Chapter 9
Can Fire Put Out Fire?
Disclaimer: I do not own Fairy Tail or its characters, only my own OC's, Magic I create, and my own original Ideas
.:+:.
... Seriously... Even out in the middle of nowhere I run into Fairy Tail...?! How unlikely is that..?!
Hora stiffened slightly, her heart jumping a little as she took a step back, panic rising as she averted her eyes from the pinkette, who looked thoroughly surprised after she said his name out of nowhere. Her fist opened to let go of the North Wind Mage, as he hit the floor with a thump and a pained groan, Hora pulled her sleeves down and pointedly placed her foot down on the man's arm so he wouldn't be going anywhere. She felt her heart racing as uneasiness fell over her slightly,
I was about to murder someone... I almost murdered someone and these three would have seen it if I hadn't been snapped back to reality like that.
"Woah, wait- you know who I am?!" Natsu exclaimed, looking excited as he jumped down into the crater with her, Hora faced him, her expression a little tense as she held on to her arms in front of her, begging the flames to quell more and more, though his voice had done that already, like a sudden wave of water in her very being.
... H... How did his voice do that...?
"Ah..." Hora stammered, lost for words for a moment as her uncertainty and discomfort rose at how quickly he closed the distance between the both of them. Seriously, how could he not even look bothered by what she had been about to do? He blinked, head tilted in question at her as she stared.
"What's up?" He asked easily, she sweatdropped a little more.
Damn it get a handle on yourself, idiot!
"N-nothing..." She stammered, hooking her arms behind her back as she worked to pull her sleeves down more, almost fussing. "And ah, yes. I have heard of you... From before some of Fairy Tail went missing." She answered quickly.
"Really?" He grinned, "I thought nobody remembered us."
It'd be hard not to... Since so many Slayers were lost... She banished the thought, and simply nodded slightly
"... You were pretty popular... Salamander..." She mumbled,
"Hehe, I guess we did used to get up to a lot of trouble, huh?" He chuckled,
"And for it the Magic Council wasn't a fan, and we always ended up forfeiting our job money just to pay damages... " Hora's eyes snapped sideways when she heard the blonde sigh the words, looking exasperated at the memory.
"Natsu's the one who always went about destroying whole towns." The Exceed chuckled, "You usually overdo it, Natsu. Though I guess maybe you just can't control yourself, such a shame!"
"Hey!" Natsu snapped, looking a little offended.
"Yeah, but this time the whole place was on fire and it wasn't Natsu's fault for once." The cat went on, Hora stiffened, her eyes falling.
"Ow!" The cat yelped, following the swift smack the blonde landed on his head. "What was that for, Lucy?!"
"Seriously, could you be any more rude?!" She replied in an angry whisper.
The whole town... I hadn't even noticed it, all my attention was on fighting. I didn't care how out of control I was...
'... That much rage is a dangerous thing, especially in you.'
Hora growled inwardly at the voice, her eyes shifting back up toward the pinkette still smirking at her, expectantly.
"Yeah, your fire's pretty weird stuff, I've never tasted anything like it before." He smiled, patting his stomach with a toothy grin. "I mean, it still tastes pretty good, it's just a little different than normal, and a bit more spicy than other fire I've eaten. You're flames are pretty hot, hotter than normal Mages."
Hora swallowed slightly, sweatdropping a bit still as she blinked at him.
... Does he just blindly eat whatever flames he happens across... ?
She supposed maybe it was just a small relief he'd noticed her Magic only tasted 'different', though he still seemed to enjoy it. He could have very easily noticed something else, and she was afraid of what he would have assumed... She growled under her breath, her eyes closing a moment as she willed herself to try and calm down, but the sudden meeting had her reeling...and the realization of what she had been about to do.
...shit... That could have all been so bad... if his voice hadn't managed...
"... Well it's not... Ah... Normal Fire Based Magic." She mumbled under her breath, shaking her head slightly and banishing the thought, but not before she realized she had mumbled something unconsciously. She cursed herself in her head, knowing full well with the hearing of a Dragon Slayer her words had been heard.
Hora's eyes opened again, glancing toward Natsu as she saw his head tilt slightly in question.
"... Thanks, for putting the fires out." She mumbled, looking away in flustered embarrassment, and quickly trying to draw away from her comment. "... I got a little carried away."
"No worries." He grinned, "Thanks for the meal." He chuckled, Hora nodded slightly, "So what are you doing out here anyway? You on a job?" He asked, his eyes flicking toward the man still under Hora's foot.
"That's what we're here for, at any rate." The blonde added in, leaning over the edge of the crater with the cat still at her shoulder. She smiled slightly, waving a hand Hora's way. "I'm Lucy, by the way." Hora blinked, her thoughts finally clicking together on the name being spoken a second time.
... The Celestial Mage...
She blinked, shaking herself from her thoughts.
"Ah, yeah." She murmured quickly, "I'm on a Job. My name's Horatia." She paused, "...you can call me Hora, though."
"I'm Happy!" The Exceed announced.
"It's a pleasure to meet you all." Hora murmured softly, forcing a small smile. "I'd heard Fairy Tail had returned some of its Members recently."
"Hehe, yeah that's us." Natsu smirked, "You a part of a Guild then?" Hora sweatdropped slightly at the question without meaning to,
"... Tch... Cocky bastards..."
Hora and Natsu's attention snapped downward, hearing the man she was pinning suddenly hiss the words. His eyes glinted up at her in anger and pain, Hora's face fell slightly.
"Tch... Chatting away like that.." He hissed, his eyes flashed in annoyance. "... I hope you do find Borealis, so when you do he kills you..." He growled, his lips pulled in a dangerous, dark smirk for a moment.
"... But I hope you see the burning of a hundred more villages before that happens."
Hora glared, her blue eyes glinting furiously. She drew her foot away, ready to snatch him up in her fists again and demand he tell her where North Wind was- or better yet, burn that stupid grin off his-
She came up short, her eyes wide and sweatdropping in utter shock as Natsu suddenly grabbed the man from the ground himself. The pinkette's eyes glinted in sudden anger and disgust as he held to the collar of his jacket with both hands, his face inches from the man's and fangs bared slightly.
"So you're with the bastards who've been attacking the towns around here?!" The Fire Dragon Slayer hissed lowly, dangerously. The man winced in pain, his eyes glinting in shock at the unexpected action from the Fairy Tail Dragon Slayer.
Hora stood still, slightly stunned at the sudden ferocity that appeared in the Pinkette so suddenly. Maybe it made sense... But something about the sheer anger and slight hatred in him so suddenly hit her like a train. She supposed maybe she hadn't thought of the Fire Dragon Slayer- the Natsu Dragneel- that she had heard of so much as being kind and strong... From all the admiration and the way Sting's eyes gleamed when he told her about him. Natsu had been Sting's role model when he was a kid, and anyone good enough for Sting's admiration had to be... Well, good. It was silly but for some reason Natsu Dragneel had seemed so pure... But it was clear now that... He was good maybe, but maybe even the good people could be... Hateful.
... That rage... And all because of the things North Wind has been doing... For the suffering...
She bit the inside of her cheek, that was how her anger started... But that's not why she'd lost it just then. Not because of injustice. No... Just pure rage, malice.
"... Tch... Bug off little Fairy." The man hissed, his tone sneering the word in hateful spite. "That ain't none of your business." Natsu's eyes flashed with a dark fire a moment, his grip on the man's shirt tightened as his fangs ground down on each other.
"You made it my business, bastard!" Natsu snapped hotly, "You and your Guild have been tearin' up peoples lives out here, I'm sure as hell not about to let you get away with it!" Natsu's fist around the man's shirt started to smoke and singe, "You've murdered people, destroyed families and torn down homes, you're gonna pay for all of that! Tenfold!" Hora stood in slight awe, watching as his anger and rage flared all the more and she stood there.
... Rage... But this is different.
'... This boy...' The voice hissed, cold and low... Almost perplexed in a way.
"... Heh... Why bother..?" The man growled, "I know you ain't gonna kill me, that's not what Fairy Tail does." The man's eyes flicked sideways, Hora stiffened slightly as his attention landed on her. Her eyes flashed, frowning slightly.
For a moment she swore he was about to say something, and something about her. Her eyes narrowed, a warning glare passing over her face a moment. For a minute he seemed to smirk, but there was a flash of fear in his eyes... Just a small flicker.
"... Hehe... Besides, you're all about to be run in anyway." He hissed, his eyes flicking past Hora toward the smoldering ruin of Golio around them.
The small group of Fairy Tailers and Hora stiffened, hearing a sudden wailing on the air of some sort of horn- a sound all too familiar to those of Fairy Tail. Hora blinked, looking slightly confused a moment.
What the hell is that sound...?
"... The Knights have been holed up here for weeks, just waiting for the perfect time to swoop in and take the place." The man growled, "You just rang the bell." Natsu growled, looking agitated but also slightly nervous.
"..knights...?" Hora mumbled, eyebrow quirked.
"Oh boy..." Lucy mumbled under her breath.
"... Not again..." Happy sighed,
"... Hehe... You're gonna be so caught up in all the bureaucratic nonsense you won't be able to do a damn thing to stop us." The man growled, "While the Knights sit pretty and hold you here more towns will burn, and more people will d-" the man cut off, Natsu's head snapping forward to bang into his own with a painful thud. Hora jumped, sweatdropping as the man's eyes whited out as all sense was knocked from him in an instant.
"... What in the hell...?!" Hora grumbled under her breath, watching in confusion as the wailing grew louder and so did the sound of people yelling and shouting. Her eyes locked to Natsu, her jaw dropped slightly and reeling as he simply let the man fall from his hands, not at all perturbed by his action, or in pain at bashing his head against someone else's hard enough to knock them senseless.
Her head snapped sideways, seeing people running past the crater,
"Stop! By the order of the Magic Council, we order you to stop!"
Hora's eyes went wide, seeing a large battalion of Robe-clad Magic Council Rune Knights marching up the street quickly in their direction. They shouted out orders, tackling people where they could and pursuing the many that were running.
Th-this is a raid...?! Since when was the Magic Council around?! And why the hell haven't they been helping?!
For a moment her anger flared again, and she wanted nothing more than to march right up to those Knights and demand a reason as to why they had just sat back and watched so many people suffer. She would have done so too, she took a step forward, but suddenly someone's hand- warm and hot to the touch against her own warm skin- suddenly grabbed about her wrist, and her anger disappeared again as if someone had thrown a bucket of water over the fire in her soul.
"Time to go!"
She stumbled back, the hand pulling her firmly and with no sign of letting go. She whirled around, eyes wide and stumbling in her sudden running as Natsu pulled her behind him.
He smiled her way, a bright, toothy grin as he dragged her away from the town and away from the shouting of the Rune Knights for them to stop. Lucy and Happy ran alongside them, looking weary as they sweatdropped, not at all pleased they were in this all too familiar situation again.
"Why do we always ended up running from these guys?" Lucy sighed, looking tired of it.
"That's just how we are..." Happy mumbled,
"... What... Why are you dragging me...?!" Hora stammered, sweatdropping as her blue eyes glinted in the twilight overhead, Natsu just kept pulling her along, still grinning her way.
"You're with us now!" He smirked, she blinked in clear surprise and confusion. "You're going after those North Wind guys, right?"
"... Well... Uh... Yes, but..." She mumbled slowly,
"Well we're going after them now too!" Natsu beamed, "So we're gonna work together, Kay?"
Hora stared, eyes glinting as she simply stared at him, continuing to follow his lead as they left Golio and the shouting Rune Knights behind them. He seemed so happy and carefree despite it, and yet... In a way determined.
There was something, some feeling in her chest she wasn't quite familiar with... Something she'd felt seldom before, but she had felt it... and she hadn't expected it now. It felt almost impossible to feel this now.
... Is this...?
Slowly, she nodded slightly. Sweatdropping still, and hardly anything to say, but... She nodded to him, her eyes glinting.
"..y-yeah..."
.:+:.
Hora let out a sigh as they finally slowed to a halt in their running, and fast. It amazed her briefly how full of energy Natsu seemed to be, because even now after an hour or so and being hundreds of miles away in a different city entirely- he didn't look the slightest bit fazed by any of it.
Hora's eyes moved sideways, seeing both Happy and Lucy slumped on the road behind her, muttering to themselves.
"Ah, well! It's late guys, so we better get to it in the morning!" Natsu smirked, leaning back and popping his back, his hands on his hips. Hora blinked, her eyes moving upward toward the deep night sky overhead, her head tilted as she heard Natsu pat his stomach, though she didn't look his way.
"We should grab some grub too!"
"Aye sir..!" Happy agreed breathlessly, perking up slightly.
"... And where do you suggest we get this food?" Lucy grumbled, "Or where we're going to spend the night? Do you even have any idea where we are?" The Blonde grumbled hotly, her hands on her hips as she stood up and faced the pinkette. The few stragglers passing them by on the illuminated street glanced their way in confusion and interest, eyes narrowed and eyebrows quirked at the rather loud group. Hora sweatdropped slightly, catching a few eyes herself as she slowly looked back toward the Fairy Tailers.
Natsu smiled at Lucy, still unbothered by seemingly everything.
"No clue!" He smirked, Lucy let out an exasperated sigh.
"You're the one who dragged us all the way here, idiot." She grumbled under her breath,
"Come on Luce! Would you have rather have been caught by those Council Guys?" Natsu replied quickly,
"... Ah..." Hora mumbled, a little wary of interjecting in what she was sure was going to become a full-fledged argument, especially as she saw Lucy frown slightly. She stepped up a little, drawing attention to herself though she hated that feeling suddenly. "... T-this is Hellei, in the Kingdom of Veronica, actually... it's a small city about 50 miles from the border..." Hora explained quickly, "... it's close enough to the border that the business owners around here should still accept Jewel..." Natsu, Happy and Lucy all looked toward her in apparent surprise,
'You seem nervous addressing them..' The cold voice mumbled, almost in amusement... and damn it, it was right. She did feel extremely out of place among these three, and she would be lying if she said she wasn't still reeling from running into them so suddenly, or having been whisked away as she had been. And even more, she was still deeply troubled by how fast she had lost it, and what she would have done if they had not shown up.
".. T-the Kingdom of Veronica..?!" Lucy stammered,
"We ran all the way to a new country?!" Happy gasped,
"Wooahh! How do you know so much, huh?" Natsu beamed, looking impressed and leaning in toward her, Hora leaned back a little to try and keep a good amount of distance between them. Hora swallowed slightly, sweatdropping still as willed her nervousness to settle, if only slightly.
She felt at ease around her Guild and her friends, but when it came to strangers she was still rather nervous and awkward around them, as seen when she first found she was in Lamia Scale. It made it worse she was all on her own, and without the comfort of Sting or Rogue, or even Lector and Frosch around to keep her nerves all the more settled... though perhaps considering the act the rest of the Guild put on for the outside world, maybe it was better they were not around right now. But she hated being all on her own, being that way made her more tense and on edge all on its own, and being around Fairy Tail- and especially a person she had heard about, and put effort into finding herself for her Balance Theory, she was overwhelmed.
Especially considering how friendly and carefree Natsu Dragneel really was, she hadn't been prepared for his somewhat overly enthusiastic look on things, or how easily he seemed to get used to having her here. (He also seemed a bit oblivious, a part of her had to wonder if he could tell she was nervous, or not..)
"... I studied maps and things of the area on my way out here." Hora explained, blinking once or twice. "... and I've been looking for places North Wind's hideout could be, though I've had no luck thus far..."
"That's what you were trying to get out of that man earlier, right?" Happy murmured, floating forward toward her. Hora nodded slightly,
"So you're trying to find North Wind then?" Lucy murmured, Hora glanced her way, "We're out here to find and return a necklace that was stolen from our client in one of their raids. It was a low paying job, so I hadn't thought any other Guilds had sent anyone out here at all."
"Oh yeah!" Natsu butted in, "You said you were part of a Guild right?"
"... Yes." Hora murmured, before pausing slightly
She hated that she paused, but she felt uneasiness suddenly stir inside of her at the prospect of telling which Guild she came from. How would they react? Surely they'd been told about SaberTooth since coming back...
She wrung her hands together behind her back, her blue gaze casting downward a moment.
"... Before we get too invested in talking," She murmured softly, her blue gaze slowly moving toward them again, offering a small smile. "Maybe we had better get off the street first?"
For a minute she saw the look of question appear on Lucy's face, she had the feeling the blonde could tell she was avoiding the subject- though Natsu and Happy grinned without a care.
"And some grub too!" They smiled, Hora nodded.
"... Well alright, it would probably be more comfortable to talk if we get a room." Lucy conceded after a moment, clearly deciding it best to pass over the sudden way which Hora dodged the question. "I suppose we ought to try and find a hotel then... And hope there's rooms available this late." Hora nodded slightly, slowly stepping back as she began her way up the street, her eyes moving away from them as she turned her back, and let out a small sigh.
'Avoiding is so like you.. It's tiring.' the voice grumbled in her head,
Honestly she felt a bit tired of it sometimes too.
The sound of the Fairy Tailers feet over the pavement sounded on the mostly silent streets as Hora lead the way through the town. Her blue gaze moved from one end of the street to the other, passing few other people by as she kept on the lookout for a place to stay the night.
For a small moment she wondered how Sting would feel if he knew she had met his childhood hero.. She shook the thought off.
Hora slowed a little, her eyes shifting to the right as an Inn suddenly reared up on the street, warm light filtering from the inside and the small tavern that seemed to run out of the front of it. She glanced backward, watching as Natsu and Happy pressed up against the window, their noses twitching at the promise of food being served inside.
".... I'll go see if there are any rooms available." She murmured, Natsu and Happy didn't seem to hear her at all, but Lucy nodded a bit.
"I'll keep an eye on these two." The blonde smiled slightly, Hora nodded in return and turned away, she stepped inside and passed the tavern by, straight to the front desk.
"Ah, hi." Hora murmured, calling attention from the man standing behind the desk itself. He smiled at her, "Do you happen to have any rooms available still?"
"Mmmm.... Yes. Two rooms, double beds. One floor up and below from eachother." He replied after pausing a moment to think on it. Hora blinked, glancing over her shoulder as she spotted Lucy holding Natsu at bay from trying to jump in and eat what food he could find on tables around the tavern. She turned back to the man with a small smile,
"Great, I'll take them both."
'... do you plan to room with the Celestial Mage?' the voice murmured lowly, 'That should be interesting...' Hora sweatdropped slightly, telling the voice to promptly shut it.
"You got it." The man smiled, Hora handed over the money for the rooms with a small smile and slowly turned back toward where the Fairy Tailers were waiting.
She sweatdropped a little more, feeling her heart flutter slightly.
... that damned voice was right though, she knew the girls rooming and the boys rooming was logical.... But even that thought made her nervous. She was friendly enough with most everyone, but she hated being alone, and being by herself now, especially losing it like she was.... She was more guarded and flustered than she usually would be, and it did not help that the people she had run into were members of the Guild she had helped- and risked her life to help, when Jiemma found out about it.
She took in a small breath, hoping it would calm her down a little.
... Lucy seemed nice, though they hadn't really talked... and Hora knew well the blonde had taken notice of her rather dark behavior earlier, though she had said nothing about it. She didn't seem the sort of person that would pass over something like that, at least not in the way the Exceed or Salamander had.
She had also passed over the questions that they had been trying to ask, especially about her Guild.... A small lump fell in her stomach at the thought, she really hadn't a clue how they would react, and a part of her was a little afraid of what bad they may have already heard.
She shook the thoughts off as she smiled, stopping in front of the small band of Fairy Tail Wizards, to which only Lucy looked up as the boy's attention remained fixed to the food.
"I've got two rooms." Hora murmured, smiling just slightly. "I hope you don't mind if we room together?" She asked the blonde, who blinked, before she smiled and nodded.
"Oh that's fine." Lucy replied lightly, "All the better, Natsu and Happy both snore." She added with a chuckle, Hora blinked in slight surprise, before she chuckled a little too.
".... If you'd like, we can order food up to a room, or stay down here." Hora murmured, finally catching Salamander's gleaming eyes. She swallowed a bit, her eyes falling away from him as she sweatdropped. ".... It might be easier to talk if we ate in the room though, it's a bit loud down here." She added as an afterthought, though her hesitation for settling in the tavern was less about the noise, and more about what they would be talking about... it really wasn't going to be the sort of conversation she wanted to be overheard, even in Veronica.
She covered up her sudden flash of nervousness with a small smile, glancing back up toward them as she hooked her arms behind her back self-consciously.
It was a bad habit, and she knew it.
"Sounds good to me!" Natsu grinned, hardly pausing a minute at the suggestion and clearly not noticing any hesitation in Hora at all. Happy smiled to, followed by a softer, gentler smile from Lucy who both nodded.
"That's fine." Lucy smiled,
"Aye sir!" The Exceed grinned, Hora blinked, a little surprised they had agreed so easily... before she let out a silent breath, her smile softening a bit, less forced.
"Great, you guys order whatever you want, my treat." She told them, earning wide, excited eyes from both boys as they smiled at her, grinning brightly.
"Cool! Thanks!" They rushed off to place their order with the front desk, looking maybe a little too excited about the offer, Lucy gave her a nervous smile.
"You're probably going to regret that." The blonde sighed, Hora shrugged slightly. "How much do we owe you for the rooms?"
"Don't worry about that either." Hora replied quickly, shaking her head as Lucy looked surprised, her chocolate brown eyes glinting. Lucy sweatdropped slightly, looking unsure- Hora wasn't though.
She knew Fairy Tail was pressed for money, they hadn't been getting any decent jobs for years, so she figured the trio probably didn't have much on them at the moment any way. Besides, it wasn't like she had anything better to spend it on.... And the pay she was getting for this Job wasn't small, even the bonus she had gotten beforehand was hefty.
"Are... you sure?" Lucy mumbled slowly, Hora nodded.
"I'm sure, it's not a problem, really." She replied easily, Lucy blinked, looking a little wary of such kindness, before she smiled a little, dipping her head to the other girl.
"Thank you, we really appreciate it." The blonde said softly, Hora felt her face heat up, she glanced away in sudden embarrassment.
"... were you going to order anything?" Hora stammered quickly, changing the subject as she flicked her head in the direction of Natsu and Happy. Lucy chuckled, shaking her head.
"I think those two idiots will probably order everything on the menu." The blonde admitted, earning a slightly shocked look from Hora. "I'll just have some of whatever they get."
The.... The whole menu....?
She glanced backward over her shoulder, seeing Happy and Natsu leaning against the counter and talking with the foreman, who smiled slightly but looked completely flustered too. She blinked, something about the dopey, excited grin on Salamander's face when he thought about food, and even the way Happy seemed to drool over it..
She felt a flash of sadness pierce her heart in the next instant, but smiled anyway, sadly.
They reminded her a lot of Lector and Sting
.:+:.
Hora laughed nervously under her breath, sitting crosslegged on the floor at the table, a bead of sweat dripping down her face as she faced the overloaded table- it was covered in so many plates of food that were stacked so high she could barely see the Fairy Tailers over it.
She had lead them up to the second of the two rooms, the other was below them on a lower floor, it was simple and good sized, the floors polished wood and two beds against the wall in the center, with a table near the door. There was a bathroom not far to her right, and straight across from the door was a French door that lead to a balcony, it was slightly ajar so the curtains over it were shifting and she could feel the cool night air wash against her skin.
Natsu and Happy sat on the opposite side of the table from her, with Lucy sitting on the end. The boys were digging in, the numerous plates brought up shortly after they arrived, and Lucy was right- it looked like they had gotten everything off the menu. The blonde was smiling nervously, looking flustered and somewhat agitated as she shot the boys a disgruntled look a moment, they hardly noticed it though, and Lucy turned her attention to a plate she picked out for herself.
Hora sat still, sweadropping as she held a bowl of spicy ramen in her lap, the chopsticks loosely held in one hand as she watched them for a few moments.
They actually... they even ate like Lector and Sting did, it was almost as if they were the same people.
... or maybe it was just an Exceed and Dragon Slayer thing.
"Thi' isf goodf!" Natsu exclaimed around a full mouth, looking absolutely blissful. Happy looked nearly as content, though his mouth was so stuffed he could hardly chew, but his tail flicked behind him happily as an indicator.
"You two are unbelievable." Lucy murmured in between bites of her own food, Hora smiled to herself, slowly shaking off her attention on them and turning to the bowl in her lap, she started to eat slowly.
A part of her had wanted to maybe just eat some ice cream, maybe to try and quell the fire inside some more.... but that wouldn't last her long, and as insane as it was.... That fire was hardly a smolder. It didn't seem possible, and yet it was.
They sat in content silence for awhile just enjoying their own meals, until she was a little over halfway done with her own food, and Natsu finally looked up, taking a brief pause in stuffing food into his mouth.
"Ah, Hora!" He called across the table, earning her eyes instantly as she felt her heart jump a little. Her dark blue gaze snapped up to land on him, "You said you were part of Guild right? Which one?"
That was one of the questions she didn't want to answer, and she felt her stomach clench in a knot as it was asked again.
"Yeah, you said you were working a job too!" Happy butted in, "What's it about? You're tracking North Wind for a reason, right?"
In seconds there were not only one, but two questions she felt herself hesitate to answer, her stomach wove itself into a tighter knot as she did her best not show any outward discomfort- she could feel Lucy's eyes on her, and already it was clear the blonde was quite a bit more perceptive than her two other Guild-mates.
She slowly set the chopsticks together across the top of the bowl, her eyes falling away from them as she slowly set it on top of the table, buying herself a few precious seconds as she swallowed, hard.
These three had been a part of those missing for the last seven years, so they hadn't come to know (or more accurately) hate SaberTooth as the rest of Fairy Tail had. It was no secret SaberTooth and Fairy Tail were on bad terms, they had been that way for near seven years, and SaberTooth's act didn't help lessen tensions. For Jiemma's sake, the Guild had acted harshly and ruthlessly toward those in Fairy Tail and all the other Guilds, they were never kind, and she knew well the members of Fairy Tail who had been left behind were no fans. She hadn't a hard time imaging the stories that the returning Members had been told since arriving back, especially if they had discussed the Grand Magic Games already. They were sure to know.... If not from their own Guild, they would have certainly heard something from the public, and SaberTooth's infamous reputation.
And to add on top of that, she has reservations about telling them why she was out here and why she was hunting North Wind. To get into it, she'd have to tell them she was sent to hunt down and destroy not just the Guild, but the Demon of Zeref under the Master's command. And to explain why she of all people in Fiore had been sent to contend with such a beast? That would open a whole other set of questions she wasn't comfortable at the prospect of answering.
She bit the inside of her cheek, but she couldn't in good conscience lie to them about it all. She hid things, sure... she'd had secrets her whole life, but she didn't choose to outright lie to anyone, she was a sincere sort of person... and something told her they might actually just notice if she did lie to them straight out.
I'll just... have to try and be careful about what I say.... And hope they don't react badly.
Hora nodded slightly, her eyes slowly trailing back up toward Salamander as she smiled, just a little, maybe to try and reassure herself.
"Yeah, I'm actually a member of SaberTooth..." She answered slowly, sweatdropping as she saw all three of the Fairy Tailers eyes widen in sheer shock.
"S-SaberTooth..?" Lucy stammered,
"Wha?! Seriously?!" Natsu explained, leaning forward in near animation as his jaw dropped a bit, Hora nodded in confirmation, her smile a bit strained now.
"Yeah," She smiled,
"... everyone at the Guild told us about SaberTooth." Lucy murmured, sweatdropping slightly. "They... they weren't really big fans..."
"They said you guys were a bunch of jerks." Natsu said plainly, though he didn't look perturbed by the sudden news, only interested. Lucy flinched at his word, her hand smacking against his shoulder roughly as he flinched back from her. "Oi, what was that for Luce?!"
"You are such an idiot!" Lucy snapped haughtily,
"I-It's alright, Lucy." Hora intervened quickly, holding her hands up and shaking her head. "It's not a big deal, I already know SaberTooth has a pretty bad reputation. Especially with Fairy Tail." Lucy blinked, sweatdropping still as she seemed to bite the inside of her cheek. "I get why you're Guild Mates don't like us all that much... they have reason to, so I'm not offended or anything."
"You don't seem like a big old meanie though, Hora." Happy piped up,
"Yeah, you're nice!" Natsu smirked, "You bought us all this food, a jerk wouldn't do that." She smiled slightly,
"... thanks, I'm glad you don't think I'm a jerk." She chuckled slightly,
"I'm sorry, I know it's wrong to jump to conclusions about a whole group of people we've never met." Lucy murmured,
"It's alright." Hora murmured, sweatdropping slightly. "... I mean.... We kinda are jerks." She sighed, ".... We're competitive, but most of us are good people at heart... we just have a hard time showing it."
Again, how was she supposed to explain it?
I can't
Lucy smiled slightly, her chocolate gaze glinting as she nodded a little. "So, you said you were out here on a job?" She asked softly, "I didn't think there were many jobs coming in for what's been going on out here, at least, not to a bigger Guild like SaberTooth."
"You said you were chasing those North Wind guys, but what for?" Natsu asked, "They steal something else?"
".... It's not that sort of Job." Hora murmured slowly,
She didn't think it a good idea to mention the actual assignment- to kill the Demon of Zeref. Even mentioning that she was out here to disband the Guild, especially all on her own... that would leave her walking a fine line.
'So lie, you're good at it.'
She swallowed against the voice.... She didn't like it, but maybe it was true.
"I'm on a Job for the Magic Council, actually." She started, earning looks of shock and surprise. "I was sent to find a way into North Wind's base, and I've been moving from town to town trying to find more information on their Guild Hall."
Not a complete lie then.... I am here for the Council. I am looking for North Wind, and I have been looking for a way into the Guild Hall.... and that's all they need to know.
And maybe it wasn't entirely because she was afraid the questions they would ask.... A part of her was also wary of what they would do if she told them she was here to destroy the Guild. Would they offer to help? She couldn't have that.... Not just because of her own secrets, or what Jiemma would think if they did.... It was safer if they didn't, and besides;
This is my Job.... This is what I'm supposed to do, I can't fail again.
"It's been enchanted to transport itself between several hidden locations, so getting inside and finding it is almost impossible." She explained, pushing away her reservations and her inner thoughts. "The actual Members of North Wind have some way of getting to and from their Guild Hall, but I haven't figured out how just yet. I'm still looking."
"That's..... how does someone transport an entire Building?" Lucy mumbled allowed, her eyes lighting up in wonder at the very idea. Hora shrugged slightly,
"No idea how it works, but that's how they're doing it."
"That's kinda cool." Natsu commented, "So that guy you caught earlier, you thought he had a way in?"
"If he did, I'll never know.." Hora mumbled, "He's in the Council's custody right now, and I doubt he'll talk."
"Sorry we interrupted you, then." Lucy smiled nervously. Hora blinked.
No.... I'm glad you interrupted me. If you hadn't...
"No worries." She replied evenly, "You guys said you were looking for a stolen necklace, right?"
"Yep!" Natsu grinned, "We've been chasing a few of those guys around, but we haven't found it yet." Hora nodded slightly, her eyes narrowed as she tapped a finger to her chin.
'Are you considering..?'
"..... hmm, well... since we're both looking, we can track down some of the North Wind Mages together." She said lightly, "Hopefully we can manage to find this necklace, and in the meantime I can keep collecting more information." She paused though, realizing she had started speaking her thoughts aloud without consciously meaning to. She blinked, her hand falling from her face as she smiled nervously,
"O-oh, that's if.. you don't mind working together.."
She wasn't even sure why the thought had appealed to her so suddenly, nervous as she was around the three.... She secretly didn't want to leave them. Not when just being around the Salamander snapped her back to reality, where hardly anyone had managed it before. She was losing herself, more quickly than she should have- and it was certainly because of what an awful emotional high she had been on when she left. She couldn't keep her head from falling to those damned dark thoughts, and she had been quickly losing self-control, until them.
She still didn't know how Natsu's voice had settled what dark, burning rage had clouded her head. She didn't know how it was possible the flames had settled... and yet they had. She was thinking more clearly than she had in weeks, and as insane as it was- it was because of him. Just being near him seemed to put her back in the right headspace... and she didn't want to lose herself again like she almost had.
The Fairy Tailers looked surprised at the sudden suggestion, their eyes glinting and completely silent for a few, scarce seconds that instantly made her regret she had said it all aloud at all.
She stiffened, her eyes widening as they all smiled at her, Natsu's lips pulling into a toothy grin that sent a small pulse of... warmth, pleasant warmth, through her core.
"That sounds good to me!" He smiled,
"We can pay you back for the rooms and food by helping you out." Lucy smiled brightly, "And you're help finding the necklace would be nice, too."
She wasn't sure what to feel, or even think.... She wasn't sure it was possible anyone would have agreed to work with a rival Guild so easily. Let alone SaberTooth.
Let alone work with her. Especially after what she had been about to do... and she knew Lucy had seen that darkness. How could she not? So why did the blonde, the pinkette and the Exceed look so happy and carefree at the idea of working with her? It wasn't.... it didn't feel like politeness, or formality. As insane as it was.... It felt genuine... but why?
'... That Ice Mage was not wary of you either.' The voice intoned, less gruffly and less sternly than it had been the entire time. It was soft, gentle almost.... She hadn't heard it sound like that in very, very long, and it set her heart aflutter despite herself.
.:+:.
"You're thinking too much into it." Sting told her, "You're over-exaggerating things in your head, Hora."
"You do that often, actually." Rogue told her, she narrowed her eyes, head tilting.
"What?"
"You over-think things, and blow situations out of proportion in your head on occasion. Like you always expect the worse." Rogue explained, Hora's jaw dropped slightly, her hands dropping too.
"You're very optimistic, but only outwardly." Sting put in, Lector smirked and nodded his head.
"This is how optimistic you appear to be," Lector said, holding his arms out wide, before sighing and smirking softly. "But this is how optimistic you actually are, Atia." He drew his paws in together to a small distance, Hora blinked, sweatdropping.
.:+:.
Are.... Are you telling me I overthink things too? That I jump to the worst conclusion... think the worst things... without need...?
For once, as ever prepared to cast around it's opinion- it didn't reply, even as she addressed it.
She blinked, her eyes still locked to the Fairy Tailers and their bright, content smiles.
She wished.... She wished she could feel happier about it, their willingness to work with her... but in that instant, she saw Rogue, Lector, Frosch and Sting smiling at her, and her heart broke into a few more pieces.
Am I ever going to see them again... I wonder....?
She forced a smile, though it wasn't so forced maybe, nodding to the Fairy Tailers as her deep blue gaze shone.
"Great. I look forward to working with you three."
.:+:.
Hora leaned back against the bedframe, her eyes falling closed as she crossed her arms behind her head, the sound of the shower turning on in the bathroom flooding her senses a moment. Lucy had gone inside after telling Hora she planned to take a shower, she had simply smiled and nodded as the blonde disappeared behind the closed door.
There was a silence that settled in the room, the night outside a deeper dark as midnight neared, Natsu and Happy had gone to their own room and from the lack of noise below, she assumed they had already fallen asleep- probably to sleep off what immense amount of food they had stuffed in their faces.
She smiled slightly at the thought, though a bit sadly still.
The silence was... pleasant. Usually quiet was unnerving, not being able to hear the people she was with... since not hearing that meant she was alone, but the hum of the water and the faint, imperceptible whistle of the breeze outside was soothing in it's own way, and the sudden silence in her head from the voice wasn't unpleasant either. She found herself feeling more relaxed than she had since... well, well before everything that had happened with Jiemma and Over-Drive.
The minutes ticked away as she remained leaning against the frame, her eyes still closed as the coolness of the outside air danced over her face from the open doors.
She jumped, her head snapping up and her heartrate picking up at the sudden jingling and buzzing that erupted in the blissful quiet of the room. She sat up with a start, her blue eyes glinting as she looked around the room quickly, trying to find the source of the noise as her attention landed on the glow coming from a... a card that Lucy had set on the nightstand next to the bed she planned to use.
Hora leaned over, her head tilted as she saw the face lit up and dancing with the word's 'Cana Calling!'
Her eyes snapped around, unaware the sound of the shower had ceased and seeing Lucy appear in the doorway, her hair still damp and dressed in her pajamas. Lucy hummed slightly, noticing the noise and the glow of the card as she walked out.
"Uh... that just... went off..." Hora murmured, Lucy sighed a little.
"Cana... she's probably drunk." Lucy grumbled, though not with any true anger or annoyance in her voice. She stepped across the room and sat down on the bed, picking the card up from the nightstand, her finger tapping lightly to the center as the ringing stopped and Hora spotted flashes of a brunette smirking on the cards surface suddenly.
"Hey Luce!" The other woman smiled, her cheeks dusted pink as Lucy smiled slightly.
"Hello Cana." Lucy sighed, Hora watched, her eyes riveted to the card and blinking.
"Where did you and Natsu run off to, huh? Romantic getaway?" 'Cana' smirked mischievously, Lucy blinked in surprise at the question, blushing slightly herself as she frowned a little.
"As if!" Lucy snapped back,
"Cana, you know they went on a job near the border." Another voice broke in, small glimpses of a girl with long white hair shone behind the brunette, who blinked, smirking.
"Course I know that, doesn't mean they aren't up to something steamy!" Cana chuckled,
"Cana!" Lucy snapped, looking more flustered by the minute.
"Ah, don't get all bent up in a twist!" Cana smiled, "I was just checkin' in, don't gotta get all angry!" Lucy frowned a little, but Cana hardly seemed to care. "So? How are things? Finish the job yet?"
"No, we're still working on it." Lucy replied, "We've stopped for the night, we'll pick back up in the morning." She paused, "How is training going?" The blonde asked,
"Ah, great!" Cana smiled, "Mira really kicked Elfman's ass today~"
"Hey!" A voice snapped from the background, Lucy and Cana both chuckled at it.
"You training hard?" Cana asked, Lucy sighed.
"We'll start training after we finish this job... I think we're gonna meet up with the rest of our team and Levy's team for it." Lucy replied, Hora blinked, for the first time looking up from her wonder in the card toward the surprise at the mention of training.
"Don't waste too much time, we've only got a few months to catch up." Cana smiled,
"Tell me about it..." Lucy sighed, sweatdropping slightly. Cana chuckled,
"Well, I'm gonna get back to drinkin'! See ya, Luce!"
"See ya, Cana." Lucy smiled, the card falling dark as whatever Magic had been transmitting the image suddenly ceased. Hora found herself looking at the card again though, and didn't even notice when Lucy glanced her way.
".... What... what is that?" Hora asked quietly, Lucy blinked,
"You mean the card?" The blonde mumbled, Hora nodded. "Oh, it's a Calling Card. Cana uses Card Magic, she enchanted this one to be able to connect with one of the ones she has, so we can stay in touch." Lucy smiled, Hora blinked, a look of awe appearing across her face that Lucy tilted her head at.
"... That's.... really freakin' cool..." Hora murmured under her breath, Lucy smiled a little at the comment. She held the card out toward the Saber girl, Hora glanced up at her in slight surprise.
"You can see it, if you want." Lucy smiled, Hora blinked, before smiling back and taking the card up in her hands, delicately almost. She flipped it over in her hands, her fingers gracing along the edge of it as she focused on what faint Magic she could feel coming from the card, her blue eyes shining in awe and wonder as Lucy watched her with a small smile, finding it amusing and somewhat adorable she seemed to transfixed on something so simple.
"She uses Card Magic?" Hora asked, still tracing the card with her eyes.
"Yep."
"I've never heard of that... or seen something like this... it's like a portable Communication Lacrima." Hora murmured, "And without all the heavy crystal's balls and stuff... this is really, really cool."
Lucy laughed, earning Hora's eyes as the Saber girl blinked,
".. sorry, I'm just surprised you're so interested by it." Lucy smiled, shrugging a little. "I guess I'm just used to it though, but I thought it was cool the first time she showed me one too."
"Hehe... I guess I'm amazed by the small things." Hora smiled, her eyes falling to the card again.
It had never occurred to her that you could enchant paper to act like a Communication Lacrima, let alone a card that connected to another card..... which as odd, considering Drille and her own special version of Picto Magic in a sense.
Hora blinked, her eyes narrowing slightly.
.... Huh.... Could I maybe...?
She smiled, handing the card back to Lucy with a small thanks. The blonde took it, replacing it on the table as she lift her arms above her in a stretch, yawning.
"Oh man.... All that running tired me out." The blonde mumbled through the yawn,
"We did run a long ways." Hora sighed,
"Yeah, to an entirely different country." Lucy sighed, Hora smiled slightly as she leaned back, her eyes falling closed. "... Hey, Hora?"
"...Yeah?"
"... I was just wondering, why does everybody think SaberTooth is this big, bad Guild?" She murmured, "Everyone at Fairy Tail said you guys were.... Well, harsh." Hora blinked her eyes open, ".. But you're nothing like that, so I don't quite get it. I haven't met anyone else in your Guild I suppose... but they made it sound like everyone in SaberTooth was mean."
Again with that question....
Hora leaned forward again, her legs crossed atop the bed as she rest her hands in her lap, biting the inside of her cheek a little.
There wasn't a good way to explain it, not without talking about Jiemma and his brutality... and she doubted anyone coming from a Guild like Fairy Tail could fathom a Master as cruel as that bastard was, let alone fathom why everyone in the Guild was a different person out in the world than they truly were themselves.
She felt that knot in her stomach again, and swallowed against it.
"... Fairy Tail's planning to participate in the GMG, right?" Hora asked quietly, Lucy blinked, before nodding slightly.
"Yeah."
"... have you ever noticed, that sometimes you don't really know what a person's like... unless you become close to them?" Hora asked, "... SaberTooth is kinda like that. They all come off as mean and cold and cocky... but that's not how they actually are. But the only way anyone can see that is if they get close to us... and not many people do." She sweatdropped a little more, ".... You probably won't like anyone else in SaberTooth when you meet them, and I can't just... make you see what kind people they are deep down. I can just tell you, that who you see on the outside is nothing like who they are on the inside." She smiled a bit wearily, her eyes not moving up to meet Lucy's.
".. as for me... I'm just a bit more open is all. I guess..." She sighed, "When the GMG rolls around, try not to take how my Guild acts to heart. With the exception of... two of them.... all the rest of them aren't bad people at heart. Though how they act will probably make you think differently." Hora smiled nervously, her eyes glinting as she rubbed the back of her neck, smiling apologetically for a moment. "Sorry I can't explain it better than that... it's just complicated."
Lucy looked at her for a few long moments, seemingly mulling over what she had been told and trying to piece it all together. She wasn't sure why, but she swore she saw sadness appear across Hora's face for but a split second, but why would it be there?
"... Alright." Lucy said after a bit, deciding to drop the subject- to which Hora was thankful for. ".... Well, anyway... I'm tired, so I think I'm gonna go to sleep." Lucy murmured, Hora nodded.
"Alrighty," She smiled, "I'm gonna stay up a bit longer, but I'll be extra quiet, promise." Lucy blinked, before nodding a little.
"Hehe, thanks."
.:+:.
Hora was leaned over the stone railing of the balcony, the wind shifting her hair slightly as she drew the pen across the paper with purpose, outlining the face of the cards she was making, decorating (unneeded of course, but she was the sort of person who didn't do things only half-way) the edges of the face with swirling, intricate patterns. The stroke of the pen across the paper was relaxing in it's own way, and she had erected more design and detail across the stiff paper without even thinking about it. She set the pen down, her finger tracing along the outline of the card as her skin stained dark a moment, golden flame dancing onto the page and separating the cards from the unneeded strips of paper at the end, and curling inward across the paper but not consuming it, adding a splash of color to the originally black and white patterns as sections of it stained blues and reds and greens and gold all at once, the surface shining as if the paper had been polished and glossed.
The door was closed to the room behind her, dark and silent, she could only faintly hear Lucy's soft breathing as the blonde slept on.
She smiled slightly, setting to two identical and now fully finished cards to the side as she took up the pen again, her strokes working across the paper to create that same illustration of bird she had made so many times before now. She moved to another piece of paper when she was done, jotting down a few words and folding the paper, before placing it in an envelope along with one of the cards from before, then closing the top and setting the pen aside for good.
She picked up the paper with the bird, her face illuminated in the dim by the flash of golden flame. The paper was eaten away by the fire, but the flames kept away from the lines of the bird she had drawn- eating everything but the illustrated animal- there was bright yellow orange flash and suddenly Hora's hand fell away, the illustration puffing up into substance, the wings beating as she now suddenly alive bird flapped in air before Hora, its wings dancing with small flames and embers that refused to eat away its still paper body.
"Hello, Drille." She said softly, quietly.
"Hello Miss." The bird chirped back happily, it's tone low and quiet mimicking her own immediately. "Would you like me to deliver another message for you?"
"Yes, please." Hora murmured, picking up the envelope. "Give this to Sting and Rogue would you?" Drille plucked the envelope from her fingers easily, "If Minerva's around, don't bother delivering it. And if she's not, and they aren't awake when you get there, just stick it in Rogue's bag and don't bother waking them up, kay?"
"Of course." Drille chirped, "Would you like me to hurry, Miss?" Hora blinked at the question, before smiling softly.
"If you could." She smiled softly,
"Yes Miss!" Drille snapped around, flapping away in a rush of speed he hadn't had before when in Lamia. Hora smiled slightly, the paper flame bird out of sight in seconds and she rest her elbows on the railing, leaning her chin into her hand as her eyes fell closed.
She never sent them letters or anything while they were away training for the Games, that was because Minerva's strict rules kept the entire team in isolation, and nay attempt Hora made at contact would have been deemed misconduct and punished. But maybe with Minerva gone on that same mission that forced Yukino into the games, she might just manage to contact them... and her heart sorely hoped she could.
Especially so, with how much she feared this Job would keep her away from them... maybe forever.
"Hey, you still up?"
Hora jumped slightly, her head snapping downward toward the sudden voice, seeing Natsu's eyes gleaming up at her as he looked up from the balcony below. She blinked a few times, her mind having a hard time processing the fact he was there,
".. Hmm?" She hummed, he blinked, before lightly jumping up onto the railing of the balcony he was on, and then easily jumping to the one she was on. He took a seat on the railing next to her, as she turned slightly in his direction, her eyes glinting in the dim.
"You smell kinda familiar, you know." He said, kind of out of nowhere. Hora blinked,
"What do you mean?"
"Mmm... I don't know. I can't place it, you smell like fire and ash, but there's something under that... something sweeter, cooler maybe." She sweatdropped slightly, before quirking an eyebrow.
"... does it bother you? My scent?" She asked, he blinked at the somewhat odd question. "Rogue and Sting have never complained."
".... You know those guys?" He asked, his eyes lighting up in familiarity at the names. She didn't doubt his Guild had told him about not just SaberTooth, but it's star team as well.
"We're in the same Guild, Salamander." She replied softly,
"That's not what I meant." He mumbled, she sighed slightly.
"... yes, we're friends." She answered softly. He nodded a little, his eyes narrowing as he glanced away.
"... I think you smell nice." He said, Hora blinked, blushing slightly despite herself, not expecting an answer to her earlier question, and surely not that answer.
"Ah..." She stammered, he didn't seem to notice.
"... you were gonna kill that guy, weren't you?" He asked quietly, his eyes moving toward her and expression unreadable as she went entirely rigid. "The North Wind guy, right before we got there."
Hora's eyes narrowed, sweatdropping heavily as she bit the inside of her cheek. She had known Lucy had noticed how dark her behavior had become, but she hadn't thought Natsu noticed it, at all... and being questioned about it so suddenly sent her heart speeding up.
So does he... just act oblivious on purpose...?
"..... I....." She trailed off before any real sentence could be formed, swallowing slightly, and damn it- ashamed. "........ well.... I thought about it... but I..." Her eyes fell away from him, leaning against the balcony with her elbows again as her head bowed slightly.
".... I'm sorry." She mumbled quietly, her eyes fixed to her hands and missing the blink of surprise from the pinkette at the words. ".....I wish I could... say no... but I just.... Lost it, even for a few seconds.... If you hadn't showed up I would have... and I hate that." Her voice broke slightly, she could feel the sheer, deep, razor sharp cold settling in her core... this was that feeling, hate. And it was hate for herself.
"..... I know it isn't right. I don't want to be that person.... But I can't really help it..... it's just..... my Magic... it makes.... Me...." Her voice fell away entirely,
She didn't even know why she just admitted it, she didn't know why she was trying to convince him either.... she couldn't, because she knew it was wrong and he knew it too. She supposed a part of her was just trying to console herself, but it did little good.
"Your fire felt dark, it tasted like that too. Almost... not natural, twisted." He murmured, Hora's hands clenched together, her eyes shutting tight against the words she knew were all too true. She didn't even notice nor register the fact that his voice had not raised, nor did he sound angry, she just felt her own hatred for herself and what a monster her Magic could make her rise all the higher.
Why did she care so much though? That he knew? That he felt it? She was usually ashamed and angry with herself for her Magic.... But she had never been ashamed because of what someone else knew about it.... Grant you, Natsu was the only one who had eaten her Magic, and was probably the only one that felt how dark an evil it was, so deeply ingrained, and not just as a faint feeling on the air.
"... but you've been so nice and kind since then." He murmured softly, she stiffened slightly, her eyes snapping open in surprise. "You do smell good.... And I don't feel tense around you either. You're Magic felt weird, but I don't think you're as dark a person as your Magic feels. It was like you weren't you or a split second... but you've been you since. Nice. Gentle." Her eyes moved toward him, wide and frozen as he rubbed the back of his neck, looking a little pensive but not at all angry or even uneasy. "You're actually a really nice person, so I guess I'm just surprised you're Magic feels so different from how you really are..... is that why it's hard for you? Cause you're Magic's really freakin' strong, I mean- I haven't felt anyone's Fire as hot as yours before. If you're Magic is dark and you're not, do you have a hard time staying who you are because it's so powerful?" He sighed slightly, "Geez.... I haven't thought this hard about anybody's Magic in a long while, my head kinda hurts doin' it." He chuckled slightly, finally glancing Hora's way as he stiffened, his eyes widening slightly as his jaw went a little slack.
Hora couldn't look away from him, her gaze riveted as she held her arms lightly, her heart fluttering and uncaring of what stream of tears fell from her eyes, glittering in the faint moonlight and what little light glittered from the town below them. Her core felt warm, gently warm, not a raging fire, it was pleasant warm, that same warm she felt when she was with Sting and Rogue and Frosch and Lector..... but this warmth was brighter, lighter.
Sting and Rogue had always made her feel like she was human, that she was more than the monster her Magic made her. They made her body ache less, her heart hurt less.... But she had always hated herself and hated to think what they would do if they found out what her Magic really was, what she really was.
But she had never felt this.... Like maybe she wasn't a monster. That it was just her Magic... and not her. She'd never had anyone tell her that, that she was kind and gentle and that she wasn't dark. That she was separate entirely from her Magic and her Magic hadn't tainted her, destroyed her and broken her down into something evil.
Nor had anyone ever thought to separate her from her Magic, or understood what it did to her like Natsu seemed to in that instant. No one had seen past the dark and twisted, to just see her, believe there was someone under all of it.... Or at least, no one had ever made that distinction so apparent.
She couldn't place this feeling.... It was like relief and shock and sadness and.. happiness, all at once.
"H-huh..?" He stammered, looking entirely unsure on what to do when he saw the tears falling from her eyes. His eyes flashed, his hands moving up slightly as he stumbled for something to say or do. "W-what? What did I say? I wasn't tryin' to-!"
He went rigid, Hora head falling as her arm moved out toward him, her fist lightly pressing against his chest as she stood in stillness, he blinked rapidly, unsure what the gesture was or what it even meant.
She lightly tapped her fist against his chest, ever so softly as she shook her head, her eyes moving back up toward him as she smiled, her tears having already come to a halt.
"... you didn't say anything wrong, Salamander." She said softly, her eyes glinting. He blinked, sweatdropping. ".... It's just... no one's ever separated who I was from what my Magic is.... I've never..... but in your own weird way.... You said everything right." She smiled a little more, he stared, seeing the gentleness appear in her features, the relief. She chuckled a little, her tears coming to a complete halt as she grinned at him slightly. "I thought you were a little clueless before Salamander.... But you're actually pretty great." She laughed, just once, her hand falling away from his chest as she wiped at her eyes softly, before crossing her arms over her chest and taking in a low, slow breath.
Natsu blinked, his mind having a hard time catching up with the sudden development and entirely unsure why his words seemed to have such an impact on her.
"... you... ok..?" He mumbled, not able to come up with anything better in response. She nodded to him, still smiling and more relaxed than he had seen her yet. He blinked again, his jaw closing from having dropped.
He didn't get why what he said seemed to make her happy, and yet so sad all at once.... But he did see how relaxed she was now, less tense, and there was happiness there, and relief.... And honestly he was a little happy she seemed to have perked up a little, especially since in hindsight something he said had made her actually cry. He felt a bit bad about that, but it dissipated when she continued to smile at him... a genuine smile.
For a minute he swore he had seen her somewhere before, but like her scent, he couldn't place what was familiar.
"... well, whatever I said.... I guess... I'm glad you liked it..?" He stammered, smiling nervously himself.
"We're gonna get along just great, Salamander." Hora murmured softly, catching him by slight surprise at the sudden confirmation. "It'll almost be sad to have to cheer against you at the Games." He smiled slightly at that,
"Oi, don't go thinking we're gonna lose to SaberTooth." He countered easily,
"Hehe... I'm excited to see you give it your all." She murmured,
I want to be there..... the Games, not just because of Yukino, or Sting or Rogue.... I actually do want to be there, I have a feeling this year's Games are going to be something spectacular.
The fire in her soul burned brighter, stronger. Resolve, and it was quickly coupled by that rising sense of icy cold.
So.... That's decided then. There's gonna be no losing, no losing to North Wind and no losing myself either.... I'm gonna win, and I'm gonna do it in time for the Games.
'Hmph, you've finally found your flame to follow?'
.:+:.
Alrighty Everyone! Here we are with an extra long Chappy for ya, please enjoy!
Follow, Fav and Review if you can! Thanks!