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Chapter 6: The Cursed Island
Lucy had all her stuff packed by noon. The weird thing was she didn't find Cynthia in her apartment when she was getting her stuff. She probably was scheming to get back at Laxus. Cynthia never lets anyone call her shorty and get away with it.
It was a considerable walk to Natsu's house, which was outside of Magnolia in an open field where the sun shined the most. On first glance, Lucy couldn't believe that Natsu lived in such a home in need of cleaning. Then again, this was Natsu she was thinking about. Everyday and every night.
When Lucy opened the door, she was taken by surprise with a hanging jaw. Natsu, Cynthia, and Happy were working out as though preparing for something. Lucy couldn't believe that despite their difference in intelligence, Cynthia and Natsu somehow thought on the same wavelength.
"What are you guys doing?" asked Lucy.
"We gotta kick it up a notch if we want to beat Laxus and Erza." said Natsu as he and Happy did push-ups on the floor.
"That's right." said Cynthia.
"Aye sir." said Happy.
Lucy sighed. "I certainly wasn't expecting this when moving in with you."
"Don't worry," whispered Cynthia, keeping in their grunts, "we'll train very quietly."
Lucy took a seat on a soft chair and put a hand to her head.
"We've made a decision." announced Natsu, pausing in his push-ups, "Our team is ready for the big leagues."
Lucy raised an eyebrow. Happy pulled out a paper, and her eyes bulged when she saw the stamp for an S-Class mission. She reached out to strangle Happy, but was held back by Cynthia.
"YOU DAMN CAT!" screeched Lucy, "WHY THE FUCK DO YOU HAVE THAT, YOU LITTLE FURBALL OF A THIEF?!"
"C'mon, Lucy." said Cynthia, "This is our chance to show we're worthy of the big leagues. And to get back at that fucking blonde."
"You're in on this?!" exclaimed Lucy, "You're supposed to be the smart one."
"We picked the mission with the smallest reward." informed Natsu, "But when we pull this off, Gramps is going to be proud of us."
"Besides," said Cynthia, "we're a team. And we need you for this job. It's a tropical island that's under a curse. We've done plenty of curse breaking in the day, remember?"
Lucy couldn't argue with Cynthia's logic. As a Demon Slayer, Lucy was a natural at breaking curses of any kind. Its the perks of an otherworldly biology that make Lucy immune to such magic.
"This may be the dumbest thing you've done Natsu," sighed Lucy, "but I'll come with you. Just so none of us get killed."
"Aye." they all said.
"Only Happy should act like Happy." exclaimed Lucy.
They got to the docks next morning. Gray had chased them, but he was knocked out by Natsu by surprise and they had no choice but to bring him. To Lucy and Natsu's disgust, they had to find a boat to get to Galuna Island. They were lucky when they found just one who would bring them to the island. He was revealed to be a former citizen of the island, and was cursed with a demonic deformity that inflicts the villagers on the island.
Bad luck got the best of them. As soon as that man disappeared without a trace, a tidal wave came crashing after them.
"Cynthia," cried Lucy, "summon Aquarius."
Cynthia put Aquarius' key in the water and quickly summoned her. Aquarius was about to give Cynthia the usual death look, but she became complacent as soon as she saw Lucy.
"Lucy!" Aquarius'.
"No time for that." commanded Lucy, "Get rid of that tidal wave."
Aqurius' calmed the waters just in time before the boat made landfall. However, the boat hit the shore with such force that they were thrown into the air.
In a moment, Cynthia, Lucy, Natsu, Happy, and Gray came to and found themselves on the shores of Galuna Island. Natsu and Cynthia jumped to their feet in excitement.
"Looks like we made it guys." cried Natsu.
"So far, this S-Class mission has been a piece of cake." added Cynthia.
"Not so fast-"
"Lucy." Lucy turned to the soft voice to find Aquarius looking over her. They were silent as they stared at one another. It has been so long since the two have ever exchanged words before.
"Oh," said Lucy, "hi, Aqaurius."
"Please," said Aquarius, "let me feel your face."
Lucy didn't stop her as Aquarius reached a hand forward and touched Lucy's cheek. She forgot just how soft and fair her fingers were on skin contact. The bittersweet memories when Lucy would summon her to the bath just to play. Those were the good days when all Lucy knew was the spirits she wanted to make friends with.
"I'm sorry I haven't been able to talk to you for so long." Lucy apologized.
"Don't." said Aquarius, smiling warmly, "It pleases to see you've grown into a strong and fine woman. You've done well ever since the day..."
Aquarius stopped herself so she would not trespass on traumatic memories. Cynthia curled her lips, a bit jealous that Lucy was getting all the attention.
"Psst." whispered Natsu, "What's the deal with Lucy and that mermaid?"
"I wasn't always a Celestial wizard." said Cynthia, "Lucy was their last contractor, and she loved them all deeply. Unfortunately, after becoming a Demon Slayer she lost her connection to them forever and only I can ever bring them here."
"Harsh." commented Gray.
"Aquarius." said Lucy, lifting her hand away, "If you don't mind, can you please cut Cynthia some slack? I know you don't like it, but we both know we can never be partners again."
Aquarius sighed and shot Cynthia her usual death glare. "Fine. Please, see me again."
"I will." promised Lucy.
Aquarius glowed in light and returned to the spirit world. Lucy was silent, but smiled with a shed tear. Natsu came up to her side to offer comfort.
"Are you okay?" Natsu asked.
"Yeah." said Lucy, wiping her cheek, "I'm alright."
"Alright!" exclaimed Natsu, waving his arms in the air like a child, "Let's go exploring."
"Yeah." said Cynthia.
"Aye." added Lucy.
"And they've forgotten about the mission." Lucy commented.
"Not so fast." They all turned to Gray, who was up and awake. Lucy figured he was still going to force them back to the guild.
"Give it up, Gray." said Natsu, "None of us are leaving this island."
"You're right." agreed Gray, which shocked Cynthia and Lucy, "I'm coming with you. There's no way I'm going to let you become S-Class before I do. And without you Natsu, the guild hall would be pretty boring."
Lucy, Cynthia, and Natsu smiled while Happy jumped in cheer. They all cried in unison. "Yeah."
"Aye." cried Happy.
At night, they found the village which was walled off by high, wooden walls. Natsu suggested blowing through the gate, but he would then have to contend with both Lucy and Gray. Two guards questioned their business. Once they showed their Fairy Tail symbols, the gates opened for them.
The villagers gathered before them and showed their deformity. Parts of their bodies had turned demon-like with claws, scales, and protrusions of bone. Indeed, for a curse, Lucy was stumped at what the heck this is. Never in her travels has she ever seen this.
"Are you sure this isn't some sort of infection?" asked Gray.
"We've already investigated." answered the village chief, "We've consulted with dozens of doctors, but they all agree that this is no disease. You see, our symptoms began the moment the moon fell under a curse several years ago. It now shines a purple hue on the island and it has changed us."
The clouds parted to reveal the full moon glowing an eerie purple. Before their eyes, the villagers fully transformed into demon-like beings. There was also something else that only Lucy noticed. As soon as the moon shined on her, she felt her power increase significantly.
Instead of feeling pity, Natsu began to compliment their looks. Lucy wanted to ram her head through a wall or something hard in the wake of his childish stupidity. But it also made Lucy think a bit. If Natsu liked horns and demon-like appearances, does that mean he likes Lucy because she's a Demon Slayer?
'For fuck's sake, Lucy.' thought Lucy, 'Pull yourself together.'
"Looks like you're his type." teased Cynthia.
"Get the fuck out of my head." exclaimed Lucy.
The villagers made a ridiculous demand for the wizards to destroy. Such a thing was absurd. Lucy knew that curses aren't solved like that. Then again, all she's ever done to break a curse was walk through it, and her presence on the island hasn't changed a thing. They decided to sleep through the night and figure it out tomorrow. The villagers were nice enough to spare them a hut for shelter.
"Do they really think the moon can be destroyed?" wondered Gray.
"I wonder how many punches it would take." said Natsu in his usual stupidity.
"Are you kidding me?!" exclaimed Gray, Lucy, and Cynthia.
"Natsu, you're an idiot as always." said Lucy, "Even if you put all the wizards together, it wouldn't do a thing. And it isn't possible to get to the moon."
"I can get there with Happy." said Natsu.
"I don't think so." said Happy.
"The moon isn't the problem here." said Cynthia, "They only think that because it is the obvious conclusion. We have to do some investigating that the villagers haven't figured out on the island."
They nodded, and immediately took to the sleeping sacks. Cynthia had the pleasure of assigning Lucy and Natsu together. When Lucy realized thism her teeth grinded on each other in fury.
"You're dead meat." mumbled Lucy.
Lucy got under her sack and expected Natsu to keep her awake with his snoring. But he wasn't like Gray over there and Natsu kept quiet. Lucy couldn't shake this odd feeling she has being so close to Natsu. Her mind wasn't in the mood to think as Lucy dozed to sleep.
In the morning, Lucy woke up at first peacefully, but then her body sent a shock through her. She found herself cuddled against Natsu and his arm was over her shoulder. Lucy's face turned as red as her demon skin and heated up like fire.
"Damn you-"
"... so warm..." mumbled Natsu in his sleep. Lucy stopped dead in her sentence as Natsu moved closer. The smell of fire reached her nostrils. In his mouth was a little red flame that burned in sync with Natsu's breathing. Its smell was completely different from any other fire; a mix of spices and sweets that enticed the human sense. The anger that boiled earlier simmered down into soothing tranquility. Lucy was so close to Natsu, the dumbass fire-breather who ran into danger to risk his own life for his friends. Not once did Natsu ever betray that selflessness he showed and it overshadowed his carelessness and stupidity. Lucy told herself the truth and moved her arms all the way around Natsu's back and nuzzled their heats together.
In some corner of the room, Cynthia and Happy were already awake as they high-fived each other for a mission success.
The wizards walked down a dirt path through the tropical forest. Heavy footsteps suddenly approached them off. When they turned around, they found a giant rat had loomed over them.
Cynthia squealed in terror. "A rat?! Ew, ew, ew, ew. No, no, no, no ,no ,no , no, no."
Cynthia scurried under Lucy's cloak where she shook with fear. The giant rat breathed a horrid fume that stung the noses of Natsu and Lucy. Their enhance senses didn't help in the matter. Natsu was knocked out from the smell, and Lucy barely managed to endure it by staying on one knee. With the two hard-hitters disabled, all they could do for a while was run as the rat breathed out its stench.
"Ice Make: Floor."
Gray covered the ground in a thick frost and the rat collapsed onto its back. It was completely out cold.
"Why didn't you do that in the first place?" said Natsu.
"Shut up!" snapped Gray.
Lucy looked to the Moon Temple, the ruins of Galuna Island. "There could be more. We should hide inside over there."
When they went inside, Natsu had the great idea of tapping the floor. The ground gave away, and all five wizards fell into a cavern below.
"Ow." groaned Natsu as he picked himself up from a fall, "Is everyone okay?"
"Maybe we would be if you think before you act." snapped Gray.
"Why?" cried Lucy, "Why would you ever fucking do that, Natsu?"
Natsu and Cynthia began to explore the secret cave with a happy step in his motion. Lucy banged her head once on the ground in the wake of Natsu's stupidity. The fact they use similar magic didn't help.
"Uh, guys." called Cynthia, "What am I looking at?"
When Lucy, Gray, and Happy arrived in the next cavern, they stood frozen with shock. Before them was a demon, the same size as Lullabye, frozen in ice. Gray looked wide-eyed with shock. He has seen this demon before.
"Another demon?!" exclaimed Lucy.
"Could this be one Zeref's?" wondered Cynthia.
"It is." answered Gray with a shaky voice, "That's Deliaura, the Demon of Destruction. But how? Why is it here?! What the fuck is it doing on Galuna Island?!"
Gray clutched his right arm and hid his right eye away from everyone. None of them seemed suspicious as they were too distracted with the demon before them.
"Gray, calm down." said Cynthia. "What can you tell us about Deliaura?"
"It doesn't make any sense how it's here." cried Gray, "It should be frozen in a glacier far away from here."
Suddenly, Lucy's ears picked up two approaching footsteps. Lucy warned the others and hid behind the rocks. A short boy with scrawny blue hair and a dog humanoid stepped into the cavern after hearing "unfamiliar" voices. They mentioned something called Moon Drip, and Lucy figured it was the name of the curse.
A third person came into the cavern, a woman by the name of Sherry. She was upset that her pet rat was beaten. Cynthia could sense a creepy vibe from Sherry. She mentioned a person's name, probably their leader, by the name of the Cold Emperor.
Cynthia had enough, and threw a rock to another path to throw their pursuers off course. Once they were gone, the wizards emerged from hiding.
"This job got a whole lot more complicated." said Cynthia.
"I don't understand what this Cold Emperor wants with Deliaura." said Gray, "And how the heck did they find it?"
"You said it was supposed to be hidden in a glacier." said Natsu.
"Yeah." confirmed Gray, "A decade ago, this demon ravaged Izfaun, countless people including my parents were killed. The woman who saved me was the one who taught me my magic. My master Ur. She sacrificed everything to seal him away. I don't know if it's related to the curse, but I do know it doesn't belong here. This Cold Emperor is going to pay."
A mist swirled around Gray's arm, but Lucy noticed something off about it. It was no normal mist, but a purple chill that sent a cold that shook through her insides.
"That thing may be trapped in ice," said Gray, "but that thing is still alive."
"What are we doing not beating the piss out of it?" cried Natsu, stretching his shoulder, "A little fire."
Suddenly, Gray punched Natsu square in the jaw and sent him to the ground. His teeth were clenched in a desperate rage, and his eyes quivered.
"Don't you dare touch it!" snapped Gray, "If it got out, so many people will die."
"C'mon." said Natsu, rubbing his cheek, "It's not like I can melt something this big."
Gray was silent. His fists were clenched, popping up veins.
"Are you okay, Gray?" consoled Cynthia.
"Many years ago," said Gray, "my master, Ur, used a spell called Ice Shell on this demon, trapping it in a form of ice that can't be melted. Not even the most powerful flame spells have no effect. But why bring it here?"
"Perhaps," theorized Cynthia, "this place may house a magic that can possibly melt the ice?"
"But why would the do that?!" snapped Gray.
"I don't know." cried Cynthia.
"We'll wait for the moon to come out." said Gray, "There's something that connects Deliaura to the curse on the island. And those guys earlier mentioned collecting moonlight."
"Agreed." said Lucy.
"I'm not waiting that-"
Lucy was not up for complaints and with a quick smack to the neck she knocked Natsu unconscious. She decided to lie down next to him to somehow fall asleep. Happy and Cynthia were not in the mood to nap. To pass the time, Cynthia summoned Lira, which surprised Lucy since its been forever that the two have seen each other. Once Lira was summoned and she saw Lucy, she broke into tears and hugged her.
"Oh my, little Lucy." cried Lira, "Look how you've grown even after that horrible tragedy. Would you like me to play a song when you were a kid?"
"I'm supposed to be giving the order." grumbled Cynthia.
The Lucy before Fairy Tail would have scowled Lira away, but her time with Natsu had relieved the grief she held over the years. This time, Lucy was glad to delve into the past.
"Lira," Lucy asked, "could you sing that lullabye that Mother used to sing to me?"
Lira looked like she would burst into tears. "Oh of course."
This was a hard one to type up. Hope you've enjoyed and stick around for more. Also check out my other story, Fairy Tail EX.
