Chapter 7: Aquarius

-Ishgar-

-Deep in the woods-

Her head hurts.

It felt like she was hit by a fast-moving carriage.

"Huuurggh… " Lucy slowly opened her eyes, expecting to see the familiar ceiling of her room with Maya and Gretel by her side to freshen her up for the day.

"Wha-what?"

Instead, she found herself waking up inside a dark place that looked like a cave. The walls of stone and rocks, covered in large amounts of moss and vines. The air was humid and warm, not cold like she was expecting it to be.

"What happened to me… wha-where am I?" She tried to recall her last memory.

"Wait, my keys!" She hurriedly checked her pouch and to her immense relief, the silver key of Lyra and the golden key of Aquarius were both there, near her person. 'Mom would have killed me if I lost them.'

She shouldn't have disobeyed her.

Lucy remembered talking to her mom about some rumor she heard from the servants about a giant living in the woods. Coupled with the warnings from the villagers, she was convinced that the giant was an evil and scary monster. So to prove to her mom that she was capable enough to be qualified as a Celestial mage–she ran in the woods without her permission to defeat the monster and become a hero.

And then they …

They…

"Oh, right… the Gorian!" She remembered encountering the large ape-like beast which resembled a Vulcan. Tall and stronger than anything she could throw at it, even Lyra wasn't capable of defeating it. Worst of all, she couldn't even summon Aquarius, as she forgot one of the requirements for summoning her, she needed to be near a body of water.

"I'm so dumb!" Lucy berated herself for her lack of preparation, but then she noticed something that seemed off with the situation.

"How am I still alive?"

The beast attacked them, Lyra used herself to protect her and Gretel but ended up going back to the Celestial World–her maid was also unconscious. She was all alone when it was about to take her and Gretel … then he came.

"The giant… " The one she's been searching for ended up saving her and Gretel from the Gorian. Though she did feel a bit traumatized by the way he crushed the Gorian's head like a grape… just thinking about that memory made her shake from fear and disgust, making her hold her tummy.

She groggily stood up, feeling both weak and lightheaded from the entire situation. Lucy found that she was sleeping on a large bed made of fur. 'It looks like a beast's pelt…'

She wanted to go home back to her mom and dad. Even if the latter didn't love her as much as he used to.

"Gretel?" She called out for her maid, hoping that she was somewhere nearby. "Gretel!" The little girl looked everywhere, but couldn't find a trace of her. What she did discover to her horror was piles of bones and skeletons of Vulcans, Gorian's and other types of beasts and monsters all discarded on the floor.

'The giant is going to eat me!' She panicked and immediately bolted out of the room, looking for Gretel.

Though she got lost for a bit inside the cave, Lucy soon found the main entrance of the cave. Outside the sky was dark with heavy amounts of black clouds, the wind roared across the forest and it even began to rain.

The loud sound of thunder and lightning came from the distance, making it look like a heavy storm was about to happen.

But then she noticed someone huddled up in layers of fur-like blankets.

"Gretel!" It was none other than her maid, near a burning bonfire. She found some green paste on her forehead which smelled heavily like crushed grass and herbs. "Oh no! Gretel! Wake up, you're being marinated and will be cooked alive!"

"It's a healing ointment."

"WHAHA!" Lucy jumped in fright when she heard another voice behind her. Mechanically turning her head she saw the giant figure of Broly towering behind her, holding what looked to be a cooked Gorian leg.

He tore another large chunk of meat with a single bite and began chewing it while curiously looking at her–his head going back and forth from her and the piece of meat in his hand.

Gulp

.

.

.

"Want some?"

"Kyaaaaaaaaaaaa!!!!!"

Just where did she end up!?

…

(Later)

After a few minutes of running around screaming for her life, Lucy soon calmed down when she saw Broly sitting down near the fire and ignoring her completely.

The sound of fire crackling filled the inside of the cave.

Lucy was lost… both physically and mentally.

She didn't know what to do anymore and didn't even know how to travel back to her home. So she just stood in the corner not taking her gaze off of the Saiyan.

'He doesn't look that scary… ' She thought to herself.

Yeah, he was very big and intimidating, with the scars not helping his case. But he didn't look like he would eat her. In fact, he was munching on another piece of meat, this time an entire boar which he cooked on the fire, not showing any kind of table manners.

'Ew…'

Though there was no scent of spices that she was used to smelling from her home kitchen, the cooked meat aroma still reached her nostril. Lucy hadn't eaten since this morning, so it was apparent that the sight of roasting meat would increase her appetite.

Grrrrrrr~

Her stomach decided to voice out her hunger, much to Lucy's embarrassment.

"Eat," Broly said as he handed her a large piece of meat, almost as big as her height. "Take it, it tastes good." After he said that, the Saiyan immediately began devouring the roasted boar.

Lucy watched in fascination as an entire animal was devoted in mere seconds, leaving behind nothing but bones.

"Woah… "

She ended up debating whether to talk to the big guy or just remain quiet. Being the hyperactive and easily bored child she was, her choice was clear. Why was she scared? The giant helped her and Gretel to escape from that beast, so he must be a good guy!

"Hey, what's your name?" She asked.

Her voice was confident but her legs couldn't stop shaking. He looked over at her and muttered a single word, "Broly." and turned his head back to the fire.

"Broly? O-oh u-um my name is Lucy Heartfilia!" She introduced herself while bowing down politely, a habit her mother hammered into her brain. "I live in a super big house called Heartfilia Konzen, where both my mother and father live as well. Oh! And I'm also the one, who will soon become a powerful Celestial Wizard!" She exclaimed proudly, puffing up her chest in pride.

"Why are you here?" Broly asked, seemingly not having paid attention to her previous introduction, which kind of ticked off Lucy.

"Well if you must know, I heard a rumor about a giant that was terrorizing the nearby village and came here to personally beat it up with the help of my keys!" She dangled her two gate keys. "See? With these, I can do anything and even become a strong Celestial mage like mom!" Her dream was to gather all twelve keys and join a powerful guild in the future to go on many adventures.

Unfortunately, her dad was completely against that idea, he hated it and called her foolish and immature. Her dad wanted her to take over the family business and become just like him which she didn't want to. He never talked to her, never played with her, and was always so angry.

"What is a Celestial mage?"

Eh?

"You don't know!?" All of her previous fear vanished into smokes, replaced by intense disbelief and denial. "That can't be true! It's one of the most popular types of wizards in the world! Capable of summoning spirits from beyond our world, all welding awesome powers and some of them are even very cute! Here look, I got both the silver gate of Lyra and the golden gate of Aquarius." She showed him the two keys.

He inspected them closely, like a child finding something amazing, "So… people live inside this tiny thing?" He asked while smelling the keys which grossed Lucy out a bit.

"Give me that and I'll show you how I summon one of the strongest spirits in the world." Anticipation filling her tiny being, Lucy couldn't stop grinning with excitement. Finally, she had someone else she could show off to!

She went near a small puddle of water formed by the heavy rain. She paid no attention to its murky appearance, Lyra did say that she only needed a water source.

"Feast your eyes upon my magic! Open [Gate of Aquarius!]"

The drain felt way bigger than it did for when she summoned the silver key spirit. Her magical reserves were big for someone her age, but it hadn't matured yet, and summoning a golden spirit was definitely pushing her limits. Not wanting to look bad in front of Broly and to display the beauty of her magic she powered through.

'Come on… I can do it!'

The golden sheen of light intensified, a large amount of water formed in the air and gathered around the key. Soon a royal blue mermaid came into view. She had a long, blue fishtail, light blue hair that reached up to her waist and a large bust that looked snug in her top. With blue eyes that seem to have no pupils, she wore a revealing dark blue bikini top and on each arm had a golden armlet and bracelet. Shealso had a gold and silver circlet, three piercings on her tail, a golden belt at her waist, and light blue crystal earrings. A dark blue tattoo resembling the Aquarius zodiac symbol rested right under her collarbone.

This is Aquarius, the water spirit!

She was both elegant and cold, her body dancing around the waves of water making her seem both graceful and beautiful. Her face displayed nothing but annoyance and surprise as soon as she saw the one who summoned her.

"I did it!"

"A fish?" Broly exclaimed in confusion.

…

'This little twerp again.' Aquarius sighed in annoyance, just feeling done with this day.

"Hugh, today's the worst. First I find Scorpio cheating on me by flirting with the fae spirits… again and now I have to deal with Layla's annoying little brat." She really needed a vacation. Not to mention, there can only be one reason that she had another summoner this time, it was time for her key to be passed onto someone else. "Well, where is Layla? I'm sure she wouldn't let you do this ceremony alon–" She finally registered her surroundings.

The muddy cave with moss-filled walls, disgusting insects crawling around the edges, and a disturbing amount of bones in the corner of the area. The scent of cooked meat and blood in the air attacked her nostrils and the state of Lucy's clothes…

But worst of all, her precious key which represented her beauty and might, lying in a puddle of muddied water–completely dirtied...

"Yay, you really came Aquarius! See I summoned you this time and I did without mom's aid." Lucy started talking, not noticing Aquarius' shadowed eyes or the menacing aura surrounding her.

"..."

"By the way, I tried summoning you before when I faced this giant Gorian but Lyra told me you couldn't be summoned without water. Good thing that it started raining or else I won't be able to show you off to Broly!"

"..."

The spirit was strangely quiet…

"Aquarius?" Lucy wondered what was wrong with her.

"Brat…"

If there was one thing Layla forgot to mention to Lucy other than Aquarius' summoning requirements…

"... you…"

…Was that aside from water sources like fountains, oceans, lakes, or even rivers–Aquarius was very prideful towards her key and how she was summoned. Anything below her standard would boil her anger to an unprecedented degree.

"DID YOU SUMMON ME FROM A DAMN MUD PUDDLE!?!?!?" Her anger exploded as she took the little Heartfilia by the head and ground her fist for a painful double noogie.

"Kyaaaaaaaa!!! I'm sorry!"

"And where is Layla!? I would like to have a word with her!" She demanded, dropping Lucy on the ground after her just punishment.

Now Lucy went completely silent from the horror slowly rising from deep in her gut. "Haha, you see Aquarius, the funny thing is that I…"

"Spit out before I blast you away with torrents of water!" She threatened with her magical urn, looking ready to fire.

"Istolethekeyfrommom!"

.

.

.

"I knew you were trouble from the beginning, I told Layla countless times but she never listens to me! Take this!" She planned to teach the little girl a lesson by blasting her away. "You'll never get a boyfriend in the future with that kind of attitude! [Water Magic: Torrent!]–" Just as she was about to throw her water attack at Lucy, she was interrupted by the third person in the cave.

"Stop it, you'll hurt the kid."

A hand suddenly took hold of her urn, blocking the attack. A huge figure towered over the spirit, casting a shadow on her. "Who do… you… think…" Aquarius was ready to unleash her true might on the idiot who dared to touch her urn and interfere with her divine judgment. The moment her eyes landed on Broly–the world stopped for the spirit.

Her anger on Lucy was gone as she ignored the girl, and looked at the being in front of her.

"Oh wow…"

The appearance of a tall man with ripped muscles, which he didn't bother to cover, was sculpted to perfection even if they were littered with scars. His tanned skin looked rough from being under the sun, but it went well with his wild looks. His very presence made her heart rate speed up wildly.

"Umm… you okay?"

Kyu

She squeaked a bit when she heard his gruff and gentle voice! Her heart was doing somersaults in her chest. The scars added more to his handsomeness with his dark black eyes zoning on her. Is this what people call love at first sight? No, she shouldn't! Her boyfriend was Scorpio… but that lying bastard just had to flirt with that bitch!

'Breath girl! It's just his looks that attracted me, for all I know he could be an asshole.'

"If you're feeling sick? I have a bed and some food if you need to rest."

Pyu

Like an invisible arrow, it hit her directly into her heart.

Critical hit!

'He's polite and worries about me as well! Even when concerned about her, his face still looked so angry and cold as well. Aaaaah~' The more she looked at him, the deeper she fell for the giant stranger.

"Oh, You're glowing," Broly said, making Aquarius flush deepen as got closer to her, a worried look on his face.

"Re-really? O-oh…Um… Tha-thank you for the compliment, fufufu~" Her previous angered state did a complete 180 and she became a soft-spoken and bashful maiden, while bashfully looking at Broly. She blushed like a teenage girl who talked to her crush. Even making eye contact proved to be a challenge for Aquarius.

"Now you're turning golden."

'Ah~ he had such a way with words.'

Aquarius berated herself for not having worn something more sexy or revealing today! She had a wonderful outfit she had planned for her date with Scorpio but ended up throwing it in the bin after the incident–Idiot! Oh, and she also embarrassed herself when she was summoned by that brat! Would he think she was a brutish woman with anger issues? Please no! Next time she'll put on an even bigger display with more water and a sexier bikin-

"Ah, Aquarius! you're vanishing!" Lucy came in and once again ruined her mood. But as she processed her words, the spirit immediately looked down at herself and saw her body slowly breaking down into many golden motes.

'That cock-blocking twerp!'

"You're running out of magical energy kid!" As to not repeat her previous embarrassing sight she brought Lucy close and harshly whispered in her ear so that Broly wouldn't hear her. "Listen, girl, I will accept a contract with you but you can only summon me on Wednesdays or when this hunk of a man is nearby. Otherwise I. Will. Drown. You. Get it?" She threw a murderous glare at Lucy, scaring her little summoner, who also hastily nodded her head.

With that said, she let go of Lucy and straightened her hair while applying some light make-up even if half of her body was gone at this point.

Wait…

"Oi brat, what's his name?" She whispered to Lucy once more, who was still shivering from her threat. "Tell me quickly before I vanish!"

"I-it's Broly!" Lucy said frightfully, wondering what was going on right now.

Aquarius approached Broly trying to muster up as much confidence as possible, only for it to vanish the moment she laid her eyes on him.

"Uuh-ummm, hi… My name's Aquarius, we should hang out sometimes." Broly continued to stare at her before understanding her intentions.

"You want to be my friend?"

"Hugh! Friend? Yes… why not, I can move up from there in the future. Yes! Let's be friends, the best of friends! Very close friends! I'll show you my favorite hobbies, my magic and we can form an unbreakable bond! Why are you not a Celestial Wizard? I could have been your personal spirit, but no matter, Lucy is here and she'll keep you company when I'm not around–right!?" She said that last part while looking at the young girl, who nodded quickly.

"Of course, Broly seems cool as well… and I don't have any friends… I can visit you every day!"

"Please don't, I'm dangerous."

"Nonsense, you look like a fine man, I'm sure you can keep Lucy here safe." Aquarius insisted, roughly ruffling Lucy's hair.

"You don't understand, I can't control my–"

"–Oh would you look at that. My time has expired, be sure to take care of her and don't miss me too much!" And just like that, the love-struck mermaid vanished, returning back to the Celestial Spirit World, but not before blowing him a kiss.

"..." Broly was dumbstruck, the Saiyan was hesitant to forge another friendly relationship with other people like he did back in the Tower.

He was still working on controlling his temper and locking it away in the deepest corner of his mind.

He spent a month all alone in the cave, without anyone keeping him company which never happened to him ever in his life. Paragus was always there beside him, even Cheelai kept him company from his time in Frieza's army.

So he was getting kinda lonely… maybe some company would do him some good?

"Hey Broly, want to play a game with me until the rain stops?" He looked at Lucy, the little girl reminding him of Erza and the other kids from the Tower of Heaven.

He missed them all.

"Sure…"

While Lucy was teaching Broly the rules behind the game of tic tac toe, Gretel had finally woken up.

"Mmmh, Lucy… -sama?"

"Oh hey Gretel, you finally woke up! Look! I made a friend!" She said as she pointed at Broly who was holding a small stick.

"Hn," He gave her his usual greeting while giving her a nod in greeting.

"..."

'Am I dead?'

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