Chapter 23 : The Guardian
The morning sun rose above the clouds, bathing Magnolia in its soft light. Many were still getting out from their beds, getting ready to start their day, however, the hustle and bustle of construction and rebuilding were in full-swing up north as workers, citizens and guild members alike worked hand in hand to rebuild the destroyed sections of Magnolia where the remnants of the brief war that broke out three months ago still remained. All was well, and it was the start of another peaceful day in Magnolia.
But the citizens of Magnolia knew better than that.
True enough, when a thunderous rumble came from the direction of the guild, that was as good as a warning the citizens could get. With minimal cussing, eye-rolling and dreaded groans from them, as soon as the denizens of Magnolia got out of the way, down came a stampede of Fairy Tail members, marching down the main street as swift as the passing wind and leaving a mess that even Gildarts would be proud of.
" Come on! I sure i felt the magical signature from that direction!" The newest addition to the guild hollered over her shoulder, tossing her raven black hair back and pointing in the direction of the East Forest.
" Are you sure Adonis?" Erza up beside her, looking skeptically at her.
The said celestial mage nodded affirmatively, smirking sassily at the scarlet haired mage with a mischievous glint in her sparkling purple eyes, " I can't possibly lie to someone like you right, oh great Titania?"
Erza's eyebrows twitched, " For the last time, just call me Erza!"
Waving her off, Adonis turned backwards to look at Erza, pulling her tongue out at her then winking, " Nah, it's too much troublesome to change it now, plus, Titania sound better!", before running up ahead, leaving a trail of her laughter behind.
A loud sigh came from Erza's right and the man's head sunk low with a groan, " I'm so sorry, she's just really-"
The requip mage shook her head in exasperation, " It's okay, Fairy Tail has its fair share of... interesting characters."
Diablo's bright orange eyes crinkled up with mirth, looking back at the army of rowdy (mostly) drunk guild mates behind him," I can certainly see that."
" But i do not doubt Adonis's magical detection ability, it has proved useful during the missions we have went on during these the past month." Diablo's eyes then narrowed," It's one of the few good things that's in her modified body."
He growled darkly," May that bastard burn in Gehenna for eternity."
" Holy Mavis, what is that?!" Levy's wavering voice squeaked from the back of the group as she jabbed a finger up at the sky, her petite body struggling to keep up with the fast pace they were running at.
All eyes turned to look up and mouths simultaneously dropped at the sight of a huge gaping rift opening directly above the line of trees beyond the East Forest.
" Doesn't that look a lot like-"
Before Gray could finish his sentence, a flash of blond bolted away from the group and dashed straight into the cluster of trees without warning.
Emerging from the dark densely packed foliage, the light from the clearing blinding Lucy and the group momentarily.
A small shining object fell from the slender fingertips of the slightly translucent hand that poked out from the rift, before disappearing entirely, the rift closing with a snap.
Bending down to retrieve the item and dusting off the grass from it, Lucy looked up at the sky above her with a nostalgic expression, whispering to herself as she clasped the key to her heart.
" Tenebre...Has really been three months since that incident...?"
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Hands clasped tightly together with his blond mate's, Natsu's eyes rolled up and he fell with a heavy thump beside her when the god exacted the payment for his wish in the form of a fiery ball of flame that rose out from his chest.
At that same moment, a silver glinting teardrop rose out of the deity's right's hand just as Lucy's slender frame started to glow a pale gold that resembled the glow of her celestial spirits.
Erza gasped in alarm and dashed forward, but just as she came within reach of both her teammates, a ring of golden flame fanned out from the three entities with an explosive blast, stopping her in her tracks. Suppressing a curse, she jumped back, patting down the flames that got caught on her clothes.
" What did you do to them?!" She turn an accusing gaze in the god's direction, slamming a fist against the glowing barrier of flames that surrounded the three.
" I simply granted the wishes of these two mortals." The god said,
The flame flicker in his hand, and with a simply flick, it shot off from the god's misty hand and sank into Lucy's chest, a silent gasp escaping from her chapped lips.
" This one wished to save the mortal woman, the price he paid was to give up part his soul to complete her incomplete one."
Both their bodies lit up with a bright golden flame at that moment as if to emphasize on that fact, levitating up from the ground ever so slightly.
" This one wished to continue living in the present, in exchange she relinquished the power to look into the future to me. Even if it meant destabilizing her soul."
The silver tear drop sank into the deity's shadowy hand, and the surface of the god's temporary humanoid form rippled and bloated up, before zipping back together into the black formless mass that he was before.
" With that i've fulfilled the last my obligations to the ex-Gatekeeper. This marks the end of an era of Gatekeepers and into the age of Tenebre, The Eternal Guardian." The words echoed off the walls as the god floated up higher and higher into the sky, " Farewell mortal beings, and lastly, a final parting gift from the last Gatekeeper..."
Gold and silver threads burst forth from the ground, weaving intricate patterns and arcane words around the group of mages, twisting and curving around each and every one of their bodies in a gleaming cocoon like structure,
" ...along with her final words: "
The god disappeared from their sight, enveloping them in a warm light as their world faded into a blur of colors, and they found themselves feeling incredibly disoriented, standing in the middle of their wrecked guild building, tearing up at the words that hung in the air from where the last of the portal faded from existence.
" Thank you for letting me experience the joy having a family... for one, last time."
She drifted in a wide span of white, she felt nothing, saw nothing. Lifting a hand to her face, she flexed her fingers and turned it left and right, feeling the slight motion of her slender fingertips brushing against her palm through the veil of numbness that washed over in waves through her body.
She just felt... hollow. Barren inside. Like something has been ripped out from inside of her. But what was it?
What was she missing?
Sinking down further into the heavy abyss for what felt like an eternity, she closed her eyes as she continued swirling into the unknown aimlessly, when a loud cracking sound startled her eyes open as streams of light cut through the darkness from above her.
Brown eyes flicked up to look at the intruder, and she was blinded by the blindingly, fiery light that came from the figure that was approaching her swiftly, catching a glimpse of the figure mouthing a word, a name.
" Lucy!"
The blond frowned, was that her name? She could not recall.
But when the fire grabbed her by her shoulders and crushed her into his chest, the flames enveloped her completely, sinking into her skin and into her bones, filling up the void within her and lighting her up from inside, filling her with such warmth, it was as if she was on fire.
Everything came rushing back to her, colors flooded her vision with such clarity and focus, her body shuddered and she gasped sharply.
Memories of her family.
Memories of her adventures.
Memories of the man before her, grinning widely at her with a hand extended out to her, his body alight with a flame of life so bright, captivating her to him like a moth to flame.
They say if you play with fire, you'll end up getting burnt.
But Lucy knows that this fire would never hurt her.
Natsu would never hurt her.
" Let's go Lucy! Let's go back to Fairy Tail!"
With the spark of life rekindled back inside of her, Lucy grabbed onto his hand, smiling radiantly back at him, a giggle bubbled out from her mouth when he twirled her around as they floated towards the light.
Locked in a tight embrace, their lips met, light blinded them and faded away as swiftly as the darkness that enveloped them after.
Natsu's eyes flew open, inhaling sharply and taking in several ragged breadths, ignoring the startled looks and protests he got from those around him, he supported himself up with with elbows and groaned,
" Natsu!" Erza chastised, pushing him back down firmly, " You're not-"
" Lucy. " He gasped out the word, pushing away Erza's insistent hands, demanding, " Where is she?"
" Calm down, Natsu, you're home, in the infirmary-"
" Where. Is. Lucy. "
Erza relented, but she kept a keep eye on him, folding her arms, she sidestepped away to let him see the blond laying in the bed beside his, " She okay Natsu, her condition stabilized the moment you awoke."
Shaking her head, she mumbled, " I can't believe you put yourself at risk like that. Using your own soul as a guide to bring Lucy back while she's barely hanging onto life, you've been asleep for a week Natsu, a week!"
" How reckless can you get?" Erza pinched the bridge of her nose.
" But it looks like you've done your job right. For once. " Gray scoffed from near the infirmary door, before mumbling," Welcome back, you flaming idiot."
" Nevertheless, good job Natsu." She patted his back with a sigh, the tension relaxing off her face and her lips curved up, in a tired smile, " We'll leave the both of you alone now, you need to rest up and recuperate."
The moment she yanked open the infirmary doors, a pile of bodies fell forward and slammed onto the oaken floor with a heavy thump, the groaning mass of limbs mumbling and cussing as they untangled themselves.
" Uhh, hi Erza?" Levy laughed nervously, clearing her throat while scrambling to her feet," We were just passing by...?"
With a firm look from the scarlet mage, the pile of fairies squeaked and scampered back into the main hall, and with a solid thump of the door, the infirmary was left in silence, well, as silent as it can possibly get with the rambunctious bunch of drunks partying right outside.
Tossing the white sheets off him, he pushed his jelly legs away from the infirmary bed and made his way to Lucy's bedside with the support of the bedposts.
The chair creaked under his weight, grabbing her pale hand with his own, he instinctively raised his body temperature and pressed the slender fingers to his lips, mumbling,
" Jeez Lucy, why are always so cold?"
" Well, i'm not the one with the abnormal high body heat, so you tell me." came a groggy, sassy reply.
His wide eyes met her amused ones as he gasped, " You're awake!"
She chuckled softly, jerking her head in the direction of the door," How can one sleep through that racket?"
Groaning, she propped herself up with her elbows, leaning heavily back on the headboard. Shifting over to the side of the mattress, she patted at her side,
" Join me?"
He obliged without another word, scooting over to her side and his legs joined hers under the covers, they stayed that way in a comfortable silence before the sound of her clearing her throat broke it,
" So," She started hesitantly, averting her eyes from Natsu's and looking out the window, her fingers tangled tightly together, " Tenebre really is gone. For good this time."
Natsu stiffened, " How did you-"
" I met her before she disappeared, inside my dreamscape." came a hushed whisper, followed by a hollow laugh, " Well, 'no matter the cost' she said."
The salty sent alerted Natsu of her tears, despite the woeful tilt of her lips, " Even though i barely knew her for a couple weeks, there goes another family member of mine."
His grip on her hands tightened and a growl slipped past his lips, " We won't leave you, Lucy. Fairy Tail will leave you."
Turning her watery gaze to look at him, she let out a real smile as a tear escaped from the corner of her eye, " I know, Natsu. I know."
His hand came up to cup the side of her face and she leaned into his touch, soaking in the warmth that was uniquely his. Touching his forehead to hers, he said softly,
" I will never leave you."
Shuddering, she lifted her eyes to meet his, finding herself getting lost in those deep olive green depths, his thumb rubbed off the traces of her tears from her cheeks.
" Never."
They stared into eyes for a good couple minutes, before Natsu broke eyes contact first, flinging his hands away from her, looking away whilst scratching the back of his head, he rambled aimlessly,
" Well of course, i mean we're nakama, i mean teammates, and best friends so we're closer to each other than anyone out there, except Bisca and Alzack maybe cause they're married, wait maybe something like that, i mean you're my mate and all and i like like you but of course i need to ask you out and all the other mushy stuff that Mira says i need to do-"
Lucy's eyes bugged out in middle of his rant, cutting him short in mid-sentence, her face so bright a red, it could match Erza's hair,
" You what?" Her voice coming out only in a high pitched squeak.
Natsu blinked, " Did i say something?"
Flustered, a string of disconnected words bubbled out from her, " You- Mate- Like- Ask- What- ME?!"
He frowned, somehow understanding her," Yeah, i did just say that, something wrong Lucy?"
Lucy only managed two words through her shock, " Since when?"
" Since the very start i think, when i met you in Hargeon." Natsu looked away with a pink tint on his cheeks, " I wasn't sure at first, but my instincts guided me to you on that boat and that's when i sorta knew, that you were special i mean."
He then looked back up at Lucy with a surprisingly mature expression she never knew he had, and grabbed her by her shoulders, " But i messed up, i wanted to be like the man in your story and ask you to be mine over dinner and flowers and the sorts, instead i let my instincts take over that drunken night and i marked you as my mate."
Seeing her eyes widen fractionally and her hand slapping onto the spot on the side of her neck as if recalling back those memories, Natsu winced back guiltily, " And then that morning we... kissed. I'm so sorry Lucy, i really wanted to go slow, and do all the thing that you thought were 'romantic'."
He mouthed the unfamiliar word, his face cringing up.
Lucy, however, stayed rooted to her spot. Her face and body completely frozen as words swirled in her shock ridden mind.
" Natsu likes me? I'm his mate?"
Unable to hold all her mixed emotions in anymore, it burst out of her in a sharp laugh, tears flowing out from her beaming eyes in thick streams as she guffawed.
Natsu stared widely at her, questioning her sanity and just when he was considering the fact that he had broken her, she wiped her tears off with a swipe of her fingers and flashed him a blinding smile,
" Come here you goofball."
Grabbing his scarf, she yanked him to her in one swift move.
A sharp clack sound was created when their teeth cracked against each others, and they immediately pushed away groaning, nursing their split lips.
" Gah, Lucy! What was that for?" Natsu licked at the droplet of blood forming on his lip while casting the blond a sour look.
The said person hid her flaming face in her hands, squeaking from behind her hands,
" Oh Mavis, i'm so sorry Natsu, i don't know what came over me! I'm-"
Peaking through her fingers, she caught his eye through the gap between her index and middle finger. His olive eyes crinkled up at the utterly flustered look on her face and he cracked up.
He howled out in laughter and grabbed at his sides, laughing even louder when he saw her hands drop down from her face, a childish pout formed on her lips as she turned her face away from him with her arms folded.
" Oh Luce! Just-!" He choked, grabbing at his aching sides, before tossing a playful grin in her direction, " If you wanted to kiss me that badly, you could've just said so!"
Spluttering, her head swiveled back to glare at him, " W-Wipe that smirk off your face, you stupid dragonslayer- MFFT!"
Natsu silenced her with his lips the moment her face turned towards him, pulling her in with an arm and deepening the kiss with a hand behind her head eagerly.
Unfreezing from her shocked state, she tilted her head up and kissed him back with just as much passion and vigor. Her own lips pressing against his insistently, lips molding perfectly against each other. She sucked at his bottom lip, eliciting a low growl from him as he took this chance to dart his tongue into the warm cavern of her mouth, easily dominating her when she let out a shocked gasp, the butterflies fluttering wildly in her stomach.
Soon, their hands were roaming all over when their session became even more intense, grabbing at hair and fabric to press themselves even closer to each other, space between them was non-existent, the two only parting briefly when their lungs screamed for air before resuming with even more ferocity.
Groaning, Natsu's hands groped at the soft flesh of her waist and made its way downwards-
" Lu-chan, you're awake- KYAA!"
Jumping away at the loud screech that came from the door, they looked at anywhere but each other with flushed faces and breathless gasps, steam puffing out from Lucy head when Levy tossed her a knowing smirk,
" Luuu-chan~" She drawled, and the said person gulped at the devious glint in her eyes that reminded her a little too much of a certain white haired barmaid, before wincing back at the sheer volume of her squeal, not even giving her a chance to speak before dragging her out to the 'girl's corner' by the bar," Details! Now!"
The last thing Natsu saw, was the desperate, pleading look on Lucy's face, before the doors closed on him, leaving his utter befuddled self in the silent room.
After much growling, knuckle cracking and possessive glares shot, Natsu finally managed to reclaim him mate from the gossip hungry clutches of the Fairy Tail girls, wasting no time hoisting her over his shoulder and whisking her home for a much needed heart to heart talk.
Though the matching hickies on their necks, glowing faces and lingering touches the next day said otherwise.
Even till now, they were still getting knowing looks and cat calls from the rest of the guild.
It took a while for the guild, especially the group that went to the Diablo, to get used to the calm that followed straight after they found themselves transported directly into the guild building.
To the rest of the guild, it has only been two weeks since the incident that brought Tenebre to the guild, but to the members who went to the Diablo, it feels as if it has been years since that time.
And here they are now, three months after the incident, crowding around Lucy at the guild's bar the moment they returned from the same clearing where the first gate was opened, climbing over each other, peering over shoulders for a glimpse of the item in her hands.
" I still can't believe it's real." Remnants of shock still remained on Diablo's face, staring incredulously over Lucy's shoulder at the object.
" Feels pretty real to me." Adonis swoop in, plopping down on the bench in front of the blonde, swiping the silver thing from her hands and squinting at it, " Looks like a key. Cool! Ya keeping it?"
" Adonis!" An exasperated sigh escaped Diablo's lips.
The said person rolled her amethyst eyes and raised her hands in surrender, " Fine fine, jeez."
Plopping the key back into Lucy's hands, the black haired girl hummed, " It feels really powerful though... powerful, but strangely empty, just saying."
" Sorry Lu-chan..." Levy plucked her Gale Force Reading Glasses off her nose, " None of my books tell me anything about that key, even those about Celestial Spirits."
A loud slam came from beside Lucy as the bikini clad woman slammed down her barrel with a sigh, her other hand tossing a bunch of blank cards on the wooden table, clicking her tongue in annoyance before taking another huge swig from her barrel," All my cards are coming up blank too..."
"With the exception of this one."
Flipping that one card over, Cana poked at the image of the empty book on the card, " I've never encountered this one before, but i suppose it means something around the lines of 'writing your own story'? Creating your own path perhaps."
" An empty key and my path hmm..." Lucy thought, looking to her side, " What do you think Natsu?
Gray scoffed, " He has a brain?"
" What did you say, Ice Prick?!"
" Can't handle the truth, Flaming Idiot?"
Chaos ensured, and the crowd around Lucy thinned out immediately, almost everyone and everything getting caught up in one of Natsu and Gray's usual brawls.
Lucy shook her head, lips curved upwards as she sighed, " It was a mistake asking him."
"But knowing him..." She hummed, " He's prolly say to follow my guts."
Cana grinned, grabbing at Lucy's boobs and giving them a good groping, " Oh, so does he know you just as well too? He prolly had a pretty good time with these humongous jugs eh?"
Face aflame, Lucy squeaked, " Cana!"
Swatting her hands away, Lucy scrambled over to Levy's side of the table, covering her chest for protection with a pout, " Mou~"
The brunette crackled, taking another huge swig, " Why not try it out then?"
Lucy brows furrowed in though, " Hmm, if something is empty, you just have to fill it up with something..."
Something clicked, slamming her hands on the table abruptly, scaring the occupants when she exclaimed, " That's it!"
Grabbing the key, she swung it forward, " I am linked to the path-"
The key in her hands started to tremble slightly, pulsing with magic and light, letting her instincts and the tendrils of pure magic that the key emanated guide her, the word flew from her mouth,
" -of the spiritual world..."
Adonis's eyes bugged out, barking out in warning, " Hold up, the incantation is different! That is not a celestial spirit you are summoning!"
At her shout, Lucy grinned back at Adonis, " If a key is empty, i just have to summon a spirit to fill it up!"
Turning her attention back forward, she pushed on determinedly,
" Now! O Spirit, answer my call and pass through the Gate!"
On it's own accord, the key flew from her hand and stabbed through the space in the middle of the guild, a blinding silver magic circle blew up a storm around Lucy as her magic poured from her hands and into the rift.
Golden magic collided with the walls that separated the worlds, eagerly searching for a crack or crevice that would allow her power to break through to the other world.
Her hands trembled with effort under the magic exertion, gritting her teeth, she fought against the fatigue that threatened to overwhelm her, the corners of her eyes burned and blurred, her breathing becoming more ragged by the second.
At that moment, something dark jumped through the wind barrier and rough, callused hands grabbed hers from behind.
" Together." He said, fire encasing both their hands and making a blazing trail towards the rift.
The blinding smile on Lucy's face matched that on Natsu's, facing forward as flames cracked wildly around their bodies, with a shout, the steady trickle of golden energy exploded, flaring out fiercely and slamming against the boundary of the worlds mercilessly.
A slight cracking sound resounded throughout the void like space.
Amplified with magic, Lucy's commanding voice reverberated throughout the timeless space.
" Gate of the Eternal Guardian, I open thee!"
Something shattered from within the rift, and a shadow-like figure shot out from within, an enormous wave of pure, unadulterated magic then followed right after, pouring through the rift and ripping it wide open.
The magic materialized, wrapping themselves around the edges of the rift, expanding, twisting, curling and finally taking shape of a gleaming obsidian gate with silver etching of a woman with wings.
Black and white wings rained over the group, a huge shadow casted over Lucy as she looked up with watery eyes and a hand over her mouth.
Dropping from the sky, monochrome hair swayed in the wind and valkyrian armor gleamed with the light of the starts, Tenebre knelt before the blond with a hand on her heart, lips turned up in amusement and joy as she said,
" At your service, Master Lucy."
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Fin
AN : OMG. This is it. That's it folks, you've come to the end of this fic, i still can't believe i finished this. Okay, to be honest, i never imagined the ending to be like this, but ending it this way just felt...right!
I can't express how grateful i truly am towards all of ya, and i'm bad at things like these but here goes, THANK YOU FOR STAYING THROUGHOUT THIS ENTIRE JOURNEY WITH ME! SERIOUSLY, WITH ALL YOUR SUPPORT AND SWEET WORDS, IT'S WHAT KEPT THIS FIC GOING!
I hope you all enjoyed the ending to my first multi-chapter fic!
Once again, THANK YOU!
With love. Ja ne!
~KanaeHitomi~