In-Between

Chapter 10

"Okay just a few more and I'll be finished." Jellal said to himself.

At the moment he was developing the pictures he had taken for work. He had just gotten down to the last few when he heard the sound of footsteps behind him. He turned around to see if someone was coming but he couldn't see anyone. Still he heard the footsteps.

"Hello?" He said. "Is somebody there? Erza? Wendy?"

There was no answer. He tried to ignore the footsteps and focus on his work but it just kept going on and on. After turning around and checking behind himself for the tenth time he was shocked to see something that startled him. It was his shadow and it was moving by itself. There it was walking on the walls, making those footstep noises.

"Am I losing my mind?" He said rubbing his eyes. His shadow then picked up a small notepad that was on his desk and threw it right at his face. "Oh my God! Erza!"

He ran out of his study, questioning his sanity. Little did he realize that what he had seen was not a hallucination but Gray using his control over shadows to scare him. The dapper ghoul chuckled to himself as he watched the frightened man run off.

"Gray!" Juiva cried having witnessed the whole thing. "You told me you weren't going to frighten that man anymore."

"No I said I would try not to frighten him. I tried and I failed. So there, happy?"

"No. What did that poor man ever do to you?"

"Nothing."

"So why do you and Natsu terrorize him?"

"He's alive isn't he?"

"Why do you always have to be so mean to the living? Every time someone alive comes in or near this house you do everything you can to scare him off. Why do you do that?"

"Why does anybody do anything. Sheer absolute boredom. Scaring the living out of their wits is the funniest thing in the world for me."

"That's sick."

"Hey I'm dead sweetheart, I take whatever entertainment I can get."

"You know you could try to help the living."

"I could but I won't."

"Why not?"

"Because I don't want to. I see no point in being good and sweet to people who are alive because number 1 they don't even know I exist, number 2 if they did they would just runaway screaming their heads off, and number 3 all human beings are destined to one day become corrupted and cruel."

"That's not true."

"Oh yes it is. I've been seeing it happen for a whole century, nobody alive is good and if they are it's only a matter of time before they turn bad."

"What about Wendy? She can see us and she's not afraid of us and she is most certainly not corrupt."

"She's a child Juvia. All children are innocent until the world corrupts them so most of the time I don't bother them."

"Most of the time?"

"Some kids tend to really push my buttons so I mess with them."

"Alright so it's obvious I can't convince you to be nice to people who are alive but could you at least find something else to entertain you aside from scaring Wendy's dad half to death?"

"Like what?"

"I don't know but something. Even Natsu has alternative ways of entertaining himself. He...He...He...Natsu what do you do?"

"I visit the Radiant Cemetery." He said.

"Okay he visits the...The what? What is that?"

"It's a club in the In-Between. It's a dance hall and bar with dancers, musicians, and-"

"And alcohol and prostitutes." Gray said. "It's basically the undead version of the Moulin Rogue and the only reason Natsu goes there is to get drunk and laid."

"That's not true!" Natsu said. "I enjoy the music and the dancing and the culture-"

"And the prostitutes and alcohol."

"There's a lot more to that place than booze and a sweet piece of ass. It's a place of art."

"Taking pictures of nude women does not count as art."

"I don't do that."

Gray raised his eye brow in disbelief.

"Okay but I only did it once. Anyway I think tonight we should all go down there."

"Sorry but I'm not into sexual depravity."

"As I said this place has more than just women. Give it a chance, you might end up enjoying yourself."

"Well I don't have anything better to do tonight so I guess it wouldn't kill me to attend. Then again nothing can kill me."

"What about you angel face? You coming?" Natsu asked Juvia.

"I don't know." She said. "It doesn't seem like my kind of place and I always get nervous in really crowded areas."

"Don't worry we won't leave you alone while we're there besides you need to get out more."

"I get out."

"Not really. Live a little Juvia...Wait that was a poor choice of words. Well you know what I mean."

"You both promise not to leave me alone while we're down there?"

"Of course."

"You have my word." Gray added.

"Alright then."

"Great." Natsu said. "So we have plans."

"Shouldn't we invite Lucy to come with us?" Juvia asked.

"No point. She's too much of a prude to go to a place like that."

"Still I think it would be polite to ask her."

"Okay I'll ask but I'm telling you she's going to say-"

"No." Lucy answered when they asked her to go with them later that evening.

"See? I told you she wouldn't want to come." Natsu told Juvia.

"Are you sure Lucy? I don't want you to feel left out." Juvia said.

"I'll be fine." She assured her. "But should you really be going to this place...With them?"

She pointed to Gray and Natsu.

"Why not? It could be fun."

"I don't like the idea of you being left alone with those two. Especially in the In-Between."

"Why?'

"I don't trust them."

"To be fair do you trust any man? Or do you hate all men?" Natsu asked.

She gave Natsu a glare.

"You shouldn't worry about me Lucy. I may not look it but I can take care of myself. Trust me." Juvia said.  "We'll be back before morning and I'm sure nothing will happen."

"Can we go now?" Natsu said. "They give out the best booze after dark."

At once Gray pulled out a piece of chalk which he used to draw a door on to the nearest wall. He knocked on chalk drawn door three times and the wall opened up like an actual door. This was how ghosts and ghouls travelled to and from the In-Between. The three of them walked through entrance and disappeared inside the wall.