Hello friends, welcome back to Spread Your Wings! No teaser prologue this week; enjoy nearly 8k words!
It was a beautiful and cloudless day. Birds chirped softly, and the aroma of fresh bread from the bakery interwove with the perfume of wildflowers that bloomed along the side of the street. It was a perfect, peaceful day. Well, at least it was.
"NO! I DON'T WANNA! I'LL WALK THERE WITH HAPPY! YOU MOTHERF-erk!"
Natsu crumpled to the ground under Erza's armoured fist. "I am sure you were not about to finish that sentence with anything impolite or offensive," she addressed the prone dragon slayer, "and I know you're as determined as the rest of us to reach the town as quickly as possible. Gray! Drag him aboard."
A glare to the other man on the platform stopped any whining before it began, and with a repressed sigh he grabbed his frenemy by the scruff of his neck and hauled him onto the train. Gray dumped Natsu in the car Erza had reserved, allowing his head to flop onto a blonde woman's lap, knocking her book out of her hands.
"Hey! What the hell, Gray?" she snapped, cradling Natsu's head with one hand and reaching down with the other to snag her novel.
"Oh, come on. You know that's where he'll end up anyway. I'm just skipping all his dumb pukey gurgling before it starts." Gray smirked, dropping onto the opposite seat next to the two other members of the car, "Wendy's not gonna do Troia on him today, and I know Lis doesn't want him puking on her!"
Lucy sighed as Erza came in with Happy, squishing into the last seat in the overcrowded compartment. Distractedly, she played with Natsu's hair and he groaned slightly as he came to
"Luce? Wha's goin' on? Where一" the train jerked forward suddenly, and his head dropped back into her lap with a moan. To Gray's great satisfaction, however, his desperate dry heaves were minimal. Everyone sat back with a sigh to enjoy the scenery.
It was a difficult job with a large reward, and they'd planned and selected their team accordingly, Lucy reflected. Erza, Gray, herself, Natsu, Happy, Wendy, and Lisanna. It was a strong group and she knew she worked well with all of them... mostly.
Lisanna had been back for nearly three months now and despite the amount of time her partner had been spending with her, catching up on two years of absence, she felt she barely knew the newest addition to their team. It seemed that every time Lucy tried to sit down with her or spend any quality time with her, Lisanna would find an excuse to avoid Lucy's intentions. She was friendly, sure. On the surface, she presented a kind, cheerful demeanor. But Lucy had noted a few inconsistencies.
When Lisanna thought no one was looking, the smile dropped and the sparkle in her eyes dimmed. When she wasn't being dragged into the center of attention, she preferred to stay along the fringes of the group, almost hiding away in the shadows. And Lucy had caught her staring, more than once, at herself while she laughed with Natsu with an almost spiteful cast to her pretty features.
Maybe Lucy was just crazy. No one else seemed to be bothered by those occurrences. But then, everyone else had either known her before and was still in awe that she was back at all, or didn't spend as much time with Natsu as Lucy did. And since she was hyper-aware of her partner 一 but only because they were a team, and he was her best friend, and they spent so much time together and it was completely platonic, no matter what Mira and Levy said 一 that naturally she noticed anything odd around him, too. And Lisanna had definitely been sorted into the 'slightly off' category.
Upon further reflection Lucy had decided that it was possible Lisanna felt replaced. She'd been Natsu's best friend before, after all. It must be jarring, to come back from another world to see another woman at your childhood friend's side. Lucy could empathize and so she encouraged Natsu to hang out with his oldest friend and kept trying to socialise with Lisanna when the moment arose. Surely she'd see Lucy was no threat to her old friendships in time. Looking up from Natsu's hair, she caught Lisanna staring at them and sent a smile her way. The white-haired woman responded with a tight-lipped smile and turned away, but nonetheless Lucy slotted the interaction into the 'slow progress' category.
The rest of the ride was relatively peaceful, minus Natsu's moaning despite Lucy's best efforts, and a few hours later they'd pulled into the station. After scraping the Slayer off the floor, the team started the two hour trek to the next town over.
"So the train line won't stop at Glissfield until the dark mages' guild is ousted from the town, huh?" asked Gray, idly sculpting little ice waves as they went.
"That's correct," Erza responded. "The group showed up this week and attacked the village. Apparently it was nice enough that they've decided to stay. About twenty townsfolk made it to the capital to report it to the Rune Knights."
"So what about the others in the village?" Wendy asked. "If only twenty went to the capital, does that mean the rest of them are hiding somewhere? Or….are they still in the town?"
The group paused, not wanting to think too hard about the fates of anyone trapped under a dark guild's thumb.
"The town's census was listed as 104 people," Lucy started, "and twenty made it out 一 we've got eighty-four unaccounted for. We'll have to do what we can to find the answers."
Natsu turned back from where he'd been blowing air at Happy to create warm updrafts for the Exceed to ride. "Don't worry, guys! We'll find everyone and kick this guild's ass, too!" he slapped Lisanna a high five and she jumped into the air, bringing out her wings so she could ride on the warm currents he was providing, as well. Wendy laughed, adding her own magic to the mix and Lisanna and Happy swirled through the air, floating and twirling.
Lucy watched in amusement for a moment before dropping back to Erza. "You know," she murmured, "this isn't the first town that's been attacked. You've heard the reports of the other five as well as I have."
Erza frowned lightly. "We've all heard those reports, but I'm not sure they're connected. The culprits didn't stay like this group has."
"No, they didn't, but I don't think we can pass up the similarities. Small towns, usually occupied by about a hundred people. Maybe twenty make it out, but they can't tell us much because it's too dark. Everyone else disappears… except for a few bodies left behind who clearly fought back. And those that do make it are always old or are very young children. It sounds like trafficking to me, " she and Erza shared a look, and Erza's mouth tightened.
"You're right. I've spoken with the master about it and he says an investigation is already taking place, but I don't know any details. But if this is the same group, we will get answers from them. And we will discover what makes this town so important that they're willing to stay."
She looked sharply at Lucy then. "These mages are likely strong and prepared. Would you like to team up with me in the fight? Your spirits and I can back each other up to great effect."
Lucy's spine stiffened. "We can decide teams when we get there and see the layout," she hurried forward, away from the redhead. It was always her spirits people thought of in combat, never Lucy herself. She might be the weakest member of the team with the least useful combat magic, but she could hold her own! Besides, the team was counting on her! Pulling out a map of the town marked with the most likely places for the guild to hole up, she began to plan their strategy. She may not be the strongest, but she had her own strengths and she would do all she possibly could with that to save Glissfield.
It was high noon when the team crested the final hill and saw the village laid out below. Ducking down into a grove of trees, Lucy pulled out her map and and they clustered around.
"Ok, guys, let's go over this one more time. We have to take down the dark mages and see if we can rescue any hostages. They're most likely using the town hall as their base. The reports from the townspeople are garbled, so it could be anything between five or two-hundred guys… but I'm guessing more like thirty, and that's taking the last five towns reports into account. We'll go in with small groups and keep it quiet to try and find the hostages, and because we're outnumbered. Got it?"
A chorus of soft "ayes!" answered her. Erza stepped up, "The town appears quiet right now, but I see smoke from the center and saw someone cross the street when we first laid eyes on it. They are definitely here. Teams of four: Natsu, Happy, Lucy, and Lisanna will come from the south while Gray, Wendy, Carla and I take the north. Understood?"
The team nodded and split off, circling the town.
As they crept up to the first row of houses, Happy lifted Natsu lightly to land on the roof while Lucy and Lisanna waited below. The slayer's eyes narrowed as he looked over the town. It was too quiet. His sensitive nose flared as he took in a deep breath, searching. He smelled sweat, iron, and the stench of vile magic一typical of a dark mage infestation. Beneath that, riding on a draft from the train station, he identified the more common scent of regular townsfolk, tainted with fear. He frowned. The sweat and stink of dark magic was fresh and present, but the hostages' scent was stale and growing fainter. Why would they一BAM! A beam of light slammed into his side, knocking him off the building and crash landing him a few houses over.
Natsu dazedly clambered back to his feet, orienting in time to see three mages running at him down the street, each brandishing a magical weapon. As he lifted his fists he realized that the hostages were gone and the mages had been ready for an attack; his team had walked right into it. They were on him then, and he was in the fight.
Still in the alley behind the houses, Lucy watched with wide eyes as Natsu was blasted off the roof. She and Lisanna let out twin shrieks of surprise, but a heartbeat later found themselves hemmed in by six mages. As Happy raced off to help Natsu, the two women shifted into fighting stances, back to back, each facing three opponents. As the first man came at Lucy, swinging what looked like a mace imbued with lightning, Lucy ducked and lashed out at him with her whip, wrapping it around his leg and yanking it out from under him. Her other hand went to her keys and she grabbed the first one that came to her hand.
Swiping it through the air as she dodged a boulder summoned by her second opponent, a woman cackling as she ripped up more cobblestones from the ground, Scorpio materialized. Well, shit. She'd been trying to grab Taurus or Virgo, but the woman was joined now by the third mage and she certainly didn't have time to be picky. She would have to do what she could with what she had.
"Scorpio!" she cried, "Sandstorm!"
"Yes ma'am," her spirit called back, "ain't nobody gonna see a thing!"
Sand whipped around the alley, cutting visibility to almost nothing. It was a tactic that benefited the group with lesser numbers, allowing them to slip around the enemy and reduce any chances of a coordinated attack from the other group. Scorpio stood back, maintaining his storm, as Lucy and Lisanna darted back and forth through the sand, effectively creating one on one battles.
But of course, all good things must come to an end. Lucy heard a thump and a cry, followed by a tug on her magic. Gasping, she whipped around as she felt Scorpio disappear back through his gate. At once, the sand collapsed uselessly to the ground, no longer providing a shield once Scorpio's magic had vanished. They'd taken out three of the dark mages, but that still left them at a disadvantage. Lisanna was a few arm lengths away, facing one man. A second woman was just getting up from the ground twenty feet away from where Lisanna had apparently thrown her. But the third man stood just behind the take-over mage, charging up something that reminded Lucy of the Jupiter Cannon used by Phantom Lord, albeit a miniature version. Lisanna was fully engaged with the other mage, and didn't turn as Lucy yelled to her. There was no time!
As the man lifted and aimed his cannon, Lucy launched herself at Lisanna, pushing her as hard as she could out of the way and bringing up one arm to protect herself, around which she'd wrapped her whip as a sort of flimsy protection. Lisanna went flying, and Lucy screamed in pain.
Her ears were ringing, and she barely knew which way was up. Lisanna blinked, slowly bringing the world back into focus. What the hell? She was… in a building? And someone was screaming? Why was everything so dark? Reaching blindly out, she brushed cloth aside, and light flooded her tiny prison, revealing the underside of a table she'd seemingly rolled under.
Lucy'd pushed her, Lisanna realized, and she'd been in position to get thrown through a doorway of one of the houses and rolled under the furniture. Hell of a push from someone not known for her physical prowess. Peeking out from under the table, Lisanna could see a glimpse of the fight through the doorway. Not that it was much of a fight, now.
Lucy's whip was wrapped around her arm and it glowed with a black energy, burning her. One of the dark mages held a mini cannon crackling with aftershocks of the same energy. Lisanna's blood went cold at the realization of what Lucy'd done. Had she taken that shot in the back… she didn't want to think about it.
Head still fuzzy from the throw under the table, Lisanna noticed that the screaming had stopped and the sounds of combat ceased. A moment later, a shadow fell across the door. Panicked and dizzy, she dropped the cloth, curling into a ball. Her pursuer took two slow steps into the house, then stopped. A tense silence filled the air and Lisanna tried to mask the sounds of her breathing.
The person stepped forward, toward the table, and halted as a rough voice called out from the alley. Lisanna didn't dare let out her breath of relief as the steps moved outside once more.
"C'mon, Lou, the other one's probably long gone by now! We'll just take this one back to base 一 we can send her off with the last of the townspeople."
Lisanna's breath quickened and her pupils dilated. They were taking Lucy! Lucy, who had just pushed her out of the way of a potentially deadly shot. Lucy, who was Natsu's best friend in the whole world. Who massaged his head while they were on the train, who he sat next to in the guild hall, whose house he broke into at night… if she were gone, he would be devastated! What would he do without her?
Lisanna glazed over for a moment, picturing it. Natsu's head in her lap instead. Natsu laying next to her on a grassy hill, looking up at the sky, hands entwined. It could be her. It should be her.
Then she shook her head, hard, shaking off the last of her lightheadedness. What was she thinking?! She was Fairy Tail, and Fairy Tail didn't let nakama get dragged off because they were jealous of a memory! Pushing the tablecloth aside, Lisanna sprinted into the alley, the claws of her cat form forcing their way out of her skin, only to skid to a halt.
The dark mages were gone, and Lucy with them.
Erza threw the last of her attackers into a pile in the town square. The ambush had been unexpected and she was irritated. They must have been seen by someone when they'd first crested the hill. To add to her disgruntlement, they hadn't seen hide nor hair of any hostages. Crossing her arms, she turned in a slow circle, eyes flicking past Gray making ice cuffs and Wendy and Carla working together to drag a man to the pile, to focus on the shadows between houses and in windows. As she finished satisfying herself that they were not being watched, a roar sounded in the air to the south, followed by an explosion the size of a small house. Erza took off toward the sound, the rest of her group hot on her heels. There was only one person capable of that particular brand of destruction.
"They took Lucy?! What d'you mean they took Lucy!" Natsu roared in rage as Lisanna stood before him.
"I'm sorry Natsu! I couldn't do anything, I tried!" she squealed, guilt running through her at the lie and the situation. At the same time, there was no way she was going to reveal her lapse in judgement earlier. Especially not to the subject of her surprising fantasy. She watched anxiously as Natsu ran up and down the alley, sniffing madly as Happy circled up above.
"Nothing! They must've flown or, or something! LUCY!" he let out a earth shaking shout, and in pure frustration slammed a fireball through a house, blowing the roof into the air. Flames licked along his shoulders and arms and his eyes were slitted gold. Lisanna caught her breath, looking at him. He was powerful and beautiful. If she'd been the one taken, would he look the same?
She shook of the intrusive thoughts and focused as Erza skidded into the alley, followed closely by the rest of the team.
"What happened?" Gray demanded, bracing his hands on his knees and gulping in air. Lisanna hastened to answer.
"Lucy got kidnapped! She pushed me away from the fight and I fell and hit my head and there was nothing I could do一" she cut off as Natsu reached out to her.
"You hit your head? Are you alright?" his fingers, devastatingly warm, brushed her bangs. She sucked in a breath.
"Ye-yes. I'm fine."
He nodded once, assured, and immediately switched back to the topic at hand. Lucy. But before they could create a search strategy, Happy came rocketing down from the sky.
"Guys! I found them! The dark guild is gathering by the station, and I think I saw a train headed this way!"
Natsu didn't wait to hear more, launching himself forward into the streets with the team hot on his heels. Literally, because he was leaving a trail of fire in his wake.
They made it to the station just as the train slowed to a stop. It clearly wasn't official, consisting of an old, beat up engine with a freight car behind it. The dark guild members they hadn't subdued yet were there, surrounding about twenty hostages, including Lucy. As the team reached the open ground between the last buildings and the station, the leader of the group snaked an arm around her, pulling her to his chest and holding a knife at her throat.
"Stop right there, Fairy Tail! I'm not afraid to cut her wide open!" he called out, mocking them as he wedged Lucy tightly against his body.
She looked like hell and had clearly gone down fighting. Blood ran down her face from a broken nose, and two black eyes were already starting to form. Worse was her arm. Burn marks charred their way down in a spiraling pattern, evidence of her attempt to shield with her whip. Her head lolled slightly, barely able to hold itself up.
A deep growl reverberated through Natsu's chest, nearly shaking the ground around them. The leader eyed him with something like trepidation, but carried on regardless.
"Now...back away slowly, leave town, and no one needs to get hurt. We'll just take the last group here and be on our merry way, and we'll even leave the girl for you! I think that's more than fair, don't you?" he leered at them.
Fists clenched in rage, Natsu leaned forward, the heat radiating off him enough to cook them all if it weren't for the arctic cold pouring off Gray. The midpoint between them misted lightly as the air swirled, and that was what gave Wendy the idea.
Stepping slyly behind Erza, she used the wind to carry her voice to her teammates while masking it from the dark guild now herding the last group of hostages onto the train cars. A moment later, Happy and Carla took to the air and Wendy sidled back into place behind Natsu and Gray. Erza stepped forward as the Exceeds lifted off, the sun shining off her burnished armor.
"How do we know you'll keep your word and leave Lucy unharmed?" she demanded, drawing her sword and waving it in large, dramatic arcs. The light bounced off it, reflecting into the eyes of the leader. He squinted, lifting his hand.
In a flash, the Exceeds shot down from the sky, slamming into the man's shoulder and sliding down his arm to hold the hand with the knife. At the same time Gray and Natsu sent their best shots, not at the enemy, but at each other. The resulting steam would have blanketed the group and rendered them blind if not for Wendy sending it careening across the pavement into the dark group.
In the steam, Happy and Carla struggled to hold the mage's arm down and away from Lucy. The man fought for a second, then threw Lucy away from him and used his now free second arm to snatch at Carla. She jumped away from him at the last moment, leaving Happy the sole holder of his knife arm. Try as he might, Happy couldn't stop the man from raising his arm to strike as he leaned down to where Lucy lay on the ground, unconscious.
Happy felt a heat on his whiskers, and instinct built from years of experience told him to let go of the leader's arm. He blinked as he did so, and when his eyes opened again the heat had passed him by, taking the mage with. Now calm, he waved Carla over to help him fly Lucy out of the cloud. That guy wouldn't be bothering anyone once Natsu was done with him.
The fight didn't last long. By the time the fog had dissipated, the last of the dark mages lay on the ground, knocked out and moaning. Lisanna and Gray let the villagers out of the train car while Erza called the Rune Knights. Natsu and Wendy went straight to Lucy.
Wendy lay hands on the blonde, calling up her healing magic. The soft blue glow surrounded Lucy for a moment, then faded. She opened her eyes, sitting up groggily. Natsu helped her, wrapping one muscled arm around her slim shoulders. She stared at the platform for a moment, then gasped.
"Lisanna! Is she alright? I一"
"She's fine." Lucy's head snapped around, coming nose to nose with Natsu. He was staring at her intently, not a hint of his usual smile in place. "What were you thinking, Lucy? She said you shoved her out of the way when she had everything under control! You not only slammed her head into a wall but you almost got taken by these guys! I know you want to prove yourself but you're not strong enough to act the hero!"
Abruptly he let go of her and jumped up, running back to the group. The sudden loss of support made her jerk back before catching herself with her arms. She let out a hiss of pain, yanking her left arm to her chest and cradling it. Wendy tentatively reached out.
"I'm sorry, Lucy 一 I couldn't heal it all the way. Anything caused by dark magic is bound to scar." They both looked down at her arm. An angry scar ran along it in a spiral pattern from wrist to elbow. Lucy regarded it blankly for a moment before looking back to Natsu, now tying up bad guys with ferocious speed.
"Maybe it could've been avoided if I weren't 'playing the hero'," sadness permeated her voice. Wendy rubbed her shoulder lightly.
"I know he didn't mean it to be so harsh, Lucy. He was so scared when he heard you'd been kidnapped. He just wants you to be safe." She squeezed her friend's shoulder lightly. "I know you pushed Lisanna out of the way to protect her. She must not have had everything as in hand as she thought, huh?"
Lucy frowned. She hadn't thought Lisanna had anything in hand, but the fight and everything after was a bit of a blur. Maybe she had wanted to prove herself. Her initial shock at Natsu's outburst was rapidly turning into the familiar well of failure she felt after half the missions they went on. She was sick of being protected. Sick of being the weak link in the chain.
The train ride home was awkward. Natsu had automatically come to sit by Lucy, but when she'd drawn away he'd stopped before abruptly sitting next to Lisanna instead. When the engine pulled them out of the station, he keeled over into the other girl's lap. Lucy barely reacted, staring firmly out the window and not acknowledging anyone in the group.
Lisanna reached out, touching Natsu's hair with a single finger, then slowly entwined her whole hand into his rosy locks. Wow. They were so soft! Just like she remembered, before being sucked into Edolas. The tension in the car was thick enough to cut with a knife, and she still felt guilty over letting Lucy get taken and lying… misrepresenting… what had happened right before, but this? This was heaven. And Lucy was fine, right? It would be fine, she reasoned. It was fine. She buried both hands into Natsu's hair, almost aggressively.
When the train pulled into Magnolia, Lucy wanted nothing more than to go home and soak in the bath, but her landlady was doing some renovations and wouldn't be done until late. So with a sigh, she picked up her bag and set off toward the guild, still avoiding Natsu. She knew he'd said what he did out of fear for her, but it didn't stop the sting of rejection and the dull anger she'd picked up somewhere along the ride home, watching him moan quietly in someone else's lap.
She dropped her bag unceremoniously on the floor and slumped onto a barstool. Catching Mira's eye, she gestured to the vodka.
A clank beside her announced Erza's presence. Lucy wanted nothing more than to ignore the redhead and drown her sorrows, but one did not neglect the Titania. So she reluctantly hitched herself to face the other woman.
"Lucy…" Erza hesitated. What did one say? After Lucy had slumped off, Natsu had stalked in the other direction. She and Gray had shared a look of understanding and he'd followed Natsu while she'd taken Lucy. Privately she thought Gray had the easier side of things. He and Natsu would barely have to talk at all. But she took a deep breath and carried on.
"I know you're upset. And I know you feel like you aren't strong enough, especially in combat. But you have much so value to the team, Lucy. You're our chief strategist and your magic and spirits are versatile and flexible." She smiled warmly at the blonde, only to find it slipping as she met blank eyes.
"What if that's not enough, Erza? I put people in danger today. What good is strategizing if you can't hold up your part of the plan?"
Erza sat back, swirling her own drink. She took a thoughtful swallow. "If you want to improve, you're welcome to train with me, of course."
Eyeing the blonde's shudder, she acknowledged that Lucy might not quite survive her regimen. "Although, you could always shake things up a bit as well." Lucy perked up at that, the first flicker of life coming into her eyes. Erza heartened, taking the offhand suggestion and running with it.
"When I was first training, I went on group missions, but I also took solos and went with different people. To get a different viewpoint and to force myself to use new skills. I'm not saying you should find a new partner, but maybe going with Natsu every time is stunting some growth you could achieve. He does get a little overprotective where you're concerned. Maybe try a mission without him every so often to stretch yourself?"
She finished her drink and stood, clasping Lucy on the shoulder. "You are valuable, Lucy. You have strength. You just need to realize your potential and gain a little more confidence."
Erza nodded to Mira and left the guild, confident that she'd seen a thoughtful turning of wheels in Lucy's mind. It was true 一 Natsu did baby Lucy too much. She would never be able to grow if he didn't stop hovering over her like a mother with a firstborn. Besides, Lucy growing in confidence and Natsu recognizing it could only help their relationship… she'd have to update her bet with Cana.
Lucy sat thoughtfully, staring into the dregs of her glass. Slowly, the guild emptied out around her, save for Master at the end of the bar with some members she didn't know very well. Mira was done serving drinks and was doing her last rounds for the night. Lucy, the world definitely fuzzy around the edges, fell prey to the age old desire to use her bartender as a sounding board.
"Mira," she asked heavily, "d'you think I should strike out on my own? It would be so hard一 I dunno if I could leave Natsu like that, even if it's for a little while. But you should've heard 'im, Mira. He was so angry…. and ev'ryone feels the same way. Even if they don' say it. It hurts."
Mira murmured soothing words as Lucy continued to ramble about the mission, neither of them realizing that they'd become the focus of the guild's only other remaining occupants. A quiet, hurried conversation took place. Fifteen minutes later, as Lucy finally stood to walk home, the master approached.
"Lucy, child, sit a moment longer," his face was creased in a thoughtful frown. "I believe I've picked up most of what happened on your mission; but if I am honest, it's not much of a surprise. You've been struggling with this for a long time."
Her eyes watered. Even Master had seen her weakness? Sensing her thoughts, he shook his head.
"I do not think you are incompetent, child. Although I agree with Erza. You have untapped potential, and for that I might have a solution."
He gestured behind him, and Lucy realized that the people he'd been talking to earlier had followed him and now leaned against the bar, quietly observing.
There were three: two women and a man. The man was tall, nearly six feet if she judged correctly, and broad. He dwarfed the women next to him. She noted his forearms and hands were scarred with a multitude of knicks and burns, but these did not diminish his strength. He had brown hair, cut shorter at the sides and longer on top. Brown eyes regarded her kindly from behind black framed glasses. Surprisingly, he was perhaps the most accessorized out of the trio. Gauges in his ears, two heavy silver rings on his hands, and a dark corded necklace holding a smooth piece of obsidian completed the ensemble. He wore black, comfortable looking pants and a heavy button down shirt with the sleeves rolled.
His teammates stood to either side. The first was a brunette of middling height. Gray-blue eyes twinkled as they rested on Lucy. She had a narrow bladed nose and delicate jawline, and a full mouth made for mischievous smiles. Her hair was pulled into a high ponytail and Lucy saw a gleam of purple highlights as she moved under the guildlights. A loose, tunic-like shirt belted at the waist fell to her hips, and underneath she wore form-fitting, deep purple pants. The shirt had billowing sleeves that slit at the elbows before falling to mid thigh, leaving her forearms and hands unencumbered. She wore a thin silver chain around her neck and dangling from that was a white, glimmering stone. Lucy found herself staring at it, drawn to it 一 and then the woman moved her hand over the necklace and the trance was broken. Lucy shook her head slightly and moved to the last member of the team.
She had red hair pulled into a long braid. A thin face with high cheekbones accentuated bright blue eyes, undiminished by thick framed glasses. She was alabaster pale, and as she lifted her hand in a greeting she revealed what looked like a large freckle on the inside of her wrist and a matching one in the crease of her elbow. Without looking, Lucy knew she would find them on the other arm as well. They were almost too perfectly placed. The woman wore a navy blue halter top under an open cloak, paired with dark jeans and knee high, steel toed combat boots. Aside from double piercings in each ear, she wore no accessories. She leaned an elbow on the bar counter and spoke.
"So you're a celestial wizard, huh? We might have a contract for you."
Lucy sat up straight. A contract? Like a key? The redhead stopped her as she eagerly opened her mouth.
"Ah, sorry. I should have clarified. We don't have any spirits to offer… although it's possible there will be some along the way. I meant that we'd like to strike a bargain with you."
Lucy leaned forward. "A bargain? With me?" She blinked at the trio. "What could you possibly want with me?"
The brunette woman grinned. "We could use your help. We're going on a mission, and we think you'd be a perfect fourth member of our team for the duration."
Now Lucy was shocked. She barely knew this team 一 couldn't even remember their names. They'd come in from a month long mission, chat up a few friends with a beer, then grab a new quest and be back on their way. How could they possibly know enough about her to want her to come? The suspicion must've shown on her face, because the redhead spoke up again.
"You went to catch that mage guild and rescue the hostages today."
It wasn't a question, but Lucy nodded anyway.
"We heard you talking about it to Mira. You've noticed the pattern between this one and the other towns. Only thing you weren't sure about was why the guild had stuck around so long this time. Now that you've been there and seen it 一 you figure it out?"
Still unsure as to where this was going, Lucy answered thoughtfully. Amidst all her angst today, she had been turning over the question in her mind. "This was the first landlocked town. Everywhere else has been near a sea or major river. We were only able to save twenty people out of the eighty or so left behind, and they were being put on a train barely able to hold them all. The dark guild is trafficking them for something, and their boat is bigger than their train."
Beside her, the master nodded approvingly. "That's what we've been able to figure out as well, child. You've been able to put it together with much less information than us."
The man spoke up for the first time. "This group isn't acting alone. There's someone behind the scenes pulling the strings. Fairy Tail's been asked to help the council find this guy and take him down. They're pretty sure they know who it is 一 and if they're right, it's going to take a lot of time and work, and a little more firepower than we've got."
"That's why we'd like to recruit you," the redhead said, "you're already aware of the case, you'll strategize well with us, and your magic is versatile and powerful enough to maybe tip the scales in our favor."
Lucy sat back. This was definitely not how she'd expected her night to go, but the villagers' hopeless faces had been haunting her all day. She wasn't convinced they were making the right choice, though. "I'm happy to look over the case with you guys, but I don't know about firepower. If you need someone to 'tip the scales,' wouldn't Laxus or Erza be a better choice?"
The brunette grinned at her. "Maybe, if we wanted loud. But a lot of this will be fairly covert. Your magic is versatile and becomes more so with each spirit you add. The man we're after is a smuggler of many things 一 magic artifacts included. You might well get a spirit or two out of the deal."
Here Master interjected. "Besides, Lucy, you are selling yourself short. There are a variety of ways to raise your abilities and use your powers in more active combat. I believe with a rather more intense training regimen, you will find yourself surprised at how much you'll achieve."
That stopped Lucy in her tracks. Sure, there were ways to use celestial magic in active combat一 the Stardress for one. And it was true that her training was sporadic at best. What, she was busy! Where would she find the time to 一oh.
"That contract you mentioned," she started, "what would that involve, exactly?"
The redhead came up off the counter, grinning.
"You'd join our team for the duration of the mission to find and help topple this asshole. We estimate it'll take a few months, and we'll be in and out of the guild during that time as we travel. In exchange for helping us, we'll train you as we go. All of us are near S-Class level, and even if we don't have the same powers as you we can help you realize yours. Your spirits can provide detailed and specific instruction to work with 一 Also: any keys we might find on the trip are yours. It can only make the group stronger for you to have them."
Lucy sat back, stunned. An offer to join and train with an S-Class team, save hundreds of innocents, and keep any keys they found along the way? It was something she would have fainted from hearing before she joined Fairy Tail. She felt a little lightheaded now. That might be the vodka, though.
She was grounded, however, when she thought of her present team. Natsu and Happy, breaking into her apartment, going on a new adventure together, even Natsu's motion sickness. Could she really leave them? Leave him?
The master touched her arm lightly. "You will not leave him forever, my child, and you will see him at times during this mission," he seemed to read her mind as he allayed her fears. "The two of you have been struggling for some time. Perhaps a break and chance to think will be best for both of you. And besides," a lecherous smirk spread over the wizened face, "absence does make the heart grow fonder!"
Lucy snatched her hand away, face burning. "Master!"
But the old man had a point. This could be exactly what she needed. If she grew strong enough, she would be able to hold her own! She wouldn't need rescuing. She'd be helpful. Natsu would be proud of her. With that thought, her mind was made up.
She looked at the trio. "Yes," she punctuated it with a nod. "I'll do it. When do we leave?"
The man stepped forward, pulling a pocketwatch out. "We meet at the station in two hours for a night train to Hargeon. Pack for two months, but keep a smaller go-bag separate."
It was about what she'd expected from their traveling cloaks and bags by their feet. But一
"Wait! What about my rent?"
The brunette laughed. "We should've mentioned. The council is covering it for the duration of the mission and will take it out of the reward at the end. It's standard procedure for a request of this magnitude. We also get a small sum for food and whatnot every month. Master will take care of the paperwork for you."
Mira, quiet thus far, snorted. "I'll take care of the paperwork for you, Lucy," she winked, "and I'll keep you in Natsu's mind while you're gooooone!"
Lucy felt her face heating up again and grabbed her bag. "I'll see you at the station at midnight!" she babbled to her temporary team, nearly tripping in her haste to get out the door.
As she hurried down the street, she realized she hadn't yet caught anyone's names. Whoops. No time to go back now, she had packing to do and a letter to write to one pink-haired man to explain her decision.
Meanwhile, on a hill just outside of town...
"Fire Dragon's Iron Fist!"
"Ice Make Cannon!"
BAM! BANG! POW!
The two mages were flung away from each other by the force of their blasts, landing on either side of the hill. Neither let the setback stop him.
Gray formed a set of ice throwing stars and sent them hurtling at Natsu. "How come you're so on Lucy's case, huh? That shit today wasn't her fault!"
Natsu dodged the stars with a neat backflip and sent a wall of fire at Gray. "I know that, freeze-face! But she didn't have to jump into a hit like that! She's gotta learn when to stand back!" he followed his flame wall, fists at the ready.
Gray froze himself into a block of ice. The fire wall shrunk it down a bit, but enough was still in place for Natsu to hurt his hand on it when he came hurtling through the flame, expecting to find Gray's face. Gray broke the ice, sending the shards at his opponent. "Lisanna got hit in the head, man," he panted, "she barely remembers the fight. Lucy probably saved her ass, and you're freaking out because she got hurt and you weren't there! Talk about learning to stand back!"
Natsu froze for a moment, his inattention allowing an ice shard to slam into his bicep. "Ow! Fuck! Well," he spluttered, quickly forming fireballs to melt the rest of the shards, "I should've been there to protect her! And I wasn't, and now she's got that fucking scar on her for the rest of her life because I couldn't be there for her!"
His face was drawn and pained and his fists clenched. Gray sighed, dropping his own fight stance. He was pretty wiped from the first hour of the fight anyway.
"Look. I know you want to protect Lucy all the time, from everything, but have you thought that you're hurting her by doing that?" seeing that Natsu was about to attack him, he held up his hands and quickly continued, "she can't get stronger if you coddle her all the time, dude! And yelling at her afterward isn't gonna help! Lucy knows when she screws up and she already harps on herself for her weaknesses!"
Natsu sagged, the fight gone out of him. He meandered to the top of the hill, sitting on a patch of charred grass. Gray flopped down beside him on a leftover sheet of ice.
"I know I'm holding her back a bit," Natsu said in a low voice, "but I can't help it. I can't see her hurt. I won't see her hurt."
Gray sighed. "I know, man. But you gotta loosen the reins a bit. Let her strike out on her own a little more. Just...go over there and talk to her. She's most upset about what you said to her, you know."
The fire mage rubbed a hand over his face, contemplating for a moment. Then, "Yeah. I guess I'll go." He heaved himself up and started away before pausing and turning halfway.
"Gray?"
"Yeah?"
"Thanks."
"Yeah."
….
"Gray?"
"Yeah?"
"Don't let your guard down."
With that, Natsu spat a stream of fire onto the seat of Gray's pants and took off running, followed by Gray's curses and a volley of ice spears. He evaded them all and jogged into town, winding his way through the cobblestone streets toward Lucy. They all knew it was only a matter of time before Gray lost those pants, anyway.
Oh man! So much is happening! How will Natsu take the news? Who are Lucy's new teammates? Who's trafficking the villagers, and why? And of course...how is Lisanna going to react to the chain reaction caused by her lie?
Also: I've decided to give a shoutout to another author weekly, because it's important that we all support each other in our writing endeavors! Last week was my amazing beta Lady Lutka, and this week I'd like to direct you all to YukiMC! I'm betaing her story, 'What I Want,' and if you don't want to deal with this slow burn NaLu, then her phenomenally story is right up your alley! If you love it, leave her a review and wish her luck with upcoming exams :)
That's all for this week, and hopefully your interest is peaked enough to come back next week!
