To Drasil (1)

Lucy's POV

I stomped through the train station beside Natsu, pouting in my pink tracksuit. Why? Because this idiot decided to burn me and my clothes—again—after some annoying creeps started hitting on me. Sure, I appreciate the gesture in a weird way; it's kind of cute that even someone as dense as Natsu can get jealous. It makes me feel warm inside, but still—he burned my clothes!

I'm really getting tired of having my wardrobe evaporate on every journey with him, and half the time it's completely uncalled for. Can you imagine how many clothes I've lost thanks to him? I'm not made of money, and even though my book is doing pretty well right now, I don't know what'll happen in the future. Knowing Fairy Tail, I could end up paying reparations for destroying an entire country or something! I can't afford to keep making trips to the clothing store. Besides, that underwear was expensive!

I shot him a dirty look, but all Natsu did was flash me that same goofy smile and start whistling, like he had no idea what he'd done wrong. Typical. I could feel Wendy watching us, her eyes darting between Natsu and me, her cheeks turning redder by the second. I avoided her gaze because I knew exactly what she was imagining. I swear, ever since Cana got her hands on Wendy, she's been having these... thoughts. What happened to the sweet, innocent Wendy I first met? I mean, I can't only blame Cana—Fairy Tail isn't exactly the best influence for a young girl.

Meanwhile, that dumb cat, Happy, and perverted Gray—who, unsurprisingly, was already streaking through the train station naked, earning shocked stares from passersby—were laughing at my misfortune. Again. I wasn't even surprised. It's like they enjoy seeing me suffer.

I did my best to tune them out and took some comfort in the occasional sympathetic glance Carla threw my way. Seriously, why is the most reliable member of our group a talking cat? And then there's Erza... Normally, she'd be all over Natsu right now, giving him a stern, big-sisterly lecture—or, better yet, spanking him for burning my clothes—but today, she was acting... off. She just walked beside us, eyes closed, a slight smile on her face, completely lost in her own world. Was she planning something? Who knows?

Whatever. When we get on the train, and Natsu starts feeling motion sick, I'll have my revenge. That's one thing I can always count on. I glanced at the clock and grimaced. We were way past the time we'd promised to meet our new friends, though still on time for the train. I sighed. This wasn't exactly the best way to make a good impression, especially considering we hadn't left things on the best terms with them yesterday. But they seemed like good people—they'd understand... right?

Just as I was lost in thought, I bumped into Natsu's back.

"Oof, Natsu! What the heck—" I stopped short when I saw what was ahead of us.

Asta, Yuno, and Noelle were slumped on a bench, shopping bags piled up around their feet, with new clothes spilling out onto the dirty ground. They looked completely defeated—more so than when we'd rejected their plea yesterday. I didn't think that was even possible. What the heck happened?

I could feel the temperature drop as they slowly turned their heads to look at us. Their gazes were dull, like they'd lost all hope. As their eyes scanned us, I felt a chill run down my spine. The way they were looking at us... it was more than just being angry at us for being late.

"Um... are they that mad?" Wendy asked softly, her voice trembling. I would've asked the same thing if I didn't know better. This wasn't just about our punctuality—or lack thereof.

"P-please d-don't eat us!" Happy stammered, shaking behind Natsu like the coward he was.

And then, in the blink of an eye, everything went to hell.

Asta's dead-eyed expression twisted into one of pure rage, and before I could blink, he shot off the bench at a speed that rivaled Elfman's strongest charge. Natsu and Gray jumped in front of us, trying to block his path, but they were too slow. Asta darted right between them and made a beeline... straight for Erza?!

Wait—what?! Is he crazy?! Of all people to pick a fight with, he chooses Erza?! I opened my mouth to scream, but the words got stuck in my throat as I watched him gently—yes, gently—tackle her to the ground.

Erza—our fearless, mighty Erza—let out a shriek that sounded more like a helpless maiden than the Titania I knew as her back hit the pavement.

"Asta! What the actual hell do you think you're doing?!" Natsu yelled, eyes blazing with fury. Gray looked like he was about to blow a fuse too.

"Elkis!" Asta shouted, glaring down at Erza.

Wait... Elkis? Oh... Oh. This isn't Erza. It's her doppelganger.

Natsu's rage vanished instantly as he started sniffing the air, Wendy doing the same. Both of them nodded in realization, and sure enough, "Erza" stopped struggling. She just gulped as Asta continued to scold her.

"Go back... and switch places with the real Erza!" he demanded, his voice filled with authority.

"I-I'm s-so s-sorry!" she stammered, her voice trembling. "I-I was just t-too nervous to perform, and Ms. Erza offered to t-take my place, so—"

Before she could finish, she bolted, running off like a damsel in distress. "I-I'll go get her right now! I-it was nice meeting all of you!"

I sighed heavily, watching her flee. I like to think I'm a pretty forgiving person. I've let plenty of things slide in the past, even when people have wronged or taken advantage of me. But treating one of my friends like that? No. That's where I draw the line. And from the heavy frowns on Natsu, Gray, and Wendy's faces, it was clear they felt the same way.

For the first time since meeting them, I found myself feeling... uncomfortable around Asta, Yuno, and Noelle. Something about them—especially Asta—just felt off. Unpleasant. Borderline hostile. I wasn't sure if I liked them anymore.

Gray Fullbuster POV

"This is going to be a pain!" I thought to myself, scratching the back of my head. Our three so-called buddies—no, acquaintances—were standing in front of us. I wasn't going to call them friends, not anymore. At least, not for now. The scene reminded me of yesterday, but it was different today. Less anxious, more... disappointing. I could sense the tension, a mixture of frustration and hate, but who that hate was directed at, I couldn't be sure. One thing I knew for certain: none of it was aimed at us. My gut told me that much, and I knew my friends could feel it too.

That's probably why none of us had already made Asta pay for how he treated Elkis. If this had been any other situation, we wouldn't have hesitated to throw down, but something about this felt off. So, we waited. Our group all looked to Natsu, because after all, this was Team Natsu, and while Flame Brain annoys me more often than not, he's the one I trust the most when it comes to moments like this. He's got a ridiculous sense of emotional intelligence, even if he's an idiot most of the time.

Natsu stood in front of us, arms crossed, staring the trio down in silence. He was giving them a chance to explain themselves, so I let out a breath I didn't know I was holding. At least, for now, there wasn't going to be a fight. But I wasn't letting my guard down. Even though I trust Natsu, I'm not dumb enough to think he can't be wrong. If these guys made a move, they'd find out real quick what it's like to mess with me. Hurt a friend? Fine. But lay a hand on my family, and I'll kill you.

I watched Asta closely. His eyes followed the direction Elkis had disappeared, his face morphing into a mix of regret, guilt, and self-loathing. Well, at least he's apologetic.

He bit his lip hard enough to draw blood, then looked at us, speaking in a hoarse voice. "We... just got the news that something big went down back home, and now more than ever, we need to complete this quest and get that wish."

Well, that's unexpected. Now, I'm even more curious about what exactly it is they want to wish for.

"We don't have time to waste," Yuno added, his tone stoic. "As much as we'd like to indulge you guys in your shenanigans, we have responsibilities to our nation, kingdom, and people."

I let out a soft whistle. I had them pegged for just guild wizards like us, but now that I think about it, I haven't seen a guild mark on any of them. The way they're acting, they might be pretty high up on the social ladder back home—maybe knights or members of their country's magic council... or something more?

Back home, it's not uncommon for us to get missions from our kingdom or even the Ishgarian Magic Council, but sealing five Dragon Gods? That's a whole different level of responsibility, something that wouldn't casually fall into our laps.

"We especially don't have time to travel to the other side of the continent just to turn back around for your resident redhead." Noelle snorted, and I couldn't really blame her. Normally, I'd take offense, but with the heavy bags under her eyes and the tears she was barely holding back, I could tell this wasn't just about some quest. Lives were at stake. Probably a lot of them.

Asta took over from there. "If you guys want to do that, fine, but we can't afford to wait. If you keep slowing us down, we'll have to part ways. I want to get along with you, but I can already see we'll have more conflicts like this. You guys don't seem like the urgent type."

I couldn't argue with that. Fairy Tail moves at its own pace. When it comes to the lives of our loved ones, we can be just as bad as these guys, but for us, this quest is more about adventure. I didn't want to give that up for people we'd just met or a nation we might never set foot in.

As the train let out a puff of smoke, signaling final boarding, Yuno added something that hit harder than I expected. "Our wish has changed. It's something far bigger now, and honestly, I don't think anyone else can have their own wish if we're going to get ours. We're competitors now."

Damn. Just when I thought my anger was fading, it started flaring up again. I've got my own wish, one I'm not willing to let go of. I need to heal Juvia's scars. She refused Wendy's enchantments unless I fixed myself up too, but I'll never do that. I deserve these scars. So I'll make the choice for her.

I was about to tell these guys off, but Natsu beat me to it.

"Wait!" he shouted, getting everyone's attention.

"You said before that in exchange for the wish, you'd grant my friends' desires. Is that deal still on the table?" Natsu asked, leaving all of us confused.

What a pointless question! Sure enough, the trio exchanged looks of confusion before Noelle spoke, clearly annoyed. "Of course, but as we already said, your desires aren't something we have the power to make happen—"

"That's for now, but who's to say about the future?" Natsu cut in with his signature devilish grin. "Sealing five Acnologias won't happen overnight. Who knows how much we'll grow by the time we do? Heck, some of us might even achieve our wish along the way, because that's what a quest is all about!"

Looking at the trio's pessimistic expressions, it was clear they didn't share Natsu's optimism. I didn't blame them. If there were an easier way to grant their wish, they wouldn't be standing here now.

Undeterred, Natsu moved in closer, face-to-face with Asta. "What I do know is if we split up, neither of us will get what we want. Especially if what Mercphobia said is true."

I shuddered at the thought. That sea god had kicked our asses at only 10% of his power. If he'd been in control of himself, we'd be dead. And there were still four more Dragon Gods out there, waiting for us.

The trio nodded, begrudgingly agreeing. Wendy, Carla, and Happy echoed Natsu's sentiment, trying to smooth things over. Asta looked like he was about to nod too, but before he could, Natsu grabbed him by the collar.

"This is a one-time exception," Natsu growled. "If you ever treat one of my friends like that again, I'll smoke you. Got that?"

To his credit, Asta didn't fight back. He just nodded, accepting Natsu's warning.

"Now, you've got an apology to make." Natsu let him go and turned around, looking behind our group.

I followed his gaze and saw Erza standing with Elkis, who looked like she wanted to disappear. Asta didn't argue. He just hung his head in shame and slowly walked over to her, careful not to scare her any further.

I let out a sigh of relief, looking up at the clear blue sky.

At least, for now, it seemed like we were still a party of ten.