Fairy Tail: Eien no bōken o kakinaosu
Chapter 11: The Cursed Island
Everyone in the guild turned their attentions to Makarov and Mirajane. Was this true, a request was really stolen? No one in their guild would really steal a request. Money is one thing, but stealing is not the correct way to do it. The question everyone was wondering is how someone could take a request on the second floor without anyone seeing them. The guild's locked up and everyone but the Master stays there at night.
"What? A job sheet is missing?" Wakaba asked, his lips on a cigar.
"If it was on the second floor, it was an S Class job." Macao responded.
"What kind of dummy would run off with that?" Laki asked while standing with Reedus.
(Cue Laxus Run Wild— Fairy Tail Volume one Soundtrack)
From above, Laxus sat on the second-floor table, his arms folded, feet on the table, and grinning. "A cat. I saw a cat with wings take off with it." He described.
Mirajane gasped, turning her attention to the fellow S-Class wizard on the second floor. "Happy did?!"
Everyone in the guild was shocked too. Why would Happy steal an S-Class request? But they quickly put two and two together, if the young, blue cat was involved, then that means as a member of the guild exclaimed, "Meaning Natsu and Lucy, as well Aspen, Shiro, and Setsuko…?!"
"What were they thinking?!" another member demanded.
"Didn't Natsu go on an S-Class mission two years ago?" another member queried.
"Yes, and he and… oh shit, Lisanna! She is going to be really upset when she comes back!" another member shouted.
"They took an S-Class quest just like that?!" Alzack asked his partner Bisca standing beside him hands to her hips.
"I thought they were stupid, but not that stupid." Bisca agreed. "I can see why Lisanna keeps an eye on them; she'll kill him if they don't come back."
"This is a serious breach of the rules." Laxus smiled calmly, "Lisanna's comrades or not, Gramps!" he called. "You're kicking them out the moment they get back, I assume?" he chuckled, the elder master standing up on the bar counter with his arms folded and deep in thought. "Though, given their skill, I doubt they'll come back alive from an S-Class job… The last job Natsu went with an S-Class wizard, he was put in the hospital for a week, imagine the look when little Lisanna finds them dead?"
Mirajane walked up to him at the second floor, her arms to her hips and not in the nice girl attitude. It one thing to bring up the last S Class mission Natsu Dragneel went on, but to leave out the fact it was the mission she allowed the Dragon Slayer to go on? That was low. Even the rest of the guild knew it was just a touchy comment towards the Strauss siblings.
"Laxus! Why didn't you try and stop them if you knew?! Those are Lisanna's friends and the one person she values like a brother!" she replied hotly to the wizard.
"All I saw was a sneaky cat run off with a piece of paper in its mouth." Laxus smiled, eyes closed. "I never imagine it was Happy." and looks to Mira, still smiling, "Or that Natsu was going out on an S-Class job just like what happened to both of them two years ago. Isn't that right, Mirajane?"
Mirajane's eyes were a complete change to her usual look. A dark tone now resonated the once blue eyes are as dark, menacing scowl was upon her face. 'How dare you speak about that, you bastard? What happened was not my fault; it was not any of our faults.'
"Oh?" Laxus realized, eyeing the look of her face. "You haven't given me that look in a while."
"This is bad." spoke up Master Makarov, "What job flyer was taken?" he added, looking up at Mirajane and the smiling smugly Laxus.
"The cursed Island of Guluna, master." Mira explained.
"What?!" responded Makarov eyes widening.
The members of the guild house all gasped in shock at the revelation of the mission Natsu, Lucy, and Happy had taken for them.
"Guluna Island?!" Macao and Wakaba repeated.
"That's insane!" gasped Laki hand to her mouth.
"They really are stupid!" responded both Alzack and Bisca.
"Laxus! Go bring them back!" Makarov ordered the S-Class wizard on the second floor.
"Don't be silly. I have my own work to attend later." he replied. He looked down and kept his smile. "Members of this guild are supposed to be able to take care of themselves… Right?"
"Out of everyone here, what besides you and Lisanna can bring Natsu back by force?!" Makarov shouted.
From behind the elder master, Gray stood up from one of the tables and announced himself to the master, "Gramps."
Makarov looked at the Ice wizard as he added, "I can't let that comment go."
"You'll go get them, Gray?" Makarov asked.
Gray nodded with a serious cold look on his face, "Yes, and if anything happens and those three aren't easily persuaded, send Lisanna when she returns and Erza. If anyone is going to talk some sense into them, it is those two, especially Lisanna. Speaking of her when she comes back?" he added looking at Mirajane.
"It's only a few hours from now, Gray. If you leave now, you just might catch them and bring them back. Then Lisanna won't worry." Mirajane replied.
"Right, then I'll be on it." Gray nodded and headed off to stop Happy, Shiro, Aspen, Setsuko, Lucy, and Natsu.
Meanwhile at the port town of Hargeon, Nasu, Setsuko, Aspen, Shiro, Lucy and Happy were in the middle of town, the Blonde Celestial wizard having a big smile on her face felling almost nostalgic.
"Wow! This brings back memories!" said an amazed Lucy as they stood in the town of Hargeon. Natsu and Happy were right behind her with smiles too. "This is the town I met you guys and Lisanna." She looks back to the two boys and asked, "Did any of you see her with a little pouch of Jewel the other day, and I'm curious where she obtained it."
"Beats me, Macao gave it to her for something." Natsu shrugged. "Probably for saving him a week ago when we were on Mt. Hakobe."
"She's didn't tell me either." Happy said, still on Natsu's bag.
"Oh well." Lucy shrugged. "Let's go and find a boat that'll take us to Guluna Island." And was a little away as she walked, before Natsu realized what the blond-haired Celestial wizard meant.
"Boat?!" He ran up to the walking, smiling, Celestial wizard, teeth bared. "Don't be crazy! We are swimming there!"
Lucy sighed, frowning, "We can't swim that far, and that's crazy."
"Lucy's right, we cannot swim to an island, that way too far. I know you do not like transportation, but cannot swim that long," Aspen said.
The six wizards walk to the port, looking for a boat to take them to the island. The three spoke with some fishers.
"Galuna Island, yeah right! We are not going near that place!"
"Forget it. We don't even want to hear that name."
Disappointed and curious to why no sailors or fishers would want to go, they spoke to another group for answers.
"Sailors around here won't even talk about that island." spoke a man wearing a green shirt in a boat.
"That place is cursed." Added the second man wearing an orange shirt, a white cloth tied on his head, and carrying a wooden create in his hands, "Going there'd be nothing but bad news."
They spoke to another sailor, man with tan skin, a black beard, a blue hat, and a green cloak and with a wide collar. "Dunno what your story is, but you won't find any sailor who'll go there. Even pirates won't go there." He said to Lucy while the others sat on a wooden crate near her.
"You can't be serious…" Lucy replied but Natsu interrupted her.
"It's decided! We swim!"
Lucy turned to them, shaking her head. "We're not swimming." she sighed, wishing Lisanna were here to help carry her while Happy carried Natsu. Then they could try to fly there. Sure, it will be tiresome, but at least they get there.
"I Found you!" a voice called from behind smiling, clapping a hand on their shoulders, causing them to scream in panic and turned to face who snuck up behind them. Gray Fullbuster stood behind them; dressed in a blue shirt, blue bag on his side, and brown pants.
"Gray!" Lucy gasped wide eyed.
"What are you doing here?!" Natsu asked eyes widen too.
"Gramps told me to bring you back." Gray replied.
Eyes widened with even more shock, Natsu shouted nearing the Ice wizard, "We were found out already?!"
"Who knows, if you come back now, he might not kick you out." Gray said smiling at the dumbfounded look on Natsu's face, "Let's go."
"Kicked out?!" Lucy repeated terrified. She just joined, now she is on thin ice already? What a horrible time to be involved with an S-Class request. Even Aspen panicked. Setsuko kept calm, looking at her partner.
"Look, it was a bad idea, we should go back and apologize. We joined the same as Lucy, we will be in trouble too," Setsuko assured them.
"Screw that! I am doing this S Class request!" Natsu shouted back to Gray.
"Yeah, and what about two years ago, Natsu or have you forgotten?" Gray replied hands to his sides. "Plus, you don't have the skills to do one. Man, if Erza hears about this…" he groaned but added in in his thoughts, 'And Lisanna…' stepping back a bit. He imagined the angry looks on their faces, and Lisanna was not an S-Class wizard.
"Eep!" screamed the six of them They forgot about Erza, and she will kill them for taking that mission; but if she catches them, is the worst part.
"Save us Gray!" Happy said frightened, flying to the Ice wizard's shoulder. He looked at him and said frightened, "It was Natsu's idea, I had to do it!"
'Of course it was Natsu's idea… He is the only one ignorant enough to forget the past.' Gray thought.
"So that's how he got it?" Lucy asked. Happy nodded.
"I'm going to show Erza what I can do! I cannot turn back now!" Natsu retorted standing close to the raven-haired wizard.
"It's a direct order from the master; I'll drag you back if I have too." Gray replied sternly. Ice formed in the Ice wizard's hand as he exclaimed, "Don't blame me if you get hurt like two years ago!"
"You're itching for a fight!?" Natsu ordered, flames forming on his fist.
The sailor who was watching noticed the fire/ice forming on the two wizards' hands and asked. "You guys are wizards?!"
The seven look at the sailor.
"Are you going to break the island's curse?"
"Yes." Lucy and Natsu replied with smiles on their faces.
"You're not going anywhere." Gray said with gritted teeth.
The sailor stared at the seven, his mouth agape. He ordered the wizards.
"Get in!"
"Huh?" Lucy questioned? He changed his mind that quick?
"Seriously?!" Natsu asked eagerly.
"Hey!" Gray called Natsu grinned darkly. With one swift kick, Natsu sent Gray flying into the air and crashing to the ground, a huge bump on his head.
"I think that a bit overboard." Lucy laughed nervously.
Natsu hoisted the Ice wizard on his back and smiled, "Oh all right! We will take the boat there!"
"We're taking Gray with us?" Lucy asked curiously. She did not mind, but he did knock him out, so there is no way he will help them if he comes too.
"If he goes back to the guild, Erza will come next…" He replied with a hint of panic in his voice.
Lucy was frightened. Erza finding out is scary, not as scary as another face finding out.
"Well sir, we will be behind schedule on getting to the island. Thank you for taking us," Setsuko said, before thinking, 'We are dead if we don't go and we're dead if we are found..."
Back at the Guild, Mirajane and Makarov sat at the bar, waiting for Gray to return with Natsu, Lucy, and Happy. But it has been a few hours since his departure, so he should have been back by now. The other members watch the doors for the sign of Gray dragging the three back, but still nothing. Mirajane continued wiping a mug with her bar rag, keeping her eyes on the doors too. Laxus did not leave for his job yet but watched the doors too. This was not like Gray to be late, where could he be?
"You don't think Gray miss them?" asked Mirajane worried.
"I don't think so; maybe they're struggling and can't bring them back quietly?" Makarov offered.
"I guess so." Mirajane replied. "Still, there's Lisanna, she really cares for Natsu and if she…" but the white-haired wizard was interrupted by the sound of the doors opening. Hoping it was Gray with the others back, she frowned in worry when it was not.
Lisanna came walking into the guild house, a big smile on her face, holding a tied-up bag in her right hand, and her grip on her bag with her left hand. Everyone was pale in the face and shocked to see her. They hope it was Gray, but seeing Lisanna is even worse. Then the situation of the missing S-Class request has gotten worse now that she was here. The memories of two years ago were still fresh in their memories as there was a much younger Lisanna leaving for a mission and coming back hurt like Natsu. They pray it is not something fatal this time. She placed the bags on the bar stool and removed her jacket. She greeted the master and Mirajane, her smile still on her face.
"Lisanna, umm welcome back, how was the mission Macao told you about?" Makarov said nervously.
"It was okay, pretty fun and I even got something for Happy." Lisanna replied, taking a fish with a red bow on it. "And I thought about taking Lucy shopping afterwards." She looks around, seeing that Lucy and Happy were not here in the guild. "That's strange, they're not here. Setsuko, Shiro, and Aspen not here too."
Both Mira and Makarov were even more worried as Mira turned to the bar to give her a mug of orange juice hoping Lisanna would take this well.
"Umm, Lisanna, don't freak out from what I'm about to tell you."
"What is it?" Lisanna asked, taking a sip of the juice.
"Natsu, Lucy, Aspen, Shiro, Setsuko, and Happy are on a mission… But it wasn't just a regular mission they're on a stolen S-Class request." Mirajane explained.
Lisanna froze upon hearing what her sister said, her lips inches from her mug. The mug then slips from her fingers and drops with a loud sound spilling the contents of the drink. The guild remains silent for a long time waiting to see how Lisanna will take this news.
"They… are… on… a… S-Class request…?" She asked slowly with every word, her voice getting softer in tone. Flashes of Lisanna's memory began to flood her. A large beast looming over her… the sight of her crying sister… the odd light she saw… Lisanna started to back away from the bar, hands to her face in fear. Her blue eyes were shaking in fear, her palms sweating too. Her breathing was shaking, like she was going to have a panic attack. This was a shock to others who had never seen Lisanna have a panic attack before. Elfman looked at his younger sister, her eyes shaking in fright.
"Yes, Happy stole the Galuna Island request last night. They should be heading there right now but Gray was sent to stop them. I fear Natsu might have done something to him." Makarov said to the Takeover wizard.
"But..." she replied softly. She then started to shout, all eyes on her, no one had ever seen Lisanna raise her voice like that before. "But Natsu and I aren't ready for those kinds of missions if we can't keep ourselves out of trouble! Natsu knows this, I know this, that is why I do not go and ask for death! Why isn't anyone else after them?!"
"We asked Laxus, but he has a mission on his hands right now." Mirajane replied.
Lisanna's eyes narrowed in anger as she faced the S-Class wizard on the second floor, "Then drop the mission and got get them! Those are my friends out there!"
"No can-do Lisanna, it's not my call. Besides, maybe if you are lucky, the residents of the island might bring back what is left of Natsu as an apology gift, that will instruct the kid not to go on S-Class missions just like two years ago. He was fortunate to come back alive, but that was because…" But before Laxus, who was grinning, finally could finish, a mug was thrown at him, causing him to fall of his chair. Everyone was shocked to see it was Lisanna who had thrown it. An angry scowl was on her face while she said darkly to the S-Class wizard. Laxus trying to get up, saw the look in her eyes, it was complete malice. If there was a balcony separating them, she attacked.
"You bastard, don't you dare talk about that day."
"Lisanna…" breathed Mirajane as Lisanna look to Makarov, who remained quiet. She could not blame her sister's outburst and tossing the mug at Laxus. She was the one the most hurt that day, of course she reacted the hardest. She took a deep breath and spoke to the elder master, her voice more forced calmness.
"I'm going to go get them back. Send Erza to follow me. If anything happens, we will either finish the request or head straight back. I do not want Natsu to die, neither of them. Is it all right, master?"
Makarov stared at the white-haired wizard, seeing the anger and worry look in her eyes. It made him think back to how empty they were when she returned from the mission's aftermath. The situation was different now, Lisanna was a different person there than now, and she was asking for permission to bring them back alive. Gray did say if anything happens; send the two of them, so this was the perfect opportunity. The master nodded, giving Lisanna a smile.
"Thank you, master." She replied before taking her bag, pouch of money, and jacket and left the guild without a second glance to anyone. But many of the guild members all had looks of concern for her, and for the others.
"Do you really think she'll bring them back?" asked Macao to Laki, Reedus, Wakaba, Alzack, Bisca, and Elfman.
"You saw the look in her eyes, she'll bring Natsu back screaming if she had too." replied Elfman.
"It was foolish of them to go but isn't sending Lisanna suicidal?" asked Laki cleaning her glasses with a cloth.
"Erza will follow after her; she'll be fine with her. Lisanna can take care of herself." said Wakaba smoking a cigar in his mouth.
"It's more to do with her own heart, how's she's feeling right this moment." Alzack said frowning.
"Out of anyone, that girls got the worst of all of us when it comes to dealing with pain." added Bisca frowning too.
"Let's hope she's going to be alright too." said Reedus, a worried look now on his face.
Outside the guild, Lisanna was running her way to the train station to take the train to Hargeon, a serious look on her face as the sun was ready to set. Her pace quickens, her thoughts on the task at hand and her friend.
"Natsu… please be safe."
Nighttime had finally crept up quickly, Natsu's group were now traveling by boat to Galuna Island, The Dragon Slayer in question feeling sick for being on transportation. His face resembled a butt as he wished Lucy took his suggestion to swim there. Aspen rubbed the back of Natsu, while Setsuko sat with the others. Lucy and Happy were on the boat as well along with the owner and another.
"It's getting late now; I hope we make it there soon." Lucy said to the group. She sat there on the boat hugging her knees together.
Gray (who had woken up to find he was captured), groaned in annoyance, "You tie me and then say that?" He looked at the sailor whose back was facing the sea and starry sky and added yelling, "And you, why did you agree to take us?!"
The sailor turned to the captured Ice wizard. "My name is Bobo. I used to live on Galuna Island." he said calmly.
"Huh, you're from there?" Lucy asked.
Bobo did not reply with a yes, his eyes fixed on the four. He turned his head, the moonlight casting a shadow on the left side of his face, "I fled from Galuna Island. Disaster will befall you all, too. Such is the fate of those who visit that island."
Lucy's brown eyes stared unblinkingly at Bobo.
"Can you really lift the curse?" Bobo asked the wizards.
She looks to Happy and the sickly Natsu, Aspen Shiro, and Setsuko, Gray still pissed for being captured as she gasped to find what Bobo revealed to them. His other arm was different from the arm he used to steer the boat; in fact, it was not even human. It looks to be a demon's arm, a dark purple one to be more accurate.
"This demon's curse..." he added holding it out in the moonlight while casting a shadow over him, making his features scarier.
"Mister! Your arm…!" Gray said while Happy looked back to the sailor seeing his arm.
"That's a...!" Aspen gasped.
"Demon arm..." Setsuko and Aspen finished.
Lucy's brown eyes remained open witnessing what she saw, "Curse? You do not mean…?"
Bobo lifts his head up slightly, looking at something in the distance. "There it is." he added, "Galuna Island."
An Island could be seen in the distance. There it was the destination of their request and the start of their adventure. There was no going back now. No time to ask to return to the mainland. They saw the island, each with their own feelings of seeing the island. Gray a stern look, Happy's mouth agape, and Lucy a little fearful. Natsu was unfortunately not seeing the island, still over the edge trying to throw up. Lucy gasped, noticing something strange about the mountain.
"What is that? The mountaintop is glowing…" as above the mountain, many blue robed figures were circled around a glowing light in the center. Their arms spread out, faces covered by a mask with a strange symbol on it as they chanted. Lucy then realized Bobo was gone as she stood up on the boat in shock, "Huh?! Where would he go?!"
"…Did he fall overboard?!" Gray asked, turning his head.
"He just suddenly disappeared!" Happy said while his partner Natsu was still sick. Natsu could feel the water hitting his face as right behind them, a big wave was forming behind them as Gray asked while Lucy, Aspen, Shiro, and Setsuko looked down to the water.
"What's that sound?" He looked back to see what the sound was but panicked when he saw the wave.
"H-Hey!" he called nervously to Lucy.
Lucy turned and screamed as the group's boat was caught up in the tidal wave. "Giant wave!" she screamed as the wave was ready to engulf them into the sea. Natsu looked at the wave, still feeling sick as Happy turned too.
"It's going to engulf us! Hold on!" Gray ordered the others.
"Happy! Shiro! Lift the boat into the air!" Lucy ordered the blue cat as the waters were ready to take them.
"I can't do that!" Happy yelled back as they sent into the water, the water forming a whirlpool swirling the four into it. First was the seasick Natsu, then Gray, then Lucy, then Shiro, then Aspen, then Setsuko, and lastly Happy were swallowed into the sea with panic looks on their faces.
"Are you insane, gong to Galuna Island girl!" a fishers asked Lisanna when she arrived in Hargeon at night, "That place no one wants to sail too."
"That place has been acting crazy the last few years," another fisher chimed in.
"Do not care, my friend took a S-Class request to that island, and I plan to get him back before he's dead," Lisanna said, taking a drink of water.
'Well, you are best waiting until the next morning, the waters near Galuna are not for normal boats. But if you are serious, you must know about the curse," the first fisher asked.
"I know since the request came, the S-Class ignored the request," Lisanna replied.
"Well, the strangest happened for three years, after that no one set foot there. Not only that, but something going when the full moon rises," another fisher stated.
"That does track the request posting," Lisanna said aloud, a hand to her chin, "In fact the request was posted three years ago. But no one took the mission until now."
"Still, that island is cursed for a reason, why go that far?" the second fisher asked.
Lisanna looked up at the starry sky, her eyes fixated on, the thoughts of the past still fresh in her mind. Taking her hand towards her left arm, the band on her forearms.
"I... just want to protect my friends... That is all I want to do..."
The next morning, the warm sun was overhead as Lucy could feel its warming rays. She stirs a little in her sleep before opening her eyes half open. The blind sunshine and the sound of seagulls greeted the Celestial wizard as her vision became clearer.
"Where am I?" she asked herself, seeing the clear view of the slightly cloudy sky and palm trees. Over by her fellow comrades, Natsu was in the sand his butt up in the air still sick, Happy's head in the sand and Gray face first in the sand too. Aspen was on her back as well Setsuko, the pair who were already awake just staring at the sky. Shiro rested on Setsuko's stomach, her paws kicking. Their boat they came with was a mess too, pieces of wood all around.
"Oh, boy…" Lucy groaned at once, seeing the mess they made coming here, if here is Galuna Island.
Natsu finally recovered the excitement on his face looking around the area he was in. "Oh, we're here?!"
"A giant wave washed us ashore…" Lucy pondered remembering the details of last night.
"Looks like we lucked out..." Gray growled in annoyance finally recovered too.
"I can't believe we survived, guess luck was on our side," Setsuko said, getting and dusting the sand from her clothes and picking up her katana sheath.
"Luck or we fortunate we were close to the island, otherwise we washed up somewhere else," Aspen said.
"Guess we cannot go back home until we are done. Guess we will be her for bit," Aspen said, looking out at the sea and back at her friends.
"What was with that man, anyway?" Lucy asked her thoughts to Bobo, his demon arm, and his abrupt disappearance and what he was talking about, "He said something about a demon's curse..."
"Don't worry about details! Let's go exploring!" Natsu said excited waving his arms.
"Aye!" Happy chimed in jumping up.
"Guys, we are on Galuna Island, we don't know what to expect here except our mission, so no to exploring until we know what we're dealing with." Lucy said hands to her hips.
"Lucy's right let us stay on course. Our first plan of action is meeting the client first, then we can explore later," Shiro suggested.
"Apparently, there's a village on this island, and the village chief is the one who posted the job. Let's go there first." Lucy added looking at the flyer Natsu gave her, once the two boys were calmed down.
"Well, Shiro is right, let us go there first, then we find out more about this island," Aspen, hands on their hands that thankfully survived.
"Not so fast." Gray said getting the three's undivided attention. He got up from the group as Natsu look at him with narrowed eyes.
"Now what?! The boat is busted! You can't take us back!" Natsu reminded him.
"No. I'm coming with you." he decided. Lucy slightly gasped, "I can't let you guys beat me to the second floor, and it it's no fun if you got kicked out." He smiled, "If we do this job right, Gramps can't complain."
Natsu grinned at the Ice wizard's decision, with Happy jumping up in agreement. Lucy smiled too excited; the others too was happy Gray was on board their mission.
"Let's go!" Gray added smiling.
"Yeah/Aye!" chimed Natsu, Aspen, Shiro, Setsuko, Lucy, and Happy in agreement ready to get this request underway.
Meanwhile, over the ocean, Lisanna was still on the trail for Natsu and the others on her way to Galuna Island. The takeover wizard was in her Animal Soul: Wings form flying over the ocean. Sweat was pouring from her face, feeling the warm hot sun on her body. The crisp salty air and the sound of passing Seagulls were the only things keeping the white-haired wizard going.
"I never flew this far out before." She said, "But I must keep moving. Natsu's on Galuna Island and I need to make sure he's safe."
With a quick nod to herself at once, she continued her venture to the Island; but her thoughts were still on Natsu. 'Natsu… Please be safe…'
Late at night once more, after a long walk through the forest, they found themselves staring at a large wooden fence with a 'KEEP OUT' sign on the front. Lucy stood in the middle of the boys with Happy on Natsu's bag. Shiro sat on Setsuko's bag, while Aspen walked with Lucy. This was the place; this was where the request came from.
"It's nice that we made it, but what is this?" Gray asked arms folded.
"What does it mean, 'Keep out'?!" Natsu asked too arms folded.
"Excuse me! Please open up!" Lucy called to anyone on the other side. Lucy frowned. They waited for a few seconds, but to no response.
"Should I break it?!" Natsu suggested balling his fist.
Lucy shook her head, still waiting for a response. She knows by now of Natsu's habit, but it be best they handle this without too much trouble.
"Who there?!" a voice from above the gate called. The voice got their attention, seeing figures up on top the gate.
"We're from the Fairy Tail wizard guild!" Lucy called from above smiling proudly.
"Nobody notified us about the job being accepted!" the man on top of the gate called down.
"Well, Uh…" She replied nervously. It's true, they're here on the non-excepted request, so they're here not allowed. This might make this complicated. Thankfully, Gray decided to speak up to save their necks in time.
"There was probably just some mix-up with the paperwork!" he lied calling back.
"Show us your emblems!" the guard from above ordered, and one by one, they each showed their emblems.
(Cue Fairy Tail main theme— Fairy Tail Volume one soundtrack)
Natsu showed the guards the red stamp on his left bicep and Happy moved the green bag from his back to give the guard the view of his green stamp.
Setsuko showed the light blue guild stand on her right shoulder, while Shiro showed the yellow guild mark on her back.
Aspen lifts the back of her shirt to show a green guild stamp on right close to her waist.
"Oh!" They said they were amazed to see the five wizard's stamps.
Lucy held out her left hand into the air, showing the pink stamp on the back of the hand, "They're real!" another guard said amazed.
Gray lifted his shirt to give the guards a view of the blue stamp on his left pectoral. "They really came!" another guard said astonished.
With their proof given to them, the gate pulled up as Natsu, Lucy, Gray, Aspen, Shiro, Setsuko, and Happy now had permission to enter. Happy noted, "It's like going into a giant monster's mouth."
"Kinda." Lucy shrugged as the gate finally stopped.
Inside stood the villagers of the Island, but their faces were covered by the wraps with only a slit to see their eyes. They each wore cloaks like Bobo but were lighter than his. The one most distinguished was the one in front caring a moon staff.
"I am Moka, the chief of this island village." He greeted the wizards, "Let's get right down to business. Please have a look." He looked back from the wizards and to the villagers and shouted, "Everyone!"
One by one, they each removed the cloaks, each revealed to have either a demon blue arm or a demon leg or even horns. While their normal selves dressed in islander fashion, felt uneven to the demon limbs. They frowned, disappointed with what they looked like... Gray and Lucy observed the villagers appearance, linking them to Bobo.
"Just like the man on the boat." Gray realized.
"Yeah." agreed Lucy, a hand to her chin.
"So, he really must live on that island too," Aspen said to herself.
"Crazy sideburns!" Natsu blurted out seeing Moka's long white sideburns.
"No, this is what I want you to see." Moka replied still holding up the demon arm as more of the villagers had saddened looks, "Everything on this island is affected by this curse, even dogs and birds."
"I don't mean to question you, but what makes you believe it's a curse?" Gray asked calmly, "Couldn't it be a contagious disease?"
"We've consulted dozens of doctors, but they say no such disease exists." Moka replied, "Plus the moon's magic has something to do with us taking these forms."
"The moon's magic?" Lucy asked considered.
"This island has absorbed moonlight since ancient times. It made the entire island shine beautifully like the moon." Moka replied, "However, some years ago, the moon's light suddenly turned purple."
"A purple moon?" Natsu and Setsuko repeated.
Happy and Shiro gasped; looking up into the sky to see the clouds parting, "Oh! The moon is coming out!"
Everyone looked up at the sky to see the clouds parting too as the moon was made visible into the sky. But there was not as normal as they thought it would be, but a moon tinted in purple hung over their heads.
"It's true! The moon is purple!" Lucy gasped.
"Now this is creepy," Gray commented on the area bathed in the purple moonlight.
"It's a curse." Moka said sweat drops falling from his face, "This is the moon's magic."
On cue, the villagers began to scream in pain as they held themselves while the group was panic stricken, did not know what to do for them as they watched in horror at the pain they seemed to be going through.
"Wh-What?!" Lucy said eyes widen.
"What's happening to them?!" Aspen exclaimed.
It was like watching a horror movie as the villagers' bodies started to rip, revealing demonic arms and faces too. The group was watching the transformation happening right before their eyes.
"What the…," said Lucy.
"What's going on?!" asked Gray.
"My word!" Shiro gasped.
"No way!" Aspen and Setsuko exclaimed.
"What the heck?!" asked Natsu eyes widening.
After the transformation was over, Moka and all the villagers were now complete demons, their bodies' assorted colors ranging from red, blue, and teal, horns and elongated noses too. Some appeared with reptilian scales, and some like regular demons. There was no doubt about it, this was the curse placed on them.
"I apologize for the shock," Moka said apologizing to Natsu's group.
"What in the world is this?" Gray asked bewildered.
"You poor people…" the girls said in a soft synthetic way.
"You're so…" Natsu added but exclaimed with excitement, "You're so cool!"
Everyone including his team was white from shock. He thought they were cool? What is with this kid? His friends were dumbfounded too. But nonetheless, this was Natsu, truthfully. All they could do was utter the same word in agreement...
"Huh?"
"You're so lucky! I want some horns and spikes too!" he added excitedly while his friends still were dumbfounded.
"This is the first time…" one villager said sweat dropping.
"…We've been calling cool…" another finished sweat dropping.
Lucy finally recovered and snaps her fingers into Natsu's face, getting the Dragon Slayer's attention to her, "Get it together, they don't like being this way remember, Natsu? We want to help them not make it worse." she replied to him.
"Seriously?!" Natsu blinked, "My bad! We will have to do something, then!" he added nervously to the villagers as Lucy sighed in disbelief and Gray merely folded his arms.
"Finally, you understand." Happy and Shiro said still flabbergasted,
"Learn to read situations." Gray and Setsuko said, turning their heads from the demons.
"Anyway, as you can see, we take on the form of demons whenever the purple moon is out," explained Moka, as one of the demonized children was crying while his parents tried to console him as more of the demon villagers were crying too, "If this isn't a curse, what else it is?!"
Natsu's mouth was agape in shock, he had no idea. And he thought for a minute ago that that were cool, but they were troubled looking this way.
"Come morning, we'll be back to normal. However, these are some who lose their minds and never change back." Moka continued.
"Oh, no…" Lucy said softly.
"We've since made it a rule…" Moka added lowering his head in shame, "…to kill those who transform into mindless monsters."
Natsu and his group gasped in horror at this piece of info. They really killed those people who turned like that? If this was the only way, why death? Why let those who never do no wrong despite losing their minds die? Their blood ran cold, not sure how to feel about all this, could they truly find another way.
"But even though they might turn back to normal?" Natsu asked.
"We have to, or they'll kill us all!" Moka replied, "We tried capturing them, but they just break free." he added, shaking his head in disappointment. He closed his eyes and continued on, "As a result…" he held a picture in his hand and shed a tear of the picture of someone, "I had to kill my own son. My son, whose mind became that of a demon." He continued, shedding more tears.
The group gasped, realizing who the man in the picture was. The same man who brought them here by boat… "Th-that man…" Lucy stammered. "Huh, but yesterday we…!"
"Shh!" Gray ordered as Lucy looked back at him for a second. Even if the two were the same, it will not be true for Moka who said he killed his own son. He whispered to the Celestial wizard. "I figured out why that man vanished. It's because he can't rest in peace."
Lucy's brown eyes widen with shock. If he was right, then Bobo probably wanted to remain dead to his father. Or as Lucy thought, 'A ghost…?'
"Please, save this island!" Moka pleaded tearfully, hands to his eyes his voice cracking, "It's only a matter of time until we all lose our minds and become demons…!"
"We won't let that happen!" Natsu demanded to the chief, "We'll figure something out!"
Moka lowered his head down again, speaking to the group, "There's only way to lift the curse… The moon…" they look up to the moon as he added, "Please destroy the moon."
Setsuko, Aspen, Natsu, Happy, Lucy, Aspen, and Gray gasped slightly at the request they were given. Destroy the moon? That is an odd and weird request. Who would want to destroy the moon?
"We'll think out about it, right now we need to get some sleep," Lucy replied.
"Very well, I'll show you to your quarters," Moka replied and led Natsu's group a spare hut for them to sleep in. This was a very tall order for their first real S-Class Mission.
Once they arrived inside the hut, they each dropped their bags near the wall and decided to think about the request they were given. Happy looked out into the sky, his gaze on the purple tinted moon and sky.
"The more I look at it, the creeper the moon seems."
"Happy. Hurry and shut the window." Lucy, dressed in her pajamas, requested the blue cat while digging into Natsu's bag, "You hear the village chief. We'll wind up demons too if we're exposed to the moonlight for too long."
"Man, talk about a tall order." Natsu groaned, sitting in a chair while Gray sat thinking.
"Asking us to destroy the moon is a bit much…" Gray answered to the group.
"I don't think we can even fly that far too even destroy it or any of our magic able to reach it. This might come as a shocker, but even I don't know." Natsu replied.
"For once we agree. Even if we did, there's the possibility we might screw up nighttime without the moon." Gray commented.
"Tides would be messed up, millions could die, we be putting the lives of others in danger," Aspen said.
"The planet could stop moving, and that'll be bad," Setsuko added.
"Meaning…" Lucy said entering the conversation arms folded, "Destroying the moon should be the last time we do if we can't break the curse. I do not like the idea either, but if we must.
"I agree, but he did ask us to destroy it. It would tarnish Fairy Tail's name to take a job and then back out of it." Natsu replied.
"True, but Lucy has the right idea. We will search the island tomorrow and see what we can find. It might lead to what is causing the curse and how to break it." Aspen suggested.
"Guess we really doing this. Let's do this well and master and everyone will be proud of us,' Setsuko said.
"Right." nodded Lucy and Natsu taking a spot on the floor with the mats as Lucy pulled out the book Lisanna gave her and decided to read it. As she read, she paid no attention to Gray getting undress to his underwear and sat on his mat.
On the shores of Galuna Island, Lisanna stood on the island, the waves passing her feet. She sighed, finally making it to the island where Natsu, Lucy, Setsuko, Aspen, Shiro, Gray, and Happy were.
"Galuna Island… I made it." said Lisanna softly. "The village should be here and that's where Natsu and the others are."
She steps from the water and looks down to her palms, they were covered in sweat despite being in her Wings Takeover. Her body was covered in cold sweat.
"I flew so far, I sweated so much." She sighed and to herself. She took her bag off her back and removed her jacket. "No one's around, I should change clothes." As Lisanna stripped off her regular attire, she giggled, thinking about how Gray does this all the time. Once removed, she grabbed her fresh clothes and shoes and put them on. Once dressed, she went to the water to get a good look of herself in the reflection. She was now wearing a white and red top with a blue skirt, and brown open-toed sandals. She stared at herself, noticing her Fairy Tail emblem was slightly viable from the end of the skirt. Rounding back to her bag, she stuffs her old clothes and shoes back into her bag, placing it onto her back, and facing the forest ahead.
"It's time to go; the village is just in this forest." She decided and made her way to the village where Natsu and his team were waiting for her.
Back at the village, both the girls, Gray, Aspen, Setsuko, Shiro, and Happy lay on their mats while Lucy was still reading the spell book Lisanna had given her. Gray, Aspen, Setsuko, and Natsu looked up to her and asked what she was doing.
"You seem really into that book you're reading. What is it?" asked Gray.
"Oh…?" she responded, taking her eyes off the pages to look at Gray, "It's a book on Star Make magic. Lisanna gave it to me."
"Star-Make?" Gray and Natsu repeated sitting bolt right and eager to hear more.
"Make-Magic?" Setsuko asked, as she knows Ice Make like Gray, she understands it is not easy but a little simple to understand.
"You're learning Star-Make; that is interesting. Have you learned any spells" asked Natsu.
"Only a few spells from reading this. It is like your Ice-Make magic, creating things from stars. I can show you if you all want to." offered Lucy.
The group nodded in response to Lucy's request, eager to see this Star-Make magic. Lucy smiled to her comrades, closed her book, and held out her hands for Natsu, Setsuko, Aspen, Gray, and Happy to see. With one hand laying over another.
"Star-Make," she announced as a golden magic circle appeared. From the magic circle, a glimmering light appeared from it, resembling a star in the sky. The group's eyes were fixated to it, impressed to see it as the light hovered overhead.
"According to the book, this little light is Star-Make at its base form." Lucy explained, the six looked astonished at it, "It might look like a little light, but don't underestimate it. When brought together with more like it, it is powerful. Like with your magic, Natsu and Gray, it should not be overlooked as weak. If anything, this book taught me from reading it, it is that it is complex to learn it." The light above him finally faded away as she continued, "So, even someone like me can pick it up with no problem."
"Well, I for one can't wait to see what it can do," said Gray smiling, "You have my vote."
"Me too!" Natsu said excitedly.
"Aye!" Happy chimed in too.
"It is going to great to have another molding wizard to train with, can't wait for the results," Setsuko said excitedly.
Lucy nodded as she continued reading the Star-Make book, unaware that someone was coming to the village.
Outside the village gate, Lisanna stood staring at the open gate, guessing they forgot to close it when Natsu's group came here. She walked inside but someone called from another hut.
"Are you another wizard of Fairy Tail?" asked Moka coming up to her.
Lisanna did not flinch from seeing the demon appearance of Moka, but calmly lifted the side of her skirt to show the chief her white Fairy Tail stamp on her left thigh, "My name is Lisanna Strauss, a colleague to the others who might be here. Are they here now?" she asked, removing her hand from her skirt.
"Yes, the ones you are referring to: a boy with pink hair, a young man with black hair, a girl almost around your age with golden hair, a girl with light blue hair, a girl with dark brown hair, a blue and white cat and a small blue cat." replied the demon chief.
Lisanna sighed, grateful that they made it here okay, "Your friends should be in that hut over there, but do try and not be out too long." The demon chief added again.
"Yes sir, but it will only be a few minutes," she replied kindly before making her way to their hut. She took a deep breath, looked to the door, and proceeded to knock on it.
Inside, the wizards and Happy could hear the knocking on their door. The four looked puzzled, who could want to talk to them so late at night? Lucy put her book down and walked to the door. Upon opening it to see who it was, she gasped and shouted.
"Lisanna?!"
Gray, Aspen, Setsuko, and Natsu looked at the door mediately and were shocked too. If it were not for the new clothes, they would mistake her for another girl. The white-haired wizard did not respond to their surprised looks of seeing her but kept her hands in front of her stomach.
"Hey, I see you make here in one piece." Lisanna said softly.
"Lisanna, what are you doing here?" Happy asked.
'If she is here, then she knows Natsu and Happy took the mission. That means she is here to take us back.' Gray thought, knowing that they would be in trouble if she came before Erza. It would have been fine the other day, but now he is involved in the mission too.
"I was in Hargeon shopping when I heard about Galuna Island and you guys going there. That's all." She replied, looking at Gray, and winking at the Ice wizard. Gray smiled, thankful for the save by Lisanna.
"That's great; we got more help to solve this curse put on the village." Natsu said excited.
"Well welcome aboard Lisanna." Lucy said smiling.
Lisanna smiled, but something was off when both Gray and Lucy saw it. Even Aspen and Setsuko could read Lisanna's body language well like a book. It was forced, like she trying to be happy. What was going on?
"Anyway, I need to speak with Natsu in private, is that alright?" she asked the others.
"Umm sure, but don't be too long in the moonlight, the curse has something to do with it." Lucy explained.
"This won't take too long." she replied. Natsu got up from his mat to follow Lisanna out the door. As the door swung closed, Gray noticed the toneless stare in Lisanna's eyes.
"Lucy," Gray said looking to her, "I don't think this is going to be a happy reunion."
"How so?" Lucy asked curiously.
"Because I saw the look in Lisanna's eyes and there was no happiness in them, but more like sadness."
Happy hop onto the table and ask, "Will Lisanna be alright?"
"Maybe after talking with Natsu, but I'm not sure myself." Gray replied.
"Should we go and make sure nothing is wrong?" Setsuko asked.
"No," Aspen shook er head, "This is not our place to intervene."
Happy and Lucy both look concerned at the window where Natsu and Lisanna were walking to somewhere they could talk in peace. They stop at the center of the village where Lisanna had her back turned from Natsu.
"So, what is it you want to talk about?" he asked curiously.
Lisanna did not respond, still unmoving to his statement.
"Hey Lisanna, are you there?" he asked again, but still she didn't respond, "Come on Lisanna, talk to me. I am your friend." he said.
"Natsu…" she finally said tonelessly, "Why…?"
"Huh?" he questioned, but Lisanna turned forward to him her left hand rose. Natsu stood unfazed as Lisanna brought her hand to Natsu's right cheek, slapping hard in the face.
(Cue Fairy Tail main them-Piano Version—Fairy Tail Volume two Soundtrack)
"Why did you take the request Natsu, why are you asking for death!" she screamed, her voice getting many of the villagers' attention as they were looking out their windows at the commotion going on.
"Lisanna, I…" Natsu tried to say but Lisanna interrupted him.
"I was worried for you, I thought if I didn't make it time, you, Gray, Aspen, Shiro, Setsuko, Lucy, and Happy would be dead!" she added, tears forming from her eyes. Natsu stood shocked as Lisanna started to cry into his vest, chest, and muffler. "Laxus wouldn't go, says that you'll be only a piece of you left brought back. I couldn't take it, I didn't like him bring up the past like it was a joke to all of us: you, Mira, Elfman, and myself." She grips the vest and muffler even tighter making Natsu look solemnly at his childhood friend.
"Lisanna, I thought that I could finally catch up to Erza and Laxus if I took an S-Class request, I didn't realize that…" Natsu said assuring, but Lisanna look up at him, her blue eyes even more watery.
"But we're not ready; we aren't S-Class wizards Natsu, so stop thinking that this is all some game! This is not the day-old mission you and I take. These are life threatening, dangerous. You could come back alive, but in the end…" She released herself from Natsu's vest and grabbed a hand to the band on her right arm. She slid it down, to reveal something that made Natsu freeze with fear, "You end up feeling a part of you was ripped from your soul."
"Lisanna…" Natsu spoke again his voice shaking more than his friends as more tears fell to the ground.
"Being an S-Class wizard isn't all fun and games, we know full well what happens on those requests because we were on one… But you just shrug it off like it is nothing, not understanding how I felt, how I feel when Mira and Elfman see me off on missions every day. They worry for me, Natsu, that I will come home safe and sound." She clutches her fists tightly, shaking slightly. "Every day I see Mirajane's smiling face, but I know she worries for my safe return. And you know why, Natsu, because she wants me alive, to be here now, not dead from risking my life."
She wiped the tears from her face.
"I'm sorry, I was just going through a lot coming here, that I needed to let it all out. I did not want to hit you; I was just mad." she said apologetically. She straightened the band on her arm and walked closer to Natsu, their faces closed as she spoke into his ear, "You want to be strong like Erza, Laxus, and my sister, then here is not the time."
"But when is the time?" he asked, eyes on her.
"You'll know, but it's not here, okay?" she replied softly before stepping away.
"I'm sorry for worrying you, Lisanna. We're comrades you and I, inseparable." He replied.
"The way you say it, it's like we're mates or something?" Lisanna finally giggled, smiling at him.
"Now why would I think something as clichéd as that?" Natsu started laughing
They started to laugh, the atmosphere a lot calmer than it was before they came outside. Natsu smiled, looking at the smiling Lisanna.
"That's the Lisanna I know. You're always better when you smile." He gestured to their hut and added, "Let's head back; we have been out here for a while now."
"Okay." She nodded as the two decided to return to the hut, Natsu added, "You know, if we can't lift the curse, we have to destroy the moon."
"Really?" she asked curiously as they returned to their hut, unaware the village had watched their scene unfold.
Once back inside and telling their comrades that everything was fine, the group and Lisanna decided to get some sleep while Lucy stayed awake reading her book. It was dark so she conjured another star to use as a light. She took her eyes off her book to notice Natsu and Lisanna sleeping next to one another, the Dragon Slayer snoring uncovered by the sheet, and Lisanna nestled her head into his muffler, calm and relax was on her face. Lucy beamed at them, thinking to herself, 'You're lucky Lisanna… to have someone you want to look out for.'
"It's too early," spoke Natsu as the five were up and awake early in the morning the next day after arriving on the island and Lisanna's appearance. They were outside the village, gloomy and tired looks on the three boys, as the girls were energized and ready to go. Lucy was dressed in a green blouse with a pink tube top underneath and a tan skirt. In her hair was a pink ribbon she wore for today. Her keys and whip on her belt as always. Lisanna still wore the clothes she wore meeting back up with the others, but in addition was a light blue jacket with short sleeves.
"It's crazy early in the morning." groaned Gray.
"You guys didn't sleep enough?" asked Lisanna.
"Okay! Let us put our energy into this and get going!" she ordered excitedly.
"Right!" Lisanna said excited too.
"Okay!" Aspen, Shiro, and Setsuko cheered.
"Aye…" the three boys said gloomily. Of all the mornings, the girls had to be the ones fired up.
Lucy took a silver key from her belt and called, "Open, Gate of the Clock Constellation! Horologium!" and appearing from the magic circle and crashes to the ground was the clock spirit, Horologium.
"The time is 7:48." The Clock spirit announced,
As they started their walk through the forest, Natsu asked, "You think there's another way without destroying the moon?"
"We have to find it." Gray said, "Besides like what we talk last night, we can't destroy it. People won't be able to go moon-viewing anymore."
"Right," Lisanna said, walking in-between the two boys, Setsuko, and Aspen, "And the cycle would be out of control without the moon. We can't have that."
"We said that last night, I'm not ready to see what happens to the world without the moon," Aspen said, her hands gripping the straps to her bag.
"Exactly, but we should be careful out here. We don't know what's out there, she says calmly." Horologium (with Lucy riding inside) translated.
'I wish she walk on her own.' Natsu and Lisanna groaned in thought.
"Uh, are you sure you're using your celestial spirits properly?" Gray asked looking back at her and Happy.
"It's a nice day in July in the summer, come have from fresh air," Shiro said, breathing in the tropical air around her.
"She's just happy we can get out of the city for once," Setsuko explained.
"Don't forget we're dealing with a curse; we don't know what else is affected." Lucy said to the others.
"She says," Horologium translated to the outside.
As they continued walking, there was the loud sound of something big that made Lucy open her eyes quickly. Natsu, Gray, and Lisanna turned their attention to the source of the sound, Natsu asking concerned, "What that?"
The five then flinched in shock as something big was looming over them, their eyes gleaming yellow. Natsu was panic stricken, the girls too, and Gray looking scared as well.
"Wh-what the…!" Natsu and Setsuko exclaimed.
"It's huge!" Gray and Aspen realized.
"It is!" Lisanna shouted.
"Beat it up, you guys, she says ordering," Horologium translated.
Gray placed his left hand over his right palm mist emanating from around as a light blue magic circle appeared. He announced, "Ice Make…" as Gray conjured a flower petal-looking shield made of Ice, adding, "Shield!" as protecting Natsu, Lisanna, Setsuko, Shiro, Happy, Aspen, and Lucy. But the creature emitted a cloud of foul-smelling gas, which smelled bad as the six outside wizards were disgusted. Inside Horologium, Lucy, Shiro, and Happy were wondering what was happening outside, the latter showing a smile on his face, the former a look of shock.
"Hey what's going on," Horologium translated for Lucy, before Lucy looked down inside to see Happy, "And when did you get in? Aye, they say."
But Horologium covered his mouth from the smell as his time was up, and poof went the spirit and Happy, Shiro, and Lucy out in a circle of gas. They dropped down to the ground as Lucy and Happy screamed in unison smelling the foul odor.
"Stinky!"
As the foul odor was gone, what attacked them as Lucy and Lisanna described it.
"A rat!"
It was a giant rat, possessing its rodent-like features. From how it was dressed, it appeared female. She wore a black corset-style top with pink edges and laced black in a cross-section, a white lace headband and a red ribbon tied across her chest. She also has turquoise fur and a huge tail.
While Gray, Aspen, and Lisanna were still on their feet, Natsu and Setsuko were out from the smell.
"Natsu! Setsuko! Stop lying around!" Gray called out to the two Dragon Slayers.
"He has a strong sense of smell, so…" Happy assured Gray.
As the rat bared its fangs, Natsu got up and screamed.
"Run!" and the seven started to run with the large rat casting after them. The continued to scream and dodge, covering their noses as the rat let out most of its horrible breath. Gray grunted in annoyance, his hand charged with ice.
"Ice Make: Floor!" He said, as his hand was placed to the ground, a sheet of ice appeared, causing the rat to trip and fall.
"Why didn't you do that earlier?" Natsu asked irritably.
"Quick complaining!" Gray retorted.
"Aww, I know it tried to hurt us, but wasn't it bit much Gary?" Lisanna asked, feeling bad for the poor rat. Gray eyes the Takeover Wizard, knowing that look on her face.
"You're really kind to animals, you know that?" Gray commented.
"I feel a little bad for it," Aspen admitted.
"The clothes look so tacky," Setsuko said.
"Hey guys," Lucy pointed out, pointing to something that looks like a temple, "There's some sort of building!" she looks to them adding, "Let's get inside while we can!"
"Yeah, let's beat on it while we can!" Natsu and Gray exclaimed in unison, punching, and kicking the defenseless out cold rat. Lisanna grabbed them by their vest/shirt.
"Don't hurt the defenseless rat!" and dragged them to the temple followed by Happy, Shiro, Aspen, Setsuko, and Lucy.
Inside the temple (known as the Temple of the Moon), the group observed it. Like any temple, it was old and broken, with pieces littering the ground.
"Wow! This place is big!" Natsu said amazed.
"It's all busted up." Lucy commented.
"Just how old is this place?" Gray asked arms to his hips.
"Judging by how broken it looks a few hundred years, give or take." Lisanna observed picking up a piece of the temple.
"Huh? What are those?" Natsu asked, looking at something in the walls. A red moon was on the walls, but like the temple's shabby appearance showing age. On top was a crescent moon with many full moons scattered all over the wall they were facing.
"They're moons." Gray realized eyeing the moons on the wall along with the rest, the Ice wizard reading something bizarre for them to hear, "This place was originally called 'Island of the moon'."
Lucy started to ponder, a left hand to her chin, "A moon island, a moon curse, and moon emblems… There's something fishy about these ruins."
"Like some sort of connection these and the temple has?" Lisanna asked with Lucy nodding in agreement.
"Could be Lisanna," Aspen replied.
"Does it have to do with the curse, let's try to gather more cue and not... oh boy," Setsuko said before looking over at Natsu.
"Man, this place is falling apart. Is the floor even safe?" Natsu asked curiously from Gray, Lucy, Setsuko, Aspen, Happy, Shiro, and Lisanna to stomp on the floor to test its stability while his friends stared at the wall.
"Stop that!" The girls warned, looking back at him with Happy and Gray looking too.
But it was too late as the ground started to break, causing a panicked Natsu and everyone else to scream and they plummet with Lisanna and Gray screaming.
"Natsu, you idiot!"
From outside the temple, a loud boom was heard as to inside, the group have crash into the ground, covered in the rubble of the new ceiling, now inside a whole brand-new room.
Natsu emerged from the rubble, gasping for air as he called out looking from left to right, "Hey! Are you guys okay?!"
"No! This is your fault!" Lisanna and Lucy exclaimed angrily at him. The girls stared at Natsu eyes full of malice; Gray on his front and Happy lying on his back.
"Don't you ever think about the consequences?!" Gray asked annoyed from the fall Natsu caused.
"That is an understatement. Glad we are in one piece," Setsuko said optimistically, dusting the dust and rubble from her clothes.
"If we call it luck," Aspen replied.
Once on their feet, the group looked up to the ceiling at the hole they fell from, the hole now sealed up.
"Happy, Shiro, Lisanna, can you fly us all up?" Lucy suggested to the only three members who could fly.
"Hope." Happy denied.
"Sorry," Shiro declined.
"I would only be able to carry only one of you, and Happy and Shiro the other. I wouldn't want to leave one of you down here." Lisanna denied too, dusting off her skirt and jacket.
"We're beneath the ruins…" Gray confirmed to the party.
"It's a secret cave!" Natsu realized excitedly running to an opening waving his hands, "Since we're here, let's go exploring!"
"Hey! Quit running around like crazy!" Gray growled with gritted teeth. Before they followed, Gray asked a most serious question to Lisanna.
"You still would…?"
"Yes, still hasn't changed…" she replied calmly.
"Let's follow him before he gets into more trouble for us," Aspen suggested.
Once that was out of the way, they followed Natsu through the opening to see if was alright or if doesn't cause more trouble than they already have. With the Salamander, he stopped when he saw something he was facing.
"Oh!" he said and gasped to what he was looking at.
Lucy, Lisanna (with Happy carried in her arms), Setsuko, Shiro (carried by Setsuko), Aspen, and Gray finally caught up with the Dragon Slayer, finally exiting the opening to see what was going on.
"Natsu?" asked the girls curiously.
"Now what?" Gray asked sternly.
"What is this?" Natsu asked staring at something he couldn't believe his eyes were in this cave. Once Lisanna, Setsuko, Shiro, Aspen, Happy, and Lucy stood next to the Ice, they gasped too, eyes lacking pupil like their fellow wizard.
(Demon Deliora—Fairy tail Volume one Soundtrack)
What Team Natsu was staring at was something not normally found in caves, let alone secret ones. Gray could not believe what he was looking at, why was it here?
"Wh-What the…?" Natsu stared mouth open wide at this too, shock beyond relief. Lisanna stared fearfully at it, a little scared. Even Lucy was terrified looking at it. Aspen clapped her hands to her mouth, while Setsuko wanted to take out her blade in response. Inside, in cased in ice, was a demon. It was large, bigger than an average building; its appearance well-built like a demon should be with dark blue skin.
"Deliora…?!" Gray confirmed what this demon was, eyes still wide in shock. He steps forward, still flabbergasted that it was here, "That can't be, what is Deliora doing here?! It is impossible, he cannot be here!" he added, his voice shaking in anger, fist clenched.
"You know this thing?" Natsu asked, him, the girls, and Happy running up to his side.
"It's… It's…!" Gray stated, trying to find the right words to describe, anger boiling inside him.
"Gray, calm down," Lucy and Lisanna said solemnly placing their hands to his shoulders for support.
"That's a real demon!" Aspen exclaimed softly.
Teeth clenched in anger, he took a sharp breath before looking back up at the iced demon. The girl released him with Natsu looking to him, Lucy asked, "Tell us, what this thing is?"
"Deliora… The demon of destruction…" Gray growled in anger.
"Construction?" Natsu asked puzzled.
"Destruction." Happy corrected, popping up from the ground to correct his fellow partner.
Gray stared at the iced demon, eyes still narrowed in anger, "He looks exactly the same as then… What's going on?" he asked.
Lucy and Lisanna stared wide eyed at it too, both blue and brown eyes staring unfix to it before turning around with a gasp to the sound on incoming footsteps. The footsteps were getting louder, meaning who or what was coming into the cave they were standing in.
Entering the room were two young boys… one more of animal than man. The one on the left is a lean-built, mildly muscular young man of average height with distinctive animal features: he had a pair of canine ears sitting on his head, a small dark nose and a lower face which is colored differently from the rest of his body, bearing resemblance to a canine muzzle. He had shoulder-length, straight brown hair, large round eyes with black pupils and dark eyebrows. Both of his biceps are adorned by tattoos: the right one bears the kanji Sashimi, while the other was adorned by a single, more elaborated one. The unknown person on the left lack a shirt, revealing to be bare-chested. He wore an extremely loose pair of pants with mildly torn hems, held up by a long belt covered in many rhombs, with the part left out from its plain rectangular buckle hanging down. Such pants bore a large, dark shield-shaped logo emblazoned on the right knee: this depicted a stylized skull, bearing ears similar to his ears, with a pair of bones crossed below it, most likely tibias. The whole symbol is highly reminiscent of a Jolly Roger. He had a red collar covered in hollow studs circling his neck, and donned a pair of simple dark shoes, each adorned by a light, stylized footprint, similar to that of a cat, or maybe a small dog. This fellow was named Toby Horhorta.
The individual on his right is a short, slim young man distinguished by his extremely brushy, squared black eyebrows. His eyes, too, are black, while his hair, initially arranged in a number of spikes pointing upwards (with a particularly large one topping his forehead), are, unusually, bright blue. He wore a green coat reaching down to his knees, sporting black sections in correspondence to the sleeves' outer part (each of such sections going up to the high collar) and on the sides' lower parts, below the plain dark belt with a rectangular buckle which, together with the two vertically striped, overlapping hems placed on the front (completely superimposed from the waist up, but splitting some inches below it to create a slash), kept the garment closed. His pants were dark and loose (getting more fitting in correspondence to his ankles), while his plain shoes were light-colored. This young man's name is Yuka Suzuki.
"This is where the voices were coming from." Yuka sneered looking around for the source of the voices.
Toby growled his hand to his stomach. Natsu, Aspen, Lucy, Shiro, Gray, Setsuko, Lisanna, and Happy had hidden themselves behind some rocks, seeing the two enter where they once stood. Happy and the others were relieved that they were safe, but saw them coming closer, the short one of the two complaining.
"It's daylight. I am sleepy…"
Toby growled as they continued walking pass the team, unknown to them they are here.
"Toby." asked Yuka to his comrade, "Have you been soaking in the moon drip? You have ears and stuff."
"No! These are decorations! Get it through your head!" he snapped while Yuka still smiled.
"I was only teasing you, idiot." Yuka assured him.
"You're so mean." Toby groaned sadly at the remark.
"Moon Drip? Could that be the curse?" Lucy pondered, looking pass the rock she was hiding behind to hear their conversation. Lucy gasped as another person entered the cave.
The third person to enter inside the cave was a young woman (sixteen in appearance) who has blue eyes, pink hair, large breasts, and a curvaceous body. On her face was make-up to match her appearance, to which Lisanna made a note to think it was too much. Her hair was tied in pigtails, her choker tied into a ribbon, a purple and pink short spaghetti dress with light pink trimmings, black leggings, and high-heeled sandals. Her dress appears to have two long and thin wings at the back. This girl's name is Sherry Blendy. Sherry walks into the cave, announcing her presence to Toby and Yuka, who are tired of seeing her.
"Toby, Yuka, I have sad news," she said sadly.
"Sherry," Yuka said simply.
Toby greeted the pink-haired girl with a happy growl and wave.
"Someone beat up Angelica." She confirmed hands together in a worried look, Lisanna then facepalm in annoyance.
We are so screwed now; they know we are here because those two idiots beat up a rat… So that rat is hers. No wonder it dress like a maid, that girl's got weird taste.
"It's just a dumb rat! Don't give it a deluxe name!" Toby shouted.
"She is a rat!" Sherry retorted, "Angelica is a hunter that races through the darkness… And…" she paused, "love."
"What's she talking about?' Lisanna thought, already thinking this girl is weirder than the other two.
"Take about a serious weirdo. Especially that last thing she said." Lucy whispered wide eyed.
"They're not from this island. They're smell different." Natsu said giving the three a sniff with his nose.
"Could they be from a guild? No other guilds were mentioned by the villagers?" Shiro asked softly.
"Maybe independent?" Setsuko suggested.
"And they don't seem cursed, either." Happy interjected,
"Intruders, huh?" spoke Yuka, getting the four wizards back to listening in.
"Just when the moon's light is nearly gathered, too. So sad." spoke Sherry sadly. She looks to her comrades adding "Let us get rid of the intruders before the Cold Emperor hears of this." She paused, Yuka smirks and Toby's teeth shown as she added, "Yes, before the moon shows itself… "
"Yeah." nodded Yuka. Toby growled in agreement.
, "Now that they've seen Deliora, we cannot let them leave alive. We will give the intruders internal sleep…" Sherry continued before she paused, but added, "In other words, love."
"You mean death." Toby assured her a sweat drop going down the back of his head while Yuka remain smiling.
The sound of a rock being thrown to the ground snapped the trio from their conversation, "What was that?" asked Sherry.
"Over there!" said Yuka running from the two others to see what the source of the noise was. Sherry and Toby followed him, in search of the sound. They left the cave and Lucy, Natsu, Setsuko, Aspen, Shiro, Lisanna, and Gray raise from their hiding spot, the young blue cat Happy floating to them
"Good job, Happy!" Lucy whispered happily.
"Aye!" said Happy smiling; Lisanna patted a hand on his furry head, proud of her 'son'.
"Aww, we should've caught them and interrogated them!" Natsu said eyes narrowed,
"Not yet." Lucy reassured him, "Let's check things out a little more first."
"This is getting to get complicated." Natsu replied arms folded with his eyes narrowed.
"I wonder who this 'God Emperor' is…" Happy asked floating near Natsu.
"Why did they bring Deliora here…?!" Gray said angrily, "How did they find where he was sealed, anyway?!"
"Where he was sealed?" Lucy and Lisanna repeated.
"This thing was sealed in an iceberg in a northern continent." Gray added, his mind flashing back to what the demon was, "It's an immortal demon that ravaged the Isvan region ten years ago… Master Ur, the one who taught me magic, risked her life to seal it away!" he looks to the iced demon, hands clenched in anger, "Dunno what is has to do with the island's curse, but it doesn't belong here!" and his hand began to charge with Ice magic, his hand now emitting a mist. The others were concerned and worried for the fellow wizard as he added, "Cold Emperor… Who are you?!"
There was anger in Gray's eyes that not even Natsu or Lisanna had ever seen before, it was a side of Gray they never witnessed before. It felt not just anger, but another feeling… a feeling of darkness.
"You'll have hell to pay if you try to tarnish Ur's name!" he gritted angrily.
To be continued in chapter 12: Moon Drip