The train pulled into the station. Reluctantly, Zander, Ian, and Lyla Heart stood up, however, Akane refused to move. I brought three people with me to a face off against a dark guild. A dork, a kid, and someone that I don't even know his abilities! she thought.
"Akane," Zander called, breaking her out of her thoughts, snapping her back to reality. Akane looked at him startled. "Let's go," he followed up. Akane nodded meekly and stood up to exit the train. Akane wobbled to the platform and sat down on the closest bench she could find. "Don't tell me you get motion sickness like my dad, Akane," Ian said jokingly.
"Yeah, Akane. What's wrong? You weren't like this the last time we took a train together, and you absolutely despised me back then. Is everything okay?" Zander asked.
Akane thought for a moment. What do I say? I'm scared? That will just make me look weak. I'm scared for them? Anything I say can and probably will be turned against me. Akane dropped her head and rested her forehead in her palms. I don't know what to do. I wish my mom was here. She would know, she would be able to protect us. With a sudden burst of inspiration and confidence, she lifted her head and looked up to the sky. It was so blue, not a cloud in sight. The sun shone on her face, warm and comforting like a mother's arms after a horrible day. If she heard me like that she would be ashamed of me, Akane concluded. She stood up and looked the three in the eyes in turn. "Akane, is everything okay?" Zander asked again.
A wide grin spread across her face. She looked almost maniacal. She turned away and stood with her back facing her team mates silently. "Oh great, she's cracked," Ian mumbled under his breath.
"Sometimes the unconventional people are the ones you have to put your faith in the most. You know, think outside of the box to trap the demon," Akane said philosophically. She then cocked her head back and looked at Zander. "Right?"
Zander thought back to their first job together, how she winged the whole take down, and they were victorious, contrary to most new team's first jobs. He thought of the stories he heard of her solo jobs, how she would do things that no one, not even the older guild members, would ever even consider doing on a solo job where there is no one to back you up if you get injured in battle. He recalled how when he would ask her why she would do something so reckless without back up, she simply replied with 'a guild member has to be able to hold his or her own. If you can't even do that, then you shouldn't bear the Fairy Tail crest.'
He would never tell her, but Zander's respect for Akane shot up considerably since they first met, with every solo job she took and completed, with every rule she enforced, every fought she broke up between the younger guild members, with every strict word she spoke to the older members, every time an older member listened to her.
"You have got to be crazy," Ian told the red haired girl before him.
"She knows what she's doing, and at the very least, you should give her your respect because she's taken more jobs without an adult than you've ever taken with an adult," Zander retorted, annoyance apparent in his voice.
Akane was amazed that Zander had such reverent things to say about her. She let the sparks of a fight go for the one time as she walked out of the station towards the town.
/
Lyla Heart walked close to Akane as she looked around the town. "Its like a ghost town. Where is everyone?" she asked Akane.
"You don't think they're all... You know," Zander asked rubbing his neck worriedly.
Akane couldn't bring herself to answer honestly. "Whose to know."
The three younger guild members stopped to look at Akane nervously. She met their nervous looks with confidence. "Lets get to the museum and check out this artifact that they're rumored to be stealing."
The team walked through the vacant town gawking at the condition it was in. Akane turned around to see the other three lagging behind looking around them. "Well, quit dragging your feet and lets get a move on. The longer it takes to get there, the slimmer our chance is to keep them from stealing it," she called behind them.
Zander picked up his pace and caught up with her. "Is there something wrong with you or something? Did you hit your head coming off of the train?"
Akane looked at the boy next to her. "I'm fine," she said as reassuringly as she could muster up. Unfortunately it wasn't convincing enough for Zander.
"Listen," he whispered. "You don't have to fake it. Just because you're scared doesn't mean that we wont follow you. We trust you. We wouldn't have come with you if we didn't."
Akane looked at him sideways holding back what she truly wanted to say. Instead she just flashed him a smile and continued walking.
Lyla Heart looked to her older brother. "This is bad, isn't it?"
Ian didn't respond.
"Should I try to call mom or dad you think?" she asked.
After a pause, he answered her. "No. She's Erza's daughter. If something goes wrong, she'll be able to hand it." Then he added softly, "I hope."
/
The museum was large and the architecture resembled that of a Roman gothic church. The three younger mages were amazed as they stood gawking on the front steps. "Lets go," Akane said as she walked towards the door.
"What do you children think you're doing? This place is closed down," a man's voice called behind them. All four turned around to see a man in uniform standing as bravely as he could before them. Akane flashed him a mocking smile. "We're going to go complete a job and clean up a mess that yo-" she was cut off by Zander covering her mouth and spinner her around to face him. "You can't talk that way to an officer of the military," he scolded her.
Akane's smile faded and she looked to the side, "Yeah, whatever." She turned back around to him and walked over so she was right in front of him. He was plenty taller than her, but she wasn't afraid of him, not even slightly intimidated. "My apologies sir," she said with a small curtsy. "I was saying that we're here to clean up the mess that you were unable to without us. Please excuse us," she said turing away. "What did I just tell you?" Zander whispered angrily.
Akane opened her mouth to answer him, but the officer behind them spoke again.
"Are you Fairy Tail mages? When I heard the names, I assumed you all would be much older," he explained.
The group turned around and looked at him, now all four of them smiling as convincingly as they could. "We're their children," Akane simply said. They all turned away and continued to the front doors.
"I wish you the best of luck, young mages. My men and I will pray for your safe return."
Akane put a thumbs up in the air, while the other three put their pointer finger and thumb in the air. Akane looked at them and changed to have the same gesture.
Uneasily, the man in uniform walked away, leaving the Fairy Tail mages to do their work.
Akane looked behind them and rolled up the sleeves on her jacket. "Well, now that he's gone, lets get down to work!" she cheered as she reached for the doorknob. When her hand was inches away, she was thrown back onto the ground a few feet away.
"What the hell was that?" Zander cried.
Akane got onto her knee. "Damn it, they're already inside. The put up a forcefield around the museum so no one could get in," she mumbled.
Ian dug into his pocket. "I got this. I can dig a tunnel under the door and get us in."
"Wait, if we do that, then it'll announce that we're coming in. If we can figure out a way to get through the barrier, that would be the better way of getting in," Zander said.
"Are you saying that my method isn't good?"
Zander opened his mouth and Akane walked between them. "Yes," she said simply as she walked passed them. She stood in front of the door once again and looked at her right hand, opening and closing it slowly. Itsalreadyburned.ItsnotlikeI'mdoinganydamageifIbotheritjustalittlebitmore, she thought. She then swiftly took a fighting stance and smirked. "Lets go." Zander realized what she was doing. She was going to use her magic to get through the forcefield and get them in. After a few seconds she was charged up, extremely faster than it took her on their first job together. "Are you guys ready?" she asked before she opened the door.
"Yeah," Ian responded.
"Let's do this!" Lyla Heart cheered.
"Don't pass out," Zander said flatly.
Akane smirked. "As long as you don't, dork. Theres no going back now! We've got this!" she cheered as she punched the forcefield. It was a miniature fight between Akane's magic and the forcefield for a few seconds, then finally, Akane's magic won and it shattered. Akane continued to follow through with her punch until she hit the door, splintering that as well. "I thought we were supposed to make a quiet, sneaky entry," Ian complained.
"At least we know where we are, if you dug under, we could have come up right under their meeting or something," Zander returned.
"Okay!" Akane ordered gaining the other three's attention. "Lets split up, we need to find this thing before they do. Zander and I will go alone, Ian, stay with Lyla Heart. I don't want to deal with your parents if I let her get hurt."
"I don't need Ian to stick with me, Akane. I can handle myself," Lyla Heart said innocently.
Akane looked to Ian for conformation. He nodded his head and then looked at the ground as if ashamed by something. "Well, okay then. Zander, you take the first floor, East wing. Lyla Heart, first floor west wing. Ian, second floor east wing. I'll take the second floor west wing," Akane assigned.
"Lyla Heart should take the second floor, and I'll take the first," Ian told her.
Akane didn't care. "Whatever, as long as we're split up, go where ever you see fit. Ready? Break!"
The four young mages darted off in their respective directions.
/
"Did you feel that, sir?"
"Yes, it would seem we have company."
"What shall we do?"
"Draim, Izzo, Kauff, Arzu, go take care of it."
"Yes, sir," the four answered in unison and left the room.
"This may be a problem, don't you agree Marigoh?"
Marigoh chuckled. "We'll crush those pixies as if they were little bugs on the floor."