*Hi everybody! I'm posting chapter three only like a day after I even started this account. I'm sorry for the weird cliff hanger in that last chapter, but you shall soon read chapter three and maybe even four if I feel like writing more…well enjoy, and please R, F, or F! Oh and also, I'll try to actually write from each POV, or do you like it better as a more overall thing? So, in this chapter I kind of switched each POV, because I'm not sure if it should be overall POV or each person. Please tell me in a review or something! :D
Chapter Three:
As Natsu carried me out of there I noticed some things. Such as, how everyone was practically dieing and how everything was burnt to crisp. Oh no, he overdid it again. For some reason, that made me feel somewhat happy. I tried to stay put on his back, but that stupid idiot forgot to untie me, so I was still half-tied up. He seemed to notice me tying to move, because he turned his head to try and look at me, but he only succeeded in bumping his head with my face.
"Ow! Natsu you idiot!" I said loudly in his ear. He tried to cover up his ears as he said, "Geesh Lucy. Even after I just saved you you're already calling me an idiot. That's mean Lucy-chan…" He said making those stupid puppy eyes again from what I could tell. I rolled my eyes and responded with,
"Well you deserved it, but thank you again Natsu…you know for saving me." He grinned widely and said,
"It was nothing Lucy, really. You're a part of my team and this is just me being a teammate. However, I guess you could than me by letting me eat at your house, right?" He asked me. I hit him on the head as best as I could and said,
"Idiot Natsu. You eat my food all the time without even asking so it's not really a present to you or something, you just get my permission…" He grinned from ear to ear as I continued to mutter on about irresponsibility. Then I remembered.
"Oh umm…Natsu, I have a favor." I asked all shy for some reason.
"What is it Luce?" He asked not entirely paying attention.
"Can you untie me?" Lucy felt flushed all of a sudden, for reasons unknown to her. Natsu just shrugged and put her down and said, "Sure thing."
As he was untying her, Lucy noticed that a certain flying blue cat was missing and she asked, "Where's Happy, Natsu?" Natsu looked around suddenly and started to freak out. He ran around leaving Lucy to just stare at him not even comprehending what was really happening until he started to yell,
"HAPPY! HAPPY! WHERE ARE YOU?!"
Lucy instantly got up to help Natsu look for Happy and joined in yelling for Happy. After a few minutes of yelling, Happy was finally found sleeping in a nearby crate that had just so happened to have a very warm blanket inside. Natsu was relieved, but Lucy was seriously pissed. She grabbed the blue cat from his neck and pulled him up close, right in front of her face to make eye contact. She growled,
"Happy, here we were freaking out about where you were and the entire time you were sleeping?! Do you want to know something Happy? Do you want to know what I think about that?" Happy was absolutely terrified but he let out a squeak and said, "Aye?" Lucy grinned wickedly and said,
"I have a question for you Happy? Were you really not that worried that I had been kidnapped? You must not have been since you were sleeping in a crate when my freaking life was in danger!" That's when Natsu stepped in to stand up to the terrifying Lucy, but when he looked at her face again, he backed down again and left Happy for Lucy. Lucy however suddenly hugged Happy, and then hit him on the head to fling him at Natsu. Both males were extremely confused as she strode off in the opposite direction leaving them behind, however they followed her and stayed silent. Lucy smirked and continued walking with a satisfied feeling for something unknown to her and her companions.
*Meanwhile*
Gray was starting to wonder why he had allowed Juvia to come along almost immediately they had left the guild.
Juvia was so happy that she had been allowed to come with permission this time and was currently staring at Gray trying to show him just how much she loved him with the power of her eyes.
Erza was thinking about strawberry cake.
"So Natsu… you did get permission to come and rescue me, right? Or did you just run out of the guild as soon as you found out that I was in danger…wait a minute! How did you find out I was in danger in the first place! And oh no! I still haven't found the necklace!" Lucy said now very distraught with the situation. Natsu just looked at her and said,
"You're so weird Luce." Lucy shot him a glare and said,
"You never answered my question Natsu."
Natsu put up his hands as if in defense and responded,
"Hey don't act like I did something bad. It was the master who told me that there had been changes in your job and that the danger in your mission increased and I was worried about your safety so I came with Happy to come and see if you were okay, which I might remind you…you weren't." Lucy was about to protest, but Natsu continued on.
"Oh and the bandits that kidnapped you were actually requested to get rid of in a few requests so actually by coming here and kicking those guys asses, I was actually out on a job." He told her cheerfully. For some reason, Lucy was disappointed to find out she wasn't the only reason Natsu came to save her, but she brushed that thought aside as she remembered she still had her job to do.
"Hey Natsu, I still have to do my job, so if you want to leave… you can." Lucy stated. Natsu just grinned and shook his head and responded with,
"Nah. I'm already here, so I might as well help you. We're a team remember? Plus, there's no way I'm getting back on a train for a while!"
Lucy just shook her head and muttered a 'fine'.
Lucy looked at her request again and tried to find a hidden clue, but then she remembered something that Natsu had said. She spun around to face him and asked, "Wait. What did the master say about changes in my mission?" Natsu was about to respond, but Happy spoke up for him and said,
"The master said that…oh wait I don't really know. We left before he could actually tell us about the changes…" He trailed off really not even sure why he spoke up in the first place (neither did Lucy or Natsu). Lucy just shook her head in exasperation and muttered,
"Oh whatever. Just…never mind."
"Aye!" Happy said, agreeing which earned a glare from the celestial mage.
"Well whatever. Let's just find this stupid necklace and leave." Lucy said.
Erza looked over the newly changed request that Lucy had taken. Apparently, the request was now for the necklace to be destroyed, not just simply returned. Well, either way Lucy had to find the necklace which meant that either way she would be headed in the same direction…just a direction where fifteen bandits would be. She sighed and turned towards the ice and water mage who appeared to be in some sort of disagreement.
"No Juvia. You may not 'latch your soul to mine and live within my heart forever'. I mean what the hell does that even mean?!" Gray said loudly. Juvia looked heartbroken from his words and responded,
"But…but…Gray-sama. Juvia only wishes to be by your side forever and to prove how I might be worthy of you someday."
Gray had absolutely no idea what was going on, and Juvia had no idea that he had no idea of the situation, which caused her to say,
"I understand Gray-sama. Juvia is not yet worthy of your love and will continued to be denied until her love is much more great. Juvia will keep trying to keep up with your expectations."
Gray's jaw almost dropped, but his confusion was far greater and he continued on to be his naïve self. Erza just shook her head at what she was watching and then spoke.
"Gray. Juvia. This is not the time for sensual talks. We need to be focusing on finding Lucy and hopefully Natsu."
"SENSUAL! What are you talking about Erza?!" Gray shouted as Juvia said softly,
"Juvia is sorry Erza-san… Juvia will try and find a better time to be worthy for Gray-sama…"
Erza just shook her head again and continued to trudge forward as her two companions trailed behind her.
Finally, they got to a point where they could stop and rationalize their decisions on what to do next. Erza opened up the request for everyone to see and for her to analyze once more. She looked up and to her right and said,
"Where we're headed is just ahead. Supposedly, the bandits hide out around here and attack when they see an available opportunity, so keep a wary eye." Both mages nodded and Gray said,
"Maybe we should try and lure them out instead, so you know…we can kick their asses sooner and get it done with. And hopefully, we got here before Natsu so when he comes around I can tell him how we saved Lucy and got the job done first. That would sure piss the dimwit off." Gray smirked.
Erza just shook her head once more and responded,
"Gray, I don't really think that we got here before Natsu. Would you look around? This place has tracks all over it and that tree over there is burnt to the crisp. I should think that it would be pretty obvious that Natsu's probably already here."
Gray just huffed and crossed his arms. And suddenly Juvia was happy again.
"Gray… your clothes?" Erza said as Juvia tried to regain herself. Juvia had seen Gray partially naked quite a lot, but every time it still had the same effect on her. Gray looked down to see he was stripped down back into his boxers and exclaimed in annoyance and surprise as he shuffled his clothes back on. Erza sighed impatiently and Juvia swooned once again.
"We need to get down to business." Erza said firmly. She continued on.
"However, I did like Gray's idea-" She was cut off.
"You did?!" Gray asked astonished, "Surely you're joking! I mean you just told me that Natsu had already probably been here and-" Erza hit him on the head and continued speaking,
"Not that idiotic idea. I'm referring to the "luring out" plan that you had stated, although I would hardly be surprised if you have already forgotten about it…"
"Juvia didn't forget! Juvia thought Gray-sama's plan was amazing!" Juvia exclaimed trying to remind her companions that she was still there.
"Yes. Yes. I'm sure you did Juvia. However, that is completely irrelevant to what we were discussing about luring out the bandits." Erza said, brushing her off.
"Wait," Gray started to say, "if this place is already burnt to the crisp then isn't it safe to assume that Natsu might have already defeated the bandits?"
Erza and Juvia looked at him. Erza nodded to show that she recognized the probable truth in his words and Juvia nodded just to nod for Gray.
"Yes…that is likely. It is very safe to assume that Natsu had already-" She was cut off by a loud, familiar voice closing in on them.
"Oi! Lucy! I'm hungry! Can't we stop the search for now and get something to eat?"
"EAT?! Natsu, must I remind you that we are in the middle of nowhere! I have no idea where we are so I don't think that we'll be closing in on some restaurants any time soon, so just shut it already, would you?" A now coming-in-to-view-blonde-haired-mage said in exasperation and annoyance. The three mages saw the two friends coming closer with a trailing blue cat flying behind them.
"Hey! Flame brain! Get your ass over here! We've been looking for you forever!" Gray shouted at Natsu, completely ignoring Lucy for his rival. Natsu saw Gray and yelled back, "Who're you calling flame brain stripper?! I should just come over there and beat..." Natsu spotted Erza, "you in a friendly race of tag. Aye!" Erza raised her eyebrows confused by his sudden change in personality and Lucy just rolled her eyes at all of them. She ran up to Erza and asked,
"What are you guys doing here anyways?"
"Isn't it obvious? We came to help you." Erza said. Lucy shuffled on her feet.
"Well thanks…that really means a lot…" Lucy muttered softly. Natsu heard her and put his hand on her shoulder.
"Like I said before Luce, it's what friends do. It's what us teammates do. We protect each other. We fight for each other. We fight beside each other. We're a family, and don't you ever forget it." He grinned. Lucy felt tears coming but the moment was ruined by Natsu's loud grumbling stomach. He patted it and leaned back with his hands supporting his head.
"I have got to get me some food!" Natsu said.
"Aye! Although it should be fish!" Happy added.
"I agree with Natsu on this. I am a little hungry…" Erza said.
"It's not like I care either way, as long as I get to fight squinty eyes then I'm fine…" Gray said, bored.
"Whadda say?!" Natsu asked.
"I said none of your goddamned business!" Gray shouted back.
Erza cleared her throat causing the boys to go absolutely still without uttering a word. Juvia stepped in and said,
"If Gray-sama is to fight then Juvia will fight her rival! Her rival in love for her precious Gray-sama!" She exclaimed.
"HUH?!" Lucy said.
"There shall be no fighting. First, we must eat." Erza said. The two drones agreed and Juvia restrained herself. Lucy was just left as confused, but she spoke up.
"Umm…no. I have to find this necklace and I have to find it soon in time for my rent and," She stopped abruptly, "what was that?"
Everyone became alert as they felt a strong magical pressure coming from the west straight towards them. Erza recognized it as evil and shouted,
"Everyone! We must hurry! We must escape from whatever this thing is! It is too large for us to handle this time and-"
"Like hell we're escaping. I don't know what this thing is, but it's evil, and if there's evil where I'm with my friends with then it's my job to stop it. It's the job of a Fairy Tail Wizard!" Natsu said.
And the five mages (and a flying cat) turned west to face the new enemy.
P.S. Lucy's thinking, "What about my rent! I'm so dead…" :D