September 1st, x777
Veilstone Stadium's Hallways
3:00 PM
After the conclusion of Luka and Rilo's match, the announcer allowed for a brief intermission, and Lucy wasn't going to waste this chance. She quietly excused herself and Sting from the luxurious room and into a corner of one of the stadium's hallways. Albeit the dragonslayer's reaction was justified, Lucy couldn't help but worry as to why his reaction was a tad too murderous for her liking.
"So, are you gonna tell me what's up or are you finally gonna give in to my charm and kiss me," Sting playfully smirked.
"Please be serious, there's something I want to ask you?" Lucy held back the urge to groan at his playboy antics. "Are you...like okay?"
"Huh? I'm perfect in every way," He raised a confused eyebrow. "What's this about?"
"Are you sure? Cause your reaction to Loki's remark was..frightening, to say the least."
Sting clicked his tongue and then scratched the back of his head. "Okay look, what that bastard said brought up some bad memories. That's all."
"Memories of...Sabertooth or something else? I know this might be a touchy subject, but I want to help you in any way I can."
"...It's just...that guild reminds me of everything Sabertooth stood for, and I hate it." He admitted with his arms folded across his chest. "I couldn't help but think about every insult and backhanded comment I made about Yukino and what Jiemma did to Lector. Keep the strong and dispose of the weak...God, how could I be so blind for so long?"
"Oh Sting," Lucy said above a small whisper. She pulled him into a comforting hug and rest his head on her shoulder. "This world is filled with both beauty and vile, but it's up to us to decide on what we're willing to accept. What happened is behind you and now you have the power to show compassion to your friends."
"Spare me the pretty words, I'm not a Fairy." Sting groaned. "I'm not like you or Mirajane. I'm not able to love others so easily."
Lucy smiled softly and spoke with empathy in her voice. "But, you realized where you went wrong, and that's the first step. So don't be so hard on yourself. It's never easy, but it will become easier with time."
"Er...Thanks," His face flushed as they separated. A Fairy always knew the right thing to say to boost someone's morals.
"Besides, everyone can show love and compassion. You love Lector and Rogue, right?"
"Yeah, and you too." He answered honestly. "Not in a romantic way, of course. Erza and Mirajane would kill me if I tried anything intimate with you."
"And yet you still do," Lucy sweatdropped at his response.
"Hey, you know I'm messing around. I know you're Natsu's girl."
Lucy blushed once Sting's claim sank in. Did people really think she was Natsu's girlfriend? Of course, Lucy had feelings for Natsu and for a longer time than she will ever admit. It's just that Lucy never expected Natsu to give romance a thought. The fire dragonslayer had a one-track mind and was always looking for the next adventure. Frankly, some days Lucy felt her unrequited love could rival Juvia's unreturned love for Gray.
"Yo, you still there?" Sting snapped his fingers in front of Lucy's face to get her attention.
"Um...yeah, yeah, I am. It's just that Natsu and I aren't a thing." Lucy shamefully admitted. "You see. Natsu isn't the type of guy that's into romance and relationships. He considers everyone, regardless of past, gender, or personality, to be his friends...including me."
"So, you're saying that he friendzoned you." Sting stifled his urge to laugh. "Oh, that's priceless."
Lucy rubbed her arm as she hung her head low. "It's not that funny. It's just that I wish I could get him to see me in a different light."
The Celestial Wizard pushed the negative emotions clouding her mind in the deepest corners of her mind. She can long for Natsu another time. Aries and Libra are waiting for her and needed her undivided attention. Her feelings for Natsu can wait until she can hold him again. That might be for another couple months though...There's no telling how long this mission will drag out, and every day they're leaving a more influential impact than the day before. Showcasing her smile, Lucy laced her fingers together behind her back. "Come on, we should get going. I'm sure our break is almost over."
"Um yeah," Sting eyed her for a second. Could she really be okay with this? Natsu and Lucy have the chance to have something most people spend their lives searching for. Could she really settle for a platonic partnership?
September 1st, x777
Veilstone Penthouse
3:15 PM
"Ladies and gents! Welcome you to the second round and the semi-finals! Without wasting another second, let's move on to the first match!"
Karen and Ichiya v. Rebecca and Weiss
Loki and Serpent v. Luka and Rilo
The eight semi-finalists leaned against the railing as the announcer continued to speak. The screen floating about the field buzzed to life and displayed the battle order. Lucy and Karen quickly made eye contact. Confidence and determination radiated off of Karen as she smirked. Lucy matched her with her pride as a Celestial Wizard on the line.
"I can't lose here," She whispered to herself as her hand hovered over her keys. "I can say goodbye to the future if I lose this battle."
"You won't." Sting placed a comforting hand on his partner's shoulder before shining a toothy smile. "I trained you, so there's no way you can lose. The odds are in your favor."
"Build her up all you want, it will only make my victory sweeter." Karen sneered as she made her way to the exit.
Serpent's mocking laugh caught the attention of everyone in the room. It came off as cold and taunting almost as if she dared Karen to retort. "Oh, I am going to enjoy the despair you create."
"What was that?" The Pegasus narrowed her eyes.
"Oh nothing, good luck!" The Titanium mage sang in an overly sweet voice.
Karen rolled her eyes as she gave a dismissing wave. Ichiya spared us a sympathetic glance before following behind his partner. Lucy was met with a reassuring smile from her teammate Sting. The semifinals were underway, and Lucy was ready as she'll ever be.
September 1st, x777
Veilstone Stadium's Battleground
3:30 PM
The audience's cheers were more favorable than the first round's. The crowd wasn't completely on Rebecca and Weiss's side, but it was nice to have a decently sized following behind them. The crowd was still very favorable to the Blue Pegasus team, and she understood that completely. They're a nationally recognized and beloved guild, so Karen and Ichiya entered with a momentous amount of positivity. It would be weird if they didn't receive love.
The announcer sounded off which allowed us to start.
Wiess growled with eagerness in his throat. White light radiated off his body. Ichiya studied us for a moment before speeding towards the dragonslayer. The Blue Pegasus inhaled three bottles of perfume. The effects were immediate. His clothes stretched as his spontaneous muscles took shape until he was twice Sting's size. The two of them began to exchanged blows. Neither bothering to block or dodge the other's attack.
Karen swung her golden key in the air and called Scorpio out for his assistance. Rebecca took a deep breath. She was aware of the scorpion's style of attack. He relied heavily on large and long-range attacks with his Sand Buster and minimum close combat skills. A good counterbalance would be someone who can match his sand attacks.
Calling upon the strength of her strongest spirit, Lucy waved the water bearer's key in the air until a blinding light consumed her being. "Star Dress: Aquarius Form!"
"Aquarius?" Scorpio raised his eyebrow before excitement overcame him. "Aye yo, you're my babe's master?"
...That's right. They're dating. Rebecca had forgotten about that small and minor detail... "Er, yes. It's nice to finally meet her boyfriend."
"Boyfriend?" Karen took a step back out of confusion. What the hell were they on about? "Nevermind all that! Destroy her!"
Rebecca almost felt some pity for the Blue Pegasus. She appeared to be unaware of how long those two have been dating. For humans like her and Rebecca, Scorpio and Aquarius have been dating for roughly 14 years, but in Celestial time, that's only 2 months. Oh, that explains so much. They were in that stage of their relationship.
"Would I like me to bring her out? I'm sure Aquarius would love to spend some time with you." She offered with a smile.
"NO-" Karen's rage was overall dismissed by Scorpio overwhelming happiness
"That's an awesome idea!"
Rebecca said a small prayer in hopes the Water Bearer wouldn't come out her gate raging and summon a ball of water in her hand. "I call upon thee. Open! Gate of the Water Bearer! Aquarius!"
The mermaid surveyed the area with a slight scowl until her eyes were met Scorpio. It was almost comical how fast Aquarius clung to her boyfriend's arm. "Oh, I've missed you soo much, darling!"
"You can't be serious..." Karen's jaw dropped. Scorpio had the audacity to not only ignore her commands but to do so in front of an audience. Her master was live-streaming this for the guild! This is that damn Rebecca's fault! She's making a fool out of me! I won't give her the satisfaction anymore! "Scorpio! If you want your little girlfriend, then I suggest you give your all. We are wagering our keys after all."
The air around Aquarius condensed until a chilling fog formed. The mermaid parted from her significant other and closed the distance between her and Rebecca. The smile the spirit wore concealed the fury boiling inside. The water bearer's nails dug into Rebecca's shoulders until blood began to seep out. "What wager is that woman talking about?"
"Er, we're wagering our keys-ouch," Lucy flinched at the sharp pain of Aquarius digging deeper into her skin.
"So what's next? You're gonna give away my key for a ham sandwich."
"I-I had to! We knew where Scorpio's key was. I wouldn't ha-have agreed unless it was absolutely necessary."
"I hope so because you lose...I'll make sure you won't make it to tomorrow." The mermaid threatened before turning to face her boyfriend's master. "I won't be participating in this...bet. Scorpio, when you finish, how about a homemade dinner? Virgo showed me a new recipe, and I want your opinion."
"You got it, babe," The scorpion winked at her as Aquarius disappear in a sea of blue light.
Rebecca rubbed her temple. She should've seen this coming. Aquaruis wouldn't fight Scorpio, not with that innocent routine she dances whenever he's around. "Fine, I guess there's no avoiding this fight! Let's go, Scorpio! Don't you dare hold back!"
"That's the spirit! Aquarius got one hell of a master!" Scorpio said with excitement in his eyes.
The humanoid scorpion got on all fours and pointed his tail cannon at Lucy. In rapid successions, he released blasts of sand at a high velocity. Rebecca sidestepped to dodge the shots and sent a torrent of water in return. Before the attack connected, Scorpio swatted the liquid away with his cannon with ease.
Rebecca frowned at the sight of Karen's smirk. If she wanted to beat the superiority out of her, Rebecca would need to banish Scorpio back to the Spirit World without pissing Aquarius off in the process. Mavis forbid, Rebecca leaves a bruise on the spirit. Aquarius might drown her for it.
Closing the gap between them, Rebecca surfed towards the duo and prepped a water ball in her hand. Maneuvering around the shots of sand, she surrounded the ball with three rings and launched it at Scorpio's chest. He skidded back two feet, barely avoiding colliding with Karen.
Clapping her hands together, two orbs of water developed around her hand. She motioned her hands to form a light blue magic circle in front of her body. A stream of water spurted out and hit Scorpio, barely missing his master in the process.
The Pegasus snarled in frustration. Noting his master's anger, Scorpio stepped up his performance.
"Desert Storm!" The scorpion swam in the stream of Rebecca's attack as he charged his cannon. From point-blank range, the tanned spirit unleashed a tornado of sand and debris that quickly consumed the battlefield. She was sent flying until her back slammed against the concrete wall.
Rebecca quickly collected her before realizing how terrible her visibility was. She could barely see a foot in front of her.
"Wiess!" She called out before spitting out the sand in her mouth. "Are you okay!?"
"Yes, this is nothing!" He exclaimed with a hint of excitement in his voice. "I can't see shit, but Ichiya's drenched in perfume! So, my nose is helping me beat his ass!"
A sea of relief washed over her body. That's good. It's nice to have a capable dragonslayer on her side. "That's great! I'll handle Scorpio and Karen- Gah!"
A bullet shower of sand pelted Rebecca's skin, forcing her to kneel down. She formed a water barrier for protection, but the sand storm was eroding the water away at a rapid pace. "Oi Rebbeca, what happened!"
"Nothing! I can still fight!" I just need to find a way to get rid of this sandstorm. Without Scorpio, there shouldn't be much of an aftereffect, and I think there's a way to reach him in this sand. Gripping his key tightly, Rebecca held the key close to her chest. "Open! Gate of the Gate of the Goat! Capricorn! and Star Dress: Capricorn!"
A bright purple light consumed her body for a moment. Once the light died down, Rebecca found herself wearing a black and purple sleek dress with large slits on both sides of the bottom half while covering the front and back with a pair of white boots and black elbow-length gloves. Her hair was braided into two large bands of hair with black bows on the ends. She pushed her dark-colored shades up on her nose. "That should do it!"
"The ideal choice, Miss Rebecca. Sagittarius would also be a sufficient option." Capricorn dodged the barrage of sand with ease.
"I know, but he's still shaken by what Kisa made him do..." She scratched her flushed cheeks. "I don't think I want him aiming at a person or spirit for a while...Also, can you do me a favor?"
"Of course, what was on your mind?" He bowed.
"Can...Can you be the one who sends Scorpio back to the Spirit World? I kinda don't want to drown anytime soon." She hung her head in shame. "I'm really sorry."
"Why would you drow- Aquarius...Very well, Aquarius is known for her temper. As for how Scorpio is oblivious, that is the work of a Being beyond my comprehension. I will do my best, Miss. Rebecca, but we must do something about this sandstorm, first."
"Right, let's go," Rebecca nodded with a small smile.
Scorpio's barrage of sand bullets rained down on us. Capricorn's Star Dress enhanced her agility and flexibility, thankfully. Her movement became more relax and fluid as she dodged the fury of shots. With Capricorn by her side, Rebecca felt her confidence rise. His gentle support led her to improve in terms of leap and bounds. Twirling and bouncing around, they closed the distance between them and Scorpio.
The humanoid scorpion's eyes widened from surprise. Before he could stand up again, Capricorn elbowed on the back of the neck, causing him to collapse onto the ground. Groaning in pain, Scorpio returned to the Celestial World. Noting that he completed his task, Capricorn left the rest in his master's hands. Rebecca smiled as she removed her shades. The sandstorm slowly dissipated and cleared the arena. On the other end, Wiess had a heavily bruised Ichiya pinned underneath his boot. "Cap's special specs! Protects the user's visibility and cancels any to all Eye Magic! Now, it's time to deal with you."
A satisfied smirk graced Rebecca's face as she transformed into Taursus's Star Dress. Her fist glowed a faint brown as she threw a right hook at Karen. "Bulldoze!"
"Open! Gate of the Scorpion! Scorpio!" Karen frantically swung her golden key in the air. The dazed spirit appeared in the space between the two women. With no chance to throw up a defense, Rebecca's fist smashed into the side of Scorpio's head. Aquarius's boyfriend flew through the air until he smashed into the arena's wall. She let out a small gasp once she realized what had happened.
"Scorpio!" Rebecca cried out in horror before turning to Karen with rage in her eyes. "Why did you summon him?! Scorpio wasn't in the right condition to fight!"
"Celestial Spirits are made to serve their masters!" Karen snapped. The Pegasus poured more of her magic into the key. "Now,-"
"Oh no, you don't." Rebecca swung her whip at her opponent and grabbed her by the arm. "Don't you dare force him to fight anymore!"
Karen stared directly into Rebecca's eyes as she continued to pour her magic into his key. She not going to listen to a half-dressed bimbo! This was her spirit to command and her spirit alone. "Come forth! Scorpio!"
The tanned male answered the call. His posture was more sluggish than before, and he lacked his usual confidence. Honestly, Rebecca thought a simple push would send him back. "Scorpio, please, close your gate. I can see the pain in your eyes. You don't have to keep fighting."
"Ya know. My babe is lucky to have such a nice master, but we, spirits, gotta listen to our masters." He gave Rebecca a tired wink. "I know Aquarius listen to everything ya say, and I gotta do the same with Karen. Sorry, but that's how it gotta be."
"There's a difference between this and how Rebecca treats Aquarius," Wiess approached us from left with Ichiya in tow. Dropping the defeating man, Wiess pressed his hand against the scorpion's bare chest. A white light developed on the spirit's skin, paralyzing him in the process. "White Claw. Take a break, you fought hard today."
"Wi-Wait, why can't I move?!" He stammered out, much to his and Karen's horror.
"Thanks, Wiess," Rebecca tightened the straps on her gloves. She was going to savor this one for all that its worth. With the power boost from Taursus's Star Dress, she pulled on her whip and forced Karen to fly towards her. Lighting her free fist with a light brown glow, Rebecca's right hook slammed Karen in the face. "Bulldoze!"
The weight behind her punch caused Karen to collapse onto the ground. Scorpio spared them a faint smile before disappearing.
In a display of overwhelming skill and power, Wiess and Rebecca win their spot in the final battle!
Keys Obtained: Cancer, Aquarius, Capricorn, Crux, Virgo, Taurus, Sagittarius
Keys Needed: Leo, Aries, Scorpio, Gemini, Libra, and Pisces
A/N: This was supposed to be, at most, a three-part arc at most, but here we are with a part four coming. I think I know what I want to do with Loke, Gemini, and Pisces. I read the 100-year quest, and I honestly felt bad for Lucy when they started talking about Natsu. Homegirl really out here having unrequited love.
