/…*Looks around* ...I still don't own Fairy Tail, just the plot. Oh, I'm going to try something a little different with this fanfic and structure each chapter to encompass one full day for Cobra unless I state otherwise, such as a timeskip. Anyways, here's Chapter 2!
"A warning to the prophet; the liar, the honest: This is War. To the leader, the pariah, the victor, the messiah: This is War." ~This Is War by Thirty Seconds to Mars
When Cobra woke up to a loud banging on his door he knew that today was going to be hell.
Groaning he rolled over and hit the floor, a loud thud resonating throughout his apartment as he fell off of his bed. The banging stopped for a second before the door burst open, door knob lodging itself into the wall. Footsteps drew closer until they stopped in front of him, making the Poison Dragon Slayer look up to see an apologetic Wendy Marvell.
"U-Um, I'm really sorry about that Mr. Cobra sir…"
"Just Cobra, kid." He got into a kneeling position and stood up abruptly, listening to two other souls that dwelled outside his room. He slid his eye over to Wendy and she flinched.
"What just happened…" he said slowly, "Was nothing. Got it?" Wendy's soul giggled but it was soon encompassed by fear, the girl nodding hastily.
"G-Got it." Cobra sighed, walking past her to grab a couple of strawberries from the fridge, setting them down on the counter before pulling out a tub of decaying strawberry leaves. Feeling her curious stare he scowled.
"Go bring Titania and Blondie in. May as well, as the red-headed devil practically broke the door." Wendy nodded and walked off, leaving him to chew on the leaves. He was thankful that he had woken up in the middle of the night to go get groceries, partly because practically no one shopped at night and it was his favorite time of the entire day.
"Why do we have to bring this brute with us? He and his guild kidnapped Wendy to revive Jellal!" The white cat's cry of indignation prompted him to turn and see Erza, Lucy, and Wendy standing in the living room with Carla using her wings to fly.
"I know Carla, but he shouldn't be allowed to hole up in his room, left to his own devices. He could be practicing a new technique that would render the receiver immobile, or worse: plotting on how to take down Fairy Tail! Or, he could be-"
"-eating a bunch of strawberry leaves while listening you brainstorm on how evil I am." Cobra commented lazily, causing them to look at him as he munched on a leaf. His mouth felt befouled, tainted even as he said one of few words that he truly hated being called so he placed yet another leaf in his mouth to get rid of the taste. "Oh yes, Titania; that's much, much worse."
"Cobra!" Lucy and Wendy jumped in surprise, the man in question rolling his eyes.
"This is my room; it shouldn't be a surprise that I'm here." He opened the tub of strawberries and took one, pausing to add sugar to the rest of the container.
"...Why are you eating strawberry leaves?" Lucy ventured, unsure of where she stood with Cobra. She was willing to give him a chance but, like Erza, she was wary of the man as he was an active participant in trying to revive Nirvana 6 months ago, going so far as to kidnap a little girl to do so.
"And here I thought you were the smart one, Blondie." Ignoring her shouts that protested the opposite he continued on. "Wilting strawberry leaves have HCN, or hydrogen cyanide in them. I need my poison every now and then, just like how Salamander eats his fire." The Celestial Mage nodded thoughtfully as Erza stepped forward.
"You are to go on a mission with us at this moment. Natsu and Gray are waiting at the train station for us." Cobra nodded, grabbing a duffle bag Makarov had sent him after he settled into his apartment yesterday and putting the two containers in as well as a couple of apples. He loved the red fruit, it being his favorite thing besides Cubellios who would always have a special place in his heart.
"Let me take a shower then, Titania." He said as he grabbed an exact replica of the clothes he wore when pursuing Nirvana with the Oracion Seis, closing the bathroom door behind him as he turned on the shower. 5 minutes later he ran his hands through his hair with a half hearted attempt to make it look alright, knowing that when it dried it would resume its normal position anyways. He grabbed his bag after he exited the bathroom, heading out the door with Wendy closing it behind him. They managed to get the door unhinged from the wall...interesting.
"...You left those two dumbasses alone when they're clearly hotheaded rivals?"
His question made Erza break into a sprint, Lucy not too far behind as Carla flew faster than before. Wendy merely laughed nervously as she passed him, catching up to her friends.
Cobra didn't mind being in the back; he preferred it that way, and he didn't need to listen to their souls to know that the other four were happy with leaving him by himself.
"Icicle Reject!"
"Flaming Retard!"
"Ice Princess!"
"Flame Brain!"
"Little Cold Shit!"
"Nasty Flaming Fuck!"
"Frosty's Discarded Dildo!"
"Devil's Sex Toy!"
"ENOUGH!" Erza's flying fists of fury hit the two across their faces and amused Cobra to no end, making him chuckle as he popped a blueberry into his mouth. He was glad that he had snatched the container from the fridge before they left his apartment, having half a mind to give a large quantity of them to the little blue cat whose soul would not stop thinking about fish. At the very least he'd get convulsions and blurred vision…
"-leaving soon!" The group rushed towards the train after Wendy's shout of worry, Salamander's soul already crying in agony at the mere thought of riding a train for three hours. Cobra smirked, enjoying his pain as he boarded on last. Once he got to their spot on the train he saw that, if they really tried, they could fit him in as well.
"I'm taking the next one over, before anyone asks." He murmured to Erza, seeing her nod as he continued to walk. To any others, it looked as if he merely passed by their train booth with no words spoken. At Gray's questioning stare she jabbed her thumb behind her, watching him nod in comprehension before he turned to look out the window. Happy sat in Lucy's lap, playing patty cake with Plue who sat next to her. Across from them Natsu thanked Wendy, who sat beside Plue, after she used her Troia spell on the Fire Dragon Slayer. Erza sat next to him on the edge of their booth, keeping an eye out in case anyone suspicious came their way.
"So," Gray began thirty minutes into their train ride, "What do you think of him?"
"You mean Cobra." Erza said flatly, which elicited Gray to give a terse nod. "He is...Cobra. I am still unsure of his motives as of yet, but we will figure out in due time."
"I-I mean, he hasn't killed us yet." Lucy pitched in nervously, looking at them. "That's a plus, right?"
"Only because he was told that if he harmed any of us he would go back into Magic Council's hands." Carla interjected, crossing her arms as she sat in Wendy's lap. "He has no intention of cooperating with us, at least on a amiable level. I'm still unsure of why he even agreed to join our guild."
"It's not like he had many options, though." Erza mused, eyebrows furrowed in thought. "Deal with us, or remain imprisoned. Looking from his perspective, this was the better ultimatum." Gray nodded in agreement, Carla still keeping the frown on her face as she saw that, indeed, Erza was right.
"I don't feel right discussing him behind his back…" Wendy spoke up, hugging Carla closer to her as she looked at each of them in turn. "Fairy Tail is about trust, isn't it? I know he helped the other Seis members kidnap me to revive Jellal but I'm…" She exhaled slowly, relaxing her grip on the white Exceed. "I'm willing to give him a chance." Natsu remained uncharacteristically silent during the conversation, picking now to put in his opinion.
"There's a lot wrong with the stupid mind reader guy, but if Gramps puts his trust in him as well as Wendy then I'll...try."
"That's the most serious thing I've ever heard you say Flame Brain." Gray's side comment made Natsu whirl on him, a growl coming from the Fire Dragon Slayer.
"What was that Ice Stripper?!" Lucy, Carla, and Happy all sighed in exasperation as the argument ensued, only stopping when Erza silenced the two with a glare.
Fairy Tail was, indeed, made up of stupid and hot-headed people.
Cobra's scowl deepened as he heard the team discuss him, ending with an argument between Salamander and Mr. Freeze. Wendy was right; he really, absolutely hated people talking behind his back but put up with it, always deciding to reveal his Sound Magic to his enemies once they were tasting the dirt on the floor, his boot pressed to the back of their heads. Soon, he'd do the same to those damn Fairies once his time was served. Well, I've served my nickel; just come and take me! He rolled his eyes at his own stupid joke, a small grin on his face at the thought.
His thoughts returned to the impromptu conversation the Fairies had concerning him and his mood lowered. They shouldn't even consider trusting him; he was a monster through and through.
Several people could account for that if they weren't six feet under.
He closed his eye as he leaned against the window, crossing his arms as he shifted his right leg to reside over his left. He guessed that they wouldn't think to peek in his booth to check up on him but hey, better to be safe than sorry. The last thing he needed was to hold a conversation with one of them, much less all seven of them.
He let himself get lost in his thoughts until the train lurched to a stop, jolting him from his mind as he stood up. Erza opened his booth and jerked her head to the side: Time to go.
"I hear you loud and clear, Titania." Cobra said as he shouldered his duffle bag and exited the booth, the Requip Mage not too far behind. They both stepped off of the train, seeing the others waiting for them a couple of yards away.
"You do anything to jeopardize this mission or my teammates I'll make sure you won't even have an opportunity to be handed back to the Magic Council." Erza threatened, prompting the Poison Dragon Slayer to roll his eye and nod once more. He let her go on ahead, trailing not too far behind as he heard them discuss their renovations for the night.
"Let's go here. It seems good enough." Gray suggested, pointing to a nearby building. The others started to follow until Cobra's voice caught them off-guard.
"No. Choose that one, at least." He pointed to the one next to it, which looked identical to the one Gray had pointed out.
"What's the difference, and how do you of all people know it?" Gray asked, eyes narrowing at Cobra.
"Do you have an icicle shoved up your ass? I can hear it, the reviews of the one you pointed out. Apparently there's shitty service, shitty food, and shitty beds full of bedbugs. The other at least has a shower." Natsu and Lucy screamed in horror, running towards the one Cobra pointed out. Erza and Gray sighed but followed, deciding to trust Cobra's judgement. Wendy let Carla pull Happy over to Natsu and paused, looking up at Cobra.
The Poison Dragon Slayer shrugged. "I don't know about you, but I don't want to have to deal with bedbugs. They're a pain to listen to-annoying bastards-and are even more of a pain to get rid of." Wendy nodded thoughtfully and smiled at him.
"Well, thank you for doing so!" Cobra blinked before walking past her.
"Come on, Aeria. They're leaving you in the dust."
"Aeria?"
"Latin for aerial. Makes you easier to remember." Wendy jogged to catch up to him, twiddling her thumbs nervously as she thought of a million different scenarios concerning a talk with Cobra.
"Pick one; it ain't hard." Cobra told her, eliciting her to blurt out her first of many.
"Why did you join Fairy Tail?"
"Haven't you heard it from the Old Man, Aeria?"
"I want to hear it from you." She stepped in front of his path and crossed her arms, not willing to be brushed off. Cobra shrugged.
"It was either here or prison. I, for one, would like to get away from Lahar's annoying ass for as long as possible." Wendy couldn't help the giggle that escaped her and smiled up at him. He was taken aback by the gratitude shining in her eyes, singing from her soul.
"He can't be all that bad!" Cobra rolled his eye, shoulder's losing their tension as he let a knowing smirk cross his face.
"That's before you meet the guy, Aeria. He's a headache and a half, I say."
"I'll take your word for it."
"Why?" He said without meaning to, eyeing her suspiciously. "Why consider my opinion at all?" He was testing her, to see if she was a liar in that he deserved a second chance. Wendy fell silent before her soul and her voice spoke in tandem.
"Because I believe everyone deserves a second chance." His smirk faded into a barely visible smile, the ex-criminal making sure to turn away from her while he schooled his features.
"I suppose. Don't trust everyone, kid, 'cause not many people deserve that second chance."
I sure as hell don't.
Wendy saw the look in his eye and frowned, deciding to change the topic.
"Umm...Is Cobra really your name?"
"No. And don't ask." He cut her off sharply, walking faster. She wisely kept quiet while they entered the building, locating their room number and opening the door.
The bedroom was spacious and split into two main sections: the girls' beds on the left while the boys were situated on the beds to the right. There were doorways for each bedroom, conjoined by the living room which came equipped with a TV and a couch. The bathroom was located 6 feet away and adjacent to the front door.
"We leave in 5 minutes." Erza said as the two entered, arms crossed. The sun filtered in through the blinds behind her, making her red hair grow evermore vibrant. "Unpack and get ready."
Wendy nodded, heading off towards the left while Cobra opened the door to the right. He saw only two beds and silently noted to sleep on the couch tonight, knowing that they claimed the beds for themselves. He didn't mind the arrangement; the beds looked soft and he was used to the rough floor of a jail cell. Hell, the bed in the room Makarov rented for him felt ten times better than the floor and he knew that the mattress had seen better days.
"Rendezvous in 5." Cobra said as he leaned his bag against the wall. Gray nodded as he woke up Natsu and Happy, who jumped up. Rolling his eye at their antics Cobra grabbed an apple from his bag and took a bite, savoring the sweetness of the fruit before swallowing. The Poison Dragon Slayer waited until it was time to leave, walking out with the other Fairies to meet with the mayor of the quaint town. With any luck, they'll finish the job request and return by early morning tomorrow.
...What…
How...?
"Ghnn..." Pain blossomed in his temple as well as his sides, a raging fire that didn't seem to know when to quit. He curled up even more to stop the rain of blows or, at the very least, to make himself too small of a target.
Ghnn? Learn to speak, dumbass.
"...-a…"
Closer.
"...-Aeria…" Cobra continued to take the abuse as his vision cleared enough to remember that one of these morons suckerpunched him so hard he saw stars. Kudos to the guy, at least; he knew how to hit, and while Cobra was prepared for the blow he was taken aback by the strength behind the punch. He saw how the Sky Dragon Slayer struggled, arm extended out to him as she screamed his name.
"Not so fast little girl." The woman holding her captive pressed the blade of her knife closer to Wendy's throat. "You are not going anywhere; you're needed as our bargaining chip with your Guild Master." Wendy hoped that Carla would return soon, having gone off to get help from the rest of their group as soon as Wendy was grabbed.
Cobra groaned, going over the events of the day. All he knew that, after speaking to the mayor, they determined the hideout of the bandits and came up with a plan of attack: Natsu,Happy, Lucy, and Gray were a team while Erza, Carla, Wendy, and himself composed the second team. Team One would storm the hideout headfirst as Team Two sealed off any stragglers that used an escape route to flee into the forest. Erza became separated from them as they were ambushed, Cobra pulling Wendy to the side before she was stabbed in the back. The chasm between the members of Team Two became complete and the two were pushed back into a corner despite the best efforts of both Slayers.
And that brought him to now.
"Is this guy also a bargaining chip?"
"He can hear the movements of others and uses poison...that's Cobra of the Oracion Seis!" The woman holding Wendy snarled, blade cutting into the Dragon Slayer which made the girl whimper in fear. "He's a traitor to dark guilds everywhere. Kill him if you have to, but otherwise keep him alive. His life will make the girl stop struggling." Wendy kicked her kneecap and the woman yelped, going down onto one knee but keeping her hold on the Sky Dragon Slayer. "If you kill him, no one will miss him. However, the girl clearly cares for him but will be needed alive and unharmed as of yet for the bargain to go through."
"...Cobra…!" Wendy gasped for breath as the knife disappeared only to be replaced by a hand constricting her throat. "...Run…"
Time slowed down for Cobra as his acute ears heard her words. His world spun, his lungs ached from the constant abuse to his sides, and he couldn't curl the fingers of his left hand into a fist. The sounds he heard blended into a myriad of noise, growing louder until he decided that the world was too much noise.
...Run…?
Why, why would she say that to him of all people? He was Cobra of the Oracion Seis, a dark guild that was feared and respected in the wizarding world! He gritted his teeth, the words mocking him. They seemed to tell him that he was useless, that he couldn't do a damn thing to change the situation. He was a Dragon Slayer, for fuck's sake; he wasn't supposed to go down this easily…!
He knew why she said that to him.
All of the sudden, it made sense. The noise stopped, his surroundings became sharper, and his pain alleviated to the point of not feeling his wounds.
"Please...let him go…!" The girl continued to speak, even as her face became red with the lack of oxygen to her brain.
She cared about him.
Him, who was nothing but a lowly criminal doomed to an eternity of solitude no matter where he went in the world, who pushed people away before they could even start to form a bond with him.
Him, who was never given affection, love, kindness, who took his anger, his hate out on the world and those around him.
Him, who kidnapped her to use for the sake of his own selfish desires, his prayer.
Something resonated deep within his heart and he got up to a knee, ignoring the punches and kicks as he kept his head down. The feeling was foreign to him, fitting snugly into a part of his battered heart. It made him light headed, his blood boil in his veins, and gave him a rush of power he had no idea he had. He then lunged, teeth bared as he sunk them into the shoulder of one of the bandits kicking him.
"AHH!" The bandit screamed as he tried to pry Cobra off, but the Poison Dragon Slayer growled while injecting his poison into the man; within seconds, the man dropped dead on the ground. Cobra whirled on the other oppressor, a furious snarl and a violet orb wild with rage being the last thing the saw before she died as well, head disconnected from her body as it rolled away. Blood spouted from it's once-living fountain, painting the ground and some people nearby red. Wendy screamed louder, this time in horror as Cobra tore into five other bandits who ran to intercept him. He was like an animal, wild and free, savage and merciless.
Unforgiving.
The woman hit Wendy over the head before she could continue her further assessment, knocking the little Dragon Slayer out without warning. Cobra froze, flicking the blood off of his talons as he had transformed his arms before starting his murder spree. Rage filled his entire being at seeing the unconscious girl lying prone on the forest floor. Somewhere in the back of his mind he knew that he would get hell for killing them but immediately squashed that thought; it was not a priority.
Wendy Marvell was.
He and the woman squared off, shuffling in a wide circle as they sized each other up. Cobra got tired of stalking his prey and initiated the first move, swiping at her legs to disorient her. The woman smirked and back flipped over him, a scythe appearing in her hands.
"They call me Grimm for a reason, Cobra." She all but taunted, keeping her stance tight so no openings were seen in Cobra's eyes.
That is, ones that he could see. Listening to her soul has it's perks as well; in due time, he'd find out about any weaknesses she had as well as being able to dodge her lightning fast attacks.
Far from their location, Laxus sneezed in the Fairy Tail Guild.
"I've cheated Death more than once; I'm not about to stop now." Cobra narrowed his eye as he spoke and Grimm jumped towards him the moment the last syllable left his lips. Pivoting on the heel of his right foot he narrowly avoided getting cut in two by the scythe, allowing a taunting smirk to blossom on his features.
"I can hear it, your muscles contracting, your breathing patterns. I can hear every move you're about to make before you make it." Grimm tightened her grip on her weapon but stood still, her eyes slipping closed as she concentrated. The ground upheaved, rolling and rocking like waves crashing onto a beach. The Poison Dragon Slayer let his instincts and, as a result, his anger take over as he tumbled out of harm's way. Looking at Wendy once more bid unwanted memories to bubble towards the surface, of violet scales and reptilian forest green eyes that listened to his deepest fears, worries, dreams.
Prayers.
The word invoked something within him as visions of hair as light as if it was the sun incarnate and sage green eyes softened with kindness appeared, a grateful smile thrown his way for seemingly no reason at all.
Her hand extended to him, and he desperately reached out for hers-
Cobra growled as he pushed the thoughts away, poison seeping out of his talons as he widened his stance. Grimm took the bait and lunged, eyes widening in surprise as the Dragon Slayer twisted, dropping to a knee as he did so to slash upwards with his claws. Blood erupted once more, poison seeping into Grimm's veins as the tremors stopped and she dropped to the ground, clutching her throat.
"You…" Cobra gave her a crooked grin, staring at his talons before retracting them.
"I took extra pains to give you my deadliest dose of poison. How does the venom of a King Cobra sound to you?" He bent down to scoop Wendy up into his arms, a wave of exhaustion ripping into him as he turned to face the dying woman. He didn't think that he used much of his energy through the duration of their fight but, then again, he spent six months in prison; anyone would lose a bit of stamina wasting away in a cell.
Grimm forced her hands away from her throat and chuckled. "Of course you would do such a thing...pompous ass." Too bad she was dying; given any other circumstance, Cobra might grow to like this woman.
Instead, he curled his lip into a sneer as his amethyst orb locked onto her storm blue ones. "Sorry, but it's in my nature to give the ladies exceptional treatment." Grimm died with a grin on her bloody lips, finally stilling her movements. Cobra looked down at the unconscious Sky Dragon Slayer with conflicting emotions and let himself relax, bloodlust dieing down as he walked away from the murder site. He managed to walk about half the length of a football field-Hey, you can't blame him that they were in one of the largest forests known to man, the Forest of Fairies!- on a dirt trail before Natsu barreled in front on him from the right of the trail, eyes blazing with anger.
"What did you do to-" He went uncharacteristically silent, freezing up and staring past him towards the direction the Poison Dragon Slayer had come from. Gray, Happy, and Lucy skidded to a stop next to Natsu, Erza and Carla coming from Cobra's left onto the dirt trail.
"Natsu! You can't just run off like that-...Natsu?" Lucy paused s she saw her friend's rigid form, which was unlike him. She then saw who was in Cobra's arms and gasped, Erza spotting Wendy at the same time and marching up to the ex-criminal.
"What happened to Wendy, Cobra? So help me if you harmed a single hair on her head-"
"She got knocked out. I brought her here. Calm down, Titania." Cobra cut her off before hearing Natsu's thoughts. His eye narrowed at the First Gen Slayer, a growl escaping his lips.
"Don't you dare assume that, Salamander. While I may be a plethora of things, I am not that."
"I smell blood," Natsu breathed, Happy hovering next to him with worry. "Don't tell me you…!"
"Yeah, I killed them. So what?" Cobra finally lost his cool, emotions jumbled as he still tried to figure out what the fuck just happened a few minutes prior.
Why had he taken that abuse from them in the first place?
Why had he lost his temper back there?
Why had he...cared? About the wellbeing of a Fairy?
All because of this...this girl, Wendy Marvell. She had invoked something in him, something that wouldn't go away even if he pushed it back into the farthest recesses of his mind, locked behind the most secure door in his twisted, broken heart. It raged like the flames of Natsu's magic, growing, climbing into the sky to become a beacon for all to see. It pissed him off, because he had no idea on what to call this feeling.
"I did what I knew I needed to do. They were rogues; no one would miss 'em."
...What…?
"The girl would've died if I hadn't been there. Actually, she would have been lashed into a bloody pulp until her body finally decomposed, carrions eating her as she completely, truly, gave up."
Just what...was he talking about…?
"It was the only way!"
Who am I talking about here?
"ENOUGH!" Natsu socked him across the face-which, really, needed to stop happening. Cobra stumbled back a few steps, a low growl resounding from his throat as he held Wendy closer to his chest.
"Stay out of this, Salamander!"
"HELL NO!" Natsu's roar caught him off-guard, the Poison Dragon Slayer's eye widening before it narrowed. Cobra walked to the side, never breaking eye contact with Natsu as he laid Wendy against a tree. Carla immediately flew to her side, trying to shake her awake while shouting her name. Lucy rushed over as well, looking her over for any injuries and exhaling in relief when the worst of it was a small lump on her head.
"You murdered those people in cold blood!"
"It was either me or them! It was either Wendy or them!" Natsu's eyes widened, and Cobra immediately realized his mistake. "Shit."
"You…" Natsu lunged at Cobra, who sidestepped the attack only to feel flames lick his face as Natsu's fists ignited. The ex-criminal readied his poison talons, claws scraping against the ground before he uppercutted Natsu across the dirt trail into a tree. The Fire Dragon Slayer immediately stood back up, Happy wisely keeping any comments to himself as he hovered next to Erza, who clenched her fists.
"YOU HAVE NO RIGHT TO CALL WENDY BY NAME!" Cobra's hands, which lost their poisonous attribute, flew to his ears as Natsu's yell reached ear-splitting, just like back when they fought on Nirvana. Natsu used the opening to barrel into him, fist lodged in his stomach as he returned the favor by sending the ex-criminal to the other side of the dirt trail into a tree.
Cobra's ears rang as they tried to adjust once more, his amethyst orb unseeing as he fought to focus on the fight before him. He felt a wave of annoyance as Natsu stormed over to him, the Poison Dragon Slayer standing up and swaying to the side.
"You're right, Salamander; I don't have the right. I never have the right, nor do I deserve the right." Natsu paused as he saw a flicker of emotion in Cobra's eye before it descended once more, back behind whatever door wasn't supposed to open in the first place. "'I'm just a criminal, a lowlife', right? 'What does he know about wanting to protect someone?' Well, Salamander, I guess you'll have to wonder for a long, long time!" His eye locked on to onyx orbs, their owner taking a step back at the intensity showing in them.
"I'M NOT PROTECTING ANYONE!" He was merely looking out for himself, for only the benefits. Getting attached to someone was clearly not a benefit. It seems Salamander has to learn the hard way, then. He closed the distance between them in a second, fist finding jaw as Natsu was sent flying.
"Shouldn't you stop them, Erza?" Lucy shouted desperately over the fight. She knew that she couldn't stop this battle on her own; it was leagues above her, and it seemed that force would be the only way to stop the two Dragon Slayers. Erza was their strongest fighter, the only one who could stop this mess single handedly. So, why…?
"No." Erza responded, forcing herself to watch the battle. "This is the only way Natsu can fully accept Cobra into Fairy Tail, to acknowledge him as a comrade. We all have our own way of going about it, Lucy. I'm still trying to work through my own way at this moment." Lucy paused, considering her own feelings regarding the new Slayer in Fairy Tail.
"You're...right…" Gray snorted next to her, arms crossed as he looked out to the fight.
"Don't worry Luce, he'll probably be sent back to the Council before he fully blends in with us."
"Gray. Your shirt." Erza's blunt response sent him into a panic, eyes scouring the ground around them.
"WHEN DID THAT HAPPEN?!" A plume of smoke catches their eyes and they return their attention to the fight. Natsu soared through the air, sending an axe kick down onto Cobra's head that would have connected if the Poison Dragon Slayer didn't move out of the way. The ex-criminal lunged to the side before stomping his foot on the ground, stopping his movement and using it to pivot and sprint towards Natsu. His feet skimmed the ground as they took him towards his destination, Natsu still in midair as Cobra kicked him in the midsection.
"You're not half bad, Salamander." Cobra said after reigning his emotions in, a cocky smirk on his face. His fangs glinted off of the sunlight as poison seeped out of his mouth, making him look daunting to any lesser man. The ex-criminal tapped his temple, watching the Fire Dragon Slayer stand up with a growl at his facial expression. "I can hear you. Did you forget that?" He bounced from foot to foot, beckoning Natsu to attack with his right hand as his left stayed as a fist.
Natsu gritted his teeth; how dare Cobra mock him?! First the guy's letting his emotions run wild, then he's being an asshole. Is he just going to ignore what he did?!
"Seems not." Cobra responded as his smirk turned into one of annoyance, a scowl making its way onto his face. "You think you can stop me? I'd like to see you tr-" A form knocking against him and sending him toppling towards the ground caught him by surprise, amethyst orb widening as he saw the culprit.
"Wendy!" Natsu skidded to a stop as he saw her, flames going out at the same time Cobra stopped the poison exuding from his body.
"You…" The Sky Dragon Slayer looked up at him, tears brimming in her eyes.
"Please...stop this! No more fighting each other; we have those bandits to deal with!" Natsu walked back towards the others, arms crossed and expression thoughtful.
"Well, Flame Brain?" Natsu maintained eye contact before nodding.
"He's...alright." A wide grin practically split his face in two.
"Gramps was right in having him join Fairy Tail!"
After they gathered the unconscious (or dead) bodies of the bandits, they traveled back to town to tell the mayor everything. Erza made Cobra admit that he had, indeed, gone a "Little overboard" and killed a few of them but other than that, there were no other casualties. Wendy also told her side of the story, resulting in any hesitation Team Natsu had about Cobra's story melt away into relief, which baffled him. Lucy double-checked if Wendy was okay and the girl nodded with a smile, reassuring her friend that she was as okay as a Fairy Tail Mage could get. After receiving their money which, split between the five of them (The Exceeds would live off of their partner's share) was 15,000 Jewels each, they boarded the train to go back to Magnolia-but not before grabbing their bags from the hotel room. It seemed that they didn't need the rooms after all but their reward money more than made up for their wasted Jewels.
"Oh, Cobra." Erza caught the Poison Dragon Slayer's arm before he could walk past their booth. "Come sit with us." At least this once, alright?
"N-" Wendy's eyes lit up at the prospect of him sitting with the group, eyes wide and pleading. "...Sure. Why not."
The conversations between Natsu, Lucy, Carla, and Gray paused as he shuffled towards the window, taking the open spot next to Wendy on her left.
He's...sitting here with us?
Does that mean he doesn't see us as annoyances?
"Keep dreaming Blondie." Cobra scoffed at her thought, propping his elbow up on the windowsill as they stared at him. "All Fairies are annoyances. I have a first-hand experience." He was surprised when Wendy of all people laughed.
"I guess so, considering your personality Mr. Cobra." Cobra rolled his eye in mock annoyance, keeping his gaze out the window.
"I already told you, Aeria: It's Cobra. The "Mr." makes me sound old." Happy decided to take a risk and join in on the light ribbing of the Poison Dragon Slayer.
"Well then how old are you, Mr. Cobra?" Cobra's stare of annoyance was directed at the Exceed, although everyone else could see that it had lightened up some.
"Don't get ahead of yourself, Fish-For-Brains; I'll have you know I'm 20 years old." Wendy giggled at his comment while Carla snorted in amusement.
"Why don't you have a flying cat?" Natsu asked as he handed Happy another fish, Wendy's Troia spell in effect. To their surprise, Cobra tilted his head to the side in confusion.
"Why would I need a flying cat?" He kept his smirk to himself as he heard Erza and Lucy internally squeal at his "innocence", sending each other knowing looks that clearly portrayed a "Girl's Sleepover" later in the evening.
"Why not?!" Natsu waved his arms wildly in the air, shocked that he would ask such a thing.
"Natsu-san, don't bother Cobra-nii about it!" Wendy said with a smile, making Cobra pause.
"..."nii"?"
"You're always giving other people nicknames, so why not give you one as well?" This kid was going to be the death of him. Cobra looked into her eyes and decided that, yes, she was probably the most innocent and cutest little girl on the planet.
"If you want to, then go ahead." He heard Natsu's thoughts and narrowed his eye at him. "If you start calling me that too I'll punch you so far away hopefully you'll drown in the middle of the ocean." Lucy giggled, Gray chuckled, and soon all of them-minus Natsu, who was complaining, and Cobra, who didn't "Do laughter"-were laughing their asses off at the prospect of a flailing Natsu in the ocean.
For once, Cobra didn't hear any suspicion from them and found that he was relieved about it. As he laid in his bed hours after their train ride he figured that he would give this "Guild Thing" a shot and closed his eye, feeling content.
Footsteps echoed throughout the empty halls of Kardia Cathedral, coming to a stop 15 feet away from the altar. A figure stood behind the altar, inspecting the back of it with some interest. Wild orange hair bobbed as he acknowledged the soldier walking up to him, yellow tinted goggles reflecting the sun's rays that filtered into the hall.
"Sir," The owner of the footsteps said, trying to keep the conversation brief. "We've found him, sir. He's the one." The man behind the altar paused, forest green eyes looking at the messenger with a thoughtful expression.
"Hmm. Okay, thanks Dale! You can take your leave." The soldier and messenger, Dale, bowed before backing away and out of the cathedral. The man who remained stretched and sighed in relief once his joints popped, a grin stretching across his face.
"This is awesome...Now we need to figure out how to get 'im. We can't commence without him, after all." Aizen Solis murmured before he took his leave as well, grin widening at the thought.
They'll get their hands on Him, no doubt.
/Sorry this took so long, guys! I've been trying to keep Cobra as his half-assholish, half-stoic self with traces of a softy showing through. Don't worry; Wendy views Cobra as her big brother and Cobra views her as a little sister. Umm...so...do you like it so far? Reviews are appreciated, as always, and I'm also trying my hand at a slow character development. I'll keep OC involvement to a minimum but I will need some to commence the plot I have in mind. Until next time guys; PEACE!