S-Class Missions and Dark Mages

Fairy where are you going?

I'm going to gather all the lights

And illuminate your tomorrow

"Hah!"

The triumphant cry of an Ice Mage echoed throughout the clearing as his hands grasped a hold of a scaly scarf and he yanked it backwards.

Natsu let out a startled noise as he was flung forward by the muffler wrapped tightly around his neck, falling down in a cloud of dust before his teammates. "Dammit, that hurt, idiot," He muttered, pulling himself into a sitting position as he brushed the dirt off of his clothing. A shiver ran down his spine as he raised his head to look up at his comrades, meeting the currently enraged Weapon Mistress's gaze. She towered over him, her arms folded and her eyes dark as she glared downwards. He knew this wasn't one of his proudest moments. "H-Hey, E-Erza..." He dredged up a shaky smile to try and ease the tension, but his attempt failed miserably as her expression remained grim.

"I knew someone was following us, but I didn't expect it to be you, Flame Brain." Grey narrowed his eyes, although slightly amused at the thought of Erza tearing the Dragon Slayer apart, he was still annoyed.

There were a few moments of silence as both Mages looked at Natsu before it was broken by the redhead's sudden outburst. "What were you thinking, Natsu?" Erza demanded, gripping his scarf and pulling him upwards to meet her gaze. Natsu stumbled over his words before she tossed him backwards angrily. "This is an important mission, Natsu, don't you understand?!" her voice rose an octave at the last word of the sentence, but Natsu didn't seem to notice, folding his arms and pouting like a child in the aftermath of a tantrum instead.

"Yeah, of course I do!" Natsu grumbled. "Why did you invite Grey with you on an S-Class mission and not me?!" he jumped to his feet and shot a glare at the male mage, who returned it instantly.

They marched towards each other, chest to chest, yelling insults at one another until the Requip Mage broke them apart. "Enough, you two!" she ordered, turning to glare back at the Dragon Slayer. "I didn't invite you on this quest because it was presented to Grey and I by Master Makarov himself!" her words caused Natsu to gape at her in shock, but she continued on without noticing. "It's a classified job, so obviously we were only allowed to mention it was an S-Class mission if we were questioned! Nevertheless, you have a horrible habit of destroying everything you touch, so a mission involving stealth and secrecy would be too difficult to properly complete to the client's requirements if you were there!"

Natsu opened his mouth to protest, quickly shutting it when Erza stared him down. "Since you're here and Grey and I are already behind schedule, you'll have to come with us anyway," she sighed, ignoring Grey's expression of utter shock and dismay. "But this is the only time, understood?" she gave him a stern look that made him shiver once again.

"A-Aye," Natsu stuttered.

"You will never accompany me on a mission without my awareness or permission again. Understood?" she drew her sword and pressed the tip of the blade ever so lightly against his throat to prove her point. Natsu carefully eased his head back, nodding quickly as soon as the sword out of reach from his skin. "Good," Erza placed the weapon away and her serious expression vanished, replaced by a warm smile. "Right, then. Now that everything's sorted, I believe we have a mission to complete." She clapped her hands together. "Let's get moving again!"

"Aye…" Natsu repeated, sighing along with Happy as the exceed finally came out of hiding. They slumped their shoulders and bowed their heads, trudging along slowly with a depressed aura surrounding them. Grey muttered something about the two of them being idiots before he and Erza began moving on, the two intruders slowly trailing along behind.

LINE BREAK

Yes, flat ground, wondrous, non-moving flat ground… Lucy felt just like Natsu would have whenever he had been allowed off of a transportation device –overjoyed. Her keys made a faint jingling noise as she walked, hips swaying slightly as she started to skip across the ground, small puffs of dust collecting in the air with her movements. The sun had started to dip on the horizon, the sky above her streaked with pink. The Celestial Mage was travelling up a dirt road through a forest, her only knowledge of how to get to Starlight being the sign she'd just passed, showing an arrow with the city's name in this direction. What was a little eerie was that she had been the only passenger on the train, which was slightly unnerving. On the bright side, the journey had only been a mere twenty minutes, just like the elderly man she'd encountered had told her earlier that same afternoon.

Her joyful skipping was abruptly halted as two cloaked figures darted through an opening in the trees in front of her, their faces hidden, but a Guild Mark visible on one's forearm. Lucy's eyes narrowed and she grasped her keys quickly. "Hey, you!" she shouted, pulling out her keys and twirling one around expertly. They spun around to stare at her in surprise, seeming to have not expected any new visitors to the area. "You're from the Razor Fang Guild, aren't you?" she darted forward as the figures took off running in the opposite direction. "Open, Gate of the Archer!" Lucy cried. "Sagittarius!" the Gate key flashed gold before he appeared before her. "Sagittarius, I need you to shoot them down, they're fast!" she said, pointing in the Dark Guild members' direction.

"Understood, Miss Lucy!" her Spirit said loyally, firing at rapid speed. The figures went down in an instant as the arrows hit the back of their lower legs. In was a little brutal, but the measure was needed. Cries of pain were heard as the two stumbled on top of each other in a heap.

"Thank you, Sagittarius!" Lucy grinned at him as he gave a salute.

"My pleasure, Miss Lucy." He cheered, disappearing just as she took off running. Clicking the Archer's key back with the others, Lucy skidded to a stop beside the Dark Mages, pulling out Loke's key as a precaution as she neared them. He seemed to sense her nervousness from the Spirit Realm, his key radiating with warmth as it glowed dimly.

"I've been sent here to help out the town of Starlight because of your Guild." Lucy said, folding her arms as she peered down at the members who were pulling the arrows from their legs. "How many are there of you?" she gave them a menacing look, but they didn't look intimidated. They both raised their hands at her; Magic circles appeared in front of them, indicating an attack she didn't have enough time to prepare herself for.

"Gravity Slam!" they shouted in unison.

Lucy let out a cry as she was forced to the ground, an overwhelming weight crushing her back and shoulders. She struggled to hold up Loke's key, squeezing her eyes shut as she struggled to breathe.

"Open…G-Gate of the Lion!" she wheezed. "Leo!"

Loke, her saviour in this moment, instantly appeared by her side, much to her relief. He only had to take one glance at the Mages harming her for his expression to darken. His hands began glowing as he initiated a battle stance. "You'll pay for touching my Master!" he bellowed, his gaze serious as he attacked with a start. "Regulus, give me strength!" he launched towards the Dark Guild members, letting out a battle cry. "Regulus Blast!" golden light surged from his hands and sent the Mages through the air, erasing the weights crushing the Celestial Mage. The girl regained her footing, standing beside her Spirit as she thanked him.

"Step back, Lucy," Loke warned as their enemies stumbled to their feet, readying to attack despite their injuries. Lucy felt a dull throb of pain unfurl inside her chest as she obeyed Loke's commands. She always had to call upon someone for help, all she had during a battle was a Celestial Spirit to come and fight it for her. The blonde watched as the Leader of the Zodiacs knocked the Mages unconscious with a triumphant smirk. "You alright, Lucy?" he asked, walking back over to her.

He placed a hand on her shoulder, which she simply brushed away, perking up with a smile. "Yeah! Thanks, Loke."

Loke studied her carefully; his gaze uncertain as if he could see through her façade. "You're welcome, Lucy." He brightened up with a smile of his own, yet his was genuine. "Call me again if you need, alright?" he patted her head as he returned to the Celestial Spirit Realm.

Lucy let out a soft sigh as he faded away in a shimmering gold. "Thanks Loke," she repeated quietly under her breath, moving towards the injured Dark wizards.

"What to do…" she mused, glancing over their unconscious states. "Hm…" turning around, she gazed towards the path leading towards civilisation. "Might as well take you there, I might get some answers," talking aloud helped the Celestial Mage process her thoughts, and she felt a sense of calm return at the action. Summoning Virgo, she asked for aid in carrying the Mages towards the town which resulted in Virgo carrying the both of them, not wanting to "strain her princess".

"Thank you, Virgo." Lucy spoke with gratitude as they began approaching Starlight, where the mission would really begin.

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A/N: Thank you to Kaida-Nee Alberona and "An Adoring Fan", you two are lovely!