Good morning, my faithful followers. It's been a minute, hasn't it? Welp, I'm sure that you're all happy to know that I'm alive and well. And we won't be bothering with the excuses today.
Now, first things first. When you guys are looking for new chapters, look for names that weren't there before. I've started naming the chapter to help both me and you keep track of what has been edited and what is new.
Secondly, I've had a few people tell me how excited they are for Lucy's battle. And that is the first thing this chapter is going to deal with. Unfortunately, there aren't questions to be answered. So, without wasting any more time, we'll continue. Onto the story!
~Battle Ready~
You know that moment when someone gives you advice and it sounds like good solid advice? It sounds so foolproof. And nothing can possibly go wrong? Then when you actually go to carry out that plan, you realize something. You realize that it's the most stupidest thing you've ever heard. And you just think to yourself, over and over, 'how the heck did I think this was a good idea?' You go over the idea again and again. But no matter how many times you go over it, it remains the same. It remains the stupidest thing you've ever heard. And you can't decide who you're angrier at. Yourself for listening, or your adviser for giving the advice. Then you can't help but wonder if your adviser was setting you up or if they actually thought they were giving you a good idea. This was Lucy's battle. Her dilemma. Her turmoil.
At the time, Lucy could see how Natsu's suggestion was a good one. It made enough sense not to think twice about it. However, in retrospect, it was a completely stupid and ridiculous idea. Especially because how the heck can you follow someone if you can't see them? Of course, if she could actually see the gross, giant flying rat, she probably wouldn't have been able to follow it. So, that was all a predicament in itself.
Unfortunately, that wasn't the only issue. Lucy had been prepared for battle, almost, and hadn't gotten it. The three of them were just roaming the sky, which allowed for conversation. A conversation that was playing on Lucy's nerves. As per normal, eels can't speak. And even as celestial spirits, all they ever said was "Gyu Gyu" along with their regular low electric charges. And Lucy was the only one who could understand both their language and pick up their signals. The only bad thing was how often the two eels bickered. They worked so well together in battle but fought constantly the rest of the time. Not that anyone would ever know. So, with Lucy's impaired vision and their bickering, it was no surprise to Lucy when she translated one of the "gyu gyu"'s as
"We lost them."
Lucy gave a tired sigh and ripped the scarf off her eyes. She then carefully rearranged the scarf around her neck and gazed out at the empty air around her.
"Well, crap. What are we supposed to do now?" Lucy wondered.
"Well, crap. What are we supposed to do now?"
"Gyu gyu," the black one said.
"No, I don't really want to go back to the village yet. If they disappeared on the way to the village, then they're probably not at the village."
"Gyu gyu," the black one countered.
"I guess we can go check real quick," Lucy relented.
"Gyu gyu," the white one offered.
"If they aren't at the village, I suppose we can fly around looking for them. Alright. The plan we've got is to check to see if they've beaten us to the village and if they haven't, to fly around the island looking for them. You both good with that?"
"Gyu gyu," the eels agreed.
"Alright. Let's go!"
But as it turned out, flying around looking for them was a huge waste of time. The trio of spirits and summoner didn't find anything. They saw from a distance that their enemies hadn't arrived and had immediately turned around. Then they circled the island twice and still didn't find anything. And upon returning, the trio was surprised by what they found. Natsu stood atop the main gate staring out into the distance. Further inspection revealed that Erza was talking to some of the villagers. And there seemed to be an unconscious figure at her feet. They seemed to be half-naked and sported a head of navy-colored hair. Was that Gray? Well, that couldn't be good.
Directing her eels to Natsu, she jumped down to the gate easily. She straightened, brushed off her clothes, and fixed her gaze on Natsu. Natsu, however, did not look pleased.
"Why weren't you here when I arrived?" Natsu ground out.
"Well... I kinda lost them... and I was hoping to catch them before I saw you again. And when I lost them, I immediately came here but they hadn't come here. So, I went back out to see if I could find them."
"Then why are you back here?"
"Well, after finding that the village was ok, we stayed within range in case they tried a sneak attack. I knew they wouldn't be able to slip by us and attack the village."
"Yeah?" Natsu hissed. "And how close would they be if they did manage to slip by you? How much of the village would've been destroyed before you got here?"
Lucy knew she should've felt angry. It should've burned in her blood. He was berating her. Denying her skill and ability. Or at least, that's what it sounded like to an outsider. But Lucy could hear it. She could hear the underlying message in his words. And Lucy couldn't even believe it. It was just so completely ridiculous she couldn't stop her anger from dissolving. But instead of disappearing, it took on another form. And it so easily leaked from her body.
"Careful there, Drake. You're starting to sound like you care," she giggled, mischief sparkling in her eyes.
Anger flashed in Natsu's own. His jaw clenched in a harsh snarl. His next words came out through his teeth.
"I don't care. But this comes down to a matter of reputation. Mine. And you've weaseled yourself into it. So, if you fail or screw up then how do you think that reflects on me? I don't fail. Any screw-ups are made by the stupidity of others. Are we clear?"
His eyes were bright gold slits as he glared at her. His commanding aura was thick as it surrounded her. And with every growled or hissed sentence, he grew ever closer. But even as he towered over her, she made no move to back down. She wasn't scared. She wasn't angry. And she wasn't about to back down.
Happy, on the other hand, was growing tired of the growing dominance battle. It wasn't going to end any time soon. And Happy wouldn't always be able to and flew down towards the still unconscious Gray who looked like he was beginning to stir. Lucy hardly noticed the feline's escape. As she was all too focused on the dragon before her. Her own chocolate orbs stared back in either indifference, boredom, or mischief. The emotion changing so quickly it was impossible to pinpoint the exact emotion. Her aura was no different. It was shifting from excitement and something else undefinable. Something that only added more to the confusion of her emotions. Her own body drew closer to his. Whispered words spilled from her tongue.
"Crystal."
She knew he could hear her. She knew he could feel her words. Feel the way her lips grazed his as she spoke. She just didn't know what it did to him. She didn't know that her actions affected Natsu. That he wasn't sure if it was her tone, her proximity, her defiance, or what but the next few actions were instinctual. Her breath fanned across his face and into his mouth before he moved. His lips crashed onto hers. His tongue diving into her mouth the second she opened it. But she wasn't a passive observer in this type of situation. Her hands found purchase in his spiky salmon locks. She gripped hard as the Dragon's hands slid down her back.
Down below them, Gray couldn't have been more disgusted. He'd woken to find Happy staring down at him, his furry paws playing with his face. He quickly swatted the small feline away, Happy giggling at his attempt. But once his mind cleared, he couldn't help but wonder what Happy was bothering him and not Lucy. Which in turn made him search for the missing summoner. And of course, she was locking lips with the evil Dragon Slayer. Something that didn't make sense to him. First of all, the Chaos Dragon was rude and inconsiderate. Second of all, he was domineering and evil. Third of all, he was dangerous and not to be trusted. Gray didn't believe for a second that Chaos was actually capable of saving anybody.
However. Something major must have happened to instill this level of trust. Maybe it was a case of mistaken identity! But wouldn't Chaos have corrected it the second it happened? Either way, whatever happened was over now. And whatever the relationship between the two was far from over. He watched how close the two of them stood. And he could see at this distance how unaware they seemed to be of their actions. It almost seemed instinctual. Something that they both seemed ruled by.
Gray watched as the two pulled apart, black wings sprouting from Chaos's back. And of course, Lucy's first reaction was to latch onto his side. Chaos didn't really look at her as they floated silently to the ground. But when she unwound her arms from his neck, Chaos didn't let go of her completely. His arm remained securely locked around her waist until she moved away to check on the villagers.
She hadn't even talked to most of them when a loud screech split the air. Everyone turned to the source. A villager screamed and pointed up at the sky. All eyes followed to find that stupid flying rat coming towards them. It's tail spinning so quickly as it defied the laws of physics. And that one pink-haired girl was right there with the monster. A girl whose silhouette was the only thing visible in the moonlight. No one could tell that she was sad as she stared down at the village. They couldn't hear her as she mumbled her sadness to her pet rat, Angelica. However, they could see how the bucket the rat was now carrying swayed. The liquid inside sloshed over the side and a single droplet came falling towards the village. And the closer it got, the clearer it got that it was the Celestial Mage who was going to end up getting hit by it.
That is until the Dragon Slayer realized that something was off. That drop of something wasn't naturally colored. In the moonlight, it seemed to flow an ominous green. And the smell. It almost smelled like death but not completely. Onyx eyes fell to Blondie who still stood in its path. This droplet meant something. Something evil. He didn't even notice he was moving until a soft body collided with his. Thrown off-balance, the two tripped and rolled over the dirt ground. Irritated, Natsu glared at the spot they had previously occupied; the ground a smoking gaping hole.
"Natsu?" A small voice below him asked.
But the words didn't clearly register in his head.
"Natsu? What's going on?"
But he still didn't look at her. His eyes were still glued to the hole. Anger coursed through his veins. Because seriously? Acid? They were planning on using acid against them? He stood, his eyes glaring at the rodent and its master. He watched as the rat finally moved. It threw out the rest of the bucket's contents and everything seemed to move in slow motion. But Natsu's mind was running a mile a minute.
The way the acid moved wasn't normal. It wasn't as free-flowing as water. Nor was it completely still like a solid. It was a kind of a mix between the two. So, a kind of jelly maybe? This meant that she had the intention to kill him. Kill him?! The Chaos Dragon's eyes flashed with anger. Rage boiled in his blood. His magic spiked. He would show her. He would show them all just how strong and unkillable he was.
The Chaos Dragon stood. His back was straight. His shoulders squared. His eyes sharp. A black seal formed in front of his outstretched palm. Red runes spun on the inside before coming to a stop.
"Chaos Dragon's Phantom Zero."
His words were calm. Sharp. Deadly. A ball of mahogany-colored magic formed in front of the seal. Tiny flames licked the edges. They fed on the magic they were provided and slowly grew larger. It expanded to the size of a fist before being deemed worthy. Then, all of the condensed flames shot toward the acid jelly. It stuck dead center and easily tore through it. And while the beam of magic ended, the flames did not. Flames licked at the original puncture hole and only expanded from there; eating at the edges until the jelly was gone.
Everyone couldn't help but stare in shock. Well, everyone except Happy and Lucy. And while the acid jelly had been dealt with, the girl and the rat had not been. A command must have been given because not even a minute later, the rat dived at the village. Many of the people jumped out of the path of the flying creature, but the members of Fairy Tail stood their ground. They swiped at the rodent as it flew by, most of their attacks barely scratching the thing. The rat's claws closed as it flew back into the air. The Fairy Tail members seemed fine, until the moment an angry screech split the air.
"Let me go, you infernal beast!"
Gray was expecting it to be Lucy. He'd felt like he'd heard those words before. But imagine his surprise when he found Erza captured instead. She struggled within the rodent's grasp, her swords bouncing off its claws harmlessly.
"I said, let me go!" she screeched once more.
"Erza!" Happy shouted, "Try tickling it!"
"Tickling it?" both Erza and the pink-haired girl shouted in unison.
There was a snort of contempt or disbelief, presumably from several people, before the pink-haired girl burst out in hysterical laughter.
"That won't work!"
Erza glared at the girl's remark. And of course, that only made her want to see if it would actually work. Unfortunately, Erza Scarlet was not that well versed in "tickling". But that didn't mean she wouldn't try her best. Which, like it usually did, worked out well for her. The creature's eyes bugged out of its skull as its arms went to its stomach like a useless shield. And no one was more surprised than the girl as she saw how her pet's tail stopped spinning. She yelled in surprise, telling the rat to fight it and snap out of it. It didn't. And instead, it crashed down into the forest.
"Happy."
"Aye, Sir! I'm on it!"
The small feline gave his usual salute and took off. His white wings carrying him in the direction of his captured guildmate. He just hadn't expected them to be already in battle by the time he arrived. He heard the other girl call out something that sounded like,
"Wood Doll!" before he saw the forest around them begin to shake. Vines and bark and leaves coming together in the form of a huge, terrifying tree monster! It roared into the open air, trying to instill fear into the heart of its enemy. It didn't. Ezra wasn't even phased in the slightest.
Although, if she was being honest, she definitely wasn't expecting the tickling thing to work. Like at all. And it only took one slice of her sword to cut down her enemy's creepy wood doll thing. The sword mage leveled her sword at the girl, challenging her to make a move.
"Is that all you got?!" Erza taunted.
The other girl growled.
"I'm just getting started! Rock Doll!"
The ground trembled beneath them. No doubt the rocks of the earth were moving to form yet another ugly creature. A something with hollow sockets for eyes and a gaping mouth only proved Erza correct. The girl rose high into the air, sitting annoyingly in the crown on its head. Her fingers danced creepily in the air, the rock monster moving soon after. Erza stood at the ready but had to dodge when its foot came crashing towards her. The monster followed her, hardly allowing her time to deal a blow of her own. The swords she summoned didn't help her either. They stabbed into the stone creature, both into the preexisting cracks and creating new ones. But no matter how many swords she summoned, or how many hit home, the monster never slowed. It continued to chase after her. The other girl cackled loudly as she watched from her perch.
"Running away isn't going to help you, Puny Fairy! So why don't you hold still and let me squish you like the insect you are!?"
"An insect, am I? At least I'm not hiding on top of a monster like a coward!"
The girl's face turned pink at Erza's words.
"How dare you!?" she screeched. "I'll make you pay for that! Get her, Rock Doll!"
The monster roared in anger and charged once more. But Erza was ready for it. Her body glowed as her armor changed. When the glow vanished, she stood tall and proud. A metal-plated skirt billowed around her legs. The pink-haired girl laughed maliciously again, exclaiming how such silly armor could never beat her rock doll.
She wasn't prepared for wings of swords to spring up on the redhead's back. The pink-haired girl screamed in fright when the Fairy Tail mage flew towards her instead of her rock doll. Her body bent in on itself, as something hard collided with her stomach. She felt herself move, nothing but air beneath her. Then, there was pain. Hard, unrelenting pain. Unconsciousness began to creep up on her. Although, she was sure if it was from hitting her head on the ground or from the heavy blow of her enemy's swords. All she remembered was calling out to Angelica before the blackness consumed her. She was out before her pet rat burst from the forest's foliage.
Erza was hardly concerned. Maybe the pink-haired girl thought that just because the rat's claws were on the ground that the same dirty trick would work twice. Too bad it wasn't necessary. Just one swing of her sword and it was down for the count. Doubt crept up in Erza's mind. Was dealing with the rat supposed to be this easy? Probably. The girl was weak anyway. It made sense that the rat was weak as well.
"Erza!" a voice called.
Her train of thought derailed as she turned toward the voice. A small blue feline appeared from the treeline.
"Happy. Did Chaos send to see if I would die?"
Happy gave her an irritated look.
"No. I came to see you weren't injured from the fall. But fine. I guess I won't be making that mistake anymore. Apparently, my time is better spent hanging out with Natsu."
Happy turned to fly back to the village when Erza's voice stopped him.
"Happy wait...I'm sorry."
The feline moved to look back at her.
"What was that?"
"I said, I'm sorry. I was just surprised you would show any kind of concern for me. It's unprecedented."
"Well, it's not like we go on that many missions together."
"Hmm. I suppose you are correct. Maybe we should rectify that in the future."
The feline held back a grimace before answering politely,
"Maybe."
But Happy knew it was unlikely. Especially since unless Natsu went on the mission as well, he doubted anything would come of it. Happy didn't go on missions with anyone without Natsu. Not unless Natsu was a certain level of close with them. A level that no one had ever reached before.
His eyes flickered back to the Requip mage as she nodded her agreement. She called out a
"Come on, Happy. We should get back."
This time it was Happy who nodded his agreement. However, neither were expecting fewer people to be in the village than when they left. Two people less. Chaos and Lucy to be exact. And no one was more distraught by this fact than Happy. Alright. So Happy was the only one distraught. Erza and Gray were more irritated than anything else.
According to Gray, Lucy had an idea suddenly come to mind and she immediately went to tell Chaos. He must have agreed because she had started bouncing away, probably to inform Gray of the plan, when Chaos had pulled her back. Chaos had, of course, refused to let Lucy tell anyone where they were going. Gray, as the only one who cared enough, tried to get clued in on the details. However, Chaos had easily evaded him by grabbing Lucy and melting into the shadows.
Apparently, Lucy hadn't been much help. She had intended to share her idea but had gotten distracted and irritated by the jerk back. When Gray tried to get her focused on him enough to share her plan, that was then they started vanishing. Gray had tried not to look as disgusted as he felt when Lucy had given Chaos doe eyes when he pulled her into him. And when she realized she was disappearing, all she did was smile and wave. Gray had tried to follow them, or so he told Erza and Happy, but they were gone too fast. Happy didn't buy that Gray had tried to follow them. He was probably too shocked to move. Erza on the other hand had believed him but was slightly skeptical.
She was also convinced that Chaos and Lucy hadn't gotten and "persuaded" Gray and Happy to accompany her in tracking them down. Which would no doubt be difficult since shadows didn't leave tracks. Their only option would be to come to the same conclusion that Lucy had. Which wasn't that inherently hard. All it took was an evaluation of the details and to put them together correctly.
This entire thing had started because the "Cold Emperor" wanted to resurrect Deliora. The only way to do that was to collect moonlight. Moonlight that could only be collected at the temple. Presumably. So, to stop the "Cold Emperor" from resurrecting the demon, all they had to do was just stop the flow of moonlight. For which, there were multiple ways. One just had to be a bit... creative to come to the conclusion that Lucy did. And destructive. Because, as "unfortunate" as it was, that was exactly what it came down to.
Natsu and Lucy had reached the temple easy enough, and being as tactical as he was, decided that they should investigate the temple before beating people up. Not that Lucy had much of a choice. He refused to just let her go. They moved from shadow to shadow, eavesdropping on worthy conversations. For which there were few. However, there was one conversation that proved to be fruitful. And Natsu had heard was,
"Put the resurrection of Deliora in jeopardy."
That was all Natsu needed to listen to the rest of it. It led to the useful statement of how they had planned to finish my that night or the next. And honestly? That would have enough for Natsu, had he not heard that the effects the ice would have if it was not melted soon. How the demon would forever be imprisoned. A fine suggestion if Natsu ever heard one.
A cruel grin crept onto his face as he and Blondie slipped back down to the main floor. The two locked eyes. He gave a silent nod and he watched as an almost feral grin etched itself on her face. She twirled a key between her fingers and Taraus appeared by her side a moment later. Gesturing to the pillars she wanted, the bull wasted no time destroying them. Unbridled chaos filled the air, and the Chaos Dragon found himself destroying pillars as well. They made quick work of their task, the mages pausing to stare at the other for a second. And when a sudden thought came to mind, she couldn't keep it to herself.
"If we're destroying the temple, why don't we strike some fear into our enemies, huh? What do you say, Natsu?"
The Chaos Dragon didn't say anything. Not anything in protest, at least. He didn't even give her a look of annoyance. The smell of chaos was too thick in the air. Too heavy in his lungs and stomach. Lined too much of him for him to be anything but compliant. He stared at the ceiling a moment before aiming his next spell at it.
"Chaos Dragon's Roar!"
A torrent of mahogany sped towards the ceiling. Tearing its way through two, three, four, five floors above them. Blondie grinned at the damage. And from where they were Natsu heard,
"...I hadn't expected Chaos to show up at all; Let alone make the first move. That's practically unheard of. I wonder what could have such a change."
Any further thought was cut off by a shout from the Blonde beside him.
"Yoo-hoo! Excuse me!" She called, waving her hand like a maniac.
It sounded higher pitched than normal. Fake. Like one of those "wealthy" females who added that extra layer of nice to their tone as an attempt to make something do crap for them.
"Excuse me!... Yeah, hi! So, uh... we kinda need you to stop trying to unfreeze the demon you got underground so... we kinda destroyed the temple."
Natsu could tell she was trying to sound sweet and non-threatening. However, by the chaos pouring off of her, she was definitely faking it.
"Idiot girl! Just who do you think you are? You dare challenge me?"
"Yeah, uh... no? No, not really. I mean, I can... but that's not why we're here. The other thing is that there aren't a whole lot of ways to get up to you. Not to mention the fact that— oh!"
Her speech came to a screeching halt as she felt a thick arm wrap around her waist. She grinned at Natsu over her shoulder before looking back at the people above her.
"Change of plans, guys! Looks like we'll have a battle after all! Aren't you so excited for the fun we're about to have?"
That feral grin returned to her face. And not even a second later, the pair were launched towards their enemies. Her fingers closed around the whip at her side. The floors flew by quickly and her muscles coiled in anticipation and preparation.
As soon as her eyes saw her target, she lashed out her whip. He looked shocked when the blow landed, and Lucy felt a flash of pride race through her. Up until the moment his face cracked. It was weird to see. Then one crack split into two. Then four. Then they were racing across his body before he shattered like glass. The pieces fell to the floor but they didn't sound like glass. And the air around it felt cold. It confused her but she brushed it off when she heard something behind her.
"Ice-Make: Eagle!"
A magic seal obscured her view of his face but the eagles he shot at them got her full attention.
"Chaos Dragon's Spearhead."
Her head whipped to the side in time to see a pitch-black seal form in front of Natsu's hand. She saw the black runes click into place and she was amazed by the sheer amount of arrowheads he produced. They cut through the eagles easily, tearing them to shreds. Even after the eagles were destroyed, Natsu kept going. They flew toward the Ice Mage but he dodged easily, his cape flapping around annoyingly. The Chaos Dragon set down the Blonde but wasn't expecting the ground to disappear beneath him right after he did so. He didn't fall that far, his wings stopping him as soon as he realized. Natsu didn't say anything but gave an incredulous look to the guy in the mask. The Spirit Summoner was confused.
"Uh... was that supposed to do something?" She wondered.
The "Cold Emperor" whirled on his ally.
"What did you do?" He spat.
"I am merely trying to provide you with a distraction so that you can go carry out your plans."
"Aww... does somebody need an escape?" Blondie mocked.
"Are you implying that I can't handle these fools on my own?" The Ice Mage hissed, seeming not to hear what she said.
"Hey! Who are you calling fools!?" She hissed. But they still didn't acknowledge her.
"My apologies, Cold Emperor. I meant no disrespect. It's only that you're the only one strong enough to defeat Deliora. You need to save your energy."
"So, you are implying that they're stronger than me! If I truly am the one to defeat Deliora, then defeating these pathetic mages shouldn't take long. Or very much of my magic."
"Who are you calling pathetic!?" She shouted again.
But just like before, they ignored her. The Celestial Mage could feel her blood starting to boil. Not only were these punks insulting her and Natsu, but they continued to do so as if they weren't standing right in front of them. Lucy's hand clenched into a fist around her selected key. She would show them. She'd show them all what she could do. She would leave no room for mocking and insults.
"Don't get in my way this time!" The "Cold Emperor" spat at his companion.
Said companion simply raised his hands in surrender.
"As you wish, Cold Emperor."
His companion then stepped out of the line of attention, probably thinking that he'd either be forgotten or that he could watch the battle safely without getting hit.
"What are you gonna do, Drake?" She asked softly.
She turned her head slightly but her eyes never left her opponent. She heard a grunt of acknowledgment from around her, but there was no movement. That told her that he decided that he wouldn't enter the battle just yet. But Lucy didn't mind. This was what she was used to. This was their rhythm. Instead, she addressed the Ice-Mage.
"So, who's gonna make the first move, Cold Emperor? Me? Or you?"
Now, I gotta admit, I kinda feel bad about what I've done to you all. And I don't mean not posting a chapter for 6 or 7 months. No, I mean the fact that so many of you have waited for the battle that didn't happen. But, it wasn't a battle that Lucy was ready for if you think about it. Who can fight in the air, blindfolded? It's a bit of a long shot, honestly. Not only that but I don't think she emotionally ready for that kind of thing. Maybe one day. But today is not that day. The other thing too is that by the time I posted the last chapter, I had already decided and written that she wouldn't fight Angelica. Sorry.
I hope you all enjoyed the last chapter. I'll try not to take so long on the next one. Also, the next few chapters may just be updates. I'll only do a few before I post the next chapter. I'll try not to take too long with the next chapter, but you never know with these things. If any of you want to guess what will happen next, feel free. You might be spot on or I might use your ideas later. If you have any questions, you can ask but if they give something away, you'll have to wait until we get to them. Until next time.
~Brought to you by Jazmin Gato
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~Peace out!