They finally arrived at the town of Magnolia. Lucy observed the streets, it still haven't changed but a few establishments were added. They were now in front of the guild, and Natsu opened its doors. On the moment the doors were open, a mug with beer flown to her direction. She dodged the mug fron hitting her face, and instead it hit the wall on her side.
Natsu shouted, "We're back!"
The guild shouted but stopped when they spotted a blonde beside Natsu.
"L-Lucy?" Mira asked.
"Lu-chan!" Levy cheered, running to Lucy's direction and tackling her into a hug.
"You know her? How do I not know her then?" Natsu inquired.
"Stupid flame-brain! You didn't see her cause she left before you join the guild!" Gray commented.
"What did you say stripper?" Natsu said angrily. Just like the regular times, they were butting heads once more.
Master Makarov descended on the stairs, seeing Lucy talking to Mirajane, Cana and Levy. "Listen brats! Lucy's now here, so let's PARTY!" They all shouted and soon, kegs of beer were readied and they began partying.
"What took you so long, Lucy? I remembered the job only taking for a year." Mira commented, while wiping a mug with a cloth.
"That's right, Lu-chan. A lot has already changed. The guild, the city. And new guilds are even created every week!"
"Oi Lucy, why are you glancing around you when we're talking?" Cana asked slurry, holding a keg of beer between her arms.
"I have to train again that's why I was gone for years." she answered back still glancing on her surroundings "By the way, I noticed, where is Lisa-chan?"
She saw how Mira froze, Levy stopped on the book that she is reading, and how Cana put down the beer keg.
"Did I say something wrong?" Mira went to her place and grabbed her hand, and they were out of the door before Lucy knew.
They stood in front of a grave, where this words were written, Lisanna Strauss: a loving friend and sister.
"H-how did this happen?" She croaked, tears threatening to spill out.
She heard how Mira sighed, her voice shaky as she answered, "It was my fault. 6 years after you were gone, I let Lisanna and Elfman go with me on a job. But while we were accomplishing the job on slaying a monster, Elfman tried to protect us. But h-he can't control it, and Lisanna tried to coax him to go back to normal. I was shouting for Lisanna to get back, but Elfman, he s-s-uddenly -" Mira's explanation was interrupted when Lucy engulfed the older in a hug.
"Shh, don't continue it if you can't. I'm sorry I wasn't here when that happened. Just cry. I'm not leaving."
Mirajane finally broke down into tears, she gripped Lucy's clothes tightly as she sob all of her restrained tears on the younger's neck. Lucy could only run her fingers on Mira's hair, and the occasional pat on the back as Mira cried.
Lucy didn't know how long they were standing there, nor when Mira stopped crying but still buried her face on the Lucy's neck as she calmed down. She only knew that the sun's setting right now, and Mira started wiping her remaining tears. "Thank you for listening, Lucy."
Lucy smiled sincerely, "Anytime."
"Did my father come back already?" A child asked.
"Don't worry about it, kid. Your father is an excellent mage. Just wait till he comes back." The master calmly answered.
"What do you mean don't worry about it?! It's been a week since he left! And Mt. Hakobe isn't that far!" The boy yelled as he landed a punch on their Master's face.
Lucy watched from the counter, and Natsu was on the request board, probably looking for a job but also eavesdropping on the conversation.
The little boy ran to the doors of the guild, and the Master was left holding the part of his face where the boy's face had hit.
She saw Natsu going to doors of the guild in the corner of her eye. She waited a few seconds before she followed. She spotted Natsu a few yards away, kneeling on his knee so that he would level on the height of the little boy who's crying. "I'll find Macao, I promise."
The pink-haired boy flashed his toothy grin before ruffling the boy's hair.
"Good thing I brought a jacket to lessen the cold. But it's still not enough." Lucy muttered while shivering.
"It's not even that cold."
"Of course you wouldn't feel cold! You're a fire wizard!" Lucy's shout was muffled under her jacket.
"Saying something, Luigi?"
"Good grief. And it's Lucy." Was all she could only say.
The Vulcan howled when he saw a beautiful woman, but his nose flared when she was with someone. Must get that woman.
They were walking when Lucy sensed something, an animal approaching. The Vulcan appeared in front of Lucy, his mouth drooling even though Lucy's not showing any skin. He suddenly grab Lucy and the animal ran, leaving Natsu in the middle of nowhere.
The Vulcan put down Lucy when they arrived at the cave, the animal was still drooling and Lucy can't help but be irritated. Should I attack now?
"Where's Macao?"
The animal only stared back at her, "No man here!" The animal's ears flared, and started running on Lucy's direction. Lucy's stance changed, and when the Vulcan neared, she delivered a punch and swept her feet on the Vulcan's legs. Before the Vulcan can stand again, Lucy got a hold of her whip and used it to hit the Vulcan's vitals, rendering it unconscious. Natsu arrived at the scene, his mouth gaping on the creature. The creature suddenly had smoke coming out from its body, and a blinding light shined. When it disappeared, there appeared a man who's badly hurt.
"Macao! Let's bring him back to the guild!" Natsu shouted as he carried Macao's slump body on his back.
Romeo cried as he saw his father came back in bandages,
He hugged him as he cried, and the boy swore at that moment, I'm going to join Fairy Tail when I grow up.
"Lucy! Let's go on a job!" Natsu shouted as he approached Lucy and Aira, with Happy flying behind him. "And why would I go on a job with you?"
"Because we're a team! And we're friends! And I picked a job perfect for you!"
"What perfect job?"
"Here!" He pulled out a piece of paper and handed it to Lucy. Need a wizard to destroy a book! Specifically a blondie! Reward: 200,000 J.
"This is it? I'm in, let's go!"
This is his house? Why is something wrong with this, the smell around the house is different. It doesn't smell like them.
They were currently sitting in someone's living room. The family that posted the job request is in front of them. The other details of the job is being explained to them at the moment. She was silent, nodding here and there as the man continued speaking. "If you completely destroyed the book, we'll give you 2 million Jewels for a good job."
"2 million?!"Natsu and Happy's voice boomed on the living room "But the paper said its 200,000 J?"
"I changed it a couple of hours ago, maybe you didn't get updated by your guild but it's okay."
"So you need me to dress as a maid, apply at the mansion, then sneak to his library when he's not around?" The man nodded and they stood up.
"Leave it to us."
Tall walls and two gates stand up high, surrounding the mansion's walls. Lucy was by herself, while Natsu and Happy are hiding behind a tree. She shouted, "I'm applying for a maid, is anybody here?!"
She heard a sound on the ground, and soon, a hole appeared. A tall and large woman was across her and she can't help but to wince. Why does this maid feels familiar?
"Applying for the job?" Lucy nodded.
"Master, someone's applying for the maid position."
The perverted man stared at her for a few seconds, "You're ugly. Go home."
"Ugly?!"
The duke's maids were all behind him in a flash, and Lucy can't help but have her mouth open. She pretended to slump her shoulders before turning around and going back to town. The man's maids snickered at her pathetic form leaving them behind.
"We should infiltrate the mansion if he doesn't want to hire me."
"But how?"
"Aira would fly me to the mansion's roof if there are no people in the vicinity."
"We should go too!"
"Okay, but be quiet. I'll head to the library and you guard the door. Use something to signal if someone's coming."
"Aye sir!"
"So it's another set of puny wizards again. Now, they sent Fairy Tail." A man observed in a lacrima.
"Eliminate them if necessary."
The man chuckled in the dark while two men stood behind him.
Hundreds of books in shelves greeted Lucy the moment she stepped on the library.
"What are the chances of finding that book in here?" she muttered under her breath. Better start now.
Lucy started looking on the alphabetical order of the books and stopped when she saw D on the books list. She stepped on the ladder and after a few minutes, she saw the book loosely tucked on the shelve. The book was covered in yellow and has the image of sunset as the cover and Lucy flipped through the pages. Something's hidden.
The gorilla maid materialize in front of Natsu, who shouted Lucy! before he was thrown away from the door. Lucy who already knows what is happening shouted back, "Distract them! I have to read this book before I destroy it!"
Natsu can only grunt in response and stood up. He attacked the maid, "Fire Dragon's Iron Fist!"
The maid blocked the attacked, but it was obvious that she took a huge damage.
"Fire Dragon's Roar!"
That next attack was impossible for the maid to block, as the fire engulfed her, and she was knocked out.
"You're no match for us." Two boys stood at the railings on the second floor. "We are the Vanish Brothers."
"The what?"
"Mama will laugh at this. We get a chance to eat and stomp this fairy."
"She will be proud, brother."
"Let's finish him!"
Natsu shouted, "Happy! Go with Lucy!"
"I'm going to help you! Besides, Lucy has Aira with her."
"Don't worry about me, I can handle them both."
Happy flew away but not before saying, "Aye!"
Lucy stayed at the library, her eyes swiftly scanning through the pages with the help of the gale-force reading glasses. An equipment that lets a person read faster rather than at a normal pace. Her eyes continued to shine at the descriptive words skillfully written at the book. But it was interrupted by none other than the Duke himself. "What are you doing with my book?"
"This is not your book."
"I made Kemu Zaleon write it. Therefore, it is mine. You don't have any right to be touching it."
"A perverted and disgusting man like you shouldn't have it. You should be ashamed of yourself, bringing down his pride like that."
"What are you saying?"
Lucy snickered at him,"There are secrets hidden on the book, and they aren't for you to know and read. You foul man."
Everlue got nervous at what Lucy stated, secrets? Did he wrote about my illegal dealings to humiliate me and get me arrested? The council must not know of this. I must take care of this myself.
He abruptly dug on the ground, on which Lucy paid attention to, feeling the vibrations in the ground. When she sensed the vibration directly coming to where she stood, she jumped to the side, missing the hands that appeared on the ground to grab her and the Duke appeared once again, seething in annoyance. "Give me the book!"
"No, I shall finish this now."
"So you are a fire wizard. We specialize on defeating them."
Natsu paid no attention to their insults, his fists flaming from anger and he has only one goal in mind: to teach this guys a lesson not to mess with Fairy Tail and insult them. He attacked, only to be blocked by the man with long hair, his weapon making contact with his fist and the fire dissolved. Natsu jumped back to the other's kick.
"This weapon allows me to take someone's fire when they attack, and allows me to reflect it back!"
A burst of fire went to Natsu's direction, engulfing himself in flames.
They snickered, "Huh, easy fairy. No one withstands their own magic being throw back at them."
They heard gulping sounds and when they turned around, Natsu was slurping the fire. Natsu grinned at them, he smashed his fists together. "That's all you can do? I'm getting fired up!"
"Impossible! He's a monster!" they both stated before Natsu roared at them, returning the fire that he ate and the windows erupted from the heat.
When the smoke dissipated, the guys were barely conscious on the ground, smoke coming through their mouths as they both murmured the same thing, "Unbelievable."
Lucy stood firmly on the ground, the book tightly clutched to her side. She didn't want to fight him, but she has no choice when the Duke tried to incapacitate her hand, and dug a few more holes around the mansion to attack her freely. She already had enough. She waited for a few seconds, and the Duke emerged again.
Lucy evaded the attack, but not without calling Cancer and Taurus in her head. When the Duke tried to dig again, Taurus swung his axe and Cancer prepared his scissors. The attack from both of the spirits weren't enough to knock him out, but enough to slow him down. Lucy took her chance, and attacked on his side. Her feet connected to his waist, and her fist met his cheek. His body slammed on the wall, leaving a small dent due to the impact of the hit.
But instead of trying to run away or surrender, he chuckled deviously. An annoying grin displayed in his face.
Lucy feigned ignorance.
"You know you're not the only one with spirits." He continued to grin "Open, Gate of the Maiden! Virgo!"
A flash happened, and there was the maid, with Natsu holding in her back. Lucy tried not to react. Her hands shaped into fists when she figured out what the Duke was trying to do. He's treating them like this? Unforgivable!
"Natsu, step away. Let me fight them myself."
"You sure, Lucy? We can take them both?"
"Yes and no, just wait outside or something. I can do it."
"Well, that's unfortunate" Natsu froze when Lucy's cold gaze met his eyes "I'm staying on the side, you can have them"
Natsu watched at the side, with Happy and Aira beside him. He watched with curious eyes as to how would defeat those two. Especially, since he didn't saw how Lucy knocked out the Vulcan when they saved Macao. He saw Lucy begin to emit a scary aura on her body, he winced at the sight as Lucy called on her celestial spirits and they appeared beside her. The three of them attacked the maid and Everlue.
"Lucy is a different kind of celestial wizard."
"What do you mean?" Natsu asked.
"Most celestial wizards hide behind their spirits, yes?"
Natsu and Happy nodded.
"Well she isn't like that, she fights alongside her spirits because she doesn't want them to be the only one whose hurt if they're fighting. She helps them and doesn't treat them as objects, but as friends." Aira continued, "You also know that the his maid is a celestial spirit. So she's mad that he's treating them like that. She wants to be the one who's going to defeat them so that she can say sorry to Virgo after this."
By the time Aira continued explaining, the mansion began to tremble and when they looked at Lucy's direction, she is the only one who is standing, two figures laying on the floor in front of her. The other one dissipated in light and Lucy gave a smile to her teammates as she ran to the direction of the door, the others soon following.
They watched as the building start to crumble and fall to the ground.
"You really went out Lucy! You sure are a Fairy Tail wizard!"
"Hey! Both of us destroyed the house. Not just me!"
"Say anything you want, Lucy"
"Here is the book."
"But I told you to destroy it, why are you giving it to me?" The middle-aged man asked, his eyebrows furrowed, his wife's expression the same as him.
"You can do whatever you want, burn or destroy it. I fully understand why you need to do so." She continued, gazing at him," You're Kemu Zaleon's son, aren't you, Mister Kaby?"
"How? I never said that to the both of you?"
Lucy dismissed him, "You don't need to, I already know."
The book began to glow before Kaby had the chance to lit up his lighter.
"It's starting." Lucy murmured.
The book floated in the air and opened, letters spreading out across the room. Kaby had his mouth gaped in shock, as the title rearranged itself, forming the word Dear Kaby.
Lucy breathed out, "You can consider it a book that is the most horribly written by Zekua Melon - his real name - but it is also his greatest literature that he had written during his existence. It is a letter for you, his son."
Kaby hugged the book which stopped glowing, tears springing out of his eyes. "Thank you, father."
Lucy smiled, while Natsu put his hands at the back of his head. "We will not take the money, Kaby."
"But-"
Lucy interrupted, "I agree with my partner sir, we did not destroyed the book and completed the mission that you tasked to gave us. We do not wish to taint Fairy Tail's name by accepting the reward money." She continued, "We're going home, sir. You should go too, along with your wife."
"Huh?" Kaby and his wife asked, confused.
"Oh Luce, how did you know that it wasn't their house? I was supposed to say it." Natsu inquired, suspicious to what Lucy is actually capable of.
Lucy ran her hand on her hair, deciding to tell the other slayer of what she truly is. "Let's take a break and eat first. Then I'll tell you."
"Sure!"
"So would you tell me what you really are?" He asked, his face stuffed, full with food
"Don't be surprised or anything, but I highly doubt that.." she trailed off, "I have a feeling that you understand what I'm talking about... I'm also a Dragon Slayer."
"Cool! Why didn't you tell me in the first place? Did a Dragon taught you? Do they know Igneel? What is - "
He was cut off by an almost irritated Lucy, "Slow down, Natsu. I'll tell you."
A year had passed since Lucy left the guild to do her mission, which was only done within a span of 6 months. Her targets knowing her presence.
A little cat lay between her arms, while she walked on the path leading to Magnolia. She perceived a sound, like an animal screeching, preferably a horse on the woods on her right side. She began to feel conscious, her heart thumping loudly because of nervousness. Because of her curiosity, she followed the sound, getting nearer on the source.
She hid on the bushes, seeing a horse, surrounded by wolves. The animal was whimpering, a scratch on its side. Lucy began a mini plan in her mind, readying her whip and keys. Her 10 year old shouted, " Open! Gate of the Bull, Taurus!"
The cow emerged after the blinding light , gathering the wolves attention. The hungry creatures snarled as Taurus swung his axe, his weapon hitting the ground. The wolves whimpered when they saw one of their kind was bleeding, a small wound in its leg. They cowered in fear and run out of the sight. The Bull also disappeared in the light once again.
When they were gone, Lucy approached the wounded horse, which is now laying on the ground. She opened her pack, grabbing her bottle of water and a roll of bandage. The horse whimpered, its eyes cautiously gazing at Lucy. "Don't be scared, I'm not going to do anything to you." She reassured, slowly uncapping her bottle.
The horse remained, as if agreeing but still watching her. She carefully drop some water on the wound, attempting to cleanse it. The horse cried, but unable to do anything. When she was done, she rolled the bandage across the horse's body, silently praying that was enough. Good thing it was. She cheered lowly, backing away from the horse. The horse began to stand up on its legs and neighed, as if thanking her. She smiled in reply, the horse slowly disappearing on the woods.
A clap resounded in the forest, Lucy jolted and turned, seeing a person sitting in one of the trees, their hair tied into a ponytail. "Who are you?"
"I am Celestial, a dragon."
"A dragon? why are you a human then, who's now sitting in a branch of a tree?"
The woman laughed, her pony-tailed hair swayed on the wind. "I can change appearances young child, its either a human or my true form, a dragon. That's also the case for others."
"The others? So there are other dragons besides you?" "
Of course, I'm not the only one in my kind. Also, I had come to fetch you."
"Fetch me? What are you going to do?"
"You want to be stronger, yes?" Lucy nodded. "Then I'm here to train you."
"How do I know that you are telling the truth?"
"I don't lie, unless necessary."
Lucy sighed, "How long am I going to train? My guild would be worried about me disappearing at a young age. And my mission is done."
Celestial smiled, "if you want, you can call your master, but he mustn't know that a dragon would train you."
"But why?"
"It can be dangerous. For you and for them."
"Okay, I'll inform him on my lacrima now. Give me five minutes."
"That's okay, Lucy."
Lucy brought out her communication lacrima from her bag, she laid the small cat on her lap, as she took a seat on the ground while leaning against the tree. Celestial was a few yards away from her, so that she'll be out of sight. The lacrima was blank for a minute, before Master Makarov appeared at the other side.
"Hello Master!"
"Oh Lucy! You are already done on your mission? Doesn't it take a year before it's done?" Lucy scratched her neck, "Well, something happened while I was tailing them so I finished it early, hehe."
"So you must be on your way back then, child?"
"Well about that Master, I decided to not come back yet to train further."
"How long would you be gone? Is there someone who's going to train you? Should I tell the others?"
Lucy laughed a little bit, "It depends on my capabilities, Master. I should surprise you when I go back. As for informing the others, tell them that I went somewhere if they asked. A woman offered to train me, and I might as well go. Thank you, Master. See you again." She bowed.
Makarov smiled back, before the communication lacrima shut off.
"Should we start now? " she asked Celestial who gazed back at her, "Follow me."
"And that was it, Natsu." Lucy concluded, not continuing anymore.
"When did yours disappeared? Because mine did during x777."
Lucy hummed, "One day she was also gone which was 3 years ago, I tried to search for her these past few years but failed. I still believe we'll see each other some time again."
Natsu didn't asked anymore about their 'parents' as he chewed on the grilled fish, while Happy was eating a raw one. "If you are a Celestial Wizard, I guess being a Dragon Slayer is your second magic?"
"Yeah."
Happy questioned, "Say Lucy, what kind of a Dragon Slayer are you?'
"Well as you know, as the name of my parent implies, she taught me how to be a Celestial Dragon Slayer."
"That's awesome! We can also be a team of Dragon Slayers in Fairy Tail!"
"I guess you could say that, Natsu." She laughed. They ate their food in silence before taking their roll-beds for the night.
They were walking for hours the next day, Lucy in a bad mood because of how Happy was bad at directions.
She huffed, while Aira laid in her shoulders while they walk. "We still aren't there, Happy? You said you are great at pointing directions."
"I am, and this is where my nose says we should go."
"I should've let you take the lead earlier." she whispered to Aira, who nodded and giggled. "He seems genuine though, don't you think?"
"Yeah, and I want to laugh."
Lucy stilled, Natsu sensing that her teammate was not following behind him, "Is anything wrong, Lucy?"
"Someone's behind that bush." She pointed at her side, Natsu jumping there already with his fists flamed before Lucy can stop him. The person emerged after Natsu came out, "Gray!"
"What are you doing here?"
"I was looking for a bathroom."
"Then you could have done that at the guild! You're shirtless again!" She scolded, Gray went stiff for a second before speaking once again, "This is the fastest route in the forest to get back at the guild. I was heading back from a mission."
"That's explains it." Lucy hummed. Her attention was diverted when Aira poked her, "I sense a group of mages planning something on us. We must take action first."
"Where?" Lucy replied in a low tone.
"I can hear them from that tree." She pointed on the 5th tree from their distance, while Natsu and Gray were bickering in the background, Happy watching them amused.
Lucy nodded, before disappearing quickly.
She appeared behind the group that Aira's talking about, their backs hunched as they discussed their plan on taking the cats. They plan to take Aira and Happy for food? Distract us with sand magic and escape?
"I believe I can't let you do that boys." She butted in, the group paled at seeing one of the person on the group that they were going to attack were there, in front of them.
The goblin looking man hissed at her, "So what? You gonna do something about it?"
She clenched her teeth in annoyance, angry at the fact that he mocked her. No one mocks her and gets away with it.
"Lucy, calm down." Aira reassured her.
"Just do something to unable them from moving." She continued, "Do you think the boys already noticed that you were gone there?"
"I don't know."
"Hey Natsu, where's Lucy and Aira?"
Both boys stopped fighting with each other, now scanning their surroundings. "Now that you pointed it out, where is she?"
They felt a strong thud in the ground. They went to the source of it. They only reached Lucy and Aira, staring at the tree in front of them. "What's wrong?"
Lucy sighed, now turning in her heels to walk away. "Nothing, let's go back."
"Sure. We must hurry Natsu" Gray felt a chill in his spine just by remembering.
"Or what ice prick?"
"She's coming back any day now."
"What do you mean - jeez, we must go."
"What are you two talking about? You two look like soulless children."
"They're talking about Erza." Happy answered for them. "The toughest female wizard in Fairy Tail. She's coming back from her mission and everyone knows what that means."
"Well, what is she like? I want to meet her!"
"She's scary." Natsu and Gray shuddered.
"Huh?"
"A wild animal?"
"A beast?"
"More like a full monster." Happy ended.
"Like this?" Lucy imagined a woman who's height is tall as a giant, horns in the side of her head, fire coming out of her mouth -but Gray interrupted her imagination. "Your image of her is not far off from her scariness. She might even be bigger!"
"What are you saying?"
"She could demolish three mountains with one kick!"
Happy corrected, "It's more like two, that's a bit of exaggeration"
Lucy and Aira laughed out loud at the three, "Come on, guys. You can't be serious about that."
Happy thought, let's see if Lucy wouldn't be scared, haha.
"Anyway, let's go."
In the streets of Magnolia, people in the sidewalks stare at a woman, her armor clinking while she walked, a large object on top of her head.
