Disclaimer: I do not own Fairy Tail. All rights go to Hiro Mashima
I laughed as Rogue told me a story about how, one time, Sting had somehow gotten his head in a bucket. We laughed even harder when he pulled out a picture of it. We decided that we did enough training, after nearly destroying the forest, so here we were, sitting in a café, chatting and eating like we were best buds. I liked this side of Rogue, the side of him where he can open up to me and show his emotions.
"Ne, Rogue, do you ever miss Skiadrum?" I asked, my expression serious.
"Yeah, you can say that…why?" Rogue questioned, baffled.
"When I was training, I didn't train for 3 months, like everyone thought. I went back in time and froze it, and I trained for 10 years. I…" I trailed off, contemplating whether or not I should reveal one of my biggest secrets. I couldn't hide this anymore, especially in front of Rogue, who has already opened up to me.
"I… became a dragon slayer, and… Your dragon isn't dead…" I broke the news quietly. I was a Dragon Slayer, hard to believe, right? And I even met a few dragons. I spent years training while time was frozen. I felt bad not telling anyone, but… What could you expect of me? I mean, nobody would believe me.
"Are you telling the truth…?" Rogue asked, doubts laced in his words. I stood up, slamming the table.
"I wouldn't lie to you about something like this!" I yelled, gaining the attention of a few customers in the café. I sat down, mumbling an apology, while Rogue still looked confused. However, I could sense something else in his expression… was it surprise? No. It was relief. It was happiness. It was triumph. IT was basically every positive human emotion that us humans can process. I saw him tear up a bit, and, setting down some money, I took his hand, walking to a secluded area. Rogue mindlessly followed, allowing himself to be dragged along by me. I went to my special spot, a spot behind some bushes and trees where there was a cliff, dotted with glowing flowers as it overlooked the lights of civilization down below. I sat down, and Rogue followed suit.
"W-what are we doing here?"
"I'll show you"
"Open, Gate of the Reborn Spirits! I summon thee, gate of the Shadow Dragon, Skiadrum!" I pulled out a pitch black key, something that the Celestial Spirit King gave to me. I decided that I would show Sting and Rogue when they were ready. They were ready. A huge, black dragon appeared, and he spread his wings while holding his head up high.
"Yo, Lucy!" Skiadrum said cheerfully, but that's when he saw the emotionally wrecked teenager beside me. I nodded at the dragon, who put his head down. Pulling Rogue along once again, we mounted, and departed, soaring through the skies of Magnolia.
"D-dad… Is it really you? W-where were you?" Rogue muttered under his breath. Skiadrum laughed.
"I was always with you, son. You just never looked deep enough. I was in the shadows all this time" Was the dragon's hearty reply. I smiled at the silly, yet serious dragon. Then , Rogue did something I would never expect. He broke down. He sobbed, he cried, he gasped for air.
"YOU'RE AN IDIOT, BAKA, STUIPD, MORON, JERK!" Rogue could only shout out insults at his dragon, before calming down and sobbing again.
Rogue's POV
I cried, and I found comfort in my father's black scales. This made no sense.
Why is he here? I thought he was dead! I don't understand. My mind was scattered. I was happy, but confused. I was angry, too, that Skiadrum decides to just conveniently appear after all the heartache he's caused me. Not only that, but I was sad. Sad that I wasn't able to tell my dad how I really felt. Sad that I hadn't been able to meet him sooner. I was sad, but I was happy. I was angry, yet I was confused. I didn't understand any of this. Why was he a celestial spirit?
Lucy read my mind, and began to talk.
"You never really killed him. Skiadrum changed your memories so that you believed that you did. The Spirit King decided to give them a second chance, and made yours and Sting's dragons spirits. The king gave them to me, and told me to let you meet them when I thought that you were ready. So, here he is. He never really died"
I was dumbstruck. What just happened? Well, Skiadrum was here now, that was all that mattered. The wind died my tears, and that was when I realized the sight before me.
We rode of the back of the mighty dragon, in the clouds, literally, and overlooking the town lights. The wind welcomed us, and whistled through our hair. It felt as if nature was trying to comfort me. It would take a while to get used to, I know, but right now, there was one feeling, now that I've realized where I stand, that is prominent among the others. Happiness. My dad was back. He was home. He didn't leave me. I smiled, and it was genuine. It was the brightest smile that I was able to muster up in front of my old dad, who had come back to me, and my new friend, who had shown new things to me. These feelings, I can't deny, I finally opened up my eyes. Lucy flashed a sad smile, before returning to her toothy grin. Skiadrum also looked back at me, wearing the same expression. With a sigh, I laid down on my back.
I felt like the luckiest person in the world. I had my dad, one of my best friends, and we were overlooking the kingdom that I loved. Everything was perfect.
At the Guild, Nobody's POV
Erza ran into the guild, and, not even bothering to run to Mira, yelled from across the hall, "LUCY AND ROGUE ARE A THING!" Everyone looked confused, as did Mira.
"A thing? What do you mean a thing?" Natsu asked, cocking his head to one side.
"T-they were hugging, a-and they were holding hands!" Erza panted, tired from running. Her face was red, but it wasn't because of the unexpected running. Mira squealed, and fainted, and Natsu got distracted with the delusional mage, leaving Gray to run out of the guild hall alone. A few minutes passed, and Gray came rushing in. His face also red.
"Well, what is it boy? Is it true?" Macarov asked, his brows furrowed.
"HE WAS HUGGING HER FROM BEHIND WHILE THEY HELD HANDS!" Gray shouted, making all the girls of the guild squeal, while all of the males, who were overprotective of their only celestial mage, had deadly auras. Everyone turned to Macarov, who was crying comically.
"Really! And here I thought that I was going to have great grandchildren" Master whined, earning a furious blush across Laxus' face while he looked down, muttering something about murder. Natsu was the most taken aback, and everyone, including Erza backed away in fear when they saw his expression.
"Nobody touches MY partner! Not MY Luce!" The said mage yelled angrily, running out. Everyone gulped. Who knew that THE dense Natsu could think that much?!
Meanwhile, at Sabertooth.
"Thought Projection" Rufus muttered, and the sight he had witnessed appeared on lacrima vision, large enough for everyone to see. They all gaped at the image, Rogue and Lucy holding each other, Rogue pinning the said girl on the ground, while they stared into each other's eyes.
"Woah! I never knew that Rogue could get a girlfriend! Nonetheless a blonde beauty like Lucy!" Orga shouted, fist pumping the air. He earned cheers of agreement from the crowd, and the memory mage smirked as he searched for their Master, only to see the reaction he was hoping for.
"Rogue… I'll kill you if you try anything" Sting whispered, loud enough for everyone to hear, and for everyone to know to get out of the dude's way, before he killed someone. Even Minerva gulped. Wait, Déjà vu? Sting ran out of the guild hall at full speed, practically running people down.
Rogue's POV
I leaned in closer, interested in what Lucy was saying as we landed back on the cliff we were previously on.
"As I was saying, almost all of the dragons were reborn as spirits, because they were being held captive by future you. But when he died, the dragons started to fade away again, but the Celestial World took them in, giving them new keys, now known as the Gates of the Reborn Souls. There are the main, most powerful dragons, which would be the parents of the dragon slayers that we know, like Skiadrum, Weisslogia, Grandine, Metallicana, and Igneel. I have all of their keys, except for Igneel's. Then, there are the Gates of the Tortured Souls. These are also dragons, but they are the ones who were manipulated and tortured, hence the name. However, these are the strongest dragons ever known. This includes Acnologia. I have all of their keys, except for Acnologia's. I won't go into much detail, though. I'll tell you some other time. Anyway, I've been sent on a quest to collect all of the dragon keys, and I'm almost done. I also have all the keys of the Gates of the Dragon Souls, which are the regular dragons. SO that's basically it, how to sum everything up" The blonde finished, slightly out of breath. I understood the concept a bit more, but my brain was drawn to another thought. Lucy and Acnologia. I didn't like the sound of that.
"How will you find Acnologia and Igneel?" I questioned, concerned for my friend's safety.
"Dragon Quests. It's the formal ritual. I call out the dragons to sense other dragons and their locations. I already know where Igneel is. The hard part is making the contracts. I have to fight them. Skiadrum was the toughest one so far" She commented, glancing over her shoulder to the dragon, who just smiled confidently. My eyes widened. She defeated dragons?! She saw my expression and chuckled.
"I'm not that strong. SO I usually end up in the hospital for a few months after every fight. Though I never tell the guild that. They would freak out" the blonde said casually, looking out at the night sky. I sighed.
"Sometimes, you're as reckless as Natsu, you know that? I just… don't want you to get hurt" I finished lamely, looking away. She turned to me and smiled sadly.
"I know, and I'm… scared, too. But I have to find the keys. Or else… something bad will happen" She replied, not meeting my eyes. I nodded in inderstanding. There were some things that you couldn't tell anyone, even those closest to you. Then, she suddenly got up.
"You guys wait here, I want to walk around a bit. Take the time to catch up, all right? See ya!" Lucy said cheerfully as she ran behind the bushes. I turned to my dad, who winked.
"You liiiiiiiikkkkke her" the dragon cooed. I rubbed my temples. How did that remind me of an annoying, blue exceed? I just turned away again, a bit of pink dusting my cheeks.
"She's a keeper, though. I should know, since I'm the one who agreed to serve her. Man, was I surprised when she beat me. I've never known a mage that strong. But it wasn't her physical srength that beat me. It was her passion and her wits. She gave me a heartfelt speech about how she did everything for her friends, and she was constantly coming up with new defense and offenses during the battle, changing strategies and studying me. I think that's why she was able to beat you, even in your shadow form. She told me" The dragon said, winking at me again. I nodded, smiling.
"She sure is reckless, though, isn't she?" I pointed out, in which dad just nodded wholeheartedly.
"Totally! There was this one time where she summoned me and Weisslogia at the same time, and summoning one of the dragons, even a normal one, is the equivalent of summoning about, oh I don't know, 12 of those gold key thingys?" dad stated, a little confused at the concept of the normal zodiac gates. I chuckled a bit, since I didn't really know much about stellar magic myself. When I felt brave enough, though, I spoke up, my face serious.
"Why is it so important that Lucy finds the Dragon Keys?"
"Because, as of now, she's the strongest Celestial Spirit Wizard in Fiore, and she's the only one strong enough to carry the burden. Think about it, she has 10 of the 12 most powerful keys, the Zodiac" I looked at Skiadrum with distaste. He was hiding something from me.
"What burden are you talking about?" I was even more confused now.
"The burden of sacrifice. There's a high chance that she'll lose her life on this quest. But, on the other hand, she faces the burden of expectation. If she fails, she will never be able to see those she loves again, due to certain reasons. Now, be quiet child. I can not give you further information" Skiadrum said, disappointment in his eyes. I heard a rustling behind me, and the dragon disappeared, leaving me to turn around a look towards a celestial mage, black key in hand as she sighed.
"I would tell you more, but it's top secret. Only the Magic Council, the Celestial Spirit King, and I have complete information about this. Even then, though, we don't know everything" Lucy sighed as she attached the key back to her key ring.
"Where'd you walk off to?" I asked.
"There was this shop off of the edge of the woods nearby. I got a limiter there, because summoning dragons takes a lot of energy, but I expand my magic container and energy every time I do it, so it sort of trains my body each time. So basically, I needed another limiter. These things are annoying, though" the blonde whined as she tugged on a very uncomfortable looking ring, in which its jagged edges were probably cutting into her skin.
"Hey, why aren't you surprised?" She asked, noting my stoic expression.
"Well, you smelled different from before, and you were super powerful, so its only obvious that you would learn powerful types of magic. But still, I am a little shocked that you're a dragon slayer. Celestial, if I'm correct. Who was your dragon?"
"I didn't have a dragon. The king taught me, since he not only govern the spirits, but all the forms of celestial magic. He was kind enough to, but it's still considered dragon slaying magic. I was pretty disappointed, though, that there wasn' such a thing as a celestial dragon. But that always arouses more questions. For example, why does celestial dragon slaying magic even exist if all celestial dragons are dead? I'm still surprised myself at the mess that I've gotten myself into. I only became an official slayer just recently, but I started the Dragon Quest when I found out the Igneel was Natsu's father" Lucy explained, her brows furrowed. I stood up, and dusted off my pants.
"Anyways, we should get goi-" I was cut off by a flash of pink and yellow bursting through the bushes and into the clearing. Immediately, I grabbed Lucy, but she was snatched away.
Natsu's POV
I growled at the other two. "What are you doing with MY Luce?" I interrogated, my voice dangerously low. Rogue looked confused and Sting looked angry. He echoed the question back, clearly towards Rogue and I this time. I hugged Lucy protectively from behind, and I gently whispered into her ear, sending shivers down her spine.
"Did he do anything?" She shook her head, and I sighed in relief. As the other two slayers were sending death glares at each other, I backed away, Luce still in my arms.
"We're going to your place" was all I said, and I ran there, never letting go of the protesting blonde.
When we got there, I locked the window and the door, and pulled down the curtains. Throwing Luce onto the bed, I pinned her down, refusing to let go until she gave me some answers.
"I- I was just talking to Rogue!" She protested, staring at me in the eye.
"Erza and Gray said that you were hugging and stuff!" I whined, staring back at her. She flushed red before denying it.
"No! He was helping me with my posture for a new spell that I learned, so he needed to position my back and hands! It only looked like we were hugging!" She exclaimed, squirming. Sighing, I laid down next to her, before flashing her a grin.
"Let's go to the guild!" I said cheerfully, finding an excuse to hold her hand. I saw Lucy sweat drop at my sudden change in attitude, and I laughed. Luce was weird, and though I was even weirder, it's not like I noticed that.
When we finally got to the guild, I looked at Lucy expectantly, who just sighed. She's been sighing a lot recently.
"Yeah, yeah, I know. We'll go on a job. I'll pick something out, so go talk to Lisanna or Mira or something" Lucy waved me off, and I frowned. Does she think that I still have a thing for Lisanna? No way, I clearly told her that we broke up… Right? Maybe I didn't? OR maybe I just don't have good memory? Eh, whatever, I'll go talk to Lis.
"Sup Lis!" I shouted, making my way over to the white haired mage, who was blushing. She then turned to me, and waved cheerfully.
"So, how are things with Lucy?" she asked, wiggling her eyebrows suggestively. I pouted, and she understood. Then it was my turn to tease.
"So, who's this mystery man you've been blushing about, eh?" I poked at her, remembering how she told me she liked someone.
"It's…" She trailed of, and my curiosity got the better of me.
"It's…?" I echoed, waiting.
"It's… It's Dan Straight" She finished, making my eyes bulge out.
"WAIT, WHAT?! YOU LIKE DA-" Lisanna cut me off, covering my mouth with her hand.
"He's so romantic! I bumped into him, and he gave me a speech about true love! Kyaa~ He's my knight in shining armor!" Lisanna squealed, her eyes turning into hearts as she went into complete fan girl mode. Backing away slowly, I went back to Lucy, who had chosen a job with high pay.
"Oh, cool, you found a job. What's it on?" I asked, no wanting to waste my time reading.
"Well, it's just a request to take down a dark guild near the edge of town. Their hideout's in the forest there. You should be able to sniff them out, though, so I'll doubt that we'll get lost. What can go wrong, am I right?" Luce cheerfully pointed out. I was still a little anxty about this, though.
"But this is to take down a WHOLE Dark Guild, and Erza's not coming with us… are you sure?" I asked, although I knew the answer. With a vigorous nod, Lucy pulled me along, and out of the guild hall, heading towards the train station. I could already feel the nausea building up.
After the Train Ride
Grateful that I wasn't stuck in that hellhole anymore, and that I was back on land, I kissed the ground, and happily laughed as I skipped in circles, earning stares from onlookers. Before I could proceed further, Luce started to drag me away from the station, heading towards the forest.
After walking for a while, Luce spoke up, "Do you smell anything?"
I stopped and sniffed the air, and I was led deeper into the forest.
"Yeah, they should be in front of us. I can sense some huge magical energy, too" I pointed out, though the original whisper had turned into my usual, loud voice. Coming up from the bushes in my excitement, I saw a whole guild of a bunch of messed up guys looking at me, as well as a royally pissed Luce.
"Oops?"