Lucy walked down the street briskly and Bacchus hurried to keep up. "Hey wait up," he called.
Lucy kept her head down and continued down the cobbled street. The few restaurants that had been open were closed now and there was an eerie silence around them. Bacchus's voice had seemed inappropriately loud and Lucy had almost expected to hear an echo.
The palm magic user closed the distance between them in a few long strides and grabbed her arm. Lucy spun around and fought the urge to slap his hand away. The stellar mage was tired and the fight at the bar had tested her last nerve.
"Hey, are you mad or something?" Bacchus lowered his voice and searched Lucy's face.
She sighed and her shoulders dropped. "No, I'm not mad. At least, not at you... surprisingly."
Bacchus fought back a grin. This sounded like progress.
"I'm just trying to put some distance between us and the bar." She looked up at Bacchus and tried to put as much emotion and honesty in her next sentence. "Look, I'm really tired. I spent half the day in a drugged up stupor. Can we just call it a night?"
Bacchus's eye twitched and he looked down at his hands. The silence between them grew and Lucy started to feel uncomfortable. She was about to speak when Bacchus found his voice. "That would be fine. Let's go look for an inn."
Lucy stiffened and Bacchus glowered. "Damn it woman, we can get separate rooms." He turned around and started back down the street. "You know, you can be a real judgmental pain-in-the-ass sometimes. Did anyone ever tell you that?"
Lucy flushed but decided to not respond. She didn't want to get into a shouting match and wake up the townspeople.
They walked in silence. Building after building was dark. "This is hopeless," she groaned.
There was a high-pitched whine behind them. Lucy looked back and saw a large dog huddled in the shadows. It appeared to be a husky mix with beautiful black and white fur. The dog whined again and licked its front paw.
"Oh, I think he's hurt," Lucy whispered. She started to walk towards the sad-looking animal but Bacchus stopped her.
"Wait, something's not right about this."
Lucy blinked up at him, confused. "What?"
"I sense magic coming from that direction. I don't think that dog is what it appears to be."
Lucy reached out with her sixth sense and gasped. "You're right. I didn't notice it before but there is definitely a magical presence there." She reached for her keys. "We have someone in our guild who can partially transform into animals. I'll bet you ten-thousand jewels that this is a mage who can fully transform."
Bacchus took Lucy's hands in both of his and kissed them. The gesture was too unexpected for Lucy to react. "Don't worry about a thing. I'll take care of this."
Lucy opened her mouth to protest. She was a proud member of Fairy Tail and it wasn't her style to sit back and let other's do the dirty work. Well, maybe if it was really cold or muddy, but other than that she was a total team player.
Bacchus silenced here by putting a finger on her lips. "Hush now. What kind of man would I be if I let my date be threatened?" The tone of his voice made it clear that he thought she should be honored to have such a hero looking out for her safety.
Lucy gaped. He had just hushed her! AND, he was SERIOUS.
Bacchus stepped in front of her and pushed up his sleeves and glared. "Okay you magey dog. Why don't you transform? I actually like dogs and will feel kind of bad for kicking your ass in this form." He turned to Lucy. "Did you see what I did there? It was a play on words. I said magey, instead of mangy."
Holy shit balls, he's crazy.
She pulled out her whip and resisted the urge to beat Bacchus with it. The pervert would probably like it anyways.
The dog snarled at them and hunched over. The air around the animal shimmered and things beneath its skin started to move. It was grotesque. The scene reminded Lucy of a movie she had once seen where an alien had ripped its way out of a victim's stomach.
Fur rolled back, revealing smooth skin and four human limbs.
"Oh man, not you again!" Lucy exclaimed. Winona's boyfriend was standing far enough back that he didn't poise an immediate threat. His arms were crossed in front of his broad chest and his mouth was twisted in a snarl similar to the one the dog had worn earlier.
"Hey bitch." The man's voice was flat. It sent a shiver down Lucy's spine.
Bacchus laughed. Lucy shot him a dirty look but the palm magic user ignored her. "Man, you just can't get enough, can you? It looks like that little beat down at the bar didn't quite get my point across."
Lucy heard something rustle and she saw movement in the corner of her eye. Bacchus continued taunting. "So, I guess you've come back for seconds. Man, you sure are dumb. People like you are the reason why they put instructions on shampoo bottles."
"Uhh, Bacchus…" Lucy muttered under her breath. Another figure darted behind a dumpster just twenty feet away.
"Not now sweetheart, I'm on a roll." He grinned and winked at her before turning back to the shape-shifting man. "So, what's your name anyways? Fido?"
The thug grunted and a slow sneer spread across his lips. "Razorback." He shifted and stood up straighter.
Bacchus's eyebrows lifted. "Razorback, of the Steelclaw Pack?"
"The one and only." The muscles in his arms flexed and twisted beneath his skin. It gave the shape-shifter the appearance of movement but he hadn't tried to get any closer to Lucy or Bacchus since changing back to his human form. Lucy tried not to stare at him but it was difficult. His eyes had remained wolf-yellow and were almost hypnotic.
"So, Mr. Razorback, was there a reason why you were following us? Did you want an autograph perhaps?" Bacchus peered at him innocently.
Razorback growled and his skin began to ripple. It was like watching a train wreck. Lucy didn't want to watch but she couldn't tear her eyes away from him. Fur unfolded from within him and started to cover his body. She was jarred out of her stupor when Bacchus flung her to the side.
"Damnit, watch-out Lucy!" He brought his fist down into a blur of brown fur where Lucy had been standing just seconds before. He spun around just in time to punch a black and white dog that was leaping towards them. It looks like Razorback's joined in the fight, Lucy thought. The stellar mage rolled to the side and quickly jumped up, pulling her whip free. She saw another brown wolf charging towards them and struck it with the leather cord. There was a loud crack, and the animal crumpled to the ground.
She turned and saw Bacchus gaping at her.
"What?" she asked, slightly annoyed.
"Nothing… it's just… nothing. Damn."
Lucy blushed and turned to survey the scene. Crap. There had to be more than a dozen dogs circling them.
"Open, celestial gate of Capr.." Lucy cut her summons short as she ducked to avoid a wolf that was hurtling through the air. "Hey watch it!"
Bacchus was in his element, using his martial art skills to meet the challenge. Lucy watched as legs and arms swung in graceful arcs before connecting with fur. Canines would pounce at him, only to be sent flying back.
He finished an impressive roundhouse kick and leapt through the air towards Lucy. Before she knew what was happening, Bacchus was behind her with his arms around her waist. He whispered in her ear. "I think I was made for this." His grip around her tightened and he spoke again. "We make a pretty good team, don't you think?" He lifted her up and spun her. Without even realizing it, Lucy's legs kicked out and connected with a snarling muzzle.
The dog yelped and cowered back. Bacchus set her down and continued his assault on the remaining dogs. They seemed to be retreating so Lucy let her self relax a little. She decided to find a safe place to rest while the Bacchus finished the fight. She looked across the street and froze. There, standing in the shadows, was Laxus.
Luffy fan: Hey ho! I hope you all enjoyed this chapter. Sorry I haven't updated in so long. I haven't written in awhile and my confidence is lower than usual on this chapter…