She stared at the pot, the red liquid seemed enticing to drink, since she was hungry, but she lifted the ladle and poured some into a bowl, before walking out of her home, and around to the clearing she had made at the back of her house. Happy and Plue had followed her, the cat glancing up at the sky, as if expecting someone to come. She sat down in the grass, and looked at Plue, who seemed to understand and stopped five feet away from her, Happy following suite.
She looked at the space in front of her, and began to draw the magic circle with the potion in the bowl as ink. She could hear the rustling of leaves, as she dipped her finger again and again into the dragon's blood potion. Finally coming to the end of the circle, she crouched at the foot of the mermaid she had painted in the circle's center, outside the outer line of the circle, and began chanting the spell. She took a light breath in, before singing out in the ancient tongue,
Demon, demon release the curse.
Water, water please spring forth.
Demon, demon abandon the seal.
Stars, stars, shine your lights.
Dragon, dragon bless your blood.
Ocean, ocean constellation.
May the blood open the seal.
The water bearer, Aquarius!
She repeated the words a three times, before the light shone through the markings on the circle, spiraling around until they met with the eyes of the mermaid, and nearly blinded her as blue light shone through, and water gushed out like a fountain. Once the water subsided, washing any of the bloody potion that was stained on the grass out, a blue haired goddess like being appeared before her. Lucy smiled, tears ached on her eyes, as she looked up at her old friend. The being was a mermaid, her tail blue like her hair, and adorned with precious ornaments of beauty. She held a pitcher though empty in her arms, as she opened her blue eyes to look at the one who broke her seal.
"Oh," she stated, annoyed, "it's you, Lucy."
"Aquarius!" Lucy cried, and jumped to her feet, rushing over to the woman, "I missed you so much!"
"And I still hate you, brat." the mermaid replied.
"I broke the seal, Aquarius, I broke it! You're free!"
"I can tell, kid," she replied, before stretching, "How'd you get a hold of a demon's blood anyway?"
"I didn't," Lucy replied, shaking her head, against the taller woman's chest, still hugging her.
"Well, obviously you used some creature's blood," Aquarius replied, "how'd you break the seal without a demon's.
Lucy looked up to meet the scolding eyes of her friend, "A dragon. I used a dragon's blood."
Aquarius' eyes widened, "A dragon's?" she asked, receiving a nod in return, "I know the celestial realm's time is different than this one, but dragons still have been extinct for a while, how did you, a mere half-witch, get a hold of a dragon's all-powerful blood?"
"I woke up in it," Lucy replied, letting go of her friend, and glancing at the cottage, before looking up, sorrowfully at the sky, "and then, after finding out it was a dragon's blood, I found a dragon in the herb bushes down the hill."
"So, you killed this poor dragon?"
"No!" Lucy snapped, "I could never!" she looked at her hands, "but, I did take advantage of the time he got hurt from his cat, and gathered up his blood then."
"And he was perfectly fine with this? A cat hurt a dragon? He didn't try to eat you?"
"I…" Lucy stopped talking, before glancing at the mermaid in front of her, "I never asked permission! And now he's gone, and I can't talk to him about it!"
"Talk to him?" Aquarius questioned, "He's a dragon!"
"But he can turn himself human, Aquarius!" Lucy cried, "He's super powerful as well."
"I can tell," Aquarius replied, "it isn't just any being that can break the seal of the black demon himself."
Lucy started fiddling with her hands, "What am I supposed to do, Aquarius?"
"Wait til he comes back," she frowned, and sighed loudly, "That blue thing is his cat, right?"
"Yes," Lucy sighed, and glanced over at Happy, "But I don't know what to say, I offered him safe housing, but then an inspection mage came, and found one of his scales, and hurt him with words, and then, then I hurt him." she smiled though, as her tears began to fall again, "he's an idiot though, doesn't know anything about the realm, the world, now. It might be a good thing that he's gone. Especially before I get too attached."
Aquarius patted a hand to the girl's head, and smiled, though the blond witch couldn't see it as she still kept her focus at her hands. "Too kind to be a witch." she murmured, before withdrawing her hand, and turning away from Lucy, "I must go back to my realm now, Lucy, I'm glad I got to see you again."
Lucy lifted her head as waves appeared in the air, and crashed over the mermaid, her blue tail disappearing from sight, as she swam into the current. The waves ceased, and Lucy was staring at the trees again. She turned around, sadly, and picked up the bowl she used, before making her way back into the cottage. The pot was half empty, since it wasn't that large in the first place, and it used much of the potion just to create the circle. She was sure she could only break the seal to one more of the celestial beings before she had to steal blood from the dragon again. She cursed to herself, she was still thinking about her priorities over her guest's. She still was thinking about how she wanted to steal his blood. The only way for her needles to break his skin was when he was awake, but the only way she was to get a chance was when he was asleep. She cursed to herself again, as she heard the door open.
She turned around, and first saw his pink hair as he made his way into the room, "Hey, Nat-" she cut herself off as her gaze drifted down. She had forgotten he had only worn a cloak, and that he had thrown the cloak off him when he ascended into the sky. A bright blush adorned her whole face, before she snapped her head back around, and tried focusing on ladling the potion into a bowl.
"What?" she heard. Of course he would be comfortable with it, he's a dragon, it isn't like he walks around with clothes on most of the time anyway. If it weren't for Happy, she figured based on his previous explanation about covering his wings, he probably would walk around town commando. She brought her hands to her face, forgetting the ladle was in one of them.
"What?" he repeated, waiting for her response, "Are you okay?" she heard his bare feet coming closer, and she turned around, her eyes shut tightly.
"Don't come any closer!" she exclaimed, using the ladle as a weapon as she pointed it at him.
"Got it, can't go in this area," he replied, "What are you making anyway?" she heard his lips smack and was tempted to open her eyes, "It tastes like blood."
She brought the ladle back to her, and stammered out, while turning around, "Get some clothes on, and then we can talk!"
"Got it, got it!" he replied, "you guys don't walk around without clothes."
After the rustling of fabrics stopped, she peaked over her shoulder, and noticed him fastening the belt over the one-sleeved coat.
"So what was that nasty stuff anyway?" Natsu asked, as he sat himself on the couch, Happy nuzzling into his lap.
"It wasn't dinner," she sighed, and made her way back to that side of the room, "it was a potion I made to break a demon's seal."
"Oh!" Natsu smiled, "So why'd it taste like my blood?"
Crap! Lucy thought as she tried faking a smile, I forgot he said he had tried his own blood, "It must have been the herbs."
"Yeah, I tasted those, too." he frowned, "You never told me why blood was so special to ya anyway."
"It isn't all blood," Lucy began explaining.
"I know, you said it was a certain type of blood," his frown deepened, "what type anyway? Red? Purple? Green?"
"What?" she asked, before shaking her head, deciding to change to subject, "Did you clear your head out before coming back, or what?"
"Huh?" he asked, and sat up, his wings stretching out across the span of the couch.
"You flew off after we talked about…" she stopped, and lightly shook her head, before sitting on the couch, "so I wanted to know if you were alright."
He leaned back again, as the tips of his wings curled inwards, one end poking her shoulder furthest from him, and she scooched a little closer, not enjoying the feeling. "Yeah, I was upset about Igneel, and what ya told the bastard, but, I get it." he looked over at her, "you guys both don't understand that he raised me, and he's alive, and he's somewhere waiting for me, just like he always is." he smiled, and=- she didn't have the heart to break it to him that Igneel, the red dragon, had been reported dead, sleign, centuries ago.
His wings folded inward a little more, as he relaxed himself. Lucy scooched a little closer to him, not wanting the ends of his wings poking her again. "So you didn't leave cause you were mad at me?"
"No, I was," he replied, "but I told you I get it." he turned his face away from hers, "I'm gonna relax a little before you make dinner." he leaned further into the couch, causing his wings to fold toward him even more. Lucy found herself itching closer to him, at a faster rate. She felt her thigh touch his pants, even through her skirts, and she glanced over at him, as he seemed to be lost in thought. Happy stretched, his small paws stretching onto her leg, before he got up and curled his body on both of their laps. Now she couldn't even get up.
"I really should be making dinner." she stated, shifting in her spot, as a red wing covered her only chance of slipping off the couch. His other wing had folded over the same as this one, though there was no body in between it and it's owner, so it was nearly folded by his shoulder.
"Why are you so close?" she heard the hot breath in her ear, and glanced over her nose nearly touching his.
