Chapter Nine: Pretty Incognito part 3
Lucy had never felt more apprehensive hearing a pair of doors close than when Darius Gene shut the double oak doors to the drawing room.
Even worse, his dagger was still pressed upon her back. Without his help.
Whoever this Darius Gene was, it was now all too clear that he was indeed a mage.
Lucy wished that she had put her ring of keys somewhere more accessible than in her garter. Perhaps a better place would have been in her bra. Yes, definitely less fuss to stick your hand down your front than to reach for something way up on your thigh. Lucy made a note-to-self-if-I-survive-this and settled down on the couch across from their guest: Arion Levior. Darius Gene sat next to Lucy who, in turn, scooted as far away as she could.
The dagger dug in a bit deeper and Lucy felt the satin tear.
"What's wrong, Lucy? Are you afraid of your big brother?" Arion Levior laughed amiably.
Lucy winced as the dagger now pinched against her skin.
"Not at all, Mr. Levior. I'm just a little upset because he hasn't introduced us to each other before tonight. He's been keeping you all to himself."
"Well, allow me to assure you, I will be back very often to visit the both of you and please, call me Arion." Lucy turned a cringe into a bashful smile as Arion winked flirtatiously at her.
"So, Arion, about the merger deal we were talking about the other day..."
Lucy instinctively tuned the two men out and began to think of a way out of the drawing room. The doors were closed and she didn't think she could make it out in time with Darius Gene there and his mage skills. She could whip out some stellar spirit action but would that be in time? And how about that oblivious idiot, Arion Levior? What if he got hurt in the process?
"It's a deal then!" Lucy refocused her attention back to the conversation at hand only to see Darius Gene stand up, shake hands with his guest, and head towards the door. Perfect! The meeting was over and they were going to head back downstairs. She could definitely make a getaway there. Screw the last 40,000 jewels. Living in a cardboard box didn't sound all that terrible anymore.
Lucy picked up the folds of her dress and traipsed along after her pseudo-older brother, feigning a smile all the way until he abruptly stopped and turned around. "Oh no, Lucy. You're going to stay here."
"Wha?"
"Yes, Lucy," Arion Levior was suddenly by her side and took a hold of her wrist. "I want to hear a little bit more about you."
"You wanna do what now?" Lucy looked frantically back to Darius Gene who nodded graciously to his guest and promptly shut the door in the girl's face. "Ouch!" The dagger had definitely nicked her skin that time. She couldn't tell if the cut had drawn blood or if she was just bathing in sweat at this point.
Arion Levior drew Lucy back to the couch and forcefully pulled her down. She fell awkwardly onto his lap in a heap of fabric. "What the hell do you think you're doing?!" Lucy yelled, aware that her lady-like image was completely ruined.
"Don't be like that, sweetie," Arion Levior cooed as he held her around the waist. "Your brother has sold you, his dear sister, to complete our business transaction."
"What? When?!"
"When you were obviously not paying attention, dearest."
Lucy was about to retort with a few choice words but immediately bit her tongue. The dagger once again added pressure as if it had a mind of its own and was aware of her actions. Now she was positive that the cut was deep enough to draw blood.
"Oh, you poor thing," Arion Levior cupped Lucy's chin with his thumb and forefinger. "Let's take that nasty thing away, shall we?" Before Lucy could even register what he said let alone bite his hand, the man waved his finger and drew the dagger away from her back into the air. It easily sailed into his hand.
Lucy was flabbergasted as she watched Arion Levior twirled the dagger in his hand like an expert before letting it fly across the room where it hit a mirror and shattered it to pieces.
"Wha-How-You-?"
"So charming, Lucy. You always have a way with words."
"Are all of you mages then?" Lucy asked, stunned that there could be two mages in the same room with her and escaped her notice.
"Oh, no. No indeed. Some of them are just your regular old folks. Darius doesn't even know that I'm a mage even though I know he's one. In fact," Arion Levior caught hold of Lucy's hand and brought it to his lips. "He's not even the real Darius Gene. That fool is dead."
"He's an impostor..." Lucy muttered as she put two and two together. It all made sense now. Why the mansion was empty, why he seemed so fishy, why the men down at the party were just interested in her and never spoke about meeting Darius before. It was a major flaw Lucy had witnessed before in high society. They were only attracted to the prestigious name. Proof was that they never suspected Lucy's own fake identity when Darius Gene had declared that she was his sister.
"Spot on." His hand found her ankle and slowly made its way up her leg. The layers of satin fell away like water against her skin and Lucy froze, her eyes locked onto Arion Levior's.
"If you know Darius is an impostor than you must know that I am not his little sister."
"Of course."
"Then...THE DEAL IS OFF!" Lucy quickly shot out her hand and grabbed for the ring of keys held by the garter on her exposed leg. She elbowed Arion Levior in the nose and leapt off the couch in a flurry of ivory satin.
Wiping the blood of his nose, Arion Levior slowly stood up and stared her down. Lucy didn't like the pissed off look on his face. "The deal was never on, Lucy Heartphilia."
"How did you-?"
"Oh, I know all about you, Lucy," Arion Levior breathed as he advanced. Lucy took a step back and saw him reach for something inside his jacket. "I've heard of your escapades with your guildmates! You're the stellar spirit mage of Fairy Tail!" He pulled out the latest edition of Sorcerer Magazine and slammed it down on the table dividing them.
Unfortunately, Lucy was unimpressed with this dramatic gesture. "And here I thought you were really dangerous and smart having figured all of this out on your own! Really, you're just a pervert memorizing my pretty face on the cover of a magazine," She couldn't help but laugh a bit at the reddening man. "That's pretty lame."
He raised his hand to strike but Lucy was ready. She took hold of a golden key and pointed it in the air.
"Open, the door to the-!!!"
Arion Levior smiled as he saw Lucy's eyes widened. She lowered her keys and clutched at her throat, unable to utter a sound.
"What's wrong, princess?" the man called mockingly as Lucy began to sputter for air. "Can't complete your incantation to bring out your spirit?" A bruise began to appear around Lucy's neck in the shape of fingerprints. Her keys dropped from her hands and clattered to the floor uselessly.
"That's my magic, girl. Astral projection. My spirit, while maintaining connection with my body, leaves me and attacks my opponents with a mere mimicking of my own body." He raised his arm and Lucy simultaneously lifted off the floor as if on strings.
Lucy's lungs were on fire and the pressure around her neck was so strong, she felt as if the man's hands were made of iron. She could literally feel the fingers smothering her pulse with every second. Soon, the room began to swim before her eyes due to a lack of oxygen and tears.
Lucy bent her head and saw her beloved keys lying by her feet and felt an immense sadness. To her, they were more than just magic, they were her friends and a precious realization of a dream told to her by her mother so long ago...
"I'm sorry..."
"HEY, STOP!!" A voice rang through Lucy's ears followed by an immense bang as the doors blew open, scattering shards of wood everywhere. There was a commotion downstairs and now it had reached the drawing room.
The pressure around Lucy's neck had slackened only for a moment but instantly regained its grip and even worse, it increased three fold. There were angry, muffled voices and two figures before her unfocused eyes. Lucy thought she saw a pair of familiar blue eyes before she felt a scorching heat fill the room.
"Natsu?! Wait, who has those blue eyes...?"
Lucy desperately tried to make out who was in the room with her but suddenly felt herself lifted higher into the air. She was released from the grip around her neck with such a force that it threw her against the locked French window. The impact shattered the panes and Lucy opened her eyes to see herself enveloped in the dark sky outside and glittering shards of glass.
"LUCY!!!"
Then, she knew nothing more.
---
I heard his voice! I'm sure he's here!
"NAAAAATTSSSSUUUUUU!!!!"
"What the hell're you yellin' for?! I'm right here!"
"Ehhh??"
"Come on! Look alive, Lucy! The show's about to start."
Lucy looked about her and saw that she was no longer in the regal dress but in her usual miniskirt and tanktop. Her hair had the usual side ponytail with the blue ribbon in it. Everything was a la normal. Natsu, too, was next to her, eating a flaming sausage on a fork.
Strange thing is, they both sat in chairs facing a blank lacriyma crystal screen. Nothing else was visible. Apparently, this was not normal at all.
"Natsu?"
The dragonslayer groaned and threw away his half-eaten sausage which promptly disappeared once it left his hand. He turned to Lucy and glowered. "What is it? You keep saying my name but you don't follow it up! Spit it out, Luce!"
"Whe-where are we?" Lucy managed to ask while looking all around.
"We're in your head," Natsu said in an exasperated tone as if it was obvious. "Didn't think you were clueless about your own mind."
"My min-!" Natsu had clamped a hand over Lucy's mouth, effectively silencing her as the crystal's screen started flickering.
"SHHHHHH!! It's starting!" He hissed and sat back in his seat. He waved his hand and this time, a bottle of firewhiskey appeared.
Lucy almost started to talk again as soon as the first pictures appeared. It seemed to be a show about her battles at Fairy Tail.
"Psssh, Lucy. That's a girlie elbow drop," Natsu teased as the scene flashed through Lucy's battle with Cherie on the cursed island. "Well, I guess it did the job and that's all that matters."
"Whoa, you took on Lluvia? Nice move!" Natsu said in awe as he saw the girls duke it out in water at the Tower of Paradise. "Hey, why is it that your clothes always comes off, Lucy?"
The question was responded with a well deserved smack on the head. Natsu glared at the girl but was soon distracted by yet other scenes of Lucy's battles in Fairy Tail.
As the lacriyma crystal finally stopped playing, Lucy turned over to her teammate who'd been rather silent after she'd given him a good wallop. "What is this, Natsu? Why are we watching this?"
The fire mage looked over at her and smiled. He reached out a hand and firmly shook her shoulder.
"Because you are a mage of Fairy Tail."
---
"Well, that's a pretty obvious answer, don't you think?"
Lucy felt strange. How can she speak so articulately whilst sleeping. She suddenly sat up and immediately regretted doing so. Her head felt extremely heavy and was-was her hair wet?!
It was impossible. She was lying in her own bed back at her apartment. Lucy shook her head and gave herself a pat over to make sure she wasn't dreaming and that she was in one piece. Then, looking to her right, Lucy concluded that she must still be dreaming instead.
Asleep in an armchair near her bed, was the one and only Mr. So Hot. Lucy didn't think it was possible, but he looked even more hot, sleeping there with his suit all disheveled and soft brown hair falling over his face. It seemed like he was wet too judging by the beads of water slowly dripping off the tips of the strands of his hair. And did the cuff of his sleeves look they they were burnt?
Suddenly very self-conscious, Lucy looked down and saw herself in her pajamas. Her purple sheep pajamas were most definitely not her dress. Which meant that she had been stripped and redressed. By this guy???!!
"AAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!!!!!!!!!"
Lucy's shriek might have woken up the entire neighborhood so you can imagine what the poor guy had to endure being so rudely woken from his slumber.
"WHAT THE HELL?!! WHAT IS IT, LUCY?!"
The man bolted out of his chair with arms raised to find the poor girl clutching her comforter around her like a protective shield.
"St-stay back!"
"What are you talking about, Lucy? What's wrong?"
"I said, STAY BACK!" Lucy yelled. "Stop acting like you know me!"
"But I do know you!"
Lucy glared at him before leaping out of her bed and beelined for the window. She yanked it open and yelled as loudly as she could, not caring if it was a distress call nor the fact that she was, indeed, very much a damsel: "NAAAAAAATTSSSSUUUUUU!!"
What she didn't expect, was his fast reply: "What?"
Lucy ever so slowly turned around. How is it even conceivable that he could be in her room?
"Natsu?"
"I swear. If you call me one more time..." The brown haired, blue eyed man sighed before sitting back down on the armchair.
"I-is that you?"
"Of course it is!" Mr. So Hot/Natsu snapped before catching his reflection in the mirror. "Ohhhh...my bad. Sorry to scare you, Luce." With a sudden hand movement and a puff of smoke, Natsu reappeared in Mr. So Hot's place, clad in his usual vest, stretchy balloon pants complete with worn out sandals and signature dragon scale scarf.
Lucy looked at him as though he'd grown another head.
"Oh my god!! Y-y-y-you-you w-w-were-were..."
"Yup."
"An-and you..."
"Probably."
"So you...saved me?"
"Yeah and yes to anything else you might say."
Lucy stood there, oogling at Natsu like a dead fish out of water. She was floored.
When she had regained her senses feeling relieved, ecstatic, grateful, annoyed and wonderful all at once, Lucy felt another head rush and sat back down on her bed gingerly. She also noticed several bandages around her abdomen as well as on her hands and face. She smiled at Natsu's rather sloppy attempt at first aid as she tightened a loose bandage around her wrist.
"So, are you saying yes to stripping me as well?"
"Yeah."
Lucy shot back up again, this time, her cheeks flaming hot. "WHAT?!"
Natsu only ran a hand through his rosy hair. "What's the big deal? Happy was here too. He picked out those," He indicated Lucy's purple pajamas. "I thought that was better," Natsu pointed to a scandalous one-piece bunny costume discarded on a hanger. "No buttons."
Lucy didn't know what to be thankful for: Happy's help in choosing appropriate clothing or Natsu's apparent immunity to the female body. She decided she was grateful for both.
"Listen, Lucy. I'm sorry," Natsu suddenly said. Lucy cocked her head to one side, bewildered.
"Why? You saved my life. I'm-"
"No, I know you wanted to do this alone but I didn't respect your wishes," Natsu admitted guiltily. "I don't know why I was being so stubborn."
Lucy didn't know what to say that so she settled for fidgeting with a thread on her comforter.
"You can definitely do missions on your own," Natsu concluded before adding, "Most of the time."
Lucy would have retorted but knew that she'd be dead at the moment if Natsu hadn't come to her rescue at the mansion. She finally raised her eyes and saw the dragonslayer yawn widely like a little boy. And even though in many ways, Natsu was still like a child, he was a strong, smart guy and one with a very good heart at that. He always had her back and was a very important person in her life.
"You know what, Natsu?" Lucy said as she came over to him and sat down on the arm rest. She put a hand on Natsu's shoulder, smiling. "I didn't have to do those missions alone. I'm not weak and I shouldn't have to prove it to anyone as long as I know it."
"Riiiight!" Natsu sprang up and faced her, smiling exuberantly. "That's what I've been saying! We all think so! You're awesome!"
"Because I'm a mage of Fairy Tail."
"Yeah, well," Natsu reached into his pocket and produced a ring of keys before throwing it to her. "That's pretty obvious, Lucy."
"Oh the irony."
"What?"
"Nothing, Natsu. It's nothing."
A/N: Obviously oblivious is what, Natsu.
The highlight of the first episode for me was...Happy's voice. It's so cute. I was always kind of indifferent/borderline annoyed with Happy in the manga but in the anime...he's precious. Oh yes, the scene where Natsu pulls Lucy along with him to Fairy Tail was also pretty awesome ;)
Lucy is finally finished with her five jobs. She has proven that she's capable on her own (for the most part) and can take on any challenge. But even more than that, she has come to realize that camaraderie and trust with her friends are what matters most. And Natsu? Well, he will always be an irreplaceable person in Lucy's heart.
Now only one matter remains...How will Lucy afford her rent?!
Find out in the epilogue: You, Me and Growing Up!