Lucy didn't care where she was, but she knew that the bed was warm and fluffy and oh-so-comfortable, and as such, she didn't move from her position, only snuggling into the bed even more. It was so... so fluffly!

(No matter that 'fluffly' wasn't even a word...)

She was so comfortable that she almost forgot that she was, in fact, stuck in a magical book with her dense loudmouth of a best friend, and that she could have been sleeping in a prison for all she knew.

The thought didn't occur to Lucy for a single second as she sighed into the comforter; but it most certainly sprang into her mind when a rough hand suddenly grabbed her, yanked the blonde from the sheets, and bound and gagged her.

Lucy tried to scream and struggled fiercely, but to no avail. She could have sworn that she heard a deep male voice curse, but she was too panicked to pay any attention. Instead, as a blindfold slipped over her eyes and she was forced into silence, she wondered for the millionth time where Natsu was whenever one needed him.

Her legs were tightly tied, which was a bummer- Lucy knew that while her power didn't match up to that of her teammates' (and Erza. Oh, god, especially Erza when you had accidentally eaten her cake), she could deal a mean kick.

Lucy hated being a damsel-in-distress, but for now, she would patiently wait out the situation in hopes she could salvage it. Her captor uttered a grunt of relief that she had finally stopped struggling, and quickly raced away, feet padding along quickly, until at last she heard the quelling sound of the ocean and the boisterous talk of seamen.

(Well, she was now officially doomed, seeing as Natsu both hated water and ships.)

He actually despised anything that moved, Lucy thought bitterly, but this was in no way a pacifying thought; Natsu wouldn't be coming to save her any time soon if she were really being transported onto a ship.

Sure enough, the sounds of the waves and sailor-talk grew louder, and she was harshly dumped onto what she could only assume to be the deck of the ship. It was rocking slightly, and she was leaned against a mast; her hands were quickly tied to it.

The second Lucy's mouth was free, she spat out, "You'll never get away with this!"

"Don't try to struggle," came the monotonic reply. Lucy was shocked to hear that the voice sounded suspiciously like... Erza? If only the blindfold would be removed...!

Bitter from the distinct knowledge that she had no idea what chapter she was in (and had there ever been a Fairy Tail like this, anyway?), Lucy settled into an angry silence, suppressing an angry huff.

It seemed like forever until the ship started, but Lucy was surprised to see the blindfold removed after what may or may not have been an hour or two. She opened her mouth to shout at her captors, or perhaps sweet-talk them into untying her hands...

...but her mouth snapped quickly to prevent it from seeming like she was openly gaping like a fish. "Erza!"

The scarlet-haired woman cocked a delicate eyebrow. "You know my name?"

Now that Lucy had her vision back, she could see the planks and boards of the ship, as well as the crew that was on it. "Gray! Juvia! Cana, Elfman, Mirajane, Lisanna!" Along with them were a varying amount of other people, all that she recognized from Fairy Tail. A surge of relief- from familiarity- was quickly fought down by panic from her unfamiliar surroundings.

Each of them showed varying distaste at her knowledge of their names, but it settled into suspicion. "Oi, Erza," Cana grunted. She took a swig from her bottle. "What's with the Princess knowing our names?" Princess. Figured.

Erza smirked, amused. "You guys probably weren't as careful as you were supposed to be when stealing into the streets." Her humor quickly evaporated; a snarl replaced the smile. "When will you guys learn to behave as you should?"

Pirates, Lucy realized with a sudden rush as the crew whimpered and crept away from the threatening Erza. Pirates had kidnapped her, and she was apparently a Princess (and she was starting to get pretty sick of the damsel in distress thing). Normally, this fact wouldn't have dissuaded her, but she knew that Natsu wasn't about to come and save her if she was on a ship.

So it shocked her when Natsu's voice rang out, "aw, c'mon, Erza. B-be nice..."

She watched as the pink-haired boy staggered out- a loving smile unconsciously spread across her face (upon realizing it was there, she bashfully wiped it away) as he grinned knowingly at her, then flinched and ran to the side of the ship to throw up.

"A-as I was saying," Natsu said when he was finished, wiping his mouth with the back of his hand shakily. "Th-the Princess is our guest." His lips curled oddly at the word; the blonde looked at him in confusion.

"Guest, my ass," Cana snorted. "Don't need to pretty up the words for the girl. If she's a hostage, say she's a hostage. Dumbass."

Natsu scowled and limped over to Lucy, who was now more than wary. "You guys, give us some time to... talk." He placed emphasis on the word; Lucy bit down on her lip as the other crew members laughed and waved it off, dispersing to man the ship properly. Natsu attempted to stroll over to her, but failed miserably, falling over and tumbling in a roll to come to a stop next to her. Lucy bit back a laugh as he moaned and pushed himself up. Looked like Natsu was Natsu, no matter the situation.

"Lucy," Natsu hissed, leaning down to whisper into her ear. "Sorry 'bout this. I woke up on this ship, 'n they were calling me captain-" Natsu suddenly broke off when the boat gave a lurch, covering his hand with his mouth.

"Natsu," Lucy moaned, "if you're going to throw up, please go away!"

He wobbled a bit. Lucy attempted to face-palm, which didn't work too well, seeing as her hands were still bound.

"So, anyway," he continued after a moment (Lucy tried to flinch away from his mouth, which didn't work so well, and this being tied up thing really wasn't suiting well with her), "I woke up on the ship and kinda threw up, and I saw Mirajane being all worried about me. They were calling me, uh..."

He broke off suddenly to rush to the edge of the deck and throw up. Lucy despaired- just when he was getting to the point-!

But then, light tapping alerted Lucy to another person's approach- craning her head, Lucy was met with the sweet face of Mirajane.

...or, it would have been sweet, were Mirajane not decked out in her Satan Soul clothes, her face and demeanor varied accordingly. Lucy shuddered as Mirajane crouched down and hissed threateningly, "Don't even try to think of escaping, bitch. We're watching you."

Lucy stared in complete and utter disbelief as the woman used two fingers to point at her own eyes and then Lucy's, and strode off haughtily. She tripped over her own feet, spluttered indignantly, and continued walking. Lucy was still unable to form words when Natsu staggered back to her.

"They were calling me Sinbad," Natsu moaned once, and fainted on the deck.

She took several minutes to register the fact that Mirajane was pretty much a total demon before registering the fact that Natsu had fainted after explaining that he was supposedly Sinbad.

"Sinbad of the Seven Seas," Lucy whispered, admonishing herself for not having thought of it. Of course, it wasn't one of the most popular tales, but it was one of them nonetheless...

One that she couldn't seem to remember clearly, the blonde thought irritably as Natsu's crewmates gave Natsu one look and decided to leave him be. She knew that Sinbad was an extravagant adventurer that faced many mythical beasts for treasures, but that was about the extent of it...

She racked her brain, trying to recall anything she might have read about the story, but it played on the edges of her mind, and Natsu was being completely useless. She shot him a look as he winced with every creak from the ship.

It was hours later (Lucy was starting to become seriously sore, and Natsu was still moaning and groaning, because he just had to be the captain of a ship) when Lisanna's voice cried out, "All clear!" and the crew burst into a loud cheer. Cana gave Lucy a sly smirk.

"Looks like taking the Princess hostage so we wouldn't be fired at was a good idea," she sniggered, and slung an arm around Lucy. "You haven't been shouting or even panicking or anything, though. You're pretty brave. Kudos to you."

"Well, we're done with her now that we've cleared the port," Erza said thoughtfully. "What should we do with the girl now?"

"Throw her overboard," was Mirajane's snide reply. Lucy shuddered (she was never going to get used to this scary, different Mirajane) and weakly attempted,

"Can I be untied?"

They all exchanged looks before deciding that Lucy could do no harm, and untied her. Lucy stood up shakily, rubbing her wrists, and made for Natsu (who had moved to pitifully slumping over the edge of the ship next to the steering wheel, moaning).

"Is it really alright for her to be talking to the captain?" Lisanna asked her sister in a loud aside that had Lucy biting down on her tongue to keep from replying.

"Doesn't matter," remarked Mirajane. "It's not like she can do anything. Look at those noodle-arms."

Lucy twitched, inspecting her arms as subtly as she could before deciding that they were perfectly fine, thanks very much, and stomped up to Natsu.

"Hey, snap out of it," Lucy groaned, shaking Natsu. A man walked up next to her- Macao, she recognized- and laughed at her attempts as he took the wheel.

"Forget about him," Macao said with a grin. "Sinbad's always like this."

"O-okay..." Lucy said, withdrawing hesitantly. She had wanted answers, but seeing as how Natsu was very clearly not coherent (unless she somehow managed to decipher his babbles), she supposed that Macao would do; he didn't seem hostile, in any case. "So where are we going?"

"You shouldn't trouble yourself with that, Princess," Macao said lightly. Her title was almost an insult rolling off his tongue, and Lucy bristled. "We're gonna be dumping you somewhere the first chance we get, mind you. It shouldn't matter to you."

"Well," Lucy snapped, "if it doesn't matter, then it wouldn't hurt telling me, would it?"

He paused as if considering this, and offered her a grin. "You've got spirit, girl. I like that."

She waited, tapping a foot impatiently as Natsu shakily stood up and swayed from side to side, scarf breezing in the wind, carefree- Natsu obviously didn't share the same sentiments.

"We're gathering up the stars," Macao said with a wink, and gestured broadly at the vast sea; the sun was setting, giving the waters a gorgeous hue that Lucy appreciated momentarily before the sound of Natsu retching ruined it.

"Gathering the stars?" She puckered her lips, somehow getting the feeling that she knew where this was going.

"Princess," the older man mocked, "have you really not heard of the twelve Ecliptic Treasures of the sea?"

Lucy pouted at that; twelve? If they were going to be stuck in this chapter throughout the duration of finding twelve legendary treasures, she and Natsu could indeed be stuck in this chapter for a long time...

Mistaking her pout for confusion, Macao continued, "There are supposedly twelve hidden treasures, one for each of the zodiacs, hidden amongst the islands around here. No one has found them, but..." he paused thoughtfully. "There has been a myth of a Princess who would eventually be born with the ability to find them."

Lucy gave him a very pointed look; he smiled obliviously back until she said, exasperated, "You know, I happen to be a Princess." Lucy struck a pose for emphasis (that failed comically when the boat rocked and she tottered over).

Macao gave her a patient smile that obviously showed he had no idea what she was talking about. Natsu, for once, was the one to shed light on the matter as he flubbed over to the two.

"She could be the legendary.... Princesss...." Natsu warbled helpfully; Lucy gave him two reassuring pats on the back as he collapsed. Erza walked over to him and, so nonchalantly Lucy couldn't believe the woman was actually doing it, she kicked Natsu's groin.

The poor pink-haired boy let out a high-pitched, girly shriek and promptly fainted.

Lucy had to suppress a snort as Erza shrugged Natsu over her shoulder. "It's better this way, after all. Besides, it'll only be a little longer before Wendy prepares the mixture."

"Wendy? Mixture?" Lucy echoed, playing the part of the oblivious Princess- it was enjoyable to be able to flutter her eyelashes dramatically, and-

Erza ignored her; Lucy sulked. After a moment of inspecting Natsu for signs of consciousness, Erza said, "Wendy's our healer. She usually mixes up a mixture of herbs to cure his motion sickness for a while, but since she says he'll grow immune to it if he takes it too much, he can only take it once in a while."

Lucy grinned- it was just like Earthland, after all- and trailed after Erza as the scarlet-haired woman led the blonde to the lower decks of the ship with Natsu still twitching spastically over her back. It was dark but somehow retained the inviting feel of the Fairy Tail guild- there were even scorch marks on several walls, undoubtedly from Natsu.

Erza made a point to hit the said boy a few times to get him to stop thrashing whenever he stirred; Lucy couldn't help but feel pity for him.

They stepped into a small cabin, and Lucy was mildly surprised to see Wendy in a womanly body rather than that of a little girl's, pleasantly smiling and greeting Erza.

"It's finished," Wendy said lightly, taking Natsu from the older woman's arms gently. Lucy stared in consternation as Wendy offered the sickly Natsu a smile so gentle that- oh god, it was different from Earthland, so freakin' different- Lucy couldn't help but bite down her lip, wanting to say something, but was unable to form the words.

Wendy of Earthland, the little dragonslayer, was an adorable little girl who obviously shared a familial bond with Natsu and Gajeel- brothers and sister; that was how almost all of the guild saw their endearing interaction. But watching this womanly, beautiful Wendy, Lucy couldn't help but feel that this Wendy's feelings for Natsu were far from that of a sister's.

Her long hair swept gracefully over her shoulder as she carefully cradled Natsu and spooned an odd-smelling mixture down his throat. He hacked several times before managing to swallow it, and the effect was immediate. Lucy watched as he slowly popped open one eye; then another, and leapt up in celebration.

"Wendy! Thank you so much!" He grabbed the petite woman and hugged her- a lovely smile spread over her face as Wendy returned the hug (and the hug practically emanated a brother-sister bond, yet Lucy couldn't stop herself from being suspicious).

"You'd think that this was the first time I'd helped you," she laughed. Natsu grinned sheepishly as he pulled back. His hands were still on her porcelain skin.

Lucy couldn't suppress the gnawing feeling in her gut as she watched the scene. Somehow, she wanted to scream at Wendy, or claw at her, or-

-no, that was terrible! What was she thinking? Lucy averted her eyes to the wooden planks as Natsu turned to the blonde and gave her a bright smile that would normally have her laughing in return. She grimaced in his general direction instead, though Natsu remained oblivious and quickly dragged her out of the cabin and into the cramped halls.

"Let me go," Lucy muttered, just loud enough for his keen ears to catch. Natsu gave her a curious look, but released her hand slowly. Together, they walked back out onto the open deck. The sea breeze curled her tresses around her face in a comfortable embrace, but she couldn't bring herself to stop... to stop being so angry. She glanced at Natsu (who was just as happily ignorant as ever), and pushed out her bottom lip in irritation.

"So, the fairy tale?" Natsu prompted when she didn't speak for a while. She let out a sigh- no getting around this.

"Sinbad the Sailor," she bit out. "You ever hear of it?"

"What?" Natsu paused, his eyebrows furrowing adorably (and no, bad Lucy! She was supposed to be mad at him, for crying out loud) before saying, "no, I don't think Igneel ever read something like that to me-"

She let out an aggravated sigh and slumped against the rails of the deck, peeking through the spaces to gaze at the sea- was it her, or was something in sight?

Natsu plopped down next to her, frowning. "What's wrong, Lucy? Is something bothering you?"

"No," she said, much too quickly to be convincing. Natsu's frown dipped even lower, but just then, there was a shout from the crow's next.

"Sinbad!" Lisanna's voice soared throughout the ship. "An island!"

Natsu immediately jumped and climbed up the shrouds, springing himself upwards past the mizzenmast and into the nest in singular, fluid motions. Lucy couldn't help but envy his athletic ability, just like she couldn't help but envy Wendy's ethereal beauty-

Lucy curled up and pouted into her legs. She was not jealous. Not jealous. Not jealous. Not jealous-

"You alright, Princess?" Lucy looked up to see Erza standing over her, hands on her hips. The blonde bit her lip before shaking her head and standing up. Her conflicted feelings could be dealt with later; for now, getting out of the chapter (and away from that accursedly beautiful Wendy- no, stop) was first and foremost.

"I'm alright," she lied. She knew Erza saw through it, but she barreled right on through anyway, "so are we going to stop here?"

"To search for the treasure," Erza nodded. "I'm not sure what makes Sinbad think he can find a legendary treasure on islands that hundreds of people have searched through before, but he always pulls through in the end." She paused briefly, and added, "He always does. He's very reliable."

There was a tone of admiration in the scarlet-haired woman's voice that Lucy didn't like, and the blonde searched Erza's serious eyes momentarily before looking away to watch as the island neared her view. Was Erza, too, enamored with Natsu...?

"I'm overreacting," Lucy groaned, burying her face into her arms, folded across the railings. She knew that Earthland Wendy and Erza had nothing but familial bonds with Natsu (so why didn't she?), but this wasn't Earthland, and their tones struck Lucy as anything but familial (despite the nagging voice in her head that insisted she was just reading too much into things)...

"Are you sure you're alright?" Erza's voice broke her thoughts, and Lucy nodded weakly at the touch of concern she had heard. Erza nodded tightly before going to help with the preparations.

Lucy watched the waves roll by, biting down on her lip. There was no way she was actually jealous. Sure, she and Natsu had been through a lot before, but to be jealous? Of Erza, and Wendy-? The girl craned her head up to the crow's nest, where Natsu was talking animatedly to a laughing Lisanna, and felt the heavy feeling kick in once more. Not just them, but Lisanna as well? All three were beautiful women that she couldn't possibly compete with-

-and oh, god. Her thoughts did not just go there. Lucy clenched her teeth; Natsu was a friend, and certainly not someone she would compete for romantically! A friend, a friend, nothing more and nothing less-

"Lucy!" Natsu leapt over the side of the nest and slid down the shrouds easily to grab her and jump off the ship before she could protest. The blonde mage stifled a shriek as he clutched her hand to his (and it was warm and comfortable- wait, no-). They easily cleared the last meter to the island's silky sand- the dragonslayer caught Lucy in his arms and set her upright, blushing and stuttering.

"W-what was that?" She demanded furiously. "No warning o-or anything-!" Natsu shrugged, giving her a toothy grin.

"No matter. You want to get out of the chapter right?" He watched as she nodded slowly, and laughed. "Then the best way is to hurry up and accomplish what seems to be the storyline so we can get out of the book and back home."

Lucy felt her own lips twitch upward at his enthusiasm- it wasn't going to be as easy as he said, (and she couldn't even remember how thick the book had been!) but she knew he was right. She had to focus on their goal before her own petty feelings.

"Right," she laughed in response, forcing herself to ease up (because she wasn't jealous. At all). "Where do we start?"

The pink-haired boy looked at her blankly. "I dunno. I thought you would know..."

Lucy hissed.

Natsu chuckled throatily before producing a map from... (well, she didn't even want to go there) of the current island they were on as well as the surrounding ones, and Lucy saw that all twelve of them were very oddly small, and placed in a pattern that was peculiarly familiar... was it her, or was her expertise as a stellar spirit mage telling her that the islands seemed to be placed in a pattern similar to that of a constellation...?

"If I were a treasure, where would I hide myself?" Natsu asked aloud, stroking an invisible mustache. Lucy attempted to kick him and failed epically.

Natsu's- Sinbad's- crew began to pile onto the beach; Natsu issued a brief, confident order for them to split up in groups and scour the island. With a cocky grin, he grabbed Lucy and ran off deeper into the island without sparing his crew a second glance.

"Sinbad certainly seems enamored with that Princess," Lisanna said, a sly grin spreading over her face. "It's kinda cute~"

"It's about time that thick boy showed interest in the opposite gender," Wendy sighed fondly, curling a finger in her locks. Erza nodded in approval.

"He'll probably screw it up, knowing his idiotic tendencies," the scarlet-haired woman snorted. Lisanna scoffed teasingly and the three went off to obey their captain's orders.

___________________________

Lucy didn't care where she was, but she knew that the bed was warm and fluffy and oh-so-comfortable, and as such, she didn't move from her position, only snuggling into the bed even more. It was so... so fluffly!

(No matter that 'fluffly' wasn't even a word...)

She was so comfortable that she almost forgot that she was, in fact, stuck in a magical book with her dense loudmouth of a best friend, and that she could have been sleeping in a prison for all she knew.

The thought didn't occur to Lucy for a single second as she sighed into the comforter; but it most certainly sprang into her mind when a rough hand suddenly grabbed her, yanked the blonde from the sheets, and bound and gagged her.

Lucy tried to scream and struggled fiercely, but to no avail. She could have sworn that she heard a deep male voice curse, but she was too panicked to pay any attention. Instead, as a blindfold slipped over her eyes and she was forced into silence, she wondered for the millionth time where Natsu was whenever one needed him.

Her legs were tightly tied, which was a bummer- Lucy knew that while her power didn't match up to that of her teammates' (and Erza. Oh, god, especially Erza when you had accidentally eaten her cake), she could deal a mean kick.

Lucy hated being a damsel-in-distress, but for now, she would patiently wait out the situation in hopes she could salvage it. Her captor uttered a grunt of relief that she had finally stopped struggling, and quickly raced away, feet padding along quickly, until at last she heard the quelling sound of the ocean and the boisterous talk of seamen.

(Well, she was now officially doomed, seeing as Natsu both hated water and ships.)

He actually despised anything that moved, Lucy thought bitterly, but this was in no way a pacifying thought; Natsu wouldn't be coming to save her any time soon if she were really being transported onto a ship.

Sure enough, the sounds of the waves and sailor-talk grew louder, and she was harshly dumped onto what she could only assume to be the deck of the ship. It was rocking slightly, and she was leaned against a mast; her hands were quickly tied to it.

The second Lucy's mouth was free, she spat out, "You'll never get away with this!"

"Don't try to struggle," came the monotonic reply. Lucy was shocked to hear that the voice sounded suspiciously like... Erza? If only the blindfold would be removed...!

Bitter from the distinct knowledge that she had no idea what chapter she was in (and had there ever been a Fairy Tail like this, anyway?), Lucy settled into an angry silence, suppressing an angry huff.

It seemed like forever until the ship started, but Lucy was surprised to see the blindfold removed after what may or may not have been an hour or two. She opened her mouth to shout at her captors, or perhaps sweet-talk them into untying her hands...

...but her mouth snapped quickly to prevent it from seeming like she was openly gaping like a fish. "Erza!"

The scarlet-haired woman cocked a delicate eyebrow. "You know my name?"

Now that Lucy had her vision back, she could see the planks and boards of the ship, as well as the crew that was on it. "Gray! Juvia! Cana, Elfman, Mirajane, Lisanna!" Along with them were a varying amount of other people, all that she recognized from Fairy Tail. A surge of relief- from familiarity- was quickly fought down by panic from her unfamiliar surroundings.

Each of them showed varying distaste at her knowledge of their names, but it settled into suspicion. "Oi, Erza," Cana grunted. She took a swig from her bottle. "What's with the Princess knowing our names?" Princess. Figured.

Erza smirked, amused. "You guys probably weren't as careful as you were supposed to be when stealing into the streets." Her humor quickly evaporated; a snarl replaced the smile. "When will you guys learn to behave as you should?"

Pirates, Lucy realized with a sudden rush as the crew whimpered and crept away from the threatening Erza. Pirates had kidnapped her, and she was apparently a Princess (and she was starting to get pretty sick of the damsel in distress thing). Normally, this fact wouldn't have dissuaded her, but she knew that Natsu wasn't about to come and save her if she was on a ship.

So it shocked her when Natsu's voice rang out, "aw, c'mon, Erza. B-be nice..."

She watched as the pink-haired boy staggered out- a loving smile unconsciously spread across her face (upon realizing it was there, she bashfully wiped it away) as he grinned knowingly at her, then flinched and ran to the side of the ship to throw up.

"A-as I was saying," Natsu said when he was finished, wiping his mouth with the back of his hand shakily. "Th-the Princess is our guest." His lips curled oddly at the word; the blonde looked at him in confusion.

"Guest, my ass," Cana snorted. "Don't need to pretty up the words for the girl. If she's a hostage, say she's a hostage. Dumbass."

Natsu scowled and limped over to Lucy, who was now more than wary. "You guys, give us some time to... talk." He placed emphasis on the word; Lucy bit down on her lip as the other crew members laughed and waved it off, dispersing to man the ship properly. Natsu attempted to stroll over to her, but failed miserably, falling over and tumbling in a roll to come to a stop next to her. Lucy bit back a laugh as he moaned and pushed himself up. Looked like Natsu was Natsu, no matter the situation.

"Lucy," Natsu hissed, leaning down to whisper into her ear. "Sorry 'bout this. I woke up on this ship, 'n they were calling me captain-" Natsu suddenly broke off when the boat gave a lurch, covering his hand with his mouth.

"Natsu," Lucy moaned, "if you're going to throw up, please go away!"

He wobbled a bit. Lucy attempted to face-palm, which didn't work too well, seeing as her hands were still bound.

"So, anyway," he continued after a moment (Lucy tried to flinch away from his mouth, which didn't work so well, and this being tied up thing really wasn't suiting well with her), "I woke up on the ship and kinda threw up, and I saw Mirajane being all worried about me. They were calling me, uh..."

He broke off suddenly to rush to the edge of the deck and throw up. Lucy despaired- just when he was getting to the point-!

But then, light tapping alerted Lucy to another person's approach- craning her head, Lucy was met with the sweet face of Mirajane.

...or, it would have been sweet, were Mirajane not decked out in her Satan Soul clothes, her face and demeanor varied accordingly. Lucy shuddered as Mirajane crouched down and hissed threateningly, "Don't even try to think of escaping, bitch. We're watching you."

Lucy stared in complete and utter disbelief as the woman used two fingers to point at her own eyes and then Lucy's, and strode off haughtily. She tripped over her own feet, spluttered indignantly, and continued walking. Lucy was still unable to form words when Natsu staggered back to her.

"They were calling me Sinbad," Natsu moaned once, and fainted on the deck.

She took several minutes to register the fact that Mirajane was pretty much a total demon before registering the fact that Natsu had fainted after explaining that he was supposedly Sinbad.

"Sinbad of the Seven Seas," Lucy whispered, admonishing herself for not having thought of it. Of course, it wasn't one of the most popular tales, but it was one of them nonetheless...

One that she couldn't seem to remember clearly, the blonde thought irritably as Natsu's crewmates gave Natsu one look and decided to leave him be. She knew that Sinbad was an extravagant adventurer that faced many mythical beasts for treasures, but that was about the extent of it...

She racked her brain, trying to recall anything she might have read about the story, but it played on the edges of her mind, and Natsu was being completely useless. She shot him a look as he winced with every creak from the ship.

It was hours later (Lucy was starting to become seriously sore, and Natsu was still moaning and groaning, because he just had to be the captain of a ship) when Lisanna's voice cried out, "All clear!" and the crew burst into a loud cheer. Cana gave Lucy a sly smirk.

"Looks like taking the Princess hostage so we wouldn't be fired at was a good idea," she sniggered, and slung an arm around Lucy. "You haven't been shouting or even panicking or anything, though. You're pretty brave. Kudos to you."

"Well, we're done with her now that we've cleared the port," Erza said thoughtfully. "What should we do with the girl now?"

"Throw her overboard," was Mirajane's snide reply. Lucy shuddered (she was never going to get used to this scary, different Mirajane) and weakly attempted,

"Can I be untied?"

They all exchanged looks before deciding that Lucy could do no harm, and untied her. Lucy stood up shakily, rubbing her wrists, and made for Natsu (who had moved to pitifully slumping over the edge of the ship next to the steering wheel, moaning).

"Is it really alright for her to be talking to the captain?" Lisanna asked her sister in a loud aside that had Lucy biting down on her tongue to keep from replying.

"Doesn't matter," remarked Mirajane. "It's not like she can do anything. Look at those noodle-arms."

Lucy twitched, inspecting her arms as subtly as she could before deciding that they were perfectly fine, thanks very much, and stomped up to Natsu.

"Hey, snap out of it," Lucy groaned, shaking Natsu. A man walked up next to her- Macao, she recognized- and laughed at her attempts as he took the wheel.

"Forget about him," Macao said with a grin. "Sinbad's always like this."

"O-okay..." Lucy said, withdrawing hesitantly. She had wanted answers, but seeing as how Natsu was very clearly not coherent (unless she somehow managed to decipher his babbles), she supposed that Macao would do; he didn't seem hostile, in any case. "So where are we going?"

"You shouldn't trouble yourself with that, Princess," Macao said lightly. Her title was almost an insult rolling off his tongue, and Lucy bristled. "We're gonna be dumping you somewhere the first chance we get, mind you. It shouldn't matter to you."

"Well," Lucy snapped, "if it doesn't matter, then it wouldn't hurt telling me, would it?"

He paused as if considering this, and offered her a grin. "You've got spirit, girl. I like that."

She waited, tapping a foot impatiently as Natsu shakily stood up and swayed from side to side, scarf breezing in the wind, carefree- Natsu obviously didn't share the same sentiments.

"We're gathering up the stars," Macao said with a wink, and gestured broadly at the vast sea; the sun was setting, giving the waters a gorgeous hue that Lucy appreciated momentarily before the sound of Natsu retching ruined it.

"Gathering the stars?" She puckered her lips, somehow getting the feeling that she knew where this was going.

"Princess," the older man mocked, "have you really not heard of the twelve Ecliptic Treasures of the sea?"

Lucy pouted at that; twelve? If they were going to be stuck in this chapter throughout the duration of finding twelve legendary treasures, she and Natsu could indeed be stuck in this chapter for a long time...

Mistaking her pout for confusion, Macao continued, "There are supposedly twelve hidden treasures, one for each of the zodiacs, hidden amongst the islands around here. No one has found them, but..." he paused thoughtfully. "There has been a myth of a Princess who would eventually be born with the ability to find them."

Lucy gave him a very pointed look; he smiled obliviously back until she said, exasperated, "You know, I happen to be a Princess." Lucy struck a pose for emphasis (that failed comically when the boat rocked and she tottered over).

Macao gave her a patient smile that obviously showed he had no idea what she was talking about. Natsu, for once, was the one to shed light on the matter as he flubbed over to the two.

"She could be the legendary.... Princesss...." Natsu warbled helpfully; Lucy gave him two reassuring pats on the back as he collapsed. Erza walked over to him and, so nonchalantly Lucy couldn't believe the woman was actually doing it, she kicked Natsu's groin.

The poor pink-haired boy let out a high-pitched, girly shriek and promptly fainted.

Lucy had to suppress a snort as Erza shrugged Natsu over her shoulder. "It's better this way, after all. Besides, it'll only be a little longer before Wendy prepares the mixture."

"Wendy? Mixture?" Lucy echoed, playing the part of the oblivious Princess- it was enjoyable to be able to flutter her eyelashes dramatically, and-

Erza ignored her; Lucy sulked. After a moment of inspecting Natsu for signs of consciousness, Erza said, "Wendy's our healer. She usually mixes up a mixture of herbs to cure his motion sickness for a while, but since she says he'll grow immune to it if he takes it too much, he can only take it once in a while."

Lucy grinned- it was just like Earthland, after all- and trailed after Erza as the scarlet-haired woman led the blonde to the lower decks of the ship with Natsu still twitching spastically over her back. It was dark but somehow retained the inviting feel of the Fairy Tail guild- there were even scorch marks on several walls, undoubtedly from Natsu.

Erza made a point to hit the said boy a few times to get him to stop thrashing whenever he stirred; Lucy couldn't help but feel pity for him.

They stepped into a small cabin, and Lucy was mildly surprised to see Wendy in a womanly body rather than that of a little girl's, pleasantly smiling and greeting Erza.

"It's finished," Wendy said lightly, taking Natsu from the older woman's arms gently. Lucy stared in consternation as Wendy offered the sickly Natsu a smile so gentle that- oh god, it was different from Earthland, so freakin' different- Lucy couldn't help but bite down her lip, wanting to say something, but was unable to form the words.

Wendy of Earthland, the little dragonslayer, was an adorable little girl who obviously shared a familial bond with Natsu and Gajeel- brothers and sister; that was how almost all of the guild saw their endearing interaction. But watching this womanly, beautiful Wendy, Lucy couldn't help but feel that this Wendy's feelings for Natsu were far from that of a sister's.

Her long hair swept gracefully over her shoulder as she carefully cradled Natsu and spooned an odd-smelling mixture down his throat. He hacked several times before managing to swallow it, and the effect was immediate. Lucy watched as he slowly popped open one eye; then another, and leapt up in celebration.

"Wendy! Thank you so much!" He grabbed the petite woman and hugged her- a lovely smile spread over her face as Wendy returned the hug (and the hug practically emanated a brother-sister bond, yet Lucy couldn't stop herself from being suspicious).

"You'd think that this was the first time I'd helped you," she laughed. Natsu grinned sheepishly as he pulled back. His hands were still on her porcelain skin.

Lucy couldn't suppress the gnawing feeling in her gut as she watched the scene. Somehow, she wanted to scream at Wendy, or claw at her, or-

-no, that was terrible! What was she thinking? Lucy averted her eyes to the wooden planks as Natsu turned to the blonde and gave her a bright smile that would normally have her laughing in return. She grimaced in his general direction instead, though Natsu remained oblivious and quickly dragged her out of the cabin and into the cramped halls.

"Let me go," Lucy muttered, just loud enough for his keen ears to catch. Natsu gave her a curious look, but released her hand slowly. Together, they walked back out onto the open deck. The sea breeze curled her tresses around her face in a comfortable embrace, but she couldn't bring herself to stop... to stop being so angry. She glanced at Natsu (who was just as happily ignorant as ever), and pushed out her bottom lip in irritation.

"So, the fairy tale?" Natsu prompted when she didn't speak for a while. She let out a sigh- no getting around this.

"Sinbad the Sailor," she bit out. "You ever hear of it?"

"What?" Natsu paused, his eyebrows furrowing adorably (and no, bad Lucy! She was supposed to be mad at him, for crying out loud) before saying, "no, I don't think Igneel ever read something like that to me-"

She let out an aggravated sigh and slumped against the rails of the deck, peeking through the spaces to gaze at the sea- was it her, or was something in sight?

Natsu plopped down next to her, frowning. "What's wrong, Lucy? Is something bothering you?"

"No," she said, much too quickly to be convincing. Natsu's frown dipped even lower, but just then, there was a shout from the crow's next.

"Sinbad!" Lisanna's voice soared throughout the ship. "An island!"

Natsu immediately jumped and climbed up the shrouds, springing himself upwards past the mizzenmast and into the nest in singular, fluid motions. Lucy couldn't help but envy his athletic ability, just like she couldn't help but envy Wendy's ethereal beauty-

Lucy curled up and pouted into her legs. She was not jealous. Not jealous. Not jealous. Not jealous-

"You alright, Princess?" Lucy looked up to see Erza standing over her, hands on her hips. The blonde bit her lip before shaking her head and standing up. Her conflicted feelings could be dealt with later; for now, getting out of the chapter (and away from that accursedly beautiful Wendy- no, stop) was first and foremost.

"I'm alright," she lied. She knew Erza saw through it, but she barreled right on through anyway, "so are we going to stop here?"

"To search for the treasure," Erza nodded. "I'm not sure what makes Sinbad think he can find a legendary treasure on islands that hundreds of people have searched through before, but he always pulls through in the end." She paused briefly, and added, "He always does. He's very reliable."

There was a tone of admiration in the scarlet-haired woman's voice that Lucy didn't like, and the blonde searched Erza's serious eyes momentarily before looking away to watch as the island neared her view. Was Erza, too, enamored with Natsu...?

"I'm overreacting," Lucy groaned, burying her face into her arms, folded across the railings. She knew that Earthland Wendy and Erza had nothing but familial bonds with Natsu (so why didn't she?), but this wasn't Earthland, and their tones struck Lucy as anything but familial (despite the nagging voice in her head that insisted she was just reading too much into things)...

"Are you sure you're alright?" Erza's voice broke her thoughts, and Lucy nodded weakly at the touch of concern she had heard. Erza nodded tightly before going to help with the preparations.

Lucy watched the waves roll by, biting down on her lip. There was no way she was actually jealous. Sure, she and Natsu had been through a lot before, but to be jealous? Of Erza, and Wendy-? The girl craned her head up to the crow's nest, where Natsu was talking animatedly to a laughing Lisanna, and felt the heavy feeling kick in once more. Not just them, but Lisanna as well? All three were beautiful women that she couldn't possibly compete with-

-and oh, god. Her thoughts did not just go there. Lucy clenched her teeth; Natsu was a friend, and certainly not someone she would compete for romantically! A friend, a friend, nothing more and nothing less-

"Lucy!" Natsu leapt over the side of the nest and slid down the shrouds easily to grab her and jump off the ship before she could protest. The blonde mage stifled a shriek as he clutched her hand to his (and it was warm and comfortable- wait, no-). They easily cleared the last meter to the island's silky sand- the dragonslayer caught Lucy in his arms and set her upright, blushing and stuttering.

"W-what was that?" She demanded furiously. "No warning o-or anything-!" Natsu shrugged, giving her a toothy grin.

"No matter. You want to get out of the chapter right?" He watched as she nodded slowly, and laughed. "Then the best way is to hurry up and accomplish what seems to be the storyline so we can get out of the book and back home."

Lucy felt her own lips twitch upward at his enthusiasm- it wasn't going to be as easy as he said, (and she couldn't even remember how thick the book had been!) but she knew he was right. She had to focus on their goal before her own petty feelings.

"Right," she laughed in response, forcing herself to ease up (because she wasn't jealous. At all). "Where do we start?"

The pink-haired boy looked at her blankly. "I dunno. I thought you would know..."

Lucy hissed.

Natsu chuckled throatily before producing a map from... (well, she didn't even want to go there) of the current island they were on as well as the surrounding ones, and Lucy saw that all twelve of them were very oddly small, and placed in a pattern that was peculiarly familiar... was it her, or was her expertise as a stellar spirit mage telling her that the islands seemed to be placed in a pattern similar to that of a constellation...?

"If I were a treasure, where would I hide myself?" Natsu asked aloud, stroking an invisible mustache. Lucy attempted to kick him and failed epically.

Natsu's- Sinbad's- crew began to pile onto the beach; Natsu issued a brief, confident order for them to split up in groups and scour the island. With a cocky grin, he grabbed Lucy and ran off deeper into the island without sparing his crew a second glance.

"Sinbad certainly seems enamored with that Princess," Lisanna said, a sly grin spreading over her face. "It's kinda cute~"

"It's about time that thick boy showed interest in the opposite gender," Wendy sighed fondly, curling a finger in her locks. Erza nodded in approval.

"He'll probably screw it up, knowing his idiotic tendencies," the scarlet-haired woman snorted. Lisanna scoffed teasingly and the three went off to obey their captain's orders.

"Natsuuu," Lucy whined. "We've been at this for hours."

"I'm sure it's around here somewhere," Natsu chortled, stopping to check the bushes once in a while. "And I'm definitely going to find it! I'll beat Erza to it, too!" He watched as the spirit mage's face fell a little at the mention of Erza, but brushed it off. She was probably tired or something...?

"But we've searched almost everywhere," she pressed. "The treasure isn't in the cliffs or caves or waterfalls or most of the trees, and I'm sure that most of the crew is finished searching for the day-"

"Lucy," Natsu said very suddenly, coming to an abrupt stop to turn and study her face. She shifted uncomfortably, making him grin amusedly. "It's okay if you can't keep up. If you're tired, I'll just carry you."

He watched a blush work its way across her face, wondering for the umpteenth time why she was blushing (it couldn't be that she-? Nah, Lucy didn't think of him that way, and he was still confused from that weird Sleeping Beauty chapter).

"I-I'm heavy," Lucy warned.

"And I'm strong," he huffed, stepping towards her. They were standing in front of a waterfall, and she seemed to notice that they were nearing the water's edge with a nervous laugh. "C'mon. If you're tired..."

"I-i-i-it's okay!" She stuttered out, taking another step back. Natsu grinned wickedly.

"Or could it be," he wondered aloud, "that your breath smells or something, and you don't want me to smell it?"

Lucy twitched and took a moment to take off her shoe and heave it at his head; the slipper bounced off without much of any impact. "Y-you idiot! You really can't understand a single thing I'm thinking, can you?"

"Of course not," Natsu blinked, stepping closer, arms outstretched. "You're such a weirdo-"

Lucy took another step back and tripped over the edge between the land and the water's surface; Natsu assessed and reacted, instinct taking over as he reached out for her-

A little too late, though. The two toppled into the water and were swept away by the currents. It was just wonderful, Natsu realized, because Wendy's herbal mix had long since worn off, and he felt a wave of nausea wash over him as his body went limp.

Lucy seemed to realize this, and gripped his body to hers tightly (his face was getting squished in her ginormous-) as they hurtled down the waterfall. Natsu suppressed a feeling of what seemed to be a need to vomit and embarrassment (though he had seen her assets up and close many times, so it wasn't that different, was it?).

The blonde, however, did scream loudly. They plunged into a (conveniently placed) lake headfirst, Lucy gripping Natsu into her chest with a death grip.

Natsu took a moment to recover from the feeling of constant movement as he took Lucy's hand and they started to swim to the surface, when his eyes caught a blurred darkness in the water in the face of the lake...

Natsu gestured to Lucy; they surfaced once, took a deep breath, and plunged into the murky depths once more.

It seemed like his lungs would burst, but the two finally surfaced in a small cave, inhaling deeply. "AIR!" He celebrated, climbing onto the cave floor in relief.

Lucy was coughing but seemed otherwise alright. "Where are we? You don't think that this could be where the treasure is?"

He scoffed lightly. "Of course. What else could it be? You were with me, and I wouldn't have found it if you weren't there."

She cocked an eyebrow. "No, I'm pretty sure you would have found it either way."

"Well, you were there to hold on to me," he grinned. "And if you weren't there, I wouldn't have found the motivation to get back up!"

She was blushing again, he noted. She really was weird. He studied her face for a moment- he hadn't given much thought towards any romantic possibilities involving her, but now, alone in a small space, he couldn't help but wonder...

The thought made a blush of his own faintly whisper across his cheeks; he scowled and turned his attention to the small pool of water that was in the center of the dim chamber.

"This... is...?" Lucy touched the surface, and it rippled lightly under her touch.

At that moment, a slim hand suddenly broke through and clutched Lucy's hand, dragging her into the pool.

"LUCY!" Natsu roared, and frantically attempted to dive in after her.

His blood ran cold when all his hand felt was slick mud.

Lucy couldn't hold her breath any longer; she opened her mouth and gasped for air, expecting cold water to rush in (and how could a tiny little pool of water be so deep), but was surprised that her lungs were relieved. Listening to her heart slowly calming down now that she could breathe, all she could tell was that she was surrounded by water...

"You looked pretty stupid with your cheeks all round when you were holding your breath."

"Aquarius!" Lucy gasped, and turned around towards the source of the voice, squinting. She could barely make out the form of Aquarius in the water.

"Damn straight, brat," Aquarius swam closer and eyed Lucy with a revulsion that had Lucy squirming.

"U-uh, so, what's going... on?" She attempted. Aquarius shook her head disbelievingly.

"You had the gall," the spirit hissed, "to get yourself sucked into a fucking magical book, you idiotic brat!"

Lucy's jaw dropped. Aquarius reached out and slammed it shut; Lucy narrowly avoided getting her tongue bitten.

"You piss me off," the mermaid-like spirit continued. "We're spirits. We live in another world entirely- no, in the freakin' stars- no fucking way we'd be affected by a magic as weak as this-"

"Loki was," Lucy reminded. The spirit glared.

"That freak is an exception," Aquarius hissed, and then gave a pause. "That, or a really good actor. It's hard to tell with that guy."

Lucy groaned at the memory of the first chapter. "Look, Natsu and I are supposed to be looking for a treasure-"

"Oh, and don't even remind me of that pink-haired sissy!" Aquarius threw up her hands in annoyance; it sent a little wave of water towards Lucy, who was confused at the reaction. That was quickly explained with Aquarius'; "I've been waiting ever since you two met for you guys to get together!"

If Lucy was surprised before, this new shock blew her mind. "Wha-?"

"Don't you 'wha' me!" was the hissed reply. "You two were meant to be, and it's no fun lording the fact that I have a boyfriend and you don't when there's so much sexual tension between you and that fire-spewing idiot, and-"

"Wait, wait," Lucy spluttered indignantly, "what do you mean, 'sexual tension'?"

"Oh please," the stellar spirit snorted. "Anyone with two eyes can see that you two have the hots for each other. That pink-haired brat is the most idiotic person alive, and even I can tell he likes you. And I've only seen him like, what, three times?"

"You're kidding me," the spirit mage groaned. "We're friends, nothing-" she stopped when she realized that her train of thought was following her thoughts earlier in the day. Mental images of Wendy, Erza, and Lisanna flashed in her mind's eye, and she couldn't bring herself to finish her sentence.

Aquarius momentarily gloated in Lucy's silence before giving her a gentle (but loving- and it still managed to hurt) slap across the face.

"A-Aquarius?"

"You. Like. Him." Aquarius snarled. "Can't you get it in your head, you moron?" The blonde's mind froze, digesting the idea.

She.

Lucy.

Actually liked...

Natsu...?

Like THAT?

Aquarius once again lightly 'tapped' Lucy before breathing out, "Please, Lucy. You're not as dumb as that idiot, though you're still pretty bad. Don't tell me you haven't realized that you two are perfect for each other in your stupidity?"

Lucy looked at her spirit with a small smile threatening to break out. "Was that... actually something almost nice coming from you?"

Aquarius scowled, embarrassed, and Lucy allowed a fond smile of her own as Aquarius continued. "Whatever. I'm sure you've already figured it out, but the twelve 'treasures' are just the golden keys. But they're pointless to the actual plot of the story."

"Wait," Lucy blinked. "You know the plot of the story-?"

"Of course I do," Aquarius smirked.

"Then what-?"

"And I'm not telling you." Aquarius vanished with a laugh; Lucy felt something small and metallic in the palm of her hand amidst the water, and opened her mouth to say something, perhaps berate Aquarius in hopes she would hear...

But instead, water rushed in and filled Lucy's lungs and she panicked, thrashing; in the confusion, a strong, muscled hand gripped her arm and pulled her out, dripping. The blonde's eyes met with Natsu's own concerned ones, and she immediately choked with relief. Water spilled out of her mouth (Natsu unceremoniously pounded Lucy's back) and she coughed for a good five minutes until she regained her breath.

"Lucy, are you okay?"

She grinned, absorbing the details of his face- the pink hair wasn't that girly, really, and he wasn't bad looking, either... had she been in denial, after all? Had she actually been jealous of her nakama? The idea was... well...

"I found the treasure," she held out her hand, and revealed Aquarius' golden key. Natsu snorted.

"You mean your keys are actually...?" He seemed disappointed that the treasure wasn't a pile of gold coins of some sort. "That kinda sucks."

"Yeah, it's stupid, right?" She giggled at his fallen face- he was kinda cute, after all- and silently hoped that the other keys wouldn't be as hard... "Actually, speaking of which," she wondered aloud, "Aquarius mentioned something about the keys not being necessary to the plot or something."

Natsu was obviously curious about how Lucy had managed talked to her stellar spirit in a tiny pool of water, but decided instead to query, "Then do ya know how we're getting out of this chapter?"

"I don't know. But we'll just do things your way, right?" Lucy grinned. "Straightforward and taking things as they go."

Natsu brightened at the idea. "Well, duh." He offered a toothy grin.

The blonde stellar spirit mage returned it with a reassuring smile in and then sighed. If nothing else, Aquarius had been right... Natsu grabbed her hand and they took a deep breath before plunging into the water to return to Sinbad's crew.

Natsu was indeed the densest person that had ever existed, Lucy sulked silently. It had been... difficult enough admitting that she, ah liked, him, but... Getting Natsu to realize that she actually liked him?

She was so screwed.