Okay, wow. I did NOT realise how long it's been since I've updated this story. I really do have a lot of brilliant ideas for this story, I swear, it's just that I don't really like Fairy Tail anymore. Harsh but true. I haven't seen a single episode in since that filler arc with the spirits, let alone read a chapter in months. I've just moved onto bigger and better things (in my eyes, at least), namely Gravity Falls, Miraculous Ladybug and Steven Universe! I'm a mad cartoon fan now, and the slow and stretched out style of anime just gets me bored now.
It'll definitely be a struggle to get back into my characters and the members of the actual show, so bear with me guys. And if Lucy's return seems a bit melodramatic and Marysue-ish then I apologise slightly, but please remember that Fairy Tail is a guild that runs practically on emotion, and Lucy has been there long enough that her dramatic escape seriously had her friends worried. Plus, FT is known to be very dramatic about their nakama.
In other news, though, there is a new cover photo for this story! It is from the lovely Shadowecreeper, who designed it and another drawing that I have kept safe in my picture library; throw your love their way, guys! They nagged and prodded me into doing this chapter when I was so intent on never addressing it again. Cheers friend!
Disclaimer: I don't own this show. If I did, I'd actually know what was going on right now in it.
Warning: #prayforSunny#thisstorywillbethedeathofme#fuck#howdoyouwriteagain?#thereisblood#itwouldn'tbeoneofmystoriesiftherewasn't#Lucybeingalittleshit#thischapterisreallycheesy#clicheshit
3rd Person P.O.V.
"Please let this be easy," Lucy muttered to herself as she approached the open doors to the Fairy Tail guild, nerves making the lunch she had eaten recently flop about in her stomach. If her hands weren't currently occupied in holding onto one of Sting and Ryos's she would be wringing them in worry, that's how distressed she was.
"It'll be fine," Ryos said encouragingly to the girl, his sharp teeth bared in a chipper smile. "Everyone realised how much in the wrong they were and they all just want to apologise to you! You just have to forgive them and move on!"
Lucy laughed nervously, pulling the two boys and accompanying talking cat to the side of the guild entrance. "I wish it was that easy, Ryos, but I was in the wrong too. I did some bad things and now I'm just stressed out about their reactions."
In response to her worries Sting rolled his eyes and gave a short tug at her left hand. "Well, you won't gain their forgiveness by standing around looking dumb. Let's hurry up and go in!"
Before Lucy could begin to protest – she wasn't mentally ready yet, damn it – Sting was surging forwards with Lector by his side, dragging Lucy and Ryos in behind him as he did so. However, the sheer size and grandeur of the building – having been fixed up and improved upon in the aftermath of the Phantom Lord attack – brought Sting to an awe-filled standstill once he actually entered the guild.
This abrupt stop in motion brought a stumbling Lucy crashing into the younger mage, her other hand dragging Ryos right into the collision as well. The three fell to the wooden floorboards in a heap with a loud crash, making Lector – who was smart and small enough to duck his way out of the collision – flinch back from the sound.
"Ow," whined Sting from his crumpled position against Ryos in Lucy's arms, the girl having managed to take the impact due to her honed reflexes. "That really hurt!"
"You can't complain," Ryos grumbled as he attempted to peel his cheek off of Sting's, "you're the one who caused this." The dark-haired boy wasn't very happy about being dragged into the fall and was now trying his best to wriggle out of it. "Lucy-nee, you can let go of us now."
"Don't be grateful then, you little punks," Lucy said without malice as she let go of the boys and allowed them to be clamber off of her, Sting instantly being checked over by a worried Lector.
Just as Lucy was about to join the two in a standing position she happened to remember the current setting of their literal downfall.
Her expression was almost ridiculously comical as she lifted her head to see the entire Fairy Tail guild staring at her with slightly stunned expressions.
"Uh…" Lucy began, beginning to clamber to her feet, "Hi?"
That seemed to break the spell that had been cast over the guild, and Natsu led the charge towards the blonde with a gleeful roar of "LUCY'S HOME!"
A startled squeak escaped Lucy's lips as Natsu scooped her up off the ground with barely any effort and lifted her over his head like a trophy. He spun around to showcase her to the crowd that was collecting around them, ignoring the way that she wriggled about in protest.
"Glad to have you back," Gray said up to the girl with a grin, crossing his arms across his bare chest in an effort to seem cool and collected after all of the stress he'd felt at his friend leaving.
"You had us worried, Lu-chan!" Levy piped up, reaching up with one of her tiny hands to grasp one of Lucy's dangling calloused ones.
Next to her Erza gave a sharp nod of agreement. "Yes, you did. Please do not do something like that again."
"Oh, it was all of my fault!" Mirajane said next, hands clasped to her chest as her teary eyes locked with Lucy's own watering ones. "I'm so sorry, Lucy!"
The pitiful expression on Mirajane's face broke any restraint Lucy had attempted to keep a hold of her emotions and she practically fell out of Natsu's arms to hug Mirajane. The two began to cry in earnest as they apologised to each over and over, breaths hiccupping and cracking as they did so.
The moment was more than enough to set Elfman off, and he too began to cry as he dragged the two girls into a crushing embrace. His actions caused Lucy's sobs to turn to laughter, her smile still visible as she placed her face against Elfman's chest and attempted to wrap one of her arms around him as the other continued to cling to Mirajane.
"Group hug!" Cana slurred out, one hand clutching at a half-empty bottle of wine as she flung herself into the embrace.
With a cheer the guild folded into a group hug, no one too sure of who they were clutching but not minding a single bit.
"Is this common?" Sting asked Ryos as the two boys and Lector stood off to the side to watch the proceedings.
"Pretty much," Ryos replied with a dry tone. "Fairy Tail are always a dramatic bunch and I'm sure someone is going to call for a party soon; it's just what they do whenever something goes right."
As if on cue, a yell of "PARTY!" prompted the group hug to break apart and scatter into an excited group of mages intent on setting up a brilliant party to celebrate the occasion.
"Called it," Ryos remarked.
The next few hours was a blur of cheerful partying, roughhousing, tearful apologies and introductions to the excited Sting and Lector.
The two were almost completely overwhelmed by the reality that was Fairy Tail; bright and colourful people who seemed downright proud and ecstatic about having a new Dragon Slayer in the guild. People lined up to greet Sting and his friend Lector, and many playfully praised Lucy on 'her cute, new kid.'
To her credit, Lucy didn't flush too badly at the comments, merely smiling proudly at the easy way Sting assimilated himself and Lector into the guild. Even Gajeel's gruff introduction and sneering comments didn't deter the boy at all. If anything, meeting Gajeel himself seemed like a highlight to the boy – he spent a fair few minutes gushing over the older male and his reputation, which led to a surprised Gajeel responding to it with an almost kind disposition. At least, what equalled as 'kind' to Gajeel.
"There's going to be no more room for me at your place anymore," Happy whined to Lucy during a lull in the party, the two of them perched on the bar's benchtop to survey their surroundings. "You're going to collect so many kids that Natsu and I won't be able to get through the window."
Lucy laughed at that, reaching over to grab Happy in a playful hug. "Then I guess you will have to come through the door like normal people. Besides," she continued as she placed Happy in her lap and began to gently groom him with her fingers, "I think this will be the last one."
Granted, the idea of bringing Wendy into her household when she joined the guild had crossed her mind, but Lucy knew that the girl would flourish more under the girl's tutelage in Fairy Hills. Living with such strong, independent women would do Wendy a lot of good, and Lucy knew that Carla would keep an eye on her anyways.
"Whatever you say, weirdo," Happy said dubiously as he preened underneath Lucy's attention.
"Why's Lucy a weirdo now?" Natsu asked suddenly as he wandered over to jump up next to Lucy, his long legs nearly brushing the ground. "She's always a weirdo though…"
"Hardy-har," Lucy barked out sarcastically, "you're bloody hilarious."
"I know," Natsu replied with a grin, clearly not catching the sarcasm, or just turning it in his favour. "You missed my humour, didn't you?"
Lucy rolled her eyes in response, but she visibly tensed up at the mention of her short trip. "You wish. The silence was pretty good, actually…"
When she received no reply, she glanced up at Natsu's face, only to see him frowning right back at her. She blinked uneasily, hands clutching at Happy. "What? What is it?"
"Are you ever going to tell me what happened on that mission?" Natsu asked abruptly, not seeing the point in dancing around the subject anymore.
A flinch rocked Lucy's body, and Happy tensed up on her lap in response. "Lucy…"
"No," the girl said quietly, ignoring Happy's imploring eyes. "I don't think I…I don't think I actually can. What I did…It was unforgivable…If you knew what I did, you would change your mind about me, and it may be selfish but…I don't want anything to change between us. Between anyone in this guild and I.…
I want to continue laughing with everyone without it seeming forced. I want to sit with you guys and fell comfortable, and to not think about the things I've done…Being in this guild is easier than breathing at times and I-I don't want to lose that."
"You know you wouldn't," Natsu replied, his eyes still trained on the girl before him. "You're our nakama, and nakama don't turn their back on each other. No matter what you do, we'll always be there for you, okay?" He broke out into a grin and nudged Lucy roughly, making the girl look back at him with a crinkle across her nose. "Besides, I need someone to get a reaction out of. Gray is a prat and all, but his reactions aren't has hilarious as yours."
"Jerk," Lucy snorted in reply, shoving back at him. "Maybe now I won't introduce your biggest fan to you; I don't think you deserve it!"
Almost instantly Natsu lit up, his eyes widening and glittering in the light. "I have a fan! Awesome! Who is it?"
In response, Lucy cupped her hands over her mouth and shouted out to the spiky mop of blonde hair she could just see in the crowd of females cooing over him. "Sting! Come over here! There's someone I want you to meet!"
Sting managed to wriggle his way out of Laki's clinging arms – he was an almost instant hit with the ladies of the guild, what with his cute looks and polite attitude when needed; much like Ryos when he first joined – and came scampering over with Lector and Ryos – both who hadn't left his side at all – following closely behind him.
When the blond caught sight of who was sitting next to Lucy, however, his happy expression turned to one of pure excitement and nervousness. He tripped and stumbled the last few metres to Lucy's side, Ryos laughing behind him.
"Natsu," Lucy said when Sting stopped beside her, practically vibrating from excitement as he gazed at his confused idol with adoration. "This here is Sting. He is the White Ddragon sSlayer and a huge fan of yours. The cat by his feet is Lector, and he is his best friend. Please be kind to them."
"I can't believe it!" Sting squeaked out, his hands clasped together in front of him to stop himself from grabbing at Natsu. "You're Natsu Dragneel! The powerful Fire dDragon sSlayer! You're so amazing! Is it true that you managed to destroy a total of twenty towns since you joined Fairy Tail? How about…"
While Sting babbled to Natsu – who bathed in the praise and took every chance to pose and talk himself up – Lector steadfastly introduced himself to a very surprised Happy who escaped Lucy's lap to say hello down on the ground.
"You're a talking cat like me!" Happy said eloquently as he pointed and gawked at Lector. "And you wear clothes!"
"I-Is that a problem?" Lector replied hesitantly, shrinking slightly under Happy's accusing paw.
"Of course it isn't," Ryos inputted as he crouched down to the cats' level. "You look very handsome in clothing, Lector. It's just that Happy doesn't really like wearing clothes all the time."
"I'm a free talking cat," Happy said proudly, "I don't need clothes to make me seem human! But," he quickly added on as he looked Lector in the eyes, "you look really cool in yours!"
Lector visibly brightened up. "You think so!"
When Happy agreed, it was clear a new friendship had been founded, and the two happily scampered off to pilfer some fish from Mirajane and chat.
"Are you feeling better, Lucy-nee?" Ryos asked the blonde as he nestled against the girl, his head pressed against her side. "You were worrying so much, and it all turned out alright."
Lucy smiled down at the boy, fingers threading their way through his lengthening hair. "You were right, Ryos-kun, I shouldn't have worried so much. I'm just so glad that things turned out so well."
Ryos took stock of the party that was going on around them, and the destruction that was occurring to the guild at the same time. He smiled. "Me too."
Lucy P.O.V.
"No," I said stoutly, crossing my arms across my chest. "There's no way I'm going to do it, and you can't make me, Mirajane."
Said girl pouted from her perch behind the bar, her hair bristling slightly in mock irritation. "C'mon, Lucy. It's a great idea! Think of the money you could get out of it; enough to feed those boys of yours for a few months."
"More like weeks," I muttered, thinking forlornly about the amount of jewels that were currently being demolished by Ryos and Sting's hungry stomachs. "But that doesn't matter. I don't feel comfortable standing up on any kind of stage, let alone performing for the Miss Fairy Tail contest in front of a huge crowd."
Mirajane continued to pout at me as she scrubbed at a glass. "I've heard you play the lyre with Lyra and you two sounded really good! Didn't you mention that Cancer can also play the piano? You could easily perform a number with your spirits and it'd be brilliant!"
"Thanks for the vote of confidence," I said dryly as I picked at the lunch set out in front of me, "but it's not going to happen. Sorry."
A dejected sigh escaped Mirajane's lips, but she still managed to give me a sweet smile. "I know not to push you into something you're not comfortable, Lucy, so I'll let this be. It's just that almost every other girl in the guild is going to perform, and it's a way to get your name out there – not like you really need it, 'Celestial Maiden'!"
I managed a laugh at Mirajane's sly wink at the end of her sentence. "I might think about it, Mira. For now, though, I think I'll grab an easy mission for the boys and I. Sting's really excited about heading out, and I don't think I can take much more of his begging."
"Alright then!" Mirajane replied cheerfully as she started to clear up my plate. "Have fun and stay safe!"
"Always," I said before giving her a wave and went off to find Sting, Lector and Ryos – who were probably mucking about with Natsu, knowing Sting and his tendency to rope Ryos into his antics.
Perhaps entering the contest would be a good idea. I knew that there was no way that anyone would win the competition, what with Laxus swooping in to fuck things up, but if I came on the same time as Lucy I would be more than close enough to kick in Evergreen's teeth…
The more I thought about it, the smarter the plan was.
The bonus was that Evergreen would interrupt before I had to perform! Genius!
Suddenly excited about the prospect of kicking the ass of such a powerful mage in the guild, I raced ahead to snatch up my boys on a mission – no doubt the 'easy' mission would turn into another crazy adventure if Natsu and Happy decided to tag along. Ah well, I was used to it now.
Just another day in my new life.
When D-day rolled around, I was more than ready for what lay ahead. I had kitted myself up in my usual battle garb (much to a few of my friend's confusion) and had both my sword and keys on hand for when shit got real. In addition to that, I had Ryos, Sting and Lector sitting in on the contest; they would be trapped in the guild for a while, much like Natsu and Gajeel, and at least then I knew they were safe. It would mean I could focus everything I had on the battles that lay ahead, rather than on protecting my boys.
Now I was merely waiting for my turn on stage, anxiety and excitement causing my stomach to curl and roll uncomfortably.
"Is Lucy-san nervous?" Juvia suddenly asked as she came to stand by my side, the two of us peeking out from the curtains to stare out at the gathering crowd. The Miss Fairy Tail contest was apparently a lot more popular than the two of us newbies had expected, and now that we were about to kick start the event, both Juvia and I were beginning to get nervous. Just for different matters, that was all. Mostly.
"Yeah," I said shakily to Juvia as I anxiously tugged at the hem of my leather vest. "I'm a bit nervous." 'About the battle ahead and how I could screw up,' I continued in my head, managing to smile at Juvia. "We'll be fine though. I bet you'll be brilliant."
"Thank you, Lucy-san," Juvia said as she bashfully ducked her head. "I just hope Gray-sama will like my performance!"
I placed a comforting hand on her thin shoulder. "I'm sure he will."
My words were more than enough to send Juvia off into a blissful daze of daydreams until her time came. Despite her prior nerves, the blue-haired girl stalked out onto the stage like she owned it, arms wide in a display of power and assertiveness.
When her turn was over, and the crowd significantly wowed, Juvia flounced off to stage left, much like Cana before her.
That was where I was sure that Evergreen was turning each girl to stone. I had to give kudos to the woman; she knew how to make a plan and execute it well. I couldn't even hear a single kerfuffle from the other side of the stage that might give her away.
The plan was almost foolproof, except for one thing.
Me and my knowledge of what lay ahead.
Unbidden, a wicked grin came across my face at the thought of derailing such a large portion of Laxus' plan. Man, was he going to be pissed.
Finally, as Bisca gave a wink and grin towards the audience before ducking offstage, my name was called by Max.
"Alright folks! That was a simply amazing display of accuracy from our very own sharpshooter, Bisca Mulan! Now, to take things in another direction, here is the lovely Lucy! Also known as the Celestial Maiden, this golden beauty will dazzle your with the power of her magic and that of her Celestial spirits! Give it up everyone!"
I could distinctly feel the blood rushing to my cheeks as I strode onto the stage, flattered by Max's announcement and his consideration of not using my last name. To seal the deal, the man shot me a hearty wink before ducking out of the way to allow me to perform.
Which, of course, wasn't going to happen.
"Thank you for that introduction, Max," I loudly said to the man as I gave a short bow towards his direction, making sure that everyone in the room could hear me. I then turned towards the audience and bowed towards them. "And thank you all for coming today; your support means a lot to us girls."
A few wolf whistles and sharp calls broke out at my words, people making noise in approval of the Fairy Tail girls.
Smiling at them, I clasped my hands in front of me. "Now, I'm sure you're all waiting for me to showcase my talent for this contest, and will happily oblige to show you why I am proud to call myself a Fairy—"
"You?" a sharp voice suddenly called out, the high female tone ringing throughout the room. "A fairy? Please, the only fairy here is me."
At those last words, Evergreen wandered out from the left. Her customary fan was spread out across her face, but it did nothing to hide her scornful smile, nor the wicked gleam she held in her eyes.
The eyes that were solely focused on me, razor sharp behind her glasses.
Faintly, as if from far-away, I could hear people's loud exclamations over Evergreen's appearance and how the rest of her team had to be there. I was more focused on how close Evergreen was and how I could give her a good sock in the face if only she stepped a little bit closer.
"I am the rightful winner of this contest," Evergreen continued as she stalked closer, "and I won't have a pathetic girl like you stand in my way."
As she reached for her glasses, I could hear people in the crowd begin to scream for me to look away, for Evergreen to stop, but neither of us listened.
I looked Evergreen right in the face as she grabbed her glasses and began to slide them down her pert nose.
Then I punched her right in the face.
Evergreen recoiled with a gasp and a low crunching sound, hands flying up from her glasses to grasp at her bleeding nose. She hunched over, as if to protect herself from me and the crowd's loud roars of surprise and approval.
"Oops," I said as I inspected the blood drying across my knuckles with disinterest, "I guess my fist just stood in your way."
"You…" seethed Evergreen as she straightened up, hands still at her nose. "You broke my nose!"
"That I did," I said simply. "It's a very soft nose, you know that? Didn't take much of an effort on my behalf to break it. Sorry to be the bearer of bad news."
With a primal screech of rage, Evergreen rushed towards me with one hand outstretched, as if to strangle me, and the other twitching towards her glasses once more.
Nimbly, I skipped out of her way and stuck a foot out as she whirled around to face me once more. With a flick of my foot, her legs were kicked out from beneath her and she went toppling backwards.
Taking the obvious opportunity, I rose my left leg in the air above her falling form before slamming it down into her diaphragm at blinding speed. This action slammed Evergreen into the stage with much more force than she had anticipated, and her mouth lolled open in a soundless choke from the impact, as well as my foot digging into her soft chest.
Retracting my leg with as much grace as I could muster – what with my leg aching from the recoil – I lowered myself to place both knees either side of Evergreen's hips as I straddled her. The position I was in was perfect to grab Evergreen's hands and tug her arms above her head to keep them away from her glasses.
Leaning into her sweating and gasping face, I gave a sharp smile, feeling the usual thrum of adrenaline pumping through my veins; it made me itch for a good fight. A fight that would risk my life and leave me bloody and haggard.
This was not one of those fights. Because, for all her magical prowess, Evergreen had only a slightly above average physical strength, which was highly outmatched by my own honed physical strength. If it came to a battle of magic and strategy, I could easily say that Evergreen would win with her diverse abilities and years of experience.
However, she was unable to use most of her magic with her hands out of the equation and our close proximity. She was trumped, and she knew it from the panic in her pain-filled eyes.
"We can stop this here," I said gently to her, "and you can release the girls I know that are under your spell. Or we can go a few rounds after I break your arms and blind you." I smiled. "Which do you chose?"
"Fuck you," Evergreen spat out. "You don't know what you're dealing with! My teammates—!"
I sighed heavily to cut her off. "Yes, you're teammates. The ones currently hiding up in the rafters. Well, I think you're teammates are being quite smart to stay away right now. I daresay Freed knows the hold I currently have on your hands allows me to quite easily break your wrists if I chose to." I gave a short twist to further my point, Evergreen giving a bitten-off shriek as I did so. "I don't think they want to risk it."
"Laxus-sama…" the girl murmured under her breath as she gazed up past me to where her teammates probably were.
Rolling my eyes, I decided that this wasn't going anywhere soon and that I really ought to finish it up before Laxus struck me down with a lightning bolt, regardless of the fact that Evergreen and I's physical contact would mean the girl would be electrocuted too.
"Release the spell," I demanded Evergreen. "I'll give you to the count of three. One…"
Behind me I could hear shouts and yells beginning to erupt as, no doubt, the Raijinshuu tribe made their appearance. I was more focused on Evergreen's angry gaze boring into me behind cracked glasses and slowly blackening eyes.
"Two…"
Evergreen sneered at me with bloody teeth as feet thumped onto the stage behind me.
"Three."
Before whoever it was that was approaching me could latch onto the back of my vest, I slammed my head as hard as I could into Evergreen's.
The impact made me see stars and made my teeth rattle in their places, but I managed to hazily see Evergreen's eyes roll backwards to show white as she slumped beneath me.
Before I could compose myself, I was snatched up from behind and left hanging in the air by the strength of the person holding me.
My clothes strangled me as I was turned around, and I clutched at them to give me some relief and air. Most of my remaining air was taken away, however, by the ferocious sight that was Laxus snarling right into my face.
"You little brat," he hissed out, broad features scrunching up in an intimidating scowl. "You're ruining my plans! Do you really think you're strong enough to go against me? Powerful enough to challenge the true Master of Fairy Tail?"
The deep, rumble of Laxus's words vibrated in my chest, accompanying the tiny shivers that wracked my body. I had faced many adversaries in my life, but none quite as terrifying as the young man in front of me. Even Jose, who had been one of the most despicable men I had ever met, could not compare to Laxus. Because while Jose was cruel and merciless, he at least had restraint over his anger and his actions. Laxus, on the other hand, was more than happy to let go of any restraints he had over his anger at the first sign of rebellion.
Despite my fears, however, I knew that I could not show any weakness in front of Laxus; he would destroy me in a matter of seconds otherwise.
Summoning up a smirk, I batted my eyes coyly at Laxus, choosing to ignore the way my clothes were continuing to dig into my throat. "I would say 'sorry for ruining your plans,' dear, but considering the fact that said plans would mean my friends get hurt, I'm going to have to say 'fuck you' instead. Okay?"
Laxus roared in anger in response to my catty words, his free hand rising up to slap me across my left cheek. The force snapped my head to the side and tears began to build up in my eyes in reflex of the stinging pain blooming across my cheek.
I spat at the ground, tasting blood from where the inside of my cheek had scraped across my teeth. In the background I could faintly hear someone calling out to me – "Lucy! Luce, get out of there! Let go of her, you bastard! Why are you doing this?" –, but I was more focused on the man before me and the words he had to say.
"Listen here, punk," Laxus growled out. "Attitude like that has no place in Fairy Tail." His head then tilted up, frigid eyes burning into the audience as he addressed them. "DO YOU HEAR THAT! I will weed out every single person who brings shame upon Fairy Tail! People like this wrench," he shook me here in emphasis, "will be cast out to never return."
Suddenly, Laxus hoisted me further up in the air before almost effortlessly tossing me out over the edge of the stage. There was nothing I could do to break my fall, and I hit the ground with a jarring thud.
3rd Person P.O.V.
Several members of the guild who had been standing near the stage were quick to crowd the girl who had been unceremoniously tossed within their midst. Their hands were strong and firm as they lifted her to her feet, concern and anger clashing across their face at her dazed expression.
"That hurt…" Lucy said numbly as she touched a hand to the back of her head, her fingers coming away with soft smears of blood on them. "Oh."
Luckily Astoria was right beside the girl, and she was quick to usher her away from where Laxus was announcing the 'Battle of Fairy Tail.' The woman continued to pull the girl through the churning crowd to where her friends were – a small pack consisting of Elfman, Gray, Natsu, Ryos, Sting and the two exceeds –, silently handing her over to a concerned and enraged Gray who gripped the girl's arms tightly.
"You reckless idiot," he muttered as he sat her down between a wide-eyed Ryos and Sting, attention split between keeping an eye on Lucy's clouded eyes and also listening to Laxus's speech. "Why would you do such a thing?"
At those words, a dopey but triumphant smile came across Lucy's face as she pointed back up at the stage. "Because of that."
Almost as if on cue, a huge wave of water crashed out from the curtains behind the stage, surprising almost everyone. The mass of water washed away Evergreen's body as it thundered towards the remaining Raijinshuu, who, judging by their surprised expressions, weren't expecting such an attack.
However, the Raijinshuu weren't such renowned mages for nothing, and the three males were able to leap out of the way and safely into the rafters above; leaving their female teammate to be sucked back towards the source of the attack.
Evergreen rolled to a stop by a pair of booted feet, her body limp and glistening in the muted lights of the hall. Juvia examined the girl at her feet for a moment – just to check if any water had gotten into her lungs – before she turned her heated gaze towards the other members of the Raijinshuu.
And she wasn't the only female with hate in her eyes and revenge on her mind.
Bracketing her on both sides was the newly resurrected girls; their stances poised and ready for battle, magic already humming at their fingertips.
On Juvia's left stood Erza, hip cocked, eyebrows furrowed and sword in hand, still in her Lolita suit from her performance. Her teeth shone as she spoke, each word snapping from her lips to visibly strike at her current enemies. "You think that you can have a contest without a prize? Well! Since your 'prizes' have just been cured, there is no point to this battle!"
Her sword swung up, point deadly accurate as she directed at Laxus. "Give up now, or face the wrath of Fairy Tail!"
There was an answering cry to her words from the audience, even Natsu mustering up enough anger at Laxus to snap and snarl at him. But such words and actions had no effect on the Lightning dDragon sSlayer.
Instead, much to the crowds surprise, his face split in a wide, almost manic grin. Eyes near-bulging from their sockets, Laxus powered on to begin to explain how, if he wasn't named Master of Fairy Tail in the next hour, he would destroy the entire town with Thunder Palace.
"He wouldn't!" Elfman cried out, initial relief at seeing his sister safe washed away by those words. "Such magic is illegal and immoral; it's entirely unmanly!"
"He's bluffing," Natsu managed to laugh out. "He's gotta be! He's a Fairy Tail mage, why would he want to do this!"
Ryos clutched at one of Lucy's hands, dark eyes trained on Laxus's feral expression. He had seen the same manic look in Jose's eyes as he had talked about beating Fairy Tail and any other guild that would claim to be better than Phantom Lord. It was a mixture of ego, fear and inferiority complex. The stress of not living up to expectations, of not being strong enough…It was enough to break men like Laxus; Ryos had seen it happen to many of his old guildmates.
He did not voice his musings out loud, however, knowing that no matter what he said to Natsu, it wouldn't matter. Natsu would only change his mind if he sees the horrors that Laxus was capable of. Words and threats would do nothing to change Natsu's mind; he would brush it off as Laxus playing around. But if the older Sslayer used his power to do wicked against his fellow guildmates, it would be more than enough for Natsu to turn against him and fight him with all of his might.
Which, really, was the kind of thing this situation needed right now.
In a crash of lightning, Laxus, Freed and Bickslow abruptly disappeared from the hall, avoiding the questions and accusations thrown at them. They left behind a stunned crowd of mages, all unsure of how to proceed from this point of their lives.
Their beloved Fairy Tail girls were all alive and well, but now they had an hour to stop Laxus from activating Thunder Palace by either defeating all of the Raijinshuu, or if their Master gave up his position to his grandson. The latter was out of the question, but the former was a daunting task.
According to Freed, he had placed traps across the city that would pit members against each other during their quest to find any of the Raijinshuu members. Not only that, but the idea of roaming the entirety of Magnolia – which was not a small town by any means – in search of three people was a disheartening thought that clearly reflected in everyone's downtrodden faces.
That just wouldn't cut it for Lucy – she had not nearly been beaten to a pulp by Laxus to change absolutely nothing.
Gently prying Ryos and Sting's hands off of her, Lucy stood up with a soft sway. Her posture was sure and strong though as she marched towards where Makarov was trying to catch his breath after the startling revelation that his grandson wished harm against his own guild. Mirajane was crouched by the man, trying her best to comfort him, but judging by Makarov's rapidly paling skin it wasn't working.
"Take him to the infirmary to recover," Lucy said quietly to Mirajane once she reached them. "Get him his medicine and send someone out to reach Porlyusica."
"Right," Mirajane said as she gently picked up the older mage. "Will you be alright though, Lucy? You hit your head badly, you might need to rest." Her blue eyes were fixed on Lucy's gently swelling cheek and bloody lips as she said this, her arms softly cradling the sweating and moaning Makarov.
In response to Mirajane's concern, Lucy managed a small smile that cracked and peeled the blood plastered on her lips. "I'll be fine, Mira. Just make sure Master is okay, and grab someone to guard him. I'm sure Laxus won't attack Master while he is so ill, but I don't want to take any chances."
Mirajane gave a short nod. "I'll do that now, Lucy. Just make sure you take care of yourself." With that, the white-haired girl hurried off to the infirmary, Laki and Max falling into step behind her at her prompting.
"Now that that's covered…" Lucy muttered to herself before turning to the pandemonium that was erupting around her.
People were shouting over each other to get their plans and opinions heard, their panic only fuelled by the countdown clock that had appeared in glowing script by the doorway. No one had noticed the additional runes that lined the only door outside, and Lucy could only twist her lips at the symbols that would prevent the Dragon Slayers from getting out to help.
Sighing to herself, Lucy made her way back to where her friends were, Natsu being the only one out of the group to be making a racket. Elfman was busy pondering over something to himself, Ryos and Sting were sitting wide-eyes and slightly scared beside Lector, and Gray was now chatting intently with a furious-looking Erza.
"Hey," Lucy said to Gray, prompting the mage to break of his conversation with Erza to look at her with a raised eyebrow. "Yeah, what's up?"
As Lucy clambered up onto the table behind Ryos, she continued to speak calmly to the Ice mage. "Mind giving me a wolf whistle to catch everyone's attention? I would do it, but my whistling skills aren't up to par with yours."
Obligingly, Gray pressed his fingers to his lips and shot off a sharp whistle, catching everyone's attention. From there, Lucy took charge once more, hands on her hips and gaze stern as she looked across the crowd in front of her.
"Alright, listen up!" she shouted out, making sure her voice could be heard by everyone in the room. "I know that we've got a bad situation on our hands, but we've got to keep a level head about this."
"Laxus just threatened to blow up the town!" a mage yelled out, anger obviously evident in his voice. "How the hell can we stay calm about this?"
Those words prompted Natsu to leap up beside Lucy, regardless of the way the motion made the remaining Etherion slosh about in his stomach in a sickening way. "Laxus won't do it! He's a Fairy Tail mage, and we don't hurt our nakama!"
"Sure looks like that's what he's doing!" the man shouted back in reply, his words creating a ripple of agreeing murmurs in the crowd.
Before Natsu could begin to argue back with the man, Lucy held up her hand to quieten the Fire Slayer. She shot a stern look at Natsu's offended expression before smoothing it out and turning back to the crowd to wrestle back control.
"I do realise the situation we're in," Lucy said gently, voice rolling out to smooth out the frazzled edges of the crowd. "But standing around and arguing with each other isn't going to help. We've got fifty minutes to fix this situation, and yelling at each other isn't going to find Laxus and put an end to this.
"We need to split up across the city to find the members of the Raijinshuu before time runs out. Make sure that you avoid as many traps as you can, and if you get caught in one, use your smarts to find a loophole in Freed's runes; you're all smart enough to do so. While you do this, though, please try your best to evacuate citizens from the city in the calmest way possible."
Several people in the crowd began to nod along to the words being spouted off by Lucy, tension easing from their outlines as they were given a purpose. Almost instantly they began to find their teammates, banding together to prepare themselves for the challenge that lay ahead.
"Prepare yourselves!" Lucy bellowed out as the mages turned their determined expressions to the open doorway. "This will be a challenge like nothing you've ever faced before! This is your own nakama who you're facing, so be prepared to harden your heart! Fly straight and true, and make sure that you don't recklessly attack the lacrima; I'm sure Freed has prepared a surprise for those who think they can cheat the rules. Now," she raised her arms up, bracketing her nakama with the slender appendages, "go forth and bring pride to the name of Fairy Tail!"
A roar of approval came from the crowd, and they surged forwards to rush out of the doorway to spill out onto the streets. The next hour would be one full of tension and betrayal as nakama were pitted against each other due to Freed's traps, but Fairy Tail would continue to fight, regardless.
"Take control there, would ya?" Gray snorted to Lucy when she clambered down from her post, hands grasping her arm to help her down. "Are you going to direct us now, fearless leader?"
"Shut up, Gray," Lucy said with a trace of humour in her voice. She then turned away from the male to put her arms around her two boys and talking cat, hands soft and caring. "Are you two alright?"
"You kicked ass, Lucy-nee!" Sting yelped out before Ryos could ask about his honorary sister's health. "How could I not be alright? Oh man, I'm so pumped up to fight now!"
Natsu landed with a thump beside the small blond, usual grin in place as he fistbumped the boy. "Hell yeah! We're going to kick Laxus's ass and snap him out of whatever delusions he's in!"
When Sting began to cheer alongside him, the two boys already beginning to make their way towards the entrance of the guild, it took all of Lucy's self-control to not sweep Sting up in a hug and never let him go. He was only a small boy – no older than seven or eight, really – and the idea of him being out there in the chaos, facing up against men like Laxus was enough to make Lucy feel ill.
The only thing that kept her from snatching up Ryos, Sting and Lector and taking them far away was the knowledge of the men they would become in time. Rogue and Sting were one of the most powerful mages Sabertooth had ever seen, and that came through experience and training. Lucy couldn't coddle her boys and shy them away from battle; that would limit the abilities and power that they had when they grew into the fine young men she had seen in the manga and anime.
Although it hurt her heart to see boys younger than her little sister – god, Maya, how long had it been since she had seen her? – go into battle, she knew that it was practically their destiny. She had no say in their life choices, really. She could only help keep them safe without smothering them, and make sure they grew up strong and healthy.
"Alright!" Erza suddenly said, snapping Lucy out of her thoughts. "We'll head out together. We'll head towards the east and sweep our way back from there. That way we should be able to comb the entire area thoroughly."
When no complaints were brought up, the team consisting of Erza, Gray, Natsu, Elfman, Lucy, Ryos, Sting, Happy and Lector rushed for the entrance…
Only for the Dragon Slayers to slam into a barrier of runes, pained expressions written on their faces.
The four mages and cats who had made it through turned back to gape at their companions – well, Lucy tried her hardest to hold back a laugh at their squished faces – unsure of what just happened.
Luckily, Levy had stayed back to bid farewell to Jet – who Mirajane had entrusted the task to grab Porlyusica – and to chain an unconscious Evergreen to one of the foundation poles of the hall.
The gleaming words of 'shackle' wrapped around the woman's arms and kept her against the pole in a slumped sitting position. Levy had just finished up the task when Natsu and Sting's enraged shouts brought her attention to the rune barrier that held the Dragon Slayers within the guild.
Quickly, the small girl hurried over, her stylus already poised and ready to fix the problem. "I can solve this for you guys!"
The collected groups' attention snapped towards the petite girl who came to a skidding stop in front of the barrier, eyes already blazing trails across the runes and words written there. Before anyone had a chance to speak their relief at seeing the girl, Levy was already rattling off information.
"It says here that 'no one over the age of eighty may cross from this point.' It's bound by runes that I haven't seen before, I might have to—"
"Eighty years?" Natsu suddenly screeched, hands slamming against the barrier. "I'm not eighty years old!"
"Me neither!" Sting shouted out before he turned a horrified look towards a stunned Ryos beside him. "Unless I really am eighty? I don't know when my birthday is! Maybe I really am eighty in a good looking body?"
"Maybe we're immortal," Ryos whispered dazedly, eyes staring sightlessly at runes in front of him.
To the background sound of Gray teasing Natsu about his age across the barrier without fear of retaliation, and Lucy assuring Ryos that he wasn't immortal – "you're just a cute, little boy, Ryos-kin, I swear!" – Levy dropped to her knees and began pondering the trails of runes on the floor. As she did so, she began to address the group of mages lingering in the doorway.
"You guys should head off now. Mages as strong as yourselves shouldn't be limiting yourselves to such a small problem when we have…" she glanced at the timer, "forty-six minutes to go."
"But I want to fight!" Natsu protested, slamming himself against the barrier again. "I need to defeat Laxus!"
"And you will," soothed Levy as she brought out her glasses and mentally ran over what books she would need to solve the puzzle before her. "But first I need to solve this, and it would be pointless for people like Erza to be standing around here when she could be kicking Freed's butt out there."
"Well said," Lucy murmured under her breath. "I completely agree, Levy-chan. We'll head out now if Juvia joins us." The blonde nodded towards the blue-haired girl who had been hovering nearby, no doubt looking out for Gajeel. "Juvia would be a welcome addition to the party, especially if I go ahead and evacuate civilians."
At her friend's confused looks, the blonde explained her thought process. "I don't want to fight, and if I partner up with Happy and take to the skies, I would easily be able to spot civilians. I then could summon my spirits to get them out of tricky situations."
Although Erza was confused by her friend's wish to remain out of battle, she respected the logical choice she had made. "Of course, we would be happy to have Juvia with us." With a sharp jerk of her head the redhead beckoned the Water mage over, despite the girl's stammers about Gajeel and his whereabouts.
"Gajeel will probably be stuck here with Natsu, Ryos and Sting if the pattern continues," Elfman said to reassure Juvia. "He will be fine here, even if he is cooped up in an unmanly manner."
Juvia cast one last hesitant look towards the guild before her expression hardened and she nodded. Falling into place, Juvia nodded her farewell to the people left behind as she followed Erza's lead into the streets.
As Lucy watched them go – repressing a smile at the way Gray stuck his tongue out at Natsu before they darted out of sight, much to the Fire Dragon Slayer's anger – she felt Happy press himself against her leg.
Glancing down at the cat, Lucy managed to smile at him. "You ready to partner up with me?"
Happy cast a glance back at Natsu, who was now calm enough to give him a grumpy thumbs up, before looking back at Lucy was a smile of his own. "Aye, sir! Let's go!"
With one last wave and a promise to stay safe to her boys and Lector, Lucy let Happy pick her up as he sprouted wings and shot off into the sky, his tiny paws grasping at Lucy's vest.
"Please let this be easy…" Lucy murmured to herself as she faced the challenge ahead with worry in her eyes and her teeth chewing at her lip.
Above her, Happy could only silently pray alongside her.
Holy shit, this has to be one of the worst chapters I've ever done for this story. Not only did it take, like, two weeks to write this, but it felt so stale and boring.
I'M SO SORRY!
The next part will hopefully be better. I was just really rushing through this so that I can get to Lucy absolutely smashing Bickslow into the ground.
This whole arc is just a lot of retelling, which is why it felt so rushed. I just wanna really show parts where Lucy kicks arse, but I know that I just can't do that. Fuck.
I'm sorry again.