Crossing State Lines

KIRU NIVANI

965/2800 Words

The shadows of the night could slowly be seen creeping up the rocky faces of the cliffs around the small makeshift campsite. The sun had begun to set on the horizon just as the small flakes of burnt wood drifted into the air above the fire. Kiru sat next to it, staring at the flames within deep thought. Her cyan gaze unmoving as the other figure in the campsite could be heard rummaging around his tent. Making last minute preparations before the two decided to head out. The demon slayer would not move from her position, unphased by the man's obvious nervousness. All she could do was stare at the fire with her regular blank expression, a hood covering her split coloured hair. "Oh god oh god oh god..." Kiru's gaze did not shift. "Are you sure this is enough? What if we get spotted? You intend to fight all of them yourself? I can't believe you're all they sent... Oh god!" With a heavy sigh, the demon slayer finally moved her optics from the flickering flames and looked at her companion who had been digging through a large backpack. "Trust me, I know the stakes. I wouldn't have come if I didn't think I could handle the job." She said in a monotone voice. It didn't really seem all that reassuring to him. "S- Still! You're only just one wizard! They have a lot more!" Kiru finally stood up and turned to face him completely, crossing her arms. "Your lack of faith in my ability is duly noted Mr. Hano, yet that does not change my purpose for being here." Kiru told him. She angled her head slightly towards the path that had darkened with the coming night. "You asked for help, and I seem to have been the only person willing to come to your aid. I've handled more challenging jobs before." She said truthfully. Kiru had undergone some serious trials in her day. Sneaking past a border wasn't going to be anything special for her.

Hano began to pace back and forth across the campfire as Kiru stood there staring at him without expression. "I- I trust you! Believe me, I do! I- It's just that I think we should wait a little longer for anyone else to show! Please Miss Nivani!" Kiru sighed and slowly shook her head. Fear was an irritating factor in this mission. "Fine. But we should not delay too long, Mr. Hano. The border guards may not stick to their usual rotations for much longer." She told him. That fact wasn't entirely true, at least not that Kiru could guess anyways. But it was enough to make the man fear the consequences of waiting too long. Truthfully? Kiru just wanted to get this job over with... And quickly. She had places to be. Oddly enough she found her life was not any less busy than it was before she left the guild. Around every corner she came across someone who needed something from her. Luckily her identity to much of the population of Fiore as previous Rising Star and guild ace of Black Rose had remained a mystery. She had no idea what her guild would be doing right now, but she couldn't be too careful in case Izayuki had sent someone to track her down. The last thing she wanted right now was to see anyone from Black Rose. The guild had gone corrupt in Kiru's eyes. She was already against using shady business deals and violence to accomplish their goals, but teaming up with terrorists and accepting murderers into their own guild was the last straw. She couldn't bear to be around them any longer, especially when every one of them seemed to be against her. She needed a break. It was obvious that Black Rose was going to continue with Iza's plans despite her council against them, so she decided that she wasn't going to be apart of it. Maybe she'd return in the future, but with the path the guild was on now, that option didn't seem likely to happen anytime soon.

Hano was doing some more last minute prep. Double checking and triple checking everything he had. Which seemed to be a lot. It was true that sneaking over a border would probably require the need to take as little as possible, but then again this man was completely abandoning his life and aiming to start a new one. According to the flyer she had found, Hano's friend had been murdered due to his lack of magical power. Now he was moving away before the same thing happened to him. She could easily understand his plight, and decided not to bother him about his carry on. After all, Kiru wasn't planning on getting the two caught. According to a map she had picked up, there was a large river that went right through the border of the two countries. She had hoped to use her demon slayer magic in order to utilize that river to their advantage. A veil of water to protect them from the watchful gaze of the towers that dotted the mountain range which loomed in the distance.

"The flyer said to meet at this spot.. Just give them another hour. More people must've seen that flyer!" Hano said, looking at the path with a worried expression. All Kiru could do was sigh and lean back against the tent. She pulled her hood lower and shut her eyes so nobody could make out her identity until she revealed it herself. After all, what could she do? She couldn't complete the job unless the client reached the other end of the border, and she wasn't about to force her only source of income into dangerous territory against his will.

KIRU NIVANI

1827/2800 Words

It didn't take long for Kiru's slayer senses to pick up the scent of approaching figures. Friendly or foe, she could not determine from this distance, although some did seem somewhat familiar. She abruptly stood up from her spot in front of the campfire and stared at the cliffs with a stern, serious expression. This action caused Hano to stop his talking and turn to her, instantly getting even more worried when he saw her expression. Kiru said nothing at all, but only continued to stare towards the cliffs, slowly turning her head to encompass her view across all of them. Silence. Finally however, a figure appeared. Much to Kiru's surprise she recognized the figure to be none other than Mura Kensho. Kiru's muscles relaxed slightly and she straightened her back, crossing her arms as he approached. If she remembered correctly, the last time she had seen the fairy tail wizard, he was repaying his debt to her guild by assisting her with a mission. That was some time ago, however, she wondered if he had changed much since then. Kiru nodded towards him as he approached and finally spoke. "Indeed. Although I do not plan on staying here long. The night only lasts so long, and darkness is our best bet on getting across undetected." She said turning towards the nearby mountains that loomed like ominous shadows in the night. Kiru had naturally assumed that If Mura had randomly showed up to this spot at this specific moment than he was also here for the same job. If that was the case, Kiru didn't think she really needed to explain things to him, assuming he already knew what was about to happen. While Kiru was stuck with her emotionless ways as always, Hano was thrilled to see someone else had finally come.

"OH thank gods! Finally more capable wizards! I- I told you more would come Miss Nivani! S- See! He's here to help!" Kiru narrowed her eyes at Hano and hissed. "Shh! We have no idea who could be nearby. Try not to blow our cover!" She said through a harsh whisper. "S- Sorry.." Kiru sighed and slowly shook her head before returning her attention to the fairy tail wizard. She sized him up quickly before speaking again. "Seem's time has been good to you. Don't seem to have changed much since we last spoke." She nodded. Of course, what people saw was only half the story. Much like Kiru, Mura could have gone through some tough events since the last she saw him. She was careful not to jump to conclusions. Kiru might've looked the same as always, but inside she was still mourning the state of her guild, and how she left things. She almost wished she could go back and apologize. Make things right... But that was impossible. Not with the way the guild was acting right now. Kiru could not take part in any of their schemes or plots with the way Izayuki was handling things. And it had been made clear to Kiru that nobody else in the guild thought the same way as her. She'd be treated as an outsider, and would be ignored.

Not long after however, Kiru could hear others approaching. This time from the main pathways that lead to the main road. She turned her head slightly and slowly closed her eyes... That scent... Oh no... This job was about to get very awkward. As soon as the woman began to speak to them Kiru let out a long heavy sigh and opened her cyan gaze to stare at the three newcomers.. Specifically Jiyu. Kiru did not say or do anything, she simply stood there with her arms crossed as Hano quickly went over to greet the new wizards. Kiru had to have prepared for this eventuality at some point, but she never did. The last time she saw Jiyu the woman attempted to knock her out. If their guildmaster hadn't intervened, a very destructive battle would've likely ensued. However, here, there was no guildmaster to leash the wind mage. Kiru could guess she was here for the same reason as the rest of them. There was no way Izayuki had sent her to look for Kiru. She just hoped the guildmember wouldn't compromise the mission with the demon slayer's presence. Kiru could get over it and focus entirely on the job if she had too, but she had no idea how Jiyu operated.

The only reflection of Kiru's emotion was the faint thunder in the distance as a storm cloud formed overhead... "Seems like everyone is here... We should get moving Mr Hano..." Kiru said to the man as she eyed the other two wizards who came along with Jiyu. By the looks it she saw Advent. A surprisingly clever and intuitive child she had met on few occasion. His blindness wasn't a concern for Kiru, she knew he was capable of handling his own despite the lack of sight. As for the girl, she had never seen her before. However she smelled like Kiru's own aura.. A slayer? But of what type and element, she could not determine.

Oh no! I'm late! I'm late!

The panic Nessa was feeling was at maximum capacity right now, she had managed to jump onto the tail of a really important job and she was friggin' late for it. A bunch of mages were out there waiting for her to arrive, Oh gosh, I hope they're not mad. It was all because Sebastian had spent a ridiculous amount of time arguing with her about whether he should be allowed to go. She had preferred that he wouldn't but he had basically clung onto her leg all the way out of the door. Resulting in a magic spat between the two of them. With a growl of frustration and realising how much time the two of them had taken up fighting about it. She had given in and allowed the damn exceed to attend the job. Although this had stopped him from holding onto her and slowing her down. As a result she had the job of experience him giving a lecture the whole time they were travelling. The two mages whizzed through the air, the little grey Exceed had his white wings out and was flapping along. Nessa had her orbs spinning around her vigorously, giving her the ability to levitate. Her feet glowing as well, propelling her through the air at great speed. She had also transferred a little of her magic to Sebastian so that he could fly faster and therefore keep up with her.

"...and another thing, you do realise you can't just coddle Arielle and I all the time, I mean, I get Arielle cause he's a fairy and doesn't have any offensive magic, but you know I can fight right. Sometimes I swear you do nothing but hold me back cause you're scared I'm going to get hurt when I clearly am tough enough to handle myself. I've been fighting a lot longer than you have Ness, and yet you always underestimate me..." The Exceed's lecture seemed to dragged on for an boorish amount of time. How long had it been now? At least two hours of non-stop telling off. This was probably his third round of telling her how strong and capable he was, undoubtedly she would be hit with another talk about how he couldn't progress if he didn't get to do the tough jobs and that accepting help from others is a sign of strength rather than weakness. Nessa could go on and on about how she only stopped him from joining her on the occasional job to protect him and Arielle, but those comments always seemed to fall on deaf ears. She cared about Sebastian like a brother rather than a pet, and the last thing she wanted was to lose him. Maybe it was selfish of her, but she just couldn't handle the thought of losing anyone else.

Nessa was only half listening because at present she was trying to figure out where the heck she was supposed to be. She reached into her satchel, checking the paper once again. Squinting as she tried to read it awkwardly as it flapped in the wind of her flight. She skimmed the words before chucking it back in her white bag, she was definitely heading in the right direction. It was just a case of finding the others now. She was wearing her usual white and purple dress. Sporting her neckless with the blue crystal she had earned from her first job with Rina. Underneath her dress the magical corset she had recently acquired as well. It was pretty tight and uncomfortable but it was worth it for the extra layer of magical protection. Even though this job was simply a matter of escorting an individual to the Pergrande border, something told her it wasn't going to be an easy feat. There was bound to be resistance, so she had brought a long everything in hopes that this would help her be a useful member of the group. Although being late to the party, wasn't exactly a good start..

As her violet eyes scanned the ground below her, she spotted a group of people, appearing to already be on the move. That's gotta be them! She thought happily, she did an excited little squeak before swooping down at full speed, heading in a little too fast as she realised a few metres up she was going to crash. She pulled herself up quickly, barely catching herself in time. She still hit the ground pretty hard, a cloud of dust bursting up as she landed. She stood there eyes shut, coughing for a moment. The grey exceed flew down next to her, arms cross over his chest. "Real smooth Ness." He remarked sarcastically, as the dust settled she shot Sebastian a look before glancing back to the others. "Sorry I'm late!" She said in an anxious tone, hoping they wouldn't be annoyed with her. She spotted two familiar faces, the first was a brown haired guy from her own guild, and her fellow ace. The other was a black haired girl she'd recognised from the beach party she'd recently gone to. "Oh hey Mura, Adalinda! Good to see you!"She looked at the rest of the group, none of which she knew. There was a white haired man who was blindfolded for some reason. A girl with two toned haired, Oh wow, cute! She thought in reference to the hairstyle, the other a pretty blue-haired girl with animal ears. Then finally an anxious looking man who Nessa assumed was the client they were escorted, on account of the lack of magical energy she sensed. "Um, I'm Nessa Cordelia Lux from Fairy Tail, my Exceed friend here is Sebastian." She said, the cat floated over to the other exceed. He sniffed her, "You smell familiar... like someone I've met before, but less drunk." He remarked, Nessa stared at him with a confused look, wondering why on earth he was talking to the purple exceed this way. Shaking her head she glanced back at the others with a nervous smile, "Er, don't mind me, guess we can just er… carry on our way." She said hoping they would all forget about her tardiness quite quickly.