Chapter 2
The bright morning sunshine caught most of the group still sleeping, their camp quiet but for the sounds of Ezra doing early training. She had long ago given up on getting the rest to join her, all three of them and the little blue cat were definitely not morning people like herself.
Lucy woke up to heat that carried the scent of fire, reminding her of nights spent next to the warmth of the grand fireplace she had had as a child. It never failed to make her smile softly. Natsu had somehow managed to worm his way into her sleeping bag, a true first. She very often would wake up to find him sleeping beside her, claiming that her bed was just so soft, he could not resist. She opened her eyes to study his sleeping face. He was just so cute sometimes, cuddled up to her like some giant teddy bear. Gently, Lucy ran her fingers over his face and down his bare shoulder, brushing over his ever present scarf. "Natsu," she called softly, not wanting to startle him in the tight confining sleeping bag. She had already had to replace one too many burnt sheet sets as it was.
His arm snaked its way around her waist, pulling her tightly to him, his head resting against her against her breasts, grumbling a little as he continued to make himself comfortable.
"Natsu!" she growled out. This was not a first, in fact it was what usually got him Lucy kicked out of the bed. His leg flung over hers as if in remembrance of those times, making her face flush from more than his above average temperature. "NATSU!" she shouted, "WAKE THE FUCK UP" Lucy pushed him away as far as she could.
"Lucy?" he asked, sitting up, letting the sleeping bag slide off the two of them. "What is it?" Natsu asked, sleepily running a hand through his messy pink hair.
For a moment, she regretted waking him. She sighed, trying not to let her eyes roam over the hot body still so close to her. In her personal list of sexy guys, Natsu and Gray were at the top. Damn hormones, she thought to herself. "It's time to get up," she told him rising, the t-shirt she wore for sleep covering her to mid-thigh. "You really need to quit sneaking into my bed." Lucy muttered.
Natsu looked over his best friend. Her voice lacked the usual anger this time. A grin spread across his lips as his eyes followed her form, gorgeous even just in a simple white t shirt. "I can't help it, Luce, you're so soft and comfortable."
Lucy turned back toward him, seeing only the pouty face he used when he wanted something. "Buy a damn teddy bear," She told him, rolling her eyes. He was such a faker, she swore.
He stood, wrapping his arms around her waist, pulling her back against his bare chest. "But it would not be as warm or smell as nice, Lucy" Natsu claimed, burring his face in her blonde hair, letting warm vanilla and sunshine take over his senses.
Lucy blushed bright red. After a moment, she grabbed his arm and flung him out of her tent. "Out!"
His grin returned as he caught himself before he could face plant on the hard ground, glad to have avoided her kick. "Struck out again, flame breath?" Gray smirked, having just emerged from his own tent. Natsu didn't even bother bringing one.
"Jealous, snow man?" Natsu taunted, well aware that Gray wanted her just as badly as he did. Truthfully, most of the men from the guild had struck out with her more than once, but it didn't stop any from trying again and again. The flash of frost over the mage's clenched fists told Natsu he had hit a nerve. His fangs flashed as his smile widened, laughing as he went to help Ezra pack up her cart of mostly useless things that were precious to her. It seemed that Gray and he were meant to be in constant competition with each other, even though they were close friends.
Ezra shook her head at the two. There was not much hope for either of them where Lucy was concerned. The poor girl had a bad view of that type of relationship, having watched her parents go from loving one another to a hate filled existence ruled by money and power. To this day, she was convinced her mother died of a broken heart instead of illness.
Lucy would often tell her, when they spoke of such things, that she was sure she would fall into lust a few times in her life time, but no one person would have so much of a claim on her. Having her own fucked up love story, the same man still laying full claim on her heart from a very young age, she understood why Lucy would make that choice. Though her own love was getting much better now, Ezra thought fondly of the blue haired mage who split his time between her guild and his.
Lucy came out of her tent, bag and bedding rolled together and carried in one hand. Gray made his normal greeting, slinging an arm across her shoulders, pulling her into a light hug. "Moring, Lucy," he said, no lingering trace of irritation showing. "Need some help?"
"No thanks, I got it." She replied, smiling softly at him, sliding her free arm around his naked waist, returning his hug. "Don't you have your own stuff to pack and take down?" Lucy looked pointedly toward his tent, knowing he was always the last to get ready to leave camp.
Gray shrugged carelessly, "that just means you can help me out too." He grinned down at her, making her giggle.
"Deal," she agreed, moving toward the cart to stow away her things. Working together, the group wasted no more time getting their camp squared away and back on the move.
The good cheer faded as the came into the town to find the company that had hired them. The streets were dirt packed and nearly empty. Those that they did come across had cold eyes and hard expressions, the kind they usually found when they were clearing out dark guilds. "Something is not right here," Gray commented.
"Hm." Ezra agreed, "It almost feels false, doesn't it?" instantly, she reequipped into a bit stronger armor.
"Yeah," Lucy said, rubbing her arms as if to ward off a chill. "Let's just find the place and get out of here." Natsu nodded, the scents around his seeming old and faded, making him wonder why. He took a few steps closer to Lucy, most of her skills were distance attacks that did her little good up close, not that that made her weak. She constantly worked to overcome what she thought were her flaws. He noticed Gray fall back as well, watching behind them.
They found the place easily enough. The plain brown building resembled all the others around it, but for one simple gold sign marking it as a delivery company. Stepping inside, the found only one man sitting behind the counter, looking bored as hell while he played with some kind of hand held puzzle, his yellowish hair and matching eyes odd looking with the pale white of his skin. He looked up at them, "You guys from Fairy Tail?" he asked, his tone matching his lackluster appearance.
"We are," Ezra replied, Lucy and Natsu's marks showing clearly for verification.
He sighed heavily, then got up, getting a small black pouch and a poster sized map rolled up. "I am supposed to give this to which ever one of you is the celestial mage. You just need to take to the spot marked on the map, your pay has already been forwarded to your guild." He laid them on the counter and picked up the puzzle box again.
"What is going on in this town? It's so empty," Lucy asked, reaching for package apparently she was supposed to personally deliver.
"The place is dying out. Most of the people moved off to bigger cities, better jobs and such," he answered her, offhandedly. "Doubt we'll be here much longer either, it is a ghost town pretty much." He waved them off as they thanked him and left.
"It's kind of sad, isn't it?" Lucy looked around, almost hearing the echoes of those who had abandoned the place.
"Yeah," Gray said, moving passed her "let's get this over with." Ezra took over the rear guard. Natsu grabbed her hand and drug her along a little faster, cheering her a little with his familiar actions. They were taking positons to shield her, she knew, and despite the aggravating notion that she needed protecting, it was a comfort to her.
The trip took only a few hours, even Natsu and Happy were quietly watching the scenery around them. Something felt very off, more and more so the closer they got to their destination. Their surroundings changed from wide spaces of abandoned dusty fields to forests with lush greenery, but still had a surprising lack of wildlife. Natsu could not scent even the smallest of creatures that usually abounded in that sort of environment.
"We are nearly there." Ezra said, glancing at the provided map, "I don't see any building or town anywhere near here."
"I think that means we will be meeting with a person somewhere out here." Lucy said quietly, still feeling the chill from the town earlier. Something had her unnerved, just to be careful, she pulled Loke's key and held it in her hand. A warm pulse let her know that he was near and waiting for her call, should she need him.
Ezra stopped them. The map led them to a circular clearing, the ring of dense trees around it would obviously be hard to escape through. Essentially, there was only one way in or out of the clearing and they were standing in it. A large shadow pulled away from the far tree line, slowly reveling a tall man in a large wooden mask, fine black feathers carved into it. A simple wooden bow was held in his hand. "Happy," she said lowly, glancing at the sky.
"Aye sir" the cat whispered back, taking to the air. Natsu went into the clearing as Ezra pulled a sword out of the air. Gray watched behind them, none of them liking where this was leading. Lucy watched the bowman carefully. To her it seemed as if a fine black mist would ghost over him from time to time. The next time her instincts were telling her no, she was damn sure going to listen.
"Welcome Lucy Heartfilia of Fairy Tail," the man said, his voice low and deep. He paid no mind to Natsu as he slowly worked his way around, intending to get behind him.
"Are you here for this?" Lucy asked, stepping beside Ezra, as she held out the little black bag.
"Not really," the man chuckled, "but it was useful in keeping track of your progress." Natsu's fists ignited, but he remained at his slow pace, his dark eyes fixed on the stranger. "It seems as though you brought a few extras with you. We were expecting the dragon slayer, but Ezra Scarlett was a surprise."
Lucy opened the bag, not something she would normally do to preserve the privacy of the person they were working for. Pale yellow crystals spilled out into her hand, tracking stones. It was a simple way of keeping up with things, connected directly to the maker's magic so they could be led directly to the object they were trying to find. She was disgusted with herself to fall for so easy a trick. "What is it that you want from me?" she asked, Happy coming to rest on her shoulder. He shook his head, letting Ezra know that he saw no other enemies from the sky.
"Did you know that there are only two family's that produce celestial mages in all of the world?" He asked conversationally, completely ignoring her question. "Of those two families, only three people are left in existence. Even worse, for my purpose, only two are still uncorrupted by darkness. It has made my job extremely hard, narrowing it down. As to why I have brought you here, light maiden, of those two, you are the strongest celestial mage. Only the strongest will do."
"And what is your purpose?" Ezra demanded, stepping forward a little.
"I need to present a gift to a certain dark sorcerer, he has chosen to ask for a pure hearted celestial mage." He raised the bow, making Natsu tense, flames billowing out from him. "Chose, Miss Heartfiela, would you rather come now, or fight me and come later when the consequences will be much worse for you?" The man asked in a fairly cheerful tone.
"Leo, the lion," she said in reply, the green eyed flirt appearing instantly beside her.
"My princess, it has been far too long since your sweet lips have called upon me." He bowed over her hand, kissing it. "How may I serve you?" he asked, sexy half grin dancing on his lips. Loke was aware of the danger and assessing even as he mercilessly teased his friend.
"Help Natsu," she said, indicating that he should go around the other side. "I decline both offers. We will be going now, I suggest that you remain where you are until we are gone," Lucy began to back out of the clearing, trusting in Gray to keep their backs safe.
"I was hoping that you would say that, but I had to at least offer the alternative." His humor seemed to gain a cruel feel as he raised the bow and aimed at her. "After all, it will be more fun for me this way…" he pulled the bowstring taunt, Natsu and Loke reacting the same time, driving their lighted fists toward the strange man. He dissipated like fog in the warm summer sun, neither of them landing a blow. They barely had time to halt themselves before crashing into one another.
"He's up high," Natsu said quietly, getting back to back with Loke as they both scanned the tree tops. The man's scent was light and aged, similar to the town they had been lured to, but still somewhat trackable.
Laughter filled the clearing, his form flashing into sight for a moment, launching a black arrow, its wispy translucent appearance streaking her way. Ezra's sword swung up, seeming to disrupt it as it cut it into, it dissolved like smoke. "It's a spell. Be cautious," she warned her comrades.
"Very good, Miss Ezra. It is a very special, very potent spell. However," He appeared again before them, shooting directly at Ezra, disappearing again before the men could lay a hand on him. The arrow was to close for her to avoid, it slipped through her body, causing no damage that she could discern. Lucy watched in horror as it came through her friends back and struck her full on in the chest, knocking her over as if she had been stuck with a solid weapon. Black veins appeared briefly in her skin as it soaked into her, making her feel strangely tired. "It only can effect celestial mages. You will hear from us soon, Miss Lucy." Saying that, his presence melted away, leaving no trace for them to follow.