Colors of our Souls

26. Save the Children

*Major Trigger warning- Gore, brief sexual harassment, needles, and torture*

Pandora:

After running back to my apartment, putting on some makeup, and grabbing an overnight bag, I rush back to the train station. The train whistle blows just as I get to the station, and I don't see Gray anywhere.

"Wait!" I shout at the train station staff. The guy in front of the train doors holds them open for a second so I can get on. Before I can even say thank you, the door slams closed behind me, almost catching my exposed tail.

I decided not to wear my cloak this time, which causes a few people to stare, but they quickly go back to what they were doing before I got on. I guess people in Magnolia are getting used to the idea of a girl with wings.

I sigh in partial relief, then realize I forgot something.

Where is Gray?

"You finally made it." a voice says from next to me, effectively scaring the living hell out of me as I jump into the air, almost hitting my head on top of the train. I whip around to see Gray staring at me with a half smirk.

"You scared the crap outta me!" I exclaim. " I thought I left you behind."

"Nope, I was here half an hour ago." He replies, walking away from me down the aisle.

"Figures, I'm always late." I grumble as I follow Gray to a seat near the back of the train car.

"So, where are we going?" I ask as I sit down next to Gray.

"You didn't read the flyer, did you?" He asks like he already knows the answer.

"What! No! Of course I read the stupid flyer!" I lie.

"We're going to a little town called Zinnia, it's in between Kunugi station and Mount Hakobe." Gray explains.

"Oh, right! I knew that."

"Anyway, you might wanna get some rest before we get there. I have no clue how long this job is going to take." Gray says, looking out the window as the outside scenery rushes past us.

"Nah, I'm good." I say, shaking my head.

"Panda, I'm supposed to look out for you." Gray sighs, sounding slightly frustrated.

"It's the middle of the day! I'm not tired." I protest.

"Fine then. What are you? You still haven't told me." Gray hits me with the million dollar question yet again.

"Wow! Suddenly I'm super tired." I fake yawn.

"Knew that would work." Gray says, smirking, as I lean my head against his shoulder, and fall asleep much faster than I thought I would.

Ikari:

After several hours of trekking through the dense woods around Magnolia, I finally break through the dense foliage and into a small, ramshackle village. There's probably only ten buildings total, and all of them look ready to collapse as the slightest breeze.

Checking that my hood is drawn tight, I step out of the trees cautiously, entering the eerily silent town. I'm not even sure if anyone lives here or not. If they do, they do a great job of hiding. The breeze shifts slightly, stirring up dust in the fading daylight. Surprisingly, I can't hear or smell any sign of life.

Wait... there is one scent... but it's a couple of hours old. Maybe someone else passed through here. Peculiar, it's almost a metallic smell, but it also kind of reminds me of Natsu's scent...