Here we go with another chapter! I'm getting so much more love for this than I expected. Thank you all so much, your comments and favorites give me life.
MINOR DETAILS: the map I'm using for this is the one found on the EarthLand Fairy Tail wiki page. Also, I have a tumblr where I repost stupid things I find and give updates to my life; search/kilannad
Also I'm posting this only a few minutes before I have class so sorry if there's more typos than usual.
You scratch my back, I scratch yours
When Lucy got home, she wasted no time. Even if she couldn't set out for another few months, that just meant she had more time to research and find as many potential locations for these Obsidian Keys as possible.
Which was why, when she vaguely heard a knock coming from her front door, she was on the floor with papers and maps spread out around her.
"Coming!" She stood and took three careful steps to avoid moving any of her notes and opened the door as she took her gale-force glasses off.
She raised a surprised brow at the sight in front of her, before huffing a slight laugh. "I know I told you guys to come over for tea anytime, but this isn't what I was expecting. I saw you guys two hours ago."
Evergreen matched her eyebrow raise. "Lucy, you left Master's office six hours ago." Lucy blinked, before twisting to look out her window. Indeed, twilight had settled across Magnolia like a blanket, and those still out were quickly seeking their homes or pubs for the night.
"Oh. It's later than I thought it was."
"That's your response?" Bickslow asked, his dolls floating around his head. "Don't you own a clock, Cosplayer?"
She shrugged, stepping aside to let them in. "I lost track of time. And stop calling me Cosplayer. I have a name."
"But your name isn't nearly as interesting."
"Woah," Freed took a few quick steps back, effectively drawing their attention to the sitting room. "Is this what you've been so immersed in?" All the furniture was pushed back against the wall, leaving room for the fluttering pages and weighed down maps that littered Lucy's floor.
She stepped forward quickly, grabbing her notes in what, to others, would surely seem random but to her made perfect organizational sense. She stacked the papers on her side table as she picked up the rest of the maps.
"Yeah, sorry." She felt her face heat up at the rather perplexed looks on her guild-mates' faces. "Just trying to look into what To-er, what Captain Hitsugaya said. Got to be prepared for when Erza and the guys get back." In a few more movements, her sitting room was back to its usual location and the papers and maps were all placed on her desk.
"Don't be sorry," Evergreen added with a smile as she sat down, "We're the ones dropping in on you so late."
Lucy returned her smile, before grabbing tea and taking a seat herself and facing all her guests. "What are you all doing here at," her eyes flicked to the clock on her mantle, and her brows went up again, "Nine o'clock?"
"Someone," Ever's glare at Bickslow made it very clear who she was talking about, "Didn't want to wait till tomorrow."
Bickslow jumped and landed cross-legged on her couch, lips down in a pout. "Not my fault that Laxus had to finish paperwork before we could come over."
"We could've waited till the morning, at least," Evergreen sighed, shaking her head. "Doesn't matter. The overgrown baby was too excited to sleep so we came over now."
Bickslow clapped his hands over his face, shaking his head back and forth rapidly. "Ah! Why must you be so mean to me, Ever? You're going to make me cry." Ever huffed but turned to Laxus.
"Can we get this over with? Preferably before I disembowel him."
Laxus had to cough to disguise a snort, but he sat down and faced Lucy. "Right, sorry 'bout all this, Blondie."
It was Lucy's turn to glare, "I said it once, and I'll say it again. I have a name and 'Blondie' ain't it."
Laxus smirked, but ignored her comment. After taking a moment to sip from the tea she pressed into his hands despite the killer look she gave, Laxus let his face turn serious. "We're here to ask if you'd like to partner up with us for the hunt of those Keys of yours."
Lucy froze where she had been adding sugar to her tea. Had he…? No, no way. She was clearly hearing things. Because there could be no way that Laxus had just asked her, Lucy Heartfilia, to join his team.
"Pardon?" She asked, body still in slight shock.
Laxus snorted, and Lucy could've sworn that she saw his lips twitch before he met her eyes again. "You heard me, Blondie. We know you need an S-Class team to hunt down these Keys of yours, and we know that your team is currently on a short break while you all handle the influx of missions you've all received."
"That's…" True, some part of Lucy's mind supplied, but it was drowned out by the other part of her that was questioning everything that was happening. Laxus Dreyar and the Thunder Legion, possibly the only team on par with Erza, Natsu and Gray, were asking for her to join them. "But… why?"
Bickslow leaned back and then forward, the couch vibrating with his quick movements. "We need to get rid of some energy, and what better way to kill time then helping a 'lil Cosplayer find some big bad shinigami?"
Lucy released a breath, some tension deep in her stomach uncurling as she finished preparing her tea. That made more sense. They were tagging along because they needed something to do. A… trade. Yeah, that made more sense to Lucy. It was what her father had built his fortune on, after all. You scratch my back, I scratch yours, and all that.
"Still, surely there are S-Class quests you could take. This is fully for my own gain. There's no reason for you to get involved if all you're looking for is to relieve your stress."
Lucy barely took notice of the frown on Bickslow's face and the look shared between Freed and Evergreen.
"Lucy," Evergreen said slowly, when it was clear Laxus had no idea what to say from here, "Perhaps we could find a few jobs to satisfy us, yes. But you're our guildmate, and thus far more important. If we can help you out, we want to."
"We owe you." When she opened her mouth to oppose, Freed added quickly, "Whether you think it or not, we do. You've been kind to us and understanding long before we atoned."
Frowning heavily, Lucy said sharply, "You made a mistake Freed. Not summoned the devil." His lips twitched, but he didn't seem inclined to change his statement at all. Lucy slid her eyes to Laxus, who was sitting back, completely at ease.
At her look that seemed to say 'well, what's your excuse?' he added, "We don't do anything we don't want to." Which was true. More than anything about them, Lucy knew Laxus and the Thunder Legion were independent and strong enough to keep their independence.
They wanted the same thing as her, she thought, in a more indirect kind of way. Freedom. While she wasn't sure about the others' personal reasons, she knew Laxus wanted freedom from his grandfather's shadow. They were all so fiercely individualistic that they stayed a step back from the rest of the guild, even after the whole Battle of Fairy Tail thing. In a way, they were like her. Fighting for their right to do what they want. Except she never fought for it like they did.
She'd run from her father, and been hidden away by her guildmates during the war with Phantom Lord. Even when she'd gone back to the estate to speak with her father, Lucy had only spoken a few words, before leaving again. She'd stepped outside finally free of him, though. Sometimes, Lucy thought that telling her father to his face that she was done was her greatest achievement to date, except maybe the fight against Tartarus. And wasn't it sad that standing up to her father was in the same ballpark of facing against a Dark Guild of demons created by Zeref himself?
The Thunder Legion was incredibly strong, she knew. While she'd beat Bickslow, that was only after he'd spent an entire day fighting and had already been low on power when he'd fought her. Not to mention, it had taken both Natsu and Gajeel to get anywhere close to a tie with Laxus. Yet here they were, offering her help.
Team Natsu wouldn't be together again for another month or two at least. And Toshiro had asked her on behalf of his entire species to hunt down these Keys because it was dangerous for all involved if they fell into the wrong hands.
"Only if we take quests in the area the Keys are in," she finally consented. "I'll help you with the quests in exchange for you helping me with the Keys."
"We might not always be able to find missions in the same area," Laxus warned.
"Then we'll do the ones that we can first. The rest can wait." For Team Natsu, she didn't add. They understood her without that.
Bickslow shouted excitedly, and his dolls began dancing in the air. Evergreen and Freed, both far more reserved, smiled at her.
"I have to go to the bookstore tomorrow for a few more information texts," she added as she began collecting the tea set with the ease of long practice. "Why don't you all come around noon and we can figure out where the Keys are likely to be. If that works for you all, of course?"
"Alright." Laxus rose, his team following. "Jiji has basically banned me from paperwork, so we don't have much to do besides help you out, Blondie. I'll look at the locations mentioned on the current batch of S-Class missions." Expressing her agreement, she walked them out and said goodnights.
When they were gone and her apartment was finally, blessedly, empty and quiet again, she took a moment to consider what her life had turned into. Trinities of Dark Guilds, resurrected Dark Mages, demons of the worst kind trying to kill all magic. Those things were surprising, but she could handle them. Yet she had no idea how the hell she planned on surviving teaming up with the Thunder Legion, or even how she'd managed to team up with them in the first place. If nothing else, these next few months were sure to be interesting.
The next day, Lucy spent the morning at the bookstore, hunting down anything that could be helpful before heading back home to comb through the information she'd gathered.
When the clock struck twelve, a knock echoed through her apartment and she called for them to come in. The Thunder God Tribe entered to find, much like the day before, all the furniture moved so Lucy could spread out her notes and maps.
"Hey guys."
"Hey, Cosplayer."
"What's that delicious smell?" After glaring at Bickslow, who just chortled, Lucy turned to Evergreen with a smile.
"I figured I'd make curry for lunch. Oh, that reminds me." She stood and jumped over the pile of notes to head into the kitchen. "Find seats wherever you can." While the boys sat, Evergreen followed Lucy.
"Here, let me help."
Smiling brightly, Lucy thanked her and together they brought all of the plates out into the living room. Bickslow hovered in the air, his dolls making a platform underneath him while Laxus leaned back on the couch that was pushed against the wall. Freed ran his eyes over the notes Lucy had, his eyebrows rising.
"This is impressive. You really think a Key could be at all of these locations?"
She shook her head and handed him a plate. "No, this all the possible locations for those few Keys that Hitsugaya mentioned. I'm only sure about one, and even that is only about a 70% chance of being right. I have very good guesses for two more, and a hint for a final one."
"Better than what we had before, Blondie. Break it down." Lucy glared, plopped herself in the middle of her notes and took a few bites of lunch just to make Laxus wait. He seemed amused by her petulance, and Bickslow cooed at her.
"Aw, did the big scary Boss hurt lil' Cosplayer's feelings by ordering her around?"
She turned her back on both of them and faced Freed and Evergreen, both of which rolled their eyes at Bickslow. At least two of the members she was teaming up with were normal and willing to listen in silence. Honestly, she was already exasperated with all of this.
"The Key I'm sure of- as much as I can be, anyway- is the one for their General Commander. Hitsugaya mentioned his power involved fire and I assumed that because he is their Commander, that he must have the highest power levels, like Master." She turned and pointed at a book on volcanoes laid out to the side. "The largest, strongest volcano on this continent is on the Northwestern side of Desierto. I'd place money on his Key being there. The issue then becomes how we retrieve it. No one has managed to enter the cave system that leads to the center of that volcano- where it would make sense for the Key to be- for over four hundred years." She paused, before adding seriously, "I have no proof, but I have a theory that the last creature to enter that mountain without boiling alive was Igneel."
Bickslow whistled. "The Fire Dragon King himself, huh? Might need his protégé then."
Lucy nodded. "That's what I thought. Natsu will be my best bet to get that Key. Meanwhile," she pulled two more books towards herself and pointed at the large map of the continent laid out before her as she continued, "The two I have educated guesses on are for that Twelfth Captain and the Eleventh Captain. The first of which, I think is here, on this island off the side of Ca-Elum. There's a town there that has made huge advances in technology, but also exports a lot of toxic minerals to Enca, who purifies them before using them in medicines. The second Captain I think is here, in the far North side of Stella. I found a history book that tells of the area being surrounded by large wild animals and of a village of warriors settling in the midst of them."
"Alright, those sound like good leads," Ever called, moving back to the kitchen to get seconds for Laxus and Bickslow, both of which she knew ate more than normal. "So, what's the problem?"
"The problem is that those two areas are in exact opposite directions," Freed offered. He glanced around, noting that Lucy had several other possible locations for each of those Captains, but none that were quite as promising. "You said you had thoughts on another?"
"The one he called Ichigo Kurosaki. The way he talked made it seem like he specialized in using huge amounts of power." They all nodded their agreement. "The thing is, power tends to be drawn to power. It's why so many of the more powerful mages find themselves in guilds with Wizard Saints. I mean, look at Fairy Tail. Gildarts, Erza, and Laxus, all three of you have the power to be considered a Wizard Saint, and you're all in a guild led by a Wizard Saint."
"Not to mention the other powerful wizards," Freed mused, thinking of his team, Grey, Natsu and even Lucy. While Freed wasn't as knowledgeable as he'd like to be on Celestial Spirit Magic, he was aware that opening a Gate and holding it open long enough for prolonged battle was difficult, and that wasn't even touching on Lucy calling forth multiple Zodiac Gates at the same time.
"Right. Which is why I thought that maybe this Ichigo's Key would manifest somewhere with high levels of ethernano. The issue is that I have no idea where that might be."
"So, let's start with the two leads we do have," Laxus said. He pulled a bundle of fliers out of his jacket pocket. He took a moment to look over Lucy's map, before saying, "There's an S-Class mission on the Southern border of Ca-Elum. They need help retrieving something that was taken by a Dark Guild. If we took that one and went after the scientist dude, then we would have to travel to one side of Ca-Elum before trekking to the other and then back. But I do have an S-Class mission in a town over from where you seem to think this warrior village is. Retrieval of something from an old temple, apparently." Lucy frowned as she considered their options.
On the one hand, she certainly didn't want to waste the time and energy of going back and forth on Ca-Elum, but on the other it was a three weeks travel taking trains to get to Stella. But the Eleventh Captain seemed to specialize in combat, which was something she thought would help her as well. Besides, the sound of the other Captain made her nervous.
She noticed them all watching her, waiting for her opinion. She chewed on her lip for another moment before saying quietly, "I'm not gonna lie, the way Hitsugaya spoke of Captain Kurotsuchi makes me nervous."
Ever nodded, before adding, "If we take Captain Zaraki, then we won't have to travel as far between objectives."
"It'll take about six weeks to get there," Bickslow commented, hooking his feet over the line his dolls made and floating upside down above them all. "We'll have to be ready for the travel time. Not to mention it'll take us through Bosco which is known for its storms."
"Six weeks? It's only three by train."
"We walk where we can," Evergreen explained to Lucy. "It saves us money, even if it does double the time." She shot a look at Laxus, who was studiously studying the map of railroads Lucy had.
That's right, Lucy remembered. Laxus is technically a Dragon Slayer. If Sting and Rogue get sick like Natsu and Gajeel, then he probably did too. Which would explain why they walked so much, especially if they always took jobs that were so far away. No wonder they were rarely at the guild.
"We take a train to Crocus then walk the rest of the way to Bosco. We'll pick up another train when we get into Stella to take us the rest of the way."
"Alright," Lucy agreed. Laxus was the S-Class mage here, and the head of his team. Besides, they were doing her a favor. There was no reason to argue with him. Also, if nothing else, taking their time to do this mission would mean that by the time they returned, Team Natsu would be ready to get back together.
Travelling with Laxus and his team was an event that she would not soon forget, if nothing else. As it happens, the reason that constantly using trains was so expensive, was because they always got a private cart. When Lucy saw the way Laxus put his back against the window, buried himself in his fur coat, and covered his ears with his Sound Pods and still looked green, she couldn't exactly blame them. No way would Laxus ever want anyone outside of his team to see him like this.
A part of Lucy warmed at the thought that she got to see him like this. With his eyes closed, he probably didn't notice the way she kept shooting him glances. It was just so strange. Every time she'd seen Laxus before, he'd always been so sure of himself. Full of confidence and bravado that he could actually back up. Well, except for when he showed up at the guild after his fight with Natsu and Gajeel, but that had some pretty extenuating circumstances. Basically, seeing him so obviously uncomfortable was a strange experience, and for some reason just made him seem more human. I mean, Lucy thought, this is the guy that single handedly took down Raven Tail and defeated Jura, one of the Ten Wizard Saints. Lucy sometimes thought him more beast than man, like Gildarts.
"Lucy," Freed said, interrupting her thoughts. She turned to him, and smiled.
"Yeah?"
"Would you be willing to tell me more about Celestial Spirit Magic? I know you have used one spell that doesn't require your Keys, outside of using Gemini as a power boost."
"Urano Metria," she provided.
"Yes. And I heard that you use something called Star Dresses? Will you explain all of that? I was under the, clearly false, impression that Celestial Magic was limited by the Keys the mage possessed."
"Of course. I'm told that there are other spells like Urano Metria, but I don't know them. I guess you could compare those type of spells to the Dragon Slayer Secret Arts. Honestly, it takes so much magic energy that I only use it when I don't have another choice just because I'm usually out for the count afterwards. As for the Star Dresses, those are close to a type of Requip magic but a little different. Did Levy mention them? I haven't used them much since the guild rejoined. Loke is actually the one who…"
Laxus closed his eyes against the swaying, turning up his Sound Pods to overpower the click, clack of the train as it started to move. Fuck whatever asshole decided that all Dragon Slayers had to get motion sick. Actually, fuck his prick of a dad that made him take the Lacrima. Ivan had believed that by putting the Lacrima in Laxus's head, it would improve his senses more than it normally would have. He was right, though it meant the side effects of Dragon Slayer Magic, like motion sickness and draconian instincts, were also enhanced. Not that he really regretted it, considering it was what helped him get strong enough to protect his family. Still, someone had to be blamed, and ten year old Laxus surely wasn't at fault.
With Wanted Dead or Alive filling his ears, Laxus could almost trick his body into believing it wasn't on a death trap of doom. Except for the fact that he couldn't really stop his nose from working. Smoke, old feet, and leather clung to the private compartment like fungi, accompanied by the familiar aromas of his team. Of course, there was another, newer scent joining them.
Laxus wouldn't really mind Blondie sitting next to him, but her own smell of fruit and lavender had a distinct layer of smoke and fire underneath it. Not to mention the ice, metal, and fur that was beneath that.
That is to say, Lucy Heartfilia had her teammates' scents surrounding her, the strongest of which happened to belong to the Salamander.
Dragon instincts were a strange thing, Laxus mused, blocking out the train's movements. They demanded that anything that was theirs, whether it be an actual mate or just allies, objects or creatures, were marked as such with their scent. They also tended to scream back away when approaching anything marked by another dragon. Best not to start a war, after all.
It was just too bad that Dragon Slayers operated under those same instincts.
Laxus couldn't really blame Natsu for drowning Blondie in his aroma. It wasn't really intertwined with her own, like Bisca and Alzack's, so Laxus could only assume that they weren't actually lovers, but they were still very close teammates. Freed, Evergreen, and Bickslow were covered in Laxus's scent, after all. It just meant that the dragon part of Laxus (or the part that wasn't internally barfing) wanted him to get farther away from a girl clearly marked off limits.
Not that Laxus wanted anything to do with Blondie for the long term. She was smoking hot, and nice, but he was doing this mostly because Jiji made him and his team needed the exercise. Also, trying to steal Blondie from Team Natsu was just asking to be taken out.
The current song faded, and in the beat of silence before the next started, he heard Blondie ask, "Hey, Bickslow. Why don't you take off the mask? It can't be comfortable." Discreetly, Laxus lowered the sound without moving too much, and cracked his eyes open enough to see without appearing awake. Bickslow's mask and Seith Magic was a sensitive topic, and he wanted to know where exactly she went with this. Already, Evergreen tensed, staring at Blondie in warning. Objectively, she may be the weakest member of the Thunder Legion, but she was fierce when it came to protecting her team. They all were. It was part of why Laxus loved them so much.
Ugh, now he was getting sentimental. Clearly the train ride scrambled his brain.
"Aw, do ya want to see my pretty face, Cosplayer?" The tension in Bix's shoulders belayed his attempt at nonchalance. Blondie's eyes shot to Ever for a moment, but she just sat up straighter and continued. She clearly knew she stood on shaky ground, but remained determined to continue.
"You can control your Seith Magic, right? It's not like with Evergreen's Stone Eyes. So why do you keep wearing the mask?"
Shrugging, Bix grinned. "Most are uncomfortable when I'm not wearing it. Not like I mind it much," a lie, Laxus knew, "'Sides, it gives me a very mysterious aura, don't ya think?"
Blondie raised a brow, and Laxus was astonished with how supremely unimpressed the normally bubbly girl could appear. "Honestly, Bickslow. It's a part of your magic and only idiots would judge you for it. Who here would be uncomfortable?"
A tense moment passed where the "you" went unsaid. Bix seemed to stare at Blondie for a very long time, and Laxus wondered if he was using his magic right now. Seith Magic might let him control souls, but it also means that he could see souls. And they tended to reflect the personality and emotions of the person.
Grinning suddenly, Bix leaned back where he was sitting cross-legged on the bench. "Alrighty, Cosplayer. If you insist." He removed his helmet, revealing his wide, bright red eyes, blue mohawk, and Seith Tattoo. Blondie took a moment to study him, before grinning.
"The tattoo is kind of like mine." She waved her hand where the tattoo from the silver haired squirt was. "Magical and all, I mean. Now that I think about it, your eyes are kind of like Gajeel's, just without the slits." She turned to Freed, "Do you know whether the slits are because Gajeel is a Dragon Slayer? Natsu's only get like that when he uses Dragon Force."
Freed opened his mouth, no doubt about to enter lecture mode, but Laxus was already turning up his music and sinking back into the meditative state he had to maintain if he didn't want to vomit. If nothing else, it seemed like Blondie was good for giving Freed someone to converse with. Now that he thought about it, Ever would probably end up liking having another woman around as well.
A few hours later, when there was a knock on the door offering lunch, Blondie stood to accept it and passed it around. Laxus waved her off when she came to him. He would need to eat at some point in the next three days, but it certainly wouldn't be while they were moving. Shrugging, she turned to the others.
"Here Bickslow." He grinned at her and accepted the plate.
When they'd all settled, he said, "Thanks Cosplayer. And call me Bix." Whether he was just thanking her for the food, or for being one of the few who didn't seem to care that he could activate his magic and take over her soul within a second, only he knew. Though Laxus had a guess.
After arriving in Crocus in the evening on their third day, they all went out for food before hunting down a hotel. Evergreen seemed to be of the opinion that, if they were going to be camping out for the next month, she deserved a hot bath and a good bed. Lucy couldn't bring herself to disagree.
Two rooms, one for the guys and one for the girls, were acquired and Lucy found herself sinking into a soft mattress, a far cry from the leather benches they'd all been on for the past few days.
"You sure you're alright with sharing a room?" Evergreen asked her. "We can get another if you need."
"Don't be ridiculous. If anything, I should be asking you that. You must always have had a bed to yourself."
Evergreen busied herself with changing, not looking at Lucy. "Well, yes. But I don't mind at all. I, uh, never really had the chance for sleep overs with other girls as a child."
Surprised, Lucy considered what she knew about Evergreen. It was actually very little. She was three years older than Lucy, had been part of Fairy Tail since she was a teenager at least, and was a member of the Thunder Legion. And there was something unnamed going on between her and Elfman. Strange, that she knew so little about a woman who she'd agreed to travel with. Then again, she might know even less about the guys. It's sad to consider that in Evergreen's past, whatever it may be, she had never had the chance for sleepovers. Not that Lucy had exactly gone to normal sleepovers, mind you. Still, she'd had to play with some of the daughters of her father's business partners and they'd managed to do things that most little girls did. Like sneak into each other's beds and gossip.
"Well," she finally said brightly. She pulled the covers on the other side of her bed away, set on showing Evergreen exactly what she'd missed. They'd gotten a room with two beds, at Evergreen's insistence. At first, Lucy thought it was because she'd wanted her space, but now Lucy thought that it was just her trying to give Lucy her space. Ridiculous, considering Lucy almost always shared a bed with Erza. "The first step is curling under the blankets in the dark."
Evergreen's eyes widened but her surprised was soon overtaken and she seemed rather doubtful. "And why exactly do we need to be in the same bed, and in the dark?"
Lucy shrugged. "Don't know. This is just how it's done." Eyebrows still raised, Evergreen turned off the lights and slid between the crisp sheets next to Lucy.
"This seems like something a man came up with to fulfill some perverted fantasy."
Lucy laughed. "I always thought it was a mother's idea, so she could keep an eye on her girls easier." Evergreen seemed to consider this, before shaking her head.
"No, my money is definitely on some old man's fantasy."
Lucy laughed again, and settled a little more into the warm bed. "So, tell me about traveling with all guys. I mean, at least I have Erza, Wendy and Carla."
With the sigh of the long suffering, Evergreen flopped back on the bed. She was a lot less elegant, Lucy noticed, in the dark of their hotel room. Perhaps it was because the room remained illuminated only by the starlight filtering through the curtains, or possibly it's because the guys were nowhere to be seen.
"Freed is alright, most of the time. Bookish, and more interested in hunting down bookstores on our way back, but he can at least act mature. But Bix! He can never stay still for long, and even when we walk for weeks on end, he chooses to have his spirits create a floating platform that he balances on. At least he's funny though, and watching him and Freed argue can keep things from getting boring. Laxus tends to just watch the show and keep the boys from annoying him or giving us a bad reputation while we're in a town." Evergreen snorted, and Lucy could tell she smiled. "There was this one time when Bix was trying to convince Freed that sleeping around could help him develop his magic core…"
They spoke of easy things, of pass missions and of the shenanigans of their teams. Deep into the night, Lucy found it easy to fall asleep, even with the unfamiliar body of Evergreen next to her instead of Erza.
Lucy woke alone in her bed, the light of dawn already filtering in the room. Evergreen's side of the bed was cold, and her bag sat packed but left in the corner. Frowning, Lucy got up and got dressed herself. Perhaps she was just out getting breakfast, or needed to run an errand before they left. She would come back, Lucy told herself. Besides, Lucy herself was up so early to train her magic core with Capricorn. She'd been getting up at dawn and spending an hour or two pushing her core to the limit every day since the Grand Magic Games, and she saw no reason to stop now.
Making her way to the roof of the hotel they were in, she hummed idly to herself. Maybe Evergreen had just gone to speak with the boys. Lucy would check their room when she was done with her training, she thought. Opening the door, however, revealed the roof already occupied by her- temporary- team.
While Laxus sat against the wall surrounding the flat roof, Freed, Bix, and Evergreen were all in the center, fighting. Evergreen sent her Fairy Bomb towards Bix, setting them off before he could dodge. He went flying, but seemed to stop in midair. It wasn't until Lucy saw the red words that she realized Freed had an enchantment keeping them boxed in. In an instant, Bix had repositioned himself to use the air wall as a platform to send himself at Evergreen, tackling her bodily while his dolls sent an attack towards Freed.
"What are you doing up, Blondie?"
Lucy turned to Laxus, eyeing his relaxed form. Sparing then, that he seemed to be staying out of. Still, she glared at him, trying to send a 'good morning to you too' vibe. "I wake up this early every morning to work on my magical core with Capricorn." She made a gesture towards the trio, ignoring the way Bix taunted Freed. "What's up with that?"
"They do it every morning that they can. Keeps them in shape and helps them improve. I imagine it's the same reason you train with your Spirit." Lucy shrugged, not denying it. Still, her training with Capricorn, even on the few days when they worked on hand to hand combat, never left her as bruised and tired as the Thunder Legion would be.
"It's not just that," Freed added, coming up next to them. In the few moments they were talking, it seemed as if they had all finished their spar. None seemed to be injured, so Lucy guessed that Freed had some way to heal them. "We cannot improve if we do not train, it's true. But we also do not wish to be a burden on Laxus-sama. He is much stronger than us, so it is important that we try to close the gap so that we do not hold him back."
"Doesn't Team Natsu spar at all?" Evergreen asked curiously.
Lucy shrugged. "Not really. Natsu and Gray will fight occasionally, and I meditate with Capricorn to train my core, but otherwise we've never done anything like that." She gestured to the area the Thunder Legion had just been fighting in.
"Strange," Freed murmured. "We sometimes do a free for all, as you just saw, but we also do teams or the three of us against Laxus-sama. It helps with our team work as well as our stamina and power."
Lucy considered that for a moment. Thinking about it, she realized that Team Natsu did a lot of one on one fights. Even then, they didn't really train together. She was familiar with the fighting styles of her partners, but none of them really allowed for team battles. She wondered how it had never really come up, besides the time Natsu and Gajeel worked to defeat Laxus and Juvia and herself fought together in the Tower of Heaven. Something to improve on, in case it came up.
"Hey Bix, Freed." They turned to her, both expectant. "Want a rematch?" She side-eyed Evergreen, "And I could use a partner, if you're willing." All three grinned at her.
Laxus was rather surprised that Blondie asked for a sparring match. She didn't seem the type. Then again, she had just admitted that none on her team was that type. Ridiculous. Laxus didn't become one of the top mages in the guild by sitting around on his ass. He wondered when Erza found time to train that didn't involve her teammates, because there could be no way that she remained still that good without working on it. Laxus himself maintained a simple workout regimen in the morning alongside Bix and Freed and then often did battles against the Thunder Legion when they were walking in between towns.
Freed reset the Runes that acted as a barrier to ensure they didn't destroy the hotel, and then called out the rules. "No killing, no maiming, the goal is to get your opponents to concede defeat. Myself and Bickslow versus Evergreen and Lucy. Start in ten seconds."
In the air above them, a countdown started.
As soon as it hit zero, Bix was in the air, his dolls lining up. Before his spell could even fire though, Blondie's whip was snapping out, catching him in the leg and knocking him off balance. As he lost concentration, his spell sputtered out, and Ever took the chance to shoot up, catching him in the stomach with her Fairy Machine Gun. Freed lunged forward, snapping his sword down on Blondie's wrist. In the span of a second, her whip was on the ground and she backed up, visibly shaking her hand out. She reached for her belt, where Laxus could hear the jingling of her Gate Keys. Bix shot out another attack, and Ever had to sweep in, grabbing Blondie under the arms and pulling her above the attack. With a sweep of her arm, Blondie made a summoning, and in the next instant there were two flashes of gold. A pink haired woman, and a man dressed in a horse suit- Aries and Sagittarius he heard her call them- stood next to her.
A wave of what appeared to be pink fuzz swept against Freed and Bix, but Bickslow's dolls were high enough to avoid it. Sagittarius shot out three arrows, but before he could destroy the last two, they had responded in kind. Sagittarius was too slow to dodge, and vanished. Scowling, Blondie sent Aries back to her world, and called out, "Open, Gate of the Tenth Captain, Toshiro Hitsugaya!" just as Freed stood and sent out an attack. Laxus couldn't tell what it was from here, only that Evergreen got caught in it and was sent flying back to hit the wall. The pale haired squirt, Hitsugaya, appeared just in time to deflect it from Blondie with his sword.
"A sparing match?" He questioned, standing up from his defensive position.
"Yeah. Evergreen and I versus the guys. Hope I didn't pull you away from anything important."
"My paperwork can wait, I suppose."
Hitsugaya lunged forward, meeting Freed's rapier head on. To Laxus's surprise, Freed was actually pushed back. The only person who was a match in swordsmanship with Freed was Erza, but what followed was a series of slashes and blows, continuously pushing Freed back. Any counter measures were useless, as Hitsugaya dodged nimbly. In a move Laxus could barely follow, Hitsugaya slipped under Freed's extended arm, using his smaller stature to get within his defense and moved his blade against Freed's throat.
"I concede," Freed intoned, eyes wide. Hitsugaya backed away immediately, turning to watch the other fight in progress.
Turns out, Blondie was pretty damn good with that whip. While Bix was good with hand to hand, his main offense was using his dolls, and with three of them destroyed he found himself dodging both women. Blondie was quick with her whip- which she'd retrieved at some point- snapping out at him when he got too far away. Within a moment, Laxus could see the way she was herding him, and was unsurprised when, after Bix jumped back to avoid a vicious attack by Blondie, he landed straight in a grouping of bright yellow dust. Within an instant, Ever ignited her Fairy Bomb.
When the dust cleared, Bix was sprawled on the ground, his helmet tousled. Evergreen plopped herself down, sitting on his stomach. "Now, now, Bix. Don't make this harder than it has to be."
"Ugh, why are all women so scary?!" Evergreen lifted herself an inch before dropping her full weight down. Bix let out an oomph, before groaning out a forfeit.
Laxus snorted as he stood and made his way over. Freed dropped the enchantments, and Laxus overheard Blondie speaking to Hitsugaya.
"I wish there was a way to ask before I summon you. I hate worrying that I'm pulling you away from something important."
"Are you able to control your rei- I mean your magical energy without releasing it?"
"Yeah. Guiding it is kind of an important part of controlling it." Hitsugaya nodded, and stepped close enough to grab Blondie's hand. Laxus noticed that the Thunder Legion was watching the interaction as closely as he was.
"Send a pulse down the bond then." Blondie paused for a moment, before Hitsugaya seemed to flinch after a moment. "Perhaps a little weaker." She smiled sheepishly, and something seemed to happen that ended with Blondie jumping back and staring at her hand.
"Wow, that feels weird." She frowned, looking at Hitsugaya in confusion. "But where is the connection centered for you? You don't have a tattoo on your hand."
Hitsugaya sighed, before stepping back. He pulled down the black cloak he wore, revealing his pale chest and the marking on it. A wide, simplistic golden star with an antique looking golden key inside it was tattooed over his heart. "I noticed it after you summoned me the second time. I would guess anyone else that you summon would gain the same thing."
"Woah." Blondie inspected the marking before smiling up at him. "Well, we're on our way to get what we think is the eleventh Captain's Key."
"Zaraki, eh?" Hitsugaya raised a brow. "Good luck then. As for the issue of summoning me when I'm busy, I'll work out a system based on the pulses of power we can send each other for communication. Summon me again in a day or two and I'll have it done."
"Alright, thank you Captain Hitsugaya." Blondie smiled brightly at him, before closing his Gate. She turned to Bix, a frown suddenly marring her face. "Sorry about the dolls. I didn't even think of the problem of replacing them."
"Nah, don't worry. I carry extras. 'Sides, while getting rid of my babies hurts me here," he placed a melodramatic hand over his heart, "It's a good strategy."
"Fascinating," Freed breathed, staring at the place Hitsugaya had just been. "I've heard that extreme magical power or connections can cause physical manifestations on the mage." He made a gesture to Bix, whose tattoo was hidden by his replaced helmet. "These shinigami must be on a completely different level, if their very connection to you leaves a mark."
Laxus rolled his neck, before heading towards the door. "Ponder whatever theory you're contemplating after we get on the road. You all have half an hour to shower before we eat and head out."
After showering and changing into combat boots, a short black skirt, and a pink crop top, Lucy joined Evergreen and the guys outside the hotel. Crocus was lively and full of people, but lacking the chaos from the Grand Magic Games of two months prior. Following a quick breakfast, they headed North, towards the Bosco boarder.
Over the day, Lucy found herself lost in thought. She had known she had gotten stronger over the past year, and her magical core was much larger than it had been when she'd joined Fairy Tail. Still, it was shocking to know that she was capable of fighting Freed and Bickslow and winning. Well, kind of. She was perfectly aware that they hadn't gone anywhere near all out, and she probably would've gotten taken out earlier had Evergreen not been helping her, but still. Toshiro was a huge help with that, but wasn't that the whole point of being a Celestial Mage? Her own power correlating to how powerful her Spirits were? The rules may be different with the shinigami, but if she wasn't strong, she wouldn't even be able to summon them. It did make her wonder though.
Normally, when she summoned a Spirit, there was the initial summoning cost- greater for Zodiac Spirits- and then a continual burden on her magic. The more spells they used while they were in her world, the more magic it cost her. But with Hitsugaya, a single huge drop in her magic when she first opened his Gate, and then nothing. Admittedly, she hadn't seen him use a spell, or what the equivalent for him would be, so that could change. Something to try the next time she summoned him for training.
Besides the introspect into her magic and new friend, Lucy also found herself contemplating her new traveling companions. Evergreen hadn't lied when she said that things were never boring. Freed asking her more details on her magic, Bix making tasteless jokes, Ever complaining of said jokes, Freed jumping in with a lecture on propriety, Laxus telling them all to be quiet, Bix saying "make me", Laxus sending a single bolt of lightning in front of Bix a half second before he stepped in that spot.
Lucy found herself laughing brightly, earning an over exaggerated pout from Bickslow.
"Aw, come on Cosplayer. Why you gotta laugh at me?"
"Because you deserved it for those jokes."
He jumped down from his floating platform, but seemed to decide walking on his feet was boring as he did a flip and landed on his hands. He lifted his head so Lucy, who was walking to his right, could see his face. Grinning, he said, "Do you know why it takes so long to make a blonde snowman? Because you have to hollow out the head." With a squawk, Lucy snapped her whip out, wrapping around Bickslow's hands and pulled. With his own yell, Bix tumbled to the ground. He was pouting again, but with a sudden knowing smirk he opened his mouth. "Three blondes walk-" before he could finish, there was the crack of lightning and Bix had a split second to roll out of the way of Laxus's attack.
"Watch it Bix. I would hate to put you out of commission before we were even a week in."
"I think that's a new record for Bix bringing Laxus to the end of his patience," Evergreen mused.
Lucy raised a brow and side-eyed Laxus. "With how often you call me Blondie, I was starting to think you had forgotten your own hair color."
"I was annoyed with his poor jokes, not the subject, Blondie."
Rolling her eyes, Lucy sighed loudly. "Whatever helps you sleep at night, Pikachu." Laxus snapped his head to look at her, eyes wide and brows raised. Bix snorted, before dropping to the ground with laughter. Evergreen and Freed didn't seem to understand what was so funny.
"S-she-" Bix guffawed, barely breathing. Lucy was distantly worried about his health when she noticed he was actually crying. "She called him Pikachu! HAHAHA!"
"Oookay," Evergreen turned to Lucy, who was blinking innocently up at Laxus's glare. "Care to explain?"
After another moment of their staring contest, Laxus looked away with a huff, pulling his Sound Pods up and turning away. Lucy chuckled, before turning to Evergreen and Freed. "There's this game, called Pokémon. It uses Lacrima that take advantage of illusionary magic so you can play. It's pretty rare and expensive though, so most don't know about it. I only saw it because a few travelling circuses have it. Basically, it lets you collect these pets that use different types of magic that you can battle against other creatures like them. Pikachu is a lightning creature." She smirked, unable to stop herself from picturing a side by side comparison of Laxus and a Pikachu. "It's small and looks cuddly, even if it doesn't have a disposition inclined to like humans."
Bix, finally in control of himself, caught up to them in a few long strides, throwing his arms over Freed and Ever's shoulders. "What she didn't tell you, is that Pikachu is a fan favorite that most consider 'an adorable travelling companion'." He snorted again, before calling out to where Laxus was walking ahead of them, "Hey, Boss! How have you even played Pokémon before?" There was no response, and Bix pouted as he dropped his entire weight onto the shoulders of his two teammates. "How mean!" Grunting, Freed pushed Bix off his shoulders while Ever slid away gracefully, letting him drop to the ground again.
"You know, how do you know what Pokémon is Bix?" Lucy wondered. She was actually surprised that anyone in this group had gotten the reference. She had once called Natsu Charmander and her entire team had stared at her in confusion. Unsurprising considering their pasts, but Lucy had expected a similar situation here. She was just so used to making jokes that only she got because of her significantly different background that she didn't even mind if no one understood her humor. It wasn't like it was a big deal, or anything, but it was a pleasant surprise that both Bickslow and Laxus understood the joke.
"Oh, I was born in a circus. We had an act that used Illusion Lacrima to replica certain Pokémon for entertainment."
"Really? How interesting. I haven't been to a circus since before my mom died." Lucy paused, considering how long ago that was. "Wow, this is another one of those times that the seven year time lock really messes me up. For me, it feels like it's been nearly fourteen years since I went to a circus, but I guess it's really been twenty-one." There was a moment of silence while they all absorbed that.
"We missed a lot, didn't we?" Evergreen said quietly. It wasn't that they didn't logically know that, but it could feel strange when they were reminded of it. The world had kept spinning while they were just… stuck. A queer sort of immortality, Lucy thought. Time that none of them would ever get back.
"I suppose that just means we'll have to make more memories," Lucy insisted, forcing cheer into the air. She couldn't go back and stop the time skip from happening, but she could make sure that they looked to the future instead of the past.
I'm sorry not much happened this chapter and I'm afraid the next few are pretty character heavy as well. Please comment! It gives me so much energy to write.
