Fairy Tail: Falling Towards the Chaos

Chapter 16

The resort was breathtaking. Lucy couldn't remember the last time she went on a vacation like this. She beamed at the sight of the white beach and the clear blue water. People were lounging and having fun everywhere she looked. She was eager to get her tan on and take a dip in the water.

"Just stick close and have fun!" Erza exclaimed, and the group took off towards the beach. Lucy wore her brown tankini and sat to the side as Gray and Happy rushed into the water. Erza found a spot to lay out the towels and the umbrella, while Lucy tried to pull her hair back and out of her face.

"I don't know if I want to do pigtails or a high ponytail, what do you think?" Lucy inquired, looking up at Natsu who lingered behind her. His scarf was tied around his head, an insistence by Happy, who was convinced it made Natsu look way cooler on the beach. He looked awkward and a bit out of place, causing her to laugh a bit as she pulled him towards her by his arm. "You know that you can go off on your own, right? You don't have to stay here with me." She reminded him as she walked towards the water, the slayer hot on her heels.

They sat in the shallow end, the water barely reaching her waist. She tilted her head up towards the sun, basking in the warmth.

Suddenly, Natsu tugged on her wrist, grabbing the two hair ties from her. She found herself positioned between his legs as he fiddled with her hair. He wanted to help so she helped show him how to gather all the hair and put it into two pigtails. Lucy giggled, feeling him fiddle around clumsily before he managed to separate and pull some hair into pigtails. It was smooth enough, and she hoped it looked fine from how it felt.

"Thank you! Now, let's go!" She chimed, she grabbed his wrist to pull him along, racing towards Gray and Happy to join in on the fun.

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The discovery of the casino in the hotel was a total game changer. As the day descended into night, the group of rowdy mages focused on getting ready for a night of gambling.

In her fitting red dress, Lucy adjusted the slit that ran up to the thigh and the deep neckline that showed her cleavage. Her long blonde hair was pulled into a high ponytail, with pieces framing her face. She added a bit of light makeup, puckering her lips a few times in the mirror as she applied some lip gloss before she deemed herself ready.

Everyone got separate rooms in the same hallway, something that Natsu protested at before being quickly shot down by Erza.

She knocked on the redhead's door, finding her a bit disgruntled.

"Hey, I was just checking on you to see if you were ready or not; we're going to the casino, remember?" Lucy giggled at Erza's confused look, giving her a minute to requip into an elegant dress and new hairdo. She was a little jealous at how easily her fellow guild mate could get ready before affirming to Erza that she looked great. The redhead spun in the mirror one more time before she sighed, settling on a tired smile.

"By the way, there's a question I've been meaning to ask you," Erza said, fixing her white gloves, "are you and Natsu... together?" She looked almost more embarrassed than Lucy felt, instantly wringing her wrists in her hands anxiously.

Lucy sputtered helplessly. How could she explain things to Erza without exposing Natsu's business? She opened her mouth one last time with the retort of 'we're just friends!' on her lips before Erza stopped her.

"You know, it's not really any of my business, but it makes me happy to know that he has someone like you in his corner," the woman smiled softly, "Natsu isn't the friendliest person after all, so it was extremely hard to build any sort of relationship with him." Erza sighed before making her way towards the door. She placed her hand on Lucy's shoulder and smiled, "you're an amazing person, Lucy, and I'm grateful that you're in all of our lives."

Leaving the heavy atmosphere, the girls headed downstairs with the intention of enjoying the rest of their evening together. After some much-needed encouragement from Lucy and Happy's insistence on playing a few games, Natsu wandered off with his blue friend following after him; peeved at having to leave Lucy as he left with a pout on his face. Lucy giggled before Erza waved her over to play some card games.

"Wow, you're really good at this, Erza!" Lucy praised, clapping her hands together. She beamed brightly while the redhead smirked confidently, drawing a crowd who surrounded their table. A few minutes later, the dealer changed, and he flipped some cards to lay on the table. Lucy, intrigued, leaned forward to get a good look at the cards in front of her.

DEATH.

"Let's bet with our lives, sister,"

The voice chilled her and Lucy instantly recoiled away from the table, abruptly standing up as she placed a cautious hand over her keys that were tucked away. She looked to Erza who was frozen, shell shocked, staring at the mysterious man's face.

"S-Shou," Erza murmured, breaking out into a cold sweat.

"Sister, it's been a while," the man chuckled lightly.

"E-Erza? What's going on?" Lucy inquired unsure, a sinking feeling in her stomach.

The redhead stammered, stumbling over her words, and Lucy felt even more unnerved at the sight of Erza panicking. She might not have known Erza for long but she usually kept her composure. Just who was this person?

The last thing Lucy saw was the man's smug face before the room went dark. There were screams and people running a muck in a frenzy as Lucy and Erza desperately tried to keep a hold of each other in the rushing crowd. She stumbled as someone shoved her over, making her lose her grasp on Erza who shouted her name frantically. Not even two seconds later, a bang rang out and Lucy's heart almost stopped in her chest.

"NATSU!" She heard Happy cry from somewhere in the casino. Her heart was pounding in her chest. She didn't want to believe it. No, no, no, not Natsu. Please not Natsu. A moment passed then the lights turned on, and she rushed over to Erza who stood unscathed by the round table. The man was gone.

"Behind you," a voice purred.

The man let his cards rain down as Lucy and Erza spun around to face him. In the cards were people who struggled and yelled for help. He trapped everyone inside those cards. Lucy had never seen magic like that.

"I learned magic too, sis," he stated, never once losing his smirk.

Just as Lucy was about to summon Loke, she was yanked back as a rope of some sort wrapped itself around her. She screeched as the rope bent and forced her into an uncomfortable position, a hand caught her while she struggled.

"Millianna?! You can use magic too?" Erza shouted, "let her go! Lucy is my friend!"

"Oh really, weren't we your friends too?" The blonde-haired man mused, "oh right, that was until you betrayed us."

Lucy was having a hard time keeping track of their conversation. The rope binding her tightened with each second, and she squeaked when her arms were tugged further backwards. A gun was pointed to her head for a second before Erza was abruptly shot in the back while she was reaching out for her.

Lucy screamed, a tear running down her face.

"Where the hell do you think you're going with her?! Let her go! You say that you're all old friends of hers, so why would you do this to her?!" Lucy squirmed relentlessly, pinning them with a venomous glare.

"Someone like you could never understand."

To be continued...