The next day the Key and Shield heroes found themselves in the same field every hero seemed to lust over. It was abundant in monsters to gain easy experience from, yes, but it was odd how it became the early game go to for all five of them. Itsuki, Ren, and Motoyasu took note of how Naofumi and Lucy still seemed rather close despite his obvious crime, and to say they were resentful was an understatement. The Heartfilia girl was quite the fetch. Anyone with eyes could tell that much. She was stunning, rich in personality and looks, and they guessed her charms reached as far as her magic as well. Why someone as gracious as her would ever consider to stick to a proclaimed rapist was beyond them. They wholeheartedly believed that even if either one of the three of them were to snatch her instead, it would be far better on their mind than Naofumi. She was one of a kind hanging around scum in their eyes. Each time any one of them stumbled across the duo she was as kind as she had been the day they first met, but there was a new cautious nature in the way she spoke and moved, as if she were scared to do the wrong thing. And everytime she talked to any of the other heroes— even if it was for a short while— the shield wielder couldn't help but turn away or walk away in disgust. When he did, she would almost immediately excuse herself and chase after him. It unsettled them, though they never thought to bring it up amongst one another for discussion. Admitting they were jealous of Naofumi was something far too harmful to their egos.
This particular afternoon, Lucy and Naofumi had their own little patch of land for themselves. A celestial wizard always kept their word, and as such she decided to go ahead and show her partner of sorts her abilities. Not only did she say she would, but last night when the two finally called it a night and headed for their rooms, he had asked her to show him all about it the following day. To say he was amazed was an understatement. He understood Lucy could summon "spirits" as she called them, but she had completely changed clothes and summoned blades. Unless the blades themselves were the spirits, her magic bemused him and no matter how he looked at it he couldn't manage to wrap his head around how it worked. So now the key hero was teaching the shield hero a thing or two.
"Celestial Spirit magic is a holder magic that allows me to summon spirits from another world to help me with whatever I need," she began, pulling out a silver key from her key ring, "like this! Open gate of the Canis Minor: Nikora!" With the quick swipe of his key, Plue appeared in that little flash of light and his usual trembling. Naofumi blinked. The little thing shaking furiously in front of him didn't look like it could even hurt a fly if it wanted to. Not to mention that happy, naive smile it had plastered on its face. Lucy seemed much too proud of herself for summoning such a cute, but anticlimactic spirit. She scooped it up in her arms, hugging him to he chest and blabbered sweet baby talk to it.
'She's acting like it's her kid.' He thought, watching as she continued to smother the small being in motherly affection. He kept on watching for a couple more seconds before clearing his throat in order to catch her attention again.
"Not to be rude, but this snowman doesn't look too scary to me." He pointed out. Offended, the blonde set him down gently and cast an accusing finger at her partner.
"Plue, attack!' Obeying his master's command, the little dog ran up with surprising speed to the boot of one of the four cardinal heroes and served him a vicious onslaught of tiny punches. Naofumi sweatdropped, watching its determined, yet ultimately futile attempts at hurting him.
"Oh wow, this totally hurts." He mumbled sarcastically, rubbing the back of his head. Satisfied, she picked Plue back up and held him within a one arm hug, and pulled out another key. This time it was that of a zodiac.
"Open gate of the Maiden! Virgo!" She chanted. Expecting another strange spirit to come out, the green eyed boy wasn't too excited or anything. That was his mistake. The ground shook for a few seconds before a woman in well, a maid outfit, arose from the earth in a shower of small rocks and dancing chains on her wrists. "This is Virgo. She's one of my most powerful spirits, and a part of the twelve zodiac keys." Lucy explained.
"Punishment, Princess?" The maid spirit asked blankly, causing her master to face palm with her free hand.
"You already know I won't do that, Virgo," she scolded softly at her spirit's antics, "meet Naofumi! He's my first actual friend in this world." She introduced the pink haired girl to him, and said boy offered an awkward wave. Though her eyes and face were practically devoid of any emotion, a pleased smile crept on her lips.
"He looks like your friend Gray Fullbuster, don't you think so, Princess?"
"Hey, now that I think about it, he does." The blonde began to stare deeply at her friend, making him more awkward. Her milk chocolate eyes hardened in thought as she analyzed every feature of his build and appearance. Not only that, but he had to wonder who this Gray Fullbuster was. He must have been important if just his mention made her entirely shift moods. "You know, they kind of act the same too. What if he's a Japan version of him? Just like how there's a version of him in Edolas, the other world?" He couldn't believe what he was hearing. Not only was Japan not an entire world— he'd have to explain that to her later— but what in the world was she talking about? It hit him then that they didn't actually know the first thing about each other, but she was more of a mystery than him. Hell, he didn't even know her favorite color. Who is Lucy Heartfilia? Now it was his turn to be plunged in the rushing thoughts of his own mind; desperate to make sense of the girl who he's been blindly trusting of so far. He had spaced out so hard he didn't even notice Lucy was trying to get his attention until he felt her shaking him rather violently.
"Hello? Earthland to Naofumi." She sobbed, muttering something about why weird things always happened to her. Virgo had gone back to her world. And like the night before, Lucy was in a new outfit. A maid outfit. He flushed, embarrassed that his guard was let down so easily when he could just ask her all of his questions rather than trying to figure them himself. He left that for another time, though.
"Why are you wearing a maid outfit?" He questioned, composing himself.
"I transformed into my star dress. The thing I did last night. When I hold a zodiac key over my chest and say their respective spell, I can borrow their powers. Each time I do, my clothes will change to match theirs as well." She filled him in, a little annoyed she had to repeat herself, but overall still understanding.
'So she can change weapons and powers instantaneously? She's going to be a killer partner. Maybe I should this little duo thing we have going on official.' The shield hero thought to himself. Giving it thorough, but quick thought he made his decision and grabbed her by the shoulders. The sudden touch made her squeak and looked at him nervously. "Lucy, let's be partners." He suggested, but it sounded more like a demand to her. She exhaled, nodding softly. His tactics were such a scare, but his interests mirrored her own.
"About that. That day, where you had no one who wanted to join you. Before Myne volunteered herself, I was about to ask if we could be a sort of convolution of heroes so you wouldn't be alone. But as you know, I was beat to it and because of it all of those terrible things happened to you. I'm sorry, Naofu-" He pulled her into a hug. His arms wrapped around her and he rested his head upright on her shoulder. She smelt so sweet, like vanilla and strawberries. He couldn't imagine what he was doing himself, sensing her alarm. But knowing how considerate she was from the very beginning somehow always made him vulnerable. He was hated by an entire kingdom, outcasted by the same people who were supposed to be on his team and thrown into absolute poverty and defamation. Everything he had— his money, happiness, trust and care all stripped away from him. But not with her. Sure, she wasn't fast enough to prevent what happened to him, but she didn't know it would at all. She trusted Myne with him just as he had. How could he blame her for that? Ever since the first day they were summoned here, it was Lucy who offered him his support. He was a stranger then; a criminal now. But that never seemed to weaver the way she treated him. In a world filled with hate and corruption, she had become his only sense of self. If she weren't there, he pondered on what kind of person he would become.
"Don't say sorry, Lucy. You've done everything for me." He quivered, holding back tears. Feeling someone so stoic crumble in her arms felt strange, but she hugged him tightly and rubbed small circles on his back and allowed him the peace of crying. The feeling he couldn't contain flowed down his eyes and onto her clothes, but she didn't mind. He was her new partner, and together they would heal one another from everything that's hurt them.
After he calmed down and a load of apologizing for his sudden breakdown, and reassuring from Lucy, they fought monsters in the field and nearby forest for quick experience. While it wasn't much, this was only a start, and they were sure with time they'd find more challenging foes later on. They found themselves a good dynamic, where Naofumi was obviously defense and she was offense. While she used her whip— which Naofumi remarked looked like a river of stars— and magic to fend off any monsters who threatened them. Her whip did well enough damage, but she came to realize that it wasn't nearly as effective in some situations as she hoped it would be. She wondered if she should put all of her watching of Erza in action to use and pick up a sword herself. She'd have to ask Virgo if there were any in the Celestial Spirit world she could keep for her travels. With her magic, whip, and a blade of any kind she would become more lethal than she already was. Naofumi wasn't slacking off either. Material after material was absorbed into his shield so he could have more use than just a defender, and he managed to figure out that he could make a reliable income from selling medical plants at pristine quality for good coin. He wanted to match Lucy's danger in battle with his ability to protect her, from monster and poverty alike. What a gentleman. This training extended on for another day or two before they noticed Lucy's funds were fewer than he initially thought. She had apparently set aside a few hundred of it to improve their gear, but mainly Naofumi's as she was never the armor type. Again, she only wanted a sword, and she had already asked Virgo the day before if she could obtain a celestial one for her, so she had no real need for a gear upgrade that could be situated by coin. He was a different story. He was only wearing cloth, and she wanted him in some more protective clothes as soon as possible. Especially if they were unlucky enough to get separated. She needed something to protect him when she couldn't. And so, she reserved four hundred to his upgrade fund, with only two hundred silver remaining.
While they were walking about in town, they caught word that in the outskirts of a small village named Lute, a ore filled cave was abandoned and all they heard was money, not questioning why it was possibly left by the previous workers. Thus, after a good nights rest they walked all the way there by foot, making Lucy whine and complain his ear off the entire way. On this trip Naofumi came to realize just how intrusive and odd her spirits really were, often at times appearing out of nowhere or having catchphrases. It was only a suited man, the maid, and a clock that took the liberty to appear uncalled to inform or help her with anything in particular. The suited man, who he came to know as Loke, was especially the weirdest of the bunch, but also the closest to Lucy. The shield hero lost count of how many pick up lines, bridal carrying, and overall physical touch he's witnessed. It almost made him sick how handsy he was of his partner, but he ultimately dismissed it since Lucy had known these people more than she did him, and trusted every single one with her life. Even the seemingly weaker ones. Virgo also informed Lucy of some sort of "impending search" every time she appeared, even if it didn't yield such answers. All in all, he may have had a powerhouse next to him, but did it come with its own wacky side effects. Thinking about it, though, he still wouldn't trade her for the world.
After enduring a walk that felt a little longer than it should have been, the two finally made it to the entrance of the cave. Lucy could feel the cold air emitting from inside and shivered.
"This place gives me the creeps." She muttered, hugging herself as she stared inside.
"Are you sure you're just not cold?"
"That too." With a reluctant gulp, she walked in right behind him. He was a lot less afraid than she was and she was apparently the stronger one. No matter. He made sure she walked closely behind him through the narrow tunnel until they stumbled at the edge expansion of the cave brimming with glowing, teal blue crystals creating enough light that every other source of it became unneeded and a waterfall. Naofumi got the hard work, mining away at the gems and splitting them from their roots in the earth, while Lucy took quick note of the footprints in the damp dirt. Tracing them with her eyes while he worked away, she met those of a looming monster. Just as spotted it, the hellhound leapt straight for the unsuspecting black haired boy. Unwilling to let it happen, she unfurled her whip and latched onto its hind legs and pulled it back to her with all her force. Her wish came at a price though, and as soon as it was dragged to her it lunged for her instead and bit into her arm with sharp canines. She screamed in agony, her grip on it loosening and falling back.
"Airstrike Shield!" Before the hellhound could take an aimed bite of her head, a green shield appeared between them and stopped it. Turning back to look at the person who came between its meal, the monster met the determined gaze of the shield hero. Taking this to her advantage, Lucy scoot back and pulled out a gold key while it was distracted.
"Open gate of the Lion! Leo!" Loke appeared and sensed danger, picking Lucy up and setting her to rest on a nearby cave wall. Right after Virgo appeared uncalled, giving her big brother a nod that ensured she'd take care of their princess while he went for revenge. Naofumi had kept the beast mostly at bay by blocking it inches away from his own body with his shield, but the monster had too, taken a bite of him and didn't let go even as blood seeped from the open wound of his shoulder.
"Take Lucy out of here and go!" He yelled, growling almost as much as the monster taking a bite of him was. Lucy cried as she wanted it, feeling helpless but knowing Loke would not fail her. The lion spirit came to his rescue, ignoring his pleas to save his partner instead and blew a desvasting punch to the side of the monster. It howled in pain, releasing the black haired boy and withered on the ground, its ribs shattered by the brute force. Loke had murder in his eyes.
"Regulus Impact!" He concentrated all of his magic on his foot, kicking the already in pain creature and sent it straight off the edge and into the pond below to die. After a final glance, he went over to Naofumi who was just barely standing and helped him walk over to Lucy whose bleeding arm was getting cleaned off and treated by Virgo. "Wait your turn." He instructed, leaving the shield wielder to sit nearby and went to tend to his master as well. She was crying, biting the bottom lip in searing agony as Virgo disinfected it and wrapped it in gauze and bandages. Naofumi was next, and while he didn't cry he was in just as much pain as she was, but let the maid make quick work of caring for the deep bite on his shoulder. As soon as she was done, there was a silence and Loke was staring at him with an expression he couldn't read. The two spirits helped the two out of the cave, Lucy in Loke's arms and Virgo draping Naofumi's unharmed arm over her shoulders and helping him stumble out.
He didn't know how to feel. Useless? Grateful? Lucy had gotten hurt, severely, and he could have prevented it if he had paid more attention. But she had saved him from what was likely a life of paralysis at best, and her spirits came in to dispatch of the monster who hurt her and treated them both. A part of him was eternally thankful they had, but another was disappointed in his lack of ability to protect her. It hit him then that even if she was strong, she wasn't impenetrable, and if he wanted her to stay safe he'd have to become better.
The spirits took them back all the way to their nearby camp and placed Lucy in her sleeping bag to rest. She had fallen asleep or passed out on the way there. Naofumi was content on just sitting next to her, and watched as she stirred in her sleep.
"Thank you for protecting her, but please be more careful next time. For both of your sakes." The lion said, sighing heavily as he too, stared at the blonde girl. "Virgo will bring you both a fresh pair of clothes. Tell Lucy to summon her if she needs any help getting changed. Until then, continue to protect her." With those parting words, both spirits disappeared and Naofumi fell back into the dirt. He was worn out. Luckily for them both, the day was calm and nothing threatened them during nightfall. Naofumi fell asleep with guilt clinging to his heart, and he slept just a little closer to her.
A/N: I'm so bad at writing action scenes, sob. Hopefully it was adequate enough, I'm sure when the more serious fights happen I'll do a lot better.
This fanfic is Lucy x Naofumi, but I can't help sprinkling in some Lolu or Graylu moments or mentions. My heart belongs to them. And also Zerlu and Rolu. I ship too many people with Lucy.