Hey guys! I have to apologize for the long wait. I've tried to make this chapter really long so it really took a lot out of my mind. And at times I feel like I'm pulling teeth, but I slave for you peoples, so enjoy!
Chapter:3
"So, 50,000 jewels, huh? The reward sounds awesome, but the job itself sounds boring. I mean, what's so interesting about returning some kid to his mother? Not alot of chances to stomp some faces. Thats for sure." Natsu said matter-of-factly.
"Well, considering the description, I don't think that this is "some kid". Just think, would a kid be labled as a very important person before their name? I think not." Erza said crossing her arms. "Besides, I doubt a simple missing child job would be on the S-class board."
"Hmph." Was his only reply.
"So where is this job supposed to be?" Lucy asked.
"The old abandoned church in Fresia." Erza answered.
"Colorful meeting spot. Sounds abit suspicious if you ask me." Gray said, narrowing his eyes.
"That was one of the reasons why this job in particular got my attention. It did seem a bit odd that the meeting spot for more information would be an abandoned church of all places." Erza stated.
"Well, maybe thats where he dissapeared first." Lucy suggested. They all hummed as they thought it over.
"Nope. Can't be." They all said to Lucy in unison. Making xs with thier arms. Lucy huffed and puffed out her cheeks angrily at her idea being waved off so unanimously.
"So, what do you all think? Would you like to come with me on this job?" Erza asked with a mysterious smirk on her face that was practically garunteeing an adventure, and maybe thats why the silence was brief.
"Sure!" Lucy said with enthusiasm and a hint of greed.
"Yeah, I'll go. Don't have anything better to do around here."Gray said, returning Erza's smirck.
"You could be finding clothes." Lucy said as Gray looked down to discover he was only in blue boxers.
"ACK!"
"Well I guess we'll come since it is pretty suspicious, but only on one condition. You fight me when we get the chance, got it?"Natsu barguned.
"Death wish." Lucy and Gray both deadpaned.
"Very well, its a deal." She said as if it was no big deal.
"ALRIGHT!" Natsu roared.
"Aye sir!" Happy chanted with Natsu's enthusiasm, raising a paw in the air.
"Then its settled, we will meet at Magnolia Train station in two hours. This might be a long trip, so make sure to bring necessary supplies."
"Yes ma'am!" They all said rising to leave to there respective homes, Natsu being the first out the door. Erza stayed back to register the job.
"Good luck you guys!" Mira shouted, looking up from registering the job, smiling.
~1 hour later, Lucy's house~
Lucy was diligently packing her bag withnecessary, and unnecessary, travel equipment, when suddenly a dragonslayer and his blue, feline companion dropped by. As usual, he didn't bother to knock, but instead enter through an open window over looking her bed.
"Yo, hows the pakin' comi-"
"Aiiiiiii! BURGLAR!" Lucy screamed, not recognozing the intruder as a friend and kicked him in the face so hard he went falling out the window he entered from, yelling profanities the whole way.
"Thats no way to treat a guest, Lucy." Happy said wagging his finger as if scolding a child. He knew Natsu was fine.
"Huh? Happy? What are you doing here? And if your here, where's Natsu?" She questioned, hearing his statement.
"Right...here." Natsu grumbled as he slowly climbed back up to the window, sporting a perfect, red shoe mark in the middle of his face. "Was there a reason why you kicked me in the face?" He said, balancing on the windowsill.
"I didn't kick you! I kicked some... burglar..." Lucy trailed off as she replayed the scene in her mind and realizing that it was indeed Natsu she had kicked back out the window, not a burglar. Her cheecks flushed. "W-well its not my fault! If you would just knock for once, then that would of never happened!" She yelled, pointing an accusing finger at him.
"My fault?! Its not my fault you scare easily. Sheesh, your so weird." Natsu responded, sighing after the last scentence.
"What do you want anyways?" Lucy asked gruffly, turning back to her work.
"We, wanted to see if you finished packing yet." Happy answered, hovering over to her to inspect her bag over her sholder.
"Shouldn't you guys be getting rested or something? We still have about an hour left." Lucy asked, seeing if the two would go away.
"Couldn't rest, too pumped."
"For what, I thought you said this job was going to be boring?"
"Yeah well, now that I think about it, that job really is a mystery. It could easily be a trap to get rid of some of Fairy Tail's strongest mages, or somethin'." He said as he sat on Lucy's bed with criss crossed legs. Lucy stared at him as if a second head had sprouted from his neck. "What?"
"You came up with that all by your self?!"
"Why are you surprised?" He said angrily.
"Lucy's so wierd..." Happy said, chewing on a fish he got from his pack.
Ignoring the last comment Lucy muttered something about someone usually being hard headed as she finnished packing her bag and stood up.
"Well, now that I'm done, why don't we make our way to the train station?"
"Yeah oka- WAIT! Your just tryn' to change the subject!" Natsu yelled in realization.
"Thats fine, you can just sit there and scream about whatever your talking about instead of coming on a posibly awesome adventure to kick some faces in." Lucy said while winking and sticking her tounge out.
"Screw that, wait for me!" Natsu said while following a gigling Lucy outside, Happy cheerfully flying beside them.
~Magnolia train station~
"Ugh, where are those three? If they don't hurry the train will leave without us." An impacient, and fully clothed Gray growled beside Erza.
"I'm sure they'll be here soon." She said calmly. As soon as she said that, the said three were running, one flying, through the crowd of people towards the pair.
"I see you finaly made it, Flame-brain." Gray sneered.
"Shut up, minty fresh." Natsu snarled in response, feeling very irritated knowing that he had to ride that miserable excuse for transportation: the train. Gray simply smirked and turned to Erza, who was clearing her throat for attention.
"Alright, now that we're all here we can get on the train. It will be a four hour ride, is every one ready?
"Yep!" They all answered, save for Natsu, who only groaned in response.
"Right. Lets go." The group made their way to the passenger car, Natsu being draged, to find seats.
Link panted heavily as he killed the last of the monsters that had ambushed him. He was covered in gashes, most superficial, but some deep and long. One particular gash on his side worried him. It stretched from the bottom of his ribs to the lower part of his back. He had been slashed umexpectedly by a moblin that cornered him. It was the only serious wound he had acquired, but it was bleading heavily, and hurt like crazy. He ploped down on the ground after he freed Machi and dug in his pouch for his last postion.
"Gee, thanks guy. You really saved me back there. And... I'm sorry for the trouble I caused you. I was just so excited I forgot that there were packs of monsters creepin' about, kewww." The little kikwi sighed as he rub the back of his head and wadeled up to the teen.
"Thats alright, I'm just glad your okay. Why are there so many monsters about?" Link asked, the question nagging him the two days he spent in the woods.
"Dunno. But they've been poppin up lately and makin the woods more unsafe than it already was. Koo! Mabye the chief might know! He's back at the little safe haven he found for us since its too dangerous for even him to be about."
"Sonds like a plan. Just give me a momment and I'll be right with you." The swordsman said as he found the last contents of some red potion. It wasn't alot, by any means, but it will have to do. As he drank it down, the smaller wounds healed over completly while some only closed. He would have to be careful not to over do anything or he'll reopen them. Expecially the one on his side. He slowly stood, and followed the kikwi back to its safe haven. The ran into no problems as the made their way over to the small grove, since it wasn't all that far away. The kikwis were abit surprised to see Link, but as soon as they saw Machi, they quickly waddled to him.
"Machi, your okay!" Oloo, a kikwi with a leaf mohawk, squeaked happily.
"Yeah buddy, we thought you were a goner." Erla, one with a leaf mustache, said. As Machi conversed with his kin, Link turned to see Bucha, the clan's cheif, saunter over to him.
"Why hello again. It seems that you rescued one of my fellow kikwi yet again, and for that I must thank you." He said, slightly dipping his head in gratitude, slightly because with his huge body, he might just topple over the poor skyloftian in which he was thanking.
"It was no problem, but I was wondering something."
"Oh? And what might that be?"
"I'm sure you have noticed the monster infestation." Bucha nodded his head. "I was wondering if you knew why this has happened." Link already had an idea of why these monsters had shown up, he just wanted to see if hos thoughts were correct.
"Keew..." Bucha hummed in thought. "Truthfully, I do not know, but what I have noticed is that they seem to be targeting you... err.."
"Link." The swordsman supplied.
"Ah, Link, thats right." Link simply sighed. Ignoring the fact that the old being can't remember his name, Link's thoughts had been confirmed. The fact that the stupid monsters that usually attacked any moving thing in sight were targeting him SPECIFICALLY, meant that spiteful demon, Ghirahim, has given his minions the task to kill, or capture him. Great, right when he had important things to take care of.
Bucha looked over the young teen standing before him, spying the blotches of red that stained his tunic. The poor child must of encountered the monsters when he had saved Machi.
"Excuse me," Link's voice interupted his thoughts, "but, how did Machi end up getting captured?"
"He didn't tell you?"
"I forgot to ask."
"Well, as you see there is no water source in the immediate area, so Machi volunteered to go get some, and thats when he was captured." Bucha explained. Ever since the swordsman had saved the timid little kikwi, it seemed he became a bit more courageous. His personality must have rubbed of on him.
"I see. Well, I could help out." Link said, shrugging. Bucha raised his brows in surprise.
"What? You don't have to. You have done enough for us already. I couldn't ask any more of you."
"No, it's alright, I want to help. I can't just leave you all here unprotected so close to a monster camp. Besides, you guys helped me out plenty." Link inisted.
"Well, only because you want to, but why don't you rest first?" Bucha sighed. He realy appreciated his willingness to help him and his clan, but the boy looked tired and battered.
"I think I'm good for now. It'll probably be best if I do it now while there aren't any monsters to worry about. I have a feeling if I rest, I might not get up for awhile." Link said.
"Alright, well here is what you must do."
Lucy stared out tue trains window, watching the country zoom by in comfortable silence. Gray and Happy had decided to take a nap, Natsu was passed out on Erza's lap( she had knocked the dragonslayer out to 'help' with his motion sickness), and Erza was reading a book. Lucy sighed, wondering if this job was going to be easy or not. She had a strong feeling it was the latter, but not knowing why. Erza looked up from her book when she heard Lucy sigh.
"Something wrong, Lucy?" Lucy jolted out of her thoughts when she heard Erza speak.
"Huh? Oh nothing. I was just wondering if this is going to turn out crazy like alot of our jobs usually do." She whispered, trying not to wake anybody.
"I see," Erza chuckled quietly. "well, the main reason I took this job because I had this odd feeling when my eyes caught sight of this job. It was like I just couldn't leave this job on the board, even if I wanted to." She said, placing a hand on her chin as she recalled the odd moment. "Mabye this is the workings of something greater than ourselves." She continued distantly, as if she was talking to herself.
"...Mabye..."
I would like to thank everyone who had revied, followed, and faved this story. It really makes me feel awsome that I made something you guys like so thanks for the suppor