Natsu Dragneel and the Order of the Phoenix

Fight and Flight

Natsu had no idea what Juvia was planning, or even whether she had a plan. He walked half a pace behind her as they headed down the corridor outside Eisenwald's office, knowing it would look very suspicious if he appeared not to know where they were going. He did not dare attempt to talk to her; Eisenwald was walking so closely behind them that he could hear his ragged breathing.

Juvia led the way down the stairs into the Entrance Hall. The din of loud voices and the clatter of cutlery on plates echoed from out of the double doors to the Great Hall - it seemed incredible to Natsu that twenty feet away were people who were enjoying dinner, celebrating the end of exams, not a care in the world...

Juvia walked straight out of the oak front doors and down the stone steps into the balmy evening air. The sun was falling towards the tops of the trees in the Forbidden Forest now, and as Juvia marched purposefully across the grass - Eisenwald jogging to keep up - their long dark shadows rippled over the grass behind them like cloaks.

"It's hidden in Gildarts' hut, is it?" said Eisenwald eagerly in Natsu's ear.

"Of course not," said Juvia scathingly. "Gildarts might have set it off accidentally"

"Yes," said Eisenwald, whose excitement seemed to be mounting. "Yes, he would have done, of course, the great half-breed oaf."

He laughed. Natsu felt a strong urge to swing round and seize her by the throat, but resisted. His scar was throbbing in the soft evening air but it had not yet burned white-hot, as he knew it would if Acnologia had moved in for the kill.

"Then... where is it?" asked Eisenwald, with a hint of uncertainty in his voice as Juvia continued to stride towards the Forest.

"In there, of course," said Juvia, pointing into the dark trees. "It had to be somewhere that students weren't going to find it accidentally, didn't it?"

"Of course," said Eisenwald, though he sounded a little apprehensive now. "Of course... very well, then... you two stay ahead of me."

"Can we have your wand, then, if we're going first?" Natsu asked him.

"No, I don't think so, Mr. Dragneel," said Eisenwald sweetly, poking him in the back with it. "The Ministry places a rather higher value on my life than yours, I'm afraid."

As they reached the cool shade of the first trees, Natsu tried to catch Juvia's eye; walking into the Forest without wands seemed to him to be more foolhardy than anything they had done so far this evening.

She, however, merely gave Eisenwald a contemptuous glance and plunged straight into the trees, moving at such a pace that Eisenwald, with his shorter legs, had difficulty in keeping up.

"Is it very far in?" Eisenwald asked, as his robe ripped on a bramble.

"Oh yes," said Juvia, "yes, it's well hidden."

Natsu's misgivings increased. Juvia was not taking the path they had followed to visit Grawp, but the one he followed three years ago to the lair of the monster Aragog.

Juvia had not been with him on that occasion; he doubted she had any idea what danger lay at the end of it.

"Er - are you sure this is the right way?" he asked her pointedly.

"Oh yes," she said in a steely voice, crashing through the undergrowth with what he thought was a wholly unnecessary amount of noise. Behind them, Eisenwald tripped over a fallen sapling.

Neither of them paused to help him up again; Juvia merely strode on, calling loudly over her shoulder, "It's a bit further in!"

"Juvia, keep your voice down," Natsu muttered, hurrying to catch up with her. "Anything could be listening in here -"