Chapter 3
Natsu's legs wobbled threateningly before giving out, dropping the boy to the sidewalk in a crumpled heap in front of the Oshibana station. His stomach was still giving disgruntled lurches even though the train had long since pulled away from the station. Inside his skin, the Salamander's muscles had turned to jello; motion sickness proving that, once again, it was the victor.
"Jeez! Why did I even let you come?" Lucy scowled. Both her fists had been fiercely planted on her hips and her toes tapped a violent beat into the concrete.
The boy could only groan in despair before drawing a sharp breath and rising to his feet. In turn, his stomach gave a protesting punch – suddenly Natsu was glad that Lucy was so terrifying, she could get him moving almost as quickly as Erza by beating the fear into his brain that quelled his stirring stomach. Two pendulum sways later and the rose headed mage was chasing down the blond with a limping shuffle.
Movement doused the twisting, bubbling sensation in his gut. Soon Natsu was bouncing along behind his companion, both arms slung lazily behind his head. Lucy was drifting from side to side, eyes lingering on every fashion, craft, or general magic store that they passed. The zigzagging pattern she created was making Natsu dizzy again as she drifted over from one shop to the other, spying in the windows and unconsciously creating a trend. Her main priority seemed to be anything related to looks – makeup shop, clothing stores, hair salons – and with every shop that she looked into, Lucy seemed to grow a little more depressed.
"Waah! This is frustrating!"
Natsu jumped, startled by her outburst. Tentatively he watched as Lucy wrung the life from her wallet. The way the leather twisted and cracked under her strength made the Salamander's heart pang with worry and fear; he was glade that it was only a wallet, not his neck.
"There are so many nice things here but I can't buy any of it."
"Lucy-"
"Don't you say a word!" she snapped, causing the dragon slayer to flinch away, his mouth snapping shut with an audible click. His brow twisted up into his hair line with concern, honestly fearing for his own life. Lucy seemed to quickly catch this motions and promptly apologized, shuffling awkwardly down the street.
The two continued to walk in companionable silence through the streets. Upon their arrival the city had grown ominously silent. The people that had bustled around, doing their daily shopping, had slowly disappeared into their houses. It was like they feared unfamiliar faces. Right now, Oshibana's streets weren't completely barren, but the scattered soul that drifted around looked anxious, deeply unnerved by the guild member's presence.
"What's wrong with this place?" Lucy asked softly. Her voice was barely a whisper over the sound of Natsu's whistling. "This is a city right? It shouldn't be this empty. This quiet."
"You're probably right, little miss. Oshibana should never be this quiet."
The two mages turned to this new voice. It carried itself across the dirt and stone like an ominous breeze. Now they were sure that the feeling – that something was very wrong – was not just a feeling.
Before them stood a coarse man, claiming the edge of the street with a haughty stance. Every part on him screamed cowboy. Inch long scruff painted his jaw in greys and browns and there was a pale hat planted on his head that hid threads of chocolate hair. A long trench coat fell off his shoulders that was covered in patches and grass stains. "I suspect that you two are members of that Fairy Tail guild?" he asked, tilted his hat back with his thumb and index. "The one that Mikey's always talking about? Come with me, I'll give you a lift."
Natsu paled instantly. "That's fine," he piped quickly. "We'll walk-"
An iron fist planted itself into his ribs and forced him to inch to the left. His eyes searched for the source instinctively, he was just in time to catch Lucy's venomous glare. Then the look was gone and she was all smiles once more.
"We'd love a ride, thank you so much." Natsu's stomach was already lurching.
The man smiled, as if to say "wise choice, little lady", before he turned away from the two mages. With his left hand he beckoned for Natsu and Lucy to follow, tossing a "hurry up. We don't want to keep the old boy waiting," over his shoulder.
Inwardly, Natsu groaned. Lucy's punches were getting more and more violent. Maybe it was the bitterness form being broke, or maybe she had been hanging out with Erza for too long. In either case, the punch had left Natsu's ribs a little more sore.
Pawing at his bruised skin, the dragon slayer turned to Lucy, ready to beg her to reconsider. But she quickly beat him to the punch.
"There is no way that I can walk that far. It's a nameless town miles away from – if that cowboy has anything to say about it – any form of civilization. If he has a ride here for us, I'm taking it."
"Fine," Natsu pouted. "Then I'll walk."
"No you won't." The mage's sharp reply left the boy silent, stunned. "I'm not going to wait for you to get there – and knowing you, you'd lose your way."
"But Lucy!" came the predicted whine. This was met with a smug grin and a flick of golden hair. The fire mage's heart sank as he picked up his feet and, grudgingly, chased his partner down the road.
The ride sat at the edge of the city, parked near group of trees. Twin horses were strapped to the front; clydesdale with silky manes that reached for the ground. Each horse had two soaked hooves that were shielded by thick tufts of hair. Their heads were dipped low, muzzles buried deep into the grass. The carriage was a different matter. Where the horses stood noble, kingly, the carriage that they pulled was trash. There was no roof like many of the magic verticals and there was only one seat – the driver's seat. But that was no loss. It looked as comfortable and anywhere else on the carriage, there was no cushion and no back rest. The rest of the ride consisted of a wooden pan which they would be expected to sit in. Around said pan hay and wood chip lay scattered. This was not meant to carry people.
"Sorry for the harsh shape of this old thing, she was never much of a people person anyway." At first Natsu thought that he was talking about one of the horses but then he patted the carriage fondly and immediately he knew he was wrong.
"That's fine," Lucy replied hesitantly. Like most girls, the celestial mage would always prefer luxury, but in this line of work she would have to make due. "As long as we won't have to walk-" Natsu made an indignant noise, but was wholly ignored- "and, of course, we are more than grateful that you even came."
The cowboy shrugged and clambered up into the drivers seat. "As I said before, Mikey asked me to come. I'm normally about as hospitable as this 'ere old waggon. But it's for a friend." Taking up the reigns, he waited for the two mages to clamber into the pan before giving them and flick, ushering the horses into a steady pace.
Immediately Natsu felt the claws of motion sickness slipping around him. Seconds later he was doubled over the edge of the cart with one hand clapped over his mouth and the other bracing the quivering railing with an equally shaky grip.
"What's wrong with him?" the dragon slayer heard the man ask, it was a mere whisper over the roar in his ears.
Lucy returned her answer swiftly – as if she had expected the question. "Him and moving objects don't get along very well." Then she quickly changed the subject, her tone perking up with friendly conversation. "I'm Lucy, by the way, and my friend there is Natsu."
"A little delayed on the introduction I guess," Micheal's friend shrugged. "But it isn't like I'm better. Name's Sam – cause last names don't seem to exist in this conversation." Natsu could almost smile when he heard the other mage's disgruntled noise; the the carriage hit a pump, sending his gut into a bubbling tantrum.
The rest of the ride passed in a shroud of silence. Occasionally, the whimpering mage could hear his celestial counterpart shifting on her side of the pan. Even in his dazed state, Natsu could feel the ancient wood taking it's toll on his own knees. All feeling had slowly vanished as his veins were pinched off between his bones and the planks. The numbness had spread down to his feet, leaving an incessant tingling in his toes. But the fire mage was too weakened with sickness to shift his position, so instead he welcomed the fact that it was not worse.
Beyond the dragon slayer's line of sight, mountainous terrain morphed into lush pastures and lusher forests. The dry dessert, that held only shrubs and the spare, wilted trees, began to grow grassy fields before Natsu's eyes. Farms filled to the brim with vegetables overtook the view with green. Even though there were no men or women working in these fields they all looked extremely well kept. The rows of different – unidentifiable – vegetables were flourishing under the mid-sun. Sun-kissed leaves spit diamonds at the fire mage. His sickness temporarily forgotten, Natsu sat bar-straight in the carriage's pan, watching as they passed field after field off this luscious greenery.
"Farming is the only way people can survive in this god-forsaken place," explained Sam as he flicked reigns across the clydesdale' backs. "We're so far removed from the city's that it costs more to sell anything than what we get from selling it. So we're better off just making everything ourselves. There are cotton fields out beyond the village to make clothes – along with sheep's wool. I own a small cattle ranch, that's the main source of milk. That and ol' Mikey's goat. Then some of the younger folk own chickens. Cleaned, gutted and with a side order of vegetables, it makes a good Sunday dinner." In response to this description, Natsu's stomach growled and launched itself into its turmoil once more.
Spent, the mage collapsed back against the wall of the pan. His arms rose up to brace him, sweat bursting across the surface of his skin and breath heavy in his throat. He stared longingly at the sky; flying with Happy had never made him feel this ill.
As he watched the clouds rolling past, curious drifts of grey rose in the horizon. Natsu's brow bent down in a confused line as he painfully rose into a proper sitting position. As he did so, he heard Lucy gasp and Sam rumble.
Before him lay their destination. Before him lay fire.
Okay... I almost missed the deadline again. . If it weren't for my beta reminding me I probably would have cause Biology is stealing my life away! I'm SO thankful I'm graduating this year. No more written exams. It shall be GLORIOUS~!
Anyway, about the chapter. A long time ago I've come to realize that I love cliffhangers. And that I'm hated for it. So, even though I'm sorry for the incredible lack of action (I tried to make up for it with Natsu's PG suffering :P) I'm not sorry for the way I ended it. And you won't know what's happening until chapter 5/7. In the meantime, I do have Ch.4 done but you'll still have to wait a month for it too update. But at the rate that I'm writing I might be able to up that to two times a months. :)
As usual, a special thanks to my angel, MiyuTanemura. Give her some love, yeah? :D
Next update will be on February 21st, 2012.
Reviews make the world go round~ And updates come faster, maybe ;)
