A week passed peacefully. To the seven Fairy Tail wizards, that calm week went by like an eternity of boringness. Well, the boys were bored out of their minds, and as the week dragged on, Erza slowly began to join them in their agony. It took everything she had to break up the constant fighting the boys were prone to instead of joining them in the chaos. But Lucy and Wendy enjoyed the break, and Happy took the opportunity to flirt with Carla as much as possible.
At the moment, Lucy and Natsu walked together behind the wagon, hands intertwined and silence stretching. But it was far from awkward. They had spent years together, years where they learned the other inside and out. And the last week only brought them closer. In fact, Natsu was taking the break in the conversation to instead stare at Lucy, looking for as long as he wanted to without any worry of what she might say or do. He liked to see how red her cheeks could get under his attentive gaze, as well as timing how long it took for her to get flustered enough to confront him.
Today it took less than ten minutes.
"Natsu!" She pulled her hand from his, covering her chest with her arms as if to hide the flush creeping down her neck. He grinned, throwing his arm around her shoulders and tucking her in close.
"What? I'm not doing anything." She wriggled against him as if to pull away, yet he continued to grin. He could tell she didn't really mean it. "I'm just taking in the view."
"You're so annoying," she muttered as his hand tightened around her forearm.
"Whoah, what happened to the Lucy who took every chance to have guys look at her?" He poked her in the ribs with his other hand, hoping to keep her agitated and flustered. It was certainly working. She squirmed against his side, biting back a giggle as his hand continued to tease the two inches of skin bared on her waist between her tank top and skirt.
She smacked his hand, trying to get him to stop. "That's different."
"How is it different?"
"Because!" Her cheeks were still flaming when she glanced up quickly at him, but he didn't miss the way her eyes locked on his lips for a moment. His grin widened ever further, and she knew she'd been caught. "Ugh, I miss the Natsu who was oblivious to what I meant," she mumbled as she finally stopped squirming and rested her head against his shoulder.
Natsu snorted. "Oh come on. You're the oblivious one here. It took you months to realize how I felt about you."
"Yeah, cause you were trying to hide it. I bet if you were more obvious about it, I totally would have figured it out earlier."
"Maybe I wasn't obvious cause I didn't think you felt the same," he muttered, feeling her tense slightly against his side. He shrugged self-consciously. "I didn't want to force you into something you weren't ready for. I didn't mind waiting if it meant you'd come to like me on your own terms."
Lucy stopped walking and forced Natsu to stop with her. She pulled out of his arms in order to face him straight on, eyes searching his face for something. She smiled lightly, placing her hand on his cheek and bringing his head down until their foreheads met. He snorted at the familiar gesture before locking eyes with her, realizing just how charged the moment was when they lost themselves in the other's eyes for several moments.
Then Lucy released a breath, eyes sparkling. "You grew up, Natsu. I don't know when, but you did. It's like I blinked and then…" She sighed and let a small laugh slip out. "You wanna know why it's different with you? Why knowing that you're looking at me makes my heart race and my hands clam up?"
"Oh I think I know." He grinned and began to lean forward before he stopped suddenly. Natsu pulled away and started hollering at the wagon which had pulled far away. "I'm buying you a pair of ear plugs!"
A distant shout came back at them. "Not my fault you're so loud!"
"No one told you to eavesdrop!"
"No one told you to flirt where everyone can see you!"
"Why does every conversation have to be flirting?! Why aren't we allowed to just talk?!"
"Cause it's never just talking!"
By this time, Lucy and Natsu had rejoined the others. The busty blonde was half hidden in Natsu's shoulder, face flaming in an attempt to ignore the shouting match between the Dragon Slayers. Carla rolled her eyes, Happy snickered, Gray sighed, and Erza crossed her arms. Wendy was in the process of sticking her tongue out at Natsu, the Fire Dragon glaring halfheartedly at the girl.
"Can you two give it a rest?" Erza ground out, rubbing her temples as Gray cracked the reins, pushing the horses into motion. Lucy jumped onto the back of the wagon before it got going too fast, sliding into place next to Wendy. Natsu kept walking, Happy launching himself in the air to fly by Natsu's side.
"You probably just alerted everyone in the area as to where we are," Gray said, leaning back against the seat and glancing over his shoulder at Wendy.
The young girl flushed as Carla rolled her eyes again. "I don't know why you had to yell. You probably could've whispered and understood each other perfectly."
"Yeah you guys are never that obnoxious with each other. Normally it's more sibling-like teasing instead of yelling over a hundred feet at each other," Happy added, fidgeting with his bag as he looked for a new fish to give Carla.
Natsu and Wendy grinned together, Lucy looking between the pair in confusion. Then she rolled her eyes, raising an eyebrow as she met Natsu's gaze. "Alright. You guys had a secret Dragon Slayer conversation didn't you? What's going on?"
Wendy giggled self-consciously, rubbing the back of her neck. "Uh, there's a town coming up just over that hill," she gestured at the rise in the road, "and we needed everyone there to hear us."
"But why?" Erza asked, adjusting the last bandage she still had wrapped around her thigh.
"Cause it's being held up by bandits," Natsu declared proudly, placing his hands behind his head as he continued to walk beside the wagon.
"Natsu!" Lucy scolded. "Why would you want the bandits to hear us? That just ruins the advantage of surprise we could have had!"
He rolled his eyes, nodding at Wendy to continue. She took a deep breath, hoping their friends approved of the plan they had set into action. "All the residents are currently holed up in Town Hall to try and defend themselves. The bandits were about to break in and do awful things, so we just acted. By yelling loud enough to be heard, that distracted the bandits and now has them worried about the newcomers, so they're ignoring the townspeople for now."
"They're trying to figure out the best way to attack us as soon as we arrive. But they don't know we're wizards so it'll be super easy to take 'em out! Actually," Natsu cocked his head to the side as he listened to some invisible conversation. Then he blinked in surprise and Wendy's eyes grew in size.
"That could be a problem," Wendy murmured, much to Carla's annoyance.
"Could you two please share what's going on with the group? Most of us are relying on you to fill us in on what's going on, and we're kinda confused here!"
"Sorry Carla." Wendy flushed in embarrassment before continuing on. "Er, turns out these bandits were able to take over the town cause some of them have figured out how to use magic. They seem to think they're pretty good at it too."
"We still got this in the bag," Gray said, stretching out his arms. "Come on, we've fought some pretty bad opponents. Bandits in a town just barely starting to use magic aren't gonna be any kind of problem for us."
"We mustn't underestimate our enemy," Erza spoke up. "Far better to go in over-prepared than to expect nothing and get our asses kicked."
Lucy cleared her throat and fidgeted with her skirt. "Uh actually, I know it's kinda against everything you just said Erza, but," she took a deep breath, "can I handle this?"
"What, all by yourself?" Happy asked as he landed on the side of the wagon next to Lucy.
She nodded, heat rising to her cheeks. "Yeah. I wanna do this." At the confusion evident across everyone's face, she hurriedly continued on. "It's just, our last few fights, I've always had to be rescued. And I appreciate it, but I need to prove myself."
"Lucy, no one here doubts your strength." Erza frowned. "It's just your holder type magic doesn't lend itself to fighting without that magic."
"I get that, but what about our fight at Grimstone? I had magic and still got knocked out of the fighting." She shook her head, hand going to rest on the key ring hanging from her waist. "Please, let me do this. If it gets too hard, I'll ask for help, I promise. But I need to see what I can do, and I'd rather try against opponents where you can jump in if it really comes to it." She smiled softly, locking eyes with Natsu. "How is this any different from when we stand back and let Natsu or Erza handle something?"
Natsu continued to stare at her for another long moment before his face broke out into a grin. "If you think you got it, then go for it. We all believe in you."
XXX
The town was deserted. Houses sat empty, dinners half-eaten and stoves still burning. The only source of movement came from the town square where fifteen figures clothed in black arranged themselves around the main road. Tai stood atop the steps of the Town Hall, wishing they could be more focused on the villagers inside instead of the approaching wagon. This distraction really put a damper on their precious time. Hopefully these newcomers have stuff worth taking. Otherwise I'll be very put out.
"Kaidos! How far away is that wagon?"
"It'll be here within the next few minutes," came the reply from Tai's second. He nodded, fingers brushing across the many hidden daggers he had concealed on his person.
Much had changed in the past week. On top of feeling better than ever before, several of his group had discovered new powers that could only be explained as magic. They had yet to master these new powers, but they certainly came in handy when taking over towns or robbing helpless caravans. And once they learned more about this magic they now wielded, they would be unstoppable.
A whistle rang through the square, Mal's signal that the wagon was here. The men tensed and Tai pulled his first dagger out, rolling the hilt between his fingers.
None of them were ready for the solitary woman who walked into the square, the wagon trailing close behind. Her boots clicked on the flagstones, white skirt fluttering around her thighs and pink tank top clinging to her chest in the spring air. Blonde hair was pulled to the side and reached past her skirt, swishing with every step she took.
"What is the meaning of this?" Tai hissed, taking a step forward.
The woman raised her chin, resting her hand atop the hilt of the whip hanging from her hip. Then her eyes narrowed as she stared at Tai. "I know you, don't I?"
Tai frowned. "Er, I don't think so."
She placed her free hand on her hip as she thought. "No, no I definitely do. Don't worry, it'll come to me."
Tai looked around at his men in confusion. "Uh, okay. Whatever. Nothing really matters as long as you throw your weapons down and all of you surrender. Now."
The woman snorted, pulling a ring of keys from her belt and fiddling with the wide variety of keys. "Nah, surrendering is not something I'll ever do. None of us. "
"If you don't surrender, we won't hesitate to resort to violence," Tai warned, resting the tip of his finger against the sharp end of his blade.
"Go ahead and try. I've been itching to grind someone's ass into the dirt for a long time." She studied her keys, other hand tapping out a rhythm on her whip.
Tai continued to frown as he jerked his head at the wagon where four other people and two cats sat. "And what about them? Why aren't they out here with you?"
She shrugged, sending her friends a quick glance. "They trust me to deal with you by myself." Then she snapped, pointing at the leader of the bandits. "Aha! That's how I know you! You and your group are the ones that attacked us back in January! Oh I'm so glad we got a rematch."
Tai locked eyes with Kaidos, trying to remember who this girl was. He had a vague memory of her, but he didn't know if her words were putting that thought in his head. Then he shook himself, raising his dagger at the woman. "It doesn't matter who you are. If you won't surrender, then we must attack. You and all your friends will drop your weapons or die in a pointless battle."
Then with some hidden command, six of the fifteen men leaped into action. They drew closer and closer to the woman, all brandishing clubs or knives or swords and all of them confident in their ability to defeat a lone girl holding the hilt of a whip and some keys.
And as usual, Lucy had been sorely underestimated. She waited with a smile as the distance closed, and only once they were almost upon her did she finally show her true colors. Her Fleuve d'étoiles burst into life, blue and gold magic crackling along the length of the whip. A few of the men stumbled or paused at the appearance of what looked like a magical whip, but Owun and Daki didn't stop. Owun threw a dagger and Daki raised his club in preparation to strike.
The Fleuve d'étoiles lashed out, grabbing the center of the flying weapon and tossing it to the side. Owun blinked as Daki's club swung down in an attempt to shatter her wrist and incapacitate her. Yet she cracked her whip, the Fleuve d'étoiles wrapping around his ankle and pulling his feet out from under him. His back slammed into the ground, all the breath leaving his lungs in an instant.
"Move you fools!" Tai shouted, spurring forward the men who had paused at the sight of magic. "It's only a whip!"
The other four slowly began to approach Lucy, wary of the glowing whip hanging by her side. She grinned, part of her wanting to see how long she could last with only the Fleuve d'étoiles. But the bigger part of her knew that the villagers hiding in the building before her deserved to be free of these bandits as soon as possible. So she grabbed her keys, pulling out two and brandishing them before her.
"Open! Gate of the Sea Goat! And open! Gate of the Scorpion!" With two bright flashes of light, Lucy was joined by her friends from the heavens above. Bandits shouted in surprise and fear at the appearance of the humanoid figures, scrambling backward to put distance in between them and their opponents. Lucy grinned, looking at either side to the two Spirits. "Hey guys. Long time no see."
"It's great to see you, Miss Lucy." Capricorn dipped his head, the equivalent of spinning her around in circles.
Scorpio's face split into a grin. "It's wicked awesome we get some action again. Want us to take these guys out for ya?"
Lucy beamed, fingering her keys again. "Oh yeah. But this party isn't full yet." She withdrew one more key, pointing it upwards.
"Are you confident, Miss Lucy?"
Lucy glanced at Capricorn, expression set. "I've grown a lot since the last time I attempted this. Besides, last time I was already drained when I summoned three spirits. I got this." Capricorn inclined his head, letting her do as she wished. She straightened her arm, speaking the command one last time. "Open! Gate of the Archer!" And then behind her, Sagittarius rose up, bow at the ready as he nodded at his master.
"Howdy do, Mistress Lucy! A pleasure to be at your side once more!"
Lucy's smile didn't change as she spoke one final time. "Star Dress: Aries!" Her own body vanished in that same golden light before she reappeared, hair pulled up in twin ponytails by ram horns, limbs covered by black sleeves, white gloves, and black and white tights with white cuffs of wool, pink ankle boots giving her two more inches in height, and a fuzzy pink and white dress completing the ensemble along with a choker of white wool. Then she pumped her fist, determination set in her expression. "Alright. Let's do this." Then with her three spirits by her side, she leapt forward into the fray with now confident bandits.
From back at the wagon, the other Fairy Tail mages watched on in amazement as their friend began to kick ass. The bandits attempted to use their newfound magic, but weak shots of water or fire or lightning really didn't affect her. The leader continued to throw daggers at the woman, but every weapon was shot out of the air by Sagittarius before it got anywhere close to Lucy. Capricorn and Scorpio struck out at the weakest of the group, taking them out with ease in both separate and coordinated attacks. And above them all, Lucy sent out Wool Bombs to bind the defeated men while lashing out with her whip at the next attacker. She truly was a sight to behold, hair streaming and mouth parted in a yell of defiance.
Natsu couldn't tear his eyes from her. His gaze tracked her as she leapt from one foe to another, never once worried about her safety. She'd grown a lot from the scared girl who joined Fairy Tail all those years ago. That girl certainly wouldn't have been able to summon three spirits and a Star Dress and then continue to fight without breaking a sweat. This girl, however, would probably be offended if he ever told her why he left her behind to train. Then again, maybe she'd be touched now that they were together. Why did she have to be so complicated, he wondered. He was probably better off just never telling her at this point. Pondering her reaction just made his head hurt.
Happy cheered as Lucy landed a solid kick to the middle of the bandit leader's chest, sending him hurtling backwards and slamming into the dusty ground. A smile split across Erza's face, the scarlet warrior unable to hide the searing pride blooming in her chest.
"I can't wait to see what everyone back home thinks when they see her in action again," Gray commented, shirt and pants now halfway across the wagon along with his shoes. He smirked, letting his head fall back slightly as his narrowed eyes kept watching the action. "Warren's gonna shit his pants."
One of Gray's shoes slammed into his shoulder, making him wince in pain and grumble, "What the hell was that for?"
Erza glared at him. "Put your clothes on." Gray hurried to do as she ordered while Wendy giggled.
"He's not wrong. Warren's always had a thing for Lucy, and now she's this badass who could totally hold her own against anyone from the guild. Not to mention she's dating Natsu now." She beamed at the other Dragon Slayer from between Carla's ears, the Exceed content to remain in this form for the time being.
Natsu frowned. "Warren likes Lucy?"
Happy snickered. "How didn't you notice? He has no filter at all when he think Lucy looks hot."
Carla sniffed. "It really is quite obnoxious. For such a talented man who created something like miniature communication lacrimas, he can be extremely lewd."
Gray grew still at the mention of lacrimas, something only Wendy seemed to take note of.
"Gray? Are you alright?"
"Hm?" Gray blinked, coming back to himself. "Er, sorry. Yeah, just fine."
Natsu narrowed his eyes. "Hey, whatever happened to your lacrima? Didn't you have it with us at Grimstone."
"Got destroyed when we brought the building down." Gray shrugged, trying to act nonplussed, but pretty much everyone saw right through his guise.
Erza pat his leg with a heavy gauntlet. "Chin up. I'm sure Juvia is fine. And you can explain everything when we arrive home in just a few weeks."
Gray nodded slowly, eyes unfocusing. "Yeah. I just can't help but feel like I'm missing something important. I dunno, it's probably nothing."
"Feelings like that aren't to be ignored," Carla advised. "There's always some truth to it, especially in someone with as much magic power as yourself."
Gray looked as if he wanted to respond, but they were all distracted by a cry of pain from the fight still going on. They all turned immediately, shocked to find Lucy's whip on the ground and her left hand clamped over her opposite arm.
"Son of a bitch!" She cursed, glowering at the bandit who had thrown the dagger that scored a deep groove through her flesh. "What the fuck man? That's the second time you've done that!"
"Miss Lucy!" Capricorn called, fist still raised from a blow delivered to an enemy. "Sagittarius, what happened?"
"I apologize Mistress Lucy." The spirit looked ashamed, his bow drawn and aimed at the bandit still threatening his master. "I seemed to have let my guard down. It won't happen again."
"Don't worry, Sagittarius. I don't blame you." Then she cursed again, squeezing her arm even tighter. Then she pouted. "Aw man, I was doing so well too."
"Enough with the pointless blathering." Tai pulled one last dagger out, aiming it directly at the heart of the single woman who seemed determined to take out every single one of his group. "It seems pointless to demand your surrender. You know, I believe I am beginning to remember you. And your friends. But if I remember correctly, your friends needed to jump in and save you from me last time. A pity, really. Me and the boys were looking forward to having you around."
Natsu growled from the wagon, forcing himself to remain still. Wendy bit her lip, looking at the man. "Should we help her?" She whispered, balling her fists in her dress.
He took a deep breath before shaking his head. "Nah. She's got this. She's just being dramatic like usual."
Happy grinned, pumping his fist and jumping in the air. "Come on Lucy! Show him what you got!"
The blonde spared a quick glance for her friend, trusting her spirits to keep an eye on the bandit. She grinned, expression faltering when blood pulsed beneath her fingers and dripped down her arm. Scorpio watched drops of blood hit the ground, tail twitching as scarlet bloomed across the dusty earth.
Then she turned her attention back to her opponent, his dagger turning slowly in his hands as he glared intensely at her. She smirked, clenching her left hand tighter to attempt to slow the flow. "Sorry to burst your bubble, but there's no way you're leaving this town without chains on your wrists."
Tai snorted. "Try me. You're nothing without your fancy magic or animals."
Scorpio sneered, leaning into a crouch. "It'll be wicked when I blast him away, Miss Lucy. Oh let me hit him with a Sand Buster."
Lucy raised a hand, before it faltered and her grin widened. Her stance grew familiar to the spirits, and she motioned to the Scorpion. "You know what? Hit him with everything you got."
Scorpio dug his fingers into the ground, tail arching over his head to point at Tai. The bandit shifted slightly, having no idea what the weird creature had planned for him.
"Is she really just letting Scorpio take the final hit?" Gray murmured, not taking his gaze from the fight for a second.
Erza's eyes sparkled. "Oh, I think she has a plan up her sleeves."
It was just as the requip mage suspected. As Scorpio cast his spell and the sand shot out in a cyclone of fury, Lucy raised her hands in preparation. "Wool Typhoon!" She yelled, pink fluffy wool leaping from her palms. The wool was caught by the cyclone of sand, and together the two spells combined and hurtled toward the bandit.
Tai stood in horror, unable to move as the attack neared him. Then it hit him square in the chest, sending him flying backward. Wendy and the Exceeds cheered as the bandit went tumbling, his weapons slipping from his sheaths and belt, his group of thieves watching in shock and despair as their leader hit the ground with a final thud.
Lucy straightened up, her three spirits positioning themselves at her back. The bandits murmured and cowered, many of them bound by pink wool. The Celestial wizard raised her chin, Aries's Star Dress melting from her form and her everyday clothes returning.
"That'll teach you to underestimate someone again." Her eyes smoldered and she held out her left hand, showing the fifteen men her bloody palm. "This is the blood of a true wizard. Wizards shouldn't use their magic to gain power or money or fear; we are gifted our powers and must train in order to protect those who cannot help themselves. Think of me the next time you attempt to hurt those weaker than yourself. Think of that." She shook her hand, scarlet droplets falling to splatter against the earth.
Then she turned back to her friends, grinning and looking completely smug. "I told you I could do it!"
"Yeah yeah," Natsu grumbled, clambering out of the wagon. But he was grinning, rejoining Lucy as fast as possible. He took her hand, pulling her close even as she complained.
"Natsu! I'm all bloody!"
"Whatever." He pressed a kiss against her hairline before covering her gushing wound with his own hand. "You kicked some serious ass back there."
"I did, didn't I?" They laughed, and Lucy pressed herself tighter against his side. How had she gone this long without knowing the calming touch of his body flush against hers, the soft press of his lips on her, the warming feeling that twined through her at his praise? Her face heated, stomach turning as she struggled to understand the feelings tumbling through her bones.
As the couple met, Gray and Erza went to work rounding up the tied-up bandits, while the other three approached the firmly shut doors of the Town Hall. Wendy sent out a gentle breeze, the wind slipping under the door and pushing open the lock the townspeople had thrown in hopes of keeping out the intruders. Shrieks and gasps greeted her ears, and then the doors swung open. Wendy, Happy, and Carla were met with drawn swords and thrown rocks, all of which Wendy directed to the sides and away from anything living. She held up her hands in surrender, smiling gently in an attempt to reassure the terrified people before her.
A man in the front raised his sword higher, hands shaking even as he leveled the weapon at the girl. "Who are you? Did those bandits send you? I'll warn you, your magic doesn't scare us." His eyes darted to the Exceeds as he spoke, obviously unsure and possibly afraid of the flying cats. Carla made sure Happy refrained from speaking for the time being.
Wendy shook her head, stepping slightly to the side in order to reveal the men gathered in the center of the square, all wrapped in something pink. The people muttered amongst themselves, and a few small children peered from behind their mother's legs to look at the scene.
"My name's Wendy Marvell, and I'm a part of the Fairy Tail guild from Fiore." She made sure to position herself in such a way that her guild mark was evident. "My team and I were passing by when we caught sight of the bandits threatening you. Don't worry, we took care of them. Everything's okay now, I promise."
Despite her words, no one truly seemed to believe her. All except one man. He pushed his way to the front of the small crowd, people moving respectfully out of the way of the elder. Wendy waited patiently until he made his way to the front before she smiled, knowing there was something she recognized about him.
The old man smiled, white hair partially hidden under a hat. "Well, well, I'd hoped to see you and your friends once more, my dear. It seems as if you were successful in your quest, hm?" He turned back to his neighbors and friends, raising his voice in order to be heard. "My friends, know that we can trust them. She speaks the truth; she and her friends are the reason why we can stand here healthy and strong, our children finding new abilities right under their fingertips. They've brought both ethernano and magic back to our country, simply out of the goodness of their own hearts."
"How do you know who they are, Bauer?" A skeptical voice responded, and the old man smiled.
"They passed through this town of ours many months ago, and I took the time to speak to them and learn of their mission. Granted, I never connected the dots that these seven were the same as the legends from Fairy Tail, but that doesn't change anything. We can trust them. They saved us from those awful bandits, and I believe some thanks are in order."
Wendy beamed, recognition finally crashing into her. "Oh it's wonderful to see you once more, Bauer. I never expected to run into you again."
He dipped his head. "I'm glad you've recovered from that terrible sickness you suffered from. Now, I want to hear everything that occurred since January; I am positive it makes an excellent story."
The Sky Maiden tipped her head back and laughed. "Oh it certainly does. But first, does anyone have any injuries that they want me to look at? It's not any bother."
"You should heal Lucy," Happy inserted, ignorant to the slack jaws that greeted the words coming from the flying cat. "She's bleeding a lot."
Wendy looked over her shoulder, nodding to herself. "Yeah, that's a good idea. But really, if anyone needs anything, don't hesitate to reach out to me or to any of my friends. We're here to help for as long as we're in town." Then she set off down the steps, intent on healing the arm of the blonde who had practically single-handedly taken out an entire gang of dangerous bandits. All in all, not a bad day's work.
So sorry this is so late in the day! I had absolutely no time to ride last night and I fell behind in my prewritten chapters, but it's here! What did you think? I figured it was high past time that Lucy have her own showdown without anyone helping her out. I really hope you all enjoyed it!
Until next time!