SHE TOOK ME ALL DAY BUT I DID IT
"I'll go ahead and get Erza and Mirajane to help you get ready for training, I'll be back in a few minutes," Makarov said as he left Lucy to admire the new guild mark on her hand.
It was a warm feeling to have a sign that she belonged here now and was a part of Fairy Tail. Everything still seemed like a dream, the storybook still on the desk a testament to the real-life magic that had found its way to her.
A knock sounded at the door and Lucy turned to watch the knob turn, expecting the master to return with the others in tow.
"Natsu?" She felt a shiver crawl up her spine as he smiled and closed the door quietly behind him.
"Heya, I just wanted to check on you," His eyes felt as though they bore right through her, Lucy's legs too weak to help her out of her seat. "Laxus got in the way earlier before I could say hi. He didn't do anything weird, did he?"
"N-No, he just told me that the master wanted to talk," She hurried to lift her hand and show him the result of their conversation. "I got my guild mark, isn't it cool?"
The slight tension held in his jaw relaxed at the sight of her mark, Natsu reaching out for the hand she offered.
"Pink?" The corner of his mouth turned upwards in a soft smile.
"It's my favorite color," Lucy's stomach tumbled with a swarm of butterflies, Natsu's thumb rubbing gently back and forth, tracing the edges of her guild mark. Her nerves fluttered even more if possible, watching the slow movements he made. His warmth was hypnotic and made her want to step further into his touch, her gaze turning upward to find his golden eyes surveying her carefully. "...N-Natsu…"
She watched as he brought her hand to his lips, his eyes never leaving hers as he seared a kiss against her skin. Lucy felt her knees buckle as he briefly lifted his lips before turning her hand, his kiss tickling the center of her palm.
"I like how it feels to be close to you," There was a slight purr that laced his voice, Natsu stepping closer as he still held her wrist. "I shouldn't have left you last night…As soon as I left I wanted to fly right back. I don't like being away from you."
He dipped his head into the crook of her neck and nuzzled his nose against her skin, Lucy's stomach fluttering as he sighed. He dropped her wrist, his hands moving to encircle her waist, pulling her flush against his body.
Lucy struggled to settle into his hold, wanting to let herself indulge in his need for her, but also too aware of the fact that the master said he'd be back any moment.
"Natsu, u-um, w-we, we shouldn't—" Her effort to talk some sense into the dragon was wasted as the door creaked open again, Mirajane and Erza the first to settle their eyes on the scene before them.
"Oh gosh," Mira was quick to cover Erza's eyes from seeing their loving embrace. Lucy failed to hide her embarrassment when Natsu found it in himself to step away as quickly as possible. "Sorry to interrupt…"
"N-No you weren't—"
"Natsu? Did you have something you wanted to talk to me about?" Makarov asked as he stepped out from behind the two women, pretending not to know why he might've been in his office in the first place.
"Just excited to help Lucy find out what kind of powers she has," His eyes were their normal shade as his smile spread loosely, shrugging his shoulders in the process. "I'm itching for a new opponent! I bet she'll have something wicked strong going on inside of her,"
"All Fairy Tail wizards do, of course! Come now, no time to waste. The sooner you get started, the better," The older man said as he held the door open, Lucy moving to follow Mira and a subtly confused Erza. Natsu walked behind her as they descended the stairs, Laxus staring from his seat at a table nearby.
Lucy heard his quiet growl as they walked past him, the other blonde lazily sipping on a drink as his team members bickered back and forth. He lifted a brow and held Lucy's gaze, flinching as Natsu slid his hand around her waist and pulled her against his side, sending a warning glare toward the other dragon as they walked away.
"I'm sure he's just trying to get on your nerves," Mira smiled as she looked back at us, Natsu's hand staying secure on Lucy's body. Though she didn't mind. If anything, Lucy was just much more comfortable being touchy in a private setting. She wondered if he might come by again later that night if she asked. "He's always liked to mess with people, you've made yourself an easy target."
"L-Laxus aside," Erza cleared her throat, hoping the conversation wouldn't trail off to contain more detail. "We'll do your training in the courtyard outside. There are a few techniques that'll help you access your magic, so we'll try them all to see what results we may get."
"But I think we'll have a better chance of getting you to focus if we keep it a girls-only session," Mirajane said as she yanked Natsu from her side in one quick motion, the dragon letting out a surprised squeal. Lucy blanched as she managed to toss him like a ragdoll over her shoulder, cringing when he crashed into the side of a table, momentarily knocked out.
The redhead led them through a large wooden door, connected to one of the many corners of the guild. An expansive outer yard lined the nearby forest, some trees already knocked over from probable magic attacks.
The right and inner courtyard was lined with planks, the grass hidden underneath. It surrounded a similarly built water fountain that had a wooden fixture of the guild's insignia resting at the top. There were a few long-form tables like those in the guild set parallel to the wall, slightly cast in the shade.
There was a wider expanse of grass on the farther end towards the trees, about half an acre length. There were odd patches of burnt dirt or misplaced sand, even a few metal poles or frozen pikes sticking out of the ground.
"Let's start with meditation!"
~000~
Lucy squinted her eyelids together, holding them tightly in place as she attempted to focus. Mirajane and Erza had cleared the outer courtyard of the remaining members to provide them with a comfortable silence.
"...What exactly am I supposed to be thinking about?" Lucy asked after five or so minutes of gentle breathing.
"Something magical?" Mirajane suggested from her seat on the ground across from the blonde. "You want to focus on bringing your magic to your fingertips. "
"What is that supposed to feel like?" She huffed, looking up at Erza who walked in circles around the two.
"It feels different for everyone," She said astutely, tapping a finger against her chin as she thought to herself. "For me, for example, I feel my body pull towards the space where I keep my weapons and armor. The connection extends throughout me so I can reach out and requip anything at will."
"My takeover magic is similar," Mirajane nodded. "But rather than reaching out for it, I feel my magic as another part of me that opens up when I call for it."
Lucy pursed her lips and closed her eyes again, still unsure how to focus her magic into fruition. She didn't have a name for what she was, or her magic. So how was she to inherently know what to do?
Sitting for another seemingly endless period of time, Lucy still struggled to find anything willing to stir inside of her.
"We could always try the other way of doing things?" Gajeel's voice shocked Lucy out of her meditation, her eyes drawn towards the metal dragon leaning against the wooden door. Juvia hung by his side, waving with a tempered smile.
"The other way?" Erza asked with a brow slightly raised. "Lucy isn't ready for something like that."
"Well, wait," Lucy said quickly, rising to her feet on wobbly legs. "What other way? Because meditation really doesn't seem to be working."
"Fairy Tail mages have to get used to getting in the fray," He hummed, walking forward as he shrugged his shoulders. "The sooner she learns, the better, no? Belserion won't think twice about running her through with a broadsword."
"Exactly why Lucy won't be going near Hargeon or the coast until she's ready." Erza tightened her glare on the approaching pair, taking a step between them and Lucy. "I won't push her past her comfort zone."
"There's no harm in scaring her," His grin spread as his arm began to morph into a long, jagged-edged sword. "Water woman and I just want to help."
"Gajeel-kun promised to get Gray-sama's pillow for her if she helped," The mermaid explained, giving Lucy a sympathetic smile. "Juvia promises not to hurt Lucy-san!"
"...Hurt?" Lucy gulped, shrieking and stumbling back as a swift and loud clatter startling her onto the ground. Looking up, Erza had drawn a sword to clash against Gajeel's.
"Better run, bunny girl," He grinned, his other arm morphing into a sword as Juvia conjured a mass of water in her palm. "I wouldn't take her water lightly."
Lucy frantically looked at Mirajane, scrambling to her feet as the barmaid simply smiled with a shrug of her shoulders. She looked back to Erza and Gajeel, her feet planted and skidding ever so slightly against the ground. Gajeel pushed against her with both arms, his wild grin broad, the dragon clearly enjoying himself.
Lucy dropped to her knees with a yelp, dodging the hurling ball of water that flew over her head. Her eyes flew to Juvia who conjured another orb of water to throw.
"Both of you," Erza grunted as she kicked Gajeel back, his body rocketing through the wooden doorway. Pieces of the door flew forward and scattered amongst the patio area, confused guild members slowly approaching the entrance. Pointing her weapon at Juvia, Erza tightened her grip on its hilt. "Quit interfering, this is not how the master wanted Lucy to learn how to unlock her magic."
"The pillow, Juvia," Gajeel muttered as he rose himself out of the debris. She struggled to make a decision, looking back and forth between the three at an anxious pace. "I know for a fact that snow pixie drools!"
"Sorry, Lucy-san!" Juvia shouted, turning her hand towards her as a blue light began to emit. "Water lock!"
"Juvia, no!" Natsu's voice was the last thing she heard as Lucy suddenly became engulfed in a sphere of water, not even having enough time to take in a full breath of air.
"Lucy!" Fight or flight mode, it was clear what the other two were trying to achieve, even if it didn't seem like the most conventional method. Lucy herself felt a small glimmer of hope, wondering desperately what power she might possess.
There was a reason she was brought there, a reason why she got this guildmark. Beyond wanting to spend her time with her first love, Lucy wanted a space to finally fit in. To see the reality of what the storybook world had in store for her.
Through the choppy blur of the bubble's exterior, Lucy saw the outline of Natsu's figure, the fire dragon motioning for Juvia to drop the spell.
Even trapped inside, Lucy failed to feel anything muster within her. While the golden sheen to her skin proved she was otherworldly, she wondered if that was the extent of her abilities.
Her throat began to burn with tension at the lack of oxygen, her eyes struggling to stay open. She watched Natsu shake Juvia back and forth, his screams muddled beyond the watery barrier.
Her vision began to waver as her need to breathe grew, Lucy straining herself to stay conscious. Her lips were forced to part, a bubble of air rising above her.
A faint voice invaded her thoughts as she started to black out, whomever speaking in a slightly annoyed tone to the drowning blonde.
"... Can't even handle a puddle? Didn't Layla teach you anything?"
Lucy coughed out a measure of water as a hand came down roughly on her back. "Are you okay, Lucy?"
She slowly nodded her head as Erza knelt by her side, her hand rubbing gently up and down. Natsu dropped Juvia and ran towards them as she regained her breath, the dragon falling to his knees with frantic eyes.
"Oh my god, Luce, are you okay?!" His hands hung anxiously in the air around her, unsure of where to settle them upon her person.
"She's alive, isn't she? And I bet it would've worked if you hadn't gotten in the way, Salamander." Gajeel sighed as he approached the three, the dazed Juvia flung over his shoulder. "I bet you felt something, hm, bunny girl?"
"Gajeel, you—" Erza bit out, her lips hardening into a stiff line, Natsu cutting her off before she could rise.
"The hell were you thinking?! Why the hell would you put Lucy in danger like that?!"
"She wasn't in danger, calm down, you ass." The metal dragon rolled his eyes, ignoring the burst of hot air that emitted from his person. "We were trying to help! Next time don't distract Juvia, she almost had it!"
"This is no time to argue," Mirajane interrupted as she helped Lucy to her feet. "I'll take Lucy to the infirmary, you two take a minute to cool down."
~000~
"I'm so sorry, Lucy, I didn't think Juvia would use her water lock. I thought her scaring you might jolt something awake in you, but that was taking it too far." Mirajane said, helping Lucy settle onto the edge of the infirmary bed.
"I'm okay." Lucy shook her head with a sigh. "I thought it might work too. I was hoping something would happen,"
"It's not good to force this kind of thing. It should come naturally to each person some way or another. If not through meditation, it might be an ability that will show itself when the time is right." She said, rifling through one of the white cabinets to find something to aid Lucy's exhaustion.
She took a small vial of purple liquid from the older woman, nodding with a stiff smile. "I was a little too excited to fit in."
"You shouldn't feel like you don't fit in," Mira said quickly, not liking the faltered expression on Lucy's face. "You're meant to be here, there's no doubt about that! You'll figure it out, there's no rush."
"I'll be right back, I want to let the master know what happened." She smiled, closing the door behind her as she left.
Lucy sighed, popping the cork from the vial to drink the medicine she was given. Looking out the window beside her bed, she watched Natsu and Gajeel continue to butt heads with each other. Erza had taken hold of Juvia and walked her toward the guild, leaving the two dragons to bicker. She smiled a bit, happy that Natsu was getting mad on her behalf.
Whatever Mirajane had given her managed to bring her back to life, restoring the previous ease of her body before it exerted stress.
But something heavy still weighed on her shoulders, repressing Lucy's ability to feel genuinely relieved.
She didn't know how to feel being trapped by Juvia's water, but maybe she was just in shock. Compared to the pirate attack she and Natsu faced, she couldn't tell what scared her more. Living in a world with enemies that meant her friends harm didn't seem so scary when she thought she could protect herself. Lucy couldn't even escape a test made by someone who meant her no harm. What was she going to do if Natsu wasn't there to protect her?
Lucy slid herself off the bed, leaving the room to get some air.
"Leaving already?" Laxus asked as he leaned against the guild's exit, watching Lucy carefully as she shrugged past him, not in the mood to endure his teasing. "Ignoring me already, Lucy?"
"I just want to be alone." She answered back, taking the cobblestone path toward town.
Thinking to herself as she watched the sun begin to set over the horizon, Lucy yet had a chance to explore beyond the guild and the dorms. Flying through with Happy and Natsu only gave her a chance to see the blur of passing buildings.
She recognized some buildings from her book, the plaza surrounding the main market stalls that hadn't changed since she was little.
Things like this made her waver, Lucy looking at the picturesque scenery surrounding her. This world was her new reality, the entirety of a fictional book set before her to live in forever.
She soaked up the smiles of the townspeople, remembering how warm their happiness always made her feel when she was without it. Lucy remembered the sequence of pages where Natsu led Lisanna around, showing her where his favorite spots in town were. The stalls with the best food, especially the spicy selections. She always wanted to try the chili-covered mango cubes that he always managed to get for free.
Lucy followed the familiar path they took, her trek from the main square leading her to the bridge overlooking the river that ran through Magnolia. She admired the sunset reflecting on the water's surface, painting a lustrous image that made her wonder just when she would wake up to her familiar bedroom ceiling.
Looking past the water as the sun finally grew dim to illuminate the full moon, Lucy noticed the treetops with a familiar leaf pattern she couldn't help being intrigued by. It was the corner of woods where Natsu's home was located.
It was messy, with all of his things oddly strewn about. Erza, Lisanna, and even Gray scolded him to organize his things better. Lucy laughed to herself at the idea, wondering if Natsu would soon invite her to spectate his mess.
"I like how it feels to be close to you…I don't like being away from you…"
The pit of her stomach warmed at the memory of his nose skimming lightly down the length of her neck. His voice and warmth clung to her like a phantom, Lucy practically able to feel his presence. She wanted to see him, and noticing how late it was, he probably wondered where she'd gone.
Ready to head back to the guild, Lucy began to pull her hands away from the railing, stopping hard as they refused to budge from the surface.
"What? What the—" She stalled, struggling to pull her hands very far. "Where'd this white stuff come from?"
"Ooh, she's cute!" Lucy felt her skin run cold as an odd voice from behind her sang in her ear.
"Does Irene have to keep sending us after the newbies? She doesn't look very strong," Another voice huffed, the blonde swallowing as alarm bells went off in her head. If not for the namedrop of the dreaded pirate Belserion, Lucy wouldn't be able to guess who stood behind her.
"...Heine and…Juliet…" A chill ran down her spine; she knew almost every crew member of the ship Alvarez. Their powers and connections, and who was closest to the top. And these two were Irene's right hand. Her twin swords.
"Juliet and Heine," Lucy began to pull harder as the substance started to burn, her palms hot and stinging. "It's Juliet and Heine!"
She winced and held her screams, not wanting to give them the satisfaction of her pain. She could handle it. She would handle it.
"Really? That's what you're getting upset over?" Heine sighed, Lucy gasping as a thick black band wrapped itself around her midsection.
"Let's get to the fun part already! We'll see which one of us can kill her first!"
Lucy screamed as electricity ran through the black material, consuming her in its entirety, unable to escape with the goo still keeping her in place. She took in a deep, shuddering breath and fell to her knees as it stopped, her lips unable to purse to form words.
Natsu...Natsu! He must have heard her scream, there was no getting past his ability to hear. She'd scream his name if she could, anything, anything before—
The two cackled with laughter as they watched her cry out again, steam rising from her singed skin.
"Fairies are always so fun to torture," Heine sighed with an audible smile. "Aren't you going to fight back?"
"Yeah, we kinda need you to, otherwise we can't make our report to Irene!" Juliet whined, stomping her feet.
"How about a chase?" She dispelled the substance under her palms, her arms limply falling by her sides. The black band also unraveled, the two kneeling into Lucy's line of sight.
"We need to see what you can do, fairy. So go ahead and run. But there's no getting away from Irene's squad, so you better show us what you can do and fast."
The twin blades let out an exhausted sigh as Lucy struggled to her feet, her legs too unstable and dragging her quickly back down to the brick-patterned ground.
"You know, Heine, you should have told her to run before electrocuting her twice."
"You're the one who suggested a chase, Juliet, not the other way around. Besides, all fairies can handle a bit of lightning. Is this one just weak? How sad, pirates are never weak."
With tears pricking her eyes, she mustered her strength to her lips, crying out the one name persistent on her mind.
"Loke!"
imma go to bed now eek please leave me some reviews to wake up tooooo
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