Arcadios and the other guards stood in front of the Queen as they held their shields at the ready to deflect any unwelcome flying objects as, you guessed it, one of Fairy Tail's infamous rumbles had broken out and the Guild Hall had descended into chaos at the return of one of their most beloved members. "Your Majesty, please stay back."
"Don't worry, Arcadios." Hisui giggled as she pushed through the shield wall and walked to the bar with a skip in her step. "This place is where I'm safest, with all of you and all of our best mages."
"Oi Natsu! Where've you been?" Sting shouted from across the other side of the guild as Lisanna placed a tankard of ale on the table and hurried off to the next table. "I've been looking for you!"
"I've been travelling!" The pink-haired man called back as he spun on the ball of his foot and drove his heel into a flying Max, sending the man flying across the hall and into a broom closet, eliciting a suspicious groan from behind the closed door. "I'm sure word of Levy's inventions have floated about? I've been using a special device to hop across realms."
"Shit, that sounds pretty awesome! What did you get up to?" The white-dragon slayer rose from his seat and grabbed the tankard as he closed the distance between them among the carnage. He didn't even get halfway before Natsu was crashed into by a tipsy busty blonde.
"Natsu~." Lucy purred as she clung to his side and breathed his slightly smokey scent in deeply. "Ah I missed you so much~."
Natsu hugged the woman close to him and kissed her forehead softly as his hand combed through her luscious golden hair. "I missed you too, Luce." He shifted his focus back up to his fellow dragon slayer and smiled at his friend. "I made some friends from another version of our world. They were about to go through the Dragon Invasion like we did a few years back. It went to hell pretty quickly as they had something like six or more times the amount of dragons we had, and then Acnologia turned up."
"Master!" Called out Natsu's favourite demon, causing the man to look up and get knocked to the floor on top of Lucy with Seilah on his back.
"DOGPILE NATSU!"
The pinkette braced himself for the sudden onset of weight, propping himself up a little above Lucy so she didn't get crushed under him as body after body landed on the ever growing pile. Natsu burst out in raucous laughter at the welcome he had received from his beloved family. "Yeah, yeah. I'm back!"
The man's head was pleasantly squashed between two sets of boobs belonging to Lucy and Seilah, it was heaven but all good things had to come to an end sooner or later. Harmless fire flowed along his back and solidified into a set of wings which he used to push everyone off of him. The Dragon Slayer rose to his feet and helped Lucy up, he carried her over to the bar and sat her down on a stool as he took the neighbouring seat. His wings fading away as he stretched his arms out above his head. "It's fucking good to be back."
The semen demon climbed onto Natsu's lap and wiggled to get comfortable, grinding her ass onto the pinkette's crotch as she flicked a wink back at him. "We've missed you, Master. I heard things got a little crazy back there?"
"Yeah, it did." Natsu replied as he activated his archive magic and brought up the recording from that deadly 24 hours, starting with the rescue mission. He blew the screen up to the size of a wall and swiped through the air so the screen moved over to the stage, allowing everyone to see and hear the nightmarish day that Natsu had been through.
Mira retook her position behind her bar and leant down in front of the man, she closed the distance and gave her boyfriend a quick peck before flashing a happy smile. "The usual, Natsu?"
"Please. What did I miss?"
"Levy has been going nuts with her inventions, basically been doing her best to progress Fiore's technology." Mira informed the pinkette as she grabbed a bottle down from the shelf behind her. "She's used the tech from the IVD, namely the passive magic power generator and battery system, and created a modified magic vehicle that doesn't rely on the user's own magic."
"Nice. That brings those vehicles into the hands of the non-magical population." Natsu nodded thoughtfully. "Anything else?"
"Levy ought to be the one to tell her about her inventions." Mira replied as she placed a glass of whiskey down in front of him. "But she showed Hisui that prototype and the Queen fast-tracked production since the retrofit is fairly easy and uses easily sourced materials, the cost of a retrofit is fairly cheap, production is just a tad bit more than making a standard one. But since mass production is a possibility, the cost of production is actually fairly affordable."
"I've also subsidised the construction of manufacturing plants and consulted with Levy about standards for safety and manufacturing." Came a formal voice from behind Natsu. Hisui sat down next to the man and faced him. "May I have some red wine, Mira?"
"Sure." The busty barmaid grabbed one of their best bottles of wine and took a glass out from the cabinet behind the bar. "Would you like the bottle too?"
"Yes, thank you." The Queen smiled at the woman before turning her attention back to Natsu. "She has been an asset to Fiore, working tirelessly for the betterment of the nation's civilian population."
"Speaking of Levy, where is she? I need to ask her something."
"I think she is still down in her lab." Mira glanced around the packed main hall as she tapped her lips in thought. Unable to spot the short blunette, she turned her attention back down towards the Dragon Slayer once again. "I can't see her so I'm guessing she is down there. I think she said something about wanting to finish reverse-engineering the engines and fuel systems that Edolas used in their vehicles."
"Before I forget, can you have her send a mobile communications lacrima over to Natsumi's house?" Natsu smiled as Mira gave him a nod and started cleaning glasses. A thought popped into his mind as he took a sip of whiskey. "Did she go back to Edolas, or was it a different one?"
"A different one, the guild there was on the verge of being wiped out so she came back, grabbed some weapons and waged a one-woman war on the castle. Destroyed the Anima machine and put a bullet between Faust's eyes while he was sat on the throne." Mira replied as Lisanna hurried over with her tray.
"Big Sis, I need two tankards of Beer, a bottle of Vodka, and two glasses of Shiraz wine." The younger white-haired woman rattled off as she placed the tray down, she glanced at Natsu a flashed him a bright smile. "Welcome home, Natsu. Looks like you had a hell of a fight on your hands."
"Yeah, it did get pretty rough." Natsu glanced over at the magical hologram and saw that they were still at the rescue mission. "It gets worse later on, lotsa dragons. And I get pretty pissed off."
"Should we hand out some popcorn?"
Mira giggled as she placed the requested drinks on the tray. "You know what Lis, that's a good idea. I'll go tell Kinana in the kitchen." Once she loaded the tray and handed it back to her sister, she took a step back and was mid-turn to the kitchen door before a thought popped into mind. "Oh, Natsu. If you're after new weapons, Levy has been collecting them. You'll find them in a safe in her lab along with the ammunition they need. Just pull her aside and have her fill you in on them."
"I'll take a look when I've settled back in at home."
"Nashu~ can I stay at yours?" Lucy mumbled as she hugged his arm.
"I kinda expected that you would have been staying there already."
"From time to time." She murmured into the arm of his coat, she seemed to have no intention of letting go any time soon.
"Master, I better run along, I was in the middle of a card game with Ikaruga upstairs…" Seilah complained while she vacated his lap with great reluctance, she used her curse to float up to the second-floor landing and disappeared from view.
"So, Hisui, is there anything else that I missed?"
"Hmm." The Monarch placed her wine glass down on the bar and licked her lips slowly, savouring the flavour of the wine as she took her attention off of the recording. "We've been in contact with Alvarez, diplomatic talks and such. They're sending two emissaries over who should arrive within the week, they are veterans of the war but don't harbor hostilities to us."
"That'll be interesting… I take it that is why you came all the way down here?"
"Yes. The meeting will be held at the main site of the war, at Fairy Tail's Guild Hall."
"Can't say that isn't surprising." Natsu felt a weight slump against his arm, he looked down to find that Lucy had fallen asleep while hugging his arm. "I better get her home, I don't think she'd be happy if I left her alone right after I got back."
"I'll let Mira know when she returns. So she can tell anyone who asks about you."
"Thanks, Hisui." The salmon-haired man carefully got off the stool and picked the blonde up in his arms, he held her close as he started to head for the grand entrance doors. He was almost to the doors when he felt something land on his head.
"Hey Natsu, welcome home." Happy said quietly, the Exceed didn't want to wake Lucy and incur her wrath just yet. "Is it time to go home?"
"Yeah. I'm looking forward to sleeping in my own bed for the first time in months." Natsu replied softly as he pushed through the doors out into the bitter cold of winter. "How have you been, buddy?"
"Fantastic!"
"Shh~." Natsu felt Lucy stir in his arms but she didn't wake up. "What did you get up to?"
"Did a few missions with the team, spent time with Carla, ate loads of fish." Happy crawled down from Natsu's head and curled up on Lucy's stomach.
The trio trekked through the town in silence, moving out the other side and up the hill to the house that he and Seilah built. As the man reached the front door, all of his fatigue from the past couple of days hit him all at once. He unlocked the door and left his shoes just inside the door. "Happy, we're home."
"Alright." Happy uncurled and floated up off of Lucy, he glided up the stairs to his room. "Goodnight Natsu, it's good to have you back."
"It's good to be back, buddy. I was missing everyone so much. Night Happy." Natsu carefully removed Lucy's boots and placed them by the door before heading up to his bedroom. He laid Lucy down on his bed and noticed a bunch of different scents coming from it, belonging to the various women he has a relationship with.
"Natsu?" Murmured Lucy as her eyes fluttered open. "Where are we?"
"Back at my house. I was about to go for a quick shower before I got into bed." Natsu replied with a long yawn as he entered his bathroom. He heard movement behind him and quickly found himself enveloped in Lucy's arms. "You wanna join me for a shower?"
The busty blonde slowly moved around the man and turned the shower on to get it heated up. She stepped back and gave Natsu a tired smile as she shed her clothes, revealing her silky skin and bountiful breasts. "I've got butterflies, it's been so long since we've done anything like this."
Natsu kissed her on the forehead and removed his clothes. He stepped into the shower and was quickly followed by Lucy who placed her hands on his shoulders and eased him down onto the ground. She moved onto her knees and closed the distance between them so she could sit on his lap and rest her chin on his shoulder, her arms wrapping around Natsu's chest and pressing their bodies together.
"You feel really worn out." Lucy murmured against his neck, she shifted her weight and sat up so she could look him in the eyes, her dim, tired chocolate-coloured eyes gazing into her closest friend's eyes. "You feel stiff, and you just feel not entirely present."
"Yeah." Natsu slowly ran a hand through the woman's long blonde hair as he gave her a small, tired smile. "I haven't had any sleep in over twenty-four hours, and I'm still kinda recovering from fighting Acnologia."
Lucy's eyes dropped down to the new scars on the man. A sad smile slowly growing on her lips as she traced them with her fingertips. "You should really be more careful."
"I know, Luce. But I had to kill him then and there."
"Otherwise he'd have killed everyone." The blonde nodded softly as her eyes drifted back up. "I understand, you had to do it to protect them, at the risk of your own life. Mira told us about wreckage left behind, it sounded like it would have blown Berephus out of the water if you detonated it on the ground instead of high up in the sky."
"Enough about what I've been up to, what have you been doing?" Natsu asked quietly as he ran his hands through Lucy's hair.
"I've been writing a new novel, shopping with the girls, going on missions with the team though nothing massive but they still paid well enough." Lucy smiled softly and rested against his chest once more. "Dreaming of the day that you'll come back, when I got to see you once again and hold you, sleep in your arms, have you inside me."
Natsu chuckled quietly and wrapped his arms around the beautiful blonde. "We'll have to get to that last one later. All I want right now is to hold you while I sleep."
"That's fine, Natsu. I wasn't expecting anything right away. Neither were the other girls, we all know that you've just been through the apocalypse and just want to wind down. If you need any of us for anything, then just ask us. We'll always be there for you." Lucy smiled softly into Natsu's neck as she gently nuzzled the man. "Just don't forget to take care of us too."
Natsu kissed the woman's cheek and reached up to the taps. He turned off the shower and flash dried them with a small burst of his magic. "Let's get into bed before we fall asleep in the shower."
Lucy let out a long yawn and snuggled in closer, showing no sign of moving from her spot at all. She closed her eyes and snuggled against the man's warm body, wrapping her legs around Natsu's hips when he rose to his feet and walked to the bed. "I missed this."
The blonde turned and crawled onto the bed, she glanced back with a tired grin and wiggled her ass at him. "Love the view~?"
"Always." Natsu chuckled softly and slid under the sheets. He grabbed her and pulled her down under the sheets a little roughly, causing Lucy to gasp and smack him playfully on the shoulder. She slid back and allowed the man to spoon her.
"Goodnight, Natsu."
"Night beautiful."
When Natsu woke, he found his bed empty with a note beside his head. Natsu, I've headed back to my place so I can work on my novel. I made some pancakes for you which are sitting in your fridge, I hope that Happy hasn't eaten them all by the time you wake up. Love you. Lucy. "You're too cute, Luce." The man smiled softly at the little note and slipped out of bed, making his way to his wardrobe. He grabbed some clothes and quickly got dressed.
With a quick trip to the fridge, he secured his breakfast. "Happy, you home?!"
After a few moments of silence, Natsu shrugged and figured that the Exceed had gone off ahead to spend time with Carla. He wondered where Seilah and Ikaruga were, he couldn't smell them in the house at all, so they must have not made it home, probably passed out in the guild.
The Demonic Dragon Slayer cleaned what little was left to clean up and made his way into town. Not only did he need to buy Christmas gifts, but he also wanted to grab something for the girls, a gift each that would suit them. Natsu adjusted Durandal on his back and walked through the market district. He was greeted frequently by denizens of Magnolia as he passed through busy crowds on the sidewalk. The town had seemed to have had a lot of civil works projects happen while he had been gone, roads had been made with ornate brickwork with artistic patterns for the surge in personal vehicles.
A Blacksmith's shop caught his eye. Natsu recognised it as one of the shops that Erza frequented for weapons and maintenance. The salmon-haired man entered the store and was met with a bell ringing by the door which alerted the blacksmith to a customer.
"Hi. Welcome to the Wells' Magical Blacksmith, I'll be right with you!" A woman called out from the workshop out the back of the store.
The demonic man wandered around the store, inspecting the various weapons, shields, and armours. He heard the clatter of tools being placed down and the dull thud of boots approaching him.
"Sorry about that, how can I help…" The woman trailed off as she recognised the man in her shop. "Natsu Dragneel? What can I do for you?"
"I'm getting gifts for Erza." Natsu turned to the woman. "I could easily get her strawberry cheesecakes but I don't want to do that, I want to get her something long-lasting and meaningful."
"Well, I don't think we've been introduced, I'm Dianna Wells, resident blacksmith and enchanter. This is my shop, everything you see here is made by me, and I can ensure they are made to a high degree of quality." The woman's ash-dusted light-brown ponytail swished around the back of her head as she spun around with her arms outstretched. She was wearing grey overalls that were tied off at her waist by the sleeves, and a silver and blue sports bra, soot was blotted around her exposed skin with streaks running through it from the sweat born of working hot metal all day. "So, what are you looking for?"
"Well, one of the things I want to get her is a Spear or something similar."
"Do you intend on it being thrown or be used in close combat?" Dianna asked as she moved to the portion of her shop that housed a wide selection of pole-type weapons.
"Close combat, but knowing Erza she'd use it in any way she deems necessary at the time."
"Hmm, I'd honestly recommend a Yari then. Purely for durability due to the very long tang that comes down a fair way into the shaft which is made from hardwood and wrapped in bamboo strips which are extremely tough. This one has a wrapping made from a finely plat cotton rope for cushioning and for better grip." The blacksmith took one down from a rack and held it out to the man. The wrap was a mix of red and gold strands and it had a sheath around the unusual blade to protect it and the people around it. "This particular one is called a Bishamon Yari. Its key features are the two outward-facing crescent moon blades that are parallel to the long main blade. This one is mounted on a six-and-a-half-foot shaft, with the blade adding an extra foot-and-a-half, bring the weapon to a total of eight feet in length. Perfect for keeping people out of attack range, and I can imagine someone like Titania would easily deal with anyone who came too close."
"How long would you think this would last in Erza's hands?" Natsu asked curiously as he took the pole weapon and examined it closely. "She'd no doubt be giving this hell, it's a gift for a warrior after all."
"When I said the things I made are of high quality, those weren't empty words of a shopkeeper. I can guarantee that these weapons are some of the best in this part of Fiore. And should it fail Erza, I promise that I'll make a new one with no cost to her or you." The brunette said in a matter-of-fact tone. She gave the man a genuine smile and pointed to the weapon. "I'll even enchant that for you so that we can ensure that it maintains perfect sharpness for longer and that it will be highly resistant to damage. I'll throw that in free of charge because honestly, Erza is a monster and only the best of the best can stand up to her abilities."
"Sounds good. I'll take it." The dragon slayer handed the weapon back to the blacksmith and gazed around the room. "That sorts out one of the gifts… I was thinking of something a little more ornate, like a custom decorative shield that she can hang on her wall. Though it would still have to be completely functional…"
"Would you like a steel shield or a wooden shield?"
"A steel one would probably be for the best. Erza is more than strong enough to wield one effortlessly."
"Well, I recommend a Spiked Pavise shield then. It can be used in both defence and offence." Dianna walked over to the shield wall and lifted down the desired shield. "It's a bit on the heavier side, but that's due to being made thicker than usual. What would you like painted on it?"
"This." Natsu formed a dragon familiar and had it fly onto the shop's counter. "If you can, try and get as much detail as you can. It will follow your commands, so posture it however you think will work best and look badass."
"Alright, come back in a few hours and these should be all ready for you." The blacksmith moved to the counter and tallied up the price.
"Thanks, I'll pay half now and half on pick-up." The demonic man said as he handed the money over to Dianna. He left the store as Dianna went back into the rear of the building to get back to work on the order.
Natsu roamed the markets and stores, looking for more gifts. He stopped by the window of a toy store and gazed inside, looking at the stuffed toys just inside. 'I wonder if Lucy would enjoy these…'
'I mean, doesn't she like cute things?' END offered his input. 'Maybe see if there is anything relating to Celestial Mages.'
'What, like Celestial Key or Spirit shaped plushies and stuff?'
'Yeah, that'd make the best sense for someone like her. You did good with Erza's gift. We need to work out what to get for Seilah, Mira, Wendy, and Ikaruga because she'll feel left out.'
'I might get Wendy some musical equipment since she did do singing with Chelia. Ikaruga likes traditional stuff, so I think we get a traditional tea set, would she like that?'
'Most likely. Maybe see if we can find a cherry blossom tree or bonsai tree for her. Seilah would love books.'
'Yeah, I remember she had a whole library on that flying cube. Let's get her some box sets of novels, hopefully she hasn't read them.'
"Natsu?" The man blinked and refocused on his surroundings. He spun around to see Juvia, all rugged up in her thick blue coat and navy tights. "Juvia saw you standing there for a while, is something wrong?"
"Just having a mental conversation with myself, working out what to buy for everyone." Natsu replied as Juvia came closer so she could stay out the way of pedestrians. "I wouldn't mind an extra opinion on it all, things could have changed while I was gone."
"Juvia will gladly help you. What would you like to know?" The rain woman looked through the window at the plushie Celestial Spirits and glanced up at the pinkette. "Lucy has a Virgo and Aquarius Plushie. Juvia saw them two nights ago when she visited Lucy's place after her mission."
"Alright, I'll go buy all but those two for her." Natsu said as he entered the store and quickly bought the stuffed toys.
Juvia hummed a quiet tune to herself while she watched the man through the window. Every now and then, a passer-by stopped to talk to the renowned Fairy Tail mage. Juvia was used to the attention and replied kindly to all the nice people of Magnolia. A glow off to her right alerted her to Natsu's presence, the man sending the bags away to his pocket dimension to hide them in case he bumps into Lucy, he didn't want to spoil the surprise.
"All set, thanks Juvia."
"Juvia wants to help you, do you mind if she tags along?"
Natsu smiled and waved for the woman to follow him as he continued down the street. He sensed the woman's eyes on his back as she slowly drew level with him. "What's up?"
"Juvia is just wondering about your sword, it feels more powerful than the last time we saw each other when Juvia was training the other Juvia."
"I worked out how to use it properly. And it probably got more powerful when I killed dragons with it."
"Juvia visited Gajeel's workshop while he was working on your new sheath. Juvia was wondering what happened to the original?" Juvia asked as she glanced up at the pinkette. "Was it damaged in that fight we watched last night?"
"Yeah, when I vaporized Acnologia, it got caught in the blast and was turned to ashes. I think I might have superheated Durandal and that set the sheath alight because I'm usually very careful with not burning my gear."
"Juvia had noticed that you don't burn things important to you." The woman placed a hand on the man's shoulder and pointed into a nearby shop. "Juvia believes we should look in that store, you may find some gifts for someone."
"I… don't think I've seen this store before." Natsu murmured as he approached the window. The store had various different knick-knacks ranging from traditional housewares, toys, trinkets, and even strange gadgets.
"It opened a little over a month ago. Juvia has poked around and bought some small curiosities from there before." The blunette grasped the dragon slayer's arm and pulled him into the shop. "Juvia is sure that you'll find something in here."
"Well, if they have bonsais and traditional tea sets then I'll buy them, maybe some cookbooks for Mira."
"You could see if you can find foreign ones for Mira. Juvia doesn't think she'd have any of them."
"You'd be surprised." Natsu chuckled softly and took the lead from Juvia as he spotted some tea sets. "I think she has a few, but not many."
"Juvia should talk to her, maybe we can swap recipes. Juvia is a good baker after all."
"Have you done your gift shopping yet, Juvia?" Natsu asked as he grabbed a boxed tea set that had cherry blossoms on it. "You're still welcome to join me either way."
"Juvia hasn't completed all of her shopping, she still has some gifts left to buy." Juvia replied as she gazed around the store and picked out a few things for her own gifts.
The duo of mages moved from store to store, gathering their gifts for a few hours before stopping outside the blacksmith again. An empty-handed Natsu turned to Juvia and glanced at all the bags she was carrying. "Once I'm done in here, do you want me to carry some of your bags? I'll be heading up to the Girl's Dorms after this anyway."
"Juvia would like that, she could manage on her own, but help is welcome." The blunette smile gratefully at the man as she shuffled the bags in her hands.
"Alright, give me a second." Natsu ducked into the blacksmith and paid off the rest of the price of the weapon and shield. He was holding them in his hands as he returned to Juvia, showing the rain woman the gifts for Erza. "What do you think?"
"Juvia thinks Erza will love them." Juvia smiled brightly as the man sent the items away to his requip space and took half of the bags off her hands. "Thank you, Natsu."
"So what have you been up to while I was away?" Natsu asked curiously as the duo headed off to the Dormitory. He sighed quietly and gazed at the sky as he murmured quietly to himself. "I've got a lot of catching up with people that I need to do…"
"Juvia has been doing jobs here and there. She helped Levy gather some tech from a water world too, lots of wrecks on the seafloor. Levy didn't have the gear to dive down there so she asked Juvia about how well she can survive underwater. Juvia told Levy that due to her water body, she could technically stay underwater indefinitely by taking oxygen and nutrients right out of the water."
"What, you can do that?" This surprised the pinkette whose eyebrows rose high in shock. He glanced at the woman and gave her an impressed quick look up and down. "Remind me not to challenge you to a breath-holding contest when drunk at a pool or beach party."
"Juvia will try to remember that." Juvia giggled softly and smiled at the man. His warm-hearted nature was winning her over, making her chilled heart thaw out. "It was an unusual experience. Juvia came across many strange animals, some tried to eat her but they didn't realise that Juvia can turn into water at will and either harmlessly escape or cause them to explode from the water pressure."
"I gather that they started blowing up more frequently the more they bit you?"
"Yes, it started to get on Juvia's nerves after a while."
Natsu laughed at the woman as her eyebrow twitched from the frustration surfacing due to the memory. He shook his head softly with a toothy smile as he elbowed her gently. "You still had fun by the sounds of it."
"Juvia enjoyed it greatly. She'd do it again in a heartbeat if the opportunity arises." Juvia returned the man's smile as her eyes lingered a little longer on him after he turned his attention back to the street. "Would you like to join Juvia on the next trip?"
"Sure. We'd need to find a way for me to survive underwater though."
"Levy will be able to sort that out I think. You'll be able to handle the pressure on your body from going deep underwater, right?"
"I've never tried going deep underwater. I might need a diving suit or something for that. I guess it depends on how far down we'd be going. My armour has a built-in closed circuit rebreather and an O2 system built into the helmet, so breathing underwater won't be an issue."
"Juvia would easily be able to manage the water pressure around you anyway, since water is her domain." Juvia pushed open the door to the Girl's Dorm, holding it open with her shoulder to allow the man to follow her in. "Juvia thinks it's fine, but you should probably stay quiet so we don't get in trouble."
"It shouldn't be that bad if I'm coming in with you, and obviously helping you with some shopping." Natsu chuckled softly and grinned playfully at the blunette. "It's not like I'm sneaking in to see you in the dead of night."
Juvia's body started to release steam as her pale skin developed a rosy hue, her mind wandering into the gutter and down the storm drains. "J-juvia would like to see you try."
"Don't tempt me." He winked at the woman and followed his nose up the nearest set of stairs. "I take it that you haven't changed rooms?"
"No, Juvia is still in the same room she has always been in since joining Fairy Tail." The blushing woman hurried up, catching up to the pinkette and walking alongside him. "Though she has redecorated many times."
Natsu came to a stop where the trail of Juvia's residual scent turned off into a closed door. A jingle of metal caught his attention as Juvia fished her keys from the inner pocket of her coat. She pushed the door open and led the way inside. "Just leave the bags by Juvia's coffee table." The woman said as she placed the bags down and walked over to the kitchenette. "Would you like to have some tea with Juvia, Natsu?"
"Yeah, please. I'm kinda thirsty." Natsu looked around the room and was somewhat shocked at the surprising lack of Gray memorabilia. Maybe they did have a falling out after all, and it seemed bad if she had gotten rid of them all. "Do you mind if I have a look around?"
"Juvia's ok with that, just don't rummage in Juvia's draws."
'Oi, wasn't this chick crazy for that Snowman?'
'She was.' Natsu replied to his inner demon as he slowly walked around the apartment. 'I think things fell apart when we came back from the quest, you know the one where we became one. I never asked what happened, Gray doesn't really talk about those things since he keeps things pretty close to the chest for the most part.'
'In Elfman's words, it isn't Manly?'
'Elfman talks about his feelings, he isn't shy of them. He had to be strong as he lost control of a transformation and seemingly killed his little sister. But he won't shy away from his emotions.'
A light tap on the man's shoulder and the scent of fresh rain drew Natsu out of his internal conversation. He turned around and saw a coat-less Juvia before him, wearing her tights and a light blue, form-fitting knitted Tee Shirt.
"Juvia called your name a few times again, were you talking to END again?"
"Yeah, we were just talking about your apartment." Natsu gave her a small smile and followed the woman back to the coffee table, both taking a seat on the sea-green couch. "I have to admit, I was expecting something a little more… crazy. But what I see suits who you really are."
"How does Juvia seem in your eyes?" The rain woman asked curiously, gazing up at the man over the rim of her teacup.
"Tranquil and refreshing, like soothing rain on a summer day."
Juvia looked down at the amber liquid in the cup with a bashful smile. "Juvia is uncertain that you would enjoy summer rain, you have a hot body after all. Wouldn't it boil away?"
"Thanks for the compliment." Natsu smirked teasingly at the woman and settled in with the tea. "But I understand what you mean, I can vary my body temperature at will. For the most part, it is only a little higher than normal, but in winter I can turn it up to fight off the cold easily or even warm others. When it rains, I keep it around standard temperature, just so I can enjoy the water to its full extent."
"May… May Juvia have a closer look at your scars?" The woman edged closer to the man, turning on the couch to face him fully. "Juvia heard that they were bad, Juvia saw the recording…"
"It was a crazy fight, and I did go a bit crazy too. I guess I developed a little bloodlust when I became a proper demon." Natsu rose to his feet and placed the cup and saucer down on the coffee table, along with Durandal. He removed his coat and tossed it onto the arm of the couch before hooking his fingers under the base of his shirt and lifting it up over his head, bearing his upper body for the woman to inspect. "I reckon I had more internal damage than external though."
Juvia's eyes were glued to the man's marked chest as she stood up from the couch, her hand reaching out and her fingers slowly tracing the long gashes on Natsu's torso. "They look painful."
"I didn't feel anything at the time. Rage is a hell of an anaesthetic. I just wanted to kill Acnologia before he could kill everyone." Natsu covered his mouth as he yawned softly, he was still worn out and it would probably take a few days before he was back in fighting shape. "Wendy helped a lot though. She seems to be putting me back together fairly often these days."
"Juvia won't tell you to be more careful, she knows that you do your best. But still, she thinks that you should at least try dodging a little more."
Natsu laughed and gently guided her back down to the couch. He put his clothes back on and smiled down at the woman. "Were it so easy. For such a massive bastard, Acnologia could move really quickly. But then again, it was like trying to swat a fly away."
"Juvia understands. She tends to less cautious around physical attacks due to being able to turn into water at will, she still has to dodge or deflect magical blows though…"
"I'm sure there are other benefits to having powers like yours." Natsu winked softly as he gently nudged her with his elbow.
Juvia glanced down at her thighs as she subconsciously rubbed them together. "Yes, Juvia's control over water does have its perks."
"Thanks for the tea, Juvia." The man smiled happily as he placed the sword onto his back. "We should do this more often, I enjoyed spending time with you."
"So did Juvia. She'll be sure to invite you over sometime again in the near future, or maybe she could drop by your house."
"You're always welcome to stop by." Natsu replied as he made his way to the door. "See you around, Juvia." The man stepped out into the hallway and quietly closed the door behind him. He glanced around in an effort to get his bearings and find Erza's room. Natsu caught onto the woman's faint residual scent and started tracking it further into the Dorms.
He quietly jogged through the hallway and up the set of stairs, his eyes moving from door to door as he kept a lookout for any that may open. The residual scent came in and out of the rooms around him but seemed to continue up to the next floor. A soft, steady patter of footsteps echoed down the hallway, alerting Natsu to a female presence. He came to a stop and decided to take his chances, hoping it wasn't someone like Laki who'd probably torture him in her wooden devices.
"Natsu?" The small blue-haired woman blinked up at the man as she came to a stop in front of him, a duffle bag slung over her shoulder. "I was actually about to come find you. You've saved me the trip."
"Levy." Natsu looked at the woman curiously as he slipped his hands into his coat pockets. "What can I do for you?"
"I've been doing some travelling of my own. Gathering various tech and weapons from different universes, for research and developing our own Kingdom. I've been meaning to take a trip to a different version of Edolas that I've been scouting, wanna come along?"
"Sure. I'm game. But what's in the bag?"
Levy took the bag off her shoulder and placed it down on the floor. "This is something I picked up from a future universe. There was magic, but not to the degree of ours. They trended towards technology over the mystical. I've been taking tech from there and reverse engineering it, trying to create a fusion of both to apply to our universe." The blunette unzipped the bag and took out a rifle from it. "This weapon is called a VSSM Vintorez. The person I was talking to told me that it was a modernised version of a weapon called the VSS Vintorez, both of which use an integral suppressor and fire a 9x39mm cartridge. He said it was a Designated Marksman's Rifle… I'm guessing it is something that Bisca would be interested in."
Natsu took the rifle from the woman's hands and looked over it, it reminded him of Sera, though with a distinct lack of size… and lack of an underslung chainsaw. It was fairly uncomplicated overall, he aimed it down the hall and had a look through the mounted optics and dry-fired it a few times. "I like it."
"You can have it." Levy held up the bag for the man with a grin. "I figured you'd want it. I acquired some thirty round mags that work with it too, so you'll have plenty of shots before having to reload. There is a bunch of ammo for it too, so you won't be short any time soon."
"I'll have to get some practice in with Bisca soon, don't you think?" Natsu chuckled softly as he sent the gun and bag away in a flash of light. "Hey, could you point me towards Erza's place?"
"Oh, yeah. She's one level up." Levy pointed to the ceiling as her other hand came to rest on her hip. "I think she's right above us."
"Sweet, thanks." The man replied as he hurried past her, jogging down the hall once more. He glanced back and waved to the woman. "Let me know when you want to head on the next trip and I'll be there waiting."
"Talk to you later, Natsu!" Levy called out to the retreating man's back before heading along the hall in the opposite direction.
After a quick jog up the stairs and down the hallway of the next floor, Natsu picked up on a stronger trail of Erza's scent. It was very recent and disappeared through a door. He came to a stop before the room and slowly opened the door, revealing multiple conjoined rooms containing various sets of armours and weapons. 'Yep… this screams Erza.'
'Ya think? Who else has a fixation with armour and weapons that you know of?'
Natsu paused for a moment as he raked his brains for an answer, but ended up drawing a blank. He shrugged and closed the door behind him before walking through the armoury to a door at the end of the large room.
Before he could reach it, the door opened to reveal a woman with striking red hair. Erza was fresh out of the shower, a towel wrapped around her body as she dried her hair with a second. "Oh, hello Natsu. What can I do for you?"
"I was doing some shopping today and decided to get you something. That and I was getting Christmas gifts too, so technically I got those most special to me more than one thing." Natsu smiled as he requipped the shield he had crafted for Erza. "I'm sure you'd be able to see the work that's been put into it?"
Erza walked over to the man and took the shield from him, closely inspecting the craftsmanship of it. "Dianna Wells made this, didn't she?"
"That and the weapon I picked out for you. As far as I'm aware, you don't have one like this." Natsu's smile only grew wider, revealing his sharp draconic fangs. "Maybe I could give you an early Christmas present?"
"Sure. I'd love to see what you picked out for me. I'm already in love with the shield, so I can't wait to see the weapon."
The pinkette shared a short kiss with his lover before stepping back and twirling a light around him, purposely slowing down the dimensional shift of the Requip spell to create a sense of anticipation and theatrics. As the weapon came to a stop, its point directed at the redhead, the light dissipated into sparkles and revealed the polearm.
"Is that… a Bishamon Yari?" Erza quietly asked, her curiosity causing her to lean in closer and admire the weapon. She slid the sheath from the head of the Yari and ran a finger along the flat of the blades. "No, I don't have one of these… And this is such a beautiful example…"
"It's yours, Erza." Natsu spun the weapon a full cycle before holding it out to her with the weapon upright. "I wanted to give you something that you could use in combat. Something that would see you through battles, something that you could depend on. I hope these fulfil my wishes."
"And then some." The redhead beamed a happy smile as tears threatened to leak from her eyes. "I'll be sure to honour your wishes and use these for battle. They won't be some trophy that gets hung on a wall to be looked at."
The gifts disappeared in a flash of light as Erza reached out and gave Natsu one of her trademark chest-slam hugs, thankfully she was only in a towel so Natsu's head sank into her supple flesh instead of getting a concussion from having his head slammed into some plate armour. "Any plans, Erza?"
"I'm heading out on a solo S-class job, was actually preparing to go." Erza replied as she stepped back and donned her Fourth Gen Heart Kreuz plate armour. "It's on the other side of the country so I'll be gone a short while."
"What will you be doing?" Natsu asked curiously as Erza grabbed her rucksack and made her way to the door. The man followed closely as they exited the room and walked down the hall. "I haven't seen that armour in a while."
"Apparently a town is having a monster issue. Hordes of monsters are coming down from the hills nearby and running rampant through the town at night." Erza smiled softly and gazed down at the shiny metal as the cape billowed behind her. "I do really like this armour."
"No kidnappings?"
"No. Just property damage." Erza sighed and rubbed her face softly. "I hope it's not Vulcans or Gorians."
"Damn, it's been ages since I had to deal with those horny bastards." Natsu laughed and lightly punched Erza's armoured shoulder. "You'll be able to deal with them without an issue. But if you do need a hand, feel free to just send me a message and I'll be right there."
"I should have it under control. Either way, you need rest… you just took out Acnologia, and were in a bad shape after." The redhead came to a stop and turned the man to face her. "I know you are still recovering, you may be healed but you still have the strain and fatigue."
Natsu let out a weary sigh and scratched the back of his head with a small smile. "I guess you're right. I need to talk time off anyway to spend with our family."
"We've got guests too, don't forget."
"Wait, then why are you going? You literally just got back too…"
"I… need money for gifts." Erza scratched her cheek and looked away bashfully. "I want to give something to our guests too. All our allied guilds will be over for Christmas and I want to get each person something."
"Erza. Sometimes you are too full on." Natsu chuckled and shook his head. He gave her a gentle kiss and started heading back down the hallway. "Though it is definitely something you'd do too. Hey, I forgot to check-in, how's progress with Droy?"
"We had to beat him into submission and work him to the bone. But progress was made, he is back to being thin again. He's eating a normal amount."
"I bet Levy had a lot to do about that."
Erza chuckled quietly and grinned at the memories of torturing Droy with food. "Yes. One time she kept beating him across the face with a large roast turkey drumstick."
"Damn, that'd have been hilarious to watch!"
"It was."
The duo walked in a comfortable silence until they stepped outside. Erza turned to her lover and gave him a careful hug. "Once I get back, I'll come by your place."
"Alright Erza, good luck on your mission." Natsu smiled and stepped back as he drew his sword. The man cut a red rift in space, and with a wave back at the knight, he stepped through.
0=0=0=0=0=0
The demonic man stepped out on the other side of the rift into Lucy's apartment. He found the busty blonde in a white singlet and a short blue skirt, she was diligently writing on paper, working on her novel. As he closed the distance between them, he could hear a buzzing coming from near her. He peered over her shoulder and started reading what she was writing. "Luce, why are you writing smut?"
Blush exploded all over the woman's body as she sat bolt upright, she slowly turned to look over at her boyfriend with embarrassment written all over her beautiful features. "I… I… I don't know what you're talking about…"
"Luce." A smirk started to spread across Natsu's lips as he moved around to her side and sat against the edge of the desk. "I have two eyes and can ready perfectly well. You're writing smut."
The woman shifted on her seat with her thighs clamped tightly together, not looking into the man's eyes as her own chocolate orbs were dark and filled with lust and excitement. She quickly covered up her work with a blank sheet of paper and turned slowly on the seat to face Natsu. "I wasn't~."
"Then…" Natsu's teasing smirk only grew more devious as he leaned in towards her face, the golden key pendant slipping from his shirt and hanging between them. "why don't you explain the buzzing coming from between you and that chair, and why I can smell the oh so sweet smell of your lusty needs."
Lucy rubbed her thighs together slowly as she slowly lifted her gaze to meet the pinkette's. "I… um… borrowed something from Levy, while you were busy saving Natsumi's world."
Natsu's eyes slowly turned a demonic red, but they bore no evil intent, just pure devilish mischievousness. He reached out and slowly ran his fingers along her cheek before lightly dragging the backs of his nails back along the cheek then down her jaw and neck. "Do share."
Lucy started to pant softly as she swallowed, her neck bouncing slightly with the gulp. She slowly grasped the hem of her skirt and lifted it to her hips as she spread her legs open. Her eyes staring into the entrancing eyes of the devil in front of her. "It's a, um, an 'adult toy', she let me use it to satisfy myself when I can't just pull you aside and have you bury yourself inside me…" She was sat on a realistic-looking vibrating dildo, complete with balls. "Even balls deep it doesn't fill me like you can…"
"Naughty, naughty, naughty…" Natsu said slowly as his hand slid down her body, coming to rest upon her thigh as he leaned into her jaw. His hot breath washing over her flushed cheek as he placed a kiss on it then nibbled along the woman's jaw. "It seems like I need to punish you."
"Ohh~…" Lucy's eyes fluttered closed as she tilted her head to give him better access, her legs spreading ever wider. "I'm not normally one for punishment, but I'll take anything I can get right now."
Natsu noticed his key pendant flash briefly and his senses alerted him to a new presence in the apartment. His glanced up towards the bathroom door and spotted Virgo peeking around the corner, watching them intently. He gave the voyeuristic spirit a playful wink before turning his attention back to the horny blonde. "I take it that using it helps you focus?"
Lucy's blush deepened as she nodded quickly, she could feel Natsu's hot breath shoot down her neck and under her singlet and tickling the sensitive skin of her breasts. "Oh yes~… It helps get me in the mood, though it does get distracted every time I get closer and closer to an orgasm, once it's past I can focus once again. At least until the next one."
The demonic man's fingers trailed up Lucy's thigh and across her smooth spread labia until he reached her clit, where his fingers started to play the woman like a violin. Causing her voice to sing out louder and louder. "You've made quite the mess on your chair, you naughty woman. Oozing ecstasy down the toy and onto the chair."
"Don't -AH~- tease me, Natsu~." Lucy begged immediately as all of her built-up lust caught up with her the moment his hot fingers touched her little bundle of nerves. "I need you inside, taking me…"
Natsu snaked his arms under the woman's knees and rested his hands on her bare ass as he carried her to the bed. He tossed her down onto it and caused her to bounce a little, her legs spread wide open with the only thing stopping him from diving into his hot lusty girlfriend was the obstruction in her pussy. The demon pushed her legs up against her chest so her ankles rested upon the wooden headboard where he tied them down using vines from his Thorn curse, doing the same with her wrists so she was completely immobilised. "There we go…"
Lucy's chest heaved, raising and falling with her heavy pants as she gazed at the man with lust-filled eyes. She was completely at his mercy and she'd never admit just how much it worked for her, she was far too proud for that. "Give it to me, now~!"
To tease the woman even further, Natsu took a step back from the bed and made a big hassle out of removing his clothes. Slowly undoing them and folding each piece before placing them on her dresser. Once he had finished, he returned to a furiously horny busty blonde, her eyes flashing with anger as the toy continued to buzz inside her.
"Pull this damn thing out of me and shove that fucking magnificent cock of yours into my pussy, right now!" Lucy complained angrily as she oozed with need around the shaft of the vibrating dildo, the naturally lubricating liquid running down her spread folds and along her ass.
'Ooh, feisty.'
Natsu crawled onto the bed and grinned at her as he grasped the toy and slowly withdrew it from her body, eliciting a long and deep groan from the woman as she clung to the device. With a faint pop, the toy came free of her pussy.
"Oh fuck me~…" Lucy groaned softly as she threw her head back against the pillow.
The man grinned devilishly at the bountiful blonde as he lowered the tip of the toy and slowly pushed it back into her.
Lucy's eyes shot open as she gasped softly at the new sensation. It wasn't unwelcome, just unexpected. She did her best not to tense up as her ass was slowly penetrated by the slick dildo with surprising ease, a longer groan slipping through her lips as her back arched up. "Oh fuck~ that's new~."
Once the vibrating toy was fully seated inside the woman, Natsu repositioned himself over the blonde with his own tip in front of her pussy. With one quick movement, he buried himself deep inside Lucy.
The busty woman gasped sharply as the sudden shock to her body sent her over the edge. Stars danced in front of her vision as her body tensed up, squeezing the cocks inside her both real and fake. "Fuck~! Oh fuck yes~!"
Without a moment of hesitation, Natsu started to piston his hips, driving his cock in and out of the horny woman at a breakneck pace. He let out a quiet groan and leaned down, capturing the moaning blonde lips in a heated kiss.
"Oh fuck, Natsu~, how did I live without this for so long~?"
"Heh, beats me." Natsu chuckled slowly as his devilish red eyes gazed into Lucy's lusty dark chocolate eyes. "I can't believe I went so long without you~."
Lucy moaned quickly as their flesh slapped together. The fast pace prolonged her already dizzying orgasm and propelled it to new heights when a second shockwave raced through her spine.
Natsu hooked a thumb under Lucy's singlet and pushed it up to reveal the woman's bountiful chest. He leaned down and captured one of the nipples, nipping it with his fangs and causing Lucy to gasp and shudder.
She was dying to touch him, to run her hands over his taut muscles, to hold him while he pounds away at her body and making her a mess of a woman. But, much to her chagrin, her limbs were still bound to the headboard. All she could do was moan and beg for more as her mind descended into euphoric madness, going completely blank went she finally received a hot shot of semen inside her. "Oh Natsu~! I need more!"
Natsu released the vines and sent the toy to the bathroom for cleaning as he slowed down enough for her to start coming back to her senses but still giving her enough stick to sit on the edge of the abyss. Time started to escape them and before they knew it, the sun had set and their stomachs were protesting their ravenous lust. The two mages slowly separated and laid side-by-side on the small bed, their skin flushed and their chests puffing like a steam train.
"Wow…" Lucy murmured softly as she rested her hand over her racing heart. "Aren't we a sweaty mess?"
Natsu smirked playfully and rolled over to face the woman. He started to run his fingertips over the still sensitive flesh of her tits as he grinned devilishly at her. "Is that enough 'research' for your book?"
'Oi Kiddo, we're out of popcorn!'
Lucy giggled and pealed her sweaty clothes off of her body and faced the man she loved, tucking herself up against him and sighing contently. "I'm afraid my mind is a bit fuzzy right now, and I don't think I'll be able to walk over to my desk. But yeah~." Lucy's eyes fluttered lazily as she smiled up at her boyfriend. "More than enough material to help."
"Princess, I've drawn a bath for you." Virgo announced as she stepped out of the bathroom, seemingly perfectly composed. "Would you like me to help you into it?"
"Virgo!" Lucy bolted upright as she slowly turned to her spirit in shock. "How long have you been there!?"
"Long enough to know that you'll need a bath before dinner, Princess." The pink-haired spirit replied as she made her way to the bedside and carefully picked Lucy up in her arms. "Now please, let's get you into the bath before the water turns cold."
"Ok, ok… But I'll wash myself." Conceded the Celestial Mage as she allowed herself to be taken to the bathroom.
A few moments later, Virgo returned and bowed to Natsu. "Thank you for letting me watch, Master." She murmured quietly so only the Dragon Slayer could hear her.
"It's alright, Virgo. Could you do something for dinner while Lucy and I get cleaned up? I burnt up all my energy screwing her, I know I should have left it a little longer but Lucy is just so beautiful and alluring…"
"I understand, Master." Virgo smiled and walked into the kitchen. "That punishment was so good, being able to only watch and not participate…" The spirit shivered and glanced back at the man. "Maybe I could be tied up next time?"
"I'll see what can be done, Virgo." Natsu chuckled softly as his eyes roamed the maid spirit. He turned his back on her and went into the bathroom to get cleaned up.
Just a quick reply to the guest review before I cap this off: I plan on doing another trip with Levy, as I started setting up in this chapter, coincidentally I had just written that segment when the review came through. They'll be gathering some tech from Edolas, most likely checking the viability of that Lacrima Fuel that is used in Edolas and maybe taking a car for research purposes. The main goal is to bring more technology into this universe to all for more world progression, nothing drastic though like on the scale of my other story where it is set in the Near Future.
With that out of the way, I hope you all have enjoyed the chapter. Feel free to follow/favourite to keep up-to-date with the story. And if you want to see some other work of mine you can go to my profile to see my other story or search for The Agency: Tale of Agent Salamander. Hope you all have a good day/afternoon/night, and I'll see you all next time.