IMPORTANT: I DO NOT OWN THE COVER PHOTO OR ANY OF THE FAIRY TAIL CHARACTERS/PLOT; ALL CREDIT GOES TO THEIR RIGHTFUL OWNERS!
Intro: Galuna Island Arc!
*I apologize for my inactivity. If you are curious about the reason for such the long wait then please read the A/N at the end. Enjoy!
"...Just let her cool down. I doubt she'll do anything too reckless."
Master Makarov took a large swig of his beer with hopes that it would help in soothing his erratic mind. The elder wizard couldn't help but scowl as he recalled Lucy's violent outburst concerning the sealing of her magic while he waited for the buzz from his drink to start. The warm contents of the alcohol burned at Makarov's throat as he swallowed large mouthfuls of his beer -humming in content as it provided the numbing effect he desired. Sinking further into his seat at the bar Master Makarov sighed in relief as he finally began to relax since Lucy had stormed out. He understood where the blond was coming from and why should be upset, he expected it even, but sealing her magic away was something that had to be done. The girl held a large risk of dying had he not done what he did, and in Makarov's eyes he did what was right. If Lucy resented him for it the wiser man could deal with that. If that was the price for acting like a parent then so be it. Master Makarov was at peace with what he had done and was fully aware of the consequences that would come with it.
The small moment of temporary peace was broken as Mirajaine hastily ran down the steps from the second floor with an urgent expression written across her face. "M-Master Makarov!" She yelled. Eyes shut, the old man tilted his head in response before taking another large swig of his beer. "Someone stole an S-Class Request!" For a moment Makarov's heart almost jumped out of his chest. Blaming his sudden anxiety on his old age any fading hearing Master Makarov chuckled and shook his head. "You had me worried for a moment there Mirajaine! It almost sounded like you said someone had stolen a mission from the second floor." Makarov explained, as he downed the remains of his drink. "That's exactly what I said! Someone stole a request, I'm sure of it!" Choking on his drink, Master Makarov quickly whipped around to face the white haired woman. Eyes bulging out of his head the man screamed a loud, "What" causing the barmaid to flinch and take a fearful step back. "I w-went up to the second floor to take i-inventory of all the m-mission requests and noticed one of them was gone! B-both Erza's and Guildart's missions have been logged, and Laxus is here at the guild! There's no mistake, someone had to have stolen one!"
Mirajaine's explanation sent the guild into a thick, tense silence. No one could fathom anyone that would be brave or stupid enough to go up to the second floor without being an s-class wizard, let alone stealing a request. A particularly uncouth laugh broke the silence and had everyone looking up at the second floor in confusion. "Laxus!" Master Makarov all but hissed. "What do you know about this?!" Yawning, the blond lifted a hand to lazily cover his mouth before looking down at his grandfather. Needless to say Laxus' nonchalant manner only served to anger Master Makarov more. "Who know's? I might've seen a small blue cat fly off with a piece of paper. How was I supposed to know it was a request from the board?" He shrugged his shoulders while his cocky smirk grew larger. "Oh! Now I remember! I may have heard that same cat mumbling about how much Lucy and Natsu would enjoy the mission. Hey, what were you saying about her being reckless -old man?"
Clenching her fists in anger Mirajaine quickly jumped to the female blond's rescue. "Lucy would never agree to this Master! She'd never let Natsu and Happy go by themselves either! I'm sure that mission is back at her house waiting to be posted again! S-she was probably just scared she'd get in trouble for a crime she didn't commit!" Mirajaine yelped. "No." Master Makarov growled. Grinding his teeth he added, "I'm absolutely sure she would agree to this. Laxus! You have to go after them!" Scoffing he shook his head. "Hell no! I'm not a baby sitter. Besides, everyone in Fairy Tail is supposed to be able to take care of themselves!" Slamming his fist down on the bar in anger Makarov's fury met new heights. "This is no laughing matter! You will go get them, now!" He demanded. Baring his teeth in an open mouthed smirk, Laxus countered, "Stealing missions is a rule that could result in expulsion, no? You want them back so badly? Go get em' yourself! I've got way better things to do than deal with a flame idiot and a blond haired bimbo with a sharp tongue."
"Laxus you need to listen to me! Lucy was always your friend when you both were younger! Don't you remember how she would always protect you from your fathers abuse? How she would always comfort you? Not to mention that Natsu is a member of the guild, someone who would likely defend you if you were in his place! You can't honestly tell me that you'll be fine if they die?!" Glaring down at the old man in defiance, Laxus' eyes darkened a shade. "Don't bring up my dad, ever! Those two idiots are none of my concern! If they want to throw their lives away that's fine, that has nothing to do with me! Go spew your shit morals somewhere else!"
"I doubt she'll do anything too reckless."
As his words from the day prior echoed through his head, Master Makarov slammed his glass down in fury. "M-Master?" Mirajaine stuttered in fear for her two younger companions. "Chill out why don't cha', Master?" A lighter voice interjected. "Laxus isn't the only one capable of bringing those two back. With Lucy unable to use her dragon slaying magic it'l be a piece of cake. God knows I can take Natsu on my own." They added. Slowly releasing the cracked glass from his hand Master Makarov slid the glass toward Mirajaine. "Get me another beer and keep them comin'." He grunted. Pinching the bridge of his nose Fairy Tail's master bitterly murmured, "It seems I've greatly miscalculated your reaction Lucy." Grabbing a new glass mug with trembling hands Mirajaine wiped the stray tears from her eyes and worked on getting the man's order. As the contents of the beer filled her masters glass the white haired woman couldn't help but ponder on what would happen to her four new friends. "Please," Mirajaine whispered. "Be safe."
-Hargeon Port-
Hargeon, like Magnolia, was a busy location filled with various types of people. Being a port this characteristic was expected -as thousands of people from around the continent came in to sell their merchandise, but it was still a refreshing sight to see. Boat horns blasted off in the distance while eager vendors shouted out prices and deals on what they had to sell. The bustling voices of moving bodies blended out any other unnecessary sound and the thundering of feet against the pavement could be heard from practically a mile away. Any normal person would feel fantastic being surrounded by such a positive environment, but it only served to jab at Lucy's nerves. "I didn't think I'd be back here any time soon..." The blond murmured, as she glanced at all the people around her. Unconsciously Lucy hugged her cloak closer to her body and reached up to pull her hood over her head.
Watching the girl from the corner of his eyes, Natsu couldn't help but frown in distaste. "Why do you always do that?" He suddenly questioned causing Lucy to halt mid-step. "Huh? What do you mean?" Lucy asked after turning her head to look at the pink haired boy. "You always cover yourself like that whenever you get near large groups of people. Why?" Natsu sighed. "Its like you don't like the sight of your own skin. And you never look in the mirror or at your own reflection. You even sometimes do it at the guild." The blond's eyes widened in surprise at Natsu's sudden perceptiveness and for a moment her eyes narrowed dangerously in fear. Natsu was usually the dense one who needed to be 'baby-talked', from what she had seen since joining the guild. So how did he suddenly pick up on her subtle behavior? Not even Erza knew, as far as Lucy could tell, and if she did then she never bothered to bring it up. Erza and Lucy had known each other for as long as they could remember so it didn't make any sense how the Fire Dragon Slayer had figured out what he did.
Gulping, Lucy dropped her hood to its previous position and slowly released her hold on the rest of her cloak. Glancing off in the other direction the blond grabbed at her right shoulder and slightly bit her lip. "As you already know almost all of my memories of childhood have been sealed away. Erza and the old man tell me that as I grow these memories could come back but only when I sleep. Unless something triggers a memory the only way to release one is through your dreams. Apparently experiencing one while conscious can be life threatening, not to mention excruciatingly painful. With time you can peacefully regain all your memories or force them all to come out and risk death. Naturally I chose the former."
Tightening her grip on her shoulder, Lucy began to slightly clench her teeth. "Yet, I struggle to find the distinction between what are just dreams and which ones are memories. Voices I've never heard, people I've never seen, places I've never been before. Some of these 'visions' I see are good and others not so much... It's in places like this I experience in my dreams." She paused to gesture at the happy environment around her. "In the blink of an eye people go from happy to screaming. From uninjured to hurt. From living to being a lifeless body on the ground. Do you understand how difficult it is for me to go out in public and not know what crimes I may have committed in the past?If I really did do all these horrible things I dream about someone is bound to recognize be at some point. What would I do then?" Lucy confessed. "A-as for that other part... Draco didn't exactly treat me like a girl when growing up. He certainly wasn't ever gentle and never got afraid to be rough or censor himself around me. Needless to say, he treated me like a boy most of the time. Once he disappeared and I was reintroduced into society it was only natural that I would act the way I was taught to. When I first started gaining a name for myself everyone would act all surprised when they found out I was a girl.." The blond explained with a light blush. "I d-don't really know, ok?! It's just weird for me to look at myself!"
Chuckling, Natsu reached out and placed a gentle hand on Lucy's head. "Man, you really are a weirdo!" He laughed causing the girl to flinch. "I may not know much about your past or what you've done before we met. But I do know that people like you are too kind to purposely hurt anyone. There's no need for you to hide yourself anymore Luce! And as for your appearance," A toothy grin came to Natsu's face as he looked down at the blond. "You're definitely prettier than Mira and she does some modeling thing for a magazine! Besides, I like you the way you are now! Who cares what anyone else thinks!"
At that moment Lucy had come to realize another thing. Natsu's smile was contagious and the brightest thing she'd ever seen. Confused at to what she was actually feeling Lucy decided to let the small smile form on her face, as she casually ran a hand through her hair to play through her embarrassment. "We should get moving and find a boat to take us to the island." Seeing that his friends mood was lifted, Natsu's grin grew and he threw his fist in the air. "Yosh!" He cheered.
"W-wait! Did you say boat?!"
The screech that left the boy's mouth sounded inhuman and had any passerby glancing in Lucy's direction in confusion. Blushing now for a completely different reason Lucy slapped Natsu in the back of his head and pinched her nose in annoyance. "Yes a boat! We can't swim there, you idiot!" The blond growled before quickly storming off in the other direction. "Eh? Why not?! Oi! Luce, wait up!" Natsu yelled. Meanwhile, Saiya and Happy watched in disbelief as their owners chased after one another. "They completely forgot about us, again." Saiya groaned. "Aye sir.."
Normally, one would think it would be an easy task to find a boat to an island in a city dedicated to docking ships. Finding a ride to Galuna Island, however, was easier said than done. Mentioning the name by itself was taboo, but asking for a ride to the alleged cursed island? You must be crazy! No one in their right minds would have anything to due with the 'demon infested' land. Hearing its name alone was enough to send someone running in fear. But asking for a ride there? They'd likely drop dead. It was almost as if the people of Hargeon Port thought the curse would reach them if they had an affiliation with its name. And should someone be crazy enough to ask for a ride, they would get a varied amount of responses that would lead to something like this;
"Galuna Island? You can't be serious! No way anyone's goin' there!"
"You mean that cursed island? Sorry but I have a family. I can't risk leaving them behind."
"I wouldn't go near there! Not even for a million jewel!"
"Everyone knows that land's cursed! Hell, I heard its power will reach you just by sailin' past it!"
"Hah! You must have a death wish wantin' to go there! No one would ever willingly go to Galuna. Well, no one sane."
It felt like Lucy and her friends had been searching for an eternity. Countless rejections and incredulous glances only served to fuel the blond's patience and annoyance. Natsu had questioned several times why she had seemed so tense, and tried to provide a way's of comfort by saying that they "had time to look". Of course Natsu wouldn't understand why Lucy was so anxious -he was too busy thinking about what would happen when they reached the island. But the female slayer knew if she didn't find a ride there soon, someone was likely to find them. Then there would be no mission and an earful from Master Makarov. Not to mention the consequence of Erza coming after them, then Lucy would really be in trouble. Lucy predicted Erza would take a mission after their argument in the guild, it was the only way the redhead would know how to deal with her own anger, which is why the blond jumped the gun upon taking the S-Class Mission. But Titania Erza was no fool or weakling. She would be back at the guild any time now and if the blond didn't get her team out of Hargeon and onto the island the mission was as good as over. She already got one lecture, Lucy didn't need another one so soon.
"So? What're we gonna do now, Lu? Doesn't look like we have any way to get to the island," Saiya said as she sat on the girls shoulder. "I don't know, to be completely honest." Lucy responded, as she weaved through busy fishermen. "You could easily fly me to Galuna by yourself. We've traveled farther distances than this before." Lucy explained. "But then there's the problem of Natsu and Happy. I doubt he could fly Natsu all the way there, or that Natsu would be patient enough to let him. Because of that reason flying is out of the option. I wouldn't want you to overexert yourself anyways." Biting her thumb in thought, Lucy continued to move between fishermen and sailors she knew would deny their request. "Its also obvious that none of these experienced drivers will take us there either. Not to mention how far of a distance it would be to swim.." Shrugging her shoulders in defeat Lucy dropped her hand to her side and continued walking. "We'll just have to keep looking. I'm sure someone will come up soon! We could always try bribery on the next try."
"How bout' him?" Natsu interjected, as he pointed at a sailor wearing a brown cloak. He was bent down, untying the rope connected to his boat from the dock. "Its worth a shot. We don't have any other options anyways," Saiya said. The soft pattering off approaching feet made the sailor pause and look up from his work, as Lucy and her friends came walking down the dock. "Yo'!" Natsu grinned, as he slung an arm over Lucy's shoulder. "We just had a quick question to ask if you don't mind?" The blond coughed, as she pushed Natsu's arm off her body. "I suppose I could take a short break. What could I help you with?" The sailor responded. "I'll keep this short and to the point since we don't have anymore time to waste. We need to get to Galuna Island right away. I'll pay you if that's what it takes!"
Smiling apologetically, the sailor shook his head. "I'm sorry but I-" He began. "I must say, you guys sure do move quick!" A familiar voice chuckled. "The old man found out about your stupid plan. He sent me here to drag you lot back to the guild. And boy are you four gonna be in trouble." The raven haired boy snickered. "I could see an idiot like Natsu pulling something like this, but it was quite a surprise to everyone that you were involved as well Lucy." Gray snickered. "Ehhh? What's the ice princess doin' here?!" Ignoring the pink haired boy for a moment, Gray and Lucy focused only on glaring at one another. "You think I'm scared of you Gray? To hell with that!" The blond scoffed. "Let em' kick me out then. I couldn't care less."
Growling at her dismissive behavior the ice mage began to clench his fists. "I'm not afraid to drag you both back to the guild by force! I can defeat Natsu no problem, and it'l be a piece of cake to do the same to you without the help of your own dragon slaying magic!" An ethereal glow began to take on Lucy's eyes as she reached for a key on her belt -a predatory snarl sounding from her throat. "You sure bout that? Why don't you put your money where your mouth is?" With his attention focused solely on Lucy's form, Gray failed to notice a pink haired mage sneaking up behind him with a fiery fist. "We're goin' on this mission like it or not!" Natsu yelled as he pulled his fist back. "No one's stopping us!"
Lucy watched in satisfaction as Gray passed out while she angrily slipped Virgo's key back onto her belt. "Tch! Who does he think he is dissing my spirits like that -again?!" The girl hissed. "E-excuse me? You wouldn't happen to be wizards would you? Did you accept the request for lifting the curse on Galuna Island?" The sailor suddenly questioned. Slowly nodding her head Lucy answered with a small "Yes" before asking, "So. Could we get that ride or not? It's only a matter of time before another guild-mate comes after us." What came next was a surprise to Lucy and everyone around her, as would the events be to come. "Get in. I'll take you there."
Team Natsu knew better than to test their luck and question why the sailor had a sudden change of mind. They quickly boarded the small wooden boat and patiently waited as the man departed from the dock. Natsu, of course, immediately passed out from his motion sickness and Happy fell asleep shortly after when he ate too much fish. Without her energetic friend and his partner to strike up a conversation Lucy eased into her seat and waited for a comfortable silence to surround the boat. For the first time since she'd joined the guild Lucy could relax and let the baggage of past events fall from her shoulders. While Lucy relaxed, and kept a keen eye on Natsu and Gray's bodies so they didn't fall out, Saiya busied herself with watching the stars as they came out. The small silver exceed knew better than to make small talk with her blond partner, as she already understood that Lucy enjoyed basking in silence every once in a while.
While Lucy relaxed and kept a keen eye on her unconscious friends she rested her fingertips on the top of the waters surface. Things had been hectic the past few days and it had taken its toll on the blond's body, and mind. There was no need for unnecessary one-sided conversations or pointless questions that would remain unanswered. Lucy could just sit back and relax for the first time in what felt like months. And oddly enough the sailor kept to himself for most of the ride as well. He only focused on rowing the boat safely through the ocean's currents and keeping to himself. This was perfectly fine in Lucy's eyes, as she already had trouble trusting strangers from past experiences. Having a conversation with the sailor would only be awkward and tense, so it was better for both parties to keep to themselves until something of importance came up. However, it seemed that moment had finally come up.
When the boat suddenly began to slow and the sound of something hitting the water reached her ears, Lucy looked at the sailor from the corners of her eyes in confusion. The wooden oar to the boat slowly washed away with the currents and the boat slowly moved along with the small waves that pushed against it. "Miss, might I ask for your name?" The man asked, as Gray slowly woke up and came to his senses. Narrowing her golden-brown eyes at his form the blond took a moment to respond. "I'm not sure why that should concern you, but its Lucy. Didn't anyone teach you that you're supposed to give your name first before asking?" Lucy scoffed. Chuckling the sailor slowly shook his head. "Pardon my rudeness Lucy-san. You are absolutely right." He apologized. "The name's Bobo. Might I ask for a favor?" Bobo laughed, as he turned to face the blond slayer. "You seem like a smart girl so I'll put my faith in you. Promise me you'll lift this curse bestowed upon my homeland."
Saiya audibly gasped as Bobo pulled the sleeve back to his cloak, exposing a demonic-looking arm, before slapping her paws over her mouth. "This nasty curse has forced me to flee my home and leave my family behind. Promise me you'll save them, Miss Lucy." As the boat began to shake and rock from side to side Lucy's gaze flicked over to her two friends in concern, before shooting back to where the sailor had previously stood. "No matter," Bobo's voice echoed while Lucy, Saiya and Gray looked around in confusion. "H-hold on everyone!" Lucy's exceed cried, as a giant wave swept the boat up.
"I'm sure you would've said yes anyways. Please, don't fail me."
A/N: This is such a terribly short chapter and I apologize for that, I just wasn't sure if I would have time to finish this chapter tonight and upload it in time. I really wanted to post something to let you all know that I'm not dead and that this story is still alive and going!
As for my recent inactivity I also apologize for that as well. 2016 has been a very hectic and stressful year for me, in all honesty its downright terrible so far. For starters my winterguard season is coming to an end so my instructors have really been pushing me and my friends at practice. I've hurt my knee, popped my thumb, the list goes on and on so I've been to the doctor these past few months more than I can count. Second, my apartment was broken into when I was home alone so my family and I have been dealing with the police, while the same people have been harassing us since then. I pretty much have to move out of my apartment and find a new place to live because they won't leave us alone and the people who own our apartment pretty much said it was our fault that all this happened and that they were going to kick us out. On top of all of this my mom got a kidney infection that was so bad it got into her blood so she was in the hospital for a few days, and I'm terribly sick.
I have been doing my best to write this chapter in order to update this story, with everything that has been going on. Also, I will do my best to get back to my regular schedule for updates, so please continue to be patient!
Thank you all for your continuous support and fantastic reviews.
-xxTheNightmareBeforexx
I LOVE YOU ALL 3
