A/N
So there were a bunch of iconic and/or funny moments that I couldn't fit into the main story that I still wanted to write. Take a generous amount of NaLu and family scented fluff as an apology for the last chapter.
Changeling: After Galuna Island, before Phantom Lord.
-vVv-
Lucy and Gray have swapped bodies. Happy and Erza have swapped bodies. Loke and Natsu have swapped bodies.
I blinked as the words resonated in my head.
What?
My magic's factual, entirely informative and very confusing statement did not repeat. But I was nonetheless alerted.
I slowly put down the book I had been reading, from a new delivery to the book shop.
"Hey kid, something the matter?"
"Oh yeah. I just thought of something. I'll have to cut today short."
"No problem. I'll see you next time."
"Bye!"
I had to focus my magic to get some more information. How could a curse like that slam those six people? How did they get in contact with it, they hadn't left the city all day!...Actually, according to my mental tracking of their locations, they were all still in the guild hall.
Oh, scratch that. Loke's making a run for it. Or...is it Natsu? The signal's getting crossed somewhere...
I wasn't sure what I could do to help. Or if there was anything I could do period. But if nothing else, it would be very funny to go and watch them struggle.
Ok, so I could be mean and go just to entertain myself...or I could go find Levy and actually work on getting the curse lifted...My conscience warred with my desire to laugh at my silly guildmates.
Then Loke ran by me, leaving a scorching trail in his wake. That triggered my laughter.
Happy has attempted to use Requip Magic. Erza is not amused.
Oh that probably looks really funny. Though I can absolutely get why she feels mad. It is someone exposing her and she literally can do nothing to try and stop it.
Gray is overheating.
Oh dang. He was not in his own body, so...
If his stripping thing isn't a physical reflex does he literally only do it because he feels too hot? I picked up my pace a little bit, trying to track where Shadowgear was today. I probably could have a go at figuring out the body swap, but it could just as easily end up with me being in Max's body or something equally strange.
Time limit, thirty minutes.
Moving faster, got it!
-vVv-
I managed to find Levy and get her to head back to the guild hall quickly. Then I took off to try and track down Loke. I wasn't sure if Changeling had a maximum range, but it stood to reason that he had better be nearby if he wanted to get his old body back.
Finding him was hard and yet not. I just followed the lines of girls who were confused as to how 'Salamander' suddenly had figured out that girls existed.
Ok! Find Loke! Now! Before more disaster starts to brew!
"Point me Loke!" The stick I had grabbed off of a bush twitched, trying to continually point in two different directions at once. I scratched my head for a bit...then I had an idea.
Point, was one single thing. A single point. I was normally looking for only one person at a time so this had always worked before. That and the spell from the story worked that way. But what if I changed the parameters a bit.
I broke the stick in half, sticking some putty in the middle to give it a makeshift joint.
"Triangulate, myself, Loke and Natsu."
One end of my makeshift device twitched and pointed back towards the guild hall. The middle joint pointed directly at me, which meant...
I should be able to follow the other end straight to Loke!
I managed to persuade Loke to bring Natsu's body back to the guild hall as Levy finished reading the original spell backwards. A nice, straightforward and simple solution. A light emitted from inside the hall, and from the Fire Dragon Slayer beside me.
I blinked my vision clear again and looked up.
"Sooo, are you Natsu again or are you still Lotsu?" He blinked and glanced down at me.
"I'm me again."
"Oh good, it worked."
"Uh, yeah kinda." Levy called from inside.
Makarov has body swapped with Mira. Cana has body swapped with Elfman. Jet has body swapped with Droy.
Wait, how come Levy's the one who read the thing, but she didn't get swapped with anyone? Natsu read it last time and he got caught in the spell!
A minor talisman of protection that neutralizes lesser spell effects targeting her.
Oh...I want one.
"Wasn't that supposed to undo it not make it happen again?" I asked, peering through the window. Levy was looking over her notes again, searching for some clue as to what had gone wrong.
"I thought so!"
"Lemme take a look!" Natsu boosted me in through the window and we got down to business.
-vVv-
It was an interesting afternoon to say the least. Even after we got the latest three swaps back in order, the curse kept on trying to activate again. Eventually, Levy just removed the talisman she wore, her headscarf, and folded up the cursed fake job and tied the cloth around it before reciting the reversal spell one last time...
"Aww, it was fun while it lasted." Makarov groused, back in his own skin once again. Mira just gave a nervous little laugh as she nursed Elfman, who had been subjected to Cana's usual drinking rate without her tolerance.
"Anyone else get swapped?" Levy asked, looking around wearily.
I did a quick survey of the room, but sensed nothing was amiss.
"I don't think so...I think your counter worked, Levy. The secondary trigger didn't get the chance to activate because your scarf suppressed it." The Solid Script Mage sagged against the floor.
"Oh thank goodness, this was getting a little out of hand."
Happy was curled up under the table, shivering and rocking back and forth.
"I am not a fish. I am not a fish. I am not a fish."
Poor little guy, the last swap was pretty rough on him...I'm sure he'll get over it as soon as he gets hungry again.
"What part of that spell made it's range increase every time?" I asked Levy, laying a hand on the paper again. "It started just with the six people closest to it, but it grew a lot."
"I didn't get a good look, I was too busy trying to make sure our friends didn't redefine what it is to have an identity crisis." Levy rubbed her eyes.
"Well, that made for an interesting afternoon at least." Makarov said, approaching with his usual smile. "Let's have that, my dears. I'll make sure it gets handled safely."
"So you're gonna hand it over to the Rune Knights for proper disposal of a potentially dangerous spell?" I asked, cocking my head, feeling like I already knew the answer.
"Of course not! Frankly, they'd probably send it back. Today is going to be an excellent day for our budget! We didn't break anything!" Ah, no wonder he's so happy.
Makarov very carefully took the folded paper, wrapped with Levy's accessory...
"This will have to happen very quickly and carefully." My eyes widened as I saw his plan.
He yanked the scarf off and lit his hand with white fire.
"Natsu! Snack time!"
In the end, Lucy and I were the ones to inform the Rune Knights that a prank request had made it through to our guild boards and to potentially look out for other such curses.
"Ok, now that we've done our civil duty and all that, can I bring out the pictures of you guys all swapped up!"
"Fae, how-!? You weren't even there!"
"No, but I do know all of you very well, and can imagine how you'd have reacted to finding yourselves in the wrong bodies. And Reedus is excellent with commission work."
Love and Lucky:
After the failed love potion fiasco. Before the Oracion Seis.
After the fiasco of the 'date that was not', Lucy was pretty bummed. Everyone noticed, though I don't think Natsu really connected as to why. She seemed a bit better after an evening of cheering up. But...
"I am so broke." She moaned into her arms as she half sprawled across my table. "I have got literally no money, and can't freaking sleep because I feel like someone is watching me..."
"So go to the board and pick a job." It only made sense to me...The other part though...That was a little more concerning. I didn't sense any hostile intent, and my carefully primed Creeper Alarm was silent.
"A job that can net me 70,000 jewel by tomorrow night?" I lowered my pen, humming.
"OK, yeah, that's a little harder." Lucy was a good wizard and her past work experience with us had already given her a lot of credit towards taking higher difficulty jobs. I glanced at Natsu, who was still bummed about not having gotten his blackmail payday.
And that Lucy is upset with him...!
The pink giggly voice made me shudder and grimace and Lucy gave me a concerned look.
The previous day had been a veritable hotbed of NaLu and a twisted kind of Gruvia. Gray was avoiding being inside for now, trying to get his dignity back, and subtly avoid Juvia.
I raised my voice a little, letting Natsu hear it.
"Well, if you need the cash that quickly Lucy, you can always team up with someone to get it done faster."
I don't care if it is a ship or not, Natsu will always be up for working jobs with Lucy.
And the comment got the expected reaction, making the Fire Dragon Slayer perk up and run to the board with a yell.
"Mira! Gimme a good job for today, I'm all fired up!"
That boy is freaking clueless.
I shot Lucy a wink and she giggled under her breath.
"Thanks Fae." She gave me a subtle fistbump as she walked to the board and her partner. She paused for a split second and threw a furtive glance around, her usual happiness and humor fading for a moment before Happy eagerly pushed her out the door.
That was different. What had triggered her unease?
Only after they had left the guild hall did people stampede up to Mira.
"I bet they'll be together in three months!"
"First kiss in five!"
Nosy, gossiping morons. The whole lot of you. I thought fondly.
-vVv-
It was later in the evening. Lucy and Natsu had come back from their job with Lucy being in much higher spirits and much dirtier clothing.
"I'm about halfway there!" She reported to me. "Natsu and I cleared out some tunnels for the miners, and boy did I not expect there to be that many wallcrawlers!" She shuddered briefly. "Good thing I went with the guy who breathes fire..."
"See? You'll be fine. You've got all day tomorrow to finish collecting your rent, monster clearing jobs are Natsu's specialty and they always pay well." Lucy laughed and gave me a high five as she went to go sit down with a relieved sigh. She ate at the guild hall with Natsu, but seemed really hesitant about leaving. I noticed the odd behavior when I took Gray some food as he sat outside, enjoying the cool night air. I was so distracted I didn't finish handing him the food and just watched Lucy. She had an air about her that was somewhere between pensive and nervous and it wasn't normal for her...
"What's got you distracted?" Gray took the plate from my hands but kept his eyes on me rather than tuck in.
"Lucy. She's mentioned she's been feeling like there's someone watching her." Gray sat up abruptly, eyes narrowing.
"You get anything off of that?" Because I had naturally checked if there was anything to that feeling.
"She's not wrong, there is someone and I don't know him. But the only detail I can sense without a full dive is that they're not planning on hurting her." But that doesn't mean that that couldn't change. I'm not infallible.
"You didn't look closer?"
"I will if she asks me to, or if I feel like they're gonna hurt her." I lowered my voice, tone a little dry. "I don't really enjoy poking through people's histories. It feels really invasive and rude."
"Yeah, makes sense...I'll keep an eye on her." Because of course he will. Gray was like that with his friends: Protective as hell, just a bit of a tsundere about expressing affection. My spine itched and I straightened.
"Uh...you're gonna want to keep out of sight. Juvia's just hatched her next plan and it's a doozy." And if she caught wind of Gray following Lucy around it would jeopardize the girls already fragile relationship.
"Right. Got it."
-vVv-
The stalker Lucy had sensed following her turned out to be her father. She found that out the following night when he ended up approaching her, though only after Natsu had left her. I saw that the next day after Lucy just finished paying her rent and was in a riotously good mood about not needing to worry about it anymore. I felt her mood plummet like a rock and flinched as harsh words flew between them.
"I thought I made myself perfectly clear: You do not get to use me for money!"
Considering her dad had wanted her to come back only to marry her off for an advantageous deal, I felt Lucy had the right to be salty. But both of them parted ways with bitter sadness in their hearts. Lucy because she knew her father's failed business had likely come because of her refusal to leave Fairy Tail and wizardry, and Jude because he had let money create even more distance between him and his daughter.
I was busy running some tests, so I wasn't in the guild hall the next day when Lucy got the news that her dad had just headed for a town that had gotten taken over by a dark guild.
I did however, watch her crush them singlehandedly on the chance that her dad might be captured by them. I was so happy for her!
-vVv-
The guild hall was dark with just a few lights in the upper story when Lucy returned from Acalypha after the Naked Mummy situation. She hadn't been formally on the job, but the town had been more than thrilled that a Fairy Tail mage had been the one to bail them out of their troublesome situation. She had a form from the mayor of the town to give to Makarov detailing the payment they were due. She was now covered for next months' rent as well, plus a good portion of the month thereafter.
I hope someone's still in that I can give this to.
There had been a lot of bitter feelings in her heart regarding her father and Lucy had let those come out first when she last saw him. But still she loved him and it was her first reflex to go look after him in some way that she could do without withdrawing from her work as a wizard. Frankly, it had been oddly gratifying that he hadn't been there to see her fight. Because he hadn't been a hostage at all. He had still been on the road and had gotten there just as the last of the defeated Naked Mummy wizards were hauled away.
He doesn't have my working discount for the train rides. And if he was hard up enough for money to come to me, he probably didn't want to spend anything on a full price ticket. She had beaten him there.
And this time, they had gotten to talk. Properly, without the lingering bad feelings between them. His actions aside, he was still her father. And she still loved him fiercely.
Lucy pushed the guild hall door open, fumbling around to try and make her way without bumping into any tables-
"Stop pushing, you jerk!" The whisper made her stop dead in her tracks.
"Who's there? This isn't funny, guys."
The lights came on and Lucy blinked. Streamers festooned the balcony railings. Balloons drifted through the air powered by tiny magic engines. Flowers had bloomed from some truly unconventional places.
"Congratulations Lucy!" Every member of Fairy Tail she had ever met roared at her. On every face a smile, and every mug in hand lifted in toast to...her?
"What?"
"You solo'd your first dark guild!" Natsu whooped. "Haven't even been here six months and you're already taking names and kicking ass in true Fairy Tail style!" His words made another raucous cheer shake the rafters.
"What is this?" Lucy appealed to the one voice of reason she could usually count on. Fae however, was curled against Mystogan and very obviously struggling to stay awake. The masked wizard answered for her.
"Every family has milestones that they celebrate. This just happens to be one of ours." The way he said it so frankly and yet with a twinkle of amusement in his eyes sold the whole affair.
Family. That's what you all are...You're a family. You're my family.
Rainbow Sakura
After Oracion Seis
The Hanami festival was always a fun time. And since it was capping off the fun time with that crazy woman, Daphne...Well, there was a reason a line was going into my next book:
It is one thing to read about dragons. Yet another to meet them. And it's a whole new story to piss one off.
Yeah, needless to say, Natsu was not happy so the festival would be good for him to cheer up a bit. They already needed to go collect Hakoban Amps, an herb that helped temporarily boost a person's magic power.
Only, Lucy had gotten buried in snow and was battling a nasty cold. And wouldn't be able to attend the viewing festival. That had put a damper on his mood for a bit. He had even been quiet for several hours, stewing over something. I saw Natsu hatching a plot. Saw what he was planning on doing...
And did not say anything.
I just sat on the roof of Lucy's house and watched the boat bearing the tree float slowly by...
The general mood was that it was a new aspect of the yearly festival. Only the officials, hurrying along in its wake let me know that they were baffled and clueless as to who was responsible. I covered my mouth with my hands and giggled, for once in completely agreement with my mental representation of NaLu.
That boy has got it so bad. And he probably doesn't even get why he thought this was a good idea!
I rose and leaned over the side of the roof, camera in hand as Lucy opened her window to gaze out in awe and wonder at the sight.
It might not be blackmail, but it'll make a good memory for their wedding when it finally comes around.
In the light of the rainbow colored petals, glowing as their innate magic reacted to the seasonal air, Lucy looked freaking adorable. Natsu would think so too. When I showed him. Which wouldn't happen for a few years.
The NaLu voice in my head made a wounded sound.
Shut up. Be glad I'm on your side this time. I could just not do anything at all.
The Great Race
"So, master. How will you be screwing with them and the punishment game this year?"
"I haven't the faintest notion of what you mean, child." I looked at the entirely too gleeful old man, then tilted my head and zoned out.
The losers are the subjects of the interview in Sorcerer Weekly. Jason is heading the report.
Oh my...
Jason was a decent reporter and a fanatical Fairy Tail fan, but he was always chasing for some kind of thrill or drama. And while the guild had plenty of that, it wasn't all drama that we enjoyed having be the hottest gossip of the country. Mira usually handled PR, but since she was back at full working capacity, she wasn't interested in being the go-to interviewee anymore. Thus, Master had taken the annual race and added this game to it in order to make the contract we had with Sorcerer Weekly. But the thing was, if he didn't want Fairy Tail's rep to take a hit, he had to be careful about who handled each respective interview...
Or he could just not care and be counting on Jason to make anything said sound good.
Yeah, that was more likely.
"That's just cruel and unusual, Master." I told him flatly.
The little troll just hummed and plopped a wolf ear hat from Erza onto my head.
"Watch and learn, my young pupil. This is how we old people get our kicks when we start to slow down!"
"You mean when you're not bragging about how attractive the women in your guild are to the other guild masters?" I got informed of who he had focused on every time he came back from a meeting with them. Yes, part of it was him being a proud parent. The rest was him being a bit of an old pervert. Honestly made me wonder how Laxus had avoided the trait...
Or does he have it and just hide it?
I tried to imagine Laxus being as pervy as his grandfather was on occasion...I shuddered and blocked the thought from becoming more than a passing memory. The speculation had resulted in Laxus being landed into the 'Most Eligible Bachelor' section in Sorcerer Weekly. That part wasn't what I didn't like. It was that that route also resulted in Freed either giving himself an aneurysm, committing homicide, or committing seppuku. None of which were desirable, thus I was grateful for Laxus's restraint.
Makarov's staff clocked my head sharply, taking advantage of my inattention.
"I will trust you to keep that morsel of information to yourself."
"At what price Master?"
"This is extortion, is what it is..." He grumbled.
"I learned from the greatest master of the art:..." I said, bowing politely in spite of my throbbing head. He seemed to be placated for a split second before I finished my sentence. "Happy."
It is far too entertaining to watch the clouds of depression hang over some people. I thought with a giggle. I should probably get that checked.
-vVv-
Cubellios lifted her head higher, craning to watch the oncoming dust cloud of people struggling to not be last and avoid Master's punishment. He was known to be horribly creative and embarrassing in administering them.
But there were some people I knew who would be happy to take on the interviewing duties.
And I did owe Makarov for the new bruise on my head.
:Take me up, please?: I asked Cubellios. She shifted around, sliding her body beneath me and launching us both skyward in a surge of muscle and scales.
"Sonorous." My voice began to boom through the air.
"The Punishment Game is taking the next Sorcerer Weekly interview. Flee for your dignity!"
Some people started running faster. Others slowed down considerably. Lucy was among the second group. She still had a bit of a weakness for the fame of being in Fairy Tail. The blow back hadn't quite reached her yet and it would be a positive rep thing if people saw we were accepting new blood as well as hanging onto old hats.
"FAERUN!"
Makarov was suddenly very annoyed and very big, his Titan magic making him grow up large enough to potentially be able to reach-.
D'aw, crap.
:Time to withdraw!: I told Cubellios with a yelp. She swooped around his outstretched hand, with me hanging on for dear life.
Estimated time for him to calm down: 5 hours, 43 minutes.
I think it's been an awfully long time since I went fishing!
:Why is your den master angry, hatchling?: Cubellios inquired.
:I robbed him of his chance to make all our den-mates his prey: I hoped the right idea came across in Parseltongue. Translation was always a bit tricky and required focus.
:He wants them as prey?: She sounded affronted and horrified at the very idea.
:He thinks it would be #&/(%+: I coughed. Is there really no word for 'funny' in Parseltongue? Or if there is, it doesn't connect with what I know about syntax.
:It would be what?: And she was now confused, looking at me as we flew.
:I think I shall need a bit of time to locate the correct word. He means nothing harmful, merely a little inconvenience:
-vVv-
After I came back to the guild hall things seemed a little calmer. Lucy had taken the interview by the horns like a champ. She had been happy to chat with Jason for as long as he needed. He changed his original plan from an update, new fad kind of deal to instead angle most of his questions towards her perspective on the guild as a newcomer. She had good things to say, was well spoken enough to give several good quotes and comments, and her natural energy had brightened the whole experience. But Makarov was still muttering into his drink about 'meddlesome children' and wasn't looking at me directly. I just laughed and sent a little magic into my wolf hat to make the ears wiggle in a lifelike way. I see you pretending to ignore me. Don't challenge me!
"Hey!" Someone scooped me up and placed me on several shoulders. "Here's to Fae for saving us from the Master's Punishment Game!"
"Kanpai!" The cheer shook the walls and the party was in full swing within moments.
When the next issue of the magazine came out with Lucy's interview on the front page and having sold record breaking amounts of copies, Makarov forgave me for my meddling. At least a little bit.
Having a charming, pretty heiress from a well respected family be publicized as a member of Fairy Tail? It's a major boost to a reputation in our reliability. It also means that people from Lucy's old circles will be more inclined to trust Fairy Tail with their jobs instead of solely using private channels or other guilds. Plus it sends a nice message about who we are. I smiled as I watched Lucy laugh and drink in casual clothes with people from all walks of life. There was no sign she had come from money other than her education and that wasn't exactly visible right now.
Magic is an equalizer. Wizards can come from the poorest of the poor to the most well to do. And we're all still just people. In these walls, nothing else matters except that we are family.
Lucy is doing what?
Time: ?
Hands grabbed my shoulders from behind and I jumped for a split second until G2 murmured.
It's Loke.
"What's up, Loke?"
"Princess, I need your help. Read me back about three hours." He meant for me look through his history three hours ago. I shrugged mentally and did so, his permission and our current contact letting the dive slip through easily.
He was finishing some shopping with Lucy. She wanted some more durable clothes, and cold weather clothes that still looked good and helped her move as she needed to. Loke had volunteered his services and company. He was bringing some new articles for Lucy's consideration when he heard someone familiar.
"-recovered from her scare?"
"Fae? She bounced back within a day to show Wendy and Carla around the guild."
"Oh the lovely young lady from Cait Shelter? She's joined Fairy Tail?"
"Yep, it's like she's been here forever by now." One voice was Lucy's. That much was plain. He could still feel the bond established by their mutual trust and respect and the Golden Key that was in her possession and would remain in her family's possession indefinitely by order of the King. But the other? The other was Hibiki Lates. One of Karen's on-again off-again boyfriends. Also one of the more antagonistic individuals towards Loke as Leo. There was a reason he went through a severe identity and appearance change when he turned to a human guise. It was only the craziest stroke of luck that had let him meet Gray and get a spot in Fairy Tail.
Worry shot through Loke as he deliberately lingered out of sight. Why was Hibiki here?
"Can I help you with your bags?"
"Oh no, it's fine. I'm here with a friend and we have to be heading back to the guild hall soon."
"Ah, another member of Fairy Tail?"
"Yeah..."
"Well, far be it from me to interrupt time with one of your guildmates. But I would like to get to know you better, Lucy. Your work during our operation against the Oracion Seis was remarkable, evidence of a spectacular soul within a devastating beauty." Loke peeked around the corner to see Hibiki was offering Lucy a yellow flower and she was taking it with a small smile.
"You really are too kind. I'm busy today, but we could talk sometime tomorrow."
Hibiki's smile was nothing short of dazzling.
"My lady, you have just made the hours seem as years until we may meet."
The rest of the memory was of them working out the logistics of a lunch date-
!SCREEEEEEEEEEEE!
I flinched as an alarm sounded in my head. The shadowy corner from which most of my NaLu updates came from started up a steady drum beat.
War drums? Seriously?
Kill the infidel!
Please shut them up! Mute, mute! G2 did as I asked and there was suddenly blessed silence in my head. Though there was a timer until the updates backlog would be filled and I would go right back to getting harangued by a bunch of unwanted noise.
I probably can't turn it off period because I'm not disciplined enough in this branch. It has only been a few months since I started seeing it...Actually, Lucy joining the guild seemed to trigger this. Which is probably why there is such an extreme reaction.
"OK, read. What do you?"
"You're helping me follow them."
"I'm what?"
"Fae, Hibiki used to date Karen."
"I know but why are you dragging me into your stalking? That's way more up Juvia's alley."
The last time Hibiki was interested in Loke's contract holder, it did not end well. Much of the abuse he suffered came at the hands of Karen's would-be lovers.
-vVv-
The reason: Juvia could not keep track of the conversation from several streets away.
"You owe me big time for this." I informed Loke, slumping forward onto the cafe table with a moan as I absently monitored the flow of smalltalk between Lucy and Hibiki.
"I'm already sworn to my princess's service."
"This seems a lot more like I'm doing you the favor."
Gray spotted the pair. He's on an interception course.
Sweet freedom!
"Gray saw 'em, mission over." I made to saunter down the avenue casually, I hadn't gotten to speak to Hibiki a lot and thank him for his efforts in rescuing me- Loke grabbed my arm and held me back.
"No! Fae, you can't just interrupt someone's date!"
"It's a friendly lunch, not a date!" He wasn't listening and I was already being hauled off back to hiding and to block Gray.
-vVv-
"I'm not gonna do anything! I'm just gonna say hi. Lucy said she was meeting a friend I wanted to check up on her." Gray's protectiveness was adorable, frankly, but it was also veiling a desire to threaten Hibiki.
"You do not need to go through with that plan! Operation Cold Feet is just straight up cruel. Hibiki is from an allied guild." But he wasn't Fairy Tail, that was the sticking point in many respects. I stood between Gray and the turn off into the alleyway. He was clearly trying to think of some way around me without getting rough. I planted my hands on my hips, and didn't let him get by me.
"I get that, I wasn't gonna do anything-"
"Lying is useless, stop it."
"-too bad. Just let me finish."
Gray has nothing personal against Hibiki, but his internal bro-code does not want Lucy dating anyone until Natsu gets his shot.
This made the NaLu ship buck against the restrictions I had placed on it, this time in happiness. Gray's face was added to the file that was filled with NaLu supporters. (Every girl in the guild, Makarov, Romeo, Loke and oddly enough Gajeel.)
"No interrupting. Loke and I got surveillance covered, nothing is going to happen. Now get or you walk into Juvia's next scheme with no warning whatsoever." This made Gray groan in discomfort.
Liking someone as a friend and tolerating blatant stalking and invasion of privacy are not mutually inclusive traits. He liked her well enough, just not as much as she liked him.
"...Fine. What?"
"Change your locks again."
"Damnit, that's the third time this month!"
"Get rid of your actual key and use Ice Make to create a new one every time. Prevents her from getting the chance to make copies." Juvia needed some serious counselling before what she had for Gray could be considered healthy. She was getting better, but some traits were a bit hard to get rid of. Clingy, overly friendly and emotional water woman that she was.
-vVv-
The next obstacle was Erza. She had spotted the pair from a distance. She felt similar to Loke, and her experience with Blue Pegasus men was mixed in several areas.
"They treat women exceptionally well for the most part. But they easily forget that women are strong and capable and require respect as equals, not decorative knickknacks."
Why are so many members from Team Natsu in the same area at the same time that this just so happens to be going on?
All that I needed to do to get her out of the pair's vicinity was indicate that Ichiya might be nearby and promise that Loke and I had the situation under control. Should Lucy require a rescue, or back up, we would intervene. Titania retreated looking a bit green around the gills as she glanced around warily for some sign of Blue Pegasus's most respected wizard. Loke kept an eye on the pair's interactions and didn't raise an alarm until...
"Fae, Fae! He's holding her hand. He's freaking holding her hand! What is going on!?"
I peeked over the wall and focused on their conversation.
"-are like that. It's terrible and I can't stand it. But it has been happening a lot lately." G2 gave me an overlay of Lucy's voice, speaking warmly and gently to her companion. "A lot of people are guilty of that, not just Celestial Spirit Mages."
"It does not change the fact that we permitted her behavior to go so far as to risk killing a living being for nothing more than pride." Hibiki gave a rueful chuckle. "I was so in love with her, I didn't see any of the signs of who she was becoming or the extremes I was going to in order to keep her affections."
"Believe me, I know what that's like. When you care about someone, you purposely overlook a lot of their faults. Even when they hurt others or yourself."
My breath caught in realization.
They're talking about Karen alright...But...
This conversation was suddenly one I felt I should not be eavesdropping on.
"I think I did more than overlook. I was enabling her. Karen asked me to look into some alternative applications of Celestial Magic. I didn't find much, just a few theories. But what I did find...I couldn't bring myself to give to her. She would just use me and discard me like she did so many innocent Silver Spirits."
"And that was wrong." Lucy said fiercely, passion rising in her voice. "You are worth so much more than what your magic can do for others, Hibiki. I don't know you that well, but I know that." He seemed to be struck speechless. And, hey now, was that a blush on the normally eloquent playboy's face?
NaLu is staging a revolt. G2 informed me, making me wince and hold my head as a migraine throbbed in my mind.
"Fae, what's going on?"
"Impromptu daylight therapy session." I replied to Loke hurried, trying to recapture the same thread of conversation There were other tables and people around them, just had to filter through them until I found the right one again...
I wouldn't have thought that Karen's use and discard methods would have extended to people as well. but...I suppose that wasn't that surprising. She had been able to treat Celestial Spirits as pets, objects to be used to enhance her reputation or status, to be used as she saw fit. And they were living beings as well...No wonder she had abused some humans in the same way and left scars in her wake as well.
"What? Is he making her uncomfortable?"
"No, dummy. Lucy is helping him, now shush." I had missed some of the live stream but I found Lucy and Hibiki's thread again after sifting through the other conversations in the cafe they were at.
"I have no use for the research I compiled for Karen. I would like for you to have what I collected. I know you'll use it in ways she never would have." Hibiki's smile was catching a lot of attention from onlookers as he looked at Lucy with fervent admiration. Their hands were no longer touching, but the understanding between them was palpable.
Hibiki had been used as arm candy and an info scrounger by Karen. Lucy had been used as a decorative stage prop and bargaining chip by her father. With more value as objects than living people in their eyes, however temporarily. The camaraderie they felt at realizing this and sharing it with each other was healing in many respects.
"I'd be honored. There isn't much in depth research on my line of magic just because there are so few of us. I just learned the basics from my mother and practiced the rest on my own."
"What's happening now?" Loke pressed insistently.
"Hibiki was looking up a bunch of Celestial Magic stuff for Karen before she passed but was holding back on giving it to her." Among them had been ways of forcing contract rewrites to give more control, such as the Right of Conquest that Soriano had used to snatch Karne's spirits and bind them to her without their consent. Hibiki hadn't wanted to hand her those weapons to use against her Spirits and so had hesitated. "He...he was impressed with how Lucy fought for her spirits, and with them instead of just using them like he was used to seeing. So he's giving everything he collected to her." Hibiki reached out and placed his fingers carefully on Lucy's temples. The small download bars appeared around them as he let the knowledge filter carefully into her mind.
Natsu is coming.
I think we're just about done here. I didn't say anything to Loke about the approaching Fire Dragon Slayer. I just watched and saw a compilation of the information Lucy was receiving from Hibiki, free of charge, with no strings attached. Just a simple 'thank you for being a good person'.
What is she getting?
Some ancient texts on combining multiple spirits magic for Celestial Unison Raids, ways to increase her own magical power, maintaining multiple gates open at the same time, and Urano Metria, an offensive Celestial Magic calling on all the celestial bodies and constellations. That sounded important.
"Loke, what's Urano Metria?" The Lion Zodiac choked lightly behind me.
"What did you say?"
"Hibiki found Urano Metria and is giving the knowledge of the spell to Lucy."
"Damn...haven't seen that in a couple centuries." Loke muttered.
"What's it do?"
"It calls on all the constellations in the Celestial Spirit world to donate some power towards the caster. They can give a little or a lot, it depends on how much the wizard is liked."
And Lucy is on good terms with the Celestial Spirit King and most of the Golden Zodiac. I thought dimly. I think Hibiki just handed Lucy a pocket nuke on a casual date.
Lucy was holding her head and trying to organize the information, cheeks flushed as she tried to assimilate all the new knowledge she had into her previous memories.
Happy was drifting around the corner and his eyes bugged out of his head upon seeing Lucy and Hibiki. His mouth was opening-
Oh no you don't.
"Accio Happy." I hissed, making the blue cat jerk out of the air and coming soaring towards me in my hiding spot up the street. I grabbed him and covered his mouth.
"Not the time to make a fuss about being in love, furball." I muttered to him. He made a sound of protest against my hand as Natsu rounded the corner as well. He didn't even seem to blink at the sight.
"Hey Lucy!" Loke and I peeked around our cover with almost nervous trepidation. Lucy did seem a little embarrassed at having been seen by one of her friends, but she wasn't blushing...Much.
"Natsu! What are you doing here?"
"Me and Happy were coming back from a job but he ran off. You haven't seen him have you?" The feline in my arms squirmed and I hushed him, watching intently. The NaLu voice had stopped trying to shout past the block I had placed on it. Loke was tense and ready to leap into action.
"Can't say I have since this morning." Lucy replied, getting herself under control
"Darn, he'll turn up eventually. You almost done? There was a job that I saw that is asking for multiple wizards. The reward includes some coupons for this Marl read clothes-"
"MarksRed!?" Lucy asked, gasping and eyes wide. "That's the best clothing line in Fiore! They other girls have probably already taken the job-"
Natsu grinned and held up the flyer.
"Already snagged it for us." Lucy clapped and celebrated for a bit, practically glowing with happiness.
"That's perfect! I still need some heavy cold weather gear and it's so expensive."
Hibiki was watching with a thoughtful expression and a slowly growing smile.
"Well it sounds like you've got a busy afternoon, Lucy. Don't worry about the check, I've got it. You'd better get going. They delivered that flyer to my guild hall too and there were a lot of people that were interested in taking it."
Nothing really happened beyond some small talk, Natsu being his usual loud self and Lucy trying in vain to restrain him from eating the fire from the braziers that were keeping the outdoor patio warm enough for patrons. Hibiki watched with a slowly growing smile.
He ships it.
Loke was slowly relaxing as Lucy walked off with Natsu, happily talking about the high quality items that MarksRed had to offer. Happy finally squirmed his way out of my arms and said, with a wide catty smirk.
"She loves him~!"
"Shut up, silly kitty." I said, ruffling his ears and drawing a purr out of him.
"I think it might be the other way around." Loke remarked, looking pleased. "Since when does Natsu pay attention to clothing brands?"
He doesn't. He does pay attention to what Lucy needs and how he can help her get that.
That is...oddly endearing and sweet. He's not trying to take care of her, he's trying to enable her to take care of herself.
And just like that, the NaLu voice in my head went from angry screeching and alarm bells at Hibiki's perceived interest to celebrating. They had been up in arms at first, because Hibiki was not blind and did consider Lucy to be extremely attractive. But now, he was more inclined to support Natsu's relationship with her. Because for all he acted like a playboy, he was actually rather insightful when it came to others. He recognized that the Dragon Slayer cared for her a lot and just wasn't expressing it verbally. And that Lucy reciprocated on some level. She had been friendly, polite and supportive with Hibiki. When Natsu had announced himself, she fairly lit up without seeming to notice.
"Fae, what's with that face?"
"Just a headache."
Hibiki has joined the NaLu ship supporters. The first wizard outside of Fairy Tail to do so. NaLu mentally placed a crown and scepter in his hands and hung a banner over his head that read: 'He can be taught!'
You were ready to crucify him not even 10 minutes ago.
First Out-Guild Shipper! He shall be dubbed the Knight of NaLu!
Gray technically saw that beforehand.
They can just fight it out. That's ok!
"You sure? You've gone dark, princess. Like depressed emo lines dark. Something go wrong at home?"
"Just further illustration as to how badly I need therapy for my other personality's bi-polar disorder."