Lucy hit the ground hard enough to find the breath driven right out of her chest. It was accompanied by immense frustration on Natsu's behalf, and grief and annoyance and everything else that he could feel. She was frustrated, too. They'd been so close. He could have gone with her, if he'd only been a few steps faster. But, at the very least, three of her celestial spirit friends were safe, and she was, too.
Albeit with some rather scary people she knew nothing about.
She'd barely had the time to catch her breath before a foot was driving the air right back out of her. She scowled up at the angry Cobra. He glared back down at her, his snake - Cubellios, he'd called her - hissing back at her. "Where the hell are we?" he barked, voice ringing out.
Lucy looked around, craning her head awkwardly until he let her up. She rolled to her feet, grimacing as she rubbed her thundering heart. It was quiet here, after the chaos of that village in the mountains. Her gaze came to land on a familiar body of water, crystalline blue unlike any other water she'd ever seen, and entirely still. She smiled faintly, remembering how it had once swirled with a whirlpool - remembering how she'd brought that skull up and tossed it to Natsu in disgust.
"This is the lake I found Aquarius in," she said, touching the remaining keys at her hip. Aquarius's burned at her hip and Lucy ignored Angel's furious squawking nearby as she strode for the water. She knelt at its edge and plunged Aquarius's key into it. The mermaid appeared in a flicker of brilliant light, eyes flashing with annoyed pride, as if she didn't want to be proud of Lucy but was.
Grudgingly, the spirit drawled, "You did well, I suppose. Considering." She eyed Angel and Cobra, and then informed Lucy, "Gemini, Leo, and Aries are safe. Their current protectors will ensure their safety until you are capable of doing so yourself."
Lucy felt somethin in her chest crack in sheer relief. She'd been worried that Acnolgoia would get his hands on her keys. She'd called herself Keeper, and if he put those keys in danger as a threat…Lucy was fairly confident the stars would demand her life in reparation if she failed to protect them, even without a Guardian. "Thank you, Aquarius," she murmured.
Aquarius's gaze slid to Cobra and Angel, who had joined Cobra and was now glaring balefully at her with her companion. "You chose odd companions," she commented. "But then, I suppose you always do." Lucy sighed softly, and reading the unsaid plea in Lucy's eyes, Aquarius rolled her eyes and pointed in the direction they needed to go. "Head in that direction," she instructed Lucy. "Leo informed Yukino of what was happening when he left Aries's key. They've already sent that shadow dragon out searching for you."
"Thank you," repeated Lucy, and Aquarius wrinkled her nose delicately.
"You understand," she said instead of simply leaving, "that this is only a fraction of what will happen when it comes time for Crocus to be destroyed?"
"What?" said Cobra bluntly, startled. Angel tugged at his sleeve irritably, silently demanding what they were talking about. She'd been unable to hear herself.
"It will be nearly the same but at a more catastrophic level," continued Aquarius as if they'd not said anything. "And your little partner won't be nearly as capable of keeping his head where it should be. Things will go much, much worse." Lucy's jaw tightened, eyes burning with the idea of it, and Aquarius surprised her by softening a little. "I don't say this to be cruel, girl. I say this because you need to be ready for it. You weren't prepared today. Ensure that you are prepared next time."
Lucy took a deep breath, understanding what the spirit was offering her: advice, pure and simple. She wanted to ensure that Lucy was aware that this was only a hint of what might happen in the future and that Lucy wasn't caught off guard so badly.
Lucy's fingers sank into the dirt by her knees as Aquarius vanished. She would need to be more careful next time. No, not just next time. Every time. She climbed to her feet, feeling determined. Right now, she needed to get to Yukino and Aries. And then, she'd work her way from there to either Natsu or retrieving Gemini. Preferably, she couldn't help but think, Natsu.
Just thinking of the man she'd missed by a hair had her reaching out, stroking against the piece of him that resided in her. He responded like a content cat; she could nearly feel the purr that came with his pleasant response. It was accompanied by as much determination as she felt, even as she felt his breathlessness and desperation.
He'd come find her when he could.
Turning to the narrow-eyed Cobra and wary Angel, Lucy let a big, wide smile cross her face. "Alright, so we need to head for the Keeper and Guardians of the Eclipse Gate. That is, if you're still determined to deliver me to Natsu."
Cobra looked her in the eye and hissed, baring his sharp teeth. "Forget Natsu Dragneel, I'm gonna tear you into pieces for dragging us along on your little scheme," he growled.
Lucy merely let her smile widen. "No, you won't. Because just as you said, Natsu doesn't know how to not hold a grudge. Since we've got so far to walk, you can tell me just why you were after me, too."
Cobra and Angel's reluctant explanation of what had happened back in the village was enlightening and a little disturbing, in Lucy's eyes.
Apparently, Natsu was officially in a feud with the councilman who'd sent mercenaries after them. Because after burning down the councilman's house, the councilman had been so angry he'd retaliated by sending an entire group of criminals out to kidnap her and sell her to the highest bidder - which would have undoubtedly been Acnologia at this point. Lucy had made a mental note to inform Makarov and not Natsu at first, because the last thing she needed was Natsu running out to tear the man into pieces, but she quickly decided otherwise.
Hadn't omitting information been what started her predicament in the first place?
She needed to trust him to not react badly - trust that he'd stop and listen to her when she asked him to not run off and do just what she worried he'd do.
She was confident Makarov could handle the councilman, and that meant Natsu needed to be, too.
Lucy checked in on her partner every now and then as they walked, her fingers skimming her protective amulet in hopes that it would continue to keep the creepy crawlies hiding in the forest they walked through away from her. Logically, she knew Cobra, who was still rather angry, and Angel, who was just as angry yet not showing it, would keep her alive if only to save their own lives, but still.
Sometimes, when she did so, she'd slip further back to see as he did. Natsu would stop everything he was doing whenever she did that to investigate her own situation, ensuring that she wasn't in any immediate danger. The fierceness of whatever had sprouted had faded over the hours that had stretched out now, and they were back to hints of uncertainty and wariness between them, but not nearly as bad as it had been before.
Lucy didn't feel any of that wonderful searing heat that she'd felt for so long, but gone was the anger. It was replaced by anxiety and annoyance, brief flashes of frustration and rage that wasn't directed at her. It was all rather frustrating.
"We need to stop for the night," Lucy told the pair with her when dusk began to fall, bringing with it warnings of dangerous creatures that might be prowling the forests around them. Lucy swallowed nervously. They'd made it to Crocus within a half of a day the last time she'd come to Aquarius's lake, but that had been with fast moving mounts. Much to Lucy's disappointment, there were no mounts to get on, which meant they'd be likely taking another day or two to get there.
"Why?" complained Cobra, and even Angel threw him a look of annoyance.
"My feet hurt," she retorted. "Why does it matter? As long as we're stopping, right?"
Cobra snorted, scowling at them. "Humans are pathetic," he spat, lifting a hand to caress Cubellios's jaw. The snake seemed to lean into it. Lucy shivered, remembering how those fangs in its mouth had so easily pierced Erza's skin and knocked her out of battle almost immediately. Cobra smirked at her, as if seeing those thoughts, and it drew the question to the forefront of her mind. But before she could ask, Cobra's smirk grew and he purred, "Yeah. I can hear your thoughts, blondie."
Lucy wasn't entirely sure she liked that. Cobra cackled at that, and it unnerved her further, to the point that Natsu wormed his way in to investigate. Cobra lost his little smug pride at that, glaring at her suspiciously.
"Dragons aren't capable of what that dragon of yours is," he said sharply.
Lucy shrugged. "Natsu's capable of a lot more than the usual dragon," was her only response. Now that she knew how Cobra worked, she'd not say more than that - or even think it. He was purely Natsu, and only Natsu. Cobra's suspicious look sharpened, and the dragon bristled. But Lucy ignored him and turned to Angel, offering the cranky woman a hesitant smile. "Let's get some firewood, shall we?"
Natsu was shockingly tired, cranky, miserable, and every little thing in between by the time they got the last of the village members through the Portals that evening. He was sure it was Lucy's contribution that made it all the worse, but she was alright at the very least. They'd managed to scry with Makarov, and Makarov had called an emergency meeting with a councilman that was on their side. Together with Porlyusica, Freed, and any other capable of Portals, they'd opened one singular Portal, holding it open until the village had been emptied. They'd even managed to track down Salutem, injured as he was. Gray's stag, Hypnos, and Thanatos had all been dead, much to his disappointment.
Natsu had been one of several put in charge of defending those crossing through when the mythics of the southwestern mountains had come looking. He had never seen such an incredible amount of wendigos, imps, chupacabras, dark fae, and so on. He thought he'd even seen a wyvern descending upon the abandoned buildings as he and Gildarts, the last of those present, had slid through the Portal.
Against the setting sun, it had scared even him to see those shadows creeping among the ruin of a village that had once been so lively.
Now, Natsu found himself in the middle of the chaotic Fairy Tail guildhall, on the verge of just leaving it. He'd never been one for this kind of chaos. Fighting, yes. Not the recovery. Never the recovery. Especially when Lucy was out there with two criminals that had tried to do something to her. He wanted nothing more than to hunt her down with Happy, who was settled quietly on his shoulder, ready to swat at anyone who came too close.
"Natsu!"
The call of his name in the chaos had him casually looking over. He blinked, narrowing his eyes when he saw Juvia waving desperately for him, her arm wound through Gray's. She'd been reluctant to leave him since they'd returned. The somewhat injured, tired man was frowning about something or another, but it was the cold rage in his eyes that had Natsu approaching.
"What's up?" Natsu asked.
Gray bared his teeth angrily. "Algieba."
Natsu perked up immediately, and felt Lucy's exhausted interest spike. She was feeling around, curious about the sudden bout of energy that coursed through his veins. The rage on his guildmates' faces… "What'd he do?" Natsu's expression became blank as he stared harshly at the pair waiting. They exchanged grim looks, wary now, and Natsu felt a bubble of annoyance. What were they hiding from him? He was so damn tired of secrets. "Tell me."
So, Gray said, "Erza told me, and I guess it makes sense. We went to talk to him when we left here. We wanted to see what he knew about Acnologia. It wasn't really anything we didn't know. But there was just something...Jellal had a vision or two while we were talking to him. There were bad feelings all around, you know? But Algieba kept looking up, Natsu. He couldn't hold still, and he kept looking up."
Natsu was only briefly confused. Why was such a thing so important?
It struck him like a blow to the face.
He kept looking up.
Hadn't everyone else looked up when Acnologia had landed among the village buildings? Who wouldn't look in the sky for an approaching dragon?
Fury unlike any other bubbled up. A black emotion he'd not felt for a while - not since Lucy had admitted her secret to him in her apartment - rose, and Lucy was immediately there, too, trying to soothe it without really understanding. He softened just a fraction. He was still angry with her, but this anger - this rage - was for someone else.
This was for the person at fault for everything that was happening right now.
"Erza thought you might like to speak with him, in the council room," Juvia said calmly, and Natsu nodded curtly, grinding his teeth angrily. "And Makarov said you could - on the condition that you don't hurt him," she added gently, and now Natsu scowled viciously for an entirely different reason.
"Why does everyone assume the first thing I'm going to do is hurt someone?" he barked, and then stormed toward Makarov's office, where he presumed Erza, Jellal, and Makarov would be, if not one or two others. Laxus, perhaps. Mirajane was the one running the guildhall at the moment, and Gildarts was helping as best as he could.
He didn't bother to knock when he reached the door, merely shoved the door open and stepped inside. His gaze irritably roved the room before locking on the person in question. Very aware that Makarov had turned to give him a sharp look, that Laxus stood at his grandfather's shoulder with a calm, but thunderous look, Natsu gave a shark-like grin. Algieba went as white as a sheet.
"Natsu," Jellal said calmly from his place on the other side of the table with Erza. Both looked exhausted and in serious need of rest. Jellal's shoulder had been wrapped expertly - likely by Wendy, who was using her healing magic on his shoulder with Charle's help. The young dragon was glancing at Natsu every now and then, and then Algieba with some nervousness that only flared his agitation further. "How is Lucy?"
Natsu didn't take his eyes off of Algieba for a second. "Fine." He cocked his head, and Algieba looked ill at the predatory snarl that slid over his face. "He's the one who summoned Acnologia?"
"It's what we believe, although nothing has been confirmed," Erza said icily. "When we spoke with him about the dragon, his behavior was different enough to take notice of."
"So I heard." Natsu stalked around the table to sit heavily beside Makarov's chair, letting Happy slide from his shoulder and onto the table. He slid a narrow-eyed gaze to Makarov, too crabby to offer the guildmaster the usual respect he gave him. "I'm leaving in the morning. I need to go west."
He didn't give any specifics on where his Marked One was. Didn't dare in front of Algieba. Who knew if the man was capable of speaking to Acnologia even now? Natsu didn't want to give Lucy's position away.
Slowly, Makarov nodded. "And I suppose you'll want to Portal there…which means you may have to wait a few days. Freed needs to recover from helping with the Portal he made today. More time than normal, and you'll have to go outside of Magnolia's borders to avoid a similar situation to today. As it is, the Council's already scryed with me and will be coming to visit."
"They're after you again?" snapped Laxus, but Makarov waved him off.
Natsu grunted. "Don't need to wait. Loke can make Portals. And I've got his key. He'll show up if he knows what I'm up to." He didn't think he could summon Loke himself, but the spirit was fond enough of Lucy to help him get to her. "And when I've found Lucy, we'll have to go pick up the other keys Loke hid for her."
Makarov nodded again, his eyes thoughtful. "Will you take someone with you?" Natsu shook his head curtly, just once. "Then I wish you luck, and hope you will bring Lucy back home. Jellal and Gray both mentioned that people had gone with her - two of the people who attacked her?"
"Something about them caring too much about their own lives to let her die," Natsu said bluntly, and then rocked back in his chair a little, heat searing at his fingertips as they dug lightly into the table. "I'll deal with 'em."
"And what the hell does 'dealing with them,'" Laxus said warily, "mean for you, Natsu?"
"Depends on how well they did their job." He beamed demonically at the half-dragon, who looked annoyed, unnerved, and angry, all at the same time. Natsu found that though Laxus didn't like him all that much anymore, it was fun to piss him off.
A gentle brush on his soul sobered him, however, and he turned his attention onto other matters, rocking forward. "So," he said, resting his chin on the table and staring at Algieba unblinkingly. "Just how the hell did you summon Acnologia when you hate him for taking Anna away, Algieba?"
Your extra update this week, complete with some Lucy and Natsu! No reunion yet. Soon enough, my friends. ;)
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