Hey everyone!
Here is Chapter 13!
I hope you enjoy it!
It's not as exciting or as long as other chapters, but not every chapter will be.
Now on with the show!
The battle in the arena finally came to an end. Team Fairy Tail stood bent over with their hands resting on their knees as they panted heavily with grins. While Team Sabertooth lay on the ground on their backs, panting heavily while chuckling.
"And the winner is FAIRY TAIL!" Chapati announced.
"That was definitely a good fight." Mr. Yajima said with a smile.
"What spectacular performance!" Mr. Rabian exclaimed.
"Well, that was intense. Glad you two gave it your all." Gajeel said with a chuckle.
Sting and Rogue both nodded, too out of breath to answer. It was true they gave it their all and still ended up losing. But they supposed it was better to be beaten fair and square but also had fun while they were at it. They looked up and saw both Fairy Tail dragon slayers above them holding their hands out to them. They nodded and took the helping hands that pulled them to their feet.
"It was a good match. Hope to do it again sometime." Sting said, shaking hands with Laxus.
Laxus nodded, but his eyes darted around, trying to find a certain blonde. He couldn't sense or smell her near, and it bothered him.
"Yeah. Look forward to it." Laxus said, looking back to the booth where the other members of Fairy Tail sat watching the game.
He couldn't spot her, so he hoped Jellal would take her somewhere to rest.
"Tell the blonde that we said thank you." Sting said before turning with a wave over his shoulder.
Laxus wanted to growl but cleared his throat and nodded before he and Gajeel walked off the arena toward the stands in search of Lucy. Something was eating at him. It didn't feel right to him.
Once they got there, Laxus looked around, not seeing Lucy anywhere. Makarov raised an eyebrow as he watched his grandson's eyes rake over the group.
"She's in the infirmary. The others took her there to rest." Makarov said, guessing why Laxus was looking around and getting anxious. Laxus' head snapped up and nodded before turning and heading toward the infirmary without a word. Makarov chuckled. "Well, that answers my question," Makarov said in amusement.
Gajeel sighed before following behind Laxus. "You know she's fine, right? Just tired." Gajeel grumbled at the speed he had to go to keep up with Laxus.
"I know. Still doesn't make me feel any less restless." Laxus said as they approached the infirmary door. Outside the door stood Jellal and Mira. "What are you guys doing out here?! Why aren't you in there? You guys were in charge of watching her." Laxus growled as he got closer.
Before they could answer, the door opened, and a cloaked figure stepped out. "Sorry, that was my fault." Cobra said as he looked up and down the hallway before removing his hood since it was just them.
"What do you mean?!" Laxus growled, stepping up to Cobra.
"Whoa there!" Gajeel said, getting in between the two dragon slayers. "Let's calm down and let him explain before you all dragon on him." Gajeel said, pushing the two away from each other.
"Laxus." A female voice said from the doorway. "I'm fine." Lucy said, smiling in amusement.
Laxus let out a relieved breath before going to her just to get a whiff of her scent to calm his nerves. He didn't realize exactly what he was doing, but by the time he came to his senses, he found his nose was buried in Lucy's hair as he had an arm wrapped around her, holding her to him.
The others stood there wide-eyed as they watched the interaction. Cobra smirked as he silently chuckled, catching a panicked look from Lucy. He found the panic in her eyes slightly amusing.
Lucy sighed and patted his back. "I'm fine, don't worry." Lucy said comfortingly.
Laxus cleared his throat as he backed away. "Good." He said, refusing to look at anyone.
"Anyway. Let's head to the bar." Mira said.
"Go ahead. The rest of us have somewhere else to be." Lucy said, looking at Cobra.
Cobra nodded before following behind Mira and Jellal.
"We do?" Gajeel asked.
"Yes. Let's go." Lucy said, walking in the opposite direction.
They didn't argue and just followed behind her. They knew better than to argue when she had a plan up her sleeve.
Cobra, Mira, and Jellal all walked into the bar only to see that there was a brawl going on. Jellal sighed and shook his head.
"Where's Lucy?" Makarov asked, looking over the three standing there.
Cobra smirked. "Don't worry, she's fine." Cobra said, looking over to the corner quickly before moving his eyes back to the Fairy Tail master.
"I take it Gajeel and Laxus are with her?" Makarov asked, raising an eyebrow.
Jellal nodded. "Lucy said there was somewhere they needed to be. She didn't tell us more than that." Jellal said, sitting on a stool next to where Makarov sat on the counter.
"I'm worried about her. She's been acting weird lately. Not like herself." Mira said, looking pointedly at Cobra.
She really didn't like the idea of having him here, but somehow, Lucy's plan involved him.
"Once this is all over, she'll be back to normal." Makarov said, lifting a mug to his mouth.
Mira sighed. "I hope you're right." She said.
Lucy led the group into an underground cave that was covered in bones. She kept walking till she got to the middle of the cave.
"What exactly are we doing here?" Gajeel asked.
"Now, we wait. The others should be here soon." Lucy said, looking around at all the bones. "This place still gives me the creeps." She muttered under her breath.
"What is this place anyway?" Laxus asked, looking around before stepping closer to Lucy, not liking the feeling he was getting by being there.
"In short. A Dragon Graveyard." Lucy said, looking to the right and seeing a figure approach. "And it begins." Lucy muttered under her breath before turning to face the approaching figure. "Colonel Arcadios." Lucy said coldly.
Both dragon slayers were automatically on alert, moving in front of Lucy in a protective stance. Laxus growled, the sound threatening as the man stepped closer and out of the shadows. He could feel the hair on the back of his neck raise. Lucy could feel the electrical charge that was emitted from Laxus.
"Easy." Lucy said, placing her hand on his back. "He means no harm. It's not him we need to worry about." She continued in a soothing tone.
Laxus relaxed a bit, but not completely. He still didn't trust this man who looked like a knight.
"Hello, Fairy Tail." Aracdios said as he stepped closer.
Lucy placed her hands on both Dragon Slayer's arms, stepping in between the two. She knew she had to step in before they decided it would be safer to attack the man.
"If I were you, I'd stop." Lucy stated, her eyes closed. "I can't control these two if they decide to attack you. And frankly, I wouldn't stop them either." Lucy stated, opening her eyes and glaring at the man.
Arcadios stopped, his eyes going wide. He looked over the group, noticing that this wasn't the group he was told would be down here. The girl, yes. But the men, no. They weren't the right ones, except for the Iron Dragon Slayer. From what he was told, it should have been more people than this.
"Hey! I have more control than that. I'm not Salamander." Gajeel grumbled, scowling at the petite blonde.
Lucy rolled her eyes. "Sure you do. It's not like you're a Dragon Slayer, right?" Lucy teased with a smirk.
"Smartass." Gajeel muttered, rolling his eyes.
"I don't understand." Arcadios mumbled to himself. "This isn't right." He continued.
"Expecting more of us? Sorry to disappoint you. Not that the games have turned as you thought either, now did it?" Lucy asked, crossing her arms as she cocked her hip out.
"What?!" Arcadios said, surprise ringing in his tone. "How'd you..." He started but trailed off.
"How'd I know? Easy. You're not the only one who got a heads-up about the future and the turnout of the games. But the thing is, my source is more reliable than yours." Lucy stated, causing Arcadios to take a step back.
"Impossible." He said, backing up.
"Not really. Now, let me tell you how this is going to go. You're going to put an end to this Eclipse Project of yours. In fact, I suggest destroying the gate." Lucy continued taking a few steps forward slowly. She put her hands out to her sides, palms facing the dragon slayers at her back, telling them to stay. "Not to mention, I refuse to help you destroy the world. And that's exactly what will happen if you attempt to use that gate." Lucy said, stopping a few feet from the knight.
"No. The gate is to help stop Zeref." Arcadios argued.
Lucy snorted, crossing her arms again. "And let me guess, this gate is also the key to stopping a herd of ten thousand dragons from destroying the world?" Lucy asked, raising an eyebrow in challenge.
Arcadios' eyes widened. He didn't know what to say. He didn't know how this girl knew what his plan was. He didn't understand any of what was happening.
Gajeel smirked and crossed his arms. "I'd listen to her if I were you." He said with a dark-sounding chuckle.
"I don't understand." Arcadios finally said.
"What's not to understand? Did you honestly think a gate that can go back in time could also be a weapon to destroy dragons?" Lucy asked, amusement lacing her tone. "How stupid do you have to be to believe that? How do you think the dragons even come here? You use the gate, but it doesn't go as you thought, and you release all those dragons into our world. You're the reason the world gets destroyed." Lucy explained, her tone taunting.
Laxus' anxiety was starting to surface to the point he was shaking. He didn't like Lucy being that close to the knight. He wanted to grab her and run. He wanted to get her far away from him. But before he could even think, he caught the scent of others approaching.
"Lucy. We've got more company." Laxus growled as he moved to her side.
"Ah. I see. Minster Darton has finally graced us with his presence." Lucy said sarcastically with a roll of her eyes.
Gajeel narrowed his eyes at Lucy. She wasn't acting like her usual self. Something was off with her. It baffled him. He couldn't pinpoint it, but something was wrong.
"Colonel Arcadios." The short old man said as he got closer.
Lucy smirked. "Have you come to arrest us, Minster Darton?" Lucy asked, her hand on her hip as she cocked her hip out. Laxus went to lunge at him, but Lucy put her hand on his chest, stopping him. "Laxus, it's fine." Lucy said sternly.
Laxus held back but growled as the army of men surrounded them.
"Ms. Heartfilia." Minster Darton said with a tilt of his head. He wondered why the girl knew what he was there to do. "Since you asked, yes, I am here to arrest you for plotting against the kingdom. The same goes for you, Colonel. I can not let this Eclipse project continue." Darton said, motioning with his head for his men to grab Lucy and Arcadios.
Lucy chuckled. "Sure, that's the story you want to go with. When in reality, you just want to hand my keys to the princess yourself. Isn't that right?" She said challengingly.
Darton's eyes widened slightly before his mask was put back into place. "No, my intention is, as I said." He said.
Lucy smirked, showing her teeth. "Then I still get to keep my keys, then? After all, we wouldn't want them to fall into the wrong hands, now would we?" Lucy asked.
Gajeel knew right then that something was off. She wasn't acting like herself at all. He breathed in deeply and caught the scent. His eyes widened, grabbing Laxus' arm and pulling him back when the men cuffed Lucy and Arcadios, pulling them away.
"Wrong, Ms. Heartfilia. As you know, you can't keep weapons on you when you're in prison." Darton said, taking the keys from her hip. Without another word, the army and Darton dragged Lucy and Arcadios away. "Oh, Before I forget." Darton said, stopping with his back to the dragon slayers. "I'll give you an olive branch if you will. All you have to do is win the games, and maybe you can ask the king to release your friend. He quite fancies Fairy Tail." Darton said before walking away with the rest of the army.
Laxus was vibrating with rage. He was about to step forward to chase them down when Gajeel pulled him in the other direction.
"Let go." Laxus growled.
"This was her plan. She wanted to get arrested. I don't know what she's planning completely, but this was part of it. Let's go inform Master." Gajeel said, dragging Laxus behind him.
Laxus didn't want to go. He wanted to go after Lucy. A whimper left his throat as he looked back over his shoulder.
Gajeel sighed, knowing this wasn't going to be easy on him.
Cobra sat at the bar with his hood up when the two Dragon slayers entered the bar without the petite blonde. He smirked, knowing the plan worked. He pulled his hood down, resting his elbow on his knee while propping his head up with his fist.
"I take it Lucy was arrested." Cobra stated, catching everyone's attention.
A chorus of what's echoed through the bar.
"Apparently, it was part of her plan." Gajeel said gruffly, still pulling a sullen Laxus behind him.
Cobra grinned." It was." He stated. Laxus growled, his eyes flashing as he prepared to lunge at the Poison Dragon Slayer. Cobra held his hand up in surrender. "Easy now." Cobra said with a chuckle. "I only helped her with the plan, nothing more." He explained.
Lucy sat in the cell, a smile growing on her face as she kicked her feet back and forth. She could feel it. The keys were glowing.
It was time.
"Sorry about this. But you gave us no choice." She said before disappearing in a puff of smoke.
Princess Hisui held the keys in her hand, raising them above her head. They glowed and floated. She expected them to fly into the gate, but before that could happen, the keys disappeared with a puff of smoke.
"What!? Impossible!" Hisui said with wide eyes as she watched them disappear. She was tricked. She couldn't believe it, she was really tricked. She ran toward the cells to check for herself. When she got there, the blonde Celestial Mage was gone. "But how?" She asked out loud.
Laxus was gearing up for a punch. Lightning sparked around his fist as he brought it up.
"Shit!" Cobra covered his face with his arms, expecting the hit.
"No! Stop!" A familiar female voice yelled. The sound of heeled boots hitting the floor echoed before a cloak appeared and flew off, leaving behind a running Lucy. "Laxus, don't!" Lucy yelled, stopping before him and pressing her hands against his chest. "I'm fine. I'm right here." Lucy said, her voice pleading.
Makarov's eyes went wide as Lucy appeared out of nowhere. He had no idea she was even there. He glanced at Cobra and knew right then that the poison dragon slayer knew she was there the whole time.
"Cutting it close, don't you think?" Cobra grumbled, crossing his arms over his chest with a huff.
Laxus looked down, his body relaxing. He dropped his fist as the lightning disappeared. A sigh of relief left his mouth as he fell to his knees before her. He couldn't believe she was right there. He didn't know how it was possible. He wrapped his arms around her waist and buried his face against her.
"Don't do that again." Laxus mumbled against her. The sound was muffled. Lucy smiled, wrapping her arms around his shoulders. "You're never leaving my sight again." Laxus muttered.
Lucy giggled. "I'm fine. It was part of the plan." Lucy said, running her fingers through his hair.
"It smelled like you. Well, right up until the end there. I caught the slight scent of Gemini. How did you pull that off? I can always tell when it's you or when it's Gemini." Gajeel said, crossing his arms over his chest and glaring at the blonde.
"You can thank Cobra for that. He told me how to make Gemini copy my scent, too. It takes more focus, but I was able to do it. Even if it wasn't for as long as I wanted." Lucy explained.
Natsu picked up the cloak that lay on the ground. "What's this?" He asked.
"Oh! Right. Virgo brought it for me. It hides you completely. Making you invisible. The only one who knew I was here was Cobra. And because he can hear everything, whether you want him to or not, he was the perfect one to stay behind." Lucy explained. "I'm sorry to have worried you." Lucy said.
Gajeel nodded because this definitely sounded like the real Lucy. Gajeel sighed and relaxed, sitting on the bench behind him.
"You definitely had us worried. Some of us more than others." Gajeel said, looking at Laxus, who still hasn't let go of Lucy.
Lucy sighed. "You can let go, Laxus. I'm not going anywhere." She said. Laxus shook his head and tightened his arms around her. She sighed again. "Laxus, we have to go back to the hotel. We have a long day tomorrow. And I need to stay out of sight." Lucy explained. That's when she felt Gemini return. Her eyes widened. "No. It's too soon. They weren't supposed to return until before the games start." Lucy exclaimed in horror.
"Maybe they didn't have a choice. They weren't supposed to let the keys be used to open the gate. Maybe the gate was about to be open, and they did it to stop it." Cobra suggested.
Lucy nodded. "You might be right. I did tell them not to let the keys be used." She sighed. "All right, time for plan B." Lucy said, taking her key pouch from her belt and handing them to Cobra. "Keep these until the games start. Just in case. And stay out of sight." Lucy said.
Cobra nodded. "You got it. Should we switch cloaks? I'll stay close but out of sight that way." Cobra said, putting the pouch in his pocket.
Lucy nodded. "Yeah. That would be a good idea." Lucy said, nodding to Natsu to hand the cloak over. Natsu twisted his nose up at the idea. "Natsu!" Lucy growled. "Now." She ordered.
Natsu's eyes went wide before his face fell, and he nodded. He handed the cloak over, not liking it one bit, but he could tell Lucy no.
"These four should be able to smell me, so you'll know I'm near." Cobra said, putting on the cloak. "Only those two, though, need to know." Cobra said, pointing to Gajeel and Laxus.
Cobra pulled the hood up and disappeared in front of everyone's eyes.
"You'll be defenseless as long as he has your keys." Jellal stated.
"I know. But no one will be able to get their hands on them either. Don't worry, I'll be fine." Lucy said. She looked down and scratched Laxus' head. "How about we head back to the hotel for the night? We'll need the rest." Lucy said with a smile. Laxus nodded but refused to let go. Lucy sighed. "Laxus!" She whined. "You have to let go so I can walk." She grumbled. Laxus shook his head before standing up, picking Lucy up, causing her to wrap her legs around his waist and her arms around his neck. "Laxus!" Lucy gasped.
"Well, that's one way to do that." Gajeel chuckled as he, Jellal, and Mira all followed behind Laxus.
Lucy sighed, hiding her face in the fur of Laxus' coat. "Jerk." She muttered.
The group walked into their hotel room. Gajeel and Jellal went over the space before sitting at their respective beds. Laxus sat down without releasing Lucy and held her to him, refusing to let go.
Lucy sighed. "Can I at least face everyone?" She asked.
Laxus grumbled but turned her around to face everyone but held her on his lap, burying his face in her back. Lucy wasn't sure if it was in embarrassment or something else, but she wouldn't ask. He had his reasons for his actions, even if she didn't understand them.
"So, what's the next step of your plan?" Jellal asked.
"Simple. We show up and give it our all. The kingdom isn't going to expect to see me in the games in the first place. Even if they found out I'm gone by now. They're going to think I'd stay hidden. That's not going to happen. They plan to use the gate toward the end of the night. So, as much as you all will hate it, you have to draw out the battles as much as you can until the light of day has disappeared." Lucy explained.
"Nothing is like it was originally, right?" Gajeel asked. Lucy nodded in agreement. "So, you have no clue how this will turn out, do you?" Gajeel asked.
Lucy shook her head. "No. This part I have no clue about this part. Originally, Sting was the last man standing, but he backed down once faced with the whole Fairy Tail team. Minerva originally threatened him with Lector, his cat. But since I took her out of the equation, there's no reason for him to hide the whole game waiting until he's last one standing against Fairy Tail." Lucy explained.
Gajeel nodded. "So, either way, you look at it, we would have won the games. Do you want us to do that? Win, I mean." Gajeel asked.
Lucy sighed. "Even if I said to lose, you wouldn't. You're egos, and pride wouldn't allow you to. So, yeah, we win. Once the sun starts to fall, push everyone left toward the city's center. Once there, leave the rest to me, Jellal, and Laxus. We'll be the Grand Finale." Lucy explained.
"What do you have in mind for the Grand Finale?" Jellal asked.
Lucy smirked. "You'll see." She said. "But, for now. Let's head to bed. We're going to need the sleep." Lucy stated, stretching her arm above her head.
The wind blew, whistling in her ear. The land was barren. Not another soul in sight. Lucy looked around, not seeing anything. It was just black. Usually, it would at least be white. But not this time. Nothing but blackness surrounded her.
"Destroying Eclipse may not be the best idea." A familiar voice echoed around her.
"Why not?" Lucy asked.
"It could cause other dangerous events to happen. Are you willing to deal with something far worse than dragons?" The voice said, sounding closer.
Lucy sighed before turning around and coming face to face with herself. This time, nothing was wrong with herself. Everything seemed normal. Nothing looked out of place.
"What could be worse than dragons?" Lucy asked.
Dream Lucy smiled. "You may have a point. But I have a feeling that the world could still be in danger even if the gate were destroyed. I honestly don't think there is a non-dangerous solution to this. One way or another, the world will be at risk of being destroyed." Dream Lucy said with a shrug.
Lucy sighed. "No kidding. Any ideas on what I should do from here?" Lucy asked.
"No idea. By now, I would have been in prison, so I wouldn't even know how the games would go. All I know is I was trapped. But now. I don't know. Nothing is as it was in my time. It feels like I'm being pulled out of Eclipse, though. Like it's trying to tell me to run. But I don't know why. It feels strange. It's like it's trying to protect me." Dream Lucy said.
Lucy nodded. "When I was pulled in before, it seemed like it was warning me. But, of what, I have no idea." Lucy explained.
"Beware of Rogue. That's my only warning. Gajeel can beat him. But beware of the darkness that clings to him. It'll try to take him over. That's what happened in the future for the future Rogue to come back to this time. He thinks the Dragons of the solution to save his future." Dream Lucy explained.
Lucy nodded. "When the games are over, I'll find him myself. Once the gate is destroyed, he'll be sent back, that I'm sure of. We'll deal with the consequences of that later." Lucy said as the world around her started to fade. "Oh. I almost forgot. Thank you for the warning." Lucy said before the world around her disappeared.
The sun shined through the window, rousing Lucy from her sleep. She felt well-rested despite having a dream of her dream self. Usually, she would be exhausted, but this time, she wasn't. She smiled as she rolled over, only to come face to face with a bare-chested Laxus.
Heat spread over her face, turning her cheeks crimson. She hated this part of the morning. The only one she had to blame was Laxus himself. If he only let her sleep on her own bed, she wouldn't be like this in the morning. She heard a chuckle above her, making her want to smack the smug lightning slayer.
"It's time to get and get ready." Laxus said, turning to lie on his back.
Lucy let out a sigh of relief. " Yeah, I'm aware." Lucy said, sitting up and stretching. That's when she noticed everyone, minus Laxus, was dressed and ready to go. "What's going on?" Lucy asked with a tilt of her head.
"We wanted to let you sleep a bit longer, so we all got ready earlier. Now that we have an hour until the games start, it was time to wake you." Mira explained with a smile.
"Thanks? I think." Lucy said with a raised eyebrow.
Lucy got up and grabbed her clothes to prepare for the day ahead of them. She knew it wasn't going to be easy.
"Where's Cobra?" Lucy asked as she came out of the bathroom towel drying her hair.
"Right here." Cobra said, pulling the hood of the cloak down, making him visible.
"Good. Keys, please." Lucy said, holding her hand out to him. Cobra pulled the pouch out of his pocket and placed them back in her hand. "Thank you." Lucy said, attaching them to her belt.
"If I were you, I'd use Gemini mostly to throw everyone off. That way, you can prepare for the grand finale." Cobra said.
"She's been using Gemini a lot. Do you think that would be a good idea? Gemini is draining." Mira asked.
Cobra shook his head. "No. Gemini is only draining when you've had no sleep and used too much magic. Right now, Lucy is fully rested and at her full power. She'll be fine holding Gemini's gate open for the day. As long as she doesn't use any other keys and builds up her magic at the same time as having Gemini out." Cobra explained.
"How do you know that?" Lucy asked.
Cobra smirked. "While having Gemini out, find a nice quiet place and meditate. Build your magic up over the time Gemini is out. Angel used to do it all the time. It made it easy for her to use more than one key at a time. But, if I were you, keep one of them close to you at all times. You're going to be vulnerable while in a meditative state." Cobra warned.
Lucy nodded. "Right," Lucy knew precisely who would want to stay with her. "Laxus. You're with me. The rest of you, you know what to do." Lucy said as they headed toward the door.
"I'll stay hidden, but I'll stay with the rest of your Guild. Just in case." Cobra said, pulling the hood up over his head and disappearing again.
Lucy smiled as she shook her head. She knew she could count on him. Her only worry was Doranbolt. Hopefully, he would let this play out and not interfere.
Walking up to the arena, Lucy nodded to everyone before they entered. This was where everything was on the line.
The crowd went wild as the teams entered the arena. Lucy caught sight of Minster Darton. She smiled and gave a little wave. She knew she was taunting the man, but she didn't care.
"Welcome to Day Five of the Grand Magic Games..."
That was that chapter!
How'd you like it?
It may take some time for the next chapter since there's a lot of fighting and all, so I don't want just to skip it all, so I'll do my best to make it worth reading.
And as always, thank you for the support!
