Chapter 12- In love?
The next client met them on a mountain top of Clover town. Lucy finally understood why Jeremiah had suggested warm clothes. The wind blew an icy breeze that froze all exposed skin. Lucy kept her cloak wrapped around her as tightly as she could and her hood up over her lavender pink hair. Someone was already at the peak waiting for them with their back turned. She had silver-white shoulder blade length flowing hair, with a single strand curled above her head like a halo. She wore a long white dress that reached the ground. 'How isn't she cold?' wondered Lucy. And then it hit her. 'That's Angel! Oracion Seis's Angel!'
Lucy stopped in her tracks, about twenty metres away from their destination.
"What's wrong, Yuki?" asked Jeremiah waiting up for her.
"I didn't realise you associated with dark guilds as well…" she said in a hushed tone.
"I'm not good, nor evil. Simply mutual, Yuki, I see all my clients the same. Clients are clients." Jeremiah explained.
Lucy bit her lip and trudged on the remaining metres.
"Angel-san." said Jeremiah greeting her,
"Jeremiah… Took you long enough. What's that?" asked Angel looking at Lucy.
'I'm a WHAT!?' thought Lucy scowling under hood.
"This is Yuki." Jeremiah introduced, "My new partner." he confirmed.
"The only business is between you and I, stated by contract I might add." said Angel firmly.
"It's okay, Jeremiah. I'm used to it now. I'll see you back at the inn." said Yuki.
"Yuki you don't have to-" began Jeremiah,
"Yes she does." Angel interrupted.
"I'll be off…" said Yuki turning with a wave and a small smile.
The trek down the mountain alone was slow, boring and cold. She ended up summoning Horologium, curling up inside talking clock and wrapping herself in a blanket just like old times. She missed Natsu and their close friendship. She missed Gray and his stripping habits 'damn no more eye candy!' She missed Wendy and her positive attitude. She missed Erza and her fearsome persona. She missed Mira greeting her from the other side of the bar in the morning. She missed Levy calling her Lu-chan and blushing when she mentioned Gajeel. She missed Cana's endless drinking and teasing about never having a boyfriend. Hell she even missed Happy randomly craving fish! Considering this list could go on for hours and hours on end, it was safe to say, she just missed everything about Fairy Tail altogether. After finally reaching the town, she fancied something warm. 'A coffee ought to do the trick.'
On the way, she spotted a fragrance shop. She hadn't had time to indulge in girly spending in a while and so she bought some rose scented perfume and put it on, continuing on her way.
Upon finding the nearest café, she ordered herself a cappuccino and sat down nearby the window in which she stared out of lost in deep thought. The first thing on her mind was him. Jeremiah. The events of the previous night were stuck on replay. 'He acted like nothing was new today though. I would have thought he'd have teased me at the least, but nothing… what could this mean?'
Finally, she was snapped out of her day dream when the waitress brought her, her cappuccino.
"Thank you," said Lucy looking up to the waitress.
She had quite a generous bust and a very skimpy, short uniform to exhibit this and more. She had dark eyes and long scarlet hair.
"Erza?" questioned Lucy.
She clasped her hands over her mouth in horror. 'Had she been discovered?' Apparently not. Luckily, Lucy had caked a ton of makeup over her pink Fairy Tail insignia that was usually on the back of her hand, and at the moment she was Yuki.
"How do you know my name?" asked the scarlet haired woman.
"Ahh-eerrr-ummm…. Sorry I'm just such a big fan, Titania…" Yuki awkwardly spluttered in a desperate attempt to cover up her slip up.
o0o
Earlier on at Fairy Tail.
"Natsu! Sorry, but Lisanna said she can't make the job today!" apologised Mira from behind the bar.
"AAwww but she picked it and everything!" Natsu replied miserably.
"It can't be helped, she has the flu!" said Mira.
"But the job requires two people. Wendy and Ice-popsicle are both on jobs." said Natsu.
"Don't worry, Natsu. I'll come with you," said Erza appearing out of nowhere.
"Why Erza?" grumbled Natsu.
A metal fist clashed with Natsu's skull.
"You wanna argue with that?" demanded Erza with her evil aura.
"Nope." squeaked Natsu.
"Aye…" trailed off Happy slowly sneaking off.
o0o
Back to café in present.
"Oi Natsu! I have a fan!" Erza called out to Natsu across the café,
Natsu sweat dropped.
"That's nice Erza…" he replied.
Lucy saw Natsu across the room and looked back at Erza, the old memories began flooding in like a title wave. She simply couldn't help how much she missed her family. Unknowingly, tears began to well up in Yuki's eyes.
"Miss? Are you alright? Is something bothering you?" asked Erza with concern.
"Sorry… It's nothing…" said Yuki wiping her teary eyes.
"It's obviously not nothing! What is it? It is a boy?" she asked with intrigue,
'I miss seeing the gossip goat side of Erza…'
"Tell Erza everything!" Erza demanded.
'And the usual strong Erza…
I really need to come up with a cover story… They can't know it's me. Not yet!
Maybe I should just go along with it.'
"Well… You are right… there is a boy. Well I wouldn't exactly call him a boy but… anyways… He's ummm, a really good friend of mine. We've been living together for a little while now and I'm sort of his business partner… He pulled a stunt on me last night that makes me a little unsettled…" began Yuki with the best lying face she could pull.
"What happened? He didn't rape you did he? I'll kill him! Wait do you love him!?"
'Do you love him….' those words echoed through Lucy's head.
"Ummmm… well he didn't rape me… so no need to hunt him down… haha," she laughed nervously, "But he was acting drunk and he started flirting? You might call it… and then he said he was only pretending to be drunk afterwards and didn't say anything about it this morning." said Yuki awkwardly.
Okay so maaaaybe she wasn't entirely lying.
"So do you love him?" demanded Erza.
"Ahaha… never thought of that…" she chuckled unconvincingly but it came off as uncomfortably, "Perhaps… This is really weird… but does it mean you're in love with someone when you blush a lot when they're around, on occasions your heart races a little bit and you want to see them shirtless?" asked Yuki…
"Hmmmm." pondered Erza.
'I wonder if she's relating to Jellal right now?' Lucy inwardly giggled.
"I think so." Erza finally came to a conclusion.
"Heh!?"
Yuki gaped. Her eyes widened. There was an awkward silence of Erza staring bemused by Yuki's face and Yuki being shocked and taking in the words individually to make sure she had heard correctly. There was no way Lucy was in love with Jeremiah.
'No way.'
"Umm-uh-uhh…. T-thanks, Erza…" stuttered Yuki as Erza began to head off to wait the next table.
"Good luck….?" began Erza.
"It's Yuki." said Yuki with a smile.
"Well, good luck, Yuki. I hope you figure it all out, but if you love him, don't let him go." Erza advised.
Lucy observed the sadness in her eyes. She would never have guessed Erza was really that sad about parting ways with Jellal once more, in fact, she was just coming into a realisation of how sad Erza and Jellal's story really was. They were great childhood friends destined to be together, then fate had split them apart and made them fight against each other. When he'd finally regained his senses, he just ended up sacrificing himself for her before they could meet again whilst both sane. Then after his being revived they met again, only this time he couldn't remember her. Then she had to watch him being dragged away and imprisoned by the magic council. But then finally they met again, after he had to wait for her thinking she was dead. For seven years. After the Grand Magic Games, they had to split up again… it was so sad. 'You are very strong, Erza.'
"Wait!" called Yuki to Erza,
Erza wheeled back around.
"Yes, Yuki?"
"Why were you being so nice to me?" asked Lucy out of curiosity,
Erza paused for a moment and then smiled a little bit.
"You remind me of a dear friend that left the guild not long ago. She used to be on our team, and we'd take jobs from all around Fiore. You two would have got along well, and besides why not be nice to you. Yuki…." said Erza.
And with the exchange of smiles, the red head left Yuki to her thoughts and her cappuccino. Lucy was very touched by what Erza had said lastly to her about a dear friend. Man she just wanted to cry! But there was another loose thread still running around her head on top of everything.
'No. I can't possibly be in love with Jeremiah. No way. It was just a lie to Erza and that's all. Ah crap! I lied to my friends, how much more horrible can I get! Damn I miss them so much and here they are right in front of me, this is so crazy! I miss hanging out with Erza and Natsu, and Gray and Wendy, and just everyone! Who knew this was just so hard!' Lucy thought.
There was a jingle of a café bell and a group of three hooded men entered interrupting her thoughts. Lucy stared at them, they were definitely suspicious. Erza was busy seducing a table of men she was taking an order from and Natsu was too busy gobbling down chicken wings 'secretly' to notice.
Suddenly there was a yell over the counter,
"Give us all of your Jewel. Leave none to spare. DO IT NOW." one hooded man demanded.
The hooded man lifted his hand up to girl behind the counter. A thumb stuck up toward the ceiling, the fore and index finger pointed towards the victim and the pinky and remaining finger were tucked in so his hand resembled a gun.
"What are you going to do? Poke me in the eye?" spat the counter girl bitterly.
*Bang*
The hooded man shot just past her face, missing on purpose to frighten/persuade her.
"Guns magic…" whispered the girl who appeared as Yuki.
'Yes, guns magic like Purehito (Hades) like that time on the Grimiore Heart airship!' she confirmed in her head.
"Requip!"
Was heard in the background and Yuki snapped her head to the side laying eyes on Erza.
"Heaven's Wheel!"
A few thirty or so swords now surrounded the three criminals restricting their movements.
"Leave peacefully or these swords will pierce your disgusting hearts." commented Erza brutally.
"I think not." the second hooded man. "Those swords are already in my web."
"What?" questioned Erza in astonishment.
"I am a user of solidifying magic. I am able to solidify anything that isn't usually solid and manipulate it however I like. I solidified light into a web that can change from solid to transparent isolating all movement." explained the second hood.
"No way." whispered Yuki.
Lucy felt a gaze upon her and turned her head. Natsu was standing beside her.
"When did you ge-" she began,
"ROAR OF THE-"
"Natsu no!" cried Lucy crash tackling Natsu to the floor. "You'll take out all these innocent people!" she scolded forgetting herself.
'Eeeek she smells really strongly of roses!' thought Natsu.
And that was when all hell broke loose. The guns wizard and the solidifying wizard were fighting Erza and the third hood began taking down the counter girl and stealing the jewel. The innocent bystanders were screaming and in some cases crying. Lucy got off of Natsu and took a battle stance. She slipped her hooded cloak aside ready to grab her whip and start fighting, but she froze. She couldn't start fighting without Erza and Natsu recognising her no matter how hard she tried to conceal her identity. Or so she thought. Natsu got up quickly and grabbed her wrist pulling her out of the way of an attack launched by Erza and intended for the first hood. Natsu began fighting the second hood in assistance to Erza. These hoods were actually pretty good. As the hoods fought, their cloaks flew up revealing their guild insignia's.
"They're Oracion Seis!" she cried before she could stop herself.
'Damn! I've gave myself away!' she shouted at herself. Natsu and Erza could surely handle them, even if they were Oracion Seis. They are Natsu and Erza after all. It may have been selfish, but Lucy fled the scene. She grabbed the remaining bystanders on the way and dragged them out the door with her so they were away from the destructive mages that threatened to burn the whole café to the ground. The third hood burst out the door after them and the bystanders fled with Yuki close following them. But a hand caught her, pulled her back and smashed a fist into her face.
"Uhhh!" cried Lucy taking the pain.
"You cost me my ransom produce!" the third hood growled.
Lucy could now tell that this particular hood was in fact, a girl. Her voice was slightly higher pitched and more feminine, and when her cloak blew in the wind her clothes stuck to her curvaceous body. The girl hit Lucy again, this time a swift punch to the gut. Lucy sunk to the ground and her head rolled to the side where she had a view of Erza and Natsu fighting. She didn't quit Fairy Tail to go into hiding, she quit Fairy Tail to be stronger and protect her friends. 'So even if it means revealing my identity, I'll fight. Fight to support my friends, and fight to save the innocent people still getting away. That is my duty, as a mage. As a Fairy Tail mage…
No matter where you are we'll always be watching over you.
That's what it means to be from Fairy Tail.
Regardless of past or present tense.'
End of Chapter! Slight cliffy not really. Tried to create a longer chapter than some. Hope you like it
Not a lot of JereLu, but a little bit of exploring Lucy's feelings which I think is good.
Next chapter shall be along soon,
of course, reviews are very encouraging and always appreciated.
Thank you all my reviewers so far, your opinions are supporting and I enjoy reading them and hearing for you all.
If you were wondering why I randomly added Lucy getting Rose Perfume, it was because Natsu would recognise Lucy's scent otherwise.
Anyways, thank you Mina!
~ Hermit!