Day 12: The Treasure Hunt (Part lll)

Everlue's mansion no longer stood in the glory it once was in seven years ago. At least from what Natsu could see. If you were to stand outside in front of the protective gate, then everything would seem alright. The grand house that was once owned by the dirty blackmailer, Everlue, would still be technically standing in the extravagance just as it once had years back.

Stepping inside through the door and into the mansion was a different story. It was clear there had been a fight. Wood was scattered around, broken sculptures and paintings hanged loose on the walls and blanketed the marble ground. The peach marble floor itself was dented with a huge crater in the center of the room.

The Magic Council had obviously paid no mind to the mansion after Everlue was arrested.

Carefully, as if the broken things on the ground were alive, Natsu walked until he was by a giant hole in the ground that led to the sewer. Underground was where most of the battle had taken place, Lucy said something about a sea. Getting down on his knees, he leaned over and heard the water rushing monotonously. "That's gotta be it," he dusted off his pants. "Well, guess I'm going."
And he jumped.

He landed with a thud into the dark void. "Woah..." he squinted but couldn't make much of anything. His nose told him he was alone and minus the water that was flowing under the ground, it was quiet. "A flower blooms in the dark when light touches it..." he groaned and grabbed his hair. "Lucy, you sure are stupid where the Edolas do you see a flower here?!"

A red flame consumed his fist and then something at the end glowed purple. His eyes shot up and stared at the light, it was blinking at him. He almost laughed at himself because he could have sworn it was welcoming him. It flashed a brilliant purple, a shade that he had never seen before. One that could only be created by magic.

"Lucy..." the whisper came out almost like a whimper and he ran towards the light. His feet dug into the ground and pushed him farther until he was standing only feet away from the blinding ray.

It was a flower.

And then he was feeling bad that he had called Lucy stupid. He started to move the hand with the flame closer to the flower until something pushed him back. A burst of white light filled his vision and he fell on his back from the impact.

The white light receeded until it took the form of Lucy. She stepped back, her face was dimly lit by a torch she held closer to her. Her smile was small and if Natsu hadn't known it was a hologram, he would have thought she was actually making eye-contact with him.

His heart picked up its pace and he felt a pulse in his stomach, he tried to focus on her words.

"I guess you're not as dense as you look, Natsu!" her smile got wider, touching the corners of her cheeks. "You're almost there don't worry! Here's the next clue: a forest buried beyond death-"

But he couldn't hear her anymore. Her mouth was moving but no sound or words were actually forming. A shadow was creeping behind her and before Natsu even realized it, he was standing and shaking his head in denial. "No..." the black silhouette moved towards the smiling girl but she had no clue. She didn't know.

A dark hand covered her face, Lucy's eyes were wide. She reached for her keys but then her hand just stopped. Like someone had pressed pause on her. It floated over her leather pouch but it wasn't reaching for her keys anymore. She wasn't even struggling.

"LUCY!" he was running towards the hologram now, reaching for her but his hands only went right through. There was nothing he could do and then the image was gone.

But Natsu didn't bother to watch the image of the girl and the black figure vanish, he was already gone.

His feet were moving faster than his mind was processing. The mansion was far behind him now and he was running through thick branches and only a roof of green leaves sat above him. He didn't have any idea where- or to what-he was running to but his feet knew, something inside him knew where to go.

Lucy's not okay.

She's not here.

I'm too late.

You're not, just get faster. Hurry.

Was she okay? What if she wasn't? What if- what if she was...

No.

He picked up his pace and swung the bag he was carrying to the ground, it was only holding him back. His head darted to his right, his feet banged on the ground in a fast and anxious beat. It was Lucy. He could smell her now.

The smell he usually associated with pixie flowers, roasted chestnuts and soap. It was Lucy's smell and nothing could tell him otherwise. "I'm coming for you, Lucy!"

He pushed all his weight down on the ground and then lurched forward, "I'm coming for you, I promise."


Author's Note: I know how late this is and i know how sucky and short it is but believe me when i tell you i already have tomorrow's posting ready and set and then only reason i didn't add it to today's is because i'm still tweaking it around. I think tomorrow's post might be the last of this little arc and then i will continue to go on with the short stories. By the end, and by end i mean when all thirty chapters are up, I'm going to post an ongoing story for the NaLu tag, it'll be adventure and still have romance but it won't be as obvious and right in your face right away as it is in these chapters. The characters would be staying more true to their nature than they're really being portrayed here (I know Natsu isn't really how i place him in these short stories but i like to think that if he were to realize Lucy were a girl and that he had feelings for her, he would act this way). Phew, with that being said, I apologize again for posting so flipping late and i pinky promise i won't let it go this long without posting and i promise that if it does happen i won't just post a minuscule sucky chapter and just leave you hanging but i'll really be back tomorrow i really promise haha and believe me this arc will not end on a bad note (sorta... or maybe?)