The Strength It Takes

Chapter Fourteen

"You mean to tell me, I'm being…possessed by him?" Lucy hissed. On her left, Natsu's hand on her knee tightened a fraction and she placed her hand over his, clinging to his fingers. Her eyes were wide as she stared at her blue haired friend. Levy's face was grim and set in stone, but her eyes…they were just as scared as Lucy felt.

The group had taken Lucy back to the guild as soon as she had allowed after changing and she now sat with Team Natsu, Master and Levy gathered around the table. The rest of the guild was mysteriously absent, even Mira was simply standing at the bar, her eyes dark with concern as she listened to the conversation around her.

"We think so," Levy said. "I don't know much about Magical Affiliation and as far as I know, it's a very old practice. Only dark mages that are deep, deep in the Dark Magics know about it. I could only find one book that even mentions it and not in very much detail."

"Is there some way to stop it?" Erza asked from Lucy's right, her stance tall and ready and her face tense and somber. Around the table, every face was the same, serious and intent. When one of them was threatened, all of them were. But the people gathered had always had a special fondness for Lucy and her endless exuberance. The thought of anyone threatening to hurt her, to take her away, was a very serious matter indeed. And there was no way they were going to take it lightly.

Levy sighed and pushed her glasses up her nose, her face tired. "I'm not sure. Some of the pages have been ripped out and some are too damaged to read properly. But from what I can tell, the only way is if Lucy can manage to overcome the magic inside of her and almost purge it from her body. Once the dark magic is gone, the dark mage's spirit won't have anything to latch onto and will be forced to move on."

Lucy bit her lip, helplessness threatening to overwhelm her. From what she could remember of the battle leading to her assault, the dark mage hadn't exactly been weak. He had been strong, if not a little cocky. But he hadn't been an easy defeat by any means. And if any of the current situation was anything to go by, he was clever as well as persistent.

"How do would I do that?" Lucy whispered. "I'm not used to channeling my magic like you guys do. My magic is used to open gateway to the Spirit Realm. I've never used it to fight physically. I'm not even sure how I would begin to do that."

"What about that time you saved Loki from dying and called that King guy?" Natsu asked.

Lucy shrugged, her eyes sad. "I'm not even sure I remember how I did that. I was just…I was so mad that he was giving up. I used my anger into trying to force him back."

"Maybe that's how you can access your magic. Through your emotion," Erza suggested. "That's not unlike how Natsu uses his fire. Or how Gray uses his ice. Emotion is a good way to boost the magic you already have."

"Maybe…" But Lucy wasn't entirely convinced. She had always had a connection to her magic in the form of her Spirits and their connection to the gateway. It was strange to think of it as anything other than a tether connecting her to that world, as more of an energy inside of her. She wasn't even sure how to begin to tap into it.

"We could teach you," Natsu said, drawing Lucy's attention to him. His face was intent when his eyes met hers. "We could teach you how to use your magic the same way we were taught. Maybe once you do it a few times, you can get rid of his magic."

"I guess it couldn't hurt," she murmured. With a sigh, her shoulder slumped and she leaned her head on Natsu's should. "I just want this to be over with. I'm so tired."

Natsu lifted his arm to wrap around her waist and press her against his side, his head leaning against hers gently. But his eyes were worried when they met Levy's. It seemed they didn't have much time, if Lucy's amount of missing time and her fatigue were anything to go by. If they didn't hurry, it might be too late and they might lose Lucy anyway.

Over my dead body, Natsu thought fiercely. His arm tightened around Lucy and he breathed in her scent. The smell of the dark mage had gotten stronger and Natsu felt his stomach tighten. He would never give up on Lucy. Even if they were too late and she was overwhelmed, he wouldn't give up until he got her back or he died trying.

You're not going anywhere, Lucy, he thought. I won't let him take you from me. I swear on my life.

(AN: Wow, I know it's been a long time since I updated this story. And I'm not giving up on it, I promise! In fact, it's drawing to a close, hopefully only a handful more chapters with the last confrontation and I can finally end this story. I've enjoyed it so much and it's changed so much from what I originally planned that I'll be sad to see it go, but I think it's time. I know this chapter isn't a lot but there are a few things I have to address before I can finish it and this is kind of a way of stretching my legs after being away for so long. I hope you enjoyed it and I look forward to hearing from all of you. For those of you that have stuck around this long, thank you so much. You all are the best fans a girl could ask for. I adore every single one of you!)

Jane