Welcome back, everyone! As promised, Team Ceartas is back at Fairy Tail!
Lucy's heart was pounding in her ears. Nervous sweat practically dripped off her palms as she dried them on her pants. Flustered, she let her hair down around her shoulders, only to pull it back into a ponytail. A hand landed on her shoulder and Rai grinned at her. "You look fine, Lucy," she said, "and anyway, I think everyone will be happy to see you however you're dressed."
Lucy nodded shakily as they rounded the final corner and Fairy Tail came into view. She wasn't worried about how her guild mates 一 her family 一 would react to her homecoming.. But, perhaps she was slightly worried? Apprehensive? Nervous? Her writer's mind flipped through her mental thesaurus, trying to find the most accurate synonym to describe her state of mind. But as Lona threw the doors open, her mess of emotions coalesced into one overpowering feeling: anticipation.
A cry went up from the assembled mages and all four of them were assaulted with bear-embraces. Lucy laughed, a little tearful, overjoyed to finally be home. But as she fended off Cana's advances on her boobs and returned Levy's hug, her eyes were roving the guildhall.
"Lucy!" Mira trilled, throwing her arms around the Celestial wizard. "I'm so happy you're back!" she tugged Lucy over to the bar, firmly setting her down and whipping up a strawberry milkshake. "Natsu is going to be so upset he missed your homecoming!"
"He's… he's not here?" she'd been so sure he'd be at the guild.
"No, he went on a mission with Lisanna and Happy. They should be back in a couple of days, I think."
"Oh… I mean, that's alright, of course! I just thought, since we called ahead last week when we hit the border, he might have..." she trailed off.
Mira frowned. That's right, Lona had called the guild to make sure Team ShadowGear wouldn't be gone. There was something said between the two about needing Levy's expertise. She'd told Lisanna about it, assuming her sister would pass on the news to Natsu, given their increased amount of time in each other's presence. Was he deliberately avoiding Lucy? It didn't seem like the fire mage. Something felt off here, but Lucy looked completely dejected and she needed comfort asap.
Mira covered Lucy's hand with her own. "Perhaps it was something that couldn't wait. And they'll be back soon anyway. Just a few days."
Lucy, who'd been looking hopeful, slumped again. "I don't know how long we're going to be here, Mira," she sighed. "We found a bunch of papers we need Levy to translate. Once it's done we'll be back on the hunt. It looks to be time sensitive and there are lives depending on our findings."
Mira studied the mage in front of her. This wasn't the same Lucy that had left in tears nearly two months ago. This Lucy had a determined glint in her eye Mira had never seen, and her focus, already intimidating, had sharpened to a knife's edge. But there was something else, something intangible that Mira nevertheless felt with certainty. The insecure girl who had left had returned a confident woman. Competent. Dangerous.
She was going to knock Natsu's socks off.
Mira hid her smile and passed Lucy six milkshakes on a tray. "One more for you, love, one for each of your teammates, one for Levy, and for Gajeel."
"Gajeel?" Lucy checked behind her and indeed, Gajeel sat next to Levy as she went over the documents with Team Ceartas. Raising a brow at Mira, Lucy lowered her voice, "Are you sure Gajeel drinks milkshakes?"
Mira laughed, "Of course! He has them all the time. His is the cotton candy one with the iron shavings on top."
Dutifully, she carried the shakes over, setting one down in front of everyone. As she tentatively handed one to Gajeel, he shot a furious glare in Mira's direction. Lucy heard his mutter of "that's the last time I ask her to make me anything after hours!" before he chugged the shake, hiding the glass under the table.
Grinning to herself and saving that tidbit for future blackmail, Lucy sat down with Levy to start the tedious task of translating the notes.
"Natsu, wait!"
He turned, confused and annoyed. This was the sixth time Lisanna had held them up since they finished the job. It was like she didn't want to go back to the guild! He was tired, hungry, and covered in his own ash after the fight. All he wanted was to go home, jump in the river behind his house, and stuff his face before falling into his hammock.
Instead, he trudged back up the path to his teammate. She was huddled on the ground, wincing. For the hundredth time that day he wondered why on Earthland she'd worn shorts in the chilly weather. It reminded him painfully of Lucy, but while her shivering held a certain charm, he was just annoyed with Lisanna's lack of foresight.
"I think I've twisted my ankle! We'll have to stop here for the night," she said, rubbing the rapidly swelling appendage.
Natsu shook his head, pulling off his pack and handing it to Happy. "You know I love camping, Lis, but I really just want to get home this time. Hop on my back and I'll carry you."
Her face scrunched up and Natsu thought she looked a little constipated. "Well, why do you want to be back so fast? We finished this mission up a day and a half early, we've got plenty of time," she whined.
He ran a hand down his weary face, sighing. "It's not about time, I just want to be home. So either hop on or Happy can carry you."
"No way!" Happy gasped, outraged. "I'd rather take the pack! The pack won't whine at me, and it has fish!"
"Fine. Hop on, or you go over my shoulder."
Lisanna grimaced. Looks like she was stuck. She let Natsu help her onto his back, silently cursing all the while. What was the point of sticking her foot in that stupid pothole if it wasn't going to slow them down? She fervently hoped that Lucy and her team hadn't needed much from Levy. If she was lucky they'd be gone by the time she, Natsu, and Happy got back. Natsu didn't need that meddling bitch with her emotional ploys. He'd be so much happier if he never even knew she was there.
In the meantime, at least now she got to ride Natsu… she let her mind wander down that complicated but intoxicating road for a moment, before pulling herself back to the present. Fantasize later, enjoy now! She relaxed into him, enjoying the strong muscles of his shoulders and warm back, his calloused hands digging into the sensitive flesh of her thighs… and how, with every step, those hands slipped further up into unchartered territory.. Thank heavens she wore shorts today. She'd caught him looking, too. Probably checking her out. Lisanna smiled. If only Lucy wouldn't be there when they got back, then everything would be perfect.
Lucy's head hit the table with a thud. She and Levy had been working for what felt like nonstop for two days to translate the UnderLord's suspect notes. There had been pages and pages of complex forms and reports, all written in a code apparently used by all senior UnderLord members. Once they'd cracked the code, they'd started translating. Most of the papers hadn't been related to the next step in their mission and Lucy was starting to feel discouraged until an hour ago, when Levy had stumbled onto a sheaf of papers she thought might be useful.
Both girls were a mess. Lucy's hair was tangled, her clothes rumpled. Her eyes were bloodshot from squinting at letters, and she thought she might be permanently hunchbacked. Her team, not much help with codes and languages, had kept a steady supply of coffee coming. Levy and her would have a much-needed half hour break taste-testing Torin and Mira's coffee in a "roast off." Then Cana had submitted her contribution and the girls had had to move their work into another room for the night to avoid the guild's hyper-caffeinated, drunken rager.
Lucy stood to stretch, walking across the room to the bar. Thus she was smack dab in the middle of the room when the doors were thrown open.
"We made it back alive!"
She froze. Slowly, inch by torturous inch, her head turned. And there he was. Pink hair in wild disarray, clothes ripped, covered in what looked like soot with sweat streaks across his face. He was beautiful. He was everything she'd ever wanted. He was… carrying Lisanna?
Her heart plummeted as suddenly as it had risen and she placed a hand to her chest, pressing hard on her sternum as she looked at his hands, hands that she'd last seen tenderly cupping her face, squeezing into the flesh of another woman's thighs.
She looked away. What had she been expecting? She'd left him. Yeah, but he didn't have to kiss you back only to jump into someone else's arms! her inner voice argued. She risked a glance back at the door. And froze, because he was staring right at her, Lisanna nowhere to be seen.
As soon as he'd caught her scent his world hyper-focused. He had tunnel vision, and at the end of that endless ravine was Lucy. He didn't even notice dropping Lisanna and taking a few halting steps forward. She wasn't looking at him and he took the time to drink her in. She was wearing sensible clothes, for once, and he thought he saw new muscle in her shoulders.
Then she turned back and his breath caught in his throat. She was even more breathtaking than when she'd left. Her eyes were wide and he happily drowned in their depths.
Somehow, they'd crossed the hall, only a few paces away from each other. She reached out, tentatively, "Natsu?"
"Lucy!"
The spell was broken as she was yanked to the side by Levy. "Lucy, you've got to come see this! Rai is getting Master, this is really, really bad. You come too, Natsu," the small mage panted, dragging Lucy behind her over to their table. "Wendy! Laxus! You guys need to come over here!" she yelled across the hall.
Natsu, snapped out of his reverie, hurried to follow the two women across the hall. Any other time he would have lashed out, but there was an undercurrent of fear in Levy's voice. Whatever was going on must be bad.
Most of the guild gathered around Levy, Team Ceartas, Master, and the Dragonslayers at the forefront. Levy took a deep breath, looking around and all the expectant faces, "Maybe first you should explain what you've been doing, guys."
Lona gave a brief overview of their mission to the crowd while Lucy tried hard not to stare at Natsu. What did this all mean? What had he been doing with Lisanna? She shook it off as Levy stepped back to the forefront.
"Lucy and I have been translating the papers found at the mine for the last two days. We finally got through the papers describing what the lacrima is for and where it's being sent. Team Ceartas was right: it's used to suck power away from one mage and give it to another."
An angry ripple went through the crowd at her words.
"While the UnderLords can do a lot of awful things with this, they're planning something specific. Next week is what's called the Blood Moon," Levy looked to Lona.
"The Blood Moon," Lona explained, "only happens once every few years. Sometimes every few decades, it depends on the alignment of planets within our Solar System. The moon turns a deep rust color, like old blood. It's thought to amplify dark magic and increase the power of malicious spells, among a few other things."
"The UnderLords," Levy continued, "are planning to use the Blood Moon to activate a massive lacrima structure they've been creating with everything that's come from the mine. This won't just borrow power from one mage and give it to another to use. If they've built this thing right, it will suck out the very soul of someone's magic; their core. It will then transfer this core into another person."
The hall was hushed. Levy dropped her next words into the silence with the air of someone delivering a bomb, a cataclysmic truth: "It appears that the UnderLords wish to turn their leader, Domme Malleolus, into a dragon. And to do this, they will use every single Dragonslayer they can get their hands on."
The guild exploded with activity.
People were shouting, fighting, running to barricade the doors. Various magics were charged up as everyone prepared for an imminent attack. The chaos gave way to nothing 一 it wasn't until the Master grew to his full, titanic size and stomped one gargantuan foot down on the ground that stillness reigned. "Silence!" he boomed. "Running about manically will not solve this problem! This is not preparation, this is panic!"
He shrank back down and clambered onto the bar to address the frightened crowd. "This Blood Moon is in a week. It appears that the lacrima has all been sent to a town two days from here by carriage. That means the UnderLord's stronghold is likely nearby," he eyed the group, impressing his leadership upon them. "So here is what we are going to do. Teams will be sent to scout for the base. When we find it, we will storm and attack it and destroy this soul-stealing lacrima. In the meantime, the Slayers will be kept in the guild under constant guard."
Predictably, there was an outcry from the male Dragonslayers. Wendy, quite sensibly, had attached herself to Erza the moment the announcement had been made.
"But Gramps!" Natsu protested furiously. "We don't need a guard! We can take care of ourselves!"
"For once I agree with flamehead," Gajeel growled, "let us at this asshole's headquarters and we'll raze it to the ground."
Laxus looked down his nose at the crowd, "Anyone who tries to protect me is getting fried."
"Shut up, you idiots," Makarov snapped. He rubbed at the bridge of his nose. "This group has the power and ability to raid five towns, control a slavery mine in complete secrecy, and operate across at least two countries. If you think they don't have the resources and forethought to overcome you, then you are fools."
That revelation quieted the Slayers. Makarov pointed around the room, divvying up scouting teams. From the mages who were to stay behind, he created rotating bodyguard duties for each Slayer. Lucy was surprised to find herself paired with Wendy in the mornings. She would've assumed she'd be out scouting with the rest of Team Ceartas, or placed with Natsu. Although given her emotional turmoil, she couldn't help but be relieved not to be placed with the fiery Dragonslayer.
Still, she approached the Master as the crowd thinned. He smiled and spoke before she could open her mouth, "I trust that you've learned much in your time away, Lucy," his eyes twinkled.
"I… well, yes. On our way back from the mine I was able to truly tap into my Stardresses," she answered, confused at the subject.
"That is good. I can see your confidence. But I was referring not to your magic, but to your heart," he answered in his philosophical way.
Lucy blushed. "Oh! I, um, I suppose I have learned quite a bit. But I'm still so confused, Master!"
She cast an involuntary glance toward Lisanna, who'd been paired with Natsu in the evenings. Makarov caught her look. His face wrinkled up in a smile."Child, you're wondering why you've been assigned to Wendy. You would be invaluable wherever I put you, let that be understood. You've proven yourself to be an asset to Team Ceartas… I can tell by how put out they looked when I placed you here at the guild. Think of this as a chance to truly learn where your duties belong 一 where your heart lies. Here you can be close to Natsu, but not forced to be in his presence. You two can naturally work things out at your own pace."
Lucy closed her eyes. A curious relief ran through her, along with a shiver of trepidation. For the first time in months she had the chance to muddle through her feelings. On the other hand, she was now in uncharted territory. Did she have a team? A partner? Smiling at Master in thanks, she walked over to her team of the last few months. They had all their gear spread out on two tables, going through it and repacking what they would need. Her bag sat alone in a corner.
"Lucy!" Lona cried, pulling her into an embrace. Rai attached herself to Lucy's other side, and then Torin picked up all three of them in a massive bear hug. Lucy found herself laughing and crying, thankful for the opportunity to grow as a mage and a person with these three over the last nine weeks.
"C'mon, Lucy, don't cry," Rai scolded gently, "this isn't goodbye. Even if we're never on a team together again, it's not goodbye."
"We couldn't have done this without you, Lucy," Torin added, "and now it's time for you to help someone else. Wendy is going to need your sharp eyes."
"Plus," Lona teased, "Wendy isn't the only one who needs you!" Lucy batted her away as she waggled her eyebrows in Natsu's direction across the guild hall.
"Be safe out there, guys," she said softly, "the world needs you, too."
Torin handed her a sandwich. "How can I keep on teaching you to cook if we die? It would be tragic. You were getting too good."
Rai laughed. "And we have to keep sparring. Remember how we said we're going to take Erza down together?" Lucy grimaced. Clearly she'd forgotten the terror inspired by the requip mage while she was gone.
Lona laughed at her face. "Don't worry, Lucy. You can hit her with that mini Metria spell. It'll tickle her enough to distract her and then we can all run."
That made Lucy laugh, too, especially since Lona had seen her blast three bandits with that spell just a few days ago. She shared one more long hug, then grabbed her bag and headed over to Wendy, carefully making a wide loop around Natsu and not looking at him. She had a job to do and couldn't afford to be distracted until her shift was over.
She smiled at her young charge, grinning when Wendy threw her arms around her. "Lucy! I'm so glad you're with me!" the girl's eyes widened. "Are…is someone really trying to take away my magic?" Wendy whispered, trembling slightly.
Lucy put her hand over Wendy's, which was fidgeting with the ends of her hair nervously. "Yeah, Wendy, they are. I won't lie to you, these are some really bad people. But that's why Fairy Tail is here, to stop them. We won't let anyone hurt you."
"Aye! I'll protect you, Wendy!" Happy had swooped in, unnoticed. He'd carefully angled himself so his best side was facing Carla, and he puffed up his chest a little as he made his pronouncement. The little cat couldn't keep up his macho posturing for long, and he leapt forward into Lucy's arms.
"Lucy!" he wailed, "we missed you so much! No one gives me yummy fish like you do!" he looked up at her with watering eyes, and her heart melted when he added on in a small voice, "You're not gonna leave again, right? It's not the same when you're gone."
She snuggled him, scratching behind his ears. "I'm still fighting the UnderLords, Happy, and I don't know what's going to happen with that. But for right now I'm here while we protect Wendy, and once they're defeated I'll be back for good. I promise."
Happy nodded. "Can I help protect Wendy, too?"
"Of course you can, Happy! But wouldn't you want to stay with Natsu?" Lucy stumbled a little on his name, tongue catching on a moniker that felt strangely foreign now. Had it really only been nine weeks?
"Natsu is so strong, he'll probably end up protecting his bodyguards. But I can help patrol Magnolia and stay with you guys during the day? I want to help!"
Wendy giggled, reaching over to ruffle Happy's fur. "That would be really nice, Happy. Thank you," she said softly. Lucy was glad to see her nervous fidgeting had stopped entirely. Wendy looked up, meeting her eyes. "You should tell us about your adventures, Lucy. I heard what you said to Master. Maybe you can show me some fighting moves, too?"
Lucy beamed at her, "That's a great idea, Wendy! You're right, we should!"
Carla sniffed and looked over to Happy. "I suppose you and I could go patrol together since Lucy is watching Wendy, tomcat. A short flight of course; we must be back before one of these other peons tries to take over her safety." Happy's fur turned purple as he blushed. He nodded eagerly and jumped down to the table while she nuzzled Wendy goodbye.
Slyly, he turned to Lucy. "You know, I'm not the only one who missed you. Natsu's been waiting for you to get home, too," he winked at her. Now it was her turn to blush a deep red as she shushed him. He giggled, jumping into the air and out of reach. "Now that you've lost some weight, Lucy, you might even have a chance!" he called as he and Carla zoomed away.
Lucy thought she felt steam coming out of her ears and debated sending a light comet after him. Happy was too fast though, ducking out the door before she could make good on the thought.
She sighed, turning to Wendy. "I guess it's you and me for now! Why don't we get some hot chocolate and you can tell me what you've been up to while I've been gone?" Wendy nodded and Lucy sat her down by the bar, carefully selecting their seats so that she had a good view of the guild and a clear path to the exit.
She was so focused on watching for possible threats and making the little Slayer feel at ease, she didn't see Natsu's eyes following her every move.
The next three days were torturous. She'd spent the time working up the courage to talk to Natsu, going to look for him, then losing all nerve and literally hiding from him. It didn't help that everyone in the guild was on high alert, and there had been no chance to catch him alone. She was starting to wish Master had just paired them together. At least they could've gotten it over with sooner rather than this slow cat and mouse game.
While she was 'on-duty' with Wendy, she did her best to shut him out of her mind completely. She would never forgive herself if Wendy was taken because she'd been distracted. She spent most of her free time rounding the guild, checking over papers with Levy for anything they may have missed, and walking the streets of Magnolia looking for any signs of danger. Inevitably, she would run out of things to do and end right back at the guild, semi-stalking Natsu.
As the days went by, she worried herself into a frenzy. What had started as looking for an honest, open talk between two close friends had devolved into something she barely recognized. She didn't know if she wanted to kiss him or kill him. She saw him across the hall, dark and brooding under his house arrest. She felt his fire magic simmer as they passed each other, but without a chance to release the tension, it only built, sparking an answering passion in her blood.
But why hadn't he said anything? He barely looked at her. She saw him talking with everyone else, and Lisanna was practically glued to him, whether she was off duty or on. Had he chosen her? He could at least have the decency to say something!
She was going crazy, and on the third day when she finally saw her chance, she snatched it without looking back.
The three days since the announcement had been brutal. Lisanna could only see Lucy, everywhere she turned. It was like the girl was following them! If only she'd been able to keep Natsu on that damn mission for a few more days. Why had Master kept her behind? Shouldn't she be out scouting with her new team, the one she'd chosen over Natsu?
It was horrible. Natsu had been distant when Lucy left, and had only just come out of his shell, but now he barely spoke to the takeover mage. She saw his eyes track Lucy whenever she entered a room, and saw how quickly he looked away whenever she deigned to glance their way. How could she be so callous? Lisanna knew Lucy would be looking for the chance to corner him, to tear him apart even more than she already had. Was it all just a game to her? Lisanna couldn't take that chance. She couldn't allow him to be hurt. So she stuck to Natsu like glue, using herself as a protective shield all for him. A comfort.
But she had to sleep sometime.
He'd been driven slowly insane over the last three days. Her scent was everywhere, making his fallen star pale in comparison. She hadn't spoken to him. He supposed he hadn't said anything either, but his every step was dogged by one of his useless shadows, and besides, she was the one who left, wasn't she? Left, hadn't dropped a single line since, and now wouldn't talk to him? He was angry, furious, and then her scent would waft by or he'd hear her laugh and he would drown in desire all over again. In those moments, he could drop to his knees at her feet and beg for her forgiveness. It was driving him mad.
He would find the courage to talk to her, but either she was guarding Wendy 一 and although he regarded the protection detail useless for him, he would never do anything to distract someone from protecting the little Sky Slayer 一 or she seemed to have vanished. Was she hiding from him?
He was sure he could dodge Elfman for a little bit, or even Gray (he just knew Master had done that as some kind of sick joke), but he could not shake off Lisanna. And she was sticking to him like a burr, unless they were asleep. He was grateful she was taking this kidnapping thing seriously, he really was, but she really didn't need to sit right next to him all the time. She'd really get in the way if he had to punch someone.
And then, on the third night, he snapped. He was awake, the combination of pent up energy and being driven mad contributing to his insomnia. Elfman was watching the window and occasionally rounding to the hallway. Natsu waited until he was checking the corridor, then hopped out of bed and punched the pillows into place under his blankets. When Elfman came back, glancing at the bed before repositioning himself at the window, Natsu was sliding silently out the door.
Oh, sweet freedom!
He slipped down the steps, avoiding Vijeeter stationed in the main hall, and shimmied out a window from the kitchen. He gulped in fresh air, throwing his head back. He almost felt like Wendy, sampling the wind and welcoming its fresh thrill to his senses.
The moon gave him plenty of light to navigate his way past the pool to the little hillock of grass. He hadn't a plan in mind; he just wanted to get out for a bit, but he pulled up short at the glint of moonlight off soft blonde hair.
He should go. They were preparing for an invasion, she had guard duty in the morning… how had he gotten so much closer to her?
Lucy looked up and drew a sharp intake of breath as Natsu strode across the park, directly toward her. She sat up quickly, rising to meet him as he stopped in front of her. His warm breath ghosted across her face, pinpricks of pleasure raising the fine down on her arms, the back of her neck. She couldn't help the shudder, but she clamped down on the pleased sigh dancing on her tongue, begging to be released to the chill air. Neither of them spoke for a moment, nothing but the night between them.
"So you're back. Would've been nice to know you were coming. Or leaving, come to that," his voice was low, dangerous even. He was angry. Lucy's own emotions flared in response.
"We've been over that already. You know why I left. And we radioed the guild to let them know! It's not my fault you weren't there," she snapped.
His eyes narrowed, and he leaned in even closer, "Yeah, I know why you left. What I don't know is why you'd kiss me like it meant something and then leave like it didn't!"
She gasped, outraged. "It did mean something! You're the one acting like nothing happened and you don't care! Well, congratulations on finding someone else. I hope you're very happy together."
She whipped around to go inside, only for his scorching hand to grab her wrist and yank her back to him. "Oh, hell, no. You are not running away again. Someone else? There is no one else! Although after two months of radio silence I think I'd have the right to move on!"
She yanked at his hand, and when that didn't work, used the weight of her body and his grip to twist them around and give herself the upper hand. He looked completely shocked for a second, then broke her lock and grappled with her.
They wrestled a moment, snarling at each other like caged beasts, before Lucy hooked Natsu's ankle and they tripped. He turned them on the way down so that he landed on her, one hand behind her head to support it. She pushed at his heaving chest, but he wasn't budging.
"Radio silence? Since when are you so dramatic? I know two letters isn't much but it was the best I could do, ok?!"
He stared at her, frozen. "Letters? I never got any letters."
"Well, I wrote them addressed to the guild and sent them through the post," she snapped. "There's no reason for you not to have gotten them, that's where all your mail goes. Check on it more often, idiot!"
He had checked his mail with negative results, but the mystery of the disappearing letters would have to wait. "So… so you… you've been writing?"
She looked up at him, all starkissed skin and moonlit eyes. "Yes! Of course I wrote you, you idiot, I 一 mmgh!"
He kissed her. One calloused hand cradled the back of her head, the other wrapped itself around her waist. His legs tangled with hers as he weighed her down. She wasn't going anywhere this time. And it was clear she didn't want to. Her arms pulled his harsh lines into her shuddering chest as she greedily kissed him back. All his rage, loneliness, and desperation boiled down into this moment as he dominated her mouth with his own, and he felt her passion match his.
Finally, after all this time, everything felt so right. Elfman wouldn't know he was gone and Lucy had nothing to do until morning. They had all night.
His hand slipped daringly under her shirt, and she moaned and arched her back. Grinning wickedly against her mouth, he slid further up, just brushing the bottom of her warm, full breast.
Hands grabbed him roughly, yanking him away from the Summoner. He thrashed wildly, trying to get his bearings. Shadowy forms held him while two more attacked Lucy. He could see more people, dressed in black with masks over their faces, running out of the bushes and into the guild. One person approached him, soaking a cloth with some sort of liquid. His nose twitched at the smell of chloroform, and some other sharp, underlying scent coming from all three of his enemies.
Natsu roared, blasting the figure back and creating an effective noise and light show. He heard cries as the rest of the guild woke up to meet the invasion. He kicked one attacker in the knee and flipped the other over his head. Freed, he turned to help Lucy.
His jaw dropped, because she was kicking ass. Three UnderLords were attacking her, and she was holding them all off. A ball of light formed around one hand, and she sent it flying at the first opponent, smashing the man back into the trees. Her leg lifted at an impossible angle as she kicked another attacker in the face, then spun and wrapped her whip around the third.
Natsu quickly wiped a little drool off his chin. Fight now, fantasize later. The reunited partners spun around, placing themselves back to back as yet more faceless attackers crowded in. It was like getting on a bike after several years of abandonment. A moment of readjustment before old instincts kicked in. They fought in perfect synchronicity, defeating the waves that came at them.
Natsu grunted as he took another blow to the ribs, throwing the offending figure into two of his (or hers? The Gods only knew) buddies. He stumbled a little, lightheaded for a moment. Wiping his brow, he pulled his hand away in revulsion. Why was he slimy? His hand blurred in front of his eyes before he focused his vision again. What was going on?
The figures had pulled back slightly, watching. Lucy swayed a moment, then gasped. Too late she remembered the little pink feathered dart from the Portico warehouse. Natsu could burn darts from the air, but he couldn't incinerate something he couldn't see. In a flash of insight, she looked at the circling UnderLords' hands. The gloves weren't cloth, but latex, and as she swiped goo off her arm she realized that she and Natsu had been covered with ointment during their fight while their attackers were insulated from it.
She fell to one knee, sending a few half hearted light balls at the crowd around them. Behind her she heard a slurred curse as Natsu tried to keep his feet. But it was no use. Their magic could do nothing for them now. As she fell into unconsciousness, she tried to reach for him.
Lucy woke up a few hours later. The sun was rising, bathing her hilltop in a soft golden light. A few birds chirped softly and a breeze ruffled the flowers. It was an idyllic scene, save for the distraught mage in the center of it all.
Panicked, Lucy ran into the guild, still stumbling a bit with the aftereffects of the slimey concoction. Natsu's roar had woken up the guild, there were guards posted, they must have mounted a defense… she halted in the main hall. Fairy Tail was gathered there, people stumbling down steps and dragging themselves off the floor. Mira was checking people over while Master was on the lacrima with what Lucy guessed was the Council.
She sucked in a breath. Those bastards had come prepared. Master was right, she thought bitterly, they came primed for victory. She saw Erza on the floor, head in her hands. Gray was sitting on a bench looking dazed. A breeze tugged on Lucy's hair and with some confusion she saw all the windows had been smashed. Juvia looked up from where she huddled next to Gray.
"They were using gas," she started, following the Celestial mage's sightline, "and Juvia was more resistant to it than the others because of Juvia's body, so when Juvia realized what was going on she used her Water Nebula on the windows. But it was already too late, too many people had been hit."
Levy spoke up from where she was collapsed over a table. The petite mage looked as devastated as Lucy felt. Lucy realized that she wasn't the only one who had lost a Dragonslayer she cared about. "Why leave us all alive?" Levy questioned hoarsely, "they have to know we'll come after them."
"They're arrogant," Lucy answered plainly. "It seems to be their only weakness. I bet Malleolus's first target after becoming a dragon is us. He'd like to show the world he can."
"Well, we won't be giving him that chance."
Everyone looked up to find the Master standing on the bar. His face had none of its usual cheery joviality. Instead, the old man radiated a cold fury. "These people have trespassed on our home, used chemical weapons against us, and kidnapped four of our brethren to experiment on. We will not tolerate it. Warren has contacted all of our scouting teams. They are relaying their information to him now, so that we may create a plan of attack. Team Ceartas believes they have found the stronghold. They will investigate further and we will know in a few hours. I have contacted the Council, and we have full reign to get our people back. Everyone see to the injured, and those of you able to fight be prepared to move out tonight."
The guild flew into a whirlwind of activity. Having a goal galvanized people and kept their hands and minds busy. Anyone injured in the fighting was taken to the infirmary. Mira whipped up meals that could be eaten on the road. The away teams trickled in over the course of the day, except for Team Ceartas. They had indeed found the base, Makarov reported, and would stay to scout until the main force arrived.
Finally, everything was ready. A few people stayed back to care for the injured. Both the caregivers and the patients had been cowed into fearful silence by Porlyusica, who had come after Makarov had personally paid her a visit. She was more sharp tongued than ever, but the guild gave her a pass because of the tremble in her voice when she asked about Wendy. And because she'd brought something very similar to the potion Torin had given Lucy to counter the dart in Portico. They wouldn't be caught napping again. Everyone double checked their packs before setting out as a large group. Lucy smiled sadly back at the building before turning her face toward the road. I'm coming, Natsu, she promised, hold on for me just a little longer.
They were going to get their nakama back, and to hell with anyone standing in their way.
She watched them go from the window, frustrated tears running down her cheeks. How ironic that the ankle she'd deliberately sprained to keep Natsu with her longer stopped her from going to rescue him now. Although healed by Wendy, it had still been weak enough to snap during the fight. Now she was stuck here in a cast, watching everyone else go after the man she loved.
She zeroed in on a blonde head in the middle of the pack. She saw Lucy look back at Fairy Tail briefly. Was it just her, or had the Summoner flashed Lisanna a malicious smile before continuing on? She ground her teeth. She never should have slept last night. She'd talked to Elfman, she knew Natsu had snuck out while her oaf of a brother supposedly kept watch. No one could protect Natsu like she could, she knew that.
Lisanna had been obsessing over it all day. His roar had woken the building, giving them at least a chance to fight back, to injure some of the incoming horde. So he'd been outside. And she'd seen that stupid blonde bitch run inside this morning from the back door. Lisanna cradled her head in her hands. She'd failed to keep watch, and Lucy had tricked Natsu into coming to her. Would he ever have been taken if not for being distracted by that temptress?
This was all Lucy's fault. And Lisanna would make her pay.
Oh boy. Shit's going down. And just when we got a steamy reunion, too! But as we all know, it's too easy to just kiss and make up (or make out, whatever). But don't worry, friends, this story is rated M for a reason, and it's not for cussing.
As usual, huge thanks to my amazing beta Lady Lutka! Everyone give her a pat on the back for making the steamy scene steamier!
Author shoutouts this week go to mushi0131, x-benihime, and ShanaHollows! Excellent, creative authors that deserve to be followed!
Thanks for reading, please drop me a review! I love talking to all the interesting people on this site! I will see you all next week.
