Chapter 3: This is why I don't leave the house

Summary: In which Erza holds grudges, Lucy physically cannot, Natsu thinks girls are weird, and Gray becomes a jeweler. But all of them just want to know where this guy came from and why the hell he was see-through!?

Chapter title taken from "This is why" by Paramore

Not one of the 4 students were looking forward to detention. Well, maybe Lucy was, seeing that as soon as she had finished talking with Principal Makarov, she hadn't returned to any of her afternoon classes. Natsu (although reluctant due to the enormous cloud of guilt surrounding him) and Gray had bet on her ditching and transferring schools. Erza quietly muttered to herself how much of a coward the "blond haired barbie doll" was to run away so quickly. So imagine Gray's shock and not-so-poor-anymore Natsu's joy (soon followed by heavy remorse) when the three opened the door to the attic and found that very same blond doodling on the corner of a giant chalkboard.

She didn't even try to acknowledge anyone's presence other than sending a very intense glare (aimed solely at Natsu). The boy shivered, gripping the straps of his backpack and setting it down right by his feet. Yeah, Natsu felt horribly guilty for everything up to this point. This rich blond new girl wasn't actually that bad. Anyone willing to take on The Erza Scarlet and prove themselves instantly won his respect. Lucy proved herself by leaving his legs numb for an hour and a half. Natsu had failed to earn her respect by… being nothing but a huge dick .

He should make a book and title it "How to completely ruin your chances with a potential badass friend in less than 24 hours!" It could even have a step by step instruction manual with it.

Early preparations:

Barge into her private practice room and insult her before leaving.

How to ruin her life:

1. Yell at her as soon as she walks through the door of your classroom as the new kid.

2. Offer to show her around and annoy the hell out of her by being obnoxiously Natsu.

3. Call her names and rudely insult her before leaving her all alone in a school that you hadn't bothered to show her around in the first place.

4. Cause her to have a mental breakdown in front of the entire school and mention the fact that she's never had any friends before (which you oh-so-cleverly decided to rudely insult her about not even 2 minutes before!)

5. Get her detention on her first day of school...

Wow. Now, when it's put like that, Natsu really wanted to bang his head against the nearest wall and give her his most important organ to make up for how horrible he had been to her. Well… either he could do that or just… apologize. Although something tells him a simple apology wouldn't be enough.

"Let's get started boys," Erza clapped her hands, glancing at the pile of junk by her feet. "The quicker we finish, the quicker we're able to get out of here. And don't touch anything that looks important! Just look through these boxes for now."

Gray nodded and dejectedly began shifting through a box to his left. Natsu noticed Erza doing the same with another box as Lucy continued to doodle on that chalkboard.

While he nonchalantly tried to sneak his way over to her, he did catch a glimpse of the images she had decided to entertain herself with. A cute little snowman caught his eye first, followed by cutesy flowers and trees. As he managed to almost reach her he noticed a small figure on one tree, hanging by his neck on a rope… The figure looked suspiciously like Natsu with his unruly pink hair and sharp eyes… it even had the added bonus of sharp teeth and a snake-like tongue…

Yup. That was well deserved.

"Heyyy Lucy!" He stupidly decided was a perfect conversation starter. But with the look she shot him, he half expected to spontaneously combust on the spot. He winced as she turned back to the chalkboard, loudly scraping the chalk across mini-Natsu's torso.

"Right…" He awkwardly chuckled, shuffling away from her clenched fist.

Maybe he ought to leave her alone a little bit longer. The boy was almost certain that hearing his voice again would cause a reenactment of their earlier lunch fiasco.

His shins pulsed at the mental reminder.

"…know why…" a small voice caught his attention. He whipped his head back around, nervous by the fact that the voice had come from Lucy…

"I just want to know why?" She repeated quietly, knowing Natsu was the only one within hearing range.

"W-what?"

"Why do you hate me so much?" Her voice cracked as she finally turned to look at him, flushed cheeks and puffy eyes seemingly burning into the young boy's soul. He gaped at her, opening and closing his mouth, praying for an explanation to come out. But he only received squeaks in response.

"What did I do?" She continued, voice growing more and more agitated as she went on. "Have I offended you in some way? I-i didn't mean to if that was the issue. I really was just wondering who you were and what you were doing in my practice room-"

"No Lucy, stop." Natsu placed his hand on her shoulder, frowning when she flinched back at the movement. He removed his hand, placing it at his side and balling it into a fist. "It wasn't your fault. I-i don't hate you it's just-"

"Guys, you've gotta come check this out!" Gray interrupted, hastily waving the two over now that it seemed Lucy wasn't as hesitant. Natsu sighed, sending the blond girl a look that promised to finish their conversation later. She nodded in understanding, lifting herself off of the stool she had been sitting in and walked over to where Gray (and unfortunately for her) Erza stood.

Gray was on his knees below a desk that looked like it had once belonged in a classroom. The lower right drawer was left open as he lifted up a small box full of… jewelry?

"What is it?" Erza whispered, gently grabbing onto one of the small sword pendants. Compared to the other two in the box, it was a boring rusted piece that should have been buried with whatever chain it came off of. Natsu bounced over as soon as he saw Erza pick it up, more interested in the fact that he could freely touch something in the attic than the fact that these charms made him feel… weird. Anxious maybe.

But, alas, the boy pushed the feeling to the back of his mind, peering over Gray's shoulder and grabbing the first thing he saw out of the box. It was another small sword pendant but it was objectively more interesting than Erza's. Its thick blade was yellow, maybe gold, the side partly wrapped in a decorated red. He couldn't see much else of the detail due to the fact that the jewel fit in the palm of his hand.

Gray grabbed the last sword which looked like a newer and better version of the one Erza had grabbed. The only other notable thing about it was the circle separating the hilt from the blade, an intricately placed cross in the middle of it. Of course to the raven-haired boy, there were many noticeable things about it. Like how familiar the jewel looked… hasn't he seen it somewhere before…?

"Is that all?" Lucy spoke, causing Gray to jump out of his stupor. He looked back into the box, noticing the two golden bracelets with strange symbols decorating the sides. He shook his head, handing the box over to the blond. She meekly grabbed it, thanking him before taking a peek inside the box herself. Natsu noticed as her eyes narrowed and her head tilted in confusion. It was an expression he had seen her make while they were in chemistry… when the work was too confusing and he had been awful enough to tease her about it… God, he was a terrible person.

"Whatcha got there?" He asked, hoping his voice wasn't as shaky with nerves as he thought it was.

"These bracelets…"

"Let me see." The red-head demanded, making grabbing motions with her hands. Lucy looked up at Erza, pursing her lips and quickly handing her the box before they could start another fight. She had promised the tiny principle that she would behave herself. That was the agreement.

"Oh? How strange…"

"Isn't it?" Lucy stood over Erza, eyeing the box in her hands with suspicion. "Two bracelets, each embroidered with different zodiac symbols. You'd think that these belonged in a museum with how rare they look."

"Indeed… However, I don't recall Taurus and Aquarius being connected in some way."

Lucy nodded. "Me neither. I read somewhere that Taurus is the mutual relationship between the physical being and the spirit. And Aquarius-"

"Is the spirits guide." Erza finished, nodding her head in understanding. Lucy's eyes widened, surprised that someone other than herself found at least some interest in the stars. She blinked, staring as the red-head began mumbling suggestions and theories about how they may somehow connect. And then, to Natsu's surprise, she smiled. A very kind smile that looked like it was meant to stay on her face for eternity. The boy felt his gut twist again knowing he had been the one to take that smile away only a few hours ago.

"Erza, right?" The blond smiled more as Erza lifted her head, staring at Lucy with surprise and slight suspicion.

"That is correct…" She managed, pushing up her (obviously fake) glasses.

"I'm Lucy." The girl held out her hand, urging the red-head to shake it. Lucy gave her an apologetic smile, wiggling her finger as Erza continued to stare at them in question. "Let's start over…"

The red-heads eyes widened almost comically. In fact, Natsu would have fallen to his knees and started banging on the floor as he tried and failed to contain his laughter if he wasn't in such a state of shock himself. It couldn't be that simple right? Natsu's shins were put in danger of breaking off because of their fight only a few hours ago. There's no way it was that easy.

Erza smiled again, confidently meeting Lucy's eyes as she reached out and shook the blonde's hand. And once again, Natsu was proven wrong.

Gray turned to the pink haired boy, smugly, crossing his arms over his bare chest.

"Close your mouth dude, you could catch flies."

Natsu snapped his jaw shut, eyeing his rival from the corner of his eye. "Shutup." He grumbled, playfully shoving the boy back.

"Well, now that that's in order," Erza cleared her throat, getting right back into business. "These strange charms have to be connected to each other somehow…"

The roof made a groaning noise, interrupting the girl in the middle of her speech. Natsu and Gray shared a look unconsciously scooting closer together.

Lucy crept a bit closer to Erza, clenching the box in her hands. "W-what was that?" She squeaked.

As for Erza, she seemed unfazed if only a bit annoyed at the interruption. "As I was saying," she glanced around the room suspiciously. "There must be a reason such beautiful artifacts were stuffed in this dusty old attic-"

The room shook, causing Lucy and Natsu to let out high pitched shrieks. The two slid towards each other, holding onto their artifacts for dear life.

And Erza continued talking.

"It must be something that someone is trying to keep secret…"

"Uhh... Erza!" Gray grabbed Natsu's arm before he could fall over, gripping the desk in front of him for dear life. "I really think you should stop talking!"

"... by the way they were hidden…"

High pitched laughter could be heard from every corner of the room, ringing in their ears like the town clock would every time it strikes 12:00. "Erza please!" The pink haired boy's voice trembled, his gaze tracking how the girl was miraculously able to stand still and nonchalant during everything that was happening.

"Which probably means that we've found something that we otherwise shouldn't have-"

"Oh for the love of- WILL YOU SHUT UP!?"

That successfully got Erza to shut her mouth. A fact that was unfortunately not as comforting as the group had predicted seeing as neither one of them had said that… which means there was both good news and bad news.

Good news, the room had stopped shaking, and the voices had stopped ringing in their ears.

The bad news however… was that they seemed to have found the owner of their current… predicament. There was a multi-colored transparent being standing in the middle of the room. The human-like creature licked its teeth in sick amusement, stuffing its hands in its pockets. Lucy sucked in a sharp breath when the creature's eyes began to rake across every living body in the room… starting with her.

"Interesting…" it said, sounding more masculine than before. His long white hair bobbed from side to side as he levitated around the space. "It seems that the old geezer was foolish enough to make mere children the guardians!" it barked out a laugh.

"Who are you?" Erza demanded, her voice devoid of any emotion.

"Me?" The thing makes a humming noise as if it were struggling to answer such a simple question. "What's the word you humans use…"

"You humans?" Lucy squeaked, shuffling even closer to Erza than she had already been. The blond didn't look like she was even close to releasing her deadly grip on her new friend's arm.

"Ah!" something clicked in the things head as he snapped his fingers. He turned to respond to Erza's question, something weird glinting in his eye as he regarded the cowering children before him. "I guess you could say that I'm a… ghost!"

Whatever shaky reply Lucy had in mind was instantly interrupted by an amused noise coming from not only a pink-haired individual in the room, but a raven-haired one as well. The two girls (and the one ghost ) all turned to stare at them with similar looks of exasperation.

"That's so cool!" Natsu walked up to the creature, barking out question after question. "Can you, like, go through walls? Or possess people!? Wait-" He gasped. "Can my hand go through your body!?"

"Shut up flame brain, I'm asking the questions!" Gray's hands were clenched in his pockets, like he was trying to look nonchalant about the whole exchange but was obviously vibrating with just as much excitement as his childhood friend was.

"Why do you glow neon colors? How is it possible that you're transparent but we can still sort of see you? Are you allowing us to see you right now? Or have you always been here at the school in plain sight and we as a collective group of students and staff have just failed to notice because of-"

"Wow." The ghost blinked, turning back to Lucy and Erza with a look of concern. "Do they have no self preservation? Like, at all?" Lucy turned to the red-haired girl as she nonchalantly shrugged her shoulders.

"Okay…" The transparent man clicked his teeth, sighing loudly as he floated up to the ceiling. "As I was saying!" the two boys snapped their mouths shut. "My name is Erigor and I've been summoned by those shiny jewels in your hands…" he licked his lips. "If you hand them over now, then there will be no need for me to tear each of you apart. Bit. By. Bi-"

"Summoned?" Natsu questioned out loud, holding his chin in thought. "But there's no spooky summoning circle anywhere, how is that possible?"

The atmosphere grew cold, the other three high schoolers gaping in shock.

"… n… now that you mention it," Lucy felt her fear dissipate as she thought about the question. "Maybe the jewelry had a seal on them or something and by picking them up we released the ghost?"

Gray raised a hand. "But then, why were such important jewels in a raggedy box inside of a high school attic in the first place?"

"That is an excellent question, Gray." Erza chimed in, nodding her head in thought. "Whoever placed the seal should have been more responsible-"

"WHO CARES!?" Erigor snapped, tugging his hair in frustration. "Ugh this is why I hate children- STOP INTERRUPTING ME, AND HAND OVER THE JEWELS!"

The room went silent as the students quietly contemplated their options. Lucy hummed in thought. On one hand, if they gave him the jewels, they'd be let go without a fight and she'd live to see another day. But on the other hand, what if Erigor only wanted the jewels so that he could end the world? Then there'd be no point in giving them to him if they were just gonna die anyway…

"Uh, no." Natsu spoke up, walking towards the attic door and cracking it open. "Why do ya' want them so bad? Do they give you cool powers or something?"

"Natsu…" Lucy warned seeing the ghost clench his fist in anger.

Natsu turned to her, sending her a sly wink before lazily making his way towards the threat.

The boy took the small sword pendant out of his pocket, turning it over in his fingers and inspecting it with interest. "What does it do?" His thumb skimmed over a small button on the hilt.

Erigor's eyes widened in worry. "Don't do it boy! You have no idea how much power is held inside-"

Natsu smirked, sending a glare over his shoulder. "Gray," He growled quietly, gesturing towards the door behind him. "Get them outta here."

Satisfied with the curt nod that he got in return Natsu pushed the button on the bottom of the small jewel. "Now!" he yelled. The tiny piece of metal suddenly grew in the boy's hand, becoming an actual sword. Its tip engulfed itself in a swarm of fire as the cracks along its side filled up with a lava like substance.

"Wow!" Natsu stared in awe, swinging it around almost professionally.

Lucy could only look back in wonder one last time before Gray ushered her and Erza out of the door, roughly slamming the door behind him. The three stood at the top of the stairs, heavy breathing being the only thing blocking Erigor's unholy shrieking in the room behind them.

Lucy's breath shook as she spared a glance at her two classmates. "We… We have to go help him!"

"No." Gray shot her down, unbuttoning his shirt as he spoke. " I have to help him. You two have to get to safety."

"That's unreasonable, Gray!" Erza spoke Lucy's exact thoughts, looking more frazzled than the blond had ever seen her before. "You saw what his sword did, ours probably have the same features. We can take the ghost down together!"

"And what about Lucy?" The boy countered, his shirt now entirely off of his body and discarded on the floor. "She doesn't have a sword, somebody needs to stay and protect her."

To Lucy's annoyance, Erza actually seemed to be contemplating this. As if she hadn't almost gotten into a fight with the red headed girl only a few hours earlier. As if she hadn't mangled the hell out of Natsu's shins!

"That's ridiculous!" Lucy leveled the two with a glare. "I'm not gonna sit here and listen to you two decide who gets to protect the weak damsel in distress. I can take care of myself!"

The door to the attic shook as some kind of explosion happened inside followed by a loud high pitched cackle. Lucy could sense Gray trying to come up with a convincing reason as to why she should stay behind but she was not having it.

"I apologize for such a rude introduction, Gray. But I am not heartless enough to leave my potential friends in a dangerous situation by themselves." Lucy pulled the two bracelets out of the box, gently inspecting them.

"I can help." She declared, snapping the Aquarius bracelet on top of the Taurus one. They held together like magnets as Lucy looked up at the two stunned students in determination.

"Let me help ." she pleaded.

Gray and Erza gave each other a look, the silent battle waging on for what felt like minutes. Finally, as the attic continued to rumble and the two realized the urgency of their situation, Erza put a gentle hand on Lucy's shoulder and squeezed.

"I like your fighting spirit Lucy. It is quite admirable." She confessed with a small smile. Lucy beamed back up at her just in time for the girl to raise up a hand in warning.

"However," Erza leveled Lucy with a look of caution. "You must stay behind either Natsu, Gray, or myself. You may not be a damsel in distress, but you also possess no magical transforming sword." She felt silly as those words fell out of her mouth.

The blond opened her mouth in protest but was silenced with another glare. "We don't even know what those bracelets do. Your safety is our priority."

"We are letting you help, Lucy." Gray spoke, feeling around his sword pendant and clicking the round button he noticed earlier. With this, a bigger version of the sword appeared in his hand, clear and almost crystal like. The transparent blue color was reminiscent of ice and Lucy could swear that she felt the temperature drop as soon as the sword fully transformed.

"So if the situation calls for it, let us help you ." Gray finished with a triumphant grin. Lucy couldn't stop the small smile that crept to her lips.

"Okay." The girl promised, as Erza took out her pendant and found the button on its front.

The jewel transformed into a simple looking silver sword. It was sharp enough to do damage for sure, and the wing shape at the hilt was gorgeous. But other than that, compared to both Natsu and Gray's, it was simply a sword.

Erza chose not to dwell on this when she felt her feet rumble once again.

"Let's go." She ordered. And the three ran in to help Natsu.