Sorry about the short last chapter, but hey, dramatic effects are important, I'm only human! * breaks into Christina Perry* gah! I think that Chaos is wearing off on me! LOL, nobody's probably reading this anyway, so I guess I'm just talking to myself, but hey, I think I'm great company, maybe I've been alone too long… sorry! Off track, story, right-o here ya go!"
Chapter 7: strongest wizards
"Gray! What the hell man?" Natsu shouted angrily.
"Natsu? What are you doing alone with Lucy in her apartment?"
"I was going to tell her something important before you barged in, streaker!"
"Hey, easy with the insults, I'm not even…" Gray looked down and cursed, "How does this keep happening? Anyway, we've got trouble. Lauren traced my scent back to me from the guild hall, she picked up the scent of some of Angel Blade's most powerful members in the area! She's terrified guys! We can't just let her keep running! Eventually she'll get caught, you know that she will. Even if she didn't want to find Fairytail, she did, and we protect people who need help."
"Okay, Lucy said, thoughts racing through her mind. "You're right Gray, she needs us, we need a power team, and you guys will need to help me find Erza, Juvia, Wendy, Gajeel, Happy, Carla, and Pantherlily to stay here in the apartment. If we have our most powerful wizards together, then we stand a better chance if we're attacked by Angel Blade's elite." Gray nodded.
"Sounds good, but do we have to bring Juvia, I'm not that comfortable sleeping in the same room as her."
"Sorry, Gray, but Juvia is one of our stronger wizards, we need her. Now that I think about it, is Freed in town?" Lucy asked, an idea beginning to form.
"Uh yeah, I think so." Natsu replied, somewhat confused.
"good." Said Lucy, "We should have him put some protective enchantments around the apartment."
"Let's do this." Said Gray, "but I'm not finding Juvia"
There was just enough room in Lucy's apartment for everyone with the exception of Freed who wasn't staying, to sleep comfortably. Lauren took an immediate liking to Wendy, saying that she reminded her of a friend that she used to have.
"So you learned from the sky dragon Grandina?"
"Yep!" said Wendy, absolutely beaming, it was clear that she adored the ice dragonslayer, probably because they were the only female dragonslayers that they had met.
"So if Natsu is a fire dragonslayer, and Wendy is a sky dragonslayer, what sort of magic do you use, Gajeel?" Lauren asked.
"I'm known as Black Steel Gajeel, I'm the iron dragonslayer." Lauren nodded.
"Interesting, so I assume that you learned from Metalicana?"
"How do you know that?" Gajeel asked suspiciously.
"My mother mentioned his name, she spoke very fondly of the iron dragon. They were close friends." She replied coldly, obviously not appreciative of Gajeel's suspicion. They held each other's eyes for a few moments, a silent battle of wills passing between the two, Gajeel seemed to lose, averting his eyes from Lauren's frosty gaze. With triumph in her eyes, she turned to speak to Erza. "And Erza, you specialize in masonry magic, correct?"
"That's right." Erza replied, smiling.
"The enchantment has been completed," Freed stated, stepping into the room as cool and collected as ever, but he did crack a smile when Wendy squealed
"Thank you Mr. Freed!" He always had a soft spot for the young bluenette. He bowed and quickly took his leave. The room filled with conversation shortly after but was interrupted by Erza.
"Wait a second." She said. Naturally, everyone froze. "Natsu, where's your sleeping bag?"
"I didn't bring one, I figured that I'd just sleep on the floor." He shrugged.
"Natsu, that's silly!" Lucy exclaimed, "You can share my bed with me." Everyone in the room turned to stare at her. "What?" she shrugged, "it wouldn't be the first time."
"I'll trade with Natsu if you like, Lucy." Erza offered.
"No, really! It's fine! I trust Natsu not to do anything funny." Lucy reassured her. Natsu's heart soared, she trusts me that much? He thought joyously.
"Okay," said Erza reluctantly, "but Natsu." Her tone was stern, "if I so much as hear one word of you touching her, you're a dead man." She warned him. Natsu was offended, he was hurt, but overall he was angry. He looked Erza dead in the eye and spoke so quietly that she almost couldn't hear him.
"I would never so much as think about hurting her that way. The fact that you dare to accuse me of something like that, disgusts me. Lucy will always be safe with me!" he swore, his hands had burst into flames he was so angry. Erza felt the hairs on the back of her neck stand on end from the intense look of raw fury in Natsu's eyes. Lucy's hand on his shoulder brought him back to reality.
"There's no need to argue your case, Natsu. I trust you more than anyone else, you don't have to defend yourself to anybody who thinks otherwise. I fell out of a ten story building in the attack from Phantom because I knew that you'd be there to catch me. If that doesn't qualify as absolute trust, I don't know what does." Natsu had never felt happier than at that moment, he could have kissed her, but he would wait for a more private moment to share his feelings, he would tell her soon, but not now.
"I am truly sorry, Lucy and Natsu, I meant no disrespect. You may strike me now."
"I'll pass," Lucy grinned. The others had been watching the argument like a tennis match, well, except Juvia whose attention was focused solely on Gray. "Well, show's over folks," Lucy laughed, "before we go to bed, Lauren, would you mind going to the window to see if you smell any Angel Blade members near here? If there are, we should have somebody awake at all times." The dark haired girl went to the open window and inhaled deeply. She looked concerned when she stepped away.
"I can't pick up any scents near here, but they could easily be downwind or using a concealment spell." She hesitated, "but I think we're okay for now."
"Good, in that case, everyone get some sleep, we need to keep our strength up in case we're attacked. Goodnight everyone." Erza said, closing the matter. Lucy was asleep as soon as her head hit the pillow.