Yet another day had come and gone. Fairy Tail was no closer to finding their missing comrades than touching the stars.
Lucy refused to give up, though, and she held her head high while walking past the waterway in front of her home.
It was sweltering hot that day. When Lucy tried to wipe the sweat off, more perspiration formed, and she gave up, letting it trickle down the side of her face. Unconsciously wiping her head again, she glanced at the waterway.
The two men in the boat weren't there. They must be enjoying a day off indoors, Lucy thought miserably. The rushing water looked cool and tempting to jump in for a swim, but she tore herself away and into her house for a shower.
It was always hot in Magnolia during the summer, Lucy thought, closing the door behind her and taking in a deep breath.
Summer.
Natsu.
Even if it takes a lifetime, I'll find you, Natsu.
"Natsu-chan!"
The cheery, carefree voice sent shivers up the dragonslayer's spine. He tried to rip his terrified gaze away from the wide, chocolate brown eyes. They twinkled rather tauntingly at him.
A girl, blonde hair pulled up in a side ponytail and strapped down to a large leather chair, was grinning at Natsu. It struck him suddenly how much this girl resembled Lucy – the hair, eyes, and smile where all so much like her.
Natsu would've snapped those chains around his wrists such a long time ago, if only it didn't seal all of the bearer's magic. They were heavy and uncomfortable, and Natsu shifted away from the Lucy look-alike uncomfortably.
"Oh, come on, Natsu—chan, it's your turn!" A warm hand took hold of his wrist and dragged him over to the giant lacrima (A/N: This was the wiki's spelling). Natsu winced but didn't protest as the girl clamped the S.E. plug on his arm. They – these strange people who had kidnapped all of them for no reason (as far as he knew) – had threatened to go and kill his entire guild. Seeing as how easily they'd been taken, Natsu decided to just grit his teeth and bear through it.
The lacrima suddenly buzzed, and the fire dragonslayer groaned and clutched at his head. It felt horrible to have almost all of your magic power taken at once, the feeling close to that of when he was on transportation.
His vision was getting blurry. Natsu rubbed his eyes furiously and saw, on the other side of the room, piled in a corner…
Sting, Rogue, Wendy, Gajeel, and a few other people, most definitely mages, that Natsu did not recognize. They were all deathly pale and motionless. Alarmed, Natsu tried to get up and rush over, but he felt a hand on his arm.
The girl was watching him with a happy smile. "Natsu-chan, don't go anywhere! The magic extraction is still incomplete!"
"What the hell did you do to them?" He yelled, yanking his arm out of her reach. Natsu had almost called her a bastard, but it was almost like calling Lucy a bastard. He just couldn't bring himself to do it.
The girl blinked and drew her hand back, but she was still smiling as if she were a little kid at their first birthday party. "They're just regenerating magic," she plucked at her nails absentmindedly. "After you're done, they should be able to get up. Isn't that great, Natsu-chan?"
He was already toppling over. A rose of rage seemed to bloom suddenly in his heart, thorns pricking him angrily. But that's not important, he thought woozily. What was important was the fact that someone was watching him as his world turned dark…
Lucy.
Uwahh! It's so bad! I'm just not in THAT mood, if you know what I mean! Please excuse this horrible chapter, it didn't come out as well as I wanted it to! (and it was mostly just an alert to tell everyone that I'm not quitting this)
Thank you, everyone, so much for the favorites, follows, and reviews! You have no idea how happy I am when I get an alert! Thank you, thank you!