Chapter Eight

A/N: In honor of chapter eight, I doodled Eight! Yay. My precious little cinnamon bun. x

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Natsu

I must've tossed and turned in that bed fifty times before I tore the covers off and sat up in bed. Rubbing my eyes, I felt sheer exhaustion pull me back towards the bed, but I resisted the urge, knowing there was no hope for me to get sleep tonight.

I slowly slid out of the bed and walked around it, squinting at the bright red numbers on the bedside table's clock. 2:36, it read. I sighed, knowing I had about five or six hours until Gray woke up again.

Moving towards the desk chair, I grabbed my windbreaker - the ACFP staff was generous to donate a few pairs of clothes each to us - and pulled my wings through the cut-out slits on the back. I zipped up the jacket and walked to the window, fumbling with the latch.

Cold air whipped at my face when I pushed it open, and I climbed on the air conditioning unit to get in a crouch position by the window. Staring down at the thirteen-story drop below me, I tried not to think of what would happen if I snapped my wings out too late.

God, I cursed myself. You have fucking wings and still have a fear of heights. So pathetic.

With one last look at Gray, who was sleeping undisturbed and looked like an amorphous lump underneath the covers, I focused on the drop ahead of me. Positioning my wings back, I leaped out of the window and spread them wide to catch a breeze.

Dipping down, I arched near the ground and soared back up into the sky, no clear destination in mind. All I could think of was the cold night air whipping all around me as I flew higher.

Going for a fly always cleared my mind when I was feeling particularly stressed back at Starlight City. There was something so exhilarating, so freeing about being alone in the clouds. You could separate yourself from the rest of the world, pretend like you didn't have to be a part of it, even if it was just for a short, blissful amount of time.

In the clouds, time could stop if you wanted it to. And sometimes, that's all I needed.

It was too cold to fly any higher, so I opted for the tallest tree in the forest to sit by. Careful not to hit any branches, I found a sturdy branch a hundred feet in the air, located near the top of the tree. The curve of my back rested perfectly against the trunk's arch, allowing me to sink down.

Folding my wings back, I leaned my back against the trunk of the tree and extended my legs out in front of me. From here, I could see the stars, sky, the horizon, and everything in between.

Silence enveloped me like a thick blanket, so quiet it was nearly suffocating. My eyelids drooped to a close, and I exhaled out my worries. It was so quiet, in fact, when I heard the snap of a twig a hundred feet below, I immediately sat up, alert.

What was that? I tensed up, squinting to the dark abyss below me to try and spot the source of the noise. Probably just a squirrel, I assured myself after a moment of illogical thought processing.

The shuffling of leaves then followed, and I pressed myself further back into the tree to make myself smaller, pulling my legs close to my torso and resting my chin on my knees. Someone is here, I realized. The hair on my neck stood up, and an electrifyingly cold shiver shot down my spine.

I wondered if I would make it unnoticed if I took off now, but before I could consider taking a flying leap off the branch, a flash of black flew by my eyes, shooting a cool gust of wind in my face. I tried to look for the amorphous figure, eventually landing eyes on him sitting on a nearby tree.

Was this the experiment who was apparently hunting Gray and I down?

"Hey!" I shouted angrily. When he didn't respond, I grew impatient, balling my fists. Anger rushed through me with each passing moment; it started as a slow build in the pit of my stomach, bubbling up like acid until even my tips of my fingers ached with the white-hot burning sensation.

I rose to my feet, extending my wings slowly. "Hello?" I called out, softer this time. "Can you hear me?"

The silhouette shifted, like shimmering, translucent shadows behind the light of the moon. When the moonlight reflected against their face, I saw the faintest detailing of their countenance; their ruby-red, evil eyes. They remained silent, unwavering, unblinking. It irritated me to no end, inspiring me to try something.

Stepping off the tree branch, I plummeted down to Earth, only narrowly avoiding various scrapes and cuts. When I was close enough to the ground, I snapped out my wings and rotated to soar through the narrow pathways to disappear in the forest.

You want to play hide-and-seek, Shadow? I taunted. Come and find me.

I found a soft spot to land on and touched land gracefully, sitting on the nearby log to wait for the shadow. I listened attentively, tuning into the sound when I heard the rustling of wings up above and almost-silent flight down to the ground. Almost. My extrasensory mutated genes allowed me to know he was approaching even before he was close enough to see me, even with powerful night vision.

I took off in a run, ducking and jumping to avoid sharp branches and thorns winding between tree trunks. I was headed towards the thickest part of the forest, where the spaces between trees became thinner and my running skills had to get better. I jumped over the creek, using my wings to give me a speed boost.

The splashing of water alerted me that my shadow wasn't too far behind. I swerved, changing directions abruptly and finding a large tree to hide behind. My footsteps slowed to remain quiet. I knew where to step; anywhere with leaves or sticks would crunch under my feet. Trodding softly on squishy forest dirt, I crouched down behind the tree and tried to catch my breath quietly.

The world around me was silent for a good three minutes before I believed I was safe, and I made the fatal mistake of stepping out from behind the tree and allowing myself to be visible again.

The shadow appeared out of nowhere, swooping down without hesitation and pinning my wrists against the tree. I gasped in pain at his death grip, grating my skin against the rough bark of the trunk.

I could clearly see their face now; it was a boy, who couldn't be more than fifteen, with shaggy black hair that covered one eye. He was glowering at first, impatient. Eyebrows knitted together, eyes narrowed, the side of his mouth twitching in contempt. When he realized what he had done and saw the look of shock on my face, he looked surprised in himself. He opened his mouth to say something, but snapped it shut just as quickly.

He was small, frail even, clearly no match for my larger frame. I easily tore away from his grasp by yanking my hands away. I sent a punch to his gut, causing him to tumble to the forest floor. His hands streaked with dirt, he wiped them on his torn outfit. His wings rose off his back, reflexively protecting him.

"Look, I don't know what your problem is," I took cautious steps back, keeping my eyes trained on the unmoving, feathery blob sprawled out on the dirt. "But you better stay away from me and Gray, or you will not like what happens next."

I made a move to walk away just as I heard him make a noise. The boy coughed, sounding like the words were lodged in his throat. "P-please," He begged hoarsely, voice scratchy and uneven. "I- I-"

Pausing, I turned back back around, watching as he tried to pick himself up. He staggered when upright, legs shaking. He looked like he could topple over at any second. I strode back towards him, shoving him against the trunk. The shoe's on the other foot now, Shadow.

"What do you want with me?" I demanded, clenching my jaw. He continued to stutter incomprehensible words, and I tightened my grasp on his arms, making him cry in pain.

"I do not want to hurt you," He finally whispered something I could understand, voice so soft I wouldn't have heard him if I wasn't hung up on every syllable that he uttered. His eyes sparkled with fear, and I could feel his heartbeat from the close gap between us.

"Then why are you following Gray and me?" I raised my voice, vision splotched with shades of angry red.

"H-he made us," His voice wavered, lip quivering. "He- he said-"

"Said what?" I narrowed my eyes.

"Ahh!" He cried out. His eyes watered as he tried to pull away from my grip. "H-h-hot!"

Terrified, I released my hands immediately, and he crumpled to the ground in a heap, crying. As he cried into his hands, I saw the hand-shaped burn marks I left on his skin, light pink contrasting the pale flesh. I stared at my hands in disgust, then down at the broken boy.

"I-I'm sorry," I mumbled, backing away before turning abruptly and taking off in a run. Footsteps echoed behind me, and I realized he was following me closely.

I tried to make my way out of the forest, blindly taking turns left and right. It felt like the world was suffocating me and there was no escape. The darkness surrounding me mixed with the eerie feeling of wild animals watching me as I sprinted away. Thorns and branches clawed and scratched at my ankles. I glanced up; if I could climb up one of the trees or find a space to fly upwards, I could manage a take off and leave the woods through the air.

Thankfully, I stumbled upon a clearing. Without a second's hesitation, I sprinted faster, creating enough inertia and flapping my wings to get me into the air. It hurt my core to perform a ground takeoff, and I had to push off the ground in a spring leap in order to gain height.

Coasting into the sky, I didn't look down until I was high enough in the air to survey my surroundings. The world around me was dark, the only source of light coming from the windows of the headquarters, twinkling spots of light on the horizon.

I sighed, relieved that I lost him. I made my way back down, coasting in the direction of the ACFP. I grazed the tops of the trees, feeling the moisture of freshly fallen rain on the leaves. I knew he was out there somewhere, and that unnerved me. The waves of nausea that rolled over me alerted me that something wasn't right.

I don't want to hurt you, he had said.

Was he telling the truth?

I didn't even have the reaction time to comprehend as a streak of black flashed before my eyes, and the dark-haired boy was flying by my side yet again.

"H-how did you catch up with me?" I asked, astounded.

"I- I don't know," He started to cry again, wiping his eyes. "I don't know-" He repeated through his sobs. "I don't know what's going on... I don't want to hurt you, I just... Don't want to go back there!! Please don't make me go back!!"

His flight pattern was faltering, and like a plane whose engine died, he began to spiral down to the ground. Without thinking, I rushed down after him, snapping my wings back harshly to pick up speed. I caught him a mere meter from the ground, flying forward and tumbling into the grass ungracefully.

The shadow boy remained face-down on the ground, his sobs making his body shake. "P-please," He begged, voice muffled. I could only make out phrases. "..going to k-kill us... trackers... don't w-want to..."

I picked myself off the ground and knelt by him, daring to touch his shoulder. "Hey," I called for him in a low voice, careful not to startle him. He turned his head, and I brushed the hair out of his eyes. Tears and dirt stained his cheeks, and his eyes were red from irritation. "I'm not going to hurt you anymore, okay? Just tell me what's going on."

He turned his gaze away, staring off into the distance. His red eyes looked dead, like there was no soul, the humanity sucked out of them. "Two more days," He mumbled.

"Two more days until what?" I asked, despair setting in my stomach. Somehow, I already knew the answer, and it wasn't a good one. His voice wavered, afraid to allow the words to leave him.

"Until the end of the world."