Big Shot S-Class Wizard

Natsu's eyes flashed behind his shoulder then back to me. "How do you want to play this?" Even as far away as I was from this unidentified person...I could feel his Magic.

This Wizard was strong.

Stronger than Erza or even Laxus. This guys Magic could go head to head with Gramps's Magic. I narrowed my eyes as I leaned in closer to Natsu.

I had felt this Magic before.

My eyes widened for a fraction of a second. In the crowd...when I had felt someone watching me. This was him. This was the same damn guy!

I looked to Natsu and I knew he could clearly see the worry in my eyes. We...we couldn't beat him.

I slowly reached up and gripped my necklace. But...I could maybe give us a few minutes to run. I glanced over at Natsu, who's body had locked up. I could give him a few minutes to run.

"Natsu," I said close to his ear, "When I say run, you run." He nodded his head. I took a breath and closed my eyes. I could faintly hear his footsteps as he approached us. However, something seemed wrong with his footsteps. They almost sounded...mechanical. I would only have one chance. My eyes flashed open and I grabbed Natsu. I tackled him to the ground, and called for my daggers, just as the powerful Wizard broke through the trees.

In a flash of blue light they appeared before me. I grabbed both of them and hurtled one of them just as Natsu grabbed my wrist...to stop me?

"No! Freya!" He screamed. My eyes widened down at him and my eyes flashed to my dagger that was still flying toward the Mage. My hand shot out and I yelled, "Stop!"

My dagger stopped an inch away from the man's eye.

"Come."

I muttered and my dagger came flying back to my open palm. I could clearly see the man now. He was a tall, muscular man with shoulder length orange hair, and he was also sporting a stubbly beard. He was wearing a long, black, high collared and tattered cloak with shoulder plates; around his waist was a simple belt.

He gave both of us a confused look and muttered, "I must have taken a wrong turn." He scratched the back of his head and looked at Natsu. "Excuse me, can you direct me to Fairy Tail?"

Natsu shifted underneath me and I leaped off of him, but I didn't take my eyes off the man. Natsu leaped up, and with a big goofy grin on his face, he ran over to the man screaming, "Gildarts! Your back!"

The man, Gildarts, opened up his arms, and Natsu ran into them. Gildarts let out a throaty laugh and hugged Natsu to him. "I barely recognized you, Natsu!" He said as he patted Natsu's head. "You've grown since the last time I saw you!" Natsu looked up and grinned.

I let out a breath, they...they looked like father and son...and I felt so awkward standing there and staring at the two of them like a creeper. I looked away, put my daggers in my belt loops, and began to quietly walk away. I halted when I heard Gildarts say, "Who's the pretty lady that was on top of you?"

My mouth dropped open and I'm pretty sure my face turned the color of Erza's hair. I spun around and waved my arms in front of me.

"That's not it at all! That-that was j-just-" I was just trying to protect him! I thought silently because currently I couldn't say a damn thing! Natsu turned to face me and grinned, "That's our Freya, she joined the Guild about five months ago."

Gildarts nodded, took a step toward me, and extended his hand to me. I looked at his hand for a moment then took it. He gripped my hand and shook it once. With my hand still gripped firmly in his own, Gildarts said, "I saw you fight. Very impressive moves and Magic."

He leaned in a bit closer to me and he gripped my hand tighter. "What else can you do?" This man's eyes were bright and very aware. He was completely different from the man that I had just seen a few moments ago. I narrowed my eyes and tightened my own grip on his hand.

"Your Gildarts Clive, S-Class Wizard of Fairy Tail, you also go by the name of the 'Ace of Fairy Tail' or 'Gildarts of the West'." I narrowed my eyes further. "You are without a left arm or left leg. Your chest sports two deep scar marks that are still giving you trouble when you suck in a sharp breath. Those scars and your missing limps are the fault of a black Dragon that you met quite a while ago." Gildarts's eyes widened a little bit but I kept going with a blank look on my face.

"You use Caster-Type Magic, one of your most used and most powerful Caster-Type Magics is 'Crash' which is your signature move." I finished as I squeezed his hand tight then dropped it. Gildarts eyed me, "How did you know about my limbs and scars?"

I kept my face blank as I crossed my arms over my chest. "When you walked toward me just now I could see that you were slightly limping on your left side and you were leaning a little bit more on your right leg then your left. Which told me that you either broke or lost your limbs on your left. I knew you lost them because of the look in your eyes."

His black eyes flashed with my words. "You have a sort of haunted look in them but you also have a 'I'm still strong' look, even though you lost some vital limbs. I knew it was from a Dragon because I have heard what had happened on that Island roughly seven to eight years ago. I was only a child when that happened but I remember when they came back after their seven year absence.

"So, I figured it must be from that same Dragon that sank the Island because that is the only Dragon that has ever been spotted. That, Gildarts, is how I knew." Both Gildarts and Natsu were staring at me with shock clearly written across their faces.

Perhaps I over did it...

"You've got quite a girlfriend, Natsu." Gildarts said as he patted my head.

"She's not my girlfriend!"

"I'm not his girlfriend!" We both screeched.

"Lies!" Happy yelled as he landed on top of Gildarts's head. He pointed to the top of his head and said, "I agree with the talking cat."

I face palmed.

Natsu appeared by Gildarts's side and started yelling at Happy for not backing him up. As the two of them argued, Gildarts and I studied one another. After a moment I looked away and looked at Natsu and Happy who were both red in the face or fur.

I smiled and pivoted around. I put a hand in the air and flicked my wrist in goodbye, "See ya later, Natsu, Happy!" I called over my shoulder, I glanced over my shoulder at Gildarts, "You too, Gildarts..." He nodded his head at me and turned to the boys with a smile.

I frowned as I faced forward. Before I was completely lost from view, I could feel Gildarts's eyes boring a hole into my back.

He knew something...

********************************

I was flipping one of my daggers in the air as I was in deep thought. Gildarts's face kept flashing in my mind. I huffed out a breath as I flipped my dagger in my hand.

Something was off about that guy. I didn't like how he kept staring at me with such intense eyes. It was like he was trying to see past all my lies and see the truth...of who I really was.

"Damn." I muttered as I flipped my dagger in the air. I caught it just as a flash of emerald green went through my mind. I kept walking as my mind traveled back to the night I had. Fireworks. Warmth. The feeling of finally being safe. Natsu. How he had looked at me with those burning eyes of his.

How I had felt when he wrapped his arms around me and we both watched the night sky light up. I closed my eyes and Natsu's smiling face appeared. I fluttered my eyes open again as I looked up at the night sky. I wondered if he was thinking about me as I was thinking about him. I wondered if he was looking at the same star as I was at that moment. I put a hand to my chest, right over my rapid beating heart.

"How are you able to make me feel this way?"

I muttered as I flipped my dagger back up in the air. I knew it was dangerous...to have all these strange and confusing feelings trapped inside of me. But, I couldn't help it. I didn't know how to stop it...and...I didn't think I wanted to make it stop.

If anything I wanted to embrace it. Perhaps it was time to stop running. To stop waiting in fear. To stop trying to leave. Perhaps...it was time to actually start living again. To actually let myself...love.

What a strange thought to have.

I had just started to smile when I felt someone coming up behind me. My dagger landed in my hand just as I spun around. I grabbed my other dagger from its place on my belt loop and put them both in front of me in a X. I watched as the person following me came out of the shadows and into view.

His metal arm glistened in the moonlight along with my daggers. His metal leg made small clacking sounds as he took another step closer. From across the small space separating us, our eyes locked with each other's. Gildarts Clive lifted his head and looked at me with a blank face. Then he opened his mouth and said the words that could bring my whole world crashing down.

"I know who you are."

I stared at Gildarts frozen in shock. "What did you say?" I asked disbelievingly. Gildarts stayed exactly where he was, "I said, I know who you are." I sucked in a sharp breath and out in a blank mask. "And, just who do you think I am?"

Gildarts smirked, "Your the girl I was sent to destroy."

My whole world seemed to stop.

I took a step back and I'm sure he could see my eyes shining with pure shock. There...there were Job Requests about killing me? He must have read my mind, "Yes, there are, but they are only for S-Class Wizards." Oh, well, that helped! Now at least I knew all the strongest Wizards would be coming after me.

Oh, joy.

"How did you know I was the girl in the flyer?" Nobody has ever seen my face or heard my voice. Nobody. So how did he know?

Gildarts blinked, "The way you fought and your Magic tipped me off that it was you I was looking for." He crossed his arms over his chest and chuckled. "You have no idea how long it took me to find you! I must have been gone for what? A year and a half?"

They have been searching for me for that long? I eyed the powerful Mage, "What do you plan on doing now that you have found me?" Gildarts put a hand to the side of his cheek, "I have no idea. I suppose it's all up to you."

I paused, thinking about his answer, and studying him. His posture was relaxed...friendly even. "How so?" I asked.

"If I see you as a threat to my Guild then I will take you out." He said with clear warning in his voice. "But, if I see that perhaps you have changed, then I just might forget." Gildarts grinned as he tapped the side of his head with his fist. "I'm getting old and my memory is starting to fail me."

I cocked my head to the right, "Why? Why would you do that?" I said still weary. Gildarts smiled and pointed to my chest. "Cause you bear the Fairy Tail Mark. Your family now and family doesn't give up on family."

With that he turned around but paused to look over his shoulder at me. "Just so you know, I was actually coming here to warn you."

"About what?" I muttered as I slowly lowered my daggers.

"About staying away from, Natsu," I stiffened but before I could protest, he went on, "But I can clearly see that that won't work. Seeing as how you two always seem to be together."

I didn't say a word. Because what he was saying was true. I could never do that...leave him alone...even though I knew how selfish it was.

"But let me just say this." Gildarts said as he began walking away from me. "If you hurt him, or your past hurts him," he glanced over his shoulder at me and smirked, "Yay, I don't need to continue." With a flutter of his ratty cloak he was gone.

Yay, Gildarts, you don't need to continue...because I would never forgive myself if that happened. I would just do your job for you then.

I closed my eyes for a moment then continued walking. I sent my daggers back as I looked back up at the night sky. Gildarts knew my secret. He knows who I am. And yet, he didn't kill me, or tell anyone. Perhaps I could trust him after all. I touched my Fairy Tail Mark, I loved my...family, and I would die before I let anything happen to them.

Well, Gildarts knows Freya's little secret. What do you all think about that? And what about the warning that Gildarts gave her? Who posted the flyer and who's after Freya?