Gajeel dropped to his knees and pulled the unconscious girl into his arms before turning his arm into a sword and pressing it to the spirit's throat.
"What did you do to her?" Gajeel spat.
The spirit's eyes widened in fear and it leaned back into the tree, trying to escape Gajeel's wrath.
"What. Did. You. Do. To. Her?!" the Dragon Slayer roared. His eyes burned with fierce rage as he readied himself to chop the spirit's head off. He didn't know if his iron could cut it, but he sure as hell was going to try. He pushed his sword further into the spirit's throat, and an emerald green line began to form where the blade bit into the skin.
"So you can bleed, huh, ugly? That makes things interesting," Gajeel hissed menacingly.
The spirit's face was twisted in pain and anger as it bared its teeth to Gajeel. It struggled against its bonds, snarling and spitting in the Dragon Slayer's face, and yet, it's deep blue eyes shone with fright.
"Gajeel, stop!"
A large hand held Gajeel's shoulder and pulled him off the spirit. Loke stood above Gajeel, glaring at him. He quickly placed himself between Gajeel and the spirit, forcing Gajeel to scoot back a few paces, still hugging Lucy to his chest.
"Look at Lucy's face, you fucking idiot. She's not in pain. She's smiling," Loke spat.
Gajeel looked at Loke in shock before gently turning Lucy to examine her. Loke was right. She had a small, blissful smile on her face and she was breathing evenly.
"Wha-" Gajeel fumbled, rapidly flicking his gaze between Lucy, Loke, and the spirit.
"Her leg. Ugly over there, as you so kindly called her, healed Lucy," Loke drawled, pointing to Lucy's leg.
"What?! Why? How? Her? That thing is a girl? Fucking use more words, you damn Lion!" Gajeel yelled, his hand immediately on Lucy's thigh, searching for the cut. Loke was right. Twenty minutes ago, a deep red gash decorated Lucy's milky skin, and now, it was a thin, barely-there, pink line.
"Water has healing properties. I assume this spirit is the spirit of the river. She must have healed my Princess," Loke shrugged.
Gajeel so desperately wanted to chew Loke out for referring to Lucy as his Princess, but instead he asked the more pressing question. "Why is she unconscious?"
"Bodies heal faster when they're at rest. The spirit must've knocked her out to allow her to heal. She's fine, Gajeel. I swear. The spirit helped her," Loke assured.
"Why? Why would it help her after it poisoned the river and killed all those villagers? Hell, it tried to kill us less than a day ago. So what changed?" Gajeel demanded.
Loke rolled his eyes and sighed. "Are you blind or stupid? How much do you miss, man? Look at the spirit's eyes. They're a different colour today. The new moon is two nights away and she must already be calming down. That doesn't mean we should let her go yet, but I think this silver chain thing is working."
Gajeel had a million more questions for the man, but he needed to get Lucy somewhere comfortable first. "I'm taking Lucy inside," he announced.
"Go. I'll make sure the spirit is fine and then come to the tent. I'm sure you have questions," Loke sighed resignedly.
Nodding, Gajeel picked Lucy up, hugging her to his chest, and took her into the tent. He laid her down on top of her sleeping bag, with her head in his lap. Gently, Gajeel brushed a stray strand of hair away from her face. He had been so panicked when he saw her on the ground, that his first and only thought was killing whatever had hurt her. He didn't stop to look at her to check if she was actually hurt. His mind jumped to the worst possible scenario, and even now, holding a safe and sleeping Lucy, Gajeel felt sick at the memory of her crumpled body. It didn't matter that she was okay and in his arms. Seeing her like that shaved a few years off of his life and he knew he'd have nightmares about that image in the days to come.
Gajeel heard Loke approaching the tent and he moved Lucy's head off his lap and onto the sleeping bag so that he could turn and face the celestial spirit. Loke pushed the tent flap open and ducked inside.
"Is it… Is she okay?" Gajeel gritted. He didn't particularly care, but if that spirit had healed Lucy, then it deserved some gratitude.
"I'm pretty sure she's fucking furious, but anyone would be if a psychopath attacked them with a sword," Loke snipped. "You really don't take a minute to think, do you?"
Gajeel bristled. "What would you have done, huh? You see Lucy crumpled on the ground, a foot away from this deranged spirit that tried to kill you. Honestly tell me, what would you have done?" he barked.
Loke had no response. When Gajeel phrased it like that, Loke knew he no longer had an argument. So he moved onto the next bone he had to pick with Gajeel.
"Why was she alone? You're supposed to be watching her," Loke scolded.
"I needed to pee! And get food for us! I was gone for barely twelve minutes. I trust Lucy to watch herself for twelve fucking minutes. She's a grown ass, strong wizard who can hold her own. I don't know what fight you're trying to start, but don't. Not after the morning I've had. I will kick your ass to the moon and back, and I will enjoy every second of it, so don't fucking test me," Gajeel growled as he unconsciously laid a protective hand on Lucy's side.
Loke debated chiding Gajeel further, but when he saw the way Gajeel hovered over Lucy and the remnants of panicked desperation in the Dragon Slayer's eyes, Loke backed off.
"Alright. Well, she'll be okay. Just let her sleep," Loke instructed before turning to leave.
"Wait! I have questions," Gajeel reached out to the spirit.
With a sigh, Loke sat down across from Gajeel.
"Lucy was fine. Her wound was healing. Why did the spirit need to cure her?"
"I don't know, Gajeel. Maybe it wasn't healing. Maybe the infection ran deep. These monsters… they're an old race. Perversions by sick alchemists, desperate to create perfection. Over the centuries, they've warped and morphed into the creatures that stalk the forest today. It would be impossible to determine the kind of toxins that run in their bodies, so we have no way of knowing if Lucy was actually getting better."
"But… they've cut me. Years ago. I was sick for a while, but I healed," Gajeel protested.
"You and Lucy aren't the same. Your Dragon Slayer magic makes you a lot tougher than most other people. But what does it matter anyway? Lucy is okay now. That's what's important."
"Next question. What the fuck is the deal with that spirit? How can you suddenly understand it now?"
Loke exhaled forcefully. "All of us - Lucy's spirits, that is - have been searching for everything we can find about these things. We started looking as soon as the fight yesterday was done. There isn't much, like Grandpa Crux said, but we do know that they are immensely powerful, but generally harmless. They can't be contracted, there are no known keys that control them, and they do not respond to any master. They are the seasons and the mountains and the oceans, and they are its' guardians. Like we keep the heavens in balance, they keep the mortal plane in balance."
"Okay. But how do you understand that thing all of a sudden? Can it speak to you?"
"Think of us as cousins. Distant cousins, but family nonetheless. Her aura resonates with my own and I'm able to read her. I can't speak to her like you imagine I'm doing, but I know she wasn't hurting Lucy, I know she has no malicious intent towards Princess, and I know she wants to beat you senseless," Loke shrugged.
"Why didn't you know all this yesterday, huh? Might've been handy in a fight," Gajeel muttered.
"The Eclipse gate. Lucy told me about it. I have no memory of losing myself like that, but I did. And Lucy couldn't get through to me. No one could. I wasn't myself. I suspect it's the same with her. Now that she's slowly reverting to her original self, it's becoming easier to understand her. I can see her aura more clearly today than I could yesterday."
There was silence in the tent for a moment.
"Are you done?" Loke asked.
"Last question. Why did she go rogue?"
Loke stayed silent for several seconds. "I don't know," he finally admitted softly.
"So it can happen again? And I'll have to come back here again?" Gajeel asked, sudden panic in his voice.
"It's possible… but unlikely!" Loke quickly added. "There are almost no concrete, recorded instances of a rogue nature spirit. I doubt anything like this will happen again in your lifetime, and if it does, all us celestial spirits know how to handle it. So no, I don't think you'll ever have to come back here," Loke assured.
Gajeel visibly relaxed with a shaky sigh.
"Alright. Thanks, man. Are you going to head back?" As Gajeel spoke, Lucy began to stir.
Loke leaped to Lucy's side and gently shook her.
"Princess?" he called softly.
Lucy yawned and stretched her arms before fluttering her eyes open. She smiled serenely when her gaze met Gajeel's. But then she noted his worried expression. And she saw Loke next to her as well.
"What's going on?" she asked groggily.
"How do you feel?" Loke softly questioned.
Lucy sat up and tested her limbs, cracked her neck, and felt her face. After her scan was complete, she turned to Loke. "Great, actually. Why?"
Rather than giving her an answer, Gajeel put forth a question of his own. "What's the last thing you remember, Bunny?"
"Uh…" Lucy scratched her head. "The spirit. It was looking at me really intently. Which was weird because I'd been trying to talk to it, and it kept ignoring me, but then suddenly, it was staring at me, almost like it wanted me to go to it. So I did. Then it… No, that can't be right," Lucy stopped.
"It what? What happened?" Gajeel probed.
"It reached out to me. Like physically. But it wouldn't have… I must've imagined that… What's going on, guys? Why am I in the tent? And why are you here, Loke?" Lucy's voice went up an octave.
"I found yo-" Gajeel started before Loke cut him off.
"What happened right before the spirit looked at you?" he asked.
"I was reading. And then I felt a burning pain in my thigh, where my wound is, and then I noticed the spirit looking at me," Lucy answered. Her eyes flicked down to her wound. Suddenly, a shriek ripped through the tent.
"Where the fuck is my injury?! What happened?! How long have I been out? Oh my god, Gajeel, what day is it?" Lucy gripped Gajeel's arm, crying.
"Goddamnit Lucy, now is not the time to lose your head!" Gajeel huffed. "You've been out twenty minutes, give or take. Don't blow a fuse."
"Then. Where. The. Fuck. Is. My. Injury?" Lucy demanded obstinately.
"We think the spirit healed you. You were asleep next to her when Gajeel found you," Loke answered.
"...Healed me? ...she?! Can you please, for the love of god, give me a clear answer! And you still haven't told me why you're here!"
"I sensed you were asleep. Which is weird, considering it's the morning, and I knew you'd woken up. So I came by to see if everything was alright, and why you'd gone back to sleep. I was worried you were sick," Loke explained calmly. "So I show up, and this dumbass," Loke gestured to Gajeel, "has a sword against the spirit's throat. It's a blessing I came when I did, truly, because heaven knows what he would have done had I not shown up," Loke finished condescendingly.
Both Lucy and Gajeel ignored his jibe.
"I'm still so confused," Lucy groaned. "This is making my head spin," she whined, lying back down.
Gajeel turned to Loke. "I'll handle this," he whispered. "You go. I'll give her the rundown of everything."
"If I have to come back here because you've left her alone again..." Loke began threateningly.
"You'll do what, huh, you overgrown cat? I didn't see you pulling monsters off of her all day yesterday. You want to talk to me about protecting Lucy? I'll fucking-" Gajeel spat viciously.
"Enough, Gajeel," Lucy's voice ripped through their bickering. "Same goes for you, Loke. Stop talking about me like I'm this piece of glass you both need to protect. I am weak here. I know that. Fighting monsters isn't what I'm good at. But if you both are going to be snippy with each other and compare metaphorical dick sizes, then I don't need either of you. I am so grateful that you both have been here and have shown up for me when I have needed you, but I am not going to tolerate unnecessary fighting. Today is only day one. We have two more days here after today, and things may go sideways. So I expect both of you to keep the peace and work together. Am I clear?" Lucy demanded, sitting up with her arms crossed under her chest.
"Clear," both men whispered in unison, their eyes trained to Lucy's tits, now pushed together and spilling out of her top, thanks to her crossed arms.
Lucy followed their gaze down to her chest. With a squeak, she dropped her arms and pulled the neck of her shit up over her cleavage.
"You both are gross!" she snapped.
Gajeel and Loke exchanged a look before laughing, and though Lucy was irritated, she couldn't help but smile.
After Loke left, Lucy called Virgo and asked her to bring them some food. Ever the intuitive celestial spirit, Virgo went the extra mile, setting up a picnic blanket and pillows and generous pots of tea to accompany a rather lavish breakfast. Lucy tried dissuading her, but the spirit was insistent on giving them a nice, romantic breakfast.
Gajeel was still inside the tent, changing out of his sweatpants, while Lucy sprawled out on the blanket, letting the morning sun warm her face.
The woods aren't supposed to be this perfect… This was supposed to be a dangerous, scary mission, but for the most part, I might as well be in a romance novel, Lucy thought to herself. She breathed in the warm, golden, foresty air.
"What's all this?" Gajeel asked, walking out towards the food and the blonde.
"I think Virgo wanted us to have a breakfast date," Lucy blushed slightly.
"Between your gorgeous face and your wingmen spirits, I don't know how I'm going to keep my hands off of you," Gajeel purred seductively, taking a seat next to Lucy. She was lying on her back, lazily throwing grapes into her mouth. Gajeel stretched himself out, putting his head on her stomach. Lucy began running her fingers through his hair.
Gajeel sighed deeply. "God, that feels good, babe."
He reached back to grip her hip and he squeezed gently.
"Gajeel," Lucy called throatily. Her voice was thick with lust.
He turned over, propping himself up on his elbows. He brought his face close to Lucy's.
"Yes?" he whispered. The sun warmed his bare back. His now dry T-shirt lay folded in the tent, but Gajeel suspected he wouldn't need it at night either. There was something just right about having Lucy pressed against his naked chest.
He looked down at her beautiful face. The sun turned her skin to gold, and her large, brown eyes looked like pools of honey. She reached up and wound a hand through his hair. Gently, she tugged his face down towards hers.
"Please, Gajeel," she begged softly, craning her neck up.
Fucking hell… I can't say no to her, Gajeel thought before dipping his head down. Lucy parted her lips in anticipation. With bated breath, the pair moved their faces closer and closer until Gajeel's lips just barely touched hers.
And then the leaves above them rustled and a branch creaked. Gajeel jumped back from Lucy and was up in the trees before she could process what happened.
"Where the fuck are you?" Lucy heard Gajeel hiss.
"Maybe it was nothing!" she called up to him, irritated at having been interrupted.
Before Gajeel could respond, the pair heard a ferocious snarl. Lucy whipped her head to look at the spirit, and it snarled again. Lucy heard something scamper through the leaves and branches, and shortly after, Gajeel was back on the ground next to her.
"It got away," Gajeel informed stiffly.
"It was the spirit. She snarled at whatever was in the trees."
"Hm. Wonder why they're suddenly scared of it. The monsters weren't like this when I was last here…" Gajeel mused.
"The last time you were here, the spirit wasn't violent," Lucy pointed out.
Gajeel grunted as he sat back down.
"Gaj," Lucy whispered, cupping his jaw and pulling his face to meet hers. She leaned forward, wanting to pick up from where they'd left off.
Before she could come too close, Gajeel put a gentle hand on her waist and pushed her back.
"I can't, Lucy. This is exactly what I was worried about. When I'm with you, and when your hands are on me, I'm not paying attention. I'm putting you at risk. If that bastard in the trees hadn't been so loud, who knows what might have happened. I want to, Lucy. I do. But they're gonna get us if we aren't careful, and I'm not being careful when I'm thinking about kissing you and touching you and fucking you. I can't, Lucy. I can't have one more night like when I was last here. Because if I have to do that again, I don't think I'm making it out alive," he finished raggedly.
Lucy observed Gajeel's face. His eyes were blown wide and beads of sweat formed at his temple. His breathing was uneven and his gaze was unfocused. Very slowly, Lucy moved closer to him and laid her head on his chest. His heart was hammering wildly.
"You're scared," she said softly.
Gajeel nearly denied her claim. He almost pushed her away and put on his brave face. A part of him desperately wanted to retain his image as a strong, tough man. But then he felt her gently stroke his back, and his resolve crumbled.
He exhaled shakily, dropping his chin to the top of Lucy's head.
"Yeah. I'm petrified. I'm scared you'll get hurt, I'm scared I won't be able to fight them, I'm scared I'll die here. Mind you, I'm not scared of dying. But I can't die here. I'm not going out because a bunch of disgusting monsters got the better of me. I hate this place, Lucy. I fucking hate it. I came with you because protecting my friends is more important than my dumb fears, but I cannot stand being here," Gajeel confessed.
"I'm sorry," Lucy offered understandingly.
"Don't be. None of this is on you. I'm sorry we have to wait," Gajeel apologised. As much as he wanted to, he couldn't let himself go like that.
"It's okay," Lucy whispered, stretching up to sweetly kiss Gajeel on the cheek. "Let's enjoy our breakfast, and then maybe we can go to the pond again," she suggested.
"I'd love that, Bunny," Gajeel smiled at the blonde.
A/N: Wow I left you guys with such a mean cliffy and then just disappeared for like a week. I have been shifting houses, so the stress has been REAL, but I'm all settled in now and can get back to writing! Hopefully more regular updates should resume from now! I'm a little nervous with this chapter, because of the lore that I'm spinning around the nature spirit thing. Like I've said before, I never write action/adventure, so generally this kind of world-building is not something I do. Please please please tell me what you think! Is it evident that I'm talking out of my ass or was it actually somewhat palatable? I want all your gorgeous feedback!