A/N: So, for uploading after more than a month, here's chapter 14! Read & review!
Special thanks to my editor!
Disclaimer: Do not own Fairy Tail.
Lucy's POV:
"Wak….you can wa…."….
"Sheesh you damn broa…."….
"Hey wake up already…"
"I said wake up already!"
"Ahhh!" Something cold poured over my face, and I jumped up, startled at the sensation. "What the hell is this?" I yelled, wiping the liquid from my face and clothes.
"Relax. It's just water. We needed you to get up, but you were out like a light."
After wiping my face clean and squeezing the water out of my shirt, I looked up. Two men stared back at me, and it took me a while to comprehend what was going on. To my right was a man with long golden hair and a face sculpted in boredom, and to my left was a man in a cloak covering his face from my view. I didn't know what to make of it.
But they looked so familiar.
At first they just stared at me, and my head must have been foggy because it seemed as if they were waiting for me to speak or do something. Why on Earhtland are they waiting for m…
And then my brain cleared.
My eyes widened and I jumped up from the bed I had no idea I was lying on. I ran to the nearest wall and put my hands up in defense. "Please, don't hurt me. I'm sorry I hit you, but you have to understand that it was out of defense. Please, I'm begging you don't hurt me." I pleaded.
The golden haired man, who if I remembered correctly was named Rex, sighed. "Put your stinking hands down. No one's gonna hurt you. Even though I should for what you did to me you little−"
"Rex," said the man in the cloak. "Enough."
Rex turned towards the man and exhaled. "You always kill my fun. Whatever. I'll leave her for you to deal with. I can't understand why she's so precious to you." Then Rex turned to me and eyed me up and down. "Then again, her fire is pretty crazy. Reminds me of the Titania."
My heart skipped and I inhaled my breath. "You know Erza?" I whispered.
Rex just looked at me with his deadpan stare, and then yawned. "I'm pretty tired. Chasing after you got me beat. Later." And then he headed for the door.
My eyebrows knitted together in frustration as he avoided my question. "Wait! Answer me. How do you know Erza?" but he kept ignoring me and headed out of the room. I sighed my frustration out and bawled my fists to my sides. Makes no sense to go running after the people who kidnapped you. You'd look like a lunatic, I told myself. Then I glanced at the man in the cloak. Even though I couldn't see his face, I could tell that he was just staring at me. It was really weird and kind of annoying, but I kept quiet. For a while, we just stared at each other. The tension in the room was sizzling and the awkward silence was rather loud. I couldn't take it anymore. "Say something, please," I said gently, not wanting to upset him.
At first, he just responded with silence, which irritated me, but then he moved. He walked from in front of me to the table and chairs by the bookshelf. He pulled one chair out from the table and stood behind it, waiting for me to go over and sit in it. I didn't move, not sure if I should trust him or not, so once again we just stared at each other, and I refused to be the one to say something first. After a moment, he sighed and said, "I'm not gonna hurt you. You can trust me."
"I can't trust anyone right now," I countered. "I don't know why I'm here and no one is telling me anything. Now all of a sudden you want my trust. You must think I'm an airhead," I said a little rough.
The man in the cloak chuckled, which startled me because I didn't think he would do something like that. I just stared at him with confusion and waited for him to speak. He held his hand out to the chair, indicating that he wanted me to sit. "I don't think less of what you really are, and if you want answers then—"
"What do you mean less than what I really am?" I fumed. The nerve of this asshole! To say something like that… I was furious. I stomped my foot on the ground and looked at him with scrutinizing eyes. "What am I really like then? You think I'm stupid or something? Let me tell you this, you jerk, I may not have been the strongest, but I was definitely the smartest person on my team back in my old guild. For you to think that I'm stupid, I should—"
"Hey, wait a minute. I don't think—"
"Don't you interrupt me when I'm talking to you, you slimeball!" I yelled. "You don't know a thing about me and yet you dare judge me based on what? Huh? The nerve of you to even—"
"But I didn't think—"
"You did think that I was an airhead! Is it because of the blonde hair, or the big boobs?! Huh? Do I look like an airhead because of the way I dress? And why are you looking at the way I dress? Is this why you kidnapped me you assh—"
"Luce!" he yelled at me. My breath and my anger caught in my throat and my eyes grew wide. For the first time since our little argument, I noticed his stance. His shoulders were tense and his grip on the chair head was tight. It seemed as if he was agitated, but that didn't surprise me. What did it was what he called me. He sighed and removed his hand from the chair to ball it into a fist. "Calm down and take a breath," he whispered, but I didn't know if he said it to me or for himself.
I stared at him and my heart was pounding in my chest. Without thinking, I said, "Why did you call me that?"
He stiffened, letting me know that he was caught off guard. He sighed once again and then pointed to the chair that was held out. "Just sit."
I shook my head, not sure what to do. The only person who called me that was Natsu. But now, my son calls me that too. Why did this person call me that?
He put his hands up when I took a step back and said, "It's all right, Lucy. I promise that I'm not gonna hurt you. You said you wanted answers. Well, I'd be happy to give them to you, but first I just want you to sit."
"Why?" I asked, still staring at him with wide, and now, confused eyes.
He exhaled. "Because I need you to be comfortable, because the answers you seek may be a little bothersome. So please." He held his hand out for me and waited.
I looked at his hand. He was asking me to listen to him and trust him. But why did he call me that? He never answered my question and I didn't know what to think of that. Do I trust him? My mind said no, but I was a little curious at what he meant when he said the answers I want would be bothersome. And my heart ached when he called me Luce. What does this mean?
Then I remembered something: "Luce, please trust me when I tell you to not fear the people you will meet soon. Believe it or not, they are your only hope of surviving the enemy."
That's what Tenjin told me in my dream. I looked at the cloaked man. He didn't seem dangerous nor did he seem like someone who I could trust so easily. But Tenjin wanted me to trust him for some reason, and I don't think that he would put himself and me in harm's way.
I glanced down at my stomach and palmed it. If Tenjin wanted me to believe in these guys, then I didn't see why I couldn't. I looked back at the man and then walked over to the chair he held out. I didn't take his hand, but I sat in the chair and allowed him to push it in for me.
He walked to the other side of the table and sat in the chair opposite of me. He stared at me, and it was kind of uncomfortable, so I looked at the table while fidgeting my hands under it.
He sighed. "First things first. About what you said, or rather yelled earlier, I don't think you're stupid. Nor do I think you're an airhead. And how can I base you being an airhead on your hair or your clothes when you're a brunette and your clothes are decent?"
I froze in shock, forgetting that I wasn't a blonde at the moment, and I didn't dress in my normal short skirts and whatnots. Shit, I thought to myself.
"And what I meant when I said that I don't think less of what you are is that I know that you are stronger than you appear."
I looked at him and said, "How would you know about my strengths? You don't even know me?"
"But I do know you, Lucy," he said gently.
I swallowed hard, not understanding his meaning, and fidgeted with my fingers under the table. "What do you mean?" I asked.
He didn't answer me right away. He just stared as if he was trying to see inside of me. For some reason, I put my hands protectively on stomach and was glad that he couldn't see it, since it was under the table. Sitting so close to him, I realized that if I looked hard enough, I was able to see his mouth and after I put my hands over Tenjin, I saw him smirk. I was baffled, but before I could say or think anything, he said, "I think you're asking the wrong questions, Lucy."
That threw me. "What do you mean? What questions am I suppose to ask you then?"
He squared his shoulders and put his forearms on the table, while leaning in closer. "You know what questions you really want to ask. You said no one was telling you anything, right? Here's your chance to get those answers you've been looking for."
I paused for a moment, taking in what he just told me and thought about everything I needed an answer for. Then I found a question that needed to be answered right away. "You took me away from the only person who was suppose to protect me. Did you do that because you're going to harm me in any way?"
I stared at him, trying to see past his cloak that was covering his face, because I needed to see his eyes. I could always judge someone by looking into their eyes, and I needed to see if he would lie to me or tell me the truth. Even though he didn't give off a bad vibe, I still didn't know him at all, and I needed to see if he really was different than the dark guild coming after me, or if he was worse.
I couldn't see his eyes, but his mouth was in a tight line, as if he was frustrated. He sighed and gently said, "Don't be afraid, Lucy. The last thing I want is for you to be afraid of me." His voice was deep, but their was longing in his words, like he really didn't want me to be afraid of him or it would hurt…. hurt him.
It felt like my words hit him. I didn't know why I felt that I hurt him a little, or why I felt the need to comfort him, but I did, almost protectively. What the hell was wrong with me? Why would I want to comfort the person who kidnapped me? I must be losing my mind. That's it Lucy, you have officially went fucking crazy. Is this Stockholm syndrome?
"I see that you're still afraid of me, even though I told you a few times now that I'm not going to hurt you. I see it's still hard for you to trust me. I guess it would be after all," he said. "What can I do for you to not be afraid of me?"
He sounded desperate, like he needed my acceptance of him. Did he know that he was giving me the upper hand here? "You could let me go back to Loke," I challenged.
He smirked. "Anything but that," he said.
Of course not, I thought with a grin. Then I thought of something. "You could tell me who you are and why I'm here."
He hesitated. His smirk was gone from his face and his mouth was in a tight line again.
"You asked me if there was anything you could do. I think telling me about yourself and telling me why I'm here is a fair trade," I said.
He put his palms on the table and for the first time, he looked away from me. "I know it's fair. It's just…"
I waited, but he was quiet for far too long for my liking. "It's just what? Don't I deserve the right to know why you kidnapped me? Don't I deserve to know who kidnapped me? You said that you knew me, right? I think it's unfair for you to know me when I know nothing about you or your buddy. If you want me to trust you, tell me what I want to know. What I need to know," I said a little frustrated.
He looked back at me and said, "You do deserve to know all of that. It's just I'm not sure how to start."
I huffed a sigh and folded my arms across my chest. "Well, you could start by taking off your cloak and letting me see your face for once."
He stiffened and closed his hands into tight fists. His actions confused me. I didn't think he'd get so tensed by me saying that, but he looked…nervous, or scared even. Something protective inside of me wanted to tell him that everything was okay, but I bit my tongue. I shouldn't feel protective for him, and yet my heart was telling me else wise.
It was quiet for a while. Neither of us moved, and the air was tense. Then, "Do you really want to see my face?" he asked.
I put my hands on the table and tried to make my voice sound soothing. "Of course. I have a right to know what you look like. Rex doesn't hide his face from me, so why do you?"
He paused for a moment, as if showing me his face was extremely hard. Then, he slowly lifted his hands to the hood of the cloak and pulled it down. My breath caught in my throat as he revealed his face to me. "It can't be…" I mumbled to myself.
Normal POV:
Natsu stood by the infirmary door, glad to see the rest of his team awake. They looked exhausted, but otherwise in good shape, especially after waking from nightmares that made them revisit the worst times in their lives.
When Erza, Gray and Lisanna woke up, the guild of course was very happy, especially the two take over siblings. They were so happy to see their little sister awake and safe. Mirajane couldn't stop crying and Elfman just hugged his sisters like there was no tomorrow.
Juvia was a wet mess all over Gray, and he was too tired to deal with her in his normal mannerisms. Happy climbed on Erza's lap, crying tears of joy that she was okay along with the rest of Team Natsu.
The guild was beyond happy, and once Porlyusica checked them all to make sure nothing was wrong with them physically, the guild told them what was going on.
The three members were beyond shocked at what they heard. Lucy left the guild because she was being targeted by a dark guild, she was pregnant, and now the dark guild kidnapped her and put Team Natsu and Loke in a comma like state to delay them from pursuing her.
After hearing Loke explain everything again, it just made Natsu more upset, and he wasn't the only one.
"Why didn't she tell us? We would have protected her," Gray said.
"She was protecting you, Gray," Loke replied. "She was trying to protect all of us. We don't know who we're dealing with, and she said that they would bring Fairy Tail to our demise if we helped her. She didn't know any other way."
"She should have trusted in her nakama," Erza said harshly. She raised Goosebumps on people's skin with her rough tone. "Fairy Tail would never give up protecting her, and we would gladly give our lives if we have to, if that meant that she would be safe."
"She knows that, which is why she didn't want to harm any of you." Loke was rather tired of explaining Lucy's motives repetitiously, and wished that his guild members would understand Lucy's choices.
"I understand why she did it, but I guess I'm just annoyed that she was in such a predicament and there was nothing I could have done to help her. When we read her goodbye letter in Master's office, I knew that she was in trouble, but I didn't think it was something like this…" Gray said.
The guild murmured in agreement.
"I, too, am frustrated. I didn't mean to sound so harsh, but my teammate is out there struggling for her life and I'm here resting on a cot. I need to be out there helping her like all the times she's helped me," Erza said a little calmer.
Cana walked over to Erza and put her hand on her shoulder. "We all feel the same way, so it's okay."
Erza nodded and then turned her attention to Makarov. "So Master, what is the plan?"
Everyone turned to Master to hear his response. He was sitting in a chair by Loke's cot, with his eyes closed. He waited for a moment and then opened them, ready to give his input. "Like I mentioned before, we will split the guild in two. Half of us go out looking for Lucy, and the other half staying here to protect the guild in case Shadows of Darkness decides to strike. The half that will be out looking for Lucy will have to break up into smaller groups, each group having a dragon slayer to help guide them."
Everyone nodded to Master's words and Erza had her battle planning face on. "Do you know who will be in which team?" she asked Master.
"I have not thought about it yet. I was waiting for you to wake up so that you would help decide. You seem to know who compliments who."
Erza nodded her head in agreement. "That is true, Master. First we have to figure out who stays behind and who goes out on the search."
"Well, we know that the three dragon slayers are already going out in the search. We also need strong people to stay behind to protect our guild. I don't mind staying behind," Mirajane volunteered.
"No, you'd be a great asset on the search Mira," Erza implicated. "If Master is staying behind, we don't need all of our strongest to stay back. You, Elfman and Lisanna are going to be searching for Lucy."
Mirajane smiled and hugged her sister, who was still kind of weak. She didn't mind staying behind to help guard Fairy Tail, but she didn't want to be separated from her siblings, and she wanted more than anything to help find Lucy. She partially blamed herself for not seeing the changes in Lucy and not being able to see that she was in trouble. She wanted to make that up to Lucy and this was the best way to do it.
"Gray, we need to hurry up and get better because we're going out too," Erza demanded to her teammate.
"If Gray-sama is going, then Juvia is going too," Juvia said while holding onto Gray's arm, much to his displeasure.
"And you know there's no way I'm staying behind," Cana said.
Then a lot of people voiced there thoughts about either staying or going out to find Lucy, and the infirmary room got too rowdy.
"Enough!" yelled Erza. "Master left me in charge of deciding who stays and who goes. Fairy Tail has a lot of great mages. That being said, the mages going out of the guild has to be able to take down our enemy with our greatest strengths. With Master being here, there is a great sense of security that the mages going on the hunt won't have. So it's only fair to take the strongest we have to go out to search for Lucy, and the rest stay here and guard the guild. Anyone got a problem with that?" Erza asked. Although there were people who did have an opinion or two, they held their breaths due to the stare of death Erza gave everyone. When no one objected, Erza nodded once and said, "Good. Now, aside from the three dragon slayers and their cat companions, Master and I will discuss about whomever else will be searching for Lucy, since it was a mistake to try and discuss it now amongst everyone. Until then, everyone just relax and wait. As much as I'd like to leave now, Gray, Lisanna, Loke and I still need our rest, so there's no rush."
"I couldn't agree more. For now everyone, let's leave these four alone to get better," Master implied as he hopped off his chair and headed for the infirmary door. He stopped by Natsu, who was unusually quiet, and said, "Natsu, if you've got a minute, I'd like to talk to you for a little in my office."
The pink haired dragon slayer was slightly confused, but nodded his head all the same and followed his master to his office.
(*********)
Once inside of the office, Makarov went and sat in his chair behind his desk and Natsu stood in front of it, not really wanting the comfort of the chair staring back at him. "What's up, Master?" Natsu asked.
"I just wanted to see if you were doing okay," Master said.
Natsu knitted his brows together in puzzlement and smirked. "Of course I'd be okay, why would you think I wouldn't be?"
Makarov joined his hands together and stared at the fire dragon slayer. "Well Natsu, there's this old saying that I'd like to share with you, if you don't mind."
Natsu stared back at the little old man, and nodded his head for the master to continue.
"Okay," Master continued once he got Natsu's approval. "A dragon rarely covets anything in life that isn't a necessity, like water or food. You get it, right.?"
Natsu held his hand to his chin, with his forefinger over his mouth and his thumb under his jaw. "Mhm…. A dragon never wants anything except things that it needs. Like food and water…maybe sleep. I get it. Is that all?" he asked his master with an even more confused face.
The master chuckled. "No, that's not all. I was just making sure you were really paying attention. I'll continue then. They say that a dragon rarely covets anything in life that isn't a necessity. He eats, he drinks, he sleeps, and he fights for survival. But only once in a dragon's lifetime does he desire something greater even than his own life. That thing he desires most is a mate and a family." Makarov grinned. "I guess that would be two things. Anyway, when a dragon desires a mate, he searches the whole world for the perfect one for him. When he acquires her, he holds her life above his own and cherishes her for all time."
Natsu had no idea what Master was talking about, but something in him made him listen extra carefully to every word Master was saying. There was something about this saying that touched Natsu deep down in his possessive nature.
"A dragon mates for life, and even if his companion knows it or not, she would be trapped forever with him. Now, most people would think that this is a good thing, if the dragon and his mate are in love, but if it is one sided on the dragon's part, it could be troublesome for the mate he desires."
"What do you mean troublesome?" Natsu asked without thinking.
"Well, once the dragon has his eyes set on a mate, no other being can have her. And if anyone tries, he would rather take her life and his own so that they may have a chance to be together in the afterlife, then let another being try to have his way with what the dragon deems his. He becomes extremely possessive with his mate. It's not so bad if his mate desires him back, but what if she doesn't?" Makarov asked while staring intently at Natsu.
For some reason, Natsu's possessive side slide over his heart and squeezed it real tight at the thought of Lucy not loving him back. He wasn't even really thinking about that until Master brought up this saying. Natsu put his hand over his heart and asked, "What will happen if he doesn't get that love in return?"
Master glared at Natsu for a moment and then sighed. "The dragon can become destructive to anything or anyone in his path, and that includes the ones he cares most about."
"Why are you telling me this Master?"
"Because you're a dragon who desires a mate, and I don't want to see you become destructive."
Natsu stared at the master with a shocked expression. Natsu recently realized his love for Lucy, so it was a little surprising to see that the master knew it too. Natsu closed his eyes and exhaled the built up air from his lungs. He didn't know that his body was so tense from hearing Master's tale, so he waited until he was more relaxed. Then he opened his eyes and stared at Master with a stern glare and said, "I won't become destructive."
Master heard the serious tone in Natsu's voice, and hoped he was right. "How would you know? You can't predict how you'd feel in the future. What if Lucy is in love with someone else? We don't even know who is the father of her baby. You don't know how you'd react when you do find out."
Even though his possessive nature was roaring out its frustrations at the thought of Lucy with another man, having a family without him, Natsu just looked nonchalantly at Master, and shrugged his shoulders. "I may not like the idea, Master, but I would like to think that I would respect Lucy's decisions anyway. Because I love her so much, I want her to be happy, and if her happiness is with someone else, then I'd rather fight for it then against it."
Makarov looked at the pink haired mage that stood confidently in front of him. He smiled at the mage, like a father would when he was very proud of his son, and said, "Good. I'm glad to hear how you feel. Let's just hope that you don't follow in the footsteps of all the dragons that came before you."
Natsu grinned at Master and said, "Of course not. I'm Natsu Dragneel, not some old lonely dragon that your saying was based on."
Master laughed and got out of his chair to walk to his office door. "You're right. You're one of the strongest dragons I know, and you're not even a dragon per say. I guess I have nothing to fear." Then Makarov left Natsu in his office alone.
After Master left, Natsu's joyous grin vanished and his eyes became so dark. He held his hand over his chest and squeezed tight, as if he was trying to rip his own heart out. The façade he put on for Master was hard to keep. Natsu knew that he would never accept Lucy with someone else. Just thinking about her being pregnant with another man's kid nearly made him go crazy. He couldn't stand not knowing who the bastard was, but he had to keep his cool. "Calm down Natsu," he told himself out loud. He couldn't afford losing it right here. He needed to keep a level head in order for him to find the woman he loves. "It's all right. You'll be fine. She might love you back," he told himself. When he was just relaxed enough, he left Master's office and joined the rest of his team in the infirmary.
(*********)
Levy paced back and forth in front of the closed infirmary door. She didn't want to go in and voice what was on her mind, but she knew that she didn't have much choice when it came down to it.
In the shadows stood a silent dragon slayer, who watched the petite blunette pace nervously for a while. He noticed that when she lifted her head in the direction of the infirmary door, as if she was ready to go in, she would shake her head and begin pacing again, biting her nails anxiously. It was entertaining for a while, but then watching her gave him the nerves.
He emerged out of the shadows and approached the blue haired mage. Maybe he should have made a noise indicating that he was coming towards her, because she gasped and put her hand to her heart. "Geez Gajeel. You scared me," Levy said, trying to calm her already harsh breathing. "What's up?"
"What's with the pacing back and forth?" Gajeel asked out right.
"Oh…you saw that?" she asked nervously. Gajeel just nodded his head and waited for an answer. Levy took her hand and scratched her left elbow anxiously. "Well, I was contemplating whether I should go in and talk to Erza about her choices in who stays and who goes."
Gajeel huffed and said, "Don't be worried. That brute of a woman isn't gonna choose people she knows can't handle searching for bunny-girl."
"Well, that's why I wanted to talk to her." Levy began saying. Then she looked down to the floor, avoiding Gajeel's firm glare. "I don't think I would be a good candidate to go search for Lu-chan."
Gajeel didn't change his expression, but something inside of him protested. "Why would you think that?" he asked in his normal rough voice.
"I'm not as strong as the rest of you." She picked her head up and stared Gajeel in the eyes. "Trust me, I want to find Lu-chan probably more than anyone, but I don't want to let her down because I was holding the rest of you back. I could be helpful here with Master and whoever else stays, and cheer for you guys on the sideline. I just don't think a weak person like me sho—"
Gajeel put a hand up to stop Levy from talking. Although he wanted her to be in the safest place possible, just in case shit hit the fan, he couldn't think of anywhere safer than where he could keep an eye on her, which was either near him or with him. And he didn't like her talking about her being weak. She just couldn't see her true strengths like he and everyone else could. "Listen shrimp, you'd be a great asset if you stay or if you come. Just stop saying your weak all the time. Look at all the times you've helped protect Fairy Tail. Stop selling yourself short."
Levy blushed in embarrassment and looked down to the floor, leaving Gajeel's eyes to roam up and down her figure. She was small, and he was always worried when she went out on missions with Jet and Droy, but he knew she could handle her own. He just wanted her to see herself how he saw her. Gajeel started walking away and Levy glanced up and stretched her hand out to stop him. "Wait, Gaj—"
"And, if you want, I could ask for you to be put on my team, that way I could show you how big you really are."
After saying his piece, Gajeel left a speechless Levy standing outside of the infirmary door, unaware that Team Natsu, Loke and Master heard everything they said.
(*********)
The next day, Erza, Gray, Lisanna and Loke were out of their cots in the infirmary and were preparing themselves for whatever plans Erza and Master came up with the night before.
All of the guild members were in the guild, waiting for Erza to announce everything.
She stood by the bar with Master sitting on the counter. "This is what we have decided. Three teams led by the dragon slayers. Team Natsu will include myself, Happy, Gray, Lisanna and Loke."
Sitting at the same table as Gray, Juvia began to shed tears at the thought of her not being paired up with her beloved Gray-sama.
"Team Gajeel will include Lily, Levy, Elfman, Evergreen and Juvia."
Gajeel put his arm on top of the blunette's head, and Jet and Droy's faces sunk at the thought of Levy being with such a brute without them. Elfman was excited to be picked as one of the people going to search for Lucy and winked at Evergreen, who huffed and turned her head away from the white haired man.
Everyone else held their breaths as Erza listed off the remaining names of the people who will be out on the hunt. "Team Wendy will include Carle, Mira, Freed, Bickslow and Cana. Everyone else will stay here and assist Master in protecting Fairy Tail."
Even though they knew that Erza and Master's choices were logical, there were still members who weren't so happy about the decision.
Erza could hear the disappointed murmurs and didn't want people to feel dissatisfied. "Listen up, everyone. Those of you guarding our home may have it the hardest. This guild seems like the type to ambush us when we least expect it, and it's your duty to not let them win. Regardless of who is staying and who is going, we all have one goal. And that is to protect our own. We don't know what will happen. It may take us a long time to find Lucy and it may take Shadows of Darkness a long time to attack. But there is one thing I know for sure. Fairy Tail will win because we never give up!"
Her speech lifted everyone's spirits, and there were cheers and shouts heard throughout the guild of excitement and agreement. Everyone understood that they all had a role.
"Now," Master began to get everyone's attention, "like Erza said, this could take a long time, so in order for us to connect with one another, each team will carry a communication lacrima crystal. That way, not only will you be able to communicate with each other, but you can relay information back here for us."
Erza nodded. "Now, the three teams will split up in different directions, just like what we did the first time we went looking for Lucy. I've already circled the locations that we've been before right here on this map." Erza pointed to a map that was tacked to a moving bulletin board. "Even though I circled these locations, I want us to check them again. Whoever took Lucy could have taken her anywhere, so we shouldn't exclude anything."
Master suddenly stood up on the counter and faced his children. All eyes were on him. "Like Erza said, this could take us days, weeks, even months. We don't know what we face on this road, but we are Fairy Tail. The greatest guild in all of Fiore. There is nothing we can't do, no matter how long or hard it may be. We do what we must do because that is the way of Fairy Tail mages!" With his right hand in the air, his forefinger and thumb sticking out like an L, the rest of the guild shouted and copied his action.
They were ready for anything.
(~~~~)
Thoughts from the Fairy Tail mages:
Go now, my children and bring my daughter back save and sound…..Master
I may not be strong, but I'm not gonna stop until I find you Lu-chan….. Levy
Bunny-girl, we're coming. And I hope those shadow bastards show their faces. I don't mind giving a beat down or two in the process….. Gajeel
So this is what it means to be a Fairy Tail mage… what a guild!... Lily
Noohohohoooo! Gray-sama!... Juvia
Just you wait for us Lucy, we're coming for you…. Cana
Eflman, Lisanna, please be safe. Lucy, you too. We'll be there before you know it….. Mirajane
Out of all the people, I'm stuck with a white haired ape, a water woman and a bookworm. Freed, Bickslow, take care of yourselves. I'll do the same…..Evergreen
Laxus…if only you were here….. Freed
Finding cosplay girl is a great chance for me to test out my new babies!... Bickslow
Lisanna, Nee-chan, I'm sorry I won't be there to protect you, but you both are strong. Take good care of yourselves. And don't worry about me. I'm a man, and as a man, I won't allow anything to happen to me or my team!... Elfman
Lucy, I hope you and your baby aren't hurt. I'm a little nervous, but I promise we'll find you….. Wendy
Mira-nee, Elf-nii-chan, please take good care of yourselves. Lucy, I can't believe you're pregnant, but I hope you and the baby are safe…for Natsu's sake….. Lisanna
Lucy, I hope you and your kid are safe. We're on our way… and would Juvia please stop staring at me with that gloomy face!... Gray
Lucy, it's my fault your in this mess for not being a better guardian. I promise we'll find you and I'll always protect, my Princess….. Loke
I'd be mad at you if anything happen to you, so please be safe and wait for us….. Erza
Aye sir! I wonder if Carle would want a fish as a parting gift….. Happy
Put that fish away! This is a serious matter….. Carle
Luce, I don't know where you are or if you're okay, but I'm on my way, and I won't stop until I find you!... Natsu
A/N: Any questions or concerns? Please feel free to ask me! R&R!