Hello again, for Secrets Can Kill, chapter 53!
We've come so far and I never thought we could, so thanks so much for all of this :) Tartaros arc, here we come! Time for tears and heartbreak for, like, everyone! MWAHAHAHAHAHAHA
:)
REVIEWS~
AkaneLovesItachi: I love potatoes :3
William Slayton: I've thought about it... Maybe XD
WolfyWolfWolf: Thank you! :)
DragonIceFeather: The ship'll sail... some day...
Previously:
This day didn't exactly go as planned, either.
At breakfast Nicole and Natsu ate enough to feed an army, Gajeel eagerly assisting. Makarov cried at owing the hotel four racks of metal silverware that Gajeel claimed to have no knowledge of. All the girls seemed hungover from the previous night, but Erza and Mira were making sketches and plans at their breakfast table.
At the beach, Gray and Natsu became highly competitive about everything- sun bathing, sand castles, swimming, racing. Gray's swim shorts got lost somewhere and every girl cried for their innocence as he tried to locate them. At one point the entire beach was frozen over, then melted, and they were kicked out by the hotel staff for 'disturbance to the other guests' and the fairies were sent home.
Nicole sighed in relief at being back at the guild.
Natsu cheered about beating Gray in the sand castle contest.
Gray complained about Natsu lying about him beating him in the sand castle contest.
Lucy squealed as a guild brawl ensued.
Master Makarov cried at the fines that they owed.
Erza grimaced as the cake she was eating was squashed.
And poor Mira sobbed her heart out that no couples did anything. Oh, well. Another plan for another time.
Chapter 53: Sun Village
Normal POV
"Mmmmmmm this feels sooooo nice," Cana droned, sinking into the newly built Fairy Tail baths. Stretching her arms out she turned towards the other girls. "Come on it, the water's perfect."
"This is nice," Lucy admitted, sinking her naked body into the water. Soon all the girls were in the water... with one exception.
Typically, Nicole stood at the edge, towel wrapped firmly around her body. "It's okay," she managed nervously. "I'll just... wait outside, in the guild hall."
"You gotta come in, girl!" Cana cheered. "Before I pull you in!"
Nicole paled. "Fine." Covering herself carefully she slipped into the water, hands crossed over her chest and knees tucked up.
The girls began to chat about the huge amount of jobs the guild had been getting, and requesting specific mages. "Wendy and Erza went on one together," Mirajane said. "As well as Gray and Natsu."
The Ice Dragon Slayer rolled her eyes. "They probably destroyed just about everything in sight."
Every girl nodded in agreement. "Didn't you go on one yesterday?" Lucy asked Nicole.
She nodded. "Some snobby mother wanted me to make an ice palace for her little brat." She rolled her eyes again. "Why she wanted me and not Gray, she never said."
The girls continued talking for a bit when they spotted Flare Corona in the tub nearby. But after learning she was harmless, they went back to the guild hall. Erza and Lucy had fetched Gray and Natsu after their three day long job that only took less than an hour- the rest of it consisted of arguing.
"I," Gray announced, "am never going on another job with flame brain again."
"Same goes for you," Natsu grumbled, slumping his head on the table. Everyone laughed lightly and Master Makarov emerged from his office. "Gray, Natsu, and Nicole, there's a job request for you three!"
There was a loud bang of Nicole smacking her head off the table, groaning. Natsu leaped to his feet. "No! No way!"
"Never in a million years!" Gray agreed, standing up next to his rival.
"Why me," Nicole whined.
"Oh, no." Gramps' face paled and he gripped the paper tightly. "You are all going and you are going to be on your best behavior. This... This is a job from the Fourth Wizard Saint in all of Ishigar."
"WHAT?!"
***:::~~~...
"I still don't see why I have to go," Gray grumbled, tossing his shirt behind him. "Pyro can just do something else."
"Oi!" Natsu howled. "Go die in a hole!"
"Your hair colour is making my eyes hurt!"
"You should just let Erza gobble you up!" Natsu hollered
"Take a bath in Erza's turds!" Gray retorted back.
Erza glared. "I feel insulted."
"MOVING ALONG," Nicole said loudly, dragging the rivals by their ears. Wendy and Lucy giggled at the sight- the two female mages in Fairy Tail who could control the duo.
...~~~:::***
"Shh, quiet!" Warrod yelled quietly, dripping precious water droplets onto the plants. "Plants prefer peace and quiet. If your minds can comprehend that, then keep your noisy mouths shut!"
Questioning the sanity of this Wizard Saint, the group of six mages became oddly silent. Then he burst into odd, short chuckles of laughter. "Just kidding! It was a joke! A joke, that's all." He twirled in a circle, splattering the plants and the mages with water. "Actually, flowers and other plants love to hear the sound of human voices! Wa ha ha ha ha!~"
"A tree?!" Lucy spluttered.
Natsu sighed. "What's with this old man?"
"Ah, I must welcome you, wizards of Fairy Tail." The tree-man swished his hands in a gesture meaning enter.
The six wizards were rushed inside and they all waited patiently for the wizard to explain the quest. But the first thing he did was bend down and squish Carla and Happy's cheeks. "Natsu and Gray! But where's Nicole? You're a bit shorter than I thought."
Everyone stared at him blankly. Then he began to laugh again. "Just kidding! It was a joke! AHAHAHAHA"
"He's got a lot of energy for an old guy," Nicole grumbled, crossing her arms. Gray nodded in agreement.
Erza sighed. "Forgive my presumption, but you are the wizard saint Warrod Sequen, are you not?"
The man nodded intensely, a look of determination shining on his face. "Indeed I am. I am Warrod Sequen." Then he grinned, showing off white teeth. "I'm joking."
"EHHHHHHH?" Everyone said out loud.
He chuckled loudly. "Actually, THAT was the joke."
Gray shook his head. "This old guy is wearing me out."
"With all due respect, sir," Nicole said quickly. "You sent us a job request?"
"Ah, yes. Serious business." He ushered everyone to a set of benches.
Sighing, the Wizard Saint rested his hands on his lap. "I have been using my plant magic to rid the world of deserts and such, as some of you may know. I came across the village of the Sun, which, according to records, worships an eternally burning flame." Natsu raised his eyebrows. "However... the village is entirely frozen, including the flame."
Lucy and Wendy gasped. "How can you freeze a flame?!"
Warrod sighed. "The frozen people are still alive."He looked up and into the eyes of the Fairy Tail mages. "Please help melt the ice and save the village. That is my job request."
Natsu leaped up from the table and ignited his fists. "That makes sense! This'll be easy!"
"If that's it," Gray said, "you don't need me."
Warrod sighed. "This... wasn't ordinary ice. Your team will need your skills as well." He next nodded at the Ice Dragon Slayer. "You as well."
After a quick scan of the faces of the group, Erza smiled at the elderly man. "Of course we'll do it."
Gray and Natsu fist bumped. "Leave it to us."
Lucy and Nicole high-fived. "We got this!"
"Excellent. The village is about 1, 200 miles to the south. Let me provide you with a mode of transportation." Closing his eyes and waving his hands, and huge flower in green and pink vines and petals burst out of the dusty ground, underneath the feet of the Fairy Tail wizards.
"Whoa!" Nicole yelped, scrambling towards the center of the flower. Natsu pumped his fist in the air and let out a loud cheer. Wendy looked on, transfixed by the movement and view. Looking back one last time, Nicole caught a glimpse of Warrod, watching them go.
Sighing, the Dragon Slayer flopped back on the soft petals. Gray scooted over next to her. "Don't like heights?"
"I like them," she dismissed. "But this Ice mage needs a nap to rest up for my huge appetite." She sighed blissfully and pumped her fist in the air. "All you can eat buffet for me!" Gray smirked down at the brunette as he too flopped back onto the petals, awaiting the moment they would arrive at this unique village.
***:::~~~...
"Warrod-san wasn't kidding," Wendy murmured as she stepped off the bouncy flower petals. "The entire place is iced over."
It was true. Everything was covered in ice, the giant mountain behind the village, the giant houses, and... the giant people? "This is a village of huge people!"
"They're giants," Nicole observed, shifting her jacket.
"HUGE!" Natsu squawked, looking around frantically at the large beings. "HUGE!"
Nicole looked over at Gray and was surprised to see sweat was dripping down his face and he was shaking. "Are you okay?"
"Yeah..." he said shakily. "It's just, beings trapped in ice..."
Nicole tapped her chin. "Deliora, right?" Gray nodded stiffly. "I'm sorry..."
"Compose yourself," Erza advised. Natsu nodded and ran over to the ice, firmly pressing his hands down as fire swirled around his hands, and then his body. "MELT!" As he got more frustrated the fire became more intense. Flames raced up the ice, Happy cheering Natsu on all the while, and the ice did not melt.
Gray then pressed a hand to the ice. "This ice... is different."
"May I?" Nicole pushed past Gray, nudged Natsu out of the way, and chipped off a relatively large chunk of ice. Sinking her canines into the piece, she slowly chewed. Then she spat it out. "Oh god! This is gross!"
Lucy stared at her blankly. "Uh, no offense, Nicole, but ice... is ice."
"It's more complicated than that," Nicole argued, crossing her arms. "This ice is tough, gritty, and leaves a sickening taste in my stomach. It's horrible."
Gray smirked. "So my ice tastes fine, I guess?"
"Sure," Nicole rambled. "It's smooth and clear and everything. The texture's nice and..." Blushing, the brunette inhaled loudly, sucking in the rest of the ice. "This tastes horrible. I could eat it, providing I don't collapse of a stomach ache half way through."
"We'll find another way," Gray assured her. The Dragon Slayer smiled with relief.
"Huh, somebody beat us to it. Bummer."
There was a thunk in the distance. The guild mates turned and saw a trio of odd-looking men. "They're heavy on girls and kids," one guy snickered.
"DUUN DUUN!" Another guy cheered.
Glaring, Nicole shifted her stance, holding up a fist. "Dare you to repeat that."
"We're the treasure hunting guild!" They announced proudly. "Sylph Labyrinth!"
"Duun!" The odd guy cheered.
There was a long pause. Awkwardly, the group repeated, but Erza called, "We heard you the first time."
"We're here for the heavy S-class treasure, the flame!" One guy called.
The banter continued. The trio was from a treasure hunting guild, looking for the so-called sacred eternal flame that the village protected. Nicole and Lucy were sweat-dropping at the trio's lack of maturity. Then one man produced a vial. "We've got moon drip!" He announced. "We can unfreeze the flame!"
A spark lit in Natsu's empty head. "If we get that, we can save the village!"
"CHARGE!"
The group rushed onward, pursuing the trio and escaping men. Erza remained at the village to investigate. But the five wizards finally cornered the three in a clearing- or, the two in the clearing. One of them had vanished.
Clenching his fists, Natsu let out a battle roar and leaped at one of the men, who produced a long staff with a hand on it that absorbed all of Natsu's blow. Gray dodged the swing of one man's blade by a narrow margin. Wendy shoved Lucy out of the way before she could get hit by the sniper's bullet.
"These guys," Natsu huffed, "Will be harder to defeat than we thought!"
Nicole's POV
Frustrated, I ground my teeth together. Then I suddenly remembered my eye thingy. Glaring down the man with the changing sword, eventually he stared back at me. "What do you want?"
And so I twitched my eyes.
"What the hell was that?" He snarled. Then he blinked rapidly, as it was the only movement he could do. "I'm stuck! What did you do, witch?"
The huge-headed man with the hand-staff peered over. Big mistake. I twitched my eyes at him and he stilled. Standing triumphantly, I marched over and snatched the vial from the man's pocket. "Okay, we're set to go now."
Everyone cheered happily. And we completely forgot the man with the sniper.
I saw something hurtling towards me in my peripheral vision and moved to my right, but not quick enough. A bullet that would've hit my between the eyes kissed my shoulder before pounding to the ground.
Crying out, I fell backwards, my spell on the other two men broken. The vial slipped from my grasp.
"I've got it!" Happy cheered, lunging for the bottle.
The bottle crashed to the ground in front of his paws, spilling the precious moon drip over the soil.
I heard my group crying out, in despair that the bottle was gone and fear for me. I winced as blood leaked out of the small bullet hole on my shoulder. "Ow! Ah, god, it kills." I bit my lip and started shrugging off my jacket, wincing at the pain that came with it."
"Oh my god, Nicole!" Gray, Lucy, and Wendy knelt down next to me. Wendy immediately focused her healing magic over my shoulder and I loosened up, feeling better. I heard a yell and explosion and I was pretty sure Natsu had dealt with the other two. Lucy assured my Loke had gotten the sniper.
I struggled to sit up. "Okay, that's better." I puffed my cheeks. "Thanks, Wendy. Sorry guys."
"It wasn't your fault," Gray said, lending me a hand.
"Yeah," Lucy added. "The sniper could've nailed you between the eyes. I'm glad you're alive!"
"Me too," I said drowsily, earning a small laugh.
Natsu started jogging. "Come on, let's get back to the village. We can figure out some other way to unfreeze it. C'mon!"
"Can you walk?" Gray asked.
I fixed him a weird look. "Did I get hit in the leg? No. I walk."
"You and your sarcasm."
"I try."
Enjoy? Yes? No?
