บท 14: Chapter 14

Lunch went by quickly, and before long, Lucy soon had a few more friends to add to her contact list. She promised to call Yukino with regular updates on her process, and rolled her eyes when Sting teasingly asked her to call him if she got tired of Natsu - her dragon slaying partner looked anything but happy at that suggestion. Rogue bid them a quiet farewell as they left, his red gaze searching the area around them as he told her to be careful.

Having pity on Natsu, Lucy decided to wait a while before heading back. "Come on, why don't we look around this area," she told him. "I bet you haven't had time to just look around Crocus, have you?"

Natsu rubbed the back of his head, shaking it. "No. Usually I'm working." Suddenly he grinned. "I forgot. I took a bunch of jobs for me and you and Happy to do while we're here! Gramps said not to take you on too many, but what does he know? Bet it'll help with your magic."

"We'll have to try one then," Lucy agreed. "But I want to look at them first, so I know we're not diving into something too dangerous."

"Okay," he said happily. They walked down the sidewalk, and Lucy dug in her purse for a moment before retracting the key she'd been given from her wallet. She studied it curiously, watching as the silver gleamed in the sunlight. Natsu peered at it curiously. "You gonna try it when we get back?"

"Yep," Lucy answered. She smiled to herself as the key warmed, hoping it was a good thing. "Definitely. So after we're done looking around, we'll have to head back."

Natsu grinned in response and hauled her towards a fountain nearby. "Then let's hurry up so we can go back. I wanna see what the key thing does."

The rest of their morning was an enjoyable one. They spent most of it playing in the fountain, which was probably meant for children to enjoy, but as Natsu seemed to be an overgrown kid, she didn't say anything. Lucy didn't hesitate to set to work on completely soaking the fire mage when he tried to cheat while nobody was looking and scare her with his fire. He retaliated by returning the favor, and she giggled as she tried to escape.

"I don't have any towels," Lucy told him as she wrung her hair out...and then proceeded to gape at him when he only grinned and shrugged.

"No big deal," Natsu said. His perfectly dried hair hung in his face, no longer in its usual spiked style, and he set to work on fixing it. She pouted, and he shrugged. "What?" he said tauntingly, "I'm a fire mage, Luce. You really think I can't get rid of water like that?"

"Not fair," she sighed. He only winked and started towards her car with a sigh escaping him. He was not looking forward to the car ride ahead of them. Curiosity struck her. "...Natsu?" He raised an eyebrow in response. "Can you drive?"

He shook his head. "When would I learn?" he said pointedly. "I get sick everytime I think - ugh…"

"We aren't even in the car yet, you idiot!"

The drive back took them no time at all - stopping only once to pick up a fish for Happy. Lucy playfully complained about being wet and ruining her small car more than it already was while Natsu partially hung out the window the entire drive. When Lucy pulled into the parking lot of her apartment building, he practically threw himself out of the vehicle. "Safety!"

"You," she muttered, shaking her head. "Are an idiot." Lucy climbed out after him, waiting for him to get himself back together before waving him after her. "Come on, I need to get this fish out of my car… What are you looking at?"

Natsu was peering curiously at the hood of her car. Pointing at the clearly marked handprints, he tilted his head. "What happened there?"

"You did," Lucy answered, shouldering her shopping bag and her purse. "You hit my car when I almost ran you over. Remember?"

He stared at her, looked down at the seared handprints, then gave a smug little grin. "Your car deserved it and so did you. Freaking crazy driver," he added, pointing at her.

Lucy stuck her tongue out and headed inside. She led the way to her apartment, unlocking it with ease after shoving the shopping bag into her pink-haired companion's arms. She waited until Natsu was inside to close and lock the door behind them, and then was greeted by a blue cat slamming into her for a hug. "You're back!"

"Hi, Happy," Natsu greeted. The small creature immediately dove at his friend, eyes eager when Natsu revealed the fish they'd brought back for him. "Did we miss anything?"

Happy shook his head. "Since Lucy was mean and took our book, I started a different one," he informed Natsu with a huge grin on his little face. "We should read all her books, Natsu!"

"Good then, hm?" Lucy mused, picking it off of her couch to check which one. It was the last one she'd published, one of her most popular by far. "You can have this one if you want, Happy. I have a few more in a box somewhere."

Happy looked more than just a little happy. "Thank you, Lucy!" he cried, tackling her with another hug.

"No problem," the celestial mage said warmly, patting his head.

Suddenly, Natsu was rummaging through her purse. She protested, trying to smack his hands away, but he gave a small warning with a flicker of flames before shoving the key Yukino had gifted her into her hands. "C'mon," he said eagerly. "I wanna see what happens. Never seen a Spirit summoned before."

Lucy rolled her eyes, suddenly nervous as she dropped her purse. "I don't know if I want to just yet, Natsu," she said honestly. "I don't...I don't even know how to go around using magic. What do you do when you want to light something on fire?"

Natsu pressed his lips together and held his hand out. "Done it for so long I just...do it," he said honestly, watching as the flames flickered to life in his palm. "It's not that hard, Luce. Just do what Yukino told ya to do."

Lucy waved him out of her space, took a few steps forward so that she was in the middle of the room, and then studied the key. Natsu explained to Happy under his breath about what she was doing, and Lucy made herself ignore them, smiling faintly as the key warmed beneath her touch, as if comforting her. "Here goes nothing," she murmured, extending her arm. She took a deep breath, and then slashed the key downwards, calling softly, "Open! Gate of the Canis Minor! Nikora!"

There was a flash of light that made her jump in surprise, and then, standing before her, was a small snowman-like creature. It shivered violently as it blinked up at her past its carrot-like nose. Lucy stared at it in surprise, not seeming to notice Natsu and Happy's cheering. And then the little Spirit gave a happy sound, and Lucy eagerly knelt, beaming at it. "Hello," she greeted, silently squealing over how adorable the small Nikora was.

"That's freaking awesome!" Natsu cheered, pumping a fist into the air, grinning childishly.

"Aye!" Happy agreed.

Lucy hesitantly picked up the Spirit, and it didn't seem to mind at all, instead making a happy sound. "Hm...Nikora's such a formal name...can I call you Plue?" The Spirit nodded. "Alright, from now on, you're Plue then." Plue shivered happily. Yukino mentioned something about a contract… "Um...are there certain days I can summon you on then?" Another nod, and Lucy mentally remembered to ask any Spirit she made a contract with that question. "Would you be willing to write them down for me?"

As Lucy went to work on creating her contract with Plue, Natsu retrieved the book he and Happy had been reading from her purse and flopped down onto the couch. He and Happy quickly agreed that Happy would finish the book he'd started while Natsu and Lucy were out and Natsu would finish the book he'd been reading with his buddy, and then they'd switch.

Never before had the dragon slayer been so entranced and eager to read. Even his father, with his interesting stories and maps and more had never been able to get Natsu to such a point. Yet here he was, carefully reading each word, silently struggling to figure out one when he didn't recognize what it meant. Maybe it was the fact that it was his new partner's work, or maybe because it was something he knew other members of his guild enjoyed.

Either way, he was enjoying himself.

Happy curled up into his lap with his own book in one hand and his fish in the other. He munched on it as he read, looking perfectly content.

After a while, Lucy came to stand across from them, the coffee table between she and the two other Fairy Tail members. Plue was held lightly in her arms, and when Natsu spared a look up at her, he frowned at the sleepy look already plaguing her face. She'd barely been using any magic, but he guessed that's what happened when you were learning. He remembered sleeping for days at a time when he was little. Especially after breathing his first Fire Dragon's Roar.

At his curious look, she explained with a look of amusement, "I want to sit. You guys have managed to take up my entire couch. Mind you, I've given it to you as a bed, so I guess I can't complain…" Her phone went off and she glanced at it. A look of terrified panic crossed her face momentarily, but it vanished quickly.

Not quickly enough that he didn't notice.

So the second the phone was on the coffee table, he lunged for it, successfully managing to avoid crushing the coffee table beneath his heavy body and accidentally dislodging Happy, who gave an unhappy yelp. He landed heavily on his stomach on the floor, but didn't seem to care as Lucy gave a protesting sound, setting Plue aside to try and snatch it back before he looked.

Too late.

"The hell is this?" he demanded, bewildered.

I know where the lost princess of Bosco is. I'm sure you do, too, Miss Heartfilia.

Natsu looked beyond confused. "What's this supposed to mean?" he asked, glancing up at her. Lucy's face had gone pale - paler than before, as if the worry in her gaze was making her even more exhausted. "Lucy," he said firmly, "Send Plue back to the Celestial Realm, or you'll knock yourself out."

Stubbornly shaking her head, Lucy snatched her phone back, her eyes filling with angry tears. "What business," she said angrily, "Do you have looking at my phone, Natsu?"

He shrugged, sitting up and rubbing his head where he'd nearly knocked it on the ground. Happy scrambled over to join the conversation, sitting himself on the coffee table beside a shaking Plue. The two small creatures exchanged looks. "You looked scared."

Lucy glared furiously at him, clenching her jaw. She contemplated for a moment, then suddenly swore and hurled her phone, not caring when it struck the ground hard. Natsu scrambled to fetch it, making sure it wasn't broken. "The hell, Luce!?"

She met his gaze, and he was startled by the lost and defeated look she wore. "Are you aware," she said stiffly, "That the princess of Bosco, the country next to Fiore, went missing two years ago?"

"It was all over the news," Happy remembered with a frown as the confused fire mage nodded curtly. "Even Erza was concerned."

"People thought she'd been murdered," Natsu agreed.

Lucy gave a tight smile. She pulled Plue into her lap, hugging the Spirit for comfort. "She wasn't," she said slowly. "She wasn't murdered. Kidnapped. Hurt. She ran away. She ran away because there wasn't a single person there who liked or loved her, and she was lonely." The tears returned, this time mournful. Her gaze raised to Natsu's. He looked stunned. "The king...he hated her because she looked just like her dead mother," she said bitterly. "The servants and workers believed she thought herself above them all. She wasn't allowed to leave the hateful place, so she did the only thing she could. She ran away.

"So," Lucy continued with a harsh laugh, throwing her arms out to indicate herself. "Here I am. Lucy Heartfilia, heir to the throne of Bosco." She wrapped an arm around herself as if to hold herself together, this time hiding her face in her free hand, a sob ripping from her. "I don't want to go back," she managed to choke out. "I can't go back. It would kill me to go back. And...my father, he knows where I am." Her voice cracked. "He's probably paying these people to drag me back. Master Makarov, he told me that I didn't have to go back, but what if something like Phantom Lord happens? I can't let all of you fight like that just because I don't want to go home."

Silence fell, and Natsu exchanged a dark look with Happy. The blue cat was surprisingly serious for once, looking troubled by this. Then he surprised Natsu and Lucy both by saying softly, "But Lucy, isn't Fairy Tail your home now? You don't have to go back."

"Yeah," Natsu agreed with a huge grin, showing off his teeth cheerfully. "Why wouldn't we fight for ya, Luce? You're our family. 'Course we'd fight to keep you here. Who cares if you're some princess from wherever? You're a Fairy Tail mage now. And we protect our own."

Lucy lifted her eyes miserably, but there was a sparkle of relief and gratitude in them. "Thank you," she said honestly, smiling faintly. She swiped her tears away.

And then Plue vanished in a flash of light, giving a surprised sound as he did so.

Lucy stared at the empty place beside Plue, utterly lost as to what had happened.

And then she toppled over, unconscious, unable to hear her friends' startled cries.