Hello Fairies! Here is the next chapter. I actually wrote part of this while i was camping and fishing :) Hope you like it. It's kind of a stepping stone chapter, but it is needed for the story line to progress. So I hope you like it. Also I'm asking for your help. I need a name for the man in the cloak and I am completely stuck. I've been trying to think of a name for the past week and a half and still haven't come up with anything, I can't keep calling him the creep, or creepy cloaked man. If you have any ideas i would love to hear them :)

Please Read and Review

I do not own Fairy Tail


Lucy's body felt heavy. Her limbs felt like lead and her head pounded like a drum, making the pain spike with every beat. Every muscle in her body was sore and pinched with pain. If Lucy didn't know any better she would have thought that someone had used her body as a punching bag. To her surprise her body was rested between comfortable sheets and her head lay against a fluffy pillow instead of the leaves and dirt ground she had been expecting. Lucy could tell she was lying in a bed as her senses slowly started to focus on her surroundings through the haze she was emerging from.

Lucy took a slow breath trying to recount what had happened before she blacked out. Lucy flinched and then let out a pained moan as memories assaulted her hazy mind. The battle. The cloaked bandits. The mysterious magic circle that appeared before her eyes as she watched the sky fade into darkens. What happened after that? Did the rest of them get out okay? What happened to the one that called her Star Gazer, the one who gave her the warning, the one who would harm her friends if she didn't do what he said. Lucy let out a sob as her nightmare came crashing down on her. He did that to her. He played with her memories and made it into his own little sick game. He tortured her with those images. He had shown her what he could do and it had set the seed of fear deep into her heart.

Lucy took a deep breath. The haze of her mind slowly clearing with the reality of the situation she was in. She had to make sure her friends were okay? She had to make sure that her nightmare hadn't become a reality. Lucy cracked open one eye in an attempt to take in her surroundings. It was dark and her eyes slowly began to adjust to the lack of light. Lucy was looking up at a plain white ceiling. She blinked trying to focus her hazy eyes before she dared look any further. She slowly moved her head to the left having a strange sense of deja-vu as she looked for anything she might recognize. Lucy looked at the tacky lamp and the bedside table. She saw her bright golden and silver keys lying on the small table and she quickly snatched them and clutched to her chest. She hadn't had them in her dream which had terrified her. Relief filled her she was so glad to see that they were okay. She focused back on the lampshade, it had a ruffled lampshade but it didn't strike her as familiar. She looked past it and saw 4 other beds all with the same tacky bed sheets that completely contrasted the lampshade. It was a horrendous scene of terrible fashion sense but it brought a huge relief to Lucy's fragile heart and mind. It had taken a little but she remembered feeling the same cringe worthy feeling when she had first set eyes on the inn they had been staying at. Only this room was bigger than the one she had previously inhabited. However it now seemed like years ago that she had seen these bed sheets.

Lucy felt the bed shift below her and she froze, only making her muscles scream in protest at the sudden use. The fear that had cracked her heart spread through her system making her fear the worse. She slowly looked to her right and her eyes focused on pink. It took her a second for her mind to process what it was looking at but her mind finally connected to what her eyes had seen. It was none other than the pink hair of her best friend. Lucy relaxed back into the pillow, happy finally to see one of her friends. However that fear didn't' quite leave as she watched the top of Natsu's head. She studied him. It seemed that he was partially sitting in a chair but had slumped over and fallen asleep on the side of her bed. She let a small smile grace her lips as she took in Natsu's sleeping form.

Very slowly she sat up against the back of the bed. Her body screamed in protest and she bit down on her lip to hold back a scream. This probably wasn't the best thing to be doing with such a sore body but Lucy had to get a better look at her surroundings. Lucy didn't know how long she had been out of it, to her it felt like years, but it could have been a few hours, to a few days, and she needed answers. She didn't see any of the rest of her team, which worried her. Yes they could have just left the room to get food, or to get some rest, but it disturbed her, because she didn't know. For all she knew they could have been captured or hurt by the cloaked bandits. With deep regret Lucy brought a bandaged hand out from under the covers to wake the peaceful looking Natsu.

He looked so peaceful with his pink hair covering his sleeping face. He looked so young and content that she couldn't help but think it was a crime to wake someone who looked so comfortable. Another small smile spread across her lips as she looked at her best friend for another moment. She let her bandaged hand reach out towards him. She couldn't reach his shoulder without pain, so she settled for the top of his head. Her fingers slipped through the pink locks of Natsu's hair. It always surprised her how soft his hair actually was. Her smile grew as she continued to brush through his hair with tender strokes, secretly loving every moment of it. She finally felt him stir beneath her fingers. She heard him mumble something under his breath and she stifled a giggle, before his eyes shot open and he sat upright so quickly she yelped in surprise.

"Luce!" he said his eyes sharp with disbelief and suprise.

"Hey sleepy head," she said her voice hoarse and rough to her ears. How long had she been asleep? She questioned faintly as she looked at Natsu's surprised expression.

"Your okay," he said with finality and concern as his face slipped from surprise to relief. How long? She thought more forcefully.

"Just a little sore, what happened? Is everyone else okay? What happened to the bandits? Did we catch them?" the questions falling out one after the other and becoming more desperate with each word. She hadn't realized how much she needed answers to the many questions in her mind.

Natsu silenced her as he reached out and grasped her hand firmly. His dark onyx eyes were soft with relief and only a hint of concern sparked inside them. She could feel the fear returning in her heart. Spreading through her veins and making her feel cool and afraid. His warm hand brought the fear to halt but it didn't smoother it. Lucy knew that her teammate could read her easily, just like she could easily read him. They had gotten very close over the time she had spent in Fairy Tail. They knew so much about each other and could read each other easily. Always knowing what the other was feeling or needing. Lucy knew Natsu could see the fear in her eyes, and the desperation she was seeking in those unanswered questions.

"Your okay, that's what matters. Everyone else is fine Luce. A few cuts and bruises but it was nothing Wendy couldn't handle," he said with a warm smile knowing that was the answer she wanted the most and he gave their hands a tight squeeze before he let go.

"Do you remember anything?" he asked his eyes quickly leaving her's briefly before returning.

Lucy visibly flinched at the question. How could she forget? But could she tell them about what she went through? Her nightmare was centered around them and the torture that she went through in an attempt to protect them. It had all felt too real. She had actually thought it had happened until she had woken up. However Lucy couldn't help but feel like it had all meant something. Some warning to the words the stranger had muttered before he cast her into that nightmare. But what had it all meant? Lucy offered Natsu a stiff nod to his question as her mind rolled in turmoil.

"I remember everything," she stated simply letting her eyes glare at the bed sheets between them, trying to keep the tears at bay.

"What happened to me Natsu?" she asked finally bringing her watery eyes to look up at her best friend who's face was creased with worry with hints of rage beginning to flicker in his features. He wasn't happy about something.

"You've been in a magically induced sleep. You've been out of it for days~" Natsu started but Lucy quickly cut him off.

"How long?" she demanded.

"3 days," he said his anger fading only a little and was replaced with sadness.

"I- We've all been really worried. Happy thought you were never going to wake up. He almost stopped eating fish," he said emphasizing the almost and Lucy couldn't help but giggle at Happy antics.

"Happy's always had a flare for the dramatic," she said letting the happy comment chase away her fear. They fell into a content silence until Natsu broke it with a question.

"You're sure you are okay Luce?" he asked emphasizing the you in his question.

"Honestly. I've been better. It wasn't the nicest experience of my life," Lucy said her voice wavering and showing her true emotions behind the vague comment.

Lucy glanced up at Natsu to see his hands gripping the bed sheets tightly, with his brow furrowed in anger. He was angry, very angry, but about what? Lucy watched as his eyes danced with anger and she reached out a small hand laid it carefully on his fisted hand. She watched as the fire in his eyes died down only to smouldering embers. He let out a long breath before he spoke.

"Luce I couldn't protect you. You were screaming your head off in that clearing. You looked like you were in so much pain and there was nothing we could do. Every since then you've been calling out in your sleep. Sometimes calling out our names and sometimes just screaming no at the top of your lungs. You've been crying and thrashing… we couldn't do anything but sit and watch as you screamed our names… I need to know what that creep did to you," he demanded his eyes flashing with intensity.

"Natsu... it wasn't pleasant. It was like a stepped right into my worst nightmare but I thought it was real. It felt like my world had collapsed around me, and everyone I loved had been ripped away and I was to weak to do anything…" she said trailing off as the memory flooded her mind. Every loss she experienced opened like a fresh wound. The hurtful but truthful words her friends had said to her. It was horrible and she could feel a stray tear making its track down her face.

"Don't cry Luce. It's over now. I still would like to know, but you can take your time in telling me okay," and she nodded to his understanding.

"Next time I see the bastard I'm going to beat the crap out of 100 times over," he said cracking his knuckles, not noticing Lucy freeze and her breathing becoming panicked.

"He... escaped?" Lucy almost whispered her fear returning like a hurricane.

"Yea him and his pet wolves all disappeared into shadows. Their was no trace of them. Luce what's wrong?" he asked watching as Lucy bunched up the bed sheets in her shaking hands.

He was still out there waiting for her. Waiting for her to complete his story. Waiting for her to get stronger only to be able to use her. Waiting to harm her friends and family. Staying out there to keep that fear planted firm in her heart to make sure she did exactly what he wanted. Her glimmer of hope that he had gotten caught and was locked up deep in a cell somewhere had disappeared with Natsu's words. Her time was officially against her. What could she do other than do what he said? Could she prevent what hid in her future? – No- he had made it quite clear if she tried to fight he would harm her friends. And now that he lurked out there in the shadows she didn't know what to do. She couldn't just let him do as he wished with her….

Lucy was pulled out of her thoughts as a warm hand landed on her shoulder. He had been doing this a lot for her lately and she was grateful for him always watching out for her.

"Luce tell me what's wrong?" he pleaded.

Natsu… I'm scarred," she voiced honestly as she sat there feeling like she was drowning in her own fear of the unknown.

"Luce. Everyone has their fears. Don't be ashamed to face them. Your brave Luce never forget that. And don't forget that you don't have to face them alone. I'll always be here okay," he said and Lucy could feel fresh tears burning her eyes at his words. He was right. She didn't have to face her fears alone. Her friends and family were always there for her when she needed them.

"I'll tell you everything. I think Gray, Erza, Wendy and the exceeds should know as well," Lucy said finally coming to a decision in her jumbled mind.

Natsu got up with a nod knowing what she was also insinuating. The stranger that broke into her apartment. It was time that everyone knew what was going on with Lucy and the mysterious shadow. Natsu hurried out of the room to get the others, while Lucy sat there gathering her thoughts together. She was going to tell them about the break in and the mysterious message written on her story. They had a right to know what was going on and she didn't want to go through this alone. Lucy would tell them as much as they needed to know. She would give them a set amount of time she needed to get things done by but she would be leaving some details out. Things that she didn't' want them to burden themselves with. These few details are what she would carry for them. This was her problem that she would have to figure out. Mostly the images of her dream is what she wanted to keep from them and her actual amount of time. They didn't need to know how short her time was. She didn't want to burden with the upcoming doom that was her future. She would connect the dots for them though and give them as much information as she was willing to share. They would do this together. They were her nakama they stood up for each other, they fought for each other, and they never left a friend behind. Together Lucy hoped they would have a chance against the stranger in the cloak that was the image of Lucy's fear.


Lucy sat on her bed explaining everything she knew about the cloaked figure that had put her under the sleeping spell. She had recalled the break-in and watched as Erza and Gray had become furious. It had taken awhile to calm them down, and after some persuading she convinced everyone to remain silent until she finished her story. She mentioned the connection she had deciphered with her story telling them that the stranger had set her an amount of time. She didn't dare tell them how much, but she reassured them it wouldn't be soon, saying that was all she knew. She briefly mentioned the connection to the weird poem they had found in the houses around town and said that it was the creep's way of leaving her a sick message. She also outlined his plan for her, and how he wanted to use her in the future to gain something. She also vaguely went over her horrifying dream. She left out some details letting them fill it themselves, mostly saying that he used her own memories of them against her and that it had been horrifying and exceptionally real. When she had finished her tale they all sat there deep in thought.

Lucy already felt lighter, letting the others share in her fears had been a good idea and maybe they would have some idea of where to go next.

"Well I think it's obvious that you want to begin training," Erza stated. "Whether to go with this man's sick plan, or to get stronger so you can beat him."

"Yea actually I've been thinking about it for a while now. Even before all this happened. I wanted to become stronger in order to protect myself, especially after the infinity cloak. I didn't want to be targeted anymore, and just end up getting captured. But your right I think i should train, even though it's what he wants, I would have a better chance of fighting back if I ever encounter him again," Lucy said with determination.

"Good we will begin after we get back to Magnolia. You can train with each one of us, and maybe a few others from the guild. We will set up a schedule. Energy building in the morning, combat in the afternoon. We will have to leave some room for specialization..." Erza said listing off the many things she wanted Lucy to work on, and getting happier by the minute. Lucy couldn't help but be a little scarred at the idea of being the head trainer in her little group. And Erza looked way to eager to begin weapon training. But Lucy was still grateful.

"Thanks guy's it means a lot," she said smiling at her friends.

"We're in this together Luce," Natsu said giving her a tooth grin.

She returned it immediately feeling her heart swell with pride and warmth for her friends. This was going to be okay. They could do this together. Nothing could tare them apart.


Far off deep in a forest sat a little cave shrouded in low hanging trees hidden from wandering eyes in the forest. A deep manic laughter could be heard echoing throughout the quite forest, emitting form the depths of the dark cave. Through the shadows in the cave and down a hidden passageway one man was sitting over a glass bowl his head thrown back in laughter as he howled at the image below. His black cloak hung loosely over a wooden chair. The man's pale eyes snapped open and his scarred face sneered into a manic grin as he looked down at the black liquid that filled the bowl.

"Yes Star Gazer. Tell them your tale. It will only make it more fun to take you away from them later," the man laughed as he put a hand over the bowl.

A black magic circle appeared with the faint golden sparks etched into the sides appeared above the bowl and the image of Lucy lying in her bed, surrounded by her friends slipped away into darkness. The man grabbed his cloak and made his way through the twisted tunnel that hid at the back of the cave. Deep inside the mountain the man emerged in a cavern lit with faint lacrima's and dripping candles. The top of the cavern had a hole letting in the faint glow of the moonlight above. The faint glimmer of stars just visible through the gap in the earth. He walked up to an odd machine. Metal cascading around it like a cage. It looked like a tear drop as one end extended towards the bright moon above and then gathered into a fat tear at the bottom near the man. The rough metal holding everything in place and was attached to the rocky walls of the cavern gave the appearance of spider legs clinging to the walls. A pure black rock lay in the middle of the teardrop, which seemed to pulse to life with an unknown energy. The man walked up to it and placed a gentle hand on the black surface.

"Soon I shall have her and the others. It's only a matter of time my pet till we can have what we both desire," he said petting the black stone affectionately.

The hum of power pulsed again and the man smiled up at the black rock. The man only gave a throaty laugh at the pulse of magic coming from the rock, satisfied that it was as eager as him. Soon, he thought Soon I shall have the power to conquer the world, he thought eagerly as he made his way back to the his chambers. He through his head back enjoying the thrill of his little game, and his ingenious plan. His manic laughter echoing through the night air.