[Roads Untraveled]
Disclaimer: I do not own Fairy Tail, however the OCs in this story are mine.
Lucy felt horrible lying to her friends about her whereabouts, but she had no clue how to explain to them what happened to her. So, she gave a lame excuse that she took a job without notifying Mira or her teammates. She told them that she didn't mean to run off without telling anyone, but she was so excited that is slipped her mind.
"Now if only I had the rent money to prove I went on a job," Lucy sighed as she walked home from the guild. She had gotten a tongue lashing not only from her teammates, but from Master Makarov as well. They were all so concerned about her wellbeing that it hurt her heart knowing she had to leave them again in a few days without telling them.
Why the heck is this mission so important? Lucy wondered as she balanced on the ledge just inches away from the river. Maybe I should just get rid of the key. She shook her head, dismissing the thought. I can't do that…what if Lynelle really needs my help and I'm the only one who can do it?
She was taken out of her thoughts by the sound of her name being called. Behind her Gray was jogging to catch up to her.
"Is something wrong?" Lucy questioned, pausing so the ice-make wizard could catch up to her.
"No, I just wanted to talk to you," He replied, shoving his hands into the pockets of his pants.
"Dare I ask where your shirt is?"
Gray looked down at his torso in shock. "I just had it on!"
Lucy laughed as he ran back down the street to grab is shirt. She still wondered how he could strip without noticing. He came back a few moments later fully clothed.
"So what did you want to talk about?" She asked, continuing her walk towards her apartment. She could only pray that it wasn't about her "mission".
"Well Natsu said you got a new key, but didn't know what it did," Gray replied. "Ever figure it out?"
He couldn't have come all this way to ask me about my new key, Lucy thought, looking at him suspiciously. But I'll play along. She shook her head, saying: "I've been so busy that I haven't gotten a chance to figure it out. It's so weird…I've never come across a key that I didn't know about." At least it was partially the truth.
"Shame you weren't able to use it on your mission then," He replied. "Oh yeah, were did you say you went?"
"I went to Oak Town, remember?" Lucy replied nervously. "It was a mission to retrieve an item for the requestor." Gray stopped walking, making Lucy look back at him with worry. "What's wrong?"
His bangs casted a shadow over his face as he replied: "Lucy, while you and Natsu were gone and up until two days ago I was in Oak Town because there was suspicion of the Phantom Lord Guild causing trouble there. That was the only request for that town and even if you were there I would have seen you." He brought his head up, his eyes boring into Lucy's. "I'm sorry Lucy, I didn't mean to attack you, but I want the truth. We've been through too much for you not to be honest with me and the rest of the guild."
Lucy stared at him in shock, afraid to speak. How had he picked apart her lie so fast? Her guilt grew at the cold look in his eyes, but as she continued to stare she could see worry and hurt. He was just worried about her. And he was right- they had been through a lot together.
"Come with me," She said softly. They walked the rest of the way to her apartment in silence. When she got there she took her newest key off the ring, holding it up for him to see. "This is my new Celestial Key, Gate Keeper."
"I thought you didn't know anything about the key."
"I still don't know much about it. I've only scratched the surface of it." She wasn't sure if she would be able to summon it, but it was worth a shot. She called upon it, and was surprised when it appeared in her living room.
"What is this thing?" Gray asked shock. "This thing is huge! Is it a Celestial Spirit?"
"I guess it is, but it's unlike any of the ones I've ever come across. Even Crux, a spirit that knows everything about the Celestial World, knew little about Gate Keeper," Lucy replied. She approached the gate, tugging at its handles, but it refused to open. "I guess I really do have to wait three days…"
"Three days until what?"
The blonde mage sighed, searching her brain for the right words. "Three days until I have to go back through this gate." She sent Gate Keeper away so she had room to sit. "It's kind of a long story…and you probably won't believe me."
"Try me."
Lucy told Gray everything that had happened to her in what felt like the last 24 hours. She told him about the crazy city, the weird girl, and what she had managed to understand of the mission she was supposed to be part of.
"So let me get this straight. Your new key opens a door to another realm in which a girl named Lynelle already knows you and you're part of a mission that she didn't have time to tell you, so you have go back in three days to get the rest of the story."
Lucy nodded. "That about covers it."
"Do you realize how crazy you sound?"
Lucy looked down at her lap. "I know I sound crazy, but that's the truth."
She heard Gray sigh. "I wish you would have told us that instead of lying. Honestly, your whole experience makes more sense then you going off on a mission without telling anyone."
"Are you saying I can't go on missions by myself?" She shouted in irritation.
Gray chuckled. "No, I'm saying that it's unlikely that you would."
Lucy huffed, but inside she was glad that Gray no longer seemed mad at her. Though, she was concerned about telling her other guild members. "Hey, do you think we could keep this between us? I'm not even sure if I want to go through with this mission, so I don't want to worry everyone."
"What if you're not given a choice?"
"I'll figure something out," She replied. "Please Gray, I'll tell them…just not right now."
Gray sighed, not liking the idea of hiding this from their guild. Lucy did have a point, however; why worry everyone now? "Alright, but only if you take me with you when you meet up with that girl again."
Lucy doubted Lynelle would be thrilled about Gray tagging long, but it was the only way her secret wouldn't be spilled to the guild. "Alright, fine. We'll try opening the gate Friday afternoon, and try to be back by Saturday morning our time. This is going to be tricky because time seems to move so much faster here."
Gray nodded. "We'll have to set a watch and try to match up the time difference."
Lucy hummed in approval, before standing up to stretch. "Well, now I have to take an actual job to cover for my rent that due soon. Do you want to see if we can get Natsu and Erza to take a quick job with us?"
Gray stood up as well, tugging on his shirt that he at some point discarded. "Sure, sounds good."
Lucy smiled. "Awesome! Oh and Gray, thank you so much for understanding."
Gray grinned back at her, lifting a hand to place on her blond hair. "No problem, I'm just looking out for you Luce."
Lucy escorted him to the front door where he took his leave. She was glad to get her worries off her chest and be able to confide in someone about the mess she found herself in. She was also glad that Gray was willing to go with her.
"I have a feeling that Lynelle is going to be really upset about him coming with me though," She muttered, picturing Lynelle's green eyes glaring daggers at her. She had a feeling that Lynelle could take her down if she had to.
[Three Days Later]
Lucy had scrapped up enough money during her two day mission with her team to cover her rent for a month and a half, which put her mind at ease. She didn't want to take any chances on staying on the other side of the gate for too long and end up being put out of her apartment.
"Are you sure you want to come?" Lucy asked her teammate, slinging her duffle bag over her shoulder. "There's nothing in it for you and you might get bored, and-"
"Lucy," Gray cut her off, pulling his white coat over his t-shirt. "I'm going and that's final. I already covered our tracks at the guild by putting us on a mission. Technically we can be gone for two weeks our time without anyone looking for us."
Lucy nodded; a day on the other side of the gate was about five days in Earthland. Though she did not anticipate being with Lynelle for more than a day, if the gate did not open for her, they could be stuck for a while. "Let's get going then." She raised the silver key, chanting: "Open: Gate Keeper Lynelle!"
The gate's doors opened wide without hesitation, allowing the two mages to walk through the dark tunnel. The gate opened up and placed them in an alleyway before closing. Cautiously, they moved into the streets.
"Is this where you were before?" Gray questioned, taking in the town they found themselves in. Red seemed to be a theme in the town because many decorations on the buildings and flags where red with what looked like a mascot in the shape of a nut.
"No," Lucy replied. "The buildings were a lot higher and the streets were a lot busier. We're in a totally different place."
"How are we going to find that girl you were talking about?"
"You don't need to," A voice replied behind them. The pair turned, coming face-to-face with Lynelle. "Luckily I was already heading over here for lunch. Plus, I'm done with classes." Lynelle cut her eyes over to Gray, scowling. "Who's this?"
"Gray Fullbuster, Fairy Tail wizard," Gray replied proudly.
Lynelle sighed, face-palming. "You seriously brought one of your friends along?"
"Sorry?" Lucy said nervously. Lynelle wasn't going to make Gray go back, was she? "I told him about how my time over here and what I knew of the mission that I'm being asked to do. He's here to help me if I run into trouble."
"Whatever," Lynelle replied, fighting the urge to send the ice-wizard back to where he came from. However, she knew if she wanted Lucy to cooperate she would have to keep Gray here. "Anyways, let's go to my apartment to talk."
"I thought you were getting lunch," Lucy said, jogging to catch up with Lynelle's fast pace.
"I'll just make us sandwiches," She replied. "Telling you the mission is much more important."
The trio walked almost thirty minutes across the campus of Ohio State University to get to Lynelle's one bedroom apartment. Lucy admired the beautiful campus and the people that walked through it. Never had she been in such a place and she found it extremely interesting.
On the far end of campus sat Lynelle's simple apartment. It had plain walls and basic furniture that come with the complex. Lynelle instructed the two to sit at the kitchen table while she prepared lunch.
"Is there a time difference between here and your realm?" Lynelle questioned as she pulled the necessary ingredients out of the refrigerator.
"Yeah a big one," Lucy replied. "A day here is a five days in Fiore."
"Five days?" Lynelle was surprised that the time difference was so big. She made a mental note to jot that down in her notebook. "That's interesting…My notes said that the difference was only about two days, not almost a week."
"So, about this mission you want Lucy to do," Gray began, wanting to get straight to the point.
"My, are you protective," Lynelle chuckled. "Are you her boyfriend?"
"Of course not!"
"He's not my boyfriend!"
Lucy was surprised that Lynelle was laughing so hard at their responses. When the girl finally pulled herself together she had to wipe tears from her eyes.
"You two are adorable," She said, placing the sandwiches in front of the mages. "You remind me of two of my friends who always denied they liked each other. And guess what, they're dating now!"
"Lynelle, the mission," Lucy pressed. Her face flushed at the very thought of dating Gray- finding it impossible to even fathom.
"Yes, yes I'm getting to that. No need to remind me," She replied, taking a seat. She pulled a notebook out of her backpack that was resting at her feet, opening to the first page.
"You gotta read the mission out of a notebook?" Gray muttered with his mouthful. Shouldn't she have such an important thing memorized? When he looked back over to the girl he almost jumped out of his skin at how harsh her glare was.
"I'm done playing around Fullbuster, listen up before I send you back," She replied, her cold and serious tone coming back into her voice. The girl that was just laughing with such a carefree attitude was completely gone. "Now like I was about to read off…" She took a deep breath, stealing her nerves. This was her first time have a potential partner and she knew if she didn't explain herself correctly then Lucy would not help her and she would be forced to go to extreme lengths to get Lucy on her side.
She looked down at her messy, cursive writing; reading off: "Lucy, you are here because you have in your possession the twin to my key, Gate Keeper. Our keys link us together so that we can work side-by-side in an effort to stop the raising problems that stem from the organization Black Gate. The organization wants to bring other worldly powers and devices to control and instill fear into the people of my world. My world is one of the only gates that does not have magic, people with special powers, or alchemy. Whatever you want to call a special power, we don't have it. That makes us vulnerable to attaches from those who have the capability to get through our gate." She paused, looking up to see that she still had Gray and Lucy's attention. Good, that meant her message was getting across to them. She continued on, saying: "What I need from you is to help me take down Black Gate whenever they attack the citizens of this world, or we get tips they are planning something. It could be anywhere and at any time. My people, the Keepers, are in small numbers. We have resorted to enlisting those from outside of our gate for help, though only after we check out their background via the item they pick up." Lynelle closed her notebook, looking Lucy in the eye. "I know this is a lot to take in, but I really need your help and with your Celestial powers and skills you are a perfect candidate. Please, help me take down Black Gate and protect the people of this world."
Lucy struggled to grasp onto what Lynelle just told her. Lynelle was basically begging for her help. Her heart went out to the young women, but that would mean she would have to pick up and leave all her friends from home behind. She couldn't just leave them like that. Lucy looked away from Lynelle's questioning gaze, saying: "I don't know…that's a lot of responsibility, and I can't just leave my friends like that."
Lynelle didn't expect Lucy to automatically join her side. She knew the young girl would need time to think and arrange things on her side, but Lynelle had limited time. She would be in serious trouble if she did not get a straight answer from Lucy soon. "I understand, however the situation is dire. Please consider helping at least. You can go and speak with your friends, but please come back soon with an answer."
"Are you seriously thinking about helping?" Gray asked his friend.
Lucy paused, not knowing how to answer. Instead she asked, "Is my world in danger as well?"
"Well, not in immediate danger, because they are focusing on taking our world first. Right now they are trying to take the magic from your world to use it here," Lynelle replied. "Or at least that's what I've been told. I'm just a foot soldier."
"It's just like in Edolas," Gray commented. "Except they must be doing it a lot differently than they did."
"Honestly, I don't know how they're taking your magic," Lynelle replied, not bothering to ask what Edolas was. "Our first mission, should you agree to help, is to find out."
"What if I don't accept?" Lucy inquired.
"Well then I report that to my boss and it's out of my hands," Lynelle replied. "We get further behind figuring out how to stop Black Gate and not only does our world suffer more, but eventually they will move to other Gates which includes yours."
Lucy stayed silent for a moment, mulling over the large amount of information that was given to her in the last ten minutes. "I'll think about it…I need to talk to my guild about this."
"Of course."
"What if I wanted to tag along?" Gray questioned.
"Well then I won't stop you, but you're not under any contract so I don't technically have to inform you of our missions or grant you access to our bases," Lynelle replied.
Gray scowled at her answer. He just wanted to be around to make sure Lucy would stay safe and he could talk her out of anything crazy. Honestly, he wanted to talk her out of helping Lynelle, but he knew that it had to be solely her choice.
Lucy stood up, picking up her duffle bag. "I'll give it some thought tonight, okay?" She paused, "Well actually however long it takes me to open the gate back up."
Lynelle nodded, standing up to clear the empty plates off the table. "That's all that I ask. When the gate is active again come back and speak with me and we'll go from there."
Lucy summoned Gate Keeper and quickly walked through the open doors.
"Lynelle," Gray started, waiting for her to turn and face him. "If Lucy decides to go through with this you can expect me here. I don't need to know the mission in order to protect her."
Lynelle couldn't help but smile at his dedication and serious look in his dark eyes. He reminded her so much of- all right Lyn, bring it back in. No need to think about him. She chastised herself. "Well Fullbuster, we'll just have to see what she decides. This job is a lot of work, so I hope you can keep up without knowing the details."
Gray smirked, "I can guarantee you I'll be fine." He turned and disappeared into the dark portal- the gate closing behind him.
Lynelle's smile faded from her face. All she could do was to wait and pray that Lucy would come back willing to help her.
Author's Corner:
[edited 4/24]
~Well there's the mission! Right now I'm focusing a lot on Gray and Lucy's friendship, before I do anything romantic.
~A special shout-shout to blog-heart-slover03 for being my first reviewer! It made me so happy when I saw it :)
~I hope all who read enjoyed this and if you have any comments/concerns/criticisms simply leave it in a review or PM. Have a great day!
