IMPORTANT: I DO NOT OWN ANY OF THE FAIRY TAIL CHARACTERS/PLOT: ALL CREDIT GOES TO THEIR RIGHTFUL OWNERS!
I'm going to apologize ahead of time. My insults suck.
PROFANITY WARNING!
Flashbacks will be italicized completely and separated from the rest of the text. Enjoy!
-Galuna Island : Below the Temple of Moon-
Deliora, though encased in a thick layer of ice, was a terrifying creature that not all people could bear to stand in front of. Be it because of the demon's monstrous stature or simply because of the terrors associated with its name, most human's would be unable to endure under such an ominous creatures presence for long amounts of time without running away in fear.
Lyon Vastia, however, was not one of those humans.
He did not quake in the demon's presence nor did he find himself struck with panic when gazing up at its frozen face. No, Lyon was not afraid of Deliora one bit, instead, he only felt the strong desire of revenge; a burning ache for redemption; an all consuming urge to kill. Nothing mattered more to him then finally getting the chance to prove he was stronger than his mentor, that he was more than just a shadow of who Ur was, and he would do anything to finally have the chance to demonstrate his power. Even if that meant destroying the one thing she sacrificed her entire life for.
"My Lord, if you don't mind me asking, why did you spare the life of that Ice Wizard?"
Lyon was so invested in thinking about the outcome of his plans, and everything that led up to getting there, that he didn't hear one of his followers come up behind him, and it took him a moment to process the random question that they suddenly decided to ask. He was slightly peeved that someone had come to bother him during while he was trying to be alone, but he managed to keep his emotions in check and acted like he wasn't bothered at all.
"I can't say that I had any particular reason in mind except that I didn't find it necessary to shed any more blood. Nothing more, nothing less."
Much to his annoyance, though, his subject didn't let up, and Lyon didn't have to turn around to know that the voices owner was wearing a tiki-looking mask. None of his other followers would dare to question his final word, except for one, who always acted more cunning than the rest and could always find hidden meaning in his words. It was only because of these qualities, and their unyielding loyalty, that Lyon even dealt with their annoying qualities and allowed them to stay by his side. Yes, it was only because of these traits that he even considered dealing with their persisting curiosity and was the only reason he answered their question in the first place.
"Ah, but if that were the case then why did you send those three wizards of yours to destroy the village? It would seem to me that, Gray, the Ice Wizard, is a close acquaintance of yours. After all, you two spoke as if you were familiar with one another. If I may so so myself, my Lord, you seem to have quite a soft spot for him. Almost like the way one would treat their brother."
Lyon sighed but still didn't take his focus off of the demon, Deliora. Of course, this person hit the nail right on the head and was spot on with his assumption, but that didn't mean he was willing to let them know that so easily."Of course not. I simply didn't see the point in why I should kill any more people with my own two hands. Besides, I need to save up my magic. What would happen if Deliora were to be revived?" With his arms crossed across his chest, the boy's hands subtly clenched as he added: "However, do not mistake my actions for kindness. Should he get in my way again I won't hesitate to end his life, once and for all."
His subject smirked. "I cannot express how happy I am to hear you say that. It would truly be a shame if you allowed such a tiny scuffle to cloud your judgment and steer you away from your goal. We have to keep you focused on the bigger picture: finally expressing your true strength by killing Deliora."
"You don't have to remind me. I'm fully aware."
Whatever remorse he may have felt for losing his relationship with Gray was immediately replaced with a burning hatred at he looked up at Deliora. Gray just had to always be so selfish, didn't he? He got to pursue his dreams, but why did that mean he had to destroy Lyon's in the process? It wasn't fair! Lyon never even had the chance at accomplishing his goals! So after years of hard work, after doing everything he possibly could in his power, Lyon found Deliora and got a second chance at accomplishing his intentions. But then, suddenly, Gray just had to butt in again and try and ruin things for him.
"No," Lyon clenched his fists, "not this time. Nothing will get in the way of my dream! Not even you. If you're wise, Gray, you'll stay as far away from me as possible. Because this time I really won't hesitate to kill you."
(Meanwhile)
- Lucy v.s. Sherry -
Battle (2)
OK, Lucy would be the first person to admit that maybe, just maybe, her plan wasn't the smartest one in the world. She wasn't exactly sure what gave her the idea that she could possibly hold a giant rat down, which was, at least, ten times larger than she was, with brute strength alone, or why she thought it was alright to take down an airborne animal (by tickling its feet, nonetheless) that could easily crush her like a bug. None of it made sense, she knew that, but it was as if her body acted on its own, and, next thing she knew, she was hundreds of feet away from the ground while dangling from some animal's leg.
And, of course, with her luck, Angelica just so happened to weigh far more than she actually looked, which, added in with the weight of the crash, resulted in a painful crash where Lucy was painfully squashed when she hit the ground.
That wasn't to say she regretted her choices, though. Draco taught the blonde to stand strong next to one's decisions and to not waver when they didn't go as planned, so, naturally, she was content with what she'd done; even if that meant she was almost crushed to death in the process. After all, she did save the villagers from another potentially dangerous attack while also managing to bring down one of Lyon's lackeys -even if it was indirect, so it wasn't to say her decision was a complete mistake in the making.
With a groan, Lucy finally managed to pull her body out from under Angelica before collapsing to the ground in exhaustion. She should have been worried about where the rat's owner was or if there were any attacks heading her way, but with a mixture of nausea and irritation alongside a dose of dizziness and a migraine she found that she didn't really have the energy to scan her surroundings; or that she even cared, for that matter. Passing out and waking up with new memories, dealing with hysterical villagers, explaining the reasoning behind her pitfall trap, and taking down Sherry and her rat took a big toll out of Lucy and her concentration. She'd dealt with a lot of responsibility within a couple of hours, more than she was used to dealing with, which is why she struggled to find the drive to do what she needed. It was also the same reason why she didn't see the emotional wizard standing several feet behind her.
"Y-you... H-how dare you! Y-you hurt my Angelica! And now..." Sherry sobbed as she glared down at the blonde in fury.
Lucy squinted up at the pink-haired mage in a mixture of annoyance and confusion and sighed. She was really not in the mood to deal with anyone's bullshit. "Listen, I have a killer headache right now. Plus, if we're being completely honest with one another, I really don't want to deal with any of your drama right now. So why don't you go cry somewhere else and allow me a small moment of peace?"
Her nonchalant attitude only seemed to fuel Sherry's anger on, and Lucy winced as she began to cry harder. "... Because of you, the Cold Emperor won't trust me anymore! H-he... He won't talk to me anymore! Because of you," She screamed causing the blonde's eyes to widen in wonder, "he won't love me anymore! I'll make you regret ever messing with me!"
Still sitting on the ground, the Celestial Dragon Slayer scoffed before examining her nails. It didn't take a genius to know that Sherry was absolutely crazy, always going on spewing things about love and whatnot, so she wasn't very worried about what the girl could do. I mean, Sherry was friends with a rat for Pete's sake! Wasn't that evidence enough of her wavering sanity? (Lucy chose to ignore the fact that she was also friends with an animal as well, because, let's be real, at least Saiya could talk; not just snicker evilly like Angelica. It totally wasn't the same thing!)
"Yeah, yeah. You keep telling yourself that." Lucy responded as she used her hand to wave Sherry away dismissively.
If Lucy had known that her last action would set the girl off, she probably wouldn't have done it. If she had known that it would send Sherry into an even bigger fit of rage, she would have found something else to say. Sadly, though, Lucy was not that type of person and was particularly good at making the wrong decisions and pissing people off.
Oops, right?
As if she had finally reached her breaking point, the pink-haired mage threw her hand to the left and she activated her magic. Lucy perked up at the sound of Sherry's screams, becoming acutely aware of the sound of wood breaking alongside it, causing the hairs to stand up on the back of her neck. Sheepishly, she thought to herself if it was too late to say "sorry".
"Wood-Doll!"
The blonde watched with wide eyes as one of the tree's next to her suddenly began to stand up; using its roots as legs and its large branches as fully-functional, lethal arms. It even had a face! So, as the fully animated tree loomed over her significantly smaller figure, roaring like that of a familiar demon she had come to encounter, the only thing Lucy could say was: "Well shit."
Sherry's Wood-Doll reeled its makeshift arms back before swiping directly at the blonde's figure. Lucy narrowly avoided the swift and powerful attack, which managed to make a visible, deep crater on the ground, by jumping back. Sliding back on the tips of her hands and feet, Lucy quickly realized that she had to create another plan before things really got out of hand, and it wasn't long before she took a deep gulp of air and felt the familiar swell of her magic build up in her lungs.
"Celestial Dragon Roar!"
Much to the blonde's disbelief, though, her attack did absolutely nothing. Not even a single chip of wood came off of the tree from her attack! Hell, the leaves were still intact with the branches, and Sherry couldn't help but laugh out loud at her dazed expression.
"Oh, I'm sorry, was that attack of yours actually supposed to do something?" Flipping her hair over her shoulder, she dauntingly added, "By the way, did you just say something about a Dragon? If so, I didn't know they were so weak! Or maybe it's just yours that's lacking in the power category?"
Within an instant a low snarl fell from Lucy's lips, and had she not been high off the short feeling of victory, Sherry would've shivered in fear from the sound. It was purely animalistic and laced with far more fury than any person should normally experience.
"What did you just say?"
"Oh dear, I knew that blondes were stupid but I think that you're in a whole different category of dumb! Here, let me say it in a way that you'll understand," the girl smirked, "your attacks are weak and your style is tasteless. I mean, who ever heard of sporting scales as a fashion statement? It's tacky and old, and certainly far from ever being cute. And don't even get me started on that horrendous piece of fabric your wearing! Is that supposed to be a cloak?"
Lucy wasn't really sure which comment did it for her. Maybe it was the fact that Sherry insulted her father without knowing the first thing about him, or if it was because she talked down about the only thing left that reminded her of her of said dragon. Maybe it was even the comment about the cloak Erza gave her, which she cherished almost as much as her sacred belt, or it could have just been a mixture of all three. All Lucy knew was that she couldn't stop herself as she summoned Taurus from the Celestial Spirit World to deal with the moving tree, while she turned around to face Sherry's attitude problem.
"Let's get one thing straight you bubble-gum haired bitch," A dark, almost black aura surrounded the blonde as she viscously glared up at Sherry's form, "my dragon is a thousand times stronger than you could ever wish to be. But you wouldn't know the first thing about being strong, would you? Because you go around hiding behind some pet rat, who, by the way, does all the work for you, and talks shit without having any real skill to back yourself up with. Insulting me is one thing, but bringing my dragon into the mix is a whole other deal that you're gonna regret bringing up in the first place!"
Gathering a load of her magic into her fist, Lucy got into an offensive stance and smirked as she snarkily added, "Oh one more thing. Don't go around telling me about how to dress when you can't even do it yourself. Your corset styled top looks cheap, along with the rest of your outfit, and is all around trashy. Your thigh-high boots are second-rate and your skirt is pretty basic. By the way, are those supposed to be wings? Just how low are your standards?"
"That's funny." Sherry hissed. "I was about to say the same to you!"
Just as Lucy moved to shoot forward with the intention of nailing Sherry in the face with the strongest "Celestial Dragon Iron Fist" she'd ever made, the pink-haired lady snickered cruelly before gesturing to the Bull several feet away. Taurus had just cut the Wood-Doll in half and was glancing in their direction with a proud smile, yet Lucy suddenly felt like there was an impending doom making itself at home on her shoulders. Surely she had nothing to worry about, right?
"Say, that wouldn't happen to be a Celestial Spirit, would it? Because if it was that could mean really bad news for you."
What was that supposed to mean?
Lucy's eyes narrowed into tiny slits at the underlying threat, and she had trouble holding herself back. It was only out of concern for her spirit that she didn't punch Sherry right in the face like she wanted, but knew better than to act without seeing the full picture first.
"And if I said he was?"
The pink-haired wizards smirk only grew. "Then that would mean game over. For you, that is."
Again, what was that supposed to mean?
Lucy found herself at a loss for words. She was still trying to figure out what Sherry was acting so cocky about, and what she was trying to imply she would do to her spirit. Time itself seemed to still as the blonde tried to figure everything out, and, all the while, the confident glint to Sherry's eyes only grew. She found great amusement in watching Lucy squirm as she wracked her brain for the answers she so desperately wanted to know. And knowing that she would never figure it out on her own only made things more fun.
Somewhere deep in her gut, Lucy knew that she may have made a mistake underestimating Sherry from the get-go. She still couldn't figure out what gave her such the boost in confidence, but even so, she clearly understood that nothing good would be coming out of it. The more time she wasted trying to understand things, the smaller her chances grew at defeating her. Lucy had to act, and she had to act fast.
It was clear enough that the blonde had to close her spirits gate before Sherry decided to attack; she had to make Taurus go home before anything bad could happen to him! Yet, Lucy still didn't act on her fears. Her fingers twitched to grab the gate key, but she knew better than to move so boldly. Even though she had no clue what the pinkette had in mind, it was easy to tell that the second she showed any signs of taking matters into her own hands, Sherry's would finally proceed with her plan. Both of them knew this very well, so the outcome simply depended on who decided to act first.
Neither woman had to make the decision, though, because Taurus chose for them.
With a loud cry of, "I'm gonna protect Miss Luucy's hot bod," he ran forward with his ax balanced against his shoulder. Lucy immediately screamed at him to stop the second she saw him move, but her orders were in vain because Sherry found the perfect moment to attack.
Taurus suddenly froze, as per his master's orders, but she knew better than to think she was in control. Whenever she summoned a Celestial Spirit there was always a tiny link connecting her to whomever she called. It was always there, deep in her soul, yet this time, it somehow felt warped. It felt like something that shouldn't have been there was, and a burst of terror tugged at the blonde's gut at the prospect.
What would happen to her friend now?
"How foul!" Sherry cringed. "What type of wizard forces her spirits to say such vulgar things? You know, I think I'll be doing your friend a favor here!"
Even though what she said pissed Lucy off to no end, she found that she couldn't open her mouth and say a thing in response. She wanted to defend herself, no, to defend her spirit and explain that she would never force her friends to do anything they didn't want to do, but Sherry had her boxed in. Lucy still didn't exactly know what the full extent of what the pinkette's magic was, or what type of magic she could cast for that matter, so she didn't want to risk making her any more upset. It could ultimately place her spirits life in danger if Lucy did.
Sherry's smirk reached its peak as if she knew exactly what thoughts were running rampant inside the blonde's head, and she could help but feel a swell of excitement bubble up in her stomach at the thought of making her suffer even more. What types of expressions and reactions would she make when realizing what her magic really was? Would she knowingly injure her spirit to close their gate, which would be the only way to do it, or fall by the hand of her very own comrade? There were so many unanswered questions that she wanted to know!
"Taurus," Lucy said very slowly, "close your gate."
Almost robotically the Golden Bull turned around with a pained look written across his face. His eyes gleamed with a nasty red hue, and as Sherry wiggled her fingers he was forced to take a giant step forward."I'm sorry Miss Luucy, but I can't control myself!" He cried.
Lucy shook her head and smiled gently at his distressed form. "It's alright, there's no need to panic! All you have to do is close your gate and this will all be over!"
"No, I'm afraid that's not how things work. Now Taurus, go!"
Sherry laughed cruelly as Taurus bolted forward, a burst of steam shooting out of his nostrils, with his ax pulled back. When he was in a range of his key holder, against his will, he threw his weapon forward in an attempt to hit her. Using the attack she created for Sherry, Lucy threw her fist forward and canceled out the attack with a sorrowful expression. Jumping back and using every defensive technique she knew, the blonde avoided her spirit's attack without ever dealing an offensive spell in return.
She would never willingly hurt one of her spirits. It didn't matter how injured she got in the process, it's just not something she could ever bring herself to do!
"Miss Luucy I'm not in control of myself!" The Golden Bull cried in terror. "Y-you have to hit me back! S-send me to the Celestial Spirit World!"
Much to his horror, the girl rapidly shook her head. "No! My spirits are my friends, not tools! I would never intentionally put you in harms way!"
"Please!" Taurus pleaded.
He didn't want to injure her! So what if he felt a little bit of pain? He couldn't die! As soon as he returned to the Spirit Realm he would recover from her attack and everything would be OK. Why couldn't Lucy understand that and just send him home?! Could she not see that he didn't want to hurt her either?!
With one wrong step, the blonde lost her footing and was thrown backward after being hit in the stomach with her spirits weapon. She gasped in pain when she hit the ground, but quickly recovered from the attack nonetheless. She knew that Taurus was in far more agony being forced to attack her against his own will, so she had no right to put her pain over his! Sadly, though, Lucy was too slow in her movements and ended up getting tackled back down to the ground by her, much larger, spirit.
"You know, wizards like you tend to not like my magic. Can you tell why?" Sherry questioned as a wicked grin began to tug at her lips. Lucy was writhing in pain as Taurus forcibly held down both of her arms; squeezing them so hard it felt like they might break. "It's called Marionette Attack Magic. Isn't is just divine? Aside from humans, I can control any living thing. You know what that means, don't you? Your little spirit friend here is my puppet to control."
"L-let Taurus go! You're hurting him!" Lucy yelled as she attempted to look at the pinkette.
Ignoring her fury-filled cries, Sherry placed her finger on her chin in thought. "By the way, what were you saying earlier? Something about not having any skill to back myself up with? If I'm not mistaken, it seems to me like you were actually talking about yourself!" Giggling, the woman threw her hand forward. "Now, let's play a game! Taurus is going to close his eyes and punch blindly until he manages to hit his owner! It's kinda like Russian Roulette, right? Don't you think it'll be so much fun?"
Lucy winced as her spirit tightened his grip on her arms. " P-please! C-close! Gate of the Golden Bull: Taurus!"
Sherry sighed in boredom as she continued watching the blonde's pitiful attempts at forcing her spirits gate shut. "That's not going to work. Shouldn't you know that both the spirit and their owner have to consent to close the gate? Taurus didn't agree with your command so that means it's not going to happen. Now, enough playing around! Let's get this show on the road!"
Regretfully, Taurus rounded his arm back before throwing his fist directly at his owners head. Lucy barely managed to dodge the attack by moving her head to the left, but even that plan would only work for so long. The only way she was going to be let go was if Taurus agreed to close the gate. In other words, the blonde simply had to motivate him to take his free-will back -even if only for a second. This was easier said than done, of course.
"Focus Taurus! You can do this, we both know you can! All you have to do-!" Lucy yelped as her spirits fist came crashing down next to her head, and she gulped as he rounded his arm back immediately after hitting the ground.
Sherry's laughter echoed throughout the island as the blonde continued dodging her spirits attacks, and beneath the surface, Lucy's blood was boiling. Who did she think she is, forcing Taurus to do things against his will? Could she not see that he was in pain? That he could feel pain?
Lucy shook her head and cleared her mind of such thoughts. She had to deal with her spirit first; Taurus' safety was the top priority in this situation! She couldn't afford to let her anger cloud her judgment.
"Listen to me. We both know that you can do this! Don't let her control you!" Lucy shrieked.
"I-I'm s-sorry!" Taurus choked. "Hit me Miss Luucy! Please! I'm begging you!"
Much to Sherry's surprise Lucy's eyes squeezed shut. All of the tension left her body until she was laying limp on the ground, at the complete mercy of the Golden Bull's fists. The pinkette squinted at her in confusion; silently wondering if she really was an idiot.
"I'm not going to dodge this time. You made me a promise when we formed our contract! Don't tell me that you're going to break it now!" Taurus cried in horror as he connected both of his fists and raised them directly over the blonde's head, yet she still showed no signs of moving. Was she really intending to let him hit her?! "Remember the day that we met! Remember what you said to me!"
"Please move! I don't want to hurt you! I cannot hit my master!" He screamed as his fists came crashing down.
"No! Remember the bond that we created! Open your eyes and remember what you said to me, damn it! Stop fooling around!"
Lucy grumbled as she stomped through the vast grassland. Her feet were killing her, she was hungry after day's of walking without food, and she wanted nothing more than to plop down in the grass and go to sleep (which she probably would have had it not meant that she would get an earful from her exceed, whom would likely lecture her about why she couldn't go resting on other people's property). Nevertheless, she continued moving forward, mumbling small curses under her breath, while inwardly denying that the journey there wasn't as bad as she made it out to be.
I mean, at least the land was pretty to look at! The hill she stood on gave her a clear view of the entire farmland, which was littered with cattle and had the perfect view of the large blue sky. Even better, every so often a gentle breeze would dance through the grass and ruffle her hair, and a few clouds would block the sun so that the heat wasn't completely unbearable. It was likely the most peaceful place she'd ever been to and was just all around nice to stand in.
On the other hand, Lucy wasn't so sure if she could say the same about the ever-so-famous: Taurus, The Golden Bull.
From the second she met him hearts swelled up in his eyes and drool literally dripped out of his mouth; forming large puddles on the ground beneath his feet. He practically undressed her body with his eyes, for god's sake! And, what was possibly the worst thing out of them all, she'd have to constantly take steps away from the spirit in fear that he may have gotten a little... well... 'handsy'.
"I gotta say, you got a rockin' bod, Miss Lucy! C'mon, why don't you give me a smooch?"
Lucy cringed and yanked on her cloak so that it covered up more of her body (-if that was even possible, considering she had it covering as much skin as it could). "Listen, is this supposed to be a joke or something? If you're not interested in making a contract with me then just say so. I have too many things to be doing to have you stand here and waste my time."
Saiya nodded her head in accordance with the blonde's words. "Yeah! Lu came here looking to be friends with you, and even took away time from finding her dragon just so that she could find you!"
Taurus laughed at the girl's expression, which, in his opinion, was extremely cute, but decided not to voice his thoughts because she seemed like the 'bashful' type. Her cheeks were a bright red out of embarrassment and her lips were jutted out in a small pout, with her arms crossed against her chest. Added in with the breeze that caused her hair to fan out all around her face, she looked like an angel that descended down from heaven!
"Don't you worry about a thing pretty little lady! If you make a contract with me I swear that I'll do whatever it takes to protect you. No matter what happens or what type of situation you find yourself in, I'll make sure you and that hot body of yours stay safe!"
The blonde's face burned at the spirits words, but she still flicked her eyes up to meet his. "You promise? Like I said, I'm not here to mess around."
"I'll always be there! You can take me for my word!"
Sherry's eyes widened in disbelief as Taurus dropped both of his fists in order to cradle his head. "What are you doing, you stupid bull?! Finish her off already!"
"You told me that I could depend on you and that you would never put me in harms way! We both know that you're way stronger than this, so take control of yourself! Prove to me that I didn't make a mistake allowing you to be one of my friends! I believe in that bond, and I know that you do too!"
Everyone's breath hitched as the Golden Bull threw one last fist forward, which stopped just inches away from his master's face. The red glint to his eyes disappeared, and as Lucy's eyes opened up she was surprised to find her spirit smiling at her face.
"I believe in you too." And just like that, Taurus' body was engulfed in a blinding golden light and he was sent back to the Celestial Spirit World.
Just like when they first met, Lucy's face turned red. "I won't let you down."
A/N: I MEAN NO HARM TO SHERRY IN THIS CHAPTER! I'M NOT TRYING TO BASH OR INSULT HER CHARACTER, I'M JUST TRYING TO SHOW ANOTHER SIDE TO LUCY THAT IS DIFFERENT THAN HOW I HAVE PORTRAYED HER SO FAR! (This was all in good fun and was not written with ill-will against either character. This was simply a tactic I wanted to try and use to show a more girly side to Lucy that you guys haven't seen yet).
****I just got back from Baltimore for a Family Reunion (on my mom's side) which is why I have been unable to update. As much as I desperately want to continue pushing out updates, because I know that they have been fairly slow, I have to go to another reunion for my dad's side so I do not think I will be able to update. When I come back I will try to do another long chapter or a special to make up for my absence.****
Like I said, my insults suck. Sorry~
-xxTheNightmareBeforexx
