BROKEN AND BRUISED
CHAPTER 23
Lucy smiled to herself as she looked at the streets that are all too familiar for her now. She closed her eyes, took a deep breath in and let it out. Her eyes opened to see Makarov talking with the other members. He noticed her and waved her over.
She joined the group and he continued talking. "As I was saying, I want you all to do your utmost best. No matter what you hear on the streets, pay the snide remarks no mind and just focus on your abilities."
The group nodded their heads in unison at Gramps's words.
"Still Gramps, I keep wondering… why didn't you assign stronger members?" Gray muttered as he put his hand on his neck in order to calm his nervousness. This was a big deal for the guild and he didn't want to mess things up.
"What are you talking about kid? You all are one of our bests, so don't worry about these things." Gray smiled a little before Gramps added. "Plus they aren't back yet but that's not the point."
Lucy laughed at the dejected sigh Gray let out before turning back to the guild master. "Ne Gramps, how much time do we have before it starts? I would like to roam the stalls for a bit."
"You have until late at night but be sure to be back before 12:00 am. Do you all understand?"
Once again, they all nodded their heads and set off their different ways. Erza went to the inn they were staying in, while Gray met up with Juvia and went in another direction. Wendy went with Charle to see the castle which left Lucy with Natsu.
"Alright, what do you want to do Natsu?" Lucy turned to see that she was talking with herself. She sighed as she looked around her. "Off on his own I see. And the kids are with their uncles and aunts at a restaurant having lunch. I guess I'll just roam around then."
Stretching her arms, she began her walk leisurely, making sure to take her time and appreciate things as if she's seeing them for the first time. Stopping in a park that she knew like the back of her hand, she took a deep breath letting the flower scent wash over her before moving to the fountain in the middle.
Her reflection gazed back at her as she came closer to the fountain and she smiled at it. Her hand played with the surface of the water gently to not scare away the fish but stopped when she noticed them all fleeing.
"Oops sorry little ones, I didn't mean to frighten you."
The water surface soon calmed down and it was then that Lucy realized, it wasn't her own reflection that was staring back at her this time.
"WHAT THE-!"
XXX
Walking down the streets Natsu always liked the smell of food that was always accompanied by the festivals. This town did not disappoint with the amount of food stalls that were lined up and he couldn't be any happier. In the midst of his excitement with exploring each and every revenue of each stall, he lost Lucy.
"Oh man~" He groaned in frustration, his hands behind his head as he walked. "And I really wanted to spend some time with her, just the two of us."
"And me!" Happy chirped from next to him.
"That's a no brainer!" exclaimed Natsu with a smile.
A commotion to the side pulled at his attention. "Hmm, what's that?"
"Let's go check it out. Maybe it's Lushie." Happy said and Natsu immediately answered with an 'Aye!'
Arriving at the commotion, they didn't find Lucy, they found someone else. Two males were standing over a pile of unconscious people as they looked around them.
"These two…" Natsu took a whiff and another to be sure. "These two are dragon slayers for sure."
They were surrounded by a group of people who were murmuring about what they did.
"Tch, what boring people." The darker haired individual muttered.
"Tell me about it, no one here is fun to beat. And they say this is a festival. What a disappointment." The light blond haired one said in exasperation.
Natsu, once he saw they were beating up people just for fun, walked up to them. "Oi, what the fuck do you think you're doing?"
Both heads turned towards him at the same time.
"My, My. Look what the fairy dragged in. A flame headed idiot who couldn't even defeat a dragon! And you call yourself a dragon slayer? What a joke!" The blonde one said.
The black haired dragon slayer simply smirked.
Natsu all but roared, enraged at his snarky comment. "HAH? WHAT DID YOU SAY? FIGHT ME!"
The blonde haired dragon slayer laughed. "So eager to get your ass kicked? You dare challenge us, the third generation dragon slayers, to a fight? My, you really are an idiot."
Natsu paused. "Third generation dragon slayers? What are you talking about?"
"Third generation dragon slayers are the best." A red exceed jumped in the air as he continued. "They are both trained by dragons and have a dragon lacrima implanted in them. You can dream about beating them idiot." He laughed in Natsu's face before he flew back to his master.
"Trained by dragons? So do you know where they went?" Natsu asked, eager to get a response that might get him closer to finding Igneel.
"Oh~ of course we know. They are rotting away seven feet under. After all, We killed them."
The second he said those words, Natsu froze. His stance went rigid as his eyes saw red. The temperature began to rise as flames started to lick and dance on his arms "You bastards." He growled lowly.
The blonde haired smirked as he readied a fighting stance. "What are you going to do about it? Fight us? Well then, bring it on. I was bored either way. This could be a warm up to the ass kicking that you're going to get at the arena."
The black haired slayer took a fighting stance near his partner.
"If that's the case…"
A voice rang out in the area, snapping the two new slayers' attention.
"Why don't I join in? It's hardly fair, two against one. Don't you agree, partner?"
Natsu grinned as he lit up his hands on fire. "You got that right, Luce!"
The slayers froze in their places. After all this time, she still carried the same warmth they felt back then.
"You know, when facing an opponent, you need to look at them. Am I not right, Rogue-san, Sting-san?" Lucy said as she walked from behind them.
They were stuck in between Natsu and Lucy.
"Oi, you know them Luce?" Natsu asked as he looked at his nakama.
"Yeah, I've met them before."
Rogue was the first to let go of his stance, followed by Sting.
"Let's go Sting." He quietly said as he picked up Frosch who waved at Lucy goodbye. The blonde waved back before her eyes fell on Sting's unmoving figure.
He didn't know what to do, suddenly surrounded by her light he didn't want to move. But he knew that Rogue was right, that they needed to go. Because they both knew, that the only person who was able to discern what's going through their heads was none other than her. And for that, she was considered dangerous by both of them.
"You know…" She started and he tensed. "I always wondered why you never came back and now I see why. I hope and wish with all my heart, that you both are convinced wholeheartedly with what you're doing."
She passed him as she walked to Natsu and flicked him on his forehead. "That's for leaving me behind."
He smiled sheepishly at her. "Hehe, my bad."
She shook her head at him before grabbing his arm and leading him away. "Come on, I found a nice stall that sell lots of different types of meat so let's go check it."
"AYE!" both Happy and Natsu said as they set off with the blonde, Natsu foregoing the fight that happened and letting Lucy drag him wherever she wanted while both were laughing to their hearts content.
And left there, in the middle of the crowd, was Sting who couldn't for the life of him understand why she had him feeling all kinds of things. Why was she special to him and Rogue? He could never understand.
People started walking around him, some pushing him as they went their way and he remained where he was standing. Yet his ears were strained to hear the conversation between the pink haired slayer and the blonde.
"You smell different Luce…" he said as Sting heard the sound of sniffing.
"GAH! Natsu why are you smelling my hair?" the blonde replied in clear annoyance.
"Did you change your shampoo? You smell like the sea breeze."
The blonde was quiet for a while before she let out a small giggle. "It's a secret!"
"Oh come on Luce~" Natsu whined as Lucy laughed. He continued to pester her until the crowd's noise drowned their sounds.
"Sting, I told you to leave."
He looked up to see his partner, his twin, approaching him with a conflicted expression on his face.
"I don't understand this effect Rogue. It's like I want to be enveloped by her light and warmth, be protected by it and never leave, yet at the same time I want to protect her with all my might and it's freaking the shit out of me." Sting said as he looked at his hands, feeling his power surging under his fingertips from when she passed by him.
"I know. And I understand how you feel." Rogue placed a hand on Sting's shoulder. "Come on, the master is calling us back. It's almost time for the games to start."
Sting heaved a sigh before turning around and walking back with his brother, all the while he was thinking about this encounter and what it could mean for them in the GMG. He just hoped that things don't get more complicated than they were at the moment but his gut feeling was warning him otherwise. It frustrated him to no end how his body and heart react whenever she is near, he feels it's something important but for the love of him he could never pinpoint what it is.
…
Looking back at the twin's receding figure, Lucy sighed as she continues walking while dragging Salamander around.
"Luce." He called out softly for the blonde who turned to him.
"Hmm?"
Natsu gave her a soft smile, one that conveyed much more than what he said. "Can we hang out a bit more?"
'I miss you.'
It was left unsaid, but that didn't mean that the blonde didn't understand the underlying meaning. So she nodded her head and smiled brightly at her former partner. "Of course we can, we just have to make sure we come back before 11 o'clock or Erza would have our heads."
Natsu chuckled at the thought as Lucy continued to drag him.
They visited different stalls, tasted many delicacies and shared conversations, Lucy about her time as a mother and Natsu about his time in the guild when she was away.
It felt nostalgic, walking the streets together like they used to before. Like they weren't separated for more than seven years, like they were just like before.
Lucy, Natsu and Happy.
But… that wasn't the case anymore.
Things have changed. Times have passed. Natsu knew that staying in the past never solved anything, no matter how much he wanted to return to said past. For now he felt as though he lost a dear friend to him without actually losing her. It left him in a confused state. He didn't know what to do but he knew that the most important thing was for Lucy to be happy.
And she was now.
It's just, she was so, without him.
"Natsu…"
Natsu hummed at her in answer.
"I missed you."
A quiet whisper, but he heard it nonetheless, and it made his heart at ease.
"I missed our times together. Our adventures. Natsu…" she looked at him then, sitting on the bench with an empty cup of ice cream. "You were the first to welcome me, you were the first to introduce me to my home, and for that I am forever grateful."
Happy was sniffling behind him and Natsu didn't know what to say.
"I could never forget someone as important as you, no matter what, I promise."
How could she read him like an open book? He didn't know. He just knew that he was happy with what she just told him. As if reassuring him that their friendship was real and that he needn't worry about anything else.
"Hai… thank you Luce."
She bumped his shoulder with her hand. "Of course, what are friends for?"
They shared a quiet laugh before they threw their empty cups away and walked to the hotel.
Arriving at the inn's door, they both walked in to find the lobby in utter chaos. Laughter echoed around the walls as some were drinking alcohol, others playing games and a small minority sat around the tables talking.
Lisanna walked over to them with a smile on her face. "Hello Lucy-san, hello Natsu. Ne Natsu, would you like to come sit with me? I want to show you something."
A pink dust settled on Natsu's cheeks as he rubbed his neck with his hand. He didn't want to say no to her but at the same time he wanted to hang out a bit more with Lucy.
"Natsu." Lucy called out to him and he looked back at her. She gave him a little nudge. "Go, we have all the time in the world to catch up." She whispered to him with a small smile.
He sighed in relief and nodded his head, turning to Lisanna he let the silver haired girl lead as he followed.
"Ah~" she sighed. "They sure grow up so fast."
"Don't go talking like an old lady now Lucy."
Lucy turned to see Gramps walking towards her.
"If you go around and talk like that what am I supposed to do? Find me a corner to rot in? It's my job to comment on such things and your job to be the one commented on."
Lucy shook her head at Gramps before she sat next to him on the bar. "You are correct, but I can't help it you know. I just feel like I see them in a new light." She smiled softly at the scene before her that looked surreal. Her whole family, in one place.
He chuckled as he looked at her serene look. "Ah, I know what you mean."
She smiled at him before bidding him goodnight.
Going up the stairs, she checked the room they were supposed to reside in only to find it empty.
"Huh? Maybe Erza is down at the lobby." Lucy shrugged her shoulders and walked next to her bed, thankful that Erza gave her the bed next to the balcony, when she noticed a bouquet of hydrangeas laid on a table next to her pillows.
She gasped as she marveled at the beautiful different colors neatly arranged in the bouquet. There was a card in it that had only her name in it, it was signed but it's not the penmanship of anyone she knew.
"Good luck huh?" she mused to herself, knowing that was the meaning of these flowers. "Thank you so much, whoever sent them."
She thanked the person that sent her flowers silently, not knowing he was standing on the balcony of the room next door, sporting a small smile of relief that she seemed pleased with his gift.
The door of the room opened and Erza walked in.
"Hey Lucy. Glad to see you're here. Did you have fun?" Erza asked as she walked towards the blonde when she noticed the bouquet. Her cheeks dusted a soft pink as she let out a sigh. 'So that's why he asked me which bed was hers.' She shook her head and was glad that the blonde was busy with something else to notice the slight blush on Erza's face.
"I did. It was fun, Natsu and I ate a lot of things and hang out." Lucy beamed at her and Erza chuckled.
"That's great, I'm glad you enjoyed yourself. How are your preparations for the evening?"
Lucy looked at Erza with fierce determination. "Everything is set Leader!"
Erza laughed at the salute Lucy gave her and brought her into a tight hug. "That's good to hear."
"Erza?" Lucy questioned the sudden hug before she wrapped her arms around the scarlet.
Erza stepped away from her. "My apologies, it wasn't my intention to suddenly become sentimental."
Lucy took a step forward and encircled her arms around the scarlet, bringing her once more into the hug. "I'll be fine. I promise."
Erza sighed as she returned the hug. "I'm counting on you then."
A knock on the door resounded, garnering their attention. Lucy went and opened the door only to find Cobra and Jellal behind it. She beamed at them as she invited them in. "Good evening guys. How was the restaurant? And how are the kids?"
"It was good. Food was great and the kids are fast asleep. We actually came to see you before going back to our rooms. We would like to discuss with you something important." Jellal answered. Once he stopped talking, he looked at Erza and nodded her way.
Immediately understanding what he was referring to, she excused herself hastily and left the room.
"What was that about?" Lucy questioned warily as she watched her brothers take on seats opposite from her bed.
"Sunshine, sit. We need to talk." Cobra patted the bed in front of him. Lucy looked at both of them before she settled on her bed. Her heart started beating faster in fear of what was to come. She didn't like their solemn attitude.
"We have something that we need to talk with you about." Jellal started and immediately she was on her feet.
"Is everyone okay? Did something happen at the restaurant? Are the kids okay? Are you okay? Is there something bothering you two-"
"Okay, pause!" Cobra put his hand on her mouth, successfully shutting her up.
"There is nothing wrong with us." Jellal chuckled. "Everyone is okay." His tone then turned sadder. "Everyone except you Lu."
Lucy pointed a finger to her figure. "Me?"
Cobra nodded his head. "Yes you. Sit, there is much to discuss."
And so the next half an hour was spent with Cobra and Jellal explaining to her about the shadow in her soul, and its effect on her. To say that Lucy was stunned was an understatement. She couldn't believe that something like this was affecting her, but what hurt her the most was the fact that they kept this information from her when it concerned her directly.
She got up from the bed and started pacing the room. There was no doubt about it, they were telling the truth. It lined up perfectly with what she suffered from at times, the negative feelings and thoughts. But then why tell her now, just before the competition started as well? Something wasn't adding up.
"I believe you, and though I am very much hurt that you withhold information that directly affects me, I keep thinking that there is a reason. As it would be completely idiotic if there wasn't. So what is it?" She said, once she stopped pacing and faced them with her arms crossed under her chest.
Jellal and Cobra shared a glance before the former cleared his throat. "We can't go into specifics. Just know that everything is under control."
"How is everything under control if-" Lucy quietened.
'They can't go into specifics…' she eyed them warily, trying to read between the lines. They were hell-bent on not letting her know and it was probably for a good reason. She relaxed her posture and sighed. "Alright, I trust all of you with my life so I won't ask questions because I have a feeling that it will sabotage a lot of things."
When they nodded she continued. "Nevertheless thank you for telling me the bare minimum, I see now that it's a warning not to use Corvus's magic."
Jellal cracked a smile. "You truly are a marvelous woman. It is indeed just that. Refrain from using your shadow magic this tournament as much as you can, since we don't know what might happen." His eyes flit to Cobra for a second before looking back at Lucy who was none the wiser.
"I see," She sighed. "I hate doing this to Corvus, it truly isn't his fault."
Cobra hugged her. "He understands Sunshine, don't worry about it."
She hugged him back. "He… does?"
He tightened his hug before he let go. "Good luck in the tournament. Go and kick ass. And don't worry about anything else."
He left after that. Lucy looked at Jellal waiting for him to elaborate. He sighed as he brought her into a hug. "Like he said, don't worry about things and go kick ass Lu. Also remember, we all love you and we are all cheering you on." He kissed her on her forehead and left her alone with her thoughts.
"What is the meaning of all of this?" she muttered to herself.
In the other room, Laxus sat on his bed as he listened to the conversation that happened between the three of them. "So the plan is set in motion I see."
Back to Lucy, she sat on her bed ruminating about the whole conversation that just happened. "What on earth is happening-KYAH!" just as she was thinking to herself, Natsu came crashing from the door with Titania storming after him.
"How dare you?!" Titania seethed as she grabbed him from his collar.
"Er- Erza... what's wrong?" Lucy got off the bed and approached her slowly.
"He- he stepped on my strawberry cake." She replied as she dangled Natsu from his collar. Lucy took pity on the boy who seemed as if he was about to pass out, but she also knew not to mess with Titania and her strawberry cake.
An idea popped to Lucy. "Ne, Erza, when the competition is over, how about I make you a strawberry cake?"
Natsu was immediately thrown to the ground as Erza turned to Lucy with stars in her eyes. "Really?"
Lucy nodded as she proudly put her hands on her waist. "Yes really. I don't know if you heard but I am quite an expert in cooking."
Erza beamed. "I definitely heard. All your kids talk about is your cooking."
Lucy laughed at that, she spared a glance at Natsu to see him mutter a thanks to her. She winked at him before Gray walked into the room.
"Ah~ what a flamehead. I tried to warn you idiot."
A blinding light filled the room before dimming and a voice sounded across Crocus. "As the clock hits midnight, I would like to welcome all the guilds participating into the Grand Magic Games Tournament!"
Cheers erupted from all over the balconies and team Natsu rushed to their own.
"Is that a…" Gray started.
"A pumpkin man?" Natsu finished.
"My name is Mato and I will be the referee and the mascot of this tournament. Before the official event begins, a preliminary round will be held to reduce the total number of the guilds participating, which is a hundred and thirteen guild, to eight guilds."
"A hundred and thirteen guilds? Is it even possible for a number of guilds this big to exist in Fiore?" Lucy questioned.
"Indeed, it shouldn't be possible." Erza narrowed her eyes at the mascot as he continued.
"The preliminary round's goal is to get the five participants of each team to Domus Flau after beating the sky labyrinth. Of course, in order to achieve such a feat you are allowed to use your magic and abilities. Only the first eight teams to reach Domus Flau will pass, the rest will be eliminated. Each team has five minutes to prepare and after that a path will appear before you that gets you to the sky labyrinth. Time begins as of now. Each team that isn't on the balcony when the time ends will immediately be eliminated."
Erza looked back at her own team. "Well that's a problem, considering we are only four at the moment."
Lucy looked around her. "Where is Wendy?"
4 minutes pass as they search for Wendy but to no avail.
"Where could she have gone?" Gray asked.
"We need to search for her," Makarov stated. "But first, you need to prepare yourselves." He pointed to team Natsu.
"What can we do without a fifth?" Erza crossed her arms.
"I can fill in temporarily," Elfman announced as he stepped out of the crowd.
"Good." Makarov nodded. "Lisanna and Happy, you both are tasked with finding Wendy."
"Yes master." They both replied in unison.
The Fairy Tail team set out for the balcony and reached it at the last five seconds.
A bell sound echoed after the five minutes ended and a path formed before them.
"The sky labyrinth, begins now!" Mato announced.
