Hey guys, Merry late Christmas and late Happy New Years!(I hope everyone had safe holidays and got everything they wanted and such! I'm sorry this is a little late, as expected I've been kept busy with the family.
I hope you guys all enjoy and such, Angel is going to be appearing more regularly now and NaLu is finally advanced into the GF/BF zone. (kinda)
Please review, favourite, follow and all that jazzyness stuff if you get a chance when you finish!
Chapter 20: Angel Cake
Lucy couldn't recall how long they stood there, in each others arms, the bitter winter air biting at their exposed skin, burning her cheeks.
They didn't talk. They didn't need to, all the words between them had already been spoken right now all they needed was one another.
Natsu's grip on her was relentless, tight and filled with love and concern, his nose still nestled deep into her hair.
Lucy let him hold her, accepted his heat, granting that it slowly crept up from her toes to her cheeks; waiting until she was completely bathed in his warmth before she allowed her arms to snake around his back.
Natsu seemed oblivious of the time, his only concern was making sure every bit of love and passion he felt for Lucy sunk into her skin, washing her in his crushing affection.
Words moistened Lucy's dry, chapped lips, all the things that she wanted to tell him welling on the tip of her tongue. She knew she could trust him, allow him in, trust him and put faith in him.
But still she remained cautious, she would only answer the questions he asked, nothing more.
Pain surged in her heart, as if it wanted to slap her for being so selfish in her withdraw, she swallowed, she felt the time wasn't quite right for all the answers to spill out.
Finally, Natsu released her onyx eyes now as warm as fire coals. Gingerly he ducked downwards, planting a gentle, tender kiss on her forehead, sparks of electric energy rattling down Lucy's spine.
"Lucy," he whispered, chilled fingers playing with the blonde hair that caressed her collarbone. His tone wasn't prodding, in fact it was so soft, like velvet, loving and unyielding passionate.
Lucy had to contain a slight chuckle, a few weeks ago she probably would have run away in terror at Natsu using such a tone, not to mention on her!
A lot has changed since then, she thought to herself quietly, eyes slowing drifting up to meet Natsu's, chewing on her bottom lip. In good ways and bad.
His cold fingers, tapped lightly on her collarbone, as if he was enjoying the feel of her skin under his numb fingertips. He smiled sweetly, leaning in to catch her lips.
Lucy was slightly alarmed at his sudden flirtatious behaviour, but she obliged, allowing the sweet song of his kissed to hum in her ears and send erotic shivers down her spine.
"Natsu, I have so much to tell you." She whispered, cupping his cheek, nose pressed against his, looking into his heavily lidded eyes.
A small pulled at his lips, "about damn time." He muttered playfully, hands fiddling with the hair at the back of her neck; twirling her golden strands around his long fingers.
Lucy blushed shamelessly, all the piled up lies stinging her lips like poison.
"But now might not be the best time, Gray is expecting us." She blurted out quickly, "not to mention we've abandoned the rest of our classmates."
Natsu's brows furrowed, that familiar skeptical frown on his mobile lips. "Fine." He said slowly, as if he was trying to read her mind, process what was going through her head.
Lucy nodded quickly, taking a step back, now suddenly aware of her tremendous heart beat, head pounding. Eyes downcast, face burning she kept her gaze on the fluffy snow beneath her boots, breathing unsteady. "W-we should probably head back, Gray's stil waiting for us." She mumbled, turning away from Natsu, feeling light headed.
Natsu quickly grabbed the discarded, still unconscious, badger slinging it over his shoulder and trotting to keep up with Lucy. He seemed upset, a deep scowl set into his handsome face.
"What's wrong?" Lucy asked, nibbling on her bottom lip, although the answer was quite clear. He felt like he was being blocked out, again. Lucy frowned, she didn't want him to feel like that, in fact she wanted him to know how much he actually meant to her, but she couldn't find the proper words.
Natsu just gave her the stink eye over his shoulder. "Nothing." He marched through the snow, looking more like an angry cave troll than a teenage wizard.
Lucy sighed to herself, shoulders drooping, well that hadn't gone as she had wanted it too, but then again things never did. Pulling her toque down over her ears even more so, Lucy hurried after Natsu, grumbling under her breath.
Gray was sitting up in a tree, fiddling with his long blue scarf, whistling nonchalantly. When Lucy and Natsu came into the clearing her frowned down at them, looking between the two, examining their faces.
"Where the hell have you two been? Lucy looks like she was put through a meat grinder." He asked warily, regarding Lucy's disheveled appearance, ankles dangling over the birch branch; in one swift jump he landed on the ground before them, snow crunching from the impact.
Gray was very skeptical but Lucy was able to dissuade him by showing him the badger, his spirits lightening.
Together in silence they made their way back to the rest of the class, Natsu up front and her pulling up the behind, Gray just a couple steps in front of her.
"Oi, Heartfilia, we're back." Gray called over his shoulder, smiling smugly.
"Lucy!" Professor Strauss leapt up, eyes flooding with tears, happiness plastered on her pale face. Sprinting at Lucy, Professor Strauss tackled hugged the poor unsuspecting blond wrapping her in a huge hug.
"I'm so glad you're back." She whispered, into Lucy's shoulder, grateful tears streaming down her face. "I thought you had gotten hurt, or worse." She said, hands still clasped on her shoulders, smiling down at her, blue eyes gleaming. "But it looks like you're okay." She smiled, pearl white teeth contrasting against the crystalline snow.
Lucy flushed, not liking how everyone in the whole class was staring at her, "I'm fine." She reassured Madame Strauss.
"Glad to hear it." Madame Strauss chirped, her blue orbs glittering almost magically.
Feeling everyone's burning gaze on her, Lucy shifted awkwardly, "well, Natsu found the badger so let's give him a little credit too." She muttered, feeling slightly hurt that Natsu was ignoring her gaze.
The class gave a scattered, unenthusiastic applause, all eyeing Natsu apprehensively, silently wondering what kind of punishment him and Loke would receive once they got back.
"Now Lucy, if you wouldn't mind," Professor Strauss said, interrupting the tension in the air, "please Charm the animal. The sooner we get out of here the better."
Natsu placed the badger on the snowy ground, Lucy couldn't help but notice the gentle care he used when placing the animal, tender and careful.
Lucy knelt beside the sleeping creature, her knees quickly dampening in the moist snow. The class had crowded around her, whispering speculatively, all careening over one another to get a better look at the blond.
Clearing her throat, Lucy stroked her thumb across the animal's forehead, feeling the bristle of dense fur under her scalding flesh. Closing her eyes, she slipped, once again, into the Soul Plane. The badgers soul was a soft green, the colour of rich forestry and life. Exhaling she touched the peaceful, sleeping soul, rousing it from it's sleep.
"anima possesion." She whispered, the power of her words rocketing through her veins and darting into the animal, washing it in a dazed obedience.
Once Lucy had reopened her eyes the previously sleeping badger was sitting back on it's hind haunches, eyeing her with enslaved compliance.
Lucy smiled at her work, reaching out and scratching the badger behind the ear, the animal crooned and chattered happily.
"Good little badger," she whispered, smiling at the animal. "Professor Strauss, did you complete the note?" Lucy asked, turning to look up at the teacher.
Madame Strauss nodded, bewildered that Lucy had actually managed to do the Charm successfully. Hastily she shoved the note into Lucy's awaiting palm; taking the note Lucy removed the ponytail from her hair and fastened the rubber band around the letter.
"Okay Mr. Badger," she said unhooking the badgers jaw and gingerly placing the letter in it's mouth, "please take this to Fairy Tail Academy, and give it to Headmaster Dreyar. I'll show you the way." Lucy said, pressing her thumb once again onto the animal's forehead, visions of the school and the Headmaster flowed from Lucy's brain to the animals.
Once she had finished, the badger licked her hand then darted away into the dense forestry. Letting out a satisfied sigh Lucy looked up at her astonished classmates, "now we wait."
OoOoOoO
Once they finally arrived back at the school the moon hung in the night sky, the exhausted students both freezing and tired beyond belief. It had only taken the badger two hours to reach the school and deliver the note but they had to wait another hour for pick up and three hours in the cold is never fun. The weary students were dragging their exhausted selves to their respective dorms, Lucy was just about to go up the staircase to head to her dorm room when Headmaster Dreyar called her out.
"Lucy!" He called, his short stature looking miniscule beside Professor Strauss who looked like the picture of grace and elegance once again. An odd look was set on his wrinkled face, impassive yet guarded and questioning. "Would you come here a moment? I'd like to talk to you." He asked.
Lucy shot a worried look at Levy who was retreating upstairs, the bluette's eyes widened but then nodded, waving quickly at Lucy. Swallowing thickly, Lucy walked over to the Headmaster, hoping her face wasn't as readable as she thought it was.
"Hello Headmaster." She said in a demure tone, brown eyes unsure if they should dare to met his own piercing gaze.
"Hello Lucy," he said gruffly, "Professor Strauss would you mind leaving us for a moment?" He asked the young teacher, giving her a knowing looking.
"Of course Headmaster, I'll be in my quarters if you wish to speak more afterwards." She said kindly, bowing politely then hurrying off to her own bedroom.
Once they were alone the Headmaster looked up at her with a new glint in his eyes, lips forming a bloodless line on his face. "Professor Strauss told me about your incredible feat in the forest today, you saved your classmates from possible frostbite, well done." He said, and although his words were kind they held a strange edge as if he wasn't actually that pleased at her resolution to the problem.
"Thank you Headmaster, it was no big deal really." Lucy mumbled, the magical energy from the Headmaster was probing at her, studying her and it was making her break into a cold sweat.
"No need to be so modest Lucy, what you did was remarkable, you should be proud. To think that a mere month ago you were struggling to pass your classes now you're exceeding a First Class witch." Headmasters Dreyar had turned his face upwards looking up at the moon cryptically, face stony, grey eyes quicksilver in the moonlight.
Lucy felt heat creep up her face, itching her cheeks and making her chew on the inside of her cheek. What did the old man know? Was he slowly putting together the similarities between Layla and herself, did he know something he wasn't letting on?
"Yes, well, I suppose I'm just lucky." She muttered, trying her best to force an unconvincing smile.
The Headmaster studied her, pinched face and strained smile, eyes wandering up and down her, looking for any bit of information.
"Lucy," he said finally, "is there something you'd like to tell me?" His grey eyes held hers with such powerful integrity one would never know the man was about four feet tall.
A droplet of sweat ran down the back of Lucy's neck, she swallowed the dryness that coated her parched throat, "n-no sir, nothing."
The tension held suspended in the air, like a strained rubber band being stretched across the quiet hall.
"Alright, you may leave child," he said finally, "just remember always protect your light, never forget that."
Relieved Lucy nodded exuberantly, "y-yes Headmaster, good night!" With that she ran across the hall, disappearing up the spiral staircase.
Makarov watched until he could no longer see her, then he let out a long sigh, "things are going to become very messy very quickly."
The Winter Solstice celebration was in full swing the next morning when Lucy came into the Grand Hall. With four days left until the big day all the witches and wizards were buzzing with excitement! The Grand Hall was already decked out with strings of holly and the humongous thirty foot tree was being adorned with various baubles and bells by the Headmaster's personal Pixies. Many students would be leaving the following day to head home for the holidays, looking forward to seeing their families. Both Lucy and Levy were staying at the school over break, meaning they got to enjoy the splendour of the generous amounts of food and decorations the whole holiday.
"I think it looks even better than last years decorations." Cana said, showing up beside Lucy who was standing in the doorway to the Grand Hall gawking silently.
"Yeah," Lucy whispered quietly, "me too."
Lucy had always loved the holidays, before her mom had died they used to go all out. She'd spend hours in the kitchen baking with her mother, her moms careful peaceful nature was calming and she always seemed to smell like cinnamon during the holidays. The three of them, Lucy, her mom and her dad would spend hours in their backyard, having snowball fights and building forts. Lucy frowned, nostalgia clogging her throat, no use dwelling on such sad thoughts.
"Come on," Cana said, nudging Lucy in the ribs, "we want some of those chocolate chip pancake don't we?" Cana laughed, eyeing the piles of pancakes at there table disappear before her eyes.
Lucy let out a small giggle, allowing the warmth of the holidays sink into her, "alright, alright, let's go."
But before the two witches managed to get to their table the entire Grand Hall broke into chaos. The Grand Hall doors burst open, a estranged terrified second year stood in the doorway, eyes red and blood splattered across her uniform.
"Someone come help!" She shrieked, her eyes wild, tears streaming down her face, red stained hands clutching her chest. "Someone help me! Mika is dead!" The scream ripped from her throat, legs wavering and crumbling.
"Some killed my best friend! Someone-" her screams were cut off as she fainted and kitchen staff swarmed her.
The entire room froze, the blood on the girls body smearing the crystalline tile.
Sorry this chappie was so late.
But please forgive my lateness and give her some good reviews.
Means everything to me.
Until next time.
3 Suicidal