*PLEASE READ*
Sigh.. I'm sorry everyone for the long update.. And I can't have Grimmjow kicking ass or messing with Lucy in every chapter. But hopefully the length makes up for it a little bit.
My computer died on me, and I lost all of my work, including my carefully done outline. And I had some life-changing events happen over the past week, Murphy's Law I guess.. To say I'm discouraged would be an understatement, especially losing work that essentially takes weeks to write.
On another note..
I won't be addressing summonings anymore. The poll is in and I highly doubt my top 20 is going to change, but my top 5 changes almost every other day; go vote if you haven't yet! I was surprised by your guys' choices, I am currently rewriting my line-up and your votes will hopefully appear soon.
Enjoy~
A lone figure was casually lying at the top of the 6th tower, eyes closed and completely relaxed until a low rumble began in his chest, annoyed with the unexpected visitor slowly approaching him.
"Grimmjow."
The blue haired Espada barely 'hmm'd' at the address, only to let her know he was listening.
"Were you summoned today?" Harribel was standing about 10 feet from her compatriot, fully aware of his unpredictable behavior and tendency to seek out unnecessary battle and choosing to keep a safe distance.
He remained silent.
"Was it Lucy?"
At the mention of the name he opened an eye and leveled a glare on the Tres, silently answering her question. Of all the Espada Grimmjow disliked Harribel the least, though Starrk was alright in his book too – even if both refused to fight him; probably scared of a good fight to the death.
"Did you by any chance see a key Grimmjow?"
He now opened both eyes and scowled at his comrade; her innocent questions were beginning to sound a lot more like an interrogation to him. His rumble turned into a full blown growl as he sat up, throwing a hefty glare at the woman.
"Why you askin'?" He ended off with a sneer, warning her to tread lightly unless she wanted to be unwillingly pulled into a fight.
"It was something Baraggan said that has me.. Curious.. That's all." She stood for a moment longer, waiting for Grimmjow to respond.
"Tch.." He closed his eyes again and lay back in his previous position, seemingly relaxed. He didn't want to lie to her, but he also wasn't sure if he should tell her everything either. Was he actually protecting the dumb blonde? A few four-letter words slipped under his breath as he regarded his behavior. Harribel realized she wasn't getting a straight answer from him, and slowly turned to walk away.
"What does it mean if she's got some key or whatever the fuck yer talkin' about?"
"I don't know, Baraggan didn't say. But I suggest we keep this hidden from Lord Aizen." Harribel continued to walk away, she could sense Grimmjow's hesitancy to tell her too much, or anything at all; he must have felt protective over the girl too even if he didn't realize it yet. She began thinking back on her extremely brief encounter with the little blonde, and started questioning her similar lingering feelings of protectiveness - and still wondered why. She also feared Aizen wouldn't appreciate his best soldiers being summoned under another's command. Luckily for her they'd all been so busy with missions between their world and the human world that she was sure Aizen wouldn't notice their reiatsu disappearances; especially Grimmjow's. Truth be told, Harribel preferred Lucy over the ex-Shinigami, though that was a thought she would keep to herself.
Though she still had unanswered questions she was almost positive the Sexta had seen or had some knowledge of a key if his reaction was anything to go by. She'd have to find the previous king and ask some questions, it was clear more of them would be called and she wanted to understand the specifics of the situation – especially with a war just around the corner.
Grimmjow opened an eye after hearing Harribel's footsteps completely disappear. He couldn't care less about Aizen or his fucking war, as long as he got to fight Kurosaki at some point the specifics and politics behind it all meant little to nothing to him. Since he couldn't actually seek the Substitute Soul Reaper out, he'd settle for whatever Lucy had to offer him for the time being. He smirked to himself as he searched out his reiatsu, feeling the pull from a very faraway place that also seemed so close now.
Aizen could go fuck himself; he was going to do what he wanted.
It was approaching early evening in Fairy Tail as all its members waited impatiently within the guild. Makarov made sure nobody took any missions today and no one wanted to stay at home either, which made for overly crowded conditions. It had been several hours since Lucy left for Mt. Hakobe and so far no one had heard back from her or the Strauss' yet.
Were they all okay? Why hadn't anyone contacted them on the Communication Lacrima yet? Did Lucy even make it to Hakobe? Was it a trap? A set up?
Everyone shifted uncomfortably and fidgeted at the edge of their seats; apprehension getting heavier and tension so thick you could easily cut it with a knife. It was more than a certain Fire Dragon Slayer could tolerate any longer.
"Screw this! I'm going!" Natsu had slammed his hands on the table his team had been sitting at; startling everyone from their daze as he began making his way out the guild doors. "Let's go Happy!"
"Aye sir! I wanna see Lucy!" His partner in crime flying closely behind – the fish he had been absentmindedly chewing on forgotten. Both were so focused on their goal that neither one noticed the Knight cutting off their path until the Fire Mage almost walked face first into her armored chest.
"Stop right there Natsu, don't disrespect Lucy's wishes." Erza had a firm grip on his shoulder, successfully stopping him in mid-stride as he attempted to walk around her.
"Let me go Erza, she's my friend! I need to be there for her!" And after his declaration she sent a solid right hook straight to his left temple.
"W-what the hell Erza?!" He stumbled back a little while clutching the left side of his face, finally getting a good look at her now and only just noticing the tears in her eyes.
"Don't you dare. Don't you dare even think we're not all just as concerned about Lucy as you; or that we are any less her friends. Mavis was right; this was Lucy's decision and completely her choice. Only she could make it and none of us could change her mind. We have to have faith in Lucy and her abilities now Natsu. Have faith she'll return to us with the Strauss siblings." Her tears were falling now. Her emotions were betraying her conviction; she was scared to death for Lucy's sake.
Gray slowly stood from the table and walked towards the two, hugging Erza from behind while Cana approached from the other side, placing a hand on Natsu's shoulder; silently telling him to let it go. Everyone else just watched the small display with hardened and distraught looks, some wanting to urge Natsu to go find the missing mages, others agreeing with Erza, and the rest too overwhelmed to really take notice. The rest of the teams had made it back to the guild soon after Lucy's departure and were filled in on everything that had happened that morning and the day prior. Breaking the news to Wendy was by far the hardest, she had yet to stop crying as she clutched Carla for comfort while Chelia and Juvia tried to soothe her; the tears were relentless.
All the other members from the other guilds just stayed silent – they understood the gravity of the situation and didn't want to speak out of place. A few had stayed behind instead of heading back to their own respective guilds to silently support Fairy Tail in their moment of need. Sting and Rogue sat adjacent to the scene with their exceeds; the White Dragon Slayer was only moments from standing and following after Natsu until the Knight crossed his path. He casted a wary glance to the Guild Master, curious to see if he was going to say or do anything, were they really all just going to sit here and hope their mages would make it back by chance? That didn't seem like the Fairy Tail he'd come to know..
Makarov was quietly sitting next to Laxus, not paying the scene hardly any mind as he was completely lost in thought. He hadn't spoken much since that morning and wondered if letting one of his children run off alone to fight a foe three mages including one S-class couldn't handle was really the only option. He knew just as well that the decision was solely Lucy's to make – but he was supposed to take care of his family; he should have been the one to go – he wished he was the one to go. He could feel the weight of the Sabertooth Guild Master's stare, and knew what the boy was thinking. He partly agreed with him, but also knew there were no other options. Fairy Tail stuck together no matter what, but just because they weren't with Lucy didn't mean they weren't there for her; he believed in her just as much at that moment as he did at the train station that morning, and the night before when she made her choice. She was a brave girl, resourceful, smart - if anyone could pull this off it would be Lucy. She was more like Natsu than even he'd like to admit..
As if to relieve the ever-building tension in the room, a town's person came bursting into the guild, bending over in exhaustion and trying to catch his breath.
"F-Fairy Tail.. Come.. Quick.. Your mages – they're at the town's hospital. They collapsed at the train station.."
Once the hospital was in sight, Makarov instantly thought to turn around and address the rowdy crowd of mages marching their way towards the entrance. There was no way more than 200 hundred people would be able to enter the small building; and the thought of their reactions to seeing some very seriously wounded friends was enough to cause Makarov to grow in size and stop everyone in their tracks. "Children, friends, we all need to calm down and think about this rationally. Not everyone can enter, and we need to brace ourselves for whatever awaits us beyond these doors. I need everyone to stay here, we'll all have our turn to visit and- HEY! Natsu!"
Makarov had reached for the Dragon Slayer as he swiftly moved past Makarov's enormous hand and dove for the hospital doors – barely making it inside. Laxus growled as he followed suit, he knew his Grandfather was mainly addressing Natsu, God knows what he'd do if he saw Lucy, or any of them for that matter, mangled; more than likely destroy the entire hospital.
"Dammit Natsu! Calm down! Wait!" Laxus had finally caught up to the boy as he slid through an open door and into a room – following the all too familiar scents of the mages occupying it. He stood for a moment as Laxus looked to the boy's twisted facial features and then finally at the room, stomach dropping as he flinched at the sight.
"Laxus! Natsu!" Makarov and Erza came bursting through the door, Erza roughly gripping Natsu's shoulder so hard anyone else would have flinched – but Natsu just stood; unmoving and staring inside the room. Erza's gaze drifted to his line of sight and jumped a little at what was lying in front of her.
Inside the room were only three occupied hospital beds, and the unmistakable silver hair of all three siblings. Makarov slowly entered, anger at the pink haired boy's unruly behavior forgotten and all focus on his injured children, and noting only three beds. He hopped up on the chair closest to Mira as he assessed her injuries – bruises, cuts, gashes.. And all three were unconscious. His chest started to tighten as he instinctively began petting Mira's unkempt hair, causing her eyes to stir and just slightly open.
At first all she could see was a haze, and then it focused onto Makarov's smile; then to the twisted expressions of the three still standing at the door until she settled on Natsu. Lucy..
Her chest began to ache and her lip quivered as tears welled in her eyes. "Master.. Lucy.." She spoke between deep breaths as tears started streaming down her face. Makarov was fighting back his own as he continued to pet her head in an attempt to calm her down as the machines she was connected to began beeping uncontrollably – alerting the hospital staff.
"Mira, what happened to Lucy?" Makarov was trying to calm the girl down all the while attempting to gather as much information as possible; but judging by the Take-Over mages incoherent sentences, Makarov wasn't going to get a straight answer. "Shhhh, calm down child. You've been through a lot, you need your rest now." He smiled warmly as he continued to pet her hair, trying to lull her back to sleep as a few nurses barged through the door – ushering the mages out as they went to Mira's bed to assess her.
It wasn't until then that Makarov noticed only three of them were being pushed out, not four. He shot his eyes to the front of the hospital to catch a glimpse of pink hair disappearing through the front doors. A swift gust of wind brushed past him as the Knight and Lightning Dragon Slayer ran towards the disappearing figure and out the doors as well.
He knew they weren't running to stop the boy, they were running to help him in whatever it was he was going to do. Makarov stood in the hall for a little longer, considering chasing after the three and putting a stop to the madness, but realized that would have been pointless. They were going to do whatever it was they needed to do, and no force in Magnolia was going to stop them.
"Natsu! Wait up! Where are you going?" Happy was flying after the Dragon Slayer as he brushed past everyone, a look of determination mixed with anger on his face.
"Natsu! What happened?!" Gray was now chasing after him; grabbing his arm and making him turn around. Natsu made eye contact with Gray and looked back to the rest of the mages watching his display in suspense. Erza and Laxus had just caught up to the three as the Raijinshuu and Levy came running up as well.
"What's going on? Is everyone okay?!" Levy was clutching her chest in anticipation, readying herself for any form of news – if Natsu's outburst told her anything it was that something was clearly very wrong.
Laxus quickly brushed past Natsu as the Raijinshuu followed closely behind, "Lucy wasn't in there, only the Strauss' were. I'm gonna go find her; you guys can do whatever you want." He then turned and looked to his team, then directly to Evergreen, "Elfman's in there, he could use some company."
She flinched for a moment and then nodded her head, agreeing to stay. Freed stood still as he looked between the two, weighing his options of going with Laxus or staying with Evergreen and visiting with Mira.
"Hey what's going on? Where are you all running off to?" Sting had just approached the group, the usual forcefulness in his voice gone and trying to acquire information as delicately as possible, he didn't want to aggravate the already brooding mages. Lector, Rogue, and Fro slowly approached from behind as Gajeel pushed past the small group of Saber's and aggressively grabbed Natsu's vest.
"Gajeel! What are you doing? Calm down!" Levy was reaching for Gajeel's arm as he gave the boy a solid shake and then hit him straight in the face. Everyone jolted at the unexpected behavior and looked to the Iron Mage, waiting for an explanation.
"The fuck you think yer doin' Salamander?! Huh?! Thought you'd brush past everyone out here like we had nothin' to do with any of this and run off without as much as an explanation?!" Gajeel had finally released Natsu's vest as the Fire Mage recovered from his blow, standing tall and a new look on his face as he considered the Iron Dragon Slayer's words.
Laxus had also turned to fully face the group as he finally regarded everyone outside the building. They all needed an explanation, and deserved one, he would have been pissed too if the roles were reversed. He then looked to the Fire Dragon Slayer as he began to speak.
"Lucy wasn't in there. The Strauss' are okay, just some wounds. Mira said Lucy's name.. And then the monitors started going crazy before she fell back unconscious. We don't know what happened, and I'm not waiting until they wake up to find out – I'm going to Mt. Hakobe." Natsu spoke as calmly as he could, briefly looking to everyone then settling a little longer between Gajeel, Erza, and Gray.
"And I'm going with you; both of you." Erza looked between Laxus and Natsu, hands on her hips as Milliana and Kagura came to stand behind her, arms crossed and ready to get down to business.
"Then what are we waitin' for? Let's go!" Sting walked between Natsu and Gajeel, who were still leveling each other with heavy gazes. Rogue now next to him with Fro on his shoulder.
"If anyone can find a mage its Sabertooth! Sting will find her!" Lector was now in the middle of all four Dragon Slayers, pointing a stubby finger at Natsu and giving him his signature confident smile.
"Fro thinks so too!" The little exceed sang as it bounced on Rogue's shoulder.
"Tell us what you need us to do." Rogue was now looking between Gajeel and Natsu.
"Well we're not getting anything done just standing here! Let's go!" Gray was walking past Natsu and then Laxus, not even bothering to look back at the rest to see if they were following.
"Well it's pretty safe to say Gray's gonna need all the help he can get, he is Gray after all." Lyon had a sarcastic smirk as he followed after his rival and past everyone gathered only a short distance away from the hospital. He only shouted over his shoulder to his guild mate, "Chelia, you stay here with Wendy." Chelia nodded as she grabbed onto Wendy's arm as she attempted to chase after the group, successfully keeping her from following.
"Wait! I'm coming too!" She was protesting as she attempted again to follow the mages.
"Wendy, we should stay here, just in case they need us inside the hospital." Carla was placing her paw on Wendy's hand to try and reason with her as Cana approached her other side and grabbed her shoulder, fighting back her own tears. Wendy looked to the Card Mage and noted the redness of her eyes. Oh Cana.. She briefly looked to her exceed, back to the disappearing group, and then finally back at Cana before she hesitantly nodded. They needed support here still..
"Juvia will help Gray-sama find love rival!" Juvia was chasing after both Ice Mages before Freed grabbed her arm, "Juvia we should stay here. The Strauss' need all the support they can get and I'm sure Lisanna would love to see you." Freed had given her a small smile as her look of determination turned to a sad one. "But.. Lucy.." Juvia was looking to the group of mages who were beginning to walk away.
"Trust in them Juvia, they'll find her. We're needed here." Freed was patting her shoulder as she and Wendy shared the same hesitant glance. Both wanting to go, but realizing they should stay.
"Droy, Jet, you stay here too, I'm going to go find Lu-chan!" Levy had fire burning in her eyes as she chased after Gajeel and Lily down the road. Both nodded as they looked to Cana, Macao, and Romeo. "You're not going Cana?" Droy was surprised at her reluctance to join the search party.
"I.. I want to.. But.. I'm scared." She'd been fighting her tears back the entire time as she could do nothing but stand in silence. She couldn't go with them; she was too scared to find Lucy in any state other than the one she left in. If Mira's monitors went out of whack after only mentioning the Celestial Spirit Mage's name, she could only imagine what might've happened. Bisca was placing her arm around the girl while Alzack was busy holding a crying Asuka. "Don't worry Cana, we need you here just as much. Come on, let's go visit with our friends inside." Bisca was guiding her back towards the hospital as she nodded her head and followed cooperatively. She thought about using her Card Magic to find out whether or not Lucy had made it, but couldn't bring herself to do that anymore than she could follow the crowd to the train station. Droy and Jet shared an understanding look as they followed after the Card Mage.
"Don't worry Cana, you have nothing to be ashamed about. You're not the only one who's fearing the worst.." Droy had placed an assuring hand on her other shoulder as the small group of mages looked to their Master pacing outside the hospital. Things weren't looking too good..
Juvia, Chelia, Carla, and Wendy were following close behind as all four looked at Makarov, then took one last glance at the group almost completely out of sight now. If a group like that couldn't find Lucy then no one could.
The streets cleared and onlookers couldn't help but stare at the clearly pissed off mages making their way to the station. Gray and Lyon were still leading the way with Laxus and Bixlow close behind. The other four Dragon Slayers were only slightly ahead of Erza, Milliana, and Kagura. Three of the exceeds flew overhead, passing up the group as Lector was determined to beat Happy to the train station. Levy was jogging now and almost completely caught up with Erza. "Should we call Blue Pegasus? They're closer to Mt. Hakobe, maybe they can start searching too!" Levy had finally caught up but wasn't speaking to anyone in particular.
"That's a good idea Levy." Lily was still on Gajeel's shoulder as he then looked to Erza, "Do you still have the Communication Lacrima Erza?"
"Yes it's in my bag, hold on." Erza was reaching into her one small bag she chose to bring with her just in case; pulling the orb from it as the group approached the train station. As if right on time, the overhead PA announced one of the next train's destination stops: Hakobe. Perfect!
"Blue Pegasus. This is Erza Scarlet from Fairy Tail, we need your help." Erza was looking to Bob as his smile faded into a serious expression. "Tell us what you need child, we'll do everything we can."
"Is that Erza?! What happened? Is everything alright?" Ichiya was now standing behind Bob as the Trimens with a few miscellaneous members started listening in.
"One of our mages is missing. We need help finding her, she's near your location; we're heading to Hakobe right now but we were hoping you could start before us." Erza had finished as Sting walked up next to her, ready to address the Blue Pegasus Guild Master.
"Sabertooth is here." He then looked behind Erza at Kagura and Milliana, "Mermaid Heel and Lamia Scale are helping too. But we're a few hours out, think you can get there sooner?"
Bob nodded his head as he looked to the group behind him, Hibiki came up to the screen as he took the orb from his Master, "Who's missing?" Hibiki was looking between Erza and Sting.
"Lucy.."
Hibiki's eyes went wide for a moment then he regained himself. "Alright, where should we begin?"
Before Erza could answer she was violently pushed forward, the crowd at the station was moving to and fro as people were boarding and exiting their trains; the locomotive that announced it's departure towards Hakobe was now boarding. The few members began hurriedly moving towards the ticket window when Natsu suddenly stopped, causing a few people to crash into his still form as he then whipped his head from side to side before turning fully around – catching everyone else's attention. They were all watching Natsu curiously until Gajeel and Laxus' heads snapped too, then Sting and Rogue finally caught on. Natsu had turned around and was pushing past the crowd towards the train that was still exiting passengers with Laxus and Gajeel close behind.
All four exceeds shared curious looks before chasing after the Dragon Slayers, the rest of the search party close behind; and then everyone stopped dead in their tracks and finally realized what the five slayers were sniffing out.
"Hey guys.. Where's everybody running off to?"
…
Everyone was now laying eyes on a very beaten up, and bleeding, Lucy Heartfilia. She dropped the bag that Natsu over-packed for her and was clutching the arm with the black obi still wrapped around it. Her clothes were tattered and torn, she had bruising beginning to show everywhere and dried up blood she only managed to somewhat clean off in the train's bathroom compartment. The people exiting the train were giving her questioning and concerned looks – she looked like she'd been through hell and back.
"So, umm, I guess that's one more down right?" She was now scratching the back of her head and nervously laughing, the situation was getting pretty awkward with everybody just standing in place, mouths slightly hanging open and not saying a word.
She then started shifting her weight from one foot to the other as the intensity of all the stares from the mages and civilians started to get to her.
Why were they all just staring? She made one more attempt to break the silence: "Did the Strauss' make it back okay?"
And before anyone could answer her question she was tackled to the floor by a pink-haired blur and a blue-furred fury. Both were crying as Natsu held her around her torso and Happy smothered her face. Her hands had flailed in the air in an attempt to catch herself before falling – but that was to no avail.
As if snapped out of a trance, Erza marched up to the mages on the ground, grabbed Natsu by the back of his vest and threw him clear across the station along with the Lacrima, embracing Lucy as Gray almost tripped over himself running to her side, but he'd wait for his turn to welcome Lucy back; he didn't want to challenge the Knight..
Lyon, Sting, and Rogue stood back, their exceeds perched on their shoulders as the Fairy Tail mages swarmed their once missing comrade, each one acknowledging her in their own unique way. Milliana and Kagura shared a glance before smiling and joining the now overly excited group of mages causing an even bigger scene at the station. Natsu had rejoined the group, tossing the Lacrima to the Sabers before swiftly grabbing Lucy off her feet; prepared to take her to the hospital.
"N-Natsu! What are you doing?!" She shrieked as her face began to burn up.
"You think I'm gonna let ya walk with those injuries?" Natsu gave her a raised eyebrow then a huge smile, "It's good to have ya back Luce. Don't ever go off on your own like that again." His eyebrows were furrowed but he was still smiling.
"Tell us everything Lu-chan! What happened?" Levy was clutching onto Natsu's arm as she bounced in excitement. Lily had flown onto her shoulder as Happy collapsed himself on Natsu's head. "Lucyyyyyyyyyyyy!" He started crying into his partner's pink hair; Lucy couldn't help but smile as she reached up to pat his head.
"Don't worry Happy, I'm home now!" She brought the blue exceed into her arms as he cried into her chest. Erza was now walking by Natsu's side, pride in her stance and tears in her eyes; Gray was pushing Lyon as the other Ice Mage was playfully poking at his tears. Laxus and Bixlow watched the entire display with a smile. The other mages now took their turns to greet Lucy as they simultaneously made their way back up the road and to the hospital – where a very large crowd was hopelessly waiting for their return.
After making a few short visits with almost every mage at the hospital, a few stitches, an X-ray showing no broken bones – luckily – and a few prescription pain pills later, Lucy was back in her apartment, and ready for a long hot bath.
"Alright Luce! Let's get you cleaned up!" Natsu came walking out of her bathroom, clad in only a towel as Happy jumped out too, flying around Natsu's head in excitement. Lucy sweat dropped while Levy face palmed; but Erza didn't seem to mind.
"Yes, let's all bathe together." Erza was roughly patting Natsu's back as he turned to jump into the bath water.
"W-wait.. Erza.. Natsu.. I umm, don't think Lucy's bath tub will fit all of us." Levy had her hands in the air, trying to coax Natsu out of the bathroom and convince Erza not everyone should bathe..
"Hmm, she's got a point.." Gray was standing next to Levy, a towel slung over his shoulder and standing completely naked. "Maybe we can take turns?" Gray was looking between Levy and Lucy, completely oblivious to their blushes and bulging eyes.
"Gray!" Gajeel came slamming through Lucy's front door, grabbing the Ice Mage's towel from his shoulder and tossing it at his face before throwing him out Lucy's bedroom window. He then turned and noticed Natsu standing in the bathroom doorway in only a towel. He looked back to Lucy and Levy and saw they were clearly undressed and covered for a bath. His face darkened as he began gritting his teeth before grabbing Natsu and tossing him out the same window he'd just violently discarded the Ice Mage through.
"Get the fuck out while they're takin' a bath ya fuckin' perverts!" Gajeel had slammed and locked Lucy's bedroom window as he turned to address the girls. "You three," he was pointing a finger at all three girls, "bath. Now. I'm staying in the living room to make sure Popsicle and Salamander stay out." He'd walked to the couch he'd become rather familiar with and plopped all his weight onto it. Lily jumping up on the arm rest, still smiling at the show Gajeel had just put on for everyone, like Gajeel would let another guy in the bath with Levy.. Pfft.
Once the girls made it to the bath, Levy and Erza began washing off all the dirt and muck Lucy had accumulated, paying extra special attention to all her wounds.
"Lu-chan.. What happened exactly?" Levy was delicately cleansing around the stitches on the girls right forearm, that's a really deep cut..
"She already told us at the hospital Levy, she's lucky she only got away with these after facing two S-class demons." Erza was trying to avoid Lucy's shoulder area, she looked like she had some gnarly rope burn. Stupid Grimmjow..
"Mmm.." Lucy could only offer the small sound as an answer, once she stepped into the warm bath and let her friends fret over cleaning her up; she instantly shut down. She was pretty sure she'd be sleeping pretty good tonight.
Right as Lucy felt herself begin to drift off to some much needed sleep a heavy thunk followed by roaring laughter vibrated her apartment. Voices started to echo as Cana's boisterous chuckling followed by Carla's scolding resonated with her for a second. She casted a glance to her bath companions as they both gave her a wry smile. Then an even louder crash followed by Wendy's scream and Gajeel's thunderous laughter caused the small room to completely shake. All three began to giggle as they all climbed out of the bath tub and began to quickly dress. Once Lucy opened her bathroom door she face palmed while Levy sweat dropped.
Well so much for a good nights sleep..
Carla was still reprimanding Cana for bringing too much alcohol into Lucy's apartment while Wendy was curiously looking at all the different varieties displayed on the counter and table. Gajeel had already helped himself to a rather large bottle as a few more people walked through her door.
Milliana and Kagura had picked up a few things for dinner while Lyon and Chelia had decided on a couple of sweets; well, Chelia had – Lyon just didn't argue.
Sting and Rogue came bursting through the door with Natsu and Gray close behind – both ready to knock Gajeel right upside the head until Erza gave them a look that changed their minds.
"To Lucy!" Natsu had lifted one of the bottles Cana had brought with her and the rest cheered, Lucy blushed as she fidgeted on her couch. Gajeel was roughly patting her back as Levy clinked her cup to Lucy's and took a drink. Natsu then flew over the back rest and landed in between Gajeel and Lucy, almost causing Gajeel to choke on his beverage while in mid-swig.
"It's good to have you home Luce." He was ruffling her hair as Gray leaned on the couch's arm rest and smiled at her.
"Yes Lucy, you had me worried my love, don't ever do that again." Sting was clasping her hands in an obnoxiously over-the-top manner. Lucy rolled her eyes as she then looked to Natsu - who wasn't sitting next to her anymore. Her eyebrows shot up in surprise when her sights fell on Gajeel instead who was clearly amused with something in the center of the living room. She followed his line of sight and felt a few veins pop.
Natsu had cracked Sting's face into the floor and was ready to smash Lucy's small coffee table over his head.
She moved faster than she could think, before anymore damage could be done she sent a hard Lucy-kick right to Natsu's chin, shooting him into the kitchen where he narrowly missed Milliana and Kagura before landing on her floor in a heap.
"What'd you do that for Luce?!" Natsu was instantly back to his feet, rubbing under his chin and giving Lucy one of the most heart-felt, confused, puppy-dog eyes she'd ever seen.
"Natsu.. Please don't destroy my furniture.. And stop buying into his teasing.." She'd just slapped her hand to her head, suddenly feeling exhausted all over again.
"Wow.. You sure you didn't just handle those demons by yourself?" Lyon and Gray were judging the distance of her kick while Sting stood next to Lucy, an idiotic grin on his face as he held back a laugh.
"See that Salamander, she likes me better!" Sting's smug look was instantly turned inward as Lucy landed another kick to the second offending Dragon Slayer.
"That goes for you too!" Lucy was huffing and puffing. Stupid idiotic Dragon Slayers.. They're gonna be the death of me!
"Lucyyyyyyy, let me buy you a driiiiiink!" Cana was jumping on the Celestial Mage and bringing her back down onto the couch. Levy was desperately trying to unbind the drunk Card Mage before she reopened one of Lucy's wounds.
"Cana, you didn't even buy any of it, you took it all from the guild!" Carla was now at the top of the couch, paws on her hips and giving Cana another disapproving look. Wendy and Chelia were now on either side of the tangled girls.
"So Lu-chan, you still haven't told us everything! Which key did you use?!" Levy was finally successful with prying Cana off while the other girls were instantly intrigued by the topic of discussion and moved towards the small group on the couch. Gajeel had abandoned his seat to grab another bottle and everyone else was too preoccupied to take notice, and preoccupied meaning getting hammered.
"Well, the weirdest thing happened.. My Arrancar key actually started acting odd so I just decided to call it.. For no real reason." She was looking at her key ring again, still slightly curious about its weird behavior the other day. Maybe it just understood her feelings?
"Really?! Was it Harribel?!" Both Levy and Erza's eyes lit up at the mention of the name. Wendy and Carla shared a curious glance and both shrugged, who was Harribel? Juvia was finally siting at the edge of one of the cushions as Milliana and Kagura stood behind the couch, noting the look on Erza's face.
Lucy laughed, "No actually, it was a new spirit. His name was Grimmjow Jaegerjaquez."
"Well that's an odd name.. What was he like?!" Levy was practically bouncing with excitement. Cana had put her beer down and the Mermaid Heel mages were intently listening – they were curious about Lucy's keys too; they'd heard she had some powerful – and some good looking – new friends.
"Well.. He was rude, violent, sarcastic, a little perverted, more destructive than Natsu could ever be, and maybe a little psychotic.." She was in her contemplative stance, all the other girls sweat dropped. This is the hero we were just romanticizing about..?
"But, he also saved my life.. He even came back on his own to do it. He had an honor code that you don't really see now 'n days, kind of like an old warrior. There was something about him that was so.. Different. I dunno.. He was actually kinda fun.." She was smiling now thinking about their arguments and his array of facial expressions.
Levy and Cana shared a devious look and smiled. Juvia was practically bouncing in her seat thinking she'd lost her love rival. "So what did he look like Lucy?" Cana practically purred.
"Hmmm, well, he was tall, about as tall as Laxus.. And well built. He wears an open jacket with pants. Oh! He has wild blue hair and eyes, with a type of green war paint underlining them. He has a sharp mask that sits on the right side of his cheek.." She was trying to imagine all the details.
"Would you say he's good looking?" Cana now had an eye brow raised.
"Hmm? Oh, yeah, definitely. He had a wild untamed thing about him." Lucy was now watching Cana run to her dresser drawer to grab something, almost tripping on her way back in her excitement.
"Okay, wear this the next time you summon him."
"…Cana… This is lingerie…"
"Yes. Exactly. I'm tired of you being single and a virgin."
…
"You've been talking to Aquarius.. Haven't you..?" Aquarius started snickering from the other side.
"Cana these aren't even mine.." Lucy was now eyeing the scantily clothed undergarments. Was that a hole in the panties..?
"Yeah I know, but yours scream 17 year old virgin so I'm lending you mine." She was smiling with a light blush dusting her cheeks. "Don't worryyyy, I haven't worn them!"
All the other women were eyeing the undergarments now, where does Cana even get this stuff?
"No thank you Cana.. I don't really plan on trying to seduce my spirit.. Besides, he hates me." She sweat dropped and thought back on his killer aura – directed solely at her.
"Lucy, nobody hates you, don't be so cryptic." Cana was waving her finger, playfully scolding the girl.
Wait til you meet him.. Lucy was looking at the black obi she and Levy tried to wash without much success. She thought about burning it.. Maybe that would prevent him from coming back..
"Lucy is that yours?" Wendy had noticed the Celestial Mage's attention had fallen onto the sash, but it was a bit too large to belong to the petite blonde girl.
"No, it's his. He leant it to me when I was hurt." She was smiling again, still looking at the obi. Then got a look of depression. I'm going to live the rest of my life in fear until he pops up again..
"Oh, she's got it bad.." Cana was now elbowing Levy as the Script Mage began to giggle. Even Erza smiled and Juvia clapped. Man do they have the wrong idea..
"Lucyyyyyyy, let's drink!" Sting had just tackled Rogue onto the floor next to Juvia and in front of the girls. Rogue blushed as he attempted to push his friend off, irritation evident on his otherwise collected facial expression.
"I think you're drinking enough for all of us." Kagura was eyeing the Saber Guild Master, arms crossed and irritated that such a buffoon could have taken such a prestigious title at such a young age. Milliana snickered as she couldn't help but join in on the drinking fun.
"Awww, come one Kagura! It's not everyday we get to all drink together like this! Besides, we leave early tomorrow, it's our last chance!" The cat-like mage was grabbing a few bottles from the table, handing one to each girl on the couch.
"In honor of new!" Milliana had just gestured to the Fairy Tail and Lamia Scale Mage, "and to old" she then tapped her bottle to Erza's, "and to life-time friends." She finished off with a clink to Kagura's as every girl smiled and joined in on the cheers.
"To friends!" The girls snapped their head over to the forgotten mages who were rough housing only moments ago, all the Dragon Slayers and Ice Mages were holding their cups up as Natsu stood at the front, apparently they'd listened to Milliana's cheer and Natsu had decided they all needed to join in.
"To friends!" Wendy jumped up on the couch, her and Chelia cheering their apple-cider as the rest finished off the rest of the alcohol.
After a few more drinks, Cana started pulling out more lingerie, this time holding it up to Levy and asking Gajeel for his opinion. Both turned bright red and the relentless teasing began..
Sting managed to pull Milliana and Erza into a drinking contest that Cana refused to be left out of. When Lucy thought the group couldn't get any worse Erza started stomping around Lucy's apartment, challenging everyone to a fight.. To which Sting accepted.. And regretted within three seconds.. Much to Rogues amusement and Lector's horror.
We should really know better by now to not let Erza get too drunk.. Lucy face palmed as she shifted her attention to a passed out Juvia sprawled out on her living room floor, drooling on herself with an empty bottle of sake in her hands. Chelia, Wendy, Happy, and Carla took the opportunity to draw on her face while Cana was still attempting to fend off a worked up Script Mage and Iron Dragon Slayer. Kagura and Milliana were assisting Erza in any other fight she started while Gray and Natsu were attempting their own contest.
Before Lucy knew it, her apartment had cleared out and she was making her way to her bed. She paused in her doorway when she realized her apartment wasn't anywhere near empty.
Natsu and Erza were on either side of her bed with Happy draped on top of the Dragon Slayer's head. Gray was on the floor leaning against the frame with Juvia's head on his lap. Wendy had found the foot of the bed with Carla in her arms and Levy seemed to be in a comfortable position on the living room couch with company.
Lucy walked into her room and laughed at the sight – it was almost the exact same scene from a few nights ago but with a few extras. She snaked her way in between Natsu and Erza, sighing in contentment when she realized just how lucky she was, and how amazing her friends were. She looked to her night stand and eyed her key pouch one last time before her eyes slowly settled on the black obi as she drifted to sleep; it really was good to be home.
"Baraggan.. May I speak with you?" Harribel had just approached the Second, arms crossed and ignoring the looks from his Fracción.
"How dare you address Lord Baraggan so formally!" One of his Fracción had taken a step forward. Harribel believed his name was Ggio..
"And just who do you think you are to address Lady Harribel in that tone?" Mila Rose had just taken a step forward as well, pointing a finger at the Saber Arrancar as Apachi leveled a glare on him.
"That is enough. You may leave us." Baraggan gave a single wave of his hand; his Fracción bowed and then disappeared. Harribel looked to the three and nodded her head. Apachi and Mila Rose shared a glance before all three of her Fracción disappeared as well.
"What is it Harribel, I'm quite busy." Baraggan had put his hands behind his back, giving Harribel a look telling her to finish her business with him quickly.
"It's about our conversation the other day. Grimmjow was summoned today but refused to say much; I want to know what's going on." Harribel's gaze didn't move from Baraggan's.
"You're saying you want to know about the key, yes?" Baraggan had taken a step forward.
"Yes. I want to know everything."
"Unfortunately my dear, I don't know everything. Those are specifics only the Shinigami are entitled with."
"What do you mean?"
"I don't have any details for you Harribel; all I know is that a key opened a portal into another world, one that somehow bridged this one."
"Does anyone else know about this?" Harribel's eyebrows began to furrow, if anything this conversation was just confusing her more.
"Soul Society does, but I'm sure only a very select few do."
"Why is this such a secret?"
"Because of the manner in which the keys were made."
"Keys?" Harribel's arms had uncrossed. There was more than one?
"..."
The next morning, well, afternoon really, Lucy decided she would visit the hospital. The staff wouldn't let her visit with the Strauss' outside of the designated hours; even though she was already there, she wasn't even sure if they knew she was still alive. Much to her surprise she only woke up in one of Erza's embraces with Levy sprawled out on top of her. Everyone else had left, that was odd.. Where did they all go?
Lucy slowly got out of bed and did a quick morning regimen, laughing at Erza's disgruntled face and Levy's horribly knotted hair. Right as the three finished changing an out of breath Wendy came running through the front door. "Lucy! Come quick! Master said it's an emergency!" Lucy shared a quick glance with Erza and Levy and then all four mages were out her front door and running towards the guild.
Lucy was the first to arrive ahead of the group, her stomach had dropped when she remembered the last time she ran to the guild for an emergency – she blanched a little at the memory as she reached for the double doors, glancing back to make sure the three were still with her. She took a deep, calming breath and prepared herself for what ever news Makarov had. She opened her eyes, straightened herself up, and pushed through the double doors.
"SURPRISE!"
Lucy's eyes bugged out of her head as streamers and confetti flew every which way. Beer was spilling everywhere as members cheered; Cana took the liberty of grabbing a few champagne bottles that Happy, Lily, and Carla were popping. She quickly turned to look at Wendy, Levy and Erza, who were all smiling while Levy held up a peace sign.
"You guys knew?!" Lucy was in shock, who knew Levy and Erza could be such surprise party specialists.
"Yeah, well, we knew the other guild members had to head back early today, and they wanted to celebrate a little bit too, so just think of last night as the pre-party." Levy was swaying her hips back and forth, hands behind her back and feigning innocence.
When Lucy turned back around she saw every member of the guild, cheering, drinking, and of course getting rowdy. A few started to separate from the center to make way for a few people, and Lucy couldn't help but gasp at the sight of Mira, Lisanna, and Elfman all making their way to the front of the crowd, holding an excessively large bouquet of flowers.
"Surprise!" Mira and Lisanna practically sang in unison as they both held back tears. Lucy had no reservations about pulling the two into an embrace while Elfman scratched the back of his head rather awkwardly as he watched the display.
"When were you guys released?!" Lucy was now holding both girls at arm's length.
"Last night, that's the real reason why you couldn't visit with us. We didn't have any serious injuries; we were just physically and mentally exhausted." Lisanna was attempting to fix some of the flowers they'd smashed in their hug while Mira just smiled.
"I'm so glad.. So glad you're here Lucy.." Mira had let go of the flowers and was practically smothering Lucy in another hug. Lisanna wiping a tear as Elfman had yet to move from his spot.
"Now! Enough with the tears! Drinks are on me tonight! In honor of Lucy!" Mira had finally released the Celestial Mage as she threw her hands into the air; then disappeared behind the bar countertop and started pouring drinks. Didn't she just get out of the hospital? Why is she working..?
Natsu and Gray had finally made their way to Lucy as Cana practically pounced on her – free drinks in honor of Lucy? Cana could have married her right then and there.
"I can't believe you kept a secret." Lucy was giving Natsu a disbelieving grin as she shook her head no. The Fire Dragon Slayer just smiled a big toothy grin as Happy landed on top of his head.
"What do ya think Luce? Do ya like it?!" Happy was gesturing to all the party decorations and the handmade sign saying 'Welcome home Lucy!' There were party streamers and table covers; they must've been setting it up all morning.
"We painted the sign!" Wendy and Romeo came running up, blushing and awaiting praise.
"It's beautiful guys.. All of it.. You didn't have to.." Tears pricked at her eyes as she smiled and pat both Romeo and Wendy's heads.
"We wanted to. Besides, you deserve it after all the shit you've been going through as of late." Laxus came walking up with a smile, Freed and Bixlow skipping behind him as Evergreen pushed past Laxus to smother Lucy in yet another hug. She was crying the same way she was when Lucy left to bring the Strauss back; she sure could be emotional if she wanted to be.
"Thanks guys.. Everyone.. Thank you! All of you!" Lucy was addressing the entire guild now as cheers were being made and drinks passed around.
"Well we can't take all the credit, Laxus, Makarov, and a few others set the whole place up, our only job was to keep you distracted." Gray had slung an arm around Lucy's shoulders.
"I really can't believe it.. All of you were in on this. I'm very impressed!" Lucy was laughing now as everyone donned a smug look.
"Lucy my child, I'm so proud of you.. This day is for you! Enjoy it!" Makarov was now walking towards the Celestial Mage, expanding his arms and wearing one of his goofy faces.
"Thanks Master.. But after yesterday I really think I should get as many of these missions done as possible.." Lucy's smile faded slightly as she saw a sad look cross a few of her friends' faces.
"I understand child.." Makarov was trying to smile for her, but he was feeling a little reluctant to let her run off again so soon – was her magic already fully restored?
"The sooner I get these done the sooner I can be back at the guild for good. I really don't want anything like last time to happen again.." Lucy was walking up the stairs with Makarov and Laxus close behind, the rest of her team – plus some new team members she supposed – were also walking to the main office. Hopefully we can agree on a mission this time..
As soon as they walked in Lucy noticed Mavis sitting on one of the shelves, giving Lucy a smile.
"Hello Lucy, I see you're doing rather well." Mavis was tilting her head and kicking her feet, glad to see the Celestial Mage already back and in good health.
"Yes Master Mavis, thank you for worrying about me." She nodded in acknowledgment as she found herself at Makarov's desk while he pulled out the different requests, throwing one away and placing another on top of the 10 year mission. It was the mission in the small town her team or Bacchus' hadn't gotten to the bottom of yet; so she figured the one he tossed had to be the Mt. Hakobe request.
"Well Lucy, looks like this one's only half finished, but since we don't know any details or don't have any leads to go off of yet, we'll put this one off for later." He was patting the unsolved request which still sat atop the 10 year.
"We have one S-class and two SS-classes. I recommend the S-class still.." Lucy nodded in agreement as she grabbed the request, looking to her team members for any objections, but everyone remained silent. For once. It was the one from a place she'd never even heard of, Mortem?
"It's a small area near the Tower of Heaven remnants, also near Galuna Island." Makarov was watching Lucy recall the location as she continued to stare at the paper.
"Galuna Island huh.." Gray was looking at the request over Lucy's shoulders.
"It's a place well known to be infested with demons. Not all are remnants of the book of Zeref as you've already encountered many of those already." Lucy assumed he was talking about a few of the demons she and her team had already defeated. She also remembered the first S-class mission she, Natsu, Erza, and Gray did together – the mission she got Sagittarius from – Galuna Island. They were definitely demons, but they weren't as malicious as the demons she'd encountered as of late.. Maybe there were still some good demons out there.
"So basically there's not a lot to go off of again.." Lucy sweat dropped as she saw the 'details' section of the request practically blank. And based on her last few missions, who knows if this is even S-class.. For all they knew Zeref himself could pop up during one of these missions..
"Since we don't know what to expect any more we're going to play on the safe side – everyone in this room and of your choosing will accompany you on every mission. No one else will be taking anymore missions for a while to prevent another incident similar to the Strauss' from happening.." Makarov had a pained look as he recalled the all too fresh memories of his children lying in hospital beds and a Celestial Mage facing a very serious threat alone.
Makarov snapped himself out of his depressing thoughts to continue, "The other guilds are also on stand-by, Blue Pegasus is still grateful for our help and has kept their best mages from taking requests just in case we're ever in need of aid. Mermaid Heel, Quatro Cerberus, Lamia Scale, and Sabertooth are also on stand-by. You will never be alone again Lucy, we won't make the same mistake twice."
Lucy snapped her eyes from the paper to look at her Master; she gave him a warm smile as she realized how much of a toll the whole ordeal had to of been on him. She was so preoccupied with everything and everyone else she forgot about the person this whole situation probably affected the most – Makarov. So she did something she'd never done before; she reached out and pulled Makarov into a huge embrace.
At first Makarov was stunned, he didn't expect Lucy to actually comfort him, she was the one who ran off to the black abyss to save members from his guild, the one who suffered so much emotional and physical pain, and had her magic drained again. He was trying to reassure her, but as he hugged her back he realized he needed to be comforted just as much – if not more so.
"Don't worry Master, we're Fairy Tail after all, we'll handle whatever gets thrown our way." Lucy held Makarov at arm's length as he nodded and wiped an unshed tear from his eye. A little relief settled over him, but the guilt of asking her to bear the keys still lingered; it wasn't fair to her. But the way she smiled at him and the way she told him not to worry pushed a few dark thoughts to the back of his mind. He'd believed in her this much so far, he wasn't going to start second guessing her now.
The guild below started getting louder and louder by the second as the drinks continued to be passed around. Lucy looked to the door and then to her friends.
"Why don't you go back downstairs Lucy, you can always leave tomorrow, there are a lot of people down there that still haven't gotten to visit with you yet." Makarov was smiling now as Lucy nodded and made her way to the door, everyone else close behind. As she began descending the stairs she started looking over the request again, something about the name of the city sent a chill down her spine.
In a swift movement Gajeel had reached across her and slipped the paper from her hands, eyeing it skeptically and then giving a little snort; tossing the sheet to Natsu as he and Erza began looking it over.
"What's the matter Gajeel? That was the one you refused to go on last time, why?" Levy was giving him an inquisitive look as he regarded her for a second then looked to everyone else, noting their stares.
"I've been there before. Lost a couple mages there when I was still with Phantom Lord." Levy and Lucy shared a quick glance before settling back onto the Iron Mage.
"It doesn't just have demons. It's infested with them. Some stronger than others, but the problem was the sheer number of 'em."
"So why is there a request for a place like that? And why is it only S-class?" Erza had placed her hands on her hips.
"There's a small village of priests and demon exterminator specialists. They can usually handle the rowdier ones but if we're gettin' called then there's definitely somethin' serious goin' on." Gajeel shared a quick sideways glance with Laxus and Natsu as the group finally came to the bottom of the stairs.
"Alright, we leave in the morning, but for now let's enjoy Lu-chan's party!" Levy threw her hands in the air, pretending to be unfazed by the rather heavy information Gajeel had just laid out for them. Whatever it was they'd handle it; if nothing else they had every guild in Fiore waiting to come to their aid and especially Lucy's spirits – they seemed to be on a whole other level.
It was early the following morning – as they'd all been lately – when the rather large, and intimidating, group of mages met at the train station. Lucy had arrived with Team Natsu plus Levy, Gajeel, and Lily, seems how they were still convinced they needed to stay with her at her house; and only a few minutes before Laxus arrived with Bixlow. Freed and Evergreen were somewhat left out of the loop the day before, they were so preoccupied with the Strauss' that Laxus decided allowing them some social time with the injured mages was probably for the best. Wendy was so exhausted from the stress of the whole ordeal that Carla decided to let the poor girl sleep in and opted them both out of the mission. Besides, Lucy hadn't requested anyone else, if she was fine with the rag-tag group they'd become then who was anyone else to complain at this point.
"Alright guys, are we ready?" Lucy was addressing her team now, noting how her original team of five had now turned into ten. It wasn't until she stood in front of everyone else, all eyes on her that she realized she was addressing them. She blinked a few times before she realized her bold action and her audacity to take the lead of the mission. She blushed a little as Erza simply smiled at her, noticing her embarrassment after taking the initiative as head of the team.
"Yes Lucy, we're ready only if you are." Erza's smile had yet to fade as she gave Lucy a look of confidence. Nodding her head and acknowledging the Celestial Mage, and at the same time urging her to continue; Lucy was team leader on these missions – she wasn't going to argue and from the lack of resistance on Laxus' part it was safe to assume neither S-class mage had much of a problem with it.
"..Kay.." She began to nervously laugh as she turned on a dime and practically jumped onto the train. I can't believe I just did that.. Laxus and Bixlow must be rolling their eyes at me. Lucy was mentally scolding herself. Who was she to order them around?
"So Luce! What's the game plan?!" Natsu, as ignorant as always, came hopping towards the Celestial Mage, smile in place and innocence written all over his face. Must be nice to be so blissfully unaware all the time..
"Calm down Lu-chan, nobody's objecting to you taking the lead, in fact it's your responsibility as bearer of those keys." Levy came snaking around Natsu, slightly pushing his face away after catching onto Lucy's sudden urgency to get on the train as quickly as possible – being as clever as she was putting two-and-two together wasn't all that difficult. Especially since Lucy tended to undermine herself.. Constantly..
"Thanks Levy.. But it just didn't feel right I guess. I spoke without thinking, I hope I didn't offend anyone.." Lucy was still blushing, scratching the back of her head as she attempted a small smile.
"Gihi, chill bunny girl, it's all good with me. Fuck anyone else." Gajeel gave the blonde a rough pat on the back in his traditional rough-and-tumble manner – he really needed to stop doing that..
"Stop doing that Gajeel, she's not one of the guys you can smack around!" Levy had just swung her book bag into the back of Gajeel's head, almost making him fall forward from the impact. Levy may be small, but she was a force to be reckoned with when she had that book bag..
"Dammit shrimp! That fuckin' hurts!" Gajeel was rubbing the back of his head; Lily had comfortably landed onto Levy's shoulder as he snickered at his companion's predicament.
"Haha! Do it again Levy! That was funny!"
"Funny! Funny! Funny!"
"Dammit Bixlow! Mind yer own damn business! And tell your freaky lil' dolls to shut up!"
"Someone's not a morning person."
"Grumpy! Grumpy! Grumpy!"
"Would you all just sit down and shut up?! I'd rather be sitting when the train starts moving!"
"Ho ho ho, I thought motion sickness didn't bother you Laxus."
"Don't start with me Erza.."
"Why is everyone all upset?"
"Just sit down before you hurt yourself dimwit."
"Wanna go frost bite?!"
And so our mission begins..
It was afternoon by the time the group made it to the city just outside their designated one, which meant some hiking would need to be done until they arrived at the village. If that wasn't enough, the five hour train ride they just finished seemed a lot more like fifteen hours.. Lucy and Levy shuddered as they recalled the grizzly details of non-stop fighting, bickering, emesis, and Erza scoldings.
"Hey Luce.. I'm hungry.." Natsu was dragging his feet as he practically collapsed onto the already exhausted Celestial Mage. She held back a shudder as she recalled all his barely evaded vomiting episodes.
"Lucy can we go find a fish?" Happy had landed on top of her head in the same manner.
"I don't get why you guys are asking me, go grab something from one of these small shops before we head into Mortem." Lucy was giving Natsu a skeptical look as he returned it with pleading puppy dog eyes.
"You need money again.. Don't you..?" Lucy was mentally face-palming herself as Natsu's face lit up.
Why does this all feel familiar to me..
Lucy was reaching for her wallet when she paused, then passed a wary glance at Gray, Gajeel, and Bixlow. Yes, she remembered this.
"But only for you two." She was pointing a finger at the Fire Dragon Slayer and the blue exceed.
"You guys are on your own this time." She'd just placed her hands on her hips and gave the other three mages a sly look. Gray and Gajeel 'tch'd' in unison as Bixlow's tongue just fell from his mouth, smile in place at Lucy's sharpness. Apparently she didn't fall for the same trick twice.
"Maybe we should all grab a bite to eat, according to this map Mortem's a few miles down this road and through that mountain, who knows when we'll be able to eat again." Levy was eyeing the map in her hands as she was standing next to Lucy, Erza and Laxus now behind her and looking over the directions.
"I agree. We should probably load up on some gear while we're here too." Erza was rubbing her chin as she continued to analyze the map in Levy's hands. Laxus gave her a what-are-you-talking-about look as he shifted his gaze to the mountain of luggage she was carrying behind her. He sweat dropped as he shook his head 'no' and began making his way towards the town.
"You guys can do whatever you want. I'm eating. Let's go chick, I'll buy yer lunch since these leeches are waitin' for you to pull yer wallet out again." Laxus was giving Gray and Gajeel a cold look as Gray began scratching the back of his head. Gajeel just rolled his eyes and kicked a rock. Levy considered hitting him one more time with her book bag.
"Thanks Laxus! Alright, let's get whatever we need then head out. The sooner the better, we don't want to be walking that road in the dark." Lucy was grabbing her bag as she caught up to Laxus; she noticed his one raised eyebrow and the small smile playing at his lips. She turned around to see Erza's smile followed by Levy's little laugh and a thumbs up. Seemed like being team leader was coming more natural to her than she previously thought. She began to blush again until Natsu decided to intervene.
"Alright then. Let's go eat, we'll meet ya at the road Erza. Lead the way Luce!"
"Aye sir!"
Lucy's blush turned into a smile as Laxus poked her rib and then continued towards the shops with the rest of the group. At least everyone seemed to get along if Lucy made the suggestions, she could live with that.
"How much farther shrimp?" Gajeel was walking beside Levy as she continued to analyze the map, looking for shortcuts and safe passageways to get them to their destination sooner. It had been an hour since they left the town near the train station and definitely didn't feel like they'd gotten very far.
"It's hard to say.. There aren't exactly 'you're currently here' guides along the road, and this just shows a track through the mountain with no real landmarks." Levy was now turning the map every which direction, squinting her eyes, then closing one, then sticking her tongue out in concentration as if she were rewriting one of Freed's Runes. Gajeel couldn't help but smile at her antics.
"Maybe we should make camp once we get to a clearing." Erza was looking at her surroundings, the density of the woods would make an ideal hiding spot for an ambush.
"Hmm, if my calculations are correct.. We should be right around.. Here!" Levy was pointing to a spot on the map that seemed very close to an opening, just before the mountain. "It should be coming up any moment!" Levy bounced in excitement, sure she'd deciphered their location until Natsu walked fast first into.. A barrier?
"Huh?" Natsu was rubbing his nose as he stretched his hand out in an attempt to feel for resistance. His hand landed on a surface, but there didn't appear to be anything there.
"What the..?" Gray was patting the invisible wall, sliding his hands up and down as if looking for some sort of opening.
"What's going on?" Erza had come to stand between Gray and Natsu, placing her hand on the same force field.
"Move back." All eyes turned towards the voice as it started gathering magic and charging up, ready to throw an immense level of lightning at their road block.
"Wait Laxus! That's too much!" Erza was sprinting towards Lucy and Levy, grabbing the blonde as Gajeel grabbed Levy, Gray and Natsu only just managing to leap out of the Lightning Dragon Slayers attack as it collided with the wall.
As soon as lightning hit the wall, an iridescent light shone and symbols could be seen; but all-in-all the wall still stood.
"W-what?!" Laxus stumbled back as he realized his magic did nothing to the obstacle in their way.
"How can that be?" Bixlow took a hesitant step forward, Laxus' attacks were powerful enough to break through even Freed's Runes, what kind of magic was this?
"Stand aside." Erza had equipped into her black spiked Purgatory Armor, angling her large black mace back and readying for a strike. Laxus and Bixlow took a step back as the Knight slammed her weapon to the wall, with as much success as Laxus. Again, the iridescent light shone and symbols could once again be seen.
Gray and Natsu were taking their turns attacking the wall, every time only managing to remind everyone that there was still a force field holding them back.
"Well this is great!" Gajeel had just tossed his hands in the air in frustration after his and Lily's attempts to synchronize with everyone else and break down the wall had zero success.
Lucy had shifted her glance to Levy, who at some point had put her glasses on and was intently staring at the barrier.
"Gajeel.. Could you hit it one more time for me?" Levy had now approached the wall as Gajeel landed another strike, again lighting the symbols up.
"What the hell!" Natsu was unabashedly stomping and kicking the wall as flames flew from his mouth in irritation. "Stop hiding behind your barrier and come fight me!" He was enveloping the wall in his flames as Gray stared at him pointedly.
"Calm down Natsu, let Levy work." Erza had placed a reassuring hand on Natsu's shoulder as the Fire Dragon Slayer shifted his attention to the Script Mage. She was placing both hands on the wall and pushing her magic into it, analyzing the symbols that would come into view.
"Obviously a barrier.. But not like one of Freed's Runes.. This is older magic, darker magic.." Levy was now writing a few symbols onto paper, trying to make sense of the riddle.
"Gajeel, you said you've been here before, how'd you get in?" Laxus was approaching the Iron Mage, more than peeved about their situation and his inability to bring down some stupid wall with his magic.
"Not to the village in the mountains, we kept south." He was pointing towards the ocean, "and handled the mess near the sea. Couple fisherman called us in and told us about the exorcist village, I 'aint ever seen it though." Gajeel had placed his hands on his hips as his gaze shifted back over to Levy. She had filled an entire page with symbols now and was going back and forth between the wall and her paper, books sprawled everywhere.
"What does it look like Levy?" Lucy finally sat down next to the Script Mage to watch her work. She was rearranging symbols, adding words and letters, and mumbling to herself. She was so deep in concentration she didn't even register the Celestial Mage's presence until she looked as though realization dawned on her.
"Okay, I think I get it.. Somewhat.. It's confusing and inconsistent.. It would help if Freed was here.." She casted a shy glance towards Laxus as he rubbed the back of his neck, he had just been thinking the exact same thing.
"At this rate.. It could take me anywhere from hours to even days to open this, and that's if I can crack it at all." Levy had just placed her hand on the wall again, a slight look of admiration in her eyes as though she'd just met her greatest foe.
"Maybe we should call Freed?" Gray was scratching his temple as he looked at Levy's progress, which was now four sheets of scribbled paper. Natsu tried to make sense of the symbols and almost went cross-eyed.
"By the time he got here I'd probably have it figured out, or near done anyways." Levy was scratching her temple with her pencil eraser. A look of deep concentration back on her face.
"Well, maybe I could help?" Lucy was standing back up, wiping the dirt from her skirt as she pulled a key from her pouch.
"Well, it's worth a shot.." Levy had placed her pencil in her hair and stood to walk back from the barrier. The power it would take to break the magic in the wall would be enough to level a good square mile.
"Alright everyone, stand back! Open, Gate of the Death God!"
A light channeled in front of the girl as it slowly simmered out and left way to a man, standing and staring at the crowd.
"Ho, what's this?" His eyes scrutinized the blonde as he slowly regarded the small group behind her.
"Hello, we need your help please.." The Celestial Mage smiled as she took in this spirit's odd appearance.
"My help you say? How very interesting.." The spirit regarded her for a moment longer before eyeing his surroundings, taking in every detail and giving nothing away.
Lucy's team eyed the man skeptically, this one seemed different from the other spirits, especially the way he was dressed..
"How very interesting indeed.."
Who came to help Lucy and her team break down that impenetrable barrier?! And how does he feel about being summoned?!
Until the next chapter XD
Note: Mortem means "death" in Latin
**No I have not given up on this story, but my weekly updates wont be happening, I lost EVERYTHING and have to rewrite every chapter.. I have a break coming up and hopefully I'll be able to catch up on lost work. Encouragement and beautiful reviews will help :)