Back to the Start(nalu)

31- Just a Toy

Lucy's scent is all over this place.

It invades my nose and distracts me from everything else.

I shake my head and look back in front of me from my spot on top of a short building.

Nothing.

The streets are still completely empty even after an hour or so.

A noise comes from right beside me and I glance over at Happy, who had let out a tiny snore. I roll my eyes and look back in front of me.

Great. Thanks for the help, Happy.

I rest my chin onto my hand and let out a breath of air.

I wonder how it's going for Erza and Gray. I'm sure they aren't bored.

I sigh and lift my gaze up to the sky, where the stars shine bright.

And what about Lucy?

What's she doing right now?

I wonder where she's staying. With a friend? Alone? At an inn? At her own house?

I want to go look for her, to say something to her...anything. I want her to know that I exist and not just as the person from the restaurant three years ago.

"This is it!"

My body perks up at the sound and my eyes quickly look towards the street.

"Do you have the key?"

They talk in loud whispers only heard because of my heightened senses.

"I dropped it."

Three of them. All of them are guys.

The one who said he dropped it shrugs and the other two whisper angrily at him to which he shakes his head.

"Don't worry. This way is more fun anyway."

My lip curls up in distaste.

I don't like that guy.

My eyes squint to try to make out what he's doing as all of them go silent and the other two back up.

His arm changes, shiny silver starting to glide up his hand to his shoulder. The entirety of his right arm gets encased in metal.

Transformation magic maybe?

He walks up to the window of the shop and the sound of glass ensues as he breaks through it with ease.

Uh oh.

I extend my arms and push my torso up.

Erza's gonna kill me...

Time to go, Natsu!

I glance at Happy before shrugging.

Looks like he's getting an unearned pay check after this job.

I stand to my feet and jump down from the building and onto the street with ease. I'm far enough away that they don't hear me and they're all preoccupied with the shop to look over and see me.

I push off on one foot to start running down the street to get to the middle of all of the action but before I can even take more than a few steps something wraps around my hand and causes me to fall backwards with a great force. My back slams against the cement, causing the air to burst out of my chest.

Without wasting any time I'm up on my feet and scanning the area around me cautiously, the pain fading away.

A line of buildings is on my left and on the right is the start of the forest, with trees in every viewable spot.