Leaving to become stronger

Part Seventeen

-The next day-

It was a lovely and peaceful afternoon.

Lucy and Gray was casually chatting.

Happy was sleeping on the blonde's chest.

Walking behind them is a sulking dragon slayer.

Lucy and Gray was just at each other's throat yesterday, whether to proceed the mission yesterday or to proceed today.

Hell, they were glaring to death yesterday.

Gray single-handedly won the squabble.

But, now?

The blonde and the stripper were having a good time—giggling and chatting.

While, he can't stand it.

Can't they not see, that they're bothering him right now?

Lucy stopped walking and finally sees Natsu frowning, looking everywhere except their direction.

"Natsu? Everything okay?" she asked, concerned.

While there's a huge boulder lifted off of the dragon slayer's chest, chunk of it was still left on his shoulders.

"I'm feeling great." He sarcastically remarked, snorting, and the blonde decided to shrug it off.

Natsu sighed heavily and walked towards the blonde with the stripper.

As much as he'd like to burn the stripper's face, he decided to be civil for once just to get to talk normally to the blonde like the old times.

The pinkette was ecstatic to finally catch the attention of the celestial mage.

But, the bonding was cut short as soon as the mission site came to view.

It was a gigantic purple flower with humongous thorns around it.

The flower was producing a faint light.

It wasn't weakening, really, it was more like dying.

Lucy looked at the withering flower's state and she was determined to save it.

"Gray, let's get this started." She called and the ice mage nodded.

Handing the sleeping exceed from her chest to the salmon headed dragon slayer, Lucy and Gray positioned themselves in the middle of the flower, across from each other.

The ice mage immediately stripped, half nakedly, and changed to his demon slayer mode.

To the blonde's discomfort, she closed her eyes and changed to Leo's star dress form.

Gray was concentrating, gazing the blonde fiercely.

Lucy kept her eyes closed, her arms outstretched while a magic circle appeared underneath her.

From afar, it would look like the two mages were about to clash into a fight.

In a split second, Lucy opened her eyes and it met Gray's.

Both summoned ice and light in synchrony.

Elements of their magic clashed on the flower.

Their magic was clashing for dominance but in a friendly way.

It was surprising how Lucy's light could actually compare to Gray's ice.

Natsu was watching her in awe.

He just sat there, having a one sided death match glare with the unaware Gray.

Wishing that it was actually him that Lucy was jarring with.