章節 10: Train Ride Part 2

<p>My heart warms at Erza's kind words and I turn back to look at her with a small smile as I ask quietly, "What is Fairy Tail like? What does a wizard guild do?" She smiles a little wider and a look of true content appears in her eyes as she answers. <br/><br/>"Home. That is what Fairy Tail is like. For people who lost something dear to them, or is going through rough times, Fairy Tail is the home where we accept everyone on equal terms. If you are happy, they are happy. If you are sad, then they will share their tears with you. If you are hurt, they will do whatever it takes to protect you until the end. It's family, it's love, it is home. That is Fairy Tail." I look at her in awe as she describes it. Unbidden, my eyes tear up in response as what she says strike a chord deep inside of me.<br/><br/>I whisper out, "It sounds like a wonderful place to be."<br/><br/>She nods before saying warmly, "It is. There is no other place like it and no other place where I want to be." I hear a low, muffled groan and look down at my lap to see Natsu starting to move. He digs an elbow in my thigh, which causes me to wince, before he settles down again. This time with him facing my stomach and slightly curled up on his side. A feeling of warmth and happiness grows in my chest as I look down at his peaceful face. <br/><br/>Without thinking, I move his hair out of his face before slowly running my fingers through his hair again. A wave of lightheartedness sweeps through me, leaving me feeling peaceful. I lazily look back up to Erza to see her watching us while looking quite pleased.<br/><br/>"So what does Fairy Tail do as a wizard's guild?" I ask her, feeling at peace.<br/><br/>"When people have problems that they believe magic can solve, they put out a formal request to the guilds. Then one of our teams, or a solitary person, can decide if they want to handle the job. They let the guild master, or whoever is in charge at the time, know that they want to accept the request before leaving. The guild then lets the person who made the request know that it is accepted before the team arrives, mostly. Then the team either completes or fail the mission, and get whatever reward that is being offered if they complete it. Then they return to the guild to rest or take on another mission." she explains.<br/><br/>"So is that what you guys are doing? Coming back from completing a mission?" I ask. The look she has in her eyes makes me sit up straight and I snap into full alertness, my earlier feelings of peace and content quickly draining away. I can't place what the look means, but it puts me on edge.<br/><br/>"In a way, yes and no." She pauses for a moment like she is unsure whether or not to continue and I gesture to her that it is okay for her to explain. <br/><br/>She takes a deep breath before continuing in a low tone, "There are requests that we have that are extremely tough, called S-rank missions. Only mages who are of S-rank are allowed to take them, because doing so otherwise usually means death for the unprepared." I feel shivers going up my spine at this. <br/><br/>"So anyone who tries to take one that isn't qualified for them are either punished or expelled from the guild. It is better for them to be out of the guild and alive than still a member of the guild and dead." Erza pauses and looks down at her clenched fists before starting up again. <br/><br/>"In a reckless act to prove themselves, Natsu and Lucy stole an S-rank mission to complete on their own. Gray went to stop them, only to end up joining them as well. When they didn't return, I went out to find them and bring them back."<br/><br/>Her look of anger at their recklessness gives me an urge to wrap my arms around Natsu protectively as she continues, "They broke the rules, so I went to bring them back for their punishment. Unfortunately, when I found them the situation for the villagers was at a point that if I didn't step in to take part as well, everyone would of died. So, because of the dire situation and Gray's surprising determination to stop the problem despite me threatening them with on the spot death, I stepped in and allowed Gray and the others to do what they needed to do to complete the mission. The morning after, as we were going to leave, is when we found you." she says with a touch of pride and admiration for Gray's resolve admist her anger.<br/><br/>Her look softens quite a bit as she looks up toward me. "I'm sorry that I had to knock you unconscious after we found you, but we didn't want anyone getting hurt more than necessary." I rub the back of my neck, remembering the pain.<br/><br/>"That's ok," I whisper gently, "I was so scared at the time, but I could only think about protecting y'all since it seemed like ya didn't know that the demons were behind you. Even if my world doesn't have demons, we still have stories about them. When I was little, I got scared badly by a demon horror movie and I had nightmares for weeks about it. Anything demonic scares me right to the core even to this day. That's why I was constantly trying to run away from them. That and you guys for a bit. When y'all held me back before I was knocked unconscious, I thought you guys were in cahoots."<br/><br/>She nods in understanding, "I see. So it stemmed from a childhood fear."<br/><br/>"Yea, its stupid. I know." I say feeling a bit depressed at my weakness and I hang my head in shame. Erza's voice is full of gentle reassurance as she tries to help me feel better.<br/><br/>"It is not stupid to have fear in something. It is stupid to let the fear take over and not face it head on." she explains simply. I wince at that statement, knowing fully well that is exactly what I did. <br/><br/>"That's what I let happen. I let me fear take over and I ran away." I snorted a little bit in slight amusement before I added, "Well, would of ran away if ya'll would have let me."<br/><br/>"No." she says curtly. The speed at which she answered brought my head up to face her in surprise. "That first time, you faced your fear by going to attack what you feared just to save a bunch of strangers. That was bravery. It was also brave of you to go to them on the beach. And the heartfelt apology you gave, even though none of us could understand your words, we all knew what you meant. That was facing your fears, that Krysti was true bravery." I laugh softly and blush in embarrassment at this before looking down at the sleeping guy in my lap. I start running my fingers through his hair again before I answer her.<br/><br/>"Actually, that was mainly thanks to Natsu here. I'm not sure why, but this hothead has this calming effect on me. If he wasn't the one stopping me each time I tried to run, and if he didn't stay by me as we got near the demo… the villagers, I would of fought a hell of a lot harder than I did. Either you would have to have to knock me unconscious again or tied me up real well." I end thoughtfully.<br/><br/>She chuckles softly in amusement, "I have almost an entire guild of people who will argue with you about the calming thing."<br/><br/>I giggle a little bit with her as I reply, "If they act the same way as he does with Gray, I can see that." Looking up at her, I let my smile fade as I ask a serious question. <br/><br/>"So what's going to happen to them when they get back?"<br/><br/>Her expression hardens before she states stiffly, "I'm not able to say. They will be punished for breaking guild rules, be assured of that, but what the punishment will be is up to the Master." I nod in understanding before looking back down at the sleeping face in my lap and allow myself to get lost in my thoughts. She and I spend the next few minutes in companionable silence before a question pops into my head.<br/><br/>"Hey, Erza?" I ask quietly, still mindful of the dozing dragon slayer. She looks at me in curiosity.<br/><br/>"Yes, Krysti? Something on your mind?" she asks. I nod.<br/><br/>"I was wondering, if you don't mind that is, but what type of magic do you have?" I politely ask.<br/><br/>She shakes her head with a small smile on her face while saying, "No, I don't mind sharing. It's called Re-quip, or Ex-quip depending on who you ask. My specialty is switching between different armors and weapons during battle to suit my needs. Like this." At this point her clothes start to glow. I gawk at the sight and I suck in a breath when I see her armor change into a light purple cloth kimono-like armor.<br/><br/>"Wow." is all I am able to say at this point, stunned at this display of magic.<br/><br/>"Yes, it suits my fighting style immensely. As a battle changes constantly, I can change my armor or weapons to fit the need." she adds confidently.<br/><br/>"So do you make the armor and stuff with your magic?" I ask her while leaning forward, just brimming with curiosity.<br/><br/>"No, they are stored in what you can call another dimension. When I have need, I just access it and switch out the armor." she says, clarifying this point.<br/><br/>"It's just like a video game inventory!" I exclaim excitedly, momentarily forgetting that is Natsu asleep until he starts to shift around in my lap and lets out a pained groan. I immediately start rubbing his back while humming again to help ease him back to sleep. He almost instantly calms down, but I continue doing this for a few minutes to make sure he is back to sleep. Letting out a small relieved sigh, I look back up to see Erza watching me with a small smile and a raised eyebrow. <br/><br/>I shrug nonchalantly at her amused expression and continued what I was saying earlier, only more quietly, "I get it, you have a basically unlimited size backpack full of stuff you don't have to actually carry around."<br/><br/>She nods, looking pleased. "I don't know what a video game is, but yes you are quite correct in the description." I lean back against the seat to relax better and idly play with Natsu's hair some more, happy that I hit the nail on the head.<br/><br/>"Hmm, so do you have any sort of limit on how much stuff you can hold?" I ask while tilting my head a bit in my curiosity.<br/><br/>She nods again before answering, "Yes, there is a limit. But like most magic, the more I use it, the more I am able to hold."<br/><br/>"That sounds like a very handy type of magic to know." I reply in a thoughtful manner.<br/><br/>She turns her head to look out the window, before answering, "Yes, it has helped out many times over the course of my life." I hum an agreement as I glance down at Natsu to check his condition. Another thump catches my attention and I see Lucy now sitting next to Erza with a smirk on her face.<br/><br/>"What's up?" I ask her cheerfully.<br/><br/>"I wanted to see how you and Natsu are doing over here." she says with a particular glint in her eye.<br/><br/>"He's doing ok. Been asleep for almost the entire trip. He hasn't been throwing up which is good for the state of my clothes." I quietly inform her with a small laugh at the end. The blonde shakes her head in amusement.<br/><br/>"That's good to hear, but that's not what I mean." she retorts mischievously while waving her index finger back and forth.<br/><br/>"What do you mean then?" I ask, unsure of where exactly she is going to take this.<br/><br/>"Well, Happy has been telling us some interesting things, and I just wanted to confirm it." she says a bit too innocently.<br/><br/>Feeling a little leery at this supposedly innocent question, I cautiously ask her, "What interesting things?"<br/><br/>"Oh nothing much, just things like how you are constantly staring at him while he is sleeping, or how you're not denying that you like him." she chirps with a smirk growing on her face. (So that's her game. A bit early in all respects to start up that line of questioning. Better play the naïve card for now.)<br/><br/>I make sure that my expression looks puzzled as I answer Lucy with a tone to match, "Well, of course I like him. I like you guys as well or I wouldn't be here. And I'm not sure what you mean about how I keep staring at him." Leaning forward, Lucy lowers her voice as if she is afraid someone will hear her. <br/><br/>"Happy said it was on the ship. You barely took your eyes off of him the whole way." she replies. Erza, deciding not to take part in this particular conversation, gets up and goes to sit with Gray and Happy to let Lucy and me talk in privacy.<br/><br/>"Oh! That." I exclaim quietly as in sudden realization. "Yea, I was watching him for most of the trip. But that was because I was keeping an eye out for any sign of changes in his condition. I had no idea at that time how long we would be at sea, or even how severe his motion sickness would be. So I was trying to help as much as I could to try to keep it from getting worse. If not treated properly, extreme motion sickness can be deadly if it lasts long enough." I explain. Eyes wide, Lucy's face pales somewhat as concern replaces anything else she had planned. <br/><br/>She looks down at the peacefully sleeping form of Natsu when she speaks barely above a whisper, "I had no idea that it could be that bad."<br/><br/>I nod before continuing, "It can be, but it does takes a few days before it starts getting to that point. That and if the person who is sick isn't taken care of. I didn't know how long we were to be at sea, so in case it was going to be longer than a day, I decided to take care of him so he wouldn't get in that critical of a condition. Especially since you guys didn't seem to care for his condition." I say that last sentence in a rough manner, my earlier anger starting to show up again. The younger girl flinches at my words.<br/><br/>"Yea, we were jerks, weren't we?" Lucy asks as she guiltily gazes down at her hands.<br/><br/>"Well, you already know my opinion of the subject." I retort in a flat tone and Lucy looks off to the side with a sad expression adorning her face. I look down to check on Natsu and a soothing calmness envelops me again as I watch his sleeping face. I turn my gaze to watch my hand as it constantly moves through his pink hair. (Pink huh? Such an odd color, but he makes it work for him.) I hear slight giggling coming from in front of me. I look up to see Lucy covering her mouth with her hand, her sadness now gone. I raise an eyebrow at her.<br/><br/>"What?" I ask curtly. She waves her hand in front of her face while looking away with an odd expression.<br/><br/>"Oh nothing." she says in a singsong voice. I look at her suspiciously. (What is her deal? I swear she is as bad as that cat. Maybe I should turn the tables on her.) I narrow my eyes at that thought.<br/><br/>Feeling wicked, I ask Lucy in a delightful manner, "So what about you? Hmm? Do you have a thing for dragon boy here?" She stiffens and whips her head around in surprise.<br/><br/>"What!?" she screeches as she lifts her arms up as if to ward off a physical attack. Mentally, I'm cackling worse than a witch from Lucy's priceless reaction. Natsu starts to squirm in my lap from Lucy's extremely loud screech.<br/><br/>I hiss out, "Shhhhh!" as I give her a fierce glare, and she slaps her hands over her mouth in response. Natsu yawns loudly and stretches his arms out.<br/><br/>"Are we there yet?" he asks sleepily. Still running my right hand through his hair in a soothing manner, I use my other hand to rub at his back again.<br/><br/>"Not yet. Just go back to sleep, ok?" I say softly. He nods with a quiet hum of agreement and snuggles closer to me by using his right arm to wrap around my waist. A small bubble of happiness wells up in my heart at his show of trust and my cheeks warm somewhat in response. He settles down and goes back to sleep after a few minutes. I look up at the blonde and give her a slight glare and Lucy by now is looking a bit sheepish.<br/><br/>"Sorry." she says softly. I give her a long hard look which causes her to squirm uncomfortably and I decide that I messed with her enough. I give her a big grin to show that all is well.<br/><br/>"No harm, no foul." I reply which causes her eyebrows to shoot up in question. "It's no problem" I reiterate and Lucy relaxes in her seat. "That is unless you want him to listen to us talk about him." I continue. Her cheeks turn almost as pink as his hair in response.<br/><br/>"No, I would rather not." she says rather quickly while looking down at her clenches hands. (Interesting reaction. Time to up the ante.) I think with devilish glee.<br/><br/>"So you dooooo have a thing for Pinky here?" I say to her as if I am just now realizing it. She looks up in alarm at this.<br/><br/>"No! I don't feel about him that way at all. We're friends. Family!" she protests in a quiet tone while waving her arms around frantically.<br/><br/>"Really? You seem to be protesting it a bit much if you don't have any romantic feelings for him." I retort with a wry grin and wicked delight in teasing her like this.</p>