Hello, people! Nightlingbolt here! Welcome back to more Knight Seeks Dragon!
You may have already seen this chapter. It's more or less the same, but I reposted it because I added a bit at the end that didn't seem to fit in with the next chapter. That, and it makes for a decent cliffhanger. Enjoy it.
I do not own Fairy Tail or its characters, Hiro Mashima does.
"They liiike each other, Natsu. I think they diiid it."
Happy's words rang in Erza's ears, like a fly buzzing around in her head.
Gray left Lucy's apartment.
Lucy likes Gray.
Not Natsu.
It was almost too good to be true.
She had to go and verify this for herself. She just had to!
Suddenly, and almost automatically, Erza found herself sweeping out of the guild, making her way to Lucy's house, not even registering the concerned cries of Natsu and Cana.
"Gray is sooo dead," said Cana.
"Give me one good reason to care," replied Natsu.
"Yeah, you're probably right," said Cana. She resumed her seat at the bar and took a swig of her beer, leaving Natsu to his own devices.
Erza had wasted no time. In less than ten minutes, she was banging loudly on Lucy's apartment door. The Celestial mage answered within a few seconds. She knew Erza's knock, and it usually meant she had to speak with you, immediately.
"Erza! Hi!" said Lucy as brightly as she could, not wanting to anger the knight.
"Is it true?" she asked. "Are you and Gray in a relationship?"
"Ehhh?" exclaimed Lucy. "Where did you hear that?"
"Happy saw Gray leaving here this morning," explained Erza. "He says he asked Gray why he was here, to which Gray replied by telling him to 'get lost.' Don't you think that sounds like a defensive answer?"
Lucy sighed. That was Erza, always cutting to the chase, never demanding anything but the truth. "Okay, here it is," she said. "It was the first day of the Grand Magic Games. Gray had lost Hidden, and I had lost to Flare. We both felt a little sorry for ourselves, and we sort of..."
"No!" gasped Erza.
"Yes," replied Lucy. "Wait, what? No!" she yelled, realizing what Erza was implying.
"Then what?" demanded Erza.
"We kissed... we cuddled... and we found we liked it. And that's all! I swear!"
"Then why was Gray leaving here?" pressed Erza.
"What, my boyfriend can't spend the night every once in a while?" she asked indignantly.
"Well, excuse me, Princess," said Erza with lighthearted sarcasm. "So you guys are official?"
"More or less," replied Lucy. "Just, whatever you do, don't mention any of this to Juvia. At least not until I figure out a way to break it to her without drowning."
Erza sighed. "Lucy, I'm going to break this to you in the most eloquent way I know how: you're screwed," she said.
"I know," groaned Lucy. "But at least I know you'll be there to back me up, right Erza?" No response. "Erza?"
Lucy looked up, only to see that Erza had already left. "Great," she huffed.
As soon as she left Lucy's apartment, Erza searched for a place where she could be alone. Once she was satisfied with her solitude, she let out a girlish squeal.
Lucy liked Gray! Not Natsu! Gray! That meant she had a clear run at the Dragon Slayer! Both her potential rivals were taken, and all that remained was to see if Natsu felt the same way.
But how to approach the subject? It was no secret that Natsu was completely oblivious to the idea of love. Any progress would have to be made by his volition. As she debated the best course of action in her head, she failed to recognize that there was a presence behind her.
Suddenly, she felt her magic power drain away, the sensation causing her to writhe in pain. Before she knew it, all her magic was gone. She turned around and saw a greasy-looking man standing in front of her.
"Heh. Titania Erza, huh?" said the man. He grinned, showing off his yellow teeth. "My lucky day."
Erza tried to summon one of her swords, but her efforts were in vain. The man held out his hands and summoned chains with thick cuffs from them. The cuffs attached themselves to her wrists and ankles, and before long, she was chained to the wall of the alley. She struggled, but couldn't muster the strength to break free.
"Now now, Titania," said the greasy man. "The strength of those chains is based on the magic power I put into them. And since I used all of your magic to make them, not even one of the Ten Wizard Saints can break through them." He tore off Erza's armor with remarkable ease. "Now let's have a little fun, shall we?"
Erza growled. She may have lost her magic, but not her ability to sense it. Concentrating, drowning out the greasy man's perverse laughter, she sensed a certain someone's magic power nearby.
"NATSU!" she bellowed.
The greasy man laughed. "Aw! Calling for your boyfriend?" he taunted. "Too bad. Even if he could hear you, he's too far away to make any-!"
The greasy man never got to finish his sentence, as he was hit with a flaming fist at a remarkable speed. Erza looked on with satisfaction as Natsu and Happy landed in front of her.
"Erza!" Natsu exclaimed. "What the hell? How come you haven't broken out of those chains yet?"
"He absorbed my magic power and used it to create them," explained Erza. "He says he used all of it, so that should just leave his normal levels of magic at worst."
Natsu tried smashing the cuffs with his Fire Dragon's Iron Fist, but they stood strong. "Happy. Find Gajeel and bring him here," he ordered. "We need him to get Erza outta here."
"Aye, sir!" said Happy. He flew off to get help, but the greasy man caught him with a chain cuffed around his waist.
"Happy!" exclaimed Natsu.
"It's okay, Natsu!" said Happy. "Look!" He grabbed the chain with his hands and swung the greasy man against the wall repeatedly until he was knocked out.
"That was amazing, Happy!" Erza praised.
"It was nothing, really," replied Happy with a blush. "When he caught me, he became a passenger of my magic, so I turned that to my advantage!"
Erza smiled. "Truly, you've proven yourself worthy of the name Nekomander," she said.
"Aye!" said Happy with glee. "Maybe I should start using a rope, or a whip like Lucy does! Then I can grab people and swing them around! Or maybe-"
"Just go find Gajeel so he can eat me out of these chains," said Erza flatly. Happy did as ordered.
Natsu glared harshly at the greasy man. Taking a breath, he spat an ember at him. The fire burned a patch of his shirt, through which both mages saw the mark of a familiar guild.
"Twilight Ogre," Natsu growled.
"Let it go, Natsu," ordered Erza sternly.
"Let it go?" Natsu repeated angrily. "He was going to-!"
"I said let it go!" Erza repeated much more forcefully. "We'll report this incident to the Master and have him consult with Master Banaboster about a proper punishment."
Natsu was visibly upset with Erza's decision, but he relented nevertheless. "I can't believe how easily you're willing to let this go," he pouted.
"It's only easy for me because I know you're always there to protect me," said Erza with a gentle smile.
Natsu could only blush at that statement. It was true. Natsu would go through Hell and back to protect his guild. Especially Erza. He knew she was stronger than him, yet somehow, that made protecting her from anything that made her weak even more important. "That'll never change, Erza. Ever," he said.
"Good," said Erza as she yawned. "Feeling lightheaded... sleepy..." she mumbled. Her eyes slid closed, her head slumped forward, and her muscles relaxed.
"ERZA!" yelled Natsu.
DUN DUN DUUUUUN!
Also, how did you like Happy saving the day? I dunno, once I realized the implications of the greasy man grabbing Happy with his magic, I just rolled with it and gave him time to shine. Though I never did explain why the greasy man never cancelled his magic. I dunno, Greasy's not that bright, is he?
Hopefully, the next chapter is the last, after which I promise to get back to work on Don't Forget to Remember Me It's gonna be tough, though. I got a couple other ideas, but I will definitely work on that a bit. So until next time, peace and love from Nightlingbolt.