Former Arrangements
By Genavere
Chapter Five
Night encompassed the city of Magnolia, yet Natsu was still awake as he sat with his back against the headboard of his bed. It had been a purchase he made shortly after they had gotten back a year ago from the quest since a hammock was not the best to sleep in with two people. The money they had received from that quest had been more than enough for a bed Lucy had found acceptable and the rest had gone to the repairs, upkeep, and additions to the house bit by bit.
It had all been to be able to make the perfect place so the two of them, him and Happy, could finally ask Lucy to live with them. The plans they had been working out to make the request just right for their celestial mage had all been wasted, but at least they knew she was safe with them.
Brushing his hand through her blonde locks as she used his lap for a pillow, he frowned as he watched another tear stream over the edge of her nose and disappear on the other side. Since they had come home, no amount of reassurance or comfort brought a halt to them.
There were no sobs, no loud crying, just silent tears like a faucet with a steady drip. They prevailed even in her sleep.
He knew he would need to untangle himself from her soon so he could bring her a glass of water for when she woke up. They had been through this together too many times to know what the other needed, and the headache she would have from dehydration was one thing he knew he could help with. That, and he knew from the smell in the air that Erza, Gray, and Gajeel were sitting in the other room, likely discussing the events from earlier.
They needed to know what he had found from the apartment, even if it was not much or that it would solve anything. He growled. Whoever had been behind it had made Lucy cry, and that was a crime that deserved no mercy in his opinion. One way or another, he would burn the ones behind all of this, and bring back Michelle and the letters.
He glanced down at Happy, who was snuggled tight against Lucy's side, and finally decided it was time to get down to business. Carefully, he lifted her head from his lap and moved off the mattress. He grabbed the nearest pillow, tugged it under her head, and gently laid her down on it.
It concerned him when not even a whimper or sigh left her lips. The exhaustion she felt, mentally and physically, had to be heavy enough to keep her out cold.
He knew how important the letters were to her—how important anything that had to do with her mom was, and how deeply she loved Michelle. With them gone and no explanations on why, the loss and confusion to it all would not help her mentally. And they both knew they were both messed up in that regard already.
Rubbing his face, he pondered once again if they should talk to someone about what they were experiencing. There had to be someone who could help them deal with all the trauma that they went through over the last few years…no, he sighed, they needed someone to unwrap their whole fucked up lives.
They both feared abandonment, yet he had abandoned her.
They both lost their parents and family without any resolution.
Yet, he still managed to grow up in a family with the guild where she only had a portion of that with the servants that served her father. Maybe that was why he promised her they would be together forever, he mused as he brushed her hair from her face. To ensure she knew he would never leave her ever again, no matter what happened. They would be a family together, her, Happy, and himself.
He pressed a kiss to her forehead before he quietly left the room and shut the door behind him. Three pairs of eyes stared up at him, each eager for word on their friend laying on the other side.
No one said anything as he went to the kitchen and wordlessly filled a clean glass with water. They watched him take it back into the room, the door left open slightly until he came back out and shut it behind him with a gentle hand on it to dampen the noise. If it was strange for them to see their usually loud-mouth and boisterous teammate being solemn and subdued, none of them said a thing about it.
Finally, when he took a seat in the arm chair that Happy and him had found in an alleyway—something Lucy had been horrified about and demanded it be cleaned thoroughly before she would even go near it, he looked up at them. "She's resting."
He refused to say she was doing well or that she was 'fine' since they all knew that would be a lie. Lucy was strong, had taken down one of the Dragon Gods herself after all the rest of them had fallen. Not that her strength was power only, she fought for peace and would stand up against all of them, even Erza, if she felt there was a chance to win a fight without a single punch.
She was the exact opposite of him, which is why he felt they made a good team, along with their trust in each other.
"Hmm." Erza looked at him, calculating. All of them knew she wanted to ask the burning question they all had: What was with that panic attack Lucy had in the entryway of the apartment complex?
Lucy had told him about it when they had gotten to his—no, their home, he corrected himself mentally. It had brought another wave of tears and fear that they would know how broken they both were, that it would make their friends look at them differently.
That was a topic they would address when other matters were cleared up.
He threw a cocky grin on his face and set his clenched fists on fire. If there was one thing he was good at, it was deflecting situations he did not want to discuss. "I am ready to throw some punches at people's faces. Let's get going over what we know."
"Unfortunately, not much." Gray leaned back on the couch, thankfully still clothed, but that could have been due to having both Erza and Gajeel flanking him. "You said you couldn't smell anything in the apartment."
"Salamander couldn't smell anything?"
"That's what he said."
Gajeel shot Natsu an unbelieving look. "There had'ta be somethin'."
"There was something," he said, slowly. "It wasn't a normal scent. Nothing human or anything like that. I could only smell the magic on them, but it was really faint. I barely managed to catch it."
"That does not bode well," Erza frowned. "There are implications there that mean they know your ability to track scents, and they knew what to take from Lucy's to make the biggest impact. It is possible that this is a targeted stalking."
"As in there wouldn't be others also being stalked?" Gray looked up at the ceiling, not sure if he felt relief at the thought or not. It would mean that Juvia was safe from this, but not the woman he saw as a younger sister.
"Not necessarily." The requip mage leaned forward with her elbows on her knees. "Lucy mentioned that this had been happening for some time, but we do not know if this is someone new or who has been following her for years. It could be someone targeting Fairy Tail members, or women in general." Her brows furrowed in thought.
None of what they had found in the apartment had been useful at all in their investigation. The culprit had left nothing except the faint scent that Natsu had mentioned and the droplets on the handle. No shoe prints, no magical residue, no eyewitnesses, either. She had gone to all the neighbors, talked to the men who worked rivers, the local shop keeps, and anyone else who might have passed by.
Yet, they knew the timeframe. Between ten in the morning and three in the afternoon, a prime time that the city was full of people walking the streets, shopping, and working in the midday sun. Anything suspicious would have been noticed immediately.
"This makes no sense. Someone must have seen something!"
"Well, it was rainin' most of the day. Not many people bustin' their asses to do stuff outside." Gajeel looked at Erza and balked. "What's up with yer face? You sick or somethin'?"
They all turned to the red-head, shocked at her agonized look. It was a well-known look, one that spoke to her suddenly realizing something she should have before. And knowing her, it was no surprise when she berated herself.
"How could I have forgotten that it was raining!"
"Uh, Erza?" The Ice Wizard carefully reached out to put a hand on her shoulder. "Don't you remember being soaked after all your interrogations?"
"I barely thought of it, to be honest. After I saw how hurt Lucy was, it was all I could think about to try and find the person responsible."
To say they all understood her sentiment would have been an understatement. Lucy was a younger sister to most of them, but family to them all.
"I know exactly how that is." Natsu stood up from his chair and walked towards the kitchen table. The books Lucy and Happy had bought earlier had been placed there with little to no care after they got home. One of them was of Exceeds and he knew without a doubt that Lucy bought it for Happy. She was always doing things like that for both of them, even if she still threatened to Lucy Kick them when they teased her too far. Neither could help it, her reactions were priceless. Especially when they would break into her apartment and eat her food.
His jaw clenched.
Now her apartment, the place she had called home, was unsafe for her. Had someone watched them break in and took note, he wondered. No, then there would not have been the droplets on the handle and the door would have still been locked.
"To be honest, when I saw how little things had been touched in her apartment, I could not stop imagining what could have happened if she had come home while they were there." Nails bit into the palms of his hands, anger made his entire body shake.
"What if she had waited to tell us about this? Would she even still be here? If they took Michelle and her letters, they knew how precious they were. I have been wanting to burn this stalker guy to ashes since she told us about all this, but now…" His entire arm burst into flame and he snarled. "Whoever they are…if any of you try to stop me from destroying them, I will not hold back. She was almost taken from me once before. I won't allow anyone else to try!"
Only the sound of Natsu's flames filled the room. Each lost in their own thoughts and concerns of their friends.
"If what Shrimp told me is right, Bunny Girl is not quiet right in tha' head, so Salamander's right. We can't let her be taken or hurt." Gajeel stood up. His long legs stretched and crossed his arms over his chest. "And whatever you're all plannin', I want in. She's mine and Shrimp's friend, too."
Grey stood up, throwing his shirt over his shoulder and cracked his neck, finally feeling a bit comfortable. "Might have to change up our plans a bit, but I agree. Maybe get someone else who can transform into Lucy and use them as bait."
"I am sure Mira would be willing to help, and the Master would be willing to make sure none of us were harmed." Erza joined the rest of them standing and put a hand on her hip. "We will ensure Lucy remains safe and find the culprit who hurt her."
"And whoever gets to them first better finish them fast or they will have to share." Gray smirked.
Facing his guild mates, Natsu moved to stand next to them. All of them shared a knowing smile at him, their determination building higher to keep their precious family safe and sound. He grinned, a proper one compared to before, and slammed his fist into his palm. "Now we're fired up, nothing will stop us now!"
A/N - I will admit, this chapter was written a couple days ago. Though I don't spent a copious amount of time going over my fanfics, I do like going over them at least once. Work has been a living nightmare with the new corporation basically taking more and more from myself and my coworker in the front office that stayed on after the buyout. Trying to keep a positive attitude to focus on writing has been a challenge, and to edit is even worse.
But, another chapter is done and up! This is why I give myself a one week period of saying when updates are. Especially since I can go from days were I barely sleep to get things done to sleeping for 16+ hours, lol. Hope you all enjoy this one!