And welcome back to the next chapter of 'One Year Changes Everything'! Unfortunately I have to tell you all... there is no Kera in this chapter it will concentrate on Natsu and the gang! We will find out what Erza and Gray have been doing! I think you will enjoy it. But Kera will be back in the next chapter.
Anyway, so far the chapters kind of stayed this length and I am hoping that they will stay like this in the future. Almost 4k for each chapter. That's my goal now. So now without any further ado here is the next chapter!
Natalie: No worries Kera's new outfit will be described... eventually we just found out about her and she's wearing a cloak so we don't really know exactly what's under there. So hang in there and you will soon find out including her golden eyes.
Chaos: Maybe, maybe not, it's all a mystery
Brainy girl: Fudge cakes! Want some! Haha!
Zwack15: Yep Kera's back and she's changed! What happened to her? Well you'll just have to wait and find out!
Rez: It looks like that at the moment, we'll find out more later on ;)
Marty: Well I try and hold up to the standard of last chapter! Like I mentioned I'm at least trying to keep the length. But now Kera's back! And she's changed ;) But yea in the last chapter she did seem like a superhero!
"What do you mean the mission is Kera?" Natsu asked completely confused as to what she was saying. They were now sitting at a table with papers in front of Gray. Erza sighed as she leaned back in her chair. "What I'm saying is, that I'm trying to find Kera."
Lucy blinked. "So… she's not here?"
"No…" Erza simply replied. "She's not here. I've been trying to track her down ever since the night Master disbanded the guild."
Wendy moved her hands. "So… you didn't leave with her?"
Again the red head shook her head. "No, that night I tried looking for her knowing that she'd be a little upset after hearing about… well Zeref, even though we all told her it was fine, but I couldn't find her. Even asking her mother didn't help. Not even Kayeleth knew where she was, that is why I decided to leave and find her."
The four stayed quiet knowing that Erza was going to explain them what happened the past year. Erza sighed. "I've been following trails, clues, everything that I could find on her, but I was never able to find her. After six months she was harder to track and the places she visited were destroyed or people were hurt. I knew something was wrong with her but I couldn't figure out what. That's when I asked Gray to help me. I knew where he lived with Juvia so I sent him a letter."
Juvia turned to Gray. The Ice Wizard sighed. "When I got that letter from Erza I knew I had to help. I'm sorry Juvia that I had to ditch like that."
"But why didn't you ask me to come? I would have helped!" Juvia shouted.
"That is my fault Juvia. I asked Gray to come alone. I wanted to keep it low as possible." Erza explained. She lowered her head. "I know that the time you had with Gray was precious to you and I am sorry that I destroyed it. For all I know the two of you would have gotten married…"
"Wait WHAT!?" Gray shouted as he looked at Erza. "Seriously!?"
She shrugged simply. "How should I have known? I wasn't spying on you so anything could have happened."
"Oh that was right! We would have gotten married!" Juvia shouted holding herself while swaying around.
Lucy sighed as she rolled her eyes. She turned back to Erza. "Back to the story…"
Erza nodded. "Yes, well with Gray's help we broadened our search. We hit Dark Guilds and bandits wanting to see if they knew any information because it seemed that Kera was targeting them as well as other things."
The blonde Celestial Wizard raised an eyebrow. "But you haven't found her yet?"
Gray leaned back and shook his head. "Nope, haven't even gotten close to her. Well the closest we came was being in town that she had visited just a day before, but other than that she's good."
"Well doesn't it sound like she doesn't want to be found?" Wendy asked speaking up. "I mean… she's doing something and hasn't come back. Shouldn't we just leave her?"
Erza gritted her teeth. "No, I know there's something wrong with her. I can feel it. She left without saying anything, without a note. She wouldn't do this usually. I also fear that she might be in trouble."
A loud crash was heard. Everyone looked up and saw Natsu standing up a frown on his face. "So you're saying that Kera's in trouble?"
"She might." Erza told him. "The thing is we don't really know what she's been doing."
"You mean you have no idea that she destroyed that tavern in Veilfield?" Natsu asked raising an eyebrow.
Both Gray and Erza stopped and looked up at him shocked. Lucy, Wendy and Juvia were shocked as well. Did he really believe that Kera was the cause of that!? Erza stood up, her hands slamming against the table. "Natsu don't toy with me! Kera wouldn't do that!"
The Fire Dragon Slayer crossed his arms. "Yea? You really think that? Because I was able to smell her scent on that rubble. She was there and I'm pretty sure she's the one who destroyed it. My nose never lies." His eyes narrowed.
Lucy's eyes went wide when she realized something. "She's the mysterious woman." She blurted.
Gray frowned as he glanced at Lucy. "So you're saying that she's this mysterious woman that has been reported in the newspaper. Are you sure about that, because no one was able to identify that person. All we know is that she's a woman."
"But it makes sense." Wendy spoke. "If what Natsu says is true then Kera is the woman from the newspaper. It's one connection we can make."
Erza slumped back down on her chair, not believing what she just heard. "Why… why would she destroy a tavern? What is going on…"
"I don't know what's going through her head at the moment." Natsu spoke with his arms crossed over his chest. "But I promise you that I will get her back. No matter what it takes, even if it means punching some sense into her."
Lucy sighed as she leaned her head against her hand. "Something tells me that's what he actually wants to do."
Wendy chuckled knowing what Lucy meant. Natsu always used his fists rather than his head. Gray sighed as he shook his head. "So what now? We know she supposedly destroyed the tavern in Veilfield, but she's long gone by now. It's not like we can track her."
"That's where you're wrong Gray." Natsu said. "We're going back to Veilfield, to that destroyed tavern and I can track her down with her scent."
Gray glanced at Erza who was sitting in her chair contemplating things over. "It's your call." He told her. Erza sat there thinking things through. She still couldn't believe that Kera was the one who destroyed that tavern in Veilfield. But it's been one year… she had no idea what happened to Kera, what she has been doing or even why.
She turned her head over to the Ice Wizard. "Did you find anything in that abandoned house from those Dark Guild wizards?"
He nodded. "Yea… they had an underground cellar where they chained up prisoners. Someone was there for a long while, but there was also something else that I found. There were another set of chains, broken through, the wall behind scorched with fire. Either Kera was there or she broke someone out."
"Who would she break out?" Juvia asked looking at the others hoping they'd know.
"We don't know…" Erza said. "She's been traveling alone. There have been no signs of a second person. If she broke someone out then it was a civilian."
Wendy sat up straighter. "Or do you think she was capture and broke out."
"If she broke out that easily she wouldn't get caught that easily." Erza explained looking down at the table. "The only explanation is that she broke someone out. But who?"
Gray sighed as he stood up. "Well looks like we're going back to Veilfield. At least there we can ask the people if they knew someone being kidnapped by those people. And Natsu can sniff out Kera if she's truly the one who destroyed that tavern."
"Well then let's get moving." Erza said as she stood up from the table heading out of the room. Natsu grinned as he pumped his fist into the air. "Let's get Kera back!"
"Well we're here…" Gray commented standing in front of the rubble that used to be the tavern of Veilfield. Natsu took a step towards the rubble and sniffed the air. Closing his eyes he concentrated on the air and tried to get a scent.
Gray sighed as he looked around. They were here while Erza and Lucy went around town to check if they could find anyone who had been kidnapped. Meanwhile Wendy and Juvia were walking around town to see if they could find any trace of Kera or anyone who has been in that bar on the day of the incident, like that man.
"Can you smell anything?" Gray asked raising an eyebrow.
Natsu nodded. "Yea, I can smell her. She was definitely here. Even after a year I can still track her down."
Gray stood up straight his eyes going wide slightly. "So you can track her down? We can find her?"
The pink haired Dragon Slayer nodded. "Yup… it's faint but I can still smell her scent."
The black haired boy looked his rival up and down. "Where have you been this last year?"
Natsu glanced at Gray. "Lucy hasn't told you?" Gray scoffed as he walked around. "Mostly after you left the rest did too. We all went our own ways. So no… she hasn't told us."
The pink haired Dragon Slayer sighed as he turned around. "I've been training okay? I didn't know the guild disbanded or that the others left. I thought I'd just leave to get stronger so I could protect my friends better."
Gray furrowed his brow. "Well I can't say anything against that."
"How's Erza doing?"
His head snapped up as he heard Natsu. "What?" He asked again trying to see if he had heard him right. Natsu looked to the ground his hands turning into fists. "I know this must be hard on her. Kera is a sister to her, the only family she really had. You've been with her for at least six months… how's she holding up?"
Gray sighed as he shuffled around. His arms crossed over his chest. "She's… it's been hard on her. She's been obsessed in finding her. Deep down she fears something is wrong with her and she's trying to do everything in her power to get her back. I fear that if we don't find Kera soon enough Erza might…"
Silence fell as no one spoke but both knowing what he meant. Natsu gritted his teeth slightly. Damn it Erza… you're burning yourself out. You need to slow down…
Both Erza and Lucy were walking down a road asking the people about anyone being recently kidnapped. No one knew of anything and slowly it was irritating the red head. After a while Lucy had enough and decided to pull her away so they could talk alone in peace.
"Erza what's wrong with you?" Lucy asked noticing that she was acting stranger than usual.
Erza looked away ignoring the fact that Lucy was glaring down at her. "I'm fine." She simply said.
"No you're not." Lucy told her. "I can see it from a mile away. You look like you're about to pass out and you're getting more irritated than usual." The blonde's gaze softened. "What's wrong Erza? Have you been getting any sleep lately?"
The requip mage sighed slightly. "Is it that obvious?" She asked and Lucy chuckled slightly. "Obvious? That's an understatement. Come on Erza, you can tell me. I know you usually talk this kind of stuff to Kera but since she's not here at the moment…"
Erza smiled. "Thanks Lucy… it's just… I'm worried. I've been trying to find Kera but I can't find her. She's always a step ahead of me. The worst thing is, everything she leaves behind, if she leaves anything is destruction or worse… I'm worried about her Lucy. I fear something happened to her."
Lucy put a hand on her shoulder. "It's alright Erza. It's normal to worry, but we'll find her. If Natsu can catch her scent we'll find her like that." She said while snapping her fingers. "You don't have to worry about anything."
"I wish that were true…" Erza muttered.
The blonde crossed her arms. "When was the last time you had sleep?"
"Last night." Lucy raised an eyebrow and Erza rolled her eyes. "Fine… the last good sleep I had was… I don't know… a few weeks ago. I can't sleep much at the moment, having to deal with only a few mere hours of sleep."
"Oh Erza…" Lucy said giving the red head a soft smile. "You truly worry about her don't you?"
The red head nodded while rubbing her forehead. "Yea, and when I find her I'm going to beat some sense into her…"
Lucy chuckled slightly. There was the Erza she knew and missed. A cough was heard from behind them. Turning around both girls saw a man standing behind them. They blinked slightly as he moved his hands. "I um… I heard you were asking about the person that… that got kidnapped…"
"Yes!" Erza said with a smile, having a good feeling that this man knew something. "We are. Do you know the person that got kidnapped?"
He kept on playing with his fingers as he looked down at the ground. "Um I… I-I'm the one… w-who got kidnapped."
Both Lucy and Erza's eyes went wide. The red head took a step forward. "Y-You are? I-I mean… please tell us how you escaped." She asked hoping he would tell them.
The man smiled softly. "I actually didn't escape on my own. I was locked down in that cellar because of the information I had on them. They beat me wanting to know where I had gained the information but I wasn't talking. One night there was a commotion going on upstairs and before I knew it someone had cut my chains with fire."
"Do you know who it was?" Lucy asked.
The man shook his head. "I don't know her name but, well it was a girl. She was wearing a cloak and hood, but her eyes… they were a golden color, completely unusual. She told me to go home and rest. That's all."
Lucy's eyes went wide. She turned to the red head beside her. "Erza, do you think…"
Erza nodded. "Yes that was definitely Kera, there is no one else with golden eyes." She turned to the man. "Did she say anything else? Did she look for something? Do you know why she was even there? Maybe you know where she was heading."
"I-I'm sorry, right after she told me to go home she disappeared. I have no idea why she was even there to begin with." The man told them. "I truly apologize."
The red head smiled. "No it's alright. You helped us more than you think."
The man nodded. "Please, if you ever see her give her my appreciation."
Erza nodded slightly. "We will and thank you for helping us." The man bowed before leaving the two. Lucy smiled as she pushed the red head slightly. "See? We got something out of this. We'll find her."
"Yea. We will." Erza said, new hope rising inside of her. "Now come on, let's get back to the others."
Juvia and Wendy were talking with the man who had been in the bar on the day of the incident. He was explaining to them what had happened while making a huge drama out of it.
"She just walked in ignoring everyone. She sat down at the bar ordering a shot. There were these two men that were already fighting and they accidentally bumped into her. She just turned around glaring at the two boys and punched the man that had bumped into her. He flew across the room and that's when all the others got in wanting to avenge their friend." The man told the two girls.
Juvia cocked her head slightly. "And then what happened?"
"She beat the crap out of them! That's what! I still can't believe it. I was just sitting in the back and she beat the crap out of all the guys in the bar. She was a monster! I don't know who she was but she exploded! I don't know how that even works but that's when she destroyed the bar."
Wendy looked a little unsure. The woman this man was describing seemed to be… well he said it, a monster. She beat everyone in the tavern just for someone bumping into her accidentally.
Kera wouldn't do something like that.
"Did you see anything about her?" Juvia asked. "Hair color, any special marks?"
The man sighed as he started scratching her head. "Well she never had her hood down so I can't say anything about her hair. The only thing we saw were her eyes. They were these shiny golden color. Definitely not human."
Wendy and Juvia gave each other a worried glance. What was going on?
The little girl bowed slightly. "Thank you for helping us sir. We really appreciate it."
The man laughed. "That's not a problem. I just want that monster behind bars. She destroyed the only fun place to be here in this town!"
"We will see to her." Juvia told him, watching him nod and leave.
Wendy sighed. "I'm worried Juvia. This doesn't sound like Kera."
The blue haired Water Mage nodded. "I know… I'm worried as well. I just… in some points it sounds like Kera but her behavior is so… unlike her."
Wendy nodded while lowering her head. The little girl saw her as an idol and hearing that she was destroying buildings and hurting people for no reason was even more concerning. She was never like that, always tried to help people and made sure they were alright. This time it sounded like she didn't even care.
Juvia sighed. "Let's head back to the tavern. I think the others are finished."
"Did you guys find anything out?" Gray asked as he and the others were now back together.
Erza nodded. "We found the guy that was kidnapped by the Dark Guild." The red head told them. "It seemed that he was being held for the information he had on them."
Lucy nodded. "He told us that this woman saved him from them. They were beating him for the information and where he got it from. It seemed she beat them all and let the man go. She told him to go home and rest and that's what happened."
"We asked him for anything unusual about the woman. The only noticeable thing he saw was her golden eyes." Erza explained.
Juvia nodded as well. "We found a man that was at the tavern on the night of the incident, said that the woman beat every man in the bar after someone accidentally bumped into her. She destroyed the entire tavern. We also asked for anything noticeable and the only thing he saw were her golden eyes."
"Man…" Natsu said rubbing his head. "They are describing the same woman, no doubt about it."
Erza turned her head towards Natsu. "And what about you? Were you… were you able to catch any scent?"
Natsu sighed as he moved his head. "There is no doubt about it. Kera was definitely at the tavern. Her scent was faint but I was able to smell her."
Gray sighed as he kicked a rock away. "Well it looks like it really was Kera. She destroyed the tavern while beating the crap out of some guys."
"Yea but she also saved a man from a Dark Guild." Lucy pointed out.
"What the hell is she doing?" Natsu asked with a frown. It didn't make any sense at all. She was helping people that were kidnapped by Dark Guilds but also beat the crap out of innocent people while destroying an entire tavern.
Erza was also trying to figure out what was going on. This was unlike her…
What happened to you Kera? Erza looked around the place trying to figure something out.
Natsu rubbed his nose. "I can track her, though I don't know how far she's gone. We could be tracking her and end up just following her."
Erza took a deep breath. "We have to follow her. I'm not letting her go like this. We also need to figure out what she's doing and stop her if needed."
"So what's the plan? Just follow her scent?" Lucy asked.
The red head nodded. "For now. We will find a way to catch up to her but for now we need to stay on her trail."
Gray smirked. "Well it looks like we have a plan… half of a plan."
And they're off to find Kera! Hope this was an alright chapter! They found out more about Kera and what she had done in Veilfield! Well let me know what you guys thought about this!
Until next time!