The Fallen(Nalu)

12- Change of Plans

I watch the two people intently as they walk up to the door. Instead of breaking the glass like I expected, one of them takes off a pair of gloves and reveals a hand full of very sharp and very long nails.

They start to cut through the glass in a small circle and when it's done he taps it, the circle of glass falling onto the floor and shattering.

"Interesting magic..."

The other one reaches their hand in and unlocks the lock.

"Maybe we should have done something before they broke the glass..."

Natsu's voice whispers next to me as we both watch them.

I roll my eyes and groan.

"I realize this, Natsu. Now stay behind me and I'll take care of it."

They've already shown us one of their magic abilities so we just have to be careful of the other guy's.

I stand up from my spot and start walking towards the entrance to the shop where the two people have swung open the door.

I take a breath before slowly stepping out of the shadows.

The two intruder's movements stop suddenly and surprise shows on both their faces.

"By the looks on your faces I'm assuming you guys weren't aware of the new security."

We all stare at each other for a few seconds more before one of them suddenly breaks off into a sprint out of the shop.

"Hey, wait-"

Before I can even take a step forward, Natsu has run past me and is heading out of the shop.

"I got him, Lucy, don't worry!"

I reach out to try and grab onto his sleeve but it's too late and he's disappeared around the corner.

Dammit, Natsu!

I would chase after him... but I have to deal with the weird sharp nailed guy.

I put my hand on my waist where the whip I had bought a few days ago lies. It's not as nice as my other one but it will do.

I cautiously take very slow steps towards the door in an attempt to make it harder for him to run away like his friend did.

He watches my every move and doesn't make a movement himself. I stop in front of the door, his eyes stopping in place as my feet do.

"Maybe you should just surrender...because you don't look like you're much more than a low thief."

He snarls and brings his hands up, his sharp fingernails extending in length.

"Alright-"

Before I've finished he lunges forward at me. I react as quickly as possible, shifting a foot behind me so I can lean away from the sharp point of his claws. It narrowly misses my face and I watch it fly by with wide eyes.

"Okay this is over."

I swiftly reach onto my belt and grab a key from memory. I lift my arm with the key in hand.

"Open, Gemini!"

A flash appears in front of me and the thief's face lights up in shock as Gemini appears before me.

"Alright, Gemini, you know what to do."

They nod their head and another flash appears as they change into the man in front of them.

He stares at 'himself' in shock. I turn away and start walking out of the door.

"What the hell is this?"

I stop for a moment and tilt my head to face him.

"Be careful, Gemini. Try not to break anything."

They nod their head and I continue walking out the door.

Now where is Natsu?...

I step into the street, cool air flowing past me.

There's no way he hasn't taken care of him already so what's the hold up?

Footsteps ring in my ear from behind me and I smile in relief.

"There you are, Natsu. I was worried-"

I stop in my tracks when I turn around and Natsu isn't the one who I see.

My stomach falls and my face pales.

The mage he was chasing earlier faces me a short distance down the street.

What?

How is he here?

Where is Natsu?

There's no way that Natsu lost him and Natsu wouldn't have given up...so what possibly could have happened? Why isn't he here?

Pain suddenly soars through my face and completely knocks me out of my thoughts. I fall to the ground with a loud thump from the impact.

I groan on the ground.

My head swims when I try to lift it, stars flying around my vision.

What the heck was that?

I press my palms againts the ground and push myself up. Hair falls freely across my face, covering my vision and I glare up at the culprit.

The thief Natsu was chasing smiles smugly at me and holds his arm at his side limply.

"Don't think I was running away. I just needed a minute to activate a magic item is all."

I stumble to my feet and rest a hand on my cheek. It throbs at the touch and I grimace. Blood trickles down my lip, busted from the hit.

That's going to leave a mark.

I tighten my grip on my whip and stare ahead at the thief, wiping the blood trickling down my chin with the back of my hand.

He cradles one of him arms with his other arm, almost as if he can't move that arm anymore.

So whatever magic item he used caused him to gain a very large amount of strength in his arm but now he can't use his arm...so what's his plan?

I guess he'll use his other arm and try and take me out in one more blow... and if he gets another hit on me like that previous one he most definitely will.

"You got a lucky hit on me, that's all. Don't think it's going to happen again."

He glares and his left hand tightens into a fist. It starts to tremble slighlty and I gulp.

He runs forward, bringing his fist up next to him, aiming it right towards my face.

Before he can get close enough I throw the end of my whip out and it wraps around his injured arm. I pull with all my might and it causes his body to twist around so that he's no longer barreling towards me.

I quickly retract my whip before he has the chance to move again and throw it out to wrap around his ankle. As soon as it grabs hold of his ankle I jerk the whip and his feet get pulled out from under him, causing him to fall to the ground. He catches himself with his hands and the concrete cracks under his left hand.

I walk over to him and kick his side with my boot, he rolls over with a thump and a quiet groan.

I kneel down and swiftly tie my whip around his hands, tying them together so he can't attack again.

I stand up and look into the shop.

"Gemini?"

They appear at the door with the other guy passed out and hands tied.

I smile.

"Good work."

They disappear in a flash, leaving the street empty and dark.