Lucy lay in her bed, staring up at the ceiling. The sun had only just come up. She had been awake for a little while though. She had not slept well during the night. She had slept intermittently throughout, but kept waking up. The longest amount of time she managed to sleep continuously was an hour before waking again. She didn't feel tired though.
She sat up in bed, stretching a little. She got to her feet and opened her curtains, looking out the window. The bright day didn't match her mood. She wanted to try summoning Loke again. But she was afraid of what would happen, or rather wouldn't happen, if she did. If she couldn't summon him last night, then there were a number of possible explanations. But if she still couldn't summon him now, then something was definitely wrong. Maybe very wrong.
Lucy decided to try some other spirits first, as a test. Something told her that it was only Loke, but it wouldn't hurt to check. Lucy pulled out a silver key. She used it to summon Plue. He appeared before her, as usual. She was glad to see him, but was too preoccupied to play with him. She unsummoned him. She then pulled out a golden key. Sagittarius. She would see if she could summon him. If she could, then she would ask him what happened. If she couldn't…
As Lucy held the key, she heard a knock on her door. She looked over, wondering who it could be. For a second she thought it might be Natsu. Except Natsu hadn't come by her place in quite some time, and when he did, he didn't knock. He would just let himself in. He was probably with Lisanna somewhere. She sighed.
"Who is it?" she said. She honestly had no idea who to expect.
"Its me, Lucy." A feminine voice said on the other side of the door. The voice sounded familiar, but Lucy wasn't entirely sure who it was. Could it be Lisanna?
"Um, I'm coming." Lucy said. She walked over to the door, and opened it, surprised to see who it was.
"Good morning." Virgo said. "Did I wake you up?"
"N-no." Lucy said. "I was already awake. But Virgo… what are you doing here? I didn't summon you. And you're knocking on my door? Couldn't you just appear in the room?" Lucy cocked her head a little.
"Yes." Virgo said. "I came here of my own accord. I felt it was important to see you, Lucy. And I suspect you were going to summon me or one of the other spirits anyway. I decided to knock in case you… didn't want company. Which I would understand under the circumstances."
This all seemed strange to Lucy. And she also noticed that Virgo was calling her Lucy instead of princess. Lucy was starting to feel uneasy about this. "Under what circumstances? Is this about Loke? Did something happen?"
Virgo stood there with her usual impassive look and demeanor. Her tone sounded a little softer than usual though. "You don't know then?"
"Know what? All I know is I tried to summon Loke, a lot of times, and couldn't. If something is wrong, then you need to tell me."
Virgo looked around. Lucy's landlady could be seen in the hall, watching. "May we talk about this inside, where we can have privacy?" Virgo said.
"Oh yeah, of course." Lucy said. She backed up, allowing Virgo to enter. Lucy shut the door. Virgo walked over to Lucy's bed. Oddly, she started making the bed, straightening the sheets and such.
"What are you doing?" Lucy asked.
"Making your bed." Virgo replied. "I think you'll want to sit down for this."
"Virgo please, just tell me." Lucy said. Virgo turned around, and sighed.
"About Loke." Virgo said. "Something did happen to him. You may have been asleep at the time. Something came into the celestial spirit world, and attacked him."
"Attacked him?" Lucy said. "What came into… no, what about Loke, is he okay?"
Virgo's face made a rare expression of emotion. "No, he isn't Lucy. It was… very bad."
Lucy felt her knees weaken. She knew what she had to ask next, but she was afraid to ask it. Her palms were sweating. She opened her mouth, and then closed it again. She walked over towards Virgo with some effort. She felt her heart beating in her chest. Loke had become important to her. All of her spirits had, but in some ways Loke had become closer to her than the others. Lucy put a hand on Virgo's shoulder for support.
"Virgo, tell me what happened." Lucy said softly.
Virgo sat down on the bed. Lucy did likewise. "It may have been Boudica." Virgo said.
"May have been?" Lucy said. "How?"
"I'm not sure. We know she can travel between planes. Apparently, she can reach the celestial spirit realm. That is, if I'm interpreting what Loke said correctly. I found him… wounded, mutilated. He had been…"
"What?" Lucy said.
"Torn in two." Virgo said. "He appeared to be in a lot of pain."
A tear streaked down Lucy's face.
"I'm sorry." Virgo said. "I didn't see the attack itself. Only the aftermath. But I thought I heard him say Boudica's name."
"You thought?" Lucy said. "You're not sure?"
Virgo shook her head. "That's all I know. He did say your name too. It was the last thing he said before he… lost consciousness."
More tears came from Lucy. She was finding it hard to breath. This can't be happening, she thought. "Virgo, tell me." She said, her voice strained. "Is he… is he dead?"
Virgo looked Lucy in the face. "He is alive. Severely injured, but alive."
Lucy blinked. For several seconds she said nothing. She turned to Virgo. "He's alive? Really?" Lucy's voice was barely above a whisper.
"Yes. No human would have been able to survive those injuries. But Leo… Loke is not human."
"So, he'll be okay then?" Lucy said, not sure what to think now.
"The Celestial Spirit King said that he should recover, eventually." Virgo said. "His injuries are so terrible though, it will likely take a long time. In the meantime, the Spirit King is unhappy that his realm was invaded by an outsider this way. He wants someone to answer for it, but there's not much that can be done right now, especially since we can't even be sure of what really happened. I only heard a name, but didn't see. And The Spirit King can't come to earth land under normal circumstances. So for now, all we can do is stay vigil for another attack."
Lucy was barely listening to Virgo talk about the Celestial Spirit King. That wasn't what mattered to her at that moment.
"Virgo, how long will it take for Loke to recover? When can I see him again?"
An uncharacteristic sadness came over Virgo's face. "As I said, his injuries are severe, and it will take a long-"
"How long?" Lucy interrupted, sounding desperate.
"It could take several days for him to fully heal." Virgo said.
Lucy paused. Did she hear right? "Several days? Is that all? That's not so bad. I can see him again in a few days." For a moment, relief began to wash over Lucy. But Virgo's expression hadn't changed. Virgo sat next to Lucy, and slowly shook her head.
"What? What is it?" Lucy said. She felt her heart beating faster again.
"You don't understand." Virgo said. "Time passes differently in the Celestial Spirit World than it does in yours. A single day in our world is equal to months in yours."
"Months?" Lucy said.
"Yes. So, if it takes him days to heal in the spirit world, then it will likely be many months, maybe even years, before you can summon him again." Virgo said this in a somewhat detached way, as is her nature. But it was obvious she was trying to be compassionate, in her own way.
"Years?" Lucy said. It came out as a whisper. She felt like she had been struck in the chest.
"Years." Lucy repeated. More tears came. This time they wouldn't stop. Lucy closed her eyes, and put her head down. She was vaguely aware of Virgo putting a hand on her shoulder. Lucy couldn't process it. She only felt an abstract pain right then. She sat there in her bed, with Virgo at her side, for some time.
Three of the Shadow Kings sat in the war room on this hot, bright day in Bosco. Arnok, Sael, and Yoshimoto all waited for the final member, so the meeting could begin. Just outside the room, Boudica had just arrived with Seraiisa in tow. Boudica stood outside the door, and took a breath. Seraiisa looked up at her, observing her. Boudica still had the same strong aura, but at the same time looked tired, and slightly out of step.
"Are you okay?" Seraiisa said.
Boudica looked down at her and smiled. "Of course. Its just that the important task I did yesterday took a lot of energy."
"Like when you brought Lisanna back." Seraiisa said.
"Something like that. I just need a little time to recover. But first, I have some important business to take care of."
"Guess I can't come in with you?" Seraiisa said.
"You're still too young." Boudica said. "Be patient. Your time will come."
"Okay." Seraiisa said with a slightly petulant undertone.
At this point Boudica left Seraiisa and opened the door, heading inside to join the others. As she entered, the three seated ones watched her. The light from outside shone down on them in vertical slices, partially illuminating things. Boudica eyed them all as she walked into the room.
"We have been waiting." Yoshimoto said, with an air of impatience.
"It seems like we often have to wait for you." Arnok said.
"And yet its always worth it, yes?" Boudica said. Yoshimoto simply grunted, while Arnok said nothing. Sael just sat quietly for the moment. Observing each of them, Boudica took her place at her seat.
"Here we are again." She said.
Arnok stood up suddenly. "I think it's time we move forward into the rest of Bosco. I can take my forces eastward. We'll have much of the country then."
"Then I can move back into Fiore." Yoshimoto said. "We have been patient long enough."
Boudica held up a hand. "Before we discuss that, there is one other thing that needs to be addressed: the escape of Natsu Dragneel and Lisanna Strauss."
Arnok grunted. "Your pets. I don't care about them. They were more trouble than they were worth, and they are no threat to us."
Boudica leaned back in her chair. "You should not underestimate them. They are powerful. Besides, its not just that they escaped, but how it happened." Arnok's expression suggested he still didn't place the same level of gravity on this as Boudica did.
"Are you sick, Boudica?" Yoshimoto said. "You don't look well." His tone said that he wasn't concerned for her, just making an observation.
"I am fine." Boudica said, waving her hand. She looked down for a moment, and then raised her head again. "Actually, that's not entirely true. There is something bothering me. Something disturbing. I am talking about treachery."
"What are you on about?" Arnok said.
Boudica stood up. "Those two did not escape on their own. They had help. Help from within this valley. I already dealt with one of the traitors."
"Who?" Yoshimoto said.
"You wouldn't know his name." Boudica said. "Just some servant. But he wasn't the only one. Someone else helped them. Someone higher up, I suspect."
"If you have a point, you should make it." Arnok said impatiently.
"Indeed." Boudica said. She turned her head. "King Sael, I'd like you to explain to me, to all of us in fact, how exactly those two escaped." The attention in the room now turned to Sael. He looked back at Boudica beneath his spectacles.
"Are you implying something?" he said.
"I am asking you a question." She said. "Its simple enough. The gate went down, albeit temporarily."
"As it does on a regular basis, for maintenance." He said.
"It wasn't scheduled for maintenance that day."
"Then there must have been a mistake."
"A mistake?" Boudica took a few steps closer to him. "Is that what you call it? You're always so meticulous about things, and you made such a huge mistake all of a sudden? Shutting down the gate on the wrong day, without taking precautions?"
Sael sat there for a long moment, not saying anything. The light in the room shifted, so it appeared almost as if there were a spotlight on him. He glanced at the others, but they said nothing, merely watched. He turned back to Boudica. "I… know what happened." He said. "The truth is, you are correct."
"Do tell." Boudica said, leaning over towards him.
"It was my fault they escaped. Maybe not entirely, but at least partly. I had sent a machine to do maintenance work on the gate's monitoring area. The area was exposed for several minutes. It appears that someone took the opportunity to sneak in and meddle with things."
"And how did they know what to do to shut the gate down? For that matter, why were you shutting it down at that time?"
Sael adjusted his spectacles as the others watched him. "Shutting it down is actually not that difficult once you're inside. They may have gotten lucky. As for the timing? It was a mistake."
"A mistake?" Boudica said, narrowing her eyes.
"Yes. I made a mistake. I lost track of the schedule. I have been working on several projects lately and lost focus on the more usual tasks."
Boudica eyed him. "Are you telling me the truth?" She walked a little closer to him.
"Boudica, it has never been my intention to undermine you. I swear to you I will fight with you. I still intend to lay waste to Fiore."
Boudica stood there a minute. She folded her arms, thinking it over. "Alright. You'll get a chance to prove that. I'll need your machines soon. In a few different places. Do you object to that?"
"Not at all." He said. Boudica still looked unconvinced, but turned back to the others.
"Well then, what else?" she said.
"As I was saying, I can now move into Fiore." Yoshimoto said impatiently.
"If you attack Fiore right now, then the magic council there will deal with you." She said. "They have their defenses. The best thing to do would be to wait until after the ascension. Then, they won't be able to stop us."
Yoshimoto tilted his head a little, looking dissatisfied. "I grow tired of these small-scale assaults on small towns."
"If you think you can deal with all their power now, alone, then go ahead." She said.
"Nothing will stop me from conquering Bosco though." Arnok said with force.
"Of course not." Boudica said. "I only request that you not go too far from the border just yet. There is something I may need you for soon."
"I am done with dealing with weak townsfolk in Fiore." He said.
"Of course. I have something bigger in mind. You are a great warrior, no doubt. Killed many men. But have you ever killed a dragon slayer?"
Arnok lifted his head, suddenly curious. Boudica smiled.
Lucy reached for the front door, and opened it. Familiar Fairy Tail again. The mages, the job board, the drinking… maybe not the drinking. These things would take Lucy's mind off things.
A few hours had passed since Lucy's talk with Virgo back at her apartment. She had been relieved to know that Loke was still alive, but knowing that she might not see him again for years broke her heart. Virgo stayed for a little while and comforted Lucy. After Virgo left, Lucy went to get changed and cleaned for the day. Normally she would take a bath, but she used baths to relax, and she wasn't in the mood for relaxing. Instead, she took a long shower and cried some more. When she got dressed, she headed right for the guild. She could have stayed home, but that wouldn't do any good. She wanted to focus on something else.
Lucy walked into the guild, looking around for anyone who might want to do a job with her. She walked on, looking around, and suddenly saw Juvia walking her way.
"Oh, hi Juvia." Lucy said. Juvia didn't answer. Maybe she didn't hear me? She thought. Juvia kept her eyes lowered. Lucy noticed Juvia's strange posture, her back stiff and her hands clenched.
"Juvia?" Lucy said. Juvia still didn't answer. She walked closer to Lucy, not slowing her pace. When Lucy thought Juvia would just pass her, Juvia bumped into Lucy with her shoulder, hard. Juvia kept walking.
"H-hey." Lucy said. Juvia ignored Lucy and walked out of the guild hall. Lucy watched her go. She definitely noticed me, Lucy thought. Juvia had actually bumped into her. In fact, it seemed like Juvia actually sidestepped closer to Lucy specifically to hit her. But Lucy thought that was ridiculous. She must be distracted with something. I know the feeling. Lucy sighed.
Lucy turned around and was startled to see someone standing there looking at her. Lucy flinched, but quickly realized it was Lisanna.
"Sorry, didn't mean to startle you!" Lisanna said. "I just saw you standing there so I thought maybe we could talk for a minute, if that's all right with you."
"Oh." Lucy said. "Sure, I guess we can talk. What did you want to talk about?" Lucy could already guess.
"Well, I actually wanted to talk about Natsu." Lisanna said. Lucy's guess was right. "Don't worry, he's not here right now. He and Happy are off fishing somewhere."
"Okay, I guess things are going great with you two?" Lucy said. She tried to sound upbeat.
"I mean, good as they can be, with everything going on. But I know you don't want to hear about that. I just wanted to thank you for talking to Natsu."
"Talking to Natsu?" For a second, she didn't know what Lisanna meant. Then she remembered the handshake talk. "Oh yeah. That."
"Lucy, I know you and Natsu have a history. I know you have feelings for him. So, I appreciate what you did. I think you convinced him to… give us a chance. That means a lot to me. And Natsu too."
"I'm happy to hear that." Lucy said. She actually was happy for them. She did have feelings for Natsu. And, under different circumstances, she might feel more torn at that moment regarding his relationship with Lisanna. But after what had happened the past few days, with Gray, and especially Loke… Lucy found that she had other things to occupy her thoughts, and her feelings about Natsu seemed less important. Especially since he was dating Lisanna now.
"I'm glad to hear it." Lisanna said, looking uncertainly at Lucy.
"I really mean it." Lucy said. "I'm glad I was able to help someone in some way."
Lisanna continued to look at Lucy with the same doubting expression. "Lucy, are you okay? You look… unwell. Have you been crying? Is it about Natsu?"
Lucy didn't realize it was so obvious. "No, its not about Natsu, I swear. Its something else. Something happened to… a friend of mine. And I might not see him again for… a long time." Lucy's throat tightened a little as she spoke.
"Oh." Lisanna said. She looked down at her gloved hands and rubbed her fingers together a little. "I'm sorry. Do you want to talk about it?"
"No, no I don't." Lucy said. She laughed a little, although she wasn't sure why. "Thanks, though. Maybe some other time, when… I don't know. Just not now."
Lisanna nodded. "Lucy, I'd like it if someday we could be friends. I know there's a lot going on right now, so maybe not right away. But maybe some time."
"Yeah. That sounds nice." Lucy sounded distracted as she spoke.
After a moment of awkward silence, Lisanna began to walk past Lucy. She paused and put a hand on Lucy's shoulder. "I'm sorry about your friend." She said. She walked off, leaving Lucy alone. After a few seconds Lucy walked over to the job board, continuing what she was originally going to do when she came in.
"Almost got it!" Happy said. He pulled on his fishing line, trying to catch the fish he had been working so long and hard for.
"That's it, you can do it." Natsu said.
"Don't distract me!" Happy said, pulling on his line. He could see the fish just above the water.
"Looks like you got it little guy!" Elfman said nearby, shouting at Happy. This startled the cat, who lost his grip. He watched as the fish swam away.
"You distracted me!" Happy said.
"Hey, don't blame me, you were the one fishing." Elfman said. Happy and Natsu had come to this secluded spot to fish. It wasn't far from where they lived, and it was green and picturesque. Not that any of them were nature lovers. They just wanted to fish. Before they left, Elfman offered to join them, since they needed an escort anyway. He didn't have a fishing line, but he seemed to want to come anyway, so they agreed.
Natsu stood up and stretched. He had already caught a few fish. Nothing too big though. Which was still better than Happy who had caught nothing.
"Maybe I need to find a better spot." Happy said.
"I'm sure we'll catch a ton." Natsu said. He picked up his pole and started eyeing the water for more fish.
Elfman approached Natsu. "Hey Natsu, there actually was something I wanted to talk to you about. I mean, not to ruin your fun, but I didn't really come here to fish."
"I guess that explains why you don't have a pole." Natsu said. He said this lightly, but without smiling.
"I thought he was just going to grab the fish like a bear." Happy said.
"Anyway, I want to talk about Lisanna." Elfman said.
Natsu turned and looked at Elfman. Happy said nothing now, only the sound of the running water was heard. "Okay. What about Lisanna?" Natsu said.
Elfman regarded Natsu seriously. "First, I want to say I'm really grateful you brought her back. It's a miracle."
Natsu looked off into the distance. "Yeah. I know." He said.
"As far as I'm concerned, you're a hero. And a friend for life." Elfman continued. "But… there is something else."
Natsu looked back at Elfman. "Yeah? What's that?"
Elfman folded his arms, looking right at Natsu. "I hate to say this after all you've done, but it has to be said. As Lisanna's older brother, I've just gotta say… If you ever hurt her, you'll be sorry."
Natsu stared at him for a moment, and then smiled. "I was wondering when you were finally going to say that."
"I wouldn't be a real man if I didn't." Elfman said.
"Damn straight." Natsu said. "Why don't you take a turn fishing while I watch?"
"Sure, that sounds like fun." Elfman said.
Makarov looked at the lacrima on his desk. He had just finished an important talk, and would have to have another one shortly. He stretched his old bones a little. He then started running his fingers through his mustache. He found himself thinking about what to do when all of this was over. Maybe he could finally retire. Or at least take a more hands off approach for a while, and delegate more responsibilities. As he was thinking this, he heard a knock on the door.
"Come in." he said.
The door opened. Mirajane peeked her head in. "Hope I'm not interrupting anything."
"No, I actually just finished something important." Makarov said. Mirajane stepped into the room. She observed the lacrima on the table.
"I take it you spoke to the Lamia Scale team." She said.
Makarov sat up straighter and nodded. "I have. They're on their way to Bosco, and should be there in the coming days. So, that's one part of the plan in motion."
"And the other part?" she asked.
"I'm going to get to that in a few minutes. I'm going to speak with someone from the council, and see if we can work something out. Of course, even if they're willing to listen I'm sure it won't just be as simple as that."
"If anyone can get through to them, you can." She said.
"Heh. I wish I had as much confidence in myself. Don't tell anyone else I said that though."
"Of course." She said.
Makarov now stood up, and walked around his desk. He looked at the clock. "Is that the time already? I need to get busy again. One way or another, we're going to settle this. We've just got to make sure it's on our terms."
A crowd of people stood staring in the streets of Magnolia. It was late afternoon, and many people were coming off of work, or going out to unwind. They may have been expecting a typical day, but were surprised to find something unusual in the streets. Giant bugs. Or rather, machines that looked like bugs. They were going back and forth, walking down the avenues, climbing walls, and in some cases flying past scared and confused onlookers. Some people ran, but a fair number chose to stay and watch, seemingly curious enough to take a risk.
So far, the machines had not actually attacked anyone. They were mostly just roaming about, and seemingly observing things. As time went on, they started getting closer to the people and houses. They were looking in windows, and walking up to children and pets. People started becoming scared, and a few even started kicking the machines, or picked blunt objects to strike them with. Whether the intention was to destroy the machines or simply scare them off, either way it did not have the intended effect. Instead, some of the bug machines became aggressive and started attacking the people, even if only in defense. At that point things became more chaotic, and some started to panic. That was when several mages showed up.
"Alright, go back to wherever you came from, first and only warning." Alzack said. He had his guns out, aiming them at the machines. One of the machines turned to look at him, but did not approach. Two other machines continued harassing a family, a small child crying and screaming in fear.
"I warned you." He said. He fired several shots in quick succession, taking out the bugs threatening the family. The one that was looking at him suddenly leapt forward and flew at him. He re-aimed at it, but he knew it would be close. A shot fired, and the bug was knocked out of the air. He turned and looked up at a statue nearby. The woman sitting on it was Bisca, holding her rifle, where the shot came from.
"Thanks." He said.
"Don't mention it." She said. "Looks like there are more coming now."
Now that Bisca and Alzack had taken out a few, it seemed like most of the bugs had now turned their attention to the two gunslinger mages. The bugs gathered around, dozens of them.
"Holy hell, look at them all." Alzack said.
"I think we can take them." Bisca said. "I'm pretty sure, anyway."
"Don't worry, you're not alone." Someone else said behind them. They turned to look, and saw Gajeel and Flare approaching. Gajeel in particular looked ready for a fight. Juvia was conspicuously absent.
"Glad to see you." Alzack said. "Now we can definitely take them."
"Yeah, but I'm sure we could have handled it on our own." Bisca said.
"Okay then we'll just head back." Gajeel said.
"Just shut up and help." Bisca said.
Gajeel looked around, and pounded his fists together. "Alright, let's do this. You ready?" He looked over at Flare. She nodded, but didn't say anything. She was looking around.
"Juvia ain't coming." Gajeel said. "She's got some personal issue or something. Its fine, we don't need her for this."
Flare nodded again. "Yeah." She said. She focused her attention on the bugs, which had now surrounded them. "I'm ready."
"Good, cause so are they." Gajeel said.
The machines, having gathered together, began quickly moving towards them. Gajeel used his magic to transform his arms into iron tools, and he wasted no time in swinging at the bugs. They made some effort to evade his attacks, but he got them after a few tries. One managed to reach him and latched onto him, but he took a bite out of it and threw it off him.
Flare just used her hair to thrash them about, while Alzack and Bisca continued using their guns. The machines actually didn't put up a great fight against the mages. They seemed to spend more time dodging and maneuvering then actually attacking, and when they did attack it usually wasn't that effective. It became increasingly clear that either these machines were not designed for combat, or they were designed poorly.
Gajeel took another bite out of one, shutting it down. He tossed it on the ground and looked to the others. "This is too easy." he said.
"I'm not complaining." Flare said.
"Its giving me a workout." Alzack said.
After several minutes of fighting, the remaining bugs, less than half, suddenly all stopped in unison and then scattered about, going in different directions.
"Do we go after them or what?" Alzack said.
"I've used up a lot of magic, but I'm still ready to go." Bisca said.
Gajeel looked around at all the bug "corpses". "Maybe someone should take some of this back?" he said. "I'm sure the master would appreciate that."
"Are you volunteering?" Alzack said. "I didn't think you were the type to care about that sort of thing."
"Actually, I was thinking you two could handle it." Gajeel said. "Me and Flare can chase after the rest. We won't need the help. You okay with that Flare?" He looked over at her. She looked at him blankly for a second, and then smiled.
"Sure, sounds like fun." She said.
"Well, she suddenly got into it." Bisca said. "Fine, we'll take some of these parts back. Just be careful, you two." As she said this, Flare and Gajeel were already heading off together after some of the machines.
"Maybe if we save enough people, we'll get a reward." Flare said.
"If we do maybe I'll buy your broke ass a meal." Gajeel said. They ran off together. Alzack and Bisca stood and watched as they left.
Bisca turned to look at Alxack. "You get the feeling those two are…?" she said, leaving the question hanging.
"I don't think they are, but I pick up something there." Alzack said. "I don't know why people can't just come out and say what they feel." As he said this, he bent over to pick up one of the broken machine pieces. Bisca had the same idea and reached for a nearby piece. Their hands brushed. They both recoiled.
"Oh, sorry." She said, blushing.
"No, that's my fault." He said. "I'll just, go over here." He walked a little further away, and they both picked up the pieces in silence.
Lisanna arrived at Porlyusica's house, alone. Just like they had agreed earlier. Last time she had come with Natsu and Happy. Under ordinary circumstances the master wouldn't even allow that, since he was wary of them leaving the guild together. But he made an exception since he specifically wanted them to see Porlyusica together. If they hadn't shown up, Porlyusica would have let the master know. Even now, the master had someone accompany Lisanna to the edge of the city before she walked the rest of the way on her own. It could be seen as a little insulting, but under the circumstances she felt it was understandable. The master was just being careful.
Lisanna walked up to the front door and knocked, waiting for a response. At first there was nothing. Maybe she isn't home? Lisanna thought. They had agreed to meet, but Lisanna figured that Porlyusica was probably busy with other things, and Lisanna herself was probably not a priority.
Lisanna stood there waiting, knocking a second time. She knew she would be a little disappointed if she couldn't meet Porylusica. She wanted her body to be fixed. Fixed? Is that what it is? She wasn't vain about her appearance, but she didn't want to look like a monster either. Of course, she knew that there were people in the world who looked more inhuman than she did. Am I vain? She thought again. She looked at her bare hands, almost more like claws. She felt she could live with it. But somehow, the idea of it bothered her. If it had been something she had done herself, it wouldn't be so bad. But Boudica did it. Boudica did give her life again though. These thoughts were confusing and complicated. She decided not to overthink it. If Porlyusica could help her, great. And if not, she would just have to live with it. But there was also the more important matter of the bonds.
The door finally opened. Porlyusica stood in the doorway, quickly looking over Lisanna. She looked her up and down.
"Hi." Lisanna said. "I hope I'm not interrupting anything."
Porlyusica turned and walked inside. "Are you coming in or not?" she said. Without another word Lisanna hurried inside, shutting the door behind her.
Lisanna once again looked around the house, thinking on how unusual and yet cozy it looked. "Did I tell you how nice your house looks?" Lisanna said.
"Probably." Porlyusica said. "I'm not interested in idle chatter. We're here to talk about what's going on with you and Natsu."
"Okay." Lisanna said. She decided to stay quiet since Porlyusica didn't appreciate the attempts at pleasantries. She stood there for a minute as the other woman looked through some notes, and handled a few small containers. After another minute Porlyusica turned back to her.
"So, about your body." Porlyusica said.
"…Yes?" Lisanna replied to the awkward statement.
"I believe there is a way to modify your limbs. I don't think I can make them look completely human, but I can at least make them a little more aesthetically pleasing. Maybe they could simply look… exotic, instead of…"
"Demonic?" Lisanna said.
"Grotesque." Porlyusica said. Lisanna's face fell.
"I suppose they're probably not so bad once you get used to them." Porlyusica said grudgingly. "Fortunately, you won't have to. You can begin treatment today, and hopefully in a matter of weeks we can see real change."
"Cool." Lisanna said, smiling.
Porlyusica raised an eyebrow. "Cool? I was hoping for a little more than that."
"Uh… Awesome?" Lisanna said.
Porlyusica sighed. "Teenagers. Anyway, I should also tell you what I learned about the bonds you and Natsu have."
At this, Lisanna perked up and became more attentive. "What did you find? Can the bonds be broken?"
"Well, I still need to do more research on the matter. But from what I've seen so far, it sounds like the life bond between you and Natsu can probably not be broken, at least not without killing one or both of you."
"Oh." Lisanna said. She suddenly felt like sitting down, but said nothing.
"As for the soul bond that attaches Natsu to Boudica, that's a little more complicated. I definitely need to research that more. I strongly suspect that the soul bond has a limited range."
"Just like the life bond." Lisanna said.
"Not exactly. With the bond you have with Natsu, you two cannot be far away from each other for too long, lest you die. But the soul bond seems to be different. You two have been far away from Boudica for a while now, and you're both still alive. Its lucky for you both it works differently."
"Yeah I… guess we didn't think that through all the way." Lisanna admitted.
"Mm-hmm. That being said, Boudica hasn't used the bond to kill Natsu yet either."
"She might still want us alive."
"Maybe. Or maybe she can only activate that power when she's within a certain range of you. Or rather, within range of Natsu."
"Hmm." Lisanna thought on this. "Do you know this for sure, or are you just speculating?"
"Call it an educated guess." Porlyusica said. "Like I said, I will look into it more. But I would highly recommend not letting Natsu close to Boudica. That could be disastrous for you both."
The thought had crossed Lisanna's mind, but hearing It spelled out like that made her feel anxious. She knew that Fairy Tail was going to have to have a confrontation with Boudia and the others in the near future. When that time came, what would Natsu do? Would he go right after Boudica? And if so, what could Lisanna do? She had some influence over him, but if he was determined to confront Boudica, could Lisanna do anything to stop him?
"Anyway, we'll talk about that more another time." Porlyusica said. "For now, let's start your treatment."
Lisanna broke from her thoughts, and nodded. She walked over to the stump seat and sat down. "I'm ready." She said.
End Notes: I said in an earlier chapter that I thought this fic could be finished by 300,000 words. It looks like it will be longer than that. That being said, the pace of the story will pick up after this chapter. It's been a slow burn up to now, but the story will move somewhat faster from here on out. After all, I don't want this story to reach 400,000 words.
