Okay hi. I honestly have no excuse for why it has taken me over a year to post this chapter. Like I'm honestly so sorry. I just got distracted by life. But Fairy Tail is returning this year and it's finally over and I just want to cry and live out my Fairy Tail life in FanFiction. Also Gintama is coming to an end and idk what to do. Everything is ending and I cannot deal. But hey, at least this means there's another chapter for you guys!
Disclaimer: I own nothing except the plot line and what I do to the characters. Oh, but I own any of my Own Characters. Yeah.
Onwards with the story!
Explosive
A few hours later, Lucy, Cobra and Rogue had made it back to Magnolia. The make shift team wandered down the streets and back to Lucy's apartment on Strawberry Street. They silently entered the apartment; Cobra sighed, shaking his head as he heard Lucy's soul croon; she was still upset about how she'd needed saving once again. She wasn't necessarily a bad fighter, he mused to himself. He'd been on the end of one of her Lucy Kicks and while he may not admit it out loud, he'd be lying if he said it didn't have quite a bit of power behind it. In fact, if she took herself seriously and trained a bit more, she'd be as strong as any of the other Dragon Slayers.
Cobra didn't know her well enough; they'd barely spent any time together for him to be completely comfortable around her. But he had spent a lot of time in her soul, the calm of her soul's soft song was one of his only reprieves in the guild; the other being Kinana's. He'd spent a lot of time drifting through her memories as he tried to drown out the loud and obnoxious souls of his guild mates. Cobra knew Lucy had been able to summon a Gold Key spirit since she was ten, a feat that didn't go unacknowledged with him. He knew how hard it was to summon a Zodiac, how much magic it took and how strong and deep someone's magic containers had to be in order to not only summon them, but also sustain them in Earthland. He'd witnessed it first hand with Sorano, it had taken her years under Brain's tutelage to summon even one as easily as Lucy could. He had no way to confirm it, but he theorised that it was probably due to Lucy's hidden Dragon Slayer containers; that and being a Celestial Dragon Slayer probably gave her a certain edge over other Celestial Spirit Mages.
Cobra's ears twitched as once again the soft tinkling of triangles filled his ears; he rolled his eyes and refrained from tutting. He couldn't believe she'd spent the entire journey back lamenting how weak she was. If she was really that bothered by it, surely she could just use her energy to train and become stronger; wallowing in self-pity wasn't going to help anyone and it certainly wasn't going to make her stronger. However, Cobra would rather return to prison than try to help the preppy Fairy. Besides, Frosch, Daphne and Nyla were busy comforting her, a job much better suited for them than he. He chuckled internally at Rogue's bungling attempts to reassure the blonde she'd tried her hardest; really, the awkward petting of her shoulder wasn't helping at all.
"Lucy it's okay, you managed to take down quite a few of them, don't worry so much" Rogue spoke quietly, Lucy shaking her head.
"It's not that! This always happens, I always run out of magic at the worst possible time and always need Natsu or Gray… or well in this case you and Cobra to save me! I'm so sick of being the damsel in distress. I'm a Dragon Slayer too! I should be able to hold my own without someone needing to come and save me every two minutes. I'm a member of Team Natsu, not just their cheerleader" Lucy moaned, her self-pity changing into anger as she remembered all the times she'd been called a cheerleader and not just by members of the public; Gajeel, Laxus and Bickslow had all referred to her as one sometime in her life time and she was so sick of it.
"I can see why that's frustrating and you're completely correct. You are a Dragon Slayer, Lucy. It's just that you haven't trained or practiced Slayer magic before and that's probably the only reason you couldn't use it. I don't know about the rest of the First Generation Slayers, but I know it took Sting and I a fair while to get the hang on it. However, that was only because Dad and Weiss were absolutely terrible trainers. If you need help learning about your magic and figuring out the spell work, I'd be happy to help. Perhaps even the rest of the slayers could help" Rogue suggested, a small smile on his face. Lucy rubbed her eyes of the unshed tears, thinking over Rogue's words. It was true, she did need to train to use her magic, and maybe asking the Dragon Slayers wouldn't be so bad. Hell, she was sure even Capricorn would help.
"I may just take you up on that," Lucy said, smiling back at him gently. Cobra rolled his eyes as he heard the tenors in Lucy's soul calm down to their usual cheery notes. Lucy and Rogue's attention was soon drawn towards the yawning green Exceed.
"I guess it's time for us to leave. Ja ne" Rogue said as he gathered Frosch into his arms before leaving the apartment; Lucy waving at the two as they left.
"I'm going to pop into the shower and then I'll get started on dinner," Lucy said with a nod before grabbing her clothes and making her way into the bathroom. Cobra shrugged his jacket off before taking his self designated seat by the window, watching the people pass by, taking in the sounds and images of their souls.
"Cobra, I'm done with the bathroom if you wanna freshen up before dinner" Lucy called out half an hour later as she made her way into the kitchen. Cobra grabbed his clothing and made his way into the bathroom. Unlike Dickneel, Cobra loved showers and or baths especially considering he never got a proper shower or bath when he was locked up in prison. He stood under the steamy spray, letting out a quiet groan as the hot water soothed his straining muscles. After about an hour, he exited, the scent of whatever Lucy was cooking beckoning him towards her kitchen.
Lucy turned around, greeting her fellow Dragon Slayer with a smile before stopping short, her jaw almost dropping at the sight in front of her. Cobra stood in her kitchen, dressed in grey sweats and a black muscle shirt, with his hair dripping (somehow his hair defied all logic and physical laws as it was still spiky) looking completely relaxed. Her eyes slowly scanned his figure, from his lean but toned arms to his abs and finally the delicious v of his hips. The man was entirely too sexy for his own good, especially with his cinnamon skin and devilish smirk. Cobra's smirk widened as Lucy continued her perusal of his body, her soul crooning, the melodious song turning deep and heady. The song of her soul was entirely too intoxicating and he had to quickly withdraw lest he thrown her onto the kitchen table and take her right there and then.
"Dinner?" Cobra grunted out snapping Lucy out of her stupor. Lucy shook her head, blushing bright red as she realised she'd just spent the past five minutes drooling over the Poison Slayer.
"Umm yeah! With all the back to back missions to find Draco's key, I haven't really been able to do any grocery shopping so it's Ramen tonight" Lucy said as she grabbed two bowls before setting one in front of Cobra along with a bottle of bleach.
"Thanks for the meal" Cobra mumbled, Lucy smiling at the tanned male opposite her. Cobra drenched his noodles in bleach before frowning; realising Lucy didn't have any extras along with her meal. He watched as she added a copious amount of pepper to her meal before stirring the noodles.
"You're a Dragon Slayer" Cobra said, Lucy's eyebrows furrowing as she feasted on her own noodles.
"Yes and?" Lucy asked, beckoning him to continue.
"You need to consume your own element. But I don't think I've seen you eat anything… celestial" Cobra stated as if it was obvious. Lucy simply pointed towards the container sitting in front of her. Cobra didn't really know what she was doing and instead stared blankly at her.
"The peppershaker?" Cobra asked after a few moments and Lucy let out a small snort, shaking her head.
"What? No! It's not a peppershaker. It's stardust. Did you just assume I've been seasoning my meals with a shit tonne of pepper?" Lucy questioned, Cobra shrugging casually. He had noticed the amount of 'pepper' she'd been adding to her meals, but really, who was he to question someone else's eating habits? He'd seen it all, Sawyer had practically lived on a diet of sugar, caffeine and fizzy drinks, Richard only ever ate potatoes as his carbs and Macbeth lived off of instant noodles. Sorano was the only one who really had a normal eating habit.
"Fair enough" Cobra said before returning his attention to the meal. However, Lucy internally cheered. It had almost been a month since Cobra had joined the guild and for the first time ever, he was the one to initiate the conversation, no matter how short it was. He had actually started the conversation without any prompting from her. It was as if Christmas had come early. Lucy rejoiced in her own mind, Cobra rolling his eyes at her thoughts. Once they'd both finished their meal and done the dishes, they realised it was quite late so they both decided to retire to bed. And that was where they encountered their first problem.
There was only one bed.
Lucy gulped.
How had she not realised this would be an issue? Oh yeah, because she hadn't actually lived with Cobra until now. This was the first time they were home together. The day he'd joined the guild she'd left and he'd been living in her home without her. Then there'd been the job requests and mission to find Draco's key. This was the first time she'd be sleeping in her own bed in about three weeks. Really, they only had two options. One of them could sleep on the sofa and the other take the bed. Or they could share the bed. Lucy's gaze flickered to the sofa before sighing. While the couch was comfortable to sit on, it wasn't meant for sleeping. Plus, Cobra's six foot two figure probably wouldn't fit comfortably at all. She could sleep on it but it would give her a killer backache and she already had enough of those on a regular basis. With another sigh, Lucy decided to suck it up and share the bed.
"I guess for tonight we can share the bed. I don't have a spare room for you though and we can't continue sharing a bed for the next three years… okay. I guess that's it. We're going apartment hunting tomorrow. Hopefully, between the two of us we'll be able to find something nice and cheap enough" Lucy said, nodding in determination.
"Whatever works for you Cottontail" Cobra said with a shrug, Lucy sweat dropping at the nickname before turning to the bed.
"Which side do your prefer? I usually sleep in the middle so either one is fine with me" Lucy stated kindly as she gestured to the bed.
"Wall" came Cobra's simple answer. There was no way he'd be sleeping near the edge. After all his time in the Tower and Prison, he'd gotten so used to sleeping by a wall that he wasn't sure he'd be able to sleep by the edge ever again. Lucy waited for him to slide in before joining him and getting comfy. Cobra stared at the ceiling, wondering how he should tackle the situation. Years and years of conditioning meant that he slept with his back against the wall so that in the case of an attack, he'd be able to see the assailant. But sleeping with his back against the wall also meant having to face Lucy and he wasn't sure he'd be able to make it through the night with his sanity if he had to do that.
"Goodnight Cobra" Lucy mumbled sleepily before turning her back towards him, quickly drifting off into dreamland.
Cobra listened as her breathing got deeper and heavier, her soul quietening down into soft harps and violins. Cobra continued staring at the ceiling for the next hour, unable to fall asleep. He was used to late nights and sleep deprivation; really only getting enough sleep to keep his body functioning properly. All of a sudden however, Lucy began shivering, cuddling further into her comforter and backing up into him in order to share his heat. Cobra stiffened as she pressed her back into his side before relaxing, unconsciously pressing further into her. Cobra wouldn't admit this to anyone; in fact, he'd die before revealing this. But he was, in every sense of the word, a 'cuddler'. It wasn't his fault; he'd just spent almost more than a decade of his life with Cubellios wrapped around him for warmth.
However, being locked up in a prison for seven years had starved him of the human contact and he'd outgrown that aspect of his personality. Or so he thought. With Lucy pressed up against him like that, he almost missed sleeping with someone or something else. Almost being the keyword. Seeing no other option, Cobra decided to suck it up and sleep with his back against the wall. Shifting his position, he made himself comfortable, Lucy letting out a quiet whine before unconsciously turning so she faced him, snuggling further into his warmth. Once again Cobra stiffened, before relaxing, one of his arms tentatively wrapping around her waist, the other under his head. He wouldn't be asleep for long anyway. As soon as dawn approached, he'd be naturally awoken by the sunlight, which meant he'd awaken long before her and she'd never be any wiser as to their sleeping position. With his mind made up, Cobra pulled her body tighter against him, his nose pressing against her head as he finally fell into a deep slumber.
Lucy awoke the next day feeling extremely comfortable and snuggled closer into the hard muscle that was surrounding her, the arm around her pulling her closer. She was used to waking up surrounded by muscle and arms around her, especially with Natsu and Gray breaking into her apartment daily and falling asleep into her bed. However, the muscle next to her wasn't burning hot or freezing cold. It was just about the right temperature and that was what was causing alarm bells to ring in her mind. Suddenly she stiffened as she remembered that she wasn't in bed with Natsu or Gray but Cobra. The same Cobra that had tried to sacrifice her to the Infinity Clock. The same Cobra that was currently living with her. The same Cobra that was holding her as if she was his own personal stuffed toy.
'Okay Lucy. DO NOT PANIC! It's just Cobra! It could be worse! You could have woken up next to Ichiya' Lucy thought to herself, shuddering at the thought. 'Damn he smells good. Okay, we don't have time to drool over him. You're going to get up and head off to the guild and act like you didn't just wake up in a hunky Dragon Slayer's arms. Okay? Okay.' Lucy rationalised to herself. She quickly untangled herself from Cobra's arms and rushed into her bathroom, preparing herself for the day. She grabbed a quick breakfast, scribbled down a note for Cobra and then left her apartment.
Lucy hurried down the streets, carrying Nyla with her and before long; Fairy Tail's massive guild building was looming over her. However, considering it wasn't even 6am yet, the guild would not be open. So instead of walking through the front doors, she took a detour towards the back and found herself in the middle of Fairy Tail's training grounds. Pulling out Capricorn's key, she summoned the Goat Spirit to her side.
"Capricorn! Good morning" Lucy said.
"Good morning My Lady. What is it you need?" Capricorn asked, as he bowed in greeting.
"I need to train Capricorn. I'm tired of running out of magic at the worst possible time. I also need help using my Dragon Slaying magic without falling on my instincts" Lucy said and Capricorn nodded.
"I can help you with the first part. All you need to do is expand your containers with some meditation. However, I will be of no use for training your Dragon Slaying magic. You will have to ask your fellow Dragon Slayers for that My Lady" Capricorn said and Lucy nodded. She had thought that would be the case, but she had to try asking him first.
"Okay. Let's start with meditation. You know what to do" Capricorn said and Lucy nodded as she got into position. She closed her eyes and opened her magical container, letting her magic flow out of her. According to Capricorn, the more she depleted her stores, the further her containers would be forced to expand to make up the lost mana. She continued channelling her magic out of her for a while before she began to feel the effects of exhaustion.
"That's enough for today My Lady. You do not need deplete your stores until they are completely exhausted. Just channel it enough that you begin feeling the effects of the loss and your containers will increase. I will take my leave now" Capricorn said, bowing before disappearing back to the Spirit World. Lucy brushed her fingertips against Horologium's key. It was nearing 7am, which meant that Laxus or Gajeel would be here soon for their own training session. Just as the thought crossed her mind, both Dragon Slayers entered the training grounds, walking up to her.
"What are you doing here Trouble?" Laxus asked as he peered down at her, Cora sitting on his shoulder.
"I was training with Capricorn" Lucy said, the two nodding at her before turning to start their own exercises.
"Wait! I have a favour to ask you" Lucy called, both Slayers turning around to look at her questioningly.
"I… I want you to train me. In Dragon Slaying magic. Please" Lucy said, Laxus quirking an eyebrow at her.
"What makes yer think we'd be able to help, Bunny?" Gajeel questioned, Lucy shrugging sheepishly.
"You must be able to teach me something? Anything! I can't use my Dragon magic. Not unless the situation is dire. I don't and have rarely relied on my instincts. I need your help. I'll do anything!" Lucy begged, immediately regretting her words at the mischievous glint in their eyes.
"Deal" Both said at the same time, Lucy sweat dropping. She just hoped whatever they asked of her was remotely… normal. And nothing that would embarrass her.
"Lily, train Cora and Nyla. Ya know what to do" Gajeel said gruffly, Lily nodded and flew off, the two younger Exceeds following him.
"Give me your keys" Laxus said, sticking his hand out. Lucy looked at him wearily.
"Why?" She questioned, Laxus giving her a look of exasperation.
"None of our training will work if you know you have your Spirit to rely on. Now hand them over," Laxus said and Lucy placed her precious keys in his hand hesitantly. She watched as Laxus walked away, placing them on his jacket before returning.
"Now Bunny. First rule of Dragon Slaying magic, it's all instinctive. There is no strategy. You need your instincts to use it. A dragon fights to live, to mate, to survive. Therefore, Sparky and I are gonna pull yer instincts out until it's like second nature to ya" Gajeel said, Lucy nodding. Maybe this wasn't such a good idea. Who knew how much damage the two massive slayers could do to her, in training alone.
"We'll start simple. There are four positions. A step to the left, one to the right, one forward or one behind. Got it?" Laxus said, Lucy nodding, unsure of where Laxus was going with this.
"Now, we're both going to 'attack' ya. While we're doing so, we'll call out a position and you'll have to move into that position. If ya miss or mess up, ya getting hit. No mercy." Gajeel explained.
"Right" Lucy said, the two began attacking her, Laxus sent a bolt of lightning to her right while calling out the left position, Gajeel calling forward when he erected a club of iron from the ground behind her. They started of slow, getting quicker and quicker until Lucy was moving rapidly.
"Left" Laxus called the same time Gajeel called "Right", however a split second before moving, Lucy moved behind, narrowly avoiding a lightning bolt on her left and an iron club on her right. Lucy stood in shock, looking at the ground where she would have been hit if she had followed Laxus or Gajeel's orders.
"What just happened?" Lucy questioned, unable to take her eyes off the ground.
"Looks like you know how to listen to your instincts after all" Laxus said, a small smirk on her face. However, at his comment, Lucy's blood began to boil.
"YOU IDIOTS! IF I HAD LISTENED TO EITHER OF YOU, I WOULD HAVE BEEN HIT" Lucy began yelling.
"Yeah. But ya didn't. Cause ya listened to yer instincts instead" Gajeel said, simply shrugging her off.
"This is what we mean Lucy. During the entire time we were attacking, you'd move a split second before we called out a position. Because you knew. You knew where we'd attack and your instincts told you to move against that. Your inner dragon knows. It will keep you safe, listen to it" Laxus said sagely, Lucy stiffening as she realised he was right. The quicker their attacks came, the faster she started reacting. It wasn't much, but it was something.
"Again" Lucy called out, grinning at the two.
"This is gonna be fun. Gihi" Gajeel laughed and the three began sparring again. Once again, Laxus and Gajeel began calling out positions, Lucy moving where they called. However, all of a sudden, Gajeel moved and punch her, Lucy's eyes widening slightly before she was struck.
"What the hell was that about?" Lucy growled out, jumping onto Gajeel and pulling his hair in anger.
"Ouch! What the shit! Stop! Fucking… Bunny stop pulling my hair!" Gajeel yelled, trying to pull her off of him. Laxus sighed before prying Lucy off of him, watching as she thrashed in his arms trying to get back at Gajeel.
"That one was on you. We told you to listen to your instincts and instead of moving away from Gajeel, you froze in fear. You weren't expecting it. But in a real fight, your opponent is not going to tell you what or where they're attacking. Stop thinking. Clear your mind and just react," Laxus said, Lucy deflating as she realised he was right.
"Stupid Gaj" Lucy pouted, sticking her tongue out at him as Gajeel rubbed his head where she'd been pulling on his locks.
"Once again?" Laxus questioned, Lucy nodding as she got into position.
"Try not to think so much, listen to ya gut" Gajeel said and once again they began attacking. This continued for another half an hour, with Lucy getting better and better each time she was hit. Suddenly, a raging roar from none other than their guild's resident Fire Dragon Slayer interrupted their session.
"WHAT ARE YOU DOING TO LUCE?" Natsu yelled, jumping in with flaming fists. Laxus and Gajeel quickly moved out of his way causing Natsu to barrel into the blonde; however, before he could hit her Lucy moved.
"Celestial Dragon Slash" Lucy spelled instinctively, her foot glowing with Celestial magic before she kicked her best friend, sending him flying away. Lucy's eyes widened before letting out an ecstatic laugh.
"Oh my... DID YOU SEE THAT? I DID IT!" Lucy exclaimed, pumping her fist in the air. A round of applause filled the air and she turned to watch Erza, Wendy, Yukino, Jellal, Meredy, Gray and Sting clap while Rogue smiled at her softly, Cobra watching quietly.
"Well done Lucy!" Wendy cheered, Lucy grinning at her friends.
"I take it you were training with Laxus and Gajeel before the Flame Fuck butt in?" Gray asked, Lucy nodding in response.
"I'm glad you're training Lucy. It will do us all well if we grow stronger before our fight against the Dragon Gods. Come, I shall spar with you" Erza said, drawing her weapon. Lucy sweat dropped and quickly shook her head.
"No! It's okay Erza! I don't want to die anytime soon," Lucy said, whispering the last sentence.
"Very well. Rogue, you mentioned something about wanting swordsmanship advice? Come. Draw your weapon" Erza said, turning to Rogue. The Shadow Dragon Slayer nodded, drawing his katana before beginning his training with the Scarlet Knight.
"Is it okay if I train with you instead, Lucy-nee?" Wendy asked shyly, Lucy nodding her consent with a smile. Lucy watched as the members branched off into smaller groups. Natsu, Sting and Gray were 'training' (read fighting and goofing off) while Meredy took Yukino on with Cobra facing Jellal. It seemed Laxus and Gajeel were off doing their own thing and Pantherlily had gained some more 'students', teaching the young Exceed to sprout their wings before hanging weight on them to get used to flying around with heavy objects. Although, through this all, Happy was really only flirting with Carla while Lector and Frost cheered him on.
"Come on Wendy, maybe you can help me with some Dragon Slaying spells. You learned some from Porlyusica didn't you?" Lucy asked, Wendy nodding, happy to help her older sister figure.
"Well first, you sort of have to imagine the magic…" Wendy began explaining, Lucy listening to the younger slayer enthusiastically. The impromptu guild training session continued for another two hours until the guildhalls opened, with everyone rushing in to grab some well deserved breakfast.
"Man I'm beat! MIRA FOOD!" Natsu demanded, startling Mira.
"What? Why are so many people here so early?" Mira questioned, however she was whisked away by Natsu yelling for food before she got her answer. Lucy shook her head at her best friend's antics before turning to Cobra.
"Do you want to go apartment shopping after breakfast?" Lucy questioned, Cobra grunting his consent as he feasted on his full breakfast.
"Apartment shopping? Why are you changing apartments Lucy?" Gray asked with a frown, everyone from the training session turning to look at her expectantly.
"My current one is a single bed apartment and with Cobra living with me from now on, I'm going to need a bigger apartment" Lucy said casually, everyone nodding their head in understanding.
"Oh! Is it okay if Sting, Rogue and I join you? We all need an apartment too," Yukino asked politely, Lucy's brows furrowing.
"You guys still haven't found a place to live? Where have you been staying this entire time?" Lucy questioned.
"Well, we were staying in an Inn but then with the missions, we didn't really have time to find a place to stay. Master has given us a short break before we have to start looking for Draco's key again, so we thought we'd do it now" Sting said as he scarfed down a sausage.
"That makes sense. Yukino, don't you want to live at Fairy Hills? And what about Orga and Rufus, don't they need a place?" Lucy asked, Yukino shaking her her.
"Fairy Hills is just too expensive for me. Orga and Rufus are living together, they were both S Class mages so they saved enough money for them to not really need to 'shop' for a cheap place" Yukino informed and Lucy nodded.
"Fair enough. Sure, you can join Cobra and I today" Lucy said, smiling brightly.
"Thank you Lucy" Rogue said kindly, smiling softly at the blonde.
"Yeah cheers Luce" Sting said and immediately, Natsu punched him in the face.
"You can't call Lucy, Luce! Only I get to call her that" Natsu yelled, however before the two could get into a major fight, Lucy knocked the two on their heads.
"Behave Natsu" Lucy said, glaring at the pink haired Slayer.
"Ah! This sucks! None of the two bedroom apartments are working out. They're either really nice but too expensive or super cheap and look horrible," Lucy moaned, crying on Yukino's shoulder.
"We're having the same issues with three bedroom places," Yukino said despondently.
"Hey! I have a great idea. Why don't we all live together? I know the places will be really expensive, but between the five of us, I'm sure we could afford it?" Sting said, a flash of brilliant occurring within him.
"That's it Sting! You always have the best ideas," Lector cheered, Sting grinning brightly.
"That's not too bad an idea you know… I have no issue with it, do you?" Lucy asked, turning to Cobra. Cobra stared at the blonde passively, thinking this over. He'd have to live with four other people instead of one. He didn't mind Rogue as much; they were sort of… friend-acquaintances and he legally had to live with Lucy. Yukino wasn't too bad either, in fact, she reminded him of Sorano. That would probably be because they were sisters. Not that Yukino really knew that he knew Sorano or that they were related. He didn't really want to get into the family drama. So he was fine with three of the four. Sting wasn't too bad. He was calm and easy going. As long as Natsu wasn't around. On the other hand, if he said no, they'd have to go back to Lucy's apartment and share a bed and he wasn't too sure about that. Due to sharing a bed with Lucy, he had an actual good night's sleep for the first time in years. He'd even managed to wake up well past the sun's first rays. However, that was also a con because if he continued sharing a bed with her, he was sure he'd lose his sanity.
"Whatever" Cobra finally said, how bad could it really be? He lived with the Seis before, and as long as Sting didn't piss him off, he'd be fine. He was also sure that for his own sanity, this would be best.
"Sweet! Let's go back to the agency," Sting said enthusiastically before running of in the direction of the housing agency. Another couple of hours later, and the group were quickly becoming despondent. None of the five bedroom houses were good enough.
"Alright, this is the second last one. It's not too bad price wise, it's 500,000 Jewel a month, which is around 100,000 Jewel each. It is slightly more than we were willing to pay, but we're running out of options. It's about a fifteen-minute walk from the guild. It also has a large back garden and three bathrooms. Should we check it out?" Yukino said, Lucy nodding. The outside looked nice enough. It was a lovely wood and red brick house, with ivy growing along the walls and around the front door.
"Let's pray to Mavis this is the one. I'm getting real tired of all these houses," Lucy moaned as she followed the agent inside the house. Immediately, Yukino and Lucy's jaw dropped. It was absolutely beautiful! The entry way led into a spacious living room, with an exposed brick wall on one side, dark wooden beams running along the ceiling and a matching wooden floor with French doors that led to a well-kept garden. The furniture was made of dark wood and had comfy white cushions with a light brown shaggy rug in the middle as well as a flat screen Lacrima TV. All in all it had a rustic feel to it. Lucy and Yukino looked at each other before letting out a squeal, running into the kitchen together. The kitchen had a similar feel to the living room, with light grey stone masonry walls, white marble counter tops and black cupboards and counters.
"There's a bathroom here" Sting called out, from a door opposite the living room. Lucy and Yukino followed him into the bathroom. The design was similar to the living room and kitchen, with exposed stone masonry and dark wood furniture.
"As you can see, the ground floor follows a lovely rustic theme. If you follow me upstairs, I can lead you to the bedrooms" The agent said, Lucy and Yukino racing up the stairs alongside Sting while Rogue and Cobra followed at a leisurely pace.
"The first and second floors are more modern and urbanised. The first floor consists of two large bedrooms with a shared bathroom between the two and a study," The short stumpy woman informed, allowing the five to browse through the rooms. The bathroom was much more modern, grey marble and brown wooden walls making up the interior. It also had a large shower as well as a bath that had Lucy falling in love. The two bedrooms were nearly identical, with white walls, light grey carpeting and double beds; as well as a wardrobe and a chest of drawers and a door leading into the shared bathroom. The study itself wasn't all too big, the walls were lined with bookshelves and by the window was a desk that Lucy could picture herself sitting at as she wrote her book.
"This place is simply beautiful" Yukino sighed as they ascended up to the final floor.
"This floor has three more large bedrooms and a single bathroom," The lady said. The bathroom matched the one below nearly exactly, except it lacked a bathtub. The rooms had grey walls with white carpeting and similar wooden furniture to the bottom two rooms.
"This place is perfect" Lucy squealed, falling onto one of the beds.
"Why is it so cheap? For what it is, surely it should be more expensive?" Rogue asked, the place was perfect. It should have gone and still could go for millions. He didn't want to sign a contract and later find out that the place floods once a week or something similar.
"The house has just gone up for rent. We're the first people to see it. The man who's renting it out found his wife cheating and decided to put it up for rent" Cobra said out of the blue.
"How did you know that young man?" The estate lady questioned, looking at him in wonder.
"We're mages. Cobra can read souls" Rogue explained and the lady nodded enthusiastically.
"How lovely! Some mages have such wonderful magic. But yes, you're friend is correct. The man wants it gone soon and that is why the price is so cheap," The lady said and Lucy looked at her in confusion.
"Surely, he could just sell it off?" Lucy asked and the estate lady shook her head.
"The ex wife is richer than him and has the means to buy it. This was his ex wife's dream house and he thought it would be much more effective to rent it out so that she can never have it and instead she could watch other people live in it. The house itself is also relatively near the train station so that puts the price down too. It's also pretty close to the forest where monsters live. Fear not however, the monsters don't really cross the forest so the house is perfectly safe. But you can see why non mages would be scared of living here" The estate lady informed.
"Hey! If there are monsters then we could train each day! This place is so cool, let's get it" Sting said, Lucy and Yukino readily agreed, Cobra shrugging his consent and Rogue nodding.
"Very well, let us return to my office and we can sign the contract," The estate lady said, ushering them out of the house. An hour later, and the five had signed the contract and were in the possession of the house keys.
"Sweet! We have a home! I can't wait to get back and decorate my room" Lucy gushed, Yukino nodding enthusiastically. However, before they got back to their new house, they were stopped by Warren's telepathy.
"Warren? What's going on?" Lucy asked. The only time a major guild telepathic link was opened was in case of emergencies.
"Calling all Fairy Tail mages. Master has ordered a gathering in the guild. Please make haste. There has been an attack" Warren's voice came through the link and Lucy's blood ran cold. She turned to her fellow guild members; all but Cobra were as pale as her.
"We're coming" Lucy said before the link was cut off. The five rushed back to the guild, gathering in the hall. Master stood on the second floor, looking at them gravely.
"Lucy! Over here" Erza called, beckoning the group towards Team Natsu and Team Crime Sorcière.
"Erza! Do you know what's going on?" Yukino asked, Erza shaking her head, her face hard and solemn.
"I'm not sure. But Master does not look too happy. Also Doranbolt is here, which can only mean this concerns the Magic Council. I have a bad feeling about this. Whatever it is though, we shall find out soon enough," Erza replied, Lucy nodding. As soon as the last of their members gathered, Makarov cleared his throat, causing a quick stop to the worried whispers echoing across the guild.
"My children, I regret to inform you that fifteen minutes ago, a bombing took place at the Magic Council Headquarters. Many of the Council members were killed. At the same time, the 8 Island restaurants run by old Council Member Yajima was attacked. Fortunately, the Thunder God Tribe and Laxus managed to successfully defend the place. All five are currently in the guild infirmary, but are out of immediate danger" Makarov informed and Lucy turned ghost white. This was not good. Did this have anything to do with the Dragon Gods? Was Laxus going to be okay? Master mentioned he was out of immediate danger, but that didn't mean he was completely out of it.
"However, this act cannot go unpunished. Members of our family were attacked and we will seek retribution. This means war" Makarov said, his voice grave and filled with anger. As soon as he finished his speech, Fairy Tail let out rambunctious roars, ready to defend their guild and its members.
'This… this is not going to end well' Lucy thought to herself.
Okay so yeah! Kind of a filler but also not a filler chapter. I am in love with CoLu and RoLu, like completely and utterly in love with it. The two have replaced LaLu as my favourite and idk what to do.
But yes! With this, we go into the dreadful Tartarus arc. Obviously, I won't be writing out the whole arc and there will be some major changes to the overall arc, which I will not spoil for you. Also you'll notice that Laxus is out of danger after his fight with Tempester, this is because he is obviously a Dragon Slayer and therefore key to the story, which means he can't exactly be bed ridden for 100 years.
ANYWAY! Read and review please! Reading reviews always motivates me to continue writing!
Much love
Nelly xo