Ah yes, here we go, Galuna island. We're going to get this arc done in two chapters, so lets go.
I dont own Bleach of fairy tail. Those belong respecitvly too Tite Kubo and Shounen jump and Hiro Mashima and Weekly shounen magizine. This is just for fun!
"Hello, Fairy Tail!"
Bambietta watched as all those within the guild hall turned to face her, for one brief moment stopping all that they were doing before returning to it.
It was short, it was concise, but having all eyes on the Quincy was precisely what she had needed. If there was one thing Bambietta Basterbine appreciated, it was being the center of attention. The apparent friends she had made did not hurt either.
"Hey, Bambi!" Levy said as she approached. "I'm glad to see you in good spirits despite-"
The Solid Script mage's talk began to trail off but Bambietta was quick to finish what she had started.
"Ever since the Magic Council dragged me off for questioning. No worries!" The Quincy did her best to smile broadly. "I'm back and now I'm tanned, rested and ready to rock every single mission on that board over there!"
"Don't you think that's a little much right after you helped fight Eisenwald and-"
Levy never got her chance to finish her sentence, the wizard left in the proverbial dust as Bambietta vanished from her eyes. Levy turned around as quick as she could and could see the Quincy's appearance shimmer into existence before the job request board.
"I'm so glad Natsu can't do that." Levy sighed and began to walk over to her friend then, trying to keep her company. "So you want to go out on a mission together or something? The rest of Shadow Geer kind of took a mission without me, so I'm free."
"Awww." Bambietta turned to looked at Levy, a mischievous expression evident. "The Bambi Force is back in action? That's great! But I just wish you could have been there last time to see me kick that faux pass shinigami's butt all over Clover!"
"It sounds like you had fun," Levy replied, thrown off a little by Bambietta's sudden bout of youthful abandon. "I'm so happy."
"Oh, it was a blast!" the Quincy continued. "He thought he was hot shit but I showed him! Heck, you could say I... took the wind right out his sails."
Levy simply blinked, unable to react in any other way.
"Oh come on!" Bambietta pleaded, ruffling her hair with both hands. "That was funny, right? Sheesh, tough crowd. Anyway..."
Bambietta slipped an arm over Levy's shoulders, drawing the Solid Script mage close as she looked back at the job board.
"So what you want to do, Levy? I see that the volcano demon is still up for grabs. That could be fun!"
"Oh yeah," Levy whispered, a nervous laugh escaping her lips. "That sounds like it'd be a blast."
Bambietta glanced towards Levy then, noting the hesitation playing throughout her body language. "Okay, we can do something a little less scary for you. Though to be honest, I really want to go beyond that sort of thing anyway."
"Are you crazy?" Levy asked. "Okay, dumb question."
Bambietta grinned in response. "You're learning."
"But that's an A-Class mission. You can't possibly want to-"
"Do an S-Class one? Oh hell yes." Bambietta's grin only grew. "It should be a piece of cake if you ask me."
"No offense," Levy said, wondering if she was pushing things too far, "but you couldn't beat Natsu before and he's not even S-Class."
Bambietta frowned, but only for a second. "Don't worry your pretty little head, Levy. I'm stronger now. Just ask that Erigor dumbass. Oh wait. You can't. He ran off with his tail between his legs after his whole plan went to hell thanks to me."
"Look, it's not that I doubt you or anything," Levy said softly, glancing about with some nervous trepidation, "but S-Class missions are no joke, and we have very strict policies about who can take them."
Bambietta furrowed her brow in response. "What are you talking about?"
"Well, it's nothing much," Levy began to reply, "but the First master of Fairy Tail was quite adamant about not ever having a wizard die within the guild she created, so she laid down rather strict rules about what it takes to be an top wizard in Fairy Tail in order to take these missions."
"Again," Bambietta repeated, the Quincy starting to piece it together, "what are you talking about?"
"Well, it's just Fairy Tail's A-Class standards are probably the rest of Fiore's opinion of what makes an S-Class wizard."
Bambietta simply stared at Levy then, a full minute passing before the Quincy could even blink. Another moved forward before she could even speak. Then did Bambietta gently bring her hands down upon Levy's shoulders, a gleam in her eyes.
"You mean I'm technically an S-Class wizard already?"
"Let me guess," Levy began to say, her eyes betraying her suspicion, "you're thinking of leaving Fairy Tail so you can be at the top of the pecking order somewhere else?"
"Awww, is little Levy afraid the Bambi Force is going to lose its leader?" Bambietta slipped an arm around her friend's shoulders, pulling her in close. "Don't even get a gray hair worrying about it. If I'm going to be top dog somewhere, it's going to be among Fiore's best and brightest! Otherwise, what's the point?"
"Well that's some weight off my shoulders. So how about a little more typical mission for today."
Bambietta sighed. "Fine. But no dog walking. The last one I dealt with pissed all over my pride."
"Okay." Levy simply shook her head slightly. "No dogs then."
"Unless it's a corgi," Bambietta said, suddenly lighting up. "They're so cute!"
"Uh huh." Once more was Levy confused. "Well then, how about this one?"
Bambietta followed the extended index finger of Levy, taking note of the job request she had pointed. "Oh, an escort mission for a wealthy merchant? That could be fun. You never know what kind of bandit you'll get to beat the snot out of on that sort of job."
"Yay," Levy said meekly, her voice hardly expressing much joy at her choice. "I figured you'd like it."
"What can I say?" Bambietta could not help but flash her teeth. "I've always been good at seeing the glass half full... of violence."
"That's just... That is... I..." Levy could only shake her head in response, smiling slightly herself. "I guess I should expect nothing less from you."
"Ah ha!" Bambietta suddenly exclaimed, pulling Levy in closer. "I knew my being adorably violent would be a good thing in the long run! At first it's all running and screaming but eventually it's all 'ooh' and aah,' am I right?"
"Oh, you two looking for a mission?"
Bambietta glanced over her shoulder and could see Natsu and Happy both fast approaching. "Yeah, but I already went out on a mission with you. I know, I know, everyone wants a piece of the Da Bamb and all that..."
"Ya, because I love you to bits, Bambi!"
Bambietta paused then, her expression completely falling apart. For one brief moment she found herself not in the Fairy Tail guild hall but instead within the ruins of the Soul Society. Before her was a familiar yet haunting face.
Then it was gone, as quick as it had appeared. Bambietta looked at Natsu, noticing that the Dragon Slayer was clearly concerned, so she did her best to smile. "...Anyways!Today is all about me and my favorite written word wizard, okay?"
Then did Bambietta's eyes suddenly light up, the Quincy's smile losing its falsehood and becoming genuine.
"Unless you want a rematch, Natsu. I'm game."
"Oh look! I seem to have picked out the volcano demon mission!" Levy shouted in a panic, the woman desperate to end this sparring match before it even began. "Let's go kill it, Bambi!"
"A rematch, huh?" Natsu simply smiled, his youthful spirit at the ready. "I guess that would be fun and all. But maybe this time we could pick a place a little less chilly?"
"Come on, Bambi," Levy said, tugging on the Quincy's arm. "Time's wasting and that volcano demon isn't going to kill itself..."
"How about the woods right outside the town?" Bambietta asked Natsu as she stood her ground. "Well, maybe that's not such a good idea. I know of at least one bear that would be really mad if we made a forest fire..."
"You're friends with a bear?" Natsu's eyes simply lit up. "That's so cool!"
"Aye, sir!" Happy exclaimed, the cat finally taking flight so as to perch himself atop Natsu's shoulder.
"And that totally was lost on you." Bambietta simply sighed, realization dawning upon her. "That's right. I'm not in Kansas anymore, but you won't get that one either."
"Let's go, Bambi," Levy said, the wizard all but standing atop her heels as she pulled back on the woman's arm with all her might. "Let's go wreck some stuff, all right?"
"Fine, fine," Bambietta said, finally giving in to Levy's concerns. "Volcano demon, Fire Dragon Slayer, it's a hot time either way. But..."
Bambietta turned back to face Natsu, intent and on reminding him that they'd have a battle again at one point or another. She was completely prepared for him to be as energetic as ever in response, yet all she was greeted with was an apparently tired wizard.
"Hey, Natsu," Levy suddenly said, a yawn escaping her. "You all right?"
The Dragon Slayer said nothing, simply pitching forward, his eyes closing. Happy was quick to fly off of him, the cat unwilling to drop along his friend. "Natsu! Snap out of it!"
"Whoa, wait a minute, Natsu!" Bambietta's eyes widened as the Dragon Slayer fell upon her, Natsu's face landing atop her chest. The Quincy flinched in anger, her right eye twitching in response to the brazen action. "Personal space, you little-"
"What's going on?" Levy yawned again, the Solid Script mage snuggling into Bambietta as she began to at last drift into blissful sleep.
"Okay, what the hell?" Bambietta whispered as she held the two slumbering Fairy Tail mages close to keep them from falling. "I can't possibly be this boring."
"Getting sleepy," Happy said softly as he began to descend atop Bambietta, his wings fading away. The cat landed atop her hat, curling up like any other pet and closing his eyes.
Bambietta simply stood there in shock, keeping Levy and Natsu close yet as Happy simply made himself at home atop her head. The Quincy blinked in astonishment a few times, looking around the guild hall to take notice that several other wizards were falling asleep as well.
"Okay, so maybe I am that... boring." Bambietta felt it then, the slight tug of sleep beginning to prey upon herself as well. She yawned then, trying hard to speak despite the feeling. "Seriously... I slept good last night..."
Bambietta's eyelids began to flutter slightly, the Quincy resisting the sudden bought of drowsiness. She could tell quite clearly that it was far from natural, all those around her clear evidence that such was the case. Yet then could she see a few still standing.
Master Makarov was yawning slightly, the guild master simply sitting atop a counter, his arms folded across his chest. Then there was Erza Scarlet, the warrior wizard clearly struggling yet still awake despite what Bambietta could only imagine was a spell being cast.
"Is someone... targeting Fairy Tail?"
Bambietta could feel her head beginning to drop forward slightly, her body begging to succumb to whatever magic was at work, yet then did her senses begin to sharpen, her spiritual nature finding itself shocked by a power fast approaching.
It was just as when Erza had come to the guild the day before, perhaps even greater. In response did Bambietta's heart begin to race, another powerful being clearly about to be in her midst. Yet the nature of the power was so very different from Erza or even Laxus' own. This one seemed to hold back on itself, as if it had little desire to show its true colors to anyone around. Despite that, however, it could not hide the strange sense of despair that flittered about the edges of itself.
Bambietta's eyes began to close but only for a moment. The Quincy forced herself to open them wide and in turn did she catch sight of a newcomer at the entrance of the guild hall. Clad head to toe in dark colors, his face obscured by wrapped cloth, this newcomer began to walk forward. He passed between the sleeping masses, yet Makarov made no move.
He was not a threat, that much was clear, but Bambietta was on edge nonetheless. Then did she watch as Erza, still struggling to stay alert and awake, looked towards this mysterious individual.
"Mystogan..."
This man, this Mystogan, paused for a moment, glancing towards Erza. For one brief moment did Bambietta feel the power radiating change slightly, as if there was something, anything, to be had there. Then did the crack in his hidden nature mend itself, Mystogan moving towards Bambietta once more.
No, not towards her, the Quincy could tell that well enough. The man was simply coming closer to the job request board. Bambietta had to suspect then that this individual was also a member of Fairy Tail despite his odd way of going about things.
However, her biggest concern was something many others would consider a rather trivial matter. "Don't... you dare... take my volcano demon mission..."
Mystogan came ever closer, pausing for a brief moment to glance at Bambietta, the Quincy struggling to keep her eyes open at all.
"Your power isn't much," the masked wizard said, his tone low and ominous, "not even comparable to Erza's own, yet still you manage to fight my spell. Interesting."
Bambietta's temper began to flare a slight bit then, the statement regarding her level of strength nothing more than an irritation. "Guess... I'm just too attuned to this kind of... bullshit, huh?"
Mystogan said nothing, simply staring at Bambietta with eyes that peaked out from beneath the strands of blue hair slipping from out under his mask.
"What?" Bambietta whispered, her eyes beginning to flutter shut, the spell beginning to truly prove too much for her. "Take... a picture. It'll last... longer, creep."
"You're not from around here. Curious."
Mystogan turned away from Bambietta then, grabbing hold of a job request paper and walking towards Makarov. Bambietta could see the older man nodding his approval, leaving Mystogan to walk away out through the guild hall doors. Only then did Bambietta begin to feel the sudden onrush of sleepiness fade away. Levy was beginning to stir, as were all those around the guild hall.
"What happened?" the Solid Script mage began to ask, her voice groggy.
"Oh, I think we just got a visit from a real creep," Bambietta began to answer. "Mistgun or something like that."
"Oh, Mystogan," Levi yawned as she pulled away from Bambietta. "Yeah, he always does stuff like this when he comes to get a mission."
"Well that just makes me feel so much feel better."
Bambietta began to move forward then, only to take notice that Natsu was still fast asleep and leaning against her.
"Okay, that's going to be annoying..." Then did she hear Happy purring, the cat still curled up atop her head. Bambietta sighed. "That too."
"You'll have to forgive that masked freak," a voice boomed from above, "he's rather shy."
Bambietta recalled the voice well, having already once conversed with it. "The douchebag from before."
The Quincy glanced upwards then, careful to hold Happy so that he did not fall to the floor, and could see Laxus glaring down at her from the upper floor, a lit cigar in his mouth. Then did Bambietta feel Natsu perking up, the Dragon Slayer suddenly glaring towards Laxus as well.
"Laxus! Come down here and fight me right now!"
Bambietta could not help but flinch in response to her close proximity to Natsu's sudden outburst. "Jeez, tone it down, will you? Erza already stomped you, you want that to happen again?"
"That's right, pipsqueak," Laxus said with a hearty laugh. "If you couldn't handle her, what makes you think you even have a shot against me?"
"And what, pray tell, is that supposed to mean?"
Bambietta suddenly felt a chill run across her skin, the Quincy hearing the angered tone of Erza coming behind her.
"It's quite simple!" Laxus suddenly shouted, throwing his arms to the side. "I'm the best damn thing in this guild, bar none!"
Now Bambietta began to grow angry, recalling well the last encounter she had experienced with this man. "Then how about you come down here and put your money where your mouth is... if you can take that nasty cigar out of it first."
"Yeah, what she said!" Natsu added
Laxus only grinned in response. "How about you two upstarts come up here, huh? I'm not so inclined to lower myself to our pitiful level."
Bambietta flinched, her eyes narrowing. "Okay, that's it. I'm going to shove that cigar so far up your-"
Bambietta's words were cut short, the Quincy finding herself and Natsu both grabbed by a rather large hand.
"Pernida? Here?"
Bambietta glanced over her shoulder and could see Makarov glaring at her and Natsu both, his arm having very clearly grown via his magic and allowing him to restrain the two. "I'm sorry, but neither of you is qualified to go to the second floor."
"Oh come on, Master Makarov," Bambietta pleaded. "All I want to do is put that cigar of his where it belongs. He is speaking out of his ass after all."
Makarov said nothing, but the Quincy could almost see him trying to restrain himself. Either anger or perhaps he saw some amusement in her comment as well. The world would never know.
"I can go up there," Erza said, walking forward. "Would that please you, Laxus?"
"Fine by me, sweetheart," Laxy said, his grin never fading. "The King of the Fairies versus the Queen? That does sound more fun than fighting either of those two jokers."
"That's enough, Laxus!" Makarov said, his patience at its end. "You will provoke your family no more in my presence!"
"Family?" Bambietta did not know what to make of that statement, leaving the Quincy to stare at Makarov for a second. She could not help but find no understanding in how he could consider a mere group of allies as a family. It went against everything she had come to expect from the Vandenreich. "Well, this place is as dysfunctional as an actual family..."
"Sure, whatever," the young man said, his eyes glaring down at his grandfather. "But let's make one thing clear. I'm not going to give up being the strongest! Not to Erza, not to Mystogan and not even to that man!"
Bambietta watched as Laxus moved back out of sight atop the second floor, leaving her to scowl.
"That guy's a real S-Class prick."
Time moved on, night falling across Magnolia, and Bambietta was taking a deep breath, trying to calm herself down. She had intended to hunt down the volcano demon and make some money alongside Levy but that had all gone down the drain. The blue haired mage had talked her friend into trying to mingle among those at Fairy Tail instead.
It had gone well enough at first, though there were a few moments that the Quincy had almost lashed out. Particularly the time Gray had challenged Natsu to a fight, having lost his pants in the process of standing up. It would not have been so jarring, Bambietta growing used to his habit, if not for the garment landing atop her head. Then there had been the brief attempt of Loke's to flirt with Bambietta, once more leaving him to be struck down verbally if not physically.
Still, Bambietta could not deny she was actually having fun among this quirky group that dared call itself a family, yet she could not understand it still. However, the matter currently at hand was taking her utmost attention. The Quincy's blood pressure was starting to fall at last, the bold maneuver she had just pulled leaving her a little frazzled.
"I complete this and it'll show that Laxus and everyone else here that I'm no slouch." Folding the S-Class mission request into fourths, Bambietta slipped the paper into her coat pocket and began to mutter under her breath. "Thank goodness for Hirenkyaku. Bet Laxus didn't even notice me upstairs taking this request... or when I slipped some thumbtacks on his chair for later. If he's going to a pain in my ass, then fair is fair."
"Hey, Bambi!"
The Quincy turned to look and see Levy fast approaching. She seemed happy as always, something that Bambietta could not help but admit was rather infectious. "Then again," she began to mumble, "maybe it's just the thought of Laxus having a bad moment that makes my heart sing."
"Look, I know you wanted to go out on a mission today," Levy said as came close, "but I hope you had fun today."
"Oh yeah, I got up close and personal with Gray's pants. That was nice." Then did Bambietta grin. "Okay, fine. Yes, I did have a good day."
Levy smiled, an honest one. "That's good. I'm happy to hear you're enjoying being a part of this family."
There it was again. That word. It tore at Bambietta's thoughts, leaving the Quincy to question it all. "Family, huh?"
"Bambi?" Levy asked, growing concerned. "Is there something wrong?"
"No, no, nothing." Bambietta looked towards Levy then. "But I do have a question or two and maybe you can answer them."
"Well, all right," Levy said, slightly nervous. "I'll give it a shot."
"Oh, I'm sure my little wordy wizard knows what's up," Bambietta replied as she wrapped an arm across Levy's shoulders. "It's just some of the crap that Laxus guy was saying. I know Erza and he are S-Class... and clearly Mystogan is... but who the heck is the old guy he was whining about?"
"Oh, that's Gildarts Clive," Levy answered. "Though, honestly, I'm not sure what Laxus was getting at about saying he'd never lose his top spot to him."
Now Bambietta was intrigued. "Why's that?"
"Well," Levy began to say, "there's a lot of debate about who's stronger between the likes of Erza, Laxus and Mystogan. But there's absolutely no question that Gildarts is stronger than all of them. I guess he'd be considered Double S-Class."
Bambietta's eyes suddenly widened. "You are so lucky I'm not drinking anything right now because I would have spit it all over you in shock. Double S-Class? And what kind of magic does he have?"
"Well, it's kind of complicated I guess. It's called Crash and it kind of lets him destroy everything he comes into contact with."
Bambietta could only nod her head in approval, a slight smile forming. "What? He blows it up?"
"Not quite, though I guess it could look that way to someone watching him use his magic."
"I think I'm in love," Bambietta continued. "So when do I get to meet him?"
"Probably never. Unfortunately," Levy continued. "He kind of takes missions that take sometimes over a year to complete."
The Quincy quickly went slack jawed. "Are you freaking kidding me? That rank, that kind of power, and he takes that long to do things?"
"Hey," Levy began to retort. "Do you honestly think he takes missions the average wizard could handle?"
"I guess not," Bambietta answered. "But what about Mystogan? If he's S-Class, then why did he bother with the mission board down here?"
"Well," Levy started to say, "just because he's in the upper echelon, it doesn't mean he has to always go for an S-Class mission. Besides, rumor has it he and Laxus do not get along well, so he probably likes to avoid the top floor."
"Someone doesn't get along with Laxus?" Bambietta gasped. "That's a surprise! Look at this! I'm going to have a heart attack because of that incredible surprise!"
Levy could not help but chuckle, yet she still composed herself. "You should have seen the look on Jet and Droy's faces the one time Mystogan snatched up all the B-Class missions. He got them all done in a week or two and they were left trying to complete one A-Class mission to pay for their rent."
"What about you?" Bambietta asked, surprised by her own concern.
"I got by," Levy answered. "But it wasn't so funny, that part of it."
"Well you'll never have to worry about that again," Bambietta began to say. "Someday you're going to have the best of the best as your friend. Count on it."
For Lucy Heartfilia it had been an uneventful day. There had been the occasional mission in Magnolia, though nothing particular interest. Find a stray cat here, escort an old lady there, it was hardly the glamorous life she had been hoping from Fairy Tail but she knew that not every day could involve helping the best of the best face down an entire dark guild. Besides, downtime was good. She did get to spend some quality moments hanging out with Mirajane, quite possibly the nicest Fairy Tail wizard of the lot.
Now however she was about to retire for the night, making her way back to the apartment she shared with Bambietta. It had taken some doing but in the end the duo had convinced the landlord to allow the Quincy to sign her name to the place as well. Which was good, as Lucy had all but forgotten the little fact that she might need permission when she invited Bambietta to say with her.
"It was a good call," Lucy whispered to herself as she walked on the raised portion of the road, glancing down at the stream right beside her. "It's not like she's that much of a trouble maker or-"
"Hey, Lucy!"
The Celestial Wizard began to turn at the sound of her voice, catching sight of Bambietta only moments before it happened.
"Whoa!" Lucy lost her balance and fell to the side, directly into the stream.
"Whoops." Bambietta sighed and ran forward then, intent on helping her roommate. Hirenkyaku took her there in an instant and the Quincy made certain to keep herself above the water, standing on the air as she reached down to reached towards Lucy's. "Come on, take my hand, bestie."
Lucy did just that, allowing herself to be pulled out of the water and stand atop the invisible platform that Bambietta had made.
"Nice trick," Lucy said, trying to ignore that it was Bambietta's sudden surprise that had led her to being soaked. "Kind of impressive."
"The same to you," Bambietta said, her eyes wandering. "Pink suits you."
Lucy glanced down then and could see that the water had all but soaked through her white top, leaving her undergarment beneath it to show through. Quickly did she wrap her arms around her chest and glare up at Bambietta. "Maybe I ought to push you in the water. I'm sure that outfit won't hold up well."
"Oh, that's the spirit," Bambietta said, a slight yet playful edge on her voice. "But perhaps we should get you home before you catch a cold, huh?"
Bambietta walked Lucy back up to the street, the Quincy undoing her cloak in the process. The moment she and her roommate set down on the stone pavement, Bambietta slipped the white garment atop Lucy's shoulders. The Celestial Mage pulled it around her then, trying to fight off any cold that crept across her soaked body, and she turned to face Bambietta.
Only for that brief instant it was not Lucy that looked at Bambietta, but another from a time long since passed. Magnolia was gone then, replaced by the harsh icy enclosure that had been Silbern.
"Thanks, Bambi."
Bambietta heard it, the voice of Giselle as the memory played out for that one moment. Then it was gone, Lucy looking at Bambietta.
"Think nothing of it," Bambietta said, unsure of whether Lucy had spoken at all, potentially drowned out by the illusion. It bothered Bambietta then, to even experience a memory of Giselle that was far from dark in its nature. To even dare imagine there was a time they had been friends, that left her very nearly vomiting in disgust.
Lucy was different, right? Yes, she had to be. Bambietta could not let herself feel any different, though the Quincy knew she could perhaps never let the walls around her fragile heart drop ever again.
"Anyway," Bambietta said as she began to walk beside Lucy, "you want to get into some real mischief?"
Lucy could not help but get a little worried then, glancing towards Bambietta and only growing more concerned when she saw the smile she was wearing. "What are you planning?"
"Picture it," Bambietta began to answer, "the two newest girls in Fairy Tail... and the quickest to rise to the rank of S-Class!"
"Yeah, that's a nice dream and all," Lucy replied, "but there's no way Master Makarov would let us go out on one. And frankly I'm okay with that."
"Oh," Bambietta said, a glean in her eyes, "who said the master has to know?"
With that did Bambietta pull from her coat pocket a paper. Lucy stared at it in horror, realizing what her roommate clearly had done. "Oh no you didn't."
"Oh yes I did. So how about it? You and me got a date with an S-Class monster tomorrow."
"What about Levy?"
"She's probably too much of a goody-two-shoes to break a rule," Bambietta replied.
"What does that say about me?" Lucy complained, suddenly growing cross.
"That you wouldn't mind splitting a nice reward?" Bambietta asked. "But if you want, I can go solo and take down this..." The Quincy glanced back at the paper. "This Ogrezilla myself if you want."
"You're crazy, you know that?"
"It's only one of my finest features."
"Listen, how about we rest up tonight and then in the morning you can slip that mission briefing back up on the second floor before Master Makarov even notices it missing." Lucy was desperate to avoid any trouble, though she was beginning to wonder if she should have been offended that Bambietta had considered her the type to be willing to go along with such a rule breaking scheme.
"Awww, you're no fun," Bambietta said with a sigh, slipping the paper back into her pocket. "Fine, fine. I'll just have to find another way to become S-Class. Maybe I could beat up Erza or that Laxus guy."
"Good luck with that," Lucy replied "By the way, what gave you the impression I'd go along with this idea of yours if Levy wouldn't?"
"Oh come on," Bambietta said with a smirk. "Don't pretend to be a darling little angel. You kind of strike me as the type who would flash a little leg or cleavage if you got you a discounted price on something."
Lucy simply gasped in response. "I'd never... do anything like that..."
"Hey, I'm not one to judge. A little skin goes a long way, roomie." The quincy then blushed. And I for one wouldn't mind seeing more of yours…
Lucy sighed as she and Bambietta and long last began to enter their apartment. "Listen, I still think it's a bad idea. Besides, nobody in Fairy Tail is crazy enough to steal an S-Class mission without permission."
"Hey, Lucy, Bambi! You two want to go on an S-Class mission?"
Both the Celestial Wizard and the Quincy stopped dead in their tracks, shocked to find both Natsu and Happy in their apartment, the latter flying about and carrying a paper in his hands. For one brief moment did Bambietta have to wonder just how they had managed to get into her home, yet her priorities were skewed enough that instead she simply looked at Lucy with a grin. "I'm the only crazy one, huh?"
"Are you crazy, Natsu?" Lucy shouted, making quite sure as to keep Bambietta's cloak around herself. "Master Makarov is going to flip if you actually go through with this!"
"Please," Natsu said with a shrug. "What's the worst he's going to do? Send Erza to bring me back? That just means I get another chance to fight her!"
"And lose to her!"
"Huh, I hadn't thought of that." Bambietta began to rub her chin with the fingers of her right hand. "Take a shot at a high ranking mission and get the chance to fight an S-Class wizard? Two birds, one stone."
Lucy all but screamed. "You two are completely insane!"
"Aye, sir!" Happy exclaimed, fluttering about.
"You really don't have much else to add to this conversation, do you, cat?" Bambietta asked, glaring at the energetic animal.
Happy suddenly grew sad, his arms falling to his side as he glanced down at the floor. "Aye, sir."
Bambietta watched as Happy began to lower to the ground, the cat clearly distraught by her choice of words. Sighing, Bambietta moved over and gently began to run her fingers through the blue hair between Happy's ears. "Look, I'm sorry, okay?"
Happy seemed to perk up then, a smile on his face as his eyes closed with contentment, a slight purr escaping from him. Bambietta, however, could tell from the glances she was getting from both Natsu and Lucy that she was looking far too nice.
"Let's just get one thing clear, kitty," the Quincy began to say. "It's not like I like you or anything."
"Then why are you being so nice?" Natsu asked, the Dragon Slayer dumbfounded as always.
Lucy could not help herself, a sly expression covering her face as she brought a hand up to her mouth. "Because Bambi loves him."
Bambietta glared at Lucy then, her eyes narrowing. Happy, meanwhile, simply looked at Lucy with wide eyes and began to speak his mind. "That's just creepy when you do it."
"Anyway," Bambietta said, standing up right and speaking with a huff, "that's nice and all that you snuck out an S-Class mission, but Lucy and I are already going on one!"
"We are?" Lucy began to panic. "Wait a minute, I never agreed to-"
"You got one too?" Natsu moved over to Bambietta quick then. "Let me see! Let me see!"
"Damn you're a hyper one." Bambietta kept Natsu at bay with one hand firmly planted across his face as she rummaged through her coat pocket with her free hand. "Here you go," she said, waving the paper before her. "I bet mine is so much cooler than yours."
Natsu's face suddenly grew disenfranchised. "A monster slaying? That's it?"
"That's it?" Bambietta grew infuriated then, the Quincy's tone rising to new levels. "That's it, you say?"
"Look, it's not bad or anything," Natsu replied, "but mine sounds so much more awesome!"
Happy flew up then, holding the job request paper so that Bambietta could see it in full.
"Help a cursed island?" The Quincy began to think it over. "Okay, I'll admit, that does sound interesting, but it screams high maintenance over just killing a big dumb monster, you know?"
"I guess you're right," Natsu said. "But maybe we should let Lucy decide since she's a neutral party."
"Again," Lucy began to exclaim, "who says I even want to go on either one?"
"There's a Celestial Spirit Key as a reward for the cursed island," Happy suddenly said, flying towards Lucy.
"What? Really?" Lucy snatched the paper from the flying cat and began to read it over. "Seven million jewel and a Gate key? I'm in!"
Bambietta sighed, slipping the stolen job request back into her coat. "Natsu, two. Me, zero."
"So this the town you two first met, huh?" Bambietta glanced around at the bustling port of Hargeon Town, taking note of the construction going around. "Wow, Natsu, you really did a number on this place. A Dragon Slayer after my own heart..."
"Don't say that!" Natsu exclaimed as he waved a finger in front of his mouth. "I really don't need the local military knowing I'm back."
"Oh come on," Bambietta teased. "It's okay to be a little proud of some chaos. Live a little!"
Lucy continued to listen to the nonsense that was Bambietta and Natsu's conversation, the Celestial wizard trying to lead the group towards the harbor itself. Yet then did Lucy catch sight of a particular magic shop around the corner, leaving her to sigh a little.
"Maybe I'm not much of a goody-two-shoes," she muttered, "but a little skin hardly went far in there. Five percent discount? So not fair."
"You say something?" Bambietta asked, moving close to her roommate.
"No, no," Lucy stammered. "It's nothing."
"Nothing, huh? I think gramps is going to say this is a whole lot of something when you scolds you idiots."
Bambietta and the others turned quickly only to find themselves looking at Gray Fullbuster, the mage glaring at them all.
"What are you doing here?" Lucy said, clearly not expecting his arrival.
"The master found out you three took some job requests from the top floor and he is not the least bit happy about it," Gray said. "So I was sent to check out this mission while Elfman went to check out the monster hunt."
"Really?" Bambietta could not help but raise an eyebrow at that. "So he didn't send S-Class wizards to 'bail' us out of these potential messes?"
"Erza and Mystogan aren't around and Laxus didn't give much of a damn," Gray continued, "but I'm pretty sure I can take you three back if I need to."
Bambietta could not help but let her amusement at such a statement slip through. "Is that a fact?"
"Well, I figure you and Lucy should be reasonable," Gray continued, "it's this knucklehead Natsu I'm probably going to have to bring back by force."
"You want a fight?" Natsu shouted. "I'm all fired u-"
Bambietta's right hand suddenly pushed Natsu to the side, leaving her to face Gray herself. "Oh, I'm sorry, but you thought wrong. I'm not all that reasonable."
Lucy began to panic. "Bambi?"
The Quincy stepped up and looked Gray in the face directly. "I was kind of hoping an S-Class wizard was going to come out here but I guess you'll have to do."
"Look, lady," Gray retorted, "I don't have any interest in fighting you."
"Oh, you're going to give me the cold shoulder?" Bambietta simply smiled. "That just won't do."
Gray began to grow irritated then, his eyes locking with Bambietta's. "All right, fi-"
He never managed to finish his declaration, the ice mage suddenly pitching forward atop Bambietta. The Quincy could tell fast enough that he had been knocked out, Natsu standing where he had just been, the Fire Dragon Slayer's right hand closed into a fist.
"Hey!" Bambietta shouted. "I was looking forward to that fight!"
"So we can both take turns fighting him later," Natsu said, his face suddenly showing clear signs of fear. "But I think we better get moving."
"Natsu, what's the matter?" Lucy asked, moving in close.
The Dragon Slayer gulped deeply then, his eyes wide. "Well if gramps sent Gray to get us back... I know who he'll probably send next."
Bambietta, meanwhile, could only smile. "Erza."
"You make it sound like that's a good thing!" Natsu protested. "And they call me crazy..."
"Wait, I thought you wanted to fight Erza?" Bambietta asked.
"Fighting Erza when's she's angry is completely different story!" Natsu answered.
"That Celestial key isn't worth this," Lucy said, clearly shaking.
"Those emblems, are you travelers by chance from the Fairy Tail guild?"
The group turned and caught sight of an older, bearded man approaching them. By his garb Bambietta could only assume he was a sailor of one sort or another. "Well, duh."
"Oh, you are as well?" the man said, glancing towards Bambietta. "My apologies, I did not take notice of your emblem."
Bambietta simply shook her head. "Yeah, okay, maybe having it hidden under a glove wasn't the best idea for times like this."
"Praise the gods," the man continued to say. "Are you here for the Galuna Island job?"
"Heck yeah!" Natsu shouted. "We want to see this cursed island for ourselves!"
"Don't mind his excitement," Lucy said under her breath. "He's kind of dumb."
The older man simply smiled in response. "Are you intending to dispel the curse itself?"
"That's kind of the plan," Bambietta said. "Though frankly I'd rather be slaying a monster. This is probably going to be so boring."
"If that is the case," the man said, "then I, Bobo, am willing to take you to Galuna Island."
Bambietta tried to keep herself from laughing. "Bobo, is it? Pleased to meet you... I guess."
Bobo simply reached out with his left arm, leaving the Quincy to simply do the same, shaking his hand. Yet then did Bambietta flinch, acting on her spiritual instincts. She was not sure what it was exactly, but there was something clearly wrong with this man on one level or another.
"Maybe this won't be so boring after all."
"I take it back. This is so boring."
Bambietta found herself at sea, trying to keep herself content as she simply sat within the boat, her arms folded across her chest. Night had come about, the moon the only source of light.
"How far away is this island? I feel like we've rocking out here forever!"
"Don't... don't say that..."
Bambietta looked to her side and could see Natsu leaning over the edge of the boat, horrible sounds of projectile vomiting issuing forth.
"Well better the fish than me again." The Quincy looked towards Lucy. "Okay, so I'm very sorry this whole S-Class missions is turning into a bust."
"You think I'm upset?" Lucy replied. "Boring is good."'
"Yeah, sure, whatever." Bambietta slouched down a little, glancing towards Gray then. "You really think that will hold him?"
Lucy looked over as well, taking note of the unconscious Gray, the young man bound in rope that had been found by Natsu back at the harbor. "I'm pretty sure he won't be putting up a fight if he wakes up."
Bambietta grew even more depressed. "This sucks."
"Tell me about it."
Bambietta glanced to her side and could see that Gray was beginning to stir, the ice mage taking notice of his being bound in ropes. "Oh, you're awake. And we can't fight. Damn it."
"Oh, we'll get a chance at some point," Gray murmured. "Once me and Natsu settle the score."
"Okay, that makes me feel a little bit better." Bambietta could not help but grin slightly then, turning to look at the man currently guiding the boat. "Yo, Bobobobo Bobobo-"
The sailor simply cursed under his breath. "It's Bobo."
"Yeah, okay," Bambietta simply replied. "And I'm Bambi to most. Now, call me foolish, call me irresponsible, but it occurs to me that most people wouldn't be willing to bring travelers to a cursed island. So either you've got a pair that's bigger than most or you've got your own motivation that I think me and my buddies should be made privy to."
"Is that what you think?" Bob asked, suddenly glaring back towards Bambietta. "You will know in due time, depending on your resolve."
Bambietta's senses suddenly came alive then, a strange aura enveloping Bobo. The Quincy's body was on edge in response, as if preparing for an attack. Yet even she was not prepared for what came next.
The man's arm began to shift and change, the light of the moon enveloping it. Its coloration changed, the flesh hardening and growing demonic in shape.
"Okay, you guys seriously better untie me now!"
Bambietta heard Gray's words yet it was Lucy's actions that took hold of her attention. The Quincy's roommate was suddenly gripping around her, obviously overcome with sudden fright.
Bambietta, while not showing it, was not exactly thrilled with the sight of what she was seeing either. "What the hell is that?"
"A test, nothing more," Bobo said simply. "Look ahead, travelers, for Galuna Island awaits."
Bambietta and the others focused their collective gaze, taking note of the fog across the troubled waters beginning to lift and leaving the cursed island to come into view.
"Wow, that's so cliché," Bambietta muttered, trying to keep her spirits up. "You really must want to scare us, Bobo- huh?"
The Quincy began to look around frantically then, having noticed that the sailor was nowhere in sight.
"What the hell? Not funny, Bobo!"
"Wait, did I miss something?" Natsu asked, the Dragon Slayer finally able to pull himself away from edge of the boat, his motion sickness subsiding for the moment. "Hey, where' the sailor guy go?"
"Well wherever he went," Lucy whimpered, "he took the oar with him."
Happy, meanwhile, was simply freaking out. "We got bigger problems!"
The group turned to look in the direction the blue cat was indicating, catching sight of the troubled waters that lay between them and Galuna Island.
"I think I'm going to be sick again." Natsu simply covered his mouth with one hand and turned towards the edge of the boat once more.
Bambietta's hands began to curl into fists, her teeth coming together as her lips curled back into a snarl. "God damn it, Bobo!"
Morning had come to Galuna Island, yet that was not all. Upon its shores lay the damaged remains of a boat, those who had travelled via it strewn across the coarse sand.
"So this is an S-Class mission, huh?" Bambietta groaned as she looked up at the sky. "I got to say, it kind of blows chunks. Guess Natsu is cut out for it..."
Bambietta began to laugh, if only slightly, but she stopped when her ribs began to flare up with a miniscule amount of pain.
"Okay, it hurts to laugh. Sucks to be me."
"Yeah, sure," Gray hissed, the ice mage not lying far away. "At least you had that skin condition spell to protect yourself. And free arms too!"
"Yeah, sorry," Bambietta replied, turning her head to look his way. "And it's not a skin condition. Blut Vene, kid."
"That's great and all," Gray began to say, his temper starting to flare if only a little bit, "but would you mind untying me?"
"Nuh-uh." Bambietta sat up, wagging an index finger towards the restrained ice mage. "We can't have you going and tattling on us to Erza, can we?"
Then did Bambietta begin to rethink her position, realizing that such an occurrence would be fun if nothing else. Yet before she got the moment to speak her mind, Gray did the same for his own.
"Oh yeah, I'm just going to swim back to the mainland to get you all in bigger trouble. I'm stuck here thanks to you, so I may as well help out."
"Damn it." Bambietta stood to her full height, taking note of Lucy, Natsu and Happy regaining consciousness. Then did she look back at Gray. "You'll excuse me if I have trust issues."
"Come on, Bambietta," Gray said, his tone angry yet still showing signs of pleading, "we're all part of Fairy Tail."
"Yeah, sure," the Quincy hissed under her breath, "one big happy family. There for each other. Where have I heard that before?"
"Bambi?" Lucy began to approach then, the Celestial mage concerned as to what was going on. "Come on, he's on our side."
Bambietta whirled around on Lucy then, the Quincy's face contorting with irritation. "He came here to screw up what we were doing! He's just going to stab us in the back!"
"But we're all from the same guild-"
"That's right," Bambietta hissed. "Fairy Tail this and Fairy Tail that! Yeah, we're all here for each other! That's not how the world works! It's not how it... ever... works..."
Lucy bit down on her lower lip than, unsure of how to even respond to her friend's sudden rant. "Do we mean that little to you? Do I?"
Bambietta looked away, unable to even speak in turn. Her thoughts were a jumble for a moment, the Quincy lost in the moment. "Look I-"
"Bambi?"
"Just... let's untie Gray." Bambietta tried to diffuse the situation as best she could. "Though knowing him, he's probably going to shed those ropes as fast he does a shirt any time now."
Then did Bambietta smile.
"Besides, if he tries anything, I get a little fun."
"Hey!" Natsu shouted, finally bringing himself around from his motion sickness. "If anybody is going to fight Gray, it's going to be me!"
"I'll fight you for it," Bambietta said with a shrug. "That ought to make this mission more fun."
"Guys, really?" Lucy sighed. "We came here for a mission, not to beat each other senseless."
"All right, fine," Bambietta sighed. "Anyway, maybe we should get a move-"
The Quincy paused then, slowly moving her hands up to the top of her head. She moved her fingers about, finding nothing but her own hair.
"Oh hell no." Bambietta glared out at the sea, feeling the desire to extend one particular finger in its general direction. "That's right, take something precious from me, why don't you?"
"Bambi?"
The Quincy turned then, taking note of Happy walking through the sand towards her. Yet it was what was in the blue cat's front paws that truly took hold of her attention: her hat.
"I kind of flew over to catch this for you when it blew off your head. I guessed you might miss it."
The Quincy could not help herself and smiled as she leaned over and gently took back her hat. She reached out then and gently rubbed the fur between Happy's ears. "Okay, so maybe I was wrong a few weeks ago. I guess you are one of my Fairy Tail friends, kitty."
"So I've got a question," Gray asked as Natsu began to undue his ropes. "Just what the heck S-class mission did you guys get me into?"
"Well," Bambietta began to answer, "I wanted to go fight an awesome monster, but Natsu had to suggest this cursed island idea. Say, Natsu... did the paper say anything else besides 'Help!' and about Lucy getting a new key?"
"I don't know," the Dragon Slayer responded. "I kind of stopped reading once I saw the reward. A cursed island was more than enough for me."
The Quincy simply flinched. "Oh damn it all. I'm starting to wonder if you can read, Natsu."
The Dragon Slayer appeared to become distraught then, Natsu lowering his head. "Can too. It just... took me a while to learn is all. But Erza was a good teacher."
Bambietta flinched in that moment, wondering if perhaps she owed the young man an apology. Instead she simply acted as she would, with an attitude befitting a Stern Ritter. "Erza taught you? That must have been terrifying."
"Yeah, kind of," Natsu said. "But it wasn't all bad once she found a letter I was good as using a starting point. Don't know why, but 'E' just kind of grabbed my attention I guess."
"You and me both," Bambietta mumbled.
"You two having a moment?" Gray suddenly asked. "Or can we maybe go look for the people who asked for Fairy Tail's help?"
"Geez," Bambietta said under her breath as she watched Gray begin to walk into the woods, "talk about the cold shoulder."
The members of Fairy Tail soon found themselves confronted with an miniscule irritation, though to Bambietta it was a complete and utter annoyance.
"What the hell is this crap?"
Before the group stood a wooden gate, one that extend several times above their own height. Adorning it was clear as day a sign that simply read 'keep out,' something Bambietta took not as a warning but a challenge.
"Yeah, sure," she hissed as she glared at the sign. "They ask for help and this is the welcoming we get? What the hell do they have back there? King freaking Kong?"
"You know," Lucy began to say, "we could just call out to someone to let us in-"
"I'm making my own entrance!" Bambietta summoned her bow to her hand, taking aim at the sign. "Stupid thing isn't going to tell me what I can and can't do!"
"Whoa, ease up there!" Gray was quick to grab hold of Bambietta's left arm, Natsu the right. The ice mage spoke again, feeling Bambietta struggling even as her bow vanished from sight. "We don't need to tick off whoever's in there!"
"Who goes there?"
The wizards glanced up at the sound of the voice, taking note of a man glaring down at them from the top of the gate. Bambietta, meanwhile, simply grew flustered.
"Well, we're from the Fairy Tail guild!" Lucy shouted to the veritable heavens. "We kind of got a job request from this island, so we wanted to do what we could to help!"
"Fairy Tail? Never heard of you!"
Bambietta glared at Lucy then. "I thought you said this guild was number one? Shining bright for everyone so you could live out your fantasy?"
"We are number one!" Natsu said before looking up at the villager. "You're just pulling our legs. Right, old man?"
"No one replied to our mission requests!" the villager shouted down once more.
"Wait a minute." Gray glared at his allies. "You guys stole the job request but didn't even bother to reply to it before heading out?"
"I thought we just had to come out to reply!" Natsu yelled.
Gray simply sighed. "You idiot. Do you have any idea how an S-class mission even works?"
Bambietta, meanwhile, simply folded her arms across her chest. "Do you?"
"Fair point." Gray simply conceded, knowing he had dug himself into that corner. "Anyway, if they won't let us in, I guess we just have to go back and face the music empty hand-"
"Show us your emblems!"
The mages did just that, Happy turning his back, Natsu bringing an arm to bear, Gray lifting his shirt and at last Lucy rising a hand up high.
Bambietta, meanwhile, did nothing.
"Come on, Bambi," Lucy whispered, "you want to be S-class, right? This is the first step."
"Fine." Bambietta pulled a glove off and raised her left hand so that the emblem on its back could be seen by the man glaring down at her. However, she also made sure to keep only one particular finger extended outwards as she did so. "You happy?"
Lucy's head dropped for a moment. "Thrilled."
"Well I guess they are the real thing," the villager said, "even if that one in white is way too crass. Oh well. Beggars can't be choosers." He turned his back then. "Open the gate!"
The Fairy Tail members watched as it rose up, Bambietta making certain to be the first one through. "Of all the nerve, making a lady such as myself wait. Chivalry is dead here, isn't it?"
"My apologies for the inconvenience," an older man said, suddenly stepping forward. "However, it has been far too long since we received guests upon this island. However, I believe you who have come to our aid need to see something. Now."
Bambietta furrowed her brow, unsure of what the village elder was getting at while those under his rule drew closer to him.
"Everyone," he began to say, "disrobe!"
Bambietta blinked then, horror overtaking her. "Oh no, it's an island full of Grays."
The horror only increased, as the villagers cast of their robes and stood in the most basic of clothes. That left Bambietta and the others to simply stare at the demonic arms and legs that those before them possessed, just as Bobo had.
"All who reside on this island suffer this curse," the elder said, "and we hope that you can end our affliction."
"So what," Bambietta began to ask with a smile, "did some monster do this to you? Do we have to kill it to save you guys?"
The elder began to respond. "No, not at all. This curse is the product of-"
Bambietta began to tune out the man's explanation then, her smile fading now that she knew violence would not be the answer to this mission. Still did the Quincy try to find something to distract her from the suddenly boring conversation. Thankfully her eyes began to wander about and find something worthwhile.
The Quincy found her eyes suddenly drawn to Natsu, more particularly the upper body. His vest leaving little for the imagination, Bambietta could not help but sneak the errant peak.
"Oh wowI could totally grate cheese on those abs of his. Gray's too. You know, I'm starting to like this world. Hmm, I wonder if Lucy feels the same way about them?"
Bambietta's eyes began to wander, settling upon her roommate. Yet did the Quincy suddenly catch herself by surprise, her gaze having drift down and towards Lucy's backside.
"Then again…I think I've found a real beauty right here."
It wasn't that the quincy hadn't noticed Lucy's beauty before, as it was rather obvious, but until now she had never really focused on it. Here and now, however, and it was beyond evident that Lucy Heartfillia was a sight to behold.
Bambietta's vision began to inch downwards, catching sight of the end of what she felt was a dangerously short skirt and took note of the bare skin of her friend's legs.
"She probably should wear tights like I am. I could suggest it, but where would be the fun in that?"
Still did Bambietta's eyes slip glances towards Lucy, the mage clearly enthralled in the village elder's speech. The Quincy, however, simply found herself inching closer to Lucy to get a better view.
"Man, I could totally get lost in that valley she calls cleavage. I'm starting to feel underdeveloped around ladies like her and Erza. Oh well. At least I still got a couple of cup sizes over Levy."
"You must destroy the moon!"
Bambietta found herself suddenly pulled out of her own trance, her gaze now directed at the village elder who's voice had boomed so very loudly. "Huh?"
"No, it's happening again!" The village elder's face came alive with terror all its own, the man's gaze projecting upwards. "That damned moon!"
Bambietta turned away around, her own eyes looking upwards in response to the old man's sudden onslaught of terror. Then did she see it, the full moon losing it crystal clarity of pure light. A violet shade was overcoming it then, casting a hellish glow across the land.
"Okay, that's strange," Bambietta said, her eyes still glaring at the moon. "But I seriously don't think a moon of a different color is reason enough to hire someone to destroy it."
"Hey, Bambi?"
"Besides," the Quincy continued, "I doubt there's a wizard alive who could do something that crazy. Heck, I can't even think of a Quincy who could aside from His Majesty and the Schutzesta-"
"Bambi?"
The Quincy felt it then, someone tugging on her coat's sleeve. She turned in response and could see an expression of fear etched upon Lucy's face.
"Come on," Bambietta said, her own face lost in the purple glow, "don't be scared of a little moon light, Lucy. Bambi's here to protect you, you know?"
Lucy simply shook her head, her eyes remaining wide with fright. "What I'm afraid of... that's no moon."
The mage tilted her head to the side and Bambietta followed its path. Then did she notice the villagers, all of them appearing very different from before. Their skin held a myriad number of colors, horns protruding from their foreheads, their bodies at last matching the demonic limbs from earlier.
"So the moon light shows them for what they really are," Bambietta said simply. Then did a twinkle play across her eyes. "We get to fight them now?"
"What? No!" Lucy's horror quickly subsided. "They need our help to end this curse! Weren't you listening?"
"Well, that is," Bambietta began to go red in the face. "No, I got distracted."
Lucy began to grow irritated. "By what?"
"Nothing," Bambietta replied. "By nothing. Can we just drop it? Please?"
"Okay," Lucy began to say, "but you're kind of bleeding from the nose. Did you get hurt thanks to the shipwreck?"
"What? Oh damn it." Bambietta began to wipe the blood away from her nose, instantly regretting that she was staining her white gloves with the crimson liquid of life. "That's right, stain my purity with a sin. Just great. Think clean thoughts, Bambi."
Lucy only grew more confused. "Huh?"
"Again," Bambietta said, her face suddenly glowing a faint red, "can we just drop it?"
The Quincy turned to village elder, taking in the twisted and demonic form that he had assumed.
"So destroy the moon? That's an S-class mission, huh? Okay then... I so need to sleep on this." The Quincy turned to face Natsu and the others. "You guys agree?"
The nodding heads of three wizards and a cat was acknowledgement enough for Bambietta.
"Okay then." The Quincy looked back to the elder. "I hope you've got decent lodging. Frankly this whole mission is just too strange and I need to sleep on it. Though I should be grateful it can't get any weirder...
"What the freaking hell was that?!"
Daylight was upon Galuna Island once more and thus had the members of Fairy Tail taken the opportunity to explore the island. Bambietta was, however, completely shell-shocked and lagging behind her teammates.
"Again," she reiterated, "what the freaking hell was that?!"
Natsu and the others stopped to look back at their traumatized friend, the Dragon Slayer the first to speak up. "Come on, it wasn't that strange-"
"Gray fought a giant rat!" Bambietta suddenly shrieked. "And it was wearing a corset! A freaking corset!"
"Oh calm down," Gray said. "I've dealt with worse. Once there was a time I had to fend off a giant tarantula wearing what I'm pretty sure was a monocle-"
Bambietta shrieked once more, this time in terror. "You fiend! Stop talking about those eight legged freaks this instant!"
Lucy could see it clear enough, her roommate's skin all but crawling as her eyes were wide with apparent fright. "Bambi?"
The Quincy shook for a second, her face suddenly going from freaked out to calm to angry. "So I'm afraid of spiders. All thanks to my old friend owning one. You people got a problem with it?"
"N-no," Lucy stammered. "I'm cool with it. You guys?"
Natsu and Gray simply folded their arms across their chests and snickered slightly. Then the Dragon Slayer looked towards Gray. "Should we tell her about the infestation Fairy Tail has on occasio-"
An arrow of blue light suddenly tore through the air beside Natsu's head, leaving both him and Gray's eyes to go wide.
"I suggest you don't," Bambietta hissed as her bow disappointed. "Now can we please just forget the rat, forget the spiders and get back to what the hell we were actually doing in the first place?"
"Oh right," Gray said, shrugging, "exploring."
That was precisely what those who called Fairy Tail their guild had set out to do this day. Destroying the moon as those of Galuna had asked for was impossible, but the group had determined that if there was a spell affecting the moonlight cast down on the island, then it had to have been cast on Galuna itself. It had gone smoothly enough until the random battle with the oversized rat had occurred, but now at last they managed to clear the jungle landscape. What they saw in the clearing that followed gave Bambietta some relief. An old, ancient looking temple.
"Well this is probably what we were looking for." Bambietta began to crack her knuckles, moving forward herself. "So who wants to bet the evil demonic moonlight spell is being controlled at some creepy looking ancient ruins?"
"And do you want to bet that the giant rat has something to do with this?" Gray asked as he stepped forward.
"What makes you say that?" Lucy asked. "This could be its natural habitat."
"Yeah, sure," Natsu suddenly said. "I doubt the big dumb animal goes to the trouble of dressing itself. Somebody had a hand in it and the moon curse. Somebody evil."
"So they make nice villagers look creepy and try to make an ugly rat look cute." Bambietta shook her head, rubbing the sides of it with both hands. "Could this mission possibly get any stupider?"
"And what exactly would make this mission more fun for you?" Lucy asked, honestly curious.
"I don't know," Bambietta said, waving her hands out the side. "Maybe some flashbacks, an actual villain with connection to us heroes, maybe even a ritual to summon an ancient evil that wants to plague the world once more. Something like that."
"You mean something you can solve by punching," Lucy said simply.
"No, no," Bambietta corrected, "I'm down with some kicking if need be. Maybe some arrows, a little swordplay, whatever. I'm equal opportunity with violence, you know?"
"I know," Lucy sighed, "but I like you anyways."
Bambietta's expression became quizzical in response. "I don't know if I should be flattered or offended. I'll go with the first option, roomie."
"This is real cute and all," Gray said, walking ahead while casting a glare over his shoulder, "but how about we skip this moe crap and do what we came here to do?"
Bambietta grew cross in return, walking towards the temple in a huff. "You know, I was kind of feeling bad for punching him the first time we met. What was I thinking?"
The guild members stepped fully into the darkness of the ancient ruins, leaving most on edge. Bambietta, to her credit, found herself feeling more at home than she had since coming to this world. That did not sit well with her deep down.
"This is an old and decrepit ruin," she whispered. "It suits me perfectly- hey now!"
The Quincy felt something upon her leg and she glanced downwards, catching sight of a certain blue cat shivering as he grasped her leg.
"You could go hug Natsu's leg," Bambietta muttered.
"But you were closer," Happy replied, looking up at Bambietta with wide eyes. "And you probably spook any monsters around."
The Quincy simply flinched, her teeth grinding together. "Oh, that's just- yeah. Fine, make it irritating for me to- not you too!"
Bambietta sighed as Lucy fingers suddenly dug into her arm.
"What are you so scared of?" Bambietta asked. "You've got crabs and bulls and stuff."
"Man, this place is a dump," Natsu said. "I bet this flooring can barely support a couple of people."
Bambietta's eyes widened as the Dragon Slayer suddenly began to stomp a foot down upon the flooring over and over again. "You have got to be freaking kidding me? How stupid are-"
The question never finished being answered, the floor completely giving away and leaving Natsu and Gray, the two standing close together to plummet into the abyss.
Lucy and Happy both began to scream in unison. "Natsu!"
"Don't forget Gray," Bambietta said, rolling her eyes. "Well, we can try."
There was silence for a moment, until at last Bambietta heard a loud crash in the abyss. For a moment she had to wonder if Natsu and Gray had perished, yet then did she hear the two begin to speak.
"You idiot!"
"Wow, what a hole!"
"Oh good," Bambietta said with a sigh that slowly led to a smirk, "the stooges live. Let's go see how they're doing."
Happy began to fly, his wings have sprouted. He glanced at Lucy then and spoke. "You want me to carry you?"
"No way," Lucy retorted. "You're just looking for a chance to say I'm heavy again! Besides, I've got Bambi!"
"Since when did I become a mode of transportation?"
Bambietta shook her head and quickly scooped up Lucy into her arms. She leapt into the darkness then, following after Happy. An invisible platform came into being, allowing the Quincy to find purchase and remain airborne.
"Lucy," Bambietta began to say, "I think the cat might be right."
Lucy's cheeks puffed out, her eyes glaring at Bambietta as the Quincy walked her down the pit.
"Oh, don't give me that look," Bambietta said. "At least everything you eat clearly goes to your boobs…and thighs…and ass."
The irritated expression faded, leaving Lucy to go red in the face instead. "Bambi!"
Bambietta blushed in return. "Sorry, sorry!" She apologized, not having meant to say that last bit out loud.
"Come on!" Gray shouted from below. "What's the hold up?"
"They're just talking girlie stuff," Happy shouted as he flew ahead, "because Bambi loves Lucy's boobs!"
Natsu was he next to yell from the depths of darkness. "Say what?"
Bambietta's eyes suddenly flared up with evil intent. "Happy!"
Both grumbling and muttering, Bambietta continued to walk to the bottom of the ruins. Still did she hear Lucy begin to speak up.
"So…You like them?"
Bambietta's face simply remained red, the Quincy not responding in any vocal matter. She simply let Lucy step out on the ground once they reached the bottom, Bambietta looking around.
"So what the hell do we have here?" she asked, her face slowly reaching its paler complexion. "The place has a basement?"
"I guess so," Gray said, the ice mage glancing about as well. "Or maybe an underground cav- Natsu!"
The Fire Dragon Slayer was not merely looking but scampering off, leaving his ally's to grow nervous after what had just occurred. Yet then did they hear Natsu suddenly shout as he wandered around a corner and out of sight.
"What did that idiot do now?" Gray said as he and the others took off.
"Maybe he stomped the floor and fell into another basement?" Bambietta asked. "Basementception..."
"What the hell does that even mean?" Gray asked, glaring back at her for a moment.
"I miss the World of the Living," Bambietta muttered.
The group rounded the corner then and quickly any feeling of levity evaporated from Bambietta's thoughts or feelings. For what stood before her was a towering sculpture of ice. Its contents, however, were what truly left the Quincy speechless.
Natsu, being the kind of man he was, was not so impeded. "Whoa! There's totally a giant monster in there!"
Bambietta very nearly rolled her eyes at the declaration of the obvious, but it was then that she noticed that Gray was visibly shaking, the youth's face shifting under the duress of rage. "Hey, Gray, what's the matter?"
Bambietta did not really care for this man, yet she was still thrown off by his sudden change in demeanor. Outside his rivalry with Natsu he was rather level headed, so what could possibly have led to this sudden alteration in his temperament?
"What the hell is Deliora doing here?!"
The ice mage's sudden explosion of rage left even Bambietta shaken, the Quincy having not expected such a reaction from this man. "Gray?"
The man's body continued to shake, his hands closing into fists so tight that Bambietta half-expected blood to be drawn. "That damned demon..."
"Hey guys," Natsu said, his Dragon Slayer nose sniffing at the air, "I think we got company and they don't smell like the villagers."
"Then let's kick some ass!" Bambietta said, slamming her right hand into the adjacent closed fist.
"No, no, no!" Lucy said, dragging Bambietta by the arm behind some rocks. "Let's find out what we're dealing with first, then kick its butt!"
The Fairy Tail members made their way behind a stone outcrop, Bambietta taking notice that Gray was still clearly seething with anger. She knew the sensation well enough, having worn her emotions on her sleeve all her life, rage being a chief expression of her innermost feelings, but there was something different about his, something primal and deserved.
Then…she saw them.
"What the hell am I looking at?" Bambietta watched as a trio of individuals made their way into the cavern, one of them a woman with bright pink hair, another a man rather short in stature who clearly made up for his height with the size of his eyebrows. Yet then there was the third individual, a man in baggy pants who kind of looked a bit like a dog. "These are the bad guys? What a sorry bunch."
Still, Bambietta could not help but be slightly interested in beating up the dog man. If nothing else, that could at least make up for loss to a certain Soul Reaper in her own mind.
However, her thoughts focused elsewhere, the Quincy glaring instead at the icy tomb that held the demon that had shocked Gray so badly. There was something there, something drawing the Quincy's spiritual nature outwards. It was faint yet still did Bambietta feel something very wrong. It was if talons of darkness were reaching into her very soul and scratching at the surface of soul. It was no different than the natural revulsion she had felt around any and all Hollows.
Bambietta remembered well the incident with the Magic Council, of how they had described the demons of this world. The appearance was enough, yes, but Bambietta's very soul was screaming to her now.
She was looking upon a demon, one that was clearly beyond even the Lullaby flute she had destroyed.
"Angelica's not just a rat! She's love!"
What Bambietta could only consider a stupid statement tore her attention away from the ice entrapped beast before her, leaving the Quincy to turn her gaze back upon the three individuals not of this island. The woman with the pink hair being who one who made such a ludicrous statement.
"She's responsible for that stupid giant rat?" Bambietta hissed. "I don't like her already."
"We must take care of these intruders!" the dog faced shouted, clearly getting worked up as far as Bambietta could tell. "The Cold Emperori's Moon Drip ritual must not be disturbed!"
"Moon Drip?" Bambietta muttered under her breath. "What is that, some kind of Fiore drug I don't know about?"
"Bambi, quiet," Lucy whispered, trying to keep the group's position hidden.
"One, we could so totally take those losers," Bambietta whispered back. "By myself at that. And two, it's not like I was going to make a public service announcement or anything. Sheesh..."
"Yeah," Natsu began to say, "let's go beat them- where'd they go?"
The Fairy Tail wizards glanced around from their hiding spot, taking note that the trio they had been observing had all but vanished from sight.
"I guess they're off to go beat us up," Bambietta said with a sigh. "And I was so looking forward to heading them off to the pass on that."
The Quincy's expression soured then as she glared up at the frozen demon once more before turning back to Gray. He was still withdrawn, a lifeless look in his eyes.
"All right, seriously," Bambietta said, her eyes locking with his own, "I'm usually not one to pry or care, but what the heck is the matter with you? You and that Deliora thing date or something in the past? Because that big block of ice seems like a really over the top way to end a relationship."
Gray suddenly snapped then, his dull optics becoming consumed with a fire more befit of Natsu. He sat up quickly, both hands suddenly taking hold of the neckline of Bambietta's coat.
"You think this is some kind of joke? How dare you insult Ur's name! How dare you! That monster, that damned Deliora, it..."
"Get angry, that's it," Bambietta replied with a cold stare. "Believe me, better that than being down in the dumps. At least that way you can keep moving forward."
"No," Gray said, letting go of Bambietta and turning away, his face once more becoming stoic. "Thank you, but no. I can't go forward like that either."
"Well it works for me," Bambietta said with a huff. "Something bad happens, I get pissed and things get destroyed. It's my way of cutting ties with the past."
"Oh that's lovely," Lucy whimpered. "I hope you never want to put me and Fairy Tail behind you..."
Bambietta tried to ignore that, her attention focused solely on Gray. "So who's Ur?"
Gray said nothing, leaving Bambietta to wonder if she was going to get that answer. She simply watched as the ice mage suddenly sat upon the ground, bringing his hands together and resting his chin upon them.
"She..." he began to say, his voice trembling for a brief moment. "Ur was my teacher." Then there was more silence, if only for a second. Gray was lost in thought again, trying so very hard to put his thoughts and feelings into words. "No, she was more than that. She was like a mother to me. Even when I had nothing, even when I was nothing, she gave me a purpose. She gave me strength and knowledge. She gave me a future and all I could do in return was watch her die!"
Bambietta said nothing in turn, allowing Gray to try and compose himself. She looked up at the frozen Deliora instead, her eyes narrowing at its presence. "A mother? And this thing took her away from you, right?"
There was a slight movement upon Bambietta's right hand, her fingers begging to curl into the palm. Magic began to draw closer, shifting into her spiritual strength, the Quincy beginning to bring forth her bow.
"Then maybe we should kill this demon and be done with it!"
"Don't!" Gray's hand suddenly moved outwards, his fingers wrapping around Bambietta's wrist.
"Why the hell shouldn't I?" Bambietta screamed. "Trash like that shouldn't even be allowed to live!"
"Why do you care so much about what happened to Ur?"
Bambietta simply shouted in return, her voice suddenly calming. "Because... because I..." She became withdrawn then and there, a distant memory of a time long since passed rising up within her thoughts, the screams of another tearing into her soul. "Forget it! Just forget it! So why can't we just kill this thing? You froze it clearly, so it can't be all that tough!"
"I didn't do anything in revenge, I was too weak" Gray said, his voice calm and icy once more. "His imprisonment was Ur's dying wish. She..." Once more did his voice lose its luster. "She used Iced Shell to create his tomb. In the end she sacrificed her life..." Gray began to sob by that point yet still he pushed forward. "Her spirit and body became that ice."
"So, uh, Natsu should keep his distance, right?" Lucy asked, approaching.
Bambietta glared, taking note of a particular Dragon Slayer moving closer to look at Deliora. An arrow of light suddenly pierced the ground before him, causing Natsu to stop dead in his tracks. "Hey!"
"Were you even listening?" Bambietta asked before suddenly catching herself in the moment, recalling her inability to follow earlier conversations, let alone the myriad number of speeches from Yhwach she had tuned out in a life long gone. "Okay, so I'm not one to talk."
Then did it happen, the cavern suddenly becoming eclipsed in a violet light. From the opening high atop the cavern had a column of the radiant glow descended down, encircling the frozen Deliora.
"Okay, what the hell?" Bambietta glared at the strange light, her spiritual senses awakening once more. She could feel it in the air, something very wrong going on. "Wait, this is that purple moonlight from before, isn't it?"
"Oh yeah," Lucy replied. "It just made that creepy face of yours in the village all the scarier, you know?"
"This isn't good." Bambietta's thoughts were elsewhere, her body succumbing to the strange energies within the cavern. There was a power growing in strength, all the while another receding. "This energy. Could it be... Deliora?"
"Damn it!" Gray suddenly grew distraught, his eyes focusing on the imprisoned monster.
"That light it's..." Bambietta's eyes began to widen as realization struck her.. "It's slowly melting the ice!"
Gray began to once more become consumed with rage, his body trembling. "I don't know who this Cold Emperor is, but he's going to regret the day he dared dishonor my master's sacrifice!"
Bambietta simply stared at Gray then, the Quincy unable to process or truly understand what he was speaking of. "Yeah," she muttered to herself quietly, all but drowned out by Natsu's own excited yelling about an upcoming battle. "Let's go and preserve the memory of the long dead. Fat lot of good that does them."
Much to Bambietta's surprise, Gray looked directly at her. "What did you just say?"
The Quincy paused in response, having not expected the young man to catch even a whisper of her condemnation. Then did she see the others looking at her again and in turn did Bambietta grow flustered, her temper flaring. "She's dead, okay? Just another person willing to throw their life away at the drop of the hat! Her, Captain Doggie and my moth- Damn it!" Bambietta tried to compose herself, knowing it was for naught. "Did Ur teach you Iced Shell?"
Gray answered simply. "Yes."
"If that monster gets loose," Bambietta said as she walked past him, "then you damn well better not be stupid enough to use that spell, you got me?"
Gray turned to look at Bambietta then, his own temper flaring. "Don't you dare lecture me, newbie!"
Bambietta's shoulders sunk, her voice low and quiet when next she spoke, all the while her back facing Gray. "She sacrificed herself so you could live, right? I don't get it but... how would she feel if you died the same way she did?"
"If push came to shove," Gray began to respond, "I'd be honored to do for others what Ur did for me."
Bambietta simply repeated herself. "How would she feel?" Then did she look at Gray, her expression cold despite the strange glow in her eyes. "You know what? To hell with it. Let's just go kick this Cold Emperor''s ass and be done with it."
"Well, there's the group we saw earlier," Natsu said as he and the others moved about quietly on the temple's rooftop. "And that must be the Cold Emperor jerk they were talking about."
Bambietta could see him well enough, a masked man standing before them, his cloak fluttering in the wind as she barked orders at the trio. "A pompous jackass wearing a mask. Yeah, I'd say he's in charge. Still..." Bambietta began to think it over. "Why the hell is he wearing a mask anyways? Either he is one ugly son of a gun underneath or he has something to hide."
"Or he just thinks it looks cool!" Happy exclaimed, fluttering by Bambietta.
"Quiet." The Quincy quickly scooped Happy out of the air and held him tight against her chest, making sure to keep his mouth shut.
"You have not found the intruders yet?" The Cold Emperor asked his subordinates. "How unfortunate. None may be allowed to interrupt the Moon Drip ceremony. No doubt our infestation is from that damned village that calls this island home."
"Perhaps," Sherry said, the woman clearly enamored with her masked lord. "But if only a few of them are the problem..."
"I so despise spilling innocent blood," The Cold Emperor continued, "but if it is needed, then I suggest we exterminate the entire village and be done with it."
"To heck with this!" Natsu suddenly screamed, catching Bambietta and the others off guard as she stood up plainly in view and sacrificing the cover the temple wall had granted them. "Leave the village out of it! We're the ones you want!"
"Well now, a time to fight." Bambietta let Happy go then, looking at the cat. "Sorry, kitty. I don't know what came over me. I was looking forward to a little carnage."
"Those marks they wear," Sherry began to say, "they're from Fairy Tail!"
"So the village contracted outside help," The Cold Emperor said simply. "How unfortunate. They will die than for bringing you into this."
"What?" Natsu shouted. "But we're the intruders!"
"He's a bad man, Natsu," Bambietta said, standing to her full height, little as it was, "and they never play by the rules of common courtesy. Trust me."
"Sherry, Toby, Yuka," The Cold Emperor said. "Go deal with the village. Now."
"Yes, Cold Emperor." Sherry nervously answered before turning away with the others and walking off. "I would gladly stain my soul for you if that is your wish."
"To hell with you!" Gray suddenly dashed forward, lunging towards the masked Cold Emperor. "I won;t let you dishonor Ur's sacrifice with this ritual!"
Gray brought his hands down to the temple's rooftop, causing magical ice to erupt from it. The trail of shards made a beeline for the Cold Emperor then, yet the masked man simply brought one hand down as well.
Then did it happen. The same technique came to life, meeting Gray's head on. The twin magics cancelled each other out, leaving Bambietta and the others simply stunned.
"So it is you," Gray said, panting slightly. "What the hell are you doing, Lyon?"
"Lyon?" Lucy whispered. "Then they know each other?"
"So the masked man has a connection to our friend? Figures." Bambietta looked to the Cold Emperor, now Lyon, and began to speak as she pointed at him. "So what are you? His daddy? The guy who killed his mommy and daddy the day he was born? A distant relative's former roommate? Out with it, man!"
Lyon glared at Bambietta then. "You irritate me, woman."
"Woman?" Bambietta glared at the masked Lyon then. "Oh, you so deserve a swift kick to the-"
"Get out of here!" Gray suddenly shouted, cutting Bambietta off.
"Excuse me?" the Quincy asked, glaring at him next. "How many idiots do I need to kick in the-"
"Natsu and I can deal with this," Gray said, "like it or not. You, Lucy and Happy need to go deal with the others! Protect the village!"
"Oh damn it all. I wanted to fight the next big bad." The Quincy turned to Lucy then, only to find her already up in the air thanks to Happy pulling up on the back of her shirt. "Lucy?"
"I'll go with Happy this time," the Celestial mage said. "You both make cracks about my weight, but it doesn't sting as much coming from the kitty."
"Aye, sir!"
Bambietta sighed before at last stepping into the air. "I didn't mean- let's just go."
The trio of Fairy Tail members took off then, leaving Gray and Natsu to contend with Lyon. Yet still did Bambietta look back over her shoulder, taking one last look.
"Whatever part of his past he's from," the Quincy whispered, "put it away for good, Gray."
Bambietta simply leaned up against a hut, Happy by her side and content to allow Lucy to explain to the villagers what had gone in during their trek through the island. Long winded explanations were never the Quincy's forte, the most she could think of to say being 'the bad people are coming, the bad people are coming,' so she was quite willing to allow Lucy to go into elaborate detail.
Yet as the Celestial wizard continued to explain to the village elder of Lyon's plans, Bambietta could not help but be impressed. "Huh, so you do have a knack for storytelling. Nice."
"- And that's what has been going on here," Lucy finally finished. "So we need to do what we can to protect the village."
"And that's where I step in," Bambietta said, cracking her knuckles. "Time to bust some heads."
"And I think I've got a pretty nice plan to help you with that," Lucy said with a smirk. "Oh yes, this'll be awesome!"
"The traps are set, princess."
Bambietta simply stared at the Celestial Spirit known as Virgo, once more the maid's actions having left her bereft of any rational thought.
"This," the Quincy began to shout, "is your brilliant plan?"
It had been all but half an hour since they had returned to the village and all Bambietta could see before her now was a dug hole, one covered by brush. It was a simple trap, which was precisely why she could not believe Lucy had pressed a summoned spirit into such labor.
"Your roommate seems displeased with my work, princess," Virgo said, looking to Lucy. "Did I do poorly? Do I need... to be punished?"
"No!" Lucy shouted.
"Yes!" Bambietta screamed. "I'll do it if need be!"
Virgo's face suddenly lit up, the maid looking towards Bambietta with glowing eyes. "You would? Truly?"
The Quincy paused where she stood, her eyes widening in shock. "On second thought..."
"Thank you, Virgo," Lucy said, trying to interject herself into the matter. "I'll see you later?"
"I hope to be of service to you again," Virgo said as she bowed slightly and then vanished from sight.
"Okay, real talk now, Lucy," Bambietta said. "I know they don't look like much, but we're dealing with legit bad guys here, Lucy. Not Saturday morning cartoon villains. Nobody is dumb enough to fall into a blatant trap like this."
"Well, I was trying," Lucy said softly, looking away from Bambietta. "Not everyone can manhandle the opposition like you."
The Quincy lowered her head in response. "Look, I didn't mean-"
"Hey, everybody! What's up!"
Bambietta and Lucy both turned then, catching sight of Natsu fast approaching, a battered and broken Gray atop his shoulders.
"Oh for- 'Natsu and I can deal with this' he says." Bambietta glared at the relatively unharmed Dragon Slayer, at least compared to Gray. "What the hell happened?"
"Well it's simple, I- whoa!"
Natsu suddenly disappeared from sight, taking Gray with him. All that remained was the now revealed put Virgo had dug, the covering disturbed.
"See?" Lucy proclaimed. "The trap worked!"
"I was wrong," Bambietta replied. "Somebody was dumb enough to fall for it."
The Quincy began to think it over, a time long since passed coming back to her. "You know, I do recall actually doing something similar once. My friends and I were left home alone by our, uh, daddy and we had to defend the place against some nasty Arrancars. We had some fun with the traps though. I wonder if we bring back and oldie and a goodie. We'd just need a bucket of gasoline and a flame thrower..."
"A Ron Car? What's that?" Lucy asked, for once not allowing Bambietta's violent tendencies to intimidate her.
"Never mind, we should so cover that trap back up again," Bambietta said. "Not like Lyon's henchman are any smarter looking than Natsu."
A voice called out from the pit. "I heard that."
Suddenly did Gray's limp form come flying out of the trap, Natsu climbing his way out not soon after. Lucy was quick to cover it back up then, Bambietta staring at her allies.
"So again," she asked, "what happened? No way you two could lose to one guy."
"Well we could have taken him together if Gray hadn't been a jerk!" Natsu complained. "But he just had to be all macho and push me off the temple so he could fight that masked guy by himself!"
Bambietta snapped then, moving towards the unconscious Gray and grabbing the lapels of his shirt. "You idiot!" she screamed, speaking completely without control. "You had people who were willing to fight by your side and you threw them all away? Do you have any idea how much I would kill for that? Do you?"
"Bambi, let it go," Lucy said, moving in close and placing a gentle hand on her roommate's shoulder. "He can't hear you anyway."
"Damn it." The Quincy let go of Gray and stood up and moved away. "Just... damn it."
She was quiet then, trying to let her thoughts flow freely and without restraint. Yet that opportunity was soon lost, her friends yelling suddenly.
"Look!" Happy suddenly began to shout. "Up in the sky!"
"It's a bird?" Lucy asked.
"An airship?" Natsu said next, still confused.
Shaking her head, Bambietta turned to look into the night sky instead and was greeted by a sight she could never have been prepared for. "No, it's just the stupidest thing I've ever seen."
There it was, the giant rat from before. Bambietta knowing now that its name was Angelica, she could only look at it with nothing but confused amazement. It was still wearing its corset from earlier, ribbons and a bonnet atop its head, yet now it was carrying a bucket perhaps even bigger than itself.
Strange of all, however, was that it was flying, its tail whipping around in circles much like the helicopters Bambietta had seen in the World of the Living back in her home dimension.
"Seriously, what is this?" The Quincy could not even properly blink at the sight above her.
"Oh, don't let it worry your pretty little head," Natsu said, shrugging. "This is only the sixth weirdest thing I've ever laid eyes on."
Bambietta glared at him then. "You have got to be screwing with me."
"What's that even mea- uh oh." Natsu never finished his question, the Dragon Slayer taking note of the sudden panic around him. He, Lucy, Bambi and Happy all looked up to see Angelica suddenly turning the bucket she was carrying over, its green liquid contents falling out.
"What the heck is that?" Lucy shouted.
"I'm going to assume not good," Bambietta answered. She began summon her bow then, unsure of what it could hope to accomplish. "Let's see if I can-"
Natsu simply leapt up to meet the poison liquid head on, his hands coming alive with his trademark power. "Fire Dragon's Brilliant Flame!"
There it was, a burst of power in midair, an explosive force that left Bambietta left recalling a strength she longed to regain. "Natsu..."
The poison burned away then, only trace amounts harmlessly striking the ground in the area. Natsu landed besides his team once more, clearly ready for whatever came next.
Angelica, meanwhile, simply descended to the ground as well and from its back climbed down three others. They were Lyon's compatriots, clearly intent on fighting now that the need had arisen.
"Oh, Lyon is going to be so mad at me," Sherry whimpered. "Mad at us I mean. We'll have to do this ourselves. I just... didn't want to get my hands dirty like this."
The towering Angelica let out a loud grunt then, nodding its head towards its master.
"You'd fight on my behalf once more?" Sherry said, looking up at her massive pet with gleaming eyes. "Oh, you're so sweet."
"I think I'm going to be sick," Bambietta said simply, the Quincy sticking a finger into her mouth as if to gag. "Seriously, you two go get a room. Maybe Lyon will join in."
"You're rather unpleasant." Sherry glared at Bambietta as she leapt up into Angelica's hands. She pointed towards the Quincy then, a smile adorning her face. "Let's go, Angelica!"
"So, Lucy, want to see me stomp a mud hole in this kaiju rat?" Bambietta asked, pounding a fist into an open hand. "Hey, Natsu, I leave the dog whisperer and the guy with the stupid eyebrows to you! Have fun!"
"Who made you the boss of me- whoa?" The Dragon Slayer never got the opportunity to complete is sentence, Angelica and Sherry suddenly flying by him, the giant rat's tail stirring up wind currents as it passed.
Bambietta prepared herself for battle then, no matter how peculiar it seemed to be, yet her opponents simply flew by her as well. "What the hell?"
"Help me!"
The Quincy turned then, catching sight of Angelica flying away, Lucy panicking as she held on to one of its back paws.
"Why did I get so gung-ho and grab this? Bambi, stop this crazy thing!"
"My rent!" the Quincy shouted, one moment later knowing Natsu might be giving her a dirty look. "I mean my roommate!"
The Quincy took off with Hirenkyaku then, more than ready to close the distance between herself and the most absurd enemy she would ever face.
"Well, the most absurd as long as I avoid the five things that topped it in Natsu's eyes..."
Sherry allowed the cool night air to whisk itself between her pink locks, the wizard knowing full well the strategy she had in mind. Her loyal and loving pet would pick up much speed and return to the battlefield, crashing down on those who dared oppose her dear Lyon with such force that all that red stains upon the ground would be all that was left.
Yet now she knew she had a straggler, one Fairy Tail wizard having rather insanely grabbing Angelica as it had passed by. "I wonder if we could shake her off, hmmm?"
"I wouldn't recommend that."
Sherry could hear a voice in the distance and soon could she make out a figure, a woman in white standing atop thin air, her cape billowing in the wind.
"Another Fairy Tail wizard?"
Bambietta stood her proverbial ground, bringing her bow to life and taking careful aim. "Give me my friend or this will end badly."
"Ram her, Angelica!"
"All right then," Bambietta said, pulling back an arrow of light. "I guess now I'll show you my point."
The arrow fired off then, the blazing spiritual weapon tearing into Angelica's right eye. The massive right roared in agony, its tail suddenly no longer spinning, its thoughts preoccupied with pain.
"There we go." Bambietta said as Angelica fell before her, descending back to the island. Then did her eyes open, hearing the screaming of both Sherry and one other. "Oh, I have errored."
Hirenkyaku took the Quincy down then, makeshift platforms of a spiritual nature giving her a way down.
Then did Angelica hit the ground hard, a burst of dirt and dust spilling up into the air before settling again. Bambietta went into a complete panic then. "Lucy!"
Her speed boosted by her sudden desperation, Bambietta threw herself to the ground with no safety net, no invisible platforms to slow the drop. Blut Vene activated then, allowing her to slam into the ground herself none the worse for wear.
Still did she shout. "Lucy! Lucy!"
"I'm... fine!" The Celestial Mage said as she dropped down from Angelica's rather large foot, her legs unsteady as she touched down on the ground. 'But I so do not want to ever go on that ride again..."
Bambietta felt the urge to move close, to embrace her roommate and friend out of relief, but she managed to restrain herself as best as possible. Well I'm glad that's over with."
"Not yet it is!"
The Quincy whirled around, catching sight of Sherry landing on the ground behind her. "Give it up, pinkie," Bambietta offered. "You're pet's down and there's no way you can take me on."
"Hey!"
"And you certainly can't handle me and Lucy together."
"That's better," Lucy said. "I think."
Sherry's face, meanwhile, was becoming consumed with tears. "You're going to pay for what you did to my sweet little Angelica!"
"Sweet little Angelica? Are you insane?" Bambietta's own temper began to flare. "I don't care how good you dress it up, that is one butt ugly rat!"
Angelica began to stir then, it's one good eye opening and looking at Bambietta. Then, with speed belying its massive size, Angelica reached out with a paw towards the Quincy.
"Angelica is love, huh?" Bambietta continued to argue. "Man, I know beauty is in the of the beholder but you so need to get to an optometrist! But first you're probably going to have to see a proctologist about the foot I'm about to lodge up your- hey!"
Bambietta suddenly found herself caught in the grip of the risen Angelica, the rat beast having snatched her up in midsentence.
"You damn dirty rat!" Bambietta began to screech. "How dare you lay your filthy paws on me!"
"Angelica!" Sherry shouted in glee. "You're okay!"
One eye bleeding, the rat monster glanced down at Sherry and nodded with a grunt before suddenly charging forward with Bambietta, taking her into the distance and slamming her into the side of a cliff overlooking the beach of the island.
"Done in by an ugly ass rat?" the Quincy groaned, allowing Blut Vene to spread across her spin. "No way! Nuh uh! I can lose to a Dragon Slayer, but no way in hell am I losing to this! The other Stern Ritter would never let me live it down when I get home!"
"Chuu!" Angelica simply roared, slamming its paw and Bambietta against the rough terrain again. Then it pulled back, intent on doing the same maneuver once more, yet this time did it scream.
Blood splayed out from its paw, several sections falling away. Bambietta smirked then, her sword having materialized in her hand and cleaved off a portion of her opponent in the process.
"Too bad, rat," Bambietta hissed. "But Makarov never said I had to hold back against monsters. Too bad for you."
In a flash Bambietta brought her sword to bear, tearing through flesh and bone and leaving the beast to howl in pain. As it lumbered away, Bambietta fell into a crouch, her sword dripping with blood.
"Just like old times," the Quincy said as she stared at the droplets of red liquid slipping away from her blade and staining the sand. Then without pity or remorse, she leapt towards Angelica's throat, the clash of spiritual steel and sinew resuming once more.
Bambietta fell to the ground once more, the remains of Angelica crashing down beside her. "Sorry but not sorry, Angelica. You kind of put me in a pickle there so I had to play rough, you rugrat."
Bambietta turned around then, hearing the sound of the beast's labored breathing. She could see it happen then and there, the light slowly fading from Angelica's one good eye, the giant rat's breath finally stopping.
Bambietta could say or feel nothing then but a simple joy in a bloody battle that she had won on her own terms. It felt good, yes, but this was a first. Never before had she allowed herself to watch the life fade from an enemy. She had simply moved on to the next victim or the next mission.
For that one brief moment she was glad that had always been the case.
"Lucy." Then did Bambietta take off with Hirenkyaku, trying to find the next opponent to keep herself busy.
Yet when she arrived Lucy was standing in triumph, Sherry on the ground and still.
"You beat her?"
"Well yeah," Lucy said softly. "She was kind of a pain but then we both heard some horrible scream of pain and Sherry completely freaked out and I... I kind of clotheslined her then. So I... I won. You did too?"
Bambietta said nothing for a moment, then smiled to the best of her ability. "Yeah. That's what I do."
There was an unnatural silence then between the two women, Bambietta once more lost in thought. She looked down at the beaten Sherry then, wandering what the wizard would say or do when she found out what had happened to her monstrous beast of a pet.
"Actions," Bambietta began to say, as if speaking to herself, "have consequences."
"You speak the truth," a voice called out from the distance, "and I think it's high time you both experience those consequences first hand."
Bambietta and Lucy both turned to face the voice, expecting another opponent. Only then did Lucy begin to freak out, recognizing well that the individual approaching was no opponent. "Oh no...
Bambietta, however, could only disagree. She began to grin then, her voice low echoing with the remnants of bloodlust. "Erza."
And thats a wrap! Looks like Erza's decided to show up and Ruin everyone's fun. Don't worry though, Bambietta's got this! She wants to get that S class promotion, and nothing is going to stop her!
As you can see from this chapter though, yes, Bambietta IS bisexual. Its something Ive always been open to the character being personally speaking. Its best to establish that now instead of later. Besides...Lucy IS a bombshell.
Hope you all enjoyed the chapter! Please leave a review to tell us what you think. We cant know if we're doing something wrong if no one tells us. Besides, reviews are our motivation!
