DISCLAIMER: I don't own Fairy Tail or any of its characters. I only own plot and a few OCs.
A/N:Hello! I'm really sorry for the wait. My laptop had somehow failed on me and I only type my chapters up on laptop so i didn't get to type. Anyways and then right after it got fixed, I had my yearlies so I never had time to type up this chapter. So I'm very sorry for the wait.
Anyways… THANKYOU TO ALL WHO DROPPED A REVIEW! THANKYOU THANKYOU!
So… this is one of my longest chapters around 7200 words. I tried to write as fast as possible so I wrote this in 5 days, around 10 hours.
It's a little rushed but I hope you enjoy!
Editors: Pecha Pichu, Fatkitty
Happy reading!
It was a medium room with white-washed wallpaper. A single bed and a bunk were pushed up against the wall, their blue sheets stacked neatly in a pile. It was night and the only source of lighting came from the lacrima attached to the worn ceiling. There was no other furniture apart from the beds. Just a plain room with plain wallpaper and a plain carpeted floor. A small window provided fresh air.
Currently, the bottom bunk was occupied by a dark-haired man, his brow furrowed in thought. Unconsciously, he stripped before falling backwards onto the surprisingly soft mattress. Closing his eyes, he tried to remember everything that had happened since he woke.
He was a girl. He felt his unusually large breasts bob while a coating of grime layered his skin, complete with a tattered hood and side bag. His long, blonde hair streamed out behind him and flowed as he ran, something that he was very conscious of. One, He was a girl. Two, he had somehow developed long blonde hair. Three, he was wearing a ragged cloak. There was absolutely no doubt. He had become the girl that Natsu had befriended: Lucy. He was running in a world of black and white swirls, chasing after a white rabbit with blood red eyes and a black dress. Everything was in shades of grey. All except for the eyes of the rabbit which was a deep, bloody scarlet. Without warning, it whipped out a black pocket watch from its pocket and stopped in front of him. It opened its mouth to speak.
"I'm sorry Miss Lucy, I have to go back now."
And then that world of swirls dissolved into nothingness and he fell into the darkness. "H-hey!" He cried, reaching out his arm. It was futile. And then…
"Gray?" Two voices dug into his consciousness. "Hey, wake up."
Huh? Gray opened his eyes slowly to a world of colour. Blinking, the sharp pain of pins and needles jabbed at his feet while a blue face shoved itself into his vision.
"Gray! You woke up!"
Glancing behind Happy, Gray noted the maid called Virgo who still carried Natsu is a steady piggy-back. She stood there silently. The pink-haired man was snoring loudly, drooling slightly on Virgo's shoulder. Looking up, he noticed Lucy grinning sheepishly at him, her hazel eyes apologetic.
"Ahaha… Sorry, but you may have to walk cause Horologium went back as he could only stay for a certain amount of time."
Gray blinked a couple of times before realising his state. Noticing his surroundings, he tried to process his location as he stood up shakily, still sluggish with sleep. He was surrounded with people and buildings. It was sunset, the glowing embers of the sun setting behind the tall buildings. Turning around, he noticed a gleaming sign, polished to perfection hanging proudly in front of a building. Labian's Inn, it said.
Gray ran his fingers through his hair, combing it with his fingers as he took everything in. "No, it's fine." He smoothed down his shirt after rubbing his eyes sluggishly. "And where are we? Are we in town already?"
"Yeah. Happy and I have been trying to find an inn for the night. But we've had no luck. All of them are either filled or have no rooms to suit us."
Gray turned to the polished sign that had caught his eye a few metres away. Labian's Inn. "How about that one?"
"We already tried that. He said that they had no more rooms."
"Gray, they're bullying Lucy. We went through six inns already and they were all booked out apparently." Happy cut in with an upset look.
Lucy turned to Happy. "No they're not bullying. It's only natural that they won't let me stay." She smiled dryly. "After all who would let me stay like this?" She gestured to her cloaked which was caked with dirt and dried blood. "Don't worry, it was like this as well back at Laflower Town."
Gray listened vaguely, his eyes on the front door of Labian's Inn. As he watched, a family of four approached with heavy-looking suitcases and travel bags. The door opened immediately after they knocked, and a short man poked his head around the doorframe, peeping at them with small beady eyes. His short, purplish hair stuck up into two small, round ponytails at the top of his head while a small curvy mustache hung above his mouth. The group talked for a while before the man ushered them in unaware of three pairs of watching eyes.
Happy suddenly spoke in outrage. "He said there were no more rooms available, and he just let some people in!"
"Maybe they were already residents?" Lucy asked, curiosity written over her face.
"No." Gray started walking towards the inn. "They were carrying luggage."
Virgo followed silently with Natsu still sleeping on her back. As the group approached the inn again, Gray walked forwards and knocked heavily on the wooden door. It opened outwards, a head poking from behind the doorframe, the rest of his body hidden. The short man smiled at them from behind the doorframe. However, his smile dropped noticeably as he saw Lucy while a dark look instantly took over his face.
"Oh." He deadpanned. "It's you people again."
Gray spoke up. "Can we please stay the night?"
"I am very sorry. I'm afraid there is no more room, thank you!"
He pressed on. "Really?"
"Really, thank you!" He waved his hand as if he was shooing flies. "Now shoo."
"Then why did you let the other family stay the night a minute ago?"
The short man seemed to panic before regaining his composure. "They have simply reserved it beforehand, thank you!"
Gray narrowed his eyes, but before he could speak someone interrupted him.
"I do believe that there is a spare room next to mine. Room 12A I believe it is."
All eyes turned to a hooded figure that suddenly appeared at the door frame. Its hood covered the face in shadows, so that it was impossible to see the face. The cloak's appearance was warm and thick, its long sleeves slightly frayed which indicated it had been in use for a few years. The figure was also very tall, taller than Gray by a few inches. His voice was a low smooth voice.
"N-no t-there isn't. Thank you!" The purple-haired man spluttered, his face transforming into a shade of red.
"Yes there is." The figure stated calmly.
"Well, that is being reserved for a family of three. Thank you!" A smug expression took over his face.
"No it isn't. I apologize for prying but I checked your reservation booklet beforehand. There is no reservation set for this month at Room 12A."
The inn manager's face turned an ugly color of rotten prunes as he turned around, muttering things along the lines of 'traitor guests'. "Very well, thank you!" He held his hand out. "It seems like I had a spare room after all. But I need payment first, thank you!"
With a soft smile, Lucy fumbled at Gray's bag for money, her heart soaring in relief and excitement. "Here!" She dumped a small bag of coins into his open palms. "That's should be enough for at least a couple of days."
The short man collected the payment sourly before ushering them inside reluctantly. After he locked the door, he turned to them. "Fine. Your room is 12A. Enjoy your stay." He then walked away, counting the payment in both hands.
"I'll show you people to your rooms."
Lucy jumped a centimeter into the air. She had forgotten that the figure was still there. Turning around, she flashed him a wide smile. "Thank you so much. I don't what we would have done if it wasn't for you."
"Yeah thanks." Gray rubbed his own hair.
"Thanks!" Happy chirped.
The inside was completely different to the pruned and polished exterior of the inn. Plain wallpaper covered the walls neatly, a few cracks on the ceiling. A couch sat in the middle of the room, tattered with stains and rips. The carpeted floor squelched with every step taken while a distinct scent of old rubber filled the room. Only two windows provided ventilation.
"Follow me." The hooded figure started walking towards the nearest corridor, never taking off his hood.
Lucy followed eagerly, looking around with excitement and curiosity. "But seriously, thank you so much."
"It's fine."
"What is your name? I'm Lucy." She smiled.
"I'm Gray Fullbuster
"And I'm Happy. The girl behind us is Virgo and the sleeping person is Natsu Dragneel."
As they walked pass the many doors and lacrimas, the figure seemed to contemplate before talking. "You may call me… Sed."
"Okay. Thanks again."
"Hm." There was only silence as the group walked along the increasingly long corridor. Without warning, Sed stopped, almost causing Lucy to bump into him.
"H-hey-"
"This is your room."
"Oh really? Thanks then. We'll see you around."
"Farewell then."
She thought she saw a strand of dark hair poke out as he walked off.
After the group had piled into the room, Natsu had finally woken up after he was dumped onto the mattress not so gently by Virgo, ("I told you to put him down gently!" "Is it punishment time, Princess?") All people sat tiredly onto the carpeted floor and not too long later, a discussion had taken place. It was the discussion about the mage they had encountered on the Hanna Trail and what she had taken.
"So what did you think she took?" Gray looked around, his brow furrowed in thought.
Natsu scratched his head. "According to the legend, she could have taken our souls… but to be honest I feel pretty whole."
Lucy's eyes went wide. "Wait… what legend? You guys never told me about a legend."
Natsu grinned sheepishly as Happy went into a detailed explanation for Lucy.
While Lucy was occupied, Gray continued the discussion with Natsu. "But would you really die earlier if you lost a bit of your soul?" Gray contemplated.
"Where did you get that piece of info?"
"Lucy." He indicated to her.
"Oh." Natsu fell silent again. "Well mayb-"
A girlish yell diverted their attention. "WHAT THE HECK?"
Both mages turned to the source of the commotion only to see a scary Lucy looming over a cowering Happy. Natsu gulped as Lucy turned slowly towards him, her eyes alight with an unknown force. Her voice was deadly. "Natsu…" She began sweetly, still retaining the dangerous edge. "Why the HELL DID YOU GO THROUGH THAT TRAIL IF YOU KNEW ABOUT THE LEGEND?" Her voice rose to a yell.
For one of the times in his life, Natsu froze completely. "U-u-ummm y-y-you see… I had mo-"
"I DON'T CARE IF YOU HAD MOTION SICKNESS, HOW DARE YOU THINK YOU CAN JUST DRAG EVERYONE INTO THAT MESS?"
"Hey hey…." He cowered back as Lucy walked closer to him.
"HELL NO!"
A shadow loomed over him. Natsu raised his arms in defense as Lucy's leg bore down on him. A burst of pain erupted at one point before everything went black.
Gray sweatdropped and turned away subtly as he saw Natsu pass out comically, his eyes gaining the swirly effect. Feeling slightly sorry for the fire-mage, he ignored his guilt and instead focused on the celestial mage who was now sitting cross-legged on the carpeted floor, panting slightly. Note to self: Never get her angry. Who knew the shy and timid looking girl had a demonic side. He cleared his throat before continuing the discussion. "So what do you think she took? I still remember her hinting that she took away some important factor of our lives. And from the hint that you got, the thing that she took also makes us die earlier."
"Hmmm, something that would cause you to die earlier. I have some theories about it…."
"Well?" He leaned forward as her voice became softer.
"Maybe…. Like the legend says, she took out not your soul but only a component of it….?"
"A component that will cause you to die earlier?"
"Maybe… Like a soul can be made of different components and she took out a component?"
"Lucy, to be honest I don't think something like that exists."
Three heads turned to the pink-haired mage, sprawled on the floor, with a finger to his chin and eyebrows furrowed comically.
"Natsu! You revived!" Happy flew over to him.
Lucy was annoyed for some reason. "Hey didn't you pass out already?"
"Nup." He popped the last syllable. "I was merely dizzy. But I was listening to your conversation. And I do believe that such a thing does not exist." He cupped his chin dramatically. "Think about it. It's completely illogical. It had no evidence to support it. Also, if soul components did exist, how would she extract it?"
Lucy slumped dejectedly. "Yeah… there goes my idea."
Gray glared at him. "Don't try to act professional. It doesn't suit you, Flamebrain."
Dropping the act almost instantly, Natsu burst back a retort. "Shaddup. Ice-head. As if you can do anything better."
"I so can, you fried ass."
"Oh really? Bring it on you stripper."
Both boys stood up from the carpet, glaring holes into each other.
Lucy quickly stood up as well, holding out her arms to separate the two. "Stop it! Both of you!" This caused the two boys to draw their attention to her. "We have to figure this out and you're not helping with your petty fights."
Glancing at the floor, both grown men looked remarkably like children who had just been told off. All sat down again. Indignant looks. Awkward silence.
"Ummm…" Natsu broke in. "Maybe she only took our energy so that is why me and Gray are so tired-"
"Gray and I." Lucy corrected.
"Fine, Gray and I, happy?"
"Very." A smug smile lingered on her lips.
"Anyways, maybe the only thing she took is our energy."
Gray scratched his ear. "As much as I hate to admit it… that is a good point."
Lucy frowned in confusion. "That does make sense cause I remember she was checking you guys and then she was like 'I've taken enough.' And also if you lose energy then you will die earlier… it sorta works."
Natsu smiled widely. "Then we've figured it out-"
"Wait." Lucy interrupted. "It doesn't make sense."
Natsu's smile dropped.
"How?" Gray leaned forward.
"I remember the woman saying that lethargy was a side effect. So that means that it wasn't energy that she took."
Gray groaned "Arrgh, this is so annoying. Why is my life so messed up?" He ran his fingers through his hair.
Instantly, the celestial mage looked up at him, her mouth gaped open. Life…. Lucy unconsciously ran his words through her mind. Life…. Life… That's it!
"I think I've figured it out!" Lucy punched the empty air, her eyes glowing with triumph.
"What is it?" A chorus of voices followed her announcement.
"Life force."
There was a silence as the people processed the phrase in their brain.
Gray was the first to speak. "Yeah… I suppose it does make sense. But how are you so sure?"
The group waited for Lucy's response.
"I'm not. But-"
A low voice interrupted her. "Shut up."
"Huh?" All eyes turned to Natsu whose nose twitched noticeably. "Shut up guys. There is someone at the door."
"Wha-"
A sudden knock echoed through the room.
"Come in." Gray called out.
The door creaked open, a hooded figure striding into the room. Natsu stood up at once. "Who are you?" He asked rather rudely.
"I am Sed, your next door neighbor. And I presume that you are Natsu."
"How do you-" He was pulled down by Lucy who hurriedly explained what had happened while he had been asleep. "Oh."
Sed continued to speak. "I was walking pass and couldn't help but overhear some snatches of conversation."
Gray retained a serious expression. "How long were you listening?"
"Since the time Lucy's yell had caught my attention." He paused to clear his throat. "Anyways, I wish to advise you all to forget about the situation you had experienced. Stay away or she would take your lives the next time you go."
"What do you know of it?"
"Not much… but I have to say that your deduction was spot on, Lucy." He made his way to the bunk and sat onto the mattress before motioning Natsu to sit down. "Yes she has taken your life span. Depending on the number of years she has taken, you would die at the specified age."
"Explain."
Sed looked over to everyone before taking a deep breath. "For example if a person was fated to die at the age of 98 was robbed of 40 years, then that person would die at the age of 58. Everyone understand?"
Everyone nodded.
"But I'm not here to encourage you to retrieve your life span. In fact, I want you people to stay away from that trail if you don't want to die. I can assure you that you will die the moment you step back onto the trail. That mage is merciless to anyone who steps back a second time. This is why I'm telling you all to forget. That is all." Sed stood up.
Gray stood up as well, as if to escort him out. "Why are you helping us?"
"I'm not. But I have my reasons." With a swish of his cloak, he walked out and silently closed the door behind him.
Why did he help us? That question tugged at his consciousness. What did he mean? That hooded figure was suspicious, he concluded. But what did he mean by that? And why would he help them? He resisted the urge to storm into the next door to demand answers. It was definitely suspicious. But what was more suspicious was that he never saw his face. A hood had always covered the figure's hair and overshadowed his face. He needed to be wary of that figure.
"Owwww!"
Crash.
A large amount of noise roused him from his thoughts. It seemed to come from the bathroom. Gray shook his head slowly. I wonder what the hell that Flamebrain did now… It better not be something that I need to clean up later. Oh well, I'll worry about it in the morning. With that thought in mind, he drifted into a state of sleep.
….
Hazel eyes gazed blankly at the porcelain seat-like object on the tiled floor; its lid was up displaying the still water inside it. A fly hovered around the rim, overshadowed by two figures standing at the doorway.
Natsu stood next to Lucy, yawning and scratching his head. A large grin resided on his face "It's a toilet. You need to do your business there."
"Oh." Her face reddened slightly in embarrassment as she got the meaning. "I knew that."
"I doubt it."
Lucy was quick to deny, her flustered face visible even under layers and coatings of grime. "No. I did know that-"
"You've never seen one before?" He didn't realise it but the fire-mage found her reactions hilarious and he felt a need to laugh at her every antic.
"No." She said firmly. "It's not like I haven't seen one before, it's just that…" She trailed off.
Natsu was curious. "Just what?"
"Just I had never used one before." Lucy answered lamely, her hands fiddling slightly with the spare clothes in her arms. Her usual dull cloak was absent, folded neatly on her bed, exposing the other clothing that she wore underneath which consisted of a pair of pants and a long-sleeved shirt. Parts of it were splattered in dried blood while the rest of the clothing were masked with grease marks, creases and rips. The soft blue material was barely definable in the dim lighting. In contrast to the ragged clothing, the ones she held in her arms were new, its fabric crisp and clean.
Natsu was dumbfounded for a moment. Seriously? He gazed incredulously at the figure standing in front of him, his smirk no-where to be seen. How did she manage to survive? I'm surprised she hasn't died from a sanitary disease yet. Yet curiosity poked at him. "Wait… How did you do your business?"
"You really don't want to know." Her dirty locks of hair hung matted into knots while a steady stench radiated off her. A small spider attempted to hide into her hair.
Natsu couldn't help but cringe inwardly at the stench which smelt of a mixture of rotten food and sewage. Unconsciously, he felt his eyes tracking the process of the spider that was crawling into her blonde hair. "Fine. Just get cleaned up first."
"Ok." She replied, but hesitated slightly as she stepped onto the tiled floors. "Um… Natsu?"
"What is it?" Natsu felt his eyes drooping, eager for more sleep. He was grateful to the girl for bringing them back but sleep had been the first thing on his list ever since they had arrived into town.
"I've never used some of this stuff before so is it alright for you to tell me what is what and how to use it?" Her voice was soft as she indicated to the small tub in the corner, the sink. She looked away at his gaze. "I lived on the streets all my life so I'm not used to some stuff."
His eyes softened slightly at her statement. "I see." Natsu gently place his hands on her shoulder, steering her towards the bathtub before pointing out specific items. "This here is used to wash yourself. Just fill it up with hot water like this-" He turned the knobs "then you scrub yourself with this." He pointed to the lump of soap in the corner. "Be sure not to get any in your eyes."
Lucy nodded, jotting down mental notes.
"And this is a sink." He continued, indicating at it. "It functions the same as a bathtub, but is used to wash your hands."
Lucy nodded again.
"And that's all you need to know."
"Ok. Thanks Natsu."
"You're welcome. And also…" He suddenly leaned in towards Lucy, his face close to hers. His arm raised up to sweep her dirty, blonde bangs aside.
Lucy felt her face heat up as fire mage leaned close to her, his breath dancing on her forehead. It was a strange feeling as he seemed to caress her bangs, sweeping them from side to side and combing through them with his fingers. She tensed, ignoring the sharp itch on her back until she found her voice.
"N-Natsu." She tried to control the tremble in her voice. "What are you doing?"
"Give me a second." His tone was low while his brow seemed to be furrowing in concentration.
Before she had time to respond, a sudden burst of pain echoed as she felt his finger jab once onto the side of her forehead. Painfully.
"Owwww!" Lucy couldn't stop herself as she kicked Natsu forcefully halfway across the bathroom where he fell at the doorway, tripping backwards over a small step, creating a huge crash. Her hand instantly slapped over the injured spot protectively while her leg ached from the sudden exercise. Her feelings were a mix of annoyance and guilt as she stared at the fallen Natsu at the doorway.
"What was that for?" Natsu almost whined as he struggled to rise.
"Well why did you startle me like that, you jerk, if you-"
"There was a spider in your hair." He grinned.
"Didn't do that then- wait…. What?" A look of confusion took over her features.
"There was a spider in your hair." He repeated, holding up his hand, where a small black dot was visible. A smirk adorned his face.
Huh? Lucy removed her hand only to find a small gooey mess of black spider guts. Oh. Staring back at Natsu defiantly, she crossed her arms. "Well, you could have told me earlier."
"It wouldn't have been funny if I did." He wiped the spidery mess onto his coat. "Anyways, I'm gonna go sleep for a bit now. Wake me up when you're done." He turned to leave.
She watched him leave, eyes focused onto his pink hair. But, before she could control her movements, her mouth had a life of its own. "Natsu."
Natsu turned around, his pink hair fluttering slightly from the quick turn. "Hmm?"
Lucy smiled widely, her face lighting up. Her heart felt warm as she poured her all gratitude into one sentence. "Thankyou… for everything."
He flashed a quick smile. "No problem. What are friends for?"
Lucy watched as Natsu walked out before closing the door quickly. Locking it, she turned around before reaching out to the small knob to turn it like Natsu did. As the water slowly filled up the tub in steaming streams, Lucy turned to gaze at the room, soaking the image into her brain.
It was a fairly small room; its floor was tiled with grey tiles that seemed to have been white at some stage in time. Some cracks littered the floor and along the wall while a lacrima was attached to the centre of the ceiling to provide dim lighting. The sink was chipped, a small bar of soap resting beside it. The tub was of similar condition. There was no mirror. To any average person, it would be of one of the poorest conditions for a bathroom. However, to Lucy, it was like a paradise.
Picking up the bar of soap tentatively, Lucy undressed before lowering herself into the steaming water. It was a nice feeling, sitting there, the hot water soaking into her skin. It was like a freshener, soothing her numbed nerves and tense muscles. Lucy couldn't remember the last time she had felt so relaxed and peaceful in her life. Nor can she remember the last time she felt so warm.
Reluctantly, she lifted her arms to cleanse herself; however, it was a tedious task. The grime never seemed to leave her skin. In short, it was like an endless cycle of scrub and rinse, scrub and rinse. As she bathed, she couldn't help but think how familiar the two mages and Happy were to her now. How she could let her personalities run wild without any criticism. Happy had seemed to warm up to her as well during the last few days they had spent together. It seemed like the life that she had always dreamed of. Sighing into the water, she scrubbed at her greasy scalp.
After she was satisfied, she reluctantly dragged herself out of the water. Wrapping herself in a thin towel provided, she gazed down at the water. Where it had once been clear, it was a murky brown. Dead bugs and debris floated idly on top of the water as a stench of rotten substances and sewage wafted slowly in her direction.
Smiling dryly, she proceeded to drain the tub before dressing in the clothing that Virgo had given her. This time, it consisted of a simple blouse and a dark-blue skirt with boots. Sighing, she then sat cross-legged onto the tiled floor before combing her fingers through her wet and tangled hair. After she was satisfied with her appearance, she stepped out holding her old clothing. It was a feeling that she hadn't felt in a long time. The feeling of refreshing-cleanness.
Trudging pass the sleeping boys, she didn't have the heart to wake them up even though they had told her to wake them when she was done. After placing her clothes into her bag, she instantly jumped onto the single bed next to the bunk. It was better than she imagined. To be honest, it was probably the first time she had slept in a proper bed since she had been abandoned. It was soft. Very soft, unlike the scratchy nest of rags that she had built for herself back at Laflower Town.
Slowly, her eyes drooped into a deep sleep.
…..
"AAAAAAARRRGHHHHHH!"
Lucy woke up to a rather loud yell in her face.
"Urrgh… Shut up cat… Stop your yelling. You're gonna wake everyone up." She slurred as she recognised Happy's face. Slowly she rose up, wiping sleep from her eyes. She quickly peered at the bunk bed next to hers. Despite Happy's loud yell, the two mages remained asleep. Gee, they must really be tired to sleep through that. "What is it, Happy?"
Happy instantly jumped back as she rose, holding a piece of fish like a katana. A look of fear clouded his face. "W-who are y-you and w-what did you d-do to L-Lucy? You h-have h-h-her v-voice but-t-t…"
"Huh? What are you talking about? I am Lucy." She yawned tiredly. What the heck is he going on about?
"T-that's what they all say!" The cat proclaimed, his fear suddenly forgotten. The piece of fish was still pointed accusingly at her as he took another step back, his eyes wide with fear.
Lucy sighed inwardly, wondering if Happy suddenly forgot about her. Maybe it's because of my bedhead? "Is it because of my bedhead?" She reached to comb her fingers through her hair, in an attempt to flatten the blonde hair that she knew stuck up in all directions. Sighing, she watched as Happy shook his head mutely.
Tentatively, he drew closer… "Wow… not only do you have Lucy's voice you also have her weirdness."
Lucy fumed instantly at this as a vein popped onto her forehead. "I'm telling you. I am Lucy. Get it into your brain you stupid cat! And what was the last part supposed to mean? You wanna die?"
Happy instantly shrank back. "Wahh, Lucy number 2 is scarier than the real Lucy!"
"What's that supposed to mean? And I told you already. I am the real Lucy."
"No. The real Lucy is dirtier than you."
"What do you mean by dirtier? You stupid cat." Lucy threw off the blankets before slipping into her socks and boots.
"The real Lucy stinks more than you as well."
Several more veins popped on Lucy's head as she tried to control her anger. Don't kill cat. Don't kill cat. It was like a mantra as she smoothed down her clothing. "I took a bath. Is there anything wrong with that?" She then promptly began combing her hair with her fingers, digging a greasy shard of mirror from her bag. Smiling at her reflection, she began to arrange her long hair.
"Can I believe you?"
"Believe what you want." After she was satisfied with her reflection, she stood up. "Anyways, what's the time?"
"7:00am."
"Oka- Wait…. WHAT?" She glared. "YOU WOKE ME AT FREAKING 7 AM IN THE MORNING?"
Happy placed his paw to his lip. "Shhhhh"
Angrily, she lowered her voice, keeping an eye on the sleeping mages who were surprisingly still sleeping. "Fine. I'm gonna go out for some fresh air. You wanna come?"
"Maybe… if you answer one question."
"What?" She fished a Light Pen from Natsu's bag which was sprawled on the floor before writing quickly in mid-air, admiring the coolness of it.
"What did we do to Natsu and Gray when they were sleeping a few days ago?"
"We smeared their faces in fresh mud." Lucy threw her freshly mended cloak over and lifted the hood over her head before picking up her side bag.
"Correct." The blue Exceed flew over to Lucy before landing comfortably into her arms. They chatted lightly as she walked out the door. "Hey Lucy?"
"Yeah?"
"I'm glad you took a bath." He smiled cheekily up at her. "You smell nicer now."
Lucy's eye twitched while yet another vein popped on her forehead. "Shut it. Cat."
…..
"Natsu, you're going to die soon right?" A white haired teenager sat next to a fire-mage in mid-air, the two of them surrounded by a pure white background.
"Yeah…" He turned to smile warmly at Lisanna who was sitting next to him in thin air. "I missed you."
"I missed you too. Natsu." She smiled before lifting her arms to gesture far into the white expanse of white. "Let's jump off that cliff."
"Huh?" He turned in surprise to see a rocky cliff that hadn't been there a few seconds ago.
Lisanna stood up and pulled him over to the cliff edge. "Come on! Let's jump off this cliff! Then we can be together!"
"Hey-y Lisanna!" Natsu cried out loud as she forcefully pushed him down. "Lisanna!" He yelled as he was dragged into a darkness of pain.
"Lisanna…." Natsu groaned as his eyes opened only to startle as the uneven warm ground under him shifted. What?
A murderous aura radiated from the floor. "Get off me you doofus."
"Huh?"
"Ice-make-"
Natsu panicked for a second. "Hey, hey wait."
"HAMMER!"
Natsu barely had to time to roll out of the way before a gigantic hammer of ice smashed into the place where his head used to be, leaving a small crater into the carpet. He caught his breath, watching the hammer melt away. "WHAT THE HELL WAS THAT FOR, YOU STRIPPER."
Gray stood up in all his bare-chested glory, glaring at Natsu. "FOR LANDING ON ME YOU DOOFUS. WHAT THE HELL POSSESSED YOU TO ROLL OFF YOUR BED AND SMASH INTO ME?"
"IT'S YOUR FAULT FOR BEING THERE IN THE FIRST PLACE."
"REALLY NOW?"
"BRING IT ON, STRIPPER!"
Both boys lunged at each other, each reaching to cause as much pain to the other as possible. After a short squabble, their fight caused Natsu's bag to slam into the side of the single bed, causing a loud crash. But it wasn't the crash that caught their attention. It was the glowing substance floating in mid-air immediately above Natsu's luggage.
"Hey, is that a note written by a Light Pen?" Natsu stumbled over to the glowing script written in mid-air.
Natsu, Gray.
Happy and I left this morning. Don't bother looking for us.
Regards, Lucy.
Gray turned to Natsu, their little fight apparently forgotten. "She left."
"Happy left as well!" Natsu quickly performed a scan of the area. "Even her bag and stuff are gone." Rashly, he hurried towards the door, only to be stopped by Gray.
"Where are you going?"
"To look for her and take her back of course. Along with Happy." There was a determination in his eyes.
"But it's her decision." Gray reasoned.
"We're friends. And friends don't just abandon each other." He pushed Gray aside. "She just can't leave."
There was a silence before Gray spoke. "Fine, when we get out, we'll split. You take the right direction and I'll take the left. We will find her and Happy before they leave the town. We'll meet up again at the nearest café form here."
Natsu flashed him a wide smile. "Right. Then what are we waiting for? Let's go!"
As the two mages left in search for their blonde-haired friend and Happy, none of them noticed the writing that was covered by Natsu's luggage that had slammed into it.
P.S We will be back before 1:00pm.
…
Natsu collapsed into the chair opposite the rounded table from Gray, panting heavily. "Any sign of her?"
"Nup. You?"
"Nup." All of a sudden, his arm shot out to a passing waiter, effectively stopping him in his tracks.
He smiled nervously under Natsu's gaze. "Y-yes Sir? How may I help you?"
Natsu quickly shoved two pieces of paper under the waiter's nose. "Have you seen these two around anywhere? The cat is blue and the girl has blonde hair."
He took one look at them. "N-no, sorry. Ummmm… sirs … Would you like to order something?"
Dejected, Natsu removed the two pieces of paper. His eyes roved aimlessly over the menu before him. "Umm… get me a spicy sundae and…"
"And a lemon green tea thanks. With extra ice." Gray cut in smoothly.
"O-okay… your orders will be coming right up." With that, the waiter walked off, grateful to be out of their presence.
Out of curiosity, Gray reached for the two pieces of paper Natsu had thrown onto the table. As he unfolded it, a sudden chill ran down his back as he stared at the two pieces of paper, his eyes wide in surprise. Natsu noticed his hesitation.
"Oy, what are you so surprised about?"
There was a silence as Gray stared, almost transfixed at the two pieces of frayed paper. It was only after a minute of silence that he recovered. Shoving the pieces of paper into his rival's face, he indignantly glared at him. "Don't tell me… you went around the entire half of the town brandishing this sad excuse of a drawing in everyone's face."
Natsu grinned sheepishly. "Yeah."
Gray resisted the urge to face palm as he diverted his gaze back to the lead sketches on the two pieces of paper. The first was what looked like a crude drawing of a boulder with two unidentifiable objects sticking from its back, two small dots were drawn into the middle as eyes. The other was of a long, spindly figure who he supposed was Lucy. Her supposed hair was a long buzz cut, sticking in all directions. Two small dots on the top half represented her eyes. There were numerous smudges, creases and sketch lines on both papers as if the fire-mage had rubbed at the paper again and again. A small scorch was detected on the bottom corner of one of them.
It was no doubt Natsu Dragneel's work of art.
Natsu reached over to take the sketches back. Stuffing it into his pockets, he raised his eyebrow to Gray's look of disbelief. "What?"
"You went around asking people if they had seen those horrendous drawings, haven't you?"
"Yeah. So what?" Natsu shrugged his shoulders.
This time, Gray really did face-palm.
"Here are your orders." The same waiter arrived again, this time balancing a tray of two drinks in one hand. He seemed to have regained his composure.
Natsu immediately grabbed for them before poking a spoon into his sundae. "Thanks."
"Please enjoy." The waiter walked away.
"Any news of her and Happy?" Natsu dug eagerly into his treat, which was already half finished.
Gray took a sip from his drink. "Nope, no one saw her."
"Maybe, she left already."
"No, she can't have."
Natsu looked up, finishing his treat in a matter of seconds. "Why?"
"Unlike you, I did something productive and checked the train times. And she can't have left already since the last train to come by this town was two days ago and the next train would be in half a day. Can't you track her scent?"
"I tried. But I couldn't smell her. It's like she disappeared." Natsu promptly began to swing on his chair.
"I don't think she walked, bu-" Gray suddenly stopped as a loud voice came from the front door.
"Hey guys!"
The two turned around only to see a blonde haired teenager standing in the front door of the café. She was wrapped in a long cloak, which seemed to be new, her hood was up, covering the top of her head, leaving her face visible. Her blonde hair spilled from the hood and over her shoulders, covering a portion of her face. Her cloak opened slightly to reveal a white blouse and a dark blue skirt. But what were noticeable were her rather large breasts, which left much to the imagination.
But that wasn't the thing that surprised both Natsu and Gray. The thing that surprised them was that she was waving at them. Did she know them? They tensed as she made her way to their table.
"Erm…" Natsu nudged at Gray under the table. "Do you know her?" He mouthed.
Gray shook his head. "No." He mouthed back. He drew his attention back to the teenager who was making her way towards them. She doesn't look too bad… not so plain, kinda pretty, huge assets. Hair needs more work… He noted.
As she sat in an empty space on their table, she looked towards Natsu and Gray. "Hey what are you two doing here?"
Natsu frowned. Her scent was so familiar, but he was sure that he had never seen her before in his life. "Do I know you?" Her voice was very familiar as well.
Her eyebrows raised in surprise. "Seriously….?" She muttered more to herself. "Yes you should."
Gray took a sip of his drink still eying the strange woman warily.
Natsu on the other hand kept tilting his chair, sniffing the air around her. Yes, she definitely smelt familiar, but as much as he tried, Natsu couldn't pinpoint where he had seen her in his life. Ignoring his suspicions, he quickly reached into his pocket, yanking out two crumpled pieces of paper. Might as well ask this mysterious girl if she knew Happy and Lucy, he supposed.
"Anyways…" Straightening them out, he leaned over to the girl and shoved it into her face. Have you seen this girl and cat around? The girl has blonde hair and the cat has blue fur."
She raised an eyebrow. "What the hell is this?"
"Can't you see? It's a cat and a girl."
"You mean that strange boulder is a cat?" She quickly looked up to see Natsu giving her the most put-off look.
"Happy isn't a strange boulder. He's my friend."
"Uhhh…." She squinted her eyes. "What's the girl's name?"
"Lucy."
As soon as the name left his mouth, the girl had leaned across to him, whacking him squarely on the head.
"Owww…" Natsu held his head while Gray calmly took another sip of his drink.
"Idiots." The girl growled as she removed her hood, revealing a long cascade of messy, tangled blonde hair. She then brushed the hair from her face revealing hazel eyes that flashed angrily at them. "I'm Lucy." She huffed. "I just took a bath. Why could no one recognise me?"
I'm Lucy.
I'm Lucy.
That phrase reverberated in the two mage's minds as they stopped everything in surprise. The next few events however, happened simultaneously. Gray's eyes bulged as he spat out his drink, spraying all over Natsu, choking in surprise, leaving the table in a mess of spit and lemon, green tea. Natsu on the other hand, literally fell off the chair he was swinging on after being sprayed accurately by Gray from across the round table. A crash resounded on the tiled floor.
There was an awkward silence as the surrounding people stopped their chatter to stare at the commotion. The ice-mage was still choking on his own saliva while Natsu struggled on the floor, trying in vain to fix attach the leg of the broken chair back into place before anyone noticed. Through the thin silence, Lucy started to giggle despite the annoyance she had felt when they didn't recognise her. The two mages had looked so funny.
However, her giggling stopped abruptly as heavy footsteps sounded from deep inside the kitchens. "WHAT'S GOING ON?" A deep voice thundered.
The same waiter that had served the two mages cowered in a corner. "Oh no… That's the manager. What do I do…?"
Natsu and Gray exchanged the briefest of glances before fleeing. Natsu latched onto Lucy's arm dragging her with them.
"H-hey! I'm not a part of this." She protested as Natsu dragged her away from the small café.
Natsu looked back at her with a wide smile. "You are now. And I don't think we have enough money to pay for the broken chair." He thought for a moment. "And I'm glad you took a bath. You don't stink as much now."
Several veins popped on the celestial mage's forehead as she playfully whacked Natsu across his head. "Seriously…." She grumbled. "You and Happy are so alike that I sometimes think that you two are idiots together….." Her grumbling trailed off as a loud shout echoed from behind them.
"COME BACK YOU HOOLIGANS!"
Thanks for reading!
And Sed is NOT an oc. Just saying…. He is NOT an oc. Keep that in mind.
And you may have noticed, I tried to make a lot of stuff funny but failed miserably. You probably just sat there reading going 'What the hell?'
And also, I am sad to say that I actually don't know when I would be updating next time cause I don't wanna say a deadline and then break it… It feels horrible and it makes me feel like a horrible person. So Minallys, who I had PMed the possible date of update… well I broke my promise and I'm sorry for that. (Sheepish grin.)
But if you are interested on when I will be updating, there is an update status on the bottom of my bio. But since I'm lazy, I will probably forget to change it so sometimes it isn't up to date so you need to check the chapter number.
That's all, Cya!
:)