AN/: Behold! The newest chapter of The Dragon Masters is here! Feast your eyes on its glory! LOL I spent a good amount of time on this chapter, so I hope you guys like it. I tried not to focus too much on the romance aspect of the story. I think that I'll be writing more plot now. Don't worry though, there will still be some romance in there. I'm going to Cedar Point tomorrow for band. :) I have to be up at the school by 7:15 though. T_T Well, enjoy this chapter!
"Focus, Lucy. Juvia knows you can do this," Juvia motivated. Lucy was trying her best to control the water that floated in front of her at the moment. It took all of her concentration to just keep it together and in the air like it was now. What would it take to do anything else with it? An arm? A leg? Oh, how about her head on a silver platter? Lucy knew she was just exaggerating her thoughts, but still, the complaining helped her keep calm.
"Lucy!" Natsu shouted breaking her concentration. The water crashed to the floor, getting the Dragon Master in training and her teachers drenched from head to toe. Not only were they completely soaked, they were also extremely furious.
"Natsuu!" Lucy growled furiously through her teeth. Natsu pulled his arms up, shielding his face.
"Don't hurt me!" Natsu screeched, causing Lucy to flinch, covering her ears.
"Damn it! Don't be so loud!" she yelled. Everyone eyed her curiously as she continued to cover her ears.
Juvia placed a gentle hand over Lucy's.
"Juvia thinks we'll be done for today. You did well, so why don't you go home and rest?" Juvia suggested. Lucy nodded slowly and headed for the doors, her hands remaining at her ears.
"It looks like Lucy's pissed at you," Gray scoffed at Natsu. Some people glared at Natsu and some rolled their eyes at Gray. Natsu just shook his head, tilting it sideways in thought.
"I don't think she mad at me, so much as she's mad that she couldn't keep her magic controlled when I scared her," Natsu said thoughtfully. He thought back to the conversation he'd had with her in Erza's training field.
"It seems that way," Mira chimed in. "But, I think something else is bothering her," she added, almost as an afterthought to herself. She'd been watching the blonde closely. Admittedly, she'd been watching Natsu as well. They were currently her favorite 'project' as she liked to call it. She'd been watching the couple for a while, and now, with things going the way they were, it was getting even more interesting.
Mira had noticed how Lucy tended to flinch at loud sounds more often, how she got more and more irritated when the guild broke into one if its usual fits of chaos. Something was definitely off lately. Lucy seemed more on-edge and more aware, yet she seemed to zone out quite a bit. Getting lost in thought, Mira would guess. It was the worst that day though. Mirajane, being the devious matchmaker that she was, knew that some of it had to do with Natsu, but the transformation mage had no idea what exactly and she was just itching to know.
"I'm gonna go check on her," Natsu said, heading out the doors and to Lucy's apartment.
Oh, what Mirajane wouldn't give to be a fly on Lucy's bedroom wall. Mira usually had the scoop on everything that happened in Fairy Tail and was usually the first to know, but she had to get her information from somewhere.
Her eyes fell on the blue Exceed that sat at the end of the bar trying to persuade Charle to accept the fish he was offering. Happy! That little info-gathering feline would be perfect for the job!
"Oh Happy," Mira called out, a mischievous glint in her eyes. Happy swallowed hard. That tone was never a good sign.
(^_^) (^_^)
Natsu jumped up to Lucy's window. She always left it unlocked, even though she constantly yelled at him to use the door. You would think she'd have enough sense to lock the window to prevent him from using it, right? He chuckled lightly to himself. Maybe she was just always expecting him.
He entered quietly, not wanting to startle Lucy, who was curled up on her bed, her hands still covering her ears. She looked like she was in pain.
"Maybe I should come back later," Natsu muttered to himself almost inaudibly. He'd been fully prepared to climb back out the window, but a hand suddenly stopped him. He turned to find her grasping his arm and clenching her teeth.
"Lucy?" Natsu questioned quietly. Lucy seemed to be easier to get along with if you weren't yelling. "I know, I know, you don't want me coming in the window or just walking into your house," he said softly, rolling his eyes. He'd probably get a kick in the face for that, but he didn't care much. Lucy released his arm, let hers fall to her side, and moved back, turning her gaze away from him.
"What are you doing here?" Lucy asked softly after a moment of silence. She didn't sound mad or irritated. In fact, she sounded rather tired and pained.
"I just wanted to check on you," Natsu answered kindly, softly shutting the window and seating himself next to Lucy on her bed. "Are you okay?"
It was silent again and Lucy had closed her eyes tightly, her hands flying up to cradle her aching head. Oh god did it hurt. All the sounds were assaulting her ears and it was like even the most casual of volumes sounded as if her ears were pressed up against loudspeakers. There were so many smells swirling in the air around her that she felt almost nauseated by the unfamiliar aromas. She'd dealt with it as best as she could all day, but it was really starting to get to her.
The scent of a forest was strong in her nose, and thankfully, it began to drown out all of the other scents that surrounded her. She tried to take a deep breath, slowly and shakily inhaling the sweet and soothing scent of pine and spice. Whose scent was that? Where was that relaxing aroma that suddenly dulled all of her pain coming from?
She jumped at the sudden touch of a hand on her shoulder and her eyes snapped open. It was Natsu's hand that had landed on her shoulder. The scent she so longed to be close to was fading, allowing the pain to seep back into her temples. She quickly snapped her eyes shut again, closing out the blinding light that burnt her eyes.
"What's wrong?" he asked with great concern. His eyes scanned over her continuously in search of any sign of injury. He unknowingly leaned in closer to her, his eyes now fixed on her face. Her scent let him know that she felt a bit scared, and her expression held all that of an expression of being in pain.
"My… my head," she breathed quietly, letting her eyes crack open slightly to see Natsu, who had leaned closer. She still felt nauseous, but that scent of pine and spice drifted back into her nose, numbing the pain slightly. "It… hurts," Lucy whimpered. Tears began to prick at her eyes.
It was Natsu that smelled of forest pine and sweet spice, and it was his scent that was helping dull the pain that pounded in her skull. She wanted so much to let that smell envelope her into a blanket of comfort, to let it take all the pain away. She wanted the pain to go away, and whatever it was causing the pain, to leave with it.
Natsu slid his hand from her shoulder to the back of her head, pulling her in to comfort her. He wrapped his other arm around her. He figured he knew what her ailment was, and was quite familiar with it himself.
There were days when Natsu's dragon-like senses went haywire. Smells would nauseate him, the light would blind him and cause his head to pound, and even the smallest of sounds were loud, echoing booms that made him feel like his head was splitting in two. He remembered that pain as a kid too, when his senses were developing. That's what must have been happening to Lucy.
Natsu's scent got stronger as she felt him pull her head to his chest. Why was he doing this? Lucy figured he was just trying to comfort her, but wouldn't their… position… be awkward for him? She felt as if she were using him as a tool, basking in the comfort of his scent and embrace. But, the pain she had felt was just as bad as her guilt, and she could always apologize later, right?
Lucy didn't understand why she was feeling such pain in the first place, but she was determined on fully enjoying the comfort that Natsu's scent brought her. She nuzzled her face into the Fire Dragon Slayer's chest. Such a tantalizing scent it was… so nice… so comforting. She felt like she could stay there like that for the rest of her life. She never wanted that moment to end; she never wanted the pain to come back.
What was it about Natsu that was so reassuring? Why was it his scent that gave her comfort? Why was it him? Lucy had so many questions that she just didn't have answers for. There had been so much on her mind that she didn't know what to make of it. Her thoughts lingered on what was happening to her, the splitting headache and queasy stomach. The pain wouldn't allow her to think much of anything else. But the other thoughts still found their way into her mind. Thoughts about the dragons, about Luka and what she was up to, about her training and her magic, and about the dream she'd had.
She felt frazzled by it. Why would she have such a dream, and about Natsu, no less? She knew she had feelings for her pink-haired best friend, but she had to have fallen hard for her to be dreaming about stuff like that. It wasn't like she'd ever had dreams like that before, either. It was only once; just that one dream.
It was silent in the room as he held Lucy close to him, but Natsu didn't really mind. He found their position comfortable. He knew that Lucy was only staying as close to him as she was because it soothed her pain. He didn't mind, he never really held anything against his nakama.
Lucy's consciousness started to slip away further and further, and soon she drifted into a very welcomed sleep. Natsu let his eyes shut as he enjoyed the comfortable silence between them. He knew Lucy had fallen asleep, but as usual, he didn't mind. They stayed like that for a little while until Natsu picked up a very familiar scent.
The cat that flew outside Lucy's bedroom window peered in, a camera in his paws. He couldn't believe that Mirajane had talked him into spying on Lucy and Natsu. She really was a she-devil. She knew his weakness: fish… and a gigantic plate of them too. As soon as she brought the platter out, Happy's thoughts went out the metaphorical window as he drooled over the delicious looking bribe.
CLICK! One picture was all he needed, according to Mira. Good thing too, because the clumsy cat had forgotten to turn the flash off. He saw Natsu's head spin to the direction of the window with a menacing glare.
'Oh crap!' Happy thought. He flew away as fast as he could, but felt bad. Usually, he'd be more than willing to spy on Natsu and Lucy. He was always teasing them about stuff like that, but this time, things seemed to be a bit more serious. Natsu was Happy's best friend. In truth, he knew Natsu better than anyone else, even Lucy. He also wasn't stupid. Having grown up with Natsu, he figured that he knew what Lucy was going through. He'd helped comfort Natsu for the same thing on many occasions when they were younger.
Happy knew that the situation was serious. Lucy was in pain. Her new senses were more than likely fully developing and setting in. The Exceed had seen enough of Natsu's suffering to know that Lucy sure wasn't in the mood to deal with any crap.
"Poor Lucy," Happy muttered. He knew how Lucy hated for her friends to see her in pain. That was why she hid herself away at home whenever she was sick. She didn't want others to worry about her.
Happy gripped the camera tighter in his paws, pausing and hovering above the street. Lucy was his friend. She was his best friend's best friend. They were all best friends. Sure he teased them all the time, but they were still his friends. Every other time wasn't as serious as this. It wasn't like the world was ending, but it was definitely no laughing matter.
"No, I won't let Lucy down," happy resolved, looking around to see if anyone was watching. No one seemed to care. The citizens of Magnolia were used to seeing Happy, so why would they bother to make a big deal out of anything now?
After making sure the 'coast was clear', Happy casually let the camera slip from his paws, letting it plummet to the ground. It landed with a crack that sure didn't sound like good news for the electronic. The Exceed just hoped that the damage was enough to destroy what Mirajane was after.
"Oops," Happy said looking at the camera on the ground. He dropped to the ground and picked the camera up carelessly, flying off toward the guild.
CRACK!
Happy dropped the camera again, this time eliciting a louder crack from the device.
'That should do it!' Happy thought proudly. He was glad that he could do something for his closest friends. He picked up the broken camera once more and headed to the guild.
(^_^) (^_^)
Lucy jumped, startled by the sudden movement of the pillow she was currently resting her head on. She lifted her head to find herself staring into the eyes of her partner.
"N-Natsu!" He was still there? When had she fallen asleep?
"You feeling any better?" Natsu asked with a knowing smile.
Lucy thought for a moment. Her headache was gone and she could open her eyes without being blinded. The various sounds and smells that had surrounded her before were still there, but they weren't as harsh on her ears and nose. She could still smell the scent that had comforted her earlier that day. She could hear his breathing and the frantic pounding of his heart. Was he nervous or something?
"Yes, actually," Lucy began. She was amazed. A simple nap had seemed to do the trick, or was it Natsu that had done something? "I feel about a million times better," she finished with a smile. It was then that she noticed Natsu's arms around her.
"Oh, sorry," she apologized sheepishly pulling away from him. She regretted it almost immediately, missing the warmth of his strong arms.
"Oh, don't worry about it," Natsu said, waving it off with his hand. "We have better things to worry about," he laughed.
"Like what?" Lucy asked slowly and cautiously.
"Like burning Happy to a crisp," he replied casually. Lucy's eyes bulged out of her head.
"What? Why would we do that to Happy?" she shouted. She wanted to murder that stupid cat on a daily basis, so why was Natsu suddenly all for it?
"I caught him spying on us. No doubt Mira probably put him up to it." He folded his arms across his chest. "He had a camera in his paws."
It was silent for a brief moment before Lucy let a growl rip from her throat.
"He's a dead cat!" she shouted. Whoa, had she just growled? Talk about strange.
"C-calm down, Luce." He pumped a fist in the air. "Besides, I can't let you have all the fun, can I?" He gave her one of his signature smiles.
"Absolutely not!" Lucy agreed.
Lucy had gotten up and grabbed her keys off of the table, though she didn't plan on using them to deal with Happy. She liked Natsu's idea much, much more.
With that, the two ran from Lucy's apartment and toward the guild where the poor, unsuspecting Exceed awaited.
END NOTE: I made this chapter a bit longer for you guys. It's not super long, but longer than usual. I really really really really really really... really hope you review. :) I had started that contest, and so far, I don't have any entries... :( talk about depressing. Oh, well. I'm kind of used to stuff like that. I always try to be a leader figure but people blow me off like I'm not even there. *sigh* what a world! I hope to hear your opinion on how I'm doing. I always dream of people getting into serious discussion over my stories, but I guess that's just a dream. No biggy :) maybe someday... eh? Until next time...
~Allie-K
Oh, also, if you haven't noticed, I changed the summary. I wanted it to be more... accurate. :)