. Free of monsters and nightmares, but also free of food which is why she always needed to get out and risk losing the door to be able to feed herself when her rations ran out.
As she continues to make her way down hallway after hallway, Lucy eventually hears something.
It's too far to hear distinctly, but she hears it. The tell-tale sign of a door opening and closing...
She was the only one to ever be able to open any of the doors that this manor had...
So who could have opened a door?
The rustling of the leaves overhead can barely be heard due to the loud chatter of the overzealous teenagers making their way up a long-abandoned road. They all make their way sluggishly up the road, tripping over weeds and potholes that cross their path, yet they carry on in their mission.
It had been quite a long while since the road had seen any guests pass by, especially teenagers who were undoubtedly looking for trouble.
"Yew guysh are sho shlow," Cana, already inebriated from the liquor no one even knew she had been carrying with her, slurs from the front of the group next to an annoyed Gray and Laxus who were all leading the party. "Hurry *hic* hurry b'fore you're left behind."
"Why are we doing this again?" Levy, who clutches onto Gajeel and eyeing everything that moves along the road with a wary eye, asks.
"Because Cana thought it would be fun," Mirajane chirps from the front of the group where she was walking alongside her boyfriend, "We've lived in Magnolia all our lives and we've never even gotten a glimpse of the manor except in the old photographs at the library."
"W-what if we get caught?" Levy asks worriedly, tightening her hold on Gajeel who pats her arm to try and calm her down, "You all know it's illegal to go anywhere near that place. Don't you guys remember the story Gray told?"
Turning at the sound of his name, Gray gives Levy a curious look.
"It was just a story Lev. It wasn't real, if not everyone would have torn that place to the ground to find that girl," Gray assures the small bluenette who didn't look convinced at all with that explanation.
"Don't worry shrimp," Gajeel's booming voice assures his girlfriend, "If the fuzz does show up, I'll make sure you don't get caught. I'm a master at getting out of sticky situations after all."
"That doesn't make me feel any better," Levy says with a pout, but continues to let her boyfriend guide her along with the rest of the group that makes their way up the road. Mindful of any police cars that might be on patrol.
"I'm surprised you agreed to this Erza," Natsu calls out to the redhead currently walking next to him, "I'da thought you of all people would've said no to this."
Erza simply shrugs which worries Natsu. Erza and Levy were one of the two most rule-abiding citizens Natsu had ever met, with Erza constantly trying to get the group to abide by the rules as well. If it were any other night that Gajeel would have suggested they go and check out the haunted manor, Erza would have been the first to shut down the idea. Except this time she had been the one to suggest the outing after everyone had expressed their boredom at midnight when all parties and trick-or-treating were slowly dying out.
"If it makes you feel better Levy, we won't go beyond the gate," Erza suggests with an easy tone.
Levy no longer complains and even seems to look a bit more at ease after Erza's assurance that they would remain on the side of the road and not enter private property.
"Look, we're almost there," Jellal says from near the front as a tall crumbling brick wall with wrought iron gates come into view.
Near the rusting gate, Natsu notices a dark figure staring through the bars of the old gate and presumably staring up the road that led to the manor. From what Natsu could see as the group got nearer was that the man had strangely black and white dyed hair. He seemed to be wearing a leather jacket and dark makeup on making Natsu wonder if he was dressed up for the holiday or that was his normal attire.
A hand covered in several pieces of silver rings holds the gate tightly with the male's face still facing away from the oncoming group who had yet to notice the lone figure. The male doesn't seem to pay much attention to the approaching group as Natsu's sensitive ears hear the man whisper, "Oh how the sun misses thy golden beauty, unreachable star," before the male ducks his head and releases his hold on the gate when he hears the group approaching.
The group stops in their tracks when they notice the male lift the collar of his jacket up to try and shield his face. He turns in the direction the teenagers had just come from and hurries down the path with his hands buried deep in the pockets of his jacket.
When his piercing red eyes turn to look at the group gawking at him they all turn around immediately and a few even walk a bit faster. Natsu notices that the lone male makes eye contact with Laxus and stares at him for a long while before turning to leave without saying a word.
"Do you know him?" Natsu can't help ask when he notices Laxus' gaze still lingering on the retreating figure.
"No," Laxus grunts before turning to follow the rest of the group that was now gathering around the rusted wrought iron gates.
"What's wrong?" Natsu hears Gajeel ask and turns to find that Juvia was also watching the retreating male with a curious look in her eye.
"I know him from somewhere…" Juvia says, more to herself than to her brother who looks from her to the male now far too gone to see clearly in the night, "It must be my imagination," Juvia then says while shaking her head and turning to let her brother lead her towards the group.
Natsu lingers a while longer, looking in the direction the male had disappeared and wondering why it was that man had been here and why the sight of him made his stomach churn. So far that Natsu could remember, he didn't know the man, but apparently Laxus and Juvia might which only piqued Natsu's curiosity further.
"Hey Salamander, if you don't hurry you're going to be left behind," Gajeel calls out to his cousin who was now the only one left in the middle of the road.
"Sorry," Natsu mutters before finally looking away from the empty road to catch up with his friends who were all gathered around the gate.
Each person attempts to peer through the rusted bars to get a glimpse of the old mansion that lies atop of the hill at the end of the creepy winding road. Ivy, as thick as rope, winds its way through the loops in the gate and keeping it sealed along with the "CAUTION" tape wrapped around the various warning signs that mentioned the upcoming demolition of the building.
Looking through the openings in the gate, the land before them is desolate and dead with dried up weeds and leaves that cover the cold ground. The looming trees on both sides of the long driveway hang over the road as if ready to snatch up any trespassers. The sight of the land leaves chills running up and down the spines of the onlookers who jump at the sounds of a hooting owl nearby. Even the clatter of a drifting can is a frightening sound with an eerie scene as this one. The desolate road almost screamed at the teenagers to turn back and never return.
"This place is creepy," Lisanna whimpers as she hugs her arms and shivers, "This isn't as fun as I thought it would be," she admits while Natsu unconsciously wraps an arm around her to help calm her down like he used to when they were little.
Lisanna was a brave girl who wasn't afraid to face any challenge that came her way, but even she had limitations that sometimes involved the hot-headed teen to keep her from breaking down. In return, Lisanna would help keep Natsu in check and out of as many fights as she could.
"Th-there… we saw the mansion… N-now we can all go h-h-home," Levy stammers while tearing herself away from the gate to hide behind Gajeel who only gives her a smile without mocking her for her fear. He thought she looked adorable using him as a shield and it only filled him with pride and happiness that she trusted him so much.
Everyone seems to agree with Levy and thinking that they should all head back, except – of course – the drunken Cana who raises her hands in the air and states a quick "I know what will make this trip interesting!" before climbing up the nearby brick wall before anyone could stop her.
"Cana!" everyone screeches when the brunette disappears over the wall and reappears on the other side of the gate, clearly having ignored the warning signs of the fines one could get if caught trespassing.
"Well this definitely got more interesting," Laxus laughs before following Cana's lead and followed by Mirajane who only laughs when Levy tries to stop her from following the other two idiots.
Levy almost faints when she watches Jellal, Erza, Elfman and Juvia all climb over the wall with smiles on their faces.
"Juvia get back here!" Gajeel nearly chokes when he notices his sister disappearing over the wall and doesn't think twice before scurrying up over the wall while muttering, "The old man is going to kill me," before disappearing as well with Gray who follows suit.
Natsu, Lisanna and Levy are the only ones left on the abandoned road while their friends peer at them from the other side of the gate. Natsu hadn't even realized that almost everyone was on the other side trying to get them to follow until he saw Erza jumping giddily on her toes that he realized it was alright to go check out the other side. Without much prompting he makes his way towards the wall where everyone climbed over when he is suddenly stopped by Lisanna who holds onto him with incredible strength.
"Natsu, let's go home," Lisanna pleads, her eyes filled with fear while her whole body shook and Natsu had to guess that it wasn't from the cold.
On any given day, Natsu would have listened to Lisanna. He would have taken her hand and left back the way they had come and taken Levy along so that she wouldn't feel pressured to go with the others. He was the one who enjoyed taking care of his friends by being strong for them when they needed him, but this time was different.
He felt a strange sensation that was pulling him to climb over the wall and join his friends. He could feel their echoing taunts to join them swimming in his head and although he was not one to fall to peer pressure, he wanted to follow along this time.
He needed to go over the wall and play…
"Come on Lis, it'll be fun," Natsu says with a playful smile while trying to tug Lisanna along and the girl freezes.
It's been weeks since Lisanna had seen a genuine smile on Natsu's face, and this time he was radiating and shining like he used to with that playful smile that she knew so well. The smile should be comforting her, but instead it filled her with dread and fear and she didn't know what to do to convince him not to go over the wall.
Why did his smile make her feel like she was going to lose him forever?
"Natsu please. I have a really bad feeling about this… what if something goes wrong?" Lisanna pleads, nearly on the verge of tears.
Now normally Natsu would listen to Lisanna's gut feelings because throughout the years he has come to learn that most of her gut feelings tended to keep them out of trouble. Lisanna has always been right about good and bad situations before and has even saved his life on several occasions; however, this time Natsu couldn't ignore the force still pulling him in the direction of the manor. It scared him, but his curiosity only made him feel excited as to what it was that awaited them on the other side. For the first time in his life, Natsu doesn't want to listen to Lisanna…
"Don't be silly Lis," Natsu laughs as he pulls his hand gently out of Lisanna's slackening grip, "Nothing is going to happen," he assures her while ruffling her hair before climbing the wall and jumping to the other side that somehow feels as if it's easier to breathe.
Lisanna's heart sinks as she watches the boy she loves, who didn't even know her feelings for him, climb over the crumbling wall and disappear. All she could do was pray to the greater powers above for her uneasiness to be wrong just this once as she followed Levy to join the others on the other side.
We're getting close to when midnight strikes... This chapter was a lot of fun to write and I would have gotten it up earlier today but the parentals decided that our house needed a thorough cleaning since we're quarantined here until further notice. Anywho, how is y'all's self-quarantine going so far?
Shout outs
Great amazing thanks to my Fantabulous Reviewers...
- Meow Orbit = Ooh, very good insight. I'm glad you caught on! And yeah, things are weird over here as well with people in full panic mode especially since we recently got a confirmed case so that's scary, but we'll get through this together!
- shootingstarssel = Such wonderful questions that will be answered with time my dear. I also love your insight and you're not too far off with where I'm going with this. I'm also happy that my story is a nice distraction during these trying times. I'll keep churning as many chapters as I can for you all to help us all pass the time and keep the worry at bay.
- Amanny = It will be a while before we find out the truth, but this story isn't going to be as long as my previous ones... maybe lol, but we'll see how this all plays out together.
- stranger1999 = Thank you, I'm happy that my horror writing is good enough to give you all chills. My many years of watching horror films is really paying off lol. Thank you for letting me know about that POV switch I accidentally did. I already fixed it, but wouldn't have if you hadn't let me know so thank you once again! Yes, our children will meet soon in the dark world, I estimate it might be in around chapter 7 or 8 when they finally meet, but we'll have to wait and see.
Well that's all the shout outs for today!
If you're enjoying my spine-chilling story give me the honor by Following, Favoriting, and Reviewing - remember, reviews are the reminders I need in order to update faster - and if you have any questions or haunting ideas you can also PM me and I'll gladly add it into the story.
Until next time my ghoulies and please stay safe out there!
