~Timeskip to morning~

I wake up to complete darkness. I lay in bed for a couple of minutes. I roll over into my side, only to fall to the ground. Yelping in surprise, I sit up, placing my back against the side of my bed.

  I have a massive headache, and I feel very unrested. Every heart beat brings a new wave of misery to my sleep-deprived body.

   But, I'm still in Sabertooth! I smile slightly, before frowning in thought.

   What does this mean now? If Master Jiemma was telling the truth, he trusts me even more than the Twin Dragons, Sting and Rogue.

I mean, that's not that surprising, considering Sting's childish and cocky attitude, but then again, it's very surprising. Sting and Rogue are very well-known, which means they have an image to maintain for the sake of Sabertooth. If Jiemma didn't trust them to keep a clean-cut image, then they wouldn't be here anymore. If Jiemma trusts me more than that, what does that mean?

I shake my head in confusion. I'll find out later, I guess.

I think back to last night, right before I talked to Master Jiemma. My breath hitches.

Why was Sting staring at me...? I ask myself. I feel a chill run down my spine, tingling pleasantly. My eyes widen as I realize what's going on.

  Baka! You can't like Sting!  I scold myself.

   How about Rogue then? I mean, they're both equally-

  Shut up! I think to myself, my face heating up.

   Just because they're...attractive doesn't mean I can think of them like that! I look at the ground, embarrassed. Great, now I'm starting to get embarrassed when nobody is even around.

  Smiling, I sigh and walk downstairs, not even bothering to check the time. It doesn't matter if it's 12 am or 5 am, I won't be able to fall back asleep.

I'm pretty much awake now, but just to boost my energy, I'll have a cup or two of coffee.

I pour water into my crappy coffee maker until it reaches the line, before placing a new filter in and dumping ground coffee into the filter.

While waiting for the pot of coffee to fill, I grab a plain black mug from a cupboard. I also take out my Half & Half  carton from the fridge, and a pot of sugar.

   My coffee announces it is full with a sharp BEEP!. I eagerly take the pot of coffee out of the coffee maker and pour it into my mug.

I stir in my precious Half & Half before adding sugar. I tentatively bring the mug to my lips, sipping the tiniest amount of coffee to test the temperature. It's perfect.

  I laze around my condo for a few minutes, finishing my coffee. I dump my mug in the sink, then walk back upstairs. Rubbing my eyes, I turn on my lights in my bedroom. I hiss as it slowly illuminates my room.

   The rent for this condo is really cheap for its condition and size, but the lighting is really quite terrible. Not that I mind. My (e/c) eyes are really sensitive to light, anyway.

I pick out my signature outfit: (f/c) skinny jeans with (f/c) converse paired with a simple (f/c) short-sleeve shirt and a grey hoodie. I take a quick shower and blow dry my hair before donning my clothes.

Still as drowsy has ever, I stumble over to my clock to check the time. My clock reads: 4:36. My eyes widen in surprise. That's late for me! Ever since the Tenrou incident, I can never sleep for long. I try, I really do, but they haunt my dreams.

   Sighing, I walk back downstairs. After considering having more coffee, I just let my mind take over my body. I burst out the door, where a fresh batch of snow paints the scene a soft white. Breathing in the crisp air, I smile ever so slightly.

   Who ever heard of snow in late March?  I ask myself, shaking my head in amusement.

   I stroll around town, enjoying the beautiful landscape under the light of the pale sunrise.

   It begins to snow again. My breaths make puffs of 'clouds' appear in the air. My fingers start becoming numb, and I wish I had brought some gloves.

I start walking to my guild hall, unaware of the sets of eyes following my every move.

I am about halfway there, when I feel a hand on my shoulder. Instantly, I swirl around to see who it is.

"Hey, beautiful." The drunk who tapped my shoulder, says. His words are slurred together.

Rolling my eyes, I turn back around and try to walk to Sabertooth...

"Not so fast, girlie. Why don't you show us some of your tricks?" Another drunk says, pushing me into the middle of five men who surround me.

Great. Just great. I think.

"How about no?" I answer, glaring. I have a habit of blurting things out in situations where I probably shouldn't. It's probably going to get me killed someday.

One of them pull out a knife from their sleeve, waving it threateningly at me. He's not drunk.

"Are you sure about that?" He asks, smirking. I clench my fists. Leave it to a gang of boys to ruin my morning.

"Yes." I hiss. Another frowns.

"Aww, you're cute when you're mad." He mocks. They all chuckle. I feel fear in the pit of my stomach, but I try to ignore it. I really don't want to make a scene, so I push past one in an attempt to escape. He catches me by my hood, dragging me back.

"I already told you, not so-" I elbow him in the face.

That's it. I think. They're asking for it.

The one who pulled out a knife runs straight at me. I wait until the last second; then I duck, sweep his legs out from under him, and twist his arm sharply, making him drop his knife, which I grab. I knock him out with a single blow to the head.

   Meanwhile, the others are charging at me. I bang the first one on the head with the handle of the knife with great force, knocking him out.

   The next pulls out a knife, and being drunk, swipes aimlessly at my head, which I easily dodge. I elbow his jaw, then knock him out the same way.

His drunk acquaintance foolishly tries to jab at my ribs with the handle, thinking it's the blade, which I side step. I take his knife by simply pulling it out of his hands by the handle. Dropping the knife, I kick him where the sun doesn't shine (A/N: If you know what I mean lol), then kick him square in the chest. He flies backwards and hits a wall, and he's out.

   The last one left it sober, and he looks apprehensive. I realize he's just a boy, no older than 12. He puts his hands up in defeat.

"L-look, please don't h-hurt me. I-I'm just t-trying to earn m-money for my family." He says in a small voice. He shakes as I approach him.

"Promise not to ever hang out with them, okay? We don't need delinquents in this town." I say in a loud, intimidating voice. Truthfully, I just don't want him getting involved with people like them.

He cowers in fear and nods. Sighing a little bit, I hug him, and which definitely takes him by surprise.

I hand him 10,000 jewel.

"Take care, alright?" I say with a soft voice.

His mouth hangs open and he nods again, speechless. I turn around and resume walking to Sabertooth. I hold up a hand in Fairy Tail's signature gesture while walking away.

The boy is left dumbfounded with 10,000 jewel still clenched in his hand.

~•--------------------------------------•~

Sorry I haven't updated in a while. And that this chapter is sorta boring. But, don't worry, the real action will be picking up really soon!!

I hope you enjoyed, and sorry if the fight scene was bad.

Also, thanks for 200 reads!! :D

~Ari