A/N: I am extremely sorry about the late update! I have been so busy with my other stories that I kind of neglected this one. Please forgive me! Now hopefully that I finished my other story 'The magic shop' maybe now I can spend more time on updating this story. Let me know what you think of the latest chapter. Once I finish this I will be starting another story. Please, if you don't mind, go to my profile and read my plans for future stories. Let me know which one you think I should start first. Which ever gets the most votes will be the one! Thanks so much! You guys are always way too good to me! Also, don't ask me how all these places suddenly popped up in the story when the race was 'supposed' to be around the school. A lot of weird things happen this chapter. Things that make you wonder how they did it! And some of these events are a little weird but that's what makes it interesting! XD
"GO!" Erza shouted as Gray, Mirajane and Gajeel took off first. They ran until they could no longer see the others, then nodded and split up. Each running their own way into the tree's. Now Erza and Levy ran off as the 30 second mark passed. I was left standing and waiting for the one minute mark. I looked over to see Natsu in his restraints and couldn't help but feel sorry for him.
"Sorry about that, I think it's a bit much," I apologized. "I guess I will hold back a little or else this wont be fair."
"There is no need for that. I am still number one after all," he said still as confident as ever.
"It's kind of annoying hearing you say that even though you are in the get up but it's also quite funny," I chuckled.
"More importantly, don't forget your promise, Lucy." The smile left my face as I remembered that detail. "You will tell me what Laxus said to you."
"I know and I wont go easy just because you have a handicap!" I readied myself because the minute mark was approaching. I took off running as fast as I could once my time came, trying to put as much distance between me and him as I could while he was still behind.
Erza and Levy will keeping pace with one another but stopped just a short ways up. Erza pulled out a walkie talkie from her pocket as she turned it on.
"Are you there?" she asked into the device.
"Yes Mirajane here," she answered Erza.
"We only have a short time before Natsu will be able to run," she informed.
"Great, we will commence operation obstruction shortly," Mirajane replied. "Is everyone ready?"
"Yes, everyone is in place and waiting for the signal."
The two minute mark was just signaled. Natsu strained against the straps that held him to the chair and they suddenly broke under the pressure. He snapped the ropes that tied his hands together and pulled off the mask and cloth that was wrapped around him.
"It's time," he said as he took off running.
Erza and Levy were sitting in the bushes as they waited for Natsu to pass. Sitting in the middle of the trail was a large metal basket, propped up with a stick and had a weight sitting under it.
"Who would fall for such a trick? This is one of those kinds you see in the old cartoons," Levy commented but was instantly shushed by Erza.
Natsu came running up the road and stopped when he came to the basket. He peeked inside then climbed in as Erza pulled the rope attached to it making the stick fall and the basket trap Natsu under it.
"WHAT! He actually fell for it!" Levy whisper shouted as she stared in complete shock. She didn't realize that Natsu could be such an idiot.
"Now it's time for the real punishment," Erza smirked deviously as she pulled a metal bat from out of nowhere. Levy feared the look that Erza currently had on her face. "This should slow him down,"
Erza immediately began to bang the metal bat against the metal basket, as the noise was enough to make someones ears bleed. Levy was standing several feet away, scared of how it seemed like Erza was enjoying this way too much.
"This basket is made of a special type of alloy and can not be broken easily!" She shouted as she laughed maniacally. At that moment, the basket split in two as Natsu stood in the middle. "B-but how?"
Natsu just glared at them before turning around to continue the race.
"Fine the first attempt failed, onto phase two!" she shouted into the walkie talkie.
"Roger that," Mirajane said sweetly.
Natsu was running down another path when he came upon a picture of Lucy laying on the ground on top of a pile of leaves. He stopped his run and leaned over to grab the photo. When he stood back up, he dusted the picture off, removing any dirt that gathered on it from being on the ground. He didn't notice that Mirajane was smirking in the bushes. She gripped on a rope tightly then pulled as the ground under Natsu disappeared and he fell into a giant hole.
"I can't believe he fell for it, but at least it worked." Mirajane smiled quite amused with how things turned out. "I hired some workers to dig this hole 50 meters deep, there is no way he could get out of that!"
Natsu then shot out of the hole as if he could fly and landed perfectly on his feet. Mirajane gaped at him with her mouth dropped open. "No way," she said in shock.
"If you'll excuse me, I am in a hurry." And with the Natsu took off once more. Leaving a stunned Mirajane behind.
"This is point B, he escaped ready the next point," she announced.
"Sorry, not gonna happen," Gajeel responded. "I am no longer interested in doing this. I think I am just going to take a nap."
"What! What do you mean, get your butt up and help!" but before Mirajane could even finish her sentence Gajeel was already asleep.
I continued to run, I had gotten pretty far but couldn't help but wonder where everyone was. I had yet to find any of my friends running. Could they really be that far ahead?
Now Mirajane and Gray met up at the next point. Gray was holding a large black remote in his hand while a smirk crossed his features.
"Alright! It's time to launch the special Lucy-robot!" He pushed the button on the remote as the tree's parted revealing a huge robot. Dust trailed behind it as it headed in Natsu's direction.
"How is that supposed to resemble Lucy?" Mirajane asked while sweat dropping. The mouth of the robot opened to reveal something that looked like a canon.
"Missiles launch!" Gray shouted pressing another button. The canon shot out what looked like balls of some sort towards Natsu. He skillfully dodged each one as he jumped into the air.
"This is not Lucy," He stated as he flew towards the weird looking robot. He successfully landed a kick to the forehead of the robot as its red eyes started to blink and it fell backwards. Natsu landed gracefully back onto the ground as Mirajane and Gray watched in awe. What kind of man is he? Mirajane regained her composure quickly as she pushed a button on a remote that she had hidden somewhere. A net flew out of the tree nearest Natsu and caught him by surprise.
The net lifted, raising him off the ground. Mirajane and Gray stepped forward and laughed at the captured Natsu.
"This net was imported from America. It is unbreakable." Right as Mirajane was bragging about how good the net was, Natsu reached forward and ripped the net straight down the middle. Natsu landed swiftly on the ground as he glared at Mirajane and Gray. The trembled in silent fear, Natsu could be really scary. And not only that but he was some kind of monster with super human strength.
"I don't know what all of you are trying to pull, but did you really think you could stop me with such a weak handicap? And such worthless attempts to trap me? The idea that you guys actually thought that it would work is hilarious. You all should be comedians." At that he continued to run. Gray lifted his arms and placed them behind his head. He didn't really want to do any of this in the first place. Mirajane was upset that Natsu made fun of her.
"You have got to be kidding me! What kind of man is he?!" She pulled out the walkie talkie, once again from who know's where. "Erza, this is Mirajane. No luck here."
"Okay Natsu, now it's time for me to get serious." Erza had a dark look upon her face. She looked utterly sinister.
Erza and Levy were hiding behind a huge boulder as they waited for Natsu. Levy peaked her head over the boulder as she glanced at the waterfall in front of her. Erza followed suit as she could be seen over the large rock. The sound of the waterfall blocked their conversation from anyone being able to over hear them.
"Since when did a waterfall get here?" Levy asked. To this day, the things that money could make possible still astounded her.
"The word impossible is not is the Fairy Tail dictionary." Erza explained. They watched as Natsu approached the waterfall. At his approach several alligators floated to the top of the water, causing it to ripple where their eyes poked through. Natsu leaped through the air as the alligators jumped towards him in an attempt to bite him. Landing smoothly each time, he used the heads of the alligators as stepping stones to cross the lake and get to the other side.
Erza ground her teeth together as she watch Natsu escape another of her traps. Levy was more was amazed at what Natsu was able to accomplish.
"This isn't over yet!" Erza yelled but the waterfall drowned out her voice as she watched Natsu's form disappeared. Natsu was now racing up the edge of a cliff. Going in speeds that were unfathomable. His hair was pushed backwards by the force of the wind as he made his way up. Suddenly a boulder dropped from the edge of the cliff and was falling straight towards him. Mirajane and Gray were waiting at the top of the cliff, throwing boulder after boulder down towards Natsu.
Natsu leaped over the edge after dodging each boulder they sent his way. He landed right in front of Gray and Mirajane as he held the largest boulder they dropped down, above his head. A dark smirk formed on Natsu's face and the color drained from Gray and Mirajane's features. He threw the boulder up into the air, scaring the life out of Mirajane and Gray until it landed a few feet behind them with a loud thud. Mirajane collapsed to her knee's as relief flooded her. She really thought the boulder was going to land on her.
Natsu ran off, continuing the race as Mirajane jumped up upset that nothing was working. Lucy did not want to tell Natsu whatever he was asking her and she wanted to make sure that she wasn't forced to do something that she didn't feel comfortable with. A rumbling noise reached Mirajane and Gray's ears. They turned around to see that the same huge boulder that Natsu threw towards them had started to roll. And it was heading straight for them. They both started to scream as they ran as quickly as possible to get away from it.
Natsu now came to a rope bridge hanging across a steep drop. The bridge swayed in the wind the blew through the canyon. He didn't even hesitate as he quickly started to cross it. In the middle of the bridge, lying asleep, was a large blue lion. As if sensing Natsu's presence, the lion lifted its head and locked eyes with him. It pulled itself onto all four as its eyes never left Natsu. Natsu glared at beast, wordlessly telling it to move aside. The beast glared back as if challenging Natsu.
Erza and Levy watched from the other side of the bridge, waiting for them to make a move.
"You need an animal, to take down an animal!" Erza declared as she laughed maniacally. The beast roared as Natsu held eye contact, never faltering. Natsu narrowed his eyes, as the beast suddenly flinched. Sweat started to run down the lions fur as it trembled. Even the mighty king of the jungle was no match against the fearsome Natsu. Erza and Levy watched as Natsu approached the lion. It dipped it's head down as Natsu started to stroke it's fur. The lions furry blue tail started swaying back and forth as it purred lightly against Natsu's touch.
"Happy," Natsu said but he was too far for Erza or Levy to hear what he said.
"What the hell!" Erza shouted.
"Natsu must be the dominant male," Levy smirked at her own joke.
"Stop making jokes this is serious! Time for the final part of the plan!" Erza pulled out a large remote that had a huge red button in the middle with a skull and cross bones on it. Levy's eyes widened as she looked at it. Fearing how far Erza and Mirajane were really willing to take this. "And now for the finishing blow!"
She pushed the giant red button. A large explosion could be heard through out the canyon as it echoed off the walls. The bridge started to shake as Natsu and the lion Happy looked around. Another explosion sounded off as they bridge started to collapse. Natsu and Happy were still on that bridge. Erza watched as the bridge and most of the other side of the cliff fell into the canyon. Clouds of dust filled the air making it hard to see as Levy heard Erza cackle at the scene.
"I think he is really dead this time," Levy was in a state of shock. She didn't understand how Erza was willing to push it so far. Does she really believe that Natsu would be able to survive such a thing? Why else would she go to such lengths to stop him?
"Levy, do not misunderstand. I did not want to take it this far but he left me no choice. The battle is over and he fought well. Natsu we shall never forget you." Erza started to form some sort of grave stone for Natsu as more laughs escaped her lips. Levy was truly worried that her friend had lost it. "Serves that idiot right!" She shouted into the canyon. She stuck her tongue out and pulled her right eyelid down as she mocked Natsu.
"Erza...your really starting to scare me."
The dust finally started to settle as the noticed a large shadow forming in it. As it fully settle they saw that it was Natsu and he was carrying the large blue lion in his arms and walking towards them. The lion had tears in its eyes as its life had flashed before its eyes just moments ago. It trembled under Natsu's strong grip.
"This can't be real!" Erza shouted. "How could he have survived that explosion!" So she really did have the intention to kill him Levy thought.
"What is with this guy?" Levy questioned. He proved to be more like an alien each time. There was no way possible that he was human. Natsu sat the lion down next to them as he continued to run.
I was still running. Having no clue to what was going on and still confused as to what happened to my friends. I glanced to the side to see that Natsu was now running next to me. How did he catch up to me? Why does he want to know so badly that he would go to such extremes? Flashbacks of the night played in my head. Remembering how close he got to me when we were alone in that room. How my heart was pounding. I stared at him lost in thought. He watched me from the corner of his eyes.
"I'll be going ahead then." His pace quickened as he passed me, pulling me from my thoughts. "Miss rank two."
"I wont be beaten!" I shouted grinding my teeth in aggravation. I pushed myself further passing him slightly. He just ran faster, passing me once more. I watched his form as it disappeared over the hill in front of me. Why? Why did he need to know so badly?
Erza, Mirajane, Levy and Gray all met up back in the forest. They were panting and out of breath. The spirits were down since none of their attempts worked.
"That man is seriously not human." Levy stated. She seemed to be the only one surprised by everything that Natsu was able to do. It was like everyone else already knew what he was capable of.
"I wont give up yet. Gray bring that out." She demanded.
"But,"
"Quit complaining and just do it!"
I approached the greenhouse. I opened the large dark wooden door to see Natsu standing at the table with his back to me. He turned around to face me as I entered.
"So lets hear it," That's right. I lost so I have to tell him. I gripped the shirt I was wearing, where my heart was. It was trying to beat its way out of my chest. The blood ran to my face as it exploded in a shade of red that could put Erza's hair to shame.
"I am going to say this only once!" I shouted, fighting through my frustrations. "You see...Laxus said that...that you..." Before I knew what was happening, Natsu had leaped towards me. His arms wrapped around me as we rolled into a tree. His back slammed against it. Natsu looked around to see the table that we normally eat at was split in two. And there, a few feet away from them was Gray. He was currently pulling a helmet off his head as he sat next to a motorcycle that lay on it's side. Skid marks, marred the pathway way. Natsu had released me and was now towering over Gray. A fierce expression on his face.
"N-Natsu, so you already finished?" Gray asked nervously. It was clear that Gray was using the motorcycle to cheat and try to win. Natsu stood over him, cracking his knuckles as he glared down at him.
"Gray," A fiery aura formed around Natsu as his eyes turned red and he looked like a demon. "Unforgivable!"
Natsu launched himself at the raven haired boy as they fought on the ground. I felt relief wash over me. I was saved. Thanks to Gray for cutting in at the right moment. The fighting died down as I looked to see Gray tied up in a weird angle that had to be painful.
"Lucy, please answer." Natsu was walking towards me, eyes determined and waiting for my answer. He sighed and lowered his head. "At least tell me this much. Did Laxus's words bother you that much? Your not in any trouble because of him are you?"
I could see my reflection in his charcoal eyes. There was something there that I didn't understand. "No, not really."
"Really? That's fine then." He smiled slightly. "You had me worried since you have been acting weird since the party. Forgive me for using such tactics to force you to tell me."
So he was worried about me all this time? All of this was for me? And he was even apologizing for it? I never noticed how weird things have gotten lately and it's only natural for him to worry. I know that if the situation was reversed, I would probably have done the same thing. But in spite of all that...I pictured that night once more. Remembering when he grabbed me by the waist. When he held my wrist. The feel of his warms hands. They were all so confusing. I have only been thinking of myself. Natsu turned and started to walk away. My chest ached. What have I been doing?
"Natsu, I'm sorry." He turned around to face me as he waited for me to continue. "I didn't tell you immediately because I was really shocked. It's because Laxus said something really strange. Laxus..." My face burned once more as I remembered what he said. Word for word. I don't think I'll even be able to forget it. "He said...that you might be in love with me!" I shouted out the last part. I just wanted to get it out.
Natsu's eyes widened in shock. A slight blush coated his cheeks, but I had looked away and didn't notice. "But I know that couldn't possibly be true...right?" Natsu's shocked expression lightened. His eyes now looked like he was upset about something. "Because we are rivals after all. He sure is weird right? I'm glad to get that off my chest." I stretched as Natsu stared at me in disbelief. Why did he look like that? Was it something I said?
The others have finally entered the greenhouse and Mirajane and Erza punished Gray for the destroyed table. I laughed at my friends as we all talked and cleaned up. Natsu was still frozen in place, thinking to himself. Is it really possible? Could someone really be this thickheaded? He asked himself. He sighed before joining in and helping to clean up. I saw him glancing my way and I smiled at him, not knowing what I was doing to him.