Hey guys!!!! It's mid-week again!!! Here's the eleventh chapter of the story..time flies by so fast right??? It won;t be long before I finish this haha....how are you finding this story so far? Is it disappointing? Boring? I hope not...please tell me all about it with the little box just under this and hit post comment with that cute little green check mark please...also don't forget color that star on the right pretty please....I dedicate this to ChiSatO1....you're really a sweet-impatient reader but I really like you...keep up your nagging for more and I might heed your request *winks*....hehe enjoy!!!!

♥LucyAshleyHeartfilia♥

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“WHATTT!!!”, Natsu and Lucy shouted in surprise.

“I told you, I don’t need your assistance anymore”, the Mayor of Curoka Country said.

“You have got to be kidding! After all the trouble we’ve been through to get here. Do you know how hard I tried to stop my stomach from making all the meals I ate being thrown back up?!”, Natsu shrieked in anger.

“Wait”, Lucy pushed Natsu away from strangling the Mayor. “Why didn’t you gave us a note beforehand?”, Lucy asked.

“Yeah we could have gone to another job”, Happy sulked.

“Well, I just did this morning. I didn’t know you’re already on your way here”, the Mayor apologized. “I’m really sorry. You can all go home now”

“No way!”, Natsu mentally cried to himself out of pity.

“Ah! I know, I have another job for you if you want”, the Mayor turned.

“What is it?!”, Happy and Natsu excitedly asked.

“Here!”, he handed a paper to Lucy. “The request is to escort a lovely maiden back to your town Magnolia”, the Mayor sweetly smiled at them.

When Lucy and Natsu saw the name printed, their eyes widened.

“ELIZABETH?!”, they all shouted out.

“Hi Natsu-sama!”, Elizabeth came into view on the Mayor’s office. Natsu and Lucy were surprised to see her there.

“What are you doing here?”, Lucy asked. “You planned this didn’t you?”

“Ah-ah-ah! Lucy-chan, don’t accuse me without evidence. We are still in the Mayor’s office you know”, Elizabeth smiled at her.

“You have got to be kidding me!”, Natsu said.

“It’s good to see you Natsu-sama! Now we can go home together!”, Elizabeth said.

“No way! We’re going home alone”, Happy crossed his paws.

“Yeah we are”, Lucy did the same.

“Is that so…so you really hate me that much? What did I ever do to you?”, Elizabeth asked, crying so pitifully with Reina comforting her.

That situation made Lucy and Happy feel guilty. The Mayor looked at them accusingly.

“Ah man, alright, we’re just going to accompany you in the train anyway”, Natsu said, picturing his hell ride whenever he gets into transportation.

“Train?”, Elizabeth finally stopped crying and looked at him cheerfully. “What do you mean train? We’re going by our carriage”, she gestured and they followed her hand. They saw a number of carriages outside the Mayor’s office.

“What the heck!”, Lucy’s eyes bulged in surprise. “If you have that much escorts with you why do you want us to protect you?!”, Lucy can’t help but scold her.

“Why? Safety first right?”, Elizabeth excused.

“What lame excuse is that?!”, the three snapped.

“Ow, don’t tell me you won’t do this”, Elizabeth cried dramatically.

“We’re not going to do it”, Natsu pouted.

“Aye! We are not!”, Happy flew away pouting the same way.

“Is that so? Too bad Mayor-san, I was going to pay these wizards thrice the amount you’re going to pay. And it was just for escorting me back to Magnolia”, with that said, the three turned their heads in an instant.

“T-Thrice?!”, Lucy can’t believe what she heard.

“Th-that! How much is it? The Mayor is going to pay us for 7 days 900,000 jewels”, Happy stuttered.

“How many jewels is that?! I-I can’t count anymore!”, Natsu grabbed his locks of hair. Elizabeth grinned for she knows she had them wrapped around her finger.

“Yeah. Oh come one. Just escort me back”, Elizabeth lingered around them in a flirting manner. “Imagine that much money in just three hours! How much debts are you gonna pay? Considering paying rental houses”, she looked at Lucy meaningfully. Lucy can’t utter a word with this.

“We’ll do it!”, Natsu and Happy shouted cheerfully.

“WHAT?!!”, Lucy looked at them in surprise.

“Come on Lucy, it’s just for three hours of ride. It won’t take long. Also, that money can give you even a whole two years of advance rent with just a click! You may even buy the whole apartment already. You have to pay your rent again right?”, Natsu whispered at her.

“Well, even if you say that….”, Lucy was still hesitating. The fact that it was her rival to begin with is much too uncomfortable for her to handle.

“Don’t worry Lucy, after this we’ll definitely stop doing anything that has to do with her. I don’t also want her to have Natsu”, Happy said in a low voice.

“It’s not that…..”, Lucy closed her eyes with a blush and looked at them after thinking. “Alright. If that’s what you like”, Lucy said.

“Great!”, Natsu and Happy said.

“So, is it alright then?”, Elizabeth smiled at them sweetly.

“Elizabeth, let me make this clear to you. We’re doing this in behalf of the guild. There’s nothing personal about his alright?”, Lucy looked at her seriously.

“Of course. Nothing…..personal”, she smiled. Somehow Lucy saw something behind her smiles. “Let’s go then!”

“Wh-“, Lucy stopped when she noticed her body was immobile. “I can’t move my body! What is happening!”, she thought and then, she saw Happy fainted.

“WHAT HAPPENED?! Happy!”, Natsu managed to catch his Exceed partner before he fall to the floor in a hard way.

“What happened to him?”, Elizabeth asked with fake worry. The Mayor held Happy and examined him for a bit.

“Looks like he fainted due to exhaustion. I suggest you bring him back to Magnolia as soon as possible to let him have a proper rest”, he said.

“You can go ahead to one of my carriages, you can ride together with me”, Elizabeth offered. Natsu lifted Happy in his arms and walked outside the Mayor’s office with Elizabeth and her escorts. Lucy despite not being able to move by herself, her legs started to move on its own, she can’t say anything but her body was definitely being manipulated.

“Wait…”, the Mayor halted one person who was left behind.

“Is there something wrong?”, Reina asked.

“You did something to that Exceed and that girl who is with the Salamander. I already did my purpose. Make sure you cancel it out once you returned. It’s dangerous if you keep it up, their Master will surely notice”, the Mayor reminded her.

“Nothing to worry about. My own master knows full well of what she’s doing”, she smiled and bowed before leaving.

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“Oh no!”, Natsu gasped in horror when he remembered something upon sitting on the carriage. Suddenly, he was hoping to take back what he just said a while ago.

“Natsu-sama? What’s the matter?”, Elizabeth grabbed one of his hand to stop him from going out.

“I can’t handle transportation”, Natsu said while sweating already. Lucy got in without saying anything. Her body was still being manipulated.

“Don’t worry, I already knew about that so I came prepared”, she snuggled closer to him. “You won’t get sick here I assure you. This carriage has the same effect as the Troia that your little sky dragon slayer has”, she was getting closer and closer to him. Although Natsu was trying his best to stay away from her, he eyed his partners on the other side of the sit.

“More importantly, Lucy, how is Happy?”, he asked. Lucy just shrugged her shoulders as if she’s avoiding talking to him.

“Come on now, entertain me Natsu-sama, it will not be long before we got married so why don’t we try to get closer right now?”, she launched herself to him, hugging him with everything she got.

“He-Hey! Wait a….”, Natsu was trying to struggle so hard to get away from her but the latter was so persistent.

“Ngggh”, Lucy managed to squeak out a voice. She focused and made her resolve stronger to break the spell on her. “Eli…zabeth…stop…it....please have some decency”, she said. The two stopped whatever they are doing. Natsu sighed in relief and sit up straight. Elizabeth looked at her with both interest and amazement.

“Oh? Surely you have the guts to tell me that”, Elizabeth snickered at her.

“Just consider your status and reputation as a member of the Callimars”, she bowed a little.

“Tell me Lucy-chan, did you ever considered those words seven and a half years ago before you ran away from home?”, she looked at her teasingly. Lucy glared at her with her sudden statement.

“Mine was trampled a long time ago. I considered that many times. I threw it all away and I never regretted a thing”, Lucy told her.

“All of it? You regretted nothing huh? So you mean as well as Jude-sama’s death? Heartfilia’s bankruptcy?”, she mocked. Lucy kept calm but she was really struggling so hard not to snap on a job. Natsu can feel the tension between the two.

“Well now, how about we go already? I’ll sit beside Lucy and Happy”, Natsu scooted beside Lucy to increase her confidence and encourage in keeping her calm demeanour.

“As you wish. Reina will be here shortly”, she said. As if on cue, Reina entered the carriage.

“I’m sorry for being late”, Reina said.

“It’s alright. You just missed some interesting happenings”, she said. Reina looked at Lucy with disbelief. “Let’s go”, she announced. The carriage started to move towards Magnolia.