A/N: This is the end of the Everlue mission The next arch starting next chapter
She was overreacting. She knew it but a deep rooted fear was clinching down across Lucy's stomach. Her breaths were hard and labored still tired from the strain of removing the Demons influence. She was running. Full speed down the endless corridors of Everlue's mansion she had to actively fight scowling.
This place was monstrous in size, an endless sea of dead ends. Stair cases that traveled up flights before abruptly stopping, numerous hallways leading to nothing but empty rooms. It was infuriating. It was enough to make one think Everlue was being overly cautious.
Of course it had something to do with the thick book Lucy carried underneath her arm. She had stumbled across the damned thing not long after. . . her encounter with the Souther Wolves. The Library was only a short distance away from the main entrance. Someone who desired pomp and admiration like Everlue had his collection close by and on massive display.
This book particularly, the one firmly grasped in her tightly wound hands was on a special pedistool. It was valuable, much more then their employer wanted them to know.
She had to reach Natsu. Things were so much worse then they had originally thought. Someone, something was working against them.
He was near, the raging inferno a clear verifiable sign. Smoke filtered out through the long hallways light illuminating the dark particles floating across the sky.
There was something in the air. It hung unseen, low and heavy. It had started out as such a fleeting quality that shifted into a daunting weight crushing her. Her breath staggered in her throat. Thoughts once clear were stagnant, it was so difficult to think.
Lucy knew the familiar sensation all too well, killing intent. Though, this was on a whole different level. Being who and what she was the blonde had felt the terror of it's ice cold grip but not like this. It made her own dark dabbling look like child's play.
Her hands shook, her legs crawling to a snails pace. With each step the air grew thick and heavy. The closer Lucy got the more intense the madness grew.
She froze. Never in her wildest dreams had the young blonde imagined killer intent worse than staring into the endless void of an angry Biju. In terms of raw magnitude the Nine Tails was without equal but this? It felt lie a knife was posed at her throat. It stopped her legs abruptly with it's singular pointed gaze.
Panic started to set in. The Jinchuriki was unused to such a humbling feeling. Dealing with the occasional mercenary was not nearly enough to prepare her for this. The sudden unshakable urge to escape crossed her frightened mind. Run. Live.
Personality was not something a person could change easily. Every man woman or child made decision and those choices led them down one path or the other. Their choices edged thier very soul. It wasn't easy to stray from the path led to from years worth of choices.
Change was never easy.
A life time of violence and cowardice had shaped Lucy in a way she barely recognized herself. She fought with her instincts. She fought herself. Being truly honesty with herself, Lucy was ashamed to admit she considered for a split moment leaving the two boys. Dealing with your true self, once motivated by true fear and self preservation was very humbling indeed. To see what you turned into . . .
There was no other choice. They needed her. Natsu, Happy, her friends were counting on her. They needed her strong not a weak child.
She tapped into the demons power. Sliding her eyes close the world around her began to spin.
A decrepit smile cornered at the tip of her teeth. She felt mildly amused at the old surrounding. How many times had she come crawling into the damp cell? Drops of water sprung from the very walls. Blue eyes strained to make out the wide bars holding her inner power captive.
They never bothered with pleasantries, it wasn't a common occurrence for her to come here. With a purposed stride a slender wrist slipped through the wide bars ignoring the condescending chuckle. In a flash, violent demonic filled power Lucy felt the tug between their two worlds.
Hand firmly clasped around the physical embodiment of the devil itself, Lucy yanked. Separated by a single sheet of paper a game of tug of war transpired. She pulled and the Nine Tails pulled back.
There was always a measure of give and take with the Nine Tails. While she was certainly capable of simply giving into the monster's power, and gain all it's terrible strength but that option didn't appeal to her.
An open doorway tended to stay open.
She couldn't allow that bridge to be breached. Gritting her teeth, her jaw was tightly wound as it grinded her quickly growing incisors. The sound rumbling and screeching across her skull.
It was such an odd feeling, forcible withdrawing the demons power. She often likened it to taking salt from the ocean without getting one's hands wet. No matter how hard you tried the water would always slip through the cracks.
Bubbling pits of insanity boiled under the surface of feral features. A nasty grin bloomed crossing her lips. It had been a long time since using so much of her cursed power. Lucy's very core shook with the effort of containing herself.
Clawed fingers swatted at the looming smoke filtering out of a room. It was a foreboding sign. A fight had come and gone. The battle was likely already decided.
Storming though the wafting flames still licking a stray picture of their host, Lucy was on high alert. Senses spreading out, eyes casting back and forth for any sight at the person she knew lied in wait. Lucy expected a fight, confrontation, anything but this.
Her perfect vision spotted him. Across the room seating in a slouched slump there was Natsu with Happy perched across his shoulder. His expression was unreadable, damp locks sticking hiding the upper portion of his face. An intense scrutiny didn't turn up any injuries though the beaten clothes she spotted told a tale.
The Dragon Slayer made no indication he saw her at all. She knew enough about his sense of smell to hypotheses he knew she was there. Still, Lucy made her approach slow and quite deliberate. Cornerning a hurt mage was never a wise decsion. Only when she was practically towering over the other teen did Natsu rise. Without a word he walked by her.
"Natsu?"
He stopped. Twisting his head over his shoulder she saw the tears streaming down his face. "The book." It wasn't a question.
Despite her earlier convictions, ignoring all her sound reasoning her hands moved with a will of their own. All her fears, all the crippling self doubt vanished at the vulnerable look on the first person to show her kindness since she was a child. In a single flueid motion flames sprung from the boy finger tips alighting the thick book.
"The mission?" She found herself asking. The mission and vice-versa the guilds integrity hadn't been much of a worry to Lucy. It was important to Natsu though. She found she was very interested in what he was going to say...
"Missions over." He sounded so very un-Natsu. "Clients dead."
He bean to turn away but stopped eyes searching over her; for what she didn't know before looking up to the unusually quiet cat. "Let's go home."
'Home,' She thought. "Yeah, let's go."
The Fairy's Jinchuriki.
They didn't speak much after that. Lucy hadn't asked why the two boys were so quiet. Didn't question why Happy suddenly sought out comfort, resting in her arms, or even why Natsu was hovering so close by. They left the mansion in a subdued silence.
It was approximently two hours and thirty six minutes until Natsu finally decided to fill her in. He spoke low, serious. All the humor and playfulness she loved and envied gone without a trace.
Natsu spoke of a man. A powerful being that had crippled both the boy's with a few short words. They had been powerless before him, defenseless. It took a very conscious effort not to growl at someone threatening her friends.
That man, the one with killer intent so potent to be able to immobilize had killed their client, killed Everlue as well. Natsu hadn't said why he was spared only that the man said he would be waiting on them.
Them. He had named all three of them by name.
"Heartfilla." Natsu told her. He wasn't looking at her when he spoke. "He said your name was Heartfilla."
A dry knot settled in the young girls throat. He knew. Luckily the boys didn't notice how pale she suddenly became. Their mystery man had said other things as well. Things that had her teammates in similar states.
Curiosity obviously wanted to ask who this Lisanna was but better judgment had ruled out instead. Natsu's fist had clinched when he muttered the low barely heard name. She was gone, dead most likely.
The trip back was long. Filled with an uncomfortable silence that hovered the three like a physical body. If one strained hard enough you could actually hear each others rapid thoughts dancing behind eyelids.
The trio had eventually settled on making camp. The guild was still several hours away and dawn was quickly approaching.
The ground was relatively level and with trees on either side it was made for a easily defensible location. Currently, Natsu was busy untieing his ever constant sleeping bag.
Lucy had volunteered for collecting firewood. With her immense strength it was hardly any effort. Mostly she just wanted to smash something for a few mindless minutes to take her mind off things.
She hadn't bothered when Happy had hobbled off alone towards the lake. The cat had mentioned something about hunting for some fish. It was such a cliche thing she almost laughed at the absurdity, almost.
It didn't take long for the girl to wander out into the forest depths, eyes scanning over the trees. Making little attempt at stealth her feet clinkered lousily over the crinkling leaves.
'Why was this happening?' She had been at Fairy Tail for less then a week and already her past seemed hell bent on catching up to her. Two separates occasions Lucy had already been identified.
A very unlucky tree felt the full might of her frustration. The large tree splintered, exploding out in a shower of shrapnel. A tiny itch cross Lucy as tiny little specs of wood littered her bleeding knuckles.
The girl groaned to herself noticing most of the pieces were beyond use. Most being blasted into pieces too small or rocketing others across the forest.
With a more subdued pace Lucy went about 'carefully' ripping off various limps before pilling them up. It was tedious work, time consuming without much thought involved.
Repeating the process until satisfied Lucy picked up the monstrous pile of wood, not quite able to see over the tip. She took a rare moment to admire her handy work before heading back. The sun was starting to set.
Walking the same beaten path her tired legs had dragged across earlier a familiar scent caught her attention along the way. She didn't slow her stride, she did however groan quite loudly at the argument taking place up ahead.
"Gray."
A/N: so the next chapter will be up in a few days. So as always hope you enjoyed and tell me your thoughts