Three Days Later: July Seventh, Monday...
The sun shined brightly through the window, hitting Lucy's face to rouse her from her sleep. The wind blew against the curtains, bringing in as much of the cool air that travels into her bedroom.
Feeling the warmth of the sun and hearing the birds chirping, Lucy needed little convincing to open her eyes.
She sat up, stretching her arms over her head... Then, looking up at the sky, she smiled at the bright, sunny day.
'Another new day, means a new day to try and search for a job.' She thought, getting out of her bed.
She wore a light-pink pajama pants and long-sleeve shirt. Even though that it's summer, because of her being skinny, despite having some muscles on her, and underweight in her age and height group, the heat doesn't bother her.
She grabbed for a set of clean clothing from her dresser, along with her Celestial Keys and whip, before entering her bathroom and, after removing her current clothing and putting them in a laundry basket, she took her bath.
...It was there, as she relaxed in the warm of the water, that Lucy decided to do some meditation to help strengthen her Celestial Magic... That, and to bond herself with the water, to improve her connection with Aquarius through the water, itself.
Lately, Lucy had talked to Crux, the Southern Cross Celestial Spirit and another one of her Spirits she calls 'Grandpa', if there was another way for her to fight in combat, with or without her Zodiac Spirits needing to be summoned.
And, according to him, there may be a way for her to do so. But, she first needed to increase her Celestial Magic and to better center herself with each of her Zodiac Spirits' elements, before she can even try to come up with a new fighting tactic. And so, it was decided that she needed to meditate to an element and/or close connection that's tied to her Zodiac Spirits.
So, in order for her to be more connected with Aquarius, she decided, every time she bathes and/or allows herself to be surrounded in water, she would meditate for half an hour... With Aquarius' Key, looped around her wrist.
...As she expected it would, even with her eyes closed, the key glowed...
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...On the other side of the bathtub, Aquarius appeared, with her tail coiled underneath her body, underwater. Her urn, placed to the floor next to the stone-tub.
The blue-tailed mermaid looked around in the bathroom, inspecting it to be perfect to her satisfaction for her daughter's need... And, despite the bathtub being small for two people to bathe in, together, and made of stone, she approved the bathroom.
She stared down at her daughter and, with a proud smirk on her face, reached for both of her hands to hold within her own and, also, closed her eyes, meditating alongside the seventeen year-old blonde.
...The water within the bathtub rose up... Then, coiled around both mother and daughter, with some of the waters floating in shape of bubbles. With a few of them, taking shape of fishes, sea turtles, whales, dolphins and sharks.
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...As always, Lucy blushed when she felt the water rising, leaving her body, bare and exposed, for her mother to see.
Aquarius softly giggled at the girl's embarrassment and shyness, as her tail reached out and curled itself around the blushing blonde.
"You never had a problem with having to bathe with me, when you were little." She said, pulling the girl in to wrap her into a hug.
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...Lucy pouted at her mother's teasing, but, also, returned the embrace.
"That was before I understood what 'privacy' meant and discovered how much you like to tease me for being smaller and unattractive than you, Mom." She replied, keeping her eyes closed.
Aquarius giggled at her words, knowing that Lucy was getting back at her for making comments about one day finding a man who would be all over her small-figure and display her as a trophy wife, for being weak and pathetic in his eyes.
...Hearing her laugh, Lucy's lips pulled up to a small-smile, as her adoptive-mother gently ran her fingers through her blonde-hair... All the while, trying not to lose her concentration and/or freak out that Aquarius is making her rest her head between her breasts, as if she were an infant.
"By the way, when are you and Scorpio going to tie the knot?"
...A dark-aura can be felt coming off of Aquarius' body, as the hand stroking Lucy's hair froze and a low-growl can be heard through the vibration from her chest.
"...Until that sleazy, arrogant playboy stops going behind my back and stop seeing those other women, then will he prove to be the husband I'll force him out to be and finally become the man you can come to view as your father."
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...Lucy buried her face against Aquarius' chest... Her heart felt as if somebody punched it and was squeezing it within their hold when being brought up about her lacking an actual father in her life.
The blue-mermaid definitely sensed her discomfort and stress, because the teenager soon found herself being embraced in water and Aquarius cradling her within her hold, rocking back and forth and resting her head on top of the girl's.
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...Lucy closed her eyes, listening to the beating heart of her adoptive-mother.
"...I'm sorry, Mom." She whispered.
She knew that she ruined their meditation session.
...Aquarius kissed her forehead.
"I never approved the man your mother chose to marry," she said. "I even tried to convince her to leave him, even to suggest that she should raise you by herself, with us to help out as much as we could... Still, the only good thing that ever came from him... -She lifted the girl's face from her chest, smiling down at the blonde she embraced with her arms and water.- ...Is you."
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...A tear came down her cheek... Then, more followed suit, as she cried into her adoptive-mother's hold.
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...The blue-mermaid allowed her to cry, not teasing her to stop acting like a baby... When she, herself, had been holding her and acting like she is a baby... At least, her baby.
She laid another kiss to the top of the girl's head.
"...Happy Belated Birthday, my Little Pearl."
After a moment of crying, promising to start another meditation session with Aquarius within a few days and having the water to go back into the tub to finish washing herself, Lucy finally finished her washing.
After drying herself off, brushing her hair, putting on a red t-shirt and Denim shorts for today and attaching both her whip and Gate Keys to her shorts, she was fully up and ready to start her day.
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...When she came out from her bathroom to head downstairs to make some protein shakes and a small-breakfast... She didn't expect to walk in and find Natsu and Happy, sitting in her bedroom, greeting her, surrounded by discard chunks of food and garbage, while still eating what remains of whatever food they brought with them from, no doubt, her own kitchen.
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...Natsu ended up being kicked against her wall, with Happy being shoved between the wall and Natsu's head in the process from being kicked.
"What the heck are you two idiots, doing inside my house, eating my food?!" She yelled, glaring at the two kneeling on the ground, holding their wounded heads.
"What else? We wanted to come over and check out your new pad." Natsu replied, not sure why he got kicked for coming over to her house.
"Aye..." Happy agreed, quivering underneath her disapproving glare.
"And by 'checking out', you mean 'barging in'!" She pointed out, folding her arms over her chest. "And, because I never invited you two over and you both decided to help yourself to my food, this would, also, count to 'Breaking and Entering'!"
...Still, the eighteen year-old didn't see the actual problem.
"We were just trying to make this place more friendly," he replied.
Lucy looked away from the boy, slightly tapping her food on the floor.
"More like invading my privacy," she muttered.
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...Happy, getting over from being scolded by Lucy, started scratching up the walls.
"Nice place you got here," he commented.
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...A heart-shaped cracker coiled around Happy's right-paw, freezing him in fear.
"I'm only renting this house and I prefer to keep the place as nice as it should be, Cat. So, no messing up the walls." She growled out, before pulling her whip back when her message got through to the blue-fur feline.
"Hey, what's this?" Natsu asked, pulling out a stack of paper from the drawer from her desk.
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...He found himself being kicked in the head, as the girl held the papers to her chest.
"It's nothing for you to stick your nose into," she growled.
Both Natsu and Happy were very much surprised by the coldness in her voice, as she put the papers back into the drawer.
"Well, if it's nothing important, then why kick me?" He asked.
Lucy glared at the two.
"...I never said it wasn't important... Even if it wasn't anything important, I would still kick you!" She yelled, already losing her patience. "Now, both of you, get out and go home, before you cause any more damage!"
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...Natsu and happy simply smiled at her.
"No way," the eighteen year-old said. "You're place is way more exciting."
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...Lucy let out a defeat groan, seeing that neither of them are going to leave her alone, before she got to her feet and started walking towards the stairs.
Both remained where they sat, uncertain on what they should do.
...Lucy turned to them, her glare stern, but calm.
"Well? Are you two coming, or what?" She said, before descending down the staircase and heading for the kitchen.
Natsu and Happy both gulped down the tea she made for them and herself, letting out a deep sigh of disappointment that her morning had been ruined.
'So much for my new morning routine,' she thought.
Her stomach growled, demanding food when, when she looked to see if there was anything for her to make for breakfast and only found most of her food gone, nothing much to eat.
'And now, I need to go shopping for more food... I may have to get a Lock Lacrima, too, in case these two come and eat my food, again.' "...Look. -She sounded tired to the two, as she pinched the bridge of her nose.- I just moved in here. And right now, it isn't really a good time for visitors to come by. So, if you can, please finish your teas and leave. I need to clean up the mess you two made, upstairs, before I have to get more food and then head over to the Guild."
At her words, Natsu bowed his head, slightly shivering from the coldness within her voice.
"That's no fun," he said. "We wanted to check up on you; we haven't seen you in a few days, so we came to make sure you were okay."
"That's right." Happy agreed.
...Lucy simply sighed, as she drank her tea to help calm her down and soothe the headache she's receiving from them.
'More like wanting to be freeloaders and eat whatever food I have in the fridge.'
As if having an idea to do, rather than listen to her request to leave, Natsu flashed her a full-blown smile.
"Hey, I know." He announced. "Why don't you show Happy and I all those little Key Guys you like to collect?"
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...Lucy rolled her eyes at his suggestion... But, seeing they weren't going to leave, she gave in.
"For your information, they're called 'Celestial Spirits'." She pointed out, as she pulled out her sets.
"Yeah, we know." Natsu replied, somewhat anxious to see her summon another Celestial Spirit.
"How many Celestial Spirits do you have contracts with?" Happy asked, very much interested to see all her spirits... And, hopefully, find a way to eat the fish-lady.
Lucy raised her key holder, smiling down at the set she has.
"So far, I'm contacted with six of them." She answered, gently separating the Zodiac Keys from the Silver Keys. "For my Silver Keys, I have: Horologium the Clock, Crux the Southern Cross, and Lyra the Harp. While for my Zodiac Keys, there's: Taurus the Golden Bull, Aquarius the Water Bearer, and Cancer the Giant Crab."
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...Both boys drooled at the thought of crab.
"He sounds so yummy!" Natsu replied, saliva dripping from his mouth.
"Now I want crab legs!" Happy cheered.
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...Lucy facepalmed herself.
"It's a wonder on how you two can still have your minds set on food, after eating a lot of food."
Neither Natsu or Happy seem to understand the problem she's having about their desire to eat, not completely aware that they basically inhaled most of her food within her house and are making her morning go off on a bad start.
...Then, she sat up, gasping in shock.
"I completely forgot!" She cried, reaching for her Gate Keys and pulling one of them off. "I haven't formed a contract with my newest key I got in Hargeon, yet. After dealing with that Bora and traveling to Magnolia, I neglected on meeting my new Celestial Spirit."
Excitement flashed within Natsu's Onyx-black eyes... Happy, meanwhile, still has his mind on crabs.
"Are you gonna show us how you form contracts with them?!" He cried, flashing her his signature smile.
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...Lucy blushed at his words, feeling a bit awkward that he wanted to witness how she forms a contract with her new Celestial Spirit... But, knowing that they won't leave, she pushed her chair back and stood in the middle of the living-room.
She held up her new key.
"Fine, but stay quiet and pay attention." She told them, before closing her eyes and concentrating her Celestial Magic into the key.
...Then, she snapped them open.
"I call upon thee, in the world of the Celestial Spirits! I beckon you to my side, at once! Pass through the gate! -The instant she finished her last sentence, a white-glow circled beneath her feet, before she brought her key down.- Open! Gate of the Canis Minor! Nikora!"
Multiple beams of light shot out from the key, circling within air and colliding into one, forming into one ball of light... Then, the ball took the form what looks to be a small-person, a toddler-like child.
It stood on two, small, round-feet, before the light surrounding it's body died down.
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...Natsu and Happy gaped at the little creature before them, revealing to being a snowman with a cone for a nose, paw-like hands and a small, triangle-shaped tail.
...They weren't impressed by it's small stature, as it has a small-smile and it's body trembling, as if very nervous.
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...While Lucy, staring down at this new spirit she summoned, who smiled up at her, still trembling... Got down to her knees and embraced her new Celestial Spirit.
"You are so precious!" She gushed, nuzzling her head against the Canis Minor, who slowly raised his paw to wrap around her right-arm and nuzzle his head back against her.
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...Natsu couldn't help, but feel jealous on how that little-snowman gets to embrace his mate, while he and Happy stood by and watch her bond with her new Celestial Spirit.
"That little guy doesn't look so strong," he said. "Why would you have that for a Celestial Spirit?"
Lucy turned to the two boys, as she gently stroke her fingers on the Canis Minor's head.
"It doesn't take too much Magic to bring these little guys to our world," she said. "And, really, these guys make great companions. Also, while they aren't meant to be fighters, they're great trackers. Legends even stated, that their sense of smell is to be rivaled to a dragon's."
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...Again, Natsu and Happy weren't convinced about the Canis Minor before them, while Lucy sat the little snowman down and pulled out a notepad and a pen.
"All right, then. Now, let's make out our contract." She happily said, which the little one nodded in agreement. "Now, tell me, which days are you free for me to summon you?"
With a nervous smile on his face and body still trembling, the little snowman opened his mouth and said...
"Pun puuun, pun, pun pu-puuun, pun puuuun. Pun puuu-puuuuun pun, pun puuun pun, puuu-pun!"
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...To any normal human, they wouldn't begin to guess, let alone understand, what the Celestial Spirit just said. However, because Crux had helped her learn about other Celestial Spirits and teach her some of their language, she was able to figure out what he was saying.
"Okay! That just about does it!" She announced, setting down her notepad, as the Canis Minor leaped in the air and cheered.
Finished with their tea and fish, all the while observing on how she makes a contract with the Celestial Spirit, both were a bit disappointed on how boring the procedure went.
"That's all?" Happy asked, roosting on Natsu's right-shoulder. "That was pretty easy, and boring."
With a smile on her face, Lucy got to her feet, with the notepad in hand.
"It may seem boring to you, but it's very important." She told them. "A Celestial Wizard's Contract relies on the promise it's made between the Wizard and the Spirit... Which is why, I make it my top goal to always keep my promises, to either my Celestial Spirits or those who I trust enough to put my life on the line for."
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Natsu's eyes narrowed to the last part of her word... His heart banging against his chest, not liking the thought of her willing to put her life on the line and risk getting herself killed, especially if it meant keeping a promise.
"Okay, then. Now, all I need to do now is come up with a name for him." She said to herself, sitting back down to her knees and pondering on what she should call her new Spirit.
"I thought his name is 'Nikora'." Happy said, standing on the table and cocking his head to the side.
Lucy shook her head at the blue-cat.
"That's the name of his species," she said. "When a Nikora is summoned and makes a contract with a Celestial Mage, the summoner is the one to give it a name. And once it's been given a name, it'll be written on the back of their Gate Key, forever becoming the Nikora's identity. -Her chocolate-eyes suddenly glared at the floor, as the Canis Minor stared at her desk and book of shelf.- ...Sadly, most of them never get names of their own, from on how most Celestial Mages back then don't want to form a bond with a Spirit that's useless in their eyes."
Natsu and Happy turned to one another, both able to sense her anger and truly hearing how much she really values her new spirit.
...Then, like a switch, her dark mood turned happy and beamed down at the Canis Minor.
"I got it!" She cried, before reaching her arms out to her spirit. "Come here, Plue."
As if automatically, the newly named Plue turned to his summoner and, immediately, ran to her open arms, resting his head on her left-shoulder and making happy, whimpering sounds as Lucy nuzzled her head against his.
"Plue, huh?"
Neither the eighteen year-old or the blue-cat, seemed at all enthusiastic by her choice of name... Though, as she beamed up at the two, with a somewhat happy Plue in her arms, they didn't have the hearts to argue on changing his name.
"It's a name one of my ancestors named one of their own dogs by," she said. "And while he loved to play, he, also, became a great guard dog when watching over their herd of sheep from the coyotes and wild dogs."
While it seemed a bit fitting, Natsu cocked his head to the side, wondering if the little spirit actually seem to like the new name or not.
"Are you sure he's cool with the name?" He asked.
"He is," she replied. "So long as the summoner doesn't give them a degrading name that insults his species or their sign, they don't really care what their new identity they would go by."
"So, even though he's known as the 'Little Dog', he doesn't bark like a dog or show any appearances of a dog. That's kinda weird." Happy pointed out, trying to figure out how Plue could be a dog and if he would want to be friend with a dog or not.
Lucy rolled her eyes to his words.
"Well, that's because Plue isn't really a dog. He's actually a descendent to the true Canis Minor, Maera. -Clearly, neither of them know who Maera was, so she knew that they needed to hear the story.- In the Celestial World, Maera was a dog to a man named Icarus, who ended up being killed from his friends, after they had mistaken drunkenness for a murder attempt, thinking Icarius had tried to poison them and their flock of sheep."
Natsu narrowed his eyes at the story, not liking how Icarus was killed off by his friends.
"If they were his friends, why did they think he was trying to poison them?" He asked, his fingers slightly clenching on to his arms.
The blonde shrugged her shoulders.
"Apparently, back then, wine was new to them and they never tasted wine, before, so they didn't know what being drunk actually meant." She replied, gently stroking Plue's head. "Anyway, Maera, finding Icarus' body, ran to find Icarus' daughter, Erigone, and took her to where his body was, eventually buried. -Her eyes started to get a bit misty with tears.-Both were overwhelmed with grief, that they ended up taking their own lives."
"What?!" Happy and Natsu cried out, both not expecting the story to become a tragic tale.
Lucy nodded her head, as she leaned down and lightly laid a kiss to Plue's head.
"It's true," she said. "His daughter and his dog loved him so very much, they couldn't imagine life without him. And, since he was killed by his own friends, an act of injustice, that they couldn't find the will to live their lives in a world that would turn friends into killers, without question. And so, Erigone ended up hanging herself and Maera jumped off a cliff."
Plue, feeling his summoner's sadness for his ancestor, gently patted her on the cheek, letting out a few happy "Puu-puuun!"
Truly happy by his attempt to cheer her up, Lucy laid another kiss to his head.
"Thanks, Plue." She said, before letting him go and, to her surprise, started hopping from side-to-side, letting out a few "Puu-Pun!" before Natsu.
...She gasped at what he told the Dragon Slayer.
"She'll become a great teammate, and will be of great help to those she bonds with!"
She blushed at his words, as Natsu, who was still upset on the tale about Maera, flashed the Nikora a smile and a thumbs up.
"Yeah, I agree to that, Plue!"
Lucy couldn't believe that he, not only responded to Plue's words, but, somehow, showed to understand what the Canis Minor just said to him.
'That's impossible,' she thought. 'Only other Celestial Spirits or a few Celestial Mages are able to understand the language the Celestial Spirit speaks in...! Unless, it's possible, that by being raised and trained by an actual dragon, he was able to learn how to speak to other animals.'
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...It took her a moment to then realize that Natsu, with a stern and calculating look on his face, was staring at her... Straight into her eyes, as if looking into the depths of her very soul.
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...She slightly shivered from his gaze... As her heart, to her greatest confusion, started to slightly pound a bit faster inside of her chest, as her blush seem to grew.
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...Then, getting back to his feet, a big, proud smile spread on his face.
"All right, then it's settled!" He proudly announced. "You're gonna be a part of our team!"
"Yeah!" Happy cheered, jumping high in the air and raising his paws up.
Lucy cocked her head to the side.
"'Your team'?" She said, a bit confused.
"Aye!" The blue-cat confirmed. "Even though everyone within the Guild are allies to one another, some members who get along really well will form teams within the Guild. That way, jobs that are hard for one member to do, can be taken as a team."
...The seventeen year-old didn't know what to think. On the one hand, she knew that there will surely be jobs that would be difficult for her to do by herself and won't be able to handle without assistance... But, on the other hand, she felt it was a bit too soon to join a team, when she's still new to the Guild and just moved in to an apartment for her to rent.
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...However, because she's require to pay seventy-thousand Jewels a month and, most jobs that are simple to do by herself don't pay as much, it appears that the best way to earn more Jewels than to take two to four lesser paid jobs a month and to further her effort at honing her skills, she sees no other choice but to join a team. And, since Natsu had decided that she would be a part of his and, so far, both showed to fight somewhat well with each other, she found that it would be best to accept the offer.
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...And so, after getting to her feet, Lucy nodded her head.
"Very well... I'll join your team," she said.
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...Natsu beamed down at the blonde, happy to hear that she'll be joining him and Happy on their adventures and missions.
He extended his right-fist out to her, waiting patiently for her to do the same... Which, to his surprise, she simply stared down at his fist in confusion.
Realizing that she doesn't know what to do, he grabbed for her own right-hand with his left and, gently clenching it into a fist before gently grabbing her wrist, brought it to side-bump his fist. Then, with his hand still on her right-wrist, pulled their fists apart, only to bring his fist down and have her fist raise her up to touch the bottom of his fist. Then, when making her open her hand, he made their hands slap together.
...This would be, from now on, their signature handshake.
She still was a bit curious as to why he had her do that, but seeing him smile down at her, Lucy couldn't find the heart to not wanting to do that, again.
"So, you'll be working with us, from now on?" He asked, letting go of her wrist.
With a small-smile, Lucy nodded.
"Of course," she said. "And, as your teammate, I'll do whatever I can to assist this team on any jobs and missions we go on. And that's a promise I intend to keep."
Stars beamed within his eyes. He couldn't be able to describe the happiness on having her joining the team... His team. And now that she's his teammate, he couldn't wait to start working alongside her.
...He only hope, in due time, that she'll be able to open up to him about her past... And then, hopefully in the near future, when the time is right, he'll claim her as his life-mate.
With joy, Happy and Plue both cheered, then both started to dance on the table.
"Great!" Natsu boasted. "Now that's been settled, it's time to get to work -He held up a flyer to Lucy.- Here's our first job. Happy picked it out."
Taking the paper from him, Lucy read through the job description... She couldn't believe her eyes.
"Really?" She said, looking up at Natsu in confusion. "Two-hundred thousand Jewels, just for taking a book from some mansion? -Her eyes narrowed at the cat, before looking over to Natsu.- ...Basically, we're gonna become burglars?"
Natsu gave her a thumbs up.
"Yep!" He happily replied, not seeing the problem. "It's gonna be cool, and super easy!"
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...Lucy didn't find any joy to what they'll be doing... But, didn't bother to argue.
'If there's a reason the client wants us to steal a book from somebody else, it must be very important... Well, once we meet our client, I'll be certain to ask him for his reason to hire us to steal.'
As she continued going through the details of the job, her eyes stopped when she saw bolded letters being underlined, meaning it was important for her to read... Beside the warning, is a picture of a fat around-man with short-hair and a black-curled mustache.
"'PLEASE NOTE: Everlue is a dirty old man, who's currently looking for maids... With blonde-hair'?!"
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...She glared at the blue-cat, who snickered at her disturbed expression... While Natsu, simply beamed down at her.
"Yep! So, all we need to do is find someone to play the part as the maid and then we should be good to go!" He replied. "I'm pretty certain that the guy whose paying us can help us get somebody with blonde-hair to pretend to be the maid, while we go in there and steal the book!*"
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...Both Lucy and Happy, simply gave him a blank expression... They couldn't believe him.
'...Is... Is he seri-... Is he really that dense?!'
The blue-cat, letting out a sigh of disbelief, went over to Natsu and pawed at his arm.
"...Natsu," he said. "We already have somebody to be the maid."
Apparently, not getting what his friend was implying, the eighteen year-old gave him a confused look.
"Really? Who?"
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...When the cat pointed a paw at the irritated seventeen year-old... It took Natsu nearly a minute to finally figure out what his friend was telling him.
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...And let's just say, in his shock and complete internal rage, he nearly almost sat the house on fire.
Half an Hour Later...
"Oh, God! Please, somebody stop this crazy contraption." Natsu moaned, lying flat on the floor of the carriage, as he struggles to keep his meal down and puke his guts out.
Lucy gave him a sympathetic look, while Happy sat next to her, eating a fish that he, for some unexplainable reason, was able to fit inside his green pack tied around his neck.
'We're not even going that fast; it's basically slightly faster traveling distance if we were walking and yet, he still can't handle a smooth trail ride?! What is wrong with this guy?!'
Since she wanted to conserve as much of her magic as she can, Lucy sent Plue back to the Celestial World, before they left her home. She doesn't know if they would end up getting into a fight, but she knows it's always better to be prepared for the unexpected to happen, than to be unprepared on what she thinks won't take place.
During the ride, she couldn't but ponder to why Natsu would decide to have her join his team.
'It doesn't make sense,' she thought. 'I mean, I know that we're friends. In fact, outside of my home, he's the only friend I ever made whose in my age group... But, to just declare that I would be a member of his team, without any hesitation or even bother asking me if I wanted to join... It just seems kinda odd.'
Knowing that she won't find the answer by herself, she decided to ask.
"Hey, Natsu?"
Hearing her voice, with an ill-look on his face, Natsu turned to her.
"Yeah? What's up?" He groaned, folding his arms over his chest.
"I was just wondering... Why do you want me to be on your team?" She asked, rubbing her right-arm. "I mean, not that I'm complaining and, honestly, I'm really happy to be a member. It's just... Why me, when you could've had a much more experienced teammate from the Guild, while I'm still new?"
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...He gave her a confused look, somewhat forgetting about his motion sickness when seeing the uncertainty written on her face.
"...Because... You seem like a nice person." He answered, being as honest as he could.
...Lucy's heart seemed to slightly pick up it's paste, as a small-blush spread on her face.
Clearly, she didn't expect anybody to compliment her like that.
'...He thinks... I'm a nice person?'
Seeing the surprise look on her face, Natsu couldn't help but snicker.
"Though, I gotta admit, you sure are weird." He laughed a bit, before his motion sickness made him gag and fall to the floor, holding his stomach when he felt his meal threatening to come out.
She glared down at the boy, but smirked at his misery.
'And for that, you don't get any of the motion sickness medication, until we complete the mission.' "Well, anyways. I just wanna say, while I'm still pissed off that Happy would pick a job that would involve me being bait to a perverted old geezer, I'm still going to give it my best for us to complete the job."
Happy, who finished one fish and started on another to eat, looked up at the girl.
"Really?" He asked. "Well, then this should be a simple task for you to be able to accomplish, since you are a blonde and will surely be able to whoo anybody who desire people with blonde-hair. Even if you are a bit skinny than normal humans. -He then held up his fish to her.- Here, have some of my fish, Lucy."
The smell of uncooked fish didn't settle well to Lucy's stomach, as she gave him a nervous laugh.
"Uh, no thank you, Happy." She said, gently pushed the fish back to him. "I appreciate it, but I can't handle eating raw meat like you or Natsu."
Not taking any offense to the rejection of his kindness and after eyeing the fish with so much hunger for a few seconds, Happy continued to eat the fish.
As they continued the ride to Shirotsume Town, while he still suffer from his motion sickness, Natsu stared up at the now quiet seventeen year-old.
She leaned her head to rest against the palm of her right-arm, as her elbow rested against the window, looking outside, as her left-hand reached out and gently pet Happy, earning purrs from the blue-feline.
...He doesn't know if he were hearing things or was mistaking the sound of the cart rolling against the ground, but he could've sworn that he heard her stomach growling.
Another Half Hour Later; at Shirotsume Town...
"That's the last time I'm riding in one of those." Natsu vowed, hunching forward and trying to walk off the illness.
"You say that all the time, Natsu." Happy replied, walking behind him on his left and Lucy walking at his right.
The eighteen year-old didn't respond to his friend's word, as his stomach let out a grumble.
"Man, I'm starving." He whined, laying a hand on his stomach.
Lucy, seeing her teammate in distressed, looked around the area. Because she hadn't been to Shirotsume Town before, she didn't know the surrounding areas well, let alone where to find food.
'It's a shame that he can't eat his own fire; it probably would've helped his stomach settle down, and help rid away the effects of motion sickness quicker. Unfortunately, eating an element a caster makes from their own magic, doesn't help replenish us or make much of a difference.'
Luckily, after asking some of the residence on where they can find a place to eat, she grabbed the pink-haired boy's right-wrist and guided him to where she was told to find the restaurant of Shirotsume Town.
The instant his eyes saw the sign and the scent of food entered his nose, Natsu's spirit lifted and beamed up in excitement.
"Sweet! Food!" He cried, beaming at the blonde-teenager. "Let's grab a bite to eat!"
...
...
...His joy was replaced with confusion and disappointment, when Lucy turned down his offer and started walking away.
"I'm good," she said. "You two go ahead. I need to go buy something, before we meet our client."
He folded his arms over his chest.
"What is it with her?" He pondered. "We should be eating, together."
Just as disappointed to her refusal to eat with, sitting on the sleeping bag to his right, Happy shrugged his shoulders.
"Aye... -He looked down at his friend, seeing the disproval on his face and, when he looked a bit closer, saw a small-hint of blush on his face... He flashed him a cheeky, Cheshire smile.- You liiiike her."
Natsu flashed the cat a glare... Yet, to Happy's surprise, didn't saying anything to deny his claim to being false.
"...Let's just go eat," he said. "When she gets back, we better make sure that we save some food for her to eat."
"Aye, sir!" Happy replied, raising a paw in the air, as he thought about eating more fish.
As she expected to walk in when regrouping with them, both were pigging out with the meal they ordered. Most of which, being mostly meat and fish.
Lucy felt her stomach drop like a rock, as she struggled to not get sick at the poor table manners the two clearly display.
'It's a wonder that they don't get thrown out, for disturbing the other customers with their eating habit.'
She went up to the two, folding an arm over her chest.
"All right, you two, pack up the rest of your meals. We need to meet our client."
When both of the boys turned to her voice... Both were completely taken back to see her wearing a maid costume, with her hair up in two ponytails and her bangs dangling on both side of her head.
...
...
...
...Natsu felt his heart banging against his chest in a fast manner.
'Whoa...! She looks-...! So small, and cute in that uniform!'
Realizing what he just said in his thoughts, it took every once of his strength to not grab her and take her out of Shirotsume Town to prevent her from going through the plan on sneaking into the Everlue Mansion.
He didn't want that dirty, gross male on the paper to lay a hand on his mate.
...She blushed at their staring, as she forced herself to stay calm and to not be embarrassed.
"I know. I look ridiculous, but it's the only thing that I can find to convince Duke Everlue that I want to work for him. Now, can we please go? I'd rather we be done and over with this mission, so I can take off this stupid maid costume."
With feelings mutual to her request, Natsu called for one of the waitresses to pack up their leftovers.
At the Mansion...
"Thank you both for coming." A man with short-grey hair, wearing a nice brown business suit and having a pleased smile on his face, greeted the two. "My name is Kaby Melon. Please to meet you."
...In response, Natsu and Happy drooled.
"He said 'Melon'." Happy replied, as his stomach growled for food that he doesn't really need to have in his stomach from all the fish he ate.
"Oh man, you have a tasty name!" Natsu commented, ready to have another meal.
Lucy, sitting at the right of the couch, reached out and yanked at both Natsu and Happy's right-ears, forcing out a yelp of pain from the both of them.
"You two, behave." She muttered, sternly.
To their words and the girl's response to get the two to settle down, Kaby let out a heartfelt laugh.
"It's all right, young lady. I get that all the time." He gently reassured, having to take no offense from the two boy's response to his name.
Giving a warning glare at the two to not make any more remarks on food, Lucy turned back to Kaby... In her mind, she felt an itch.
'I've heard about that name, but from where?'
"Now that you're here, let's get down to business. Shall we?" Kaby announced, slightly leaning forward and holding both his hands on top of his lap. "Now, let me tell you about the job."
Eager to hear what they have to do, all three of them stayed quiet.
"It's pretty simple, really. Duke Everlue has a book called 'Daybreak' in his possession... I would like you to burn it, for me."
Hearing what the job is require of them to do, Natsu happily replied to the client's request.
"No prob!" He boasted, lifting a finger to show off his ability to bring fire to life. "And, if you want, I can burn the whole place down for you."
"He really likes to burn stuff." Happy informed the client.
Lucy, not in the least impressed by his joy to cause destruction, pulled at his ear, again, making him to stop producing fire.
"Do that, and you'll end up in jail for Arson. Not even the master will be able to get you out of this mess, Natsu." She replied, before letting go of his ear and turning back to the client. "If you don't mind me asking, sir, why do you want us to destroy the book?"
Not finding it important, Natsu pouted.
"For two-hundred thousand Jewels, who the hell cares why?"
Surprised that they didn't hear about the change in the reward, Kaby informed them on something they never expected to hear.
"Actually, the reward had been changed to two million."
Natsu, Lucy and Happy all gaped in complete take back by his words, not believing their ears.
"TWO MILLION?!"
Kaby was completely surprised that their head master didn't inform them that the reward had rose.
"I'm sorry, I thought you three were aware that the amount had changed."
...
...
...Natsu, in his shock, was trying to figure out how to split two million evenly between three people.
"Two million between the three of us. -And, like a volcano eruption, he stood up and his voice rose to screaming.- HOLY MAVIS, THAT'S A LOT!"
Also lost to greed, Happy, with swirls in his eyes from the shock, jumped up.
"That's a lot of fishes to buy!" He cheered.
...Lucy, snapping out of her shock, for the third time, pulled at their ears to bring them back to reality.
"Will you two simmer down?!" She yelled, forcing them back to sit down. "First off, we need to complete the job. And second, Natsu, don't you and Happy basically share whatever amount of Jewel income you would earn from doing missions? -In confusion, Natsu and Happy turned to each other in question, until they realize that she was right.- If so, that means the reward would actually be split between the two of us. Now, quiet down! -She turned to Kaby, who remained calm within his seat, with his wife standing behind him.- Sir, why did you raise the reward?"
...
...
...She noticed his hands clenching tightly together. He head bowed... His smile, removed from his face.
"...Well, young lady... -His voice, low... And sad?- It means that much to me... That book must be destroyed, no matter what the cost."
...
...
...
...At his words, flame ignited from Natsu's face, startling Lucy.
"OH, YEAH!" He roared. "I'M ALL FIRED UP NOW! -Before she could even blink, he grabbed for her right-hand and, dragging her to keep up, was already running off the property.- LET'S DO THIS, LUCY!"
As they head for the direction to Duke Everlue's Mansion, Lucy looked back at the mansion that Kaby and his wife resides in.
...
...
...
...
...Seeing his reaction, she knew that something was up.
'The way he talked about his reason for destroying a simple book... It's something very personal to him,' she thought. 'Whatever the reason is, and since he didn't bother to properly tell us his reason to do so, the answer must be inside "Daybreak"... And I'm going to find out what it is.'
At Duke Everlue's Residence...
"Um... Excuse me?!" Lucy called out, standing in front of a giant gate that prevented anyone from entering the large, pink mansion. "Hello?!"
From behind a tree, Natsu and Happy watches her.
"Good luck out there." Natsu whispered... Though, seeing how he clenched tightly at the tree he's hiding behind, this was really killing him to watch and was itching to storm into the mansion and burn the building to the ground.
"Break a leg, Lucy." Happy offered, laying a paw on Natsu's left-leg to try and calm him down.
Lucy felt like an idiot, standing in front of the gate and calling out for somebody to hear her.
'How will we even know, if this will work?' She pondered, blushing. 'He's looking for beautiful women to work for him, not some skinny girl that still looks she's in high school! And what if he realizes that this is all a lie?!'
She forced herself to take some even breath, before pushing on to get someone's attention from inside the mansion.
"I'm sorry to bother you, but I'm here about the job for a maid!" She pressed on. "I'm hoping that the job is still open!"
...
...
...In response, the tile on the ground beneath her crumbled and, when she turned to see what it was, a giant silhouette launched itself right from the ground, leaving a hole.
When it landed... Lucy didn't know how to respond, when seeing a giant female with pink-hair, glowing yellow-eyes... And the size that she can guess to being gorilla-like.
...Frankly, she felt very intimidated, shivering when this giant woman spoke to her.
"So, you're a maid?" The large woman asked, laying both her hands on her hips.
Lucy forced herself to be formal, and bowed in greetings to the bigger maid.
"Y-Yes, ma'am." She quivered.
"I assume you're here, because you saw the ad of the master's place in the paper?" The maid interrogated.
To that response, another figure shot straight out of the ground and stood in front of the pink-hair maid.
...Lucy was certain, without a doubt, she was going to die from the sight of the short-man, who appeared uglier than his appearance on the paper did.
"Did somebody say 'Master'?" He asked, touching one of the hair of his mustache... That, to her disgust, was actually growing from out of his nose.
She kept her mouth shut, as she lowered her head, as he circled around her, examining her.
Her heart hammered, as she kept quiet, feeling nervous that he'll try to look underneath her skirt, despite wearing black-shorts to go with her stocking and to hide her underwear*.
...
...
...Then, to her shock, he turned her down.
"I'll pass," he sighed out. "Now, please, be gone... Ugly."
...
...She didn't know if she should take that to an offense... Or, a blessing to not having to pretend to work for him.
The large-woman grabbed her by her waist.
"You heard the man. Get lost, ugly." She told the girl.
Not wanting to screw up, Lucy played the part of a desperate girl, hoping to get him to change his mind.
"Wait, dear sir!" She cried, giving him a pleading look. "The ad said that you're looking for a blonde-maid! I was told it was an open position!"
Duke Everlue snickered at her words.
"Sorry, my dear, but a man of my standings have certain standards when it comes to beauty. -At his words, four more figures popped right out from the ground.- That's why I only hire the most fairest of the fair."
...
...
...Lucy couldn't believe that this sleazy Humpty Dumpty look alike was only attracted to... Well, unattractive women. Not a single one of these girls could hold a candle on having any physical appearance of beauty.
To his words, the four maids that appeared behind him all fawned over him, complimenting his generosity and kindness to their 'beauty'.
...
...
...A thought immediately came to mind.
'Okay, so he doesn't like actual beauty... I wonder how he'll react, when I decide to put on the waterworks... Well, here goes nothing.'
She lowered her head to the ground, as the pink-hair maid started walking her off the property.
...
...
...Then, using her own sad emotions that she concealed from inside of her... She sniffled... And a few tears started to form in her eyes, trailing down her face and hitting the ground.
Hearing and seeing her be sad, Everlue and his maid all stared at her in confusion.
The large-maid, holding her, stopped in her tracks, staring down the crying girl.
"...I knew it," she whimpered. "I knew it was too good to be true. And here I was hoping that somebody like you, who I was told to being kind and generous, would be able to look past my appearance and would be the first to accept me and offer me a job... But, I guess I was wrong."
Hearing her comment, Duke snapped his finger and to the sound of his finger, the pink-haired maid let Lucy go, having her land on her butt and to now sit on her knees.
She still kept her head down, allowing more tears to run down her cheeks, as Duke Everlue and his maids all came to her.
"And why, pray tell, did you think that I would welcome such an ugly creature like you into my mansion, despite hearing that I was kind and generous?" He asked, eyeing her quivering form... Trying to hide the fact that her tears was making his heart clench out for the poor girl.
Letting out a few more sniffles and raising her head up to face the six people before her, as she wiped at a couple of her tears, she begin her story.
"My mother is dead, dear sir." She started, her eyes slightly growing large. "And my father chose to abandon me, because he couldn't stand the sight of my ugly appearance... Even though he gave me his ugly, and won't help me try and become beautiful."
Some of the maids gasped at her story, as a few of them had tears forming in their own eyes.
"He gave you his ugliness, and then abandoned you?!" One of the maid, with a nose like a pig's snout, a watermelon-shaped head and two buckteeth, gasped out.
Lucy nodded her head.
"He did, and since then, I've been trying to do whatever I can to get by." She pressed on, as she let out a few sobs. "But every time I try to apply for a job, I always get turned down...! All because they don't want an ugly duckling to work for them, and make their appearances look bad! -The pink-haired maid offered her a tissue, which she gratefully took and blow into the small-napkin.- Nobody would offer to help me and, should I be lucky to find an inn to sleep for the night, I would find myself thrown out the next day, because my appearance would make their other tenants uncomfortable and even caused children to cry at 'the hideous monster' is going to eat them!"
One of the maid, having the face of a monkey, was already sobbing her eyes out, as another maid with dark-violet hair and pointy-ears, was comforting a long horse-face maid that couldn't help but feel sorry for the seventeen year-old.
...Their master, appearing calm and collective, simply stared at the girl on the ground.
'Keep it up, Lucy. You almost have him.' "It was then, when I found your ad and learnt that you were hiring blonde-haired maids, my hope grew when I thought my prayers had been answered! So, with the last of my money, I got myself a decent maid outfit and came here, as fast as I could, to offer my servitude to you, kind sir. -Then, she leaned forward on the ground and bowed to the man.- I know that you can't stand the sight of my hideousness and have already rejected me, and it's clear that I stand no chance to ever being beautiful as your lovely maidens. But please, good sir, I beg of you to reconsider and please allow me to work for you! I have nowhere else to go and, should you reject me once more, I will surely die! Never to know what it's like to be beautiful, and to always be known as an ugly duckling!"
...
...
...
...
...
...His composure finally cracked and, with tears streaming down his face, he cried... And, with his five maids in tow, they all circled around the crying teenager and embraced her.
"NO MORE!" He cried, wrapping her in his arms, as his maids all embraced him and Lucy. "I WILL HEAR NO MORE OF THIS, YOU UGLY DUCKLING! OF COURSE YOU CAN STAY, AND WORK FOR ME!"
Forcing herself to not break away from his hold, Lucy continued to cry.
"You don't really mean that!" She cried. "You'll only say that, just to get my hopes up, only to then cast me aside! Everybody else does that, and you clearly despise me, for my ugliness!"
The five maids all bawled their eyes out.
"NO!" One cried. "HE REALLY MEANS IT! HE'LL WELCOME YOU INTO HIS HOME!"
"It's okay, you ugly thing! We'll love and care for you!" Another sobbed, crying against the pink-hair maid that remained blank... While having tears of her own trailing down her face.
"Even if somebody as hideous as you can't be welcomed and accepted into society, that doesn't mean they were right to shun you like that! Especially, when you gained your ugliness from that terrible father of yours!" A third yelled.
Duke Everlue, after sobbing his eyes out, flashed Lucy his traditional smile.
"It's true, my dear, while you're not much for show, I can assure you, in due time, you'll one day be reborn as a beautiful maiden, like my lovelies!" He proudly proclaimed, helping the girl to her feet. "Now, no more crying! It's making you look like a mole, than a maid. -He then turned to his maids.- Lovely maids, we must welcome this ugly duckling into our home and help her become a beautiful swan!"
"Yes, master!" All five of them cried, with tears still running down their faces.
Satisfied that they are in an agreement, Duke took Lucy's right-hand, which was covered with a glove.
"Come, my ugly duckling, it's time to welcome you to your new home and get you started to work!"
He jumped high in the air, bringing Lucy with him, which she gasped in shock, as they shot straight to the ground and, with ease, used his legs to drill into the earth.
Just like their master, the five maids dug into the ground, all leaving six holes in the ground.
From behind the tree... Happy gaped in shock, as tears ran down his cheeks.
"Whoa, she got in!" He cried, wiping away his tears. "That was amazing! I can't believe that fat man actually fell for it! Even I was fooled for a moment, when Lucy started to cry. -He turned to Natsu, a big smile on his face and giving him a thumbs up.- Now that she's inside, all we need to do is wait for her sig-"
A low snarl cut him off and was completely taken back at seeing the pissed off expression on Natsu's face. Fire circled his body, as his fingers clenching through the wood of the tree.
...
...His eyes, which was Onyx-black, seemed to change to a Ruby-red color.
Happy have never seen this happen to his friend, before.
The end of his tail is puffed up, showing the classic sign of his fear.
"N... Natsu?"
To the sound of his friend's voice, the fire slowly died down. It took a moment for him to let go of the tree, leaving finger marks at the trunk... Though, his eyes remained Ruby-red for little while, before going back to Onyx-black.
...
...He flashed the cat his trademark smile.
"Happy, there's gonna be a slight change of plan."
Inside the Mansion...
"Now, since you're new here, my ugly duckling, we'll start you off with something easy." Duke Everlue told Lucy, pulling her by her hand, leading her to his attic. "I want you to clean out this filthy attic of mine: You can organize it to however you want, just make sure to not break anything. All right, Duckling?"
Having to turn off the waterworks and acting like a grateful maid, Lucy bowed her head to the ugly, small, fat man.
"I shall do my best to make this room be acceptable to your liking, Master."
He gave her a cheeky smile.
"For such an ugly creature, you sure know your manners." He commented, patting her on the head. "It's a shame that nobody else bother to get to see past your appearance and see an individual, trying to get by. -He started making his way to the door.- Try to finish before sunset, Duckling. And when you're done, come downstairs and eat; you look as though you're gonna start wasting away."
Again, Lucy nodded her head to Duke Everlue, flashing him her innocent smile.
"I will do my best, Master."
Once he was out of the room and she was all alone, her smile immediately went away... A proud smirk appeared on her face.
'He may be a total creep, but at least he's a total sap.'
Finding it to be the appropriate time to remove her disguise, Lucy pulled the maid costume from her body. Underneath it, she had black shorts, a pink-spaghetti strap, small-white socks, her whip and Celestial Keys. The only thing she kept from the costume, are the shoes. She then arranged her hair to wear her traditional side ponytail on the right-side of her head, removing the mobcap and gloves.
Once she was out from the costume, she looked up, staring at the window. Luckily for her, there was a ladder for her to use to climb up and open the window.
...What she didn't expect, as she opened it, was to find Natsu and Happy already on the rooftop, before she could even whistle for them to come over.
She glared at the pink-haired male.
"You couldn't wait five minutes for me to give you the signal?" She asked, keeping her voice down in case there are anybody within earshot to hear her.
Natsu gave her a look of boredom, folding his arms behind his head.
"We got bored," he explained. "I'm telling ya, Lucy, we should've went with Plan T and barged in. That would make it more fun."
The seventeen year-old rolled her eyes at his words.
"First off, you never said anything about a Plan T. And second, I'm not going to risk us going to jail, because you're bored. -Not wanting for a chance for one of the maids to see them on the roof, she grabbed for Natsu and Happy.- Just get in here."
Once they were inside, she closed the window and jumped back down to the floor.
"We need to be careful," she whispered. "His maids can pop up at any moment. So, whatever you two do, don't break or touch any-"
"Gaahhh!" Happy screamed, wearing what looks to be a skull over his face.
...
...Lucy gave him a dissatisfied look.
Natsu, on the other hand, found it very funny and even think that it made his feline friend look tough.
Once they were out of the room and the coast was clear, they started their search. Going from one room to the next, they would find nothing that would show to containing any books that would help them find "Daybreak". Most of the rooms they would find, would be different living quarters, a few music room, one with art, and a couple bathrooms that are made out of gold.
Fifteen minutes later, and they still haven't found the book, as they quietly stalked within the large living-room. There, they saw a large golden-statue of Duke Everlue, himself.
"This is getting us nowhere, Lucy." Natsu whispered, not wanting to keep looking through every room in the mansion... Unless, they were to find food. "Why don't we just take a hostage, and force them to tell us where the book is?"
"Aye." Happy whispered out, still wearing the skull.
Lucy shook her head.
"We need to avoid being discovered," she told them. "We have to be stealthy. -she held both her hands out, symbolizing a ninja.- You know? Like a ninja?"
...The instant she said 'ninja', Happy and Natsu were instantly on board on becoming ninja... Though, it's pretty clear, that they won't be taking the role very seriously and, like children, will surely make a lot of noise.
Before she could explain what being an actual ninja does, the ground behind them sprouted a lump... Then, popping right out of the ground, all holding metal-pole, the four maids appeared.
"INTRUDER ALERT, VIRGO!" The four cried, glaring at the boy and girl.
Then, coming up in front of them, the pink-haired maid, being called Virgo, appeared.
"Let's crush them, girls!" She yelled, as all five of them started to come down towards the three members of Fairy Tail.
...Fortunately, still wearing the skull over his face, Happy let out a loud yell... The four maids all screamed in a panic, thinking he was a monster that was going to drag them to the underworld, before Natsu delivered a fire-punch at the four, sending them to the roof.
Virgo, being the last to remain, came down on top of the Dragon Slayer, body slamming him underneath her weight.
"Natsu!" Lucy cried out, pulling out her whip and delivering a strong slap to the maid's face.
Clearly, it had no effect... However, Virgo did lifted her head and stared at the blonde that hit her.
"I know what you are," she told the teenager.
Her words confused Lucy, but didn't have anytime to ask what she meant, when Natsu hauled the overgrown maid off of him and tossed her in the air. Then, triggering his magic, delivered a fire-kick to her stomach, sending her flying to the first floor of the mansion, almost hitting the golden-statue of Everlue.
"We mustn't let ourselves be discovered." Natsu whispered, trying to sound like a ninja, while posing his hands to symbolize a ninja. "We are ninja."
"Ninja!" Happy replied, also doing the voice and finger symbol, standing on Natsu's right-shoulder.
Lucy facepalm herself.
"Ninjas are supposed to be quiet, not quote out words when they allowed themselves to be discovered." She sighed out, before looking across from them and seeing two large-doors. She stared at the door. 'I wonder.'
Pulling Natsu to follow her, no longer taking precaution on moving silently, they went to the doors and forced them to open, with the eighteen year-old using his right-foot to make his door pull back to keep his hands to form the ninja sign.
To her relief, they found where "Daybreak" is surely to be discovered: Duke Everlue's personal library.
"Whoa, there are many books in here." Natsu whispered, using his 'ninja voice'.
"Aye. There are, indeed." Happy agreed, also doing the voice.
No longer seeing any point to continue being ninjas, Natsu removed the scarf from his face and cheered in joy.
"Now that we're here, let's start looking!" He yelled, with Happy cheering alongside him.
Already getting to it, Lucy climbed the ladder and began her search. To her surprise, while they all seem to be kept and cared for, she found that they were all not alphabetized.
'Of course, he wouldn't care about organizing his collection.' She thought, gazing through all that didn't start with 'D'. 'Though, honestly, I didn't think he would be the reading-type of person.'
"Oh! This one has a lot of pictures!"
"And look! This one has fish!"
She glared down at the two, shaking her head that they were, once again, goofing off.
'I swear, if they keep on slacking off-'
"And look at this one, it's sparkly!"
...In response, Lucy jumped down from the ladder and, with quick reflexes, pulled out her whip and slapped him across the face.
"Would you two stop messing around, and get serious?!" She yelled, not feeling bad for slapping the whimpering boy, who held his injured cheek in his hand.
...Then, when her eyes stared down at the sparkly book in his hand, she gasped, not believing her eyes.
There, in the idiot's hand, was the one book they've been searching for.
"It's 'Daybreak'!"
All three gaped that, not only were they able to find it, but Natsu was the one to, unintentionally, locate it.
"Whoa! You did it, Natsu!" Happy exclaimed.
"I did?!" Natsu replied, before a proud smile appeared. "All right -In his left-hand, he summoned fire.- Let's burn this thing, and go collect that reward!"
"Aye!"
...Lucy didn't find any joy on the thought of destroying a book. As a reader, she enjoyed the world of imagination and creativity of authors that were able to reach out to her, when she was a little girl.
...Many stories she read, they helped her get through her tough times, when she was left to entertain herself... They were even there, when she had to go through her grief of her mother's death.
'It seems like a simple task to do... And yet, something feels very wrong on destroying the book.'
When she looked at the bottom of the book, her eyes widened at the name of the author.
"Wait!" She cried out, snatching the book from Natsu's grasp. "It's been written by Kemu Zaleon!"
Neither Natsu or Happy seem to know who that person is.
"Zalom what?"
"Kemu Zaleon." Lucy repeated. "He was a great Wizard, and an amazing novelist. -She hugged the book to her chest.- He was my inspiration on wanting to become a writer, myself. I've read every single book he'd written, but this must be an unpublished novel."
"Who cares?" Natsu replied, igniting fire to appear in his hand, again. "Let's just burn it, already."
...
...
...Lucy sent him a deadly glare.
"You idiot!" She yelled. "Did you ever stop and bother thinking on why Kaby wants to burn a book, an unpublished novel, written by a famous writer?!"
"Nope!" The eighteen year-old replied. "We've been given a mission, and we follow through with it."
"Aye!" Happy replied.
The seventeen year-old glared at the two.
"Well, if you two were to stop and think for a moment, maybe there's something within the book that has some form of personal connection to Kaby Melon."
"Yeah? Well, maybe, whatever it is, he doesn't want anybody to discover what it is." Natsu countered, not wanting to be held back on burning something. "Besides, if it belongs to that Doop Everlupe, then it must be destroyed."
"You insolent fool! It's 'Duke Everlue'!"
From out of nowhere, a voice echoed out within the room. Then, as the ground rumbled and break, Duke Everlue, himself, jumped right out from the ground.
"And I see that you thieves are trying to steal 'Daybreak' from me!"
Not happy that they ended up caught, Natsu pointed an accusing finger at the fat man, turning to Lucy.
"Look what you've done, now, Luce." He grumbled.
...Lucy sweat dropped, knowing that she was at fault for stalling them from completing the mission.
...
...Happy, not really much to think that they've been caught, was more interested on the fat-man's choice of entry.
"Wouldn't it be easier to just go through the door?" He asked.
Everlue simply smirked at the intruders.
"I knew you lowlife wizards would eventually come, snooping around to take what's rightfully mine." He declared, before pointing a finger at the blonde. "And yet, I never thought that the ugly duckling would turn out to be a member of Fairy Tail. I can't believe I embraced such a disgusting creature, like yourself!"
Lucy gave him a blank gaze.
"Well, I was wearing gloves to cover up my hand." She pointed out. "Also, for somebody who claims to be caring, you sure have a serious case of Lookism."
He gave her an irritated look.
"Even so, I never thought you three would be interested on stealing a stupid book."
His word definitely was a bit of a surprise to Natsu.
"'Stupid'?" He repeated, staring down at the book Lucy held protectively in her arms. "If it's really stupid, why keep it?"
Lucy, also, was taken back that Everlue, for being a book person, who disrespect a work of art created by the late Kemu Zaleon.
'If he's keeping it, it must be for a selfish reason, while being so degrading to the story.' -She flashed him a smirk.-"Well, since it seems like a stupid book to you, then I'll gladly take it off your hands."
...Like a toddler, Everlue threw a tantrum.
"NO! IT'S MINE!" He screamed, raising his fists in the air. "YOU CAN'T HAVE IT! GET YOUR GREEDY PAWS OFF OF IT!"
She flashed him a sly smirk.
"Why? Is it because it details how Humpty Dumpty ended up getting cooked over-easy, when he wanted to become an omelet?" She purposely teased, before getting behind Natsu. "Whatever is inside of this book, it must be very important. I need to figure out what it is, before you destroy it."
Hearing the promise in her voice to allow him to destroy it, Natsu nodded his head.
"All right, sounds simple enough." He replied.
"Great! -She immediately sat down, opening the book.- Now, let me read it."
...Natsu, Happy and even Everlue couldn't believe what she just said.
"Right now?!" All three of them exclaimed.
Already at his limit, Everlue decided to put his foot down.
"I have enough of this!" He yelled. "I won't allow you to take my possession... Come forth, Vanish Brothers!"
From one of the book shelves, two cases pulled apart from each other... Then, standing behind the two shelves, two people appeared.
One wearing a white tunic with dark-green linings, and black baggy pants. Different forms of markings on both of his cheeks, forehead and chin. He has a long ponytail that reach past his hip. In his hands, a large pan-like weapon.
The other one, bigger and taller than the first one, wore a dark-blue jacket with yellow lines from his shoulders straight down to his sleeves, while wearing white pants. He wore a red-bandana over his forehead, with his hair shaped to being a five-pointed star.
On their arms, is a symbol of a wolf's face, in front of a large S-symbol.
"You called for us, Boss?" The smaller-male asked, glaring at the intruders.
"How pathetic. Can you believe these runts are part of Fairy Tail?" The taller-male grunted out.
"That sign!" Happy pointed out. "They're from the Southern Wolves, a Mercenary Guild!"
Natsu slammed his right-fist into his left-hand, not in the least intimidated by the new comers.
"You hired bodyguards, huh?" He asked, already feeling the need to fight.
Taking him for a fool, Everlue didn't have any fear that the two members of the Southern Wolves would have any issues with the intruders.
"You'll be in for a fight for your life, boy." He proudly boasted. "The Southern Wolves Guild are always hungry for fresh meat."
During their talking, Lucy noticed something odd about the words.
'Kemu Zaleon was known for being a Letter Mage... If so, then it's possible...' -She got to her feet.- "Hold them off as long as you can; this book contained some sort of secret."
Natsu nodded his head, as he watches her run for the door to his right... Then, his eyes flashed a Ruby-red, when he watches Everlue starting to tunnel into the ground.
"I'm going after the girl! You two, tear him into pieces!"
He glared at the hole the fat man made, before turning to Happy.
"Happy, go help Lucy."
While he trusted Natsu to be able to handle himself, the cat couldn't help but be worried when he saw his eyes going back to Ruby-red.
"Are you sure?" The cat asked, sprouting wings from his back.
"I'll be fine." Natsu replied, popping his shoulders to loosen them for a fight. "Now, go! Lucy will probably need some help!"
"Aye!"
With great speed, Happy flew over the two brothers. Though, neither one of them bothered to stop him. Their main focus, is on Natsu.
As he flew to find and help Lucy, Happy couldn't help but be worried that the eighteen year-old was going to do something really bad.
'I never seen him start to behave like this, before.' He thought, following Lucy's scent. 'I don't know why, but ever since we met Lucy, it's like he's going through some form of change... And his eyes... -He shivered from the thought of witnessing his friend's eyes changing color.- ...He look as though he doesn't want to fight Everlue... He looks like he wants to kill him.'
TBC
I can imagine Lucy pulling something like this, as a last resort, if she would actually use that brain of hers to try and get people to feel bad for her when she starts crying and/or making up a tragic backstory... Since she read many stories/books, maybe there would've been some where she would find some females using lies and/or trickery to act convincing and innocent.
*:...I wanted there to be moments, where Natsu is very dense. And, because Lucy is his mate, there may be time he won't realize that Lucy will end up being bait or not... I just think it would be funny, if he was a bit more dense... Plus, jealous Natsu would be something funny to have.
*: In this story, should Lucy wear skirts, dresses or even loose pants of any kind that she know will result possibly falling, she'll wear black-shorts to cover her underwear (Prefer saying underwear over panties, because of reasons... I'M TALKING ABOUT YOU, YOU PERVS!).
R&R