Earthland-2, Magnolia, X784: Lucy
"You shouldn't do that, miss," one of the gondoliers called over, watching Lucy walk along the canal ridge. She smiled and waved, continuing her regular balancing ritual. I still almost can't believe it. Lucy looked at her hand, unable to stop smiling at the pink symbol looking back. I'm a Fairy Tail wizard. I had an adventure with Titania, fighting evil mages to save a whole town! The Salamander is my partner. A drop of sweat appeared on her cheek. Though he's really not what I expected...
She came to a halt, blinking, when she found Gray and Natsu talking with grim expressions – except they weren't fighting. "What are they doing?" she muttered.
"Aye!" Happy blurted. Lucy gasped and leaped into the air – over the canal side. She shrieked, but the little winged cat raced over and caught her before she fell in. "You need to be more careful, Lucy."
"Happy..." Lucy dangled in Happy's grip, quivering with frustration as he flew her over to a nearby rooftop where they could see the two. Both mages were looking in the direction of Lucy's scream, but Happy's speed had gotten them away before they'd been spotted. "...I'm glad you caught me – but are you're trying to give me a heart attack?!"
Happy gulped. "Gray's gonna talk to Natsu about something big. Don't you wanna hear?" He twiddled his fingers, which was odd, since his hands still looked like paws. "I'm worried."
Lucy's glare vanished, and she patted Happy on the head. "Okay. Just stay downwind. You know what Natsu's nose is like."
Happy's smile lit the evening. "Aye sir!" he cheered, carrying Lucy high above. Keeping near the light of the full moon, they escaped the duo's attention until Gray led Natsu to a ridge on the edge of town. There, the ice mage created an enormous wall that blocked off the entire slope. "Lucy, where do we land?" he whispered. "They're gonna see me soon."
"See if there's someplace to rest behind the ridge," she whispered back. "The wind's blowing away from it." Happy angled down, careful to keep the ridge between them and Gray, and they managed to find a ledge large enough for Lucy to stand on. That was enough for Happy to sit and rest, leaving them both relatively safe.
"This," Gray said above them, "is Siegrain's Tower of Seals. It was designed to contain and cleanse vast amounts of dark, corrupt magic. The success of this project is one of the reasons he's a member of the Magic Council."
"Yeah, yeah, big castle-y thing with lots of fancy columns and stuff," Natsu sighed, and Lucy heard him sit with a thump. "So what?"
"Ice-Make: Grim Memento," Gray whispered. Ice shattered, and the whistling air of his creation magic echoed above them. Natsu made a sound of disgust. "This is the Tower of Heaven."
"Heaven?" Natsu blurted. "Looks more like Hell."
"It was," Gray replied, his voice shaking. "For hundreds of people – kids, old folks, and sick people – it was Grim on Earthland. Jellal spent six years there. Erza was there for two. So was Simon. The other kids in their group were in between."
Natsu had gone quiet. "Why?" he breathed.
"They were captured," Gray rasped, "their parents killed, and they were forced to work to build the place. We found out later they mostly chose people with lots of magic potential, but who couldn't fight back." Happy gasped. Lucy felt sick. What?!
The sound of flame hissing echoed above them. "But...that's...who are they?" Natsu snarled.
"They called themselves the Cult of Zeref, but most of them couldn't cast magic themselves," Gray explained. "They used magic weapons and the prisoners' own energy to control the place." Lucy clamped her hands over her mouth, tears streaming down her cheeks, as Gray explained the nightmare that had been the Tower of Heaven. That's not possible, she railed, how could they get away with something like that?! Memories of haunted eyes in unguarded moments flashed through her mind: Erza's fury during the fight with Eisenwald, Jellal speaking of Princess Hisui, Wally's smile vanishing before they went after Dark Unicorn.
"This is why they're always after dark guilds, especially when kids are involved," Gray continued. Something shattered more ice, shards of it falling past Lucy. "Dark Unicorn was implanting lacrima in them, like what Laxus' dad did to him. That's why they were so determined to take that job. It's almost certainly why Erza wanted to chase Eisenwald when she wasn't able to help with that."
"Who were they working for?" Natsu's voice was a harsh whisper, shaking almost as badly as Lucy herself.
"We don't know for sure–" Gray began.
"WHO?!" Natsu howled.
There was a long pause. "We think the Tower was run by Grimoire Heart," Gray finally admitted.
Natsu shattered a second pause by roaring to the sky, the heat of his fiery breath blotting out the frosty waves created by Gray's ice. Gray yelped, and a brief wave of water drained past Lucy and Happy. "I'm gonna burn them all!" Natsu screamed.
"How?" Gray snapped. "Can you find their freaky airship? Are you smarter than Jellal? Stronger than Erza? Better than Master Makarov?" There was another pause. "This is why they don't spread their past around – they don't want nakama going after Grimoire Heart alone and getting killed. Well, that and they don't want everyone feeling sorry for them, but you're Natsu."
There was a brief scuffle. "You're gonna tell me," Natsu snarled. "When they find Grimoire Heart, you're gonna tell me where they are, and we're going to tear them apart."
"Damn right we are," Gray replied. "Now let go." Another pause. "Better. Are we done here?"
Lucy felt like she was choking on grief, desperately holding back sobs, barely able to see past the stream of tears. "Lucy..." Happy whispered, looking up at her with tear-stained fur of his own.
"One sec," Natsu replied. "Oi! Lucy! Happy! Are you two gonna get home all right?"
Gray and Lucy gasped at almost the exact same moment, blonde and cat looking at each other in a panic. "Crap!" Gray blurted. "Erza's gonna kill me!" Lucy looked around desperately, but before she could tell Happy where to fly them, the ice mage was looking over the ridge's edge, eyes staring wide at them. "Don't you have any..." He trailed off when Lucy looked up at him.
"I'm sorry," Lucy managed, one hand still hovering over her mouth. "I just...we were worried, and – Zen, I don't know what to..." Without a word, Happy flew her up to the field where Gray and Natsu were. Gray's shirt was in his hand, while Natsu was looking from the ice mage to the eavesdroppers. "What are we going to do, Gray?"
"Nothing," he snapped. "As far as Erza's concerned, this is in the past. You don't ask about it, you don't look into it, you don't even mention it." He folded his arms. "We're going to tell her that you heard, because it'll hurt less that way, but after that, you drop it. Clear?"
Lucy nodded. "I understand," she said. Gray raised an eyebrow. "My past isn't anywhere near as bad as that, but there are things I want to forget, too. I just want one thing." Her hand fell to her keys. "If you ever find those – those monsters, I want to know too."
"Aye!" Happy cried, one fist in the air. "Me too!"
Gray nodded. "You're Fairy Tail wizards," was his only reply. "Come on. The sooner we get this over with, the fewer bruises we'll have." He trudged back towards the guild hall, the others following him.
"Gray," Lucy whispered, and he looked back, one eyebrow raised. "You said Erza wants it in the past. What about the rest of them?"
"They're the same way, except for Jellal," he replied. "The Cult was torturing him when Fairy Tail stormed the place. He'd been there the longest, supported the other kids, took beatings for them. Every one of them says he's the reason they survived it. That's why they all love him so much. Then the Cult did something to him, something evil, more than even torture. A part of him...never healed. I don't think it'll ever be history for him." Gray shook his head. "That's a wound you don't touch. Ever." Lucy nodded, still crying a bit.
Before long, they were in front of the guild hall, Lucy looking up at the sign. I didn't think it was possible, she thought, but I love Fairy Tail more than ever now. Gray held up a hand. "You stay here. I'll get Erza." He went inside.
Natsu turned to face Lucy. "Gray didn't say this – figures – and you probably know anyway, but I gotta ask. You're not gonna treat any of them different, right?"
After a moment to take a deep breath, Lucy nodded. "Right. It doesn't matter where we came from. We're all Fairy Tail wizards now, and that's what counts." Natsu smiled his enormous smile.
Erza walked out, looking amazingly calm, an uninjured Gray by her side. Lucy gulped and straightened, Happy darting behind her. Coward, she thought, but then she met Erza's eyes and froze. They were flat, even, and completely unreadable. "I'm sorry, Erza," she blurted, "we were just worried, and – we just wanted to help," she trailed off. Oh, spectacular performance, Lucy snapped at herself. After that, I deserve my lumps.
The next few seconds were sheer terror, Erza's gaze paralyzing Lucy. Then the knight hugged her in a surprisingly gentle embrace. "Thank you, Lucy," Titania said, holding her.
"I...yeah," Lucy muttered. "Um, I'll do my best to forget this, but if there's anything I can do, please tell me, okay?"
"Okay." Erza let her go, then looked at the spirit mage, smiling. Behind her, Gray and Natsu were staring, jaws slack and eyes round. "Until then, I'd rather this remain quiet. Not secret, just a past best left behind." Lucy nodded. She glanced down at Happy, who jumped back, then twisted his paws against one another. She gave him a brief head rub, then headed back inside.
Natsu looked from the guild hall to his friends, then shrugged. "Happy? You still up for 'Operation Z?'"
Happy blinked tears out of his eyes, then swallowed. "A–Aye," he agreed, flying up and in through one of the windows.
Gray turned a narrow-eyed glare on the Dragon Slayer. "Are you up to no good? Tonight, after the conversation we just had?"
"I don't know what you're talking about, ice princess," Natsu shot back with a wicked grin. "We're supposed to forget about it until we get our hands on those Grimoire Heart jerks, right?" He chuckled. "And I'm gonna beat you upstairs."
"Well, sure, but we still don't need any more trouble after the Council arrested Erza," Lucy pointed out. She was about to continue, but found herself shivering, and looked at Gray. What she saw in his eyes made her step back, swallowing in fear. He'd bared his teeth, and silvery frost was rolling down his back in waves. "Gray, what are you doing?"
"You jerk," Gray hissed at Natsu. Lucy wrapped her arms around herself and retreated. "However it happened, Erza just got a reminder of that horror, and if you rub it in any more I swear to Zen I will hurt you."
Lucy swallowed and braced herself to jump in. This isn't their usual fighting. If they start now, it'll get ugly. Natsu surprised her, though, by stepping forward and peering into Gray's eyes. "You were there," he whispered, and Gray gasped, stepping back. "You were at the Tower when Fairy Tail got them out."
Gray scoffed and looked away. "So what?" he spat, crossing his arms. He was still holding his shirt. "I was there six minutes, and I wish I could forget. Jellal was there six years. Don't screw this up, Natsu."
"He's the one who's always saying it's not a contest," Natsu pointed out, pulling back as well. Lucy exhaled in relief as the cold stopped radiating from the Devil Slayer. "Jellal's stronger than anyone except Erza gets. Give him some credit, Gray."
The fury flashed across Gray's eyes again, and he made fists. Natsu grinned back, ready to leap at his old sparring partner. The hall doors swung open, Jellal emerging with a paper in one hand. "Ah, Lucy, good, you're here," the Starburst announced. Lucy yelped and stood at attention. "Relax. I just wanted to invite you on your first S-Class job."
"What?" Natsu railed. "Already?" His eyes flickered to Happy, who was slinking back to the fire mage's side.
"It's funny, really," Jellal said, smiling as he held up the paper. "I hadn't thought much about this assignment. Curse breaking isn't usually my field." Lucy swallowed at the sight of Erza trailing behind the cosmic mage, eyes locked onto Natsu. "Besides, until recently we didn't have a celestial spirit mage in the guild."
"What does that have to do with it?" Lucy asked, peering at the job flier. She gasped at the reward. "Seven million Jewels – and a Zodiac Key?"
"Then, while Jellal was up there, this job request fell to the floor," Erza added, glaring at Natsu. "S-Class jobs are normally pinned to the board quite firmly."
Natsu gulped. "H-How do you know?" he asked, his smile wobbling.
"I'm the one who pins them," she hissed.
Jellal stepped nearly in between them, hands raised, while Lucy found herself holding the flier. "Now, now, let's all stay calm," he said, smiling. "I'm sure there's a reasonable explanation. Besides, it worked out well in the end. Imagine a Fairy Tail wizard with five Zodiac Keys."
"Oh, that's right!" Erza replied, Natsu briefly forgotten. She held up one fist, eyes gleaming. "A contest like this – I mean opportunity – cannot be allowed to go to waste." She blinked, then sighed at Jellal. Is Erza pouting?! Lucy gaped, eyes bulging at the sight. "You're too easy on them, Jellal. What if they had gone off on this job without an S-Class mage?"
"Then you would have brought back some very sorry wizards," Jellal replied. "Anyway, I was hoping to see this new team of yours in action firsthand."
"Who's going to beat who, Natsu?" Gray smirked at the sullen Dragon Slayer.
"'Whom,'" Jellal interjected. Gray sighed.
Natsu blinked at the cosmic mage. "Huh?" he asked. Lucy facepalmed. This is going to be a long job. She brightened. But – another Zodiac Key, one I can earn on an S-Class request! This is my chance to make Mom proud!