Ch. 31 — Anywhere, Everywhere (Part 3)

Day: 31

Disclaimer: I do not own Fairy Tail!

Genre: Hurt/Comfort, Family

Summary: There are some bumps in the road as Lil' Natsu & Lucy (with the added company of Gildarts) travel to Fairy Tail.

"So," he said in a cheery voice as he stood up, scooping up Natsu's prone body. "You ever thought of joining a guild, kid?"

Lucy blinked. Actually, she had dreamt of joining a guild many, many times, and had even considered running away to one at some points. And yet, thoughts of her not-yet-deceased mother had kept her from actually going through with anything.

Gildarts looked at her expectantly. On a whim, Lucy nodded; a small movement, barely noticeable, but still most definitely there. Gildarts' face broke into a smile.

"Well, Fairy Tail is he best there is!" He exclaimed. Then, throwing Natsu over one shoulder like the boy was a bag of potatoes, he started to walk away.

Lucy stared at the mage numbly for a few moments; suddenly, she broke out of her daze and, realizing that his form was quickly vanishing into the trees, sprinted after him. She caught up to him after a few moments and slowed to a walk, though she still had to work to keep up with Gildarts' long-legged strides.

After a few moments of trekking in silence, the blonde spoke up. "Where are we going?"

"Magnolia Town — that's where the Fairy Tail guild hall is."

Lucy nodded. That made sense.

Natsu murmured something that Lucy couldn't quite make out. It sounded a bit like Neil. Or maybe Fig? He said the word again, this time louder, and she realized what the dragon slayer was trying to say. Igneel. The name of his dragon father. He said it again. Gildarts looked down at the pink-haired child in his arms worriedly.

Natsu began to writhe in the older mage's hold. "Igneel, Igneel!" He shouted, and Lucy was taken aback by the look of absolute despair on his face. When he began to kick, Gildarts sat him down on the ground. Natsu immediately curled up into a fetal position and began to whimper to himself. "Igneel, Igneel…"

Lucy did the only thing she could think of. She crouched down next to Natsu and wrapped her arms around him, whispering little nothings into his ear. Soon, the boy calmed down, though he still quivered a bit in Lucy's arms.

Gildarts watched the two with a look of amazement. Had they really only met a few hours ago? It seemed like they had been friends for years, from his perspective.

After a few minutes of this, Natsu's eyes cracked open. He seemed surprised by Lucy's hold on him, but made no move to escape. In fact, he just raised a hand and tentatively began to stroke Lucy's hair. It was a few more moments before he noticed Gildarts' prescense.

"Who the hell are you?" He said loudly, standing up and shrugging off Lucy's arms. The blonde quickly grabbed his arm before Natsu launched himself at the older mage once again.

"He's a friend, Natsu!" She said hurriedly. "He's going to help us get to a guild. A real guild." Lucy said the last few words with excitement lacing her voice. Natsu looked up at Gildarts curiously.

"Gildarts Clive, at your service!" The cloaked man said happily, holding out a hand for Natsu to shake. The small dragon slayer didn't move.

"I don't trust you." He stated.

Lucy looked at him pleadingly. "Please, Natsu! Just give him a chance!"

Natsu huffed. "Fine."

Gildarts smiled. That was enough for him. "Alright then, kiddies, let's get going!"

When they reached a town a few hours later, Lucy's legs felt like putty. She panted heavily as she leaned on Natsu for support, who, unlike her, hadn't even broken a sweat.

"Alright, first things first." Gildarts said. "We need to get you too some new clothes. Right now, you're turning heads."

Lucy ended up in a simple blouse and knee-length skirt (Natsu wouldn't let her wear anything shorter), while the dragon slayer purchased a vest and a ragged pair of pants, along with practical sandals. He refused to take off the huge scarf, so it trailed behind him as he walked.

They were walking towards the train station when Lucy felt a hand on her shoulder. She whipped around to face a sullen man wearing a police uniform. "Excuse me, ma'am. But you're going to have to come with us."

Natsu stiffened at Lucy's side, Gildarts doing the same behind her. "Why?" The dragon slayer hissed between clenched teeth.

"You are Ms. Lucy Heartfilia, are you not?"

Natsu spoke before Lucy could say anything. "No, she's Lucia Dragneel. My sister. But we have been told the resemblance is startling."

Lucy stared at the boy, surprised with the ease of his lie.

"Is this true?" The policeman asked, looking to Gildarts.

He nodded. "I'm afraid so, sir. I'm Gildarts Clive, and I'm taking these two young mages to Fairy Tail."

The policeman nodded. "Very well, then, continue on."

Gildarts led the two to the train station, where they hurriedly bought their tickets and boarded the train to Magnolia.

As the train lurched into movement, Natsu's hand flew to his mouth, and his face turned to a dark green color that made a very interesting contrast to his pink hair.

"Oh Mavis." (A/N: Natsu already says this because…. Logic?) He muttered, free hand clutching his stomach. "Oh my Mavis."

Gildarts looked a bit worried. "Don't spew any chunks, okay kid?"

Unfortunately, by the time the train had reached their stop, Natsu had indeed thrown up (though thankfully, he had stuck his head out the window at the time).

The helped a staggering Natsu off the train. Lucy's breath caught in her throat as she examined her surroundings. A huge cathedral, bustling shops, smiling people, and the huge guild building looming over everything.

Fairy Tail, get ready, cause Lucy Heartfilia's in town now.

XD Haha! Sort of longer chapter!

Jellal: …

Merudy: Awwww!

Ultear: Must. Resist. The. Urge. To. Fangirl.

New guests? Oh well, at least you're not a bunch of grouches.

Merudy: You better hope not!

Ultear: Jellal is grumpy in the mornings.

Jellal: Hey!

:)

Replies:

Alyss Hatter: :) It makes me very happy to know that. Thank you.

crazyangelgirl21: Reader inserts are actually one of my favorite types! X3 They're really fun to read. (Especially the ones with plot).