Disclaimer: I do not own Fairy Tail or any of the amazing characters that you recognize in this story.

Chapter 1

It was happening again. Once more she was subjected to watching her friends put their lives on the line for her. Once more she could do nothing but pull at the magical restraints that held her immobile. Once more... she was useless to her team.

Why? Why could she not be someone others could depend upon? Why was her magic not stronger? Why was she even here?

All of these thoughts and more vied for Lucy's attention as she sobbed for her friends to go. They should just leave her. After all, she would just pull them down in the end.

It had been two weeks since the botched mission that resulted in Lucy's kidnap and rescue. Two agonizing weeks where all Lucy seemed to do was turn inward. Normally, Lucy would be able to get past her initial depression and focus instead on being with her friends, her family. She could forget for a while about her shortcomings as a mage.

This time was different.

Despite all of her and her team's endeavors, she had not yet reverted back to her normal self, with her easy-going smiles and upbeat attitude. In fact she could not remember a single time she had smiled a true smile since her rescue.

Her friends were as wild as ever, causing mischief wherever they went. Some of the things that took place should have had her rolling on the ground in tears, but instead, they served only to make her feel more dejected and alienated. Lucy thought that being around all of the ruckus would cheer her up and help her bounce back. All it did was show Lucy her teams resilience, something she seemed to no longer possess.

"What am I doing here?" Lucy asked quietly to herself as she stared down at the bar beneathe her hands.

"Did you say something Lucy?"

Glancing up, Lucy saw Mirajane gazing at her with a sweet smile, ready to serve if needed.

A slight frown tugged at Lucy's lips, not realizing she had said her question out loud. Getting a hold of her thoughts, she slowly shook her head and proceeded to look around from her spot on the bar stool.

As she looked around the guildhall her eyes fell upon her friends. Team Natsu, strongest team in Fairy Tail, sat together chatting happily with one another. It seemed as though they were all in good spirits today. There Erza sat speaking to Gray while eating a slice of strawberry cake, her favorite, while Natsu and Happy gorged themselves on every edible thing in sight. Just another normal, relaxing day for her teammates. Too bad the same could not be said for her.

Lucy's thoughts had been a mess for weeks now. All of the questions and self-doubt that flitted through her head while she was kidnapped had steadily increased. She was never not thinking these days. Why am I so useless? Why am I not stronger? Why can I never do anything right? How can I continue to be on the team of amazing wizards? How can I stay here? How can I call myself a wizard? On and on her thoughts went, getting stronger by the day.

As Lucy continued to watch her friends she noticed Natsu look up at her and smile. That smile broke her heart because she knew that one day she would no longer see it pointed at her. One day he and everyone else would realize that Lucy was not meant to be there.

Lucy willed herself to move her gaze away from their table and back to the spot she had previously been staring at on the bar. After a few moments she felt a presence behind her. There was no point in her turning around; she knew who was there. She could feel the heat radiating off of his body. It was the first time she had felt warm in days. Really, it was the first time she had felt much of anything other than the suffocating guilt of her failures since her return. It was short-lived as Natsu moved from behind her to sit by her at the bar. He smiled at her while slapping a piece of paper onto the wood that was beneath her hands.

"Luce, I found our next job!" Natsu said with his normal enthusiasm. The kind that meant whatever he had picked out was sure to turn into something extra troublesome.

Glancing down at the request she read over the details.

RARE AND DANGEROUS ANIMALS NEED

TRANSPORTED TO WILD LIFE SANCTUARY

REWARD: 700,000 jewel

CONIS MAVIN

After reading the details of the job, Lucy returned the flyer to him saying, "I think I'll pass this time Natsu."

"Aw, come on Lucy. It will be fun! The reward is great so you won't have to worry about rent this month and think of all the cool creatures you'll get to see. Plus Lisanna was gonna come with us, seein' as her takeover magic is animal-based. C'mon! This will be a great chance for us to all go on a mission together!" Nasty said cheerfully, all the while having an expectant look on his face.

Why?" Lucy asked before she could stop herself.

"Why what? I just told you I wanted us all to-"

"Why not just take Lisanna? This definitely fits her magic and I am sure she can manage just fine especially if you're there. I wouldn't be much use on this mission." Lucy said, while thinking to herself not that I seem to be much use on any missions these days.

Natsu looked at her for a moment, a slight crease forming between his eyebrows, the corners of his mouth slowly settling into a frown, a sharp contrast from the smile previously adorning his face.

"When has that ever mattered?" He asked with a serious tone. "You're my partner. Where you go I go and vice versa. C'mon stop being weird, snap out of it!"

These words would normally have done the trick to snap her out of whatever silly thoughts were floating around in her head but as he watched, he did not see the normal shaking of her head or the shy smile that came with realizing just how silly she was being. Instead he could have sworn he saw her shrink in on herself a bit.

What on earth is she thinking? This is not the first time this thought had crossed his mind. In fact, recently it had been distressing how frequently he'd had this exact thought any time he had been around Lucy.

His train of thought was interrupted by Lucy who stood up, back facing him.

"Look, just take the mission with Lisanna this time... by the time you get back, I should feel up to going on a new mission." And with that, she paid for her untouched drink and strode away from her partner giving him a slight wave as she made her way through the front door of the guild hall.

Natsu just sat there for a moment. Lucy had been acting really strange lately. Well, stranger than usual.

Mira jolted him from his thoughts when, as if appearing from nowhere, she asked him if he had picked out a new job for he and Lucy.

"Yeah but she doesn't want to go. I actually picked it out for us and Lisanna to go on, but I guess it'll just be me and Lis this time." As Natsu said this, the small frown that had crept onto his normally cheerful countenance after talking to Lucy, had only cemented its hold. Mira saw this and smiled to herself. "Maybe she is a little jealous?" the white haired mage suggested. "What? Why would she be jealous? Did she want some of the fire chicken I was eating?" Mira just giggled to herself at his naivety. "You're strange, Mira." With that he jumped off his stool with a shake of his head and wandered off in search of Lisanna to inform her of the change in plans.