A/N: This is my first full on story for Fairy Tail. I really wanted to start a multi-chapter fic, and this plot bunny wouldn't leave me alone. It's mostly centered around Lucy, but there will be tons of NaLu moments. Anyway, this is the prologue, the first chapter will be posted very soon, so follow the story. Oh yeah, reviews are food for my muse, so please let me know what you guys think! :D

Timeline: Right before the Grand Magic Games arc, and The Key Of The Starry Sky arc never happened.

Disclaimer: I don't own Fairy Tail. It belongs to Mr. Hiro Mashima.

Rated K (For now, the rating will go up)

The Price Of Power
-Prologue

"GET OUT!"

"But, Luuucy!"

"No, Natsu!"

"Plea-"

"You destroyed half of the sacred mountain in Shirotsume on the mission! Which, by the way, thank you for the lost Jewel that would have gone to my rent if you hadn't been so hotheaded!"

"Lucy, I'm sor-"

"GET OUT!"

Lucy Heartfilia shoved Natsu Dragneel out of the entrance way of her apartment and slammed the door shut.

Her anger was high as she stomped toward the bathroom. Why couldn't Natsu, for once, just once, not go crazy and fly off the handle with his need to set fire to everything? It wasn't that hard to do, was it? Gray was an ice mage, and she didn't see him turning everything into freezing blocks of ice.

She had one more week to come up with seventy-thousand jewel for next month's rent, and so far, she didn't have a single jewel to her name.

This happens almost every month.

Lucy frowned, setting herself at the edge of the tub as she set the water to hot.

Maybe it's time I started going on missions by myself.

As much as she hated the thought, Lucy knew it was the only way she would be able to make her rent on time. Perhaps once a month, she could take a job by herself that paid just enough to cover her bills. The posting board would surely have something within her capabilities to finish a job on her own, right?

I'll see what's up tomorrow.

Lucy stripped naked and immersed herself into the hot water. She had many aches and bruises coming back from the job in Shirotsume. And it was a simple request, too! All they had to do was retrieve several medical herbs from the town's sacred mountain at the peak where it only grew. They were also warned of wild animals that migrated there several months ago and made the mountain their new home.

The whole disaster could have been avoided if Natsu wasn't so eager for a fight. The long pathway to the top wasn't even anywhere near to where the sightings were said to be, but sure enough, somehow Natsu had managed to attract a giant pack of them, and well, the rest was history.

Lucy took her time with her bath, making sure all the dirt and grime she acquired while traveling with Natsu was a thing of the past.

As her anger ebbed away, came the room for guilt. She knew Natsu didn't deserve her wrath, even though the destruction of the mountain was caused by him and his never-ending fists of flames, but that's only because he was trying to protect her from the enemy.

After all, Natsu was just being Natsu.

Lucy sighed.

I'll apologize to him later.

She scrubbed herself clean, and slipped out of the water. The tranquility of her bath and the silence that followed after is what put her body at ease. Everything was always so loud with Natsu. He constantly poked into her personal things, ate all her food and had this annoying snore whenever he slept, which was almost everywhere. She was thankful for the rare moment of reprieve from the everyday stresses of being his partner; it was almost a job all in itself.

Wrapped up in a dark green towel, Lucy made her way out of the en suite and to the closet. Out of habit, her eyes gazed over the bright and shiny wrappings of the birthday gifts given to her by her father; unopened and tucked neatly away at the corner of the closet.

She fingered one of the pink bows, her face softening at the memory of one of her father's rare acts of kindness towards her.

To my beloved daughter...

Those words were on every tag, and it had Lucy's lips lifting into a smile. She didn't care about the gifts, or the pretty wrapping paper they came with. It was the simple fact that he had remembered her birthday was what made her refuse to open them. Looking at them gave Lucy a small comfort as it was a one last reminder that she was his daughter, and he loved her.

Thinking back to her childhood and living under his harsh ruling hand, she was struck with regret. Lucy knew there was a lot of things that she could have done differently, but in her own selfish act, she decided to cut all ties from him and run away.

It was one of the hardest things she ever had to do, stepping out of her childhood home, leaving only with the memory of her loving mother and the yearning of what could have been if she had lived. Now, she missed her father just as much, and the pain of losing him was as raw as the day she read his last letter to her.

Blinking back tears, Lucy moved on from the memory of Jude, and grabbed a two piece night ware to sleep in. It was getting colder by the day as autumn gave away to the coming of winter. Soon, she was going to have to buy something thicker to keep her warm at night.

Turning back to her bed, Lucy spotted a piece of paper that she knew wasn't there when she left for her job two days ago. It was folded up twice and placed gently on her pillow. The note's placement looked deliberate; neat and out in the open for her to easily find.

With a trembling hand, she picked it up and slowly unfolded the note, an eerie dread washing over her nerves as she did so.

We're watching you, Lucky Lucy of Heartfilia