Sweet Starry Shadows

Meet the Dragon Within

Sweet Starry Shadows

Chapter 27: Meet the Dragon Within

Without even knowing, Lucy muttered something under her breath as she slowly opened her eyes to find herself looking up to bright, glowing green leaves which seemed to natural light made by the sun. Her eyes feeling heavy as she held her head with one hand, she sat up to find something heavy resting on her stomach in which she looked down and blushed upon.

Resting beside her upper thigh was Rogue who had his arm draped around her stomach. His mouth slightly open as he slept, he shifted uncomfortably since he was bent over from his seat to rest his head on the lounge that she was sleeping on.

For some reason, she found him sort of cute acting like this. It was as if he was allowing her to see his weakest side rather than his quiet facade. As she stared at him for a moment, she wondered why he was so protective over her for the last few passing months since they had joined.

Every time they were in near threat of being severely hurt, he would be the one to push her away before something was to happen. When she was getting tired during their pursuit, he too would always grab her hand and gently pull her along.

Was she weak to him? No, it couldn't be. If that were to be the case, he would've dropped her training with him and left her to train by herself.

No matter how much they've trained, the results would always be the same when it came to her trying to learn his magic. With that in mind, she felt useless knowing that she would never be able to become a Dragon Slayer.

"Thinking about something?" a voice interrupted, making the blonde look up to meet eyes with her dragon friend.

Everyone was still asleep as she looked down to Chaverine resting her head against Sakura's lap as she patted her head gently. The crimson leaning against the Lightning Dragon Slayer since she was situated next to him, Laxus had his arm defensively behind her head where it was holding up his head. From the looks of it, it looked like a beautiful family portrait as she stared at them in wonder.

Quietly nodding her head, she glanced over to the cage to see the man sleeping. His legs tucked into his chest as he slightly shivered to the cold floor, she ripped her eyes away from him to look back down to her friend who was now glaring at the man.

"He's not dead. I’ve told you before and I’ll repeat it again, you can lose your magic once the heart is destroyed at a certain degree..." Sakura explained before cracking her bones around her stiff neck. "Back to my question, what are you thinking about?"

Lucy sat there with her hands fiddling with each other. Biting her lips as she thought about her previous thoughts when she woke up, she let go of her lips and sighed. "Why can't I learn his magic?" she asked, knowing that the crimson would know who she was referring to.

Her eyes watching as Sakura shifted a bit where she looked up to Laxus then down to Chaverine to make sure that she hasn't woken them, she sighed in relief before turning her attention back to her. "I figured that you'd ask such a thing sooner or later, and I'm now thankful that I had time to think about it before answering you," Sakura replied. "The reason why you're unable to use his magic is due to your own magic rejecting it. You're a Celestial Spirit mage and learning something that's different must have made it reject the matter. From what I see, you have the potential for something stronger… Something like Celestial Dragon Slaying..." Sakura continued where her words left the blonde stunned.

The girl looking down to her hands, she hummed. "So, you’re telling me that I can learn Celestial Dragon Slaying?" she asked. She listened to Sakura's reply. "Yes, and what's great about that, you can also learn our magic once you're able to grasp onto it," Sakura answered to which she snapped her head up to look at her in confusion.

"So, I'll become someone like you? To be able to control more than an element?" she asked once again. Her mouth began to turn into a smile as she watched the crimson nod her head. For some reason, she felt proud of herself to know that she was capable of learning Dragon Slaying magic. Such a thing today would be impossible, but now look at her. She was going to become a Dragon Slayer! She was going to become someone worth knowing about.

The title of a Dragon Slayer suddenly halted her happy mood. That title brought one name back into her mind in which she had forgotten for many months. Her eyes widening as her lips pulled back into a frown, she looked away from the girl to ball her hands into tight fists.

She was going to be like him. Him in which had engraved itself into her heart which made it hard for her to breathe properly when in thought. 

Something bubbled inside of her as she tried to remember his face, but there was a forcing pushing her away from trying to remember, and as if her body and her mind refused such a thing from happening, she snapped out of it to sadly look over to her friend.

"Do you think that I'll be able to learn it?" she asked.

Sakura sitting there, she nodded her head. "If you want to see that for yourself, why won't we begin your training today since we'll be leaving to Fairy Tail in about three months?" she said where Lucy tipped her head to the side before Rogue adjusted himself once again.

"Why are we going there? Why there when we can go back home to Sabertooth?" she whispered as she looked down to the boy and felt an urge to run her hands through his hair. Her head tipping back up to look at Laxus, she frowned. "They fairly made it clear that they didn't want such a person to be in their guild," she continued, hoping that it'll change Sakura's mind of them going to such a place.

Her frown deepened when she heard Sakura sigh. "We have to bring the man to the closest guild so they can pick him up and bring him to the Magic Council. Don't you worry, we'll be there for a little bit and I'm sure that Sting and Rogue will protect you if they decide to bully and harm you again," Sakura reasoned to which she sadly smiled. "You should be glad that I'm postponing our meeting with them. I'm pretty sure that you're still insecure with your strengths, and that I'll be willing to make you stronger as promised."

The blonde nodding, she forced herself to smile. "I'll take your offer now," she whispered.

Sakura nodding her head, she used her magic to help herself get out of the two that was someone holding her down and sighed in relief. "Even though I can't use Celestial magic, I'll do the best I can to help you control yours," she said, watching the girl slip out of Rogue's arm.

Both of them not bothering to brush their teeth as they headed out of the cottage, they faced each other with a long space separating them in between. Lucy's mind already trying to figure out how this was going to work, it stopped to focus once Sakura began to speak out loud.

"It'll be slightly easier for you to hone this magic since you already control one aspect of its branched magics. One way to develop your capabilities of learning Celestial Dragon Slaying magic is to learn from an actual celestial dragon in which I'm unfortunately not. Another is to follow your heart and grasp onto it, which is something that I can teach you," she said.

Lucy nodding her head, she waited for Sakura's instructions. "Close your eyes and think about this… Did you know that all magic is connected to one another as it branches out like a large, still-growing, tree? Well, now you do as you find yourself standing on a thin branch. That branch is what your magic is today..." Sakura said as the blonde followed her instructions and began to focus on her magic inside of her.

"Breathe steadily and climb your way to the sturdiest branch you see. That branch which seems to branch out to where you are right now… Don't follow what you see but what you believe in and allow your body to go where it wants to go."

She did just that as she began to walk up the branch that she had found herself standing on. Following Sakura's instructions of going not based on sight but rather her heart, she felt herself being drawn to a particular direction in which she began to follow with her eyes still closed. 

That unknown force was soothing, and she found herself trusting in it as something warm engulfed her entire body.

Her eyes slowly opening to widen to the sight in front of her, she looked around to see various stars and planets swirling around her as she stood there in awe. "How beautiful," she gasped before hearing Sakura's faint voice.

"I know that you have something unimaginable flowing inside of you, and I can't pinpoint what it is. All I can tell you is this, follow what you desire, and there it'll lead you to your goal," Sakura's voice whispered before suddenly a faint roar could be heard in her mind.

Lucy looking around for the very source of the roar, her eyes stumbled across a majestic creature tending itself in the distance. Its wings large as its head lifted up as if it has noticed her presence, it slowly stood up where it bowed its head in acknowledgement.

Unknowingly, its beauty made her legs begin to walk towards it. Walking along a branch which was flimsy and seemingly unstable, she continued as her eyes remained on the creature sitting there in front of her. There was something about the thing which had drawn her to it, and as if time stopped, she stood there in silence as its light soothed her racing heart.

"Not everyone has seen me as they tried to find ways of seeking this path..." a feminine voice chimed through the empty space.

Stars twinkling as the planets surrounding them continued its orbit, the dragon slowly lowered its head where slowly, the light engulfing it started to shatter like flaking glitter. Its body dark, dark blue where its eyes were pitch black with a hypnotizing hue of blue swirling inside of it, the dragon blinked at her before lifting its head up high.

Wings stretched out to the open as it faintly sparkled, it stretched its back before looking down to the human in front of it. As if a special bond was made, it chuckled as it lowered its head back down to rub its high cheekbone against Lucy's outstretched hand.

"I had always wanted to meet my next special human. It's been a decade since I had last met my last human that will wield my powers and have complete abilities which may or may not end my life once we meet. Now here I stand in front of her daughter - Such a lovely gift from that child," the voice said where Lucy widened her eyes.

Taking her hands away from the dragon which raised its head, she gasped as she felt a surging amount of magic enter her body. Not knowing what it may be as her eyes remained locked on with the dragon's, she felt herself taking another step towards it. "Daughter?" she asked where the dragon looked at her with knowing eyes.

"You are the daughter of the Layla Heartfilia, are you not?" the dragon questioned as it eyed her movements.

The blonde nodding her head, the dragon raised its wings slightly higher. "Indeed, you are as beautiful as your mother... Child, you are blessed with my magic, and I hope that we'll meet again soon with Sakura. You are strong my child, all that you needed was a little push to lead the way," the dragon said again before disappearing within a blink of an eye.

Slowly the world around her began to shift, and within the very next blink, she found herself standing in front of a very proud Sakura. "I knew that something was special hidden within you," Sakura said as she stood there marvelling at Lucy's semi-transparent wings glowing behind her. Watching them fade into nothingness, she smiled and crossed her arms. "Shall we begin your training now, Celestial Dragon Slayer?" she soon said to which Lucy nodded her head.

"Let's begin."