Chapter 4: Run Away
"So how is she?" Erza asked the next morning. The sun isn't very high up yet but nearly half of the guild were awake upon hearing last night's news.
"She's doing fine, Erza," Mirajane said as she prepared everyone a cup of coffee. "Her fever's gone down. I think she's going to wake up any minute."
"I can't wait to meet her!" Wendy said excitedly.
"Me too!" Levy exclaimed.
"How about Master?" Erza asked. "Has he heard?"
Mirajane nodded. "He's waiting in his office. He doesn't want to distrub."
At least half an hour passed by and there was no sign of the Black Bandit.
Erza slammed her mug against the table and sighed in frustration. "This is driving me crazy. If she doesn't wake up by noon, I'm officially kicking her out of bed!"
"Erza!" Mirajane said in shock. "You wouldn't do that!"
"I will if I have to," Erza grunted.
"Well, it's no use just hanging around here," Lucy said. She had just woken up and poured herself a cup of coffee from a nearby jug. "I'll say we go on a mission first while we wait."
"But—"
"No buts, Erza," Lucy interjected. "Come on!" She grabbed Erza by the wrist and dragged her towards the request board.
Erza yanked her hand away. "Hey! What about Gray and Natsu?"
"They can take care of themselves, right?" Lucy said nonchalantly as she skimmed over the available missions.
"But we're a team! We can't go on a mission without them!" Erza complained.
Lucy narrowed her eyes. She wasn't sure if Erza really meant what she said, or if she just made up some kind of excuse to wait for Black Bandit to wake up.
"Really Erza? Why are you so interested in Black Bandit anyway?" Lucy asked.
"Why do you ask?" Erza asked back.
"Just curious," Lucy replied.
Erza sighed. "I needed some answers."
Lucy was confused. "Answers for what?"
"For...everything that's been happening, I guess," Erza said. "I mean, why did she save us? We could've handled them ourselves, right?"
"You're starting to sound like Natsu," Lucy said, grinning. "But let's be honest here Erza, even Laxus needed a little help. And he's stronger than all of us put together."
"Well, that's true," Erza said. "But that's just another reason."
"Another reason for what?" Lucy asked.
"I need to know where she got her powers from," Erza explained. "And how she gets so much...skill."
"She's probably just born with it," Lucy said.
Erza grew quiet.
Lucy thought of Erza's answers and tried putting two and two together. Then in an instant, the answer dawned upon her.
"Erza, are you jealous?"
Erza whipeed her head and faced Lucy, a fierce look on her face. Lucy regretted asking the question right away.
"I am not jealous!" Erza announced so that the whole guild can hear.
"Shh, Erza!" Mirajane hushed.
"What the hell," a sleepy voice muttered aloud. All heads turned around as they realized that Natsu had just woken up.
"I said, I'm not jealous!" Erza screamed again.
Natsu blinked in confusion.
Lucy was too afraid to tell Erza what really was on her mind so she just nodded meekly. She had seen Erza in a temper tantrum and she was not going to go through it all over again.
At the same time, the sound of a door creaking open was heard upstairs. Erza quickly rushed up and came face-to-face with...
"Black Bandit!" Erza cried out with joy. "She's awake everyone!"
Erza turned back to Black Bandit, who had a startled look on her face. Her knees were touching, her hands were clamped on the buttons of her cloak and as Erza looked closely, she could see that she was shaking a little.
"Where am I?" she asked timidly.
"Where are you?" Natsu exclaimed throwing his fist of flames in the air. "Why, you're in Fairy Tail! The most powerful guild in all of Fiore!"
"Let's not get cocky here, Natsu," Lucy whispered to him.
"Well, we are the strongest!" Natsu countered.
"Way to make a first impression," Gray mumbled drowsily. Apparently, he's been woken up from all the noise too.
"You're not one to talk," Lucy said, remembering the first time they met at the guild.
"What's a guild?" Black Bandit asked timidly. "Why are there so many people here?"
Everyone turned to stare.
"Have you really been alone all this time?" Gray asked.
The girl nodded.
"Oh..."
"Well, if you must know," Levy said. "A guild is where people gather together and perform missions with magic."
The girl looked at one face to another with wide, wary eyes.
"I shouldn't be here," she suddenly said and fled downstairs.
"Hey, where are you going?" Lucy called out, but the door slammed shut as soon as she finished.
Everyone started whispering among each other.
"Well, that was weird," Natsu shrigged and turned around to walk but he felt something yank at his scarf hard and pull him back.
"Not so fast," Erza said sternly. "You're coming with me. Gray, Lucy, you too!"
"What? Where?" Lucy asked, panic rising in her voice.
"We're going to look for Black Bandit," Erza said. "Even if it means knocking down every door in town!"
"What?" Gray blurted. "Erza, what are you trying to pull!"
"Like I said, I need some answers," Erza said. "Only this time, I've got more questions." Before any of them could utter a single word or move a muscle, Erza gripped Natsu and Gray by the hands and dragged them out the guild. Then as quickly as she did, she kicked Lucy out as well.
"Hey, ow!" Lucy cried out as she landed on her arse onto the pavement.
"Alright, let's move it!" Erza clapped her hands and made a dash for the town.
"Ugh, she's crazy!" Gray muttered in annoyance.
"Well, we've got no choice but to follow her," Lucy said, rubbing her sore bottom. "Who knows what she'll do if we don't."
"Maybe she'll even battle me!" Natsu exclaimed.
Lucy and Gray sighed in exasperation
"Alright, if I was running away, where would I hide?" Erza asked herself. She ran this way and that, peering through windows and kicking down doors and asking random passerbys for Black Bandit's whereabouts.
No one has been much help.
"Argh! Where could she be?" Erza asked herself in frustration. Half an hour of wandering the whole town and there was no sign of her.
"Erza! Hey, Erza! Wait up!" a voice yelled out. Erza looked back and was surprised to see her team running up behind her. She had been so caught up in looking for Black Bandit she had completely forgotten about them, even though she was the one who had forced them to come with her.
Lucy placed both hands on her knees and panted when she reached Erza. "Oh Erza, where have you been? We've been looking all over for you. And Black Bandit too, of course!"
"Yeah, real nice of you to leave us, Erza," Gray said sarcastically.
Erza grinned sheepishly. "Sorry."
"Anyway guys, one question," she continued. "If you were on the run away from someone or something, where would you hide?"
"Some place only you know, I suppose," Lucy suggested.
Erza thought about this. "Yes, that's possible, but she comes from Hargeon Woods, not Magnolia and sh—that's it! I know where she might be!" She turned around and made another dash.
"Oi, Erza!" Natsu shouted and ran to catch up with her. Lucy did the same thing.
"Sorry guys, but I just had a theory,"' Erza grinned. "Just follow me!"
"Why are we in the East Forest?" Lucy asked.
"Because Black Bandit comes from the forest," Erza explained. "She's been living there for most of her life. I doubt she knows where the woods she lives in is located, therefore, she would probably think that any forest that she stumbles upon is her home."
"That's smart thinking," Lucy remarked.
"Now all we have to do is track her down. Hey Natsu, you smell anything?"
Natsu shrugged. "Geez Erza, I don't go around sniffing people."
Erza's face fell. "So you really can't trace her scent?"
Natsu shook his head. "Nope, sorry."
Erza clenched her fist and resisted the urge to give Natsu a punch in the eye, but she knew it wasn't the time. "Alright, fine, I guess we'll just have to search for her on our own."
Gray groaned. "Ugh, do we really—"
Erza's face turned dark. Gray quickly covered up his mouth. "Oh yeah yeah, we must!"
So off they went in search of Black Bandit in accordance to Erza's wishes.
"Wait, I just thought of something," Lucy said all of a sudden. "What if Black Bandit ended up at Porlyusica's door? You know how much she hates humans."
Erza grew quiet at the thought. "I honestly didn't think of that."
"Geez, we should hurry!" Natsu said as he picked up speed. "Who knows what Porlyusica's reaction gonna be!"
"Oh! There she is!" Erza yelled as she made it out to the forest clearing. Just as Lucy had suspected, Black Bandit has indeed arrived at Porlyusica's home.
"Get out of here, you filth! Humans are most unwelcome!" the shrill scream of Porlyusica rang throughout the forest.
"Aiiiih!" another piercing scream tore the air. Erza watched as Black Bandit was kicked out by the elderly mage. "Owf!"
"Are you alright?" Erza asked she ran over to Black Bandit's side.
Black Bandit looked up, the look on her face was in pain. "I'm fine. Just please tell me where I am?"
"You're in the East Forest of Magnolia," Lucy said as she approached. "And that's Porlyusica."
"Magnolia?" the girl exclaimed. "Oh no, this isn't where I'm supposed to be either!" She suddenly started sobbing.
"There, there," Lucy comforted her as she sat down on the grass to comfort the weeping girl.
Porlyusica snorted. "Kids these days. I just don't know what to think anymore."
"I'm sorry to rudely butt in like this, Porlyusica," Erza said. "But she's been going through a lot."
"How so?" Porlyusica inquired, her voice suspicious.
Erza bit her lip and tried to figure out the shortest way to explain. "Well, it's kind of a long story..." Damn it, first she was so hyped on getting some information, now all she was doing was feeling sorry for her!
Porlyusica's suspicion deepened.
"I'll handle this!" Natsu suddenly burst in. "You see, Porlyusica, we were on a mission and then a group of funny looking people decided to attack, so whoop! We attacked back! Obviously, that's what people would do, right? Right! But it turns out that they were really strong, but of course, we're much stronger, but then she—" he pointed at Black Bandit. "—she suddenly just appeared out of nowhere and throw all these spears and whatnots right in the face and—"
Erza delibrately cleared her throat aloud.
"What?" Natsu demanded.
"Uhm, skip the detail," Erza hinted, and signalled Natsu that Porlyusica was in no mood for such stories.
"Right, right," Natsu stalled and began again. "So anyway, long story short, she saved us and ran away. Then we came back to the guild and told everyone. And then Laxus went on a mission and ran into her again. Even she helped him defeat the opponent, and you know how strong Laxus is! But then she fainted so Laxus decided to bring her back to the guild, only she ran away again and ended up here, thinking it's her home, because, you know, she lives in the forest, alone, like you." Natsu stopped rambling and took a deep breath.
"Are you done?" Porlyusica asked.
"Yeah, I'm done," Natsu replied.
Porlyusica looked at Natsu, then Erza, then at Lucy and Black Bandit and sighed. "Fine. I guess I can omit it this time. But no more trespassing."
Everyone, except Black Bandit, who was still in tears, nodded hastily.
"Now be gone!" Porlyusica got into her usual rage again and everyone made a hasty retreat.
"She's a nasty old woman," Black Bandit mumbled as soon as they were in town again.
"Hush, don't say such things," Erza said.
Black Bandit stared at her wide eyed.
Erza sighed. "I suppose she can get into a rather nasty temper. But don't mind her, she just has her ways with people."
"Anyways, why did you run off earlier?" Gray asked.
Black Bandit stayed silent.
"Come on, don't be shy," Natsu said.
"Don't rush her, Natsu," Lucy warned.
"Uhm, I—I don't—" Black Bandit stuttered.
"Yes?" Erza said, silently urging her on.
Suddenly, she broke down again. "I don't belong here!"
They all blinked.
"That's not true!" interjected Natsu. "Fairy Tail accepts anyone!"
"I never planned on joining your guild," she complained. "I never even knew how I got here!"
Everyone was silent.
"We're sorry, but we can't get you home," Erza said, breaking the silence.
Black Bandit's eye grew wide. "Eh? Why not?"
Erza scratched the back of her neck. "Well, you see, because one of our nakamas—"
"Nakama?" interrupted Black Bandit.
"Yeah, nakama," said Erza. "It means friend."
"Friend..." Black Bandit repeated faintly.
"Anyway, one of our nakamas, the one with the spiky blonde hair if you can recall, he brought you here," Erza said.
"Why?" she asked.
Erza raised and lowered one shoulder. "We don't know much details. I suppose it was because he felt sorry for you."
"Sorry? For me?"
"Well, it's a guess, but that's how I would describe it," Erza said. "And what I'm trying to say is that if you go back, that would only mean that you're putting his efforts to waste. He did make a lot of sacrifices to get you here."
"He did?" asked an astonished Black Bandit.
"He did?" repeated a surprised Natsu, Lucy and Gray.
Erza nodded, but on the inside, she really had no idea.
Black Bandit pondered. Pity? Sacrifices? No one has ever done that to her, not after she made herself an outcast. Maybe she should give them a chance...
"Alright, I'll give the guild a shot," she finally said.
Everyone did a little dance of joy. Black Bandit just looked around in confusion.
"Great, excellent choice," Erza said. "Now let's go back, everyone's waiting!"
"Oh wait," Lucy said and faced Black Bandit. "What's your name?"
Black Bandit expression faltered a little and Lucy wondered if it was something that she said.
"My name's Evia," Black Bandit replied. "Evia Lockheart."