The Runaway

Chapter 9:Coincidence

Lunch.......

"Erza, stop dragging Natsu." Jellal half ordered. Erza glared at him and he stopped and returned the glare. Lucy and Levy were sweat dropped while Natsu was trying to pry his arm from Erza's grip.

The lunch hall's double doors burst. All the students stood up and bowed. Greeting their Pres and Vice Pres, too scared not to follow the respected greeting tradition in their school. They went to their usual spot as, I by mean, the longest table in the cafeteria. A dozen can sit there. Gajeel, Ultear and Lyon were already there. Lyon waved at him and Natsu was still having that grunting expression.

"Is he the new kid?" Ultear ask, pointing at Natsu. Jellal nodded and sat beside Lyon.

"He's my cousin," Jellal answered.

"Natsu, this is my sister. Ultear" Lyon introduced. Ultear smiled and gave a polite bow.

"Hey.." She softly greeted. Natsu finally escaped from Erza's grasp and sat quickly besides Lucy, coincidentally, in front of Gajeel.Gajeel and him exchange annoyed looks and the atmosphere around them suddenly dropped. No one can eat properly.

"Alright. What's up with you?" Lyon ask, setting his spoon down.

"What do you mean?" They both ask and glared at one another again.

"You two have been fighting since yesterday, and I don't know the details but how do you two know each other?" he ask. Natsu and Gajeel exchange glances but shrugged.

"Do you still remember last year on why I didn't participate at the Grand Magic Games?" Natsu ask, Lyon nodded.

"Yeah. But, I thought you said you weren't interested and just went on a mission," he answered. The others felt a little out of place so they just listened, especially Jellal. It's one of the ways to know about Natsu's past there.

"I did say that, but I came back a week early before the games and planned to join. But something came up, I didn't participate because I didn't want to. It's because I couldn't," he explained.

"Couldn't?" Lyon repeated and arched his eyebrow.

"I was instructed not to participate as a punishment because I had a fight with the group Chrome Sanctuary and that bastard was the reason why," He growled and glared at Gajeel.

"Chrome Sanctuary?" Erza and Lucy exchanged glances.

"Isn't that the group Gajeel tried to track before the games?" Lucy asked. 

"Yeah," Gajeel grunted and crossed his arms. "This bastard was trying to get in my way," 

"Oh. So that's why Gajeel came back with a lot of bruises and scratches, " Levy said.

"He was not the only one who did it..!" Gajeel protested and slumped down, placing his chin on his palm. "There was also that Lightning bastard," he muttered.

"Laxus?!" they exclaimed.

Natsu responded with a hum. "That Laxus was also there along with the group, they planned to steal my mission, l so I had to step up. It was a battle between three S-Rank mages," Natsu shrugged. They stared at him wide eyed.

"You're a S-Rank mage?!" Lucy and Jellal ask. Natsu nodded and felt smug.

"Tsk! You couldn't even land a punch," Gajeel snickered, a vein twitch and Natsu sneered.

"Do you want to do now, you Iron bastard?!" he challenged, one leg on the table. Gajeel also stood up.

"Bring it, Salamander," he accepted, gesturing his hands as a mockery.