Disclaimer: I don't own anything.

Old Neighbourhood

Darkness was falling, making the world seem somber than it was.

There was an avenue, new, polished stone tiles covered the ground, with a silvery fountain in the middle. Water gurgling happily and glinting softly, despite the encompassing darkness. Trees and flowers, in a complicated pattern, were drawing a beautiful sight, in this place that was so pleasant.

The avenue was surrounded by houses. They were the houses of the wealthy people of Magnolia. The white stone and dark wood made the fronts look severe, portraying the kind of people that lived there.

Beyond these fancy houses, there were other, cheaper ones, forming what was called the Old Neighbourhood.

It was an old neigbourhood, in fact, people thought that it might have been there that the city had begun, but it had grown way beyond it, making so that now only people with less monetary means and people with… more colourful pasts, lived there.

The houses were tall and narrow, looming over the alleys, where stray dogs and cats and homeless people lay.

These alleys created a maze where most people – the outsiders – would lose themselves in. That was why they only went down the first couple of rows of houses. If someone went further deep, they would be lost. That was why the Guard was forcing the Mayor to erase that part of town, they had lost too many thieves there. Unfortunately, neither the Mayor nor the population was inclined to let that happen. For, inside the maze, in the middle of all the petty thieves and whatnot, lay a Thieves Guild. And that guild had no qualms in doing justice, as they saw it fit.

And they weren't easy on thieves that invaded their territory.

The guild was what once was the town's Mayor's mansion. Now it was a decrepit mansion, broken windows covered with wooden boards; chipped white paint covered the stone and the ceiling was patched here and there, so that the upper floors didn't have leaks whenever it rained.

The only thing that remained in better condition was the door. The heavy red doors' hinges made no noise and the wood remained sturdy and able to withstand the strength of an enemy attack, were it to come.

Inside, there was a large room, probably the main hall that had been converted in foyer. A long staircase connected the ground floor to the first one, doors on both far walls.

The differences in the town's classes were glaring. Well, they were more noticeable in the clothing. The outsiders, or people from the new town, wore the latest fashion and fabrics of good quality – even those who weren't rich. On the other hand, people from the old neighbourhood tended to use lower quality fabrics, making simple and practical clothes. Those who were on the lowest of the low didn't have other choice but wear their ragged clothes.

However, despite being from the old neighbourhood and what it was, the guild's members' official clothing was of good quality. The one they chose to wear on the day-to-day was simpler, to allow them to blend in.

Running through the tight alleys, feet stomping on the puddles from the afternoon's shower, Natsu felt free. He had his trusty friend, Happy, flying close behind, laughing.

He couldn't help but laugh back, listening to the couple of guards that had dared to follow him this deep into the Citadel, as they liked to call it.

"They're getting closer Natsu." Happy chirped delighted from above.

"I know." Natsu nodded and changed direction, cutting on the left alley and climbing the slightly run down wall. When he was on the other side, he noticed that they were on the Phantom's Crossing. That was it. The guards weren't a problem anymore. Not that they ever had been, mind you.

Taking the tight lane that went back towards the New Town, Natsu headed towards where his friends supposedly were. He tightened his hand unconsciously on the cobalt blue pouch he was holding.

When they reached a bright orange building – which had probably been a tower – and jumped to the window of the first floor (helped by the crates that were under it). Once inside and on wooden landing, Natsu started climbing. His friends were on the roof, for sure.

Yellow light was emitted from the small niches carved on the walls.

Happy had quieted and was looking up, flying up faster than Natsu towards where voices seemed to be coming from; in excited tones.

Opening the shabby door, Natsu found himself under the clear night sky, stars twinkling above.

All conversations seemed to cease at his entrance.

Natsu raised the pouch and so his friends erupted in cheers.

"You did it!"

"Congratulations!"

"I never thought you could really do it."

Natsu smirked and walked until he reached the small coffee table and placed the pouch in it.

"I did it. Time for you to pay up." The pink haired youth crossed his arms in front of his chest.

"Nope. I'll only pay when the old man says it's the right piece." The youth, who had dark spiky hair and was sitting on the lime green sofa, replied. His whole posture emitting nonchalance.

The rest of the gang started cheering.

Natsu threw them a sour look but nobody reacted. 'Of course,' Natsu thought looking towards the sky, 'of course that I had to end up with the group of crazies…'

He looked around. His friends were quite relaxed in the makeshift sofas and stools. To his left, Erza, Lucy, Wendy and Charle were sitting in the mismatched, brown loveseats; Gajeel occupied the yellow sofa in front of Natsu while Gray was sitting on the sofa to his right; Juvia hovering on his right, sitting on a stool and a challenging glint in her eyes. Happy had sat on the back of the yellow sofa, looking at the girls.

Finally, Natsu rolled his eyes and grabbed the pouch, opening it and letting the content fall to his outstretched palm. The glass glinted in the yellow glow that was lighting the place softly. It was a small disc where stone and wood covered the edge, entwining on the places they met. He offered the object to Gray, challenging him to disagree.

"I did what I had to. There's nothing about it. Pay."

Gray snorted and motioned forward, so that his elbows rested on his knees. "I'll say it again. Only after the old man confirms it." His shit eating grin was starting to piss Natsu off.

"Why you-" he was about to take a step forward when;

"Natsu," the stern voice immediately made him stop. He turned to the red head. "Congratulations on successfully finishing your task. I'm sure that the Master will agree with us and let you take yet another step." She finished with a smile.

"Ow, that's not fair. You're making fun of us for not being in the Blue Rank!" Lucy pouted, extending her hand so that Natsu could place the object. When he did so she held it and looked greedily at it. "Soon, I'll get there too." She said in a murmur, so that only Wendy could hear.

"So, I think that it's time we head to the guild to see what the Master has to say." Gajeel got up and clapped his hands.

More cheers followed as now, the whole group got up and went to the door. The glassy object back on its pouch and in Natsu's possession again.

The group was descending the tricky stairwell, Natsu in the end with Gray right in front of him.

When they got to the floor where were the spare rooms, he noticed that Rick's spare room had its door open so, when they were walking across it, the pink haired one grabbed Gray's arm and pulled him inside. He closed the door and pushed Gray against it, a slightly wild look when he looked at him.

"What were you saying, then?" he said with a feral grin on his lips.

The rest of the group had just left the building when they noticed that their two friends were missing.

"Where are they?" asked Juvia, a resigned look in her face.

"You know where they are." Lucy shared a knowing look with Erza and Gajeel before looking up, towards the windows of the higher floors. "Come on," she placed a hand on her friend's shoulder, "they won't take long since the Master will positively kill them if they dare to get late to the meal today again, accomplished task or not. They have the group from Elytor here and so we have to behave."

Sharing a laugh, the group headed towards the guild.

Notes: Extremely belated fic to DLZdimension. Yes girl, it's finally over and I'm so, so sorry for taking so long to post this. This is a small "thank you" for all the cheerleading and handholding you do. And for not minding my insanity.

This was basically unbetaed. I apologize for the mistakes.

Anyway, any feedback is appreciated. ^^

By the way, this story was written while listening to Bairro Velho, a song by the Portuguese group "A Naifa".

Crossposted on LJ and AO3 (link archiveofourown works/515881) . These are the unedited versions of the fic - aka, contain the lemon... The links for both sites are on my profile.