It was dark when Erza and Lucy returned. Gray and Natsu greeted them eagerly. Too much time on their own had made both boys frustrated.
"Right, tomorrow we are going out and finding a guy named Sting. He's a dick but won't cause us major issues. He's not very skilled." Erza explained as she made her way to the couch.
"Okay sounds good." Natsu spoke, looking at Lucy who appeared very pale. "You okay Luce?"
Lucy gave a weak smile and nodded. "Yeah, I think I'm just tired. I'm going to go to bed. Goodnight guys." She said as she made her way to her bedroom.
Erza sighed.
"What's that about?" Gray asked, looking at Erza for answers.
"On our way back, Lucy was excited about our new lead. But I think I might have upset her by telling her not to get her hopes up. I told her that even if we find him we still might not get any answers." Erza sighed again, putting her head in her hands. "I think she's stressed."
"Someone should go talk to her." Gray spoke. He left a long pause before saying frustrated lying,"Ahem! Dumbass I'm talking to you."
Natsu exclaimed through the spirit box,"Well how was I supposed to know that ice prick."
"Just go talk to her." Gray groaned, sitting next to Erza.
"Was already going to." Natsu spat back, as he floated towards Lucy's bedroom.
He made it outside her door and spoke,"Lucy can I come in?"
He heard her voice speak quietly,"Okay."
He went through the door and saw Lucy sat at the edge of her bed. She didn't even raise her head to look at him, as he came and tried to sit next to her. His body hovering above the bed sheets.
"What's wrong Luce?" He said softly.
Lucy sighed and shook her head.
"You can talk to me yknow. " He spoke sincerely. He watched as he face contorted and she sighed a little.
"I know." She said with a small smile. Still not looking his way. "I just don't know what to say."
"Are you stressed about the situation with Sting?" He asked, trying to get a glimpse of her expression, but to no avail.
She shook her head, placing her hands over her face.
"Cmon Luce." Natsu said, trying to remove her hands but instead his palms went straight through her. He retracted his hands and looked at them sadly. He wanted to comfort her.
Muffled by her hands he heard her speak,"I'm just feeling...so useless."
"Why would you even say that!?" Natsu exclaimed, shocked.
"I want to help you Natsu. I'm trying my best but what if its not enough. Its not like a normal job where I've healed people or given them medicine. It's different and challenging and I don't know if I'm even up to the task." She admitted, tears beginning to flow from her eyes.
Natsu watched as a few tears escaped from under her hands. He got up and frantically went to the bathroom. With a lot of focus he brought back some tissue and placed them on her lap.
"I feel like we have become close throughout all this. And I want to be able to..." Her words trailed off.
"What Luce?" Natsu asked in a soft voice, trying to look at her again.
Slowly she removed her hands from her face and looked at Natsu with tears staining her face. Her eyes glossed over as she looked into his.
"I just want to hug you." She admitted.
Natsu felt a warm feeling spread over him. He looked at her and for the first time he truly felt angry about the state of his condition. Not being able to wipe the tears from her face. Or give her the comfort she was wanting.
"Luce. " He said, instinctively reaching out to touch the hair blocking her face. Before realising what he was doing and pulling back. "Luce, I want to hug you too."
Lucy felt her breath halt. "You do?" She said timidly.
Natsu nodded with a weak smile. "I have always known there is a chance that I may never get to go back to my original body."
Lucy listened but now faced her head towards the ground.
"I've always known that. And I've thought about telling you so many times that we should give up on this whole thing. Especially after what happened to you at the nightingale ceremony." He paused, remembering the event. Shaking his head he carried on. "But you always looked so happy each time we made progress. And I also began to think that if we quit this whole thing, you'd eventually move somewhere else and I'd never see you again."
Lucy looked up at Natsu shocked. "I'd never just leave! I couldn't just leave you alone like that."
Natsu smiled, "I know. I know you are a kind person who cares about her friends. Heck, you care about complete strangers. You wanted to help me even when you barely knew me."
Natsu paused for a moment and then continued. "Luce, if all of this is too much for you. Please let's just stop."
Lucy stood up and for the first time Natsu saw her angered expression.
"Why would you even say that!" She yelled. "Don't you want to go back to your body?"
"Of course I do Luce, but it's not worth it if it's putting you in harms way and making you ill." He said defeated.
"I can't believe you." Lucy exclaimed shocked. "I thought you wanted to come back to us all. To your friends."
"I still do. But Luce if you were in my position. Would you put your friends in harms way?" He asked her.
Lucy took a moment and sighed before sitting back down on the bed. "No." She admitted sighing.
"It's okay." Natsu smiled. "I'm sure I could live with this."
"I can't." Lucy spoke, looking at Natsu dead in his eyes. "I'm determined to help you. And even if you don't want my help, you've got it. And I'm sure Erza and Gray feel the same way as me." She placed her hand above Natsu's, hovering over it slightly. It looked as though she was holding his hand. "I'm going to help you. I swear."
"Luce." Natsu spoke quietly. Shocked by her display of determination. He opened his mouth, about to say something but changed his mind. Getting up he made his way to the door and turned to Lucy. "Goodnight Luce. Get some rest." He left the room, making his way downstairs.
"How did it go?" Gray asked. Hearing Natsu's breath coming from the spirit box.
"She's okay." Natsu replied.
"We all better get some rest. Got lots of investigating to do tomorrow." Erza spoke, grabbing a blanket and heading to the couch.
"Goodnight guys." Natsu said quietly.
- the next morning -
Lucy woke up sweat covering her body. Her breathing rough and unsteady. She looked down at her hands shaking. The witches mark slightly painful to touch. "Ugh. I feel like crap." She uttered to herself.
She climbed out of bed and slowly got herself ready. She looked at her mark and noticed it was slightly darker in colour. "I did not know the ritual could do this." She said to herself, perplexed.
A few knocks at her door startled her out of her thoughts.
"Hey Lucy! Ready to go?" Erza asked through the door.
"Yes! I'll be right there." Lucy called out, grabbing the Natsu voodoo doll she made before going to sleep the night before.
"Goodmorning." Gray spoke, as Lucy entered the living space.
"Goodmorning. Oh Natsu!" She said happily, at the sight of Natsu hovering into her field of view. She held up the doll and saw Natsu's face light up.
"Awesome! I can come with you guys." He said happily.
Lucy quickly transfered the soul into the doll and Natsu was once again back in his doll form. Lucy picked him up and placed her in her bag.
"Let's go!"
The group left and made their way into the city. The darker corners of the city where dark magic and crime are common place.
"I hate this place." Erza muttered, looking around with a hateful gaze. "The holy knights should be ashamed of ourselves that we haven't cleaned this shit up yet."
Lucy took a glance at Erza. It was the first time she saw geniuene disdain and disappointed on the Holy Knights face.
"So any ideas where this guy is?" Gray groaned, stretching his arms as he walked.
"Yeah I know where he will be. He's not hard to find luckily." Erza said as she took big strides infront of the group, leading the way towards a small bar in the corner of the town. The outside of the bar was worn down and there was no music or chatting to be heard. It was eerily quiet.
"This way." Erza instructed, opening the doors. Stepping inside the group could smell the smoke of cigars and the stench of alcohol. There was only a few people in the bar and only one of those few caught the red heads eyes.
The blond man behind the bar had a grin on his face as he downed a shot. He slammed the shot glass on the bar top. Suddenly his bodh language changed and he came face to face with Erza.
"FUCK! Bitch I did not do shit okay?" Sting defended himself proudly.
"Listen here dip shit. We just want to ask you some questions." Gray snapped.
"And who the fuck are you? And who is this bitch?" Sting snarled as he looked to Gray and then at Lucy.
"Forget about them." Erza told him sternly. "You are dealing with me."
"And why does a Holy Knight grace my door?" Sting said sarcastically, as he filled another shot glass.
"Have you performed any soul casting spells recently?" She mentioned, grabbing the shot Sting just poured and chucking the liquid behind her shoulder, then slamming the glass on the bar top.
Sting rolled his eyes and took the glass calmly, before filling it back up and taking a swig. He gasped satisfied and then replied, "Listen, you got no business talking with me. I haven't done anything illegal."
"It's an easy yes or no question." Gray groaned. Annoyed with the blonds behaviour.
"Shut up pretty boy. Damn Erza, your boyfriend is fucking annoying." He groaned, rubbing his ears.
"Not my boyfriend. But that doesn't even matter right now." Erza groaned. She then took out a piece of paper from her pocket. Showing the symbol of the snacks that Lucy had drawn. "This symbol is yours right?"
Stings face went pale. "Where did you get that?"
"It's not important. Just tell me what you've been doing?" Erza demanded. She took out her sword and placed the tip to his neck. Sting held his hands up and shakily spoke.
"L-listen ! I can't tell you anything."
"We can help. Clearly you are being used. We know you arent powerful enough to cast a soul out of its body." Lucy tried to say in a caring tone.
Sting felt offended, "I'll have you know I'm very powerful-" Erza cut him off by pushing her blade towards his neck, so much that it nicked the skin and began to bleed. Sting said loudly,"OKAY! Listen I can't talk about it. But I'm not the person who's symbol that is."
"No shit." Gray laughed.
"Just tell us who it is and we will leave you alone." Erza said. Looking at Sting dead in his eyes.
"I can't."
"Then you are no use to us." Erza said raising her sword.
"WAIT!" Sting yelled terrified.
Erza halted.
"I can't say who. But I can give you this." He pulled out a piece of tattered paper from his pocket. Inside was the name of a spell. "Now leave me alone. Get out of my bar."
Erza snatched the paper and put her sword away. She turned around and looked at the other "customers" of the bar. All whom which are zombies of Stings creation. "You seriously need to work on training these things."
She walked away and the rest of the group began to follow. Lucy stayed behind a little longer and watched as Sting held his hand on his neck, his eyes looking down on the ground. For some reason Lucy felt like she could relate to his feeling. The feeling that he would soon be dead. And not by the hands of Erza. By someone much more powerful. Lucy reached into her bag and took out a small bottle. She placed it on the bar and gave a small smile to Sting before following Erza and Gray.
"Why did you give him that?" Natsu asked in a hushed tone, confused.
Lucy smiled softly. "I feel like he's not so bad. He seems like he's just made bad choices."
The group exited the city and made their way to Erza's apartment. Erzas apartment was in a beautiful white building. It was modern and sleek. They took the elevator up and Erza let them enter her home.
