Hullo! Please give thanks to my Beta, Phoenix-Before-The-Flame over on tumblr for their hard work during this stressful month. And check the end of the chapter for the Update Schedule!
The trail ran cold. Though it twisted haphazardly through the trees to lead Erza astray she kept track with ease. Carving her own path through the thickets as she hunted Kage. But now …
Now, there was nothing.
What once was a clear path of tracks leading through the forest had become an empty space in a matter of minutes: No footprints, no dried specks of blood dotting leaves. Even the traps left to slow her down were gone. A dead man walking simply vanished into thin air, leaving no trace behind.
It was infuriating.
The search went on far longer than intended and Kage had proven to be a slippery fellow than Erza assumed. His abilities were a mystery, enshrouded in the shadows that he manipulated. It was something she refused to take lightly, but with the splatters of fresh blood that had dribbled on hanging leaves and the ground itself at the star, she felt his abilities would weaken enough to make capture simple.
Her teeth bared in a snarl as she brought her blade down harshly on the branches in her way.
She despised being proved wrong. Yet the scene laid out before her seemed to laugh at her incompetence.
Teeth gnashed as magic angrily swirled in her veins, slowing her pace as light engulfed her form. It seeped through her refined leather armor and linked together to reshape it to her need. The armor that once lent her strength and speed faded to the magic faded it left in its wake the fur print of a cheetah dotting the edges that sharpened her senses and opened the forest to her in full.
Erza turned her nose skyward and inhaled deeply, swinging her head this way and that as she recalled her draconian comrades have done in the past. She collected as many scents as possible and gained new information with her altered form. Though the buffed senses were not as strong as a Draconis' natural abilities, she held enough pride in her own and she began her tracking anew with new observations pouring in at every second.
It wasn't long before Erza came across a campsite and to her sharpened eyes she knew it was a recently cleared one. The romni circled the site cautiously, eyes darting over every shadow and stone in an effort to find any hint to lead her way. Instead she found the stale scents of those before that were next to useless.
Old ash and embers from a doused fire sat in the center serving as the only proof that living beings once occupied the area. And two unrecognizable scents - no - three. Her eyes narrowed. Kage's scent stood out among the rest, fresher and more poignant. Erza had no doubt he'd once been there, but where he went after, she was uncertain.
No footprints were to be found. No broken twigs or disturbed earth. No left behind articles of clothing or supplies from the rush to escape. Nothing. If she hadn't known any better, the guard of the Fairies would have assumed she'd come across a camp long vacated by travelers months ago.
Huffing, her eyes closed, stretching her senses as far as her magic could allow. He couldn't have gotten far. No matter how clear the space was now, nothing could remain this pristine if she looked hard enough. The redhead was determined to find her prey and return home as soon as possible.
Circling the area, she branched out at each lap, holding back a mounting anger as the seconds ticked by. She tasted a familiar tang in the air that stumped her, one that shouldn't be mixed with the muddled scents of the forest. It gave her the feeling of Natsu and Wendy, but bitter.
The smell was metallic: sharp and crisp. It sliced through the air and put her senses on alert. It was baffling, and once she'd branched far enough out, her eyes spied glints of dulled silver amidst the dirt. They spotted the earth too far apart to mean much to her, but their presence gained her interest. Like a trail of breadcrumbs, they lead further into the trees.
'I don't recall Kage having weapons…..' She reasoned, doubt pulling her to return to the clearing, but something else toyed at the edges of her brain, beckoning her to follow.
Someone made the camp, she didn't know who, but it wasn't Kage.
Decision made, she dashed back through the undergrowth, going after the bits of metal gleaming brightly in the disturbed earth.
'It's the only lead I have!'
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Kage was frustrated. Not only was his wounds exacerbated by Erza's constant chase, but now he was being ignored by a behemoth who could very well be his only ticket home. After he'd run into the one clansmen that terrified him, he'd hoped his time in these woods would take a turn for the better. But Gajeel had merely snorted at his pleas and cleared his small camp with a practiced speed that dizzied him before trudging through the thickets with barely a look behind.
It was better than being alone, he thought ruefully. While stumbling along, Kage realized it was the opposite direction from the Forest's edge and that planted a seed of worry in him. "... Is Master Jose still in the woods then? He's set up his camp elsewhere, right?"
It wasn't his first time asking since they set out and he was starting to believe it wouldn't be his last.
The larger man's strides outran his own, briskly moving through the woods as if he were part of it, always aware of every twist and turn the roots at his feet would present. Despite his size and dark countenance, he blended into the shadows almost as well as Kage could when he became one with his magic.
He wasn't surprised when he didn't answer. Deliriously, Kage thought his pace quickened instead, as if attempting to lose Kage to the dense trees, but that was ridiculous... Right?
"Seriously," Kage tried again, annoyance leaking into his words as a stitch began to form on his side. He felt blood trickle over his bruises as another wound opened. "Are you taking me to get help or not? If you didn't notice, I can't really make it through here on my own right now!"
That was a lie. If Erza was taken off his trail and he was given the coordinates for Jose's location, Kage was sure he could find his way. But the cost of his magic and physical health would be too drastic. The risk was too great. Banking on serving the same master was all Kage had at this point and he was desperate for it to work.
But Gajeel seemed unperturbed, continuing his trek in stiff silence. Almost as if he'd forgotten Kage's very existence.
This was getting ridiculous.
"Are you helping me or not?!" He snapped, voice crackling through the air.
The rhythmic tramping of Gajeel's boots came to a stomping halt. Gajeel stopped walking, his shoulders tightened, sharpening his boxy frame and he slowly tilted his head back to peer at Kage through thick strands of dark hair. A shiver crawled along Kage's spine as instincts clawed in his head to bolt, but he was pinned like an animal in place by sharp, red eyes and what he saw in them shot ice through his veins.
No empathy. No anger. Just cold calculations as one would while observing an anthill as they pondered how best to crush it under their heel. Kage's mouth ran dry and he fought back the urge to pitifully whimper. He refused to admit the way his body trembled out of his control.
"Y-you know what?" He sputtered, voice climbing an octave higher. Kage's eyes darted elsewhere- anywhere- from those piercing eyes. He forced a weak smile as anxious laughter escaped, "-nevermind, you don't have to talk! In fact, you're clearly busy doing somethin' else for Jose so how about I just go on my own and leave you be? J-just point me in the right direction and I'll-"
Gajeel snorted, lips finally curving into the barest hint of a smirk as Kage cut himself off, blinking dazedly.
"So ya' think you can get there on your own huh?" He asked, voice full of derision. A mocking humor tinged the edges of his words. He turned with arms crossed, looking at Kage down the bridge of his nose. "In your condition? Bullshit."
Kage flushed in shame. As much as he could fool himself into believing his abilities, the other man was not easily deluded, yet despite the imperious, disbelieving stare fixed on him, Kage still felt the alarms of danger blaring in his mind.
He couldn't ignore it.
Clansmen or not, he needed to leave. "I-I'll take my chances," He stammered breathlessly, ignoring the way his voice cracked in uncontained fright.
Intending to pick a direction and leave, Kage barely managed to turn away from Gajeel before the larger man struck like a viper. Gajeel's fingers dug tight into Kage's shoulder, giving him no chance to take a step before he was forcefully yanked back with a snap of his arm. Kage felt his bones rattle as he scrambled, struggling to keep his balance when he was pulled behind Gajeel again.
"What do you think you're-" He was cut off again by a warning snarl that prickled gooseflesh atop his skin. It locked him in place alongside the sneer that twisted Gajeel's features.
"...you're gonna keep following if you wanna keep that head of yours attached." The low hiss curled in the air between them. His cold words rang empty with no emotion. Kage knew it wasn't empty words. Gajeel meant the threat and would follow through without a second thought.
It was a warning. A promise. And it sent Kage into flight mode.
He lunged against Gajeel's grip despite the burns and shock to his nerves, but his attempts at escape were futile. Gajeel's grip was solid and unmoving; and while the shadow user desperately tried to get as far away as possible, the other's leading movements dragged him along regardless.
"Gajeel, come on, man," Kage pleaded, eyes wide as a cold sweat dripped down his forehead, "We're both part of the Phantom Clan, you don't have to do this! Just let me go and I won't say a word about what you're doing. It- it's obviously something secret right?"
At Gajeel's silence, he assumed he'd hit the nail on the head and continued, his hurried words rising in volume after every syllable. "Exactly! So, I'll keep quiet, you can keep doing whatever it is Jose sent you to do and then I can get home, relax and heal and everything will be-"
"Don't you ever shut up?" Gajeel snapped, grip tight enough to bruise, "Maybe I shoulda threatened to break your jaw instead. What part of this says I want to hear your dumbass whine like a baby?"
Kage's mouth clamped shut and the other snickered, fangs glinting in the sunlight, "That's better. Piss me off anymore and you'll regret it." Gajeel threw Kage aside and moved along, not pausing for the shadow mage to recollect himself. Kage dragged himself up, legs shaking as gripped his shoulder tightly. The pain was becoming unbearable, but he steeled himself to amble along, engulfed in Gajeel's shadow.
'I already regret it,' Kage thought.
This was not going how he hoped it would and in the following hour, Kage would start regretting far more than he was.
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While Erza continued her trek through the woods and Kage was dragged along behind a hulking beast of man, Lucy scrunched her nose at the room around her.
Crumpled parchments were scattered about the floor and covers surrounding Natsu's bed, all marred in horrendous spelling (' It's not spelt wrong!' He'd written, 'You're just not reading it right!') that made her eyes cross, much to his amusement. The system she made to prevent Natsu from abusing his vocal chords proved to be a huge success, but the resulting mess made her second guess herself.
Just how messy was his home usually? She recalled the dishes and knick knacks that had fallen when she first entered, but now that she had time to really look around, she realized that the chaos was far more than originally observed. The Draconis was not the most organized of roma, she surmised.
Then again, was this really a shock? She'd set her inkwell aside once Natsu succumbed to sleep, quill still in hand and slouched against the wall, slowly slumping to rest on his side.
His current note, still slapped against his chest, was an exhausted scrawl that read, 'can't sleep yet, Lucy's sti—' only for the words to veer off track and become a mesh of lines: a clear sign he'd fallen asleep mid-sentence. Eying the particular paper brought a fond smile to her face before the rest of the room ultimately shadowed it.
"When did he last clean?" Her murmur broke through the silence and Natsu's only answer was a deep inhale as he slumbered. Clicking her tongue, she surveyed the damages of his unkempt home, spying empty dishes all around, piled on papers and random stones. There were some dishes she recognized from the dining hall, no doubt taken with the intent to return only to be squirreled away to his collection after every meal.
Ignoring that, the rest of the room was full of a little bit of everything: old books that looked largely unread, a rusted dagger embedded in the wall acting as an impromptu hanger for what she hoped were clean clothes, piles of fabric scraps and scarves of every color littered most available surfaces. The glint of gold met her eyes often from the shelves- bangles and arm bands were tangled with each other whilst the sun amulet rested atop them. She bit back a chuckle at the remains of a target dummy with a messy scrawl of dark hair and drooping eyes tucked away in the back. The resemblance to Gray was obvious.
The hilarity of a draconian being a hoarder was not lost on her, but the longer she looked upon the chaos, the harder it was to stand it. A few more snores from Natsu was all it took for her to decide on her new project.
If he didn't want her to clean, he shouldn't have left it messy, she figured, sliding from his bed with the barest hint of a limp. Her healing leg was far weaker than the other, but the feel of it straightening under her weight was enough to make her giddy. Her magic, a quiet thrum beneath her skin, was still distant, but its gentle warmth wrapped along her skin in a security net her old cane couldn't give.
Cleaning with a clumsy skip to her step, Lucy first attacked the offending dishes. When they were set out to dry, she scrubbed along the wash bins and moved on to collect all remnants of fabric and clothes, separating them in piles of clean and dirty. (She coughed and scrunched her nose as a few held an offending odor within them.) It was a slow endeavor and she took as many breaks as she needed to not to trip over his many belongings. She was all too aware that his hearing was better than most and she was determined not to startle him awake if she took a tumble.
In fact, Lucy hoped his clean room could be a nice surprise when he woke. The look on his face would make it all worth it. And if anything else, the busy work kept her distracted chasing away the guilty thoughts that lingered in the depths of her mind.
Lucy pulled aside a balled up blanket, tightly rolled up where it was stuffed behind the stand holding his sandals. She frowned as she unwrapped it, but the handle of the broom caught on the corner and pulled, unfurling the mass faster than anticipated. Her frown deepened as it unfurled and she held back a frustrated shout as more clothes fell out in a messy heap.
She'd just finished sorting the clothes! "Natsu, we are going to have a talk about keeping a proper home…." Lucy mumbled, resigned to this new problem. She grabbed an offending coat streaked gray with ash and tugged it loose from the rest, when it too unfurled scattering twisted twigs and leaves browned with age at her shoes.
This hidden secret almost missed her. If not for the broom, she would have never seen it.
She stared, dumbfounded, her confusion rising with every second. She figured his hoarding was bad but this was ridiculous. Keeping old plants as well? Bending to sift through the mess she grumbled. There were other things too, more clothes that were hastily balled up inside with more baubles were mixed in. But the heaps of stems burnt beyond recognition held her attention. She swept those aside to be thrown out later.
When she came upon a cluster of burnt, dried petals and bits of twine, Lucy froze. Most crumbled to ash the moment she touched their petals, coating her fingertips, but some parts were salvageable for…whatever it is he was keeping them for. Those were tossed to the nearest table to organize later. The more she sifted through the pile, the more her palms became crusted in old ash, but the need to organize and her own curiosity motivated her. She held one of the unburnt petals to the light, watching as it filtered through the aged cracks.
"... These… almost look like the winter flowers he picked for me," She mumbled, turning from her recent cleaning project to examine the old flower. Coincidence perhaps? Lucy moved to the table to rest of salvaged flowers to compare. Examining the pieces, she gnawed her lip in wonder.
They were all the same. the same winter blooms she was given many months ago. The very same blooms that were twisted with meticulous care into the garland that hung from her doorway. But…..Lucy's brows furrowed as she looked down at the burnt remains of a ruined garland. Natsu hadn't a single one on his door.
So then who was this for?
Lisanna perhaps? As a welcome home gift? It was around her return that these were in bloom and the soft white petals matched her hair. No…..Lucy thought, thinking back to the bright flowers and loud colors that speckled all Lisanna's outfits. It wasn't for her.
Wendy then? A failed gift for his Draconian sister? But even then that didn't match. Wendy loved dandelions and Natsu knew it too, evident from how he'd run to her with a patch to help her send a flurry of seeds into the air weeks before.
And then she realized, with eyes widening. Her face burned a bright, cherry red as another memory clicked into place:
Natsu's heavy pout as he spied Mirajane's garland affixed on her head and the matching one above all others on her door frame.
She dropped the evidence on the table, fingers trembling as her face grew hotter: He'd made her a garland.
Not only that, he hoped she'd wear it. There was no other explanation. Her wild thoughts looked through the burnt edges of twine, following a story of failed attempts and frustration before he'd finally created the perfect one to place on her door frame.
Natsu snorted and whined from a snore catching in his damaged throat, startling Lucy from her errant thoughts. She spun to see his once peaceful expression twist with pain as he coughed, his sleep being disturbed far earlier than she'd hoped. Pushing the remnants aside, she scampered to the washbasin to get him water instead.
The rest of her cleaning would have to wait.
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Sleep was difficult: Too difficult. And while Natsu couldn't remember dozing off, he was all too aware of the blossoming aches in his throat and back caused by his hacking. Sore muscles and wounds that were still scarring over itched and throbbed, yanking him from the rest he desperately needed. Groaning restlessly, Natsu opened his eyes to peek through his lashes feeling disoriented and sluggish
"Lucy?" He croaked, fingers gripping the quill tightly as he pushed himself upright. She should still be on rotation, he figured, why else leave her things behind? But his confused fumbling led to disappointment when he didn't see her immediately upon waking, biting back a whimper of pain as he struggled to sit up.
Had she gone, after all, then? His shoulders sagged before his senses could catch up with him.
The sounds of his small kitchenette in use as water poured into a wooden cup, the gentle scent of dried flowers and ash mixing with something he associated with the night air tickled his nose. Lucy's rushed mumbling came next and Natsu realized his error.
Her presence was further proven by a cup of water being unceremoniously held before his face, sloshing a bit over the rim. Slender fingers slid into his hair to angle his head just right to accept the drink against his lips. Coughing again, Natsu winced as water sloshed against his nose and Lucy's quick apology eased him.
"It'll help," She coaxed, tipping the cup against his lips again, "Wendy will probably show up on the next rotation to take care of that cough of yours, but let's soothe your throat the best we can for now, okay?"
Accepting the water was easy, swallowing was not. The way it lodged in his throat burned as his muscles flexed to force it down, but when it was all said and done, his throat felt soothed by the cool liquid and he met Lucy's worried gaze with a tiny pout.
"... sleeping sucks." He said simply, expression doing all the work he needed to expound the statement further.
Blinking, Lucy set the now empty cup aside and giggled behind her hand. "I can only imagine, but you needed it. How are you feeling?"
A roll of the eyes was her answer and despite his exhaustion, Natsu grinned tiredly when another laugh escaped her. He had to admit, if only to himself, that it was nice to wake up with Lucy by his side. Far nicer than an empty room and someone guarding his every move at any rate, and the knowledge he wasn't alone relaxed his restless energy.
He must have kept his gaze on her for too long, as Lucy's amusement soon vanished, replaced by a sudden deep red that stained her face and ears.
He didn't have time to question it before she was busying herself with the blank papers that had spilled from his lap during his quick rest. She shuffled them about while muttering about getting him to write again, all the while her eyes darted wildly about, as if trying to look at everything that wasn't him.
'Why is she so weird?' He wondered, both endeared and perplexed by the action. But as she stepped aside to grab her inkwell Natsu noted with surprise that he could see his floor, devoid of the paths he'd carefully laid out to maneuver..
It was clean.
Not completely - that would take more time than even he was ready to admit. It had been so long since he'd seen his own floor, the very sight of it stunned him. He'd forgotten just how brown the wood was and - he paused the thought. Almost choking again as his eyes landed on the one thing he didn't want her to see, resting in a lopsided pile atop his table.
Those damn flowers. They sat so smugly, glaringly obvious what they were originally used for. Looking back between the damning evidence and Lucy's brightly colored ears filled in the blanks. Natsu suddenly wanted to leap out the window again. Why didn't he burn them?!
"So," Lucy's voice broke through his tepid thoughts, strangled through her own embarrassment while she held the ink bottle and papers out to him, reflecting her actions hours ago. (At least, he thought it was hours? It was hard to grasp the time when he couldn't track the sun after all.) "Wanna try talking like this again?"
He looked at the papers, nose scrunching at the smell entering his nostrils. He never did like the smell of paper. Something Levy and a few others questioned his sanity for, but to him, it just smelled like rotted wood. Not the 'fresh book smell' Levy and Lisanna claimed. Something told him Lucy would share their thoughts on the matter. Shaking the random thoughts away, he considered Lucy's offer, ignoring the way his heart thudded in his chest.
Writing took too much time, he decided, while his attention turned back to the old twine and broken stems behind her. Snorting, he looked to the window, arms crossed as embarrassment took over.
"... Natsu?" Lucy started, unsure towards his random change in demeanor, but he wasn't done, cheeks burning despite himself.
"You cleaned." He accused, immediately wincing at how stupid it sounds. Why did that sound like he was mad at her for it?
"Uhm, should I not have?" She questioned, uncertainty tainting the edges of her voice. The papers rustled slightly as her arms fell.
"Nah, it's..." He croaked, wetting his lips as he tried again, "It's fine I just..."
Oh just out with it! "You... saw. Didn't ya?"
For the first time in quite awhile, Natsu regretted opening his big, fat mouth.
Lucy squeaked, dropping the stack over his legs. Her fumbling jostled the inkwell and Natsu reflexively grasped her wrist to steady it, body heat increasing in seconds. The ink was spared from spilling more than it had and Lucy froze in place, expression meeting his own with emotions he couldn't quite put a name on.
Well, he recognized embarrassment, and apprehension? His brows knitted together at that, fingers tightening on instinct to keep her still as he studied it.
Did he... make her uncomfortable? Or was it something else? He wanted to ask, but the words wouldn't come and he doubted they'd make much sense with the way his stomach was currently trying to turn inside out. Dizzyingly, he felt as if he was riding a carriage and it wasn't the most pleasant of feelings.
Maybe he was the apprehensive one? Lucy's eyes were darting about again, flicking from his eyes, to his nose, then back up again before circling around to his hand on her and the ink held between them.
Just when Natsu thought the awkward air was taking a turn for the ridiculous, Lucy responded to his statement with words he hadn't expected.
"I'm sorry."
Head tilted, observing her as he scrunched his nose. An apology? For what? Cleaning? Distractedly, his mind wandered to her wrist, marveling at the way his hand encircled it. Had she always been this small-
Lucy clarified with an embarrassed cough, "I didn't wear your garland. I'm sorry. I would have, if I'd known."
Oh…
Suddenly Natsu didn't know where he was supposed to look either, but he didn't like the fact she felt the need to apologize to him. But what could he say to get that across? When words failed, actions took hold and his thumb lazily rubbed the skin on her wrist, intending to soothe her worries, but all it managed was another flip in his stomach while Lucy inhaled sharply. The inkwell almost shared the fate of the papers.
He tore his gaze from her, staring out the window as his teeth bit into his lower lip. Quick breaths rattled in his chest alongside his rapidly beating heart. It was getting harder to breathe.
"You didn't have to wear it." He managed to mutter, voice a low whisper to avoid upsetting his damaged vocal chords.
"... but you wanted me to, didn't you?"
Yes, he thought. His mind practically screamed it, but he shook his head wildly, stubbornly keeping that simple fact to himself. She didn't need to know.
At some point, his grip had loosened and he became aware of his fact only when she pulled her arm away. No longer was the inkwell held before them in an offering for conversation. In fact, Natsu wasn't sure what she did with it, but he became all too aware of her snatching the papers from the blankets and hastily putting them aside. It made his mind whirl with possibilities. Was she angry? Upset? Or feeling just as weird as he was?
Gods, he hoped not, the way his stomach was churning felt like pure torture.
"I uh," She stammered, choosing her words slowly even as he continued to burn a hole into his window with the force of his never ending stare, "I couldn't help, but notice there were a lot of burnt bits... you must have tried very hard, didn't you?"
Why, of all things to notice, did she have to be that? As much as he enjoyed how smart she was, sometimes Lucy was a little too smart. This being one of those moments. He shrugged, not wanting to implicate himself further, but his own ears and neck betrayed him, blistering in heat that wasn't a fever and the pounding in his chest only worsened as he curled in on himself, trying to disappear under her knowing gaze.
This really WAS torture.
Just when he thought his own body would combust, lighting his bed and the entire house on fire, Lucy doused his flames in an instant. He felt the change in the air first. How she leaned in to fill the spaces around him, brushing his fringe of hair from his face as soft lips pressed against his forehead.
In the actions between her leaning forward and back again Natsu swore he'd suddenly gained the powers of ice from how quick his body froze, only for the magic to melt immediately by intense heat that threatened to eat him alive.
"Thank you," She whispered, breathing a soft caress by the edge of his ear. For the first time in his life, Natsu suddenly knew what it was like to die, he was certain of it.
Close. Too close. She was far too close, but the thought of her leaning out of his space struck a chord in him and he reached out once again, grasping the hand that still hovered by the edges of his hair. Lucy was warm, and her eyes gleamed with gratitude despite the embarrassed red that still stained her cheeks. Red he knew also burned on his cheeks. He wanted to memorize that look. Etch it into his memory and...
His mind came to a halt, realizing only then while their noses practically touched, that he didn't quite know what he wanted after that.
There was something, just on the edges of his awareness that he couldn't quite grasp, and Lucy seemed to dance along those edges with cheeks a soft pink and breath fanning against his face.
"I-" Natsu croaked, unsure what he wanted to actually say, but knew he had to say SOMETHING.
"Heeeeeeey Lucy," Gray's lazy voice shattered the moment, splitting between them like an arrow as Natsu's door swung open, "It's my time to babysit. You're free to-"
Gray froze in the doorway as both Lucy and Natsu stared back with comically wide eyes, still inches from the other and hands tightly grasped together.
Gray ran a hand through his hair, turning his head away from them. "This can't keep happening to me."
Lucy shrieked and Natsu's ears rang so loud he thought he went deaf.
Chaos ensued as the pair flew apart from each other with flailing arms, with the wounded draconis choking on a yelp as Lucy slipped and struck the floor. Rubbing her backside, she hissed in pain. And while Gray and Natsu both attempted to assist her, only one was successful. (Natsu, repeating earlier mistakes, tripped over his own blankets and hit the floor as well with an angry groan.)
Gray ushered a slew of frantic apologies as he helped Lucy to her feet, who was currently running through the events of the last three minutes in her mind on repeat, growing increasingly agitated and redder by the second. Fortunately, the chaos of both crashing to the floor was enough to distract her as she and Gray worked together to get Natsu back to bed.
A difficult task as the hot headed Roma seemed determined to stifle Gray with a pillow, the only outlet he had for his outrage.
Once everything was back in its place Lucy slammed the door shut behind her and Gray. she thought her own heart was bound to burst from her chest at any given moment.
How had that visit turned into the longest and shortest moment of her life all at once? It was all a blur, but she didn't have time to collect her thoughts or calm her panicked heart. Gray settled beside her, leaning against the wall with the infamous bell Natsu despised tucked under his arm. He tsk'ed as he plucked a pillow feather from his hair.
Flicking it aside, he glanced at Lucy with an apologetic, sheepish shrug. "So. Guess I should have knocked, huh?"
She didn't think before snapping, "Yes, yes you should have."
Gray cleared his throat awkwardly, jabbing a thumb back at the door."Wanna jump back in there or-?"
With how fast her temperature rose, Lucy was certain she was blushing again, shaking her head furiously. "No! Why would I- ... just what do you think we were doing in there to-"
It seemed, despite his early bluster, her reaction was enough to snap him out of it, arms crossing as he snorted. "So you're trying to tell me I didn't just walk in on you two -again- almost kissing and holding hands?"
"We weren't-!"
"Holding hands? Staring into each other's eyes? "
Lucy groaned, burying her head in her hands, "about to kiss!"
I already did that part! She thought to herself, but he really didn't need to know the chaste peck she'd given Natsu. That was their business and no one else's.
Gray's disbelief faded and he sighed, "Well, at least you're not lying like last time."
In a wave of embarrassed anger, Lucy considered rushing back in to use Natsu's pillows to finish the job. He'd deserve more feathers in his hair at this rate! Realizing the danger, he raised his hands defensively.
"Hey hey! I'm not gonna dig into whatever it is you two have going on so let's not get crazy here alright? I'll drop it." At the sight of her relaxing, he added a quiet, "for now," that instantly made her glare reemerge, but he made no further statements, allowing her the chance to finally calm down.
That was too close, she realized, too close and too embarrassing, but she'd think it over later, when alone and not at risk of someone reading the emotions on her face. There were more important matters at hand anyway, such as the rotation change. How she missed the time fly by was beyond her understanding, but she deeply wished she'd been more mindful of it.
"So, watching over Natsu," she began once she'd regained control of her emotions, "as long as I kept him entertained he behaved himself, but I think you should keep an eye on all exits, just in case."
"Oh yeah?" Gray prompted, deciding it safer to let her do the talking rather than put his foot in his mouth again.
Thinking back on when she first came in and the amount of times Natsu glanced at his window, she nodded, confident in her assumption. "He's either tried or going to try going out the window. I'm not sure which."
"Hah," Gray's scoff made her smile, his own grin just as confident, "I'd like to see him try. I'll freeze it over if I have to."
"And if he tries to melt them?"
"Then not even Wendy can put him back together when Porlyusica runs him through." He said, grimacing.
Lucy matched his expression with a wince, thinking back towards the hermit on the hill with a chill crawling down her back. As much as she appreciated the healer's skills, she feared the consequences of anyone who got on that grouch's worse side.
"That's... a good point."
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The sun clung to the edges of the sky, sifting its brilliant rays through the trunks of trees in sharp hues of red and orange that blinded Kage's tired eyes.
Were they going North? South? Were they heading to the edge of the woods? Or deeper into it? All the trees looked the same, winding and too close, shifting ever closer to him in his delirious mind. Gajeel refused to say another word to him after their last 'conversation', trudging along confidently as he strung Kage along. He followed pitifully behind, confused while his body throbbed from untended wounds. The shadow user could no longer make sense of anything.
But that didn't stop him from attempting, asking at intervals just where Gajeel was leading him to. The questions were always met with a glare and a threat, and the exhaustion in Kage's bones was starting to become more mental than physical. Something pulled at the back of his mind, a warning he couldn't quite name. The further they walked, the louder it became.
When they finally came across Gajeel's apparent destination, the sun had almost sunk beneath the trees with more dark in the sky than light. Stars already began to dot the landscape and the soft chill of spring pricked along Kage's exposed skin.
His companion was unperturbed, entering a small clearing that held all signs of a camp that had been set up far longer than the one before. Three tents aligned the border, and a dying fire, close to embers, burned at its center.
Kage noticed the clearing narrowed further in, opening to a small gaping cave that, in its current darkness, felt like a gaping maw, waiting patiently for its next meal.
Being shoved to his knees, Kage had the hurried thought that maybe he was that dinner, except the burly man walked around him as soon as he was seated and observed the area with a loud whistle.
"Oi Juvia! Get out here!" He barked, "It's just me."
In that moment, Kage wondered just what sort of mission he'd got caught up in as a ghostly apparition all but materialized from the darkness. Exiting the cave was a woman with short blue curls that framed her face and eyes a pale blue and skin even paler. Kage recognized her instantly, swallowing thickly.
When Jose sent Gajeel out, something was always bound to get violent, but to have his Water Woman sent out as well? He fought to suppress a whimper.
"You've found... Oh," Her voice was quiet, reserved. Barely a whisper over the winds rustling through the trees. She blankly stared at Kage. "I thought he was dead."
"Nevermind that, is he here?"
"Who...? Oh, yes, him. Juvia will get him."
"Don't bother. Knowing him, the bastard already knows." Kage was beginning to feel as if he'd been forgotten about as he struggled to keep up with the conversation. 'Get who? Who's him?' Too many questions and not enough answers and definitely not enough medical aid for him to care enough.
The ground was starting to look as comfortable as any bed, and without the threat of Erza looming over him, he had half a mind to take the unspoken invitation. He almost missed the comfort of his cell. Didn't they at least have bandages he could use on himself?
As he began to slump, Gajeel grasped the back of his neck, holding him up with an iron grip that left Kage seething through his teeth. "Yer' gonna get an infection if you sleep on the ground like that, idiot."
"Why do you care?!" Kage snapped, "It's not like I'm getting patched up anytime soon."
"Shut yer yap and wait," Gajeel said, voice darkening to a low hiss, "You'll be taken care of soon enough."
He couldn't help, but felt the statement was more a threat than a source of comfort, but Gajeel's rough treatment went ignored. Kage grunted as Gajeel's hand rested uncomfortably on the back of his neck. The woman nodded and shuffled about the camp, collecting a small amount of items to stuff into a pack at her side. After her third trip around the site, Kage began to realize she was preparing to leave.
"I'll inform Jose." She said gravely, looking Gajeel in the eye as a silent message passed between them, "don't keep Juvia waiting."
A beat of silence. Then the gruff man nodded his head. Before Kage could grasp anything further, she slipped into the woods as quietly as she'd come and Kage gawked.
"Shouldn't I have gone with her?" He desperately asked.
"No," an entirely new voice, one he didn't recognize from his clan or the fairies, spoke from the shadows of the alcove, smooth and too calm for the situation at hand. "You're too useful to send back just yet...That's why you brought him after all, right Gajeel? To be our opening?"
The man stepped out, eyes coldly judging Kage through the mess of his short hair, the intricate red tattoo on his face etched itself into Kage's mind as recognition finally struck him.
"What the fuck!" He spat, craning his head to look at the man above him, "Why's there another celestial? What the hell's going on here?!"
Gajeel's grip tightened around his neck, and this time he knew skin was broken. Already marred from the assault of the Fairies' draconis, thin beads of blood broke free under the strength of Gajeel's fingers holding fast. Tears sprung from the corners in Kage's eyes as he cried out. Breathing was next to impossible, but his anger was close to bursting.
"What do you mean opening?" He choked, thrashing under Gajeel's grasp. " Just what did Jose ask you to do?"
Gajeel's smile split his face in a way that didn't express glee. His eyes narrowed and teeth far too sharp to be human gleamed dangerously in the low light. He waved off the other man who started to speak again, all-too gleeful to lean down and look into Kage's eyes with a devious mischief reflecting in his own. Another beast of red scales and flames flashed in Kage's mind
"I gotta say thanks shadow-twerp," He rasped, voice a dark chuckle, "Here we were wondering how to get the fairies to let us in and you come barreling right into my hands. I'd say I owe you one but-"
Despite the white-hot fire of pain striking through Kage's limbs, what little magic he had left flared and the evening's darkness rose to surround the area, sharp spikes of death springing forth instantly.
"I see no point in settling debts with a dead man." His laughter rang through the clearing as Kage closed his eyes tight, willing the shadows to collapse upon them all in an instant.
"I'll take you both with me you fucking bastards!"
While I'm hoping for a second update after Christmas, General Holiday stress/busy-work might get in the way of that. But y'all can be rest assured that starting in 2024, FD will be updating twice a month with the following Dates:
January 10th and January 24th!
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Read it? Like it? Review It!
If Chapter 25 doesn't drop this month, see you next year!