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April 17th, X778
Lucy knew it was driving Gray crazy, but she ignored him as she simply stared at everything piled on the floor. She did a mental tally he couldn't hear or see. They had enough supplies between what she and Natsu could carry to last at least three weeks if they rationed. That excluded anything they found as they traveled.
"Lucy," said Gray, entirely exasperated, which made her roll her eyes. He wasn't the human who had to worry about stuff like this. "You've checked everything a couple dozen times. One more time won't change anything." It shouldn't have been any of his business. He didn't have a reason to be bothered. Still, it was amusing to her, which might have been part of the reason she'd checked again.
Lucy glanced over her shoulder at him. "I know that, but I wanted to make sure. Besides, I took something out. I had to start over." She hadn't, but Gray didn't know that.
Running a hand through her hair, Lucy turned away from her supplies entirely. It had been a day or two since she and Natsu had told Wendy they were leaving, and Natsu had decided against going to check on her again, not wanting to see Sting or Yukino. Lucy was silently grateful for it; she didn't understand his sudden shift of feelings towards him when he'd been fine with them before, even given what had happened. She didn't really want to see him blow up again like that.
Lucy had gone to check on Wendy the day before though, and she'd quietly apologized for Natsu's behavior. Yukino had been brimming with wary curiosity, but had reigned it in. She'd not necessarily accepted the apology, but had been willing to barter with Lucy for a few medical supplies that she'd gratefully taken.
And, much to Lucy's eternal relief, Wendy had confidently chosen to accompany her and Natsu away from Hyacinth despite learning so much from Yukino and the town being relatively safe now. She'd requested an extra couple of days to stay and learn a crash course from Yukino in order to better help them in their adventure, which Lucy had been one hundred percent fine with. It was a great idea, especially given their track record.
Now, however, the time had come to finish packing. They would leave the next morning. Lucy was excited and nervous, and she could tell Natsu, who'd been wandering the coast of Hyacinth with Mirajane that morning, was ready to leave, too. Knowing there wasn't anything better to do, Lucy hadn't minded that he'd gone to wander in such a way; he needed it for a private conversation with Mirajane, she suspected.
"So," said Lucy, "are you coming with us tomorrow, Gray?" She'd tried asking him the day before, but Gray had pretended not to hear her instead of giving a concrete answer. Or he'd not actually heard. Either way, Lucy did need to know so she could start preparing herself for how bad the Vhalis situation might get if they ran into one. She knew Mirajane wasn't coming; Natsu was. Which just left Gray.
Gray's lips quirked into a grin. "If I didn't know any better, I'd say you were hoping I'd come, Lucy."
Lucy rolled her eyes. "I just need a yes or no, so I can keep planning."
"Because I'd need any of the supplies you've packed a billion times." Gray snickered when she narrowed her eyes at him in a pointed manner. Settling back in his chair, he shook his head in amusement and told her almost sorrowfully, "I can't. Natsu mentioned that Erza came by and mentioned looking into something that might help fix everything, but in the meantime…I still have souls I can try and help, even if they're already lost."
Lucy had expected as much. Natsu had hinted that he wasn't likely to come with them. She didn't mind, though she thought it would be a little strange without him. Gray had become a fairly decent friend; it wasn't something she'd expected initially, when he'd scared the hell out of her. "Well," she said, "looks like we'll have to figure out how to ward off the Vhalis in another way then."
"Rude," he muttered, and Lucy couldn't help the snort of laughter that escaped her.
"Got everything?"
"Yep." Wendy flashed Mirajane a beaming smile, though there was some anxiety in her gaze. Lucy didn't blame her. Lucy's own nervousness was ever-present in the back of her mind as they prepared to leave. There would no longer be good restful sleep or freedom to simply stop and breathe. They were willingly returning to a life of constantly looking over their shoulders, worrying about where the Vhalis might be waiting around the next turn.
Maybe Lucy had lost her mind a little bit, but she couldn't wait.
Mirajane sighed, pressing a hand to the side of her face. Her blue eyes shone with concern as she mused, "I ought to go with you, but I think it's best I stay here. Juvia truly will revoke her protection when she finds out about what happened, and while I'm angry with the people of this town…they're just humans. So many of them are just children. They'll need someone to protect them, even if I'm not as powerful as I could be." She scowled, disgusted with her own weakness. "I could have cast the world's most powerful curse. I could have cursed Valhalla itself if I'd wished. Now, I can hardly protect a single town."
"It was a surprising revelation, and Lucy felt a stab of sympathy for Mirajane. "When we get to the mountains, maybe there'll be something that will help you get your home back." The idea of Natsu leaving to return to Valhalla turned her stomach, and selfishly, for just a moment, Lucy hoped Valhalla stayed as it was for a little while longer. Lucy hated the thought as soon as she had it.
With a wry smile, Gray, standing next to her to bid them farewell, rolled his eyes and said, "They'll be fine, Mira."
Natsu made Lucy jump when he suddenly hooked his arm around her and Wendy, pulling them close and grinning almost playfully at Mirajane. Lucy sneezed when his scarf tickled her nose. "There's gotta be something if Erza was interested in it. Don't worry so much, Mira."
Mirajane let her hand fall to slap against her leg. "Regardless, be careful," she pleaded. "I forget how fragile humans are," she added as she studied the heavy bruising that still decorated Lucy's face. It was a smidge better, no longer quite as swollen, but it was still a beautiful array of purple and green and black. "It's been a long time since any of us had to worry about getting hurt in such a way. Please, be careful."
Natsu scowled, opening his mouth to likely complain that they'd be fine, but Wendy interrupted before he could start. She ducked out from beneath Natsu's arm and wrapped her arms around Mirajane in a tight hug. "We'll be careful, Mira," she whispered, squeezing her. Mirajane hugged her back and pressed an affectionate kiss to the top of Wendy's head. Wendy repeated the action for an amused Gray, who ruffled her hair gently.
"We've got to get going," said Lucy gently, feeling a twist of sadness in her chest at the fact that they'd be leaving Mirajane and Gray behind. "Sting's not going to wait all day with that boat."
It had been a kind offer on Sting's part, when he'd walked Wendy over the night before. "I'll take you guys to shore if you want," he'd told Lucy at the front door as Wendy had thundered upstairs to look for Gray. He'd been awkward during the interaction, gaze averted and body shifting back and forth. "It's the least I can do."
Lucy felt a little bad for the guy, and for Yukino, who'd been kind enough to send some extra supplies with Wendy. While she didn't like what they and Rogue had chosen to do upon initially realizing there was trouble in Hyacinth, they weren't bad people. She hoped that in the future, they reconsidered how to handle such things. Lucy didn't think Mirajane would be so forgiving of them a second time. She sighed at the thought.
The world was a complex place in the best of times, let alone when the world had come to its end.
With one final farewell, they set off, waving over their shoulders at the pair of gods that stayed behind. Lucy led the way through Hyacinth, catching glimpses of people watching them here and there. She snorted to herself as they walked. She was sure that many of them were relieved to see her go. Lucy didn't expect anything less when she'd made them all so uncomfortable with her questions – not that she cared what they thought. Lucy wondered how many of them had begun to question the absence of Jerome on the docks, how many would soon look for him and realize he, too, was missing, just like the women he'd murdered.
Maybe Mirajane would find the families of his victims and tell them of what had happened to their loved ones, and give them the peace that came with knowing what had happened to them even if it wasn't the ending they would want to hear.
When they reached the docks, Sting was waiting. It was quite early in the day, so there weren't nearly as many people on the docks. The few that were there looked at them with a mixture of curiosity and suspicion. Lucy towed Natsu along when he tried to glare over at them, interrupting him before he could start arguing with them.
"Sorry about the wait," said Lucy when they reached Sting. He was shuffling back and forth, shoulders hunched against the cold.
Sting's blue eyes darted briefly to Natsu with wary interest, clearly wondering just what Natsu might be, and then turned back on Lucy. A hesitant smile appeared on his face. "No problem," he reassured. "Are you still sure you guys want to leave though?"
"Yep," said Wendy happily, which warmed Lucy immensely. She tucked the younger girl beneath her arm, happy Wendy had chosen to tag along even if Lucy wished she could promise Wendy safety and comfort. It was nice to have another mostly-human person around to remind the gods that they weren't entirely helpless in some situations and that they weren't immortal in others.
"In you go then," said Sting, gesturing for them to get in. He gave Natsu a wide berth, to which Natsu looked a little guilty. Lucy sighed and just shoved Natsu onto the boat. He was clearly wanting to talk to Sting about it, but Lucy was fairly sure that Sting had no intentions of wanting the same.
Sting started the boat when everyone was settled and then, they were off. Lucy winced lightly at the chilly breeze that whisked over them as the boat shot forward, heading for the coast across the channel of shark-infested waters. She pretended not to notice the dorsal fin that rose above the water to check them out before darting away, content that they weren't one of the lost souls it had been ordered to protect Hyacinth from.
It wasn't a long trip across the channel, and when they reached the other shore, Sting leaped from the boat with ease. "Out you go," he said cheerfully, eyes gleaming with playfulness when he offered a hand to Wendy. Wendy giggled as she took it, though the sound was much quieter than it had been before.
Here, across the channel, they could no longer freely enjoy themselves. They had to be cautious now, for there were Vhalis around.
Lucy clambered out without help, Natsu not far behind. "Thanks for the help, Sting," she said sincerely. "I hope things go well for all of you in Hyacinth." She meant it, too. Just because she, personally, wasn't comfortable there anymore didn't mean others couldn't be. She hoped that the children especially could safely run in the streets for at least a little while without having to worry about dangerous people in a world plagued by Vhalis. They deserved the chance to have as normal a childhood as they could, even if they couldn't have the one their parents had all experienced.
"Thanks, Lucy," said Sting with a hesitant smile. His gaze flicked to Natsu and back. "And we really are sorry about everything. We…should have done a lot more than we did, and a lot of things differently."
Lucy sighed, ignoring the small satisfied huff Natsu gave. At least he was pleased with the apology she hadn't wanted. "It's in the past," she replied simply. "Just…maybe consider what's right in the future, no matter how hard or scary it is. And tell Rogue we said goodbye, and thank you for bringing us here, would you?"
Sting relaxed a little and even gave Natsu a friendly smile. "Sure." He turned and clambered back into his boat. "Good luck, guys!"
"Bye!" called Wendy as the boat began rushing back to Hyacinth, leaving the trio on their own. Lucy watched it go for a few moments before letting out a big breath. "Alright," she said, glancing skyward to check the position of the sun. They had all day to travel, but the dark would come sooner than they'd like. "Let's get going then, shall we?"
Natsu could tell that Lucy wasn't doing as well as she was pretending to do, and he couldn't decide if he ought to be amused about it or sincerely worried. Both, he decided, watching as she stiffly clambered over some rocks along the shore of a river they'd chosen to follow north. Natsu wasn't thrilled she'd decided this was the best way to go, given that they couldn't hear well over the rushing, bubbling water, but he would follow Lucy where she chose to go, regardless of where it was.
His heart lurched in his chest when she slipped with a squeak. Her arms flailed for balance. "Lucy!" squealed Wendy with a gasp when Lucy almost went straight into the freezing cold river, saving herself just in time. "Be careful!"
Not amused, he decided. Not amusing at all.
Lucy cast Wendy a reassuring, tired smile, and simply slid over the other side of the large boulder with more caution. Natsu scowled at her when she looked back at him. He lowered his partially raised arms and uttered a small, shaken breath she couldn't hear before following her over the rock.
It was a little slippery, he thought, helping Wendy over.
"We ought to start thinking about where to stop for the night," called Lucy over her shoulder as she kept picking her way along the river's rocky shore. "But we'll want to go inland from the river so that we can hear anything that comes looking. What do you think?"
Wendy agreed with a serious nod. "The river's loud," she agreed.
Natsu ran a hand through his pink hair, simply meeting Lucy's gaze. Reading the agreement there, she turned away from the river and – much to Natsu's relief – chose to head for the barren space to their left. Much safer walking surface than the river's rocky shores, he noted.
The bruises on Lucy's face caught his attention as he trailed after Wendy and Lucy, and Natsu's gut twisted with guilt yet again. He hated that Lucy had been hurt so badly while he'd been away chasing Mirajane for no reason after she'd already found Lucy. He hated that Wendy had been hurt, too, though both seemed to be fairing alright physically.
Mentally, however…
The bruises from the attack weren't the only ones beneath Lucy's eyes.
Natsu wished he'd never left as they walked. Hyacinth wouldn't have been safe regardless, but at least he'd have been there to keep them safe. It still made his lungs choke on ash just thinking about how many ways the incident could have been prevented. Even one made his chest tighten and he had to clear his throat to fight back a cough that drew Wendy's attention for a moment. After determining he was alright, Wendy went back to watching where she placed her feet.
Rubbing his sternum to clear the old, familiar ache that had once pressed in from all sides, Natsu cast a quick look around and vowed to not leave Lucy alone again. Not, at least, until he was sure she would be safe permanently.
Natsu cast a quick look around to watch for Vhalis, grateful that the further they went from the river, the quieter it got. It was a little relieving and unnerving, all at once. Now they'd hear if danger was approaching; at the same time, the white noise had been soothing in the way the sea's distant churning had been.
It didn't take Lucy long to find a spot she deemed safe, and they fell into old habits. Natsu built a fire that he felt would be big enough to warm his human friends, ensuring neither went too far as they helped to gather the kindling they needed. The excitement that had come with leaving Hyacinth truly began to recede as the sun began its descent, taking the light and safety with it. Now, there was some fear evident in the way the girls jumped when he snapped a large branch beneath his foot.
By the time dusk had truly come, Natsu was fighting back the urge to laugh at Lucy's regretful expression as she muttered, "I forgot how dark it gets."
The group settled down for the night; Wendy nestled down across the fire, and Lucy chose to curl up closer to where Natsu sat. Wendy didn't take long to fall asleep at all, confident in her companions, which brought Natsu some pride. He liked that his friends trusted him to keep them safe – not that he'd done a very good job lately. He grimaced at the fire they'd built. Natsu yanked impatiently at his scarf, eager to drive the uncomfortable thoughts out of his head.
It took him a while to realize Lucy was still awake, even as an hour or so after she'd laid down. He could see the faint gleam of her eyes, lit by the flickering fire. Once, Lucy would have fallen asleep instantly, exhausted from traveling and wary from traveling and keeping such a close eye out for danger. Now, he could practically taste the fear radiating off her at the very idea of going to sleep, leaving her to her nightmares.
So, guilt twisting in his chest, Natsu casually nudged at the fire to urge it to flare brighter and began to hum. First, he hummed an old children's song, one that he recalled being sung to him by his mother as he'd nestled down to sleep as a child. When the song ended, he moved on to a folk song in an ancient language long-since lost. Then, a song to celebrate Igneel.
Every now and then, Natsu would glance over to check on Lucy. He could see her amusement the first time he checked on her and he fought back his desire to grin in response, not wanting her to know that he'd been watching her though he knew she was fully aware. When he glanced at her a second time, she was dozing.
The third time, Lucy was sound asleep, her breathing deep and even, face nestled into her arms. Only then did Natsu stop singing, studying her for a few moments longer. He knew for a fact she'd likely awaken within a few hours, panicked as she'd been the night before and the night before that. With that in mind, Natsu carefully moved to sit beside her head, wanting to be ready for that. Lucy had awoken screaming more than once, and while that had been fine in the safe zone free of Vhalis…
Now, a scream would get her killed.
Just like Natsu felt he almost had.
Some chill before chaos again! We'll have a few casual chapters before the next big section, which I am THRILLED about.
Thanks to reviewers (BurstingDragons, nerdalertwarning, dooryy, hopelesskar, JayScriptMage345, and CMenard!) as well as those who favorited and followed!