Chapter 4. Growing Questions and the Maid Mission
A/N: First of all, let me thank the forty something people who started following me after chapter three and the thirty something who favorited me. Would have appreciated a bit more reviews so I can understand your view on the story more, but thank you to the ones who did review, I thank you for your honesty.
I hope no one thinks I'm trying to make Natsu smarter or OOC in this story. It's just, the way I see it, underneath that boyish attitude and obsession with food and fighting, Natsu is actually a deep thinker, who feels intense sadness and pain about the tragedies in his life. I want that portrayed more, because I feel it would make those instances where Natsu is sweet, smart or serious more understandable and believable. Like a showing about what motivates some of his actions. Just what I thought was needed.
Also, feel free to tell me what you think of my version of Lucy. I changed her style of Star Dressing because I want it to represent who she is now, not really a dressy or revealing girl. More of a subdued and fight wear individual. The ones I won't change are the ones that I can't think of an alternative option.
By the way, has anyone see Fairy Tail, the Dragon Cry movie? And if you have, can you please tell me what happened?! AND IS A CANON NALU IN THE MOVIE?! Enjoy Chapter 4 :).
...
Makarov sighed, having just come from a meeting with the magic council, already weary before he'd walked into the building. He knew he had to inform them of his successful acquisition of the Miss Lucy Heartfilia, before they found out through other means, but he didn't realize how incredibly difficult it would be to advise the council on the matter.
The minute he'd made it known that he had the target in his guild, there had been an almost immediate demand that she be brought before the council and properly interrogated on any abilities she had and why she was rumored to be a mark for dark guilds. He didn't hesitate to say no. The looks on their faces had been quite entertaining.
While he knew he was already treading on thin ice with the council, being the master of the most troublesome guild in all of Fiore, but he refused to put any of his children in a situation that would put them in danger or make them frightened or uncomfortable. Punishments and humiliation were fine, but he would not hurt his children in any way, and that included Lucy now.
Especially after his little talk with Natsu the previous day.
So what did you think of Lucy?" He'd questioned the fire dragon slayer as they were sitting in the same arrangement as the blonde and himself had been the day before.
Natsu had shrugged, looking pretty impassive about the conversation. "She's nice. A little weird, though." He said, snickering about a past memory.
Happy had chimed in, floating above them lazily. "She's strong too. Managed to use some kind of water magic while we were in Hargeon to push a yacht to shore and when we on the mountain looking for Macao, she was able to hold him back while he was a big,buff Vulcan."
While processing the bit of information he had been given, Makarov had inquired, "Was there anything... abnormal you may have noticed about her? Anything particularly unusual?"
After a moment of deep thinking, Natsu had replied. "She didn't seem to like the council. Kept going on about how the bigwigs who ran it were selfish, egotistic jerks or whatever. Seemed annoyed we might have been sent by them."
Happy nodded, landing on Natsu's right shoulder. "Yeah, the only reason she came with us is because Natsu stuck his foot in his mouth while talking to her. I never seen someone laugh that hard in my life."
"Anyway..." Natsu said while throwing a glare at Happy. "She seems like a good person. Strange, but who in Fairy Tail isn't a little weird? I think she'll fit in just fine."
While Natsu had done his best to be nonchalant, Makarov could already see he felt something for the blonde wizard. A slight feel of protectiveness and admiration, perhaps? Anyhow, it was clear from the discussion that introducing Lucy to the council to face questioning about her origin would not go well. She didn't trust them for some reason, and forcing her to see them would just guarantee she not trust the Fairy Tail guild, despite how much she seem to believe in Natsu.
He diplomatically explained that so they would get the picture. Let Lucy fester friendship and place herself into the Fairy Tail family before having her meet with people she would probably curse and scorn the minute they officially interacted.
As to her abilities, well... he still wasn't sure what kind of power she could have that would enable her to have the strength of a monster and the power to control Neptune's domain. All he could do was wait until the day she had sure faith in the guild. Then, perhaps he'd get some answers to his questions.
...
Lucy had to hand it to her spirits, they really know how to get the job done. The overall process of building the house had taken a lot longer than she had previously thought, about two days, working day and night without any breaks. Then there was the grueling process of going into town to find everything that would be needed and was wanted in the house. The looks she'd gotten when browsing shops with Capricorn, Taurus and Loke by her side had been grossly amusing, though. And that didn't even begin to cover the day they all went clothes shopping.
It had taken about a full day and a half to get all the equipment needed to make the house comfortable and livable, especially with the mountain of critique and comments from her spirits, but eventually they'd built their home sweet home.
She looked up at it now, admiring the finished product. It was about the length of a two-story cottage, made entirely of brown bricks with a navy blue rooftop. It had a total of nine windows on the front and sides, and looked majestic and sturdy, like that of a fountain. The inside was humungous in size, having five rooms in all, and held the basic materials of any regular home, a stove and oven, shower and bathtub, couches, tables and desk, a four-poster bed and everything else her spirits had suggested was best, including a bookcase and lounge chair. It was definitely one of the group's, as a whole, best work.
Looking up to see the moon was at midpoint, the sign for the middle of the night, Lucy sighed as she realized she couldn't hold it off any longer. She had to talk to Aquarius. When she'd last summoned Loke, he had stressed that he needed to inform her of this recent development, and it had to happen yesterday. She'd known she was being kept out of the loop of something, and had started threatening to drown the other spirits if they didn't spill what was up, soon! The fact that she held for this long was a testimony of her respect for Lucy's decision to tell her when she was ready.
Taking the mermaid's golden key out, she moved to kneel besides the stream, dipping the key into the water. "Open, Gate of the Water Bearer: Aquarius!" She cried, watching as the shine of the key was subdued by the waves of water. She glanced up just as Aquarius appeared, the permanent scowl she always had when it came to Lucy already alighting her face.
"It's about time, you brat!" She growled, hands at her waist as she glowered at the blonde. "I expected you to call me yesterday."
"I'm sorry, Aquarius." Lucy excused herself, not at all deterred by her spirit's bad mood. "But I wanted to finish constructing the house first. I figured it'd be better to have no distractions while we talked."
Aquarius tsked, but otherwise gave no other evidence of her irritation. "So what's so bad you felt you had to hide it from me? What'd you do?" The blue-haired lady growled at her, sounding as though the wrong words would lead to her death.
Lucy gave a slightly strained smile, not too worried about Aquarius's reaction to the possibility of her doing something she won't approve of. It would probably be much worse when she told her her news. "I've decided to join a guild. I'm a member of the Fairy Tail guild, have been for the past few days." She said, figuring it would be better to spill the news like you would rip a bandage, swift and only a flash of pain to deal with.
For a moment, there was absolute silence. Aquarius stared at her as though she was either waiting for her to tell her she was joking or to give better news than she was receiving. Then she exploded. "WHAT?!"
Lucy continued to smile despite Aquarius's obvious ire as she began ranting. "What the hell is wrong with you, you stupid brat? Do I have to remind you why we'd decided that was a bad idea? How dare you make such an idiotic choice, and then keep this from me? Even Scorpio won't say something!" She screamed, wailing the last part.
"I didn't mean keep it from you." Lucy interrupted, unfazed at Aquarius's death glare at having her spew of words cut off. "Honestly, I asked Loke to tell the other spirits of my decision, but after some thought, we both decided you'd take the news better if it came from me. I'm sorry, I didn't mean to make your boyfriend keep screts from you, it wasn't my intention."
Aquarius scowled at her. "And what good reason did you have for your lapse in judgment in choosing to join a guild? Especially with a stupid name like Fairy Tail?"
Lucy looked at the stream as she answered, "Well, I met this guy named Natsu and his-" But then Aquarius cut her off. "You mean to tell me your HORMONES persuaded you to do something this stupid? Are you KIDDING me?!" She screeched.
Lucy was flabbergasted at the accusation, checks flaring at the implication of her statement. Capricorn had given her a rundown on puberty and what can come of it, and she'd rather not remember that truly embarrassing and awkward time. "No, I-"
But Aquarius proceeded to talk, too riled up to listen. "And you wonder why I call you stupid! I would have thought you'd learned your lesson after the last few times you associated with people!" Lucy couldn't help but flinched at the blatant reminder of her pain years ago, already feeling tears welling in her eyes that she refused to let fall. She had forbidden herself from crying a long time ago. "Aquarius." She called out softly.
"You hide in the forest for a reason, you have your cloak because you need to remain in the shadows! I don't know how you haven't let that sink in your head after all this time!"
"Aquarius-"
"I don't know why you can't listen. Especially after that incident with -"
Lucy snapped as she quickly realized she was going to mention him. "AQUARIUS," she yelled, voice echoing throughout the forest, surprising the mermaid enough to notice her master's current profile. Her cheeks were flushed from the shame flooding her veins, she was shaking from head to toe and was barely holding back tears from her brutal onslaught of painful memories. Aquarius gasped, not realizing she'd been hurting her master so much, but figuring she'd crossed a line with her claims without bothering to listen. She watched as her blonde charge gave a little sigh to calm herself down, taking great effort to bring her shivers and tears under control. She hadn't yelled at any of her spirits since that day that will remain unspoken.
"I didn't make this decision lightly, Aquarius," Lucy explained quietly, "I was fully prepared to say no and be on my merry way. But... Natsu talked about Fairy Tail like it wasn't just a guild. He spoke of it like it was a family, all united and more than willing to protect and help each other. I know..." And here, Lucy's voice broke, sounding very much like she was going to cry. But, of course, she wouldn't. "I know I have you eight, along with my silver key spirits for company, but sometimes it's so lonely living the way we do. In the two days I been around Fairy Tail and its members, I can see how much they look out for each other, how they love each other. I just... I want to be a part of that, Aquarius. I want to be around people who see me as more than what I am and what my mom's choice made me into. I just... I just..." And here, she hunched over, head in her hands as she struggled to control the storm of sadness and pain bubbling inside her.
Throughout her explanation, Aquarius was silent, watching the emotional display of her master and the overflow of everything she had trapped within. Then she gave a exasperated sigh. "You're a damn idiot, you know that right?" She questioned softly as she lifted her up by her shoulders and hugged her gently to her chest. Lucy looked quite surprised at the gesture, eyes wide and still swimming with tears, but eventually she hugged her back, nuzzling into her blue-haired spirit and breathing in her scent of lavender and coral. It's been so long since she had a hug from Aquarius, the soothing and cool feel of the water bearing spirit bringing extreme comfort to the blonde mage.
"Do you think this is where you belong? Do you truly think you'll be happy here and not suffer again, like before?" Too emotionally drained to answer verbally, Lucy just nodded as best as she could while pressed into the spirit's body. Though she gave off an annoyed sigh in response, Aquarius made no move to convince her that her decision was wrong. And it was a long while before the hug between the two friends was over.
...
Lucy took a deep breath as she sunk into the soothing warm water of her bath. She was very glad she listened to Loke's suggestion to get a water heating lacrima. It's been a lifetime since she enjoyed such an appanage. After the rather draining talk with Aquarius, that had shockingly lasted until the sun was up, she decided to spend the early morning sleeping for a few hours with Plue taking up a couch in the living room, than take a relaxing soak in the tub.
The sun was shining and now that the house building and the other strifes were out of the way, she could focus all her attention on Fairy Tail. From what she'd gathered from Loke about guilds, it was required she go on jobs and fulfilling requests. It was a bit unorthodox but doable. She suppose she might as well start so as to further integrate herself into her new family, so to speak.
She got out after a while and got dressed in a white, sleeveless dress that reached down to her knees and black boots that went up to the end of her calf. She tied her unruly hair up into a high ponytail, making sure her silver locket was secured to her neck. Checking out her appearance and making sure she was styled the way she desired, she moved from her bedroom, ready to resume her time getting to know Fairy Tail and it's members. Especially a certain pink-haired boy.
"Time to start a new day, Pl-" Lucy shouted, proceeding to the living room to wake up her fox and start their day with breakfast. She stopped as she heard the sound of someone shuffling around her living room. Her heart skipped a beat as she heard the intruders looking through her shelves and drawers. She scrunched up against the wall, trying to make herself as small as possible as her thoughts raced.
Who could have come to her home? It couldn't be a wandering stranger looking for directions or resources, because while her home was within the forest, it wasn't that far from any roads or paths to the nearest town. It couldn't be anyone from Fairy Tail, because she never had a chance to tell them of where she was residing, nor did she have the time to, seeing as she spent all her time working on her new abode. So... it must be someone looking for her. She focused for a moment and confirmed it was definitely two wizards, one massively stronger than the other.
Her first thought was that Makarov had betrayed her and the magic council had sent two lackeys to come looking for her, unwilling to follow their original decision to let her join a guild and instead choosing to take matters into their own hands. But they'd send soldiers or official workers, both of which wouldn't barge into her home like this or would have at least worked to quickly apprehend her. Perhaps it was him. Maybe he came to see her, despite everything that happened in that place, despite how he..!
Taking a deep breath to keep herself under control, she dispelled her worries. He wouldn't come here. He probably thought she was dead or didn't care either way. No need to worry about him making an appearance. But if not him, it must be someone looking for her and her power. But her feelings weren't alerting her of any kind of danger, nor was Plue reacting. Whoever it was, they weren't making any effort to keep quiet. Psyching herself up in any case, she took a deep breath and jumped from behind the wall, eyes closed and one leg out as she attacked the intruders.
"Lucy KICK!" she cried, feeling her leg connect to at least two somebodies and smash them against the wall. Hesitating, she slowly opened her eyes to see the interlopers and gasped as she saw the identity of the guilty ones.
"Natsu," Lucy called moving her leg and watching as both the dragon slayer and his blue cat slid to the floor, both looking more than a little disoriented as they laid hurt on the carpeted floor of her house. She could see Plue was awake on the glass coffee table, looking greatly amused at the scene before him. "Are you alright? I'm so sorry, I-"
"Geeze, Lucy," Natsu groaned, visible bruises from the attack covering his right cheek as he turned to look at her with a pouting face. "We just wanted to drop by and see how you were doing."
"Them some strong legs you got there," Happy added, voice slurred and eyes dazed with pain. Lucy's face turned red with shame as she moved to help them. After patching up any minor wounds with her magic, then quickly making a breakfast of eggs and bacon with tea for the four of them, she settled down in her gray armchair, watching as Natsu and Happy dung into their provided meal. Plue seemed disgusted at the two, carefully eating his food while glaring at the dragon slayer and blue cat.
"I'm sorry again, guys," she apologized with a sheepish smile on her face. "It didn't occur to me that anyone from Fairy Tail would be able to find my house. I thought you were a couple of thugs breaking and entering." Lucy explained, sweat-dropping over the whole issue.
"Eh, it's fine," Natsu dismissed, spit flying out of his mouth as he talked while his mouth was full. Swallowing noisily, he added, "Sides, I'd have probably done the same thing if any clueless bastard was digging around in my place."
Delighted to have been forgiven easily, Lucy asked perkily, "So how'd you two find my home? My spirits and I just finished building it around midnight, this morning in fact, and I never had the chance to tell any of you guys." Natsu replied with a shrug. "The nose always knows," He said almost mysteriously. "I can sniff out just about anybody with my sniffer."
Lucy gave a small laugh at Natsu's antics. Happy took that moment to ask as he seated himself on her table, "Hey, Lucy? What kind of magic do you use, anyway?"
"Oh, I'm a celestial wizard, Happy." She happily clarified, showcasing her eight golden keys and three silver ones. "A celestial mage can make contracts with celestial spirits, allowing us to call them whenever we're or battle or any other rational reason. These golden ones are part of the zodiac spirits, and are very special. There are twelve keys for them."
"If you're a celestial wizard, how'd you use water magic in Hargeon?" Happy questioned, frowning in confusion. Lucy gave a small laugh as she explained, "Well, in some cases, if a celestial mage has a close bond with their spirit, they can use a spell called Star Dress, which allows the user to gain access to the magic of the spirit. The magic I used in Hargeon was from my good friend, Aquarius, the water bearer."
Happy's eyes shined at the description and explanation of Lucy's power. "That sounds amazing," he commented dreamily, prompting another snort from Lucy at his adorable reaction. Then she asked, "So, why'd you two decide to visit me? Did you just come for the free food?" Natsu shook his head in refutation. "Happy and I wanted to see how you were doing. We hadn't seen you once in the past three days."
"Natsu wanted to ask you something." Happy piped up, standing on the table since the conversation moved to more serious matters. Natsu, who was just finishing his food as well, gave another shrug at Lucy's curious glance.
"Happy and I had a long talk. And we decided we'd like you and your little fox friend over there to be a part of our team."
Lucy tilted her head in confusion. "But aren't we all already apart of the team, Fairy Tail?"
"Within the guild, a group of two or more wizards can make their own teams, where we'd go on missions together and basically do jobs as one group." Happy explained.
"Is Lisanna a part of your team?" Lucy inquired. Natsu snapped his head to face her, looking at her intently as he answered, "Why would you think that?"
Lucy said, "Well, you both traveled to Hargeon together and seemed like close friends. I just thought you would have formed a team if that was an option. Was I wrong?"
Natsu stared at for a few more moments before he replied, "Lisanna and I were close when we were kids. She was my best friend,actually. We could have formed someday. But when she disappeared and we all thought she was dead..."
Happy chimed in as Natsu trailed up, seemingly unable to continue talking. "Lisanna wasn't gone for hours, Lucy, or even weeks. She was gone for nine months."
Lucy froze. "What?" She breathed, feeling her chest tighten as she now realized why Aquarius had been angry that day. She'd screamed she'd been gone for a while, but she never thought... then, with her healing coma, she'd simply forgot about the whole matter of the time in the Anima.
"For nine months, she was gone. And just when things were starting to become... more normal, she showed up out of the blue because of some hooded guy. And while I was happy she wasn't dead, it's not like we could just go back to what we were before. Mirajane and Elfman wanted to make up for lost time, and I was happy to let them. I know what it's like to want to have another chance with your family. But, after that, we grew apart and she eventually made a team with them." Natsu explained, spending the entire time looking out at the stream flowing outside with a solemn expression on his face.
Lucy could feel a lump forming in her throat as she imagined the pain and regret the guild had went through all those months till Lisanna came back. Traveling through dimensions could cause time to speed up, but she never thought she had made her family suffer for that long.
She knew her thinking was more than a little irrational and that Aquarius would strangle her for focusing on that, but she couldn't help how she felt. It almost felt like what she'd done had been too little, too late. "I'm sorry," she said softly, looking down at her knees with hooded eyes.
Natsu frowned at her, unsure why Lucy looked so depressed after the story. "Ehh, nothing we can do about it now," He dismissed, his mouth curling up into his signature grin as he spoke again. "So, want to join our team?" Lucy looked up from her lap, thoroughly confused as to where this choice to form a group with her had come from. "Why?"
Natsu gave another shrug, smile still in place. "You're nice. And the way you held your own against the Vulcan, me and Happy are sure you'll be an awesome addition to our team. Your pet furball, too." He said, indicating Plue, who showed his teeth at the backhanded insult.
Lucy exchanged a glance at Plue as she thought this offer through. While she knew Plue greatly disapproved of the fire dragon slayer and the flying cat, he wouldn't hesitate to follow her lead should she choose to join their team.
As for Lucy, she honestly saw no reason to say no. Natsu was her closet ally, and it made sense for her to stay close to him to keep him and herself out of trouble. Also, she felt... happy when she was around him. A feeling of great warmth enveloped her whenever she saw his passion and his comic way of acting and thinking. And she wanted to explore that feeling, and see where it would take her.
"Yes... I would like that very much." Lucy said, eyes shining with happiness. Natsu's grin grew bigger as he yelled, "All right! And I got the perfect first job for us."
...
It was after a quick rush to pack the essentials into her trusty shoulder bag, and making sure Plue was secure in her arms that Lucy ran to meet Happy and Natsu, who clearly packed their own things, judging by the murky-green duffel bags, dark red blanket and light green knapsack. Not long after, they were riding a carriage pulled by two bulls.
Lucy stared down at Natsu, concern clear on her face at the dragon slayer's battle with his upset stomach as they made their way to Shirotsume, while Plue seemed more than a little revolted. The pink-haired mage had kneeled over the instant the ride had commenced, groaning and moaning while pressing his face to the floor. When Lucy had expressed worry on his condition, Happy had gleefully explained that his magic caused this reaction. Nothing to worry about, the blue cat had assured her as he poked and prodded Natsu in his weaken state.
Choosing to leave the pair alone for a while, Lucy took a moment to examine the job request Natsu had hastily dropped on the seat as the trip had started. It seemed very easy, just a request to destroy a book owned by a Duke Everlue with a reward of two hundred thousand Jewels. Not something she thought would be appropriate for a guild, this task seemed more than possible for a regular individual.
Confused and a little suspicious about the matter, Lucy turned her focus back to the sick fire mage and his flying cat. "Natsu, I don't understand what so special about this job that makes it perfect for us. It seems unchallenging and something the two of you could do easily with your caliber of skill. I don't see how you need me."
Natsu slowly turned his head to the side to give her as much of a smirk as he could when nauseous, while Happy laughed, flying over to her and pointing to a small piece of text on the bottom, written almost like an afterthought. Rereading the request, she saw that the Duke Everlue was looking for a maid with blonde hair to join his staff. Blinking, Lucy turned to look back at Natsu and Happy, who were chuckling in amusement at her realization. Plue looked ready to rip their organs out should she be even slightly perturbed at the blatant reason they asked her on this mission.
Thinking about the situation she was currently in, Lucy saw no reason to be annoyed like the two members expected her too. If anything, it was quite intelligent, using her physical appearance to their advantage in order to have a chance at success when completing this job. Also, it was very unlikely that the particular requirement that she happened to fulfill was the reason she was chosen to be on the team with Natsu and Happy, as was evident from their talk this morning.
So she simply smiled at the two, cheerfully, saying, "Quite brilliant deductive reasoning, Natsu. I have a feeling we'll all be a great team.", unaware of the look of confusion on Happy's face and the stoic expression Natsu shot her before his motion sickness overcame him again.
...
After a few hours of traveling, they arrived in the town of Shirotsume town, allowing Natsu a few minutes to worship the ground after they exited the carriage, before making their way to a trendy-looking restaurant near the front of town. While Lucy put down some Jewels for them to eat, she had refrained from partaking in the small lunch herself, claiming she had a few supplies to gather before disappearing among a crowd of people with Plue laying in her bag.
It was when Lucy was gone from view that Natsu finally allowed himself to think about what had happened that very morning. His talk with Gramps had reminded him that it was actually the council that had wanted Lucy nearby, to protect her and her power. He'd gotten a thorough taste of it this morning, the force of her legs hitting the side of his face almost enough to knock his teeth out and leave his face bruised for hours. Natsu knew it took a lot to damage him, so the fact that one attack from her caused that much injury spoke volumes. Hard to believe someone who just summoned other people could be that strong.
Then there was the talk this morning. He had been caught off guard by her inquisitions about Lisanna being on his team. He had to bring up the nine months, so she understood why that wasn't an option. He had thought he was past it enough to be able to mention it causally, but it seems that he was wrong. The pain would always be there, he supposed, but at the very least, it wasn't as hard to think about as it would have been six years previously.
It may have been eons ago and Lisanna may have been back now, but it wouldn't take away the months they thought she was dead or stop him from mourning their once, close friendship, ruined by a near death experience. Mirajane became a mothering sweetheart and Elfman became a manly brute. They had to move on, only to be pulled back into that sorrow in the wake of her return. And it couldn't be fixed. Now, the two of them were on different sides of the same river, with no hope of ever ending up on the same side. They would always be friends, because of course he was friends with everyone in Fairy Tail, but it could never be how it used to be.
And they didn't even have any prayer of putting that situation behind them for good until they found that anonymous person who brought her back. And after years of searching, none of them were anywhere close to knowing something as simple as the gender of the figure, much less the guy's name.
Shaking his head and choosing to let go of those negative and practical thoughts for now, Natsu dug into his feast of steak and big dishes of drumsticks. He could see Happy joyfully chowing down across from him and couldn't help but wonder what could have been so important Lucy missed lunch for? As a team, they should be eating together! As Happy was helping him to put a plate aside for the blonde mage, he heard footsteps and could smell Lucy coming towards their table.
He looked up to greet her, only for his mouth to fall to the floor at her present attire. Lucy was now dressed in a maid uniform with stocking and small black shoes, messy hair now tied into a tight bun, smiling as though what she done was perfectly normal. Plue was now on her right shoulder, almost looking like a furry parrot.
"What the heck are you wearing?!" Natsu screamed, attracting the attention of the residents of the restaurant. Lucy gave a big closed-eyed smile. "It's an outfit I found in one of the shops. I have to look the part if I'm going to get the job, correct?"
Natsu sweat-dropped as he replied, "That wasn't... I mean, we didn't mean... Oh, whatever." And they all resumed their meal without another word, Lucy giving half of her lunch to her white shoulder friend.
After finishing their lunch, they made their way to the client's abode, the name of the man being Kaby Melon. After entering the towering mansion, they were lead to a small room by the owner's wife. While Natsu and Happy oohed and awwed at the furnished inside, Lucy couldn't help but note how empty it was. No servants or indication that anyone else was living there, despite the extravagant home. Peculiar.
They seated themselves on a felt couch, facing a grey-haired man with a small mustache and impressive suit. "Hello there. My name is Kaby Melon. It's a pleasure to meet members of the Fairy Tail guild."
Natsu and Happy preened excitedly, while Lucy gave her signature closed-eye smile and her Plue giving a disinterested look from his position on her lap. Kaby continued speaking. "Now, to business. The job is like it says on the request. I need you to go to Duke Everlue's place and swipe a certain book in his possession for me. It's called Daybreak."
Natsu held up a single finger blowing fire. "Sure thing, pal. If you want, I'll burn the whole place down." He said cheerfully. "Natsu likes fire." Happy explained to the slightly stunned looks on the client and his wife's face.
Lucy quickly questioned, "Excuse me, but why do you wish to destroy this book, sir?"
Natsu commented, "For two hundred thousand Jewel, who the heck cares why?"
"Actually, the reward is now two million Jewel. I'm sorry, I thought you got the memo." While Natsu and Happy's minds were blown by this reveal and trying to figure out how the money would be split three-ways, Kaby turned to smile at Lucy. "And to answer your question, sweet miss, it's a very delicate matter. It means very much to me, making sure it's destroyed. No matter what it may cost." He explained, clenching his hands in front of himself and expression grim.
After a moment to process the explanation, Lucy saw Natsu's head set on fire, before he sprang to his feet and confidently exclaimed, "Yeah! I'm fired up now. Let's get going, Lucy!" And then he grabbed her right wrist and was out the door, Happy hanging on to his scarf and Plue secured in her left arm, while he left a huge cloud of dirt in their wake.
...
Almost an hour after they left Kaby Melon, Lucy found herself in front of the mansion of Duke Everlue. After requesting Plue stay with Natsu and Happy behind a tree with her bag, Lucy knocked on the giant gate, shouting, "Excuse me, I heard you needed a maid and I'm here to apply."
A few minutes after her proclamation, she heard the sound of the ground behind her crackling before it exploded open, a giant, pink-haired woman in a maid costume jumping out of the ground before landing noisily beside her.
"So you're a maid? Here to answer the ad master sent out?" the woman asked, voice so low in tone, she almost sounded like a man. Lucy gave a dazed nod, thoroughly distracted by the woman's appearance. So, Duke Everlue was a celestial mage and the woman in front of her was a celestial spirit. Astounding.
Reminding herself to focus, as Happy and Natsu were counting on her, she declared, "Yes, my name is Lucy.", bowing her head at the spirit. She heard the sound of someone else jumping out of the ground behind her and looked up to see a stubby, brown-haired man in a suit with a mustache that seemed to grow out of his nose. Lucy figured this must be Duke Everlue.
"Did I hear someone came to be my new maid?" He crooned gleefully, twirling his little mustache as he echoed the pink-haired maid's inquisition. Lucy nodded and bowed again, a bright smile on her face as she confirmed, "Yes, I hope you'll give me this opportunity to serve you."
There was a tense silence as the duke studied her, a glare growing on his face at each passing second. Then he turned from her, waving his hand in dismissal. "I apologize, but a man at my level and power must uphold certain standards. I can't hire anyone whose less than fairest, so scam, ugly."
Lucy felt dazed for a moment. This man was calling her ugly. Her spirits, Aquarius, Capricorn and Cancer, always said she looked like her mom. So for him to call her ugly... it meant he was insulting her mom. She could feel her anger growing, the familiar instinct to defend her long-dead parents taking the forefront of her mind. How date he! She could feel the dark aura shrouding her, making the air colder and the atmosphere thick.
She'd rip that mustache out of his fat nose and shove it down his throat. She'd-
Lucy stared as she heard a small whine from behind her, as well as a whisper, asking if she was okay. Plue. He was worried for her, trying to make sure she was okay, that she wasn't losing Natsu and Happy were behind her, concerned like good friends were. She took a deep breath, dispelling any negative emotions. She turned her focus to the duke, who was glaring at her, unaware of how much danger he'd been in.
"Are you as deaf as you are hideous? Get off my property." He screamed. Lucy felt another stab of anger fill her heart, but simply said in a controlled voice. "I apologize. Thank you for seeing me." Then, with another bow, she walked away, feeling the unwavering look of the pink-haired spirit on her retreating back. She made her way to the trees, a great distance from the mansion, where the other three met her, Natsu and Happy shaking their heads in disappointment, and Plue sitting still, staring at her with concern clear in his big eyes.
"Couldn't get him even a little interested, huh?" Natsu complained. Lucy picked up Plue and held him to her chest, face burrowed into his stomach. She didn't say anything and seem to be trembling. Happy walked towards her, sounding uncertain. "Lucy? You okay?"
The blue cat and the dragon slayer exchanged looks, unsure of what to do. "Hey, it's okay if you couldn't go in as a maid. It's just his opinion, you know, about your looks. We'll sneak in another way, really!" Natsu assured her, more than a little out of his depth pertaining to this situation. "Yeah," Happy agreed, trying desperately to cheer up the blonde mage. " We'll bust in and take the book that way. And Natsu will still burn the house down, if you want him to."
They heard a cute snort at that and than Lucy lifted up her head, a small smile on her face. "Okay." She responded, making her way to the trees to change her outfit, Plue still securely in her arms.
...
After Lucy changed her clothes, they decided to simply break into the house and steal the book, while remaining unseen. After Happy flew the three to the roof, Natsu cleanly burned a hole in one of the windows, leaving a big opening for them to slip through into the house.
"Why couldn't we have just used one of my attacks to break the door down? That would be much better than this whole be quiet crap." Natsu grumbled, the group edging there way through the building and occasionally looking through any room they passed by. Lucy laughed, Plue bristling in her arms as she explained. "Natsu, that would be worse than breaking and entering. We'd probably end up in jail for it. Being silent and stealthy will ensure we complete this job without too much trouble."
Natsu seemed to think on her words for a second. "Stealthy..? Like a ninja?!" He exclaimed, Happy sounding just as excited as he chimed in too. Lucy have another giggle at their reasoning. "Sure, Natsu, like ninjas." She agreed, chuckles clear in her voice as they rounded the hallway.
Only for them to come face to face with another maid, this one bony and face resembling a mold of battered clay. She immediately screamed, "Intruder alert. Virgo, there are intruders!" Four other maids appeared, including the pink-haired celestial spirit, who was at the frontline.
"Let's crush them, girls!" The one called Virgo ordered. Moving past the giant maid, Lucy kicked the other maids away, sending them flying away and out of commission. She turned to see Natsu fling the maid Virgo up with his flaming fist, then a fiery kick into a statue, crying, "Ninja Attack!", his scarf wrapped around his face. After the maid was confirmed to be unconscious, they noticed a giant door down the stairs.
They opened it to discover a massive library. "Whoa... there are many books in this library," Natsu remarked, voice clipped, trying to sound like a ninja. "Aye, sir, there are." Happy agreed, mimicking the dragon slayer's tone.
"Well," Lucy proclaimed, setting Plue down and heading towards a section of the library. "We know if the book the client wants destroyed is anywhere in this house, it'll be here." Natsu nodded, moving the scarf back to its original place around his neck. "Let get cracking!" He yelled vigorously, hopping from foot to foot as he moved to another part of the place.
Soon after that, Natsu began screaming about finding a certain sparkly book. Lucy looked at the title, letting the group know it was indeed the book they were looking for, Daybreak.
"Great job, Natsu!" Lucy complimented. Natsu puffed his chest out and bragged, "Heh, did you expect anything less from me? I'm just awesome like that." Then he lit his hand on fire. "Well, let's get this over with."
Just as his fire hand was about to touch the book, it was quickly swiped from him. He turned to see it was now in Plue's mouth, his expression that of glaring in anger, though what was provoking such an emotion from him was unclear.
"Hey, fox freak. We didn't come to play. We got a book to burn, so hand it over." Natsu said, giving his own glare at the fox before jumping to retrieve the book, only for Plue to run behind Lucy, hitting her insistently with the book while it was still in his mouth.
"Plue," Lucy gently admonished, kneeling down to be eye level with him. "We have a job to do..." Then Lucy's sentence trailed off as she took a closer look at the book. She quietly took it from Plue and began reading it.
"Lucy, come on. Our job is to destroy the book, not read it!" Natsu reminded her, annoyance clear in his voice. Lucy ignored his anger, not taking her eyes off her reading material as she explained, "Plue noticed something about the book. I didn't see it before, but now I'm aware that this book is enchanted and there's a secret hidden within the pages. And I want to find out if it's something to do with Duke Everlue or Kaby Melon. Perhaps this whole mission was a way to destroy some wrongdoing."
That caught the fire mage's attention. "You think it might be to cover up some crime?" He exclaimed, sounding more than a little pissed.
"I'm not sure. It's just, I have just realized how suspicious this all is. We being paid two million to do something as simple as steal and burn a book. Any regular person could do it, so why go to wizards to accomplish it? Also, we find the book, only to see it's enchanted, so that must mean it's hiding something. I'll have to read it to prove my theory, though." Lucy took her eyes off the book for a moment to smile at Plue. "Wonderful work, Plue. I'll make you your favorite meals when we get home."
"Ohyoiyoiyo. What have we here? Here for the Daybreak book, I see." Duke Everlue yelled as he burst through the ground into the library. "I've noticed that wizards were coming to my abode for something I had, but I never thought it'd be for that work of rubbish." Lucy examined the new information carefully. The duke didn't care for the book, was even openly calling it garbage, so it probably contained no transgressions concerning him. Which just left Kaby.
"How dare you put your dirty, hideous hands on my possessions, not to mention sneak into my home and hurt my precious girls. Come forth, Vanish brothers!" Everlue shouted, a circular door opening at the side to reveal two strange-looking men.
"You called, sir?" A white-skinned, Chinese man with a new giant frying pan asked. The sasquatch, dark-skinned man beside him turned his neutral expression to the four invaders. "Can you believe Fairy Tail thought they'd sneak in here so easily? We'll crush these runts in a snap."
"These guys are from the Southern Wolves guild. They're mercenaries." Happy declared, just a touch of anxiety in his voice. Natsu cracked his knuckles, undeterred by the menacing newcomers. "Got bodyguards, huh?" He observed, still the face of calm.
Lucy quickly got up, "Natsu, I need some time to figure out the significance of this book. Try to hold them off while I uncover the secret."
"No problem. Try not to get too distracted by it." He cautioned slightly mockingly, his hands set ablaze as he prepared to fight, while Lucy exited the library, Happy and Plue right on her heels. Almost immediately after she left, Everlue disappeared down into the ground, stating, "I'm going after the girl. Rip this man to little pieces, till there's nothing left."
"Hey boys, who here knows what happens when you play with fire?" the fire wizard. said, his whole body set aflame as he spoke. "No takers? Well, here's the answer: you get BURNED!" Then Natsu propelled himself towards the two.
...
Lucy was currently in the sewers underneath the mansion, focusing all her attention on the material in front of her. Plue was dozing beside her and Happy was on her head, trying and failing to keep up with the speed she was using to read Daybreak. While reading, she analyzed the words and was able to figure out what was so important about this book.
"So that's the secret, huh?" She said aloud, almost like she was talking to herself and effectively startling the cat on top of her. "Happy, we have to deliver this book to Kaby Melon right away." She told him, getting prepared to leave.
"Oh, I don't think so, dear." A voice suddenly sneered as the sweaty hand of Duke Everlue reached through the wall and attempted to grab her arms. She quickly flipped back, taking Plue and Happy with her before he could grab either of them. The duke moved from the wall and continued to address her, "Now be a good little girl and share that secret."
Setting the two animal friends down with Daybreak, Lucy raised her hands in a fighting stance, "You don't care for this book. Let us go, so that it can be where it rightfully belongs."
The Duke yelled, "You thieving brat! Is it an expose on my illegal activities? A footnote on the true way I gained my fortune? Whatever it may be, you'll tell me what it is, even if I have to torture you within an inch of your life to get that information!" He then pulled out a golden key.
"Wow, Lucy. He uses those keys to summon people just like you do!" Happy pointed out as they watched Everlue wave the key around while saying, "Open, Gate of the Maiden: Virgo!"
They ground in front of the duke erupted as the giant, pink-haired woman from before appeared. "Did my master summon me?" She bellowed, taking her place in front of Duke Everlue.
Happy was terrified, looking ready to flying away with Lucy and Plue. However, Lucy seemed totally fine with this situation, relaxing the instant Virgo settled, which thoroughly confused the blue cat and angered the duke. "Hello there, Virgo. It's nice to meet an unfamiliar celestial spirit." She said, cheery smile in place.
"We'll see if you have anything to smile about when we're through with you. Virgo, take the book and grab the girl!" The ginormous maid lunged at the blonde celestial wizard, who simply stood there until Virgo was about a foot away from her. Then she screamed, "Natsu, now!", jumping to the side as the dragon slayer in question jumped up from the maid's back and slammed a fistful of fire into the back of the celestial spirit's head.
Happy proclaimed in wonder, "Lucy, how'd you know Natsu was there?!" Lucy answered as they both watched Natsu shoot a breath of fire at the maid. "Oh, I sensed his magic when Virgo appeared. I figured he was waiting for the right moment to strike." Then she turned a steely expression to the duke, who was covering in fear as the battle proceeded. "Now to take care of that horrible man." Lucy stated in a cold voice. Then she began to glow the color white.
When the shining stopped, Lucy was dressed in a cow-pattern, buttoned vest and pants with a long-sleeved leather jacket, her hair up in two buns on either side of her head. She also had on cow-patterned gloves, a whip and belt, along with a bag at her side with the Taurus zodiac symbol. She grabbed her whip from her side and rushed towards the duke.
Duke Everlue looked ready to escape back into the ground, but Lucy used her whip to strike the ground he was sinking to. "Earth Wave!" She yelled, rupturing the ground and sending the horrid man flying through the air. Then she grabbed him from midair with her whip and tugged him in her direction, sending him screaming and flying towards her as she brought her fist back in preparation of her attack. "Lucy Punch!" She cried, socking the man in the face and knocking him out cold. His face was now covered in ugly black and red bruises, making him barely recognizable.
"Oh," Lucy noted, sheepish as she changed back to her original clothes of a white dress and boots, "I may have been a bit too hard on him." Natsu laughed, standing victoriously on the celestial spirit. "That was awesome, Lucy. Way to show that guy the one, two." Lucy couldn't help but join his laughter. Then she walked forward to the injured duke, taking the golden zodiac key that was still clenched in his greedy, spiteful hands.
She strolled over to the pink-haired woman, kneeling before her as she spoke, "I'm sorry we had to fight you, celestial spirit Virgo. Please know if there was another way to take down Everlue, I would have done it. Know that I'm taking your key now, and I will happily make a contract with you and fight beside you, like with all my other spirits."
The spirit gazed up at her, eyes intense as she answered, "Thank you, great light. It would be an honor to serve you." Then Virgo disappear with a flash of light. Not even fire minutes after that, the entire building began shaking, as though an earthquake had hit them.
"Oh, I think all those holes Everlue made, plus my attack may be bringing the entire structure down." Lucy said while sweat-dropping with an uneasy smile, picking up Plue as more pieces of the ceiling rained down. Moving fast, Natsu grabbed her right wrist and dragged her through the collapsing tunnel. "I like your style, Lucy. Your first mission and you're destroying mansions?! You'll fit right in with Fairy Tail." he said, a huge grin on his face as he and Happy sped away from the pitiful remains of what used to be a great piece of architecture.
...
Natsu glanced at the blonde celestial wizard as they made their way home, Lucy easily going along with his insistence that they walk home rather than ride another carriage, her little fox walking about an inch behind her.
It wasn't until they were back at that Kaby Melon's place that he finally learned why Lucy wanted to give the book back to Kaby. She explained that Zekua Melon, Kaby's father, had written it and alway intended for his son to have his final message, from father to son. Therefore, it was only his hands that would lift the enchantment, revealing an elaborate letter from his dad. After that revelation, Kaby had decided not to destroy the book, meaning the two million Jewel was no longer theirs to receive.
Natsu didn't push the issue, having figured out that Kaby didn't have the money to pay them, seeing as the house wasn't his or his wife. When he questioned Lucy on why she also didn't say something, she had declared she knew the client wasn't as rich as he tried to seem. The lack of servants and workers had apparently tipped her off.
Really, the more time he spent with Lucy, the less he could figure out who or what she was. When they'd been in front of Duke Everlue's place, he could feel the air growing darker after he had deemed her ugly. The only thing that calmed her down was Plue's slight intervention, and even then, she had hugged the fox like he was the most comforting thing in Fiore.
And it raised questions as to what exactly her fox was. He was sentient enough that he recognized the negative emotions from Lucy and somehow know that the book they were here to burn had a spell on it. Then, during that fight that brought the literal house down, he saw another one of Lucy's outfits, this one giving her the strength to break sections of the brick floor and put a variety of bruises on the Duke's face with just one swing of her fist. Also, there was her baffling expertise on what a rich individual's household was like, despite her overall gruff and wild appearance.
Ultimately, he just wasn't sure who she was. The way she acts most of the time is so happy and carefree, just instances like that of by the gate brought out this dark aura from her, reminding him of just how dangerous she was and how much he didn't really know her. Despite all that, he still liked her and felt almost drawn to her. And even if she didn't trust him with whatever pain she had or power she possessed, he was more than willing to wait until the time when she was willing to tell him.
Just as they finished walking through a thick bog, a bush started shaking near their path. Not even hesitating for a second, Natsu flung his gear aside and jumped behind the bush, intent on meeting the threat head on, and attack it before it could get them.
"Natsu?" He heard Lucy cry curiously. Then he jumped back,scowling at his opponent as he leapt up as well. "Ice brain?" the dragon slayer growled, landing on the ground and still prepared to fight.
Gray Fullbuster landed a few feet from him, arms raised up and in nothing but his underwear. They glared at each other as Lucy, Happy and Plue stepped towards them. "Hello Gray, what are you doing in the forest?" Lucy asked with a smile.
"I was heading back from a job. And just when I'm trying to find a bathroom, I get attacked by an idiot!" Gray seethed, icy look never wavering from Natsu. The air was filled with angry static as they traded steely looks with on another. Then Gray relaxed, standing tall despite his current state of dressing. "Calm down, flame breath, we can fight later. We gotta get back to the guildhall quick, though."
Natsu blinked in confusion at the 180 Gray had just pulled. "Why, what's happening at the guild?" He asked as Gray put his clothes back on.
Shivering as he spoke, Gray said, "Ezra's due back in a day or two." Natsu and Happy gasped, feeling the same terror and dread that Gray was obviously feeling. A bit clueless regarding their actions, Lucy asked innocently, "Whose Erza? Is she another member of Fairy Tail?"
"Not just any member," Happy explained with a shaking voice, "Erza Scarlet is the strongest and scariest female member of Fairy Tail. She's powerful enough to bring down three mountains with one kick!"
"Don't exaggerate, Happy. It's only one mountain she'd be able to bring down with a single kick," Gray corrected. Lucy couldn't help but laugh at the little picture of a giant, silhouetted girl stomping down mountains they provided for a visual aid in their description of Erza.
"She sounds quite tough, I can't wait to meet her in person," Lucy declared happily while Plue looked like he'd just finished eating dirt. Natsu and Gray turned to give identical dumbfounded expressions. "Anyway," Gray emphasized as he turned to head back to Magnolia, "We should get back. Soon."
Just as Natsu was about to pick up his discarded things and follow him, he suddenly noticed Lucy's face turn serious and angry. Just as he was about to ask about her suddenly shift in mood, she suddenly started emitting a red glow. When it was gone, he saw she was now dressed in an red and white gi with disconnected arm warmers, the sleeves slanted so that the side facing outward reached past her hips. She completed the look with a pair of black spandex shorts and black low-heeled boots that reached halfway past her ankle. Her long blond hair was now tied into an elaborate braid with a metal hairband.
She held in hands out, the three others watching in shock as she shot some kind of small sand typhoon at some trees nearby. Even more surprising was when they saw five men twirling around in the hurricane after being picked up by the current, spinning for a few moments before the storm abruptly stopped, discarding the group in front of them, all tangled up and injured.
"What the... I mean, why the..." Gray stammered, looking back and forth from the displaced figures and Lucy, who had changed back into her original form of dressing and hairstyle and was now staring at the men with her arms on her hips and a cool expression.
"These men were about to launch an attack on us. They were going to cast some form of destructive magic at us, so I struck first." The blonde explained cleanly, turning to glance at Natsu, "These aren't members of Fairy Tail, correct? They aren't like Gray?" She questioned.
"Yeah, Lucy. They're definitely not part of the guild," Natsu confirmed, studying the five would-be attackers. Just as he walking forward to question the scumbags, suddenly a big mass of shadow swelled beneathed them and they were devoured. The five individuals started, looking around for the wizard who did this, but all was quiet. However, Natsu had a feeling that this wasn't the end of it. There was definitely more trouble ahead. And it would count on him and his new team to fight.
...
Lucy sighed as she watched Plue dig into his roast turkey with big burst of energy from where she was seated on the couch. It was always adorable when the fox was acting like a slob. Sighing, she got up to walk over to one of the windows, watching the serene environment of the forest.
This first mission was very much a lot of fun, although there were more than a few bumps in the road. Her anger at Everlue and her unintentional annihilation of someone else's property had been some very regrettable things. She'd let her feelings get the best of her this trip and she knew she needed to start working to keep herself under control again. Didn't want anything to happen like the last time, her lapses in judgment resulting in a few remorseful endings.
However, she gained another celestial spirit and showcased more of her abilities to a few members of Fairy Tail. She wondered what Natsu thought of her skills and if he was happy to have her on his team.
"Angel." Lucy turned to see Loke behind her, dazzled smile in place. She smiled brightly at him. "Hello, Loke. It's nice to see you. Is there something you needed?"
Loke fixed his sunglasses, voice smooth as velvet as he replied, "Just wanted to see how your first mission went. Is being in a guild as great as I said it'd be?"
Lucy laughed sheepishly, "Well, I destroy public property and seriously injured someone's face before stealing a zodiac key from said person. So yes, being in the Fairy Tail guild is just as interesting as you thought." The two took a moment to laugh at the ridiculousness that was this present day. Then there was a comfortable silence.
Loke sighed after a few seconds of quiet. "Truth be told, Lucy, I actually did come here for a reason. I have a request, something I would very much like to do. But I won't do it without your blessing. And if you don't approve of this, you can always say no. I won't get mad if you do."
Lucy turned around to fully face the lion spirit, wondering what this was about and whether this would be the first time she denied her spirits of something in a long time.
...
So, what did you think of the Daybreak arc? What was Loke asking for and will he get it? I hope you like the new designs for Lucy's Star Dress and are piecing together what happened to Lucy at her birth! And, I'm sure there are some of you wondering exactly what Plue is? My answer to that is... you'll find that out in a later chapter. Please review, favorite, follow and enjoy this chapter until the next time I update.