Hey guys! Soo sorry really no excuse for not posting. Thanx for waiting. Hope you all had a very good Christmas and New Years!:D Well read up and enjoy!
Dedications: (Two other random people) ShadowKissedGallagherGirlLexia and Lady Artemis of Hunting look out for excerpts from the up coming chapter. Thank you for reading!
Disclaimer: Don't own FT or HG. Just sayin.
Lucy froze her hand gripping the handle to her room door. She turned her body towards Natsu's room. Her right hand lifted to her forehead.
"I must be going crazy." Lucy mumbled then went into her room. She plopped down on her bed so that her back faced the ceiling. Lucy curled her body and pulled her hands close to her chest. A sigh escaped her lips as she gazed at her gloved hand. Slowly she pulled the glove off and stared at the mark. The longer Lucy stared at the mark the more it seemed to glow. Lucy sat up and extended her arm. It was glowing and it was getting brighter. Suddenly the room began to shake. Lucy shot up as her furniture shook violently around her. The lights flickered on and off before encasing Lucy in the dark.
Another quake sent Lucy to her knees. She felt around for the door hoping to escape this possible nightmare. Lucy froze. What if she was just dreaming? Surely this couldn't be real could it? Lucy shook her head. With closed eyes she imagined herself waking up safe in her own bed at home. Lucy stretched then got up and walked to her door. She opened it and found an empty street. Distantly she heard her name being called. She went down the steps to the cobblestone street. Li was there running toward her without a care in the world. Her smile brightened the space around her. Lucy ran towards her, but stopped when she noticed someone chasing after Li.
"Cana?" She whispered. Tears formed in her eyes as Cana came into view. "Cana!" Lucy full sprinted to her friend. Before she could reach her Cana held up a pale hand. Lucy slowed to a walk. Cana's skin was tan not pale. Anxiously she watched as 'Cana' reached behind her back and pulled out a long knife.
"Cana? Wh-what are you?" The shade ran towards Lucy fast. Its blade ready for impact. Lucy stood still too scared to move. The figure wasn't Cana anymore. It was Natsu. As Her partner came closer the blade caught on fire.
"Die Fairy Key!" Natsu's mouth moved but his voice never came out. The voice was familiar but Lucy couldn't remember where she had heard it from. As Natsu's blade shot forward, Lucy flinched closing her eyes waiting for pain. But the pain never came. A gurgling sound caused Lucy's eyes to open widely. She screamed as she saw Li's small body standing in front of her impaled on the flaming knife. Li fell as Natsu pulled the knife from the young mage's body. Lucy caught Li before she hit the stony ground. She continued to cry as Natsu's body disappeared into a pile of screaming ash the flames from the blade consuming him.
Lucy hugged Li's cold body to her tightly. "I'm sorry. I'm so sorry." She cried. A cold feeling settled on her cheek. Lucy lifted her tear stained face to Li's fading body. A small remained on her face as she gently whispered, "You have to win." Lucy looked at her with fear as more blood spilled from her wound.
"Please, Li don't go."
"You have to win Lucy-chan. Promise me." Lucy took in several deep breaths as she nodded her head widely. Li smiled wider than faded into nothing. Lucy cried her name slamming her fists on the ground.
"No! Li! I'm sorry! Cana! I-I couldn't…I'm sorry!"
"Lucy. Wake up. Lucy. Hey Lucy. WAKE UP!"
Lucy woke up with a jolt. Her room was still dark. She felt a firm hand grasp her shoulder tightly. She looked up into Natsu's concerned face. His onyx eyes baring holes into her. Lucy let out a blood curling scream causing Natsu to let go quickly as if he were bitten by a snake. He didn't expect her to scream. He especially didn't expect her to grab his waistcoat at the collar and shake him back and forth like he had done to her only a few minutes ago.
"Why?!" She shouted. Natsu flinched as her nails scrapped against his skin.
"Why did you kill her?! What did she ever do?! Why, Natsu?! Why…Natsu?" Lucy's body shook with sobs and she detached her hands from Natsu's waistcoat. She brought them to her face. Natsu sat clenching his hands. He had never encountered someone like this. Awkwardly, he slipped his lean muscled arm around her and pulled her close.
"It felt so real. It felt so real." She sobbed into his chest. Natsu rubbed her back. His eyes glanced over her shoulder to see Masa's smiling form. Natsu glared at his fading form. Masa's smiled wider. He opened his mouth.
BEWARE NATSU…
Natsu growled lowly. I know you bastard. The dragon slayer sighed internally as he hugged his partner tighter. I know.
"I said, ENOUGH!" Layla Heartfilia shouted at the man in front of a large Lacrima screen. They jerked to face her as Lucy's nightmare played on the screen. One man steeped up to her cautiously his arms raised to his head.
"Layla-sama. This is something that needs to be done." He said gently.
Layla's face grew red with anger. She reached in her pocket and grabbed three keys. She pointed them at the man. Afraid the man stepped out of her path. Layla marched to the front. She stood in between the people and the Lacrima screen.
"Torturing my daughter is not what needs to be done!" She hissed at them then turned and shut off the screen. She turned back to the crowd who stood silent at her actions. Her cold brown eyes scanned the room until they landed on an annoying smirk.
"Have you something to say Masa?" She asked crossing her arms. Everyone turned to a man standing in the farthest corner. Masa ran his hand through his dark thick hair. He casually walked up to Layla and leaned in close.
"Yes actually I do." He smirked at the old victor and received a sneer in turn. Masa chuckled and turned his back on her.
"Did we not agree that Lucy Heartfilia is the Fairy Key, Layla-sama?" He asked walking away keeping eye contact with those he passed. Layla lowered her arms.
"We did, but what does that…"
"Ah ah ah, Layla-sama, I wasn't finished." Layla closed her mouth and narrowed her eyes at the man. Masa smiled at her silence and continued.
"Now as I recall during this agreement you said, 'Once the mark is put on her skin she will no longer be my daughter, but she will instead be the Fairy Key and that only', am I correct?"
Layla hung her head. "Yes. You are correct." Masa nodded almost as if he were proud she answered his way.
"Then what we do to prepare the Fairy Key is really none of your business is it?"
Layla stomped her foot. "What you are doing is scaring her not preparing!" Masa appeared before her in a flash of light making Layla take a surprised jump backwards. "Then maybe you would like to be in charge of getting her prepared?"
"You know I cannot do that."
"Then stay out of our way." Masa growled then looked up. He smiled. "Looks like her partners taking care of things for us. Layla turned to find the Lacrima screen on and Lucy taking comfort in Natsu's arms. She turned back to Masa anger fueling her. She took a deep breath and pushed him out of the way.
"You won't be in charge forever Masa. Master will take your place again." She shouted over her shoulder as she left the building taking a few of the members with her. Masa smiled at her retreating form.
"We'll see about that. Layla-sama."
Lucy pushed away from Natsu chest. She didn't know how long she had been asleep on the floor with Natsu but it had been long enough for her partner to fall asleep too. Lucy blushed a little as she looked at Natsu's sleeping form. She giggled when he began to talk about food. A giddy smile spread across his mouth. Lucy stood and realized she was still in her dress from the night before.
Lucy went to the bathroom and changed into a pair of pink pajama pants and a long sleeve button pajama shirt. She stared at her reflection in the mirror. Immediately the memory of Li's bloody body flashed in her mind. She backed into the wall her hands covering her eyes. Her breathing was heavy as she tried to calm her thundering heart.
"It was just a dream. Just a dream." She tried to reassure herself. Lucy pushed herself off the wall and walked out the bathroom. She tip toed her way back to her bed. Her lights were still out but she adjusted to the darkness. After walking back and forth she finally found her bed. Lucy snatched the first blanket off and draped it across Natsu. She climbed into the soft bed and willed herself a few more hours of sleep.
Lucy woke a two hours later to find Natsu gone and Karen standing over her bed. Lucy sat up and stared at her mentor. Karen looked down at her and sighed. Today was the day. There was no way of escaping it. The elder mage bent down so that Lucy stared down at her. No words came to mind. Karen did the only thing she thought was best. She smiled and held the girl's shaking hands. She squeezed them a couple of times settling Lucy's nerves a little. Lucy offered her a brave smile.
Karen helped her out of bed and led her to the bathroom. She grabbed a bundle of white clothing from a dresser beside the door. Lucy looked around the room. It was as if last night didn't happen. But she was sure that it did.
"Here get dressed and met Natsu in the elevator. He'll explain everything to you, okay?" Karen instructed her voice worried. Lucy let her head do a slight nod before she closed the bathroom door. She placed the clothes pile on the bathroom sink. With cold water she splashed her face a couple of times to wake herself up. Lucy noticed then that she was shaking. She grabbed a towel and dried her face quickly.
Lucy hurried to get dressed. She pulled a long sleeve white athletic shirt. Next were white tights and a heavy white coat. She struggled to slip into the large winter pants that had silver pockets. Surprisingly, the pants fit perfectly on her hips. She jammed her feet into the white pair of snow boots that engulfed her feet like Natsu at a buffet table. Lastly were the two gloves. Both were white as the rest of her suit was. She put them on making sure each finger was in its right slot. After she finished dressing she looked at her reflection. In her mind she looked like a ghost.
Lucy shook her head not wanting to remember the dream from the night before. Quickly she left the bathroom and ran from the room. She met Natsu at the elevator. He wore the same outfit as her except for his white scarf.
"Ya ready?" He huffed pressing the elevators down button. Lucy looked away grasping the edge of her coat. She heard Natsu sigh.
"Yeah, me neither." The elevator opened and the two tributes walked inside.
Natsu and Lucy stayed silent as they were boarded onto an aircraft. They were seated across from each other with other tributes beside them. A woman walked around sticking a needle into their arms. After she stuck Natsu she walked over to Lucy.
"Arm." She demanded. Lucy rolled back her sleeve. "What is that?"
The woman grabbed Lucy's arm impatiently and slid the needle into her arm. "Your tracker." Lucy winced as the needle was pulled out. She looked down and was a glowing white box underneath her skin. The airship began its flight as soon as each tribute had a tracker. They soon arrived in another place. The tributes were split up in their teams and sent to different rooms. Lucy and Natsu entered their room to find Cinna and Happy. Natsu ran to Happy who was crying loudly. Lucy walked around them to Cinna who pulled her into a hug.
"One minute."
Lucy shakily broke away and looked into Cinna's eyes. He lifted something to her eyes. She looked at it and realized it was her Fairy pin. Cinna clipped it to a hidden flap in her jacket. He pressed a finger to his lips. Lucy smiled wobbly at him.
"Thank you." She whispered. Cinna nodded then walked to Natsu. He spoke quietly with him and Natsu only nodded his head.
"Thirty seconds. Tributes please make your way to the tubes."
Lucy began to shake more. Natsu grabbed her hand and pulled her into a tube. He then got into a tube right beside her. Lucy recalled what he had told her in the elevator.
"They are gonna probably put us on different sides of the arena. Don't freak out. Even if they do I will find you." Lucy nodded hesitantly. Natsu crossed his arms. "Now for the Cornucopia, don't go for it. I want you to run. Like I said I will find you. All you have to do is run."
Lucy opened her mouth before quickly closing it. The elevator door opened revealing a hanger. Natsu led the way to the airship. "Oh and one more thing. Step off the podium before the countdown stops they'll blow you sky high."
Lucy turned to look at Natsu. He gave her a brave smile. One she couldn't return. The floor of the tube started to rise slowly. Lucy placed her hand against the glass staring down at Cinna and Happy until all she saw was a black wall. Suddenly she felt a rush of cold air. Lucy lifted her head as she came up from underground to this year's arena. Lucy knew now why they had to wear these winter coats. The arena was frozen tundra. In the distance she could see the peaks of mountains. Circled around them was a winter forest. The trees covered in snow. Lucy could see a lake frozen over.
"49, 48, 47, 46, 45, 44,43,42,41..."
Lucy looked around her searching for Natsu. She began to panic when she couldn't spot his salmon colored hair. As her eyes scanned the tributes they caught onto a whip right in front of her. Lucy looked up and instantly her eyes connected to Natsu. He shook his head at her. Lucy looked to the clock. Eight seconds. Whatever she decided it had to be quick. She glanced back and forth between Natsu and the whip. She made her decision as the horn sounded. She would go for the whip.
Most of the 24 tributes sprinted to the Cornucopia while others fled towards the woods. Lucy ran a few feet then stopped as she witnessed partners killing partners. She watched as Zancrow used his God-slayer magic on Dan. Black fire encased him. Burning him. His screams echoed in Lucy's ears as Zancrow laughed and added more flames to his body. Dan fell to the ice. Stream came up around his body but no relief was given. He screamed louder as the flames grew hotter his body writhing with pain until he stopped. Blood poured from his body but it never reached the ground as the hot fire evaporated anything except the ice. Many packs beside Dan's still moving body caught fire and soon turned to ash. The canon sounded for the first time. Dan was dead.
Lucy turned and saw more of the same thing. Coco being strangled and burned by Flare's hair until Flare snapped her neck. A sickening smile of pure enjoyment was planted on her face as she dropped the girl's body. Her face was frozen in a look of pure terror. Burnt skin traveled down her face to the rest of her body. Elfman being stabbed through the heart with Azuma's Great Tree Arc magic. Bickslow being beaten mercilessly by the Careers until his blood was painted the ice. Worst of all Lucy saw Katja nearly being decapitated by Rogue's sword. She fell to the frozen earth eyes open like Coco's. the deep gash across her throat bleeding heavily.
Lucy jolted out of her shock and sprinted for the nearest bag. As she reached one she was pushed back by a young boy with blonde hair. He lifted the knife in his hand and charged at Lucy. Suddenly red flames surrounded him. The boy screamed and fell to his knees. Lucy blocked out his screams of pain and the puddles of blood around them. She grabbed the pack and ran towards the forest. She pushed dead branches out of the way as she ran through a forest path. She reached a steep slope and slipped downwards.
Lucy slid underneath someone's legs causing them to topple on top of her. She looked up into a young girl's face. A green jewel embedded in her forward. Lucy stared back at her until the girl got up and ran away. Lucy followed her example and ran the opposite direction. She ran for over an hour before she stopped feeling a sudden change in temperature. Lucy shook off her coat. Sweat dripped from her forehead as she stepped from the icy terrain to a barren desert.
Lucy walked further and saw nothing but heat waves and sand. The sun beat down on the celestial mage as she wandered aimlessly until she knew no one was around. Lucy sat on the hot sand and removed the pack from her back. She unzipped the bag. Inside she saw a canteen. Instantly her hand reached for it. Empty. Lucy shook her head.
"Of course it's empty." She mumbled to no one in particular. The canteen was jammed back into the pack and another item was pulled out. A knife. At least that's useful. Lucy continued searching. She found a rope, a bag of dried berries and meat, and a rain jacket. Lucy huffed and rolled up her sleeves. It was getting hotter. She noticed the sun going down and looked out to the distance. Faintly there was the outline of trees. Quickly Lucy grabbed her pack and after taking off her boots deciding to take them by hand she began walking straight for the trees.
By the time she reached the tree line, Lucy was badly sunburnt and almost naked. Her pants zippers were open and her tights had been long removed. She rolled her t-shirt hem to above her belly button. The sun was no longer up, but a full moon had replaced its light. Lucy fell to the marshy cool earth exhausted from her travels. Her fingers curled into the wet moss that served as a blanket. Suddenly the boom of the cannon startled her from her resting place.
Natsu.
Lucy sat up looking around. She pushed her tired body up and continued walking until she stepped into a murky swamp. Lucy made a disgusted face at the feeling of her toes being caught in the mud. She began to struggle but only sunk down lower. Lucy panicked and reached for a branch desperately she pulled again and again. The mage only sunk lower and lower. Frustrated the mage broke and stick and started digging in the mud to release her foot.
"Stop! That only makes it worse!" A light voice commanded from behind her. Lucy turned her body half way to see a dirty blood stained Levy standing nearby with a knife in her left hand. Her clothes had been ripped in many places that showed fresh wounds still bleeding.
"Levy!" Lucy shouted lowly happy to see a familiar face. Levy stepped closer to take a better look at Lucy's entrapped foot.
"This mud moves like quick sand only ten times quicker. If you would of keep provoking it like that the next cannon would have been for you."
See ya next post ;D
List of Tributes Fallen
1. Dan Straight
2. Coco
3. Elfman
4. Bickslow
5. Katja
6. ?