Hello everyone and welcome back to the City without sound. Thank you for all of your faves and reviews.
Dragonlover89 : Oh they will catch up to them eventually, but whether or not they get them back is yet to be seen ;)
IcePrinceRay : We're glad that you enjoyed it, and no spoilers allowed, sorry. And we fangirl whenever we write.
Phineashiccup : Thank you.
.oO : The two had some joint therapy :) And thanks, we wanted to test out some different view points.
Disclaimer : We don't own Fairy Tail. Shucks.
The light of dawn streaked across the sky as the dragon slayers sprinted onwards. They had stopped for the short total of ten minutes, and Natsu felt as if they were making good time.
The scent of their friends was getting stronger, and Natsu was confident that they were getting closer to their friends, and he tried to shove down the twinge of guilt for leaving their other friends behind.
"You know that it was necessary to leave them behind if we want to catch up?" Cobra obviously overheard his guilty conscience.
"I still feel bad, Fairy Tail mages don't like to leave their friends behind. But Gray..." Natsu trailed off and Cobra gave him a suspicious look.
"Just what exactly is going on with you and that stripper?" Natsu wished that he didn't understand Cobra's question. Truthfully, Natsu had no idea what he was feeling towards his rival. He just knew that it was more intense then his fire, more intense then his feelings for anyone else.
"I feel like that about Midnight." Natsu snapped his head towards Cobra as he ran. A faint blush tinged the poison dragon slayer's cheeks, and Natsu quickly glanced away, feeling a blush also stain his cheeks for unknown reasons.
And then he ran into a branch. Cobra cackled. Natsu glared at the smirking mage.
"Shaddup!" He grumbled, hauling himself to his feet and ignoring the other mages proffered hand. They continued running.
"THOSE IDIOTS!" Lucy shivered as lightning crackled ominously in the background. Erza was not impressed. Not impressed at all. And neither was she.
They had retrieved a second map from the guild and started after the now four errant mages.
Lucy was steaming. Why couldn't Natsu accept that they wanted Gray back as much as he did? The remaining trio had met up at seven like promised, only to find that Natsu and Cobra hadn't turned up. Lucy had thought that it was odd that the two who wanted to travel the fastest were taking the longest to join the group.
Erza had went to check up on them, and had returned a few minutes later, a stony look on her face. Lucy and Happy had caught on instantly, and they had gone to the guild master to request a new map.
The man had wisely refused to question the need for another map, but Lucy heard him whispering to one of his members about what they could have possibly done with the other map, used it to wipe up coffee or something?
They had ventured out, and now they were even more determined then before. Now they had to punish Cobra and Natsu as well as catching up to Midnight and Gray.
Midnight and Gray had started to pack up their small camp, ready to head out to the city. They were some what well rested despite the fact that they had been on high alert all night.
"We must leave quickly, they could be gaining on us." Gray said as he hoisted his pack over his shoulder.
Midnight followed suit.
"Yeah, and by now the dragon slayers have probably ditched the others who were slowing them down." Midnight stated. Gray blanched.
"Then we'll have to be even quicker if we want to make it to the city before they catch up to us." Gray turned towards the direction that the sense was tugging him towards. They started off, and Midnight gave Gray an almost shy look.
"Can you tell me about your city?" Gray winced, and Midnight backtracked.
"If you find it too painful, then don't bother. It's just... I've never really lived in a city. The tower didn't exactly encourage friendship and when I was with the Seis we didn't really stay in big places. I can't remember where I lived before the tower." Gray appraised him silently for a few minutes, and Midnight was almost certain that the other mage was just going to ignore him, but then Gray sighed.
"It was a great place to live. Snow permanently covered the streets, and on the weekends a market would set up in the main square. They sold practically everything, and it always smelt like a mixture of spices and fruit. There was a small bakery near to my house, and my friend's mother ran it. She made the best brownies and hot chocolate." Gray inhaled softly, and Midnight watched him eagerly as they ran. He'd been hanging on Gray's every last word, trying to imagine the city that Gray was describing. Strangely enough, the scene wasn't that hard to envision. Maybe it was his own sense of longing, or Gray's wistfulness that made it so easy to imagine.
"And she would always sneak extra marshmallows into my cup, and all of the over customers would just pretend to ignore it." Gray barrelled on, and Midnight wondered when was the last time that Gray spoke about what his home was actually like without focusing on it's destruction.
"And the maid would make awesome cookies whenever my parents had to work late."
"Maid?" Gray flushed.
"My parents had good jobs so we were a little rich. Nowhere near as rich as Lucy, but we could afford some house staff."
"Lucy... the blonde haired one?" Gray nodded his affirmative.
"Anyway, every year around the holidays, the town would put a giant Christmas tree in the town centre, and by he next day it would be covered in snow and ornaments. We'd sing carols around it, and my friend would serve hot chocolate with her mum, and they'd put mint or orange in it in celebration of the season." Gray was looking very nostalgic, and this sparked up some sadness in Midnight. He wished that he could remember his home. They travelled well into midday before they even considered taking a break.
Natsu skidded to a stop, and observed his surroundings cautiously.
"They were here." He raked his eyes over the subtle remains of a camp.
"And it wasn't too long ago." A grin practically split Cobra's face in two. They were close. They shared a glance before they increased their speed. They were so close, if they ran even faster then they had been previously, they could catch up today or tomorrow.
Their legs pounded in unison as they dashed onwards. They prayed that they wouldn't be too late, that leaving the others behind was worth it.
Gray felt something shift within him as they carried on. A sense that their journey was drawing to a close, that the real quest begin soon. A shiver, of anticipation or fear, ran through him.
The city without sound. Midnight gulped, and Gray knew that the creepy sensation that they would find only impending doom in the ruins of Gray's home had effected his fellow mage.
Gray was almost certain that they wouldn't be making it out alive. Something was waiting for them, pervading the shadows of the wreckage, and it would seek them out. He could only hope that no one else would be caught in the crossfire.
They halted as the silhouette of destruction appeared on the horizon. They would reach the City without sound within the hour. And then they two would be silenced.
The creature's gaping maw widened even further in a twisted perversion of a smile.
"The brats have arrived." His chuckles one again filled the cavern.
"And when I kill them, the resistance to my power will shatter. This city will truly become the demon's playground.
We hope that you enjoyed it, and we look forward to next time.