A/N: First of all, I'd like to thank everyone who's been following along with this story and writing reviews. Your comments are all appreciated! Please continue to bear with me, as this is my first attempt at writing a fanfiction. I will try not to deviate from the character's real personalities, but let me know in a review if you disagree with anything! Finally, if you have a moment to spare, please feel free to leave me a review! I love hearing your thoughts.
Chapter Three – Game Plan
Jellal
I looked down from my lofty position up on the third floor of the inn. With my back against the wall and the banister coming up to my chest, I was completely hidden in the shadows. This was the perfect place to watch the proceedings without attracting any attention.
And right now, I wanted to avoid attention as much as I could. After all, I was aware that Millianna hated me for what I'd done to them, and her dark-haired guildmate, Kagura, understandably loathed me for the death of her brother, Simon. The man who I had killed. I was still haunted by the memories of what I'd done, even though I now knew that I had been controlled. Controlled by the woman who now was the cofounder of my guild.
Crime Sorcière was an independent guild that we'd created to atone for our past sins. Currently, there were only six members of our guild, though only two of them were here with me for the alliance. The other three were off doing quests that would hopefully help at least some people regain a sense of hope for humanity. We three would be with them right now, if it weren't for the special clause in the Magic Council's rules that stated that in dire cases like this one, if all the other guild masters in an alliance agreed to allow an independent guild work with them, then it could.
From down below, I heard Jura explaining the plan to the other guilds. We'd already been debriefed earlier this morning, before anyone else had arrived. Along with the members of Crime Sorcière who had come with me, Ultear and Meredy, I'd had to bear through having Ichiya explain to us, which basically made me want to claw my own eyes out. Somehow, I'd felt uniquely uncomfortable with his scrutiny, almost as though I was being…checked out. Honestly, how could the Trimens stand it?
I shuddered at the memory and thought how lucky the others were that Jura was the one explaining everything to them. Even now, I heard his deep, calm voice as he laid out the plan for investigating further into the threat. All we knew so far was that the last place there had been a confirmed sighting of our targets was just outside another small town not twenty miles north of Acacia. That was where we were headed first thing tomorrow morning.
"Before we get there," the Saint Mage was saying, "we will be splitting into three groups. Each will go in a different direction to search for clues. Keep in mind to be very careful, as we do not know who we're dealing with yet. Try not to let anyone know what you're doing, though. If word of our investigation gets out, the enemy may take preemptive measures to eliminate us before we have a chance to succeed."
"Be on the lookout for any suspicious people, as well," Erza added, coming forward to address everyone. Her long hair cascaded down her back like a scarlet waterfall, and I smiled softly to myself as I recalled how silky and smooth it was. The smile faded when I thought to myself that I would most likely never have the chance to touch it again. Because I told her that we can't be together…. My fist clenched at my side, and I tried to turn my head to face straight ahead, but my gaze was glued fast to the beautiful mage. She looked like a battle goddess, strong and determined, but also compassionate and willing to sacrifice her own life for the lives of her friends.
I sighed. I knew I wasn't worthy of her, and yet all I could think of then was how much I wanted to take her in my arms and hold her. My chest literally ached, the desire was so strong. Erza…
Oblivious to my inner turmoil, Erza continued speaking down below. "There's a chance that the enemy might still be nearby, maybe even in the city itself. Within each group, everyone must always be with at least two other people at all times. And if by some chance anyone comes across any of our enemies this time, do not attempt to engage them." She shot a fierce stare at Natsu as she spoke. He recoiled and smiled at her innocently. "It is imperative that you get back to the group as soon as possible. Do whatever you must to find the rest of your group, and I repeat, do not try to fight them!"
"Titania is quite right," Jura added, looking around at everyone. "That is why you will each be given a signal flare to shoot off should anyone come across one of the enemy. Do not hesitate to use it if you feel you are in danger."
A chorus of murmurs arose at this news. "What is the likelihood that we will run into an enemy?" Kagura inquired over the noise. "And how are we supposed to recognize them if we see them? They would most likely be in disguise if they're still in the city."
Sting turned to her and grinned roguishly. "Scared, Mermaid? Don't worry, I'll protect you." He winked, and she just turned away with a stony look on her face.
"Rejected." Gray smirked at Sting's scowling face as Natsu burst into laughter.
"He lllllllikes you," Happy teased with an evil grin on his feline face. Kagura just huffed and looked away.
Ignoring the little interlude that had just occurred, Jura turned to Kagura and said in a measured voice, "That is an excellent point. We have prepared a special bracelet for everyone that will signify that they are a member of our alliance. As long as you are wearing the bracelet, you will be able to see the distress signal should anyone use it, and if you pass within a twenty-meter radius of anyone using magic to disguise themselves, it will alert you. Now, that's not to guarantee that if they are there they will be using magic. However, there is a good chance that they would, so this will at least give us some warning."
Everyone nodded thoughtfully, fighting forgotten for the moment as they considered this.
"Any questions?" Jura scanned the gathered mages, and when no one offered a question, he motioned for Ichiya to bring something forward. The short mage bowed dramatically and placed a black velvet bag in the Saint Mage's hand. My fingers traced the metallic curve of the silver bracelet around my left wrist as Jura reached into the bag to pull out a bracelet identical to the one I wore. "These are the bracelets that have been designed for our alliance. You will see that the initials of each guild have been etched into the metal. Once you put these on, I would ask that you not take them off for any reason until our mission is completed."
As he passed out the bracelets, I pushed myself off from the wall I'd been leaning against, knowing that they were finishing up. A flash of red caught my eye and I looked down to see that Erza had snapped her head around and was staring straight at me. My heart sped up as I stood frozen to the spot, unable to look away from her gaze. Her deep amber eyes seemed to pierce my very soul, time slowing around me. A faint smile curved her pink lips, and I swear my heart was beating loudly enough for the whole room to hear.
With a tremendous force of will, I was able to tear my gaze away and place one foot in front of the other all the way down the hall to the room I was sharing with Ultear and Meredy. Once I was on the other side of the door, I sagged against it and closed my eyes. Why am I so affected? With just one look, I'm falling apart.
"How are things downstairs with the others?" Ultear's soft voice helped ground me in the present, and I opened my eyes to see her standing by the window on the other side of the room.
"They're doing fine. Jura told them the plan with relatively few hitches." I smiled at the memory of the hot-blooded Dragonslayers and pitied those who would be stuck in their group. While the others wouldn't find out who was in which group until tomorrow, I already knew how the groups were going to be divided. And there was one thing which I was feeling really unsure about, especially after seeing how much I'd been affected after seeing Erza again.
Because Erza and I were going to be in the same group.
