A/N: Welcome to chapter 4. By the way, I don't plan on writing out every single fight that happens in the story. Basically, if the fight happens and ends the same in canon, I (probably) won't write it out. If it's significant enough to actually have an impact on my OC and/or her relationships…I'll (probably) write it.

Read the note at the end if you would like to hear my pointless excuses.

Disclaimer: I don't own Fairy Tail.

Chapter 4 - Of Old and New

"Welcome, children," a man said. "Welcome."

I looked around me. There were at least a hundred and fifty kids around my age, and we were all lined up. I saw a few cloaked, masked figures who were positioned around the perimeter of the large room we were in, watching us.

The rectangular room looked like it belonged to some sort of facility, as the floor was made up of white tiles and the walls were made of metal.

"All of you will start training in order to begin your career as an assassin," the man began. "In fact, some of you have already started." I could've sworn that he looked at me before continuing. "Over the next two years, we will train your magic, your hand-to-hand combat, and the way you think. An assassin always knows when an opportunity to strike arises. You must learn these skills before graduating and becoming a Beginner Assassin. Some of you prefer solitude. Some of you will try to get to know your peers. Some of you won't even bother remembering people's names. Some of you…won't even make it to graduation. The training regimen is difficult. The most likely causes of death will be Magic Deficiency, and close combat training accidents. You may take off your masks if you like, but it is recommended that you don't. Always be aware, and always keep your guard up. Death awaits you if you don't."

I fidgeted with the beige mask that covered my face.

"Lastly, you may refer to me as the Doc. I will be overseeing your training here."

A cloaked person wearing a black mask stood next to him. "You may all return to your assigned rooms for the time being," he said. "Dinner will available in the mess hall in approximately one hour. However, I do recommend eating in your rooms. Anyone who is caught outside of their rooms after midnight will be severely punished. Training will begin tomorrow morning. That is all."

Four heavy, metal doors, each leading to a separate wing in the building, clicked open as the kids filed out and made their way back to their rooms. I walked with some of the other children who lived in the same wing as me. The hallway was dimly lit by the rectangular, fluorescent lights hanging from the ceiling. The only sound was the noise our shoes made when they made contact with the tiled floor. We followed alongside the dull, grey, stone wall until we reached our respective rooms. When I reached my room, I stared at the nameplate that simply said 'Lok' on it before opening the metal door and entering.

I examined the room as the door automatically shut behind me. The layout was pretty simple. A bed, a desk, a chair, and a washroom that included a sink, a toilet, and a shower. A clock that hung on the wall told me that there was still quite a bit of time before dinner was served, so I decided to relax.

I turned on the lights and went straight to my bed. I lay down and just stared up at the ceiling, waiting for dinner.

The mess hall had rows of long tables with chairs neatly pushed in. Most of the kids I saw picked up their food and left, probably to go eat in their rooms. But there were a few groups of kids who sat together at the tables. They had their masks off and were talking while eating, probably getting to know each other.

After lining up and getting my dinner, I prepared to go back to my room to eat when a girl's voice stopped me.

"You have a strange hair color."

I turned around. The boys and girls had separate outfits, so I could easily tell that the two kids standing before me were girls. I stared at the one who called out to me.

"As if you're one to talk," I retorted, referring to her green hair.

She giggled. "I didn't mean it in a bad way. Purple looks nice."

"Don't mind her," the other girl spoke with her hands on her hips. This one had long blue hair that reached down to her waist. "She's a ditz."

"Hey, that's mean!" the green-haired girl complained.

"Anyway," the bluenette continued. "My name's Hara, and this airhead of a girl is Runi. Wanna come eat dinner with us?"

I stared up at the ceiling and groaned as I remembered the details of the dream I just had.

I slowly got out of bed and started my morning routine, but not before muttering, "I swear it's 'cause of the new bed."

It was a nice day.

When I left the house and started walking to the guild, I passed by the few neighbors I had. They all greeted me with smiles on their faces. A few "Hellos" and "Good mornings" were thrown my way, so I did the polite thing and returned them, albeit stoically.

When I got to the guild, I noticed that they got a bit further in the construction of the guildhall. Some parts of the outer walls were built and there was wooden scaffolding all over the higher areas.

I walked over to the area where most of the members were taking a break and saw Lucy sitting at the counter, talking to Mirajane. I walked over.

"Morning," I greeted them as I sat down on the stool next to Lucy. They both smiled at me.

"Hey," Lucy greeted back.

"Good morning!" Mirajane cheerfully replied. "Do you want something to drink?"

I looked at Lucy's strawberry milkshake. "Sure. Can I get a chocolate milkshake?"

"Coming right up!"

I looked over to Lucy.

"Where's Erza?" I asked her.

"Hm? The Master called her into his office. They're talking now."

"I see."

"Where are Natsu and Gray?"

"They usually get here around lunchtime."

"Huh. So, what do you usually do here if you're not on a mission?"

She smiled brightly. "We hang out!"

"Hang out?"

"Yeah," she said. "We do whatever we feel like doing."

"I see."

After finishing our drinks, I asked Lucy to introduce me to some more members since I barely knew anyone in the guild. She kindly agreed and told me to follow her.

And so, I met a lot of…strange people. There was a girl named Levy who really liked books. There were also her two fanboys, Jet and Droy. Two perverts named Macao and Wakaba…who stared at my legs and Lucy's bust before she glared at them.

"He looks like a small giant," I said after meeting Mirajane's younger brother, Elfman.

"How do you know what a giant looks like?" Lucy curiously asked.

"I've ki- I saw them around my hometown a couple times."

I almost slipped there.

"Are they married?" I asked Lucy after meeting the two Gun Magic users named Bisca and Alzack.

"No, they're not even dating."

'They sure acted like they were,' I thought to myself.

I also met a drunk girl named Cana. I stared at the empty barrels that were once full of alcohol next to her.

"Will she remember me when she's sober?"

"Hopefully," Lucy sheepishly replied.

Once Natsu and Gray arrived, a brawl started, and I was hiding behind the bar with Lucy.

"Are they always like this?" I asked the blonde girl next to me.

"Yeah, but that's what makes this guild interesting!"

"I guess so…"

Soon enough, the Master stopped the brawl and walked off, muttering something about young people breaking too much.

A guy with orange hair walked up to Lucy.

"Loke!" Lucy exclaimed. "Shouldn't you be in the spirit realm?"

"I wanted to drop by and see everyone, especially Lucy," he said.

"Is he your boyfriend?" I asked her.

Lucy sighed. "No, he's not."

"So, what is he then?"

"He's a Celestial Spirit. Speaking of which, you should really return. You haven't fully recovered yet."

"Hold on," he began. "Since you all helped me out so much, take this." He gave five tickets to Lucy who stared at them in awe. "They're tickets to Akane Resort. I already gave a ticket to Erza, so you can give the fifth ticket to whoever you want, though I think I already know who that would be."

He looked at me.

"Why, hello there," he greeted while putting an arm around me. "I don't think we've met before."

"Lucy, can I punch him?" I seriously asked her.

Lucy pulled him off of me and they had a small talk. They both smiled when they stopped, and Loke's body was surrounded by light before he vanished.

"So that's how they go back to their realm, huh," I murmured to myself.

Natsu, Gray, and Happy were overly excited about their tickets. Lucy came over to me and held out a ticket.

"And here's yours."

"I get one?"

She giggled. "Of course, you do. We're a team, after all."

"Thanks, Lucy."

Erza walked up to us.

"Oh, is the Master done talking to you?" Lucy asked her.

She nodded before smiling. "Why don't we go to the resort tomorrow morning. We should celebrate Lok's first successful mission with a nice dinner," she suggested.

"Huh? You don't have to do that…" I tried.

"Nonsense. You are a new member on our team. It must be celebrated," she insisted.

"Why not celebrate at the resort?" I suggested.

"The resort's more like a celebration for the formation of Fairy Tail's strongest team. Your first mission should be celebrated separately," Lucy chimed in.

"I…alright then." I gave up.

The rest of the day up till dinner was full of laughter, banter, and brawls. I joined in sometimes, in the first two, but I mostly just watched with a smile plastered on my face.

Dinner was good. It was enjoyable at the least. We talked a lot, and Natsu somehow ate three times as much as the rest of us…combined.

I learned that there was a girl's dormitory for Fairy Tail members and that Erza lived there. Lucy lived somewhere else since the rent was too expensive for her. Natsu and Happy, from what Erza had told me, lived in a beat-up house that they built. Apparently, no one really knew where Gray lived.

I wondered why there wasn't a boy's dormitory, but it wasn't important enough for me to ask.

"So where do you live, Lok?" Lucy asked me as we were about to head our separate ways.

"I live near the East Forest."

She hummed in response.

"Well then," Erza began. "Since it's starting to get dark out, I'm going to head back to the dormitory."

Lucy and I agreed. They both congratulated me once again for completing my first mission as a member of the guild, then we bid each other farewell and started walking in opposite directions.

I kept walking in the direction of the East Forest until I knew I was a safe distance from my fellow guild members. My smile turned into a frown.

I let out a tired sigh as I rubbed my cheeks a little.

'Having a smile plastered on my face for almost the entire day makes me sore…'

Appearances were always a huge factor on missions.

It wasn't like I didn't like any of the Fairy Tail members. Far from it. I actually enjoyed some of their company since they were interesting people. But they just got a bit too rowdy sometimes.

It was a bit chilly on the way back to the house. The slight breeze ruffled my skirt and my hair was blown into my face. In a poor attempt to get the hair out of my face, I moved some of the strands behind my ear.

Even though it didn't really help, it wouldn't have mattered for long anyway.

Erza was content.

She and her team had spent some quality time together, and they had properly welcomed their newest member. Lok seemed to be a down to earth person. She was a bit reserved, but she was very dependable.

She had Erza's approval, that was for sure.

Erza wondered how Lok was adjusting to her first guild. Fairy Tail wasn't exactly…normal, but it was family.

She seemed to enjoy the dinner as much as the rest of them had, so that was a good sign.

Suddenly, Erza stiffened.

She looked over to the roof of a house on her left.

She saw nothing.

'It must've been my imagination,' she thought.

She turned to face the front and her eyes widened in surprise as the distinct form of a person rushed towards her. The person swung a sword at her, and Erza quickly requipped a sword in her own hands to block the strike. As soon as their blades clashed, the person dashed to Erza's left with impossible speed in an attempt to strike below her guard. The speed caught her off guard, but Erza, having already anticipated that move, was already moving to block it. She barely managed to block in time, and in an attempt to gain some space, she tried to kick the person away. They dodged by backflipping while gaining some distance.

Erza recollected herself. Now that she saw the person more clearly, she recognized who it was. The same white mask with a scar running straight through the right eye that she saw almost two months ago.

'This was the person who killed the mayor of that town,' she remembered. 'Possibly a Speed Magic user.'

"Requip: Flight Armor," Erza called out. She requipped into an armor with patterns akin to a cheetah's, and matching swords appeared in each hand, replacing the sword she used to block the first strike.

The person dashed forward with incredible speed once again and quickly brought their sword down on Erza. Now being able to match the person's speed, Erza crossed her swords and blocked it, only to be surprised to see the person requip another sword in their other hand and swing it at her. She leapt back only to be rushed again. Her attacker swung both of their swords at Erza's right side, so she used both of hers to fend it off. When she was about to counterattack, the person quickly requipped away the swords, allowing them to pass through Erza's guard. Erza, obeying her instincts, jumped away from the person just as something smashed into the ground where she was standing not even a second earlier.

She turned around. Her attacker now held a large black hammer that had spikes on all sides. The person rushed forward again, the hammer disappearing from their hands and being immediately replaced by two swords.

The cycle continued where Erza had to stay on the defensive. Her opponent continued their neverending assault as Erza continued to parry and block each and every strike. Even though the attacks weren't very difficult to fend off, her aggressor didn't waste much movement, which made it harder to counterattack.

But then, her attacker overextended when they tried to stab her with a sword. Seeing her chance, Erza quickly and fluidly knocked the sword out of their hand and swung her own sword at them. Her assailant barely had any time to duck beneath the attack, and their hood, which was caught by the sword, was taken off. They leapt back and gained some distance from the scarlet-haired knight.

The person had blue hair which was all swept to one side.

Erza narrowed her eyes. "Who are you, and why are you after me?" she demanded.

"It does not matter who I am," a gruff, masculine voice spoke. "All that matters, is who you are, and that is, Erza Scarlet."

Erza got into her battle stance again but was surprised to see her opponent's sword disappear. The man, she assumed, pulled his hood back on.

"My time is up," they said before quickly jumping on to a roof and running off.

Erza tried to follow him, but as soon as she got on to the roof, the man was already jumping from roof to roof, heading towards the west of town before she lost sight of him.

Erza contemplated going after him but decided against it.

Her swords disappeared, and she changed back to her regular armor as she jumped back on to the path. She then continued the walk back to the dorm, albeit apprehensively.

When I got home, I was tired and just wanted to sleep.

I did care about hygiene, though, so I went to take a shower. In the bathroom, I amusedly looked in the mirror.

Blue on black on purple.

The new hair spray worked, at least.

When no one was looking, I slipped into an alleyway where no one could see me. I pulled out my 'work' clothes from my requip space and changed into them. I put a lacrima-powered collar around my neck and switched it on.

I spoke to test it out. Just as I thought, the voice that came out of my mouth was not my own.

I put on my mask and requipped away my other clothes. I wanted to try out a new product that I bought in town, so I pulled out a can and sprayed my hair. I then swept all of my hair to one side and pulled my hood up.

After a few more preparations, I was ready to go.

'She's probably wary now. I shouldn't attempt it again for a week or two,' I decided.

That went just as well as I thought it would. Deliberately letting her see my hair and hear my voice should've made her think that her assailant was male.

The hair product I bought wasn't very strong, so I easily washed it off without washing off the black and red hair dye I had put on at the beginning of the mission.

As I turned off the lights and lay down in bed, I wondered if I could've killed Erza right then and there if I had gone all out.

Probably not.

Extremely high stamina, insane strength, fast reflexes, and she seemed to adapt really well to different situations.

I would've lost, one way or another.

At least I could relax at the resort over the next few days.

And with my thoughts lingering on what to bring, I drifted off into slumber.

The next morning, when I got to the train station right on time, I noticed that I was the third one there.

"Erza I can understand, but I didn't know you could show up early," I attempted a jab at Gray.

"Hey, I can be punctual if I want." He then muttered, "Unlike that pink-haired freak."

"What was that?" Erza sternly asked him.

He straightened up. "Nothing!"

Erza turned to me and said, "Good morning, Lok."

"Morning," I greeted back.

We waited for a while longer until Natsu and Lucy came running with Happy flying right behind them.

"You're late!" Erza scolded them.

"Sorry!" they all apologized, frightened by the tone of her voice.

We got on to the train and found our seats. I sat next to Erza and Gray while Natsu, Lucy, and Happy sat across from us.

When we got settled, I decided to ask, "So why does everyone find Erza scary?"

"I would like to know that as well," Erza added on.

"Uh…uh…" Natsu and Gray stammered.

Lucy decided to avoid the question by looking outside the window, making it look like she wasn't paying attention to the conversation.

"Well, I think she's nice," I complimented her with a smile on my face.

She seemed to appreciate that. "Why, thank you, Lok."

As soon as the train started moving, Natsu got sick and Lucy tried to comfort him. Gray was looking out the window, seemingly bored, and Erza and I decided to take a nap.

I felt someone shaking my shoulders. I slowly opened my eyes and looked around.

"We're here, Lok," Lucy told me.

The scene around me was practically the same as before I fell asleep but with one key difference.

I was leaning on Erza's shoulder.

I sat straight and stretched my arms while yawning. I turned to Erza and said, "Sorry about that. Hope you weren't uncomfortable."

She seemed a bit flustered. "N-no problem."

To gain someone's trust, trust them first. To make them let their guard down, let yours down first.

The train came to a stop soon after. We gathered our belongings and got off while dragging along a still sick Natsu.

The resort looked amazing. There was an amusement park, a beach, and a lot of other buildings.

We decided to check in to our hotel first to drop off our luggage. The rooms were massive and fancy. A king-sized bed, a coffee table with four chairs placed around it, a large archway that led to the bathroom, a large, rectangular mirror on the wall, and a balcony where one could sit and relax. The best part was, we each got our own rooms.

We got changed into our swimsuits since we decided to go to the beach. I slipped into a red bikini that I bought before we left Magnolia, and I put on a purple t-shirt and black shorts. I actually removed all the weapons off my body.

But I kept the bandages on my forearms.

Once we were ready, we reconvened outside of the hotel and left with some towels.

The beach had chairs set up with umbrellas next to them for shade. It wasn't too crowded either. Once we set our stuff down, Natsu and Gray ran off towards the water with Happy right behind them.

"Let's go, too!" Lucy exclaimed.

I took off my shirt and shorts and turned around to put them on the beach chair.

When I turned back around, I noticed that Lucy and Erza were in shock.

"Lok…what happened to your back?" she tentatively asked.

I looked away.

"I didn't exactly have a pleasant childhood," I answered cryptically.

"Remember, Lok. It's a risk you should be willing to take. Show them a weakness, so that they may show theirs."

"C'mon, let's go!" I told them.

I ran towards the beach, and after a moment, they followed.

Lucy couldn't believe what she saw.

"You saw them, right?" I whispered to Erza, who was right next to me.

She sighed. "Yes, I did."

"What do you think happened?"

"I don't know, but it would probably be better if we didn't ask. We wouldn't want to bring up any unpleasant memories when we're on vacation."

Lucy agreed. "Yeah…you're probably right."

Erza might've said that, but she couldn't peel her eyes off of Lok's back.

Burn scars.

A lot of them.

Some were small, and some were larger than others, but there was one that went straight across her back, from her left shoulder to the right side of her lower back.

They looked excruciatingly painful, and Erza couldn't help but hope that whoever did that to Lok's back got the punishment they deserved.

It was probably the most fun I'd had in a while.

It was now evening. I had just finished washing up and changed into some more casual clothes when someone knocked on my door.

"Come in," I said.

The door opened, and Lucy stepped into my room. She was wearing a beautiful red dress.

"Hey, wanna go to the casino?" she asked enthusiastically.

"Sure."

"Great! Can you go get Erza? I gotta make sure that Natsu and Gray behave in the lobby."

I nodded, and she left.

I rummaged through my suitcase till I found what I was looking for. After changing and making myself look presentable, I left my room to fetch Erza.

Erza woke up, her eyes wide with fear as she contemplated the dream she just had.

"That dreaded place again," she murmured, mainly to herself.

"What dreaded place?" The voice came from behind her.

Erza stood and sharply turned around to face whoever barged into her room. Though she relaxed a bit when she saw who it was.

Lok was wearing a black, side slit dress and her hair was in a bun.

She tilted her head in confusion.

"It's nothing," Erza began. "Just a bad dream, I guess."

"Wanna talk about it?" Lok asked her.

"No, no it's fine."

"…alright then. Anyway, you wanna check out the casino?"

"They have a casino?"

Lok nodded then said, "Everyone else is waiting downstairs."

"Well, alright then."

Erza was then surrounded by light and when it died down, she was wearing a purple dress with some flower patterns on it.

"So? How do I look?" Erza asked.

"Great," Lok complimented her with a smile.

'I guess it's okay if I relax once in a while,' Erza thought.

The casino was huge. All sorts of games I've never seen before were lined up next to each other.

I've been to casinos before on different missions, but this was something else. Everything just seemed to sparkle.

Natsu and Happy went off to one of the giant slot machines, and Gray went to play some game.

Lucy, Erza, and I walked around until we found some tables meant for card games. We sat down at one and began to play.

I wasn't really a huge gambler, so I decided to watch Erza and Lucy play. The latter lost on the first round and backed out, opting to watch Erza play and saying something along the lines of "today not being her day".

Erza was…really lucky. She kept steamrolling the competition with her lucky cards. Everyone else at the table was flabbergasted at how she kept on winning.

"Dealer change."

"R-right."

A new dealer stepped in and I couldn't help but feel like he was suspicious.

"I've got a special game for you folks tonight," the dealer creepily said as he dealt five cards on to the table.

The cards spelled DEATH.

The dealer continued, "Let's play a game where the stakes are as high as possible. That means, your life is the bet, Erza-neesan."

We looked up at the dealer. He had tanned skin, wavy blonde hair, a s-shaped tattoo below his lip, a long diamond earring hanging from his left ear, and a crazed look in his dark, beady eyes.

I quickly stood up, pulled out a knife from underneath my dress, and prepared to-

"Is that you, Shô?" Erza quietly asked.

What?

Erza's voice held fear and…relief?

I held off on attacking the boy in front of me and looked over to Erza. Her eyes were wide with shock.

"It's been a while, Nee-san," the dealer said to Erza.

"Nee-san?" Lucy questioned.

"You're…alive?" Erza asked the boy named Shô.

He leaned in. "Alive?"

"Well…I mean."

Suddenly, everything turned pitch black. There was a gunshot. People panicked and started yelling, but after a few moments, the yelling stopped.

"What happened?!" Lucy exclaimed.

When we were able to see again, the casino was empty. It was as if everyone had disappeared.

"Over here."

We looked over and saw Shô throwing cards on to the floor. Stuck inside the frames of the cards, were people.

"Magic?!" a shocked Erza asked.

"That's right, I'm capable of it too."

"But, who taught you?"

"Meow~"

A magic circle appeared on the ground beneath Lucy's feet and some weird rope came out and wrapped itself around her.

"Lucy!" Erza exclaimed.

"Well, aren't you all rosy," a girl who sat on top of the table said.

Erza seemed to know her as well. "Milliana? You can use magic too?"

"It's been a while, Er-chan."

"Please, release Lucy! She's my friend," Erza pleaded.

"Friend?"

"We used to be your friends too," Shô smirkingly said. "Until you betrayed us!"

Erza gritted her teeth.

A blocky man materialized with his arm around Shô. "Cut her some slack, pal. Keep your composure and everything will be dandy."

Erza knew him. "Wally?"

"Long time no see. You turned out to be quite the looker. I've gone through some changes myself. The Mad Dog Wally you grew up with has seen a lot since the old days. You see…I'm a lot smoother now."

God, his joke was terrible.

'Old friends of hers, huh? Well whoever they are, they don't seem very friendly now.'

I pulled out a second knife. I turned to the girl, Milliana, who captured Lucy and rushed towards her. She looked surprised.

"Wait, don't!" Erza yelled out.

I hesitated for a second, then everything went dark. I was suddenly blasted into a nearby wall which cracked under the pressure. I coughed out from the impact and slumped to the ground.

Lucy and Erza both screamed my name and I could hear the worry in their voices.

I slowly stood up and put my hand on the wall to steady myself. I looked at the man that attacked me and appeared behind Erza.

"Those sharp weapons are a bit dangerous, aren't they?" he rhetorically asked.

"Simon…" Erza said.

"It's time to go back, Nee-san," Shô told her. "To the Tower."

"Jellal is waiting," Simon added.

Erza's eyes widened even further as she trembled in fear.

"If you refuse to go back," the blockhead, Wally, began. "We might just shoot someone till you do."

His arm materialized into a gun and he aimed it at Lucy.

"No, don't!" Erza screamed.

The gun disappeared and reappeared behind her. It shot and Erza let out a surprised noise before falling to the ground.

"Erza…Erza!" Lucy screamed.

They picked her up and started walking away.

"Mission accomplished," Simon said.

"By the way, I got a gift for you, Milliana," Wally said to grab her attention. He gave her…Happy?

"A kitty!" Milliana exclaimed.

I sprinted towards them. I pulled out three knives in each hand and threw them at Erza captors. They teleported at the last moment and the knives stuck themselves into a pillar behind them.

I retrieved them and went to cut Lucy free from the rope.

"We need to find the others!" she said.

We split off to look for our friends.

All of a sudden, there was a roar and a stream of fire that went skywards. I ran in its direction and found a pissed off Natsu.

"What kind of guy just shoots people in the mouth?!" he yelled furiously. "I mean…someone can get real hurt!"

"I think any normal person would die from that," I told him.

Lucy, Gray, and some blue-haired girl I didn't know ran towards us.

"They took Erza and Happy!" Lucy informed everyone.

"They'll pay when I get my hands on them…especially that blockhead!" Natsu yelled as he ran off.

"Is he following their scent?" I asked.

"Yep, he sure is," Gray replied. "Let's follow him."

"Right."

They dare to steal my prey. They dare to walk all over my pride.

"Tch."

They'll pay…old friends be damned.

A/N: Alright, so I've now begun the Tower of Heaven Arc (as if you couldn't already tell). This update is slow, and future updates will probably get even slower as the university workload gets bigger and bigger. I barely have time to write now, but I WILL NOT give up on this story. Anyway, since the way people address each other is different in the Japanese compared to the English, I chose to go with the Japanese version.

See you in the next chapter.