CHAPTER 8:

THE S-RANKED MISSION

Well, that was a saga. Just before Natsu and Erza's big fight was to begin, some officious official from the Magic Council turned up and arrested Erza on trumped-up charges. It was little more than a farce to show the Council's authority over Fairy Tail, but Natsu was stupid enough to go haring off and confront the Council. Thankfully, that got smoothed over, and all that Erza got was a warning.

Erza, however, wanted to try something, and had handed Lucy a sword, and asked for a sparring session. Lucy decided to humour her, having remembered her sword skills from her life as Terra, though she much preferred to use magic. Erza, however, was impressed by the skills Lucy showed. "So, you know how to use a sword?"

"I prefer to use magic, though. I'm more used to it."

"Even so, your skill, while nowhere near my level, would certainly stand you in good stead in any military," Erza remarked. "You've lived a more eventful life than I thought, Lucy."

Natsu chose that moment to barge in. "Hey, we never got to finish our match!" he snapped.

"Not now, Natsu," Erza muttered.

"You've got time enough for Lucy, you've got time enough to face me!" Natsu roared, before charging at Erza, who promptly Requipped a mallet to send Natsu rolling into a wall.

"Fine, would you like to start?" Erza asked dryly.

Lucy noticed that Makarov seemed to be getting tired, as did the others. In fact, she felt sleepy herself. As everyone began sagging to the floor, Lucy cast an Esuna on herself, just in time. So she, and Makarov, were seemingly the only witnesses to what followed.

A man in a dark cloak, concealing his face with a handkerchief and a bandanna, wielding a halberd, strode into the guild. Lucy almost attacked him, until Makarov said, "Lucy, this is not an enemy. This is Mystogan."

Lucy relaxed slightly. The man acknowledged Lucy with a curt nod, before walking over to the display board. She found herself reminded of the ninja Shadow, and idly wondered if he had a dog like Interceptor too. Mystogan walked up to the board, and plucked a poster from it, displaying a dragon. "I'm going," he said curtly to Makarov.

"Remove the sleep magic as you go!" Makarov snapped.

Mystogan merely recited, as he walked out the door, "Quinque, quattuor, tres, duo, unus(1)…" And then, as he faded into mist outside, the others woke.

As people began complaining about Mystogan, Loke came over to Lucy. "How did you stay awake?"

"Esuna spell. Who was that guy?"

"Mystogan, one of our best mages," Loke said. "Maybe even THE best. Nobody's ever seen what he looks like…apart from you and Makarov, I guess."

"No, I didn't see his face. He was in disguise," Lucy said.

"Well, you at least saw him," Loke said. "When he comes in for a job, he always puts people to sleep with a spell. Only Makarov really knows anything."

"Well, I know."

The arrogant voice came from the balcony above, revealing an arrogant-looking blonde wearing what looked like headphones with spikes on either side. A scar crossed his right eye, and a lit cigar was in his mouth. "Laxus," Loke muttered. "Another one who may be the strongest here."

"Mystogan's shy, so don't poke your big noses into what doesn't concern you weaklings," Laxus sneered.

"Oh yeah?!" Natsu snarled. "Come fight me right now, arsehole!"

"Why? You can't take down someone as weak as Erza, so what makes you think you have a chance with me?!" Laxus retorted.

"And what is that supposed to mean?" Erza asked, her tone chilly.

"It means that I'm the best in this guild."

Lucy sighed, before she intoned, "Gravija." Suddenly, an orb of dark energy surrounded Laxus, bringing him to his knees. "If you're so strong," Lucy said, "why are you kneeling before me?"

Laxus glared down at her, looking about ready to leap down and attack her, before Makarov barked, "Laxus! Stop provoking them! And Lucy, try to make an effort not to attack fellow guild members."

"Oh, was he part of Fairy Tail?" Lucy asked, pretending to look puzzled. "Only, I thought he called us, the people who took down one of Zeref's demonic artifacts, weak. Then again, empty vessels make the most noise, don't they?"

A collective sharp intake of breath in the room, before Laxus glared down at her. "I hope some bandit kills you, bitch, or some demon."

Lucy gathered her energy, and transformed into her Trance form, slowly rising into the air, before meeting his gaze. "I've met scarier clowns," she sneered, thinking of Kefka. "All I see is an egotistical thug who thinks he's the king of the castle, and who has no place in a guild meant to help people, if he wishes I got murdered. And that's at best. Try anything against me, and I will put you down hard."

"You got lucky with Lullaby, bitch," Laxus sneered. "And luck doesn't last forever."

"Enough!" Makarov snapped.

"And are you gonna stop me, you decrepit old fuck?" Laxus sneered. "I am better than all of you, and don't you forget it!"

Afterwards, Lucy muttered to Mirajane, "He's got a hide. Is he really that strong?"

"Sadly, yes. He is one of the few S-ranked wizards here," Mirajane said. "The top floor's job board is tailored to S-Class jobs."

"I see. The most dangerous ones," Lucy mused.

"Yes. Natsu's been wanting to take some for some time, but Makarov pretty much smacks him down when he tries to do one, and with good reason. You have to take the exams to be considered an S-Class wizard."

"I know," Lucy said, grimacing at the thought of the strenuous exams. She could potentially pass them, but even so, it'd seem suspicious for a relative rookie to do that. "But what's with Laxus, anyway? What's his problem?"

"Probably not my story to tell, but…the short version is that his father, Makarov's son, was expelled from the guild. I'm not sure why," Mirajane said, biting her lip.

"And Mystogan?"

"As far as I know, Makarov's the only person who knows for sure about him. In fact, I think you're probably one of the first people to witness him in a while," Mirajane said. "Apart from Mystogan, only four others can take those jobs, including Laxus and Erza." She looked pensive. "But…do you think with your experience from your past life, you could do S-Class jobs?"

"Maybe, but…Earthland's different to back home," Lucy said. "I was definitely S-Class back there…but there are different rules here, and I nearly messed up during that business with Lullaby. If we hadn't acted quickly…"

"But you did. True, Oshibana's station got demolished, but compared to the loss of life that could have ensued…" Mirajane shrugged. "Personally, I think you just need a few more missions under your belt before you can credibly take the exams. But I think you're probably more ready than Natsu…"

Those words echoed in Lucy's mind when she found Natsu in her apartment, having broken free of the traps she had set, later that night. The hotheaded idiot was working out in her living room, as was Happy, and Lucy scowled. "Go do workouts at your place."

"But we're a team, Lucy!" Natsu protested, proffering a set of pink weights. "Here, I got these for you."

"Aye! You like pink, don't you?" Happy asked.

Lucy's scowl deepened, and she plucked the weight from Natsu's hand, before saying, "X-Zone." The weight disappeared into a dark portal filled with stars.

"Hey! What gives?! We've gotta build up our strength so we can beat Erza and Laxus!" Natsu protested.

"Then train at your place," Lucy retorted. "Or I'll use the same spell on you."

"Don't be like that!" Natsu snapped. "Look, I've made up my mind! We're going on an S-Class job!"

Lucy stared at Natsu after he made that proclamation. "…What," she said flatly.

Happy proffered a flyer, something about a cursed island. "Aye! I snuck up to the board and took it. It was the cheapest job, though it's seven million Jewels!"

"And if we finish it, they'll have to admit we should be S-Class," Natsu said.

Lucy, understandably, palmed her face. She could feel a headache coming on, and its name was Natsu Dragneel. "Natsu, I do not want to deal with this right now. You've just broken the rules of Fairy Tail."

"If we followed the rules, how am I supposed to show people how strong I am? Look, it's at the cursed island of Galuna, see?"

Lucy took the flyer, and peered at it. Well, the reward included a golden Gate Key, which was admittedly tempting, but she shook her head. Her patience was now at its end. "Natsu, I'll put it to you bluntly. You're insane. Do you think they classify these things as S-Class for a joke? Do you think you're invincible?"

Natsu blinked in confusion at Lucy. "I'm insane? You're a great mage, Lucy, so why are you passing up a chance to show it off like this?"

"Look, if Erza asked us to come, yes, I would. But I don't want to jeopardise my standing at Fairy Tail so soon after joining!" Lucy said. "We don't even know what's going on on Galuna!"

Natsu and Happy looked at each other, before nodding. "So, let's find out," Natsu said, before he lunged forward, knocking Lucy down…

The first thing Lucy noticed on waking up was the smell of the ocean, and the sound of the waves. Then, she heard Gray's voice say, "I think she's coming round."

"Great!" Natsu said, before he gagged, and the sound of him vomiting came from nearby.

Lucy opened her eyes blearily. Her gaze met that of Gray, who seemed to be tied up. Then, with a start, Lucy realised she was the same way. They were both tied up in a boat, Natsu chundering over the side. It was night. Her eyes narrowed, even as she winced from the headache. "Natsu…I am not happy with you."

"How d'you think I feel?" Gray asked bitterly, shooting his pink-haired comrade a dirty look. "The guild is in an uproar because Happy stole that. Laxus refused to go and bring you back. In fact, he'd love to see us getting killed. Of course, Natsu doesn't understand that it's bad manners to kill your friends when committing suicide(2). I thought you went along with it, but Natsu had you over his shoulder." He looked over at the boat man, a dark-haired bearded man wearing a bandanna and a cloak. "So, seeing as we're committed to this, I want to know, why did you decide to take us after you refused?"

"I saw your magic. My name is Bobo, and years ago, I lived on Galuna, until I escaped its cursed soil," the man said. "To travel there is to mean that you too will be cursed. Are you truly capable of handling it?" He gestured at the island in the distance with his arm, only to reveal a malformed limb.

"Uhh, Bobo, was it? Your arm…" Gray said.

Bobo looked down at his arm, his expression unreadable, before he glanced at the island. "We're nearly there," he remarked.

Lucy and Gray glanced away, with Lucy then turning back to say, "Bobo…huh?" That last was because he had vanished. Happy dived into the water to check for him, but he had vanished. Lucy, on an impulse, looked to the skies, and thought she saw a winged shape flying away.

"Fantastic," Lucy said, glaring at Natsu. "Thanks for kidnapping me, you idiot."

"No problem," Natsu groaned. "Uhh, what's that noise?"

Lucy and Gray looked behind them, and saw a massive wave growing near them. Soon, it rose up, and smashed down on their boat. Everything disappeared in a tumble of water and motion…

When Lucy woke up, they were on a morning-lit beach, Happy picking at her ropes. Lucy glared at the cat. "Thanks a lot," she said, shrugging off the ropes after Happy loosened them.

"Aye! Always ready to please!" Happy said as Natsu and Gray recovered consciousness. Lucy went over to free Gray, noting the wreckage of the boat they had come over on.

"Gray, do you have any idea why that guy had that weird arm? Do you think it was the curse?" Lucy asked.

"Maybe, though where did he go?" Gray asked.

"I saw something flying…or someone," Lucy said. "What are we going to do?"

Gray sighed. "Well, it's not like we can get back any time soon, not for the moment. And things would be boring if you two got expelled. We might as well check things out."

Lucy sighed quietly. They were stranded here. True, Lucy could use Warp magic to travel back, or fly back, but it meant leaving the others behind, and she wasn't sure how far they had travelled over the ocean. If they were lucky, someone else would be sent after them, maybe Erza, and maybe they could help get them back home. In the meantime…maybe they could find out exactly what Natsu had gotten them into.

And to tell the truth, Lucy knew she could potentially handle this mission, especially once she found out what it was about. So, with an annoyed glare at an utterly unrepentant Natsu and Happy, who didn't seem to understand what they did was wrong, she began trudging down a nearby path into the forest, ready to face what was to come…

CHAPTER 8 ANNOTATIONS:

So, there you have it. Lucy's met Mystogan, locked horns with Laxus, and has been kidnapped by Natsu, which is going to strain things between them.

In case you're wondering why I wrote Natsu in an unflattering light…well, frankly, he's a fucking idiot. While Lucy followed him in canon out of greed for the Gate Key, Lucy here, having another lifetime's worth of memories, is a little more sensible. She would take the Galuna Island job if she knew she was ready, if she was actually S-Rank.

And that was why I had trouble justifying Lucy going to Galuna. While not a rules-following pedant, she realises they are there for a reason. But I needed her over there. And given that Natsu had no qualms about tying up Gray, or breaking into Lucy's apartment time and time again (I personally think Natsu has some mild sociopathic tendencies, given how often he disregards Lucy's personal boundaries, not to mention collateral damage), I don't think he'd have any qualms about kidnapping Lucy if he thinks it'd be good for her.

All of which means, Lucy is probably going to lose her temper at Natsu soon. While I'm not making Natsu into a villain, I am NOT going to hold back with exposing his idiocy and lack of respect for others…

1. As Mystogan in the manga uses archaic Japanese in his countdown, I decided to use (probably bad) Latin for this fanfic.

2. Gray is channelling Avon from the Blake's 7 episode Weapon, where he tells Cally that, while her homeworld of Auron may view things differently, "but on Earth it is considered ill-mannered to kill your friends while committing suicide."