Whoop Whoop! Day 4!

Hopefully this chapter will get Laxus in a better light. ;-)

This reminder will be placed in every chapter. The sound effects can be found on youtube. The sound effects are marked in the story. I noticed people had troubles finding the sound link, so I have changed it slightly. Like always, my apology for any grammar mistakes, I am improving though! :D Enjoy reading!

[1] /watch?v=lzk-l8Gm0MY&feature= youtu . be &t=99
(1:39-1:52) (Gate open, the creatures have appeared)

[2] /watch?v=lzk-l8Gm0MY&feature= youtu . be &t=6
(0:06-0:14) (Gate closes, the creatures are gone)

You need to get the spaces out!

Disclaimer: I do not own fairy tail, I only own this story.

Day 4 - Alone

'We made it,' said Lucy with a bouncing heartbeat due to the adrenaline.

'And not too soon,' said Laxus, while trying to open the door.

It was locked… He pushed his shoulder against it a couple times and the door flung open. Lucy walked behind him and they quickly closed the door. Lucy looked around her. They were in the living room. A dust collection could be seen on the furniture. No one has been here for two weeks at the latest. The room was cold, but the fireplace had brought a smile on Lucy's face. The Celestial Mage looked out of the window noticing the change in the weather. Fog was slipping from her mouth and her eyes widened from the beauty display in the air. It wasn't rain….it was snow! Her very first snowflakes before Christmas was going to be on a mountain with Laxus.

Lucy couldn't enjoy the scenery of her first snowflakes in December for too long.

They were here….

[1]

Laxus looked at the hearth and glanced around him to find any logs for burning purposes. He stopped his movement, when his instinct was yelling something in his head and he quickly looked at Lucy. The Celestial Mage was trembling on her feet. Her eyes went from the window towards Laxus. She had laid one finger over her lips, to give a clear signal that they needed to be quiet.

'But before that sign you need to promise me that you will stop your movement and that you won't make any sound. Can you promise me that?'

Laxus hated this, but it was better than nothing. If this was going to work, then they would have a better chance of succeeding this mission. He was five meters away from the blond. He couldn't observe what was happening outside the house, but Lucy could. Laxus looked at the floor noticing his own footsteps on the floor. The dust layer wasn't thick, but thick enough for his eyes.

Lucy was happy that Laxus was keeping his promise and she looked back outside. Snow was falling from the sky and it made a small layer on the ground. It took some time, but Lucy saw a couple holes forming in the snow. It wasn't very clear, because the snow was still very rough and fresh. Maybe she was seeing things. Maybe she wanted to see those holes. Next to the scream, the footprints were the only clues they had about those creatures. Maybe...maybe it was a matter of control. Wanting to know where they are. Wanting to know what their situation is. Lucy stared at the footprints that had been walking in circles around one particular spot. Aries Wool Cushion had laid on the exact location… A high-pitched scream was echoing in the air. A chill came through Lucy's spine. They were searching...How many are there? She was able to see two...no maybe three different footprints. The creatures were splitting up! One went down the road towards the mine. Another went up the road towards the mountain and one went to the house. Lucy looked at Laxus, back at the door, then back at Laxus. Trying to give him a signal that one was standing at the door. Lucy's heart was beating louder and her breath was getting uneven. Laxus understood the signal and was observing the dust at the entrance. An unconscious worry went through his mind.

"Blondie, you need to calm down," thought Laxus to himself.

His ears could hear the panic in her breathing and from her unhealthy quick beating heart. He was unsure how good the hearing was of those creatures. He just hoped it wasn't as sharp as his. A hole appeared in the dust. Laxus focused on it, knowing now that they were inside. He had followed the conversation of the last bandit in the mine. It seems true...these creatures can go through objects...It didn't make sense. How can they even exist in this world? You can't see them. You can only detect a slight pressure in the ground of their footprints, if you are lucky. You can only hear their screams. You can't touch them, but they can touch you and when they touch you, you disappear with your sent and all. Like you never existed in this world in the first place.

Dust kept disappearing around Lucy and for some unknown reason it wasn't going away from that area.

'Loke told me that the creatures are probably attracted to Celestial Magic.'

Laxus was on high alert now. He can scrap the "probably" part now.

"They were attracted to Celestial Magic," thought Laxus.

He looked at her key and noticed a subtle change in comparison during their time in the train. Normally he could feel a slight magical presence coming from her keys, but now it was almost completely gone.

"Those spirits have diminished their own magic."

They were trying to help Lucy in their own way, but the lack of presence of her own spirits, was making Lucy vulnerable at the same time. Lucy had lost track of the creature before the house. Was it inside? Was it outside? Where is it? She looked at Laxus and noticed his serious expression gazing on the floor. She followed his gaze, but she couldn't find anything. She looked back at Laxus who was now looking at her keys and her eyes widened. Why was Laxus on high alert? Is the creature close by? Lucy had trouble to focus. Her breathing got stuck in her throat and the trembling in her body had increased. She felt so useless. She wasn't alone this time, but Laxus couldn't protect her. She couldn't even protect herself! Her spirits presence were nonexistent.

"Help me," screamed Lucy in her head.

Another chill went over her skin. It felt like she was going crazy and tears were forming in her eyes. She pushed her teeth on each other to prevent any noise. The trembling of her body had gotten worse and that little rhyme wasn't going to make it better.

"Please go away."

She closed her eyes, trying to think of happy moments. An image of her mother came to her mind. Her mother smiling warmly at her. Oh, she missed her so much! Then an image of Aquarius came to her mind. Again Aquarius was crying, while trying to say something to her.

"I'm…."

Lips were forming a word, but she couldn't hear what it was. Aquarius opened her mouth again but this time a scream was coming from it.

Lucy widened her eyes from shock. A high-pitched scream from very close was echoing through the room. It felt like her ears were going to burst!

[2]

Her body was trembling and she stopped breathing for a moment until the last stroke had reached her painful ears. The gate was closed. Lucy could feel the strength leaving her legs and she fell on the ground. Laxus looked slightly in panic at her state, but he still didn't move a finger. Unknown if the enemy was gone or that Lucy had broken down with the enemy next to her.

'T-T….'

Lucy couldn't speak. The fear...it was getting too much. Laxus own instincts were still on wary, but why in hell would Lucy speak? Was this the signal? Laxus smirked and crossed his arms under his chest.

'Falling on the ground and saying T-T… What kind of sign is that, Blondie?' asked Laxus with a cocky grin.

Lucy wanted to laugh, but it took a second before any sound could leave her mouth.

Laxus sighed in relief hearing a small laugh, coming from the blond. She was terrified, he could understand that. He had wanted to lighten up the mood and apparently it had worked. He walked towards Lucy and laid his hand on her shoulder. He could still feel the trembling of her body through his hand, but her heartbeat was getting slower, so that was a good sign.

'You alright Blondie?'

Lucy took a couple of deep breaths and nodded slightly. They have escaped the clutches of those unknown creatures again, with a plan that was looking suicidal. Laxus looked outside and he tried to smell the air. Half an hour had passed and the sky was clear. It was … kind of safe to go outside. Those creatures had been walking around- and in the house for more than half an hour. He had probably some time to snuff around. Lucy could hear them, but she wasn't in any state to move. Leaving her in the house was the best option if they wanted some scrap wood. Due to the weather, it would be hard, but he got the nose for it. Contaminated or not, he would be able to find something useful.

'There is no firewood in this house, I'm going to gather some outside…'

Laxus' mouth stopped and he looked at the sudden trembling hand that was clutching at his sweater. He knew, it was maybe too much to ask, but they really needed firewood. He placed his other hand on her empty shoulder and looked at her face. His coat was still around her shoulders, while most of its part was now lying on the ground.

'Blondie, look at me,' said Laxus.

There was no response, she kept looking at the ground. Laxus' right hand pushed her chin up and their eyes met. He felt a little bit awkward. How was he going to do this? She was clearly upset. Bickslow would make a joke...he had already done that. Ever would have given her the cold shoulder or a slap on her head with her fan... Freed would have said something intelligent... Laxus looked dumbfounded at Lucy's scared face. He had no clue what to do. Why had he pushed her chin up in the first place? He tried to search for an answer and a conversation with Freed came to mind.

'Well I find Miss Lucy's magic, very intriguing. We are both associated with the power of words and we are both bounded by rules. When Lucy makes a promise she will keep it,' said Freed.

'But before that sign you need to promise me that you will stop your movement and that you won't make any sound. Can you promise me that?' asked Lucy.

"A promise," thought Laxus and he focused at the blond in front of him, who had been staring at him. Unaware how it must have looked from a different perspective.

'Lucy...I need to get firewood...,' said Laxus slowly. Lucy's hand was clutching even harder by those words. '...I promise I will be back in ten minutes.'

Lucy's fear on her face had turned blank. She was hardly responding but her hand on his sweater opened up slightly.

'Y-you p-promise me that?' Lucy finally asked almost silently.

Laxus nodded. 'I promise.'

Lucy nodded and she pulled his coat closer around her. She stared at the ground, trying to keep herself under control. Laxus walked to the door, preparing himself mentally for the upcoming cold and made a last glance at the blond on the ground. He opened the door and left the house. Trying to make his search as quickly as possible.

Lucy wasn't aware of the time, she didn't dare to ask Horologium to keep track for her, afraid that even the smallest glimpse of Celestial Magic would attract those creatures. She started to count in her head. Focusing on the promise that he had made.

"1...2….3….4…(time passes)…..587, 588, 589…," counted Lucy in her head.

The door slammed open. Lucy looked up swiftly and saw Laxus standing in the door. He kicked his shoes on the wall outside of the house and snow was falling from his shoes on the ground. With a big step and scrap wood in his arms he walked inside. He placed the wood in the hearth and he fired some of his electricity on it. Laxus rubbed around his arms, getting the cold out of his body and sighed in relief when he felt the warmth from the fire. He walked to some closets in the kitchen and started his search for food. All the food he had prepared for this mission were in his bag and his bag had gotten lost in the mine. He went from one closet to the next one, until he finally found some canned food. Different species of beans, fish and even some spam (ham). He looked at the date, opened some cans and smelled on it. He opened another closet and couldn't hide the smile on his face. Water bottles, at least 16 of them!

Lucy made slowly her way towards the hearth and took a seat on the sofa. She looked at her hands. The trembling was almost gone and her head was getting clearer. She had been so terrified. Yes she had fought against demons and even dragons, but this was something she couldn't see. It was like her mind was making it worse than it in reality was. Lucy looked up when a water bottle was shoved before her face.

'Thanks,' said Lucy roughly.

She opened up the water bottle and took a good gulp. The first couple of sips were the hardest, but after some time her throat was getting more relaxed. Lucy cleared her throat and took a deep breath.

"Everything is going to be ok," thought Lucy to herself.

After some time Laxus came from the kitchen with two plates in his hand. One plate with obviously more food than the other.

'Thanks,' said Lucy again, while grabbing her plate of food.

Her stomach reacted at the sight of food. A crumbling noise...had escaped from her stomach and a slight blush was crawling on her cheeks.

'Something, I can agree on,' said Laxus with a slide smile on his face.

Baked fish and cooked beans with rice weren't her kind of breakfast, but it was better than nothing.

Laxus took the only free seat next to her on the sofa and took his first bites from his food. Lucy could tell it was canned food by the taste, but the amount of salt Laxus had added gave enough taste. She slowly ate her food while thinking about her own belongings she had stored in the Celestial World, including her food. Virgo had prepared her food at Lucy's home...But that is the same thing as Laxus' bandages...Would even those supplies attract those creatures, only for the fact that they have laid in the Celestial World? In the mine were those creatures attracted to his bandages as well? Lucy couldn't tell because of the darkness. There were too many things she didn't understand. What was the logic here? This whole mission had changed from an investigation mission towards a survival mission. If they wanted to have a better chance at surviving those creatures, they needed to work together and for that to happen, they needed to talk.

Lucy had finished her food and water. She left Laxus' coat on the sofa and made a search in the house herself. Found the bathroom, noticing some obvious differences. It was a house without electricity and water, so it was interesting how the toilet had only soap for flushing and the empty wooden tube was far too small for any human to be lying into. While getting back to the warmth of the living room Lucy saw that Laxus had almost finished his breakfast as well. She sat down and looked at him.

'Laxus can we talk?' asked Lucy suddenly.

Laxus looked at her, with a spoon in his mouth.

'I have the feeling, we bring our lives in even more danger, because of how things are going now.'

'No kidding,' said Laxus annoyed.

A small wrinkle had formed on Lucy's head, by Laxus mood.

'Look, I understand Natsu can be an airhead sometimes, but I think things through. When I'm going to do something, I suspect you to follow and not to stop me in every step I make,' said Laxus.

Laxus wasn't looking up from his plate and another spoon went to his mouth.

'OH, I'm sorry! This is the first time I'm working together with you and you suspect that everything will go as you like?' screamed Lucy with all her frustration, not holding back anymore.

'How should I know what your growl means, what your snarls mean, what that glare in your eyes means! How should I know that it is dangerous to touch you? I am not psychic! Talk to me!' Lucy took a deep hale of air to catch her breath. 'Besides if we had followed your plan we would have disappeared just like those bandits in the village.'

'That is called luck not skill, Blondie. Skill is to understand what the situation was asking of you. Enemies were approaching and we needed to take action. Instead you wanted to argue about my decision. With all my missions, I never needed to explain myself. The Thunder God…,'

'Well I am not them! I haven't walked behind your ass for many years, to know what you are thinking.'

Lucy noticed a slight change in Laxus' face. Realization was hitting him. Lucy sighed to calm herself down and the look in her eyes had gotten warm with understanding.

'Laxus, in the years you have worked as a mage, have you done only solo missions and missions with the Thunder God Tribe?'

Laxus looked at his empty plate now and nodded slightly.

'We were both from Fairy Tail, but in all the battles Fairy Tail had, we never really needed to fight side by side. Not directly anyway. When you work with someone unknown, the chance is high the teamwork will be rough...To get it more smoothly, we need to talk with each other. I had tried to talk to you when we left Clover Town.'

Laxus wanted to open his mouth and felt shame coming up.

'I hadn't heard you,' said Laxus.

Lucy stared at him in unbelief.

'You could hear the whispers in the compartment with your music on full volume, but you couldn't hear my voice when we were on a quiet forest track?'

'Not after the long…t..ain..r..de.'

Laxus seemed to mumble the last words together, but it was enough for Lucy to understand what had happened. His face had been looking pale when they had left the train.

'Your motion sickness?'

Laxus looked away in shame and a small growl was slipping from his lips.

'So I'm right. Then can you explain to me how your motion sickness can affect your hearing?'

There was a moment of silence and finally Laxus' shoulders fell down in defeat.

'You are part of team Natsu. How does he respond?'

Lucy' eyebrows went up, by this sudden question.

'He wants to vomit, immediately when a vehicle moves. He is unable to move and because he keeps himself from throwing up he cannot speak or... respond for that matter,' answered Lucy.

Laxus nodded his head, understanding Natsu's pain.

'Luckily I'm a second generation, it affects me less. I'm slightly fine when sitting still, but when I want to move everything gets dizzy in front of my eyes. My balance is off and I need to focus all my energy towards the right muscles of my body to not fall over. Every sound is diminished in the process.'

Lucy thought about Laxus' words… The balance organs were right behind the human ears, so because his balance was affected, then his hearing could be affected as well. So he really couldn't hear her right then…

Now that Lucy got his attention, she made use of it. They had talked some longer about his magical powers, about Lucy's powers and there plan for the mission. They had a destination to reach. Laxus was maybe not a talk active person, but for some reason the conversation went very smoothly.

For now they needed to climb further up the mountain. Master Bob thought the source was at the top of the mountain. Laxus had looked at the mountain during their journey a couple of times and he still agreed to the possibility. The Ethernano storms came from the mountain's top direction and the top itself was always hidden in some unnatural clouds.

Lucy and Laxus were gathering as much as possible food from the kitchen and dumped it inside a bag they had found. They would apologize to the person, if they could find him or her in the first place, but this was necessary. Laxus opened the door with his coat on and looked at the air. He sniffed a couple times. The coast was clear, no rain or snow. He looked at the snow and then back at Lucy. Without saying anything he placed Lucy in his arms and followed the road towards the mountain.

'Laxus! What are you doing?' yelled Lucy in surprise.

She was maybe tired, but she could walk for herself.

'The snow is poisonous,' said Laxus without any emotion on his face.

Lucy stopped her struggling for a moment and looked at the snow.

'And why are you allowed to walk in contaminated snow and I don't?'

…

Laxus was stuck and didn't know how to respond to that. He couldn't say to her that he was already dying in the first place. The anti-magic particles were already in his system, due to the fight with Tartaros. He was like a walking corpse. It didn't matter what was going to happen to him, he just wanted to prevent the blond for getting the same fate. The Ethernano in the snow wasn't as strong as then and Freed's spell could prevent the worst case scenario...

'Freed have taught me a rune spell that can clean the contamination afterwards, if used on time,' said Laxus while looking for the right words.

He was hoping that the Blond wasn't going to think too much about it. Only his team knew about his condition and he likes to keep it that way. Lucy pushed herself out of his arms and landed with her feet in the snow.

'Then I see no issue here. I appreciate your concern about my health, but we are in this together,' said Lucy with a soft smile.

Laxus' eyebrow went up and he looked at her like she was the strangest creature he had ever met.

'You really like to argue,' said Laxus while stroking his hand through Lucy's hair.

'Hey!' yelled Lucy while her hands went up to protect her hair.

Laxus laughed softly and he walked towards the mountain, with Lucy right behind him.

They started there hike towards the mountain top. Stopping at every mountain hut they could find. To catch their breath, to eat something or to get cover from the snow that was about to fall. Sweat was covering Lucy's forehead. They have been hiking for seven hours...She couldn't take it anymore and her mood had gotten even worse when they found a broken hut. It couldn't give them shelter for the night, so that means they needed to hike even further.

They opened the door of the hut that was almost falling apart. There was no food, no water, only some furniture with a layer made out of snow on top of it. Lucy blew in her hands, to warm them up. The gloves weren't helping much in these temperatures. Laxus looked outside and Lucy noticed a slight motion of his ears.

'Laxus?'

'Someone is coming?'

If Laxus could hear it, then it must be a human being. He closed the door of the mountain hut and took his stance near the window. Lucy followed him, standing next to him while following his gaze.

[1]

Lucy didn't know why but her hands grabbed Laxus' coat without any thought. Their eyes met and Laxus recognized the fear in Lucy's eyes. The creatures were here… They followed the plan like they had discussed. No movements and no sounds no matter what. They wanted to survive and they did. The man had disappeared as many before him.

[2]

The creatures had disappeared and the two mages were free the roam the earth again. Lucy had apologized towards Laxus, she had explained the troubles of her fear and he had agreed to help her.

Their mission had a slow start, but in some way they had started to trust each other's judgment. A smile was forming on Lucy's face. She had never imagined of becoming friends with Laxus Dreyar, or making the first steps of becoming friends….especially how this mission had started…

Lucy ran behind him, pushing out her last energy for the last hike of the day. They needed to find a better shelter for the night. Unknown if the next mountain hut could provide them that, but they kept hoping.

Laxus looked at the clouds and then back at the blond that was walking meters away from him in a much slower pace. She was breathing heavy, but the goal was in sight. The mountain hut was only a couple minutes away. They had made it!

Laxus opened the door and placed the bag on the ground. Lucy closed the door and fell on the first possible chair she could find. Laxus made a round in the house. There were beds upstairs, but there was only one fireplace and that was on the ground floor. He placed his coat over another chair and grabbed the dusty mattresses from the beds and placed them near the fireplace. Lucy was eating an energy bar and drunk some water to flush the last bit of pieces from the bar through her throat. She wasn't questioning, Laxus purpose. All she wanted was to sleep, when she saw the bed he was making near the fireplace. The Slayer threw logs at the fireplace and enlighten them. Lucy took off her boots, gloves and coat and lay down on the mattress. Laxus shook his head, when he heard the change in her breathing. Lucy had already fallen asleep. He couldn't blame her. He was exhausted as well from the hike. At this moment he wants to take a bath and some fresh cloths, but he couldn't have everything like he wanted….right Blondie?

Laxus wrote down two rune spells around the mattresses, one for cleansing purpose and another for protection. He wasn't as great as Freed, but he was able to learn a couple basic spells from him if he ever needed it. Laxus took of his boots and coat and he laid down on the mattress next to Lucy, pulling multiple blankets over Lucy and himself.

He listened to her breathing and then to the wind outside. Snow was falling, but they were inside a house, warm and safe. He closed his eyes, knowing that fighting any longer was useless and he fell asleep.

Lucy opened her eyes, noticing she was stuck in the same dream. Again the fight against Tartaros. Lucy had summoned the Celestial King, by breaking Aquarius' key. Her Mermaid spirit stood in front of her, crying, while her body started to disappear. During the last glimpses, Aquarius had opened her mouth to say something. There was no sound...why was there no sound? She couldn't hear Jackal cursing in the distance or the water that was being pushed against his body. She couldn't hear the pleading words that came from her best friend and mother figure, Aquarius. It was the same like last time. Lucy tried to concentrate more on the Mermaid's mouth. Subconscious knowing it must be something important.

"I'm …"

What was she trying to say? Everything turned black.

"...sorry," said Aquarius.

A terrible high-pitched scream was filling the air with some battle noises on the background.

She couldn't see anything around her, but it felt familiar… She had been here before.

'Please let my little girl out of this! I will take her place,' said Layla desperately.

"Momma?" thought Lucy.

That was her mother's voice. What was going on? Where are they in the first place?

'That is not for me to decide, human.'

'I understand, the contract you have made with Anna Heartfilia 400 years ago, but we are talking about my little girl. If that fight with Acnologia really comes, she would be only 18 years old!'

A deep sight could be heard.

'The contract is made with a Heartfilia. In the end it needs to be a Heartfilia to fulfill this contract. It can be you, it can be Lucy or even the child of Lucy. If you really want to take on the burden, then you need to survive the drain after opening the Eclipse Gate.'

Lucy's eyes widened. "Acnologia? Contract? Eclipse Gate?" Her mind was in overload by what she was hearing. There was a moment of silence, before Lucy had the feeling something or someone was looking at her.

'In the end, it is you who came. You have grown, little human,' said a deep rough voice.

Lucy looked up seeing golden eyes in the darkness and everything disappeared in the next second.

Lucy sat up, with sweat on her body. Her breathing was heavy and she looked at the fireplace that had almost gotten out. A quick glance at Laxus, believing that he was still asleep. Lucy wiped the sweat away from her forehead. Slowly she let the dream coming back to her mind. Trying to understand what had happened and what she had heard.

"What was that?" thought Lucy in panic.

Her fingers went to her keys, there was no warmth or any other responds. She really hated this feeling. She was alone.

'Momma,' whispered Lucy softly to herself, while a little cry was escaping from her mouth.

Laxus, who was pretending to be asleep had listened in silence to every sound in the room.

'It's just a dream….it's just a dream,' said Lucy painfully.

Laxus could feel how Lucy laid back down on the mattress and the smell of tears was filling his nose. He turned from his back to his left side and casually placed his arm on top of the crying blond.

Lucy eyes widened and she looked at the sleeping slayer right next of her.

'Laxus? Are you awake?'

'Hmm.' he responded.

Lucy smiled slightly and rolled herself towards Laxus' chest. She embraced the comfortable spot and she slowly calmed down. Laxus noticed the change in smell. The smell went from salty tears towards the smell of Lucy's hair and he unconsciously smiled.

"Almonds and strawberries...She really smells nice," thought Laxus.

And they both fell back to sleep.

That was it for Day 4 – Alone. The plot is slowly revealing itself!

Laxus and Lucy finally had their needed talk.

The cycle is finally round! I didn't wanted to copy paste the whole event from the first chapter down into this one. So I made a very VERY short summary.

Let me know what you think, I'm always afraid I make things too complicated. :) Any advice is always welcome. Thanks for reading and I see you guys tomorrow!