Travel Partners
The third time he saw her, he had just turned fourteen, she was twelve. It was some weird coincidence (is what he liked to believe) that they happened to meet once more.
Unfortunately circumstances were not to his liking. She was running from a forest engulfed in flames. He was only in this particular forest for a mission to take down a wyvern.
Flames so hot they were starting to melt his clothes, white hot flames.
It was her magic again. The very same magic that he had seen the day he'd saved her.
She was crying, he could tell by the scent of salt in the air, not that he could smell very well with the fire burning the forest to the ground.
He figured the wyvern wouldn't likely survive this catastrophe.
The small girl, for some odd reason called to him though.
And like a moth to a flame he was chasing after her. Silently begging her to come to a stop.
And stop she did. She fell to her hands and knees on the grassy ground on the outskirts of the forest she had run from.
He stopped running and started slowly approaching her. He could see that she was frightened. He could smell her burnt skin and the lip puckering aroma of burnt clothes and fried hair.
It brought him back to the day when they had first met. It startled him that he could picture that day so perfectly in his mind.
It frightened him. If he were to be honest. What was so special about this little bunny.
That's what she was, a bunny that needed protecting. He knew he was rude to her the last time they had met. But, he couldn't stop thinking about her, and he didn't even know her damn name.
There was something seriously wrong with him.
He was close to her now, so close in fact that he had to make an actual effort to get nearer to her, due to the fact that the magic she held was coming off of her in waves.
It was like being caught in the waves of the raging sea.
It made his knees buckle and shake. That was more terrifying than any enemy he had ever encountered. He had never witnessed power that could effect him like this. He had never felt afraid of someone before.
But this small bunny of a girl was making him nervous, and a little bit sweaty.
But...
Someone with his abilities never coward in fear. He was the monster. Not this girl. Definitely not this small, crying little girl.
He slowly knelt down beside her, unsure what to do, unsure why he even followed her. What could he possibly do to make her stop crying.
She hiccuped as she sat up. He looked at her face to see it covered in soot, her tears washing away some as it left tear marks down her cheeks, the scar she had in her face was only slightly visible, a rough and jagged mark that definitely did not belong on her.
'I-It's y-you' she hiccuped as she faced him, there was no trace of a smile on her face as she laid her eyes upon him.
He had to wonder just what she was going through. What was happening to her?
'It seems that we keep meeting' he chuckled a tiny bit, trying to lighten the mood, although it didn't work, not at all.
'It seems so.' It was a dry laugh that she gave, no humor whatsoever involved, instead it seemed to push more tears out of her eyes as they raced down her dirt cheeks.
'Are you alright?' He asked roughly as he gave her a once over, making sure there was no blood on her body, no wounds, and no winces of pain.
He noted that she still carried that bag. Still seemingly untouched by the elements and magic.
'I'm a monster. You've seen twice now what I've done. I can't control it. I don't know why it keeps happening.' She whispered. This was really hurting her and he could tell.
Why was he feeling as if he should help her? He couldn't, there was absolutely no way that he would ever...
'It takes practice to get control little bunny. I have a magic that I worked really hard to control, I could help ya if ya wanted me to.'
Him and his big damn mouth. Why couldn't his mouth do the same thing his brain wanted him to do?
Why was this girl messing with his feelings. He usually wasn't like this. He was a terror dammit, a right, true monster!
'Y-You will?' She was skeptical, but also hopeful, he could see it in her eyes.
He nodded his head suddenly unsure himself, he was only fourteen, just barely figuring himself and his magic out, how could he possibly train this girl, a girl whose magic was an unknown, mind you.
'Sure I will little bunny, but it'll be hard work. You'll have to listen to everything I say, got it?' He said calmly, a smirk on his face.
The small girl chuckled shakily, slowly standing up, thankfully her magic was beginning to feel more like a calm sea rather than a raging ocean so he had no problem standing with her.
The small girl held out her hand to him, shaking slightly, he could tell that she was exhausted.
He grabbed the blondes hand in his much larger one, reveling in the feel of her warm, slightly calloused hand in his own, marveling in the fact that his own hand engulfed her own.
'We've never properly introduced ourselves. My name is Lucy Hearfilia.' She smiled that pretty smile he'd seen at the train station when they were younger.
It was beautiful.
He smirked that cocky smirk of his.
'Gajeel Redfox is the name.'