Here's chapter 8.
Ido not own Fairy Tail.
8.
The kiss didn't last long. Lucy's face went bright red. "Natsu," She said flustered. The kiss was unexpected. She looked at Natsu wide eyed, his face was also sporting a dusting of blush himself.
"Lucy I, uh, sorry" he said scratching the back of his head. Was that the wrong move, did I kiss her too soon? he thought.
"Don't worry about it," She said, putting her emblemed hand on the side of his cheek, "Now that we have the sword, how do we get out of here?"
Looking away from the blonde mage, Natsu looked around, his head still in the clouds. He had one idea.
"Lucy climb on," he said turning around and squatting down so she could climb on his back.
"What, why?" she questioned him. Unsure of what was about to happen.
"I have an idea, just get on okay."
She obeyed the dragon slayer and climbed onto his back. She wrapped one arm tightly around his neck holding the weapon in the other hand. He gripped her legs so she wouldn't fall.
"Now hang on tight, cause we're gonna bust outta here" he told her.
"What are you going to do...Natsu?"
Just then he took a deep breath, "FIRE DRAGON,"
"NATSU?" she held on tighter and wrapped her legs around his waist the best she could to ensure she wouldn't fall.
"ROOOAAAR" he let his fire escape his mouth causing an explosion, pushing them back a bit, the wall collapsed exposing the daylight.
"NATSU, you did it!" Lucy cheered peering over his shoulder.
He looked back at her and smiled but it was cut short, not long after the mountain started to rumble causing the pair to fall through the opening that Natsu had just created.
Natsu managed to shift Lucy so that he was carrying her bridal style. She was still holding onto him tightly borrowing her head into his chest hoping that the avalanche they just created wouldn't harm them or their friends.
They both screamed as they slide down the mountain side.
...
"Erza, did you hear that?" Gray asked as he stood up, Erza looked over, "Yes, it sounded like an explosion. Let's go and investigate." She said as the both ran out of the tent.
"I bet it was Natsu" Happy added following behind the others.
"No way!"
They all looked up at the mountain. "ITS AN AVALANCHE?" They all cried out. The group was luckily out of harms way. They could see the snow traveling on the east side of the mountain.
"That looks like Natsu," she pointed, looking up at the mountain. She spotted his pink hair sliding along with the snow that was rushing down.
"And is that Lucy?" Happy said soaring into the sky to go help his friends.
"Looks like they made it out okay," Erza said relieved. Just then a spot of bright light hit Erza eye. "Looks like they got the sword as well, job well done."
Erza and Gray stayed behind knowing that Happy would be able to bring them back unharmed.
...
"Happy" Natsu said, Lucy looked over to see the blue feline flying their way. She was so thankful that they were spotted, she knew Natsu would make sure they were safe but she was still scared. Happy would at least be able to fly them back to safely and hopefully he was with Gray and Erza.
"NATSU" Happy yelled back at his best friend, he dove over them grabbing Natsu's shirt in the process. Natsu still holding onto Lucy. Happy began to decline carry two people was heavier than he thought. "I am going to get you as close as I can, with Lucy's extra weight I can't carry you both," he said bluntly.
"Hey I can here you" Lucy yelled back.
Lucy looked up at Natsu, he was looking at the sky. Her mind wondered back to the kiss they shared, it made her stomach swirl with emotions. It was her first kiss after all it took her by surprise and it was perfect exactly what she thought it would be like. Erza said they should admit their feelings, he took the first step now it was up to her, she defiantly wanted it to happen again. She sighed causing Natsu to look at her. Making her blush. What was she going to do?
"Hey Luce, how are you holding up?" He asked.
"I'm fine, just a little shaken up." she admitted, she smiled and tightened her grip around his neck, they both stared into each others eyes for a few moments until Happy landed.
Happy was able to get them within 100 yards of where they had set up camp. They trekked through the snow, Natsu carried Happy in his arms, keeping him warm.
Lucy was struggling to keep up, the snow was very deep, she had lost her jacket and was shivering a bit. Natsu could hear her teeth chattering and stopped. Happy gave him a confused look. He waited for Lucy to catch up.
"Something wrong Natsu?" Lucy asked once she caught up to the duo.
"No" he said wrapping his arm around her, she was immediately filled with warmth. "Thanks" She whispered.
"No prob" he smiled at her, she leaned into his side as they continued.
"I can smell them, we are close." Natsu said.
...
The three reached camp and were both immediately embraced by a worried red head, "I am so glad that you two are both okay." She said still hugging them.
"Good work, looks like you completed the mission" Gray said looking at the sword.
Erza released the two and Lucy handed over the weapon to Erza, her eyes widened at its beauty. "This is an amazing weapon" She said admiring it.
"Let me see it?" Gray asked taking it from Erza.
Natsu and Lucy both went into the tent while the others looked over the sword. Lucy was in need of a change of clothes and a nap. She rummaged through a bag that Erza had full of spare clothes hoping to find something that fit. She had lost her backpack in the mountain after the explosion.
Natsu was laying on one of the beds closing his eyes. Lucy went to the corner of the tent taking the opportunity to change quickly before he noticed. After she changed she felt much better and warmer. She looked over at Natsu, his eyes were still closed. She sat next to him on another bed, she could hear his soft snores. She thought about laying down herself. She was exhausted.
She stretched her arms out and decided it wouldn't hurt to take a quick nap, the others would understand, they could share stories once they were rested. She laid down in the bed next to Natsu's. She watched his chest rise and fall. She scooted closer to him until they were barely touching and closed her eyes.
Natsu's eyes opened, he saw Lucy laying close next to him, he was surprised to see her there. He rolled over to his side so he was facing her. She looked so peaceful. He wanted to wrap his arms around her but by the reaction of the kiss they shared he wasn't sure if it was a good idea. He closed his eyes and enjoyed the closeness for now.
...
Natsu woke up first, he was on his back and looking up at the tents ceiling. He tried to move but was pinned down.
Lucy was cuddled up next to him and laying on his chest. Her light snores told him she was still asleep. He rested his arm around her and held her close. A few minutes later her eyes fluttered open. She sat up quickly and rubbed the sleep out of her eyes. "Natsu?" she said, "How long have we been asleep?"
"Not sure," he responded. He sat up next to her and stretched out his arms. "It was a good nap though" he said smiling at the girl in front of him.
Lucy sighed and nodded. "We should go check on things outside, I bet they are curious about how we escaped. I know I'm curious about how they managed."
They both left the tent. Gray, Erza and Happy were all sitting outside around a fire. The sun was setting and Lucy's stomach growled.
"You're hungry" Erza said, everyone could here the noise that the celestial mage's stomach made. "You two were out for a few hours, feeling better?"
Lucy and Natsu both exchanged looks. "Yeah, I'm feeling much better" Lucy responded to the red head.
The two joined them around the fire. They ate and shared their escape stories leaving out only a few details. "We sure are lucky to have made it out. We could have been trapped in the mountain for days or worse." Lucy commented. "I hate to admit it but I was honestly pretty scared." Natsu looked at her as she looked down at her feet. "If Natsu wasn't with me I don't know what I would have done."
"The Ice snake was pretty scary" Happy added
"But we all made it out and we got the sword. That's all that matters now." Erza said, "We should rest up and leave at first light"
...
The next morning everyone worked together to tear down camp. They packed up Erza's cart and secured all their belongings. They had decided the night before to continue to the summit of Mount Hakobe. They had only one more artifact to find, the Lacrima.
"So what do you suppose the last clue actually means?" Gray asked
Lucy had given little thought about it. "The lacrima will appear before what is pure, do you think it could be talking about magic power?" She asked the group.
"Hmm, that's possible, it could be talking about a persons ability to use their magic, like being pure of heart." Erza added crossing her arms.
"Are any of us pure of heart here?" Happy questioned.
"Lacrimas come in all shapes and sizes and can contain different types of magic power." Gray said, "We should be careful."
"Right" Lucy and Erza nodded.
"Aye" Happy said.
"If you ask me. We are all pure of heart." Natsu grumbled. Natsu was walking ahead of the group, he could hear the conversation and he agreed with what they were all saying but all he wanted to do was smash stuff find the lacrima and get back to magnolia. He had decided their was something he needed to do once they got back.
"Is something wrong, Natsu?" Lucy asked, she had caught up to him, walking side by side, she waited for him to respond. "I'm fine, Lucy." He told her with a half smile. "Are you sure?" She tilted her head to the side. "Yeah, of course"
Lucy didn't buy it. There was definitely something going on In that head of his and she was determined to find out, but for now she would leave him alone. She matched his pace as they all followed the trail to the summit in silence. Gray, Erza and Happy following close behind.
A blizzard hit mid morning, Lucy bundled up in another jacket. They needed to get as far as they could before dark.
"This blizzard is awful, remind me to never take a job here again." Lucy complained. The icy wind was making it hard for them all to see.
"We need to make it a little further, before we set up camp again, we have lost time being stuck back in the mountain." Erza told her and everyone else.
"I don't know why you're complaining the weather feels fine to me." Gray said nonchalantly.
"Yeah, maybe for an ice wizard but I don't like the cold." Lucy retorted.
"You still cold Luce?" Natsu asked
"Yeah, a little but I can handle it." She had her arms wrapped around her body. She was shivering. Natsu had noticed and pulled off his scarf wrapping it around her once again.
"There, better?" He wrapped his arm around her too hoping that his gesture was accepted.
"Yeah, thanks." She smiled and leaned into his side as they walked. He was happy that she didn't push him away.
"Would you look at those two" Erza said suspiciously.
"Those two definitely love each other" Happy stated.
...
Gray helped clear the path of snow and ice so they would have an easier time moving the cart of their belongings. They had made it to the summit of the mountain, finally. The blizzard had died down but the snow was still pretty heavy.
They set up camp for the night as the sun was setting through the dark clouds. Natsu started a fire and the girls collected firewood with Happy. Gray created some shelter using his ice making magic to protect them from the snow.
"So Natsu, you and Lucy seem...close" Gray finally said. He and Natsu had always been rivals but he did see him as a friend. They helped each other grow.
"Yeah, what's it to you freezer brain?"
"Nothing just an observation... so do you like her?" He asked the dragon slayer. Natsu's face went red. Of course he liked her but why would he talk to Gray about his feelings. He rolled his eyes.
"Why? Do you like her?"
"Yeah I like her, she's smart, kind and beautiful." As he said that he noticed Natsu tensed up. "She's more like a sister though." He relaxed somewhat. "You know, you should just admit you like her and ask her out already."
Who was Natsu kidding. He was head over heels for Lucy, since they met there was something about her that he was drawn too.
"Yeah, I like her, I plan too but I'm waiting for the right moment." He admitted defeat and told Gray. "Plus I don't want to get rejected and make our friendship all weird."
"I don't think that will happen man, she seems pretty into you from where I'm standing." Gray told him.
Before Natsu could respond the girls came into sight carrying armfuls of wood for the fire. Natsu got up and ran over to help lighten the load. "Thanks Natsu,"Lucy said.
"We may need to get more but this should last us for a few hours." Erza said dropping the pile next to the fire. "Now, whose hungry?"
Everyone's face lit up at the mention of dinner. They had skipped breakfast and lunch to make up for lost time and the boys were ravenous. Erza wasn't the best cook but she managed to whip something up for everyone.
The snow stopped and there was a break in the dark gray clouds exposing just a glimmer of night sky. You could see the moon and a few stars. Lucy looked up with amazement. "You sure do love the stars Lucy," Happy said.
"Of course I do, I'm a celestial wizard. My spirits are among the stars." Lucy said. She was thinking about her spirits and how much she loved them. They were all so dear to her heart. She grabbed her keys and held them close. She would never let anything happen to them.
Everyone was sitting close around the fire. Natsu was sitting only a few inches away from Lucy on her left and to her right Erza sat shining one of her swords she had pulled from her requip magic. "We should come up with a plan of action for tomorrow" she said.
"What do you have in mind?" Lucy asked her.
"First of all, we should check the map and inspect the artifacts we have for anymore clues. I was thinking tomorrow, we could split into two teams again and search."
"About that, I may have lost my back pack during the avalanche and the map may have been inside..." Lucy said cautiously.
"Wait, so we don't gotta a map?" Gray said.
"You would be correct, but I don't think we need it. I mean we have searched all over this mountain and we finally reached the top, or the closest we can get on foot anyway, I think if we look over the artifacts we have already found like Erza said it may give us a clue," Lucy responded, "Tomorrow morning we will split up and hopefully we will be heading back down the mountain and back to to museum."
"Lucy's right, we don't need the map." Erza said, she got up to grab the bow and sword from the cart so they could investigate them more closely. She laid both weapons down on the ground taking a seat in front of them. Lucy got up and sat next to Erza to examine them with her. She brushed her hand over the bow when a light started to shine. "What the," she gasped, both weapons started to glow and a light shot out from them. A beam of light casted over them to the north. It looked like a rainbow.
Everyone looked up at the light. "Should we follow it to the end?" Natsu asked,
"Yeah, i'm down" Gray said,
"Do you think that the light will lead us to the location of the lacrima?" Lucy asked,
"There's only one way to find out," Erza said.
"AYE SIR" Happy yelled.
...
Lucy checked the time it was nearing 2am. It was cold and a light snowfall was coming down. She held onto the weapons which were still casting their light. They were getting closer to the end. Gray and Natsu took the lead.
This light had to be it. Lucy couldn't help but wonder why the weapons started emit such a light now. Why not before after they found the sword? Could it be because they were close? Shaking her head trying to get rid of the exhaustion that she felt, she hugged the weapons closer to her body, glad she bundled up.
They had to be in yards of the end when the light went out. "Hey, what happened to the light?" Natsu asked.
"Uhh, I don't know. It just went out." Lucy responded, "I swear I didn't do anything, honest." She confessed.
"One thing is for sure we are close, we all saw the end of the light. Spread out and look for the lacrima" Erza commanded.
Everyone fanned out to search the area keeping close to one another. Lucy still had the bow and sword, she wondered over to one area and began scanning the best she could in the dark. She squinted but couldn't make out anything. Just as she was about to give up there was a light behind her. She turned around, "Natsu!" She said,
"Thought you could use some light," he said holding out his hand that was engulfed in flame. It illuminated the area and Lucy could get a better look. After a few moments of looking she sunk to the ground dropping the weapons in front of her. "This is hopeless," she sighed, touching the hilt of the sword. "It should be here,"
Natsu crouched down next to her and put his hand over hers, just as he did that his eyes moved to the left. Lucy noticed and followed his gaze. A few feet away from them was a glow under the ice. "What's that?" Lucy asked looking back to Natsu.
He didn't say anything just got up and walked to the spot glowing on the ground. He put his hand to the ice and melted it with his fire. Lucy, who stood behind him gasped. "That's it" her eyes went wide in surprise and relief.
Natsu picked it up. "Wow, this thing has a lot of power, can you feel it."
"Now that you mention it, yeah, it's amazing." Hearing the commotion Gray, Erza and Happy made there way over.
"So that it's huh?" Gray said folding his arms. " I thought we would have to put up a fight for it"
"Don't jinx us Gray, we found it, now we can head back home," Lucy said with giant smile, all this time she wanted to join a guild and be apart of something amazing and go on real adventures and make real friends. She finally did that. One adventure down and many more to go.
"So what did that last clue actually mean?" Gray asked.
"I think it meant, the bonds between friends needed to be pure? It's sounds pretty cheesy. We only found it after Natsu and I touched it, maybe the clues had nothing to do with this quest. If you think about it none of the clues were any help." Lucy said.
"Yeah, I guess you're right," Gray agreed.
"What a great adventure, but promise me there will be more fighting next time." Natsu said, getting an eye roll from Erza and Happy.
"Why is it always fighting with you hit head?" Gray said.
"What's wrong with fighting ice princess? I'll take you right here right now!" Natsu yelled at the ice wizard about to lunge at him before Erza interfered glaring at the two.
Lucy laughed, he was right, the adventure was amazing and the bonds between her and her new friends grew even stronger.
"So what do you all say we head back to camp and get a good nights rest and head back down the mountain first thing in the morning." Erza said.
"Sounds like a plan" Lucy said.
...
The next day they had made it back down to the bridge they had crossed at the start of their adventure, with no fear Lucy crossed first. Natsu followed her close behind just in case. It had only been a few days but it felt longer than that. Their quest had finally come to an end, next stop, the Bel Aloo museum.
...
"Thank you, thank you, Fairy Tail, you are forever welcome to come and visit anytime," Mr. Rishi, the museum owner said shaking the hands of each member. Zara his assistant stood at his side.
The Fairy Tail members all smiled, "We were honored that you entrusted us to this mission, as it was a success, you are welcome." Erza said.
"I hope you didn't find to much trouble on your journey, you all look to be safe from any harm" Mr. Rishi said.
They all laughed nervously, "Well it was a challenge but I think we all had fun and learned something along the way." Lucy spoke for the group, Natsu put his arm around her shoulders and they all exchanged smiles and laughs.
"I am glad to hear it, now for your payment," Mr. Rishi said, he looked over to his assistant who nodded and walked away.
"So where will you be displaying these artifacts?" Lucy asked curiously.
"They will be front in center in our new section of the museum, 'lost artifact'," he said, "come and take a look," they all followed him out of his office and down the stairs.
The sword and bow we're already on display, there were other objects and art pieces all around the room. "This is amazing, so much history all in one place," she spun in a circle, " but uh, Mr. Rishi, where is the lacrima." Lucy asked.
"Oh, yes, I am having it shipped off to be examined, it's emitting such power I need to make sure it's safe to display,"
"I guess that make sense." She noticed everyone looking around the room, they had to get back to Magnolia before long but she knew she wanted to come back one day.
Zara entered carrying a brief case and handed it to Mr. Rishi, "Here you go sir," she said
"Perfect, and it's all accounted for, Miss. Zara?"
"Yes, sir." She bowed
"Good, then without further or do, thank you and congratulations on a job well done." He said handing the brief case to Erza, who accepted it.
"The pleasure was all ours, we look forward to working for you in the future."
With that they left the museum headed for the train station.
Thanks for reading. :)
There you go, Lucy's first job is complete.
Sorry it took so long for me to update. I've had a lot going on and I haven't had the time or felt like writing much. I really wanted to wrap up Lucy's first job so it might feel a little quick or cheesy. I still like it. So I hope you like this one too. I promise the next update won't take so long.