A/N: Hey there everybody! Thought I'd try my hand at Fairy Tail this time. So you know, this is a partial crossover with another series, but I won't reveal the name of that series until the next chapter. The title is the only hint you'll get, so, bonus points for anybody who can guess what it is. Let me know if it's any good.

Chp. 1

Fairy Tail was as loud and unruly as ever when a road-worn Lucy staggered through the guilds front doors, followed closely by Natsu and Happy. The three of them had been gone for the past two weeks on a mission that had taken them way up to the northern part of Fiore. In the last month the guild had been having a rather odd dry spell with requests lately, particularly those that were more compatible with Lucy's preference's (I.E. no monsters or bandits or anything remotely dangerous) so she had grudgingly chosen to tag along with Natsu on the mission. A girl did have to eat after all.

Unfortunately, given the despairing fact that between the both of them they were still flat ass broke, they'd been left with no alternative but to walk. For Natsu this was nothing new, and in fact he'd rather blatantly celebrated the idea of not having to endure motion sickness for their latest expedition, but for Lucy this trip had pushed her to the brink of her own survival. The week-long trip just getting there was pure torture to her feet and she'd more than once been forced to rely on Natsu's semi- reliable foraging capabilities to keep from dying a pitiful death by starvation. Those had been ugly days indeed. And as for the mission itself…

Breaking off from the other two as Happy flew up into the rafters where some of the other cats were flying about (After being displaced from Edoras, the Ecksheed had been permitted to take up residence in Magnolia and the Guild until their leaders could obtain an official land grant from the government of Fiore to build their own settlement) while some of the other members called Natsu over, wanting to hear of his latest exploits, Lucy sighed in unconcealed relief as she sank into a seat at the first empty table she found. A few moments later Mira was there, an understanding smile on her face.

"A rough mission?" Mira asked gently. Lucy only nodded mutely, turning her head to stare at the request board. Did she dare hope that there'd be new missions posted that catered to her battered body and weary soul?

"Ah, that's too bad… but at least it was interesting, right?" Mira continued, trying to be optimistic. When Lucy merely groaned Mira decided to let that topic rest and changed tactics. "So. What can I get you? Something to drink perhaps?"

Lucy gave Mira a doleful look before replying. "That depends. Are you fronting the cash for it, because if not then just give me a glass of water. Those are still free, right?"

"Or-"a cheery voice suddenly piped up behind her, "-how about you let me buy you a meal this time."

As the person spoke Lucy felt a finger trail across the nape of her neck and shivered as she felt more through that simple touch than just the intimate contact of skin on skin. Power, both phenomenal and exquisite. She could sense it, flowering across her skin, beneath her skin, a strangeness chained within the others blood that sent lightning sparks of recognition coursing through her own. Even as she turned within her seat Lucy already knew who was behind her. A smile broke across her face as she gazed up at her friend Levi who grinned back at her as she sidled into the seat next to her.

Mira was completely unaware that anything had transpired between the two.

Of course. How could anyone understand the secret they shared?

"I think I'll take you up on that offer." Lucy replied, accepting a menu from Mira. "But be warned- I'm not cheap."

"Wait! What about me!" Happy suddenly cried out above them and all three women looked up to see the Blue feline gliding towards them from the ceiling. He landed on the wooden table and immediately turned big hopeful eyes up at Levi. "Can I have a fish?"

Lucy was going to scold Happy for his lack of manners but Levi waved it off, laughing, and soon enough Happy was gnawing away at his fish while the girls each enjoyed a juicy steak dinner with mashed potatoes and sliced mushroom gravy with a couple of cold wine coolers to wash it down. After serving them Mira went back to the bar to tend to the other costumers. The first bite Lucy took was pure, absolute heaven and she swore that she would stab the first person who dared try to take it from her. As she sat savoring her first real meal in fourteen days she listened to Levi talk and learned that she and her team had just returned back from their own mission.

"So-"Levi began after both girls had eaten at least half their meals, lightly swirling the bright red fluid around in her bottle before taking another quick swig. "- how 'bout you tell me what happened on your mission and I'll spill the dirty details that went down with mine.

"Ah, now I see," Lucy mused setting her own bottle down. "You butter me up with a good warm meal so I'm more compliant and willing to tell you my sob story, but if I still refuse you threaten to withhold all payment, is that right?

"Well, it works doesn't it? So come on, tell me what happened!"

Lucy chuckled before sighing as she leaned back in her seat and recalled her memories of the last two weeks.

"It was $100,000 jewel request that took us way up near the mountain region beyond Hakobe, up near Oak town. No money. No food. And Natsu." Levi snorted in her drink but waved her hand for Lucy to go on. "It was supposed to have been a mission involving the location and removal of a mysterious creature that had been attacking loggers in the mountain community that lives there. I figured the mission would be simple since Natsu was there. Well, you know how he is."

Levi grinned. "I think I do."

"Exactly. So. Cue Natsu's destructive tendencies, coupled with a Ridiculously Gigantic land traveling man-eating Catfish, add in an endless stream of screams of unholy terror courtesy of moi as both of us rode said Ridiculously Gigantic land traveling man-eating Catfish down a mountain and straight through the village community, then have the community blame us for all the destruction wrought on their homes and Simple's been shot dead and kicked under the rug."

"I didn't even get to try the fish." Happy moaned, giving out a very unhappy sigh.

"Is that all you were concerned about?" Lucy shrieked, looking down at the cat. "We had to run away and leave the money behind before the local authorities nabbed us! And even after we got away it was still a week back here traveling by foot! Have you already forgotten the mushroom incident?"

"Oh yeah… That was funny!" Happy smiled before turning back to his fish. Throughout the telling Levi had been trembling with the effort not to laugh out loud but Happy's last remark broke her restraint and soon she was left cackling like a mad woman.

"Schadenfreude!" Lucy hissed, biting her own lip to try and keep herself from laughing. Levi eventually managed to get herself back under control, her color returning to normal instead of the bright red it had been when she couldn't draw in enough air because of all the laughter.

"Well now" she said, wiping at the corners of her eyes "I can't say there were any man-eating catfish involved where me and the boys went, but there was fish. All we had to do was safeguard a cattle drive on its way to Hargeon. It was a fairly easy task for a whopping thirty grand a piece. Except for a small skirmish with a few bandits on the first day, we didn't have any problems getting the cattle to port. Oh no, the real trouble came on the first night on the way back as we settled down to camp. I guess some of the herders had been talking to Jet and Droy along the way and at one point our… relationship with one another was brought up."

'Ah', Lucy thought, understanding at once. Levi had told Lucy once that she, Jet and Droy had known one another ever since they were children. Some time before they'd all joined Fairy Tail, the both of them had come up to her and confessed their feelings wherein she had promptly rejected them. It made Lucy feel rather petty, actually, because if it had been her in either of the boys places she was sure she wouldn't have wanted anything to do with the other person. The fact that team Shadow Gear were all still together, despite that particular moment in their past, seemed absolutely remarkable to her.

In all honesty, she also felt a bit jealous.

Hearing a chorus of laughter on the other side of the room Lucy turned her head slightly to the side to see Natsu running around on top of one of the tables. He suddenly stopped and, clapping his hands to his face, let out a thin girly scream. The entire table roared with laughter as he begged in an unflattering imitation of her for the giant catfish to spare her because she wasn't all that appetizing. Lucy grimaced before turning back to Levi.

Okay, so maybe she wasn't so jealous. Nope. Not at all. Not with Natsu anyway.

Not that any of it would have mattered, she thought. Women like them… well, they weren't exactly the agreeable choice when it came to relations with the opposite sex. Levi had known this, which is why she'd never allowed anything to develop between her and the rest of her team. It would have only complicated things.

That's just the way it was.

But those thoughts had no place in the here and now. With a shudder Lucy quickly reined them in as Levi continued her tale.

"So anyways, after getting them to their destination they paid us the money and as a little extra something some of the guys gave us some fresh fish to take back with us. They conveniently forgot to mention however that they were a special breed of carp imported from the south eastern sea. You've heard about Koi, right? These fish were basically the same thing with rainbow tie dye colored bodies with little white dots on their sides. As they grow older the dots gradually shift into the shape of hearts, with one heart equaling about one year of life. That's pretty much the main reason why they're commonly referred to as 'love' fish or 'Ai'… but its' not the only reason. I was washing up at a nearby stream when those two decided to start making dinner. If the fish are prepared right then you don't have to worry about the side effects but if you just cook them over an open fire or eat them raw, well…"

"Well?" Lucy pushed, burning with curiosity.

"…it makes you horny as hell!" Levi burst out, teeth flashing as her smile widened. "Which Jet and Droy, unfortunately, didn't find out until after they'd gone and sampled them. I came back to find the two of them about to snog one another and for a second I was caught between stepping in to save them and just letting them continue while I took pictures!"

"And?" Lucy practically begged, her own face twisting up into an excited smile.

"Well, they certainly weren't camera shy." At this both girls started crowing with laughter, causing other people in the room to turn their heads and wonder what was so funny.

They were still laughing when Mira walked up to them holding something in her hands.

"Oh, hey Mira. Are we being too loud?" Lucy asked, still grinning like an idiot.

"Oh no, not at all. Actually, I just remembered that when the mail arrived a few days ago there was something there for you. Both of you." She said, holding out a letter in each hand. Right away, Lucy noticed that there was no return address. As both she and Levi reached for them she was wondering who had sent them and what they could possibly be about when her hand touched the envelope.

And in that moment everything changed.

'Daughters…'

Lucy froze as she heard a voice sound within her head. It was a woman's voice, painfully lovely she thought, but with harmonies no human could ever possibly carry so it seemed as if rather than one there were many voices, all speaking to her at once. But it did more than speak. The voice was a presence in itself that washed over her, filling her mind with disjointed images, the sounds of music, a particular scent, smothering her with the power of itself so that for a brief second the world spun madly out of control… before suddenly leaving her as quickly as it had come. The voice vanished so abruptly that in its place within her mind she suddenly felt hollowed out, emptier then she'd ever been before.

Out of the corner of her eye, from the way she saw Levi stiffen next to her Lucy knew she'd heard it as well.

"Lucy? Levi?"

Lucy's eyes snapped up to Mira's face, realizing with shock that she'd still been standing there, right in front of them. She'd seen both of them react.

And by the alarm growing in her eyes she knew, somehow, that something was wrong.

Happy had paused in eating his fish and was watching them too, wondering what was going on.

Shit. How were they going to explain this?

"Lucy, Levi, what-"

But before Mira could say another word, before she could ask any questions that would be impossible to answer, a chair went flying over their heads and crashed somewhere behind the bar.

As Mira and Happy whipped their heads around to see where the chair had come from Lucy saw their chance. Jumping up from the table she grabbed Levi and in an instant the two of them were sprinting for the doors and then flying down the streets. They ran and they ran, neither of them stopping, neither of them letting up until they were pounding up the stairs to Lucy's apartment and crashing through her front door. Slamming the door behind her, Lucy immediately turned the lock and then set about latching up all the shutters on the windows and drawing the blinds, barricading her home against any intrusion from the outside world.

As long as nobody from the guild showed up unexpectedly, that might even stand true.

Finishing up her task Lucy stalked out of her bedroom to find Levi standing in the middle of her apartment, staring at the letter still clutched in her hand. Only then did Lucy realize she still had a death grip on hers. There was a moments silence before she let out a long drawn out breathe.

"Well-"she began shakily and then stopped, as if not knowing what else to say. But then, what could she say? Lucy looked down at the envelope in her hand. This letter- if you could even truly call it that- wasn't the first one she'd ever received. In the past she'd received two others just like it, had heard that achingly beautiful voice call out to her, embrace her in its all encompassing way.

The first time she'd gotten one she'd been a little girl at the tender age of five, back when her mother was still alive. Her mother had helped her through that first frightening experience of hearing a voice inside your head, a voice too beautiful to be anything but terrifying, convincing her that there was nothing to be afraid of and showing her what to do next. The second time she'd received such a letter had been after her mother had passed away, leaving her to carry out the process alone. She'd been little better prepared for what had happened as she had the first time.

Lucy paused at this thought and then looked over at Levi. All the women like them at the age of five usually received such letters, with their mothers or aunts coaxing them through the ritual. At least that's what her mother had told her. That Levi was a member of their hidden society was unquestionable. Since the first day they'd met, Lucy had known that they were both children of the same blood. It had proved an unexpectedly joyous discovery. But… what if Levi didn't know? They had talked about many things in their time together but the subject about family had never willingly been brought up. As if mentioning it aloud were somehow taboo (which in a small sense it kind of was, but...). What if her mother hadn't explained it to her, or rather, hadn't the opportunity…

Levi turned her head and her eyes met Lucy's worried gaze. She nodded and Lucy felt relief flood her body. They both knew what they had to do.

As one they turned to the furnace. Lucy swiftly gathered the materials she needed from an open basket lying beside it and quickly made a small nest of tinder and kindling, accepting a lighter from Levi as she offered it to her. They couldn't use magic to light the flame. Any other magic would only interfere with what they were about to do. When Lucy had a small fire started she moved back to stand next to Levi, where the two of them stood and watched silently as the fire grew, building itself up. When the fire was large enough they looked at one another, nodded, and then took a breath.

"We are the Daughters of Ren," they said together, "Children of the Sky, Children to the Second Earth, Descendants of the Nine, and Inheritors of the Old Blood. The Old Blood must never die."

Light tingles of energy pulsed through her fingers from the envelope in her hand and Lucy knew the time had come.

"Trivia…" Lucy whispered as she cast the envelope into the fire at the same time Levi cast hers, whispering "Metis…"

A moment later the fire exploded from the furnace, making the both of them stumble back a pace as it swirled past and all around them, warm but not burning like a true fire would, curving around the room until they stood within a dazzling whirlpool of twisting leaping light that changed from a yellowish orange to a piercing bluish white. Lucy shut her eyes against the blinding glare, ignoring the pull from the currents of the passing flame as it tugged at her clothes and whipped her hair about, waiting for the spell to finish setting up its wards.

A few more seconds passed before Lucy felt the current shift back towards the furnace. She braced herself as the flames went hurdling past her, drawing all the light with it until Lucy sensed through her closed eyelids that only a single source of glowing light remained, emanating from a spot directly before her. Slowly, carefully, she opened her eyes.

And there in front of her, outlined in a ghostly white light, stood two other women gazing straight back at them.

A/N: alright, I got the second chapter in the works but after that… well, you all gotta let me know whether or not I should even bother. Chow for now.