The Power of One Dream (A One Piece x Fairy Tail Story)

Part 37

Feeling the subtle warmth of a new morning sun brush the skin of her face, and the moist cold of earth beneath her, she shudderered a little as her senses were returning to her.

"Lisanna?"

Hearing a very familiar male voice calling her name while close to her, she stirred as her closed eyelids fluttered open a crack. But had to blink a few times to adjust to the sudden intensity of sunlight.

"N.... Nat..su?"

"Lisanna, you're awake!" came a familiar female voice that was just as close and sounded deeply relieved. The white-haired Mage's eyes finally opened and beheld two of her closest friends either side of her, Natsu Dragneel and Lucy Heartfilia. The latter's eyes brimming with tears of relief and joy, and his as well (as much as he might try to hide it). And behind them her beloved Big Brother and Sister, and the rest of the Fairy Tail Guild (the rest of her family) looked just as relieved. And she never thought she'd be so glad to see a bunch of smiling pirates among them.

"Gotta say, you gave us one heck of a scare there. Getting knocked down in the heat of battle like that by those Manticore Sting chumps.. (Natsu said offhandedly).. But I guess I was worrying for nothin'. 'Coz nothin' keeps our Lisanna down for long!" He turned to face Lucy with his typical closed-eyed grin. A grin which Lucy returned warmly. At the site of the two together, something stirred in Lisanna's heart. Something like an old familiar ache, but nothing unbearable. Not like before when she first met Lucy after returning from Edolas that time long ago. Not quite like that old pain when she first realised their closeness with each other. For in all things, she had realised now, Lisanna only wanted Natsu to be happy.

She offered them both what she hoped looked like a reassuring smile, and unconsciously brought her right hand up to her chest. It suddenly felt strange to find it whole, though she couldn't for the life of her explain why it wouldn't be?

All such thoughts were swiftly forced out of her mind by her brother and sister rushing forward (nearly bowling the Fire Dragon Slayer and Celestial Mage over), and enveloping her in a tight embrace. An embrace punctuated by her Big Sister sobbing even louder (almost) than her brother.

"H..Hello."

Lisanna's eyes and those of her companions turned to her right in the direction of an unfamiliar (yet contrarily familiar) man. A man whose long dark-blue-dishevelled hair stuck up at odd ends, and who wore tattered black robes and broken glasses askew over a broken and bloodied nose. He looked like he had barely escaped a battle with his life, and wasn't a lot better off for it! The sight of the man sat her up on the ground instantly with icy shivers down her spine. For though his face didn't show and he didn't exude any obvious aura of malevolence, something told Lisanna she knew the man, and not in a good way. But the harder she tried to remember, the thicker the fog in her mind became. And her friends seemed equally unconsciously on edge before him.

"I'm.. sorry.... I can see you've all been through something major yourselves.. but.... Do any of you know what happened to me.. or.... Where we are?"

The gathering just stared at the man surprised by his question, until someone answered from Lisanna's left. "This is Mikage Forest. And we were abducted by the Manticore Sting Guild, until now." Lisanna turned towards the source of the voice and saw two people she was sure she didn't know. One man with equally dishevelled-dark-blue hair but with shocking pink bangs either side of his face, whose muscular upper torso was  visible above tattered black trousers and singed holey boots. A man who looked just as battered and disorientated with a weary arm awkwardly supported by a much shorter man. Or a man Lisanna had assumed at first, for the squat messy-brown-haired fellow she now recognised from the Mugiwara's accounts as being a Fish-Man, dressed in a plain brown tunic, trousers and boots. Perhaps ironically the more comically-shaped of the three strangers and yet at the same time the most composed and in control in that instance.