Raven: Hello people! Welcome to the thirteenth chapter of my current story FMN! Thank you all for spending your time to read this story of mine and I deeply appreciate all those who left a review and added this story to their favorites! As well as that, I also thank the people who added me to their favorite authors… I am greatly humbled by that gesture! Another thing, I told you guys that the reply corner will be moved to this chapter… made a mistake… it'll be on the next chapter! :)
Oh, and AM NOT HAVING A CRUSH! Or am I? Argh! But thanks for those tidbits of information about Love… it's confusing, but a little helpful I guess. I think what I'm feeling right now is bordering on hate and infatuation. Still, ignore the love sick me and let us get on with the story!
Plus, I'd like to clarify some things… Acalypha is closer to Magnolia than Shirotsume is… but let's just pretend for this story, that it's the other way around. And let us think for a moment that I am the queen of Banana Land and you're an alien… Okay? Thanks! xD
Chapter Thirteen: Blond Hair
"Can I send you off tomorrow Rin?" Edo-Natsu asked Lucy as they walked backed to the guild. They had just finished dinner and were at the Magnolia shopping district.
"Of course you can. Why are you even asking?" She asked curiously. Edo-Natsu remained silent and that got her a little worried. After all, he did act weirdly a while ago and the fact that he suddenly hugged her earlier was something strange and unlike him.
"Hey Kai… you alright?" Lucy asked as she stopped walking to face him. Edo-Natsu didn't look at her and kept his gaze on the pavement.
"You're really leaving tomorrow huh…" He murmured sadly. Lucy watched his eyes as a flicker of emotions ran through them.
"Hey…" Lucy cupped his cheek and leaned down to look him in the eye. "… What's wrong?" She smiled at him tenderly. Edo-Natsu looked at her and placed a hand over hers as he shook his head.
"Nothing's wrong… I'm fine Rin…" He said, forcing a smile. Lucy didn't believe him but guessed what was running through his mind. Making a tentative but bold move, she slowly wrapped her arms around his torso and pulled him in for a hug. Edo-Natsu was shocked and stood frozen in her embrace.
"Natsu…" She muttered soothingly, resting her head on his chest. Edo-Natsu's heart skipped a beat as one thought ran through his mind. She just called me Natsu…
"I am leaving, but I'll still be with you…" Lucy paused and placed a hand over his chest, his heart quickening under her touch. "In here… alright?" She continued, leaning back to look at him in the eyes. She saw sadness, worry, and something else she couldn't point out.
Edo-Natsu watched her for a moment before smiling tenderly and leaning his forehead on hers. "Thanks Lucy…" He said. He had that growing urge to just kiss her there but he forced himself back. He couldn't do that to Lucy. She looked at him, assuring herself that he was truly okay and then smiled.
"Now enough drama… Let's go home." She said, intertwining their hands together and pulling him with her.
"Home?" Edo-Natsu asked stupidly.
"Our apartment, remember? Gawd Kai… pull yourself together. You're weirding me out." She said in disgust but her smile said otherwise.
"Oh… right~" He answered. Lucy smirked at him and dragged him to their new home. This would be their first night there. "But we don't have a bed."
"I'll just ask Aries to make us one of her wool cushions."
"Okay" Edo-Natsu muttered unintelligibly. Lucy glanced at him and sneered.
"Race you there?" She said. A competitive smile reached Edo-Natsu's lips.
"Winner gets fire chicken!" He exclaimed, all revved up.
"Hey! That only applies to you and the pink haired idiot!"
"Oh… You're right!
8:00 PM Fairy Tail Guild
"Clear?" Erza asked Natsu – no, more of declared. She, along with the fire dragonslayer, ice alchemist, the youngest take over mage, and their guide were gathered around one of the guild tables discussing things about what Erza, Gray, Kourin and Sythe talked about earlier. Lisanna wasn't supposed to be there, but she asked (more of begged) Erza to let her in.
"I get it. We travel for 2 months to the border between the three countries: Fiore, Seven and Bosco. And then we stop over inside Bosco for 2 weeks to get some stuff… when that's done and over with, we walk all the way to Stella. After that, we're supposed to trek the mountains of…" Natsu paused and tried to remember what the mountain was called. Lisanna saw him struggling and decided to fill in.
"Joya, Natsu…" She smiled at him and patted his lap. Natsu was weirded out by that gesture but didn't show it. He smiled to cover up.
"Uh… Yeah… the mountains of Joya… So when we reach the Main City, we'll stay for I-don't-know-how-many weeks in it to get some stuff again. And then… I think we have to hire some sand glider boat thing and ride all the way to the Mainland of Desierto. I forgot what's next after that." He stopped, scratching his head.
"I'm surprised you actually remembered most of what we said…" Gray raised his eyebrows at the fire mage. Natsu shot him a death glare but before he could even open his mouth for a comeback, Erza spoke up.
"I'm impressed Natsu. But you have to better your memory further. Sythe, would you mind continuing our route from where he stopped?" Erza asked (more of commanded) the youngest mage in the room. He nodded his head, unfazed by the tone of voice she used on him, and faced the fire dragonslayer.
"Look here Pinky-kun…" Sythe began, earning a smirk of victory from Gray and a hiss of irritation from the offended man. "After we reach the Mainland of Desierto, we have to search for Fabian. He's an expert sand glider who can lead us swiftly and quickly through the dangerous parts of Western Desierto. If I correctly estimated our travel time we would get to the boarder in one week. And with all that wrapped up, the general journey will take us at least 4 months."
"Why do I have to listen to this anyway?" Natsu asked, confused.
"Because, ash-for-brains… if you get lost on the way there, at least you'd know where to go next." Gray sneered, earning a glare from the fire dragonslayer.
"I don't want to hear that coming from you, stripper" Natsu retorted, glancing down at Gray's bare chest and boxer clad legs. The ice alchemist followed the dragonslayer's gaze and stared in disbelief.
"Gah! I did it again! Oh hell…" Gray exclaimed, searching around for his clothes. But then he felt a strong demonic aura focused on him… and he could guess who was emitting that dangerous aura.
"Gray. Clothes. NOW." Erza said in a grave voice that sent the poor ice mage running. Sythe could only laugh at his brother while Lisanna shook her head with a smile on her face.
"So, getting back on track… Gray is correct. There is a great probability that we will end up separated from the group on our way to the boarder, so knowing our route beforehand will do all of us good. Now, if this matter is settled, our meeting is adjourned. Get some rest and be here at exactly 3:00 AM. Late comers will be punished. Good night." Erza finished, standing up and walking out of the guild.
"But what about Bernie-san? Did you guys tell her about the new arrangements?" Sythe asked. Erza stopped and glanced at him with confusion. Lisanna wondered who Bernie-san was, while Natsu was wearing a small smirk.
"Bernie-san?" Erza asked, a little unsure of herself. But then she remembered what Kourin-san told Sythe and she had to suppress a light laugh.
"I'm sure she would have no problem with this. Now it would be best for each of us to get home and catch some sleep." She said, not bothering to correct him and disappeared into the darkness outside.
"Good night Erza," Lisanna waved. Sythe just watched the older girl and then glanced at Natsu who was thinking deeply.
"I'm going ahead to look for aniki… see you tomorrow pinky-kun, Lisanna-san…" Sythe bowed before jogging away in search of his older brother.
"So~ Natsu, care to walk me home?" Lisanna asked sweetly, leaning onto him. Natsu felt weird but nodded his head.
"Sure. Got nothing to do anyway."
11:32 PM Lucy and Edo-Natsu's Apartment
Edo-Natsu stirred as he felt a pair of warm, soft arms wrap themselves around his torso. He thought it was a dream and so he leaned into the embrace and even nuzzled what seemed to be a woman's neck. He grinned sleepily when he heard her sigh in content and so he also wrapped his own arms around the girl's waist.
"Mmmm… Na… Su…" The girl whispered, her warm breath tickling his bare shoulder. Edo-Natsu cracked an eye open and smiled broadly when he saw that it was Lucy in his arms. But then he realized that it couldn't be a dream since he could feel everything around him… startled he suddenly sat up, dragging with him the girl in his arms.
"Hey… stop moving…" Lucy muttered, pulling him down. Edo-Natsu felt his face flush several dark shades of red when he felt her breasts press against his chest and his heart hammer onto his ribs.
"S-sorry…" whispered a flustered apology but then completely froze when Lucy suddenly sat up and straddled him, her arms now around his neck.
"Natsu… why're you so tense?" She asked, looking at him through sleepy eyes. He remained silent and just stared at her, not knowing what to do.
"Hey… Natsu~ you still there?" Lucy asked, leaning into his face. Now they were just a few centimeters apart and Edo-Natsu knew that with just a slight movement, they'd end up kissing. He also knew that if he talked, their lips would brush against each other.
"Mmmm…" He resorted to just humming a response. He'd rather not answer to a sleep-dazed Lucy and avoid a beating later on.
"Why aren't you talking?" Lucy asked again, this time leaning in closer. Edo-Natsu's heart pounded against his chest and he felt all the blood rush to his face. Lucy's lips were now brushing against his.
When Lucy didn't get a response, she opened her eyes and startled Edo-Natsu. Her eyes were now completely back to their original shade. He guessed that maybe when she was sleeping, she'd have no control over her transformation.
"Natsu~" She whispered, her breath hitting his lips. Edo-Natsu closed his eyes, trying hard to suppress the same urge that hit him back at the forest. If he couldn't fight it off now he was sure Lucy would end up hating him.
"Answer me…" She muttered, her voice seeming to go a few octaves lower. Edo-Natsu guessed that sleepiness was taking over and he was thankful for that.
"Fine… be… tht…way… wyvented…takssswuu…" She mumbled the last part as she drifted off to sleep and so he couldn't understand what she wanted to say. He was about to smile when he unexpectedly felt a pair of soft, warm lips fall on his own as Lucy's body fell limp.
His eyes widened and the beat of his heart suddenly sped up and his face felt hot. Finally!
2:45 AM
Lucy woke up when the warmth beside her and around her waist suddenly disappeared. When she opened her eyes, she saw a blur of red and brown moving in front of her and guessed that it must be Edo-Natsu.
"Natsu?" She mumbled, rubbing her eyes and sitting up. The said boy turned to look at her and smiled.
"Good morning sunshine!" He grinned at her while fastening his belt. When her eyes cleared she blushed when she saw him clad in only his slacks and nothing more, those perfectly cut abs calling to her. It was the first time she reacted that way towards a male body… except maybe Gray, but then she was immune by now.
"What're you doing up so early?" Lucy asked, pushing the blanket off and stretching.
"You should be the one up early you know… it's already 2:47 in the morning and you have to be at the guild by 3:00." Edo-Natsu informed her as he put on his red shirt.
"Oh… OH! Crap! Erza's gonna have my hide!" Lucy exclaimed, jumping off the bed and running into the bathroom. Edo-Natsu chuckled and shook his head. He was supposed to be sad because she was leaving, but after what happened last night? Hah! Nothing can take his happiness away.
"You've got 14 minutes left~" Edo-Natsu called out. He laughed when he heard her shout a string of curses meant for him. After he zipped up his coat he decided to clean up. Lucy slept like a 5 year old kid, resulting to the pillows Aries made for them scattered all around the floor, the blanket and covers all rumpled that it was unrecognizable.
"Ahh~ Thank God I've got Aquarius and Cancer…"He heard Lucy sigh inside the bathroom. She probably took them out to help her get ready faster than the usual. But what surprised him was that Aquarius didn't drown her and destroy their new apartment.
In 9 minutes, Lucy was done changing into her usual outfit and she was now strapping her twin swords across her back and carefully hiding her other sword behind her. She then clipped her hair into a pony-tail and swept her bangs to the side for finishing touches.
"Done. Let's go…" She grabbed Edo-Natsu's hand and dragged him out of their apartment.
"What about clothes? Didn't they say to bring a set of winter and desert clothes?" He asked, catching up to her so they were now running side by side instead of her dragging him.
"I've already packed. I just asked Virgo to hold it in the Spirit world for me so that I won't have to carry that much of a load." She answered, leaping onto the roof of a building.
"Oh… what about breakfast?" He asked again.
"I'll just grab something to eat while we travel." She smiled at him as they leaped off the building and landed in front of their guild.
Erza was already there, her luggage double the amount of her usual. Natsu and Gray were already there too, having a silent glaring contest. Their luggage seemed to be just right for the trip. Sythe was there too, and he still carried the same amount of things as he did when they first met him.
"So… now that we're all here… with Kaizen-kun of course, I'll just clear things up since Bernie-san wasn't around last night." Sythe started. Lucy raised an eyebrow and looked at him. She guessed no one even bothered clearing the fact that her name wasn't Bernie… oh well, she didn't care.
"You see… we changed the route and means to go to the border."
"What?! Don't tell me…" Lucy muttered to herself, already feeling sick.
"We will go there by train…" Sythe finished. Natsu also felt sick but he wasn't that affected by it anymore. Wendy helped him out by implanting a dissolving lacrima in him. The lacrima contained her Troia and it would last for at least 15 weeks. Erza and Gray just looked at Kourin-san with confusion in their eyes. Don't tell me she has motion sickness too?
3:30 AM Magnolia Train #04: Magnolia-Shirotsume, 18 minutes into departure
Lucy was having a hard time keeping her eyes open; but at least it wasn't as worse as she thought. She was only experiencing a headache and nothing more. She pitied Natsu though; who told Erza about Wendy's Troia but was still forced to sleep on her lap. As she looked outside the window, she couldn't help but drift off into sleep and dream about her last moment with Edo-Natsu just minutes before.
"I can't take a train! I'm gonna die!" Lucy whined to Edo-Natsu as he held her in his arms. They were waiting for the attendants to finish loading their luggage. Erza went with the attendants, wanting to keep a close, watchful eye on her things. Gray, Sythe, and Natsu were seated on a bench, the youngest mage between the three sitting in the middle as a moderator.
"Come on Rin… it's not so bad. You weren't like this back then…" Edo-Natsu smiled at her as he drew soothing circles on her back. Lucy somewhat relaxed but she still hated the thought.
"Why can't I just teleport there? It's easier, faster, and I could get things over and done with…" Lucy frowned, leaning back and looking him in the eyes.
"You can do that. But Master specifically said to have those three and the guide at your back. You can't disobey him now, can you?" Edo-Natsu challenged her. He watched as she thought it over in her mind and grinned when he saw her give up.
"Fine…" Lucy mumbled. He chuckled at her childishness and decided to give her a hug.
"I'm gonna miss you…" Edo-Natsu whispered against her neck. Lucy smiled at the gesture and patted his back.
"Same here, Kai…" She whispered back. They stayed like that for a while until they heard the warning *hoot* of the train. They both leaned back and looked at each other before Edo-Natsu made a bold move and leaned in for a kiss. Lucy froze but didn't push him away. Edo-Natsu smirked triumphantly, thinking that she might like him too. And thinking back to earlier this morning, he was probably right.
"Take care," He whispered as he broke the kiss and let go of her. Lucy stared at him, dumbfounded. She couldn't find words to say to him… no, she couldn't even talk to begin with.
"Wh… K-Kai..." She stuttered. At that moment, Erza's commanding voice called all of them and she had no choice but to leave him.
"See you soon?" Edo-Natsu waved. That was when Lucy broke out of her shocked stupor and broke into a grin. She jogged back to him and gave him a surprise peck on the lips.
"Soon"
11:30 Magnolia Train #04: Shirotsume (stop-over)
"Kourin…" Edo-Natsu whispered her name. She smiled.
"Hey Kourin-san…" He did it again. But wait… Edo-Natsu didn't call her Kourin-san…
"Kourin-san… wake up… we're here." She heard the familiar voice of an ice alchemist pull her from her sleep and when she opened her eyes, she found herself leaning onto the same Ice alchemist's shoulder.
"What the-" Lucy sat up straight from surprise and disbelief.
"Good morning sunshine," Gray teased. Lucy narrowed her eyes at him and punched his shoulder. She was annoyed. Not at him, but at his words. It reminded her of Edo-Natsu and she didn't want that… it hurt her, somehow…
"Ow! That hurt!" Gray whined, rubbing his harmed body part. Lucy just rolled her eyes at him and looked around.
"Where are we," She more of demanded than asked. Sythe looked at her and smiled.
"We're at Shirotsume now Bernie-san… we're stopping over to eat lunch and then leaving for Acalypha in an hour." He informed her. Lucy nodded, ignoring the Bernie part, remembering their route. She then looked around and saw that Erza was already dragging an unconscious Natsu towards the exit. Gray had already recovered and was following after the redhead.
"You can leave your swords here…" Sythe stopped her as she was about to reach for her twin scimitars. Lucy shook her head.
"I don't go anywhere without them." She merely answered before strapping them across her back and stepping out of the chamber. Sythe watched her as she walked away and wondered why she was so cold and rash towards everyone.
3:53 PM Magnolia Train #04: Shirotsume-Acalypha
3 hours and 13 minutes later, the train the team was in reached the town of Acalypha. Gray didn't dare wake Kourin up lest she inflicted pain upon him again, so he left that task to Sythe; who was a little scared to do so.
"Uhmmm… ne, Bernie-san…" Sythe began, nudging her slowly by the arm. Lucy stirred and slapped the hand away. She didn't want to wake up yet… she was having an awesome dream of conquering the world.
"Bernie-san… we're here…" Sythe tried again, this time going at a far distance in case she suddenly decided to hit him like she did to Gray. Lucy groaned and slowly opened her eyes. She looked around and found the younger mage looking at her scarily… like one wrong move and she'd have his head.
"What." She snapped, sitting up.
"We're here now… Erza-san and the others are unloading their luggage. They left me here to wake you," Sythe nervously answered. He watched the older girl cautiously and winced when she suddenly jumped up.
"Well what are you waiting for, pipsqueak. Let's get moving." Lucy said, strapping her swords over her shoulders. Sythe sighed in relief. He wasn't going to be dead meat, thank God!
Now both of them were walking towards the others when someone suddenly bumped into Lucy from behind. She fell forward, onto her knees and her swords clattered noisily as they hit the paved ground. Sythe's eyes widened when he saw the dangerous look Bernie-san had on her face. It was filled with murderous rage.
"Look where you're going," The person who bumped into her hissed, turning around to glare at the ebony haired mage. He had silver hair that went up in spikes; weird jagged marks ran from his forehead down to his chin. The man's eyes were slanted and dark blue; his mouth formed into an angry sneer.
As if everyone could feel the tension building, they stopped walking and watched as the girl with black hair crawled to pick up her swords. She quietly checked for any scratches on the scabbard and sighed in relief when she found that there wasn't any. Sythe just remained silent, looking around for any sign of aniki or the others. He was sure a fight was coming up… and he needed the others to help stop it.
Lucy's POV
I felt relief wash over me when I saw that the scabbards weren't scratched or anything. These swords meant a lot to me… and if I found so much as a small nick on them, then the guy who bumped into me wouldn't be standing right now, he wouldn't even be breathing. I looked up and saw Sythe looking around frantically. He was probably looking for Erza or the any of the others. Damned kid knew me well.
"Hey! Are you even listening to me, bitch!" The guy who bumped into me hissed, kicking me on the legs. I remained calm and collected. There was no use fighting this guy anyway, unless he suddenly decided to –
"Stop ignoring me!" He exclaimed, grabbing one of the swords. My eyes widened and I felt the other sword in my hand tremble. Oh no!
"Hey! Stop trying to pick a fight with her!" I heard Sythe call the scarred man. I looked at him and shook my head. This isn't your fight pipsqueak… I said through my eyes. He caught the look, and even if he didn't want to, he stepped back.
"What? I'm just trying to teach little miss swords here some manners…" He sneered, hitting his palm with the scabbard. I narrowed my eyes at him… I could feel the sword in my hands quiver.
"Give me back my sword…" I said as calmly as I could. Scar-face raised an eyebrow and looked at the sword he had. I watched him closely as he surveyed it.
"What's so important about this sword that's got you so mad, girlie?" He challenged, twirling it around by the hook on the hilt.
"Just give it back already…" I cleared through gritted teeth. A crowd began to gather around us and if I wasn't already starting to get pissed off, then I wouldn't have really cared.
"What? This?" He said, waving the sword directly in front of my face. I reached for it but right before I touched it, he threw it away. My eyes widened as I heard a silent growl underneath my hand. I glared at scar-face. That was the last straw.
"If you want it, fight for it." He challenged. I quickly strapped the sword I had in my belt and kicked myself off the ground. He was gonna get it… to hell with being calm.
"You asked for it, scar-face! Here I come!" I exclaimed, rushing to him with my fist drawn back. He smirked, probably thinking that my punch would do nothing against his awesomeness… but he was dead wrong. As my fist collided with his chin, I heard a cracking sound and that got a smile out of me. He flew several meters back and landed with a huge gaping hole on one of the pillar's station.
"That all you got? I mean, for a talker, you didn't put up much of a fight…" I said, walking towards my poor sword… I narrowed my eyes when I saw a large scratch at the side of the scabbard. I'm so sorry…
"It's not over yet, bitch!" I heard scar-face yell in frustration as he made a dash for me. I didn't really move… my gaze still intent on the scratch. At the last minute though, before his fist hit my shoulder, I side stepped him. That resulted to scar-face losing his balance and falling on the ground face first. She waited for a moment before realizing that he was now unconscious.
"I think it is. Hey pipsqueak!" I called Sythe over to my side.
"Yeah?" He asked his voice shaky. For a 15 year old boy, he seemed to be a little scaredy-cat.
"Let's go." I just said, caressing the scratched surface of the scabbard and strapping it slowly beside the other sword. Sythe nodded as he obediently followed me. And then one of the attendants caught my attention.
"Hey you…" I pointed to him. He looked at me nervously before coming over. "Take that guy to the secure unit, would you?"
Before I could even finish my sentence, he already nodded his head vigorously and took off. Heh! Scaredy-cat…
"Okay… Now that that's done and over with, where to pipsqueak?"
4:31 PM AcalyphaMagic Store 3648
Normal POV
Lucy stared at the books on the shelf. Her eyes were filled with wonder and longing, but she suppressed the nagging urge of reaching for one and reading through it. She must. Or else her front as Kourin Redfox would be compromised.
But the books! Oh the wonderful books by Zekua Melon! By her other favorite authors! How they cried her name… calling her… beckoning her to come closer, to reach for their binds, to open their pages… Lucy! Restrain yourself! If you so much as touch one of those books, 50 laps around Acalypha!
"Miss, you stare at the books so intensely… are you going to buy one of them?" A young female employee appeared from behind one of the shelves. Lucy was surprised but she hid it well buy shaking her head.
"No." She just answered before walking away. But the girl was persistent.
"Will you be buying anything else?" She asked, skipping by her side. Lucy shook her head again.
"I'm just here to look around." Lucy said, turning a corner and searching around for Erza or maybe Gray. They should be finished purchasing whatever it was they needed to buy. Natsu for sure was at the toys section… but what about Sythe? Maybe he would be around Gray.
"We have some great sales today, ma'am! Perhaps you'd be interested in our new product? It's an item made specifically for sword wielders like yourself." The girl tried catching her attention again, but this time, it worked. Lucy stopped on her tracks and turned to look at the young girl. She had disheveled short green hair, bright golden eyes, and a charming smile. But underneath that smile, Lucy could see a dark past. She eyed her name tag and learned that the girl's name was Camille.
She raised her eyebrows, indicating that she wanted to hear more and that seemed to make Camille happy. Besides, if it was something that could help her take care of her swords more… then she'd be up for it.
"It's a belt created by the brand Heart Kreuz. It was specifically made for non-re-quip swords based mages who have trouble carrying too many swords around." Camille said chirpily. She sounded excited and that somehow got Lucy to smile. She remembered the times when she talked that happily about something, even though this girl's joy came from work.
"Where is it?" Lucy asked. She liked where this was going. If her mind served her right, then it would mean that the belt was some kind of storage tool for swords. Camille smiled at her widely before leading her to an area of the shop with large shelves and weaponry hung about. Lucy was instantly captured when she saw the corner filled with swords and daggers and all sorts of blades.
"Here…" Camille began, opening a glass case which enclosed a beautiful black belt with silver spirals going around the holes and the brim. At each hole there seemed to be a symbol situated above, below or beside it. Attached to that belt was a small silver pouch with black diamond's serving as a border and an intercrossing sword at the center.
"The pouch is where all your bladed weapons will be placed. And then when you want it to appear just touch the symbol it belongs to, zap it with a small amount of magic and it will be in your hands after a few seconds." She pointed at each part of the belt as she spoke.
"As a demonstration, can you lend me one of your swords?" Camille asked politely, glancing at the dark sword hanging on her hip. Lucy hesitated for a moment before she thought better of it and handed her the sword. She watched as the younger girl opened the pouch and slipped in the sword. As if it had a bottomless end, the sword disappeared and one of the symbols on the belt glowed.
"Now watch closely as I summon the sword through the symbol for sword. Again, first you have to touch it… and then zap it with a small amount of your magic" Lucy watched as Camille did just that. She tapped the cross like symbol with her forefinger and channeled some magic into the character. Right after she did that, a warm golden glow engulfed her hand and in a flash of the same light, a golden intricate seal erupted around her fist and then her sword materialized within Camille's hand.
"And that's how you summon a weapon by using this belt. Oh and it's called the Rapier's Belt." Camille finished as she handed Lucy back her sword.
"Does the pouch accept keys? I am a celestial mage as well." Lucy asked. She was convinced of its use in her future battles and so even if it didn't come with a symbol for keys, she was so going to buy it.
"It does! It does! It also allows other weapons, summoning based objects, magical instruments, and even solid food!" Camille answered cheerily. Lucy couldn't help but smile.
"How much does it cost?" And then came the hard part, Lucy only brought 500,000 Jewels with her and she was sure that an item as useful and beautiful as the Rapier's belt would cost more than that amount.
"It's originally priced at 750,000 J, but since it is new and since you might be the first to purchase it… then I'm sure boss would put a discount." The young girl smiled at her encouragingly. Lucy merely nodded. If that was true, and even if it wasn't, what harm could possibly spending 750,000 J do on her bank account? She wasn't bragging, but spending that didn't even leave a dent…
"I'll take it…" She said. Camille instantly burst into a fit of squeals as if she won a lottery and grabbed Lucy's wrist dragging her to the cashier. Lucy didn't mind at all…
"This miss here is going to buy the Rapier's Belt…" Camille beamed at the old man who just stared at her unbelievingly.
"A-are you sure miss? That's gonna cost you lots…" The old man, who had the name tag: Ben, said. Lucy just shrugged and unclipped the small pack she had snipped securely around her torso.
"Why don't you talk to Boss, I'm sure he's gonna give a discount when he hears that it's been sold…" Camille added happily. Ben just nodded and turned to the landline phone beside the old cash register. But then he suddenly bent forward and seemed as if he was kicking something. Lucy watched as Ben glared at something behind the counter. Lucy ignored it, thinking that it was just an old guy thing.
"Yes… a miss wants to buy herself the Rapier's belt… uhuh, Camille's gotten her to buy it I guess… yes… she's serious about it…" Ben talked to the person, who Lucy guessed to be the Boss, on the other end of the line. "Wh-what?! That much?... A-are you sure boss? But that's - … yes… yeah… I'll do it." And then he turned to look at Lucy menacingly.
"You've gotten yourself a 400,000 J discount… I dun' really know why, but that's what the boss says. And Camille, you be sure to go see him later on… I think you're gettin' some sorta surprise… Now gimme the merchandise so I could give her a proper receipt." The old man said grudgingly.
Lucy's eyes widened and she felt her breath hitch. No way! 400,000 Jewels?! That much of a discount?! Even Camille was surprised.
"Dun' look at me that way miss… now Camille, gimme the belt so she can get her receipt." Ben said irately. He was starting to get irritated. Camille handed him the belt and stared at Lucy.
"What." Lucy arched an eyebrow. Camille just shook her head and giggled.
"You're just so lucky ma'am. Boss isn't the kind of man who would give off discounts as large as 400,000. And one more thing, he hates losing money." Camille said, her smile never disappearing. Lucy just retained her stoic expression.
"Here you go miss, be sure to take care of the merchandise. It's a limited edition belt series." Ben said gruffly as he handed her the packaged item. Lucy nodded before realizing what he just said.
"Limited edition? Which means…"
"Yep… that's one of 5 Rapier's Belt's made. There is also the Wringer's Girdle and the Hephaestus' Strap. This type is more famous though, for its name and usefulness. The Wringer's Girdle can only carry aerial weapons like shurikens… Hephaestus' strap can only carry heavy weapons like a hammer." Camille informed her with her smile growing brighter by each second.
"I see… well then thank you. I'll be taking my leave now." Lucy nodded her head. She made a move to turn around when she felt a strong and large hand stop her from leaving.
"Miss, Camille 'ere fergot to tell you one more thing about the rapier's belt." Ben said in a serious voice. Lucy just stared at him.
"It doesn't work for weak mages and humans. I'm guessing you do magic since you bought it, but if you're so much as weak as them summoner's, then you'd best return the item." He looked into Lucy's eyes, searching for a sign of fear. But the girl didn't show any.
"I understand. Now can you please let go of my shoulder… thanks." Lucy nodded before walking away and searching the store for any sign of the others. Ben watched as she disappeared around a corner shelf.
"Hmmm… This girl seems different than what the others said…" Ben whispered to Camille who shook her head.
"Oh shut up… Lucy's a sweet girl, she's just covering it up with that delinquent front of hers. Now, tell me again why you didn't want her to get it in the first place?"
"The aura made me think differently. But since you've got the better sense between the two of us, then I backed down."
"Good choice. I have another question…"
"What?"
"When are we gonna leave this place? The human world really does something to my system…" Camille frowned, noticing her hand had turned pale. Ben looked at his own hand and nodded.
"We can leave now, right after we erase their memories and untie them." Ben answers, kneeling down. He pulled open a drawer door that revealed two salesclerks tied up and gagged. One had the name Wes on his name tag while the other had Eas.
"Sorry about that… we had to give a present to Lucy…" Camille smiled apologetically at the two of them, who in turn, just stared terrifyingly. Earlier this afternoon, the same girl had threatened to harm them, describing the torture they would go through vividly if they didn't obey her request and painfully tied them up and threw them inside the cabinet.
Suddenly, Camille was covered in a silver light and a weird looking woman replaced her. She had a curvaceous body and was dressed similarly to belly dancers. Her hair was tied in an ox horn fashion. Half of her face was covered by a cloth tied around her head, bearing the zodiac: Libra's sign. Concealing her neck was a thick necklace, while numerous bangles hung around her arms and legs. Dangling from her hand, the woman carried a pair of golden scales with thin cords running from her fingertips to the sides of the scales.
"Forgive my companion, when it comes to that girl, she becomes a different person." Ben said as he himself was suddenly covered with a warm, sea-blue light. Wes and Eas stared as Ben was replaced by twins clad in what seemed like a toga made of fish scales. The other twin had a dark ocean colored toga while the other had a lighter shade on.
"Hey, you're wrong Pisces…" The woman frowned at him. Pisces just rolled his eyes at her as he pulled the two men out of the drawer.
"No we're not Libra, you're bipolar. You act like a stubborn devil when you're not around your owner." The twins pointed out in complete synchronized harmony. Libra just pouted at them childishly.
"I'm not like that… am I?" She turned to face the two men and looked at them with tear filled eyes. They shook their heads in fear of getting hit if they motioned otherwise.
"Oh, don't bother asking them. They're too afraid of displeasing you to be saying the truth. Now erase their memories or the other customers will discover us." The twins said harshly. Libra just pouted more but followed what they said anyway.
"You guys are awful. I wonder what kind of torture Lucy's going to be in when she handles your key." Libra grumbled irately under her breath as she placed each hand on the two human's heads. They froze for a minute in fear, but then they started to doze off.
"I'd say that her life would be a whole lot better" Pisces answered smugly, grinning at each other. Libra just rolled her eyes
"Good. Now untie them and let's leave."
"You twins aren't the boss of me…"
"We are. Now let's go." And with that, they vanished in a flash of blue and silver.
"Hmph… kids and their perception of respect"
5:18 PM
"Wake up!" Wes heard a loud voice delve into his sea of dreams. He moaned when he felt someone shaking him so harshly that it seemed like he was the pepper inside a pepper shaker.
"Oi! Can you hear me?! I know you can, wake up!" He heard the same loud voice scream at his right ear. Wes opened his eyes and saw that everything was a blur. There was something pink attached to what seemed to be the head of a man. And that man was the one shaking him.
"Wake up I said!" Natsu yelled at the employee. They were about to pay the stuff they bought when they found that the cashiers were asleep on the floor. Erza suggested to wake them up via a torture session since they fell asleep during work and that was a severe crime (according to her). Gray proposed to freeze them until they wake up because of the cold. Natsu on the other hand, just went ahead and did what he knew worked best. Make noise and shake them awake. Lucy and Sythe on the other hand, went ahead and searched for a hotel they could stay at for two days.
"U-urgh…" Wes groaned as the shaking stopped and his vision cleared. It seemed as though the pink haired thing on top of the man's head was his hair… a man with pink hair… before he could laugh his head off at the absurdness of it all, he instantly slapped a hand over his mouth.
"Good. Erza, he's awake." Wes watched as the pink haired man called a red haired woman to his side. When he saw her, he instantly recognized who they were.
"You're Fairy Tail's strongest team…" He whispered. Erza and Gray smirked while Natsu grinned proudly.
"Got that right seaweed," Natsu said, pertaining to his light green colored hair.
"Now that you have come to, I'd like to ask some questions before we purchase these objects." Erza said seriously, her tone of voice deadly. Wes looked around nervously and his eyes widened when he saw Eas slumped up unconscious on the floor.
"S-sure…" Wes trembled.
"Why were the two of you asleep when we found you? That is an offense as an employee." Erza leaned forward and eyed him. He couldn't help but gulp in terror. This was Erza Scarlet we were talking about: Titania! The Fairy Queen!
"I-I don't really remember…" Wes stuttered, his mouth refusing to coordinate with his brain due to fear. Erza eyed him… stared into his eyes… probably finding anything dishonest about his statement. But she found none.
"Well then… since that is settled, we'd like to buy these things and have them sent to the Earl and Fairy Hotel in my name." The Knight flipped from her deadly, intimidating side to her completely "friendly" side. He just didn't get these Fairy Tail mages. They were so eccentric and unpredictable that you'd never know what would happen next when they're around. Wes just did as he was told and started doing what she told him to do. He was going to wake Eas when they're gone… since it felt like if he didn't start now, Titania was sure to threaten to drive a sword down his throat.
"I expect it to arrive in two days time… These are the items." Erza motioned to a mountainous heap piled neatly at the south wall of the store. Wes's jaw dropped and he almost felt light headed. Trust them to surprise him continuously… and to expect him to finish packing these things in two days. Even with magic, that was impossible! He was about to tell Titania this, when he saw her look at him expectantly with those edged eyes of hers. Swallowing down his earlier thoughts… he nodded.
6:12 PM Acalypha Hot Springs: Women's
"Aaaah…" Lucy let out a sigh of satisfaction as soon as she felt her strained muscles relax under the hot water. Right after she and Sythe had secured 3 rooms for the five of them in the Earl and Fairy Hotel (Sadly, with the budget Erza gave them, that was all they could afford so sharing rooms was inevitable); she left and did some strolling around to keep her mind off some things… and that's when she stumbled upon the Hot Springs. It has been a while since she's been in one, and it felt damn good!
"Mmmhmmm…" She started humming to herself, until a random thought came into her mind…
"Come to think of it, Love and Lucky is just around here…" She spoke to herself. She missed her mother gravely and come to think of it, it's been a while since she last visited her grave.
"Maybe I can leave early in the morning and come back by the time they wake up…" Lucy planned a way to get to see her mother after such a long time. She did continue writing her unsent letters, but that wasn't enough.
"Yep. I can do that." She smiled and stretched her hand to look at the pink fairy tail mark on her hand. She wondered why it didn't fade and why she was allowed to have another one below her left shoulder. Still, Lucy couldn't help but remember the good old days of her fairy life before everything that happened, happened. She missed her old self… that girl who used to love all the sweet stuff, who hated getting dirty when it was unnecessary, who was naïve enough to think that romance was everything in the world next to nakama.
Lucy was kinda thankful that, that incident happened. If not, she wouldn't have grown as strong as she was now. Her strength wouldn't have increased, she wouldn't have gotten closer to Edo-Natsu… she wouldn't have started feeling that way towards him… she wouldn't have changed… Slowly, a sad smile made its way onto her soft features before a faint golden light surrounded her. When it disappeared, Kourin Redfox was replaced by Lucy Heartfilia.
"It's been a while since I've been in my original appearance… It feels kinda weird now that I think about it" Lucy spoke to herself as she kept still and stared at her reflection on the water. Those nostalgic amber eyes stared at her, the girls blond locks all bunched up at the top of her head with soft waves framing her face. She smiled at her reflection and saw her old, genuine smile.
She remained inside the hot springs for more than half an hour and decided to leave when she noticed that it was starting to get dark. She did promise Sythe that she would be at the hotel by dinner. Lucy rose out of the water and grabbed her small towel before walking back to the women's locker room. As she walked there, she thought she heard a noise outside and made sure to check on it when she was done.
Upon reaching the locker rooms, she started reverting back to her other person when she thought she heard someone gasp behind her; but when she whipped her head around, she found nobody there. She decided to ignore that and changed back to Kourin Redfox and then slipped into her clothes.
5:49 PM Earl and Fairy Hotel: Lobby
Natsu was eating a large submarine burger (something they got from a snack stand) while Gray and Sythe sat with each other in silence as they watched their Scarlet haired companion inputted their travels so far into an archive orb. It glowed with every new surge of information and hummed as it turned on its axis in unimaginable speed. When it was over, the orb silently floated in front of Erza before blinking blue a few times and then falling. She caught it before it reached the ground and gave a nod of satisfaction.
"Now that, that is over… Sythe… Where is she?" Erza turned around to face the younger of the Fullbuster brothers. He swallowed the lump of fear that rose in his throat and gave an unsettled look to his brother. Natsu was still at his food, all his senses focused on finishing his activity.
"I… Well she told me she was going to look around for a while… and that she'd be back before dinner came." Sythe said, his voice quivering a little. Erza's calculating gaze pierced through him like a needle and it was supposed to go that way for a few more minutes until Natsu suddenly gave a loud, rude burp.
"Ahhhh~ thanks for the meal… what're we talking about again?" He asked, patting his belly. Sythe and Gray watched Erza cautiously, in case she was going to punish him for interrupting him, but nothing came.
"Kourin-san's not here yet dumbass…" Gray answered… a little unsure why Erza ignored that rude burping. Natsu looked at him for a moment before narrowing his eyes in thought.
"So that's why I couldn't smell her…" He mumbled to himself.
"If that is so… Then I'm going to look around as well. If you want to do the same, be sure to be back here at exactly 7:00 in the evening. You should know what to expect when you're late. I'll be leaving now." Erza said, stalking off to one of those hot springs she loved coming to here. It wasn't that far, just a 5 minute sprint…
"huh… Erza seemed a little excited to leave… Hey Sythe, how bout we have a go at the forest near here?" Gray looked at his little brother who nodded eagerly.
"See you Pinky-kun!" They teasingly bid the fire dragonslayer good bye and started walking off.
"Hey! I wanna come too!" Natsu yelled after them, but Gray dismissed that thought.
"No way, ash-for-brains… this is a bonding between brothers, so unless you've got Fullbuster DNA in you… no can do." Gray answered without even turning around. Natsu's shoulders slouched in defeat until he remembered where he and Happy used to go to whenever they would come to Acalypha for a mission. It was one of those calm lakes full of exotic fishes and it was a nice place to just keep still and relax.
Besides that, it was near one of those hot springs, so he could go there when he starts getting bored. And with that thought in mind, he ran off towards the Acalypha lagoon.
6:48 PM Some place near the women's hot springs
"Erza?!" Natsu called around for the knight; wanting to tell her something he overheard about a dark mage who was looking for a female Fairy Tail mage who used swords. He was concerned of course, who else used swords besides Erza? And so now, he was looking around frantically for the said girl… until finally, he picked up her scent. It went towards a female hot spring… and then he picked up another familiar scent… but that wasn't important.
"Erza!" He called, rushing around the building. He stopped right in front of it and stared inside, seeing many women going in and out of the place. He thought it would be a disaster if he just burst in there, and with Erza as one of the costumers… *shudder*
"Yosh! Now commencing ninja mode…" He grinned to himself as he pulled up his scarf over his head and above his nose. "Nin-nin"
He sniffed around… trying to grab Erza's scent from the many others that surrounded him and when he picked up just a small tinge of it, he dashed for that direction. Carefully, he climbed over the building's wall and pushed himself onto the wall to prevent people from seeing him. And then, as stealthy as he could, he leaped onto the roof and crawled towards her scent.
He stopped crawling on the roof when his nose twitched just above the girl's locker room. He held onto the pipe lines as tight as he could and then peered down. Yep! The smell was so strong here. Natsu then heaved himself into the room and swiftly hid behind one of the lockers. He peered around, just in case girls were around and when he thought that the coast was clear, he quickly searched around for Erza. Everything was fine until he walked around a corner and instantly froze when he saw a blond girl with crimson eyes changing back into her clothes. Of course, being the dense idiot that he was, he wasn't even affected when he saw that she was clad in nothing but her birthday suit.
But then, out of the blue, came some golden light that enveloped the girl and Natsu couldn't help but gasp… when the golden light disappeared, the blond haired girl was no longer there and in her steed, was Kourin in all her glory. As soon as he gasped though, he swiftly hid behind the lockers and tried to calm his nerves. He waited for a while before peeking again and saw that it was indeed Kourin and not just the trick of his imagination.
'Shit! Kourin's actually blond! I gotta tell Gray this!'
7:27 PM Earl and Fairy Hotel: Room 183 (one of the three rooms they hired)
"Are you sure? Are you infinitely, positively, I'll-punch-you-if-you're-not-fucking-sure, Sure?!" Gray asked Natsu as they huddled together at the edge of the room they were in. Erza, Kourin, and Sythe were talking about some things and that left them some time to talk privately. Natsu nodded his head.
"I'm sure of it, ice freak. Kourin has blond hair! I saw it when she was getting out of the hot springs!" Natsu informed Gray. The ice alchemist's eyes widened at the information and instantly hit Natsu's head.
"What were you doing at the women's hot springs?!" He seethed, but there was a faint blush on his cheeks.
"I was looking for Erza! Idiot!" Natsu punched him on the face. At this, they felt Erza's gaze at them and they instantly initiated buddy-buddy mode. When the two were cleared, they glared daggers at each other.
"But if she has blond hair, why is she covering it up with black hair?"Gray asked, pinching his chin thoughtfully.
"That's what I'd like to know!"
"Well why don't we ask her? What's the harm in that?" Gray asked, sneaking a glance at the blond haired girl. She was acting normal and she had no trace of blond in her. And then he looked back at Natsu who had that unbelieveing look on his face.
"What?"
"Are you crazy? She'll think we're stupid-"
"Which you are," Gray cut in. Natsu punched him in the face and then continued.
"Why would she tell us about her hair being naturally blond if she was hiding it in the first place?" The fire dragonslayer seethed, not getting why Gray was acting weird now.
"You have a point there... ow! That one hurt ash-for-brains" Gray hissed, patting his bleeding broken nose. That was gonna leave a mark until he gets back to Fairy Tail.
"You deserved it stripper. Now what're we going to do?" Natsu asked anxiously. Gray was about to answer when Sythe approached them with a wide grin on his face. They both instantly shut their mouth closed and stared up at him like they stole the last cookie in the jar.
"What? I'm just here to give the room arrangements. Aniki and I get to sleep in one room!" The younger mage beamed at his older brother who clapped him on the back. Natsu scratched his head. That leaves two rooms. He's sure to get the single room since-
"Natsu. You stay with Kourin-san. Now all of you, leave my room!" Erza commanded, her voice threateningly low. All of them nodded and scurried out of the room. Sythe and Gray immediately walked of the their own (Room 192) and left the other two to stare at each other in shock.
"No-"
"-way"
Raven: Not much of an update here, but it actually reached 9000+! That's a new record for me! hehe... anyway, that's all i have to give you guys for today's update. Next comes the sneak peak... after this message
have you noticed the change in the summary of the story? the part about (pending pairing)? well, i'm guessing that some of you already guessed why that is. it's because i have now removed the IMPOSSIBILITY of Lucy and Edo Natsu to end up together... yep! they can still end up with each other! But that's still a possibility. Who knows, maybe Lucy's gonna have a change of heart and fall for BIXLOW instead? (total crack pairing!)
Anyway, there's nothing else to add so ON WITH THE SNEAK PEAK!
"You just noticed it now? Lucy has blond hair! Kourin has blond hair! What if-" The team were riding on a train going to Roulette City after they stopped over at Acalypha for three days. Natsu and Gray were in their own compartment, head-to-head, careful not to be overheard by anybody. Especially not the Crimson eyed killer.
"That's impossible fire breath. Lucy's a kind, smart, passionate, and all around nice girl. Kourin-san's the delinquent chick who can kill us both if she feels like it. There's no way it's her." Gray shook his head.
"But-" Natsu was about to react to that statement when the train suddenly lurched forward. Gray was thrown over Natsu and landed on the floor with a painful crunch.
"Erza! Look out!" The two males heard Kourin exclaim in warning... but then they heard a thud as if someone was pushed to the side and then...
*CRACK*
"Kourin-san!"
That's all i have in store... until the next update! Ciao~