Lucy soaks in her tub, running her hands through her hair and sighing.
This place really was a real steal! 70,000 a month for all the floor space, walk-in closets and the cute retro fireplace and stove!
She stands up and lets the water drain away as she dries her hair the best she can and wraps a towel around her body. She opens the bathroom door to walk into her bedroom, freezing at the sight she enters into.
"Get the heck out of here, you jerk!" She kicks Natsu in the cheek and makes him topple out of the chair. Natsu growls as he rubs his cheek. Lucy pulls the towel tighter around her. "Just trying to be friendly…" Natsu grumbles and Lucy sighs. "It's a serious invasion of my privacy." Lucy shakes her head and catches sight of Happy scratching the wall. "It's a nice place you got here." Happy says and Lucy scoops him into her arms. "Let's try and keep it that way, alright?"
Natsu hums as he picks up a pile of papers from the desk and Lucy screams. "That's nothing!" She kicks him in the cheek to take the papers from him. "So you kick me in the face over nothing?" He growls and Lucy pouts. "Yeah, maybe I would?" She turns her head away from him and he lets out a barely audible chuckle.
Lucy lets Happy out from her arms before she stands up and walks to her closet, bringing out her outfit for the day. A pair of black leggings that have a flowy mini skirt sewed in with a pink high back halter top that has black heart buttons on it. "Just don't mess anything up while I get ready." She walks back into her bathroom and changes into her underwear and clothes. She re-dries her hair and exits the bathroom, keeping her eyes on Natsu. "You just came here to hang out with me?" She questions, and Natsu bobs his head side to side. "How about you show me and Happy all those weird little key guys you like to collect?" He says, and Lucy glares hard at him. "The celestial spirits are not weird, they are divine beings of immortality and age old magic power. They are also the closest thing I've had to a family in the past few years, so be careful how you talk of them around me. A slight on them is a slight on me." Lucy warns, and Natsu grunts.
"But I have contracts with 13 so far, and a few different types. I have four golden keys and nine silver keys, each with a different usage." Lucy takes her keys off of the ring and places them down on the table.
"Silver keys you can find in the magic shops, there's 76 races of silver spirits and there's multiple keys for each race. They can be summoned for three uses: offensive, defensive and support." Lucy separates the silver keys into the three groups. "Draco the dragon and Canis Major the great dog are both offensive spirits. It means they specialize in attacking enemies." Natsu's gaze locks onto Draco's key, grunting.
"Scutum the shield and Horologium the clock are defense spirits, called out to protect against the enemy rather than fight." Happy smiles at the familiar name of the shield spirit.
"Crux the southern cross, Lyra the harp, Leo Minor the lion cub, Telescopium the telescope and Pixas the compass are all support based spirits. Their magic doesn't do much on the battlefield, but when preparing for battles, helping with tasks or passing the time they are valuable partners to have." Lucy puts each key back onto the ring.
"The gold ones, the keys of the zodiac, are super rare. There are just 12 spirits and only one key for each!" Natsu nods and counts the golden keys she has. "Taurus the golden bull, Aquarius the water bearer, Capricorn the sea goat and Cancer the giant crab." Happy's mouth waters at the statement. "Giant crab legs!" Lucy shakes her head at the blue cat. "I've never met anyone as obsessed with seafood as you." Lucy giggles and looks over her keys again.
"Oh, I need to make a contract with the key I bought in Hargeon. Don't suppose you'd be interested in seeing how a celestial wizard makes a contract with a celestial spirit?" Lucy picks up the key of the little doggie.
"I hope it's not some kind of grotty blood pact." "Well it sounds like a pain in the ass to me." Happy and Natsu stage whisper to each other, and Lucy's eye twitches. "Um, I can hear you; leave my butt out of this."
Lucy places her hand over her heart as the other outstretches the key in front of her. "I call upon thee in the world of the celestial spirits. I beckon you to my side at once, pass through the gate! Now open, gate of the canis minor; Come forth to my side, Nichola!" The key is enveloped in light and the spirit appears.
"Nice try?" Happy says at the sight of the small spirit. "Shut up, I meant to do that!" Lucy yells and takes the spirit into her arms. "Such a cutie patootie!" She snuggles the spirit close to her chest. "You really think so?" Natsu inquires and Lucy nods. "Besides, it doesn't take much magic power to get little doggies through the gate or to keep them here. It's why most wizards keep them as pets, plus they're great at helping their contractors emotionally. Though, I don't agree with the whole pet shtick."
"Well, let's start working on the contract!" Lucy brings out a notepad and bends down to the spirit's height. "Are you willing to have open availability with confirmation through the link?" A hesitant shake of the head. "That's okay! We can just go through the days as normal."
"Are you free mondays?" A shake.
"Tuesdays?" A nod.
"Wednesdays?" A nod.
"Thursdays?" A nod.
"Fridays?" A nod.
"Saturdays?" A nod.
"Sundays?" A nod.
"Great! Well, that just about does it." Lucy sets the notepad down.
"That was pretty easy." Happy says and Natsu grunts in agreement. "It may seem silly to you but it's really important. You see, a celestial wizard's contract relies on the promise that's made between the wizard and the spirit. Which is why I make it a point to always keep my promises." Natsu nods slowly.
"Okay, now I just need to come up with a name." Lucy smiles at the spirit. "Isn't it Nichola?" Happy asks. "No, that's the race. Lots of silver key spirits receive nicknames by their contractors. Like how I call my Scutum by Blanc, my great dog is Beau and my lion cub is Rory. " Lucy turns to Happy. "The dragon doesn't have a nickname?" Natsu asks and Lucy shakes her head. "Some spirits, like Draco, don't like to be given nicknames. They're proud of their star name and feel that nicknames undermine that pride."
She turns back to the spirit and holds her arms out. "Come here, Plue!" She calls and Plue comes to her. Happy and Dragneel both look at each other with questioning looks.
"I think it's just the cutest name ever, right little Plue?" Plue smiles and moves to her torso, hugging her. She squeezes the spirit tight and nuzzles her face against him. "Are you sure he's cool with that? Considering the pride thing." Natsu asks, and Lucy nods. "Yeah, some don't like nicknames but others do. They feel like it gives them a better bond with their contractor so they're more than just a contracted spirit. It all depends on how the spirit reacts to the nickname, if they respond to it or their star name instead. Plue responded with a hug at the name, so he's okay with it."
"Even though his sign is the little dog he doesn't bark? That's kinda weird." Happy says. "Well I don't hear you meowing over there, Happy." Lucy counters and Plue jumps out of her lap. Natsu hums as the spirit jumps around, watching him before staring at Lucy silently. Lucy curls in on herself, watching Natsu. "What is your deal?" Lucy mutters, and Natsu nods to himself. "You're going on a job with us, do good enough and I'll take you in my team." Natsu declares and Lucy looks up at him with shock. "Your team?" She questions and Happy nods.
"Aye! Even though everybody in the guild is allied to one another, some members that get along really well get together and form teams within the guild. That way, jobs that may be too hard for one person to take can get done by a team!" Happy explains, and Lucy's eyes brighten with her smile. "Awesome, what job?" Lucy tilts her head. "You're willing to work with me?" Natsu asks, and Lucy nods. "If you're thinking I'll be scared away by the rumors, you're out of luck. I didn't believe them in the first place, and hanging with you just proved me right." Lucy states, giving Natsu a cheeky grin. "You have my word, what job are we going to do?" Lucy asks, and Natsu brings out a flier.
"It's in Shirotsume, huh? No way, 200,000 Jewel just for taking a book from some rich guy named Duke Everlue?" Lucy reads, growing skeptical. "Simple enough for your first job." Natsu states, and Lucy re-reads the paper. "Please note, Everlue is a dirty old man who's currently looking for maids with blonde hair." Lucy gasps and glares at Natsu. "Just my luck, I know a blonde haired girl who gave me her word to do this job." Natsu grins. "Yep, and I bet we can find her a maid's uniform." Happy teases.
"Why, you sneaky little… you tricked me!" Lucy yells and falls to her knees. "It's a good thing celestial wizards never go back on their word, 'cause now you're stuck with us." Natsu shrugs, Happy coming to stand in front of Lucy. "You should start getting into character, address me as Master." Happy says and Lucy bolts up into a stand. "No way!" She exclaims, sighing with agitation.
"Well, it's a twelve hour walk at best so we should start." Lucy starts to put her boots on and Natsu growls. "Back to being non-verbal, Natsu?" Lucy chides and he rolls his eyes. "We don't have to walk if it'll take so long." He says and Lucy stares at him with worry. "I'd rather not make you go in a moving vehicle with how bad your motion sickness is. If there isn't a time strain emergency then we can walk. Besides, I need to work off a lot of weight to get pretty enough for this perv to hire me." Natsu growls again. "I don't need your pity, woman, and you don't need to lose any weight. We're taking a carriage." Natsu pushes her out of the room and Lucy sighs.
"He doesn't mean to be so rude, he's just blunt." Happy says and Lucy shakes her head. "It's okay, Happy." She takes him into her arms. "I've seen this behavior before, Draco is just the same amount of stubborn. Now, if anything, I just find the stubbornness endearing." Lucy giggles.
—
"Are you enjoying the carriage ride today, master? Anything I can get for you?" Lucy teases Natsu, who's laying with his face in her lap. Natsu groans, making Lucy chuckle even as she runs her hands through his hair and massages his muscles. "I'm playing the part of the master so I should be giving the orders!" Happy yells and Lucy shakes her head.
Lucy's hands still as her face turns to a pout. Natsu growls and reaches up to take her hand in his. He nudges and Lucy giggles, taking the sign to continue running her hands. Natsu sighs and relaxes. "Hey, I was wondering why you picked me to join your team." Lucy asks, and Natsu hums before responding. "You're capable enough to take down an entire group of men and smart enough to plan ahead. Besides, Happy said you were nice; what Happy says goes." Lucy smiles at the explanation, glancing at the blue car eating a fish. Happy gives her a smile back before going back to the fish.
"Well, I'm totally stoked about my first real job. I know I'm going to rock it." Lucy says and Happy looks up at her. "Really? I thought you were upset about it." Lucy smiles sheepishly. "Yeah, I was mad at first but if this perv likes pretty girls I'm a contender for the job. I would be perfect if only someone let me walk all my ugly weight off." Lucy glares at Natsu who growls and shifts his head to stare into her eyes. "You're fine as you are, woman. If anything, you need a bit more meat on your bones." Natsu says and Lucy's eyes widen in shock. "I'm already starting to get chubby." Lucy mutters, and Natsu growls again. They stare into each other's eyes, silently battling the other until Lucy leans back in her seat. Natsu smiles and closes his eyes, not long before his snores start.
"I don't get you at all sometimes, Natsu." Lucy says and Happy giggles. "He just isn't all that good at communication. He really does care about you, it's why he wants you to be healthy." Happy says and Lucy tilts her head in confusion. "But I'm already healthy?" She mutters while looking at Nastu's sleeping face. She exhales a sigh and leans back in her seat.
—
Lucy hums as she stretches upon exiting the carriage. "Finally I'm off of that death trap." Natsu growls and Lucy looks at him with an unimpressed stare. "I offered to walk, you were the one who forced us to ride in it." She states and begins to walk into the town. "Whatever woman, let's just get something to eat." He says and Lucy chuckles. "Nah, I'm alright but you two enjoy." Lucy walks away with a wave.
Natsu growls as he walks in the restaurant, scaring all the patrons out at the sight of him. The workers all huddled together, fighting about who would have to take care of Dragneel. He rolls his eyes with a growl and throws the menu to the workers. "Just get me two of every meat and fish option." He demands and the workers rush to meet the order.
"Make sure to save the fattier stuff for the woman." Natsu says as they finally get the food, and Happy nods. "Hold it right there, why am I getting the fat stuff?" Lucy scolds as she walks up to them with a bag on her arm. Natsu grunts as he looks her up and down before pushing a plate of fatty meat towards her. Lucy gapes as she pushes it away, turning her head away with a pout. "What's in the bag?" Happy asks and Lucy blushes a bit. "It's a maid uniform for the job." She reveals and Natsu chokes on his meat. "What do we do? We were joking about the costume but she took it seriously." Happy stage whispers to Natsu and he grunts. "I guess we're just gonna have to go along with it." Natsu stage whispers back, Lucy's eye twitches at the act. "I can hear you." She says as she sits down.
Lucy picks up a menu and looks through it before calling a worker over. "Can I get a lemonade with extra ice and a lemon slice, oh, and a black forest cannoli parfait, please?" The workers all look at each other with confusion and fear, not one moving. Until, Dragneel growls at them all. "The woman told ya' what she wants, get on it." A worker finally scrambles to prepare the order, bringing it to Lucy with utmost care not to spill it. "Thank you." Lucy takes the drink with a smile and sips it. "I hope it's to your liking, m'lady." The worker bolts back to the huddle of other staff.
"Poor things, if only they knew how soft you were." Lucy takes a bite of her parfait, smiling at the taste. "I got no clue what you're saying, woman." Natsu scoffs. "Really now, Natsu? You helped me because Happy asked you to, make sure the people around you are cared for and safe, you even took a carriage to Mt. Hakobe to save Makao for Romeo's sake! Natsu, you're the softest man I've ever met." Lucy's giggles dye out as she notices how Natsu curls in on himself. Lucy sighs and moves forward, leaning over the table to take his hand in hers. He jumps at the contact, but lets her hold his hand between both of her's.
"It's okay to be soft sometimes, Natsu. Showing that you care is a valiant and brave thing to do." She releases his hand to grab a napkin. "It doesn't make you any less of a fighter, it makes you more of one." She daps the juices left from the meat from his cheeks and lips. "How the hell does being soft make me a better fighter?" "Because you know that you have something worth fighting for."
Lucy leans back in her own chair, sipping from her lemonade with her eyes closed. Natsu watches her, and Happy chuckles while his tail makes a heart. Natsu growls and flicks the cat on the back of his head.
The three continue to eat in a peaceful silence until they're finished. Lucy looks over to the frightened workers once they stand up to leave. "I'll go get the check and take care of the payment." Lucy ushers Natsu and Lucy out of the establishment. She turns back and walks to the staff area. "Hello, I'd appreciate it if I could get the check?" She asks, and the workers hesitantly nod. "Are you okay, ma'am?" One asks, and Lucy has to wonder why they would ask before remembering that while she knows Natsu, they only know rumors. "I'm okay, I know you think Natsu will hurt me but really he won't!" She pays the bill and leaves the restaurant with a wave, walking to stand by Natsu and Happy. Happy crashes into her chest and she takes to carrying him.
The three continue their walk to the client's house. "Did you really mean that?" Natsu asks, confusing Lucy and Happy both. "Did who, mean what, Natsu?" Happy asks, and Natsu sighs. "Lucy, did you mean what you told that worker back there?" Lucy hums as she remembers everything she had said. "Yes, I do." She smiles gently at him, brushing her fingers against his. "I trust you, Natsu." Natsu nods as he looks away from her, and Happy chuckles at him. "We're here." He says as they pass into a clearing. "Wow." Happy says as he sees the mansion. "It sure is fancy." Lucy's tone patronizes the mansion. They continue to walk up until they are close enough to knock on the door. A few minutes pass until the door is opened by an older man that freezes when he sees Natsu. "Dragneel?" Natsu growls at the man who shrinks in fear at the immense heat radiating off of him.
"Natsu!" Lucy scolds, and the growling stops. The man finally looks over to her and takes notice of the blue cat in her arms. "We're here for the job, may we come inside to talk?" Lucy requests, and the man opens the door further for them to enter. They are directed to a living room area where they take seats on a couch. Natsu sniffs the room as Lucy shys away and looks at each fancy and perfectly polished item with disdain.
"My name is Kaby Melon." The man introduces himself, and Happy perks up. "Melon? You have a tasty name!" "Don't be so rude!" Kaby chuckles, nodding his head. "Yes, I get that a lot." Still, why does his name sound so familiar?
"Well, first thing is first, allow me to tell you about the job. It's pretty straight forward, Duke Everlue had a book called Daybreak in his possession; I would like you to burn it for me." Nastu grunts and stands up to leave. "May I ask why, sir?" Lucy grabs Natsu by his cloak to keep him from leaving. "It means so much to me that the book is destroyed no matter the cost." Kaby says and Lucy stares at him with suspicion before nodding. She releases Natsu to stand up and leave.
Once they are on their way to the Everlue mansion, Lucy reveals, "I'm not burning that book before reading it all the way through." Natsu growls and Lucy flinches just slightly. "It's odd how desperate he is to destroy a book of all things! What could be in its contents that could make him so angry?" She mutters, only being broken out when Happy complained about her holding him too tightly. She apologizes and looks to the sky. It's nearly an hour before they beach the outskirts of the mansion.
Lucy leaves Natsu and Happy behind to walk up and ring the doorbell. She waits for the door to open, only to instead feel the ground behind her break apart.
A giant woman with pink hair pops out of the hole in the ground. "So, you're a maid? I assume you saw the ad that the master placed in the paper?" She asked, and Lucy nodded sweetly. Then, Everlue pops up from the ground. "Boyoyo, did I hear someone say master?" Everlue begins to examine Lucy, making shivers crawl up and down every molecule of her skin and bones, even her hair and nails and cartilage.
"I'll pass, now scram, ugly." Everlue says and Lucy is hit with a I knew I should have convinced Natsu to let me walk instead. It still hurts to be reminded how much I'll never measure up.
The giant lady picks her up by the waist. "You heard the man, get going, ugly." She says. "Sorry, but a man of my standing has certain standards to uphold. That's why I only hire the fairest of the fair." He shows off his other four maids, all of which grosseteste and beast like in their own ways. They begin to coddle and praise the man, and Lucy just wants to cry and cuddle with Rory. She wiggles out of the giant lady's hold and walks off where Natsu and Happy are waiting for her. She notices Natsu trying to come near her, simply avoiding his outstretched hand and instead pulling out a silver key from her pouch.
The head of the key resembled a blazing paw print and the biting and tip was shaped as if it was flames. "Open, gate of the lion cub; I call upon you, come forth to my side, Canis Minor!" In a ball of light that fades to sparkles, Rory appears in front of Lucy.
An extremely large lion plush, four feet long and three feet wide, fur white with highlights of pastel yellow, gold and orange. A too long puffy tail, large fluffy ears, tiny paws, button nose and happy squinting eyes with his tongue sticking out.
Lucy immediately flopped down onto the plush spirit, hugging itself midsection tightly. "Lucy, what's wrong?" Happy came over and cuddled in next to her. "Nothing too bad, Happy; Just some bad memories." Lucy snuggled closer to Rory, who shifted his neck to run his tongue against Lucy's cheek as if he were licking her. Lucy giggles, kissing the plush on his forehead and leaning back down to hide her face in his mane.
Natsu sighed and sat down next to them, slowly moving his hand towards her. He brushes their fingertips together, and she connects them.
It's close to sundown when Lucy thanks Rory and sends him back home. "I'm sorry." She keeps her gaze to the ground in shame. "Don't apologize, woman." Natsu huffs and helps her up. "Besides, this is better for us. They'll be getting ready to turn in for the night, leaving us to find the book without any outside problems." Natsu reasons, enacting a nod and smile from Lucy. "I thought you liked taking people by storm, though?" Lucy teases, getting a chuckle from Natsu. "It is fun to take 'em by storm, but Everlue has the means to create a scandal from it." Lucy nods in understanding, his status could land them in prison and the guild to be punished.
"Well' have Happy fly us up to the roof, I'll melt a window and we'll enter." Natsu says, Happy already grabbing him. Lucy watches as he is flown to the top, then as she is, she watches the ground get farther from her feet. Natsu has already melted the glass out of a window and she follows in after him. "We should do something to him for what he said to you, Lucy." Happy suggests, and Natsu nods. Lucy hums in thought before chuckling. "I'll use his toothbrush to clean the toilet, turn on every faucet I see and lather every door knob with soap to make them sticky." Natsu and Happy shiver at the statement.
"Huh, some kind of weird storage room." Lucy offers as she looks around the room. Suddenly, Happy pops in front of her with a skull on his head, making her fall back with a scream. "Check me out!" Happy goes to Natsu, who gives him a fist bump. "Fierce."
Lucy stands back up and takes off a silver key from her pouch. "Open, gate of the telescope; I call upon you, come forth to my side, Telescopium." In sparkles of light, Lucy brings out her hands to catch the spirit. A pair of binoculars with star shaped lenses made out of glass land in her grasp. She brings them up to her eyes and hums before beginning to walk. "Come on, Ellie shows anything and everything, especially the way to the library!" Happy lands himself in her arms as Natsu follows behind. "We can't be caught, so we have to be like ninjas." Lucy reminds, and Natsu gasps. "Like a real ninja?" He sounds dreamful, and Lucy smiles. "Yes, silly, like a real ninja."
Right at the stairs before the door to the library, "Intruder alert, Virgo!" The grotesque maids pop up from the floor, followed by the giant. "Let's crush 'em, girls!" Happy and Lucy both jump back.
Virgo?
Happy screams, and the skull still on his head scares the grotesque maids away. Virgo slams herself down on Natsu, who simply lifts her off. He further kicks her away with his magic. "We must not be discovered further, we are ninja." "Ninja." "Ninjas are supposed to be quiet, you sillies."
They continue on until they come to large white double doors. Upon entering into the library, Lucy turns back to lather the knobs with a bar of soap before closing them. "There are many books in this library." "Aye." Natsu's and Happy's voices still held the ninja accent. "Who would have thought that Everlue is a major bookworm." Lucy says, in awe of the large library. "I get the want for such a large library, but for such a short man?" Lucy mutters, and Happy flys around with a groan. "How are we ever going to find that book?" Lucy stares at him before motioning to Ellie. "Oh, yeah." Lucy shakes her head fondly as she brings Ellie back to her eyes.
She walks over to a shelf and brings Ellie down from her eyes. "Thank you, Ellie." She says, and the lenses switch from stars to hearts. "I return you home now." The spirit leaves in a flash of light. Lucy scans along the shelf before grabbing a yellow spine. "Kemu Zaleon wrote this book, that's even more suspicious!" Lucy exclaims. "Zaleon was a great wizard and an even better novelist, considered one of his generation's best!" Lucy explains, studying the cover. "I thought I had read every sentence he'd ever written, but this must be an unpublished novel. How could Kaby have known about it?" Lucy opens the book to begin reading, and Everlue pops in through the floor. "Well, well, thieves are looking to pilfer Daybreak from me, are you? Boyoyo." "Don't you think it would've been way easier just to come in through the door?"
"I knew all you lowlife wizard types were coming around here to take something of mine! I never would have guessed it was that stupid book." Everlue says and Natsu grunts.
There's no way it's a stupid book if Kemu Zaleon wrote it. There must be something to it, something that greedy gut pervert must not see.
"I've had enough, how dare you put your filthy hands on my possessions! Now, come forth, vanish brothers." The walls split in two to reveal a pair of males. "You called upon us, sir?" The one in white says. "Can you believe these punks are from the Fairytail guild? Talk about a bunch of runts." The one in blue follows.
Lucy gasps at the sign on their clothing, and Happy follows suit. "That sign means they're from the southern wolves; It's a mercenary guild!" Happy exclaims, and Lucy takes the chance to skim through the book. "Boyoyo, the southern wolves are always hungry for fresh game. Say your prayers, thieves." Lucy grunts and tugs on Natsu's cloak. "Hold them off, this book holds a secret." Lucy runs off through a door. Everlue begins to fall through the floor with a call to take care of Natsu while he goes after Lucy.
"Happy, go help the woman." Natsu growls and Happy flys off. "We know you're an ability type fire wizard, we saw it around your legs when you were fighting Virgo. Sorry to break it to you, but fighting fire wizards is something we do well." One of them breaks the floor in front of Natsu with a kick. "Fairytail might be a big time guild and all, but you wizards are no match for trained mercenaries like us." Natsu huffs and kicks the man through the door onto the gold statue of Everlue. "Trained mercenaries are no matched for a trained dragon slayer." Natsu kicks the other one onto the statue as well. "Dark dragon wing attack!" Each mercenary is hit by a wing, frying them instantly.
"Pathetic, wasting my time when I should have been at the woman's side."
—-
Lucy kneels on the floor of a sewer while reading the book with magic glasses. "I knew it, there is so much more to this book!" Lucy exclaims. "Well, then, please share; Secrets don't make friends, you know." Everlue comes from the wall to grab Lucy by her wrists. "No way, a monster like you doesn't deserve to know what it is. You're an enemy of literature!" Lucy yells, struggling against Everlues hold. "Enemy of literature? My massive collection of books and art only prove I'm culture's greatest friend!" Lucy grunts as she kicks him under the chin, making him release her.
"But that ugly maid collection of yours proves you don't know squat about beauty." Lucy jumps out of his reach, moving to her pouch.
"How dare you mock them, they are the very definition of beauty! What secrets does it hold? A treasure map to his buried fortune? Tell me!"
Lucy blows a raspberry at him while rubbing her slightly bruised wrists.
"Listen, I myself commissioned this book's very creation. Therefore, any secret it holds is rightfully my property!" Happy kicks Everlue in the cheek as he flys in. "Happy! That was so cool!" Lucy's smile drops into a worried frown as Happy drops into the sewer water.
"What's this, a flying cat?" "That name's Happy!" "I wouldn't stay in there if I was you." "But the water feels so good." "That's sewer water, silly!"
Lucy brings out a silver key, "Open, gate of the large dog; I call upon you, come forth to my side, Canis Major!" In sparkles of light, an entirely black shape appears in front of Lucy. It stands nearly as tall as the ceiling on its four razor sharp clawed paws. As wide and long as a king sized bed, a long snout filled with three rows of razor sharp teeth stained red and a tail that more resembled a blade.
"Looks like the tables have turned. No chance of turning it around for an easier time, I'm going to make sure you suffer the fate of the animal you are!" "Animal? How dare you! I am the utmost definition of a gentleman! The animal is that thing you summoned." Everlue argued, causing Lucy to scowl.
"Beau, hunt." The spirit launches itself at Everlue who falls into the ground. Beau sniffs at the hole before clawing at it.
"I know the whole story now. It's a horrible adventure novel about a trashy little character named Duke Everlue." Happy gasps, "You serious?"
"I don't know if I'd call the protagonist trashy… But yes, the story itself is crap and to think it was written by the great Kemu Zaleon! Inexcusable!" Everlue dives through walls before coming to crash on Lucy. She flips and jumps out of the way while Beau catches the man by his hair, yet he still falls into the floor. Beau spits out the toupee.
"I can't believe your arrogance! You forced him to write it!"
"Arrogant, moi? The word doesn't begin to apply! To tell my story's an honor, no matter what the circumstances!"
"Then why'd you have to blackmail him into it?"
Everlue finally comes into sight, and disappears again as Beau bites the spot he was in. "I don't see what's the big deal, he just needed some extra encouragement to take the job."
Lucy's scowl deepens. "Any fool would have jumped at the chance to have me as their muse but he had the audacity to say no! So I gave him the added inspiration in the form of an ultimatum. Write the novel, or his family would be stripped of their citizenship."
Happy gasps in disbelief. "But then none of them would be able to join any of the guilds and make a living! Do you really have the power to do that?" Happy steps closer to Lucy.
"I have the power to do anything! I got him to write it, didn't I?" Lucy growls.
"But, I didn't like his attitude so I decided he'd do best writing from a prison cell. Boyoyo. He went on and on about being a brilliant novelist who would never give into threats, but in the end I got what I wanted!"
Lucy grabbed at her pouch once more. "Solitary confinement for three years, just to boost your damned ego." Lucy brings out a golden key, Cancer's key. "Perhaps it took him that long to appreciate me, boyoyo." Everlue gloated.
"To appease your vanity, he wrote you as a heroic protagonist. Yet, what you don't know is that he was a wizard before he was a writer. He cast a spell once the book was written to rewrite it in a way that would please you. But, when read with that in mind, it tells of all your lies and crimes in black and white." Lucy reveals.
"What a dirty trick, he turned a book about a great man like me into a hatchet job? The nerve of that fool!" Everlue finally appeared, reaching to snatch the book. Lucy pulls it back and summons Cancer who stands in Everlue's way. "What would you like today, Baby?" Beau comes up behind Everlue and growls at his back. "Cut him down, Cance." He attempts to dive, but Cancer follows through.
"Get over yourself. It's true he wrote about all the pain and torture that you put him though, but the chapters that focus on what you did to him are only a small part of the book. In fact, its secrets have nothing to do with you."
"Tell us, Lucy." Happy begs, pawing on her leg. "I'm not going to give this book back to you, Duke Everlue. Because it was never truly yours to begin with." Lucy smiles and snaps her fingers, signaling Beau to trap Everlue under his weight by laying on him.
"Open gate of the maiden; I call upon you, cone forth to my side, Virgo!" Everlue calls out and the giant appears in golden light. "He's using your trick, Lucy!" Happy says, and Lucy frowns.
"Did I hear my master summon me?"
So she is the zodiac spirit.
"Virgo, fetch me that book and get this monster off of me." Everlue commands, getting a whip to the hand holding Virgo's key by Lucy. "Virgo!" Everlue calls, but is stopped in shock. Lucy everyone takes notice of Natsu on Virgo's shoulder.
"What is the meaning of this?!" Everlue exclaims.
"What are you doing up there?" Lucy asks, and Natsu locks his eyes onto her. "She got up so I grabbed her, and now I'm here." Natsu explained, and Lucy gapes. "You grabbed her in the house? But that means… you must have passed through the spirit gate with her! That's impossible!" Lucy yells.
Nastu gasps and looks down at Virgo. "Dark dragon roar!" Virgo is enraptured by flames and sent back to the spirit realm.
"Thank you, Cance." Lucy places her hand on his shoulder and he brings her into a hug using his crag arms. "Always, baby." Lucy returns Cancer home and turns to Natsu and Happy. "I'm going to have Beau knock him out using sound magic, best get out to avoid ear bleeds." Natsu nods and takes Happy away. Lucy claps before covering her ears and Beau barks loud into Everlue's ears. Everlue falls unconscious, but the mansion begins to collapse.
Beau takes Everlue by the suit jacket as Lucy grabs Virgo's key. Lucy climbs onto Beau's back, and in a blur of speed magic, Beau takes them outside to Natsu and Happy. "I guess Virgo's and Everlue's combined magic was keeping the mansion upright. With both of them not being able to, it finally fell." Happy reasons and Natsu nods. "I hope we're not gonna be blamed for this." Lucy sighs.
"Let's take this animal to the guards." Nastu nods and picks him up. "No, I'm dragging him by his wrists with my whip." Lucy decides, and has Beau drop him. "Such a good job done by such a good boy." She oet Beau's face and gave a kiss on his nose before sending him back. Lucy wraps the whip around Everlue's wrists.
Nastu takes a hold of her arms and checks over her own wrists, the red marks not yet faded. "It's nothing, Natsu, it doesn't even hurt."
The walk to the town was satisfying to Lucy, who just had to look back at Everlue being dragged to smile and laugh. "How are we going to get them to believe us?" Happy asks, and Lucy brings out a recording lacrima. "Once I read the book, I knew I had to get him to confess himself for anyone to believe me."
Once Everlue was handed over to the guards in the town, they headed back to the client's house.
"You burnt it?" Kaby asks, and Lucy sighs. "I know why you want it gone, to protect your father's legacy." Lucy says, and Kaby gasps. "Yes, that's true." Kaby admits. "Have you read it yourself?" Lucy asks, and Kaby shakes his head. "Everlue had the only copy, and I could never bring myself to try to read it. My father told me it was garbage." Natsu growled, and Lucy brushed their fingertips together to calm him.
Kaby further explains, "That book caused my family great heartache and shame. It was 31 years ago when my father walked in and begged for forgiveness. I pestered for answers, and all he told me was that it was over and he would never return. He decided to never write again, and cut off his hand to make sure of the promise. I felt so much anger and betrayal at him, even after his death. Yet, as the years passed by me, that anger slowly turned into remorse. Now, it's too late for me to ask forgiveness. So, I decided to make admensa by destroying the final work that had caused him so much unhappiness. This is the only way to preserve his legacy. I'm sure that is what he'd want." Kaby finished and Lucy sighed softly.
"No, you're wrong." Lucy brings out the book and holds it in front of him. "Kaby, look." The book begins to glow, and the title letters rearrange to spell Dear Kaby. "A spell has been cast on this book, the work of the wizard Kemu Zaleon, of Zekua Melon." Kaby stares at the book with reverence. "This book is his letter to you. Disguised by a spell that rearranged all of the words so no one else could read it." The letter begin to arrange themselves properly in golden light that makes them fly. "He didn't stop writing because he was ashamed, he stopped because he had finished his masterpiece. A novel containing everything he ever wanted to say to his beloved son, and when you read it the way he intended, it's easily his best work ever."
The book fell into Kaby's hands. "Now that the spell has been broken, you can read it for yourself." Kaby falls to his knees hugging the book, thanking his father and swearing to protect the book.
Natsu began to leave, enticing Kaby to yell out, "But your reward!" Natsu shook his head and Lucy gaped. "I suppose we didn't complete the job." Lucy started to walk out with him. "Even so, let me do something." Kaby begged, and Lucy shook her head with a sigh.
"Go home, Melon." Natsu huffed and left the house. Lucy gave one final goodbye before picking Happy up and following after him.
—
"Oh, this is so much better than jewels! A handwritten book signed by Zekua!" Lucy hugged the book close to her. "I can't believe he let it go." She mutters and Happy lands on her head. "He did say he had his favorite book, so you should have your's. Besides, they didn't have the money since they were only renting that place to look rich." He yawned and Lucy moved him into her arms.
Nastu stopped at a forest opening. "We're camping here, set up the tents, woman." Natsu went off into the woods. Lucy nodded her head and put Happy down onto a sleeping bag while she set up the tents. After, she pulled out a golden key from her pouch.
"Isn't that Everlue's?" Lucy screamed, "Don't sneak up on me like that, Nastu!" He placed the fire wood down on the dirt and set up stones around it in a circle.
"It was, but since he was arrested the contract was nullified." Lucy explained and Natsu nodded while he lit the fire. "You going to make one with her?" Lucy nodded and stood up to open the gate. "I'm going to catch some food, stay put." Lucy nods and outstretches the key in front of her.
"I call upon thee in the world of the celestial spirits. I beckon you to my side at once, pass through the gate! Now open, gate of the maiden; Come forth to my side, Virgo!" In golden light, the spirit appeared. She was no longer a old giant, instead a petite young woman with chains on her wrists. "Greetings, mistress." Virgo said, and Lucy cringed. "You don't need to call me mistress, Virgo. Just my name will be fine." Lucy suggested and Virgo hummed. "Your name?" Virgo questioned. "Lucy." Virgo nodded.
"Are you comfortable with open summoning upon confirmation within the link?" Lucy asks, and Virgo thinks for a moment before nodding. "As you wish, Lucy." Lucy hummed.
"What do you wish for, Virgo?" Virgo is caught off guard. "I do not know what you mean?" Lucy sighs and stands up to level with Virgo. "I want you to decide based on your own wishes. Not because it's what I want, but because it's what you want." Lucy says, and Virgo gapes.
"I, I have regular activities on Saturdays." Virgo said and Lucy nodded. "Sundays through Fridays, then. Thank you, Virgo." The spirit nods and Lucy gives her a smile.
"I regret to say I have something I must attend in the spirit world." Virgo says and Lucy frowns. "You don't have to feel shame for doing your own things, Virgo, you're your own being. I will return you home." Virgo nodded and vanished in golden light.
Lucy looked down at the key and brought it close to her heart. "Welcome to the family."