Disclaimer: I do not own Fairy Tail or its characters; that right belongs to Hiro Mashima. Nor do I own Inuyasha or its characters; that right belongs to Rumiko Takahashi.
Lucy smiled as she gave a small nod of her head. The night had flown by. The natural hot springs had been fabulous; her skin was smooth and glowing still from it. And Virgo had supplied a cute, yet simple and plain yukata for her to wear since her normal clothes were not appropriate at all. Changing them was a simple concession, and she could always wear her shorts underneath for those 'just in case' moments.
The slight warmth of early morning sunlight danced across her face as she slipped into the meditative state Capricorn required of her. Images of returning to the small hut causing her heart to swell at how Rin had watched her fascinated as she braided her hair. Before Lucy had asked for permission to do the same for the girls, which led to said girl curled up and sleeping with her on the tatami mat that had been given. So cute looking, Lucy had hated to extract herself, but training came first.
With a deep breath as Capricorn droned on about posture and clearing her mind, Lucy let the world slip away from her. She was focusing on the containers inside of her and noting that they were filled to the brim. And that the magic no longer looks white with gold-laced in, now there was a soft pink hue. It even felt different to her, making her wonder just correctly the Shikon no tama was doing to her magic supply. With great care, Lucy pulled just small, minute amounts out of the two containers, forming them into little balls that she imagined were floating around her body.
A routine practice to help control the magic. Once she felt a gentle nudge from her spirit, Lucy began to expand each of the orbs. Feeling the flow, the magic as it was being pulled from her body was different. It was as if it had a mind of its own, as the amount increased on its own. It was leaving her to feel as if she was a small petal riding the torrent rapids of a river. Gasping as she tried to reign it in, Lucy felt not just Capricorn at the edges of her sense, but Leo, Virgo, Taurus, and all the other keys she had.
In the next instant, she heard herself screaming mentally as pain rippled through her body. Then the world around her was silent, awash in black, gold, white, pink, and oddly green. Sluggishly she forced her eyes to open. Blinking, Lucy saw the tops of the trees as the sunlight filtered through it. Struggling to sit up, Lucy felt as if there was a vice around her waist, a vice that got tighter the more she tried to move.
"You will cease movement, woman," a deep, cold voice growled at her.
The shivers that ran down her body as it complied as if it was being willed had Lucy moving her head only to get a good view of amber-colored eyes as they glared down at her. Only to realize a second later that there behind those amber eyes, was a dome of light that was encompassing her, with her spirits on the other side looking worriedly at her, along with the people she'd met the night before her — causing panic to well up in her chest as she opened her mouth to speak.
"I said do not move," again that voice sent shivers through her body. "What were you doing that produced this amount of power?"
The question was softly asked. It had been so quiet that Lucy almost didn't hear it. Shifting her gaze back to those amber eyes, Lucy felt her face heat. Realizing that she was exceptionally close to the speaker, stealing her voice away as she slammed her eyes shut. Trying to block out the image of their owner and the fact he was holding her. More so after being told that he didn't tolerate humans, except for Rin, near his person.
"You will answer me now, Woman," the voice snapped.
Frowning, Lucy took a deep breath in through her nose and let it hiss out between her lips as she gritted her teeth. "I have a name. If you want an answer, you will use it," she said back, doing her best to make her voice as polite as possible.
The pressure on her body gradually tightened, making her cringe as she opened her eyes and stared defiantly into the Amber eyes. She was letting her annoyance and anger show. The man... or rather male... was arrogant and pretentious. And if he thought she would bend over backward as a subservient female, he had another thing coming altogether.
A hiss of pain was heard as the barrier that was around them flashed as if in response to her. Narrowing her eyes, Lucy pursed her lips as those amber eyes took on a faint red tint. Letting her head fall back a bit, she saw a face that was not a perfectly schooled mask of indifference, no there was anger and something else flicking across the perfect porcelain skin as they fought to remain calm.
"I can say the same about you, woman," came the voice breaking through her thoughts once more. The red flashing dangerously at the edges of the amber pupils. "But, I will get my answers. Drop this barrier and tell me what you were doing."
Unable to stop herself, Lucy growled low in her throat. Making those Amber eyes widened just slightly before they narrowed further. Not sure why that face contorting into a slow smile until a voice broke the tension between them.
"Uh... Miss... Lucy... Rin wants to know if you... uh. can lower that glowing bubble you are making."
Blinking and gasping, Lucy turned her head as the fact that others surrounded them. Once more, her cheeks heated up as she lifted her hands and pushed at the male holding her. Lips were forming a thin line that had her hearing Virgo chuckling as Leo and Capricorn groan.
"I am not making that thing, so I have no clue, Rin, how to lower it," she stated in a calm, collected, and detached voice as she lifted her hand, curling it into a fist as she once more turned to meet that Amber gaze. "And I would be most appreciative of being let go. This is highly indecent for a man, let alone of the title 'Lord' to be holding me so close to their person. Especially if they have no intentions of wooing me."
The last words were bitten out with a sharp click of her teeth. Soon enough, the vice-like grip vanished from her person. Allowing Lucy to take a deep breath, she was not aware she needed it. Relaxing her hand, so it was no longer a fist, she shifted her person away. Only to feel her body brush up against that barrier of light. Furrowing her brow as a slight rumble came from the other person inside with her. It was amusing to them that she was not amused at how close they were though she was pretty sure that he not amused at being sequestered so close to her.
"That is why I asked what you were doing wom.."
At those words, she whipped her head around to look back at them, tilting her head up just a little bit and cutting the sentence off before they could finish. A low growl was coming from her again, this time louder as she let her eyes tell him that she would retaliate.
"I can answer that. I was having Miss Lucy meditate. To help train her magic for better control," came the smooth voice of Capricorn.
"Thank you, Capricorn," she replied without even thinking about it, her eyes never leaving that Amber gaze. She was locked in a battle of wills.
"Feh! You cannot be serious; you were just meditating and produced this amount of power? Do you have any fucking idea wench that you were putting yourself and everyone else in the village in danger? What are you stupid?" came Inuyasha's brash and smug voice.
She could feel the visible tic under one eye at his word. Calling her wench, then compounding it by asking if she was stupid. But it was the wave of guilt and shock that she had endangered others. Unbidden, the familiar burning of tears welling along the edges of her eyes as it kept sinking in further and further. She would never try to endanger anyone.
"Hime?" "Lucy?" "Princess?" came the voices, muffled by the barrier of her spirits. Making her shake her head, wishing the barrier was no longer there.
The need to be alone was strong at that instant. So when a collective gasp from all gathered was heard, Lucy felt her body being shifted until she was standing upright. Opening her teary eyes, she looked around her. The barrier was gone, but behind was nothing but the little or rather large-sized, floating orbs of her magic. With a deep breath, she called it back to her person. Watching as each one just blinked out of existence, only to feel exhaustion come crashing over her.
Pushing away from Sesshomaru, Lucy felt the world shift out from under her and already knowing that it was Magical Exhaustion. Lucy opened her mouth as familiar arms wrapped around her, lifting her. Raising her head, she smiled at Leo, who was looking at her, worry creasing his brow over his sunglasses. Though the tension in his body as he curled her towards him had her curious as she let her eyes flutter shut as she slipped into blissful oblivion.
He stared at the girl. She was intriguing. It was as simple as that. Even though she was human and beneath him. But something about her drew his attention. From the fact that she thought she could defend Rin against himself and with a whip no less. To the strange-smelling people or rather 'spirits' who kept popping out at random. They were fiercely loyal to her. As was proven last night as the orange-haired male, who smell of cat, had shown last night as his simple observation.
The gentleness she showed as well as her explanation of the fact she was once a noble's daughter. How she, like Kagome, drew people to her. A softer inner light. Though she showed a measure of respect to him, he had been taken by surprise, something not easily done, when he had watched as she sat down with the strange goat-man spirit for meditation to start and produce small balls of raw power, or as she called it magic.
He had watched from his spot in the forest shadows as her face completely relaxed. It was then that the small orbs grew in size rapidly. Something in him, instinct had him moving forward as if being drawn against his will. The moment he was within reaching distance of her, the Goat-man, Capricorn she called him, had warned him respectfully not to interfere. It was then that a familiar pink and holy energy burst from the orbs. Next thing he knew, he was shoved by an invisible force towards Lucy, who was unaware as her power swelled even further — lighting up the area like a beacon, inviting attack by those who would seek it.
He reached out to grab her and shake her. In that instant, he had found himself in a tiny barrier, holding her to his body. His senses were overwhelmed by her smell as he pressed her curves against his body. Each move she made caused his Youki to flare out at the holy power, and it was very uncomfortable. So the moment she seemed to come out of her meditative state, he gave her a warning.
The fact that she seemed to listen immediately made him glad. He didn't even want to think about why it made him happy. The look in her eyes in the next few minutes shifted through a variety of emotions before settling on, showing him she was annoyed with what he said. Forcing him to repeat his question while tightening his hold as the barrier flickered with her emotions. She is causing the fine hairs on his arms and back of his neck to stand up. Though he knew it was not under threat, it was apparent the girl had no clue.
Eventually, she replied, throwing his word into his face. And the way she growled, it had made him still. It was improbable that a human could even make that level of sound, let alone know what it meant — inciting him to feel even more annoyed, if not anger. Yet if she had answered his question, but only after Rin had asked it. He was having been aware of the others arriving from the village.
As he started to ask the girl again, he found the look she shot him stilled his word. It was frustrating. But he did his best to keep calm as the spirit spoke up. To which she immediately responded, rankling him further. Then his brother had just to speak up. His words were having an instant reaction from the girl, washing away his frustration as the smell of salt tinted the air in the barrier. Then it was gone, back to orbs, which were vanishing one at a time. Before she pushed away from him and stood up. Her skin paling rapidly as her body tilted to the side.
It impressed him how fast the cat-spirit moved to get her. The way she smiled at him before she passed out, Sesshomaru stood up and narrowed his eyes at the duo. There were so many questions that were still unanswered about this girl, traveler from another world. And he had thought the Miko Kagome had been bad enough. This girl was on a different level.
"I want answers, now!" he clipped out, earning a dark look from the cat-spirit.
"I think Brother Leo, that you should get hime back to the village to rest in the hut," came the soft voice of the pink-haired spirit.
Narrowing his eyes, Sesshomaru would not be denied. Stepping forward, he was stopped by a polite cough. Turning his attention towards it, he saw the Goat-spirit step forward a slight tilt of his horned head as he looked at him with respect and deference.
"I will do my best to answer any and all questions I am able. But be aware that I am limited as my Master is unconscious," his voice modulated and showing that he was polite only for the sake of propriety.
"That is fine," Sesshomaru said as he waved at the cat-spirit to lead the way, ignoring all others gathered there. He would have his answers one way or another because there would be many demons and humans soon coming to investigate the sudden flare of power and try and claim it. And he would not have something dangerous on his land without a good cause.
TBC!
