Chapter Twenty
Lucy was somber when she emerged from the room, which put Natsu immediately on edge. Levy tried to talk to her but she stopped when Lucy snapped at her. Both shared a look and left her alone. The next two stops were busts, and Lucy retreated back into the room each time.
"You have to do something." Levy said as she plopped down. Natsu turned and looked at her in confusion. "Lucy is upset and I can't get her to talk to me. You have to go in there and…"
"She doesn't want to be around me." He cut her off and shook his head. He sighed, resting his chin on his fists. "How can humans not believe in growlkins?"
"Because monogamy and faithfulness are rare here." Levy said and he looked over at her. "Too many people, male and female alike, cheat and lie and crave more than the person beside them. We write stories about growlkins and filmed movies about the idea. But in real life…it wasn't something we saw often."
"How did you all survive so long?"
"Same way as we have against the Draconics." Levy said and he lifted a brow and looked at her. "Sheer stubbornness."
Natsu gaffed and looked at the bluenette. She was concerned about Lucy. Her concern bled into her scent, and he sighed. He stood up and headed for the room Lucy was in. He stopped and looked back her. "If I'm not already out of there by the time we get to the next store; come get us. You may need to save me."
"You can do this Natsu." Levy said and gave him two thumbs up. He knocked on the door but Lucy didn't answer. He growled softly and the door slid open. He stepped inside.
"Lucy, I hope Natsu can help you get out of that funk." Levy whispered and she spun around and looked at the map. She saw all of the dots showing the other Dragis and their Magi-Hovers. Gajeel's was at the launching coordinates. She smiled and looked at the others. She hoped they all had safe travels. She looked down and sighed. Staring at the blank walls was boring. It was part of the reason she couldn't stand to stay in her little room. It was too sterile.
"I wish I could see outside."
"Exterior visibility enabled." A computerized voice said as the walls instantly switched to visibility. Her mouth fell open as the city sped by.
"Luce?" Natsu squatted down beside the cot and carefully shifted the blankets around. He found her hair and realized she was facing the wall. He resettled the blankets and turned, sitting down with his back to the cot.
"Go away." Lucy's voice was softly muffled.
"Can't. Levy said I had to come in here and do something. Get you out of this mood."
"Tell her you failed." She snarked and he gritted his teeth. He fisted his hands on the top of his thighs and leaned his head back. He looked around and realized that the walls weren't bare. The video file of Edolas was playing. His mouth slackened.
"Exceed Hallow."
"What?" Lucy's voice was soft and inquisitive.
"This area that's being shown. It's Exceed Hallow." He watched as fish jumped out of the river and splashed lazily. "Exceeds were winged cats that lived on our world. Many could even talk."
"Hmmm."
"Exceed Hallow was the entrance to their part of Edolas. They were very hard to spot. They left us alone and we left them alone. But every once in a while we'd trade with them. Or their kits would play with hatchlings."
"Uh huh." He rolled his head on the mattress. If he hadn't heard the hiccup he would have thought she was insulting him. He inhaled and smelt the salty residue of her tears. The scene changed. He inhaled sharply. He felt her roll on the cot.
"What's that?"
"The Rainbow Cherry Blossom garden." He reached toward the bright leaves and even more vibrant blossoms.
"They're beautiful." Her voice was awed.
"Dad used to take mom there three times a solar cycle." He closed his eyes. "She said it was the most magical place besides our forgette. Not sure why she thought that was magical."
"Because it's where she was with her family." Lucy whispered and Natsu slowly rolled his head and met her brown eyes, peeking out from the layers of blankets. There were tears in those eyes and it upset him. He turned, getting on his knees, but put his arms on the cot and rested his chin on his arms.
"There isn't magic in us that would be that special."
"It's not physical magic." Lucy shook her head. He only knew because the blankets shifted. "It's the everyday magic that made her happy."
"Everyday magic?"
"Hearing her kids laugh. Watching her growlkin be a father."
"What's wrong Lucy?" Natsu asked when her voice cracked not only on the word she didn't believe in but also on the word father.
"Your mother was beautiful."
"Yes…how do you know that?" He asked and she sniffed. "Lucy?"
"A.I., please show the other file." She whispered and then he heard a voice that he hadn't heard in a long time. At least not outside of his own memories. He whipped around and watched as his mother and father appeared on the file. He watched as his older brother swung between their arms.
"Where am I?" He asked and looked around the scene. He felt an arm wrap around his waist and he looked down, before he could turn, he felt her rest her head on his shoulder.
"You aren't born yet." She murmured and pointed to his mother. She was asking Zeref something. "See that look on her face?"
"Yeah, what about it?"
"She knows she's pregnant; that she's carrying a little hatchling for Zeref to love and protect." Natsu stared intently at his mother and realized that it was a knowing look. He inhaled sharply. He listened as Zeref shouted the name he'd give to his brother.
"I didn't know he named me." Natsu felt his throat tighten.
"You were loved before you were ever born." Lucy whispered and exhaled into the crook of his neck. He closed his eyes.
"Well Zeref," his mother's voice wrapped around him. "You are a lucky little Dragis. I just spoke with the healer in town…and I'll be having a hatchling soon enough."
"I'm gonna be a big bruvor?!" Zeref's voice was bright with excitement and Natsu heard his father inhale sharply.
"You are. And I think Natsu is a great name for a little Dragis."
"Change files." Lucy ordered when she couldn't take the shaking from Natsu anymore. She wrapped her arms around him and when he started to rock, she slid from the bed and wrapped herself around him even more.
"My family!" He cried and she felt the tears wetting her hands and sliding under the Scalut. She shifted and knelt in front of him and pulled him close. He wrapped his arms around her back and buried his face in her neck and she rubbed his back and ran a hand through his hair.
"I'm sorry." She whispered over and over and cried with him. She had debated not showing him the file but at the same time; she'd give anything to have a family video of her parents. She missed hearing their voices. "I'm so sorry. I'm here."
"Lucy." He cried and his arms tightened. She rubbed her chin along his hair and rubbed circles on the back of his neck. When his emotions wore down; she tugged and led him to the cot. She pushed him down and curled around him. He wrapped an arm around her and buried his other hand in her hair and pulled her head to his.
"I'm sorry I was acting bitchy. I saw the video and got so sad." She whispered. "And I got angry and confused."
"Luce." He murmured and rested his forehead to hers.
"I wish…"
"Shush." He silenced here and used the hand in her hair to bury her face in his throat. He rested his check on the top of her head. "You don't have to cry for me. I don't want you to hurt for me."
"Natsu."
"It's okay." He lied. "Just rest."
"Natsu." Her hands ran up and down his back and he moved to pull the blankets up around them. He inhaled deeply, the blankets a mix of his and her scents. He felt her shift, threading one of her legs between his as her hands pressed tightly against his back.
He couldn't believe there was a file with his family on it. And he didn't know what to do with the emotions welling up in him. He also felt badly for Lucy. She'd seen it and no doubt been torn about showing it to him. And that had to have been eating at her the entire day. He sighed into her hair. Her fingers flexed but her breathing was even.
"Oh…" Levy slowly backed away from the door and looked around. She went back up to the console. She blushed, thinking of the sight of Lucy and Natsu wrapped around one another in the cot. She had hoped they'd talk through whatever was bothering Lucy but she hadn't excepted…that. They had arrived at the store but she didn't want to disturb them. Natsu and Lucy both had shown signs of exhaustion early in the day and the stress of whatever was going on between them had only made it worse.
"Um…A.I.?" She felt stupid talking out loud. But she couldn't remember the exact symbols to press to try what she wanted to do.
"How may I assist?"
"Could you…connect me to another Magi-Hover?"
"We are not in close enough proximity to connect to another Magi-Hover." The voice droned slowly.
"Oh…We were closer to Gajeel earlier when Natsu spoke with him."
"I see. You wish to communication with another Magi-Hover. That I can assist with." The voice stated calmly. "Which Magi-Hover can I help you communicate with?"
"Gajeel's please?"
"The identification Gajeel does not compute."
"The Magi-Hover we communicated with earlier today?"
"Ahhh. G-888's Magi-Hover. Please hold." There was a slight hum before the sound ended.
"What do you want Pyro?" A gruff voice filled the quiet cabin.
"Natsu's asleep." Levy said and leaned on the console.
"Shrimp?"
"Stupid Gajeel. I shouldn't have reached out." Levy was about to ask the A.I. to end the transmission when she heard some clanging in the background of of Gajeel's side of the call.
"Don't go!" His voice was gruff and she lifted her arms and rested her chin on her closed fists. "You still there."
"For the moment."
"Sorry. Ya hate that word." He apologized and she nodded slowly. "Why ain't ya talking to blondie if Natsu is asleep?"
"Lucy is asleep too."
"Huh. Some workers. Sleeping on the job." He snarked and she tried not to grin. "We have worked but two of the three stores were busts. And Lucy got more upset as the day went on so I had Natsu go talk to her."
"I'm not sure if that was a good call." Gajeel sighed and she raised a brow.
"Why not?"
"I heard from Laxus that yer friend ain't keen on being Natsu's growlkin. So pushing him at her isn't gonna keep things calm."
"Oh I didn't think of that." Levy put her hands on her face. "I just knew that she was upset and she wasn't wanting to talk to me."
"We got lucky that she got him out of the mental stasis he fell in the other night. But I don't know if she'll be able to do that a second time." Gajeel said and Levy nodded. She had heard the whispers of the Dragis and knew that it was a surprise that she'd pulled him out of it at all.
"So, should I wake them up?"
"Don't see why not. It's not like they're in a nest."
"A nest?"
"Dragis, especially Dragis males, tend to make nests of the softest materials and then get their growlkins in the nest and they….do what nature calls for."
"Oooh." Levy gasped and felt her face flame. She bit her lip.
"Oh?" He repeated slowly. Then she heard him groan. "Oh…no."
"Yeah…they might already be in a nest."
"Might?"
"Totally are." She admitted and she heard a grinding sound and flinched.
"That idiot. He's going to fall into another stasis when she walks away."
"She might not." Levy tried to defend her friend. She believed that she cared for Natsu. Especially considering how close they looked in the room.
"Please." Gajeel scoffed. "No one would blame her for running let alone walking away. Natsu went about everything the wrong way. He didn't even give her a chance to refuse the Scalut."
"He just knew who he wanted. There's nothing wrong with having confidence in a decision."
"So if a Dragis just swooped in, when ya didn't understand us, gave you a suit that bound ya to 'em; you wouldn't want to run the other way when ya found out?"
"Uh…"
"Exactly." Gajeel sighed again. "So what are ya doing right now?"
"Sitting bored in the Magi-Hover. Debating going into the store. We're out front of it."
"Ya ain't stepping foot outta that Magi-Hover alone!"
"You aren't the boss of me!" Levy snorted in outrage.
"Now listen here Shorty!"
"End transmission. Please!" She ordered and the A.I. hummed as it cut off Gajeel's angry growls. She spun around and tapped her foot on the floor. She headed to where the door was and looked at it.
"Please open the door."
"You are not authorized to leave the Magi-Hover." The A.I. stated and Levy rolled her eyes.
"You are not authorized to hold me hostage."
"That is…" The A.I. seemed to hesitate. "Accurate. I am not authorized to detain you. But as you are not an authorized user of this Magi-Hover; if you leave, I cannot let you in if you change your mind. Only in the presence of N-777 or NL-777 can you be let in."
"That's fine." Levy huffed and the door opened. She grabbed her bag and leapt out and headed up the short bit of sidewalk to the store.