Deepest Desire [NaLu AU]

Chapter XXVI

My crew quickly docked the Fairy Tail, and I conversed with the inspection crew. This town, Yewsi, wasn't exactly known for its pirate prevention or strict inspection. There was hardly an army presence in the town, and that only served to make it easier to get into. The guards didn't take too much convincing, and they let us do as we pleased before returning to their stations.

I gathered my crew up. "Avast ye!" I called out, bringing my crew to attention. "Alright, ya bunch of idiots! Today is both to stock up supplies, and to get any information possible from the civilians about that man who washed up in Hargeon. Meet back here at midday!" I ordered. "Savvy?" My crew shouted a bunch of 'Aye's and we immediately split up across town.

My group consisted of Lucy, Erza, and Gray like usual, and we stayed relatively close to the harbor, asking the owners of the ships for information. Most said they didn't know him, but the few who did only said that he had gone out to fish one day, and simply hadn't come back. Others said they saw him leave, but hadn't seen him in time to see what happened. Even more had left the port just before him, but their ships hadn't been washed away. Not a single owner of a cargo ship had the same story, but none of them knew what happened.

I saw Lucy and Gray head over to the smaller ships for a minute, and I noticed Gray's posture was slumped over with exhaustion. That's right. I promised I would give him an explanation, and I never did. I cringed at the memory. Not to mention, he saw me kill those people.

Erza knocked my head, bringing me out of my memories. "Natsu!" she shouted loudly. "Were you even listening to me?"

I perked up, trying to seem as if I'd been listening. "Oh, yeah," I trailed off, scratching the back of my neck. "You said to, umm..." I looked up at her hopelessly. "No, I wasn't listening.

"I swear to God, Natsu." Erza sighed, her posture screaming exhaustion. "What am I supposed to do with you?" She smacked me upside the head before repeating her suggestion. "Why don't you get a little scouting boat ready so we can look around for it?"

I nodded, walking off to do as she said. Sometimes, I wondered just who was in charge. I purchased two boats for a few hours at a boat rental. At this point, it was noon, and we hadn't heard any useful information. Most of my crew had met back up at the ship, and were having lunch on the docks.

I headed in their direction, not noticing Lucy and Gray engaged in an intense conversation with an owner of a small fishing boat.

"Alright!" I shouted, gathering my crew's attention. "Did anyone find any useful information?" No one seemed to be willing to speak up. "Anyone?" I asked incredulously. "Seriously?" I muttered.

From her position on the ground, I saw Juvia speak up. "Juvia, Gajeel, and Levy found his family." I motioned for her to continue. "They said the same thing. Juvia asked if they knew what happened, but all they knew was that he was being sent back here on a ship."

I sighed, running my hands down my face in frustration. "Alright," I said, "the rest of the day is devoted to stocking up supplies, savvy?" The crew nodded, continuing with their lunches.

I saw Erza beckon me to her, and I headed over. She pointed at Lucy and Gray, who were still speaking to that man. I pushed through the crowd towards them. They didn't stop their conversation when they noticed me, though I saw the man glance up at me in slight fear. "I don't know what it was, but it was the brightest thing I'd ever seen," he said quietly.

Lucy spoke up. "What kind of feelings did it give you?"

His eyebrows furrowed, and he rubbed his arm anxiously. "Now that I think about it, I felt just about every emotion I can think of when I saw it. But mostly fear at its overwhelming sense of power."