This is the mask Ember wears

There was nothing quite like a fair on a beautiful day. People were laughing and chattering, birds were singing as people fed them crumbs, and there was the ever-present sound of money exchanging hands that formed the perfect backdrop for the perfect day.

Honestly? It felt like even the earth itself had conspired to make this the best day possible in Shirostume. It was warm, but not too hot with nary a cloud in the sky as a gentle breeze passed through the square, keeping the people cool as they milled around. Completely oblivious to the monster that lurked among them.

Crowds like this made it beyond easy to hide as I followed my prey. All I needed to do was dress a bit more girly and keep moving, and nobody suspected a thing.

Yes, it certainly was the perfect day. The perfect day to complete a job.

My target, an oaf of a man with a beer belly and a turkey leg in each hand, was boasting loudly to anyone who looked in his direction about some business deal he had made the day before. One that I had certainly listened in on, and one that was far less legal than he was boasting.

It was pathetic. I had been watching him for a week and even I knew what a waste of space this man was. He ripped off every person who made a deal with him, and even worse? He decided that it would be a good idea to act as an information broker for rival dark guilds.

Normally this would be fine. I wouldn't be here if it was a few people with bruised egos. No. This man sold info to both guilds and then went behind their backs and sold all the info he had gathered to a corrupt politician, looking for a boost.

He had pissed off all the wrong people, which is exactly why they brought me here.

Not that I could complain. Vendetta's tended to pay well, especially a week ago, when I thought this would be a one day job.

I weaved through a group that had come between me and the man. There wasn't much reason for me to be watching him anymore. I had gotten all the information I needed from him about two days in. No, if it were just him, this would have stayed a one day job. The man was an idiot, but the amount of money he had, spoke volumes.

No, the reason I was still in this stupid town, going to a fair and pretending to be a normal girl instead of going home and getting paid was his bodyguards.

It was so frustrating. These bodyguards didn't seem like anything special at first- I'd been able to get around watchful bodyguards more times than I could count- but they'd quickly proved me wrong. This group of wizards was genuinely the only reason he was alive through at least three other assassins.

And you know what? That wasn't even the worst part... The worst part was the fact that this group of wizards was a rag-tag team of kids. Kids about my age, mind you!

Sure, you could say I was irritated. You could even say I was pissed... Because I was.

Do you know how hard it is to get information on a bunch of preteens? No one had heard about them! No one knew their powerset, and No one knew how they had managed to keep my target alive for so long!

It had taken the better part of the week doing my own personal research to find out their magic, and it took staging a major accident to get samples of all their blood.

It was ridiculous!

But I was a professional. There was no way I would be shaken by a small group of powerful wizards. I had been taught well and I knew how to do my job.

I bumped against the tallest bodyguard and stepped back, bowing and apologizing for a quick second as he waved me off. I had no idea what any of their names were, but I knew that licking this one's blood tasted like licking a charged lacrima... I had never tasted it before, but I had to guess that he was some kind of Dragon Slayer... Electrical maybe? At least, that's what I could tell from watching them train.

The way he carried himself spoke of a chip on his shoulder, but his magic didn't seem like it was anything to laugh at (Though I was more than willing to laugh at the leather jacket he was wearing... It was quite a bit too small on him, but I had yet to see him take it off in all the time I had been watching them).

A small brunette girl slapped at the boy's shoulder and I giggled as realistically as I could before skipping away.

She was an odd one... Her inferiority complex could be seen a mile away- I mean, have you seen any other kids around here showing off their teeny boobs? I don't think so- but her magic was complex. It tasted like light, as odd as that was to say, as well as stone, which made for an interesting combination.

The other two were just as odd, and just as dangerous.

The green-haired one, who looked like it had been too long since he mowed his head, had rune magic. I didn't even need to taste his blood to know that. I slipped past his protective runes on a daily basis to watch them train together and to listen to the target's illegal meetings. His blood did have a darker taste to it as well, which I had no idea what to make of, but that was something that I shouldn't have to deal with just yet.

I almost felt bad having such an easy way to get around something so strong, but I didn't make the rules, I just got paid for breaking them.

The final member was a blue-haired boy who enjoyed sticking his tongue out just a little too much. Like... What was he aiming for? To intimidate people? To show off the tattoo? I mean, whatever it was, it was working for him, but whatever.

His blood tasted odd as well, I'd tasted a lot of blood in my day, but nothing like that... It was, tingly... like it was trying to pull me in? It took watching them train for nearly the whole week to find out that it was some kind of possession magic, and even now I wasn't sure of what the extent of it was

They were powerful, there was no way around that fact, but I was skilled. I needed to kill my target tonight.

'A trail of bodies shows a sloppy assassin.'

Sure, they were Fairy Tail, but I was the Ghost of Fiore, the most successful assassin in Fiore, and in battles like this...

A ghost cannot be caught. By Fairy or otherwise.

***

The fair showed me all I needed to know. My target would be there till later that evening, getting wasted and terrorizing the public, I could afford to take off for a few hours and get the supplies I needed.

My girlish facade was abandoned in a dumpster as I walked towards the train station, replaced by my usual outfit of a black hoodie and jeans. Nothing complicated, it made traveling easier because no one pays attention to a little punk. I just needed to run a town over to meet with my supplier, so why did it matter that I looked like I just jumped out of an emo parade?

The black and red hair that I was forever cursing had long since broken out of the ponytails I put it in and was now ratted around my face. I really wanted to cut it off, but every time I grabbed one of my blades to do it, my hand stopped.

Maybe I could get Gavin to do it...

Hmm... Or not. My supplier was a bit... Creepy at times, and I really didn't want to encourage him.

It was a quick train ride before I was at the usual station. I had been going to Gavin for supplies for as long as I had been an assassin, and my mentors had gone to him before me. He was the only person in the world who knew the Ghost of Fiore's face or real age, and I planned on keeping it that way.

His shop wasn't far from the train station, it was a dilapidated old building, easily missed- much like the owner- just as it always had been. The only thing of note was a small eye carved into the door frame.

If you weren't looking for it, you would miss it entirely, which was its purpose.

The eye was a device Gavin had come up with years ago when I started gaining a reputation. Neither of us wanted me to walk in on sensitive information being exchanged. After all, an eleven-year-old wasn't supposed to frequent places like this. So if the eye was open, it meant I was welcome, if it was closed, I needed to stay away.

Simple? Sure, that's what we wanted after all. Why make life more complicated than it needed to be... Especially when you were an eleven-year-old assassin, that was complicated enough.

A small bell chimed as the door opened and I walked in the musty room. Vials of unknown substances lined every wall, along with several creepy decorations. I never asked where Gavin found any of this. I really didn't want to know.

Like a bad cold, Gavin popped out of the back room with his best creepy smile and open arms, "Ah, Miss Ghost! It's so good to see you again! What can I do for you today?"

I pulled my hood up ever so slightly and narrowed my eyes at him, he was far too happy sounding today... I didn't trust it. "Three shield lacrima, a magic canceling crystal, two illusion lacrima, and the usual magic draining potion." I counted off what I thought I might need for the job quickly, it had been on my mind for the last day or so, and it was always better to be over-prepared.

To his credit, Gavin didn't bat an eye, he was used to my lists, he simply turned with a nod and walked into the back room. A room that I knew from experience held most of his illegal merchandise.

It only took a minute (Which I spent with my hands in my pockets, about as awkward looking as possible) for Gavin to reappear with a bulging bag. "Easy order today, Miss Ghost. Job's not to hard, I hope?"

I shrugged and grabbed an equally bulging purse from the bag I had slung over my shoulder, "Who knows. If I'm alive tomorrow then you'll have your answer. How much?"

He simply smiled wider. His teeth were... Not in the best shape ever, so the widening smile felt far more threatening than it did welcoming.

"50,000 Jewels, Miss Ghost."

Now that took me back a step. 50,000 Jewels?

I took a step forward, "Really?" I asked, making sure to look as unamused as possible, "A discount? What's up Gavin? You're too much of a miser to bring down your prices that much."

His smile widened even further. I was right, it had been threatening, "I believe you'll find that 50,000 jewels is more than fair. Now, will you take it? Or not?"

Nope, I wasn't doing this tonight. Something was up and I needed to know what. "Gavin, in all the time I've known you, the biggest discount you've given me was 10 jewels off a 100,000 jewel purchase, and that was for finding that gross herb you'd been going on about. Tell me what's been happening."

For a moment hesitation flashed across his face. It wasn't anything major, but it was enough to confirm my suspicions. Something was up and I didn't like it.

That look was gone quickly enough that I might have imagined it, "Well," He simpered, his greasy smile right back on his face, "You have been a good customer for several years now. Is it really so wrong for me to do something nice for you?" He was dodging the question.

I said nothing, allowing the tilt of my head to speak for me.

"Fine," He sighed out, running a hand through his thin hair, "Perhaps a rumor has been floating around that the infamous Ghost of Fiore comes here on occasion. I have absolutely no idea how it happened, but this may have been influencing my sales lately."

Well shit. This wasn't good. There were people who would happily send out a whole platoon of lesser assassins to check a place the Ghost had been sighted.

The last thing I wanted was for a group like Death's Hand to get wind of it. That would be far more of a mess than I wanted to deal with, especially if Trinity Raven decided to pop by... They were always so irritating.

"A rumor?" I asked quietly, allowing blades to slide into my hands, "You do realize what would happen if word got out the Ghost of Fiore comes here?"

Gavin was smart enough to know when he had stepped into dangerous territory, his face paled ever so slightly and he held up his hands in a pacifying manner, "And who said I was the one to spread these rumors? I can see you making several untrue assumptions. Perhaps it would be best if we took a step back from the situation and looked at it logica-"

Before he could finish his sentence, I had moved forward and within a heartbeat, my blades were cutting his skin in what could be fatal locations, "Sorry, I wasn't actually looking for an answer," I said with a glare, "I know you were spreading the rumors and believe me, if anything like this happens again, you won't have time to regret it."

A slight trickle of blood was the only indication that something was wrong between the two of us. Gavin's poker face was incredible, but I knew better... I could practically taste his fear.

I took a step back, allowing my blood-red eyes to convey my threat fully and he paled even further.

He was a snake in business, but still a smart man. He knew better than to try and pull a fast one on me.

There would be no more rumors spread. Of that I was sure.

***

The night had been spent getting everything ready from the roof of a neighbors house.

This in and of itself was a long process, I had to program the illusion lacrimas, equip the shield lacrima with an activation code, and, more importantly, take my magic draining potion.

Of all nights, I couldn't afford the trace amounts of magic that kept trying to build up to give me away. Drinking it hurt like a bitch, but it would save me from having to do it later in the middle of a fight.

As the solution slid down my throat I gagged and curled in on myself. I had been taking the magic draining potion bi-weekly for years now, but I still wasn't able to get used to the feeling of razorblades swirling around in my stomach. That was quickly followed by a painful moment where I swore I could feel gravity reversing.

In other words... It was the worst feeling in the world.

The moon was high in the sky before the man came staggering back, the scent of alcohol and blood reaching me and making my eyes water. I had killed my fair share of drunkards as an assassin, yet even still I was thrown off by how terribly they reeked of liquor.

His ever-present bodyguards were trailing behind, and while I couldn't get too close of a look at them without making someone suspicious, there was a slight hesitation to how they followed him.

Something had happened... And from the bloodlust radiating from the team, I could tell it was nothing good.

With a heavy sigh, I stood and fastened my signature mask tightly to my face before I jumped over to my target's roof. There was just another hour or two left of waiting, then I could be done.

Just another few hours and yet another monster of a human would be gone.

I couldn't wait.

~~~~~~~~~~

Just so you guys know, I'm in the process of rewriting this first arc. It may take a while, so if you finish a chapter and the next seems completely different, then just know I'm working on it!