Archive of Our Own ^beta

Chapter Text

"Fuck" 

Lucy was not having a good day, or a good week, or a good year for that matter. 

Since running away from home a little over a year ago, and having to financially fend for herself for the first time in 20 years it was a challenge in the beginning for someone as sheltered as she is, and did not come without great challenges.

But it is something Lucy has gotten used to and has actually come to enjoy some odd jobs and trades she's had to learn to get by. 

At least to a certain degree.

But with her arrival in Hargeon today, and having spent half of her day trying to find a job, and the other half trying to find somewhere to live. Having no luck with either was a tad discouraging and left Lucy to wonder if her plan to move every few months was actually a smart idea, or if she was just being paranoid.

I mean, she's heard no word from her father or anything about her disappearance. So it's only natural to think he isn't looking. 

Then again, it's better safe than sorry, so moving every time she starts feeling like she's suffocating or bored was the conclusion.

She had left Morgate Town fairly easily, it wasn't like she had any friends in the place, and her job as a waitress had her underpaid and overworked, so she was happy to leave. 

Now if only she had had the foresight to at least look for some jobs or housing in this area, but no, she decided to treat it like an adventure.

She scoffs now at the thought, right adventure is what she had been looking for when she ran away. Freedom to do whatever she wanted. 

Boy, has the real world slapped her in the face.

Her lack of foresight and naivety for adventure is why she was currently walking down the dark streets of Hargeon, following her phone GPS to the inn with the most positive ratings, that wasn't too pricey. 

She had found it online earlier when she had stopped to get something to eat and decided to book a room. 

Turning the corner of a street, she noticed that everything was suddenly eerily quiet. 

People were walking around just a minute ago, looking around she didn't notice anything particularly out of the ordinary, but she couldn't shake off the feeling of being watched. 

Picking up her pace slightly, she continued down the street, wishing the inn were closer, so she could just draw a bath and try to figure out her game plan for tomorrow.

Suddenly, out of nowhere, something slammed into her from the side, sending her flying into an alleyway between two buildings. 

With a grunt, Lucy landed on the hard ground, slightly disoriented and wondering what sent her flying, looking up, she saw a figure covered by a black cloak standing at the entrance of the alley.

"What the hell is your problem?" Lucy asked, trying to sound confident as she stood up on shaky legs. 

They started walking towards her, not answering her question, but she did hear hissing sounds and weird clicking noises coming from under the hood.

Not wanting to figure out what the hell this person's deal is, Lucy looked to the other end of the alley, only to see that it goes one way and is blocked by a wall connecting the buildings. 

Dead end.

With a curse under her breath, Lucy looked back at the cloaked figure and tried to sidestep and escape, only to be grabbed by the back of her hair and violently slammed her into the brick wall.

Lucy let out a harsh scream as her body made an impact, and looking at her attacker she finally noticed that it wasn't a person at all that was attacking her because under the black cloak was a figure straight out of a nightmare, a soulless face, with dark gray skin and no apparent eyes started back at her.

Lucy only screamed louder, the creature tightened the hold it had on her and started mumbling words that Lucy could barely make out.

"We could feel your magic, yes, yes, so sweet it smells, a good feast we have found, good, good." It sounded like it was talking to itself.

Not being one to give up, Lucy kept struggling in its hold and kept screaming for help, hoping someone would hear her.

"No, no, no escape. Keep still."

It sounded harsher, and with those words, Lucy was slammed into the wall once more, she heard a crack and could feel blood trickling down the back of her head. That stopped her protest as she felt the pain come in full swing.

The creature above her was drawing closer, its mouth open and sharp teeth on display, gods, is this how she dies? In a dirty alleyway, with no one to miss her, no one to even know she was dead? 

'Please don't let me die like this, not like this' Lucy thought to herself as the creature finally started to feed on her, it felt like her very soul was getting sucked out. 

She was fading fast and thinking, this time, of her mother, and how she will finally be able to see her again, at the very least.

Just as that thought crossed her mind, Lucy felt the air around her start to increase in temperature, making sweat build up on Lucy's temple she felt a blast of heat and warmth around her and suddenly the creature was thrown off of her with an unearthly shriek. 

There were more heat blasts, it looked like fire shooting out of somewhere. She wasn't even sure anymore as black spots started to appear in front of her.  

Sliding down the wall, she heard another shriek and after a few beats of silence Lucy was suddenly wrapped in warmth, she didn't even realize she was freezing.

"Crap, he got you good, don't worry you're safe now. I'll take you back to Fairy Tail and-"

The person who had her in their arms was talking, but Lucy was losing consciousness, fast, and could not focus for the life of her. The last thing she saw was pink before passing out.

* ********* ********** ********** ********* *

Waking up disoriented and with a pounding head, when you're 100% sure you didn't drink the night before is not fun by any means.

This is how Lucy finds herself waking up, in a brightly lit room, with her head feeling like someone is trying to escape from inside it. 

 She sat up with a groan, blinking away the way the light hurt her eyes, and finally able to look around, the room she is in appears to be an infirmary of some kind, but how did she get there? Why is she here? 

Suddenly she remembered the attack, a creature of some sort, sucking out her soul, and then fire and warmth, someone fighting the creature and rescuing her before everything went black.

No, that can't be right, there must be a logical explanation for what she saw. She just needs to get up and see where she is, and get some answers.

Going through the infirmary door she sees that she is on the second floor of what appears to be a tavern. 

The ground floor was full of people who were laughing, drinking, and playing games.

Some even appear to be fighting.

'What an odd place' Lucy thinks to herself as she descends the stairs, looking around at everyone she suddenly notices that these are no regular people. 

She sees what looks like elf ears and wings on some people, and bursts of energy or other strange-looking things from others.

"I must still be dreaming, yes that's it, this is all just a lucid dream." Lucy mutters to herself as she makes her way through the middle of the crowd and to the bar, where she sees a beautiful white-haired girl tending to it.

As Lucy sits down on an empty chair the girl looks up at her with a bright smile "Hello, my name is Mirajane, how are you feeling? You were in quite the rough shape when Natsu brought you in last night."

The girl, Mirajane, puts a plate of fries and some chicken wings on the bar, as well as a glass of water "Here, I'm sure you're hungry, and you need to replenish the energy that was stolen from you."

Lucy smiled at Mirajane, looking down at the food, it smelled amazing and she suddenly felt and heard her stomach growl which is what made Lucy think, maybe she wasn't in a dream after all.

Looking back at Mirajane, Lucy smiled, she could feel it was slightly strained because of the uncertainty of her surroundings, but she tried her best to hide it.

"My name is Lucy, thank you for the food Mirajane, I didn't realize I was so hungry. I am sorry, but I have to ask you, do you know what happened to me? I, I'm not sure what I saw last night, you see I was attacked but I'm not, well, I" Lucy trailed off struggling to find the words to describe the creature that attacked her, fearing she might sound completely insane if she did.

"Yes, dreadful creatures, Lethifolds. They feed off of energy, usually fear. But they are known to attack and take a person's life energy and magical energy as well. You were lucky that Natsu caught the scent of one and found you when he did."

Mirajane explained with a wave of her hand as she went back to wiping the bar.

Lucy just started back at her, stunned. Lethifolds? Magical energy? She felt like she was going crazy. 

"I'm sorry, did you just say magical energy?" Lucy asked but her question never got answered as she heard someone yell to watch out and she turned around only to see a chair flying towards her. 

Lucy only really had time to close her eyes and try to duck as best she can to try and minimize the damage.

But the blow never came, she only felt warmth at her side and slowly, Lucy opened her eyes to see the chair had been stopped by someone barely 20cm from her face. 

"Jeez, you guys gotta be more careful or somethin'." the person that stopped the chair said, throwing it suddenly back, hitting a big guy with white hair. Making him fall back and topple several people along with him.

"That's rich coming from you flame brain"

Another voice chimed in from across the room making the pink-haired man next to Lucy bristle.

"What'dya say ya stripper freak?" He growled back at the man who taunted him.

'Huh, pink hair suits him ' Lucy thinks to herself as she looks at the man who saved her from another possible concussion.

"Thank you, for catching the chair, I would've been a goner." she finds herself saying to the stranger, who, at the sound of her voice snaps out of his staring contest and turns to face her fully with a brilliant smile.

"No problem, glad to see ya're up and movin', I was kinda worried I didn't make it in time, but the mean healer said you'd be awake soon so I guess that's good. I'm Natsu" he rambled on, sitting next to her at the bar as he did.

Natsu. 

That's who Mirajane said saved her from that Dementor-looking thing. 

"Oh, you're the one who saved me." Lucy said dumbly, wincing slightly as she did.

Seriously what kind of weirdo says something like that? 

Natsu just smiles wider and nods "Yeah I did! I was finishin' up a job in Hargeon when I smelt one of those bastards and knew I had to hunt it down before it caused any trouble, looks like I got there just in time, eh." He winks and nudges my shoulder, wiggling his eyebrows, the smile never leaving his face. 

Lucy smiles back at him, letting out a slight laugh. This one is a little more real, something about this pink-haired man made her feel warm, made her feel safe. 

That is a foreign feeling to one Lucy Heartfilia. 

So she lets herself relax if only a little.

"Well thank you, you saved my life. I'm not even sure what happened but I don't think I would've made it if you hadn't shown up. I don't know how to make it up to you." 

His expression suddenly turns serious as he turns to fully look at her, from her shoes to the top of her head. 

Now Lucy has had many men, young and old, look at her up and down before, and most of them made her skin crawl. 

The way Natsu was looking at her was more inquisitive than anything like he was trying to figure something out. He stopped his inspection and looked her in the eyes.

"The creature that attacked you feeds off of energy, positiv', negativ', it doesn't matter, really. Thought this one was going for your magical energy." He says the last part with conviction and looks for her reaction.

Lucy can now say she officially has no idea what is going on, and what is real. He said the same thing that Mirajane had. 

Magical. Energy. 

"You have no idea, do you?" Natsu's voice broke her out of her thoughts and she looked back at him.

"You just said magical energy, as in like magic? Like Harry Potter and stuff?" Lucy asked, perplexed and not knowing what to think. 

This wasn't real, no way. Lucy had always had an active imagination, so yeah that's all this is. She's probably bleeding out in the alley where she was attacked. 

Natsu just smiled at her, scoffing slightly at her Harry Potter comment. "Yes magic, no not like Harry Potter. And you have it. I can smell it on you." He said sniffing the air with a shrug, as if it proves his point.

"You can smell it on me ?" Lucy asked, her voice squeaking slightly. She brought her hands to hug herself.

 'Do I stink?' Lucy thought to herself, a little self-conscious about what she'd just learned.

"Yeah, I got a good nose, and even though it's repressed or something, I can tell it's there." He answered as if it explains everything.

Lucy felt a migraine start to form from everything going on, she could also feel a pressure in her chest, building.

 She tried to wrap her head around magic, and did he say repressed?

"What do you mean by repressed?" 

Natsu looked back at her with a shrug, as if trying to find the words.

"Like it's locked inside of you, ya know? But I can tell that it's ripping through the seams like it wants to burst out, that's the only reason that bastard could've sensed it. It's also why I brought ya here, thought maybe you'd like for us to break it for you so you can learn to use your magic." He explained casually like they were discussing current events, and Lucy finally snapped.

Standing up abruptly causing Natsu to lean back a bit from surprise she looked at him, eyes wide and she was panting slightly, breathing deepening from her increasing panic.

"Ok, hold on, stop. You can't really be saying that magic is, that magic is real? Like actually real, casting spells and flying on brooms and wicked witches casting spells?" She spat out, in an obvious panic now, at some point she had started pacing in front of Natsu, who just looked back at her, wide-eyed from her outburst.

Lucy started at him, chest heaving, waiting for a response, only for the pink-haired man to laugh at her. 

Annoyed, Lucy let out a groan and hit his shoulder.

"Don't laugh at me, I think I'm having a panic attack, you should be helping, not laughing." She hit him one more time for good measure which made him stop laughing and let out a sigh of his own.

"Okay, okay. Sorry for laughin' at ya, it's just, flying on brooms, really?" Lucy couldn't help the pathetic laugh that bubbled from her throat, she didn't even know what was funny. 

It was a legitimate question, she didn't know anything about this supposed magical world.

Looking back at Natsu she saw him already focused on her, with a small smile on his face.

"See, got ya to laugh. Point for me." 

Before Lucy could even interject, he continued talking.

"Now, as for the magic part. Yes, to the magic is real part. No, for the flying brooms. Yes, to casting spells, although 'spells' is one term for it, there are others. And I guess yes to the wicked witches part too, but trust me, they are not like the cartoons. "

Lucy started at him, trying to wrap her head around him actually answering her questions, and taking her seriously.

"Here, let me show you my magic, it is totally the coolest in the guild!" He exclaimed, making Lucy smile a little at his enthusiasm, her smile was suddenly wiped when Natsu's right arm catches on fire. 

A high-pitched squeak came from Lucy's mouth and before she's even realizing her actions her hands are on Natsu's arm, trying to put out the fire.

"Are you crazy!?? You're going to burn yourself!" She yelled patting his arm, trying to put out the fire as her panic started to kick in again.

Amid her panic, she failed to notice that the fire was not burning Natsu, nor was it burning her.

When she noticed that the flames were dying out slowly, she turned her eyes back to Natsu who was looking at her with a strange expression on his face, something akin to astonishment.

Before either could speak a voice entered their conversation.

"What's all this ruckus about, ey?" Lucy turned to her left and saw a short gray-haired man with a weird hat on top of his head sitting crossed-legged on the bar, their eyes met and he gave her an assessing look before offering a smile.

"You must be the girl Natsu saved last night, good to see you back on your feet." 

Lucy smiled at the old man. "My name is Lucy. I'm sorry for disturbing you in your tavern, I was just leaving." 

'Yes, I'll just leave and then hopefully this is all just a very vivid and disturbing dream and a pink-haired man did not save me from a Dementor and did not light himself on fire.' 

Lucy thought, trying to back up, and out of the building when suddenly, she felt a stab of pain in her chest, making her stop in her tracks and clench her midsection. 

Doubling over she felt another pierce through her, this one knocking the air out of her, Lucy felt herself falling but did not have any control over her body.

She felt a pair of warm hands catch her before she had a chance to hit the floor. 

Lucy could barely make out the voices around her, everything was spinning, her chest hurt, she could feel something inside of her, something that felt like it wanted to burst. 

With one last jolt of pain, a crack resonated within Lucy, and her power was unleashed.

Chapter Text

Natsu didn't know what to think of the girl standing in front of him, when he had saved her the night before, he thought nothing of it. 

Someone was attacked, left drained and unconscious, so sensing magic in her, and not seeing any apparent guild marks on her, Natsu decided to take her back to Fairy Tail to get her patched up and rested. 

When he saw her at the bar earlier about to be hit point blank by a rouge chair, he couldn't tell you why, he just moved to intercept before it could hurt her.  

Which was how he found himself talking to the blonde-haired girl.

Lucy. 

She said her name was Lucy.

He could tell she was a little nervous and unsure of what was going on, he could smell the unease on her. 

Not that he could blame her, she looked around his age and he couldn't imagine not knowing he had magic his whole life, so he tried to make her feel a little more at ease with his jokes, which seemed to be doing the trick.

It was when he went to show her his magic, and saw the panic in her eyes as she started patting his arm down, trying to put out the fire, that he noticed his flames did not affect her. 

No matter how much Natsu practiced or trained, his fire always had a mind of its own. 

He had learned the hard way, through countless errors how to work with it instead of trying to control it and get it to do what he wants. 

Right now, it seemed as if his fire was embracing her. 

How weird, no matter how many times Natsu has tried, he was never able to not singe or scorch things and people alike while fighting in battles or even just light sparring around the guild. 

He's even burned Happy a couple of times by accident.

Was it somehow connected to her magic? Is she a type of fire mage, or something that could be resistant to fire?

Before he could voice his thoughts or do anything, the master showed up and as Natsu listened to their conversation he could hear Lucy saying that she was leaving.

He felt a little pang in his heart at the thought of her leaving, the dragon part of him was starting to feel a little possessive over the blonde, maybe it was the way her hair looked like spun gold, luring the greedy dragon inside of him. 

The part of him that collects gold and hoards it to himself.

Following her movements closely, Natsu watched her back up slowly, as if she was waiting for the perfect moment to break into a run, instead, he saw the way her knees buckled suddenly, her hands clutching near her chest as she doubled over in pain.

As she started swaying back and forth, Natsu found himself acting, again, before he could even think about it, and moves from his seat and catches her before she can hit the ground, and holds her in his arms.

Feeling the way her skin was heating up, and noticing a faint glow coming from her skin, Natsu turned to the master.

"Gramps, I think her magic is breakin' through." He said to the old who had leaped from the bar and in front of them when Lucy collapsed. 

"Yes, it would appear so, the Lethifold seems to have weakened the seal on her magic, considering it was already loosening over the years as her magic grew, it seems to have finally cracked. 

You take her back to the infirmary room, we should give her body time to adjust to the magic. I'll have Wendy take a look at her too, just to be sure there was no damage caused by the seal." 

The old man left Natsu with his instructions and went to look for Wendy. 

Natsu looked back at the girl in his arms, her skin was still glowing faintly. It reminded Natsu of a firefly. He could feel the buzz of her magic wherever their skin was touching. 

Repositioning her in his arms for a firmer hold Natsu climbed the stairs and went to the infirmary to wait for Gramps and Wendy.

* ********* ********** ********** ********* *

This time around Lucy woke up feeling like she was plugged into a socket. 

She felt a tingling sensation throughout her entire body, it was a pleasant feeling, one that seemed almost familiar, she just couldn't tell you where from.

Opening her eyes, Lucy still a little disoriented, blinked a few times and saw that she was in a dark mid-sized room, the only light coming from behind a black-out curtain and the ajar bathroom door. 

Was this the Inn she booked in Hargeon? 

'So it was all a dream.' 

She thought to herself before looking at the rest of the room, barely managing to stifle a scream as she saw a man sleeping in a chair on the left side of her bed.

Taking in a deep breath, Lucy sat up in the bed and started debating on whether to try and silently go straight for the exit or attack the person next to the bed. 

As she turned her head slightly to look at the sleeping figure she saw that the man had pink hair. 

Wait, pink? 

Was she still in that weird tavern?

'So not a dream then.'

Why was she in this room? She remembered meeting Mirajane, then she almost got hit by a chair and met Natsu and the two started talking, she remembers the fire and panicking as she tried to put it out, everything after was a little hazy.

As Lucy was going around in circles in her head, the man next to her stirred and let out a yawn, stretching his arms above his head.

"Damn, I fell asleep." He muttered to himself and Lucy stiffened at the sound of his voice.

She tried not to move and alert him that she was awake, but it seemed to be in vain as he tilted his head and look at her, a smile gracing his face when he saw she was awake.

"Hey, how'rya feelin'? Ya gave us a scare when ya just fainted out of nowhere, weirdo." He said with a teasing tone, leaning in slightly so she could get a better look at his features.  

His eyes almost seemed to glow in the low light, they were dark hazel, and Lucy found herself mystified by him.

She wanted to relax in the bed and laugh at his little jab, she wanted to banter back and slap his shoulder with her hand for calling her weird.

Lucy has never really interacted with people, not like this. 

Not when she was locked up in her house, surrounded by staff and tutors. Not when she ran away and found out how cruel the world is. She never had friends, but it wasn't just that.

In all her life Lucy had never felt this at ease with another person, not since her mother died. 

And here was this man, this warm, cute, brave man, that saved her life and seemed to break every rule she had in place, and Lucy didn't know what to think.

"I'm, I feel good. Better than ever, kind of like a current of electricity is running through my body, but it isn't bad?" 

Lucy finally replied to his question, thinking it was the best course of action, the last part sounding more like a question than anything.

He nods his head in understanding at her words, his smile widening.

"Yeah, that's your magic ya're feeling. It looks like that Lethifold did some damage to your seal while feeding and it broke. So now we just have to figure out what kinda magic ya have."

Before she has a chance to respond, he suddenly gives her a sheepish smile, a little uncertain, and rubs the back of his neck. 

"Also, sorry for dozing off in here, after we made sure ya were alright, we put ya in one of the spare rooms, and I just figured, maybe you wouldn't want to wake up alone." 

With that statement Lucy felt her heart swell for this pink-haired man, no one has ever been this considerate towards her before. 

"That's okay, that was very thoughtful, thank you. I would probably be in the midst of a panic attack if you weren't here." Lucy said lightly, trying to bring out a smile from him.

It works and the brilliant smile is back on his face, making Lucy smile with him. 

"It's a good thing I am here then. Come one, do ya wanna come downstairs, we can have breakfast and have ya meet some people that can explain everything that's going on better than I can?" Natsu says as he gets out of his seat, stretching as he does.

"You can use the bathroom and do anything you need to. I'll wait for ya outside the door, there's no rush. There should be some spare clothes in the bathroom, Mira insisted." 

And with those words, he leaves the room, and Lucy to her disarranged thoughts.

* ********* ********** ********** ********* *

After a much-needed shower and a change of clothes, just a simple pair of jeans and a tee, Lucy braided her hair and took a deep breath. 

'Okay, you can do this Lucy. Just go out there and see what explanation they have for you.'

With a pitiful pep talk, she leaves the room.

The first thing she sees is Natsu, leaning against the rails of the balcony, he turns at the sound of her closing the door. 

Offering her a smile, he starts walking down the stairs "Come on, I'll take ya to meet Levy and Wendy. They're at that table over there. They can answer any questions ya have." 

Lucy nods and follows behind him looking around the tavern, seeing fewer people than the last time she was down here. 

Mirajane was tending to the bar still, or again maybe? 

Lucy had a feeling it was early morning. 

There was a girl behind Mirajane that looks like she could be her sister (and most probably is) with short white hair that was helping her with the dishes. 

Other than a few people scattered around, one of them being a girl at one end of the bar, in a bikini top, drinking wine straight out of a barrel. Which, while being impressive, and a little scary at the same time, couldn't be good for you. 

There weren't any fights or arguments like she remembers. 

It was almost serene.

She followed behind Natsu and they ended up at a table to the right where two girls were sitting and talking. 

Both of the girls seemed to have blue hair, how peculiar. First Natsu's pink, now blue. Even Mirajane has pure white hair.

It seemed natural on all of them and she liked it, Lucy decided. 

It suits them.

"Yo, Wendy, Levy, I have someone here for ya to meet." Natsu declared as they stopped in front of the table, startling the two girls out of their conversation and they turned their attention to Natsu.

"This is Luce!" He said enthusiastically, both hands pointed at Lucy, fingers wiggling in her direction and Lucy looked back at him, a surprised, almost gleeful laugh escapes her mouth and she turns to the two girls with a smile.

What a dope. 

She's never had a nickname before.

"Oh, I'm glad to see you're awake, the master called me last night when you fainted. 

I am happy to say that the seal breaking on its own didn't affect you in any negative way and you won't have any side effects because of it. 

You can, however, from what I was able to tell, heal faster than before. I am Wendy, by the way. The guild's healer, sometimes ?"

One of the girls, the younger one said with a shy smile on her face, breaking Lucy out of her thoughts about her new nickname.

"Oh thank you very much, Wendy, I don't know anything about, well, any of this. I didn't even know there could be side effects, or that I have magic, apparently" Lucy said as she sat down at their table. 

She was still a little skeptical, but then again, how would you explain a soul-sucking monster attacking you, and people lighting on fire? 

Not to mention the sensation she feels coursing through her, that definitely was not there yesterday.

Natsu seemed satisfied with their interaction and went off in the direction of the bar without a word.

The other bluenette, Levy, spoke up causing Lucy to shift focus from Natsu to her.

"I can't imagine what it's like for you right now. I mean, most of us grew up knowing about magic, and learning how to use it. To live your whole life without knowing." She shook her head as if in disbelief and looked back at Lucy her eyes a little glazed but she looked almost righteous as she continued.

"And to be attacked by a creature of the night, I truly am sorry for what you have gone through, and any questions you have I am happy to answer, and help in any way." She said finishing her monologue, her head high and a determined smile on her face.

Wendy nodded her head in agreement, offering Lucy another shy smile.

'I like these girls already' Lucy thought as she smiled.

"Thank you. I, I'm not sure I'm still grasping the concept of, well, magic. You know? I mean, I saw Natsu light himself on fire, and that creature, it felt like it was sucking the life out of me. 

And how could I even have magic, if neither of my parents do?" Lucy rambled on, her words getting quicker by the minute as she tried to articulate every question she had.

Pausing to take a breath, she looked at Levy and Wendy with what she was sure was a pathetic look.

"I'm not sure what's real anymore." That came out quieter, and a little shaky.

Levy reached out and took one of her hands in hers. Making Lucy snap her gaze to her.

"As I said, I am sorry you have to go through this, and questioning reality comes with finding out there's a whole different world out there. 

Now for some of your questions, the creature that attacked you, is what we call a Lethifold and I'm sure someone has already explained how they operate, nasty creatures." She stopped to confirm with Lucy that she knew all about that Dementor thing, she just nodded.

"Good. Now as for Magic being real, I can show you my magic, I'm sure it's better than seeing Natsu's for the first time." Levy said with a laugh and Wendy joined in. 

"Yes, well I have something called Script Magic. Meaning I can create anything just by writing in the air, for example," she waved her hand in the air, blue light coming from the tips of her fingers and she used them to write the word confetti. 

As soon as she wrote the last word a shower of confetti appeared from thin air making Lucy giggle as she looked at the colourful paper falling around her. 

Looking back at Levy she offered the girl a wide smile.

 "Wow, that is very cool. How many different types of magic are there? And how does it work exactly?" Lucy asked 

"Well, there are many different types. Natsu and Wendy for example are a rare type of not just magic user, but magical well I feel like creature is the wrong word, at least for you Wendy." 

Levy offered, looking at the cute bluenette who just waved her off with a smile, and then back at Natsu, who was at the bar, eating, or well devouring his food is a better description.

There were bits of food flying everywhere, and he just kept shoving food in his mouth, no matter how full it got.

Lucy giggled at the scene, still not used to seeing such behavior, and looked back at Levy as she started talking again.

"As I was saying, Natsu and Wendy are known as Drakens. Something between a dragon and a human. 

They were raised by dragons. While they share some traits like heightened senses they both have different types of magic.

Natsu's as you have probably guessed is fire. Wendy here is our sky drakon." Levy said putting a hand over Wendy's shoulder making the younger girl blush. 

That threw Lucy into a loop.

"Wait, Dragons are real?" She said loudly and both girls winced slightly, Wendy's smile left her face and she looked to the side. Levy put her arm around the young girl and looked back over at Natsu. 

Following her gaze, she saw that he had stopped eating. 

Lucy had a feeling that Dragons were a sore topic. She can understand that.

Clearing her throat she caught the attention of the two girls in front of her.

"I apologize for my oversight. I can see that is a sensitive topic. Do you mind me asking what sky magic is?

"Sky magic can be used to heal, that is why the master called me to look over you." 

Wendy chimed in, her eyes were a little teary but she looked thankful to Lucy for trying to move on from the topic of Dragons.

"You keep saying master, and I'm sorry that sounds kind of weird, who is your, master? Why do you have one?" 

Lucy asked awkwardly, making both girls burst into laughter, the previous tension gone from the room at Lucy's simple, and in her opinion a quite rational question.

'What's so funny, I'm not the one going around calling people my master!' Lucy thought.

"I'm sorry for laughing, it's just, I've never thought about how it would sound to someone, someone who doesn't know anything about how this world works." Levy said as her laughter died down, wiping a tear from her face. 

Wendy just continued giggling next to her.

"The magic world is a secret from people who don't have it." Levy started "Some people in power, and high positions in the government are aware of its existence. Some are even magic users themselves. 

But it is a secret from the general public." 

She paused for a moment, to make sure Lucy was following before continuing. 

"Now to minimize the danger magic could have in the wrong hands, as well as help people like us find shelter and a place where we can just be ourselves, the government decided to make guilds." 

Lucy nodded urging Levy to continue.

"This is the guild known as Fairy Tail, there are many others all over Fiore, and beyond. 

Most of us use our magic for good. 

We take on missions sanctioned by the government for money and we hunt down creatures, like the one that attacked you the other night, and sometimes we take down our own who turned to dark magic.

They have guilds of their own, we call them dark guilds.

 You can become a member of a guild if you have magic, and when you do, you usually get a stamp, like this-" 

Levy paused and turned so that Lucy could see her left shoulder and pushed her top slightly to the side and revealed a mark on her skin. 

It was white and it looked like a fairy, with a tail.

'How cute.' Lucy thought.

"It's permanent, but it doesn't hurt like a tattoo would. When people who know of our world see the symbol they know you're an ally, or in some cases foe." 

Levy continued her explanation, as she moved her shirt back and faced Lucy again. 

"And finally, Masters are the ones who run the guilds. Master Makarov runs Fairy Tail, you met him last night."  Levy finished, giving Lucy a few moments to absorb all the information. 

'Guild, huh?' Lucy thought.

So they hunt creatures and fight them with magic, and fight other people, who use dark magic apparently, this is insane. 

And the government knows? People with high positions and power, Levy had said. 

Does this mean her father knows about magic? Her mother must have as well, but why keep it from her?

She's brought out of her spiraling thoughts by a plate being put in front of her, pancakes topped with berries. 

Lucy looked up and saw Natsu standing above her.

"Eat, the master wants to talk to us." He said sitting next to her and nudging her shoulder.

Lucy looks at him, and back to the pancakes, smiling slightly, she digs in and eats faster than she ever has, not caring about her posture or how much food she was eating.

Very unladylike. 

'If only Father could see me now.'

Lucy thought as she wiped her face with the back of her hand. She looked around and saw everyone at the table looking at her. 

Lucy blushed a little before mumbling "I didn't even realize I was hungry." Making Natsu burst out laughing "Nice one Luigi, now come on let's go! The old man is waiting for us!" He got up suddenly and pulled her up with him, tugging her up the stairs again, but in a different direction than the room she was in earlier. 

"Hey, I like Luce better than Luigi. At least that one is close to my name!" She found herself yelling back at him, making the two girls, who were not at all startled by Natsu's abruptness, laugh. 

"Sorry Lushii, I just like the look on your face when you get flustered." He shot back with a shrug, making Lucy blush, proving his point.

Natsu smiled at her, before knocking on the door in front of him and opening it before anyone on the other side could answer.

"Mornin' gramps, Mira told me you wanted to see us." He said, making himself at home on the couch.

Lucy followed from behind him, looking around the office, it was cozy. 

A desk on the side by a window, a couch on the other side. 

Two chairs opposite the desk. Everything else was littered with papers, documents, and books. 

The Master of Fairy Tail was sitting behind the desk, glaring at Natsu. 

"Mira told you I wanted to talk with Lucy, you invited yourself, you little brat." The old man told Natsu, but Lucy couldn't hear any real heat in his voice. 

Natsu shrugged, one hand rubbing the back of his head sheepishly.

"She's still new to this world. And I thought, hey maybe she would feel more comfortable if someone was there with her. You can be scary sometimes ya know!" He explained and Lucy felt a warmth spread through her at his words. 

There he goes again, being caring, understanding, and sympathetic. 

Without her even saying anything. She truthfully was glad she wasn't alone, and that he was with her.

"You kids will be the death of me, I swear. Natsu, please step out, I need to talk to Lucy. Alone." He says sternly making Natsu pout but stand up, as he passes her he offers a bright smile "I'll be downstairs waiting on ya, don't take too long!" And with that, Lucy finds herself alone with Fairy Tails master.

"Please, take a seat, miss Heartfilia." He said, gesturing to the chair opposite his desk, but Lucy is frozen at his use of her surname. 

She felt like someone poured a bucket of cold water on her. 

Focusing her attention back on the man behind the desk, she found his face set in neutral lines, as he watched her reaction. 

Lucy's hands began to shake, and she felt the magic inside her, coursing,  looking for a way out. 

How does he know her last name? Has he contacted her father? Does she still have time to leave before he can send someone to cone for her? 

"H-How do you know that name?" She asks her voice cracking.

"Relax child, I mean you no harm. I do not know why you ran away, and if you are not comfortable with sharing that yet I will not push you."  

The master said making Lucy's panic subside, and she takes the necessary steps to one of the chairs.

He waited for her to sit before continuing.

"In truth, I knew your mother when she was about your age, and the moment I laid eyes on you I knew you were Layla's daughter."

"You knew my mom?" She asked in wonder, making the man smile.

"Yes, when she was a young mage when we met, maybe a little younger than you. She wasn't a part of our guild, but she was a wonderful, powerful mage and a good friend of mine. You look just like her. And I can feel that you share her magic." 

Lucy didn't know how to process the information.

"My mom was a mage, but, that's not possible. I would have known. She would have told me, she must have known I would have magic." Lucy asks in disbelief at what she'd just learned. 

The master lets out a sigh, lacing his hands together.

"I suspect that, after your mother's death, your father had your magic bound, and  had any memory that you possessed of the magic world erased." He stated and when Lucy didn't answer, not knowing what to say he added, softly this time.

"I knew Layla, and she would never have something like this done to her child." 

The more Lucy thought about it, the more it made sense. Her mother was beautiful, kind, smart, poised, and held herself like a queen. 

Her father was always a reserved man, but around her mother, he was happy, or at least content. Lucy thought.

After her death, he was nothing but cold, ruthless, and abusive towards her. 

It was why she had run away in the first place.

She looked back at the old man and nodded her head. A bitter smile on her lips.

"That sounds like something he would do." She gritted out. 

"Tell me please, is there a way to see if I have any locked memories, a way to retrieve them?" Lucy asked 

"There is a way, yes. I could perform the spell if you'd like, your memories would come back instantly and you should only experience a mild headache because of it." 

He explained and Lucy nodded, eager to know what her father deemed she didn't have the right to remember. 

"Do it,  the sooner I know, the better." She said and the old man nodded.

He stepped on the desk and in front of Lucy, taking her head in his hands. "This might sting a little." 

And with those words a bright light emulated from his hands and with a pulse, everything went black.

* ********* ********** ********** ********* *

"Mommy, mommy, look, I managed to summon Aquarius!" A little Lucy exclaimed from the bathtub, the mermaid in question sitting next to her, a fond smile on her face.

"You did good kid." The usually stern and unpleasant spirit said giving Lucy a pat on her head.

"Good job baby girl, you're going to be stronger than even me one day!" Her mom told her, making Lucy cheer in happiness, as she continued to play with the spirit and her mother.

* ********* ********** ********** ********* *

"I love my new haircut Cancer, I think I look good with short hair!" Little Lucy exclaimed as she twirled in front of the full-length mirror looking at her new shoulder-length hair from all angles. 

"I must say you are right Lady Lucy, you do look lovely. Ebi. " The spirit answered snapping the pair of scissors in his hands like a crab would his claws.

"Come on let's go show Mommy my new  hair!" Lucy said taking him by the hand and out of the room in search of her mother.

"Please tell me that she knew you summoned me for a haircut. Ebi" Cancer asked her as they walked down the halls of the house. 

Lucy looked at the Crab Spirit with a sheepish smile and the Spirit held back a curse. "Oh dear me." 

Lucy just laughed, pulling him further down the hallway and towards the library. 

That's where her mom was most days.

* ********* ********** ********** ********* *

"Aries, is mommy going to be okay? She can barely get out of bed, and Daddy is being really mean for no reason, he just yells when I ask him about Mom, why is he mad at me? Did I do something wrong?"

A 9-year-old Lucy asked, with tear-filled eyes, looking up at the spirit soft pink-haired spirit holding her.  

"You did nothing wrong Lady Lucy, your father is not feeling like himself at the moment. And Lady Layla is feeling a little sick, nothing for you to worry your cute little head about." Aries answered, bopping Lucy on the nose, causing the little girl to giggle.

"Do you want to go to the garden and we can look at the flowers?" The spirit asked,  trying to sound cheerful for Lucy's sake.

"Yaay, maybe we'll see the garden trolls again!" Lucy cheered running out of the room the ram spirit following behind her.

* ********* ********** ********** ********* *

Lucy was crying next to her mother's bed, holding her hand.

Layla Heartfilia looked unearthly pale, her skin cold and almost gray, making Lucy cry even harder. 

She felt a firm hand on her shoulder that pulled her attention from her mother's body on the bed she looked up to see her father's stern face looking down at her.

"Stop crying and try to look presentable, I will not have you embarrassing me today."

He said harshly, making a lump form in Lucy's throat, her eyes filling with unshed tears. 

She felt sad. Her mom was gone, how is she supposed to stop crying?

"Take her to her room, and do not let her out until at least tomorrow, I can't handle her right now. And make sure to take those retched keys  from her as well, I don't want them in my house anymore." 

He ordered the maids, who reluctantly took a crying Lucy from her mother's room, her cries echoing throughout the halls.

* ********* ********** ********** ********* *

"Are you sure you want us to do this? She is one of the Heartfilia clan, the last spirit summoner. It is a shame to bind her magic." The man asked her father who bristled at his words, trying to keep his composer. 

"I do not care whether she is or isn't. No daughter of mine will be an abomination.  I want you to bind her magic, and make her forget she ever knew about it." He ordered voice stern, leaving no room for argument.

"Daddy, what's going on, I'm scared." Lucy asked, her voice small. This is the first time she has seen her father since her mother died.

"Just stay still Lucy and let the man do his job." He answered, not looking at her.

"This will only be a moment." The older man said, crouching down in front of Lucy.

* ********* ********** ********** ********* *

Lucy opened her eyes, feeling tears flowing down her cheeks, her chest heaving as memories from her childhood returned to her. 

"Are you alright, my child?" The master asked her, his voice a little distant.

"Fine, I'm fine. Thank you, thank you for returning my memories. How could he do this? How could he be so cruel? The spirits, my mother's spirits, what did he do to them?" Lucy rambled out, standing from the chair to start pacing, trying to clear her mind and adjust to the newfound memories. 

Memories of all her friends, her mother's spirits. 

Taking a deep breath, Lucy tried to calm herself down.

"Your mother had enough foresight to have one of the staff send her spirits away once she passed." Makarov said, and Lucy could hear a drawer open and close and she turned to see an ornate box placed on the desk.

"I received one of them, she asked me to keep them safe. In case I ever met you. It seemed she knew you would find your way here." He slid the box to her, with an encouraging smile.

"Go ahead, open it. It belongs to you."

Lucy took the box, her hands trembling slightly as she opened it to reveal a golden, beautifully decorated key. 

Aquarius, Lucy thought, fingers grazing the edges of the key, where the zodiac symbol was embellished. 

As soon as her fingers made contact with the metal, there was a zap, making Lucy jerk her hand back and look up at the master.

"It seems there is still a bond between you two. You will need a large body of water to summon this particular spirit, as far as I remember. I don't know where the rest are, but I am sure we can start searching."

He told her with a smile. Making Lucy's eyes fill with tears once more.

"You would help me with this?" Her voice was shaky as she asked.

"We help and protect our own here. And you are one of my children now. That is if you would like to join our guild and learn more about your magic?" 

He asked her, and a choked sob escaped Lucy's throat, tears freely running down her face. 

The thought of someone wanting to help her learn more about her magic and spirits, the thought of having a family, of someone seeing her as a part of their family, after being alone was almost too much. 

"I would, I would love to. Thank you, I honestly don't know how to thank you for this."

Chapter Text

Lucy spent some time just crying and trying to calm herself down, cradling the golden key close to her chest.

"Why don't you go downstairs, find Mira, and she can give your guild mark, we can handle the rest of the paperwork at a later time. I think these past few days have been taxing for you."  The Master spoke after a few minutes, once her crying subsided.

Lucy nodded offering the man a small strained smile, standing up she made her way to the door before stopping with her hand on the handle and turned around to face the man once more. 

"I would appreciate it if my past and last name stayed between us, I'm not ready for anyone to know." 

Lucy said a little apprehensive and the old man gave her a firm nod, waving his hand dismissively in the air. 

"No need to worry my dear, we don't pry here at Fairy Tail. When and if you are ready to talk about your past, know that we're here for you."

Giving the old man a  more genuine smile she thanked him and left the office. Closing the door behind her, Lucy paused for a moment and rested her back on the door. 

Taking a few deep breaths to center herself, still reeling from her newfound memories. 

Memories of her mother, and the spirits they both loved. 

Lucy knew her father was a cruel man, but she never thought he'd be able to surprise her with his behavior. 

This should be a lesson not to underestimate him, not that she did in the first place, but this is a whole new ballpark.

'To think he's known about magic this whole time.' 

A loud crash echoed through the guild, pulling her from her thoughts.

Focusing her attention, Lucy could hear the bustle of a crowd coming from downstairs, indicating that she was in the office with the Master for a while.

Shoulders back and head held high Lucy made her way back down the stairs. 

She couldn't see Wendy, but she did spot Levy sitting at a different table than this morning, she was explaining something to the two men who were sitting at her side, looking thoroughly confused.

One had an orange ponytail and was wearing a purple shirt, that in Lucy's opinion clashed with his hair. 

The other was a black-haired man, with one piece of his hair sticking out and curling above his head. 

Lucy smiled and waved at Levy as she passed her table, the blue-haired girl smiled at her before going back to her explanation. 

Nearing the bar, Lucy could see that the girl that was drinking this morning was now surrounded by two empty barrels, and was currently drinking her third. 

'Is she even human?' Lucy thought in disbelief.

Looking around, she could see people scattered along the tables of the guild. 

Most were drinking, eating, and talking amongst themselves, having fun, and enjoying each other's company. 

While others seemed to be brawling in the back corner of the building, there was a mass of limbs and bodies entwined, magic flashing as blows were exchanged.

There was a raised platform of sorts on the right side, with what looked like a bulletin board, papers pinned to it with a few people gathered around.

She spotted Mirajane behind the bar and went straight to her.

"Hello Mirajane" Lucy greeted the girl, sitting on one of the barstools.

"Oh, Hello Lucy. Call me Mira, please, everyone does. Now tell me did your talk with the master go well?  Are you hungry? I can have Lis cook you something if you are." The girl asked Lucy, fretting over the girl.

Lucy was stunned for a moment. Not used to people caring about her and not being employed to do so. She looked at the girl in front of her and gave her a small, almost shy smile.

"The talk went well, thank you for asking. He actually sent me down here to find you so you can give me my guild mark." 

Lucy told her, and the smile on Mira's face widened, clapping her hands together in joy the white-haired woman jumped at Lucy's words.

"Oh that's wonderful, I was hoping he would ask you to join. Let me just get the stamp." And before Lucy could say anything Mira was off.

Left to her own devices, Lucy started thinking about what she was supposed to do now that she agreed to join Fairy Tail and learn more about her magic.

Where was she supposed to live? She should go and look for a job, despite her bad luck a couple of days back, she's sure she can find something to at least pay for a down payment for an apartment. 

She just hoped she wouldn't need to use her emergency savings.

"Hi, you must be Lucy." A soft voice brought her out of her thoughts, looking up Lucy saw the short-haired girl that was helping Mira behind the bar this morning.

She was looking at Lucy with a smile on her face, and as they made eye contact she continued talking.

"I'm Lisanna, Mira's younger sister. It's nice to meet you" She held out her hand for Lucy to shake.

Taking her hand Lucy smiled back at the girl. "Yes, hi. It's nice to meet you as well. You and Mira look alike." 

Lisanna waved off her statement "It's just the hair, our brother Elfman has white hair too, it's a Strauss thing." She said with a shrug and pointed out the tall, muscular white-haired man that was laughing at something happening across the bar.

When she got a better look, Lucy realized it was the same man that Natsu hit with the chair last night.

"Oh yeah, I can see that. It's actually kind of cool, like, I've never seen so many unique hair colours that are natural before." Lucy answered looking back at Lisanna.

"You'll come to see that's a staple of our world. Not all, but a good majority have unique hair colours. I could say you fit in the category as well. I've never seen hair that looks so much like gold before, it's really beautiful." Mira's voice joined the conversation as she walked behind the bar, setting down a large stamp.

Lucy blushed a little at her compliment.  

"Thank you." She muttered, feeling shy all of a sudden.

"Oh isn't she just the cutest?" Mira asked Lisanna when she noticed her blush, making Lucy even more red in the face.

"She sure is sis. I'll leave you to it then, I just wanted to say hello, need to get back to the kitchen and finish up some orders. Bye Lucy, welcome to Fairy Tail!" Lisanna said with a giggle, and Lucy waved at the girl as she walked away.

"I have the stamp, now, tell me where would you like your guild mark to be, and what colour?" Mira asked, holding the stamp up, and raising a brow at her.

Lucy looked back at Mira and thought about what colour she would want permanently on her body, and was about to ask the girl if she could change it once it was on if she didn't like it when she heard a loud crash and a familiar voice yell.

"Ya're gonna pay for that ya ice prick."

Turning her head, she spotted him easily. 

He was in the back where she earlier saw people fighting, he had flames wrapping around his whole body and was charging at a  man with midnight black hair, who seemed to be only his boxers for some reason.

Turning back to look at Mira she was about to ask what the hell that was about.

"Don't worry about them, they fight like that all the time, it's harmless. They're just lucky Erza is out on a job or she would have their heads." Mira told her and Lucy nodded her head.

"It's good to know they won't bring down the building, but I was actually going to ask about the guy in his boxers?" Lucy said making Mira laugh.

"Well, that's debatable. " The other girl muttered to herself "And as for the 'stripper' as Natsu so eloquently calls him, that is Gray. 

He uses Ice Magic, he claims that the person who taught him magic made him strip every day to his boxers so he could learn to endure the cold, and the habit stuck." She shrugged her shoulders and then added as if an afterthought.

 "If he ever starts stripping near you, do not hesitate to hit him." Mira told her with a  devilish smile.

"Huh, I don't know whether that makes sense or not." Lucy replied honestly, looking over her shoulder at the two brawling men. 

She could see fire and ice mixing in a blur of attacks and could feel heat followed by gusts of cold when they exchanged blows. 

Then she saw a flash of pink in all the chaos. 

Lucy looked down in her lap, and traced the back of her left hand, looking back up at Mira she held out the hand to her with a smile.

"Could you make it pink?" She tried to be nonchalant, but Mirajane just gave her a knowing look before nodding her head. 

She took Lucy's offered hand and pressed the stamp to the back of it. 

There was a slight tingle when the stamp made contact with her skin, it was a different sensation to her own magic, but it made her feel safe, protected, even. 

Mira applied pressure for a few seconds before lifting it to reveal a pink fairy with a tail on the back of Lucy's hand. 

"I love it!" Lucy said, turning her hand for Mira to see. "It suits you." The older girl answered with a smile. 

Lucy was about to ask Mira if she knew where she could find an apartment or any kind of job when a warm arm draped over her shoulder, making her jump slightly.

"Luce, why didn'tya tell me you were done talking to the old man!" Natsu interrupted her inquiry as he appeared next to her.

She relaxed knowing it was Natsu and answered. "I didn't even see you when I got down here, you said you'd wait for me at the bar, so I came to the bar." She shrugged her shoulders, not knowing what to think of the current contact between them. 

She didn't mind, Natsu was warm and his presence somehow had an almost calming effect on Lucy. 

It's just the way she was raised. It was not 'proper'. But Lucy never cared much for proper, to begin with.

It had been installed in her since she was little, and she ran away so she could just be normal, just be Lucy. 

That's what she was to Natsu, so she let him keep his arm over her shoulder.  The pink-haired man looked at her with a bashful smile, hand rubbing his neck in a sign of embarrassment.

"Ya took too long and I started to get bored after Mira told me I couldn't eat anymore or there won't be food left for everyone else, so I went to pick a fight with the stripper." He said with a small shrug making Lucy giggle.

He was ridiculous.

"I'm sure it was hard to wait so long." Lucy teased poking his side with her finger. "Sorry, I kept you waiting."

He shrugged it off, turning to Mira, who was mixing a drink for someone as she pretended not to listen in on their conversation.

"Hey Mira, can ya get me some fire whiskey when you can?" The white-haired girl gave him a nod.

He sat down at the bar next to Lucy.

"By the way, look-" Lucy held up the back of her left hand to show him her new guild  mark a wide smile on her face "I'm a part of Fairy Tail!" 

Natsu looked at her hand, then back at her, and let out a small scoff.

"Of course, you're a part of Fairy Tail, why'd ya think I brought ya here?" He said as if it were obvious, making Lucy feel warm on the inside.

"Where is here, by the way? I have a storage room with all my belongings that I have to clean out by Friday, what day is it anyway?" 

Lucy asked she arrived in Hargeon on Sunday morning, and she was not sure how much time she spent unconscious after her attack.

"It's Tuesday ya weirdo. And we're in Magnolia. That's where Fairy Tail is!"  Natsu told her and Lucy gaped at him, mouth slightly open.

"Gods I lost two days, and how are we in Magnolia?" 

"Well, when I kicked that thing's ass and saw ya bleedin' out I called Mira for a portal and brought ya here." He shrugged casually.

Lucy felt a headache coming, she was reeling from all the information she had received in the past two days, getting ten hears of locked memories back and now she finds out portals are apparently, a thing. 

Because why wouldn't they be in a world where a man can light himself on fire? How is that any less weird?

"And don't call me a weirdo!" She said suddenly, hitting him on the back of his head as she remembered that he's called her that twice now.

Natsu rubbed the back of his head, turning to look at her with a slight pout.

"Whatcha do that for Luce, it hurt." He asked 

"I told you why, don't call me a weirdo. Or Luigi, for that matter." She muttered the last part, but he seemed to have heard as he let out a slight laugh.

"But you are a weirdo." He shot back, and at her glare decided to change the topic. 

"So I can call ya Luce then?"  He asked suddenly taking Lucy off guard.

"You can call me Luce." She managed to say in a somewhat neutral tone, trying and partially failing to hide her blush.

"Cool, so what did take you and Gramps so long anyway?"  He beamed at her, genuinely curious, moving to take the shot of whiskey in front of him.

"Oh, well, I discovered that my dad was the one that bound my magic, he also, he-" A lump formed in Lucy's throat as she tried to get the words out, eyes watering slightly.

She felt a warm hand envelop one of hers and when she looked up at him, Natsu gave her a reassuring squeeze. 

Lucy took a deep breath.

"My mother was a mage. She could summon spirits from a different realm, when I was little I used to steal her keys and try to use them." She let out a small laugh, a few tears cascading down her cheeks.

 "It would work sometimes, and other times I would just use up a lot of my magic and stop trying." 

She remembered how many times she fainted in hopes of keeping opening one of the gates. And how many times her father yelled at her for it. 

Clenching the hand that wasn't holding Natsu's she continued.

"They were my friends. They were my mother's friends." Lucy didn't know why she decided to share a part of her story with Natsu, but it made her feel a bit lighter.

"I thought you didn't know anything about magic before today, or yesterday. Or was it Sunday?" 

He asked getting lost in the minutiae and making Lucy let out a giggle, shoulders dropping, she relaxed her posture and noticed their hand were still entwined. 

She gave his hand a squeeze bringing his focus back to her.

She offered him a small smile "I didn't know about magic until yesterday. Well, I did, my father just decided that what good is it binding my magic, if I could still remember it exists?" 

She felt Natsu's body temperature rise at her words, even the air around them was getting hotter, his eyes were glaring at her, but the anger was not directed toward her.

"Are ya tellin' me that your father did this? What kind of fucked up person does something like that to their kid?" He grits out and Lucy's heart swells once more.

"Hey, it's okay. The Master managed to bring my memories back and even gave me one of my mother's keys. Look, this is Aquarius!" She tried to divert his anger and get him to focus on something else.

The key warmed in her hands when she touched it.

His eyes snapped to the key the moment she pulled it out of her pocket. Fixated on it with a strange look on his face. 

"Natsu?" Lucy asked snapping his attention to her. "Are you okay?" 

Natsu's eyes shot back to the key in her hand inspecting it, before looking back at Lucy with a smile that wasn't as bright as it usually was.

"Yeah, I'm good. That sounds like cool magic to have, are ya gonna summon it here?"  He asked.

"Well, I need water to summon Aquarius, a lake, or a river." Lucy answered, knowing that she could summon the water spirit from a pond, or even a fish bowl or toilet. 

But from what she remembered of the water spirit she was mean and scary on a good day. Summoning her for the first time in a place like that would not end well.

'She would try and drown me.' Lucy shuddered at the thought. The key in her hand heated up even more at her thoughts.

"Okay, let's go get your stuff and see what your magic can do!"  He said enthusiastically taking her hand and pulling her out of the guild doors before she could even protest. 

With a bright flash, they both stumbled out of the door and into an empty street. 

Slightly disoriented, Lucy stood straight with Natsu's help, looking around she couldn't see anyone around, it looked like a deserted part of town.

"Uh, where are we exactly?" Lucy asked turning to Natsu, who was dusting himself down.

"This is where I portaled from the other night, we are a few streets from the sea, do ya wanna go check out the key first or get your things ?" He asked her.

"So we're back in Hargeon." Lucy said to herself.

"We can go to the beach first, then we can find something to eat. Sounds good?" Lucy asked and Natsu let out a spew of fire from his mouth 

"Yeshh, I'm all fired up now." He took her hand in his and started running in the direction of the beach. Or at least Lucy hoped.  

* ********* ********** ********** ********* *

"Are ya gonna do somethin' or are ya gonna stare at it all day?" Natsu's voice broke her staring contest with Aquarius's key, and she turned to look back at him.

They arrived on the beach thirty minutes ago, and ever since Lucy had been standing at the shore, key in hand, frozen.

He was sitting crossed-legged, drawing patterns in the sand. 

"Okay, I can do this, you're right." 

Bracing herself, Lucy closed her eyes, thinking back to what, and how she felt when summoning her mother's spirits.

She felt her magic flow through her, looking for a way out, she focused on the key in her hand and felt it heat up.

Opening her eyes Lucy saw the key glowing slightly, she put the front in water.

"Open, gate of the water bearer, Aquarius." She exclaimed and felt a drain on her magic as a flash of light brought forward a blue-haired mermaid caring a jug.

She appeared, levitating on a wave of water.

"So cool." Lucy heard Natsu mumble from behind her at the woman's appearance.

"Tch, took you long enough to summon me. I don't have all day for you to make up your mind. I have a hot boyfriend waiting for me you know!" The spirit greeted her and Lucy's heart clenched at the familiar feeling the spirit ignited within her.

She felt tears build up in her eyes.

"I'm sorry, it's just after everything I was a little scared you would be mad at me. How is Scorpio?" Lucy told the spirit, voice cracking a bit. 

She could feel warmth at her back and knew Natsu was behind her. He didn't touch her, but his presence brought her comfort. 

The spirit's face softened at Lucy's words, shifting the jug in her hands, a splash of water came out and hit Lucy in the face.

"None of it was your fault. You need to get yourself together, build up your strength and learn how to use your magic." Aquarius told her.

Lucy nodded. "I will, I promise. Do, do you know where Mom sent any of the others?" She asked tentatively.

"I know where some of them are, but you will have to figure it out yourself." The woman answered her looking like she wanted to tell, but couldn't.

Lucy started to feel a bit dizzy holding Aquarius's gate open and swayed slightly on her feet. Natsu's hand was around her elbow in an instant, his chest supporting her back.

"Stupid girl. You haven't summoned a spirit in over 10 years and your magic isn't used to the strain yet. Let's make a contract before you pass out, and so I can go and get ready for my date."

* ********* ********** ********** ********* *

After making a contract with Aquarius (She can only summon her three times a week, never on a Saturday. Unless it's an emergency.)  

Natsu and Lucy left the beach to go and find something to eat as it was nearing 4 pm at that point.

"I know this great buffet we can go to, it's all you can eat."  Natsu told her as they walked down the streets of Hargeon.

Lucy was listening to him rant about the amazing food at the diner and was looking around the shop displays as they passed when she saw an ornate silver key in one of the windows.

"Hey, let's go in here for a second, I wanna look at something." 

She said to Natsu as she stopped, he pouted at her, clearly wanting to get to the diner as soon as possible but Lucy had to know if this was a summoning key.

"Look, that key has a constellation on it." She pointed out to him and he looked at the display and shrugged.

"Sure, let's check it out."  

Going into the store Lucy could tell it was owned by someone who loved antiques and knew how to care for them.

There were shelves filled with elaborately decorated trinkets, medieval pieces of armor, art, sculptures, and books that looked ancient in their own right

"Good afternoon, welcome to Herondale and Sons, may I assist you in any way?" A blonde-haired young man asked them, coming from behind the counter.

Lucy could feel Natsu's warmth at her back, her shoulder touching his chest.

"Good afternoon, yes I was wondering if I could take a look at the silver key that is in your display?" Lucy asked.

"Certainly, let me get it for you." The man replied politely, moving towards the display and opening it before carefully removing the key from where it is laid out.

Walking back to where they were, he handed the key to Lucy.

"Here you are, let me know if you need anything else." 

Lucy took the key from the man with a smile, she felt a tingle when she touched it, not as strong as it was with Aquarius but it confirmed that it was indeed a magic key.

"So, is it the real deal?" Natsu whispered in her ear and Lucy jumped at the sensation of his hot breath on her neck. While not unpleasant, it did catch her off guard. 

She managed to hold in a squeak and turned around to hit the back of his head.

"Have you ever heard of personal space? And yes, it is real. So let's go buy it so we can go eat, yeah?" 

He was rubbing the back of his, mumbling under his breath but at the mention of food, his head shot up and he beamed at her. "What are we waiting for then?"

* ********* ********** ********** ********* *

After spending an absurd amount of money on the key, they finally made their way to the all-you-can-eat buffet, only to find out Natsu has been banned for life because he cleared the food the last time he was there.

Lucy tried not to laugh at the clearly dejected man, but it was a little funny.

"Come on, screw them, we can find another place to eat, I'll even buy you some dessert." She offered to try to cheer him up.

He turned to her with a wide smile. "I know just the place." And with that, he smiled and pulled her in an unknown direction.

Twenty minutes later, Lucy found herself opposite Natsu, swearing to herself never to eat with the man again. 

He ate like it was his last meal and he's been starving for months.

"What's wrong? Don'tcha like the food?" He asked with a mouthful of food and Lucy couldn't help but grimace at the sight.

"No, the food is great. But you eat like an absolute pig, and it's a little unappetizing." She answered honestly making Natsu choke on his food.

Coughing into his hand, he managed to swallow his food and looked back at her.

"Geez, I never thought of that, sorry I was hungry." He looked a bit awkward admitting it and Lucy smiled at him.

"It's okay, just please try to be a little less messy. And don't talk with a full mouth." She said the last part sternly, making him sit up straight and salute her.

"Aye, sir." 

Lucy giggled at his actions and started eating.

Natsu let her eat for 2 minutes before he went back to stuffing his face, albeit a little less gross this time around.

As they finished their food they both sat back in the booth.

"That was good food." Natsu said, rubbing his stomach.

"It was. You were right." Lucy told him making him smile. "'Course I was right, I know my food." He puffed out, blowing smoke into her face.

Coughing slightly, Lucy waved her hand in the air trying to get the smoke out of her face.

"Jerk." She muttered, making him laugh at her.

A waiter passed their table, making Lucy remember something she wanted to ask Mira before Natsu interrupted their conversation earlier.

"Hey Natsu, do you know where I could start looking for jobs when we get back to Magnolia?" She asked him.

He turned to look at her like she was crazy.

"I don't have a job, and I don't have any place to live. I can't just stay at the guild and do nothing. I only have so much money saved up." 

That was true, before running away she managed to transfer the small amount of her trust fund she was allowed access to when she turned 18. 

It was a good amount of money, it helped get her out of Crocus and put a down payment on her first apartment, after that she managed to find jobs and sustain herself and left the money for when shit hits the fan.

She thought that would happen when her father found her, but magical worlds being real works too.

"Why would you need to look for a job? Just work at Fairy Tail." Natsu finally answered her initial question, ignoring the previous rant.

"Oh, I guess I could waitress, or help Mira behind the bar." Lucy said making Natsu groan.

"No that's not what I meant, Levy and Wendy told you how being a guild mage works right?" He asked the last part more quietly.

"Oh you mean like going out and fighting monsters and evil wizards? No, thank you." Lucy told him making him pout at her.

"Oh don't be like that, it'll be fun. I'll even let you pick our first job." He pleaded with her,  giving her the full pouty puppy dog face.

Lucy tried, she really did, but he looked so ridiculous and somehow so cute at the same time.

So she just sighed dramatically, the corners of her mouth lifting slightly.

"Fine, fine. I will go on a job with you." 

Natsu whooped at her response, making most of the diner look at their booth, Lucy slid down the leather seats, cheeks red.

'Idiot." She thought fondly to herself as she listened to him ramble on about how they were going to kick ass.

Chapter Text

Lucy didn't want to admit it, but so far she was having fun with Natsu on their job.  

She just wasn't sure he was feeling the same.

Looking down at the man doubled over in pain on the seat next to her, she couldn't help but feel a little sorry for him.

'I see why he asked me if we could walk to Peace Village now.' She thought with a grimace looking at his green, slightly sweaty skin.

"How is your motion sickness this bad?" Lucy asked, more to herself, but Natsu seemed to have heard her as he let out a low whine, turning to look at her, green face and all.

"It's a drakon thing, Wendy has the same problem. We can't handle transportation." He made a gagging noise in between sentences, as the train hit a bump on the track.

"Oh that sucks, we'll be there soon I promise. Why don't you try and sleep it off, huh?" She suggested.

He straightened as best he could in his seat, looking at her through half-closed eyes, and promptly sprawled himself over her lap.

"What are you doing?" Lucy squeaked.

"I need to be comfortable so I can sleep, do ya mind?" One of his eyes turned to her, and he looked so pathetic that she couldn't turn him down.

"I don't mind, just don't puke on me!" 

"Aye." He mumbled, burrowing his head in her stomach.

Staring down at him, she watched his breath start to even out, trying to ignore the butterflies in her stomach at the intimate contact, and the way she could feel his breath through her shirt. 

Tentatively she put one of her hands in his hair, lightly scratching his head. 

"Huh, it's softer than I thought it would be" 

Lucy said quietly to herself out loud as she turned her head and looked out the window thinking back to the previous days she spent in the guild, meeting new people and picking her first job.

* ********* ********** ********** ********* *

When they returned from Hargeon with Lucy's things they put them in the temporary room she was staying in at the guild. 

After putting everything away, Lucy finally met more of her new guild members. 

Gray Fullbuster was a snarky, slightly sarcastic man, who had a serious stripping problem, but he was nice and fun to talk to. That is when he and Natsu weren't trying to kill each other.

The woman who could drink like no other, she learned to be Cana Alberona, an exceptionally talented witch, that excels in tarot cards.

The girl offered Lucy a reading, and they agreed to do it when she returned from her job.

She also met Macao, and his son Romeo, who both had fire magic, though different and not as powerful as Natsu's, but still very cool.

Wakaba and Nab had been interesting characters to meet as well, the former having a type of smoke magic, and was never seen without his smoking pipe, while the latter Lucy learned through Gray, was always standing by the job board, but never actually picked out any jobs.

Bisca and Alzack were quite a duo as well, they were a couple, who had an old western vibe to them, and their magic was composed of magical weapons, like shotguns and the sort.

Lucy had to admit, they were cute together and seemed to pull off the Western theme.

Everyone was incredibly nice and welcoming, and extremely curious about her magic, as if they'd never seen anything like it before. 

'Sure, Natsu can eat fire, but the moment one of my magical keys summons a person from a different realm it's a cause for gawking' Lucy thought, remembering how freaked out she was when she witnessed Natsu slurp up fire.

After showing Mira and Levy the key she found whilst, in Hargeon, Levy urged her to summon it in the guild so they could all see.

The spirit Lucy had acquired turned out to be Crux the Cross. 

He was an odd one if you asked her. With the body of a man, the head of a cross, with a mustache to top. He was asleep when he came out of the golden light.

Levy, as well as anyone else in the vicinity, marveled at her power, and that was when Lucy learned that her Spirit Summoning was thought to be lost magic to their world. 

She recalled the man that bound her magic telling her father she was the last known summoner.

"They were supposedly eradicated on the orders of a dark mage, known as Zeref," Levy told her after she had made a contract with Crux. "There aren't many records left about them, it happened a long time ago. But I guess at least one of them survived, considering you're here." 

Lucy decided to summon Crux again with Levy there so they could both learn more about her magic once she returns from her job since Levy seemed just as eager to learn about it as Lucy.

The Cross spirit turned out to be an encyclopedia of sorts, having information about the history of spirits as well as their Summoners. He was a kind if not a bit aloof old man, and Lucy's heart swelled for the spirit.

After talking with Levy, the other girl excused herself, having to go finish some translating work she was hired for.  

Lucy then turned to ask Mira to inform her more about the jobs they have to offer, explaining how Natsu asked her to go on one with him. 

Mirajane had a wicked look in her eyes when Lucy informed her that she was going on a job with the pink-haired man, making Lucy wonder if she should have asked someone else for help.

After schooling her features the older girl explained to Lucy that there were several different ranked jobs, and usually the higher the reward, the more dangerous the job was. 

There was also a special class of jobs specifically for S-ranked mages, the more powerful ones. 

Those had rewards with billions on them.

She then pointed to the bulletin board on the raised platform and told Lucy to go check it out.

Natsu joined her as soon as he saw her looking at the board, and tried to persuade her to go fight some monsters that are on Mount Hakobe. 

That was when Lucy had to remind him that she only had one fighting spirit, that one spirit needed water to be summoned, and she didn't even have the stamina to keep her gate open long enough to fight.

He pouted at her, saying she didn't need to fight he could kick ass for both of them, but Lucy wouldn't budge. If they were going on a job together she wanted to be able to contribute in some way.

She ended up choosing a job that seemed simple enough, it was a good amount of money offered but it didn't sound as scary as some of the others. 

They were to meet their client in Peace Village, retrieve a rare book, and safely deliver it to a scholar near Desert Village. 

Taking the paper to Mira, she asked her if this would be a good one to take, the white-haired girl approved telling her it was perfect for a first job, and stamped the paper for Lucy. 

* ********* ********** ********** ********* *

"Natsu, Natsu wake up, we're at our station, and if you don't get up, you're gonna be stuck on the train till the next one."

Natsu felt his bed moving and heard a familiar voice call for him to wake up.

"2 more minutes Happy." He mumbled out, trying to remember where he was, and why he felt so sick.

"Who's Happy? Just get up already, the train is about to take off again."

With a sudden jerk, Natsu found himself waking up on the floor in between two train seats, and a blonde girl staring down at him in amusement.

"Luce?" He asked dumbly.

"Come one, we have to go." She pulled him up and out of the train. 

The moment he hit solid ground Natsu got out of Lucy's hold and bent down, kissing and revering the pavement.

"Oh sweet solid ground, how I've missed you." Natsu muttered, his senses returning to him slowly. 

He could hear the train leaving the station, the people walking and talking all around him, and smell the merchant products that they were selling at the market next to the station. 

A young girl crying in one of the bathrooms, a child crying for their mother. A man and a woman fighting.

He took a calming breath, trying to slow down his heartbeat and readjust to the smells and sounds coming from every direction.

As he was trying to find something to focus on, a hand landed on his shoulder and his nose caught the scent of lavender and sage, he heard a giggle come from the girl next to him.

"And you call me weird. Come on, we need to meet our client and then I'll treat you to some food, how does that sound?" 

Lucy asked him, and all of Natsu's nausea and disorientation from the steel death trap evaporated at the mention of free food. He perked up instantly, flashing her a smile.

"Yes! I'm all fired up now. Let's go get some food." He took her hand in his and pulled her from the station into the village.

"We are meeting with our client first!" She yelled after him but he ignored her, running even faster and cackling as she yelled at him to slow down.

They're going to be a great team, Natsu thought. 

* ********* ********** ********** ********* *

The meeting with their client went smoothly, the man was polite enough and gave them the book wrapped in cloth and safely secured in a satchel, as well as the address of where they were supposed to deliver it.

When they parted, he warned them not to open the book, and to protect it with their lives.

Lucy was a little spooked at his warning, hands clutching the satchel around her shoulder.

When she took the mission she was under the impression that it was a somewhat tame job, with minimal danger. 

I mean how dangerous could delivering a book be? 

Now, she didn't know what to think, she could feel a malicious, twisted sort of magic on her hip emanating from the book.

"Hey, Natsu." She called out to the man walking slightly in front of her, arms crossed behind his head as he tried to sniff out a place where they could eat. 

She noticed in the few days of knowing Natsu that Levy was not exaggerating when she said Drakons have heightened senses. As she noticed that Natsu could hear a great deal, and from great distances.

His nose seemed to be like a bloodhound's as well. He could always sniff out the best places to eat.

And that's what they were doing right now. 

Walking the streets of the village, looking for somewhere they could eat and sleep, preferably both at the same place, after deciding to stay the night here and continue traveling in the morning so Natsu could at least eat one meal and get a good night's sleep.

"Yeah?" He answered her, looking over his shoulder.

"Do- Can you feel the magic coming from this thing too?" Lucy asked him quietly, knowing he would hear.

Stopping in his tracks, he turned so he was standing in front of her, a serious look on his face.

"Yeah, felt it the moment we entered that droopy-eyed guy's house. It smells evil, so no reading it." He told her and she scoffed at him.

"I wasn't going to read it." She shot back, not believing her own words, she did think about sneaking a peak, but just at the cover! She didn't want to open it!

"Right, like I believe that, the room ya have back at Fairy Tail is filled with books, ya were thinkin' about it." He snorted at her, bringing his hand to flick her forehead with two fingers.

"Come on, I can smell some good barbecue this way." And just like that, his focus was back on food.

Lucy sighed, touching her hand on her forehead for a second, it was still warm where his fingers touched. 

Shaking her head with a smile, she followed after him, clutching the bag close to her the entire way. 

* ********* ********** ********** ********* *

Lucy thought things were going pretty well for her first mission. And that's probably what jinxed it.

They managed to leave Peace Village early the next morning and arrived at Desert Village around 11 am.

 It will take them about an hour to walk to where the man they were delivering the book to lived.  Lucy decided last night to pity Natsu and agreed to walk the hour route.

They grabbed some quick breakfast at the station when they arrived and started a steady trek towards their destination.

Not ten minutes after leaving Desert Village Lucy saw Natsu tense slightly turning his head to the side and sniffing the air. 

"Natsu?" She asked the pinkette as he continued to smell the air.

"We got someone followin' us." He muttered so low that she could barely hear him if they weren't next to each other.

Lucy felt fear envelop her at his words, her hands subconsciously clutching the satchel closer to her.

"Are you sure?" She trusted his nose, but she had to ask, hoping it was a coincidence.

"Yeah, I'm sure. I caught their scent when we were walking through the village, I didn't think about it till I smelt them following us now." He told her, and her heart sank.

"Okay, so what do we do? Do we keep walking and see what they're gonna do or?" Lucy asked him, rationalizing that he had more experience than her and should know what to do.

Instead of answering her question, Natsu turned so he was facing the trees next to the road they were walking on.

"Come out ya bastards, I know you're there!" He yelled and Lucy felt like she was going to faint.

'What was he thinking?!'

There was a slight rustling through the trees. "It seems you have caught us, now, hand over the book and no one gets hurt." A voice said, coming from the forest.

"Come out ya coward so I can beat your ass!" Natsu antagonized the voice and Lucy knew at that moment that he was an idiot and that she was going to die.

Hitting him upside the head she yelled at him. "Are you crazy! Why did you do that?" 

He rubbed the back of his head, turning to look at her with a wide-eyed expression. "Hey, what'dya to that for." 

"Me? I'm not the one challenging our stalker to a fight!" She exclaimed.

Before either of them could do anything, an explosion sent them flying in opposite directions, and suddenly they were surrounded by 4 men, dressed in black hoods, and their faces covered by masks.

"Now I'm all fired up! Come at me ya sons of bitches." Natsu yelled out as he covered his body in flames and took on a fighting stance.

"You should pay more attention to the enemy, instead of fighting each other." 

The same voice that spoke to them earlier said, making Lucy look up, disoriented from the blast her surroundings came into focus and she saw a man by her side, before she could move, or scream, he ripped the satchel from her and started running.

Not even thinking about it, Lucy ran after the man following him through the forest. 

She had faith in Natsu and knew he could take down those thugs without breaking a sweat. Lucy also knew he would be able to, for a lack of better word, sniff her out when he was done with his fight.

Lucy had never been more thankful than today that her father insisted on her having a 'proper' physical education and hired private coaches for her.

She may not know how to fight, but she at least had the stamina to run.

It took her a couple of minutes to catch up to him, he seemed to have run into a clearing, not noticing her following, the man stopped running and opened the satchel, going for the book.

Picking up her pace, Lucy put all of her into the run and charged straight for the thief. 

'I can't let him open it!' She thought to herself.

The moment she was in touching distance she threw herself into him, taking him by surprise and knocking him over, the book fell out of his hands and landed a few meters from them.

They both hit the ground hard, Lucy on top of the other man, thinking on her feet, she started attacking him as best she could. 

With a war cry, Lucy punched and slapped the man, who tried his best to avoid the attacks.

Not focusing on keeping him pinned down and loosening her hold he managed to push her off with force making her cry out and land roughly on her back.

"You bitch, you're gonna pay for that." The man told her, voice rough. 

He held his hands out and a ball of energy was suddenly coming towards her, jumping to the right to avoid getting hit Lucy barely managed to move on time. 

"Fuck" she muttered.

"Aren't you gonna fight back?" The man taunted her, throwing another blast her way.

Lucy moved, but not fast enough and the impact knocked her off her feat.

"Is this what Fairy Tail mages are like? Pathetic." He spit out at her as he walked closer.

Lucy managed to get up on shaky feet, clutching the arm that she fell on. 'I think my shoulder popped out.' She thought, not taking her eyes off her opponent. 

"Fuck you. You know nothing about Fairy Tail and the people that are a part of it! They are all amazing mages and individuals, they help and protect people. Something you will never understand. So don't go running your mouth." She launched at him as she finished her impromptu speech, but he saw her coming and sent another blast her way.

She had no time to dodge this one, it was coming fast, Lucy closed her eyes, putting her hands in front of herself for some protection, bracing herself for impact.

Only to feel warmth envelop her entire being, opening her eyes Lucy gasped, she was on fire.

She was on fire.  'What the actual fuck?'

Natsu. It had to be, how else would she be on fire, and not burnt to a crisp?

Looking up, she noticed the energy blast getting disintegrated by the fire before it could make an impact.

The mage in front of her was dumbfounded, staring at her with his mouth open.

Before either of them could comprehend what just happened, Natsu burst out of the tree line with a roar.

"Fire Dragon, Iron Fist!" He shouted as he punched the thief with a flaming fist, sending the man flying through a couple of trees before blacking out.

Lucy followed the trajectory of the man, wincing slightly at the damage done to the forest around them. 

"You okay Luce?" Natsu was at her side, hand on her chin, turning her face to look at him.

He had a fervent look in his eyes as he assessed her, brows furrowing and eyes hardening as he noticed her shoulder.

"The hell where ya thinkin', just runnin' off on your own?" He scolded, hands moving to hold her shoulder.

Lucy winced when he put pressure on it.

"I'm gonna hafta pop it back in, on the count of three, okay?" He told her, apologetic eyes finding hers.

Lucy nodded her head and grit her teeth, mentally preparing herself for the pain to come.

"One, two-" and with a twist of his hands the shoulder popped back in its socket with a scream from Lucy.

"And three. There" He said pulling his hands back and giving her some space, but hovering close enough to help her if she needed it.

"Thank you, and sorry for running off it's just," she nodded towards the book in the middle of the clearing and went to pick it up and put it back into the satchel "He used the fact that I was disoriented to steal the book and you were busy with the others." She shrugged her good shoulder at him.

"I knew you were going to be fine, and honestly I didn't even think about it. I just ran."

Natsu stared at her intensely for a moment before letting out a sigh and finally relaxing.

"Just, don't go runnin' off alone, okay?" He asked, gentler this time. And Lucy could tell he was worried about her.

"I won't. Let's get going, we lost time with the fight. Should we call someone about them?"

Lucy asked as she stood next to Natsu, the satchel back around her shoulders, she could already feel her injury healing slowly.

'Huh, Wendy was right.' Lucy thought.

"I called ahead, don't worry, someone's on their way to arrest them." He gestured for her to walk in front of him and they started walking again.

"That was cool what you did back there." Lucy said out of the blue.

They've been walking in comfortable silence since the attack, both alert and looking out for any more trouble.

As they were nearing their destination, Lucy thought back to how Natsu's flames had enveloped her body, and how she felt protected in its blaze. 

The man in question turned his head to look at her, confusion evident in his eyes.

"The way your fire surrounded me and stopped the attack? I would've been a goner if it had hit me." Lucy elaborated, making Natsu look away quickly, a hand coming to rub the back of his neck.

Huh, he was either embarrassed or uncomfortable.

"Yeah, it was. I didn't think I'd get to you in time so I sent a blast instead." He shrugged it off. 

Lucy hummed in response, deciding to drop the subject since it seemed to bother Natsu.

"Look, I think that's it!" He exclaimed suddenly, and Lucy looked to where he was pointing.

Sure enough, a small cottage was in view, tucked between some trees, with moss growing on the roof. It looked cozy.

They approached the house and knocked on the door, a few moments later an older dark skinned man opened the door.

"Good afternoon, how may I help you?" He asked them politely, and as his eyes looked at Lucy they widened "Layla?" He asked softly, almost in disbelief.

Ignoring the look on his face Lucy cleared her throat and smiled slightly before answering. "Good afternoon, we are Fairy Tail mages." She flashed her left hand to him, showing her guild mark. "We are here to deliver a book?" 

The man shook his head and smiled at them. "Yes! Of course, welcome! Come in, please." He opened his door wider and stepped to the side to let them in.

"My name is Lucian Grayson. I have been expecting you, but you can never be sure these days." He told them as he gestured for them to sit at the round table by the kitchen area. 

"Can I offer you some tea? Or maybe water?" 

"I am Lucy, and this is Natsu, yes to the water, if it isn't a bother. We ran into some trouble on the way here. I should warn you they were after the book." Lucy told the man. 

He should be aware that people might come after him because of it.

"I am sorry to hear you were attacked, here have some refreshments." He set a plate of cookies on the table and two glasses of water. 

Natsu instantly went for the cookies, stuffing his face.

"These are good." He mumbled with a mouthful, making Lucy cringe slightly at his lack of decorum.

Slapping him on the back of his head, Lucy snapped "Don't talk with your mouth full, and don't just shove them in either." 

She heard Lucian let out a laugh at their interaction and she turned to face him, cheeks flushing red.

"I apologize for that, thank you for the cookies." Lucy said politely to the man.

Reaching into the satchel she took the book out and placed it on the table.

Lucian took it, carefully tracing the spine with his fingers.

"Might I ask what this book is exactly?" Lucy asked him and he looked up at her.

"It is known as the book of Zeref. Well, this is one of them. Nemesis. There are several

out there, not all of them books, technically.

All varying in power. This one in particular has a nasty array of spells and possessions." He explained voice grave. 

The atmosphere in the room dropped.

"Zeref, I've heard that name before. He's the dark mage that annihilated the spirit summoners." Lucy said, remembering Levy's story about him ordering the attack.

Lucian froze at her words, eyes snapping to hers, he looked at her with a question in his eyes. "You're Layla's daughter aren't you?" He then asked softly.

"You look so much like her, I thought I saw a ghost when I opened the door." He continued 

"I, yes, I am Layla's daughter. I'm sorry, how did you know my mother?" Lucy asked, a little confused.

"We were part of the same guild in our younger days." The man said with a reminiscent laugh, pulling up his shirt sleeve to show a dark blue mermaid on his forearm.

"You were a part of Lamia Scale." Natsu supplied.

"Yes, I was already a member when Layla joined, she was maybe 16 back then. We were good friends." Lucian told them, a nostalgic smile on his face as he reminisced.

Lucy smiled at the thought of her mom being a part of a guild. How did Lucy not know this? And at 16? Mom told her she met her father when they were in their early twenties so her mother had spent a good part of her life in a guild. 

'Why did she never tell me? Why didn't she stay?' Lucy thought to herself, feeling a pang in her heart at the fact that she never really got to know her mother.

She felt a warm arm wrap around her shoulder, and the scent of smoke and pine filled her senses. Natsu squeezed her good shoulder and Lucy relaxed into his hold.

Lucian was observing them, and then suddenly he stood up. "I have something to give you." 

He walked towards a bookshelf that was covering one of the walls of the cabin, it was filled to the brim, not only with books but various objects, and what looked like bottles of bright liquids.

He searched for a few moments before pulling out an ornate box, similar to the one Master Makarov gave her when she retrieved her memories.

"I received this almost 11 years ago, it was sent by someone from your estate after your mother's passing." He explained, bringing the box to Lucy. 

"There was a letter that stated it was her last wish for her beloved spirits to be in the care of her trusted friends and allies all over Fiore. I do not know who else received them, but I can give you this one. As it belongs rightfully to you." 

Lucian placed the box in her hands, and Lucy thanked him, looking down at the box. Hands trembling slightly.  

She felt warmth wrap around her, and Natsu's presence at her back, grounding her.

She opened the box carefully to reveal a golden key, with the sign for Virgo engraved on the top.

Lucy looked up at Lucian, with tears in her eyes. "Thank you, truly, for not only this. But being a friend to my mother and protecting her spirit all these years." 

Lucian smiled back at her warmly.

"It was my pleasure, and I am glad to see you love them as much as she did." He told her and Lucy felt a few tears escape and cascade down her cheek.

Chapter Text

After being a part of Fairy Tail for almost 3 weeks, Lucy could say she felt happier than she could ever remember.

Since returning from her first job as a Fairy Tail mage two weeks ago, she's managed to find a beautiful apartment on Strawberry Street, with a view of the canal. 

It was decently close to the guild and in walking distance to one of Magnolia's best markets. 

Plus it had a killer bathtub, and Lucy really couldn't resist. Even if it was pricey, and the landlady was a tad scary. 

She managed to talk Natsu into helping her move in with the promise of food. Along with Gray and Happy, who turned out to be a talking, flying blue cat. 

No sorry exceed, they were called exceeds.

To say Lucy was shocked when a blue and a white creature flew into the guild and started talking would be an understatement.

She found out that the exceeds had been away visiting family, on the other side of Fiore and that they were Natsu and Wendy's respective friends/companions/partners as far as Lucy could tell.

Happy and Charla were their names, and they were an interesting pair.

She liked both of them, they were cute, with very distinct personalities. Charla- Wendy's white exceed was snobbish but smart and extremely witty, while Happy was a sneaky, fish and gossip-loving goofball.

He and Natsu are also quite the duo, Lucy never seemed to stop laughing around them, though they do tease her as hard as they manage to make her laugh, so it balances out.

When they returned from their job, Lucy started training her magic with the help of a fellow mage named Erza.

Erza Scarlet was a force to be reckoned with, one of the strongest mages in Fairy Tail, and potentially one of the strongest in Fiore if what Lucy heard was right.

She was a  beautiful scarlet-haired woman whose everyday attire consists of armor and a skirt. Her magic was most fascinating, Erza could summon weapons and armor from pocket dimensions that she created.  

It's known as reequip magic, and it's incredibly cool.

Though when she agreed to train with the older girl, she didn't know what she was getting herself into.

While normally Erza is kind, thoughtful, and considerate, while training she was terrifying. 

Though she did get results.

In the two weeks, she's been training with Erza, her magical stamina has gotten exponentially better.  

Lucy was now able to keep two gates open at the same time, for a prolonged period of time. She couldn't summon two gold keys at the same time, but one silver and one gold was manageable without her passing out.

Not only that but, once they made a contract, Virgo had gifted her a magical whip that could be infused with her magic. 

It was an unusual weapon, but somehow perfect for the blonde. Lucy was surprised at how quickly she picked up on how to use it. 

With Erza's help, that is.

Lucy was still frustrated with, in her opinion, inadequate results, but Erza assured her that her progress is notable and it should not be discouraging as it takes time to master any skill, and magic is no different.

Levy and Lucy have been studying up on spirits with Crux as well, finding out more about the spirits, but not of their summoners or what happened to them.

The discoveries they made were mostly about the different types of keys, and how, with training, Lucy could learn to use her magic in a multitude of ways. 

One of the things she's eager to learn is called 'Star Dress'. A spell that allows the summoner to channel their spirit's power and fuse with it.

Lucy also learned that there were more than just gold and silver keys out there.

When Lucy wasn't training with Erza or researching with Levy, she could be found with Natsu and Happy. 

They had taken it upon themselves to bother her at all times. 

Whether it was breaking into her apartment, raiding her kitchen, or watching movies on her tv. They took her on a tour of Magnolia and even took her fishing with them. 

Not that Lucy minded, she found herself enjoying their company immensely, and growing fond of both of them the more time they spent together.

They even wound up going on another job together, this time with Happy.

A local one, they were tasked with helping an old man move some of his magic artifacts to a new apartment.

It was completely mundane, and Natsu was grumbling half the time, so after they finished moving she decided to treat him to some food.  Even if it could potentially bankrupt her if she kept feeding him.

All in all, Lucy was having the best time with her new friends. 

* ********* ********** ********** ********* *

"So, we were thinking of having a party at the end of the week to celebrate your first month in Fairy Tail!" Mira beamed at Lucy from behind the bar as she set the raspberry lemonade in front of her, and a pile of fire chicken for Natsu next to her, and he immediately started devouring them.

"Oh, you don't need to go through all that trouble. I'm just happy to be here with you guys, have real friends, you know?" Lucy told her, feeling like a celebration was unnecessary.

"Nonsense, I've already run everything by the master, and he agreed. Also, Fairy Tail finds any excuse to party, you'll see." Mira winked and went to serve someone at the other end of the bar.

"She's right ya know. Even if ya weren't here they'd find some reason to throw a party." Natsu told her with a mouthful of food, making Lucy grimace at him.

"Don't talk with your mouth full!" Lucy said sharply, sending him a small glare, making him swallow his food before apologizing. 

"Sorry, Luce." He mumbled and continued eating, a bit less messy this time.

Lucy shook her head at him, holding back a smile at his antics.

"Ah, Natsu and Lucy, I was looking for you." Natsu choked on his food at the voice that appeared behind them.

Lucy turned to face the girl with a smile.

"Good morning Erza, what can we do for you?" She greeted the other woman and raised her hand to slap Natsu, who was still choking, on the back.

"I would like to ask you both to accompany Gray and myself to Oshibana, there is word of a dark guild brewing something vicious. 

Before he left for his meeting, the master tasked me with curating a team and checking it out." Erza explained and Lucy was stunned. 

At Erza's inquiry, Lucy found herself wondering why she would want her to come with them.

Sure she's trained with Erza a little, and can keep Virgo or Aquarius out for a while and fight decently, but compared to the three of them she might as well have no magic.

As if sensing her thoughts, the older girl turned to look at Lucy with a slight smile on her face. 

"It is apparent that you and Natsu have become a team within the guild, and you have greatly improved since we started training. I am eager to see you in battle." Erza told her, clasping a hand on her shoulder, almost popping it out with the force she used. 

"I'm sure Luce can kick all sorts of ass, she's awesome! And you're on Titania, but no promises on not beating the ice prick if he starts strippin'." Natsu exclaimed, throwing his arm over Lucy's shoulders, bringing her close to his chest.

"Deal, but only if he is taking his clothes off. If I see you two fighting like the idiots that you are, I will end both of you. Understood?" Erza threatened, and while she couldn't see his face, she felt the way his breath hitched slightly at Erza's words.

"A-Aye, sir!" He saluted and Erza smiled at them.

"Wonderful. I will see you both at the train station tomorrow. Six am sharp." And with that she left them at the bar, going to sit at one of the unoccupied tables.

"She's scary." Natsu said with a shiver once Erza was out of hearing distance making Lucy giggle.

"No, you're just an idiot. Seriously, I get that you and Gray are like literally fire and ice, but you don't need to fight all the time." He pouted at her words making her laugh. "Just play nice on the mission and you'll be fine." She told him, hand going to pat his head.

"Easy for you to say." He mumbled, going back to eating his food, though a little less enthusiastically this time.

Lucy looked down at the bar, thinking if it was a good idea for her to go with them. If Erza is asking for Natsu and Gray's help, it must be serious. 

Was she up for that? 

"Do you think I should go on the job? I mean realistically I'll just be slowing you down." She asked him quietly, wringing her hands in her lap. 

"What're ya talkin' about? Of course, you're coming with us, ya heard Erza she wants to see ya fight." He turned to give her an encouraging smile. 

"If she says your ready, then your ready. Trust me she wouldn't throw anything at you  that you can't handle." Natsu told her, nudging her shoulder with his.

Lucy looked up at him "You really think so?" He beamed at her "I know so! Even before ya had Virgo, and didn't even know how to fight ya still went after that bastard on our first job! Plus you're the smartest person I know, so don't go doubtin' yourself!" 

Lucy could barely hold back her tears. There he goes again, being sincere and sweet. Encouraging her like no one has before.

He believed in her, that's all Lucy needed to know. She smiled at him, wrapping one of her arms around his waist to give him a side hug.

"Thank you, Natsu." He squeezed her shoulder in response, pulling her closer to him. 

He was always warm, and comforting, and Lucy always felt butterflies when they touched like this.  

Which was frequent, considering Natsu was a very physical person. He expresses himself through physical touch, and Lucy always found herself on the receiving end of it. 

 She was brought back to reality as she felt Natsu move, she looked over and saw him moving his arm and snatching her lemonade, downing it in one gulp.

"Hey! That was my drink!" Lucy shouted in outrage, stepping out of their hug, making Natsu laugh and move to run to where Happy was, with Wendy and Charla. 

"You owe me a raspberry lemonade you jerk!" Lucy chased after him.

"Help me Happy, Lucy's after me!" 

* ********* ********** ********** ********* *

Lucy was at the train station at 6 am on the dot the next morning. 

It was crowded this morning and Lucy spent a few minutes before finally spotting Erza and Gray by the ticket booth. 

She walked over to them and greeted  "Good morning guys, is Natsu not here yet?" She asked them with a smile.

"Flame brain is late, as usual." Gray snorts out and starts pulling his shirt off, only for Erza to hit him on the back of his head. "Stop taking your clothes off, go and buy us the tickets while we wait for Natsu." 

Rubbing his shoulder, Gray adjusted his shirt back on his body and put a jacket over it as he went to do as he was told, muttering under his breath the whole time.

"I reserved us a private car, so we can discuss the details without prying ears," Erza said, turning to face Lucy who hummed in acknowledgment as she scanned the station, looking for a flash of pink.

She spotted him not a minute later, running through a crowd of people.

"Ah, there he is. Good, the train should be leaving soon." Erza seemed to have noticed him as well.

Gray comes back with the tickets at that moment, without the jacket he had on before. 

Natsu right behind him.

"Yo! Sorry I'm late." He greets them, hands holding onto the straps of his backpack.

"Now that we're all here," Erza said, sending a glare at Natsu. "Let's board so I can explain the known details."

She walked up and boarded the train, Gray right behind her.

Lucy turned to look at Natsu wincing at his already paled skin at the sight of the train, his face turned a shade of green as his nausea kicked in before he even stepped on it, a pitiful sound escaping his throat.

Feeling for the man, Lucy wrapped his arm around her shoulder for support, holding him by the waist, and helped him onto the train. 

"Come on, don't be a baby." She said to him as he continued to whine. "The sooner we leave, the sooner we get there." Lucy tells him as they make their way through the seats. 

"That doesn't even make sense." She heard him say, making her roll her eyes.

They made their way to the cart Erza had reserved. Going in she sat Natsu in one of the seats and plopped next to him. The moment she sat down he flung himself in her lap. 

"Natsu!" Lucy squeaked at the suddenness of the act. 

She heard Gray laugh at her predicament.

"I was able to fall asleep like this last time, I didn't even puke on you, please?" He pleaded pathetically and Lucy sighed nodding her head.

"Fine, but if you do vomit on me I will kill you, that is a promise Dragneel." He nodded his head muttering an 'Aye, sir.' Before settling on her lap, face burrowing a little into her stomach.

Lucy tried not to blush, she kept her gaze on Natsu's head looking at his hair. 

One of her hands slowly wound up tangled in the pink mess, it was softer than she expected, considering it somewhat defied gravity. 

Lucy continued scratching his head and he fell asleep in record time. She let out a chuckle at how nonsensical he is. 

Raised by a dragon and can eat fire, but cannot stand transportation.

Ridiculous.

"Well, that's a better solution than me knocking him out I suppose. We can fill him in later." 

Erza said, bringing Lucy out of her thoughts about the absurdity of the man in her lap, and she looked up at her and saw Gray shudder at the thought of Erza knocking someone out.

"There is word of a dark guild moving towards Oshibana in search of something called 'Lullaby'. The intel we have seems to claim it is an artifact of some sort. Whatever it is, it can't be good. The leader is someone called Eisenwald, we know he uses some type of air magic, but not much else." Erza paused for a moment and went to continue but Lucy interrupted.

"Sorry, you said they were looking for Lullaby?" Lucy urged "Yes, like I said, it seems to be an object of some kind, but we are not sure, why do you ask?" 

"It's just, Levy and I have been doing some research with the help of Grampa Crux,  most of it about my spirits. But we have  also been looking into the dark mage Zeref, trying to figure out why he would have wanted to eradicate all spirit summoners." Lucy's free hand goes to the keys on her hip automatically, needing their comfort as she spoke.

"In the course of our research, I remember reading about one of the demons that he created. It was known as Lullaby." Lucy explained and Erza's expression turned fierce.

Gray was silent, face grave, he flinched slightly as she mentioned Zeref and his demons. 

"If that is true, it's even worse than I thought. Do you know anything more about this demon?" She asked 

"It said that Lullaby was a flute. When played it kills anyone who hears its song." Lucy recited the passage she read.

"Shit." Gray said.

"Yes, shit is right. We need to stop them before they get their hands on it." Erza said her voice steely. 

"This is the plan, when we get to Oshibana we go straight for the building that we know the dark mages are in. Hopefully, they haven't found the flute and we can take them out before they have a chance to." Gray nodded in agreement but Lucy was feeling even more uncertain about coming than before.

"And if they've already found it?" She asks, dreading the answer.

"Then we make sure to take them out before they can use it."

'What kind of a plan is that?' Lucy asked herself, but nodded anyway, turning her head to look out the window as she contemplated her life choices.

* ********* ********** ********** ********* *

Upon their arrival in Oshibana, they hurried towards the location of the dark guild.

Erza and Gray in the front, Natsu and Lucy in the back. She had helped him out of the train and as a result they were lagging behind a bit so, Lucy took the chance to explain what they knew so far and the overall game plan to him.

"Happy didn't want to come on this one?" Lucy asked him once she explained about Lullaby.

She noticed back on the train and wanted to ask, but he was out before she had the chance. The blue fur ball was not in Natsu's backpack like usual when they go out in public.

"Nah, the little buddy went on a job with Wendy and Charla, something about finally winning Charla over." He shrugged, arms crossed behind his head as they entered a shady-looking part of town.

"Aww, they are so cute." Lucy said with a smile thinking of the exceeds finding love.

They saw Gray and Erza pause to wait for them.

"We are approaching the building, it's best to surprise them with a direct attack." Erza told them, pointing at an abandoned factory building, that was a few meters from them. 

Thankfully no people were in the vicinity.

"Gray, Natsu, I want you two to bust the doors and attack them dead on. Lucy and I will sneak around back and block the exits. Everyone clear?" She asked sternly making the two men salute her, Lucy offered a sharp nod. "Understood."

Lucy followed Erza to the back of the building, leaving Natsu with Gray. 

She shouldn't worry about him, he was more than capable of fighting off enemies. But she couldn't help but feel like she should be there so she could see that he was okay. 

Even that first time, when she bolted after the mage that stole the book, she felt that pull to stay near him.

It was an odd feeling. She feels odd things around Natsu all the time. Has been feeling them since they met.

It started as a twinge in her chest when he was near, or a prickle of their skin when they touched. 

It grew into a warmth that seemed to reside in her heart, in her soul. Lucy could feel it growing stronger the more time they spent together. It was almost like a force pulling them together. 

Shaking herself out of her thoughts of Natsu, Lucy reminded herself to focus. 

She couldn't afford to be distracted or lost in thought when they were about to attack the enemy.

Erza signaled for them to split up and cover both back exists and, while Lucy was still apprehensive about whether she could handle herself or not, she had to try. She would never know for sure until she did and she couldn't live in fear. 

Not if she wanted to stay a part of this world. A part of Fairy Tail. 

And she did, so Lucy went to her post and braced herself for the chaos about to come.  Praying to the gods to keep them safe.

There was a loud explosion that echoed throughout the very foundation of the building, making Lucy sway slightly at the unexpected shockwave. 

Natsu and Gray have made their move. 

Lucy braced herself for battle, hand moving to the whip on her belt, deciding that she wouldn't summon a spirit until necessary to not exhaust herself. 

She could hear the battle coming from the front of the building, voices bouncing off the walls. 

Footsteps approaching her alerted Lucy to her attacker, a tall man appeared from the corner, he stopped when he saw her, crossing his arms he looked her up and down, clearly unimpressed.

"Are you here to stop me, princess?" He taunted her as his hands started glowing, preparing to attack.

Lucy's jaw ticked at his demeaning nickname, her own hand tightening on her whip, magic flowing through her as she prepared for the fight.

"You know it's a shame I have to take you down, because baby, you are one fine piece of ass." He continued with a smirk on his face as he reared his hand to attack.

Lucy mentally gagged at his comment, but kept her face blank, she was watching him, assessing his trajectory and bracing herself to avoid impact. 

The tall man sent a ball of light her way and Lucy managed to sidestep it, pouring her magic into the whip, she sent it flying towards the man, catching both of his hands, he let out a scream of pain as her magic wrapped around his wrists. 

She used the element of surprise she sent him flying back and into a wall, her magic sending a burst of light through his body. 

She pulled her whip back and assessed the damage, he seemed to be knocked out. 

Carefully, she walked closer to the man that was slumped against the wall. Taking out the magic cuffs  Erza gave her, she took his hands and put them on, rendering his magic useless. 

Lucy took a step back, and then another. She let out a gasp, that turned into laughter, she didn't know why she was laughing she just felt lighter. 

As the adrenaline faded she realized the building was silent. The fighting was over.

Suddenly there was a loud ringing noise followed by a raspy voice, coming from the loudspeakers.

"Dear little fairies, you thought you could catch us off guard, did you? Well, it makes no difference to me if you manage to defeat those pathetic excuses for mages. I have my prize and am fully intent on using its power." 

The voice taunted them over the loudspeaker. Lucy froze at his implication, he found Lullaby. 

Was he going to use it now to kill them? With his fellow guild members present? 

'Despicable.' Lucy thought.

"As for you, well you are trapped. Have fun trying to get out." With a laugh the intercom was shut off and Lucy trembled for a moment.

What did he mean they were trapped? Was he not going to kill them? What is his interest in Lullaby, and where does he intend to use it?

Lucy was brought out of her thoughts by footsteps that sent her on edge, powering her whip she readied herself for an attack, only to hear Natsu calling her.

"Lucy, Luce you okay?" He appeared in the hallway panting slightly.

Lucy looked him up and down, checking for injuries. He looked disheveled, pupils blown wide with adrenaline from his fight and the announcement they heard. She could see his scarf had some blood splattered on it, but none of it was his, as she found nothing but a few rips on his clothes. 

'He's unharmed.' She relaxed slightly at the thought and she looked back up at him, that warm feeling building inside of her. 

"I told ya you would kick ass!" He exclaimed beaming at her, legs moving to close the few meters of space between them and bring her into a hug, before picking her off the ground and spinning her. 

"Put me down, you oaf!" Lucy managed to gasp out between laughs, and with one last spin, he set her down softly, hands on her waist smiling down at her with a warm look in his eyes.

"Hey."  He greeted her.

"Hey yourself. I assume you and Gray handled the rest of the mages?" Lucy asked him as she pulled out of his embrace and went down the hall from where Natsu appeared. 

"Yeah, he went to see if he could find the broadcasting room. I followed my nose to you." Natsu told her, following behind and carrying the cuffed man over his shoulder.

"We need to find them and re-group, did you find anything out on where they plan to use the flute?" Lucy asked him as they approached the main part of the building.

Pausing as she looked at the damage that Natsu and Gray caused. The caved walls and rubble, a hole was blown through the floor, and a  pile of cuffed, unconscious bodies by the door.

 Lucy shivered slightly. It was kind of scary to think what they were capable of. She was glad they were the good guys. 

"Lucy, Natsu. You're both uninjured. That's good, we need to move. I found out what they plan on doing with the flute and it is bad. Where is Gray?" Erza said as she approached them. She was dressed in her usual armor and skirt, unharmed. 

"He went to try and find the broadcast room." Natsu told her and she cursed.

"Not matter, we don't have time, he can catch up with us. We need to get to Clover Town. They are planning on using Lullaby to kill all the guild masters." Erza said in a grave tone, and Lucy felt her heart drop.

"What? We need to stop those bastards!" Natsu growled as his body engulfed in flames and he started running out of the building.

Lucy and Erza on his heels.

When they exited the factory, however, they saw a giant wall of wind encircling the building. 

"What the fuck?" Lucy asked out loud.

They were surrounded by a tornado? Magic is so weird.

"Natsu, stop doing that you'll injure yourself." Erza's voice made Lucy turn and see Natsu throwing himself into the side of the wind, trying to break through.

'It's gonna rip him to shreds.' Lucy thought as she watched him get blasted back once again by the force of the wind.

He stood up, body shaking as it lit on fire, and with a roar he charged towards it again. 

Lucy jumped to action and hugged him from behind, hands on his chest. Holding him back.

"Stop! Just stop it Natsu!! You're gonna get yourself killed, and then what? Who's going to help us save Makarov and the other masters?" She yelled at him, trying to calm down his murderous tunnel vision with logic.

She felt him relax in her grip, extinguishing the fire and slumping into her chest.

"We need to get through." He choked out and Lucy tightened her hold on him. "We will. I promise."

"There you guys are!" Gray's voice called out, making Lucy look over Natsu's head to see him. "What the hell is with this wind? How are we supposed to get out?" He asked as he stopped near them.

"I could use one of my armors and fly over it, but I don't know how I would get you out, I can't carry anything but my weight to fly." Erza said, hand on her chin, debilitating on whether she should do it or not.

Lucy let go of Natsu knowing that he was not going to charge at the air like a maniac again. 

"Maybe there's an underground tunnel we can take inside the factory?"

Natsu asked with a shrug and Lucy had an Eureka moment.

"A tunnel, yes! Why didn't I think of that? Natsu you're a genius." Lucy exclaimed making the three mages turn to look at her with various confused expressions.

"I am? How am I a genius?" Natsu asked her and she just rolled her eyes and reached for her key belt on her hip.

"Open, gate of the virgin, Virgo!" The spirit emerged from golden light, revealing a pink-haired young woman, wearing a maid's uniform with shackles on her wrist.

Lucy felt a slight twinge when she summoned her, but it was much better than the first time she summoned Aquarius. 

"How may I assist you, my lady?" Virgo bowed at the waist making Lucy roll her eyes at the formalities.

"I told you to call me Lucy, none of that 'My lady' nonsense." The spirit nodded her head and bowed once more. "I apologize, mistress, would you like to punish me?"

She heard Natsu laugh at her words and sighed in frustration, there was no winning with her.

Hand rubbing the bridge of her nose, Lucy let out a sigh.

"No punishments. I need you to dig us a tunnel from here to the other side of the wind wall please Virgo." She asked and the spirit immediately sprang to action, pointing her toes, she started spinning uncontrollably and the earth started shaking as she applied pressure. 

And just like a drill, she broke the concrete and disappeared beneath it. 

"That's so wicked!" Natsu exclaimed as they all started at the hole Virgo left behind.

"I'm never gonna get used to you just summoning people out of nowhere. And are they all that weird?" Gray chimed in.

Before Lucy could answer his question, Virgo popped back out of the hole.

"The tunnel is secure mistress, may I receive my punishment now?" She asked eagerly.

"No punishments Virgo. Thank you for your help, you can go back now." Lucy dismissed her, and the spirit bowed dissolving in a flash of light. 

"Wait to go! You are amazing Luce!" Natsu hugged her suddenly, pulling her feet off the ground. He placed a kiss on the side of her head and placed her back down.

"Isn't she the best?" He beamed at Gray and Erza, and in true Natsu fashion before anyone could respond, he jumped down the tunnel and out of sight.

Lucy knew that her face was as red as a tomato. Trying to ignore the fluttering in her stomach and the looks she was getting from Erza and Gray, she shook her head.

"Idiot." She muttered with a smile before jumping after him. "Are you guys coming or what?" She called back to Gray and Erza and heard them jump in after her.

Chapter Text

Running on train tracks was never a smart idea. But then again,  Natsu never claimed to be smart.

After coming out the other end of the tunnel, Natsu caught a scent that resembled the magic coming from the wind wall, and knowing it belonged to the mage that trapped them, he chased after it.

He didn't wait for the others, knowing they'll catch up. He needed to stop the bastard before he got to Clover Town.

Running to the train station he saw the commotion of the people around waiting to board their trains and could hear there were several delays due to damage on the tracks.

Muttering a curse, Natsu never thought he'd want to ride a train, but it was his only way to Clover Town.

Looking around, he could smell the residual magic continuing down the train tracks.

Making a split-second decision, Natsu jumped and bolted down the tracks running to stop the man who was going after the masters.

He could hear people shouting and protesting as he ran down the tracks, ignoring all of them Natsu ran full speed in the direction the magic was coming from.

Oshibana and Clover Town were separated by a canyon that could only be crossed by train or plane. 

Considering he had no foresight to book a flight, and that he hates planes more than he does any other transportation, Natsu was happy running the entire distance. 

He was happy to walk or run anywhere. It was why he did most of his jobs alone, or with Happy. 

No one else was willing to walk great distances or put up with his tendency to destroy things, and Natsu avoided getting on any vehicles unless it was absolutely unavoidable.

Everyone always laughed when they found out he couldn't handle transportation, and Erza usually knocked him out if they were traveling together.

Lucy was the only person to ever show sympathy and compromise about walking so he wouldn't have to suffer through nausea. 

She even tried to help soothe his motion sickness.

Natsu has spent most of his life in Fairy Tail, and while he loves them all like family, these three weeks have been the most he's spent with them consistently since he was allowed to leave for jobs on his own. 

Searching for Igneel has always been his first priority. 

But how do you find a dragon that's in hiding? Because Natsu was sure that's what was going on, he would know if he were dead.  'I know he's out there.' He fiddled with his scarf at the thought.

But since meeting Lucy his priorities seemed to have shifted. 

While he will never stop searching for his father, Natsu was fully content with just spending time with Lucy.

There was something about her that called out to him. Like a thread pulling them together. 

Having her around just seemed right. 

Being the one to introduce her to the wonders of the magical world was amusing, and her reactions to everything were even more so.

And then there were her keys. 

Or rather, the fact that he was 80% sure that he had a golden key sitting in his hoard. Well, it was Igneel's hoard that he left for Natsu.

How did Igneel get a golden key? That bushy-browed guy that gave Lucy Virgo's key said that Lucy's mom sent her keys to her friends to keep them safe.

Did they know each other? Were they friends? Was Natsu supposed to give Lucy the key? 

He felt conflicted. While he and Lucy have grown closer, dragons were notoriously territorial over their treasures. 

Natsu was pondering on what to do when he saw a man flying in the distance, crossing the canyon that separated Oshibana from Clover. 

He seemed to be using wind to propel himself through the air.

"Gotcha." Natsu muttered to himself and sprung to action, his speed increasing as he ran across the bridge and toward the gray-haired man.

As soon as he was close enough, Natsu used his fire to catapult in the air, and with a roar he landed a flaming punch to the man's jaw sending him tumbling down and hitting the train tracks.

Natsu fell to the ground and took up a fighting stance, standing between the man and his only way to Clover Town.

"Seems you fairies are more resourceful than I thought, or maybe just plain stupid. You would have been better off staying in my wind prison." The taller man sneered at Natsu, who was getting pissed by the second at the older man's words.

"You talk a big game old man, but the only way you're getting to that meeting is over my dead body." Natsu told the man as he lit his fists on fire, the man opposite him laughed at his words.

"Well, I'll take you up on your offer, maybe even bring your corpse back for your  master to see before I kill him too." The gray-haired man continued laughing manically and Natsu's body heat was increasing with every word.

Charging at the gray-haired man with his fist on fire Natsu went to knock him out, only to be stopped and shot back violently by a gust of wind.

"That's not going to work a second time. You see, my power is to manipulate airflow, meaning I direct the wind however I want." The man explained to Natsu, the wall of air dissolving slowly, he shot him a dark grin before directing wind toward Natsu.

Having no time to dodge, he felt the impact like slices of a sword and could feel the blood trickling down his cheeks and various other parts of his body.

Wiping the blood from his face, he looked back at the man and went to attack again, this time lighting his whole body on fire and going all in with his punches and kicks. 

Only to be, once again, violently thrown back by the same wind wall that had them trapped inside that damn building.

"There is no use, you'll get torn to shreds trying to go through my  defense,  I could make your death much quicker and less painful." Natsu heard the other man say as the wind reduced once more.

"I don't know about you, but, I ain't dying today. And neither is anyone else." He shot back and reared himself as he hurled a wave of fire at the man.

The wind wall wrapped around him before the fire could reach, making Natsu curse.

The man's laughter could be heard from behind the wall.

"Come out and fight me ya, coward!" Natsu shouted getting frustrated at the trajectory of the fight, he continued sending fire blasts at the wind.

"I have had enough of you." And before Natsu could react the man sent another wind attack at him, stronger this time and slicing his whole body deeply, Natsu felt his legs buckle underneath him and found himself falling to the ground, bleeding out. 

"Just as I thought." The man said, disdain in his voice as he went to pass Natsu and continue his way in the direction of Clover Town.

Natsu's arm shot out and grabbed his ankle as he went to sidestep his body, and with a pull, the gray-haired mage was knocked back down the tracks.

Natsu stood up, bleeding out from several wounds, tho some were healing, and on slightly shaky legs. "Like I said, none's dyin' today." He spat out, and the older man opposite him looked annoyed.

"Pesky fairies." He muttered as he got back on his feet.

* ********* ********** ********** ********* *

"I can't believe he ran off without us." Lucy mumbled to herself for the second or third time since they escaped from their wind prison. 

They were currently driving a stolen car on train tracks heading to Clover Town.

Well Erza was driving, Gray and Lucy were hanging on for dear life.

When they escaped through Virgo's tunnel and found that Natsu wasn't waiting for them on the other end, the trio made their way to the train station. 

Figuring he was either waiting for them there or already on his way to Clover.

Only to find that it had been shut down due to an issue with the tracks. It was Erza's idea to steal a car and drive it on the tracks.

"There is no other way to get there fast enough." She said calmly as they broke into someone's car.

"Hey, that hot head can take care of himself, and he's prone to running off like that. So don't worry about him." Gray pulled her out of her thoughts.

She looked up at the front seat to see him looking back at her. 

She gave him a small smile and nodded, trying to shake off her negative thoughts.

"I know he can. It's just that we don't know that the dark mage won't use Lullaby on him, and with his super hearing he wouldn't be able to escape it." She voices her fear, noticing the way Erza's grip on the wheel tightened, the speed of the car increasing with her every word.

"I think the idiot is fine." Gray said suddenly, finger pointing to the blazing fire coming from ahead.

Lucy felt a knot inside her subside at the sight of Natsu's fire. "Let's go see if he needs help." Erza said.

Thanks to Erza's insane driving they approached a bridge connecting the two canyons within minutes where they saw two figures on the tracks.

They could see Natsu, body ablaze, trying to fight against a strong wind that seemed to be surrounding the other mage. They heard a roar from the pinkette as the wind knocked him back.

Getting out of the car, Lucy could feel the effects of their magic in the air. The wind was strong, and Natsu's heat was making everything humid. 

From her current position, Lucy could see the cuts in his clothes, blood soaking through them. When he jumped to his feet, he swayed slightly but his stance was rigid.

"Natsu!" Erza shouted, bringing his attention to them. 

"Took ya long enough, you guys go ahead and warn the masters of what's going on, I'll take care of this guy." He yelled back at them and Erza nodded her head, heading back to the car, Gray following behind her.

Lucy's feet seemed to be nailed to the ground, she didn't want to leave him. She looked back at the duo in the car and motioned with her hand for them to leave without her.

Erza stared at her for a few moments from the car window before nodding her head and speeding down the tracks.

"Do you think I'm just going to let you pass?!" The wind wall dropped, revealing a gray-haired man, wearing tattered clothes, with bizarre tattoos covering his body, and even one on his face. 

He had a wild look in his eyes as the wind carried him through the air and towards the car speeding down the tracks.

Before she could even think, Lucy took her whip and sent it flying towards the man, wrapping it around his torso, she pulled with all her might and managed to direct him the opposite way, sending him flying back.

The wind caught him before he could make an impact, but Erza and Gray managed to pass the bridge and make their way to Clover. 

The man cursed when he noticed the car was gone and turned his head to look at Lucy.

"You're going to pay for that!" He shouted as he flew toward her, Lucy tightening her hand around her whip, bracing herself to attack.

Only to have Natsu appear in front of her, glaring at the man. "Your fight is with me!" He spat out and charged at him, fists aflame.  

The other man blocked him and sent a counter wind attack that almost sent Natsu flying off the bridge. 

Lucy held back a scream, not wanting to appear weak, even though that was what she was at this moment. Hands covering her mouth, she watched as Natsu caught himself on the rails and sprang to his feet to attack again.

Only for the other man to envelop himself in his wind once more so that no attacks could reach him.

She watched Natsu throw blow after blow to no effect.

Then an idea came to mind. 

It was stupid, and completely out of pocket. But she had a feeling it would work.

"You know Natsu, you should have just let Gray deal with this guy. I'm sure he would have beaten him by now." Lucy shot out, trying to keep her voice even, she watched as the fire surrounding Natsu extinguished and he stood pin straight and turned to look at her over his shoulder, eyes wild.

"The fuck you say?" He growled out and Lucy was struggling not to laugh at this point, she could see the steam coming off him.

'Maybe not stupid then.' Lucy thought amused before continuing with her taunting.

"I said that if you just let Gray handle this, we would be in Clover Town by now." Lucy shrugged waving her hand in the air causally. 

At her words Natsu's whole body went ablaze, forming a column of fire and sending waves of heat Lucy's way it felt protective and almost seemed to embrace her.

"Huh, even the little blonde can see that you are no match for me." The man taunted behind his wind, and the column of fire that Natsu was building kept getting hotter and hotter. Lucy watched, sweat forming on her brow at the heat coming from him.

The fire grew in intensity, and Natsu started approaching the air manipulator his fire scorching everything it touched.

The moment his fire came in contact with it, the wind started dwindling and evaporated revealing the man behind it with a dismayed expression on his face.

"H-how? You, you increased the temperature of your fire so much it snuffed out my wind?" He exclaimed in shock.

Natsu ignored his outburst, still enraged at Lucy's earlier implication, and still covered in flames he threw a hard punch at the gray-haired man, sending him flying back.

He jumped after him and kept throwing continuous fiery punches and roars at the man.

When the wind mage finally went down, so did Natsu's intense mood. His fire reduced slowly and he took the magic cuffs out of his pocket and put them on the mage.  

Taking him by the hands, he dragged his body on the ground as he headed to where she was standing.

Lucy felt nervous as she watched him approach her, wringing her hands together. 

"Ya did that on purpose didn't you?" He asked as he stopped in front of her and leaned so close their noses almost touched,  he had a warm look in his eyes paired with that ridiculous grin on his face.

Looking away sheepishly Lucy shrugged her shoulders and started walking down the tracks, trying to hide the blush on her face due to his lack of special awareness. 

"I did what I had to do, and it got the job done." She heard him chuckle as he followed behind.

"Yeah, well I didn't like it." She could feel the pout on his face.

"That's why I said it you dolt, I had to get you angry, and what better way?" She looked over her shoulder to stick her tongue out at him.

"Whatever." He grumbled trying to hide the smile on his face, walking a few steps behind her dragging the uncounted mage with them.

"We should probably pat him down and get the flute." Lucy said suddenly stopping to look back at Natsu and get back on track, they have a job to do.

Natsu looked at her and nodded, considering the wind mage was still knocked out he plopped the man down on the ground and checked his pockets.

"Uhh Luce?" 

"Yes?"

"He doesn't have the flute." Natsu winced out.

"What do you mean he doesn't have the flute? Where is it then?" Lucy asked slightly panicked, as she started pacing back and forth. 

"Let's find out." Natsu said as he turned to face the unconscious man and slapped him. 

"Oy, wake up!" He slapped his face a few more times before the cuffed man groaned waking up, he blinked his eyes fighting through the confusion and looking around, as his eyes landed on Natsu they widened in fear. 

"You demon, get away from me!" He had a petrified look in his eyes, as he tried to back away from Natsu who looked confused.

"The hell did I do?" He muttered, looking back at Lucy as if she had the answer.

"Where is the flute?" Lucy asked the man, ignoring Natsu's questioning look. "Where is Lullaby?" 

His eyes shifted to look at her and his demeanor shifted from scared to smug at her question. "You're already too late." He smirked as he watched the colour drain from their faces as they looked at each other in horror, realizing the implications of his words.

"We need to go." Natsu stated and without hesitation they both started running, leaving the cuffed man behind, his sinister laugh echoing as they raced toward Clover Town.

* ********* ********** ********** ********* *

The meeting between guild masters happens every month, it was routine and standard procedure. They evaluated the job success of each guild, looked over any new threats or potential new members, and gossiped about the magic council and what a pain they could be. 

The meeting is always set at different locations, disclosed only to a handful of individuals.

This month it was a cottage in the woods, on the outskirts of Clover Town. Away from the prying eyes of the public.

As they raced to find the masters, they tried calling Erza and Gray to let them know that Lullaby was still a threat, only to find Natsu's phone melted in his pocket during the fight. 

Lucy on the other hand didn't own a phone.

"What do you mean you don't have a phone?" Natsu blanched as he put the melted one back in his pocket.

Lucy shrugged "It broke when that Dementor thing attacked me, and I haven't bought one since!" 

She told him defensively, not wanting to explain that the phone she had got when she first ran away was of no use to her other than an alarm and a gps, as she didn't know anyone. 

It never crossed her mind to buy another one.

After bickering for some time on the topic while en route to Clover town, they decided to just go to the town and see what they could find out there. 

"I'm getting ya a phone!" He told her stubbornly, as they marched down the streets.

They couldn't find anything in the town, but thanks to Natsu's nose, they managed to track down the car they had stolen in Oshibana, abandoned by the side of the road just at the edge of the town. 

Following their scent through the forest they were led to a clearing, where Master Makarov was sitting on top of a rock, talking to a dark-haired man who seemed to be crying, holding a flute in his hands.

"What's going on?" Lucy whispered as she and Natsu joined Erza and Gray who were crouching in some bushes looking at the scene.

"He tried to use Lullaby and kill the master, but after they talked he seemed, hesitant, and then he broke down crying." Erza said in a hushed voice.

"Gramps must've really laid into him then." Natsu said loudly with a laugh, making Lucy hit the back of his head.

When he turned to look at her and likely protest her violence, she shushed him and pointed to the two men who were still talking.

"Now my boy, hand me the flute and it will all be over." Makarov told the young man putting his hands out to take the instrument from him.

The man hesitated for a moment before handing the flute to the Master, still crying, he slumped further into himself. 

As Makarov took the flute, the rest of the Masters emerged from the surrounding trees.

"That was a risky move, even for you Dreyar." A man in a cowboy hat told him, but the short man just smiled at him, waving off his accusation.

"What's life without a little risk?" He shot back as he jumped off the rock and turned to look in their direction "You kids can come out now." 

He called out, and the four of them stumbled into the clearing.

"Master, we tried to intercept them but they planned ahead. I have failed you, please forgive me!" Erza exclaimed, bowing at the waist. 

"My dear, you did everything you could. All of you." He looked at each of them with a warm smile. "And we are all safe. That's all that matters. Come on, let's get you inside and you can fill us in on what happened." Makarov motioned for them to follow.

They made their way toward a cottage just beyond the clearing, but before they could enter a sinister laugh echoed around them.

"I was hoping the stupid fools would play me, but if they're not going to do it, you've left me no other choice." 

The voice seemed to be coming from the flute itself as it started glowing in the Master's hand. 

Letting go of the object, the older man stepped back and they watched as the flute floated in the air and started shifting, coiling, and growing until finally, a huge demon stood in front of them.

"I am Lullaby, one of the Demons of the great Zeref." It bellowed, making the ground shake at the strength of his voice.

"Fuck, what are we gonna do now?" Lucy asked terrified of the creature in front of her.

"Is that a spirit summoner I sense? How peculiar, I thought you were all exterminated." The flute demon mused, its eyes finding Lucy. 

"No matter, I can dispose of you now." 

Natsu was in front of her in an instant, arms stretched wide he glared at the demon, blocking its view of her.

"You just hang back with Gramps and the masters' Luce, we'll take care of this thing." He reassured, sending her a smile over his shoulder.

Trembling slightly, Lucy didn't argue with him and nodded as she took the necessary steps backwards to join the masters where they stood, ready to observe the fight about to take place. 

She knew when she was out of her league, and that was back in Oshibana. This was a whole different level.

Natsu, Erza, and Gray stood unflinching as they appraised the demon. 

Erza was enveloped in a flash of light and her usual armor changed into a black one, with wings, paired with a giant spear in her.

Gray lost his shirt, pants unbuckled, his fist in his palm as he readied himself to attack, Natsu on the other side of Erza, fully ablaze, trembling with anticipation. 

He seemed excited to fight the demon.

"I'm all fired up now. Let's get this bastard!" He used his fire to boost his jump and sent an array of fire attacks at the demon, Erza, and Gray sprang into action at the same time he did.

Gray shot out lances of ice as he jumped to climb up the arm of the demon. 

Erza was flying in the air, channeling some sort of energy from her spear and directing it at her opponent.   

The trio simultaneously landed blows on the giant flute, seamlessly complimenting each other's attacks. 

The waves of heat and cold could be felt where she was standing, she could see Erza change her armor mid-attack, this one seeming to use electricity. 

The Demon fought back, trying to throw off the two mages that were climbing him, and attempting to swat Erzs like a fly.

They fought as a unit and avoided each attack with ease. 

For all their animosity, Natsu and Gray played off each other wonderfully while fighting a common enemy. 

They attacked for some time before finally pulling back and leaving some space between them and the demon.

There was a pause as the dust settled, revealing Lullaby still in one piece, seemingly unharmed. The flute let out a loud laugh, hand clutching his midsection.

"Is that all? Pesky creatures, you could never compare to Zeref's might!" And with those words, Lullaby started glowing an ominous purple, readying itself to play its fatal tune and end all their lives.

Lucy braced herself, looking over at Natsu as he panted slightly from his fight, his stance was relaxed, he didn't seem bothered by the fact that they were about to die. 

That was very on brand for him, to be unbothered by the notion of mortality and death. 

Lucy smiled, if she had to go now, at least she had a chance to get to know him, and everyone at Fairy Tail. 

Closing her eyes Lucy waited to hear the deadly melody, only to open them a second later when she heard the wheezing sounds of a hollow flute.

She looked to see air coming from a magnitude of differently-sized holes scattered all over the body of the flute 

"What have you done? My beautiful melody is gone!" The Demon wailed and started glowing once more, this time shrinking back to its original flute design. 

"I will get you for this! This is not the last you will see of me, and when you do-"There was a snap and before anyone could react, Natsu broke the flute in half.

"Couldn't listen to another word that thing had to say." He breathed out, making Lucy chuckle softly, breaking the tension around them everyone started laughing as well.

The laughter was short lives as they felt another rumble through the earth and they turned to watch as the cottage started collapsing in on itself.

"Wow, you guys really overdid it." Lucy muttered, with a shake of her head, a part of her in awe at their strength.

The trio just laughed at her comment, Natsu puffing up his chest at her words. 

"You know you're gonna have to pay for that, right Makarov?" She heard one of the masters ask and saw their own master faint at the thought, Erza ran over to check on the old man, while Natsu just laughed even harder as he watched the cottage collapse.

'They really are something else.' Lucy thought to herself as her adrenaline finally started dropping and she relaxed for the first time since they left Magnolia. 

* ********* ********** ********** ********* *

When they finally made their way back to Magnolia it was nearing early morning, rather than late night and they were exhausted. 

Lucy never thought she'd be this glad her house was closest to the train station. 

Deciding to go to the guild in the morning to report, it was probably empty at this hour anyway. They all parted ways heading home. 

Well almost all of them. 

Natsu somehow got Lucy to agree for him to spend the night,(on the couch.) as his house is the farthest from the train station.

Apparently, he lived in the middle of the woods. It didn't surprise Lucy per se, she really shouldn't expect anything less from Natsu Dragneel. 

Besides, she felt sorry for him and couldn't find it in herself to deny him, so they made their way to her apartment, walking in silence due to exhaustion.

They tumbled through the front door, almost falling over each other because of their lethargic movement. Lucy made her way to her bedroom and went to shower first, and went straight to bed after, leaving Natsu to fend for himself. 

She knew she'd come to regret it by morning, but she was too drained of energy from their mission, and the unexpected turns it took to care. 

As she slowly started fading, Lucy hoped that not all of their jobs would be this chaotic and dangerous.

Little did she know, the dangers were yet to come.

Chapter Text

If there's one thing Lucy is certain of, it's that Fairy Tail loves to party.

After they triumphed over Eisenwald and Lullaby and saved the guild masters, Mirajane decided to have the party sooner, so they could celebrate both Lucy's first month as a Fairy Tail mage and the formation of what she'd dubbed 'Team Natsu', much to the chagrin of Gray.

The party went on for three days, and Lucy could vaguely recall pieces of the celebration. She made the mistake of sitting next to Cana on the first night and didn't sober up until the last day. 

All in all, it was a rumbustious few days and Lucy couldn't recall ever having so much fun surrounded by people she could call friends.

Levy had also surprised her one day with a golden key, after returning from a week-long job. She said it was her welcoming present from the girl, and Lucy spent the whole day in tears over the gesture.

The key turned out to be Cancer the Giant Crab, a quirky spirit (weren't they all?) that used scissors as a weapon along with the six crab-like legs protruding from his back.

She had also started training more intensely after their encounter with Lullaby. 

Seeing the dangers of the magical world and how far behind she was made her determined to never feel so weak and powerless again.

Erza was there every step of her training journey, helping her hone her skills with the whip that was gifted to her by Virgo, and hand-to-hand combat.

It was a grueling regimen Erza put her on, and more times than not she ended up bruised and sore in places she didn't know a person could be sore. 

She even passed out several times when she tried keeping Virgo and Cancer's gates open at the same time.

On those days, Natsu would buy her ice cream, and he and Happy would join her in watching all the movies/tv shows she wasn't allowed to watch growing up. 

Lucy felt stuck with her training. She still couldn't summon two ?fighting/stronger?spirits at once, and apart from being able to hold a single spirit out for several hours without feeling drained and dizzy, she couldn't see much progress.

Erza and Levy kept reassuring her that she has improved greatly since joining the guild, but she just couldn't see it.

To no fault of Erza's, the older girl was relentless in her efforts to train her. 

"It's just frustrating you know? I feel like I'm taking one step forward and then two steps back." Lucy vented to the sisters behind the bar.

Lisanna smiled at her reassuringly, patting her hand lightly. "Don't be so hard on yourself Lucy, it's barely been two months since you discovered your magic. Your progress is wondrous, I assure you. You'll get there, some things take time." Lucy wanted to groan at the last statement, it was something Erza told her often while they were sparring. 

"I know, but being on a team with those three just makes me feel so inadequate. I'm just slowing them down." She slumped further on the bar counter, hiding her head in her arms.

"You're an idiot if that's what you're worried about. Honestly Lucy I thought you were smarter than that." A loud thud followed by Mira's melodic voice made her look up and see the glass of raspberry lemonade placed in front of her. 

"What do you mean?"

She gave the girl a confused look as she straightened and brought the glass closer to her, taking a sip of her beverage.

Mira raised a brow at her, shooting a look at Lisanna who just giggled at her sister. 

"Maybe all the training is impairing your critical thinking. You have the potential to be a very powerful mage, like Lis said, your progress is remarkable. Going from not knowing about the magic world to having three powerful keys and knowing how to wield them in less than two months is unprecedented." Mirajane told her, patting her head as she did, Lisanna nodding her head in agreement. 

"Don't compare yourself to anyone, you learn and progress at your own pace and that is not a bad thing!" Lisanna added, a kind smile on her face.

Their words made Lucy feel a little better. 

She knew she needed to be patient, and usually, Lucy had no problem with waiting for results, she's always been meticulous in everything she's done, and that requires patience. 

But there was a feeling that was looming inside of her, something told her she didn't have much time to prepare.

Prepare for what, she didn't know. It was a gut feeling that told her something was coming.

"Lushiiii, help me!" She felt a weight land on her head and raised her arms to steady the cat. 

"Happy, are you okay?" The blue exceed jumped from her head into her hands and burrowed into her chest. 

"Natsu's being a meanie, he says I can't go on a job with you guys!" Happy cried out, snuggling her as he explained.

"Oh, why would he say that? I didn't even know we were going on a job?" She turned around to try and spot Natsu. "Where is he anyway?" She asked the cat after not seeing his pink hair in the guild hall.

"He said he had a surprise for you and ran off on me. I told you he was a meanie!" Happy pouted, making her laugh. 

"You are just as mean as him, you called me fat the other day, and last week you both managed to ruin my kitchen." Lucy retaliated back, shuddering as she remembered walking into her apartment after an afternoon of shopping with the girls, to find her kitchen on fire, Happy and Natsu trying to extinguish it. 

They were his flames, so he couldn't eat them. How does that even make sense? 

It took them all night to clean everything up, and then Natsu had to repaint one of the walls. Thank the gods none of the appliances were damaged.

"We were trying to make you dinner! Well, Natsu was trying, I told him raw fish is the best way to go, but he insisted to make your favorite. I think he liikes you." Happy defended himself, making Mira and Lisanna giggle at his words. 

"I have to agree with that, Happy. I've never seen Natsu bond with anyone as he has with you besides Happy. And I think you like him too." Mira teased her, a mischievous glint in her eyes as she looked at Lucy.

"It's not like that Mira, we're just friends. And Natsu loves everyone in Fairy Tail! Besides, I don't think he even knows the difference between romantic and platonic feelings." Lucy answered, in hopes of getting the older girl's thoughts away from her and Natsu in a romantic way.

"I don't know. He is an idiot, but I think he does like you Lushii. He gets all weird, like you." Happy chippers out as he flies into the air circling the bar.

"I'm not weird! And I am not going to sit here and listen to your nonsense, Levy, and I have research to do." With a small huff, Lucy left them at the bar going to find Levy.

"500 jewels they get together by the end of the year." Mira says.

"No way, Christmas is less than a month away, I say they hook up around summertime." Cana said lowering her barrel as she looked at them, smirking from her end of the bar.

"I think it will take them longer than that.

Lucy seems stubborn, and we all know how dense Natsu can be. So maybe by next Christmas?" Lisanna chimed in.

"You're all wrong. I say after the new year, but before spring." Happy told them as he fell gracefully on the counter.

"I'll take those odds!" Mira said, slapping a few bills on the bar. "Whose in?" She asked with a sinister smirk.

* ********* ********** ********** ********* *

Lucy and Levy have had solid progress with their research regarding her magic, and its history.

With the help of Grampa Crux, Virgo,  Cancer, and even Aquarius at times they have managed to piece together some things. 

Her Mother was a descend of the last known line of spirit summoners, who were eradicated by the dark mage Zeref. How and why her mother survived was unknown as the clan she hailed from was killed over 250 years ago.  

They still had no idea why Zeref wanted them all dead.

Lucy did have a suspicion that her spirits were not telling her everything they knew. But every time she confronted them, they would say it wasn't allowed for them to reveal the past to her.

Allowed by whom is the question on Lucy's mind.

After Lullaby commented on her existence as a spirit summoner, she felt like there would be others out there, followers of Zeref, who would want her dead as well. 

She didn't voice her fears to anyone, not wanting to sound paranoid. Instead, she kept up with her training and looked for anything she could find concerning the dark mage.  

The texts they read through were old, and most of them were written in runes Lucy had never seen before. Thankfully Levy was well-versed in a multitude of ancient languages. 

They found that there was speculation on how her magic worked, some claimed they were descendants of the stars themselves and that was why they come to their aid from the spirit world.  

Others theorized that the very first summoner managed to pull a star from the heavens, and made the very first contract with a spirit. 

Lucy also read up on the different types of keys besides gold and silver. There seemed to be an array of different stones, metals, and other materials from which the keys were made, all representing a specific constellation. 

Lucy was sad to learn that most of them have been unseen for decades, and she knew the chances of finding one of them were improbable. 

Her hand went to her hip, touching the keys that were in a pouch looped around her belt. 

"I still can't believe you managed to track down Cancers key, considering there is so little word of anything relating to my magic." Lucy mused as the two girls took a break from their reading.

They were currently sitting in the guild's library. Yes, they had a library. The first time Levy brought her down to where it was located Lucy was in awe, it was beautifully furnished and filled wall to wall with books. 

"The man who owned it is a long-time client, I remembered seeing a golden key in his collection at one point. I didn't think anything of it, people collect weird things all the time." Levy shrugged before continuing. 

 "It was only after we met that I realized it was probably a magical key, I called him and asked if there was anything I could do or find for him to trade with me for the key. He was hesitant, but relented in the end, as I had a book he was looking for and could translate it for him." 

"Oh you didn't have to do all of that Lev, you could've told me and I would have bartered for the key myself." Lucy was thrown off by the other girl's kindness, eyes watering and heart clenching at her words.

"I know how much your book collection means to you."

"Don't be silly Lu, I wanted to get you a welcoming gift, besides I had two copies of the book in my possession, and I gave him the more tattered one." She admitted with a sly grin, making Lucy laugh, and move to hug the smaller girl.

"Thank you." She told her, a few tears making their way down her cheeks.

"That's what friends do." Levy told her, as they pulled back and smiled at each other.

"I think we've had enough reading for today. Let's see what Mira's cooking today." Levy said shutting her book and shuffling around picking up the scattered books around the table and putting them back in their place.

"Yeah, let's go." Lucy agreed as she stood to help the bluenette clean up. 

* ********* ********** ********** ********* *

The surprise Happy told her about turned out to be a cellphone. 

Lucy walked home alone after spending the evening at the guild sitting with Levy at the bar, chatting with her, Mira, and Cana.

It was a little weird to be walking home alone, as Natsu had been by her side since her first day at Fairy Tail and made it a point to walk her home, he's also been sleeping on her couch six out of seven times a week since their job in Clover Town.

She hadn't seen him since they had breakfast that morning, and Happy was nowhere to be found when she emerged from the Library with Levy.

She knew Erza was out on a job, and saw Gray brawling with some of the guys as she left for the night.

Come to think of it, didn't Happy say something about her and Natsu going on a job? Honestly, who knows with those two?

She didn't have to wait long to find them it would seem. 

When Lucy made it home, she found the two of them passed out on her couch, thankfully it seems they'd managed not to burn anything this time.

But she could see a wrapped present on her coffee table.

Holding back a smile, Lucy locked her door and moved quietly through the apartment not wanting to wake them up.

As she tiptoed her way to her bedroom, she heard her couch springs groan at a shift in weight.

"Luce?" His voice was husky and deeper than usual from sleep.

Cursing his sensitive ears, Lucy braced herself for the sight of a sleepy and disheveled Natsu. A sight she just couldn't get used to, he looks so soft whenever he wakes up, and Lucy has to fight the urge to cuddle him. 

 Taking a deep breath she turned to face him. 

"Hey. I didn't want to wake you." She said quietly, not wanting to disturb a still sleeping Happy. 

"But now that you're awake, um, why exactly, were you asleep on my couch?" She asked him, and he looked around confused as if he forgot they were in her apartment, looked at the couch and the way Happy was snuggled on top of her blanket. 

Natsu turned his head to her, scratching the back of his head awkwardly as he sent her a small smile.

"Yeah, Happy was supposed to bring ya back here, but he got distracted by fish and couldn't find you, so we decided to wait for ya to come back home. Didn't think you'd be at the guild this long." He told her, smile widening as he turned to pick up the wrapped box on her coffee table and held it out toward her.

"This is for you." Lucy was taken aback by the fact that he got her a gift. 

When Happy mentioned a surprise, she just assumed it was another one of their silly pranks, like the time they stole her mattress to try and get her to go camping with them. Or that they'd try to get her to go fishing with them again. 

Taking the present from him, Lucy inspected the box. 

The wrapping paper was dark blue, intricately decorated with a variety of constellations, and Lucy wondered where he found it as she traced the start pattern for Hydra, the Sea Serpent. She was also the tiniest bit hesitant as to what he would think a good gift would be. 

Knowing Natsu, it could quite literally be anything. 

"Christmas is weeks away, I didn't get you anything yet." She pouted slightly, shaking off her hesitation and shock as she moved to sit in one of the armchairs across the couch.

"This isn't your Christmas present ya weirdo, just open it." He sat on the table in front of her, seemingly giddy to see her reaction.

"Okay, okay." Lucy muttered, a small smile on her face as she neatly opened the wrapped package. She could tell Natsu was impatient with her meticulous unwrapping, but the paper was really cute and she didn't want to ruin it. 

Inside the box was a phone. 

She looked back at Natsu, who was smiling at her. "I already had everyone's number put in. I'm your first speed dial." He told her nonchalantly, but she could see a slight blush on his cheeks.

"Obviously." Lucy nodded, feigning seriousness as she tried to hold back her smile. 

She took the phone out of the box and went to turn it on.

"I also got Reedus to add a little surprise, since we don't have any pictures together." He started blustering, his hand moving to scratch the back of his head as he explained.

Her heart clenched as the device came to life and she saw the lock screen.

It was a painting of her, Natsu, and Happy. 

The scene was set in a park, they were having a picnic surrounded by a field of Sakura trees, but instead of pink the petals were rainbow and ever-changing.

Lucy's vision started getting blurry as she studied the picture on her screen, Natsu was lying on top of a blanket arms crossed behind his head as he looked up at her.

Lucy sat back on his knees reading a book. 

Happy, flying above them, laughing.

She looked up at Natsu, seeing him watching her reaction. "If you don't like it, I kept the receipt so we can go and change it."  

Laughing, Lucy launched herself from the armchair and tackled him into a hug, taking Natsu off guard, sending both of them tumbling to the ground, arms wrapped around each other. 

"I love it, thank you Natsu. Not just the phone, thank you for everything." She mumbled into his shirt as they embraced. 

His arms tightened around her and she felt him let out a relieved laugh. His nose nuzzled the crown of her head as they lay wrapped around each other on the ground.

He was always so warm, it occurred to Lucy that she never knew how cold she was until his heat embraced her.

They stayed entwined for several heartbeats and just as Lucy started to pull away, a shrill voice broke through the tranquility that enveloped her apartment.

"You liikee each other." Happy shouted as he sprung into the air, white wings carrying him in circles around them.

"Natsu and Lushi sitting in a tree," he started singing and Lucy's whole body turned beet red, with a shriek she lunged for the flying feline. 

"Shut it you stupid cat." 

Happy only flew higher so she couldn't reach him and continued singing, laughing as Lucy started to chase him around her apartment. "Get back here, and stop with that song or I swear I'll have Cancer cut your fur off!" 

"Bwhaaa, Natsu! Save me!" Happy cried as Lucy chased him. "Sorry buddy, you got yourself into this mess." Natsu shrugged, holding back his laughter as he watched them run around the apartment. 

Natsu found that he enjoyed seeing Lucy flustered, so he sat back, eager to see who'll win.

* ********* ********** ********** ********* *

Waking up, tumbling out of your hammock is never a good way to start your day.  

Natsu couldn't tell you, for the life of him, why he didn't have a proper bed. 

When he built this cottage of his, it was to provide the necessary shelter for him and Happy. After all, he spent most of his days scouring Fiore in search of Igneel, so he didn't see a need for a bed. 

Rubbing the back of his head, he thinks it might be time to buy one. 

Although this is the first night in weeks that he's slept in his house, even though he stayed in Magnolia. 

Most nights he ended up on Lucy's couch. 

He looked at his clock on his way to the bathroom and saw it was half past twelve.

He could hear his ringtone echoing throughout the house as he showered and washed his teeth, ignoring it for the time being.

 "Happy! Wake up buddy, let's go see if Mira has food for us." Natsu called for the cat from the bathroom, his phone still ringing.

"Natsu, Erza is calling you!" He heard the exceed yell back at him.

"Shit." Natsu jerked, thinking back to what he could've done to piss off the redhead. 

"Answer it so she doesn't chop my head off!" 

"Aye! Natsu's phone." He could hear Erza's voice on the other end, and Natsu stilled as he listened to her words, rushing to get dressed he stumbled into the living room taking the device from Happy. 

"What the hell happened?"  He almost growled. "They were left crucified in Magnolia Park. Laki found them on her way to the guild this morning and called the master. They've been transported back to Fairy Tail, Porlyusica is taking care of them." 

There was a pause before she continued. "It was Phantom Lord. They left their mark carved into Levi's stomach." Erza gritted out.

"Those bastards are asking for it Erza. I know we've had issues with them but this is going too far." 

Natsu spat out as he made his way out of the cottage and towards the guild, Happy following behind him. 

There was no risk in anyone seeing him in this part of the woods. 

"I know Natsu, we will take charge. I called you to see if you could get Lucy and come to the guild, I can't get a hold of her and Mira hasn't seen her since last night. We need to debrief everyone and strike up a battle plan." 

Lucy. She was usually at the guild early in the morning. Though the girls did have some binding-type outing last night so maybe she just slept in. 

But Natsu had a bad feeling about this. 

 "We'll be there soon." 

He hung up the phone, not caring for the possible repercussions of hanging up on Erza. He needed to call Lucy, needed to know she was okay.

He was speeding his way through the woods in the direction of her apartment, as he waited for her to answer.

"Did you just wake up? Because if you want breakfast we can go to the guild, you raided my refrigerator on Tuesday and I still haven't been grocery shopping." Her voice mused through the phone, and Natsu felt himself relax at the sound of her voice.

She was safe.

"Why aren't you answering your phone? Erza tried callin'. There's been an attack, a rival guild went after Jet, Droy, and Levy. Everyone is gathering in the Fairy Tail."He heard a gasp and then shuffling from the other end of the phone. "I can be there in 20 minutes." He heard her say. 

"No!" Natsu shouted. "No, stay where you are, I'm on my way." 

"I can make it to the guild on my own, don't worry, I'll see you there." Lucy brushed him off.

"Lucy, please. We don't know what they want, or why they attacked us. Just stay put and I'll be there in 10." It wasn't like him to be reasonable, but he found himself feeling and acting all sorts of ways since meeting the blonde. 

It's an odd thing, to be mindful and think things through. 

It was the use of her name as opposed to the nickname name he insisted on calling her, and the grave, almost pleading tone in his voice that got her to agree. 

"Just hurry up, I want to see Levy. I can't believe someone would do something like this." Natsu finally got to the edge of the woods and made his way to Lucy's apartment. "Don't worry Luce, we'll get them! Now stay where you are, I'm on my way." 

He heard her small 'Okay' as they disconnected the call.

Turning around, Natsu grabbed Happy, hiding him under his jacket, and continued to race towards Lucy.

He realized something was wrong the second he was outside of her apartment. The smell of magic was in the air and Natsu knew, somehow, that he wouldn't find Lucy inside. 

He went in anyway and found the whole place a mess. Happy flew out of his coat and looked around the apartment with him, searching for answers. 

The rooms were flooded, drawers opened and the contents were scattered everywhere. There were obvious signs of a struggle in the bedroom.

He could smell Lucy and her residual magic, along with a scent he wasn't familiar with. It was odd, almost like when you approach a lake, mixed with the smell of rain. 

Cursing Natsu tried to rein his anger before he set fire to Lucy's apartment. 

He gave himself one minute to control his emotions before he jumped out Lucy's window and ran to the guild, leaving Happy behind in his haste. 

He made his way there in record time, almost positive he knocked over a couple of civilians, but he couldn't bother with that now.

Bursting through the guild doors, the wood hit the wall with a bang, making everyone present look at him, panting and eyes wild.

"They took Lucy."

Chapter Text

Lucy woke up in a cold, dark cell. Her head was pounding, her lungs aching. 

Shaking off the confusion she struggled to remember what happened and how she got there. 

Looking around, she tried to focus and figure out where the hell she was, but it was dark and she could barely see past the bars in her cell. 

Turning her thoughts over, the last thing Lucy remembered was disconnecting her call with Natsu, and the next thing she knew she was swallowed by a vortex of water. 

The mage seemed to have snuck up on her, catching her off guard. It was a woman with blue hair who was able to manipulate water. 

And turn into water, if what she remembers is correct, she was losing oxygen fast.

She tried to fight her way through the water and tried to get free, but it was no use. 

Her keys were in a bowl by her bedside, her whip in one of the drawers. She hadn't planned on doing anything but relaxing for the day after her rambunctious night out.

Shuffling around, Lucy stood up and started pacing back and forth in her small cell.

Who had abducted her? And why did they take her? Natsu said something about a rival guild being the one to hurt Levy and the guys, but she'd just joined Fairy Tail. 

Why would they take her of all people? 

If they were even the ones behind this, it could be someone else entirely.

The sudden sound of footsteps bouncing off the walls turned Lucy's attention back to the cell door. A few moments later a tall man, dressed like he'd just got off set filming for Harry Potter, appeared on the other side of the bars. Smirking at her.

He had a menacing aura surrounding him, auburn hair was hidden underneath a ridiculously purple pointed hat, and he was also wearing a purple cape, with fake bat-like wings attached to it. 

'Seriously, he looks like a stereotypical bad guy, how drab.' Lucy thought as she looked at the man, waiting for him to speak.

"Ah Miss Heartfilia, you are awake. Good, Welcome to my guild." He spread his arms "Or rather my guild's prison cell." 

The man stopped in front of her cell and leered at her. "My name is Jose Porla, I am the master of Phantom Lord. Apologies for your accommodations, but we had to take the necessary precautions, considering you are a Fairy Tail Mage." 

Lucy was petrified, frozen in place the moment her last name passed his lips. She tried to school her features and show no fear. But she was petrified.

What was happening here? 

"What do you want from me?" She managed to grit out, hands clenching at her sides as she tried to compose herself.

Because that's what it always came down to, he wouldn't have used her last name if he didn't want something from her, or rather, the benefits her title could provide.

The man let out a laugh at her question

"My, my, where are your manners Lady Heartfilia? What would your father think, if he saw you." The man taunted her.

"I am no lady, I can assure you. And my father can go rot in hell, as far as I'm concerned." She spat out at him, her anger coming out at the mention of Jude Heartfilia. 

"Oh, well then aren't you a lucky one? It's a good thing, that I have no intention of handing you over to him like I was hired to do." He said as he unlocked and opened the door of her cell before coming in.

Lucy felt like someone poured a bucket of ice down her shirt. 

Her father. 

Her father hired a magical guild to deliver her back to Crocus. 

He knew where she was, he knew and he simply sent someone to retrieve her. It shouldn't surprise her, not really, he was used to letting other people handle his business. 

Backing up until her back was up against the wall, Lucy tried to put as much distance between her and the older man as possible. 

"You attacked Levy, Jet, and Droy because my father hired you to bring me back?" Lucy's voice was trembling, heart sinking to her stomach. 

It was her fault. They got hurt because of her. 

"Causing pain to the pathetic fairies and Makarov was a bonus." He laughed cruelly, putting his hand in his pocket as if to retrieve something.

"But once Juvia brought you back, along with these-" The man held out his hands and showed her the chain holding her golden and silver keys in his possession.

"I realized your father was holding out on me. You are not just a runaway, but a genuine spirit summoner, and in Fairy Tail of all places. Who would've thought?" He let out a laugh before continuing his rant. 

"Now that I know, I've decided to keep you. I will tell your father you were unfortunately killed in the crosshairs of a guild battle." He put the keys in his cloak pocket, the sinister smile never leaving his face. 

"I'm sure you will be of great value to me, and if not, these will fetch a pretty price." He patted the pocket where her keys were and Lucy almost jumped him at his thinly veiled threat towards her spirits.

"I will never willingly help you, you twisted son of a bitch." Lucy spat at his feet, making the man furrow his brows in disdain and slap her across the face. 

Lucy fought the urge to clasp her throbbing cheek as she turned her head back to look at the vile man in front of her. She will not show weakness. 

"How dare you spit at me you ungrateful little tart. This is your reality now, as far as I'm concerned, you have two options." 

He moved suddenly Lucy could barely react and a blast of dark purple matter was coming toward her, but instead of hitting her, it blasted the wall behind her, blowing a hole in the wall and revealing how high up they were. 

Lucy jumped forward at the impact catching herself and, looking back she could see debris falling to the ground and shattering. 

"You can stay here, or you can jump. The decision is yours, Miss Heartfilia." He said with a smug smirk on his face. 

* ********* ********** ********** ********* *

Natsu was never known for keeping his cool. 

Maybe, it was because he was a creature of fire, or maybe because his instincts always lead him to triumph, so he never saw the need to stop and think things through. 

He was the punch now, ask questions later kind of person, and having to sit around listening to most of Fairy Tail argue with each other about how they should handle Phantom Lord was close to tipping him off an already nonexistent ledge. 

When he burst through the door earlier that day shaking with rage and announcing that Lucy was abducted, all hell broke loose with the guild. 

The attack on their fellow nakama was bad enough, and hearing one of their own was taken had them ready for war.

The master was able to round everyone up, standing on the railing of the second floor.

"Shut it you brats, we have a serious situation on our hands." His voice boomed through the guild, immediately silencing everyone. 

"Three of our own have been severely injured by Phantom Lord l, and they have now kidnapped Lucy!" Natsu could see the tension and anger radiating from the short man. 

Makarov Dreyar was not an easy man to provoke, but if you hurt his children, you will feel his wrath.

"This was an unjustifiable attack and I will not have anyone hurting my children and getting away with it. Now I want you all to ready yourselves for battle. Mira, prepare a portal to Oak Town!" The master ordered before disappearing into his office, everyone cheered and scrambled to get ready for their upcoming fight.

All Natsu could do was stow in his anger, he couldn't stop thinking about Lucy. 

'Was she okay? Why did they take her in the first place?'

He also felt guilty because she wanted to go to the guild, and maybe if he weren't so insistent on her waiting for him, she would still be here, still be safe.

Maybe if they were on the phone when it happened, he would've gotten there faster.

Unbeknownst to Natsu, the temperature surrounding him started rising turning the air humid, almost sticky, as he went around in circles in his head.

"Natsu?" He heard a voice call out, bringing him out of his head.

"I told her to wait for me. She wanted to come to the guild and see Levy, she was so worried when I called her." He turned to look at Erza as he spoke, almost trembling with the need to run. 

To run to Oak Town, find Lucy, and burn everyone involved to a crisp. "But I told her to stay in her apartment because we didn't know how dangerous it was." He let out a depreciating laugh at the irony, the fire inside him burning to escape and unleash its fury.

"This is not your fault. We don't even know why they're doing all of this, so how could you have known they'd take her?" The armored woman tried to console him, going to pat his shoulder and almost dislocating it with her strength.

"I should have been there to protect her." 

This time, Erza hit the back of his head, hard.

"Tch, idiot. She doesn't need you to protect her. Lucy can protect herself, I've made sure of it." She said proudly, tilting her chin upwards. "Her fighting skills, while still needing work, are sufficient. Though she is still hesitant when we spar, I am confident that if put on the spot against an enemy, she could hold her own." The scarlet mage lectured him. 

'Jeez, she almost knocked my head off.' Natsu thought with a slight pout on his face as he rubbed his head where she hit him. 

"I don't need ya to tell me that Luce is strong. I know that. It's just, I don't know, an instinct of sorts that is screaming at me for not being there for her." He tried to explain, turning his head to look at the side as he tried to regulate his emotions. 

It was a difficult concept for him. He's never felt this way before. He loves all his Nakama and is willing to do anything to protect them. But there is something different about the way he feels about Lucy.

It challenged him and drove him in a way he'd never experienced before, and he couldn't understand it.

Looking back up at Erza, he saw a warm, understanding look in her eyes. She went to pat him on the shoulder, gentler this time.

"We will get Lucy back, and you will get the chance to raise hell on the people that took her." The older girl said with determination, leaving no room for doubt. 

Natsu straightened his posture and gave her a grateful smile. "Thank you." He told her. 

She nodded back at him, squeezing his shoulder before turning to leave and prepare for the fight.

Natsu, feeling a bit better, went to find Happy, who will be staying back with Charla and some of the younger guild members with Wendy overseeing them. 

"Hey Happy, we're about to leave, so I wanted to say bye. You're gonna be okay here?" Natsu asked his little buddy as he approached the table he was sitting at. 

"Aye, we'll be waiting for you here when you get back! Maybe after, we can make Lushi come fishing with us again?" The blue exceed shot out, and Natsu smiled at his optimism, knowing it was highly unlikely that Lucy would go fishing with them in the middle of December.

"Sure thing buddy, you keep the guild safe while I'm gone, yeah?" Natsu stretched his hand to pat Happy on the head.

"Aye, sir!" The cat exclaimed nuzzling into his hand. 

Natsu smiled at the blue cat and turned his gaze to where he could feel Wendy, who was trying to hide her trepidation behind a small smile. 

He left Happy to his antics in trying to woo Charla and approached the younger girl, startling her as he put his hands on her shoulders, leveling her with a firm gaze.

"Don't worry Wendy, you stay here, look after Levy and the others. We'll get Lucy back and kick Phantom's ass, you'll see!" He told her, and some of the tension in her lessened at his words. 

Giving him a form nod, she smiled.

"Go and give them hell!" 

"Aye! I'm all fired up now!" He shouted, fist pumping in the air, and fire wisping from his mouth as he went to where the rest of the guild was gathering by the doors, readying to go through the portal.

Mira and the master at the front of it.

"All right ya brats, when we step through this door and attack, we violate the guild's treaty, but given what Phantom has done to us, the treaty is as good as void." There was a unanimous acclamation through the crowd at the old man's words as he continued with his speech.

"No one attacks Fairy Tail and gets away with it! Now get ready my children, for we are going to war!" Master Makarov exclaimed, and with the chants and roars from the rest of the guild, he stepped through the portal, everyone following behind. 

* ********* ********** ********** ********* *

Lucy was at a loss for what to do as she stood in her cell, cold wind creeping from the crater that was blown through the wall.

The vile man was examining her with a smirk on his face, knowing she wouldn't dare jump, and that he had her right where he wanted her.

"I'll let you mull your choices over, but don't take too long, or I'll have to resort to a more unsavory approach." Tipping his hat toward her, he left the cell, locking it on his way out and leaving Lucy trapped, between steel bars and a hundred-meter fall. 

The moment the clacking of his heels was out of earshot, Lucy fell to her knees in despair, tears spilling down her face. 

She didn't know what to do.

She was sure that by now Natsu knew she was missing, and maybe they'd put together who took her, maybe they'd even take down Jose and his guild. 

But that still left her father.

The man responsible for all the chaos and pain caused to the people she'd grown to love in these short months. 

He hired someone to take her back once, he'd do it again if they managed to take down Phantom Lord and she refused to go back to him, She would not go back to that life. 

And if Fairy Tail fails, (she couldn't bear thinking it, but a contingency plan was always a good thing.) there was no way she was letting that man use her and her spirits, she would rather die than have that happen. Mind made up, Lucy straightened her spine, wiping the tears from her face. 

She stood up, feeling slightly more composed, and waited for Jose to return. 

* ********* ********** ********** ********* *

The moment they stepped foot out of the portal door and into the clearing a little way out of Oak Town where the Phantom's building was located, all hell broke loose.

While there were the standard wards to keep out any curious humans, that could easily be taken down by a determined mage, there also appeared to be guards placed in front of the castle-like structure ahead who seemed to be expecting them. 

All of Fairy Tail charged with a roar, handling the guards with ease before breaking the door down with a bang and storming the rival guild.

"Where is Lucy?" Natsu bellowed, body ablaze as he went around and bulldozed everyone in sight, not giving any of them a chance to answer his question. 

The rest of the guild was fighting as well, everyone feeling the need to avenge their fellow guild mates and get Lucy back. 

Erza was wielding her heavens wheel armor, a hundred swords raining down on her enemies.

The chill of Gray's magic was barely noticeable with how angry Natsu was, but he could still see from the corner of his eye the ice princess knocking people out left and right.

Elfman transformed into a monster, a mix between a bull and a bear, hulking his way through the guild. 

Everyone else spread out, equally ferocious in their own way.

In his peripheral vision, Natsu could see the Master climbing the stairs, in search of someone. Leaving him be, he charged at another mage demanding once more to know where Lucy was.

The man was unconscious before he could answer and Natsu felt his anger rising, he tried sniffing her out, but there was an onslaught of magical residue and too many people for him to pinpoint anything. 

There was also something pulling him out of the building, telling him Lucy wasn't there. 

Like how he knew she wouldn't be in her apartment.

He was about to charge at another mage and demand answers when a steel rod appeared in front of him, stopping him in his tracks.

"Gihi, the little fairy's all riled up." A raspy voice came from above Natsu, who tipped his head back and looked up to see a man with long dark hair sitting atop one of the ceiling beams. 

The steel morphed back into an appendage and the mage jumped down to stand a few meters from Natsu, hands crossed as he smirked at him.

"That little blonde piece of ass isn't here." 

He sneered at Natsu, who bristled in response and found himself at a crossroads, not knowing whether he should listen to the instinct yelling at him to run and search for Lucy or to stay and fight this spiky-haired bastard.

"Where the hell is she?" Natsu shouted at the man, who only laughed in response.

"Probably long gone, now that you're here." He snickered out, shoulders shaking.

Mind made up, Natsu sent a fire blast towards the insufferable mage and booked it out the doors of Phantom before the other man could retaliate. 

He could hear several of his Nakama calling after him but he paid no mind to them, he didn't know where he was going, but he was certain it would be wherever Lucy was. 

* ********* ********** ********** ********* *

The chill was starting to get to Lucy as she waited in her cell. 

There was a shockwave a few minutes back that went throughout the building, and she was certain it was Fairy Tail. 

She had rushed to the bars, straining herself to try and hear any commotion, or if anyone would approach.

After a few minutes of silence, she heard the same clacking of boots and knew it was Jose.

Taking a few steps back, she mulled over her next course of action.

"It seems things have escalated quicker than I anticipated, we need to go." He told her as he unlocked her cell, sauntering toward her casually, acting as if she wasn't here against her will.

A sudden anger encompassed Lucy at his attitude, there was a boiling rage that didn't quite feel like her own flowing from her core. 

Embracing her in a familiar way, making her feel warm. It gave Lucy the needed courage to go for the attack. 

Moving suddenly, taking the amber-haired man by surprise, she grabbed him by the shoulders digging her fingers into his cape keeping a firm hold. 

She used the leverage and kicked him between his legs as hard as she could, making the man yell out in pain and double over, clutching his crotch.

Lucy moved quickly, reaching into his pocket she took her keys out and walked backward and away from the keeling man on the floor.

"You little bitch! Get back here!" Jose shouted at her as he went to stand, and in a move of pure panic, or maybe stupidity she wasn't sure, Lucy found herself turning to jump out of the tower. 

Her heart was racing as the wind whipped around her, hair flying everywhere, keys clutched to her chest as she fell, hearing Jose's screams on her way down.

'I can feel him, I know he's down there, I can feel him!' Lucy thought to herself as she plummeted to her death.

That anger, the heat that accompanied it, it had to be him.

"Natsu!" She yelled as a final precaution, mind flashing through the last few months of her life in Fairy Tail as she braced herself for the worst.

* ********* ********** ********** ********* *

Natsu realized he was running to the back part of the castle, where in the distance there seemed to be a tower of sorts with a wall blown through, he could see debris on the ground from where he was as he approached.

Knowing that's where Lucy was, Natsu increased his speed, dread filling his body.  

As he looked up once more at the hole in the tower, he saw a figure throw itself off the ledge and his heart sank and he prayed it wasn't her.

A flash of gold glinted in the air as he watched her fall. 

"Fuck!" Natsu exclaimed at the sight. 'The hell is she thinking?'

"Natsu!" He heard her scream and instantly increased his speed, adrenaline pumping through his body as he prayed to whoever was out there that he makes it in time.

As he watched her near the ground his panic arose, and he found himself strained as he sped up and in a desperate move used his fire as a boost. 

Natsu jumped, managing to catch Lucy mid-air in the last second. 

His arms wrapped securely around her waist, and her head tucked in his shoulder, he turned their bodies so he would take the impact as they tumbled to the ground.

"Lucy? Luce, are you okay?" 

Natsu called out once they hit the ground, pulling his hands away and grasping her shoulders gently, trying to look her over for injuries, but she refused to budge.

He could feel her shaking in his arms, and the anger returned at the thought of someone hurting his Luce and making her cry. 

Looking up at the hole in the tower he vowed to burn them all.

The sound of her laughter diminished any negative emotions from him as he turned to watch her lean away from him and throw her head back. 

He watched, mesmerized by the way her hair cascaded down her back, glowing as the sun hit it, making it look like melted gold. 

The way her eyes were shining with mischief.

His hand moved on its own accord and brushed itself through her hair, It was soft, a little tangled from the wind,  and he was completely in awe. She looked beautiful. 

Free. 

He wanted her to always be like this.

"I'm sorry, I know none of this is funny." She wiped a tear from her face as she tried to reign her laughter, looking at him with mirth in her eyes she chuckled again.

"I just jumped out of a fucking tower, and, and you caught me." She giggled at her words and Natsu's smile warmed as he watched her.

Moving his hand from her hair, he traced the side of her jaw. "I'll always be there to catch you, weirdo." And he meant it. "But don't make a habit out of jumping off buildings, the fall wasn't kind to my back." Natsu told her, moving his other hand to rub a sore spot on his back.

Lucy winced at his words, eyes turning sad, and all the previous happiness was gone. 

She looked up at him, eyes filled with tears. "I'm sorry. It's all my fault!"

Taken by surprise, Natsu didn't know what to do, he was never good at consoling people. 

He decided after a few beats to scoop her into his arms and rub her back comfortingly.

"Hey, none of this is your fault. Phantom Lord did this. They're the ones to blame."

He told her, but she only cried harder at his words.

"You don't understand, I don't want to go back!" Her voice was muffled by his shirt but he still heard her, heart dropping at her words.

"What do you mean you don't want to go back?" He tried to keep the hurt out of his voice but something gave him away as she lifted her head to look at him.

"No, no, it's not like that! I don't want to go back home!" She exclaimed through her tears, waving her hands in front of him, nearly missing his face in her haste. 

"My father hired Jose to deliver me to Crocus." 

Her voice was small and shaky,  and Natsu felt the boiling anger returning with a vengeance at her words. "What?" Was the only thing he managed to get passed his teeth.

Lucy's tears were flowing down her cheeks, glistening in the sun as they fell. He watched her take deep breaths to calm herself before she tried explaining.

"They took me from my apartment, you know that already. I woke up in that tower and the master of the guild told me that my father was the reason all of this happened!" Her voice cracked and Natsu moved to clasp their hands together, giving her a reassuring squeeze.

 "He hired them to take me back home! I don't want to go home Natsu, please." She choked on a sob at the end of her plea, and Natsu felt like someone was crushing his heart as he watched her.

He was stunned by the fact that her father would hire thugs like Phantom to kidnap Lucy, the fact that he would hire anyone. 

He moved slowly, not wanting to startle the crying girl, and wrapped his arms around her, bringing her into his chest.

"You're not going anywhere you don't want to. No one's gonna force ya out of Fairy Tail, and as for these clowns-" he pointed to the tower behind them. "They've wanted to take us down for a long time, if this didn't happen they would've found another excuse to attack us. None of this is your fault." 

He could hear her breathing steady and she looked up at him, red-eyed with puffy cheeks from crying.

"But, my dad-" She started but Nastu shot her down.

"You're not responsible for what he does." He cut her off, bringing one of his hands to wipe the tears off her cheek. 

She offered him a strained smile but relaxed in his hold.

"Come on, let's go find everyone else and see what happened with the fight between Phantom." He told her pulling away slowly he helped her stand and took her hand in his. 

They walked slowly and in silence, as Natsu let Lucy gather her feelings. Not wanting to push. He had a lot of questions, but they could all wait until she felt calmer and was safe in the guild. 

As they neared the front of the castle, they could see the mayhem inside and outside of the building. 

Unconscious bodies of Phantom and Fairy Tail mages alike sprawled everywhere, the rest were fiercely fighting. Amongst all the pandemonium they saw Erza calling for Fairy Tail to retreat.

They could see Lisanna crying as she looked down at Mira, who was holding Master Makarov's unconscious body. 

He looked unearthly pale.

Picking up the pace, Natsu and Lucy hurried to where the guild was gathering,

"What the hell happened?" Natsu asked gruffly as they stopped a few meters from them, he felt and heard Lucy's gasp, her hand clutching his tighter as she looked at the old man lying in Mira's hold.

"We need to get back to the Guild, he needs medical attention fast!" Mira shouted, focusing on the man in her arms.

Someone opened a portal, and everyone started rushing through it, taking their fallen Nakama with them, leaving Phantom Lord behind.

Chapter Text

The air was filled with panic as Natsu and Lucy stumbled through the portal, hands clasped and trying to navigate through the onslaught of people around them.

Amongst the chaos Lucy could see Wendy tending to the Master, his body laid out on one of the tables, her glowing hands hovering over his abdomen as Mirajane went to call someone. 

Other members were looking after the injured and unconscious mages as best as they could until Wendy could check their injuries over. Thankfully no one seemed to be severely injured.

As her adrenaline dropped Lucy started feeling dizzy, the noise surrounding her was becoming overstimulating and the room began to sway. 

Chest heaving, Lucy took shallow breaths as panic kicked in and her legs gave out from underneath her.

A pair of warm arms were around her waist before she could fall. His chest pressed to her back, warming her from the inside out. The scent of pine and campfire filled her senses and subdued her anxiety.

"I gotcha, just breathe." She heard his voice in her ear as she focused on mimicking his breathing pattern. "There ya go. Relax, you're safe."  He continued in a soothing voice as she relaxed into his hold. 

Lucy let her head fall back on his chest and closed her eyes. 

They stayed like that for a few moments. Natsu's hands around her waist, her head resting near his collarbone as she took deep breaths. 

Her eyes closed as she embedded every part of how it felt to be embraced by him while trying to prepare herself for what was to come.

"Could you get Erza, Gray, and Mira? There's something I need to tell you." Lucy whispered out softly knowing he would hear her even with all the noise surrounding them.

"Sure, I can do that. Happy'll stay with you." He told her, his tone confused at her request, but compliant. 

Lucy opened her eyes at the mention of their blue-furred partner and looking back at Natsu she saw the cat perched on his head, eyes wide as they both looked at her with worry. 

She hadn't even realized he was there. 

"Hey, Happy! Sorry for missing your big move on Charla, I was a little tied up." Lucy tried cracking a joke in the hope of lightening the mood. 

"Waaa, Lushiii! Never disappear like that again!" The exceed exclaimed with a cry, tears falling down his face as he threw himself into Lucy's chest.

Smiling, she embraced the cat, rubbing his head in soothing motions. "I'm sorry for worrying you." 

"Natsu was scary when we found your apartment trashed. He left me behind and I had to go to the guild on my own!" The cat complained and she kept scratching his head as she watched Natsu walk away to find Erza, Gray, and Mira.

"Oh you poor baby, how about I get you some fish later, will that make you feel better?" She asked, making the cat jump from her arms and into the air, wings fluttering. 

"Ayee! Give me the fishies!" His antics brought a genuine laugh out of Lucy who watched him as he continued to go in circles and tried to decide which fish she should buy for him.

"Luce?" Natsu's voice called from behind her, and she turned she saw he had gathered everyone she asked for.

"How is the master?" Was the first thing Lucy asked, as she was not able to unsee his lifeless body in Mira's arms.

"Wendy tried her healing, but she isn't sure what happened to him and couldn't seem to do much, so she started tending to the rest of the injured members. We're waiting for Porlyusica to arrive, she will know what to do." Mira's voice cracked a bit a the end, and she cleared her throat before continuing.

 "We don't know what happened to him. One second everyone was fighting and the next Master was dropped on the ground from the upper floor, unconscious." Mira answered, her tone staying neutral, but Lucy could see how worried the older girl was, and she felt her stomach drop.

All of this is her fault. 

First Levy, Jet, and Droy. Now the master and countless others were injured, just because her father decided he had a daughter again. 

"Natsu said you wanted to speak with us?" Erza asked her when Lucy didn't say anything else.

Turning to look at them, she took a deep breath and braced herself.

"I haven't been completely honest with you." She started, wringing her hands together as she started her story.

"The reason Phantom Lord attacked Fairy Tail, and took me hostage, was because my father hired them to bring me back home." 

She stated, turning her head to the side so she wouldn't have to look at their expressions at her words. She clenched her fists to keep her emotions in check. 

She will not cry, not again.

Natsu, as if sensing her emotional turmoil, moved to stand by her side. Their shoulders were not quite touching, but he was close enough for her to feel his warmth and its calming presence helped soothe her nerves.

Straightening her posture she continued. 

"I ran away from home almost two years ago. It was just after my eighteenth birthday and I had been begging my father for months to let me study at an actual university after being home-schooled for all my life." She's never told anyone that she was a runaway, let alone the hows and the whys. But it was unavoidable now. He's made sure of it.

There was a gasp from Mira, and as she turned to look at them she caught Erza's soft gaze. "He called me to his office one evening, and I foolishly hoped he'd let me go." Her voice cracked at the admission, and this time Natsu moved to wrap his arm around her shoulder, bringing her back to his chest.

Lucy was thankful for the drakon's affection, his hold grounding her as she continued. "When I got there he handed me a marriage contract, my marriage contract." 

This time it was everyone's turn to gasp, she felt Natsu's hold on her tighten.

"He arranged a marriage for you without consulting you?" Gray asked, outraged clear in his voice. "This isn't the 1500s'!" 

A bitter laugh escaped her throat at his statement. "My father has never cared much of my opinion. Why would this be any different? He is not a kind man, my father. Maybe once upon a time while my mother was still alive, but even then his affection was mostly reserved for her.  After her death.." 

She trailed off, knowing now was not the time for that. "Have you guys ever heard of the Heartfilia Family?" Lucy asked them instead. 

"Aren't they like ducks or something?" Natsu asked and a laugh escaped Lucy at his words.

"Duke. Duke Jude Heartfilia, and the late Duchess Layla Heartfilia. They are descendants of the royal bloodlines. In line for the throne, though they are pretty far down the line." 

"Why are you telling us this?" Mira asked her.

"They have a daughter. I remember the announcement of the passing of the late Duchess, the guild was in mourning." Erza spoke suddenly, eyes looking over to Lucy.

Lucy's heart clenched at her words, knowing Master Makarov was mourning the death of a friend. 

Lucy felt even worse with that knowledge.

"Yes, they do have a daughter. Lucy Heartfilia. My father decided that marrying me off to Pergrande so he could secure a safe trade route for himself was the most of use I was ever going to be to him." 

She finally said it out loud, and it felt like a weight was lifted from her. After two years of running, she finally found somewhere she felt safe, and people she could trust. 

"So after he went over all the details and dismissed me for the night, I decided that it was time." She shrugged her shoulders. 

"I'd been pondering and planning an escape for years, but it always seemed like a fantasy. Something I would do to make myself feel better, lighter." She thought back to how scared she'd been climbing down the window that night, praying no one saw her.

"This was a situation I couldn't talk myself out of, he was very determined to make the marriage happen. So the same night I packed as much as I could carry, scaled my window, and ran until I literally passed out in the woods." She was shaking with emotion as she remembered how she ran so much her feet bled. 

Her first months in the real world were humbling, and it was then that reality kicked in. There were people out there worse than even her father. 

There was a moment of silence as she finished her story, she let them process everything and ask their questions. 

"So you've been running this whole time?" 

The first question came from Gray. 

"Yes, I've moved locations ever so often since, trying to keep a low profile everywhere I go. But since I never heard word of my disappearance I thought I was scot-free." Lucy answered. "How stupid of me." 

"How come no one ever recognized you?" 

"After my mother's death, he rarely let me leave the house, and I was forbidden from making public appearances, of any kind." She told them, answering Mira's question. 

He made sure to keep her as isolated as possible, cooped up in her castle, surrounded by staff and tutors. 

Lucy moved from Natsu's hold and bowed at the waist in an expression of regret. "I want to apologize to all of you, and the guild for all of this. If I had been honest from the start, maybe none of this would've happened."

Lucy wanted them to know she felt awful about her father's actions. "I don't know why he's decided to track me down after all this time, but this was not the way he should've done it." She muttered looking down at the mark on her left hand, tracing it with her finger.

There was a gentle hand on her shoulder and Lucy looked up to see Erza's kind eyes staring back at her. "We are not responsible for the actions of others. You have done nothing wrong, Lucy. You needn't apologize." The older girl told her, giving her shoulder a comforting squeeze.

"Yeah, you did what any normal person would in your situation. Or at least what I would've done." Gray chimed in, shrugging his naked shoulders casually. 

He seemed to have lost his shirt while she was talking.

"I'm just scared of what he's going to do now that Phanotm failed to bring me to him." Lucy admitted in a small voice. 

"I already told ya, ya ain't goin' anywhere you don't want to. And no one here is going to make you! Dukes or Ducks or whatever the hell can piss off! You are Lucy of Fairy Tail now, and we protect our own!" Natsu threw his arm around her shoulder, pulling her into his warmth once more as he spoke.

Lucy felt overwhelmed with emotion. 

That seemed to be a recurring theme since discovering her magic and joining Fairy Tail. 

She looked at all her friends, grateful to have them in her life.

"Everyone has their secrets, and we understand why you wouldn't want people knowing who you are." Mira told her, smiling kindly. 

The tears finally escaped, and Lucy cursed inwardly, she vowed not to cry.

 "Thank you for understanding. I feel so guilty about everything that's happened." She finally managed to find her words, her voice still a little shaky, but she felt better. 

Like a weight had finally been lifted with her admission.  

It was at that moment that an old woman, with pastel pink hair and a sour expression, entered the guild through the glowing doors with a bang.

'A portal.' Lucy thought.

"Where is that ridiculous man? What trouble has he gotten himself into this time?" She asked as she beelined to Mira and Erza.

"This way, thank you for coming. Wendy's already tried to help, but she can't seem to figure out -" Mira was talking to the woman as she led her through the guild and to the Infirmary, where the Master was relocated. 

The tension was back in the air as they all watched the two women walk away, pondering over the Master's well-being. 

"I'm going to go with them, see what I can find out." Erza excused herself, giving Lucy one last shoulder squeeze as she went up the stairs. 

"And I'm gonna go see if Wendy can check out my back. Are you gonna be okay?" Gray asked her as he rubbed the lower part of his back.

Lucy smiled at him, shooing him off. 

"Go, and make sure to remind Wendy to rest and not exhaust herself!" He saluted her and promptly left her Natsu alone.

"Do you think I could go and see Levy?" Lucy asked the pinkette, who without a word, grabbed her hand and pulled her up the stairs, and toward the guest rooms.

* ********* ********** ********** ********* *

She cried even more when she saw her friend lying beaten and unconscious in one of the guild's spare bedrooms. Natsu by her side offering her comfort. 

Lucy understood where her friends were coming from saying she shouldn't blame herself for other people's actions, but staring down at the sleeping bluenette she couldn't help but feel responsible.

They left the room not long after they came, not wanting to disturb the injured girl. 

The scene downstairs had seemed to calm down while they were visiting Levy. Most of the guild members were awake and back on track, with only a few occupying the Infirmary room.

They made their way to where Happy was and joined him at one of the tables. They didn't speak, just sat next to each other, waiting for someone to come back with news about Master Makarov.

There was a somber mood surrounding the whole guild, everyone worried about their Master and their Nakama. 

Even Natsu was silent, sitting next to her with a rigid posture and she could feel the heat coming off of him in waves.

He turned his head suddenly, looking at the stairs, and as Lucy turned her head to follow his line of sight she saw Mira, Erza, and Porlyusica appear a second later. 

All three had grave expressions on their faces and Lucy's heart sank as she braced herself for the news, darting her hand to grasp Natsu's for comfort.

"It seems that whoever attacked Master Makarov, literally stole his soul from him. We need to get it back, and quick." Erza relayed to the guild. 

Mira's eyes were puffy, an indication that she's been crying. Lucy shot the older girl a small smile. 

"I called Laxus and the Thunder League, They're on their way back from their job in the Lycan Woods, I don't know when they'll make it back." Mira added softly. 

"I've done all I can for him, but we need to put the soul back for him to heal." The pink-haired woman proclaimed curtly as she made her way through the guild, Stopping at the door she summoned a portal. "Call me the moment you retrieve it and I'll be there." And with that, she left. 

Leaving Fairy Tail in a state of shock and fear.

The Master was dying. His soul has been stolen by someone from Phantom, which means they're gonna have to go and fight them. Again.

'What kind of magic allows a person to do such a thing?' Lucy thought with a shudder, not wanting to think about what other despicable powers might be out there. 

 She also dreaded another encounter with Jose, especially after the way she escaped. She had a feeling he wasn't the forgive-and-forget type.

Discussions and shouts were echoing throughout the tavern as everyone debated on what their next move should be. More than half of the guild was ready to march back to Oak Town, seeking vengeance for their Master and to help save him. 

While a smaller part argued that they needed an actual plan, not just to run straight into the fight.

As the mages went back and forth, some even started brawling over their differing opinions,  a blast shook the building, knocking everyone to the ground in the process.

Natsu's instincts came in handy, as he gathered both Lucy and Happy in his arms and pulled them under their table.

The ground started shaking underneath them and as people got to their feet, they started rushing out of the guild to see what the hell happened. 

Natsu was at the forefront, having sprinted away the moment the shaking stopped, leaving Lucy and Happy behind. 

Lucy got up and followed behind everyone, her instincts telling her nothing good would come from this. 

When she exited the tavern Lucy looked up to see the highest point of the guild was hit, their flag disintegrated by the blast and some of the debris was falling from the roof. Rushing after everyone she neared the back of the building where the crowd was gathering. 

That's when Lucy saw the Phantom Lord's castle walking towards them. Walking. With spider-like legs protruding from the sides as it stalked through the forest and straight for Fairy Tail.

"What just happened was a warning shot, courtesy of my lovely Jupiter Cannon. You have fifteen minutes before it recharges to hand over Lucy Heartfilia or the next shot will blow you, and  your precious guild away!"Jose's voice boomed through the speakers as the building stopped some distance from the crowd of Fairy Tail mages. 

Lucy felt her heart drop at his words.

She looked around at everyone, they looked confused at his request but determined to fight, not even sparring a thought to giving her over.

And that's what set her resolve. No one else was getting hurt because of her. Head held high Lucy made her way to the front of the crowd, stopping as she started down the Cannon, which seemed to be counting down from fifteen.

"I am complying with your demands. Stop the Cannon and I will go with you." Lucy shouted at the structure, desperately trying not to shake with fear. 

There was a hand on her shoulder, and suddenly she was being pulled back and Natsu was in front of her, she could feel the anger radiating off of him as he glared at the building. Erza, Mira, Gray even Elfman appeared next to her.

"You want Lucy, you're gonna have to go through us! And we're not letting her go!" Natsu yelled, and the whole guild cheered at his words.

Lucy felt her tears return as she watched her guildmates yell in agreement with Natsu. She couldn't believe the whole guild would fight for her. She didn't know how to feel, overwhelmed with emotions as the tears fell down her cheeks.

There was a cackle from the speakers and the Phantom Lord master taunted them. "I will take great pleasure in taking down your pathetic little fairies!" And with that, countless ghoulish apparitions flew from the building and started attacking them.

"We need to disable the Cannon, it's the only way. Come on, everyone else can handle themselves, we need to go."

Erza ordered the three men as she started sprinting towards the Castle. 

Gray and Elfman followed without hesitation, running right behind her.

Lucy saw Mirajane next to her transform into a devil-like creature and viciously start fighting the ghouls. 

Natsu hesitated as he looked at her, worry clear in his eyes. "Go, I'll be fine! They need you more than me, I  apparently have a whole army looking out for me." Lucy told him as she gestured to the guild fighting off the apparitions around them. 

Natsu's brows furrowed at her words and he narrowed his eyes at her, She's only seen that appraising look on his face when he was facing down an enemy, and Lucy found herself blushing in the middle of the battlefield at the intensity in his eyes.

"I need you to be safe, okay?" He told her tone deadly serious, his eyes never leaving hers. 

Lucy gulped as she stared back at him. She had a plan. It was stupid but she had a plan and she couldn't promise him that. He will forgive her,  she's sure of it. 

So instead of answering, Lucy drew him in for a hug, using his surprise to sneak her keys into his pocket. 

Either way, they'll be safer with him.

He hugged her back tightly and then turned to dash after Erza and the guys. Calling for Happy as he ran.

"Aye Sir!" The cat flew over her head, ruffling her hair as he did so, catching up to Natsu, he picked the fire drakon up and they sped off to stop the Cannon.

Lucy watched them as they disappeared, hoping they'd destroy it in time. 

Though it was Natsu, Gray, and Erza. They had a knack for destroying things, she thought with a small smile. She had faith in them, they would succeed and come out on top. There was no other choice. 

A ghoul suddenly charged toward Lucy, and having no time to take out her whip it almost got her, if not for a flash of light aimed at the creature that killed it.

Lucy turned to see Cana, cards in hand as she threw them at several targets at once.

"You need to get out of here and hide, we'll take care of the rest!" The brunette shouted at her. 

"I am not going to hide from this! I will fight-" her sentence was cut short as someone hit her in the back of the head making her pass out.

* ********* ********** ********** ********* *

Waking up with a mild headache, Lucy looked around to see she was in a car, on her way out of Magnolia. She looked at the driver's seat to see Reedus speeding down the road.

"What are you doing? We need to go back and help them!" Lucy shouted as she climbed from the backseat to the passenger's.

"I had clear orders from Mira, get you out of the city, I don't want to be on the she-devil's bad side." The curly-haired man replied, shudder at the thought of Mira going after him.

"I can't let everyone else fight this battle for me! I have to at least fight beside them, please Reedus, you have to understand." Lucy pleaded with the man.

He looked at her from the corner of his eye and let out a sigh. Stopping the car on the side of the empty road, he turned to face her. 

They were almost at the edge of the city, and given it's a Sunday afternoon, there thankfully weren't any people around.

"We need to keep you safe, the guild can take care of themselves. Someone will call us when it's over, it's safer this way I promise." He told her with a soft smile.

Lucy was about to protest again, or even book it out of the car to try and run back to the fight. But before she could do either a steel rod broke through the windshield, knocking Reedus out cold and making Lucy scream out in shock.

A tall, dark-haired man appeared on the other end of the rod, it seemed to be an extension of his arm. He was grinning at her, a wild look in his red eyes.

The steel retracted back and turned back into a normal arm. 'What the hell was this guy?' Lucy thought to herself as she struggled to unbuckle her seatbelt. 

"Gihi, what do we have here? A little fairy thought she could run away?" The man taunted her as he neared the car.

Finally managing to unclasp the buckle, Lucy opened the car door and broke into a run. She hoped Reedus would forgive her for abandoning him, as she didn't have a better choice at the moment. There were no other cars around and Lucy decided to book it through the forest by the side of the road. 

The dark-haired man's laugh was sinister as he followed after her.

"You can't outrun me, Princess!" His voice was getting closer as she stumbled her way through the trees, like a lamb running from the wolf. "Unfortunately for you, Jose wants his prize. So I have no choice." There was a shadow over her as he appeared behind her, Lucy didn't have any time to process his words before she was knocked out. 

Again.

* ********* ********** ********** ********* *

"10 minutes to detonation of the Jupiter Cannon." An animatronic voice echoed through the halls. 

"Fuck!"

Natsu was beyond frustrated at this point. This was the third dead end since he entered this ridiculous building. 

"Where is that stupid Lacrima?" Natsu mumbled under his breath as he continued to wander the halls. 

Happy was perched up on his head, keeping quiet as he didn't want to further irritate the fire drakon. Erza had ordered Gray, Elfman, and Natsu to find the Lacrima and destroy it before the Cannon could charge, but this whole place is like a maze, how is anyone supposed to find their way?

He suddenly caught the scent of fire and followed that. He could use a good meal at least, he's been walking around forever.

As he stepped into the room where the smell was coming from, Natsu spotted the Lacrima Crystal that charged the Cannon. 

"Gotcha!" He smirked and lit his fists on fire.

As he went to charge and destroy the power source, his fists moved upward on their own accord and Natsu punched himself in the face, knocking Happy off his head in the process.

"You okay little buddy?" He asked, looking over to the cat as he caught himself on the wall.

"Aye! But what was that Natsu?" The exceed asked.

"I am Totomaru, one of the element four! And no fire can defeat me!" A voice boomed, and a young man with black and white hair, and a tattoo going over his nose and cheeks appeared from behind the Lacrima. 

"I don't have time to deal with you!" Natsu told the strange man, ignoring his words as he charged at him, fists aflame.

Only to be decked in the face by his own hand once more. "The hell?" He yelled annoyed.

"I told you, no fire can touch me! I am the master of all fire!" The man exclaimed and threw a blast of fire towards Natsu, who in turn slurped up the flames.

"Ugh, yuck. You call this crap fire? It tastes awful. At least I have a fire in my belly." Natsu grimaced at the taste of the fire, rubbing his stomach. His opponent in turn was staring at him, mouth agape.

"You just, you just ate my fire?!" He yelled in shock, pointing an accusatory finger at Natsu.

"Well duh, what else was I supposed to do?" With a shrug of his shoulders, Natsu took a deep breath and prepared for his next attack.

"Fire Dragon, Roar!" He sent an inferno at the opposing mage.

The other man flicked his hand, directing the fire around him and smiling back at Natsu.

"Are you slow? I told you already that fire doesn't work on me!" He taunted back. 

With a frustrated growl, Natsu lit his fist and went to attack. No one controlled his fire but him. With a determined cry, he went to hit the split-haired freak but his fire was redirected once more and Natsu was blown back by his own flames.

"5 minutes to detonation of the Jupiter Cannon." An automated voice rang through the room, making Natsu remember his initial objective, he needed to destroy the Lacrima.

"How many times are you gonna try the same trick? It's not going to work." The man stated, sounding bored.

"Natsu you need to knock down the Lacrima or the guild's gonna be destroyed!" Happy yelled from somewhere behind him.

"I know, I know!" Natsu huffed in response, he looked back at the annoying fire mage appraisingly.

"Fine. If I can't beat you using my flames, I'm just gonna have to do it the old-fashioned way." Cracking his knuckles, Natsu went to attack again, this time sans fire.

"What you think you're just gonna-" His fist interrupted the rest of Totomaru's sentence as he sent the man flying back and into a wall.

"You got lucky with that one. Let me show you what a member of the element four can do!" The man boasted and started accumulating his magic, focusing it on one point before sending an inferno at Natsu.

Slurping the fire, he noted that this one wasn't as foul-tasting as the last. "Thank you for the meal, and you called me slow. It looks like fire doesn't work on either of us." 

Natsu smiled at the man as he approached him. "What are you gonna do now?" 

The man started back at him, eyes wide in disbelief and he could smell the fear on him, with a smirk, Natsu threw his head back and head-butted the two-toned man, knocking him out flat.

"He was seriously getting on my nerves." Natsu grumbled as he moved back to finally strike the Lacrima, throwing a fireball that shattered the crystal into pieces.

"You did it Natsu!" Happy yelled out as he flew over his head. 

"2 minutes to detonation of the Jupiter Cannon." The voice echoed once more.

"I destroyed it! How is the thing still charging?" Natsu asked in confusion.

Just then, he felt a twinge of a headache and heard Warren's voice in his head. 

"Natsu? Can you hear me? I just got word from the others. There seem to be 5 Lacrimas that are powering the Cannon. Elfaman destroyed one, as well as Gray and Erza. There are two left." The telepath relayed to Natsu, who cursed inwardly. 

"There is one Cannon left. Do you know where it is? I lost time in this maze of a castle trying to find the first one!" He thought back to the man.

"I can sense you in the east wing. The last remaining Crystal is located on the west wing. Elfman managed to take down Sol, of the element four, and Gray is currently fighting the water woman of Phantom. There are two members of the element four left, and one of them is the mage that stole the Master's soul, so be careful and get to the Lacrima, quickly!" 

Warren told him, and Natsu sprinted out of the room before he could even finish relaying all the information, Happy flying behind him as they raced toward the last Crystal.

"What about Erza? Where is she?" Natsu asked, dread filling his stomach.

"She's joined the battle out front." There was a pause, and somehow Natsu could feel his hesitance.

"Natsu, she plans on taking the hit if you don't make it on time." With those words, the connection between them was cut, and Natsu ran even faster as he tried not to think of Erza and her stupid sacrificial tendencies.

* ********* ********** ********** ********* *

Lucy was tired of waking up groggy and not knowing where she was. How many times is this now? She wondered if all mages got kidnapped and knocked out as much as she looked around. 

She was not in a car this time or a cell, she was lying on the ground in what seemed to be some kind of throne room. 

'Of course, Jose would have a throne.' Lucy thought with disdain as she got up on her feet.

"You're awake just in time for the festivities." She heard his voice coming from the other end of the room.

Turning she saw Jose, and the black-haired man who grabbed her enter the room. 

Jose went straight for his seat on the throne perched in the middle of the room, while his gorilla went to stand by his side. 

"I was very disappointed in you, Lucy, and the way you behaved after my most generous offer." The auburn-haired man tutted at her. "It will not go unpunished, but first I want you to witness the fall of Fairy Tail." He started laughing as he gestured to the man by his feet.

The younger man moved to open one of the curtains and Lucy saw the guild fighting those ghoulish things. "10 seconds to detonation of the Jupiter Cannon." A voice echoed throughout the building, making Lucy's heart drop. 

'They didn't make it in time.' 

Jose was laughing like a maniac as the voice continued counting down.

"Nine, eight, seven, six" Lucy was transfixed on the fight below her, watching her fellow guild mates scatter around in panic as the voice counted down. "Five, four, three" 

She saw a flash of scarlet, and Erza appeared in an armor Lucy had never seen before. It was heavy-duty, with a giant shield.  

She wasn't actually going to try and take the blow? 

"Two, one. Firing Jupiter Cannon." 

"No! No, Erza!" Lucy screamed as the Cannon fired directly at where the scarlet-haired woman was standing, shield in place as she channeled magic towards it, a determined look in her eyes as she braced herself for impact.

Chapter Text

He didn't make it in time.

Natsu listened with a heavy heart as the animatronic voice monotonously counted down the final seconds before the blast. Racing through the hallways, he felt the force of the shot shake the foundation of the castle causing him to stop in his tracks.

"Fuck!" Natsu cursed out and turned to Happy, who had stopped running and was standing in the middle of the hallway, looking back at him with teary eyes.

"I need you to go and check on everyone for me buddy, I have to go and destroy the last Crystal." He told the feline, who looked reluctant to leave him, but was equally as worried about the guild, and Charla.

"Aye, sir!" He saluted Natsu after a few seconds of pondering, hands a little shaky but with determination in his eyes, and quickly flew towards the exit.

Natsu watched him fly away, and once the exceed was out of sight, he gave himself a second to take a deep breath to calm himself before continuing down the hallway.

He needed to disable the Cannon and prevent it from firing a third time. Better late than never.

He just hoped everyone was okay.

Rounding the corner Natsu finally made it to the last Lacrima, this one wasn't protected and, without the added countdown, the takedown was less dramatic.

Natsu watched as the crystal shattered into a million pieces and cursed himself once more for not making it in time.

The only thing he could think about was Erza, and was she actually stupid enough to try and stop the blast?

Turning towards the door he raced out of the Castle, praying he would find all his guild mates where he left them.

* ********* ********** ********** ********* *

Lucy watched with blurry vision and a swallowed shriek as the blast collided with Erza's shield.

The magic in the air was intense, almost suffocating, from both the Cannon blast and Erza's magically induced shield.

Lucy took note with a clenched jaw of the way the older girl's stance wavered, the intensity of the blow pushing her backward several meters.

Jupiter's blast seemed to be overwhelming the magic shield conjured to protect Fairy Tail and its mages.

Lucy observed the scene in horrified awe as Erza doubled down, not giving in to the pressure, the scarlet-haired girl dug her feet into the ground, strengthening her resolve as she poured more magic into the shield.

In the end, the Cannon shot didn't make an impact with Fairy Tail, leaving the building standing, and its mages safe.

It did, however, leave the scarlet-haired mage unconscious and beaten on the ground in a giant crater that seemed to have formed thanks to the colliding magic.

Her fierce armor was tattered to shreds, her shield lay broken next to her.

"Tch, what a bore! That wasn't as exciting as I hoped. Well, that old fool won't live long enough to see his precious guild destroyed anyway. And there are several other ways I can take down those pesky little fairies."

Jose's voice broke the silence in the room as he mused out loud, turning from the window to look back at Lucy.

"I have some business I need to take care of. But first, Gajeel check her for the gate keys, I want them in my possession at all times." He ordered the taller man, who instantly made his way to where she was slowly pulling back.

"You've got nowhere to run Princess. Just hold still." The gruff man told her as he put his hands on her shoulders, keeping her in place.

Lucy felt dread encompass her as his hands started patting her down, checking her pockets.

"She doesn't have them on her." He finally proclaimed after a meaningless search.

"What do you mean she doesn't have them?" Jose exclaimed, sounding outraged.

He turned his glare on her. "Where are they?" He asked her as he stepped closer and tried to intimidate her with a glare, making Lucy smirk in return.

"Somewhere you'll never find them. I made sure of it." She knew taunting him wasn't a smart idea, but she couldn't help herself.

"You're gonna pay for this little girl, and I will get my hands on those keys! Gajeel!" He turned to the man next to Lucy.

"I want you to teach our new member a lesson on what happens when you disobey me. I'll be back soon, make sure not to maim her too badly." The Phantom Lord Master ordered the taller man as he turned and briskly made his way out of the room.

* ********* ********** ********** ********* *

Natsu rushed out of the forsaken castle into the clearing and stopped dead in his tracks at the scene in front of him.

Fairy Tail's mages were scattered throughout the open space of the field, some injured but overall alive and looking after one another, making sure everyone was alright. The guild hall was still standing in one piece behind them, aside from the roof being blown from the first attack.

But none of that made him stop.

It was the scarlet-haired woman lying unconscious, with Mira, Lisanna, and Gray surrounding her, Wendy sprinting through the crowd to get to them. Natsu started running, making his way to the trio in seconds.

"Why the hell didn't you stop her?"

He demanded as he stared at Erza's unmoving body. Her Adamantine Armor was torn and tattered, leaving burns from the cannon scattered all over her body.

The two-bladed shield lay broken next to her.

"Like we could've done anything to stop her." Lisanna shot back at him as she looked up to send a glare his way. Natsu could see she was equally as worried about the redhead.

"Yeah flame brain, when have you known Erza to listen to anyone?"

"Fuck you ice prick!"

"Stop it! All of you!" Mira shouted at them, voice cracking on her last word as she stared down at Wendy as she used her healing magic to help Erza.

"She's going to be okay. It's mostly magic depletion that made her faint. I healed the worst of her burns. She just needs to sleep it off." Wendy told them, her voice small, hands shaking a bit as she moved them from the unconscious girl.

'She's been healing everyone all day with no breaks.' Natsu thought to himself.

"Wendy," He called to get her attention.

The said girl jumped slightly at his voice and looked up at him, and Natsu could see how pale her skin was, and the slight perspiration on her forehead.

"You need to rest. You've been healing people all day. Now it's your turn, go lay down. We can handle ourselves for a while." He told her, crouching down on one knee to be at head level with the younger bluenette and put a gentle hand on her shoulder.

Natsu could see the reluctance on her face as she looked down at Erza and everyone else on the field.

"You said it yourself, she needs to sleep it off, and no one else is severely injured. So there's nothing more you can do, go and rest. I'll wake you up if there's an emergency. I promise."

Wendy relaxed at his words, shoulders dropping as she finally gave in to her exhaustion. "Thank you." She smiled at him gratefully. Natsu waved her off and got back to his full height, offering her a hand. She took it and stood up on shaky feet.

"I'm gonna go lie down now." She told the group, and Lisanna moved so she was next to the younger girl. "I'll help you."

"We need to move Erza, and put her in the infirmary." Mira spoke as the two girls left them, and Gray moved before she could even finish and bent down to pick up the read head. "I got her."

"Where's Lucy?" Natsu finally asked as he scanned the area once more trying to catch a glimpse of gold amidst the crowd. "I had Reedus drive her out of town. I should probably call and check in on them."

Mira told him as they started walking to where people were regrouping, the ghouls had stopped attacking for the time being, giving the Fairy Tail mages a moment of peace.

Mirajane pulled her phone out and called the art mage.

"That's weird, he's not answering. They should have made it out of town by now." She muttered to herself as she went to redial.

Natsu instincts were going haywire from not knowing where Lucy was, or if she was safe.

He heard a huff from the white-haired mage as no one picked up her call before  Cana's voice made him snap his gaze from Mirajane's worried expression. "Uh, Natsu? Why is your pocket glowing?"

Looking down at his pants, he saw his left pocket faintly aglow.

"The hell?" He mumbled as he reached in to grab whatever it was. Only to hiss at the sting as he touched the hot object and dropped it on the ground. "It burned me!" He muttered in surprise, it was an unknown feeling for Natsu, and he brought the finger at eye level to observe it heel over.

"Why do you have Lushii's keys?" Happy's voice broke him out of his thoughts and Natsu snapped his gaze to where he dropped the object that burned him.

And sure enough, a chain with three gold and a single silver key glinted back up at him.

With a deep breath, Natsu bent down and picked the keys up, and even though they weren't glowing anymore they were still hot to the touch.

Ignoring the burn Natsu clutched them in his hand.

"I don't think she's with Reedus. They must have gotten to her. I need to go back." He pocketed Lucy's keys and started running back to the castle before anyone could react.

* ********* ********** ********** ********* *

Lucy felt petrified as the tall man with red eyes and piercings for eyebrows started moving towards her.

"Please, you don't have to do this." She tried to plead with him.

A little pathetic, yes, but in hindsight Lucy knew she was no match for whatever he was. There was an air around him, similar to the way Wendy and Natsu felt when you were near them.

And she knew that trying to fight him would just end up with her severely injured, or dead.

That doesn't mean she was going to give up, or not try and fight back. She just wanted to try a different route first.

"Sorry Princess, I have my orders. And word of advice, if you wanna survive in this guild, you have to follow orders."  He told her, tone genuine as he gave her the 'advice'.

Lucy let out a little sardonic laugh. "I'd rather be dead than a part of this guild."

Gajeel looked at her, something between pity and an apology in his eyes. "I am sorry for this." He said it so quietly that Lucy didn't know if she was imagining things.

Before she could process the apology, a steel rod connected with her stomach, making her instantly throw up blood.

Not giving her a beat to recover, another one knocked her down from the side, and she was almost certain he broke a rib.

She coughed up more blood as she used her arms as fulcrums, looking down at the pool of red liquid in disgust.

Lucy's body was screaming at her as she went to stand to her feet, hand going for her whip, because she refused to be beaten like a punching bag without at least trying to punch back.

She poured her magic into the whip and went for the attack.

The whip wrapped itself around his arm, but Lucy didn't have the strength to move him, and he was pulling on it and bringing her closer, so she tried burning him with her magic, channeling more of it into the whip.

The taller man let out a hiss and let go of the weapon. He looked back at her and sent a steel rod directly at her face.

Lucy barely moved in time, escaping a hairwidth from her face being rearranged, and let out a curse at the way her right side was burning from her sudden movements.

"Just let me mess you up a little and he'll be satisfied. The more you fight back the worse it'll be." He tried to explain to her.

Lucy looked back at him and laughed, every part of her screaming in protest.

"You really think I'm just going to stand here and let you beat me up? Are you out of your mind? I told you I would rather die than be a part of this guild and I meant it!"

She shouted at him, shoulders heaving as she talked. Every breath she took hurt. "I know what it's like to have an arrogant, entitled piece of shit ordering you around, I escaped that life. And I sure as hell am not going back, even if it's a different piece of shit."

She spat blood at his feet as she finished her rant, glare unwavering as she revved her whip and went to attack him.

Only he reacted quicker than she could move and sent another attack her way, this one connecting with the other side of her ribs, knocking the wind out of her and bringing her to her knees once more.

The black-haired man moved closer and kicked her right leg with the steel toe of his boots, you could hear the bone crack at the pressure, bending her leg at an odd angle.

Lucy grit her teeth and refused to scream and give him the satisfaction, tears were flowing down her cheeks and obscuring her vision as her head fell.

One of his hands moved into her hair and tilted it up so she couldn't look away.

He punched her in the face, without the steel this time, but there was still a crack that echoed around them and this time she screamed as pain flooded her senses.

"You know, most people would be knocked out, or even dead by now. You really are making it harder on yourself."

She could feel the blood rushing from her nose, could taste it. Gajeel let go of her hair, her head falling at the sudden movement.

"It's gonna be over soon." She heard him whisper as he revved for another attack.

Lucy could feel her consciousness slipping with his every word and cursed herself for her lack of stamina. Erza took Jupiter's Blast, and she couldn't even take a few punches.

She braced herself for more pain, hoping to pass out sooner rather than later when she suddenly felt a familiar heat from inside her.

'Natsu.' She thought to herself as black spots started appearing in front of her, and the two Gajeels sent fists her way.

There was a loud noise and heat was suddenly surrounding her. But it wasn't burning, it was more like protecting her.

"Luce? Lucy, can ya hear me?" A faraway voice called for her, and she saw a shadow of pink as she tried to blink her eyes open.

"You found me." She managed to mumble as she felt herself slipping. She tried opening her eyes again, but there was a weight on them that wouldn't budge.

She didn't hear him answer as she slipped into sleep.

* ********* ********** ********** ********* *

Natsu entered the Phantom Lord guild and let out a curse. This place was a maze and he didn't have time to waste. Who knows what Lucy could be going through?

He tried to sniff her out but there was a stench in the air that encompassed every air molecule and he couldn't smell anything or anyone else.

Tuning his ears, he followed the first sound that caught his attention, hoping it was Lucy he ran in that direction.

The corridors of the castle were silent, only the sound of his feet hitting the ground echoed around him as he raced through them. The stench of decay grew stronger the closer he got to the sound.

Natsu rounded the corner and was met with a man standing on the other end of it, blocking his way. He was giant, with eyes covered by a bandana and tears falling down his cheeks.

"It's so sad." The strange man cried out.

"The heck?" Natsu screeched to a halt as he watched the large man cry in front of him. "You're blocking my way." He told the man who only seemed to cry harder at his statement.

"The circle of life is a cruel mistress. She judges everyone." The man continued, ignoring Natsu completely.

With a huff of frustration, Natsu lit his fist on fire and went to attack the man blocking his way to Lucy. "I don't have time for this!" He yelled out as he went to land a hit.

Before he could make an impact though, an energy blast sent him flying knocking him on his back several meters and leaving him feeling drained and disoriented.

He hopped back on his feet, swaying slightly as he got back in his attack position.

"I am Aria, leader of the element four, and your time has come to an end." The taller man cried harder as he spoke, and Natsu was thoroughly confused by his behavior.

"What is your problem? I'm just trying to get to Lucy, get out of my way!" Natsu asked him as he charged towards the man, fists aflame as he went to knock him out.

"It's just so sad." Aria cried harder as Natsu neared him, and another energy blast threw him back, and Natsu felt his magic drain as the attack hit him.

"The hell are ya doing to me ya bastard?" He yelled at the man, who just continued crying. "Your life force is much stronger than the old man's" The tears flowed harder down his cheeks.

"You're the bastard that stole the Master's soul?" Natsu felt his anger rise at the other man's admission, this was the man responsible for the old man's condition.

"Give it back!" Natsu shouted as he sent a roar at the blindfolded man. Who in turn ducked his attack and kept weeping.

"He is a fighting soul, but Aria of element four always prevails."  The man cried out, sending another energy blast Natsu's way.

Natsu ducked, managing to avoid being hit by a hair width, the previous attacks managed to drain him of his energy, and with his previous battle, he was left feeling almost sluggish. And he had no fire to replenish his magic.

Feeling frustrated, he let out a small growl. He needed to get to Lucy! But this was the man who had Gramps's soul!

How was he supposed to choose? And why does it feel like he's already made his choice?

There was no doubt in his mind about who he would save, given the chance, he felt like it would always be Lucy. It felt natural to want to protect and keep her safe above all else, how could you not?

It's Lucy!

"Arghh, I don't have time to fight you, ya bastard! I need to get to Lucy, so just get out of my way!" Natsu shouted at the man, feeling frustrated and exhausted.

"There is no way forward without my defeat or your demise." Aria cried making Natsu want to combust at his riddle-ish way of talking.

"There is another option." A familiar female voice chimed in, just as Aria was sent back, and knocked into a wall.

Natsu turned around, spotting Erza in her Purgatory armor.

She was clutching her side and holding herself up by her blade, and Natsu could see the sweat building up on her forehead as she kept herself on her feet.

He was about to shout at her for being here when she turned to him with a sharp look that almost made him gulp.

"Go, get Lucy. I'll take care of this clown." She snapped sharply, leaving no room for arguments.

Natsu stared back, appraising whether he should leave her or not. The blindfolded mage stirred from his position and was getting back on his feet.

There was a blast from behind him, and Natsu was sent forward and almost into the wall at the end of the corridor, away from the fight.

The fire surrounding him served as a good meal to replenish the lost energy from his fight, and as he looked back, Natsu saw Erza's Fire Empress armor change back into her previously black one.

"Go!" She yelled and this time, Natsu ran without looking back.

It was Erza, Titania. Who is he to doubt her judgment?

So Natsu ran as fast as his legs would take him, not knowing where to go, when he suddenly caught the scent of blood.

Lucy's blood.

With a curse, he increased his speed and hoped it wasn't as bad as it smelled.

* ********* ********** ********** ********* *

It was worse.

As he busted down the doors he saw Lucy laying in a pool of her own blood, one foot bent unnaturally, the same black-haired with the piercings that taunted him back in Oak Town was standing over her, fist raised to strike her.

All-encompassing rage filled every fiber of Natsu's being as he watched the taller man prepare to hit Lucy.

Without even thinking about it, he sent a blast of fire their way, knocking the man off his feet and into a wall, Natsu took the opportunity and rushed toward Lucy.

He could hear her heartbeat and her shallow breathing, but he needed to hold her in his arms and be certain that she was alive.

"Luce? Lucy, can ya hear me?" You could hear the desperation in his voice as he bent over and gently pushed her bloody hair out of her face.

There was so much swollen and purple skin, blood covering almost every part of her.

The smell made Natsu sick.

Her eyes opened for a second, and she managed to mumble out. "You found me." She smiled at him the tiniest bit before passing out.

"'Course I did, don't ever doubt that." Natsu whispered to her as he moved with shaky hands and laid Lucy gently on the ground, before turning to look at the man who was moving from the hole in the wall.

"You're gonna pay for what you've done to her!" Natsu roared at him as the older man got to his feet. He could feel his fire burning to get out and hurt the one responsible for Lucy's pain.

It slowly started building around him, swirling and coiling itself. The sudden intensity of the flames was making the other mage sway slightly on his feet, sweat collecting on his forehead as he watched Natsu with wide eyes.

"Shit." He heard the faint curse from the mage as he continued to watch Natsu.

The fire was out as suddenly as it appeared and Natsu felt a strange sensation envelop him, as he looked down he saw patches of dragon scales appear on his body. Not taking the time to think about what was happening, he let out an angry roar and jumped to attack the pierced mage.

The man tried to avoid his fiery fist, but Natsu was faster and angrier, landing a punch on his jaw, and sending him flying across the room.

Not giving the black-haired man a chance to recover, Natsu kept attacking him mercilessly.

Using his fire roars as well as his fists and kicks relentlessly, it felt like an out-of-body experience. The beast inside him wanted to kill this man for hurting Lucy, and Nastu was having a hard time disagreeing with it.

After several minutes of pounding the man into every surface of the room, Natsu finally relented as he noticed the mage was knocked out. Panting he pulled back and away from the unconscious man, trying to gather his emotions, he noticed the scales on his body starting to fade, but his anger remained.

It was when he heard the shallow breathing from across the room that it completely dissolved into worry as he left the man in his crater and rushed his way to where Lucy was lying unconscious.

Wincing at her injured state, Natsu very carefully picked her up, mindful of her injuries as he made his way out of the horrid building once and for all.

* ********* ********** ********** ********* *

All Lucy could feel was pain.

Her head was pounding, her face felt like it was throbbing. She'd lost feeling completely in one foot, and her ribs felt like they were on fire.

And not the warm and comforting fire that she'd come to associate with Natsu, but a painfully nauseating kind of burning that she felt with every breath she took.

Focusing on opening her eyes, Lucy found herself waking up in one of the guild's spare bedrooms.

Feeling dizzy and nauseous she brought a hand to her pounding head. Trying to remember what happened, how she got here, and why she felt like a bus ran into her.

Her headache only got worse as she tried to concentrate, so she decided to look around and see if she could find her phone or a clock to see what the time was, or even the date, who knows how long she was knocked out for.

When she turned her head to check the room she finally noticed the sound of running water coming from the bathroom attached to the room, it stopped a second later, and she could hear someone shuffling around in there.

Natsu emerged a few moments later, the brightness from the bathroom made Lucy turn her head to look away as the sudden light made her eyes sting.

"Lucy! You're awake." He rushed to her side and went to help her sit up.

His hair was still slightly damp from the shower, and the smell of pine filled the room, along with the distinct smell of smoke that always clung to him.

His hands were warm when they helped her sit up on the bed and Lucy couldn't help but feel a little dumbfounded. He was half leaning next to her, wearing only a pair of pants and she felt a blush spread from her cheeks to her neck.

Trying to play it off she looked back at him with a puzzled expression. "What happened?"

"What do you remember?" He asked her as he sat carefully on the edge of the bed.

Lucy tried to concentrate, his presence seemed to have a grounding effect on her and helped her remember Phantom Lord attacking Levy, Jet, and Droy, getting abducted, learning her father was behind it all, Natsu catching her after she jumped out of a tower, getting abducted once more and almost beaten to death by Gajeel.

"The Master? Erza? Levi? How is everyone?" She asked in a panic as flashes of Makarov's pale body and Erza blocking Jupiter's cannon came back to her, she tried getting out of bed, but her body was protesting movement.

Gentle hands placed themselves on her shoulders, mindful of her injuries as he pushed her back into bed.

"Everyone is fine, Levy and the guys are good as new, Erza woke up for long enough to get Gramps's soul and bring it back before she passed out again." His tone was gentle, and Lucy could see his worry over the read head and her protective, and borderline sacrificial tendencies.

"She is also fine, sleeping in the room next to you because she's dumb, but everyone is okay." Natsu told her as he sent her a small almost playful glare. "You won't be if you don't rest."

Lucy let out a relieved sigh, relaxing into the bed at his words. "Good, that's good."

There was a sudden thump, and she felt a weight on her lap. Looking down Lucy saw her keys shining back at her. With a small smile, she took them in her hands, ignoring the burn of an angry Aquarius, and brought them close to her heart.

'I've missed you too.' She thought as she clutched the keys.

"What were ya thinking, giving them to me? You were left defenseless." Natsu asked her, an edge to his voice at the question.

Lucy turned to look at him, feeling sheepish at her action. "I needed to make sure that Jose wouldn't be able to get to them. And what better way than leaving them with you, where I knew they'd be safest." She shrugged, wincing at the sudden pain.

Natsu watched her intensely, brows furrowed and the temperature in the room was steadily rising. "You knew they'd take you again." It was a statement, not a question.

"Not necessarily, I planned on going to confront him. And I knew that whatever happened after that, you'd have my back. Even if it meant just keeping my spirits safe." She confessed and saw the anger on his face at her words.

"That was a stupid plan." That was the only thing that he said, and Lucy couldn't help but agree, but it was the only plan she had at the moment.

"I know. I didn't end up following through with it. Mira made sure I wasn't near the fight. Not that it made any difference." Lucy told him, trying to change the subject, she burrowed into the blanket, making herself comfortable.

She felt drowsy all of a sudden and knew she wouldn't be able to keep her eyes open for long, looking back up at Natsu she smiled at him, moving her hand to take his and giving it a gentle squeeze.

"Thanks for saving me again." She mumbled as she fell asleep.

"Always." He murmured back, bringing her hand to his lips and placing a kiss on the back of it.

Chapter Text

'Healing ribs are a bitch.' Lucy thought as she tried to rearrange herself on the pillows.

Three days have passed since their battle with Phantom Lord.

Things within the guild have been hectic since their victory, with everyone either resting, trying to recover from their injuries and magic depletion, or helping with the cleanup of the guild and mending of the damage done to the forest by Jupiter.

At one point during all the chaos the older pink-haired healer came into Lucy's room after she'd woken up and looked over her injuries, shoved a couple of tonics down her throat, before ordering her to stay in bed and heal, until Wendy gave her the green bill.

The scary woman left as quickly as she came, going on to check the rest of the injured mages, leaving Natsu and Lucy in the spare room of the guild, where Natsu then proceeded to fill her in on all that she'd missed while she was unconscious.

Like Erza waking up after getting hit by Jupiter's Cannon and showing up in the middle of Natsu's fight. How she managed to beat the mage that stole the Master's soul while Natsu went ahead to find her, and that she brought the soul back in the nick of time to save Makarov before she passed out once more due to exhaustion.

How Porlyusica and Wendy gave Makarov his soul back and how the Master upon waking up, immediately went after Jose and used one of the three great spells of Fairy Tail to teach the vile auburn-haired man never to mess with his children.

Lucy shuddered as Natsu explained how Fairy Law worked.

Apparently, the spell targets the enemies of the castor and makes them experience their worst nightmares and tortures as punishment, it usually leaves its victims paralyzed with fear for days.

The magic council came to Magnolia after they were notified of the incident and arrested Jose Porla for breaking the Guild's treaty and attacking a fellow guild without cause.

The rest of the mages from Phantom Lord were given the opportunity to prove themselves for the better and join new guilds, Their progress will be monitored, and their behaviors reported to the council via their guild masters monthly.

One Juvia Lockser decided to join Fairy Tail. She had fallen in love with Gray during their battle and didn't want to leave him.

She was the same girl that had kidnapped Lucy from her apartment, but she's since apologized for her actions, and Lucy has learned what kind of man Jose is, and what the punishment for disobeying an order could be, so she really couldn't hold it against the blue-haired girl.

The blunette was such a sweet girl that Lucy felt sorry for her having to obey the orders of such a man.

She'd almost flooded her temporary room when she came to apologize alongside Gray, and a supervising Natsu staring her down. "Juvia truly is sorry for her actions. But Juvia had no choice! It was a direct order from Master Jose, and Juvia can't disobey those." She had managed to say between tears.

And if Lucy weren't in so much pain, she probably would've asked the girl why she spoke in the third person, but it was a tad endearing and she was tired.

"There are no hard feelings Juvia, I understand. Welcome to Fairy Tail." Her words made the water mage cry even harder, making Gray escort her out of Lucy's room before it really was flooded.

The council decided that Fairy Tail was not at fault in this incident as Phantom Lord attacked first and acted against the treaty that was active between the guilds.

Their actions were deemed purely defensive in nature.

So they helped repair the damages done to the guild with the help of Magic, making the building and the fields behind it as good as new.

All in all, Lucy was relieved to hear that besides mild injuries, everyone was alive and Fairy Tail was still standing.

But she was still left with a distressing issue.

Her father.

His actions have been inexcusable.

Almost getting her killed? Hiring a magical guild to bring her back by force? Not a letter, a phone call, even a text or e-mail.

No, Jude Heartfilia went straight for violence.

He knew where she was. Has probably had her followed, or tracked and he's known this whole time. Was this a joke to him, Her life?

She needed to go back home.

Lucy needed to go to Crocus and confront her own nightmare and put him in his place.

He will learn what happens when someone she cares for gets hurt because of him. He thinks her a feeble little girl and she almost wants to laugh at the thought.

Jude is in for a very rude awakening when they meet.

After the holidays, Lucy decides. She'll leave after Christmas and deal with her father, so she can enter the New Year without having to look over her shoulder.
And maybe for the first time since her mother's death, she would be free.

Free of the shadow her father had cast over her for so long.

The thought of holidays brought her back to the present and reminded her that she hadn't even started shopping for gifts, and she didn't have a clue about what to buy for anyone.

Well, she knew what she was getting for Happy, Erza, Wendy, and Levy. But that was about it.

She was stumped on Gray, Mirajane, Lisanna, and Natsu, most of all.

What do you get a glutinous, fire hazard that is also your partner and best friend? A best friend that has saved your life countless times over a mere few months?

At least she has plenty of time to think about presents and scroll online to try and find something while she is stuck in bed.

Wendy came to check on her earlier and told her she had a few more days before she was fully healed.

"Your ribs were broken in so many places on both sides and it will take some time for them to set properly, even with the healing from Porlyusica and me, and your slight healing factor. Your leg is still recovering as well." The young healer told her and then continued with a smile. "But don't worry! Everything is setting wonderfully, and you'll be good as new in no time!"

And while Lucy appreciated the younger girl's words of encouragement, she was starting to feel stir-crazy.

Being stuck in this room, with her phone and the books she had Natsu bring her from her place as company was nice the first few days when she didn't feel like she could move without feeling pain.

But now she was certain she could move about, around her room at least. Or go down to the bar with a crutch or cane! But Wendy insisted on leaving Lucy on bed rest for a while longer, just to be safe.

Natsu and Happy have also been in and out of the room as they pleased since she'd woken up.

The latter was in tears when he first saw her lying in bed and jumped to cuddle with her, crying on about how worried he was when Natsu ran off without him to go and find her.

And Lucy could only clutch the exceed close to her, ignoring the pain that shot through her and glancing at Natsu as he sat on the chair next to the bed.

The pinkette smiled at her when he noticed her stare, making Lucy blush under his gaze.

It left her feeling warm and safe.

They stayed for most of the day, Happy cuddled up to her, and Natsu popping in and out, bringing her food, drinks, and books before they both left her to rest for the night.

She was grateful for the company, though their tendency to make her laugh didn't help with the pain in her ribs.

Levy also came to see her that day after Wendy left.

Both girls ended up in tears when they saw each other. Lucy had been worried about the blunette since Natsu called her telling her she'd been attacked. And Levy was worried after seeing the state she was in when Natsu brought her back.

As their tears subsided Lucy told Levy the same story that she told Erza, Mira, Gray, and Natsu. Explaining to the girl her heritage and how she was a runaway.

She also tried apologizing for her father's involvement in Levy's attack and the whole battle that happened between Fairy Tail and Phantom Lord because of it.

The blue-haired girl was taken aback by her confession but understood the need for secrecy.

Levy reassured Lucy that she didn't have anything to apologize for.

"It is not your fault, none of it! Don't blame yourself for other people's actions, and don't blame yourself for keeping your secrets either! What you did, couldn't have been easy, and it took guts." The blunette proclaimed from her seat.

"Be proud of yourself Lu, and don't apologize to me or anyone, promise?" Levy told her, determination in her eyes as she grasped her shoulders and tried to drive her point in.

Lucy felt the tears welling up in her eyes at her friend's kind and reassuring words. "I know rationally that none of it is my fault, but I can't help but feel guilty. Thank you for understanding." Lucy paused for a moment before cracking a joke.

"You know, I never thought I'd be grateful to that dementor thing for attacking me, and for whatever reason Natsu was in Hargeon that day. Because it brought me here, and I have never felt more at home."

She ended up making Levy tear up. "I'm glad you joined the guild too!" With a laugh, the two girls went to embrace each other and cried some more.

That's how Natsu found them.

Hugged each other, with tears streaming down their faces.

"Are you guys okay?" He sounded concerned looking between them as he balanced the plates of food in his hands while trying to close the door.

Lucy pulled away from Levy, wiping the tears from her face as she turned to smile at him. "Yeah, we're good, just talking. What is that? It smells amazing!"

He nodded and moved to the other side of the bed, setting down the plates for her to pick what she wanted.

There was some kind of spicy chicken, some glazed ribs, and eggs and bacon.

Lucy tried to hide her smile at the array of food. He knew what she wanted and brought the rest for himself, but still let her pick.

Shaking her head at his antics she grabbed the eggs and bacon. "Thank you, Natsu!" She smiled at him before digging into her food.

Mira's cooking was always the best, no matter what it was. And Lucy's had top chefs cooking for her since she was little.

But nothing compared to the Eldest Strauss's skills.

"Mm, this is so good." Lucy said as she swallowed her food, making Levy giggle at her. "You sound like Natsu." She pointed out, making the said man laugh, patting his knee as he did.

"Ya totally did! I'm rubbing off on you!" He told her with a pleased expression on his face, his chest puffed up at the thought of influencing her behavior.

Lucy scoffed at him, extending her hand so she could push at his cheek playfully, moving his head to the side as she did.

"You oaf, I'm just hungry, don't go around gloating!" She told him as she moved back to her food, she was really hungry.

Natsu just continued laughing as he looked back at her, watching her eat at least half of her plate before he started devouring his food.

"Stop eating like that, you're getting chunks of food everywhere!" Lucy yelled at him as a piece of rib stuck to her cheek, she heard Levy laugh in the background.

Natsu turned to look at her with a mouthful of food. "Huh?" He asked as he swallowed and licked his lips, looking at her he noticed the piece of food on her cheek and moved his finger to flick it off.

"Sorry Luce, was just excited, the chicken smells so good."

Her heart swelled at his tone, so genuine it made her smile. "Just don't shove it in your mouth like a caveman, and don't talk before swallowing the food?" She asked and he nodded his head vigorously, saluting her as he did. "Aye, sir!" And went back to eating his food, a bit more carefully this time.

Lucy laughed at his silliness, her ribs protesting the movement but she pushed through it.

He was something else.

Levy cleared her throat, and Lucy was brought out of her thoughts, She looked at the blue-haired girl with a blush on her cheeks.

"I'm going to go downstairs, I have some translating work that needs to be finished. I'll see you later." She tells her as she gets up to leave.

"Sure, thank you for the talk, Levy. I needed to hear that." Lucy told her and Levy moved to grasp her hand and squeezed it. "Anytime Lu."

"Thank Mira for the food for me!" Lucy yelled out as Levy closed the door on her way out.

"Did Wendy come to see you today?" Natsu asked as he set down the empty plate of food on the nightstand next to the chair.

"She did, she told me I'm on bed rest for a few more days." Lucy pouted as she relayed the information to him. "Apparently my ribs were shattered and 'need time to properly mend'." She said, adding air quotes to the sentence.

Natsu's brow furrowed at her words, his eyes narrowing on her torso, where several bandages were keeping her ribs compressed under her clothes to help with the healing process, and she cursed herself for saying anything.

"Hey, I'm fine, The tonics from Porlyusica and Wendy's magic helped a lot, and my healing factor is contributing too. I'll be back on my feet and we'll be back to doing jobs again in no time!" She tried to cheer him up with her words, putting a hand over his own and giving it a gentle squeeze.

He perked up at her words, smiling slightly.

"We're not taking any till after the Holidays, it's too crowded to travel and a pain to stay hidden." He told her, and her heart dropped as she remembered she needed to leave after Christmas.

It would be a few days at most, but she still dreaded the thought of going back to that house. She shook off the feeling and smiled brightly at Natsu, who continued talking.

If he noticed her sudden mood change, he didn't mention it.

"But don't worry, the guild is organizing a victory party when everyone is better so we can celebrate kicking Phantom's ass! And there's the Christmas and New Year's party as well. It's gonna be a drunk few weeks for Fairy Tail!" He exclaimed, making Lucy laugh at his enthusiasm, clutching her ribs as she did.

"I can't wait, though you need to be sober for some of them, because I need your help with the presents, so we need to go shopping once I'm back on my feet." Lucy told him, feeling giddy at the thought of going Christmas shopping.

She'd never had the opportunity before, and after seeing it in so many movies and TV shows she wanted to experience it.

Natsu groaned at her words, shoulders slumping as he rested his head on the bed.
"Do I have to? Ya know I have a hard time in places where there's a lot of people, and snow sometimes melts around me, that's hard to explain." He tried to reason with her, voice muffled by the comforter, but she heard the slight pleading to it.

"You're such a big baby! Fine if you don't wanna go with me, I'll ask Levy to come." She huffed out, crossing her arms as she did. "I just thought my best friend would want to come with me." She pouted, looking at him with wide eyes.

Natsu peaked back at her and let out a huff of his own at her expression, sitting up he ran a hand over his face before letting out a dramatic sigh. "Fine, fine! We'll go Christmas shopping."

Lucy let out a whoop of excitement, jumping forward to hug him, completely forgetting her fractured ribs. Though Natsu seemed to remember, his hands carefully wrapped around her lower back. Pulling her into him, not putting any pressure on her ribs.

She still felt the sting of pain at her sudden movements, but she ignored it in favor of hugging the pinkette.

"You're the best!" She whispered into his chest as they stayed wrapped around each other.

"Yeah, yeah." He muttered back as he tightened his hold on her.

* ********* ********** ********** ********* *

Christmas shopping turned out to be fun and incredibly stressful at the same time.

Though, Lucy had a feeling that if Natsu weren't here with her, it would've been a lot duller.

It was a week and a half before Christmas and things were chaotic in the shops, to say the least, with people everywhere rushing around, trying to find the perfect last-minute present.

As she observed the crowds of people dashing about, she wondered what took them so long to go out and look for presents. She had been kidnapped and almost beaten to death, so that delayed her holiday shopping, but what about everyone else who was rushing around?

Lucy was also thankful that her injuries were fully healed, otherwise, this whole experience would have been even less pleasant.

The week of her recovery was not something she wanted to repeat anytime soon, or ever.

Healing ribs was a tedious process.

Wendy informed her that it wouldn't have been such a long process if her ribs hadn't been shattered in so many places and that when Natsu brought her back, it took her and Porlyusica a small miracle to put them back together so that they could heal properly.

And true to Natsu's word, once everyone in the guild was up on their feet, Fairy Tail had a victory party. And again the guild's festivities lasted several days.

It was a drunken haze of tears, laughter, drinking, singing, and even fighting within the guild. And Lucy was overjoyed that she'd ended up in such a place. So loving and welcoming. Where people genuinely cared for each other as Family and went above and beyond to protect their own.

A complete opposite of her upbringing.

After they'd sobered up and freshened up in Lucy's apartment, they left Happy to watch his fish documentary and went to look for presents.

Levy was first, as her present was the easiest, well besides Happy that is.

Before all the Phantom drama, they'd been talking about this book series that sounded interesting.

It was based on one of Levy's favorite mythologies, the bluenette hadn't gotten a chance to check them out, so Lucy decided to get her the whole set.

After the bookstore, Lucy asked Natsu if he knew a good place she could buy a sword or any kind of weapon.

The look on his face was priceless as he processed her words. His head snapped to look at her as he brought his hand to fiddle with his scarf, before moving to scratch the back of his neck nervously.

"Whatcha need weapons for Luce?" He asked her with an almost scared chuckle.

"Not me for me you dummy. I want to buy one for Erza. She's helped me so much with my training. And with everything that happened with Phantom Lord."

She saw Natsu open his mouth to protest at her words, but she raised her hand to stop him. "I know it wasn't my fault, but she still took Jupiter's blast to protect the whole guild, and her armor and shield were pretty damaged, so I want to get her something nice." She finished with a shrug.

He looked at her for a second before nodding once. "Okay. I know a place that sells more than just weapons. You'll like it. Come on." He took her hand in his and started leading her down the streets of Magnolia.

Lucy still hadn't gotten the chance to really explore the city since moving and took the opportunity to look around and take in the beauty of Magnolia in the winter. It really was a beautiful city, before running away from home she hadn't had the chance to travel anywhere.

And before joining Fairy Tail, she was still running. Never took a chance or tried to settle down anywhere, always thinking about her next move.

It was a nice feeling. Belonging.

They walked around for about half an hour, Lucy following next to Natsu and observing the decorated shops and streets as they made their way.

And while Lucy would normally never willingly walk in the cold, Natsu's presence made it more than bearable. He was like a walking heater, and she kept her arm locked with his the whole time, leeching off his heat.

They looked like an odd pair. Though to be fair Natsu always stood out, no matter where they were.

Lucy didn't know if it was the pink hair, his tendency to be the loudest person in any room, or the way he was dressed in an open sleeveless waistcoat, with a one-armed singlet underneath, paired with his parachute pants and sandals in the middle of December.

In the snow.

His scarf was the only thing that made sense.

And now that she thinks about it, she's never seen him without it. He always has it on.

She's seen him sleep in it.

'Huh, I wonder what that's about. I doubt he gets cold.' Lucy thought as she moved her glance from his scarf to their feet.

"You weren't kidding when you said that snow melts around you." She said as she watched his every step melt the snow around him into a puddle.

"It's why I usually avoid being in crowds and shit during winter. Like I said, no good way to explain it." He answered her with a shrug as he steered them to turn left where there were fewer people, and the surrounding buildings were filled with mostly empty shops.

Save a few dingy-looking ones.

They approached a store whose sign was flickering in and out. "This is the place, Come on, they have the coolest stuff." He pulled on her hand and they went into the store.

"There's all kinds of magical weapons and stuff that you can find. I actually buy my clothes from here because I tend to burn normal ones."

"That sounds cool, maybe I can find a present for everyone while we're here. It'll save us the time." Lucy told him as they started walking down the aisles of the store, which was a lot bigger on the inside.

There were so many things that Lucy saw on the shelves. Books, potions, magical objects she couldn't recognize, plants, and herbs that she'd never seen.

"I'll show you the weapons first, and then you can look around." Natsu's voice made her look back at him, and he took her hand in his and started leading her through the shelves.

"They have a whole part of the store dedicated to magic weapons, I'm sure you'll find something for Erza. Though I think it's crazy that you want to buy her another weapon." He told her as they walked through the various magical items.

Lucy laughed at his words as she looked around the store. Trying to spot anything that she could potentially buy for her friends. "You're being dramatic." She sing-songed back at him.

"Yeah, remember you said that when she's trying to kill me with the sword you buy for her!" He huffed out at her, some steam coming out of his nose, making Lucy laugh even harder. "You are ridiculous, honestly. If Erza is chasing you around with a sword, you've probably deserved it."

She strolled passed his surprised and offended look as she spotted the weapons area of this place.

"Wow, there's a lot of different kinds
here, I'm not even sure I know all of these weapons." Lucy marveled, looking around the area at the various steel defenses.

"Yeah, I think Erza's bought some of hers here." Natsu chimed in, appearing next to her and slinging his arm on her shoulder.

"They're all so cool, and I know nothing about swords and stuff like that." She pouted up at him as she looked at the various shurikens, maces, crossbows, and spears displayed on the walls.

"You've known Erza for a long time, do you know which one she'd like? Has she ever mentioned a weapon she's always wanted?" Lucy asked him, hoping the drakon would know something she didn't.

She watched him as he tried to think of something. It was actually kind of amusing, and a little cute. The way his brow furrowed in concentration, and the way his forefinger and thumb were grasping his chin.

Holding back a giggle Lucy turned back to the weapons and tried to see if she could find something cool.

"I can't think of anything!" Natsu almost whined out, and Lucy glanced back at him and smiled softly. "It's okay, come on, we can find something together." She told him as she turned back to her quest to find the perfect weapon for the red-headed warrior.

Thinking back to her training sessions with the older girl, Lucy remembered she mostly liked to use swords while fighting, though she did have spears and other artillery in her pocket dimension.

She didn't want to get her something the girl wouldn't like to use in combat.

Looking back at the swords, her eyes were drawn to a beautifully ornate sword.

Its hilt was decorated with a golden snake coiling around it. It was an unusual sword, with a curved sickle protruding near the tip of the blade.

"This one." Lucy said, getting Natsu attention. "Oh, yeah, that one works." He said a little faint as he examined the weapon.

"Come on, let's try and find something for everyone else. I'm pretty sure this is the perfect place for what I had in mind for Wendy's present as well."

She told him as she took the sword from the wall and started walking back to where they came from, hoping she'd be able to put the sword at the counter and not have to carry it around while she was looking for other things.

"Do you think they have, like any cute herbal containers here? And hopefully, they have some of the plants she was talking about. I wrote them all down." She kept talking, hearing his steps behind her as they made their way through the shelves.

"I don't know about any of that Luce, ya'll have to ask the shop's owner about that, but I'm sure they'll have the plants. Like I told ya, there's a lot of stuff here." He told her as they strolled to the front of the store, and approached the counter.

An old man was sitting behind it, reading a book.

"Good afternoon sir." Lucy said politely, trying to get the man's attention.

"One second please, I'm almost finished with this page." The man replied, not taking his eyes off the book and holding out a finger.

Lucy looked at Natsu, and he looked back at her at the same time and they exchanged a confused look between them.

"Ah, thank you. Now welcome to Cami, How may I be of assistance?" The graying man asked them as he set the book down.

"It was no problem, we just wanted to know if we could leave this sword-" Lucy put the sword down on the counter carefully. "Here with you while we check for some other things?" She asked the man.

"Leave it here, I'll hold it for you, You've picked a nice piece for yourself. A Harpe blade is quite the weapon. And this particular one has been wielded by some of the grates." He told them as he brought the sword behind the counter.

"It's for a friend of ours, she's a formidable warrior. I was also wondering if you had any ornately designed herbal containers. Or any of these plants?" Lucy asked the man,  handing him a piece of paper with several different herbs.

"This is quite the list. I'm afraid most of these aren't in bloom. I do have Cornfir,
Winterberry, Grey sagebroom, Winter wine, and Guard's leaf. I can gather that up for you if you'd like, As for the containers, you should try a few rows down from where you came from, I'm sure there's something for you there." The man offered her the lists back and pointed to the fourth row down.

"That would be lovely if you could, thank you. We'll look around and see what we can find." She offered the man a smile and turned to grab Natsu's hand and pull him towards the aisle.

"Let's go Natsu!"

Chapter Text

In the end, Lucy managed to pick gifts for everyone. And she even found something for herself in the Magic Shop.

There turned out to be a brass gate key in the store, buried under piles of magical knickknacks that she found while looking for presents.

It was unfortunately the only one in the shop, Lucy made the man double-check just to be sure, but she was excited nonetheless.

She made Natsu promise to take her to every magic shop he knew of so she could search for more keys.

It ended up belonging to the constellation of Scutum, The shield.

He was a quirky, but beautiful shield, that had the ability to expand as needed and could even bounce certain magic attacks back.

He was very entertaining, and Lucy wondered if there was a spirit out there that wasn't eccentric. Not that she didn't like the quirky personalities of her beloved spirits.

She was happy with everything she'd found.

And most of all she was grateful that she managed to sneakily buy Natsu's present while he was with her, without him noticing.

The containers she ended up finding for Wendy were perfect.

They were beautifully decorated, made from some type of crystal, and adorned with intricate metal embellishments. She was excited when she spotted a set of three, two smaller ones and a big one.

That paired with the plants and herbs she managed to get were brilliant finds for the young healer, and Lucy couldn't wait to give her the gifts.

Lisanna and Mira were a bit harder to shop for.

She looked around the isles and debated over what she should get the Strauss sisters. There were so many things to consider, and the store had a lot to offer.

While they were in the clothes section Lucy spotted a set of gloves, beanie, and scarf that could apparently change colours at the whim of the wearer.

The younger take-over mage complained a few weeks back that her favorite blue scarf had ripped, so this was the perfect present for her.

After that, she moved on to the jewelry section and there she found a necklace for Mirajane.

It was beautiful.

A gold chain with yellow stones encrusted on it, and a lightning bolt pendant. The shop owner told her that it is enchanted to strike anyone who means the wearer harm with a bolt of lightning.

Natsu found that hilarious for some reason.

While she was looking through the jewelry trying to find something for herself, Lucy spotted a ring.

It was golden, with an amazingly detailed dragon sitting atop it. Its ruby eyes stared at her as if it was going to come alive. The ring was supposedly fireproof and could help boost a fire mage's magic.

She couldn't not buy it for Natsu.

Her partner and his powers were still somewhat of a mystery to her. She knew he was raised by a dragon, and that he used a type of fire magic.

But it was more than that.

His heightened senses, the way he can eat fire, and the way his magic sometimes feels ancient when he's using it to show her his various fire creations.

She remembers Levy telling her that he and Wendy were not ordinary mages.

Lucy often forgets what her best friend is capable of. Mostly because he usually has three moods.

Food, Fighting, and Fire.

And the fighting within the guild, while hazardous to everyone around, doesn't necessarily show his power to its full extent.

She has a feeling that even when fighting enemies he doesn't use his full power, or at least he hasn't reached the potential his power could have.

Lucy doesn't know if she ever wants to see it in full.

She shuddered at the thought.

Lucy also still had trouble grasping the concept of Dragons being real. Both he and Wendy were raised by giant, flying dragons, it was unfathomable to her.

Although she doesn't know the story behind their upbringing or what happened to their parents, she feels like this ring would be a good gift for her partner.

For Gray, she decided to buy three pairs of shirts and pants. Along with a few belts, considering he's always losing his clothes.

She also got a pair of men's fireproof boots. In hopes that Natsu could at least try and look a bit less like a creature of fire that never feels the cold while they're out and about.

If she sounded envious, that's because she was!

Lucy grabbed some fireproof clothes for herself as they went to check everything out, mostly to try and conceal the things she got for him, but also so she could prevent her favorite tops from getting burned when they're on jobs.

After finishing up and paying for all her items, Lucy felt giddy all of a sudden at the thought of Christmas with her friends and exchanging gifts!

It was going to be wonderful, and then very rowdy and drunk, but that was also fun, it wouldn't be Fairy Tail if it wasn't loud and destructive!

When they got to her apartment, Lucy stashed her gifts under her bed and left her new key on the nightstand, she decided to summon it later and see if the spirit wanted to make a contract with her.

Walking back into the living room, she saw Happy and Natsu sprawled out on the couch.

"What are you guys watching?" She asked as she went to sit with them, looking back at the TV she saw they were watching another documentary about fish.

"Is there like a special or something on fish, or do you just have some kind of superpower that can detect when a documentary is on?" Lucy asked the blue exceed as she settled on the couch, throwing her legs up and into Natsu's lap.

"I don't know Lushi, I just turn on the TV, and boom, fishies!" Happy answered her question, using his hands for dramatic effect and Lucy chuckled at him as she settled in to watch a series about the migration patterns of Salmon fish.

"Did you find everything while you were out?" The exceed asked her when the commercials started. "Yeah, it was a lot of fun! We went to this magic store and there were so many different things! I even ended up finding a key!" She told him excitedly.

"That's cool, can we meet your new spirit?" Happy asked equally as excited and turned to face her fully with a large smile on his face.

"Yeah Luce, let's see it!" Natsu chimed and Lucy got up from her seat and went back to her room where she left the key.

"Okay, here it is." She held it up, examining the key, looking at the constellation on the top, trying to see if she could recognize it.

'Scutum. ' A faint voice echoed in her head. 'The Shield.'

"Open, gate of the Shield, Scutum." Lucy swiped the key in the air as she channeled her magic to open the gate.

There was a flash of gold and suddenly, a floating, sentient shield was in the middle of her living room.

"Oh wow, it's been so long since I've been summoned, and by one of the Heartfilia clan, it is an honor." The shield said as he floated around the room. "I thought I was gonna stay in that store forever!"

He was the size of a regular shield, gold, or gold plated, she couldn't tell, with a sun decorating in the middle of it, with the sunbeams protruding from the edges, making deadly blades.

"Hi, it's nice to meet you. My name is Lucy, these are Natsu, and Happy." She pointed at them as she made the introduction.

"Yo!" "Hello!" They each answered as they stared at the talking shield a little dumbfounded

Lucy still doesn't understand why her magic is considered so weird and fascinating to people when she knows a man who eats fire and a woman who can literally turn into a demon.

How is that any less fascinating? Or weird?

"What's up? I've never seen a talking cat before. That's wicked." The shield greeted them back before addressing her. "So, not to be rude or anything, but I thought that all the Heartfilia were dead?" Scutum asked and Lucy almost blanched at his question.

"Umm, I don't really know. This is all still new to me, I just found out about magic like, two, maybe three months ago. And I have been trying to learn what I can, but most of the records have been lost after so many years." Lucy explained to the spirit, wondering, for the first time, how the spirit world worked.

Her mother's spirits must have known who she was, so how come Scutum thought all the Heartfilia were dead as well? Is the spirit realm a world just like this one, with cities and countries of its own?

The spirit mentioned the Heartfilia Clan.

Layla was a spirit mage, her father was not a magic user, how come he took her mother's name?

Lucy decided to ask Cancer, or Virgo the next time she summons them.

"Ah, well, nonetheless it is a privilege to be in your company, Your grace." The shield tipped in her direction as if bowing to her, and Lucy felt uncomfortable at the title and gesture.

"There is no need for titles or any of that. Please, just Lucy is fine." She told him, waving her hands up in front of her, trying to exaggerate her point.

"You are considered royalty in the spirit world Lady Lucy, but I will call you as is your preference." He answered, and all Lucy could do was nod in return.

"So would you like to make a contract with me?" She asked him, trying to change the subject, not feeling comfortable with what she'd found out.

"It would be an honor to serve the Heartfilia." Scutum replied, bowing once more. "You may summon me no more than five times a week, they can be of your choosing. There are, of course, exceptions. If you are in mortal danger, I will come out and help you!" The shield assured her enthusiastically with a small bow in her direction.

"I will leave you know, thank you for finding me." And before she could say anything in return, he disappeared in a flash of golden light.

And Lucy was suddenly left with more questions than ever and a headache building behind her right eye.

"Well, he was interesting." Natsu's voice broke the silence in the room, and Lucy jumped at the sound.

She had forgotten they were with her.

Turning to look at them she smiled slightly, feeling faint as a wave of exhaustion hit her suddenly. "I'm gonna sit down, he's a lot stronger than Granpa Crux, not as strong as the Zodiac's but I wasn't expecting that."

Natsu's hand was under hers in seconds and he helped her walk to and settle on the couch before draping a blanket over her.

"Why don't you rest? And Happy and I will make us something to eat!" He told her with a smile.

Lucy jumped instantly at the suggestion, the blanket falling to the carpet. "No!" She yelled in horror at the thought of them in the kitchen, her knees swaying at the sudden movement.

Natsu's hands were back around her arms as he pushed her back down on the couch, and put the blanket back over her lap.

"Geez, okay. No need to yell ya weirdo!"

"You two are not going anywhere near my kitchen. We're ordering food." She said with a determined huff, crossing her arms.

"Now get me my phone and get your buts here, we're gonna watch some Christmas movies!"

* ********* ********** ********** ********* *

Natsu hadn't been here in almost a year.

Before he even met Lucy.

It was weird to think there was a time when he didn't know her, she felt like such a huge part of him, and the guild.

He lit the torches placed around the cave walls with a fire roar as he walked in. The light helped illuminate the room, and he looked at the gold hoard in front of him.

Coins, jewelry, cups, cutlery, vases, fabrics weaved with golden threads. If it was made from gold, it was probably in here somewhere.

Half he accumulated on his own over the years, slowly adding to the piles.

The other half of it used to belong to Igneel, he'd let Natsu take a portion of his hoard shortly before disappearing

And he thinks that should have been a sign. But he was just a boy back then and didn't know any better.

He only saw a father sharing his treasures.

Shaking off that train of thought, he reminded himself why he was here.

It was a day before Christmas and the guild has been decked out with decorations for a week now, with a giant, outlandishly decorated tree to boot.

Everyone was in great spirits and awaiting the celebrations to come.

"I really should've done this earlier." Natsu muttered to himself as he contemplated where to start digging through his hoard to try and find the key he knew was buried somewhere in the mountains of treasure.

After meeting Scutum last week, and hearing him say that Lucy was a princess, Natsu knew he needed to find the golden key. He knew that she said she was a ducks ass or something, but this guy, or shield, said she was royalty in the Spirit World.

Natsu needed to give her the key. It belongs to her.

And what better present than that?

Well, maybe he can find a necklace or a bracelet for her as well. The key was hers to begin with, she deserves a real gift from him.

Natsu didn't seem to mind the thought of giving his hoard away if it was to Lucy.

Usually, the idea of anyone taking something from here would make his blood boil, more than it normally does anyway.

He wasn't sure why Lucy was an exception to this. And at the moment he didn't really care.

He needs to find the key.

Looking around he let out a huff of frustration, there were so many piles, where should he start?

'Maybe it's buried somewhere in the back, that part is mostly Igneel's.' Natsu thought to himself as he walked through the cave, deciding to start there and make his way to the front.

Natsu dug through the gold senselessly and with no luck. There was so much clutter that he was starting to get a little frustrated.

It felt like a never-ending search.

Huffing through his nose he settled on top of the next pile to take a break. As he turned his head to the left, he spotted a bracelet glinting atop the next pile over.

Moving carefully, so as not to disturb the gold, Natsu made his way to the bracelet.

It was a thin strip, with rubies encrusted around it. It was a simple bracelet, and Natsu couldn't remember where he got it, or if it was one of Igneel's.

He could picture Lucy wearing it.

With a satisfied nod, he stuffed the piece in his pocket, and looked around, trying to decide which pile he should search next.

He cursed himself for not organizing it better, but at the end of the day, it was more fun to lay in a pile of gold, rather than have it neatly organized.

Sighing Natsu laid back, bringing his hands behind his head, he contemplated taking a nap to recharge before continuing the search when the gold suddenly shifted from beneath him and he started sliding down.

"Oh shit." Natsu cursed as he tumbled down the pile, before finally face-planting into the ground.

"Ow." He rubbed his nose as he stood, eyes glaring back at the gold when he caught the glowing gleam of a gate key sitting on top of the pile he had just fallen from.

Smirking, Natsu moved carefully to the other side and climbed to the top where the key was.

Mission 'Find Lucy's Key' accomplished.

He crouched down and picked it up, holding it in his palm, trying to see if he could figure out what constellation it was.

The reason he hesitated giving her the key in the first place was because it was from Igneel's hoard, and he liked it so much. The way it always stayed clean no matter how long you left it be, and he didn't have to do it himself.

It immediately warmed at his touch, and Natsu gave up on guessing and carefully put it in his pocket, he needed to get back to Magnolia.

He'll find out what constellation it was tomorrow.

He turned to look at his hoard, his thoughts going to Igneel as he reminisced about the times they would bring their new finds back to Igneel cave.

He thought about how he couldn't wait to show his dad how much his collection had grown. And how much he was going to love Lucy once they met.

Because there is no doubt in Natsu's mind that his father is out there, alive. They will be united again, and he will get the chance to introduce his two best friends to his dad.

Natsu glanced one last time at the piles of gold as he slid down and put out the flames, before leaving the cave.

He needed to get home and wrap Lucy's presents, he also promised Happy they would sneak into Lucy's apartment around midnight so they could celebrate Christmas with her all day.

It was Happy's idea, and Natsu would never turn down the opportunity to see an angry Lucy, so he immediately agreed.

He knows she will be mad first, probably freak out and yell at them for breaking in, and then she'll probably cry when they tell her they just wanted to spend as much time together on Christmas as they could.

'And she tells me she's not a weirdo.'

Natsu thought to himself with a smile as he walked through the forest back to his cabin and thought about Lucy and her possible reactions to the gifts he got for her.

Would she like the bracelet he picked out? Would she wear it? Natsu thought it would suit her but maybe she doesn't like rubies or doesn't wear gold.

But that's not true, she had gold earrings. He's seen her wear them.

Shaking off his thoughts, Natsu sped up his pace as the cottage came into view.

There was smoke coming out of the chimney, which was strange because he was sure that he put out the fire before leaving.

Natsu started running as he felt a surge of panic.

Slamming the door open, he saw the whole place was cleaned spotless, and he could smell food coming from the kitchen.

Lucy's smell was somehow overwhelming all the others.

She was here, and she cleaned up his house.

"Natsu, Is that you?" Her voice called out as he closed the door. "Yeah, it's me." He tentatively answered as he made his way to the kitchen.

Walking in he was greeted by the sight of Lucy at the stove, frying something on a pan, with pots boiling next to it. There were ingredients scattered around the counter with dishes and knives everywhere, the whole room smelled amazing.

Happy was sitting at the counter, watching her as she moved around the space.

"What's going on here?" He asked as he sat down next to Happy, smiling at the blonde opposite him.

Lucy turned and beamed at him, there was some flour on her cheeks, a spatula in one hand, the apron over her clothes was stained with grease and whatever sauce she was cooking.

She looked so happy that his own smile widened in return as he watched her.

"I was out grocery shopping this morning because everything will be closed for the Holidays, and then I thought, why not come here and spend the night with you guys." She told him as she turned to take something out of the oven and stir some of the pots on the stove.

"So I came over, but Happy told me you were out for the day and he didn't know when you'd come back. I decided to wait, and clean. This place was a pigsty, I now know why you're always at my place." She ranted as she turned off the appliances and went to arrange the food.

Natsu watched her as she moved around his kitchen, opening cabinets and pulling out the plates, knives, forks, and glasses.

"I'm always at your place because you're there, ya weirdo! If you hung out here, that's where I'd be." He told her with a shrug. It was the truth, he liked to spend time with her.

He watched a blush spread on her cheeks and neck, the plates nearly falling out of her grip at his words.

"Natsu! You can't just say stuff like that." She chided him as she set the plates. "Why not, it's the truth." He asked and she blushed even more.

"Oh never mind, let's just eat." She said with a small sigh as she put the dish on the counter and Natsu's mouth watered at the smell.

It was some kind of roast, turkey or duck, he didn't care it looked delicious.

There was rice, and salads, along with fish.

"Ya made all this?" He asked in astonishment as he started pilling food on his plate.

"I did. The cook back home used to teach me all sorts of things when I was a girl. One day my father found out and he was so angry, he immediately forbade it. Almost fired our cook." Lucy answered with a nostalgic smile as she served herself a portion.

Natsu paused his fork in mid-air as he listened to her talk about her childhood.

He felt his anger rise at the mention of her father. He didn't know much about the man, but what he'd heard so far had made him dislike the elder Heartfilia.

"After that day, I would only sneak into the kitchen for my lesson when he wasn't in town. We never got caught again." She laughed at her words, but there was a look in her eyes as if she was reliving a memory or something.

Natsu smiled at her before finally giving in and stuffing the fork into his mouth. "Mmm, wow, this tastes really good Luce!" He said with a mouthful of food, his hands moving to take more. "The cook sure taught you well!"

To his surprise, instead of chastising him for talking with a mouthful of food, Lucy laughed at his words.

It was a happy laugh, eyes scrunched, her head thrown back making her hair almost glow in the light of his kitchen.

It was quite the sight.

"Yeah, I was scared when you said you wanted to cook, but this is really good Lushi." Happy chimed in through mouthfuls of fish.

The blush was back on Lucy's face, but she seemed much happier this time, smiling at both of them as she watched them stuff their faces.

"Thanks, you guys. You can thank me by doing the dishes when we're done!" She told them as she went to dig in the food.

There was a whine from him and Happy at her words.

"Oh don't be such babies, I made us some desserts as well, and you can pick out the first movie we're going to watch, I thought maybe we could make a fort in the living room?"

That made Natsu perk up, and he looked at her with a big smile. "We're gonna make a fort?" He asked her.

"Yup, if you guys want to, I thought it would be fun." She shrugged as she ate, her posture perfect, shoulders back and head straight.

She really was a princess.

"Heck yeah, we want to! That sounds awesome, you're a genius, Luce! Let's eat and clean up fats so we can start"

"Aye, Sir!" Happy cheered from next to him making Lucy laugh at their silly behavior.

* ********* ********** ********** ********* *

Her first Christmas at Fairy Tail was nothing short of perfect.

She spent the night at Natsu and Happy's cabin where they made a pillow and blanket fort in the living room and spent hours watching movies before passing out in the pile of pillows.

Lucy woke up first that morning and decided to make them breakfast before they headed out to the guild.

She had the forethought to bring all of her presents with her last night, so once everyone was fed and ready they trekked through the woods and made their way towards Fairy Tail.

Once they got to the guild, Lucy noticed that there were a substantial number of mages for it being this early.

And everyone seemed to be in a jolly mood.

She saw Mira and Lisanna serving drinks and food to everyone, their usual outfits had cute Santa hats added to them for the day.

The tree in the middle of the guild hall was lit, and there were several presents already placed underneath it, she saw mages go up and place their own in the pile.

Lucy spotted Cana drinking at the bar, the brunette also had a Santa hat on, but her usual attire stayed the same, a bikini top and jeans, with a barrel of wine on her hip.

Honestly is there anyone in this guild that feels the cold? Maybe it was the blood-to-alcohol level that kept her warm.

Natsu and Lucy made their way to the tree and put their gifts under it, before moving to find a table.

Levy was sitting with Jet and Droy on the right side, and Lucy waved at the bluenette as they made eye contact. "Merry Christmas you guys!" She told them with a smile as they passed their table.

There was a course of "Merry Christmas" exclaimed back at them, from more than just Levy and the guys.

Happy spotted Wendy and Charla and raced to where they were sitting, making Lucy and Natsu follow behind.

"Marry Christmas Wendy, Charla." Lucy greeted the girls as they approached their table. "May we join you?"

"Merry Christmas guys! Yes, sit, we were just about to get some breakfast, do you want anything?" Wendy happily gestured for them to sit.

"I'm good, Luce made us breakfast before we left." Natsu answered as he plopped on the bench.

"I brought some fish with me to snack on, would you like one Charla? It's a rainbow trout!" Happy tried flirting with the white exceed, only for her to scoff at his offer.

"I don't want fish so early in the morning TomCat." She chided him, and Lucy felt sorry for the blue-haired fur ball, but she did tell him to try and woo Charla with something other than fish.

"Could you get me a raspberry lemonade, please?" Lucy said, trying to ignore the failed attempt of flirting from Happy.

"Got it, I'll be right back!" Wendy said with a smile as she stood up to go to the bar and place their order.

"Merry Christmas Lucy, fire breath!" She heard Gray's greeting and turned to see the ice mage approaching their table.

His clothes were all still thankfully on, but he did seem to have a shadow following him.

Juvia is a sweet soul, but a little odd as well. The bluenette has fallen in love with Gray and decided that stalking him was the best way to go.

Lucy can't say she approves of her methods, but then again she had absolutely no experience in relationships outside of books.

And those don't count.

"Merry Christmas Gray, Juvia!" Lucy greeted them with a smile, and she saw Gray sweat-drop at the mention of the water mage.

"Yo! Why is she staring at us from under the table?" Natsu addressed them and turned to ask her.

Lucy heaved a sigh at his obtuseness and went to smack him on the head. "You can't just ask things like that! Be a little more sensitive will you?" She said in her best threatening voice and saw the way he gulped at her expression.

"A-aye, sir." He saluted as he raised his hands in defense.

"Gosh, you can be scarier than Erza when you want to be." She heard him mumble as he rubbed the back of his head. "And don't you forget it." She booped his nose with a smile, before turning back to Juvia.

"I'm sorry about him. Would you like to join us for breakfast? Wendy just left to order, but we can get you something." Lucy extended the invitation to the water mage, not wanting to spend the morning with her creeping under tables.

"You want Juvia to sit with you?" The girl asked shyly as she slowly inched from under the table. "After what she has done to you?"

Lucy felt her heart clench for the girl. "Like I told you before, there are no hard feelings." She smiled at the blunette and offered her hand. "I know what the punishment for disobeying orders from Jose can be like." Lucy said somberly, as she remembered Gajeel and his reinforced steel breaking her bones.

"So don't worry about it and come spend Christmas morning with us!" Lucy shook off her thoughts and smiled at the girl who looked back at her with slight tears in her eyes.

"Juvia doesn't know how to thank you." She mumbled as she went to sit by Gray.

"You can thank me by telling me how your power works if you're okay with that. It's just so cool that you can turn into water!" Lucy rambled as she got enthusiastic, making everyone at the table chuckle at her excitement.

"Juvia doesn't mind." The other girl answered with a small smile.

And that was how they spent most of the day. Talking, eating, and having fun.

Sharing stories of their jobs and fights that happened within the guild before either of the girls joined.

Lucy was surprised to learn that Mira and Erza used to be rivals, she just couldn't see it, they were such good friends.

They were joined by various members of the guild throughout the day.

Everyone wishing them a Merry Christmas. It was around noon, when everyone started drinking and before they could exchange the gifts, the guild was in full party mode and everyone was too enthralled and happy to care.

Chapter Text

Lucy can't remember the last time she spent Christmas surrounded by so much joy, love, and a sense of comradery, probably not since her mother's passing.

She almost didn't want the celebrations to end.

The Christmas party itself lasted for only two days, which was substantially less than Fairy Tail's usual festivities.

But she remembers Levy and Lisanna telling her that they usually go all out for New Year's, and keep Christmas a short and intimate affair.

Short and intimate her ass. They really were a crazy bunch.

Lucy looked down at her hands in her lap, where her right hand was subconsciously tracing the golden bracelet clasped around her left wrist.

Her gift from Natsu.

And not the only gift he'd gotten her.

The present exchange happened on the second day of the celebration when the guild was feeling a bit more sober.

Everyone loved the gifts she had picked out for them.

Erza was impressed by her choice of weapon and said she looked forward to using it in battle. Which made Lucy both happy and a little worried that she actually might try and kill Natsu with it.

Happy seemed more than content with the fish cake she managed to find for him. It was a literal fish cake. Like salmon and rainbow fish arranged as a cake.

Lucy found it a bit gross, but the fur ball loved it, so who was she to judge?

Gray did not find her present as funny as everyone else did, but at least he liked the clothes she bought for him.

Wendy was moved to tears when she opened Lucy's present.

She bawled her eyes out even more when Lucy mentioned to the bluenette that she had written down the herbs and plants Wendy was looking for so she could get them for the younger girl.

Lisanna was also emotional about her present, the take-over mage was moved by the gesture and declared that this was her new favorite set of winter wear.

Mirajane loved the necklace, but her reaction to the pendant attached, and the power behind the necklace was similar to Natsu's. And when Lucy asked about it, the older girl just waved her off and told her she hadn't met everyone in Fairy Tail yet.

Apparently, she'll understand when she does.

Lucy was surprised when she saw tags with her name on them under the tree, she wasn't expecting anyone to get her anything.

There was a voucher for an all-day spa, that she got from Erza and Gray, Lisanna and Mira got her some home utilities she had mentioned needing for her apartment, and Levy got her the same set of books that Lucy had bought for her.

They laughed about it when they realized, and then promised to read the first book in the series and talk about it after the New Year party when things calm down a bit in the guild. Not that Fairy Tail ever truly calms down.

Her complete shock came from Natsu's present.

When Lucy opened his first gift she found a beautiful ruby bracelet inside a box. She fell in love with it the moment she laid eyes on it and found it funny how they both got each other a gold piece of jewelry with rubies.

But that wasn't what shocked her.

Natsu's second present turned out to be Libra, keeper of the Heavenly Scales.

One of the 12 zodiac keys.

He was very excited to give it to her, bouncing on the heel of his feet as he watched her open the gift.

She was taken aback as to how he managed to find it, and Natsu explained how Igneel had it in his hoard, and that the dragon was adamant for him to take the key for his own collection.

Lucy's head went spinning at all the information.

Natsu has a hoard of gold? And he's sharing a part of it with her, is that where he got her bracelet? Does Wendy have one as well?

Along with the implications of Igneel having one of her mother's keys. They must have known each other, must have been friends if her mother left a key in his possessions.

The more time Lucy spent in the Magic world, the more she realized that she never really knew her mother.

Her hand went to clutch the key ring on her hip, counting her spirits in order to calm herself.

Aquarius, Grampa Crux, Virgo, Cancer, Scutum, Libra.

She went back and forth, fidgeting them between her fingers.

"Attention Passengers, this is your captain speaking. We will start our descent to Crocus momentarily, please remain seated and do not remove your seatbelts until the sign is off. Thank you for flying with us, and have a lovely afternoon."

The announcement made her jerk back from her thoughts and she moved to look out the window.

Lucy hasn't stepped foot anywhere near Crocus in a long time. She almost didn't know how to feel.

The rage towards her father was still very much present, but the nostalgia of home was creeping in as she looked down at the Capital of Fiore.

As the plane landed, she made her way to the terminal and out of the airport.

Lucy didn't bring anything with her besides her whip and keys, leaving even her phone at home. Not wanting any distractions and not seeing the point of packing for a one-day trip.

Her plan was to go and confront her father, and be back in the guild before anyone noticed she was gone.

Well, Natsu will notice, but she left a message for him explaining where she was going, and asking him to give her two days. So he'll hopefully stay put and wait for her.

'That's a reasonable expectation for that hot head.' She scoffed at the thought.

Honestly, she didn't know what Natsu would do once he found out.

Something tells her that her partner might hate her father even more than she does, with any luck, the Master or Erza will restrain him and give her the time she asked for.

Filled with determination, Lucy hailed a taxi and gave the driver the address for the Heartfilia mansion.

Ignoring the questioning look from the man in the rearview mirror, Lucy sat back and went over the speech she was going to give her father.

She had plenty of time to think and prepare, given that the Heartfilia estate was located outside of town, and with her landing just before rush hour, it would take them some time to arrive.

'I hope he can forgive me.' Lucy thought to herself as she started to fidget with her bracelet. Natsu would understand her reasoning, but will he forgive her for not telling him beforehand?

She just felt like she needed to do this alone.

It was her problem. Her father.

If Lucy had told him she was leaving, he wouldn't have given her the choice of doing it alone, and she couldn't have that.

Her Father and Natsu being in the same room would probably end up with someone charred or in prison, or both.

No, it was better this way.

Lucy watched the busy city streets turn into a country landscape as they left the city limits and made their way to her former Prison.

She could feel the adrenaline start to kick in as the estate started to be visible. All the memories she repressed, and the ones she hadn't came crashing the nearer they got, leaving Lucy with an array of conflicting emotions.

'Maybe I should've got Natsu to come with me.' She thought as the cab stopped in front of the gates, the mansion looming over them.

"Here we are miss, that will be 700 jewel." The driver said, and Lucy handed him the amount before exiting the car.

She took a deep breath, hoping to calm her beating heart, before taking determined steps towards the gate, her hand moving to ring the intercom.

"Heartfilia residence, how may I help you?" Spetto's voice echoed through the box after a few seconds, and Lucy felt her heart clench at the familiarity of it.

"This is Lucy Heartfilia, here to see her father. I hear he's been looking for me." Her voice was impassive as the words left her mouth.

She heard the older woman gasp over the coms, her voice shaky as she answered. "Oh, my lady! We've all been worried sick!"

There was a buzz, and the gate slowly started opening.

'This is it.' Lucy thought to herself.

Taking a deep breath, she held her shoulders back and head high as she made her way to the house.

* ********* ********** ********** ********* *

Lucy grimaced as she looked at herself in the mirror.

Her father sent her right to her room the moment he found out she was back. Like she was some kind of petulant child in need of a time-out.

Not even bothering to see her, he sent the staff to fetch her 'proper' clothes to change into.

Lucy had no problem playing dress up if it meant access to her father.

The dress was tight, and constricting her movements, it was pink and fluffy, and while Lucy didn't have anything against pink, or fluffy, being here and having her father ordering her around was her worst nightmare.

She didn't even have a place to put her keys or whip!

Looking at her reflection once more, she narrowed her eyes at the dress, willing it to catch fire spontaneously. 'I really should've brought Natsu with me.'

Huffing the thought away Lucy decided to put the keys in her cleavage and wrap the whip around her thigh.

Figuring that was her safest bet and hoping it wouldn't come to the point where she had to use either of them.

When she finished concealing her weapons, Lucy took a moment to look around her old room.

It was bigger than her apartment back home.

It's funny to think how she never missed this place. Some of the staff? Absolutely. But her father, the home itself, and the luxuries of this lifestyle?

Not once.

The room remained unchanged in the years she was gone, and it looked like it was still regularly cleaned. The closet has been updated to fit her, and it seems like she never even left.

Lucy laughed at the thought.

If he thinks of her as the same feeble and scared girl that left, he has another thing coming.

There was a knock on the door, followed by Spetto's voice.

"His Grace is ready for you My Lady." The words came out somewhat shaky, and Lucy felt her anger intensify, knowing her father frightened the older woman.

She walked over to the door, with all the poise and posture one would expect from a Duchess, and opened the door.

Spetto looked her over and her eyes started welling up with tears. "You look more like her every day." The words were whispered, but Lucy managed to make them out.

Her heart clenched at the thought of her mother.

She moved to embrace the older woman, holding her tight. "Don't you worry Spetto, everything's going to turn out fine." They let go of each other after a few moments, and Spetto moved to wipe her tears.

"Let's not keep your father waiting. He seemed very eager to speak with you."

Lucy's stomach tightened at her words and she balled her fists at her sides. "Oh, I am even more eager to speak with him. I'm sure he's in for a very rude awakening." She said with a humorless laugh.

Spetto looked back at her with a strange, almost knowing look before stopping in front of her father's office door.

Before the woman could move to knock, Lucy turned the door knob herself and walked in, not bothering to greet her father, she turned back to the older woman and gave her a kind smile.

"Thank you for escorting me, Spetto. I'll take it from here." She saw the fear in the older woman's eyes as she closed the door, and Lucy only shot her a wink.

"What is the meaning of this?" Her father's voice made her turn around and finally look at him.

And there he was, sitting behind his desk in one of his pristine suits, papers surrounding him and a glass of whiskey to his right, acting like he hadn't haunted her every step for the last two years.

Like he didn't send a psycho guild after his own blood.

Taking a deep breath she leveled him with her best glare. "Hello, Jude, it's been a while." Lucy ignored his outburst and moved slowly toward the chair in front of his desk, not breaking eye contact as she did. "I have some questions for you."

He moved back into his chair, his brows furrowing in anger at her words."How dare you talk to me like that you-" Lucy raised her hand, stopping his sentence. "It is not your turn to talk. I said I have questions, and I will talk to you however I like, for you are nothing but a pathetic excuse of a parent."

Her voice remained impassive with every step, and she felt proud of herself for keeping her composure when in reality she felt like she was going to vomit.

Her father stared back at her with a stunned expression, as if at a loss for words.

Smirking she continued talking.

"Now let me ask you this, Father, how long did you think you could hide my magical heritage from me?" That seemed to have rocked Jude enough to narrow his eyes at her.

Lucy sat in the chair, legs crossed and arms on each side, raising an eyebrow at him in question.

"What you are is an abomination! I begged your mother to abort you, but she wouldn't have it. I could take her being one of them, but it was magic that killed her, and I will be damned if any child of mine follows that path." Her father raged at her, his voice rising with every word, fist hitting the desk, making everything rattle.

She rolled her eyes at his outburst, knowing he was lying.

Her mother would have never stayed with him if he did that. But she knew his words to be true to the way he felt, and she could not care less.

His opinion of her stopped mattering a long time ago.

"That is not what I asked you. I don't care for your stories or threats, did you really think you could just marry me off and keep me in the dark forever? Did you think I would never find out?" She asked him, voice rising an octave by the end of her sentence and she took a breath to calm herself.

"Mother would hate you for how you have treated me since her death, and how you continue to treat me still." Lucy hissed back at him, moving to stand as she continued.

"I hope you are aware of how revolted she would be by your actions." Her chest was heaving as she said those words, and she watched with satisfaction at the expressions on her father's face shift from rage, to horrified and melancholy, and then back to rage.

"But that is not why I am here today." Lucy said calmly this time, again before he could get a word in.

"I am here to warn you never to come after my family again. This is your only warning, your grace, come after me or Fairy Tail again and I won't be coming to talk next time." She spoke with determination, hoping to get her point across.

Jude started at her in disbelief, he was still sitting behind his desk, fists clutched on the wood.

"You are a stupid, little girl. What did you think was going to happen when you came here and gave me that little speech? Did you think I was going to accept your terms and let you leave?" He laughed as he stood from his chair.

"You are engaged to be wed, the ceremony will take place a week from now. This matter has been settled." He walked around the desk as he spoke.

"I have let you have your fun, but now it's time to grow up. So be a good girl and go to your room, or do I have to lock you in the cellar like old times?" Jude slowly pranced over to where Lucy was standing, trying to intimidate and scare her with his body language and words.

Scoffing at his actions, Lucy went to retrieve her whip, unfurling it with a crack.

"You are heavily mistaken, I am a Fairy Tail Mage Father, and I did not come here to be married. You truly are a fool." Lucy told him as she charged the whip with her magic, and moved her hand to wrap it around his waist, leaving the stunned man immobile with her attack.

Drawing closer to him she got into his personal space. "I am not the one who should be afraid here. You took my memories, my powers, my freedom. And you tried to take away my friends." She finally saw the fear settling on her father's face and snarled at him.

"Are you finally getting it? I am not staying here, you are not marrying me off to someone I do not know, and most importantly." Her glare was sharp, and she twisted her whip to hold him tighter as she spoke her next words. "You will never come after me or my friends again. Or there will be consequences, and next time, I'm not coming alone." Lucy threatened him as she released him from the whip's hold, causing him to stumble to the ground.

"Now, do we have an agreement, father?" Lucy asked with a small smirk, watching Jude try and fail to compose himself as she wrapped the whip around her right wrist.

"We do." He said through grit teeth as he stood up.

"Wonderful, I will be leaving within the hour. I have some things I would like to take with me. I do not want to see you while I'm here, so stay here and do not leave until I do." Lucy told him as she retreated out of his office.

As she went to close the door, she turned to him once more, eyes sharp. "And If I hear you have taken out your anger on one of the staff, I will send someone to return the favor. Tenfold."

Lucy closed the doors, leaving her father behind.

She took a few steps before her knees started to shake, the adrenaline was slowly leaving her body and Lucy started laughing hysterically.

She couldn't believe that worked. Her father agreed to her terms!

And Lucy had scared him!

That made her smile. Natsu would be proud, Erza too.

Getting her footing back, Lucy made her way back to her old room, wanting to change into something less constricting and collect some memorabilia from her mother that she left behind the last time.

"Miss Lucy." She heard Spetto enter her room with a knock as she was packing her things.

"Spetto, I'm sorry for leaving like I did, but he gave me no choice. I didn't mean to worry any of you. And I wanted to write, but I was afraid." Lucy cried as she went to embrace the old woman.

"There, there child. There is no need for tears, you are here now, and I know you're not staying but I am glad to know you are safe and healthy." Spetto hugged her and combed through her hair like she did when Lucy was a little girl.

"I am happy Spetto, I found a wonderful home, and have wonderful people surrounding me." Lucy told the woman as she moved from her arms.

"I can see that my child, and it fills my heart with joy. Your mother wanted nothing but happiness for you."

More tears welled in Lucy's eyes at the woman's words and she brushed them off as they fell.

"I like to think that she would be proud of me." She whispered.

"I know she is." Spetto answered her and Lucy smiled at her. "Thank you, for everything. You are like the grandmother I never had. Please write to me, all of you."

There was a hesitant look on Spetto's face at her words and Lucy clenched her fists, feeling the want to go back and hurt her father for his behavior.

"Don't worry about him. We have an agreement, please promise me you will write!"

"I will write to you Lady Lucy, I promise."

Lucy smiled at the woman before turning back to pack the rest of her things. "I do have something to give you, your mother entrusted me with this."

Lucy turned to see Spetto handing her an ornate box, similar to the ones she got from Makarov and Lucian.

Lucy's heart skipped a beat. 'Could it be?'

"I suggested not opening it here. Wait until you get home." The older woman advised her, and Lucy took the box from her and carefully placed it into the bag she had packed for herself.

"Thank you, Spetto, I hope to see you again soon. Maybe you can come and visit me in Magnolia?" Lucy asked her and the older woman blanched at her proposal.

"Oh, I couldn't possibly!" She started sputtering but Lucy just waved her off with a laugh. "Nonsense, we'll be in touch!"

Lucy slung the bag around her shoulder and went to hug Spetto one last time. "It was really good to see you."

She made her way through the house and to the back gardens, where her mother's grave was.

Who knows if she'll ever be back here, and she wanted to talk to her mom.

She approached the stone sitting in the middle of the small garden, surrounded by her mother's favorite flowers.

There was a bench next to it and Lucy sat on it, facing the grave.

"Hi, Mom." Lucy started hesitantly. "I know it's been a while since I've been here. But I know you understand why." She moved to pick one of the flowers, twirling it in her hands as she gazed around the garden.

"I wish I could talk to you because I have so many questions." She took a deep breath before continuing.

"I know Dad took my memories, and even with them back, the only thing I remember is the spirits themselves. Why didn't you ever tell me about any of this?" There were tears in her eyes at this point, and she moved to wipe them away.

"I met a few of your friends since I learned about magic." She chuckled and moved to caress her guild mark. "I joined Fairy Tail. Makarov is master now and it is such a wonderful place mom, I wish you had told me about your guild. Maybe I'll go and visit it someday."

Lucy smiled at that thought, maybe she could take Natsu and Happy with her, they could take a job near the guild and maybe someone there knew her mother when she was a member.

"I wish you were here to tell me about our magic. It seems everywhere I try to look I find more questions than answers." Lucy sighed, moving to fix the hair falling in front of her eyes.

"I didn't even know that Heartfilia wasn't Dad's last name, but yours! And from what I've gathered it's linked to a magical clan of spirit summoners that all got killed by an evil mage. I just have so many questions, and none of the spirits are offering any answers."

Lucy thought about how she tried to broach the conversation with all of her spirits about her heritage and the things that Scutum hinted at.

Some of them just bluntly told her they couldn't talk about it, i.e. Aquarius and Virgo. While others were either evasive or stubbornly vague and all-around unhelpful.

It was frustrating, she wanted answers dammit!

Shaking herself from her thoughts, Lucy turned to look at the grave in the center of the small garden and sighed, she needed to go.

"I should be heading back, Natsu is probably worried, I left my phone at home so I didn't have any distractions. I'm sure he's going to be pretty pissed." She sighed at that thought as she stood up placing a kiss on her fingers and touching the stone, placing the flower on top of it.

"Bye, mom."

Lucy made her way to the front gates feeling like her steps were lighter than ever. She confronted her nightmare, reunited with Spetto, and got to talk with her mom, it was an all-around success.

'The trip went better than planned.' Lucy smiled at the thought as she went through the gate, turning to watch it close behind her.

It was finally over.

She was free.

"Lushiiii!" Happy's voice broke through the silence making Lucy turn around and gasp at the sight in front of her.

Happy was zooming towards her fast, Erza, Gray, and Natsu hot on his heels.

The exceed plunged into her chest and hugged her tightly. "Why did you leave us Lushi?" He cried up at her and Lucy looked down at him in confusion.

"What are you-"

"Lucy! What is going on? We were worried about you!" She froze at the sound of Erza's voice and lifted her head to look at the trio approaching her.

Erza and Gray in the front, Natsu in the back.

'Uh-oh, this is not good.' A silent Natsu is a pissed Natsu.

She watched as they all stopped a few meters from her, and she could see the worry on their faces.

"I'm sorry guys, I needed to come here and do this alone. I left a message with Natsu, explaining everything and asking you guys to give me 48 hours before coming to look for me, didn't he tell you?" Lucy asked them confused.

"How did you find me anyway? And how did you get here so fast, don't tell me you portaled!"

Erza's expression turned dark at her words and she turned to look at Natsu, one of her eyes twitching. "He never mentioned anything like that, he just said that you were gone and he was sure your father kidnapped you."

The redhead's words were directed towards Lucy, but she growled them while glaring at Natsu.

Said pink-haired idiot just stood there, looking nonchalant and pissed at the same time, his hands behind his head as he shrugged.

"I just had a bad feeling about Lucy going alone, and I knew if I told you her message you wouldn't let me go after her!" He argued, and Lucy saw a vein pop on Erza's forehead.

"You know better than to think!" She moved to hit him on the head, and he went flying back. "That'll teach him." Erza muttered before turning back to Lucy and bowing.

"I apologize for our blunder, we were just all worried and when Master heard you were missing he sent us out to find you."

Lucy felt terrible at Erza's admission and moved to grab the girl and help her stand straight. "No, don't apologize. I'm sorry for leaving like that. I needed to confront him and let him know he could not get away with attacking my friends, and I needed to do it alone."

She emphasized the last part and turned to look back at Natsu who was still ignoring her as he got back on his feet, rubbing his head and adjusting his scarf.

"I had a feeling that if I told any of you I was leaving you wouldn't let me go on my own. I apologize for that. I didn't think you would notice I was gone, it was only supposed to be for one day." Lucy told them her reasoning.

There was a scoff from Natsu at her words, making her turn to look at him with a raised eyebrow, urging him to share his thoughts.

"Don't be stupid, of course we noticed! Your barstool was empty when I got in this morning." Gray answered instead, and Lucy turned to look at the half-naked man.

When did he lose his shirt?

She looked back and forth between him, Erza and Natsu, and then down at Happy who was still in her arms.

The exceed nodded his head at her, and Lucy was stunned.

She honestly didn't think anyone besides Natsu would notice she was gone for the day. It was going to take some time to get used to the fact that there were people who cared about her well-being.

"We got Levy to locate where the Heartfilia estate was the moment Natsu came barging in shouting about your disappearance." Erza told her, sending her a smile.

"You guys, I don't know what to say. I'm sorry for worrying everyone." Lucy was holding back her tears, not wanting to cry anymore today. But knowing she had people who would miss her if she were to leave was enough for her eyes to water.

"Just don't pull something like this again." Erza told her sternly, and Lucy nodded her head. "I won't."

"Good, now let's get back to the portal so everyone can relax and know you're safe." Gray chimed in as he made his way back to where they came from.

Erza followed behind him after a few seconds of looking between Lucy and Natsu.

The redhead shot Lucy a smile and a wink, making the blonde blush, before going after Gary.

There was a moment of silence before Happy wiggled out of her hands and dropped to the ground, landing on his feet. "Well, I'm gonna go and make sure they don't get lost." He mumbled as he left the two of them alone.

Natsu was turned to the side not looking at her, his hands crossed over his torso, chin buried in his scarf as he continued to ignore her.

"Are you not going to say anything?" Lucy asked the pouting drakon after a few more silent moments.

There was a huff, and he turned to look at her. "I don't know what ya want me to say."

"Look, I didn't mean to leave without a word, well okay I did." He shot her a look and she wanted to facepalm at her stupidity. "It's not like that, I just knew that if I told you, you wouldn't have let me come alone." Lucy moved closer to him as she tried to explain, moving her hands so that they were gripping his shoulders.

"I thought about bringing you, but I felt like it wasn't a good idea to have you and my dad in the same house. And I felt like I needed to do this alone." He opened his mouth, and she moved her hand to cover it, knowing what he was going to say.

"I know I don't have to do it alone. And going forward I don't want to do anything like that alone, but this was my battle to finish. I need you to understand that it had nothing to do with our friendship, partnership, or the trust I have in you."

Lucy let the hand fall from his mouth and looked straight into his eyes as she finished her proclamation. Hoping he would understand, and forgive her.

There was a tense moment of silence between them, a moment where they started each other down, neither willing to back out.

Lucy's heart was beating erratically as she waited for Natsu to say something, anything.

Instead of words, he chose action, which shouldn't have surprised Lucy as much as it did.

One second they were having an intense staring contest, and the next Natsu's forehead was bumping against hers and she felt his breath fan over her face as he let out a laugh.

"I forgive ya, ya weirdo. I was just scared when I saw you were gone and then bummed because I thought you didn't trust me. But I know better now." He smiled down at her and Lucy's heart clenched at his words.

"I trust you more than anyone." She mumbled smiling shyly at her admission.

Natsu's hands wrapped around her waist and he went to pull her into a hug when a voice brought them back to reality.

"Oy, lovebirds, come on we don't have all day!" Gray's voice cut their moment short, making Natsu let go of Lucy, who was blushing like a cherry at the ice mage's words.

"Fuck off, stripper!" Natsu shouted back at him, shooting a glare in his direction before turning to offer Lucy his hand.

"Let's go, everyone in the guild is worried sick." He pulled her into a run the moment her hand entwined with his making Lucy giggle as they made their way towards their friends.

"And whose fault is that? I told you to wait 48 hours!" Lucy shot back playfully.

"Hey! You're the one who ran off without bringing her phone to confront the man who almost got you killed!" He argued back and Lucy heard their onlookers laugh at their argument.

"He's got you there Lucy!" Happy chimed in with a laugh, and Lucy joined in their hysterics.

Looking around at all of her friends, she felt glad they were here with her. It was nice having someone to laugh with after all of that.

Chapter Text

Natsu was not used to being this stressed out about another person's well-being.

Well, that is if you don't count Happy.

But the exceed was like a brother/son to him, and he's raised the fur-ball since he'd hatched, so it was natural to worry about the little guy.

It seems the whole ordeal with Phantom Lord left Natsu a little on edge when it came to Lucy. It was so easy for them to take her during the attack, and by the time he found her, she was so battered and bruised.

Natsu never wanted to witness that again.

Ever since Lucy's first disappearance when she was taken by Juvia, he's had an irrational fear of going to her apartment and not finding her there.

Add on everything that they've found out about her family, and that her father was the one behind the attacks, and it all left Natsu feeling a little paranoid.

But could you blame him?

His partner seems to have a unique ability to attract trouble, which in retrospect shouldn't be a surprise for him, given with how they met, and with how well-suited she was for Fairy Tail, fitting in nicely with all the chaos.

Everyone here is a trouble magnet.

But even with all that aside, ever since he found out about it, there was a part of Natsu that feared Lucy's father coming after her, and him not being able to save her.

So when he walked into her empty apartment a few days ago, he knew something was wrong.

Natsu came over to see if she wanted to have breakfast with him and Happy, even though it was past noon by that point.

Looking around, he could tell that nothing in the apartment was out of place, and there was no sign of a struggle, she could've been at the guild for all he knew.

But his gut was telling him something different.

That's when he found the note on her coffee table. It was addressed to him, with an explanation for her absence and asking them to give her two days before coming after her.

Feeling a sense of panic overrun him, Natsu immediately took out his phone and tried calling her, hoping this was some sort of prank.

'She wouldn't actually go alone, would she?' He asked himself as he waited for her to pick up.

He heard the sound of her ringtone coming from her room, and as he followed the ringing, he saw Lucy's phone on the nightstand next to her bed.

Natsu hung up the call with a frustrated huff, flashes of different scenarios went through his head at the thought of Lucy in the clutches of her father.

The man hired Jose Porla to come after her, who knows what he's prepared to do now that she went to him willingly.

Considering Natsu was by no means a sensible creature, this just seemed to rattle him into overdrive.

Thinking back to it now, he doesn't regret marching to Fairy Tail and lying about her being kidnapped.

In fact, Natsu was 100% sure he would do it again.

He needed to know she was safe, and since she didn't bring her phone with her, this was his second-best option.

Sitting back, Natsu downed his Fire whiskey and looked down at his hand, where the ring she'd gotten him was sitting on his middle finger.

The dragon's ruby eyes seemed to twinkle back at him like it was going to start spewing fire at any moment.

Her present was a surprise to him.

Lucy hadn't even known about his affinity for gold or the hoard he had hidden away when she bought it for him. She had just seen a golden dragon and thought of him.

The fact that it was a fireproof ring just made it better.

He rarely wore jewelry because it usually ended up melted by his fire, thankfully he doesn't have to worry about this one.

He debated on whether he should wear it in fear of losing it, or just put it in his hoard for safekeeping.

In the end, he couldn't bring himself to bury the piece with his other treasures, Natsu wanted to proudly wear the gift his partner had picked out for him.

And he liked the fact that they were matching in a way.

He turned back to watch the crowd, or rather, to try and find Lucy amongst the sea of mages.

Spotting her golden hair in the crowd, he followed her with his eyes as she went around the guild, watching her with a smile on his face as she went from table to table talking, drinking, and laughing with everyone.

He watched as Levy pulled her up so they could dance to the song that was playing, the two girls spinning and laughing as they moved to the beat.

The New Year's party was in full swing, and while not everyone was wasted, there were a few of Cana's victims passed out under the tables.

'Poor souls, they never learn.' Natsu thought with a laugh as he spotted Makao sleeping cuddled next to an empty wine barrel.

Even he knew better than to challenge the card mage to a drinking competition.
There were no winners in that one.

Well, besides Cana.

Standing, Natsu made his way to the bar wanting another drink, and from the corner of his eye, he spotted Wendy approaching him through the crowd.

The sky drakon had been in an almost sullen mood for a few days and Natsu waited for her to come to talk to him if she needed to.

Sitting down at the bar, he ordered another drink from Mira and waited for Wendy to approach him.

The younger girl sat next to him after a few minutes and ordered a drink for herself. He waited for her to start the conversation, not wanting to push the young healer.

"Can I ask you a question?" Her voice was tentative as she spoke, and he nodded his head in response and turned to look at her. "I, I know you found a golden key in, well, you know." She said quietly, looking around and making sure no one was eavesdropping.

"I, well, I mean."

Her voice was small as she spoke, and she looked like she was in distress and Natsu turned to face her fully, so he could try and calm her down.

"I remember the first time Igneel took me to see his collection, I was blown away by the amount of trinkets and treasure." There was a nostalgic smile on his face as he turned to look at the wall and reminisced about the past. "He could barely get me to leave that first time."

Natsu chuckled at the memory of Igneel dragging him away from the cave, promising they would come back.

"Grandeeney would always let me pick something to take back with me when we visited hers." Wendy chimed in, her voice slightly shaky as she talked about her mother.

Natsu turned to look at the bluenette, and seeing the tears in her eyes he moved to place a hand on her shoulder. "Is that what's been bothering ya lately?" He asked her with a squeeze.

Wendy moved to wipe the tears that seemed to have escaped and shook her head. "No, it's just, at the Christmas Party, I saw you give Lucy a key from your hoard. And there was a nagging feeling that told me I had one too, but you know I don't collect gold."

Natsu nodded, intrigued to where this was going, and urged her to continue with his hands. "I went to look through it a few days ago, and well." She turned out her left pocket and in her palm was a golden zodiac key.

"I think it belongs to the constellation Capricorn." Wendy whispered before shoving the object back into her pocket. "I've had this with me for 4 days now. I just can't get myself to give it to Lucy."

The tears were welling in her eyes, and Wendy let her head fall to avoid his gaze, as if ashamed. "I know it's wrong, they belong with her. But it's a piece of Grandeeney's hoard, and it's hard saying goodbye to any part of it."

The young girl was crying at this point, and Natsu couldn't help but feel for her. He was not unfamiliar with those emotions, he felt the same way when he first connected the dots.

It was the combination of getting to know and trust Lucy better, and having Scutum say she was considered royalty in the Spirit Realm for him to finally understand the importance behind it, and find the key.

But something was also weird about all this.

There weren't a lot of records about Lucy and her magic. She's been trying to research with Levy for months with little luck, they've only managed to find scraps of information to put together.

Now it turns out both Igneel and Grandeeney had golden spirit keys in their possession, keys that once belonged to Lucy's mother.

Did she know both dragons? Did the spirits know something of their disappearance?

Shaking himself out of his thoughts Natsu moved slowly, so as not to startle the crying girl, and wrapped his arms around her shoulders and brought her into a gentle hug.

"It was hard for me too. I figured out I had a key months ago. I debated on what I should do with it for a long time."

He let out an almost bitter huff of air before continuing. "I understand what you're going through, and I'm not gonna tell you to give it to her." He pauses for a moment, making sure she got his point. "But we both know it's what they would have wanted."

Natsu's tone was as gentle as he could make it, but it still made Wendy cry even harder, clutching his shirt as she did.

It was hard for him to watch her like this, Natsu generally didn't like anyone crying around him, he just felt awkward. But he viewed Wendy as a sort of younger sister and wanted to try his best to comfort her.

"It's why they made sure we have them."

He tried a different approach this time. "I don't know how, but they knew we would meet Lucy one day, and they knew we would do the right thing." He pushed on her shoulders gently so that she would move back to look at him.

Natsu sent her a beaming smile, knowing the young healer would understand.

"Plus, it's not like you're giving it away to a stranger. It's Lucy, she always has her keys with her. This way, you get to see a little reminder of Grandeeney every day and know she would be proud of you for giving it to its owner!"

He shared his reasoning with her and the younger girl finally cracked a genuine smile back, her tears stopped, and her breathing was evening out.

"You're right. I know it's hard for you to talk about them. So, thank you Natsu." Wendy said as she wiped her cheeks dry.

Natsu just smiled back at her and moved to ruffle her hair. "Anytime kiddo, you know I'm always here for you."

* ********* ********** ********** ********* *

Coming back from Crocus was quick, thanks to the portal, and upon arrival, Lucy found herself at the receiving end of a long lecture from Master Makarov about the importance of knowing when to do things alone, and when to ask for help.

Followed by a few more lectures by Mira, Levy, and Lisanna about never scaring them like that again, the girls making Lucy promise to always bring her phone with her.

Even Cana had a few choice words about Lucy's little scare.

Lucy apologized profusely to everyone, promising not to scare them like that again, and then went on to tell the guild all about how her trip back home went.

Natsu and Gray found it hilarious that she managed to scare her father into agreeing to her terms, and Erza seemed proud of her bravery.

Everyone else was stunned to learn about her family and supposed status, but Lucy told them that was her past, and no longer applies.

She was just, Lucy of Fairy Tail now.

After retelling the events from her visit and answering all of the questions they had, Lucy finally had the chance to open the box Spetto had given her.

Inside she found two golden keys and a letter from her mother.

Lucy immediately tucked the envelope in her purse, not feeling ready to read her mother's words yet.

Something told her it would only lead to more questions and headaches, instead of any kind of answer.

Taurus and Sagittarius were her newest companions, and while the former was a bit of a pervert, and the latter looked even more ridiculous in his horse costume than she remembered, Lucy was extremely happy to have more of her mother's friends back with her.

Her collection was growing faster than she had expected.

When she first learned about magic and how rare her abilities seemed to be in this world, she thought that it would be impossible to find any gate keys.

But somehow they all end up finding her instead.

The whole guild surrounded Lucy when they noticed her preparing to summon her new spirits, always eager to see her use her magic.

She summoned them one at a time.

Lucy she still couldn't open two golden keys at once no matter how hard she trained.

It always ended up with her unconscious.

She was able to keep Scutum's gate open along with one golden key, which was an improvement!

Everyone watched in awe as she sent Taurus back in a flash of golden light, and summoned Sagittarius so they could form a contract.

They all seemed so fascinated by her abilities, and while she still couldn't understand how it was any more impressive than anything else they could do, she didn't mind the audience.

It was kind of sweet that they were so enthralled by it.

* ********* ********** ********** ********* *

Lucy was still getting used to the partying tempo of Fairy Tail, but she was having fun nonetheless.

They had been drinking for more than half the day but the night was still young, and Lucy found herself dancing with Levy in the middle of the guild hall, surrounded by fellow guild mates as they all celebrated the coming of the new year.

Natsu had been in a good mood all day, and even bought her and Happy breakfast before they headed to the guild for the party.

Thought, he has been a tad overbearing and overprotective since her little adventure in Crocus.

He was at her apartment first thing in the morning, always by her side when they were together, following her with his gaze when they were on opposite ends of the room.

And while, admittedly, it was how he usually acted around her, there is more of an intensity to it now.

Lucy could sense the tension and worry that would sometimes project from him, and she felt guilty every time.

She knew he was rattled by the Phantom attack, and with his father's disappearance, she never considered how leaving like that would affect him.

Even with her note, he was worried about what her father was going to do to her.

And while Lucy would like to think he was just overreacting, she also knew what her father was capable of.

"Hey, let's go get a drink?" Levy's voice brought her out of her head, and she realized she stopped dancing and was just standing in the middle of the floor.

Lucy looked around the dancing bodies surrounding them and turned to nod at Levy. "Sure."

The two made their way to the bar and tried to order their drinks from Mira, who seemed busy chatting with a blonde Lucy had never met before today.

Apparently, he was the master's grandson.

Laxus Dreyar.

He was a tall, brooding and muscular man with a lightning scar over his right eye.

Lucy didn't get to talk to him all that much, besides a basic introduction. He seemed nice enough, a little rough around the edges maybe. There was actually something about the man that reminded her of Gajeel the tiniest bit.

His team, the Thunder Legion, returned from a year-long mission just this morning, and everyone was excited to have them back, it seemed like the New Year's party was going to be even wilder than planned because of their return.

Lucy met all of the Thunder Legion, and they seemed like an interesting bunch, it made her wonder how such different people formed a team.

They all appear to be fond of each other though.

Evergreen was a tad snobbish, but it reminded Lucy of home in a weird way, Freed was a complete gentleman and Lucy was looking forward to getting to him, and Bickslow was a little odd, but he looked like a fun guy.

They were some of the strongest mages in the guild, from what she managed to overhear, and that made her a little scared as to what kind of monsters were out there.

If there were stronger mages here in Fairy Tail than the ones she's already met? Lucy doesn't want to meet any of the ones roaming outside of the guild.

"So, what's got you all in your head?" Levy asked her as they waited for Lisanna to bring them their drinks.

"Is that why Mira laughed when I gave her my present?" Lucy asked pointing over her shoulder, trying to avoid the topic.

Levy raised a brow at her, looking over Lucy's shoulder at where the take-over mage was flirting with the blonde, before turning back to look at Lucy.

"Don't think I don't see what you're doing." The short bluenette warned her, sternly pointing her index finger at Lucy. "But to answer your question, yes, but not for the reason you think." She told her with a wink, and now Lucy was even more confused.

"What does that mean?" Lucy almost whined as she went to take a sip from her cocktail. "Uh, uh. No. I answered your question, now you tell me what's going on."

Lucy huffed out, crossing her arms as she did, and slumped slightly forward. "It's nothing serious. Just, Natsu's been a little..." she trailed off, not really knowing how to describe the fire drakon's recent actions.

He acted the same as always towards her, it was just more intense, and sometimes even with a sense of panic.

"Possessive? Overprotective? Downright scary at times?" Levy finished her sentence, checking off each one on her fingers as she did.

Lucy felt a blush forming on her cheeks, looking around to check if anyone was listening in.

Thankfully, everyone in Fairy Tail was busy celebrating to notice the two of them in the corner of the bar.

"Yes. Well, I don't think he's ever scary, but yes to the rest of it." Lucy admitted and Levy only chuckled at her words.

"You don't think he's scary because you haven't seen him when he knows you are in danger." The bluenette told her and Lucy felt her heart jump at the words. "And besides, I don't see how it's any different than usual."

Lucy slumped on the bar and looked back at Levy. "It's different! He's more intense about it. I don't know how to explain." She ran a hand through her hair, trying not to get frustrated.

"You know for how simple he is, he is also a mystery to all of us." Levy said with mirth in her voice, and Lucy sat up straight and leaned in closer to her.

Natsu was a mystery to her too.

Which was a funny concept, considering he's an open book, you can almost always tell what's on his mind. But there was also so much Lucy didn't know about him, and she was interested in Levy's perspective.

"I've known him for a long time, we all have." Levy started, looking around the guild before turning back to her. "Do you know he's never once been out on a job with anyone besides Happy? And I have never seen him interact with the guild as much as he has since he came back that night with you in tow."

Lucy felt a blush at her words and didn't really know what to say, but it seemed Levy wasn't finished anyway.

"In fact, this is the longest I can remember him being in Magnolia since he's been able to go out on jobs." There was a faraway look in the bluenette's eyes for a moment before she continued.

"He's been chasing shadows and whispers since joining Fairy Tail. Running around Fiore and looking for any clues about Igneel and his whereabouts."

She let out a breathy chuckle before continuing. "The gods know how many times The Master or Erza tried to talk to him and explain that sometimes you need to slow down. But you know Natsu, once he's determined about something, he goes head first and without thinking it through."

Levy sent her a pointed look and Lucy chimed in with a giggle of her own, "Don't I know it." She said, thinking about her partner's impulsive tendencies.

"It wasn't until he met you that he finally slowed down." Lucy's heart clenched at Levy's words, she never knew any of this.

"I have never seen him spend so much time with the guild before, usually he would come in to eat, or brawl and get a drink occasionally. But he was mostly just taking jobs back to back, to think he's on a team now, and with Gray and Erza of all people." The bluenette shook her head as if she still couldn't believe it.

"If someone had told me, a day before you came to the guild that those three would be on a team together. That Natsu would be on a team with anyone that isn't Happy, I would have told them they were crazy and laughed in their face." Levy laughed at the thought and Lucy knew her face was a dark shade of red by now.

"Hey, I had nothing to do with their team-up! Erza got word of trouble and asked them to help her, and me too for some reason." She tried to protest her way out of the conversation.

"Okay, maybe so, but I still stand by my statement. He did ask you to go on a job with him! And he took you to the beach so you could summon Aquarius." Levy pointed an accusative finger at her, before giggling and clapping her hands in the air.

"Oh, that was your first date!" She exclaimed happily and Lucy went to shush her, looking around to make sure no one was listening.

You never know with this gossipy bunch.

"Not so loud! Geez!" Lucy moved so she could put a hand over Levy's mouth.

"And it was not a date! He came with me to get my stuff and then took me to the beach so I could make a contract with Aquarius. There was nothing romantic about it!" She explained to the bluenette, dropping the hand that was covering the shorter girl's mouth.

"But you had dinner afterwards?" Lucy felt the blush come back full force at Levy's question and she immediately regretted dropping her hand.

So she tried to change the subject instead.

"I just feel like I've betrayed his trust in some way, and I don't know what to do Lev." She pouted at the bluenette, hoping the shorter girl would take pity on her.

Lucy watched as Levy's brow furrowed at her words before she let out a sigh. "I don't know how to help you there Lu. But maybe you guys can go on a job and that way you could ask him about it." The bluenette offered as she went to clasp their hands, giving Lucy's a squeeze.

Lucy looked at her friend for a few moments, before turning to look at the crowd and tried to spot Natsu.

She saw a flash of pink in the crowd and there he was, sitting at a table across the room, drinking and laughing with Elfman, Evergreen, Bickskow, and a few other guild members.

Natsu's head snapped in her direction a second later, and when they made eye contact he sent a beaming smile her way, tipping his whisky glass towards her.

Lucy smiled back at him and raised her cocktail glass back at him. "Yeah, that sounds like a good idea." She said as she turned to look back at Levy, who had an almost cheshire smirk on her face.

"Mhmm, I bet it does." The bluenette chuckled before downing her drink. "I'm gonna go and try to get Laki to dance with me, wanna come?" She asked as she hopped out of the barstool.

Lucy looked out at the dance floor and back to Levy. "No, I'm good here. You go have fun."

She watched the shorter girl move through the crowd before disappearing into the sea of people and sighed, slumping slightly over the bar.

Lucy couldn't help but go over the conversation with Levy in her head.

Did Natsu really change that much with just her appearance?

But that doesn't make sense, she didn't do anything to prompt such a shift, she didn't know any other version of Natsu than the one he's been since that first night.

'Maybe I should think about this when I'm not so close to being drunk.' Lucy thought to herself as she took a sip from her drink.

Suddenly, there was a weight over her shoulders, and a familiar warmth enveloped her.

"Whatcha doing here all by yourself? This is a party!" Natsu's voice came from her right, and she turned her head to smile at him.

"You know, I just realized that I never know how cold I am until you're next to me." Lucy blurted out instead of an answer.

Natsu shot her an odd look, before moving to connect their foreheads, he was so close that their noses were almost touching.

"How much did ya have to drink?" His sudden question made Lucy giggle, finding his attempt at being stern hilarious.

She moved to clutch her stomach and suddenly felt her stool shift from underneath her and before she knew it Lucy was falling to the ground.

Thankfully, Natsu's instincts were sharp as ever, he was moving before she even slipped, and helped her back on the stool. "Easy, you're gonna get hurt."

"I'm not drunk!" Lucy protested, and Natsu raised a single brow at her, crossing his arms as he did. "Okay, maybe a little tipsy, but not drunk." She tried to rephrase.

"Yeah, yeah. You're such a lightweight." He laughed at her as he moved from the barstool and stood in front of her.

"I am not a lightweight!" She exclaimed at him, which only made him laugh harder.

"Sure you're not. Now come on, let's go see if Happy had any luck with Charla tonight." He offered his hand out and Lucy took it without hesitation.

"Like that will ever happen, he needs to give her something other than fish!"

Natsu laughed at her proclamation and tugged her through the crowd. "So you keep trying to tell him. Who knows, maybe it'll be a New Year's Miracle!"

They laughed at the thought as they tried finding their furry friend and his lady love.

The guild members were scattered throughout the second floor, drinking, laughing, and dancing. Some of the guys were fighting in the corner.

Lucy could see Levy and Laki dancing to the music, Jet and Droy keeping them company. Cana managed to rope Freed into a drinking competition, and the poor man seemed to be almost gone, she could see him swaying in his seat as they passed.

Erza was at a table with Gray, Juvia, and Lisanna. And they all looked drunk in their own right, with the red-headed seemingly changing armors as her moods shifted and threatening everyone in her sight.

Natsu quickly steered them clear of her as he saw that.

Juvia was almost melting by the proximity between her and Gray, and the ice mage looked a bit uncomfortable with her affection but Lucy could also spot a shadow of a blush on his face as the bluenette rested her head on his shoulder.

All in all, the spirits in Fairy Tail were high.

Everyone was happy to be alive and eager to welcome the New Year, hoping it would bring them joy and happiness.

No one seemed to notice a flyer appearing out of thin air on the job board, they were all too enthralled with the celebration.

Chapter Text

In the days following the New Year's party, when everyone in Fairy Tail was settled, mostly sober and back in their own homes, Lucy was surprised to get a call from Wendy so early in the morning, asking her to meet at the guild.

It was an early January morning, the snow had finally stopped falling after almost two days, and Lucy was cursing the gods for having to trek through it.

If only she hadn't left the comfort of her apartment.

Where everything was warm.

But Wendy had sounded a bit forlorn over the phone, and Lucy was worried about the young healer. She liked to think that they had a good friendship, but it seemed as though the bluenette was avoiding her.

Maybe it was all in her head, and Lucy was sure that meeting with her and talking it out would definitely help.

That's why she was treading through the damn snow instead of being in her warm apartment, with a mug of tea and a good book, surrounded by the freeloaders that have settled in her home.

Natsu and Happy had opted to spend the night with her after the guild's festivities, as they have done most nights since she got the apartment, so she left them sleeping in the living room.

But not before making sure she had enough food for them when they woke up.

Honestly, those two should start paying rent, or at least buy some groceries! They spend more time in her apartment than in their own house.

'I'm always at your place because you're there, ya weirdo! If you hung out here, that's where I'd be.' Natsu's words from when they had a sleepover at his cabin weeks ago echoed through Lucy's head, making a blush appear on her cheeks from more than just the cold.

That idiot will be the death of her.

Going around spouting nonsense, not thinking before he speaks, his complete lack of respect for personal space. It's like he doesn't even understand the implications of his actions or words.

Oh, who was she kidding, of course, he doesn't! Natsu views her as his friend and partner.

Though taking into consideration her and Levy's conversation from the other day and the state of his apartment before she cleaned it, she really didn't know what to think.

Lucy doesn't see what Levy does, but his house did look like no one has spent time there in a while.

She just can't picture Natsu not being around all the time, going from job to job, and keeping everyone at arm's length.

Does he pester her to go on jobs every other day? Yes. But at the same time, they spend so much time together.

Lucy had never been this close to another person that she wasn't related to, and while she could confidently say that she was friends with a lot of the members, even best friends with some, it was a little scary how easily they managed to entwine their lives together.

She can't even imagine a day without seeing or talking to the fire drakon, or his silly cat. Did his settling really have something do to with her coming to the guild?

Or was it something else?

Seeing the guild from a distance Lucy shook herself from her thoughts, they'd only send her spiraling if she continued down that road.

Picking up her pace Lucy made her way into the warmth of Fairy Tails guild hall.

As she walked in she noted that it was mostly empty, which was not surprising.
It was barely 8 am.

Mira was tending to the bar as usual and waved at Lucy when she noticed her walking in. "Good morning! You're here early today." She greeted her with a smile.

"Good morning Mira, I'm actually here to meet Wendy. She said she wanted to talk to me." Lucy greeted back, turning to look around.

She spotted Nab searching through the job board as usual and could see Wakaba and Macao drinking their coffee, surrounded by a cloud of smoke.

There were a few more people scattered around the tables, everyone was enjoying the peace, and a quiet that you can only experience early in the morning at Fairy Tail.

Wendy was sitting alone at one of the tables in the back, she had a drink in front of her and was staring at it as if transfixed by the liquid.

Lucy looked back at Mira. "Can you get me some tea please?" The white-haired mage nodded at her and the blonde made her way to Wendy.

"Hey." She said as she sat across from the girl, startling her out of her thoughts.

Wendy looked up at Lucy and smiled at her. It was a small smile, but genuine. "Good morning." The bluenette greeted her with a slight quiver in her voice.

"Wendy, is everything okay?" Lucy started after a few moments of silence.

"I just have a feeling that you've been avoiding me these past few weeks. If I've done anything at all to upset you, please tell me." She continued, hoping she hadn't done anything that caused the young healer distress.

Wendy sat up straight at her words, her eyes bulged out comically and the girl started waving her hands in front of her.

"No, no. You didn't do anything. I promise!" She cried out suddenly. "It's, it's me. I'm the one who did something." Wendy's gaze dropped to the table, avoiding Lucy's eyes.

Thoroughly confused at the young girl's words, Lucy went to speak, wanting to ask her what she meant, but a thud on the table made her shift her gaze and when she looked down Lucy saw Wendy's hand placed palm down on the wood.

As the bluenette lifted her hand, she revealed a golden gate key.

"What? How?" Lucy's brain had stopped working the moment she saw the key.
"This is Capricorn." She marveled as she went to pick it up.

There was a spark of magic when she touched the key and it made her smile. "Hello, old friend." She whispered to the key.

Lucy looked back up at Wendy, wanting to thank the girl and ask her where she managed to find the key when she saw the younger girl's head was dropped into her arms, and her shoulders were shaking.

As if she were crying.

"Hey, hey, Wendy." Lucy dropped the key on the table and went over to sit beside the sky drakon.

She put her hands on the girl's shoulders, rubbing them in comfort. "What's wrong?" Lucy asked, slightly panicked at the turn of events.

What could've made her cry so suddenly?

"I'm, I'm so sorry Lucy." Wendy managed to say through sobs as she continued to cry. "Hey, don't apologize, there is nothing to be sorry about. Just let it all out." Lucy continued rubbing her shoulders and brought her into her arms.

Mira approached the table at that moment,  a steaming mug in hand, and the older mage looked at Lucy with concern in her eyes at the sight of the crying sky drakon.

Lucy waved her off, mouthing that they'll talk later and Mira nodded, eyeing the key as she placed the mug on the table before turning to leave the two girls.

Wendy's crying slowed down, and the girl withdrew from Lucy's arms, sniffling as she did, and wiped the tears from her eyes.

She looked at the key on the table, and then back to Lucy. "I found it in my hoard a week ago. I'm so sorry for not giving it to you sooner." Her eyes welled up with tears again as she spoke. "It was a part of Grandeeney's hoard."

That came out whispered, and Lucy barely managed to hear the girl. "I always found it weird that she had a golden key in her hoard. She and I prefer diamonds." The healer explained, and Lucy felt her stomach drop at her words.

So two dragons were in possession of her mother's keys?

"A few weeks before she disappeared, we were in her cave and she insisted on me taking a few things and finally starting my own collection." Wendy continued, her voice less shaky, her tears finally ceasing.

"I never understood why she made me take the key." She looked directly into Lucy's eyes with determination. "I do now. That's why I'm apologizing, I should have given it to you sooner. You obviously know the spirit, and it belonged to your mother."

The girl proclaimed in one breath and then looked back down at the table in shame. Lucy was taken aback, she looked at Wendy and then back at Capricorn's key.

"So my mother knew two dragons?" Was the first thing that came out of her mouth, it was the only thing circling through her head.

Wendy's eyes snapped back to her. "I was still wrapping my head around the fact that Natsu had one. It didn't even cross my mind that you might as well." She said, looking at the younger girl and smiling at her.

Lucy moved to squeeze one of Wendy's hands. "You have nothing to apologize for." She told the girl in a gentle tone. "I understand. I mean I don't collect any sparkly treasure, but I understand that it was hard for you to part with it because of your mother."

Wendy took a sharp intake of breath at Lucy's words, her eyes welling up with tears once more.

"I can relate to that, losing my mom was hard, and I want to keep as many things that remind me of her as possible." Lucy smiled at the young girl, wanting her to know that it was okay.

"Though, at least there's hope for you and Natsu to reunite with them." She added.

She didn't want to give the girl any false hope, but she knew that her partner believed his father was alive. And Lucy couldn't help but have faith in him, and his instincts.

They've saved her countless times so far.

Wendy threw herself into Lucy's arms, surprising the blonde and making them sway slightly on the bench. "Thank you." The young girl mumbled into her neck, and Lucy only smiled and moved her hand to stroke the girl's hair.

"I should be thanking you. I know how hard it was for you, and Natsu to give me a piece of them. I will forever be grateful for your kindness." Lucy told her, wanting Wendy to know that she appreciated their gesture and the magnitude behind it.

Wendy moved out of her hold and wiped the tears from her eyes. "I'm sorry for crying so much." She chuckled and Lucy giggled as she waved her off. "Please, I cry more than anyone."

Wendy laughed harder at her response and Lucy smiled at the sight. It was nice to hear her laugh.

"You know, I see now why Natsu likes you so much." The young girl stated suddenly and Lucy furrowed her brows and looked at her in question.

"I mean, I always thought you were nice." The younger girl suddenly backtracked, realizing how that sounded.

"But Natsu has always been so reserved with everyone but Happy, and me sometimes. He's been chasing after Igneel since I met him, never relenting or giving up on finding him. It was inspiring when I first met him." Wendy elaborated.

"Knowing I wasn't alone, that there was someone out there who knew how I felt, knowing that if he managed to find Igneel, maybe there was a chance for me to find Grandeeney. It made me feel better." The blunette sighed, racking her hands through her bangs.

"After a few years, we were all so worried about him. He would come here to eat and drink sometimes or pick a fight when he was in a mood.

But it was always about the next job, and going out there to find his father.

The longest I remember him staying consistently was when Happy and Charla hatched." There was a faraway look in the girl's eyes, and Lucy could tell she was reminiscing.

"Even then it was only for maybe a month or two."

Lucy started at the bluenette, not knowing how to feel, she had a similar conversation with Levy about this just the other day, and she was thinking about it before coming here.

And now here was Wendy, telling her a similar story.

The young bluenette continued talking before Lucy had the chance to say anything, not that she knew what to say.

"When he brought you in that night I didn't think anything of it. He's never brought anyone back to the guild, sure, but you were in bad shape so I could understand." Wendy shrugged, pausing to take a breath.

"But then the next morning he brought you over to meet Levy and me, he got you breakfast, and took you back to Hargeon so you could summon Aquarius and get your things." She trailed off as she turned to look at Lucy with a small smile.

"I've never seen him act like that. The next thing I know, you guys are a team, and he's spending all this time in the guild." Wendy finished with a smile, and Lucy was still taken aback.

There was a beat of silence as Lucy tried to wrap her head around the fact that she, might in fact, be the reason for Natsu's change of pace.

'Does everyone in Fairy Tail feel this way?' Lucy thought as she searched for what she could possibly say to that when her ringtone startled her from her thoughts.

"Shit, sorry, just a sec." Lucy told Wendy as she went to fish the device out of her pocket.

"You're up early." She said into the speaker as she answered, knowing without having to look who was on the other line. "I woke up and you were gone." Was his only response and Lucy giggled at his almost whiny tone.

"I decided to head to the guild early this morning, not my fault you like to sleep in." Lucy chided him, before continuing with a sweeter tone. "There's food for you in the fridge and some fish in the freezer for Happy." She told him, hoping that would save her apartment from being burned down by their cooking attempts.

"Nah, I wanted us to have breakfast. I'll just come to the guild and we can eat together. Happy already ate the fish though." Lucy's brows raised at his denial of food and she heard a muffled 'Aye!' in the background from Happy, and rolled her eyes playfully at the cats' antics.

"Okay, I'll wait for you then. Make sure to bundle up Happy! It's freezing outside. And wear the boots I bought you!" She told him as she went to end the call.

"But Lushii, they're constricting, I like my sandals." He definitely whined this time, and Lucy laughed at his pathetic tone.

"Don't be a baby and just do it, it's the middle of winter and you will not be going around in sandals, I do not care that you're a creature of fire!" Lucy told him sternly, going to take a sip of her tea to calm herself.

"Aye, I'll wear the boots, just don't get all scary." He relented with a sigh, and Lucy smiled in triumph. "Good, and hurry up I'm hungry." She told him before ending the call.

Lucy looked down at her phone and smiled at her new lock screen photo.

The home screen stayed the same painting from Reedus, but her lock screen was now a picture of her, Natsu, and Happy at the New Year's party.

Mirajane managed to snap a photo of the three of them dancing, and Lucy loved it so much.

They just looked so happy and carefree.

"I don't think he's ever refused a meal just so he could eat with someone." Wendy marveled and Lucy jumped at the sound of her voice, she'd forgotten the girl was there.

A blush heated her cheeks as she turned to look at the younger girl. "Yeah, that threw me off too. But you know Natsu, you can never anticipate his next move." She said making the bluenette giggle in response.

"You got him there." She chuckled. "I'm glad he met you, though." Wendy stated, changing the topic suddenly.

"It's nice seeing him spend so much time here. We've actually gotten closer in these three months more than we have in the past years, so thank you for that." The girl told her, turning serious all of a sudden, making Lucy blanch at her words.

"I really don't think I had much to do with that, though I am also glad that I met him."Lucy said with an almost bashful smile.

"I mean he brought me here. I got to meet all of you and join Fairy Tail. My life will never be the same and it's all because of him." Lucy continued talking despite her best efforts.

She hadn't been aware of how much she needed to get this off her chest, and it seemed that Wendy was the unwilling participant to Lucy's inner monologue coming out.

"He challenges me and pushes me in ways that I never thought I needed. But most importantly, he believes in me, and I've never really had that." Lucy trailed off, forgetting what her point was for a moment.

"So no need to thank me. I'm the one who is eternally thankful to him, I'd be dead 10 times over if it weren't for Natsu."

There was a moment of silence, a moment in which Lucy realized what she'd said out loud.

Looking around she made sure the guild was still mostly scarce, she really hoped no one overheard that.

Mira especially.

Lucy turned to smile at Wendy, it was a slightly awkward smile, and she knew her cheeks were cherry red by this point.

Wendy, bless her heart, seeing how uncomfortable she was, saved Lucy from herself and changed the subject smoothly.

"So, what kind of spirit is Capricorn?" The girl asked her with genuine enthusiasm and Lucy smiled gratefully at her before re-telling the memories she had of the Goat Spirit to the bluenette.

* ********* ********** ********** ********* *

"I'm boreed." Natsu exclaimed as he sat down next to Lucy. "Happy ditched us to go on a job with Charla and Wendy!" He almost whined. "Luce, why don't you go and pick a job for us, please? It's your turn." He put his head on her shoulder as he pouted up at her.

Lucy turned from her book to look at him and chuckled at his expression. "Erza went out with them too, and Gray actually agreed to go on a job with Juvia." She told him as she looked around the guild.

Most of the teams were gone on jobs.

She could see Cana drinking with Laxus at the bar, the rest of the Thunder Legion spread out through the guild, mingling with the rest of the mages.

"So what? We can still go, the two of us. You were my partner first." He grumbled the last part under his breath, making Lucy chuckle at him. "Please, I'm so bored and we haven't taken a job since before Christmas!" He pleaded with her.

"You could try out your new spirits in battle?" He told her and Lucy caved at the puppy eyes.

"Fine, I'll go see if there's anything interesting on the board." She told him as she went to stand.

There was a 'Whoop' from the fire mage that made her roll her eyes as she made her way towards the raised platform where Nab was perpetually looking for a job.

"Anything interesting?" She asked the man as she joined him.  Nab looked at her for a second before turning back to the board with a sigh.

"Nothing for me really, but you might like that one." He pointed to a flyer pinned to the wood. "Though if you're planning on going with Natsu, good luck making him take it."

Lucy looked over the flyer and instantly took it off the board. "Oh, ye of little faith. Watch me." She smiled at the man before making her way to her and Natsu's table.

"I found the perfect one!" She beamed at the pinkette as she put the paper between them. Natsu perked up at that and moved to look over the job.

His excitement was short-lived, as he groaned the moment he read through it. "This sounds even more boring than sitting around here." Natsu complained.

"Hey, we did what you wanted last time! I'm still trying to get my boots clean after that Vulcan incident." She argued back, shivering at the thought of the monster's guts covering her boots and pants.

She threw the pants away.

Natsu had the forethought to look sheepish as she reminded him of their last escapade, moving to scratch the back of his head. "I said I was sorry. I didn't think he'd explode like that." He shrugged as he tried to save himself. "I'll buy you new ones!"

"Well, it doesn't matter now. You said to pick a job and I did. Now I'm going to go and get it approved by Mira and we're leaving tomorrow morning. Got it?" Lucy told him as she took the paper from his hands.

"Aye, sir!" Natsu mumbled in defeat and buried his chin in his scarf.

Lucy smiled at him and made her way to the bar. "Hey, Mira." She greeted the girl.
"Hi, Lucy, can I get you some more tea?" The bartender asked her as she made her way to where she was standing.

The blond waved her off and put the paper in between them on the counter. "No, I need you to catalog this, Natsu and I are going to take it." She told the white-haired mage, who smiled in return and took the flyer to look over.

"Hmm, I don't remember this one coming in, they've never asked for help before. But everything looks good, so I'll catalog it for you. Make sure to keep him in line, yeah?" Mira asked Lucy, who chuckled and smiled at the girl.

"I'll try my best, but no promises!" Lucy bantered back, knowing that if Natsu set his mind to something, there wasn't really much that could stop him.

* ********* ********** ********** ********* *

Sakuramori Village was more like a city than a village. Not as large as Magnolia or Crocus. But big in its own right.

Lucy looked around as they walked down the main street. She loved visiting new places.

Her limited traveling opportunities as a child and young adult left her with a thirst for adventure and discovering new things.

Thankfully, her partner was an expert on both. It was never a dull day with Natsu Dragneel.

They were on their way to the local museum, the job description said there was a magical item accidentally on display that got stolen. There weren't many details, but the pay was good, and it sounded like a low-risk job.

One day, Lucy will learn that there were no 'Low Risk' jobs or situations when Fairy Tail was involved.

"You know they have some really good smoked meats here." Natsu said suddenly as he sniffed the air.

Her partner was also an expert when it came to food.

"We can check out all of that later. Let's go find our client and see what was stolen."
Lucy told him and pulled his hand so he wouldn't wander into a restaurant.

"I think they might have a magic shop here. We could check to see if they have any keys?" Natsu asked her, and Lucy turned to look at him with a curious expression.

"You said you wanted me to take you to every magic shop I know of." He told her with a small shrug, and Lucy was taken aback by the fact he paid attention.

"I didn't think you'd remember that." Lucy admitted to him shyly, turning her head to hide her blush. She should be used to his behavior by now, but he somehow manages to catch her off guard every time.

"'Course I remembered, it's you! Now let's go and beat up some thieves and then we can eat!" He told her, before suddenly taking her hand in his and sprinting towards the Museum.

* ********* ********** ********** ********* *

"You are an idiot." Lucy panted out as they stopped in front of the large wooden doors.

"Let's go see what all the fuss is about." Natsu replied, ignoring her insult, and pushed the doors open.

Lucy walked behind him, admiring her surroundings.

She had always loved museums. Her mother took her to a couple before her death, and being here has brought back wonderful memories of happier times.

"Wow, this place is fancy. I hope I don't accidentally break something." Natsu mumbled to her as they walked through the building, hands in his pockets as he looked around the various artifacts surrounding them.

"Just keep close to me and don't make any sudden movements. You'll be fine." Lucy reassured him as she looked for any of the staff.

Spotting a smartly dressed woman with a name tag, Lucy beelined for her, Natsu on her heel.

"Good afternoon, we are here from Fairy Tail. May I please speak to whoever is in charge?"Lucy smiled at the woman, who in turn looked at them with a smile of her own.

"That would be me. Helena Carter, head curator."

"Nice to meet you, Helena, My name is Lucy, this is Natsu, we're here on behalf of the posting you put out. Something regarding a stolen artifact?"

The woman looked utterly confused at Lucy's words. "I am sorry. You must be mistaken, we haven't had anything stolen from our museum." Helena replied, looking slightly bewildered and Lucy furrowed her brows at her confusion.

She was sure they were in the right place.

"Oh, we must have mixed up the towns, I apologize for the disturbance!"
She tried to sound casual and hoped the woman wouldn't get suspicious.

"It's not a problem, enjoy your visit here." The brunette dismissed them with a polite smile before leaving.

Lucy turned to Natsu with a frown. "That was weird." She told him.

Natsu shrugged and put his hands behind his head with a sigh. "I can't believe I rode a train here for hours for nothing." He pouted slightly and turned to look at her.

"Can we go eat now?" He pleaded with her and Lucy sighed.

"I need to call Mira and see if maybe I did get the town mixed up, and I kind of want to check out the Museum a little too." Lucy replied with a pout of her own, making the fire drakon sigh in defeat.

"Okay, but hurry and call the she-demon."

Lucy beamed at him before pulling out her phone to call Mira, hoping she really did get the town mixed up.

The white-haired mage picked up after two rings. "How's the job going? Did you make it to Sakuramori Village?" She greeted Lucy.

"So I didn't get anything mixed up, hey Mira, I was actually calling to confirm that we were supposed to come here. The head of the Museum didn't seem to know anything about you know the big M. And there hasn't been anything stolen either."

Lucy rambled to the girl, minding to keep her voice quiet, they were in a Museum.

"Oh, well that's strange. I'll go check with the Master and call you back." Mira told her before hanging up.

Lucy put her phone back in her pocket and turned to Natsu. "Okay, let's go explore."
She smiled at him and gleefully made her way through the different exhibits, the pinkette following behind her with a small smile of his own as he watched her.

"Ooh, this is from one of the Dongxia dynasties. They were supposedly mighty warriors of the sea."

Lucy went around the Museum, explaining the exhibits she knew to Natsu, and reading out loud the ones she didn't.

He didn't ask for a history lesson, but then again she didn't really care. And he wasn't complaining.

"So they were like pirates?" Natsu asked, sounding excited about the idea.

"Well, there are stories of pirates from everywhere, not just Dongxia. But they were known for being unbeatable on the sea. They had advanced boats for that time" Lucy told him, and his face paled at the thought of a boat.

"On second thought, I don't think I could be a pirate." He said suddenly and Lucy laughed at his ridiculousness. "Come on, this one looks cool." She said as she dragged him to the next room.

They walked around for a few minutes before Lucy saw something that stopped her in her tracks. "You good Luce?" Natsu asked her as he noticed her stillness.

"Natsu, am I going crazy, or does that look like?" Lucy trailed off as she carefully approached the glass in which a shining golden object was encased.

"That kinda looks like one of your keys or part of it." Natsu said from over her shoulder.

There in a glass display, in the middle of a Museum in Sakuramori Village was half of a gate key.

"Leo." Lucy said as she looked at the constellation embellished onto the gold.

Chapter Text

"The heck is a broken key doing in there? Does that mean this spirit is dead or something?"

Lucy could hear Natsu ask from somewhere behind her, but his voice was starting to fade in and out, echoing around her and she could feel a headache forming behind her right eye the longer she stared at the key.

'Leo, The Lion.' There was a haze around her mind as Lucy tried to recall any memories of such a spirit.

'Aquarius, Virgo, Pisces, Taurus, Scorpio, Libra, Aries, Sagittarius, Capricorn, Cancer, Gemini.'

Lucy went through all the zodiacs in her head, she remembered all of them from her childhood.

But no memories of Leo.

Lucy was certain her mother was in possession of all twelve gate keys before her death, so how come she couldn't remember this one? Why was it broken?

What was it doing in a museum?

Something about all of this feels weird.
It can't be a coincidence, their job turns out to be a hoax, only for them to find a golden key in the same place they were called to.

No, definitely not a coincidence.

The sudden buzzing of her phone in her pocket brought Lucy out of her head and she fished it out so she could answer it.

"Mira, there is no record of this job coming into the guild, is there?" She said into the phone, not taking her eyes off the broken key piece.

"I'm sorry Lucy, there isn't anything in our files about a request being sent in by anyone from Sakuramori Village in the past year, and what makes it even weirder is that the flyer you gave me yesterday is nowhere to be found." Mira told her with a slightly frustrated tone, and Lucy could hear the flipping of pages from the other end.

"I know I put it in here." Lucy heard her mumble over the phone as she searched through her books.

"Something about this doesn't feel right. The Master said you should come back to the guild so we can figure out what's happening." The older girl told her through the speaker.

"Mira," Lucy said in a serious tone, taking a deep breath before continuing. "We found a broken zodiac key in this Museum, a key that have no memory of.

And I have a feeling that we weren't sent here by accident, someone wanted me to find it." Lucy told her, hoping the take-over mage would understand.

"I'm sorry but I'm not coming back until I find out what's going on." Her tone was determined as she spoke, and there was a moment of silence on the other end.

The sudden appearance of Natsu behind her caused Lucy to almost jump out of her skin, fumbling with the phone for a second before putting it back to her ear.

His front was now firmly pressed against her back.

"Tell the old geezer we're not coming back till we see what's going on here, and don't worry about us. We'll be fine!" He spoke into the phone, his head pressed against hers.

"And could you ask Wendy to take care of Happy till we get back?" Natsu added as an afterthought, remembering that the exceed did not come with them on this job.

Lucy was shocked still by the suddenness of their proximity, hyper-aware of every single nerve ending that was in contact with Natsu.

She knew that her heartbeat was going crazy at his presence.

His heat and scent enveloped her the moment they touched, she could feel the way his chest moved against her back, slowly synchronizing with her breathing, the way his breath hit her cheeks as he spoke, his hair tickling her forehead.

It was almost overwhelming. Was she ever going to get used to being this close to him?

Lucy was also aware that Natsu could hear said heartbeat and tried taking a breath to calm herself, hoping the drakon wouldn't think anything of it. "Are you guys sure? I really think you should come back so we can figure it out together."

Lucy could hear the worry in Mira's voice through the phone, but she couldn't go back now. Not when the gleaming key was staring back at her. "He's right, we'll be fine. I promise to check in, and keep you posted." Lucy told her, hoping to compromise with the older girl.

There was a sigh from the other end.

"Fine, but you make sure to keep me in the loop, and I am not to blame for what the Master has in store for you two for not following orders! We'll talk later. Good luck." With those parting words, Mira hung up before they had a chance to respond.

Lucy heard and felt Natsu's groan as he dropped his head into the crook of her neck. "Aww man, I hope he doesn't make me clean the guild again."

His breath was warm against her skin, and Lucy could feel the goosebumps forming along her neck, sending a slight shiver down her spine.

Holding back a squeak at the sudden sensation, it took Lucy a few tries before she was able to respond without sounding like she inhaled helium.

"Hey, whatever happens, at least we'll be together. Right?" Lucy said, wanting to cheer her partner up as she turned to face Natsu with a smile.

Only she grossly underestimated the distance between them and was suddenly nose-to-nose with the pink-haired man.

Their eyes locked, and it seemed like the temperature around them was increasing with every passing moment.

Natsu stared at her for a few seconds with one of his stoic expressions, the one where you could never tell what's gonna come out of his mouth next, before suddenly smiling back at her.

"You're right! It's always more fun when we're together!" He said as he lowered his head a few centimeters and their foreheads connected.

Lucy's heart was speeding up again at his causal public display of affection, he really did not have any concept of personal space.

"Okay, let's find out what a magical broken key is doing here!" He said with enthusiasm as he withdrew from her bubble and went to look back at the glass case.

Lucy took the opportunity and surveyed the room, noticing a few people here and there, but thankfully no one was focused on the two of them in the corner.

She made her way closer, wanting to get a better look at the broken key piece.

She could feel a faint pulse of magical energy coming from the object behind the glass. The magic felt melancholy and woeful and Lucy's heart clenched the closer she got.

"It feels sad." She said quietly.

"Yeah, I can feel it too, but if it still has magic that's a good thing. Right?" Natsu asked and Lucy turned to face him.

"I have no idea. But I know who does." She said and took his hand, leading him through the building. "I think we should find a secluded place in the forest so I can summon one of my spirits and ask them.

They must know what happened to Leo."

Lucy told him as they made their way out of the Museum, neither of them noticing the eyes following them.

* ********* ********** ********** ********* *

Mira looked down at the phone with a troubled look on her face and let out a sigh.

She did not have a good feeling about this.

And she was not looking forward to telling the Master that Natsu and Lucy decided not to follow a direct order and went to investigate on their own.

But then again, was she really surprised?

Natsu was never known for following orders and has always done things his way.  Not to mention that it seems like ever since Lucy joined the guild things have gotten..interesting, to say the least.

Mira and her siblings have been a part of Fairy Tail longer than most of the younger members, and even some of the older ones.

She's known Natsu since he came to the guild.

Mira remembers the angry little boy that he was back then, remembers how abandoned he felt by his father, and how he made it everyone's problem.

The amount of damage done to the guild in his first few years at Fairy Tail was a headache just thinking about.

It was an agonizingly slow process, getting him to trust his guild mates, and even then his resolve to find his father never wavered.

As soon as he was old enough to go out on his own jobs, his quest was never-ending. Leading him to scour Fiore aimlessly for years.

Mira had always felt pity for the drakon, hopelessly searching for someone who may not be out there.

Nothing anyone said or did could get him to stop, or even slow down.

No matter how many times the Master put him on 'House Arrest'. (Which was just having different mages watch him in shifts to make sure he doesn't go running off by himself.) The fire Drakon would either wait them out or find a way to escape.

Not even the threat of Erza and her swords was enough to get him to slow down.

Eventually, they all just gave up.

As long as he was coming back unharmed every couple of weeks or months, they left him to his search.

When they finally figured out how to use technology without the interference of magic, they made him check in with her every week.

'So how did Lucy manage to do it without even trying?' Mira let out a sigh at her thoughts as she re-polished the bar once more.

"I promise you there is not a spot anywhere on this surface, but you might make a dent in the wood if you keep going at it like that." An amused but gruff voice broke her out of her thoughts and Mira's head snapped to see the Leader of the Thunder Legion sitting on one of the stools.

"What can I get you today Laxus?" She asked in her best polite tone, avoiding their usual banter. She held back a wince at how it came out, knowing he wouldn't buy it.

And sure enough, the blonde only slouched further on the bar and raised a brow at her.

"What has you so strung up?" He asked her in an almost lazy tone.

"It's nothing, just thinking." Mira responded briskly, trying to dodge the interrogation, and hoping he would drop the subject.

"Okay, if you say so. Can you get me a pint?" He asked with raised hands as if surrendering.

"It's barely noon." Was her only response as she went to pour the beer.

"Your point being?" He asked with a shrug as she set the glass in front of him.

"At least you're not as bad as Cana. I swear one of these days she's gonna get alcohol poisoning." Mira said with a sigh as she turned to look at the card mage who was sitting at her designated spot at the end of the bar, drinking her wine barrel.

There was a snort from Laxus at her words as he went to drink his beer.

"Don't compare me to that drunk, and I'm pretty sure her blood is more booze than anything else by now."

Mira let out a laugh at that, knowing it was probably true.

"Ah, so it wasn't anything dire then, you wouldn't have laughed if it was." Laxus commented between sips, smirking at her through the rim of the glass.

Mira shot him a glare and tried to suppress the urge to stick her tongue out at him, that would only give him ideas.

"Natsu and Lucy went out on a job to Sakuramori Village today, only it turns out that no one sent for help from the Museum, and we have no records of the job coming in." Mira started to ramble, giving in to his probing.

"Even the flyer Lucy gave me yesterday is gone!" She exclaimed as she slouched on the bar.

"Lucy? That blonde that I met on New Year's?" Laxus questioned, sounding thoroughly confused. "Why would she be out on a job with Natsu of all people?" He asked making Mira peek at him through her hands and sit up straight.

"You've been gone a while, things have.." Mira trailed off trying to think of a good way to describe the current situation. "Progressed." She settled on that, but it only seemed to confuse the lightning mage and he raised a brow at her in question.

Mira sighed as she went to give him a rundown of the past few months.

"A few months ago Natsu brought Lucy back to the guild after one of his jobs. He found her in Hargeon." She decided to start there, from what seemed like the beginning.

"She was attacked by a Lethifold and he saved her, only by the time he got there the creature had already taken a portion of her energy." Mira stopped to take a breath, looking back at Laxus to see if he was paying attention.

The blonde was focused on her words, his beer was set on the tabletop and his body was leaning towards her slightly, an intrigued expression on his face as he listened.

While on their job, the Thunder Legion wasn't kept in the loop about the going ons at Fairy Tail.

They did know that Phantom Lord attacked the guild and the Master was gravely injured, they were on their way back when the whole thing was resolved and Mira called to let them know everything and everyone was fine.

So they decided to go back and finish their job, figuring since everything was settled and they only had a few months left that it was the right thing to do.

It wasn't surprising that Laxus would want to know the gossip, they may not look it, but the Thunder Legion were notorious gossips.

Their leader especially.

"Thankfully, Porlyusica and Wendy were able to heal her, and Lucy, as you know is fine." She told him with a small smile before continuing.

"At first I didn't think anything of it. I mean it was obvious Lucy had a seal that was about to burst, not to mention the energy that was stolen by the Lethifold." Mira shook her head as she remembered Natsu barging in through the portal with an unconscious Lucy in his arms.

"Any one of us would help save and bring back an injured mage. Even you wouldn't let someone die in a backwards alleyway." She joked, making Laxus scowl at her little jab.

He seemed invested by this point, looking at her with a raised eyebrow as he tilted his head towards her, his way of asking her to continue.

"Then the next day I noticed that Natsu was still mingling in the guild." Mira continued retelling him the events.

"It was strange, Happy was out at the time, and the job he took in Hargeon was an easy and short one, I expected him to be on his way to the next town by morning as usual." She mused, knowing Laxus understood how abnormal that was coming from the fire drakon.

"Only he seemed content in just waiting. So he stayed." Mira said as she thought back to when Lucy told her she and Natsu were going on a job together.

It was quite a shock.

"He stayed until Lucy woke up, he was there to save her from a rouge chair during one of the brawls, he refused to leave her side until she woke up after her magic broke through the seal." She let out a chuckle as she remembered how baffled everyone was when he volunteered to take her back to Hargeon.

Mira watched the mix of emotions on Laxus's face as she explained Natsu's recent behavior.

It was amusing to see the disbelief, shock, and surprise all in a matter of seconds, but she could understand why.

She was still wrapping her head around the sudden change, but it was a surprisingly pleasant one if you ask her.

Everything at Fairy Tail was always wonted.

Mira was used to the routine, she knew the members of her guild like the back of her hand.

She could accurately predict what anyone was going to do or how they would react to most situations.

Not to mention that being the designated barkeep comes with its privileges, like being in on all the gossip. That was a major one for the take-over mage.

So it was a monumental surprise when one day Natsu was just, there.

It has been almost four months and Natsu was still here. He hasn't left Lucy's side since he brought her to the guild.

It was odd at first for everyone, Mira could tell. Seeing Natsu mingling about and interacting with everyone on a day-to-day basis in a way he hasn't before.

Well, he has, just never this consistently.

Usually, Natsu would come in after a job every couple of weeks, he would pick a fight with the members if he was bored or annoyed, eat, and drink on occasion.

But it was never longer than a day or two. Week at most and he was off.

And seeing the way that he is with Lucy is astonishing. He's only ever trusted Happy, and Wendy to an extent.

But it was something else too, a part of him seemed to have settled in a way she hadn't seen before. It was like he was content as long as Lucy was there.

That's why Mira thought they would be together by now, it's just so obvious.

"And now they're on a job together, wow. You know I thought it was weird he was still around the guild after New Year's. This is progress. Who knew that flame brain could get the girl." Laxus mused as he finally wrapped his head around her words.

Mira leveled him with an unimpressed look, before sighing and slumping slightly on the counter. "You didn't see him when Phantom Lord attacked, he was livid when he realized Lucy was taken."

She shook off the mental image of Natsu coming through the doors with a beaten and bloody Lucy in his arms. She was almost unrecognizable, and Natsu looked like he was on the verge of a killing spree.

"What did Phantom want with a new member?" Laxus asked as he sipped his beer.

"Wow, you guys missed a lot of drama." Mira mumbled, realizing they didn't know anything of Lucy's family.

"Um, so Lucy's kind of, like royalty." That information seemed to have stunned the lightning mage.

"Her father is Duke Jude Heartfilia, and she's, well, a Duchess by birth."

There was a moment of silence before Laxus regained the ability to speak again. "So Phantom kidnapped her for ransom or something?" He asked, and Mira could see why he would think that funny how the truth was much worse.

"Actually, her father hired them to bring her back home." Mira said in a quiet tone.

"He what?" Laxus sounded outraged at the thought. "Why would anyone in their right mind do something like that?" He went to stand from his stool, his breath was getting heavy with each word and Mira could tell he was getting angry.

"Oh calm down, we already kicked their ass and sent them packing. No need for all of this." She waved her hand in front of him as he glared at her, trying to intimidate her.

Mira laughed at the thought and sent him her deadliest glare, causing him to back off with his hands raised in surrender.

"Jose wanted to take us down, as you already know, and the fact that he was getting paid was a bonus to him." Mira kept explaining. "He wasn't even going to fulfill the obligation he was hired for, once he found out what Lucy's magic was.." She trailed off, knowing Laxus would understand.

"But we managed to take them down, Lucy even went to confront her father after everything settled. Remember when Natsu came bustling through the guild like a madman?" Mira asked him, remembering he was there that day.

"Yeah, vaguely, I had quite the hangover. He was in a panic, I just assumed he found out something about his dad." The blonde shrugged.

"Well, it wasn't that. He was worried about Lucy." She told him with a huff.

"So what are you so worked up about? That Natsu is in love? I mean yeah it's shocking, I honestly thought that he was Asexual or Aromantic or something, but good for him. So have the bets started yet?" Laxus asked her, and Mira stared at him with a baffled expression.

"Why would you think he was Asexual?" She asked. "Really? That's what you're focusing on?" He asked her in slight exasperation.

Mira only shot him a look, crossing her arms as she raised a brow. "I mean I've never seen him show attraction to any gender before, not even on like a physical level. It seemed like he just didn't care about any of that. His goal of finding Igneel was always his first and only priority."

The man shrugged as he spoke, moving to take a sip of his beer.

"Huh, I never thought of it that way, I always assumed he was either a late bloomer or particular about what he likes." Mira said, thinking of the time when poor Lisanna had a crush on the fire drakon.

Her sister never had a chance.
While Natsu was kinder to her than most in their younger days, he was still reserved in his own way.

"I'm not worked up about him being in love. I think it's great. And there is a betting pool going around." Mira said with a wicked smile before continuing.

"I just have a weird feeling about this false job they're on. Lucy's magic is very rare, and if Jose wanted to use it I imagine there are others as well." She told him, voice somber as she shared her fears.

"Word travels fast in our world and you know how far people will go to obtain power."

* ********* ********** ********** ********* *

"Are we far enough yet? And why couldn't we get food in town, I'm starving." Natsu asked as they trekked through the forest.

Lucy looked around and determined that they were far enough for her to use magic.
"We can stop here." She told him and put her backpack next to a tree.

"There's some sandwiches in my bag, you can eat that while I talk to my spirits." She pointed to her backpack and Natsu let out a 'Whoop' at the mention of food and be-lined to where she set it.

Lucy chuckled at him and made her way a few meters from where he was standing.

"Okay, time to get answers." Lucy said and went for her zodiacs, figuring Capricorn was her best bet for this.

Only when she went to take the key off its ring it got incredibly hot and scorched her fingers.

"Ouch! What the?" She blew on her fingers as she looked down at her keys.

The golden ones were all glowing slightly, and as she went to touch them, they all burned her off.

Virgo was less hot to the touch than the rest and Lucy braved through the pain and summoned the maid spirit.

"Good afternoon Princess, is it time for my punishment?" She appeared bowing in a golden glow.

"No punishments Virgo, why are the keys burning me?" Lucy asked her, hoping the pink-haired woman would give her an explanation.

"I am sorry Princess, but we cannot give you the answers you are looking for. None of us want to hurt you, but we will not come out if it means you asking the impossible of us."

Lucy stared at the spirit in shock, this was the second time she's been denied answers by her spirits. She just couldn't understand why.

"Oy Virgo, I thought you were cool, what do ya mean you can't answer a simple question? Why did we find a broken key in that Museum?" Natsu's voice came from over her shoulder, he was closer than before. Lucy hadn't even noticed he had moved.

Virgo looked at them with a sorrowful expression on her usually stoic face. "I am sorry, we want to help you Princess, but I'm afraid we can't. Not with this." The pink-haired spirit bowed once more before disappearing with a flash of golden light.

Lucy let out a frustrated sigh at the turn of events, not understanding why this was happening. They refused to give her any information on her family history, and now they won't even come out to talk to her about Leo.

To go as far as to burn her, Lucy shook her head as she rubbed her forefinger and thumb.

They were still stinging a bit.

"Well, she wasn't any help." Natsu said from behind her, and Lucy couldn't help but laugh at his obtuseness.

"No, she wasn't." She mumbled as she turned to face him.

"I wonder if Grampa Crux would be willing to help." Lucy mused out loud and went for her silver key.

Thankfully the Cross didn't heat up and let himself be summoned.

He was sleeping when he appeared in front of them. "Grampa Crux?" Lucy asked tentatively.

"Good morning, what can I help you with today Lady Lucy?" The old spirit answered in a gruff voice and Lucy smiled at him.

"Good morning, I was wondering what information you have on Leo, the Lion." She asked with bated breath, not knowing the reaction she was going to get.

There was a silence in the forest after her question, Lucy thought he might have fallen asleep again, but then the spirit let out a sigh.

"I am sorry My Lady, there is not much I can tell you." His voice was apologetic as he spoke.

"Leo, the lion is the leader of the Zodiacs, represented by the constellation of Leo. He is known for being one of the strongest spirits in our Realm." The Clock told them and Lucy looked at Natsu with a worried look before turning back to Crux.

"But we just found his key broken in a Museum. What does that mean?" Lucy asked desperation in her voice. She wanted answers, dammit.

The spirit sighed once more, tilting slightly in their direction. "There are many things that we need to learn on our own. I am afraid this is one of them." The cryptic words only made Lucy more frustrated, why do they always talk in riddles?

"Do not fret My Lady, I find in circumstances like these, it's best to retrace one's steps." Crux told her with a tip to his mustache, indicating a smile from the spirit.

Lucy smiled back at him, still slightly annoyed by the lack of answers, but grateful to the old spirit nonetheless.

"Thank you, you may go back now." She told him and he disappeared with a bow.

"What is it with your spirits and not liking to answer questions?" Natsu asked sounding annoyed at their enigmatic words.

Lucy laughed as she looked back at him, his chin was buried in his scarf, and she could tell he was slightly pouting.

"At least Grampa Crux gave us a clue. Come on, let's go back into town and find somewhere to sleep, and eat." She told him as she started walking back towards the Village.

"Yooshh! Let's go get food!" Natsu sounded beyond excited at the thought of food, and Lucy smiled at how childlike he could be.

Chapter Text

"So what exactly is our plan?"

Natsu asked her as he leaned back in his chair, looking content as he rubbed his stomach in satisfaction.

They'd just finished eating a late lunch in a restaurant near their inn, after following Natsu's nose to what he claimed was 'The best place in town.'

Lucy looked up at him from her cup of tea.

While he was busy eating half the restaurant, she was contemplating whether they should go through with the plan circling her mind, or think of something different.

She wasn't exactly looking forward to breaking and entering, but there was no other way.

They needed to get closer to the key.

"We're going to wait till the Museum closes, and then sneak in to try and get a better look at Leo's key." She told him, keeping her voice quiet so as to not be overheard by the people around them.

Natsu sat up straight at her words, eyes bulging out from shock. "We're gonna what?" He asked, sounding slightly baffled at her plan.

Lucy bit back a smile as she watched his reaction. "Sneak into the Museum after it closes." She said, slower this time.

"We need to get as close to the key as possible, maybe even try to take it out of the glass and see if it will react to my magic in some way."

Now, Lucy wasn't one to commend theft, and it hopefully won't come to that, but she needed to see this through, for her Mother, for Leo, and herself.

"Grampa Crux said we should retrace our steps, so back to Museum it is. There must be something there that can help us." Lucy started explaining her logic.

"Besides, we can't have people walking around when we're trying to investigate magic, so we go after it closes." She explained with a shrug as she looked through the window at the street.

"If none of my spirits will give me the answers I want, we are going out and finding them ourselves." Lucy almost mumbled to herself as she watched the crowds of people pass them by.

Everyone rushing through the streets in hopes of getting out of the cold, living their lives completely untroubled and unaware of the dangers that are lurking around them.

Watching them almost made her miss the simplicity of not being aware of the Magic World.

Though where would she be if it weren't for magic? Better yet, where would she be if it weren't for the person across her?

Dead, probably.

There was no doubt about it, that dementor thing would have killed her that night if Natsu hadn't intervened.

If not for the attack, Lucy would have eventually been found by her father and married off.

His stunt with Phantom Lord assured her of that.

She would be doomed to spend her whole life not knowing the truth about her Mother, or herself. Which is fate far worse than death, if you ask her.

So they will be getting to the bottom of this.

Lucy was just so tired of being kept in the dark. She was tired of not knowing her family history, not knowing about her magic, not knowing who she really was.

Her search with Levy came to a halt around the Holidays and with all the craziness that happened, they haven't gotten a chance to restart.

Honestly, they did not have much to go on.

It seemed like every new text or book they found had the same information as all the others, it was beyond frustrating.

There was the letter Lucy got from her mom, but that was safely tucked away at the bottom of one of her drawers back home.

She wasn't ready to read her mother's last words.

"Okay, we'll rob the Museum, but promise me that we will never tell Erza about this, she'll kill me." Natsu's proclamation brought Lucy out of her head and she looked back at her partner with a slight chuckle.

"I don't think it'll come to us robbing the place, but I promise not to tell Erza." She smiled at him and put her hand over his on the table.

"Good, that's good." He mumbled back, burying his chin into his scarf. "You wanna go find a magic shop while we wait?" He asked, seemingly coy all of a sudden, his expression neutral as he went to get up, offering his hand for her to take.

Lucy looked up at him with a smile and clasped their hands as she stood up. "Yes! Yes I do, come on let's go." She said excitedly as she pulled him out of the restaurant, his laughter following them outside.

She continued pulling him down a few streets, and Natsu let her twist and turn them through the town before suddenly Lucy stopped in her tracks and realized she had no idea where they were supposed to be going.

She turned to look back at Natsu sheepishly. "I don't actually know where to look for one?" She told him, the statement coming out more like a question, making Natsu laugh at her admission.

"Well, every decently sized town is sure to have at least one shop." He started explaining as he looked around the street they were on.

"Crocus, for example, is known in our community for having the most in Fiore. They're usually in less public areas, there's a smaller risk of someone wandering in.

Remember the one we went to in Magnolia?" He asked her with a grin on his face, knowing fully well she remembered.

Lucy nodded, recalling the abandoned stores and shabby shops.

"Good, so we just look in places like that! That's how I do it, well, I also follow my nose, I can usually smell the weird herbs and magic when they're close."

Natsu said as he suddenly pulled her in the opposite direction and they started making their way to the other side of town.

Lucy looked up at him and then down at their joined hands. He was walking half a step faster than her, making her almost stumble as she tried to keep up with his stride.

They made their way through the crowded streets, and Lucy was once again thankful that he'd started wearing the boots she bought him for Christmas.

Though the snow around him still melted away from his heat, and he refused to wear a proper coat, but small victories.

The same heat was currently responsible for keeping her warm from the chilly January air, and it made Lucy grateful once more to have a fire drakon for a partner.

She honestly can't remember how she managed winters without him.

The crowds of people seemed to be getting thinner as they made their way through town and Lucy suddenly wondered what people thought when they saw them together.

They were a bit of an odd pair.

As they walked through Sakuramori Village, looking out for anything that looked like a Magic Shop, Lucy purposefully decided to take the opportunity of the fact that it was just the two of them on the job and listened to Levy's advice.

"Hey, can I ask you something?" She said breaking the comfortable silence that settled over them, her voice was slightly timid as she spoke.

"You can ask me anything Luce, you know that." Natsu answered with a playful bump to her shoulder, and she could hear the smile, mixed with confusion about her sudden mood change in his voice, could feel his eyes burning into her profile.

She made it a point not to look at him, not really wanting to see his expression to her next words, and willing herself to speak.

There was a lull as Lucy tried, and failed to gather her thoughts and think of the best way she could approach the topic.

"It's just, I've noticed that you've been a bit... Vigilant, since Phantom's attack. And with everything that happened after, when I left to see my father." The words 'Without you' were left hanging between them as Lucy continued to trip over her words, trying to rush everything out as fast as she could.

"I know we talked it out when you guys found me at the Mansion, but I just feel like I need to apologize again for just leaving like that and not telling you about it." Once she started talking it was like a flood of words came pouring out. "I didn't think. I didn't think of how it would look, and of how you would react."

She took a breath as she looked at him. "I'm sorry for how I executed my plan, I just felt like I had to do it on my own."

Lucy continued talking, even after willing herself to withhold her words. "It just feels that by leaving like that, I've betrayed your trust in some way."

They both stopped walking as she spoke those words.

Lucy looked over his shoulder as she finished, refusing to make eye contact with him, which in turn made Natsu step to the right so he could be in her field of vision.

The expression on his face was surprisingly pensive, and in any other situation, Lucy would find it funny, cute even.

But right now all she could feel was nervousness.

"What are ya talking about, weirdo? What's Vagulant even mean?" For all the seriousness of his expression, his response left Lucy feeling like she was going to combust.

Of course, what else was she expecting? This was Natsu, after all.

"It's Vigilant, and it means being, like, on the lookout, watchful, on guard. You have been all of those things, and maybe even a little protective?" She tried to articulate her thoughts without completely calling him out and the look on his face made her think that it wasn't working, so Lucy tried a different approach.

"I don't know if any of this makes sense." Lucy said with a small huff as she ran her hand through her bangs, slightly frustrated with herself for lacking the words after she spent hours rehearsing every avenue of how this conversation would go.

Leave it to Natsu to throw her off her game.

She should have expected it, really.

"What I'm trying to say is, I am sorry for disappearing like that. But you have my word it won't happen again. Don't worry about me, I'm not planning on going anywhere."

She finally managed to stop talking, feeling a little out of breath from her confession, and waited with a fluttering heart for him to respond, wringing her fingers anxiously as she did.

Natsu's eyes were narrowed as he looked at her, contemplating her words.

The heat around them seemed to double in a span of seconds as they looked at each other, the intensity of it making Lucy almost sweat under her layers.

It was in moments like these, that she was reminded that when he wanted to, her partner could be very intense.

It was easy to forget when his usual behavior was so carefree.

Natsu usually walked around like he owned the world, and was certain that everything would always work out for him.

And to his credit, from what she's witnessed so far, it does.

Either way, being on the receiving end of his gaze when he was like this was nerve-wracking in its own way.

There was no fear on her side, (like he could ever hurt her) but it did something, Lucy just wasn't ready to dig into it.

Not yet anyway, there was still so much she didn't know and now was not the time.

"I have this gut feeling that something terrible is coming. I don't know how to describe it, it's like an instinct, and those have never failed me before." He finally responded, a frown on his face as told her what's been worrying him.

"I can't tell you why, who, or even when. There's just a sense of terror looming over me that I can't seem to shake off."

Natsu's words made her heart sink and Lucy's gaze shifted to look at the cracked pavement, avoiding eye contact again. His tone was grave, and he looked visibly shaken by whatever this feeling was.

Lucy didn't know what to think at his revelation, a part of her wanted to dismiss Natsu's gut feeling, to just say it was unnecessary paranoia on his part from everything that's happened.

But the logical part knew that was probably not true.

His gut has yet to fail them.

"And I know you're not going anywhere, Fairy Tail is your home!" It was his tone that made her look back up, and what she saw was him smiling down at her.

Like a switch flipped, all his previous worries and fears were gone, replaced by one of his crooked smiles.

It was a little lopsided on the left side, but it made him look soft in a way.

Lucy smiled at him, feeling a familiar warmth envelop her down to her bones as they just smiled at each other for a moment.

"I'm sorry." He muttered quietly, breaking the comfortable silence that seemed to have overtaken them, making Lucy's smiling expression shift into a confused one.

"For being, Vigilant, or whatever." He explained as he looked around the street.

"It's easier to manage when you're around, and I like knowing that you're safe." This came out slightly muffled, as he spoke through his scarf, and Lucy felt like she was going to melt at how cute he looked.

She knew without a doubt that her cheeks were flaming red from his words and prayed she could play it off as being from the cold.

"It's okay, I'm glad I can help." Lucy stumbled through her words, cursing herself for being easily affected by his soft smiles.

A part of her felt bad for feeling annoyed by his overprotectiveness when he was going through these feelings alone.

Though he was a tad overbearing at times.

But knowing the reason behind it made her feel terrible. Maybe if she'd asked earlier she could have helped him in some way, or at least know that she was helping him.

Clearing her throat she tried again. "Thank you for telling me about your worries. I'm glad that you can find some comfort." Lucy said moving her hand to squeeze his shoulder. "I know that if and when someone decides to make a move, we will be ready. All of us."

She moved her hand down to clasp their hands and give him a comforting squeeze.

The casual intimacy that they're able to share still astounds her.
It just felt so normal.

"Honestly, I'd like to see someone try. I feel sorry for the poor bastards that come after Fairy Tail, they're in for a hell of a beating!" She said in a half-teasing tone, wanting to lighten the mood.

That got a smile out of the pink-haired man, and with a nod to her words, he pulled her down the street, resuming their search for a Magic Shop.

"You're right, anyone who dares to try is in for a world of hurt." His words came out teasing, but Lucy could hear the serious undertones and suppressed a shiver.

She knew a portion of what he was capable of, and it wasn't going to be pretty for anyone who dared threaten his friends.

"Come on, I think I can smell something over there." That was said with more genuine excitement, the tension of their conversation evaporating just as quickly as it came as Natsu started walking faster down one of the streets, with Lucy scurrying to keep up.

* ********* ********** ********** ********* *

Natsu watched fondly as Lucy roamed through the store, following behind her as she hummed her way down the isles, looking through all the magical baubles with pure excitement.

It was the only Magic Shop in the Village, but it was decently sized and had a good collection of items in his opinion.

Though he had no interest in buying anything today.

He usually only went to stores like this when he needed new clothes, or to replace something he'd broken, or burned.

No, Natsu was here solely because of Lucy.
She wanted to search every shop for a key, and he was damned if he wasn't going to help her.

He looked back to where he could see her rummaging through the rack of scrolls and smiled to himself at how cute she looked.

Her eyebrows were furrowed in concentration as she meticulously read every title, and he found it incredibly endearing.

She was a weird girl.

Natsu knew that from the start, hence the nickname, but there was something in the way she appeared in his life out of seemingly nowhere, and managed to adapt and settle into it like it was nothing that just fascinated him in a way.

It seems like everything she does fascinates him.

And since the moment they met, it's like her very presence seems to have a calming effect on him.

Her determination to learn about herself and her magic inspired him, her will to live was extremely impressive, first with the Lethifold and then everything that happened with Phantom Lord, and her father.

He simply found her remarkable.

To find out your whole life was a lie, and adapt to your surroundings like you were always a part of them. It was incredible, to say the least.

Her power was also something that, at times, felt even older than his, and that was saying something. The depths of her potential were incredible, and that was in part what scared him.

A lot of people desire power and will stop at nothing to get it.

What he failed to mention earlier was that all of his instincts were screaming at him Lucy was going to be the one in danger, and by default that does mean Fairy Tail as a whole.

They always protect their own.

But someone out there was coming for his partner, and Nastu was not having it.

"Natsu! Come, look at this!" Lucy's voice sounded excited as she called out and he made his way to where she was standing still by the collection of scrolls.

'Maybe she found something about her magic or family.' He thought as he approached her smiling form.

"Look, this text here tells some kind of story about Dragons, I thought you might be interested. It's in a different language, but there could be something in here that could help with your search!" She beamed at him, and Natsu felt his heart clench at her thoughtfulness.

It's been a long time since anyone has taken him seriously regarding his father's disappearance.

Even in a world with magic, talking cats, and creatures of all kinds lurking in the dark, people still laughed and scoffed at any mention of a Dragon.

They supposedly haven't been seen in over 400 years.

And as much as he loved them, Natsu knew all his guild mates felt sorry for him, whether they believed his story or not.

Everyone has their shit, and at the end of the day, they are a family.

But after being laughed at in his childhood, and then being pitied for believing Igneel was out there after all these years...It was nice to have someone who genuinely wanted to help.

Someone who, dare he say, believes he has a chance of finding his father.

"That's a good find, there isn't much on Dragons out there these days." Natsu said with a smile as he took the parchment from her.

He inspected the paper and unraveled the scroll to see if he would recognize anything.

It seemed to be written in old Draconian, it was the language Igneel taught him, alongside English.

One of the rare times Natsu paid attention when learning was involved. Knowing an ancient dragon language just sounded so cool to an 8-year-old Natsu.

In the end, he learned it better than English and Erza had to enlist Levy's help with teaching him when he first showed up at the guild.

A shiver ran down his spine as he remembered Erza's lessons.

Never. Again.

"I think, I'll take it, maybe it ends up being helpful, and if not, then I have one more thing to remind me of Igneel." He told her with a smile as he shook off his thoughts of the past and tucked the scroll gently under his arm.

It's been a while since he's found something to read in Draconian.
It should be fun.

"Anything else catch your eye?" Natsu asked, curious to see what else she's found.

"Oh, I found this neat bag, that has like endless storage! It's so cool, there's also some jewelry that's cute, but I don't need it." Lucy answered him with a shrug, before going to show the bag she found.

It looked simple enough, a dark blue material held together by a strap with some star, and moon charms on it.

Natsu didn't follow woman's fashion, so he couldn't tell you if the bag was ugly or not, but Lucy seemed to like it.

Whether that's because it was magic, or cute was beyond him.

"That's awesome, you can store endless snacks in there for me, and fish for Happy!" He told her, his mouth watering at the prospect of endless food storage.

Lucy went to shove his shoulder, failing to suppress a smile at his bottomless stomach. "I am not storing raw or cooked fish in my new bag." She told him slowly and sternly, making Natsu pout at her.

There was a sigh from the blonde as she watched him pout. "If you're nice, I might store some snacks, but meat is out of the question!"

She gave in to him, but not without putting up a fight, as she pointed a finger in his direction. Making Natsu fight the urge to laugh at how cute she looked when she was rilled up.

"Okay, no meats." He said with raised hands in surrender. "That is a really cool bag though. Any keys?"

He decided to ask, curious to see if she'd had any luck as he'd begun wondering just how rare the Gate Keys were.

Lucy seems to be finding them everywhere she goes.

"No luck with that, though I was going to ask the shopkeeper on our way out." She told him as they continued roaming the store, albeit aimlessly this time.

"Well, what are we waiting for then? Let's go and ask the man." Natsu said as he took her hand in his and pulled her through the isles to the register.

* ********* ********** ********** ********* *

The Magic Shop didn't end up having any gate keys, but Lucy wasn't disappointed.

They have a big enough mystery with Leo's key and the fake job that lured them here, besides, she was sure there were more of them out there, waiting for her.

And when they are done with all of this, she is making Natsu take her to every Magic shop in the country.

It was nearing half past Eleven in the evening when they found themselves breaking back into the museum.

She and Natsu had staked the Museum as it closed, wanting to see what kind of security they had. It appeared that, apart from locking the doors, they didn't take any other precautions.

One of the windows in the back of the building was fortunately left unlocked, and it was surprisingly easy to get into.

Lucy thinks that in a small community like this, breaking and entering on public property must not be an issue.

"This is boring, I thought we were gonna dance through some lasers or something." Natsu half whined as they walked through the museum, looking for the display with Leo's key.

"Oh, you've watched too many action movies, they won't have that kind of security here." Lucy suppressed a laugh at his ridiculousness. "Though I am surprised by the lack of security." She mused her thoughts to him as they turned the corner into the room they were looking for.

The room where they found Leo's key on display that morning.

"It somehow feels stronger." Lucy said as she stopped at the entrance, feeling the intense magic energy of the key all the way from across the room.

Turning back, she looked at Natsu for support. His instincts were always accurate.

The pinkette gave her an encouraging nod, a flashed her a small smile. It gave her the necessary strength and with that, she stepped forward, with Natsu following one step behind until they were back in front of the glass.

"What do you think it means? That the energy is stronger now." Lucy asked after a few moments of them just staring at the display.

She could feel the buzz of magic envelop her more and more, the closer she got to the key.

It was a similar feeling to when she summoned her spirits, only somehow melancholy.

"I don't know, maybe it felt your magic this morning, and now it's reacting even stronger." Natsu theorized, and she felt him shrug one shoulder from behind her.

"I don't think there's an alarm on this, maybe I can just take it out of the glass." Lucy mumbled as she inspected the display for any hidden triggers for an alarm.

"Do you have the substitute?" She asked him and turned around so they were facing each other.

Natsu searched through his pockets before finally finding the key they had purchased earlier today.

It was a simple golden key.

They decided to break it in half and with Mira's help they managed to enchant it to look like Leo's key. This way, no one will notice it's gone, and a potential magical item is no longer on display for anyone to stumble onto.

"Here ya go, hurry up and make the switch so we can leave. This place gives me the creeps when it's dark like this." He told her as he handed the key.

"Okay, give me a minute, the last thing we want is to damage something." Lucy shot back as she turned to the glass display with a sigh.

Setting the fake key in her pocket, she carefully lifted the glass and handed it to Natsu, before taking Leo's key and replacing it with the fake.

She felt the zap of magic as her hand and the key touched.

The metal glowed and flared hot for a moment, stinging Lucy's palm slightly before simmering down. The glow was pulsing in and out this time and the key started tugging in her hand.

"What's happening?" Natsu asked from behind her as he noticed the glowing from her palm after placing the glass back into place.

"The key, it feels like it's pulling me somewhere." Lucy replied as she kept staring at her hand where the key was still omitting a faint pulsing glow as it continued to tug in her hold.

"Okay, let's go see where it'll lead us?" Natsu half proclaimed, half asked, making Lucy smile slightly to herself. He was letting her take the lead, it was nice.

"Yes, let's go see where it wants to go."

Chapter Text

The key, as it turns out, wanted them to go back to the forest.

It seemed to be leading Natsu and Lucy deeper into the woods compared to their light walk earlier that day.

The greenwood surrounding the East side of Sakuramori Village was vast and spread out for several kilometers. It was known for being tricky to navigate, due to the density of the tree line even in the harshest winters.

The earth was covered in snow as they trekked through the fields, and everything around them was covered in a white blanket, with a slight peeking of greenery from some of the trees.

Looking around Lucy wondered just how far into the forest they were going.

They'd been walking for a couple of hours at least by this point and she was about 50% sure that they were lost. Though Natsu would probably be able to sniff out the town, so she wasn't too worried.

Their walk was quiet for the most part.

Natsu's heat was still helping to keep her warm from the biting January air and the sound of snow crunching and sloshing followed them as they in turn followed the broken key piece to an unknown location.

"It's warming up again, I think we're close to wherever the hell it's leading us." Lucy muttered to Natsu, who was walking a few steps behind her.

He was insistent on keeping watch of their backs in case unexpected creatures were lurking in the forest.

"Well, we're a long way from the Village, that's for sure. And I can hear running water coming up ahead, a river maybe? What do you think's out here anyway?" She could hear him ask from behind her as they continued their way through the woods.

"I have no idea, maybe there are ruins of a temple or some kind of hidden cave." Lucy speculated as she continued following the tugging object.

"I remember reading that my ancestors built shrines and temples dedicated to the stars." She told him as she automatically went to look up at the night sky.

It was a clear winter's night and this far out into the woods you could usually see them, but the tree lines were preventing her from catching a glimpse of the various constellations painted in the sky.

Looking at the stars always reminded Lucy of her mom, and how they would camp out in their garden during the summer months and spend hours naming and counting the constellations.

"That was a long time ago, but there are remains of both found in a couple of places around Fiore. I was actually thinking about, maybe, visiting one of them." She trailed off absentmindedly as they continued walking.

It was one of those moments where Lucy wished her mother were here with her, and they could go see the ruins together.

And not for the first time since her death and finding out about her magic, Lucy wished that Layla would have shared more of their history with her.

Not for the first time, Lucy wished that her mother never left to begin with, and sometimes when she was younger, she wished it was her father who died instead.

Was that selfish of her?
To wish for such things?

Or was it childish naivety?

Her train of thought was cut off when the trees suddenly parted and they found themselves entering a large clearing.

It was a vast space, currently covered in snow and with a ledge overlooking a beautiful waterfall.

How far into the forest were they, to end up in such a place, Lucy wondered as she looked around.

As a child, Lucy liked studying and memorizing maps.

She wasn't allowed to travel anywhere or leave her estate, so she found her escape in books, charting the stars and pouring over various maps.

And though her memory was somewhat muddled over the years, she was sure they were closer to Mountain Village than Sakuramori if they were near a waterfall.

And just as she'd suspected earlier, the stars were lighting up the sky beautifully and she could see several of her spirits gracing the heavens.

On a closer look, Lucy could see that they were almost unnaturally bright.

Her spirits' constellations, that is.

The rest of the stars seemed to be shining, for lack of a better term, normally.

Lucy could see Aquarius, Virgo, Cancer, Sagittarius, Capricorn, Libra, and Taurus glimmering extraordinarily back at her.

It almost looked like the stars themselves were dancing.

Which made her wonder if it was because she was led to this snowy meadow by the broken spirit key of their supposed leader, or if this was their way of apologizing for burning her and refusing to come out earlier.

"I think this is it." Lucy voiced her thoughts as she slowly started walking closer to the ledge, wanting to take in the beauty of the Waterfall.

The broken piece of Leo's key was still simmering in her hand, but no longer tugging.

'What is it about this place?' She thought as she looked around.

Sure it was a beautiful sight of nature, but why would a broken spirit key lead them here?

But then again, what was it doing in the museum?  Why was the key broken in the first place? And who sent the fake job request to Fairy Tail?

There were too many questions jumbling around in her head that Lucy didn't know where to start.

"Okay, what do we do now?" Natsu's voice pulled her from her thoughts and brought her back to the clearing.

She turned from the waterfall to look back at him.

He was standing casually in the middle of the clearing, hands in his pockets as he surveyed the surrounding area.

As if sensing her gaze, he turned back to look at her.

"I- I'm not sure. The key is still hot to the touch, but the tugging stopped." She said as she looked down at the hand holding half of Leo. "So we're in the right place, but I have no idea wh- " Lucy's sentence was cut off when another sharp tug pulled her to a large stone at the ledge, overlooking the waterfall.

Not expecting the sudden pull made her stumble several steps before she fell to her knees next to the rock.

"Fuck."

"Luce, you good?" Natsu was at her side in an instant at her sudden topple, one of his hands on her back with the other gripping her arm to help steady her. "I'm okay, it just startled me."

Lucy explained as she moved her gaze to inspect the rock, expecting to find a clue as to what was going on.

Only to see it was just a plain slab, there was nothing engraved, and there were no markings on it.

Nothing that would indicate any importance to a Spirit Summoner.

"There must be something, the key literally dragged us here." Lucy said with a hint of humor in her voice. "I can't find anything written on the stone though."

There was a moment of silence between them as they both started at the rock, not knowing what to do next.

"What do you think it could be?" Lucy turned to look back at him over her shoulder.

She was stumped as to what they should do, and she had a feeling that Natsu would have thought of something she wouldn't have.

He stared back at her for a few seconds, looking properly stunned that she asked for his thoughts on the matter.

"Maybe the other half is buried under the rock, or something?" He said with a scratch to his head.

"Hm, that's not a bad idea." Lucy said as she looked back at the rock and then at Natsu. "Wanna help me dig? I don't think Virgo will come out to help with this one." She asked with a smile and he nodded as he crouched down next to her.

"I just want to know why my spirits are so insistent on withholding the truth." Lucy huffed out suddenly as she watched Natsu melt the snow surrounding the rock and warm the earth so it would be easier for them to dig.

"They obviously know what happened to Leo! And none of them were willing to come out and tell me the truth." She continued ranting, feeling the need to vent suddenly.

"They must have their reasons, I mean Virgo seemed like she wanted to tell you, maybe they're following orders or something." Natsu answered her ramblings with his line of thinking as he started digging through the earth.

"Yeah, maybe you're right, but whose orders would they be following?" Lucy wondered out loud as she moved to help him.

"Grampa Crux said that Leo is the leader of the Zodiacs. Is it his orders that they're following? I swear every time I find out something new about my magic, it only leads to more questions than answers." Lucy huffed as she dug through the earth.

Now that she thinks about it, she doesn't know anything about the inner workings of the Spirit Realm.

Was it a Democracy? Monarchy?

Did they have any type of established government official or was it something completely different to how people here live?

"I have no doubt that you will get your answers, Luce." Natsu reassured her with a smile.

She smiled back at him and looked back to their hands in the dirt.

Lucy wanted to tell him that she believed he'd find Igneel someday, but she didn't want to stir up any unwanted memories, so she focused on their task.

The earth was cold beneath her fingers as they dug through it, and she knew that it would be hell getting the dirt out of her nails.

But it would all be worth it if they found some answers.

Natsu, it would seem, had no problem getting dirty. It didn't surprise Lucy per se, it was just a shock to see every time.

He shoveled his way through the earth at a quicker pace, taking out more of the dirt than her, and within a few minutes of digging, there was a glimpse of something gold underneath the layers.

It looked bigger than a key, but it was something.

"There, I see gold." Lucy called as she moved to shovel as much dirt as she could with her hands.

Natsu moved at her words, and with his help, they managed to dig out a golden box.

"It's kinda heavy." Natsu said as he weighed it in his hand before offering it to her. "Do you wanna open it here?"

Lucy looked between him and the box once, and then once more before taking a deep breath and grabbing it out of his hand.

"I can do this." She said under her breath as a form of reassurance, not caring that Natsu would be able to hear her talking to herself.

The box was heavy, and she suspected it was because it was made of solid gold.

With almost trembling fingers, Lucy worked the box open and was only half surprised to find the second half of Leo's key inside.

"You were right." She said as she turned the open container to Natsu. "That was good thinking."

His response to her words was peculiar, at least from what she'd seen of him so far.
His spine straightened, shoulders back and he beamed back at her, a slight blush on his cheeks.

He seemed bashful to a point at her praise, and she found it adorable.

"But how did this get here? I mean someone must have purposefully buried it here." Lucy asked not expecting Natsu to answer, more so resorting to asking the questions out loud.

If only to see if that would help her think of an explanation for all of this.

"It makes no sense."

"Well, if someone buried it, that means they didn't want it found by just anyone. That's gotta be a good thing, right?" Natsu asked and Lucy had to agree.

But who would do such a thing? Was it her mother? Or someone else entirely?

Feeling a headache coming on from everything that's happened in one day, Lucy suddenly felt exhausted and ready to get out for the snow.

"Well, we should get going, no use in staying here in the cold. We can take the train to Magnolia in the afternoon and investigate more of this when we get back to Fairy Tail." Lucy finally said as she stood up and dusted the snow off her pants.

"Ugh, do we have to take a train?" Natsu whined as he got to his feet.

"We could take the bus, or rent a car. Although I don't have a license, and you obviously can't drive, so bus or train?" She gave him the options and suppressed a laugh at how his face turned multiple shades of green as he pondered his fate.

"Bwah, fine! Train it i-" He didn't finish his sentence, and in a split second Natsu's demeanor shifted from partly nauseous and hunched over, clutching his stomach to on guard. Standing tall and sniffing the air.

"Natsu, what-" He cut her off with a hand gesture and continued tracking whatever it was he smelt.

"Someone is approaching the clearing, it's two people." He said suddenly and Lucy felt her heart start beating faster in her chest.

"They're not together, I think, and one is closer than the other. I don't know how I didn't catch it earlier." He muttered as he turned his head to the path they came from and took another deep breath. "It's cheap perfume and something sinister on the first person. The second one-" Natsu stopped for a moment.

"The second one smells like death."

Now that freaked her out.

"So what I'm hearing is we're in for a fight and none of my offensive spirits want to come out? Fan-fucking-tastic." Lucy mumbled the last part under her breath as her hand went to her belt.

She took Scutum out of the loop and readied herself for whatever was coming their way.

"Should we move to intercept them, or stay put and wait for them to come to us?" She asked him as she gripped Scutum.

Natsu turned to look at her and pondered over the question for a second. "Stay put, no reason in leavin' when they're the ones after us. They'll probably just follow us back to town. It's safer this way."

Lucy nodded, agreeing with his logic.

This far out in the woods, only the animals would be witness to whatever showdown was coming.

As they waited, Lucy, for what felt like the hundredth time that day was irritated with her spirits.

She saw them as her friends and her partners and trusted them with her life. But they obviously didn't have the same kind of trust in her.

What other explanation was there for their actions, why were they not letting her summon them still?

Even when it was for her protection.

"The perfume smells familiar, I can't remember from where though." Natsu brought her out for thoughts and she turned to look at him.

"Well, a lot of women use similar perfumes, I'm sure you caught a whiff of it somewhere." Lucy tried to reason as they waited for their enemies to approach.

"How far away?" She asked after a few minutes of waiting, she was getting antsy with anticipation and anxiety.

"Getting closer by the second. But one of them is lagging behind a bit." He told her and she nodded in return.

It was no more than five minutes later when they saw a figure emerging from the trees.

It was a woman, not surprising, considering the perfume Natsu smelled.

What was surprising was the fact that it was the same woman they'd talked to in the museum that morning.

What did she say her name was?
Helga?

No, Helena! The head curator.

What the hell was going on?

"What are you doing here?" Lucy decided to ask when the woman stopped a few meters from them.

"It is a pleasure to make your acquaintance Miss Heartfilia." A disembodied voice rang through the air when the woman opened her mouth, and Lucy felt a shiver run down her spine.

Natsu was in front of her in an instant, as if sensing a threat in the greeting and Lucy gripped Scutum tighter in her hand as she looked over his shoulder back to Helena.

Only it wasn't her.

The woman that they spoke to this morning was not the being standing in front of them now.

Was she possessed? Is that a thing?
Lucy honestly had no idea.

"Now, now little guard dog, or should say Drakon, there is no need for that. I am not here to hurt the precious summoner, I am only here for the key." She was taunting Natsu with her words as she moved a step closer to them.

The tone in her voice seemed to be almost implying that while she wasn't here for Lucy yet, the day was coming.

A shiver ran down Lucy's spine as a name she had seen so many times while reading about her family and magic echoed around her head.

Zeref.

"Like hell I'm gonna let you touch Lucy or any of her keys!" Natsu yelled back at the woman, who in turn only offered a smirk.

But it looked more like a snarl on her face.

"Well it's a good thing Leo isn't one of her keys then. That is all I want, the pieces. What use is a broken key to spirit summoner?" It seems the taunting was turned onto her this time, as Helena directed the question towards Lucy.

And she could tell that Natsu was getting rilled up with her words.

Lucy could almost see the smoke coming from him as he stayed on guard in front of her.

"I am the last of the spirit summoners, it is my duty to protect the keys. That includes broken ones." Lucy shot back, not letting this thing parading around in this poor woman's body intimidate her.

"Have it your way then, I'm sure it will be no problem getting rid of you, I would be doing you a mercy and our Lord a favor at the same time." The threat was clear this time and Lucy did not wait another second before moving her right hand through the air.

"Open, gate of the shield, Scutum!" She called and the shield appeared in a flash of golden light. "It is my pleasure to guard you, Lady Heartifilia." He greeted her upon arrival.

"Thank you, Scutum." Lucy said as she grabbed ahold of him and took a step back, letting her partner take point in this fight.

Natsu, following her strategy, moved before the woman could attack and went to take her down.

"Natsu! I think she's possessed, that's a thing that can happen, right?" She called out after him, hoping that he would listen to her and answer.

Lucy learned the hard way that just because he can hear you, doesn't mean he'll listen.

"It is very much ' a thing ' Lady Heartfilia, and I am afraid you are right. The woman is possessed poor thing." Scutum informed her and Lucy's heart dropped as turned back to the battle and saw Natsu clock Helena in the face with his fire fists, and send her flying back.

'Idiot.'

"Natsu! You can't hurt her, she's human! Just knock her out without using magic, so no fire! She's being possessed!" She yelled at him again, knowing that he would listen this time.

Natsu looked at Lucy and then back at Helena, and they both saw the split second where her eyes turned a yellowish red before flashing back to their normal brown, a smirk on her face as she sneered back at them.

"Smart little summoner you are."  Helena said with a laugh.

Lucy heard him let out a curse as he realized what was happening and quickly changed his tactics.

As soon as Natsu stopped coming after her with fire, Helena seemed to be dodging his attacks with ease and trying to advance towards Lucy.

But there were no attempts at attacking on her part.

"Why isn't she attacking?" Lucy wondered out loud as she watched Natsu lunge at her again, only for the brunette to swerve the punch and fall back.

"I suspect it is because of the form it chose to possess. As you said, she is human, and while the creature that is possessing her is a powerful one, the human body has its limitations." Scutum once again explained, and Lucy was grateful to have at least one spirit that would answer her questions without any riddles.

"Thank you for explaining that, I don't really know that much about how magic works and what the limitations are." Lucy said to the shield.

"Hell, I barely know anything about my own magic." She mumbled with an almost bitter chuckle as she watched Natsu finally wrestle the brunette to the ground, pin her face forward, and knock her unconscious.

"Gatcha ya slippery bastard." She heard him say before he turned to her. "Ya got any rope, Luce?"

"Yeah, give me a second." She said back and let go of the shield. "Thank you Scutum, you can go back now." She told him with a smile.

"The pleasure was mine Lady Heartfilia." He said with a tilt as he disappeared in the same golden light he came from.

Lucy rustled through her bag for a moment before finding a rope and those anti-magic cuffs.

"Here." She tossed the rope to Natsu as she walked towards them.

She watched as Natsu tied the rope around her torso, with her arms behind her back, and once he was done, Lucy decided to put the cuffs on for good measure.

"Maybe they'll keep whatever's possessing her at bay until we can find a way to help her." She said when Natsu gave her a weird look.

"Well that wasn't fun at all, I couldn't even fight properly." He pouted as he went to stretch out.

"I'm sorry that the fight wasn't up to your standards, I'm just glad that you managed to knock her out without too much damage." Lucy said as she looked down at the unconscious woman.

'Was she possessed when we talked to her this morning as well?' She wondered.

Was Helena the one who sent the job request to Fairy Tail?

That was the most likely answer. It was probably in hopes of luring Lucy out and having her find the second half of the key.

Whoever was possessing Helena is working for, or worships Zeref. The dark mage that is responsible for the death of seemingly every spirit summoner.

'What could they possibly want with a broken spirit key?' A shiver ran down Lucy's spine at the thought.

Nothing good.

Gods, when did her life become a fantasy drama?

"Do you know who we can get to help her? I mean we can't just leave the woman possessed." Lucy decided to focus on what she could do now, instead of pondering over uncertain things.

Now was not the time for that.

Speaking of time.

"It's almost 4 am, I can't call Mira now. We'll have to wait till morning." She started rambling as she paced back and forth through the snow.

"Do you think we should try and get some answers from the thing that's possessing her? Or would that be a bad idea?" Lucy continued pacing as her thoughts ran wild.

"Why are they coming after spirit keys if only summoners can use them?" The questions poured out of her mouth and she could feel herself starting to panic.

Feeling dizzy all of a sudden, her knees buckled under her and Lucy found herself falling on the snowy ground.

"Hey, hey, Luce, what happened?" Natsu, who up until that point had been watching her pace with a worried expression, asked as he crouched by her side. "Are you okay?" She looked up at him and saw the wide-eyed panic in his gaze.

"Sorry." Lucy replied automatically "I got dizzy for a moment and lost balance." She said as she went to slowly sit up. "It's been a long day, I probably used up more magic than I realized. I think that Leo's half was draining a bit of it while it was leading us here."

Natsu's shoulders dropped at her words and he puffed smoke in her face. "Don't scare me like that." He mumbled as he helped her stand up.

Lucy coughed slightly as she stood and shot him a glare.

"So what are we going to do with her?" She asked him and he looked back at the unconscious woman.

"Well, we can take her to town, and call the Council, they'll send someone to expel whatever is possessing her and deal with everything." Natsu answered with a shrug of his shoulder and turned back to face her.

"We have one more to go." He reminded her and glanced back at the tree line surrounding them.

Lucy turned to look around, not seeing anything.

She had completely forgotten that he said two people were approaching.

The threats from the being possessing Helena shook her enough to temporarily forget.

"Are they near?" She found her asking as she watched him concentrate on his hearing and smell.

What was it like to have such enhanced senses? Being able to hear, and smell everything around you.

Lucy wrinkled her nose at the thought of smelling everything and everyone around her.

'No wonder he gets sick on trains, with his senses.' She thought as she watched him try to determine how far away the second threat was.

"Almost here, they seem to be moving slowly." Natsu finally answered with a scrunch to his nose before adding. "They smell like death and decay."

He turned from the forest back to her and took several steps in her direction.

"So they're dying?" Lucy asked, finding it fascinating that he could smell something like that. "What does death smell like?" She asked before her brain could filter it.

Natsu looked at her with a tilt of his head as he pondered her words. "No one's ever asked me to describe what something like that smells like." He told her as he looked for the right words.

"Rotting, but not like fruit, it's much worse. With hints of spoiled fish and sulfur. This one has a distinct magic scent as well, so I don't know what we're dealing with." He answered and Lucy was torn between being amazed by his abilities and regretting asking him.

What else can his senses tell him?

From what she's been able to observe and learn in her time in Fairy Tail, it was obvious that everyone thought Natsu was just a one-track mind.

She heard Levy and Mira call him dense on several occasions, and Gray is constantly calling him stupid.

His reaction to her asking for his input earlier only solidified that he assumed she thought the same.

But Lucy felt like she could see more of him than the others. That he lets her see more of him, even if he doesn't realize it.

It was in the way he would randomly tense up while they were in public out of nowhere.

How he would sometimes pick fights with people at random and for seemingly no reason.

How he knew exactly when during the month not to piss her (and all the women of Fairy Tail) off, and treat her to chocolate raspberry cakes.

It's in the way he fights.

Going head first is the usual ammo, yes. But he is a master strategist, she's seen it firsthand.

No, Natsu Dragneel is anything but dumb, or dim-witted. It was just something he let other people assume of him.

Why was that?

"Whoever they are, how much of a threat could they be if they're dying?" Lucy said hopefully, and Natsu shrugged back.

The sound of crunching snow made them both turn to look at the left side of the trees, where a figure could be seen hobbling slowly toward them.

Natsu moved in front of Lucy as they both waited for the figure to emerge.

It seemed to be a man.

Unnaturally pale and skinny, cheeks hobbled out, with shaggy orange hair.

He was dressed in a fancy, well-tailored suit. Only it was tattered and stained in several places.

The look on his face as he saw Natsu and Lucy standing in the clearing was unreadable.

There was a tense moment of silence where no one moved, and they started at each other.

"You found it." The man said with a hint of relief in his voice.

Chapter Text

"You found it." The man said with a hint of relief in his voice as he moved to walk closer to them.

Natsu's form tensed up as the man approached with slow, hobbling steps and moved a step to the right, so his whole body was standing in front of Lucy.

"Who are you? And what do you want?" Lucy asked as she moved to watch the man over Natsu's shoulder.

The closer he seemed to be, the stronger a feeling of sorrow seemed to envelop Lucy. His existence was screaming agony, and it was like she could feel a part of it.

"I was hoping that you would find it before anyone else figured out where the other half was buried." The man kept talking, ignoring her previous questions as he took careful steps towards them.

"Though I see that you had some company before I made my way here." He commented as he looked over to where Helena's body was tied up.

"I don't like attacking someone who can't defend themself, but if ya don't stop walking I'm not gonna have a choice." Natsu's voice cut through the clearing, making the man stop in his tracks and turn back to look at the pinkette.

With his nose raised in the air he sent an unimpressed look towards her partner, Lucy saw him scoff slightly before turning his gaze towards her.

"Of all the people to team up with, it had to be him?"

The question was directed towards her, but Lucy was too scattered by everything that's happened so far and majorly pissed at how this person was treating Natsu to realize that he was addressing her as if they know each other.

"I don't see how that's any of your business." She shot back at him with a small glare.

He seemed to think himself above Natsu, and Lucy didn't like that. "Now, I'm going to ask again. Who are you, and what are you doing here?" She asked him as she moved to stand next to Natsu instead of behind him.

"My name is Loke, I'm the one who sent the job request to Fairy Tail." Loke answered her after a few moments of pondering and Lucy's mind went into overdrive at his confession.

He's the reason they're here?

Who was he to do such a thing? He wasn't working with whoever possessed Helena, that much was obvious.

But what were his motivations then?

"Why did you do that?" Natsu asked that question as Lucy was busy spiraling in her mind.

"There have been whispers of a spirit summoner for months, I didn't believe it myself until just before the New Year. It was around the same time that Franmalth took possession of Miss Helena." Loke explained his actions as he motioned to the unconscious woman, but they still made no sense.

"Franmalth? That is the creature possessing her? Why is it after Leo's broken key?" Lucy asked the man, if he knew the name of whatever took over the head curator, he must know more of what was happening.

"I have many suspicions about what their plans could be, and I promise it is nothing good. Which is why I needed you to find the second half." He said, trying to take a step forward, only for Natsu and Lucy to take a joint step back.

Loke let out a sigh at their actions and raked a shaky hand through his hair.

"None of that explains who you are and why you sent out a fake job to our guild." Lucy noted sharply, crossing her hands and raising an eyebrow in Loke's direction.

Did he think to just hobble his way into this clearing, declare he was the one to send them on a fake job, and expect them to, what, trust him?

If Lucy was honest with herself, she doesn't trust a word out of his mouth. He was hiding something, she could see it, feel it.

Her words seemed to amuse him, as he let out a pained laugh, holding his stomach as he did. "I haven't explained much, you're right." He answered simply, but it was vague enough for it to be frustratingly familiar.

Getting answers out of him was like trying to get information from her spirits.

When they answered her summons that is.
Yes, she was still mad at them.

"If you're not going to tell us anything, why bother coming here?" Lucy tried a different approach this time, hoping that if she prodded enough, she might find something that would set him off.

"I came here to assure myself that it was indeed you and that you located both halves of the broken spirit key." Loke answered, but there was something about the way he said it that sounded rehearsed.

She could picture him reciting the same words to a mirror.

Narrowing her eyes Lucy went to walk towards him.

Natsu's hand caught her arm before she could take a step, but when she looked back at him with a determined look in her eyes he let go without a word.

Trusting her, and his own instincts.

"See, the thing is, I don't believe you."
Lucy said as she took small, slow steps towards Loke.

"The art of telling half-truths is hard to master. But once you do, it's easier to see through other people's bullshit."

There was a look of shock on his face at her words, and Lucy only smirked in return.

"That's not the proper language for a Lady." Was the only response she got from the man, and it made her laugh.

"I see no ladies present. Just two partners, an unconscious possessed woman, and a dying man who can't seem to tell the truth." Lucy said as she stopped a few steps in front of him.

There was a sadness in his eyes as he started back at her that she didn't catch across the field, and the feeling of anguish was even stronger, now that they were only a few steps from one another.

"If it is what you truly desire, I will tell you the truth. There are no consequences anymore, as you said I am dying." Loke told her, with a hint of depreciation in his voice.

Lucy was partially stunned by his comment, and she felt bad for phrasing it like that and throwing the words at his face.

It wasn't very compassionate of her, whatever his reasons for lying were, she didn't think they were for evil.

And he was still dying.

Everyone deserves a chance to explain themselves.

Everyone in Fairy Tail gave her a chance after what happened with Phantom Lord, Loke deserves the same courtesy.

"Okay, I want the truth, we want the truth." Lucy told him as she looked back at Natsu.

He was surprisingly silent throughout her whole exchange with Loke, deciding to observe their interactions and intervene if necessary.

He nodded back at her and started walking towards them.

"Yes, We would like the truth." He said as he pressed his front against her back, and propped his chin on the top of her head.

Lucy rolled her eyes at his behavior but was glad for the proximity. His warmth always called out to her when they were near.

And it was below freezing in the clearing.

Loke was once again slightly put off by Natsu, but when Lucy shot him a glare, he opted not to comment and instead started talking.

"Franmalth is one of Zeref's demons." He started with that, and Lucy felt a shiver run through her spine at the sound of the name.

"I already put those pieces together." She told him with a flat look.

Loke let out a chuckle at her before it turned into a coughing spree. "Sorry, that's been happening a lot more recently." He said as he moved to stand, somewhat straight.

"I believe he was after the key so that they could use the residual magic left in it."

"Who is 'they'?" Lucy asked, feeling like he was going to gloss over it if she didn't.

"They, are his followers, more than just the demons he's created. There is a threat coming." Loke said ominously, and Lucy felt Natsu stiffen from behind her.

Loke turned to look at him, and this time there was none of the hostility in his gaze. "You can sense it." Is all that he said.

Not a question, but an acknowledgment.

"It was why I used what was left of my magic to send that fake flyer to your guild. There were, as I mentioned, rumors of a Spirit Summoner in Fairy Tail. So I took a chance. It was imperative for you to find it before Franmalth."

Lucy was unsure of what to think of all this yet, there is more to this story.

He was still holding back.

"How were you aware of the key's location? And of what importance is its safety to you?" She asked as she crossed her hands, moving back into Natsu more.

There was a twitch to Loke's eyebrow at her question and he let out another sigh, before moving to sit down.

"If we're gonna do this, I might as well get comfortable. No use swaying on my feet."

He waited for a few moments to see if they would join him, before sighing again.

There was a pause, where all they could hear was the crashing of water, and the birds singing around them.

"I was, cursed, almost 14 years ago. The circumstances around it bound me to Leo's key. It was my duty to watch over the broken pieces. One half was donated to the museum by Lord Jude before I could do anything."

His posture was slumped as he talked, head turned to the right looking at the trees. "The other I managed to take and bury here." He told them staring off into the distance as if caught in a memory.

Lucy watched him as he talked.

He was telling half-truths again, but there were more details this time. She was getting closer.

"That's still not the truth, we're getting closer though. Why were you cursed? I thought my mother had all the zodiac keys before she died, so how do you fit into all of this?"

Loke seemed to be shrinking into himself with her every question, he lifted his head for a moment and his eyes were filled with tears.

"Please, Lucy, don't make me." He pleaded with her, and she was once again struck by how he addressed her as if they knew each other.

"Who are you?" Lucy asked, feeling frustrated with his carefully chosen words.

Talking to him felt like listening to a script being read. He was prepared for her every question, each answer parried with a carefully crafted and frustratingly vague response.

He said he would tell her the truth and she would settle for nothing less.

"He's a spirit." Natsu's words shocked both Lucy and Loke to the core.

Loke's face was horrified as he turned to glare at her partner, Lucy in turn moved her head to give him a confused look.

"What do you mean?" She asked, looking between him and Loke.

"I couldn't smell it till he was close enough, and even then it took me a second to place it, over all the death and decay that's covering him. But it's there, just like all your spirits." He told her with a shrug and Lucy turned back to look at Loke.

She carefully studied every part of him.

His hair was severely disheveled, but if she tilted her head she could see what looked like ears. His suit was well made, tailored to fit like a glove, and even tattered and sullied, you could tell it was high quality.

It reminded her of the suits that Capricorn wears, the quality looks the same, and so does the material.

That would explain why she seemed to be able to feel his pain, though it's never happened with any other spirit until now.

The look in his eyes, when they met, solidified her thoughts even more.

"You are Leo." She stated bluntly, not giving him a chance to deny.

He let his head fall into his chest at her words, his shoulders curling in on themselves even more as he started shaking.

No, not just shaking, he was crying.

Lucy was stunned for a moment as she watched him weep, feeling his sorrow with each breath.

What had finally made him snap? Was it the use of his name?

Pushing through the assault of feelings Lucy found herself taking a step towards him.

"Leo, please, you need to tell me what is going on. What happened, how are you here, if your key is broken? Why is it broken? Why are my spirits keeping secrets?" Lucy rambled out before she could stop herself.

She needed to get him to calm down first, but there was a sense of urgency driving her.

She was tired of half-truths, she needed answers.

"Please." She tried again, begged.

"I- I'm so sorry Lucy." His words were barely audible through the muffled sobs, and it made her heart clench at the desperation in his voice.

Lucy turned to look back at Natsu, who was as stunned as she was by the turn of events, he shook his head at her, raising his hands in defeat.

She turned to look at the leader of the Zodiac Spirits and crouched down in front of him.

"Leo." The sobs had ceased by this point, but he was still shaking like a leaf.

He was still dying.

He took a few deep, calming breaths before sitting up as straight as he could and looked at her with such sorrow, that it made Lucy want to weep with him.

"I- I was cursed in a way, that wasn't a lie." Was the first thing he said, his voice was a bit rough as he spoke. "For killing my previous master. My key was broken, I was cast out of the spirit realm and left to roam this one until death takes me."

Out of all the things Lucy could have expected, this was nowhere on the list.

A spirit killing their master.

That was not something Lucy thought her spirits were capable of.

"There are other spirit summoners?" She blurted out and immediately regretted it, out of all the things to ask.

Leo tensed at her question and looked back down at the snowy ground.

"You are the last living spirit summoner, Lucy Heartfilia." He told her with an almost sharp tone that she knew wasn't aimed at her, but at himself.

"What happened then? How did you kill your summoner? I know my spirits, and I know that none of them are capable of killing me." Lucy said as she moved to stand back next to Natsu.

"Fourteen years ago, I helped your mother perform a spell that has been forbidden, and in doing so, was a direct cause of her death."

It was as if someone pierced her heart.

She felt like she couldn't breathe, and for a moment everything went still. It was just her and an almost forgotten memory of her mother, bedridden but still smiling at her.

"But, my mother didn't die fourteen years ago, that's around when she got sick. She died three years later." Lucy told him, as she scrambled trying to put the pieces together.

"And why was she performing a forbidden spell in the first place?" She asked, mind numb at this point. With every answer received, a thousand new questions bloom.

It was all just too confusing, and she was tired.

This day has felt endless.

"It was paramount for that spell to be cast. The repercussions of it drained Layla of not only magic but life energy."

"I tried talking her out of it." Leo let out a bitter laugh. "I knew it was in vain, but it was my duty, as one of her closest friends to try." He kept talking, voice unsteady as he did.

"You know what she said to me? 'If you're not going to help me Leo, I'm going to do it on my own.'" The chuckle he let out this time was genuine, the smile on his face fond as he remembered Layla.

"If she had done the spell herself, she would have died instantly, with my help, we had hoped she would survive." His voice cracked at the end of the sentence, and he took in a deep breath to steady himself.

"When it was all over,  we were convinced that everything went smoothly. It was only after a couple of weeks, when she started getting sick that we realized it only gave her so much time." He was crying again, but his head was high, and he tried to reel himself in.

"I'm sorry, I'm so sorry, Lucy." He kept repeating as he shook with tears, and probably a fever as well. "Please forgive me!"

Lucy was even more confused now.

The story that Leo is telling her doesn't speak of him killing Layla, if anything he's the reason she got to spend three more years with her.

If there was one thing that Lucy remembered about her mother, it was that Layla Heartfilia was a stubborn woman. If she had set her mind to casting that spell, her life was a price she was willing to pay.

So why was Leo cursed?

Or maybe the better question is, who cursed him?

"Leo, I'm sorry, but, you, this.." Lucy trailed off as she tried to gather her thoughts. "This is bullshit!" What she realized was that she was angry.

Here he was, on his knees on death's doorstep, sobbing and begging for her forgiveness, for something that wasn't his fault.

He was dying for trying to save her mother, dying and cast out of his realm, left to rot for years.

And Lucy was livid.

"Who did this to you?" She almost growled with rage, taking the spirit and her partner aback with her sudden mood shift.

She didn't notice that she was channeling her magic as her emotions started overtaking rational thought.

Light was swirling around her as she thought about the fourteen years of agony that Leo had endured.

"Who gave themselves the authority to make such decisions? Because I have to say that this is the stupidest thing I have ever heard in my life!" She was laughing now, it sounded a tad maniacal, but Lucy was past the point of caring.

Leo stared back at her, mouth open and eyes wide in shock.

He had not expected this reaction from her.

"I want to speak with whoever thought that putting the person who saved my mother through years of torture was a good idea! Because frankly, they sound like an idiot!"

Lucy was yelling by this point, feeling fury at what she'd found out.

The thought of Leo, alone and suffering for all these years made her blood boil with rage. He has lived fourteen years blaming himself for her mother's death.

How dare they?

With no further thought, Lucy moved her hands to dig through her pockets and pulled out the broken key.

Looking at the pieces in her palm she felt like there was only one thing left to do.

"I refuse." Lucy said with determination as she turned her gaze back to Leo.

Her magic was still surrounding her and she felt it intensifying with every second that passed.

The key pieces started glowing in her hand, and she moved to bring them together and channeled all her power into them.

"I REFUSE TO LET YOU DIE!" She yelled as she willed the key to fuse back together.

"NO! No! Lucy, you can't do that!" Leo yelled as he tried to get on his feet, stumbling through the pain as he fell over.

"You'll use up all your magic and die trying, please!" He was on his knees, pleading with her but Lucy refused to listen.

There was nothing he could say to get her to stop now. Her mind was made up, she would save him if it was the last thing she did.

"I am not dying today, and neither are you!" She shot back at him, channeling more of her power into the key.

Unbeknownst to Lucy, all of her spirits started appearing by her side as she focused her power on restoring Leo's key.

They materialized one by one until they were surrounding her, their teary gazes meeting Leo's huddled form.

"You.Will.Mend." Lucy said through gritted teeth as she glared at the key, putting all of her magic into the bond that could be felt between them, and with a sudden shockwave the key clicked back in place.

Lucy stumbled back several steps, feeling the aftershock of the blast as her knees buckled. Thankfully there was a warm hand around her waist, steadying her.

Blinking through the sudden haze, Lucy looked down at her hand and was half-stunned to see Leo's key fully intact.

"I did it." Her voice came out small, her chest heaving and her breath shaky as she continued staring at her palm.

The feeling of joy lasted for half a second before the earth started shaking violently underneath them, Lucy turned her head with a panicked look to where Leo was huddled before the blast.

She found him standing a few meters from them looking down at his hands with wide eyes and confusion. Lucy watched the spirit pat himself down as he realized what had happened.

A weight lifted off of Lucy's shoulders as she noticed how healthy he looked.

His cheeks were no longer hollowed out, she could see the colour on his face, his suit was intact, hair was styled in a way that pronounced his ears.

After several moments of inspecting his newfound body and strength, he turned to gaze at her with a mix of awe and disbelief.

"How did you do that?" His voice was small as he asked and Lucy wasn't given a chance to answer, not that she really had one, when everything around them stopped shaking and came to a sudden halt.

The birds froze mid-air. The Waterfall behind them was suspended in place, the whole clearing was left in a deafening silence.

Lucy turned and looked around for the source of the spell, only for the sky itself to part above them.

There seemed to be a different sky from beyond the crack, with a giant man looming over them.

His eyes were sharp, and his mustache twitched as he observed them. "Who are you to question my authority, little girl?" The man spoke, his voice booming through the clearing.

At his presence, Leo seemed to freeze in place, not daring to move a muscle.

Natsu was ready for action the moment the giant man spoke, but Lucy stopped him by putting a hand on his shoulder.

This was her fight.

She couldn't explain why, but she felt no fear looking at the giant, even with his booming tone and glare.

Still fueled by anger, adrenaline, and a sense of justice Lucy glared right back at the giant man, refusing to stand down or be intimidated.

"I am Lucy Heartfilia, the last of the Spirit Summoners. It is my duty to protect the keys, treat the spirits bound to them with honor and respect, and use our magic to help those who need it."

She stated proudly as she walked forward, passing Natsu and making her way to the middle of the clearing.

Her posture was regal as she stepped forward, shoulders back, head held high and she looked at the giant man head-on.

"And who are you, to think you can just leave Leo in agony for years? Over something that was not his fault!" She shot back at him.

"You know not what you speak of girl!" He warned, but Lucy was passed reason. "Do not test me, I am the King of the Spirit Realm, it was my authority to do so."

Lucy only half faltered at his admission. 'King of the Spirit Realm?' She scoffed at the thought.

'Some King, to leave his subject in such a state.'

No, Lucy was not backing down. This wasn't right, Leo did not deserve the punishment he received, and to hell, she would fight the King if she had to!

"My mother would have cast that spell whether he helped her or not." Lucy said with conviction.

"Now tell me, Your Majesty, would have it been better had he let her die?" She shot back, curling her hands into fists as she tried to control her emotions.

"What he did helped her live." She argued through clenched teeth. "And your decision to do this to him is frankly inhumane." Lucy finished with a glare in the King's direction.

There was a moment of silence as she finished her speech and Lucy knew that she was trembling with adrenaline.

She heard footsteps from behind and then Natsu was at her back, his warmth was enveloping her as he offered his support without a word.

Lucy let out a sigh, grateful for his proximity, and welcomed the grounding effect he had on her.

Leo, Lucy could see from the corner of her eye was frozen in shock and fear as he stared at the man in the sky. It seems like he hasn't moved a muscle since the King appeared.

"Lucy Heartfilia, you say." The King's voice boomed through the clearing, bringing everyone's attention back to him.

He seemed calmer as he observed them, and there was a mischievous glint in his eyes as he stroked his mustache. "It is an incredible thing you have done here Lucy Heartfilia. Giving a spirit its key is something no one has done since the very first summoner."

A gasp echoed through the clearing and Leo's head snapped to look at her in awe.

"She was the first to call upon the stars, and pull them from the sky." The giant continued with his story as he looked down at Lucy.

"The keys were formed by her power. Shaped to represent the opening of doors between our realms." There was a wondrous tone in his voice as he spoke of the first Spirit Summoner, and Lucy was amazed by the tale.

There was nothing written on the origin of her powers, and she felt privileged to learn how the connection between the stars and her family came to be.

"In her lifetime she formed many bonds with many spirits, and when she passed away, her bloodline continued to thrive.

You remind me of her. She was a dear friend of mine." There was a twitch to his lips as he spoke before he turned his gaze to Leo.

"Leo, the lion. You have been given a second chance, I suggest that you do not waste it. My official rule is that you pay your sentence by serving Lucy Heartfilia."

His tone was serious, but the wink he gave them put everyone at ease.

"I hope we meet again, old friend. Thank you for caring about the spirits enough to challenge even me." The Spirit King addressed Lucy with a smile.

"There are great and terrible things in your future, Daughter of the Stars and Son of Fire Dragon King Igneel. I hope you are both ready for what is to come." And with an ominous warning time seemed to restart.

The crack in the sky was gone, leaving behind a picturesque sunrise.

"How did he know about Igneel?" Lucy heard Natsu's strained voice from behind her, but she was suddenly too tired to react in any way.

With the adrenaline leaving her body, all Lucy was left with was her exhaustion and the empty, almost cold feeling coming from where she could usually feel the tingling of her magic.

There was movement from behind her, and she could hear Leo and Natsu's voices getting louder, but she couldn't focus on what was said.

Everything was slowing down again for Lucy, and she let herself fall into the abyss.

* ********* ********** ********** ********* *

"There are great and terrible things in your future, Daughter of the Stars and Son of  Fire Dragon King Igneel. I hope you are both ready for what is to come."

Natsu froze the moment the stash-faced man mentioned his father, trying to figure out what he meant by the warning.

Before he could say anything, in a blink of an eye the man was gone, and time seemed to be back to normal.

Tightening his grip on Lucy's waist, Natsu moved his glare to the no longer dying spirit.

"How did he know about Igneel?" He growled at him, if these spirits had any clues as to where his father could be, Natsu needed to know.

"I don't have the answers you want." Leo sneered his way as he turned to look at him and Lucy.

"But you know something, now tell me! He is my father. Tell me what you know!" Natsu shouted at him, feeling the control over his anger slip as he glared at the orange-haired prick.

"I don't answer to you! Honestly, it is beyond me what she sees in yo-" The spirit was cut off mid-sentence when Lucy suddenly collapsed in Natsu's arms.

There was a flash of pain in his gut as she fell into his hold, head lulled on his shoulder as he held her.

"Wha-? Luce? Lucy!" Natsu yelled frantically as he moved to pick her up.

He could see her chest was moving up and down, her breaths were shallow and her skin was unhealthily pale.

The usual glow she had around her was fading fast, making her golden hair look dull in the morning light and Natsu felt like he couldn't breathe for a moment.

There was a bubbling pain forming in his gut as he watched her light go out.

Holding back a curse, Natsu turned his wide-eyed gaze back at Leo for answers. "What's happening to her?"

"She used up too much of her magic."

Leo's voice sounded as shaky as Natsu felt at that moment. "This- this is what happened with Layla when she cast the spell. I told her not to do it. Stupid girl." The spirit said through tears as he watched the blonde in Natsu's arms slowly fade away.

A feeling of dread crept its way to the back of Natsu's head, along with the growing pain in his gut as he cast his gaze down to his unconscious partner.

His brain was fizzling as he tried to think of something he could do, maybe if he could remember all the lessons about sensing and estimating a person's magic.

It isn't something he even needed when fighting. Natsu always went head first and all out, no matter the opponents' strength.

This was different.
This was Lucy.

He moved to connect their foreheads and focused on his magic.

Not really knowing what he wanted to do, Natsu continued channeling his magic and aimed towards Lucy.

There was an unexplained, unspoken bond between them.

It's been there from the moment they met, and he hoped that this would work.

It has to work.

He will not let her die, she said she wasn't dying today, and he wasn't going to let her.
He didn't know if he could, there was no world without Lucy.

He stayed like that for what felt like hours, pooling his magic and trying to create a bridge between the two of them.

There was no guarantee it would work, Natsu barely knew what he was doing, healing magic and fire do not mix well but there were no other options left.

It took him by surprise, it started as a slight zap from where they were connected before it unfurled into a fluttering sensation in his stomach, and he could feel tingles all over his body as her magic flowed through him.

Natsu moved his head back in shock, and stared down at Lucy, only to witness the colour slowly come back to her face and her breath even out.

He felt like a weight lifted off his heart and the pain in his gut disappeared as a little spark of his fire began to burn her magic back to life.

"That was incredibly stupid of you." Looking up he saw Leo's unimpressed eyes stare back at him.

He had forgotten the spirit was there.

"I don't even know what happened." Natsu answered truthfully as he stared back at him.

All he knew was that Lucy dying was not an option, so he did what he could until they could get back to Fairy Tail.

There was a scoff from the Zodiac Leader, and Natsu was getting tired of his attitude.

"You'll see with time, it was too late to begin with. But now you've sealed her fate, and yours too."

Chapter Text

When Leo disappeared in a flash of light Natsu was left in the clearing with a fading sense of panic, a growing headache, and two unconscious women.

"Do all your spirits get a kick out of leaving cryptic riddles of future threats?" He mumbled the question to Lucy, readjusting his hold as he looked down at her.

The tingling sensation of her magic was still present, but it was faint and he didn't know whether that should worry him or not.

Her breathing had evened out, her skin was no longer a sickly gray colour, and the kernel of his fire was steadily growing from within and with each passing moment, it helped to replenish her magic.

Natsu amped up his body temperature just in case as he tightened his hold on Lucy.

'That was too close.'

Was the only thing going through his head as he watched Lucy take slow, steady breaths.

Being witness to her fading light was a petrifying sight, and not one Natsu was going to forget any time soon.

He was reeling from what just happened, it just doesn't seem real.

Since stepping foot in Sakuramori Village things have gone off the rails.

Being sent on a fake job, discovering a broken Spirit Key in a museum, and finding a woman possessed by one of Zeref's demons was bad enough.

On top of that, Natsu had to watch Lucy put her life on the line for a dying spirit that for some reason, couldn't stand him, and a giant Spirit King warn them of a danger that was coming.

A Spirit King, that seemed to know Natsu and his father.

How were the Dragons connected to the Spirits? Do they know anything about where Igneel is?

It bothered Natsu that Leo refused to answer his questions.

It was obvious enough that Igneel and Grandeeney knew Lucy's mom, but the King of the Spirits, how was he connected?

It also didn't escape Natsu that this was the third creation of the dark mage they'd encountered in the past six months.

Zeref, or his creations seemed to be after Lucy, and her magic, the only question is why?

Natsu let out a deep sigh as he shook his head, there were too many questions, and he wasn't going to get any answers in the middle of a forest.

What was he supposed to do now?
He needed to get out of this clearing.

The sun was steadily rising in the sky and Natsu knew that he couldn't carry both women through the forest, not to mention it would take several hours of walking before they made it back to the Village.

Natsu didn't have that kind of time, he needed to get Lucy to a healer, fast.

Letting out a frustrated sigh this time Natsu looked down at his partner and wished that she was awake.

Lucy was better at coming up with plans than he was.

The sound of a phone ringing made him jump slightly in place, not expecting the sudden blare in the quiet snowy meadow.

This whole situation has made him jumpy, not to mention disoriented from lack of sleep.

It took him a moment to realize it was Lucy's phone that was ringing, and he maneuvered his hands careful not to drop her as he took the object out of her jacket pocket.

"You didn't call last night, so I thought to check in early, how did everything go? Did you manage to get the broken key piece?" Mira's bubbly voice spoke through the other end as soon as Natsu answered the call.

He could feel his headache growing at the realization that with Lucy unconscious, he would be the one explaining what happened to the guild.

'This isn't gonna end well.'

Natsu was never good with words, he much preferred to take action.

And he had a feeling that upon their arrival in Fairy Tail, Erza would fillet him like one of Happy's fishes for the state that Lucy was in.

"Things- They, they didn't go according to plan." He stumbled over his words, not really knowing how to explain what happened.

"What do you mean by that? And where is Lucy, why are you answering her phone?" The she-devil asked him with an edge to her voice that made Natsu shiver as he remembered that with all her sweet smiles, and kind words, Mira was not one to be played with.

They don't have time for this, he needs to get out of this damn forest.

"Mira, please, it's been a long day, for both of us." Natsu said in an almost pleading tone as he pulled Lucy closer to his chest and readjusted the phone on his ear.

Calling the last 24 hours long was an understatement, but it was the best he could do at the moment without stirring up more questions.

He needed to get Lucy back to the guild and fast so that Wendy or Porlyusica could check on her.

Everything else was irrelevant.

"I need you to open a portal for me, Lucy is unconscious and I have another woman who is possessed. We're out in the middle of a forest, and I don't have a way to get them both back to the Village, and even if I did how would I explain it?"

He pleaded with her, hoping that she would hear the desperation in his voice and save the questions for when they reached Fairy Tail.

Natsu heard a gasp from the take-over mage and then there were jumbling sounds coming from her end of the line.

He could make out Mira barking orders at someone about a portal, saying that Lucy was injured, which caused even more of a commotion and then she was back on the line.

"Tell me your exact location."

Natsu let out a sigh as he looked around the clearing and tried to remember the route they took from the Village.

It was hard concentrating on anything with the fading panic-infused adrenaline and the exhaustion taking over, but he pushed himself to think.

He could be tired later when Lucy was safe.

"We're in the middle of the goddamn woods!" He said through grit teeth, and you could hear the frustration in his voice.

The lack of sleep was not helping his already bad mood.

"After we took the key from the museum it led us into the forest East of Sakuramori. We traveled going due South-West for hours before coming to this clearing.

There's a waterfall, that's all I can give ya."

Natsu didn't know how long their trek from the village was, and there were no other landmarks he could point out besides the fall, he just hoped it would be enough.

"Okay, okay, we can work with that." Mira said as she once again relayed information back to whoever was at the guild with her.

"We're working on a portal. Now tell me what happened, is Lucy okay?" There was worry in the older girl's voice as she asked about Lucy, and Natsu didn't know how to answer.

He wasn't sure if she was okay.

He wasn't sure if she was going to be okay. Her magic might be slowly replenishing with the help of his, but Leo's words were echoing ominously in his head.

'This is what happened with Layla when she cast the spell.'

"She- she's fine, for now. I think." Natsu managed to answer, feeling his breath getting heavier with each word as Lucy's pale, and fading form flashed through his head.

"I don't know, Mira. Things, they got out of hand, and it all happened so fast, I'm not even sure what happened, and then she was dying." He was cut off by a choke, and he hadn't even realized he was crying.

The tears evaporated as they escaped his eyes, his body temperature was higher than usual for the sake of the blonde in his arms and Natsu could feel his body start to tremble as the reality of their situation hit him with full force.

He had tried to keep it together, for Lucy's sake and his own. But having to explain it to Mira just made him realize how petrified he was.

Natsu was no stranger to fear.

It would be arrogant not to be afraid of anything, this wasn't even the first time he feared for Lucy's life.

But it was different this time.

When she jumped off the Phantom Lord Tower screaming his name, there was a part of Natsu that knew he would make it, a part of him that knew he would catch her.

This time, there was only pain and dread.

She almost died.

Lucy came so close to dying, so close to fading away like one of the stars she loved so much, and he still didn't know if she was going to be okay.

"Hey, hey, Natsu. Listen to me." Mira's voice brought him back to reality and he tried to control his breathing, focusing on Lucy and her slow, even breaths.

"You said she's fine, right?" Mira continued talking, her voice was soft as she spoke and it helped Natsu focus on syncing his breathing with Lucy's.

"She's alive, she's okay." Natsu said in a quiet mummer as his breathing slowly calmed down.

It sounded like he was reassuring himself, more than answering Mira's question, but at least he felt a bit calmer.

"She used up so much of her magic, and it felt like she was fading. I- I didn't know what to do." He continued talking for his sake as he started walking towards the unconscious woman tied at the other end of the clearing, not knowing what else to do.

Natsu was a person of action, constantly moving and looking for new adventures.

Being in a situation like this, with Lucy unconscious and Happy back in Magnolia, it felt like he was all alone.

He was suddenly 7 years old again, calling out for his father in the woods.

"It's okay, just keep taking deep breaths, yeah?" Mira said as he stopped next to the brunette. "You're both okay, and the portal's coming, I'm gonna stay on the line with you until we can conjure it.

Talk to me, I won't ask what happened, tell me about what you did yesterday before going back to the museum." Mira's voice flowed through the speaker and Natsu was grateful to her.

He tried to think back to their day, tried shaking the image of Lucy's fading form in his arms, and pushed himself to talk to Mira.

"We stopped for lunch." He said after a few moments.

"After we left the museum in the morning, we stopped somewhere to eat, and then I suggested we look around for a magic shop." He told her, thinking back to how happy Lucy was when he said he remembered that she wanted to visit all of them.

"You know how Luce wants to check them all out for keys, so I thought we could see if there was one in Sakuramori." As he relayed their day to Mira, Natsu started feeling more grounded.

He wasn't alone, and help was coming, he just needed to wait and talk.

The portal was on its way, and soon Lucy would be safe, and in a place where someone could tell him if she was going to be okay or not.

"Oh, that's very sweet of you, did you end up finding a shop? The village is small." Mira asked, effectively pulling him back into the conversation.

"We did, there weren't any keys in it though. She did end up finding some cool shit, she always does." Natsu's words were softer towards the end of the sentence, and he felt his heart clench as he looked down at Lucy's sleeping face.

How could he let this happen?

"That's our Lucy." Mira's voice said through the phone, it sounded glum as she spoke before a muffled voice spoke and she quickly cleared her throat and changed the subject.

"There should be a door appearing somewhere around you in the next 15 seconds." Those words made Natsu's heart jump to his throat and he surveyed the clearing in search of the magic door.

It took seven seconds for it to appear, and thankfully it materialized a few steps from him.

Hanging up the phone without a word, Natsu moved with a determined stride and swung the door open.

"Natsu!" Mira's voice called as he stepped through the threshold, and several other guild members jumped to their feet as he entered through the portal.

"There's a possessed, unconscious woman out here! And we need Porlyusica!" Natsu shouted as he walked into the guild hall.

Loud voices echoed around the room as they noticed the blonde in his arms and he could feel someone brushing past him through the door and into the clearing.

Not paying attention to any of them, Natsu proceeded to walk towards the center of the guild.

Everyone was talking over each other as they rushed to crowd them.

He could see Levy's anxious eyes scanning Lucy for injuries with Jet and Droy by her side as Erza, Gray, Cana, and even Juvia and Evergreen asked him inane questions, looking at Lucy with worry.

But no one was doing anything of use.

He spotted Happy and Mira hanging back from the crowd, staring at him with concern.

"We need Porlyusica! Or Wendy, where is Wendy!" Natsu growled at the crowd, ignoring the bombarding questions and hoping that one of them would listen to him.

"Here, I'm here." Wendy's soft voice called out from the left and she made her way to him. "We need to lay her down. The infirmary is the best place, come on."

She said as she pointed to the second floor.

With her words, everyone parted to let them through and Natsu was glad for it, he would've trampled them otherwise.

He felt a bit calmer with Wendy leading him up the stairs, his hold on Lucy tightened as he ascended to the second floor.

'Almost there.'

For a second he was filled with an overwhelming urge to press a kiss on her forehead.

But he decided against it, the moment was too tense for such a gentle gesture.

"One of Zeref's demons is possessing the woman, Fran-something." Natsu called out from over his shoulder as he walked into the infirmary room.

They were a smart bunch, he was sure they could figure out which demon it was by half the name.

The smell of antiseptic hit him before he stepped foot in the room making him wrinkle his nose in distaste.

He never liked the smell.

All the beds in the infirmary were unoccupied, and Natsu moved to place Lucy by the window.

As he laid her down gently on the mattress, he found that his feet were firmly planted on the ground.

He could only take a single step back.

Natsu was sure that not even Erza's force could move him, not until he knew she was going to be okay.

He could feel Wendy watching him as she moved to the other side of the bed, and he could tell the young girl was worried.

"Natsu." Her soft voice called out to him, and he looked up from the unconscious blonde to her, and sure enough, her eyes were filled with worry as she looked at him.

"I need you to tell me what happened to her, so I know what to look for."

Natsu went still for a moment, he wasn't sure he wanted to relive the past day, but there wasn't much of a choice.

At least Wendy won't try to kill him.

Moving his eyes back to Lucy for a moment, Natsu tried to settle his thoughts and mull over where he should start.

'I can do this.' He thought as he took a deep breath and looked back at the bluenette.

"There was an unexpected incident. We were ambushed by the woman I brought back with us, but taking her down was easy. The real problem came with him." The last word came out more venomous than he had intended, and Wendy raised her eyebrows at his tone.

Maybe there was animosity on both sides.

"Loke, or Leo. Whatever he wants to call himself. He's the one who sent the job to the guild, and when Lucy found out what happened to him." Natsu shook his head as he thought back to that moment.

He'd never seen Lucy so mad before.

Was his partner prone to fits of anger?
Yes

Sometimes, it was driven by her sense of injustice or not getting the bargain she wanted.

But usually, it was because of something Happy and he did, but that's all in good fun, and she's always laughing by the end of it.

This was different.
This was fury, pure and unfiltered.

He knew it when she started channeling her magic, she had done it unconsciously at first. Her anger got the best of her and the lid boiled over.

Natsu was familiar with the feeling, it took him years to master how not to lose control when angry. And when needed, how to channel it properly.

When she started purposefully channeling her magic into remaking the key, Natsu wasn't worried.

He believed in her, and her abilities.

Even when all of her spirits showed up beside her, with Leo on his knees pleading for her to stop, and when the power she radiated felt unlike anything he'd experienced before, he had faith.

Because it was Lucy.
She knew what she was doing.

"She channeled her magic into repairing the broken spirit key. It was, like nothing I've ever seen Wendy." He told the younger girl, his voice trembling slightly.

"Her magic, it felt old, like older than ours. The potential power that she is capable of...It's incredible and terrifying."

He remembered the way her magic called out to him when she was repairing the key, coiling and almost teasing, leaving behind sparks of energy.

It was a beautifully terrifying sight.

Lucy looked like an avenging angel in that moment, the magic she was channeling making her glow even brighter as she worked to repair the key and Natsu felt like someone plugged him into a socket.

It was different than what he can feel now, there was only a faint tingling sensation if he concentrated hard enough.

"When the key was fixed she seemed fine, was walking around and being her usual weird self, and then she fainted.

It was out of nowhere and she was fading so fast." Natsu was rushing through the story, choosing to leave out the big things that happened in between.

That can wait for later.

"She looks stable now, what did you do?" Wendy's voice was skeptical and bordered on worried as she asked.

Natsu looked down at Lucy, moving his hand to stroke the hair off her face. "She was so pale." His voice was barely above a whisper, knowing the sky drakon would hear him.

"So pale, and cold. Even her hair lost its usual glow. Leo, he, he told me she used up too much of her magic, that this was how her mother's sickness started. I panicked Wendy!" He was trying to keep his voice from rising, trying to keep himself in check as his emotions boiled inside of him.

Natsu was usually good at keeping the onslaught of sensations and emotions at bay through years of practice.

Being on the brink of exhaustion seemed to have weakened his ability to do so.

He couldn't tune out the noise from downstairs, and was able to hear the rest of the guild pondering over what could've happened, and if Lucy was going to be okay.

He could hear Wendy's heart racing, and it made him feel as if a drum was beating inside his head.

The lights in the room were too bright for his eyes, the smell of antiseptic was making him nauseous and he was having difficulty regulating his emotions.

"I panicked and I don't know what I did. I gave her my magic, so she could replenish her own, like a bridge. I think." Natsu said as he looked down at Lucy's sleeping form.

He could still feel the faint tingling of her magic in his body, and if he concentrated, he could feel the kernel of his fire beside her steadily growing magic.

Wendy's eyes widened at his words, and she immediately moved her hands so she could examine Lucy.

The minutes it took Wendy to scan Lucy's body felt like days to Natsu as he watched the young healer's hands scan the blonde with bated breath.

"Her magic energy is extremely low." The sky drakon tone was neutral as she spoke and Natsu moved to look at her.

"It's replenishing slowly, but there is something else. I can feel your magic too, they've somehow bridged together." Wendy looked up at him and Natsu could tell it wasn't going to be good.

"How did you do this?" She asked him, sounding confused and intrigued at the same time.

Natsu shrugged his shoulders as he turned to look at Lucy again. "I don't know, I told you, she was fading, and all I could think was, if I channel enough of my magic it might spark hers back to life."

It was how he imagined it, at least.
That's what he wanted, to make a temporary bridge and help her.

"That's, that's...Natsu, I have never heard of anything like this." Wendy told him honestly.

"So you don't know if she's going to be okay?" Natsu asked, feeling the panic start to build again at the thought of having to wait for the cranky old witch to come before he got answers.

'She would probably kick me out of the room.' He thought sourly.

Wendy hesitated as she looked back at the unconscious blonde. "I feel like Porlyusica would be better suited for making that call. I can only speculate at this point."

Natsu's frustration was growing with every passing second, along with his headache as he looked at her. "Specu-what?"

"Guess, I would have to guess." She explained with a small smile.

"Guess then, tell me what you think." Natsu urged the healer, he was close to begging her to give him something.

Wendy thought about it for a few seconds before letting out a sigh. "In all regards, Lucy looks fine. Her magic is severely depleted, but it's slowly filling up and she doesn't show any signs of lasting damage."

Those words were like music to his ears, though he felt a but coming.

"What worries me is, this 'bridge' between you. I have no way of telling if, or when it will fade. Or what the consequences of it could be." Wendy told him as she moved around the bed to rub his shoulder.

"That's why we need to call Porlyusica." She said in one of her sweet tones, and it made Natsu smile back at her.

It was small but genuine.

He could tell that she was worried about him as much as she was about Lucy, and he wanted to reassure her in some way.

But words failed him, he was too tired to think anymore. "Thank you, Wendy." He settled on that, hoping she could see his appreciation.

Waving him off with a smile, Wendy turned to leave. "They're gonna want answers when I get down there, what should I tell them?" She asked as she moved to the door.

"Tell them I'm not answering shit till the cranky witch gets here." Was his reply as he went to sit in one of the chairs by the beds, and he could hear Wendy snort in response as she left.

"Happy can come though, if he wants." Natsu added as the door clicked shut, and he was sure the sky drakon heard him.

Letting out a tired sigh, Natsu moved his hands and gently brushed them through Lucy's hair as he watched her sleep.

Hopefully, no one will come barging in before Porlyusica arrives, he doesn't know if he has the strength to talk to anyone right now.

He feels like he might break down again if he did.

All Natsu wanted was to know Lucy was going to be okay, then he could sleep.

Repeating the words in his head like a mantra he tried concentrating on the way Lucy's chest rose and fell.

He was fighting a losing battle in trying to keep his eyes open, and he decided to lay his head on Lucy's bed, just for a second.

And he was out like a light.

* ********* ********** ********** ********* *

The sound of voices stirred him awake, and it took Natsu a few moments to adjust to the onslaughts of sensations surrounding him.

The room reeked of antiseptics that hurt his nose, with an undertone of herbs and lavender.

There were several people in the room, he counted three heartbeats, other than his own and Lucy's.

Natsu could hear them speaking but wasn't able to make out the words. There was still a hazy cloud over his mind and he felt tired even though he hadn't woken up yet.

As he slowly stirred back to reality, he felt a tingling sensation going through his body like a current, it seemed to be flowing next to his fire.

He was confused for half a second before everything hit him like a truck and he shot up from the chair, startling the three women in the room.

"Natsu!" Mira gasped as they turned to look at him.

"Good, one of you is awake. Now you can explain to me what exactly you were thinking when you decided to, how did you put it, child?" The cranky witch started yelling at him the moment their eyes met, before turning her gaze to Wendy.

"Bridge." The bluenette answered in a small voice as she looked at her shoes.

"Ah yes, a bridge between your magic." Porlyusica's tone was sharp as she turned her expectant glare back to Natsu.

"Is she going to be okay?" Was his only response as he stared back at the pink-haired woman.

"That is yet to be determined." There was a twitch to the old bat's brow as she moved to stand next to him.

"I can only find out so much with both of you unconscious. Now tell me, how did you manage to do this?" Her words were as sharp as her gaze as she stared him down.

Natsu looked back at the woman, feeling tired in a different way, as he realized he would have to explain what happened.

Again.

And he would have to do it at least one more time by the end of the day. Sighing at the thought he took a deep breath and tried to clear his head.

"It's like I told Wendy, she was fading. And the only thing I could think of was that if I can manage to gather enough magic and direct it towards her, it would spark hers back to life." Natsu shrugged casually, but his tone was firm.

He stood by his decision, no matter the consequences.

"Wendy mentioned you said that before, that she was fading." It didn't sound like a question, and Natsu wasn't sure what he was supposed to say.

"Luce, she- her aura is bright and golden. Even without it, there is a glow surrounding her. It makes her hair shine like spun gold when the light hits it." He decided to answer anyway as he looked back to where Lucy was lying, moving to comb his hand through her hair.

Feeling the need to have some kind of contact between them, as reassurance.
She was stable, and slowly gaining back her glow.

The look shared between Wendy and Mira as the fire drakon waxed poetics about Lucy's hair went completely over his head as he focused on her steadily growing magic.

There was a moment of silence, where everyone watched Natsu with various degrees of sympathy, and the women decided not to comment on his words.

"And how did you make this 'bridge'? What made you think that it was even a possibility?" The healer asked him, but Natsu didn't know what else there was to say.

"I don't know. She was dying in my arms.
I was panicking, there wasn't any time to think!" He tried to keep his emotions in check as he talked, reminding himself that Lucy was peacefully sleeping in front of him.

"I was panicking, and she was dying, and I connected our foreheads and just willed my magic to work the way I wanted it. There was a clear picture of a bridge in my mind, and then a zap..."

He didn't know if any of it made sense.

It didn't to him, all Natsu knew was that it worked.

Porlyusica's eyes narrowed as she watched him, looking at him as if she could see into his mind.

As if she knew he wasn't sharing everything.

So sue him if he didn't want anyone to know about the secret bond he had with Lucy.

They haven't talked about it yet.
It was left unsaid, but they both knew it was there.

Natsu wasn't sure if his partner was aware that his fire didn't burn her, but he was sure that she felt the same connection he did.

He didn't know what it was, didn't even question it until this moment.
It just felt, natural.

It was Lucy.

And this was something he couldn't just blurt out to people without talking to her about it.

He had a feeling she would be pissed.

"What happened after?" The older woman urged him with a tapping foot, clearly getting impatient.

"I could feel her magic, it was a prickling, almost tingling sensation all over. And after a few minutes, her breathing was back to normal and the colour was slowly coming back to her face." Natsu breathed the words out as he remembered the relief he felt when he saw her breathing stabilize.

"I could feel my magic sparking hers, helping her own grow." There wasn't anything else he could give the witch.

Not without talking to Lucy first.

Porlyusica studied him for a moment with narrow eyes, before suddenly putting one of her hands on his chest and the other on Lucy's

No one said a word as the witch started chanting something under her breath, and Natsu could feel the magic coming from her hand.

It wasn't an uncontrollable feeling, but the magic wasn't as soothing as Wendy's was when she healed.

The chanting continued, getting more intense by the second and the energy in the room shifted as the pink-haired witch concentrated on them.

Natsu could feel the bridge between him and Lucy slowly start to bubble, and suddenly Porlyusica stopped chanting.

"Animae Vinculum." The old woman breathed out with a gasp as she pulled her hands away from them, and Natsu could smell the seared flesh on her palms.

Wendy gasped from behind them when the spell broke, and the young healer moved from Mira's side to look over the older woman's wounds.

"What happened?" Wendy asked as she moved to heal the burns.

Porlyusica was silent for a moment, looking between Natsu and Lucy with interest and apprehension. "It was my fault." She stated as Wendy let go of her healed hands. "Thank you, child."

"I tried severing the connection you made, and both of your magic attacked me." There was an amused tone in her voice as she spoke, and Natsu was thoroughly confused by the old hag's behavior.

"Is she going to be okay?" Natsu asked again, hoping the chanting would have given her some answers.

"Miss Heartfilia will be just fine, though the only reason she is not dying from magic depletion is because of what you did, all you need to do is wait for her to wake up." The pressure that weighed down on him since Lucy passed out in that clearing seemed to evaporate at the healers' words.

Letting out a sigh, Natsu took a step back and let himself fall into the chair.

'She's going to be okay.'

"However," Porlyusica continued, and his head shot up to look at her. "From what I could sense, the two of you have been linked, so to say, and there is no telling what will come from that." She told him with a sharp glare.

"When she wakes up, Wendy," Porlyusica turned to look at the young healer. "I need you to examine both of them. Or call me, and we can do it together."

She turned to look back at Natsu. "There is no telling how this could go, I have never seen anything like this before." There was almost a hint of worry in the older woman's voice, and as he nodded Natsu thought for a second that she might actually care about them.

And in a blink of an eye, the moment was gone and the scowl was back on her face.

With a frustrated grunt from the witch, she turned to collect her things around the room. "I swear you children will be the death of me, I don't know how Makarov puts up with you, the old fool."

She was muttering to herself as she left, and Natsu couldn't help but feel lighter.

Even with the unknown outcome of the link between him and Lucy, Natsu felt content.

He wanted to laugh as the witch kept mumbling on her way out about the master and how he was worse than all of them.

Turning his eyes back to Lucy he smiled and moved to clasp their hands, feeling like he could breathe easily again.

All they had to do was wait.

Wait for Lucy to wake up and then they'll have to talk about all the things that happened in the clearing, and how she was never again allowed to almost die in his arms.

And their bond and this link that was now between them.

But no matter what happens, Natsu was sure that they'd figure it out.

Together.

He was lost in thought when someone suddenly cleared their throat from behind him, looking over his shoulder he froze.

Standing in the room by the door, glaring at him was Erza, with Gray by her side.

Natsu could feel his headache coming back with a vengeance as he realized they were here for answers.

Not again.
He couldn't tell the story again.

It was too much, too soon, even with knowing Lucy was going to be fine.
The exhaustion was still there, and his emotions were too high-wired.

Natsu knew that having to tell the whole story was inevitable, and he knew Erza will not settle for any of his bullshit.

But he was tired of reliving the past day, and all he wanted was to curl back up in the chair next to Lucy and sleep.

"Guys, why don't we let Natsu rest. It's been a lot for him too. I'll tell you what I know, and he can tell us the rest tomorrow." Mira, bless her heart, spoke out before anyone could and Natsu felt like he could kiss her in that moment.

The take-over mage must have seen the dread and exhaustion on his face as he realized what was coming.

"He needs to tell us what happened, Mira!" Erza argued back, with Gray on her side.

"Yeah, he can't just barge in with Lucy unconscious in his arms and a woman possessed by a goddamned demon without any explanation!" The ice prick decided to pipe in, but Natsu found himself too tired to sneer back at him.

There was a tense moment of silence, but before anyone else could say anything, a flash of blue flew through the door, and suddenly Happy was crying in his arms.

"Natsu! I was so worried when Mira said that you were in trouble! How is Lucy?" The exceed asked through tears and Natsu's heart clenched as he watched his little buddy cry.

"The cranky witch said Luce is just fine, she needs to sleep it off, sorry for worrying you buddy, but it's all okay now." He soothed the blue feline as he rubbed behind his ears.

Happy calmed down at his words, moving to brush the tears from his eyes. "I was scared when Mira said Lucy was hurt, and you looked freaked out and scary when you came back!" The words came out fast and jumbled as he tried to catch his breath.

"And what exactly happened for her to end up in such a state? How are you left without a scratch?" Erza's voice cut back in before Natsu could further console the exceed, and he suddenly felt like someone poured cold water down his back.

His hold on Happy tightened at the redheads' words as the exceed looked around the room in confusion.

"Erza! That's enough." Mira said with a sharp tone as she shot the reequip mage a look.

"I will not argue with you Mira, this is quite an alarming situation and we have no idea what happened!" Erza turned to look at the take-over mage, arms crossed as she stood her ground.

Natsu knew that the situation would only escalate from here, with Mira and Erza on opposite ends.

"Natsu, don't make me use force." The redhead turned her glare back at him after a few seconds and Natsu just wanted it to end.

If telling her everything will get her to back off, he'll do it.

"He will tell us, but he also needs rest!" Natsu was startled by Wendy's sudden shout, and they all turned to face the blushing healer.

"They've both been through a lot, and like Mira said, we can fill you in on what we know. But Lucy isn't the only one that needs sleep. And a shower." The bluenette said her voice sounding firm as she spoke, before turning to look at him with a small smile.

Natsu nodded his head in thanks and smiled back at her.

There was a sigh from Erza at Wendy's words and she moved to pinch her brow, massaging the area for a moment before turning to look at him.

"Fine, rest. We'll talk in the morning."

Gray looked like he wanted to protest, but Erza and Mira dragged him out of the room before he could get a word out.

"You can move her into one of the spare rooms since she needs to sleep it off, the beds in here aren't very comfortable." Wendy said as she made her way out of the room.

"And you get some sleep too!" She told him, her tone once again firm as she walked out of the door.

"I will!" He managed to say back as she left the room.

Letting out a sigh, Natsu closed his eyes for a moment.

"Natsu?" Happy's voice called out and he opened one eye to look down at him. "Are you going to be okay?" The exceed asked, making Natsu open both eyes to look at him.

"'Course I'm going to be okay." He tried to play it off, not wanting to further worry his little buddy, or think about his current emotions.

There was a sigh from the cat as he pulled out of his arms and flew into the air, his white wings materializing with a shimmer of light.

"Wendy was right, you do need a shower." Happy said as he wrinkled his nose.

Natsu was glad he wasn't pushing the subject, and he moved to flick one of his ears. "That's rich coming from you, you smell like fish!" He shot back, making the exceed scoff.

"Fish smells amazing, who doesn't like fish? You smell dirty and disgusting." He stuck out his tongue at Natsu and started laughing as he flew out of the room.

'Always has to get the last word.' Natsu thought with a smile as he watched the blue fur ball disappear.

Shaking his head, he turned to pick Lucy up and take her into one of the spare rooms.

Wendy was right, the infirmary beds weren't comfortable.

Chapter Text

It was one of those rare days in the Fairy Tail guild when its members started showing up early in the morning.

This usually happened around or after the holidays, and it was always nice to have everyone together and in a good mood.

Following the post-holiday job rush, it seemed that a lot of Fairy Tail members decided to take the weekend off and laze around the guild.

It was too cold to do anything else.

Wendy, Erza, and the exceeds came back from their job the day before, along with Gray and Juvia, and Mira could see them all sitting at one end of the guild, chatting and enjoying their breakfast.

Well, Juvia was creeping under the opposite table watching Gray with hearts in her eyes.

Mira made a mental note to keep a close eye on those two as she polished the glassware. It was still too early to tell how it could go, nevertheless, the take-over mage couldn't help but dream, she was a romantic at heart.

Juvia was obviously and loudly in love with their resident ice mage, but Gray was a stubborn one, and hard to read about these things.

You never know with him.

Mira went back to polishing the glasses as she watched over the guild. The spirits were high as everyone lazed about, enjoying each other's company.

Or in Cana's case, a wine barrel.

Mira shook her head as she watched the card mage drink. How she managed to function with that much alcohol is beyond her, but it was impressive.

The sound of Jet and Droy encouraging Levy pulled Mira from Cana's end of the bar to one of the middle tables in the guild.

She could see the blunette flipping through various books with her fast-reading glasses, as her partners cheered her on.

It was a sweet scene from team Shadow Gear that put a smile on Mira's face, and as she looked around the room she saw that even the Thunder Legion was laughing and enjoying the winter morning at their table in the corner.

She also noticed that her sister was sitting with them, how interesting.

Overall, it looked like the start of a nice and peaceful day.

Which can only mean that trouble was coming soon. Peaceful days in Fairy Tail were short-lived and spread far out.

It was at the thought of trouble that Mira remembered that Lucy never checked in last night and a nervous niggling in her gut told her that something might be wrong.

The last time they spoke, it was so that she could help them cloak a regular key to look like Leo's. Lucy said she would call after they made the swap and were out of the museum.

That was over 12 hours ago, hell it was almost over 18 hours ago.

She should call them.
To make sure everything went according to plan.

She was sure that between Lucy's brain and Natsu's brawn, they would be just fine, but it was a little odd that the spirit mage didn't call to check-in.

Pulling the phone out of her apron, Mira dialed Lucy's number and waited for the blonde to answer.

The girl was an early riser, and Mira had no doubt she would be awake by now.

It took a few rings for her to answer, and Mira started talking as soon she heard the other end pick up. "You didn't call last night, so I thought to check in early, how did everything go? Did you manage to get the broken key piece?"

Out of everything she could've expected, Natsu's almost shaky voice coming from the other end of the line wasn't on the list.

"Things- They, they didn't go according to plan." He sounded dejected, stumbling over his words as he spoke and Mira clenched her phone tighter in her hand.

Something was definitely wrong.

"What do you mean by that? And where is Lucy, why are you answering her phone?" She almost growled through the line, catching the attention of some guild members around her as she questioned Natsu.

"Mira, please, it's been a long day, for both of us." There was an edge to his voice she'd never heard before as he spoke, and Mira didn't know what to make of it.

"I need you to open a portal for me, Lucy is unconscious and I have another woman who is possessed. We're out in the middle of a forest, and I don't have a way to get them both back to the Village, and even if I did how would I explain it?"

His infliction struck a cord within Mira and she let out a gasp at his words, and also his tone.

He sounded, broken, almost as he pleaded with her. And she had never heard him like this.

Not even when he showed up after the battle with Phantom Lord with a bloody Lucy in his arms.

Turning on her planning mode, Mira pulled the phone from her ear and looked out at the crowd of mages.

Most of them were glancing or outright staring at her, obviously having overheard her end of the conversation.

"We need a portal, Lucy's down and Natsu has a possessed mortal with him. There's no way to get them both back to the village."

There was a commotion at her words as everyone shouted out questions and she watched Erza, Gray, and Levy jump to their feet as Happy flew over to her, eyes filled with worry.

"Where are they? We need a location." Fried was the one who asked, and when Mira turned to look at him she was surprised to see the Thunder Legion looking concerned about the situation.

Lisanna looked back at her with worry over the two mages, and Mira could see Bickslow moving to comfort her.

But now was not the time to think about it.

"Tell me your exact location." She said through the phone, her mind racing and heart pounding as her adrenaline started to pick up.

The peaceful day in Fairy Tail has officially come to an end, and it wasn't even 10 in the morning.

Mira was trying not to think of what could've happened for Natsu to sound so lost and despairing.

Portal first, then she can bombard him with questions.

There were a few seconds of silence before he answered. "We're in the middle of the goddamn woods!" Natsu said through grit teeth, and she could hear the frustration in his voice.

Mira could tell he was close to panicking, it was weird coming from the fire drakon and it did nothing to calm down her already spinning thoughts.

He wasn't one to get over-emotional or panicky on or off the battlefield.

Unless that emotion was anger.
And this was not anger.

"After we took the key from the museum it led us into the forest East of Sakuramori. We traveled going due South-West for hours before coming to this clearing.

There's a waterfall, that's all I can give ya."

That was a decent amount of information considering how out of it he sounded and that they were in a forest.

There couldn't be many waterfalls in the area.

"Okay, okay, we can work with that." Mira told him as she once again lowered the phone.

"We need a map of Fiore, they're in a forest East of Sakuramori Village. Some kind of clearing with a waterfall. He said they were walking South West for hours before coming upon it."

She relayed the information to the room and watched as everyone scrambled for a map and went to work.

Mira looked back at Happy, who was sitting on the bar looking at her with big, teary eyes. "I'll keep him talking until we get the portal to them. Don't worry, they'll be fine."

She told him, trying to console the exceed before deciding to move away from the crowd and into the kitchen.

With Natsu like this, she felt a need for privacy.

"We're working on a portal. Now tell me what happened, is Lucy okay?" Mira asked worriedly, needing to know how bad it was.

There was silence coming from the other end, and she had to check if they were still on the call.

"She- she's fine, for now. I think." Natsu's voice spoke through the speaker, and Mira could hear his breath getting heavier with every word.

"I don't know, Mira. Things, they got out of hand, and it all happened so fast, I'm not even sure what happened, and then she was dying." The sentence was cut off by a choking sound, and now Mira was really worried.

Because Natsu was crying.

The last time she remembers seeing him cry was in the first few weeks after he arrived in Fairy Tail.

And he said that Lucy was dying.

It all had Mira's head spinning in circles as she tried to process the information.
What the hell happened to them?

She heard Natsu's breath getting more and more shallow as he cried, and she reminded herself that she was here for him.

Not to freak out, but to try and keep him calm.

"Hey, hey, Natsu. Listen to me." Mira used her calmest tone as she spoke, akin to the way you would approach a scared and wounded animal. "You said she's fine, right?"

His breath started slowing down as he concentrated on answering her words. "She's alive, she's okay." Natsu said the words like they were a prayer, and Mira's heart clenched as she realized how much this rocked the fire drakon.

"She used up so much of her magic, and it felt like she was fading. I- I didn't know what to do." He continued talking, his voice coming out frazzled and she tried thinking of the best way to distract him.

"It's okay, just keep taking deep breaths, yeah? You're both okay, and the portal's coming, I'm gonna stay on the line with you until we can conjure it.

Talk to me, I won't ask what happened, tell me about what you did yesterday before going back to the museum." She settled on that, retelling something simple to keep his mind off what was happening.

Hopefully, the others won't take too long with the portal.

"We stopped for lunch." He said after a few moments and Mira could tell he was trying to recall their day.

"After we left the museum in the morning, we stopped somewhere to eat, and then I asked if she wanted to look around for a magic shop.

You know how Luce wants to check them all out for keys, so I thought we could see if there was one in Sakuramori." Natsu's words came out less somber as he talked about Lucy and in any other situation Mira would find it adorable.

Now it just made her sad.

"Oh, that's very sweet of you, did you end up finding a shop? The village is small." She hoped he wouldn't catch her glum tone as she tried to stay bubbly for his sake.

"We did, there weren't any keys in it though. She did end up finding some cool shit, she always does." Natsu's words were softer towards the end of the sentence, and Mira's heart might've burst for the fire drakon at that moment.

She was sure that the odd pair had feelings for each other from day one, even if they weren't ready to admit those feelings to anyone else.

Even themselves.

But she was somehow shocked to witness just how deep those feelings were, and what the consequences of them losing each other could be like.

"That's our Lucy." And there was no hiding the gloominess in her voice this time.

Thankfully, Lisanna appeared at the door at that moment. "The portal is coming their way in 15." She said softly as she moved back into the guild hall.

Mira cleared her throat and moved to follow her sister out of the kitchen.

"There should be a door appearing somewhere around you in the next 15 seconds." She told him as she moved her eyes to the guild doors in anticipation.
Everyone was sitting and waiting for them to arrive.

There was no answer from the fire drakon.

He ended the call without a word and then the door was being kicked in, and Natsu was walking through the threshold with Lucy in his arms.

"Natsu!" Mira exclaimed at his entrance, her heart pumping as she took in his wild eyes, heavy breath, and the way his hands were clutching the unconscious blond.

Several guild members joined in with her shout as they got to their feet.

Natsu chose to ignore all of them and continue walking through the guild, a predatory glare in his eyes. "There's a possessed, unconscious woman out here! And we need Porlyusica!"

He barked out, not looking at any of them as he frantically made his way through the sudden crowd surrounding him.

Mira saw Bickslow move out the door and into the snowy clearing to retrieve the possessed woman without a word.

And then Happy was at her side again and they watched together as everyone continued bombarding Natsu with questions.

Standing almost surrounded in the middle of the guild with Lucy clutched in his arms, he looked like a caged animal about to strike.

"We need Porlyusica! Or Wendy, where is Wendy!" Natsu's growled out, and Mira could tell his fuse was short, if it was there at all.

She had a feeling that the only reason he wasn't fighting his way through the crowd was because of the blonde in his arms.

The guild members quieted down with his outburst, and a few took a step back.

As if finally noticing his mood.

"Here, I'm here." Wendy's melodic voice called out and the young healer made her way to the front. "We need to lay her down. The infirmary is the best place, come on."

The bluenette pointed to the second floor as she moved towards the stairs.

The crowd parted for them without a word as they made their way through and it felt like the guild was holding their breath as they watched the trio climb up the stairs.

Bickslow had made his way back with the tied-up unconscious woman and moved to set her at one of the benches.

"One of Zeref's demons is possessing the woman, Fran-something." Natsu called out from over his shoulder as he walked into the infirmary room, shutting the door behind him and sending the guild into an almost instant panic as he did.

"Did he just say one of Zeref's demons?" Jet asked in a worried tone and then everyone was back to shouting questions.

Mira could see Erza moving towards the stairs, with Gray hot on her heel and she moved fast, summoning her Satan Soul before she could even think.

She stopped at the top of the stairs, arms crossed as she looked down at Erza.

"Let Wendy work in peace, you know she concentrates better with less of a crowd." Mira implored, hoping the reequip mage would back down for the moment.

She had a feeling that Natsu would not respond well to her inquisitive presence at the moment.

Erza stared back at her for several heartbeats, her magic was pooling slowly as she debated on whether to fall back and wait or try and fight Mira.

Thankfully the redhead relented with a single nod and walked back to her table with Gray.

Letting go of her magic, Mira let out a slight sigh before realizing the guild hall was quieter than before.

Looking around she noticed that their little display stopped the ruckus amongst the mages and took that moment to take charge.

"Okay everyone, it seems like we have a situation on our hands. Now Fried, Levy you two can search through the library and see which demon this is." She pointed at the mages as she assigned the task.

They were the ones to help organize it, so it was best to leave the task to them, and thankfully there were no complaints from the duo and they rushed to the library in search.

"Do you know what happened, Mira? Is Lucy okay?" Gray asked and Cana chipped in from next to him, her barrel currently abandoned by the bar. "Yeah, should we call the cranky witch? Natsu seemed pretty dead set that we do."

The take-over mage sighed as she walked down the stairs.

"I don't know the details. He told me she used up a lot of her magic and fainted out of nowhere, that it looked like she was dying and then he told me she was okay, for now." Mira told them, it wasn't much, but the details were hardly necessary when their friends were in trouble.

"So you don't know anything?" Cana said bluntly and Mira rolled her eyes.

"I was hardly going to interrogate him when I found out Lucy was unconscious. Getting them home was the first priority. We'll find out what happened. And I think we should wait till Wendy's done before we decide to bother Porlyusica."

With the master out of town, Mira didn't want to get on the healers' bad side.

"Okay, we'll wait then. But what do we do about her?" Gray sighed as he moved to poke the unconscious brunette tied and cuffed on one of the benches.

"We wait to see which demon we're dealing with, and how to help free the poor woman." Mira answered as she walked to inspect the woman.

Trying to see if she would get a read off the demon.

"Franmalth!" Levy's voice yelled as she ran into the room, Fried following a few steps behind her with a book in his hands.

"I'm guessing that's the demon?" Mira asked as Levy stopped in front of her, her hands on her knees as she panted. "Yes."

"Okay, so how do we get rid of it?" Laxus joined the conversation as he moved next to Fried and tried to read the pages over his shoulder, before frowning when he realized it was in a different language.

"We can't kill it while it's possessing the woman, though we can banish it from her. It will send him back to his physical form. But we don't know where that is, so we'd essentially just be letting him go." The green-haired man explained. "Though that is our best option, as we do not want to keep harming an innocent."

No one in the guild argued with the logic, keeping the mortal woman alive and safe was their first priority.

"How do we banish him then?" Gray cut in and all eyes turned back to Fried and Levy.

"It's a simple spell, it shouldn't take longer than a minute. It will leave the person possessed incapacitated anywhere from a few hours to a few days. Depending on how long she has been under his control." Levy explained as Fried moved to do the spell.

"We can keep her in one of the spare rooms until she wakes up, and then have someone wipe her memory." Mira said as they all watched the rune mage perform the banishment spell.

"This is the second creation of the dark mage that we've encountered in the past months." Erza said in a grave tone as Fried finished the spell and Bikcslow moved to take the woman up the stairs.

"Third, if you count that job Natsu and Lucy took. They transported one of the books of Zeref." Levy chimed in, her tone sullen as she sat down at a table.

"I know, something is stirring up. The Master got summoned late last night for an emergency meeting." Mira sighed as she went to rub her temple.

"There is some troubling gossip going around about the dark guilds, that's why they're meeting so soon after their monthly conclave." Mira answered back.

It was nothing good, that much was obvious.

The dark guilds usually worked alone, staying out of each other's business.
Now there were rumors of an alliance forming between some of the most powerful guilds.

Before Mira could share her worries with the guild the door of the infirmary opened and Wendy was descending the stairs.

The young healer looked doleful as she walked towards them, and Mira's heart started frantically beating in her chest from the suspense.

"How is she?" Mira asked as soon as the sky drakon was near enough.

There was a sigh from the young healer as she looked down at the floor. "We need to call for Porlyusica. She has more healing experience than I do, I'm out of my depth here."

That was not what Mira wanted to hear.

There had been a foolishly hopeful part of her that thought that maybe it wasn't as grave as it seemed.

* ********* ********** ********** ********* *

Wendy walked out of the infirmary room feeling absolutely useless.

All the years studying and practicing her magic, only for her to be rendered worthless in the face of something unknown.

But this was unlike anything the sky drakon had encountered before.

There are texts of bonds and links between mages, a union raid being the most well-known.

But nothing like this.
She has read nothing to indicate such a thing was even a possibility.

To share magic with another person, to make such an elaborate and intricate connection...

Helping replenish someone's magic with your own in such a way, was something that she never would have thought of.

So what made Natsu think it could be done?

Wendy walked down the stairs as she pondered the questions in her mind. Hopefully, Porlyusica will have answers.

"How is she?" Mira asked as Wendy stopped a few steps from her and the blunette shifted her gaze to watch her shoes as she debated on how to answer.

Saying Lucy was going to be okay didn't sit right with her. While her condition was stable, and her magic was growing steadily. There were too many unknown factors.

"We need to call for Porlyusica. She has more healing experience than I do, I'm out of my depth here." Wendy settled for the truth because she was out of her depth.

The mood in the guild turned somber at her declaration, and Mira moved without a word, excusing herself to go and contact the pink-haired witch.

It left Wendy to her thoughts and the young healer couldn't get Natsu's wide-eyed panicked look out of her mind.

She could count on one hand the amount of times she'd seen him worried or scared, but never to this degree.

This seemed to have shaken him to his core.

Seeing Natsu in such a state only rattled her even more. In Wendy's eyes, the fire drakon was, unmovable, unshakable.
A force to be reckoned with.

But the way he couldn't seem to stray too far from the blonde. His voice and the look in his eyes as he told her a little part of what happened to them.

This was a side of Natsu that was unknown to the young drakon.

"Is it that bad?" It was Happy that asked, effectively bringing Wendy back to the present and her heart clenched as she looked at the exceed.

He was looking at her with wide eyes full of tears. "I- I'm not sure myself. Lucy looks fine, but..." Wendy trailed off, not knowing if she should tell them what she knew.

It wasn't the complete story, and the sky drakon knew that Erza would have questions she couldn't answer.

"What did he tell you? What happened to them?" The redhead asked as if she could sense her thoughts.

"He told me that she used her magic to try and fix Leo's broken key, and almost died doing it. I don't know anything else." Wendy admitted what she knew and hoped it would be enough for now.

She decided to leave out the bridge that was now between the two mages until she could tell them exactly what it was.

"I contacted Porlyusica, she's on her way." Mira said as she appeared from behind the bar.

"Perfect, we have enough time for Natsu to answer some questions before the healer gets here." Erza said as she stood from her seat.

Wendy jumped without thinking and was in front of the reequip mage before she could take a step and held her arms in front of her.

"No, he said he won't talk until Porlyusica gets here. He's also exhausted as well, give him some time to rest."

The sky drakon pleaded with the redhead.

Natsu was in no shape for an interrogation right now. He could barely concentrate enough to answer her questions and Wendy knew it wasn't a good idea for anyone to go up there.

Not until Porlyuisca has given Lucy a clean bill of health.

Erza's sharp gaze was staring down at Wendy, but the younger girl held her ground.

She was the expert here, and her expert opinion is that they both need rest. But the fire drakon is too stubborn for his own good.

"Okay, we'll wait for the witch." Erza gave in with a sigh and sat back down. "How did it even come to this?" The redhead wondered what they were all thinking out loud.

"Mira, you were in contact with them." Gray piped in and all eyes turned to the take-over mage.

"All I know is that their job turned out to be fake, and while they were in the museum they found a broken spirit key. Lucy decided that taking the object would be the best choice, as it still had a magic signature. So they asked for my help to cloak a regular key into looking like Leo."

Mira explained what she knew as she fidgeted with her hands. "That was the last I heard of them. They were supposed to take the broken piece and contact me! I don't know what happened after that."

Mira's story didn't really give them any new information, they were out in those woods for who knows how long. A lot seemed to have happened to them in one night.

There was a lull in the guild as everyone waited for the pink-haired healer to arrive. Most of the guild was on edge as if waiting for the other shoe to drop.

It was a tense few minutes before the door of the guild opened once more and the old healer appeared in a flurry of robes with her overflowing bag of herbs and medicines in hand.

"What have you miscreants done this time?" Porlyusica asked as she moved towards Mira.

"I am sorry for bothering you, but Wendy said that you would be better suited to help in this situation." The take-over mage answered and the older healer turned her stern gaze to Wendy.

"Show me the way and tell me what you know child." Her tone was always softer with her than the others and Wendy never knew why the usually cranky healer took a liking to her.

"They're in the infirmary, Lucy seems to have drained her magic and, there is something I need you to see." Wendy talked, trying to keep her voice low, even as she led the older woman up the stairs.

Mira's footsteps followed behind them.

* ********* ********** ********** ********* *

Erza watched as Wendy and Mira led Porlyusica to the second floor of the guild, trying to keep herself from following behind them.

Knowing the old healer, it was a miracle she didn't kick everyone out of the infirmary room, and the redhead did not want to test her patience.

Watching them disappear into the room and close the door left Erza feeling on edge.

The Master was out, and they had a guild mate down and another one who refused to answer questions, which left the remaining guild members feeling anxious and uncertain.

When Mira told them Lucy was injured, Erza didn't know what to think.

The redhead has been training Lucy since they met, and Erza is proud to say that Lucy's fighting and magic have progressed wonderfully under her coaching.

She was a natural and her magic energy has grown a lot in such a short time.

They have also grown close as friends, even forming a kind of team together with Natsu and Gray, something that would have sounded impossible, if not laughable, just half a year ago.

Erza liked Lucy.

She was a smart, strong young woman with a good sense of justice and a big heart, and Erza was glad to have her join their guild.

When she found out the news that Natsu had brought a mage to the guild, she didn't believe it.

Having been out on a job and not being there to witness their interactions, Erza concluded that everyone was just hyperbolizing the situation.

But then she found out that Natsu had taken a job with the new mage and for a moment Erza thought that maybe she entered a parallel universe.

Natsu was not the type of person to team up with someone.

He has gone on missions with people under Masters orders when it's a serious situation, but when it comes to regular jobs, Happy is the only person who went with him.

Erza knows that ever since coming to the guild it's been a struggle for the fire drakon. His early years were spent in anger, and trying to disobey and lash out in any way he could.

She could understand his anger, to a point.

Never having parents herself Erza couldn't know the pain of knowing your mother or father before they abandoned you.

Waking up one morning to find the only parent you've ever known gone without a trace would leave a mark on anyone, let alone a 7-year-old.

They all tried their best with him, refusing to give up on the young mage.

It was easy for any of them to remember what it was like when they first came to the guild. Everyone in Fairy Tail had their story, and that's what made them who they are.

Their guild might be known throughout Fiore's magical community as the one that causes the most trouble and desaturation of property. Fairy Tail was a well-known headache to the Magic Council, but they were also known as more of a family than an organization.

That was the beauty of Fairy Tail.

Erza took it upon herself to teach the poor drakon to read and write properly, and it turned out to be more of a challenge than she anticipated, as he turned out to be more fluent in an ancient Dragon language than English.

That's where Fried and Levy stepped in to help her, and with their help, everyone in the guild got involved in helping the fire drakon get accustomed to living with them.

And after a few attempts at running away, it was ultimately Happy's presence and Wendy showing up at Fairy Tail that made the fire drakon begrudgingly decide to permanently stay with the guild.

That was a long time ago, and while they all knew he would put his life on the line for Fairy Tail, none could claim to be particularly close to the fire mage.

Wendy was the closest of them all, and Erza knew it was because they both shared the same pain.

So seeing the way he interacted with this new mage was bemusing, to say the least.

Lucy Heartfilia had somehow, single-handedly, and without even trying made their wayward drakon a more permanent fixture in the guild.

And it was always amusing watching them banter.

During these six months Erza, and everyone in Fairy Tail, got a chance to see a different Natsu.

One that isn't running from his past and constantly seeking his father. A side of him that was always there, but subdued around them.

Like a shell or armor that he built around himself.

An armor that seems to chip away every day he spends with Lucy.

It was why Erza was so desperate to get answers. She knew that Natsu would do anything to protect Lucy, even from herself.

She needed to know everything that happened in that clearing, and whether she needed to kick Natsu's ass for it.

Erza was reduced to pacing in a straight line as they all waited for Porlyusica, or Mira and Wendy to come downstairs.

She could feel Gray's eyes on her as she walked back and forth, and she shot him a look. "What?"

"Do you think she's gonna be okay? I mean Wendy looked spooked, even when the old witch got here." He asked her and Erza stopped pacing and stared back at him.

Wendy did look spooked.

The healer said Lucy used up almost all of her magic, but she also said that she was stable.

How was that possible?

Being drained of magic is a dangerous thing, and there was hardly anything a healer could do in those situations. There have been mages that died of magic exhaustion.

And Erza could tell that the young healer wasn't telling them everything she knew, but that was likely because she didn't understand.

She did say she was out of her depth.

"I don't know. We have to wait and see." Erza told him as she started pacing again.

Gray sighed at her words and pushed his hair out of his eyes. "I know. I hate waiting." And in a blink, his shirt was gone.

Erza's eye twitched at his vexing habit and she moved her hand so she could slap the back of his head "Put your shirt back on!"

As Gray scrambled for his shirt, Erza looked up at the door of the infirmary room, as if glaring at it would make them finish faster.

She didn't appreciate having to wait for answers any more than Gray, but they needed to be patient.

It was a few minutes before the door opened and Porlyusica stepped out looking annoyed and grumbling under her breath.

Well, that was a good sign.

If the old healer was back to her cranky ways, Lucy should be fine.

Moving without a word, Erza climbed the stairs two at a time, with Gray following behind.

They passed Porlyusica with a polite nod in the hall and Erza walked with a brisk pace towards the open infirmary room door.

Stepping through the threshold, she saw Mira and Wendy standing next to each other, staring at the bed where Lucy was sleeping.

Natsu was sitting in one of the chairs next to her bed, his back facing the door but Erza could see their hands were entwined.

Clearing her throat, the reequip mage brought everyone's attention to her and Gray by the door.

She saw the way Natsu tensed at their arrival, his face getting pale as they locked eyes.

There was silence in the room as they all looked at each other, and before Erza could get a word in, Mira decided to speak.

"Guys, why don't we let Natsu rest. It's been a lot for him too. I'll tell you what I know, and he can tell us the rest tomorrow." Mira, ever the mediator, said with one of her gentle tones as she took a step forward.

Erza was getting tired of being asked to wait, she wanted answers. "He needs to tell us what happened, Mira!" The redhead argued back, she didn't want to fight with the take-over mage, but she was being difficult.

"Yeah, he can't just barge in with Lucy unconscious in his arms and a woman possessed by a goddamned demon without any explanation!" Gray's voice came from beside her as the ice mage backed her up.

And Erza was honestly surprised at Natsu's lack of reaction to the mage's words.

He would usually be jumping on his feet and threatening to melt him into a puddle, or something equally creative.

But he just kept staring at them, an almost faraway look in his eyes.

There was a tense moment where nothing was said, and Erza was getting impatient. This situation was out of hand, and they knew nothing of what happened to them.

"Natsu! I was so worried when Mira said that you were in trouble! How is Lucy?" Happy broke the tense moment as he burst into the room and into Natsu's arms.

The question threw Erza into a loop, and her gut clenched as she realized she didn't even ask about the blonde and went straight into action.

What a terrible friend and guildmate she was.

Gray tensed by her side at Happy's question and Erza knew he was feeling the same.

"The cranky witch said Luce is just fine, she needs to sleep it off, sorry for worrying you buddy, but it's all okay now." Natsu finally spoke, consoling the blue exceed as he cried in his arms.

"I was scared when Mira said Lucy was hurt, and you looked freaked out and scary when you came back!" Happy's tears had stopped falling, but his words came out quickly and jumbled as he spoke.

Erza, while feeling sympathetic for the exceed, was at her last straw.

"And what exactly happened for her to end up in such a state? How are you left without a scratch?" Her voice came out sharper than she intended, and the way Natsu's face drained of all colour made her immediately regret her choice of words.

"Erza! That's enough." Mira scolded her, but Erza was not backing down.

She shouldn't have said that.
But they still need answers.

"I will not argue with you Mira, this is quite an alarming situation and we have no idea what happened!" She shot back at the take-over mage, before turning her glare to the fire drakon.

"Natsu, don't make me use force." Her threat was purely for show, as he rarely refused to talk after such a suggestion, and she could see that this time was no different.

His posture slouched as he sighed, accepting defeat.

"He will tell us, but he also needs rest!" Wendy's voice was angry and firm as she made her declaration, and Erza turned to look at the healer in surprise.

She was blushing from the sudden attention, but her body language didn't speak of backing down.

Clenching her fists, the young blunette stared her and Gray down with determination as she spoke, and Erza couldn't help but feel proud of the girl.

"They've both been through a lot, and like Mira said, we can fill you in on what we know. But Lucy isn't the only one that needs sleep. And a shower."

Her tone left no room for negotiation and Erza sighed as she went to pinch her brow, hoping to relieve her growing headache before finally taking a second to really look at Natsu.

His face was pale, the bags under his eyes stood out on his skin, and the way he looked like he was barely holding himself together made Erza realize how exhausted he was.

"Fine, rest. We'll talk in the morning." She declared, hoping her voice came out gentler this time around.

Maybe she was being a little too hard on him, whatever happened to them in that clearing seems to have taken a toll on Natsu.

Not to mention he hasn't slept in over 24 hours.

Mira moved towards her with a grateful smile, and they both grabbed Gray and pulled him out of the room as he started protesting.

"What do you mean tomorrow? You're just gonna let him off the hook!" The Ice mage sounded outraged at the turn of events, but before Erza could react, Mira moved to punch him.

"Shut up, he's not off the hook, he needs rest! Did you not see him in there? Just be patient will you." The take-over mage scolded him as if he were a child and Erza's lip twitched in a smile at the scene.

"She's right, Natsu will tell us everything tomorrow. For now, we know that Lucy is okay and they both need to rest."

Chapter Text

Feeling more drained than he can remember being in a long time, Natsu moved as if on autopilot.

Picking up Lucy from the bed and carrying her out of the infirmary, he started walking toward his favorite spare room in the guild.

There was a lot of noise coming from downstairs where Mira and Wendy were probably filing everyone in about what they knew, but he didn't have the strength or concentration to try and make out their words.

With how tired he felt, he didn't care what they were saying.
It was just noise at this point.

They can all wait till tomorrow.

When he walked into the room Natsu moved to the bed and carefully unfurled the covers with one hand, before laying Lucy gently on the bed and tucking her in.

As he took a step back he couldn't help but notice how unnaturally still she was as she slept, it was not the usual tossing and turning he could hear when sleeping over at her place, and something about her stillness bothered him.

Because it reminded Natsu that she wasn't just sleeping, she was unconscious. Her stillness remained him that Lucy had almost died; her body and magic were working to restore themselves.

Shaking off those thoughts before he could spiral again, and pushing down the emotions that accompanied them, Natsu moved back from the bed and walked towards the dresser.

There should be some clothes here that were his, and Wendy was right, he did need a shower.

This room was the one he used often when he was too tired to go back home after a particularly long job,  but that was before meeting Lucy and deciding that her couch was much better, so some of his stuff should still be here.

Unless Gramps had someone clean it out, but they would have told him, probably.

There were a few shirts, underwear, and a pair of pants left in a drawer, and Natsu took them before moving into the bathroom, but not without looking back at the sleeping blonde one more time before closing the door.

As he moved to look at himself in the mirror, Natsu saw how bad he looked.
No wonder Wendy and Mira looked so worried back in the infirmary, and even Erza seemed to feel bad for pushing him so hard.

His skin was paler than normal, and the bags under his eyes were more prominent than ever, his hair was disheveled, and he felt like he was a few seconds away from falling over.

Natsu sighed as he moved away from his reflection and towards the shower. No use in brooding over how bad he looked, better to get clean and try to get some sleep.

He stayed under the spray of water for a long time.

Now Natsu isn't the type to spend hours in a bath as Lucy could, usually, he was in and out in ten minutes, but in this moment, with the water coming down on him,
It felt nice.

It helped him relax and clear his head.

They were home, they were safe.
Lucy was going to be okay.

Natsu was eternally grateful to Wendy and Mira for stepping in with Erza and Gray the way they did.

Being forced into telling their misadventure again, and having to tell all of the story with Lucy lying there unconscious... it was too much for him at the moment. Most of the past 48 hours still didn't feel real to him, more like a series of hazy moments and a lot of panic.

Probably because of the exhaustion.

Heaving out a sigh, Natsu turned off the shower and moved to put on his clothes, feeling more sluggish with every move he made.

All he wanted to do was sleep.

Walking back into the room, he was only half surprised to see Happy sitting on the edge of the bed, waiting for him.

Lucy was still in the same position he left her in, tucked into the bed, lying on her back, and he could see the steady rise and fall of her chest.

"I just wanted to see if we're going home." The exceed asked as he saw Natsu exit the bathroom.

"I was planning on sleepin' in the chair. I have to be here when she wakes up." He told the blue fur ball as he made his way to the bed.

They had a lot to talk about, and Natsu had to be there the moment she opened her eyes. He needed to be there, in part to assure himself that she was, in fact okay, and because they had a lot to talk about.

The unspoken bond that has been growing between them since they met, the link he has somehow managed to create in a desperate move to save her life, and most importantly how she's never allowed to scare him like that ever again.

Happy looked at him for a moment before nodding his head. "Okay, we stay here till Lushi wakes up." The exceed said with a smile and Natsu smiled back at him.

He was glad that his little buddy would be here with them. "That's the plan, how's everything downstairs?" Natsu asked as he sat in the chair next to the bed.

It wasn't the most comfortable thing in the world, but it wasn't even close to the most uncomfortable place Natsu had slept in, so it would do.

Happy settled near Lucy's legs, folding himself in like the cat that he was before speaking. "Everyone is confused and worried, and Gray is beyond pissed that Erza let you off the hook!" He snickered as he told him about the ice prick, and it brought a smile to Natsu's face.

"Well, I'm always glad to annoy him, even when I'm not there." He said in a teasing tone as he moved to rest his head on the bed next to Lucy's hand.

"Was it scary?" Happy's asked after a beat of silence. "You looked really panicked when you got to the guild." His voice was small as he spoke, and Natsu thought about his answer for a long moment.

"It all happened so quickly." He mirrored what he said to Mira when they talked on the phone because in his mind it all happened in a flash. "And I didn't realize till it was too late."

He didn't really answer the exceeds questions, but Natsu had no more strength left in him and found himself slipping into slumber.

* ********* ********** ********** ********* *

As Natsu slowly woke up, the world around him felt foggy and distant, his head was pounding, and having to reel in all the sensations surrounding him was a major pain at the moment.

Adjusting his heightened senses to his surroundings after he pushed his body to the limit was worse than the usual practice.
And even though it was more his mind that was pushed than the body, it was a pain all the same.

Natsu wasn't sure how long he was asleep and was only about fifty percent sure where he was, but he knew with absolute certainty who he was with.

There were two heartbeats in the room apart from his own, and he could smell lavender with a hint of sage and fish.

Lucy and Happy.

The more he stirred awake, the more aware he became.

The ticking of the clock in the room, his friend's steady breathing patterns, the birds chirping outside, the fridges buzzing downstairs.

As Natsu focused on all the sensations surrounding him, he started to slowly reel them in, and as he was sorting through all his senses, Natsu realized with a start that there was a light, almost tingly feeling that was flowing through him, making him feel bright like he was basking in the sunshine.

It feels like when he's close to Lucy while she's using her magic.

It took him a few tries to open his eyes and when he did, he stretched out like a cat, letting out a small noise as his stiff muscles moved and cracked after being in such an uncomfortable position for so long.

As he sat up straight in his chair, Natsu looked around at his surroundings.

He was in a spare guild room, Lucy and Happy were sleeping on the bed, when he went to check the clock on the bedside table he saw that it was half past six in the morning.

Too early for anyone to be at the guild yet.

He sighed as he moved his hands through his hair, hoping to tame the ends that were sticking out in the wrong direction.

He really should've done this last night while it was wet.

After a few attempts, the stubborn hairs were fixed and Natsu turned to look at his sleeping partner.

Lucy was still in the same position he placed her in last night, it didn't look like she moved a muscle.

The only thing indicating that she was alive was the steady rise and fall of her chest and the bright tingling of her magic he could feel flowing through him.

Porlyusica said she needed rest.

But how long will she be asleep? He could feel her magic more intensely now than yesterday, and it gave him hope that maybe Lucy would be awake soon.

He needed her to wake up soon.

Moving his hand to hold hers was not a conscious act, it was driven by the usual need to touch her in any way he could.

Natsu was shocked by a spark that jolted through him as he threaded his fingers with hers, and he let out an involuntary gasp at the unexpected sensation.

Would it always be like that from now on?

Natsu wondered as he looked at their intertwined hands. Would she feel the same spark when they touched, or would it be something else?

The bigger question was how this bridge will affect them in the long run.

The old witch said to contact her as soon as Lucy was awake and Natsu had a feeling that she knew more than she let on.

Looking at the sleeping blonde he wondered what her reaction would be when she found out how exactly she was still alive.

They don't know the consequences of this new link between them, this bridge that he's managed to make in order to save her life, but he couldn't find it in himself to regret his decision.

He would do it all over again.
As long as she was still breathing, any consequences would be worth it.

Natsu started to feel a headache forming from all the questions and thoughts that wouldn't seem to slow down. He felt like he was going around in circles in his head. There were too many things that he didn't understand.

He couldn't help but notice that Lucy's hand was colder than her usual body temperature as he tenderly stroked her hand with his thumb, and he was sure that it would stay that way until her magic was back in full.

Another reminder of how close he was to losing her.

Shaking his head to get rid of his thoughts Natsu let out a sigh and bowed his head.

It was too early for this much thinking, and he needed to eat before he could do any more. Mira should be coming in in the next fifteen minutes or so, and after that, he was sure with everything that happened yesterday, everyone would be coming in early today.

He had to tell them today, he knew that.

Natsu would have to be the one to relay to the whole guild what had happened to them in Sakuramori Village and the surrounding forest.

That is not going to be a fun conversation, for anyone.

The previous two days were still somewhat a blur for the fire drakon, but at the same time, it felt like he could never forget what happened in that forest, and he especially didn't want to relive it by telling the whole guild.

Sighing out loud, Natsu lifted his head to look at the peacefully sleeping exceed on the bed and smiled at his furry friend.

'At least Happy will be there to support me. Mira and Wendy too, hopefully.'

There was no getting out of it. He knew that the guild needed to know. Natsu had a feeling that he still hadn't fully grasped the magnitude of what happened with Lucy in that clearing.

The power she radiated, and the fact that she was able to mend a broken key. He still doesn't think he understands what that means, but the fact that the King of the Spirits appeared when it happened?

They didn't even know there was a king for her spirits! They barely know anything about the spirit world.

This was a big thing.
The magical power that she radiated while mending the key was bound to be felt by mages of all kinds.

They might not know much about Lucy's magic, but they do know that Zeref was the one responsible for eradicating the Spirit Summoners, and one of his demons was possessing a poor woman trying to get to a broken spirit key.

They have met a few of the dark mages' creations in the past few months, and Natsu didn't think it was a coincidence.

What would they do to get someone who can use the keys? Natsu had a feeling that this would only bring them trouble, one way or another.

His dark train of thought was cut off by a flash of light that enveloped the room suddenly and Natsu was startled for a moment, blinking a few times so his eyes could adjust to the sudden light, only to see Leo standing in the middle of the room, without a word or glance at the fire drakon, the spirit moved closer to Lucy's bed.

"Are you crazy?" Natsu let go of Lucy's hand as he shot up from his chair, making sure to keep his voice from rising so he wouldn't wake Happy. "She's still recovering from exhausting herself, almost dying so she could help you! And you being here isn't gonna help her magic replenish!"

Leo looked away from Lucy's sleeping body to Natsu, the spirit's face shifting from concerned to the same unimpressed gaze as last time. "Tch, I'm not stupid. I came here using my own magic." The spirit shot back at him and Natsu felt his fire bubbling with anger.

How the hell was he supposed to know that? And what was the spirit's problem, it was starting to piss him off.

"Why are you here then?" He decided to ask instead of picking a fight with the spirit.
Natsu had a feeling that Lucy wouldn't like that, even if the lion deserved it.

What did Natsu ever do to him?

"I came here to check on my new holder; as you said she has freed me from my curse and has hurt herself by doing it."

Leo said in a matter-of-fact tone, his gaze softening slightly as he looked back at the sleeping blonde before turning back to Natsu, his eyes hard and piercing. "I am also here to warn you Natsu Dragneel. There is danger coming her way, and no gods will help us if they succeed in their mission."

"You cannot let them get her."
The spirit's tone was grave, but that didn't mean he didn't make his distaste towards Natsu clear.

Leo crossed his hands and looked him up and down before continuing. "I cannot believe that I'm saying this, but you actually might be her only hope." There was a deprecating laugh that followed those words and Natsu was confused by this whole conversation.

What was with Lucy's spirits always speaking in riddles? It was beyond annoying and he's getting a bit pissed off at that too.

"I have no idea what you're talking about, you're not making any sense." Natsu said before the lion could go on spouting more confusing and frustrating warnings or worse, snarky comments.

He didn't understand why this spirit hated him so blatantly, he didn't do anything to him. All of Lucy's other spirits were fun and weird, just like her.

And while Natsu wasn't close with most of them, he was sure that a few liked him enough to call him a friend.

Virgo, for sure, maybe even Cancer. Not even Aquarius, with how mean and scary she is, actually hated him. At least he didn't think.

To have this supposed leader of the Zodiac hate him without having known him prior confused Natsu, but he didn't care about any of that at the moment.

"Look I don't know what you're talking about or what you have against me." Natsu said as he moved so that he was standing in front of the spirit, his eyes glaring at the orange-haired man.

He really has had enough of the spirit's attitude, Natsu was not known for his patience, being a fire mage and all, but he stuck it out for Lucy as long as he could.

But the lion needed to know where they stood. "I don't know what your stupid riddles mean or even what you're getting at when you say that some kind of danger might be coming her way. But we have to get one thing straight between us."

The spirit was taller than him by a few centimeters but that didn't stop Natsu from coming off as intimidating. Leo was under the impression that something or someone was coming for Lucy, and he's had a knot in his gut that left him on edge since their run-in with Phantom Lord, feeling like something was coming.

Maybe it was the same threat and maybe it wasn't, but either way something in Natsu's gut told him that things wouldn't be peaceful in Fairy Tail for a while.

His posture was rigid, gaze intensified as he glared at the zodiac leader, needing to make sure he understood how serious Natsu was.

"I would burn this world down into ashes if it meant keeping her safe." It was a resolute and unwavering statement that made Leo frown, and there was a look in his eye after the words sunk in that just pissed Natsu off.

"That's the problem, isn't it?" His voice was quiet, but nothing is quiet for a drakon and Natsu heard it anyway. "I hope, for all of our sakes that it will never come that." And then the bastard was gone in a flash of golden light, leaving Natsu confused, angry, and with even more questions bubbling in his head.

He let out a string of curses and raked a hand through his hair as he paced the few steps back to the chair.

'What the hell was that? Stupid overgrown cat with his stupid riddles!' Cursing the spirit in his head Natsu settled back into the chair.

"Natsu?" Happy's groggy voice brought him out of his thoughts and Natsu looked up. "Good morning bud, did I wake you?" He asked as he watched the exceed stretch.

"I heard voices, were you talking to yourself again?" The cat snickered as he asked, making Natsu throw his head back, barely suppressing a groan.

"No, one of Lucy's spirits wanted to check on her." He decided to leave it vague and shook off his anger towards the ginger spirit.

"How'd ya sleep?" Natsu deflected instead, hoping that if he kept the conversation going he could avoid questions from the exceed for now.

He really doesn't want to re-tell the story more than once.

"It was good, I had a dream I was a lord of the seas and people would bring me fish as offerings!" There was a glazed look in the cat's eyes as he talked about how many fish there were in his dream and it honestly made Natsu feel lighter.

The simplicity of it made him pretend for a moment that Lucy was still sleeping from a rowdy night at the guild and Happy and Natsu were causally waiting for her to wake up.

And it worked, for about forty seconds, and then he heard commotion coming from the kitchen and it brought him back to reality. Mira must have come in while he was talking with Leo.

And it seems that the spirit pissed him off enough for him not to realize she arrived while they were having their standoff.

But the smell of coffee and food cooking was undeniable.

"That sounds like one hell of a dream buddy! How about we go downstairs and see if Mira has a fish for you?" He asked as he stood up and his words made Happy jump into the air, white wings appearing in a flash as he made his way out the door while excitedly chanting 'Fish'.

Natsu was shaking his head and chuckling at the exceed's antics as moved to look back at Lucy.

Her skin didn't have its usual warm glow about it and he knew it would be cold to the touch. He didn't want to leave her here alone, but he also knew that if he didn't the whole guild would find their way into the room one way or another, or even worse, Erza would come to drag him out of it.

Violently.

Shuddering at the thought, Natsu spared a final glance at the sleeping blonde and resisted the urge to kiss her forehead before walking out of the room and closing the door behind him.

He could see from the balcony that Mira was behind the bar, with Happy sitting at one of the stools chatting away and munching on a fish.

With a deep breath, Natsu moved down the stairs "Morning Mira." He called as he pulled up on a stool - Lucy's stool - and sat at the bar.

"Good morning Natsu, did you manage to get some sleep?" The white-haired mage turned to smile warmly at him and he smiled back.

"Yeah, I, uh, took Wendy's advice and showered before passing out on the chair next to the bed." He ran a hand through his hair as he looked up to the second floor. "I think Luce would kill me if I stunk up the room." He scrunched his nose at the thought of her shrieking at him about proper hygiene.

"Good call." Mira said with a laugh as she put a plate of food in front of him.

It took him half a second to process that the food was for him (he hadn't ordered anything, but then again there was no one else but them here) and after that, it took about a half minute to process that she'd made his favorite breakfast.

And not the usual he would order nowadays. No, Mira had made him the breakfast he used to order as a kid, especially when he was sad and missing Igneel.

Natsu had almost forgotten about it. There was bacon and scrambled eggs slathered in Mira's special homemade hot sauce, a giant stack of pancakes topped with syrup, the same hot sauce, and a few bacon strips that made a smiley face on top of the stack.

There was a tug in his heart at the realization that Mirajane had remembered his favorite comfort breakfast after all these years when he forgot about it. But it shouldn't be that surprising if he thinks about it.

Mira had always been a big sister to not just her siblings, but everyone in the guild that was around their age. Even Erza, after they got over their rivalry.

And Natsu might not have always been as receptive to her sisterly love, but he always appreciated it.

Especially yesterday and at this moment.

He realized that both Mira and Happy were looking at him with weird and worried expressions and it took him a second to realize a few tears were streaming down his face.

Gods he was a mess.

"I.. thanks for the food, Mira. It's been a while since I had this. Though maybe you forgot about it." Natsu deflected his feelings once again. There was so much going on that he wasn't ready to delve into it right now.

The smile Mira offered him in return only made his heart clench. She's been a little weird since yesterday, and it made him wonder what happened to prompt this sudden shift.

Not that she hasn't always cared for him. Everyone in Fairy Tail is family. And the younger bunch basically grew up together so they were even closer.

But Natsu always put himself on the sideline. He was there and not at the same time. It wasn't till Lucy got to the guild that he really started spending proper time with them.

Not just the occasional brawl with some of the members *cough* Gray, or the more often scolding from the Master, Erza, or even Mirajane.

It was honestly a little weird for Natsu to think about a time before Lucy was in Fairy Tail.

"You're never around long enough for me to make you some. Always coming for lunch or dinner these days." She shrugged it off with a smile and pulled out a plate for herself.

Natsu shoved some of the eggs and bacon in his mouth, savoring the taste. "Well, I'm usually having breakfast at Luce's apartment when we're not out on jobs." He tells her through a mouthful of food.

"Yeah, Lushii makes the best breakfast! She even made me fish pancakes." Happy added to their conversation with a nod.

"Well, I can't be mad if that's the case." Mira said as she started eating, and there was a gleam in her eyes that Natsu didn't like one bit.

* ********* ********** ********** ********* *

It took about an hour and a half for every guild member not currently out on a job to come in. That was probably some kind of record for them, but Natsu doesn't feel like mentioning it right now.

He doesn't feel like talking at all, really. The moment people started trickling in he felt a pit in his stomach, and it's been growing steadily since.

Wendy went to check on Lucy the moment she arrived, but Natsu didn't follow behind her. He wouldn't go back to the room until he talked to the guild.

If he went back up, he wasn't coming down till she was awake.

Now Natsu has never disliked being the center of people's attention, good or bad, but they say there's a first time for everything right?

And sitting on a bar stool as all eyes in the guild were trained on him made him feel more than a little uncomfortable.

"Now that everyone has arrived and settled, how about you tell us what the hell happened Natsu?" Erza prompted as she took a seat between Wendy and Gray at the front.

Most of the members were scattered around the tables in the room and all eyes were trained on him, with Mira and Happy sitting on either side of the bar, and Natsu was grateful for their support.

"Luce and I, we, went on a job to Sakuramori Village." He stopped as soon as he started, he didn't know what Mira and Wendy told them yesterday, but he was going to start from the beginning.

Seems like the best option.

"We were supposed to get this magical item that was displayed accidentally in a museum. But when we got there, the woman that was possessed, she's like the manager of the museum, when we talked to her she seemed unaware of our world." Natsu couldn't smell any magic on the woman that morning and wondered how or when the demon possessed her.

Leo said it's been weeks if not months, so why couldn't he smell the magic on her?

"We called Mira to double-check the job details, and while waiting for her to call us back, Luce wanted to see some of the exhibits." There was a slight quirk on his lips as he remembered how excited she was to look around the museum.

"That's when we saw the key." If it was possible to hate an inanimate object with a burning passion, Natsu was definitely succeeding.

He was kinda starting to hate the spirit attached to it too.

"It was a broken spirit key, just displayed there for all to see. Lucy recognized the constellation, and she could feel magic coming off of it so we came up with a plan to remove it from the museum. Mira helped us with a part of it." Natsu turned to glance at the white-haired mage for a second before continuing. "We managed to swap the key with a fake after the museum closed, and that's when everything started going downhill, I guess."

Natsu paused the story there for a second, taking a deep breath. "The key, it was- it had this pull on Lucy the moment she touched it." He could see several confused eyes looking at him as he said that and tried to explain it better.

"There was magic coming from the key, and it was pulling her somewhere, or more accurately, towards something. And we decided to follow it." He shook his head at the thought, there was nothing that could've stopped Lucy from following that damn key piece.

"We trekked through the forest for hours following it before coming into that clearing." The walking had felt endless, and  Natsu wondered more than once if they were being led to a trap.

He was half right.

"There was a waterfall, with this rock right at the edge of it, and we found the second half of the key buried there beneath the earth in a gold box." He paused for a second to collect his thoughts before continuing, it was a wonder no one had interrupted him so far, but everyone seemed focused on his story.

"We were about to head back into town and get some sleep when I finally caught a whiff of two people coming our way." And that seemed to be what pushed Erza and a few others over the edge.

"Two people?" The redhead asked with other members backing her question.

"Yeah, I could smell what we assumed was a woman based on her perfume, and someone gravely injured and dying coming after us so we decided to stay in the clearing and wait them out instead of going back into the village and risking them following us."

Not to mention that the council won't fault them for destroying some trees, but buildings and memory-erase spells were a different thing entirely.

And when Fairy Tail is fighting, buildings are definitely going down.

"Lucy was having trouble with her spirits all day. None of them wanted to come out when she called for them and she was left with only her defensive shield spirit, so I took point, and when the Museum lady showed up it was easy to see she was possessed."

A shiver ran up Natsu's spine as he remembered the voice that addressed Lucy. "The demon knew who Lucy was and wanted her to hand the key over. I managed to knock her out and subdue her without much damage and then we were left waiting for the second person following us."

Natsu remembered the hobbling figure that approached them through the tree line looking like he could collapse at any moment.

"He appeared looking like death himself. Tattered clothes and half dead. He introduced himself as Loke and claimed that he was the one who sent the fake job to the guild hoping Lucy would come and find the key." The frown on Natsu's face deepened with the reminder of the Lion spirit, he had felt bad for the man at first.

"Loke seemed to know a lot of things, like which demon was possessing the Museum lady, and who Lucy was, said he heard a rumor of a spirit summoner in Fairy Tail and hoped they would come to collect the broken key so it wouldn't fall into the wrong hands." He shook his head and wondered if it would've been better if they just left the key where it was.

The thought was gone as quickly as it appeared and Natsu shook his head for a moment, clearing his mind. He knew that Lucy could never, would never do such a thing and there was a pang in his chest for even thinking it.

"There was a lot of bullshit said, a lot of riddles and half-truths from the man. But Lucy was having none of it. And she got him to confess the truth pretty quickly. Loke was Leo." He paused for dramatic effect, but the blank stares he got in return made him realize he never mentioned what key they found in the Museum.

"Leo's key was the one that was broken, and the spirit had been cursed for killing his previous master." That caused gasps all around the guild, and he could hear several members mumbling to themselves.

"The actual story turned out to be somehow, worse." Natsu continued speaking, thinking about how it must've been for Lucy to learn the real reason behind her mother's illness and death. Even if it is a small part of it.

"How could it be worse?" Lisanna's voice carried through the crowd of mages.

"Because the mage in question was Lucy's mom." The words seemed to have stunned the guild into silence, which is a very hard thing to do, but Natsu didn't feel good about it.

He didn't feel good about any of this. It felt wrong. He shouldn't be telling them all of this, it wasn't his story to tell. It wasn't even Lucy's, but at least it was about her mother and their spirits.

Natsu resisted the urge to look up at the second floor, to the room where he knew the blonde was peacefully resting.

Unfortunately, he had no choice in the matter.

The shocked and sad looks from the Fairy Tail mages made his heart clench uncomfortably. "But it wasn't really like that. There was some kind of spell that needed to be cast, I don't really remember the details, and Lucy's mom had to cast it but, it was a  forbidden spell."

The atmosphere was tense as he spoke those words, it had been tense since the first few members started coming in, but now everyone seemed on edge.

Forbidden spells were forbidden for good reasons.

"Leo helped her cast it, and if he hadn't Lucy's mom would have died on the spot. Instead, she got sick and died a few years later. But Leo's key was broken and he was left to slowly wither away and die."

There was sadness at the thought of Leo spending years slowly dying and blaming himself for something that wasn't his fault.

Natsu could relate to half of it.

"When Lucy heard the whole story, she was pretty pissed." He took a deep breath to help steady himself. "She was furious, screaming that it was unfair and wrong to punish Leo for that, demanded to know who made such a decision in the first place and she said she refused to let him die."

There was a barely noticeable shake to his voice as he continued the story, wanting to get through with it as quickly as possible.

"She, she started pooling her magic, unknowingly at first, I think. And it was like nothing I've ever seen or felt before. The power she radiated.." Natsu stopped for a moment and it was like he could feel the magnitude of it in the room.

And it was, but not in the room, it was under his skin. He could feel the gentle hum of her magic, it was a little stronger than when he woke up this morning and it gave him a little hope that Lucy would wake up soon.

Ignoring the new sensation and pushing those thoughts away, Natsu went back to talking. "All of her spirits appeared around her the more magic she channeled and she started concentrating her magic into the key, trying to fix it." The sight of it was almost too much for Natsu to watch.

It felt like staring into the sun.

"Leo was on his knees by that point, begging her to just let him die and I just stood there."

He felt like his feet were sunken into the soil and he couldn't move. Didn't know what he could do if he did. Lucy was determined to fix Leo's key and there was nothing that was going to stop her.

So he chose to support her instead.

"She managed to do it, there was a shockwave as the key mended together and I managed to catch her before she could fall, and she looked fine. A little tired maybe, but.. she was fine." The shakiness in his voice was more noticeable this time around, and Natsu didn't know if he was trying to convince them or himself.

"And then out of nowhere time literally stops, and this huge crack appears in the sky with a giant mustache man glaring at us." The words come out a little jumbled as he says them, knowing how insane it sounds, even to a group of mages.

"A giant mustache man?" Cana slurred the question slightly.

"A crack in the sky? Natsu are you sure you got enough sleep?" Macao asked that one with several members mumbling their agreements. "Did anyone check his head when they came in yesterday?" Wakaba provided that jab, and Natsu rolled his eyes at them.

"I slept just fine! And there is nothing wrong with my head." He glared at Gray who opened his mouth to comment, but Erza's elbow was in his ribs before he could get a word out.

"The King of the Spirits didn't like Lucy badmouthing and questioning his decision so he decided to come and talk to her." He snapped at them before anyone could say anything else, his fuse was short on a good day, and in these past two days, he has been rattled more than ever. It was a wonder he's managed to keep talking this long.

It was a good thing that they weren't interrupting him often.

"King? The spirits have a king?" Levy asked curiously.

"I guess yeah, and he was kind of pissed at first and then he said some stuff about how no one had managed to make a key since the first summoner and he let Leo stay with Lucy." The Spirit King turned out to be a cool dude, even with everything that happened, and this was more information they'd gotten about Lucy and her magic since she arrived at the guild.

"And I'm sure Luce can fill you in on all of it a lot better when she wakes up." He stopped for a second to catch his breath.

"Wow, so, Lucy's like, really powerful then? If she managed to do something that badass, and stand up to the King of the spirits." Happy chirped in for the first time since he started telling the story.

"Yeah bud, Luce is super powerful." Natsu said as he turned to pat Happy on the head, the exceed immediately leaning into his touch.

"So what happened next?" Gray asked, the ice mage had been surprisingly quiet the whole morning and the sound of his voice made the corner of Natsu's right eye twitch.

He took a steadying breath and forced himself to look back at the crowd and finish his tale. "It all happened so fast, but somehow it felt like I was in slow motion."

Natsu didn't know if his words made sense, that's how it felt. "One second everything was frozen and the next the crack in the sky was gone and the spirit king was nowhere to be seen. Before he left, he said something. He called me the son of Fire Dragon King Igneel."

The were several gasps and mummers around the guild at his words and Natsu decided to keep talking instead of giving them a chance to ask questions.

"I was shocked by everything that happened, and hearing him say that... I asked Leo what they knew about the dragons, and it wasn't even half a second." His breath hitched at the last word and he let his gaze fall to the floor, he couldn't look at them.

Not when he didn't know what his reaction would be to retelling them how Lucy almost died in his arms.

"Half a second and she was down. Collapsed right into my arms. I didn't even know what was happening. She was pale, so unnaturally pale. And I- I could barely feel her magic, it was fading so fucking fast." He stopped himself to catch his breath and without him noticing the movement, he felt Mira's hand cover his own shaky ones and give him a supportive squeeze.

"She was dying." He gasped out, not really crying, more like choking on his breath. Then image of Lucy pale in his arms made him feel cold.

"And, I- I didn't know what to do, so I just tried to give her my magic." He kept going, taking ragged breaths between sentences, not caring if they made sense.

It was a little cruel of them to make him do this. Not even 24 hours after it happened.

"I cradled her in my arms and willed my magic to work with her fading one and I don't know how long we were connected like that, but in the end, I could feel her magic and mine together helping her recharge."

The silence somehow enhanced the other sounds in the room and the refrigerators buzzing were almost making him dizzy for a moment. Natsu could tell half the guild was holding their breath at his words, while the other half seemed shocked and breathing heavily.

It was five seconds of silence before everyone exploded as if they all registered his words at the same time like some sort of hive mind.

"What do you mean she was dying? She's sleeping right upstairs? That shouldn't be possible!" Gray exclaimed as he jumped to stand, his shirt was lost sometime during his little retelling and now he was fumbling with his jeans.

"Gray! Your clothes!" Mira yelled at him and the ice mage scrambled to find his shirt, pants half unbuckled.

"You managed to jump-start her magic with yours?" Levy asked, sounding astonished at the mere thought of such a thing.

"I guess, I don't know what happened. It, it's..." Natsu stumbled over the words, not knowing how to explain that he knew it would work because he could somehow always feel Lucy near. Her presence, or magic, that he can tell when she's in danger.

It was weird. He knew that. And they haven't talked about it, so telling everyone without her felt wrong.

"I was desperate." Natsu settled on following Leo's steps and telling half-truths. He was desperate. "And I didn't know what else to do, I can't do healing magic. So I just, willed my magic to work the way I wanted it to." He finished with a half-shrug, gazing back to the floor.

"So, what does that mean exactly?" Erza asked.

"I feel like Wendy could explain that part better. She is the healer." He felt like he was throwing the young sky drakon under the bus in a way, but a glance at the girl told him that she was more than happy to help.

"I'm going to go upstairs." Natsu said in a final tone as he went to stand. There wasn't anything else that he could tell them that Wendy or even Mira couldn't.

And he was done talking.

His hands were still covered by Mira's and he turned to look at the white haired mage. She squeezed his hands before releasing them and offering him a small smile. "I'll bring you some food later." She whispered as he stood from the chair.

"You can't just drop a bomb like that on us and then leave." Gray yelled at him and Natsu turned to look back at his Nakama.

Maybe it was unfair, they are just as worried about Lucy as he is. But Natsu didn't care, he was drained and this conversation was over.

"There's nothing more I can tell you that Mira or Wendy don't know." He said as he made his way up the stairs. No one made any more comments his way and Natsu practically ran for Lucy's room.

Chapter Text

Waking up Lucy felt heavy, disoriented, and cold down to her very bones.

Accompanying all of that was a pounding in her head that was worse than the one time Cana got to her at one of the Fairy Tail pre-Christmas parties and shoved a whole barrel of wine down her throat.

Her memory was hazy as she slowly woke up, barely able to recall anything, and everything felt distant in a way, she couldn't remember what happened, where she was, or the reason behind feeling like someone ran her over and then locked her in a freezer.

There were almost too many sensations surrounding her, but three stood out the most and so she tried focusing on them in an attempt to ground herself.

Her magic tingling in her veins and her chest was the first, fainter than it's been since the seal placed on it blew up on her in the middle of the guild, leaving her feeling almost empty and cold, the second was accompanying her magic, it was a curious bubbling sensation spreading through her body, somehow soft and cozy.

It was like a gentle kernel of flames that reminded her of Natsu and how she always felt safe with him close.

The third was the warmth enveloping her right hand, the wonderful feeling climbing halfway up her arm and making her even more aware of how cold the rest of her was.
Lucy tried to move, to open her eyes and move closer to the source of warmth but her limbs felt so incredibly heavy and in the end, the simple task was harder than it should've been.

It took a few struggled tries, and one twitched jerk before she was blinking away the heaviness behind her eyes.

The pounding in her head was worse now that her eyes were open, and her memory was still so hazy and disoriented, and if she tried to think her head would feel like it was going to explode.

Blinking through the haze Lucy noted that the room she was in was dark, thankfully, and she noticed immediately that it wasn't her own.

As she looked around slowly she could barely register that she was in a spare guild room. Turning her head towards the source of the warmth, Lucy spotted Natsu folded awkwardly in a chair next to the bed.

Fast asleep holding her right hand tightly.

Lucy smiled softly at Natsu's sleeping form before scrunching her eyes closed for a moment, hoping it would help with her growing migraine.

It seems that just moving her head triggered more pain.

She unconsciously squeezed the hand holding hers and let out a small groan as a wave of pain assaulted her and it caused Natsu to jerk awake at the sudden sound.

"Huh?" His eyes were glazed as he blinked at her in shock, he was half asleep making Lucy giggle softly as she opened her eyes so she could look at him.

The world was fuzzy as she blinked rapidly and tried to focus on the pink-haired man.
Lucy felt like she would slip back into sleep at any moment but the sight of the front piece of his hair sticking up at an odd angle making him look just a little ridiculous made her feel light and warm in a strange way.

"Luce." The word was breathed out somewhere between a sigh of relief and a prayer and he stared at her for several moments without saying anything, scanning her face intently as if in disbelief, and then suddenly he was letting go of her hand as he stood up and moved out of her reach.

The loss of contact made Lucy want to protest, the words getting stuck in her throat, and before she could rein herself to say anything Natsu was speaking as he moved almost frantically around the room. "I need to go tell Wendy you're awake, we need to call the old witch or Mira, she could make some food if you're hungry or maybe some water would be better, shit why didn't I have that ready? What time is it anyway?"

He started rambling and moving through the room heading towards the door intent on going out and getting someone, but Lucy paid no attention to his words, the moment he let go of her hand it was like her only source of warmth left, and with every step he took to leave she was left shaking like a leaf from the cold.

"No."

The word came out a little rattled and it made Natsu stop in his tracks. "Don't go, please." He turned his head from where he was making his way to the door, stance rigid and stiff as he looked at her with a pinched expression that any other time she would've found cute, but right now she just wanted him next to her. "It's, I'm..." Lucy stammered for a moment not really sure how to phrase her thoughts in this exhausted state.

Could one feel dizzy while lying down?

"The room is freezing cold, so get your ass back here."

She tried to sound stern and confident as she spoke, hoping it would lighten the somber mood that seemed to have taken over her usually sunny partner for some reason, but it came out a little shaky and through clanking teeth despite her best efforts.

Natsu's whole demeanor shifted for a second shoulders tightening and fists clenching at his sides, and if she wasn't concentrating on him she would have missed it, she watched as he faltered for half a second more before turning his body a full 180 degrees, and walking his way back to her bed, sitting down in the chair, shoulders slumped and head bowed.

He didn't say a word as he sat, didn't even look at her or reach to hold her hand again, and it was a little odd, Lucy thought through her haze.

He was acting odd.

Not like himself at all. Where was her silly fire drakon? And what has brought up this forlorn state?

"That's not really helping. I don't know why but I feel like it's below zero in here." Lucy said instead of prodding into his strange behavior feeling like he wasn't going to share anything with her at the moment but not knowing how she could possibly feel such a thing. So she focused on shifting in the bed as she spoke, trying to make room in the queen-sized bed.

Usually when she was cold, being anywhere 5 meters around him would solve the issue quickly, especially if the present drakon was aware that she was cold. Natsu always increases his heat when she's cold, Lucy could feel him doing it now, as well, but this time it wasn't enough.

Not like his touch had been.

It's like a numbing chill had settled into her bones in a way that left her feeling like she'll never be warm again.

Lucy was still very new to this whole magic thing, but it felt like this was a magical kind of cold she was feeling. Did she accidentally get hit by one of Gray's attacks? Or did someone else attack her with a freeze spell of some kind?

That would explain so much.

Her memory was too muddled and out of focus, and the more she tried to think, the worse her migraine got.

The snap of his neck as he turned to look at her sounded painful, but the look on Natsu's face at her words would have been almost comical if she wasn't so worried and tired, he looked perplexed, despondent, and stressed at the same time and she wondered what could've happened to put him in such a state.

Did Fairy Tail get attacked again?

Because this wasn't the first time she had been injured since they met.

Hell, that was how they met, but there was something different about his demeanor this time around. Even half dazed and out of it Lucy could tell something was really bothering him, and maybe Gray really did hit her with an attack, if it's got him acting all broody and silent.

And she'd never known him to be this quiet.
Not around her.

Not since the day she opened her eyes in a room similar to this one, to him sitting in a chair next to her bed as he is now.

The scene was so similar,
yet so painfully different at the same time.

"Will you just come here?" Lucy said with a huff as he continued to just stare wordlessly at her.

She shuffled even more, somewhat awkwardly, to the other side of the bed with her heavy limbs and this time unfurled the blanket as she did, making her intention clear and indicating for him to join her.

Natsu sat still as stone in the chair, gaze fixed on the empty spot on the bed where she was lying just moments before. His eyes moved to look back at her and the empty spot a few times, the expression in them made her feel even more confused.

He looked dejected and exhausted.

When she pushed herself to focus closer, she noticed the dark circles under his eyes and remembered the way his brow was furrowed with worry even in his sleep.

This won't do.

With her newfound observation, Lucy felt even more determined to give the both of them a good night's rest, so she cleared her throat to get his attention and shot Natsu her best 'Don't test me' look.

He was quite familiar with it. In fact, Lucy likes to give him credit for creating it. Because she doesn't think she's ever needed one before meeting him.

"I'm turning into a popsicle over here. If I wanted to be cold all the time, I would've partnered up with Gray instead." She joked, her words coming out slower and maybe a little slurred as she talked, but if she knew one thing about Natsu Dragneel, he always takes the bait.

"Gaah, don't even say stuff like that. Like ice breath could ever keep you safe." He huffed the words out with no real bite to them as he slowly stood from the chair and moved to settle on the bed.

That eliminated her theory about Gray being the culprit to her magical cold.

He hesitated as he stood in the small space between the chair and the mattress, looking between the empty space on the bed and her.

"Are you sure?" His voice was quiet and uncertain, and her chest tightened at the expression on his face.

His movements were a little awkward and unsure as he hovered halfway on the bed and Lucy decided to take pity on him and reached to tug at his hand so she could pull him fully into the bed.

He let out a huff as he tumbled, not expecting the tug, and fell on the mattress with a small bounce.

Lucy watched him as he settled into the bed and it was painfully obvious from his almost rigid posture that someone (probably all the women in Fairy Tail) drilled into him the importance of being mindful and respectful of women and their space, especially in bed.

But this is something that Natsu doesn't usually care about at the best of times, even more particularly when it comes to Lucy's personal space.

Most of the time Natsu liked Lucy's personal space more than his own.

So instead of waiting for him to do something Lucy moved into his space the moment he settled, still half rigidly under the covers, determined to be as far away from her as the mattress would allow.

It was a queen-sized bed and not entirely a tight fit, but she was determined not to have any space between them, so tough luck to him.

She was cold and tired and gods be damned she will be cuddled by Natsu.

So Lucy moved to latch onto Natsu's arm, lifting it so she could shimmy closer and wrapped it around her shoulder so that her whole body was pressed against his, with her head resting on his chest, leg thrown over his and she was practically half sprawled on top of him.

The rhythm of his heart picked up at the contact and the steady rise and fall of his chest accompanied by the instant warmth that enveloped her the moment his arms wrapped instinctively around her lulled Lucy back into sleep before either one of them could utter a word.

* ********* ********** ********** ********* *

The next time Lucy woke up the room was still dark, or dark again, who knows how much time passed?

The warmth she was enveloped in was nice, comfortable, and safe and she never wanted to move from it.

She laid peacefully like that for maybe about ten seconds before her mind caught up with her, and Lucy would've bolted upright in bed if not for the arms wound protectively around her.

The fake job in the Museum.

Leo's key, broken.

The possessed Demon Lady.

Finding a nearly dead Leo in the forest.

Repairing a Spirit Key.

Meeting The King of the Spirit World.

Her mom.

So many emotions and memories hit her at once that she almost wished she hadn't woken up.

Lucy still felt a little weak and heavy-limbed but much better than before, she wasn't as cold or as hazy, and with a quick assessment, she realized that her magic was not as faint as the last time she woke up, but not as nearly present as it usually was.

The kernel of fire was still there too. Settled nicely around her magic, and was interacting almost playfully with her own.

How strange.
It felt so much like Natsu.

What had happened in the clearing after she fainted? The last thing her mind could conjure was the Spirit King telling Leo he could serve out the rest of his punishment as her spirit, and calling her an old friend, before leaving with an ominous message for her and Natsu.

Why were they in the guild, surely he would have taken her back to the inn they booked till she woke up.

How did they end up back in Fairy Tail?
How long has she been unconscious?

And then Lucy recalls Natsu, and his reaction to her waking up.

The relief in his tone and body language, the way he was on his feet in seconds and ready to get Wendy, Porlyusica, and Mirajane no matter the time.

The sadness and worry that seemed to have practically engulfed him.

It must have been bad for him to react like that. She groaned inwardly at the thought. He was going to be even more possessive now, and he was just starting to loosen up on being her shadow.

Her shuffling around must've made him slowly stir awake because the next thing Lucy knew the hands on her waist tightened and she was being pulled even more into his embrace.

"Mmm, you always smell so good." His voice was rough and deep as he spoke, half nuzzling her hair and it made Lucy blush all the way down to her chest at his words and the velvety notes in his tone.

There was a pause after that, where they laid entwined together, his face nuzzled into her hair, and then it seemed like he noticed what he said, and the position they were in because he was scrambling to untangle their limbs and Lucy wanted to laugh at the fear on his face when she looked up at him.

She moved to stop his motions with a hand on his chest pressing down as firmly as she could, not wanting to be left cold and without his touch again.

"I'm glad you think I smell nice even after being unconscious for who knows how long." Lucy mused teasingly, her voice she noticed as she settled her head on his chest was even more rough and a little dry and she still felt drained, and for a split second, she wondered if it would be a good idea to succumb to the desire to fall asleep.

'Probably not.' She thinks faintly as her eyes close on their own accord.

"A week." Natsu's voice was small and there were so many emotions behind it that Lucy didn't know where to start, but the words made her head shoot up to look at him, eyes wide and all traces of sleep gone.

A week?
She'd been unconscious for seven whole days?

"Wendy and Mira gave you baths, that's why you don't stink." He added as if an afterthought, but Lucy was too busy staring at him in shock, and she would laugh at him for the absurdity of his statement if she wasn't at a complete loss of words.

"A week? What the hell? What happened?" She asked as she moved so her elbow was on his chest and she could look at him better.

And it seems something in those questions made him snap. Suddenly, there was a surge of anger and despair coursing through her, and Lucy knew it wasn't her own.

The feeling was stronger than ever. And she noticed, faintly that every part of them that is touching is accompanied by a pleasant burning sensation, like that one time he covered her in his flames to protect her.

Only this time, there were no actual flames.

Just the fire in his gaze as he glared at her.

Which was a look that wasn't unknown to Lucy, but it had never been thrown in her direction until now.

Shit.
It must have been pretty bad.

'Duh you idiot, if it wasn't bad you wouldn't have been unconscious for a week!' She thought to herself and cringed at her stupidity.

"What happened?" His voice came out as a growl, half accusing and half in disbelief as he moved swiftly to sit up in bed, and Lucy followed suit a little slower, settling against the headboard with a pinched brow and wide eyes as she stared at him, a little shocked by his reaction.

Natsu took several deep breaths, hands fisting the bed sheets as he tried to calm himself.

"What Happened?" He repeated the question after several seconds of silence, the words quieter this time, almost getting caught in his throat as his eyes unfocused and all the anger and fight seemed to leave his body as he slumped slightly, shoulders folding into himself.

And Lucy's heart dropped at the sight, this was wrong. He looked wretched, and that was not something she ever wanted to see.

Natsu should be brassy, boisterous, loud, cocky, fun, and full of life. Not this almost dispirited and troubled man next to her.

And it made Lucy scared to think what could have resulted after her passing out to put him in such a state.

There was a beat of silence, where all she could feel was the fury of emotions flowing from her partner and she couldn't make sense of any of it.

"You almost fucking died in my arms, is what happened Lucy." He was shaking as he spoke, and Lucy felt her heart drop into her stomach, heart pounding in her ears at his words. She noticed, faintly, that his voice was thick with emotion, and he couldn't look her in the eyes as he said them.

"I- I-..." Was the only response Lucy could conjure with her head spinning from his revelation, but Natsu kept talking before she could get a coherent sentence out, or process his words.

'I almost died?' Was seemingly the only she could think of, the words echoing inside her head.

"I had to watch and feel as your magic and life slowly faded away, and it was the worst fucking thing I have ever had to witness." He looked at her then, and she saw the tears and despair in his eyes and it left her speechless.

Gods, no wonder he looks and feels so unsettled.

"What? I mean how? What?" It seemed as if her brain stopped working completely and Lucy didn't know what to think, what to say to such a proclamation, and she definitely didn't know how to process the information.

How did it come to that? She remembers feeling drained and tired after fixing Leo's key, and then everything went black.

But almost dying? Besides a hell of a headache, the fact that she felt a little lethargic and her magic being fainter than usual she felt fine.

She might need a few days to sleep it off, but the look on Natsu's face, the intensity of his gaze, and the despair that seemed to be pouring out of him tell Lucy that he is in no way pulling her leg on this.

Not that she thinks he would ever pull such a cruel joke on her, still, it would be better than facing the fact that she almost joined her mother.

"After Stache face went back and time picked up again you collapsed in my arms and I co- I could feel it..." He trailed off as his voice choked at the end, avoiding her eyes once more and all Lucy could do was stare in disbelief as he spoke.

She'd never seen him like this.

"Natsu-" she started shuffling closer to him in an attempt to comfort him, her hand reaching out to squeeze his, not really knowing what to say but knowing she had to say something when suddenly the door flew open and Mira walked in with a tray of food.

"I didn't want to wake you earlier, you looked dead on your feet last night, but it's almost past noon, so I thought to bring you something to eat at least-" Her sentence was cut off and she almost dropped her tray as she saw Lucy awake.

Natsu and Lucy didn't comically jump to move away from each other at her arrival, but she did pull her hand back with another soft squeeze to his before letting go.

"Lucy!" Mira exclaimed as she quickly moved closer to the bed, placing the tray on the bedside table with a clank and moving so she could pull Lucy into a tight hug.

"You're awake." The white-haired mage mumbled into her hair as she squeezed her tighter and Lucy let out a small huff of breath.

"Oi! Careful with her, she can't breathe with ya squeezing her like that." Natsu's voice carried from behind her and she felt the warmth as he took her shoulders in his arms and pulled her back into his chest.

Mira pulled away from the bed, looking like she was going to say something before she analyzed the scene in front of her and the position they were in, the fact that they were in bed together she raised a brow at them, lips curling up into one of her deadly smirks as she looked between.

"Sorry, I'm just happy to see her finally awake." Mira said as she moved to hand Lucy a glass of water. "You gave us quite a scare, we were all so worried."

"Thanks." Lucy said to the older mage as she took the glass from her and drank half the glass in one gulp.

To say she felt dehydrated would be an understatement.

"I'm gonna leave the food here there's more than enough for you to share, I went a bit overboard this morning. I have to go tell everyone you're awake, and call Porlyusica." She said as she moved around the room, opening the curtains to let the light in before making her way towards the door in a hurry.

"Mira," Lucy called out before the mage could leave. "Please tell them I'm not feeling up to talking or seeing anyone yet, my head is killing me but besides that I'm good! So there's really no need to call Porlyusica! I feel fine." She said with a smile aimed at the older girl and Mira in return frowned at her words, gaze flickering to Natsu for a split second before settling on her with a hard look.

"You are not 'fine' Lucy, you almost died!" She felt Natsu flinch at the older mages words and moved to squeeze his hand.

And as she did, the curious burning sensation was back, creeping wonderfully up her arm.

"And the old witch said to call her the moment you woke up, so that's what I'm going to do, no arguments." She turned around to exit not giving her a chance to get a word in, and Lucy could tell she was a bit pissed and a lot worried.

"But I won't let anyone else come in."

"Happy can come." She called out seconds before the door closed because she wanted to see the blue fur ball he was probably worried, and she knew he would bring Natsu comfort as well.

Lucy turned to look back at the pink-haired man next to her, he was staring at the door with a small furrow to his brow, shoulders tight and fists clenched as he turned to look at her.

Not glaring this time, or filled with sadness. Just determination and intensity.

"We need to talk." He said before she could get a word out and ask about his sudden change in mood, her heart thundered in her chest at his words.

"About what?" She asked cautiously, not knowing where the conversation could go at this point.

Is there something worse than finding out you almost died?

"About what?" He chuckled as he repeated her question and turned his gaze around the room before settling back on her.

"About whatever the hell connection we seem to share, Luce. About how in the hell I can feel you whenever you're near, or in danger, or falling off a goddamned tower!" He rattled out, sounding frazzled, and maybe a little scared and Lucy felt her heart stop as he spoke.

"You, you can feel it too?" She questioned quietly, not entirely shocked he could, but they'd never talked about it, so she never knew for sure if he could feel it, or if it was just her. Lucy couldn't believe they were actually acknowledging this unspoken bond that had been building since they met.

Why was he choosing to talk about it now? Or better yet, why hadn't she tried to before? It is something that she has cherished, something that has saved her and plagued her since they met.

In truth, Lucy knew that it was because she was scared. Scared that he would laugh it off and tell her she was crazy, and no he doesn't feel any weird bond. Or that he would say that he could, and she didn't know which one scared her more.

What did he say earlier about feeling her dying? It was unimaginable for her, incomprehensible. The weight of that statement shook her to her core, the implication that something like that was a possibility between them was frightening.

She never wanted to experience such a thing.

She was pulled out of her thoughts by the humorless chuckle that escaped her partner.

It sounded strange coming from him, and she didn't like it, he should never sound like that.
His laughs should always be boisterous and carefree, not whatever this is.

"Yes. I feel it too. I felt it the day I found you in that alley as you almost got drained by that Leithfold, and it’s weird, and great when you're near, it’s fucking terrifying when your not, and it’s only been growing stronger with every fucking day we spend together. And then-" He cut off, breathing hard and eyes wild as he looked at her, and Lucy was assaulted by an array of emotions that seemed to be pouring out of him it made her head spin.

"And then I had to feel it fading, feel you fading in my arms in that god's forsaken clearing and I thought I might just fade with it. It was, it was horrible Lucy. You were so pale, so cold, and, and I didn't know what to do." He was shaking again, his fists clenching and unclenching methodically on top of the covers, his voice was quiet and hitched every so often as he talked and Lucy almost started crying as he spoke.

She could imagine him in those moments, what were almost her final moments, breathing hard and panicking, worse than he is now, calling her name and trying to wake her.

Lucy watched him as he tried to control his breathing and fail, and she pushed her tears away so she could move and catch one of his hands, bringing it to her chest so he could feel her breathing pattern. "Match my breath." She said as she took deep steadying breaths, hoping it would help center him.

She had time to cry and process everything later, she also had a feeling there was more to the story and it left her wondering how bad her migraine was gonna be by the end of it.

Noticing how her chest pleasantly burned where he touched, she wondered what prompted this new sensation between them. She didn't mind it, but it was curious and unknown.

Natsu's eyes were wide and full of unshed tears, probably mirroring her own as he worked on calming his breathing, his chest slowly following the rise and fall of her own.

"I did something stupid." He said after he got his breath to steady, head turned to the side as he moved his hand away from her and scooted to the right so that they weren't pressed against each other. He was avoiding her eyes again.

His words surprised her and left her feeling slightly uneasy.

There was something in the tone of his voice as he said it, and it made her wonder what more he was about to tell her. Natsu never minded doing stupid things, so what the hell was this about?

"How stupid?" Lucy asked, softly and half cautiously as she waited for him to turn and look at her. "I'm not sure yet. That's what we need the old whitch for. Even she was shocked by it."

His explanation was vague, to say the least, and Lucy knew she would need to pry it out of him.

"What did you do?" She decided to ask directly, trying to keep her tone even, if not a little curious and nonaccusatory, and the question made him turn to look at her, eyes unsure and posture tense.

"I, I don't know how to describe it. It all happened so fast and like it was in slow motion at the same time. I was panicking, trying and failing to think of something, anything I could do to help as I watched and felt your magic, your life fade away from you." There was a twist to his lips as he spoke and Lucy felt her heart breaking at his words, as she tried and failed to imagine his panic and desperation in those moments. "I'm no healer, Luce, you know destruction is more my thing." He shook his head and moved a hand to ruffle his hair as he took a deep steading breath.

And all Lucy wanted was to wrap herself around him and not let go for at least a week. He had been living in a suspended state of sorrow for the past seven days and all she wanted to do was comfort him.

But she found herself hesitating, they needed to have this conversation first.

"I somehow managed to give you a little part of my magic, or at least that's what I wanted to do, like a kickstart to stop yours from fading away until I could get you to Wendy. But something else happened, or something weird happened. And I somehow created a bridge I guess? between our magic..." He trailed off. "And now, now I can feel your magic flowing through me, and the bond or whatever, it feels different. Stronger."

There was a moment of silence and Lucy's brows were furrowed and head pounding as she watched him, shocked and with a rapidly growing migraine.

It was all too much for her at the moment.

Was this the reason behind the new and playful kernel of fire inside her? It really was Natsu, that's why it felt like him, and the warm sensation whenever they touched, like an extension of his power.

"What does that mean?" Her voice was small as she spoke and Natsu took a ragged breath before answering.

"You were going to die." He said quietly, as if saying it louder would make it happen all over again. "The same way your mom did, from exhausting your magic." The words were almost choked out of him and Lucy felt herself gasp at the admission, chest tightening and her hands were shaking slightly at the words.

Leo said her mom only survived for those few years because he was there to help her with the spell.

So that would mean, does that mean she was going to die too? Will she be forced to watch herself fade away slowly and painfully the way Layla did?