It's Monday! We left Lucy in a bit of a bind last week. :) Who do you suppose comes to her rescue? (Who indeed?)

We're going to get the entire spectrum of reactions from our team. On one extreme got Gray (cautious to the point of paranoia) and on the other end you've got Lucy (accepting to her own detriment). Then we have Natsu. He's got the most interesting position of being caught between his two friends. You can see how he's tried to stay neutral. Even though he doesn't seem to have a stake in this, the same way Gray and Lucy do (because of Juvia), he's got his own interests to protect too. That interest colors his actions and we start to see that more clearly in this chapter.

- K. Chandler


From outside Lucy's room, Natsu's sensitive ears picked up a thundering crash and what sounded like gasping.

Something wasn't right here…

"I'm coming in," Natsu called.

He threw the door open, panic coursing through him at seeing Lucy unconscious on the floor, struggling to breathe.

"Oh, my God. Lucy!"

Natsu flew to her side, shaking her to try and wake her up. What happened?

Lucy had been fine when they talked earlier. She didn't seem sick or anything. Now she was deathly pale and clammy, the chaotic stutter of her struggling pulse visible in the bulging veins at her neck.

Natsu's eyes fell on the corset constricted around her ribs. No wonder she couldn't breathe!

He needed to get that thing off her. Fast.

Natsu rolled Lucy onto her side to access the ties at her back. He pulled and twisted, but the knotted cords required more finesse than his shaking hands could handle. He needed to cut through them.

Running to Lucy's desk, Natsu yanked one of the drawers open. Quills, ink, blotter. Nope. Not bothering to shut it, he opened one of the side drawers. Stationery. Next drawer. Wax. Seal. Envelopes. Come on! There had to be something drawers later, he managed to find a letter opener.

Lucy's pale skin had darkened to a blue-grey tinge. They were running out of time.

Natsu hacked and sawed at the sturdy ropes. He ripped the corset away, flinging it aside.

Lucy's chest rose as her lungs inflated. She could breathe again.

"Thank God," Natsu muttered, adrenaline draining from his body. Bowing forwards, he let his heavy head drop against her shoulder. "Oh, Lucy. Thank God."

"I heard shouting." Gray dashed into the room with his attendant in tow.

Natsu straightened quickly. Of course, the Ice Block didn't show until after Natsu had saved the day… and at the most inconvenient time possible.

"What's going on here?" Gray looked around in surprise, taking in the scene.

"No clue," Natsu said. "I came in and found her like this."

"Like this?"

"Well, she had that thing choking her," Natsu said, nodding in the direction that he had thrown the corset.

"Did you send for Wendy?" Gray asked.

Natsu shook his head. "Didn't have time."

Gray motioned for Erza to summon the little Draghi healer.

Gently, Natsu scooped Lucy up in his arms. He lifted her to the couch, laying her out flat. Gray paced the room, eyes darting from place to place.

"Would you quit that? You're making me anxious," Natsu complained.

"Whose fault is that?" Gray scoffed. He paused, glancing at the disheveled desk with a frown. "Hey. The drawers. Was that you?"

"Who else would it be?"

"Did you touch anything else?"

"No. I was too busy saving Lucy's life."

Gray putting his hands up placatingly. "Just asking,"

Lucy gave a soft moan as she came to.

"Gray, get over here. She's waking up," Natsu said.

"Na-Natsu?" she murmured.

"I'm right here," he said, reaching for her hand, giving her fingers a squeeze. "Just stay still, okay? Wendy's coming."

"What happened?" Lucy asked, her voice a whisper.

"We were hoping you could tell us," Gray said.

Natsu shook his head, shooting a glare at Gray. Lucy did not need the inquisition.

"What do you remember?" Gray asked.

"Give her some space, man," Natsu growled.

"I'm just trying to get to the bottom of what's going on," Gray said.

"Why don't you make yourself useful and open a window or something?" Natsu snapped.

"I would, if it wasn't already open…" Gray said, pointing.

"It's what?"

Sure enough, it was.

A gentle knock interrupted them.

"It's Wendy. Can I come in? How's Princess Lucy?" Wendy wasted no time, professional as she bent over her patient. "Miss Scarlet said that she fainted."

"Hey, Wendy," Lucy said, giving her a wan smile. "I'm okay. I'm feeling a little better now."

Wendy took Lucy's pulse and checked her breathing.

"You can sit up," Wendy said. "Slowly."

Natsu looped an arm around Lucy, helping her to a sitting position. "Still okay?"

She nodded, even though she leaned heavily against him.

"She'll be fine," Wendy said. "Just make sure to take it easy. No stress or excitement for the next couple of days."

Natsu shot Gray another glare, which he continued to ignore.

"What actually happened?" Gray asked.

"We'd come in here to freshen up," Lucy said. "I must have just blacked out."

"Blacked out?" Natsu frowned, tightening her arm around her. Lucy wasn't the sort to faint all over the place.

Gray's eyes narrowed. "We?" he asked sharply.

"Juvia and me. She was helping with my corset. I guess Juvia must have just gotten too excited," Lucy said with a shrug.

Gray frowned. "Juvia did this to you?"

"Not on purpose…" Lucy said. "I'm sure it was just an accident."

"She drugged me. And now she's tried to kill you," Gray pointed out. "And where is she now?"

Lucy gave a tired-sounding sigh. "You do know there are easier ways to kill someone, right?"

"Y'know, she's got a point." Natsu indicated the bladed letter opener in his hand.

"That's not…" Gray trailed off. Then he sighed. "Whatever," he muttered.

"C'mere." Lucy waved him over. "Look at me. Gray. Look at me."

Gray scowled, but he complied, crouching next to her and allowing her to force eye contact.

"I know this was scary," Lucy said, her voice soothing like she was addressing a child. "I was scared too. But I'm okay, so don't worry. Okay? We're all okay." She patted the back of Gray's hand.

Natsu couldn't help the hot flare of irritation in his chest. He knew Lucy didn't mean anything. Probably.

He wasn't jealous of Gray. Not really. Okay, so maybe he was a little bothered by his friends' closeness. Especially because of Lucy's obsession with fixing Gray.

Natsu rolled his eyes. Poor broken bird…

"We should let you rest," Natsu said loudly.

He elbowed between them and scooped Lucy up. He'd never thought of her as frail or vulnerable, but the way she fit perfectly in his arms made him want to take care of her.

He carried her to her adjoining bedroom and laid her down. Natsu allowed himself to brush the pad of his thumb across her cheek, taking care not to linger.

"Try to get some sleep," he said. "I'll be around if you need anything. Sweet dreams, Luce."


Ice filled every crack and crevice, every nook and cranny that Gray had been able to detect. It was probably overkill, but one could never be too cautious given the circumstances.

"You know why you're still single? 'Cause you're so freaking paranoid," Natsu groused.

The exception to Gray's constant vigilance was Natsu. His pal was a simple guy with a simple mind—Gray meant that in the best way possible. Natsu wasn't the type for twisted machinations and plots of intrigue. He'd never harm Lucy, but he lacked the necessary caution that Gray had honed over the years.

"You would be too if you somebody was stalking you," Gray said. "I can't help but feel like what happened to Lucy was my fault."

"There you go again," Natsu said. "Acting like the world revolves around you."

"What would you call it then? We all know that Juvia's the one that hurt Lucy. And she's made her intentions toward me clear," Gray said. "Put it together, Natsu. That girl is insane, and this proves it."

"I don't know, man. Feels like a stretch," Natsu said. "I'm pretty mad too, but, come on. You're like… accusing her of murder."

"What else would you call this?" Gray asked.

"A coincidence?"

"Another coincidence?" Gray repeated. "Another 'accident?' We seem to be having an awful lot of those lately, especially where Juvia's concerned. Why don't you put two and two together, Natsu?"

"Lucy said it was an accident," Natsu said. "And I trust her. She and Juvia were friends from way back, so Lucy knows her better than we do."

"People change. Lucy's too trusting," Gray said. "Don't let your personal feelings blind you. It's not worth putting Lucy at risk over."

Natsu's eyes narrowed. "What are you suggesting?"

"We stage a tactical retreat," Gray said with a lopsided grin.

"What? What are you talking about?"

"We leave. Hide away," Gray said. "Lucy can stay with me at Isvan Palace. She'll be safe there. It's the perfect place."

"You're joking…" Natsu said.

"Whether you believe Juvia guilty or not, I think we can agree that Lucy's been the victim of a malicious plot."

"How did we get from a wardrobe malfunction to a malicious plot?" Natsu asked. "Lucy is not staying with you at your place. I'd be nuts if I let that happen."

"Think about it," Gray said. "If somebody's out to get Lucy—"

"If," Natsu said.

"—whether it's Juvia or not—"

"Which we aren't sure about either."

"—it'd be safest for Lucy to go where they can't get to her. Isvan Palace would be perfect. It's remote. It's isolated. I could snow-in the pass to keep people away. Nobody's getting in or out without my say-so."

Natsu blinked at Gray like he didn't understand. Gray waited for him to catch up.

"I still don't agree with you," Natsu said finally. "But Lucy's safety is the top priority here. I guess Isvan would be the safest place. But only if I get to come."

"Of course," Gray said. "Just watch how many of your retainers you bring along. The point of this is to be discrete."

"Even if we are sneaky, won't people notice if Lucy goes missing? That's going to raise even more questions, don't you think?"

Gray smirked. "One step ahead of you," he said, melting the ice sealing the door. "Mirajane?"

"At your service," Mira said, dipping into a curtsy.

"Do you think you could do Princess Lucy?" Gray asked.

Mirajane, Isvan Palace's resident shapeshifter, frowned slightly before nodding. "I don't see why not."

"Go on, then," Gray said.

"You mean right now, Highness?"

"Please," Gray said.

In a sparkle of magic, Mira vanished, leaving a Lucy doppelganger in her place.

"Whoa! Luce?" Natsu's eyes bugged out of his head.

"No, sire. Just Mirajane," Mira-Lucy said. "Although, you can totally call me Lucy if you want to," she added, imitating Lucy's voice and manner of speech.

"That is… crazy!" Natsu said. "If I didn't know better, I'd think she was the real thing."

"Mira's my body double," Gray said. "Gives me the ability to move about freely when it's required."

Mira transformed into Gray. A slightly disturbing sight, given the dress she still wore. Normally, he'd lend her something to wear when she played his double.

"I'm seeing double!" Natsu exclaimed, looking from Gray to Mirajane in amazement.

"If I pair her up with Lyon, they can even fake out my ice-make magic," Gray said. "They've gotten pretty good."

"Most of the time, at least. As long as Lyon doesn't screw it up," Mira said, sounding just like Gray.

"That's insane!" Natsu said. "Wow!"

Mira transformed back into herself, looking pleased. "Thank you, sire."

"Where do you find these people? Your ninja harem's impressive," Natsu said.

Gray scowled. "Don't call them that. They're not a harem."

"But they are ninjas?" Natsu joked. "Sorry, sorry. I was just messing around."

"Here's the plan," Gray said. "Tomorrow, we'll leave for Isvan and Mira will stay here and pretend to be Lucy."

"Okay," Natsu said. "I'll assign someone to stay in Magnolia with Mirajane. Wendy and I will come with you. Everyone else will go back to Draghi."

"Sounds like a plan," Gray said. "Um… who gets to tell Lucy?"

They decided that Natsu would be the one to inform Lucy of their plans.

Gray waited outside the door. He could easily hear part of their conversation—including his name. This is why I seal doors with ice, Gray thought to himself.

Gray tried not to eavesdrop, but it was hard not to when they were so obviously discussing him. If he stood perfectly still, he could make out most of what they were saying.

"Think of it like a vacation," Natsu said. "Gray and I always come down here. Let's meet up in Isvan this time. Weather's great this time of year, relatively speaking."

"You mean it's freezing," Lucy said.

"Snow at this time of year would be a nice change of pace. We can throw snowballs and go ice skating," Natsu said. "Oh, and Gray said there'll be some big Isvanian festival coming up! That'll be fun."

"Since when are you so excited about snowy places?" Lucy asked.

"Since always," Natsu said. "I never get to do snow-things in Draghi."

"Natsu… what's going on here?" Lucy asked.

"Nothing's going on," Natsu said, his voice too high. "Nope."

There was a long pause.

"Oh, no," Gray muttered under his breath.

He could tell Lucy was using The Look. The one with pursed lips and knowing frown. Neither of them was immune to it, but Natsu was particularly weak to it.

"We want to smuggle you out of Magnolia," Natsu admitted with a reluctant sigh. "Isvan seemed the safest place to hide you."

"Hide me? Natsu, what's gotten into you?"

There was another pregnant pause.

"…This was Gray's idea, wasn't it?" Lucy asked.

"Maybe. Does it matter?" Natsu asked.

"That's what this is really about," Lucy said. "Gray doesn't trust Juvia because Stranger-Danger. So, he wants to go all paranoid defensive because of this little misunderstanding. And you're enabling him."

"Enabling?" Natsu said.

"You can't deny that Gray's more than a little paranoid," Lucy said.

"He has been uptight since the thing with his parents," Natsu admitted. "I don't blame him for it."

"He's more than uptight," Lucy said. "The constant looking over his shoulder like someone's out to get him? That can't be healthy. But I think, with the right person…" Lucy trailed off. "What? What's with that look?"

"Nothing."

"The look on your face says there's something," Lucy said. "So just come out and say it."

"I get that you're trying to help, but Gray is not a problem for you to fix, Luce," Natsu said.

"Excuse me?" Lucy said. "I'm not trying to fix—"

"Yes, you are. You keep butting into Gray's business. And he's made it clear that he doesn't want you there," Natsu said. "Stop being a busybody."

"Natsu, I can't believe you. That's just cold. You two are supposed to be friends!" Lucy cried, her voice rising. "Don't you care about what happens to Gray at all?"

"Luce, Gray's a big boy. He'll figure it out. Just let it go already."

"Oh, that's what this is about, isn't it?" Lucy said. "You're jealous."

"Jealous? Me?" Natsu huffed. "Why would I be jealous?'

"If you're not, then why do you keep picking on Gray?" Lucy asked.

"Maybe because you keep freaking obsessing over him!"

"Obsessing?" Lucy's voice was shrill. "It's called paying attention—"

"Yet you keep missing the obvious."

"—to people's problems—"

"You wouldn't know a real problem if it bit you in the face!"

"—and caring about them."

"You know what? Forget it!" Natsu said. "Do whatever you want!"

"I will!"

Lucy thundered toward the door. Gray had to stagger back to keep from being run over.

"I've decided I'm going with you because it reenforces my point," Lucy announced, her cheeks still flushed from fighting. If she was surprised to see him there, she didn't show it. "Isvan sounds lovely this time of year. We can leave as soon as I pack my things."

Gray wasn't sure what point she thought she was making, but she had stormed down the hall before he could ask.

"Just make sure you dress warm," Gray called after her.

After Lucy cleared the hall, Gray peeked in on Natsu. His jaw was clenched, and his shoulders hunched.

"Well, that was a disaster," Gray said. "Think that could have gone any worse?"

"Shut up, Ice Block," Natsu muttered.

"At least she agreed to go," Gray said.

"Take care of her," Natsu said.

"What's that supposed to mean?" Gray asked. "I thought you were coming with?"

"I... can't deal with her right now. And now that she's gone off on me, sticking around is just going to make it worse. That means it's up to you now," Natsu said.

"What makes you think she'll listen to me?"

"You'll find a way," Natsu said. "Even you couldn't screw that one up."

Gray rolled his eyes at the jab that Natsu still managed to get in. Fair payback for the dig that he'd made earlier.

"If you change your mind…" Gray said.

"I know where to find you."

"Don't take too long."

"Take care of her, Gray," Natsu said.

"Don't worry. I got this," Gray said.

After all, how hard could that be?


Ouch! Hopefully you liked that; the drama's just getting started!

Next time, in Toxic, Juvia does not take kindly to Lucy's field trip to Isvan. Trouble is brewing, literally: Gray was choosing Lucy over Juvia, like he always did. He probably hated Juvia for what happened. He probably blamed her. This must have been his way of keeping Lucy close.

Stop back next Monday for the next installment, or just follow me, Karine of R011ingThunder.