Trail of a Fairy

17. The Mission

When Natsu awoke, Nashi was already up and gone from the room. Natsu groaned, and rolled over on the bed. That darn kid... Begrudgingly, Natsu got out of bed - throwing on the nearest pair of pants and a vest. In a minute, he was out the door and heading down to the front desk. If Nashi had left the hotel, the owner would hopefully know. But as he reached the entrance, he could already see Nashi. He was leaning on the front desk; chatting loudly with the owner. The lady had a large smile on her face.

"Hope I'm not interrupting anything?" Natsu smirked.

"Oh no, Your son was just entertaining me with his lovely conversation. He's a smart boy, you know."

Natsu nodded, looking down at Nashi. He had the biggest grin on his face. "Yeah, I know. Now c'mon, Nashi. We should be getting packed up before we have breakfast."

"Oh?" The owner paused. "You're not going to have breakfast here?"

"Nope." Natsu grinned, watching the curious eyes of his son. "We've got a long way to walk today, so it'd be best if we could eat as we go."

The owner hunched over a bit more, and turned her eyes downward. "Well then, you might try the grocery store down the street. He sells prepackaged lunches that might work well for you."

Natsu thanked the lady. With Nashi in tow the two of them headed back to their room to pack up. It was silent and fast. Nashi packed everything neatly, folding his blanket and clothes. Natsu shoved everything into his backpack. For a brief moment, he caught his hand on the knitting needle.

Damn. He thought, pulling his hand back. Those suckers hurt! But he made no noise.

Once the two were packed up, they left. Natsu paid the lady and dropped off the keys. Nashi waited for his dad at the door. As they left, Nashi gripped his backpack straps tightly.

"Where are we going, dad?" He asked excitedly.

"Shirotsume town." Natsu replied. And under his breath, he mumbled "A blind pervert's house was there..."

Nashi froze. He heard what his dad said. Or at least he thought he did. He wasn't sure what it was he really heard, but he doubted he heard right. No way would a blind pervert exist.

~~~~~~~~~~

"The Everlue Mansion!" Natsu laughed.

"You fought here?" Nashi gasped, staring at the mansion. "No way."

Chuckling, Natsu couldn't help but grin. "What? Don't think your dad is cool enough to fight in a mansion?"

Nashi shook his head and crossed his arms. "Nah. It's just that the mansion isn't destroyed. No way you fought without destroying something."

With a tsk, Natsu gently slapped his son's head. "Hey, I can if I want to."

Nashi barked out a laugh. "I don't believe that!"

Grabbing the boy's arm, Natsu went up to the door. He pointed to the ground. Nashi looked, and immediately stepped back. There were huge, gaping holes in the ground.

"Did you do this, dad?"

"Nuh-uh." Was all Natsu said as he pointed to the keys on Nashi's belt. "Virgo did."

"Virgo?" Nashi yelled. "Was this where Mom got Virgo?"

"Nope. But we fought her here. Your mom got her later."

With a groan, Nashi turned around. "Why is everything so slow? Why did it take so long for anything to happen with Mom?"

Natsu chuckled to himself. Wrapping his arms around his son, he led the way into the house. "Kid, Happy and I were very slow learners. Nothing happened fast with us - except fights and food."

He took Nashi inside the house. And the first thing he saw were the burns. Everywhere. Floor, ceiling, walls. Even the gold statue had its shine covered by a thick layer of ash. And probably some dust too. Nashi stared at the burns. There were even a couple holes from Virgo as well.

"Did you and Mom fight this Everlue guy here?"

"Well... Yes and no."

"What do you mean?" Nashi had to stop himself from yelling. He could see the shudders beginning to course through his dad's body. Not yet, please not yet. "Who'd you fight then?"

"Lucy fought Everlue. I fought these two guys from the mercenary guild, Southern Wolf. And eventually Virgo herself." Natsu sighed. "Those bastards sure were annoying."

Nashi looked at the burn marks. They were large, even for advanced fire mages. But Nashi couldn't help but grin. Dad was already this strong. I bet mom was just as strong, or stronger to be able to fight this Everlue guy.

Natsu looked at his son. His eyes were shining with curiosity. His small hand clutched the keys on his hip; undoubtedly feeling their heartbeats along with his. He wouldn't look away from the scene in front of him. Natsu looked away, his own eyes shining with tears.

"C'mon kid. You can get Virgo to tell you the story later. I need some food."

Nashi turned to follow his dad. He heard the catch in his dad's voice. Dammit. Just a little more...

Natsu took them to a nearby cafe. The food was decent, as was the service. And decent was the hotel they checked into. Natsu just wanted the day to be over. And Nashi to go to bed. Natsu wanted to pull out the box that was safely stored in the bottom of his pack. And once he was sure that Nashi was asleep, he opened it. And a letter fell out. The paper was different from the rest. It was a yellowed piece of paper, and the date on the back didn't look like Natsu's writing. So he opened it.

Stupid dad.

You're my dad. It doesn't matter how you compare to other father figures. Only you can tell me what I want to hear.

I'm happy you're my dad.

So stop crying and man up to it.

Natsu chuckled as he saw the messy signature at the bottom of the page. He packed up the box and put in his pajamas. And before he turned off the lights, he ruffled his sleeping son's hair.