Lucy's POV
"What does sid-drolrow-ruofe-hitfor-ewo-pet mean?" Kura asked Natsu. He shrugged.
"I don't know."
"Let me try." I took the spinner, and once again, it started whirring. "Hey Lucy! It's spinning for you too!" Natsu cried.
The spinner stopped, and now it had four sides. My side was blue, and had an eight-pointed star on it. "That must mean Celestial Spirit Magic." Gray pointed out. Natsu looked slightly mad that Gray reached the conclusion first before him. Aiko looked out at the commotion, a scowl on her face.
"So we have yes magic, no magic, Dragon Slayer Magic, and Celestial Spirit Magic. It doesn't work for Requipping Magic or Ice-make Magic." Erza noted.
"Maybe we should see if it works for Wendy and Gajeel." I said. "Because all of our magics are rare, so maybe that's how it all works."
Kura wrinkled her nose. "Sure, maybe, but I don't think so." She disappeared behind a bookcase. "I tried doing some research on it, but came up with nothing. Nothing in Dragon History scrolls, Magic items, anything. It's a one-of-a-kind object."
Everyone thought for a moment, minus Natsu, but came up with nothing.
The pink-haired Dragon Slayer broke the silence. "So you got this thing from Igneel?" he asked her. it was Natsus dream to see the great fire dragon, and foster father, again, even after the dragon left him in the middle of nowhere with no warning.
"Natsu, I'm very sorry to tell you this, but the event happened almost five years ago. Aiko was still young." Kura said softly. "While you were in the time jump." Natsu looked shattered.
Gray, Erza, and Kura talked about how they were going to escape, but I sat down next to Natsu. I was still mad at him, but seeing the look on his face made me want to console him. "It's okay." I told him, putting a hand on his arm. He made no move to pull away.
He head was low, his spiky salmon-coloured hair obscuring his face. "I had a chance, but now he's gone." He whispered. The only time you saw Natsu in a down-in-the-dumps mood was when you spoke about his father.
Especially when he was so close to finding him.
"He's out there, somewhere, always thinking of you. I'm sure he had a reason to leave, but he'll come back." I told him, smiling tightly at my nakama. This wasn't like him.
Natsu didn't reply for a second. "I haven't seen him in 14 years. What makes you say that he'll come back?"
"He will. I'm sure of it." He looked up to me smiling. "My dad came back for me, didn't he?"
Natsu smiled slightly. "Yeah, I guess so." He rapidly blinked away his wet eyes. I was slightly shocked; it must have shaken him more than I thought. We joined the discussion the other three were having.
"At this point they could be waiting for us outside. These people know about this hiding spot, so they'll know that we could come here. There are protective spells surrounding us, but it isn't impossible to get inside. Of course, to do it, you would have to rip the whole part of the store above us to get in, but they killed my friends before. They are certainly not above destroying buildings to get me."
"Happy or Charle isn't here, and Aikos wing is damaged, or we could fly you out, and the train is too public." Erza said. "People would get hurt. Is there any way to get out of this basement without using the hidden staircase?"
Kura shook her head. "Unless we dug out, which would take too long."
I shook my head and smiled. "What about Virgo? She can dig superfast."
It sounded like a great idea, but Aiko walked into the conversation, glaring at me. "She's not talking about the ground itself. The wards around here are powerful. Even your Celestial Spirit would have a hard time against them."
"Oh." I pouted. Natsu patted my back and grinned.
"It wasn't a bad idea, Luce. We just need to find something else."
"What about Gemini? They could copy Kura, and then let 'Kura' go out. We let them take Gemini and we sneak away, then they realize that Gemini isn't Kura. Gemini will then return to the Spirit World." I suggested.
Erza frowned. "But if Gemini copied Kura right now, her magic would transfer to them then, wouldn't it? If Gemini couldn't contain it, it could kill all the people here."
"And either way, keeping a Gate open for so long and so far couldn't be good for you." Natsu said. I inwardly winced. The whole argument before started along those lines.
I put my hands up. "Okay, so not a good idea. Should we just barge out and make a run for it?"
No one had any objections to that, of course.
Kura swept Aiko up, and the little cat snarled. Kura tapped her on the nose, surprising her enough to stop her hissing. "You can't fly. I'm carrying you." Aiko narrowed her eyes, but settled in the sword-users arm, clearly disliking it.
Natsu grinned. "I'll go first."
Natsu headed up the stairs, us following behind him. "Kura," he said, cupping his hands around his mouth. "Open the door in...Three...! Two..!
The door slid open, and Natsu let out a jet of fire. Over the roar of the flames, I heard startled screams. "Run!" Erza commanded, and we leapt over the fire. The door slid closed behind us, and we ran to the train station.
"There's no other choice!" Erza cried. "We'll defend the train until we lose them!"
Natsu fist-pumped and shouted, unfazed by the chasers. "We're makin' a getaway!" he spun around. "Fire Dragons Roar!" another spew of fire came out of his mouth and enveloped the mages. They stopped their attacks for a moment and desperately patted the flames out or dropped to the ground, rolling.
"Dark Shadows!" somebody's high-pitched voice cried. A wall of thick shadows blocked our way, but Erza cut right through them. We continued running.
Dozens of spears and guns were trained on us, but luckily, no one got hurt, until—
"Ah!" Natsu cried, but didn't stop running. I looked over at him. He was clutching his arm, and a tiny bit of red covered his fingers.
"Natsu! Are you okay?"
He nodded, biting his lip. "Mm-hmm. Just a tiny scratch." By the looks of the blood on his fingers, it was much more than a tiny scratch, but I would see to it later.
Gray turned around, and made an icy wall between the mages and us. They pounded against the glass and started melting it. "That's not gonna hold them for long."
We burst into the train station. Erza took the conductor by the front of his shirt and growled at him. "We need this train. It is a matter of life and death. Do not let anyone else on this vehicle." The conductor nodded quickly, almost whimpering at the scary mages. [a.k.a. us.] He grabbed his microphone.
"Anyone on the train for Magnolia, do not get on. We are sorry, but we will get another train to escort you." There were a bunch of angry cries from behind, but the man looked more afraid of us. "Get on." He unclipped the front of the train from the carts, and we hopped on, Natsu reluctantly. As soon as it started moving, he collapsed on the floor. The wound on his shoulder was still bleeding, and by the looks of it, it was slightly deep. A gunshot wound.
"Erza, you look at Natsu, and Gray and I will handle the mages in the back." I told her. She was already looking at the injury.
"Open, Gate of the Centaur, Sagittarius!" the scrawny horse-costumed man appeared.
"Moshi moshi." He said. "What can I do in your service, commander?" He saluted.
"Shoot down those mages!" I cried. They were behind us, driving in their car. A dozen heads and arms popped out from the window, preparing for a spell.
"I will do as you command, moshi moshi." The horse-man took out his bow and notched an arrow. Gray beside me pulled back his hands, the temperature suddenly dropping.
The arrow flew, and Gray cried, "Ice-make; Lance!" The arrow punched through their tire, stopping the car, and the ice-make spears hit the mages in the face. They waved their angry fists at us as we made our getaway.
I high-fived Gray. "Great job!" I turned to Sagittarius. "Thank you for your assistance, Sagittarius."
He saluted again. "In any way I can be of assistance, moshi moshi." He disappeared back into the Spirit World, but not before giving Kura a funny look.
Kura collapsed on the bench. "That was close." I did too, but then remembered Natsu, I kneeled next to him and Erza. "Will he be okay?" I asked.
Erza looked up at me. "Oh, this? Natsus suffered much worse, you know that. It's just the motion sickness at the moment."
I smiled at my friends. "I know, just I worry for him sometimes."
The conductor a-hemmed awkwardly. "Ummm... I just stole a train from the station and I'm probably going to get fired for this. What is this all about?" he asked.
"There are these people chasing us, and we needed a getaway car." Erza said simply, not giving him details. The conductor turned back around, sighing angrily.
"We have a first aid kit in the compartment for your friend over there." He said.
"No need." Erza went into the back, and came back with a fully equipped first aid kit, and our bags.
"Where'd you get these?" I asked, raising my eyebrow, but glad that I still had my stuff.
"On the roof." The knight said simply. Kura, Gray, and I poked our heads out. Strapped to the roof was Erzas wagon. We sweatdropped. When did she have time to do that?
Natsu groaned, and I turned to look at him, smiling at his motion sickness. He's brought down towers, destroyed monsters from nightmares, but if you put him on a moving vehicle, the Salamander disappeared, leaving only a ghost. "H-help..." he whined.
"If only Wendy were here," I commented, "she'd be able to do the Trioa on him."
Erza looked at the conductor. "We'll only do stops for bathroom breaks, nothing else. We need to get to Magnolia fast."
The conductor nodded quickly. "Y-yes ma'am."
Erza smiled at when up and took the Conductors shoulder. The conductor stiffened. "Thank you..." she looked at his nametag. "Jonathan, for your aid." With that, she smashed his head against her breastplate and patted his back. The conductor squealed in pain.
I sat down next to Natsu, muttering about my "totally obnoxious crazy nakamas." I smiled at Natsus blown up cheeks, him trying not to barf. Luckily, he hadn't eaten anything before [that I knew about,] so he had nothing to upchuck. Either way, he couldn't get up to move.
I chuckled, putting a hand on his back and rubbing gently. My mother used to do it when I was sick, before she died. I always felt better afterwards. Natsu seemed to relax a bit, the greenish tinge fading slightly. "Th-thanks..." he muttered.
"Hey, Lucy. Stop cuddling with your boyfriend!" Gray interrupted.
I stood up quickly. "He's not my boyfriend!" I cried.
The dark haired mage shrugged. "You're probably right. Flame brain couldn't get a girlfriend anyway."
Natsu struggled upright. "I totally could, if I wan-!" he collapsed. The conductor sighed.
"Is he usually like this?" he asked. We nodded.
Kura stretched, yawning. "One of us should stay up, just in case they catch up with us." It was only the evening, but all the running and stress of the day was making us tired. Aiko was in the corner, refusing to talk with Kura or any of us.
"I'll stay up first." Gray offered. "Jonathan, show me how to work the train so you can go to sleep too."
"No, I haven't done as much as you guys. You go to sleep, and I'll wake you up later. I'll keep watch."
Kura looked reluctant to put her trust in a complete stranger, but she pulled a blanket from her small bag and snuggled in it. She caught my surprised look and grinned slightly. "It's a magic bag. Master gave it to me. It can hold a great deal of items." She took off her vest, and went underneath the cover. There was the sound of skin rubbing against cloth, and then her head poked out. She was wearing a light purple, long sleeved shirt and baggy navy blue pants. Her hair was down. She threw a pyjama next to Aiko, who still didn't move.
"Wear something easy just in case we have to make a break for it." She said, and then snuggled in the blankets. Her voice came out muffled. "There's one more in the bag, if you want it."
It took me a second to realize she meant another blanket. I carefully reached into the bag and pulled it out. Kura was right; the bag did seem much larger than it should have.
I bellowed out the blanket and, as a second thought, put it over Natsu too. It was a cold night, and it was chilly. I heard Gray chuckle, seeing us both, so I took my shoe off without opening my eyes and threw my combat boot at his face. The heavy CLUNK and groan told me it hit. I smiled, snuggling closer to my personal heat-pad.
Erza shook my shoulder. "Lucy... Lucy... Lucy. Wake up."
On the third shake, I got up. "My turn?" I rubbed my eyes. She nodded, in her Japanese cloth armor, so not to wake us up with the clanking of metal, and to be prepared if there was an attack.
"okay." I got up, careful not to wake up Natsu who finally managed to fall asleep. I didn't bother changing last night, so I was still in my regular blue-and-white outfit with yellow outline. I changed quickly and quietly, not wanting to wake up the others, and checking the back for any speck on the horizon. Fortunately, we were in the middle of a desert, so it was easy to be lookout.
I leaned on the banister outside, listening to Erza getting comfy and eventually falling asleep. The train tracks whizzed by again and again and the train was still going. Since we didn't know how to operate it, Jonathan put extra power in it that would keep it going on while he slept and we kept watch. 'It should keep going until the crack of dawn, and then you can wake me up,' the conductor said.
Somebody rolled over inside, and then there was a shaky shuffling noise. I looked as Natsu burst through the door and leaned over the edge of the banister. He took big, deep breaths. "Please... get me off of this thing..." he muttered without looking at me.
I gently pulled him back, in case he went unconscious again and actually did fall off the train, and sat him down on the bench. Natsus head lolled back and he panted. I sat down next to him and rubbed his back. He sighed, not totally fine, but better.
"So... what's up?" he asked me slowly.
"I just started lookout duty." I said, moving my hand between his shoulder blades. [His vest was still on, for you perverted people!]
"Want me to help?" he asked.
"No, you should save your energy." I leaned back, closing my eyes for a second. Without opening them, I said, "How's your arm?"
He looked at it and winced. "I wouldn't really admit this to anyone else except Happy, but it kinda still hurts. Luckily it didn't break through anything important," he continued, not noticing that my face was burning.
I looked back at the train tracks. Still nothing. "So far, nothing has happened, luckily for us." I reported.
He chuckled lightly, but then his face turned green again. "I'm so hungry, but I can't eat anything. Just the thought of food makes my stomach rumble and turn at the same time."
I stood up and checked the sky in the front. It was turning lighter. "It's nearly morning. Only another couple hours, then we'll stop when everybody gets up for bathroom breaks." I told him.
Something caught my eye. It was something shiny from the front.
My eyes widened. "Stop the train!" I cried. Everybody, lightly sleeping, woke up inside. I burst into the room. "Stop the train!"
Kuras POV
Gray got up first and pulled the emergency brake. Everything was sent flying to the front, and everybody cried out as they were thrown cross the room. Finally, the train stopped completely. We were pushed up into a pile, a tangle of limbs and blankets. Erza pulled herself free. "Everyone okay?" she asked.
We got out fine. I looked at Lucy. "What's wrong?"
She didn't get time to answer the question. Natsu poked his head in, perfectly fine now that the train had stopped. "What was that for? Well, I don't care, cause the train sto-!" he was thrown somewhere else by a blast.
"Natsu!" she cried. Lucy grabbed her keys. "Open, Gate of the Ram, Aries!" a fluffily-clad girl appeared. She had pink hair and little curly horns.
"I-I'm sorry. What can I do for you?" she asked shyly.
Outside, I could hear the sounds of Natsu roaring. We all ran out the door.
"Natsu!" he was battling with six or seven mages, and unfortunately was beginning to lose. His fists caught fire, as he jumped back to dodge a ray of red light. He charged forwards, but he was stopped again by another mages attack. He stood there, stunned for a split second, then a group of shadows, Shadow Magic, leapt up from the ground and grabbed him. He cried out, swamped over by the darkness. even more mages came, from seven or eight vans that had finally slowed don and parked.
Erza charged into battle, requipping into her Black Wing armor. She let them spread out and she jumped, landing on top of a mage and making him tumble down. Gray made a small iceberg appear above another's feet; he cried out as it hit him. It wasn't nearly as big as his usual because even though it was chilly, it was a desert.
I unsheathed my sword. "Electricity blade!" It glowed for a moment before turning into a thicker, heavier blade. It was coated in a thin layer of yellow-y shiny stuff, and crackled with power. I jumped into the fight, landing close to a mage, and the older woman jumped. I took the blade and swung; as soon as it touched the mage, she dropped to the floor. The blade was charged with electricity. Aiko and Jonathan stayed in the cart, the little cat trying to reassure the conductor before he fainted.
From the corner of my eye, I could see Lucy running towards the bundle of shadows that were trying to suffocate Natsu. I could see flashes of sparks here and there from the Dragon Slayer struggling to get out. Aries followed behind Lucy, blocking any attack that was aimed for her.
"Wool bomb!" a ball of fluffy wool appeared in the Spirits hands, and shot towards a mage. The enemy went down, but now there were more than six or seven; several dozen surrounded us, and we were losing ground.
The sky was filled with cries. "Ice-make; Lance!" "Requip, Heavens Wheel armor!" "Open, Gate of the Bull and Lion! Taurus and Leo!" and eventually, spurts of flame here and there. It still wasn't enough.
I blocked another attack with the flat my Earth sword, and bounced it back somewhere where it would hit someone else. I didn't care who, I just needed to get rid as many as I could. Gray had fallen; his ice magic not suitable for these conditions. Lucy and Erza were getting tired from opening and closing gates and changing armor so much. Natsu and I were getting swallowed up by sheer numbers. As soon as one fell, two fully energized mages came back.
I dodged another beam of magic sent at me, but it singed the end of my sleeve. At this point, I knew unless the numbers would stop, we would be overrun. For once, I was ready to use my magic.
My hand shot out, and I cried, "Ending Magic; Dark Roar!" a beam of dark light shot from my fingertips and four mages disappeared. It was a struggle to close the gate to my magic again. I could easily destroy each enemy right now on my own, but not when the others were close.
"Stop!" an unfamiliar voice commanded. Suddenly, the attacks ceased from the enemy mages. Erza, Lucy, Natsu and I regrouped in a circle, an unconscious Gray in the middle at our feet. We held our weapons/flaming fists/keys dangerously in front of us.
Standing on top of the train was a middle-aged man, holding Jonathan in front of him. The conductor looked terrified, because of the dagger held at his throat. Aiko was held by another sinister mage behind him.
Erza snarled. "You wouldn't dare!" we already got the point. Give us the girl, and you save the life of this innocent man and cat.
The man, face hooded with a red cloak, smiled. He didn't speak. He pressed the blade closer to Jonathan's throat. The conductor swallowed.
"You have no honor!" I cried. "If you want me, then get me yourself!"
The man pushed Jonathan a little closer to the edge of the train.
This poor man. "F-fine. I'll go with you. Just let Aiko and the conductor go." I said slowly. I was scared, no, terrified, but I wouldn't let this man kill innocent people.
Two mages stepped forwards and put something around my wrists. Magical handcuffs. They were powerful ones, because even my magic was suppressed by them. Instantly I started to feel sick. I knew what was happening. Aiko and I had tried it once.
"I-I'm not... feeling so good." I stumbled a bit. Akio gasped.
"her magic is being suppressed! Don't, stop!" My vision turned blurry, and I felt as if my lungs were filling with water. I dropped to the ground.
The handcuffs shattered, but no one made a move to pick me up. Slowly, I realized that I could hear the sound of battling outside my consciousness. They must be fighting for me, I thought.
I fought off the blackness threatening to consume me, but it was getting harder and harder. I felt for my sword; I needed to get the access magic out without blowing something up, or I was going to do it when everything went black.
Finally, the leather handle ended up in my hands. I concentrated as much as I could, and slowly, I could breathe again. Of course, the effort was too much and I ended up unconscious.
I woke up on the bench in the train, my blanket wrapped around me. I sat up quickly. Too quickly, because my sides started to burn. "You're awake!" Aiko cried and jumped up into my lap. Gray was sitting on a fold-up chair away from us, but still close by. His chest and head were partly bandaged, but the mage seemed fine.
"Are we safe?" I asked.
He nodded. "We only got away because Erza went into scary-mode. She brought out her Purgatory Armor and then everything finished up quickly. Red-cloak dude disappeared. Or that's what they told me." Gray added. He knew I only wanted the details.
"What about Jonathan?" I asked. "Is he okay?"
"He's in the back right now with the others. He's a bit shaken, but physically fine." Aiko told me. I sighed a sigh of relief.
"what about you?" I asked her. her wing had been rebandaged, but she seemed fine, other than that. "I'm fine," she waved off me inspecting her wing, pulling it away from me. "I'm a lot better than you are. You should be worrying about yourself." The previous anger faded away mostly, I guessed because the Fairies fought, and Aiko was only worried about me. I petted her head and the little Exceed purred.
I noticed Lucy on the other bench. "Is Lucy okay?"
Gray didn't speak for a moment. "She's weak from blood and magic loss, but she'll recuperate."
I smiled sadly. It was all my fault that I dragged them into this. "That's good."
"We'll be at Magnolia in less than an hour, so I'm gonna go outside and let you change." He opened the door, and then closed it, giving me one last look before disappearing. Aiko stayed, and I didn't mind. She was my partner, and we've seen each other without clothes loads of times. I reached into my bag and grabbed my traditional wear. My black dress slipped on, when the door opened again. I shrieked. Luckily, the dress was on, but nothing else was.
It was Natsu, looking tired and green. He sat next to Lucy, not noticing us. Aiko seemed shell-shocked into silence.
"I hope you're okay." He said to her, even though she was unconscious. He put his hand on hers and gripped it tightly. "I kinda wish I was there for you more. So you didn't get hurt. I followed you guys in the first place to make sure that you didn't get hurt. But you still did..."
He grinned. "But you'll get better Luce! And I know you're still a bit mad at me, but I don't really care. You're my nakama! We'll meet up with Happy later and maybe go on a mission!"
I awkwardly moved my hand on purpose, knowing that with his Dragon Hearing he would hear it. He turned around, seeing us there.
"Ah..." he turned the same color as Erzas hair. "Hi K-Kura! Aiko!"
"You don't have to pretend. We heard the whole thing."
If it was possible, his face turned even redder. "Y-you... heard?"
I nodded. "You really do care for that girl? Don't you?" Aiko grinned, cat-like.
He looked away. "Yeah, she's my best friend, along with Happy. We hang out a lot and stuff." My little Exceed and I exchanged glances, smiling, realizing that Natsu, as dense as he was, didn't get the feeling that he had for the Celestial Spirit mage. "Mm-hmm... you guys remind me closely of two people."
He looked up. "Who?"
"A friend and I. Just remember, once they're gone, you can't go back."
Natsu blinked. "What's that supposed to mean?" Aiko and I grinned.
"You have to find out for yourself." I leaned back against the wall and put the blanket over my head, ignoring the angry calls from outside as I changed. Reminded of Ren, I smiled sadly, hoping that their relationship continued on, and didn't end up like mine. Aiko glanced at me worrisomely.
how's the story so far? any comments, reviews, and [constructive] critism is welcomed! I really wanna know how my story is so far.
