I figure you don't really need to read my never ending ramblings about my story, so I'll just say this: I hope you like it. Yep, that's it. Read on.

~Jacin~

I watched in horror, unable to do anything, as my keys were ripped from my grasp. They jangled in the talons of the monster as it flew away. I ran after it, shouting useless things like, "Come back ugly, bird-brained mother fu—" Well…I guess you don't need to know all of the relentless swears I yelled after the bird. Apparently the harpy didn't mind me yelling every possible insult I could think of after it, because it simply flew away. I fell to my knees as my spirits were carried farther and farther away from me.

I took in a deep, shaky breath. I wasn't completely vulnerable without them, but that didn't mean I was happy that they were taken. I guess I wasn't worried because I knew I would be able to find them again. They were platinum gate keys, which meant when I formed a contract with the spirits the keys belonged to, I'd be able to practically sense them across the entire country. I'm not going to lie; it was a handy bonus to having platinum keys…along with the fact that the platinum keys were usually stronger even than the Golden Zodiac Keys. Unfortunately, this also meant that they were pretty rare, which meant that if someone happened upon them after the harpy got bored of carrying them away like the little-actually huge-bastard that it was, they'd most likely keep them for themselves or sell them for immense amounts of jewels. I groaned.

I got to my feet and brushed the dirt off of my pants. I turned back around and looked at the carnage. Severed harpy headed scattered the field, their eyes still wide open. I grimaced. Just because I'd been the one to do this didn't mean seeing it still didn't gross me out. I shook off my disgust and made my way through the now-obliterated harpy nest. I'd better get a good pay for this pain in the ass of a job, I thought. I shook of my frustration, figuring that blaming the job for my carelessness was dumb and childish.

I headed back to the edge of the cave and started my descent down the cliff side. I stumbled once, but caught myself with my right hand. Luckily I was wearing my tough, fingerless gloves, so my hand remained free of painful gouges. I sighed when I got to the bottom of the cliff and walked as quickly as I could to the edge of the forest. As I got closer the trees seemed to get taller and taller. I frowned. Forests meant forest vulcans, which were even worse than harpies.

"Jacin!" I smiled. Somehow hearing my little brother's excited voice call my name always cheered me up. It was just one more thing I had to look forward to once I finished a job—along with the obvious, which was the payoff. Roawin practically hurtled towards me, bursting out of the underbrush. His blond curls flew around his face as he sprinted towards me. He giggled and jumped onto me. I caught him mid-air and swung him around.

"Hey, buddy!" I said as he wrapped his arms around me.

"Did you win?" he asked. I wouldn't be here if I hadn't won, but a four year-old tends to ask questions with obvious answers. I'm always having to tell him 'No, don't eat those purple mushrooms' or 'No, you can't ride that wyvern!' I smiled.

"Of course I won!" I said, tussling his hair. He smiled and nodded, "Yeah, you always win."

"Yeah. Anything to keep you safe, right?" I said, still smiling. I started off towards the forest, a little irked that I had to travel through the forest at night.

"I'm hungry," Roawin said, resting his head on my chest. My swords clanked at my thighs as I walked.

I nodded, "We'll get some food as soon as we make it through this forest. I've got to pick up my payment for this job. Unfortunately, I lost my keys. Luckily, the harpy that abducted them seems to be going in the direction of Fairy Tail, so we won't have to go very far out of our way."

"Mmm. Fairy Tail," Roawin mumbled. I kissed his forehead as he drifted to sleep. He stuck his thumb in his mouth and his bright blue eyes disappeared behind his long eyelashes. I sighed as I walked through the woods, hoping that no vulcans would show up so that I wouldn't have to wake Roawin up. My mind wandered as I walked. It landed on Fairy Tail. With any luck, in a few days, it would be our new guild. It would be our safe haven.

~Lucy~

I let my head slump against the bar table, closing my eyes and sighing. It was an exhausted sigh, and that was clearly obvious to Mira who poked my cheek. I opened one eye and looked up at her. She smiled, "Tired are we?"

"Yeah…tired of Natsu," I grumbled, not bothering to lift my head.

"Did he destroy something again?" asked another voice. I immediately recognized it to be Levy, my bookworm of a best friend.

I sighed deeply, my head still on the bar, "Doesn't he always destroy something?"

Levy paused for a moment after she sat down beside me, giving it a moments thought, "Yeah, actually." She giggled, "It must be hard to have such a destructive team. I mean, Erza and Gray are also on your team."

"You have no idea," I said, shutting my eyes again. I heard the clinking of ice cubes as Mira set down a cold drink beside my head. I wearily picked my face off of the table and took a sip of the cold ice tea.

Levy giggled, "Luce, you have an imprint of the table on your cheek."

I rubbed my cheek furiously to try and rid myself of it, "Better?"

"Better," Levy replied.

There was a moment of silence before Mira spoke up, "But aren't you glad that you have two handsome men on your team?" I stared at Mira incredulously, "Handsome?"

She nodded, ever the matchmaker, "Natsu and Gray." She said those names as if it were obvious that I found the two handsome.

I propped my head up on my palm and sighed again. Levy raised an eyebrow, "You don't think they're attractive?"

"Not in the least," I grumbled, "I guess knowing their personalities so well has sort of de-glorified them for me. I mean, maybe if Gray didn't have that stripping habit. Maybe if Natsu didn't spew fire at anything and everything that moved…including me…"

Levy laughed and Mira frowned. "That doesn't make them any less handsome," Mira said, leaning towards me. Her silver hair fell over her eyes, only accentuating her pin-up worthy beauty.

"I guess not…" I said.

"But really, Luce, if you don't find them good-looking, then who is?" Levy asked, smiling.

That question caught me off guard. I'd never really given much thought to it. I'd never even had a boyfriend before, so I wasn't sure what I really wanted in a guy. After a few moments of considering it, I just said whatever came to my mind. "He'd have to be kind…very kind. I'd want him to have a tough side, but also a shy or bashful side. He'd be strong and amazing. He'd like to read, just like me. Maybe he'd even be a writer…" My voice trailed off as I fell into deep thought.

Levy smirked, "You realize that you just described everything on the inside. What does he look like?"

I smiled dreamily as I imagined him, "He's tall. Well built, but not absurdly like Elfman." Levy laughed. Mira smirked, "He is pretty huge, isn't he?"

I continued. "He's really gorgeous. Not like Gray or Natsu…but a mesmerizing sort of gorgeous, the sort that you could stare at for hours and not want to look away. Blue eyes, I think. I like blue eyes."

Levy piped up, "That sounds nice, but I don't want someone like that. I want someone tougher, able to hold his own in a brawl."

"Hey, my guy would be able to hold his own," I said, defending his non-existent honor.

"Sure, sure…but I'm thinking someone like…like…" Levy said, looking around the guild. Her voice turned into a squeak and her face lit up. I raised an eyebrow.

"Lev?" I questioned.

Mira giggled, "She already has a dream guy."

I perked up, suddenly wide awake, "Who?!"

"It's G—" Mira began, but Levy lurched forward and tackled Mira.

"No! Don't say it out loud! He might hear!" she hissed, covering Mira's mouth. They'd both tumbled to the ground, Levy landing on top of Mira. Mira peeled Levy's hands off and laughed some more, "You're so cute!"

"What's going on?" Gray asked, walking over to the bar where I was sitting, "Where's Mira?"

I said nothing, just pointed to below the bar table. Gray peered over the edge and his eyebrows disappeared behind his dark hair. His expression then went slack after that, "Yeah…I'm not even going to ask."

I tried to hold it in, but I couldn't. I burst out laughing and so did Levy and Mira. Levy climbed back over the bar, but her foot caught on the bar tap and she tumbled headfirst towards her certain demise. I instantly reached forward, but I was too late. I watched as Levy fell, yelping out.

My brain barely had time to register the black streak before Levy was suspended in a pair of arms. "Careful, Shrimp. If you fell that tiny head of yours would be crushed easily," Gajeel said, setting her down gently on the bar table.

Her face turned red, "My cranium is tougher than you give it credit for!"

"Yeah, yeah…your cranium is tough as nails. Just try not to die, ok?" he said, patting her head and turning to return to his table where he would commence his munching of various scraps of metal.

"I would be very sad if your tough cranium was crushed. Don't die," Panther Lily said, his paw pressed against Levy's arm. He nodded and then flew after Gajeel. I smiled.

Levy covered her face with both of her hands and I launched myself towards her. I hugged her tight and she gasped for air. When I released her I whispered into her ear, "I'll keep it a secret, don't worry." It had become really obvious who she looooooved, I thought, mentally imitating Happy's annoying, teasing voice.

She smiled and nodded happily. "When you finally fall for Natsu I'll keep it a secret from him then, too," Levy replied.

"Yeah, don't count on it. He doesn't fit any of my requirements," I drawled.

"Ouch," said a voice. Levy's eyes went wide and she pursed her lips. I tensed up and slowly turned to look at who was behind me. Natsu was sitting in the stool behind me, his arms crossed over his chest.

"Sorry," I said, more of a question than a statement.

"Hey, it's ok. Just let me know when you find a guy who does fit your requirements. Me and Happy will investigate him, Ninja Style, so that I know he's not secretly evil. I can't have one of my best teammates being murdered by her boyfriend," Natsu said, smiling wide.

"Aye!" Happy chimed in. I smiled, "Thanks, guys, but I doubt I'll be getting a boyfriend anytime soon." I sighed and downed the rest of my drink. I thanked Mira for it.

"I'm going to head home. I'm pretty exhausted and I want to get up early-ish tomorrow," I said, yawning even as I said those words.

Levy smiled, "Alright. I'll see you tomorrow, then. Oh, don't forget to work on your novel, though. I want to read it soon!"

I sighed, "Of course I won't forget." I turned to Natsu, "The main thing you need to work on is the ratio between destruction and helpfulness that you manage to maintain. Let's just say that destruction far outnumbers helpfulness."

He smiled sheepishly, "Yeah, I know. Thanks…I guess." I patted his shoulder as I passed by him.

"You heading home?" Erza called out. I nodded and waved. "Sleep well, you look like you need it!" she called after me. I frowned, not sure if that was a nice remark or an insult.

"Bye, everybody!" I yelled over my shoulder. There was a chorus of goodbye's and wishes that I'd sleep soundly. Did I really look that tired? I shrugged…yeah, I probably did. I summoned Plue with what little energy I had left and he waddled behind me.

"Hey, Plue. Do you think I'll ever find 'the one'?" I asked dramatically.

"Pun puuun!" Plue replied.

I nodded, "Yeah…I'm sure I will, too. I bet he's out there right now, somewhere under this very same sky." I took a deep breath and stared up at the night stars as I walked. I reached my hand up towards them as if I'd be able to touch them…to be that much closer to that dream guy I wish I would meet one day in the near future. I dropped my hand to my side, feeling stupid.

"Lucy, careful! Watch where you're walking!" shouted a voice. My head snapped down, but their warning was too late. My foot slipped off the side of the canal, sliding off of the damp stones. "PUN!" Plue shouted. I screamed as I plummeted towards the rushing water. Cold surrounded me, shocking my nerves as I fell into the water. It was strangely serene, though, the way I drifted with the current. Soon I felt my lungs crying out for oxygen. I rushed to the surface as best I could and took in a quick gulp of air before my head was forced under again.

I tried and tried to return to the surface, but couldn't seem to do it. I felt my brain start to shut down as I drifted weightlessly, the water suddenly not feeling cold anymore. Somehow I felt relaxed and calm. My eyes started to sag, but snapped open again when something shiny slipped past my vision. I squinted, struggling against my lack of oxygen. I reached forward and grabbed whatever it was that was floating in front of me right as a pair of arms wrapped around me. I felt myself being pulled swiftly upwards. My head broke the surface and I gasped for air. I was hauled onto a boat, coughing and sputtering.

"Are you alright?" asked a frantic voice. I opened my eyes to see a man leaning over me. He was one of the men who always passed by my house and called out to me. I considered us friendly acquaintances at most. The man untied the rope that had secured him to the boat and the other man leaned over me, "Miss Lucy, you should really watch where you're going next time."

I heaved myself upright and nodded, "Thanks a lot. I probably would have died if you guys didn't help me out."

They both chuckled. "Now what kind of people would we be if we just sat by and watched you drown?" said the first man, water dripping off his nose. He swiped his dark hair out of his eyes.

"Well, thanks anyway…" I started, my voice trailing off.

"Sam…I'm Sam. And he's Harris," said the soaking wet man. I nodded, "Thanks. Do you think you guys could give me a ride back to my house?" I asked. Harris smiled, "'Course we can!"

I nodded thankfully and closed my eyes. "I don't mean to pry, but what is that in your hand?" Sam asked. I opened my eyes, only just now remembering that I'd grabbed something under the water. I'd figured it was a hallucination due to a lack of oxygen in my brain, but I guess it hadn't been. It was a wonder I'd managed to hold onto it, whatever it was. I lifted my hand and slowly opened it. I gasped.

"Keys?" Harris asked, leaning closer.

"They're not just keys…they're Celestial Spirit Gate Keys," I said, staring at them. Not only that, some of them were a strange metal that she'd never seen gate keys made of. They weren't gold or silver—though there were a fair amount of silver keys. They were lighter and even more lucid than the silver keys. I stared at them in wonder.

"Let's get you back home…you'll catch a cold at this rate," Sam said, gesturing for Harris to steer the ship towards my house. I nodded, still staring at the keys. I examined each and every one of them. I didn't recognize any of the symbols on the keys, but I didn't really expect to anyway. The strange keys stood out to me, though. One of them was shaped just like a sword. I touched the tip of it, half-expecting it to be sharp. It wasn't.

"We're here, Miss Lucy," Sam said, offering me his hand to help me up. It seemed like a short trip considering how long I'd felt like I'd been swept away by the current. I shrugged it off, though, not bothering to put any thought into the matter.

"Just Lucy is alright," I said with a smile, taking his hand gratefully. He helped me up onto the side of the canal and nodded.

"I guess we'll see you. Take care of yourself, ok. Drink some hot tea and keep warm," Harris said.

I smiled, "I will. Thanks." I nodded one last time and turned towards my house. I wearily walked up the stairs, my wet boots making an unnerving squishing sound with each step. The landlady would probably yell at me for leaving water on the stairs, but I was too tired to care. I'd been exhausted before the near-death experience. Now I felt like…well, like I'd just almost died.

I eased my door open and peeled off my wet clothing. I kicked off my boots and pulled my hair tie out, letting my soaking and cold hair fall down against my back. I shivered and immediately ran the bath water. I stepped in as soon as I could and sighed as the warmth surrounded me. I closed my eyes and realized that I'd left Plue at the side of the canal after I'd fallen in. I hadn't even thought of him. I get pure shock can do that to a person. I summoned him immediately and he fell into the bathwater with a splash.

"Pun," he said, crossing his arms. I patting his head, "Sorry I left you buddy, but I almost died."

"Puuuun," he cried out, launching towards me. He hugged me tightly and I smiled, "Don't worry, I'm alright."

He looked to his left, "Pun?"

"What is it?" I asked, following his gaze. My eyes fell on the strange keys I'd snatched from the canal. I reached out and picked them up. I stared at them again.

"Pun!" Plue said loudly, pointing at the keys.

"I really wish I could understand you," I said, disappointed.

Plue nodded, "Pun pun."

"Alright. Obviously these belong to someone. I'm not sure how they ended up in the canal, but I feel like I should find who these spirits are contracted to."

Plue nodded and slid into the water. I frowned at the keys, "Maybe I'll summon the spirits…see if they can tell me anything. After I get some sleep, though."

Plue let out another of his signature 'pun's, but it sounded more like plurglblurble because his face was underwater. I picked him up and watched as he wrinkled like he always did in the tub. "Puuuuun," he sighed.

I smiled, "Yeah, I'll find the wizard who owns these keys. I swear it."

A/N: I hope you liked my first chapter! Don't forget to leave a review, please! (Don't worry, they'll actually meet each other in the next chapter!)