Chapter Thirty
Their Reunion
Smoke by Daughter~ (suggested by Lady Lutka, ty ty)
I blinked wearily, my body singing in pain. My head throbbed as I lifted my hands to rub at it lightly. They smacked solid wood, the enclosed space I was in making it hard to wiggle my hand up.
I placed my hand flat on the wood above me, then the other on the side.
A rectangle…
After feeling around, sense and realisation hit me, making fear choke up my throat, and my blood turn cold.
Coffin.
I was in a coffin.
I slammed my palms against the wood, kicking my feet, scraping my knees, and elbows as panic rushed through me.
Buried. I was buried alive.
My mind swam with the facts, and they weren't good. I didn't know how far down I was, how much oxygen I had, how long I would last before I…
Memories flashed through my head, and I stopped moving, remembering Natsu, our first time, the morning after, Ultear walking into the clearing…
The spear, the spear.
Tears burnt my eyes, frustrated, confused and terrified. I died. Ultear crying, Natsu trying to heal me.
I had died.
I dug my nails into the wood, scratching and clawing, trying to pry it, trying to escape. It occurred to me that even if I managed, I would be swallowed with dirt. I coughed, then began to slam my fists against the coffin, not caring about the repercussions.
If I didn't try to get out of here, I'd die.
Again.
Panic and desperation sunk into me, making my movements crazed as I screamed wordlessly, bruising my fingers, cutting my knuckles with how ferociously I was tearing at the coffin lid. Something metal brushed along my wrist when I reared my hand back, my head knocking against the wood with a pained thud.
I wiggled my fingers, touching the metal thing clinging to my hair, before running my fingers down the softness attached to it. I tried to unclip it from my hair but it remained snug to the strands, and I blindly inspected it, biting my lip to stifle my sob when I realised what it was.
It was Lisanna's feather.
I remember packing it away, telling Natsu that it was too valuable to risk being lost in the North, then then he had made the stupid joke that if I wanted it, he'd give me one of his feathers. Tears burned in my eyes when I remembered his smile, and the way he denied his natural form, even though we both knew he didn't have feathers.
I placed my hands against the coffin lid, taking a deep, shaky breath in before clawing heavily, digging into the hard, unforgiving wood. I did it again, and again, as pain bit into my nerves, blood gathering on my fingers as I broke my nails and scratched my skin raw.
But I didn't stop.
I pounded on the wood, the sound of splintering and creaking making me gasp helplessly, my head spinning as the air got thinner. My muscles seized but I pushed past the agony and burning to hit the roof of my coffin another time, rasping in panic when the noise of wood giving, cracking under my feral administrations.
I felt along the lid, my eyes shut tightly, holding my breath before my shaking fingers found the rupture in the wood, a small, tiny thing that gave me enough hope to kick against the bottom of the coffin. It did what I thought it would, made the small crack a little longer. I kicked again, and again, to the best of my ability in a cramped, small space, attempting to loosen the wood, to stretch it.
I dug my fingers into the slither, wincing in pain and began to pry and claw at the crack. Dirt slithered in through it and onto my chest, and I took another deep breath in, almost sobbing in relief when more dirt poured in, ignoring my stinging nerves.
Then the dirt stopped.
I clawed again, tears falling down my face, seeking more dirt, because it was proof that I was getting out. Dirt meant I was making the hole bigger. I squinted in the darkness, trying to figure out why the dirt wasn't falling onto my chest, before moonlight flooded the inside of the coffin.
The lid had been opened.
Cool, sweet air surrounded me and I gasped in a breath, air brushing past my cheeks, cooling my tears against my skin. I closed my eyes, hoping this wasn't some delusion from lack of oxygen. A strong, hand gripped my arm, and tugged me into sitting position before I felt myself being pulled out.
Out…
Soft, lush grass touched me through my clothes, damp and welcome but the hand on me was not.
A familiar voice stated softly, deep and manly, "Breathe. You are out."
He's still touching me.
Something inside me snapped and I lashed out, my right fist curling tight and flying, blindly punching at whoever held me. It connected with skin, and the hand disappeared, a noise between a growl and a gasp leaving his lips.
My eyes flew open as I held my hands up, shocked at myself, "I'm s-sorry! I didn't mean- you were touch- and I was just-" But once my eyes readjusted to the light, my fierce apology died, as I stared at the man across from me, kneeling, touching his jaw.
A thick mane of blue hair tumbled off his shoulders, black sharp tattoo's decorating his skin, a piercing gaze of accusation in his eyes.
"What…" I whispered, shocked at the dragon across from me.
Acnologia?
He's alive?
At my soft word, his eyes softened and now it looked like he was nervous. He didn't move closer, and I was glad because I think I might have just become instantly claustrophobic from being buried.
My mind spun with the possibilities of him being a ghost, but to my knowledge, ghosts couldn't touch you. But he had pulled me from the coffin. And I had punched him. I was so sure, I had punched him.
"How are you not dead?" I blurted, shocked, and his eyebrows furrowed, possibly at my rude question. But that's honestly all I could think about.
Dragons weren't immortal. It had been over eight hundred years since he was around.
A loud, delighted laugh burst from the left of me and I reluctantly took my eyes off him, and turned them to the woman who stood there. She had short, ruggedly cut hair that was a mimic of the moon's colour, silver and almost sparkling in the dim light. Two big eyes were scrunched in her laughter, holding her stomach, wearing a rather revealing dress with…
My eyes flickered down, no shoes?
"That is hilarious!" she cackled, hunching over. "She punched you then-" Her sentence was cut off by another round of uncontrollable laughter and despite my shock and stress, my lips quirked in amusement. Her laugh reminded me of Ultear's…
That was like a splash of freezing water over my slight amusement and I closed my eyes, biting my lip to keep my tears of relief and sadness at bay. My power was pleasantly silent, so I took a moment to poke at it, wondering if dying and come back to life had changed it in some way.
It didn't react to my will which made a beat of fear rock through me.
"You are trying to call your power," Acnologia – the should-be-dead-dragon – stated and my eyes flew open, shocked at how he knew that. He slowly stood up, ignoring the other woman entirely as he crossed his large arms over his chest.
"Yes. How did you know?" I asked hesitantly, and he moved his eyes over me, checking for something.
"Your power just brought you back to life. It needs a cool down period before you can manifest and summon it."
"So, I did die…" I murmured, closing my eyes tightly to keep away the fear, even though my power didn't react to it. It was very similar to the new level aftermath I had hit in the Vapids. A numb, quiet, lulling presence.
"How did you know I was trying to summon it?"
He seemed to think about this question extensively, as if he had secrets that he didn't want to tell me. But I was pretty sure I already knew one of them.
"Does it have something to do with my ancestor? Leora Heartfilia?" The minute I said her name, his shoulders tightened and his gaze moved from the floor to me, staring into my eyes with a very pointed, fierce look.
When he didn't say anything, I narrowed my eyes at him.
"I'm sorry, did you want me to call her Lee?" I was annoyed, this was my wellbeing and survival we were discussing and he was purposely keeping things from me.
His jaw clenched. "How do you know that name?"
"How do you know that I was trying to call my power?"
"That will be explained soon."
I bristled at those words, ignoring him when he asked how I knew her nickname. There was something about him… I couldn't place it. I felt him move, his hand reaching out, and panic crawled over my skin.
"No. Don't touch me," I snapped, unable to keep my fear from my voice. "Just don't." He slowly moved his large hand back, head tilting, probably listening to my heart pound in my chest. I knew I wasn't really scared of him, but the idea of anyone touching me after being trapped underground, suddenly was the scariest thing I could perceive.
"Well, aren't you doing marvellously well," the woman chirped. "Five minutes into it, and you've managed to upset her, incite her anger, and make her cry. And you haven't even told her what you want from her yet."
"I didn't do anything!"
"I'm not crying!" we denied at the same time, which made me flinch back. The woman sighed, before reaching into her pocket, revealing a small dark pouch. She walked towards me slowly, keeping her hands up in the air as a sign of good faith.
"Princess, my name is Yukino. I'm not going to touch you, but I have something that might take away some of your pain." Her eyes glanced down to my self-inflicted wounds and when I looked down at them, I winced.
Why does it always hurt as soon as you look at it?
My fingers and knuckles were bleeding, multiple nails broken back or peeling off. It made horror and revulsion simmer up in me, but I beat down the urge to vomit, holding my palm out, watching as she tapped the bag and a tiny pink ball dropped into my palm.
"What is it?" I asked, eyeing the strange glossy sphere, as it rolled around in my cupped palm.
"It's a peach pill," she informed me. "It won't heal your wounds, but it will numb the pain."
"Will it make me faint?" I pinned her with a distrusting gaze and she laughed, shaking her head.
"No. I promise, it won't."
I couldn't really trust her promises, so I bargained. "I'll take it once he answers my questions."
"Does it look like I care if you are in pain or not?" Acnologia growled, but we both ignored it as Yukino cringed playfully, her eyes sparkled.
"I apologize for his charming behaviour. He's an idiot. Hopefully it doesn't run in the family."
Her words confused me for a long beat and I attempted a guess, glancing down her curvy figure. "Are you pregnant with his child?"
Horror played over her features, her opal eyes going wide. "Excuse me?"
"Well, I was just thinking if you are pregnant with his child, then you'd worry about your child being infected by his idiocy…" I explained nervously, gulping when a flash of amusement settled into those big eyes. I saw a glimpse of fang and took it upon myself to assume she was a vampire.
I had met one or two, and the fangs, skin and… presence had been a lot like hers.
"No. I'm definitely not, in any way, pregnant by him." Yukino looked like she was trying not to laugh as she said it and I wondered if I was left out of some sort of private joke between them. Or maybe the idea of being pregnant with Acnologia's baby was just amusing to her for some reason.
Returning to the conversation at hand, I tried to give her back the pill, "I'm not taking it until he answers my questions."
Yukino gave Acnologia a pointed look. "Are you seriously going to let her writhe in pain?"
"She's hardly writhing."
She rolled her eyes, standing up from her crouched position. "Keep it. You can take it whenever you want."
"How long have I been…" The words caught at the back of my mouth and I cleared my throat weakly, "Dead?"
"Almost three days," she informed me. "They buried you the night you were brought back here by the red-haired fairy."
"Erza… Is she okay? Are my friends hurt?"
"Physically, no. But I imagine they are going through the stages of grief. We can't get too close to the castle or we will be discovered, so I am not certain."
Tears burned in my eyes as I imagined this, my friends hurting because they thought I was still dead. I wondered where Natsu was, how he was coping and it made a part of me ache even more, a cold tremble of horror rolling up my spine.
I had to see them.
A new resolve strengthened in my head, allowing me to climb to my feet, and begin walking towards where most lights were being shown. Unfortunately, I didn't get more than seven steps before Acnologia was directly in front of me, frowning.
"We have to meet with a friend of yours at the border. The mermaid."
I blinked, "Aquarius is here?" Hope blossomed inside of me, as well as a longing to reunite with her. He nodded, appearing begrudgingly pleased that I had known who he was talking about immediately.
But, no matter how much I wanted to see her, to talk to her, to make sure she was okay, I had something much more important to deal with.
"She can meet me at the castle then." I brushed past him, limping slightly, as my bones creaked, muscles aching. I glanced over at the lake, before realising that they had buried me where I had first met Natsu, the night that I had run from a kingdom I had destroyed. Sadness and my own form of grief made my soul sink to my stomach, as I headed in the direction Natsu had come from that night.
Surely, a castle wouldn't be so hard to find….
Acnologia appeared in front of me again, barking out, "No. You need to turn around and come with us to meet her."
"No, I need to see if my friends are okay," I replied stubbornly, trying to continue walking, but he crowded in closer, a firm glare in those dark eyes.
"This is not a game, Lucy," he growled. "There are more important things to be worrying about. The mermaid has information that you need to hear."
"Aquarius is welcome to tell me it in the castle, after I check on my friends," I snapped back, annoyed that he thought he could tell me what to do. No matter what relationship he had with my ancestor, that did not mean I had to listen to him.
My words seemed to infuriate him. "Stop being childish. Your friends and their feelings will not matter at all if something happens to them because you didn't follow my commands."
"Are you threatening me?" I took a step towards him, glaring sharply. "I may not have my powers back yet, but you should know that people who threaten me don't end up very well."
"I'm simply stating the facts at hand."
"Well, simply don't. My friends think I'm dead, and I am going to rectify that situation promptly. You can listen to my command and tell Aquarius to come to the dragons' castle. I'll make sure she is welcomed," I bit out, the warm rush of anger spreading over my limbs, making the pain dull slightly. He narrowed his eyes.
"You don't command me, you are barely a woman."
I bristled at his words. "Get out of my way. I'm not coming with you right now. I'm going to the castle."
"You may think that, but I will not hesitate to drag you to the mermaid if necessary."
"You can try," I growled, a spark of wrath lighting me up. I felt my power jolt a little, slowly awakening. He sensed it, his eyes flaring, but he didn't move at all. We glared at each other heatedly, daring the other to take just one step, say just one thing, that the other didn't like.
An awed, amazed laugh made us both glance to Yukino, who had been watching the stand off with considerable amusement. "The resemblance… It's uncanny."
Her words confused me, but they were understood by Acnologia, who growled at her lowly, stepping to the side, pointing at the castle. "The entire castle is under lock-down and people assume you are dead. King Dragneel has issued a warning that any suspicious people should be taken down first, and asked questions later. Once a dragon spots you – and they will – they will not hesitate to beat you into a pale pulp to protect and carry out their king's orders."
If he was trying to scare me, it wasn't working.
I didn't care if they attacked me to protect their kingdom. Because afterward, they would take me to the castle and I would see my friends.
Acnologia kept talking, about duty mostly, but I tuned out his words entirely and continued walking. He didn't even realise, too caught up in his tangent, until Yukino tossed out a comment.
"Boss, she's really not listening."
I wondered idly what their relationship was exactly, and how it would affect me, until a tight, calloused grip snatched up my wrist. My power rose in an instant, a wave of electricity in the wind, and I pushed it towards him with my mind, like snapping a rubber band into his skin.
A warning.
He fell to his knees, my hand slipping out of his grasp. Since I knew he used to be able to withstand Leora's Scream, I had to assume that the only reason I got him on his knees was the element of surprise.
My head spun and I stumbled forward, realising that I shouldn't have used my power so soon. It was working on stabilising, on filling back up, and I had greedily assumed it was ready.
Two smooth, cold hands caught me before I lost my footing and I glared up at Yukino weakly, hoping she wasn't about to subdue me.
"Easy. I'll take you to the castle."
"Yukino," Acnologia growled, climbing to his feet as she sighed, shaking her head, and lifted me easily into her arms. I awed at her strength as they stared each other down, a silent challenge in their gazes.
"I promised to protect you and help you, always keeping your best interests in mind. Well, I believe that in your best interests, she needs to not hate you. So, we will do it her way, and you will use your humanity to realise you have been in this position before."
"What do you mean?" I asked, confused. Acnologia snarled to himself, closing his eyes tightly.
"When Leora died, I was not aware of the second awakening. Yukino is trying to remind me of how I felt when I thought someone I cared about died."
"Second awakening?" The words echoed through my head, my memory telling me I had read it somewhere before.
"Is that what just happened? I read that Leora went through it… and that you were there."
"I was beside her grave when she crawled out, yes," he said. I waited for him to continue, but it became apparent that he wasn't going to say anything else. He seemed to be trapped in his own mind, a haunted look passing his features before he walked over to us.
"Give her here," he commanded gruffly, and Yukino obeyed with an amused sort of knowing smile. It felt so strange to be passed from one being to another like some sort of overgrown baby, but I knew I wouldn't be much of a runner in my current condition. If I even stood I would probably keel over.
"Two metres ahead, look out for any patrols," he commanded her, adjusting his grip on me. Something about his nose, and his lips made me squint at him, a familiarity in his features that I just couldn't place.
I pushed it from my mind, settling on attempting to be polite. "Thank you."
"Once we get you to your friends and make sure they aren't hostile, I will send Yukino to fetch the mermaid. I was not being dramatic when I told you there were things you needed to hear."
"I know," I whispered truthfully. "But this is more important."
He didn't respond and just began to run forward, moving like an efficient, silent breeze across the clearing, following Yukino who was scouting up ahead. We had to stop a few times, to allow patrolling dragons to pass along from above, using the line of trees as cover.
Nerves simmered up inside of me. I worried about what I was walking into; how they would all react to seeing me.
Would they believe I was truly here?
I closed my eyes, fighting back tears, and exhaustion swam over me, trying to lull me into a sleep. I jolted back awake, and Acnologia glanced down, still running, obviously attempting not to jostle me too much.
"Sleep will be hard for the first few nights. You were brought back from what is said to be the eternal sleep. Your body will try to shut down, and to avoid that, your power will wake you up. Leora mentioned she had nightmares for those days that her power was settling, and refilling."
Seeing as he was practically a primary source, I greedily inhaled the information he was giving me. "Is there any way to combat it?"
"If there was, Lee never found it," he murmured, his brows tightening. "No matter who was around her, or how long she stayed up, she'd never rest easy."
"Does it only happen during the second awakening?"
Acnologia was quiet for a few long seconds, before he asked, "What do you know about the six animals?"
I frowned, pulling the information together in my mind, "The six spirit animals that supposedly guard the gates to the other side. Lion is one of them, which I have the ability to manifest. I'll need to think a little more to remember the others, why?"
"When Leora was alive, she researched those animals extensively. Trying to figure out their weaknesses, seeing as she was one of the two Banshee's fighting for the light side during the war." He stopped running for a second causing me to look over to Yukino who was hunkered down, watching as two dragons passed from above, only in their half-mode. I wondered idly why I had never seen a dragon in a full change.
When Yukino waved, he started running again, and the castle grew closer.
He cleared his throat, his voice slightly affected by the pace he was going. "Many books referenced not only one, or two, awakenings, but six. One for each animal guarding the gate."
"Are you trying to tell me I could die six times and come back to life each time?" I gasped, shocked as Acnologia shook his head.
"No Banshee has ever been recorded having that much power, but apparently, that is a possibility. Leora was up to her fourth before she finally passed away."
"What decides if you can resurrect yourself like that? Some sort of higher power?"
"You are aware of how demons resurrect themselves, it's not unlike that. It's one of the reasons Banshees were thought to be a demonic being at the beginning. No power is higher than your own when it comes to your life, Lucy, don't forget that," he informed me sternly, and it oddly felt like he was some sort of father figure, giving me bizarre life advice. I shook away the strange comparison, eyeing him curiously before a question pushed to the front of my mind.
I winced, but asked anyway. "Did you know that Leora's last awakening was her last? Was there a sign?"
He didn't look like he was going to answer, but a minute later, he stated calmly, trying to look unaffected, "No. I did not."
The image of Acnologia, sitting beside a grave, just waiting for Leora to come back to life whipped at me, and I remained quiet, tilting my head away from him, hiding my pity. We were just a few metres from the castle now, running the boundary of trees, trying to find a way in without being immediately detected.
We were passing an open, glass windowed sitting room, the back-door open. Yukino huffed softly, realising that there was somebody sitting on the seat outside. She held a glass in their fingers, long dark purple hair pulled into a messy bun at the top of her head.
A familiar red blanket was wrapped around her shoulders, a hallowed look on the woman's features as she took a sip of the amber liquid.
My heart stuttered and I twisted out of Acnologia's grip, which made him skid to a stop.
Ultear.
"Careful!" he hissed, trying to keep me in his arms, but I fought against him, pushing at his chest so he would gently deposit me on the floor. Tears flooded my eyes as a breeze brushed past Ultear, making her shudder, pulling the blanket tighter around her shoulders.
I stumbled forward, catching myself on a tree as Acnologia steadied my body, also looking at the girl.
"That is one of the people you were travelling with." I nodded at his statement, tears burning, heart racing as I limped towards the end of the trees, trying to get closer. He stopped me with hands on my shoulders.
"Wait, if a dragon sees you…"
"No more waiting," I gasped out. "I don't care anymore. She's family…" I shrugged off his hands, my injuries stinging with pain as Yukino waved her hands around, obviously at a loss of what to do.
"Do I stop her until I'm sure a patrol won't come by? What do you want me to do?"
Acnologia growled, "Fuck it. Protect her. Don't let a dragon come near."
"You want me… to fight a dragon?"
"Did I stutter Yukino?"
"Well no, but sometimes you say things that you don't mean and then look at me like I'm stupid when I take them literally-"
I ignored them both, finally breaking free from the cover of trees, completely in the open, heading straight towards her. She hadn't noticed me yet, but I saw the way her shoulders hunched forward, her grip tightening on the glass, her jaw clenching. It broke my heart to see her, without a smile, without a goading, smart comment.
"Ultear," I whispered, stifling a sob, steadily moving closer, and somehow, despite the distance separating us, she heard. I stopped entirely when she glanced up blindly, as if she wasn't really seeing, as if she wasn't truly feeling.
Pain pierced my soul, gnawing at the edges, filling me with guilt and horror at what my death had done to her. Then slowly, her eyes widened.
Her mouth parted in a shocked, frozen gasp, the blanket slipped off her shoulders as her hand loosened, the glass shattering on the step below her.
"I'm here, it's me… I promise."
The minute I gave her that promise, she was running, almost slipping on the grass in her haste, and then our arms were wrapped around each other. It gave way to loud, spine-breaking sobs, tears streaming from my eyes.
We both slid to the floor, crying into each-others embrace, and I let her squeeze me, my heart aching with the guilt.
"I'm so sorry… I only just came back- If I had known I would be able to come back, I would have-"
Ultear made a noise that was an odd mixture of laughter and sobbing, clutching me tighter. "You idiot. How dare you not know one detail about a dead species? Unforgivable."
I laughed, holding onto her tighter, as she shouted, "Erza! Erza!"
I didn't question if Erza could actually hear her from wherever she was in the castle, instead I just closed my eyes and wept, feeling like a part of me had just come soaring back. She pulled back, reluctantly and placed her hands on my cheeks, her smooth, cool touch making me shiver. It was then I realised exactly how bone chilling the night air was.
"You're cold… Let me get you a blanket." I shook my head, hiccupping, refusing to let her go as someone moved past us, then returned, draping a thick, heavy blanket over my shoulders. Ultear glanced up, her eyes narrowing.
"Who are you?"
I tore my eyes off her face, also glancing up where Acnologia was above us, making sure the blanket stayed on my shoulders. His face was entirely blank, ignoring Ultear, but when I caught his eyes, I swore I saw a softness that I had seen before in Leora's memory.
For a second, I was upset that Natsu had burnt the page, because maybe Acnologia would want to see it.
"We've got company coming," he informed me, and I nodded, using one of my hands to wipe the tears that were dripping off my chin.
"I'll protect you guys."
Acnologia gave me a sour, disbelieving look, "We don't need protecting."
"Who is this guy Lucy?" Ultear asked, her tone a little less hostile and I turned my head back to her, shaking it a few times to convey how much she had missed out on. The only person that knew about Acnologia's presence was Natsu, and I doubted it had come up, considering recent events.
But the thought led me to a person I was eager to see. "You better call Natsu as well. We can't have a family reunion without him."
Something horrible passed through Ultear's eyes and it made me pull back, looking at her concerned as she struggled with words.
"What is it? Are you okay?"
"Lucy…" she rasped, uncertain. A wedge of fear and panic chiseled at my heart.
"Ultear… what's happened?"
She opened her mouth, I hoped to alleviate the horrible feeling inside me. But just then the door behind her was slammed open and Erza charged in, Jellal quick to follow. She had both swords out, a fierce, almost feral look in her one eye.
They both skidded to a halt when they saw me lift my head. Erza looked at me, staring as if I was a ghost. Jellal reacted first.
"Ultear, move away from her… She's an illusion."
I clung to Ultear tighter, hoping she wouldn't believe him – although I understood why he would think that – and she shook her head, assuring me with her eyes that she wasn't going anywhere.
"Ultear…" Jellal repeated when she didn't move from her place and Ultear turned back, giving him a look.
"It's her. No illusionist could ever create this."
I gave them both a sad smile, glancing between them. "It's me. I… I promise." It seemed stupid to give them a promise and assume that it was enough, but it had worked on Ultear, and I was hopeful that it would work on them.
"When your mother died…" Erza stated slowly, making my eyes snap to her. "What did I say to you before the funeral?"
I frowned, before gulping, speaking softly. "You told me that the world had lost a beautiful soul and it was my responsibility to remember it."
Erza's one eye closed, and her shoulders relaxed, her swords disappearing entirely as she walked over to us, falling onto her knees beside Ultear. Ultear released me reluctantly, keeping a hold of one of my hands as Erza pulled me into her arms and my eyes filled with tears.
Erza never cried loudly. In fact, if you weren't looking at her face, you would never notice she was crying at all. She went completely still, barely moved and her breathing never faltered or hitched. And for some reason, whenever she cried, it hurt me in a deep place.
She pulled back, using her hands to pull the blanket around my shoulders tighter, catching sight of my fingers and knuckles. She flinched, lifting my left hand to inspect it and the action was so similar to Natsu's, that I had to smile a little.
"Don't worry, I'm sure Natsu will be happy to heal it for me. Where is he?"
Erza's eye snapped to mine, before turning her head so she could look at Ultear, whose grasp tightened on my hand, shaking her head in response to Erza's silent question. Her grip made me wince, but I ignored it.
"What is it? Just tell me… Is Natsu hurt?"
"No. Natsu's… sleeping," Erza replied carefully, and my shoulders relaxed a little.
"Well, what are we waiting for? Let's wake him up."
Erza glanced behind me, appearing to give Acnologia and Yukino a long, sceptical look.
"Who are your friends?"
"It's a long story. Stop avoiding the subject. Why aren't we going to see Natsu?"
"Because right now," Erza moved her eyes off the two behind me, a sad, but firm look on her features, "Natsu is not… there. He's changed. His… humanity is…"
Gone.
Hello friends ~
Can I just say, I FEEL YA LUCY, I FEEL YA (if you've read the latest ft chapter, you will get this reference)
Also, there's another anime/manga reference hidden in this chapter, 10 points and a lollipop if somebody spots it ;)
Question Time (I've chosen 10 of my faves, because sometimes my content is overshadowed by my excellent answering skills)
Will Lucy ever form the same bond she has will Natsu and Ezra, with Gray? I don't think so, since Natsu, Erza and Ultear (i had to add her, I'm sorry) are fam goals, but I will put in a little bit of Graylu BROTP in the next chapter if you so desire.
Is Erza's supposed act of revenge pointless because Lucy is still alive or will she still go after the woman/supposed other Banshee that hurt her friend turned sister? I dare you to say that to Erza's face. Nothing she does is pointless. She still hurt Lucy, her sister, and also, you have to wonder what her reasons were, why she decided to attack Lucy, how has she managed to stay hidden for so long etc etc. We can all assume, since the their has always been a shadowy lurking villain from the beggining - different from Jude the shitty father - that this Banshee is end goal evil.
So the reason why Natsu's dragon side thought of Lucy as a Dragoness is because she is related to dragons because of Acnologia? *nods twice* That is an excellent idea. Stamp it. Declare this information canon.
Gryffindor vs Slytherin? … I was never a huge Harry Potter fan, but I'm suddenly questioning my existence since I didn't even notice the whole book is shaping to be the classical tale of Lion v Snake… Good lord, what have I done?
I thought Yukino wasn't going to be in this story? Originally she wasn't, however, I just rewatched all of the GMG arc and I was like 'Yukino needs some love, so throw her character in their.' Originally, Acnologia's vamp! friend, was supposed to be Cana but I've never written Yukino before and now I'm super excited to do so - even if it is a little OOC.
Will END and Lucy have a conversation now? You betcha!
is it weird I find END and his darkness slightly attractive? Love, if we didn't find a lil bit of darkness attractive, than the Sebastian Michaelis epidemic would have never happened. (thinks about certain demon butlers, and swoons)
The "serpent" is the other older banshee, correct? The data informs me that, the serpent is indeed the other, older Banshee. So, correct.
Porly said there weren't any other Banshee's alive? Porly may be an immortal but she is a healer, not a scholar. Besides, this Banshee sounds powerful, it's not surprising to me that she could remain undetected. But the question is, how... (of course I know because I'm writing her horrible, horrible self.)
Lodemai04: Did you just pull a Buffy? - Honey, you made my day. So just for you, I made Lucy claw at the coffin Buffy style, instead of just being pulled out immediately. It's wholesome to see the buffy fandom still kicking. Spuffy/Bangle for life.
We are almost back on schedule, I have two things to update on Nalu Week 2017 (I'm running late as heck but w/e)
The next chapter should be out within two-three days. After that, it will be back to your usual 40 reviews for an earlier update, or every sat/sun.
You guys are the best readers an ass like me could hope for and I'm so bloody grateful to have you all! I hope you enjoy and I'll see you next time;
as always, stay fresh ;)
xo freshprincess.