Untold Stories

by Rakoon1

Summary:

They didn't have the best start... She was a runnaway girl whose father ordered her retrieval, resulting in the destruction of Fairy Tail guild hall, while he was the biggest jerk of the guild. But, unknown to many, the two actually formed a special bond when no one was around to witness, a bond that may evolve into something else...

Notes:

NaLu will always be my favorite ship in all the Fairy Tail... when it comes to canonicity. However, there's one ship that has become my guilty pleasure: LaLu, since Laxus and Lucy are both two of my favorite characters and also some of those with the best development... not to mention they look so good together. This story will follow the relationship of Laxus and Lucy during the between of the main story. It will follow the canonicity of the anime for the most part.

This story was written initially to be rated as T, however, I originally had decided to make it mature, before deciding to make it content friendlier. However I decided to go back to my original plan.

This first chapter happens during the events of the Eisenwald arc.

Chapter 1: Laxus Meets Lucy

The wizards of Fairty Tail were enjoying a great time with each other in their guild hall. With Natsu, Gray and Erza away in their joined mission, there was the minimal peace they could enjoy without being interrupted by the two boys constant fights or having Erza’s intimidating look around.

“Too bad Lucy had to go with those three!” Wakabe exclaimed gleefully, while holding a mug of beer, with a slight flush on his face. “We could really enjoy her youthful enthusiasm before she is scared away by Natsu, Gray and Erza.”

“Don’t worry, buddy, Lucy is a tough one” Macao said, sitting in front of him, also with a mug of beer and a flush on his face as well. “She did help Natsu defeat that Vulcan on Mt. Hakobe.”

“Oh, you mean the Vulcan that took over you and you needed the help of Natsu and a newbie?” Wakabe teased.

“Hey, that Vulcan only took over me after I defeated nineteen like him!” Macao shouted, getting up.

“Yeah, but the only thing that people will remember is the take over part!” Wakabe replied, also getting up and getting face to face with Macao, with the two starting to measuring strength with their foreheads.

“Now, now, boys, behave yourselves” Mira told them behind the counter, always expressing her delightful smile. “You don’t want Master to know you decided to act like Natsu and Grey.”

“Come on, Mira, let them act like real men” Elfman told her, while sitting by another table. “It’s manly to let our feelings flow.”

“Is there something that you don’t find manly, Elfman?” Cana asked, sarcastically, while drinking wine by the counter, near Mira. “But I have to admit that I kind of enjoy not having those two around, that way I can enjoy my drink in peace.”

“I for one think that having Natsu and Gray around makes things more fun” Mira replied, keeping her smile. “Especially when Natsu always tries to pick up fights with Erza and Laxus and ends up beaten to a pulp.”

“Please, Mira, try not to mention the name of that jerk” Cana said. “He has not been around for some time and I’m afraid that mentioning his name…”

But before she could finish what she was saying, the doors were blasted opened by lightning, causing all the joyful sounds to cease in an instant, even Macao and Wakabe stopped their bickering, as everyone there put their eyes on the man that was at the entrance: Laxus, the grandson of their master and a S-class wizard of their guild… and, despite being one of the strongest wizards of the guild, he was also the least popular one, all due to his abrasive and cocky behavior. Just his presence alone was able to make everyone uncomfortable.

“…will jinx it” Cana finished what she was saying. “Mira, you better bring the entire barrel. Being wasted helps me to ignore jerks better.”

As he stood at the entrance of the guild hall, Laxus looked wound with his presumptuous look and smile. He always loved when everyone just stopped doing whatever they were doing just to watch his arrival, as that only meant that he had made an impression on them as the powerful wizard he was. The only one that looked uninterested was Cana, who was more focused on her drink, but Laxus knew she was just doing that to mess with him… what just used to do anything to mess back with her as well.

He advanced towards the counter, where Mirajane greeted him gleefully:

“Welcome back, Laxus. How did your job go?”

“What do you think?” he asked back, as he put down his bag and sat on a seat by the counter. “I cleaned the place with those bandits. And they even believed they had a chance against the great Laxus…”

“Wow, please, Laxus, don’t amaze us with your modesty…” Cana replied, sarcastically, as she, annoyed, took some sips from her drink.

“So, are you impressed with that, pretty face?” Laxus asked, as he moved to the seat next to Cana and leaned towards her, always showing his cocky smile.

Cana remained impassive to his question for a moment, but then she turned to him and told:

“The only reason why don’t throw this drink on your face, jackass, is because it would be a waste."

“Oh, please, do it” Laxus provoked. “Since that drink has already touched your pretty lips, it will be like being kissed by you.”

That comment really caught Cana off-guard and she went to close her fist tightly around the glass, doing her best to not break it or to throw the drink on Laxus, as that would only show that he was really getting to her.

“Hey, Laxus, that was too far!” Wakabe shouted to him.

“Yeah, have some more respect for Cana!” Macao added.

“Hey, as far as I can see, she’s already grown-up, so she can very well fence for herself” Laxus replied to them. “After all, isn’t that what a Fairy Tail wizard does? Or have you have gotten so soft and drunk and that you have forgotten?”

Mirajane noticed that the situation could escalate, so she decided to intervene.

“That’s enough, Laxus” she said in her more authoritarian voice, something she now rarely showed, with Laxus being one of the few to be able to drove her to use it. “You better not cause any problems or I will tell the master about this.”

“I’m just kidding!” Laxus said, making a fake innocent look, as he got up and took his bag. “You don’t have to go full demon on me. It would appear that Cana stopped being funny. Pitty… It looks like I will have to find a new toy for me to play with.”

Having said that, he started heading towards the second floor, laughing as he climbed the stairs.

“That guy may be a lot of things, but there’s no doubt that he can do manly entrances and exits” Elfman commented, after Laxus left the hall.

“I can’t believe we will have to babysit that spoiled brat until the master arrives…” Wakabe told.

“It can’t be helped” Macao told. “It’s not like we can force Laxus to do anything.”

“Ah, master… I hope you get here as soon as possible…” Mirajane sighed.

---

After the events on Clover with Natsu, Gray and Erza defeating Lullaby and dismantling the entire Eisenwald dark guild, Makarov finally returned to the guild.

“Master, welcome home!” Mirajane greated her guild master with all the joy she could offer.

“Thank you, Mira” he thanked. “It’s good to be back after having to cross that dreadful canyon… At least I will be able to get a little rest before having to deal with all the damages those fools caused in Clover.”

“Well… I wouldn’t be too sure about that…” Mirajane said, making her smiley nervous look.

Noticing that, Makarov realized something must have happened. He then noticed how empty the guild hall was.

“Why is this place so empty?” Makarov asked.

“Well, you see…” Mirajane started saying, still unsure how to tell Makarov what happened.

It didn’t take much for him to understand what happened. He sighed and said:

“Laxus is back, right? And he already caused problems…”

“Yeah… he kind of ruined the mood for the others” Mirajane told. “Cana got particularly irritated. The others had to drag her out of the guild hall before she would drink all our alcohol reserves.”

“I can’t believe this…” Makarov sighed. “Another headache for me to deal with… Where is he?”

“He has been always upstairs ever since he arrived” Mirajane replied. “I think he is just waiting for you, master.”

“I guess I won’t be able to delay this for much longer…” Makarov said, looking up to the second floor.

He went up there and entered his office, finding Laxus sitting on his chair and resting his feet on the desk, supporting his head with his arms while leaning back.

“So, old man, I can see you’re back safe and sound” Laxus told, with a smug. “How nice…”

“You’re concern for my safety is very touching, Laxus…” Makarov ironized. “But, yeah, despite all the damages, I and the rest of the guild masters are safe… all thanks to Natsu, Gray, Erza and Lucy.”

“And who is that?” Laxus asked, who didn’t recognize the last name. “Someone who is even more useless than those two goons that follow the bookworm like puppies whose existence I didn’t even notice?”

Trying to ignore his grandson’s lack of respect for his guildmates, Makarov said, calmly:

“Lucy is our brand new member. A very talented and beautiful celestial wizard.”

“A celestial wizard, hein?” Laxus said, while getting up from his grandfather’s chair. “Are you so desperate to fill the guild with hot women for your perverted satisfaction that now you recruit the weakest type of wizards that rely on equally weak creatures to fight for them?”

“I wouldn’t be so quick to judge” Makarov said, as he went to his chair, as Laxus advanced to the front of the desk. “That girl has contract to eight spirits, four of them are from the Zodiac.”

But Laxus just did his snarky laugh and started to head towards the exit, saying:

“Yeah, sure…”

“You know, Laxus, if you’re worried about the power of the guild, then you should go watch the fight Erza and Natsu will have. You may become rather impressed with his improvements.”

“Why would I go watch a one-sided fight?” he said, as he exited the office. “I would rather learn how to knit.”

He closed the door behind him, as Makarov released a sigh.

“That boy will never change…” he said.

---

After Erza returned from Era (along with Natsu), everyone was gathered at the hall, with Laxus observing them, shielded from sight at the second floor. His curiosity regarding the new girl was too much for him to resist. If there was one thing he couldn’t deny about his grandfather was his taste for women and, if he said the new girl was hot, then it was worthy give her a look. And it was actually worthy, as she was actually quite hot.

Even if she was a weakling, he couldn’t deny how attractive she was. Besides having a pretty face, she had great proportions. Physically, she was really his type. And, by the way she was so exasperated with Natsu, she was also pretty easy to mess with. She was just too perfect… A smile that was both cocky and perverted appeared on Laxus’ face.

“Looks like I found my next toy…” he commented, while then releasing a chuckle after seeing Erza knocking out Natsu.

It was then that, all of the sudden, a sudden drowsiness invaded him. He knew that feeling very well: Mystogan was back at the guild.

“Really?” he asked. “Now? And I was just enjoying the sight of my new…”

But before he could finish the sentence, he went into sleep, but always remaining standing, leaned against the wall.

Chapter 2: An Unpleasant Encounter

Notes:

This chapter happens at the beginning of the Tower of Heaven arc. It will followed by a continuation on the next chapter.

After everything that happened during the attack of the Phantom Lord guild, standing up against her father and all the Loke situation, Lucy couldn’t be happier in spending time with her teammates in the Akane Beach. Thanks to Loke, they could know relax and enjoy their time there.

“Give me back my bathing suit, you flamefreak!” Gray shouted, as he went in pursue of Natsu, who was holding the former’s bathing suit, while using Happy to cover his intimate parts.

“What’s the problem? You’re almost naked most of the time!” Natsu taunted, while running away from Gray. “But if you want it that much, then come and get it. Sure, you’ll have to let Happy go, but… that’s just a detail, right?”

“Ay…” Happy said, not feeling so good, as he was being used as a cover by Gray and agitated around.

Lucy and Erza observed them at some distance (along with Juvia, who was hidden a little more at the back observing Gray).

“Those two will never change…” Erza commented, while smiling. “But I guess it gets quite amusing after you get used to it.”

“Yeah, speak for yourself” Lucy replied, while smiling nervously. “You know, I’m starting to crave for something a sweet. Do you want me to get some ice cream for you, Erza?”

“That’s a great idea, Lucy” Erza told. “And I think you should also bring for the boys as well. After all that running, I bet they will also want something to eat.”

“Sure, don’t worry, I’ll be right back” Lucy said, as she went to get her bag.

“Just don’t eat any of our ice cream, Lucy” Happy said, having arrived while using his Aera magic. “It’s not like you need to gain more pounds to the ones you already have.”

“Shut it, you stupid cat!” Lucy shouted at him. “My weight is perfectly fine!”

It was then that Lucy realized something.

“Wait, Happy, if you’re here, does that mean…?” she started to ask.

“Ay!” he replied. “Gray got tired of Natsu always taunting him, so he let me go so he could get his swimming suit back and beat Natsu up.”

It didn’t take long for they starting to hear feminine screams and it didn’t take a genius to realize the reason for that.

“For goodness sake, those two are always causing trouble no matter where we go…” Erza said. “Their fighting is already causing so much embarrassment.”

“Says the one that just now said their fights were amusing…” Lucy replied.

“It can’t be help” Erza said, as she took Happy on her arms. “I’ll put some sense on those two, while you go get some ice cream, Lucy.”

“Got it!” Lucy said, hasting to move away, after seeing Erza going after Natsu and Gray. “I honestly didn’t want to be on their shoes right now.”

Lucy went to the many stands that were near the beach, trying to find a certain one that had the best ice creams.

“I know I’ve seen it around here…” she said, while looking around. “Oh, there it is!”

After buying from the stand a set of six ice creams that were on a holder of six, Lucy started heading to where her friends were, while savoring one of the ice creams (planning to eat the extra one). She was so distracted savoring the ice cream that she ended up bumping into someone.

“Hey, watch out!” a rude and deep voice shouted to her.

“I’m so sorry, I…” Lucy started, before realizing who she bumped into. “Laxus?!”

Yeah, it was Laxus! Master Makarov’s grandson and one of the most powerful wizards of Fairy Tail (and also the jerkiest). Lucy was really caught by surprise by his presence there and, despite her great dislike for him, she couldn’t help but notice him as a man. She already knew he was large and muscular, but, seeing him using only his black swimming board shorts with lightning pattern, Lucy was able to see how much. In an act of reflex, Lucy couldn’t help but blush a little.

After Laxus noticed who had just bumped into him, he couldn’t help but made his arrogant smile. There she was… the newbie rich girl with father issues that had caught his attention. He had already tried to imagine her in a swimsuit, but he never expected to see her like that without even expecting. As he thought, she looked even better like that. Just by looking at her, he could see that she also got surprised to see him, but, while she tried to show her dislike on him, Laxus could tell he was not indifferent to her.

“Well, well, look we have here… The little princess…” he said, tauntly.

“What are you doing here?” Lucy asked.

“I could ask the same thing, blondie” Laxus replied, with his taunting grin. “Don’t tell me you got already tired pf playing guild wizard and went back to your daddy’s lap.”

“That’s nothing of your business!” Lucy replied, puffing her cheeks.

Lucy didn’t know why, but she couldn’t stop looking at Laxus’ build, something that he was able to pick up easily.

“Liking what you see, blondie?” he asked, teasingly. “If you want, I can let you put some sunscreen on my back.”

“I’ll pass, thank you” Lucy answered coldly, dodging her look from Laxus.

“Come on, don’t be such a killjoy” Laxus said, as he leaned over Lucy and put an arm around her shoulders (doing that mostly to be able to feel her skin against his, noticing how soft it was), taking then an ice cream from the holder. “Don’t you want to have some fun with me?”

“What is wrong with you?!” Lucy exclaimed, while freeing herself from Laxus. “Just a few days ago you were saying that I was the one to blame for Phantom’s attack and now you’re shamelessly hitting on me?!”

“What can I say, I am a forgiving guy… deep down, that is…” Laxus told, as he started to lick the ice cream he got from Lucy. “Besides, how can I stay mad with such a beauty like you? But I still meant what I said about kicking out weaklings once I get hold of the guild. However… I am inclined to make an exception for you… After all, all guilds need a pretty face like you. But for that…”

With a swift of movement that Lucy didn’t even notice, Laxus pulled her closer to him, having his arm around her waist. He couldn't help but feeling himself excited for having that girl close to his body like that.

“…you will have to be very nice to me. Wouldn’t you want to spend time with a big and strong wizard that can protect you from anything?”

Laxus then did something that Lucy was not counting on: he sniffed her. When he did that, he could feel her sweet aroma.

“Now that is a nice aroma… Of course you would be one those women that take forever taking a bath with fancy bath oils.”

“As if you were not creepy enough” Lucy commented.

She tried to free herself again, but this time Laxus had a much firmer grip on her.

“Laxus, let me go…” she demanded.

“Come on, blondie, don’t tell me you prefer to hang out with losers like those” Laxus said. “I mean, I get Erza, but why Natsu and Gray? A girl like you can’t possibly find them interesting.”

“They are far better than you, that’s for sure” Lucy replied, firmly, still trying to free herself.

“Sure they are…” Laxus replied back sarcastically. “Hey, I can feel you a little bit uneasy… Why don’t I give you a little massage? It will help you relax… and maybe that way we can get to know each other better…”

When Laxus started to get his face closer to Lucy’s, she reacted and just hit one of Laxus’ eyes with the ice cream she was eating, causing him to drop his grip enough for Lucy to get rid of it and exclaimed:

“You’re really such a pig!”

Having said that, she started to move away with an angry walking. Despite what Lucy did to him, Laxus looked more amused than angry. Chuckling, he took the ice cream Lucy hit him with, cleaning the bit around his eye with the back of the hand, and then shouted teasingly:

“Thanks for the ice creams! They will serve nicely to cool down my very hot body!”

That very last phrase really left Lucy uneasy again, as it caused her to remember her physical attraction towards Laxus, what made her blush more than ever.

As he saw Lucy moving away, Laxus went to lick both ice creams, as he admired the young celestial wizard walking. That girl really was everything Laxus loved about a woman: beauty and spunk. Not to mention that the fact she got pretty mad with all of his provocations only made her even more irresistible.

As she approached the place where her friends were, Lucy tried to calm down and ignore what had just happened with Laxus. She shouldn’t let them know he was there, as that would just ruin their vacation. For starters, Natsu would for certain pick up a fight with him. But then there was the fact that, if they got to know how Laxus behaved with her just now, there was no doubt a big fight would happen between him and her three teammates that would only cause problems… not just for them, but also to the guild.

When she saw Erza appearing on her field of vision, Lucy was already in better control of her emotions. She arrived there and then saw that Natsu and Grey had been buried, with only their heads out.

“Wow…” Lucy commented, as she arrived. “I don’t want even know why these two are buried in the sand.”

“Well, it’s the best way for them to learn their lesson” Erza replied. “Now, you two will reflect on your behavior for an hour and I hope, when you get out, you will act as the best friends you say you are.”

“What?!” both Natsu and Grey asked.

“You can’t let us here for an entire hour, Erza!” Natsu exclaimed.

“Yeah, it’s completely nuts!” Gray shouted.

But when Erza made her intimidating look at the two young men, they immediately cowered and said at the same time:

“Yes, mam!”

“Good” Erza said, returning to her normal state. “Now, what about those ice creams, Lucy?”

“Yeah, Ice cream!” Happy exclaimed gleefully, as he went to get an ice cream from Lucy.

“Wait, ice cream?!” Gray asked.

“You got ice cream and you won’t even give it to us?!” Natsu asked.

“Relax, boys, you will have your ice cream…” Erza replied. “Once one of us finishes theirs so they can hold yours.”

“What?!” the two male wizards shouted.

“Don’t worry, I can hold them for you” Lucy said, after giving Erza her ice cream.

“Lucy, didn’t you get any?” Erza asked, confused.

“Oh…” Lucy said, as she approached the two buried boys and squatted to give them ice cream, remembering how Laxus had taken one of the ice creams at the holder and she hit him with the one she was eating. “I… already ate mine.”

“Typical, Lucy, always eating like there’s no tomorrow…” Happy commented, as he ate his ice cream.

“Yeah, Lucy, you should really watch what you eat” Natsu said.

“Some people just don’t have any self-control” Gray sighed.

Those comments really irritated Lucy, who then just stood up, saying:

“Well, I guess since I eat too much, you won’t mind if I eat these two ice creams.”

“What! No!” Natsu exclaimed. “We’re so sorry, Lucy! You really don’t eat that much!”

“Yeah, your self-control is the best out of us all!” Gray added.

Seeing them apologizing and begging really made Lucy smile and quickly take Laxus out of her mind. Her friends could be really annoying sometimes, but they always knew how to make her laugh and forget her worries. And so Lucy went to give Natsu and Gray their ice cream…

Not so far away, Juvia was watching, feeling an immense deal of jealousy while seeing Lucy feeding ice cream to Gray.

“That damn Lucy…” she said to herself. “I should be the one feeding ice cream to my beloved Gray…”

Chapter 3: A Stolen Kiss

Notes:

This chapter is a continuation of the one before.

Later that day, as the sun started setting, the sky also shone with many colors of dark. At the entrance of the casino, Lucy was waiting for Erza, wearing her red dress. Natsu, Gray and Happy were already inside.

“What is taking her so long…?” Lucy asked. “Don’t tell me she fell asleep… Well, it won’t hurt to go there to check on her.”

And so Lucy started to go to Erza’s room. Of course for that she would need to walk through the entrance hall to reach the stairs. But when she was there, she froze when she noticed someone unpleasant at the reception, possibly making the check-out: Laxus. Seeing him caused her to remember their encounter earlier that afternoon, which made her to blush, before trying to pretend he was there and head towards the staircase before he could see her. However, she didn’t have that much luck…

Laxus was doing his check-out of the hotel when he suddenly got a familiar scent, the same one he had felt not so long ago. His cocky smile appeared, as that smell was followed by small steps that were characteristic of someone walking on heels. He knew exactly who that was. And judging how the steps stopped for a moment before resuming with a faster rhythm, she had already seen him and was trying to pass by him without him knowing. It amused him that she actually thought that would work.

He finished the check-out when Lucy was about to reach the stairs and, with a flash of lightning, he moved from the counter to be right behind Lucy, whispering to her:

“You won’t even say goodbye? Now, that is very rude.”

That caused Lucy to turn to him and ask:

“How did you…?”

“I’m a S-class wizard, blondie” Laxus reminded her, while letting his bag fall beside him. “Do you really think I wouldn’t notice a beauty like you passing by?”

“Don’t even try anything” Lucy ordered him. “Natsu, Gray and Erza are not that far.”

“Please, as if those three would be able to scare me” Laxus replied. “Besides… you didn’t tell them about me back then, so why would you do it now?”

“How do you know…?”

“If you had told them, no doubt that meathead Natsu would come after me for a fight” Laxus said. “Not that I am complaining… I love punching that pink-haired punk, but the fact he was oblivious to my presence gave me time to relax. Too bad I didn’t have the company of a damsel like you to give me a massage… But I have to say I far prefer this… Did you put that pretty dress for me?”

“In your dreams, you creep!” Lucy asked, crossing her arms and looking away.

“Oh, you can be sure I’ll have some sweet dreams… with you in them using that same dress” Laxus replied. “What do you say in leaving those losers behind and come with me instead? I promise I will be a gentleman.”

That caused Lucy to have another big blush all over her face. How could Laxus be related to Master Makarov? Yes, Master Makarov was also somewhat of a perv, but Laxus was able to take it to an all new level.

“Leave me alone, Laxus” Lucy demanded. “I have better things to do.”

Lucy got so disgusted by Laxus’ pervy behavior and yet embarrassed by his words and her physical attraction for him that she didn’t know what to do. Her first thought was to get to Erza, but when she was to turn to go to her, Lucy forgot that she was at the base of the staircase and almost trip on the first step. However, she didn’t fall because Laxus was able to hold her with an arm behind her back.

“You can’t stop being on my arms, can you, blondie?” Laxus asked, with his arrogant smile.

Lucy didn’t know how to react. It was just like earlier, but this time it was like she couldn’t escape, as if her survival instinct was turned off. Perhaps that was because she was looking to his grey eyes which were so intense that she felt herself paralyzed by them. She could actually hear her heart bumping right at her ears. Laxus, on the other hand, couldn’t help but feeling his excitement taking over him. He finally had the girl that had been driving him crazy at his grasp and, judging how she was trembling, she wouldn’t escape him this time. And it was then that he pressed his lips against hers.

The young celestial wizard couldn’t believe what was happening. Laxus was kissing her! She had closed her eyes when Laxus’ face came close, but she was able to feel the warmth of his lips touching hers. A burst of mixed emotions started to invade her. Lucy didn’t know what she was feeling. Anger… disgust… fear… terror… excitement… All of them were acting out together, causing her heart to bump even harder than it was before. It was then that one single thought was able to be formed in all that turmoil: she needed to get out of there. Once that thought came to be, her body acted accordingly.

In an act of reflex, she pulled Laxus away from her and then slapped him, taking advantage of that to start running up the stairs as fast as her heels allowed her. Laxus took a hand to his slapped cheek and, for a moment, he felt a jolt of anger that manifested itself through a current of lightning passing through his body. But it quickly ceased, as his anger was soon replaced by a sense of exhilaration.

“Now this is a woman!” Laxus exclaimed. “Not only she is pretty and easy to mess with, but she is also feisty… The little princess has a strong fighting spirit. Who knows… maybe I will open an exception for her once I become master… if she becomes my woman that is.”

He took his bag, putting it over shoulder, and started heading towards the exit of the hotel, while chuckling.

Meanwhile, Lucy ran as fast as she could until she reached a certain hallway, not even noticing where. After she slapped Laxus, she just ran from him, both to get as far away from him and to avoid his anger. But as soon she found herself safe, she came to lose strength on her legs, ending up letting herself fall on her knees and then finding support on the nearest wall, taking the tip of her fingers to her mouth instinctively.

She could not believe it… That was her first kiss… Her very first kiss… And it was with Laxus, the greatest jerk she had ever met… Laxus stole her first kiss! But worse than that… she didn’t do anything to stop him. It was not like he did it all of the sudden. She could have stopped him, but she didn’t. However, those eyes of him… They had an intensity like she had never seen before… or could even explain it. There was a certain ferocity that was both terrifying and captivating.

However, that wasn’t even the very worst part of all that… The truth was that, despite she didn’t return his kiss, she really wanted to. She wanted to kiss Laxus… Despite not having any references whatsoever, she could feel that he was really a very good kisser. Lucy had already acknowledged her physical attraction towards Laxus, but she didn’t know such shallow feeling would have this impact on her. After all, it was not the first time she would feel herself attracted for a good-looking man. In fact, if Laxus wasn't the jerk and the pervert that he was, without a doubt she would feel beyond herself for being kissed by a big, strong and good-looking man that, physically, was her type. But she was a romantic at heart. How could she ever desire someone like him? Could it be that…

No! It can’t be! Lucy thought in her head. I can’t be in love with… that jerk! She made sure to make those words echo in her mind, hoping that would make her believe in them. That needed to be truth… not the alternative. Laxus wanted her and her friends out of the guild and that is something that is bonded to happen if he ever becomes the master of Fairy Tail. Not to mention that he didn’t even come to help when Phantom Lord attacked. If he had helped, then maybe neither her nor her friends would have suffer so much and the guild hall wouldn’t have been destroyed.

It was then that, when thinking about her friends, she remembered the reason that led her to meet Laxus just now: to go get Erza. In that moment, she felt a great conflict: should she say to Erza and the boys what just happened? Or at least to Erza? On one hand, she knew that talk about it would help her feel better… However, she couldn’t deny the consequences of that. It didn’t matter to whom she would talk about it, because it would only lead to a great conflict with Laxus and she didn’t want to be the reason for another problem to the guild.

No… she needed to do her best to put that behind her. After all, it was just a kiss. Yeah, it was not a pleasant moment… but it was not like she didn’t face worse. She survived a bunch of creeps that wanted to take her to Bosco by force, she was able to deal with a nasty man like Everlue and was even able to withstand Gajeel’s beat down without even giving him the satisfaction of being able to break her spirit. She shouldn’t let the fact that Laxus shamelessly stole her first kiss be the one to take her down. Cleaning the tears on her eyes, Lucy stood up and started heading towards Erza’s room.

After reaching her room, Lucy just took a deep breath to calm herself, all while she arranged her dress and her hair. After making sure she was presentable and no sign of emotional distress was present, she knocked on the door and opened it, saying then to her teammate:

“Erza, get out of the room and come have some fun. Natsu and Gray are downstairs. Do you want to come find them and play some games?”

Chapter 4: Solo Mission, Part 1

Notes:

This is the first part of an arc that happens between “The Battle of Fairy Tail” arc and the “Oración Seis” arc. Also, it is needed to remind that this arc will have details that follow a little more the manga regarding some characters.

Lucy had thought that Laxus harassing her during that time at Akane was the worst thing he could do. That he wouldn’t dare to do something that was even worse… even more against his guildmates. But that was far from the truth, as, not long after they had returned to their rebuilt guild hall once the situation at Tower of Heaven had been solved, Laxus made something that would cause some major consequences to the guild: he committed a coup along with his teammates, the Thunder Legion (Fried, Bickslow and Evergreen), to take control of Fairy Tail by turning guildmates against each other.

Lucy was between the girls that had been turned to stone by Evergreen for the first part of the coup, being used as hostage until Erza was able to force the female member of the Thunder Legion to release the other girls. After that, Lucy went to help fighting Laxus and his Thunder Legion, ending up fighting Bickslow with Happy and Loke. After that, she went to destroy one of the lacrimas of the Thunder Palace spell, together with her guildmates, being able to destroy every single one and break the hold Laxus had on Magnolia, but that caused her to get out of battle because of the body link spell on the lacrimas.

When she came to be, Laxus had been defeated by Natsu and Gajeel. However, Lucy came to notice a sudden change on him. The once cocky and rude wizard had become much more… serene. According to Levy, it would appear that Laxus had come to realize how much he really cared about his guildmates after using Fairy Law, one of the greatest spells of Fairy Tail, which showed what really was in his heart which was care and love for everyone in the guild and the town. That, combined by his defeat at the hands of Natsu and Gajeel, caused Laxus to finally see the madness in his actions.

Lucy had to confess that initially she didn’t believe in that, but after seeing Laxus coming to the guild hall to talk with master Makarov, she was able to see that change first handed and she finally believed in it. It was not because he was not acting like an arrogant jerk, but because of his eyes. She remembered very well when Laxus forced a kiss on her. His eyes left her terrified of how intense they were in such way she couldn’t even move. However, the look he had was like witnessing a clear sky over a serene ocean. Even if in the end Laxus ended up expelled of the guild, Lucy knew that he would now be a much better man than he was.

As for the Thunder Legion, the master had forgiven their actions, acknowledging that their only bad decision was to follow someone with a misguided ideology and that their devotion and loyalty to Laxus were to be praised. Without Laxus, the three of them started to interact more with the rest of the guild, eventually forming strong ties of friendship. Of course that only meant that the craziness would only increase in the Fairy Tail guild… but then again craziness is what made it so great! However, it was clear that Laxus’ absence still brought some sadness to them, especially to Fried.

One afternoon, he was sitting by the counter of the guild hall with Mirajane behind it cleaning a glass. Evergreen was happily talking with some of the girls of the guild, while Bickslow was having fun sharing drinks with some other guildmates.

“What’s the matter, Fried?” Mirajane asked him. “You look so blue today?”

“I don’t know, Mira…” Fried said. “I guess I just miss Laxus, that’s all.”

“Yeah… I know what you mean” Mirajane said. “He may have been… Well, you know. But the guild hall looks a little emptier. And he left just has he had become a better person… But, you know, it’s not like the guild has lost its spirit.”

“I have to agree on that” Fried said, noticing how Evergreen and Bickslow had quickly bonded with their other guildmates.

“You’ll see that, despite the emptiness that Laxus left, you will still feel the joy we have still to offer” Mirajane told.

At that moment, the doors of the guild hall opened, with Lucy entered with a not so pleased look. Natsu didn’t take too long to enter as well, a little down and saying:

“Come on, Lucy, you can’t still be mad about it.”

“Are you kidding me!” she replied. “After what you did?! Of course I’m mad about it!”

“Speaking of feeling the joy… It looks like we have something interesting happening” Mirajane said. “Welcome back, guys! How was the job?”

Lucy didn’t answer until she came to counter, sat down on one of the stools and replied:

“I don’t want to talk about it… Just give me my milkshake, Mira, please.”

“Maybe I should give you a tea instead to calm your nerves, Lucy” Mirajane said, making her awkward smile.

“I don’t need to calm myself” Lucy replied. “I just need something sweet so that I can distract myself from what happened.”

“Oh boy… whatever Natsu did must have been really bad” Mirajane commented.

“What?!” Natsu asked. “Why do you think I did something?!”

“Maybe because you two got in with Lucy upset and you apologizing” Cana replied, while sitting at the same table as Evergreen, while taking a drink.

“What happened between those two?” Levy asked to Erza, Gray and Happy who had come behind the other two. “Don’t tell me you failed the job because of Natsu and you didn’t get the reward.”

“No reward?” Macao asked, while seeing Lucy getting her milkshake from Mirajane and started drinking it. “Oh, no wonder Lucy is upset.”

“Actually, the job went quite well” Erza said. “We managed to finish it and we got a very nice reward.”

“Ay!” Happy replied. “Lucy has enough jewels for her next two rents.”

“So, if it was not the job…” Levy started asking.

“What it was?” Jet and Droy asked at the same time.

“It’s… a long story” Gray replied.

 “Oh, come on, Lucy!” Natsu continued to say to his teammate, while she drank a milkshake. “You can’t stay mad at me forever.”

“Oh yeah? Then watch me!” she replied, as she kept drinking her milkshake.

“You were not kidding” Fried whispered to Mirajane. “Things really became interesting.”

“You can always count on Natsu and Lucy to give us some good drama to watch” she replied.

“Hey! What’s the big idea in turning my life into some sort of free entertainment?!” Lucy exclaimed to them.

She finished her milkshake and then stood up after putting some jewels to pay it, saying:

“I’ll go home. At least there I don’t have someone to do things for me that I can perfectly do… own my own!”

And she started heading towards the door, but passing by Natsu, she exclaimed:

“And don’t even dare to put one step there!”

Natsu, whose frustration about not being able to get Lucy to forgive him, caused him to say:

“Fine! It’s not like would go there with a stubborn girl like you screaming at my ears!”

And Lucy got out of the guild hall so she could home.

“I don’t know, Erza… Shouldn’t we do something about it?” Gray asked. “If I know those two, they are capable of staying like this for days.”

“They are old enough to resolve their issues on their own” Erza replied to him. “Well… at least Lucy is. Don’t worry, they’ll come around.”

“Ay!” Happy replied.

“And even if they don’t… well, we can always beat some sense into them” Erza replied, as she went to the counter.

“I hope you’re right…” Gray said, still not as certain as she is.

Lucy had returned home, being able to pay that month and the next one to her landlady, before entering her home and going to take a bath to clean herself from her job. She let herself be involved by her bubble bath, trying to relax from all the stress she was feeling. However, she couldn’t help but reminding what Natsu did and what that made her feel caused Lucy to not exactly enjoy her bath. Not to mention that she felt kind of bad for treating Natsu the way she did, but that came into conflict with her self-consciousness, so Lucy didn’t know what to do now.

At the next day, she was at the guild hall, feeling exasperated about what to do, as she was talking with Mirajane while drinking her usual milkshake.

“I mean, I know he didn’t do it on purpose, but… he should have known I could handle it” Lucy told. “I am his teammate, right? I am capable of fending for myself, so he should have more trust in me. Don’t you think that, Mira?”

“Sorry, Lucy, but, without any context, I can’t exactly give you an opinion” Mirajane replied.

Sighing, Lucy said:

“Well… we were fighting these rogue wizards from a dark guild. Everything was going okay… After all, my team is made of powerful wizards. And despite I was doing okay, Taurus was defeated. I was going to summon Cancer after that… but then Natsu came and beat them before I had even a chance!”

“To me sounds like he was helping a teammate in need” Mirajane replied. “There’s nothing wrong about that.”

“The problem is not that he took down the enemy for me, but what he said after” Lucy told. “He said that I looked like I was in trouble, so he lent me a hand. It’s almost like he thinks I need him and the others to be always watching over me.”

“Now, Lucy, that’s not true” Mirajane replied.

“Oh really?” Lucy asked. “Without my keys, I become an easy target. Take the Phantom attack for example. I lost almost all my keys when I got captured and I could do nothing to protect the guild. I’ve tried my best to become stronger so I wouldn’t depend much on others… but I still keep becoming helpless. What Natsu did… I know he did it because he cares for me, but… it made me feel like I was week and co-dependent.”

“Wow… I never thought you would feel like that” Mirajane commented. “But… why don’t you tell that to Natsu and the others? I’m sure they will help you overcome that insecurity of yours.”

“Maybe…” Lucy said, as she moved her straw around her milkshake.

As Lucy took the last sips of her milkshake, she then noticed the request board (where Nab was, as usual, hanging around) and had an idea.

“I know!” she exclaimed, while getting up. “Maybe I can show them how I have improved by making a job all by myself… a job that may involve some fighting.”

“I don’t know, Lucy…” Mirajane said. “Maybe you should wait for Natsu and the others before…”

But she didn’t get any the chance to finish what she was saying, because Lucy was already at the request board looking for a good job for her to do.

“I got it!” she said, while taking one job from the board and returning to the counter. “Sign me up for this one, Mira. I have a great feeling about it.”

Mirajane went to read the pamphlet and got a little worried.

“But, Lucy… this job in Amaryll is a bit too dangerous to do alone, especially someone like you” she said. “I really think you should wait for…”

“It will be okay, Mira” Lucy replied, as she paid the milkshake. “I can handle it. And besides being able to prove myself to Natsu, Gray and Erza, I will also get a very nice reward. It’s perfect!”

“Lucy…” Mirajane tried to say.

But Lucy was already heading to the entrance, saying:

“See ya, Mira!”

After she left, Mirajane showed a concerned look, as she looked to the job description.

“I have a bad feeling about this…” Mirajane said. “Be careful, Lucy…"

Chapter 5: Solo Mission, Part 2

The lovely town of Amaryll… located at a privileged location with an uncanny beauty, this town, much like the red blossoms of the flower it was named after (the amaryllis), is known to be the start of many love stories. Because of that, many young women visit it in hopes of finding true love.

Lucy arrived to the town and, after meeting with its mayor about the job to know its specifics and then settling on her hotel room, started walking through the town.

“Okay… so apparently some young women around town have been disappearing out of thin air” she said, as she read the notes that was given to her, as she walked through the town. “That is strange… How can someone just disappear out of thin air? And it was just young women… It can only be some kind of magic. But what magic is capable of doing this? And, more importantly, who is doing this… and why?”

Trying to solve a problem like that one was proving to be quite a challenge, as there were not that many clues. And even if she discovered how the young women were disappearing, how would she solve it? Despite all the knowledge she had, Lucy clearly still lacked the mental flexibility that her more experienced guildmates have. Perhaps, if Erza was there, she would easily be able to know what was going on there. And no matter what was causing that, for sure that Natsu and Gray (along with Erza) would be able to take down all enemies that crossed their way. Even Happy would be so useful thanks to his Aera magic.

Realizing she was already thinking how her teammates would be able to help her, Lucy started trying not thinking about them.

“Come on, Lucy, you can do this!” she exclaimed. “You’re smart and resourceful. You can figure this out. Maybe I just need to clear my mind of things.”

At that moment, she reached a music shop and said to herself:

“That’s it! I can relax listening to some music. I bet there’s even something I can buy there.”

She entered the shop, while greeting the nice man at the counter. Lucy started inspecting the many music lacrimas that were in store there. Music lacrimas are round lacrimas of many colors that are able to store music in them and then can be played thanks to special devices or else transfer the music inside to other storage devices. Lucy looked around and then saw one lacrima that she immediately recognized.

“No way…” she said, as she picked up a red music lacrima inside a box that contained the image of a heart-shaped treble clef. “This lacrima is from my favorite band: Love Heart. I always loved their romantic ballads…”

Placing the box on a playing device, Lucy took the magic headphones connected to the device and started to hear one of the band’s most famous songs (her favorite). She couldn’t believe it she had actually found the one music lacrima that she didn’t have of the Love Heart. And so she stayed a little moment listening to their song, as she let herself dwell on her inner thoughts about finding her true love.

Little did Lucy know that someone was watching her from outside the store…

---

Back at the guild, Erza, Gray, Natsu and Happy arrived at the guild hall, with them arriving at the counter where Mirajane was (with Natsu a little at the back, pouting a bit).

“Mira, have you seen Lucy?” Erza asked. “Someone here has an apology to tell her.”

“Please, I already apologized to her… many times” Natsu mumbled, keeping his pouting look.

“We went to her house, but she was not there” Gray replied.

“What was a relief, as I really didn’t want to see her angry face so soon at the morning” Happy commented.

“Well, she was here a while ago, but…” Mirajane started, nervously.

“But what?” Erza asked.

“Well… she told me what happened in your last job and… she was feeling quite down about it” Mirajane told. “So… she decided to take a job to regain her confidence.”

“See?” Natsu asked. “Lucy has already moved on and went on a mission. There’s no need for an…”

“Zip it…” Erza commanded, using her grave and yet intimidating voice that caused Natsu to cower.

“Yes, mam…” Natsu mumbled, terrified.

“You don’t look so confident about this job she went to, Mira” Gray commented.

“Knowing Lucy, she probably went to the highest paid job she could find” Happy told. “She is so greedy that she would do it.”

“What kind of job is it?” Erza asked.

“It’s a missing people job on Amaryll” Mirajane replied. “I confess that I am a little worried, because Lucy matches the profile of the missing young women and she is still a little bit unexperienced…”

“I see…” Erza said, also sharing the same concern Mirajane. “Well, we’re going to take the next train to Amaryll.”

“What?!” Natsu asked. “Now I have to take a train just to apologize!”

But Erza simply grabbed one end of his scarf and started to pull it and, by extension, drag Natsu towards the exit:

“Okay, okay, I got it! Just let me walk, please!”

---

In the music shop at Amaryll, Lucy was so involved in her music that she didn’t notice a big figure approaching her and then leaning over her. Suddenly, Lucy was able to feel a big shadow and the face of someone near hers. When she turned around, the person in question made her jump back by surprise.

“Laxus?!” she asked, surprised.

It was Laxus, who had his ear close to the headphone Lucy was wearing, possibly to hear what she was hearing. His own presence was surprising enough, but then Lucy noticed how different he looked. He didn’t have his usual style of clothing, now wearing a dark shirt under a long light jacket closed by a simple belt, loose dark pants ending below his knees, with each end having a light band circling it, and grey boots. The only thing he hadn’t changed was his Sound Pod.

“Please tell me that’s not your taste in music” he said, while bearing a neutral face, something that Lucy was not that used to. “I mean, it kind of makes sense with you, but even so…”

Lucy was so surprised by his sudden appearance that she took a while to process what was happening.

“What… What are you doing here?” she asked.

“This is a music shop, isn’t it?” he replied. “I came to see if I can get something good.”

As he started to look around, Lucy, who was still recovering from the shock of meeting Laxus there, went to get take off the music lacrima she was listening.

“If you’re here, it’s too assume that Natsu and the others are not far, right?” he asked.

“Not exactly…” Lucy said, almost stuttering, as she continued to watch the other music lacrimas, but mostly because she didn’t know what to act with Laxus there. “I… came in a solo mission.”

“I see…” Laxus said, as he took a yellow music lacrima and observed it. “That explains why everything is so quiet…”

As she saw him heading towards the counter, Lucy followed him and they stayed quiet as the shop keeper went to attend them.

“Oh, you have a very refined taste, miss” the shop keeper told to Lucy. “And you’re lucky as well… I just have one more of this one.”

“Thanks… I’ve been hearing that for a long time…” Lucy replied, as she paid the music lacrima.

“Oh, but this young gentleman has also a very nice taste” the shop keeper commented, as Laxus paid his music lacrima. “We don’t have many people that enjoy Classic Rock like this one.”

But Laxus politely ignored her and then took out the lacrima from its box and then he made his Sound Pot to connect with it with its cable, causing it to download the music in it what caused the lacrima to lose its color and become blank. After that, the cable went to connect to the Magic Database.

“You can keep the lacrima and reuse it” Laxus told the shop keeper.

“Oh… thank you very much, young man” she replied, as she kept the lacrima.

After that, Laxus started heading to the exit and got out. Lucy followed him and called:

“Laxus, wait!”

He stopped and turned to Lucy who said, when she got to him:

“Are you just going away like this?”

“You said yourself, you’re on a job” Laxus replied. “I don’t want to get in your way… or in the way of the guild.”

“I know, but…” Lucy started. “Despite everything… the guild misses you. Especially the Thunder Legion… and master Makarov. He may not show it, but we all know that he does. I was not expecting to find you here, but… now that you’re here, I would like to tell the others you are okay…”

There was a silence where Laxus and Lucy stared at each other. But then the former turned forward and replied:

“And now you can tell them just that. Obviously I am okay. But don’t forget that I have been expelled from Fairy Tail.”

“Just because you have been expelled from the guild, it doesn’t mean you are not allowed to interact with us.”

“Maybe… but, after everything I’ve done, I still have a lot to grow before I can even confront any of my former guildmates” he replied, as he started to walk away.

“If that is true… then why did you even approach me?” Lucy asked.

That caused Laxus to stop and then answer:

“Honestly… I don’t even know that myself. But one thing I know is that I must go now. By the way… I’m sorry about the petrification thing. I told Evergreen to only focus on Erza and Mira, but I guess she got carried away.”

“It’s okay… I’ve already moved on from that” Lucy replied.

And so Laxus started to move away, with Lucy observing him with some sadness in her eyes. Yes, Laxus has been a total jerk to her for the most time she has known him, but now that he had showed at that moment his true side, along with the remorse he feels for his actions, Lucy could no longer hold any grudge against him.

However, watching from afar, mysterious figures were observing Lucy. However, these ones possessed a dark aura. The one leading them then said:

“Well, well, well… It looks like we found our next victim…”

Chapter 6: Solo Mission, Part 3

After her encounter with Laxus, Lucy became too much deep into her thoughts to even focus on her job. She wandered until the town’s park, where some couples were taking a stroll. Sitting on a bench, she went to stare at her new music lacrima, thinking about that random encounter with Laxus.

Who would have thought that she would meet him like that. Lucy didn’t know why, but she couldn’t take him out of her head, just like during that one time at Akane Beach. However, this time, there was a very big difference. Back then, she would react with a mix of physical attraction and pure disgust, something that left her otherwise confused with such conflictive feelings. Not to mention that, in all those times, Lucy was more like a prey to Laxus who had such satisfaction in stealing her a kiss that completely left her without knowing what to do, a feeling that she hoped to never experience again.

However, that moment at the music shop was totally different. Laxus was respectful and his voice was now calmer and smoother without that scornful and arrogant tone. All that made Lucy forget about the disgust she used to feel about him. But, without the disgust, all that was left now was her attraction to him. She could finally admire him without having his brain telling her to stop. Perhaps that was the reason why she was all awkward with him. Despite that, she still remembered that forced kiss, something that was still holding her back regarding her own feelings for him.

It was then that reality came and hit her hard. Why was she even pondering about a possibility of being able to admire Laxus without having to worry about him being the jerk and the perv he used to be? Just the embarrassment of making herself that very question made Lucy to become slightly red.

“What am I doing?!” she asked, herself, as she shook her head to help her focus. “I can’t be here thinking about Laxus! Come on, I have a job to do… I need to focus on it.”

She then got up, ready to continue her investigation… when suddenly, a delicate aroma started to surround her.

“What the…” Lucy said, a bit confused and curious. “This aroma… Is it from the flowers? No… it’s just too strong… But…”

The more Lucy inhaled that sweet aroma, the more numbed she felt her mind become. Not just that, but the sweetness of the aroma was starting to become too much irresistible. And just like that, it was as if the control she had over her body had been turned off and her awareness became foggy. All she knew is that she had to follow that aroma… She needed to follow that aroma… Without any control over herself, she just started walking… Her music lacrima just fell to the grass…

Elsewhere, Laxus was walking away from the town when he, all of the sudden, had a bad feeling that made him turn around to Amaryll. He has had it when he was in town, as if something there was lurking in the shadows. However, he didn’t pay much attention to it, but now… He couldn’t help but feeling that he should investigate it…

---

Meanwhile, on the train that was going for Amaryll, Natsu, Happy, Erza and Grey were heading to the town to meet up with Lucy. Like always, Natsu was not feeling well because of his motion sickness that caused him to lie on the chairs in an almost passed out state. Meanwhile, Happy was on Erza’s lap, who was sitting beside Grey.

“I know Natsu was a jerk to Lucy and that this mission is not exactly easy, but should we really go there?” Gray asked Erza. “Lucy may get even more upset just for us to show up.”

“That’s Lucy for you…” Happy commented.

“You’re right, Lucy may get even more upset” Erza replied. “But this is not just about Natsu apologizing.”

“You’re worry about her…” Gray started. “Look, Lucy may not be as strong as us, but she can handle herself.”

“If it was another type of job, maybe…” Erza said. “I have no doubts about her capabilities… But this mission she took… I’ve heard something similar happening in other towns a few weeks back.”

“Really?” Gray asked.

“Yeah…” Erza said. “Young girls… simply disappearing out of thin air… Because it was just one or two each time and there was no visible connection between the victims, there was no reason to make any link between the cases. But the more I look into them, the more similarities I notice. In fact, I was thinking in taking the job in Amaryll myself to see if my suspicions were right.”

“So… what are your thoughts about it?” Gray asked.

“For them to make girls to disappear just like that, then they must use some kind of magic that allows them to subdue them without them even fight back” Erza said. “Especially if we consider they could target someone that could use magic.”

“You’re right” Gray agreed. “If their targets fought back, they would call too much attention.”

“Does that mean they use some kind of magic to lure them or to put them to sleep?” Happy asked Erza.

“Most likely… probably even both” Erza said. “They must also be using some magic to keep themselves out of sight and to keep their targets subdued.”

“It makes sense…” Gray told. “They can’t exactly go around with kidnapped victims.”

At that moment, both Erza and Gray noticed that Happy was making a thinking face.

“What is it, Happy?” Gray asked.

“I don’t know… But this kind of sounds familiar to me…” he replied.

“You mean you recognize the case?” Erza asked.

“It’s just… a déjà-vu” Happy replied. “But I just… can’t put my paw in it…”

“Well, if it’s familiar to you, maybe it is familiar to Natsu too” Erza said. “You two are always together, after all.”

They turned to Natsu who was moaning as he felt his head light and dizzy with all the motion sickness he was feeling in such a way that he couldn’t even talk.

“Well… maybe we can ask him after we get off the train” Erza said.

“Even then I doubt he will be any helpful” Gray told, in his teasing way. “If Happy can’t remember things, then Natsu won’t be the one to remember it. That guy’s memory is even worse than a goldfish.”

Despite being too much sick with motion sickness, Natsu was able to notice Gray’s mockery and tried to talk back at him, but his current state prevented him from doing it.

“Now that’s how I like things… for me to talk and for you not talk back” Gray teased Natsu.

Natsu tried to talk back at Gray again, only to fail because of the motion sickness, causing his friends to drop a chuckle.

---

At Amaryll, Lucy continued to follow the sweet aroma. She didn’t know why she was doing that, only that she needed to do it. As she moved outside the path of the park, a mist started to involve her. Not so long after she entered the mist, she got out of it, right into an area that looked like a clearing surrounded by it. After she entered the clearing, the sweet aroma ceased and Lucy was able to regain her self-awareness. Confused, she asked:

“But… where am I?”

“On our web, little fly” a voice said.

Hearing that voice, Lucy couldn’t help but finding it familiar. In fact, she couldn’t help but feeling a chill running up her spine as she heard it. However, she couldn’t think much about it, as she noticed as many men with nasty looks. It didn’t take much for Lucy to realize she had fallen for their trap. By the way she was swayed into that place without even realizing it, she concluded they were the ones responsible for the disappeared girls.

Instinctively, Lucy proceeded to grab her keys, when suddenly a fiery whip surrounded itself around her wrist and pulled her hand forward, making her fall on her knees.

“No, no, no… We won’t have that trick again…”

It was then that Lucy noticed the fire that was holding her. With that, together with the voice she just heard, she was able to put together who she was dealing with.

“Oh no… not you…”

She turned to look at the same man she encountered during the first time she met Natsu and Happy, the one pretending to be Fairy Tail’s Salamander and using a Charm Ring to lure girls and use a Sleep Ring to subdue them as he took them to Bosco: Bora, a former member of the Titan Nose Guild.

At the public part of the park, Laxus had arrived to the place where Lucy was before being lured by the sweet aroma, following both his instinct and a strange magic energy that was still in the air. He quickly noticed the music lacrima that was on the grass and picked it up, realizing then that something was up.

Back at the clearing, Bora said to Lucy in a taunting way, while flicking his hair:

“I’m touched that you still remember me… I guess that is to be understandable… I did make a huge impression on you…”

“In your dreams…” Lucy replied. “You’re a loser that needed charms to seduce a woman… Wait, I stand corrected… You still need them, judging by the way you lure me here…”

“And I have you and that firebrain friend of yours to thank for that” Bora said, as he approached Lucy. “After you two exposed my ruse, no one else fell for it. I needed a new approach… and that’s how I came up with a new system. One of my men converts the magic of my Charm Ring into an aroma so we can lure our prey into this special barrier. After that… well, just take a look.”

He snapped his fingers to one of his men that was carrying a box and he opened it, revealing something that left Lucy shocked. The box was filled with dolls. However, those dolls were not like any other. Lucy could feel a little of magic coming out of them and their eyes looked too much vivid to be made of plane glass.

“It can’t be…” Lucy muttered.

“Don’t fret” Bora replied, as he squatted in front of Lucy to be near her level. “They are perfectly fine… Once we manage to get out of Fiore and get to Bosco, they will be brought back to their beautiful bodies.”

“You’re disgusting…” Lucy said.

“Come on, don’t make that face, it doesn’t suit you…” Bosco teased, has he raised Lucy’s chin. “Besides, I still have space for one more doll… I was expecting something nice, but when I saw you earlier, I knew I had to have you… the one that got away.”

“If you think I am going to let you have me…” Lucy started.

“And what do you expect to do?” Bosco asked, provokingly. “This special fire of mine is burning away your magical energy bit by bit…And you don’t have your friend here to help you.”

After he said that, Lucy realized she could have bit off more than she could chew when she accepted to do that job alone. Not just she was outnumbered and had been subdued, but she could indeed feel her magic depleting. At her current state, and if she managed somehow to free herself, she wouldn’t have enough energy to summon Loke. If she summoned Taurus, she would endanger the girls they had captured (not to mention the fact Taurus would probably be pervier than usual) and she knew Cancer probably wouldn’t be great against a group of wizards that also included Bora. There was only one spirit that could help her… but first, she needed to free herself.

“It was nice to have this chit chat with you, beauty, but I’m afraid we’ll have to go for the good stuff” Bora replied. “Maybe I’ll keep you as a doll… so we can keep on playing together.”

But before he could do anything, Lucy made her move, quickly kicking Bora whose loss of focus caused her fire to become undone, freeing her. Getting up and taking her whip, Lucy took advantage of the element of surprise to use her whip to grab the box with the captured girls and pull it to her, grabbing it and then retreating to keep her distance from Bora and his men.

“You naughty girl…” Bora said, as he got up. “You will pay for this…”

“I think I should be the one to say that…” Lucy replied, as she took one of her gold keys. “Open, Gate of the Maiden… Virgo!”

Her key glow, releasing then an intense light from where Virgo appeared, making her usual bow to Lucy, saying:

“At your service, Princess… Is it punishment time?”

“Yes… for this scum” she replied.

Notes:

In this story, I decided to opt for the manga version of Bora, the one where he was a female slave trader and not a model scout. I think it would work better to have Lucy to face a foe from the past. I hope you have enjoyed.

Chapter 7: Solo Mission, Part 4

Despite her sudden overturn in the situation, Lucy soon found herself in a very tough situation. She and Virgo were able to defeat some of Bora’s men, but the fire wizard was able to dodge the celestial spirit and go for Lucy, all while the others dealt with the celestial spirit. Even if Lucy was able to hold on for a few moments against him, she soon was subdued by him, who used his fire to create more restrains on Lucy, this time securing both his hands together and elevating her a few inches from the ground.

“Princess…” Virgo said, as she prepared to go help Lucy after taking down some of Bora’s goons.

However, Bora summoned a fire ball and said to the celestial spirit:

“If I were you, I wouldn’t do any other move. Unless you want me to burn your master.”

To make his point, he shot some embers of his fire towards Lucy, with them burning through her top and skirt (causing her body to get more reveled), while also causing some slight burns on her. That caused Virgo to stop on her place.

As he saw his men starting to get back on their feet, Bora told them:

“Okay, boys, let’s get back to business. We already lost precious time. People won’t ignore this barrier forever. Recover the goods and make sure they are tightly secure. I’ll handle this two myself.”

“Okay, boss” they all said, as one of them went to get the box.

Turning to Lucy, Bora approached her with his taunting smile and told her:

“I hope you’re ready, sweetie. We’re going to have so much fun.”

But before he could do anything, lightning came out from the magic mist that served as a barrier and hit Bora, pushing him back. That caused the fire that was holding Lucy to disappear, and she fell. But she didn’t fall on the ground, but was caught by someone. When she looked up, Lucy saw…

“Laxus?” she asked, seeing the former S-class wizard of her guild who was looking forward towards Bora (who was getting up after being hit).

He put her down carefully and then got up and moved forwards, while removing his cloak and placing it over Lucy to cover her.

“Stay with her” Laxus said to Virgo, who nodded to him and went to the owner of her key.

“Are you okay, princess?” Virgo asked.

“Yes, Virgo, don’t worry” Lucy replied, while wrapping herself with Laxus’ cloak. “Can you please get me some clothes?”

“Sure thing, princess…” Virgo replied.

Facing Bora and his men, Laxus just said with calmness and a bit of notorious authority on his voice:

“Let the box here and leave… now. If you do that, things don’t have to get messy.”

But Bora just made a scornful chuckle and replied:

“Do you think you scare us just because you just come in shooting lightning and…”

Before he could even finish the sentence, one of his men just got electrocuted. Bora couldn’t believe how fast that just happened, but then he noticed some electricity coming from Laxus.

“This was my second warning” Laxus told, with more seriousness on his voice. “You won’t have a third one. Leave… now.”

That sudden attack from Laxus scared Bora’s men. Even him felt himself intimidated. Obviously that man was no ordinary wizard. But he just couldn’t afford to lose all the girls he had just got, after all the work and time he dedicated to them.

“Don’t back down!” he told his men. “He is just one. We are many. We can take him down!”

“Yeah!” they replied.

And so they all started going towards Laxus. Sighing, he went to take them all out. One by one, Bora’s men started to fall, with most being taken down with just one blow from Laxus. Noticing then Lucy, who had just traded her burned clothes for the ones Virgo brought her, he saw his chance.

Summoning his fire whip, he went to attack Lucy. She saw that coming, but she wouldn’t be able to dodge in time. Virgo was about to shield her owner, when Laxus suddently appeared in front of them, taking the hit from the fire whip. However, it would appeared that the attack didn’t do much, besides burning his jacket over his left side, something that left Bora completely astonished, even more when he realized he was the only one standing of his team.

“You call that fire magic?” Laxus asked. “I’ve already seen a child cast a much more impressive attack… for real. You should really have listened to my warnings.”

Feeling completely overwhelmed and not wanting to get caught again, Bora tried to run away, but then, as Laxus released more electricity of his body, a tremendous lightning fell from the sky on Bora, causing him to scream in pain, before falling unconscious on the ground after the lightning disappeared. Once that happened, the barrier around them disappeared.

Lucy had finished putting on the new clothes when she turned to Virgo and said:

“Thank you, Virgo, you can go now. Thank you for everything.”

“My pleasure, Princess” Virgo replied, making a bow before disappearing.

Holding Laxus’ cloak, she approached him, as he turned to her, saying:

“Laxus… thank you so much… If it weren’t for you…”

“What is wrong with you?!” Laxus asked, causing Lucy to get silenced. “Have you been too much around Natsu?! I hope that is the reason, otherwise I don’t get why someone as smart as you would try to beat an entire gang of slave traders.”

Lucy was caught off-guard by what Laxus just said. Maybe that could have been him just calling her “weakling”, but she could notice the worry in his voice, for more he tried to hide it. That caused her to blush a bit, but she turned her face away to hide it, while saying:

“Well, in my defense, my job was to find missing girls. I didn’t know it would lead me to face an entire gang. Much less they would target me… again.”

There was a pause and then Lucy’s face was invaded by a sudden sadness, as she realized that, once again, she got into trouble that she couldn’t solve all by herself. Once again, she was the damsel in distress, needing to be saved. The one moment she tried to prove she could handle herself she ended up proving the opposite, what made Lucy feel herself stupid about her argument with Natsu. Some tears started to appear on her eyes and, despite her best efforts, she couldn’t help but letting one or two come down, all while saying with a forced smile:

“That was… really stupid of me to assume I could handle a job like this… Of course it would be dangerous. Mira warned about it… But… I just wanted to prove that I could do things without needing to rely on Natsu… or on Erza… or on Gray… or on anyone. I guess I will always be the dead weight, the one constant worry for everyone…”

Laxus didn’t exactly know what was all that about. He never cared to learn how to handle people that were overly emotional… but he could see Lucy was feeling herself not much of a worthy wizard of Fairy Tail… and that was a feeling he himself came to feel in the worst possible way. He advanced towards her and took back his cloak, putting it back on his shoulders and then said:

“I find it funny that the one wizard that was able to beat Brixlow, a member of the Thunder Legion, and was able to unite the entire guild during the Battle of Fairy Tail would think that about herself. If you want my opinion… I think no one has proved to be more capable than you.”

Having said that, he started to move away, with Lucy observing him. She soon found herself feeling warmer, as she blushed immensely and felt her heartbeat racing. As she observed Laxus, she could feel that she had gain even more appreciation for him… more than just the conflicted feelings she had.

Noticing then the box with the girls turned into dolls kidnapped by Bora and his men who now lied on the ground, she said to Laxus:

“Laxus, wait! What about this? Don’t you want to get the reward…?”

He stopped and then said, without looking back:

“Your job was to find the missing girls, right? Congratulations, you just did that.”

Having said that, he moved away. Despite Lucy got a little angry for that response, she just couldn’t stay mad at him after what he did for her.

After he was far away, Laxus stopped, as he sighed and took his right hand towards under his jacket, right under the place where Bora’s attack hit him, and took Lucy’s music lacrima that had been pierced by it, losing all of its music. He was planning to give it back to her, but now that it was damaged, there was no point. After using his electricity to destroy the lacrima completely, Laxus continued his way.

---

After rounding up Bora and his gang to Amaryll’s authorities and delivering the box with the girls they had kidnapped, they forced the bandits to turn them back to normal. Then, Lucy got payed for the job, but she couldn’t help but feeling she didn’t deserve it. After all, even if she, in a way, managed to find and recover the missing girls, the truth was that Laxus was the one to actually save them all.

As she walked on the streets of the town, she couldn’t help but thinking about Laxus and how much he had really changed. Who would think that the Laxus she had first met would even do something like this? All that made her see him in a brand new perspective and that made her express a big smile.

“Lucy!” she heard a voice calling.

Turning around, she saw that it was Happy that called her and he was coming, flying with his Aera magic. Not far away, he was followed by Erza, Gray and Natsu (with the latter coming a bit behind and with a frown face).

“What are you guys doing here?” Lucy asked.

“Well, we are a team, aren’t we?” Erza asked. “Teammates must remain together.”

“That and the fact Erza got worried about the job you took” Gray replied.

“And fortunately there was no foundation for that worry” Erza told, with her arms crossed and her smile. “We’ve heard already how you managed to save those girls.”

“Well… it wasn’t exactly how it really happened…” Lucy started, nervously, unable to find words to tell her friends what really happened.

Lucy was interrupted when Erza pulled her into one of her hugs, where she basically hit the former’s head against her armor, saying:

“Amazing work, Lucy. You made Fairy Tail proud.”

“Yeah, what is rather surprising, having in consideration you tend to mess things up, Lucy” Happy replied.

“Shut it, cat!” Lucy exclaimed, as she freed herself from Erza’s hug.

It was then that her gaze crossed Natsu’s, creating an awkward silence between them, with neither of them looking at each other directly. Getting enough of that, Erza grabbed the back of Natsu’s neck, causing him to moan in pain, as she said:

“Do it now…”

“Okay, okay…” Natsu replied.

Erza released him and Natsu, trying to avoid look directly at Lucy, said:

“I’m sorry, Lucy…”

Hearing Natsu apologizing made Lucy to feel a little guilty. If there was one thing that experience taught her was that, no matter the skills, one is only stronger with their friends around. What Natsu did was to protect her because she was his friend and he cared for her, so Lucy getting mad at him was totally an overreaction of her part, her feelings of insecurity getting the best of her.

“I should also apologize to you too, Natsu” she said, much to the Dragon Slayer’s confusion. “I know you didn’t mean to undervalue my worth, but… It’s just that all of you are so strong and with amazing magic! Meanwhile… I am just a common celestial wizard who is always afraid of a direct confrontation.”

“Lucy…” Erza started.

“Come on, that is not true” Gray replied.

“Well… the last part kind is…” Happy replied. “But you are everything, but common, Lucy.”

There was a pause, where Lucy waited for a response from Natsu. It was then that he replied:

“That’s so lame…”

That response really caught both Erza, Gray and Happy off-guard.

“Natsu!” Gray protested.

“That’s Natsu for you…” Happy said, while shrugging his shoulders.

It was then that Natsu approached Lucy and continued saying:

“Why would you even think that? You are strong. You already saved us many times. So why would I even bother to make a team with you, if that wasn’t true?”

“Uh, because we needed a blond girl for…” Happy started, before being silenced by Erza.

“Natsu… do you really think that?” Lucy asked, with some tears on her eyes.

“Of course!” he exclaimed, while making his big smile.

Just that made Lucy feel better. She didn’t know why, but Natsu really could take away her worries. She cleared her eyes from his tears, before saying:

“Thank you…”

After that, Lucy treated her team into a night at the best inn of Amaryll, using the money she got from finishing the job.

---

At the next morning, they started heading towards the train station to go back to Magnolia, with Natsu walking not very pleased with his arms behind his head:

“Why can’t we just walk back home? Do we really have to take the train?”

“Don’t you get tired of asking the same thing over and over again?” Gray asked in the usual provocative way he and Natsu talked to one another. “Uh… so annoying…”

“What?!” Natsu asked, getting angry, while approaching Gray. “Say that again to my face, Droopy Eyes!”

“I can say it a million times, Flamefreak!” Gray replied, as he hit is forehead against Natsu’s and both started to measure their strength.

But before they could continue their heated argument, Erza approached them and hit them hard on the head, knocking them out and saying, while placing them on top of her suitcases:

“Honestly, can’t you guys spend a day without embarrassing us?”

“Well, it’s not like you’re doing any better…” Lucy commented, seeing how Erza punching Natsu and Gray and put them on top of her cart was catching more attention than the boys’ argument.

“That’s Erza for you…” Happy said, as he flew to get to Erza.

Before Lucy could catch up with them, she heard a voice calling:

“Excuse me, miss!”

She turned around and saw the owner of the music shop approaching, holding a cubical box.

“Oh, hey…” Lucy said. “Is everything okay?”

“Oh, everything is alright” he replied. “I just came by to give you this.”

Lucy received the box and asked:

“What is it?”

“Well, that nice young man that was with you yesterday bought it and asked me to give it to you” he said.

The young celestial wizard quickly realized that he was talking about Laxus, what made her blush slightly. Curious about what was in the box, she opened it and saw it was the same music lacrima she had bought. Lucy got astonished by that. After what happened, she had almost forgotten she had lost the one she had bought.

“Did he… really buy it… for me?” Lucy asked.

“Yes, he did” the music shop owner confirmed. “And it was a strike of luck. After all, that was the last one… If he had appeared a few moments later, it would be sold out. He even gave me a message to give you.”

He took out an envelope that Lucy received.

“Thank you…” Lucy replied, with the shop owner saluting her before moving away.

Opening the envelope, Lucy took out a piece of paper that simply said: Try to be more careful with your things. See ya, blondie. Despite the message appearing to be rude, Lucy could see that was just Laxus’ way to be considerate, causing her to give a smile, while making a slight blush.

“Lucy, is everything okay?” Lucy could hear Erza ask from the distance.

“Yes, I’m coming!” she replied, as she put the music lacrima and Laxus’ letter in the box and headed towards them.

From afar on a higher ground, Laxus could see Lucy going after her friends. He didn’t know why he did what he did. After all, if Lucy had lost her music lacrima, it was because she let her guard down. However, something inside him told him it was the right thing to do. As he saw Lucy getting to her team, a smile appeared on Laxus, before he turned his back and continued his way.

Chapter 8: The Mystery of Lucy, Part 1

Notes:

This chapter happens during the X791 arc, not long before the Key of the Starry Sky arc. Now, this next story is a bit lighthearted, but it sets a very cute moment I have planned for a certain future chapter. 

At the second Fairy Tail building, the one the guild was now occupying ever since its fall from grace during the seven years the Tenrou team had been away, Natsu and Happy were trying to find a job for them to do, but nothing in the request board was appealing to the fire wizard.  

“Oh, come on!” he protested. “I can’t believe there’s not even one single job that is challenging!”  

“Come on, Natsu” Happy said, hoovering with his wings. “Just pick one. We are really in need of some jewels.”  

“I won’t take a job that is boring!” Natsu said. “It doesn’t matter how much it is paid!”  

Turning to Kinana, who was behind the counter, he asked:  

“Are you sure there aren’t any other jobs?”  

“Sorry, Natsu, but, nowadays, we don’t have many jobs like the ones we used to have” she replied.  

“What, really?” Natsu asked, turning to the board, disappointed. “Man, and here I was hoping for a fun job.”  

“Cheer up, Natsu” Mirajane said, as she came back to the counter after serving Macao and Wakaba. “I am certain something will turn up soon enough.”  

At that moment, Lucy entered in the guild hall, wearing her shoulder bag, and, seeing her, Natsu said:  

“Hey, there, Lucy! Sorry, but we don’t have anything big today.”  

“I doubt Lucy would want to go on any job you find fun, Natsu” Happy said. “But we did find some easy jobs that will raise good money for both of us. You would be able to pay your rent and even get some left to spend.”  

“That’s great, boys, but... I think I will skip it” Lucy told, as she arrived to the counter. “Mira, could you just give me some sandwiches and a bottle of apple juice for the go?”  

“Sure thing, Lucy” Mirajane replied, as she went to pick up what Lucy asked.  

Natsu and Happy traded a look, as both got surprised by that response. Lucy was never the type of denying easy job to get money to pay her rent. When Lucy was ready to get going, she found Natsu right in front of her when she turned, looking at her attentively:  

“Natsu, what are you doing?” she asked, always feeling uncomfortable whenever he did that.  

But she got even more uncomfortable, when Natsu simply placed his hand on her forehead. It took Lucy a few moments to use her hand to swipe Natsu’s away.  

“Stop that... You’re acting weird... Well, weirder...”  

“I am just checking if you have a fever” Natsu said.  

“Why would I have a fever?” Lucy asked, not amused. “I feel perfectly fine.”  

“It’s just that you don’t normally refuse an easy job that pays good... especially when you have your rent” Happy said.  

“Not to mention that you keep running out of food” Natsu commented.  

“Yeah, you would save a lot of jewels if you just cut on the food, Lucy” Happy added, while flying beside her.  

Lucy, who got visibly irritated by those comments of the duo, just punched Happy that caused him to be casted back a few feet and then replied:  

“The only reason I am always running out of food is because two meddlers that are always in my appartment.”  

“What?!” Natsu asked. “Tell me who are they and I’ll give them...”  

“It’s you, dumbass” Lucy replied, as she pushed Natsu out of her way and started heading towards the exit. “I have a thing to do, so that’s why I don’t want to go on a job today. And no, you can’t know what it is!”  

And she left.  

“Man, what is her deal?” Natsu asked.  

“Looks like Lucy is keeping a juicy secret” Happy said. “You know what that means.”  

That caused Natsu to make one of his mischievous smiles and the two of them also got out.  

“Uh, those two for certain are about to follow Lucy” Mirajane sighed, with a smile, as she cleaned a cup.  

“Well, it’s not like they changed anything in these past seven years” Wakaba commented.  

“I can already imagine her reaction if she finds out about it” Macao said.  

Without Lucy realizing it, Natsu and Happy were following her. The curiosity about what she was up to was too big for them to ignore. As they hide behind a barrel, Natsu asked:  

“Where do you think she is going?”  

“With Lucy, it can be anything” Happy said. “Maybe she has a job of her own so she can get all the jewels for herself.”

“Nah, it can’t be that” Natsu replied. “If it was that, then she would tell us. Remember those times she told us about her solo missions.”  

“But she could have not said anything so we wouldn’t tag along” Happy returned.  

“True...” Natsu agreed.  

“Maybe she is seeing someone and doesn’t want us to know” a voice said.  

“Oh, yeah, yeah...” both Natsu and Happy replied, as they nodded in agreement.  

Realizing of the existence of the third voice, they both jumped off, startled, and saw who was there with them.  

“Gray?!” both asked.  

He (who was as usual on his underwear) hushed them and said:  

“I thought the point of following Lucy was so she didn’t notice it.”  

“What are you doing here, Droopy Eyes?!” Natsu asked.  

“I saw you and Happy following Lucy and I got curious” Gray said. “Why are you following her, by the way?”  

“As if we’ll tell you...” Natsu started.  

“Lucy has been acting strange and she said she had something to do that she preferred over getting an easy well-paid job” Happy told.  

“Happy...” Natsu said to his Exceed friend, a little annoyed that he told the ice wizard their reason.  

“I see...” Gray said. “Well, I have to confess that is intriguing. Count me in.”  

Natsu and Happy traded a look and the former sighed and replied:  

“Fine... But, please, can you dress something first?”  

As if now realizing he was only on his underwear, Gray exclaimed:

“What?! I could have sworn I had some clothes on just a moment ago.”  

After Gray had his clothes on, he, Natsu and Happy continued to spy on Lucy who went on walking through the town, all while savoring the things around her.  

“Okay, did she just ditch us to walk around town?” Natsu asked.  

“I know I would do that” Gray commented, causing Natsu to smack him in the head.  

“No, wait... she is heading towards... the train station” Happy noticed.  

“What?!” Natsu asked. “No, she’s not.”  

And turns out that she really was heading towards the train station.  

“No!” Natsu exclaimed, in dismay, as they saw Lucy going to buy a ticket. “That can’t be!”  

“I don’t know what you expected, if her destination is out of town” Gray commented. “It’s not like she enjoys walking long ways.”  

But Natsu didn’t let that discourage and said to Happy:  

“Happy, let’s go! We will fly beside the train.”  

“What?!” Happy asked, not very pleased. “You want me to fly at the same speed as a train while carrying you?! We don’t even know where Lucy goes.”  

“Come on, buddy, it’s the only way to find out what Lucy is up to without having to endure a trip of hell” Natsu replied.  

“Or you could let her go wherever she wants to go without following her” a voice told them.  

They all turned around and saw to their surprise...  

“Wendy? Carla?” Natsu and Gray asked.  

“Hey, guys” Wendy greeted with her smiley expression.  

“Carla!” Happy replied, as he approached his beloved with a big smile. “You came after me!”  

“Don’t be ridiculous” she replied coldly, while looking away from Happy, who got heartbroken. “Wendy and I were passing by when we saw you stalking Lucy.”  

“Stalking is a strong word” Gray replied.  

“Yeah, we are just following her around and try to know what she is up to” Natsu added.  

“That is the basic definition of stalking” Carla replied.  

“Well, you don’t need to worry more about it” Gray said to her. “Weak stomach over here doesn’t want to go on the train.”  

“Oh, if you want, I can use my Troia spell on you, Natsu” Wendy said.  

“Really?!” Natsu asked, with a big smile. “Oh, Wendy, you’re the best!”  

“Wendy, are you really going to...” Carla started, as she saw Wendy approaching Natsu.

“I got really intrigued by this mystery” Wendy replied. “Besides, it’s not like we have anything else to do.”  

“Honestly, child, you need to stop looking at the wrong guildmates when searching for examples to follow” Carla said. “Why don’t you try to think of what Erza would do? Yes, because I seriously doubt she would allow this to happen.”  

“What wouldn’t I allow to happen?” a voice asked.  

The group got startled when they noticed Erza right there with them.  

“Erza?!” they asked.  

“Yes, that’s me, you know that” Erza replied.  

Erza’s sudden appearance shocked them all, with them, especially Natsu and Happy, really nervous about her reaction about what they were doing.  

“So, do you mind answering the question?” Erza asked.  

The boys started to think of what to say to Erza without making what they were doing less of okay. It was then that Carla said:  

“They are stalking Lucy to see where she is going and what she is up to.”  

“I see...” Erza said, while making one of her stern looks to Natsu, Gray and Happy, making them uncomfortable. “Well, I just have one thing to say about that...”  

There was a pause that made Natsu, Gray and Happy quite fearful, while making Carla and Wendy nervous.  

“If you are to follow someone, at least try to be less conspicuous” she said, much to everyone’s confusion. “I was able to notice you following Lucy as soon you got out of the guildhall.”  

“Wait... what?!” they asked.  

“Erza... please, don’t tell me...” Carla started.  

“Yeah, I’ve also been following Lucy” Erza said. “She has been acting weird and I wanted to know what is going on.”  

“Now, that’s so cool!” Natsu exclaimed, with a big smile. “We didn’t even notice you!”  

“That’s the all point of a stake out, Natsu” Erza replied. “To follow someone without being noticed. I think you, Happy and Gray still have some work to be done on stealth. Your luck is that Lucy seems too much focused in whatever she is doing. Now, I have been able to determine which train she will take and already bought tickets for us.”  

And she showed them six train tickets, causing all but Carla to cheer for her. The female Exceed just sighed, as she brough her paw to her forehead:  

“And here I thought you would set a better example, Erza...”

Chapter 9: The Mystery of Lucy, Part 2

The train Lucy took started moving and she was not the only one to take it, as Erza, Natsu, Gray, Happy, Wendy and Carla were also on it, going to the same car as Lucy, sitting on the set of seats that was further away and behind her, while going to eat some of the sandwiches. Thanks to Wendy’s Troia spell, Natsu was able to not feel his motion sickness and the Exceed were on the lap of their respective partners.  

“I can’t believe I ended up coming with you, people” Carla retorted. “I can’t understand why you have to make such a big fuss about Lucy going somewhere else on her own.”  

“I have to admit that, despite I am curious, I want to know why you are so invested in this” Wendy commented.  

“Well, you don’t know Lucy as much as we do” Happy said. “She simply wouldn’t pass a chance to make an easy well-paid job.”  

“Come on, Happy, Lucy is not that greedy” Gray replied. “But she has been acting weird for the last few days. I mean, it must be because she is still adjusting to the seven-years-gap. I mean, we all have been like that.”  

“I haven’t” Natsu replied.  

“That’s because you have the simplest of minds” Gray told.  

Natsu got very upset with that response from Gray, but before he could do anything about it, Erza said, firmly, while watching over towards Lucy:  

“Boys, control yourselves. You don’t want to call attention to us.”  

That made the two of them stop with the arguing before it could start. She then continued:  

“What really caught my attention was Lucy trying to gather information about a shop that fixed magical items. And then I noticed her in Onibus not long ago. And it so happens there’s a shop there that is one of the best at repairing magical items at the region.”  

“Magical items?” Wendy asked. “Do you think there’s something wrong with her keys?”  

“Come on, that can’t be” Natsu replied. “We have seen Lucy use her spirits.”  

“Maybe it’s something else” Carla said. “We can’t forget the most ordinary objects also use magic to function. Maybe that’s what she is doing, trying to get something ordinary fixed and this all thing is pointless.”  

But Erza, doing her thinking look, seemed to not be of the same opinion.  

“I don’t know... For what Mirajane told me, Lucy appeared to be trying to have something fixed to give it to someone else.”  

“A gift for someone else?” Happy asked. “Wow, Gray, you may be right. Maybe Lucy is seeing someone.”  

“Well, I do have good instincts for this kind of things” he said, a little cocky.  

“Oh, come on, it’s not like a gift can’t be given to someone else” Natsu replied. “Maybe she is giving a gift to me!”  

“And why would she give it to you?” Happy asked. “It’s not like you two get along that well. She probably will get a gift for her favorite cat.”  

“Having in consideration how much you tease her about her weight and accentuate her little flaws unnecessarily, I seriously doubt that” Carla replied, causing Happy to get really affected by her harsh words.  

“I think we should wait and see” Erza replied. “I just hope this someone that will receive her gift is someone that won’t break her heart.”  

“If someone breaks Lucy’s heart, I’ll break their arms and legs” Natsu replied, while punching his palm.  

“Finally, you say something I totally agree” Gray replied.  

Hearing Natsu and Gray showing their care about Lucy made Erza smile. It was always good when those two were on the same page... even more when it was to protect a guildmate, especially one of the same team as theirs.  

After some moments, the train stopped at the Onibus station, where Lucy got out, along with her teammates that carefully followed her. It was then that she entered the shop Erza had mentioned before. After a few moments, she got out, while holding a paper bag carefully closed and with a ribbon. She was making a big smile.  

“Wow, she is pretty happy with that” Happy commented.  

“What do you think, should we try to get that bag and see what is inside?” Natsu asked.  

“No” Erza said firmly. “We are just seeing if Lucy is doing okay, what she clearly is. That smile is proof of that.”  

“Well, finally I agree with something today” Carla said. “Lucy does seem satisfied. I think we should head back home.”  

“Yeah, I can’t wait to do some training, if there’s not any fun mission to do” Natsu said.  

“Uh, Natsu, just for you to know...” Wendy said, in her shy way. “You do know that my Troia spell must have already lost its effect, right?”  

Hearing that caused Natsu to be filled with dismay.  

“No...! And here I thought I would not experience my head spinning around for a change...” he said, already feeling sick just thinking about the trip back home.  

“Relax, Natsu, it will take some time for the train back” Erza said. “Why don’t we just follow Lucy during that time?”  

The others seem to agree with her, except for Carla who asked:  

“Seriously? We will still keep stalking Lucy?”  

“Well, it’s not like we have anything else to do” Erza said, as Carla just sighed.  

And so they kept watching Lucy, as she walked around the town. Natsu had once or twice the idea of trying to get the bag, but Erza was quick to stop him. It was then that they went for a walk on a part away from the downtown, near the forest. At that moment, Erza felt something strange.  

“Something is happening...” she said. “Be ready.”  

The others did what she told them and so they watched as a mist started to appear around them, something that also surrounded Lucy who noticed that as well.

“Well, well, well, look who she is...” a voice said.

They all turned and saw none other than Bora and his men confronting Lucy. Seeing them, Natsu and Happy were able to recognize them.

“Happy, they are...” Natsu started.

“Ay, they are the same men that tried to kidnap Lucy when we first met her” Happy said.

“I’ve heard about that...” Erza said. “So those are the guys...”

“They were also the ones that Lucy faced in Amaryll, right?” Gray asked.

“They look scary...” Wendy commented, nervously.

“I thought I was dreaming when I saw you walking around the town the other” Bora said. “I’ve heard that you have disappeared along with some of your guildmates. The situation was so bad that your guild even fell from its very high horse.

That made Bora’s men laugh with his comment, something that irritated the Fairy Tail wizards that were listening, especially Natsu.

“I’ll take the smiles right from their faces...” he said.

“Natsu, stop!” Erza commanded. “Let’s see what Lucy will do.”

Lucy remained calmed before them. She then replied:

“And apparently, in these past seven years, you haven’t changed at all. Still trying to prey on innocent girls? At least I have a justification to not have changed much. What about you?”

That comment really upset Bora, causing his men to get a little scared. Meanwhile, Lucy’s friends got happy.

“Well said, Lucy!” Natsu exclaimed.

“That’s our girl!” Gray said.

“Don’t act so cocky” Bora said to Lucy. “If I recall, you needed the help of that boyfriend of yours the last time we met.”

“Should we do something?” Wendy asked. “I don’t feel comfortable seeing Lucy surrounded by so many men.”

“I agree with Wendy” Carla said. “We should do something.”

Erza thought for a moment, but before she could say anything, a voice said:

“Don’t meddle!”

They turned around and saw to their surprise that Laxus was there next to them, with his arms crossed. They haven’t seen him ever since they had returned from Tenrou Island.

“Laxus?!” they all asked.

“What are you doing here?!” Natsu asked.

But Laxus didn’t reply, as if he didn’t even hear Natsu’s question. His focus was only on Lucy. He remembered that day when he saved her from those same bandits.

“Sure, I needed the help of a powerful wizard to defeat you” Lucy replied. “But you apparently need the help of an entire gang just to defeat a girl. What does that say about you?”  

That response from Lucy clearly affected Bora, making him look angry and summoning his fire.

“You will pay for that... along with the rest!” Bora shouted, as he prepared to cast his fire.

Natsu and the others got very concerned, except for Laxus and Erza who didn’t show any concern. When Bora was about to attack, a whip of fire hit his wrists, causing pain to him and lose focus of his magic that got dispelled. The same whip got hold of one of his wrists and pulled it back. Both Bora and his men got very surprised by that, but even more when they saw that the one that did that was none other but a second Bora.

“Two bosses?!” one of Bora’s men asked.

“How can this be?!” another asked.

“What the heck?” Natsu said. “Did that guy have a twin this all time?”

“You are really dense, you know that, right?” Gray told him. “Of course not!”

“That’s not a twin...” Carla said. “That’s...”

“The Twins” Erza said. “Gemini.”

Chapter 10: The Mystery of Lucy, Part 3

“What the...” Bora started, both shocked and confused.

“Let me introduce you to my friends, Gemi and Mini” Lucy said. “They can change form. I summoned them when I noticed your little mist barrier. If you are trying to catch me off-guard, at least do it with some originality.”

Bora retorted his face with anger. It was then that Gemini said:

“This one doesn’t have much of that, Lucy. Piri-piri.”

“The fact that Gemini turned into you is proof that this is now a totally different situation than the one seven years ago” Lucy said. “After all, they can only turn into people that have the same level of magic power or less than mine. I like to think you are the latter.”

“You little...” Bora said.

“Gemini, let’s end this!” Lucy exclaimed.

“Piri-piri!” Gemini exclaimed, as they used the fire whip to toss Bora to the ground.

They then jumped to Lucy’s side and transformed back to their true form.

“What are those things?!”

“Don’t know... but did you noticed how they turned into the boss?”

“Don’t just stand there” Bora said to his men, as he came back up. “Get her!”

And so the men started to head towards Lucy. But she was not scared one bit.

“Gemini, let’s do it” Lucy said, as she took one of her golden keys.

“Piri-piri!” they said, as they changed formed again.

They became Lucy, much to the surprise of Bora and his men. Gemini took also a golden key and they and Lucy went to summon the spirits.

“Open, Gate of the Archer!” Lucy exclaimed. “Sagittarius!”

“Open, Gate of the Golden Bull!” Gemini exclaimed. “Taurus!”

Both Sagittarius and Taurus appeared.

“At your service, my lady” the former said.

“Time to work to get a big smooch from Miss Lucy!” Taurus exclaimed.

Bora’s men got very intimidated by the appearance of two more celestial spirits.

“Now, you know what to do!” Lucy told.

And Sagittarius and Taurus started to battle Bora’s men, taking them down one by one. The others watched in great amazement. Bora was the one left, but, before their attention could go to him, he used his fire to attack one of the two Lucys, hoping he would hit the real one. But he hit Gemini, who reverted back to their real form.

“Piri-piri!” they exclaimed, before disappearing.

“Gemini!” Lucy called.

Without Gemini, Taurus also disappeared.

“No, Taurus!” Lucy said.

“Looks like you’re not as tough as you appear to be” Bora commented. “Now you will feel all my wrath, little girl.”

“We need to do something” Natsu said. “Lucy is in trouble.”

“Don’t you dare interfere, Natsu” Laxus told to the fire wizard.

“We can’t just let Lucy...” Natsu started.

“This fight is more than it appears to be” Laxus interrupted. “When I heard those guys had been released during this last seven years and that they were trying to ambush Lucy after they got to know about her return and she would come to Onibus, I went about to find them and give them a warning to stay away. But now I see this is not a battle for me to fight. When Lucy last encountered them, she was a completely different person than she is now, with much less experience and power. She is more than capable of fending for herself against these creeps. Now, it’s time for her to settle the score between them.”

The group got very surprised by the speech Laxus just gave.

“I didn’t know you cared so much about Lucy to give yourself this much work” Erza commented, while making a smile.

But Laxus didn’t replied to that comment from his former fellow S-class wizard and just focused in watching the fight.

“Don’t worry, lady Lucy, I will do my best to protect you from this rufian” Sagittarius said, as he prepared to take another arrow.

“It’s okay, Sagittarius, I can handle this one by myself” Lucy said, as she took Sagittarius’ key to close his gate.

“Are you sure, my lady?” the spirit asked.

Lucy nodded with her head.

“Then I wish you good luck” Sagittarius said, before disappearing.

“So you can handle me, hein?” Bora mocked. “Without any spirit to fight for you, you have no chance in defeating me. The best thing you can do now is to run away, but not even that will help you. You will pay for all the troubles you gave me, you little...”

But Lucy was not even paying attention to what Bora was saying, as she prepared to do her next move. When they saw her preparing to do it, her friends realized what she was about to do.

“Don’t tell me that...” Gray started.

“She would use that instead of keep using Sagittarius?” Carla asked.

“Urano Metria...” Erza said.

“ Oh stars far and wide that embody the heavens... By thy radiance, reveal thy form to me...”

As Lucy recited the chant, Bora saw as his surroundings were covered by a starred night sky and orbs started to appear around Lucy.

“What... What is this?!” Bora asked, not liking what was happening.

But Lucy didn’t respond, as she kept reciting the chant:  

“ I implore you, oh Tetrabiblos, Ruler of the stars... Let your unrestrained rage flow... With the 88 heavenly bodies... Shining!  

Open her eyes, she shouted the last part as she directed the attack to Bora:

“URANO METRIA! ”

And the orbs surrounding her started to attack Bora, who shouted as he was hit by the force of the spell. At the end, he lied on the ground, completely knocked out.

That victory from Lucy was so great that Natsu simply couldn’t stay still.

“That was amazing!”

And he went towards Lucy and hugged her tightly, with her becoming surprised for seeing him:

“Natsu? What are you doing here?”

“Just watching you kicking the butt of these creeps!” he replied, joyfully.

She then noticed all her other teammates, appearing, both smiling.

“You’re all here...”

“Of course, and we feel the same as Natsu” Erza said.

“Wow, that was so unlike you, Lucy” Happy said.

“But really inspiring” Wendy added.

“Honestly, I think you could have won with Sagittarius instead of going all out and make a commotion with Urano Metria” Carla commented.

“But that only means she is a true Fairy Tail wizard” Gray added.

Despite being surprised by the presence of her teammates, Lucy couldn’t help but feeling a great deal of joy that made her smile.

Laxus remained where he was, watching Lucy being congratulated by her teammates. He couldn’t help but smile. After hearing about Bora and his friends and their interest in getting back at Lucy, Laxus had really feared for her. He didn’t know why, but he just couldn’t help but trying to make sure she would be safe. The urge to jump in the battle was big and he had to use a lot of his energy to restrain himself from doing it.

However, what he just saw was proof what he already knew: Lucy had stopped of being just a pretty face to be one of Fairy Tail’s most talented wizards, something that made her even more admirable to his eyes. He could actually feel his heart start racing and a strange feeling inside. All that made him realize that the attraction that he initially had felt for Lucy had evolved. He didn’t know exactly the true nature of those feelings, but he knew that Lucy had somehow become more important to him than he had initially expected.

But then he remembered about everything he had done to her: the harassment, having her turned into stone and use her as hostage... Not to mention the cruel betrayal during the Harvest Festival to the entire guild. All that made him understand that maybe it was for the best if he kept his distance... At least for the moment. So, he turned his back and started moving away.

“I don’t understand one thing...” Lucy said, after the congratulation. “What are you all doing here exactly?”

That question made her teammates share some uncomfortable looks that Lucy was able to pick on.

“You were following me, right?” she asked, not amused.

“It was Natsu’s idea!” Happy quickly said.

“What?!” Natsu exclaimed. “Not it wasn’t! You were the one to suggest it!”

“Yeah, but...” Happy said. “But Erza was the first to follow you!”

“I only did that out of concern” Erza said, as Lucy chuckled. “But I guess there wasn’t need for that. That was very impressive.”

“Thank you, Erza” Lucy replied.

“Well, Erza was not the only one to be impressed” Gray said. “Laxus also had the same reaction.”

“Wait... Laxus was here?” Lucy asked, as she felt her heart racing a bit.

“Yeah, he’s right...” Wendy started, turning to where they were, but not seeing Laxus. “He was right there.”

“He most likely left after the fight was over” Carla told.

“Oh, and here I was thinking in challenging him for a duel” Natsu said, disappointed.

The news that Laxus was there caught Lucy quite off-guard, and she hold her shoulder bag tighter. She felt quite disappointed that she didn’t get to see him.

Later on, at the train back to Magnolia (where Natsu was almost passed out due to his motion sickness), Wendy asked Lucy:

“There’s one thing I am quite curious about, Lucy?”

“What?”

“Why were you at that shop?” Wendy asked.

“Yeah, what were you trying to fix?” Gray asked.

“Oh, that...” Lucy said, as she looked to her shoulder bag, where the paper bag was. “Let’s just say... I went to repair something for a friend...”

Back at her apartment, Lucy took the paper bag and looked at it with a smile that had a bit of sadness and disappointment.

“He was there... I could have given it to him... But I guess I will have to wait for another time.”

And that time came when Laxus was challenged by both Natsu and Gajeel, however Lucy simply couldn’t find the perfect time to do it. She just needed to wait for the exact moment to do it... whenever that would be...

Notes:

The incantation used for Urano Metria here comes from the English dub.

Chapter 11: Frustrations, Part 1

Notes:

This chapter happens during the Grand Magic Games arc, more exactly at the beginning of the fourth day of the tournament. This chapter also contains information that is specific to my own AU.

The Fairy Tail Team B was now heading towards the Domus Flau, with Gajeel going at the front, followed closely by Mirajane, Cana and Juvia and with Laxus going at the back.

"All right, one more day for us to get closer to the top and leave Salamander's team on the dust!" Gajeel exclaimed, with his excitable smile.

"You do realize we have the same goal here, right?" Cana asked. "We want Fairy Tail to be number one in Fiore."

"Yeah, yeah... all I care about is to best Salamander" Gajeel replied. "A few points ahead aren't enough for me. Not to mention I want to give those Sabertooth bastards a taste of what real power is all about."

"Well, at least we can't deny our team is pretty much motivated" Mirajane commented, while making one of her smiles.

"What do you think the next event will be?" Juvia asked.

"Don't know, don't care, what matters is that we will crush the competition and get the ten points" Gajeel replied.

As they were almost at the arena, Laxus stopped as he noticed something strange. It was his grandfather, Makarov, heading towards the castle Mercurius. That rose both Laxus' curiosity and suspicion. What could possibly be so important that would lead him to go to any other place that was not the arena where his guild was fighting to reach the top place in the kingdom?

It was then that the memory of last night came to his mind. He remembered the conversation he had with his grandfather and the First Master about the Lumen Histoire his father seemed to be so obsessed about. Even if neither of them would tell him what that was, Laxus was able to understand it was of big importance if it drove his old man to create an entire guild dedicated to terminate Fairy Tail and try to force him to join him. Through that reasoning, Laxus was able to deduce where his grandfather was going.

Stopping, he told the others:

"I have something to do. Go on ahead."

"Wait, you're ditching us?" Cana asked.

"Don't worry, I will be on the arena before the games resume" Laxus replied, as he turned and moved away.

"Laxus!" Cana called.

"That guy..." Gajeel said. "What could he have of so important to do besides winning the games?"

"Well, he did say he would be at the arena before games resume, right?" Mirajane said, still keeping her smile. "So, let's have faith that he will return by then. Laxus is not the type of breaking promises."

Makarov went on to the castle, where he was received by guards that took him to their dungeons. After indicating him one holding cell in specific, he went to it. Arriving there, he turned to confront its inmate: Ivan, his own son.

"Hell must be having one freezing day" Ivan commented, sitting against the hall and seeing his father. "It has to be the only explanation for you to be here, old man."

"Can't a father visit his own son?" Makarov asked.

"So now I am your son, hein?" Ivan asked, as he got up. "You didn't seem to see me as such when you kicked me out of the guild."

"You know very well why I had to do it" Makarov replied. "You..."

"...endangered your precious subordinates" Ivan completed in a taunting way. "Yeah, I heard that speech way too many times."

There was an awkward silence between them for a few moments and then Makarov said:

"Trust me, I have no pleasure in being here. It pains me to see my own flesh and blood in a cell."

"Sure... I'll try to believe in that" Ivan replied, sarcastically. "In the same way I will believe you decided to visit me just to quell your consciousness. Come on, Makarov, why don't you tell me exactly why you came?"

Another pause and then Makarov replied:

"You're right. There's no point in keeping the charade. Laxus told me everything about your fight yesterday... and the real reason you created Raven Tail."

"I'm sure he did" Ivan replied, with a taunting voice. "You managed to turn my own son into your perfect little soldier, right?"

"How did you get to know about it?" Makarov asked with his serious voice. "How did you find out about the Lumen Histoire? That is a secret that only the master of Fairy Tail should know about."

With that, Ivan just released a mocking laugh and replied:

"How frustrating it must be to want an answer and not being able to get it. It must be really taking your sleep having the thought that the skeletons of your guild are on display for your enemies."

"Stop with the mockery, Ivan!" Makarov demanded. "This is serious! How did you discover about the Lumen Histoire? Was it Master Hades who told you about it?"

After a short pause, Ivan replied:

"The old geezer only confirmed what I already suspected. He didn't specify what the Lumen Histoire was, only that it was both Fairy Tail's darkest secret and most powerful weapon."

"Was that Master Hades' description or your own conclusions?" Makarov asked. "If it is the latter, then you have a very twisted perception of things."

"Yeah, you always said I had a very short sight when it comes to what really mattered" Ivan told. "I can still remember you always comparing me to your little favorite fairy..."

That statement made Makarov to contort his face a little, as he closed his fist tightly.

"You've got some nerve to mention her to better justify your actions, Ivan" Makarov said, with anger on his voice.

"Did I say any lie?" Ivan asked, keeping his smug smile. "She was your favorite student, the prodigy of Fairy Tail... I bet you wished she was your real daughter. Well, thanks to me, she kind of became one... That is until she betrayed the guild."

Ivan expected to hit Makarov where it hurt and, for the looks of it, it seemed he managed to do it. Makarov was looking down and his fist was clenching with anger. But then he stopped it and said with a somewhat calm voice:

"Don't ever say that..."

"What?"

"That Parisa betrayed Fairy Tail" Makarov said with a firm voice. "She never did something of the sort."

Ivan scoffed of that and replied:

"Your fatherly love for her is clouding your mind, old man. Or maybe it's the old age catching up with you. Have you already forgotten about it?"

"My mind is perfectly clear, Ivan" Makarov said. "I just never believed in that ridiculous story you told. Not just that, but I know exactly what happened between you and Parisa twenty-five years ago. Your secret is not a secret."

That revelation caught Ivan a little off guard, but he kept on keeping his cool.

"I don't know what you're talking about..."

"You can pretend as much as you want, but you can't hide the truth from me" Makarov told. "You never fooled me with your lies."

There was a pause, where Ivan focused on his own thoughts as he processed what his father had just told him. Then he said:

"You've always known? Sure thing... If that is true, then why didn't you kick me out of the guild back then?"

"Truth be told... I tolerated your presence for the sake of my grandson" Makarov revealed. "I knew that if I expelled from the guild then, you would take Laxus with you and raise him to be like you. I couldn't let that happen... for his own sake and for Parisa's wishes."

Hearing those words somewhat left Ivan irritated.

"You... tolerated me... for her?" he said. "What a great way to show your love for your own son."

"I gave you all the chances to change" Makarov said firmly. "I really hoped that someday you would see the error of your ways and try to become better. Obviously, I was wrong... But even with you creating Raven Tail, even knowing you wanted to destroy Fairy Tail... I kept giving you every chance I could..."

"Again with that speech?" Ivan asked, rolling his eyes. "I already had to endure Laxus giving it before. If you think it affects me in any way, you are an even greater fool than I imagined."

Before that, Makarov just sighed and said:

"Indeed I am..."

After a pause, Makarov turned his back on his son and said:

"It would appear your knowledge on the Lumen Histoire is not as extensive as I expected. I already had a suspicion Master Hades told you about it, but I needed confirmation. Now that I have it, I see no need to be here any longer. Farewell, Ivan..."

And he started to move away, but Ivan went on to continue talking:

"Don't ever think this is the last time we see each other, old geezer! I won't remain in this cell forever. I will get out and I will restart my work all over again! Mark my words, Makarov: Fairy Tail will be crushed and the Lumen Histoire will be mine!"

But, even with all those threats, Makarov continued walking away. As he came out of the dungeons, he could sense someone familiar nearby.

"You shouldn't be here... Laxus" he said.

His grandson approached him, with his arms crossed.

"I could tell the same thing" Laxus replied. "The fact the guild master is here visiting scum instead of supporting his own guild would not look good on us."

"I think a competitor being absent would make the guild look even worse" Makarov replied. "Just go back to the arena. The games are about to resume."

He started to move away when Laxus asked:

"Are we just going to ignore what just happened?"

That caused his grandfather to stop and Laxus continued:

"I heard the conversation you had with my deadbeat dad. So the rumors about my mother betraying the guild are just lies that bastard has told to cover up whatever he did to her? And you just let him get away with it?"

Sighing, Makarov replied:

"This is not either the time or place to talk about this. We'll talk later."

Laxus was clearly upset about that. For most of his life he was led to believe by his father that his mother was nothing but a traitor. However, something about that didn't seem right. Even if on the outside he acted as if his mother was of no importance to him, on the inside he knew something else had happened to her.

Laxus didn't know why he would think that. Maybe it was because of his grandfather always speaking highly of his mother... But he believed it was mostly because of the few memories he still had of her. Unlike his father, his mother was always so kind and gentle... He remembered that she was always smiling... a beautiful smile that could radiate everything around her. Every moment... every memory he had of her were all so happy...

That's why the reveal that his father had something to do with whatever happened to her and that his grandfather knew all along made him feel with frustration, born from his desire to know the truth. But despite that, he couldn't deny his grandfather was right about the timing. The games were about to resume and he needed to get back to his team.

"Don't think I won't bring this up again, old man" Laxus replied. "You will explain everything to me."

Having said that, Laxus turned away, with his coat fluttering behind him as he moved away. Makarov saw his grandson moving away with some sadness and concern on his face. The truth behind what happened was quite a lot and he didn't know how Laxus would react to all of it. At least, he managed to get more time to think about what to tell him.

Chapter 12: Frustrations, Part 2

The surprise event of that day was called Naval Battle, where the contestants would fight inside a giant aquatic dome-like sphere. That was good news for Team Fairy Tail B, since they had Juvia, who was basically unbeatable on water. However, they all got surprised when Juvia ended up being easily casted out of the sphere, even if she earned them the third place and six points. That was a disappointing moment...

But the hardest part to watch came when Lucy and Minerva from Sabertooth were the only ones left inside the aquatic sphere, where the former was viciously attacked by the latter. Seeing Lucy being attacked without mercy... even after she admitted defeat, made Laxus experiment a tremendous anger. That anger was nothing like the one he used to feel when he was still obsessed in taking over the guild. It was more like when he went to confront Hades at Tenrou Island... A rage that filled him with the desire to punish those who hurt the ones he cared about. All the muscles of his body were telling him to do something to stop that. The only thing that prevented that from happening was his brain, the only part of him to be reasonable at that time. After all, the rules prevented any other member of the team from participating or intervene on the event.

Laxus didn't even know how he was able to contain that much anger so well, especially because he was already upset for what had happened before with his grandfather. After Minerva finally let Lucy go, dropping her out of the water sphere in such a bad shape, all Laxus wanted was to give those bastards of Sabertooth a taste of his lightning, to make them scream with an agony even bigger than the one that was inflicted on Lucy. Fortunately, much like Erza, Laxus didn't give in to the anger, as he knew that would give a lot of troubles to their guild.

It was a relief when he saw later on that Lucy was okay. Thanks to Wendy and Sheria, who quickly intervened with first-aid care, she was in a much better shape, even if she would be unable to participate on the rest of the games. But that didn't satisfy Laxus' anger. Even if Lucy would be okay, the sight of her with those bandages and holding her keys as if she was afraid they would be taken from her made him to react to all that.

After his grandfather declared the unification of the two teams, Laxus excused himself and got out of the room. He walked around the arena until he spotted them: the Sabertooth team. Seeing them acting as if nothing had happened... as if one of them didn't just brutalize one of his guildmates in such cruel way... Worse, they knew about it and yet acted as if it was the most normal thing in the world. All that made him get so angry... Sparks of lightning came out of his closed fist. He could feel the desire to confront them building up... until he heard someone saying:

"I hope you're not thinking in doing what I think you want to do."

Laxus turned and saw his grandfather. He was so focused on his anger and frustration that he didn't even notice his approach.

"I don't know what you're talking about, old man."

"You know very well what I am talking about" Makarov replied, using his . "I have to confess I expected such behavior from Natsu. But from you? That is quite surprising. Don't tell me this is all about earlier."

When his grandfather mentioned the talk they had before, Laxus could feel his frustration increasing even more, but, with that added frustration being different than the one he was feeling towards Sabertooth, he could feel himself more in control of his anger. Taking a deep breath, he just started to move away, saying while passing by his grandfather:

"As if I would let something like that guide my actions..."

Makarov observed his grandson, wondering what may had caused him to act that way.

---

Later on, after Lucy was imprisoned, together with Yukino, the guild came together to figure out a way to free her. Even if they were told that winning the Grand Magic Games could secure her safe return, Makarov knew any better than to rely on just one option, so he put together an alternative plan, by organizing a small group to infiltrate the castle and rescue Lucy and Yukino, while everyone was distracted with the final day of the games.

As the teams had been decided, with Natsu leaving the Fairy Tail team to go rescue Lucy and Juvia taking his place, Makarov noticed his grandson had gone to sit at some distance from the others. Approaching him, he sat next to him.

"You're still upset, I see... Is that about the talk I had with your father?"

"Having in consideration you were talking about my mother, I think making that question is pointless" Laxus replied.

Sighing, Makarov said:

"I understand... You have every right to hold that against me."

There was a pause and then Laxus asked:

"That man was responsible for my mother's disappearance, right? And then invented that story she betrayed the guild?"

Makarov nodded with his head.

"And you knew about it and still let him stay at the guild..." Laxus said.

"I didn't have how to counter Ivan's story" Makarov replied. "For more unconvincing it was and the fact most of the guild didn't believe him, he had fabricated enough evidence to keep his story steady. But the main reason why I kept him around... was you. I feared what could have happened if I kicked him out of the guild and he had taken you away with him. The fact he placed the Dragon Lacrima in you not long after only solidified my fears."

"Yeah... that deadbeat does have a knack to always find a way to get what he wants" Laxus sighed. "Most of the times, that is... But I can't help but feeling you know more about my mother than you are telling me, gramps."

"Trust me, my boy, somethings are better stay in secret until the time is right for them to come to the light" Makarov told.

"To me that is just an excuse for you to not have to tell me what really happened" Laxus replied. "What can only mean that it was something huge. Well... it's not like I can take anything from you when you are dedicated to keep it a secret."

Hearing that and noticing the look on Laxus, Makarov concluded that his grandson seemed to have overcome that issue between them. However, besides that, it seemed there was another thing distracting him.

"Is something else in your mind, Laxus?" Makarov asked.

Sighing, Laxus replied:

"It's this all thing with Lucy... Gramps, don't you think I should go on the rescue team? With me, it is certain that we rescue her."

"I see..." Makarov said, now connecting all the dots. "So that's why you acted the way you did before. I didn't know you had an interest in Lucy."

"What?!" Laxus exclaimed, while reacting with a blush. "I'm not interested in her!"

That only caused Makarov to chuckle, amused by his grandson's reaction. He was aware of the way Laxus used to be with women, something that was a subproduct of his obsession with strength and power. So it was good to finally see him to have a real romantic interest in someone... especially a very nice girl like Lucy.

"There's no shame in feeling interest on someone, Laxus" Makarov said. "As long your intentions are pure, it is only natural to feel it. And even more natural to go with the flow, if you feel like it."

But Laxus remained silenced, while also dodging his look from his grandfather's. The truth was that he was still trying to figure out what he really felt about Lucy. There was no denying Lucy meant a lot to him, she was important... very important to him. And, whenever she was close by, she made him feel good... very good. And, at the same time, her presence made him feel strange, as if she could make him lose control of himself... in a good way. But could it be all those feelings he was having for her were really romantic? Or was it just his physical attraction towards her, something that he twisted when he was still his old self?

And he also didn't know how she felt about him. Even if they were now friends, Laxus couldn't forget the way he initially treated her... especially his attitude towards her when Phantom Lord attacked or what happened between them at Akane Beach. All those were more than enough to make a girl (even one as kind and forgiving as Lucy) to not want anything to do with him. And there was also Natsu, since he didn't know the extent of their relationship, even if they appeared to be just friends and teammates.

Makarov noticed the turmoil that was happening in his grandson's mind regarding his feelings for Lucy, so he decided to dodge the subject.

"But answering to what you said... I have no doubt that you would most likely be more effective in rescuing Lucy" he said. "But put you in the rescue team would simply be very unviable. We can't forget that we still have a chance to get her back in a more official way by winning the games. That's the all point of this strategy. While one team tries to rescue Lucy..."

"The other serves as a distraction, while also working on the way to accomplish the mission and, at the same time, recover Fairy Tail's former glory" Laxus completed. "Yeah, yeah, I already got that part..."

"Yes, and for the Fairy Tail team to succeed, it is going to need all of its aces and you, my boy, are likely our biggest ace" Makarov said. "That's why I need you to stay right where you are now. But Natsu is a different story. Not only he is fully determined, but he also has the perfect excuse to miss the games. His magic was drained because of the Eclipse and, even if he has already recovered, the Minister of Defense will still think he has not, so he won't suspect a thing."

"Sometimes I hate when you're right, old man..." Laxus sighed, supporting his head with his hand.

"Don't worry, my boy, just have faith that everything will work out" Makarov said. "Just do your part and trust that Natsu and the others will do theirs. When you least expect, we will get back the member of our family that was taken from us."

Despite still feeling uneasy with all that, Laxus knew that his grandfather was right. That was the best course of action having in consideration the situation. Even if he found Natsu to be too much confident on his skills and also very annoying, he knew that he would do whatever it would take to get Lucy back. Meanwhile, he and the others would give their all to win the games... both to save Lucy and to recover Fairy Tail's full glory.

Chapter 13: Truth or Punishment, Part 1

Notes:

This chapter happens between the Grand Magic Games arc and Tartaros arc. This chapter is also based on the episode "Sleepover" from Star vs. The Forces of Evil, with a touch of the episode "Butterfly Trap".

It was night at Magnolia, a quiet night... But perhaps not so quiet at Fairy Hills, where the girls there were having a slumber party. They had all arranged at Erza's room, since she was the one with the biggest space (because of the fact she had rented five rooms and had them joined).

They had prepared their sleeping bags there, all while gathering some pillows for their comfort (or even for a pillow fight). They had also brought many other things to entertain themselves with, like games, and also some snacks. Not just that, but Lucy had also been one of those invited to the party. When she arrived, she said:

"Hey, there, girls..."

"Yeah, Lucy arrived!" Cana shouted, gleefully, already drunk and holding a bottle of wine, not wasting any time to put an arm around Lucy's shoulders. "Now the party can really start!"

Despite being great friends with Cana (especially after their time at Tenrou Island), Lucy couldn't help but always feeling a little bit uncomfortable whenever she got too much friendly after drinking too much.

After Cana's reception, Lucy looked around and saw that most of her female friends were there for the slumber party, as they greeted her. She could see Wendy, Carla, Levy, Juvia, Mirajane, Lisanna, Evergreen, Laki and Kinana. Even Bisca came, having left Alzac at home to look after Asuka. They all seemed to have been having a great time talking and eating the snacks.

"Where's Erza?" Lucy asked, noticing the absence of the one that was hosting the slumber party.

"Oh, she went to get something she has been baking especially for the occasion" Mirajane replied.

"She even asked me for a dessert recipe from my homeland" Bisca told.

"We told her we didn't need it, since we already have a lot to eat for the party, but..." Levy started.

"But you know Erza" Laki ended.

"Yeah, I sure do..." Lucy replied, with a nervous smile, as she and Cana went to join the others.

"What I am intrigue is what our dear Queen of the Fairies will bring us... and if it is going to be edible" Evergreen commented.

"Evergreen, you shouldn't say that!" Lisanna said. "Erza... does her best."

"Come on, I think we all agree that if there's one thing Erza is not good at is at baking" Evergreen replied.

Despite the way Evergreen put it, no one could actually counter that, since they all knew that Erza indeed was not that much skillful when it comes to make food that actually tasted good enough to enjoy.

"Now I am a little scare of what Erza is baking" Wendy confessed, nervously.

"That is no reason to be so afraid" Carta replied to her.

"I personally like Erza's baking goods" Mirajane said, always smiling.

"Yeah, Mira, but you always love to eat food that is hard to eat..." Lisanna said, as some of the girls chuckled.

"Do I hear someone talking about food?" a voice asked.

The girls got nervous when they saw that Erza had returned with a plate full of small square cakes.

"Oh, Erza!" Lisanna exclaimed. "We were just..."

"Talking how we are all... excited to taste your cakes" Lucy hasted to tell.

"Is that so?" Erza asked, with her serious look that always managed to make anyone in her guild nervous.

"Yeah... I just got here and everyone couldn't stop talking about it" Lucy replied.

There was a pause where everyone was nervously waiting for Erza's response.

"I'm glad to hear that!" Erza said with a smile. "Because they have just been taken out of the oven."

The girls all looked nervously to the tray with the cakes... except for Mirajane who said:

"Oh, I can't wait to taste them!"

"Wait..." Erza said. "Sorry, Mira, but I think Bisca should be the one to taste them first."

Everyone turned to Bisca who asked:

"Who, me? No... Erza, you don't have to..."

"Come on, now" Erza insisted. "These were made following your recipe. It's the least I can do to thank you for letting me use it. Besides, I bet you want a taste from home."

Despite it was true that those cakes normally would bring Bisca to feel like she was back at her homeland in the western continent, she was afraid of how they would taste like when baked by Erza. The other girls placed their looks on her, as she extended her hand and took one of the cakes. She traded a look with Erza, who was expectant, and so (with a slightly trembling hand), Bisca took the cake to her mouth and bit it.

Judging by the look on her face, the other girls quickly realized the flavor wasn't exactly great. But Bisca, determined to not upset Erza, made a brave face and smiled while acting like she was enjoying. After making a great effort to swallow it, she said:

"Wow, Erza... These for certain are the most certainly... unique."

"Oh, I am so glad you enjoyed them!" Erza exclaimed, happily. "Come on, now, girls, help yourselves!"

"Oh, we would, if we could..." Cana replied.

"What was that, Cana?" Erza asked.

"Oh, nothing, Erza!" Cana told, with a nervous smile, as she took a cake and then whisper. "Maybe a little wine will mask the taste..."

The other girls tasted the cakes and they had the same reaction as Bisca, all while pretending to like it. Mirajane really seemed to be the only one to enjoy them.

"Uh, I am so happy you are all enjoying the cakes so much!" Erza exclaimed. "Maybe I should go and bake some more..."

"No!" the girls all shouted at the same time, making Erza to make a confused look.

"Well... we don't want you to miss the games we are about to do..." Levy replied, causing all the other girls to nod in agreement.

"It is true that the best part of a slumber party are the games..." Erza said, thoughtfully. "Very well, let's all engage in some slumber party games."

That made every girl sigh in relief, as they all sat together near each other.

"So, what games are we talking about?" Erza asked. "Pillow fights? If so, you better pick up the best pillows..."

"Why don't we pick a game that is less... intense" Lucy said, knowing full well how intense Erza could be in a pillow fight. "You know, just to start."

"Does anyone have an idea for a game?" Kinana asked.

There was a pause where everyone thought for a moment and the Juvia said:

"Maybe... we could tell each other the most romantic gesture we ever did to our beloved! I bet I would win that one... My beloved Gray just loves all of the romantic surprises I do for him..."

"Yeah, I wouldn't call that love..." Lucy commented, remembering how disturbed Gray would get with all of Juvia's romantic gesture.

"What was that, love rival?!" Juvia asked, making that fulminating look that she would normally do to Lucy whenever she thought that there was something between her and Gray.

"Oh, nothing..." Lucy replied hastily.

"Do we really have to do that game...?" Wendy asked, all embarrassed.

"Of course not, child" Carla replied. "Don't you see that most of us don't even have a boyfriend."

That comment from Carla really hit hard on most of the girls there.

"Wow, Carla, no need to be so brutal..." Lisanna whispered to the Exceed.

"Well... even if Juvia's game seems... interesting... it gave me an idea for one that is a classic in all slumber parties" Cana said. "What about we play... Truth or Dare."

That suggestion seemed to have satisfied most of the girls, with Erza even saying:

"Great choice, Cana" Erza said. "A classic is always a great choice."

"Sorry, but... I don't know how to play it" Wendy said.

"Honestly... neither do I" Carla added. "We never played games like that one."

"Well, the game is pretty simple" Lucy told them. "One person asks another if they want Truth or Dare. If you choose the former, you need to answer truthfully to any question the asker does."

"What kind of question?" Wendy asked.

"It can be anything, really" Levy continued. "But it needs to be some kind of personal question. Nothing about trivia. But... if you don't answer the question... or if you don't answer truthfully, then you need to perform a dare. The same thing happens if you choose Dare instead of Truth."

"And what kind of dares are we talking about?" Carla asked.

"Oh, that's the fun part..." Cana said, with her speech a little sluggish due to the alcohol, while putting an arm around Lucy's shoulders. "It can be anything, really. And you are compelled to do it, if you want to stay in the game."

And she started to play with one of Lucy's breasts, much to the latter's discomfort.

"Cana, could you please stop that?" Lucy said, as she moved away a little from her drunken friend.

"Yeah... I don't know about that..." Wendy said.

"I agree, that game sounds a little tasteless, if you can give any dare" Carla said.

"Maybe... we should put some ground rules, if we consider this is Wendy and Carla's first game" Levy suggested.

"Or maybe they can just watch" Evergreen also suggested, as she waved her fan. "After all, what fun is Truth or Dare, if we can't play it fully?"

The girls started to think about what to do when Laki chuckled and said:

"Or maybe... we can play a new game and have a fun experience together."

"A new game?" Kinana asked.

"I thought this party could need a little kick in the gut, so I brought a game I bought during my last job" Laki said, as she went to get from her bag a strange bluish-green cube with lighter blue lines covering all of its sides like a circuit board. "It's called... Truth or Punishment. Apparently, it is similar to Truth or Dare, but the cube is the one to make us questions. All the questions are directed to all the players. They can be harmless... like, something about your interests... Or they can be all about your deepest secrets... And, if any of them lie, then everyone suffers a small punishment until the one that lied tells truth."

Most the girls made a weird look, especially because they all knew Laki could get a little sadistic when it comes to her interests.

"Are you out of your mind?!" Carla asked. "That sounds even worse than the previous game!"

"Although... it may even help us get even closer and improve our teamwork" Erza said. "This game will force us to answer truthfully, if we don't want for our comrades to suffer. Not to mention it can also develop our endurance for anything an enemy may throw at us."

"Wait... are you for real?!" Lucy asked.

"Yes, we shall play the game and prove the value of our friendship!" Erza exclaimed, with her excited voice.

"Well... I was already going to ask some very naughty questions and dares, so..." Cana said.

"Who knows, may even be fun" Mirajane said.

One by one, the girls started to agree with the game, even Wendy and Carla, what resulted in Lucy to also agree.

"Okay, let's do it, then..." she said.

"Very well..." Laki said, while holding the cube. "It is going to be just three questions, each one harder than the last. And... you already know what to do."

She pressed the top of the cube and, as soon she did that, the cube glowed and the lines sticked out slightly from its sides, while starting to levitate on the air. It was then that a sinister male voice started to come out of the cube, saying:

"Deceit and fables, lies and fiction, even with complete conviction. If truth is absent from these events, all will face the punishments."

"Okay... I am starting to have second thoughts about this..." Lucy said.

"So am I..." Wendy seconded.

It was then that a section of the cube's top face slid up, revealing then a demon-like face with an open mouth that had a hole on it. The cube then said:

"Pledge an oath of truth. Pink swear to me."

Some girls were really starting to get nervous, with a few even gulping. Laki then was the first one to do it. Extending her pinky finger, she placed at the mouth of the face and said:

"I promise to tell the truth."

Erza then advanced and she did the same, saying:

"The truth."

"Well, if Erza is doing it, then I, as the real fairy here, must also do it" Evergreen said, while extending her pinky finger to the mouth. "The truth."

Cana also went on and said:

"The truth."

"Oh, this is going to be fun..." Mirajane said, also extending her finger. "The truth. Come on, Lisanna."

Sighing, Lisanna followed her sister.

"The truth" she said, while extending the finger.

One by one, all the girls did it. Wendy and Carla traded a nervous look, but they eventually did the same. Lucy was eventually the only one left.

"Come, Lucy, don't be a killjoy" Cana said.

"Don't worry, Lucy, whatever question is made to us, you can trust in us" Erza replied. "And if we end up facing any punishment, we will overcome it together."

Despite feeling uneasy with that game, Lucy ended up being moved by Erza's confidence and so she hesitantly extended her pinky finger and placed it on the mouth, saying:

"The truth."

Once she did that, the cube said:

"It's time for Truth or Punishment."

The demon-like face slid down back to the inside of the cube.

"The first question is..."

Chapter 14: Truth or Punishment, Part 2

The girls waited impatiently for the first question. The front face of the cube made a kind of flip chart appear divided in three sections, with each one flipping a great speed. It was then that each section started to stop one by one with the words of the question.

"What is... your... favorite color?"

That made everyone trade confused looks, as that question was kind of anti-climactic.

"Ah, Laki..." Bisca said.

"Well, the first question is always easy" she said. "Just wait, I bet the last question is going to be very juicy. Okay, my favorite color... Well, I have so many... but they are all variations of the same one... I would say... Brown... the color of wood..."

"Scarlet red" Erza said, while passing her hand through her scarlet hair. "It's the color that always made me stand out."

"In that case... my favorite color is burgundy red" Cana answered, while drinking.

"Green is the only color that better fits the real queen of fairies" Evergreen said, waving her fan.

"I don't know why... but violet is the color I love the most!" Kinana exclaimed.

"Well... I guess my favorite color is... orange, yeah, that one" Bisca told.

"My favorite color... there are so many... I don't know if I can pick one" Mirajane said, thinking. "Maybe... pinkish red. What about you, Lisanna?"

"Well... I always loved light shades of blue..." she said. "I think I will answer... cerulean."

"I also love blue" Juvia said. "But I prefer dark blue... the same color of my beloved Gray's eyes and his guild mark..."

"My favorite color..." Levy said. "I love bright colors... and yellow has always brighten up the day for me."

Now the only ones left were Wendy, Carla and Lucy.

"Come on, girls, it's a very harmless question" Erza told them.

"Well, I guess a simple question like this one won't have anyone lying" Carla said. "My favorite color is... white. Yeah, I know, it's the color of my coat and seems to be not a real color... But white actually contains all the colors, so that way I don't have to pick one in specific."

"Don't worry, Carla, white is a great color" Wendy said. "In fact, I also love white. Not only it reminds me of you, but it also reminds me of Grandeeney."

And now Lucy was the only one left. Taking a deep breath, she said:

"My favorite color... Let me see..."

She then noticed her guild mark and that inspired her to say:

"My favorite color is... pink. It fits me so well... Not to mention is the color I chose to my guild mark. I feel it's the color that better expresses my love for Fairy Tail."

That answer impressed all the girls. Erza was the one to express a big smile and then reply:

"That is perhaps the best answer here, Lucy."

That compliment from Erza made Lucy to feel a great deal of joy.

"Yes, it was the best answer... and the most truthful" the cube told. "However..."

The cube suddenly became red and said:

"Someone here is lying!"

The top of the cube opened and red electricity came from it, starting to hit the girls, making them all roll on the floor laughing, since they were being invaded by a very ticklish effect. Even if it was a rather harmless punishment, it soon lost its fun seconds later.

"Seriously, someone lied on this very simple question?!" Carla asked, while trying to talk through the laughter.

"The one that is lying... please, speak up!" Levy told.

"Okay, okay..." Evergreen said. "I... love... purple! That's my favorite!"

"Truth!" the cube exclaimed, while becoming green for a moment and stopping the ticklish electricity.

That revelation surprised the girls quite a lot.

"Purple?"

"I still think that green is the color that suits me best" Evergreen said, while getting on her knees and crossing her arms. "I mean... it's even in my name."

"And that is okay" Erza said, with a smile. "See, girls, sharing the truth is always the best solution."

"Evergreen likes purple, but hides it out of vanity" the cube said. "Meanwhile, Erza likes to encourage the truth on her fellow guildmates. Let's see what happens when the game takes on a new level!"

After it said that, a light came out of the cube and, when it disappeared, the entire room had been turned into some sort of replica of the cube.

"Wow... it's like... we're inside the game!" Laki exclaimed, fascinated.

"Laki, I don't think this is time to get enthusiastic..." Juvia said.

"Yeah, didn't you hear what that creepy cube of yours just said?" Carla asked. "It wants to take the game to a new level. Who knows what that means."

"Maybe we should really end the game here..." Lucy said, while Wendy went to hold one of her arms, a little nervous.

"Come on, girls, the cube is just trying to make things interesting" Laki said. "I can only imagine what sort of punishment awaits us now..."

"Not exactly helping your case here..." Lucy told her.

"There are only two questions left" Erza said. "Remember, as long we tell the truth, we have nothing to fear. So... go on, cube, make your next question."

"If you insist that much..." the cube replied. "The second question is..."

The cube started rotating the three sections of its flip chart, with the girls getting nervous about the next question. It then said, as each section stopped:

"What did you... really think of... Erza's square cakes?"

"Easy. Everybody loved my square cakes. Right, girls?"

Now that's when the girls started to panic a little, since they really didn't like them. Afraid to hurt Erza's feelings, they all started to say they loved them very much.

"They were great!"

"Yeah, the best treat I ever taste!"

"Ditto!"

At that moment, everyone started to suffer a terrible change. Their bodies started to get all deformed and adopting animalistic traits.

"What's happening us?!" That was the question many were asking.

The cube turned red and said:

"Someone is lying. And this is what lies look like on the inside."

Turning one of his faces into a reflective surface, the cube showed the girls their deformed look, much to their terror.

"Wait... Who didn't like my square cakes?" Erza asked.

She then noticed all the guilty looks and realized.

"So... none of you... liked them?"

The girls traded a look and then they all nodded with their heads.

"Sorry, Erza, it's just..." Lucy said. "You were so excited and hoping that we would love the cakes that... we didn't have the heart to tell you the truth."

"Yeah... that and, to be honest... you can get a little touchy whenever you want to do something right, but you fail at doing it" Cana said.

"Bisca, even you...?" Erza asked. "I followed your recipe..."

"I know, Erza... and I admire your effort" Bisca said. "We all do. But you may need just a bit more practice to make them... well, tasteful."

"Oh, I see..." Erza said, looking down with disappointment.

"Well, I liked them very much" Mirajane told.

Once she said that, everyone's body started to deform even more and so Mirajane replied:

"Okay, okay... Those square cakes were a little... crunchy to my taste!"

"Truth!" the cube shouted, becoming green.

And so the girls quickly returned to normal. Once that happened, Lisanna asked her older sister:

"Seriously, that was the only thing you didn't like on those cakes?"

"What can I say... I really like Erza's baking" Mirajane said with her usual innocent smile.

"Yeah... and apparently you're the only one, Mira" Erza said, with some sadness in her voice. "Are you really so afraid to tell me the truth whenever something is going to upset me?"

The girls made their nervous look and then Erza sighed and said:

"I guess I can get a little intense, whenever something doesn't go my way. But, please, don't come up with white lies just to spare my feelings or to avoid my temper. I know there are somethings I am not good at, but it's only by telling me the truth that I will know my shortcomings."

"Yeah... you're right, Erza" Lucy said, as the other girls nodded. "And we're sorry, if we made you feel bad."

"Don't be" Erza said, while putting a hand on Lucy's shoulder. "I appreciate your attempt to spare my feelings... But, next time, why don't you all try telling me what you really think?"

Lucy and the other girls nodded with their heads, with all of them smiling.

"You know what... I think this game is losing its fun" Erza said. "Maybe we should turn it off."

"Finally!" Carla exclaimed. "Someone says something wise for a change!"

"Yeah, I think this is enough truth for an entire night" Wendy agreed.

"Laki, you can turn off the game" Erza said.

"Yeah, about that..." she said, nervously. "I would do that... if I knew how to do it."

"What?!" everyone asked.

"You don't know how to turn off the game?" Lucy asked.

"Well... I never expected it would get this intense" Laki replied.

"Nobody leaves until you answer the final question" the cube declared.

"I'm sorry, but even if you are the master of the game, we won't let ourselves be controlled by you!" Erza exclaimed, as she stood up and tried to summon one of her swords.

However, to her shock, she couldn't do it.

"My magic..." she said. "I can't Requip!"

The other girls tried to summon their magic, but neither of them could do it as well.

"Like I said... nobody leaves until you answer the final question... with the truth" the cube said.

"But that's not fair!" Lucy shouted. "We already said we want to stop the game."

"Calm down, Lucy..." Erza said, as she sat down.

"But, Erza..."

"This game has blocked our magic, so we can't force our way out" she said. "The only way to do it is by finishing it. So... this is what is going to happen: whatever question that box has for us, we will answer it. It doesn't matter how embarrassing or humiliating it can be. Let's just... answer it with the truth and then keep it in these walls. Agreed?"

Despite all of the girls were nervous about the final question, they all nodded, agreeing with Erza's terms. She then turned to the cube and told it:

"We're ready! Ask your final question!"

"Very well..." the cube said, as it started to rotate the three sections of its flip chart, then stopping them as it made the final question. "Who was... your... first kiss?"

When she heard that question, Lucy was invaded by a paralyzing fear, as that made her remember of that night at Akane Beach with Laxus, when he stole her first kiss. Quickly recovering from that, she started to tremble, because she didn't know what she would do. Obviously, she would need to answer that question and, if she lied, the cube would detect her lie. However, that was a secret she had kept hidden, not just because of how embarrassing it was, but also because of fearing what could happen if anyone discovered it.

"What?! Is that your terrible final question?" Cana asked, sarcastically. "Please... That one is so easy to answer. If you want, I can go first... My first kiss was with this cute guy I met when I went on a job to Onibus when I was sixteen. See? No biggie... Come on, Lucy, now you."

"Me?" Lucy asked, nervously. "No, I couldn't possibly..."

"I say who goes next..." the cube said. "And I say... Mirajane goes next."

"Oh my... it's my turn already?" Mirajane said. "Let me see... My first kiss... was actually with another female model with whom I posed once with."

"What?!" the girls asked.

"You go, Mira!" Cana exclaimed, holding her bottle of wine.

"That was a staged kiss, but even so..." Mirajane said, with her smile. "Now, if we are talking about real kisses..."

"The question is about the first kiss, staged or real" the cube said. "And you already gave your answer. Evergreen, your next!"

"Let me guess... was it my brother?" Lisanna asked, teasingly.

"Please... no offense to your brother, but I already had other flings" Evergreen replied.

"Oh, so you do admit there's a thing between you two" Mirajane said, also teasingly.

That caused Evergreen to have her face turning red and so she said:

"Okay, let's end this! My first kiss was with a wizard from another guild, before I joined the Thunder Legion."

But, despite she already gave her answer, Mirajane and Lisanna continued to give her their teasing looks.

"Wendy... Carla... you two are up next" the cube said, turning to the duo.

"Oh no... how embarrassing..." Wendy said, while turning red.

"Why are you so upset about?" Carla asked. "You never kissed anyone, Wendy."

"I know that, but I always get like this when it comes to this kind of subject" she replied.

"Well, I also never kissed anyone" Carla told. "Honestly, I don't know why you humans always make such a fuss about something like this."

"Levy..." the cube said, turning to her.

"Uh..." Levy said, embarrassed. "I... can't say I ever... kiss someone."

"But I bet there's one guy you wouldn't mind having some fun with..." Cana teased.

"I... don't know who you're talking about..." Levy said, turning her face with her cheeks puffed.

"A certain black-haired guy that likes to eat metal..." Cana told.

"You're wrong!" Levy exclaimed, even more embarrassed, as Cana chuckled. "Nothing ever happened between us!"

Hearing that and putting it together, Wendy got a little red.

"Levy and Gajeel..." she said.

"I already told you... I never kissed anyone!" Levy told. "And that's my final answer."

"If you say so..." the cube said, as it turned away. "Kinana..."

"Well... I don't remember much of my past... so I can't say for certain" she said. "But, for what I remember, I also never kissed anyone."

"Bisca..."

"That one is easy" she replied. "Alzac is the only man I ever kissed and the only one I intend to kiss."

"Wow... so romantic..." Erza said, cleaning a tear on her eye.

"Laki..."

"My first kiss was... with Max" she replied.

"Max?!" everyone asked.

"It was just a one-time thing" Laki replied. "Nothing serious."

"Lisanna..."

"Well, Natsu, of course" she replied.

"What?!" everyone asked, surprised about her answer.

"From Edolas" Lisanna clarified, much to everyone's relief. "Yeah... It was a joke, but he feared that Edolas Lucy would find out about it."

That caused the girls there to share a laugh, before the cube to turn to...

"Juvia..."

"Oh my... It's my turn now?" she said, nervously.

"I sense the answer is going to be Gray..." Cana teased.

"Oh, I wished that my first kiss could have been with my beloved Gray..." Juvia said, dreamily. "It would have been the most romantic moment in all of romance. He would hold my hands... we would look straight to each other's eyes... he would say the most romantic..."

"Ah, hurry up, lady! Just answer the question!" the cube exclaimed, impatiently.

"Oh... it was a former boyfriend of mine, right before I joined Phantom Lord" she replied.

"Wow... looks like the game is not the romantic type" Cana commented.

"And now there was two..." the cube said, referring to Lucy and Erza.

"Oh, you can go now, Erza" Lucy said, hoping to be the last one to answer.

"Why is that?" the cube asked her, appearing in front of her. "Do you have anything to hide?"

"To hide?" Lucy repeated, with sweat coming down her forehead. "No, I don't. I mean, I can't hide anything from you, right?"

"Then answer the question" the cube said. "Who was your first kiss?"

Now feeling herself cornered, Lucy quickly tried to think of a way to evade the question. It was then that she came up with a possible solution. When Laxus kissed her, she never kissed him back. Perhaps that was a loophole she could explore. And so she said:

"I... never kissed anyone..."

The cube remained in front of her, what made Lucy even more nervous. It was then that it turned to Erza, asking:

"Erza... you're the last one..."

When the cube turned its attention from her, Lucy sighed in relief, thinking that maybe she managed to do it.

"Well, a first kiss... Now there's something that can mean a lot of things for a girl... Maybe it is a special moment... maybe it's a joke... and sometimes it's something others are waiting for the right moment..."

"That is very cute... but it's not an answer..."

"I bet it's Jellal, right?" Lisanna said. "Happy told me you two shared a moment before the Grand Magic Games."

"Well, if Erza shared a kiss with someone, then that someone has to be Jellal" Mirajane said, while the others nodded.

All the girls were waiting for Erza's answer... and so she said:

"It is true that Jellal and I shared a special moment... however, we didn't share a kiss. In fact, I never kissed anyone."

Even if some of the girls showed disappointment, they all turned to the cube, hoping that last answer would set them free.

"Wow... this game has been the most interesting I have ever played. So many truths were shared and your bond kept on going strong. I feel like I should terminate the game and release you."

Hearing that, the girls cheered. However, suddenly, the cube turned red and shouted:

"But, unfortunately, I can't do that because... SOMEBODY LIED BIG TIME!"

Notes:

This is embarrassing... but I totally forgot about Levy when I published the chapter. But I already corrected it and I added the scene.

Chapter 15: Truth or Punishment, Part 3

Having sensed a lie, the cube turned the walls of its prison red, with them pulsating with electricity. Before that, Lucy could feel herself feel like her heart would jump off her chest.

"Oh no..." she said.

It was then that the all the six sides started to move inwards, moving a bit and then stopping.

"What?!" Cana asked. "Hey, I didn't lie, you stupid cube!"

The others went to say the same thing.

"Well, someone did... She tried to trick me, but no one can do that. ANd if she doesn't rectify her answer with the truth... then you all shall be crushed by that lie! I for one would want to do it slowly... It is always fun to watch people arguing about who is lying... But for talking back at me... I think I will try to get to the truth more quickly."

Having said that, the walls started to move continuously, starting to reduce their space in a quick space. Reacting to that, all the girls started to try to slow down the walls.

"Come on..." Erza said, as she used all her strength. "Whoever lied... Please, tell the truth!"

"Evergreen, are you sure that..." Lisanna started.

"I already told you your brother was not my first kiss!" Evergreen shouted. "Maybe you are the one that lied."

"No... Edolas Natsu was my first kiss."

"I still think Levy and Gajeel..." Cana started.

"I was not lying about nothing happening between us!" Levy exclaimed.

"Erza... are you sure you and Jellal..." Mirajane started.

"No, we never kissed!" Erza said.

It was then that an immense argument started between the girls, all of them trying to figure out who lied, all while trying to slow down the movement of the walls. Meanwhile, Lucy remained silenced, as she tried (besides holding the walls) to control her anxiety which was only increasing, as the cube kept on trying to pressure her to tell the truth with that last punishment. She could feel herself suffocating... and not because of the space that was getting smaller and smaller, but because she was running out of time and the chances of her to keep her secret hidden were turning to dust.

When the girls were all starting to be crushed against one another, Lucy, unable to handle it anymore, shouted:

"It was Laxus, okay! Laxus was my first kiss!"

That revelation caused every girl to enter in an immense silence, as the cube said, while turning green:

"Truth!"

The walls around them disappeared, making Erza's room to appear again and causing the girls to fall to the floor, once they were freed.

"Now this was a truth that no one ever expected" the cube said. "It is always the quiet ones, am I right? Nevertheless, I congratulate you all! Even if you lied in every question, you all survived the punishments... and gave me a lot of entertainment. But now, I must leave, as the Truth or Punishment has ended. Although I feel you still have a lot of drama to deal with."

And all the lines on the cube went in and it fell on the floor, remaining quiet. Making a nervous laugh, Laki said:

"So... this was quite a game, right..."

Erza responded to that with a pierce look that made Laki tremble and then she summoned a sword that pierce the cube.

Meanwhile, Lucy sat up and went to hug her legs, as her friends turned to her, still shocked by the revelation she gave.

"Lucy... Laxus was... your first kiss?" Levy asked.

"Wow, girl, and you never told to any of us?" Cana asked.

"Why did you lie, Lucy?" Wendy asked.

"Yeah, we could have been crushed because of it" Juvia said.

But Lucy was too much caught up by the turmoil of feelings that came from reliving that memory to even be able to answer to any of them.

Erza was able to notice that and then advanced and told the others:

"Girls, please, give Lucy some space."

Hearing that, they obeyed and moved away a little from Lucy. Moving towards her, Erza sit down before her and told her:

"Lucy, you don't have to feel guilty for lying earlier. If there's one thing this game has taught me is that lying is part of human nature. There are many reasons for us to lie. Some of us lie because we can't face or accept the truth."

That part made Evergreen remember her lie on the first question.

"We can also lie to protect one's feelings or relationships" Erza continued, making the others remember their collective lie on the second question. "But there's also the ones that lie... in order to protect themselves from the truth. And something tells me that's the reason you lied, right?"

Lucy was still in turmoil, but Erza's words helped her to focus and she nodded to her. Approaching her, Mirajane said:

"You don't have to tell us, but know that we are here for you, if you want to talk about it."

Seeing the support that both Erza and Mirajane were giving her, along with the encouraging looks from the other girls, Lucy started to feel much more comfortable and a smile appeared on her face.

"Thank you, girls. I really appreciate it. And... maybe I really need to talk about it. Honestly, I thought I had already moved on from it... But apparently I have not... I just... don't know where to start."

"Well, I don't want to sound too cliché, but I believe the best way to start is from the beginning" Carla suggested.

"Yeah... tell us when did that kiss happened" Cana told.

"It was... quite some time ago... even before Tenrou Island" Lucy told. "Although... to me it is still not that far long... It happened... back when we were at Akane Beach, after Loke was accepted back at the Celestial Spirit World and I got his key."

"But that... was before the events at the Tower of Heaven" Erza said. "Back when..."

"When Laxus was still the big jerk he is used to be, yeah..." Lucy said.

"That is strange... I don't remember him being there" Erza told. "And if either Natsu or Gray had seen him..."

"I didn't want to cause any trouble" Lucy told. "I encountered him when I went to get ice cream... while you dealt with Natsu and Gray. It was by chance, but... Laxus didn't waste any time to make me... feel so uncomfortable. He was so... indecent... and provocative..."

"Wait, he was like that?" Wendy asked. "But... that doesn't sound like the Laxus I know."

"Well, let's just say you met him before he got a real dose of humility" Cana told Wendy. "Lucky you... What would I give to ever forget Laxus' very long rebellious phase."

"Honestly, if there's one thing I don't miss from the old Laxus was his treatment on women" Evergreen said. "I warned him many times to be respectful, but..."

Erza then gave a harsh look on Cana and Evergreen to make her get silenced, so Lucy could continue.

"I managed to evade him then, but... I didn't get that much luck when night fell. When I went to call you to come to the casino, Erza, I encountered him again when he was checking out of the hotel. He was able to corner me... and then took advantage of a moment when I trip to caught me and then... he kissed me."

That revelation caused some shock among the girls.

"He stole your first kiss?!" Lisanna asked. "Oh no, he didn't!"

"I can't say I am surprised, to tell you the truth..." Evergreen said.

"No wonder you didn't want to talk about it..." Levy told.

However, Erza was able to detect there was something else about the kiss, besides the kiss by itself.

"Lucy... what did you feel when he kissed you?" she asked.

Lucy took a few moments, before answering:

"To tell you the truth... I don't really know... On one side, I wanted him to stop. But on the other..."

"You didn't want the kiss to end" Mirajane ended, sparing her friend from doing it.

"I got so confused, so overwhelmed..." Lucy told, with some tears appearing on her eyes. "I had so many conflicting thoughts... I don't even know how I managed to get rid of him and run away..."

"I had no idea you went through something like that, Lucy" Erza said. "I apologize for that."

"Well... we ended up going through quite a lot afterwards" Lucy said.

"I still can't believe Laxus would do something like that" Mirajane said. "I mean, knowing who he used to be, I believe it, but even so..."

"No woman should experience something like that... even if that one is my love rival!" Juvia exclaimed.

"Yeah, not that much of a love rival" Lucy replied, with a small smile.

"When I get to see Laxus again, I will give him an earful!" Lisanna said.

"Please, allow me, Lisanna" Evergreen said. "I have already in mind what to tell him."

The other girls seemed to also want to give Laxus a piece of their mind. Just that made Lucy feel much better and chuckle. But then she said:

"Girls, please, don't get mad at Laxus."

"But, Lucy..."

"I know what he did was... indecent" she said. "But... that happened so long ago... And he is now a much better person. I don't want this to haunt him. Not to mention... what I used to feel for him back then... has changed."

That caused the girls to trade a look and Mirajane asked:

"Changed how?"

"Well..." Lucy started. "Not in the way you think... Back then, I couldn't stand him. He was always bragging and thrash talking all of my friends... And then there's how he didn't help against Phantom Lord... and the way he acted with me... But then... after he was expelled from the guild, he became a better person... He helped me in Amaryll... He helped us against Hades... against Agnalogia... His all attitude changed... He became kinder and more respectful... All that, made me forgive him for what he did. Whenever I think back on that kiss... I can't hate him now, even if I know what he did was wrong. So... I just want to move on from that. After all... in the end, it was just a kiss."

The girls traded looks, but then they smiled at Lucy, with Mirajane saying:

"We understand, Lucy. Don't worry."

"Actually, that is a very mature decision" Carla commented. "That is quite impressive."

"However... I think we should just give Laxus a little bit of a cold shoulder" Cana told. "You know... as punishment."

That joke from Cana made the other girls share a laugh, as they prepared to continue their slumber party. Lucy prepared to follow them, but Erza called her:

"Lucy? Can I ask you something?"

"Of course, Erza" she replied.

"What do you really feel about Laxus?" Erza asked.

"What... Whatever do you mean?" Lucy asked.

"I understand that you no longer hold him accountable for the way he treated you and you want to move on" Erza said. "However, I can't help but notice there are something more you are not telling."

Lucy tried to counter that statement from Erza, but she simply couldn't.

"If that kiss didn't affect you, then you wouldn't go that far to keep it a secret during the game until the last moment" Erza said. "Obviously, there's more into it than you told us."

"I... honestly, don't know exactly what I feel" Lucy said. "It's all so... confusing."

"Maybe you should talk with him..." Erza suggested. "You know... to clear the air. Talk about the kiss and how you feel."

"I... don't know, Erza..." Lucy said.

"I understand it must be a very intimidating task, but I promise you it will make you feel much lighter" Erza said, making her kind smile. "Trust me on that."

She placed her hand on Lucy's shoulder to both comfort her and motivate her and then went to join the others. Lucy thought for a moment on Erza's words and then, after taking a deep breath, went to join the party as well.

---

At the next day, it was clear that the girls decided to follow Cana's suggestion and gave a little of cold shoulder to Laxus. Even Evergreen was a bit colder to him, something that took the attention from the rest of the Thunder Legion.

"What's up the girls today?" Fried asked. "They are acting so strange around Laxus."

"Why do you think that?" Bickslow questioned. "I mean, they also acted strange around us."

"They did that because we were with Laxus" Fried said. "But individually, you can see their behavior is because of him. Even Ever is acting strange."

"Maybe it's that time of the month" Bickslow joked.

"Time of the month! Time of the month!" his dolls said at the same time.

Laxus had also noticed that, but he acted indifferently to that. However, he couldn't help but wonder why. Even Lucy was acting strange. Whenever the two of them crossed looks, she would quickly dodge it, embarrassed.

Sighing, he rose up and said to Fried and Bickslow:

"I'm going to take a walk."

He headed towards the exit of the guildhall, but he could feel the stares of the girls following him. As he got out, he headed towards South Gate Park. Getting there, he sat on one of the benches and just looked up, as he tried to clear his mind.

It was then that he sensed someone familiar approaching and Erza's voice said:

"So... you decided to get some fresh air?"

Turning to her, he saw her standing with a soft smile.

"And you decided to talk to me, hein?" Laxus asked. "I thought you would follow the other girls' example and give me the cold shoulder."

"Personally, I am not much into that type of childish behavior" Erza said, while sitting beside Laxus. "But you don't need to worry. This will only last... one more day... or two..."

"Well, it's not like I am not used to something like that..." Laxus said. "But I bet you won't tell me what that is all about."

Erza's silence and smile was enough for Laxus.

"Yeah, I figured it..." he said.

"It's just a girl thing, don't worry" Erza told. "However... I do want to ask you something."

"Coming from you... it can't be good" Laxus said, as he supported his head with his hand on his thigh.

"What are your feelings towards Lucy?" Erza asked.

When she made that question, Laxus was so caught by surprise that he let his head slip out of his hand, causing him to lose his composure for a few moments.

"What?!" he asked, a little awkwardly. "Where did that come from?!"

"Come on, Laxus... you may be able to hide it, but there are few moments where it's obvious that Lucy is more than just a simple guildmate to you..." Erza said. "I still remember that day in Onibus... you know, when Lucy faced those bandits..."

"I already told that..." Laxus started.

"I know what you said..." Erza replied. "But I also know what I saw back then. The way you looked at Lucy... Something tells me there is more between you two than meets the eye."

Laxus was hearing Erza with his arms crossed and an annoyed look. He then said:

"You know, I already have the old man teasing me with that. I don't need someone else... and especially you... to be added to frame."

"I see... so the master also noticed it..." Erza said. "Of course... his perception is as great as ever..."

"You give the old man too much credit..." Laxus replied. "You got it before he did..."

But Laxus just noticed what he had just said when it was too late.

"So there is something... at least from you..." Erza said.

Laxus grunted and said:

"Can you please stop with that?! I don't want... You know..."

"That people know that the great Laxus is actually a normal guy behind all the powerful lightning?" Erza asked.

There was a pause and then Laxus said:

"I don't want anyone to know... because I still don't know how I feel."

"I see..." Erza said. "I understand that. I went through the same thing with Jellal. I mean... I know what feel about him... and that he feels the same. However, for a long time, I felt conflicted... and the circumstances also didn't help. But... Laxus, if you allow me to give you some advice... I think you should talk with Lucy."

"Talk with..." Laxus started. "Is that best advice you can give?"

"You don't have to tell her how you feel... especially if you still have doubts about that" Erza said. "But if you spend time with her... maybe those doubts might get clear."

Having said that, Erza got up and said:

"Of course... it's up to you to choose what to do... However, I have faith that you will do whatever is best."

With that, she moved away, leaving Laxus to immerge himself in his thoughts...

Chapter 16: To Be With Wild Spirits, Part 1

Notes:

This next arc happens not long after the previous three-parter chapter and I am planning to make it long. However, it will be the first step for the moment my AU steps aways from the canon story. Not just that, but it will also develop Lucy and Laxus' relationship even more.

Team Natsu was at the guild hall, but they seemed to have a bored look, as they were sitting by a table. The fact is they were not all there, as Erza was the one missing in the picture.

"Aw, come on!" Natsu shouted. "How much long will Erza take?! I so want to go on a job!"

"Hey, you are the one that wanted to do an S-class job" Lucy told Natsu.

"No kidding..." Gray say, without his clothes as usual. "I still have my ears ringing with all your yelling."

"Why don't go find some cothing to put on!" Natsu shouted at Gray, who then realize he was on his underwear.

"Oh, man!" he exclaimed, as he went to find the clothes he had, picking them up. "That's strange... I thought I had a jacket with me."

"Considering you keep on stripping yourself, I am amazed you even remember the clothes you wear" Carla commented, while drinking a cup of tea.

The truth is that his jacket had been picked on by Juvia who was at the corner, holding it and smelling it.

"I can't believe this... This is the jacket my beloved Gray was just wearing. I can still sense his smell on it..."

"If Erza keeps us on waiting for much longer, Laxus will most likely get the best job on the board upstairs!" Natsu continued to complain.

"We have no other option" Lucy told him. "S-class jobs can only be taken by S-class wizards. For the other wizards to participate, they need to join them. And, in case your empty head is forgetting, Erza is the only S-class wizard in this team."

"Come on... we already took one S-class job and we did a pretty decent work" Natsu told, with his arms crossed behind his head.

"Are you kidding?!" Lucy asked. "Erza was the one to actually finish it."

"Yeah, but we kind of did most of the effort" Gray told, as he finished dressing.

"Gray, please, don't put ideas on Natsu's head" Lucy said.

"I am actually curious about that S-class job you took" Wendy said.

"Well, it all started when Lucy got greedy and decided to take on one of the S-class jobs" Happy told. "She even dragged me and Natsu with her so we could do most of the work."

"I honestly find that hard to believe" Carla replied.

"But it's true, I can guarantee it" Happy ensured.

At that moment, Lucy grabbed Happy's head and started squashing it, as she asked him, angrily:

"I'm sorry, who took the job?"

"It was me... I did it..." Happy replied, as he tried to desperately get free from Lucy's hold.

"And..."

"And I picked a job that would have you follow us because the reward included a Zodiac key" Happy added.

"That's more likely" Lucy said, as she released Happy.

"Now that I believe" Carla said, as Wendy chuckled.

At that moment, Mira arrived, with her carrying a big pile of books.

"Oh, hey, guys!" she greeted gleefully. "Still waiting for Erza?"

"Yeah... and she's taking too long!" Natsu kept on complaining.

"I'm sure it won't take too much long before she gets here" Mirajane said.

It was then that an idea came to Natsu's head.

"Hey, Mira... you could tag along" he said, with his big smile. "I bet it has been a while since you went on an S-class job."

"Natsu!" Lucy shouted.

"Wow... just when I thought you couldn't be more tactless..." Gray commented.

"What?" Natsu asked. "Did I say something wrong?"

"Besides the fact you just mentioned one very traumatic memory for Mirajane?" Carla asked him.

Once Carla said that, Natsu was able to remember the last time Mirajane went on a S-class job, they ended up losing Lisanna. Even if she had returned to them, it didn't erase the grief they all felt... especially Mirajane and Elfman.

"Oh, yeah... sorry about that..." Natsu said.

"It's okay, I already moved past that" Mirajane replied, without breaking her good mood. "Truth be told, I wouldn't mind try a S-class job again... but there's so much to do in the guild. Right now, I am reorganizing the archives. I even brought these forgotten albums I found in one of our storage units. I guess we forgot about them when we rebuilt the guild after Phantom's attack."

"If you want, I can give you a helping hand" Lucy said, getting up.

"Me too!" Wendy exclaimed, also getting up.

"Well, I guess it beats having to seat here and do nothing" Carla said, as she put down her tea cup.

"What?!" Natsu exclaimed. "You're ditching us so you can work on a room full of dusty books?!"

"We're not ditching you" Lucy said. "But it looks like Mira has a lot of work. When Erza arrives, you can go call us. It's not she needs us to pick up a job."

And so the girls went with Mirajane to the archives, leaving the boys (especially Natsu) to keep on boringly wait for Erza.

As they arrived on the archive, Wendy couldn't help but gasp around.

"Wow... it doesn't matter how many times I come here, I am always amazed by how big this place is" she said.

"And it's quite amazing how it remained in good shape despite the fact it got abandoned for the last seven years" Carla observed, as she flew around.

"Well, Kinana and I have been cleaning up the place ever since we got the guild hall back" Mira replied, as she put the photo albums on a table. "Not to mention verify the state of the books and see if there's something missing."

"That's... a lot of work" Lucy said. "You could have said something. You know I wouldn't mind. And neither would Levy."

"I know that... but the guild has been getting a lot of jobs lately because of Fairy Tail winning the Grand Magic Games" Mirajane said, as she started to take some books and went to put them on the shelves. "I knew you would be too busy."

"Oh, we would get time to help you, if you asked" Wendy said, as she and Lucy would get some books to then pass to Mirajane.

"That's for sure" Carla said, as she took one book and used her Aera magic to bring it to a high shelf.

"That's sweet of you" Mirajane replied.

Lucy, after giving a book to Mirajne, took some of the photo albums to put them on the others, when she dropped one that opened while falling. She went to pick it up and then noticed the photo that was on. She couldn't believe it when she saw...

"Mira... is this master Makarov when he was younger?" Lucy asked, showing to Mira as she descended from the stairs.

The picture was at least fifty years old and had Makarov on his younger years and he was with his former team.

"Yes, it is" Mirajane replied. "I believe it was taken before he became Fairy Tail's master."

"Wow... I can't believe how young he looks" Wendy commented, as she and Carla looked.

"Indeed..." Carla agreed. "I think it's hard to believe there was a Fairy Tail where he was not the master."

"You know... I can see the resembles he has with Laxus" Lucy observed.

That caused both Mirajane, Wendy and Carla to look at her. Despite they didn't say anything, Lucy could feel what they were thinking.

"Oh, shut up..." she said. "You know what I mean..."

"Of course we do" Mirajane said, as Wendy and Carla released a few chuckles. "Anyway... Master Makarov is not the only one in the picture. There's also Masters Bob and Goldmine from Blue Pegasus and Quatro Cerberus... Oh, and Yajima, the former member of the Magic Counsil."

"Oh, yeah, they were all Fairy Tail members once, right?" Lucy said.

"Wait... is that... Miss Porlyusica?" Wendy asked, noticing the only female on the group.

Mirajane nodded.

"Even back then she was not much about smiling" Lucy commented, noticing then the other wizard she didn't recognized. "And... who is that?"

"Oh, that..." Mirajane said with some sadness in her voice. "His name is Rob. He was one of master's closest friends... He was captured by Zeref's worshipers and enslaved at the Tower of Heaven."

Hearing that, Lucy was able to connect all the dots.

"Is he... the one that saved Erza at the day she escaped?" Lucy asked, to which Mirajane nodded.

Lucy looked at the picture again, trying to imagine how Fairy Tail was back in those days. Probably it was basically the same... full of laughter, beer and friendly bickering that would normally result on broken tables and chairs at the hall. Something that made her drop a slight smile.

Turning a few pages, she found another picture that captured her attention. That one was a lot younger, being at least thirty years, having a group of five people. Despite Lucy didn't recognize most of them, there was one she immediately did recognize.

"Wait... is that... Gildarts?" she asked.

"Yes, back when he was... twenty, I think..." Mirajane replied. "That picture has the previous generation of S-class wizards of our guild. You can see Gildarts there... And this one over here... it's Laxus' father, Ivan."

When she said that, both Lucy, Wendy and Carla got surprised.

"Laxus' father?" Lucy asked. "You mean... master's son... Raven Tail's master?"

"He doesn't look that bad in this picture" Wendy observed.

"It must have been taken probably even before Laxus was born" Carla said.

"Master Ivan may be one of the guild's greatest disappointments, but, at one time, he was one of its greatest prides" Mirajane told. "Despite everything, he is a powerful wizard."

Lucy looked at the young Ivan for a while and she couldn't help but wonder what could have happened if Laxus had decided to go with his father when the latter was expelled from Fairy Tail. Most likely, they would be enemies... and that thought, despite being now ridiculous, actually scared her a bit. But it also made her feel better for knowing Laxus would now never do anything against the guild or its members and would protect them no matter what.

"The other three... I only know just a little about them" Mirajane said, pointing then to a young man that had the least physique of the group. "This one's name is Kaleb... He disappeared during an S-class job."

"That's awful..." Wendy said. "It makes me feel a little nervous about the S-class job we will take."

"Come on, child, it's not like we haven't done anything that is far more dangerous" Carla ironized.

"Who is this one here?" Lucy asked, pointing to a man that was both the oldest and the biggest one at the picture, with him having a wavy blond hair with lightning-shaped bangs on the side.

That caused Mirajane to drop a chuckle, much to the other three's confusion. She then said:

"Sorry, it's just... I'm just imagining your reactions when I tell you who he is... His name... is Laxus."

"What?!" they asked, looking at that man at the picture.

"You're kidding, right?" Lucy asked.

"No, I'm not" Mirajane replied. "Our Laxus was named after that man. He was perhaps one of the strongest and most powerful wizards that our guild ever had. He was even stronger than Gildarts. And I bet if he was still around, Gildarts would probably not hold a candle on him."

"I honestly can't imagine someone being stronger than Gildarts" Lucy said. "Well, maybe Laxus... our Laxus, that is."

"To be honest... it is said that Gildarts idolized this Laxus" Mirajane told. "I think their relationship was similar to the one he has with Natsu."

"Then I don't want to picture it..." Lucy commented.

"I'm sure it wasn't as bad" Mirajane replied. "We all know Natsu is unique..."

"That's saying the least" Carla told.

The girls shared a laugh and then Lucy asked:

"So... what happened with him?"

"No one really knows..." Mirajane said. "He just disappeared... Actually, it was around the same time as her..."

She pointed to the only female S-class wizard of the group. She had a very lively smile that only accentuated her immense beauty with her long blond hair and grey eyes.

"Her name is Parina, she was Master Makarov's favorite pupil" Mirajane said. "They say she was the most talent wizard in all the guild... and also one of the most loved. That Laxus was her caregiver... Maybe that was the reason why she gave his name to our Laxus..."

After hearing Mirajane saying that, Lucy thought for a moment and then noticed Parina's eyes. Perhaps was because they were on someone that looked very cheerful, but then she was able to see the similarities.

"She's... Laxus' mother?"

Mirajane's nodded with her head, surprising the other three.

"I know, it's hard to believe, but it is true" Mirajane said. "Master once told me that Laxus, when he was a kid, was as cheerful as his mother was. Well... that is until... you know... he stopped being like that. Perhaps in part was due to what happened to her."

"What happened to her?" Wendy asked.

But before Mirajane could answer, Natsu slammed the archive door opened and entered, shouting:

"Guys, Erza is here! Hurry up! Laxus is here too, but he was called to master's office. We have to pick the best job before he does!"

Having said that, he left the archive as fast as he got in. That caused both Lucy and Wendy to drop a laugh, while Carla rolled her eyes. The three of them then started to climb up the stairs, as Lucy said:

"Sorry if we weren't that much of a help, Mira."

"It's okay, time really flies when we are having a nice talk" Mirajane replied.

After the three girls got out, Mirajane took the album and looked at the picture of the previous S-class wizard generation with some sadness in her look. She then closed it and went to put it on a shelf with other albums.

Chapter 17: To Be With Wild Spirits, Part 2

Lucy was being held hostage by Jose Porla, who had returned for revenge against Fairy Tail. He had invaded the guild hall and defeated all of the wizards there, including Natsu, Gray, Erza, Gajeel and even Makarov, all of them lying on the floor. Standing at the second floor, was Jose, securing Lucy with her arms behind her back.

"Finally... Fairy Tail has fallen!" he shouted.

"Let me go!" Lucy demanded, as she tried to free herself, but without success. "You will pay for this!"

"And what can you possibly do?" Jose taunted, showing then her key ring with all of her keys. "I have your precious keys... all of your friends have been defeated... your guild hall has been taken over... Face the reality... Fairy Tail is no more. Now, there's only Neo Phantom Lord!"

And he laughed maniacally. It was then that the sound of thunder was heard, ceasing his laugh, as the doors of the guild hall were burst opened. Standing at the entrance was a big figure, with his arms crossed and his coat fluttering with the wind. It was Laxus, setting is sight on Jose holding Lucy hostage.

"Haven't you heard you shouldn't celebrate beforehand?"

"Laxus!" Lucy shouted, with a big smile on her face and her eyes irradiating with hope.

"Oh, just look who he is..." Jose taunted. "The prodigal grandson decided to return home at last... Too bad you're too late. Well, at least you showed up... unlike what happened last..."

But Jose was not able to finish, as Laxus used his Lightning Body, turning himself into electricity and quickly going against the evil wizard, making his body appear as he tackled him, electrocuting as a result, and throwing him against the wall with so much strength that he went through it and then was casted away. Lucy was thrown to the air because of that, but she didn't it the ground, as Laxus was able to catch her on his arms, as a few bolts of electricitiy still run through his body.

Looking up, Lucy's eyes met with Laxus', which were so intense, but at same time transmitting a great sense of security. Lucy did feel safe on those strong arms that belonged to an equal strong body. A blush appeared on her, as a smiled appeared and she went to wrap her arms around Laxus' torso in a hug, saying:

"Oh, Laxus... thank you for saving my life."

"Lucy... I will always be wherever and whenever you need me" Laxus said. "Because... I love you..."

And so, without hesitation, Laxus leaned forward, with his lips about to touch Lucy's...

At that moment, Laxus woke up from his dream, as the sunlight entered through the window of his room and rested on his face. He sat up, wearing a black tank top and white pajama pants. Despite the little confusion after waking up, Laxus was able to realize what he experienced was just another of his strange dreams with Lucy.

"Uh, what is wrong with me...?" he said, as he brough his hand to his face and rubbed his eyes with the tip of his fingers.

He rose up from the bed and went to window to taste the fresh morning air with a deep breath. That allowed him to cool down his body.

That was the place he came to live into after returning back from Tenrou Island. It was a cottage located near the forest, a little away from the town. It was the perfect place to have seclusion and not have anyone disturbing (with that detail being exclusive for Natsu). His room was located at the loft on one side of the cottage, above the living room that was connected to the kitchen and had access to the bathroom.

After he took a shower (a cold one), Laxus could feel more in control of himself. He got out of the shower, wrapping a towel around his waist, and came towards the sink, where the mirror was, and looked up to his reflection. He couldn't help but remembering all the strange dreams that he had lately. They were all about Lucy... and they all ended in a similar way.

Ever since the Grand Magic Games, his feelings for Lucy have only become stronger and more confusing. And the talk he had with his grandfather and Erza didn't help much. How could he try to talk with Lucy when he couldn't understand what he was feeling? Their relationship was already awkward enough. Revealing what he was feeling without even put some sense into them would even deepen that awkwardness. Not to mention he couldn't stop thinking about Lucy's reaction if he confessed to her. Even if he was not the social type, he had noticed her close friendship with Natsu, making him wonder if there was something between them.

Those dreams were most likely a consequence of the emotional turmoil he was feeling. Could it be they were a reflection of his true feelings... or just a twisted version of them caused by his physical attraction towards Lucy?

Laxus went to his room where he got dressed. Getting down later on, he took a fast breakfast and then took his coat that was resting on the back of the armchair where he normally left it whenever he was at home and put it around his shoulders. As he arrived to the door, he took a deep breath, since he was about to go to a place where he would most definetely find her... the guild hall.

Arriving to the entrance of the guild, he encountered his companions from the Thunder Legion waiting for him.

"Hey there, Bossman!" Bickslow said. "Looking nice today!"

"Looking nice! Looking nice!" his dolls repeated.

"Honestly, Bickslow, can't you see the little bags under his eyes?" Evergreen commented, turning then to Laxus. "Have you slept well?"

"I slept just fine, Evergreen" Laxus replied, with a little grunt. "There's no need for worry."

"Are you sure about that?" Fried asked. "Sorry to ask you this, but... in the last few days..."

Laxus just sighed, while rolling his eyes. He knew that his teammates were just worried about him, but he simply didn't want to share with them about the turmoil he had been feeling, especially because he knew they would give their own opinion about what he should do, something that would only increase his already big confusion. He could already hear Bickslow motivating him to follow his crush and to have fun. Meanwhile, Evergreen would tease him about it and then give a lot of love advices. And then there was Fried who would just say that whatever he wanted to do would for certain be the right choice, what would be the most ironic advice, since Laxus himself didn't know what to do.

"Guys, I'm fine, don't worry" Laxus told, firmly. "Now, do you want to go inside and pick a job or do you want to stand here all day?"

With that question, they all went inside the guild hall. Once they arrived, they could hear some grunts of dismay that Laxus quickly identified as coming from Natsu, who was with Gray and Happy. Despite not seeing Lucy there, Laxus was able to identify her smell and, for the looks of it, she went to the archives. Just by sensing her presence, Laxus could feel his body react in anticipation, while also shaking with nervousness. However, at the same time, the fact she was not at the same room as him made Laxus get a bit relieved.

As he started to move in with the Thunder Legion towards the stairs to the second floor, Natsu placed in front of him, saying:

"Oh, no you won't, Laxus!"

"What?" Laxus asked.

"Natsu get out of the way" Fried said. "Don't you see we want to get a job?"

"Not if you go take a S-class job" he said. "My team is going to pick first, so we can't get the best one. We were already here."

"Oh, really?" Evergreen asked, looking then to the table where Gray and Happy were. "For what I can see, you are lacking most of it."

"The girls are at the archieve" Laxus said. "But even so... I can't sense Erza here. And, in case you haven't notice, Natsu, without her, you can't take a S-class job. Unlike me. So, if you don't mind... get out of my way. Unless you want me to do it for you."

"Is that a challenge?" Natsu asked, making the smile he would usually do when he was getting excited for a fight.

"Oh boy..." Gray said.

"Here we go again..." Happy sighed. "Another Natsu and Laxus one-sided fight."

"Trust me, you wouldn't be much of a challenge, kid" Laxus replied.

"Natsu, trust me, Laxus is not that much in the mood..." Fried tried to tell.

Natsu hit one of his fists to the palm, while making fire appear for a moment, and he said to Laxus:

"Bring it on..."

But before anything could happen, Makarov appeared at the second floor and called:

"Laxus! Come to my office, now, please. I have something to talk with you."

After he went to the office, Laxus turned to Natsu and told him:

"It looks like this is your lucky day. You just got a few more minutes."

He then turned to the Thunder Legion:

"Wait here. After I am done with the old man, we'll go working."

"Understood..." Fried replied, as Evergreen and Bickslow nodded.

Laxus started passing by Natsu who kept saying:

"Come on, Laxus, are you walking out on our fight?"

"Cool down, man" Gray told him from the table. "Didn't you hear the master call him?"

"Yeah, Natsu, don't provoke Laxus, if you still want to be conscious when Erza gets back" Happy told.

But the Fire Dragon Slayer kept on making a scene, but Laxus didn't even bother to pay any attention, as he climbed up the stairs to the second floor to go to his grandfather's office. When he got in the office, he said:

"You called, old man?"

"Yes, please, close the door" Makarov told, as Laxus entered and close the door. "I hope you and Natsu were not having problems."

"If there's someone with problems is that flame freak" Laxus replied, as he sat down on the chair in front of his grandfather's desk. "So, what is it that you wanted to talk with me about?"

"A job request has just arrived" Makarov told, as he held a flyer. "It is urgent, and I think you are the perfect choice for it... No, scratch that... you're the only choice."

"What kind of job is it?" Laxus asked. "Because if it is like the ones we have been receiving lately..."

"It's a SS-class job" Makarov told. "So you don't have to worry about not being serious."

That revelation surprised Laxus.

"A SS-class?" Laxus asked. "We haven't had those in a while. Normally, depending on the urgency, they normally tend to become Decade Quests. To those more urgent, you normally send Gildarts."

"Yes, but Gildarts is not here at the moment" Makarov said. "And the urgency prevents me from contacting him in such short notice. But, even if I could, I don't think that he would be ideal for it. The job is requiring a wizard that possesses a strong light-based magic."

"I see..." Laxus said, as he took the flyer and read it. "Four million jewels? That's a little lower than usual... even when considering the regular S-class jobs outside."

"The other part of the reward is directed to the guild itself" Makarov said. "Not just that, but I was told that, depending on the results of the mission, you may get an additional reward. Don't ask questions about it."

"Okay..." Laxus said, a little suspicious, but putting it aside. "Well, the Thunder Legion and I will go as soon as possible and..."

"Actually, Laxus, you should read the rest of the flyer, before you go" Makarov warned.

Laxus raised an eyebrow before reading the flyer more attentively, ending up noticing one detail that would catch him off-guard.

"The hell...?!" he asked. "You must be joking. Please tell me this is a joke."

"It's not a joke" Makarov said. "And trust me that I had nothing to do with it. That is a very specific and upmost necessity for this job."

There was a pause and then Makarov said, adopting a more empathic voice:

"I understand that you are still trying to figure out things over... but, for the time being, I want you to put that aside for the sake of our client and the guild's reputation."

Laxus took a deep breath as he tried to control his own emotions.

"You're right, old man. I should do what is best... both to the client and the guild" he said, as he got up. "I better go then... Natsu and the others are waiting for Erza so they can take a S-class job. I have to get to them before they leave."

"I wish you good luck, my boy" Makarov said, as Laxus started heading towards the exit of his office. "You will need it."

"I don't need any luck, old man" Laxus said, without turning to his grandfather, as he reached the door. "By now, you should already know that."

Having said that, he got out. After he did, Makarov leaned back on his chair as he sighed.

"I hope I have made the right decision in sending those two..." he said. "This job is not going to be something that they can simply solve with magic power alone."

It was then that he sensed a presence in his office, one that he quickly recognized.

"I know I have agreed to help you the best I could and that you had a good reason to send me that job specifically for them, but even so... They are about to face something that transcends the knowledge and experience of most humans on this world."

The presence there was casting a shadow that revealed to have feathered wings...

Notes:

Regarding Laxus' dream, I was planning to make something more... intense. However, I decided to make something more meaningful. As you must remember, Mirajane contacted Laxus to let him know what was happening during Phantom's attack and asked for his help, what he, like the jerk he was back then, refused... unless Lucy became his woman. Now that he had become a better person, that moment is now seen as shameful by him, especially if we consider his feelings towards Lucy. So, having him have a dream where he saves Lucy from Jose is basically his mind trying to have him repent for his actions and, at the same time, win Lucy's heart. Also, regarding the last part... That was my way of teasing what is coming and also the plans I have for the sequel of this AU that will be my own version of the 100 Years Quest.

Chapter 18: To Be With Wild Spirits, Part 3

Laxus got out of his grandfather's office, holding the flyer of the SS-class job. After he did that, he could feel a mix of scents at the second floor, including the one he was ready to look for. He followed them and found Erza, Natsu and Lucy (the others should be downstairs waiting for them) in front of the board with the S-class jobs. He could already hear Natsu and Lucy arguing about which job to pick.

"Are you crazy?!" Lucy asked. "No way we are going to pick that one!"

"Why not?!" Natsu asked. "It's the one that is most exciting! Not to mention the one that involves a lot of fighting..."

"Precisely my point" Lucy replied. "S-class jobs are already hard as they are. We're not going to pick one based on your desire to fight the biggest threat."

"But the others sound too boring" Natsu replied. "Let Laxus and his team take them."

"Let Laxus and his team take what?" Laxus asked, as he approached.

"Uh, Laxus..." Erza said. "Sorry, about this... Apparently someone can't grasp that he is not the one here that gets to choose a job. Don't worry, we'll already leaving."

"Yeah, but first we're going to pick the best job here" Natsu said, using his boasting voice. "Told ya we would pick first. And we're going to get the one with the giant monster and you can get the scraps."

"Natsu!" Lucy admonished.

"If you want, you can get all those" Laxus replied. "I already have a job the old man gave to me."

"Uh, I bet it's some lame job, like serving as bodyguard..." Natsu told to Lucy, in his cocky attitude.

"Well, if you consider a SS-class job lame... then I think you're right" Laxus told, showing up the flyer to the three of them and expressing a smile that served to taunt Natsu.

All three of them reacted with great surprise, but Natsu was the most shocked, shouting:

"What?!"

"A SS-class job..." Erza said. "I have to admit that I myself feel a little envious of you, Laxus. Only experienced S-class wizards go on those jobs. But then again, after Gildarts, you are the most experienced S-class wizard of our guild..."

"Hey, this is not fair!" Natsu shouted. "Why would gramps give that job to you and not me?! I am much better..."

Before he could finish, Lucy gave him a smack on the head and said:

"He didn't give it to you because you're not a S-class wizard, remember? And he didn't give it to Erza because Laxus is more experienced. Seriously, can't your brain be faster than that big mouth of yours for once?"

Turning then to Laxus, Lucy smiled and told:

"I'm happy for you, Laxus. Knowing you, I bet you're going to finish it in no time."

That praise from Lucy was received without expectation by Laxus, who couldn't help but make a slight blush that passed almost undetected. Erza noticed it and couldn't help but make a slight smile. Clearing his throat as a way to react, Laxus said, as he scratched the back of his head:

"Thanks, Lucy... And it's good that you think that... because you're going to see it for yourself. You're coming with me."

That statement caught Lucy off-guard, asking:

"What?! Me... coming... with you...? In a... SS-class job?"

"You're taking Lucy?!" Natsu asked. "Did using lightning too many times fried your brain? She's in our team, remember?"

"Yeah, I know that... but this is not for debate" Laxus said.

"It's not for debate?" Lucy repeated. "And my opinion doesn't count?"

Erza was also surprised by that. Why would Laxus take Lucy on a SS-class job? Could it be that he would use that job to talk to her about his feelings? No, that couldn't be, as Laxus would never compromise a job to solve a personal issue. Not to mention she still knew about his uncertainty regarding his feelings. There could be only an explanation for that.

"Let me guess... the master was the one to take that decision?" Erza asked.

"Actually, the old man doesn't have the power of choice, here, either" Laxus replied. "This job requires a celestial wizard and, I don't know if you haven't notice, blondie, you're the only one Fairy Tail has."

"But..." Lucy started.

"And this job is too much important to refuse" Laxus added. "The old man was very clear about that."

"But..." Lucy continued to say.

It was then that she felt a hand landing on her shoulder. Lucy turned and saw Erza who was giving her one of her encouraging smiles.

"You don't need to feel so nervous" she said Lucy. "This will be a great experience for you. Not to mention that you will be with Laxus."

"I know, but..." Lucy started.

"Hey, if you don't want to go, then I..." Natsu started.

But he didn't finish, as Erza gave him a smack on the head that caused Natsu to fall on the ground semi-conscious.

"This job is not for you" Erza replied to him, before turning to Lucy. "I know that you're about to go outside of your comfort zone, with a job that is not like the ones you have taken and without us. But I am certain everything will be alright."

"Even so..." Lucy said.

Laxus could only guess what was going on in Lucy's mind. After all, it was not just about going on a potentially dangerous job, but also coming with him. He clearly wasn't planning this, but there was no way around. He needed a celestial wizard to do that job...

"You would get two million jewels with this job" Laxus told.

That statement clearly caught Lucy's attention. Laxus knew that she used to struggle a little with her rent... and most of that was because of the destruction that her team normally caused during their jobs. He decided to use that to convince Lucy to come and, even if that didn't work, he still had another way to convince her.

"Two million?" Lucy asked. "Wow... that would give me a big break in my financial problems..."

"Two million..." Erza said. "Assuming you are splitting the reward in half... that would make this job four million worthy... A little low for a dangerous job..."

"Yeah, but the old man said that part of the reward is meant for Fairy Tail itself" Laxus replied, seeing that was his chance to cast the last argument that would convince Lucy to come with him. "He didn't give much detail... as usual... but it must be something important. But if princess here doesn't want to help to make our guild stronger... I guess I can handle the job by myself."

He turned his back and started advancing and moving away. Meanwhile, Lucy heard what Laxus had said. Even if the job could be dangerous, the fact is she couldn't help but be curious about it... The reward was something that caught her attention. Sure, two million would solve a lot of financial issues... not to mention that she would be able to keep some for the publication of her novel. But the part that resonated the most in her was the mysterious reward that would go to the guild itself. Despite it was unknown what it was, clearly it could only be something amazing. And having in consideration the enemies and problems Fairy Tail had faced, every advantage the guild could have would be welcome.

But then she also remembered about what Laxus said that about the job specifically requiring a celestial wizard. Could it be that this was about some spirit causing trouble? But... wouldn't that mean that a celestial wizard could potentially be the cause? All that made her remember of celestial wizards like Everlue, Karen and Angel that hold no regard for their spirits and would use them for their selfish motives. If there was a spirit that was being abused the same way, Lucy felt it was her duty to try to free them.

However, when thinking she would have to be alone with Laxus during the duration of that job, Lucy would get nervous. Laxus was already intimidating by himself, but then there was all their history together and the confusing feelings she had for him. Would she be able to handle all that, while trying to handle a job that could become the hardest she had already faced?

"I know that accepting that job may be hard for you" Erza said to Lucy, as if guessing what she was thinking. "But no one ever said that the path of a wizard is easy."

"The job... is at a level that I never faced..." Lucy said.

"And yet you already faced two of the members of the Balam Alliance and saved the entire kingdom of Fiore from dragons" Erza said. "And let's not forget your actions on Edolas. You are the most talented celestial wizard I know. With Laxus by your side, I have no doubt that you will succeed in this job. Not to mention that you may solve your issues..."

"Issues?" a voice repeated, with that being Natsuo had just recovered and was getting up. "What issues?"

Rolling her eyes, Erza replied to him:

"Nothing of your interest."

And she gave him another smack that made him get semi-conscious again. After that, she continued:

"You don't have to worry, Lucy. You got this. And you don't have to worry about us either. We will be fine. Just go... and make our guild proud."

Despite the uncertainty she was feeling, Lucy felt Erza's words filling her with the courage she needed. Taking a deep breath, she started advancing to follow Laxus.

"That's the Lucy I know..." Erza admired with a smile.

"Oh, my head is spinning..." Natsu said, as he started to get up.

"Come on, Natsu" Erza said as she picked a job on the S-class board. "We have a job to do."

Remembering why they were there, Natsu quickly got up on his feet and exclaimed:

"Right! Time to pick a job..."

"Already done" Erza said, as she started to advance towards the stairs. "Try to keep up."

Natsu turned to the board and saw which job Erza took, saying:

"Hey, but that is the most boring one!"

"What did you say?" Erza asked, using her intimidating voice.

"Nothing!" Natsu hasted to say, as he got very stiff, like he used to whenever he got scared of Erza authoritarian voice.

"Good..." Erza replied, as she continued walking.

"Oh man... I really wanted to try that one..." Natsu sighed, as he followed her, while making a final look to the job he wanted to take.

Laxus descended from the second floor, as the Thunder Legion came to him.

"So... what did the master wanted?" Evergreen asked.

"I hope there's not any problem" Bickslow said.

"Not problem! Not problem!" the dolls repeated.

"Don't worry, there's no problem..." Laxus replied. "He just wanted to give me a special job."

"Well, in that case, we are ready to go" Fried said, as Evergreen and Bickslow nodded behind him.

There was a pause and then Laxus said:

"Sorry, guys, but this job is meant for two people... including me."

"Well... obviously that person can only be someone with the power and grace of a fairy..." Evergreen said, proudly.

"Yeah... if he has to face a bunch of pervert men..." Bickslow replied. "No offense, Ever, but I am the one with the strongest firepower in this three-men team."

"Firepower! Firepower!" His dolls repeated.

"What did you and your freaky dolls just say?!" Evergreen exclaimed, annoyingly.

"Guys, guys, let's calm down" Fried said, as he placed himself between his two teammates. "There is no reason to fight. We have to trust Laxus will make the right choice of which one of us to choose. However... if we are to consider the best choice, my Enchantments are far more useful."

"What?!" both Evergreen and Bickslow exclaimed.

As they continued to argue, Laxus just sighed, as the Thunder Legion wasn't even giving him the chance to tell them that neither of them would come with him. It was then that a voice called him:

"Laxus!"

He turned and he saw Lucy coming to him from the second floor. Once she arrived to his side (and after catching up her breath), she said:

"Okay, I will go with you on the job."

That statement caused the ones listening to that to gasp in surprise, especially the Thunder Legion who exclaimed:

"What?!"

"Hey, what is that you are saying about going with Laxus on a job?" Fried asked.

"Yeah, blondie, you already have a team, remember?" Bickslow added.

"A team that is right here..." Gray said, as him, Wendy, Carla and Happy approached. "What is all this, Lucy?"

"Well... you see..." Lucy started.

"Oh, I get it..." Happy said, as he approached Lucy and made his mischievious look. "These two are... in looooove..."

Lucy reacted to that, but giving a strong punch on Happy, throwing him against the floor, and shouted, while blushing:

"If it is to say something dumb, then try to keep that cat mouth shut!"

"I don't know... they do look good together..." Mirajane said, with a smile.

"Please, Mira, don't start it..." Lisanna said, in a whisper. "Have you forgotten about... that?"

"About what?" Elfman asked his little sister.

"Nothing that concerns you" she replied to him.

"Lucy is coming with me because my job requires a celestial wizard" Laxus replied.

"But, if that is the case, shouldn't that job be given to our team, instead?" Wendy asked.

"That sounds a more logical decision..." Carla commented.

"Their job is a SS-class" Erza said, as everyone saw her returning with Natsu who had a pouted look. "And was given specifically to Laxus by the master."

"And it is totally unfair..." Natsu continued to grunt. "I could totally do that job even faster than Laxus..."

The revelation that Laxus had been given an SS-class job surprised many people, even more that Lucy would team up with him.

Laxus, who had already enough of that, especially because he already had Lucy accepting to come with him, just turned to her and told her:

"Meet me at the train station in an hour. Try not to be late."

Having said that, he headed towards the exit of the guild hall, with the Thunder Legion going after him.

"Laxus, wait!" Fried said, as he went after his leader, followed by Evergreen and Bickslow.

"Okay, this was... something" Gray commented. "I feel like I am missing something here."

"Yeah... you're missing the point Laxus will have a lot more fun than we will..." Natsu sulked.

"Stop with the whining, Natsu" Erza told him. "We may not have a SS-class job, but we have a S-class one, so you better be glad I accepted to do one with you guys."

She said the last time using her pierce look that caused Natsu to put his best behavior and replied:

"Yes, mam!"

"So, let's get going" Erza said. "Go get your things and meet me on the train station. And yes, Natsu, I said train station."

Erza then turned to Lucy and gave her a comforting smile that filled her with more confidence for what was coming. As they left so each could prepare themselves for their respective jobs, Makarov was standing at the second floor watching them go.

"I wish you good luck, my children" he said, referring to Lucy and Laxus. "I can only hope you are ready for this challenge..."

Chapter 19: To Be With Wild Spirits, Part 4

Lucy was preparing her bag at her place. However, she was having trouble in knowing in what to put there. Plue was there with her, sitting on the bed while watching his owner who couldn't help but bringing her thoughts into words:

"Well... he didn't exactly say where we're going, so I don't know for certain what to pack. Maybe... I should just be prepared for any kind of weather or place. But... I still have a lot of clothes for each eventuality. What kind should I take? What do you think, Plue?"

But Plue just made one of his sounds and Lucy said:

"Yeah... maybe I am just overthinking things. I mean, I am just going in a job with Laxus. Why should I care what clothes I will take with me? It's not like I would care what he will think of my appearance, right?"

As she took a top she had bought recently, Lucy went to the mirror to see how it would look on her, saying:

"He is just... a very handsome man... who was also my first kiss... and saved my life... and for whom my heart always pumps faster whenever I am close to for too long in his presence..."

Just as she said that, Lucy could already feel her heart start beating faster and her cheeks getting warmer and redder. Noticing that, she shook her head as she tried to push away all those thoughts about Laxus away and went to just pack her bag. Turning then to Plue, Lucy said, as she took his key:

"Thanks for listening to me, Plue. I was really needing to vent out a little."

Plue responded with one of his sounds, as he rose a hand, something that Lucy quickly notice it was his way to encourage her. She closed Plue's gate and he returned to the Celestial Spirit World.

After that, she went to put some clothes that she could need in her bag and then prepared herself to go to the train station. Lucy was almost at the door when she noticed something she had on the commode: the paper bag that contained the object she had sent to repair in Onibus.

Seeing it, Lucy remembered the reason why she did it. And she intended to give it back. However, with the training for the Grand Magic Games, the games themselves (along with the dragon incident) and all the work the guild had been having, she ended up not finding the best moment to give it to him. But, now that they were going on a job together... alone... that was the best moment to do it. With that, she took the bag and put it in her shoulder bag, before leaving.

Laxus had also got himself ready and was exiting his house, carrying his drawstring bag over his shoulder. As he came out of his house, he found the Thunder Legion waiting for him.

"Seriously?" he asked, before passing by them and start walking away. "Guys, I don't need extra shadows."

"We know that, but..." Evergreen started.

"We just wanted to make sure if you need our help" Bickslow said.

"Our help! Our help!" his dolls said.

"I already told you..." Laxus said, turning to them. "This job is just for me and Lucy. Why do you guys keep on insisting?"

He continued advancing, but the Thunder Legion continued following with Fried saying:

"Look, Laxus, it's just... Well, Evergreen said that there might be some unresolved issues between you and Lucy."

That caused Laxus to turn to them and ask:

"What...?"

Just his look alone caused the Thunder Legion to get nervous and Bickslow was fast to say:

"Hey, it was Ever who came up with that!"

"It was Ever! It was Ever!" the dolls repeated.

"You and your wooden freaks are really just a bunch of blabbermouths!" Evergreen shouted to Bickslow and his dolls before turning to Laxus. "Look, Laxus... As a woman, I have the sensitivity to see when guys like you start to act... differently. And... I did notice how your behavior changes when you're around Lucy. Besides... we women normally talk between ourselves... You're not exactly the definition of... subtlety."

Even if Laxus got annoyed that his personal life and feelings were worthy of girl gossip, he just scoffed at that and Fried continued:

"As your personal guard, we have the duty to make sure that you..."

"I appreciate your concern, but everything will be fine" Laxus told, as he turned his back. "Now, if you don't mind, I have... regretfully... a train to catch."

Having said that, he moved away, while the Thunder Legion observed him, trading some concern looks.

At the train station, Lucy was waiting for Laxus to arrive. She got to meet her team and say goodbye to them before they had to embark on their train. Of course Natsu kept on complaining about having to go on a train, but a stern look from Erza made him to enter it without any more fuss, something that caused Lucy to drop a chuckle.

After a few moments, she saw Laxus approaching. She got up when he arrived and asked her:

"Ready to go?"

"Yes, I am..." she replied. "So... where are we going exactly?"

"Our destination is a town called Acer, located on the Phoenix Mountains at the west of Fiore" Laxus said, as he and Lucy started heading towards their train.

"Oh, I've heard about that town" Lucy said. "My father used to have business with it."

"Apparently, they have been plagued by something that causes a lot of damages every night" Laxus continued. "Many wizards have tried to stop it, but failed, being why the job ended up becoming SS-class. We're going on train for the rest of the day until the town of Azalea. We spend the night there, while we gather supplies, and then we go on foot the rest of the way."

"Wait... on foot... on a mountain region?" Lucy asked.

"Don't worry, princess, if you get tired, I can carry you" Laxus replied, with a little bit on tease.

That caused Lucy to puff her cheeks and then say:

"I don't need you to carry me, thank you very much. I am not that much of a princess, you know?"

That response kind of amused Laxus, but he did his best to keep his composure.

The two of them got in the train they would take and soon sat down on seats, with them sitting facing one another. There was some kind of awkward silence between them, as they waited that the train started moving. To break that awkwardness, Lucy just decided that perhaps that was the moment to give Laxus that thing...

"Uh, Laxus, I have something for you..." Lucy said, a little nervously, as she took the bag from her shoulder bag.

"Something for me?" Laxus asked, both confused and curious.

"Well, it's nothing big, really..." Lucy said, while holding the bag. "It's just... something I had fixed for you... so basically I am just giving it back."

She extended the bag to Laxus who looked at it for a few moments before taking it. He wouldn't lie when he admitted in his head that he wasn't excited about what Lucy had just given him. It was then that, after opening it, his look got even more confused as he took out... the very same headphones he used to wear.

"They got damaged after your battle with Hades... but I managed to recover them before Acnalogia appeared" Lucy told. "After we returned, I sent them to a shop in Onibus to be repaired and then I've been trying to find the perfect chance to give them back to you. But... with everything that has been happening and all the work we both have been having, I simply couldn't find that chance... until now."

Laxus got surprised to hear that Lucy had all that trouble for him. So that was the reason behind her going to Onibus that day...

"I know that you are wondering why I did all this" Lucy said. "The truth is... I just wanted to thank you for what you did for me in Amaryll. You really saved me back then. And there's also how you saved us against Hades. Even if Natsu was the one to beat him in the end, the fact is... we would have been done if you hadn't arrived at the right time. Sorry if they don't have your music. The Magic Database was too much damaged to recover any music stored there."

But Laxus continued to observe his old headphones and Lucy asked:

"So... What do you think?"

There was a pause and then, for Lucy's surprise, Laxus just casted the headphones to her lap (making her catch them), while saying:

"Don't want them, thank you very much."

That reaction really caught Lucy by surprise, but then she reacted with some anger on her voice:

"At least you could show a little bit of appreciation. I did put some effort to repay you for what you did for me."

"I don't want them... because they don't fit with the man I am now" Laxus replied, as he turned his gaze to the window, causing Lucy to subside her indignation. "Those headphones fit the image of the Laxus that cared only about power and strength, that was blindly selfish and vain... When I lost them, I couldn't help but feel relieved, as if I could reshape my image to the one that truly fits the man I am now."

Hearing that, Lucy realized, looking at the headphones, that maybe she was a bit inconsiderate with that gift. Perhaps she should have thought about if Laxus would even want them back, instead of assuming he would. Nevertheless, she couldn't help but admire his effort to detach himself as much as possible from the man he used to be... even if he had already done that.

"You know... dropping the coat would do the same result" she teased him, with a smile.

"I want to look different than the man I used to be, but let's not stretching it" Laxus replied, causing Lucy to drop a chuckle.

That chuckle was one of the sweetest sounds Laxus had ever heard. It almost made him remember of the chuckles his mother used to do and always made him smile even when he felt himself so sad.

"If you want, you can keep them" Laxus said. "That way you can keep your mushy love songs you love so much..."

"Hey!" Lucy replied, with a mix of indignation and amusement.

The two shared a chuckle and then a look. Both had to admit that was the very first time they were together like that. Lucy herself was seeing a side in Laxus she had never seen. Who knew that Laxus could actually be laid-back behind his stoic and detached look? It was actually quite nice to experience something like that.

It was then that the train started moving and then Laxus' expression changed. His focus went completely to the window, as he placed his hand in front of the lower half of his face. Lucy got a little confused by that, but then noticed Laxus looked a little green and, at that moment, she realized that, as a dragon slayer, he suffered of motion sickness just like Natsu, something that amused her a little bit.

"You know, I almost forget that you also have motion sickness" Lucy said, trying to contain her laugh.

She just heard a grunt from him, which was most likely his way to answer her without talking and any risk of throwing up.

"But I have to say... it's impressive you can hold it quite well" she said. "Normally, Natsu would already passing out and..."

But as soon she said that, the train got more speed and Laxus motion sickness worsed a little bit, causing him to get a bit more lightheaded and his stomach to twist inside. If there was a part of the journey that he totally regretted was the train ride. Normally, he would make the journey on foot or use his Lightning Body. But due to the urgency of the job and the fact he had Lucy with him, traveling by train to cover most the way was the most viable solution... even if that meant to spend hours in a moving vehicle and endure his motion sickness.

While seeing Laxus doing his best to contain his motion sickness, Lucy couldn't help but expressing a small smile. For him to endure it, he should really have a great deal of focus. That really shows how different he was from Natsu who would just fall apart at the slightest movement on a vehicle. But even if he could endure better, there was no doubt that it would be hard for him to keep it that way the entire journey.

She didn't know what drove her to do it. Perhaps because she already saw Erza do it with Natsu many times, then maybe she would do it herself... without the punch in the gut, of course. Lucy stood up from her seat and sat beside Laxus. After that, she grabbed his head, turning him to her. Their eyes met, with the two of them staring at one another for a few moments, causing a slight blush to appear on both of them.

"What are you doing?" Laxus asked.

"Just... relax, okay?" Lucy said. "This will help with the motion sickness."

And so she guided his head to her lap. Laxus indeed felt a little better, but he couldn't help but feeling strange with his head on Lucy's lap.

"Lucy, this..." he started.

"Erza does this with Natsu... except she ends up putting him out with a punch in the gut" Lucy said. "Just... let me make this trip a little easier for you, okay?"

Laxus wanted to talk back at her, but he just felt much better that way that he ended up letting things be...

Notes:

I hope you have enjoyed this chapter. Yeah, the beginning of this arc is coming a bit slow, but things will start to move faster and more intense on the next chapters, you can be sure of that. I just wanted to work a little in Laxus and Lucy's relationship, to address even more the feelings they have for one another. Not to mention I wanted to tie the loose end on "The Mystery of Lucy" that I left especifically for this moment.

Chapter 20: To Be With Wild Spirits, Part 5

The train advanced surely towards Azalea. As the day passed, the closer they got to their destination. But, of course, that thought was not that much comforting for Laxus who just couldn't wait for that trip of hell to end. Even with Lucy mitigating the effects of his motion sickness by having his head resting on her lap, he could still feel himself lightheaded. His only moments of relief were when the train would make stops.

Despite all the discomfort caused by the motion sickness, Laxus couldn't help but feeling immensely relaxed... in fact, more than he had ever been in a very long time. Despite the awkwardness that could exist of him having his head resting on Lucy's lap, Laxus couldn't care much about it. And the comfort he was feeling was so much that he even ended up falling asleep.

Lucy, on her side, despite also feeling awkward with that, couldn't help but smiling while watching Laxus sleeping with his head on her lap. It was amazing how a person would look so different once they were relaxed. Laxus had always looked so intimidating... even after he had become a better person. But interacting with him just before the train started moving and now having him sleeping with his head on her lap made her see him through a completely different perspective... especially when he was snoring lightly, making him look like he was purring, something that really amused her.

After an entire day of traveling, the train finally arrived to Azalea. After it stopped, Lucy slightly tapped on Laxus, while saying:

"Laxus, wake up... We're here..."

It took a few more attempts, but Lucy managed to wake up Laxus who, after realizing the train had stopped and still had his head on Lucy's lap, quickly raised up.

"For how long we have arrived here?" he asked.

"Don't worry, we just got here" Lucy said, as she got up and went to get her bag. "But I have to say... I didn't know you snored."

That comment made Laxus blush in a way that was visible and so he quickly rose up, taking his bag and say, as he started moving:

"Let's get going."

That caused Lucy to drop a chuckle and then she followed him.

As they walked around Azalea, Lucy couldn't help but admired the town that was located near the base of a mountain.

"Wow... Azalea sure is quite nice..." she commented. "Well, not quite as Magnolia, but..."

"Enjoy it as you can" Laxus told, as he walked ahead. "Don't forget that we're only staying here for the night. We will depart as soon the sun rises."

"Can't you just drop the serious tough guy act for a moment and enjoy the scenery?" Lucy asked. "I mean, you couldn't do that during the train, but you could at least do it now."

"We're on a job, remember?" Laxus replied, always looking ahead. "We have to remain focus."

"Please don't tell me that you never got to enjoy yourself during a job" Lucy told.

It was then that Laxus stopped and replied:

"I used to... but it was not the enjoyment that either you or your teammates would ever... appreciate."

That caused Lucy to make a confused look and Laxus, noticing that through the corner of his eye, just replied:

"Forget about it... Let's just find a place to stay so that we can get provisions for tomorrow."

And he continued walking, with Lucy looking at him and wondering what type of enjoyment Laxus was talking about.

The two of them eventually came to find the town's inn, but after requesting for two rooms or a double one, they were told that they only had one available.

"Seriously?" Lucy asked. "You only have one single available?"

"I'm sorry, miss, but our town is a passageway for travels that want to travel through the mountains or are coming from them" the inn owner replied. "Honestly, we have been having quite the movement lately... especially with the troubles that has been happening in Acer..."

When he said that, Lucy and Laxus traded looks between one another. He was most likely talking about the thing that has been causing trouble.

"What is... happening in Acer?" Lucy asked.

"Well... there are only rumors..." the inn owner replied. "But the townspeople claim that some monster has been tormenting them for the last two months. It appears at night and kind of becomes some type of tyrant that attacks anyone at sight and causes destruction without any particular reason."

"That sounds awful..." Lucy commented.

"And a bit surreal" the inn owner told. "I am just paraphrasing what I have been hearing. But the truth is many wizards have come and gone and they all have failed to solve the issue. Are you by chance... guild wizards as well?"

Lucy was able to answer that when Laxus came forward, positioning himself in front of Lucy's right side and replied:

"We're just passing by. We have business at the other side of the mountains."

"I see... Well, I advise you to avoid the region around Acer... even if you have to go around it" the inn owner told.

"We will..." Laxus replied. "And we will take the room."

"Very well..." the owner told, as he went to give the room key to Laxus. "I wish you a good staying."

After that, Laxus started heading towards the upper floor, with Lucy following him.

"Why did you lie to the inn owner, Laxus?" Lucy asked, as they walked through the hall. "You don't think that he..."

"I am not thinking about anything" he replied. "It was just a precaution. If we are dealing with a celestial spirit, then we are also dealing with a rogue celestial wizard. And even if it is something else... that doesn't exonerate the possibility that this is the doing of someone else."

"I see..." Lucy commented. "You don't want to call attention to us, so we can reach Acer without having to face any problem."

"Honestly, probably it is useless to try to hide our presence" Laxus replied, as they arrived to their room. "But it is always the best idea to lay low until the right moment."

"Yeah, Erza is of the same opinion, and she tries to have us to the same" Lucy told, as Laxus would open the door to the room. "But with Natsu... well, that gets a little difficult."

Laxus opened the room and they entered, finding it to be a simple room with a single bed and a private bathroom. Seeing it, Lucy said, a little nervously:

"So... it looks like we will be sharing a bed."

"You can have it" Laxus replied, as he went to take a chair and drag it to near the window. "I spent most of the day sleeping, so I don't need it."

"Are you sure?" Lucy asked, as she approached the bed.

"Yes, I'm sure" Laxus told, as he placed his bag on the chair. "I will need you well rested for the job, so take this chance to have a good night sleep. Now, I will gather some supplies for tomorrow."

After saying that, he left the room. Lucy took that chance to relax a bit. It felt good to lay down on a bed after long hours sitting at a train. But if there was one thing that would really allow her to relax would be a bath. Maybe there would be time to take one, before Laxus came back and they went to get dinner before sleeping.

Sometime later, Laxus arrived to the room, transporting a pair of bags that had everything he and Lucy would need for their journey towards Acer. He went to place the bags at a corner of the room and then noticed Lucy's absence. Taking a whiff, he could sense that her scent was still strong there, so she had been there not so long ago... but then he also smelled a scent of bubble bath, along with hearing some humming, coming from the bathroom. Approaching the door, he was able to recognize Lucy's voice and realize that she was taking a bath.

Once he came to that realization, Laxus could feel himself actually getting excited. After all, the woman to whom he was attracted to was taking a bath right at next room. He wouldn't lie if the thought of staying there and try to imagine Lucy taking a bath didn't cross his mind, but Laxus was able to drive that thought from his mind and moved away.

After a little while, Lucy came out of the bathroom, wearing only a towel around her and using another to dry her hair. It was then that she noticed the bags that Laxus had brought and realized that he had already came there. That made her feel a little bit embarrassed, because she didn't intent for her bath to take that long. But then she noticed a ticket on her bag from Laxus telling her that he would be waiting for her downstairs for dinner. She wondered why he simply wouldn't tell her that, but maybe it was to give her some privacy while taking a bath, something that made her drop a slight smile.

Soon after she got herself dressed, Lucy went downstairs where she encountered Laxus and the two went to have dinner at the inn's restaurant. Despite it was a rather quiet dinner, Lucy couldn't help but quite enjoying that moment. For once, she was having dinner without having to worry about noise complaints, someone eating too much and making a mess or fights starting out of nowhere. But she also had to admit that dinner with Laxus was allowing her to know him a bit more.

When night fell, they went to their room, where Lucy prepared herself to go to sleep, while Laxus went to sit on the chair next to the window, letting his coat fell on its back.

"Are you sure you're okay with me taking the bed all to myself?" Lucy asked, as she let her hair down.

"I already told you it's fine" Laxus replied. "You need it more than I do."

Despite feeling a little guilty in agreeing with Laxus' decision, Lucy climbed onto the bed and lied down and tried to have some sleep... something that didn't take long to happen, since she was tired from the train journey and the bath allowed her to relax. When she least expected, she had fallen asleep... and, for some time, she felt nothing but pure tranquility.

It was then that she started to be invaded by the strangest and most intense of dreams she had ever had. She couldn't even piece together if she was having a nightmare or a very vivid and strange dream. A mix of emotions were invading her... Fear... Rage... Despair... Pain... They were all coming together... as if she couldn't feel anything else. But that was not the worst part... The worst part was the darkness that was surrounding her... It was asphyxiating... One of the worst sensations she had ever felt. It almost seemed like she would be able to escape it...

"Lucy!" a voice started to call her. "Lucy, wake up!"

Lucy suddenly opened her eyes, while trying to take a deep breath, after finally being freed from that suffocating darkness. The other thing she could feel was her sweat, along with her heart beating in a racing rhythm. The first thing she saw was Laxus near her, with a concerning look.

"Are you okay, Lucy?" he asked.

Without thinking twice, Lucy went to hug Laxus, placing her arms around his neck. He was taken by surprise by that, but feeling Lucy trembling from her nightmare, he held her back. It took a moment for Lucy realize what she was doing and let go of Laxus, who also released her as well.

"Sorry, Laxus, I..." she started saying, while blushing, trying to find the right words. "It was... a reflex."

"It's okay..." Laxus replied, while trying to hide his blush. "It looks like you were having a nightmare..."

"A nightmare?" Lucy asked. "I... don't even know if you can call it that... It was all very confusing..."

Laxus could see that the nightmare really freaked Lucy out, so he thought that it was for the best to try to calm her down, instead of trying to figure out what just happened.

"Stay here" he told her, as he started heading towards the exit. "I'll get you some water."

He left the room, leaving Lucy alone, as she tried to calm herself down with deep breaths. While doing that, she tried to put together the strange dream she had. All those feelings... and that suffocating darkness... What was all that about? It was like anything she had ever experienced before, so why was she dreaming about it? After a few moments, she started to have a strange feeling that maybe that dream had some meaning... To be certain, she needed to consult with someone that could give her the answer she needed.

Going to get her key ring, she took one of her silver keys and said:

"Open, Gate of the Southern Cross... Crux!"

And so Crux was summoned.

"I'm sorry to summon you at this late hour, grandpa Crux, but I really need your help" Lucy said. "I just had this... some kind of nightmare. It was so confusing that I couldn't exactly understand. I suspect that it may have some spiritual nature, so I need your help to see if I am correct."

There was a pause and then Crux started to doze off with that meaning that he was making a search. Lucy waited for a few moments until Crux woke up with a shout.

"So... do you have something?" Lucy asked.

"Indeed I do, Miss Lucy" Crux replied. "However... I don't know how to exactly explain it."

"Please, anything..." Lucy said. "That dream... it was not normal..."

"That is because it was not a dream" Crux told. "At least, not in the traditional way..."

"What do you mean?"

"Miss Lucy, I have served many celestial wizards, but I have to confess that you are perhaps the most powerful one to ever possess my key. In fact, many of the spirits that have contract with you feel the same way. Your skills as a celestial wizard go beyond than just being able to open two gates at the same time."

"Crux, I feel... rather honored" Lucy replied. "But what does that have to do with my dream?"

"Like I said, your skills are way beyond the ones of a normal celestial wizard" Crux answered. "Your connection to the spirits is so strong... that I think you are now capturing the spiritual imprint left by our presence in your world."

Lucy processed what Crux had just said and then asked:

"You mean... I am feeling what a spirit is feeling?"

"Not exactly..." Crux told. "You are feeling a spirit's aura."

"If that is true... then why I am having these dreams now?" Lucy asked. "I mean... I am constantly interacting with spirits. Wouldn't I be able to sense their auras as well?"

"Maybe..." Crux told. "I can only hypothesize that our contracts may be the reason for that. The mind gets more vulnerable when it is in a state of sleep, so that's why you had that nightmare. However, since we are bound by our contracts, your mind had adjusted itself having that in consideration."

"Then that means..." Lucy started.

"That we may very well be dealing with a spirit" a voice concluded.

Lucy turned around and saw Laxus entering the room with a glass of water.

"Laxus..." Lucy said.

"The job required a celestial wizard, not to mention that this creature only appears on certain hours and only for a few moments" Laxus said, as he approached and gave the glass of water to Lucy. "It has all the makings of a celestial wizard summoning a spirit and use it to terrify Acer. That dream of yours only confirms it."

Even if she was expecting that to be the case, Lucy had to agree that Laxus had a point. But if that was true, then Lucy couldn't help but wonder what that spirit was experiencing. What she felt in that dream was perhaps one of the worst feelings ever... but then again, that was what the spirit was feeling. She really needed to do something to help them.

"Do you know what kind of spirit we are dealing with, grandpa Crux?" Lucy asked.

When she made that question, Crux became quite nervous. He then said:

"I... can't say for certain."

"Why not?" Laxus asked.

There was a pause and then Crux directed his words for Lucy:

"Miss Lucy, I recommend extreme caution. I know you want to help this spirit... But you have to know one thing: celestial spirits are not the only type of spirits that exist. Some spirits... don't have the same restrictions and limitations that we have. I'm afraid... that this spirit that you're sensing is like that, one that does not answer to the rules imposed by the Celestial Spirit King."

That warning really got Lucy worried. What kind of spirit would have caused Crux to get so much uneased?

Chapter 21: To Be With Wild Spirits, Part 6

Notes:

I'm sorry if it took a while to update this story. I am finally going somewhere in my professional life, which of course causes me to have less time for writing. But don't worry, I will continue to give my best to keep on bringing you new updates... both on this story and the others.

As the sun started to rise, Lucy and Laxus were ready to continue their job. As they were leaving the inn, Laxus said, as he was walking at the front:

"Come on, princess, we still have a lot to walk before we reach Acer."

"Do we really have to walk all the way there?" she asked, doing her best to accompany Laxus' pace, while also carrying a backpack with some of the provisions Laxus had bought previously.

"You mean to reach a town located on a mountain with no rails and safe roads?" Laxus asked, sarcastically. "Yeah, I am pretty sure walking is the best option. Don't worry, blondie, if you ever need for me to carry your bag, you just have to tell me. Just make sure your legs have the strength to keep walking, because I am not carrying both you and our provisions."

That caused Lucy to puff out her cheeks. Despite Laxus had come down to become a better person, he still hadn't stopped being a jerk completely, even if that sounded more like a teasing than anything else. Either way, it was still annoying. But then again, Lucy was already used to something like that after spending a long time with Natsu and Happy.

As they started moving out of Azalea, Lucy noticed something. Located at the top of a nearby hill was a gondola station that provided transportation for the mountains.

"Hey, Laxus, maybe we could..." she started.

"No" he replied, firmly, as he continued walking.

"But... I didn't even finish..." Lucy said, as she tried to follow him.

"You were about to ask if we could use a gondola to reach Acer much faster" Laxus said. "And the answer is: no, we can't use it."

"But... the gondola would allow us to reach Acer by the end of the day at the very least" Lucy responded. "If we go the long way... it will take us until tomorrow! If we are lucky..."

"Don't worry about that" Laxus told. "We are expected there only tomorrow nevertheless..."

"Seriously?" Lucy asked. "Come on... after what we learned last night about a potentially dangerous spirit, don't you think it would be for the better if we got to Acer as soon as possible?"

Stopping and sighing, Laxus turned to her and asked:

"Do you really expect me to go in one of those death traps? I can barely keep myself together on a moving train or any vehicle with four wheels."

That caused Lucy to remember about Laxus' motion sickness. She was so used to Natsu's motion sickness that she came to only associate it to him.

"Well... then I can go ahead and get some intel on the job" Lucy suggested.

"You could do that..." Laxus said, using his teasingly cynical tone. "But then again... you can't do anything unless I am there."

"Seriously, you are going to use that excuse?" Lucy asked.

"I am just saying how things are, princess" Laxus replied. "This is a SS-class job, meaning only a S-class wizard can attend to it. I am not saying you can't go. But the client has been informed I am the one leading the job. If you think you can't handle a one-to-two-days-long journey through the mountains, you are more than welcome to use that gondola. You can't just engage too much on the job until I get there. Of course... it would be a shame to have to tell the old man that you decided to abandon a fellow guildmate just to make things easy for you..."

That caused Lucy to slightly blush and then respond:

"Hey, I just suggested something that would allow us to finish the job faster and sparing the people of Acer from being tormented by a spirit for much longer. No need to be a dick about it."

Having said that, she advanced, passing by Laxus and heading towards the path that would lead them to the mountains. As he saw her moving forward, Laxus couldn't help but making a slight smile and chuckle. Despite moving on from what he used to be, Laxus couldn't help but finding a little bit of fun in teasing Lucy... but without any of the creepiness he used to have.

But then his mind quickly went to the feeling of guilt he felt over the way he used to treat her, including denying to help her when Phantom Lord was after her, that forced kiss at Akane or even using her as a hostage during the Battle of Fairy Tail. When that happened, Laxus quickly pushed those thoughts away, but not without ending up reminding of his underlying feelings for Lucy, together with the talk he had with his grandfather and Erza. He knew that perhaps he would need to confront those feelings, but... that simply was not the time for it, not when there was an important job to attend to.

That led him to return to be aware of his surroundings. Laxus didn't want to say it to Lucy because he was not certain, but he feared that, if there was in fact the hand of a wizard in what was happening in Acer, then they should really be careful all the way. It was not that he wouldn't take the gondola. Maybe he would be able to endure it. However, if they used it, he wouldn't be able to act quickly in case they were attacked. By going through the long way, they would be better prepared for any ambush.

Taking a deep breath to control his inner emotional turmoil, Laxus went to follow Lucy.

Elsewhere, watching the two wizards taking the path towards the mountain, was an owl-like creature that seemed to be made of silver-colored metal with yellow glowing eyes. Its vision was connected to a magic screen located in a dark room, where a mysterious figure sitting on an armchair was watching the two Fairy Tail wizards.

"It looks like I am up for some new guild wizards trying to meddle in my own affairs" the figure said, with a voice that was clearly male, but also having somewhat of a repulsive tone. "What a delicious... predictable turn of events. I will just have to get rid of them like I did with... Wait a second..."

By having the owl-like creature make zoom in towards the two wizards, he was able to see who was he facing.

"Oh my... now this is what I call a surprise! Fairy Tail... And it's not just any Fairy Tail wizards... Well, this calls for a different approach. After all, these are no ordinary wizards... I need to protect my investments the best way I can..."

His hand opened to show what appeared to be a bronze Celestial Spirit Gate Key with a horseshoe-shaped blade and a bow designed with a horse head with dark webbed wings on the side. Besides being bronze, the key also had dark lines around it's body.

"I am close to finally break Acer for good... So... keep an eye on our guests for now, Noctua. Soon enough, the chance to get rid of them will emerge."

And he released one annoying laugh, as Noctua, the owl-looking creature, took flight to follow the two Fairy Tail wizards.

Throughout the day, Lucy and Laxus did nothing but to advance through the mountain region to get to Acer as fast as they could. When the night fell, they decided to set up camp to rest for a few hours. After they made a fire, the two of them sat close to it to eat and to warm up. As they reached greater altitudes, the colder it was getting.

"Wow... It's a good thing I prepared for any kind of weather" Lucy said, as she was wearing warm clothes and even a blanket over her shoulders. "It's already freezing here..."

"Then you better prepare yourself, because it's going to get worse" Laxus replied, with a neutral expression, as he ate his soup. "It won't take long for us to reach snow and ice. We will have to reach high on the mountain so we can pass it."

"Really?" Lucy asked. "What I would give to have Gray's resistance to cool at this moment..."

"You mean the same guy that is always taking off his cloths?" Laxus asked.

Once he asked that, Lucy immediately blushed and she hasted to cover herself even more.

"Hey, who do you think I am?!"

"I just made one observation" Laxus told.

Realizing she was overreacting on an impulse, Lucy took a deep breath and uncrossed her arms, saying then:

"Sorry, it's just... reflex. I mean... I love my team, but sometimes... they can be a little bit... too much. And it's not just Gray and his... stripping habit. Erza is always so... intense and Natsu and Happy are always so... well, them. I think that only Wendy and Carla are the ones that don't drive me crazy at all times."

"I hear you" Laxus confessed. "I feel the same with the Thunder Legion. Sometimes they can be exasperating. However, despite everything..."

"They are my best friends" the two wizards said at the same time.

That caused them to get quite surprised by how in sync they said that last part, causing them to smile and share a chuckle. Hearing Laxus laugh like that was really a rarity and Lucy couldn't help but admire it. It had pure joy in it, even if the laugh was only slight. In fact, it was something very similar to a very distinguished smile she had saw earlier.

"Your smile... is just like your mother's" Lucy admired.

Hearing that, Laxus' laugh stopped and he got a look that was a mix of surprise and shock. Hearing Lucy mentioning his mother was the last thing he expected to hear coming from her. He didn't know why, but that caused him a great deal of discomfort. His mother has always been a touchy subject for him, especially after learning his father had something to do with her disappearance.

"How do you know how my mother's smile looks like?" he asked, a little coldly.

Noticing the sudden change, Lucy realized she may have stepped the line there. She was obviously nervous in answering the question.

"Well... I... I was helping Mira at the guild's library... before we took the job" Lucy told. "I found a photo album that had a photo of the previous generation of S-class wizards... like your mother."

"Of course it was Mira..." Laxus grunted. "Who else would gossip about someone's private life?"

"I know Mira can sometimes be... a little too excited about things" Lucy said. "But she only told me about her because I asked. I honestly didn't know who your mother was until I saw the picture. I... actually got quite surprised. It almost looks like no one at the guild knows about her."

There was a pause and then Laxus replied:

"That's because almost no one at the guild know about her. Besides me and the old man, only Gildarts, Makao and Wakaba are old enough to even remember her."

Sensing the heaviness on Laxus' voice when talking about his mother, she could only imagine it was a sensitive topic for him. She should have guessed as much. In fact, she could actually understand what Laxus was feeling at the moment, despite not knowing the entire story behind what happened with her, as she herself lost her mother as well.

"I'm sorry for... talking about your mother" Lucy said. "I... didn't want to upset you. It's just... I also lost my mother when I was young. So... whenever I can, I want to remember her and talk about her. I even write letters to her, pretending she is still alive. I guess... I just assume people would be like me as well."

"Well, not everyone like to talk about everything about themselves" Laxus replied with a little coldness on his voice.

But after a few moments, he just sighed and said:

"Sorry about that. I... I don't have many memories of my mother. I was five when she disappeared. And then... there was..."

Before he could say anything else, he turned to Lucy asked her:

"I must assume Mira told you everything about my mother, hein?"

"No, she didn't" Lucy hasted to reply. "I mean... I did ask, but she didn't get the time to answer it."

"I see..." Laxus replied.

Judging by the way he stopped himself from continuing what he was saying only to ask her if Mirajane told her everything about her mother, Lucy could see that, whatever happened, was something quite serious. However, despite that, she could also see that Laxus really missed his mother.

"Look, Laxus..." Lucy started.

"Let's just... forget we ever talked about this" Laxus replied, as he got up and tossed the rest of his soup to the fire. "We have a long way still to cover, if we want to reach Acer as planned, so let's have some rest."

And he moved away, while Lucy was left alone by the fire, looking down to her soup, feeling a little guilty for ever mentioning Laxus' mother to him. It was never her intention to have Laxus remember painful memories. She should have guessed he would have a reaction like that, especially considering how Mira got when she asked what happened to his mother.

However, watching Laxus making a joyful smile simply made Lucy remember that photo and she couldn't help herself but make that comparison. But then she wondered whatever happened to that beautiful woman that was beloved by everyone in the guild, especially Laxus and master Makarov. Obviously, it was something really serious, judging by the way Laxus got upset... possibly something only amplified by his own grief.

Lucy just wished there was something she could to make him feel better...

Meanwhile, unknown to them, Noctua continued to watch them, hidden by the darkness and the trees, and through its eyes, the mysterious figure was also watching them, waiting for the perfect moment to dispose of them...

Notes:

I hope you have enjoyed this chapter. Yeah, I slowed down things a little bit... But I also set up the events as well. Not to mention I made another great moment between Lucy and Laxus. Also... regarding Noctua... It is a celestial spirit that I created inspiring on the actual former constellation Noctua (The Owl). Despite the celestial spirits in Fairy Tail only embody the 88 modern constellations, I have found a way to include former constellations as well. Everything will be explained later on.

Chapter 22: To Be With Wild Spirits, Part 7

It was almost daybreak, when Laxus came out of his tent. He made some stretches, before turning to Lucy's tent and called her, while agitating the tent a little:

"Hey, Lucy! It's time to wake up!"

He went to prepare some coffee for him and Lucy, lighting up a fire before putting a teapot with coffee over it. He could heard Lucy moving inside the tent, with her starting to get up. Laxus tried to clear his head over the fact he was hearing the girl he liked getting ready. When he did that, he could feel the morning breeze... which was quite strong and cold, considering they were at a quite the high altitude.

It was then that he felt something... He could hear movement not that far away, somewhere between the pine tree branches. That caused him to worry a little. Laxus was ready to get up to see what it was, when he heard a flapping noise and a bird came out. Laxus only watched it for a few moments, but he was able to recognize it as being an owl. He was ready to dismiss it, when he noticed something strange about that owl...

"Those feathers... they look... metallic..." Laxus whispered.

"What did you say?" he heard a voice asking.

It was Lucy that had come out of the tent, already dressed on her warm clothes.

"Nothing..." Laxus lied, as he wasn't even sure of what he had seen. "Let's hurry and get breakfast, so we can continue."

"So soon..." Lucy said, as she went to sit by the fire. "But the sun hasn't come up yet..."

"Crossing the mountain will get harder the higher we get" Laxus explained, as he went to get some of their provisions. "If we want to get to Acer before sunset, we need to get going as soon as possible. To travel without sunlight in this region is very dangerous."

"I see..." Lucy replied.

They went to take their breakfast, but while they were eating, Laxus couldn't help but wondering about he saw. And then remembered the possibility of a wizard being behind the spirit that was attacking Acer.

"Lucy... I have a question for you" he said. "About spirits..."

Lucy got surprised for that. She never imagined that Laxus, of all people, would be curious about celestial spirits, as he never seemed the type of getting interested on something like that.

"Sure..."

"Do you know about all type ofcelestial spirits?" Laxus asked.

"Well... not personally" she replied. "There are many of them... And their keys are spread throughout the entire world."

"But you have knowledge about the type of celestial spirits that exist, right?" he asked.

"Sure... Celestial spirits are the embodiment of the constellations" she told. "Without counting the Celestial Spirit King, there are eighty-eight types of celestial spirits. Twelve of them are the Zodiac... Well, thirteen, if you count Ophiuchus... And they are all unique, while there are many spirits for the other constellations. When I and the others went to the Spirit World, we saw a lot of other Nikora like Plue..."

"Any owls?" Laxus asked, interrupting Lucy.

Lucy got a little upset for him to rudely interrupt her, but she let it go and the replied:

"Well... No... There's no owl spirit, as far as I know... But then again... there's nothing that prevents a celestial spirit to look like an owl. I mean... Pyxis is a compass, but he looks like a bird."

"I see..." Laxus said, more at ease, thinking that maybe he was just overthinking things.

"Why do you ask?"

"For no reason... Just curiosity..."

Lucy found that answer strange, however Laxus had always been a mystery for her (just like many of her crazy guildmates). But then, a thought came to her, causing her to say suddenly:

"However... No... Forget it..."

"What?"

Lucy made a pause, uncertain if she should tell Laxus that. But then she decided to do it.

"Well... it's just... After the Edolas incident, I got curious about the existence of other worlds besides Earthland and Edolas. Especially if there were other celestial wizards there. So... I asked grandpa Crux about them. He said he couldn't go into much detail about it, but... apparently, there are many other celestial spirits besides the ones that are known in Earthland. I tried to convince him to tell me about them, but... Well, he said it was for the best for me not to know."

That made Laxus' realize he may not be as paranoic as he thought it was. The strange feeling he was having of being watched... the nature of their job... and now that strange looking owl... It only caused him to adopt a more cautious attitude.

"We should be more careful, from this point on..." he said. "And I am not talking just about the mountain."

"You think... that this spirit is possible from another world?" Lucy asked. "It would explain why grandpa Crux was very much worried..."

"He said this spirit does not comply to the rules of the Celestial Spirit King" Laxus reminded.

"And any celestial spirit would be bound by the celestial law... no matter the world they live in" Lucy realized. "I get it... But... why were you asking about other types of celestial spirits, then?"

It took a moment, but then Laxus told:

"I have a feeling we are being watched. When I woke up, I think I saw a strange looking owl... If we are dealing with a wizard, they could very well have other spirits helping him."

"I see..." Lucy replied, understanding now why Laxus was more serious and why he was curious about celestial spirits.

"Take extra care when we resume our passage through the mountain" Laxus warned. "Who knows when we may be ambushed."

Lucy nodded with her head.

Soon after, they had already finished eating and taken down the camp, only to resume their journey through the mountain to reach Acer. Like Laxus had said, the path ahead of them only became more dangerous. It was not just the path itself that got dangerous the more upper mountain they went, but the weather also got colder, with the winds getting stronger and snow starting to fall. Even Laxus had traded his coat for a winter one.

As they were reaching the top of the mountain, Laxus stopped, causing Lucy, who was close by, to bump into him.

"Why did you stop?" Lucy asked, confused.

"Something's off..." he said, while looking around. "Stay close."

Lucy did just that, as both her and Laxus sharpened their senses the best they could. It was then that a beam of light came out of nowhere and almost hit Lucy, but Laxus was able to block it.

"What was that?!" Lucy asked.

"That would be me..." a voice said.

And someone landed at some distance from them. It was a weird-looking man possessing a long cloak that covered all of his body and was wearing a sun-like mask with what appeared to be a sundial at his forehead.

"It would appear I need to be aware of you..." he said to Laxus. "Clearly my sunbeam is not as effective on you."

"Then that should be a clue for you to not mess with us, mask freak" he replied, already covering his body in lightningto prepare to attack.

The mysterious man just chuckled and replied:

"Perhaps... but that would only be true, if the situation was totally against my chances."

Lucy suddenly felt something approaching quickly and shouted:

"Laxus, look out!"

Both wizards were quick to react, by jumping away from one another on different directions (with Laxus on the direction of the mysterious guy) in time of averting a big impact.

"Oh... and I was hoping in making a much bigger im-paw-ct" a female voice.

"What was that just now?" Lucy asked.

"Don't know... but it comes along with the most awful pun ever" Laxus replied.

"Meow, that's just rude" the female said, as the snow and the smoke cleared. "I think my pun was quite a-mew-sing, if I say so myself."

That person was a woman that had the most bizarre appearance, having brown cat years (literal cat ears), whiskers and somewhat of a cat muzzle with a hair that was long and braided in something similar to a cat tail and that was acting like one. She was wearing a long coat with a spotted pattern, a short light brown top and orange shorts and both her hands and feet were like cat paws.

"Don't listen to him, my dear Felis" the masked man said. "I think your puns are lovely."

"Oh, thank you, Solarium" Felis replied. "You always know meow to bright up the day of this little kitty..."

"Oh, great, that's exactly what we needed... more weirdos" Laxus said. "Well, you chose the wrong wizards to mess with."

Laxus was preparing to launch one of his attacks. Lucy kept her attention on her opponents, but then she noticed the place they were and something that could represent a big danger for all of them.

"Laxus, wait!" she exclaimed. "Don't use your magic!"

"What?!" he said, turning to her.

"Your lightning can cause an avalanche!" Lucy exclaimed. "We may be far enough for close combat, but if you use your lightning..."

"I can wipe usdown the mountain by a devastating wave of snow..." he ended, as he stopped his attack.

That caused Felis to release a laugh and then say:

"Poor little wizards... afraid of a little snow... Too bad for you!"

And she then pounced to attack Lucy.

"Lucy!" Laxus preparing to go help her.

But he could sense the other guy casting another beam from the sundial on his masks, forcing Laxus to react to that and defend himself.

"Sorry, big guy, but you need to wait your turn" the masked man replied.

Lucy also reacted the best way she could, trying to dodge Felis' attacks, but it was quite hard as she was quite fast. She needed to summon a spirit to help her, but, with those fast attacks, it was an almost impossible task to do.

"Could... you... stop... moving?!" Felis asked, while attacking. "I have a job to do!"

Hearing that, Lucy realized that those two were most likely sent to prevent her and Laxus from reaching Acer, meaning they were connected to the one that was using the spirit to attack the town. If so... then they needed to wrap that as fast as possible.

Reaching for the Fleuve d'étoiles, she used the whip to grab one of Felis' hands and then toss her. Despite she was caught off guard, she got rid of the hold, grunting:

"You little..."

She prepared for another attack, but Lucy was able to reach one of her keys.

"Open, Gate of the Lion... Loke!" she summoned.

There was a light and Loke appeared... right on time to stop one of Felis' attacks.

"Hello, beautiful" he greeted his summoner with the usual flirtatious greeting. "Need help from your prince ch..."

But then he noticed who he was fighting with.

"Felis?!"

"Look who he is..." Felis said, while trying to break through Loke's block. "The leader of the clawfully annoying Zodiac... I was hoping to be able to crash into you here..."

"You know her, Loke?" Lucy asked.

"Unfortunately..." he replied.

"Typical of a Zodiac... always looking down on spirits like us, right, Solarium?" Felis asked.

"Solarium is here, too?" Loke asked, noticing them the masked man holding Laxus on the spot with his light beam. "Great..."

Using his strength, Loke was able to push Felis back, while grabbing Lucy and bringing her near Laxus who managed to push back the beam and force Solarium to cease it.

"Only you to know freaks like these two, Loke" Laxus commented.

"Who are they?" Lucy asked.

"They are celestial spirits..." Loke told, while attentive of their opponents who were circling them. "Felis, the Cat... and Solarium, the Sundial..."

"I never heard of them" Lucy told.

"That's because their keys are not meant to be used on this world" Loke told.

"And yet, here we are..." Felis replied, scornfully. "Ready to take you out!"

"I am sorry, Sir Leo..." Solarium told, as his sundial started to charge up energy. "Unfortunately, I have no other choice, but to carry out my orders."

There was a pause and then Loke turned to Laxus and asked:

"Can't you just zap them? I'm pretty sure you can vaporize them."

"I could do that... and also cause a big avalanche" he replied.

"Yeah... I think the alternative is not that much favorable either..." Loke replied.

They could hear Felis purring, as she prepared her claws for another attack.

"Oh, this is going to feline good..." she said.

She prepared to attack, with Laxus and Loke ready to counter her. It was then that, suddenly, an energy arrow came through the air and hit her in the chest.

"What the..." she started, while struggling with the pain. "This does not really feline good..."

And she disappeared.

"Felis!" Solarium exclaimed, while charging his sundial.

But then another energy arrow came around and hit him right on his sundial, causing him to moan in pain. As he disappeared, he ended up casting a beam that went up and hit the mountain above them.

"The hell...?" Laxus asked. "What just happened?"

"Did someone... just attack them?" Lucy asked.

"I don't know... but we have a more concerning problem right now" Loke told.

He was right, as Solarium's attack caused an avalanche to start coming down their way...

Chapter 23: To Be With Wild Spirits, Part 8

The avalanche came down, wipping off everything on its path. After it stopped, it took a moment, but Laxus emerged from it, surrounded by his lightning. After he freed himself from the layer of snow, his concern went immediately to Lucy.

"Lucy!" he called, as he looked around. "Lucy! Where are you?!"

He heard movement and saw snow being blasted away and Loke coming out with Lucy. Laxus went to her and asked:

"Are you okay, Lucy?"

"Yeah... Loke was quick to make a hole on the mountain wall to protect us from the avalanche" Lucy said, turning then to the spirit. "Thank you, Loke."

"Hey, saving my girl is all I live for" Loke replied. "I wouldn't forgive myself if I lost my favorite and most beautiful celestial wizard to a simple avalanche."

It was then that, with a swift and elegant move, Loke pull Lucy to him and told her with his seductive voice:

"But... you know... if you want to show me some appreciation for my valiant rescue in the best way possible, you could give me a kiss, beautiful."

Seeing that, Laxus couldn't help but feeling a jealous need to punch Loke. Fortunately for him, Lucy was quick to respond to him:

"Yeah... I will stick to the normal kind of appreciation, thank you very much" she said, unamused, while freeing herself from Loke.

"Well, a man can always try..." Loke replied, while giving a kiss on Lucy's hand.

"Great... Now that the danger is over, you can go back and leave us do our job" Laxus coldly replied to Loke, as the former prepared to continue walking.

"And leave Lucy alone with you, when there are a lot more dangers ahead?" Loke replied. "I don't think so."

"We were doing just fine until those freaky friends of yours appeared" Laxus told, turning to Loke. "If it wasn't for the danger of causing an avalanche, I would have pulvirized them."

"For your information, those two are not my friends" Loke told, somewhat insulted. "Well... I'm kind of neutral with Solarium... But Felis most certainly is not my friend."

"Yeah, but... I am kind of curious about them..." Lucy said, thoughtfully. "I have never heard of a constellation of the sundial... or the cat..."

"And you wouldn't have heard about them" Loke told. "Well... not normally, that is..."

"What do you mean?" Lucy asked.

Getting both bored of that conversation and wanting to continue the journey to Acer, Laxus just said, as he resumed walking:

"You do know we are at a time crunch, right? We have no time for pointless story-telling."

"Oh, right..." Lucy replied, remembering about the job, and starting to follow Laxus. "Sorry, Loke, we talk later."

"Or... we can talk while walking" Loke told, while following them.

"We are at high altitude" Laxus told. "We need to preserve our breath."

"Then it's a good thing I'm a spirit" Loke answered back. "But... in all seriousness... If your job involves those two, you may need a little help to deal with them."

"Yeah, that makes sense, I guess..." Lucy said. "So... who were they?"

Flying over them, at a distance so that they wouldn't be seen, was Noctua. That meant that the one that had sent those spirits after Lucy and Laxus was now also watching them through Noctua on the room.

"I can't believe it!" he exclaimed, in a very annoyed and angry way. "Both Solarium and Felis lost?! How is that possible?! I gave them the perfect location, where the big threat would be at his most vulnerable. With those conditions, Laxus Dreyer wouldn't be able to use his magic at the fullest without putting his companion in danger. Do you have something to say in your defense... Scarabaeus?"

Someone appeared from the shadows, showing to be a samurai warrior, where his helmet possessed a horn that resembled the one of a Japanese horned beetle. His armor was thicker on his back, as if simulating the outter wings of a beetle. Around his waist, he had a pair of sheeted swords.

"I have nothing to say, master" Scarabaeus replied, in a very proper and dignified way, while keeping his head down. "Felis and Solarium brought dishonor to you and I shall take responsibility for their actions."

"I don't need accontability, you moron!" the mysterious man replied, in a very child-like way. "What I need is for you to get rid of those guys. I know their guild... They are trouble. Especially that particular group..."

"If I may, master..." Scarabaeus said. "I understand your concerns, but getting rid of these enemies will not be as easy as one may think. It's not just that lightning user. That celestial wizard has contract with ten Zodiac spirits, including Leo, the Lion, the leader and most powerful of the bunch. Not just that... but it would appear there's another threat that we are not aware of, a threat that was responsible for taking down Solarium and Felis each with a single shot."

"Don't remember me of that..." the man replied. "Not even Noctua managed to find them..."

"That's why we need to play it safe and smarter, master" Scarabaeus suggested. "Now that this attack failed, they will be on alert. Add this mysterious attacker to the mix, an ambush would be... unpractical."

"Unpractical?" his master asked, in a mocking tone. "Are you kidding?! I am running a big job here! I already have trouble with the annoying people of Acer slowing the job and asking for help from guild wizards. The last thing I need is for Fairy Tail to meddle as well!"

"I know that, master."

"Really? Because it doesn't look like it..."

There was a pause and then Scarabaeus replied:

"I just think that we should try another approach. At this moment, they don't know what they are up to. We can take advantage of that."

His master made a thoughtful sound and then he said, while taking the bronze key he had prevously, observing it.

"You might be right... I do have a trump under my sleeve... And I am counting on you to make sure everything goes as planned."

"On my honor, master, nothing will stop you from reaching your objective" Scarabaeus told, making a respectful bow. "You can be certain that I will not bring shame to the Unfavored."

"The Unfavored?" Lucy asked, after Loke mentioned who were the two spirits that attacked them.

The three of them were continuing to walk on the mountain. Laxus was on the lead, while keeping his senses sharp for any possible incoming attack.

"They are spirits that were denied the chance to manifest themselves in Earthland" Loke explained. "Just like any celestial spirit, they possess a key, but they don't appear in this world, so no one can summon them."

"But... that doesn't make sense" Lucy replied. "Why would they be denied the chance to manifest themselves in Earthland?"

"Things were different back in the day..." Loke replied. "There was a time when spirits of all kinds could interact with the physical plane freely. But then... things happened and the Celestial Spirit King had to be selective about the spirits that would be allowed to enter certain worlds. Earthland is a rather special world, because it possesses a perfect balance of magic. So he decided on the eighty-eight types of spirits whose gates would be allowed to be opened by celestial wizards from Earthland, twelve of those were us, the Zodiac spirits."

"That explains why Solarium and Felis were so resentful..." Lucy said, making a sad look. "They were rejected..."

"Well... it's true they can't be here... but it's no reason to sulk about it" Loke commented.

"That depends if there are any celestial wizard in other worlds" Laxus replied, while continuing leading the path.

"I'm pretty sure there are plenty..." Loke said. "I think..."

As they continued their journey, Lucy kept on thinking about how those two spirits, especially Felis, had such a resentment towards Loke and the other spirits that were free to exist in Earthland. She had never considered how much it meant for celestial spirits to come to the physical plane... Of course they would be upset for not being allowed to come there.

Her sad and thoughtful face was noticed by Loke who proceed to tell her:

"You know, you don't have to feel that bad for those two. That's just Celestial Law."

"I know the Celestial Spirit King had his reasons, but... it's really not much fair" Lucy told.

"Things are not always fair" Laxus told.

"You know, you could try to be less unpleasant" Loke told him.

But Laxus just limited to ignore him. But then he asked:

"Is there an owl in one of those Unfavored?"

"An owl?" Loke repeated, while thinking. "Yes... there is. Noctua, the Owl... How do you know?"

"Because we saw a strange owl flying over us this morning..." Laxus told. "It looked too weird to be a normal owl because of the metal feathers."

Hearing that, Loke made a watchful stand, as he looked around. Noticing that, Lucy asked:

"Loke, what are you..."

"Hush..." he replied, while placing a finger over her lips.

He focused on his surroundings attentively. It was then that he acted, by summoning his Regulus light and then punching the air, while shouting:

"Regulus Shot!"

His light was casted to a certain point with vegetation on the mountain side, causing movements to be heard and then Noctua appeared, looking a little disoriented.

"Laxus!" Loke said.

"I know!" Laxus replied, as he casted lightning against Noctua.

It was hit by the lightning, taking substantial damages, and then it disappeared.

"Done..." Loke said. "Now that's one less problem to worry about..."

"How did you know it was there?" Lucy asked.

"I am a celestial spirit, after all" Loke replied, proceeding to take Lucy's hand and say in his seductive voice. "One more reason for you to ditch this jerkhead and let me be your partner for this job, beautiful."

"Yeah, that is clearly not going to happen..." Lucy replied, making a slightly unamused face.

"She's right" Laxus added, showing increasing annoyance. "This is a SS-class job, remember?"

"Well... one doesn't have to know" Loke said.

There was a moment and then Laxus asked Lucy:

"Can't you just close his gate?"

That caused Lucy to drop a chuckle and then she realized something.

"Wait... The gates... The ones belonging to the Unfavored."

"What about them?" Laxus asked.

"If Noctua has been watching us for quite some time and we were attacked by Solarium and Felis, that means there were three different gates opened at the same time" Lucy said.

"You're right..." Loke said, thoughtfully. "Summoning a celestial spirit and keep them in the physical world does consume magic power. That's why celestial wizards that can summon multiple spirits can normally only summon two at the same time. And here I thought I couldn't love that brilliant brain of yours even more..."

"So... what this means?" Laxus asked. "That we are dealing with two celestial wizards?"

"Or one celestial wizard that is exceptionally powerful" Lucy suggested.

Back at the room where the mysterious figure was watching the Fairy Tail wizards, he saw as Noctua was defeated and sent back to the Celestial Spirit World.

"They even found my spy..." he said. "Well, well... You really are going to make things more difficult."

He then released a disgusting laugh and told:

"I hope you enjoy this job as much as you can, because I can ensure you the moment you put a foot on Acer, you will feel the might of my power. If you think the Unfavored are my only playthings, you are so wrong..."

It was already nightfall when Lucy, Laxus (the two of them had replaced the warm clothes for their regular ones) and Loke had arrived to Acer. The town was very pleasant to the sight (despite all the damages that one could see around), with it located in the middle of the mountains surrounded by acer trees. But the biggest trait of that town was the giant tree that took central place at the town. It was a tree that had a white coloration that seemed to shine, like it was made of a icy glass that made it look fragile, but it was far from it. But another impressive trait was that there was a mansion-like building built on it at its base, as if it was fused with it.

"Wow..." Lucy admired. "I never thought this town would be so beautiful."

"Not as beautiful as you..." Loke started, before Lucy stopped him, grabbing his hand.

"Not now..." she said, annoyed.

"It doesn't matter how beautiful it looks, it is clear that something is causing quite the mess" Laxus observed. "Don't let your guard down."

As they walked through the town, they noticed it was too much quiet and deserted... even if was nighttime already.

"This is strange..." Lucy said. "Do you think... something happened to the locals?"

Laxus inhaled heavily and was able to distinguish a variety of scents... all of them quite recent.

"No... they are still around here" Laxus told. "Most of them are inside the building on the tree. The others..."

It was then that the three of them found themselves surrounded by a lot of men, all armed with weapons.

"... are just around us" Laxus finished.

"Seriously, couldn't you had said that first?" Loke ironized.