The Fairy Slayer

Chapter Six - Reunited

Natsu paced back and forth through the guild hall. Back and forth. Back and forth. Back. And Forth. For hours. Erza was about ready to slap him.

"They should've been back by now," Natsu grumbled.

"Chill out, Natsu," Grey said, leaning against a table. "Eva and Lucy can take care of themselves, y'know."

Erza sighed as Natsu began to wear a hole in floor. "If they aren't back by sunset, we'll go looking for them, alright? And, Grey, put some clothes on."

Grey looked down and was properly horrified to discover he was no longer wearing pants.

"I wouldn't worry about sending out a search party," Mira said. She was wiping down the bar and pointed out the open guild hall doors. "Here they come now."

Sure enough, as the sun was beginning to die, Lucy was walking up the lane with Loki, who was carrying Eva. She was covered in his suit jacket, fast asleep.

"I'm going to take Eva up to the infirmary," Loki told Lucy as they walked into the guild. He headed up to the second floor, expertly avoiding Natsu. Once in the infirmary, Loki laid Eva in a bed in the corner of the room, by the windows. He covered her with a couple of blankets, making sure she was tucked in and grabbed his jacket, walking back out of the room.

He passed the glimmering apparition of First Master Mavis peering around the door frame. She shifted in and out of focus, a sign that she was nervous.

Loki stopped and smiled at Mavis. "She blames herself, you know."

Mavis looked up at him.

"She'd love to see you. She's missed you like crazy," Loki continued as he continued downstairs.

Mavis nodded, a determined look on her face as she watched Eva.

Eva tossed fitfully in the infirmary bed. She woke up, gasping for air.

She sat up in the bed, the cool night breeze coming in from the open windows sending chills down her spine. Eva stilled, she thought she heard something coming in through the window.

"Come to me, Eva." A dark, chilling voice echoed through the darkness. Eva knew that voice, it haunted her very existence.

She stood, gathering a blanket around her shoulders and looked out the window. Standing in the grass, staring at her, was the very person she had been waiting to see again for centuries.

The breeze ruffled his black hair, covering eyes as black as death, eyes she loathed. Eyes that were staring straight up at her. Zeref.

He beckoned Eva to follow him and turned, walking into the forest. Eva blinked and found herself standing on the grass outside the guild hall, staring after the Dark Wizard. Her feet began moving of their own accord toward the forest. Toward Zeref. Probably toward her demise.

The woods were dark and dense, only slivers of moonlight filtered through the thick canopy. Eva lost track of time and after a while she walked into a clearing where Zeref was waiting for her. Eva tried to speak but no sound came out.

A strong wind suddenly beat down on the clearing, bending the trees nearly in half. Eva looked up and saw the large black body of Achnologia. The dragon landed and roared.