Hey everyone! I'm glad you all liked my story so much! Now, I have a challenge for you! XD The name of village is special. If you can figure out why and be the first to write it in the response, you'll have the next chapter dedicated to you! :)
In addition, I'm not sure if this story will end in a definite couple pairing because I've been thinking about it for a while and haven't come up with a way to bring them together that isn't a total cliché. But maybe, I'm just saying as of right now, it doesn't look all too likely. But Natsu and Lucy fans don't be disheartened because I can definitely work in some "moments" for the couple. XD
***To RevesCasses,
Thank you for all the hard work you put in to this chapter! I will be forever grateful! I would also like to let all the fans know that this chapter would have been IMPOSSIBLE to write without her help and if you do feel so inclined to leave a comment, please thank her. I apologize that I am unable to do more than this but hopefully will love it all the same, so without further adieu, I would like to dedicate this chapter to RevesCasses! Thank you!
Ophiuchus: Chapter 2
"Llluuucccyyyy!" came the elongated cry from the spiky, pink-haired mage, his arms flailing about in an enthusiastic wave. "Guess what?" he yelled, running up to her and shoving a rather dated slip of paper in front of her face.
"What?" Lucy managed to muffle, despite having the piece of parchment violate her personal space. She found her friend's excitement to be infectious, already enwrapping itself around her, making her forget about her bad mood.
"We're going on a mission!" he said cheekily, pulling the paper back far enough that Lucy could make out the handwriting.
"S-CLASS?" she screamed, her eyes first noticing the mission rank. Lucy quickly slapped her hands over mouth after her outburst, and scoured the room. She knew that neither Natsu nor herself were allowed to take an S-class mission yet, and that she had just inadvertently alerted the entire guild that Natsu, well, most likely Happy, had snuck up to the second floor again. To her surprise however, her pseudo-family seemed rather indifferent, some were even grinning at her reaction. She focused her attention back to Natsu who was smirking shamelessly. He was still a mere few inches from her face, wagging the paper triumphantly.
"Yeah, we got special permission to do this job."
"Huh?"
"It says here that a Stellar Spirit Mage is required and as you're the only Stellar Spirit Mage in Fairy Tail, we naturally got the job." Gray explained, walking up to pair. His shirt has disappeared…again.
"Gray, your shirt..." Lucy pointed out, sighing deeply at his stripping tendencies.
"Oh, shi-! How did that happen?"
"Because you're a freakin' exhibitionist!" Natsu sneered, cracking his knuckles, readying himself to brawl with the ice mage at a moments notice.
"Who are you calling an exhibitionist, hothead?" Gray growled, now missing his pants.
"You! Do you have ice for brains too? And who are you calling a hothead!"
"Oh yeah? Well at least ice doesn't melt the brain! It's no wonder you're so stupid! All of that heat of yours must have melted your poor excuse of a brain!" Gray retorted, smirking condescendingly at his rival. Natsu snarled and lunged at him, his fist already flaming. Unfortunately for the dragon-slayer, Gray saw his attack coming and easily side-stepped it, countering with a swift and powerful kick of his own, hitting Natsu square in the stomach.
Lucy just watched the fight unfold in front of her, exhaling wearily. Her mind was still reeling from the recent information she had so unwillingly learned. She couldn't believe that they were going on another S-classed mission especially when none of them, except Erza, was an S-classed mage.
"Grraaayy! Naatssuuu!" a demonic voice gritted out, as the queen of Fairy Tail herself, Titania stomped her way towards the trio, glaring at Natsu and Gray all the while. Temporarily frozen in fear, Natsu and Gray lay motionless on the floor, still clasping at the other's throat. But as the S-class mage continued to approach them, the pair's senses immediately returned to them, quickly standing up, and throwing an arm around the other in a façade of friendship that fooled no one.
"Erza!" Lucy called out, glad to see the armor clad mage. Hopefully she could explain to her the insanity of the situation. With one last parting look at the two male mages before her, she turned her attention to Lucy.
"Good morning Lucy!" she greeted the blonde, ignoring the frightened males next to her. "Has Natsu told you about the mission yet?"
"You mean this is serious? We really are going on an S-class mission?" Lucy asked, mouth agape.
"Geez Luce, you're acting so surprised. I mean, we've gone on an S-class mission once before." Natsu interjected, his fear of Erza's punishing blows diminished by now.
"B-but…But that was different." She stuttered, her anxiety getting the better of her.
"How so?" he asked, confused.
Lucy stared at him for a moment; she really didn't want to admit to anyone her less than altruistic reasons for going on the crazy venture, but when she saw the reward offered a gold Stellar Spirit key as well, she couldn't resist the temptation. Now reflecting on it, Lucy couldn't help but remember just how dangerous the S-class mission had been. While they might have technically completed the required task, they surely wouldn't have been able to handle the monster Deliora if Gray's childhood friend managed to revive the beast. Luckily the ice mages' teacher, Ul, defeated the creature long ago at the cost of her own life. And if it wasn't for Erza, Lucy probably would have died as well, becoming a tasty treat for the freakily oversized rat, Angelica. Lucy shuddered at the thought.
"Is-is this really happening?" Lucy asked aloud, wanting to believe that this is all just some crazy dream. She didn't know if she could make it through another one of those types of missions.
"Of course!" Natsu said, "Now come on, I'm all fired up! Let's go!", grabbing hold of Lucy's arm and dragging her towards the door with a speed and power that the Stellar Mage had little hopes of overcoming.
"W-w-wait! What kind of mission is it?" She asked frantically, pulling against his grip to no avail. Luckily for her, Natsu was unable to spirit her out of the door as an oversized hand took hold of the two mages and held them firmly in its grasp.
"Hold it right there you two!" A voiced boomed, as its arm retracted bringing them face-to-face with the old, short mage sitting at the bar. "Now, I just want to remind you both to be careful on this job. This is an S-class mission for a reason. Other mages haven't come back, so cannot afford to be reckless." Makarov lectured dutifully, his gaze directed at Lucy. She couldn't suppress a shudder than ran up her spine. The master rarely interfered when it came to missions and almost never gave advice.
"H-hav-haven't come back?" Lucy gulped. But Natsu seemed less than impressed, and only scoffed when elderly mage had mentioned the potential danger this mission entailed.
"That's right." He answered, giving Natsu a hard look.
"What-what is this mission?" Lucy demanded. If she was going to be forced to go on such a dangerous task, she should at least be allowed to read the request slip.
"I already showed it to you Luce." Natsu commented offhandedly, struggling against the firm grip Makarov had placed them in, crushing the two up against each other.
"No you didn't! You shoved some God-forsaken paper into my face and then began pulling me off in some God-forsaken direction! And watch where you're squirming!" she finished, her voice rife with indignation, as Natsu unintentionally brushed up against her chest.
"Geez. Sorry Luce." Natsu replied half-heartedly, only adding to Lucy's frustration.
"Here you go Lucy." Mirajane said, standing next to Makarov dutifully, holding out a strip of paper. After capturing at least one of the mage's attentions, Makarov released the pair from his clutches, causing them to fall rather ungracefully on the floor on top of one another. While Natsu remained sprawled on the floor Lucy immediately scrambled up and anxiously grabbed the parchment from the white-haired bar keeper which read:
PLEASE HELP!
Our village is in trouble! We need the help of a Stellar Spirit Mage to appease the angry Celestial Gods.
REWARD
1,000,000,000,000,000
"EEEEHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH! This request has this kind of reward! B-but, the request can't be right! I can't even remember the last time the Celestial Gods interfered in human affairs."
The other members involved in the conversation stared her down. Even despite being high class mages on their own, they were oblivious about celestial magic.
"Well, it is a possibility that the people were just too afraid to mention the exact nature of their problem for fear that no one would take the request and help them." Erza explained.
"B-but." Lucy tried to protest. All she had hoped for this morning was to forget that awful dream but this was just too much.
"Don't worry Lucy, we'll all be there with you." Erza said, placing a comfortable hand on the stellar mage's on the shoulder. Lucy looked over to her other teammates, Gray and Natsu only to see stupid grins on both their faces. Regardless, it managed to comfort her fraying nerves, but only slightly.
"Ehem!" Makarov coughed, interrupting the group's moment, "Now, I want the four of you, particularly you Natsu-"
"Why me Gramps?" Natsu whined like a child.
"Because you always screw things up!" Makarov replied, his body slowly growing large and transforming into his beast like state.
Natsu quivered at the sight, unintentionally reverting the guild master back to his original form. "Like I was saying before," he continued, almost as if nothing had happened, "I want the four of you to be extra cautious."
Lucy nodded, a hint of fear in her eyes. Gray and Erza nodded out of compliance and Natsu wore his signature grin.
"I promise to bring everyone home safely." Erza responded obediently. Makarov looked her over, as if he was trying to gauge her resolve. He finally consented and with a sigh added,
"Just please don't go around destroying things like you lot usually do. We are still on thin ice with the council and the bills…" Makarov moaned, "…the bills…"
"We will do our best Master!" Erza answered, but one glance at Natsu, who sat bowlegged on the floor, more interested in picking at his ears, told the elderly mage that the particular youth he was most concerned about did not truly pay heed to his message. Makarov couldn't help but slump over in despair and just hope that the bills for this trip did not exceed the reward.
Realizing that all the talking was over, and that everything had been said and done, Natsu jumped up and merrily exclaimed, "Alright! Let's get going!" And once again he took the Stellar Spirit Mage by the arm and dragged her out the door but this time, with Erza and Gray in tow.
"Bye bye!" Mira happily waved at them.
"Such a lively bunch!" she gleeful commented, as she began to wipe the bar down. Makarov just nodded and took a sip of his ale and for some time, both mages thought that the group would be fine. They had taken on many dangerous foes before and had returned unscathed. Little did they know that this time it would be different.
"Hey!" A feisty brunette called out, as she approached the bar.
"Cana! You're here rather late today. Did you sleep in or something?" Mira happily greeted the resident drunk, who had just walked into the guild.
"Yeah, you could say that." Cana answered, glancing around the building for a certain friend of hers.
"Are you looking for someone?" Mira asked, trying to be helpful.
"Yeah, Lucy as a matter of fact."
"Oh! I'm sorry but you just missed her. Natsu, Erza, Gray, and Lucy left for a mission about an hour ago."
"Damn." She cursed, pulling up her trusty companion, a barrel of alcohol, to her lips for a very prolonged swig, trying to drown her sudden headache.
"Why? Did you need to tell her something?"
"Well, nothing too important I hope. I just wanted to warn her."
"Warn her? What for?" Makarov questioned, taking a break from his own drink.
"Well, the other night Lucy asked me to check her future using my tarot cards, and I did. She drew the cards of Judgment, the Lovers, the Chariot, the Empress, the Knight of Swords, the Seven of Pentacles, but it was the last card that was most concerning."
"Why? What was it?" Mira asked alarmed.
"Well, it was blank. I assumed at the time, that it meant that she would soon be faced with a vast array of choices she could make with her life. Depending on which action she took, I told her a picture would eventually materialize."
"Well, that doesn't seem too bad. It just means she has the world in front of her, no?"
"Hmph, the joys of youth." Makarov added with a sigh, and took a large gulp of his ale, reminiscing the days when he was younger, and much stronger.
"I suppose that's true, but just now, an image appeared on the card." Cana answered apprehensively, looking towards the door.
"What does it say?" Makarov asked, with a sudden interest.
Cana sighed deeply and threw the ominous card on the bar. A dark atmosphere overtook the lot as they stared in horror at the bony skeleton glaring back at them. The figure's presence was so ill-omened, that it seemed to ironically take on a life of its own. The scenery surrounding the foreboding form lay engrossed in death and decay, nothing was spared. Its scythe loomed over the creature's boney head and was so threatening, that it nearly seemed to reach its cold shiny, metal blade out from the card and around their necks. Neither Mirajane nor Makarov needed an explanation on what this card meant; it was the card of Death.
"You don't think…" Mira said, turning towards the door that the foursome had so recently just departed from, a quivering hand placed against her mouth as if to suppress a shriek. Makarov just stared back at the card darkly.
"Master? What should we do?" Mira asked in a whispered tone, as if she was afraid if she said it any louder, her concerns would become real.
Makarov stared back at the skeleton, almost daring it to move. He let out a sigh and looked towards Cana.
"Cana?" he asked.
The brunette shifted slightly, her hands fidgeting. "I'm afraid that once the image appeared, the fate had been sealed."
"What? What do you mean? Can't we send someone after them?"
"When a person draws a blank card and an image appears, there is nothing an outsider can do to change it. The only one who can alter her fate now, is Lucy herself."
"No." Mira answered, tears brimming in her azure eyes.
Makarov took a prolonged sip of his drink. Letting the information sink in. He couldn't just let one of his children be sent into such a dangerous situation, but from what Cana had just told them…
"We…will do nothing."
"Master! How can you say something like that?" Mira scolded.
"I don't say it lightly!" Makarov answered, clearly upset. "They have been warned of the dangers this mission presented. There is no point running after them only to scold them further. I highly doubt that group would stop even if Lucy was told her fortune."
"You don't know that! Maybe-"
"Mira, we know how you feel but..." Cana interrupted, placing a reassuring hand of the white-haired mage's shoulder.
"Cana." Makarov spoke up, looking intensely at his now empty glass, "Does the card necessarily mean Lucy will…"
"No." Cana answered before he could finish. "Fortune telling is always ambiguous. While the card could be a direct reference to Lucy it can also refer to something or someone else related to her."
Makarov sighed and pushed his cup away. "Mira, I'm going to need something a lot stronger."
Mira lingered for a moment, her eyes darting to the door, but let out a resigned sigh and turned around, gathering up various bottles of alcohol and mixing them together to create a more potent drink.
"Haa…. haa….haa…." Natsu took in deep breaths, his body protesting under the train's movement.
"You are such a disgrace. You can't even handle a simple train ride." Gray said in contempt as he stared out the window, clad only in his boxers. Both Lucy and Erza had given up at this point trying to get the ice mage to remain clothed and were more focused on Natsu's…difficulties to say the least.
"And to think, you were so eager to go." Lucy sighed, looking at the powerful Salamander being reduced to nothing but putty in front of her.
"I-ERG-thought-BLEK-we'd-HERMPH- be walking." He managed to get out between his heaves.
"Really, it would have taken us a whole two weeks to walk all the way there! You should just be happy that we were able to take the bullet train most of the way. Now, we'll arrive at Cancaro around sunset and as long as finding a ride to Suh Cuihpo doesn't prove too difficult, we should get in at approximately 11 o'clock tonight with any luck."
"Lu-BLEGCH-Luck? –ERMGSH-Wh-MERPH-who's Luc-HMURGSH-ky?" he complained between his bouts, the last syllable quietly escape his lips.
"Natsu, why don't you come here for a second?" Erza asked sweetly, much like the time they went to stop the dark guild Eisenwald. A sudden panic overtook his features and there was an expression of fear in his eyes that Lucy hardly ever saw. Natsu stayed glued to his seat, trying to sink himself further into the soft material, and hopefully, out of Erza's clutches.
"Natsu?"
Lucy pitied the dragon slayer, knowing the inevitable and watched the scene play out before her.
Erza had left her seat and moved over to Natsu, realizing he would not willingly come to her. Her figure loomed over him, betraying the scarlet haired mage's intentions. In an instant, he was rendered unconscious. The brunt of Erza's axe kick had managed to, for the first time, silence the car. Natsu's body lay slumped over on the floor for a second before Erza scooped up the boy in her arms and placed him next to Lucy, looking incredibly peaceful in his head-trauma induced sleep.
Lucy couldn't help but let a sigh escape her and truly felt sorry for her best friend. But, she had to admit, it was far better this way. Diverting her attention away from her downed comrade, she turned her head to look out the window. As she did so, she couldn't help but notice and appreciate the train car's décor. A gold trimmed ceiling hung above their heads but judging from the price they had paid for the cabin, Lucy was sure it was merely some gold-colored paint of some sort. The ceiling led into a beautiful, although generic, crown molding, with ornate patterns of angels carved into the wood. The oak walls and windowsill were admittedly of top quality, but that was the only thing. The cushions were made of a deep, dark red velvet-like material that was glaringly synthetic. The matching satin rug was not truly satin either. The train's owner had obviously tried his best to make the car as opulent as he could, bearing in mind a strict budget that is. Lucy was sure her observation regarding the cheap material used in the cabin was the only one. Growing up in the great array of wealth and entitlement that she did, she had been trained since birth to notice discrepancies between the genuine article and knock-offs like these.
A slight grimace marred her face as she recalled her childhood. It soon turned into a scowl as she the thought vaguely reminded her of her dream the previous night, although she couldn't recollect just what the dream had been about. She closed her eyes in concentration, trying to remember the dream that eluded, not even realizing the drowsiness overtaking her. Soon, she unwillingly found herself being carried off in a wave of fatigue and submitted herself to her dreams.
"Go back."
"Huh? Who is that?" Lucy asked the darkness. She couldn't remember where she was but an anxiety she had not known before gripped her.
"Go back." The voice repeated, seemingly coming from nowhere.
"Wh-who are you?"
"Go back. You will only find death if you continue."
"Continue? Continue where?" she paused, waiting for an answer, "Where are you? Who are you?" She looked around the void in desperation, trying to locate the origin of the voice. She was slowly losing her composure and completely lost it when she felt something brush against her foot. She looked straight ahead into the blackness, too mortified to look down at the offending creature but even without looking, she was soon able to determine what had been pushing up against her. The serpent coiled its way around Lucy's calves, then her hips, followed by her chest, and finally around her neck until she was staring into its cold, black eyes. The serpent began tightening its grip on, determined, Lucy swore, to constrict the life out of her. Its eyes never left her face, almost as if it was getting some sick gratification from her pain. Lucy could feel her breathing become labored and collapsed to floor, still held tightly in the serpent's power. Huddled on the floor, trying her best to fight against the snake, Lucy heard the voice call out to her again.
"Go back. Only death awaits you." This time Lucy couldn't respond to it. She felt that she couldn't take the pain any longer when the snake suddenly dematerialized, vanishing into nothing. Lucy graciously gulped fresh breaths of air, finally free of reptile. She coughed and wheezed the life back into her lungs until she felt she could stand on her feet. She looked around for the snake to see if it was still around when she noticed the light a few yards in front of her.
"Luce! Lucy!"
She knew that voice, "Natsu?" she whispered, tears brimming in her eyes.
"Lucy!" he called again.
"Nnnaaatttsssuuu!" Lucy cried back instinctively, collecting her last bits of strength to run towards the light where his voice was coming from. Her tears came down in a flood of emotion as she stopped a few feet away. He smiled brightly at her, "Natsu!" she said relieved, flinging herself onto him in a warm embrace and knocking him off of his feet. But something was wrong. He felt cold, Lucy looked at the mage only to realize he was a granite body. She hurriedly removed her arms from the statue and stared at it in horror. She heard a slight crack, and suddenly large fissures and breaks were running throughout the stone Natsu.
"No! Stop!" she cried throwing herself on top of him, trying to hold him together and reattach those parts that had fallen off to no avail. "Stop it! Just stop it!" But the structure crumbled beneath her, leaving only the tiniest grains of rock behind. "Natsu! Natsu!" she cried sorting through the remains, hoping that she would somehow find the great Salamander beneath it all.
"Lucy." Two other voices called out in unison next to her. Erza and Gray watched Lucy as they stood on opposite sides of her.
"Gray! Erza!" she cried out relieved to see her friends. Surely they could help. "Please help! Natsu…Natsu…" she said, her tears now consuming her as she refused to admit what she had just saw. She sobbed uncontrollably for minutes until she realized the weighted silence.
"Gray? Erza?" Lucy asked opening her eyes. Neither the ex-quip mage nor the ice mage were to be seen. She couldn't stop her eyes from straying towards the ground where they had previously stood only to see the same bits of rubble that Natsu had become. Lucy tried to stand up, often falling down like a new born fawn, but finally managed the simple task. Her legs, shaking uncontrollably, carried her away from the crushed granite pieces. She headed into the blackness, unaware of where she was going, but she didn't care. All the life had been drained her.
"Go back." The words echoed throughout the void as the space began to clear and evaporate.
"Lucy!"
"Huh?" she opened her eyes groggily, feeling slightly disorientated but quickly closed them again. Her eyelids felt heavy and it nearly pained her to open them.
"Are you ok?" she could hear Natsu ask.
'Natsu? He's ok?' Lucy dreamily thought to herself. 'It was all just a dream.' She sighed happily at the realization, letting unknown tension fly from her and snuggled closer to her pillow.
"Luce?"
Lucy scrunched up her nose. She didn't want to open her eyes and pull away from the warm and comfortable position she was in just yet, but he kept calling her. She couldn't quite place where he was, but she could tell he was close. Lucy clutched her pillow even tighter trying to fight off and ignore his persistent calls.
"Natsu. Get out of my room." She moaned tiredly.
"Lucy!" Natsu said, more forcefully this time, making Lucy open her eyes.
'I don't remember my apartment being this small.' Lucy thought to herself as she saw a wooden wall several feet from her. She slowly grew more and more confused as she couldn't recognize any of the furniture in the room. In fact, all there was in terms of furniture was the bench that held the two mages in front of her.
"Gray? Erza?" Lucy asked, confusion apparent in her voice, noticing the concern on their faces.
"Luce? You ok?" Lucy hesitantly forced her eyes off of her friends and followed the sound of Natsu's voice with her eyes.
"Eh. Natsu?" She let out realizing he was right next to her, and although she couldn't be sure, she thought that she noticed a slight pink hue on his cheeks. Staring into Natsu's face, Lucy's mind cleared and she slowly recalled that mornings events. This was not her room; the four of them were on an S-class mission that required her, a Stellar Spirit Mage, and most importantly, she did not bring a pillow with her. She glanced over to what she had been clutching so tightly which much to her embarrassment, had been Natsu's arm. She had, in fact, quite effectively trapped the dragon slayer's arm within her own and turned his shoulder into a relatively comfortable pillow.
"Hiiieeeeek!" she screamed pushing herself away from him on to the other side of the bench in a rather dramatic fashion. She sat staring at her shoes, both hands clutched over heart which was beating out of control. The result of pure, unbridled shock, she was sure.
"Lucy, are you ok?" Erza asked, watching the young girl.
Lucy took in several deep breaths, calming her erratic heartbeat before looking up at the concerned faces of her nakama. "Huh?" She questioned, confused at their expressions.
"You were crying in dream just now and no matter how hard we tried to wake you, you wouldn't stir." Gray explained
Her eyes widened as she brought a hand up to face feeling her damp cheeks. She hadn't realized that she had actually cried.
"If you don't want to talk about it we understand." Erza assured, smiling gently, trying to make Lucy feel slightly more comfortable as the blonde continued to keep silent.
Lucy's heart panged as she looked around the train car at her friends. They were always so kind to her and sincerely cared for her. She never knew of such love, except for her mother. A brief expression of pain crossed her face.
But before Lucy could answer, the intercom system crackled into life and a voice rang throughout the car, "Excuse me esteemed and valued passengers. We regret to inform you that the train's engine seems to have broken down for the time being and that we will not be able to complete our journey tonight and will be out of service for the next few days. Thank you for your understanding and patience. If you have any questions, you may ask our employees who will be waiting outside, at the front of each exit. Thank you and have a nice day."
"Oh! We aren't moving are we?" Lucy asked surprised. She hadn't noticed at all.
"How else do you think that flamehead managed to get a few lines out?" Gray commented.
"Hey!" Natsu scowled at Gray.
"Shut it you two!" Erza yelled, quieting them temporarily.
"So where are we Erza and how far are we from Suh Cuihpo?"
"Right now were in Danerac so Cancaro should have been the town after the next stop, but it seems like we won't be able to take the train all the way there." Erza sighed, trying to figure out the next best possible way to reach Suh Cuihpo.
"YIPEE!" Natsu screamed out in joy, not minding in the least that their mission would be delayed. "I guess that means that we're going to have to walk, right?" he eagerly asked Erza who maintained a serious expression.
"Were you dropped on your head as a baby? We can't possibly walk all the way there. Even if we are close, it would take us five days to make it there." Gray reasoned.
"What did you say you freakin' ice punk?"
"Man you must have been dropped pretty hard." Gray responded, agitated, "You don't even understand what I said. Well let me phrase it more simply for you, jackass. We can't walk all the way there. It's too far. Get it now you simple minded idiot?"
"That's it! You are so dead!" Natsu yelled, flames dancing on his fist.
"Bring it!" Gray spat, an ice spear ready in his hands.
"Friends shouldn't fight like this." A red-eyed demon proclaimed, looming over the two boys who became struck still with fear. Almost instantly, they pair linked their arms together under a pretense of companionship coupled with forced smiles to appease the demonic Erza.
"S-s-sorry." They stuttered in unison, shrinking back away from her.
Lucy suppressed a sigh. The two would most likely never stop fighting even when they were old and wrinkly.
"Alright. Lucy, why don't you, Natsu, and Gray look for some supplies for the rest of the trip and I'll take care of some of how we're going to get there. Most likely we'd have to rent a horse-drawn carriage to get there." Erza sighed.
"But, but, I thought we were going to walk there? We can all handle it, except that pussy Gray over there, so can't we just start walking?" Natsu whined and ignored Gray as he shot him a glare.
"I said, why don't you, Lucy and Gray go search for SUPPLIES? Or do you have something against that Natsu-kun?" Erza growled menacingly causing Natsu to gulp and nod fervently in coerced agreement.
"Nope, no problem with that. Let's go Luce!" Natsu rushed out his sentences in one breath and grabbed Lucy before running off.
Erza turned to her right, noticing Gray had yet to chase after the others and was looking at her intently. Turning to face him, she crossed her arms and stared at him, knowing he had something to say.
"What?"
"I'm worried about this. I have a feeling that something bad is going to happen." Gray said seriously.
Erza nodded. "I know. I do too. But Lucy is strong. We will make it through."
Gray let out a sigh before nodding. They weren't called the strongest team in Fairy Tail for nothing.
"Now hurry up and go after them. Make sure Natsu doesn't buy too much food. We're short on money and we don't need him spending more than we have." Erza said. Gray grinned at her and jogged off. That Natsu really did eat a lot.
"And we meet back here in two hours!" Erza called out and watched Gray wave back in acknowledgement.
Erza looked up at the bright sun, noticing the dark clouds gathering in the distance. She bit her lip. Somehow, things did not feel right. She shook her head, clearing it of all the doubts and worry. They were going to be fine.