A/N: Set somewhere between the time of their return from Edolas and the S-rank wizard advancement exam.

Stoneheart and the Woodhome

E1sky

Chapter 1

Let Us Go on a Mission

It was a beautiful morning in Magnolia, the sun is shining in moderate warmth, the air is fresh clean, and the people of the town have begun their daily chores. Unfortunately for Lucy, the first person she met this day was her landlady reminding her of her rent. Well okay, New Year is coming soon and so her landlady needed the payment for the month. Lucy had to thank her landlady for her patience when the woman bid to go. And then she summoned Plue to begin their walk toward the guild just along the river.

All along the way, Lucy could only look forward going to a mission. Honestly, she still felt tired of everything that happened at Edolas –well, they just brought down a kingdom –but her rent was the perfect nudge to keep her moving. Hopefully Natsu hasn't leave for a solo mission yet. As far as she know the Dragon Slayer was rushing on taking and finishing missions recently, and Lucy was slowly noticing that it's not only him. Ahead, she can saw a brown figure running the road towards her direction.

"Is that Alzack?" Lucy thought aloud for Plue's sake who answered with "pupun". "Hello Alzack" Lucy greeted as the Gunner wizard speedily crossed his path.

"Good morning Lucy . . . Goodbye Lucy…."

Lucy had to halt her walk to follow Alzack with her head, slightly amused. "Trying to catch up your train huh?"

She resumed her slow walked and balancing on the edge of the pavement beside the river. Out of the corner of her eye, she caught on something that made her look at the other side. "Is that Elfman running?" He is indeed. The white-haired man running in the same fashion as Alzack.

The guild came in to sight, and Lucy can see guild members running in and running out the door, coming from and going to left and right. Then much familiar figures came out the door running straight now to her direction. "Levy!" The blue-haired girl halted as she approach her, Jet and Droy trailing behind, but something in her stance hinted Lucy that she wasn't staying for long.

"O… Hi Lucy"

"Shadowgear's on a mission I guessed?"

"Nah, just me actually"

"We're only coming for support" Jet explained immediately.

"Does that make a difference?" Lucy muttered.

"Did you say something Lucy?" Droy asked.

"No… nothing"

"Bye for now Lucy" Levy bid, already few feet away.

"Levy wait!"

"Careful Levy!" Lucy shouted as the rest of Shadowgear caught up to her.

Now that she saw even Levy in a hurry, Lucy was now really thinking about it. "Does everyone have a deadline at the end of the year?" And then, as if sensing something, something inside her urged her to walk faster pushing Plue to his running pace. As she was about to open it, the door burst open from the inside that she needed to scoot sideward to avoid harm. "Hey! Be careful there"

"Sorry Lucy" The exiting wizard apologized.

Unfortunately, the Canis Minor spirit was too tired to dodge that he was knock to the ground. Lucy could only felt sorry as she watched him retreated to the spirit world. The scene Lucy saw inside the guild was like… well Mirajane is assisting with the drinks and requests, Macao and Wakaba is chatting about something, Cana was lazily drinking –'Is she sad or drunk?' –Reedus is painting, Natsu and Grey fighting, Lissana, who has just came back, watching them and says she misses the scene somehow, Juvia was also watching secretly, so she thought, well everything's just in the usual except that the request board was almost done.

Lucy was very much alarmed. No request means no mission means no rent means no apartment means . . . . Lucy rushed to the board. "Mira, where's the requests?"

"Oh! Lucy you're just in time to pick up the last one" Mira said and handed her the last paper on the board. Her hands accept it voluntarily as her attention was then caught by the commotion on the side of the room.

"Quit it ice boy. Finders keepers"

"Shut up! Mine is mine. Flame head"

"Droopy eyes"

"Pointy eyes"

"So what was that about this time?" Lucy asked Mirajane half interestedly.

Mirajane laughed decently before answering. "Well it's that Grey tuck his request in his shirt and then accidentally, you know, his shirt suddenly went missing together with the request. Natsu found it but wants to keep the request for himself."

As Mirajane ended her brief narrative, Lucy could see Erza walking towards the two and she shuddered in advance for Gray and Natsu knowing what would come next. Eventually they both received a blow at the back of their heads that sends them hunching with their hands caressing their head.

"That's enough you two! You're annoying already." Erza yelled, then she stoop down to pick up the request, that had been actually fell to the floor a long time ago since the war of fire and ice began, and gave it to Grey.

"Wah! Your unfair Erza"

"What Natsu"

"N…no…nothing"

"You don't need to worry Natsu, there's still one out there" Erza said pointing at the direction of the request board. What she didn't know is that that one request is already in the hands of another. And Natsu could only glare to whoever was holding it.

"Lucy! Give me that quick!"

"Natsu… wait, wah!" PLAK. Lucy's palm landed squarely on Natsu's cheek.

"Grrr… scary Lucy's back" Happy commented, suddenly hovering above them.

"Ouch… what was that for Lucy?"

"I'm sorry Natsu, you're scary when you approach me."

"Hm okay, will you give me that now"

"Sure! Let's go on a mission."

"I'll go alone Lucy"

"What? We're a team!"

"Yah, but I go alone for now"

"No! I have a rent to pay you know. You have to take me with you."

"Lucy…"

"No…never"

"Umm em… Lucy-san Natsu-san can I also go with you?" Wendy started shyly, "My rent's also coming, and it's 30,000 jewels greater that Lucy's." she cried.

Lucy kneeled down to her and took both of her hands into hers. "Don't worry Wendy. I know the feeling. You're not alone." And Lucy cried with her.

"Wendy you're making yourself weak again. You don't need to cry for that." Charle scolded.

"You can cry too on my shoulder Charle" Happy suggested.

"Forget it" Charle replied.

"Hey hey why are you crying now?" Natsu asked, not getting the scene before her.

"Natsu, if you take Wendy she can perform troia on you" Happy advised, knowing that if Wendy will come, Charle would come too.

Wendy had to look at Lucy who gave her an assuring smile before looking back and nodded to Natsu.

Seeing the agreement, Natsu beat the bottom of his fist to his palm, "Right! But why Lucy?"

Lucy froze. Then she clutch Wendy close to her. "Because Wendy won't come without me!"

"Fine, fine, I'll take you two with me, but promised me you just let me handle the mission, and we're leaving right away."

"Why are you and the others so furious to go on missions recently, Natsu?" Lucy asked.

"To become stronger of course"

Lucy sighed. "Can we discuss our share first? The request rewards 500,000 jewels." Lucy said, eyes focus on the number figures and ignoring the request content.

"We'll simply do the usual Lucy. Divide it equally, so the five of us will get 50,000 each."

"I think its 100,000 each Natsu" Happy corrected.

"Yeh… that's what I mean"

Lucy's rent worth 70,000 jewels. That means she will only get 30,000 jewels to spare. Wendy's rent worth 100,000 jewels. That will surely eat up all her share, but of course Charle will have her own share too. Natsu has taken several missions already. He has no rent to pay. He got the rich river of Magnolia to supply him and Happy with fishes. Honestly Salamander has nothing to worry about. And that caused Lucy to think that she's the least beneficial with this system of distribution. Anyway her priority is her rent so she would just settle in to the mission at hand. But as if reading her mind, Natsu said something that uplifted her spirit.

"Don't worry Lucy. If that won't be enough for you I'll help you go with Grey's mission when we came back. You and Wendy if you like."

"Really? Natsu!"

"Yes of course. But promise me you not let him handle the mission, hee hee…" Natsu said, grinning slyly. Then he turned around and started to walk away. "I have a plan Happy!"

"Natsu-san rarely makes a plan. I wonder what it could be." Wendy thought aloud.

Lucy tilted her head backward trying to remember rare moments that Natsu devised a plan. It was in Edolas where he involved her in his seduction scheme against Hughes of the magic regiment that ended in her disaster.

Wendy had watched Lucy think, then she saw her snapped and looked at her with deep concern.

"We had to be careful Wendy"

The Skymaiden blinked. "Aye"

"Do you know what he was thinking Lucy?" Charle inquired.

"No…not really"

"Have you visions for Natsu-san Charle?"

"Honestly, not even once I've been right when it comes to him. He's too weird too predict. So how about try read his heart Lucy."

"Read his heart?"

"Gemini you know"

Now that it was mentioned, Lucy realized Gemini haven't really copied Natsu for once even when they were still belongs to Angel of Oracion Seis so there was not a record of anything about Natsu's thought. Surely it was curious to know what the unpredictable Natsu think. But as Lucy think about it, there's something to it that makes her feel uncomfortable, something that felt strange but recognizable. It is as though she was… afraid. "I can't do that to Natsu!"

"Why not?"

"Because… because it's not right to just peek to people's mind, isn't it?"

"I think Lucy-san's right" Wendy agreed. And Lucy was satisfied to justify her fear correctly , or so she believes.

Half an hour later, the train that carries the two dragon slayer, a celestial wizard, and two exceeds left Magnolia on their way to answer the 500,000 jewels worth request that is yet to be read by them.