Isn't Life fun? not. Hello! I'm back with a new chapter, it's been forever but i figured, hey, i can't give up on this story:P Leave a review if you liked it! It helps me out a lot!

Chapter 5—The Griffin

Gray

The train stopped at Caldera station two hours later and Juvia and Lucy had been giving each other death glares while I had been sitting uncomfortably next to an unconscious Natsu and a very hungry Happy. I think it was safe to say I wasn't having a very good day. In fact, I think it was safe to say that this was the worst day of my life. So right now, it was either going to turn around quick or just get worse. Knowing my luck, the latter was probably the likeliest.

I slung Natsu over my shoulder as Lucy and Juvia exited in front of me, cursing at each other and making snide comments from time to time. I'm pretty sure Juvia brings out the worst in Lucy and I don't think Lucy minds it one bit. She reminds me of a ticking time-bomb. One small slip up and bam—she'll explode in your face.

I put Natsu down once we got off the train and looked up to see a second train stopped next to ours. There were people waiting outside of it impatiently. I noticed the sun was already starting to get closer to setting and these people looked frustrated. I assumed the train broke down. Sure looked like it by the way the working men ran to and from the engine car like it was on fire.

Natsu rolled over and opened his eyes slightly. I looked down at him and nudged him with my foot.

"Come on, bone-head, let's get going." Natsu grabbed my ankle, a new form of anger appearing on his face.

"Don't think I don't know what happened in the train. Don't ever punch me again, got it? If you want a fight, I'll give you one but that was just unfair." He pulled against my leg and stood up. He squared his shoulders to face me, his eyes a slight shade darker.

"Don't be ridiculous. I saved you two hours of agonizing stomach pain. You should be thanking me." I hissed back. We stood in this way, glaring at each other for another good three minutes. Finally Lucy spoke up.

"Um… I hate to interrupt this… whatever it you're doing, but don't we have something we need to do?" she said cautiously. Natsu looked away and crossed his arms, pouting slightly. I turned my attention back to her and the town.

"You're right. Let's find this guy who sent out the request. Who does it say he is? Do you have the flier, Juvia?" I asked, starting towards the exit. Juvia nodded and pulled it, sidling closer towards me, subtly. I noticed, of course, but I didn't have the heart or the patience to move away. She would just find a way to come back next to me.

"It says this man's a Lord and the mayor of this town. It says he lives in the manor at the center of town." She informed quietly while looking around. I was curious of this town as well. The buildings were old, and the architecture seemed like it had been built centuries ago. There was hardly anyone on the streets and the cobblestone was filthy with what looked like mud. At least, I hoped it was mud.

"If this man is a lord, he should be pretty rich." Lucy said quietly. "Actually, that's kind of obvious, since he's willing to pay five hundred thousand jewels for this. It just doesn't make sense. Why would he leave the streets in this condition if he had enough money to get it cleaned?"

"Same reason most rich people would do it. He's a selfish bastard." I said matter-of-factly. Lucy shook her head.

"No I don't think so. That would be true if he hadn't sent out the request. But this job is about a monster terrorizing the city. Why would he care about his monster when he could just flee? That's what a selfish rich man would normally do in this situation. Explain that." She said back. I had to admit, she had a point. But there could be an explanation for that.

"How long has this job been up?" I asked Juvia. She shrugged and glanced at it.

"I think it's been there a while. It was there when I joined the guild, I know that for sure. I remember looking at the S-Class quests and seeing this one with the rest."

"That was almost four months ago. If it's been that long, do you think this lord would even care about cleaning the streets? It doesn't matter if it's an issue of life of death." I said rationally. Lucy shrugged, her eyes looking more at the closed shutters and boarded up doors at all the houses.

"Whatever the reason, this town looks completely hopeless. I'm really surprised no one from our guild had taken this job yet. You would think a town getting terrorized would have more help calls everywhere, you know?" she said, cringing slightly as a woman on her way home dropped her basket she was carrying and cried out in panic. I said nothing as I observed the town.

After another few minutes of walking in uncomfortable silence, we reached the mayor's house. Natsu hadn't said anything since we got off the train and I could tell this quest was becoming more than just a stepping stone to saving Akira. This was now a quest to save this town just because they needed saving.

After ringing the doorbell, we were quickly ushered inside by a butler. He shooed us inside the grad house before locking the door six or seven times and placing a board on the lock so it was impossible to get in. The house was completely dark save for a few candles surrounding the rooms. The butler showed us to a living room lighted by a candle on the coffee table. The mayor and his wife sat on a loveseat facing the coffee table across from a long couch. We took a seat on the couch, Natsu and Lucy on either side and Juvia sitting next to Lucy.

"Are you the wizards from Fairy Tail?" the mayor asked. He was a short, but handsome man in his mid-forties who was slightly balding around the corners. His wife was tall and elegant. She was quite beautiful, maybe a couple of years younger than the mayor. Not used to taking the lead, I nodded my head once.

"Yes sir, we are. Would you mind telling us a little more about your situation?" Lucy asked politely before I could get a word in. I closed my mouth and allowed her to take the lead because she was better at talking to people than I was. Her innocent face and kind words had people trusting her more than they trusted me.

"Yes, of course. It all started four months ago. The monster started to attack our town. It wasn't too serious at first. It just took a few sheep and couple of pets. But soon, it began to visit every night, taking people instead of animals. I sent my own army after it and only six came back alive." His wife shivered and curled her arms around her husband's shoulders. Lucy gave a sympathetic look.

"I'm so sorry this happened to you." She whispered with genuine concern.

"Thank you. I'm sorry I can't give you more details of the monster. All I know from those who have seen it is that it is big, black and can fly. It had claws and eyes like a hawk. I know it is fast because I myself have seen it but only a blur because it was moving so fast."

Natsu stood up and turned to me.

"I've heard enough. We know this is big bad monster, but we're wasting time talking about it. We need to go and defeat this thing before it takes any more lives." He said gravely. I stood up, nodding and turning to the mayor.

"We will defeat this monster, sir. You can count on us. After tonight, you won't have to worry about the safety of your town from this monster." I have him a determined smile and the mayor and his wife hugged each other with relief. She began to cry. She stood up and grasped my hand with gratitude.

"Thank you so much. All of you." She whispered, choking on her tears. Her husband led her out, informing us that he needed to look after his wife. He wished us good luck and then he was gone. I glanced at the others and no words were exchanged but we all mentally complied. We exited the mayor's house with a great amount of willpower and determination.

We stepped into the town courtyard and looked around. The town was quiet as the sun dipped behind a mountain, leaving the town under darkness. We waited for another good twenty minutes before anything happened. We heard the sound of a bird screeching over the town. Then a raven black figure appeared in the sky. It was huge and fast. It zoomed over our heads and flew into the town.

"Natsu! Bring it over here!" I shouted, just as the thing began to attack the houses of the townspeople. Natsu understood and lit his entire body on fire before letting out a blast of fire straight upward to signal the monster. It turned its hawk-like head and focused its eyes on us. Then it spun towards us and sprung forward.

I clasped my hands out front and tried to latch my eyes on it to get a target but I couldn't see it properly as it was too dark and it was moving too fast. Blindly, I attacked at whatever I could see moving.

"Ice-make Lance!" I shouted. The ice shot from my fingertips and shot towards its target.

"Fire Dragon Iron Fist!" Natsu shouted, letting his attack propel towards the monster as well.

"Water Slicer!" Juvia cried at the same time. All our attacks shot towards the target and hit it square in the chest. The monster screeched in pain and slowed down. It didn't, however, keel over the way I thought it would. Instead it faced us with anger filling its yellow eyes.

"Open! Gate of the Golden Bull! Taurus!" I heard Lucy shout from somewhere to my left. Her sprit charged towards the monster as I prepared myself for a second attack.

"Ice-Make Hammer!" I shouted.

"Fire Dragon Wing Attack!"

"Water Slicer!"

This time, our attacks missed the monster completely as it dodged us with ease and swung its wing down knocking Lucy's spirit clean off its feet. The spirit landed with a sickening thud before apologizing to Luc and disappearing, unable to fight. Then the monster lunged for us. Natsu and I recognized the attack before the girl did. I dove to Juvia who was closest to me. I grabbed her and jumped out of the way before the monster could crush us.

I turned to see Natsu holding Lucy from the other side of the courtyard. I set Juvia down, her usual crazy gone as she was engulfed in the battle.

"It's too fast. I can't get a good target on it." Juvia said, panting. She was right. From the way this monster was moving, there was no way we would be able to attack it directly unless it stopped moving. Suddenly, I had an idea. But it was risky and extremely dangerous. I left Juvia's side prayed that she, Natsu, and Lucy would catch on quickly.

"Ice-Make Floor!" I yelled, jumping on my iced floor and skating out directly towards the monster. It turned its beady eyes to me and was about to lunged when it slipped, slowing down for a mere few seconds.

"Ice-Make Lance!" I shouted, pointing my attack directly at it before it regained its composure.

"Fire Dragon Wing Attack!" I heard Natsu yell from behind it. Our attacks hit the monster simultaneously. It screeched in surprise and unfolded its huge eagle wings. Pumping the wings down with intense power, it took off, flying above the town the regain its momentum.

I was still skating on my iced floor and I could see it diving back down to attack me. I gasped as it picked up its speed, giving me no time to dive out of its way. I covered my head to try and stop the blow. Before it could touch me, however, something fast and small zipped onto the iced floor and zoomed towards me, knocking me out of the way of the monster's attack. I flew off to the side and hit the pavement before almost blacking out from the pain shooting up my spine.

I shook my head and tried to get my eyes to focus so I could see what saved me. Blond hair caught my eyes as I saw a person in black clothing pinning the monster on the ground with the flat end of a huge sword. My eyes slowly regained focus as I saw Akira's face whipped with concentration and awareness. My pupils dilated as I saw her gritting her teeth, trying to keep the monster down on the ground. She was losing her hold, and was searching desperately for an escape route.

Suddenly, the monster erupted free of her grip and sent her flying towards the wall of a building. She slammed against the wall and crumpled down in a heap. Now, fully aware, I stood up and lashed out at the monster, trying to push it away from Akira. As if right on cue, Natsu and Juvia appeared next to me along with Loke, Lucy's spirit and our personal friend.

Together, we managed to send it away but unharmed. We couldn't touch the thing. After it took flight, I rushed over to where Lucy was tentatively rolling Akira over, her body limp and unmoving and her eyes closed.

Akira

My body was down. My entire archives had shut down after the impact and I could get it to reboot. For a grueling few minutes, I lay there, aware of my situation but completely unconscious. I couldn't hear or see anything and my sensors were completely offline. Finally, I felt a soft whirring in my body and text scrolled across my face.

Reboot System Activated. Calibrating…

10%... 24%... 33%... 49%...

By the time it had reached 80%, I could feel my senses returning to me. Finally, it reached 100 and I could open my eyes and take a voluntary breath. I was greeted by the concerned faces of Gray and Lucy, looking down at me through the night. Immediately after rebooting, I sat up, unfazed and unharmed. My magic did a good job of rebooting my entire system so my injuries disappeared. The only downside was that it took a little longer to heal larger wounds.

Gray grasped my shoulders and pulled me into an embrace. His eyes filled with tears as he buried his mouth into my shoulder. Still stiff and rigid as a board, I waited for him to release me. When he finally did, he opened his mouth to say something but I held my finger up, hearing a familiar screech from the air. This fight was nowhere near over.

"Save it. Right now, there's a big bird we need to attend to." I said before pushing him back and standing up. I looked over to see Natsu and Juvia looking down at me with indifference and a young man I had never seen before. He was wearing an elegant black suit and had orange hair and what looked to be lion's ears protruding from the tufts of bright orange hair. He wore glasses and I thought it was safe to say he was pretty easy on the eyes.

"Loke." He said, noticing the way I was staring at him. I nodded at him. I could only assume he was one of Lucy's spirits since I knew she had no fighting ability whatsoever.

"Akira." I replied tersely. He gave me a firm nod of acknowledgment in return. I looked up into the sky and activated my night vision without wasting any more time. I singled out the monster and waited as my archive magic scrolled across my face.

Griffin

Magic: Aerial, Speed, and Power

Trigger: Anger

Strength: Speed and Strength Combined Attack

Weakness: Blind Spot Underneath Wings

I took a breath and turned back to the others. Gray had stood up and was now looking at me grimly, as if he was contemplating something. Whether or not he chose to trust me was his problem. He probably knew all about me now and was wondering how his dear friend could become such a cold-blooded murderer.

"Okay, there's no time to explain but I know how to beat this thing so listen up—"

"Wait, how do we know we can trust you?" Juvia said, cutting me off. I gave her a look that had made bigger men cower in fear but she continued, unfazed. "The master told us about you and what you did. How do we know you're not just leading us into a trap?" Gray said nothing, instead looked at his shoes. He was having doubts as well. I couldn't blame him. But I couldn't afford doubt right now.

"It doesn't matter if you can trust me or not, wither way, there's still a giant bird monster in the sky and if we don't kill it, it's going to kill us and everyone in his town. Is that was you want? Don't forget, I saved your beloved's sorry ass so you owe me." I snarled in her face. She glared at me but refrained from accusing me of anything more.

"It's too fast." Natsu said. "How are we supposed to beat something that has equal amounts of speed and power?

"Since when have you thought about anything? You're the guy who always dives headfirst into battle am I right?" I said tauntingly in his face. Natsu's ears turned slightly pink and he scowled at me.

"I already did that and the thing was too fast for me. How do we beat it?" he said bitterly. I turned back to face the monster as it still circled above, looking for us, trying to find a possible way to kill us.

"There's a blind spot just under his wings. All we really have to do it get it to stand still and open its wings and then attack right from under them."

"And how do you propose we do that?" Juvia hissed, crossing her arms. I gave her a pointed look and continued to explain my plan.

"Gray and Juvia need to stand on the left side of the monster while Natsu and Loke stand on the right. I'll distract it long enough so it opens its wings. When it does, do not hesitate. Aim for just under the wings and give it everything you've got. This will require all of us." I said, finishing my explanation.

"What am I doing in all of this?" Lucy asked, stepping forward. I looked at her and frowned. What exactly could she do? Nothing really except keep Loke's gate open.

"Staying out of the way and keeping Loke's gate open." I replied firmly. She closed her mouth and nodded grimly, grabbing Natsu's blue cat Happy and walking away to a corner. I turned back to the other and nodded.

We walked out on the courtyard, everyone getting in their positions. I closed my fingers around a poison dagger and took a deep breath. Lighting my other hand with summoned fire, I threw it up in the air, signaling for the beast to come down for me. And it did, seeing my signal and diving towards me on the ground. I planted my feet and hunched my shoulders, knowing what I had to do. It was stupid and dangerous but it was the only way we could beat this thing.

As soon as I aligned its beak with my chest, I moved a centimeter to the side. It's beak slammed into the ground next to me and I managed to leap out of the way and stick my dagger directly in its neck. It screeched and lifted its head up, taking me with it. It shook me around and I felt myself holding on for dear life. It opened its wings wide and I heard the others attack right on cue.

With an explosion of magic power, the beast squawked in pain and stopped shaking me, I slipped off its neck, the dagger disappearing, and slumped directly under its body. I could feel my systems deactivating because I needed to be healed and I could no longer move my limbs. I stared directly up at the monster's belly and watched as it began to fall on top of me. I closed my eyes in defeat and waited for the thing to crush the life out of me.

Before it could, however, someone grabbed me around the shoulders and under my knees and lifted me off the ground, taking off away from the beast. I heard the crash behind us and looked up to see Natsu's focused eyes and his pursed lips. I felt my fingers curling around his vest unconsciously and my breath hitched my throat. This boy had saved me. Even though I was a murderer, I had killed, he had saved me. Why? I wanted to yell at him. Why would you save me?

"Natsu…" I felt my lips say before I could stop them. He looked down at me as we finally made it to safety. "Why?" I whispered.

"I wasn't about to let you get crushed. That would break Gray's heart." He said with amusement. Then, he grinned. "That was some stunt you pulled back there. I don't think even I could move that fast. Thanks for saving us. We owe our lives to you." He said genuinely. I felt my cheeks heat up as he gently placed me on my feet again.

I turned away from him to hide my blush and looked over at the body of the Griffin. Its jet black body was smooth and beautiful. It was a majestic creature. Shame it had to be so evil. Gray and Juvia ran over to where Natsu and I were and I saw Lucy and Loke jogging over to us as well. Lucy threw her arms around Natsu's neck in relief and then proceeded to tell him off about how reckless he had been. Juvia gave me a terse nod and Loke smiled at me before returning to the spirit world.

Gray took me in his arms again and I felt my pupils dilate as his lips pressed against my forehead.

"Thank the stars you're okay…" he whispered. I pulled myself out of his grip and looked away, avoiding his eyes.

"Okay, down to the bigger questions. Why the hell are you guys fighting a griffin in the middle of the night just after I left, huh? I'm not stupid; this had something to do with me. What, did you feel like fighting would help you cool off once you found out about me?" I snapped at everyone, but mostly Gray. He dipped his head before looking back up.

"No, we came out here to help you get out of that guild. We know you're in debt and you just need a certain amount of jewels before you can be free again." Gray explained, smiling. He held out his hand expectantly like I was supposed to fall into him and thank him for doing this courageous and wonderful thing for me. Not a damn chance.

"Was this a job? Did you think you would get the money and then deliver to Albian like some sort of bribe? You have no idea what you're dealing with. This has nothing to do with you and if you get involved you will be trapped in so deep that you will never be able to dig yourself out."

"No, it wasn't for a bribe. It was for you. We were going to give it to you so you could pay back your master and come home with us."

"I don't want your money. You think Albian's going to be stupid enough not to know when the money was earned or not? There's a reason he's the most notorious guild master in all of Fiore. You're all stupid to think you can cheat him out like that. No, if I want out, I have to earn it myself and there's only one way he'll allow me to get money and that's to do what he taught me. To kill. So if you really want me back, I'll come back to you but after I do, you won't stand the sight of me." I said before wrenching myself out of his grasp and waking away, back to the train station. Gray grabbed my arm, the way I knew he would.

"Akira, wait. Please, you don't—" Before he could finish, I whirled around and summoned my sleep magic from my archives. I blew some powder into his face and he collapsed, completely asleep. I did the same to the others who tried to protest but they fell out too. I stepped back, staring at all of them and hating myself for doing this to them before running off to join Brand and Pickaxe at the train.

I couldn't believe they were doing this for me. Gray was more amazing than I ever thought possible. He had risked possible expulsion from the guild just to try something off a whim. I couldn't take that money. It wasn't my money. Even if I did help them defeat it, the worst I could do was split it with them. And even then I wouldn't be able to pay Albian back. It was a valiant effort but I couldn't let them fall into my life and my tie to Albian. I couldn't let them see the real me underneath the façade. They had never seen me kill and hopefully, they never would.