Natsu's grouchy annoyance ran rampant through her chest as Lucy waved a final farewell to the sadly smiling Levy. She ignored him though. Sure, they'd stayed an extra day or two. But Levy deserved the company, and Lucy felt bad after what Gajeel had told her. Levy was merely lonely with only her grumpy Guardian and his familiar for company, and while that was normally okay, the incident with Acnologia had apparently dragged her back into a particularly angry place. She wanted to leave, but could only leave one day a year, with quite some time remaining before she could leave again.
At least Natsu was in a good mood overall. He was annoyed, but not angry. Lucy got the feeling it had to do with the sturdy Guardian band now wrapped around his arm, signaling his position as the Guardian of Celestial Spirits. Levy had been right; he'd certainly been pleased to learn it had once belonged to Igneel.
Lucy was pleased with the time they'd spent in the Archives, too. The Archives had reluctantly granted Natsu full access, deciding to reluctantly trust its Keeper. Levy had been ecstatic, declaring that the Archives hadn't trusted her since the Acnologia incident, which had only served to make Lucy and Natsu both cringe guiltily.
Nevertheless, the time had come for them to leave and focus on what was more important than visits with friends: the incoming danger at the end of the year. Starting with a trip home to Magnolia.
Lucy stopped to consider that as she turned her back on the Archives and went to work on forming a Portal back to Magnolia. Natsu kept a close eye on her, having argued against the Portal at first. He didn't think her capable of such a thing so soon after the Nuckelavee had nearly killed her in its determination to get through her last one. Lucy had told him she was fine and rather than arguing about it, Natsu had clamped his mouth shut and exhaled smoke.
A twinge of pain in her gut nearly stopped her and a sharp look was shot her way. "Lucy-"
"I'm fine." Lucy took a page out of Loke's book and made a rather dramatic motion with her hand. She blinked, finding that it helped to guide the magic flaring in her veins. The Portal opened with ease, and she stepped through quickly, letting half slide shut when Natsu had ducked through after her. It eased up the pain.
Within moments, ignoring the feeling of discomfort that came with Portals, Lucy and Natsu had stepped through the other side. Lucy yelped as she tripped over something at her feet, alarm splintering through her as she narrowly caught her balance. Natsu was lucky; he, too, managed to keep from falling flat on his face. Even so, he scowled at her as the Portal snapped shut behind them, sending black spiraling up around them and showering them in a cloud of it.
It took Lucy a moment to realize where they were. Instinct had sent her home.
Except...home was no longer there. The entire building had been burned and charred to ash, alongside every precious memory held within. Her body stilled as she studied the ash-streaked rubble of what remained. "I've not been here since you burned it down," she commented quietly, not accusing nor sorry. She simply stated it as a fact.
"Neither have I," admitted Natsu in the same way, his gaze darting to her face before returning the rubble. There was a long moment of silence as he comprehended the sheer amount of sadness that suddenly sunk in, raking over his heart in a way that made him extremely uncomfortable. Lucy was incredibly mournful about the loss.
Lucy thought some of that sadness might be his.
"Come on," she murmured, wondering where she'd be staying. There was no sense in getting another place to live with what was coming; she'd worry about it after. "Let's go to the guildhall."
They picked their way out of the debris and started down the street. Lucy was very aware of the startled looks thrown their way. Whether it be the bands on their arms, the covering of gray ash that now dirtied their skin, or something else, Lucy couldn't say. But she was already tired by the time they did reach the guildhall, bored by the staring.
Her stomach twisted as Natsu instinctively pried the door open for her, letting her enter first just as he always had, and for some reason, the small action nearly made her cry. He gave her a wary, inquisitive look. She ignored it outside of offering a hint of a smile before looking around to see who was there. Just about everyone, from the looks of it, and she nearly groaned in relief when she saw Gray, arguing with another guild member over the table he sat at. Juvia was watching over the pair with a hint of a grin on her face.
"Lucy!" a voice suddenly called in greeting, and Lucy smiled before she even saw Mirajane. The silver-haired mythic looked delighted and relieved, blue eyes practically glowing as she waved enthusiastically. That, of course, caught everyone else's attention, and others started shouting greetings, several welcome backs, and other such things. Lucy found her lips curving into a wide grin, something in her gut settling. This was home now, she realized. So long as the Fairy Tail guild was around...she would have a home to go to. It was a good reminder, and good to see everyone after almost two months of not.
Gray rocked back to look over immediately upon hearing whose name had been called, and Juvia beamed in delight at the sight of the pair. "Yo!" he shouted, grinning at Lucy, and her concern for her friend melted away. Despite Natsu reassuring her that Gray had been fine, it was much more comforting to see him herself. He was unharmed. Juvia gave a small, pleasant wave, too.
Lucy waved back, and then glanced up when Natsu suddenly grunted and impatiently nudged her towards the office Makarov used. He looked annoyed, as if he didn't want to enter it, but had no choice. Lucy sighed, frowning to herself. This was going to be a long day if Natsu kept this up.
They entered the office without knocking, thanks to Natsu, and were greeted by the sight of an exhausted Makarov. He glanced up in surprise, and quickly tried to hide that exhaustion, sitting straight and beaming at them. "Welcome home, Lucy, it's good to see you again. I'm glad to see you were safe after everything that took place in the southwestern mountains."
Lucy offered him a smile, trying to mask her concern. Makarov hated when they worried about him. Natsu, however, was blunt as he declared, "You need to retire. You're too old for this."
"Natsu," hissed Lucy, rounding on hi with a glare, but Natsu ignored her as Makarov sighed heavily.
"I fully intend to, but I've decided to finish out this year. It'll be good for the guild to greet the new year with someone else as their guildmaster." He looked rather sorrowful. "Gildarts has already agreed to take over, and since he's run things for a while, he shouldn't run into any issues with the guild members."
Natsu nodded slowly, entirely serious. "Gildarts is a good choice," he admitted.
Makarov seemed pleased with Natsu's agreement and turned his attention back onto other matters. "I can see," he commented, eyes darting to the new arm bands they both wore, "that things have worked out for the pair of you. I'm glad. I was exceptionally worried for you both. Regardless, keep on your guard. With what you've told us, Lucy, it's best we remain vigilant, even if the end of the year isn't anywhere in sight. Look at what happened recently; Acnologia truly is a dragon of chaos, if the mythics that poured into that village are anything to go by. The Wild Hunt passed through there recently and took out nearly half of the other mythics that called it home."
Lucy shivered at the thought, remembering her conversations with the Dullahan and hearing the Wild Hunt pass by. "Not good, but good."
Makarov agreed. "Go get something to eat. Mira should still have some breakfast cooking. And avoid my grandson if you see him. He's not happy with me this morning."
Lucy nodded, giving him a final smile, and then ducked out of the office. Natsu was a step behind her. When they emerged, Mirajane was already prepared, two plates held aloft to indicate the pair should join her at the bar. Lucy went to retrieve her plate, hungry, but Natsu headed for the guildhall's doors instead and slid outside without a word to Lucy about where he was going. Lucy felt a deep sadness pierce her heart as she ignored Mirajane's sympathetic look and went to join Gray and Juvia.
"Where's he going?" asked Gray as she set down her plate, intending to sit beside Juvia.
"I don't know," Lucy admitted. "He didn't say. And it's not really my business."
Gray exchanged a look with Juvia, and Lucy bit back a biting remark. It wasn't. It wasn't anyone's business what she and Natsu did or said to each other. "Anyways, I'm glad to see you're okay. I was worried you'd not get out when Acnologia landed."
He was effectively distracted. "Me, too, for a minute there," said Gray with a grimace. "Natsu got me out though. And then we had to run and gather the locals to evacuate." He paused. "Erza apprehended Algieba, by the way, and he's currently on his way to prison in Crocus, I think. He's been charged with the summoning of Acnologia, since it led to the destruction of an entire village."
Lucy thought back on what had happened in the mountainous village, and pressed her lips into a hard line. "He kept looking up, and with what the others were feeling…" She took a bite of food, even as her stomach churned. "Even so, I'm kind of sad. He's my only living relative. I wish he'd not been like he was."
"You can't pick your blood," said Juvia kindly, "but you picked a good family to join." Lucy hummed her agreement, remembering how she'd not wanted to be a member of the guild initially. "On the downside, they've still not arrested that Councilman that keeps pestering you and Natsu. Even after some of the group that led the attack on you confirmed he'd hired them,...the Council doesn't want to, and it's riling the guilds up."
"What do you mean guilds?" Lucy's eyes snapped wide. "Does every other guild know about this?"
"Of course," said Juvia. "When Makarov heard that they'd still not taken action, he informed them of the entirety of what had been happening. Faults on our side, included," she added, grimacing as she considered Natsu's decision to burn the man's house down. "But most of the guilds are getting angry with them on our behalf, and...well…"
Quietly, Gray informed Lucy, "I'd not be surprised if war breaks out by the end of the year. This is unacceptable. The Council's practically declaring war on the guilds by siding with this man for this behavior."
Lucy chewed on her lip. "And over Natsu and I nonetheless," she muttered with some disgust. "But why us? Why choose to target us like this?"
"I don't know. But make sure you're extra careful from now on." Gray reached over and ruffled her hair fondly. "I know Natsu's not anyone's biggest fan at the moment, but I don't think any of us want to see what would happen if he turned around and found out that the Councilman managed to get a hold of you. Nor would the rest of us appreciate it."
Natsu found the fresh air to be comforting as he and Happy wandered through the forests that surrounded Magnolia. It was nice, he couldn't help, but think, to be free of the overwhelming feelings that came with being near Lucy right now. He might not dislike his connection to her anymore, but the uncertainty of how to interact and how he had to think about every little thing he did now was exhausting, even for him. And he could feel the toll it had been taking on Lucy, too, though she seemed to accept it.
The worst part of it all, he thought bitterly, was that he still craved her. Whether it be her touch, or her words, or even something as little as her looking at him, much of what he craved had been prevented by the canyon between them. Already finding that he struggled with understanding what he could or couldn't do in normal social situations, this was proving to make things impossible. Was he allowed to speak to her as if she'd not shattered his trust? Was he allowed to gently push her along when she was looking around too much? Was he allowed to so much as smile now? He'd not done that in a while, unless it was used as a sharp, cruel weapon.
Yes, in simpler terms...Lucy was exhausting.
But she was Lucy, and he supposed that no matter how much he hated it, the only way to know what was okay was to ask her or someone else. Natsu shied from the idea of asking her at the moment, however, and decided to track down Lisanna. She'd be sincere and honest in helping him, just as she'd been before Lucy had come.
There was a goat in his path.
Startled, Natsu drew to an abrupt halt, blinking at it. The black goat blinked back at him with sharp, intelligent amber eyes. Big horns curved high over its head and when it bleated and struck at the ground with a hoof, chains seemed to rattle, clanking loudly. Natsu eyed it cautiously, recognizing what it was fairly quickly.
"Pooka," he uttered under his breath, eyes narrowing a little. "You're a little close to town...not messing with people, are you?"
The pooka stilled, chains falling silent, and then shifted forms. Natsu considered himself luckily; pookas didn't tend to let people see such a thing. Within moments, a creature he was sure Lucy would have been nervous of crouched before him. Pointed ears sprouted on either side of its head, and wide amber eyes blinked up at him, rectangular pupils remaining alongside the massive goat's horns. A tail snaked out from its body, and every inch of it was as black as night, making it impossible to find defining features in the dim forest light.
It remained crouched, tipping its head lightly. It said nothing.
Natsu rumbled a low sound in his chest. "Leave."
The pooka didn't budge, and Natsu puffed smoke.
"Leave," he insisted sharply, letting flames lick at his arms as Happy sprang lightly onto his shoulder. His blue tail curled around Natsu's throat, controlling the flames. Natsu felt his magic sink into his own, deciding where it went.
The pooka smiled, delighted, and it unnerved him when it spoke. Natsu hadn't even known pookas could speak. He'd certainly never heard of the mischievous creatures doing so. "Demons are not so frightening to one such as I," it purred in a voice that carried hints of the goat's call. "What could you do to a pooka when the Fates have blessed its actions?"
"Turn you to ash," Natsu said bluntly, and the pooka giggled.
"Perhaps, perhaps. I tip my hat to the pooka who can fool one such as you, who carries the blessings of Death and Knowledge."
Mavis. Natsu hadn't heard from her since he'd spoken with the Dullahan a few weeks prior. Natsu shook off his distractedness, and instead demanded, "What do you want? Why are you here?"
"Taste the air," the pooka said. "There is black magic here. Black magic draws my kind and others. Surely you are aware of this, being a creature of the darkness yourself, old one?"
Natsu paused, considering that. He glanced over his shoulder in the direction of town. Was there black magic? Was someone in Magnolia drawing such creatures to the beautiful town? Natsu didn't bother to ask; pookas hated feeling such pressure. They got harder to deal with if they felt they were winning by frustrating someone.
The pooka sidled a little closer, tail flying proudly. "Oh? You cannot feel it, can you? That black magic. We wish to taste it, increase our own power, even as it eats ours." Natsu stilled, horror flaring to life when he heard the chittering of laughter among the trees; this was not the only pooka here. "It preys alongside us, waiting ever so patiently for the right moment to strike. That magic is clever, cleverer than you, most certainly, and cleverer than even an old guildmaster like Makarov Dreyar."
It wrung its hands, eager at the idea of acquiring such power. "And we are not alone. Never alone. We can feel that others are coming. Wonderful, wonderful!" it suddenly cried, and other pookas echoed it within the trees. "Delightful! We look forward to their arrival. We wish to feed on their confusion, too. They are ever so easy to confuse, just as easy as the likes of humans."
Natsu's stomach churned. What the hell was going on? He set his face in a stony expression, letting that ancient magic curl in his gut. Lucy was there, too. She was sensing everything he felt, focused entirely on him with curiosity. He ignored her, even with the intense desire to protectively sink his talons into that familiar bond. The pooka didn't bat an eye when he let one of those nasty grins appear. He lifted his hand, letting black flames dance to life at the pooka's feet.
The pooka didn't look surprised. It didn't even cry out at the pain that must have coursed through it, letting that fire envelop it. Still, those amber eyes burned into Natsu's as it told him, "I am one of many. But...I applaud your intentions, old one. It is always wonderful to find one's self defeated after so long of winning. We will make a deal for the entertainment you've given us, old one. We will not enter the town, but those who come to us...we promise nothing."
It said nothing more as it burned, and Natsu found he didn't like the feeling that came with burning something this time. Still, he bared his teeth, slowly spinning in a circle and glaring at the unseen creatures hidden among the forests - a threat, warning them of what he'd do if they didn't fall into line with that decided upon compromise.
He wasn't sure what was happening, or what the pooka meant about something drawing its kind and others. It tugged at something, a thought he couldn't grasp.
Shaking his head, Natsu set off for Magnolia.
I managed an update today, yay! I love pookas. They're absolutely fascinating.
Thanks to reviewers (brandyj0611, Uchida Akira, Sele de la Luna, Lodemai04, Bookwork129, valerioux, Guest #1, TigerArrowgirl, FyreFalcon, SisterschoOk, guest #2, stranger1999, Springguest, BetaDreamer, LucyDragneel2009, XxCelestialAssassinxX, BeautifulSamurai, Lissuin, itsxoi, Guest #3, madaraswife, rao hyuga 18, and zizi08!) as well as those who favorited and followed!