. Between the Lines .
When color flooded her vision, she did the first thing that came to mind.
"OW!" her captor yelped, ripping his hand away and stumbling back. "What the hell...did you just...you bit me!" he cried accusingly.
"And you kidnapped me!" Lucy shrieked back, whirling around to face him. Her eyes narrowed dangerously as she took in his appearance, but the anger quickly turned to a reluctant concern and confusion.
He was clearly in pain. Sweat dotted his forehead, and he trembled as he fought to remain standing. He wore a suit that must have once been carefully cared for along with a tie that hung loosely around his neck - though his hands did move to fix it, so she assumed that was her fault. Orange hair was spiked around his head, and green eyes were hidden by a pair of dirtied shades that did nothing to hide the exhaustion on his face.
What shocked her, however, were the red symbols that swirled around his skin, as if branded there. Each symbol shifted and churned, gleamed and sparkled in the dim light of the cave they suddenly found themselves in.
Clearly, this man was not well. And, for some strange reason, she felt sympathy for him.
He seemed to consider her words. "I suppose I did," he admitted. "I have my reasons though." He glanced sharply at her, and she froze beneath a hard gaze. "What do you have with you? Do you have your keys?"
Lucy chose not to answer that aloud, but the jingle was heard as she pushed her hand into her pocket was enough. She clenched her jaw.
"Honestly," he muttered, "What the hell do you think I'd be able to do with them? I can't summon your Spirits. Only the celestial mage they have a contract with is able to do that." He muttered an apology as he grabbed her by the arm, roughly shoving his hand into her pocket and yanking out the keys alongside her phone. "Jeez."
"Give those back!" Lucy snapped.
"Sorry, Princess." He flashed her a quick grin that was a bit strained as he pocketed her possessions. "Can't have that dragon slayer of yours coming in and wrecking this place, now can we?"
Lucy's cheeks puffed up as she fought to figure out what to do. Even in his condition, he was clearly stronger than her. And there wasn't much she could do now that he had her keys. Her attention focused on one word, and she became wary. "What do you want with me?"
"...can't exactly tell you that," he admitted, pushing up the sunglasses he wore. "All I can really tell you is that I go by Loke, and until you can do what I need you to do...well, let's just say I think you're going to be here a while."
Lucy cautiously made her way around the cave she found herself in, taking in the mounds of gold and the glorious treasures it held. She didn't dare touch anything. One, she wasn't into taking things that didn't belong to her and two? She'd left this kind of thing behind. Like she'd willingly go back to it.
She paused to glance back at where Loke was carefully sitting at the entrance to the cave, leaning back against a rocky wall with a sharp look on his face, as if he was some kind of guardian that made sure nobody came in or out without his permission. He looked a hell of a lot better than he had looked three days before when she'd first arrived, though he was still sleeping a lot. He no longer trembled with the simple effort of moving, and he attempted to be friendly though Lucy wasn't really having any of it.
Like she'd befriend someone who wouldn't even give her her things back.
Okay, so maybe that was a lie. He'd given her her keys back, warning her that if she summoned more than Plue - how he knew about Plue was a mystery in itself, and she found herself silently wondering if he'd been stalking her - then he'd take the keys again.
At least she had Plue to keep her company and train with. She'd summoned the little Spirit in a flash and now cradled him to her chest.
Grumbling, Lucy shot Loke a glare. "Do you have anything entertaining in here? If you're going to kidnap someone and decide not to kill them, then I'd recommend you have some form of entertainment."
Rather than looking annoyed with her for her complaining like she'd hoped, he only looked amused. "What do you think I am, some kind of magician?" Loke snorted. "There's plenty for you to do in here. Go sort gold."
"Are you-" She cut herself off, throwing an arm in the air. "Is that what I'm here for? To sort your money?"
"It's not mine," Loke snipped back, "And I'm not lazy enough that I'd have someone else count gold for me. Damn, woman, what do you take me for?" He grumbled about something under his breath, something that Lucy didn't quite catch and was more than likely something she would have tried to beat him for.
While Loke wasn't anywhere near at his full strength - something he openly admitted - he wasn't entirely incapable. The curse, as he called it, did nothing to keep him from easily overpowering her when she tried to push past him and leave the cave.
When she'd asked him about the curse, he'd grown quiet, the marks on his skin glowing brighter than normal. He'd taken on a pained expression before silently turning away. Lucy had watched after him curiously before shrugging and going to explore some more.
But now...she was done exploring.
Lucy glanced over her shoulder, reaching into the pocket of the jacket she wore. At least he'd been considerate enough to find a jacket for her, she thought, picking at the white fluff that lined the hood. She removed the keys from her pocket, still holding Plue in one arm. She studied them for a moment, contemplating who would be the best to summon just to piss Loke off.
It was Plue who stopped her, surprisingly enough, looking up at her as he smacked at her hand with a scolding "Pun!"
"Yeah," Lucy sighed, tightening her grip around them for comfort. "You're right...let's go see if we can at least call the others and let them know we're okay, hm?"
"Pun!" Plue agreed happily.
Hugging the small Spirit to her chest and grateful it no longer exhausted her to summon him, Lucy stalked back in the direction of the "guardian" of the cave. "Loke," she began carefully, doing her best not to spit his name out like poison in her annoyance. She was sure she'd snap if he refused her request. "Would you please let me-"
"No."
The fact that he'd cut her off before she could even finish pissed her off even more than saying no after waiting would have. "Listen here, you selfish bastard," she began, only to be interrupted again.
"You may not call your friends," Loke said thoughtfully, tapping a ringed finger on his knee. Green eyes turned on her, and she narrowed her own irritably. "Not because I don't want to know you're fine. But because it'd interrupt what I'm trying to do. Have no fears, Princess, I don't want them hurting or you, but the fact that they'd come and drag you away would do nothing for anyone - especially you and I."
"Give me one reason why I shouldn't tell Natsu to kick your ass when he comes," she warned. "Or better yet, why I shouldn't have my Spirits do it now."
"Because they wouldn't," he said with a simple shrug. "One, Natsu wouldn't think to look here. He isn't exactly the smartest cookie in the cookie jar. If anyone, the lovely Lady Erza would be the one to think of such a thing, or even Miss Strauss. Don't get me wrong, Natsu's not stupid, but…"
"...that's true," Lucy reluctantly agreed. She adored her friend, but damn those bright moments of his were rare.
He held up a finger to keep her from speaking further. "And two, Princess, your Spirits wouldn't dare to try and lay a hand on me." His eyes gleamed as he said this.
And then his expression crumbled into one of pain, and he grunted as he fought back what was more than likely a scream. Lucy's eyes widened and she hesitantly dropped to her knees beside him as he screwed his eyes shut and tensed up. She set Plue aside, dismissing her Spirit with a wave of her hand. Plue left as ordered. "Are you...are you alright?"
He gave it a moment, letting the pain fade away before answering. "No," Loke admitted, voice hoarse. "Stupid curse."
It suddenly struck her. "Oh, my - what the hell have I been doing?! I'm such an idiot! It took me three freaking days to-" She groaned slapping her hand to her forehead. "You didn't kidnap me just to be a jerk, you need help with this curse don't you?"
He gave a choked laugh. "Finally getting somewhere, are we? 'Bout damn time, Princess."
Lucy tapped her lip in thought, still not moving any closer than necessary. "Okay… from the sound of it, you need me to do something, but you can't tell me what?" A nod. "Damn, this is going to be a pain...not a bad idea for a novel though, bet you this could get me some serious attention…" Moving on from that when Loke shot her a glare, Lucy smiled brightly. "I'll help you, I promise... but seriously...did you have to kidnap me?"
Loke grumbled. "I can't exactly just outright ask for help, now can I?" She smiled sheepishly at that, understanding. "Here." He flung something at her and she just barely nabbed it before it struck the ground. "I can't take you anywhere and the magic interferes too much to let you use it. Head down to the town. Just follow the path...take some gold with you, get things you might need. One piece of gold should be enough to get everything as long as you stick with one store."
Lucy stared at the phone in her hand. "...you don't think I'm going to run off and abandon you to rot here?"
"You're a celestial mage," Loke said simply, resting his head back and closing his eyes. "One thing about your kind is that you don't break promises. Particularly you, Princess."
"Uh...thanks? I think?" Lucy shrugged to herself, shoved her phone into her pocket alongside her keys and then stood. "Do you need anything from town?"
He shook his head. "No. Thanks for the offer though. I just need some sleep."
"...okay." Feeling awkward now, Lucy stepped through the entrance to the cave that he'd trapped her in for three days, feeling a hell of a lot better about the situation.
She felt bad for Loke, she realized. He'd been under a curse for who knew how long, and, not able to simply ask for help, he'd resorted to kidnapping to try and get it that way. Not that she could blame him. He must have been desperate to do such a thing.
So, as Lucy made her way towards the town he'd mentioned, a single gold coin in her pocket, she began to plan her explanation to her guildmates.
If someone had told him that being the partner of a mage born with celestial magic was going to be so stressful, Natsu would have probably reconsidered agreeing to Makarov's request. Honestly, he thought as he glared holes into Lucy's table - literally. Where the hell could she have gone?!
There were a lot of weird things that came with magic. He knew that, Happy knew that, everyone knew that.
But there was one thing that didn't happen, and that was the fact that mages didn't just disappear into thin air. He'd hunted down her scent from the second he'd seen the shattered plate, knowing immediately that Lucy wouldn't have left something like that. He hadn't been able to find anything, and Natsu had quickly become frantic.
He'd kept quiet about the matter when Mirajane had asked, saying that Lucy simply wasn't feeling well. Natsu didn't want the guild to panic so soon after Lucy had gotten into trouble at the Tower of Heaven, terrified that they'd tell him he wasn't qualified enough to protect such a valuable mage and couldn't be her partner anymore. Happy had reluctantly agreed to keep quiet, too, promising that he'd keep an eye out for Lucy.
His heart twisted and he felt sick. He was running out of time. The others would realize something was wrong soon, and then he'd have to explain to them that he'd been lying. And he just wasn't ready for that. He didn't want to lose his partner.
Suddenly, his phone went off in his pocket.
Natsu blinked in surprise, then searched his pockets until he found which one held his phone. He answered without looking, giving a soft yawn. "Hello?"
"Natsu?" came a familiar voice. "Natsu, can you hear me?"
He nearly tipped the table over in his excitement as he rocketed to his face. "Lucy?!" he demanded into the phone, his grip tightening around it. He made himself calm down when he began to just barely smell the scent of melting things. He didn't want to ruin the phone when he was in the middle of such an important conversation.
"Oh, good! You can hear me!" Relief colored her tone. "Sorry, I'm-"
"Where the hell are you?" he barked into his phone. Natsu was suddenly furious, and he huffed out a wisp of flames in his frustration. "I've been looking like crazy, woman!"
She sounded guilty as she spoke. "Sorry, sorry, I know. Something came up. Someone needed some help and they couldn't exactly ask for it, so they kind of kidnapped me, but we're okay now."
Natsu tried to comprehend this for a moment, but gave up. "What?"
Lucy giggled softly at her partner's attempt to understand what she was trying to say. "I'm okay," she said gently. "So stop freaking out, okay? I don't know when I'll be coming back, but I'm with someone who needs my help."
"Where are you?" the dragon slayer growled, temper flaring again. "I want to-"
"I've got this handled," Lucy said hastily, cutting him off. "My phone's about to die, I'll see if I can find a way to get it charged so I can check in again. Take a job or something, okay? I'll talk to you later."
"Wait-"
"Bye, Natsu!"
Click!
Natsu glared at his phone and then, in a flash of rage, hurled it across the room. "What the hell?!" he snarled, then scowled angrily. "Damn it, Lucy!"
...shoot!
He scrambled to pick up the pieces of the phone, giving a dry laugh when he realized that while he could do that, he couldn't pick up the shattered fragments of his mind.
To those who guessed Loke/Leo... Congrats! There were some interesting guesses out there. Igneel and Zeref among the most curious ones.
Reviews
heyitsmogan: I do believe our lovely Lucy will be alright, yes? And I agree. She does get into trouble often.
Moon Stone Tiger Lily: Don't we all? Lol. XD
shippinginjune: Nah. Natsu's a quick little bastard. At least he knows she's alright though, yes?
TigerArrowgirl: It is indeed Loke! I mentioned the golden rings on purpose, to try and get people to notice. And same here, no words. Speechless. Can't believe what's happening to poor Laxus.
readwithcats: Nah, no worries. You're not alone. ;)
Its Jawsie: He got close, that's for sure!
Dragondancer81: Thank you! :D
Nekokittygirl: Of course!
Miya: I TOTALLY AGREE. Perhaps the boy is Natsu, perhaps he isn't...as for the kidnapper...hello our little precious male Loke. Lol.
panda123love: Natsu is indeed a silly little bunny. And pissed is a nice way of putting it. XD
OgaxHilda: It is indeed Loke! And possibly on the jealous dragon. Quite possibly.
Haus of Lexy: That made me laugh for some reason. I love it.
AngelEmCuti: There are always more questions than answers. It creates unending wildness, yes?
PinkFireandGoldenStars: Sadness is a specialty of mine. Loke for sure. Definitely Loke. I'm not good with stars, and I didn't even know that there was a constellation called Draco, honestly. Lol. XD
See you: Confirmed! Nalu moments are great and (late) Happy Valentine's Day to you as well!
Vaneles: Fate is a good thing sometimes. Que some cackling there...
SingingAngel327: Loke! Gotta love Loke and his "people skills", which appear to be quite rusty. We'll start a counter for how many people get beat up though. ;)
Uchida Akira: You wish! Nah, I was just celebrating the fiftieth chapter. We're back to a normal schedule now. And you were correct!
Shidake: That is usually me with normal FT chapters, to be perfectly honest.
Person: I'm glad that you chose to read! Thank you for your kind review! :)
serioushugsies: Yes. Yes I am. Because cliffies are the best place to end a chapter in my eyes.
AJDrakes: Cleverness is a good thing, because I don't usually create clever things. Gemini's message was an interesting thing to come up with, let me tell you. Natsu is anything but pleased, I think. Lol.
Knightwalker: Loke's smart to wait until Natsu's gone. I don't think Natsu would have put up with him running off with her. Lol. More questions than answers is always a good thing.
Uzumaki Naho: It is a lion! Cute worrying Natsu is absolutely freaking adorable.
