Herro everybody! *waves* I'm here with chapter 11! \^.^/
Got lots of positive comments last chapter. (Of course, all the comments you've given me so far have been positive *heart*) I was kind of panicking about Celestia because I've seen totally awesome OC's that get negative comments so I'm just like 'well if they don't like her, then they'll hate mine' but alas, you people are totally wonderful :D
And I've finally figured out to do about the Grand Magic Games... it never existed! *claps* Sorry if you wanted it, but there isn't really much point because it would be exactly the same as the one in the manga (no reason to start a new one) and it would just complicate things. I will, however, probably squeeze in some of the new characters from that. ^.^ Actually, you could say that from now on, there will be an entirely new plot.
Um... I'm a betareader now so... if you gave me something to read, I would be very happy ^^
And there will be swearing in here.
Special thank you to Cat-Stat-Ave, who gave me a few ideas for this chapter. :D
"Meredy?! Ultear?!" Jellal gaped at the two women in shock, who were leisurely sitting at one of the tables.
"Jellal~!" Meredy jumped at him, nearly knocking him over. The former Grimoir Heart member spied Erza looking at her with an evil eye, but the red-head quickly turned away.
He pried off his guildmate and looked at Ultear. "Wh-what are you guys doing here?..."
Ultear pointed at Meredy. "She wanted to surprise you. What choice had I but to follow along?" The older women then looked sternly at Jellal. "We were very worried. Please don't do anything so stupid next time."
Jellal sighed, and looked down. "Yeah.. I'm sorry... Hey!" He protested.
"Hey Mom, will I be stupid like that when I'm in love?" Meredy whispered loudly to Ultear.
"I hope not." She responded in kind.
"Though I highly respect you two, I don't approve of you judging Jellal's decisions in such a manner." Erza cut in, her voice edged.
"Oh, come on Erza! We were only kidding!" Meredy chirped.
The men in the guild looked at the pink-haired girl in awe. Not many people had the guts to even try to speak to Erza after using that voice, never mind kid around with her so carelessly.
"What she means is, we respect you as well." Ultear aid solemnly. "And do not worry. we know Jellal cares about you- highly." She glanced at Meredy, who nodded in confirmation.
Erza's dislike for Meredy quickly melted away, a blush replacing it instead. "D-does he really?..."
Jellal looked away, trying to hide his face. Everyone on the guild smirked.
"So Jellal, 'ya joining?" Cana asked. She had taken a liking to the two members of Crime Sorciere, and knew that if a certain blue-haired mage left, they would as well.
Jellal looked hesitantly at the master. "C-can I really?..."
"Of course."
"Er... I guess so." He mumbled. He was then showered in cheers by the guild. Even Erza clapped a little.
"The three of you, speak to Mirajane later. She'll give you your tattoos."
"Yay! We're in Fairy Tail now!" Meredy shrieked.
"Meredy!" The girl turned to see a familiar mage rushing toward her, and opened her arms in response.
"Juvia!" She squealed, embracing her tightly. She then pulled away, and began throwing question after question on her. "How've you been? How's Gray doing? Ooh, you changed your look! You should totally keep your hair like that. And oh my gosh, I'm your guildmate now!" She shrieked, jumping up and down.
Erza watched as the two moved their conversation to a table, Meredy talking excitedly and Juvia slipping in a few words of her own when she could.
She then turned to Makarov, who seemed deep in thought. "Master, what was that magic back there?"
"It was the girl's... but it was extremely powerful... Perhaps too much so." The old man looked disturbed, which puzzled Erza.
She furrowed her eyebrows. The Teller Mage's magic was very strong, but was it really all that unusual? "...Master?"
"Erza, you are aware that the use of magic affects the human body, correct?"
Erza nodded, and he continued. "If used too rapidly, or used beyond the actual limit, it causes the body to deteriorate. That child..." He tapped his staff on the wooden floor. "I'm worried that her body can't handle that much magic power. Not only is she small, but she is very young." He then began walking back to his office, muttering "I need to keep an eye in her..."
Just then, Lucy walked in. Where has she been? Erza wondered. And... Why does she look so unsettled?
"Lucy!" Natsu yelled. He immediately ran up to her, but slowed when he saw her expression. "Are you okay?"
Lucy forced a smile, something everyone but Natsu saw rather clearly. "I'm fine! Don't worry about me."
He brightened up. "Okay!" He then stuffed a paper into he hands. "We're going on an S-Class mission tomorrow! Erza's taking us."
"Defeat a Jutsu Shiki Mage... 5,000,000 jewels..." She mumbled aloud. "Warning- likes to torture?" She handed him back the paper. "He sounds like a total creep."
He shrugged. "It's an easy mission. And between the five of us- Wendy and Charle aren't coming- we get..." Lucy sweat-dropped as he tried to count off his fingers, then gave up in exasperation and grinned. "A lot."
"You're an idiot." The blonde mage looked around, then brightened up when she saw Levy waving to her.
"Lu-chan! I got them right here!" The Script Mage yelled, tapping the stack of papers before her.
"Coming!" She turned and grabbed Natsu by the wrist, leading him to the table. "Come on, Natsu! She translated the carvings!"
"Wow, really?!" He then picked up the pace, and now Lucy was the one being dragged. "Igneeeeeeel!"
The two sat down at the table, along with Wendy, Gajeel, and of course, Levy. "So what is it?"
"It's a story!" She announced. "But it's kinda weird."
"Weird how Levy-san?" Wendy asked in her childish voice.
"Just read it Shrimp." Gajeel said gruffly.
Levy rolled her eyes, but did as he asked. She cleared her throat, and began reading.
"Once upon a time, there was a princess, who lived in a castle with her parents, the king and queen of the land. It was a relatively small kingdom, but it prospered." People turned to look at her, for story-telling was not something that happened often. They began listening, some even scooting closer. Levy blushed slightly at the attention, but continued.
"The princess had all she could ever want. Jewels, dresses, money... and love. Love from her people, and love from her parents, for she was kind, beautiful, and strong. Life was wonderful for her."
"Until one day, a large, nearby kingdom threatened her parents. That if they did not hand over the princess as his bride, he would lay waste to their kingdom. That kingdom was lead by a prince, who recently inherited the throne from his deceased father."
"The princess's parents did not know what to do. They despised the prince, but loved their people. They had neither the men nor money to fight them back."
"But, the princess, being as kind as she was, accepted, knowing that if she didn't, all those she cared about would perish before her eyes. So she went with the prince, silently crying when he wasn't looking."
"The prince was awful to her. He treated her as a slave, beating her when he wasn't satisfied, and toyed with her for amusement." Out of the corner of her eye, she saw Natsu scowling.
"Everyday, the princess would stare out the window and into the sunset, praying for someone to come take her away."
"And one day, someone did. But it wasn't another prince- it was a dragon. The dragon asked her to jump on his back, and even though she had never met one such as him before, she trusted him, and did as he asked. Together, the two rode into the sunset, never to be seen again."
"And so the dragon saved the princess from the prince." She finished.
"This story..." Lucy whispered. "I never thought I'd hear it again..."
"It's a stupid story." Gajeel snorted.
"See!" Natsu shouted, jumping up. "The dragon did save the princess! And Lucy heard it too!" He crossed his arms triumphantly, remembering when they had all teased him about it when he was younger.
"But Natsu, it's usually better the other way." Mira said over her shoulder, still drying dishes. "With the prince, the princess can be healthy, raise good children, be taken care of."
"And what if the prince is a total ass?!" He retorted. He narrowed his eyes, not liking where this was going.
She paled. "Well like I said... it's usually not like that. And she'll be taken care of. Isn't that what matters?"
He snorted. "And since when can't a dragon take care of a human?"
"There are other things human need than just being protected from enemies Natsu!"
"I DON'T CARE, dammit!" He roared, finally losing it. "I can take care of Lucy better than any stupid prince can!"
Silence sweeped over the guild, and everyone froze. Lucy gaped at him in shock, and her brain slowly tried to register what he said.
Mira broke the silence, and giggled. "Ha! You fell-"
"I beg to differ, Dragon Slayer." Loke materialized in front of Natsu, his expression dead serious. "You? Protect Lucy? I think not." The Celestial Spirit walked over to him, closing the already short distance. "One day, that prince will be a king, and he will have all the power he needs."
Natsu growled. "No king is stronger than a dragon."
"Wait... please stop..." Lucy whimpered. She didn't want to see them fight. They were two of her best friends!
"Oh? Is that right?" Loke's hands began to glow, signaling the use of magic. "Why don't we test that theory?"
"My pleasure. Bring it on!" He combusted into flames, and Lucy watched in horror as scales began creeping up his face. Was he really planning to fight him?
She rushed forward, and stepped between them. "Please stop!" She cried in dismay. She looked each of them in turn, a pleading look in her eyes.
The two men looked at her, then each other. A silent agreement passed between them, and their magic slowly retreated. "For Lucy." Natsu snarled. He then turned, and stalked out of the guild. "I'm leaving." Before exiting the building, he turned and glared at Loke. "This is not over."
"No, it isn't." He said coldly. The Spirit got ready to leave as well, but before going he said to Lucy "There is something I must speak to you of later on."
"O-okay..." She said shakily.
"What the hell..." Gajeel muttered. There was tension in the air, preventing the guild members from teasing Lucy about what Natsu had blurted out.
"S-sorry everyone... I think I'll go home..." The Celestial Spirit mage shakily rose to her feet, and slowly walked out the door without a second glance behind her.
"Hey, where's Mira?" A random person asked.
"Dammit!" Natsu roared, hitting a nearby tree with as much strength as he can muster. "Dammit all!" He could protect Lucy! Better than anyone can! Who are they to say otherwise?!
"Why couldn't she just let us battle it out?..." He growled. Now he had all this anger and stress and shit and he didn't know how to deal with it.
"Natsu." The said mage turned around to see Mirajane walking toward him, her expression unusually serious.
He grinned. Perfect. "Mira! Fight me!" He lunged at her, his fist coated with flames. Mira quickly used Takeover: Satan Soul, and easily stopped his fist with her own. Before Natsu could react, she yanked him close and flipped him onto his stomache, gripping his wrists tightly.
"You are weak, Natsu. Your eyes are clouded with anger."
"Shaddup!" He spat. He then made himself to roll over, forcing Mira onto her back, and jumped up, preparing for a roar. Mira, however, anticipated this and quickly flung him into the air, and flew after him.
"You could never protect Lucy like this Natsu! Control yourself!"
"You don't understand!" He screamed. Mira blinked as his hot tears fell onto her face. "ROAR OF THE FIRE DRAGON!"
The demon quickly dodged, with little room to spare. She hissed as the fire grazed her arm, and shot towards him at lightning speed.
She gripped him by the shoulders, and yelled right into his face "I lost Lisanna Natsu! I lost her because my brother was angry and he tried to protect us!" She then threw him onto the ground, the earth around him deepening from the impact. She dove for him, preparing to send a flying kick.
"At least you have her back!" He screeched, turning over so her kick only hit the ground near him.
"You never lost Lucy, Natsu!"
"Yes I did! She likes Loke!" He swiped his hand across his face, trying to no avail to block the onsteady stream of tears.
"Natsu, you listen to me!" She yanked him close, and hissed "She loves you Natsu! And only you!"
"How would you know?!"
Mira gently pressed her forehead to his, and said quietly "Because it's so obvious." Even with her frightening appearance, her kindness showed through.
Natsu's eyes were wide as he stared, and Mira smiled as his tears slowly stopped flowing.
She changed back to her original form, and released him, choosing instead to grip the area his fire had burned her. "Go tell her Natsu."
The woman smiled as she saw him beam, and he nodded.
She watched as his walk broke into a run, then into a sprint. After she could see him no longer, she slowly trudged back to the guild.
I'd say that was a job well done. Mirajane said to herself as she stretched her muscles. She hadn't fought like that in a while. Now for Levy and Gajeel.
"Big Brother, do you have feelings for Lucy?"
Leo jumped in shock, and gaped at the maid. "No! I'm merely testing Natsu."
"Testing for what purpose?" Virgo asked in her usual, monotonous tone.
"To see how far he's willing to go for her. Of course, I already know that he's strong- If Lucy hadn't stopped us back there he would most definitely have beaten me. He could protect her better than I can. But that's not enough. I need to know that he will be there for her, no matter what. And he needs to realize his feelings before it's too late. I'm just trying to help that along." He closed his eyes, and smiled. "Besides, an old friend of mine had already captured my heart long ago."
Virgo looked at him in surprise, and then smiled. "I see..."
Loke gawked. She just displayed two cases of emotion in a row! His face paled when Virgo suddenly called "Aries! Would you please come and punish me?"
The ram quickly rushed over, and started apologizing to Virgo, and Loke took that as a cue to leave. "Oh, would you look at the time! I have matters to attend to, so please excuse me." He then disappeared in a flash of light, and Aries apologized once more.
The two women instinctively looked over to Horologium, who happened to be nearby.
"What are you two staring at?... I ask."
"Levy-san... Is that really what the carvings say?"
"Well yes, but... I think Lu-chan forgot something. I'm going to that cave tomorrow, just to make sure." There was a lot of things the script mage didn't understand. Why would a dragon write a story like that? What was it doing on the walls of a stone cave? From what Lu-chan had told her, it was a relatively small one.
And who were Lucille Heartfilia and Storimion?
"I'll go with you." Gajeel said roughly.
Levy raised an eyebrow. "Ya' sure?"
He snorted. "Not like I can depend on those two losers to keep you safe."
"Hey!" They protested.
"You would know about that." She grumbled. When Gajeel cringed, she pouted and looked away.
"What about you Wendy?" Levy asked the little Dragon Slayer. "Would you like to come?"
She shook her head. "I'm busy tomorrow. Sorry Levy-san!"
The girl looked at her curiously. "What have you been busy with? Ever since the festival I've barely seen you in the guild at all."
"At the festival I won a book full of healing spells written by Porlyusica-san, and she's been teaching them to me." She then looked at the exit, and muttered "Actually, I think it's time for me to leave now." The blue-haired girl got up and skipped away, yelling over her shoulder "Bye Levy-san! Bye Gajeel-san!"
Levy waved, and Gajeel merely muttered "Tch."
Levy looked over at him in disdain. "You could at least try to be nicer."
"Whatever. So what time are we going?"
Lucy sat on her bed, knees curled up to her chest and rocking back and forth. The scene she had witnessed a few minutes before upsetted her greatly. She liked them both! Why are they fighting?
"I can protect Lucy better than stupid prince can!"
Lucy flushed, then buried her head between her knees. Does he...
"Hello Lucy." Leo materialized in front of her, and gave a short bow. "I'm here to discuss that matter I spoke of earlier."
"Oh... okay." The Celestial Spirit Mage looked up, and shifted so her legs were bent and splayed out beside her. Instinctively, she grabbed her Plue, and squeezed it. "What is it?"
"Every 1,000 years- in the Celestial Spirit world- we have something called the Day of the Closing. On that day, starting at midnight, the Master Gate between our worlds will close. During that time, Celestial Spirits cannot be summoned." He then looked at her, concerned, "So please be very careful tomorrow." The lion then began rubbing at his temple. "Actually, I would prefer it if you just stayed home."
Lucy blinked. "But I have an S-Class mission tomorrow."
Natsu ran like he never ran before. She loved him! She. Loved. Him!
He skidded to a stop in front of her apartment, and jumped up to the window.
Loki gaped at her."What?! Then don't go! They'll understand!"
She shook her head. "I have rent to pay."
His eyes widened as he peeked into her room. Why is he here?
"Dammit! What's a stupid rent compared to your life?!"
"It'll be okay." She smiled at him. "I have Natsu to protect me."
She's smiling... He thought numbly. She's smiling. She's happy with Loki.
He quickly left, the sight too much for him.
He had never felt more hurt in his entire life.
Loki snorted.
"A-and the others too!" She added hurriedly. "I mean, if Erza there, what could go wrong?" She gave a nervous laugh, and Loki sighed.
"Fine. But if anything happens..." He started leaving, his body slowly fading away "There will be one less Dragon Slayer in the world."
"Natsu!" The blue Exceed looked up to so his friend stumble into the house.
The cat rushed up to hug him, but quickly stopped when he saw his face. "What's wrong?"
"It... it's nothing..." Natsu dragged his feet over to his hammock, and crawled into it. "Just tired."
"...You wanna go to Lucy's?"
"No!" He snapped.
Happy flinched, and Natsu looked at him with a pained expression. "I... I'm sorry... I don't feel like it today..." He felt bad about keeping his best friend in the dark, but he just couldn't talk about it. He couldn't.
Happy climbed into the hammock with him and snuggled into the Dragon Slayer's chest in reassurance. Natsu gave a sad smile, and squeezed him back.
The cat wiped the tears off his face as they came along, and the two fell asleep.
Oh... Natsu's not coming today? Lucy looked out the window, and stars blinked at her.
She crawled into bed and pulled up the covers. It's been a long time since she's ad the whole house to herself. She should be thankful. But why does she feel so lonely?
Oh well... Maybe he's just pissed off about today... Hugging her Plue, she slowly nodded off and went to sleep.
~Next morning~
Lucy tapped her foot impatiently as she waited at the station. Erza paced back and forth, her fists clenched tightly and her mountain of luggage behind her.
I told those fools 6 o' clock sharp! What part of 'sharp' don't they understand?! The scarlet-haired mage seethed.
"Sorry I'm late!" Gray rushed up to them, drenched in sweat. Despite his apology, Erza still got in one good whack to his head.
Lucy's eyebrow twitched. What exactly had he been doing?
She beamed as she saw Natsu a little further behind, and Happy flew towards her, burying himself in her chest. "Morning Lucy!"
"Good morning, Happy!" She smiled at Natsu, and chirped "Good morning Natsu!"
Her face fell as he turned away, and muttered 'morning.'
"We're all here right?" Hearing no response, she said "Alright, let's leave."
"Hey! You didn't hit Natsu!" Gray protested.
"He'll suffer enough on the train ride." She said simply.
"Levy! Gajeel!" The two said mages turned around to see Cana rushing toward them. "You mind taking this?"
She dropped a lacrima into Levy's handed, who stared at at in wonder. "What's this for?"
"It's a Teleport Lacrima." She explained. "I checked out my cards and got a really bad reading today. I had originally waned to give it Natsu and his crew, but they already left."
She looked around, shooting glares at the men who stood gawking at her. Levy's face flushed as well as she realized the woman was wearing nothing but a t-shirt over her undergarments. A white one, at that.
"To use it, just hold it and think of the place you wanna go. And this is the updated version, so if you think of a person you wanna be near, that works too." She glanced at Gajeel. "And if you wanna go with her, make sure you're touching her."
"Um... okay."
"Thanks Cana!" Levy exclaimed. She knew that these were ridiculously rare. How had she managed to get a hold of one?
She nodded. "You can only use it once, so don't waste it. It was a pain to get." She added. No way was she telling them she got it from Gildarts. "Just keep our friends safe."
Levy nodded vigorously, and Gajeel grunted.
Dammit... Still feel uneasy... She thought to herself. She whipped her head to nearby teen, and shouted "Quit starin' ya brat!"
And sure enough, Natsu did suffer. Though this time, he merely kept to himself, and stayed quiet the whole time.
The three of them glanced at him, worried. Natsu had never been quiet before, much less on a moving vehicle.
I miss Lucy... He thought to himself as he clutched his stomach.
He then shook his head furiously, and thought No! I can't do that anymore!
Not anymore... He thought sadly.
"Natsu?" He looked up to see Lucy with the saddest face he'd ever seen. It made him want to jump over and hug her right this second.
But he couldn't. "I'm fine." He choked. He then lay down on the seat, and turned over.
She fell silent, and Natsu focused on breathing, forcing himself not to cry. He was aware that Happy was just as upset as Lucy was, and clenched his fist where they couldn't see.
"We're here." The two looked up to see Erza and Gray waiting for them. They slowly got up, and followed them off the train.
Lucky for them, the town hall was quite close to the station. They got there in a few minutes, silent the whole while.
Erza looked around uncomfortably. This town was too quiet. There wasn't a single person to be seen.
When they reached the building, she knocked, and yelled "We're mages of Fairy Tail! We're here for more details on the mission."
The door opened, and an older man stood before them. "Of course, we were waiting for you- oh dear Lord, is that your luggage?!" He looked up at the stacked suitcases, and knew immediately that this woman was extremely strong.
They all pointed at Erza, who nodded in confirmation. "As you can see, it will be quite troublesome to bring along. I hope you won't mind me leaving it here."
"Why, yes! Er, of course not. Please, come in."He held the door as they walked in, then followed.
The five mages walked in to see a rather small, but cozy waiting room, with a small aquarium in the corner of the room. Happy immediately rushed over to it, and pressed up against the glass. The others found seats throughout the room and made themselves comfortable.
The man sat near them and began speaking. "As I'm sure you know, there is a Jutsu Shiki Mage running amok in the forest. We need you to eliminate him as soon as possible."
"But why is this ranked S-Class?" Lucy asked.
"The forest itself is very dangerous, and the mage has defeated every other we've sent after him. We later found out that he tends to trap people in his Jutsu Shiki, and tends to... torture them to near death. He never kills, though I find that worse." He leaned back, and buried his face in his hands. "They would always come stumbling into the town, covered in blood and sometimes missing limbs. That's why we always notify the townspeople when we hire more mages- so they can stay home for the day to avoid seeing it. It's the reason why the town is so empty."
"That's awful..." Lucy whispered.
"But even that's not enough." He choked "Lately, he's been going after the citizens. They would just disappear one day and come back later that evening, never the same again."
"We'll kill him." Erza growled. "We will find him, and destroy him. That I promise."
"Thank you..." He whispered. "Please... he's already taken nine people... even my own daughter."
She nodded, and gestured for the others to get up. "Let's go immediately. I would like to get this done today, before he can hurt anyone else."
The nodded back at her, and followed her out the door, grim expressions on their faces. Even Happy looked serious.
They left the building, and walked to the forest, stopping at its entrance. She turned to face them, and discussed their plan. "Since there are traps, we'll be going as groups. I'll go with Gray. Natsu, you go with Lucy and Happy. When you find him, rip every bone from his body before killing him. Got it?"
They nodded in agreement. Lucy and Happy gulped, but did the same.
"Good. Me and Gray will go this way. You guys go that way." The two jumped into the trees, leaving Lucy, Happy and Natsu behind them.
"I... guess we should go now." Lucy said weakly.
Natsu kept silent, and walked on ahead of Lucy. Biting her lip, she followed, scooping up the cat into her arms.
Lucy felt like crying as his back was turned to her. His shoulders moved back and forth slightly, showing no sign of stopping. This felt so wrong. They were always side by side, never like this. "Natsu, please tell me what's wrong!" She cried.
"I'm fine." He kept walking.
Now Lucy was getting a little angry. "Natsu, you are not okay!" She ran ahead, and turned to face him. "Tell me what's wrong!"
He merely stared, then shouldered past her. He stopped as he heard a sob escape from Lucy.
"Why won't you let me help you?..." She asked, tears streaming down her face.
Natsu rounded on her, and snapped "Because you're the reason I'm sad in the first place!" He then jerked back, realizing the severity of what he had just done.
"Natsu..." Happy whimpered.
Natsu shook his head wildly, and sprinted ahead. He had to get away. He can't look at them anymore. He can't.
Suddenly, he felt himself hit a wall, and fell from the impact. Strange black letters glittered in front of him. He cautiously felt the area around him, finding tha it surrounded him on all sides and was very... very small. He couldn't even spread his arms all the way.
"Jutsu Shiki..."
"Hello there." Natsu turned to see a man walk into the clearing. He had dark hair that sprang off to the side, and a tattoos running up his arms. His black eyes were empty, and his smile cruel.
"Who the hell are you?" He snarled.
"Why, I believe you came looking for me. The Jutsu Shiki Mage?" He was mere feet away from Natsu. "Feel free to call me Diabolos."
"That's a crap name." If only the Jutsu Shiki weren't there, he could have pummeled him right this second. That didn't stop him from trying though.
He swore as his fists harmlessly bounced off the wall, and sparked as he pulled away. "The hell..."
"I wouldn't do that if I were you." He chuckled. "I made them so that is you tried to escape, it would shock you. Of course, you wouldn't be able to anyhow. It' just fun to watch." He laughed as Natsu tried to summon his flames, only to come up empty. "And you can't use your magic either."
He growled. Even if the lightning was half-assed compared to Laxus's, it still hurt.
"I know you didn't come alone. No one ever does."
His eyes widened, and his fierce protective sense for his guild mates kicked in. "You stay away from her!" He screamed.
Diabolos ignored him, and mused "But that's even better than if they came alone... The other could watch while I have my fun with them."
Natsu's face turned to horror as he saw Lucy running into the clearing, tears no longer flowing, but traces of them were left on her cheeks. "Oh? I believe that's her right there."
"Natsu!" Happy wailed.
"Run Lucy!"
"I don't think so." Natsu jumped back as he thrust a sword straight through the Jutsu Shiki, shallowly slicing his shoulder. "Girl, if you leave, I'll make sure he screams so loud you can hear it from the next town." Natsu growled as he realized the reason for the limited space.
"I wasn't planning on leaving anyway!" Lucy snapped. She pulled out her whip, which twisted and lashed without her even moving her hand. She hissed over her shoulder "Happy, go get help." The blue Exceed nodded, and flew off.
Why can't she use her spirits?... Natsu thought to himself.
Dammit... Lucy hissed to herself. I have to fight alone this time. She looked up, watching the man throw the sword and catch it repeatedly, a smirk plastered on his face. If all he has is his sword... I think I can win. Or at least hold out 'til Erza and Gray get here. As long as he doesn't trap me.
"Shadow Play: Pillars." Lucy immediately jumped up, narrowly escaping the black poles that sprung from the ground. Crap, he's gotta whole different magic! After landing neatly on the ground, she rushed toward the man for an attack of her own. I have to finish this quick.
"Shadow Play: Needle." She quickly turned to the side, but not before the long spike sliced at her calf.
"Lucy!" The blonde jumped back, and yelled "I'm alright!" She glanced at the cut. Shallow, but it stung like a bitch.
"Shadow Play: Fist." Lucy screamed as the attack caught her unawares, and sent her flying into a tree. The man smirked. "Shadow Play: Needle."
A long, thin projectile shot from the ground and straight into Lucy's stomach, and she coughed up blood. "LUCY!"
"Dammit!" Leo roared, thumping his fists against the gate. "Open, damn you!" The other spirits silently watched from behind him, their expressions grim.
"Old Friend, you must stop." The king rumbled. "If you force open the Master Gate, the worlds will misalign."
"I don't care!" The Spirit screamed. He struck the wall again, using his strongest magic, but the gate wouldn't give.
"And there's no guarantee that you will make it to the other side alive." He continued. "It's best to have faith in your friends."
"How can I?!" He cried in dismay. "She's getting killed right in front of me, and Natsu can't help her!"
Lucy's smile flashed in his mind. "It'll be okay. I have Natsu to protect me."
"That stupid idiot..." He hissed. "She depended on you. Why aren't you protecting her?!"
"Show faith Leo."
"I have none to give!" He wailed. "Why am I so weak..." He sobbed, slumping to his knees in front of the gate. "I promised my life to her, but now I can't give it..."
"Lucy... please, live..."
"So this is it?" Gajeel and Levy stopped in from of the cave, and Levy nodded. "This cave is freaking small! No way a dragon can fit here. Even a hatchling would have to squeeze through."
"That's why I wanted to check it out. In the carvings, there were the names Lucille Heartfullia and Storimion, most likely the authors. I'm thinking that a human was probably involved as well, one of Lucy's descendants." She furrowed her eyebrows, then added "Yeah, it would have to be something like that. Lu-chan said she heard this story too."
The two slowly entered the cave, surprised at the evenness of the terrain. It was almost unnatural.
After a few moments, they reached a wall. And Levy gave a small cheer of triumph.
"What is it, Shrimp?"
"There's something behind this!" She said excitedly. "Think about it, didn't the cave seem a lot longer from the outside?"
Now that Gajeel thought about it, it did actually. "So you want me to break it?"
She shrugged. "I don't think it'll work, but feel free to try."
Gajeel narrowed his eyes. Did she underestimate him? He turned his right arm into a pole, and began battering at the wall, filling the cave with clangs and clashes.
The Dragon Slayer stopped, realizing that, indeed, this wasn't getting him anywhere. "What else you got then?"
She grinned. "Try my magic." She crossed her arms in front of her, and yelled "Anti-Script: Rewrite!" Suddenly, the symbols on the wall glowed, and it crumbled to a rubble.
Gajeel stared it it in shock. This girl had manage to totally destroy something that he couldn't so much as dent. But of course, he would never say that. "...That was a Jutsu Shiki?"
She nodded. "But it was hidden."
He nodded slowly, then suddenly remembered when he and Natsu were stuck behind Freed's runes. "Since when can you do it so quick?" Last time, it had taken her ages to rewrite the runes.
"Ever since I got my second origin, I've been able to do automatic rewrites. My max is three though, before I run out of magic power."
"Sounds useful."
"I think so to, but I haven't had the chance to use it much." She began hopping over the rubble. "Let's go!"
Natsu watched in horror as Lucy fell to the ground, her blood trickling onto the grass. She slowly rose to her feet, her legs trembling and clutching her wound.
"Oh? That's interesting. You're tougher than you look." He commented. Natsu glared at him, his expression fierce enough to match Satan's himself. But sick in his own madness, the man only chuckled. "Don't get so mad. It's a relatively small wound." He laughed again as Natsu hit the wall again, and a crack as some of his knuckle bones broke, but he still continued, battering the Jutsu Shiki wall to no avail.
"Please stop Natsu..." Lucy pleaded. His fists were charred and covered in blood, and disfigured almost to the point where they were unrecognizable..
"No, you stop it Lucy!" He screamed, sobbing. "You don't need to protect me!"
"I don't know what I did to upset you Natsu... but I'm sorry. I hate seeing you like that, more than anything else."
"How touching." The man snarled. "But I'm kinda getting bored. Shadow Play: Thorns."
Lucy stumbled away, still clutching her stomach.
Even with my second origin... I don't think I have the magic power to do this. Not without Gemini... She glanced at her wound, which still dripped blood. But I have to try!
She fell to the ground and began gathering her magic power, tilting her head up. She quickly began chanting, her lips moving at like a blur.
Diabolos narrowed her eyes, realizing that her next attack could be fatal.
Dammit... I have to do it faster... She clenched her teeth, and forced her power to gather immediately.
She felt the effects of it right away. Her body hurt so bad it felt as if she was dying. But she wasn't done yet. "O... 88 stars of the Heavens..." She gasped. "Shine!"
Orbs of light swirled around Diabolos, and converged. But she knew something was wrong right away. The magic wasn't nearly as powerful as it should have been.
Diabolos screamed, but when the light faded, he still lived, battered and standing.
Lucy slumped to the ground as he stalked over to her, his face one of pure fury. "You bitch!" He screamed. "That fucking hurt!"
"I don't even wanna torture you anymore. I just want you dead!" He growled, picking her up by her head. Her legs dangled, and Lucy grit her teeth. "Do you have any idea how that makes me feel?!" He then turned around, giving Natsu a full view of Lucy's battered form, and held the sword to her neck. "And now, you die. Enjoy the view."
She smiled at him, tears streaming down her cheeks, much like his own. "I love you Natsu. I always have."
"LUCY!"
Cliffhanger. xD Don't hate me too much, I'll try and update soon.
Oh, Natsu. Why are you such an idiot?
Natsu: Because that's how you made me.
Me: SHHH! It's not that different from Mashima Hiro's!
Natsu: Hey!
Lucy: ...I'm not gonna die here, right?
Me: ...Maybe...
Both: You're awful.
Anyways, for some reason I'm not really satisfied with this chapter. D: And I'm sorry if Natsu is kinda pathetic in this chapter, but he's got a lot going on and can you really break Jutsu Shiki with force? But there will be fighting scenes where he's totally epic so look forward to those.
So like, stay tuned! Reviews are forever appreciated.