Hey guys! Kytrin here with your Wednesday update! I won't hold you back from the chapter, but I ask that EVERYONE read the A/N at the end. We've... got some things to discuss.


CHAPTER 20

Scallywag

A name that is used as an insult to someone


Satisfied there were no visible indications of what she'd been up to for the last half hour, Lucy trotted out of her cabin and back down the gangplank in a rush to go meet up with the others. She vaguely remembered they were going to get dinner at their favorite seafood place before the singing contest, and silently thanked the various gods that she'd been there often enough to know her way no matter where she was in the city.

Maybe Levy's lessons really were sinking in.

The thought made her smile as she trotted up to the restaurant just in time to see Natsu walking up from the other direction with Gray and Juvia.

Her heart stopped for a moment as their eyes met, and heat rushed to her cheeks so hot she thought it was a minor miracle she hadn't combusted or something.

He smiled at her, his expression warm and smile so bright Lucy thought it could rival the stars.

She almost gasped at the way the smile only seemed to grow as he separated from the others and took big strides over to her. "Captain!" He grinned, looking somehow happier than he had before the competition.

"Ah! Natsu," She managed to burst out without sounding too high pitched, "I'm glad you're here, you ran off right after the dance!"

Was it her imagination or did his cheeks redden just a bit? He just shrugged and set his hands on his hips, "Same could be said for you m'lady."

The way he drawled that low 'm'lady' made her body tingle from her head to her toes. His sly smile and flirtatious eyes glimmered in such a way it made her almost think he knew what she had been up to.

It was the exact same thing her fantasy Natsu had growled. But he couldn't possibly know that.

"I had to change, what's your excuse?" Lucy asked, her lips curling up and deciding to play his game.

"Your dance was... inspiring," Natsu grinned back at her, "I wanted to try it out myself. And I really worked up an appetite, let me tell you!" He continued, slinging an arm around her shoulders.

He froze after a moment though, his arm going stiff around Lucy. Slowly, his head craned towards her, nose twitching.

"Uh, is there something wrong?" Lucy questioned warily.

He swallowed, somewhat thickly, and gave her a very strange look. It was heated and intense and brought back far too many memories of her recent fantasy, and she could tell he was struggling a bit to clear his throat.

"Oh no, I'm fine," He croaked a bit, fist pounding on his chest.

Lucy's eyes followed the motion automatically, and she had to bite back the urge to gasp at what she saw there.

One of the buttons on his tunic was just slightly undone, giving her a view of the tanned muscle underneath. And the faint, red lines marring the skin there. Her mind immediately jumped straight to the part of her fantasy where she'd been scratching her nails over that very same skin, and she struggled not to react. Again.

'Don't be stupid Heartfilia.' She scolded herself, giving herself a severe mental shake, 'He wasn't actually there. He probably just scratched an itch. It's just a coincidence.'

The vision dancing before her eyes faded and she congratulated herself on not making an idiot out of herself as they moved to join the rest of the crew.

"That was one helluva dance cap'n!" Cana called cheerfully, already at least three deep into her cups, "Where'd you learn it?"

Lucy laughed as Natsu handed her a tankard, pleased for the distraction, even if it was related to the problem, "Nowhere really." She replied, "I just picked up a bunch of stuff over the years and it sort of developed from there."

"It was a very good dance." Juvia complimented, "If you'd had a better backdrop you would've won."

Lucy shrugged a little, "Maybe, but you had the better performance anyway. And we took the first and second place slots no matter what. I'm happy with that."

She nudged Natsu a little with her elbow, a sly smirk curling her lips, "Of course, we're still counting on this one to take the singing contest by storm!"

"What?" Wendy exclaimed excitedly, "You entered the contest? Natsu why didn't you tell us?"

Natsu flushed a bit and shrugged as the mounds of food came out for them, "Didn't really get a chance. And it's not a big deal anyway."

"Sure it is." Lucy grinned, "You've got the voice of a siren. You're going to sweep that contest!"

Natsu grunted and edged himself closer to the table, looking down at it solidly, "It's not a big deal. Don't get your hopes up for a big show captain. My voice is pretty rough for a siren."

"I'll be the judge of that then." Lucy replied firmly, and raised an eyebrow when Natsu retaliated by sticking his tongue out and then bursting out in a snort of laughter that was joined by the rest of the crew.

Lucy snorted a bit and let it slide. They were celebrating after all.

They finished up their dinner just as it was starting to get dark. The streets were still just as thickly crowded as they were earlier, and Natsu took to carrying Wendy on his shoulders so she could still look at everything.

Her small hands were balanced in Natsu's hair as they walked, her older brother keeping her well balanced with each step he took.

"Hey there's an exhibit or something going on over there!" Wendy called out, pointing over everyone's heads. She shot a happy smile at Natsu, "Can we check it out?"

Lucy considered it, not wanting Natsu to be late for his competition, but also not wanting to deny the adorable little dragon a fun time. Still, they had plenty of time if they made it quick. She smiled a bit as Natsu glanced at her, silently asking permission even now, and nodded slightly.

"We've got a little time." She agreed, "We can take a peek."

Wendy cheered happily, and Lucy blinked as Natsu abruptly started plowing a path through the crowd towards their destination with all the discretion of a wrecking ball. Groaning, she followed close behind the two dragons and the path he cut, not eager for them to get separated in this mess.

For his part, Natsu knew he had attracted quite a number of dirty looks from onlookers, but he didn't pay any attention to them. Instead his eyes were focused on ahead at what appeared to be a zoo exhibit of some sort. There was something off about it, and unease churned in his gut the closer they got.

His brow furrowed and he and Wendy got into the area and looked around at the animals gathered. Many of them looked sick or ill, and his frown deepened. They pushed through the people tapping on the bars or glass of the cages, frowns covering both their faces, until Natsu stopped by a tank. His eyes went wide and, and even from behind Lucy could swear she saw the color drain from his face.

"Natsu?" She asked, confused over what he could have seen.

"It's... it's an Exceed!" Natsu managed in strangled disbelief at the sight of the sad blue feline sitting in his cage.

"A what?" She asked in confusion and followed his gaze to where a dejected blue mercat of all things was floating in a water tank that didn't look like it had been properly cleaned in ages.

"Hey Flamebrain!" Gray called behind them as the others caught up, "What's the holdup?"

"We're gonna be late for your contest." He said and glanced between Natsu and the exhibit, not yet seeing the problem, "What's going on?"

Juvia, however, gasped in horror as soon as she caught a good look at what Natsu was staring at, and rushed over, "Happy!"

The little mercat perked up at Juvia's exclamation and in seconds his face filled with a hope so painful it hurt to watch, "Lady Juvia?"

Juvia surged forward, ignoring both nearby people and the man running the show, "Happy! What are you doing here? How did you get here?"

Happy sniffled and set his paws against the glass of the tank, "I got caught in a net!" He wailed, "Ma and Pa sent me to find you! All the creatures left the abyss and... and..."

"It's alright Happy." Juvia soothed, "I already know. Give me a moment to get you out."

"Hey now! What're you all doing next to my catfish?" The man running the show rumbled, stomping over towards the gathered group, "Get your paws off the glass, you're agitation' it!"

Juvia's eyes glowed with a barely leashed rage, her hand lifting up in anger, "Your catfish?" She hissed furiously, "Happy does not belong to you! He's sad, and in pain, and you have thrown him in a filthy tank like he is nothing more than an animal!"

"Juvia," Gray set his hand over hers, to stop the goddess from drowning the man in his own fluids as punishment. His eyes were cold as he glared on ahead at the ring master.

"Hey! What're you doing?" The ring master shouted, "Hey cut that out!"

Juvia and Gray turned in unison to see where Natsu's hand was pressed flat against the surface of the tank, melting the glass away straight into the side, and in an instant the goddess had paled.

"Natsu wait!" She burst out, but it was too late, and the sea water in the tank exploded from the side and soaked them all.

Natsu, having momentarily forgotten one very crucial fact about the spell, squawked as the diluge of ocean water soaked him and Juvia down to the bone. They both collapsed to the ground as their tails burst free, revealing a muted version of Juvia's divine form and Natsu's natural one. A gasp pulled from the crowd around them at the unexpected sight, and Juvia couldn't contain a small wince as she heard a reverent, "The Tempest's children."

Meanwhile, Lucy reached out with reflexes honed from hundreds of battles, and caught the surprised Exceed just moments before the cat hit the ground himself. She tucked him securely under an arm, and eyed the crowd narrowly as she signaled her crew to come help the merfolk out.

"Mermaids!" The showman exclaimed greedily at the sight of the two disoriented mermaids. "You'll make excellent additions to my show! Keep the cat! How much for these two!"

"NOT for sale." Lucy snarled furiously, stepping up to the manager, her hand straying to her cutlass, "Gray, Elfman, get these two back to the ship."

"Aye cap'n." Gray growled, giving the showman a murderous glare as he bent down to gently scoop Juvia into his arms.

"I'll pay you two times what they're worth!" The man blustered, "Three!"

"You should shut up." Lucy snapped as she handed Happy over to Levy, "Because the more words come out of your mouth the more I want to punch it in."

Her eyes narrowed as the man's hand twitched, as if he was going to reach for a weapon, "That would be an incredibly stupid move." She purred dangerously as she pressed the business end of her cutlass under his chin, "Unbelievably stupid in fact. Don't you know better than to threaten a pirate crew? Especially in full view of their captain?"

"You're threatening me!" The man squealed despite the way his face paled with terror, "Everyone here is witness to it! You've destroyed my property and are threatening me! I'll have you thrown in prison for this!"

"There isn't a magistrate in this city that will persecute Captain Heartfilia for this." Levy spoke up, her expression almost as frigid as Gray's, "They are all beholden to the Navigator, and you have seen fit to terrorize innocent creatures with your cruelty for the sake of making a jewel." She huffed indigantly, "Hardly a fit offering for the goddess."

The man gulped as there were frowns and nods all around.

"Yeah." Someone from the crowd spoke up, "That's right. Everything here is supposed to be an offering for the goddess!"

"That's right!" An older woman spoke up, a disapproving scowl on her face, "She delights in freedom and enjoyment! Laughter, fun, and revelry are what bring our blessings back every year! Your... wagon... is hardly a fit display!"

The crowd began to mutter, and Levy nodded at Lucy as she caught sight of the local law enforcement approaching. Lucy nodded back and flipped the man a coin as she sheathed her sword.

"For your broken tank."

Natsu grumbled indignantly as he was dragged around over Elfmans shoulder, scowling as his elbows dug into the man's meaty back.

"Sorry Juvia," Natsu called to the sea goddess, who didn't look at all mad about her current position in Grays arms, "I can't believe I forgot!"

"It's okay Natsu, you just did what came naturally to you. I would have done the same thing if I was in your spot." Juvia grinned at her upside down friend.

"Still, this is damned embarrassing." He grumbled, fishtail twitching in Elfmans hold.

"Hey, quit your floppin' around Natsu! Be a man about it! I can't get a good hold on ya if you keep moving! Your scales aren't easy to grip!" Elfman grumbled back at his misbehaving crewmate.

"I'm literally a fish outta water! Floppin' is sorta what we do!" Natsu grouched back.

His eyes travelled over to where Lucy had reclaimed Happy and was drying off the cats fur as best she could, only to gasp in surprise as the feline's tail vanished and fluffy wings sprouted from his back.

"Amazing!" She breathed in awe, far less angry than she had been while waving a sword in the face of the ringmaster.

"Thanks for that save!" The Exceed exclaimed as he took to the air, "I don't know what I would've done if you hadn't come along!" He grinned brightly at them, "My name's Happy!"

Lucy smiled at the excitable feline in bemusement, "It's nice to properly meet you Happy." She replied, "Though I'm curious... I've never even heard of an Exceed before. What are you exactly?"

"We're messengers for the gods!" Happy explained, "We're not really very powerful most of us, so we make ourselves useful to the gods in other ways. My family's been serving Lady Juvia for three generations now!"

"Their anonymity is deliberate." Levy murmured, "In times past they lived on the mortal plane at all times, but because they're almost made of magic many were killed when an evil wizard drained them to fuel his experiments. To protect them, the Spirit King rescued the survivors and declared they would become his personal messengers. The idea caught on, but we kept them out of mortal sight until their population grew back to a sustainable size. By then mortals had forgotten about them and it was easier to just keep them to ourselves."

"Wow." Lucy murmured as Juvia looked over the blue cat as best she could from where she was.

"Are your parents alright Happy?" She asked anxiously.

"Oh they're fine!" Happy assured her, "Ma and Pa led everyone to Miss Yukino's kingdom when the abyss went crazy. We felt you return after the Sea King's meeting so they sent me out to find you, but I was too slow."

His ears drooped a little at that confession, "I tried to find you after that, but I got caught."

"You did very well." Juvia assured him, "I'm proud of you. And when all this is over, I'll recommend you for promotion to personal messenger."

Lucy hid a smile as Happy seemed to swell under the praise, his eyes wide and shining with excitement.

"Really?"

"Really." Juvia confirmed, "It takes a lot of courage to brave the sea at the moment. Any god would be proud to have you at their side."

"She's right," Natsu spoke up, smiling up at the cat that was circling overhead. He grinned crookedly, a laugh pulling from his throat, "You came such a long way all by yourself! Any god would be proud to have you as their wings!"

Happy smiled back, swooping down and landing on Natsu's head.

"You're sorta nice! Thank you for saving me from the tank, although you got all wet!" Happy tugged at Natsu's cheeks, ignoring the mermans faint complaints.

Lucy smirked at their antics and shook her finger at the merman oozing over Elfman's shoulder, "Now you may be all wet now, but you won't be for long! An' don't think this gets you outta your singing either!"

She jerked her head at Elfman, "This'll do Mr. Strauss." She said once they'd made it out of the immediate crush of people, "Miss Strauss! Kindly run back to the ship an' fetch these two some spare clothes. I'm not minded to trek all the way back to the ship and miss the chance to collect our winnings!"

"Aye Cap'n!" Lisanna grinned as she abruptly transformed into a large bird and flapped off, "I'll be back afore they're dry ma'am!"

"Set those two down there." Lucy ordered, waving her hand at a stack of crates, "Natsu can dry himself and Juvia out while we wait."

She smirked as Natsu groaned a little and began blowing hot air at Juvia to dry her out, "We're gonna be pickin' splinters outta our butts."

"And who's fault is that?" Lucy snorted, "Relax, Lisanna'll be back in a minute. After the last time I had Mira make up some ready to go bundles for you two. Just in case."

Sure enough, no sooner had Natsu gotten then dry than a package dropped at his feet as Lisanna landed primly. He pounced eagerly on the package, a small smile escaping him at the way the crew had moved into a protective semi-circle around them, and in moments he and Juvia were properly dressed again.

"You two ready?" Lucy cocked her head back at them, and nodded in satisfaction at the sight that greeted her eyes, "Excellent. Hustle now ya bilge rats! Double time, let's go!"

"I don't suppose I could just toss myself over the side of the pier?" Natsu joked as he got up, absently helping Juvia to her feet as well.

"Sure. If you're giving up? Quitter." Lucy taunted.

She could practically see the gears churning, his eyes going dark at the challenge, and had to bite back a laugh at the slightly comical look. He stepped into her personal space, a wicked smile flashing over his face.

"I've never quit on anything in my life." He rumbled, "Bring it on then, I'm going to sing your bloomers off," Natsu growled.

"Promises, promises," She laughed.


Okay guys that's the chapter! Now, there's some things Mslead and I want to address before you all get to your preview. First and foremost is the tone we've been getting in some of the reviews lately. We're not sure what's got people's panties in a knot recently, but we're seeing an increase in people cursing and shouting about this, that, or the other and jumping to conclusions about what we will, and won't, be doing regarding certain ships and the like. And we don't really appreciate it. So I'd like to remind everyone of a few things:

1. This is a VERY long story. As long, or longer, than Parallels, and we're not even halfway through it yet. Character development is still happening. Ships are still being set up. People's depths are still being revealed. Keep your shirts on. We'll get to other ships and relationships in due course.

2. Backing off of number 1, this is still a Nalu story. We have not hidden this fact at all. It's in our summary. So yes, Natsu and Lucy will get the lion's share of the attention. That's how the story is set up. If we'd set it up to be a Gruvia or Gajevy or Jerza we'd tell you that too. If you're not happy with your other otp taking the relative back seat to Nalu then this may not be the story for you. Sorry.

3. Finally, don't mistake this for us being upset over speculation. That's not the case at all. We LOVE speculation about our stories and where you guys think we might go with it. We also LOVE seeing your screaming enthusiasm. It makes us happy to know you enjoyed a chapter so much. Nor do we mind criticism if you have a legitimate gripe. All we ask is that you extend us the courtesy of being polite, and ASKING us if you're concerned about the direction of the story, or a ship, or unclear on anything in general. If you're signed in, there's a fair chance one of us will respond. Even if it's just to let you know we can't answer due to potential spoilers.

Now that we've cleared that up, there's a couple of things I wanna address specifically for last chapter as well:

1. We apparently confused several people about the whole reality vs. not for our sex scene last chapter. We're sorry about that. It wasn't meant to be that confusing. To try and clear that up a bit, Natsu and Lucy were reliving a really vivid memory at the same time. There's an actual reason why beyond their shared history, but we won't get to that until much later in the story. I promise we don't pull that particular stunt in detail again though, so just enjoy the frustration of them being so close but so far away for now. And do look forward to more coherent moments between them later!

2. Backed off that, I'd like to remind everyone that in THIS lifetime Natsu and Lucy aren't in a relationship yet. And yes, technically Natsu's transformation into a merman counts as a rebirth since he lost all his memories. So the fact that they were in one in previous lifetimes has no bearing on their current one. Neither have been obligated to be faithful to a person they didn't even know existed, and cheating is inherently not possible at this point. Neither do returning memories obligate anything from anyone. If Natsu wants his queen back he's gonna have to court her all over again in this lifetime.

3. And last, give Juvia a break guys? Seriously, we're not sure how you guys read Juvia joining the dance competition as her trying to one up Lucy out of spite or something, especially when they literally just talked things out and apologized to each other already, but that was not our point at all. Nor was the fact that she won a slam on Lucy and her skills. That was us trying to show Juvia was coming out of her shell a bit and attempting to integrate with the crew and have some fun. It was also about her trying to further mend bridges in her own, somewhat clumsy, way in an atmosphere where they aren't fighting for their lives or the fate of the world. Literally, we just figured that with her waterbending Juvia would probably put on the better performance overall even if Lucy's was the hotter one.

And that's it from us this chapter. I really hope this cleared a few things up for some folks, and we can all enjoy the remainder of the story with fewer glitches. I wanna give a very special thanks to everyone who reviewed as well. Good, bad, or indifferent you guys knocked it out of the park this last chapter, and more than earned your preview! So go forth and enjoy and we'll see you Sunday! :)

Far away, on the edge of a scarred and empty battlefield, the dark figure of Acnologia stood alone. Around him laid the strewn bodies of the mortals who had worshiped him and his ears. Their battles were delightful to listen to, but their lives meant ultimately nothing.

For now though he paid no attention to the war around him. Instead his eyes were on a lacrima rolling in his hand.

It had happened, for just a few minutes, but he had felt it. A glimmer of her magic. Of the one who had tried to escape him centuries ago.

At first he wrote it off as a one off. Occasionally those who summoned celestial spirits almost gave off the same vibe. How many times had he followed after the wrong source in the past?

This time however, it was accompanied by another divine pop of magic snortly after.

One that had been unmistakably the Tempest.

The wretch who ruined Acnologia's plans for revenge in the past. She was on land and somehow had managed to keep her tail for however brief a moment.

He scowled as he contemplated the situation. As much as he despised the Tempest he knew better than to underestimate her. Even before she'd thwarted his plans four centuries ago, he'd been wary of her. She'd been the one to create the many and varied creatures that guarded the abyss after all, and had proved herself a canny and ruthless protector for millennia.

It had only been pure luck that he'd discovered she'd left the sea for the first time since their battle. Pure luck and exquisite timing.

He would've thought that once she'd discovered her precious prisoners were gone she would return and stay. Was it possible she didn't know yet?

He wasn't sure, but whatever the case was he could hardly let this go. His princess was waiting for him.