Emi sat in her usual spot and ate her usual food as she listened to the blond boy and his talking cat talk about absolutely anything. She could feel their stares, and she stood up once she couldn't take it anymore. The girl stomped her way over to their table to confront them.
"What the hell do you think you're doing just sitting there and staring at me? You do it everyday and you should really learn to not get into other people's business. You might get hurt. Now leave me alone or I won't be nice anymore."
With that, Emi quickly exited the shop.
"He's really scary, Sting!" Lector shouted through his tears.
"No kidding."
"We should go apologize to him so that way he's not mad at us anymore so I can sleep tonight without worrying that he's going to come kill me."
"Lector, I don't really think he'd go that far."
"Still!"
Meanwhile, Emi had caught sight of someone she didn't want to deal with at that time and quickly turned into an abandoned alleyway to get the fight out of the busy streets.
"Your senses are very powerful, young lady. But you won't be able to escape my power. It is impossible."
"Let me guess, Pride?"
The woman laughed, confirming Emi's assumption.
"I'm in a foul mood, so let's make this quick. I have a cat and a boy on my tail."
"Fine by me. I'll even let you have the first move to show you how powerful I am!"
Emi looked at the woman before smiling devilishly and saying, "Wrong move."
The white haired wizard held her hands up and moved them in a circle as she cast her spell.
"Shell of Divinity."
Pride gasped at the sight of the holy barrier that had formed around the pair.
"How did you--"
"You did say I could make the first move. Now you're stuck in here."
"The Shell of Divinity, an ancient purging spell that traps anything unholy in a sphere. It will burn those unholy when they touch the shell. No one even knows that the spell exists. How would you kn--"
"You can learn a lot from reading. You should try it sometime. Oh, I guess you won't be able to."
"Now who's prideful?"
Emi smirked before taking advantage of the opportunity of Pride being distracted.
"Ice missiles!"
Shards of ice were sent speeding towards the Sin, pinning her against the barrier and forcing her to touch the shell. Pride slowly started to burn as she finally cast a spell of her own.
"Poison Judgement!"
Snakes were sent flying at Emi. She had no room to avoid the snakes because of the barrier, so three were able to puncture her skin, pushing venom into her bloodstream. Emi screamed in pain as the poison started to take effect.
"Now be a good little girl and die."
Emi lifted her head up and smiled sadistically at the Sin before forcing herself to stand. She put her hands on the affected areas of her legs and froze them using her Frostbite spell.
"You're...you're freezing yourself? Why? That won't do any good."
"The blood will stop flowing, slowing the poison. Now," Emi said while cracking her knuckles, "let's finish this. Those idiots are almost here and I don't want my cover to be blown."
Emi placed both her hands facing towards Pride and whispered, "Petrification."
Pride slowly turned to stone, sealing away all the magic power she had. Her soul was sealed in the stone's form. Emi limped over and punched the statue with her fist and watched as it crumbled into pieces. She dispelled the Shell of Divinity and turned her attention to her wound.
"Sanatio aqua."
A small pool of water formed over her wounds as she pulled the poison out of her bloodstream. She was able to heal the wound completely before the dragon slayer and exceed caught up to her.
"Four."
She quickly jumped in front of Lector and a teenage Sting, who wore a startled expression as they laid on the ground. They looked up at her as she slowly took off her hood to her cloak, revealing her long white hair.
"A...girl?"
"Yeah. I'm a girl. What else did you think? Now what are you doing following me?" Emi snapped.
Sting couldn't find any words, and Lector was cowering behind the dragon slayer.
Emi looked at the pair with cold eyes before muttering, "You two are pathetic. Just like everyone else."
The woman began to move away, pulling her hood over her head again.
"Wait!"
Emi turned around and put her hands on her hips, asking the blond what he wanted. Sting quickly stood up and approached the woman before sticking his hand out to her.
"I'm Sting, and that little guy over there is Lector."
"Well, Sting and Lector, leave me alone."
Emi whipped around and continued down the alleyway. Before she completely disappeared, she heard the two speaking with each other.
"Sting, she's wicked scary."
"You think so? I think she's pretty cool!"
"So that's what you were doing? You were fighting one of the most powerful entities in the Book of Zeref seconds before we introduced ourselves? And you just acted like it was nothing?"
Sting kept asking her questions, which caused Cain to start chuckling.
"For someone who always made fun of the kid for rambling, you sure seem to be pretty good at it yourself."
Sting began to pout, making Emi and Lector squeeze his cheeks.
-----------------------------------------
Emi was currently sitting on a roof in Crocus as she watched the stars.
"Cain, I promise you. I won't let your defeat be in vain."
"Hey kid! Get off the roof."
Emi turned to see an aggravated blacksmith standing below her. Emi quickly stood up and jumped from the roof. She had her cloak over her head still, so he couldn't see who she was. Emi slowly bowed her head to the man before apologizing and slipping into the night. After walking for a few moments, Emi had spotted a small ice cream stand that was still open. A childish energy took over her otherwise cold exterior as she rushed over to the stand to order. She was served a cone which Emi took with no hesitation. As she ate her ice cream, she walked down the dark streets of the city.
Someone bumped into her, causing her to be pushed to the ground. She looked devastated as she stared at her ice cream that fell on the stone road.
"Oh man. I'm so sorry. We didn't look where we--"
The blond and the exceed fell silent as they looked down to see the cloaked woman from before. Lector immediately hid behind Sting in fear. They both gulped.
"Sting, we're dead."
"It was nice knowing you, Lector."
"What the hell do you think you're doing? First you stalk me in a shop and follow me down an alleyway. Then you have the balls to ruin my dessert?"
Sting and Lector looked towards the ground to see the fallen ice cream before Lector started to cry in fear.
"Hey," Sting started, "I can buy you ano--"
"Forget it. Leave me alone."
Sting stood there in shock and fear before running to catch up to her. He walked by her side as he spoke.
"I mean I could also get you your next piece of apple pie? Or maybe you want something different? I could get you--"
Emi suddenly turned to face him before she grabbed his collar.
"Damn, Emi. You were totally scary! I think you could give Erza a competition!" Lucy exclaimed.
Emi looked at the group and gave an embarrassed smile before they all turned back to the memory.
"I don't socialize with humans."
Sting looked at her confused.
"Aren't you...a human?"
"I lost my humanity a long time ago," Emi muttered. "Now leave me alone."
Sting continued to walk beside the cloaked teenager, and Lector was perched on his head for protection. Emi looked at the both of them.
"Why are you still following me?"
Sting answered smoothly, "Just wanted to make sure you got back to your place safely. Crocus can be a pretty weird place at night."
"Are you suggesting that I can't handle myself?"
"Sting," Lector whispered in his ear, "let's go before she really gets mad."
Sting looked up at Lector before whispering back, "We can't leave her alone at night, buddy."
"But she said she can handle herself, and I don't think I can doubt that at all. Her stare could defeat whatever lurks in the shadows."
"You know," Emi snarled. "I can hear you."
They both whipped their heads to an angry Emi. She had her hands on her hips, and they could see from under her hood that her eyes hardened even more. Sting took a step forward and crossed his arms.
"Sting! What are you doing? Let's get out of here!"
"I'm not leaving you alone until I walk you home."
"You're convincing me even more that you're a stalker who just wants to know where I live."
"I'm not leaving from your side until you agree."
"Fine then," Emi stated, making Sting give her a victorious smile.
Sting went to continue walking with her, but looked back at the woman to see the outline of a smirk under her hood. She stood in a battle position in the middle of the road.
"Um, what are yo--"
"Ice missile!"
Spikes of ice came flying at the dragon slayer, pinning him to a nearby wall. Lector quickly flew over to the trapped Sting, trying his hardest to pull the spikes out. Emi turned and continued walking along the empty street.
"Now leave me alone."
"Wow Sting," Rogue commented, "you were as much of an idiot then as you are now."
Sting was blushing as he watched the memory of Sting squirming in the spikes' grasp.
Mira spoke up while giggling, "Well it seems the two of you got off on the wrong foot. How on earth did you manage to get to where you are now?"
Everyone looked at the memory as it faded, showing Emi taking one glance behind her before making her way to the inn.
-------------------------------------------------------
Emi walked down the busy streets of Crocus towards the medical supplies shop. She had used the last of her supplies in the fight with Pride, so she needed to restock. Emi looked around when she heard a whine and followed the sound through the crowds.
Rogue looked on in shock as he saw the cloaked Emi kneel down in front of a crying Frosch.
"Um, why are you crying?"
"I lost my friend," Frosch yelled out through the tears.
Emi smiled softly at the exceed and slowly took off her hood, revealing her comforting smile.
"How come you took off your hood so readily for Frosch but not for us?" Sting complained.
"Frosch needed a comforting figure, and someone in a cloak would probably cause more fear."
"I'll help you look for them if you want."
Frosch immediately agreed to her help and they started walking hand in hand through the crowds. The exceed's eyes lit up once they spotted Rogue looking frantically for his friend.
"Fro found him!"
Emi looked down at the exceed before smiling and removed her hand from their paw. She slightly pushed the exceed towards Rogue before putting on her hood and disappearing into the crowds.
Frosch looked at Emi before exclaiming, "You're the nice lady!"
Emi laughed and nodded before giving a small smile to Rogue.
-----------------------------------------
Emi slinked into an alleyway with her ice cream, careful not to drop it through the crowds.
"Why is this city always so crowded?"
"It's the flower capital of Fiore. Of course it's going to be crowded."
Emi whipped her head to the unknown voice and saw the dragon slayer from before.
"What did I say about following me! Go away!"
"I promise I wasn't following you. I lost my little buddy and I smelled him over here. Honest."
Emi huffed before muttering that people need to watch their cats better. She gave Sting a suspicious look before walking away. She stopped and turned around to him curiously.
"Smell?"
"Yeah. I can pick up on scents."
Emi completely ignored his answer and asked him where she could find the bookshop. Sting smirked as he came up with a deal.
"I'll tell you what. I'll tell you where the bookshop is if you help me look for Lector."
"I'll find it myself," Emi grumbled before turning out of the alleyway.
"I know we didn't really have a pleasant introduction, but I would like to still get to know you."
"Wow Sting," Gajeel stated, "you're very persistent."
"Shut up."
"Well I don't now go away."
Sting had grabbed her wrist as she began to move again. Emi looked down at his hand before glaring at the dragon slayer.
"Let go."
"At least tell me your name."
Emi thought for a minute before looking up at the blond.
"Emiko."