Last time: A weird interview happened.
Now: Team Natsu goes to look into the interview at the magazine.
Chapter 4- Sorcerer Weekly Headquarters
Lucy had dreamed for years to visit the Sorcerer Weekly head office. She had a few photo shoots with a few of the ladies from Fairy Tail. Especially after the Grand Magic Games. But she had never been to the main office. They usually did photos at other locations like the beaches or in the woods. The four story building towered before them as they walked through the streets of Crocus.
"Oh wow!" Lucy ogled as she stared up at the building.
"Have you ever been here before?" Wendy asked Erza as they followed the S-Class wizard to the front door.
"A couple of times for a photo shoot with Mira, but that was long ago," Erza recalled as she opened the front door.
The group entered into the main lobby of the building and walked right up to the front desk where a young girl was working. There were a few models and fellow wizards that were sitting in the lobby waiting for their appointment with either a reporter or a photographer. They all looked up when they entered into the building. Lucy could hear them murmur in recognition of the Fairy Tail Wizards as if they were celebrities. The girl at the front desk looked up at them, tiredly, before bursting into a grin upon recognizing who they were.
"Oh my gosh! It's the wizards from Fairy Tail," she squealed excitedly. "Welcome to Sorcerer Weekly! How can I help you?"
"We are looking for Jason. Is he here?" Erza asked as she leaned against the front desk.
"Of course! I'll go get him now," she said happily. "Oh this is so cool!" She squealed as she ran down the hall.
"Does everyone say cool here?" Natsu asked with a raised eyebrow.
"I guess so," Gray said, shrugging.
After a few moments, she returned with Jason who was grinning from ear to ear.
"Their overly happy energy here is making me sick," Gajeel grumbled under his breath as Jason rushed over to them. Natsu, Happy, and Pantherlily nodded curtly in agreement.
"You and me both," Gray agreed also with a nod.
"This is so COOL! It's Team Natsu! And Gajeel from Fairy Tail! COOL!" Jason cheered, pumping his fists. "What can I help you guys with? Here with an exclusive?"
Natsu walked over to him and started to smell. It caught Jason off guard and he actually looked a little uncomfortable by Natsu doing it. The reporter looked between Natsu and the others, unsure what to say or do.
"It's not him," Natsu declared after a moment before stepping away from Jason.
"I'm sorry, what? I'm very confused," Jason said, puzzled. "Why are you sniffing me?"
"Did you come to Fairy Tail earlier today?" Erza asked, pointedly.
"Uh, no," Jason said, even more confused. "I haven't even left the office today. Everyone here can vouch for that. Why?" The receptionist and even a few patrons waiting in the lobby, but listening in nodded in agreement that they saw him here the whole day.
The Fairy Tail wizards exchanged a concerned glance. Lucy then spoke up. "Because you came to our guild today and started asking questions about Natsu and his fight with Sting and Rogue. Actually it was more just questions about Natsu and his powers. You never really asked about the fight," she said, furrowing her brow in realization.
"And you smelled like chemicals," Natsu added. "But you smell like candy and paper now."
"That's concerning," Jason said, frowning slightly. Lucy and Gray exchanged a worried glance as they had never seen the reporter look so worried before. Upset, happy, crazy, and serious, yes, but never worried. "Like I said, I was here all morning." He then looked at Natsu incredulously. "I smell like paper and candy?" He questioned more to Natsu than the others.
"It's true," the receptionist said, overhearing their conversation with a frown. "I even brought him his coffee at nine AM."
"Then that means that the person in the guild hall wasn't Jason. It might have been an imposter," Wendy surmised.
Carla tensed in her arms as she said that. Lucy recognized it as the Exceed having a vision.
"What is wrong, Carla?" Wendy asked, worried looking down at the Exceed.
"Oh it's nothing," Carla said, dismissively.
"This is worrying. That means someone is going around pretending to be me," Jason said, looking at them all worriedly. "I'll have my reporters investigate into it to see if anyone else has seen the imposter. For now, don't accept any interviews from anyone who isn't wearing the official badge or has scheduled with you ahead of time."
"Thanks Jason for your help," Erza said. "We shall be going now."
"Of course," he said, smiling at them. "And don't forget to be COOL!" He added with his usual amount of energy.
The Fairy Tail wizards waved them good-bye before they exited the building. Once outside, they stood there for a moment, thinking.
"Gajeel, Wendy, did you smell the same thing as Natsu?" Erza asked, trying to be certain.
"Yeah, exactly as Natsu described it," Wendy nodded.
"So Salamander was on to something then." He snorted. "My only question is why would someone bother to pretend to be that hyper nut just to ask Natsu some questions?" Gajeel asked, folding his arms across his chest.
"I'm with Gajeel on this," Lucy agreed, uneasy. "Something is going on and it involves Natsu."
"Alright fire freak, who did you piss off this time?" Gray asked, folding his arms across his chest.
"No one! Maybe you're trying to pull a prank on me, ice princess," Natsu shot back.
"Boys!" Erza snapped causing the two of them to stiffen in place. "Enough bickering. We have a bigger issue on our hands. I suggest we return to Magnolia and see if we can hunt down this imposter. Find out why he was interviewing and looking into Natsu."
"We're going to search the whole city?" Lucy asked, stunned. 'That could take all day."
"Then we won't stop until we are a hundred percent sure. We will split into teams when we get back. Lucy and Happy will go with Natsu. Gray will go with Gajeel and Pantherlily. And I'll go with Wendy and Carla. And we will each take a section of the city. Natsu's group will check the northside of town. Gray and Gajeel take the south. And we'll take the central area. Any questions?" Erza delegated.
Everyone shook their heads, all of them afraid to disagree with Erza as she stared at all of them intently.
"Sounds like a plan to me," Gray said, nodding.
'Then let's hurry back before the trail gets cold," Erza advised as she turned and headed for the train station.
As they hustled back, Lucy looked down at Carla in Wendy's arms. The little white Exceed still looked distrubed by something.
"Carla, you okay?" Lucy asked quietly as the three of the lingered in the back of the group.
"I had a vision in the headquarters," Carla admitted quietly.
"What kind of vision?" Wendy asked, worriedly.
"It was of the future. I saw an explosion. I saw a tunnel. And I saw you in danger Lucy," Carla said, before looking at her.
Lucy was taken aback by that. "Me? What kind of danger?" She asked, uncertain.
"I'm not sure, but you should be wary. And stick close to Natsu," Carla advised her quietly.
Lucy looked from the exceed over to Natsu who was at the lead near Erza chatting with her about something. He must have felt her staring at him, because he looked back towards her and flashed her a toothy grin. She flashed a fake smile at him before slowly nodding, feeling uneasy with the premonition.
"I'll keep that in mind. Thanks Carla," Lucy said quietly in return.
The group had returned to Magnolia a couple hours later and immediately split off to search for the imposter reporter. Erza practically dragged Wendy along behind her as they headed for the center of town near Cardia Cathedral. Natsu quickly ran off with Lucy rushing to keep up with him as they headed to the North side of town, starting near the guild hall. Which left Gray, Pantherlily and Gajeel to begrudgingly walk towards the south end of the city. They walked in silence for the first half of the walk with only piping up every now and then to discuss which way they should go when they reached intersections then would return to the awkward silence.
"So… how's it going with you and Juvia?" Gajeel asked, finally breaking the silence between them.
Gray internally sighed. He wished Gajeel would have broken the silence with a different topic in mind. But the man was her best friend, so it was inevitable. "I guess things are fine." He replied back. "Why do you ask? Did she say something?"
"She always says something," Gajeel said with an eye roll. "She always goes on and on about you. It's annoying. But what's more annoying is the fact you haven't done anything about it."
Gray glanced sideways at the iron dragon slayer. "Gajeel, what do you want me to do?"
"Tell her how you feel," Gajeel said simply. "Or I'll bash your head in until you do." He then threatened.
Gray stopped in his tracks and turned to face Gajeel. "Don't you think I have tried to tell her how I feel?" He asked, exasperated. "She never listens when I do. Or she doesn't understand."
"Then how do you feel towards her?" Gajeel asked as he came to a stop. He folded his arms across his chest.
"I… I don't know," Gray admitted after a minute. He looked away. "I like her as a friend and guildmate, but I'm not sure I could ever return her feelings."
"Why?" Gajeel asked as if the answer was obvious.
Gray lowered his head so his chin was almost to his chest. "Why? Because I don't know if I 'love' Juvia the way she wants me to. I will always protect her and care for her, and be her friend. But her boyfriend or whatever she wants me to be? That I can't do." He paused as he took a deep breath. "But how do I tell someone like Juvia that I'm not interested in her in that way without ruining our friendship?" He asked as he looked up.
Gajeel didn't answer as he seemed to take that in. His expression was practically unreadable. Pantherlily spoke up instead.
"Have you always felt this way towards Juvia?" the exceed asked.
Did he always feel this way? As he thought about it for a moment, thinking back to when they first met to everything they have experienced together, he realized that there was never really anything concrete there. He shamefully nodded as he let out a breath.
"I think so… yeah," Gray admitted for the first time ever out loud.
"You realize that if she ever found out, it would break her heart. And she has gotten so used to seeing the sun," Gajeel pointed out rather harshly.
"I am well aware of that. That's why I have had such a hard time trying to tell her," Gray said as he rubbed his neck. "I don't want to hurt her, Gajeel. You need to understand that. That's the last thing I want to do to Juvia, but I can't return her feelings for me. I just don't feel the same way. But I still want her in my life as my friend. Do you think she would understand if I told her all of that?"
Gajeel scratched his head. "Damn, this is such a pain in the ass," he grumbled under his breath. He then sighed. "I think if you sit her down away from the guild and are straightforward with her then I think she should understand. And if she doesn't after you do talk to her, I will make sure she gets it. She at least listens to me."
Gray blinked at the dragon slayer, bewildered. "Are you… on my side with this? I figured you would break me in half before you would ever do that."
"It's only because you are being honest with me. That's it," Gajeel said, then got into Gray's face with a snarl on his face. "And if you tell anyone I did this, I will gut you alive."
Gray sweat dropped. "I believe you would," he gulped. Gajeel nodded and backed away. "But I promise not to tell a soul."
"Good," Gajeel growled. "But I do want to be sure of one more thing. You're not just saying these things because there is someone else? You're not dating another girl are you?" He asked almost accusingly.
Gray stiffened at that and looked away. "No. I have felt his way for a while. Like a long time, but…" He sighed and eyed Gajeel through his hair. "If either of you tell anyone the next thing I am about to utter then I will break you in half."
Gajeel couldn't help but smirk at that. "I doubt you could, but fine. What is it?"
"There is someone else that I have started getting feelings for. It's only been in the last few weeks that I've started to feel this way towards this person," Gray admitted quietly. "And because of that, I've had to do a lot of thinking of how I feel towards both them and Juvia. Like a lot of thinking. Like the amount that might make Natsu's head explode." That got a snicker out of Gajeel. "And because of what I have been feeling towards this person compared to what I've felt around Juvia for years, there is a difference. It's like… everything makes sense and I feel happier. And my heart can't stop racing when I'm around them. I've never felt that with Juvia ever. Do you understand what I mean?"
"I think he does," Pantherlily vouched for him as Gajeel hesitated for a second.
"Shut it!" Gajeel barked at his exceed. He then took a deep breath and looked back at Gray. "I do understand. I'm in a similar boat. And if you tell anyone about that, I'll deny it and then I'll kill you."
"The same applies to you," Gray threatened back as he folded his arms across his chest. "I don't want anyone, especially Juvia to know. I have to be the one that tells her." He then went quiet. "But it's good to know that we are on the same page."
"Geehee," Gajeel smirked. "Then my lips are zipped. Now let's find this imposter freak. I'm tired of talking about all this gushy crap." He said before he started walking again.
"Agreed," Gray and Pantherlily said with a nod. Gray silently grateful that Gajeel didn't push to know who Gray was interested in. And he knew this was a conversation he was never going to forget as he got a look into the mind of the iron dragon slayer. He also didn't expect him to be so understanding either. Yeah, definitely a conversation he would never forget.
The sun had long past set on the day and they had found nothing. Natsu and Lucy had started at the guild trying to follow the scent of the imposter. Thankfully, his scent was still fresh enough that Natsu was able to follow it from the guild, but it led him all across town before he finally reached the train station. He followed the scent so thoroughly that he almost fell onto the train tracks and got run over by a train in the process. If it hadn't been for Lucy and Happy grabbing him and dragging him back before he could, he might have become railroad kill.
But once Natsu confirmed that he had come here, Lucy had asked the ticketing station if they had seen Jason board the train. They ended up confirming their theory more that it was an imposter as the employees never even saw him arrive or depart from Magnolia. They then suggested checking the cart paths that lead out of town. However, Natsu was a hundred percent sure that the fake Jason had taken a train. So they thanked the train station staff and returned to the guild, unsure of what to do next. The likelihood that they would find the exact train he or she took out of town was severely unlikely. It would take hours to smell every car of every train that would pass through the station. And even then some trains would be long gone before they even left for Crocus that the scent could have easily faded away by the time they had returned to Magnolia.
When they got back to the guild, they found the others had gathered around the bar where Gramps was sitting on the bartop getting the update from Erza, while the rest of the guild chatted over their dinners. Gray looked up when they walked in.
"Let me guess. You guys found nothing too?" Gray asked, tiredly as he leaned against the bar top. That alerted the others around the bar to look over at Lucy and Natsu entered the guild.
"Actually, we found his scent and it led to the train station," Lucy said as they approached the bar. "I'm kind of surprised we didn't notice it when we first got off the train from Crocus earlier today."
"I think it's because of Natsu's tummy trying to kill him. He couldn't focus," Happy said as he climbed up onto the counter top to sit with Pantherlily.
"Either way, what did you find at the train station?" Erza asked, redirecting the conversation.
"We found out that the staff of the station never saw anyone who looked like Jason buy tickets, board or disembark any of the trains today," Lucy answered.
"Is it possible that he is still in town but he just masked his scent?" Mira asked from the other side of the bar where she was listening with Makarov.
"No, I am sure he boarded a train to leave," Natsu said with a nod.
"He almost became one with the railroad tracks just to prove that he was certain," Lucy added with a sweat drop.
Gray looked at Natsu with a raised eyebrow. "The hell does that mean, pyro? Did you almost walk out in front of a train?" He asked, amused.
"So what if I did, ice freak?" Natsu snapped, getting into Gray's face. 'At least I found a lead."
"Yeah, a lead to nowhere. And sorry I don't have a crazy strong sense of smell, flame for brains," Gray shot back. "But why would I want it anyway? You already reek as it is."
"That's enough," Erza said as she slammed their heads into each other. That sent them both to the ground seeing stars.
"What idiots," Happy and Lucy sighed as they shook their heads.
"Anyway, long story short, we are sure that whoever that imposter is, they are long gone and their scent is most likely gone too from whatever train they did end up taking," Lucy finished, tiredly.
"Nicely done on what you all have discovered," Makarov said as he smoked from his pipe. "It is troubling to think someone came here and tried to get information on my children. We must be wary as I sense that this may only be the beginning. Natsu, I recommend that you keep on your guard. And it's probably for the best that you stay somewhere else for a little while. At least until we determine that this possible threat is gone. So don't go home tonight."
Natsu sat up on the ground and looked up at Makarov. "I can take him, Gramps. Whoever this imposter is I can make sure they are given a nice beating," he said as he pounded his fist into his palm.
Gray whacked Natsu on the back of the head as he, too, sat up. "Get a clue, Natsu. It's possible that your life is in danger. Gramps just wants to make sure that you don't get yourself injured or worse by trying to go after the guy. For now, just do as he says," he said as he folded his arms across his chest.
Natsu looked at Gray, unsure how to respond. He knew his friend was right, but he wanted to argue that he didn't need protection. He then felt a gentle hand on his arm as he was about to say something in protest. He looked up to see Lucy looking at him with a worried smile.
"Please Natsu," she said, trying to keep the worry from her voice.
He met her gaze and felt himself frown slightly seeing her beautiful brown eyes so upset. He then mentally shook his head when he realized what he just thought. He gave her a nod.
"Alright fine," he gave in. "But only if I can crash on your couch." He flashed a smile at her.
She returned the smile and nodded. "I was going to offer. But I figured you might even if I didn't," she said as she stood up, bemused.
"With that settled, you kids should grab something to eat and then go get some rest," Makarov said, gesturing to the bar behind him. "It's been a long day for you lot."
"Agreed Master," Erza said, then turned to Mira to order some food.
"I'm just gonna go home and call it. I'm beat," Gajeel said, annoyed. He gestured for Pantherlily to follow. The black exceed hopped off the bar top and followed Gajeel.
The rest of the crowd around the bar dispersed and went to go find a seat in the guild hall. Lucy went to join Cana and Levy at their table. Wendy and Carla joined Romeo, Macao, and Wakaba at their table. Natsu ordered a bunch of food before joining Lucy at her table, Happy on his tail. Once Erza got her food, she went to join Lisanna and Elfman at their table.
Gray, however, picked himself up off the ground and looked around the guild. He spotted Juvia sitting with Evergreen, Maki, and a couple other wizards in the guild. He briefly thought back to his earlier conversation with Gajeel about her and wondered if now would be a good time to talk to her. But the longer he thought about it, the more his stomach turned at how un-ready he was for that conversation at the moment. So he continued to scan around the guild, unsure of where he should sit or who he should join for dinner tonight. There were plenty of options to choose from, but only one person's company really sounded interesting at the moment. A person he felt bad for not seeing at all today. It was probably the first day in over two weeks where they hadn't spent any time together and he had to admit to himself that it made him feel… alone. However, he couldn't see her anywhere.
"Looking for Krysta?" Makarov asked quietly enough for him to hear.
He looked at the Master, curious if the old man had read his mind. "Uh, yeah I guess. I just noticed that she isn't here."
"Don't worry, my boy. I'm sure she is around here somewhere," Makarov said, kind of mischievously as he continued to smoke his pipe.
Gray raised an eyebrow at that.
"Are you missing something?" Krysta's voice suddenly filled his ears.
He turned around to see her standing behind him with a smile and in her hands was a shirt. He glanced down at his chest to see that he had removed his shirt at some point. Gray yelped. "When did I lose that?!"
"I'm not sure, but I found it over there," Krysta said, pointing to where Gray had been standing before Erza knocked him and Natsu down. She had the slightest tint of pink on her cheeks as she was trying not to look at his muscular torso as she held his shirt out to him. He felt himself blush slightly at that observation.
"Well, thanks," Gray said as he took her shirt and shrugged it on.
"How did the search go?" Krysta asked, curiously as she took a seat at the bar.
"The guy that came here wasn't Jason from Sorcerer weekly. He was an imposter who apparently has the ability to disguise himself," Gray informed her as he sat next to her. "And he apparently skipped town at some point today."
"What do you think he wanted?" Krysta asked.
"We think he was after Natsu. His questions were completely revolving around him and his powers," Gray said as he rested his arms on the bar top.
"Natsu? I mean he is a dragon slayer and his magic is really spectacular," Krysta pointed out. "But I think it's strange that this guy went to such lengths to get information on Natsu."
"I agree. I find it unsettling," Gray murmured.
"Are you worried for Natsu?" Krysta teased. "From what I've seen and heard, you two hate each other."
Gray shot her an unamused look. However, she was smiling at him and that caused his look to break. She was very good at doing that. He good naturedly rolled his eyes. "Natsu and I are friends. Kind of like brothers in a way. Does he get on my nerves? All the time. Does he piss me off? Constantly. But he is my guildmate. So I've got his back." He said genuinely. He then looked at her. "Besides, if someone is after Natsu then that means trouble has a way of finding him and the rest of us. So it doesn't hurt to be prepared."
"I figured as much. I was just teasing," she said with a chuckle. "But I agree, though. This is rather unsettling. Whatever I can do to help, just let me know."
"Of course," Gray said, flashing a smile to her. "Anyway, how was your day?"
"Kind of boring," Krysta said with a shrug. "I went on a very small job that was only worth a couple thousand jewels."
"What kind of job?" Gray asked as he flagged down Mira. "Also have you eaten anything?"
"Not yet, I just got back from my place. I took a nap after the job," Krysta said. "So I could eat."
Gray nodded.
"What can I get you two?" Mira asked, sweetly as she grinned at them.
"I'll take a soda and a caramalde frank," Gray said.
"Make that two," Krysta said, holding up two fingers.
"Alright, coming right up." Mira said, giving them both a knowing look before moving off to make the order.
Gray glanced at Krysta, surprised. "You like caramalde franks?"
"Oh yeah. They are the best, but I haven't had a good one in a few years," Krysta said with a nod.
Gray couldn't help but smile at her. "Then you and I will get along great," he teased.
Krysta rolled her eyes good naturedly as she shoved him playfully. "Whatever. Do you want to hear about the job or not?"
"Yes, I want to hear," Gray said as he leaned forward, resting his chin on his palm as his elbow balanced on the bartop.
Mason closed the door to his house as he finally returned after a long day. He made his way to the bathroom and took a quick shower. As he emerged from the bathroom freshly bathed and in fresh clothes, he headed down to the lab where he was sure his father was working. Entering into the basement, he descended the stairs and rounded the corner into the lap. His father was busily working on a device that hung on the farther wall.
"Did you get what I asked?" Zen asked, keeping his attention to the mechanism.
"I did. And they didn't even recognize me," Mason said with a smirk as he walked over to his desk. "However, at some point they will figure out that I wasn't the real reporter from Sorcerer Weekly. And they will be on edge that someone was snooping around their guild."
"We should have plenty of time before that happens," Zen said, glancing at him. "For now we should finish up the preparations and input the calculations for the machine. Now grab that wrench." He said, pointing to the toolbox that was scattered on the floor.
REVIEW! Also I do ship Gray and Juvia! I love them as a pairing! But I've wanted to write these stories for so long with Krysta! But thanks for reading!