PLEASE READ THE AUTHOR'S NOTE AT ZEE BOTTOM!
Iz doz notz ownz zeez Fairyz Tailz, zeez awesomez zatz iz Hiroz Mashimaz doez. [Don't ask me why I finished it all with Zs. I don't know...]
"This is so, so very gross."
Lucy had found the berry bush she had taken before, and was now using the juice to dye her hair red. The sensation was so strange it was just creepy to the bandit, especially when a lone drip would crawl down her neck and she'd take it as a bug and scream.
The intense heat dried the juice in her hair and quickly she had locks the colour of raspberries. She let her hair down and frowned at it, already missing the golden colour.
But I'll be too recognizable if I still have blonde hair, she tried to convince herself, getting up and resuming her trip to the castle. She had attached a grapple-hook on the end of her rope, [something she'd always kept in handy,] her arrows and dagger were sharp, she was now fully energized, Magically and physically, and was ready to storm the castle if need be. It was only now a five-minute walk.
Suddenly, the bandit sensed something to her right. In the blink of an eye, she took her dagger from her belt, flung it at the pursuer, and heard a yelp. It sounded masculine, and she got an arrow notched into her bow, pointing it in the direction of the sound.
"Oi oi oi!" the man yelled, annoyed. Lucy deadpanned. It couldn't be...
She pushed through the bushes, and there he was, the dagger pinning his shirt to a tree. Prince Natsu. Her eyes narrowed, and she drew the arrow back, pointing it at his throat. The previous annoyed expression turned into a wide-eyed one. "You nearly hit my scarf!" he growled.
She rolled her eyes, pulling the arrow back a little. "You can't kill me!" he swallowed, voice unusually high-pitched.
Lucy rolled her eyes. "Yes I can. Just by letting this arrow fly. I haven't killed anyone before, but this would be a first. Say your words carefully, and don't move, or I will let go of the string before you can say flame-up." she hissed.
Natsu continued staring at the arrow. "You really are a—" he stopped there because the bandit was giving him the Death Glare. He swallowed and quickly cut himself off. "Uh, yeah, I just came to stop you from coming here. Michelle doesn't want you too, but she can't get out in case the guards realized that she wasn't Lu—"
"Spirit." Lucy corrected snappishly.
"Yeah, whatever. Just in case they realized that she wasn't Spirit, happy?" he scoffed. Lucy rolled her eyes.
"Look, I'm going there anyways, and you're not going to stop me." she pulled the arrow away and sighed, putting the arrow back in her quiver and placing the bow around her arm. She ripped the dagger out of the tree, knowing that it would just go to waste holding the prince.
Natsu stood up. "But if Michelle knows that you're here, my dad will kill me," he whined. He rarely did 'whine,' but he needed her to stop moving closer to the castle. When he saw her continuing, he grabbed onto her ankle and held on tight, like a little child not wanting to take a bath.
"Oh, the Mighty Prince Dragneel is a daddy's boy, is he?" she taunted, wanting him to get off. He took the bait, standing up and growling at her. It was, honestly like a growl, like a feral animal wanting to eat her. [She had too much experience with that.]
Lucy noticed, for a split second, his eyes were slits, like a reptiles, and his black eyes had something like an angry spark in them. She only had a split second to look though, because she kicked him down there, and bolted. From the corner of her eye, she saw Natsu double over, hold his crotch, and heard him groan.
"Owwwuhhhh..!"
Lucy scrambled up a nearby, tall, bushy tree, and after awhile saw the prince come into view. "you think that I can't climb a tree, even if you kicked me in the crotch?" he asked, growling. He limped a little when he walked, and Lucy inwardly beamed.
"No." she replied, giving him a raspberry. He hefted himself on the lowest branch and proceeded to climb upwards. The bandit did too, moving up for every branch that he did. Soon, Lucy was at the maximum branch she could, a little more than an arm's reach from Natsu, who was at his end too. He was just too heavy for the next branch. Already their branches were beginning to creak threateningly.
Spirit smirked at the boy below her. "You can't get me." she taunted.
"You think that I can't climb an extra branch?" Natsu said, looking up.
"No. Unless you want it to break and fall."
He grabbed onto the next branch, and realized that he really couldn't climb up another branch. He scowled, looking up. "Yeah, okay, maybe I can't, but you can't use Magic up here, unless you want to fall." Crap. She hadn't thought of that.
Natsu lit his finger on fire, and proceeded to poke the trunk of the tree threateningly. Spirit swallowed. If the bark caught fire, she would be stuck here.
"No!" she cried. He pulled his finger away, but kept it close.
"Yeeessss?" he blinked slowly.
"Don't... do that!" she snapped, breathing heavily. He could easily kill her, then and there.
"Climb down." Natsu commanded. She sighed, but knew he won, at least until she could get away. they climbed down, one at a time, Natsu waiting at the bottom for Lucy to get there too.
The bandit looked down, sighing, grabbing onto a branch, pressing her foot to stable boughs, swinging herself down...
"Eiee!" she cried, foot slipping. She was almost down, but her hand had slipped off the bark and she tumbled to the ground. The skinny branches poked and scratched her, and she covered her face with her forearms.
Suddenly, the scratching stopped, but she still fell. She knew she was about to hit the ground, but then, she was thrown sideways. "Ouf!" somebody grunted when they hit the dirty forest floor.
Lucy, bewildered, looked around. There wasn't... "Down here..." the person groaned.
She looked down. She was sitting on Natsu...
Wait...
SHE WAS SITTING ON NATSU!
Lucy got up quickly, realizing that this was the perfect time to run. Taking a deep breath as Natsu had gotten up on his hands and knees, she bolted for the tall spires of the castle she'd seen up in the tree. She'd only hope that the guards hadn't seen her.
She ran as hard as she could to the castle, quickly summoning Gemini. "Look, you know what to do, but fast!" The Twins nodded, turned into Roger, and ran up to the gates. The guards turned and looked at him as he came in, and Lucy threw a rock on the other side of the wall. The guards turned and looked, she bolted for the hedges, and she slipped inside, unnoticed.
"Hey, hey, hey!" Lucy swallowed. The loud voice was right outside the wall. The bandit walked next to Roger, in the bushes, and the Grand Doors opened. She slipped in.
Gray, Gray, Gray, Gray, Gray...
Once Gemini returned to the Spirit World, Lucy crept through the halls, looking for the raven-haired Ice mage guard. She had been searching for half-an-hour already...
She passed a few guards, but none of them had been dark-haired Gray. There was a man wearing something like a visor, she'd passed Macao, a ginger-haired ponytail guy, and a really fat guy, but not Gray.
She almost growled in frustration, when she saw someone passing by on the opposite end of the hall. It was... just her luck! Gray, walking alongside a chatty Wendy. Lucy's face split into a grin.
After ten seconds, she crept along the corner they had passed around. She followed them for awhile, listening to their conversation.
"Well, I honestly don't think Natsu needs to be married. He clearly doesn't want to," a concerned Wendy told the guard.
"Don't worry, he'll find a gal he likes... although, I can't say the same for the girl!" Gray smirked.
"Yes, Gray-san, but I don't like the idea of having him forced into it. But mom says it's because he's going to be the Lord of the castle one day and needs a Queen."
"That's what usually happens. The oldest Male child." Wendy pouted, but suddenly brightened up.
"Hey, Gray-san?" she looked up at him. "Could I say something... kinda embarrassing?" the guard blinked, turning around another corner, Lucy continued to follow them, making her footsteps as light as could be.
"Yeah, sure, is something bothering you?" he asked. Wendy shook her head.
"No, I just thought that Spirit and Natsu would go good together." Lucy's eyes bulged out of her head. 'WHAT?' she almost screamed. Her and... she shuddered, Natsu?
NononononononononoNO!
What was Princess Wendy even thinking! That was... so, totally WRONG!
Gray seemed to find it amusing, unlike the girl behind them. "Well, Spirit is... well, spirited. But... she can't put up with Natsu that well it seems. But, I guess, I could see them together if they got to know each other more." Lucy silently gagged. She'd already HAD enough with Natsu, thank you very much.
Finally, the guard deposited Wendy at her room. "Would you like anything else, Princess?" he asked, bowing.
Lucy heard her say, "No, I'm fine," so Gray closed the door and left. Lucy pressed herself to the wall, and the guard passed her. At the next bend though, he stopped. Lucy hid behind another suit of armor, but Gray continued.
He led her round a bit, until he exited the castle, to a small, grassy area with flowers and plants growing all around. A garden. Gray stopped in the middle of it, but the Golden Spirit remained inside, hiding behind a door.
"You can stop hiding, thief. I had to check if you after the Princess or me first. I knew you were there the whole time." Lucy froze, but knew that he had found her. She stepped out into the sunlight.
First, she analyzed the battlefield. It was the first thing Bandit thing to do in a fight. She would play dirty, if need be, and she had to see the quickest exit points.
It was hot, and Gray was an Ice-mage. Point for her. Of course, Lucy didn't know the extent of his powers. Point for him. Lucy, if she continued moving, would unlikely be recognized. Point for her. Because there was already a 'Lucy' in the cell, Gray wouldn't suspect too much that she was the real one. Point for her. The Ice mage knew their surroundings better. Point for him.
The point was to remain unrecognized, meaning she couldn't use her Keys.
Unless Gray was a crappy mage, she was doomed.
Lucy got out her bow, notching an arrow in it and running to the left. Gray smirked, unmoving. She continued running, sending a glance above. No guards either, meaning unless Gray called for reinforcements, none were going to come. She saw the key-ring on his belt, shining in the fierce sunlight.
Plus, Natsu was probably following her scent, so she had to do this quickly, or else reinforcements would arrive.
The odds were definitely against her.
Gray finally spoke up. "You're not a mage, but once you let that arrow fly, I will attack you with all my power." He said. She didn't speak, just let go of the string in answer. She was prepared to fight.
To her surprise, the arrow dropped in the air, thudded onto the ground, and shattered. Lucy's brown orbs widened. The Ice-mage had coated the arrow in ice so it would weigh down and break. The bandit scowled, notching another arrow. This time, she put in two, drew the string back, and fired.
Once again, they flew to the ground and shattered. Lucy only had eight arrows left. Lucy didn't dare use her whip, so she got out her dagger, holding it in her right hand, point facing outwards. The corner of the guards mouth twitched upwards.
"Okay, you asked for it." Suddenly, the temperature dropped and a dozen frozen, what looked like birds, ice creatures materialized in the air. For a second, they hovered there, above the guard's shoulders, before dashing forwards, all aiming at Lucy.
Spirit yelped, moving backwards, dodging the first three, running right to avoid four more. They turned slightly, trying to follow her, but the Ice Birds weren't fast enough and smashed into the ground, exploding into icy powder.
Spirit dived as another aimed for her head, rolling quickly so it didn't smash into her stomach. The bird crashed into the ground instead, and the [now] redhead scrambled up to her feet, breathing heavily. She used the dagger to split another Ice-creature into two, rendering it useless.
She'd thought she'd gotten them all, but something pierced her stomach. The bird caught her in the ribs, and she doubled over, eyes wide.
The wound was bleeding. She pressed her hand to the cut and it came off red. Lucy swallowed, staring at her scarlet fingers, then down at the shredded shirt.
Michelle was still down there. Although her stomach hurt and she was feeling nauseous from the sight of her own blood, she straightened and glared at the guard. "If you stop now I'll give you mercy," Gray told her. Lucy took a deep breath, ripping off a shredded part of her shirt to tie it tightly around her side.
"See, there's another girl down there..." he froze for a second, and Lucy was fearful that he was close to the truth. "You wouldn't be trying to break her out, would you?" the bandit inwardly sighed in relief.
"What girl?' she said, making her voice slightly higher. Gray seemed reassured.
"Well, you'll meet her soon, so I'm not too worried." Another dozen Ice-birds materialized in the air. Lucy despaired for a moment before they flew forwards with a scream, splitting the air to make that sound.
Lucy knew, to dodge them all, she would have to wait until the last moment before moving, or they could turn around and impale her from behind. Even though her instincts told her to run, she fought against them as the ice flew nearer.
She dived, and rolled onto her feet, dashing past the ice-birds as the smashed into the ground. She flung the knife forwards, and it scraped into Grays arm. He howled, but an Ice wall materialized between them, stopping a bewildered Lucy for a split second. She scowled, moving around it, and an Ice Wall appeared behind her.
If she'd remained there for an extra split-second she would have been trapped. Lucy stood up on her feet, but for a moment, sagged; she looked down at the ruby-red cloth tied around her waist. If she didn't get that fixed up soon, she would likely collapse from blood-loss.
But still, Lucy didn't dare get out her Keys. Do that, and Michelle would be in danger. They could easily kill her for tricking them. The major rule of this battle was to not get caught, dead or alive. Do that, and everything would be for nothing.
Lucy looked up, and her eyes widened. "Oh my god!" she shrieked. "Your clothes, you pervert!" the bandit covered her eyes. Gray was full-on, in his birthday suit.
The guard cursed and worked to get at least his boxers on. He scowled at his stupid stripping habit. "He he, sorry," he muttered.
She slowly uncovered her eyes, seeing him now in his pants. "What the hell do you think you're doing, pervert! Showing off your..! Your..! That!" she snapped.
"It's a habit!" he cried exasperatedly, throwing out his hands.
"That is disgusting!"
"I'm sorry!"
Great, Lucy was fighting a stupid, half-naked stripper, with nothing but her arrows, which did no good against the Ice mage. Her dagger lay at his feet, and the wound she had inflicted was covered in ice. Her wound, on the other hand, was much deeper and she had barely anything to wrap herself up with.
Plus, she'd started feeling weak. Balance was hard to obtain, because the floor was beginning to spin. The bandit knew, even if she got the keys to Michelle's cell at this point, she wouldn't be able to get there in time.
Gray smirked, knowing that this thief was nearly down. Her eyes were dulling and she couldn't run in a straight line.
Lucy, in a last attempt, notched another arrow and let it fly. It missed Gray by a foot. She blinked hazily, and collapsed on the ground, sliding into the grass a bit. The girl struggled onto her hands and knees, spitting onto the ground.
She knew the fight was over.
The bandit, even though her pride detested it, knew when it was time to flee. Lucy got up, and bolted for the wall. Gray seemed surprised that she was still able to move, but created an icy Wall to block her.
Lucy was expecting it and sidestepped the Ice, running again to the white-and-red bricked thing that stood in her way. She grabbed her rope with the grappling hook and swung up to the wall. Luckily, it caught, and she scaled up the wall quickly
Gray didn't mind, it didn't matter if she got away as long as she was away from here. She wasn't a mage, and couldn't steal too much before the soldiers caught her. Not worth his time.
As a last effort, he froze the rope she was climbing; she was almost at the top already, and she almost slipped before grabbing onto the ledge and hauling herself up. The thief disappeared over the side, leaving a trial of bloody scarlet in her wake.
Damn, now he was gonna have to clean that up.
Someone burst through the doors, huffing and puffing. The pink-haired man lifted his head, eyeing Gray. "Have you seen a redhead around here?" he asked.
"I chased the thief off. She didn't know about Spirit. Probably just after some Jewels [Fiore's money,] in this place." He reported. "I injured her quite badly though." He noted that Natsu froze when he said this, but it was so fast it could have been just his imagination.
"I'm gonna go get the cleaning boy so I can get rid of that blood smear," he said, looking at the wall. The prince followed his gaze and tried to keep his look impassive. There was a long trail of blood where Spirit had scaled the wall, and even from here, he could smell it.
"Yeah... yeah, you go do that," Natsu said, getting his hands off his knees and standing up. The two walked together back into the castle.
Lucy stumbled through the forest, sometimes stopping and taking a breath before walking again.
Did she say that the ground was spinning before? Well, now it was like a rollercoaster, and she couldn't get herself to walk more than ten steps without falling. She crawled on her knees after the twentieth trip, lethargically sloshing through the underbrush.
She was tired and slow-thinking and everything hurt. The multiple small cuts made on her fall from the tree stung, and didn't help her at all. The stomach injury continued staining the white cloth scarlet, even though it did barely nothing to help.
Finally, she collapsed completely, after travelling for what felt like hours on her fours. Her wound tainted the mud a reddish tinge, and her head sunk into the muck gratefully. Slowly, her eyes fluttered shut, and she lay there unmoving.
Okay, if you're reading this because you've read the little note at the top, or just reading it cause you read my A/Ns, here's the message. I NOW ACCEPT FAIRY TAIL ART AND ONE-SHOT REQUESTS! YAY! so, just PM me your ideas and I will write/draw them! [if you want an example of my art, look at the coverpage. MINE, ALL MINE! *evil cackle*]
ANNNDDD, I decided to leave you with a cliffy! I'll give you a hint; I used a particular word to hint at something... hmm... Well, that's all I'm gonna say!
Thank you: Chant789, Aitanna, MythandFairyTailLover, and Lucky Love of Life! [remember, I'm only doing a few review replies now, but I'll try to reply to all of you in future chappys!]
SofiaQuintero: yay! you're not gonna kill me! *does a mini party dance* trust me, you will see ALL of those guys VERY SOON.
and Tawny: YEAH! you guessed right! thanks for the recommendation. I was slightly concerned about that too, you'know, Lucy/Spirit, and I tried to lessen the switch in this chappy.
ELVIS: Review, thank you, thank you very much.
PIKASKYE: when did he get here?
Review?