Between The Pages

Chapter 18

Erza woke up first the next morning and she saw a very interesting sight. Natsu and Lucy sleeping on the ground with their arms around each other.

"Ahem!" She coughed loudly.

"Five more minutes Mom." Natsu moaned sleepily.

They both stirred at Erza's voice and eventually awoke. Upon seeing the position they were in they both blushed and moved away from each other very quickly.

"If I may ask, what exactly were you two doing last night?" Erza asked.

"This...This is not what it looks like!" Natsu said.

"We were just talking!" Lucy said. "Talking and I...I got upset...And he...He was just comforting me. We fell asleep! That's all that happened!"

"Okay no need to get so flustered." Erza giggled. "At least you two got a good night sleep. You should have the strength to go on with our journey today."

"Right!" Natsu said standing up rather quickly.

"Lucy do you want this?" Erza said picking up the discarded mask that was on the ground. Lucy looked at it and hesitated for a moment before taking it from her.

"I'll keep with me." She stuck it into her satchel. "But I don't think I'll wear it for awhile."

"Alright then."

Meanwhile back in the real world Igneel and Grandeeney were overwhelmed and sick with worry. In their time, Natsu and Juvia had both been missing for three days and there was no information regarding where they were or why they had disappeared. The police saw it as rebellious teenagers running away but Mr. Dragneel knew for a fact that wasn't the case. 

"I still can't believe that Natsu and Juvia would just run away." Igneel said to his wife. "What reason would they have for running off?"

"Well Juvia had been having problems with bullies." Grandeeney said trying so hard to cry. "Maybe the poor dear just couldn't take it anymore. Oh I wish that she had said something to us about how miserable she was feeling. No I wish that I had noticed how sad she was." 

"That doesn't explain why Natsu left." Igneel said. "As far as I knew he didn't have any problems."

He went into Natsu's room to check his phone again for any texts, messages, or anything that could give him information about where he was or why he left but nothing. There was nothing on the phone that proved useful. His or Juvia's. Then he finally noticed the note on his son's shelf.

"Grandeeney listen to this." He said going into the living room where he read the note he found to her. "Dear Mom and Dad, I know where Juvia is but I have to go there and find her on my own. I can't explain it through a note but I promise we'll both be back home. I don't know when but it will happen. Don't worry about me because I'll be fine. Love Natsu."

"He knows where she is? Why didn't he tell us?" Grandeeney asked.

"More importantly why would he just go and look for her on his own?!" Igneel said trying to control his worried anger. "I always knew the boy was crazy but I never thought he was stupid!"

"Let's not panic."

"How can we not? Both of our children are God knows where doing God knows what! And there's not a single clue to where they are!"

"Let me see that note."

He handed the note to her. She noticed that the paper was winter themed. The color was blue with snowflakes on the edges. She remembered that Mika used this kind of paper to write thank you notes to her and Juvia for assisting her with things. When she told Igneel this they both went over the Fullbuster house.

"Now dear don't do anything reckless." She told her husband.

"I'm not going to do anything reckless." He said. "I'm just going to ask them to tell me where my children are and if they don't tell me I'll beat them within an inch of their lives!"

"Igneel please. Violence won't solve this."

He banged on the door which was answered by Silver.

"Mr. Dragneel, Mrs. Dragneel. What brings you by?" He asked.

"Where are my kids?!" Igneel demanded. "Tell me where they are or I'll-"

"Igneel!" Grandeeney scolded. "We're terribly sorry to be bothering you Mr. Fullbuster but we really need to speak with you and your wife about something."

"We know where your kids are." Silver said.

"You do? Where are they? Why didn't you say anything sooner?"

"It's complicated. I don't think you'll believe us when we tell you."

"Of course we'll believe you. Just tell us where they are please."

"Alright but promise that you won't go to the police with this."

"Why?"

"Just promise."

"Alright we promise we won't go to the police."

"Good. Mika get the book."

His wife did as she was told and they showed Igneel and Grandeeney the illustrations of Natsu and Juvia that were on the pages.

"I don't understand." Grandeeney said. "What is this?"

"You're children are inside another world and this book is the only way anyone can visualize it." Mika said. "Juvia accidentally read a magic phrase in the book out loud and it transported her into this world. When your son found out he went in after her."

"That doesn't make any sense." Igneel said.

"We know it doesn't but it's the truth."

"Is this some kind of joke? Lady it's very sick to lie about where a parent's kids are."

"How dare you call my wife a liar!" Silver defended. "Apologise this minute!" 

"It's fine Silver. Mr. Dragneel we know it sounds  impossible but we've seen it happen. Your son and daughter weren't the first ones to be sent to this world." Mika said.

"Say that this is all true." Igneel said. "If this book can actually send people to another world why the hell did you keep it? Why didn't you get rid of it?!"

"We couldn't."

"Why not?"

"We can't say."

"You have to tell us!"

"If we do the book will disappear from this world and you'll probably never see your children again." Silver said. "That's why you can't go to the police either. Only a few people can know about it."

"So what do we do?" Grandeeney asked.

"The only thing we can do is read the book and pray that one of your kids is able to beat the owl priest. Because that's the only way they'll ever get back." Mika said.

"The owl priest? Who's that?" Igneel asked. "A character in the book."

"You could say that." Silver said. "He basically controls who leaves that place and he's a monster. A monster who ruined our lives."

"What did he do to you?"

"Again we can't say. He's very good at making sure that no one blabs his secrets."

"This is all so confusing." Grandeeney said. "And frightening."

"Believe me you're not the only one who's had those feelings." Mika said. "We've been dealing with those feelings for sixteen almost seventeen years and we hope that not only will your kids escape but we also hope that they'll bring back something that we lost a long time ago."

Silver took his wife's hand gently, as if warning her not to say anymore and she quickly stopped herself from doing so.