Hey guys. Just wanted to let everyone know that I've reworked the first six chapters of this story. Nothing major changed, but I went back and smoothed out my writing, adding what needed to be added and taking out what didn't. Without further ado, here's chapter nine!
I pushed open the door, cringing slightly as it squeaked loudly. Stepping out onto the small platform that ringed the top of the lighthouse, I sighed as a cold wind played with my hair and clothes. It wasn't unpleasantly cold, just refreshing, and smelling of salt.
I leaned on the thin metal railing, looking out at the inky expanse of ocean before me. As the light behind me rotated, a warning to ships at sea, the dark waves would light up for a moment before fading to black as the light circled lazily. When the light was on the water, I could just barely make out the shape of ships on the horizon, many miles out at sea.
I was content standing there, in the salty wind and relative darkness, alone. Just me and my thoughts and the whirling light of the lighthouse. I felt like I hadn't been alone in a long time. Even when I left Fairy Tail, Loke was with me, and when he left, I was always with the Twin Dragons. It was a nice break from people, and one I desperately needed.
The Twin Dragons, my Twin Dragons. Weird, I wonder when I had started thinking of them as 'my'. The thought of them made me feel whole again, as if they were filling the cracks Natsu had left in my heart. It was silly; to be falling for not only one, but both of them so soon after Natsu, but it was happening. Sting's smoldering eyes flashed in my mind in place of Natsu's, and I felt his phantom touch on my shoulders, my waist. His always knowing when something wasn't right. But, he wasn't the only one to do that, Rogue knew too. Rogue, who was so much more observant that Natsu, and he could cook, and the quietness surrounding him made me want to get close to him, to get him to open up more.
I felt my chest tighten painfully. I had though about Natsu many a night before he snuck into my room and those thoughts had always made me feel warm and light. Now thinking about his dark eyes and bright smile, I felt cold and more alone than I had minutes ago.
Why did he have to pick Lisanna? Was there something wrong with me? I couldn't help the self-doubt that was creeping into my thoughts, but it wasn't creeping in, not really. It had been there all along, right from the very beginning, worry that I would never be good enough, not for Natsu and not for Fairy Tail.
Carefully, I moved so that I was sitting on the railing, kicking my legs back and forth in the open air. The wind whipped around me. If I were to fall, it would be a couple hundred feet before I hit the icy waves.
But I didn't have time to ponder that possibility as a warm voice spoke up behind me that made me freeze instantly. My knuckles turned white when he used the familiar nickname.
"Luce,"
I didn't turn around, but I knew if I did I would see his familiar sun tanned skin, his coal black eyes, the spiky salmon colored hair, and the scaled white scarf. Instead I kept my eyes on the shadow of a ship floating on the horizon, "You can't be here,"
It wasn't possible. Was it? Was it possible that Natsu followed me all across Fiore, and if so, why? Could it be that he was here to apologize about replacing me; that he realized what a mistake he had made. And how did he get past my Dragon Slayers down stairs?
The thought filled me with hope and gave me the courage to carefully pivot on the railing so I could look at the Fire Dragon Slayer.
Again I said, "You can't be here," but, this time more breathy. Natsu strode forward confidently and placed his burning palm against my cold cheek.
"Really?" He asked, his voice low. He caught my eyes and held them, "Really, Luce? Because I beg to differ."
I slowly lifted one of my hands from the railing, placing it over his. He watched as my hand crept over the muscles corded in his arms, his shoulder, and down his chiseled stomach.
My cheeks were burning when I met his smoldering eyes. I found it odd that they almost looked like they were glowing a dark reddish color but ignored it as I felt my body heat under his intense gaze.
He pressed forward, his head tilting down until he was centimeters away from my lips. My eyes fluttered closed and his hot breath puffed against my skin as he murmured, "You were always holding her place,"
My eyes flew open and I would have pushed away from him, but from my place on the railing that wasn't an option without falling. So we stayed that way, inches from each other. Natsu sneered at my shocked expression, his eyes flashing red.
"You've always known haven't you? That you were never really good enough to be in Fairy Tail, that it was only my word that got you in. That you never really belonged." He closed the space between us, his lips brushing ever so lightly against mine. It felt like his lips sucked the heat out of my very soul. I couldn't feel Natsu's heat or the whipping wind. I couldn't feel anything.
I managed to get out, "You can't be here,"
Natsu backed away ever so slowly and laughed deeply. When he stopped, his features had twisted, his eyes glowed red, his hand on my cheek lengthened into wispy claws, and his skin turned black.
My eyes widened in fear as Natsu turned into one of the Shadows. It opened its maw of a mouth to reveal rows of jaggedly pointed teeth and hissed, "I've been here the whole time." before it resumed laughing.
It's blood red eyes flashed once and before I knew it the wind was tearing at me as I fell. The shadow that had once been Natsu had pushed me off the railing at that top of the lighthouse. Open air surrounded me as I fell past the lighthouse, then the rocky cliff. The shadow's hissing laughter rang in my ears and the inky black waves looked like they were coming up to meet me. I screamed and closed my eyes a moment before I hit.
I bolted up in the bed, my scream bouncing off the brick walls of the small room. I was shaking, my skin sticky with sweat, my eyes open wide in fear. My lungs were doing this weird fluttery thing and not allowing me to catch my breath; it felt like I was drowning.
I first became aware of the bodies pressing against my sides, holding me between them. Hands were running soothingly up and down my back, brushing my hair away from my damp skin, and rubbing circles on my shoulders and waist.
Then I heard their words, the roaring of the sea fading from my ears.
"Lucy,"
"Breathe, it's okay,"
"We've got you,"
"You're okay,"
"Breathe,"
"You're safe,"
"Lucy," Sting said my name again, "Lucy," and it was like all the tension fled my body. I collapsed into the arms of my Dragon Slayers. Fat tears rolled down my cheeks and dampened the sheets bunched at my waist as I sobbed my fear into my palms.
Rogue gently pried my hands from my face and tilted my head back. He placed his long fingers over my hot eyes. Without seeing it, I could feel the tingle of his magic as it pulled the heat from my eyes. My cries stuck in my throat, replaced by a shaky sigh.
The three of us sat like that until my heart returned to its normal rhythm. Rogue removed his fingers from over my eyes and whipped the last of the tears from my cheeks. I didn't know what to say to them so I waited in awkward silence for one of them to speak.
It was Sting who broke the silence, "Nightmare?"
I nodded, a shiver snaking down my spine as I fumbled with the words needed to describe the terror of my dreams. It hadn't felt like a dream at all. It had felt as real as the two men sandwiching me between them.
Rogue asked quietly, "Do you want to tell us?"
I shook my head and murmured, "Not really, but this dream, nightmare, it… it," red eyes flashed across my vision, and I breathed, "they're in my dreams now."
"They?" Rogue and Sting asked at the same time, glancing quizzically at each other.
"T-the shadow c-creatures."
This caused the Slayers to stiffen at my sides.
"Will you tell us about your dream, Lucy?" Rogue asked in a soothing voice. He was obviously worried, I would tell in the way he was speaking and how his hands were trailing up and down my spine again.
They sat patiently in the dark room as I pulled the terrifying dream back together before it faded, as dreams tend to do.
"I was standing on the top of the lighthouse, up on that little platform, you know, and the light was spinning behind me, lighting up the waves. I was standing there, just thinking, and I remember sitting on the railing and feeling free. And… and Natsu was there. And I didn't believe he could be there but he was. And I was so hopeful that he was going to tell me he was wrong to kick me off the team, that he was sorry," I heard Sting and Rogue suck in a surprised breath and I realized I had never told them exactly why I left. Oops. My voice began trembling as I continued, "but he wasn't. He just put a v-voice to all my fears, put the truth out there. A-and then…and then," my lungs were doing that funny flutter again.
"Breathe, Lucy, it wasn't real. Breathe." Sting murmured into my hair.
"We've got you," Rogue said.
"He turned into one of them, the shadow creatures."
"Natsu?" Sting clarified.
I nodded, "then he pushed me off. The lighthouse, that is. The whole way down I could hear him laughing. I woke up right before hitting the water." My voice trailed off until there was nothing but silence filling the room.
It was a long time before Rogue said, "They're in your dreams,"
Hearing him say it made it a thousand times more terrifying and a thousand times more real. "They're in my dreams," I echoed.
"Rufus might know something about what's going on," Sting said, rubbing my side comfortingly, "or at the very least, know where we can find some information."
"It's too late to ask him now," Rogue looked out the dark window at the star speckled sky. "It is a few more hours to dawn and a couple more before Rufus will wake up."
Sting settled back down on the bed. He kept one arm around my waist while the other picked up my hand and began playing with my fingers. "Do you think you can sleep?" he asked, a trace of worry lacing his words.
My gaze trailed down his bare chest and abs, as I nodded my head, a blush heating my cheeks. I carefully settled back onto the mattress, feeling Sting's arms wrap around me and laying my head on his chest. The bed dipped and settled as Rogue lay down on my other side, grabbing my hand and gently stroking with my hair.
They were still awake when I fell into an uneasy sleep.
Rufus found me the next morning, sitting out on the cliff edge, looking tired as hell, with a cup of cold coffee between my hands.
I was staring out at the line where sky met sea when he spoke.
"How long have you been out here?" He settled beside me. I glanced at him out of the corner of my eye then watched as a boat detached itself from a dock and lazily made its way into open water.
Rufus had foregone his hat and the sun shone brilliantly off his damp golden hair. It hung loose around his face, the long strands swaying with the wind, the red and gold mask already in place over his eyes. He wore the same thing as yesterday: a long sleeved white shirt under a red vest coat edged in gold, tan pants and dark boots finished his theatrical look.
"A couple hours, I guess." I finally said. I took a sip of my coffee before pouring the tepid liquid off the cliff into the ocean a hundred feet below.
I could tell Rufus was studying me; it wasn't like he was hiding it. I was still in my pajamas, my hair was an absolute mess, and dark bags lined my eyes. It wasn't a good look and if I was in my normal mindset I would be so embarrassed that someone saw me looking like this, but I didn't care.
It had been a rough night of tossing and turning, trying to sleep, but only finding the creatures around every corner. I grew too restless and left Sting and Rogue to sleep around dawn, when I came out here. I wonder if they are up yet…
"Rogue said you had a nightmare. I had though I had heard someone screaming last night but brushed it off as the wind." Rufus said lazily. He pulled a band off his wrist and pulled his hair back.
"Did he tell you anything more?" I questioned. I still wasn't sure how I felt about Rufus but if Rogue trusted him…
The Memory Make mage answered my question with one of his own, "Is there something you would like to know?" I could see the mirth in his eyes. He was making light of things.
I tensed, my fingers tightening around my empty cup. Rufus knew the answer, but I didn't want to be played with. Glowing eyes flashed across my vision and I knew that if I ever wanted to figure out why I was being targeted I needed to ask Rufus.
I sucked up my pride and opened my mouth to ask, when he asked, "Have you ever heard of the Black Book?"
I wasn't sure I had heard him right. "The… Black Book?"
"Yes. The Black Book. It's a Grimoire, a – "
"Rufus! I know what the Black Book is." I interrupted, pushing a strand of hair behind my ear. "I have a copy."
"You…have a copy? How is that even possible? According to my memory, there are only two copies, and one is in the hands of Zeref…" The blond mused. He met my eyes and I had to resist the urge to back away, "The Black Book is one of very few spell books with a spell strong enough to summon Shadow People."
"Shadow People," I tested the name on my tongue and found it fit the creatures perfectly.
"Yes. They are very hard to summon and much harder to keep under ones control. If I am remembering correctly, and I am, they are malevolent spirits with distinct humanoid shapes. Very few people have ever seen them and when they do its usually only in their peripheral vision. But not you," Rufus explained.
"No," I agreed, feeling a deep cold settle in my bones.
"You see them straight on," he continued.
"Yes,"
"You were attacked by them," It wasn't a question.
In answer, I pulled the back of my tank top down. I jumped slightly when I felt Rufus' fingers tracing the ragged edge of one of the scars.
"Why me?" I asked finally.
Rufus backed away slightly and leaned back on his hands. "Who knows? They didn't kill you and instead are following you. They are watching you for who ever summoned them. To me, it seems like you're being targeted for something much larger in the grand scheme of things. I just hope I'm wrong." He said standing up and dusting off his pants.
"Have you told Sting and Rogue any of this?" I was back to looking out at the horizon.
"It was Rogue who told me to come and speak with you."
"Ah,"
"He seemed awfully worried," Rufus unexpectedly offered me his hand.
"Thank you," I said as he pulled me up. Many of my stiff joints popped from sitting so long in one position.
He walked me back inside the lighthouse. The scent of bacon and pancakes was so strong I was tempted to go back outside. My stomach protested the idea and from the corner of my eye, I saw Rufus' knowing smirk as he pushed me into the small kitchen.
"There you are, Blondie!" Sting said around a mouthful of food.
"Here," Rogue said quietly, ignoring whatever Sting was saying. He handed me a steaming cup of coffee. I thanked him with a smile moving to sit opposite Sting at the miniscule table.
I sipped at my drink feeling the effects of caffeine flood my tired body.
"You disappeared last night," Sting said with a burp.
"Couldn't sleep," I mumbled, taking another sip.
"Rogue told me what Rufus told him. That the creatures are Shadow People," he forked another mouthful of eggs, getting right to the point.
I shivered, "Seems so,"
Sting eyes me across the table, taking note of my tense posture. He always knew what to say as he told me, "Nothing is going to happen to you."
I relaxed slightly, but couldn't meet his eyes, "You don't know that,"
He glared at me, "I do. And I know because I won't let anything happen. Neither will Rogue. We're going to help you just like you helped us."
I laughed softly at his declaration, "I believe you." And I really did.
"Good," he huffed, calming down and finishing the rest of his food.
A plate was suddenly place in front of me. I looked up into Rogue's red eyes in surprise.
"You haven't eaten yet, right?" My stomach grumbled and I blushed in embarrassment. "Eat. We're going to start your training when you finish."
"Training?" I asked, drenching my pancakes in syrup.
"Our end of the deal. Or had you forgotten, Blondie?" Sting sneered playfully. "Orga and Rufus even agreed to help with your training. Orga and I are going to train you offensively, Rogue, defensively, and Rufus, mentally as well as specifically against the Shadow People."
He smirked at my look of apprehension. I was going to be trained by the entirety of Sabertooth's former strongest team. I was going to die.
"Shit," I murmured around the lip of my coffee cup.
Rufus smirked and Rogue said, "You made the deal," as he cleared my empty plate and ushered me off to go change.
The reason Orga wasn't at breakfast was because he was setting up an empty stretch of beach as a training course. A monster of a training course. I wasn't even sure what I was seeing exactly, but it looked like an army of wooden dummies placed strategically along an obstacle course.
I stood, toes burying in the warm sand, in a sports bra and shorts. I had noticed the small blushes on Sting and Rogue's faces, but let them think I hadn't seen. I crossed my arms under my chest, waiting for someone to start the training.
I suddenly heard a jingle and looked after Sting as he danced off with my Gate Keys.
"Hey, give those back!" I shouted, chasing after him. He led me into the obstacle course where I had to avoid outstretched 'arms' and 'legs' as well as various weapons. I was almost close enough to tough him when he rounded on me and kicked out his leg. I narrowly avoided it, but landed on my ass in the process.
Sting was laughing at me, arms wrapped around his waist, my Keys clenched in one hand. It didn't seem like he was paying me much attention as he laughed to the sky. He had a nice laugh.
Rogue, Rufus, and Orga were standing a few feet away, small smiles on Rogue and Rufus' faces; Orga remained as stony and impassive as ever. I smirked before launching myself at Sting, who, out of surprise didn't have time to avoid my 'Lucy Kick', which sent him crashing into one of the practice dummies near the waves.
I picked my Keys out of the sand, hoping Aquarius wasn't going to kick my ass for dropping her key, spinning the golden ring around a finger. Sting was picking his way back up the beach, keeping a wary eye on me.
"Don't take my Keys," I told him, eyeing him as he approached.
"Your training begins now," His hand flashed out and with a feral grin he made off down the beach at full speed, my Keys back in his hands. Sting threw his head back, whooping and hollering across the sand.
"Damn Dragon Slayer," I growled, tearing after him down the beach, "give me back my Keys!" I couldn't help the small grin that spread on my lips as I chased. He might be a pain in my ass, but he was one of my Dragon Slayers after all.
Sting and Rogue.
I whooped and sped up, sand flying in my wake, determined to catch my Dragon Slayer once and for all.
I really enjoyed writing this chapter though it was a bit of a filler. Things are starting to really pick up and I'm excited for where this story is going. I hope you enjoyed reading it as much as I enjoyed writing it! Leave me a comment and tell me what you think! Oh, and the poll for the Lucy pairing is still up on my profile page! I'm probably going to stop taking votes by the next chapter!
On a side note, I've started beta-ing, so if anyone is looking for a beta, drop me a line! I'd love to help out with any story!
More next time!
~Jordeng2
