"Natsu, look! Mirajane gave me the Fairy Tail mark!"
A grimace sits on my face as I stare out the window of the train.
"I don't want to run away by myself...I'd rather be here with everyone."
My eyes shut and I rest my forehead against the glass.
"I believe in you, Natsu. I always have."
Why won't it stop?
"You're Lucy of Fairy Tail!"
I grab the side of my head, my fingers grasping tight.
Lucy of Fairy Tail is gone. She never joined Fairy Tail. That part of her life has been completely erased because of me.
"Natsu are you alright?"
My eyes snap open and my hand slowly goes back to rest at my side. I glance over at Erza who eyes me with concern.
"I'm fine."
I'm fine.
She doesn't need Fairy Tail, Natsu. Why do you keep forgetting that? All Fairy Tail brings her is death. She's better away from here.
And she is away from here.
So...
"I'm fine."
I say it again to reassure myself and Erza nods barely, her eyes holding slight skepticism.
"Well that's great and all..."
I groan and we both look to Gray, who looks at me with an annoyed expression.
"But I'm not really understanding why I'm still here? Since Happy's here now to keep Natsu company I don't really see my point in being here?"
Happy smiles innocently from his seat beside me.
We ran into him, Wendy and Carla at the train station on their way back from the mission. Now he's tagging along too. I wouldn't tell anyone this but it relieves me to have him here.
Erza calmly looks at Gray but I can see the thin line that is her patience starting to tear.
"That may be so, but you and Natsu still need to get along so no one is going home until the job is complete."
"But-"
"No buts!"
Erza's voice comes out stern and Gray understands it as his last chance to keep quiet because Erza is done using words to quiet him.
Gray slouches back into his seat and I smirk to myself.
"So what job are we doing?"
I glance at Happy.
You know, that's a good question actually.
I look at Erza and wait for her to tell us.
"It's a simple one. There's a small town, Talia, that we're heading to. I guess for the past week or so they've been plagued with robberies. We just need to catch the culprits."
I nod.
"Sounds easy."
Erza gives me a pointed look and my head stills.
What did I do?
"It may only be a few robberies but we don't know what's happening down there. You need to take this seriously, Natsu. All of us do."
I scratch the back of my head awkwardly.
"Yeah, of course, Erza."
I scoff internally.
Yeah right.
First chance I get me and Happy are running off by ourselves to get away from this uncomfortable mess.