Okay! Here I am once again! I'm glad you guys are liking my story, I assume you like it anyways from all the emails telling me y'all are following it and adding it to your favorites lists. WWEEEEEEEEEEEE I'm hyper hahahahahahahahahahahaha Anywho! I would love it if you guys REVIEW TOO! It makes my day to see the reviews I get!
Disclaimer: Hiro Mashima owns all and I bow down to him.
Enjoy!
A.~
Previously on Dragon's Heart
They made their way to the train station and as they boarded Kaia had to race to an empty bench, because she was already feeling dizzy, lightheaded and, most of all, nauseous. The train started up shortly after and both her and Natsu became increasingly sicker. They were lumped to a bench together, Natsu sprawled back in a sitting position, and Kaia's legs curled up in his lap as she laid on her side.
"Hargeon here we come." Gray sighed.
Now….
"And this is why we took the train a couple hours before we were supposed to work." Lucy muttered as she hauled Natsu off of the platform.
"Yeah, Natsu's bad with transportation. But Kaia's even worse." Happy giggled. He and Rose were Flying about their heads.
"You know you could help you stupid cats!" Lucy snapped. Rose stuck her tongue out at Lucy and Happy laughed when the blonde shouted that Rose was rude.
"Shhhuuuuut uuuuup." Kaia moaned as her head lulled back against Gray's arm. Lucy huffed but kept quiet as she dragged Natsu out of the station.
"Natsu c'mon, you could help me out at least a little bit." Lucy huffed quietly. The fire breather only groaned in response.
"Hold on." Gray said. Lucy looked over at him and he jerked his chin over to the side. There was a vacant bench and Lucy nodded before dragging Natsu over there. Her slumped into the seat when Lucy tossed him down and Gray placed Kaia down next to him. "There." He muttered. "We'll just wait till they're good." He shrugged.
"Yeah, good idea." Lucy nodded She crossed her arms over her chest as she looked at the two slayers.
Natsu recovered more quickly than Kaia and he Joined the other two as they watched her groan softly as she tried to get her stomach to behave.
"Man… She's got it worse than I do." He muttered.
"Yeah she's really bad wi-" Rose was cut off when Kaia suddenly gasped and doubled over with a cry of pain. "Kaia!" She exclaimed. Everyone rushed over to the Water Mage as she curled into a ball and cried out again.
"What's wrong?" Lucy exclaimed.
"Water! She needs water now!" Rose snapped.
"What why?"
"Because she needs to heal herself! Where's the bottle Mira gave you guys?" The Exceed demanded. Lucy rummaged around in the bag she brought with her and quickly found the water bottle. Rose snatched it from her and turned to Gray and Natsu. "You guys have to uncurl her, she's not gonna do it easily." She ordered. They nodded and gray pushed on her shoulders while Natsu pulled on her knees. Kaia cried out again and Rose quickly unscrewed the cap before pouring the water into her mouth. The girl spluttered and swallowed the water before coughing. Rose shoved the short neck of the bottle into her mouth and Kaia drank the water quickly. Slowly she stopped struggling against Gray and Natsu. Rose pulled the bottle away and the boys took that as their cue to let her go. Kaia laid on the bench for a moment, getting her breath back before slowly sitting up. She swiped the half empty bottle from Rose and chugged the rest of it in one gulp.
"Got any more?" She asked.
"I'll go find some!" Rose said quickly as she took the bottle and flew off in search of a water fountain or small café to buy a new bottle.
"Would you please explain to us what the hell just happened?" Gray asked. Kaia sighed.
"I have to." She grumbled and sighed again. "Remember when I explained my age situation to you guys?" She asked. They all nodded. "How I said the guy wanted me for my power?" Again they nodded collectively. "Yeah well, I was born with an abnormally large amount of Magic Energy inside of my body. That's how Indra found me. She sensed my magic. She taught me Water Dragon magic that way I could heal myself."
"Why would you need to heal?"
"My body can't sustain the amount of M.E. I have. It breaks down the tissues from the inside out. That's why I constantly drink water, so I can heal myself when it gets too painful."
"But…. The water's powering you up, isn't it?" Lucy asked in confusion.
"No actually. Because I'm using it right away to heal myself, my levels stay the same. I've learned to cloak my power so it can't be detected or felt unless I release it. Which I try to de periodically but I can't do too much at a time or else everyone will feel it." She frowned.
"Which is why this sometimes happens." Rose said as she came flying back. "I bought another one, and refilled this one." She said as she handed her a bottle and held onto the other.
"Thanks, Rose." Kaia smiled before opening the bottle and drinking it. Gray, Natsu, Lucy, and Happy watched in surprise as she drank the whole thing without coming up for air. She set it aside and Rose handed her the next one before taking the empty one. Kaia tipped the bottle back and started chugging that one as well. They watched her drink all of it and Natsu stared as a drop rolled from the corner of her mouth, down her jaw and neck until it was soaked up by her necklace.
"Wow….. When she's old enough Cana better watch out." Gray muttered as she finished off the bottle.
"Thank you again." Kaia smiled and wiped her mouth with the back of her hand before she pat her Exceed friend on the head. Rose smiled and nodded.
"Do you need more or are you good?" She asked. Kaia shrugged.
"Not really sure. It's pretty normal now." She muttered. Rose frowned.
"What are we missing now?" Lucy asked as she looked between the bluenette and her cat.
"Well my magic is constantly breaking down my body." Kaia reminded her.
"That doesn't sound pleasant by the way." Natsu muttered.
"It's not." Kaia snorted.
"It's not simply unpleasant, it's completely painful. It's like acid has been poured into your body instead of blood." Rose huffed.
"Rose." Kaia snapped in warning. The cat shrunk a little and lowered her head with a noise of displeasure. "Honestly it's not as bad as Rose says it is." She smiled when everyone gave her concerned looks.
"You're the one who told me it feels like that." Rose grumbled petulantly.
"I was also little at the time. Kids and teenagers aren't all that good with measuring pain." She smiled tightly. Rose huffed at her, showing that the Water Dragon Slayer was a big liar.
"Damn… How the hell are you so happy?" Gray asked bluntly.
"Huh?" Kaia frowned, not understanding the question.
"If every moment causes you pain, how the hell can you be so happy? I'd be completely bitter." He said and the others frowned while Kaia simply smiled.
"Well, I'm not dead. I figure that's something to be happy about. I try to look on the bright side of things. If you focus on the negative things, like living with a little discomfort all your life, all you become is negative. That's why I look at all the positives. I'm alive. I have Rose, I have a home, I have you guys, I have all of Fairy Tail." She shrugged. "I have a lot to be happy about." She smiled.
"Not to mention your birthday is in less than two weeks!" Rose added.
"Rose!" Kaia exclaimed exasperatedly.
"You birthday is coming up!? Why didn't you tell us!?" Lucy exclaimed.
"I don't really like making a big deal about it." Kaia frowned.
"Why not!? Eighteen! That's a big one!" Gray chimed in.
"See, I don't know which one to celebrate. My eighteenth or my twenty eighth." Everyone frowned at that. Suddenly Natsu smiled widely and snapped his fingers.
"We'll celebrate both! The second we get back home we're telling everyone and holding a huge party for your twenty eighteenth!" He said. Kaia blinked in surprise and then giggled.
"Twenty eighteenth huh?" She smiled.
"Yeah! Ooo or we could hold two parties! One the day before, and the other on the actual day!" Lucy suggested.
"Yeah, we all know how much Fairy Tail loves to party for any reason." Gray chuckled.
"H-how about just one party. I'm good with twenty eighteenth!" Kaia said quickly. "Now, we've got a while before we have to report for work so how about we go exploring! I've never been to Hargeon before, I wanna see what they have here!" She smiled.
"Yeah!" Rose smiled.
"We gotta check in at the hotel first." Lucy reminded her. "And then we can go exploring. We'll meet back up there an hour before the party and then get to work." She proposed.
"Alright!" Kaia and Rose agreed as they high fived. They all followed Lucy to the hotel and watched as the Celestial mage dictated that the girls would share one bedroom and the boys would share the other.
When they got their things settled Kaia and Rose headed out to explore, and Natsu claimed he needed to run some errands before leaving minutes after the Water Mage had. Lucy told Gray she was gonna take a nap so he shouldn't disturb her, and Gray simply hung out in the guys' room.
O~O~O~O
"Ugghh, why do girls take so long to get ready?" Natsu whined as he and Gray waited in the living room for Kaia and Lucy to come out of their room. Gray shrugged and Lucy slipped from the room. "Finally! Wait, where's Kaia?" He asked.
"Cancer is putting the finishing touches on her hair and then she'll be out." Lucy sighed at Natsu's impatience.
"Well you look nice." Gray complimented to get her happy again. After all they were going to be paid for drawing a crowd and entertaining guests, and a scowl wouldn't exactly help her.
"Thank you." Lucy smiled as she smoothed out the long skirt of her evening gown. It was a dark raspberry red/pink colored halter top with a slit up the side of it. Half of her hair was pulled into a side ponytail with a ribbon that matched her dress.
"Can I come out now? Am I done being tortured?" Kaia asked from behind the bedroom door.
"Yeah, c'mon out." Lucy called. The door opened and Natsu and Gray gaped at Kaia when she stepped out. Half of her hair was pulled back into a ponytail in the back of her head with her bangs down covering her eye. Her dress was one single strap across her body covering up her Fairy Tail symbol. It was black and her dress had slits up both sides going near the tops of her thighs. Her necklace was around her throat like always and she had silver armbands circling her biceps, and one silver band around her left thigh.
"Okay, you said formal. I feel like a slut in this dress." Kaia said bluntly as she shifted uncomfortably. "And why do I have to wear shoes?" She whined as she stuck her foot out to show off the silver flats she was wearing.
"Because this is a formal event, and that dress is a formal evening gown, so you don't look slutty, you look elegant. You have to wear shoes because that's what's proper." Lucy huffed before turning around. Kaia glared and stuck her tongue out at the other girl before huffing out a sigh.
"I feel so awkward." She whined.
"Well you look really good." Natsu shrugged. "Now, shall we?" He asked as he offered out an arm.
"Wait why do you get to be her escort?" Gray huffed.
"Because you guys look almost like brother and sister." Natsu smirked.
"So I get stuck with Lucy?" He asked.
"Hey!" Lucy snapped. Kaia giggled at them as she looped her arm through Natsu's.
"Let's just go, or we'll be late." She smiled.
"Right." Everyone nodded and they all headed down while Rose and Happy lounged around in the room. The hotel they were staying at was the host for the event so they simply had to walk down to the ballroom. When they got there they were greeted by the man who hired them. He thanked them profusely and as he finished guests started arriving.
"Natsu." Lucy said sweetly. The pink haired boy turned to look at her and paled when he found her giving him a tight smile. "If you destroy anything I'll murder you." She warned.
"Sheesh, Lucy be nice to the poor guy, it's not like he can help it. Dragon Slayers have a lot of magic, it's hard to contain." Kaia smiled.
"I don't care. He's cost me too much reward money already." The Summoner grumbled before tugging Gray over to the dance floor.
"Well….. That's pleasant." Kaia snorted. "C'mon let's go dance." She smiled and pulled him over to the dancefloor. Lucy called out Lira to sing and play her harp, and when she started up Lucy and Gray started dancing. Natsu took hold of Kaia's hand, and rested his other on her waist while her free hand went to his shoulder. They started dancing across the floor and as the song wore on they chatted and He made her laugh by telling her funny stories. Other couples danced along with them and eventually the two pairs split apart to dance with some of the singles.
Kaia danced with a couple attractive young men who kept complimenting her on her outfit and looks. She smiled politely and complimented them back but when the song changed once more she thanked her current partner and purposefully chose an older gentleman to dance with the next time. But he was worse than the younger men! He kept sliding his hand a little too low and when Kaia would politely grab his wrist and pull his hand back up into place he'd behave for about ten to fifteen seconds. And then it would slide lower again. After her dance with him was over she decided to take a break and snagged a glass of water from a passing Waiter.
As Kaia walked over to stand by a wall she sipped her water and watched Lucy and Gray continue to entertain the singles. Lucy seemed to like the attention the men were giving her, and Kaia thought that she could have it, better the blonde than herself getting harassed and bombarded with compliments. She felt someone come up behind her and turned to see Natsu looking at her in slight concern.
"You okay?" He asked.
"Yeah, fine, just needed a break after my last partner." She laughed.
"I saw him. He was getting a little too friendly." Natsu chuckled. Kaia shuddered jokingly.
"Anyways, why aren't you dancing?" She asked.
"Older ladies are like vultures. I'm taking a break to escape." He joked.
"Not fond of the idea of becoming some lady's pet dragon?" She teased.
"Would you be?" He asked. Kaia snorted in response.
"Point taken. Pervy old men." She shuddered and finished off her water.
"Are you in much pain?" Natsu asked softly. She blinked in surprise and flushed the slightest bit.
"W-what?" She asked.
"I just thought that maybe, with the water and everything, that you might be in pain." He shrugged.
"Oh! Oh- um… No." She smiled. "Just thirsty from dancing so much." She shrugged. He nodded in understanding and then tried not to cringe when he noticed another cougar eyeing him. "Would you like to dance?" She asked suddenly.
"Huh?"
"Would you like to dance? With me." She smiled.
"Sure, but why are you offering?" He asked in confusion.
"If they think we're together, they might back off." Kaia shrugged. "Now offer your hand to me and pretend to be the one asking me to dance." She whispered. Natsu smiled and offered out his hand as he bowed.
"Might I have this dance?" He asked formally. The female slayer laughed lightly.
"Why, good sir, you may." She said in an equally formal tone as she curtsied and placed her hand in his. He led her to the dance floor and pulled her quickly to him. With a gasp Kaia almost stumbled but Natsu quickly steadied her. He smiled down apologetically and she smiled back to let him know it was fine as they began to dance. They spun and twirled around the room and she noticed that Lucy had called out Loke as well to help entertain the ladies.
"Hmm…. If only I could call someone to aid me fending off these men." She joked.
"You have me." Natsu chuckled.
"Well yes, but I was thinking of a female deterrent. Much more effective, some men don't care if a girl is taken." She shrugged.
"Well, fire tends work in fending off the… Persistent ones." He smirked. Kaia laughed.
"That's pretty true….. But I could also roar like a Dragon. It would definitely scare some off." She said as he spun her away from him. Another hand grabbed her free one and pulled her from a surprised Natsu.
"Some men like their women loud." Loke said flirtatiously. Kaia blushed and smacked his hand away with an annoyed look.
"I don't like playboys." She frowned. Loke froze while lightning cracked behind him.
"My apologies Miss, but you don't even know me." He said, pushing his shades up as he recovered.
"Lucy told me all about you, actually." She said as she crossed her arms over her chest.
"You know Lucy?"
"Yes, of course." Kaia rolled her eyes at his surprised expression.
"Explain yourself." He said looking confused as he tried to piece it together.
"I'm one of Fairy Tail's newest members." She said as she hooked two fingers into the slanted neck of her dress and pulled it down slightly to expose her guild mark.
"Oh….." Loke was still surprised as she dropped her hand. "Well…. It's a lovely placing." He chuckled.
"Don't be a pervert. It's over my heart because Fairy Tail and it's members are very close to it." She explained as Loke once again tried to recover from her bluntness and sharp tongue.
"Well, you certainly are a wild one." He chuckled as he pulled her to him so they could dance.
"Yes, and I'll kick your butt if you try anything buddy." She muttered as she reluctantly let him lead her around the floor.
"Yes ma'am." He chuckled.
"Don't call me ma'am. You're older than I am." She muttered. Loke gulped nervously at the standoffish behavior.
"Have I offended you in some way?" He asked. Kaia looked up at him and studied him for a second.
"Not you per say. But I have two issues, the first you can't really be blamed for but….. You remind me of someone I used to know. He was a smooth talker too, and he turned out to be a total jerk." She muttered as she looked away. Loke saw pain flash in her eye but didn't comment.
"And the second?" He asked after a moment of silent dancing.
"What do you feel for Lucy? Do you love her?" She asked looking back at him. He stumbled at the sudden question.
"W-what?" He asked. "O-of course I love her, she's my master, the best one I've had in a long time." He said.
"That's not how I meant it. Do you love her, romantically?" Kaia specified. Loke blushed and stumbled yet again. "I see." She nodded, because witnessing his reaction was enough to confirm it for her. "She has strong feelings for you too." She informed him as she glanced over at the blonde girl who was dancing with another young man. But the celestial mage kept stealing glances at Kaia and Loke.
"H-how can you tell that? Did she tell you?"
"If she told me, I wouldn't be telling you. I would be breaking her trust if that were the case and I won't do that." Any more than I already have by lying and keeping secrets. She tacked on in her thoughts. "I just see how she looks at you. The jealousy and the sadness in her expression and eyes when she sees you flirting with another girl." She shrugged. "She really cares for you, and doesn't want to admit it."
"Why not?"
"Because she's afraid. You're like a honey bee going from one flower to the next. She's afraid you'd take your fill of her and move on to the next flower." Kaia muttered.
"How do you know that?" Loke asked.
"I'm a girl, our brains are all wired in a similar fashion. And like I said, you remind me of someone I used to know. I was scared of the same things she is now." She sighed.
"And did it happen? Did he fly to the next flower after you?" He prodded.
"No, something much worse happened." She muttered as she lowered her head.
"What happened?" He asked.
"He never got his fill. He took, and took, and took. Even when the flower didn't want to give any more." She mumbled. "So, it's safe for you to assume that I'll never let that happen to anyone else. I'd burn for eternity before I let my new friends get hurt. If you do decide to seriously pursue Lucy, you better stop flirting with other girls. I know lions are promiscuous so of course it'll be difficult, no need for you to tell me that." She said when he opened his mouth. "But if you're seriously in love with her, which I can tell that you are, you'll manage." She said as the song ended. Loke was in shock at the wisdom this girl held within her.
"Hold old are you exactly?" He asked. Kaia smiled.
"I've asked myself that many times." She answered before curtsying and then leaving him on the dance floor. Loke looked after her for a moment before turning and going over to dance with Lucy.
O~O~O~O
As the party wound down Kaia and the others demonstrated some of their magic abilities. Natsu ate fire, Gray made various sculptures out of Ice, Kaia shot little bubbles of water into the air and caught them in her mouth—although it felt completely weird for her to do so—or glasses to give to the guests, and Lucy summoned some more of her spirits to help entertain the people. Kaia started to keep a close eye on her when she looked to be getting a little out of breath from all the magic she was using to open various gates.
"Excuse us for a moment, us girls need to powder our noses." Kaia smiled as she took Lucy's hand and dragged her away.
"What are you doing Kaia? I don't need to go to the bathroom." Lucy muttered as she was dragged into the ladies room. Kaia looked through the stalls to make sure they were all empty and then headed back to Lucy. "Seriously, what are we doing in here?"
"Shut up and drink." Kaia muttered as she got water to accumulate around her hand. She cupped her other hand around some of the water and formed a small bubble. She held it up to Lucy's mouth but the Blonde was looking at her warily, and then glancing down to the glowing water.
"Why?" She asked.
"It'll restore your magic energy. Just drink it."
"I don't need it." Lucy huffed stubbornly. Kaia glared at her.
"You're paler than me, and that's saying something in and of itself. And you were also getting a little winded out there. Drink. It." Kaia demanded as she pushed her hand closer to Lucy's mouth.
"No wa-" Kaia clapped her hand over her mouth, forcing the water bubble in, and then pinched Lucy's nose, making it impossible for her to breath until she swallowed the water with a slight cough. Kaia pulled away from her face immediately and took her hands instead as Lucy spluttered. Water formed around both of their hands and climbed a little bit up Lucy's arms before she felt like it started seeping into her skin. She started to feel a tingling sensation and tried to pull away. "What the hell are you doing to me!?" She snapped.
"Calm down, I'm giving you some of my magic energy." Kaia huffed as she released a small—for her—amount of her magic power. Lucy's eyes widened as the bluenette's hair fluttered around her as the energy swirled in the air around them. Lucy felt a surge pulse through her arms and spread throughout her body. She gasped and felt suddenly energized.
"Holy crap that's cool!" She exclaimed when Kaia released her hands. The water mage smiled and bowed her head.
"Feeling better?" She asked.
"Yeah, thanks." Lucy blushed.
"No problem. You were actually helping me too."
"By letting you get rid of some of the energy?"
"Yup. Now let's go back out there." Kaia smiled before heading back out, with Lucy right behind her. Gray and Natsu came jogging up to them looking like they were on high alert the second the girls stepped out of the alcove leading to the bathroom doors.
"What's wrong?" Kaia asked.
"We felt a surge of Magic, and thought there might be trouble, you girls okay?" Gray asked.
"Yeah, we're fine. But the surge worries me." Lucy mumbled with a frown.
"Actually there's no need to be alarmed. The surge was me, sorry." Kaia laughed.
"Huh?" Natsu frowned.
"I transferred some of my magic to Lucy. I guess I let out more than I thought. Sorry to worry you." She said sheepishly.
"Wait, you can transfer your Magic Energy?" Gray asked in surprise.
"Yeah." Kaia nodded.
"How?" He asked.
"She gave me some water, and then held my hands. It was a weird experience." Lucy muttered. Gray and Natsu looked confused by that.
"It's difficult to explain. It's easier if I show you." Kaia smiled. "May I?" She asked as she walked up to Natsu.
"Is it gonna hurt?" He asked.
"No, it actually feels really pleasant." Lucy smiled.
"Okay, fine…" Natsu agreed reluctantly.
"Good, now open your mouth and say ah." Kaia smiled. The male slayer blushed as he opened his mouth. She popped a water bubble in. "Swallow." Gray chuckled at how that sounded and Kaia flicked two fingers out at him. Water shot from her fingertips and squirted him in the face.
"Hey!" He whined. Kaia ignored him with a smile as Natsu gulped down the water.
"Wait, shouldn't Natsu be worried about eating something that's not his element!?" Lucy exclaimed suddenly.
"It's not like that." Kaia promised quickly. "It may have water magic in it, but it shouldn't harm him because water is still water." She shrugged before taking his hands and holding them in her own as she began the transfer. Water encased their hands and disappeared into Natsu's skin half way up his forearms. Kaia's hair once again fluttered and swirled around her and Natsu felt a tingling sensation before he felt a surge of power energize him.
"Wow!" He muttered. "It's similar to when I eat fire!" He exclaimed. Kaia smiled and nodded.
"Pretty cool huh?" She smiled before turning to look at Gray. "Do you want a power boost too?" She offered.
"If you're up for it sure, isn't this essentially draining your magic into us?" He frowned.
"I have an abnormally large amount of Magic remember?" She reassured him.
"Right, forgot. Um, sure." He shrugged and opened his mouth. Kaia popped a water bubble in and he swallowed it down as she took his hands. The process she went through with both Natsu and Lucy repeated once more and Gray sucked in an awed breath as the surge of Magic he felt flow into him.
"Man that's cool." He chuckled as she released his hands.
"Yeah, thanks guys, you really helped me out." Kaia smiled.
"Shouldn't that be our line?" Gray chuckled.
"No, thanks to you all getting power ups I got to release my magic. Now I have less of it, and it's-…." She broke off, not wanting to admit she was in pain all the time.
"Less unpleasant?" Natsu supplied, knowing she was growing uncomfortable.
"Exactly." Kaia smield gratefully.
"Alright, well despite the magic boost, I'm tired." Lucy muttered as she suppressed a yawn.
"Me too, it's been a long day." Kaia muttered.
"Let's head back to the room and rest. Then tomorrow we'll head back to Magnolia." Gray suggested.
"Yeah." Natsu agreed. The girls nodded and yawned as they slumped a little. "You guys gonna make it to the room?" He asked with a chuckle when he saw them shuffling.
"We're fine." They both huffed out stubbornly. Natsu rose his hands up in surrender and they made their way out of the ballroom and over to the elevators. They were all full and heading up to the top floors.
"Well looks like it's the stairs." Gray muttered. They were only on the fourth floor, so it wasn't too much of a trek. But both of the girls groaned as they followed the boys to the stair way. Half way up the first flight Kaia tripped over either a stair or the skirt of her dress, and just laid on the floor for a minute with a groan. Lucy tripped over the bluenette and fell across her with a grunt. They both stayed down.
"Girls, c'mon get up." Gray chuckled.
"Cant… Too tired." Lucy mumbled into the carpet. Both were already practically comatose.
"Girls…." Natsu groaned.
"Natsu….." Kaia whined.
"What?" He asked. She turned her face to the side so she could see him, and lifted her arms weakly as Lucy rolled off of her.
"Carry me?" She asked. Natsu blinked in surprise and looked over to Gray. He shrugged.
"I wouldn't deny her. I don't want her to throw a tantrum or something." He said before grunting in pain as she punched his shin.
"I would not throw a tantrum!" Kaia huffed petulantly as she pouted, looking much like a child. Natsu chuckled and bent down to pick the girl up princess style.
"I'll carry you, only because you hit Gray." He chuckled. Kaia smiled and rested her head against his shoulder as she nuzzled her face into the scarf around his neck.
"Thanks Natsu." She mumbled sleepily. He blushed at the soft tone and didn't reply to her.
"How come Kaia gets to be carried? Gray, carry me too." Lucy whined. Gray groaned.
"No way, you're heavy Lucy." He huffed and quickly moved out of the way when she threw her shoe at him.
"How rude!" She grumbled before fumbling through her keys. "Fine, if you're gonna be a meany icy pants, I'll call out Loke. He'll carry me." She mumbled to herself. Natsu laughed as Gray gave the Summoner mage a weird look at the strange insult. Lucy called Loke out quickly and without hesitation, when she asked he lifted her into his arms.
"Of course, I'd love to carry my princess, like a princess." He said as he held her close. Lucy smiled sleepily and rested her head on his shoulder as her hand reached up to scratch his head behind his ear.
"Thanks, you're such a good kitty." She mumbled. Gray had to clap a hand over his mouth to stifle his laughter while Loke spluttered over being called a 'good kitty'.
"Did she consume any alcohol at this party and it's just now hitting her system?" He asked warily.
"Nah, you're just a good little Lion." Kaia mumbled.
"Hey at least she got your species right." Natsu chuckled when Loke huffed indignantly.
"Of course I did. He's a good little Lion, Gray's the cool little ice cube, and you're my warm dragon." Kaia mumbled almost incoherently before she started snoring softly into his scarf. Natsu blushed at being called her dragon.
"Um….. Ice cube?" Gray huffed.
"Yeah, you're ice, so you're an ice cube. You're not a cool aminal though….. Sucks fer you." She continued to mumbled in her sleep.
"Ah….. Sleep talking." Loke reasoned. The boys quickly nodded in agreement.
"It would explain her saying aminal." Gray chuckled. Natsu chuckled as well and shifted Kaia a little in his arms so he had a more secure hold. The jostling made Kaia grumbled before snuggling closer to him.
"Warm little dragon….." She sighed happily in her sleep. Natsu tried his best not to blush as he turned and started up the stairs again with Gray and Loke following behind him.
O~O~O~O
"No way!" Kaia shouted. "Nuh, uh, you're not getting me onto that train! I'd rather walk back!" She exclaimed.
"Well if you don't hurry you will end up walking back!" Lucy huffed.
"Well I'm going to then!" She huffed.
"Kaia, don't be ridiculous! It'll take you all day to walk back!" Gray exclaimed as she picked up her bag.
"Don't care, I'm not getting on that thing." She glared at the train station.
"You can't walk back by yourself!" Rose huffed. "I'll go with you." She said.
"No, I know you want to get home and talk to a certain Exceed. I'll be fine." Kaia couldn't help but tease her cat.
"Kaia, Rose is right, you can't go by yourself, I don't care how much magic power you have, what if you run into some serious trouble?" Lucy pointed out.
"Worst case scenario I run." Kaia shrugged.
"Kaia!' Lucy exclaimed in exasperation. They were starting to attack a crowd with their fighting so Natsu finally stepped in.
"I'll go with her. Honestly I don't wanna ride the train either." He looked sick just saying the word 'train'. "Happy, you can go with Rose and them, cause I'm sure you wanna see Carla, she was supposed to be back yesterday." He smiled to his blue friend. Happy smiled and nodded. "We'll be fine." He promised when Lucy and Rose still looked worried.
"We're gonna be late for the train." Gray sighed.
"Alright, fine, just….. Be careful." Lucy sighed.
"Of course." Kaia smiled. Lucy, Gray, and the Exceeds left to board the train and Kaia and Natsu started to walk towards Magnolia, unaware they were being followed. "You didn't have to come with me you know." She smiled as she looked over to Natsu. He shrugged and smiled over at her.
"I didn't wanna leave you alone and I didn't want to suffer the train anyway." He chuckled. "So it's no trouble." They turned onto a street and paused when they saw it was deserted.
"Uh…." Kaia mumbled as she started to get a bad feeling in her stomach.
"I know, me too." Natsu muttered as he grabbed her hand. "Run!" he snapped. Kaia glanced over to where he was looking and saw a black fog rolling down the street. She squeaked when he tugged her along and when she regained her footing she ran along-side him. They skid to a halt as they saw the black fog rolling up the street. They turned but it was creeping closer to them in every direction.
"Natsu…." Kaia whimpered as she clutched his hand. His back was to hers and he quickly grabbed her other hand as he searched for some way out.
"Don't worry Kaia. We're gonna be fine." He promised as it got closer. The smell was sickeningly sweet and it was making him dizzy. "Kaia?" He asked when he realized he hadn't gotten a response. Her hands fell away from his and he turned to catch her as she slumped forward towards the ground. "Kaia!" He exclaimed as he sat on the ground with the unconscious girl in his arms. He shook her, but the dizziness was getting stronger. Black was encroaching on his vision and he wasn't sure if it was the fog or his vision simply blacking out. He groaned and slumped back.
He was unconscious before his head hit the ground.
WHELP! There you have it. Kind of a cliffie.(minus the kind of right?) Please don't kill me! I'm working on the next chapter as we speak I promise! REVIEW and tell me what you think. If you REVIEW I'll update faster I promise!
UNTIL NEXT TIME MY LOVELIES!
A.~