Chapter 5
The next morning, Lucy awoke to the sound of something frying. The scent of vegetables floated through her apartment. Plue, who normally slept curled into her stomach, was gone, probably wherever the source of the food was. Groaning, she sat up, putting a hand to her side. She lifted her shirt, and saw that her bandage was turning red, meaning she would have to change it sometime soon. Sighing, Lucy slid out of bed, throwing her hair up in a bun, and pulling on her favorite pink robe. She walked out into the kitchen, rubbing her eyes.
"Good morning, Luce! How are you feeling?" Her pink haired partner said, turning around when he heard her walk into the kitchen.
"Hi, I feel fine" Lucy murmured, still half asleep, and walked over to where Natsu was by the stove. "What are you making?" She asked, leaning to look at the contents of the pan.
"Omelets!" Natsu answered, giving her a grin. "If I remember correctly, those are your favorite". Lucy patted his arm, and smiled, nodding. She turned to greet Plue, who came over wagging his tail at the sight of her.
"Yours is almost done, have a seat, i'll bring it over" Natsu said, grabbing a plate from her cupboards.
"Thank you, Natsu. Though I feel bad, I could have made you something" Lucy said, pulling out a chair at the island counter.
"Nah, you needed some rest, especially after what happened yesterday" Natsu said, bringing Lucy her plate, and a glass of juice.
"Thanks" Lucy said, smiling at Natsu, who was bumbling around her kitchen like he lived there, humming to himself.
"So, what's the plan for today?" Lucy asked, digging her fork into the omelet, and putting a piece in her mouth.
Natsu slides an omelet onto a plate, and comes over to sit next to Lucy at the counter.
"If you are feeling up to it, I was going to ask if you wanted to go to headquarters and be briefed by Makarov to see what Juvia found out while she was undercover. She was caught when she found out something big" Natsu explained, looking at her critically.
"I feel better, I want to go" Lucy said, lightly touching her side, and lifting her gaze to meet Natsu's. Natsu nodded and smiled, throwing his arm around her shoulders.
"I thought so! Anyways, let's finish eating, get that bandage changed, and we can head to Fairy Tail" Natsu said, sounding excited, as he shoveled into his omelet. Lucy laughed, and leaned into his side, before turning back to her omelet.
Not soon after, Lucy found herself sitting on her counter, in her sports bra, while Natsu set down the supplies for cleaning and re-bandaging her wound.
"Let's see it" Natsu said, walking up to Lucy. Lucy grimaced, and went to pull off her bloody bandage, hissing as she peeled it off. Natsu bend his head to examine it, wrapping a hand around her uninjured side.
"This is going to sting, try not to hurt me please" Natsu said, grabbing a cotton ball, and starting to dab at her side. Lucy inhaled sharply, and her hands flew to his shoulders, nails digging into his skin. Natsu mumbled that he was sorry, and kept on dabbing at her side. With a warm hand still on her side, Natsu leaned around her and grabbed the new bandage, applying it gently to her side.
"All done" Natsu said, his other hand going to cup Lucy's cheek.
"Thank you, Natsu" Lucy said, moving a hand to his bicep and squeezing. Natsu grinned at Lucy, as he helped her off of the counter.
"Go get dressed, then we can head out" He said, dropping his head to press a quick kiss on her forehead. Lucy nodded, and turned to go to her room. Natsu watched her leave, and once she had gotten out of sight, he turned around to clean the bathroom. Yes, he knew she was capable of changing her own bandages, but she had taken care of so many of his injuries growing up, he felt he should probably start repaying her.
"I'm ready" He heard Lucy say, as she leaned on the door frame to the bathroom. When he looked up, he felt as if his breath got knocked out of him. While Lucy always looked great, he could never get used to her when she dressed up. She hadn't put any makeup on, or fix her hair, but Lucy still looked breathtaking in a silky blouse and a pencil skirt that hit just above her knees, accentuating her curvy figure.
Lucy's eyebrows pulled together, her expression confused. "What are you starting at, do I look okay?" She asked, looking down at her outfit, and self consciously brushing her skirt with her hands.
"Huh? Oh, no! No no no" Natsu stuttered, raising his hands up. "I was zoning, you look beautiful, like alway" He finished, his words coming out fast. Lucy's cheeks reddened slightly, as she met Natsu's gaze.
"You think i'm beautiful?" She asked, stepping closer. Natsu froze, and then put a hand behind his head, laughing.
"Well duh, everyone thinks that" He says, walking past her, to pick up her purse and hand it to her. "Let's head out" He continued, changing the subject. Lucy fixed her brown eyes on the pink haired man for a few seconds longer, then let out a small laugh and nodded, walking towards the door, and slipping on her heels. With Natsu's warm hand on her back, they made their way out of her apartment, and to her car.
Not to long after, Lucy found herself in a conference room. Mirajane had found them and took them into the room, where Makarov, Juvia, and Gray were already sitting in. Juvia looked up at Lucy, and smiled wanly. As Natsu pulled out a chair, and helped Lucy sit, she looked over Juvia. She was covered head to toe in bruises, and had many bandages around her arms, and her head. Lucy bit her lip, still upset with waiting so long to try and save her. She should have jumped in right away, before Juvia had gotten hurt.
Makarov cleared his throat, shuffling some papers, bringing Lucy back to the present.
"Okay, now that we are all here, Juvia, can you fill us in on what happened before you got captured?" He asked, opening up a laptop so he could type out notes. Juvia nodded, and Lucy saw Gray take her hand, and squeeze once, lightly.
Juvia took a deep breath, and started to speak.
"Juvia was doing what she had always done, do her own things and to try and hear as much as possible. Recently, Juvia had been allowed to join the core group. There was a meeting with all of the prominent members of the groups in the Balam Alliance. There was Jose from Phantom Lord, Zero from Oracion Seis, Hades from Grimoire Heart, and Mard Geer from Tartaros."
"There's an alliance now? Since when?" Lucy gasped. The major groups had always worked separately, more focused on gaining their own money, than working with the other groups.
Juvia nodded. "Yes, they met up about 2 months ago, and are planning something big. Juvia did not find out much, because when Juvia snuck out to try and find some paperwork or files on Jose's computer, Juvia was ambushed. They tried to get information out of Juvia, but found Juvia's Fairy Tail mark. Jose was extremely upset. He kept asking about something called Lumen Histoire, but Juvia had never heard of it, and Juvia kept telling Jose that, but he didn't believe Juvia."
At this, Makarov looked troubled. "If he wants Lumen Histoire, they can't have anything good planned." He mussed.
"What is Lumen Histoire?" Gray asked, leaning forward slightly. Makarov shook his head. "I wish I could tell you, but it is class A confidential, just you guys knowing the name is a huge breach of confidentiality, and I will have to have you all sign forms to promise that you will never talk about i or mention it to anyone. It is extremely dangerous if it lands in the wrong hands, and if used in a certain way, it can be used to destroy Earth"
Lucy looked at Natsu sharply, and he reached forward to squeeze her thigh. Lucy put her hand over his, and squeezed back, before pulling away.
Juvia bit her lip, and continued. "Juvia believes that the Balam Alliance is planning something big. There is a man in the shadows who is planning and funding all of their activity, Juvia did not find out his name, but it was he who brought all of the dark guilds together, and is orchestrating all of their plans. Juvia knows he wants certain items, like the item Lucy confiscated, the Lullaby Flute."
"So, if we want to take down the alliance, we need to find the mastermind behind it all" Makarov said, typing on his laptop. "Is that all Juvia?" He asked, glancing at the blue haired woman.
Juvia shook her head, and turned her gaze to Lucy, looking apprehensive. "There is one thing that Juvia found out" Juvia paused, and turned to look at Gray, who nodded at her encouragingly. Taking a deep breathe, she continued.
"Phantom Lord has a contact that has been finding and selling Phantom many of the supplies they are looking for, and is buying drugs and distributing them to dealers all over Fiore." Juvia's eyes met Lucy's. "That man is Jude Heartfilia".
A shorter chapter this time, I promise that the next one will be longer! Also I am sorry for the late update, I got called into work early yesterday and then ended up working a 14 hour shift so I got home pretty late, but here it is! Thank you to all who followed, favorited, and reviewed! I hope you all are well, and enjoy this chapter!
Sonchia