IMPORTANT: I DO NOT OWN THE COVER PHOTO OR ANY OF THE FAIRY TAIL CHARACTERS/PLOT; ALL CREDIT GOES TO THEIR RIGHTFUL OWNERS!
"Why good morning Lucy. How are you feeling since the incident?" Mirajaine greeted the blond as she stepped foot into the guild. "A-ah, good morning to you too Mira." The blond stuttered as she was still unaccustomed to being welcomed so warmly everywhere she went; back with Draco it was always something along the lines of 'So your fat ass if finally up, huh?!'. Lucy scowled slightly at the memory. "I've been as good as I can be with Natsu and Happy constantly following me, I suppose." The silver haired barmaid laughed even though Lucy spoke with utmost seriousness. "Well, it's not exactly an unknown that those two have taken quite the liking to you and your partner." She giggled. "I know they can be overbearing at times, Lucy, but those two are the most loyal friends you could ask for. I know they'll treat you right." Unable to conjure the right words to respond with Lucy simply nodded her head. It seemed Mirajaine wasn't done, however. "One last thing," The woman began as she caught the girl by her wrist. "We're all family here Lucy. Everyone has their own share of problems, demon's to battle. But no one ever said you had to continue fighting them all on your own. We're here if you need us."
And even thought her words were soft and caring, it only made Lucy's stomach churn in distaste. "It's not hard to see that you're upset over the loss of your father, possibly even more so than Natsu is. But we're here for you Lucy, all of us are. You don't have to suffer alone anymore." Mirajaine couldn't help but frown as Lucy swiftly yanked her wrist away and responded as she clenched her fists by her sides. "I wouldn't know much about what having a family means." She began. "And while I envy you for the sudden concern you've decided to create for me, I must warn you now. The second I find my dragon, it'l me the last you'll ever hear of me. Making friends, forming bonds, having a fake family; I don't do that. Feeding yourself white lies doesn't change the past and will only threaten the future. After all, the only thing friendships are good for is hurting people in the end." She hadn't mean't to be cold when she spoke but Lucy didn't much appreciate it when someone offered her advice on situations they knew nothing about. While her dragon may not have been a fatherly figure whatsoever, Draco was all Lucy had.
So was she not entitled to be at least a little mean when it came to something she wanted so badly, but could never have?
All she had wanted was to have a family of her own from the very start. She had almost fallen victim to the haunting disease called loneliness but was provided a momentary remedy by her dragon. By her father. It was only natural she would shun the rest of the world away in fear of the abandonment she had grown so accustomed to feeling. So why would she make herself vulnerable by becoming attached to something that wasn't real? To some fake family that would provide her fake fantasies? Because in the end the truth would be revealed. She had been, and always would be, abandoned. At times Lucy felt that the only thing keeping her sane was the longing hunger for the answers to the thousands of questions she had for Draco. That was all Lucy cared about, her dragon. Why would she settle for anything less than the taste of love she already experienced as a child?
"What type of mission are we taking today, Lu?" Saiya yawned as she landed on the girls shoulder, effectively snapping her out of her daze. "I dunno." The blond shrugged her shoulders as she inwardly hoped that her voice didn't come out as strained as it sounded to her own ears. Much to her personal relief Nab interrupted her conversation before Saiya could have possibly confirmed her fears. "If you find one you like, take it to Mirajaine. The Master's not in today so she's been put in charge of recording them all down." The male explained as he watched Lucy glance up at him from the corner of her eyes. "You must finish a lot of missions since I always see you over here. You super strong or somethin'?" The girl suddenly prodded. Nabs face burned with a bright heat as his cheeks turned a bright pink that could rival the shade of Natsu's hair. "W-well you see!" He squeaked. "Nab never chooses any jobs, Luce. All he does is stand there." A familiar voice chuckled before an arm was thrown over her shoulder, forcing Saiya to fly away in order to not be crushed. "What type of mission are we taking today?" Natsu questioned the stiff girl.
"I," Lucy scoffed as she threw the boys arm off of her. "Am not sure yet. You can find your own for all I care." Her response only caused the boy to pale. "Huh?! But I thought we were a team, Lucy!" "Please. You only wanted me because the mission required a blond maid. Besides, you didn't trust me at first when I told you there was something wrong with that book." She stubbornly huffed. "Aw! C'mon Luce! Give us one more chance!" The pink haired boy pleaded as he seized the girl by her shoulders, a possessive glint blazing in his onyx eyes. "You might as well ditch that flame idiot Lucy. I'm sure other teams would be glad to have you." Gray chimed in with a smirk. "Please." Natsu repeated with a genuinely sincere look on his face.
"Please Draco! I know I can handle this training! Teach me your magic! Give me a chance!"
A small scowl worked its way onto Lucy's lips as she slapped the boys arms off of her body and looked in the opposite direction. "One." She grumbled as his eyes widened. "You get one chance to prove to me that we'd be good on a team together. Once chance, and if you blow it that's it -hey! P-put me down!" The girl yelped as Natsu suddenly grabbed her by her hips and lifted her up into the air as he spun around in a circle. "Yeah! You hear that Happy? Luce and Saiya are gonna stay with us! You won't regret this, I promise!" Natsu laughed in glee. "Suck it Gray! Lucy sided with me, not you, you ugly ice prick!" "What'd you say to me?!" "That you were ugly! You deaf now too?!"
"What did I get myself into?" Lucy groaned as she watched the two begin to bicker. Mirajaine felt her mood brighten as she watched a small smile pull up the corner of the blonds lips as she watched Natsu and fight throw punches at one another, a small annoyed eye roll only adding to her vast sea of expressions. She may have denied it but Mirajaine knew quite well Lucy wanted to be there just as much as she did.
Of course fate decided to seem cruel and continued to toy with the blond, making her morning all the more 'eventful'. "Why don't you join a team with me, Lucy? Say at a restaurant around 6?" Loke cooed as he threw an arm around her shoulder as Natsu previously did, an action neither Gray nor Natsu missed as they immediately stopped their childish banter in order to watch the coming events. The pink haired slayer had trouble holding back a deep, feral, growl as his eyes spotted Loke's hips touching his partners. "Sorry, who are you again?" Lucy deadpanned as she pried her body away from the womanizers. "W-wha?! My name is Loke! Surely you've heard of me!" He gaped. Lucy tilted her head slightly to the left and placed her thumb between her lips as she studied the male before her, who awfully stunk of Celestial Spirit beneath his heavy cloud of cologne, she might add. "Loke?" She tested the name, pronouncing it with two syllables as it tasted forgien on her tongue. Much to the guilds amuzement the flirtatious man's eyes widened and his face turned dark red at how cute the blond had exactly looked right then and there.
"Y-yeah! So how bout it, babe?" He coughed in an attempt to regain his normal demeanor. "Your beauty would surely go to waist if such a refined man like myself didn't treat you like the princess you truly are." Loke purred to add effect. Gray's eyes narrowed into a deadly glare as the orange haired male gently took Lucy's hand in his and placed a small kiss on her knuckles, further adding to his attempt to woo the girl. Her brown eyes didn't fail to spot the rings on his fingers or the unique glasses on his face as she watched him perform said action. "Leave her alone already Loke!" Natsu snapped as he quickly stormed over to his partners side, Gray following closely behind him. Their eyes widened, however, as she suddenly raised her arm and forced both boys to stop. "Loke's not your real name, is it?" She questioned with a small step forward. "I-It is!" Loke protested as he took a step back. "No thank you." Lucy politely declined. "Your quite afraid of Celestial Spirit Mage's, correct Loke?" Lucy said his name in an almost mocking tone as the glint of her gold and silver keys became obvious. "We would never work out." The blond smirked as his face paled. "Sorry I gotta go!"
And just like that, he was gone.
"Woah! You're totally bad-ass Lucy! I'd toast to you and your rockin' body!" Cana cheered in a drunken slur. "Yeah! Lucy's a man!" "What'd you say?! I'm not a man-!" The poor girl didn't have the chance to finish her statement for Natsu and Gray crashed into her body when they tripped over god knows what; due to whatever stupid thing they were arguing about that time. "See! Look what you did mouth breather!" "At least I'm not a coward that pushes people into girls!" Both mages barked directly in Lucy's ear. "Would you idiots stop fighting already?!" The girl seethed as she punched them both off with ease. "You lookin for a fight too Lucy?!" Gray and Natsu chorused in the midst of their rage. "Oh? You wanna challenge me, eh?" The blond hissed as an ominous aura surrounded her body. "Bring it on then you pansies!" This only caused everyone to laugh even further at their childish antics. "Yeah, she belongs here alright." Wakaba exclaimed after a puff from his wooden pipe. "Of course she does. She's got as much hot blood in her as either of them boys." Macao agreed. But the fun had to end at one point, and it was almost terrifying exactly how quickly that time came.
"Its Erza! SHE'S ON HER WAY HERE!"
And while the entire guild went into havoc upon one woman's name, turning into nothing more than a shivering mess as the distant sounds of crushing footsteps grew ever closer, Natsu, Gray and Lucy were far too caught up in their own world to even register what was going on around them. "Ice Make: Sword!" "Fire Dragon Iron Fist!" "Lucy Kick!" While Natsu was kicked halfway across the guild, Lucy was sent flying as Gray's sword nailed her straight in the gut and sent her crashing into a certain scarlet haired mage. "Gray you bastard!" The blond snarled as she dusted herself off with ease and jumped over tables in order to tackle him to the ground. "STOP THIS FIGHTING AT ONCE!" Erza roared as she pried Lucy and Gray apart with ease. "What is the meaning of this?!" The female warrior demanded as she glared down at the two mages. "Fire Dragon Talons!" "Celestial Dragon Star Shield!"
Lucy was abruptly dropped onto her butt, something that roused a groan from her mouth, as Erza brought her hands up to her mouth in an audible gasp. "L-Lucy?!" The girls own brown eyes widened at the sound of an old voice that she recalled far too well before she was met with the woman's face. "Erza?!" Within seconds she was engulfed in a hug, her face buried in the slightly taller mage's neck as she embraced her in a bone crushing hug; something she all to eagerly returned. "You know Lucy, Erza?" Mirajaine asked in surprise. "Of course I do!" The redhead responded as if it were the dumbest question alive. "She is my little sister. Just what kind of older sibling would I be if I couldn't recognize my little one?" "Sister?!" The entirety of the guild chortled. Everyone paled as the two girls linked hands and began to jump around in a circle, rainbows and flowers spewing out around them as they finally rejoiced with one another. "Lucy, please, one moment. There is a serious matter that must be addressed." Erza coughed before turning to face the guild. "I heard a couple things on the road.." It was wishful thinking to imagine that Erza wouldn't tear into almost every guild member, even if she did finally see her so called 'sister'.
"Natsu, Gray." "Y-yes ma'm?!" They gulped. "I have a favor to ask." She surprisingly explained. "The two of you are the strongest wizards here and this is of utmost importance. Lucy, I would also require your assistance, if you would." She redirected her gaze down at the shorter girl, who's grin turned slightly smug at the new attention. "Who am I to say no to my older sister? Sure, I'll help you out." The blond winked. "T-this team could go down in history as the strongest team we've ever seen!" Mirajaine exclaimed with wide eyes. "One more thing, Lucy." The guild leaned forward in anticipation for what the scarlet haired warrior would say next, almost passing out as she finally did. "I would like to have a one on one battle with you when we get back. Its been quite a long time since I've had such a capable partner to spar with." Erza smirked as she crossed her arms over her chest. "Like I said," Sparks flew as their eyes met and Lucy's smirk began to mirror the woman's. "Who am I to say no to my sister?"
Now, someone challenging Erza to a fight was credible; but to ever imagine that the Erza Scarlet would challenge someone else is unheard of. "Hey! I have one condition!" Natsu's obnoxious voice snapped everyone out of their tense daze. "I want a fight with you as well!" Yep, typical Natsu Dragneel.
"Agh! Teaming up with you is so stupid! Who would want an ice prick like you to come along?!"
"More like who would want a stupid fire breather like you to!"
"What'd you call me?!"
"A damn fire breather you flame brain!"
"Loser!"
"Idiot!"
"Stripper!"
"Take that back!"
"Make me!"
"SHUT UP!"
Both Natsu and Gray jumped into the air as if they'd seen the devil himself, cowering in fear as Lucy sent them a deadly glare that even rivaled Erza's. "You two idiots are constantly fighting and I'm sick of it! Natsu, you need to grow up! Gray, you're better than this! If he annoys you so much then ignore him! Its like I'm dealing with children!" Lucy seethed as she wanted to yank the hairs out of her head in annoyance. that the duo constantly caused. "And if you two so much as make me look a little bit bad in front of Erza, I swear I'll show you she's not the only one around here to be feared." She hissed as her glare only darkened. "H-hey Lucy. I've b-been meaning to ask. Why does Erza call you her sister? Are you two related by b-blood or something?" Gray questioned partly because he was curious and partly to dispel the anger she was directing solely to him and his rival. "No. We are not related by blood. Erza and I met when we both took a joint mission to defeat a dark guild. She respected my abilities, as I her, and we made it a regular thing to meet and train with one another. It was only natural we created such a sisterly bond." Lucy explained as a slight smile grazed her lips. "I can't wait to see how many new sets of armor she's gotten! I remember when all she had was a breastplate and one sword!"
"Reminiscing about the old days, are we Lucy?" Said woman chuckled as she came up beside the blond. "I've heard quite the rumors about you as well Lucy. Defeating a vulcan with your pinky, and a demon spirit? I look forward to seeing how you've matured in combat." "W-well," Lucy chuckled nervously. "That isn't exactly.."
Five minutes into the departure from Magnolia station Happy decided to open his mouth. "Lucy? How come your motion sickness isn't acting up?" The blue cat asked as he noticed that she sat like a normal person on the mode of transportation instead of being a weak, groaning, mess like Natsu was. "Motion sickness?" Erza raised an eyebrow at the exceeds question. "I thought you said you'd gotten over that Lucy." The woman frowned as she imagined to herself how long she had the painful condition for. "It acts up here and there. I'm wearing those medical patches you got me, though, so I feel fine." The blond answered as she rested her head on the window and watched the scenery pass and turn to a colorless blur. "They do make me sleepy for some odd reason." She yawned as her eyes began to droop. "Here, come lay on my lap." Erza cooed as she shifted the blond closer her way. Gray sweatdropped and looked at Lucy in pity as her head was violently bashed against Erza's armor, effectively knocking her out before Natsu joined her in exhaustion. "I've got a question for you." Gray confessed once both slayers were asleep.
"While I can see why you'd need Natsu and I on this mission, why would you need Lucy as well? Shouldn't we three be enough?" "How perceptive of you Gray." Erza smirked as she placed her hand on Lucy's head. "In any ordinary situation you would be correct; You, Natsu and I should have been enough to complete this important task. But Lucy is no ordinary wizard, her strength and intelligence rivals even my own." Gray leaned forward in confusion. "What do you mean?" "Lucy has a natural ability to snuff out anything related to dark magic. The only normal reasoning to why something would be sealed away is because it has dark magic effects. But because of the natural light magic that pumps through Lucy's veins, she can negate most of these effects. While she is not totally immune to the dark magic, no one is, it doesn't effect her as great or a quick." Erza explained.
"So it's our job to stop them from doing it." Gray stated. "Quite the contrary. Its our job to protect Lucy while she finds whatever dark magic this is, and assist her in whatever way she needs. My little sister is the core strength of this mission. Its essential we do everything she asks, Lucy is the genius here after all." The two mage's fell into a comfortable silence after that, Gray simply watched as Erza stroked the blonds head with a certain fondness; Happy and Saiya making small talk here and there. "She's always been alone, you know." Erza suddenly murmured though he heard her loud and clear. "Lucy immediately took the leadership role when we first met. She didn't share and didn't listen to any of the advice I gave her. Always rambling on and on about how she was the superior wizard because she was trained by this great dragon." A smile pulled up the corners of her lips as she continued to speak.
"She tries to act all high and mighty, like nothing ever bothers her. Everyone suspects Lucy to be this great mage that has no feelings. She doesn't believe in friendship or making a new family. That's why I took it upon myself to become a sister to her. I know she sometimes wonders what it would be like to have a real family instead of chasing something that may not be there anymore." The redhead lifted her eyes up to meet Gray's gaze. "You have to do me a personal favor and make Lucy feel welcomed. Help me prove to her that she doesn't always have to be alone." Determination swelled in the raven haired males chest before he was nodding his head. "Sure."
"Do you think those Eisenwald mages will still be here?" "I can only hope, Gray. I can only hope." Erza sighed as she pulled the giant cart of her luggage behind her upon entering Onibas Station. "E-excuse me, Miss Scarlet?" Saiya exclaimed in a soft voice. "Yes Saiya? What is it?" The woman gazed over her shoulder to look at the silver exceed. "I think we may have left Natsu and Lucy on the train." "And look! there it goes!" Happy stated the obvious as he watched the train speed out of the station and out of sight. "I-I'm such a fool! How could I ever leave my baby sister on such a contraption she hates! Gray, strike me!" "N-no! I could never-!" It was funny how she completely forgot about any other elements when it came to the blond slayer, completely ignoring the fact that she left Natsu on the train as well.
Meanwhile...
...
"Damn, that stings." Lucy groaned as she poked at the red bump on her forehead from where the redhead had knocked her out. She braced the sink and leaned forward as the feeling of uncertainty bubbled up in her stomach for the second time that day. There was something wrong, something terribly wrong, she just knew it. The girl scowled as she recalled the nightmare she had woken from just minutes ago, flashes of a large demon flute terrorizing the population as it ran rampant zooming through her mind. "Lullaby." Lucy murmured as she splashed some cold water on her face. "That's what those wizards said before they were attacked. Is it linked somehow?" Her frown only deepened as she remembered what Erza had told her after she informed Natsu, Gray and herself that they were needed for her special task.
"The dark guild Eisenwald is planning something, Lucy. It involves something that was sealed away. I'm really depending on you to help prevent whatever their plan is from happening."
"The Demon Flute Lullaby." Lucy growled as she narrowed her eyes at her reflection. "Yet another one of Zeref's blasted creations." She released her painstaking hold on the sink and reached up to tighten her messy ponytail as she took a deep breath through her nose. "Lets hope I'm wrong about that assumption." She whispered before a pained yelp broke past her lips. The blonds body was thrown forward into the mirror and the sink as the train suddenly halted. A horrible screeching pounded in her ears as the brakes fought against the iron train tracks below her in an attempt to completely stop. Her hands moved on their own as something sticky and wet began to trickle down her face. Had it not been for the sharp glass shard she felt embedded in her skin it would have been the giant crack in the mirror that suggested she was cut due to the accident. Hissing in more annoyance than pain, Lucy removed the glass from her forehead and quickly cleaned the blood away; at least the best that she could with some toilet paper and water from the sink. She was more concerned with getting out of the train right then and there.
"Attention all passengers, that stop was a false alarm. We will be departing shortly."
"Crap! I have to go!" The girl cursed as she began to sprint down the isles of the train to the exit before it could depart again. "Sorry lady!" She yelled over her shoulder after rudely jumping over her body crouched in the center of the walkway. "Kids these days." Lucy heard the woman mutter, something that roused a genuine laugh from her throat. "You lookin' for a fight?!" The blond heard Natsu's voice yell in a threatening manner from a few compartments down. The train slowly began to roll forward again and Lucy knew that her time was almost up. Barreling through doors and practically shoving people aside she made it just in time to watch Natsu literally jump out of the window and land safely on a green Magic Mobile next to the train. "Lady, did you see that?! He totally just attacked me out of nowhere!" Kageyama lied in an attempt to get the girl on his side, completely unaware that she was a member of the very guild he had dissed moments ago. "Hey. You're hurt too. What happened to you?" Despite the blood that poured down the left side of her face Lucy's right eye was still sharp enough to spot the wooden flute on the center of the floor. "Miss?"
The shadow mage barely knew what hit him as she suddenly dashed forward and yanked the item up from the ground before spinning over her heel and jumped onto the roof above them both. Only the upper half of her body managed to make it up and left her lower half vulnerable for attack. "Now, now, didn't your mommy teach you its rude to take things that don't belong to you?" The dark wizard sneered as he grabbed onto Lucy's legs and began to tug at her body. "Get off of me!" The blond yelled before bashing the heel of her boot onto his face. Kageyama hit the floor with a grunt while Lucy scrambled to get the rest of her body upright and moving. Now, running on a fast paced train already wasn't easy, but with only one good eye it made the process even harder. Add on the sounds of attacks landing directly behind you and the increasing volume of footsteps, that's exactly how she felt.
"In the event that you're backed into a corner, just breathe Lucy. You're smart and strong, don't let your fear consume you."
Her cloak reappeared on her body as she evened out her breathing and cleared her mind to ensure she would neither fall off the train or drop the flute. While she could have whipped around and launched an attack at the male, she didn't want to endanger any of the other passengers with the wide range of her spells. "Breathe." Lucy reminded herself as the front of the train came into her line of sight. "Now what're you gonna do?! There's nowhere to run now!" Kageyama sneered as the girl came upon the end of the line. "Lucy don't!" Erza screamed as she realized what the blond planned to do. "Catch!" Just before she threw her own body off of the train, she chucked the item at Erza's position in hopes she would catch it. And she would have too, had it not been for Kageyama's shadows that got to it instead.
"Sometimes you have to take risks to survive."
Her hands instinctively came up to cover her face as the ground grew closer and closer. Yes, she'd thrown her body from a moving train and was plummeting toward the earth at high speeds. Yes, it was stupid and she would likely have serious injures upon impact. Yes, she would get scolded by Erza for such a reckless decision. -That's what really did make her Draco's daughter, she was crazy.
Pain was all Lucy's body registered as she finally hit the ground, her body forced to roll as she dug into the hard earth. Dust and bits of rock entangled with her cloak and made her eyes water and it hard to breathe. "Luce/Lucy!" Natsu and Gray yelled in concern for the girl as they jumped out of the magic mobile and rushed to her side. "E-Erza she's hurt!" Natsu exclaimed with wide eyes as he saw the drops of blood that hit the ground as she sat up. "Please," Lucy snorted as she pulled the hood of her cloak down. "This is nothing. I am a dragons daughter after all." She smirked. Instead of verbally responding to Natsu's fearful statement, Erza took Lucy's face in the palms of her hands and inspected the injury. A wet washcloth appeared in her hand before she was pressing it against her head and wiping away the dried blood. "It never fails to amaze me how terribly idiotic your actions are considering your level of intelligence. Still an adrenaline junkie, I see." Her words only roused small giggles from Lucy's mouth as she threw her head back in genuine laughter. "What can I say, I was raised by an idiot. Its only natural I picked up on some of his tendencies." Lucy grinned as she popped a rock into her mouth, much to the two males surprise.
Erza rolled her eyes and took a step back as she offered the girl a hand. "You aren't gonna treat her wounds?" Gray frowned. "What wound?" The woman smirked as Lucy pushed back her fringe to reveal flawless skin. "But she's eating rocks for pete's sake!" "That's because its apart of my element, duh. Anything that had stardust on it I can eat." Lucy boasted. Noticing the conflicted expressions on both males faces Saiya decided to speak up as to ease the confusion. "Well you see, most rocks on this planet today actually came from Meteors and Asteroids, both of which already have stardust infused into their DNA. However, other natural products can absorb light from the sun, moon, and stars. This process, of course, takes a lot of time. Lucy couldn't eat a random rock and immediately gain the element necessary to fuel her Dragon Slaying Magic, different levels of stardust vary upon different objects; all of which depend on how long they've undergone this natural process. And since Lucy is the Celestial Dragon Slayer she can audomatically determine which rocks do have this quality and how much of it." The silver exceed explained. "I told you already, didn't I? Lucy's not a normal mage Gray. The pure light magic in her body gives her natural advances; healing is only one of them. Speaking of advances, what's you find out this 'Lullaby', Lucy?"
A/N: I'm so sad, I wanted to make this chapter so much longer but I have math homework I have to start on/finish. I'll try and start the next chapter tonight and have it up by tomorrow, no promises though since I have practice after school !_!
*THANK YOU SO MUCH FOR ALL YOUR SWEET REVIEWS!
It really warms my heart to see what you guys think of the story so far! Feel free to ever PM me if you just wanna talk too! 3
Lemme know what you thought of Lucy's relationship with Erza and on this chapter in general!
Until next time~
-xxTheNightmareBeforexx
