Notes: This chapter and the coming chapters are going to see the story take some darker turns. I had already stated earlier that this story will be dark. Coming chapters will be even darker in some ways. I'm just warning readers so they know what to expect. Unfortunately, this site doesn't have a detailed tagging system, so I couldn't really include stuff about content upfront. Just know its possible some people might be put off or upset by certain things in coming chapters. That being said, I don't intend for this story to become overwhelmingly dark. There will still be lighter elements.
Natsu sat in bed, watching Lisanna sleep. He had woken up a short time earlier, just as the sun was coming in through the window. He was naked under the bedsheet, as was Lisanna. They had slept together for the first time the night before. It was not only their first time together, it was also Natsu's first time in general. The same was true of Lisanna. They had given themselves to each other. Not in a blind fit of passion (although it was certainly passionate), but as an expression of their love for each other. Love they had both been afraid to express for too long. Natsu was still confused about some things. There were still some big questions he wasn't ready to answer. But he at least knew one thing for sure: he loved Lisanna. More than that, he was in love with her. She made him feel things that he had never felt before in his life. Things he didn't even know he was capable of feeling. He looked down at her sleeping form.
She slept soundly, but occasionally fidgeted in her sleep. Maybe having a dream. Natsu wanted to help her, protect her. She had been hurt a lot. On the other hand, she had also done things he never would have expected from her. She surprised him, and impressed him. He felt proud of her for coming as far as she had. She had even protected him once or twice. He decided right there that whatever happened, they would face it together.
He again looked down at her. Her hair was disheveled from sleep. He put his hand on her shoulder and stroked her, feeling her cool skin in his hand. He then ran his hand through her short, white hair, caressing her. Her eyes fluttered, and then opened, and she slowly looked up at him.
"Morning." He said.
She blinked. Then, she smiled.
"Morning, Natsu." She replied. She yawned, and stretched a little while still laying in bed. As she stretched on her back, the sheet fell beneath her breasts, leaving them bare. Instinctually Lisanna abruptly grabbed for the sheet to cover herself, but then remembered there was no need for that. She chuckled and pushed the sheet aside. She sat up in bed next to Natsu, leaving only their legs covered.
"That was really something last night, huh?" Lisanna said, a mixture of sincerity and nervousness. She couldn't help blushing a little. Not because they were naked, but more because she felt a little embarrassed at how enthusiastic she had gotten at times. Of course, Natsu had been pretty into it too.
"Yeah, it was… something else." He said. He showed a sort of dopey grin. From looking at him, Lisanna also got the impression that he was making an effort not to stare at her chest. Which she appreciated, although she was half tempted to be mischievous and stick her chest out at him to test his willpower. She was too nice for that though, and instead just casually folded her arms over her chest, covering her nipples. Natsu seemed to relax a little.
"I guess we should get dressed." She said. Natsu nodded. They got out of bed and began putting on their clothes.
"So Natsu…" Lisanna said, now half dressed. "What do we do now? I mean, about Bosco, and Boudica, and Alrace, and… everything."
Natsu was silent for a moment. He sat on the bed, mostly dressed, his back to her. "We just take things as they come. We got this far, so we'll find a way to do that other stuff together too."
"Yeah." Lisanna said quietly. Natsu then turned around to face her.
"So, what were you dreaming about?" he asked.
"Dreaming?" she said.
"Yeah. It looked like you were having a bad dream earlier. And not for the first time."
"It's nothing." She said quietly.
Natsu sat for a minute. "Is it about Alrace?"
"…Yeah. Him. And other things."
"If you don't want to talk about it, that's fine." He said. "Its just that… Looking back, maybe it would have helped if I had talked to someone about stuff. I mean, not everything but, you know, some things."
Natsu suddenly got quiet, and finished getting dressed. Lisanna sat there for a moment, and then nodded. "Okay." She said. "I'll tell you." Natsu turned and looked at her.
"I killed someone, Natsu." She said. "It was in the heat of battle, I guess. But I don't think I had to kill him. He was a few years younger than me, I think. I still think about it a lot. I saw a lot of other people die that day too. It was when I went with Boudica and the others to attack that town. We freed slaves, so I guess we did do some good there. But… there was so much killing." Lisanna took a deep breath, and then resumed speaking.
"Then there's Alrace. I might have gotten him killed too. I wish I at least knew what happened to him. Is he alive? I don't know…" She was silent after that.
"Is there anything else?" Natsu asked. Lisanna laughed bitterly.
"Of course there is. There's a lot. But that's about all I'm willing to talk about right now. Maybe someday I'll get to the rest."
Natsu got up from the bed, walked around to the other side, and sat next to Lisanna. They both looked at the wall rather than each other.
"Lisanna, that guy, the one you killed… I don't think you should beat yourself up over that." He said. "I know I wasn't there, but it sounds like something that a lot of people would have done. Hell, if I had been there I probably would have killed someone."
"You don't know that." Lisanna said.
"I know I'd be willing to kill someone if I had a good reason. I almost did before." Natsu didn't clarify, but Lisanna knew what he meant.
"I hope you never do. It feels awful."
Natsu took a deep breath. "This isn't over yet. You know that. There's no telling what we might have to do. I just want you to be prepared."
"…Yeah." Lisanna said quietly. Natsu got up from the bed, and went to grab something.
"Natsu?" Lisanna said. He turned again. "What about you?" she asked.
"What do you mean?" he said.
"You said you should have talked to someone. Now's your chance."
"That was then. Talking about it now won't-"
"I still think it could help." She said. "Do you want to talk about Erza?" She didn't know how Natsu would react to that. He tilted his head a little.
"Erza… is dead." He said. "I couldn't save her. I couldn't save her at the Tower of Heaven, and I couldn't save her in all that time I was in Bosco. I failed her, and I'll just have to live with that. There's nothing else to say."
Lisanna's expression became one of great concern. "Natsu, no. You shouldn't feel-"
There was a sudden knock on the door. Lisanna turned. "Who is it?" she said. She then remembered that she was in Natsu's room. People would probably be asking questions about what she was doing in there. Should I care about that? Does it matter if people know? Its not like we did anything wrong.
"It's me Lisanna." Mirajane said on the other side of the door. "I'm sorry to interrupt, but Master Makarov is holding a meeting, and he wants you there right away. You too, Natsu."
Before Lisanna could respond, she heard Mirajane's footsteps moving away. Lisanna stood up, and she and Natsu met each other's gaze. They suddenly smiled.
"We're officially boyfriend and girlfriend now, aren't we?" Lisanna said.
"Yeah, we are." Natsu said. He held her hand. "We'll get through all this stuff, together." Lisanna nodded. She intended to finish the talk they were having at some later point, but for now she let it rest. They both walked out of the room together, to join the rest of the guild.
Lisanna and Natsu went out to the meeting being held in the main hall. Much of the guild was there, with Makarov up on stage. Several people turned when Lisanna and Natsu entered the room together. It seemed like people had been waiting for them to start. The two of them exchanged a glance. They held hands and strode forward, finding a place to listen to the master together. Most people were standing for this, so they did likewise.
Now that everyone was settled, Makarov looked out over the gathered crowd, and started to speak.
"Fairy Tail, it's good to see you all here. As you know, there are some important things I need to talk to you about today. I'm not going to waste time on small talk. Let's get to the point."
Makarov stepped a little closer, and spoke a little louder so everyone could hear. "We've been trying to come up with a plan to counter our enemies from Bosco. And I think we finally have it. First of all, we've been in contact with Lamia Scale, and I've gone to meet with their master personally. We've worked out a deal, and they've agreed to send a team into Bosco to scout around, and find a method of attack for us. With luck, they can help us get past the border undetected, and we can finally settle this. Maybe they can even do some damage themselves along the way. Whatever helps. At any rate, they're still getting things ready and won't be heading for Bosco immediately, so there's still time to work out the details."
"Master, do you really think it's a good idea to put all our eggs in one basket with Lamia Scale?" It was Gray who said this. "I mean, shouldn't we be doing something ourselves, instead of just waiting around for them and hoping they pull this off?"
Makarov sighed. "Yes Gray, thank you for asking." He said this with mild irritation. "If you had let me finish, then you would realize that I'm not betting everything on Lamia Scale. I do in fact have a second plan. As you all know very well, the magic council has given us trouble lately. Its made things difficult for us. Difficult to even travel from place to place. This is a big handicap, and I think its time to put an end to that. So, that's why I've decided to contact the magic council and see if we can work something out."
"You're going back to the magic council?" Levy said. "Are you sure that's a good idea? It seemed like they were pretty set on the whole not helping us thing."
"Yes well, I'm hoping I can change their minds." Makarov said. "I'll try to make some kind of deal with them if at all possible."
"I don't like the idea of kowtowing to them after everything that's happened." Gajeel said. "They haven't done a damn thing to help us, and in some cases hurt us."
"We could use the help though." Evergreen said. "Fairy Tail is not in the best shape right now. I hate to say it, but beggars can't be choosers."
"Maybe wait to hear what they have to say before we start debating this." Makarov said. "Hopefully at least one of these plans will work. At any rate, somehow, we'll get them, soon. But that's all there is for now."
As he said this, the mages started dispersing. "Actually, there is one more thing." He said. "Natsu, Lisanna." He looked directly at them as he said this. "I want to speak with you two privately, right now. There are some things we need to talk about, I'm sure you'll agree."
A short time later, Natsu and Lisanna were in Makarov's office. Mirajane was there as well. Makarov sat at his desk with Mirajane standing off to the side. Natsu stood opposite them with his arms folded, while Lisanna stood next to him. Lisanna looked to Mirajane. Mirajane made eye contact with her sister, but didn't give away anything obvious with her face. Makarov leaned forward on his desk, and looked at Natsu and Lisanna in turn.
"So, here we are." Makarov said. "We finally have a chance to talk. I would have done this sooner, but I decided to give you some time to get settled back in and recover after everything that's happened. I hope you appreciate how nice I can be. Especially you, Natsu." Makarov looked directly at Natsu as he said this. Natsu returned his gaze, but said nothing.
"Nothing to say?" Makarov said. Lisanna put a hand on Natsu's shoulder, and gave him a subtle look. Natsu sighed.
"Thanks. For everything." He said. "I know I screwed up."
"Now that's an understatement." Makarov said. "You've disobeyed me before, and gone behind my back before. But it usually worked out in the end, so I mostly let it slide. But this time…"
"I had my reasons." Natsu said.
"Yes, your reasons." Makarov said. "I think it's time we finally talk about that. I'd like you to explain everything that happened. Tell me what's been going on these past several months. And you too, Lisanna. I want to hear from both of you. Leave nothing out."
"That could take a while." Lisanna said.
"We have time." Mirajane said. "The master and I made sure to clear our schedules just for you. I know this is difficult to talk about, Lisanna. But I'm afraid that we need to know everything. We need to know so that we know how to help you. And also, for the sake of the guild. Any information you have could help in our fight."
"And to be frank, that information will also help us determine how to handle you going forward." Makarov said. "What kind of restrictions we might need to place on you. And how you might be able to help us. Or hinder us."
Lisanna and Natsu exchanged a glance. Lisanna squeezed his hand.
"I'm sorry, but under the circumstances this is just how things need to be." Mirajane said. "At least for now."
"I understand, Mira." Lisanna said. "I'll do what I can to help." She looked at Natsu to see what he would say. He looked unhappy. He had looked that way often lately. He did seem to ease up earlier when they were alone together. But now he was back to being maudlin.
"Yeah, I'll help." He said. "I have to."
"You're damn right." Makarov said. "Now, start from the beginning. How did you first discover your 'friends' from Bosco? Or did they discover you?"
After a brief pause, Natsu began telling the story of everything that had happened. The book, Natsu's departure, Lisanna's resurrection. Since Lisanna had read Natsu's journal she was able to fill in some parts that Natsu had forgotten. Natsu continued explaining what had happened during their time in Bosco. At some points Natsu would stop talking, maybe to collect his thoughts, or maybe for some other reason. At these points Lisanna would start talking about her own experiences there when Natsu wasn't around. Her conversations with Boudica. The battle at Catena. Alrace. After a while, Lisanna found it hard to continue talking, since talking about these things was making her emotional. She tried to push past those feelings. She knew it was important to convey what had happened, and getting weepy about it wouldn't help anything. Nonetheless, she still needed a minute.
As Lisanna fell silent, Natsu started talking about how they had escaped. The plan they made, and their abandoning Alrace. He glanced at Lisanna as he talked about this, and she just nodded. Together, they took turns talking about their crossing the border and return to Fairy Tail. All told, telling this whole story took a couple of hours, with barely a break at all. They told Makarov and Mirajane most of what had happened, leaving out only a few private details.
"Is that everything then?" Makarov said.
"Yeah, I think so." Lisanna said. She and Natsu once again held hands.
At this point Mirajane stepped forward. "Natsu, I just want you to know that I'm very grateful to you for bringing Lisanna back. I may not agree with the way you went about it, but… I'm just glad she's here. Having said that, I hope you realize that you can't bring Erza back. I want her back. We all do. But the cost would be too great, even if it were still possible."
"I know." Natsu said. He closed his eyes. "Don't worry, I'm not going to do anything else about that. I know she's… she's gone." He said this last part quietly and sadly. He sounded defeated. It hurt Lisanna to see him like that.
"That's good to hear." Makarov said. "We are still going to have to keep some restrictions though, for now. I know we can't just keep you locked up in here. But I'd still like the two of you to not leave Fairy Tail unescorted. This is partly for you own safety, and partly for the rest of the guild. If you don't like that, then I'm going to have to insist on it."
"Can we at least leave together?" Lisanna asked. "If we have an escort with us, can we go outside together?"
"In that case, you would need two escorts, at least. And we might not always be able to spare that. But when we can spare it… I'll okay it for now, but if I feel it causes problems then that might change."
"Thank you, master." Lisanna said.
"Yeah, thanks." Natsu said, more flatly.
Makarov stood up from his desk and stretched. "I may have some follow up questions later, but for now I think we're done here. There is just one last thing though. I want you two to go visit Porlyusica. I'd like her to examine you both and see if she can find anything useful. Maybe she can discover something about these bonds you both are attached to. And maybe she can help return Lisanna's body to normal as well."
"You think?" Lisanna said, raising her eyebrows.
"There are no guarantees." Makarov said. "But we can hope."
The valley was bustling with activity on that day. It was a bright day, but also raining lightly. A sun shower. People didn't seem to mind though. They busily, and for the most part happily, went about their tasks. Some of them stopped to watch the two figures walking by outside, after they had just returned. They were Nikodias and Torq, having just come back from Fiore. Cobra had gone off to find something else to do.
Nikodias walked through the grass with Torq trailing behind. They both still had injuries from their encounter back in Magnolia. First with the mages, and then with the peacekeepers. Nikodias' injuries were relatively minor. Torq on the other hand, had suffered more greatly. His eye was severely injured back in Magnolia, thanks to Loke's attack. In the time they had taken to get back, it had gotten worse. Nikodias had numerous talents, but treating an eye injury with a glass shard in it was not among them. Torq was in severe pain, but was making an effort not to vocalize it. Nikodias only hoped that Boudica could help Torq.
Nikodias approached the grey building, hoping to find someone with medical skills that might be able to help in the meantime. Just as he set his foot on the front step, he heard a loud noise. He recognized it, and he suddenly realized what all the commotion was about. "She's back." He said. He turned to Torq. "Go wait for me in your room. I'll be there soon." Torq nodded, and went off. He looked like it was hard for him to move in a straight line, and he held his head. Nikodias turned and headed for the dock.
After walking a short time, he arrived. He had just missed the ship coming in, but found that Boudica and Seraiisa were already there, amongst a large crowd. He approached his family to greet them. But as he gained sight of Boudica, an intense feeling hit him. He paused, and stood there a moment. It was a powerful feeling, and he knew that it was coming from his wife. He looked around and saw that many of the others were more greatly affected than he was. They were on their knees, or bowing. A few were sobbing, but with joy. As he got close, he looked upon her. She had a golden glow. Her eyes glowed a little too. Her presence was greater than he had ever felt. He knew that she must have gained many new followers to command such power, and without even really trying. He knew how lucky he was to be married to a goddess. Of course, he first met her when her power and renown were much less. But even then, he wondered why she had decided to love him instead of someone else.
Nikodias walked up to Boudica and Seraiisa, and they both greeted him with smiles.
"Nikodias, it is good to see you." Boudica said. Seraiisa ran up to hug him. However, Boudica's smile faded when she saw his injuries.
"Magnolia." She said. "Were you able to accomplish anything there?" she said this quietly so others wouldn't here. Nikodias just shook his head shamefully.
"Where is Torqarro?" she said. "Is he okay?"
Nikodias looked down at the ground. "We had to flee the city. I… was underprepared. I wasn't able to get him to a healer. I was hoping you…"
Boudica took a deep breath. She held up her hands, and briefly told the crowd that she needed to attend to something important, but would speak to them later. There was some disappointment, but most seemed to understand.
"Take me to him." Boudica said to Nikodias.
The entire family was gathered in Torq's room. It was a decent sized room, although Torq did not have many possessions. What he did have mostly consisted of a rock collection and some picture books. As well as a few things from before he was changed. Seraiisa sometimes stayed there to help him out, although she had her own room as well. It was a large building, and there was room for it. Besides, leadership has its privileges.
Torq sat on his bed, with Seraiisa sitting beside him with her hand on his shoulder. Nikodias sat in a chair, while Boudica stood there looking over her injured family members. She moved closer to Torq and put a hand to his face. Torq flinched. His eye looked awful. There was still some glass in it.
"I'll do everything I can about this." Boudica said. "But given how much time has already passed… We'll need to get a surgeon up here to remove the glass. Hopefully they can. Even I can't do that myself. Once its removed, I'll use all my power. But there's no guarantees we can… save it." Her tone sounded calm, but somewhat maudlin. She didn't seem upset at all, at least not outwardly. She stroked Torq's head and made calming noises.
"Poor Torq." Seraiisa said. "I hope you get better."
"This is my fault." Nikodias said. "I failed. I wasn't able to mount an effective attack. I wasn't able to protect our son. I'm sorry, Boudica." He put his face in his hand. Boudica put another hand on his head.
"Its not your fault." She said. "Not really. I shouldn't have sent you out there with so little time and resources. That was a mistake. When I heard about the escape, I wasn't thinking clearly. I acted rashly. That being said, there are others who are to blame for this as well. Not in this room though."
Boudica looked at Torq more closely. "Now, who was it that did this again?"
"It was the young blonde-haired girl and her spirit, Leo." Nikodias said. "I don't remember her name though."
"I remember her." Boudica said. I've met her a couple times actually. I believe she was also the one who assaulted Sael's tower."
"I'm starting to think everyone in Fairy Tail are all jerks." Seraiisa said.
"They may be a lost cause." Boudica said. "And they might need to be dealt with. But first, there's another little thing that needs to be dealt with. The source of the escape."
Torq groaned, his pain getting worse.
"I'll find you a doctor, dear." Boudica said. "And then, I have to take care of something. In fact, I'll take care of everything. Just leave it all to me."
Lucy stepped back inside the guild after getting some air for a few minutes. She'd listened to Makarov's speech, although she'd had a little trouble following along due to her still recovering from drinking the previous night. Not that she'd had a huge amount, but for someone who doesn't normally drink even a few beers can take a toll. But she decided that it was time to get back on track with things. She needed to find a new job to do. The problem was, she wasn't sure if she could get anyone to go with her. Asking Gray would be awkward after what had happened between them the previous night.
They were both drunk, and started talking, and then somehow started kissing, and then they went downstairs and… they had sex. Even now it felt weird to Lucy to think about it. She had sex with Gray. Not that she didn't find Gray attractive. She was always aware that he was good looking. But she just never thought of him in that way before. Even now, she didn't have any intention of repeating the experience. Maybe it could have been at least a somewhat pleasant memory if it had actually been good. But unfortunately, it was not. It was obvious Gray didn't know what he was doing. Maybe she had been spoiled by Loke. He was much more skilled and experienced. To be fair, Lucy herself didn't know what she was doing initially. Loke helped her there. She tried to do the same with Gray, but wasn't entirely successful.
Lucy shook her head, trying to clear these thoughts from her mind. This wasn't what she needed to focus on. She needed a job. She walked over to the job board, and was pleasantly surprised to find a healthy number of requests on the board for a change. She walked closer to the board to get a better look, and ended up bumping into someone else. She took a step back. Naturally, it was Gray. Crap, I was afraid of this. This is going to be awkward.
"Oh, hi Gray." She said in a cheery but somewhat forced tone.
"Hi Lucy." Gray said, glancing from her to the floor. "I wasn't expecting to run into you at the… job board."
"Yeah, what are the odds." Lucy said nervously, scratching her head. "So… you look good. I mean, not good, but, you know, you look fine. I mean, not fine, but…" Lucy began rambling.
"Should we talk about what happened?" Gray said. He looked around to see if anyone else was near.
"What? What happened? There's nothing to talk about."
Gray sighed. "Look, I just don't want you thinking I took advantage of you or something. I didn't plan on it. It just happened."
"I mean, we were both drunk, and I kissed you first." Lucy said. Damnit, now we're talking about it.
"Yeah, I know. But I'm the guy…"
"Gray, you didn't take advantage of me. It just… it wasn't you, it was Natsu."
"What?" he said.
"No, I mean… I had a talk with Natsu yesterday…" she briefly told him what happened with Natsu, and how she felt afterwards. She left out the handshake. "So, that's all. I felt crappy after that, and I ended up listening to Cana and… well I ran into you, and…"
"Were you picturing me as Natsu?" Gray said. She wasn't sure if his tone implied offense. She waved her hands and shook her head.
"No no no, it wasn't like that. I was just trying to forget about him, that's all. Look, I'm sure you had your own reasons. You didn't say no."
"Yeah." Gray said. He looked off to the side, not looking proud. "I guess I just felt really frustrated. About Natsu being back. So, I guess he sort of motivated me too. There's other stuff too, but I don't want to get into that."
Lucy stood there with arms folded, nodding. "So, we just felt messed up over Natsu, and got drunk, and…"
"Got naked together on the couch downstairs." Gray finished.
Lucy looked around, feeling a little embarrassed. "Shut up." she said. She cleared her throat. "Anyway, now that we've talked about it, we never need to talk about it again, right?"
"Fine by me." He said. "But… we can still be friends though, right?"
"Uh, sure. Probably." She said. "But right now I think I just need a little space."
"Yeah, of course." He said. He looked from the job board to Lucy. "You were here first, and I'm sure you need the money more."
"You can look too." She said.
"I'll look later. I'm just going to go for a walk. I'll be back in a while." Without saying another word, he quickly walked to the entrance and left the guild. Lucy sighed deeply.
"Oh boy." She said. "Maybe this will stop feeling awkward in another week or two. I hope." She looked at the board for a minute, found a job that sounded decent, and then walked off.
As Lucy and Gray had their conversation, they had been overheard despite their efforts to keep it secret. There wasn't anyone in their line of sight. But up on the second floor someone had overheard them talking. Sitting with her back against the railing just above them, was Juvia.
Juvia had been standing up there waiting for the right chance to talk to Gray. She had been trying hard to find the right words. She had even bought some flowers. She saw Gray below walking up to the job board. It seemed like a good moment. But then, she heard him talking to Lucy. Juvia had been suspicious of Lucy before. But she pushed those suspicions down, thinking she might be overreacting. Lucy is my friend, she thought. She wouldn't do anything with Gray. She knows how I feel. And Gray wouldn't do anything with her either. They're just friends and teammates, talking. That's all. But then she heard what they were saying.
They talked about getting drunk, and being with each other. This can't be what it sounds like. They wouldn't. But then they said they kissed. And then Gray said they were naked together on the couch. Juvia couldn't believe what she was hearing. And they sounded so… causal about it. Like it was no big deal. Juvia felt tears coming down her face. Teardrops fell onto the flowers she held. She closed her eyes.
"Gray." She said. Her voice strained as she said his name. She caressed the flowers a little. And then, she started squeezing the flowers in her hands. She started crushing the petals and twisting the steams. She opened her eyes, tears streaming. "Lucy." Her voice was full of venom as she said Lucy's name.
"Lucy Heartfilia." Juvia crushed the flowers in her hands.
Alrace paced in the hallway. He was alone, in a sense. There were two large keepers in the hallway with him, watching over him. And he knew that he would have more company very soon. And yet, he had never felt so alone in his life.
The hallway was on the third floor of the grey structure. There were no windows. It was dim, with only a couple candles lighting the room. There were doors on either end of the hall, but they were locked. And even if they weren't, Alrace knew he couldn't make it past the keepers in time. It felt claustrophobic. Alrace felt his heart beating in his chest. He paced on the bare stone floor, his footsteps sounding unusually loud. There was no furniture in the hall, not even a chair to sit on.
He had been in a prison cell ever since that day he had helped Natsu and Lisanna to escape. He was supposed to escape too, but that wasn't what happened. After some days in the cell, he was dragged out and brought here to this hall, and told to wait. When he asked what he was waiting for, they told him that Boudica was returning, and she would want to see him. There was a part of Alrace that still loved Boudica. She could be warm, and inspirational, and wise. However, he also knew there was a darker side to her. He had seen it before.
He sat down on the cold stone floor, holding himself. He tried swallowing, but his mouth was dry. He looked up at a keeper. "C-c-can I please have s-s-s-s-some waaater?" he asked. He speech problem was more pronounced at that moment. The keepers both ignored his question, and stood still as statues. He was alone.
The door behind him suddenly swung open. Before Alrace could even turn to look, he was quickly overwhelmed with a presence. It somehow felt warm and chilling at the same time. He slowly turned, but did not have the will to stand. In the doorway he saw Boudica, a living god. Or at least, as close to one as someone can get. She walked into the room with effortless grace, but also with purpose. She walked up to Alrace, looking down at him.
"B-Boudica." Alrace said with an effort. He would have been more formal, but he knew that she didn't like titles. He averted his eyes from her gaze.
"Alrace." She said. "Look at me." He did not want to. But he also knew that he shouldn't disobey. He slowly looked up at her, wincing.
"Stand up now." She said. There was no warmth in her voice.
"B-b-but-" Alrace said. Boudica reached down and grabbed him by the collar with one hand and pulled him up, lifting him slightly off the ground. He looked at her, though it was hard to. There was a golden glow emanating her, filling the room. The keepers may have even been affected by it. They were both bowing their heads submissively. She pulled him close. He could see her eyes, blue and bloodshot. They seemed redder than usual.
"You helped them escape." She said. "Natsu and Lisanna. Do you know how much time and effort I put into them? All those months. I had big plans for them. And all you had to do was stay quiet and do as you were told. But you couldn't even do that, you miserable little failure." Up until that point her voice had been calm, but with an edge to it. With that last sentence she raised her voice. It didn't just become louder, it boomed, so that he felt it in his head and in his bones. He trembled in her grasp. She let him down onto the floor. He managed to stand on his own, barely.
"Tell me, why did you do it? Why did you betray your savior?"
Alrace looked up at her, but couldn't help flanking away from her. "I just wanted to be f-f-freee." He said. "I wanted to go… somewhere. Somewhere, they accept me. Maybe even… Urrr, become stronger."
Boudica stood there, arms folded. "Stronger? You? I would be amused if I wasn't so furious. And as for your freedom, you could have had that. All you had to do was wait. Just be patient. Wait until my plan is complete, and I have what I want. Then you could have what you want. Everyone will. Everyone deserving, anyway. Which no longer includes you. I am very, very upset with you."
Alrace began to cry a little. He tried to hold back the tears.
"You wouldn't even be alive if it wasn't for me." She said. "I gave you life. And I can take it away."
Boudica took a step forward, and Alrace jerked back, almost falling over. He suddenly realized that one of the keepers was standing right behind him. Between Boudica and the keeper, he felt like a mouse between two giant snakes.
"T-they promised." He said, shaking. "Lisssssanna. Natsu. Promised."
"Did they?" Boudica said. "Then they lied. They betrayed you, just as you betrayed me. And you know what I do to traitors, Alrace." She grabbed his collar again.
"P-please, mercy. Mercy!" he cried.
"Not this time." She said coldly. She shoved him backwards into the keeper. Alrace felt the keeper grab his head with both hands. He was trapped in its strong grip. A purple magical light began emanating from the keeper's hands. It felt warm. And then, it felt hot. The keepers grip tightened. Alrace struggled in vain. Purple sparks of deep, dark power emanated from the keeper's hands. Alrace screamed. He felt as though he were being electrocuted and immolated at once. Blood came out of his nose and mouth. His eyes began to bubble and boil, and then melted out of his skull. He screamed so loud it could be heard throughout the building. And then he lost the ability to scream. No one came to save him.
Sometime after her talk with Gray, Lucy went back to her apartment. She walked through the door to her room and shut it behind her. She held up the job paper she picked out. It sounded promising, but she wondered if she could find a partner to go with her. She asked a little at the guild, but so far nobody seemed interested. Then Gray came back, and she decided to head home. She sighed. Things were going to be awkward between them for a while. Maybe someday we can look back on this and laugh, she thought. She hoped that was true. Its not that sleeping with him was a terrible experience for her or anything. But her friendship with him had been strained and uncomfortable for a while now, and having a drunken one night stand with him wasn't going to help that.
She walked further into her room and sat down at her desk. She sat there alone, in the silence of her room. What now? She thought. She would try again a little later to ask around for a partner. She briefly thought about asking Natsu, but then recalled that that would probably be awkward too, maybe even more than asking Gray. "Ugh." She said, putting her head in her hand. She suddenly wondered if things would have to be awkward between her and Loke now too. He should understand. I mean, he sleeps with other women. Then again, double standards…
She knew there was only one way to find out how Loke might feel, and she didn't want to wait around to find out. Better to just get it out of the way now, so that's one less thing to worry about.
She spent a minute preparing herself mentally, and then stood up. She pulled out Loke's celestial key. She summoned him, and he appeared before her.
"Lucy, what's up?" Loke said. He looked around. "Your apartment again? What's this about?" He grinned a little, perhaps expecting something.
"I just want to talk." Lucy quickly said. "For real."
Loke's grin faded, and he shrugged. "Okay, what do you want to talk about?"
Lucy started pacing a little. She played with the key in her hand. "Look, we've been together for a while now. I mean, not together like a couple, but, you know…"
"Friends with benefits?" Loke said, grinning again.
"Sure." She said. She couldn't help grinning herself, although she tried to hide it. "Anyway, you've been with other women, right? Even now."
"Yeah." He said. "I've always been upfront about that. I never lied about it. Is it becoming a problem for you?"
"No. Not really." She said. Truthfully, her feelings about that were a little complicated, but she decided not to get into that. "Its just… Well, since you 'socialize' with other women, would it bother you if I did the same thing?"
"Sleep with other women?" Loke said, grinning wider.
"No. I mean men. I mean, a man, just once. Would that be a problem?"
Loke looked thoughtful for a moment, and lowered his head. "Anyone in particular?" he said in a neutral tone.
"Well… There was this one thing that happened. With a guy. We were drunk. And things happened. You know how it is!" she laughed nervously.
"Yeah, I know." He chuckled. "So, who was it? Anyone I know? A certain dragon slayer with pink hair?"
Lucy shook her head. "No, not him. He's with Lisanna."
"Oh." Was Loke's only reply. For a moment he just stood there. He walked over closer to Lucy. "If you don't want to tell me who it is, that's fine. But I'll admit, I am curious."
Lucy, looked away, but then slowly looked him in the face. "It was Gray."
"Gray Fullbuster?" he said. "I can see it, but I'm still a little surprised. Lucky guy."
"What do you mean 'lucky guy'? Its not like you and I haven't…"
"I know, but any guy who gets to sleep with you is lucky." He said. Lucy blushed a little.
"Thanks?" she said. "Anyway, I just wanted to see if you'd have a problem with this. So, it's okay?"
Loke shrugged. "Like you said, I've been with other women. I can't tell you not to be with other men. And it's not like we made a commitment to each other. Well, not that kind of commitment anyway. Do what makes you happy."
"I wouldn't say it made me happy." Lucy said. "But I guess it did take my mind off Natsu."
Loke laughed. "Okay then."
Lucy breathed out. She felt a little relieved. "Alright. That's it. So, we'll talk later." Lucy held up her key.
"Wait, before you do…" Loke said. He looked serious. He opened his mouth to say something, but hesitated. He turned a little.
"Loke, what is it?" Lucy said. She suddenly became concerned.
"Lucy, there is just one thing I want to ask you." Loke said. "Maybe you won't feel comfortable answering it, but after what happened with you and Gray, I feel like I just need to know."
Lucy was becoming nervous now. Maybe this wouldn't be so simple after all. "Okay. You can ask me, and I'll try to give you an answer." She felt her palms sweating now. Loke turned to face her. He looked at her, with an earnest expression.
"Lucy, about Gray." He said. "I have to know… Is he bigger than me?"
Lucy blinked. "Is he… what?"
"Is he bigger than me?" Loke repeated. "You know, his wiener. Is it bigger than mine?"
Lucy was incredulous. "I… You… Why would you ask me that?"
"Its natural for guys to be curious about that sort of thing." He said. "We like to know about our competition."
"Competition? Gray is not… I thought you were going to ask me something serious."
"Its serious to me." He said. "You must have noticed a difference."
"I didn't bring a ruler, and… I am not having this conversation! Goodbye." She held out her key and unsummoned Loke. Left alone, Lucy sighed again. She ran her hand through her hair. And then she started laughing a little. The past day had been exasperating and confusing for her. But now that Loke was gone, she was starting to find some humor in it all.
"What am I getting so worked up for?" she said to no one, shrugging her shoulders. "I'm going to go get some ice cream. I want ice cream." She put her key away and left her apartment to go find some ice cream.
The setting sun shone down on Porlyusica's tree house. It was early in the evening, but the days were getting longer at that time of year so there was still some light left. The warm day was giving way to cooler air. Inside of the tree house were several people. There was Porlyusica herself of course, currently standing at her desk looking something over. There was also Lisanna, along with Natsu. Both of them were sitting on tree stumps inside of Porlyusica's home. The stumps were in the middle of the floor, and were used generally as chairs. And finally there was Happy, whom Natsu had decided to take along since the two of them hadn't spent any real time together for a long while. Happy was standing nearby, observing the three others in the room.
Porlyusica looked over some notes and vials on her desk. She appeared quite busy looking things over. The three visitors to her home had arrived a little while earlier. Ordinarily Porlyusica was not very sociable. However, Makarov had told her earlier that they were coming, so she had time to prepare. Besides, she was quite curious to see Natsu and Lisanna, after hearing about some of the changes they had gone through. Lisanna in particular seemed to be of interest to her. Shortly after they had arrived, Porylusica began looking over Lisanna's magically altered body. Or at least, It seemed that her body had been altered. Initially, Porlyuscia was under the impression that this was something similar to what had happened to Mirajane when she was younger. Her body had been magically altered, but could change back. However, closer examination revealed that this was not the case. Lisanna's body parts hadn't just been changed. Some of them had actually been replaced with demonic parts. The core of Lisanna's form was still there, but she was not entirely what she once was. Porlyusica found the whole thing to be fascinating, albeit in an unsettling way.
On the other side, Lisanna was uncomfortable with Porlyusica closely examining her body like that. Porlyusica had told Lisanna to strip to her underwear so she could be examined. Lisanna did so, but felt uncomfortable the whole time. Not because she felt embarrassed. Porlyusica was a woman, and Lisanna had already been intimate with Natsu, so she didn't mind them seeing her in a state of undress. She didn't even mind Happy, since he was a little cat (although, Porlyusica still made him leave during that part). No, the reason she felt uncomfortable was because it made her feel like a science experiment, or a specimen, being closely examined and probed. She didn't like it.
Porlyusica looked over Lisanna's body, both the human and demon parts. She seemed especially interested in the points where the demon flesh transitioned to the human parts. She ran her finger over the demon flesh, asking Lisanna how it felt. Was it sensitive, painful? Did she see better out of her one eye? She also asked if Natsu's body had been changed at all. Natsu said no, while Lisanna added that the only thing that seemed physically different about him were his eyes, and only sometimes. His eyes would glow during times of stress or fatigue. Porlyusica decided that Natsu could keep his clothes on for that.
After the examination, Lisanna redressed while Poryusica said that she would need a few minutes to consider what she had seen. That was when Lisanna and Natsu sat down to wait. Natsu just looked bored by this point. Lisanna looked over at him and squeezed his hand. He looked over at her and saw her smiling at him. "I'm glad we're together." She whispered.
Natsu looked uncertain. "You mean together right here, or… together?"
"Both." She said softly. She was a little surprised he was able to guess at both meanings. Maybe he's getting more mature, she thought.
"I'm glad you're both here too." Happy said. He had been listening in. "Especially you, Natsu. I hate to admit it, but my life was boring without you around. Except when Lucy dragged me along into something stupid and reckless."
"You're saying Natsu's really cautious about things?" Lisanna said, smirking.
"Well, I guess I just prefer his brand of dumb and crazy." Happy said.
"I missed you too, buddy." Natsu said. "I won't leave you behind again."
"You better not." Happy said. "We're going to go on an adventure or something soon, right?"
"Sure, but Lisanna's coming along too."
"That's okay, I like her better than Lucy."
"That's not very nice." Lisanna said. "I mean thank you, but still."
"Could you three wait until you're out of my house before having this conversation?" Porlyusica said, clearly irritated.
"Sorry." All three said in unison.
Porlyusica turned back to them, while still glancing at some notes she had written down. "Now Lisanna, about your demonic body parts. I think I can help you, at least a little. I don't know if I can make you look one hundred percent human again, but I think I can at least make your limbs look less unsightly. I don't know a great deal about the sort of magic that was used to bring you back. From what you tell me, it might even be several different kinds. Nonetheless, it does seem like they were concerned with function rather than form. I think I might be able to create a mixture that can smooth out the bumps and knots in your demon flesh, and maybe even make the color less garish."
"Does it really look that bad?" Lisanna said, trying to cover her arms. She had become increasingly self-conscious about her appearance, and had often taken to wearing gloves and other things to cover up.
"It doesn't look that bad to me." Natsu said. He said this casually as if he couldn't see the big deal.
"Regardless, I believe I can make her demonic… enhancements more aesthetically pleasing." Porlyusica said. "Is that better?"
"I guess." Lisanna said.
"Maybe in time I can make you look fully normal again, but there's no guarantee of that. It is possible you will never go back to how you were originally. You should be prepared for that."
"I've already accepted that." Lisanna said. "But if you can help at all, I'll be grateful."
Porlyusica cleared her throat. "Now, about the magical bonds attached to you two." She said, quickly changing the subject. "This is another thing I don't have much experience with. However, from what Makarov has told me this is a grave matter that needs to be looked into. I'm not sure what, if anything, I can do to help. I'll look through my books for information. Maybe I can come up with some solution. But I doubt it will be that simple. My specialty is in healing injuries, not breaking magical spells."
"Lisanna needs the life bond to live though, doesn't she?" Natsu said.
"If that's true, then that is another complication." Porlyusica said. "As I said, I will look into it." Porlyusica now turned to Lisanna. "In the meantime, you can come back here this time tomorrow, and I might have something for you. The demonic limbs problem that is. It shouldn't be necessary to bring Natsu."
"Thank you." Lisanna said.
"I'm just doing my job. Now, leave me alone to work. I can't start looking into solutions for these problems if you're all here distracting me."
Lisanna, Natsu, and Happy all departed, heading back to Fairy Tail for the night. Porlyusica seemed relieved to be alone again.
Loke sat in a small, quiet area in the celestial spirit world. From where he sat it was a scenic view, pretty. But then, much of the spirit world was like that. He sat there and watched as he saw colors shift in the sky, and celestial bodies in orbit. After spending so much time trapped in the human world, he almost started to forget what it was like here. He had a renewed appreciation of this place when he finally returned, thanks to Lucy.
"Lucy." He said. He couldn't help thinking about her, and his strange relationship with her. He enjoyed the relationship they currently had. But, how long could it last? Sooner or later, something would have to change. Lucy herself would change, as humans tend to do. And where would that leave him? He wanted her to be happy, and he wanted to be her friend. Did he also want more than that? He wasn't sure.
And then there was Gray. Lucy slept with him. Did she have feelings for him? Would it be bad if she did? She made it sound like it was just a one time thing. But Loke himself and Lucy sleeping together was originally only supposed to be a one time thing, and it happened a few times since then. Was this something he should care about? It's not like he hasn't been with other women, as he mentioned to her earlier. He sighed.
"Lucy suddenly sleeping with Gray just threw me off, that's all." He said aloud. "Its not a big deal." He stood up and stretched a little. He took one more look out over the scenery. He thought it was beautiful. "Can't take things for granted." He said. He turned around to find something to pass the time until he was summoned again.
As he turned, he saw something strange. Just a few feet in front of him, there was some kind of ripple in the air. It was sort of like when the temperature is really high, and the heat makes everything all wavy. Except, in this case it seemed to just be this one space in front of him. He tilted his head, and looked at it a moment. He reached out his hand toward it as a test. As he reached out his hand, something happened. The ripple suddenly split open, violently. The area there was now occupied by some kind of featureless void. He pulled his hand back.
"What the…" Loke said. Before he could process this, the void suddenly changed color. It was filled with a golden light. Almost blinding. He squinted. All of this happened quickly, within seconds. As did what happened next: something came out of it.
It was something big, and glowing. It rushed at Loke. He tried to mount a defense, but it grabbed him. He realized it was a giant hand. And there was another one. They gripped him tight, holding him in midair. Then, he heard a voice.
"I found you." It said. Loke struggled in the being's grasp. One hand held his abdomen, while the other grabbed his legs and squeezed. If only he could move.
"You hurt my family. No one hurts my family. I told you that you would pay." Loke realized who this was. He summoned all his power to break free. But at that same moment, the hand tightened further, and twisted, contorting his body. Then, with a violent twist, he felt himself being ripped apart.
This shouldn't be possible, he thought. Then, the pain became overwhelming, and he blacked out.
Some time passed. Loke regained consciousness, barely. He was on the ground. It was hard for him to see. Everything was blurry, and his body hurt so much he could barely move. Except the lower part of his body. There, he felt nothing. He didn't want to look down. He felt as though he was close to losing consciousness again. He felt that if he did, he might not wake up. For just a moment, his vision went black. Then, he looked up and saw someone. He struggled to see. He realized it was Virgo.
Virgo looked down at him with a gaping expression. She said something, but he couldn't hear. She bent down. "Loke." He heard her say. She might have said something else as well.
"Boudica." He said weakly. He noticed that Virgo was holding his hand, but he couldn't feel it.
"Lucy." Was the last thing Loke said. And then, everything went black again.
Lucy sat on her bed, dressed in pajamas. It had been a long day, and she was ready for sleep. And her bed felt so cool and inviting. She lay down on the pillow. As she lay there in the dark room, she briefly thought of Loke. She had considered calling him again before sleep, just to talk. She ended their earlier talk a little abruptly. Of course, he did ask her that ridiculous question. But, in hindsight, she supposed it was a little funny. Maybe that was the drowsiness talking. She shrugged and closed her eyes, deciding to figure things out the following day.
As she lay there, she became more drowsy. She held her pillow in her arms.
"Lucy." She heard a voice say. She opened her eyes, and sat up.
"Hello?" she said. She thought the voice sounded like Loke. She quickly turned on the light. There was no one in the room with her. She sat there a moment. After a minute, she decided she was probably imagining things, and laid down again. But she didn't feel as drowsy now. She had a bad feeling, and she wasn't sure why. She tried to ignore it, but it persisted. Finally, she sat up again. She got out of bed and grabbed her keys.
As she touched the keys, something felt off. But she wasn't sure what. She was starting to feel uneasy. I guess I could just talk to him for a minute, she thought. She chose Loke's key, and held it out. She said the words to summon him. But nothing happened. Lucy looked at the key, confused. She tried again. She called him again and again, by both Leo and Loke. No matter what, he would not appear.
Lucy sat back down on the bed, looking at his celestial key. "Loke?" she said softly. But there was no answer.
End Notes: Something that I wanted to mention is the passage of time in this story. I've left it somewhat ambiguous, partially due to Fairy Tail not having an official calendar system. In this story, Natsu left for Bosco sometime in the fall. At this point in the story, it would be sometime in late spring or early summer.
