After Lucy got attacked at the restaurant, the entire guild was on high alert. Master had also notified the Council about what was happening, and Rune Knights were milling around Magnolia, looking for anything or anybody suspicious. Meanwhile, Lucy had been moved in Natsu and Happy's house. The small cottage was hard to find if one didn't know where to look for it, and it being located in the woods gave Natsu and Lucy an advantage if it came to a fight, since they wouldn't have to worry about damaging property or injuring innocent bystanders.
Lucy would stay there till the issue with who was after her got resolved, so she'd been forced to give up her room, and dig into her savings to buy some furniture for Natsu's almost bare home. It really was for the best, though. Now Natsu's little house really looked like a home. Lucy, Erza, Levy, Juvia and Mirajane had been cleaning and redecorating it for the better part of a week, and Lucy was finally happy with it. There was a real bedroom now, the bathroom was sparkling and there were dishes in the kitchen.
Luckily, she was used to living with Natsu and Happy, since they were always in her room, so it wasn't a big change in routine for her. Living with Natsu, for real, was a revelation. When he wasn't barging in uninvited and she wasn't looking for means to eject him with, Natsu was an awesome housemate. He had didn't complain when she asked him to do the dishes after breakfast or dinner, he even scrubbed the bathroom after they were done with their baths in the evening. When she'd asked him why his house resembled a pigsty when he clearly didn't mind cleaning, he'd just shrugged and said he saw no reason to do it before, but if Lucy lived there he'd do it, because Lucy liked clean.
It was one of the sweetest things he'd said and done for her. So, she'd set to reward him with a kiss. They couldn't stop with just one kiss though, and things got further than anticipated when in the heat of the moment, she'd let him take her top off. It was embarrassing, actually letting him see her shirtless, worse even, not protesting when he'd touched her. But his warm hands felt wonderful on her own heated skin. He was fumbling slightly, but he still touched her like she was made of spun-glass, reverently, oh so very gently. His eyes had that feverish look in them, but they were full of adoration and Lucy couldn't bring herself to stop him. Not when he touched her as if she were the most precious thing in Earthland.
This time it was Natsu who stopped them. They were laying on the new bed, both in just their shorts, on their sides, facing each other and he had just worked up the nerve to actually kiss her breasts. He was kneading and suckling on the soft, supple flesh while Lucy shuddered and moaned above his head, when he'd noticed that her hand on his bicep was trembling. Stopping was the last thing he wanted to do, but her well-being was far more important than his desires. So, he'd sucked on one rosy nipple one last time, before he'd risen up again and kissed her forehead.
With one last kiss to her soft lips, he'd grabbed her shirt and offered it to her with a smile. Lucy had looked confused for a few seconds, before she'd smiled at him and thrown her arms around his shoulders, hugging him close.
The time for sex will come, things like these come naturally, when you want to be as close to the person you love as possible and nothing else matters anymore. Being unsure about it only means that the right time hasn't come yet. Being with Lucy was all that mattered. He loved Lucy for Lucy, not for her body. Her beauty was only a small part of what made him fall for her. It was her kindness, her courage, her intelligence, and most of all her acceptance of all he is that made Lucy his most precious person.
He was stupid, and he only knew how to fight, yet Lucy still smiled at him, she talked to him, she enjoyed his company, she listened to him and was there when something was bothering him, always ready to lend a helping hand. When others laughed at him Lucy stood up for him, she believed in him, she trusted him. There was no denying it, Lucy was his life, he'd be lost without her. So, in the end it didn't really matter if they made love today or in a week, or in a year. All that counted was that they were together.
Completely content, Natsu pressed a kiss to Lucy's head and guided them to lie down again. Holding each other tight, they soon fell into dreamless, peaceful slumber.
The following day, another attack occurred.
XxxxxxxxxxX
Natsu was at the guild, finally with a couple of free minutes, that he used immediately to seek out Alzack. Luckily, the older mage was at the guild with his wife and daughter. It had taken Natsu some time before he worked up the nerve to approach them and ask Alzack for a private conversation. Alzack was accommodating enough, and sat with Natsu in an isolated corner, first patiently listening to what the Fire Dragon Slayer had to say and then trying as best as he could to explain the basics of sex to him. Natsu was younger, but he was still the superior mage and Alzack respected his power, so having this exact conversation was awkward as hell. But he was honored that Natsu chose to come to him, out of every other guy in the guild. His face was bright red, and he was stuttering like mad, but he still did his best to prepare Natsu for what was to come between him and Lucy. His own first time with Bisca had been a mess, but a beautiful mess, and this he shared with Natsu; it didn't matter if he knew what he was doing, as long as he and Lucy loved each other it was going to be perfect.
After the conversation with Alzack, Natsu was feeling better and was at the bar waiting for Mira to pour him a glass of fire-whiskey when the guild doors flung open with a bang and he jumped. His throat constricted and his gut roiled as he saw a sweaty and wheezing Levy with a panicked look on her pretty face. The moment her eyes caught his, Levy started running towards him.
"Natsu! Hurry! Lu-chan!"
Natsu didn't wait for more, simply run out of the guild and towards his home. He wasn't far away when he heard the sounds of a fight and speeded up, all the way praying that nothing happened to Lucy. When he came to the clearing west of his house, he could only stop and stare.
His Lucy was surrounded, five mages all wearing the same masks as the guy from the other night, but she wasn't backing down. She was holding her own. In her Taurus Star Dress, her whip in hand, she stood behind Scorpio while he and Taurus held the other mages off. When she moved her right hand, Natsu recognized the key in it. It was a silver key she'd purchased some months ago while on a job. She'd stumbled across some pretty good silver keys in a little magic shop and had immediately bought three, happy beyond comprehension to get more Spirits. This would be the first time she'd be calling one of them in a fight and he waited to see what would come out of the gate.
"Open! Gate of the eagle! Aquilla!"
The Celestial eagle was easily four times the size of his mortal counterparts, and his screech was loud enough to make Natsu cringe. With a flap of his mighty wings, the golden hued predator shot towards Lucy's opponents, aiding Taurus and Scorpio in the fight.
One of the opposing mages was trying to sneak by Scorpio's blind side and Natsu tensed, ready to interfere, but didn't get to do anything when Lucy's whip shot out and caught the masked guy across the chest with a vicious snap. He stumbled back with a cry of pain, but Lucy didn't let him get his bearings.
"Star Dress! Scorpio form!" The golden light of the transformation had barely faded when she lunged towards her attacker, hand wrapped around the chain that imitated a scorpion's tail at her waist. The golden chain was extendable and Natsu watched somewhat in awe she wrapped it around the dark mage's neck, braced her knees against his back and didn't slacken her hold till the man fell unconscious with a gurgle.
Natsu was too busy staring at his radiant mate to notice movement from the left. One of the other four mages had managed to get by Scorpio was aiming some sort of dark cloud at Lucy. It would have hit her, if Loke hadn't summoned himself at that precise moment and dispelled the cloud with a glowing fist.
That was when Natsu had enough and jumped into the fray. Taken by surprise, the enemy mages faltered and the fight was over in seconds. They'd managed to escape, though and Natsu and Lucy still had no idea who was attacking her and why.
"DAMN IT!" Natsu cursed, punching the trunk of a nearby tree in frustration. "Who the hell are these guys?! I can't believe they got away again!"
Lucy, standing little ways from him, was pensive. "They're not very strong, in fact I'd go as far as to call them pretty weak. Makes me wonder how they plan to capture anyone if they can't overwhelm and weaken them."
"Well, I think they're pretty much just idiots," Loke reasoned. "They obviously don't have much information on Celestial mages. They didn't know that a strong Celestial mage can open several gates at the same time. And I can imagine that they have no idea what a Star Dress even is, not mention what it can do."
"Yup, obviously idiots," Scorpio agreed with a scoff. "Going after someone, with no idea what to expect from them. Plain stupid."
"The last thing they expected was for Lucy to be as strong as she is," Aquilla added his opinion, standing behind Lucy with his wings neatly folded over his back, head held proudly, sharp golden eyes glinting with intelligence. "Amateurs, I'd say."
Loke clapped his hands together a few times and nodded sharply. "Whatever the case, the most important thing is that Lucy's safe. If they come again, they'll probably be better prepared, though, so we must keep diligent," sharp, feline eyes cut to Natsu leaning against a tree. "That means you, Natsu."
"Tch," he scoffed and straightened, crossing his arms. "No need to tell me. As if I'd let anyone hurt Lucy."
This seemed to rile both Loke and Scorpio up, as both males instantly straightened and took menacing steps towards the Dragon Slayer.
"Oh, yeah?" Scorpio taunted. "And where were you when Lucy and Levy got attacked, huh? You weren't here."
"Obviously," Loke drawled, all but ready to give Natsu a good pounding. He'd probably lose against the maniacally strong wizard, but it would be worth it to even get one good punch in.
"Alright, enough!" Lucy cut in, moving between her Spirits and her boyfriend (Is he her boyfriend? Not the time, she reminded herself sharply). "Loke, Scorpio, Taurus, Aquilla, thank you for your help, you guys were great. You can go back now and rest."
Having no other choice but to obey their Summoner, Scorpio, Taurus and Aquilla disappeared in flashes of golden light as their gates closed on Lucy's command. Loke, however, remined stubbornly behind, having crossed through his gate using his own power, thus free to ignore Lucy's attempt to close it.
"Loke," Lucy sighed, looking at her loyal Lion. "Please go back."
"Not until Natsu explains in detail how he plans to protect you from further attacks," the fierce Spirit folded his arms across his strong chest and scowled at his Mistress' partner.
"I can protect myself, thank you very much," Lucy snapped, slowly losing patience.
"I'll show you how I'll protect Luce," Natsu exclaimed, fists on fire as he shot towards Loke, who crouched in a defensive form.
"Enough, already!" Lucy shouted, Loke's key held high in her hand. "Close! Gate of the Lion!"
Despite having used his own magic to open his gate, Loke couldn't keep it open against the onslaught of Lucy's magic. She was easily ten times as strong as Karen used to be, and with their deep bond could force him to close the gate himself, if need be, but her magic was strong enough to manage it, and Loke disappeared in a flash of light.
"Natsu!" she snapped. "This is no time to be fighting amongst ourselves!"
Natsu stopped in front of her and pouted. "But he started it!"
"Seriously?" Lucy scoffed, bracing her hands on her hips. "You're not a child, Natsu."
Whatever retort Natsu might have had, was forgotten when the forest was swarmed with their guildmates. Erza, Gray, Wendy, Levy, Gajeel and Laxus all suddenly crowded around the couple, looking ready to fight.
"Lu-chan!" Levy run towards the blonde, hugging her tightly. "I've been so worried. Are you okay?"
Lucy hugged her friend back and smiled. "I'm okay, Levy-chan. Thanks for getting Natsu so quickly."
"You were able to deal with the attackers on your own, Natsu?" Erza asked, her assertive eyes traveling over Lucy, obviously looking for injuries.
"No," Natsu sighed and crossed his arms behind his head. "Luce pretty much took care of them on her own."
Erza blinked and Gray grinned while Laxus and Gajeel snickered in the background.
"Lucy-san is very strong," Wendy chimed in and beside her Carla nodded, though looked somewhat skeptical.
Happy who'd made himself at home in Lucy's arms as soon as he'd arrived there, chimed in, "She probably run them off with her scary face." He laughed and flew away as Lucy tried to swipe at him, all the while muttering about skinning annoying cats.
"Lucy is safe, that's all that matters," Erza stepped in. "Were you able to divulge any information about who they are or what they want from you?" she asked Lucy and the blonde shook her head.
"Unfortunately not. They didn't speak at all, just appeared out of nowhere and suddenly attacked. I tried asking them what they wanted with me while we were fighting, but none of them said a thing. The only things I know is that they use some kind of teleportation magic, need me or my keys for some nefarious reasons and aren't exactly strong."
"That's not much, but it's a start," Levy grinned. "I'll hit the library, look up clues on teleportation magic and try to find anything that might require Celestial Gate Keys, or Celestial magic, like rituals or something."
"Thank you, Levy. That's a very good idea," Erza nodded. "Everything we can manage to find out about them will give us an advantage when they strike again. The first two attackers fortunately weren't very strong and Lucy had no trouble defending herself. That doesn't mean that the next time they attack they wouldn't be better prepared." The red-headed Requip mage turned to her teammate and friend. "That means, you're not to be left alone at any time, Lucy. Someone should always be with you, preferably Natsu. I doubt whatever they can throw at you would be able to overcome him."
Lucy frowned and stepped closer to Erza. "He can't stay 24/7 with me, Erza. Besides, I can fight my own battles, I don't need anyone to protect me."
"Of course," Erza soothed, very much aware that her friend's stubbornly independed streak wouldn't allow her to graciously accept anyone's protection without putting up a hell of a fight first. "However, it is better to be safe than sorry, and you and Natsu are living together now because of this, I'm simply suggesting that you don't go anywhere on your own for the time being. We're not doubting your strength or your abilities, Lucy, I know what you're capable of when it comes down to it. I simply don't wish to see you hurt, and your chances of getting through whatever may come next are best with Natsu by your side."
"Fine," Lucy conceded, somewhat ungraciously as she pouted prettily, but relaxed when Natsu wrapped his arm around her shoulders.
"Don't worry, Erza. Nobody's touching Luce. I don't care who these bastards are or what they want, but if they come again, I'm gonna burn them to ashes. Nobody messes with Fairy Tail!"
Erza smiled and nodded. "It's settled, then. Natsu, you keep close to Lucy at any times. If either of you need to go anywhere, the town or the guild, you do it together. Levy, please try to find out as much as you can about the information Lucy provided, and I'll inform Master about what happened and ask his opinion. Maybe he can ask the Council to allow Levy the access to their archives. If these people need Lucy or her keys for some kind of ritual, our chances of finding out what exactly that could be, would be higher with the amount of forbidden or lost magical literature the Council has at their disposal."
From behind Levy, Gajeel grunted. "Leave the council to Levy and me. We've worked for them for a year and I'm sure that at least old man Jura would give Levy whatever information she wants."
"Ah, that would be a big help," the Knight nodded with a smile. "Levy please, contact Jura-sama as soon as you return to the guild."
Levy nodded and went to hug Lucy one more time, before she and Gajeel turned to head back to the guild. Laxus behind them, throwing one last look at team Natsu clustered around the Celestial mage. There were no dull moments in Fairy Tail.
AN: My arm's better now, thank you all for the well-wishes, I can type with both hands again, yay. Next chapter will mark half of this story, so I'm gonna warn you now that it's gonna contain a lemon.
64 reviews until now, I can't express how happy I am that you guys seem to love this story so much. Can we get it to 75 with this chapter?
Thank you to all that reviewed the previous chapter: Dark Shining Light; TheJSmooth; takeagamble27; Anna5949; Konasuki Profitt; Andria Justus Haynie; SomeOddName; Lkityan02; MasterGuildarts; Brandynjayy; Ember Reverie; Ushidenshi; TheElectricLady; mckaylafaith; BearPlusCat; savwafair; ABT4Life; Warhorn101; RedFantasies; Mishy1824; XxCelestialPrincessxX; GothBanshee; animequeen100; Forbidden-Hanyou; Morenoel; aliciacevbra; DaeImagines; vananime and 6 guest reviewers.
