Natsu and Lucy had just come back from a job. Natsu had left Happy at home because Charla was sick and Happy wanted to take care of her. They had been fishing for a poor fishing town that couldn't fish the giant fish that lived in the nearby river. It had taken four hours on the train to get to the river where they took a water taxi upstream to the village. Natsu had been sick on the trip as usual. On the ride back home, Lucy was soaked after asking grumpy Aquarius to fix the issue. They walked into the guildhall three days after they should have arrived back home. They stepped into the busy guild hall ragged and worn. But not because of the actual job. Everyone stopped and stared at the scruffy duo.
"Where the hell were you Natsu?!" Gray stood up from one of the wooden tables, putting is drink down with a large thunk. "Everyone was worried about you!" He sat back down. "I wasn't and I told them that you were just messing around and probably started a fight or somthin' and just needed to rest."
"I'm fine Gray. But you were right about the distracted part!" Natsu grinned as he purposely bumped into Lucy who was standing suspiciously close to him. Erza stood next:
"Well, after Gray finishes his little tantrum, tell us where you were and what took you so long." Erza narrowed her eyes at Natsu and Gray who had started talking aggressively to each other. Both stopped immediately and sat down on the wooden benches behind them looking like sad schoolboys who got told off by the teacher. "So, where were you?" Erza sat down on the bench across from the boys. Natsu fiddled with his scarf and looked down at his boots.
"We uhhh…" He ran a nervous hand through his hair. "….Got lost!" He shot up, spine now straight obviously proving he had just came up with it. Gray socked him in the shoulder. "Hey!" Natsu shoved him back. They both shot up and stared at each other so hard, you could almost see the cartoonish lightning bolts between their eyes. Natsu said something that made Gray sock him in the shoulder again. The only thing Lucy heard Natsu say was"Juvia".The room seemed to darken when Erza narrowed her eyes again and gave them a death glare. If looks could kill, Erza would be a mass murderer. Both boys sat down again just as quickly as they had stood. Erza sighed and turned her back to the boys. They both started immediately growling at each other while Juvia hovered around Gray, blue curls bouncing when she tried to pull him away from Natsu before they started a full out brawl. Erza approached Lucy.
"I can trust you to tell me what really happened." When Lucy didn't do anything but stand in the massive doorway and fiddle with her keys, before Erza took Lucy's arm she said "Right?" Lucy looked flustered as Erza dragged her to the bar that was empty for once Erza plopped Lucy down on a stool and sat next to her. When Mira-Jane came out from the back, Erza ordered herself and Lucy a drink. When Mira-Jane came up to them with their drinks Lucy was surprised to see Erza had gotten herself and Lucy Pineapple Juice with an umbrella floating on the top. Erza sipped her drink with a pink straw, and said something Lucy was definitely not expecting. "I told Mira that I wanted Ice." Erza then blinks like she just remembers that she was worried about Lucy. She spins her barstool so she faces Lucy, and leans forward so her head is almost touching Lucy's. In the background, Natsu throws a flaming chair at Gray, who deflects it easily by shattering it by his ice cannon. But before the splintered chair pieces hit the floor, Natsu was on Gray, flaming fists flying. Gajeel and Elfman pull them both apart before they hurt one another. Erza finished her drink and waved for Mira-Jane to get her another. She noticed Lucy sitting uncomfortably on her stool, sipping her drink, twirling some bright blond hair from her ponytail. Erza pulls Lucy's hands into her lap. "Please Lucy, tell me what happened." Lucy looked down at Erza's hands holding her own. She takes a breath and began her story.
"It all started when the villagers threw a feast for me and Natsu," She blushed at the name of her pink-haired partner. "They served us some of the fish that we had caught for them. There was lots of other food, and much to drink." She waved to her pineapple juice. "But you know like,"
Erza nodded. "Beer and wine. The stuff that Cana drinks."
"Yeah that stuff. She would have loved it." Lucy smiled a little. "We ate and drank all night. In the early hours I wandered back to the small hotel that I was staying in." She slumps in her barstool. She twirled her hair so hard, Erza worried that she was going to pull out her long blonde locks. "Natsu stayed at the party. Probably to eat all the food." She laughed a little. She could imagine him eating all night. "On my way back to the hotel, I tripped on a loose stone in the road. I was a little drunk, so I had a hard time getting back up. Every time I would try to get up, I would fall over again. After a while of halfway standing and falling again, somebody helped me up. It was a tall dark figure with his hood over his eyes. When I thanked him, I could see his tongue run over his lips. He grabbed my arms and studied me all over." She shuddered at the thought. "'Perfect,' He said. And he grabbed another loose stone on the road, and the next thing I know, the world goes black."