Hello, everyone! I've got the fire back to write this story, woo! Here is the next chapter, haha! I hope you like it, ne? I dedicate this chapter to littlesmile07, for reading my other two NaLu fanfictions, including my favorite so far, Fairy Tail: Invincible Wills and Feelings!♥ If you don't mind, I'd like to know your guy's opinions! Which one was your favorite? I'd love it if you could answer that question!~ Also, I hope this is getting more exciting, considering all the questions you probably have! XD It'll all be answered soon, I promise mina! ;) Well, here you go! Chapter Four of my NaLu fanfiction! See you next time, mina!★
♥Ry-chan
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"This must be it..." Lucy murmured, entering the cave slowly and cautiously.
The cave wasn't lit by any lights; the only thing that aloud Lucy to see was the lightning that flashed behind her in the sky, giving her brief glimpses of her path underfoot. She was soaked to the bone, shivering violently as she stepped inside the cave with weariness. Urgency was in her movements, and she had cuts and bruises all along her arms and legs. Sores were on the bottom of her hands and feet, which were mysteriously bare. Her clothes were slashed and ripped, stained and crippled into a mess.
Taking cautious but unsteady steps forward, Lucy tried to control her breathing, which mixed with the watery tears she shed unknowingly. She didn't know she was crying; she told herself it's only rain.
Continuing to struggle forward, Lucy saw a light up ahead, a beautiful yellow light that eased the pain from her aching muscles as she continued to grow closer.
"Almost there..." She murmured, using her hands against the cave wall as guidance.
But right before she got there, something scratched against the rock, hidden somewhere in the darkness around her.
"Who's there?" Lucy exclaimed, looking wildly around, blind.
This time she heard it above her, and thrust her head in the direction. A shadow that she could somehow see in the pitch black cave crashed into her, making her scream. She fell, fell into the floor which mysteriously disappeared, leaving nothing but cold, empty darkness.
+_______________________________________________________________________________Light thinks it travels faster than Darkness. But it is wrong. No matter how fast Light travels, Darkness is always there first.
Waiting.
Watching._______________________________________________________________________________+
Ever since Lucy had that dream last night, she couldn't think straight, having to rely on Natsu to guide the way through the wilderness. Questions ran through her head nonstop, threatening to pull her into insanity. Once they defeated this Crawler, she was determined to go after that man Natsu and her had met on the train. She knew he could give her answers, but she had no clue where to find him.
To sum it all up, Lucy was having headaches with people screaming in her mind, meeting people she swears she knows but has never seen before, and has creepy dreams during the night. Perfect.
Sighing, she tried to shake her mind out of the reverie when Natsu stopped, and she bumped right into him.
"What're you-" Natsu nodded forward, his face becoming serious as rustling was heard ahead. Lucy understood. "Is it...the Crawler?" She whispered, cringing in slight fear.
To answer her question, a disfigured head emerged from the tree tops, it's features unrecognizable. But as quickly as it appeared, it disappeared, running through the trees loudly.
"Let's go!" Natsu exclaimed, running after it.
"H-Hey!" Lucy yelled reaching a hand out into the air. "Wait for me!"
Running after him, Lucy and Natsu barely kept track of the monster as it ran through the trees.
Lucy was losing Natsu; and worst of all, she felt like something was following her. Seeing something flash in the corner of her eyes, she turned her head, coming to an abrupt stop. Natsu disappeared, but Lucy's mind was on the figure that hid in the shadows of the forest around her.
Clenching her teeth, she looked around, pulling out Taurus' key in preparation of attack.
+_______________________________________________________________________________Not many have realized that the past and future are illusions, that they exist in the present, which is what there is and always is._______________________________________________________________________________+
Natsu's face set, he ran quickly, Happy soaring right above him. Soon enough, Natsu burst from the brush, appearing in a small clearing.
But it was gone.
"Damn..." Natsu cursed under his breath, panting slightly. "That stupid things fast..." He turned, remembering something. "Oi, Lucy?"
She wasn't anywhere near them.
"Lucy?" He called, turning in a full circle puzzledly.
A shrill scream rang through the trees, and a chill flew through Natsu's spine. "Lucy's scream...?!" Sprinting forward, he dived back into the wood.
_______________________________________________________________________________
Crying out, Lucy dodged to the left, the Crawler slamming into the tree behind her and making it split into two with a groan. She had dropped Taurus' key when the Crawler appeared out of fear, and spotted it on the ground a few feet from her. Diving for it, Lucy wrapped her fingers around the key's middle and thrust it out in front of her, chanting the gate summoning.
Taurus appeared from the ground, swinging wildly at the Crawler. His axe slammed into it's side, making a shrill scream escape from it's mouth. Slicing it in half, Taurus fell back, standing in front of Lucy.
Lucy stood, panting heavily as the Crawler lay dead on the ground, while Taurus began to disappear in a line of light.
"Thank you, Taurus." Lucy replied, holding a small injury on her shoulder with her hand.
"Anything for you, Lucy!" He replied, hearts in his eyes as he disappeared.
Rolling her eyes, she cautiously took a step foreward, gasping when she saw the Crawler was hollow.
"W-What is this?" She whispered, taking startled steps back to hit a tree behind her. "I've never seen something like that..." Collapsing to her knees, she sighed, leaning her head against the tree trunk as she held the slash to her shoulder. At least the mission is over... She thought, waiting for Natsu to appear. I just wish we could have saved those three people from being taken...
She heard a rustling in the bushes, and for a second she thought it was another Crawler.
"Lucy!" Natsu burst through the brush, frantic.
He tripped, crying out stupidly as he crashed into Lucy, making them roll across the ground. Lucy ended up underneath Natsu, and for a second they stared each other, surprised. Then Lucy got an angry mark on her forehead and punched him in the stomach, sending him flying off.
"What was that for?!" Lucy exclaimed, smoke flying from her ears as her face turned beat red.
"It was just an accident!" Natsu exclaimed, rubbing his head with a slight trace of blush on his face himself. Noticing the Crawler, he jumped up in alarm, waving his hands wildy. "Eh?" He stopped, seeing it wasn't moving.
"It's already dead, Natsu." Lucy replied, sighing.
"You killed it, Lucy?" Happy asked, surprised.
Catching the surprise in Happy's voice, Lucy narrowed her eyes. "Yes, and don't act so surprised!"
Natsu rubbed the top of Lucy's head. "Oi, nice work Lucy!"
Lucy smiled, proud of herself. "You betcha!"
"Let's go back to the village and tell them everything is A-okay!" Happy mewed, flying in circles.
Lucy stood, nodding enthusiastically, clutching the slash in her shoulder.
Natsu noticed it then, and turned to her. "Is your arm okay, Luce?"
Lucy nodded, shooting him a reasurring smile. "Yes, It's fine. Thanks Natsu."
Natsu grinned broadly at her. "No problem!"
"Let's go!" Happy replied impatently. "This Crawler thing freaks me out!"
"Agreed." Lucy muttered, following after Natsu and Happy as they began their treck back to Winterlight.