A/N: I'm trying to make the story more interesting since I got a suggestion that things were going too slowly so I changed my writing style. Tell me which one you like better.
And thank you to all the people who have reviewed and alerted. You guys are the reason I've been kicking my butt into high gear; higher gear.
In the late hours of the night, three men are having a dispute inside a large dark room. The door has been locked and the blinds closed to keep unwanted eyes out. The oldest is sitting behind a desk that is empty except for one folder, while the other two stand before him. He just finished giving the two some instructions and is now waiting for them to exit his office quietly as is the custom.
The figure on the left, a burly man in his mid-twenties with blond hair, black eyes, and scars on every visible patch of skin, turns around and heads for the door; just as he is expected to do. The other, a young man in his late-teens with brown hair and muddy brown eyes, does no such thing. He stays in his place, shifting his gaze between his superior and the large man who has paused with his hand on the doorknob. "You want me to do what?" The youngest asks, wondering if he had heard wrong. Surely he wasn't needed for something like this.
"Is there something wrong?" The question is innocent enough, but the tone has a hidden malice which causes the brunette to shiver. He quickly shakes it off. Returning his expression to an uncaring one, he continues.
"Do I have to work with him?" The teen refuses to back down. He stares straight into his boss's eyes, unwavering. No one has ever spoken back to the boss before, not unless they were replying "yes sir", and he is quite surprised. The boss hates surprises.
"Are you an idiot?" a voice from behind asks. The youngest turns his head slightly to acknowledge it. He looks back toward the desk and realizes he may have gone too far. No one is supposed to question the boss. No one. Not even his second in command or most trusted member. Without another word he spins on his heel and leaves.
The scarred man smirks at his retreating back, "Messing with them may prove entertaining," is all he says before following the teen.
Once the door is closed, the remaining man regards the file on his desk. He flips through the papers until he finds what he wants. On the page are two pictures, one is a black guild symbol and the other is a photo of a teen with maroon colored hair.
He grumbles as he places the folder down, still open to that page. They had better finish the job quickly. The young mage is too valuable to leave with such a pathetic guild.
It's mid-afternoon and I sit quietly by myself at a table inside the guild. Everyone else is sitting in groups, but I opted to be left alone for a little while. Several people have waved me over, however, I kindly declined their offers. I frown at the drink in front of me as I absentmindedly spin the little paper umbrella.
It's been over a week since the trip to Fraynis and I haven't done any job since then. Natsu has been badgering me to go with him on another one, but I've refused every time. After I turned him down again yesterday, he dejectedly left with only Happy. I hate seeing that look on his face, but I need some time to sort things out.
I may just be paranoid (I probably am), but I feel like someone's been following me. It's been happening more and more lately. After pushing my unfinished drink aside I stand. I reach up to twirl a strand of hair that's fallen out of my French braid as I head for the exit.
On my way out the door a hand grabs my shoulder. Instinctively my body tenses. I inhale deeply as my logic takes over. Since only guild members could be behind me right now, I resist the urge to lash out at whoever it is. The hand's owner feels me tense and quickly lets go.
"Sorry," they say. The voice is obviously female. "I guess I should have waited until you were out the door, but I wanted to talk to you as soon as possible."
I relax my body and turn to face them. The person turns out to be none other than Lisanna. Seeing her standing there with that kind smile on her face reminds me of something I've always wondered. I've never understood how a calm, nice girl like Lisanna can be related to a demon like Mirajane. I push the thoughts aside as she begins to talk again.
"Is something wrong?" she questions, looking concerned. "You've been distant lately, even more than usual." I can't stop a frown from forming. I hate to see others worried about me, especially when the reason for my worries is beyond their control.
Making a motion as if to shrug off her fears, I say, "It's nothing. No need for you to worry."
This time it's her turn to frown. "If something bothers you it bothers me; that's how things are in Fairy Tail." She steps forward and replaces her hand on my shoulder. "Surely you've been here long enough to have learned that." When I don't say anything she continues, "Well, if you feel like talking about it I'll be happy to listen, and so will anyone else. Hope you feel better soon." With that said, she brushes past me on her way out.
My lips give way to a smile as I watch her leave. One thing is certain, this place feels more like home than my house ever did. The smile stays on my face the entire walk to Fairy Hills.
I open the door to my room and look inside; everything is just as I left it. At least that means no one has broken in. Not that I have anything worth stealing.
My walls are still a burgundy color and decorated with paintings made by Reedus. I offered to buy them from him, but he normally gives them to me for free. The floor is hardwood and has a lot of scratches and scuff marks caused by my sneakers and me moving furniture around. My bed is positioned under the biggest window. It has dark blue covers with a water design and pillows that desperately need a good fluffing. I have a shelf lined with books across one wall and a desk across another. There's a white door that opens up to my very own bathroom. As for my own personal touches; I have a small fridge in one corner that is stacked with drinks and minuscule amounts of food. My books mostly consist of books and myths about dragons and other mystical creatures as well as some books I've borrowed from Levy. After all, if dragons can exist, why not phoenixes or sirens? There are other things in my room as well, like a couch, a large mirror, a ceiling fan, and other things like that.
Taking off my shoes, I throw myself onto my bed, crumpling the covers. My window has a good view of the Guild and the city so I like to stare out it. I used to climb out onto the roof, but after Erza caught me last time, I've decided to refrain from doing that for a little while, at least until after she stops patrolling up there.
I feel myself fade from reality as I become engrossed in my thoughts.
I am so absorbed in my thoughts that I don't realize how late it's gotten. A knock on my door is what snaps me out of it. I open it to find the one and only Script Mage standing on the other side.
"Hey," she says, "Want to walk back to the guild with me? Lisanna said you could use the company and frankly, I've noticed you have been looking down lately." Word does seem to spread fast in Fairy Tail; especially between the girls. "Jet and Droy wanted to walk me back since it's getting dark, but I said I'd be with you so I'd be perfectly safe."
I give her a grin before agreeing. Even If I am a girl, her teammates would murder me if I somehow endangered their leader. Levy takes my arm and happily leads me down the hallway. However much I wanted to be alone, I find myself enjoying her company. We talk and laugh on our way back to the guild. Once there, she invites me to sit with her, Jet, and Droy. This time I accept.
The train finally stops and Natsu jumps out in pure joy. Other passengers give him weird looks, but he ignores them. All that matters is that he's out of the stupid train. The bright afternoon sun feels all the better now that he's off that horrid machine.
This latest job was in the large port-side city ,Wanderers' Paradise, far away from Magnolia. They had had to take several trains to reach it and he was definitely not looking forward to the trip back. He'd drag the job out if he wasn't so keen to get back to the guild.
Happy flies up to the Dragon Slayer and sighs in relief. "I was getting so bored on the train. And hungry. When are we going to eat?"
Natsu grins in reply, "Right now!" He takes off at a run to find the nearest food stand or restaurant. After all, you can't do a good job on an empty stomach. Happy happily flies after his friend, already picturing the scrumptious fish he'll soon be eating.
They find a hotdog stand for Natsu and a fish cart for Happy. The two of them then continue on to the place they're supposed to meet the client as they munch on their lunch. They look around as they walk.
The buildings are about the same stature as those back in Magnolia, but these ones are visibly older. Shingles from the roofs are barely hanging on, the paint is peeling, and the stone is beginning to crack. Several windows are boarded up; rusted nails visible through the damp wooden planks. Some of the buildings have had their doors knocked down and never replaced. The streets have not fared any better. Cobblestones are either loose or missing. A layer of mud and debris litters the ground, and garbage can be found in rotting piles beside almost every home.
Not even the smell of the nearby ocean can hide the stench. Natsu wrinkles his nose. A normal person would find the stench annoying, but with his amplified senses, the smell can be overwhelming in places.
"What happened to this place?" Happy questions, "I thought this city was rich. And a Paradise."
The Fire Dragon points in front of them. Further down, everything suddenly gets newer. Windows are whole and polished and paint is fresh. The road is paved properly, and the scent of freshly baked bread and flowers is present. "We must be in a bad side of town or something."
It took a while, a lot of running around, and several dead-ends before they finally reach the park where they are meeting the client. They find the woman exactly where she said she would be; under the third chestnut tree from the left when coming through the west entrance. Why she was so scarily specific they would never know.
When she notices the pair approaching she adjusts her shawl and walks up to meet them. "I'm so glad you could make it," she says in a misty voice. "But," she looks between the two, "where is the last one?"
The teen raises an eyebrow. "Last one?" What is she talking about? This lady is not giving off a normal vibe.
"The one surrounded by shadows," she states, as if it's a perfectly normal thing to say. Blinking at their confusion, she shakes her head. "I am sorry. I should be more clear. Your other partner, you do have one, yes?" They nod. "Should she not be here? "
Natsu's mouth forms a small 'O' as he registers what she's talking about. His face falls into a frown. "She didn't want to come..."
The woman bites down on her lower lip. A look of concern flashes across her face. "That is a bad sign." Happy and Natsu share a look. There is something really odd about this woman. A quick sniff of the air reveals that their client has a fragrance similar to incense and strong tea.
"It is not nice to sniff people you know." Natsu grins sheepishly and scratches his head. "But no matter." She turns around, beginning to walk toward the shabby part of the city they had just come from. "Come along." Reluctantly, they follow her.
A/N: It has been brought to my attention that there has been an inconsistency in my story so let me better explain.
"In the second chapter Natsu's nose couldn't smell a lot of people but in the third chapter his nose was super good."
The only reason Natsu couldn't smell the people is because the smell of strawberries was everywhere and overpowered everything else. Like when people wear a bunch of perfume so you can't smell their sweat or whatever.