All rights to Hiro Mashima
~ Ninth ~
-Natsu-
"Alright, Natsu, focus! Your body temperature is completely out of whack again, I thought you had this almost completely handled!"
The young boy in front of me, Romeo, is fast becoming one of my favourite people in the guild next to Luce of course. He is patient with me when conjuring fire magic and has wildly intense competitive nature that he loves to show off, especially in front of certain tiny Dragon Slayer.
Everyone says that he looks up to me. Out of all the memories I've lost along with the feelings that go with them, I haven't forgotten the pride that wells up in my chest when Romeo lands a well-placed hit when we spar together.
But, at the moment I am failing one of his lessons miserably, and it has absolutely nothing to do with training outfit that Virgo brought for Lucy when we caught up with Romeo and his dad at the bar after the…interesting meeting in the old farts office.
A sports bra and a pair of yoga pants. And that's it.
And Romeo wonders why my body temperature is fluctuating so rapidly. Let's see him try to maintain perfect control while Lucy is currently in a 'downward dog position' or whatever, with her chest thrust out and her skin glistening in the evening light.
You know what, I don't think I should point it out to him. Probably be considered child abuse or something.
"Yah, Yah, Romeo, I know. I just can't control it today." I try to brush it off as nothing.
But my bastard eyes betray my intentions as they sneak a quick peek at Lucy's glorious figure as she does a round of jumping jacks with her goat-man-spirit-thing. Her bra is doing a terrible job of containing be ample breasts.
Oh Gods, is she trying to kill me?
Romeo eyes me suspiciously. "Uh huh, and the fact that you can't keep yourself from mentally undressing Lucy has absolutely nothing to do with it, right?"
I blanch. "Uhm…sorry?" Romeo just wiggles his eyebrows at me.
"You got it bad for Lucy don't yah?" I refuse to dignify that question with an answer. This kid is what, like twelve years old? Giving me advice…please.
I just scoff. "Sure, yah, I can't keep thinking about how she smells or how delicious her ass looks like in those pants, I just wanna bite it…" I trail off knowing that I may have said too much on the subject.
Romeo flushes bright red at my admission. "Uhh, Natsu, I really didn't need to know all that." He smiles a little and conjures a bright purple flame in his palm. I follow suit with my own red flames.
Whoops.
"Sorry man, I've got this weird feeling inside me. Can't explain it because I don't have any memories, but whenever I look at her I get all warm and like tingly and shit. Doesn't happen with anyone else though."
His grin turns a bit malicious. "Maybe you should go see Mira, she loves to help out with stuff like this."
I don't know why, but I don't really trust Romeo all too much at the moment. "Yah, maybe I will."
Absolutely not. I will not go see the demon barmaid under any circumstances. Fuck no. Not after she acted like the apocalypse had come upon us just because I complimented Luce on her smile.
My brain with its memories must have been such an unappreciative dildo to Lucy, she is goddamn hot and everyone, including me, knows it. Why can't I just compliment her on something completely non sexual without that crazy demoness jumping down my throat?
"Anyway, let's keep going, we've been wasting time yapping when we could've been learning new crap. Come on, maybe your dad will want to spar with us later." We each step into a defensive stance and wait for the other to make the first move.
"So, what, we just follow you around all the time and wear these cloaks like a merry band of twat waffles?"
"Don't be such an asshat Cobra, we all lost to him, let's just get on with this, alright? Personally, I am done with running, I just want to sleep peacefully."
Tan hands rake through maroon hair. "Fine, whatever, have it your way Midnight. And what the fuck is that noise! It's been beeping for the last five minutes and I know it's not any of us, so it must be you two fuck nuggets."
The woman with pink hair sighs. "Thanks for that Cobra." She turns to the man next to her. "Jellal, it's the calling card. You know they would only do this if there was an emergency."
"How far away from them are we?"
"Three days if we walk through the Worth Woodsea." His red tattoo flashes as he nods.
One eye widens in shock as he hears what the blue haired mages soul. "Wait, you want us to go there? What makes you think they would even let us into that town, must less the guild hall?"
"Because you are a part of Crime Sorciere now, all of you. If you are with Jellal and I, then they know you can be trusted…to an extent. Please don't try to kill them all again, that would be pushing the envelope a bit."
"Relax Meredy, it's been like what, nineteen days without him trying to kill anyone. He's on a hot streak right now. Oh Yeah!" Snickers are heard throughout the group.
"That's enough Hoteye. Let's move out, there must be something big happening if they called us this way."
"Sure, or you just want to get Titania naked and sweaty. Don't try to deny it, I can hear it in the deepest parts of your soul. Although I didn't need to know that you love it when she spanks you." His grin turns feral, one eye flashing in the dim light.
-Levy-
I look over at the green curtain of hair. "Freed, did you finish translating that part yet? I'm almost done with second stanza in the incantation, which means that we almost have the completed spell."
He nods. "I'm almost finished Ms. Levy. I must say that it is moving much faster with the help of Crux, I wish we had thought of him sooner."
"I know what you mean, I can't believe that I forgot, I'm supposed to be LuLu's best friend. How could I over look something so crucial?"
"Ms. Levy, please don't think any more on this and let's just focus on finishing up this reversal of the spell, that way when Crux joins us again after searching his library in the spirit world we can hopefully figure some of this mess out and put Natsu's magic back where it belongs." He turns back to the parchment in front of him, concentrating on a couple of trickier runes. "You know we can't do anything regardless of what we figure out at the moment. No matter what we need that lacrima at least within fifty metres of Natsu to complete the spell correctly. So, concentrate on the present and worry about the past later and learn from the experience."
"Thanks Freed, it just that this is all so disconcerting and all, I'm just worried. What is something happens and we could have figured it out sooner?" I start to bite my bottom lip, a nervous tick that I have when I'm under a lot of pressure.
Freed gives me a calculating look, but his eyes hold a glimmer of mirth. "This wouldn't happen to have anything to do with a tall man with shaggy black hair and piercings in his arms, would it?"
My face flames up immediately. Is my affection really that obvious to everyone? "Uhm…no? Why would you even say something like that? Let's just focus on translating shall we?"
He rolls his eyes at my lame attempt to direct the conversation onto safer topics. Like those that have nothing to do with the Iron Dragon Slayer. "Whatever you say Ms. Levy."
As he turns back to the task at hand, I can see a hint of a smirk resting on his lips.
-Laxus-
"This is mind-numbing work Laxus. We aren't going to find anything and you know it. Your pops was always good at disappearing and the only one that could find him at any point in time was Gajeel."
Gods this teleporting is tiring me out. "Yah I know Bix, let's just do one more town and then find a bar somewhere. I need a drink, or five."
"Men, I don't know why I put up with your half of the species at all. The testosterone displays are enough to drive any woman to lesbianism, or celibacy. And just listening to you Neanderthals is seriously having me close to throwing in the proverbial towel when it comes to your gender. Tch, useless, all of you."
Gods, the whining. These people drive me up a fucking wall on some days. "Ugh, Ever, give it a rest. You know you love men. You have the manliest man there ever was wrapped around your little finger. I bet he calls everyone a 'real man' just to get you to hit him with your fan, probably turns him on or some shit. Such a masochist."
"Shut up Laxus, you're no better pining over that demon most days. What, did you think we wouldn't notice the long glances and 'accidental touches' you two have shared over the past month, hmm?"
I inwardly roll my eyes as the two of them chuckle over my awkwardness. Mavis I want to get drunk.
"Hurry the fuck up! I want to black out tonight and forget this idiotic conversation." Sometimes I hate my team.
-Gajeel-
"I can't believe that idiot got it so ass backwards! He actually stole the wrong magic? Gods, no wonder the Master was raging like a bull in a china shop this morning."
"Dammit, can't you fucking keep your trap shut, or at least talk a little quieter? Gods, you're no better than him and he has a fucking sword sticking out of his chest. Oh, and he's dead. He would probably be better company right now, your voice is grating on my nerves."
Mavis, these dark guild lackeys are such morons. Don't they know that just anyone could be listening in on their conversation? They are speaking about information out in the open for fucks sake.
It's like they want someone to over hear their 'master plan.'
"What does Master need with such ancient magic anyways? I know there isn't many celestial wizards left in the world, but why that particular magic?"
The second man shrugs. "Dunno, something to do with time, or time travel, or something like that."
I just knew it. These idiots are after Bunny Girl again. Damn, she just can't catch a break can she? "Did you hear that Gajeel? It seems like Lucy is in trouble yet again."
I grin at my Exceed partner. "Yah I heard, let's wait it out and kick their scrawny asses outside later just to make sure that all the information we heard is true."
Lily just looks at me. "You know they have no reason to lie to each other. You just want to punch something don't you?"
"Gihi, you got me all figured out, don't yah?"