"I really don't like all the icky bugs and creepy crawlies that come with nature." Happy complained as he helped Natsu set up a set up a tent.
At the moment, the team of 5 were setting up a camp to stay for the night. The trains were down due to a recent robbery attempt and so all passengers were told to get off half way (much to Natsu's relief).
It was a quiet night, the trees swaying steadily as a small gust of wind blew by. The crickets were out and chirping, while fireflies danced around the clearing, lighting up the night. The creek a few feet away produced a noise that would put any grown adults to sleep. And even though only brought tents and not sleeping bags, the ground was still soft enough to sleep comfortably on. All in all, the night was a peaceful one. Falling asleep shouldn't be too difficult to a task.
Yet here Lucy was deep in thought, and very much wide awake. At the moment, sleep wasn't an option. Nope not for her. There was much too many things going on inside of her head and in this world that has had her worried. She felt that maybe if she stopped sleeping, time would stop moving. If only that were the case.
Said blonde sighed hopelessly as she gazed up into the sky. It was not a sight to behold since the trees were blocking her view of the stars. The many constellations always calmed her down, since it was one of the few things she could enjoy with not only her mother, but her sister and father as well. They'd spend the long nights out stargazing and deven tho MIchelle and her father weren't too acquainted with the stars, they sure did have a lot of fun guessing.
Getting ready to try her luck at sleeping again, she shifted a little before she stopped in her tracks. Above her, the trees shuffled differently. A rustle as if something were making their way through. If her days playing tag in the woods with Michelle taught her anything, it's how to tell if someones hiding above ground. Narrowing her eyes, she searched for the source.
"Boo." A voice whispered in her ear sending chills down her spine and nearly made her jump out of her socks.
"What the hell Natsu?" She mumbled grumpily, careful not to wake the others. "You scared me half to death."
"And i don't regret it." He grinned from his spot in the tees.
"What do you want Dragneel?"
"To pull that stick from your as-"
"Natsu!"
"Ok ok. I just wanted to see if you would come up." Natsu mumbled a small red tint on one of his cheeks.It went unnoticed however.
"I hope u slip and break your legs."
"Stop being so dam negative all the time and come up."
"No. I'm in a skirt." She gritted through her teeth.
"I'm sure you'll manage." Sighing at his retreating figure, Lucy prepared herself for a climb. Grabbing onto a nearby branch, she hoisted herself up in the direction her pink haired companion had climbed through.
"This better be worth it." The blonde groaned at the strenuous task.
"Stop grumbling and take my hand." Eyeing it skeptically, she gently put her hand in his and let him lift her up. Upon reaching the top, the effects were immediate. Lucy's eyes widened at the sight in front of her. Over a million tiny glowing orbs littered the night sky, making it seem as if the sky was glowing.
"It's beautiful." She breathed. "But...how did you know I wanted to see the sky?"
"Well i figured that since your imagine involved summoning stars-"
"My spirits are constellations-"
"I thought you might want to see some to you know calm you down. You looked kinda stressed after that... thing was defeated." His gaze turned to her, and his vice softened as he spoke the next part to her. "And i wanted to say thank you. For that secret place you took me to."
Stunned, the Celestial mage took in a shaky breath. She was overwhelmed by the intensity in his eyes at his sudden revelation.
"Which also reminds me, why did you show me that underwater cave?"
Laughing a breathless laugh she smiled at him. " You don't like me and i didn't like you. And we were being forced to go on a mission together." She brushed some loose strands away from her face and looked back up at the stars. "So i figured we had to get along one way or another."
Natsu also turned his head back up to the stars. "I see." Combing his hand through his hair, he sighed. "What was the deal with that bird thingy. And it's but." He snorted.
"You mean the harpy?" He nodded. "Those things were fairly common where I lived. They weren't considered a big threat though since they were actually not all that hard to defeat once you knew where to aim." Natsu laughed at this.
"Have you ever killed one before today?"
"Ya, about two or three. My parents on the other hand were experts at that stuff. Mythical creatures, lost civilizations. They lived for all of it. The adventure." Upon seeing her sad smile and reminiscent face, Natsu opted for a nod (that went unnoticed), and focused all his attention on the stars.
'I'm going to bed." Lucy's soft voice broke through the silence. "It's pretty late already. Coming?"
"Nah. I'll stay up here a little while."
"Thank you Pinkie. I really needed this." She smiled warmly at him, not waiting for an answer before climbing down.
"Whatever." He grumbled. "And it's salmon."
~
The guild hall was almost as loud and as boisterous as normal. Fights on the daily, tables flying, chairs being thrown, alcoholics drinking alcohol. T'is was almost a normal day for the Fairy Tail guild. Almost. The welcoming atmosphere completely turned into one of dread, sadness and guilt as soon as a certain team came back from their trip.
A petite blue haired Solid Script mage in particularly was feeling even more down than the rest. Why? Because she decided to give herself the responsibility of delivering news of dread to her best friend.
"It's ok Levy." Mira soothed the blunette. "I could tell her. It's fine."
"No." She replied shakily. "This... this was my fault, so therefore my responsibility. I'll tell her." And with (little) confidence the tiny mage made her way over to Team Natsu who were waiting by the doors, confused at the guild's unusual lack of excitement. This only caused the solid script mage's anxiety to spike. She did however noticed through her blurred vision that there were only 4 out of the 5 members present.
"Uh....Where's Lucy?" She asked meekly to which Erza responded.
"She went home to settle down. Is... everything okay?"
"No..." She answered honestly.
"Guys!" A voice called from behind them followed by thundering footsteps coming in their direction. "Guys! Something's wrong!" She called again, and this time her voice was immediately recognized.
"What's wrong Lucy?" Wendy questioned.
"Well when I went to my home i noticed people staring and I was confused before i realized that my whole apartment building was burned to the ground.... Is everyone alright?" She questioned noticing the atmosphere, and a very distraught Levy standing in front of her. She could see how upset Levy was and it worried her since her best friend was usually a quirky person.
"Lucy," Levy took another shaky breath before stepping up to her blonde haired best friend. "There's something i need to tell you."
"Can it wait? I want to make sure Plue is alright first."
"It....It's about him." Catching her full attention, Lucy's eyes furrowed in worry.
"Is he ok?"
Not being able to hold her guilt in any longer, the solid script mage burst into tears, collapsing on her knees.
"Lev-"
"I am so sorry Lucy." She sobbed. "I am so very sorry. I-I didn't see it coming, otherwise i wouldn't of let it happen, i swear!"
"Levy, you're scaring me!" She bellowed collapsing besides her friend. She was shocked, yes, but more worried and scared as to what happened. "And where's Plue? Usually he would of been here to greet me by now." Levy seemed to start to sob harder at this and once again apologized. That's when it her like stack of bricks. She perfectly understood the source of her guild's dread, and Levy's guilt . Desperately, she grabbed on to Levy's shoulders and gave them a hard shake.
"Levy, try and calm down, you too Lucy-" Natsu tried to speak, but was abruptly cut off by a worried Lucy.
"Where is he!" She spat, eyes wide with panic. "Where's Plue!"
"Lucy-"
"Where is he? Tell me! Answer me damn it!" She screamed in frustration.
"Lucy!" Mira's voice sounded throughout the guildhall, finally catching her attention.
"What-"
"He's in the infirmary." She spoke softly. "Plue is in the infirmary." Without wasting a second, the blonde dropped Levy, and sprinted to the location of her furry friend. Everyone sat in silence, tensions high. All were anticipating the moment for when the realization struck once again. No one dared move an inch. The ear piercing scream that followed not long after only made their mood even worse.
"NO!" The stellar mage screamed bloody murder! "NO NO NO NO NOOO!" I WON"T BELIEVE IT! I DON'T BELIEVE IT! I REFUSE!"
Appearing at the door, Natsu, Wendy, Erza, Charle, Happy, and Gray stared in horror.
"B-but how?" Wendy's voice shaky as tears of grief rolled down her cheeks.
"No...not Plue." Happy stated as he also started bawling. The rest could only stare in shock.
"WHO!"
"Lucy please let us explain-"
"WHO DID THIS! WHO KILLED PLUE!"
Shocked at the intensity of her rage, Mira responded with a stutter. "W-We aren't sure who it is yet since they set your apartment on fire and left. The only clue we have is the word TWO burned into the ground, but we promise we won't let him get away with this." Apparently that did nothing to satisfy her rage, only made it worse. Turning her anger back to the trembling blunette.
"You!" Angry eyes narrowing in on her. "You! I trusted you with his safety!"
"Lucy enough! You can't blame her-"
"Shut it Erza! No one asked for you to butt in. Mind your own damn business for once!" She snapped viciously, causing said girl to recoil in shock. At this point, Natsu didn't know what scared him more: Lucy's rage towards Levy and Erza, or the weird aura she was suddenly emitting. It didn't exactly feel evil. Just clouded in darkness and rage.
"You were supposed go protect him!" She continued raging.
"I-I know Lucy a-and i'm sorry i tried i really did!"
"Sorry isn't going to bring Plue back!" She cried out before letting out a gasp, as if realizing what she was doing. Suddenly, she cast her head down, hair covering her eyes. She started to approach Levy, her fists clenched and footsteps heavy. "But you know what..." she spoke i a whisper.
Stopping directly in front of the blunette. She raised her arms ad started to lower them. The solid script mage rearing back in shock awaiting the blow. But what came instead left her stunned.
"Getting mad at you... isn't going to bring him back either." She spoke gently pulling her into a hug.
"I'm sorry Levy. You too Erza."
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Heyy guyyss. Hehehehehehehe
Ya I'm a horrible author I know 😭
So very sorry for the wait, you guys didn't deserve that.
Well anyways Sayonara and have a nice night ヾ(๑╹◡╹)ﾉ"
Lucy: Now hold on! You're not off the hook yet— COME BACK HERE!