Chapter Twenty-Two: Hibiki
Lucy's POV
"Lucy, seriously?" said Erza, trying to tug the tickets out of my hand, which I was still staring at, "You've been staring at that all day! I thought your first experience here would be a more memorable one than just staring at these things."
"Uh-huh," I nodded, not really paying attention. Juvia and Wendy had gone off eventually to their own preferences and I decided to spend some time with Erza instead.
"OK, that's it…" said Erza, getting a sword out of thin air, "It seems the only way to take your mind off them is to cut them up!"
"No!" I said, stuffing them in my pocket, "Sorry, Erza!"
Erza sighed and made the sword disappear, "Really though Lucy, you could just go by yourself. Or just summon Loke and get him to go with you. You don't necessarily have to use both of them."
"I know but…" I said. I wished there were three tickets so I could take both of them.
"OK, we're going over there," said Erza, taking my arm and dragging me to a building with a sign stating, 'Haunted House'.
"No way, no way, no way!" I immediately said but Erza glared at me, "OK…"
"Good because we're creating fun memories, all right?" said Erza, suddenly changing back to her nice self. She dragged me inside the Ghost House after showing the mages' slip to the owner.
Fun…? I thought but didn't say it aloud for fear of Erza's anger.
I had to admire the attraction though. It was dark and the floors creaked like a real haunted house. Sound effects must have been put in to make the sounds of snakes and bats, etc. There was also something else…
"Illusion magic?" I thought aloud. I sensed some sort of magic power in the air and could distinguish some things that could only have been created with magic.
"You're sharp today," said Erza approvingly, "Well, it makes the overall effect better, don't you think?"
Suddenly the floor cracked beneath us.
"Ah!" I screamed as we fell down to the floor beneath. I couldn't tell if it was supposed to break or not so I didn't bother using magic and I didn't have the time to, anyway. I could tell I landed on something and it broke my fall.
"Erza?" I said, looking around.
"I'm fine," said Erza, naturally landed on her feet, unlike me, "That surprised me. It's never happened before." She waved away the smoke and dust from the floor breaking.
"Lucy-san?" said a new voice, a male.
"Huh?" I said, looking beside me, "Hey, you, you…" I racked my brain for the name and finally found it, "Jura!"
Sure enough it was him. He was tall as ever and well-built. He smiled at me and Erza, "It's been a while hasn't it? I haven't seen you two since the Oracion Seis mission."
"Well, if you're here, then aren't Sherry and Lyon…?" said Erza.
"Well, Sherry's somewhere around the house," replied Jura, "She stepped through a trapdoor or something."
"And Lyon?" I asked, remembering Gray's childhood friend and ice mage.
"Well…" said Jura, looking at me. Erza followed his gaze and seemed to suppress laughter.
"What?" I said.
"Lucy, Lyon's…" said Erza, laughing.
I looked beneath me to see I fell on the member of Lamia Scale. Moreover, I fell so my breasts were on his face.
"Ah! I'm so sorry!" I cried, getting off him. Erza was laughing her head off.
"Fairy Tail," said Lyon, sitting up and seeming to brush off the issue of me landing on him, "You're here too? Erza and Lucy?"
"Yeah," I nodded, "Um… Thanks for breaking my fall."
"That's OK," said Lyon.
"You're secretly blushing inside aren't you?" said Jura.
"You are too, aren't you Lucy?" said Erza as both she and Jura smiled amusingly or sniggered.
"U-URASAI!" both of us yelled.
"Anyway, since Lamia Scale is here…" said Erza, "Blue Pegasus is too, right? Hm… You and Hibiki were getting it on last time, eh, Lucy?"
"ERZA!" I shouted and then suddenly thought of a comeback, "Like you and Ichiya were, isn't that right…?"
That worked. Erza immediately stiffened and turned to stone anime-style before recovering and her head expanded, "AS IF!"
I laughed as Erza began shivering and hyperventilating at the mention of the man's name.
"Hm… So Erza-san had that weakness?" said Lyon.
"Lucy, you're laughing," smiled Erza as she turned around, recovered, "Stopped worrying, right?"
"Eh? Worrying over what?" asked Jura, eyebrows raised.
"Oh, she got two tickets on some luxurious holiday and is wondering whether to invite Natsu or Gray since she has a thing for both of them," smiled Erza mischievously.
"Since when did you find out…?" I said, not remembering an instance when I told her about Natsu and Gray.
"A thing for Gray, eh?" said Lyon, seeming interested in that, "Well, I have to admit you two seemed extra close during that Oracion Seis thing. But I honestly thought you would get into a relationship with Natsu…"
"Are we really discussing this?" I shouted.
"This is important Lucy," said Erza, "Well, on one hand, I suppose having Gray would be cheaper since he barely wears any clothes and that's one thing off your list of stuff to buy… But then again Natsu's not that much better with that flimsy waistcoat of his…"
"Since when is my decision based on which person is cheaper to have?" I yelled, "And besides, we should really figure out how to get out. I don't think that was supposed to happen when we fell through the floor."
"Well, that's a point," nodded everyone, "In that case…" Everyone's magic circles suddenly appeared.
"Shall I be of assistance, Hime?" asked Virgo, suddenly appeared.
"Don't destroy the place!" I cried, "The Magic Council will definitely kick us out when we destroy this!"
"Yeah, you're right," said Lyon, "Well, what do you suggest we do then—"
Suddenly the ceiling cracked and some people fell down.
"ARE YOU KIDDING ME?" shouted Lyon, at the base of the pile of people.
"Eh? Lyon!" said a familiar voice. As the dust cleared, I saw the face of the speaker.
"Gray!" said Lyon.
"Hey, you're the other ice-make guy!" said Natsu, sitting up and dusting the debris off his head.
"Natsu!" said Erza, "And who else is—"
"Erza, my honey!" cried a voice as a little man scrambled out of the pile and ran to Erza's side, "As usual, you have wonderful parfume!"
"I-Ichiya-san!" I cried, "Then that means…"
"Lucy-san," said a male voice.
Yep… I thought, turning around.
My cheek was cupped and gently lifted up by none other than Hibiki.
"We've missed you," said Hibiki, winking.
"WHAT ARE YOU DOING?" shouted Gray and Natsu simultaneously.
"Eh? Where are the other two?" I said, remembering Eve and Ren.
"Somewhere else in the house," replied Hibiki. I was aware he was still holding my face, "I sent them a message via Archive magic to let them know where I am. We'll meet up once we're out."
"I see," I said, gently taking his hand and took it off my face. I knew he was a somewhat womanizer but I was hoping he had learnt to lay off a little bit over the time we hadn't seen them. I turned around, "Er… za…?"
Erza was panting and looked as scared as I'd ever saw her, yet angry and held the humongous mace from her Purgatory Armour. On the ground was a beat up Ichiya who was twitching and said every now and then, "Men…"
"ERZA, WHAT DID YOU DO?" I cried.
"He ambushed me!" shouted Erza, still hyperventilating.
"Aniki!" cried Hibiki, his jaw dropped anime-style, "Are you OK?"
As Hibiki rushed over to the man's side, Gray and Natsu stood up and walked to my side.
"Still a womanizer…" said Gray darkly.
"Yeah…" said Natsu, equally as dark.
"You two never minded his behaviour very much before," I observed, "Now look at you two. Besides, that's just who he is. He doesn't really mean it."
"I beg to differ," said Erza, sidling up next to me, "That guy's got it bad for you, Lucy."
"Erza!" I said. I felt murderous intent at my side and was pretty sure Natsu and Gray had dark auras floating around them.
"Anyway," said Hibiki as Ichiya healed himself with his 'Pain-Relieving Perfume', "We should try and find our way out of here."
"I agree," said Jura, "Well, there are two doors leading out of here. Which do you all think is the right one?"
"Maybe we should split up," suggested Ichiya, "My honey, will you give me the pleasure of coming with me?" He looked charmingly (or tried to, anyway) at Erza.
"No way," said Erza bluntly and turned to Jura and Lyon, "You two, come with me."
"Yes, ma'am," said Lyon who seemed either respectful or scared of Erza's power since her beating up of Ichiya. I didn't blame him. Jura simply nodded and they walked through the closest door.
Suddenly we heard Erza's brief scream as they fell. So either the floor there cracked as well or the door led to nothing and they fell through open space. I didn't hear any cracking of wood so I was leaning more towards the second option.
"Erza!" I cried.
"Lyon!" said Gray.
"Baldy!" said Natsu. Both Gray and I turned to look at him but Natsu was oblivious as always.
"My honey, I will save you!" yelled Ichiya and ran through the door as well, slamming it shut behind him.
Soon after came Erza's scream, followed by a red glow and beating up sounds. Also Jura and Lyon's yells for her to calm down.
"Well, they seem fine," said Gray, "We should get going as well."
"Yeah," I nodded and walked towards the second door, please don't start a fight, guys…
I opened the door and, after confirming it was safe to step through, walked through. The door led to a winding corridor. The designers for this Haunted House really outdid themselves. The boys followed me as I walked in dead silence.
This is so awkward… I thought and decided to attempt to lighten the mood, "S-So… Hibiki, how are Blue Pegasus lately?"
"Good," replied Hibiki good-naturedly, "Ren and Eve are both going well. Ichiya is craving for his 'honey's' company but apart from that, it's all good. And how are you, Lucy-san?"
I noted he only asked how I was but not Fairy Tail as a whole. But I thought better to be polite, nevertheless.
"I'm fine," I said.
"Natsu and Gray, you two seem quite tense today and a bit uptight," said Hibiki, turning his attention to those two now, "I'm trying to figure out why." He was being sarcastic and it would have practically resulted in him getting beat up had I not been there.
"Watch your mouth, Hibiki…" said Natsu, somehow making it sound like a threat. I gave him a look but he appeared not to have seen it.
Hibiki raised an eyebrow and seemed to realise something, "Heh… so that's how it is…"
"Eh, what?" I asked as we approached yet another door. I opened it as Hibiki was talking; nearly hyperventilating that Hibiki had really figured it out about the current love situation.
"You somehow found out that Lucy flashed on the Oracion Seis mission and now you're trying to seduce her to do the same thing, aren't you?" said Hibiki.
…
"EH?" I yelled, "HIBIKI!"
"Isn't that right?" said Hibiki.
"You flashed on that mission?" said Gray, eyes wide.
"That was Gemini!" I defended myself.
"You've never told us that!" cried Natsu, "I thought we were friends!"
"It's embarrassing! Besides, it wasn't even me!" I yelled, stepping forward through the door, "AH!"
"Lucy!" said both Gray and Natsu, moving forward but Hibiki was closer and reached me first, his arm snaking around my waist, "Are you OK, my princess?"
"OI!" shouted Natsu and Gray.
"I'm fine. Thanks," I said, blushing. Then I noticed Hibiki's arm was slightly shaking, "Is something wrong?"
"Lucy… you're heavy…" said Hibiki, just as we both fell down.
"ARE YOU KIDDING ME?" I shouted as we fell, "YOU TOO, HIBIKI?"
"I'm sorry," said Hibiki as we landed on something soft. I looked around and realised we were out. The light seemed unnaturally bright now and hurt my eyes so I brought my hand up to shield them, "Eh? We're out."
"It seems so," said Hibiki, "Well," his magic circle appeared, "I'll just let Ren and Eve know…"
"Lucy, you've made it out," said Erza, approaching me. She was panting and looked tired. Either she was running away from Ichiya or used too much magic power in order to 'defend' herself. I sweat-dropped, really, Erza?
"You too," I said, getting up and stepping onto the ground, looking up. It seemed we fell through a chute-type thing and landed on a large springy pillow. Just then, I heard Natsu and Gray's yells, "Lucy!"
"I'm fine!" I called just as they came through and crashed into Hibiki as he hadn't moved.
"T-This guy—!" said Natsu, as he got up, pointing to Hibiki and his canine-type teeth more prominent than usual.
"Did something happen?" asked Erza.
"No, don't worry about it," I said as Natsu, Gray and Hibiki all got into a fight, "O-OI! Stop fighting! Erza, can't you—?"
"I'm all out of magic power…" said Erza, sitting down and panting. I sweat-dropped again. I couldn't use my Spirits for fear they would get hurt if they got too close.
"So, what's going on?" said Lyon as he, Jura and Sherry approached. It seemed Sherry was reunited with her teammates.
"Uh…" I said and suddenly got an idea, "Lyon, sorry to ask but can you…?"
Lyon looked at the fighting cloud and nodded, "Sure."
Within seconds, they were each frozen in their own block of ice reaching up to just below their chins.
"OI, LYON!" yelled Gray, "What the hell are you doing?"
"She asked me to," shrugged Lyon.
I could tell Natsu was already melting the ice so I had to make it quick, "Look, I don't care what issue it is, but I never want you guys to fight over anything like that. It's really dangerous and frankly, stupid as well since we're in the Magic Council's festival and there's a soldier standing right over there. Hibiki, please stop provoking them as well, OK? They have a really short fuse."
They seemed stubborn but eventually their anger evaporated and they nodded sheepishly.
"Thanks, you guys," I said and looked at Lyon who nodded and unfroze them.
"Sorry, Hibiki," said Gray once they were unfrozen and warmed themselves up.
"Yeah, sorry about that," said Natsu, "We won't blow up next time."
"Well, sorry for provoking you, guys," said Hibiki as Ren and Eve came into view, "We'll be leaving now, but before that…"
He was quicker than lighting when he approached me and leaned down to kiss me on the cheek. Everyone in the area's jaws dropped to the ground.
In the minute of mute shock that followed, Hibiki said quietly so only I could hear, "I know about your actual situation, Lucy. I just provoked Natsu and Gray back there to test their love for you. It seems they both love you deeply. Choose wisely, all right?"
Then he walked to Erza and began flirting with her too, like Eve was. Ren was flirting with Sherry, while I stood there shocked and wide eyed.
As everything turned back to normal during the rest of the day, I began to enjoy the day more and spend time with everyone. At the end of the day, the parade was, as guaranteed, amazing. Geysers of multi-coloured water blasted, an ice castle was featured with actual snow falling, fireworks, people dancing and props were moving as if alive as well thanks to Sherry's magic. It reminded me a lot of Fairy Tail's Fantasia Parade as I danced on one of the floats with Sherry and Cana, wearing cute dresses the Magic Council had specially made.
As I danced, I scanned my eyes over the audience and spotted Hibiki, sitting with the other members of the Trimens, their role in the Parade already done. I smiled at him as I laughed with Cana and Sherry.
Thank you, Hibiki.
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Sorry for the late update! :(
Anyway, I thought I should put in an extra chapter about the festival and Hibiki should be involved as well~ :D
I also included Blue Pegasus and Lamia Scale since, well, it's more interesting that way.
SPOILER: Lucy will have a deep talk with the Shadows and Cana and Juvia in the next chapter. So, will she finally make her decision?
Anyways, review! :)