Hey guys, I'm finally back with another chapter for this fic! I sincerely apologize for the long wait for this chapter, but I've been completely bogged down by school this semester, and have had very little time to do any type of writing. I will be finishing my semester soon, and starting summer break, but I plan on working a lot this summer to save up some money, so I don't how that will affect my writing time. But again, I ask you all to be patient and I'll eventually get new chapters out for you all. There is some good news though, like usual I will post two to three chapters for this fic before I start working on my Akame ga Kill fic again, so look forward to that.
This chapter will pick up where the previous one left off and will close off the mini-arc with Lucy and her father, before we can FINALLY get to the Nirvana arc and Wendy's reintroduction into the story! I know you're all excited to see our favorite blue-haired sky dragon slayer return, and you won't have to wait much longer.
P.S. For those of you who don't know already, Fairy Tail's final anime season will be airing fall this year, with a recently announced sequel spin-off and additional spin-off (Kinda like the Gajeel and Laxus spin-offs) manga coming out soon. Apparently the sequel spin-off is a proper sequel, picking up from where the original Fairy Tail manga's story ended. No other words on what the plot will be, or who the main characters will be, but we do know that it won't be drawn by Hiro Mashima. He instead will act as a supervisor for the series. Hiro Mashima's original new series is also scheduled to come out on June 27 this year, and I'm actually pretty hyped to see what new stuff he's got up his sleeve.
P.P.S I recently started watching Darling in the Franxx, and finally caught up with the current episodes the other day. I have to say, not since I first started watching My Hero Academia, has an anime gripped me this much. From the very beginning I was absolutely hooked on this series, and I practically binge watched the 15 episodes that are out right now. Just everything about Darling in the Franxx has me yearning to watch more, and I hate having to wait an entire week to see a new episode. I don't what it is about Studio Trigger, but every series I've watched by them has been amazing. So if you haven't watched Darling in the Franxx yet, I CANNOT recommend it highly enough. I can guarantee you won't regret checking it out. I love it so much, that I absolutely plan on buying it on blu-ray once Funimation releases it in the U.S., even if they do that stupid shit where they split the series into two 12 episode editions. So yeah, definitely check out Darling in the Franxx, I think it's been fantastic so far.
Well that's all I wanted to say, so let's get to the fic!
"Speech"
"Thoughts"
Magic
Disclaimer: I don't own Fairy Tail, or any of its characters. They're all owned by Hiro Mashima.
(One Week After the Harvest Festival: Fairy Tail Guild Hall)
It's been an entire week since the Harvest Festival ended, and daily life in Magnolia has finally began to settle back into its normal routine. However, there was one event that had affected the Fairy Tail guild in varying ways, and that event was Laxus' expulsion from the guild. Most of the guild members didn't know how to take the news. Many mages in the guild were glad to see Laxus gone, finally getting fed up with him after the stunt he had pulled during the Harvest Festival. Others felt that Makarov may have gone too far, and that another form of punishment could have been decided. But what surprised a majority of the guild's members the most was Natsu's behavior. Many people in the guild were expecting Natsu to be overjoyed at the news of Laxus' banishment, but instead he appeared to be quite indifferent over the matter, neither happy or upset. The dual dragon slayer had spent much of the past week sitting quietly in the guild hall, seeming to be in deep thought most of the time. He would still go on missions and speak when spoken too, but other than that he wasn't his usual loud, obnoxious self, something definitely seemed off about him.
"Guys, I'm starting to worry about Natsu." Lucy said to Mirajane and Erza, all three of them discreetly watching their mate from a nearby table. "He's been like this ever since we found out that Laxus was banished from the guild. It's like he's here, but not at the same time." The busty blonde mage released a heavy sigh, as she stared longingly at her lover. "I thought that Natsu hated Laxus, so why does he seem so...depressed?"
"I wouldn't say that Natsu 'hated' Laxus..." Erza said, as she clasped her hands on top of the table, her normally warm brown eyes now full of frustration. "Sure they fought, argued, and were constantly at each other's throats...and even if Natsu said it...he never truly hated Laxus. It takes a lot for Natsu to actually hate someone."
"You know how Natsu feels about his nakama." Mirajane added, twirling a streak of pink hair around her finger, feeling a slight ache emanating from her mate mark. "He's probably just really confused right now. Natsu and Laxus would constantly fight, and he understands that Laxus needed to be punished for his actions, but despite everything that he's done, Natsu probably still considered Laxus to be one of his nakama. So seeing him banished like that...it must be hard for him to wrap his feelings around this whole situation."
"I...didn't consider that..." Lucy muttered, as she looked at Natsu in a new light. "I don't know how Natsu does it...being able to forgive his enemies like that."
"Well Natsu has a big heart." Erza said with a soft smile, resting her head on her palm. "That's one of his best features."
"He's been like that ever since he joined that guild." Mirajane said, as she chuckled lightly. "I remember he'd always start fights with the other guild members, then once it was over they'd be like best friends."
"I guess Natsu just has a natural ability to make friends." Lucy said with a smile, remembering the day she had first met the pink-haired dragon slayer. "When I met Natsu all those years ago-" The blonde celestial spirit mage was cut off when a loud bang echoed out from a nearby table. Quickly turning around, Lucy, Erza, and Mirajane were surprised to see that Natsu had suddenly stood up from his seat, apparently slamming his hands on the table in the process. Without saying a word, Natsu slowly made his way over to the bar, where Makarov was currently sitting. A frown was plastered on the dual dragon slayer's face, and his fists were tightly balled. On the other hand, Fairy Tail's guild master was sitting crosslegged on the bar's counter, his brows furrowed as he appeared to be contemplating something. "Uh guys...should we stop Natsu? He looks like he might start something with master."
"Hold on a sec Lucy." Erza said, as she held out her hand, turning around in her seat to watch what was about to unfold. "Let's give Natsu the benefit of the doubt first...but if he does start something we'll have to stop him. It's going to take all of us to calm him down, so be ready to move on my signal."
"We're right behind you Erza." Mirajane said with a smile, giving the scarlet-haired knight a thumbs up. "We'll make sure nothing happens to Natsu."
"Natsu...I can't really imagine what you're feeling right now..." Lucy thought, as she stared at her pink-haired lover with a hint of worry in her eyes, clasping her hands over her heart. "But please don't do anything reckless."
By now Natsu had reached the bar, stopping directly in front of Makarov. Despite sitting on top of the bar, Natsu stood almost a head taller than Makarov, almost looming over the elderly guild master. For several tense moments neither Natsu nor Makarov said anything, both of them simply staring at each other. Already knowing what Natsu wanted to discuss, Makarov released a heavy sigh and took a long swig of the beer that was on the bar next to him. Exhaling loudly, Makarov set his beer mug back down.
"Is something wrong Natsu?" Makarov asked, locking eyes with the dual dragon slayer once again. "Because if you have something to say, it's best to just spit it out."
"I'm not mad at you jii-chan...I'm not mad that you expelled Laxus from the guild...and I understand how hard of a decision that must have been for you...that it was something you didn't really want to do..." Natsu said, before he paused momentarily to collect himself. Tired of their little stare down, Natsu hopped up and sat down on the bar next to Makarov. "Laxus...is one of the biggest assholes I've ever met..." This sudden jab caused Makarov to chuckle underneath his breath. Sensing that the tension had gone down slightly, Natsu decided to keep going. "He hurt my nakama...insulted them constantly too...he endangered this entire town with his stupid game and desire for power...but...I endured all his bullshit...I took all his beatings...I took all the mocking and berating...I took it all and used it as motivation to get stronger and finally prove to him that he was wrong...that he was wrong about our guild being weak...that he wrong about my nakama...that he wrong about me..." Natsu was hanging his head now, staring down at the floor below. "You know...I've never really told this to anyone before...but I kinda looked up to Laxus." Makarov's eyes widened slightly when Natsu said this. "He was always so much stronger than I was...I wanted to be strong like him so that I could protect the things I love..." Raising his back up, Natsu let out a bitter chuckle. "You know all those old stories about heroes...in all those stories the hero always had a rival...the rival was always cocky and arrogant, and was way stronger than the hero...but that gap in power never discouraged the hero...they'd train and train, go on adventures, learn many new things, and make a ton of friends along the way...then at the end of the story, the hero would have their final showdown against their rival...and then after a emotional and climatic battle, the hero would win and prove his rival wrong...and then a unshakeable respect would form between the hero and his rival, and they would end up becoming friends..."
"Natsu..." Makarov breathed out, staring at the dual dragon slayer in shock. "I...I had no idea..."
"I was really hoping that's what would happen with Laxus and I...that after our fight...and after I beat him...we could finally bury the hatchet." Natsu continued, as he turned his head to look at Makarov. "I never hated Laxus...he's still got an ass kicking or two waiting for him after all the things he did to the people I care about...but I never once hated him...because he was one of my nakama...and I knew that if I busted my ass off, and got stronger, then maybe I could knock some sense into him one day. You weren't wrong for punishing Laxus, jii-chan...that was something that needed to happen. But...was there really no other way? Was banishing Laxus the only option?"
"Yes my boy...it was the only punishment fitting for the crimes he committed." Makarov replied solemnly, the words still leaving a bitter taste in his mouth. "He endangered all of you and this entire town...Laxus may be my grandson, but I think of all of you as my children as well...and I will not tolerate someone who puts my children's lives at risk." Makarov watched as Natsu's eyes narrowed, mulling over what he had just been told. "I understand now what Laxus meant to you...but please my boy...please understand that this was something that needed to happen." Natsu stared at Makarov in silence for several moments, before nodding his head and hopping off the bar.
"Alright...I understand jii-chan, I won't try to change your mind." Natsu said, speaking with his back turned to Makarov. "But one last thing before I go...I noticed that you've been packing your things lately...almost as if you're going to quit being our guild's master." Makarov stiffened slightly, knowing that he had been caught redhanded. "Don't try and shoulder all the blame for Laxus' actions...he's a grown man and has realized that he made a huge mistake...if he found out you quit your job because of him...that would be an even worse punishment than being expelled from the guild." Natsu's words left Makarov stunned, he hadn't even considered his grandson's own feelings. With those final words, Natsu made his way over towards the table where his mates were sitting. "Luce let's go, I'll walk you home. You need to start packing, because we've got a mission tomorrow."
"Huh? What mission?" Lucy asked in a confused tone, as she watched Natsu place a job flier on the table. "What's this..." Picking up the flier, Lucy began to quickly skim through what it said. She was pleasantly surprised to see that it was a simple escort job, and not some dangerous extermination mission. However, Lucy's eyes lit up when she saw the mission's reward. "N-Nine million jewels!? Am I reading this right!?"
"Yeah, it's a request from some super rich business man who's having an important meeting with one of his clients. Apparently he's really paranoid and hires a new group of bodyguards every few weeks." Natsu explained, pointing towards the job's description on the middle of the flier. "This guy also asked for Erza and I personally when he submitted the request. He also said we're allowed to bring one additional team member if we want." Sitting down at the table next to Lucy, the dual dragon slayer pressed his hip against her's, unconsciously leaning closer to her.
"What about Gray?" Lucy asked, as she subtly nodded her head towards the ice mage, who was sitting several tables over. "He might get jealous if we leave without him."
"Yeah, and what about me?" Mirajane teased with a smirk, leaning forward towards Natsu, her massive breasts squashing against the table. "I'm gonna be so lonely without you here."
"Trust me Mira, if we could take you with us, you'd definitely be going too...and to answer your question Luce, screw the ice princess. After all the shit he's done to make Juvia sad, he can miss a mission or two for." Natsu replied with an irritated huff, before he crossed his arms over his chest. "Besides, even if I wanted to bring more people we can't. I told you guy who submitted the request is paranoid as hell, and he doesn't like traveling with large groups of people. He made it very clear that there is not to be more than three people on this mission. Sorry Mira, but my hands are tied here."
"It's fine, Natsu." Mirajane said with a bright smile, resting her head on her palm. "I was just messing around anyways. I know I reawakened my powers recently, but I'm not really ready to start going on jobs just yet. I'm perfectly happy bartending right now."
"Alright..." Natsu said with a soft smile, as he placed his hand on top of Mirajane's. "Whenever you're ready to start going on missions again, just let me know. We'll kick some serious ass together."
"Of course we will." Mirajane said, giving her mate's hand a loving squeeze.
"Natsu...I don't know what to say." Lucy said, as she held the request flyer tightly in her hands, looking as if she was about to start crying. "You didn't have to do this for me."
"Of course I did, Luce." Natsu said with a grin, wrapping his arm around Lucy's shoulder and pulling her close. "We're mates now, which means I'll always be looking out for you." The dual dragon slayer let out a light chuckle, and rubbed the back of his head. "Besides...I know you really need the money...especially since...you know...you didn't win the Miss Fairy Tail Pageant."
"Ugh...did you really have to remind me?" Lucy asked, as she hung her head in shame. "I could have won if that bitch Evergreen didn't interrupt me."
"You still did really great Lucy, coming in second place is amazing on your first try." Erza reassured her fellow mate, trying to help the blonde celestial spirit mage regain her confidence. "You'll definitely win next year!"
"I don't want to hear that from the girl who won first place." Lucy said in a mildly irritated tone, which caused Erza's face to burn red in embarassment. Burying her head into her arms, Lucy released a light sigh. "I was so psyched for that contest too."
"Cheer up Luce, after we complete this job you won't have to worry about money for a while. If we split it three ways, that's three million jewels each, which will cover your rent and other expenses for a few months and still leave you with some extra spending money." Natsu said with a bright, toothy smile, patting Lucy on the back. "Now come on, you need to pack and rest up before we leave tomorrow."
"Yeah, you're right!" Lucy said, as she sat back up, Natsu's words lifting her spirits back up. "Maybe if we do a good job on this mission, he'll pay us a little extra!"
"That's the spirit!" Natsu cheered, jumping up out of his seat and holding his hand out for Lucy. "Let's do this! Erza, you should probably start getting ready too!"
"Don't worry about me, I'll be ready on time." Erza said with a small smile, as she teasingly shooed both mages away. "Now you two hurry up and get out of here."
"Alright, let's go!" Lucy exclaimed with a grin, grabbing Natsu's hand and practically jumping out her seat. However, the blonde celestial spirit mage stopped in her tracks when she noticed a hooded figure walk across the other side of the guild and out the front door. "Huh? Again..."
"What's up, Luce?" Natsu asked, as he quirked an eyebrow in intrigue. "Why'd you stop all of a sudden?"
"It's probably just my imagination...but lately I feel like I'm being watched." Lucy said, stroking her chin as she stared at the guild's entrance.
"Okay, I'm definitely walking you home then." Natsu growled, as he instantly switched into a protective state. "If some creep is perving on you, I'll beat the ever-living shit of them."
"Natsu you don't have to-"
"Of course I do Luce." Natsu said, staring at Lucy with eyes so intense, they made her gasp in surprise. "You said that if it involves our guild mates, you can handle it...but this isn't one of our nakama. I won't stand for some bastard stalker making you feel uncomfortable and unsafe. So please, until we catch this person, just let me walk you home. It's the least I can do."
"*Sigh* You really don't leave any room to argue, do you?" Lucy said with a small smile, as she crossed her arms underneath her impressive bust. "Sure, you can walk me home until this is dealt with. But what about Mira and Erza?"
"As much as I would love to, I'm only one guy." Natsu said, rubbing the back of his neck. "Besides, Erza lives in Fairy Hills, which is right behind the guild and Mira has Elfman to keep her company."
"And Elfman does such a good job too!" Mirajane said, as she clapped her hands together. "He keeps all the catcallers away, they can be such a pain sometimes."
"Okay, let's get going then." Lucy said, grabbing ahold of Natsu's hand. "I don't want to get home too late."
"Awesome, I'll say you two tomorrow!" Natsu exclaimed, as he waved goodbye to Erza and Mirajane. "Oh! And if either of you see Juvia, tell her congratulations for getting third place in the pageant!" With those last words, Natsu and Lucy exited the guild hall.
"That boy...so full of energy." Mirajane said, releasing a wistful sigh as she rubbed her mate mark. "I'm so glad that I finally got a chance to express my feelings to him."
"You and me both." Erza said, which caused both girls to start laughing.
"Hey nee-chan!" Elfman suddenly called out, running up to the table where Erza and Mirajane were sitting. "You ready to head home yet?"
"Yeah, just give me a few minutes to clean up some things behind the bar." Mirajane replied, as she got up out of her seat, brushing some stray hair out of her eyes.
"You know nee-chan...I've been meaning to ask..." Elfman said, gesturing towards the numerous streaks of pink in Mirajane's normally pure-white hair. "What's up with your hair? Even Erza and Lucy have the same style as you." Both Erza and Mirajane froze in place when they heard Elfman say this. Sure all of them loved Natsu with all their hearts, but they weren't quite ready to reveal their unorthodox relationship to the rest of the guild. Besides, Mirajane knew that Elfman likely wouldn't take the news very well, and would probably go after Natsu. "Nee-chan? You okay?"
"I-I'm fine..." Mirajane quickly replied with a nervous smile, as she looked at Erza for any sort of help. However, the scarlet-haired knight subtly shook her head, not knowing what to say. "Uh...about our hair...um..." Mirajane scanned around the guild, trying to see anything that could help her think of an excuse. Then she spotted it, an issue of the Weekly Sorcerer that had been left on one of the tables. "It's the latest fashion trend!" Elfman quirked an eyebrow in confusion at his sister's sudden outburst. "Yeah, I read about in the Weekly Sorcerer a few days ago! Dyeing your hair like this is all the rage right now! I showed the article to Lucy and Erza, and they decided to try it with me!" Mirajane laughed nervously and stared at her brother, praying that he would buy her awful excuse.
"Oh...well I guess that makes sense." Elfman said, scratching his head, still slightly perplexed by his sister's odd behavior. "Well when you're ready to go, I'll be by the front door." Waving to both Erza and his sister, Elfman walked away from the table. "Man, girls are weird."
"That was too close..." Mirajane muttered, as she breathed a sigh of relieve. "I love you Elfman...but thank god you're such an idiot sometimes."
(Ten Minutes Later: Strawberry Street)
"I can't wait for tomorrow's job!" Lucy cheered with a bright smile, balancing along the edge of the canal as she walked back towards her apartment. "I wonder what I'll wear. It'll have to be something nicer if we're escorting a rich businessman."
"You'll look great in anything you wear Luce." Natsu said, as he walked besides his first mate, staying alert for anything suspicious. "All I know is that if it were up to me, we wouldn't even be going on this mission tomorrow. I'd much rather spend all day in bed with you, Erza, and Mira."
"N-NATSU!" Lucy exclaimed, her face burning near neon red in embarassment. "Y-You're too much sometimes...I-I don't even know i-if I'm ready for s-something like that y-yet..."
"Huh? What's got you so worked up?" Natsu asked, genuinely confused as to why Lucy was freaking out. After going several possibilities in his head, Natsu finally caught on to what got his mate so upset. "OH! Oh geez Luce, I didn't mean it like that! I meant the four of us just taking a day off to relax and hang out."
"Oh...sorry for jumping to conclusions." Lucy muttered, turning her head away to avoid Natsu's gaze. "So...you really weren't talking about...you know..."
"No! I know you wouldn't feel comfortable doing something like that, especially this early into our relationship!" Natsu said, as his cheeks tinted pink and he scratched his cheek. "But...ya know...maybe sometime in the future...if you're all okay with it...something like that might be nice."
"Natsu...you perv." Lucy teased, playfully smacking her lover on the arm. "I didn't know you had a side like this."
"Can you blame me?" Natsu defended himself, as he gestured to the blonde celestial spirit mage. "I'm surrounded by gorgeous women like you all day, I can't help it if I get horny sometimes."
"O-Okay...I think I understand..." Lucy muttered, clutching a hand over her pounding heart, her face burning red once again. "I know he says stuff like this all the time...but every time Natsu compliments me, my heart starts racing like crazy and I feel so happy."
"Wait! Hold up, Luce." Natsu said suddenly, as he held out his arm to stop the blonde celestial spirit mage, snapping Lucy out of her thoughts. Cocking his head up, Natsu sniffed the air several times. "Someone has been tailing us, they're in the alley behind us."
"Really..." Lucy said, using her recently enhanced senses to smell the air as well. "Now that you mention it, that scent has been following us almost since we left the guild..." Lucy's eyes narrowed slightly when she realized something about the scent felt strange. "This scent...it's oddly familiar..."
"Alright, that's enough sneaking around!" Natsu exclaimed, as he turned towards the alley where the scent was coming from. "Whoever the hell you are, get out here now before I come back there and kick your ass!" After several moments of receiving no reply, Natsu started to grow impatient. Growling in frustration, Natsu coated his hands in flames and took several steps towards the alley. "I'm not joking ya bastard! You're making my mate feel uncomfortable, so don't think I won't smoke you out of that alley!" This time Natsu's threats seemed to work, as a hooded figure stepped out into the street. "What the hell do you think you're doing, following Luce around like this?!" Natsu was instantly on edge when the hooded-figure began to walk towards them. "Oi! Stay the hell back! I'm warning you!"
"Don't Natsu!" Lucy yelled, grabbing ahold of the dual dragon slayer's arm. Seeing the perplexed look in Lucy's eyes, Natsu relented and doused the flames covering his fists. "This person...I don't think they're here to hurt me..." Stepping away from her lover, Lucy cautiously began to approached the hooded-figure. "Who...Who are you?"
"It's me..." The mystery figure said, as they reached up and pulled down their hood. Both Lucy and Natsu were shocked to see that it was the blonde mage's father. But what really surprised them was how haggard the man looked. His hair was long and dirty, with an unkempt beard and mustache. The suit he wore was unwashed and covered in stains, while also being torn in several places. "It's your daddy."
"What the hell..." Natsu breathed out, as his eyes widened in shock. "There's no fucking way..."
"T-That can't be true..." Lucy muttered, hardly believing that the man before her was really her father. "What are you doing here...no wait...first, what the hell happened to you? Your clothes...your hair...you look terrible."
"That's just the thing..." Jude said, before he hung his head and released a heavy sigh. "Heartfilia Railways was bought out right from under me. My business...our home...my money...everything is gone!"
"T-That can't be..." Lucy muttered, tightly balling her fists.
"I mortgaged all my private assets..." Jude said, as he grit his teeth in frustration. "I was an idiot to put all I had into my work."
"Wait! Before you say anything else..." Lucy cut her father off, looking at him with tears forming in the corners of her eyes. "What about mother's grave?"
"Don't worry..." Jude replied, as he handed his daughter a small slip of paper. "It's been moved here." Lucy had a sad look in her eyes, as she unfolded the paper and read the address. "You know...I should be crying right now...but this whole situation is just laughable. That vast wealth...simply vanished in one fateful instant. Years worth of achievements, gone overnight! My money! The money I worked for to the point of sacrificing my home! It's so funny! Go on and laugh! AHAHAHA!"
"Dad...what are you really doing here?" Lucy asked, feeling rather uncomfortable after seeing her father acting almost deranged. "This isn't like you..."
"I...I just wanted to see my daughter's face..." Jude said with a soft smile, as he rubbed the back of his head. "Is that so wrong, Lucy?"
"Something feels off..." Natsu thought, his eye narrowing in suspicion. "I know he's Luce's dad...but what is this bastard really after?"
"What are you talking about, now of all times?" Lucy asked, as she took a hesitant step away from her father. "I thought I told you to leave Fairy Tail alone!"
"Even if I wanted too, I don't have the power or influence to do that now!" Jude said, shooting Natsu a nasty glare, before turning back to face Lucy. "I just wanted to see my daughter." Jude chuckled nervously when he saw the frown on his daughter's face. "Please don't look at me like that. I'll admit that I've made some stupid mistakes, it's my fault! I don't plan on staying here very long. I've decided to join the merchant guild in Acalypha. I'm going to completely start over."
"Acalypha?" Lucy asked in a confused tone, as she quirked an eyebrow. "I've never heard of that town."
"It's a few miles west of here." Jude explained, before releasing a light sigh. "You can't really miss it."
"I see..." Lucy muttered, as she lowered her head slightly, a small smile on her face. "Well that's good to-"
"And so, Lucy..." Jude said, cutting his daughter off and stepping closer to her. "To get back on my feet, I'm going to need some money." Lucy's eyes widened in a mixture of shock and disappointment when she heard her father say this. "Just ten thousand jewels will be fine! You'll lend it to me, right!?"
"Here it is..." Natsu thought, as he released a low growl, preparing to jump in at any moment. "I had a feeling this guy was lying from the start."
"I don't have a large amount of jewels like that." Lucy tried to explain, tightly gripping the strap of her purse. "I barely have enough to pay for-"
"Large amounts!? I'm only talking about a small loan of ten thousand jewels!" Jude exclaimed, as his tone quickly started to become angry. "You're my daughter! You should be able to pay that much up front! And don't give me any bullshit about not having any money! I overheard you and your friends talking about the job you're going on tomorrow! A nine million jewel reward! Don't try to trick me girl!"
"W-What are you saying...how can you say something like that..." Lucy said, taking another step away from her father, as she began to feel tears forming in her eyes.
"MONEY! Here I am swallowing my pride and asking you nicely! I'm practically groveling here!" Jude roared, which caused Lucy to slightly shake in fear. "Now do your duty and hand it over! NOW!" Hearing Lucy begin to sniffle and fight back tears only served to further enrage Jude. "You ungrateful little...do as you're-" Jude was cut off mid-sentece when a fist smashed into his cheek, instantly sending the man crashing to the ground. Holding his swelling cheek, Jude looked up and was terrified to see Natsu standing over him, his eyes alit with fury. "Y-You! What do you think-"
"I was going to sit back and let Luce handle this, because this is something she should deal with by herself...but after hearing you say those awful things to your own daughter..." Natsu said, as he yanked Jude up by his collar. "I can't just stand back anymore!" Jude gasped in fear when he saw the anger burning in Natsu's eyes. "How dare you lie to your daughter like that! Did you see how happy she looked, thinking you had actually came all the way here just to see her! But no! You used it as an excuse to try and extort money from her!" Uttering a throaty growl, Natsu roughly tossed Jude onto the ground. "When I last saw you I thought you were a giant asshole...but I never dreamed you'd stoop this low and look so pathetic." Natsu's words seemed to sting Jude harder than his fist, causing the older man to grit his teeth in frustration. Reaching into his vest pocket, Natsu pulled out a small sac and tossed it to Jude. "Here! There's five thousand jewels in there! Get something to eat, clean yourself up and leave this town! And I meant what I said last time, stay the hell away from Luce for a while...the only reason I'm not beating the hell out of you right now is because you're her father, and I respect the bonds between family." With one last piercing glare, Natsu turned his back to Jude, leaving him with one last remark. "Lately, you've only been hurting your daughter...as a father you should let that sink in.
Jude simply stared at Natsu in utter shock for several moments, before lowering his gaze down to the bag of money in front of him. Despite being desperate for cash, Jude absolutely resented the dual dragon slayer for giving him the jewels. However, Jude truly was desperate, so he begrudgingly grabbed the money and got back onto his feet. Flipping his hood back up, Jude walked away down the street, not even sparing a glance back.
"Luce...I'm sorry you had to see that..." Natsu said, as he hung his head in shame. "I know you don't like it when-" The pink-haired dragon slayer was cut off when Lucy suddenly tightly hugged him, burying her head into his chest. Natsu felt his heart ache when he felt Lucy's hot tears strike his skin. Not knowing what else to do, Natsu grabbed ahold of his mate and pulled her closer, lovingly stroking her head.
"He's the worst..." Lucy said between sobs, tightly balling her fists. "The absolute worst!"
(The Next Morning: Fairy Tail Guild Hall)
"You ready for our job, Luce?" Natsu asked, as he wrapped a comforting arm around the busty blonde's shoulders. "And...are you still upset about what happened with your dad?"
"I'm fine Natsu..." Lucy said, flashing her mate a small smile, as she leaned closer to him and rested her head on his shoulder. "I just...don't really want to talk about it right now."
"Okay...but when you're ready you can talk to me, or even Erza and Mira." Natsu replied with a frown, he didn't miss the sad tone in Lucy's voice or the downcast look in her normally bright eyes. "I'll go get Erza, then we can-"
"OI! Flamebrain!" Gray exclaimed from across the guildhall, storming over towards the dual dragon slayer. "What's this about you going on a mission without me?! I thought I was apart of your team now!"
"Slow down Gray." Erza said in a calm tone, as she stepped in between Natsu and Gray, tugging her usual cart full of luggage. "Natsu didn't have a choice."
"Bullshit!" Gray fired back, slamming his fist onto the table next to him. "He's just pissed at me for some reason and is acting like a baby!"
"I am pissed at you, but not for the reasons you're probably thinking of." Natsu thought, as he released a light sigh. Slowly getting out his seat, Natsu walked over to Gray and showed him the request flyer. "You can read right? Then read the details of this request." Gray looked a Natsu suspiciously for a moment, before snatching the flyer from him. Quickly scanning through the flyer, Gray's eyes slowly widened in surprise. "See? I'm not trying to leave you out on purpose ice princess."
"What is this horse shit?" Gray growled, roughly handing the flyer back to Natsu. "What's this guy's deal? Only letting three people on this mission...he even asked for you specifically!? What the hell makes you so special?! I'm just as strong as you are!" This little comment caused Natsu to scoff, earning him a fierce glare from the ice mage. "I outta give this guy a piece of my mind."
"Those two..." Lucy thought with a smile, as she watched Natsu and Gray continue to bicker. However, in between the shouts and insults, Lucy's newly enhanced hearing picked up on another conversation coming from the bar behind her.
"Hey, did you hear about what's going on in Acalypha?" A Fairy Tail mage asked the mage sitting next to him.
"You mean how a violent gang took over the merchant guild there? Yeah, that's pretty messed up." The other mage replied, taking a sip of his beer.
"Nah man, you got it wrong." The first mage explained, as he leaned closer to his friend. "It ain't some gang...it's the dark guild Naked Mummy."
"You're joking!" The other mage blurted out in shock, slamming his beer mug onto the bar. "Then even the army won't be able to stop them!"
"Acalypha...that's where..." Lucy eyes widened in fear when she remembered that was where her father was supposed to be going. The blonde celestial spirit mage was prepared to ignore what she had overheard and go on her mission. But something Natsu had said the previous night had struck a cord in her. "Natsu was right...even though that man has treated me terribly...this is something I need to deal with!" Tightly balling her fists, Lucy rose from her seat and darted towards the bar. With a determined look in her eyes, she slammed her hands onto the bar's counter. "Where's Acalypha!?" Learning the town's location from the two mages at the bar, Lucy quickly grabbed her purse and dashed towards the guild's front door.
"Hey Lucy, where are you going?" Erza asked, momentarily stopping the celestial spirit mage in her tracks. "We're about to head out for our job."
"Sorry..." Was all Lucy said before she sprinted out of the guild. "I have an errand to run!"
"What about your rent?!" Erza exclaimed, as she began to run after her fellow mate. However, she was stopped when a firm hand gripped her shoulder. Turning her head, Erza was surprised to see that it was Natsu who had stopped her. "Natsu? Shouldn't we be going after her?"
"Just let her go Erza..." Natsu said, staring in the direction Lucy had run off in. "Whatever Luce is doing, it must be really important...so let's just let her handle this one on her own." The scarlet-haired knight stared at Natsu for several moments, before reluctantly nodding her head. Seeing that Erza had dropped the subject, Natsu turned to face Gray. "Well ice princess looks like you're getting your wish, cause you're taking Luce's place on this mission." Gray looked as if he was about to celebrate, but Natsu quickly cut him off. "However, you're giving up a portion of your reward money to give to Luce. Erza and I will do the same thing, so if you want to come along that's the condition."
"Damn it..." Gray grunted, as he shoved his hands into his pockets. "Fine, I'll give Lucy some of my cut, it's still a lot of money either way."
"Alright!" Natsu said with a toothy grin, roughly slapping Gray on the back. "Go pack your shit, I'll stall our client until you get there!"
(Several Hours Later: Outside Love and Lucky Merchant Guild in Acalypha)
When Lucy arrived in Acalypha, she learned where the local merchant guild was located and quickly made her way there. When Lucy arrived at the Love and Lucky merchant guild, she saw that a large crowd had already gathered outside, with army soldiers forcing people back.
"What's happening to the hostages!?"
"You have to save them, please! My husband is in there!"
"Everyone calm down! We're getting help from a nearby mage guild!"
"It's very dangerous here! So please disperse!"
"Father..." Lucy muttered, as she watched the gathered crowd begin to walk away from the guild.
"Princess..." Looking down, Lucy squeaked in surprise when she saw that Virgo had appeared from the ground in between her legs. "I successfully created a safe passage from here into the guild."
"Thank you Virgo!" Lucy exclaimed with a bright smile. "You did a great job!"
"Is that my punishment?" Virgo asked in a confused tone, as she cocked her head.
"No, I'm praising you!" Lucy replied in a frustration, pinching the bridge of her nose. "Why do all my spirits have to be so weird?"
"Princess, I must warn you that there are many wizard inside." Virgo explained in a serious tone, as she clasped her hands together. "I wonder what we can do on our own. Wouldn't it have been more advisable to bring along Natsu-san and Erza-san?"
"We'll do whatever we can, Virgo! Let's go!" Lucy exclaimed, hopping into the hole her celestial spirit had made. "Besides, this something that I have to do on my own."
(Same Time: Inside the Love and Lucky Merchant Guild)
"I don't fucking get it!" The lead thug exclaimed, as he riffled through a small pile of money. "This place is a merchant guild, right? I thought they'd have a shitload of cash!"
"Bah! I told you from the start that we should have just robbed a bank!" A second, heavily tattooed, thug retorted, watching as another bag of money was emptied onto the pile.
"Shut your fucking trap!" The lead thug roared, as his body shook in a mix of fear and anger. "We're outta damn time! Just stuff all the cash we found into our bags!"
"Yes sir!" The rest of the criminals yelled, quickly shoving any money they had gathered into bags.
"Now the rest of you..." The lead thug said, as he slowly walked over towards the hostages, all them tied up with their mouths covered. Growling in frustration, the lead thug fired his shotgun into the ceiling, causing most of the hostages to release muffled screams of fear. "Shut the fuck up, or you're all dead!" As the head thug walked down the row of hostages, he noticed that a little boy was shaking uncontrollably and whimpering constantly. "Oi, you little shit, wanna die?" This question only made young boy more afraid, causing tears to being falling from his eyes. The head thugs eyes widened in rage, as he pointed his gun at the crying child "Oh, so you do wanna die, ya little bastard!"
"Yo, stop it boss!"
"He's just a kid!"
"We don't have time for this bullshit!" The head thug exclaimed, firing a shot at the child without hesitation. However, everyone in the guild was shocked when a massive cow-like man suddenly appeared in front of the young boy, blocking the shotgun pellets with a large axe. "What the fuck!?"
"What the hell is that thing!?"
"Who cares!? How the fuck did it get in here!?"
"You guys have gone way too far!" A new, feminine voice exclaimed from the other side of the guild. Turning towards where the voice came from, all the dark mages were surprised to see that a blonde woman was now standing in the guild with them.
"What!? Now how did this girl get in here!?"
"Hey! That's a mage from an official guild!" The head thug announced, spotting the pink guild mark on the girl's hand. "Damn it!"
"If you won't surrender quietly, you'll end up getting hurt!" Lucy yelled, as she pulled out two of her gold celestial gate keys. "Cancer! Sagittarius! Take these assholes down!" In a flash of golden light both zodiac spirits appeared in front of their master. Then almost as swiftly as they appeared, Sagittarius and Cancer dispatched most of the dark mages, with Cancer slicing through them using his scissor, while Sagittarius took down the stragglers with volleys of arrows. Once the celestial spirits were finished, the only dark mage left standing was their leader. "Now it's time to finish this!" Most of the hostages watched in awe, waiting for Lucy to unleash some massive magic spell to take the thug's leader down. However, they were quite surprised by what she actually did. "Lucy Kick!" Sprinting up to the thug leader as he fumbled with his shotgun, Lucy hit him with a powerful roundhouse kick, her boot heel smashing into his jaw. The shockingly powerful kick instantly floored the dark mage, rendering him unconscious. Releasing a sigh, Lucy wiped some sweat off her brow, a bright smile on her face. "I can definitely get things done when I need to!" However, Lucy's excitement was short-lived, as she quickly remembered why she was at the merchant guild in the first place. "F-Father!" Running up to the hostages, who were now free from their bindings, Lucy began to search for her father. But, her search was halted when she was mobbed by the thankful people she had saved. After awkwardly accepting the many thanks, Lucy eventually made her way outside Love and Lucky, not spotting her father anywhere within the guild. "Why wasn't he in there?! Come on damn it!? Are you safe or not?!" Huffing in irritation, Lucy tightly balled her fists and yelled out as loud as she could. "FATHER!"
"Lucy?" A familiar, and confused, voice asked from behind the blonde celestial spirit mage. Whipping around, Lucy was shocked to see that her father was standing right behind her. "Is that you?"
"EH?!" Lucy exclaimed, her eyes widening in surprise. "Wait...did...did you just get here?"
"Yeah." Jude replied simply, as he quirked an eyebrow. "I spent most of the money your pink-haired friend gave me, so I had to walk all the way here."
"So I was worried about nothing!?" Lucy screamed in her head, tugging on some of her hair in frustration.
"What are you doing here?" Jude asked, as he rubbed the back of his head. "I wasn't expecting to see you again so soon."
"What do you mean, 'what?!" Lucy exclaimed, stomping her foot on the ground. "I overheard that the guild you were joining was under attack by dark mages."
"Huh?" Jude muttered, as he looked passed his daughter, finally noticing the crowd of people and soldiers outside the merchant guild. "Oh, so you came because you were worried about your old man?"
"GAH! Forget about it!" Lucy exclaimed, her face flushing bright red in embarassment, as she quickly turned away from her father. "I'll see you later!"
"Is that so..." Jude said quietly, as he lowered his head. "Thank you, Lucy...The fact that you came all the way here...it makes me happy..."
"Don't get any weird ideas!" Lucy said with tightly balled fists, not turning to face her father. "It's not like I've forgiven you for everything you've done!"
"Yes...I understand...it's only natural that you'd feel that way..." Jude said, as a sad smile spread across his face. "I traveled a long road to get here...and during that time I did a lot of thinking...especially about what that boy Natsu said to me." Lucy's eyes widened slightly at the mention of her mate's name. "I came to realize that he was right...all I've done recently is hurt you...and for that I apologize, especially for my behavior yesterday. Some strange desperation came over me...I regret that embarrassing behavior. From now on I intend to be a new man! I managed to make it here with practically no money! I'm sure...that I can accomplish anything I set my mind too!" Clasping a hand over his heart, Jude tightly gripped the fabric of his tattered cloak. "You know...this is the guild where I met your mother!" The blonde celestial spirit mage visibly perked up when her father said this. "Just when I was ready to head out on my own, we found out that your mother was pregnant with you. We both made the decision to leave the guild then. At the time, one of the letters from the guild's sign was missing. The 'k' in Lucky had fallen off, spelling 'Lucy.' We thought that it was pretty funny...so we then decided that if we had a girl, we'd name her Lucy."
"What kinda story is that?" Lucy asked, turning to face her face, a teasing grin on her face. "You shouldn't decide a girl's name on a whim like that."
"Heh, I guess you're right." Jude lightly laughed, as he rubbed the back of his neck. "I'm sorry about that."
"Don't worry about it...now I have another story to remember you and mom by." Lucy said with a smile, turning away from her father once again. With a wave, the blonde celestial spirit mage began to walk down the road. "Well, take care father!" Her smile turning into a wide grin, Lucy broke out into a full sprint. "Maybe if I'm quick enough I can catch up with Natsu and the others!"
"That girl..." Jude muttered quietly, as he watched his daughter disappear into the distance. Releasing a light sigh, Jude stared up at the clear sky overhead. "Layla...I've been such a fool. I hope you watch over our daughter...and all her friends too."
(Same Time: Unknown Location)
"Why are you in such a rush child?!" A small, white flying cat scolded, watching as a blue-haired teenage girl dashed around the small room they were in, practically buzzing with excitement. "We aren't supposed to leave for another two days!"
"I know Carla, but I just can't help it!" The blue-haired girl exclaimed with a bright smile, as she spun on her heel to face the floating white cat. "I just have this feeling that something great is going to happen on this job!" All of a sudden the girl became quite shy, her cheeks tinting pink. "Besides...we're supposed to be working with Fairy Tail mages on this job...and one of the mages in Fairy Tail sounds just like..." The blue-haired teenager couldn't even finish her sentence, as she buried her head in her hands to hide her embarrassed face. "Anyways...he might be there...and it's been so long since I saw him..."
"Oh Wendy..." Carla muttered, slowly shaking her head and crossing her arms over her chest. "Even after almost seven years, you still can't get that boy out of your mind."
And done! With the end of this chapter, we're officially starting the Oracion Seis arc! Next chapter will officially reintroduce Wendy into this story, which I know you're all psyched about! I do plan on writing two more chapters for this fic, before I move onto my Akame ga Kill story. However, I have finals next week, so don't expect the next chapter to be out until after those are done with. Even then I'm going to start working again soon, so my updates are still likely going to be fairly slow. But as always, just be patient and eventually I get new chapters out.
Remember to follow/favorite if you enjoyed, PLEASE REVIEW (I NEED YOUR FEEDBACK! Over 2,600 people follow this story, we should be able to get more than 20-30 reviews per chapter!), If you haven't already check out my profile and other stories, and PM me any ideas you might have for any of my fics.
So until next time, I'm outta here!