Chapter Text
Natsu wasn’t a fan of this Kaby guy. After talking to him and learning that the job reward had increased, he couldn’t help but be confused. Kaby didn’t smell like money. Those rich bastards all had the same smell of never doing a day’s work in their lives. And the house smelled weird, though he couldn’t place why.
He was starting to have a bad feeling about this job. Still, it was their job and there wasn’t much Natsu could do about it. He just hoped Kaby wasn’t about to lead them into a trap. All he could do now was keep an eye on his partner and a nose out for trouble.
Speaking of his partner, Lucy was currently bouncing on her heels, nerves bleeding out of her in nauseating waves. The movement was honestly beginning to get on his nerves and he was tempted to hold her down just to get her to stop moving. It was her first job so it wasn’t like it was unexpected. Natsu could remember how nervous he was for his first job (granted he was eleven at the time but the point still stood). He figured he should cut her a little slack.
Lucy knew the plan, broadly speaking. She’d shot down Natsu’s original plan of busting in and tearing up the place. They’d learned from Kaby and from talking to a few locals on the way there that simply asking for the book probably wouldn’t work. So the new plan was as such: Lucy would ask for the open maid position, get in, search for the book, bring it to Natsu, and he would burn it. This left Natsu outside as back up in case something went wrong.
Understandably, the idea of doing this by herself was setting all of her fight or flight instincts alight. Natsu and Happy would be counting on her to complete this job. She couldn’t mess it up.
Natsu despised the new plan. How could Lucy expect him to send his partner in not only alone, but completely defenseless. As such, he couldn’t help but ask for the millionth time, “Are you sure I shouldn’t break in with you as the distraction?”
“No.” Lucy stopped her bouncing and squared her shoulders. “The best plan is to do this covertly. No offense, but you aren’t exactly stealthy.”
Natsu couldn’t stop the frustrated growl that built in his throat. This plan made him itchy and tense.
They approached the mansion by the main road before ducking into the forest. Lucy began pulling the makeup she’d brought along out of her bag. The worst of her bruising had gone but she still had some marks that would raise suspicion. The ones on her wrists were the worst of them, some places still purple even though Bora’s boat had been over a week ago. At least her throat had healed for the most part, even if it still looked ugly.
She was wearing some of her nicest clothes for this. She figured if she was going to infiltrate, she needed to appear as someone who knew what she was doing. She’d been around enough maids to have the gist of it. After she finished with her makeup, she set about adjusting her clothes and changing into the heels she brought along. She was wearing a pink skirt (without any holes somehow), her red heels, and a brown turtleneck (which covered the bruising on her throat). She’d also tied a red bow into her hair, hoping it added some cute points. The final touch were white gloves covering up to her wrist and hiding her emblem from view.
Natsu watched Lucy get ready, tension mounting. He knew, in a logical sense, that this was the best plan they had. That didn’t stop every instinct in his body from rearing it’s head and roaring at the idea of sending a friend in without any weapons.
“Alright,” Lucy said, standing after she’d pulled her heels on even with her blisters protesting. “Let’s do this.”
He eyed the belt at her waist. She wasn’t making a move to take it off.
“Um, shouldn’t you leave your keys here?” If Natsu had to follow through with this plan, then there was no way he was going to let her get caught because she had obviously magical keys hanging off her belt.
Lucy froze with a hand protectively covering her keys. In theory — who was she kidding, it was a really good point. But the thought of being without her keys had every muscle in her body tensing. The last time she’d been without them was with Bora and that had obviously gone really well.
“I can hide them under my skirt.” She brushed Natsu off, already reaching to hook her keys to the thigh holster under her skirt. Her breathing felt like it was sped up.
Natsu winced as Lucy’s heart rate and breathing kicked up a notch. He hated to stress her out like this but on the other hand, their other option was Lucy getting caught.
“There’s no way they don’t have a uniform,” he pointed out. “You’ll have to change. You won’t be able to hide them.”
It was a really good point. Lucy could acknowledge that. Her keys were obvious and anybody who saw them would be suspicious. It was a really bad idea to bring them with her. But then she’d be stuck inside a mansion with a guy known for being creepy with girls by herself without a weapon. There was no way Natsu could find her fast enough to save her from something and there was no way she could fight hand to hand. Who was she kidding? This entire plan was a horrible idea. They should find a new one. She couldn’t leave her keys unprotected or herself defenseless.
Natsu could see the stress and fear building. Lucy hid her emotions like it was second nature to her (he had to wonder why). If he couldn’t hear the way her heart hammered in her chest, Natsu would never have known she was nervous.
“If you need help, I’ll come runnin’. Promise.”
“You have to swear to me that you’ll keep them safe.” Lucy squared her shoulders and looked Natsu right in the eye. They were more serious than she’d seen them before.
In the short time that Natsu had known Lucy, the one thing he figured out fast was how much these keys meant to her. He still wasn’t sure how they worked or why she needed them, but they were important to her. That was enough.
“I promise, Lucy. I won’t let anything happen to your keys.”
Lucy took a deep breath and unhooked the pouch from her belt. She hesitated for a moment before putting the keys in Natsu’s hand. She watched him gently hook the pouch to his own belt and prayed that she’d made a good choice. Fear clamped down on her heart and Lucy had to turn around to collect herself.
Distractedly, she tugged at her gloves. The warmth that usually resided at her hip was gone. It was like she’d been disconnected from her own heart. The world seemed less bright and scarier than ever without her constant companions. She felt adrift in a way she hadn’t felt since she still lived with her father.
“You ready?” Natsu asked. Lucy could still hear that gentle tone in his voice, like he was talking to a scared child. She refused to be looked at like that again. She needed Natsu to see that she was strong. That she could handle this. Because maybe then, she could believe it herself.
It took several deep breaths to steel herself.
“Yeah. Let’s do this.”
• • •
Lucy had only just rung the doorbell when the ground under her began shuddering. A massive woman, both in height and width, with a face like a gorilla and pink pigtails popped out of the ground. She stared down at Lucy with a glower (or maybe that was just her natural look).
“Uh-uh-hi?” Lucy tried.
“What do you want with my master?” The maid’s voice was deep and grating like stone against stone.
“I-I was hoping to apply for the open maid position?”
The ground beside Lucy began breaking away before the maid to answer. A short, fat man with only a wisp of hair on his head and an impressive mustache broke through the ground. Somehow, there wasn’t a speck of dirt on his horribly proportioned suit.
“Boyo-yo-yo, I heard someone mention me?” He was twirling his mustache in what he likely thought made him look sexier but Lucy thought it just made him look like a poor imitation of an olden dandy.
“Uh, hi, I’m Lucy. I’m looking to apply for the maid position.” She smiled her prettiest, politest smile even though she wanted to run from his creepy looks — something she was well-practiced in.
“Hm, I don’t usually take ugly maids but we are short-staffed right now.”
It was only Lucy’s impeccable upbringing and manners that kept her from shouting at him. I’ll show him ugly, she thought. Her face betrayed nothing.
Two more girls popped up from the ground. Lucy wished she could say like flowers but nothing about them was pretty, not even their personalities.
“I think the ugly one should scram,” one said.
“Yeah, scram ugly,” the other agreed. Every word cut Lucy’s self-esteem like a knife.
“Very well, I must listen to my girls,” Duke Everlue said. The gorilla-like woman stayed silent through the entire exchange but Lucy couldn’t help how her eyes were drawn to her. She seemed so familiar.
“I don’t need the help of an ugly girl like you.”
“Wait, but —”
Duke Everlue and the women dove back into the ground, the dirt filling back in before Lucy could get anything out.
Lucy could hardly look Natsu in the eye when she got back to him. She’d been so confident that she could do it. So ready to put her plan into action. And now she looked foolish. Her ego was bruised and now there was nothing she could add to this. She wasn’t strong enough to fight and that was now looking like their only option. Her father was right. She wasn’t cut out for this kind of work.
Natsu wished he could see past the mask of poised indifference Lucy had on her face.
“Lushee,” Happy said. Natsu could see the hurt written on the cat’s face. “They were wrong.”
“I’m alright,” Lucy said. There was something not right about her expression — Natsu could feel it. There was a smile there and for all appearances, Lucy seemed fine. But her scent and her eyes gave her away. There was a deep hurt there that Natsu didn’t even know how to touch, let alone help.
So he chose to ignore it (and hope that she would return to normal soon).
“Well,” he said. “Now it’s time for revenge.”
Her expression morphed into something more genuine and the tight feeling in Natsu’s chest (when had that knot gotten there?) loosened.
“Yes. I’m going to get him back for this!”
Natsu handed back her keys. The warmth and familiarity of them at her side put her more at ease immediately. As comfort pulsed through her bonds, her spirits realizing she was upset the moment she touched the keys, the hurt from the insults and her own mind began to fade. Anger rushed in to replace the fading emotions.
“Alright, so Plan T it is,” Natsu said with a grin.
“Aye!”
“Right!” Lucy stood up, hooking the keys to her belt with a determined grin. “Plan T!”
Natsu started toward Everlue’s mansion and Lucy’s brain caught up with her.
“Wait, what’s Plan T?”
• • •
Unbeknownst to the trio of wizards, Duke Everlue was watching the security cameras. They were in place all over Shirotsune and he cursed himself for not being diligent. He should have known about these two the moment they arrived.
Despite being caught off guard, Everlue wasn’t worried. See, Everlue always had a plan. Maybe not a good one, but always a plan. And he intended to set this one into motion with gusto. After all, moderation was for the peasants of the world. And Everlue certainly never considered himself a peasant.
He gestured for the mercenaries behind him to come closer as he twirled his ostentatious mustache. He would have fun with this one.
• • •
“You know, this isn’t exactly what I meant by Take Them by Storm,” Natsu grumbled as he slowly melted a circle into the window.
“Your idea of a plan involves destroying everything and I don’t intend to lose our entire paycheck.”
Natsu kept grumbling under his breath as they slipped in through the hole he made. The room they found themselves in held all sorts of oddities. Lucy felt she could sift through it all for hours. She was inspecting an ornate glass crystal ball when a shape started appearing. Shocked, and concerned she’d suddenly developed a fortune-telling ability, Lucy leaned in closer. The shape got bigger, and bluer, and scarier.
Happy shot up from behind the glass, a white skull on his head. Natsu and Happy laughed as Lucy jerked backward. In an effort to keep from screeching and blowing their entire mission, Lucy bit clean through her bottom lip.
The smell of blood had Natsu instantly clicking his mouth shut. It took only a second to realize the smell came from Lucy. He was on her in a heartbeat, pulling her face closer to see where she was hurt. The instinct was sudden, overwhelming, uncontrollable.
The movement was so quick, it took Lucy a moment to process it. One moment she was trying not to scream, the next Natsu was in her face and she was trying not to scream for a very different reason.
His eyes were intent, driven, and locked onto Lucy’s lips. There was no helping the way her breath stuttered.
After a moment to process, Lucy jerked backward, pulling her face from Natsu’s gentle grip.
He almost made a grab for her again, unable to get a good look at her injury, but then Natsu noticed the strange tension in her shoulders. The guilt hit moments later when he realized he’d caused that. Of course his freaky instincts would already have fucked this up. Go figure.
Happy watched all this happen with trepidation. He hadn’t meant to frighten Lucy that bad but it seemed to him that Natsu had done something just as bad. Regardless of how much he teased her, Happy really did like Lucy. He wanted her to be a permanent member of the team — not just because she was strong but also because Natsu hadn’t been so much as intrigued by someone since Lisanna. Lucy was good for him.
“I — I’m sorry,” Natsu said when he finally found his voice. “I didn’t mean to — uh, I don’t — sorry, I don’t know a good word for it … I didn’t want to make you —”
“It’s fine,” Lucy cut him off, firm but gentle. The touch and the care had been unexpected but not unpleasant. It wasn’t like Bora. “I just — I spent a long time alone. I’m not used to … that …”
“Okay, I won’t — “ he just wished he could explain, “ — I —- yeah. Yeah, okay.”
“Okay.” Lucy touched her lip again. It wasn’t bleeding anymore and it didn’t seem to have gotten blood anywhere on her face so she figured it was fine now. She took a deep breath and plunged through the awkward air that now formed a barrier between them. “Okay, now we need to be quiet. We have got to get to the library and find the book.”
Natsu and Happy nodded and followed her from the storage room.
The door led them into a massive open room. Decidedly not a good space for sneaking around. Lucy figured if Natsu had his way, he’d have run into the middle of the room and shouted a challenge for all to hear. While it might serve as a good distraction, she didn’t want to risk it.
“Remember, be quiet, okay?”
“Like a ninja,” Natsu said solemnly. Lucy turned to give him an exasperated look to find herself more exasperated by the fact that he pulled his scale scarf over his face, revealing only his eyes.
“If it keeps you quiet, then sure,” Lucy muttered.
Natsu was going to quip back, eager to get back to their fun push and pull of conversation, but then the ground began to rumble beneath them. Resisting the urge to reach out and stabilize Lucy, he faced where the threat was coming from. Unable to completely ignore the urge, he kept half of his attention on Lucy until he was certain she wouldn’t fall.
The rumbling only stopped when four of the ugliest women Natsu had ever seen popped out of the broken floor. And sure, beauty is in the eye of the beholder and all that, but given what they’d said to Lucy … well, Natsu didn’t figure they were all too pretty on the inside so maybe the comment was alright.
“You will never hurt our master, ugly bitch!” one of the girls screamed, rushing at them. Natsu didn’t give her a chance to reach his partner, taking her out in one fell punch. It only took a few moments of frenzied fighting for Natsu to take most of them out. He hadn’t even needed magic to do it. The gorilla one on the other hand, might take a bit of energy.
He ran straight at her and threw a flaming fist at her face. She went down without so much as raising her hands. Natsu stared down at her for a moment. That was strange …
He raised a finger to his lips with a hidden smirk and said, “Ninjas must not be discovered.”
Lucy stared at him for a second before she turned and attempted to hide a snort. Natsu heard it loud and clear though and he couldn’t help the smile on his face. Not that Lucy could see it.
“You’re ridiculous,” she said, but there was an upturned quirk of her lips. “Come on, that was definitely not quiet so we need to hurry.”
They stepped over the fallen girls and began opening doors at random. They found a lot of strange rooms — including one with a solid gold toilet that had a bust of Everlue’s head — before they found the library.
Lucy had never seen so many books in one place before. Not even the one at home had been this huge. There must have been thousands of books hoarded into a large room, bookshelves stretching from the floor to the ceiling. Lucy was horrified to see nearly all of them were untouched.
Of course, there was a problem that arose from there being so many books. They now had to find a single one in a vast stockpile that seemingly had no organization. Natsu might die. Reading was hard enough to begin with and now he had to find a title he could barely remember amongst all of these? Maybe it’d be better to leave it to Lucy. But then he’d have to tell her …
“Okay,” Lucy began. Natsu took one look at the determined look on her face and decided he’d just do his best. “Let’s get started.”
• • •
It took ten minutes of searching before they found anything. While he was goofing off, which Lucy was beginning to realize was his usual, Natsu pulled a golden, glittering book off of the shelf.
“Look! It’s shiny!” he shouted with a massive grin. Lucy sighed and glared at Natsu over her shoulder from her perch on the rolling ladder.
“Natsu, please get — wait a second …” She climbed down from the ladder, snatching the book from Natsu. “You found it! It’s Daybreak!”
“I did?”
“No way … this is by Kemu Zaleon! I love him. I thought I’d read everything he wrote … Why does Everlue have a book that was unreleased?”
“Who cares?” Happy asked. Natsu nodded in agreement and held his hand out.
“Yeah, let’s just burn it.”
“What? No way.”
Natsu gave her a hard look. “We were told to destroy that book, Lucy.”
“I can just keep it. We can tell him we destroyed it.”
“I don’t like lying.”
“I —” the ground shook underneath them “ — Oh, not again!”
Duke Everlue himself, in all his greasy glory, emerged from the ground. Lucy backed away and clutched the book to her chest.
“I’ve been wondering what all these foolish mages could possibly want from my mansion, and it turns out it’s simply that piece of trash. Written by the great Kemu Zaleon and yet an absolutely horrible novel.”
“Well, if it’s so horrible, then you won’t mind if I take it,” Lucy said brightly.
“No, it’s mine!”
“Greedy bitch.”
“Shut your trap, ugly.”
Natsu shifted his feet, gearing for a fight. Once again, he held his hand out to Lucy. “Give me the book, Lucy. We don’t have time for this.”
“No!”
“This is our job!” Natsu growled. “This is what we were hired to do! Not finishing it looks bad on Fairy Tail.”
“Well, at least let me read it first.” And she plopped down on the floor and cracked open the book.
“The fuck? Now?” Natsu asked.
Lucy furiously scanned the pages. There was something odd about this book, something about the way it was worded. It was too different from Kemu Zaleon’s normal writing. In fact, it was nothing like Kemu Zaleon’s work at all.
From behind Duke Everlue, two men stepped out from the shadows. It was immediately obvious to Natsu that these were mercenaries. From the way they carried themselves to the emblems on their faces, it was obvious these men had killed before. One was freakishly tall with spikey blue hair — there was a clueless look to his face so Natsu disregarded him. The other was shorter and carried a frying pan. If the situation was less serious, he’d have laughed at the weird imitation of a monk’s hair (he was bald on the top with a long braided ponytail in the back, who wouldn’t laugh at that?).
Natsu shifted his body so he was between them and Lucy. He seriously hoped she knew what she was doing. By his estimation, they were a couple minutes from a serious fight.
“These are mercenaries from the Hungry Wolves. The Vanishing Brothers. Quite the formidable duo,” Everlue bragged. Natsu didn’t give a shit who they were, just how fast he could pummel them. Behind him, Natsu heard Lucy let out a slight gasp. He didn’t dare turn around, his eyes trained on the mercenaries.
“Natsu,” he heard Lucy call. He grunted an acknowledgment. “Buy me some time. There’s secrets in this book and I have to find out what they are.”
Before he could say anything in return, Lucy darted off.
Secrets? Everlue wondered. What if it contains how I really made my money? Or all of the bribes? If she turned that into the government, I’d be doomed. I can’t let her keep that book!
Natsu watched Everlue dig into the ground and disappear. He figured the son of a bitch went after Lucy. Go figure, she was turning out to be just as impulsive as the rest of Fairy Tail. So he shouted out to Happy, “Go follow her. Make sure she’s okay. I’ve got things here.”
“Aye!”
And then Natsu was alone with two men trying to kill him.
• • •
Lucy hoped Natsu would be okay. She knew it was a pretty awful thing to leave her partner like that but her gut instinct was saying she needed to know what was in this book. So, with the world smelling like the bowels of the city, she sat in the sewer speeding her way through the novel. Kemu Zaleon was one of Fiore’s most famous writers and yet … this book was a piece of shit. The work she knew from him was elegant, poised, and perfectly timed. This novel read like a trashy adventure novel one found at the train stations. Kemu Zaleon was a master of what was between the lines. The emotions, the ideals, the foreshadowing —
Between the lines.
“So that’s the secret.”
Lucy shouted as her arms were wrenched behind her back, Duke Everlue’s hands digging into her bruises. She kept her grip on Daybreak, but just barely. His breath was disgustingly hot against her back.
“And what is the secret?”
Lucy winced as his grip got tighter. “That you’re a disgusting pig.”
A cry shot out of her throat before she could stop it as he wrenched her arms back further. Her arms felt half out of their sockets already but Lucy refused to cry. From this position, Everlue could snap her arms without much effort. She had to get him off.
“You wretch. I could pull your arm out of its socket. I could snap it in half. And you have the gall to disrespect me? Me?” Everlue shouted.
Lucy turned and stuck out her tongue. The action earned her an even tighter grip and Everlue pulling her arms even further. She couldn’t move. She was stuck on her knees, her arms pulled tight behind her, with no way of releasing herself. Fear threaded its way through her determination.
“What is the secret?” Duke Everlue screeched.
“Someone like you doesn’t deserve to know!” Lucy shouted.
Out of the corner of her eye, Lucy saw something blue and fast shoot toward them. Happy impacted with a jolt and Lucy’s shoulders screamed as she jumped away. Everlue fell out of the wall, holding the side of his face. She held the book closer, blinking back tears.
“Thanks, Happy.”
“Aye!”
“How did you know I was down here?”
“Natsu sent me to help you.”
“Fucking cat,” Everlue mumbled. There was blood dribbling from the corner of his mouth and his suit had a rip at the shoulder. Lucy pulled a key from her hip and held in front of her, ready to summon at any moment.
“Looks like the tables have turned, Everlue,” Lucy said with more confidence than she felt. “Give up now and maybe I’ll spare you the beating you deserve.”
“The tables have turned implies the weaker party has somehow gained the advantage. But there’s no way you and that cat could beat me, little girl. I’ll simply crush you and learn that book’s secrets for myself!”
• • •
Natsu’s back impacted with the wall with stinging force. His back was probably scratched to hell from this fight. He supposed it could be worse — they could’ve been actually powerful. Adrenaline zipped through his veins, energy coursing through him.
The impact that had sent Natsu through the wall actually sent him flying all the way to the giant statue of Duke Everlue. Which was extremely weird and creepy, but not the point at that moment. The mercenaries stared down at him with identical sneers.
“Do you want to know what a mage’s weakness is?” Ponytail asked.
“Motion sickness?” Natsu asked. Did this guy ever shut up?
“Uh … I think that’s a personal problem,” he said. “No, a mage’s weakness is always … their bodies!”
Ponytail flung himself at Natsu, just barely missing him. They ended up on the ground and Natsu barely had time to react before that frying pan hit him again. He was flung back several feet, likely sporting a new bruise. He rubbed his jaw.
“I will say though, you are a more impressive foe than we’ve dealt with in a while.”
Natsu sneered, launching himself at Ponytail. He landed a solid hit to his torso. A hand grabbed him by the scarf and flung him away. Fuck, I forgot about that one.
Natsu landed gracefully on his feet. Now was probably when he needed to start using magic. He’d been hoping to save his energy for Everlue but this was taking too long. Whatever, Everlue was probably a joke of a mage anyway.
“We are the most feared of the Hunting Wolves. Would you like to know why? Our technique is like no other.” The bigger guy jumped on top of the frying pan. “Heaven and Earth Annihilation Technique!”
Natsu’s eyes naturally tracked the guy in the air. Ponytail’s scent hit him moments before he swung the frying pan. Natsu barely dodged, the frying pan skimming just in front of his nose. He rolled and popped up to his feet, snarling at Ponytail.
Feet impacted with Natsu’s back, knocking him to the ground. The impact was harsh and certain to leave bruises. Natsu bit back a groan as he pushed himself to his feet. Dust from the tile underneath them created a barrier and gave Natsu a moment to breathe.
“Look to the heavens, and be attacked from the earth,” Ponytail monologued. “Look to the earth … and be attacked from the Heavens. No one has ever survived our attack. You are only an insignificant mage killed by superiors.”
“Really? ‘Cause, I gotta tell ya, I don’t feel very dead.”
The looks on the mercenaries faces were priceless. Natsu smirked, gathering magic in his palms. They were right, of course. That attack would’ve killed a normal human. Lucky for Natsu, he’s pretty damn far from normal.
“Listen, this has been fun and all, but my partner needs help and I’m getting kinda sick of you guys.”
Natsu cupped his hands together and gathered the magic in his hands. The magic circle appeared and he shot magic forward in the form of terrifying flames.
“Fire Dragon’s Roar!” The words sealed the magic’s intention and shaped it into the proper attack. The fire blazed toward the mercenaries, who strangely, didn’t seem very worried.
The flames hit them dead on. Except…
The smoke cleared and instead of two charred mercenaries, Natsu was looking at flames gathered in the frying pan of Ponytail.
“Unlucky for you, I specialize in killing fire mages. Tough luck.”
The flames shot back toward Natsu. The attack wouldn’t have done much damage in the first place but something about the frying pan changed the flames. They were no longer just Natsu’s magic. Which meant they could be eaten.
He would never get tired of people’s faces when he did that for the first time.
He wiped his mouth with a smirk. The boost in his power was enough to make his next attack three times as powerful as the one before it. The mercenaries never stood a chance as he barbequed them. He only stopped long enough to be sure he hadn’t actually killed them.
“Well, that was a waste of time,” he muttered. “I gotta go find Lucy.”
A shift caught his eye. The large, pink-haired maid was beginning to glow. Natsu groaned and launched himself at the maid, hoping that he could keep her down without too much effort. That was … definitely not what happened.
• • •
“You can never defeat my diver magic!” Everlue shouted.
He’d managed to land some solid hits on Lucy, something that wouldn’t have happened if she’d had her weapon but alas. She was trying to avoid summoning a gold gate key. It would take up a lot of her strength but it was looking more and more unavoidable by the second. A solid punch to the gut threw her against the wall and she almost lost her grip on the book.
“Screw this,” she decided. With the key that was still held tight in her hand, she thrust it out in front of her. “Open! Gate of the Giant Crab! Cancer!”
The key glowed brightly as she turned it and in a burst of shining light, Cancer appeared. His hair was as crazy as ever, his signature red and black curls done up in elaborate locs. His hair shears were sharp enough to create cuts with the barest of movements. He was the perfect choice for close-quarters combat. Lucy only wished she could help.
“Ready for a trim, baby?” Cancer joked. There was a satisfied smirk on his face.
“Not the time for jokes, Cancer!” Lucy couldn’t believe how little situational awareness Cancer had sometimes. “Though, maybe Duke Everlue could use a shave.”
“As you wish.”
Cancer flew forward with astonishing speed. Duke Everlue barely dodged in time and when he popped back up from the ground, there was a grim look on his face.
“I suppose I’ll have to fight fire with fire.” He pulled a key from his pocket. Then Lucy realized, it wasn’t just any key. “Open! Gate of the Maiden! Virgo!”
“Celestial magic?” Lucy shouted, her jaw dropping open. Anger began to burn. How could someone like Everlue have a Celestial Contract?
Golden light flashed in the sewer. Next to her, Cancer shifted uncomfortably. She glanced at him. His mouth was pinched the way it got when he was upset. She couldn’t force him to fight another celestial spirit.
As the light faded, it revealed the pink-haired gorilla from before. Lucy winced, knowing she’d never be able to take her out without … help…
What the fuck was Natsu doing there?
“Woah!” Natsu nearly lost his grip.
Cancer’s heart hurt for his friend. Virgo prided herself on appearance and to be forced into such a form had to be hurting her. Her eyes were dull in a way he’d forgotten a spirit’s could be. He’d become complacent in Lucy’s care. He’d forgotten what brutality was typically inflicted on spirits. The rules forbade him from saying anything, from begging Lucy to free her. He prayed to the King that her kind heart would hear his wishes.
“Natsu, how are you —”
“I dunno! She started to get up so I grabbed on!” Natsu shouted. He was perched on Virgo’s shoulder like a particularly disturbing parrot. Lucy couldn’t help but wonder at how still and lifeless Virgo seemed.
“Wait …” Lucy had to think through the logistics of that. “That means … You went through the Celestial realm! That shouldn’t be possible!”
“I dunno how! What do I do?”
“Virgo! Attack them you stupid oaf!” Lucy’s eyes narrowed.
Virgo began to move. In this form, she was too slow. Or maybe she just didn’t have the will to fulfill her master’s wishes anymore. Under his care, breaking celestial law was tempting.
Natsu dodged Virgo’s attack easily. There hardly seemed to be any effort in them. He shot to the ground and ended up at Lucy’s side.
“Virgo! How dare you let him escape you!” Duke Everlue struck Virgo. She was his tool and wasn’t doing her job. Punishment was in order.
Natsu could smell the rage rolling off of Lucy in waves. Whatever Everlue had done, Natsu was certain he was about to suffer for it.
“Watch Virgo. If she attacks, deal with her but try not to hurt her.” Lucy stalked forward, Cancer hot on her heels. “I’ll deal with Duke Shitface.”
Everlue would pay for his disrespect.
Cancer shot forward, shears at the ready. He took several swipes before Lucy stepped in. She landed three solid kicks to a now groaning Everlue. He tried to dive again but Cancer grabbed him by the collar and let Lucy rain a barrage of punches. By the end, Everlue’s face was unrecognizable and Lucy’s knuckles were busted and bloody.
Throughout it all, Virgo didn’t move an inch.
Lucy stared down at Duke Everlue with an unquenchable, righteous fire in her eyes. Natsu was a little bit in awe of her.
“How did scum like you form a celestial contract?” Lucy asked. Everlue made an unintelligible gurgle. “You don’t deserve it. Anyone who treats a celestial spirit as a plaything deserves to be punished. By abusing your spirit, you violated celestial law.”
With a quick slashing motion, Lucy closed Cancer’s gate. He nodded to her and to Virgo as he disappeared in golden light. Lucy could feel the toll opening a Zodiac gate had taken on her. Still, she grit her teeth and pushed through it.
She had never actually performed this spell before, only been taught it by her mother. She knew it would take an incredible amount of power and she prayed she had enough left to walk out of there. Even if she didn’t, Virgo didn’t deserve to be under the rule of this bastard.
“Virgo?” Lucy called, never taking her eyes from Everlue. “Do you wish to be free of your contract?”
Everlue protested weakly but Lucy placed her heel at his neck and pressed down.
“I wasn’t talking to you,” she said. Natsu was surprised to find she was capable of such viciousness. Natsu and Happy watched this entire scene unfold from the sidelines. Natsu wasn’t used to being sidelined but at the same time, interrupting her seemed like a very very bad idea that was likely to give him new bruises. Those heels looked surprisingly deadly.
Virgo gave a single listless nod. Everlue had told her not to say anything. He’d said nothing about movement.
Lucy nodded and took her heel off of Everlue. She’d beaten him so badly that he couldn’t move. She didn’t look at him again.
“To look upon the heavenly bodies, to forswear thy oath, to break the trust between spirit and mortal, is to infringe upon the sacred bond between the stars and the earth.” Magic gathered around Lucy. Magic that was pulled from the Celestial World itself. It was the indication that the Celestial Spirit King supported her choice. The feeling was exhilarating. “In the name of the King, I declare you unfit to command and sever your contract. Be free, spirit of the stars!”
The magic surrounding Lucy became so intense that Natsu and Happy had to step back. They couldn’t see what was happening but they could hear the booming command of Lucy’s voice. Everything was obscured and eventually, Natsu had to shield his and Happy’s eyes.
Before her, Virgo began to disappear. Her eyes shone with tears and Lucy couldn’t help but smile.
“Thank you,” came a soft voice, so different from Virgo’s previous boom. “I owe you an unpayable debt.”
“There is nothing to repay. Return to the stars, friend.”
The spirit disappeared in a gentle shower of golden light and Lucy’s knees gave out from under her. Natsu knelt beside her but didn’t touch her. She placed a hand lightly on his shoulder and smiled. “I’m alright, just exhausted. That takes a lot out of me.”
“How —” Natsu started but then the building started to shake. “Shit, we need to get out of here. Can you walk?”
Embarrassed, Lucy shook her head. Natsu just grinned and picked her up as though she weighed nothing. Lucy shrieked and latched onto his neck, arms coiled tightly. Natsu just laughed, joyous and carefree.
“Um, guys,” Happy called and pointed to Duke Everlue. “What about him?”
Lucy turned her nose up and said, “Leave him. If he dies, he dies.”
“Lucy,” Natsu scolded. “We can’t just leave him. Grab him, Happy.”
• • •
It didn’t take long to reach the surface. As they came to a stop in front of the gate, Lucy watched as half the mansion sank into the sewer. She winced. There goes most of our reward money.
Even though she still felt pretty weak, Lucy wiggled herself out of Natsu’s arms. The princess carry had been a little embarrassing but what was more embarrassing was how she was enjoying being close to him like that. It was uncanny how warm he was, like hugging by a warm fire. She couldn’t get used to it though. Not when there was all likelihood it would never happen again. So, even though the chills of too much magic use were setting in, she grit her teeth and pulled away from Natsu’s warmth.
It didn’t take long for them to reach the manor where Mr. Melon was. Natsu internally groaned at the thought that they’d now have to explain just why Fairy Tail members didn’t complete their job. Fuck Lucy for being so persuasive.
“I told you to burn this,” Mr. Melon said when they handed the book back to him. Yeah, Natsu saw that one coming.
“I know,” Lucy said, her voice gentle. “But if you want to burn it, I’d rather you do it.”
“I will, without a doubt,” the old man growled. “I never wanted to lay eyes on this book again. It ruined my life.”
“I understand that but —”
“Thank you for your time but I think —”
“Kaby! Look!” The book began to glow, to Natsu’s surprise, and the letters rearranged themselves. “Kemu Zaleon … No, Zekua Melon, didn’t stop writing because he hated it, he stopped because he finished his masterpiece. A book written to you, Kaby. Everything he ever wanted to say to you.”
Kaby held the book to his chest with tears in his eyes.
“It was written by your father, not because he wanted to leave you, but because he wanted to write everything he could ever want to say to you.”
“It was written by your father?” Natsu asked. Kaby nodded. A single spark of anger burst to a raging flame. Natsu stormed over and gripped him by the jacket, palms smoldering. “And you were just going to burn it? I’d give anything to have something like that! How could —”
“Natsu! Enough!” Lucy shouted, pulling Natsu back. “Let him explain.”
Kaby then explains that he thought his father had abandoned him. There was a three-year period when Kaby was young that he went to work for Duke Everlue and Kaby was angry that he’d chosen to be away for so long. It turns out, Everlue kept Zekua Melon locked away until he finished a book for him, threatening him with hurting his family, and so Zekua took that time to write his masterpiece and hide it with the last of his energy.
“I’ll always treasure this,” Kaby said.
“Good,” Natsu said. He grabbed Lucy’s hand and began walking them toward the door. “We should be going. And so should you, Mr. Melon.”
“Wait, but our payment —?”
“Yes, let me pay you.”
“No, thanks,” Natsu said with a grin. Lucy stared at him gobsmacked.
“What do you mean, ‘No, thanks,’? I need the money.”
“Someone’s greedy, Lucy,” Happy mocked.
“Shut up!” Lucy shouted.