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VOID SOUL: TRAILHEAD

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Though beautiful, the snow was cold and sharp as it stung their fingers and noses. Aura felt that the muumuu she wore did little to protect her from the cold, with each gust of wind it felt as if she had nothing on. The number she became the more she daydreamed about warm covers and fireplaces. She nuzzled her nose deeper into Natsu's scarf and shielded Happy from the wind the best she could in her arms.

"W-w-we're almost there," Happy chattered, "I t-think,"

"Happy, w-why d-d-don't you go under the scarf to k-keep warm?"

"Aye s-sir," he said as Auralie lifted him up. He crawled under the scarf, finding a spot to sit on her shoulder.

"Y-your paws are f-freezing," Auralie said under her breath while crossing her arms across her chest.

"We're taking a left here," Natsu said as he walked ahead.

Here they were again on Leaven's Lane. She wondered what they were doing there. Looking ahead she could see where they'd stood that day. Auralie imagined how things had panned out from Natsu's point of view and shuddered. They walked until they reached the third to last house on the street. The roof was laden with snow and frost nipped at the corners of the windows. Aura could see smoke coming from a chimney and a set of wooden stairs that led up to the top floor on the side of the house. Natsu turned and walked up to the green door. He raised his hand and knocked three times.

"Is this Mrs. Peebles house?" she asked.

"Yea,"

An unsettled feeling dwelled in her stomach. She couldn't imagine why they'd brought her here. She was afraid only awkward conversations lay in her immediate future. As she thought this, the green door opened and a little old woman stood there smiling. She was barely taller than the door handle, her hair pulled up in a loose bun. There was a bit of flour on her cheek that she must've tried to wash off. Her body was old, but her eyes shone young and seemed to light up when she saw their faces.

"Oh! Get inside quickly! Come on now, you'll catch a cold if you haven't already," she said, ushering them inside.

"Thanks Mrs. Peebles, but I really should be going, I've got to return this to a friend," Natsu said, gesturing to the armor he was holding.

"Oh of course, that's just fine. Auralie, do come in though," the old lady smiled, Auralie smiled back, assuming Natsu told Mrs. Peebles her name.

"See you later," Natsu said.

"Bye,"

She stepped inside hurriedly as Natsu left, wanting to get out of the wind. The home was cozy and welcoming. The walls were covered with so many picture frames and photos that she could hardly see the wallpaper behind them. A warm light filled the home and Auralie could smell zucchini bread baking in the oven. Her mouth started to water at the thought of such a delicious treat.

"Please sit," Mrs. Peebles said leading her into the living room, "you must be so cold, you poor thing," she shuffled quickly over to a chest and took out a large knitted blanket, "Well go on," she said gesturing to a large colonial couch that sat in front of a modest fireplace.

"I'm afraid I'm a bit wet from the snow, I wouldn't want to ruin your couch," Auralie said running a hand through her damp hair.

"Oh never mind that dear, what matters is that we get you nice an' warm," Mrs. Peebles smiled warmly, shuffling back to give Auralie the blanket she fished out of the chest.

"Yes ma'am," she said, accepting the blanket and throwing it around her shoulders.

"My name is Mrs. Peebles by the way, I'm so happy to meet you," she said extending her arm for a handshake, "I assume you're the one who saved my precious Mal!" she smiled and continued to shake Aura's hand.

"Y-y-yes ma'am," she said, her teeth still chattering.

"Wonderful! Did that young man tell you about what I said to him when he returned my kitten to me?"

"N-no ma'am," she said shaking her head slightly.

"I see," she said when something started ringing, "Oh dear. Here, follow me to the kitchen will you?" she took Aura's hand in her paper smooth one, "It's just this way," she added with a smile. Auralie felt Happy stir on her shoulder, she'd completely forgotten he was there.

"Where am I?" said the sleepy cat, poking his head over the scarf.

"We're in Mrs. Peebles home," Auralie said to Happy while Mrs. Peebles pulled her into the brick kitchen.

"Here we are, take a seat will you?" Mrs. Peebles gestured to the wooden barstools at the counter and went to take the bread from the oven.

"Is there anything I can help you with ma'am?" she asked.

"No dear, and none of this ma'am nonsense! It's Nana Peebles to you," she set the zucchini bread on the counter and then went to the fridge, bringing back butter and a knife, "now please make yourself at home, grab a slice!" she beamed, setting a flower brushed plate before her and a bread knife to cut with.

"Ohh~" Happy stared at the zucchini bread, nearly falling off Auralie's shoulder.

"You can have a slice too, Happy. Hop on down to the counter now," said Mrs. Peebles, sliding a small plate to him.

"Aye sir!" he said, hopping down and reaching for the knife.

"Whoa there Happy, I'll cut the bread," Auralie said, grabbing the bread knife away from Happy quickly, she cut them both a piece and talked with Mrs. Peebles as Happy ate hungrily. They talked about the town, Mrs. Peebles favorite parks, her kittens, and other pleasant things. Mrs. Peebles and her home had a way of blocking out the bad and revitalized the soul, Auralie found herself never wanting to leave.

"So Auralie, is it true that you've nowhere to go?"

"Mm-hm," she nodded, her cheeks heated up uncomfortably.

"Well," she said, clasping her hands together, "would you like to stay here? We have a lovely apartment upstairs that hasn't been touched in years," she beamed.

"I'd love to Nana Peebles, but I'm afraid I'd have no way of earning my keep until I find a job," she said looking down at her plate and circled her thumbs in her lap.

"Well, not a problem dear! I wouldn't accept it anyways. You see, we used to rent out the apartment to couples and singles and such. But not anymore, we just got tired, Grandpa Wash and I, and decided we didn't want to go through the work," Mrs. Peebles tucked strands of hair behind her ear, "we were going to hold the room for our Granddaughter Kaylee, she even sent some of her things over, but then she went off and eloped with some Dr. Tam, can you believe it? With not a moment's notice!" she threw her hands up in the air exasperated.

"That does seem rather odd," Auralie said.

"Yes, yes," the old woman said to herself and stood up from her chair, "help an old lady with the dishes, would you?"

"Of course!" Auralie hopped to her feet, and helped Nana Peebles clean the kitchen while Happy lay on the counter passed out with a distended belly.

When they were done Nana Peebles took her back into the living room and had her sit down on the couch, then left her to go get something. Auralie wrapped the blanket Nanna Peebles had given her tightly around herself as she sat in front of the fireplace. She closed her eyes briefly and let the raspy crackle of the fire surround her ears.

"Siccari Totaliter," she whispered now that she was alone and felt herself grow warm and light, whatever dampness she had left was gone. A couple of seconds later she heard the sound of Nana Peebles feet shuffling down the hallway and into the living room.

"Here we are," she said, putting a green box in her lap, "Go on, open it!" she smiled, taking a seat next to her. Auralie lifted the lid carefully and gasped.

"Is this for Kaylee? I can't—"

"Nonsense, nonsense!" she took a dress out of the box, "If she wanted it she wouldn't have eloped with that hooligan! Now come, I want to see what it looks like on," she said pulling Auralie into the hallway and pushing her into the bathroom, "Don't come out till your changed!" she said excitedly.

She changed quickly and carefully, setting the muumuu and Natsu's scarf on the counter and making sure not to stretch the fabric. Once she'd pulled the black dress over her head, she tucked and pulled until everything was where it should be. The sleeves were embroidered with gold lace and went down to her wrists, the waist was fitted and the neckline modestly high. The dress fell down just below her mid-thigh and twirled whenever she spun.

She picked Natsu's scarf up and carefully wrapped it around her neck. It didn't quite match with what she wore, but she felt closer to him when she put it on. She blushed at the idea and tried to shake it from her mind. A scarf was just a scarf. What am I thinking? She reprimanded herself, tugging the scarf gently in place and grabbing the muumuu from the sink. A smile played on her lips as she walked out the door with Natsu's scent gently floating around her.

"Beautiful!" Nana exclaimed, "Now give me a twirl," Auralie smiled and spun once or twice, "Perfect, just perfect. Now if we could just find you some shoes," she said beckoning Aura to follow her back into the living room where she'd brought in a suitcase, "None of these clothes fit me, they were Kaylee's, but I'm giving them to you now so they don't take up so much of my storage," she said rummaging through the contents until she pulled out tights and black shoes, "Put these on, go now," she gave Auralie the items then hurried her back into the bathroom to put them on. Once she came back out her heels clicked on the wood floor.

"Did you steal those?" said Happy half asleep as he came wobbling into the hallway from the kitchen.

"Of course not,"

"Yaaw—" he lifted his paws skywards in a tired stretch, "It wouldn't surprise me, you are a racist so it's not a big leap," he said, rubbing his eyes.

"It's definitely a big leap… Are you feeling ok?" she asked as Happy swayed back and forth.

"Aye sir aye sir," he said, but Happy was still belly-heavy from all the bread and started to tip forwards. Aura caught him before his face hit the ground and cradled the woozy cat in her arms, "you should probably go easy on the zucchini bread next time, huh?" she thought out loud.

Auralie walked back into the living room where Nana Peebles sat with a brush in hand.

"Come sit so I can brush your hair dear," she said.

"Yes Nanna Peebles," Auralie said, trying to hide the nervousness in her voice. She sat in front of Nana Peebles as she began to brush. Her hair was extremely knotted, and it took everything she had to stay still and ignore the ripping at her skull. She saw a grandfather clock in the corner of the room, and felt that it kept time slower than most clocks. Happy squirmed in her arms, opening his eyes enough to squint at her.

"Aura why are you cr—," Auralie clamped her hand over his mouth, hoping Nanna Peebles didn't hear.

"There we are," Nanna Peebles said as she finished brushing out her bangs. Aura unclamped Happy's mouth and quickly wiped the corners of her eyes, she looked at Happy and brought a finger to her lips. The cat nodded and yawned, settling back down in her arms, "Now you look just like a doll," Nana said, content with her work.

"You're too kind," Auralie said, rising to her feet, Happy asleep again in her arms.

"Oh look at the cute kitty," she gushed, petting his head, "Nonsense, I'm sorry I've probably wasted a lot of your time," she laughed lightly, "So do you accept my offer to room here?" Auralie thought about it, and decided it would help her to move forwards. She would have somewhere to stay that didn't take advantage of anyone, she could look for work, and she could finally work on repaying Natsu and the others for their kindness.

"Mm-hm," she nodded and pulled her into a one-armed hug, "Thank you much Nanna, you've been so kind to me,"

"Hoho, don't worry about it, it's the least I could do," she said, hugging her back with the strength she could muster, "Now why don't you follow me and bring that bothersome suitcase with you? I can't wait to see what you think of the place," she smiled.

"Ok," she said and grabbed Kaylee's old things with one arm, still holding Happy in the other, to follow Mrs. Peebles out the door.

"It's just to the side here," she said stepping outside. Aura followed suit, closing the front door behind her. The sun set low in the distance, promising only a couple minutes more of sun. Happy shivered as the wind moved past his fur and chilled him to the core.

"Happy," Aura shook him gently, "Happy?"

"C-c-c-cold,"

"I thought so," she said gently, "Why don't you climb back under the scarf?"

"Aye sir," he said tiredly as she helped him onto her shoulder. Nana Peebles took the stairs one step at a time, stopping occasionally to catch her breath.

"Are you ok?" Auralie caught up to her, offering her arm for assistance.

"Well, I'm not as young and fit as I used to be," she laughed at her situation as she took another breather, gripping Aura's left arm in one hand and the railing in another, "Just a couple more steps. That's what I keep telling myself,"

"Nana you don't have to do this, I can just—"

"No, I'll make it just fine," she said, determined. Auralie nodded as they took on the following steps together. At the top of the staircase they reached a rose-pink door. Mrs. Peebles pulled out a key with shaky hands, handing it to Auralie, "Do the honors, would you?"

She opened the door quickly and ushered Nana inside to get her out of the cold, then pulled the suitcase through the door. Nana had turned on the light and waited for her reaction patiently.

A bare lightbulb hung in the middle of the room, casting their shadows behind them. The walls where a white brick that fell down to grey-brown wood flooring. A small fireplace was built into the wall across from the door, and a tufted couch covered in leather sat facing it. To the right there was a window, surrounded by empty floor to ceiling bookshelves, and to the left she saw a little kitchen.

"This is… wonderful," she said, lost in thought.

"And there's more! Let me show you your room, the bed's a little unconventional, but I think it'll do," Nanna Peebles grabbed her hand and showed her down a short hallway till they reached a door to the right, "Here we are," she said.

There was one other door in the room to the right that led to a humble bathroom. On the wall next to her left stood a tall armoire. A large window graced the wall opposite the door, where a bed was fixed sideways by a wooden enclosure that would create its own mini room if one were to close it off with a curtain.

"I love it," Auralie said, tears pricking at the corners of her eyes.

"Good, dear," Nanna said, squeezing her hand lightly, "I'll leave you be now, it's nearly my bed time," she laughed lightly, "I've provided enough food for you to get by for a week in the fridge and cupboards, and there's all the necessary toiletries in the bathroom to get you started till you find a job," she said, walking back into the apartment's living room.

"I can't thank you enough Nana, if there's ever anything you need, please don't hesitate to ask," Auralie said, following her to the door.

"All right dear, maybe I'll think of a chore or two," she laughed, "If you don't mind could you help me back down?"

Auralie nodded and helped Mrs. Peebles back down to her home. She then came back upstairs, locking the door behind her and breathed out.

"Happy," she said, reaching under the scarf to pull him out.

"Eh?"

"Guess what?" she smiled.

"What?" he yawned.

"I have an apartment!" she squealed, hugging the cat to her chest and skipping lightly back to her room so she didn't disturb Nana Peebles.

"Aura, you're making me wanna puke," said Happy half asleep with his paw over his mouth.

"Sorry, sorry," she said, settling him down on the bed and putting the covers over him. She took off Natsu's scarf and folded it neatly, setting it down on the bed as well. She went back out to the living room and brought Kaylee's deserted suitcase into the bedroom, looking for pajamas. She found a pair of matching pink silk pajamas pants and button up long sleeve shirt and took them to the bath. She did her nightly routine quickly after bathing, drying off with a spell, and folded the dress neatly, putting it into the suitcase.

"Night, Happy," she said, turning off the light and crawling into bed. It was slightly lumpy, probably from years of use, but it didn't matter. She smiled to herself, content, and lay on her back.

Light came in through the window as she stared at the ceiling, the back of her hand on her forehead. Her mind wouldn't go to sleep. Happy snored in a peaceful bundle under the covers at the end of the bed and Aura sat up. Leaning forwards carefully, she picked up Natsu's scarf from where it'd been left on the end of the bed. The scarf was smooth under her fingers and she wondered what it was made of.

For some reason, it made her feel safe. She unfolded it, and refolded it delicately, slightly embarrassed. He wouldn't mind if she slept with it on, would he? She unfolded it again, wrapping it loosely around her neck and laid back down. She didn't understand it, but she felt more at ease now, and felt herself being pulled under as a familiar scent filled her mind before slipping into a peaceful sleep.

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Snow fell lightly around him as he went about his work, catching in his hair or melting in his eyelashes. He exhaled white clouds of steam as his breathing slowed while he concentrated. This work required precision, perfection. He thanked his years of drawing for his steady hand. The scent of burning wood reached his senses as he continued to burn a geometric vector symbol above her door.

Once he finished he moved the welcome mat and started again on the wooden floor below. Better safe than sorry, he told himself. He told himself, but it didn't matter. He wasn't sure why he was nervous or why his body trembled, he'd done his research. This would hold up, this would work. Perhaps it was because of what he would lose if this failed. No matter how much he tried he couldn't shake the image out of his head.

He'd never wanted to go back there, not after what happened, but the mission specifically requested his set of skills, so he went. Save her, she'd said, save her. He had to take her in his arms, half alive and bleeding out, and leave them behind. It was because she'd helped him, she could've gotten away. It didn't matter that she didn't remember him from back then.

He was a monster. And every day she'd tried to escape he'd gotten in the way. It was his fault. Even so, she always came back. Even though she didn't remember him, or who he was, she tried to help. She brought him back, she saved him; his angel. And he'd left her, half alive to wake up alone.

Smoke rose from the symbol, but disappeared quickly as the snow fell. He drew lines connecting the two symbols. The mat flopped to the ground as he put it where it used to be. Taking a deep breath, he looked up to the roof and exhaled sharply before jumping up. The snow melted away beneath his feet as he walked carefully to the edges, looking for windows. He bent down over the rooftop, drawing the symbols above and below the window sills and connecting them with a line.

As he leant over the last window he worked meticulously, making sure every detail was exactly as it should be. Only then did he glance inside.

He gazed at her sleeping figure and felt something he didn't recognize. She was still wearing his scarf. It wasn't normal to wear a scarf to bed, was it? He shook his head, dismissing his thoughts and watched as her chest rose and fell softly; he found that its rhythm calmed him, and he could relax knowing she was still breathing.

Her hair had fallen across her face and he wanted to brush it aside so he could see her. She looked so peaceful in her sleep. Almost like a child, and Natsu had to wonder if somewhere in her heart there was a soft place he could stay. A soft blush rose to his cheeks. He shook his head again, he knew it wasn't possible, not after what he'd done. He couldn't forgive himself, and neither should she.

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Sorry that started out slow, but yayy! Aura finally caught a break! Thank you, Nana Peebles! Now she can get down to business ;D and what is Natsu talking about? I guess you'll just have to keep reading to find out… Shout out to anyone who caught my vague Firefly references (; it's not an anime or manga but still ranks as one of my favorite shows of all time. YOU CAN'T TAKE THE SKY FROM ME! Ok ok, I'll stop. Also, a major shout out to Jalis, LucyDragneel2009, and mun3litKnight for reviewing and letting me know what they think. I love you guys!

~Atrevici out!~