Welcome back! Already on chapter one. Well, don't let me stop you, go ahead and read!

I, of course, don't own Fairy Tail, because if I did it just wouldn't be as cool.

Plus, I figured out that I needed to space my author's notes and the story better, whoops! If anyone can tell me a better way of doing this, I'm all ears. See you at the bottom!

Chapter 1: Meet the Guild

I strutted forward into the town with a confidence I didn't feel. This was the closest guild I could find that provided good health insurance, though it didn't cover enough for my liking. Despite this, the Fairy Tail guild in Magnolia looked perfect.

Pushing the large oak door inward, I gasped at the scene before me. The entire hall carried a homey essence, with long rows of tables and chairs, and a small bar at the end. However, I couldn't focus on the furniture because a blast whistled too close to my ear.

"Oi! Watch out!" I heard an angry shout from my left. I turned, slowly, to see a man, around his late thirties, running towards me. Dressed in a long, white duster, black tank top, and khakis, he grinned nonchalantly, as if he hadn't just tried to kill me. "Sorry about that, my demonstration went a little awry."

I nodded, not wanting to be dragged into a conversation right now, "Pardon me, but can you tell me where this Guildmaster's office is?"

"Sure, take the hallway next to the bar, first door on your left."

I thanked the man and strode away, giving a slight nod to the fair-haired woman washing mugs. The hallway was actually quite short, compared to the main area I'd just seen. Before I could knock, the door opened, revealing a small, elderly man in an outrageous orange jacket. He beckoned me inside.

"So, you must be Ellen. Pleasure to meet you." He said kindly, motioning to a nearby chair. I sat, looking around curiously. The entire room seemed to be filled with pictures. Some appeared very old, with a tall, pink-haired woman and a shaggy-haired man.

"Yes, I'm Ellen Artis. We spoke over the lacrima about a membership?" I was nervous, wringing my hands to keep them from sweating.

"Alright. It says here on the resume you sent over that you previously belonged to a different guild."

"Fractured Morning, over in Alistaire."

"Why did you leave?" Images forced their way into my thoughts, of Glade's body, broken and bleeding, while I just watched. Of his last words to me, begging me to free him…

"Change in location. I had to find a guild closer to my new place." I laughed, even though what I'd said hadn't been particularly funny. He accepted my lie with a nod, though his wise eyes lingered on mine for a while longer.

"I see. Do you have any criminal records?"

Not unless they included murder, "No."

"Any preference towards jobs?"

"No, I'll take whatever you think I can handle."

"Great. I'll have Mirajane give you a new Guild-Mark, and you can start accepting jobs tomorrow." I stood, turning to leave. "Oh, and one more thing."

I froze, "Yes?"

"Don't lie to an old man, nothing gets past me."

oOoOo

I stepped quickly out of the office, thanking him nervously as I sprinted towards the oak doors at the other end of the hall. Suddenly, this guild didn't feel as homey as it had before. As I reached for the brass handle, a familiar breeze blew past my shoulder. I had the good sense and experience now to duck as a large flame burst above me. Turning slowly, I saw a young, pink-haired teen… on fire.

"What in the-?!" I screamed, temporarily breaking his concentration. He turned towards me, as if contemplating whether or not I was friendly. I'd have expected nothing less of a Dragon Slayer. However, his cautious attitude lasted all of two seconds before he extended a hand.

"You must be new! Welcome to the guild, newbie, I'm Natsu!" I shook the outstretched appendage warily. A blonde teen standing next to him sighed, her features morphing into an apologetic expression as she turned to me.

"Lucy Heartfilia, this idiot's partner. Nice to meet you… um…" She looked at me questioningly, ignoring the offended expression of the Dragon Slayer behind her.

"Ellen," I supplied, grateful to meet someone semi-normal. At least she wasn't a pyro, and couldn't read minds as far as I knew.

"Well, I'm sure everybody will be happy to meet you. I know! I'll introduce you to the guild, how does that sound?"

It sounded absolutely horrifying, considering what the members I'd met so far were like.

"Great!"

oOoOo (A/N: Looks like an emoticon pumping its fists...)

I had to admit, the guild's occupants didn't seem too crazy compared to Fractured Morning. None of them set me on fire, which was a welcome change. Lucy seemed extremely confident, and it brightened my usual dark mood just watching her. She reminded all too well of Glade, when he'd been alive. It hurt too much to think that way though, so I pushed the thought aside and continued onward, shaking more hands until I swore my arm would fall off.

Lucy and I plopped down at the bar, the same white-haired mage I'd seen earlier giving me a wide grin as I sat down. Mira, that was her name.

The blonde mage sighed heavily, "Mira, a Celestial Kick, please." I frowned, never having heard of the weird sundae placed almost immediately in front of her.

"Every wizard around here has their own favorite concoction," Mira explained patiently. "Who knows, maybe one day you'll have one of your own!"

She stared at me for a moment before taking out a stamp in the shape of the guild's emblem, "Any color preference?" I shook my head. "Alright, where do you want it?"

I thought for a moment, then pointed to the left side of my neck, where the broken sun had once sat, "Right here."

I felt the area when she was done, thinking how strange it felt to be part of a guild again, weird as its occupants may be.

Lucy continued to stare at the large sundae, not even bothering to take a caught the barmaid's attention, and she set down the glass she was currently polishing. "What's the matter, Lucy? Trouble with your love life?"

The mage looked up angrily at that, glaring at Mira while saying, "It's Natsu, the moron set another roof on fire, and I had to get Aquarius to put it out!"

"I don't know, maybe he likes you?"

"What does that have to do with what I just said?" She asked angrily. I ducked to avoid the daggers shooting out of her eye sockets.

"Nothing, but I couldn't think of a good way to steer the subject back to what I wanted to discuss." The barmaid giggled, though somewhat deviously, I noticed. She turned to me suddenly, eyes sparkling. "What do you think?"

I looked from the stunned Lucy to the gleeful Mira, weighing my options, "About what?" I asked, going for the ignorant route. Mira jerked her thumb over to Natsu, who was currently preoccupied with melting every edible thing in sight.

"Wouldn't they make a great couple?" The last sentiment caused the poor blonde to start choking, only ceasing in her actions when I slapped her back.

I stared at Natsu for a moment. If he was a Dragon Slayer, then… there it was. A small, barely noticeable glow shone from his shoulder. To the untrained eye, it appeared to be an ordinary guild mark, but to me, it was the sign of a Dragon Slayer. I shifted my gaze to Lucy, looking her over. I could sense that there was a bond between the two, but not how strong said bond was.

"Maybe, but I don't know… Dragon Slayers are naturally pretty ignorant. I just don't know how he'd interpret Lucy's feelings, let alone his own. I say just leave it for now." I looked back at the two women to find them giving me shocked expressions.

"How-" Lucy seemed to be confused, "How did you know he was a Dragon Slayer?"

I gave her an incredulous look, "They're pretty easy to spot if you've been around them enough."

Mira stared at me, shocked, "You've been around Dragon Slayers?"

"Just one," I admitted. "Glade Nein, my mate."

I was met by gaping mouths and a squeal from the barmaid, "Mate?!"

"Of course, every Dragon Slayer has one. For example, that guy over there, Natsu? He's already met his mate." Lucy's expression darkened, had I said something wrong?

Mira, however, leered at me and moved extremely close to my face. I swore that her eyes took on a red hue, "Tell me who the mate is…" I was beginning to see this woman's particular brand of crazy.

"I-I don't know, I can't see who's mark matches his. A Dragon Slayer's mate will share the same basic glow as their counterpart."

"Well then, I'm going to borrow you for a little while." She grasped my wrist tightly and began dragging me towards another guildmember. I shot a pleading look at Lucy, but she seemed distracted, and didn't see my fearful expression.

Lucy's Point-of-View

Natsu had… a mate? I understood what Ellen was saying perfectly well, but I was having trouble processing the full meaning behind her words. This girl was his other half, his soul-mate, for lack of a better term.

I had never been jealous about anything concerning my pink-haired teammate, but somehow this was the case today. Mira could joke and nudge all she wanted, but I actually did have feelings for Natsu. Not that I would ever tell her that. As I glanced over at him, fighting with Gray, I wondered who the lucky girl could possibly be.

I was drawn out of my pity-party when a cold feeling went down my spine. I turned, expecting to see Gray behind me, but all I saw was Mira dragging Ellen around. Grabbing my spoon, I fully intended to return to my Celestial Kick, but I felt it again.

Someone had to be pranking me, this was ridiculous. I swiveled again, this time spotting the cause of my unsettlement. A shadow was crawling across the floor…

Following Ellen.

And that's it for Chapter 1. I told you that it would be longer than the prologue! Anyways, I won't be able to upload next Wednesday, so Chapter 2 will be up soon after this one, probably Friday.

Please review if you like how it's going so far!