Graylu week day 2!
Prompt: Night
Mew! Welcome back! I see you decided to continue this graylu journey with me! Good!
On with the story!
Lucy woke up without Loke's arms wrapped around her. She rolled over and realized that he was gone.
After taking a shower, Lucy changed into a long sleeved black shirt, dark skinny jeans, her furry boots, and a thick blue overcoat. She headed out the door and went down to the lobby where her team mates were already waiting for her. She couldn't help but notice that Gray looked angry.
"Had a nice sleep?" he asked coldly.
Did he know that Loke was sleeping with me last night or something? Thought Lucy as she bit her lip nervously.
"Whoa, what's with you, Gray?" asked Natsu as he looked closer at the ice user's face.
Gray moved away sharply, causing Natsu to raise an eyebrow at his direction.
"L-Let's go ahead and get some breakfast, okay?" said Happy, looking over at Gray whose back was now towards the team. Everyone but Gray agreed.
Why am I so mad? Thought Gray as he was following Team Natsu. He made sure to keep his distance. It was as if… I was jealous. Gray stopped and stared at the back of Lucy's head. I wanted to be the one with my arms wrapped around her. That damn lion!
A hand grabbed his arm.
"Ne, where is Gray?" questioned Happy after they all arrived at the cafeteria. Dozens of people on vacation made the place crowded. The smell of breakfast hung in the air, and Team Natsu couldn't wait any longer.
"He's probably sulking somewhere for some reason," said Natsu with his hands at the back of his head. "I'm sure we'll see him soon. Besides, I don't want to wait. I'm starving!"
The group picked out their food and searched for an empty table. After spotting one, they quickly sat down and gobbled down their awaited meal.
Gray whirled around to see Loke wearing a serious expression. "Gray, I-" he was cut off when Gray punched him in the face.
Loke was still standing but didn't say a word. The ice user looked down at his fist and said, "I'm sorry, Loke. I don't know why I did that…"
"I do," said Loke silently. He looked into Gray's eyes and said, "You wanted to be the one sleeping with Lucy last night. Don't worry, nothing happened. I wouldn't do something like that."
Gray's cheeks flushed. "Wh-Who said I wanted to sleep with her?"
Loke gave him a look which made Gray sigh in defeat. "Fine, fine. I like her, okay? I was also really worried! I have been since…you know…"
"Yeah," sighed Loke as he pushed his glasses up. "I know."
They looked at each other with a serious expression while person after person passed them. Finally, Loke broke the silence by saying, "she's all yours, Gray."
Then he was gone. Before Gray turned around to find his comrades, he stuffed his hands in his pockets and smirked. "Thanks."
"Gray!" exclaimed Happy with his mouth full of food. The blue cat swallowed sharply. "Where have you been? You missed breakfast!"
"I'm not that hungry anyways," responded Gray. He quickly glanced at Lucy and then looked somewhere else.
"Hey, you!" said Natsu as he threw his food scraps over his shoulder and growled at Gray. The food scraps landed in Erza's cake, which she insisted on having even though it was morning, and splattered all over her face and armor. "You weren't out lookin' for the yeti on your own, were ya? You trying to one up us? Huh?"
Gray smirked. "Of course. I even uncovered some information but I'm not going to tell you."
"Tell me!" Natsu jumped over to the ice user and pulled his fist back for a punch.
Bystanders saw flames form around Natsu's fists and ran.
"I bet he doesn't even have information at all," muttered Lucy. "Ne, Erza?" She looked over at the scarlet haired teen to see a dark purple aura swirling around her. "Nice, Natsu. You squashed her cake."
"Yeah! Go Natsu!" exclaimed Happy as he pumped a fist into the air as he watched the two males battle.
While the two boys were tackling each other, Erza jumped into their battle and held them both by their hair. Her bangs covered the top half of her face and on her mouth was a snarl. Her nose flared with anger.
Natsu and Gray shivered in fear.
"You boys…" growled Erza. "Ruined my caaaake!" Using her strength, she tossed the boys to the far side of the cafeteria where a large crack in the wall formed.
"It was Natsu who ruined your cake!" whined Gray who was slowly getting up. "Not me!"
Ignoring them, the girls, including Happy, walked away. When they got to the lobby, Maria, the woman at the front desk, approached the three with a stern look.
"You had customers running for their lives!" she said. "It's not good for business!"
"I completely agree," started Lucy. "I apologize for their childish behavior. It won't happen again."
"What won't happen again?" asked Natsu. Him and Gray approached the two when Lucy grabbed Natsu's ear and pulled it closer to her mouth.
"Stop wrecking things! Now, apologize to Maria!"
"H-Hey! Why are you only pickin' on me? What about Gray?" questioned Natsu.
Lucy released the fire user and looked down. "I-I figured Erza would take care of him!"
Gray looked over at Erza who gave him a whack at the back of his head.
"Ouch," said Happy. "That's gotta hurt."
In the end, the two boys bowed towards Maria and apologized.
"Are you all headed for the village?" questioned Maria as she adjusted her glasses.
"Yes," said Erza. "We'll see you soon."
When they stepped outside, Lucy sighed in relief when she saw that the sun was shining brightly, and she basked in its warmth. There was no cool breeze at all.
"What a beautiful day to kick some yeti butt," commented Natsu as he slammed his right fist into his left palm.
"Let's go then," said Erza, leading the way.
After five minutes of walking Lucy asked, "Um…Erza? Do you even know where we're going?"
"Nope."
After asking around, the Fairy Tail members ended up in front of a home that faced the yeti. Construction workers were working fast around it.
"So no one really knows what was taken?" questioned Natsu to one of the construction workers.
"I think the yeti may have taken something insignificant that no one could miss. But that's just me."
"Why the hell doesn't he just knock on the front door?!"
"Natsu, honestly," said Lucy as she put her hand to her forehead.
"Does the yeti go any particular direction when it escapes?" asked shirtless Gray.
"It's different each time," answered the construction worker. His co-workers started calling for him, so he apologized to the Fairy Tail members and took off.
As night fell, Team Natsu only managed to visit five other places, receive the exact same answers, and then fooled around. They were sliding down a snowy hill on sleds when they heard a scream.
A man called out, "The yeti is here!"
"Let's go!" said Natsu before taking off in a sprint. The four followed with Lucy trailing behind.
When Natsu, Gray, Happy, and Erza got to the yeti, it already destroyed a house to get what it wanted. Whatever it held, it held it in its big white hand.
The yeti was big. Bigger than any yeti Erza's caught before. Its face was covered in white fur, but you could make out the mouth with two big trunks for teeth poking out. It let out a cry.
All around it, people moved at a slow speed.
"What…..the…..hell?" said Gray.
The yeti started running away. His feet where large and white with six blue toes on each foot. His long thin tail whipped Happy and Erza, sending them flying into a pile of snow. The yeti took big steps.
"I'm…I'm finally here," huffed Lucy. She rested her hands on her knees for a moment to catch her breath, but when she looked up, she screamed.
The yeti didn't even glance at her. As its foot landed near the blonde mage, she reacted without thinking and grabbed onto the beast's hairy ankle. "Heeelp!"
Lucy's keys came lose and fell off. "Oh! My keys! Come on guys, this in an emergency!" She felt herself being sucked into something so she gripped the fur tighter. Before snow blurred her vision, she saw Loke and Virgo running beside him who was screaming her name.
Lucy woke up in a dark cave. She quickly sat upright and squinted to see anything, but she could only make out rocks. Then, out of nowhere, a young girl in a long white gown with long green hair started walking towards Lucy. She radiated light and illuminated the cave. The blonde mage had to cover her eyes from being blinded.
"Wh-Who are you?" Lucy finally managed to get out once the girl stopped a few feet away from her.
"I am Starry," said the young girl as she looked down at Lucy with bright blue eyes. "I am dead."
"D-Dead? What do you mean, dead?"
"I was out walking years ago. I don't remember how long… I was supposed to go see my grandma but I ended up playing in the snow. I remember not having very many friends to play with…and then all of a sudden…there was an avalanche. I was buried deep in the snow and died."
Lucy was at a loss for words. Am I dreaming? She thought.
"The yeti you held onto earlier," continued Starry, "was me."
"What? Why were you a yeti?! Why were you attacking the snow village?!"
"Follow me."
As Starry started walking away, Lucy slowly got up and followed the girl. They walked for what seemed like hours through the dark cave. She wondered if her friends would find her soon.
"Here," said Starry. She pointed to a stack of books.
Lucy picked up the one at the top and read the tittle. "Burried."
"My mom was a writer," said Starry as she picked up a book as well. "After my death, she wrote many stories that had a young girl in it. In all of them, the girls die tragically. All of them but one. My mom only published one of each and only people in this village had a copy. I wanted to get all of them. I feel that if I get all of them, and find the one where the girl doesn't die, I will move on, because that book symbolizes my mother moving on as well."
Lucy wiped a tear away. It was a really sad story and she felt that she should help Starry in any way she could. But before Lucy could say anything, she noticed that Starry was losing her light.
"Oh no…it's happening again…" said the young girl.
"What is? What's happening?" Lucy tried to reach out and grab a hold of her, but her hands went straight through.
"I disappear randomly from time to time. Sometimes I disappear for long periods, and sometimes short. I'm really sorry. The cave is charmed so that no one can get to it…" Starry's image was flickering and so was her light.
Lucy started to get really scared. She didn't want to be left alone in the dark where no one could find her.
"Please don't go, Starry!" she cried.
Starry vanished and the book she was holding dropped by Lucy's feet. It was now pitch black again.
"No!"
Dropping the book she was holding, she felt for the cave wall. She tripped over the pile of books and scrapped her knee. She let out a hiss as pain coursed through her leg. She didn't have to see to know that blood was coming out.
Getting back up, she tried again. Lucy walked, almost to the point of exhaustion from lack of stamina and fear, when she saw light coming from the moon. A sigh and a smile of relief came from her as she pushed onward. She finally made it out, but she saw some kind of force-field going around the cave. She went up to it, touched it, and was immediately sent flying backwards into the cold snow. She looked up at the night sky and pleaded for someone to come find her.
"Shit!" screamed Gray once his speed was back to normal.
Happy and Erza quickly got out of the pile of snow and shook it off. They looked over at Gray who was on his knees, punching the ground. Natsu was staring at the spot where Lucy and the yeti disappeared with his fists shaking. Virgo and Leo were farther away. Loke was on the ground with his head down, and Virgo was by him, rubbing his back and saying something.
"Let's not waste any time!" shouted Erza, loud enough for Loke and Virgo to hear. "We need to search for our comrade now!"
"That bastard took Lucy…" growled Natsu, fire forming around his fists. "I'm going to make him pay!"
They searched the snowy wilderness for hours but never gave up. Never felt tired. Lucy was the only thing on their minds and that was what pushed them forward.
The night grew colder and Happy started to shiver. Natsu offered to carry him and keep his warm, but the cat refused.
The rest of the group were separated.
"Luuuccy!" Shouted Gray from the top of his lungs. "Whheerre arrre yooou?"
After Gray kicked a tree in frustration and flicking away the snow that was coming down on him, he heard a girl's voice in his head.
Are you Lucy's friend?
Gray looked around. "Yes I am! Do you know where she is?"
My powers…fading…north…Lucy…
The voice was gone.
"North, huh?" Gray took off running as fast as he could.
Lucy was getting colder by the second and her strength was quickly fading. The blow from the shield took a lot out of her.
"I'm so weak," she mumbled. "Natsu…Gray…Loke…Someone please find me!" Her teeth started chattering.
"Lucy! Luuuuccyy!"
"Gray?!"
Lucy sat up, suddenly feeling a wave of strength come to her. She squinted out into the night and saw a dark figure coming her direction. She stood up so she could warn Gray about the shield, but she instantly fell back down. Whatever strength came suddenly vanished.
"Lucy!" Gray finally found the mage and ran faster. From the outside, he couldn't see the shield, and by the time Lucy opened her mouth to say something, Gray ran in it.
He cried out in pain as he was sent flying backwards. His head hit a rock once he reached the ground, and he failed to regain consciousness.
"Gray!"
Lucy collapsed and the night engulfed the both of them.
That Gray. Losing consciousness at a time like this? Tsk.
Review please! You will receive a virtual cookie as a reward! Whatever flavor you want ;) (Graylu flavors welcome)
Have a fantastic Graylu week!