Lucy waited until Gajeel and Levy had retired that night to summon Virgo, and even then, when she did, she slipped from the Archives while Natsu was distracted by Happy's angry yowling. Apparently, the blue feline was hungry – now. Even after a rather large supper of fish.
She didn't know how close anything could get to the doors, so she made sure to stick close just in case as she slashed Virgo's key through the air. The tug on whatever magic allowed her to do so told her it had worked, even before Virgo had appeared before her in a bright flash of light. "Greetings, Mistress," said Virgo with a polite bow, her hand placed over her heart.
"Hello, Virgo," Lucy said in response, a smile tugging at the corner of her lips. She felt Natsu's interest spike, but ignored him as she rocked back on her heels. "Would you be willing to make our contract now?"
"Of course," said Virgo firmly, and immediately began listing the rules she desired to be followed for her contract. Lucy listened intently to each and every one, ensuring to note those that weren't flexible and those that were. When she was done listing them, Lucy promised to uphold those rules, and pleased, Virgo announced that they officially held a contract.
It was a quick procedure to make the contract– one of the quickest Lucy had ever formed, actually – and she was so focused on it that she didn't hear him coming until smoke suddenly filled her gaze and hot breath puffed on her ear. "You've got a death wish."
Lucy squawked, and Virgo chuckled when she whirled around to give Natsu a rather nasty look. The agitation didn't last long, but it still made Natsu grin triumphantly. "I do not," she said with a roll of her eyes, "have a death wish."
"I can still feel your arm," he pointed out – and it did hurt. It throbbed with every movement and ached like an old bruise. "And it's nighttime, when all the big nasty things come out. Did you not hear Gajeel talking about a chimera? Those aren't really all that nice to play around with, even for a dragon."
Lucy's lips twitched. She could feel his concern, though she couldn't say if he himself recognized it. Ignoring his commentary regarding her choices to go out at night, Lucy turned to Virgo again and said, "So where do we need to go next? We have…three spirits left, I believe, before we can meet Leo."
Virgo's blue eyes glimmered with laughter. "To the southwest are a series of ancient mountains. In them, you will find the next celestial spirit and the test they hold for you. They wish for you to know that simply reaching them will be enough of a test for them to consider you."
Natsu must have felt Lucy's confusion about why such a simple thing as traveling would be a test, because he grinned widely at her. She felt a flicker of fear at the way his excitement curled in her gut, at the way he nearly bounced. "This is great," he said cheerfully. "Haven't been that way in years."
Virgo inclined her head in farewell and vanished without explanation, and Lucy whirled on her partner, a little worried. "Hey, Natsu, what's so great about the mountains," she paused, irritated beyond belief that they were going back into mountains, "to the southwest?"
Natsu, sensing that irritation and knowing what it was for, cackled. His eyes danced despite the darkness that hid them, reflecting back at her excitedly. "They're old. Like, really old. They've got some nasty things that like to hide in 'em." Lucy stared at him with a pale face, and he grinned widely. "C'mon, Luce, it'll be fun! You've got me. I'm bigger and meaner than anything hiding out there."
"Says the demon who's scared of something like the Dullahan," Lucy pointed out anxiously.
"I'm not scared of the Dullahan," corrected Natsu with a roll of his eyes. "I respect the Dullahan."
"Either way, is there something like the Dullahan in the mountains to the southwest?" Lucy demanded. When Natsu shrugged, she threw her hands in the air and groaned. "This is ridiculous," she cried. "Why mountains? Why always the mountains?!"
Natsu only found himself laughing, absolutely delighted with her misery for once.
When they breakfasted with Levy, Gajeel, and Pantherlily the next morning, Lucy ensured that they knew where they were heading – mostly because she wanted to know what they knew about the area. All it took was one wince on Levy's part to tell her what she needed to know.
Gajeel cackled like a witch. "Southwestern mountains, eh? You know what the dragons call those mountains?" Lucy replied that she really didn't care to know, but he answered anyway. "We call 'em Death's Jaws. They got some real pieces of work hiding in there. The A'tahsaia supposedly lives up there."
"What the hell is that?" Lucy said, voice rising in distress, and Natsu grinned at the sheer panic in her voice. Lucy only glared at him. She was growing angry rather than scared now – and he was proud of it, she realized. It took her a moment to realize that he was pissing her off to take away the fear. Not the best method, she supposed, but…they were around Gajeel, after all, and Lucy knew without a doubt he wasn't going to be overly nice.
"Kind of like a god," said Natsu, rubbing the back of his head. "But not on the same level. A little bit weaker and not immortal from what I've heard. Wonder if we'll get to meet it; I've never fought it before." He bounced a little, even as he shoveled food into his mouth while eyeing Lucy's untouched plate. "Eat, Luce. You're gonna wanna eat if we're goin' somewhere like that. Besides, you're going to be the one to make the Portal again."
Levy perked up. "You're making Portals, Lucy?"
"I'm not very good at it," she said hastily, but Natsu cut her off, surprising her.
"She's really good at it," he told Levy, and Lucy could have sworn that there was pride swelling in her chest – entirely his – and filling his voice. "Did her first one when we went to the Eclipse Gate the other day, and she was only a little bit off from where she was aiming. She managed to get all of us and Salutem through, too."
Levy lit up, her eyes sparkling. She whirled around to face Lucy, her blue hair – not having yet been brushed out and sticking up in all directions – making her look rather insane. "Lucy, do you not know how hard it is to make a Portal?" Lucy snorted, muttering that she indeed knew because she'd made one. "No, you don't understand. Most people take years just trying to create one big enough to send an apple through, and even then it's so far off target, there was no point in making it to begin with. To get all of you through a Portal at that distance and only be off the mark a little?"
Gajeel grunted, "She's got an ancestor like Jellal, don't she? Fallen stars are crazy good at stuff like that."
"I'm not a fallen star though," Lucy pointed out. She shrugged. "I'm glad that I've been able to finally become useful between that and being a bit more capable when it comes to defending myself." She took a deep breath, her eyes flashing. "I don't want something like what happened with Grimoire Heart to happen again."
"It won't." Just like that, Natsu's pride had been replaced with a brutal viciousness that caught her off guard. Lucy blinked at him. He still wore a broad grin; nothing about his physical appearance had changed. But inside…she could feel it. The difference.
That viciousness nearly exploded when something sharp and made entirely of metal suddenly flew past Lucy's head, just barely scratching her cheek. Lucy jolted, a hand snapping over the bloody cut, and Natsu snarled, magic exploding in rage.
Gajeel, rather than responding violently even as an old magic pressed in on them, said coldly, "You don't decide what does and doesn't happen, Salamander, that's the Fates' job." He rocked back, settling down on his elbows and barely seeming to notice the hard surface of the cavern floor. "If the Fates decides to end one of you rather than both, then that's what's gonna happen. You ain't got a way to stop it. Trust me. If the dragons knew a way to stop that kind of thing… "
"You didn't have to hurt me to get your point across," said Lucy irritably, swiping the blood away. "And Natsu, stop, it's fine."
Smoke had gathered around Natsu's face, fury plastered across it. But there was also an odd twinge in her body that told Lucy the Archives really didn't like what he was doing within them. But at her demand, he settled down reluctantly, still scowling and angry but willing to move on for the time being. Lucy got the feeling he'd be holding that little incident over Gajeel's head for a while though.
Levy, giving Gajeel a rather nasty look, not at all pleased by what he'd done, rolled her eyes. "In any case, congratulations, Lucy. It's exciting to see the differences from the last time you were here. You've really improved. It's very clear that you've been working hard." She smiled when Lucy puffed her chest in pride, excited by the praise. That pride faltered a little when Levy said, "But…I think you should refrain from Portaling to the southwestern mountains."
"Why?" demanded Natsu. "We got stuff to do."
"Yes," said Levy patiently, "but the Council…" she exchanged a grim look with Gajeel, suddenly serious. "With the destruction of northern Enca, they're cracking down on mythics and those who wields magic. It's going to get very nasty soon if they don't stop putting limitations on what we can and cannot do. Even the Keepers and Guardians are having limitations put on them. And you know how good they are at tracking Portals."
"Why?" Natsu cocked his head, frowning. "The Council's never had that much power. Sure, they govern the guilds and keep an eye on everything, but the guilds have always been the ones in charge – especially since we don't have a royal family anymore to order people around. Besides, they're not supposed to be making laws like that. They're here to keep the balance between the non-mythics and mythics, and the balance between all of the people alive and the world."
Gajeel grunted, suddenly frowning. "Yeah, well, when you've got power hungry old humans in charge…they think they know what's best. You really didn't think it weird that they've been so invasive about Fairy Tail lately? And you'll wanna be careful in the upcoming months. The rumors that there's a Heartfilia running around have become more wide-spread and you won't have long before they actively start huntin' Bunny Girl."
Lucy bit her lip, furrowing her brow as she looked down at her lap and played with her fingers. That wasn't something she'd ever considered. She'd known to keep her name away from the Council, but… "Why would they hunt me?" she asked suddenly.
"They're a bunch of old-fashioned humans," he told her. "The Lost Star is famous and everyone in Fiore likes 'em. You're a princess. They think that if they put you up as Fiore's new queen, then you'll be someone they can use like a puppet to give 'em the real power over everyone else. Plus, we've gotten some stuff lately that makes it seem like they're looking to ally themselves with the Pergrande Kingdom. What better pawn to get that alliance than a girl eligible to marry a king?"
Natsu stared at him for a few moments, and then burst out laughing. Lucy eyed him with an arched brow as he ran a hand through his pink hair and grinned, cackling like a mad witch. "They really think they could make a puppet out of Lucy?"
"I'm not sure whether or not I should be insulted by the way you said that," she told him.
"I'd take it as a compliment," Levy replied for him.
Gajeel shrugged, suddenly rocking to his feet. "Like I said, a bunch of old-fashioned humans who think they know best." He curled a lip. "This is why I hate humans. They've got such pathetically small lives and think they know what's best for the future."
"They're not all bad," protested Levy, and Lucy suddenly felt rather uncomfortable, considering herself to be a human. "They've got great ideas that centuries-old mythics can't think up."
"It's not just that and you know it," he muttered, and then disappeared into the Archives. Lucy frowned, wondering what was up with his sudden unhappy behavior. Dragons were odd, she couldn't help but think. Natsu spoke suddenly, capturing her attention.
"C'mon, Luce, we better get goin' if we can't Portal. We're gonna have to go back to Magnolia and get some stuff." Natsu suddenly grinned at her and Lucy knew immediately why he was so amused when he said with a cackle, "You can practice some self-defense on the things in the mountains."
Lucy buried her face in her hands, miserable.
The letter was rather heavy in his hand, and Makarov frowned down at the neatly scripted name that had been written on it. Natsu of Fairy Tail, it read. There was no sign of where it had come from, and it had been sealed with written magic. Only Natsu would be able to open it, and if anyone tried, they'd likely be cursed.
"Master?" Mirajane asked, and he looked up tiredly. She looked concerned as she studied him. "I'm sorry, I came in to let you know that Juvia took a solo job…is everything alright?"
"Mm, I'm not entirely sure." Makarov sat back in his chair, waving Mirajane further in. He grunted when an old injury sent pain shooting up his back. The time to retire was finally coming. He'd have to pass the guild's leadership on, though he still wasn't sure who to pick among those present. They had to be on his own personal council, which really limited the people he could pick from.
Makarov offered her the envelope. "A letter sealed by magic," he said calmly, "addressed to Natsu." He cocked his head. "Have you heard from either he or Lucy? I'm assuming it to be quite urgent. Natsu's not received any mail outside of requests for him to work for specific clients since he first joined Fairy Tail."
Mirajane tilted her head, silver hair glimmering in the light that filtered into the office. Dust motes could be seen in the rays of sunlight, and Makarov made a mental note to have someone dust the room soon. "Levy scryed me last week to let me know that they left the Archives and were going to come here. They won't be Portaling anywhere, I've been told; the Council's officially looking for Lucy."
"Mm, we need to do something about the Magic Council. They've become too invasive in the lives of the country's residents," said Makarov seriously. "I'll meet with the other guildmasters at the annual meeting next week anyways. I'll bring it up there. In any case, they'll be back in the next month or so. Perhaps you could scry Natsu and inform him?"
"I could do that," agreed Mirajane with a warm smile. "Hopefully it won't make him push Lucy a little too hard. They'll be crossing through the mountains again…at least it's not wintertime. It shouldn't be too cold, and she does have Natsu with her." Mirajane rocked back a little on her heels. "Is there anything else you want me to do, Master?"
Makarov contemplated the idea and then asked, "Is Gildarts here? There's something I need to discuss with him."
"Yes, he just got in this morning. He isn't in the guildhall, but he said that he'd be by this evening. I'll let him know that you want to speak with him when he comes in." She gave Makarov a kind smile. "I'll make sure to get you some tea for now, too."
Makarov threw her a fond look, grateful for her and every other brat he'd helped raise in the guild that he'd been guildmaster of for so long.
Her fingers tapped impatiently on the armrest of her chair, and the voices of those around her were a weak drawl that she barely cared enough about to listen to. Her dark eyes were distant, locked on something that the others around her couldn't see. Only one other noticed that she wasn't paying any attention, his old gaze full of amusement.
"Empress," he said, cutting through the dull words being spoken. "Is everything alright?"
"Hm?" she said, startling out of her thoughts. She glanced at him. "Ah, yes," she murmured, although she knew that he had clearly seen past her comment. She glanced around the table, reminded of a time so long ago when things had been so different. When the thirteen seats had been full. Now, six seats remained empty and she sat upon the head of them all.
"Still no word?" commented the man furthest from her on the left, his voice a sneer, and she sent him a dirty look.
"No, but I knew that it was likely." She lifted her chin. "He wasn't all that fond of us and he's not set foot in our country in a very, very long time. I was just thinking…it will only be through a great amount of luck that he favors helping us." She glanced at her favored adviser, the one who'd practically raised her all those centuries ago, before things had changed. "I doubt any of us would be welcomed by the false king. He favors Dragneel. You know he does."
Protests rang out, and she ignored them all in favor of a voice that rang out over the rest. "You're serious? You think he's going to be able to do something about the bastard? What good was he the last time? And why the hell would he even want to help us? We were a part of everything that turned him against us."
Silence fell; a fear that had plagued them all since they'd all come to the agreement to send a request to one they'd never considered speaking with after he'd taken his leave of their country.
"You make a good point, but surely in nearly eight centuries," said the oldest of them and the one who'd go to meet him, "Fairy Tail will have been of some influence on him. And it isn't something that will affect just us. This affects all of the Ishgar continent. Besides," he lifted his chin, and their interest was caught by his next statement, "there's been rumors that he has acquired a Marked One. Nearly impossible for a half-dragon, but then again…we've never seen a half-dragon like him before."
"In any case," said the empress, lifting her chin proudly. "It's too late to go back and we do need his help and advice regarding the situation. I believe the times are about to truly change for the first time since the Demonic Wars, and we need to be ready to meet those changes."
Some new stuff on the wind~ And Death's Jaws! I love the time they spend in those mountains. Hopefully you'll enjoy it, too. ;)
Uchida Akira, regarding Gajeel and Levy...no! They do not know he's END. They know he's a demon (and a powerful one at that), but that's about it.
BeautifulSamurai, regarding my school...yes! I'll be doing college online for the rest of the semester. Half of my professors have no idea how to use technology though, so it'll be an interesting time.
Thanks to reviewers (aquarius592, stranger1999, Lodemai04, Meow Orbit, NaLuFireSpirit, madaraswife, Uchida Akira, BeautifulSamurai, Lissuin, and YoursTruly!) as well as those who favorited and followed!
