Azra'il - POV
The dining hall of the Yamamoto Inn was, like everything else in that place, impeccably traditional and irritatingly beautiful.
Low tables of dark, aged wood were lined up on immaculate tatami mats, each surrounded by carefully placed burgundy cushions. Paper lanterns with bamboo frames hung from the ceiling at regular intervals, their trembling golden light creating dancing shadows on the shoji walls. An ikebana arrangement, twisted branches, white flowers, and a single red leaf, occupied an alcove in the corner, next to a framed piece of calligraphy that probably said something profound about harmony or inner peace or some other philosophical nonsense that clearly did not apply to the group of walking disasters who were about to have dinner there.
The smell that hung in the air was heavenly. Grilled fish. Fragrant rice. Steaming miso soup. Pickled vegetables. And something sweet, probably for dessert, that made my mouth water in a way I'd rather not admit.
I was kneeling on one of the cushions, my legs folded in the formal position that etiquette required, my tail curled neatly around me. Erza was to my right, a distance that was simultaneously too close and too far for my comfort. Lucy was to my left, still occasionally shooting me glances that were a mixture of "I saw what happened in the hot springs."
Happy was floating around the table, his eyes fixed on the plates of fish that had not yet been served, drool dripping ungracefully.
And then, the sliding door opened.
And the spectacle entered.
Natsu and Gray walked in, no, "walked" is too generous. Natsu and Gray dragged themselves into the hall like two defeated soldiers returning from a particularly brutal war. The kind of war where the enemy was a furious redhead with homicidal tendencies and zero patience for masculine idiocy.
Natsu was covered in bandages. A thick band wrapped around his head, leaving only one eye visible, and that eye had a purple bruise around it that looked painfully recent. His right arm was in a makeshift sling made from what looked like a torn piece of yukata. He was limping noticeably on his left side, each step accompanied by a poorly disguised grimace of pain.
Gray wasn't much better. A plaster covered his nose, which looked slightly crooked in a way it hadn't been before. Finger marks, five perfectly spaced red lines, decorated both his cheeks, as if someone had slapped him repeatedly. And hard. His movements were stiff, suggesting bruised ribs or severely contused muscles. And, miraculously, he was still dressed. Probably out of fear of what would happen if the clothing disappeared again.
The two of them stopped at the entrance, their eyes scanning the room until they found Erza.
And they froze.
The terror on their faces was palpable. Visceral. The kind of terror usually reserved for encounters with ancient demons or for when you realise you've forgotten the birthday of a very vindictive person.
Erza, sitting with the impeccable posture of an empress, didn't even glance in their direction. She was focused on folding her cloth napkin into a precise shape, her movements methodical and calm. But there was something in the air around her. A pressure. A silent promise of more violence if certain rules were not followed.
"A-are you going in or are you just going to stand there like a statue?" Natsu whispered to Gray, without moving his lips, like a particularly bad ventriloquist.
"You go first," Gray whispered back.
"Why me?"
"Because it was your fault!"
"MY fault?! You're the one who—"
Erza cleared her throat.
It was a soft sound. Delicate, even. Completely harmless under normal circumstances.
Natsu and Gray sat on their designated cushions so fast they created a small draught. Their backs were as straight as rods, their hands carefully placed on their knees, their eyes fixed on the table in front of them. They didn't even blink.
(Impressive. She's completely domesticated them.)
[The efficiency of physical violence as a behavioural conditioning tool is well-documented,] Eos commented in my mind. [Although I must note that the duration of this effect is typically temporary. I estimate they will return to their normal behaviour in approximately… 36 hours.]
(Optimistic. I give it 12.)
[Wager accepted.]
Happy floated over to land beside Natsu, his expression wavering between genuine concern for his friend and an almost uncontrollable urge to laugh at the situation.
"Natsu, are you alright?" he asked, in a whisper that was not at all discreet.
"Never been better," Natsu replied, his voice completely monotonous, his eyes still fixed on the table. "I'm great. Perfect. Having the time of my life."
"You look like you've seen death up close."
"I have. She has red hair and wears armour."
"Natsu." Erza's voice cut through the air like a blade.
"Y-YES, MA'AM!" Natsu sat up even straighter, if that were possible.
"Did you say something?"
"N-no! Nothing! Absolutely nothing! I was just commenting on how… happy… I am to be here! At this wonderful dinner! With wonderful people! Especially you, Erza! You are the most wonderful person of all!"
"Hmm."
Erza's "hmm" was different from mine. Mine was teasing, suggestive, laden with second meanings. Hers, in that moment, was a veiled threat. A promise of consequences if the answer was not satisfactory.
Natsu swallowed audibly.
Gray, beside him, was so still I wondered if he had forgotten how to breathe.
Lucy, beside me, covered her mouth with her hand, her shoulders shaking slightly with the effort of holding back her laughter. She leaned her head in my direction.
"This is…" she whispered, "…this is the funniest and most terrifying thing I have ever seen."
"Welcome to Fairy Tail," I replied quietly. "Where terror and comedy go hand in hand."
The side door of the hall slid open, and Yamamoto-san entered, followed by two younger female staff carrying trays laden with steaming dishes. The innkeeper was as immaculate as ever, her navy-blue kimono perfectly arranged, her white hair in its elaborate bun. But there was something in her eyes. A calculating glint. The kind of glint experienced merchants have when they are about to present a particularly hefty bill.
"Good evening, honoured guests," she said, with a smile that was pure politeness on the surface and financial threat in its depths. "I hope you are recovering from the… incident… in the hot springs."
Natsu and Gray flinched visibly.
"It was a memorable experience," I said, filling the awkward silence. "Quite… explosive."
"Indeed." Yamamoto-san gestured for the staff to begin serving. "Speaking of which, I have taken the liberty of calculating the repair costs."
She withdrew a scroll from within the sleeve of her kimono. A long scroll. Very long. The kind of scroll that unrolls dramatically and hits the floor with a heavy sound.
Gray groaned quietly.
"The bamboo partition wall: 50,000 jewels. The damaged ornamental rocks: 35,000 jewels. The heating system that was partially frozen and then melted: 80,000 jewels. The ancestral Yamamoto family lantern that has been there for four generations: 200,000 jewels."
With each item listed, the faces of Natsu and Gray grew paler.
"And finally," Yamamoto-san continued, "emotional and psychological damage to the other guests who heard the commotion: priceless, but I am willing to accept 100,000 jewels as compensation."
"Th-that's…" Gray stammered.
"A total of 465,000 jewels," Yamamoto-san concluded cheerfully. "But as you are special clients recommended by the mayor, I am willing to offer a generous discount of 5%. Which leaves us with a final total of 441,750 jewels."
The silence that followed was sepulchral.
"That's… that's almost the entire mission payment," Lucy said, her voice weak.
"How convenient, isn't it?" Yamamoto-san smiled.
Erza finally moved, turning her head slowly, so slowly it looked like a movement from a horror film, to face Natsu and Gray.
"You two," she said, each word a potential death sentence, "will pay every last cent. From your own funds. Or with labour. Or with blood. I honestly don't care which."
"Y-yes, ma'am," they replied in perfect unison.
"And if I hear ONE sound of fighting for the rest of this mission…"
She didn't complete the sentence. She didn't need to.
Natsu and Gray nodded so vigorously I feared their heads would come off.
Yamamoto-san, apparently satisfied with the guarantee of payment, put the scroll away and clapped her hands once. "Wonderful! Now, please, enjoy your dinner. The cook has made a special effort today."
The staff finished arranging the dishes on the table. It was a traditional kaiseki banquet, multiple small, artistic dishes, each a culinary work of art. Fresh fish sashimi arranged like petals. Light and crispy tempura. Tofu in a fragrant dashi broth. Colourful pickled vegetables. Perfectly cooked white rice. And in the centre, a main piece: a whole fish grilled with salt, its eyes still bright, its skin golden and crisp.
Happy was practically vibrating with anticipation.
"Fish…" he murmured, with religious reverence. "Fiiiiish…"
"You can eat, Happy," Erza said, her voice softening minimally. "You didn't destroy anything."
"AYE!" And he dived into the nearest dish.
Dinner began in relative silence, interrupted only by the sound of chopsticks against ceramic and the appreciative noises of Happy devouring fish as if it were his last day on earth. Natsu and Gray ate mechanically, without their usual enthusiasm, their movements restrained and careful. They seemed afraid even to chew too loudly.
Lucy ate more normally, but I could feel her eyes on me occasionally. And on Erza. Going from one to the other as if she were watching a particularly tense tennis match.
And Erza…
Erza was sitting beside me. So close I could feel the heat radiating from her body, even through the yukatas we were both wearing. I could see, out of the corner of my eye, the way her elegant fingers held the chopsticks with precision. The way she brought each portion to her mouth with graceful, measured movements.
And I couldn't stop thinking about the hot springs.
About the interrupted moment. About the question that was left hanging in the air. About the "what if I asked?" that never received an answer.
(This is ridiculous,) I thought, forcing myself to focus on my own plate. (I have lived for millennia. I have lived through hundreds of romances, tragedies, and comedies. And here I am, perturbed by an incomplete sentence from a stubborn redhead.)
[Your vital signs indicate a 15% increase in heart rate since dinner began,] Eos helpfully informed. [And you have been avoiding looking directly at Erza for exactly seven minutes and forty-two seconds. A coincidence?]
(I am not avoiding. I am being… discreet.)
[You, discreet? That would be a first in all your documented incarnations.]
(…)
[Just a factual observation.]
I brought a piece of tempura to my mouth, chewing with more force than necessary.
And it was in that moment that Erza moved.
Not much. Just a shift in position. But in the process, her knee brushed against mine under the table.
A brief touch. Accidental, probably.
But I felt it as if a bolt of lightning had run down my spine.
I turned my head instinctively.
Erza had turned too.
Our eyes met.
And for a moment, one single, suspended moment, the rest of the world disappeared. There was no more dining hall. There were no more terrified Natsu and Gray. There was no more Lucy watching us. There was no more Happy devouring fish. There were only those deep, confused brown eyes, staring at me with an intensity that took my breath away.
Erza looked away first.
She cleared her throat, picking up her teacup with hands that were trembling almost imperceptibly.
"Th-the mission," she said, and her voice was a little louder than normal, a little more forced. "We should discuss the plans for tonight's investigation."
(She's changing the subject.)
[Clearly. Her heart rate is also elevated, based on the visible pulse in her neck.]
(Are you monitoring her now too?)
[It is relevant to the analysis of the situation.]
(You're a biometric data voyeur, you know that?)
[I prefer the term "impartial scientific observer".]
"Yes," I said, grasping the change of subject like a lifeline. "The north road. The mayor mentioned that the incidents happen at night."
Gray, looking relieved to have something safe to focus on, nodded carefully. "So we go there, find the monster, beat it up, and we're done."
"It's not that simple," Lucy intervened. "The lady we met said it's probably just a bear. And the mayor is clearly a drama queen. There might not be a monster at all."
"There has to be!" Natsu protested, momentarily forgetting his fear and perking up. "I didn't come all this way to not fight anything!"
Erza shot a look in his direction.
Natsu shrank back into his submissive position. "I-I mean… whatever it is, I'm ready to face it peacefully and without causing any destruction. Ma'am."
"Better," Erza approved.
"The plan is simple," she continued, naturally assuming the role of tactical leader. "We will patrol the north road as a group. No splitting up, no impulsive attacks, " a significant look at Natsu "and no internal squabbles, " another look, this time including Gray. "We observe, we investigate, and we only act if necessary."
"And if it is a real monster?" Happy asked, a fishbone hanging from the corner of his mouth.
"Then we deal with it. Together. In an organised and professional manner."
(Professional. That's an optimistic word for Fairy Tail.)
[Statistically, this guild's missions have a "professionalism" rate of approximately 12%.]
(Generous.)
"There's something else," Lucy said, frowning thoughtfully. "The travellers who 'disappeared'… they came back, right? Confused, saying strange things, but alive."
"The lady mentioned something about a giant chicken," I remembered.
"Exactly. And the mayor talked about glowing eyes in the dark. But no one was actually hurt." Lucy bit her lip. "That doesn't sound like a monster's behaviour, does it?"
"Sounds more like a prank," Gray agreed.
"Or a yokai," I said.
Everyone turned to me.
"Yokai?" Erza repeated.
"Spirits. Supernatural creatures from folklore." I picked up another piece of tempura, maintaining a casual tone. "This region is ancient. Mountains, forests, hot springs with mystical properties. It's exactly the kind of place where yokai hide."
"You know a lot about that," Lucy observed.
"I read a lot."
(And I've lived in worlds where yokai were as common as flies, but that's a detail.)
[A detail you consistently omit.]
(For good reasons.)
"If it is a yokai," Erza said slowly, "the approach might need to be different. Yokai are… complicated. Not all of them are malicious."
"Some just want to cause mischief," I agreed. "Others are territorial protectors. And some…"
"Some what?" Natsu asked.
"Some are just lonely."
There was something in my voice, something I hadn't intended to let slip, that made Erza look at me again. Not with the constrained tension from before, but with something softer. More curious.
I looked away first this time.
"Anyway," I said, clearing my throat, "we won't know until we investigate. I suggest we finish dinner and set out in an hour. The moon is almost full tonight, so we'll have some visibility."
"Agreed," Erza nodded. "Everyone finish eating and get ready. Meet at the main gate in one hour."
Dinner continued. Happy devoured three more fish. Natsu and Gray ate in obedient silence. Lucy finished her plate while making mental notes that I could practically see forming in her writer's eyes.
And Erza and I…
Erza and I ate side by side, our knees not touching again, our eyes not meeting directly. But there was an awareness there. A tension that wasn't uncomfortable, but rather… expectant.
As if we both knew there was a pending conversation.
An unanswered question.
A "what if I asked?" floating in the air between us.
(She almost took the initiative. In the hot springs. She was about to do something.)
[And then the two idiots blew everything up. Literally.]
(Terrible timing.)
I picked up another piece of tempura, chewing thoughtfully.
[You are still waiting for her to come to you.]
(Yes. And I will keep waiting. The door is open. She just needs the courage to walk through it.)
[And if she never does?]
(Then I will know the answer.)
I glanced discreetly at Erza, who was focused on her tea with an unnecessary intensity.
(But something tells me she will. Eventually.)
[Optimism. Interesting.]
(Shut up, Eos.)
Dinner ended. The plates were cleared. And an hour later, we were all gathered at the main gate of the inn, dressed for investigation, ready to face whatever the north road had in store.
The night awaited us.
And, somewhere in the shadows of those mountains, something else was waiting too.