Vermillion's Cub

Chapter 16: You're It!

Chapter 16: You're It!

3rd POV:

"I'm it and you have a one-minute head start." Fuegoleon chimed as he turned his back to his daughter, facing the wall.

"One minute but that adds to your time, isn't that unfair?" Natsu asked. Sure she was grateful for the headstart, mostly because she knew he wouldn't be easy to beat. She also would need that time to hide and prep but she still felt that it would be unfair.

"55 seconds. You better get going." she could hear the amusement in his voice.

"Wait you already started!" Natsu panicked.

"50 seconds."

Completely unprepared, Natsu bolted away from the courtyard. Leaving a smirking Fuegoleon in her wake, 'take this time Natsu... think it through.' he thought hoping she would do just that. She technically did have the advantage, being as she got the head start and he knew from experience that there are many places she could hide in. The downside is that Leon knows his way around better than she does and he is a captain of a magic knight squad, so that pretty much threw whatever advantage she had out the window.

'The game begins, now what is your move...?'

Down the halls Natsu kept running knowing fully well; it wouldn't take him long to catch up. 'He's a magic Knight captain for crying out loud, I can't beat him. Man, this is almost scary.' She mentally groaned, turning the corner. Time was almost up so she had to think, her best chance is to hide until time is out but she doesn't know that many good hiding spots yet.

She came to a stop, looking out the window she noticed the roof of the floor below formed an unofficial balcony of sorts. 'He never said I had to stay inside...' running over to the window, taking no time to unlock it and climb threw. Knowing her free time was, definitely, up she continued to run on the roof. Praying he wouldn't think to look there.

'4...3...2....and 1.'

"Let's see how well you used your time, shall we?" Fuegoleon chuckled and started to walk away. He knew she couldn't have gotten far and he didnt want to use any extra energy. Coming to his first fork in the hall he took a deep breath and closed his eyes, trying to find her through her mana. He said he wouldn't use his magic, however, he said nothing about his other abilities. Looking up he sighed, "Oh Natsu, you need to learn to cover your tracks better." he walked over to the only window that was left slightly open. "The maid would never leave these open at this time of year."

'Keep going, keep going.' Natsu thought she just arrived at one of the dome-shaped roofs hiding behind it to take a breath. She had been practically sprinting for upwards of 10 minutes straight, she was sure she was safe for at least a few minutes. Pressing her back to the side of the large green-blue dome, she closed her eyes and wiped the sweat that had formed on her brow. "Dang it, I don't know where he is. it's like one of those scary books Darius told me about." she breathed out.

Deciding she spent enough time there she started jogging again, climbing down a wall to get to the roof of the floor below. She looked around her, finally noticing how high up she was. She could see a lot from where she was, she felt like this was more of a castle than a house. Walking over to the edge of the flat area, the room slanting at an angle to get to the next section, she couldn't see much past the large stone wall that surrounded the royal compound but she could see the big town that surrounded the castle, "That must be the castle town Rella told me about, it's so big." she chimed to herself.

"Yes it's also the biggest settlement in the kingdom." someone behind her said

"No doubt, it's like 50 Penshaw's all in one place," Natsu stated so captivated that she didn't process her new predicament. It took a second for it to sink in. When it did, she froze, and her eyes widened. Cranking her head to her side; Fuegoleon stood next to her, admiring the view with his chest puffed out and his hands resting on his hips.