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genavere · 11 months ago

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Power of the Underworld

Fandom: Fairy Tail Characters: Lucy Heartfilia, Natsu Dragneel, Zancrow, Jackal Rating: Teen + Warnings: Fighting, blood, death mentioned Summary: Mard Geer is the King of the Underworld - Alegria is his ultimate spell to bring back those who wish revenge against his current enemies. And Fairy Tail has many enemies beyond the grave... Status: Finished

This is for @phoenix-before-the-flame for the @theguildawards Gift Exchange. They gave me freedom, so this is what I came up with. Hopefully, they enjoy!

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“Alegria.”

Mard Geer’s voice rumbled with the Cube as the spell took form, breaking and twisting parts of the outer shell, floors crumbled inward, and entire rooms were destroyed. Each shudder of the floating fortress caused those inside to adjust their footing to stay upright. Those who couldn’t were crushed by falling debris or trapped.

Then, as a loud groan filled their ears, they realized everything had begun to plummet.

“What is going on!?” Lucy felt herself begin to rise off the floor and tried to grip the debris around her.

“Lucy!” She looked up and saw Natsu working his way towards her, the normal determined look on his face filled her with hope. “Take my hand!”

“I'm trying!”

Taking a chance, she pushed herself forward and tried to take his offered hand. Fingertips caught a single breath of each other. They pushed their bodies further, desperate to hold on.

“Just a bit more...!”

Feeling his warm skin brush against her fingers again, a frantic cry left her lips, afraid what would happen if they lost each other.

Matching her, Natsu let out a growl, fighting against the lack of gravity that threatened to force them apart. There would be no way he would allow that to happen!

Using what magic he could dredge up after the last fight, he sent a blast of magic to his feet and felt himself propel forward. Arms opened, and muscles strained hard as they wrapped around Lucy's body and held her close to his chest.

“I got you,” he whispered, feeling her arms wrap around his chest and grip the fabric of his coat. The chill of her skin against his chest reminded him of her lack of clothing and how badly she could be injured if she were hit by the falling debris around them.

A gust of pressure blasted the area around them, sending them further down the crumbling hallway. He sucked in some air and blew out a breath of fire, trying to use it to direct which way they were blown. With a hand against Lucy's head, he kept her hair and face from being burned, focused on keeping her safe.

Unfortunately, that was enough of a distraction as another wave of pressure sent them tumbling through the air. They both cried out, Natsu turning green from the motion, and as a loud rumble of the fortress slamming into the ground filled their ears, they felt themselves collide with something and darkness took over.

#####

Lucy woke gasping—the air caught in her throat and her already burning lungs ached with every cough that tore through her chest. There was no water around to calm her irritated throat, and the dust in her mouth caked the saliva that she tried to produce.

Dry heaves took over, tightening her empty stomach and threatened to expel the organ each time one took over. Burps and ugly sobs filled the night air, and she wondered between gasps just how she had managed to escape to the outside.

When she managed to finally get a decent amount of air into her lungs without setting off another round of coughing or heaving, she wiped her mouth with the back of her hand and grimaced at the blood that mixed in with the spittle.

There had been none in the mess she threw up, that she knew, but seeing the blood made sense why her head hurt. With no mirror or water to visually check herself, she patted herself down for any sign of damage. Touching the spot that ached on her forehead sent a jolt of pain through her entire body. It reminded her of the Thunder Palace’s jolt she took when she first joined Fairy Tail.

The rest of her body seemed to be okay besides a few cuts and bruises. If they survived, a hot bath loaded with epson salt and a few potions would be the best cure she had for all the aches she'd have.

Wiping what blood stained her face as best as she could by only feeling it, she flung it off to the ground and wiped her hands on the back of her skirt. Good thing it was a dark color, or any guild members she ran across might think the worst.

A frown pulled at her lips.

Natsu had been with her before, when they had been in the halls of the large cube that housed the Tartarus guild. Glancing around, she saw nothing but destruction, and not the kind she normally saw with him.

“Natsu?” she called, pushing herself up to her knees. Rocks and pieces of what used to be the large cube bit into her skin. Listening to her surroundings, only wind and the occasional debris falling under the weight of gravity answered her.

“Natsu?” she called again, louder and with urgency. Standing, she stumbled a bit, looking through the area for any sign of her teammate.

The last she remembered was being in his arms as they flew through the air. Whatever had happened started after that weird spell name Mard Geer said. Alegria, she recalled, trying to recall if she had ever heard of it before in either passing or in the books she had read.

Nothing really came to mind, but thinking too hard about it brought about more pulses of pain through her head. When they got out of it, she would look it up...maybe.

No other sounds than she heard before came about. It made her wonder if she were the only person left in the whole world. A silly thought, really, but one that stuck.

“There are others around,” she told herself, speaking to the wind. “And I am never alone with my spirits by my side.” Feeling their warmth calmed her down a little.

Everyone else was fine, probably beaten up and bruised like her, and waking up to find where they had been fighting nothing but rubble. Natsu would appear out of nowhere, like he was prone to do. A large smile would be on his irritatingly handsome face and he'd hit the battle off with an “I'm all fired up,” line.

Wait—every nerve in her body lit up like warning bells. What battle? There was no battle going on.

“Lookie what we found.”

The power of her keys hummed in urgency against her hip, reacting to the panic she felt setting in her gut. Looking over her shoulder, her eyes grew in disbelief. “That's...not possible!”

Jackal laughed, throwing his head back, and smacked his companion on the shoulder. Next to him, golden hair wild as if struck by lightning, grinned down at her and raised his arms out.

“Surprised to see me, girlie?” Zancrow's maniacal laughter joined Jackal's, black flames gathered around him. “A little payback to show you what a demonized God Slayer can do to you Fairy Flies!”

#####

“Argh, dammit!” Gajeel pushed the wall of debris off him and growled. “What are those bastards thinkin’ crashing their own base?” A coat of dust turned his dark skin grey and even as he tried to wipe it off, the mixture with his sweat only made it smear. Unable to stand the feel on his skin, he tore his headband off and wiped his face with it. Before he tossed the soiled cloth to the ground, he used it to blow the crud out of his nose and took a whiff of the air.

“Can’t get a hint of anything with this shit in my nose still,” he swore, gritting his teeth in aggravation and tasting the dust coating the inside of his mouth. Spitting what he could gather out, he looked around for water or something to clean things up but found nothing but piles of rubble and destruction. “They can’t blame us for this, this time.”

Left with limited options, he closed his eyes and focused on what he could hear around him.

A chilling silence hung in the air with the odd rock or bit shifting and falling to the ground as the ruins settled. Beyond that, voices of those who were trapped under the piles began to struggle for breath and call out for help. He ignored them if they weren’t anyone he recognized. The enemy soldiers could suffocate for all he cared.

Sounds of voices he finally did recognize came from afar—too far for him to understand what they were saying, but he could get the gist of it. Their guildmates were helping each other and regrouping. He should move to find Levy, Lily, and the others, but something else caught his attention, something he did not need to focus on to hear.

Spinning around, he threw out a punch as the footsteps rushed at him. Skin broke on both fists that collided with each other, and dark eyes of both dragon slayers glared at the other.

“Watch where you’re going, you fire-eating freak!” Gajeel bit out, gnashing his teeth at the other.

“Like you’re one to talk, bolts for brains!” Natsu growled back, ready to start a fight with the other. “Why are you just standing around? We need to find Lucy and the others!”

“Bunny girl?” He thought over what he had heard before Natsu came running at him. “I didn’t hear anythin’ from her when I listened.”

They stepped back from the other, Natsu shaking the blood from his knuckles and Gajeel doing the same after realizing the grey dirt covered his hands, too. Then he looked over the other dragon slayer. “How’d the hell you stay clean through all that?”

“I didn’t,” Natsu answered, sniffing the air around them. “I couldn’t smell with all that dust, so I burned it all.”

“Must be nice. I’d give ‘bout anything for Juvia’s rain right now.” They stood by each other, using their senses to try to find their guildmate. “Was there anything back the way you came?”

Natsu shook his head, deciding to start running in a direction away from where he had been. “Only Gray. Guess one of the demon guys is his ol’ man, so they were talkin’.”

“You serious?”

“That’s what they said,” he said and shrugged. “I wasn’t gonna stop them.”

Gajeel could understand that. Both of them would be thrilled at the off-chance of finding their own adopted fathers and being able to catch up with them—after yelling at them for disappearing. Whatever their reasons, it didn’t excuse them from leaving children to fend for themselves in the world.

A bite of jealousy for the Ice Mage crept up, but it was quickly shoved down. A battlefield was not the time or place to deal with such thoughts or emotions. Not when their guildmates were fighting for their lives still, and they had no idea what new dangers the Alegria spell brought.

“Where’d you see Lucy last?”

“After that weird spell,” Natsu halted, sniffing the air and frowned. “Wait…That can’t be right.”

“You don’t remember? Salamander, I am about to—” He began pushing up his sleeves, ready to pound the shorter dragon slayer into the ground for not remembering crucial information about the blonde. So much for being her teammate.

“No, I remember,” he growled, looking around. “This smell…it’s the same as one of those guys from Tenrou.”

“Are you serious?” Most of those wizards they had fought all those years ago had died on the island or managed to escape with Hades. The idea that they were here meant they were taking advantage of Fairy Tail’s weakness and striking when they were down.

Natsu nodded, trying to catch the scent again. Just then, as a breeze washed over them, the stinging scent of smoke caught their attention and large bursts of light appeared over the mountainous landscape of debris.

“That’s Loke’s magic,” Gajeel shouted, knowing that magic anywhere after facing off against it.

“That’s where Lucy hasta be!”

“Hey! Wait, Salamander!” He took after the other slayer, grumbling under his breath. “If you lead us into a trap, I will personally make your life hell!”

#####

Lucy cried out as her body tumbled over sharp rocks and piles of debris from a cloud of smoke. Balls of light grew around where she landed, ready to explode in a split second before she could even get her arms under her.

Everything shook around them as the orbs exploded, tearing into the destroyed area even more and sending the two flying off again. Manic laughter followed after her as Zancrow and Jackal emerged from the smoke, grins wide on both of their faces.

“That was great!” Zancrow hollered with his head thrown back and gave Jackal a high-five. “I think your explosions knocked that kitty cat right back to the pound!”

“You’re not too bad, yourself.” Jackal grinned, staring at the blonde as she struggled to push herself up. “All tuckered already? Thought you’d actually put up a fight.”

Lucy grunted against the burns and pain wrecking her entire body. Her whip lay useless elsewhere, used as a conduit for Jackal’s explosions, and Loki had taken a substantial hit for her earlier, but she could feel her magic still ebbing away. That meant he had to still be there, but he would need help.

Taurus and Aries were out of the question after what they experienced earlier. Virgo might be a good choice, she thought, then immediately dismissed it. The spirit would be limited in what she could do like Loke since they couldn’t get close to them. Not without erupting in either flames or destructive explosions.

“Wanna make a bet?” She heard Zancrow's higher pitch voice coming closer and glanced through her ragged hair at the two demons. They walked side by side with each other, like the best of friends. How she would walk with her own friends, her team...and Natsu.

Tears burned her eyes. Rocks bit into the flesh of her fists. Were her friends even still alive? Surviving a crash like that without being trapped or seriously injured would be unlikely. She managed to come out mostly unscathed, severe bruises and aching joints, but mobile. If others had been as lucky, could they be fighting off against their enemies?

Something was off about the former Grimoire Heart member, she noted. There were intricate tattoos wrapped over his exposed arm and swirled around his pectorals, ending at his nipple. Whenever Wendy or Natsu described him, they never mentioned tattoos. Though, they had mentioned his strangely spiraled eyes, she couldn't remember if they mentioned them glowed red, either.

The closer they got, the less of a chance she had to fight. Another attack like before would knock her out of the fight completely, and if that happened, there was no knowing what they would do to her then. No, she had to keep fighting and find her friends!

“Open, Gate of the Archer! Sagittarius!” The golden key turned with a twist of her wrist and a bright light blinded her at the appearance of her strangely clad spirit.

“Howdy do, you called?” Sagittarius asked, saluting as he stared into space.

“I need you to keep those two at bay while I try to figure out a plan,” she ordered, pointing at the laughing demons.

“Right! Can do!” He equipped his bow and began shooting at them as he backed up with Lucy limping beside him. Both knew his arrows would do little to dissuade them from attacking, but a little extra damage and time never hurt when nursing wounds.

“If I can find the others,” Lucy mumbled, feeling the drain on her body and magic reserves. “They have to be alive...”

Alive or not, wherever the rest of Fairy Tail was, it was not there, and she faced an enemy alone with only her spirits beside her. But not for long, she knew. Only Loke could summon himself without her magic, but she had already opened his gate, and he pulled at her reserves, which meant he still lingers somewhere on the battlefield.

Could she summon a third spirit?

A weariness sagged her shoulders, her legs trembling and threatening to collapse, the thought of when she had last rested or had something to eat still lingering in her mind. A specific date or time wouldn't come to her, or even if she had spent it at home or somewhere else. If Natsu and Happy had been there, crashing her apartment like they did several nights out of the week, nothing came forward of those memories.

Her eyesight blurred and her brows furrowed. Had she hit her head during the crash, she wondered. It would make sense, but the fact she felt stretched beyond her capabilities suggested a different outcome. A different explanation.

“Miss Lucy!”

Air wheezed out of her lungs quickly, a mass of weight crashed into her from the side and heat scorched the ground around them. Startled, she glanced around, realizing she had allowed herself to zone out while in a life-or-death battle!

Berating herself would come later--that is, if she survived. The thought left a bitter taste in her mouth.

Glancing at where the demons had been, the sight brought a chill to her soul. Hand in hand, Loke wrestled for dominance over Zancrow, their fingers interlocked and squeezing to add another level of torment to the other. The demonized God Slayer laughed, crazed eyes nearly circles at their size, and slammed his forehead into Loke's.

Where she had been was a blackened scorch mark on the stone floor—what had been the bottom of the cube, she realized then. Those who had been fighting at the bottom of the cube...her spirits who suffered as they fought alongside her...Shimmers caught her attention and she realized then who had collided with her.

“Sagittarius!” She cried out, seeing the pain in his eyes.

“Forgive me, Miss Lucy. My battle ends here...” The archer spirit completely dissolved into the light of the stars, going back to the celestial realm to recover from his injuries.

Her breath caught.

A cry from Loke caught her attention, “Loke!”

His entire body had been engulfed in black flames, burning him as his body shimmered brightly and began to disappear. Their eyes met for a brief moment through his blue-tinted glasses, “I'm sorry...We failed.”

Tears blurred her vision in frustration and pain. She had meant to think of a plan to fight or to escape, not get distracted by her own inability to focus. Because of her, Sagittarius and Loke had both been hurt, and the situation only grew worse.

“I win!” Jackal declared, hand on his hip in triumph. “Said I could get her on my explosive trap without realizing.”

“That doesn’t count,” Zancrow argued, gesturing wildly towards her now that his hands were free. “She might have stepped in it, but that weird horse guy took all the damage. I call for a new bet!”

“And what would you want to make a new bet on?”

A cold chill ran through Lucy. Think, she told herself, trying hard to figure out a way to escape. If she pulled out Virgo, it was possible they could escape through tunnels, or they could set up a trap to lure the demons in.

The only other spirit she felt she could call on was Aquarius, but there was no water—she blinked the tears from her eyes and swallowed as laughter caught her attention.

Like old pals, Zancrow and Jackal were sharing a secret handshake and grinning like evil fools. “That sounds like fun,” Jackal laughed, finishing the hand motions with a fist bump. “What's the winner get?”

“How should I know, I just came back here after hearing the call,” Zancrow shrugged. “I wouldn't mind finishing off the pesky fly, but if she dies during the bet, I call the next one!”

“Who says you will even win?”

“Who says you will?”

“Wanna bet who will win?” Jackal stepped forward, lifting a fist.

“That's exactly what we are already doing!” Zancrow mimicked him, both glaring at the other. A tense moment ticked by and then they were laughing again, smacking the other on the back. “This is gonna be fun!”

“Come here, girlie!”

“—Open gate of the Maiden! Virgo!” Lucy cried, holding the golden key out. Immediately, the pink-haired spirit dove forward and disappeared into the ground, tunneling around. Both of the demons looked around them in shock, trying to figure out where the spirit would come out from.

They learned soon enough as the ground shifted and broke inward, sending them tumbling down into a large crater that no longer supported the top surface of the ruins. Virgo came up from the original hole she created, glaring at the demons.

“Princess, Big Brother told me the situation,” she said, keeping her place between the enemy and Lucy. “I can keep them at bay while you make a run for—”

“No!” Lucy pushed herself up, pulling out another key from her pouch. Running it over her tear-stained face, she glared down at the men below. “I won't run and leave you!”

“But Princess--!”

Throwing her arm back, Lucy willed all the remaining magic power into the key, “Open, gate of the Water Bearer! Aquarius!” With a twist of her wrist, light flared around them, blinding anyone around. Her legs wobbled, barely able to hold her own weight up, yet she stumbled forward in determination. There would be a victor in this battle, and she--

“You idiotic little brat!”

Blinking, she stared behind her as the light faded and felt a hand connect with her cheek. Aquarius' face, twisted in anger, sent her entire body into flight mode, and she nearly took off running if the spirit's arms hadn't captured her and wrapped her in a tight hug.

“I can't do anything to help you without water around, but I can grant you this from the Spirit King.” A soft kiss pressed against Lucy's forehead and a swell of energy filled her. Around them, water formed a sphere of protection and her body glowed as new clothes replaced her old ones. The final piece came as the mermaid touched her collarbone and a similar tattoo marked her skin.

“You better be grateful,” Aquarius bit out, glowing as she closed her own gate to go back. “You brat.”

Feeling the energy coursing through her veins, the power tingling at her fingertips, she turned to see Virgo staring in awe at her. Realization came then what she had been gifted—Aquarius had given her part of her magic to use. A stardress, a voice echoed in her mind from her keys. The power of the stars had been gifted to her in her greatest time and she would not waste it.

“Virgo!”

“Yes, Princess!” The maiden dove back into the hole she created and giant rocks began breaking from the sides of the giant hole the demons were caught in. They rolled down towards the middle, forcing them to dance out of the way to avoid being crushed.

“You think this will stop us,” Jackal growled and explosions sent chunks of stone flying in every direction. Black flames flew up and wrapped around the water shield that protected Lucy as she put her hands together and focused on the power Aquarius gifted her.

“Survey the Heavens, Open the Heavens...” Her eyes closed, letting the magic flow through and around her. All the distractions around her and the explosions faded into the background as the words of the spell came forward. “All the stars, far and wide, show me thy appearance with such shine.”

Below her, the ground rumbled and began to become unstable from the amount of stones Virgo threw at the demons in distraction. The water shield around her kept her safe from the heat that tried to burn her, but she could feel the surface boiling—could feel it draining her power to maintain.

“Oh Tetrabiblos, I am the ruler of the stars—”

“Enough!”

A large explosion sent the earth beneath her heaving into the air and she felt Virgo's gate close. Stumbling back, her concentration on the spell crumpled and she managed to open her eyes just in time to see Zancrow appear out of a fume of smoke and fire heading right for her. Black fire consumed his fists, and rage filled his glowing swirled eyes. “You bitch!”

Lucy raised her arms to block the blow the best she could even knowing that it would hurt no matter what she did. Stories of those dark flames had been something Natsu had told her on many sleepless nights camping under the stars... “Natsu!”

“Back off!” A familiar voice cried out as iron collided with the crazed Demon God Slayer's face and sent him flying across the ground of rubble. Lucy winced as his body collided with a large pillar sticking up from the ground and slumped over. The way he laid, she didn’t even know if he was dead or alive, but what concerned her was who had sent him flying.

Lowering her arms, she looked up until she caught sight of Gajeel’s dirty, sweat streaked face panting as he stared down the once deceased God Slayer before turning to Lucy, red eyes glaring. “Have you no self-preservation, Bunny Girl?!”

She blinked at him. “Ex-cuse me?” Leaning up into him, she poked his dusty chest and glared at him. “Thank you for saving me, but I had been managing two demons by myself until you showed up!”

“Hey, I just saved yer ass—”

“And I said thank you, but you coming in acting like the hero and then yelling at me when I have been doing my damndest to stay alive is not helpful or wanted!” She shoved her finger into his chest again, feeling hot tears running down her cheeks. Anger and relief mixed together knowing that she wasn’t alone anymore, that the weight of the fight didn’t land on her shoulders and magic reserves.

Pressing the heels of her hands against her eyes, a sob broke through her resolve and she wrapped her arms around Gajeel’s chest, not caring about the dust, grime, or sweat on him. “Thank you.”

“Ah, geez…” He laid a hand on her hand, patting it gently as he rubbed the back of his head with the other. Glancing over to the crater, he frowned at the smoke and dust that hid the scene below. “We better back away, this might get ugly.”

“W-what do you mean?” She began to pull away to look—arms pulled her against Gajeel’s chest again, the ground shook below them and an explosion sent them forward onto the ground. Smoke and ash consumed the sky and the air around them, making it difficult to get even a gasp of breath. Ringing filled her ears, taking away yet another one of her senses and leaving her grasping around the ground.

As the air cleared and ringing faded, another sound sent a soundwave blasting over them and Lucy’s muted scream added nothing to it. Covering her ears, she barely registered when arms picked her up and carried her away from the crater just before another explosion sent more wreckage flying at them.

“What’s happening!?” She screamed over the noise, looking for the cause of the noise.

Beside her, Gajeel also had his hands over his ears looking pissed. “Dammit, Salamander! What are you doing—ah shit!”

Dark flames shot towards them through the smog. He raised his arm to try to block it, but a wall of water consumed it in a burst of steam seconds before it hit them. Lucy held her hand out, panting and coughing, but glad she had managed to catch it before it hurt either of them. Unfortunately, what the water couldn’t stop was Natsu appearing just before toppling into the three of them. The three of them groaned, piled together with Natsu over both Gajeel and Lucy.

“Dammit, get off, flame brain!”

“Why does this always happen to me…”

Natsu clamored off of his guildmates and wiped the blood from his mouth. “Gah, sorry guys. Didn’t expect ‘im to go all monster sized.” With groans, the other two stood up and moved to stand on either side of him, neither looking their best.

Through the thick of the smoke, two shadows emerged together. One stood almost three times taller than the other and one had both hands engulfed in dark flames. As the smoke cleared from them, Zancrow threw his head and shoulders back to let out loud pearls of laughter. “Didn’t expect to see me again, did ya! New and improved, a Demon God Slayer!”

“Wait…wasn’t this the guy that messed up my scarf and hurt Gramps on Tenrou?” He looked at Lucy with a frown.

“Yeah,” she answered with a nod. “From what you told me of him, he fits the description.”

“I thought he died!”

“Alegria is the ultimate spell of the King of the Underworld,” Jackal’s guttural rumble drew their attention to the beast. “Those with a strong enough desire for revenge for Mard Geer’s current enemies come back from the dead in demonic forms!”

Sharp claws dug into the stone below him as he took a step towards them. “All of you must be one of the most hated guilds with our base collapsing like that. The number of enemies back from the grave to tear you to pieces will be a blast to see!”

“Did he just…” Gajeel couldn’t finish that sentence. The reality of the situation bleak if the demon told the truth.

“All our enemies are back?” Lucy felt a chill run through her entire body, memories of all their previous fights coming back as she thought of how close some of them had been to failure. If their enemies were stronger now, would they be able to make it out alive this time?

Natsu stepped forward and thrust his hand into his fist, “So what if you brought all of them back! Even if they got stronger, so have we.” He glanced at Lucy and grinned. “Sounds like a fun time to me.”

“Natsu…”

Zancrow laughed again. “You’ve hardly been able to take on Tartaros’ demons as they are, yet you expect to take on so many others?” Black flames fluttered and grew into a large fireball. Red lightning crackled around the outsides of it, and he chucked it, growling, “Don’t make me laugh!”

Lightning and flames swirled around Natsu’s arms and he stepped forward to knock the fireball out of his way easily. “You might not understand this, but don’t expect to be able to take on all of them. No, I expect to be able to fall back on my friends when I need to for their support.”

“Heh,” Gajeel rolled his eyes, “count me out.”

“So, Lucy,” he kept his eyes on the two demons, but she knew he was listening to her closely, “what’s the plan?”

Plan?

Looking over the area trying to think of how they could best use their environment, she frowned and pressed a curled finger against her lips. “Before either of you came, I had been attempting a Urano Metria, but they interrupted me. If you two would be able to distract them, I am pretty sure I could take out at least one of them.”

“Then we’d only have the other to take care of.”

“All right! Now I’m all fired up!” He slammed his knuckles together, sending an eruption of flames over his fists. “Let’s go, Gajeel!”

“Don’t you two even think about it,” Zancrow said, swirling his dark flames tighter around himself and erupted his own fists on fire. “The only way any of you manage to get away is by explosion!”

Jackal bounded by the God Slayer, claws spread wide to swipe at the two dragon slayers. Black, jagged blades split through Gajeel’s forearms—matching close to his skin as camouflage—and caught the claws before a breath of red fire engulfed the beast and grazed the other demon.

Fires of black and red, explosions, and sections of the earth being sliced apart filled the space as the four men ran down their blows and traded spells. Lucy watched it from further away, but it was horrifying. Fighting would always be a last resort for her when she could, and unfortunately, now was not that time.

Spreading her arms wide, she closed her eyes and focused on the magic power deep inside, the last bit of energy she had to spare. The fighting dulled away to a quiet beat she used to focus her breathing and formulate the correct amount of power into each word. “Survey the Heavens, open the Heavens, all the stars, far and wide. Show me thy appearance with such shine.”

A heavenly light spread around her, shining a beacon in her direction. Those all around would see the clouds above part, the stars shimmer and spin, and the planets moving to align. Enough power had been pushed into the words this time. She trusted her friends to keep her safe as the spell was prepared.

Natsu slid across the ground, balancing well enough to stay on his feet and take off again to land several punches against Jackal. Each strike brought a glow of light that would grow and explode the area around him. Each explosion, another jab of pain and sheer determination to absorb the flames and heat through his skin for energy.

“Is that all you got?” He threw himself back, avoiding a swipe of claws. Throwing his body forward once the danger passed, he threw himself up toward Jackal’s face. “Fire Dragon’s Iron Fist!”

Dark flames circled around Gajeel’s arms and blasted up into his face, knocking him back along the ground. Growling, several kunai materialized in his hands and he threw them with deadly accuracy. Each one flew off harmlessly as Zancrow twirled his dark flame scythe in front of him.

At the last kunai, the crazed blond lunged forward, ready to slice Gajeel’s head clean from his shoulders, but for a large man, the Iron Dragon Slayer easily dodged out of the way, quick on his feet as his scaled fist slammed into the other’s face.

When the sky opened to reveal the night sky above, both he and Natsu jumped back, their shoulders pressed together.

“Ready, Lug Nut?”

“Heaven then Hell,” Gajeel chuckled, “seems too poetic for these losers.”

Behind them, Lucy’s final part of the incantation echoed over the landscape. Her body glowing in the heavenly light of the stars. “Oh Tetrabiblos, I am the ruler of the stars, aspect become complete, open thy malevolent gate. Oh 88 Stars of the heaven...” Her eyes shimmered and snapped open as the planets above came raining downward. “Shine! Urano Metria!”

Both demons stared in awe and disbelief as eighty-eight celestial bodies flew towards them in a bid to end their lives. Zancrow jumped to his feet, determined to survive. “I just came back! I won’t die so easily!”

But to both of their horrors, iron shackles gripped their feet and limbs, keeping them locked to the ground. When they looked at the dragon slayers, they shuddered at the grins on both of their faces that seemed to twist and morph into snarling maws of dragons.

From above, the planets hurled into the earth where they stood. Their bodies pelted by the force and weight of each mid-size planet. Screams of pain ripped through their throats, but the true horror of the attack stemmed from below.

As Lucy directed each of the 88 heavenly bodies down on their foes, Natsu and Gajeel utilized the distraction and punched the ground together. “Molten Iron Earthen Eruption!”

A new sound filled their ears, the ground began to heave and glow until large jagged pieces of iron began piercing upward with pillars of flames. Heat shimmered in the air; the ground became impossible to traverse.

Jackal swiped at the sharp spikes that tried to impale him, swearing loudly at each cut, gouge, and burn. “I will not fall so easily! You pathetic wizards are mere parasites beneath demons!” He summoned a large glow to his fists and set off a massive explosion.

Moments before the explosion, Zancrow stood inhaling the flames around him, laughing when he had taken in a stomach’s worth. “Have you forgotten who you are up against? I am stronger than I had been on Tenrou!” Arms stretched wide, the explosion wrapped around his silhouette and filled the sent broken iron, flames, and stone soaring through the air.

Still standing in front of Lucy, Natsu and Gajeel each took in a breath to try to counter the blast with their own breath attacks when two large walls of ice curved over them—one pink and the other blue. Serrated iron stuck into the ice and the explosion caused the whole area around them to shift downward. The land no longer able to support everything it had endured after Virgo had carved the tunnels through it.

Another range of pink ice lined the ground as it collapsed, keeping them safe and on even ground. “Sorry we’re late,” Silver apologized as he strolled up with Gray next to him. Both looking different with genuine smiles on their faces. “Needed to have a little father/son bonding time.”

“’Bout time you two showed up,” Gajeel griped with his arms crossed.

Natsu went over to Lucy and helped her stand as she looked at the completely transformed area. Dark clouds covered the battlefield beyond the area of ice and kept the fate of their enemies hidden.

Gripping his hand tightly, Lucy glanced up at him, her lower lip worried. “Is it over?”

Looking at Silver briefly, Natsu nodded, not willing to tell her of the blood he smelled coming from the two, or the sounds he could hear from their still bodies. The smoke hid their gruesome deaths from flying projectiles, fire, and iron and ice stakes that drove the final blows home.

“Yeah,” he answered, giving her a reassuring smile, “this one is, but if we got more enemies coming, I can’t wait to show them what Fairy Tail has in store for them now that we’re stronger!” Squeezing her hand, he dragged her to the others and pushed her attention towards Silver and Gray and away from who they had been fighting against.

Eyes narrowed, he sniffed the air once, catching an extremely faint scent somewhere in the miles of wreckage of the two again—somewhere they would be brought back to life and ready to fight. A constant circle the demons could afford, but Fairy Tail couldn’t.

It would be their next area to go, he decided, sharing a nod with Gajeel, and they would take them out once and for all.

Fin

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This story kinda got away from me, but I had to get it out and done. Lots of fighting in this, but I don't mind that. It's a different form of angst to throw into the fandom. Thank you @teleiapotami and Libra for doing your speedy readings of it to ensure no influencers were consumed in the making of this story!

#fairy tail #natsu dragneel #lucy heartfilia #writing #fanfiction #fairy tail fanfiction #The Guild Awards #gift exchange #Zancrow #Jackal (Fairy Tail)#gajeel redfox #Really I don't know where this came from #But I wanted it all #Every bit of it to be finished

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fics-n-stuff-n-stuff · 1 year ago

Text

Natsu Dragneel/Lucy Heartfilia

Gray Fullbuster/Juvia Lockser

Levy McGarden/Gajeel Redfox

all fairy tail characters basically -

Alternate Universe - Modern with Magic

Follows Fairy tail but with my own twists set in modern day / Fluff and Angst / Romance/ Friendship / developing feelings / Lucy has new spirits I checked constellations and gave her ones I thought were cool

Summary

Lucy is thrown into a world she didn’t know existed. Join her as she unravels this new world full of magic that brings adventure, romance and destruction along with it.

———

Just a modern re-telling of Fairy tail following its arcs with a few twists and turns along the way💞

You can also read it here

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Chapter 13

Lucy can't remember the last time she spent Christmas surrounded by so much joy, love, and a sense of comradery, probably not since her mother's passing.

She almost didn't want the celebrations to end.

The Christmas party itself lasted for only two days, which was substantially less than Fairy Tail's usual festivities.

But she remembers Levy and Lisanna telling her that they usually go all out for New Year's, and keep Christmas a short and intimate affair.

Short and intimate her ass. They really were a crazy bunch.

Lucy looked down at her hands in her lap, where her right hand was subconsciously tracing the golden bracelet clasped around her left wrist.

Her gift from Natsu.

And not the only gift he'd gotten her.

The present exchange happened on the second day of the celebration when the guild was feeling a bit more sober.

Everyone loved the gifts she had picked out for them.

Erza was impressed by her choice of weapon and said she looked forward to using it in battle. Which made Lucy both happy and a little worried that she actually might try and kill Natsu with it.

Happy seemed more than content with the fish cake she managed to find for him. It was a literal fish cake. Like salmon and rainbow fish arranged as a cake.

Lucy found it a bit gross, but the fur ball loved it, so who was she to judge?

Gray did not find her present as funny as everyone else did, but at least he liked the clothes she bought for him.

Wendy was moved to tears when she opened Lucy's present.

She bawled her eyes out even more when Lucy mentioned to the bluenette that she had written down the herbs and plants Wendy was looking for so she could get them for the younger girl.

Lisanna was also emotional about her present, the take-over mage was moved by the gesture and declared that this was her new favorite set of winter wear.

Mirajane loved the necklace, but her reaction to the pendant attached, and the power behind the necklace was similar to Natsu's. And when Lucy asked about it, the older girl just waved her off and told her she hadn't met everyone in Fairy Tail yet.

Apparently, she'll understand when she does.

Lucy was surprised when she saw tags with her name on them under the tree, she wasn't expecting anyone to get her anything.

There was a voucher for an all-day spa, that she got from Erza and Gray, Lisanna and Mira got her some home utilities she had mentioned needing for her apartment, and Levy got her the same set of books that Lucy had bought for her.

They laughed about it when they realized, and then promised to read the first book in the series and talk about it after the New Year party when things calm down a bit in the guild. Not that Fairy Tail ever truly calms down.

Her complete shock came from Natsu's present.

When Lucy opened his first gift she found a beautiful ruby bracelet inside a box. She fell in love with it the moment she laid eyes on it and found it funny how they both got each other a gold piece of jewelry with rubies.

But that wasn't what shocked her.

Natsu's second present turned out to be Libra, keeper of the Heavenly Scales.

One of the 12 zodiac keys.

He was very excited to give it to her, bouncing on the heel of his feet as he watched her open the gift.

She was taken aback as to how he managed to find it, and Natsu explained how Igneel had it in his hoard, and that the dragon was adamant for him to take the key for his own collection.

Lucy's head went spinning at all the information.

Natsu has a hoard of gold? And he's sharing a part of it with her, is that where he got her bracelet? Does Wendy have one as well?

Along with the implications of Igneel having one of her mother's keys. They must have known each other, must have been friends if her mother left a key in his possessions.

The more time Lucy spent in the Magic world, the more she realized that she never really knew her mother.

Her hand went to clutch the key ring on her hip, counting her spirits in order to calm herself.

Aquarius, Grampa Crux, Virgo, Cancer, Scutum, Libra.

She went back and forth, fidgeting them between her fingers.

"Attention Passengers, this is your captain speaking. We will start our descent to Crocus momentarily, please remain seated and do not remove your seatbelts until the sign is off. Thank you for flying with us, and have a lovely afternoon."

The announcement made her jerk back from her thoughts and she moved to look out the window.

Lucy hasn't stepped foot anywhere near Crocus in a long time. She almost didn't know how to feel.

The rage towards her father was still very much present, but the nostalgia of home was creeping in as she looked down at the Capital of Fiore.

As the plane landed, she made her way to the terminal and out of the airport.

Lucy didn't bring anything with her besides her whip and keys, leaving even her phone at home. Not wanting any distractions and not seeing the point of packing for a one-day trip.

Her plan was to go and confront her father, and be back in the guild before anyone noticed she was gone.

Well, Natsu will notice, but she left a message for him explaining where she was going, and asking him to give her two days. So he'll hopefully stay put and wait for her.

'That's a reasonable expectation for that hot head.' She scoffed at the thought.

Honestly, she didn't know what Natsu would do once he found out.

Something tells her that her partner might hate her father even more than she does, with any luck, the Master or Erza will restrain him and give her the time she asked for.

Filled with determination, Lucy hailed a taxi and gave the driver the address for the Heartfilia mansion.

Ignoring the questioning look from the man in the rearview mirror, Lucy sat back and went over the speech she was going to give her father.

She had plenty of time to think and prepare, given that the Heartfilia estate was located outside of town, and with her landing just before rush hour, it would take them some time to arrive.

'I hope he can forgive me.' Lucy thought to herself as she started to fidget with her bracelet. Natsu would understand her reasoning, but will he forgive her for not telling him beforehand?

She just felt like she needed to do this alone.

It was her problem. Her father.

If Lucy had told him she was leaving, he wouldn't have given her the choice of doing it alone, and she couldn't have that.

Her Father and Natsu being in the same room would probably end up with someone charred or in prison, or both.

No, it was better this way.

Lucy watched the busy city streets turn into a country landscape as they left the city limits and made their way to her former Prison.

She could feel the adrenaline start to kick in as the estate started to be visible. All the memories she repressed, and the ones she hadn't came crashing the nearer they got, leaving Lucy with an array of conflicting emotions.

'Maybe I should've got Natsu to come with me.' She thought as the cab stopped in front of the gates, the mansion looming over them.

"Here we are miss, that will be 700 jewel." The driver said, and Lucy handed him the amount before exiting the car.

She took a deep breath, hoping to calm her beating heart, before taking determined steps towards the gate, her hand moving to ring the intercom.

"Heartfilia residence, how may I help you?" Spetto's voice echoed through the box after a few seconds, and Lucy felt her heart clench at the familiarity of it.

"This is Lucy Heartfilia, here to see her father. I hear he's been looking for me." Her voice was impassive as the words left her mouth.

She heard the older woman gasp over the coms, her voice shaky as she answered. "Oh, my lady! We've all been worried sick!"

There was a buzz, and the gate slowly started opening.

'This is it.' Lucy thought to herself.

Taking a deep breath, she held her shoulders back and head high as she made her way to the house.

* ********* ********** ********** ********* *

Lucy grimaced as she looked at herself in the mirror.

Her father sent her right to her room the moment he found out she was back. Like she was some kind of petulant child in need of a time-out.

Not even bothering to see her, he sent the staff to fetch her 'proper' clothes to change into.

Lucy had no problem playing dress up if it meant access to her father.

The dress was tight, and constricting her movements, it was pink and fluffy, and while Lucy didn't have anything against pink, or fluffy, being here and having her father ordering her around was her worst nightmare.

She didn't even have a place to put her keys or whip!

Looking at her reflection once more, she narrowed her eyes at the dress, willing it to catch fire spontaneously. 'I really should've brought Natsu with me.'

Huffing the thought away Lucy decided to put the keys in her cleavage and wrap the whip around her thigh.

Figuring that was her safest bet and hoping it wouldn't come to the point where she had to use either of them.

When she finished concealing her weapons, Lucy took a moment to look around her old room.

It was bigger than her apartment back home.

It's funny to think how she never missed this place. Some of the staff? Absolutely. But her father, the home itself, and the luxuries of this lifestyle?

Not once.

The room remained unchanged in the years she was gone, and it looked like it was still regularly cleaned. The closet has been updated to fit her, and it seems like she never even left.

Lucy laughed at the thought.

If he thinks of her as the same feeble and scared girl that left, he has another thing coming.

There was a knock on the door, followed by Spetto's voice.

"His Grace is ready for you My Lady." The words came out somewhat shaky, and Lucy felt her anger intensify, knowing her father frightened the older woman.

She walked over to the door, with all the poise and posture one would expect from a Duchess, and opened the door.

Spetto looked her over and her eyes started welling up with tears. "You look more like her every day." The words were whispered, but Lucy managed to make them out.

Her heart clenched at the thought of her mother.

She moved to embrace the older woman, holding her tight. "Don't you worry Spetto, everything's going to turn out fine." They let go of each other after a few moments, and Spetto moved to wipe her tears.

"Let's not keep your father waiting. He seemed very eager to speak with you."

Lucy's stomach tightened at her words and she balled her fists at her sides. "Oh, I am even more eager to speak with him. I'm sure he's in for a very rude awakening." She said with a humorless laugh.

Spetto looked back at her with a strange, almost knowing look before stopping in front of her father's office door.

Before the woman could move to knock, Lucy turned the door knob herself and walked in, not bothering to greet her father, she turned back to the older woman and gave her a kind smile.

"Thank you for escorting me, Spetto. I'll take it from here." She saw the fear in the older woman's eyes as she closed the door, and Lucy only shot her a wink.

"What is the meaning of this?" Her father's voice made her turn around and finally look at him.

And there he was, sitting behind his desk in one of his pristine suits, papers surrounding him and a glass of whiskey to his right, acting like he hadn't haunted her every step for the last two years.

Like he didn't send a psycho guild after his own blood.

Taking a deep breath she leveled him with her best glare. "Hello, Jude, it's been a while." Lucy ignored his outburst and moved slowly toward the chair in front of his desk, not breaking eye contact as she did. "I have some questions for you."

He moved back into his chair, his brows furrowing in anger at her words."How dare you talk to me like that you-" Lucy raised her hand, stopping his sentence. "It is not your turn to talk. I said I have questions, and I will talk to you however I like, for you are nothing but a pathetic excuse of a parent."

Her voice remained impassive with every step, and she felt proud of herself for keeping her composure when in reality she felt like she was going to vomit.

Her father stared back at her with a stunned expression, as if at a loss for words.

Smirking she continued talking.

"Now let me ask you this, Father, how long did you think you could hide my magical heritage from me?" That seemed to have rocked Jude enough to narrow his eyes at her.

Lucy sat in the chair, legs crossed and arms on each side, raising an eyebrow at him in question.

"What you are is an abomination! I begged your mother to abort you, but she wouldn't have it. I could take her being one of them, but it was magic that killed her, and I will be damned if any child of mine follows that path." Her father raged at her, his voice rising with every word, fist hitting the desk, making everything rattle.

She rolled her eyes at his outburst, knowing he was lying.

Her mother would have never stayed with him if he did that. But she knew his words to be true to the way he felt, and she could not care less.

His opinion of her stopped mattering a long time ago.

"That is not what I asked you. I don't care for your stories or threats, did you really think you could just marry me off and keep me in the dark forever? Did you think I would never find out?" She asked him, voice rising an octave by the end of her sentence and she took a breath to calm herself.

"Mother would hate you for how you have treated me since her death, and how you continue to treat me still." Lucy hissed back at him, moving to stand as she continued.

"I hope you are aware of how revolted she would be by your actions." Her chest was heaving as she said those words, and she watched with satisfaction at the expressions on her father's face shift from rage, to horrified and melancholy, and then back to rage.

"But that is not why I am here today." Lucy said calmly this time, again before he could get a word in.

"I am here to warn you never to come after my family again. This is your only warning, your grace, come after me or Fairy Tail again and I won't be coming to talk next time." She spoke with determination, hoping to get her point across.

Jude started at her in disbelief, he was still sitting behind his desk, fists clutched on the wood.

"You are a stupid, little girl. What did you think was going to happen when you came here and gave me that little speech? Did you think I was going to accept your terms and let you leave?" He laughed as he stood from his chair.

"You are engaged to be wed, the ceremony will take place a week from now. This matter has been settled." He walked around the desk as he spoke.

"I have let you have your fun, but now it's time to grow up. So be a good girl and go to your room, or do I have to lock you in the cellar like old times?" Jude slowly pranced over to where Lucy was standing, trying to intimidate and scare her with his body language and words.

Scoffing at his actions, Lucy went to retrieve her whip, unfurling it with a crack.

"You are heavily mistaken, I am a Fairy Tail Mage Father, and I did not come here to be married. You truly are a fool." Lucy told him as she charged the whip with her magic, and moved her hand to wrap it around his waist, leaving the stunned man immobile with her attack.

Drawing closer to him she got into his personal space. "I am not the one who should be afraid here. You took my memories, my powers, my freedom. And you tried to take away my friends." She finally saw the fear settling on her father's face and snarled at him.

"Are you finally getting it? I am not staying here, you are not marrying me off to someone I do not know, and most importantly." Her glare was sharp, and she twisted her whip to hold him tighter as she spoke her next words. "You will never come after me or my friends again. Or there will be consequences, and next time, I'm not coming alone." Lucy threatened him as she released him from the whip's hold, causing him to stumble to the ground.

"Now, do we have an agreement, father?" Lucy asked with a small smirk, watching Jude try and fail to compose himself as she wrapped the whip around her right wrist.

"We do." He said through grit teeth as he stood up.

"Wonderful, I will be leaving within the hour. I have some things I would like to take with me. I do not want to see you while I'm here, so stay here and do not leave until I do." Lucy told him as she retreated out of his office.

As she went to close the door, she turned to him once more, eyes sharp. "And If I hear you have taken out your anger on one of the staff, I will send someone to return the favor. Tenfold."

Lucy closed the doors, leaving her father behind.

She took a few steps before her knees started to shake, the adrenaline was slowly leaving her body and Lucy started laughing hysterically.

She couldn't believe that worked. Her father agreed to her terms!

And Lucy had scared him!

That made her smile. Natsu would be proud, Erza too.

Getting her footing back, Lucy made her way back to her old room, wanting to change into something less constricting and collect some memorabilia from her mother that she left behind the last time.

"Miss Lucy." She heard Spetto enter her room with a knock as she was packing her things.

"Spetto, I'm sorry for leaving like I did, but he gave me no choice. I didn't mean to worry any of you. And I wanted to write, but I was afraid." Lucy cried as she went to embrace the old woman.

"There, there child. There is no need for tears, you are here now, and I know you're not staying but I am glad to know you are safe and healthy." Spetto hugged her and combed through her hair like she did when Lucy was a little girl.

"I am happy Spetto, I found a wonderful home, and have wonderful people surrounding me." Lucy told the woman as she moved from her arms.

"I can see that my child, and it fills my heart with joy. Your mother wanted nothing but happiness for you."

More tears welled in Lucy's eyes at the woman's words and she brushed them off as they fell.

"I like to think that she would be proud of me." She whispered.

"I know she is." Spetto answered her and Lucy smiled at her. "Thank you, for everything. You are like the grandmother I never had. Please write to me, all of you."

There was a hesitant look on Spetto's face at her words and Lucy clenched her fists, feeling the want to go back and hurt her father for his behavior.

"Don't worry about him. We have an agreement, please promise me you will write!"

"I will write to you Lady Lucy, I promise."

Lucy smiled at the woman before turning back to pack the rest of her things. "I do have something to give you, your mother entrusted me with this."

Lucy turned to see Spetto handing her an ornate box, similar to the ones she got from Makarov and Lucian.

Lucy's heart skipped a beat. 'Could it be?'

"I suggested not opening it here. Wait until you get home." The older woman advised her, and Lucy took the box from her and carefully placed it into the bag she had packed for herself.

"Thank you, Spetto, I hope to see you again soon. Maybe you can come and visit me in Magnolia?" Lucy asked her and the older woman blanched at her proposal.

"Oh, I couldn't possibly!" She started sputtering but Lucy just waved her off with a laugh. "Nonsense, we'll be in touch!"

Lucy slung the bag around her shoulder and went to hug Spetto one last time. "It was really good to see you."

She made her way through the house and to the back gardens, where her mother's grave was.

Who knows if she'll ever be back here, and she wanted to talk to her mom.

She approached the stone sitting in the middle of the small garden, surrounded by her mother's favorite flowers.

There was a bench next to it and Lucy sat on it, facing the grave.

"Hi, Mom." Lucy started hesitantly. "I know it's been a while since I've been here. But I know you understand why." She moved to pick one of the flowers, twirling it in her hands as she gazed around the garden.

"I wish I could talk to you because I have so many questions." She took a deep breath before continuing.

"I know Dad took my memories, and even with them back, the only thing I remember is the spirits themselves. Why didn't you ever tell me about any of this?" There were tears in her eyes at this point, and she moved to wipe them away.

"I met a few of your friends since I learned about magic." She chuckled and moved to caress her guild mark. "I joined Fairy Tail. Makarov is master now and it is such a wonderful place mom, I wish you had told me about your guild. Maybe I'll go and visit it someday."

Lucy smiled at that thought, maybe she could take Natsu and Happy with her, they could take a job near the guild and maybe someone there knew her mother when she was a member.

"I wish you were here to tell me about our magic. It seems everywhere I try to look I find more questions than answers." Lucy sighed, moving to fix the hair falling in front of her eyes.

"I didn't even know that Heartfilia wasn't Dad's last name, but yours! And from what I've gathered it's linked to a magical clan of spirit summoners that all got killed by an evil mage. I just have so many questions, and none of the spirits are offering any answers."

Lucy thought about how she tried to broach the conversation with all of her spirits about her heritage and the things that Scutum hinted at.

Some of them just bluntly told her they couldn't talk about it, i.e. Aquarius and Virgo. While others were either evasive or stubbornly vague and all-around unhelpful.

It was frustrating, she wanted answers dammit!

Shaking herself from her thoughts, Lucy turned to look at the grave in the center of the small garden and sighed, she needed to go.

"I should be heading back, Natsu is probably worried, I left my phone at home so I didn't have any distractions. I'm sure he's going to be pretty pissed." She sighed at that thought as she stood up placing a kiss on her fingers and touching the stone, placing the flower on top of it.

"Bye, mom."

Lucy made her way to the front gates feeling like her steps were lighter than ever. She confronted her nightmare, reunited with Spetto, and got to talk with her mom, it was an all-around success.

'The trip went better than planned.' Lucy smiled at the thought as she went through the gate, turning to watch it close behind her.

It was finally over.

She was free.

"Lushiiii!" Happy's voice broke through the silence making Lucy turn around and gasp at the sight in front of her.

Happy was zooming towards her fast, Erza, Gray, and Natsu hot on his heels.

The exceed plunged into her chest and hugged her tightly. "Why did you leave us Lushi?" He cried up at her and Lucy looked down at him in confusion.

"What are you-"

"Lucy! What is going on? We were worried about you!" She froze at the sound of Erza's voice and lifted her head to look at the trio approaching her.

Erza and Gray in the front, Natsu in the back.

'Uh-oh, this is not good.' A silent Natsu is a pissed Natsu.

She watched as they all stopped a few meters from her, and she could see the worry on their faces.

"I'm sorry guys, I needed to come here and do this alone. I left a message with Natsu, explaining everything and asking you guys to give me 48 hours before coming to look for me, didn't he tell you?" Lucy asked them confused.

"How did you find me anyway? And how did you get here so fast, don't tell me you portaled!"

Erza's expression turned dark at her words and she turned to look at Natsu, one of her eyes twitching. "He never mentioned anything like that, he just said that you were gone and he was sure your father kidnapped you."

The redhead's words were directed towards Lucy, but she growled them while glaring at Natsu.

Said pink-haired idiot just stood there, looking nonchalant and pissed at the same time, his hands behind his head as he shrugged.

"I just had a bad feeling about Lucy going alone, and I knew if I told you her message you wouldn't let me go after her!" He argued, and Lucy saw a vein pop on Erza's forehead.

"You know better than to think!" She moved to hit him on the head, and he went flying back. "That'll teach him." Erza muttered before turning back to Lucy and bowing.

"I apologize for our blunder, we were just all worried and when Master heard you were missing he sent us out to find you."

Lucy felt terrible at Erza's admission and moved to grab the girl and help her stand straight. "No, don't apologize. I'm sorry for leaving like that. I needed to confront him and let him know he could not get away with attacking my friends, and I needed to do it alone."

She emphasized the last part and turned to look back at Natsu who was still ignoring her as he got back on his feet, rubbing his head and adjusting his scarf.

"I had a feeling that if I told any of you I was leaving you wouldn't let me go on my own. I apologize for that. I didn't think you would notice I was gone, it was only supposed to be for one day." Lucy told them her reasoning.

There was a scoff from Natsu at her words, making her turn to look at him with a raised eyebrow, urging him to share his thoughts.

"Don't be stupid, of course we noticed! Your barstool was empty when I got in this morning." Gary answered instead, and Lucy turned to look at the half-naked man.

When did he lose his shirt?

She looked back and forth between him, Erza and Natsu, and then down at Happy who was still in her arms.

The exceed nodded his head at her, and Lucy was stunned.

She honestly didn't think anyone besides Natsu would notice she was gone for the day. It was going to take some time to get used to the fact that there were people who cared about her well-being.

"We got Levy to locate where the Heartfilia estate was the moment Natsu came barging in shouting about your disappearance." Erza told her, sending her a smile.

"You guys, I don't know what to say. I'm sorry for worrying everyone." Lucy was holding back her tears, not wanting to cry anymore today. But knowing she had people who would miss her if she were to leave was enough for her eyes to water.

"Just don't pull something like this again." Erza told her sternly, and Lucy nodded her head. "I won't."

"Good, now let's get back to the portal so everyone can relax and know you're safe." Gray chimed in as he made his way back to where they came from.

Erza followed behind him after a few seconds of looking between Lucy and Natsu.

The redhead shot Lucy a smile and a wink, making the blonde blush, before going after Gary.

There was a moment of silence before Happy wiggled out of her hands and dropped to the ground, landing on his feet. "Well, I'm gonna go and make sure they don't get lost." He mumbled as he left the two of them alone.

Natsu was turned to the side not looking at her, his hands crossed over his torso, chin buried in his scarf as he continued to ignore her.

"Are you not going to say anything?" Lucy asked the pouting drakon after a few more silent moments.

There was a huff, and he turned to look at her. "I don't know what ya want me to say."

"Look, I didn't mean to leave without a word, well okay I did." He shot her a look and she wanted to facepalm at her stupidity. "It's not like that, I just knew that if I told you, you wouldn't have let me come alone." Lucy moved closer to him as she tried to explain, moving her hands so that they were gripping his shoulders.

"I thought about bringing you, but I felt like it wasn't a good idea to have you and my dad in the same house. And I felt like I needed to do this alone." He opened his mouth, and she moved her hand to cover it, knowing what he was going to say.

"I know I don't have to do it alone. And going forward I don't want to do anything like that alone, but this was my battle to finish. I need you to understand that it had nothing to do with our friendship, partnership, or the trust I have in you."

Lucy let the hand fall from his mouth and looked straight into his eyes as she finished her proclamation. Hoping he would understand, and forgive her.

There was a tense moment of silence between them, a moment where they started each other down, neither willing to back out.

Lucy's heart was beating erratically as she waited for Natsu to say something, anything.

Instead of words, he chose action, which shouldn't have surprised Lucy as much as it did.

One second they were having an intense staring contest, and the next Natsu's forehead was bumping against hers and she felt his breath fan over her face as he let out a laugh.

"I forgive ya, ya weirdo. I was just scared when I saw you were gone and then bummed because I thought you didn't trust me. But I know better now." He smiled down at her and Lucy's heart clenched at his words.

"I trust you more than anyone." She mumbled smiling shyly at her admission.

Natsu's hands wrapped around her waist and he went to pull her into a hug when a voice brought them back to reality.

"Oy, lovebirds, come on we don't have all day!" Gray's voice cut their moment short, making Natsu let go of Lucy, who was blushing like a cherry at the ice mage's words.

"Fuck off, stripper!" Natsu shouted back at him, shooting a glare in his direction before turning to offer Lucy his hand.

"Let's go, everyone in the guild is worried sick." He pulled her into a run the moment her hand entwined with his making Lucy giggle as they made their way towards their friends.

"And whose fault is that? I told you to wait 48 hours!" Lucy shot back playfully.

"Hey! You're the one who ran off without bringing her phone to confront the man who almost got you killed!" He argued back and Lucy heard their onlookers laugh at their argument.

"He's got you there Lucy!" Happy chimed in with a laugh, and Lucy joined in their hysterics.

Looking around at all of her friends, she felt glad they were here with her. It was nice having someone to laugh with after all of that.