BROKEN AND BRUISED
CHAPTER 26
When Lucy came to the next morning, the sun was already up in the sky and shining brightly. Which made her realize something.
"I'M LATE!" she shrieked to herself before she jumped out of bed and started preparing herself.
She was ready and out of the room in ten minutes, sprinting down the stairs of the hotel before she ran in the streets to reach the stadium.
Once she was in the corridors leading to her team's booth, she slowed down and took a deep breath.
"I hope I hadn't missed anything important," she said to herself before she walked in and saw that the event of the day, Chariot, was done and that Natsu earned 6th place.
She quickly rushed towards him when she saw his miserable state. "What happened to you Natsu?"
The only thing that she understood from what he said to her was 'Chariot… race…'. She sighed before she propped him on her shoulder and took him to the infirmary. "What should I do with you Natsu?" she huffed to herself then smiled.
"You must have pushed yourself hard to earn that 6th place. Thank you, Natsu." She whispered to him, unbeknownst to her that he was still awake, and that her words made him feel that his then misery was worth it.
She arrived at the infirmary and laid him on the bed next to Wendy. After checking up on the young dragon slayer, she decided to head back and join her team when Porlyusica stopped her.
"Wait, Lucy!"
The blonde turned her head towards the pink haired woman and waited for her to continue. Porlyusica eyed Charle who shook her head, then sighed. "How are you feeling?"
The blonde smiled reassuringly. "Better. Thanks for asking."
The pink haired old lady nodded her head. "You better get back to your team. I'll inform you if anything happens here."
The blonde nodded her head hesitantly and left the room. As she closed the door, she leaned on it and huffed. "Something is definitely wrong with Porly-san."
Back inside the room, the healer turned towards the small white exceed and asked. "Why did you not tell her about your vision?"
Charle shook her head. "I refuse to believe it is one. It must have been a dream, that's all. A very… sad dream," She said absentmindedly, as she looked at the closed door of the infirmary.
Lucy returned to her team to find out that the first battle of the day ended with the win of Kurohebi from Raven Tail against Toby from Lamia Scale. The second battle had already started with Bacchus from Quatro Cerberus against Elfman from Fairy tail team A. The battle was going fiercely, and Lucy caught wind of a bet that happened between the two men battling it out on the arena. She was watching the match when she felt someone staring intensely at her back. She turned and locked gaze with blazing red eyes that were full of sadness, hurt and rage.
She saw Flare, covered in bandages, being bullied by her team mates. The look she gave the blonde was hard to decipher. It was like she was asking for help but at the same time she wanted nothing to do with her.
Lucy sighed. Enemy or not, wanting help or not, Lucy was never one to stand quiet when someone was being harassed. Her eyes mistakenly lock with Ivan's, and the look of complete shock rang the alarm bells in her mind.
"LUCE!"
The panicked voice of her teammate brought her out of the stare down with Ivan as she turned towards Natsu.
"Natsu, what's wrong?" she asked hurried, her tone gave warning to the other members who joined in on the talk as well.
"Wendy was kidnapped along with Charle and Porlyusica-san."
"WHAT?!" Erza, Gray and Lucy screamed in unison.
"I saved them. And the culprits were handed to the royal guards, but they said something. They said that Raven Tail hired them to kidnap the girl in the infirmary, and we all believe it to be-"
"Me." Lucy finished for him.
Natsu nodded his head grimly.
"When Ivan saw me just now, he was surprised, because I wasn't supposed to be here." Lucy told her teammates.
Erza crossed her arms. "Just what on earth is going on here? What do they want with Lucy?"
"If it's Ivan, it could be many things." A gruff voice came from inside the hall. Fairy Tail team B emerged from the shadows and joined the other team.
Lucy looked at Laxus and was about to ask him to elaborate further when the match ended and Elfman was declared the winner. As per the bet's rules, Quatro Cerberus will be called Quatro Puppy till the end of the tournament.
After carrying Elfman and seeing that the fight incapacitated him, Wendy took back her place in the team.
Laxus closed the door to the infirmary behind him and looked at his tribe. "Make sure to keep watch of this room. I'm counting on you."
"Of course Laxus-sama, we will not let anyone pass this door." Freed bravely announced and Laxus nodded.
He walked down the corridor, going back to his team's balcony to see Mirajane perform, when from the corner of his eyes he saw a mysterious person going down the stairs. The man was armored fully, and looked like a person working for the royal guards. Laxus averted his eyes, yet he couldn't shake off the feeling that that man was a danger to his family.
He arrived at his balcony and sat next to Gajeel.
"Good thing we heard their conversation huh?" Gajeel noted, and Laxus nodded.
"Natsu's loud voice comes in handy at times." Laxus remarked, his eyes not leaving Lucy as she watched the fight between Mira and Jenny from Blue Pegasus.
One minute he was staring at Lucy from his balcony, the next he is in a white tuxedo with Lucy in front of him in a white bridal dress.
He stared at her, petrified, and she stared at him, shell shocked.
"What… the fuck just happened?" he whispered to himself. He looked around himself and saw other people were dressed in wedding getups. He looked down for a second only to catch Lucy eying him from the corner of her eyes. She quickly averted her eyes, blushing madly at the fact that she was caught checking him out.
His pride boomed at the fact that his mate found him attractive, and he was about to offer her to dance, like the rest were doing. He extended his hand, a hair breath away from her curvy waist, before he remembered that that same hand broke the beautiful woman in front of him.
His hand fell next to him, a shadow loomed over his face as he stepped back from the blonde. Lucy saw his hand wanting to grab her, saw his eagerness to hold her and it made her feel special in some kind of way. Yet in a mere second, the spell was broken and he shut down on himself. He pushed away from her, his eyes devoid from the warmth it was exuding just seconds ago, as he turned and left the arena.
She didn't know why, but she felt as if she was just abandoned. She in a white wedding dress was not a vision she saw herself in, in the near future that is, yet she was forced to today. And it made her wish for the ground to open up and swallow her. It wasn't his fault, she knew.
It was neither hers nor his, it all related back to one man.
Ivan.
She sighed, letting her hair loose from the braid it was set in, and walked out of the arena. "This is not the time to fantasize, Luce. Not the time." Yet she couldn't help but think about the time when she would wear a wedding gown for real, not in battle, walk towards the alter, not the exit of the arena, and wait to be greeted by the man she was to marry, wondering if he'll leave her like he did today.
The battle between Mira and Jenny ended with Mira as the winner. Jenny lost the bet she placed with Mira and now was forced to pose naked for the Sorcerer Magazine.
XXX
The guard entered the room where they were holding the kidnappers.
"So? I presume your efforts were proven to be fruitless. I should have known better than to hire some low level guild." The man sighed before he walked out of the room.
"Arcadios."
The man in armor turned his head and answered. "Minister of Defense, Darton. How may I help you?"
Darton was a man of small stature, yet that never stopped him from standing up to what was right. "Stop this madness. What are you trying to do, kidnapping a girl to sacrifice her? Why are you so hell bent on going through with this plan?"
Arcadios resumed walking. "Nothing that someone like you would understand. All should be done for the sake of the Eclipse."
"This is preposterous. How low must you fall? You are the king's royal guard! I will stop you! I will make sure of it."
"You cannot stop something that has already finished my dear prime minister." Arcadios laughed.
Darton paled at the news he received. "What do you mean?"
"All preparations have finished. Now we only need our key, one celestial mage."
His laughter echoed on the walls as he continued walking down the hall.
XXX
The final battle of the day began, between Yukino from Sabertooth and Kagura from Mermaid heel.
Sorano was practically bouncing on her feet from the excitement of watching her younger sister fight in the arena, and Macbeth couldn't help but find it cute how her eyes were shining with excitement.
That excitement was soon crushed and snatched from her in mere seconds when Kagura crushed her sister. Her heart dropped when she heard they wagered their lives on this battle, and when Kagura announced that Yukino's life was in her hands Sorano almost went down to the arena to fight her.
She wanted to run to her sister, wanted to console her, yet her sister went to her team's balcony and sat with her teammates that looked beyond livid at her failure.
Watching from afar, Arcadios trembled with joy at the discovery of another celestial spirit mage. "Finally, all twelve keys are present in the same place."
Night fell, and with it the second day of the GMG came to an end. All teams left to their respectful cabins and hotels. Erza was walking towards the inn they were currently residing in when she caught the sight of a blue haired man she knew quite well sitting on the stairs of the inn, as if waiting for someone.
"Jellal?"
"Should you not be calling me Mystogan when we are outside?"
Erza blushed, crossed her arms and huffed. "My bad."
He chuckled. "I was just messing with you."
His chuckled disappeared from his face when he looked at the stars.
"What's up?"
"Along with everything, a lot is up." He answered, and she thought he was going to leave it at that, but he continued.
"Did you feel any weird magic today?"
This had Erza puzzled. She shook her head and he sighed.
"I did, coming from below the arena. It was weird. As if it was draining the powers that was being used by the contestants."
This put Erza on edge. "What do you mean?"
He looked at her and shrugged. "I don't know exactly what it is, all I know is that it was a weird feeling. Be extra cautious in the upcoming days."
She nodded her head. Silence reigned between them before it was broken by Jellal.
"I saw you talking to someone from Mermaid heel. An old friend?"
Erza looked at Jellal who was innocently asking her this question, and thought back to Millianna who swore revenge on Jellal, her and Kagura both. "Yeah, it was Millianna."
Jellal was quiet for a while. "I see. I hope she's doing better now."
"She is."
"Good."
Their conversation was ended when Gray walked towards Erza and asked if he could talk to her privately.
"I'll be heading to bed then. Goodnight everyone." Jellal bid farewell before entering the inn.
Erza turned towards Gray and raised an eyebrow, asking without words 'What's up?'
Gray sighed and let out a frustrated grunt. "I do not know what to do with Juvia and Lyon."
Erza smiled softly at him before answering him. "You should make things clear for all of you, don't you think?"
"Except I don't know what's clear for me."
"You'll figure it out, sooner or later. Come, let's have some drinks before going to bed."
He reluctantly agreed to her offer, knowing that a drunk Erza needed a babysitter and knowing that he himself needed to unwind a bit. Just before they entered the inn, Gray noticed a white haired girl standing close to the doors. Before inquiring if she needed help, he was pulled in by Erza.
Returning from their dinner, Lucy, Wendy, Natsu and Happy chatted happily as they neared the inn.
Natsu immediately caught the scent of someone and stopped in his tracks. His eyes zeroed in on Yukino who was standing near the inn's entrance.
"Yukino-san?" Lucy questioned from Natsu's side.
"Lucy-san, Natsu-san, Wendy-san, Happy-san, I was waiting for you. I actually have a request, if you can please listen to it."
Natsu looked at Lucy who nodded and opened the door for Yukino. "Come on in, we can talk inside our room."
They take her to the room they were currently staying in and sit around a table with some cups of tea.
"So, what is it that you wished to discuss?" Lucy asked with a warm smile. She wasn't sure if Yukino remembered her from the previous mission, or if she knew Lucy's relation to Sorano, so she chose not to mention these things now as Yukino seemed to have something very important on her mind.
The blonde saw the short white haired celestial spirit mage play with her two zodiac keys before putting them on the table. "I would like you to take these two keys. They deserve to be with someone that can take care of them. Someone… that isn't me." She said with her face downcast, her voice soft.
Silence stretched between the group before Lucy sighed and set down her cup.
"I refuse."
Yukino looked up surprised, unshed tears lining her eyes. "Huh? What do you mean? With this you will be able to open the gateway that changes the world. I don't know what it means, but I read it in some ancient book that when a celestial spirit mage acquire all keys, they will be able to do that."
"Are you trying to persuade me into taking them by informing me of the power I can gain? I am sorry to tell you, but I don't care about power. I care more about the feelings and bonds that are formed throughout the years of working with these spirits, and it is precisely why, I won't take your keys," Lucy said before she got up and took Yukino's hand. "You want to give away your keys, but have you asked your spirits about what they want? Because I know for sure, that they don't want to leave you."
"B- but- I failed them." Yukino's voice trembled as she tried to bite back her sobs.
Lucy brought her into a hug. "You didn't. Sometimes, we might think we are unworthy of our keys, however we shouldn't give up on them just because of that. Just like they support us and help up, so should we. Our bonds with our spirits is one of the most special bonds out there, one that we shouldn't let go of because we feel unworthy, it is one we should strive for with all our might and hope. Because the reward, is a warmth that envelops us at all times, always present, never changing."
Immediately after Lucy was done talking, the keys in Yukino's hands glowed briefly, warming her hands before dimming.
"And I see that your spirits agree with me." Lucy smiled brightly at Yukino, who wiped away her tears and hugged the blonde tightly.
"Thank you so much." Yukino whispered into her ear as Lucy tightened the hug.
"Anytime."
Yukino told them after they sat down again that she was kicked out of her guild. She cried as she told them about the way Jiemma humiliated her in front of the entire guild and made her erase her own insignia, and how she was replacing for someone much stronger than her because said person was away on a job.
Natsu got mad, and before Lucy could stop him, he went barreling towards the Sabertooth guild's inn. Lucy told Wendy to stay with Yukino before she chased Natsu.
"Ahhh, this idiot Flamehead!"
He flew from the window with Happy and she jumped down from it and started running. She knew she couldn't catch up with him without using one of her spirits, and the one she wanted to use she was warned not to.
Looking up at the sky, she cursed her luck for having no sight of Natsu anymore. Lucy decided to call out her trusted foal, Equeeleus. The horse appeared, his black mane fluttering with the wind as he bowed before his mistress.
"You called my Lady?"
Lucy wasted no time as she got on his back. "Quick Equeeleus. We need to hurry, before Natsu does anything stupid."
The horse spirit neighed before taking off, rushing down the empty streets as Lucy tried to remember the location of Sabertooth's inn. The townspeople that were still awake thought the blonde was riding on shadows due to the horse's black color.
After going around the same street a couple of times, Lucy was sure she was lost before she heard a blast coming from behind her. She faced the direction of the sound and there in the distance, she saw smoke rising.
She commanded Equeeleus in that direction and prayed with her whole being that she wasn't late.
Arriving at the building, she saw a large sized hole in its wall and decided to kick the living daylights out of Natsu once she saw him.
"Natsu," She called out his name and was about get off the horse when he exited through the hole he made.
"Hey Luce."
She quickly got off her spirit and ran to him, wanting to admonish him. However the second she saw the teary-eyed Happy, she just brought them both into a hug and thanked the stars that they were both alright.
"I'm sorry we ran off like that."
"My, what a lovely touchy scene." A voice filtered around them and Lucy turned to see a woman she had not seen before. She deduced that she was probably the woman that was away on a job.
"Well, well, if it isn't the celestial mage that fails to deliver her performance."
Lucy knew it was jab referring to her fight with Flare, yet she paid her no mind. She looked at the entire guild of Sabertooth that was starting to gather behind the woman.
Lucy looked back at the woman who wore some very disgusting make-up and smiled. "Apologies for the mess that happened this evening. We will be on our way now."
"Now, now, why are you leaving before not even offering to fix this mess? You know, this will cost quite a bit. He did after all break the wall of our hall." The woman laughed. "Oh silly me, where are my manners? My name is Minerva, and yours is a name that I will forget if you tell me so don't bother. I am the guild master's daughter, and the final member of team Sabertooth. It's quite an honor to meet me I know." Minerva smirked as she crossed her arms, standing in a way that the slits of her dress showed off her legs.
"What do you want?" Lucy asked and Natsu quickly barged in.
"Luce no! You don't have to pay for anything."
"LUSHIEEEEE~" Happy whined, causing Lucy to pet him to calm down.
"Relax you two. The truth is, if I don't the guild will, and the guild can't at the moment," She whispered to them. "It's fine don't worry."
"My, what a considerate woman. I'm quite surprised." Minerva chuckled.
"I am as well, that you would know what considerate means." Lucy replied with a smile.
The smirk was swiped off of Minerva's face so fast it made Lucy feel triumphant.
"I will send the expenses to your guild." Minerva said with a scowl.
"Please send them to my company instead, Heartfilia Railways."
Lucy said as she ushered Natsu and got on her horse. She looked back to see that the entire guild had their eyes wide.
Minerva pointed a finger towards her and yelled. "YOU ARE LUCY HEARTFILIA? THE OWNER OF THE RAILWAYS?"
Lucy laughed as Natsu climbed behind her. "My, my, it seems in the end that you do know and remember my name. Goodnight Sabertooth." She winked before she tapped her horse and set off.
On the ride back, Natsu laid his head on Lucy's shoulder. "I'm sorry Luce, because of my rash actions you're gonna have to pay the damage."
"Natsu, you just did what I wanted to do."
Natsu looked up surprised. "What?"
Lucy sighed as she laid her head on his. "Natsu, when Yukino told me about what they did to her, I was ready to go and beat them up. But we couldn't and we shouldn't, as this will affect the image of Fairy Tail, and as it is now, it isn't good. That's why I controlled myself, but I know how much these values mean to you, that's why I don't hold it against you. Let's just take revenge in the games. There, we wouldn't have to worry about damage."
He rested on her shoulder as he said "Hai!"
The rest of the ride was silent, yet they both knew that they meant what they said a hundred percent. They were going to take back revenge in the games, and they were going to show Sabertooth just how strong Fairy Tail really is.
