I don't own Fairy Tail or any of its characters. That right goes to Hiro Mashima. This is my first story on fanfiction, I'm happy to finally put something on this site. The idea just kind of came to me randomly and I had to write it. This story will include Nalu friendship and as well as some Jerza in later chapters.
Lucy woke up to streams of light shining through her window. Groaning, she turned around to the other side of the bed, shifting the covers with her. She just wanted to go back to sleep and not go on the mission she and the rest of Team Natsu were assigned to go on today. Her eyelids felt heavy and her whole body protested any movement. It was one thing not to want to get up but her reasoning's were not from mere laziness. The warmth of the bed only kept her there longer since the blonde knew perfectly well what season it was. There was no essential need to make haste when she was this drained.
However, knowing she had an obligation, the Celestial Wizard forced her body to move into an upright position. The covers that were tucked securely under her neck now lay at her waist. She stifled a yawn and proceeded to shift her legs off the bed, letting them dangle there for a moment before her feet hit the soft carpet below. Standing up, she stretched her arms out in an attempt to wake up.
Making her way to the bathroom, she noticed the quantity of papers dispersed around and on top of her desk. Futile attempts to write last night left her discouraged and not in the mood to look at the mess sectioned off in that particular area of the room. She couldn't understand why she was having such a hard time transferring her ideas into words. Nothing seemed to flow anymore. Perhaps it was because the scene she was attempting to compose was romance and lately she has been lacking any sort of inspiration or self-knowledge in that department. Not having a boyfriend was somewhat disheartening especially since she longed to have one for quite some time now. Nevertheless it wasn't the right time for that sort of distraction to enter her life. Currently, the request board has been full and everyone was running ramped trying to accommodate the Master's orders to take care of those jobs, since they weren't exactly easy. Most of them were dangerous but imperative to carry out.
Shifting her gaze from the cluttered area, she proceeded to her destination. Closing the door tightly behind her, for purposes of not being walked in on if a certain pink haired dragon slayer and blue cat decided to drop by unannounced again, she focused on preparing her bath. Turning on the hot water, she allowed the tub to fill up as she slipped out of her pajamas. Once she put in the soap, the bubbles rapidly covered any sight of the water. Placing one foot in at a time, she settled down until the steamy liquid engulfed her whole form. While relaxing, her thoughts subconsciously went to a certain hazel-eyed spirit. Knowing she hasn't summoned him in a while, she began thinking of the reasons why.
It wasn't that she didn't want Loke's help, because really she could have used it during the last job, Lucy was just a tad reluctant to call him out. On the other hand, he hasn't made an appearance on his own either. She found that strange but didn't question his actions. His flirting had become somewhat expected by now and yet she was still easily embarrassed by it. He just had this way of mixing up all thoughts and making her heart race. No matter how much she dismissed these feelings, they always came back the moment her eyes rested on him. She felt vexed just having her mind linger on the spirit; she knew it wasn't right to be thinking about him like that. Their relationship was platonic and she intended on keeping it that way, regardless a blush formed on her cheeks. Exhaling, she sunk lower into the water.
After some time, passed Lucy stepped out of the tepid water and grabbed a towel to dry off her soaked frame. She then picked out a black skirt and a pink tank top. Dressing rather fast, she placed her boots on her feet and took a light jacket with her before heading out the door. Using her small key, she locked the entrance to her room and proceeded down the stairs. The fall wind hit her legs and carried a shiver up and along her skin. Maybe a weather appropriate outfit would have been a more suitable choice; however she didn't have the luxury of going back inside to change. If she didn't hurry she would be late for sure.
Lucy walked her normal route towards the guild. Loke was still invading her mind, so she had to force herself to focus on something else. Since the temperature continued to drop over the week there weren't many people walking along the streets or chatting with friends. The quietness of the town was rather soothing. People were, of course still working and continuing their daily lives despite the seasonal change. This would be the first time she would be experiencing fall with Fairy Tail and just like they had a party for the blooming of the cherry blossom trees, they held another festival for this time of year. Hopefully this time she could avoid getting sick.
There were so many things she wanted to do before the upcoming event, such as baking cookies since she missed her first opportunity. Even lending a hand in setting up was okay with her. She was extremely excited about this party and just like last time, all her friends knew. Erza even got into the spirit and started talking about making some cakes since she enjoyed them so much herself. Natsu and Gray merely shrugged it off. They've been to this event several times and didn't see why the girls were making it such a big deal but even Wendy couldn't hold down her enthusiasm. It wouldn't be for a while; meaning Lucy had plenty of time to think about it.
Even from this distance the mage could hear the loud commotion coming from the guild. The probability of there being a fight going on inside was certain. Not that she minded all that much as long as she wasn't involved in it herself. Entering the large building, Lucy was greeted by a chair being thrown straight at her. She had to duck just to prevent herself from getting hit by it. What a great way to start the day. Looking up she already knew it came from the direction of Natsu and Gray's battle. Deciding to ignore the possible injurious incident, she walked over to the bar to speak with Mirajane and Lisanna.
"Good morning, Lucy," Mira said once the wizard sat down and rested her head on the palm of her hand. Lucy had greeted her back but not very earnestly. She frowned at this. "Is everything alright? You seem a bit down."
"I'm fine," Lucy said back, looking up at the eldest Strauss. "Just a little tired is all. I've been having a hard time writing lately and an even more difficult time falling asleep these past few nights. I'm sure it's nothing to worry about though." She added in the last sentence when she noticed the worried look on her face.
"Are you sure? You're going on that mission with Natsu and the others soon," Lisanna inserted, joining in on her sister's concern. Ever since she came back from Edolas, the two of them quickly became good friends, which wasn't surprising since Lucy was told many times they were very similar. The two of them really couldn't disagree. After all they did have a lot of things in common with one another.
"Speaking about the mission," Lucy said, straitening herself up. "Do you guys even know what the Master assigned us to do? I tried to ask Natsu the other day but he ran off saying something about going fishing. Even though I told him there probably wouldn't be any fish to catch when the weather is so cold." Yesterday she had been speaking with her landlady about her rent problem. Being that she wasn't at the guild with the others at the time, she had missed the briefing of the mission.
"I don't know much about it but since Gray and Natsu are busy fighting. Maybe you should ask Wendy or Erza. They're sitting right over there," Mirajane replied, pointing in the direction that her two friends and teammates were located. "I know you'll be leaving in a few minutes so you might want to know what you're getting yourself into."
"Okay, thanks, Mira. I'll see you later, Lisanna," the Celestial Wizard responded. With a small wave, she left the bar area and headed towards the blue-haired dragon slayer and requip mage. Taking a seat next to Erza, she waited for them to finish their conversation before joining in. "So, what's this whole mission about anyway?"
"It's nothing harder than any other job we've taken," Erza commented with a shrug, "There's a small island not far off the coast. Lately there have been some suspicious looking people traveling back and forth. The only thing we were instructed to do was observe them and find out if what they're doing is legal or not. Once we report our findings to the Master, he will decide whether or not action will be needed."
"Well, does this island have anything of value on it?" Lucy asked, bringing her hand up to her chin. This was the first time she was hearing about it but for some reason she felt a little apprehensive about this job although she couldn't explain why. It was like a bad feeling just swelled up inside her. If the others felt the same way, they most likely would have said something to her. Given that they didn't, she decided to keep it to herself.
"Not that we know of," Wendy said, answering the question. She leaned her back against the chair so she could get a better view of Lucy. "It seems to be just an ordinary island. It's not that big either so it won't be that hard to figure out what they're doing there."
Just as Lucy was about to respond, both Natsu and Gray came over after having their fight interrupted by Mira. The fire dragon took a seat next to Lucy and Gray stood on the opposite side next to Wendy. It was easy to tell they were both annoyed at the quick ending of their brawl considering neither one of them could say who won. Sometimes Lucy couldn't understand the need for the two of them to prove who's stronger. To her it didn't even matter but they were guys and they like to have verification when it came to that sort of thing.
"Are we ready to go yet?" Natsu asked, feeling considerably excited about this job even though they just returned from an assignment two days ago. He was more than ready to get out there and take out a bunch of enemies. The others however, lacked the same amount of eagerness.
"If you ask me, this one seems a bit boring," Gray said as he crossed his arms. "And technically we aren't allowed to get involved so fighting isn't part of the plan." The ice mage had a small smirk come to his lips knowing this would get to Natsu rather quick.
"What do you mean there's no fighting? Why didn't I know about this?" the pink haired teen asked, almost getting up if it wasn't for Lucy intervening.
"Gray's right," Lucy commented, looking over at him. "I knew that and I wasn't even here when the Master told you guys about it." Natsu just gave a loud sigh and slumped down in his seat. The blonde looked over at him for a moment. Disappointment was clearly all over his face. She turned back towards the others. "What time do we have to leave?"
Erza glanced over at the clock before answering, "The boat will be departing soon so we should head out now. We really don't want to miss our ride." Everyone stood up besides Gray, who was already standing, and Natsu.
"Boat?" Natsu repeated somewhat timidly. Quickly he jogged up to the sky dragon slayer and lowered down to her. "Hey, Wendy, do you think you could use your sky magic to cure my motion sickness again?" He was desperate not to have to deal with getting nauseous from the swaying of the boat.
"Sorry, Natsu, but I did that for you last time and you know if I use it too often on you it will end up being ineffective," Wendy said apologetically. Carla, who flew next to her, simply made a humph sound and went on about how she shouldn't be using her magic so recklessly. Wendy just smiled at her cat's overprotectiveness.
"Oh, Lucy before you go," Mira called out catching up to them. She turned to face her. "This letter came for you a little while before you got here. I guess I forgot to give it to you. It's from Sorcerer Weekly. I'm surprised they delivered it here though." She handed the message to her.
The blonde looked down at the envelope to see what Mira said was true. It was a bit strange to receive a letter from them personally. She has posed before but she didn't know why they were contacting her now. Recent letters have been arriving from many people telling her how much they liked her pictures. Mira had said the same thing happened to her when she first started modeling for them. Every now and again she would still get a letter or two. It was a little odd for Lucy at first but she appreciated the fact that people took the time to write to her.
Lucy placed the letter in her jacket pocket. Maybe they wanted another interview or more of her photos. Either one would be fine as long as the person giving the interview didn't ask too many personal questions like the last one did. He asked her things pertaining to her weight and he even smelled her hand. It kind of freaked her out a bit. As long as she didn't get the same guy again, she wouldn't have a problem talking with the magazine. "Thanks for giving it to me. I guess I'll open it later when the mission's over." Giving a wave goodbye, she and the others left the guild. Erza took lead since she was the only one who knew where they were heading. The others spoke to one another but Lucy was too much in thought to participate in the conversation.
The cool air brushed past Lucy's skin and blew her hair back. It felt nice being outside even though the temperature became colder as they got closer to the water. Momentarily, she paused her thinking to see where they were going but found herself banging into Natsu as he and the others came to a halt after the red haired mage ceased her own movement. She rubbed her forehead, muttering sorry before focusing on Erza. The way she crossed her arms and furrowed her eyebrows could only mean she meant business. She looked at each one of them before speaking.
"The best way for us to get this mission done is to sneak onto their ship. If they are doing something illegal, they would be cautious in making sure they aren't being followed," Erza explained. "The boat they have been using is fairly large and should have plenty of room for us to sneak on board. Once on the ship, we will stay together and remain below deck until we reach the island and they head out. Afterwards, we will split up into teams. Natsu and Happy will search the ship thoroughly without getting caught. Gray and I will trail some people, getting and get as much information without actually confronting them, and lastly Lucy, Wendy, and Carla will search the island for anything out of the ordinary. Our time limit will be one hour before we meet up in a designated area, which will be a good few yards away from shore. Are there any questions?"
"Who made her the boss?" Natsu asked, whispering to Gray.
"You should know by now she normally takes over giving orders," the ice mage murmured back.
"What was that?" Erza asked able to hear both of them. They said nothing only replied with a quick fake smile as if they never said anything at all. She cleared her throat. "The Master put me in charge of this mission and I don't intend to fail. The most important thing is to not be seen. We can't let them know we're following them. Now we have to hurry before the boat leaves."
Everyone followed after the armored mage. A lot more people than Lucy originally thought were boarding the ship carrying boxes and other objects. She found it odd that all these people were hiding their faces by wearing a hood or sunglasses. As they crouched behind a large crate, the Celestial Wizard kept her eyes on the man barking orders. Her legs started to get antsy as they were stationed in the same position for the past few minutes. Nevertheless, she couldn't risk moving or making a sound. They were waiting for the perfect moment to make their move. Both Exceeds would be flying each one of them aboard as swiftly as possible the moment the coast was clear. From that point they would make their way below deck and figure things out from there.
Lucy continued to observe the members of the crew and the ominous feeling she felt before suddenly came back. There was still something about this she didn't like but she couldn't put her finger on it. Perhaps it was the way the men looked or it could have been the mission as a whole. However, she knew the Master wouldn't have sent them on this one specifically if he didn't believe something was going on.
The blonde's eyes shifted to the boat itself. It was rather large and appeared to have plenty of room to store big objects. The wood looked pretty old compared to any of the vessels located around it which meant they couldn't afford a new ship or they had this one for quite some time.
When a man's voice sounded, all seven of them glanced in one direction. His exact words couldn't be heard but all the men were going aboard giving them their opportunity. Not wanting to make a sound, Erza signaled Happy and Carla to start bringing people over. Wendy and Natsu were brought over before Happy came to get Lucy. Being lifted up in the air by the blue cat, she was flown onto the deck of the ship. When he dropped her, off she planted her feet down on the wood as soundlessly as possible. As soon as Erza and Gray were there, they waited for the crew to be busy enough not to notice them.
Orders were sent out and movement amongst the ship took place. Quickly, they went below the ship and hid behind a few boxes. Natsu immediately crashed to the floor as his motion sickness kicked in. His whole face turned a sickly color as he felt like he could throw up at any moment. The others gathered around in a small circle sitting next to one another.
"Since we're here, why don't we look through some of these boxes?" Gray asked in a hushed tone. Keeping their voices low was imperative when it came too this part of the mission. If they were heard, getting caught would be inevitable.
"If we try to open one of them, we'd make too much noise," Lucy answered, thinking it was apparent. "How long until we reach the island?" The feeling of being crammed into a small and enclosed space wasn't mixing well with the anxious feeling circulating through her body.
"We'll probably be there in about an hour," Wendy answered. There was a moaning sound that came from Natsu after the small dragon slayer gave her reply. Lucy shook her head, feeling sorry for him.
Lucy leaned back against the wall of the small cargo bay. She pulled her jacket closer to herself after feeling coldness pass through her system. The others had gone quiet, most likely thinking about the same thing. It was like they were just waiting for someone else to share their thoughts. The way the boat shifted up and down calmed her nerves, which was the exact opposite effect it had on Natsu. From this point, she looked upward able to hear the heavy pounding of footsteps above them. Just how many people were on this ship anyway? The sounds gave the impression of countless people but the number wasn't what was bothering her, it was how skilled and hazardous they were.
From behind them, a creaking noise made its way through the room. Lucy sat upright and brought her knees closer to her body, noticing the others on edge as well. Happy managed to quiet Natsu's whimpers but there was no telling how long it would be until he let out another loud moan. Her breathing sped up when a small light went on above them. The blonde could see a shadow making its way across the wooded floor.
This chapter is really just a setup for the plot but several things mentioned will be important later. Loke will make his appearance in chapter two, rather than just being in Lucy's thoughts. If you're interested and want more chapters please review and let me know what you think. I would appreciate getting some feedback.