Fairy Tail: Lost One

Chapter 57: Uninvited Hospitality

The sun hung low over the training grounds, painting the sky in fading streaks of orange and violet. Romeo sat cross-legged in the dirt, eyes closed, his breathing slow and measured as he tried to coax back the last dregs of magic power he’d burned through over a brutal day of conditioning. His limbs still trembled faintly with exhaustion, but the meditation was doing its work, stitching his drained reserves back together thread by thread.

After a few quiet minutes, he cracked his eyes open and glanced up. Stars were already beginning to prick through the deepening navy overhead.

"Guess that’s enough for today," he muttered, pushing himself up from the dust. He stretched—his joints popping in sharp protest—and turned to make his way back toward the house.

The wooden door creaked open to complete silence. Quiet and empty, like always.

Romeo let out a long, exaggerated sigh, running a hand through his messy hair. "When is that bastard ever gonna come back..." he grumbled under his breath, stepping toward the kitchen to start on his evening chores.

"Is that really how you talk about your master, brat?"

The voice hit him from behind. Romeo spun on his heel instantly, a hidden throwing knife sliding seamlessly from his sleeve into his palm. He lunged without a split second of hesitation, driving the blade straight for a vital point in the intruder’s neck.

"Welcome back, Master!" Romeo shouted, a wide, fierce grin splitting his face.

Rudra’s smile mirrored his as his fingers shot out, catching Romeo’s wrist mid-strike and clamping around it like an iron vice.

Undeterred, Romeo used the sudden halt to twist midair, driving a brutal kick toward Rudra’s temple—only for his ankle to be caught just as effortlessly by Rudra’s free hand.

Romeo didn’t slow down. Rotating his body with the leverage, he planted his boot briefly on Rudra’s shoulder, using the momentum to whip out a second knife with his other hand, aiming straight for the top of his head.

"Now die!" Romeo laughed cheerfully.

Rudra caught that wrist too, completely unbothered by the deadly choreography. "Wow. Your master comes back from a month-long journey, and this is the welcome he gets?"

With a casual flick of his wrists, Rudra dumped Romeo’s momentum, sending the boy flying clean across the yard toward a nearby oak tree.

Romeo flipped through the air, planting his boots horizontally against the tree trunk with practiced precision. He absorbed the impact for half a second before springing back off the bark, launching himself straight toward Rudra like a coiled steel spring released.

"Nice speed, boy," Rudra said, looking genuinely pleased.

Before Romeo could land his strike, Rudra simply stepped inside his guard and tapped him lightly on the forehead with a single knuckle.

TAP.

The shockwave sent Romeo dropping flat onto the grass with a dull thud. He lay there, groaning up at the emerging stars.

"You couldn’t go easy on me for one homecoming?" Romeo grumbled, wincing as he pressed a palm to the swelling knot forming beneath his bangs.

Rudra didn’t break his stride, sauntering past him with his hands shoved deep into his coat pockets, his expression maddeningly relaxed. "You’re the one who lunged at me with two live blades, Romeo. What did you expect—a choreographed dance?"

Romeo’s jaw tightened as he sat up. "You’re the one who told me: ’If you attack, attack with the intention to kill.’"

Rudra paused. He reached down, his hand hovering for a beat before he roughly ruffled Romeo’s dark hair—a gesture of condescension that somehow still managed to carry the weight of real praise.

Romeo swatted at his hand with a low, indignant growl. Rudra just chuckled, his dark eyes bright with a rare hint of approval.

"Still, don’t look so sour," Rudra murmured, pulling his hand back. "You’ve gotten faster."

"Damn right I have." Romeo crossed his arms, his chest puffing up slightly at the compliment, even as he winced and gingerly touched the knot on his head. "So... what happened to the people that took you?"

Rudra’s easy smile didn’t fade; it just took on a darker, razor-sharp edge. "Oh, them? They’re long dead."

Before Romeo could digest the casual weight of that answer, Rudra stretched his arms over his head with a loud yawn. "Anyway," he grunted, "let me get washed up and eat. I’m starving."

Romeo didn’t answer right away. Something in the boy’s absolute silence made Rudra stop mid-step and glance back over his shoulder.

"You were gone for a whole month," Romeo said flatly, giving him a blank stare. "All the food you had in the pantry rotted. I threw it out weeks ago."

Rudra blinked. "Then go buy some more."

"With what money?"

"Wow." Rudra dramatically pressed a hand against his heart, feigning utter betrayal. "What a heartless pupil. Can’t even spare a little coin to feed his own starving master?"

Romeo muttered under his breath, "Because it’s my hard-earned money," but Rudra was already moving past the complaint, ignoring him completely.

"And here I was," Rudra mused loudly, reaching into the inner lining of his heavy coat, "about to gift my one and only student a ridiculously cool weapon."

He drew out Ebony, letting the sleek, firearm dangle casually from his index finger by the trigger guard.

Romeo’s entire posture flipped instantly. "My money? No—our money, Master!"

His eyes locked onto the dark metal swinging from Rudra’s finger, practically vibrating with excitement. "What kind of disgraceful student would I be if I let my master go hungry?"

Rudra smirked, catching the gun in his palm and tossing it across the space between them. "Now go, before I change my mind."

Romeo caught the weapon midair with both hands, hugging it to his chest before taking off at a full sprint toward the glowing lights of Magnolia, grinning like a madman the entire way.

Behind him, Rudra ambled into the quiet house. He set a pot to boil, brewed himself a strong, black cup of coffee, and sank into his usual wooden chair. Pulling a worn book from his coat, he opened it under the soft lamplight, occasionally glancing out the window into the deep, peaceful night.

____

Meanwhile, in the Magnolia market, Mirajane was making her way back home alone after closing the guild hall for the night. Her siblings, Elfman and Lisanna, had already headed back a few hours prior. As she strolled past the softly lit stalls, she glanced at the local vendors, wondering if she should pick up a sweet treat or a hot snack for her brother and sister.

Her peaceful train of thought was abruptly broken by a heated exchange echoing down the cobblestone street.

"You can’t go in, boy!" a raspy voice shouted.

"I just need one bottle, old man! Just let me have it!" another voice protested defensively.

Recognizing the younger voice immediately, Mira turned toward the sound and found young Romeo standing outside a brightly lit liquor store, locked in a fierce argument with the elderly owner.

Approaching the pair with an arched eyebrow, Mira asked, "Romeo, why are you arguing with the store owner?"

Both of them snapped their heads toward her. Romeo opened his mouth to explain, but the shopkeeper quickly beat him to it.

"Oh, Mira! You arrived just in time," the owner declared, waving a dismissive hand at the boy. "This brat wants to buy alcohol and refuses to take no for an answer!"

Mira’s gentle demeanor vanished instantly. She turned a menacing, dangerous glare toward the young mage that promised a very long lecture about underage drinking.

Panicking under her terrifying gaze, Romeo waved his hands frantically and yelled, "This isn’t for me, you fat fuck! I’m here to buy it for Rudra!"

Mira paused, her menacing expression softening into confusion. Wine for Rudra? she thought to herself. Her eyes widened as the realization hit her. Wait... does that mean Rudra is finally back?

She opened her mouth to eagerly press Romeo for details about Rudra’s return, but the shopkeeper cut in before she could speak a word.

"Oh, it’s for Rudra? You should have said so earlier, brat!" the old man said, his grumpy tone instantly doing a complete hundred-and-eighty. He shuffled back into his shop and returned a moment later carrying two premium bottles. Handing them over to a bewildered Romeo, he grinned. "These ones are on the house!"

Without waiting for a response, the old man turned on his heel and vanished back into the dim interior of his store, leaving Romeo standing on the cobblestones completely bewildered by the sudden change of heart.

Mira immediately turned her full attention back to the boy, her heart hammering lightly against her ribs. "Did Rudra come back?" she asked, her voice betraying a hint of anticipation.

Romeo gave a simple nod.

"Where is he then?" Mira blurted out quickly.

Romeo gave her an exasperated look. "Why are you asking a stupid question, Mira? He should be at his home."

Mira blinked, feeling a sudden flush of warmth on her cheeks. She inwardly scolded herself for asking something so obvious. Quickly looking for a way to change the subject, she gestured toward the clutter of paper sacks Romeo was awkwardly clutching. "What is all this anyway?"

"Oh, Rudra arrived about fifteen minutes ago and was starving, so he sent me out to fetch food," Romeo explained, adjusting his grip on the packages.

Mira nodded thoughtfully before crossing her arms, her gentle tone taking on a slight scolding edge. "You know a teenager buying alcohol is still illegal, right?"

"But I told you, I was buying it for Rudra!" Romeo protested defensively.

"It doesn’t matter who you were buying it for, it’s still a crime," Mira countered evenly.

"But—"

"No excuses, Romeo," Mira interrupted smoothly, taking the bottles and the heavy food bags right out of his arms. "Now run along home before I decide to mention this to your father."

Romeo grumbled, looking thoroughly defeated. "Fine... but what about the food?"

"Don’t worry about it, I’ll deliver it myself," Mira replied with a reassuring smile.

Relieved to be off the hook, Romeo nodded and turned to head down the street, his footsteps fading into the quiet evening. Left alone under the warm glow of the streetlamps, Mira let out a long breath, trying to calm the sudden fluttering in her chest. Tightening her grip on the packages, she turned and began making her way toward Rudra’s house.

_____

At the same time, Rudra sat alone in his quiet house. Having finished his coffee long ago, he leaned back in his chair with an open book resting in his lap. He stared at the pages, his mind wandering, before letting out a tired sigh.

"Maybe I should’ve just gone to get the food myself," he muttered, shaking his head. Romeo was taking far longer than anticipated, and the faint gnawing in his stomach was getting harder to ignore.

He closed the book, set it down on the small side table, and pushed himself up, intending to head out into the night. But before he could take a step, a sharp knock echoed through the house.

"Why are you knocking, brat?" Rudra called out toward the entrance, assuming it was the boy. "The door’s open."

He sat back down, expecting Romeo to burst through with bags of hot food. Instead, the heavy wooden door swung fully open, and Rudra blinked in surprise. Standing at the doorway was Mirajane, holding a couple of heavy paper sacks, along with two glass bottles tucked neatly under her arm.

"Mira?" Rudra asked, his brow furrowing slightly as he took in the sight. "What are you doing here? Where’s Romeo?"

Mira remained standing by the doorway for a beat, her composure carefully kept, though her knuckles were white against the bags. "Something urgent came up at his home," she explained smoothly, stepping inside. "He had to leave, so he asked me to deliver this to you."

Rudra studied her for a moment before giving a brief, nonchalant nod. "Hmm. Okay. Come inside. You can put the food on the dining table."

Mira nodded without a word and walked toward the dining area. Rudra followed, pulling out a chair and sitting down. As he waited, Mira moved efficiently, setting down a clean plate along with utensils right in front of him.

Rudra stared at the neat arrangement, then looked up at her, his dark eyes narrowing in suspicion. "What are you doing now?"

"Serving you food, obviously," Mira replied, her tone light and conversational, though she kept her eyes fixed on the table as she unpacked the meal.

Rudra kept his suspicious gaze on her for a few seconds longer, but his hunger ultimately won out. Sighing, he picked up his fork and began to eat. Mira remained standing a few feet away, her hands folded neatly in front of her, unmoving and silent.

The quiet in the room grew heavy. Rudra chewed, swallowed, and finally set his fork down with a quiet clatter. "Did you have dinner?" he asked.

Mira shook her head softly. "No, not yet."

"Then grab a plate for yourself and join me," Rudra said, gesturing toward the kitchen cabinet.

Mira hesitated for a fraction of a second before nodding. She fetched a plate, served herself a modest portion, and sat down directly across from him. The two ate in silence, the only sound being the soft scraping of utensils against porcelain.

By the time they finished their meal, a sudden, heavy downpour had begun outside. Rain lashed violently against the windowpanes, filling the quiet house with a continuous rhythm, while the sharp, pleasant scent of newly wet earth drifted in through the slight crack of an open window.

Rudra pulled the cap off one of the liquor bottles Romeo had brought. Taking a large sip of the strong alcohol, he leaned back in his chair and watched Mira’s back. She was standing at the sink, her hands submerged in soapy water as she washed their dishes.

"Mira," Rudra began, his voice low over the sound of the rain. "Why are you being so nice to me?"

Mira’s hands froze beneath the water for a brief second. She didn’t turn around, quickly resuming her task, scrubbing a plate with deliberate slowness.

"Is it because you want me to do something for you?" Rudra pressed, his tone neutral, almost clinical.

A visible tremor ran through Mira’s shoulders. "No," she replied weakly, her voice barely carrying over the noise of the sink. "It’s not like that."

Rudra took another large gulp from the bottle. "Then why are you here in my home, doing my dishes, when you can’t even look me in the eye without trembling?"

Because of his skill, the alcohol couldn’t actually make him drunk, but he still enjoyed the sharp, burning flavor. He popped the cork on the second bottle, taking another sip as he waited for her answer.

"I was worried about you," Mira finally admitted softly.

Rudra let out a short, dry laugh, the sound devoid of warmth. "Worried about me?"

"Yes," Mira continued, turning off the faucet. She wiped her hands on a dry towel, her voice gaining a bit more strength. "Those people took you, and you were gone for an entire month. It’s not just me—everyone at the guild was worried about you, too."

Rudra muttered something under his breath, turning his head away. He knew better. Plenty of Fairy Tail members didn’t like him, and he was fairly certain most of them wouldn’t give a damn whether he came back or not.

"And as for why I’m being nice to you..." Mira paused, looking down at her hands. "I don’t know. Maybe being nice to everyone is just in my nature, so I’m being nice to you as well. Or... maybe it’s something else."

"Maybe," Rudra grunted softly, not pressing the matter any further. He leaned back, taking slow, deliberate sips from his bottle while Mira quietly finished up her work.

A few minutes later, the sink was clean and dry. Mira turned around to face him, finding Rudra lazily twirling the now-empty glass bottle on the wooden tabletop with one finger.

"Dishes are done," she said softly. "The leftovers are in the refrigerator."

"Hummm," Rudra grunted, his attention seemingly locked onto the spinning bottle.

Seeing herself being effectively ignored, Mira let out a quiet sigh. She turned around and made her way toward the front door.

"Where do you think you’re going?" Rudra’s voice cut through the sound of the storm, stopping her in her tracks.

Mira turned back, looking at him carefully, though her eyes flicked away the moment his gaze met hers. "I’m going home."

"In this downpour?" Rudra asked, raising an eyebrow.

Mira glanced out the window. The rain was coming down in sheets now, a relentless wall of water with no sign of letting up anytime soon.

"If you go out in this rain and get soaked, you’ll fall ill," Rudra reasoned calmly, his voice steady. "Then everyone at the guild will be pointing fingers at me for letting you leave in a storm like this."

Mira bit her lip, caught off guard. "Then... what should I do?"

"Spend the night here," Rudra stated plainly.

A sudden, sharp silence fell over the room, heavy enough to compete with the roaring storm outside.

"What?" Mira gasped, her cheeks flushing. "What are you saying?"

Spend a full night alone with him? her mind raced wildly. No, I can’t... I must refuse!

She opened her mouth to decline, but a loud crack of thunder echoed overhead, followed by an even heavier surge of rain pounding against the roof. The reality of the storm outside checked her defiance.

"I..." her voice trailed off, sounding weak even to her own ears.

Rudra stood up from the table, stretching his shoulders. "Just so you know, I live alone, so I only have one bed and one blanket."

Mira’s eyes widened slightly. "So... you want us to share the bed?"

Rudra didn’t bother answering right away. He simply stood there, waiting calmly for her decision while she wrestled with her internal panic. Seeing her extreme hesitation, he let out an annoyed sigh.

"If you’re worried about me making a move on you, you don’t need to be," he said bluntly, walking past her toward his bedroom. "I’m in no mood for sex."

Mira’s face instantly turned beat-red, the heat radiating all the way to her ears. She stood frozen in the middle of the room, her mind a tangled mess of embarrassment and disbelief. Taking a deep, shuddering breath to calm her erratic heart, she finally followed him into the bedroom.

Before she fully processed what she was doing, she found herself slipping under the single blanket on Rudra’s bed, lying stiffly beside him.

True to his word, the moment Rudra lay down, he turned his back to her, pulled his half of the blanket over his shoulder, and within minutes, his breathing evened out into deep, peaceful sleep.

Mira lay wide awake in the dark, staring fixedly at the broad expanse of his back. Listening to the rhythmic patter of the heavy rain outside, she tried her best to close her eyes and force herself to sleep—even if she had a feeling rest was going to be nearly impossible tonight.