Chapter 3~ Exasperated
Out of all the idiotic things Natsu has done in his sixteen years of life, this has got to be one of the top one-hundred.
"You cant talk your way out of this one. Good luck with that." Erza Scarlet let out a cruel laugh as Esther giggled along with her. Gray Fullbuster, an ice maker mage, shivered at the sister duo and Lucy wailed with cries. Natsu was being dragged by both Esther and Erza.
"DONT TAKE MEEEEEEE! NO! PLEASE! ANYTHING BUT 'THAT'! NOOOO!" He screamed bloody murder, tears coming to his eyes. Esther winked at Neeya and the cat giggled.
Natsu looked up at Neeya and gave her the puppy dog look. "Please?" He murmured and she rolled her eyes, irises flashing red with danger. "Are you sure you want to be asking me that question, Natsu?" As a reply the man shivered but smiled anyways.
And she gave a tiny smirk back.
Erza noticed and looked ahead, her fiery hair blocking her look of triumph.
The progress was stupendous!
Esther's amethyst eyes were flashing red and fading back to its regular color. When she left the guild with Gray two days ago to retrieve Lucy and Natsu, it was in tact.
What. In. The. Blue HELL HAPPENED?!
Natsu too, felt his blood boiling. Unlike Esther, he didnt ball up his anger. He let it out as soon as the bottle cap snapped. Roaring and causing a rage, everyone let him. Soon enough Esther blinked and walked away. She didn't take two years of anger management to blow it all down the drain now.
"Yo."
Esther groaned at Gray's voice. "First Natsu and now you? What is this, 'take over Esther's meditation field' day?!" She demanded and the man chuckled and sat down next to her. "Erza was lookin' for you. She's worried you went out and killed a bitch." Esther chuckled and turned towards him. Unlike Natsu, Gray actually made Esther like company. Natsu was annoying where as Gray just got straight to buisness. That's how she liked it. "She's always worried." She muttered and the ice-maker Mage laughed quietly.
"You know, I still worry about the Scarlet sisters. You two should lighten up some. Your only what? Fourteen?" Esther glared at him and looked at the ground. "I'm sixteen, you imbecile. Also if it won't trouble you to remember, refrain from calling me 'Scarlet.'" She hated him for looking at her like she was a child. He was only three years her senior. And he acted like a damn child everyday! Horse playing around with Natsu and the rest of the men that occupied the guild. Tsking, the girl looked up at the sky. It was darkening. Her element would be stronger any second now. It was like Natsu being around fire, it made her blood rush through her veins with excitement when twilight fell. It was amazing to feel that outburst of strength!
Gray laughed at her speach. She always talked so funny. It was hilarious. What sixteen year old uses the word 'imbecile'? She should have been born a few centuries ago.
Esther let out a 'hurumph' and looked back at the sky, flexing her fingers. She was assigned to go and examine Shadow Gear's team next. Standing up, Gray followed and put a hand on her shoulder. "Look I know me and the ol' flame brain like to tease you alot. But we, and everyone else in Fairy Tail, care about ya. We just wanna see you smile, alright?" Esther stared at him for a moment in surprise but nodded once with a smirk. "I understand." Gray smiled and wrapped an arm over her shoulders which made her stiffen but he ignored her. "And if your ever in trouble, big brother Gray's got ya back!" Rolling her eyes, she let out a soft smile and nodded.
"I'm sorry we headed out so late, Esther! We always usually head out on the last train of the night!"
Esther shook her head and nodded at Levy, Jet and Droy. "It is fine with me. I insisted that you all would go on as if I wasn't even present. I am only the examiner, nothing more. I have no control over where and when you go on your missions." Levy laughed and locked her arm with Esther's to the young examiner's surprise. Her head full of short blue locks laid on Esther's shoulder and she slowly yet surley got use to the proximity. "Oh c'mon, Esther-chan! You don't have to be so proper with us! Loosen up a bit why don't ya?" Jet and Droy let out with yells of agreement and nods. "Yea! We're all friends here!" Jet continued. Droy patted her head and Neeya's as well. "Nakama are comfortable around each other!"
That's when Levy was pushed into a wall.
Esther's eyes widened when the girl's arm wasn't there anymore, nor was her body. She was just taken away and pushed into an abandoned building. Esther's eyes connected with Levy's as she hit the wall and let out a silent scream of shock. But Levy wasn't helpless. Her eyes wondered upward with a frightened gleam and Esther immediately looked up and threw her hand in the air. Something hit her arm so hard that wind conjured up around them.
"Levy!" Jet and Droy cried out in shock. Esther blackflipped away, Neeya waking up from her slumber. "What's happening?!" The purple cat demanded, grasping onto Esther's cloak. "Neeya! I need you to go and check on Levy. I fear she has been injured." Neeya never wanting to anger her friend, flew of towards the blue haired woman who was currently fading into unconsciousness.
A bulky figure was bending low in the darkness where Esther just stood. Seeing him perfectly, Esther awaited as the man stood, hearing an almost silent laugh come from him. The voice was deep like a bass and raspy. The woman awaited as he stepped towards her, the potential threat to his mission. He could sense she was strong, maybe even on par with him.
The man stepped into the moonlight and Esther did her automatic notes.
Name: Unknown
Age: Estimated-19 to 22
Magic Type:Unknown
Clothes Type: Emotional. Gothic. Metal head-like. Stylish.
"Since you have attacked my comrade, I demand you state your name and buisness before I beat you senseless. Which, for your information, will be inevitable." Esther demanded in her soft yet firm and proper speach. The man rose a brow at that but then laughed. "The names Gajeel. Gajeel Redfox of Phantom Lord. And you?"
"Esther. Esther of the Fairy Tail guild. Though people seem to like the title Kuroki, Queen of the Shadows. "
She never referred to herself as Scarlet. Bad memories came with that name. Gajeel took on a look of surprise and then stepped closer. "So your the Dark Stranger huh? I expected something tottally diffrent. Someone a little rough around the edges." Esther grabbed for her katana on her hip and drew it with sheer gracefulness. Her movements flowed wistfully like she was a one hundred year old master in the arts. This tiny fragile looking girl was deadly. Gajeel knew that by staring into her amythest eyes. The two stared at each other for a while before Esther made the first move. Her eyes flashed red.
"Dark Grab."
Arms made out of shadows aimed towards Gajeel and he quickly ducked and dodged out of the way. Esther noticed that even though he was a large man, that did not effect his agility in any way. If anything it looked like it was helping him. While he was occupied she lifted her sword towards the sky and muttered a spell.
Oh the night that shines bright
I call on thee
To lead me the path
of moon and stars
Make way for the bounderies
Of an awaited hell
Show the lost soul of anguish
that all could be well
Esther's eyes had been closed during this spell calling and Gajeel had just finished his warm up with her crazy arm attack. He was distracted by something falling from the sky.
Stars.
Six stars circled around him and he watched in amazement as they just spun around him as if they were ready to attack. "What the fuck...?!" He questioned. The Shadow Gear team watched with shock as well. They've never seen the Queen of Shadows fight. Levy had been watching Esther in her half concious state. Esther's ponytail had fallen and her hair now flew up in powerful waves with wind. When her red eyes opened, white magic circles reflected in them. Neeya watched on at her closest friend with awe in her eyes.
"NIGHT STAR: SHADOW SLICER!"
Pointing her sword foward at the spiky haired male, little shadows in the shape of x's darted foward like shuriken and proceeded to cut the man everywhere. He cursed at himself for being drawn away from the enemy so easily and growled in agitation. Then he hadn't realized that the stars closed in around him. An intense burning pain came from them touching his scars. He let out a yell as a tiny explosion rang out.
The Shadow Gear and Neeya's mouth hung in shock. As Gajeel sat back up, Esther withdrew her sword and place it back in its sheath. Sliding the blade along the sheath's opening intill the tip dipped in and the blade slipped in with a loud clang. Her eyes hardened and turned to slits.
"Gajeel Redfox. PREPARE YOURSELF!"