Archive of Our Own ^beta

Chapter Text

Master Makarov stared, white-faced, at the smoldering ruins of half the guild hall. While much of the guild stood by in tense silence, Gildarts burst forth from the rubble, and a certain pink-haired dragon slayer pointed a finger at him and cackled joyously.

“HAHAHA, I got you good, old man!”

“You’ve gotten stronger, Natsu,” Gildarts praised with a grin as he dusted himself off. “Maybe one of these days I’ll unload my full strength on you, and we can go head to head for real.”

“Whatever,” Natsu retorted dismissively, his tone still one of glee, “you’re just sayin’ that because you’re embarrassed I beat you. Now who’s the strongest wizard in the guild?”

Natsu proceeded to crow victoriously while Makarov’s shoulders rose, his clenched fists trembling. The rest of the guild members in the hall stepped fearfully away from their master as if he were a powder keg about to explode. The diminutive old man swelled in size until he was a giant towering over all of them. The targets of his rage remained wholly oblivious—that is, until the master opened his mouth.

“NATSU! GILDARTS!” his voice boomed. This was enough to wipe the smiles off the aforementioned wizards and drain the color from their faces. “YOU RECKLESS CHILDREN!”

Gildarts timidly held up a finger and started, “I’m not a ch—”

“ENOUGH!” Makarov interrupted. “YOU SHOULD KNOW BETTER, GILDARTS! AND NATSU…” The younger wizard flinched at the sound of his name. “…HOW MANY TIMES ARE YOU GOING TO BE AT THE CENTER OF OUR GUILD HALL’S DESTRUCTION?!”

Natsu sputtered nonsense for a moment, red in the face, before jabbing a finger in Gildarts’ direction and declaring, “He started it!”

In response to this, Makarov said nothing further, but instead let out a growling roar and lifted each of his gargantuan fists in the air before sending them crashing down upon the two culprits. This stage of punishment complete, the old man then shrank back to his normal form, but his scowl bore every bit of ferocity as it had when he was a giant. Natsu and Gildarts groaned and twitched pathetically as crumpled heaps on the floor.

Among the crowd of guild members steering clear of the scene, Lucy winced sympathetically. “Master Makarov is really mad this time…”

“You really did it this time, Natsu,” Happy agreed grimly as he hovered behind her.

Next to Lucy, Cana raised her arms in a decidedly unsympathetic shrug. “Those two idiots had it coming. We all rough up the guild hall from time to time, but they took it too far. This place is a mess.” That was Cana: harsh as ever, even when it came to her own cataclysmic father.

Makarov, staring down his prey, crossed his arms. “How do you two plan on paying for all these repairs?” he asked, his voice less of a roar but still harsh.

Natsu flipped onto his hands and knees, brow furrowed. “Hang on; we have to pay for this?!” Next to him, a keg sat behind the partially-demolished bar and poured forth a steady stream of frothy beer.

“You’re the ones who caused the damage, aren’t you?” the master barked in reply. “Who else did you think was going to pay for it?”

“B-But all the times in the past when the guild hall got wrecked, we all chipped in to fix it,” Natsu replied. A portion of wall that had been putting up a valiant effort to remain standing finally gave way and crumbled to the floor in a cloud of dust. Natsu’s head snapped toward the sound then back to Makarov. His changing expression revealed he was only just now internalizing the extent of the damage he had caused.

Gildarts heaved a sigh and rubbed the back of his neck. “I guess I can dip into my savings to cover my half. Sorry, Cana; I’m going to have to put our special daddy-daughter vacation on hold.”

Cana scoffed and snapped back at him, “I already told you I don’t want to go to some dumb amusement park with you!”

A pout overtook Gildarts’ lips. “What about taking our picture together on the Nightmare Drop? And sharing shaved ice? And me winning a giant teddy bear for you?!”

“WE’RE NOT DOING ANY OF THAT!” Cana shouted, causing her father to sink further into despair.

Meanwhile, a growing look of panic overtook Natsu’s face. “Just how much are we talkin’ here?”

Gildarts managed to reign in his heartache enough to crawl over to Natsu and whisper a number in his ear. The dragon slayer’s jaw dropped, and his eyes bugged out of his head. “HUH?!” he screeched, sitting upright. “But I don’t have that kind of cash!!”

Makarov closed his eyes, unsympathetic. “Well then, you’d best get to work. There are plenty of jobs on the board.”

The color drained from Natsu’s face, his shoulders slumped, and it seemed like his very soul had departed his body. Happy flew over to him and offered a supportive pat on the shoulder but could also be heard saying ‘I’m not giving up any fishies to get you out of this.’

While the fire wizard and his destructive idol sat reeling on the floor, an unfamiliar figure stepped into the guild hall over the pile of rubble that used to be the doorway.

“Um…excuse me?”

A handsome young man lifted a hesitant hand in greeting. “Is this the Fairy Tail guild?” He wore simple but refined attire, everything pressed and orderly, his dark locks combed neatly back, overall in stark contrast to the disorder around him. His eyes, dark as his hair, scanned the small crowd and widened when they fell upon Makarov, and a smile overtook his lips. “Ah, you’re Master Makarov. So this is Fairy Tail.”

“You are correct,” the master replied. He spared a glance over his shoulder to an empty spot on the back wall. Normally, a huge tapestry bearing the Fairy Tail emblem would be hanging there as a dead giveaway, but it had been one of the casualties of Natsu’s scuffle with Gildarts. All that remained of it now were smoldering tatters. “I apologize for the mess. Are you a reporter? Or a wizard, perhaps?”

The stranger shook his hands in front of him. “Oh, no, nothing like that!” he laughed sheepishly. “I’m just a really big fan, that’s all.” The young man took another step into the guild hall, his bright smile seemingly indelible despite the scene of chaos he’d wandered into. “I have to admit, I didn’t know much about your guild before, even though I’ve spent my whole life in Magnolia,” he explained, “but then I witnessed your upset victory at the Grand Magic Games firsthand, and…” He hesitated, but his smile grew wider. “I guess you could say I’ve become obsessed! I’ve been reading all about guild: its history, the members, famous jobs you’ve done…you’re all so amazing!”

Off to the side, a gentle blush brushed across Lucy’s cheeks. This guy’s earnest admiration was honestly a little endearing. He apparently had nothing but respect for the guild, even upon walking in on a day where it had effectively self-destructed.

“We are honored to be held in such high esteem,” Makarov replied politely. “Perhaps you can return to the guild hall on a day when there isn’t such disarray,” he fiercely accentuated the word, “and I’m sure some of our wizards would be happy to speak with you.”

“Y-yes,” the young man answered with a humble nod, though his gaze tracked across the field of debris and fell upon the two wizards responsible. After a moment, his smile deepened in recognition. “Gildarts Clive…and Natsu Dragneel! Right?! This is so exciting! You two are legendary!”

Gildarts offered a slightly chagrined smile and nod in greeting, though Natsu appeared to still be dead to the world. Maybe his soul really had left his body when he realized how much work he had ahead of him.

“They’re legendary, alright,” Makarov said, without the same tone of praise as the stranger had. “Always causing destruction wherever they go.” As if on cue, a piece of crumbling ceiling tile came crashing down to sit atop the pile of debris like a cherry on top of a rubble sundae.

The young man chuckled sheepishly. “I have heard that…” It must have been fairly obvious to him at this point who was responsible for this particular iteration of the guild hall’s destruction. His brow twitched as he noticed Natsu’s numb stupefaction. “Is he…okay?”

“Aye, he’s just in shock,” Happy replied. The Exceed had come to rest upon Natsu’s bed of pink hair, causing the latter to slump forward even more. “The master just told him he has to pay for the damages he caused, and he’s gonna have to work his tushie off for months to earn enough. He’s probably thinking about how he won’t be able to afford food. And how hungry he’ll be.” Happy seemed to be making a point of emphasizing the he over the we, as if to reiterate that he, Happy, was not about to go hungry all because of his best friend’s impulsive behavior. The two of them had stuck together through thick and thin, but when it came to food, it seemed, it was every man—and cat—for himself.

A new voice spoke up from the crowd. “Come on, this is ridiculous!” Lisanna stepped forward, hands on her hips. “Master, can’t we just all chip in like we normally do? You’re always saying that we’re a family. Well, families help each other out! Right, everyone?” She turned her head to petition the crowd and got a mixed bag of mostly lackluster enthusiasm in response. It seemed everyone was growing tired of digging into their own pockets to clean up after the most reckless of their guild mates.

“I’m not giving up a cent for that hothead,” said Gray from his perch against the wall at the back of the crowd. “He made this mess, and he can pay for it.”

“You’ve caused plenty of damage to the guild hall in the past, yourself,” Erza interjected sternly, “or have you forgotten? And didn’t Natsu help with repair costs all those times?”

“That’s because he was breaking stuff right there with me!” Gray snapped in return, raising a clenched fist. He backed down instantly when his response was met with a severe glare from the scarlet-haired wizard, terrified of her retribution, but something in his deep frown said he still had no plans to make a charitable donation on behalf of his longtime friend and rival.

“Lisanna is right,” Erza continued. “How can we call ourselves a guild if we don’t come together in times like this?”

‘Times like this’? Lucy sighed. Erza spoke as if this was like the time Phantom Lord destroyed the old guild hall, not like the reckless intra-guild brawl it actually was. The celestial wizard wasn’t sure she agreed with Erza and Lisanna or not. On the one hand, she felt that some amount of accountability needed to be demanded of guild members, or this would keep happening again and again. On the other hand, it wasn’t like she wanted Natsu to go hungry…

Gildarts stared at his guild mates, silently imploring them to give in and support the repair effort. Even Natsu had rallied somewhat, his eyes filled with cautious hope that he might be spared from his awful fate.

Just as a heated debate began to erupt, the stranger near the doorway spoke up, “If I may, perhaps…I could pay for the repairs?”

Every head in the guild hall turned to face the young man.

“HUUUUH?!”

“Young man, that’s quite an offer,” Makarov replied after the initial roar of shock had dissipated, “but these hooligans must be taught a lesson. Besides, the repairs will be quite costly.” That much would have been apparent the moment the newcomer stepped into the building without using a door.

“I have the money,” the stranger insisted, leaning forward with a hand pressed against his chest, his dark brow raised. “Please, allow me to help. Fairy Tail is the pride of Magnolia; no one here should ever have to worry about making ends meet. Please,” he repeated, “it would make me so happy to provide assistance. Think of it as a tip from an adoring fan!”

At this point, Natsu sprang to his feet and bounced enthusiastically up to Makarov’s side. He grinned and held his arm out toward the stranger, his thumb pointing stiffly upward. “We’ll do anything for a fan!” he declared, as if it was he who was offering up a monumental favor, not the other way around.

“Not so fast, Natsu,” Makarov said, quite efficiently causing the young wizard’s grin to disappear. The guild master eyed the newcomer skeptically. “Just who are you?”

A light breeze carried fresh air in through the gaping holes in the walls of the structure. The young man pivoted at the waist into a respectful bow. “Kavan Andoss. Pleased to make your acquaintance…all of you.”

In the crowd, Cana repeated the name to herself under her breath. Lucy, having no fraction of recognition upon hearing the name, leaned toward her guild mate and whispered curiously, “Do you know who this guy is?”

“I’m not sure who this guy is,” Cana replied in an equally hushed tone, “but ‘Andoss’ is the name of a family that runs a huge import and export shipping operation down in Hargeon. I did a short job for them a while back. They’re rich…like, crazy rich.”

“O-oh,” Lucy whispered back in surprise. She looked back at the young man as he straightened out of his bow. Handsome, a huge fan of Fairy Tail, and rich? Okay, so, what was wrong with him?!

“’Andoss,’ huh?” Makarov replied. “Well, then I know you at least have the means to back up that generous offer of yours. That being said, I’m afraid I will still have to decline.”

“WHAT?! No! Come on, Gramps!” Natsu whined in renewed panic. He pressed his hands together, lowered his head, and pleaded, “Please, I swear I won’t mess up the guild hall ever again! I’ve learned my lesson, I promise!”

Makarov seemed more or less unmoved by Natsu’s histrionics, but instead continued to address Kavan directly. “It is rare for someone to bestow such a gift without there being some strings attached,” he stated bluntly, “and I would prefer to keep the guild out of any new debts.”

Lucy bit her lip, struck by what seemed like a pretty rude response to an ostensible act of charity. But, the master had a point. Wasn’t it likely this young man would ask for something in return, if not now, then someday down the road?

“Oh, no, there are no strings attached!” Kavan reassured them, holding his hands up in innocence. “This would be a gift, not a loan, I swear it.” He paused, and a wave of reluctance swept over his expression. “B-but I do have…one small request.” His lowered his arms and began interweaving his fingers nervously. “If I pay for the repairs, I-I’d like to…to take one of your wizards out on a date.”

Natsu paused in his whimpering to glance over at Kavan with narrow eyes. “Oh, so you’re that kind of guy.”

“N-no!” Kavan sputtered. A slight flush overtook his face. “It’s not like that, I swear! I-It’s just dinner, and that’s it. No f-funny business.”

As if he were a faucet running hot and cold—or, in Natsu’s case, hot and scalding—the fire wizard straightened up once again, his eyes gleaming. “Alright, then! Step right up and select your Fairy Tail lad-aaaay! Do you want our smokin’ hot poster girl, Miiiiiiirajane Strauss?” He gestured dramatically at the white-haired staple of the guild hall.

“Natsu—” she began angrily, but he immediately cut her off.

“Oooooor are you lookin’ to spice things up with the mighty Titania, Eeeeeerza Scarlet?!” He gestured once again.

Erza’s clenched fists began to shake. “Natsu…”

“Or are you lookin' for a different flavor altogether?” Natsu pressed on. “Cool down with our resident ice wizard, Graaaaay Fullbuster!”

“STOP ACTING LIKE A PIMP, NATSU!” Gray bellowed.

Master Makarov did the honors of shutting Natsu up by bringing his giant hammer of a fist down on the latter’s head with a thwack! Natsu moaned, this having been the second time in the past twenty minutes that Makarov’s hand of judgment had come quite literally crashing down on him.

Kavan scratched the back of his head, his cheeks tinged with an even deeper shade of pink. “While I am looking forward to officially meeting all of them,” he said, “there’s someone else I had in mind.”

Makarov raised an eyebrow. “And who is it that you’re so desperate to meet?”

Kavan’s head tilted forward slightly, and a shy smile tugged at the corners of his mouth.

“Lucy Heartfilia.”

Chapter Text

Lucy scowled at her reflection in the bathroom mirror as she snapped her tube of mascara shut. Subtle pink eyeshadow. Rosy lips. A sweeping updo, courtesy of Cancer. An elegant midnight navy wrap dress with long, flowing sleeves. She looked sexy. Stunning.

The young woman gripped the porcelain edges of her bathroom sink and emitted a growl of frustration. Why the hell was she doing this?!

As ready as she was ever going to be, Lucy grabbed her satin silver clutch and keys and left the sanctuary of her apartment behind her.

Stupid Natsu. All his whining and begging had worn her down, and she agreed to this date just to shut him up. She had briefly debated sending Gemini in her stead, but she had a feeling they wouldn’t be able to maintain the deception throughout the evening. Plus, it wasn’t like this guy was bad-looking or anything, right? Maybe it wouldn’t be torture to be treated to a nice dinner…

No! Lucy’s cheeks blew out in indignation as she strode down the cobblestone street. She refused to give Natsu the satisfaction of enjoying even a shred of this farce. He wouldn’t have to fork over any jewels for the guild hall repairs, but he was going to pay one way or another. She’d make sure of that. Didn’t he even care that he’d pushed her into a date with this guy? They were…partners. He was supposed to care…just a little…

Lucy approached their agreed-upon meeting spot, a bridge over the canal connecting East and West Birch Street, and saw her date standing in the middle, gazing out over the water. That is, he probably intended to appear like he was contemplating the view, but really it was obvious he was sneaking glances left and right every other second, searching for his date. That being the case, Lucy had barely come into view before Kavan noticed her, and he quickly shuffled off the bridge to meet her in the street.

The young man extended a single red rose toward her. “For you,” he said, a slight flush on his cheeks.

“Thanks,” Lucy said with a forced smile as she took the flower from him. She gave the rose an obligatory sniff then slowly twirled the stem between her thumb and forefinger in the ensuing silence.

“You, uh,” Kavan began, his blush deepening, “you look really lovely.”

“Thanks,” Lucy replied. “You…do, too. Look nice, I mean.” She wasn’t exactly lying. The guy was…quite handsome. More slender than she was used to, being surrounded by a guild full of muscles, but that wasn’t so bad. He wore dark pants and a dark collared shirt with a tan blazer, all perfectly tailored to his form. His appearance came across as thoughtful and refined without flaunting his wealth. Then there were those dark eyes. She really liked them for some reason.

Kavan rubbed the back of his neck. “I have to admit, I’m a little surprised you agreed to come to dinner with me.”

“Well, it’s not the worst thing I’ve had to do to get that idiot out of trouble,” Lucy replied with a shrug, somewhat tongue in cheek.

“Still, my request was a bit impulsive. I would have provided assistance no matter what, it’s just…” His gaze shifted in embarrassment. “I really, really wanted to take you out. I’m sorry if I’ve made you uncomfortable.”

Lucy could not fight the blush that crept over her own cheeks. “Can I ask…why me? There’s lots of pretty girls in Fairy Tail.”

Kavan’s eyes returned to her face, his smile a bit sly. “You are beautiful,” he agreed, “and strong. But there’s something else that’s special about you. I haven’t quite figured out how to put it into words, exactly, but…I saw it at the Grand Magic Games. You have…more heart than anyone else I’ve ever seen.”

Lucy’s heart fluttered in response to the blunt praise, but a shade of embarrassment also gripped her expression. “Right…you mentioned you were at the Games. How embarrassing. Those weren’t exactly my finest moments.”

“Win or lose, it doesn’t matter,” Kavan argued; “you fought so fiercely, and you never gave up. Besides, the battles didn’t look particularly fair from where I was sitting.” He extended a bent arm toward her. “Trust me; you were amazing. Now, if you’re ready, shall we head to the restaurant?”

Lucy’s blush deepened. ‘You…were amazing.’ Natsu had said those exact words to her after she’d lost her battle against Flare.

After a brief moment of hesitation, the young celestial wizard took Kavan’s arm and allowed him to escort her to the main stop of their dinner date.

*     *     *

The front door of Lucy’s apartment swung open hours later, admitting its dazed tenant into its unlit main room. She tossed her apartment keys onto the table against the wall and hit the light switch, only to find an uninvited guest slumped over in her armchair. The intruder in question groggily blinked his eyes open and held up a limp hand in greeting.

“Yo.”

“Natsu, what are you doing here?” Lucy sighed. He’d done this so many times that it no longer startled her the way it used to, but nonetheless, her mind was so preoccupied that he caught her by surprise.

“I was waitin’ for ya to come back after your date—” the words came out amid a yawn “—but I guess I fell asleep.”

“Hiya, Lucy,” came another groggy voice, and the blue cat to whom it belonged emerged from underneath a blanket next to the armchair.

Lucy sighed again wearily as she set her clutch bag on the table next to her keys. “You two will never change, will you? No sense of boundaries.”

Natsu leaned forward in his chair, pressing his palms into the front edge of the seat cushion. “I felt kinda bad for forcin’ you into this, so I thought we’d check up on you.” His lips broke into a grin and he added, “I owe ya one, Lucy!”

“Yeah, yeah,” Lucy mumbled, kicking off her heels.

“So, how was the date, Lucy?” Happy asked.

“Yeah; he didn’t try anything, did he?” Natsu added. “I bet he was super boring.” His grin had taken on a certain mischievous quality. “Well, at least it’s over now! He already gave Master Makarov the money, so you never have to go out with him again!”

“Actually,” Lucy retorted indignantly, “I do plan on seeing him again.”

Natsu tilted his head, and his grin dropped from his mouth like a weight. “Huh?” His eyes fell to her hands as he noticed the red rose she still clutched by the stem.

“He’s coming by the guild hall the day after tomorrow to meet some more Fairy Tail members, and I agreed to take a walk around Magnolia with him afterward.” As she spoke, Lucy moved to sit on the edge of her bed.

The dragon slayer’s brow furrowed and he leaned over the arm of the chair toward Lucy. “What’s the deal? He said all you had to do was go on one date with him! Why is he forcing you to—”

“He’s not forcing me to do anything!” Lucy interrupted. She then relaxed her shoulders from their heightened state and a blush crossed over her cheeks. “He’s actually…really sweet. We had a nice time.”

Natsu crossed his arms, a dubious tilt to his chin. “If you say so…”

“Lucy’s in loooove,” Happy teased in a singsong voice.

“Shut up, cat!” Lucy barked. “And will the two of you go home? I’m tired, and I want to get ready for bed—in peace.”

Natsu grumbled in response but clambered out of the armchair and pulled the blanket off Happy. “Come on, buddy,” he mumbled, and the two of them ventured toward the front door. Before exiting the apartment, Natsu spared one last glance over his shoulder and asked, “You’re…okay, right?”

Lucy’s expression softened somewhat in response to his genuine concern, and she nodded with a small smile. “Yeah. Now get out of here, dummy.”

Once the two of them had departed, Lucy fell onto her back with a heavy sigh. She brushed a blonde ringlet out of her face and stared up at the ceiling, the back of her hand coming to rest on her forehead. In her other hand, she held the rose against her chest. This evening had…not gone as she expected. Not in the slightest. She spoke no lies to Natsu; she had enjoyed her evening with Kavan.

After the initial awkwardness had passed, she discovered he was actually really pleasant and easy to talk to. He was polite and earnest, maybe a little boring, but through no fault of his own; he’d grown up incredibly stifled by his family, particularly his father. She knew a thing or two about that. She got the impression Kavan had been forced to bottle up his true self, to turn away from his passions, for most of his life. He had been very interested to hear about her own story of running away from home and becoming a Fairy Tail wizard of her own volition. It seemed that he, too, craved such a metamorphosis. But as it stood, he was currently responsible for overseeing the activities of his family’s business, the Hargeon Shipping Company, in and out of Magnolia. His mother lived in Hargeon on a semi-permanent basis—the sea air was good for her health, she believed—and these days his father spent most of his time in the port city, as well. Kavan had two older sisters, both married and living elsewhere, and one older brother who also lived in Hargeon, helping to manage sea-bound transport. Other than a small staff of servants, he lived all alone in Magnolia. Lucy found this a little sad, but as Kavan told her more about himself, she realized his current circumstances had granted him an unprecedented kind of freedom. Without the constant oversight of his father, and so long as he fulfilled his duties to the family business, the young man was free to spend his off-hours pursuing interests that had been forbidden all his life.

Lucy slid her hand down toward her eyes to block out the light on her ceiling. Growing up in the lap of luxury, but with a distant parent who would gladly mold you into their own ideal rather than allow you to be yourself…that story was all too familiar. Maybe that was one of the things that attracted her to Kavan. He could understand that part of her better than anyone in Fairy Tail ever could. Including…

Urging herself to sit upright, Lucy glanced over at her desk. She could shower and get ready for bed, but she was fairly certain sleep would not ensue. Her mind a cloud of swirling thoughts, she knew she needed to dump some of it out if she ever wanted to get any rest. The young celestial wizard rose from her bed with a renewed smile and made her way over to the desk. She slid the rose into a small vase on the shelf and admired it for a moment.

It had been a while since she’d written her mother a letter.

Chapter Text

Tapapapap. Tapapapap. Tapapapap.

Gray’s eyes squeezed shut. His jaw clenched. His brow twitched.

“WILL YOU CUT THAT OUT, MAN?!”

Natsu’s attention, which had been drifting far, far away, snapped back to the present. He looked up to find his old friend and rival glaring at him from across the wooden dining table. “Huh?” he responded, completely clueless.

“If you keep drummin’ your fingers on the table like that, I’m gonna lose my mind,” Gray complained. The ice wizard stabbed at a clump of scrambled eggs with his fork and shoved it into his mouth. “I’d like to enjoy my breakfast in peace,” he added, his words rounded by a mouth full of food. As if on cue, two blue-clad arms reached out from behind and draped over his shoulders, causing his eyes to grow wide.

“Gray, my darling!” Juvia sighed contentedly upon enveloping the object of her desire within her embrace. “You’re so responsible, making sure you start your day with a well-rounded meal! Maybe one day I can cook it for you—anything you like, my love!”

Gray’s face turned a shade of red, though whether from embarrassment or irritation, it wasn’t clear. He attempted to shrug Juvia’s arms off his shoulders, but to little success. “Yeah, well, maybe you can convince this idiot to eat something. He’s just been sitting there spacing out and annoying the crap out of me.”

“Whatever,” Natsu grumbled. He turned his head away from his untouched breakfast to stare toward the entrance of the guild hall with his chin resting on his fist. A gaping hole in the wall still marked the entryway, though the stone frame which would eventually harbor their new front doors had been reconstructed. A new door seemed a little silly, considering they hadn’t yet repaired the other gaping hole on the side of the building. While most of the debris had been cleaned up by now, it was still readily apparent that the guild hall had been heavily abused.

Happy glanced up at his friend, confirmed upon inspection that Natsu was in fact completely disinterested in eating, then slid Natsu’s plate across the table and tackled its contents with gusto. “Try to get him to eat if you want to,” he said while chewing, “but he’s been like this for days.”

“It’s bad manners to talk with your mouth full,” Juvia told Happy sternly.

The cat frowned at her and retorted, “Yeah? Then why didn’t you say that to Gray when he was doing the exact same thing just a minute ago?”

They continued to argue, Juvia standing up for Gray with infallible loyalty, but Natsu stopped listening to the words. A light breeze wafted into the guild hall via its various temporary openings and gently tousled the salmon pink locks that bordered his forehead. With the hand that wasn’t supporting his head, he played with one of the tails of his scarf, weaving his fingers in and out of the folds in the fabric. Things weren’t the same around here these days, but it had nothing to do with architectural changes.

“…because Lucy’s been off with that guy all the time.”

Natsu’s attention snapped once more back to the table upon hearing Happy utter Lucy’s name. He looked down at his blue friend, who had by now cleared both of their plates, and Happy shrugged with a grin and turned back to Gray and Juvia, as well as…Erza? When had she sat down?

“See what I mean? It’s the only thing that will even get his attention.”

“What’s the big deal?” Gray asked. “So Lucy’s dating some rich guy. Eventually, the novelty will wear off and she’ll be back. She’s gotta get bored with him eventually.”

“My love,” Juvia piped up, her tone thick with hesitant concern, “what are you saying? Surely, when a man and a woman spend a lot of time together, it is also a possibility that they cultivate their love until it becomes a beautiful garden that they may share for the rest of their lives?!”

Gray’s face paled. “Uhhh-I…uh, sure, I guess they could also…fall in love…and get married, or somethin’…” He looked deeply uncomfortable.

Erza chuckled and dabbed her lips with a napkin. “Whatever happens, that will be Lucy’s decision. But it sounds to me like Natsu is a little jealous that Lucy is spending so much time with someone else.”

“I am not!” Natsu objected, now drawn fully back into the present by the unsolicited psychoanalysis. “I just…there’s somethin’ I don’t like about the guy.”

Gray barked a laugh. “That’s rich, considering he saved your ass by fronting the money for all these repairs. Don’t you think you owe him a little?”

“He didn’t do it for me,” Natsu retorted; “he did it so he could get his hands on Lucy.” His bottom lip curled out in some cross between a pout and a scowl.

“Maybe Lucy wants his hands on her,” a coy voice said from behind. Natsu spun in his seat to find Cana standing next to their table with a sly arch to her brow. “Come on; he’s not half bad to look at, and he’s completely doting on her. I’m sure that’s a nice change of pace from all you numskulls here at the guild.”

“Thanks a lot,” Gray retorted sarcastically.

“Gray, my love,” Juvia told him, “she didn’t mean to include you!”

“I absolutely did,” Cana said, her tone flat, as she swung her leg over the bench and joined them at the table.

Juvia was not to be deterred in her praise of the ice wizard. “You are complete marriage material!” she told him. “Any woman would be lucky to be by your side!” The young woman blinked, her earnest expression morphing into one of panic. “B-but you shouldn’t give them a second glance! No other woman could love you as much as I do!”

Natsu grunted in annoyance and excused himself from from the table without a word, while the others continued chattering. He passed through the empty entryway, then through the front gate, and leaned back against one of the gate’s pillars, crossing his arms over his chest.

Morning light set a happy glow across the city. The streets were far from empty, with the citizens of Magnolia en route to their jobs, or perhaps the market. Children walked to school. Some people strolled simply to enjoy the morning air. The fresh breeze carried with it the scent of freshly baked bread from a nearby bakery.

Natsu glanced left. Then right. No sign of Lucy.

He huffed out a sigh and his gaze fell to the cobblestone road beneath his feet. Lucy had barely been at the guild for almost two weeks! Okay, that wasn’t entirely true—they’d even been on a couple of small jobs together since her first date with that Andoss jerk—but she wasn’t around nearly as often. She was the one always complaining about barely being able to pay her rent every month, and here she was, avoiding work! Maybe…that guy was paying it for her.

“Tch.” Natsu kicked at a loose stone and watched as it bounced erratically across those still set into the ground. What happened to being partners? Lucy was supposed to be here, supposed to go on jobs with him. Supposed to eat breakfast at the guild hall with him…a-and the others. Was there something sketchy going on? Or did Lucy just really like this weakling for some reason?

Natsu tipped himself forward from the pillar. “Whatever,” he muttered. “Time to go grab a job, I guess.”

He had made it halfway up the path back toward the guild hall entrance when he heard her voice calling for him.

“Natsu!” Lucy came running up through the gate, her blonde pigtails bouncing, with a smile as bright as the morning sun. She stopped by his side, panting. “Good; I’m glad you’re here! What do you say we go on a job today?”

Natsu blinked at her. Despite his sour mood, he was unable to fight the smile that broke out at his lips. She had that effect, somehow. That infectious smile. “…Yeah…let’s do it!”

“Great!” Lucy gave him a thumbs up. A rosy flush tickled her cheeks as she caught her breath. “I could really use a little extra cash.”

The two of them started side-by-side toward the guild entrance.

“Behind on rent again?” Natsu asked.

“No, I’ve got that covered—for once,” Lucy answered with a breathy laugh. “It’s actually the reason I’m running a little late this morning. I saw a beautiful dress in the window of a shop, so I went inside to ask about it. Turns out it’s a little more expensive than I expected, but…I just have to get it. So, let’s pick a job with a great reward!”

An image flashed across Natsu’s mind of Lucy wearing some new fancy dress and walking off arm-in-arm with Kavan Andoss. Everything she wore was always so revealing. He’d bet Andoss would love that.

The sour mood descended again, almost instantly.

“Why don’t you get your new boyfriend to buy it for ya?” Natsu asked, his tone unmistakably bitter, whether or not he meant it to be.

Lucy’s stride faltered. “Huh? N-No way! If I want something, I’m gonna work for it.”

Crap. Natsu spun on his heels and flashed her the most convincing grin he could muster. “I’m just teasin’ ya, Lucy! Now let’s go pick out a job!” He turned back toward the guild hall before she could answer with anything more than a weak chuckle.

Lucy stayed a step or two behind him for the rest of their short trek inside.

“There she is!” came Cana’s singsong voice after they entered. She sprang from the table and bounced over to Lucy, draping an arm heavily over the latter’s shoulders. “I’m dying to hear some details about you and Kavan!”

There was that anger, flaring up again. “We’re busy,” Natsu objected. He tried to usher Lucy along. “Gotta work.” The last thing he wanted to hear right now was a bunch of ooey-gooey, lovey-dovey details about the dates that had been keeping Lucy away from the guild.

“I’m sure she can spare a few minutes,” Cana insisted. “Come on, Lucy; I haven’t had a date in ages, and I want to live vicariously through you. Spare no juicy details.”

Lucy blushed. “I-I don’t know…”

A new challenger stepped into the fray. Short and petite, but as formidable as any other. “Actually, I’d like to hear about it as well,” Levy said. She stepped up to them with a sweet smile, her fingers loosely interlaced behind her back.

Lucy’s blush deepened; she was clearly flustered. “It’s kind of embarrassing, you know?” She held her hands up to her cheeks and closed her eyes with a dreamy sigh. “I have to admit, it is nice. He’s such a romantic!”

Natsu’s eyes rolled high, and he walked away before any more of this babble could worm into his ears. To be honest, he wasn’t sure exactly why this bothered him so much. This certainly wasn’t the first time he’d heard Lucy talk about this kind of stuff. She was always going on and on about romance, about wanting a boyfriend, blah blah blah. But that’s all it had been: talk. Now she was actually dating someone—were the two officially ‘dating’? He had no idea what the distinction was—and it felt different. Some guy was taking up her time and attention. Spoiling her. Touching her…

The dragon slayer crossed his arms in front of the job board and stared at the various pieces of paper posted across it. He stared and stared, but the words refused to register in his brain. The fire in his chest, the tightness in his jaw—those were his dominant sensations. Damn it, why couldn’t he read?! Natsu sighed in exasperation, managed to internalize a number printed in bold—50,000 jewel—and snatched the paper from the board.

Lucy, Cana, and Levy were still talking when he made it back over to them, but Natsu, without missing a beat, grabbed Lucy’s hand and tugged her away from the group.

“Wha—Natsu!” Lucy sputtered in surprise, tripping over her feet as she fought to regain balance after the unexpected movement.

“Come on; we’re goin’ on a job,” Natsu informed her, waving the job posting still clutched in his other hand as he dragged her along.

“Jeez, you don’t have to be so…Natsu, would you let go of me?!”

Natsu did release her hand, but he had already tugged her all the way outside. Lucy looked back at him with knitted brow for a moment, but then the tension in her face released, and she heaved a sigh.

“Alright; I did come here asking you to go on a job with me. What do we got?”

Natsu glanced down at the job request, then back up at Lucy. He extended the paper to her with a shrug.

“I dunno.”

Chapter Text

“Ugh…I’m so hungry,” Natsu moaned pathetically. The dragon slayer walked hunched over, his arms wrapped over his growling stomach.

“You’re the one who skipped breakfast,” Lucy replied with a shrug. In truth, she had also missed breakfast, and the thought of a square meal sent her mouth watering, but they had a job to do. They could eat when it was done.

This was a simple enough job: an escort mission. They were headed to a small farming village in the foothills. According to the job description, there were bandits roaming around this area, and the client wanted to ensure the driver was able to safely deliver his cargo to the village and return with exchanged goods. The cargo itself was entirely uninspiring to look at: plain wooden crates of varying size, constructed of splintering wood that had been pried open and resealed countless times. Neither did the ox-driven cart, with its loose rear wheel that rattled with irritating rhythm, scream of riches or treasures. Nonetheless, according to the driver, the delivery contained a number of essentials for the villagers, and the bandits weren’t picky about who they targeted.

The plump, aging man who drove the oxen, Durost, was hardly a conversationalist. His drooping eyes remained glued to the path ahead with alarming lack of attention in any other direction. Maybe he was just counting on his escort to be aware for him. Not that there was much to pay attention to. There was no one else around. The sun shone brightly over the gently rolling hills of the countryside, little golden fields dotting the flatter surfaces here and there. Far off in the distance they could make out the shadowy behemoths of the northern mountain range, with Mount Hakobe standing proudly as its vanguard.

Natsu moaned again in hunger. “Steak…roasted potatoes…strawberry pie…” he began listing off food dreamily.

“Y’know, you might want to think about eating a vegetable now and then,” Lucy commented.

Natsu’s back straightened out. “Two of those are vegetables!” he retorted defiantly.

Lucy looked at him with a furrowed brow and was met with a dead-serious stare. “Natsu,” she sighed, “I need you to tell me that you know strawberries aren’t a vegetable.”

Natsu blinked at her for a moment before panic overtook his expression, and he sputtered, “I-I know that!” causing Lucy to laugh. She knew he wasn’t that dumb, just that words often tumbled out of his mouth with little to no brain activity behind them. “Anyway,” he pressed on, crossing his arms over his chest, “I’m gonna have a real feast when we get back. I’m talkin’ four—no, five courses.”

“Wow, all that, just because you missed one breakfast?” Lucy chuckled. “You really are a bottomless pit.”

Lucy stretched her arms toward the sky and drew in a deep breath of the fresh air. Despite the rather boring nature of this job, at least it was a nice day. They’d been told it would be about four hours to reach their destination, then another four to come back. Considering the sluggish pace at which the man on the cart drove his oxen, she suspected it might take even longer. She’d be moaning from hunger just as badly as Natsu by the end of the day. Maybe they could grab a bite to eat in the village before heading back. That sounded nice; she hadn’t eaten as many meals with Natsu lately, and she admittedly missed doing so, even though he had terrible table manners. Instead, she’d been meeting with Kavan more often than not. That wasn’t to say Kavan hadn’t come to the guild hall at times to share lunch or dinner with her. It was just that, whenever he did, Natsu had a funny knack of disappearing.

It had all been a complete whirlwind. This polite gentleman had blown into her life without warning and swept her off her feet—not literally, as he didn’t quite have the Fairy Tail might she was used to—leaving her to revel in a new and exciting romance. They took walks; they ate meals together; they cooked together a couple times; they went to see the symphony, the opera, the public gardens; he invited her to his family’s estate. He kept asking, and she kept agreeing. There was no reason not to. He was friendly and pleasant to talk to, and he never seemed to run out of ideas for fun activities. She’d barely had a moment to herself for the past two weeks, which left her feeling a little exhausted, but the memories of all her dates left a smile on her face.

Do you think he’s the one? She recalled Levy asking her that earlier this morning. In truth, Lucy didn’t know, and she had told her eager guild mates as much. She was having a great time with Kavan, but it had only been two weeks. Asking her to decide whether she wanted to spend the rest of her life with the guy was a bit much. But sometimes, you just know right away, Juvia had said. Lucy didn’t put too much weight on that one. Juvia wasn’t exactly the poster child of testing the waters of a relationship before diving in head first. But then Levy had the nerve to agree with Juvia. No, Lucy knew, at least for herself, it would take time to build that kind of relationship.

Lost in thought, Lucy failed to notice a deep wheel rut in her path. Her foot promptly got caught in it, and like a sack of potatoes, she tipped forward with a yelp, flailing her arms madly as she sought out something to grab onto. Sure she was about to eat a face full of dirt, her descent was suddenly halted by an arm that swung out in front of her.

“Jeez, will you watch where you’re goin’?” Natsu chastised her as he steadied her on her feet.

“Thanks,” Lucy breathed, thoroughly pulled from her reverie. Natsu frowned at her for a moment, one eyebrow cocked up, with a penetrating gaze that made her feel a little flushed. “Wha…What is it?” she asked timidly.

The cart driver’s voice called in its monotonous tones, “Everything alright back there?” without him stopping or even slowing his steers.

Natsu maintained his intense stare for another few seconds before finally looking away. “Nah, never mind,” he told her and began walking behind the cart again. “Yeah, we’re good,” he said louder, so the driver could hear.

Lucy released a breath she hadn’t realized she had been holding. What the heck was that about?! Even though Natsu had turned back around, she felt as if his dark eyes were still driving into her skull.

After regaining her wits, Lucy jogged to close the small gap that had formed between them. She glanced curiously at Natsu out of the corner of her eye. He had hooked his hands behind his head and strolled along the path arms akimbo. His fluffy pink hair glowed in the warm sunlight, waving gently in the breeze. At a glance he looked positively at ease—bored, almost. But Lucy knew him well enough to sense something was off. A thought occurred to her, and she opened and closed her mouth several times before finding the courage to speak it aloud.

“Natsu,” she began slowly, “do you…want to date?”

His head snapped toward her, his eyes big saucers. “Huh?”

Lucy’s face grew hot when she realized how that sounded when it came out. “I-I mean, in general,” she corrected quickly. “You’ve never had a girlfriend, right?”

It took Natsu a few seconds to recover from his apparent shock at her initial question. After clearing his throat, he looked away and replied, “Lisanna and I played house when we were little.”

“As adorable as that is, that doesn’t count.” Lucy fiddled with her fingers behind her back, suddenly feeling a bit nervous, though she couldn’t pinpoint why. Maybe because Natsu usually rolled his eyes or gagged whenever she started talking about romance. “Do you…want a girlfriend? I-I mean—and this is just a guess—it seems like you’ve been kinda frustrated since I started seeing Kavan. Gray’s got Juvia, Erza’s been in love with Jellal for…forever, Gajeel and Levy…” Lucy bit her lip as she paused for a moment. “Do you…wish you had someone, too?”

“Tch.” Natsu swung his arms back up behind his head, but his tight expression revealed he was anything but relaxed. “I don’t give a crap about any of that. I’m too busy workin’ and trainin’, anyway. Besides, I do have someone. Lots of someones. I’ve got the whole guild.”

“True,” Lucy replied with a small smile, but she wasn’t thoroughly convinced. They walked in silence for several minutes after that, listening to the bumps and rattles of the cart and the steers’ occasional grunts as they pulled the load. While Lucy wasn’t satisfied with Natsu’s answer, she wasn’t sure how she would feel if it had been any different. How would she have felt if he said he did want a girlfriend, or worse, if there was someone specific that he was interested in?

Hang on. What the heck, Lucy?? Why did that thought bother her at all?? Why did the thought of Natsu with a girl set her hairs on edge? For starters, this was Natsu, and, whatever, it didn’t matter anyway, because she had a boyfriend for crying out loud! Wait—’boyfriend’? Was Kavan her boyfriend? Well, they had spent nearly all their free time together for the past two weeks, and they weren’t shy about referring to their get-togethers as ‘dates’…

Lucy’s face grew hotter and hotter as her thoughts spiraled out of control, but the whirlwind was brought to an abrupt halt when Durost’s voice piped up for the first time in a long while.

“Stay sharp. They’re close.” His voice was low and carried an authoritative tone that had been absent before.

Lucy and Natsu exchanged glances before surveying their surroundings. The area in which they now found themselves contained a swath of sharper hills and a higher density of trees, allowing for obscured vistas and plenty of hiding spots. Perfect for a gang of bandits to arrange a surprise attack. This particular stretch of path was flanked by two steep hills, making it particularly vulnerable. Lucy guessed the driver had noticed movement somewhere. Maybe he was paying more attention than she realized—and she hadn’t been paying enough. Lucy didn’t bother to confirm with the driver and instead gripped her keys, ready to unleash a world of hurt the moment these guys showed their faces.

Durost kept the oxen moving forward at the same slow and steady pace, and despite his warning of imminent danger, he maintained his inattentive posture, shoulders stooped and head plastered forward. Trying to look inconspicuous, perhaps?

Natsu tilted his chin up slightly and sniffed the breeze. A growl rumbled from within his chest and he said, “They’re all around us.” For a moment he wore a scowl, but then it shifted into a wicked grin. “Finally, somethin’ to do. I’m in the mood to kick some ass.” He slammed a fist into the opposite palm and, for a moment, Lucy felt sorry for their soon-to-be attackers.

The first bandit to let an arrow fly would become Natsu’s first target, the unfortunate recipient of his initial burst of pent-up energy. Natsu first knocked the arrow out of the air with a fiery swipe of his hand, then his gaze locked onto his stunned target, whose hiding spot had now been exposed. Natsu chuckled deviously then launched himself at the bandit as they frantically attempted to knock another arrow. There was no hope for the latter, and within seconds, they were tossed onto the path like a rag doll, groaning and with singed hair.

By now, arrows were flying from all sorts of directions, and while Natsu was off enjoying his playtime, Lucy took it upon herself to protect the driver. By now, he’d finally brought the cart to a stop and was gazing across the hills, ostensibly searching for the attackers. “Get down!” Lucy ordered, and he obeyed, though in a rather slow manner, by clambering down from the driver’s seat and crouching next to one of the front wheels. The two steers at the front seemed wholly uninterested in what was going on around them, content to stand there lazily and enjoy their break. At any rate, the animals weren’t the target, she, Natsu, and the driver were. Though frankly, it could be argued that the ground was the attackers’ target, for that is where most of the arrowheads found purchase. Jeez, these guys were bad shots. That, or they were shaking too much to have good aim. She was pretty sure she’d be shaking, too, in their shoes, with Natsu bouncing around the hills, cackling madly and spewing fire with every punch.

Lucy couldn’t help but smile at the scene. While Natsu could likely have cleaned up on his own, she wasn’t about to let him have all the fun. The celestial wizard pulled a key from her collection and extended it forward. “Open, gate of the golden bull! Taurus!”

In a flash of light, the celestial spirit sprang forth, a burly humanoid bull wielding a giant and menacing labrys. “The sound of you opening my gate is mooooosic to my ears, Miss Lucy!” he exclaimed upon arrival.

Lucy pointed toward the hills. “There’s bandits attacking us from all sides. Can you help me and Natsu take them out?” She retrieved her whip from her belt and smacked another arrow off its course.

“You got it, Miss Lucy!” The spirit clutched his weapon with determined ferocity before entering the fray.

And that was the end for the bandits. Within just a couple of minutes, no more arrows flew through the air, and a pile of moaning and groaning bodies lay in the middle of the pathway. Lucy, Natsu, and Taurus worked together to arrange them all—nine in total—back to back and bind them all together with a rope like a bundle of sticks. Once that was done, Lucy thanked her celestial spirit for his help, and he gave her a thumbs up before returning to the celestial spirit world. Lucy then met Natsu’s eyes, and they shared a big grin and gave each other a high five.

“Who the heck are you guys?” moaned one of the restrained bandits. Both the poor guy’s eyes were swelling shut, and he had a big fat swollen bottom lip.

Natsu flexed his right arm and proudly displayed his guild emblem. “We’re wizards from Fairy Tail, the number one guild in Fiore! Unlucky for you.”

Lucy flashed her own emblem with a wink before securing her whip back on her belt, then she ventured over to the driver to make sure he was okay. He was still next to the cart where she had left him, though instead of crouching, he had sat himself on the ground with his back against the wheel. He didn’t look particularly frightened, or relieved, or anything, really. He wore the same barren expression he’d had the entire journey. The man glanced up when Lucy appeared and took her hand as she offered to help him up.

“Thanks, Miss,” he said with a nod.

“Of course,” Lucy smiled back at him. “I’m glad you’re alright.” She glanced over to Natsu, who stood with his arms crossed next to the bundle of baddies with an intimidating glare. “Now what do we do with them?” she sighed.

“We can use a lacrima crystal to send word to the authorities in Magnolia, once we reach the village,” Durost suggested in his gruff, monotone voice. “They will come retrieve the lot of them.”

“And leave them like this?” Lucy asked hesitantly. She watched as Natsu lunged at one of the bandits and stopped short, cackling at the frightened response his motion elicited. “Will they be okay?”

The driver merely shrugged. “It’s a nice day.”

~     ~     ~

Meanwhile, back in Magnolia …

A smirk curled the woman’s lips as she strode toward the office, the clacking of her heels echoing loudly down the long hallway. Never mind about a contingency plan; this was even better. A double victory. She was only sorry she hadn’t planned it this way from the start.

Her thin, manicured fingers reached for the intricately carved doorknob, and she sauntered into the office, flashing that same smirk at the man behind the desk. He looked up, lowering the papers he had been sifting through, and shot her a questioning look.

“Change of plans, my dear,” she announced. “We’re going to pin it on the girl.”

“The girl?”

The woman’s smirk stretched even more, and she slowly stepped up to the desk, leaned over, and pressed the tips of her fingers against its surface. “Lucy,” she said. “Lucy Heartfilia.”

Chapter Text

Lucy paused in her sipping of beef stew to watch Natsu tear a hunk of meat off his turkey leg like a wild animal. With cheeks stuffed full of food, he smiled contentedly. “Mmm, dash da shtuff!” he exclaimed. Good thing Juvia wasn’t around to tell him off like she had to Happy earlier.

“And so you just left them all there, tied up like that?” Wendy asked after taking a bite from her own bowl. She and Carla had joined them for a late dinner in the guild hall, having just arrived back from a job themselves, and was listening to the details of their journey through the countryside today. While it was just the four of them and Happy at the table together, the guild hall was far from empty this evening. Many of the others were scattered about, eating, drinking, and chatting.

“Yup,” Lucy laughed. She blew on her steaming hot spoonful. “They weren’t about to go anywhere, not after Natsu and I were done with them. We contacted law enforcement once we reached the village, and by the time we passed the spot on our way back, they’d already come and gone. We stopped by the jail on our way back into town, and sure enough, there they all were. I don’t think they were too happy to see us.” She stuck the spoon in her mouth and giggled. “Natsu might’ve gone a little too hard on them.”

Natsu washed down another big mouthful with several gulps of beer and set his mug heavily down onto the table. “They deserved it,” he said unsympathetically. “Sounds like they’ve been givin’ people a whole lotta trouble lately. Stealin’ from those nice people out there…makes me sick.” After this input, he resumed the task of tearing away at his dinner.

Lucy watched him for another moment, a smile tugging insistently at her lips. That was Natsu: always ready to defend those in need. It was one of the things she loved most about him.

“And where were you during all of this, Happy?” Carla asked. “Why didn’t you go on the job with them?”

The exceed in question sat by Natsu’s side, busy devouring his own plate of fish and potatoes. “Natsu was being a real downer this morning,” Happy answered. “I decided I’d rather go catch some fishies and take a nice long nap while he and Lucy went on the job.”

Lucy had been a little curious why Happy hadn’t joined them—that morning he’d simply stated ‘I don’t wanna come’, which was a little unusual, considering the two of them went pretty much everywhere together. She wondered at the time if they’d gotten into a fight or something, but maybe it was as simple as Happy being tired of Natsu’s moping.

“You do seem to be in much better spirits than you were this morning,” came Mirajane’s voice as she stepped up behind Natsu. She gave them all a warm smile and set a full pitcher of beer on the table.

“Thanks, Mira,” Lucy said with a nod. She looked curiously back at Natsu, who merely grunted in response to Mirajane’s observation. What exactly was it about this job that had lifted his spirits? Probably beating those bandits to a pulp. Natsu loved a good fight—not that those dolts had put up much of a fight—and it was a great way to blow off steam. Lucy smiled wider, glad he had found that outlet today. She didn’t want to see him feeling down. One of these days, she would figure out exactly what had him feeling this way and do whatever she could to snap him out of it.

Someone tapped Lucy’s shoulder from behind. “Um, Lu?”

The celestial wizard pivoted on the bench to find Levy wearing an unusual, coy sort of smile. Once she had her attention, Levy pointed a finger toward the front doorway—or, rather, the front doorway hole. There stood Kavan, who held up a hand in greeting but did not invite himself further inside.

Lucy rose from her seat, pretty sure she heard a mildly irritated grunt from Natsu as she did so. A few bouncy steps later and she stood before Kavan and offered a flirty, belated wave. He took her hands gently in his and pecked her on the cheek, causing her to flush.

“Hi, Lucy,” he greeted her quietly. The young man smiled at her, but now that she was closer, she noticed a slight upward tick to his brow.

“Is everything okay?” she asked, still holding loosely onto his hands.

Kavan tilted his head and sighed, his smile growing a little in response to her immediate insight. “Yeah—well, no…no, not exactly. I’m afraid I’ll have to cancel the plans we had for tomorrow. I hope you can forgive me.”

It was Lucy’s turn to tilt her head, and concern wiped the smile from her lips. “What’s going on?”

He closed his eyes briefly and shook his head. “It’s nothing; please don’t worry about it. I just have some…personal matters I must attend to.” Kavan opened his eyes again and renewed that handsome smile of his. “I don’t have time to stay right now, but I wanted to stop by and tell you in person. And…” He leaned forward and whispered the next words into her ear, “I really wanted to see you.”

Lucy, sure she was beet red by now, gave Kavan’s hands a squeeze. Her heart thumped in her chest.

“If you need help with anything,” she began hesitantly after he had withdrawn, “you know you can ask me…right?”

Kavan nodded. “Of course. Thank you, Lucy.” He squeezed her hands back before releasing them. “I’ll see you soon, alright?” Kavan leaned in one more time to give her a peck goodbye, this time doing so lightly on her lips. “Bye.”

“Bye,” Lucy said with a little wave, feeling a little breathless. She stood there and watched him go for a long minute, then for another minute after that, before numbly turning around and shuffling back to her table. Without a word she dropped back onto the bench, initially unaware that she had garnered the attention of quite a few of her guild mates, who now flocked over to their table.

What felt like a silent eternity, but in reality was probably only a few seconds, passed them by before Cana chimed in.

“Gods, Lucy!” she exclaimed. “Did you win the lottery or what?!”

“No kidding!” Levy clasped her hands in front of her chest. “He’s so dreamy, Lu!”

Lucy raised her hands to her burning cheeks. Flustered as she was, she really didn’t need all this attention right now. She could barely process her own thoughts without everyone else sharing theirs!

“You finally got that romance of yours you’ve been yappin’ about, huh, Lucy?” Gray teased.

“Guys…” Lucy started, but her guild mates weren’t about to let up.

“Looks like our guild’s gonna lose another eligible young beauty,” Wakaba declared.

Jet and Droy chortled, the latter pointing a finger and saying, “Look at her! She’s red as a tomato!”

The lot of them went on for another minute or two, teasing her in good fun and doing their best to keep that blush on her face.

“I don’t see what the big deal is.” This time it was Natsu’s voice, and Lucy managed to uncover her face to look up at him. “What’s so special about this guy?”

“Umm,” Cana drawled, as if he was crazy for even asking, “have you seen him? He’s gorgeous! And rich, and sweet, and just the total package.”

Natsu rose from his seat, part of his meal still untouched, and threw a big shrug in the air. “I dunno, I still don’t get it. I mean, first off, the guy looks like the wind could blow him over.”

Hardly a fair assessment, yet Elfman nodded in agreement. “Not very manly!” he declared.

Jet threw a couple mock punches at Natsu, and the dragon slayer feigned mortifying defeat and crumpled to the ground, causing a fit of laughter among part of the group—mostly the men.

“You guys aren’t being very nice,” Lucy told them. Her face remained hot from a wild mixture of emotions.

Natsu hopped back onto his feet and replied, “Aw, c’mon Lucy, we’re just teasin’!” He began to round the table to the other side. “You’re right, we shouldn’t make fun of the guy just because he’s a weakling. I’m sure there’s lots of great stuff about him. Like money! All those fancy clothes, fancy dinners…”

“Hey, cool it, man,” Gray spoke up as the mood in the room began to shift.

“What?” Natsu asked, throwing his arms back into the air. “They’re the ones going on and on about how rich he is!” He gestured at the girls closest to Lucy. “He’s the one who rolled in here, knowin’ he could get whatever he wanted if he just flashed his money around.”

Lucy turned to look at him, a deeply unpleasant tension building in her chest. “Natsu, that’s enough,” she said in barely more than a whisper.

He either didn’t hear her or chose to ignore her. “Is that what you like so much about him?” he pressed on. “You grew up rich; maybe you miss all that fancy stuff.”

Lucy could hear Happy say Natsu’s name as she rose from her seat, fists trembling at her sides.

“He can take you to all those expensive restaurants, buy you whatever you want, and you’ll never have to—”

Natsu never got to finish that final thought, for he was cut off by a resounding slap! after which a heavy silence descended over the guild hall.

Lucy stood, shaking, tears burning her eyes, as he remained still for a long moment, head still turned from the impact. When he slowly began to straighten back out, fingers reaching up toward a red cheek, Lucy only allowed their eyes to meet for a single moment before brushing past him and rushing toward the exit. The only other thing she heard before bursting out into the cool night air was Gray bellowing at Natsu, “What the hell is wrong with you?!”

Lucy ran as fast as her feet would carry her, even though her throat constricted painfully and her lungs resisted filling to capacity. She had to run, run away from the guild, away from this crushing feeling. Never, never in her life had she felt like this. Not when Phantom Lord kidnapped her. Not when Acnologia threatened to destroy them on Tenrou Island, not when she learned her father had died, not when she’d been beaten down at the Games. Because, through all of that, he’d been by her side. He’d been there to defend her, to pick her back up, to give her whatever support she needed. To make her laugh when she was feeling down. To make her feel safe when she was feeling vulnerable. To tell her she was strong, and important.

So why…why? Why would he say such awful things to her? Was that…really how he saw her, after all this time? Just some rich girl, playing at being a guild wizard, with shallow desires?

 Lucy ran and ran until she could no longer propel herself further. She wound up in South Gate Park and collapsed against the great sola tree in its center. There she sat, cradling her knees against her chest, allowing herself to devolve into a sobbing mess.

Some long stretch of time later, after her sobs had finally begun to subside, Lucy heard footsteps approaching. She lifted her head to find Gildarts gazing down at her. He must have just returned to town, having gone on a job the day he and Natsu destroyed the guild hall.

“I heard what happened,” he said gravely. The man stood there awkwardly for a moment then gestured toward to the ground. “Mind if I sit?”

“Sure,” Lucy answered quietly, wiping the residual tears from her eyes.

Gildarts lowered himself to the ground by her side with a groan, leaving a polite gap between them.

“Natsu can be a real idiot sometimes. Runs that mouth of his before he even realizes what he’s saying half the time.”

Lucy stared straight ahead at the silhouettes of the tall waving grasses at the edge of the park. “’Idiot’ is putting it lightly,” she responded bitterly.

Gildarts heaved a sigh and seemed to contemplate his next words carefully. “Listen, Lucy…I’ve known Natsu for a long time. He’s never had a whole lot of tact. But, more importantly, he’s also always been fiercely loyal to his friends. You’re one of his friends, aren’t you?”

Lucy swallowed. “I thought so,” she mumbled, her sore eyes threatening to spill tears again.

Gildarts sighed again before he continued speaking. “Thing is—and Natsu doesn’t want to admit it—I think he’s jealous of this Andoss kid you’ve been spending all your time with.”

“I know he’s jealous,” Lucy muttered. “He’s all but said as much. But if he’s truly my friend, then he should be happy I actually have a life outside of the guild, instead of being a selfish jerk.”

Gildarts uttered a light chuckle, and Lucy couldn’t for the life of her figure out what was so damn funny about this situation.

“That’s…not exactly what I mean when I say Natsu is jealous.”

Lucy finally turned to glare at the older wizard. “Well then, what did…you…” Her voice trailed off as the realization set in. Gildarts had said Natsu was jealous of Kavan, not her. She could feel her face grow hot again. “You’re not saying you think Natsu wants…”

Gildarts held up a hand to stop her and gave his head a small shake. “It’s not my place to assume anything. If you really want an answer to that question, then you should ask Natsu himself.”

Too embarrassed to maintain eye contact with Gildarts after that bombshell, Lucy redirected her gaze back to the park scenery.

After a short pause, Gildarts spoke again. “I do agree,” he began, “that Natsu’s choice of words was in pretty poor taste, if I’m to believe the others at the guild hall. You’re not wrong to be angry with him. That being said…I think he’s confused about how he’s feeling, and he doesn’t know what to do or say about it. Go easy on him.”

Lucy’s face grew hotter, but this time it wasn’t from embarrassment; it was from brewing rage.

“Oh, so he’s confused, and that alone excuses him from acting like a complete ass?” she barked. Lucy rose to her feet, clenched fists trembling at her sides once more as she glared down at Gildarts. “What is it with you men? You act like animals and then come up with some lame excuse instead of just owning up to it! Well, I’ve had enough!” She wasn’t sure what she meant by that threat, but she was too angry to think clearly. Lucy huffed out a scoff before turning on her heels, but she only made it a couple of steps before spinning back around to point a finger at the stunned-looking Gildarts. “And you know what Kavan never does? Act like an animal!” She withdrew her accusatory hand and instead placed it against her chest. “He respects me. Something that fire-brained jerk is apparently incapable of doing.” She opened her mouth again but found she had nothing left to add, so she clamped it shut and turned away from Gildarts once more, this time for good. The celestial wizard stomped off into the night without a single glance back toward the sola tree.

With some good distance behind her, Lucy slowed her pace and stared down at the cobblestone street beneath her feet. Once again, she was alone on the streets of Magnolia.

Okay…that might have been a tiny bit of an overreaction. She grimaced at the thought of Gildarts sitting there, baffled, after her outburst. He mostly—mostly—hadn’t deserved that barrage, and she regretted letting out her frustrations on him. It was Natsu she was really mad at. Stupid, boorish Natsu. The thought of even his name caused the fire in her chest to rage higher. But it also brought tears to her eyes. She still couldn’t believe he’d been so rude and heartless. That alone was bad enough, but he did it in front of the entire guild. A friend? Hah! What kind of friend would do that?

Lucy wiped the fresh tears from her eyes and she continued down the deserted street. Every few paces she passed through a gentle orange globe shed down from the streetlights above. It reminded her of the warm light cast by a fire. Though she felt anything but warmth.

She thought she knew Natsu. She thought she knew what kind of relationship they had, one built on trust and mutual respect. Her mental vision of him did not match the wizard whom she’d slapped in the middle of the guild hall that night. All those things he said…was that really what he thought about her? Was that what he’d thought the entire time they’d known each other? It didn’t make sense—he couldn’t!—but that didn’t change the fact that he’d said what he’d said.

Lucy’s thoughts drifted back to what Gildarts told her. Now she was calm enough to consider those words again. “I mean…it’s crazy, right?” she whispered aloud to herself. Natsu, jealous of Kavan, because he himself wanted to date her?! No way! First off, if that’s really what he wanted, then he’s had plenty of time to make his wishes known. Lucy found herself blushing again. She’d be lying if she said she had never considered the possibility, especially considering all they had been through together, but her mind always dismissed the notion as absurd. They were friends, and Natsu had never once expressed romantic interest in her—or in anyone, for that matter. Either way, whatever the truth was, it didn’t excuse him from being so rude to her. Even a friend should know better. On that she would remain firm.

Lucy sighed, her wildly fluctuating emotions relinquishing her to fog of sadness once again. She was exhausted, and in this state it was really difficult to make sense of her own emotions, let alone speculate at someone else’s. Sleep seemed like the only solution. She longed to splash cold water over her puffy eyes and slip her tired body into bed. Maybe tomorrow, after some rest, she could muster up the willpower to look that jerk in the eyes and figure all of this out. But right now, she did her best to push all these thoughts and feelings to the back of her mind as she slowly headed back home.

As lost inside her own mind as she was, Lucy never heard the quiet footsteps that hurried at her from behind, even though the street was otherwise empty, the night quiet but for the chirping crickets and cicadas. She never knew anyone was there until a hand clamped firmly over her mouth. Even if this unseen figure hadn’t taken such a precaution, she wouldn’t have had time to scream. Within an instant, something hard and heavy struck the side of her neck, then it was lights out.

Chapter Text

The stars could look so beautiful. They could pepper an endless sky, their twinkling light a testament to beauty, their infinite plurality a reminder of the vastness of the world and the smallness of self. The stars could connect you to others across space and time, because from time immemorial, that same sky had stood above as a bastion of existence. You could gaze up at it knowing that innumerous others had done the same before you and would do so long after you were gone.

Tonight, those stars gazed back down as a cold, unwelcome audience to his misery, and he would gladly have burned them all from their dark slate if he could.

Natsu lay on his back in the hills outside of town, arms pinned behind his head, and frowned up at the sky. Normally, some fresh air and solitude helped him to clear his head, but tonight, all that served to do was allow a single memory to play on repeat in his mind, again and again and again. His stinging cheek helped to keep the vision fresh and vivid.

So many times past, seeing tears in her eyes had ignited a fire of rage within his chest, one that could only be extinguished by sinking a fist into the face of the one responsible. Then he would comfort her, encourage her, convince her that she would never be alone. This time, he was the one that had hurt her. And he despised himself for it.

“Natsu?”

Happy tentatively flew up to him from the bottom of the hill. Another painful throb gripped Natsu’s chest as he sat up. He’d snapped at Happy to leave him alone before running from the guild hall—yet another way he had hurt a precious friend tonight.

The exceed landed a pace away from Natsu with sad concern dripping from his big eyes.

“Hey, buddy,” Natsu greeted him quietly, forcing out a weak smile. “I’m…sorry I yelled at ya.”

Happy reflected the sad smile back at him and stepped forward, offering his friend a gentle pat on the leg. “It’s okay.” Happy moved to sit by Natsu’s side and gaze downhill toward the city. Soft glowing lights illuminated the streets and a handful of windows, but the city was otherwise asleep. Natsu knew sleep would not find him tonight.

The dragon slayer fell to his back once more with a heavy sigh. Happy did the same to his side, and the two friends lay there for a long time in familiar silence. Mild nighttime air washed over them, carrying with it the symphony of nocturnal insects. After a while, Happy rolled closer and hugged Natsu’s arm, and the latter had the feeling it was more for his benefit than Happy’s. Natsu continued to stare skyward, the memory of Lucy’s tear-streaked face burned into his mind. The stars above began to blur as his eyes watered.

“I messed up,” he whispered.

“Natsu…”

“I don’t know why I said that stuff to her. I’m so…stupid.”

Happy hugged his arm a little tighter. “She knows you didn’t mean it.”

“Does she?” Natsu swallowed. His throat felt tight. “You saw the way I made her cry. I didn’t mean to, I just…the words kept comin’ out. I saw her with Kavan, and I just…” He blinked in rapid succession, determined to deny passage to the tears welling up in the corners of his eyes. “I miss her, Happy.”

Happy rubbed his paw over Natsu’s arm. “I know. Me, too.”

The silence settled in around them once more. Natsu reached up with his free arm and wiped his eyes. The limb then fell back to its bed of grass with a soft thud. Happy nuzzled his face into Natsu’s other arm, and Natsu smiled, grateful for his friend’s compassion and willing forgiveness.

What about Lucy? Would they ever be able to repair this? He couldn’t stomach the thought of this being the end of their friendship, their partnership. Though maybe the end had been inevitable, even before tonight. Lucy seemed much more interested in pursuing her new relationship than anything else, including him. In hindsight, maybe he could have found a way to live with that. But this? This was far worse, because it was the pain of her absence plus the very real possibility that she now hated him. She had every right to. She hadn’t deserved what he’d done to her.

Where was she right now? What was she doing? He wished he could ask the stars; could they see her crying? Maybe she was with Kavan. He could very well have his arms wrapped around her, soothing her tears and stroking her hair.

Natsu sat up, suddenly feeling sick. The movement caused Happy to release his hold on Natsu’s arms, though the blue cat was in the final stages of a battle against sleep.

“I’m gonna go for a walk, Happy,” Natsu told him quietly.

Happy mumbled something unintelligible that ended with an affirmative but sleepy, “’Kay…”

Natsu took that as acknowledgment enough and rose to his feet, dusting off a few stray blades of grass. Slowly, he made his way down from the hills and through one of the city gates, then he began wandering among the empty cobblestone streets. At first his path was aimless, but after a while, he found himself drawing closer to Lucy’s apartment, as if some unseen force demanded that he approach. Before long, the little structure came into view. No lights illuminated the windows.

Natsu stepped up to the front door and remained motionless before it for a long minute. She could be in there. Or maybe she wasn’t. He lifted an arm and came within an inch of rapping his knuckles against the wood, but in the end, he decided against it, and instead pressed his forehead silently against the door. If she was inside, she likely didn’t want to talk to him. If she wasn’t, well…he didn’t want to know. Natsu closed his eyes, allowing himself for just a moment to imagine walking in and being greeted by her warm smile. She’d probably be sitting at her desk, scribbling away at that novel of hers. He’d try to take a peek, and she’d turn red and hide the papers against her chest. He’d tell her about a new job he had pulled from the board. She’d sprout that grin of determination and say ‘All right, let’s do it!’

He forced his eyes open and came face to face with the aged, unfeeling wooden planks of her closed door.

Natsu took a few slow steps backward, his chest feeling tighter than ever. After one last glance up at the quiet house, he turned and kept walking until it was far behind.

Once outside the city, Natsu reclaimed his spot next to Happy, who was now sleeping deeply and snoring. There he remained, miles away from the realm of sleep, until the sky began to brighten and eventually split open as the sun’s first rays crept over the horizon. This bright morning light was enough to rouse Happy, and the exceed blinked awake groggily, sitting up and rubbing his eyes.

“Mornin’,” he said sleepily. “We…slept out here all night?”

“Yeah.”

Happy glanced up at Natsu’s face, and seemed to deduce from its visible lack of restoration that the ‘we’ was really just ‘I’.

Natsu flashed him a smile in an attempt to assuage his friend’s worries and gave the top of his pink hair a pat. “C’mon, buddy. Let’s go home.”

Happy paused only briefly before flying through the air just long enough to settle down again atop Natsu’s head, apparently content to be allowed more time to exit dreamland. The fire wizard then rose to his feet and turned in the direction of their little cottage.

It was a short hike to their secluded home, and something about the thick foliage and lack of a view of Magnolia brought Natsu the tiniest fragment of peace. However, that peace vanished the instant he stepped through their front door.

“What the—”

The entire house had been ransacked. Boxes had been overturned, their contents strewn across the floor. Furniture was flipped; drawers hung open. Their belongings might have been more orderly if a tornado had passed through.

Happy, now fully awake, departed the bed of Natsu’s hair. “What the heck happened here?!” he exclaimed.

“I have no idea!” Natsu quickly surveyed the mess, but nothing immediately struck him as missing. He scrambled over to where they stashed their money, and to his bewilderment, he found it safely stowed away in its proper place. The wizard turned to look at Happy with a furrowed brow. “I don’t get it,” he said. “Whoever did this…what the heck were they looking for?”

Happy shook his head with a shrug. “I dunno. Maybe they were looking for money but just couldn’t find it?”

“Maybe…” Natsu couldn’t explain the sudden sinking feeling that gripped him, though it could very well have been the result of this newest misfortune on top of the crap sundae he’d already been served. Yeah, this seemed an appropriate turn of events. Today would be the day some vagabond decided to tear apart their home.

With nothing to do but clean up the mess, he and Happy spent the next hour or so reassembling their various possessions. At the end of it all they still hadn’t come up with a single missing item and thus concluded that Happy’s assertion was correct.

Natsu sank onto their couch with a groan. Man, he was tired.

Happy plopped down next to him. “Soo,” he began hesitantly, “when are we gonna go back to the guild?”

Natsu merely groaned again in response. He supposed he’d have to go back sooner or later. Last night, he had run off before anyone had much of an opportunity to chastise him, and he wasn’t looking forward to the rebuke he’d receive upon returning—he had done enough of that to himself overnight. And what if Lucy was there? He would have to face her again at some point.

“I dunno what I’m gonna say,” he said aloud.

“Just say you’re sorry,” Happy urged, knowing what Natsu meant without needing further clarification. “And tell her how you really feel.”

Natsu glanced sideways at his friend. “How I really feel? Whaddya mean?”

Happy tilted his head forward with a grave look in his eyes. “Tell her you miss her! Like you told me last night.”

Natsu slouched as if he could become one with the couch. “Yeah, I guess…” Say he told her that; would she think he was being selfish?

“Is there anything else you want to tell her?” Happy asked after a pause, with a peculiar tone to his voice.

Natsu raised an eyebrow. “Like what?”

Happy raised his eyebrows, too, and stared expectantly at Natsu.

“What??” Natsu repeated.

Happy’s brow fell again, and he heaved a sigh. “Never mind. Let’s head down to the guild. I want some grilled fishy for breakfast. And don’t tell me you can do that here; half the time you fry it to a crisp!”

*     *     *

Tension gripped his body as he passed through the gates in front of the guild hall. Through the half-repaired walls of the building, he expected to hear the usual dull roar of the guild’s rowdy members chatting over breakfast, but the space was unusually quiet. Great. Tension from the scene he and Lucy had caused still hung in the air, even the next day.

After an encouraging nod from Happy, Natsu stepped over the front threshold with his hands shoved into his pockets. A quick scan of the room revealed Lucy was not here, though quite a few of the others were, and it seemed nearly every pair of eyes landed on him as he entered. Most of them wore uneasy expressions.

“You don’t all have to stare at me,” Natsu announced in irritation. Everyone’s gazes were like a weight threatening to pull him down through the floorboards. “I’m lookin’ for Lucy. Has anyone seen her this morning?”

“Natsu…” Erza approached him from behind, clutching a familiar item in her hands. Natsu’s eyes widened when he saw it: Lucy’s ring of keys. His eyes snapped back up to Erza’s face, where he found a deeply worried expression. “Natsu, listen,” Erza began again, “someone found Lucy’s keys this morning. They were just laying in the middle of the street. No one has seen her since last night. Gildarts was in—”

Natsu did not wait for Erza to finish. Without a word, he spun on his heels and darted out of the guild hall, through the gate, and onto the street. He ran as fast as his feet would carry him, and it was still not fast enough. Skidding around a corner, he collided head-on with with the side of a supply wagon and toppled to the ground. Before the citizens nearby could even ask if he was all right, Natsu was on his feet again, tearing forward. Deep down, he knew what he would find at the end of his race, but he had to know for sure. Maybe he was wrong, and she would be sitting at home, angry to see him, but that would be okay. He would gladly suffer the anger. It would mean that she was safe.

Finally, he stood gasping for breath in front of her apartment, just as he had hours ago during the night. This time he did not hesitate to pound the door with his fist. “Lucy!” he bellowed. “Lucy, open up! Lucy!” When there was no answer, he tried the doorknob and found it was unlocked. Natsu welcomed himself inside without a second thought.

The scene inside matched his worst fear. Just like his own home, hers had been thoroughly ransacked. Clothes lay in piles across her bed and floor. Books had fallen from a tipped bookshelf and lay askew, bending their pages and bindings. Dishes lay shattered on the floor in her kitchen. Each room, torn apart, and Lucy was nowhere to be seen.

“LUCY!” Natsu roared helplessly. He stood in the middle of her mess of a living room, his body burning hot, and flames licked around his tight, shaking fists. He didn’t have the slightest idea who was responsible for this, but he knew exactly who he was going to pose the question to next:

Kavan Andoss.

Chapter Text

A sheet of cold water cascaded over Lucy, jolting her back to consciousness. She sputtered, completely disoriented, as the sound of delighted cackling met her ears. Lucy blinked the water from her eyes and looked up to see a diminutive young woman laughing at her, one hand holding an empty bucket and the other hovering in front of her gaping mouth. She had wild white hair pulled up into pigtails and a wicked glint in her eyes.

“That woke her up!” the girl announced gleefully. “Rise and shine, Lucy!”

In a matter of seconds, Lucy realized her hands had been tied behind the sturdy wooden beam that she sat against. Her surroundings were unfamiliar: a dilapidated old mill house, it looked like, with aged, creaking wood and cobwebs stretching across its corners. Sunlight filtered in through dirty glass windows and set the hovering dust aglow. Besides her rude living alarm clock, three other people stood within the structure: a hulking, scary looking man with rings on every single finger, who towered over everyone else and wore a deep scowl; a much shorter and thinner man dressed all in black, with ghostly pale skin; and finally, a pretty young woman in a delicate poplin dress, her blonde hair slung over her shoulder in a loose braid, who looked altogether out of place as she stood in the back with her face twisted up in discomfort.

“What’s going on?” Lucy asked hesitantly. She gave her wrists a little tug, only to find her bindings well-secured. “Who are you guys?” Lucy strained to recall her last waking memory. Right, she’d been crying, walking through town. And foolish enough to be so distracted that someone was able to sneak up on her.

“Aw, isn’t she cute?” Pigtails asked, turning toward her companions. “She thinks she can ask us the questions.” She spun back around and sneered at Lucy. “Look, the sooner you give us what we need, the sooner we can collect our payment and be on our way. So tell us: what did you do with the jewels?”

Lucy shook her head. “The…jewel? My…money?”

The white-haired girl growled. “Jewels, not the jewel you made selling them. The Andoss collection; where is it?”

Lucy merely blinked in response, flinching at the mention of Kavan’s family name. What did he have to do with this? “I have no idea what you’re talking about,” she told them. Four pairs of eyes stared her down.

“Don’t play dumb,” Pigtails continued. “We know you and that pink head stole them. We’ve been hired to get them back, so ‘fess up, or we’ll have to hurt you.”

“I didn’t steal anything!” Lucy snapped back. “And neither did Natsu!” They couldn’t have meant anyone else by ‘pink head’. Anger flared up in her chest, temporarily overshadowing her fear. “Just who the hell are you?!”

The girl’s upper lip curled back. “We’re wizards from Kumo Squall.”

“Kumo Squall?” Lucy repeated. She didn’t recognize the name, but based on what little information she had, it was easy enough to draw a conclusion. Her eyes narrowed. “You’re with a dark guild, aren’t you?”

Her petite captor laughed. “So there is a brain in there! You are correct, and if I were you, I’d wise up real quick and tell us what we need to know. We can make your life a living hell if we don’t get what we want.”

Lucy shot her a defiant glare. By now she had realized that she didn’t have her keys, which certainly complicated matters. Plus, tied up like this, there really wasn’t much she could do in the way of physical offense. If she tried, she would probably be able to land a kick on this girl, but afterward she would just be a sitting duck for retaliation. No…unfortunately, for now, she was stuck. But she sure as hell wouldn’t give these guys the satisfaction of reacting in fear—even though fear did indeed brew within her stomach. Whatever crime they accused her of, they seemed to genuinely believe she was guilty, and that spelled bad news.

“Step aside, Mirage,” spoke the most intimidating figure of the bunch. The gargantuan, muscular man stepped forward. Lucy had to crane her neck just to meet his eyes from her position on the floor. “The longer we wait to reclaim the jewels, the more difficult tracking them down will become. So unless you have them stored elsewhere, you had better tell us who you sold them to.”

“When will you get it through your thick skulls?!” Lucy yelled. “I didn’t steal anything, I’m not hiding any jewels, and I have no idea what you’re talking about in the first place!”

The well-dressed woman in the back broke her silence by stepping forward with a scoff, and she threw something down at the ground in front of Lucy: an ornate gold necklace with a massive red ruby on display in the center and a series of smaller accent stones branching out to each side. To say it looked expensive would have been an understatement.

“You disgust me,” the unfamiliar blonde spat. “Warming up to Kavan like that, just so you could get your dirty little hands on his family’s treasures. How dare you take advantage of such a kind and wonderful man?”

Okay, now she was even more confused than before. But she was also increasingly angry at the constant stream of accusations being hurled at her. How many times did she have to repeat herself? Lucy tilted her chin down and glared up at the young woman. “I don’t know what gave you all the idea that I stole…whatever it is you think I stole, but you’re wrong.” It occurred to Lucy that the ‘personal matters’ Kavan had mentioned must have been related to this. “If you don’t believe me, than ask Kavan yourself. He knows I would never do such a thing.”

“Oh, I’ll speak with him,” the blonde laughed humorlessly. “I’ll show him that his new little harlot has only feigned affection for him, just so she could steal from him. You and your partner were even so bold as to speak of your crime in front of an outsider. That’s right; the cart driver from your job yesterday told us everything he overheard.”

Lucy’s mouth opened, but no words came out. This was a dream, right? This had to be a dream. Nothing made any sense. Yeah, she’d wake up any minute now.

“You might have gotten away with it, if you hadn’t decided to keep a piece of the prize for yourself,” her accuser continued, nodding toward the necklace on the ground. “You should have hidden it better.”

“I’ve never seen that before in my life!” Lucy insisted.

“The wizards I hired found it inside your apartment!” the woman snarled in reply. “When they didn’t find the rest of the treasure inside that shack of your friend’s, I knew we’d have to confront you directly.”

“Inside my apartment??” Lucy repeated, aghast. “There’s no way! I told you; I’ve never seen this before!” She began to grow breathless as she realized nothing she said would convince these people otherwise.

“Pathetic,” Pigtails giggled off to the side.

“I could tell Kavan about you now,” the blonde continued, “or I could wait until we’ve reclaimed all of his stolen valuables. In doing that, as well as exposing you for what you really are, I’m sure he’ll be exceedingly grateful.” A slight flush brushed across her cheeks. Lucy was sure she saw it. “Then, maybe, he’ll look my way again,” she added in a smaller voice.

“Who ARE you?” Lucy asked. “And who are you to Kavan?”

“My name is Victoria,” the woman replied, her back straightening, “and I am Kavan’s fiancé. At least, that’s how it’s supposed to be.”

Lucy felt the blood drain from her face. “Fi…fiancé?” she repeated in barely more than a squeak.

“That’s right, you home wrecker.” Victoria flashed her left hand in the air, and sure enough, an elegant diamond ring adorned her ring finger.

No…no way. Kavan wouldn’t do that, would he? Date someone, even though he was engaged?? Lucy’s face grew hot as feelings of confusion, anger, and shame bubbled up in her chest. “You’re lying,” she snapped defensively.

“You’re the only liar here, Lucy Heartfilia.” Victoria took a step backward to allow space for her hired help, her face slipping into shadow. “I don’t want to hurt you,” she said slowly, “but if you don’t start telling the truth, I’ll have no choice.”

“I am telling the truth,” Lucy retorted. “And if you hurt me, you’re gonna regret it, because Natsu will…” She trailed off. Natsu will…what? Would he care to avenge her, or even look for her, after their argument last night? Lucy swallowed, all the memories rushing back to her in a painful wave. Though, now that the initial shock had dissipated, the scene took on a new light in her memory. Behind all those harsh words that left his mouth like knives, there had been a hurt in his eyes, a hurt akin to all the strange behavior he’d displayed for the past couple weeks. All at once, the realization gripped Lucy so tightly, it hurt worse than the rope around her wrists or anything else these dark guild wizards could do to her. She had been the cause of that hurt in his eyes.

Lucy wasn’t sure if she believed this woman was really engaged to Kavan or not. She wanted to believe in Kavan, that he would never do such a thing, that she hadn’t fallen prey to his charm like a fool. However, there was one thing she knew for certain: Natsu was on her side, and he would always be on her side. She had been a fool for ever doubting that. Whatever turmoil clouded their relationship, it could never shatter the bond they shared. He had never, not once, let her down when it really mattered, not since the day they met.

Lucy’s brow pressed down, her lips curled upward in a determined smile, and she finished her thought, voice full of confidence:

“Because Natsu will find you, and he will punish you.”

Chapter Text

Gentle morning light bathed the Andoss residence in Magnolia. Peaceful morning silence enveloped the household. Its staff ambled about, performing their various duties, in relative calm. Things were a little uneasy, to be sure, what with the theft that had occurred, but no one expected the approaching firestorm.

And that firestorm’s name was Natsu Dragneel.

Without warning, the front door burst off its hinges in a cloud of flame, and a ferocious growl echoed through the front atrium.

“LUCY!” The raging fire wizard stomped forward and called her name again. “LUCY! WHERE IS LUCY?!”

A terrified maid stood halfway up the stairwell, shaking as she cowered behind the railing. “U-um s-s-sir, M-miss Lucy i-i-isn’t here right n-now…”

Natsu spared a glance toward the poor servant, but he knew full well there was no sense in terrorizing Kavan’s staff. No, he needed the man himself. Switching strategies, the Fairy Tail wizard began to holler a different name. “KAVAN! GET THE HELL OUT HERE RIGHT NOW!”

The commotion summoned the master of the house in short order. Kavan appeared from one of the downstairs doorways, dressed but wearing slippers, clutching a steaming mug of coffee. He stepped into the atrium cautiously, no doubt alarmed by Natsu’s ferocity. His gaze briefly fell to the smoldering shards of his former front door, strewn about the floor, before drifting back up to his unexpected visitor’s face.

“Natsu?” he asked hesitantly. “To what do I owe the pl—”

Natsu wasn’t about to let the guy finish the false pleasantries. He lunged forward and grabbed fistfuls of Kavan’s shirt, slamming him against the wall with a snarl. Kavan dropped his coffee mug, and it shattered on the floor, splashing hot liquid on both of their feet. Kavan winced. Natsu didn’t so much as flinch.

“I know you have something to do with this,” Natsu growled.

Kavan blinked wildly, fear settling in over his expression. Good. The damn bastard better be scared. “I-I don’t know what you’re talking about…”

“Where is Lucy?”

Kavan gave his head an infinitesimal shake. “Lucy? I-I don’t…she’s not here. Why? Did something happen?”

Natsu pressed the man more firmly against the wall. “What about last night? Did you see her last night?”

“Last night? N-no, I haven’t seen her since I stopped by the guild hall yesterday. Would you tell me what’s going on? Is Lucy okay?”

Natsu’s eyes narrowed, and he growled, “She’s missing. Her apartment was all torn up. My place, too. And we found her keys in the middle of the street. She would never be so careless. So somethin’ must’ve happened to her.”

Kavan’s expression shifted from fear to measured disquietude. His brow furrowed, and his gaze drifted off to the middle distance for a moment before returning to Natsu’s face. “Let me assure you, I have nothing to do with her disappearance. However, I would like to know what happened.” After a pause, he added, “But first, would you kindly let go of me?”

Natsu maintained his grip for another few seconds, meeting Kavan’s frown with a glare, before finally releasing him with a scoff. Kavan smoothed out his crumpled shirt and ran a hand through his hair. A couple staff members poked their heads out of a doorway down the hall, appearing thoroughly terrified. One of them squeaked out a “S-Sir?” but seemed too afraid to approach the scene.

Kavan held a hand up. “It’s fine,” he assured them. “I apologize for the commotion. Please go about your business as usual.”

Natsu watched as the servants gladly excused themselves.

It was true: Natsu didn’t catch Lucy’s scent here. But just because she wasn’t here didn’t mean Kavan didn’t have a hand in whatever happened to her. Otherwise, it would be way too much of a coincidence, right? On his march across town, all sorts of vile conjectures had invaded Natsu’s thoughts. He thought back to the day he had first met Lucy, when Bora abducted her. Who’s to say Kavan wasn’t up to something similar?

“Now,” Kavan said once he was done collecting himself, “when was the last time anyone saw her?”

Natsu’s jaw clenched. The last time anyone saw her? It must have been when she ran from the guild hall, crying. If he hadn’t said those terrible things to her, would this have even happened? Was it possible that she was so upset, she dropped her keys without realizing it? No…she would never do that. Her spirits were far too precious to her. And that didn’t explain why both their homes had been ransacked, or why she was nowhere to be found.

“Natsu?” Kavan asked after a long pause passed them by.

“Last night,” Natsu responded gruffly, fists clenched at his sides. “A bit after you stopped by.”

“Did she say or do anything unusual before she left?”

“It doesn’t matter!” Natsu snapped, his face growing hot. “All that matters is finding her.” The last thing he wanted right now was to describe the previous night’s events to Kavan.

Kavan shot him a quizzical look but didn’t press the matter. “All right, well, I’d like to do whatever I can to help. Give me a moment to grab my shoes, and I will accompany you to your guild hall.”

Natsu narrowed his eyes as Kavan turned away. “You seem awfully calm for someone whose girlfriend has gone missing.”

Kavan spun back around with a sudden shift in his expression. His eyes widened, and he seemed almost…embarrassed by the insinuation. “Lucy isn’t my girlfriend,” he replied, “a-at least I don’t think she sees it that way. We’ve just been…spending time together. Getting to know one another.” He paused and looked at the ground for a moment before snapping his gaze back up. “And just so you know, I am worried about her. But it would be counterproductive to lose my cool. I’d rather focus my energy on finding her. If you truly care about her, I suggest you do the same.”

“If I…” Natsu echoed, and the fire in his chest swelled. He bared his teeth and took a menacing step toward Kavan. “If I care about her? Look, pal, no one cares about Lucy more than I do. Just because you’ve dated her for a couple weeks doesn’t mean you get to pretend you care about her more than her friends.”

“I-I’m sorry; I didn’t mean it that way at all.” Kavan held his hands up, an apologetic tilt to his brow. Natsu would gladly have punched that look off his stupid face.

“Just get your damn shoes on before I drag you across town myself.”

*     *     *

An uneasy atmosphere permeated the guild hall. Many of their guild mates had gone out into town to ask around about Lucy, to investigate if anyone had seen anything. Gray and Erza had been the first to rally to action, Happy told Natsu as he greeted him at the entrance of the guild hall with glossy eyes.

“And someone tore apart Lucy’s apartment, too!” Happy cried.

“I know,” Natsu replied, allowing his small blue friend to fly into a brief embrace. The others must have gone looking for her at home, too. That, or they simply assumed that’s where Natsu had run off to and chased after him. “She doesn’t have her keys,” Natsu muttered. Everyone already knew that, of course, but the fact gnawed away at him. Without her celestial spirits, there was only so much Lucy could do to defend herself.

“But,” Happy said, pulling away, “she can still ‘Lucy kick’ them, right? Hi-yah!” The exceed executed an airborne high kick.

“Yeah…” Natsu’s tone came across less than enthusiastic. He had no doubts that Lucy could kick some bad guy butt with her own two hands—or feet, rather—but something told him this situation called for more juice than she could muster on physical strength alone. The entire thing stank to high heavens.

“I see you have brought our recent benefactor in for assistance.” Master Makarov stepped up to the entrance and stared soberly up at the two young men and exceed. “Do you have any information regarding Lucy you can share with us, Mr. Andoss?”

Kavan swallowed and shook his head. “I regret to say that I do not—and, please, just ‘Kavan’.”

Makarov arched an eyebrow and scrutinized Kavan’s face.

“He said he hasn’t seen her since he was here yesterday,” Natsu explained, though he still harbored some suspicions. “No one has.”

“That’s not entirely true,” Makarov replied. Natsu tilted his head in confusion, and the guild master nodded toward the tall approaching figure of Gildarts. “Gildarts said he saw Lucy late last night in South Gate Park.”

Natsu turned his attention toward Gildarts with wide eyes. “You did?! What was she—why—” He couldn’t find the words.

Gildarts heaved a sigh and rubbed the back of his neck. “Yeah, I saw her. She was pretty upset. Crying a lot.” Judging by his tone, crying women rendered the man deeply uncomfortable. “I tried to talk to her, but I said something stupid and made her mad, and she went running off.” His brow furrowed in consternation. “Whatever happened to her, it must have been after that. I’m angry with myself for allowing it to happen when I was so close by.”

“Why didn’t you go after her??” Natsu’s chest tightened at the thought of Lucy crying alone among the dark, sleeping streets of Magnolia. Even worse, because of him.

“Why didn’t you go after her, Natsu?” Gildarts retorted. “Same reason as me. When a woman doesn’t want to speak to you, there’s only so much you can do.”

“Hang on,” Kavan interjected quietly, “why was Lucy so upset?”

Everyone hovering around the entrance looked toward the young man in a beat of silence before glancing over at Natsu. The dragon slayer quickly averted his gaze, his face growing hot once more. “It doesn’t matter,” he said, echoing his earlier conversation with Kavan. “We need to focus on finding her.”

“Okay…” Kavan eyed him curiously, no doubt aware that a vital piece of information was being withheld from him. “Well, I want to help look for her.”

“You’ll just get in the way,” Natsu replied with a scoff. “It was probably a wizard who took her. Not just anyone can get the better of Lucy. What are you going to do up against a wizard?”

“Actually, I…” Kavan paused briefly, shifting on his feet. “I-I haven’t told Lucy this yet, because I wanted to improve some more first, but…I’ve been learning to use magic. For a while, now.”

Natsu blinked in surprise. That was one of the last things he’d expected to hear.

Makarov’s eyebrows shot up. “Is that so? What kind of magic is it that you’ve been learning, young man?”

Kavan glanced over his shoulder. “I can show you, if you want—but we should step outside.”

Thoroughly curious, Natsu, Happy, Makarov, and Gildarts followed Kavan just outside the guild hall, while a handful of others peered out curiously from within. Kavan seemed to notice all the pairs of eyes fixed upon him, and his brow lowered in determination. The young man knelt and pressed a palm flat against the ground.

“Earth and Air,” he said: “Earthen Barrage!”

A small clump of dirt and rock popped into the air, and as Kavan simultaneously rose, he drove a fist into it. The result, in which the clump of earth shattered and arced pathetically forward back onto the ground, was apparently not what Kavan had intended, for his expression shifted from determination to surprise and embarrassment. He opened and closed his mouth a few times, orphan syllables escaping his throat, before he was finally able to string together words. “I-it’s a mixture of earth magic and wind magic. You see, the ball is supposed to split into pellets, then they act as projectiles. It’s really quite, um…it usually goes better than this.”

Natsu decided he’d had enough. The fire wizard brushed past Kavan with a scoff. “This is a waste of time. I’m gonna go look for Lucy.”

“But you have no idea where to begin!” Kavan objected. “That would be a waste of time. You should wait unti—”

Natsu spun back around with a snarl and shoved his face real close to Kavan’s. “I’m not gonna sit on my ass while Lucy’s in trouble! I’ll look everywhere if I have to, until I find her.”

That seemed to shut him up. Kavan paled a little as he blinked back at Natsu. After a moment, the former’s expression softened somewhat and he breathed out a sigh. “Natsu, listen, I should tell you—”

A voice from the property gates interrupted whatever Kavan wanted to say next. “Whatever you all are up to out here, you better table it. I’ve got news about Lucy.”

The group looked up to find Erza approaching the guild hall, an unfamiliar, fox-like man trailing behind her. She gave the man a not-so-gentle push toward the small crowd. The man stood with rounded shoulders and was very transparently afraid of Erza, who no doubt used her legendary intimidation tactics to get him here. “Go on,” she ordered, “Tell them what you told me.”

The man chuckled weakly, nodded, then turned his narrow eyes toward the others. “Yes. Well, last night, late—I’d just left the bar, you see. I met up with some buddies of mine. Couple of ‘em just got back into town—but that’s neither here nor there. Anyway, I had just left the bar—and I wasn’t so close; I couldn’t see so well—but I saw enough, you know? Even though it was dark. I got real good night vision, even after I’ve been drinking.”

“There’s a point somewhere in here, right?” Gildarts asked.

“Right, right,” the man said, bobbing his head up and down with a smile and those damn narrow, irritating eyes. “Well, I saw a big guy hauling some blonde chick over his shoulder. He was scary looking, let me tell ya. And the chick looked unconscious. Even a guy like me smells something bad about a sight like that. So I followed em.” He paused, scratching the back of his head. “Not so sure why, now. What can I do, ya know? No way would I confront a guy like that.”

“Did you see where they took her?” Kavan asked.

The man nodded slowly but did not respond out loud.

“Well?!” Natsu pressed. “Where did they take her?? Tell us!”

The fox man paused, and his smile grew slightly. “I will…for a price.”

Even had they wanted to, no one could stop Natsu from lurching forward with a beastly growl, his flaming fist held in the air, like a cobra ready to strike.

“No, no! I’ll tell you, I’ll tell you! Please don’t hurt me!” The man held his arms in front of his face in fear.

Natsu did not lower his arm. “Where…is she?” he growled menacingly.

“An abandoned m-mill house outside of town, t-to the northeast,” the man whimpered. “P-Please…”

Natsu lowered his arm at last and didn’t spare a second glance toward the man, or anyone else for that matter, before marching toward the gates. “I’m going after her.”

“I’m coming, too,” Erza announced as she started up behind him. Whether or not Natsu wanted her along, there was no arguing with Erza. Plus, they didn’t know what awaited them at this mill house. It couldn’t hurt to have Titania on your side in a battle. Though, the way he felt right now, Natsu could take on an entire army, all on his own.

“So am I!”

This time, it was Kavan who voiced his desire to tag along. Another scoff passed Natsu’s lips.

“You’ll only get in the way.”

“I’m coming.”

Natsu stopped, stared ahead for a moment, then turned to glare at Kavan. He was met with an intense stare in return. This damn guy was as stubborn as Lucy!

“Natsu!” Levy jogged through the door hole, waving a familiar object in the air. “Take these with you!” She tossed Lucy’s ring of keys through the air, their shiny metal surface glinting in the bright morning light, and Natsu caught them. He offered a silent nod to the solid script user before turning once more to run away from the guild hall and toward their missing wizard. He knew Erza would be on his heels. If Kavan wanted to come along, so be it, but he had better not get in the way.

I’m coming, Lucy. Please be safe.

Chapter Text

Sunlight illuminated the overgrown field that stretched out before them. Off to the side sat a neglected mill house, vines crawling up its stone walls. Behind the structure ran a creek, into which the old waterwheel had fallen some time ago, judging by the amount of natural debris that had collected up against it. Natsu had passed by the place a number of times without giving it a second glance. This time, his eyes thirsted for any minute detail.

“Keep your guard up,” Erza warned in a quiet voice from beside him. “I sense a great deal of magical energy around here.”

“Yeah,” Natsu replied, the sound nearly a growl. The aggression was not directed toward Erza, of course. He was just thinking about all the ways he’d make their enemy suffer if they had laid so much as a finger on Lucy.

Kavan trailed close behind them. He had been almost entirely silent on their short journey out of town. As for the rat-faced man who led them here, he had excused himself the moment he pointed out their final destination, departing in such a hurried manner that they wouldn’t have been able to ask him any more questions even if they wanted to. The man no doubt wanted to be as far removed from a wizards’ battle as he could manage.

The group of four approached the old mill house. Growing flames began to lick forth from Natsu’s clenched fists, ignited by a subconscious, seething rage. He sensed it, too: that intense magical energy. The sensation only served to feed the burning fire within him, which begged to be set loose. He nearly trembled with untapped energy.

Just as they neared the front of the building, one of the doors swung partway open, and a head popped cautiously out from within. Its owner’s eyes widened at the sight of the approaching group, and the figure quickly stepped the rest of the way outside.

Lucy.

“Natsu! Happy, Erza…Kavan!”

Lucy. It was Lucy. She was okay. A little disheveled, sure, but okay. She was okay.

He exhaled a shaky breath.

Natsu trotted to close the remaining distance between them, the dancing flames surrounding his fists now extinguished. His chest threatened to collapse in on itself at the sight of her. It was an indescribable feeling. He realized just how much tension he’d been harboring in his body, worrying about her.

“Natsu!” she exclaimed as he stopped in front of her. “You found me!”

Her smile…something was off about it.

“Lucyyyy!” Happy cried in joy.

“Lucy, are you all right?” Erza asked worriedly, as she jogged up by Natsu’s side.

The celestial wizard nodded, then redirected her smile back to the dragon slayer before her. Her eyes flicked down to her ring of keys, still clutched firmly within his hand—the metal now hot—before returning once more to his face. Her smile widened a bit.

“My keys,” she said. “Thank you for bringing them back to me.” Lucy extended a open palm.

Natsu stared back at her for a moment. A light breeze tousled her messy blonde hair and sent a hushed, whispering roar through the dried grasses and weeds tangled around them. With it came the scent of early summer, of abundant blooms and active soil. The breeze also carried the scent of his friends.

“Natsu?” Lucy asked, her head tilting slightly in confusion.

The fire wizard gripped her key ring even tighter. His jaw clenched as he stood still for another long moment before finally drawing his free arm back into the air. Natsu’s empty fist ignited in flames once more, and with a fierce growl he landed a punch squarely across Lucy’s jaw, sending her flying backward.

Happy yelped in shock.

“NATSU!” Erza exclaimed. “What the hell are you doing?!”

Kavan expressed similar alarm as he dashed past the two wizards to recover the fallen young woman, but he stopped short upon Natsu’s following declaration:

“That ain’t Lucy.”

Kavan spun around, bewildered. “What are you talking about?”

Natsu ignored the young man’s question and gave the breeze another sniff. “But I think she’s here, somewhere. I can smell her.” He nodded toward the mill house. “I’d bet she’s inside there.” He hoped that was the case. He hoped he wasn’t smelling the ghost of her presence, that they wouldn’t find the building to be empty.

The fake Lucy propped herself onto her elbows with a groan but then emitted a chuckle. The sound was Lucy’s voice, but not Lucy. It made him feel sick.

“You damn dragon slayers and your noses,” she said. “I’ve crossed paths with one of you before: that iron-for-brains wizard who used to be in Phantom Lord. I heard ol’ Gajeel has been running around with you Fairies these days.”

“You’d better stop talking and give us Lucy, right now,” Natsu snapped.

Fake Lucy cackled in response as she wiped a trickle of blood from her nose.

“Who are you?” Erza demanded.

The girl grinned at them and rose to her feet. She rolled her shoulders back and tilted her neck side to side to crack the top of her spine. As she did so, her very image began to waver before their eyes, like smoke being blown away by the wind. Within just a few seconds, an entirely different person stood before them: a short, petite girl with white pigtails.

“My name is Mirage,” she told them. “If you know what’s good for you, you’ll turn tail and run away right now. Not even a dragon slayer or the great Titania stands a chance against the likes of us.” Her gaze drifted over to Kavan and she uttered a breathy, mocking laugh. “And especially not some spoiled brat who thinks money matters more than raw power.”

Natsu tried to get a read on Kavan from behind, to get a sense of whether or not he was involved in whatever was going on here. What he found was raised shoulders and clenched fists at his side. It seemed, at the very least, this wizard was no friend of his. That was made abundantly clear a moment later when Mirage lurched forward and threw her small frame into the air to land a kick squarely in Kavan’s chest, sending him flying backward with a heavy grunt. Natsu instinctively caught him but afterward allowed him to crumple on the ground while he coughed to catch his breath.

“Are you all right??” Erza asked, bending over him.

“Yeah,” Kavan groaned, slowly bringing himself to his hands and knees.

Mirage cackled where she stood, small hands pressed into her abdomen.

Natsu lit his fists aflame once more and growled, “I’m not gonna ask again. Where…is…Lucy?!”

Before Mirage had a chance to respond, the door to the abandoned structure swung open again, and out stumbled…Lucy. Was it…was it really her this time? She called out, called his name. Her voice was hoarse, and she gasped, breathless, as she ran toward them. Natsu’s chest tightened painfully at the sight. What had they done to her? He would make these bastards pay. No one was gonna get away with hurting her. All he wanted to do was hold her and keep her safe, their fight from the night before be damned.

“Lucy!” he shouted as he ran to meet her. They drew closer, and he could see tears in her eyes. He reached out. “Lucy, I’m so s—uh??” His fingers passed right through her, and within seconds the breeze carried her away like smoke, just like when Mirage changed forms.

“Hahahaha!” The dark wizard laughed even harder.

“Enough with your games!” Erza snapped, while Natsu stared numbly at his empty hands for a moment. Then those hands became fists once again.

Natsu turned on his heels and spewed flame with a roar of rage before tilting forward to tear across the field at top speed, straight toward Mirage. As he did so, a dark fog began to thicken the air around them, and by the time he reached the spot where she had been standing, she was no longer there. He frantically looked this way and that, but all he could see through the fog were the faint shapes of Erza and Kavan.

Her giggling echoed all around them. “But I like playing games!”

“Show yourself, you coward!” Natsu roared.

Show herself, she did, as she flew at him from behind, landing a solid kick on his back that knocked him off his feet before disappearing into the fog once more. Her disembodied giggling was downright ghostly.

As Natsu scrambled back to his feet, Erza approached him through the fog, dragging Kavan along with her. She had at some point requipped into her Black Wing armor.

“Everyone, stay close,” she ordered, releasing Kavan’s wrist.

Natsu growled in frustration and spat fire into the fog with a sweeping motion, but when it dissipated, the fog remained thick as ever.

“Hahahahaha! That’s not gonna work here, fire-brain!”

Natsu’s growl grew more menacing, and he took a step forward, but Erza held out an arm to stop him.

“Keep your cool, Natsu,” she said. “We don’t know the full extent of her abilities, and I don’t want to go around swinging blindly if Lucy’s somewhere nearby.”

Lucy. Right; he could still smell her. She had to be inside, or somewhere else very close by. Erza was right. The last thing he wanted was to accidentally hurt Lucy. So, frustrating as it was, he couldn’t simply throw everything he had at these bastards.

“Does anyone else feel…a sort of chill?” Kavan asked uneasily.

Come to think of it, there was a strange chill in the air, and not just the cooling effect of the fog, but something that sent shivers down your spine, as if someone was breathing down your neck, but you couldn’t turn around to look at them.

“Do you feel it?” came a whispering voice, distinct from Mirage’s. “That creeping feeling you get in the dark…when you know someone…or something…is out there, watching…”

Natsu’s jaw clenched. “Who the hell are these people?” he growled.

“They’re just trying to scare us,” Erza responded, her tone as even as ever.

“Well, it’s working,” Kavan whispered hoarsely, and for a brief moment, Natsu felt sorry for him. The fledgling “wizard” had no way to defend himself. Surely his cushioned life had never landed him in this kind of danger before. Still, to his credit, the guy held fists at the ready—as if that was going to do anything against magic.

Happy, too, stood shivering as he gripped Natsu’s leg.

The hairs on the back of Natsu’s neck stood on edge, and shivers ran the course of his body. He was a fire wizard, damn it! He didn’t get cold! If Gray found out about this, he would never hear the end of it.

“Happy,” he said in a low voice, “how ‘bout you take me up there? We can spot these guys and roast ‘em.”

“Aye,” the exceed replied, though the waver in his voice revealed he was less than keen. He took handfuls of the back of Natsu’s overcoat and hoisted him into the air.

“Natsu, Happy, wait—” Erza tried to stop them, but the two were already soaring upward.

To Natsu’s dismay, no matter how high they flew, the fog remained as thick as ever and obscured everything around them. It confounded all his senses, even smell, so that it was impossible to even guess where the enemies were. Happy began to question aloud whether or not this was a good idea when something shot forth like a bullet and struck them from the sky. They howled all the way down and hit the ground with a thud!

“What the heck was that?!” Happy moaned, wincing.

Before Natsu had a chance to answer, Erza yelled his name and jumped forth just in time to knock away another incoming projectile with her sword. A melon-sized clump of rocky dirt rolled to a stop several feet away. Erza extended a hand and pulled Natsu to his feet, then the two of them gazed in astonishment as the fallen projectile began to rearrange itself before their very eyes. Within mere moments, it had reformed into a golem with arms like clubs and asymmetrical, jagged rocks lining its shoulders.

Natsu pointed a finger, eyes bugging out, and screeched, “GAAAHHH, ERZA, THE GROUND IS COMING ALIVE!”

“Calm down, Natsu,” Erza ordered; “there’s obviously a wizard behind this.”

“Ah, y—I knew that.”

“Uhh…guys?” Kavan said nervously as he trotted closer to them. Emerging from the fog, in every direction, were more golems, all of varying shape and size, but all moving in synchronization. The four of them were completely surrounded.

Natsu’s lips cracked into a devious grin. This was an enemy he could see. The dragon slayer’s stance shifted, his fists ignited, and he leapt forward with a mighty roar: “FIRE DRAGON IRON FIST!” His knuckles cracked fiercely into one of the golems and sent it careening into the shroud and out of sight. Natsu did not hesitate to take out another one, then another, then another. So sure he was that he could effortlessly get rid of them all, he didn’t notice replacements emerge from the ground right at his feet. Before he could do a thing about it, their rocky arms wrapped around his ankles, effectively shackling him into place.

“Guh—what the hell?!” he hissed, calling upon all his strength to lift his legs, but to avail; the damn things seemed to be rooted deeply within the ground. Happy helplessly clawed at them, but they would not budge. Natsu turned his head to bark at Erza to free him but found her otherwise engaged. A shadowy creature with an ever-shifting form swooped all around her, slicing and striking all over, while she ferociously attempted to counter it with her sword. She used her armor’s wings to take flight, but the creature merely followed her into the air, moving as lightning-fast as ever.

While Natsu was thus distracted, a golem launched itself—or perhaps, was launched by the others—and crashed painfully into the side of his head, causing him to nearly bend in half as his feet remained anchored to the ground. He whipped his head around with a snarl only to find another object careening toward him, this one glinting even in the dim light of the fog. Yes, he had enough time to see it, for it to register in his brain, but no time to do anything about it, not so much as lift an arm. In the split second that remained, he braced for impact, but just before the throwing knife embedded itself in his throat, a ripple passed through the air, rustling his hair and knocking the weapon off its trajectory. The blade sank heavily into the soil off to his side. Natsu turned wide eyes in the other direction to find an equally stunned Kavan gaping at him, face pale, his forward-leaning stance making it evident that he was the source of the magic. Seemed Kavan was much better at pure wind magic than whatever wind and earth combination he’d been trying to learn. Maybe he ought to talk to Wendy.

“Ohoho…you’re no fun,” crooned a familiar voice: Mirage again. Another blade shot out from the fog, this time aimed at Kavan. Instead of using magic—maybe he didn’t want to count on luck twice in a row—he dodged to the side, just barely avoiding the knife, and tripped over his feet, falling to his knees. Mirage’s petite form then emerged through swirling mists and she sauntered up to Kavan, an amused smile on her face as she watched him scramble back to his feet. Kavan threw a desperate punch at her, but she dodged it with ease; by now it was clear the girl was dangerously nimble, and an inexperienced civilian stood no chance against her. With a quick swipe of her leg, she knocked Kavan’s legs out from under him and sent him crumbling to the ground once again. She cackled at the sight.

“I already told you, Mirage: hands off the Andoss boy,” boomed a deep voice, different from the two they had previously heard drift out of the surrounding fog.

Mirage clicked her tongue and stamped her foot in protestation. “Duke, you’re no fun, either.” She leapt forward and leaned over Kavan, causing him to pause halfway through his second recovery back to his feet. “Such a handsome face,” she said. “It just really makes me wanna…mess with you, ya know?” Despite her cohort’s warning, it seemed Mirage could not resist another strike, and she leapt in the air, swinging her leg around with great force. Her foot connected with Kavan’s jaw and sent him toppling onto his side with a howl of pain.

“MIRAGE!”

Natsu clenched his fists. Well, he couldn’t exactly let the guy get his ass kicked, now could he? Plus, he was getting real tired of these damn restraints. “Stand back, Happy,” he warned, before a roar built deep within his chest until it exploded in a burst of flame, knocking loose the rocks around his ankles at last. So sudden and violent was his emergence that he managed to land a solid, flame-engulfed kick on Mirage before she knew what was happening. She flew through the air such a distance that they could no longer see her through the fog—though they could hear her moan.

At the same time, Erza appeared to make some headway in her own battle, for the air was filled with a sudden screech, the sound some unearthly mixture of man and bird of prey. In that moment, the fog thinned a bit, and they could again make out the shape of the mill house looming nearby.

Natsu bent down over Kavan and grabbed handfuls of his shirt over each shoulder, tugging him back to his feet. “You okay?” he asked.

“Yeah,” Kavan answered, sorely rubbing his jaw, where the skin had already begun to darken as a bruise formed.

Natsu froze for just a moment, frowning at him, before the hesitation gave way, and he shoved an object into Kavan’s hands.

“Wh—What’s…why—?” Kavan questioned, looking down at the ring of keys he now held.

“Go get Lucy,” Natsu ordered. “Make sure she’s okay. She’s in that mill house; she’s gotta be.”

Now Kavan hesitated, looking from the keys up to Natsu then back again. “But…”

Natsu emitted a grunt of annoyance through his teeth and gave Kavan a little shove in the direction of the old building. “Go!” he barked. “You too, Happy.”

“But—”

“GO!”

Kavan paused for one second longer, then gave Natsu a slight nod and turned on his heels to run toward the structure, which was fading from view as the fog thickened once more. Happy reluctantly followed after lingering for just a moment more. It wasn’t more than a few seconds before Natsu could no longer see either of them. 

The fire wizard huffed a hot breath out through his nose, hoping to exhale some of the tension from his chest. In the end, all that mattered was Lucy’s safety. Whatever he needed to do to ensure that, well…that’s what he was gonna do.

Natsu’s dark eyes surveyed the mob of golems that once more converged upon him, and out of the corner of his eye he spotted the form of Mirage making a reappearance. Up above, Erza’s fierce battle with…whatever that thing was, raged on.

He drove a flaming fist into the opposite palm.

“Bring it on.”

Chapter Text

He had come for her. He was here. There was no mistaking the sound of his voice, however faint.

Natsu was here.

Lucy blinked back against the tears stinging her eyes. She could always count on him, no matter what. Always.

The three dark guild members—Mirage, Roseman, and Duke, she learned their names were—had ventured outside to confront Natsu, and Lucy was left tied up inside with nothing to do but watch Victoria pace nervously back and forth. Whatever superficial layer of confidence the latter had mustered up before, it all but vanished from the moment her hired thugs left the building. She wrung her hands together and bit her bottom lip while she wandered across the aged, creaking floorboards.

Lucy studied the woman in silence as she strained to hear what was going on outside. Occasionally, a stray word or some shouting drifted in through gaps in the walls—at some point she recognized Erza’s voice, too—but overall there was very little she could discern about whatever was going on out there. So, instead, she focused on Victoria. At first, Lucy thought she might try to scare the woman into setting her free, but it didn’t take long to realize Victoria was already plenty scared. Anyone who looked at her right now would see that. If Lucy had to venture a guess, it would be that this delicate maiden had gotten in way over her head by hiring a dangerous dark guild.

“They’re not gonna hurt you, you know…my guild mates. Fairy Tail,” Lucy commented, breaking the silence at last. Victoria spun around with a scowl but said nothing, holding the expression for a moment before resuming her pacing. “It doesn’t seem like you’re used to this kind of thing,” Lucy continued hesitantly: “Wizards. Danger.”

This time, Victoria snapped back: “Shut up! Just…shut up. Don’t speak to me.”

Lucy bit her lip, once more staring at the back of Victoria’s delicate lavender dress. Lace adorned the collar and sleeves, and all around the bodice crawled subtle but intricate embroidery. Was this girl really Kavan’s fiancé? She certainly looked the part. Lucy might very well had been in the same position herself, had she not found the courage to run away from home and start her new life as a guild wizard.

What a sobering thought. Lucy shuddered. She had been so swept up by the romance of it all, of Kavan doting upon her, that she hadn’t paused to consider what a future with such a man would look like. Wouldn’t it drag her right back into the world she had escaped from? Wouldn’t it inevitably draw her away from the guild, stuff her into fancy dresses, and force her to attend vapid parties where all that was expected of her was to be polite and obedient?

No…no. Kavan wasn’t like that. Spending time with him had never been about living the high life. From the very beginning, Kavan had said that what drew him to her was her heart, her tenacity, her strength. He was obsessed with wizards and magic. He loved Fairy Tail. Surely he wouldn’t have subjected or even expected her to play the role of an obedient little housewife. He seemed to crave an escape from his reality just as much as she had a few years ago.

A hot flush swept over Lucy’s face. Why was she even thinking about this right now?! In truth, she had allowed herself very little serious thought toward the future these past couple weeks. Confronted with it now, she realized why: her vision of the future, the one rooted deep within her soul, did not line up with a future down this particular path. She simply couldn’t reconcile the joy and giddiness she felt around Kavan now with the vision of a future by his side—and it wasn’t because she didn’t think she could be happy with him. No…it was because a different future already stood irrevocably determined before her. There was simply no other choice. No other person.

Lucy’s hands squeezed into fists. Her heart…it had known the truth the entire time. It was her stupid brain that had gotten in the way.

“Do you know what it’s like to love someone with all your being?”

Victoria’s soft and sudden question jolted Lucy from her whirling thoughts.

“You would do anything for them,” Victoria continued, “even if he…if they hardly ever look your way. Because there’s no other way you could possibly live your life.” She turned to face Lucy once more. Some of the fear in her expression had morphed into resolute anger. “I won’t let you get away with hurting my sweet Kavan. No matter what I have to do.”

Lucy blinked at Victoria in silence for a long moment. “You…really believe I did it, don’t you?”

Victoria scoffed, and her eyes flicked down to the gold and ruby necklace on the floor. “I don’t need to believe. I have proof.”

“Victoria, listen,” Lucy began, but before she could get another word out, the front door of the structure swung open, and someone she did not expect to see stepped inside. Victoria, too, gasped in surprise.

Kavan stumbled inside, looking uncharacteristically disheveled, and clutched within his left hand was a ring of keys. Lucy’s keys. She spotted them right away.

“K-Kavan, my dear!” Victoria sputtered breathlessly. “What on earth are you doing here?”

“Victoria?!” Kavan seemed frozen in place, staring at the young woman with a troubled expression. After a few seconds, his attention shifted, and he noticed Lucy tied up off to the side. His narrow eyes widened again and he scrambled over to her side. “Lucy! Are you okay? Oh, uh,” he extended her ring of keys, realized she couldn’t take them with her hands tied, and sputtered out a few unintelligible words before stumbling behind the beam she was tied to and tugging at the knotted cloth that bound her to it.

Victoria seemed to have been paralyzed for the first few moments after Kavan appeared, but now she gasped, “Kavan, my love, they didn’t hurt you, did they?!”

“They did.” The tone of his voice was different, oddly flat as if a mental dam held back a wealth of words behind it. Victoria seemed to notice, too, for she fell silent.

Kavan finished untying Lucy’s binds then extended a hand to help her up. Lucy breathed a sigh of relief at the cool air that rushed against her raw skin, and she smiled in gratitude at the man who had freed her. Kavan smiled back, a softness in his dark eyes, and he placed a hand on her arm. For the briefest of moments his body weight shifted forward, as if he was going to pull her in for an embrace, but then he stepped back and held out her keys once more.

“Your guild found these this morning,” he explained.

Lucy took them with a nod. The familiar weight in her hand shot a rush of warmth and relief through her chest. “Thank you.” She glanced over her shoulder, where Victoria watched them with a decidedly miserable expression. So…it seemed that Kavan and Victoria did know each other after all. The exact nature of their relationship remained unclear.

“She’s the one who did it, Kavan,” Victoria said at last. Every word dripped with contempt, yet she sounded ready to cry.

Kavan looked back in her direction at last. “Did what?”

“Stole from you. She stole your family’s jewels. Look.” Victoria gestured toward the one piece of supposedly damning evidence. When Kavan’s brow creased in confusion, she added, “This was in her apartment. I wanted to…to find out where she stashed the rest of it before I-I told you, that way you wouldn’t have t-to—”

Kavan held up a hand. “Enough.” The word wasn’t harsh, but it was firm. Victoria halted her explanation and a pout overtook her lips. She blinked rapidly to fight against the tears that flooded her eyes. Kavan sighed heavily and turned around to face Lucy once again. “I’m so sorry about all this,” he told her softly. “I don’t know exactly what’s going on here, but I intend to find out.”

Lucy studied his face curiously. For all the time she had spent with him these past few weeks, she felt compelled to believe the sincerity of his concern. “You trust me?” she asked. “Just like that?”

A smile stretched his lips. “Just like that.” He sighed again and looked down at the floor for a moment. “Your friends are out there, fighting. Natsu and Happy—Erza, too. I want to tell you to stay in here, where it’s safe, but,” his gaze drifted back up, “that would be naive. I think a little Lucy Heartfilia flair is just what the others need to beat those thugs.”

Lucy couldn’t help but smile back. Kavan was willing to trust her, to believe in her. She would do the same for him. The celestial wizard squeezed her key ring and offered Kavan a determined nod before stepping around him and darting for the door. She spared Victoria nothing more than a sideways glance.

Her friends needed her.

Chapter Text

Lucy stepped out of the abandoned mill house and into a dense cloud of dark fog. It definitely wasn’t natural; one of the wizards from the dark guild must have generated it.

“Lucy!” cried a voice to her side. She turned to see Happy hovering nervously outside the door, big eyes wet with concern. “Is it really you this time?”

“Yeah, it’s me,” Lucy answered, a little confused as to what ‘this time’ meant.

Happy seemed a little unsure as he ventured closer. “Really really you?”

“It’s me, Happy,” Lucy assured him. “Look; we’ll have to catch up later. It looks like you guys could use some help.” She brandished her ring of keys and gave the whip at her hip a pat, offering Happy a determined smile. Something in the action gave Happy the assurance he was looking for, and he nodded back with fire in his eyes.

“Yeah!” he answered. “These guys are bad news!” He paused and seemed to be scanning Lucy for injuries. “Are you okay, Lucy?”

She nodded. “I’m okay. Now…let’s take these jerks down!”

Happy flew alongside her as she ran toward the fray, quickly explaining that Erza was fighting some shadow being up in the sky, while Natsu was on the ground taking on both Pigtails and the big guy. Lucy couldn’t catch even a glimpse of Erza, though she could hear her shouts and the occasional clang of her sword. Straight ahead, the fog repeatedly lit up with a red hue, no doubt from Natsu’s fire. That was where Lucy now headed. Time to even out the playing field .

As she ran, Lucy singled out one of her summoning keys and held it up. “Open, gate of the lion!” she shouted. “Leo!” Her feet didn’t miss a beat, nor did his, and he matched her gait the moment he appeared from the burst of summoning light.

“Hello, Lucy,” Loke greeted her. “You’re looking lovely as always.”

“Yeah, thanks,” Lucy answered dryly. “Listen; I need your help. We’re up against a dark guild.”

“They’re really strong!” Happy warned. “And mean! And they kidnapped Lucy!”

“Oh?” Loke asked with a glimmer of surprise sweeping over his face. “Well then…how about we teach them a lesson?” He and Lucy exchanged determined smirks, the latter reaching for her whip, and they continued to run toward where Natsu’s fire lit up the fog.

Figures soon came into focus. Lucy spotted Natsu first. Clumps of dirt—golems, she quickly realized—piled around his ankles, anchoring him in place, and stacked themselves into towers, reaching to incapacitate his arms as well. He roared in frustration as his spewing flames did little to disturb the artificial creatures of earth. Meanwhile, disembodied cackling filled the air, a voice Lucy recognized as Pigtails—Mirage. The girl’s figure flitted around Natsu faster than the eye could trace, landing blow after blow. Lucy gripped the handle of her whip tighter and released its plume of shimmering celestial water. “Loke, can you slow her down for me?”

“You got it.”

Loke wasted no time in calling upon Regulus to produce a blinding flash of light that even the dark fog they were trapped in could not diminish. Mirage squeaked in surprise, halting in place to rub her eyes, and that was all the window of opportunity Lucy needed to swing her Fleuve d'étoiles and snag the girl by her ankle. Mirage fell to the ground with a squeak, and this relief from her constant barrage was enough to allow Natsu to unleash a ferocious fire dragon’s roar attack, engulfing the dark wizard in flames. This proved to be the finishing blow for the girl, who now lay smoldering on the ground, groaning in defeat.

Lucy uttered a satisfied hmph! and raced to Natsu’s side, delivering a Lucy Kick upon the stack of golems that immobilized his right arm, collapsing the short tower to the ground. Loke joined her in breaking their guild mate free, then the three of them jumped to the side to put some distance between themselves and the swarm of golems. Happy flew over to join them, fussing over Natsu and apologizing for being unable to help before.

When Lucy looked back up, she found Natsu fixated on her. The tilt of his brow had shifted from anger to concern, and he stared at her with consternation and almost… disbelief , as if she was a specter. So caught off guard was she by his unusual expression that Lucy, too, froze in place.

“Lucy…” he greeted her in a tone rather subdued for the circumstances. The single word trailed off and was left crushed under the weight of everything left unsaid.

But now wasn’t the time.

“We can talk later,” Lucy said, her chest feeling tight all the sudden, “but first, we need to take care of these wizards. What are we dealing with?”

Natsu continued to stare at her for another long moment before silently averting his gaze and pointing up to the sky. “Erza’s fighting some weird shadowy guy up there. I think he’s the one responsible for the fog.”

Lucy nodded and looked up. If she had to guess, the wizard in question was Roseman, the pale man dressed in black. And that just left--

“Watch out!”

Several golems emerged from the fog as projectiles. Lucy and Loke were caught off guard and didn’t have time to do anything but hold up their arms in a block stance. Natsu, however, having dealt with this barrage for some time now, was prepared to intercept them with a flaming fist. With a leap and a roar, he knocked the wave of golems off course, and they landed tumbling on the ground nearby. Natsu grumbled and kicked at another couple golems that had stumbled over to grab at his ankles again.

“Graaah , I hate these things!” he groused.

Lucy scanned the fog for the third Kumo Squall wizard, Duke, but he was far enough away to be completely obscured. He also remained entirely silent in order to conceal his location. Duke had to be the one creating and controlling all these golems.

How were they supposed to counter these attacks when they couldn’t see them coming?

Lucy looked toward the sky again. “You said that wizard uses shadow magic?” If they could just get rid of this stupid fog, they could figure out a strategy to counter Duke and his golems. She exchanged a glance with Loke, and he seemed to have the idea at the same time as her: to fight shadow, they could use light. And light happened to be a specialty of theirs.

Just as Lucy opened her mouth to coordinate with Happy and Natsu to get Loke and herself into the sky, bright light flashed above them, and moments later a figure came crashing down into the ground. Lucy quickly recognized the figure as Roseman. Erza followed soon after, clad in her morning star armor. She landed heavily on her feet before straightening back out.

“Glad to see you’re alright, Lucy,” she said with a smile as the fog around them began to dissipate at last. “I see I have you and Loke to thank for that idea. Your light show a minute ago had a marked effect on him, and then I decided to hit him with a light attack of my own. That provided all the opening I needed to strike him down.”

“Glad we could help!” Lucy retorted with a grin.

However, their complete victory was not yet assured. Sunlight poured down on them as the last of the fog was carried away by the breeze, and across the field they could at last see the final member of Kumo Squall they had yet to defeat. The hulking figure of Duke stood like a statue as his golems gathered around him, fusing with each other and building up around his own body as an earthen suit of armor.

“You Fairies are quite a nuisance,” he growled. More and more dirt drew up around him, and he grew bigger in size until he stood more than twice their height. The dark wizard then started toward them with heavy, ground-shaking strides, his earthen shell shifting around him, full of the artificial souls of his golems.

Natsu growled and sprang forward to meet him, launching himself foot first and engulfed in flame. Just as his foot struck Duke’s armor, the soil warped to absorb the impact, thoroughly unaffected by the flames, then wrapped itself around Natsu’s ankle. “Ahwah—!” Natsu yelped as the dirt stretched out into an arm that lurched him to the side before flinging him forward through the open air. He landed messily, hitting hard and rolling several times, but was quickly back on his feet, helped along by Happy, who tugged on his coat.

“Natsu!” Lucy exclaimed. “Are you okay?”

“I’m fine,” he growled in response and glared at the enemy. “Don’t think fire does much to this guy, though.”

“And I don’t think heavenly magic will have the same effect it had on the other two,” Loke added.

To counter Duke’s advance, this time Erza lunged forward, a sword in each hand. She swung both swords crosswise and unfortunately, just as the golem shell had blocked Natsu’s attack and turned the point of contact against him, so too did it neutralize Erza’s attack and grab hold of each of her blades.

“Damn it,” she spat, hopping out of the way just before it could grab her, too, leaving her swords stuck behind. Seconds later, the golem shell spat the swords back out, and they spun wildly through the air toward the others. “Watch out!” Erza cried.

Lucy successfully deflected one of the swords with her whip, while Natsu knocked the other down with a well-placed kick. However, in the moments during which they were distracted, Duke drew even more dirt up into his armor and raised four giant earthen fists in the air, one for each of them but Happy. Erza saw it coming with enough time to dodge, as did Loke. However, rather than dodging to safety, Loke instead lunged toward Lucy to shove her out of the way before being struck by the fist intended for her. Natsu was struck as well by the fourth fist, but he had thrust his hands up in time to intercept the blow. He buckled under the weight, his feet digging into the ground, but he growled ferociously and straightened back out like an unfolding accordion, pushing back against the mass with his special brand of wild and irrepressible dragon-powered strength.

Lucy’s attention at the moment focused solely on Loke, who had fallen under the full force of the blow. “Loke!” she cried. When the dirt fist retracted, he lay battered on the ground, wincing and smiling apologetically at her.

“S-Sorry…Lucy,” he groaned, and glowing orbs appeared around him as his gate opened. “I need…to go back…and recover…”

“I’m sorry, Loke!” she cried back. “Thank you for protecting me!” Lucy watched as he disappeared into golden light, and once it was gone, so was he. Her jaw clenched. She hated it when her celestial spirits suffered for her sake. I owe you one, Loke .

Nearby, with a roar and massive outburst of energy, Natsu successfully pushed the giant fist off himself, and each of the four fists retracted back into Duke’s armor.

“What are we supposed to do against this thing?” Happy moaned. “None of your attacks are working!”

“I’m not sure,” Erza replied as she trotted back up to their side after collecting her swords, her eyes narrow and calculating as she stared at their enemy. It seemed that with every passing second, Duke drew more mass around him, and he morphed into an ever bigger monster.

Lucy stared, too, her mind running a mile a minute. A variety of physical attacks had proven useless against the wizard’s golem shell. She wondered how he was controlling them, then she recalled all the rings on his fingers. Maybe those were linked to the golem souls. Gah , but what use was knowing that, when he was safely encased within that impenetrable armor? Melee attacks weren’t working, and if anyone got too close, they would be grabbed. A ranged attack, maybe? She thought briefly of summoning Sagittarius, but thought better of it, figuring arrows wouldn’t have any greater effect than the swing of a sword or fist. Okay, so…magic, then. What kind of magic was this thing vulnerable to? Certainly not fire, and Loke was probably right about heavenly magic. Lucy’s gaze drifted until it rested upon the creek behind the mill house.

Maybe…

Her brow knotted in determination. “I’ve got an idea — give me some cover!” she told the others. They didn’t ask any questions and merely stepped between her and Duke as she ran in the direction of the creek. She heard the rumbling of shifting earth behind her but trusted that Natsu and Erza would guard her from any attacks. She focused on running as fast as her feet would carry her and isolated another key on her ring.

Don’t be in a bad mood… Don’t be in a bad mood…

Lucy reached the edge of the creek and clambered over rocks along the bank to fall to her knees and plunge a key into the water.

“Open, gate of the water bearer! Aquarius!”

One flash of golden light later and the beautiful mermaid sat scowling in the shallow water.

“What is this?!” Aquarius exclaimed, gesturing wildly to the meager creek she had been summoned into. “Ugh, and I was already having a bad day! I thought I told you to stop summoning me in weird places!”

Lucy grimaced then forced a smile. “I’m sorry, Aquarius; it’s a bit of an emergency. See that thing over there?” She pointed toward Duke’s giant golem suit. “We’re having some trouble taking him down, but I have a feeling you could help us out.”

Aquarius bent forward, hands on her hips, to drive her scowl into Lucy’s face like a screw.

Lucy chuckled awkwardly. “Please?”

Aquarius squinted for a moment then lifted her urn. “The things I put up with for you.” With a screech she produced a massive and unending torrent of water from her urn and shot it in an arc to land squarely atop Duke and the dirt caked around him. As she maintained the stream, the earthen shell collected more and more water until it began to slough off in glops of mud.

Lucy smirked in satisfaction. It was working. What could even the hardest earth not stand up to? Water. Unrelenting water.

The golem shell melted more and more until Duke stumbled out of the muddy mess, cursing at his deformed golems for not responding to his will. Witnessing this, Lucy turned toward Aquarius with a smile but then recoiled when she saw the celestial spirit turn her wrath upon her summoner.

“I’M TAKING A VACATION!” Aquarius announced before sweeping Lucy up in her water torrent.

As she was carried away, Lucy shouted, “Thank you, Aquarius!” and faintly heard the spirit scoff in reply. The water swept Lucy straight into Duke, knocking him over into the pile of mud. Back over by the creek, a flash of golden light indicated that Aquarius had excused herself from the battle.

Lucy spluttered as she struggled to her feet atop the slick surface, but before she fully regained her balance, a furious Duke was suddenly looming over her, ready to strike. He never got the chance, though, because at that same moment, Natsu lurched forward and bellowed “FIRE DRAGON IRON FIST!”, connecting a fiery fist to Duke’s jaw with such force that the latter went flying.

And that was the end of the battle.

Natsu stood facing Duke for a moment, shoulders heaving, before he turned and extended a hand to help Lucy to her feet. His hand was warm. Hot, even. She thanked him and continued to rely on his support as her feet slid beneath her. She and Aquarius had made quite the mess.

“That was good thinkin’, Lucy,” Natsu said.

“Maybe not the most graceful, but effective,” Lucy laughed weakly in reply, well aware that she was dripping wet and covered in mud.

Natsu helped her away from the mud pile, but even once they were free, their hands lingered together. They stopped and looked at each other in silence. That same hurt look crept into Natsu’s eyes. Tension once again gripped Lucy’s chest. What was probably only a few seconds felt like half an eternity. Then he dropped her hand.

“Now then,” said Erza, walking up to them, “I’d like to know what’s going on here.” She had requipped back into her standard armor and stood with a hand on her hip.

“Me too,” Lucy said. Out of the corner of her eye she saw Natsu turn away, and she nervously tucked her hair behind her ears. They all turned their attention toward the mill house just as the front door cracked open, and Kavan’s head popped out. He deemed the area safe then swung the door fully open and escorted Victoria out into the sun, guiding her with a hand on her back. This made Lucy swallow tightly. Now that the danger had passed, questions flooded her mind. She wanted answers.

The two groups met in the middle, and Kavan asked, “Are you all alright?” They assured him that was the case, and he sighed in relief. Then his gaze swept over them all, lingering especially on Lucy, and he continued, “We need to talk.”