Here's Chapter 10. I hope you guys are liking the story so far and continue reading and reviewing (although for the life of me I can't seem to access the reviews I've got, so could someone please tell me what's going on?) I know the pick up of the story has been quite slow, but I'm working on that, so stay tuned :) K x
One Thursday night, Lucy and Natsu were sitting in the crow's nest as usual. Happy was curled up in a ball on Natsu's lap as he peered through the telescope, moving it up and down.
"Would you stop that Natsu, you'll make the screws come loose." Lucy rolled her eyes at him.
Natsu stopped, peering intently through the telescope to see a sizeable lump on the horizon, with lights and tiny ships, heading towards it. He grinned, excitedly.
"Wait Luce, I think we're near Edolas, We've gotta wake the others!"
Natsu raced down the rigging and rung the big bell on the main deck. Erza appeared on deck almost instantly, a telescope in hand. She was followed by Gajeel, Makarov and Gray.
"Good work Natsu, let's get everyone up and ready, we'll find a safe place to dock"
"Alright brats! Get your lazy asses up! Land ho!" Makarov yelled.
With a cheer the crew flooded on to the deck; lighting lanterns and adjusting the main sail. Makarov took hold of the wheel, as Erza searched for the lighthouse.
Fairy Tail, moved quietly through the murky waves, as they docked and weighed anchor in a secluded cove. The sun had nearly risen in the sky, its rays peeking over the horizon.
Lucy yawned and stretched, before heading back to the cabin and flopping on the bed. Natsu tickled her awake, two hours later; for that he earned a slap across the face as Lucy's arms flailed during his tickle attack. Lucy washed her face and tied up her hair, grinning evilly as he massaged his cheek.
"Hey Luce, have you ever heard of Edolas Island before?"
She shook her head, puzzled, "nope."
Natsu smirked; "I'm surprised that you didn't learn about it at your little school, it's basically the pirate capital. The Navy's been trying to storm it for years, but it's too well fortified."
Lucy looked shocked. Natsu chuckled and continued; "The worst of the worst come and trade here, but it's the only place we can get decent supplies for the ship."
They heard Erza yelling, ordering everyone to get off the ship.
"Whelp, come on Luce, I'd better give you a tour."
Smirking he dragged Lucy up onto the deck, leaving the safety of their cabin behind.
It was early, so the port was relatively quiet. Ragtag inns were clustered tightly together in the narrow streets, which had rubbish strewn around highlighting that this was a town of disorder. The strong odour of vomit, urine, sweat, booze and gunpowder, made Lucy wrinkle her nose and bury her face into her scarf. Lucy stared incredulously at the number of bars, and whorehouses that were packed into the port. Natsu was smirking at her ever widening eyes.
"It's pretty nice here isn't it Luce." He joked as he kicked an empty bottle of rum across a particularly dirty street which had some corsets and petticoats in the road.
"Hell yeah. It's delightful." Lucy countered, her sarcasm waning.
Natsu laughed and draped an arm around her shoulders. The crew continued their trek through the untidy streets.
Erza turned to address Lucy and Natsu. "Lucy we need to meet with the captain of Blue Pegasus at the Hibiscus Inn."
She shuddered and cringed. "I apologize in advance… Er he and his crewmates don't exactly respect…personal space."
"Why doesn't Natsu join then," a vein popped in Natsu's forehead, Lucy giggled at his frustration.
At the Hibiscus Inn, Cana bolted for the bar, along with Macao and Wakaba. Lucy took in the surroundings of the murky bar, still lit with delicate candles and the walls, painted with royal purple. Reluctantly Erza approached a darkened corner of the room, where a well-dressed crew were sitting in a sumptuous booth.
"Erza my sweet, sweet love!"
A short, ugly man leapt onto the table beaming at Erza. Jumping at her he cried. "I thank the heavens that I can smell your delectable parfum again! It has been too long!"
Erza cringed uncomfortably as he grabbed hold of her hand, kissing it profusely, while raising his ugly head to sniff the air around her.
"Hello Ichiya." Intoned Makarov gruffly. "Where is Captain Bob, I was hoping to speak to him about our gunpowder deal."
"Captain Makarov, you look so well." Ichiya swept his hat gracefully.
"Unfortunately Captain Bob is still asleep, but he sent me to sort out the transaction in his place."
Ichiya motioned to a small office next to the bar and Makarov followed, with Laxus in tow.
Mira motioned for them to sit at a table. Lucy was about to sit when she was stopped by a member of the Blue Pegasus.
"Surely such a fine lady would prefer to sit with the noble crew of the Blue Pegasus." The handsome pirate ruffled his dark blonde hair.
Lucy cringed and pushed the pirate away lightly, "I'm good thanks."
"Are you sure, it would be a pleasure to be in your company." Another pirate chimed in, running his fingers through his dark hair.
"Seriously I'm fine!"
Lucy felt a warm chest pressed against her back, a hand squeezed her arm gently.
"Yeah guys, she's fine, so go sit with your creepy friends." Natsu snapped. Gray snickered until; Juvia was approached by another member of Blue Pegasus. Gray glared angrily at him and placed his arms protectively round Juvia's waist.
The blonde pirate laughed smoothly. "Oh Natsu, if I didn't know any better, I'd say you were jealous."
"No! Hibiki, I just think you should acknowledge that my friend doesn't appreciate your attention." Natsu grabbed Lucy down onto the seat, pulling her close to his chest.
Sighing with defeat Hibiki and his crew-mates went back to their table.
Lucy pushed herself away from Natsu, rolling her eyes, before downing her tankard. He continued to glare at the group in their booth, over the top of his mug of rum.
"Natsu, can you and Lucy go and get the stuff on this list." Mira handed Lucy a small roll of parchment.
"Me, Erza, Juvia and Lisanna are going clothes shopping, so we'll make sure we get you something Lucy."
Mira smiled, "Just drop everything back here when you're done. Freed and Bixslow will look after it." She pointed to two pirates sitting at a table with Laxus.
One had his long green hair in a plait down his back, whilst the other had wild black hair and four brightly coloured parrots on his shoulder. The girls left the inn giggling wildly, while Natsu pulled Lucy onto the street.
"Come on Luce, if we're quick we can get some food. I'm starving!"
"You're always hungry!" yelled Lucy as she raced after him, happy clinging onto her shoulder.
They stopped near a signpost, as the streets became more crowded. Natsu was whining about food and Lucy ignored him by reading the list:
5x bags of Salt
Sugar
Bay leaves
Coriander
Dried Chiles
Rosemary
Tarragon
Cloves
Oranges
Lemons
Oil
Rum-from the Flying Cat Inn
Lucy read the signpost looking for the spice shop. God knows we need it to help with the food. Lucy shivered as she recalled last night's dried cod and stale bread meal, even with strong alcohol it had been hard to swallow.
"Come on Natsu, the spice shops this way right?"
"Yeah, but promise, we'll stop and get some food later."
Lucy nodded, tiredly.
The spice shop was small and dark. A strong, exotic aroma permeated the air, creating a heady, but pleasant scent. Lucy walked to the counter and rang the bell. A short woman with white hair and brown eyes, walked behind the counter, smiling. She was wearing a white cotton blouse with a matching pale blue bodice and skirt; a blue hair ornament pulled her light fringe from her delicate face. Lucy smiled back before handing the girl the list.
"I guess you guys have been on a long voyage, right?" The girl asked politely as she pulled five bags of salt from under the counter.
"Yeah, you could say that." Lucy replied, as she put the bags of salt carefully in a duffle bag.
"Where are you headed?" The girl continued.
"Just to a small island." Lucy replied vaguely, waving her hand.
The girl nodded happily and went to get the rest of the herbs and ground up spices. Lucy heard a snuffling nose and turned to see pink hair, growing out of a dish of caramel coloured powder. Natsu had stuck his head in a dish of ground cinnamon.
"AH! Lucy this stuff is making my nose itch!"
"Well then you shouldn't have stuffed your face in it dimwit, gosh you are such a child!"
The girl laughed as Lucy yelled at Natsu who was dancing around, rubbing his nose furiously.
"That'll be 2000 Jewel please."
Lucy handed the girl the money. She stiffened when she saw Lucy's right hand. Lucy noticed the girls reaction and pulled her hand back quickly, stuffing it in her pocket.
"Well thanks a lot, we'll be going now." Lucy laughed uncomfortably, dragging a red-nosed Natsu behind her.
The girl watched them leave the shop, frowning.
"Fairy Tail hasn't been here in a while, they must be going on another hunt," She mused to herself. "That girl's new too, I haven't seen her around."
She bustled around for a few moments, murmuring to herself. The bell rang on the counter; she turned to see a pirate with spiky blonde hair and blue eyes. His blue coat was unbuttoned slightly showing a loose white shirt. He leaned languidly on the counter, smiling at her.
"Sting! What are you doing here? I didn't think you'd get back till next week!"
He hugged her and smiled; "Well Yukino, we spotted the little fairy ship in a cove and we just got curious."
She frowned at him; "Come on Sting don't go causing any trouble."
"Oh I wouldn't dream of it." He said, smiling wickedly.
He lazily picked up a small star anise from a bronze dish.
"In fact, have you seen any of them this morning?"
Yukino huffed, folding her arms; "No!"
"Are you sure," he leaned in closer; "You can't refuse your Captain's orders…"
Yukino dropped her head not meeting his gaze. She bit her lip and uttered the information he required.
"Fine. Two came in this morning. One of them was Salamander..." Sting growled slightly.
"...And there was a new girl with long blonde hair."
Sting smiled, satisfied with her answer; "I can always rely on you Yuki!"
She clasped her hands together and stared up at his blue eyes; "Just promise you won't cause any more trouble, we're still cleaning up the mess you left on the Island from last time."
He nodded fervently, kissed her forehead and exited the shop, a small reddish-brown cat bounding after him.
Lucy had finally caved in to Natsu's demands for food. More like incessant whining! So they were currently sitting in a small tavern, as he wolfed down enough to feed a small army, while Happy chewed on a fish head. Well there goes the money I saved from bartering. Lucy sighed and checked the list, they just had the rum to pick up and the duffle bag was getting heavy. I'll make Natsu carry the barrels. Lucy patiently waited until Natsu had finished eating.
"Finally! We've got one more stop Natsu." She showed him the list.
"Yeah we should get back to the Hibiscus inn before night fall. This place tends to get pretty crazy." He grinned.
They set off in the direction of the Flying Cat Inn. Little did they know they were being watched by two cats, one reddish brown and the other pale green, with a pink spotty ribbon round its neck.
The inn keeper of the Flying Cat Inn, gruffly directed them to the cellar, so they could pick up the barrels themselves. Lucy handed him the money and followed Natsu down the rickety steps, the creaky door slamming behind them.
They were rolling the barrels to the stairs, when Lucy heard a slight shuffling sound. She and Natsu turned around quickly, Natsu growled.
"What do you want Sting?"
"How rude Natsu, we were just gonna say hello, weren't we Rogue."
Rogue nodded; "Yeah, we heard Fairy Tail had got a new recruit." He winked at Lucy who glared in response, fists clenched.
"Well if your just here to say hello, why don't you let us be!" Lucy said firmly.
Sting tutted; "I don't think so. I've got a score to settle with Pinky here." He pointed lazily at Natsu.
"Plus it just makes it more enjoyable if his girlfriend has to watch."
Rogue grabbed Lucy from behind, as she kicked, snarling.
"Let Lucy go!" Natsu yelled.
Sting shook his head; "This is non-negotiable, plus I think Lucy would be a beautiful addition to the crew. Right Rogue?" Natsu clenched his fists, baring his teeth.
"You got that right Sting, she's real pretty." Rogue placed a hand on her leg.
"Wrong move asshole!" Lucy swung her elbow at Rogue's face, hitting him hard.
Stunned he held his nose, as blood poured from it onto his black coat.
"Oh, you're a tricky one aren't you?" He said menacingly as he pushed his black hair out of his red eyes.
Sting looked shocked; "That changes our plans a bit. Rogue, take care of her, I'll look after this son of a bitch."
Rogue nodded as he advanced towards, Lucy unsheathing his sword, which was made of a blackened metal. Lucy smiled and whipped out her own. Natsu let out a battle cry as he ran at Sting. Rogue trapped Lucy into a corner of the cellar, a smirk on his face.
He swung at her arm, and she blocked swiftly before going for his legs. Blood spurted through his trousers, and his knees buckled slightly. Growling he tried to push her against the wall, but she pushed back, teeth gritted with determination. They broke apart as he swung at her head she ducked and kicked him in the leg she just cut. He swore loudly, before punching her in the stomach. Lucy landed on the floor, cursing. She rolled over quickly as the sword came down on the floor next to her, almost catching her jacket. Spinning around Lucy, attacked him with swift parries and thrusts. She picked up the speed, so that her sword was a blur of glowing silver. Sting looked shocked. Taking the opportunity Lucy, swept his feet from under him as his sword clattered across the floor. She stomped her boot down hard on his stomach, making him wheeze.
"Why you…"
"Hurry up Rogue! She's just a girl!" Sting yelled. Natsu took the opportunity to punch him hard in the face.
Sting flew across the room, hitting the big barrels of wine. One smashed, pouring maroon liquid onto the floor, like blood. Lucy laughed, as Natsu turned to smile at her.
"This has been fun and all, but why don't we call it a day?" Lucy smiled politely.
"Aw come on Luce, let me beat em to a pulp!" Natsu yelled, fist pumping energetically.
Sting hissed, "You don't get to decide when this fight is over! It's just started. So you aren't going anywhere."
Lucy sighed and shrugged, before kicking Rogue in the ribs with a smirk. He rolled groaning, before getting up and grabbing his sword.
Lucy smiled smugly and mock yawned; "Hurry up! I'm just a girl."
He spat on the floor and advanced again.
"Wow, so you are stupid." Lucy laughed, as she positioned her sword, to point at his heart.
He lunged forward, red eyes blazing. He stopped moving. Lucy paused, as a knife gleamed at his throat. A very angry Erza stood behind him; her eyes blazing with murderous intent.
"Good thing we came to check up on you two." Erza growled, now holding Rogue in a tight head lock. He gasped wriggling to get free.
Laxus had Sting pushed against one of the beams in the cellar.
"You have no right butting in!" Sting hissed, as Laxus hung him up by his coat on an iron hook.
"Well it looks like we just did." Laxus grinned as Erza tossed Rogue across the room.
Laxus picked up the barrels of rum and Erza tugged Lucy and Natsu towards the door.
"This isn't over yet!" Sting yelled. "You're dead Natsu Dragneel!"
Natsu shrugged; "Meh… that's what they always say."
Lucy laughed, as he shouldered the duffle bag and placed am arm round her shoulder.
When they got back to the Hibiscus Inn, Erza cornered them into a table, forcing them to sit down. They gulped nervously as she stared at them intently, her hands placed in fists on her hips.
"I'm not cross with you…"
Lucy and Natsu sighed with relief, and smiled at each other.
"But!" their faces fell. "You two should be more careful with Sabertooth on the Island. The Captain and I for one don't want another fight like last time. Do I make myself clear?"
"Crystal." Lucy replied, trembling slightly. Natsu was chewing his nails like there was no tomorrow.
Satisfied Erza stomped off towards Makarov at the bar.
"What happened last time Natsu?"
"Last year Sabertooth showed up on Edolas. Their Captain, was really brutal, refusing to trade with us, she even threatened Gramps." He pointed at Makarov.
"You see Sabertooth had been targeting commercial ships and those carrying families and innocents. Then they'd kill em and take the goods."
Lucy looked horrified, Natsu nodded sadly.
"Anyway, I saw Sting in the port and he was spoiling for a fight. He said he wanted to see whether we lived up to our parent's legacy. He insulted my dad, so I fought him. It got worse when Gajeel and Wendy got involved. We had all known Sting and Rogue since we were kids and heck Rogue is actually Gajeel's younger brother; but that's another story."
Lucy brow furrowed, remembering the resemblance; the black unruly hair, the red eyes.
Natsu continued, watching her closely.
"They continued to insult the crew, calling us weak. Mira got so mad that she blew up part of the port."
"Wait Mira did that?!" Lucy exclaimed.
"Yep, well it's not like we didn't destroy anything either." He chuckled; "Then Jiemma's daughter stepped in and grabbed Wendy. She said she'd kill her if we didn't stop. We backed down and left, but our crews have hated each other for a long time."
Lucy cocked her head to the side and asked curiously, "Why?"
"Sabertooth was run by Captain Jiemma. He caused a lot of trouble for the Navy and ruled the seas with an iron fist. Sabertooth used to be the strongest Pirate crew in Earthland. He got challenged though, by a young female pirate, who belonged to Fairy Tail. I guess that's where the grudge comes from," he shrugged.
"She beat him in a fight, and he died from his wounds."
Lucy sat eyes wide, listening intently; Natsu ruffled his hair and continued.
"Then the woman disappeared. Gramps won't tell me much about her though, but my father and his circle knew her too. After the five year pirate purge, Jiemma's daughter appeared and formed Sabertooth and the rest is history." He grinned at Lucy.
Lucy nodded tapping her hands on the table top.
They settled back down, drinking and laughing together, when Gray, Gajeel, Levy and Juvia, joined them at the table.
"We heard you met our good friends from Sabertooth at the Flying Cat." Gray said coolly.
"Yeah it was just the usual." Natsu shrugged; "Sting got his ass handed to him and Lucy beat up your brother." He pointed at Gajeel. "It was pretty hilarious actually; I think she broke his nose."
"Good." said Gajeel gruffly; "It's what he deserves."
Lucy gave him a small smile and Lily hopped on the table purring loudly.
Lucy stood up, frowning; "Natsu where's Happy."
Natsu stood up and looked around the inn. "Oh I know, maybe he's down near the fishing boats. It wouldn't surprise me."
Lucy sat back down, still unsure. Five minutes later, a bar maid walked towards them, trembling and handed Lucy a note, before scarpering away.
Lucy unfolded it and read:
If you want your little cat back, you'd better head to
Bunny head cove.
We told you it wasn't over yet!
Lucy's hands trembled with anger as she handed the note to Natsu. His forehead tensed as he read it. Gray looked at them curiously. Natsu grabbed Lucy, yelling behind them; "We're gonna look for Happy, don't wait for us."
Not looking back they raced through the maze of streets and headed towards the sea.
Taster of Chapter 11- A big fat grudge
"Run Lucy!" Natsu yelled as he dodged Stings fist.
"No! I'm not leaving you behind!" Lucy grabbed the hilt of her Katana.
"Don't worry. I'll be fine…" Natsu kicked Sting across the deck and smiled at her.
"No Natsu! We'll finish this together!" Lucy grinned at him.