A/N: Ok – based on the reviews from the last chapter – it seems that we will go with skipping the Hakabe Arc, and proceed directly to Everlue Mansion.
WARNING: A sort of description of a half-naked Mirajane being eyed by her partner and a violent gore scene. Thank you I will warn you beforehand.
"200,000 JEWEL?!" Lucy exclaimed, "COUNT ME IN!"
"Alright! Meet me at the train station at 7 am sharp tomorrow. Don't be late." he unpinned the job request from the board and crumpled it up into a ball. He then lit the ball in flames and shoved the fire into his mouth. "It's not exactly the largest flame I've tasted, but it'll do." Nonchalantly, he glanced back at the blonde who was staring at him with concerned eyes.
"What? I thought you'd be used to it by now." he glanced at the board again. He turned his head towards the guild halls main doors. Surprisingly, he walked out like a normal person, without starting a fight on his way.
Maybe it's time to make my contract with the Nicholas I bought at the magic shop earlier. She pulled out the silver key she'd paid a hefty price of 19,000 jewel for and smiled at it warmly. You're a part of the family now. Welcome home! Clasping the key against her chest, she headed towards her own apartment.
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Eastern Magnolia
Within the central business district of Magnolia stood several grand shops. There were magic shops that sold lacrimas for Wizards to use, restaurants to dine in, and tourist attractions to visit. Amongst the great frenzy and bustling streets of the town stood a small pet store, and within that store, bred the rarest breeds of all kinds of animals. In the store, an old man sat behind the cash register, counting his day's profit. "Argh… on 70,000 jewel today. At this rate, I'm going to have trouble paying for my family's expenses this month!" DING! A pink headed man pushed open the shop entrance doors. The shopkeeper's head instantly perked up.
"Hello, how may I help you today?"
"I'm looking for something I can gift to this girl. You got anything?"
"How about this bunny? They're popular with the ladies." The old man suggested.
"Nah, that's too normal. Can I look around for a bit?" Natsu asked.
"Be my guest. We close in an hour though, so you might want to hurry a bit." The keeper smiled warmly.
There were pets all around the store, and they seemed to be of great variety. There were dogs chasing each other's tails, and birds chirping in their golden cages, singing a song of joy. In the center of the store was a section of much more bizarre creatures, animals that contained magical energy. Natsu glanced in the area, and a tiny blue cat caught his eye. It was curled up in a fetal position, with a pink blanket wrapped around its tiny body. Next to it was a tiny green knapsack that reeked of salmon.
"What's the deal with that one, sleeping over there?" Natsu pointed towards the sleeping kitten.
"Oh that one? It's an 'Exceed'. They are cat-like creatures with wings that can speak multiple languages. That includes almost every human language. It's not exactly the strongest companion; but since you're looking for something cute, I doubt that would be a problem. Though if you're going to choose an exceed, I strongly suggest you choose another one"
Natsu tore his eyes away from the cat to look at the shopkeeper, a frail sight. "Huh? Why would I do that? This one looks fine."
"He can be a bit more emotionally fragile than the others, and require more care than the others; he's been through a lot" the old man continued, "his previous owner was abusive, and if you look at him carefully, you can still see the faint scar across his forehead."
Natsu bent down to the Exceed's resting space, and sure enough, there was a faint red scab from his left ear to his right eye.
So, he got abused, huh? This wound looks like it was caused by a whipping wound that bled in the past. Say, I wonder if my Sky magic can heal this little fella?
Natsu gathered up his magical energy and channeled it through his palms. A faint pale-blue glow appeared at the tips of his fingers, as he chanted the mythical words of the spell. Sky Dragon's Aura – Wound Weaver! As the light faded, his eyes opened again. Laying in front of him was the blue cat. The scar remained.
"What made you think that any healing magic would work?" the shopkeeper scoffed. "I tried to use full-heal potions on him. They didn't work. Do you think some cheesy healing spell would work? I know you use dragon slaying magic, kid, but that stuff, at most, is as powerful as a full-heal potion. It can't revive the dead, and it can't cure wounds that were inflicted years ago. Better not waste more energy on the little thing. You should check out this other exc-"
"I'll take him," Natsu spoke firmly as he placed his hand on the man's shoulder. "How much is he?"
"Uhm – 50,000 jewel" the man managed to say, surprised that anyone would want that exceed.
"I'll give you 100,000 jewel" Natsu picked up the Exceed, and cradled it in his arms. He dug around in his pocket, pulling out a stack of 1000 jewel bills.
"Deal! I'm glad someone decided to pay so much for the poor little guy!" He was taken aback by the bold and generous offer.
"Pleasure doing business with ya. And don't worry; I'll make sure he gets a warm and welcoming family. Thank you, and have a great day!" the pinkhead waved at the shopkeeper while pushing the entrance door, causing the bell to ring again. He blended back in with the bustling streets of Magnolia, with his newfound companion.
Ahh, such kind, wonderful youth. The man processed the miracle that had just occurred. He stared down at the fortune of profit he had just made. Looks like I'll have enough to support Maya and the children for this month. He tucked the money into his back pocket and got out from behind the counter. Walking towards the store's entrance, he took the "Open" sign, and turned it around, facing "Closed for the Day" to the streets of the town.
What should I name him? Natsu thought as he headed towards the Guildhall. He had originally intended to go home, but it was far too unclean and hazardous for the kitten in his arms to live in. He couldn't teleport to the guild either, as he didn't know what side-effects it could have on his partner. The cat's facial expression had shifted from a calm, unfazed look to a joyous, content smile. It was definitely having a nice dream. He approached the guild's main doors, and gently pushed them open.
Walking down the guild's center, he approached the barmaid, Mirajane, who was cleaning dishes.
"Hey Mira, look what I got you!"
She placed the last of the dishes in the cupboard and dusted off her hands on her apron. Untying it, she then hung it up on the wall, revealing her white sleeve-shirt underneath.
"GASP! Natsu! What did you do that poor kitten?!"
"OK. Firstly, it's an exceed, not a kitten. Secondly, what do you mean 'What did you do'? I bought it from the pet store as a gift for you!"
"He's adorable! Do you have a name for him yet?"
"No, I was thinking you could give him one."
"Well, he looks really happy, absorbed in his own little world. He's just so cute. Why don't you name him 'Happy'?"
The pinkhead thought for a while."Happy, huh? Cool! Let's go with that"
The blue Exceed's ears twitched at the commotion around him. 'Happy' seemed to be a great name for him, and he wasn't opposed to it. Springing from Natsu's arms, he raised his right arm in the air and exclaimed, "Aye!"
"Alright Happy, you stay here for a while. I've got some things to discuss with Mirajane."
The silver-haired woman set aside a saucer of milk and a plate of smoked tuna for the Exceed to occupy himself with while she talked with her partner.
"So, what's up?"
As Natsu explained Happy's previous life to the mage, her expression shifted uncomfortably several times. She expressed sympathy, anguish, heartbreak, and bitterness at his tragic past, and her eyes sparkled with delight as she saw the limitless future ahead of him. "He'll fit right in here. I just know it. Let's make him a member of Fairy Tail!"
She grabbed the guild emblem stamp and approached Happy. "Come here, this won't hurt at all." She pressed the stamp onto his back, and a black guild mark was left behind.
"It's getting late; maybe I should go home. Mira, can you take care of Happy for today? I would stay at your place, but I've got some cleaning of my own to do, first." Natsu yawned, as he stretched his arms out.
She nodded, and bid him farewell. "Let's go Happy! I'm going to make you something nice to eat."
"Aye! I want LOTS of Fish!"
She chuckled at his childish request. "Alright. I'll make you some steaming fish soup. How does that sound?"
Happy drooled over the thought of fish in his belly and followed Mirajane to her house.
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Strauss Household – 5:00 am
She was laying on her bed, Happy laying on top of her covers. You know you have feelings for him, but I find him "interesting" too. After all, I'm you, and you are me. He is fair game. Sitri's taunting voice echoed in her head. Do I love Natsu? More importantly, CAN I love him? I know Lisanna always had a huge crush on him. But Lisanna is dead. Does that make it right for me to take him from her? And Sitri! That despicable demon! Natsu is not hers! She doesn't have the RIGHT to take him! She doesn't have the PRIVILEGE to take him! She doesn't have the POWER to take him, or does she? I can't let her! I can't let myself! I need to let Natsu be, I need to stay away – for Lisanna.
As these negative thoughts continued to swirl around in the void of Mirajane's conscience, she could feel something stirring next to her. She stretched out her arms, to try and feel what it was. It felt warm and tight. She slowly lifted her eyelids and saw her hands placed on something's abdomen. No, it was someone's abdomen. Wha- Who is this? She looked up, and to her genuine amazement, she saw Natsu. Natsu; the boy she had been dreaming about. Natsu; the boy whom all her thoughts had been circulating around. Natsu; the boy that always had her heart beating at impossible speeds. Natsu; was right in front of her, lying under the same covers.
She lightly tapped his shoulder. "Natsu, hey, sleepyhead, wake up!"
"Mph-huh?" his lazy voice came out as a reply.
"WHAT ARE YOU DOING IN MY HOUSE, IN MY BED?" Mirajane's voice showed she wasn't kidding around. A purple aura enveloped the bed, as her visible anger soon jolted Natsu awake. With a gulp, he looked at himself, and then at her. She was still dressed in her nighttime attire; some tights, and a bra to cover up her upper body. Aside from those two articles of clothing, she was wearing nothing. Natsu scanned her and analyzed her curves, and her overall slim, graceful figure.
*DESCRIPTION STARTS HERE*
She was definitely beautiful, and he had always known that. But in all the times he'd broken into her room and decided to join her, this was the first time he'd taken the time to take a close look and examine her body. She had a slim torso, one that he could probably wrap one arm around, and nice thighs. Her legs were long and thin; they were in great proportion to her upper body. As he began to glance upwards, he ravaged the sight of her breasts. They were large compared to the average female, and they were held together by the thin bra she was using to cover them up. Gah! What am I thinking? This isn't like me! His cheeks flustered a deep shade of red, and he tried to put an end to his eye journey across the girl sitting across from him. No wonder she's a model. She's gorgeous. Her skin tone was a pale white, complementing her long, flowing silver hair.
*DESCRIPTION ENDS HERE*
When he met her eyes, he was met with her menacing glare, the one he knew too well. Her crystal-blue eyes burned with a fiery rage, and he gulped, knowing his end was near.
"Do you have a death wish? Hehe, I can show you more - " she taunted as she jabbed at his ribs with a powerful smack. He collapsed onto a pillow, and lay there, unconscious. Well, he's going to be out cold for a while. Since he's supposed to arrive at the train station at 7:30 to meet with Lucy, I guess I could make him breakfast.
She got out from under her covers, and gently placed them on top of the Dragonslayer, tucking him in. Happy slept alongside of him, peacefully. They're pretty cute together she thought to herself. "Hey, Elfman! It's time to wake up." She called to her brother's room as she made her way down the stairs, and into the kitchen.
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Magnolia Station – 7:29:59
"You think Looney would be here by now…" Natsu complained, Happy sitting next to him.
"Aye Sir! When she comes, she better have some fishies for me!"
"Hey Natsu!" a cheerful voice came from the other end of the station, "You there?"
"Yea! Over here!" he stood up, and waved his arms around wildly, hoping for the blonde to see them.
She ran towards them, holding a tiny snowman in her hands. "Hey guys, I'm ready. So, do we head off now?" She glanced towards the two sitting on a bench and noticed the blue kitten munching on a fish. "Who's that?" she pointed at him, inquisitively.
"Meet Happy. He's the newest member of our family."
"AYE SIR! Nice to meet ya Looney! Who's that you're holding there?"
The blonde's face scrunched up in disgust. "Looney? I wonder who fed you THAT information. It's Lucy. And this is Plu! He's my newest Celestial Spirit."
Happy's face lit up with delight. "Wow! That's really cool! So you're a Celestial Wizard? I met one once, but she was really mean. You call spirits from other worlds to help you fight, right?"
"That's right! You're a really smart kitten, you know that?"
Natsu scoffed at this assumption. "Happy's not a KITTEN, he's an Exceed!"
Lucy had a puzzled look on her face. "I'm sorry, a WHAT?"
Natsu looked at her as if she had asked the most obvious question in the world. "An Exceed. E-X-C-E-E-D. He looks like a cat, but he can talk and fly. They're kind of rare in these parts of Ishgar, so I don't blame you. After all, the pet store in town only sold 3."
"I figured he could talk, but wow, that's really cool!" She smiled at the Exceed, "Nice to meet you, Happy!"
"Nice to meet you, too, Lucy!"
Suddenly, the loudspeaker of the station came on.
"The train heading to Shiritsume from Magnolia Station will be leaving in 15 minutes. Please check your ticket and board your train if you are headed that way!"
"Shoot, that's us!" the Dragonslayer grabbed Lucy by the hand, with Happy on his shoulder, and bolted towards the train.
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Shiritsume – Everlue Mansion Front Gates
"I – am never riding a stupid train ever again" the pinkhead placed a hand over his mouth, trying to not gag from his motion sickness.
"You say that every time"
"OH yeah?! Well, I MEAN it this time!"
"Right, you totally do" Lucy sweat-dropped, as she approached the mansion's grand gates.
"Hello? I heard that you are recruiting new maids? I'd like to try out for the job!" she flashed one of her signature smiles at the camera, and the gates opened. She turned back towards the bush, winked, and headed in. The iron gates shut tight, and the entrance was dead silent, once again.
"Looks like we'll have to find another way to get in" Natsu was clearly not happy that their teammate abandoned them and decided to try and complete the job herself.
"But hey Natsu, can we get some food first?" the Exceed asked him, patting his stomach.
"Sure, I'm hungry too buddy."
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Shiritsume Central Town District – Bourbon Grill Restaurant
"Ahh, that sure hit the spot, eyy Happy?"
"Ayy SIR!"
They exited the restaurant and came across a scene at the police department. There seemed to be a fight going on, and a crowd had already formed. I wonder what's going on? Natsu wondered .
"Let's check things out." He urged his partner, as they made their way into the ring of people standing around the cause of the commotion.
"HE'S GONE! We've been TRYING our best! He isn't the ONLY CASE! WE have a LOT TO DEAL WITH, LADY! NOW STOP COMING HERE AND LEAVE!" a man in a crowd shouted.
"B-but my son! He's disappeared for days! You have to help me, officer!" an old lady pleaded.
"I ALREADY TOLD YOU, LADY! AT THE POLICE DEPARTMENT, THERE ARE MUCH MORE –" the man was unable to finish his sentence as he received a solid punch delivered to his jaw.
He rubbed his chin, and stood up, trying to locate his attacker. In front of him stood a teen who looked no older than 19, with spiked pink hair, wearing a black vest.
"That's no way to talk to an old lady. Apologize immediately. You can talk about your problems with ME." He then turned to the lady, and spoke in a much more reserved manner. "I'll make them take care of your son. I promise. But please, you need to give them time." The lady understood, and walked away with a look of defeat. The rest of the crowd began to dissipate, as well. I really feel bad for that lady. Must be hard losing her son, the one she's cared for and raised for so long.
"So, you want to tell me what's going on?" he turned to the officer.
"Who do you think you are? Assaulting a police officer-" he glanced at Natsu's arm, and noticed a familiar emblem. It was the Fairy Tail emblem. "Wait – are you from, Fairy Tail?"
"Does that change anything?"
"YES! Here, let me fill you in. The town has recently began to see disappearing person cases, most of whom are young men aged from no older than yourself, to around mid 30s. It started out a few people throughout the span of a couple of months, but recently, the cases have been rapidly rising. Just this week, we've had 5 people missing! The town's very worried about the situation, and the police department is looking for clues.
"Can you tell me where they all started disappearing?"
"Most of them began disappearing around the Everlue Estate, but that's owned by Duke Everlue! None of us are dubious enough to mess with him! I wouldn't meddle with his business if I were you. We suspected him long ago, but are afraid to take action."
"Thanks for the warning, but I'll take him down. I'll save your towns' folk. Don't worry about that."
"That's great to hear – I wish you good luck, hero."
The pinkhead scooped up his companion, and travelled towards the Everlue Mansion, with a new mission at mind, and the old one within hindsight.
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"Alright, we're back here, at Everlue Mansion. Happy, here, hold this communication lacrimas. If you see anything suspicious from above, tell me, okay? I'm going in with teleportation magic."
"Aye Sir!"
CHAOTIC VOID! IN THE MANSION!
A portal appeared beneath the Dragonslayer's feet, and he was gone.
When he saw the light of day again, he was in a large room, full of shelves of books. This must be the library. Perfect! Now, to look for a book called 'Daybreak'. He began to scout for the book he was tasked to incinerate. As he travelled down the rows and rows of endless books, he heard footsteps on the other side of a shelf. He formed an orb of ice in case he had to encounter whoever was there, but something about their footsteps sounded off. They weren't shelving or looking for a book in a calm manner. There footsteps were fast, and they were in a hurry. So they must be looking for a special book, too. Could it be, Lucy? He rushed to the row, and prepared to attack. He was relieved when he saw the blonde scurrying around, flipping from cover to cover, and frantically trying to find 'Daybreak'.
"Hey Lucy!"
She jumped at his words and through a book at him. He dodged it and looked at her.
"Whoa there, calm down. I'm not the bad guy."
"Sorry, I thought you might have been someone else."
"Hey Guys! I think I found the book!" a blue Exceed with a golden book wrapped in his tail flew over their heads.
"Happy! You made it!" Lucy cried out in joy, "and more importantly, you have the Daybreak! Give it to me!"
She took the book from Happy, and glanced at hit. "This-this is by the famous author – Kemu Zaleon! We can't destroy this! IT's a priceless work of art!"
Natsu urged her, "Lucy, the job is to destroy the book. Do you want that or 200,000 jewel?"
"Just let me read it first, ok?" she begged.
"No-" he was cut off as the ground beneath them erupted, and a tiny man with an interesting mustache jumped up and snatched the book from Lucy's hands.
"Boyoyoyoyoh! I knew you were here to steal my treasure! You're one of those pesky mages that were sent to steal my book! Now tell me, blondy, what're the secrets? Does it lead to unfathomable riches?"
"You don't deserve this book! It has NOTHING to do with you!"
"Anything that's here is mine!"
Lucy snatched the book from his grasp, and began to run. "Not if you don't have it!"
"Not so fast. GUARDS!" Everlue shrieked as a large gorilla-looking pink-haired lady appeared with two mercenaries: one with a large frying pan in his hands, and another with large swords on his back.
"I'll hold them back. You run with the book and destroy it, Lucy!" Natsu yelled as he faced his opponents, clenching his fists. "Let's party!" FIRE DRAGON'S SECRET ART: CRIMSON EXPLOSION FLAME! Flames erupted in the library, burning books, and shelves, spreading like a plague. CHAOS DRAGON'S HORNS OF DISEMBODIMENT! Two dark purple swords swirling with black energy appeared in Natsu's hands, as he began to slash at his attackers.
"You guys occupy that one. I'll take care of Blondy. Boyoyoyoyoh!" Everlue laughed as he drilled a hole in the ground, and hopped in.
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Basement/Sewer System of Everlue Mansion
Lucy was panting and gasping for breath as she clutched the book in her hands. That should've lost them. She flipped open the pages, and began to read them. Aha! It was locked by a spell! The true content remains unrevealed! As she began to scan the contents of the literature, she heard a distant rumble within the ground. Before she could react, Duke Everlue had created a hole in the roof, and dropped down in front of her.
"Looks like I won't leave without a fight" Lucy muttered, as she pulled out one of her golden gate keys.
OPEN, GATE OF THE GIANT CRAB – CANCER!
OPEN, GATE OF THE GOLDEN BULL – TAURUS!
A man with crab legs sticking out of his back and scissors in his hands appeared alongside a giant humanoid bull with a large axe in his possession.
"Go, Taurus, attack that man!"
"Cancer, give him a bad hairdo!"
The bull slashed and hacked at Everlue, who cleverly dodged his attacks by burrowing underground at the right moments. The crab was easily subdued by his drilling spell.
"Let me show you MY spirits!" he laughed, "Come here! Virgo!"
"THAT LADY WAS A CELESTIAL SPIRIT?!" Lucy's jaw dropped.
Sure enough, in front of her appeared the large gorilla-like lady with, Natsu on top?
"Natsu how did you get here?"
"Well I saw this lady getting up, and jumped on her. I went through some weird starry world, and then I ended up here."
"YOU TRAVELLED THROUGH THE CELESTIAL WORLD? HOW IS THAT EVEN POSSIBLE? Never mind that, defeat her!"
Natsu unleashed a torrent of flames at the Virgo, and yelled, SEA VORTEX! He unleashed a great wave of water towards the spirit and her master, launching them further down the sewer drain.
"That's enough!" Everlue proclaimed. "Time to bring out my new experiment!" Get them, my Ethereal Zombies!
"Ethereal Zombies?" Lucy inquired, "What are those things?"
*M-RATED GORE DESCRIPTION*
A horde of humanoid creatures began emerging from the sewer water and other sewer entrances. Their limbs were half-severed; blood trickling down the side of the scarred, body. The closest one was a man who seemed to be of his mid-30s. He had a deep scar across his chest, it would seem as if he'd already died, and had been rejuvenated from some sort of black magic. His left eyeballs was visibly hanging outside of his eyesocket, bound only by the string of flesh that bled a crimson red. His right arm was fixated in a disturbing manner. His elbow was bent backwards; the bone of his forearm protruding from his rotten, decomposing bicep. His left arm was gone completely. Dried black blood stained what used to be his shoulder. His head was turned at an uncanny angle, with his neck veins popping out in contrast to the rest of his malnourished, stick-like body. One of the veins had been severed and broken into parts, likely from the torture he had endured. He limped towards Natsu, his left leg dragging across the red marble floor, as he tried to bite into the Dragonslayers body. CHAOS DRAGON'S - he was stopped by Lucy, who urged him to leave these creatures unharmed. "They're the civilians Duke Everlue has been performing his experiments on. We need to find the antidote. Hurting them will only be hurting the innocent." As the nightmare began to engulf around the duo, Natsu couldn't think of a plan. What should I do? I can't attack; and in this case, i can't escape, either.
"No," he said, "these aren't the real people. These are only copies of them that are programmed to attack us. It's ok, we can attack them." Earth Dragon's Secret Art: Cavern Collapse! The structure above them began to slowly collapse, as part of the ground collapsed, crushing the monsters beneath them. They turned to dust, and vanished. "See? Nothing wrong."
Servants of Darkness- I summon thee, take care of these pests! Shadows emerged from the ground, and shadows of the monsters turned on themselves. That should hold them while I take them out. Fire Dragon's Secret Art: Exploding Dance of the Flares! Natsu blasted flames throughout the chamber, wiping out the unfortunate, miserable creatures.
"Ok Lucy, let's go. I think I hear some people from the other side of the walls"
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Kaby Melon's Residence
Lucy and Natsu had freed the victims of Everlue's torture methods, and he had been arrested for his crimes, the police having enough evidence of what he's done. They had been given a 100,000 jewel reward as a bonus. The citizens returned to their everyday lives, and the town resumed to its normal state.
Lucy revealed the secret of the book to Kaby Melon.
"You've got to read it in a specific way, like This!" she uttered a chant as she pointed towards the book. Letters came flying out, and rearranged themselves. The book closed, and its cover revealed a new title. Instead of 'Daybreak', it read 'Dear Kaby' The client thanked the wizards for their help, gave them their reward, and bid them farewell.
"Hey Natsu?"
"Yea?"
"Thanks for saving me back there. I don't know what I would've done without you."
A deep blush came over Lucy's face, and as she hugged him, Natsu felt strange, as if he shouldn't be doing this. What would Mira think?
He wrapped his arms around the blonde, and gently kissed her forehead.
"It's all okay now. It's ok now. You'll be alright."Did he believe what he said?
Will HE be alright?
"It'll be alright."
DUN-DUN-DUN
Will this turn into a Harem with Lucy in it? We don't know. Comment what you think should happen! Should Natsu be romantically involved with others? Hmmmmmm I'll leave that up to you! Signing Out! :3