Nalu A twist in time

Chapter Ten

AN: This chapter is going to have a lot of time skips, this is basically Lucy and Natsu training for the rest of the year and everyone else returning to the guild and getting a glimpse of what they're capable of after their training and the return.

Chapter ten

Natsu and Lucy had a bet on how long it would take for Mira and Erza to return to the guild. Natsu said another two weeks while Lucy bet another month would pass. Natsu grumbled about her always being right when Erza and Gray returned on the first. A month after his mission with Happy by then they had been in the past for four months and a week later Mira was back as well.

They had placed the bet while they were trying to figure out when they would have to leave for the island. When Natsu returned from his mission with the silver key, Lucy hugged and kissed him in excitement. He had brought her the key to the hunting dogs, Canes Venatici. They were expert trackers and protector spirits. They were large, black and silver, winged wolves and Lucy absolutely adored them. Natsu made a mental note to find her more gate keys if her reaction would always be like that and these spirits weren't perverts so that was a plus.

While Natsu had been away Lucy had summoned Aquarius. While she had trained with her spirits and using her star dresses she never found in herself to take that step. Lucy had not summoned Aquarius not since she had found herself in the past. She would often spend time running her finger over the unbroken key unable to bring herself to actually summon the fierce spirit.

Lucy for a long time had seen Aquarius as a link to her mother and as her big sister. The spirit was always angry and whenever summoned. She rarely did as she was asked often abandoning her and Lucy never really brought herself to broach the subject of her treatment by the spirit.

In a way, Lucy knew that Aquarius didn't like her. Aquarius didn't think she was as good as her mother and she never wanted to hear the confirmation from the spirit. Then everything changed because she sacrificed her key. It was time for Lucy to put on the big girl pants and finally do what she should have done a long time ago.

"You finally summoned me." Said Aquarius looking around and finding that Lucy had summoned her from a pond in the woods.

Lucy nodded, "I didn't know what to say."

Aquarius scoffed, "You never do. You have no grace unlike your mother."

"My mother is long gone Aquarius and you need to deal with it. She was your friend and you loved her but here's a little newsflash I loved her too and I needed her more than you ever would."

The spirit didn't say anything and Lucy for the first time got angry at her, "Let her go Aquarius, because she would be ashamed of the way you are treating her daughter."

Aquarius raised an eyebrow at her, "You think you can tell me what to do?"

Lucy folded her arms, "I'm giving you a choice either you work with me or I can give your key away. I won't have you and your mood swings affecting my battles. You can either do as I ask when summoned and we work as a team or I give you to someone that you will listen too. I won't ask you to like me but I am telling you that you will respect the fact that I am your key holder. What do you want Aquarius?"

The spirit smiled at the girl. It had been a long time since she smiled in this world, and said "I'll stay with you. Terms of our contract don't change. You finally grew a spine kid I can respect that."