"speaking"
"thinking"
On with the story
A week passed since the Tag Magic Duel, and things been peaceful for Natsu
At school, it was P.E and time to exercise
"hey, Natsu..are you really serious of keeping this up? a slave? A seven empress of all people?" Lucy asked Natsu who was doing some sit up with her sitting on top of his back
"I told her that if she wants her friend's freedom, I'm open to a challenge, anytime, anywhere" Natsu said pushing himself up and then down before stopping as he done the exercise "and besides…."
Natsu stands up before he rolled his shoulder around "it'd be a good lesson for her"
"what lesson?" Lucy asked
"never underestimate anyone especially friends" Natsu said cracking his neck "oh yeah, you should go on a diet, your body weight got increased since last week"
"YOU DON'T HAVE TO SAY IT OUTLOUD!" Lucy screamed while blushing in embarrassment
Natsu and Lucy were now running on the track with the others as it was 5 minute run on a 4 km track field
"come on! A healthy mage needs a fit body!" the PE teacher shouted while running beside as she blew her whistle in a tempo "hussle it!"
"yes!" Lucy and the girls exclaimed while Natsu, he just reads his book as he runs
As the class did their P.E. Kagura was watching from her classroom as she watched Natsu from there
"Natsu…" Kagura clenched her pencil before breaking it into two "..Dragneel!"
School was then over as Natsu was at the field with Lucy and Mira, continuing on her training
Natsu threw stone pebbles at Mira who was blindfolded as she tilts her head down, before rolling back and then swings her hand to the side, dodging and deflecting the incoming stone pebbles
"good..you're sensing without even thinking" Natsu said before he held up six stone pebbles as they instantly burn into flames "it's time to increase your training"
Natsu swings his hand back before throwing the flaming pebbles at Mira who instantly did a side flip and then a kicking swing as she dodged and deflected the flaming pebbles
"tcch!" Mira grunted a bit as the flaming pebbles had made contact with her leg and caused a small burn on her skin "that's hot!"
"don't stop moving!" Natsu shouted before he rapid fire the flaming pebbles at Mira
Mira started jumping, backflipping, deflecting all of the incoming attacks but she couldn't defend it all
"gaah!" she shouted in pain as multiple flaming pebbles hit her abdomen hard and sends her crashing back
"Mira-san!" Lucy went to Mira as she helps her up
"I'm alright!" Mira said wincing a bit as she sat up before looking to her abdomen and saw some burn wounds on it "man, you throw hard"
"you asked for it remember?" Natsu said "take 5"
Natsu walks away as he grabs the empty basket to get more pebbles
Lucy gets a medical kit as she applied some lotion on Mira's burn wounds
"he isn't holding back, is he?" Mira asked hissing a bit at the cold sensation to her burn wounds "gosh, this burn!"
"just stay still" Lucy said getting some band aid out before applying some on Mira's abdomen "there, all done"
"thanks" Mira said standing back up before wobbling a bit but managed to catch herself "man, never felt this tired since the festival"
"festival?" Lucy asked
"oh yeah, you freshmen don't know yet" Mira said "every year, the school hosts a festival, this festival will determine the new possible candidates of the Seven Empresses."
"oh, and you participated last year?" Lucy asked
"yup, me, Red head, and Kagura" Mira said "the three of us turned the entire field into a slaughter fest"
"i-I see" Lucy said with a sweatdrop
"you should join, you can get to be a candidate empress" Mira said
"no thanks, I prefer to be alive in my teenage age" Lucy said
"your loss" Mira said before they heard a loud explosion
"what was that?!" Lucy said in surprise before Mira went to the sound of the explosion "wait for me!"
Going to the back corner of the school, Mira and Lucy finds Natsu holding Kagura's Fugutaiten while the latter was on the ground
"give…it back! That sword…" Kagura grunted as she tried to get up but failed
"my my, too eager to fight yet too eager to lose so easy" Natsu said holding her sword "did you think that a mere week's training can increase your power to be in the same level as me? sorry but you're 100 years too early to go up against me"
"i..haven't loss…yet!" Kagura exclaimed getting up, only to fall down on her knee
"what happened here?" Mira asked approaching Natsu with Lucy behind
"hmm?" Natsu looks behind and sees them as he shrugs his shoulder "was getting some pebbles before miss White Ribbon here came jumping down with her sword above her head"
"give my sword….back!" Kagura exclaimed standing back up
"what did you do to her, to make her this exhausted?" Lucy asked looking a bit worried to Kagura's condition
"dunno" Natsu shrugs his shoulder "she was like that when she came at me like a rabid dog, I just did a small flick to her forehead and she was down already"
Kagura huffs her breathing before she charged towards Natsu
"aaaahhh!" Kagura let out a battle cry before Natsu knocked her out with her own sword "guh!"
Kagura fell down as Natsu caught her in his left arm
"wow" Mira said a bit surprised in Kagura's easy defeat
Natsu looks at Kagura before noticing vein marks appearing around her neck
"this is?" Natsu said
Kagura was brought to the medical room as she was resting on the bed while the school nurse was checking on her
"this is highly unusual" the nurse said checking on the vein marks on Kagura's neck "her magic container is overflowing and ethernano particles are pumping into her blood circulation."
"what does it mean, Nurse?" Mira asked
"it means that her magic is overflowing too much for her magic container to handle" the nurse explained before getting a syringe and a bottle "normally, excess magic power would disperse if the magic container is full, but hers isn't. it's like there's something inside that's making her container gather more magic particles than the regular basis"
"is it curable?" Lucy asked
"it is" the nurse replied taking the syringe that is filled with yellow liquid and pressed out a bit as it was squirted out "this will help her container disperse the excess magic power, but I suggest that she rest for the entire day tomorrow..too much movement will cause her magic container to keep on gathering magic power"
She injected the syringe to Kagura's arm as she pushes in the liquid into her vein
"there" the nurse said before taking out the syringe and place a band aid on the small hole "she's good now"
Three knocks were heard from the door as it slides open and a man came in
"excuse me, is Kagura here?" he asked as the nurse nodded before pointing to the bed, Kagura was on "thank you"
The man went to Kagura as he checks on her with a worried look
"who's he?" Lucy whispered to Mira
"he's Simon Mikazuchi, Kagura's big brother" Mira replied as Simon carried Kagura on his back
"you must be the one who brought her here" Simon said looking at Natsu before doing a small bow "thank you"
"it's nothing" Natsu said "did she take anything today? A medicine or something?"
"no, she's been healthy since we were kids, and never had any problem before" Simon said
Natsu crossed his hands as he looks at Kagura
"if you excuse me" Simon said as he exited the nurse room and closed the door
"what are you thinking?" Mira asked Natsu
"I'm thinking that she took something into her body" Natsu said "don't know what it is yet, but it could be some magic doping or a magic boosting drug"
"are you serious? Kagura is always the type to train hard to become strong, taking drug ain't her way" Mira said
"probably" Natsu said "but decisions might change in desperate times"
Natsu was walking in the town's street as he was carrying a plastic filled with cat food
He munches on a kebab as he ate the meat before throwing the stick to a trash can
"the old man's kebab sure taste as good as yours, Igneel" Natsu said with a small smile before he saw Kagura walking ahead of him "she already recovered?"
He then saw Kagura heading into an alleyway as this made him suspicious
Kagura entered the dark alley as there was nothing but trash and trash everywhere
"I came for more" she said as a figure in a black robe appeared out of nowhere "I want more"
"is that so?" the robed figure said before a hand came out with a bottle of glowing purple pills "I have something that might be more potent in giving strength"
"I'll take it" Kagura said before throwing a stack of cash to the ground "every single one"
"very well, but.." the robed figure said as the stack of cash floated towards him and it flips the money around "this is only enough for ten pills only"
"fine" Kagura said as she reached into her bag but was stopped by the figure who raised a hand to her
"not cash…but I desire from you is something much more valuable" the robed figure said pointing at Kagura's skirt
"forget it!" Kagura exclaimed with a blush
"my my, then only ten pills then" the robed figure said as he had a separate bottle filled with the ten glowing purple pills
"wait! is there anything else for trade?" Kagura said as she wanted the whole bottle
"there is only that" the robed figure said pointing at Kagura "you are the one who came to me, asking for strength, and you are the one who spoke that you would give me anything that I desire for it..am I wrong?"
Kagura gritted her teeth and clenched her fists tight
"to defeat him!" Kagura thought as an image of Natsu appearing in her mind "fine!"
"good.." the robed figure said "I shall give you what you desire but first.."
Two figures appeared behind Kagura before one of them grabs a hold of her while the other placed a napkin to her mouth
Kagura screamed before her eyes shut closed and her body went limp
"I must have what I desire" the robed figure said with a chuckle before taking off his hood to reveal his face
His name is Jose Porla
A drug dealer mage, he trades cash for illegal magic drugs that boosts a mage's power tenfold but at the price of insanity and own destruction
"a very fine girl, she is" Jose said before licking his lips "I can't wait to taste her"
Kagura slowly wakes up as the first thing she sees it a dirty ground that has roaches running around
She instantly tried to get up but her hands were chained to the wall and her mouth was gagged with the addition of her clothes gone, only her underwear was left.
"welcome" a voice spoke as Kagura looks up and sees Jose smirking down at her "to my resident"
Kagura screamed but the gag in her mouth prevents her from doing it
"my my, don't be so angry, you will have what you want" Jose said standing up with a needle in his hand "but first…I must get what I want"
Kagura saw the needle as it had glowing pink liquid in it
She instantly started yelling as she tried to break free but the chains were clasped tight on her wrists
"yes struggle more…..i love seeing girls like you struggle before our little play" Jose said with a chuckle as he squirted out the pink liquid out of the syringe
Kagura screams as she tried to get away from Jose and the syringe
"now now, this will only hurt a bit" Jose said pointing the syringe at Kagura's neck "but you'll feel good afterword"
Kagura screams louder as she started to tear up
"here we go…." Jose said as the syringe got closer to Kagura's skin before a hand grabbed the syringe and destroys it
"what?!" Jose exclaimed before getting a flaming punch to the face "bugaaah!"
He was sent flying to the wall as his head went right through it
Kagura saw Jose fly away before looking to the one who had saved her
It was Natsu, and the man had a bored look before looking at Kagura
"I'm feeling rather disappointed to see a mage would use drugs to get stronger" Natsu said as he breaks the chains off of her wrists before taking off the gag in her mouth "I wonder what your brother would say when he finds out about this"
"No! please! Don't' tell Simon!" Kagura exclaimed as she tugs on his pants and started begging in tears "please! Not Simon! He can't know!"
"why? Is it because of guilt? Or is it because you like doing things like this?" Natsu asked looking at her "tell me the reason and I might consider not telling him"
"no! this is because! This is because!" Kagura exclaimed as she tried to answer him
"because? Because of what?" Natsu asked again
"because….because I wanted to get stronger!" Kagura exclaimed in tears "I wanted to get stronger! Just like Erza!"
"and you do that by taking magic boosting drugs?" Natsu said holding the bottle of glowing magic pills "sorry to break it to you, but these things are merely Pheromonic aphrodisiac. These things are just going to make you as crazy as a rabbit in heat"
He threw away the bottle as it shatters into pieces
"you could never understand….could you" Kagura said "you will never understand my struggles!"
"enlighten me" Natsu said looking at her
"I trained for years! I trained for years to become strong! But you didn't! you didn't do anything to become strong!" Kagura shouted as tears started to drop down her eyes "I wanted to be at Erza's side! To be as strong as her! That's why I want to become strong! To not pull her down!"
"and do you think of yourself being weak? Is that also the reason?" Natsu asked
"I thought that I was already strong….that is until you came" Kagura said "I couldn't defeat you nor could I make Erza proud! I let her down! I'm a disappointment to her!"
"do you think that's what she thinks of you?" Natsu said kneeling down in front of her before looking to the side "do you? Erza?"
Erza appeared as Kagura was shocked to her appearance
"I'm not" Erza said
"Erza…why are you…" Kagura said in shock
"I've been following you since last week.." Erza said "I know about the drugs..i know that you've been taking them"
"no! it's not!" Kagura exclaimed
"it's not what?" Natsu said looking at her "telling the truth would make the pain go away faster than lying"
"Kagura…" Erza went to Kagura and kneeled down in front of her "..i don't care about you taking the magic drugs or not…..i only care is that you're alright..that's all"
"but i.." Kagura said but Erza stopped her
"you may not know this…but Simon already know of it as well" Erza said surprising Kagura "and neither him nor I told him, he knew because he is your brother"
Kagura started to tear up even more as her tears keep on falling more and more
"I'll go with you to meet Simon, but you need to tell him the truth, alright?" Erza said with a gentle smile "can you promise me that?"
"y-yes….yes" Kagura cried out while nodding in tears before being pulled into a hug by Erza
Natsu looks to them and a small smile appeared before he put his attention to Jose who had regained consciousness and was making a get away
"and where do you think you're going?" Natsu asked causing Jose to freeze in his spot
Natsu cracked his knuckles before a ball of fire appeared in his hand
"AAAAAaaaah!" Jose screams before a torrent of flames came flying at him
BOOM!
After sending Jose and his goons to prison, Erza and Kagura went to her home where Simon was waiting on them
Kagura told her brother of what she's done and awaited her punishment but it never came as Simon only cared that she was safe and that was that
2 weeks soon passed as we now we bring our attention to Natsu who was going to school with Lucy and Mira behind
"so? Is Kagura-senpai doing fine?" Lucy asked Mira
"yup, turns out the so called drug, she thought she took was just some expired protein pills. The police cleared her and send the drug goons to jail for a long long time" Mira said
"thank goodness" Lucy said before seeing Natsu stopped "what's wrong?"
In front of Natsu was Kagura but she was looking nervous as she holds a pink towel wrapped box in her hands
"what is it?" Natsu asked closing his book and looks at her
"u-um.." Kagura muttered out before she gulped nervously as she hands the wrapped up box towards Natsu
"h-here!" Kagura said with a stutter
"and this is?" Natsu asked while raising an eyebrow
"i-I made too much for lunch today and i….it's for you!" Kagura said before running away
"I see…" Natsu said looking at the wrapped up box in his hand
"oya oya" Lucy said with a cheeky grin "a wrapped up box in a pink towel, means just one thing"
"and that is?" Natsu asked while opening the wrapped up box and finds it to be a bento box
"I knew it!" Lucy said as Natsu opened the bento and sees homemade meals with the rice having a heart on it
"Kagura! You sneaky little rabbit!" Mira gritted her teeth in anger as she was holding behind her back, a similar homemade bento box
Natsu looks at the dish as he bites some of the fried chicken meat
"not bad" Natsu said before wrapping the box up and heads to class
"ah! Wait for us!" Lucy exclaimed as she and Mira catches up with Natsu
That's a wrap!
Bye bye
