Benos wasn't prepared for Fairy Tail's strongest team. That much was obvious. No one had any idea of how to react when a group of five obnoxiously loud wizards and two flying cats appeared in their small town nearly two hours after the sun had set. The cats were already a big enough surprise, but when the pink haired man at the back of the group starting blowing fire everywhere, that was definitely a breaking point for many.
"Bring us Zeke!" He hollered as he jumped and raced around, fire pouring from his mouth and his hands.
"Shut up you pyro!" The other man of the group yelled before landing a solid punch in the fire wizard's stomach. The retaliation was immediate. The two men began scuffling, punching and kicking and sending bursts of ice and fire into the air.
"Natsu! Gray!" This came from the scarlet woman guiding the wagon. She glared, unable to do anything else beside use her words to try and break up the fight. It didn't do much to calm the men down, but they did move away from each other, fists still steaming with magic.
The inhabitants of the town were torn between hiding behind closed and locked doors or going out and meeting these people who somehow had magic at their command even though Benos was the most magic-devoid country in the world. But many wondered who these wizards were looking for; there was no one in the town by the name of Zeke, was there? No one who came to mind. Had they come to the wrong place? Hopefully.
From the back of the wagon, Lucy sighed. She exchanged a glance with Wendy, both young women embarrassed by and for their friends. The Dragon Slayer giggled slightly, fighting down a giant yawn even as her stomach roiled, protesting the loss of the motion sickness medicine that had been destroyed along with most of their belongings. Her makeshift dress did little to keep her warm in the dark spring night, but the Exceed sitting by her side helped. Carla, in her human form, looked on with Wendy as Lucy started to wiggle her way off the wagon. With all of her injuries, she probably should have waited until Erza stopped the horses, but the blonde knew she had to intercede before the boys destroyed something.
She hit the dusty ground with a thud, her ankle almost buckling under her weight. She bit down a groan, reaching out to lean back on the wagon before almost falling as she realized too late that the horses had already pulled a foot forward. But almost immediately, the Celestial wizard felt a warm hand under her right arm, giving her support as she found her balance. Lucy smiled up at Natsu, ignoring the fluttering in her stomach. If she didn't acknowledge it, it wasn't real, right?
"Thanks," she mumbled, face heating as his hand slid along her bare waist and pulled her closer, her right arm naturally falling across his shoulders. "I can walk, you know."
"Yeah, but why struggle when I can help ya?" Came the reply. She snorted softly, pulling her hair to the side to free the ponytail stuck against his scarf. In doing so, she missed the look from the Fire Dragon, a look that seemed to take in as much skin as possible, a look that seemed to want more that just a gentle touch on the waist, a look that seemed to beg for her to finally recognize what that look meant.
Lucy started walking toward the small group of adults several feet away, jerking Natsu into motion. The more she walked, the worse her ankle felt and the more she leaned against her best friend. And the more she leaned, the tighter he held her and the less he intended to let go.
They stopped in front of the group of maybe six, and Lucy ignore the blatant stares at her body. Women here don't show this much skin, she reminded herself even as she shifted uncomfortably. Damn, what's gotten into you Lucy? What happened to the girl who would pose and flirt and bat her eyes at even the slightest chance of attention from a man? Then Natsu made a noise in the back of his throat to discourage the looks, and her stomach dropped again.
She began talking before she could think about what that meant. "I'm sorry," she started, laughing somewhat nervously as they took a step backward from the fire-breathing man to her right. "We didn't mean to frighten anyone. Really, Natsu and Gray are harmless."
Natsu grinned in response, his crooked smile that brought the butterflies back to Lucy's belly. One of the women in the group blushed, his easy expression instantly setting the six at ease. "Yo."
Lucy rolled her eyes slightly. "Um, we're looking for Seck. Seck Mukoni. He's a doctor here, right?"
A green haired man nodded. "Uh, yes. But what is your business with Seck? And, if this isn't too rude, how the hell can you do," he gestured at Natsu and Gray broadly, and then up in the air as Happy flew through the air to hover by Natsu's other shoulder, "that?"
"Magic?" Lucy guessed. The man hesitated before slightly nodding again.
"Er, I guess. I suppose that is the only thing it could be. But, magic doesn't exist here in Benos. Not for over a century."
"Sander, look!" Another of the men nudged the first, pointing at the mark displayed proudly on Natsu's right shoulder. "They're, that's, that's…" The second man paled in awe and fear. "You're Natsu Dragneel."
"That's my name." Natsu continued to grin, blocking out the snickers from Happy as he tucked Lucy even closer against his side. She didn't complain, instead resting her head against his shoulder and appreciating the heat that radiated from his palm and into her chilled skin. His smile widened.
The group of Benosians stared, and not just at Lucy this time. One slipped away, hurrying to find the doctor. She didn't even need to hear the rest of their story; these were legendary wizards from a legendary country. How in Earthland could you say no to anything they asked of you?
"Are you really wizards from Fairy Tail? All of you?" The blushing woman asked in hushed tones, eyes locked on the pink haired Dragon Slayer in front of her. "Are you really the same people who killed Acnologia? And Zeref? And the Tartaros Guild? And-"
Lucy held up a hand, forestalling the countless questions. She smiled tiredly. "I'm so sorry, but we've had an extremely long day. Long year, actually. But would you mind just… could you save the questions for later?"
The woman flushed even deeper, closing her mouth and staring at the ground. "My apologies," she whispered, voice cracking slightly in embarrassment.
Lucy reached out and took her hand, still smiling even as her left arm throbbed in painful protest. "No, no, don't feel bad. Don't ever let someone force you to be quiet, alright? Once I've eaten something, I'll answer any question you have. No matter what it is. Promise me you won't be silenced. This country has to change, and it starts with you."
The woman looked up at Lucy with awe, squeezing the wizard's hand tightly as she nodded before stepping back. "Y-yes. Thank you. I will." Lucy's arm fell back to her side and she was unable to disguise her hiss of discomfort as fire flashed through her shoulder. Natsu looked down in concern, and from her spot on the frozen wagon, Wendy also glanced over, taking in the swollen joint that Lucy was pretending didn't bother her. Wendy sighed, smiling slightly at Carla as her stomach finally stopped roiling.
"Should we join Lucy?"
The Exceed sniffed. "I suppose. I also suppose it's a good thing Seck is a doctor. Perhaps he can take a look at Lucy so you can save your strength."
"I'll gladly be a little more exhausted if that means that Lucy can be without pain," the Sky Maiden shot back, sliding from the back of the wagon. Carla followed, and they passed by Erza. The Knight held the reins for the horses, busy shouting at Gray to come over to her side and stop bothering these poor people. Wendy giggled, drawing the attention of the woman. She smiled broadly down at the Dragon Slayer.
"Feeling better?" She asked.
Wendy nodded, fidgeting with the torn hem of her dress. "Yes, much better. Especially since that wagon isn't moving anymore." She shuddered, much to Gray's amusement as he joined the group. She smiled up at him, rolling her shoulders and glancing back at Natsu, Lucy, and Happy. They still spoke with the slowly increasing group of people before them. Wendy inhaled, catching an approaching scent she thought she recognized. "I think Seck is on his way." Then she took Carla's hand, pulling her forward toward their friends.
Erza eyed Gray through a thin curtain of hair, thoughts churning even as they slowly followed the young girl and her Exceed. She took a deep breath.
"Gray," she began, formulating the words in her head. The Demon Slayer glanced over, sliding his hands into his pockets before realizing that his pants were long gone. He jumped slightly, looking around for the missing garment.
"What's up?" He asked, turned completely around as he searched the wagon for his pants.
"Before you and Natsu and the others joined me in the basement," she paused, making sure his entire attention was focused on her, "Ajax said something that, well, intrigued me. And confused me." She frowned slightly, recalling the exact words the demon had said. "He inferred that there was a secret one of our teammates wasn't sharing. That someone was hiding something. Something huge that could potentially harm us all in the long run. He seemed to think that we would never be friends with that person again once we knew the truth."
"Bullshit," Gray responded, hoping that his agreement would keep her from continuing to ask questions. It didn't. Unsurprisingly.
"Of course. I told him as much. I told him that our friends would never keep a secret if it threatened harm to the guild, and that I didn't care if someone did have a secret. After all, it's not my place to push others if they don't wish to speak." Gray coughed, hiding a snort from the terrifying warrior. She eyed him slightly before continuing. "But I don't care about that. What I do care about is that he made it very clear that this person was a man. And he taunted Natsu when you arrived. And then Natsu attacked before Ajax could finish and you and Lucy joined almost immediately…"
"What are you getting at?" Gray stopped and turned to fully face Erza. She mirrored the shift, lifting her chin and speaking the words she knew Gray expected.
"Natsu has a secret. A secret he isn't sharing. But you know. And so does Lucy. Don't you dare lie to me about it."
Gray sighed, running his hand through his hair. "We're really doing this now?" Erza raised an eyebrow, forcing him to continue. He groaned. "Fine. Yes, there's something Natsu knows that he isn't sharing. But I can't tell you. It's not my secret to share. Look, Erza, it's not that he hasn't told you because he doesn't trust you. He just doesn't care to talk about it. You know Natsu. If he doesn't mention it, he doesn't remember it."
"But…" Erza frowned, shifting slightly. "He must have told you and Lucy, right? How else would you have known?"
Gray rolled his eyes, crossing his arms. "He didn't tell us. We were at the wrong place at the wrong time. That bastard from the war told me so that I would fight Natsu and we would take each other out of the battle."
"That's the fight I broke up," Erza mused, pieces clicking together.
Gray nodded. "Yeah. Happy was there when Natsu learned about it in the first place, and I don't know who told Lucy. Maybe it was Happy or Mavis or maybe she was just smart and figured it out herself. But Erza, it's nothing personal. He might tell you one day. Or he might not. But he's still Natsu. Nothing about that changed."
Erza sighed before smiling. "I know. Thank you. That makes a lot more sense now. A lot of things make a lot more sense. Don't worry, I won't bring it up." Then she laughed. "Speaking of secrets, do you see how much he's been touching her?"
Gray grinned as he looked at the pair now speaking to Seck with Wendy. "Oh it's so obvious. He hasn't left her side since he took her outside. But she's been a little different tonight too, hasn't she? Like a lot closer and not as complaining about him." They both kept their eyes on their friends as they approached, observing the changes they thought they detected in Natsu and Lucy. To an outsider, those changes wouldn't be big or noticeable. But to all of those from Fairy Tail, they saw the tighter grip Natsu had on Lucy's waist and they saw the way Lucy rested her head against Natsu's shoulder and they saw the easy relationship between the pair. Erza smiled and Gray smirked, and then the entire team gathered before Seck.
The old man beamed at the team, shaking Natsu's hand energetically while Happy snickered from the air. Lucy laughed slightly, a flush creeping over her cheeks from being the center of attention. Wendy and Carla stood to their right, and Gray and Erza took up the empty space on the left. Seck reached out to shake the hands of the others, still grinning happily as he took in the state of the weary wizards he hadn't seen in over half a year.
"Oh I'm so happy to see you all! And so proud! Oh you did it! You brought magic back to Benos. I knew you could do it. I never doubted you for a minute." He took Lucy's hand, pausing when she winced against the sudden movement in her left limb. "Oh, are you alright, dear?"
"I'm fine," Lucy assured him, standing up more on her own. Natsu let her slip away, taking the little time he had been given with her in his arms. Seck frowned, feeling the faint tremors running through the hand he still held. **She pulled her hand away, smiling as brightly as she could muster. "No really. Just a little sore. Wendy said she'll fix me up in the morning."
"I can do it now," Wendy offered, gathering Seck's attention and drawing his gaze to the way she swayed on her feet. She still smiled though, pretending that she wasn't about to fall over. Seck's frown slipped back into a smile even as he shook his head.
"No, my dear. Let's get you all some food and rest, hm? I would love to hear all that has occurred, as would everyone here. But you aren't in the right state of mind. You all look absolutely exhausted. I must ask, where has Carla gone? I don't see her here."
"I'm right here, Mr. Mukoni," Carla said, raising an eyebrow as her tail curled over her shoulder, bedraggled pink bow draping loosely against the tattered blue blazer covering her body.
Seck blinked in shock, glancing between the blue cat still hovering in the air and the human-looking girl with cat ears. "O-oh. I apologize. I… I wasn't quite aware that was possible. Again, my humblest apologies."
Carla sniffed before offering him a small smile. She dipped her head in acknowledgement, and Seck returned the smile. Then he broadened his attention. "Come. There will be rooms provided for you at the inn, and as much food as you can eat."
"Be careful with what you say," Erza warned, noticing the glint in Natsu's eyes. "Some of us would manage to eat all of your stores of food and still beg for more."
Natsu stuck his tongue out at the scarlet warrior, earning laughs from the gathered townspeople. Then Seck raised his voice so all heard. "Let us feast! For as of tonight, Benos has been saved! Never again will we long for healthy crops or magic in our veins. Fairy Tail has brought magic back to our beloved country!"
A great cheer rose up from the people of that town, very few actually understanding what had been said. They couldn't be blamed for that, of course. It was nigh on impossible to believe what Seck had just told them. Magic? In Benos?
Of course, after a night spent with Fairy Tail's strongest team, it wasn't quite as hard to accept.
XXX
"Do you have everything?" Seck fussed over the group like a mother before her children went off to their first day of school. He hovered behind them as Erza secured the last of her bags in the wagon, as Natsu shoved more food into his knapsack, as Wendy adjusted the sling on Lucy's arm, as Gray argued with Happy when the Exceed fought to take the reins of the horses while Carla rolled her eyes. He smiled softly while he continued to fret. In the short amount of time that he had known these children, he had come to care for them. Especially after all they had done for him and Benos. He thought they deserved a little mother-henning before they left to continue their journey home.
"Thank you so much," Lucy said, beaming from her seat on the back of the wagon. Wendy nodded, twin blue ponytails dancing across her shoulders.
"We definitely couldn't have done it without you."
The girls exchanged a look, both unable to hide their joy. After so long, Lucy finally wore shorts again. That was probably the most exciting part about being done with this quest. She'd nearly danced around the room when she dressed this morning. White shorts with blue trim, a blue vest with white trim, and knee-high black boots made up her ensemble today, completed by the key ring and whip hanging from her belt. And with her hair pulled to the side, she felt and looked like her old self once more.
As did everyone. Natsu wore his open vest and puffy pants and sandals, Erza had once again donned her Heart Kreuz, Carla, in her Exceed form, was garbed in a typical pink dress, Happy had put on a vest, Wendy clothed herself in a dress of several types of green, and Gray, to no one's surprise, only had black pants on. Their style of fashion confused Seck, but they seemed far more at home in those odd clothes than the typical dresses and trousers of his country.
"We are forever in your debt," Erza added, bags finally stable. She was perhaps the luckiest out of the group; since she had come far overpacked, most of her belongings had remained with Seck while they languished at Grimstone Manor. So while she'd lost the most in the explosion, she'd also had the most waiting for her once they'd returned.
"Thanks for the grub!" Natsu grinned as he tossed his knapsack back over his shoulders. He'd eaten so much last night, even he wondered how he hadn't gained fifty pounds. But then to top it all off, he'd spent the night away from Lucy for the first time since July. So his feelings were a little conflicted.
"Oh, don't bother thanking me," Seck said, cheeks flushing ever so slightly. "It is I who should be thanking you."
"You already have. Countless times," Gray reminded him. Wendy giggled, and Happy finally left the reins alone to hover by the Sky Maiden and Carla.
Seck's flush deepened, thinning strands of hair falling before his eyes. "I just cannot express enough how grateful everyone is for what you have done."
"And we can't thank you enough for all the help you have given us. Especially for the clothes and money and food right now. I wasn't looking forward to figuring out how to pay for food in a couple days." Lucy laughed slightly, rolling her shoulders and immediately wincing.
Wendy released a puff of air, stretching out her hands toward Lucy and letting green magic cover the swollen joint. The blonde sighed in relief, closing her eyes and letting the spell work through her body.
"Oh thank you Wendy. Also don't know what I'd do without you."
The Sky Maiden giggled before turning to Seck one last time. "You said if we take this road, we'll get back to Lennox in about a week?"
The healer nodded. "Yes, that is correct. A much faster journey than last time, yes?"
Everyone laughed. Then Erza extended her hand, shaking Seck's. "Thank you Mr. Mukoni. We'll be on our way now."
Seck nodded, stepping back and watching the team arrange themselves on and around the wagon. Remembering something last minute, he reached into his pocket and tossed a small box to the pink-haired wizard standing at the back of the group.
Natsu caught it and brought it up to his nose. Then he grinned. "Nice! More medicine so we don't die! Thanks Zeke!"
"Seck, Natsu," Lucy sighed, shaking her head in embarrassment. Then she offered Seck one last smile. "Have a good life, Seck. I hope Benos is much more enjoyable. Keep us updated on Grimstone, okay? And, if I sent you some letters, would you be able to make sure they got to those people?"
Seck nodded before the team became slightly blurry. He sniffed, blinking away the tears before they could spill over. "Of course. Good luck, Fairy Tail. I cannot wait to hear of all the amazing things you will accomplish."
Then with a wave and a snap of the reins, the seven wizards from Fairy Tail began the slow journey back home.
So obviously this is an unexpected chapter, but I have my reasons. Instead of going to the beach for senior week, me and two friends are going to Disney World next week! And since we'll be in the happiest place on Earth and in honor of my final recital weekend for dance, I won't have much time to write or update. So! I am releasing two extra chapters: one today and one tomorrow. Hopefully this summer I will have plenty of time to write and I will be able to update at my usual schedule again of every three days, but no promises. Anyways, enjoy these two chapters!
And nothing really happened, but that's okay! Next chapter is one that I am super super excited for, so stay tuned! Until tomorrow!