Hello, people! Nightlingbolt here! Bet you all forgot this existed, huh? Well, this is the new chapter of Lucky Star!
I've had this sitting in my Documents for a while now (since December, actually), and I got the V chapter of ABCs finished up as well, which I spoiled as Valentine. Or would it be Valentine's? I dunno. So now I actually have time to work on this story! Actually, there's not much work to be done, really. I just need to remember what I had in mind for the final scene of Chapter Nine, which I was hesitant to write because I didn't have other villains working with Ruby, hence the OC submission from before (which, if I'm perfectly honest with you all, was a bust. Again, not that they were bad, they just didn't have any sort of unique magic that they used. It also didn't help that I encouraged ice powers). After that, this story is going on indefinite hiatus, just because I don't want to make up the rest of these chapters as I go along like I've been doing with... actually most of my chaptered stories. I suppose that's why Champion never got off the ground (for those of you who remember, and if you don't, Conversion).
But for now, enjoy the goodness that is Lucky Star, Chapter 8, with the wish that Lucy and Jellal interact more in the actual manga.
I don't own Fairy Tail or its characters, Hiro Mashima does.
"Erza, what are you doing here?" asked Lucy cautiously. The Celestial mage was oddly confident for being confronted by the Titania herself. She steeled herself, taking comfort in the fact that she had done nothing to upset her.
"I do recall saying I would expect details, Lucy," said Erza curtly.
Lucy sighed. Erza had said something along those lines. "Look, can we do this tomorrow? It's been a long night," she said, the tone of her voice suggesting she was tired.
"Nonsense!" said Erza cheerfully. "Why should we wait until morning when the memory is still fresh in your mind?"
Lucy wanted to argue that she doubted she would forget the last twenty-four hours, but she caught Erza's gaze, her cheerful expression belying her power, and sighed, realizing she wouldn't be able to argue with her. "There's really not that much to tell, actually," she said.
"Then tell me everything," said Erza genially as she Requipped into her sword pajamas. This only caused Lucy to stare.
"Um... Erza...? You weren't... planning to stay over, were you?" asked Lucy nervously.
"Well, it's too late to go back to Fairy Hills," said Erza. "The streets are no place for a young woman at this time of night."
"Okay, first of all, you're the goddamn Titania. Any guy who'd try anything with you has a death wish," said Lucy. "Second of all, it's only ten o'clock."
"But that's when all the unsavory types come out!" whined Erza.
"Not so bold without your 'Honey Dragon,' huh?" snickered Lucy to herself.
"I'm sorry, did you say something?" said Erza, voice slightly raised.
"Mi casa es su casa!" said Lucy quickly.
"Bien!" beamed Erza. "Now then, where did you go?"
"Just that seafood restaurant I always wanted to try but could never afford," said Lucy. "No thanks to you, Gray and Natsu," she added darkly.
Erza ignored that last statement. "The Portside?" she said. A smirk settled on her features. "Rather fancy for an outing between friends, wouldn't you say?"
"Well, excuse me for wanting to make a good impression!" said Lucy with a blush.
"As a friend? Or as a woman?" asked Erza.
"I..." Lucy tried to say something, but her words died under Erza's scrutinizing gaze. "I don't know anymore..." she grumbled.
"Well, you'd better figure it out," said Erza in a warning tone. "I warned you about leading Jellal on."
Lucy gulped. Shit, she hadn't explained to Jellal that she just wanted to be friends!
"Maybe because you don't?" a snide voice remarked in her head. Lucy just ignored it, but it still kept nagging at her.
"But let's move on, shall we?" said Erza brightly. "Surely the night didn't end with dinner? You were gone too long for that."
"No," said Lucy. "We went to see a show."
"Ah, said Erza. "Another pastime you've been meaning to indulge in."
Lucy stiffened. She didn't recall mentioning that to anyone. Unless... "How did you know I wanted to do that?" she asked.
"Didn't you write that in your diary?" asked Erza.
"YOU READ MY DIARY!" shrieked Lucy.
"And so did Natsu, Gray, and Happy," said Erza matter-of-factly.
"WHY!" yelled Lucy.
"Lucy, calm yourself. People are trying to sleep," said Erza sternly. "So what did you see?"
Lucy growled, picked up a random book, and flung it at the wall, not caring about the small dent it left. It was clear she wasn't going to get any answers from Erza regarding the whole diary situation, so she decided to just answer the question. "The Lion King," she ground out.
Erza gasped. "You saw The Lion King without me?" she asked incredulously. "You know I love The Lion King! If I had known you were seeing that, Natsu and I would have joined you!"
"Erza, that would defeat the whole purpose of tonight!" groaned Lucy. No wonder she matched with Natsu perfectly. They both had the subtleness of a brick wall.
"You're right, of course," said Erza. "Tonight was about letting Jellal know he had a friend. Natsu and I would have just made things... awkward." The scarlet mage sighed.
"Sounds like some part of you still has feelings for him," said Lucy gently.
Erza hesitated. "That... was a long time ago," she whispered meekly. "He was a different person back then. Bright, with a passion for life... even when all he ever knew was Hell, he believed that somewhere, beyond the tower, Heaven was waiting for us all. But now look at him. His bright eyes have gone dull with the guilt of past misdeeds, none of which were ever his fault, and he's given up all hope of finding Heaven."
Lucy smiled sadly as Erza finished talking. "I know the feeling," she said. "I've felt it ever since my mother died. She was my only living link to the world outside my gilded cage. Without her, I'd given up all hope, resigned to be married off, all for the sake of my father's business.
"But then, somehow, some way, I found the strength within me to say no. No, I don't want to be a trophy wife for some slimeball! No, I don't want to have everything I could ever want if I can't be free to use it how I want! I want to be somebody! I want to do something, love someone, and be loved in return before I die! So I ran away in search of Fairy Tail and... never looked back.
"And even when Phantom Lord attacked and the truth about my past came out, you, Natsu, and everyone stood by me and called me your own. And when I saw you and Jellal in the restaurant that night, I made it my personal mission to make Jellal feel like he was one of us – a mage of Fairy Tail – the same way you all made me feel like one of you."
Erza was amazed. Not just at the conviction in Lucy's words, but the emotion they conveyed. She realized that Jellal and the Celestial mage weren't that different after all. In fact, when she thought about it, Lucy and Jellal were stars in the night sky without a constellation to bind them together. But Lucy found one – Fairy Tail – and she was reaching out to Jellal to be part of it.
"Lucy," said Erza gravely. "I'm depending on you. Help Jellal realize that life is worth living again. If you can do that... you've earned him."
Not realizing that Erza was implying a romantic attraction between her and Jellal, she only responded with, "I will."
"You have my trust," said Erza. "Now then, we need to get to bed." She stretched her arms upwards to emphasize her point.
"Wait... what do you mean 'we?'" asked Lucy. Aren't you sleeping on the couch?"
"Don't be silly, Lucy," said Erza. "Your bed can easily support two people."
Lucy groaned, suddenly regretting not getting a twin-size.
Jellal opened the door of the modest apartment he shared with Doranbolt. Tonight had given him plenty to think about.
"Hey, there's my favorite con!" his jailer greeted warmly.
"Doranbolt," said Jellal sharply.
"Ex-con," amended Doranbolt. "Sorry."
"It wasn't funny the first time, why would it be funny now?" asked an annoyed Jellal.
Doranbolt frowned. He thought he was somewhat funny. "Date go south, Jellal?" he asked.
"No," said Jellal. "It went-"
"Those aren't the clothes you were wearing when you left," observed Doranbolt. He smirked. "Did something happen?"
"Our waitress spilled just about everything she could spill on me, so Lucy's Virgo gave me clothes from the Celestial Spirit world," said Jellal. "That's it", he added, catching on to what Doranbolt meant.
"Fine," said the Council mage. "So, what do you think of Lucy?"
"Lucy?" repeated Jellal. "She's a nice girl. She's smart, she's quick, and she seems comfortable in her own skin. Although, when I say smart, I mean book smart. She does show hints of naivety, but I would imagine that's a result of her upbringing."
"Her upbrining?" repeated Doranbolt. But then it clicked. "Oh, that's right. She was once the Heartfilia heiress, wasn't she?"
"Her family lost its fortune, and she's severed ties with her father anyway, so don't think of trying for any 'favors!'" said Jellal sharply.
Doranbolt recoiled. Jellal was defending her. This was good. Lucy was inspiring some element of drive in him. Perhaps he could use that to motivate Jellal into regaining his memories.
"All right, I'm sorry!" said Doranbolt hastily, holding his hands up in surrender. "Being around Lucy... how did it make you feel?"
Jellal sighed. "It felt good, actually," he said. "She didn't treat me like a criminal, but she didn't treat me with the kid gloves the guild treated me with, either – though to their credit, I understand their wanting to be cautious.
"But with Lucy, I actually felt like I... belonged somewhere, like I could be someone. I barely made mention of my past, and when I did, she managed to remind me that it didn't define me, and make me feel the sensastion of being my own person. Doranbolt... I think-" Jellal cut himself off just then.
"What?" said Doranbolt, eagerly anticipating what Jellal was about to confess.
Jellal hesitated, then answered, "Never mind." He stole a glance at the clock. "It's late, and we need to be up early."
"Not a good match," said Doranbolt with a chuckle. "G'night." He got up and went to his room to prepare for bed, leaving Jellal alone in their living room.
"I think I found my lucky star," whispered Jellal.
DAMN, it feels good to have this up at last! My big problem is that I usually upload chapters as soon as I'm done with them, so don't be surprised if you see V go up sometime this week.
I remember being somewhat proud of this one. I think I hit upon the perfect mix of humor and emotion, but that's ultimately for you, the reviewer, to decide.
So now that V's finished, I can actually work on projects I've been wanting to for some time now. These include a Young Justice story featuring Red Arrow and Cheshire, an attempt at Juvia and Totomaru, and a NatsuErzaJellal triangle centering around them making Let's Plays, something which I enjoy very much. Geez, that's a lot to put on my plate, including this, but I do plan on working out a system for this.
But that's all for another day. And so, until Valentine's Day, peace and love from Nightlingbolt.