"Alright everyone, we have one week until the Grand Magic Games, but I say we head over to Crocus soon. The journey to the capital will take a few days, and then I figured I could show you around! I lived there for a while, so I know it well, it's an amazing place to see, so full of people and life. We've already been registered for the Games so we might as well enjoy our free time." Lucy spoke while sitting at the breakfast table with her guildmates, who were enjoying omelets made by Yukino.

"I'm so excited! I've heard Crocus is called The Flower Blooming Capital, filled with beautiful flowers of all colors and species all across the city. I can't wait to admire them all! Ooh, maybe I'll buy some seeds to plant more of my own!" Jess said warmly, imagining what a city filled with flowers would look like.

"I've been once before with my father, Miss Jess I assure you, the flowers are beautiful and cover every inch of the city. The King and Princess are extremely kind, I'm sure we could ask to visit the castle garden while we're there." Antonio said with a smile.

"Yeah well, I'm not a big fan of crowds, aren't there gonna be people everywhere cause of the Games?" Jamie spoke up.

"Well… it is the capital of Fiore and The Grand Magic Games is no joke in Fiore, thousands of people watch the games and pick a favorite guild to root for so, yeah, there's gonna be a big crowd wherever we go, but Jamie I promise you, you'll have fun too. We're going up against the strongest guilds across Fiore, with wizards like magic you've never seen. Now that you've gotten accustomed to magic battles, I guarantee you're going to love being in the Games, even if it's just the preliminaries. Plus, Jess is going to be sad if you don't go flower viewing with her." Ragus said calmly.

"Yeah Jamie you have to come with me to explore!" Jess said cheerily.

"I agree, it will be more fun if we all go together. What else would you do, stay in the hotel all day?" Antonio teased.

"Well, yes, that's exactly what I'd do. Besides Princey, why do you wanna go flower gazing so bad?" Jamie retorted.

Antonio faked a sniffle. "Is it so bad to want to make memories with my dearest friends? It won't be any fun if our beloved rainbow beam stays locked inside. You bring so much color to our lives."

"God why the puns with you? It only ticks me off more and you know it." Jamie rolled her eyes.

"Oh come on bestie, we'll go find your pot of gold while we look around." Antonio joked. He and Jamie were very close friends now and teasing between the two of them was mostly their way of communicating.

"Do I look like a leprechaun to you? I'll go just to find you a white horse to ride around on your highness and a red carpet to roll under your feet so everyone in Fiore judges you." Jamie challenged him with a smirk. She loved to tease him about his royalty. On one mission, she pretended to be a servant he forced to go with him everywhere and do any task he ordered no matter how demeaning. She successfully made an entire village think so lowly of him they chased him away to "set Jamie free". His revenge was finding out puns drove her crazy.

"Perfect, so you're going with us then, my plan was a success!" Antonio and Jess high fived and laughed when Jamie groaned and let her head fall to the table.

"Jamie we were all going to force you anyway, we wouldn't just leave you in the hotel, you're our precious friend, of course we want to spend time with you." Yukino said with a smile.

Jamie just gave a thumbs up while she kept her head down. "Don't get sappy with me, I get it. You guys are cool too." She mumbled.

Lucy smiled while she watched her friends laugh and talk with each other. They were each excited for these Games for different reasons, with different goals pushing them towards a spotlight they'd been training months to be in. Antonio would prove his strength to return to his country and retake his throne, Jess and Jamie would finally find peace with their magic, and Yukino and Lucy would break the curse upon them and reclaim their old lives. As for Ragus, when Lucy had asked what he would do when they were able to accomplish their goals, he simply said he'd disappear again.

"Alright guys, we can tease each other more once we actually get there. Go pack, we need clothes for a few weeks and supplies for the journey to Crocus." Lucy advised.

Ragus cleared his throat. "That won't be necessary, I have already arranged for transportation for us without having to pack. In fact, if I'm lucky, I can avoid the hotel altogether since it's only you lot that must be there. So, if you're ready to go we could leave immediately and arrive sooner than we would by foot."

Lucy was intrigued. "How Master?"

He smiled proudly. "It is a simple task; we will take the guild hall with us. I told you how my spacial magic works correct? I changed my home into a guild hall, why not into a carriage for travel?"

Everyone clapped happily. Each member of Stellar Luna had a deep respect for Ragus. He had helped them go from worried, lost strangers with no plans to a guild worthy of entering the Grand Magic Games. He helped each person individually with whatever they asked him to or whatever he thought would benefit them. He helped Antonio study what aspects from his country would be most beneficial in battle, he helped Jamie control her magic from being fatal, he taught Jess what Doves can do, and he gave Yukino and Lucy the information and hope to move forward towards getting their lives back. He was a powerful mage with amazing magic power and extensive knowledge of the world; he was a blessing to the group of friends, and they didn't know what they would do without him.

"That sounds great Master! What will pull the carriage though?" Antonio asked.

Ragus rolled his shoulder, preparing for the spell. "I guess in a way I will be. My magic will be pushing it forward. Don't worry about anything, the interior will stay the same, it's the exterior I'm going to change. About what size vehicle do we want, and what type? It can be anything really, but we shouldn't draw too much attention if we're going sightseeing when we get there."

"Just make it look like a regular magical vehicle then, it'll be perfect to get us there quickly and will be less noticeable." Yukino said. "You know how to get to the capital from here?"

"Quite well. Now be prepared for a shudder, hold on to something." Ragus snapped his fingers and the guild hall seemed to jump. Everyone was shaken around for a second before everything went back to normal. "And we're now mobile. Anyone with motion sickness please follow me so we can take some medicine. We'll be in Crocus in two days instead of six, but we're going to continue training while we're travelling. If you look to the right, a new hallway had appeared and in that hallway are the training fields and the shooting range added to the interior of the guild hall. Using free time to prepare yourself is a good idea but don't overdo it." Ragus smiled when Jess followed him to get medicine while Jamie and Antonio ran to spar with each other in the new training hall.

Lucy was left to herself at the table, only a bite missing from her food. She wasn't in the mood to eat or train right now, her stomach was full of butterflies and her heart ached more than ever. She was going to be face to face with her friends in a matter of days after being away from them for months… would they remember her now? And if they didn't… would they just not notice her at all like before? She was so excited to see everyone again, but she couldn't shake the feeling of dread looming in her mind. Her thoughts went from being happy to see her friends again to numbing her mind with the fact they didn't even know who she was right now. She felt sick to her stomach from worry and had a headache unlike any other. Every beat of her heart felt like someone was crushing it with their fist and digging their nails into its surface. It was almost unbearable, every organ in her body turning against her. She couldn't eat so her stomach was upset, her stomach was upset because she wouldn't eat, her head hurt so bad she couldn't think and her heart felt like it was pumping knives through her blood and getting daggers lodged in her heart.

Lucy took a breath but winced when the air hit her lungs. Her body was betraying her so terribly she had no choice but to use magic to null the pain so she could keep herself alive, but she could only do that during emergencies now. She built up a tolerance to the magic when she used it too much. She had to suffer through this until the Games started, or else she'd be too weak to fight with Stellar Luna and they'd be unable to participate.

"I just have to go to my happy place for the day…" Lucy mumbled weakly. She stood up slowly, pushing herself to her feet with her arms.

Her vision was blurry, and her legs felt weak underneath her, but she cautiously moved her way to the stairs that led to the second story where her room was. She looked in dismay at the once easy climb and frowned deeply. Twenty steps… that's two steps ten times, five steps four times, ten steps two times. She hoped that subdividing in her head would make the climb less treacherous to her but getting onto the first step alone took most of the strength she'd managed to gain from her inner monologue. Her head was spinning, and her legs were giving out on themselves, she fell to her hands and knees. She felt pathetic but she crawled her way up the stairs, one painfully long step at a time. Her room was the first door on the left and she weakly pulled herself inside, shutting the door behind her. Her curtains were closed, and the lights were turned off, making the room dark minus the smallest beam of light from underneath the door.

Once she was inside her room she crawled to her bed, using all her strength she had left to pull herself up onto her bed, collapsing onto her face once she was up. She had moved a table to sit directly next to her bed so she could reach her things while she was cooped up in bed. On it currently was a candle with matches next to it, a book, and a pink sweatshirt. Lucy laid on her back on top of her comforter, picking up the plush dragon and placing it in her arms to hug tightly.

She had to relax her mind. She used one arm to reach over and light her candle which was made to smell like a campfire. She grabbed the sweatshirt and wrapped the dragon plush in it to hold close to her again. She closed her eyes and let the smell of fire, warmth of the sweatshirt, and the comfort from the small dragon rush through her body. The faint light from the candle danced in her eyelids and she took a deep breath. This time, her lungs accepted the air graciously and her head stopped spinning. Her heartbeat slowed down and the pain started to fade away, even her stomach which had been turning in circles settled down, accepting the comforting smell and warmth and calming down. Lucy felt her body return to a state of bearable pain and let her tension leave her body; she felt her shoulders finally relax and with them her neck, rolling her head to the side slightly. She opened her eyes again to watch the flame of the candle, watching it flicker and move as though it were alive.

She had found this was the only way she could relax herself anymore and by the time she got back up again the pain would worsen because everything was a reminder of Natsu. Everything from the candle to the sweatshirt was something that made her remember her time with Natsu. The sweatshirt he'd bought for her as a present when he had messed up another mission and set a house on fire, reducing their reward money significantly. While she was giving him the silent treatment at the hotel he snuck off and was gone for an hour or so. When he came back, he brought this sweatshirt to her, which Lucy had been admiring when they passed by the shop it was in before the mission. It was the same color pink as Natsu's hair and was made of material soft enough to soothe someone to sleep with just a brush of fingertips against it. When Natsu presented it to her, he did so with a bright smile, declaring that it was the same color as him, so she wouldn't forget him.

If only she had given him something so he wouldn't forget her, maybe they could have held off the curse. He could have been by her side to help her when she was lost on what to do, he could have helped her find who was behind all this and punched them to the ground with his fire. She could be by his side right now instead of miles apart, wrapped in his arms rather than her memories.

The flame of the candle seemed to sense her longing, glowing brighter and waving more even though there was no breeze anywhere in the room. While she watched the flame, her mind drifted away, thinking of how this time last year, her life was completely different. She felt like she'd taken everything for granted; her time with her friends, she couldn't even remember all of it. Her brain had highlights of their most dangerous or funny missions, but the casual times she spent with her friends had slipped away from her. What did Mira always talk about while Lucy sat at the bar? What did Wendy come to ask her advice about all the time? Nothing that wasn't life threatening or so funny she cried laughing made its way to mind… just how many precious memories had she lost to time?

Her heart started to ache again, and Lucy hugged the dragon closer to her to soothe her thought once more. She couldn't sleep, it was too early in the morning and her dreams were just as bad as being awake. If she let her mind wander her heart would implode, so what could she do? She couldn't go train like the others, if she tried to get up now, she'd probably collapse onto the floor writhing in pain. She could read from her book, but there was barely enough light and her arms would give out after a few minutes of holding up a book. Her only choice was to think of something that wouldn't break her heart, and the only thing that could do that was Natsu.

She tried to think of their times together; cuddling in her bed, holding hands underneath the guild tables, laughing while playing boardgames, fighting by each other's side. How was it that he could break her heart and heal it at the same time? She smiled when she thought of him, she cried when she thought of him, she wanted to run into his arms and never let go, and then she wanted to run from him so she never had to remember he had forgotten her. What a funny thing it was to love someone; she'd heard that love was 99% anxiety and 200% happiness, a saying she hadn't understood until she found herself worrying over every gesture he made with a smile on her face.

But if Natsu was what would make her heart beat easier right now, she was happy to think about him, though there wasn't really a time that she didn't. But in candlelight wrapped in pink, she could remember him as though he was right there by her side, and that was enough, for now.

. . .

Fairy Tail was ready for the Grand Magic Games, having picked two teams and groups of substitutes in the event something happened. Everyone was ready to fight for the title of 'the best' and receive the reward money that came with it. It was the only thing on anyone's minds, except for two individuals who had other reasons for wanting to go to the capital.

Natsu was super pumped to fight, no misunderstanding that, but he was just as eager to ask around the Grand Magic Games if anyone remembered the girl who competed on his team with him. He'd been digging deep, working through every memory he could and placing the name "Lucy" in the blanks in his mind. He could only remember specific features of her appearance, but not exactly what she looked like.

Long blonde hair, bright brown eyes, curves that made jaws drop, that was what he knew she looked like. He could picture each feature individually, but when he tried to put them together, there was still something keeping him from seeing her. He'd come so far, overcome so much, but he was still missing out. How much was missing from his mind still, what other barriers were preventing him from remembering this girl Lucy? Why was this happening at all, why was his heart so hollow, with a hole he couldn't fill with anything? Where did Lucy go… why did she leave… did she mean so much to him he couldn't live normally without her, and if she did how could he forget her at all?

The capital was a place he hadn't yet visited in his investigation, a place filled with people and memories of his. So much had happened during his last Grand Magic Games, and so many gaps needed to be filled. There were so many missing pieces from his memory in Crocus that he couldn't properly remember what had happened anymore. By going there again, by asking around, by winning the game so he could talk to the King again, he was going to find Lucy and ask her all these questions that were burning inside of him.

He had decided he was going to Crocus early, though the Grand Magic Games weren't set to start for another week. He wanted time to ask around and recover his memories before he took out his frustrations in the game. He'd brought this up with his team and Master and they'd each vaguely told him the same thing.

"You'd better be where you're supposed to when we need you. If you get us disqualified or make us late, you'll have hell to pay."

His teammates this year were Erza, Gray, Wendy, and Laxus. The other team was made up of Mira, Juvia, Elfman, Gajeel, and Cana. The reserve members were Levy, Lisanna, Evergreen, Fried, and Bickslow, who were ready to fill in if anything should happen to one of the members on the teams. Master Makarov was so confident in their teams this year he'd started drinking to celebrate early while all the participating members were training or taking a break to talk with their friends.

Natsu had been training as well, but not as much as he thought he should have. He was strong, he knew that, and it must have gotten to his head more than he thought. He was so concentrated on Lucy, he found himself choosing to work on his Lucy timeline rather than punch trees in the forest. Happy was trying to help him keep a balance between the two, but Happy himself had a bias towards finding Lucy too. Happy was slower to grasp information, but he was still trying his hardest to help Natsu find her so they could get her back. The void that Natsu described to him was something he felt too. Lucy was precious to him; he could tell when she would appear in blurry forms in his memories. He was a simple cat, he liked a few things and cared for them more than anything else. He loved fish and Carla, his most treasured friend was Natsu, and along with him, there was Lucy. He cared for her and trusted her more than anyone except Natsu. He missed her so much he'd cry without even realizing it, hating himself for forgetting someone so dear to him in the first place.

Happy was going to Crocus early with Natsu, eagerly hoping they would find something that would lead them to where Lucy was right now. Happy had a lingering hope, a very small one, but still a hope that they might even find her there. When Natsu brought up that they didn't know what she looked like, Happy had a brilliant idea. If she was a blurry figure in their memories, then all they had to do was look for the walking blur! It was the best they had to go on until they could find out more, until they found someone who knew where she went.

Natsu and Happy were at the guild currently, telling Master where they would be looking in case something came up and they needed to find them. They left the details of why they were going early under wraps, making Erza extremely suspicious.

"Give me a reason or I'll be forced to make you stay here or go with you to keep you out of trouble." She said firmly, arms crossed.

Happy started sweating, his mind not coming up with any excuses. Natsu was the same, except smiling awkwardly. "Well, um, would you believe me if I said it was something important that I needed to do alone?"

Erza's glare harshened. "If it's so important then we should all go together as a team, we can help you. And then we don't have to worry about you disappearing or showing up late to the Grand Magic Games."

"It's not something you can help me with, it's something I have to do alone. With Happy's help." Natsu said fearfully.

"That directly contradicts you saying you were going alone." She declared. "You're the one who is always insisting that no one go through something so serious alone, to rely on your comrades instead of just yourself."

"Well yeah but… see Happy and I are the only ones who-"

"ARE GOING TO ENTER AN EATING CONTEST AT A CAFÉ IN CROCUS." Happy finished the sentence for him.

Erza raised an eyebrow. "You're leaving to go to Crocus early to enter an eating contest?"

Natsu gulped and nodded his head, hoping she would buy it. Happy continued, "Yeah it's famous! The winner gets a free buffet meal for them and as may friends as they'd like! We thought we'd win so the guild could all get a good meal to celebrate when we make it to the top eight teams!"

Erza's expression did not falter as she analyzed the two of them closely. Then, she nodded her head, closing her eyes. "I see. That is something for the two of you. You had best win for the sake of our guild and then be on time or else you'll have me to answer to."

"Of course Erza, we'd never make trouble for you!" Natsu and Happy assured her. She waved them farewell and went to discuss with Master.

Natsu gave Happy a look of praise for coming up with such a great excuse for the two of them, though at first, he'd thought he was serious and was excited at the idea of an all you can eat buffet. Happy gave Natsu a nervous smile in return, surprised that Erza hadn't seen through his impromptu lie. She really must see them as gluttonous simpletons. Or… maybe she could see they were serious enough about this to let them be for now. One could never tell when it came to Erza.

"Alright guys, we'll see you at the Grand Magic Games where Fairy Tail will prove again that we're the strongest guild out there!" Natsu yelled excitedly raising his fist in the air.

An uproar of cheers and mugs smashing together erupted throughout the guild. Everyone smiled widely and yelled in elation, excitement for the upcoming Games overruling any conversation that had been going on. Cana raised a barrel to toast Master, who picked up a barrel of his own and insisted everyone drink with him. Natsu laughed at all the commotion and motioned for Happy to follow him so they could get going. Happy, after waving goodbye to Charle with a bright smile, flew to follow Natsu outside. Happy had agreed to fly Natsu as far as he could before they'd finish the journey on foot. Natsu was adamant about avoiding any vehicle on the way there.

"How far can you get us Happy?" Natsu asked while he looked in his pack to make sure he had everything he needed.

"We'll find out on the way. I can't predict when I'll tire out because it depends on the circumstances, but I think I can get us really far, my will is strong!" Happy had a determined look in his eyes while he spoke. He checked his own bag, seeing that he had enough fish to last him a while, and returned his bag to his back.

"Let's go then!"

"Aye Sir!" Happy picked up Natsu and started their flight to Crocus. The flight was long, but Natsu was surprised they only had to take one break before they arrived. The times he'd travelled there in the past were a blur because he'd been in a vehicle, barely conscious from his motion sickness. He didn't realize that the distance felt smaller when he wasn't on the verge of puking his guts out and his head wasn't spinning. Happy's time he could fly had grown to the point where they made it to Crocus by nightfall, when the sun had just set from the sky. When they finally did arrive, Happy's magic power was weak enough they had to set down outside of Crocus on one of the roads that led to it, no more than a mile away. The road was surrounded by flowers, and the smell of flowers was all Natsu could pick up for miles and miles.

"Natsu… I'm so tired… where are we staying while we're here again?" Happy asked while he sat on top of Natsu's bag, resting after the long trip they'd had to take to get here.

"Well when we're with the rest of our guild again in a few days we're staying at the same hotel we did last year, but as for the two of us right now, we'll either have to pay for a hotel until the others get here or set up camp somewhere out here." Natsu stated, admiring the lights from the city when it was dark.

Happy frowned. "Do we have enough money to get a hotel for that long?"

"Not if we want food too. I brought all the jewels we had but missions have been slow lately with how much I've been collapsing over the last few months." Natsu sighed.

"So why did you even bring up a hotel if we're just going to end up sleeping outside anyway?" Happy yawned.

Natsu laughed a little. "Yeah, I guess I'm just a bit tired too. We should go into town and get supplies to sleep out here and maybe look around a little."

Happy rubbed his eyes and yawned again. "Yeah okay. I'll just nap for a moment…" He trailed off and started to snore lightly.

Natsu picked him up from his bag and held him in his arm so he wouldn't fall off. "Thanks for everything today Happy, you're really the best partner ever."

Natsu walked down the road to get to Crocus, admiring the stars in the sky which twinkled brightly. The smell of flowers mixed with the sight of stars soothed his soul, relaxing him to the point where he couldn't help but smile while he took in all his surroundings. He always found comfort in the stars, he knew constellations and Celestial Spirits and it was all because of Lucy. He remembered she used to love to talk about the stars and whenever she was upset, he'd show her the stars in the sky and suddenly she would be okay again.

His head started to throb, and he shook away the thoughts for now. Happy snored away in his arms, mumbling about fish while he drooled in his sleep. Natsu took a deep breath of the fresh air, helping to clear his head to prevent an episode. He walked slowly but surely to where the city began, and even at this late hour of night, the city was still bustling with life. Couples strolled through the street admiring flowers while their arms were linked, shopkeepers described their goods to customers who approached, and tourists who had travelled to see the Grand Magic Games walked in groups holding pamphlets of where to visit while in the city. Lights filled the streets, shining off flower petals brilliantly. The Flower Blooming Capital was true to its name, with flowers lining every window, in pots and flowers beds in front of every building, and flower petals even flying through the air whenever there was a breeze.

Some people recognized Natsu, pointing and smiling, but he paid them no mind. He was here for a reason and had no time to waste; he needed sleep if he wanted to get an early start on looking around for clues to Lucy. He looked around to find a shop that would sell either magical tents or at least a sleeping bag he could use as cushioning to avoid sleeping on the ground. He wasn't worried about temperature or bugs, he had natural repellant to the cold and any pests.

He walked into a store where he had seen someone leaving with a tent bag and other camping supplies. There was only one magic tent left, advertised to have enough space for two people and came with a magic cooler installed in it. He grabbed it quickly before anyone could take it from him and went to pay at the front desk, walking carefully to not wake up Happy who still rested in his arms. The cashier was a man in his thirties wearing glasses that magnified his dark eyes. When he saw Natsu he immediately gasped and dropped the magic thermos he'd been holding, his jaw dropping. "You're Natsu Dragneel of Fairy Tail! Oh my goodness sir, it's such an honor to meet such a famous and strong wizard! How can I help you today?"

Natsu laughed. "Thanks for the compliment. I'd like to purchase this tent, I'm here a bit earlier than the rest of my guild and need temporary living arrangements until we can all go to the hotel for the Games."

The man took the tent and checked its price. "I'm very excited to see Fairy Tail is competing this year, you guys were always my favorite. I just know you guys are going to win again this year, though I'd like to see Stellar Luna up there too, if they can manage. Also, I'm giving you an awesome wizard discount, half off this tent. It'll be 2,500 jewels."

Natsu laughed and paid the man. "Hey thanks, that's cool of you. So, who's this Stellar Luna guild you're talking about? I don't think I've heard of them."

The man nodded. "They're very new, they've only been around for a few months. They're a guild made up of only six people, one of them being their master, who no one has seen. The rest of the members are so eccentric with strange magic, they're all people have been talking about to the north of here. Only three of them go out on missions, the other two stay hidden in their guild hall, but supposedly, they're runaways from other guilds, so they can't show their faces for fear of being recognized. No one knows where their guild is, only that they must live somewhere isolated enough that no one has seen their crest anywhere but on the guild marks of the three members who leave."

Natsu blinked, very intrigued. They sounded suspicious more than anything, like a dark guild of some sorts. "They're gonna be competing in the Games this year? Even though there's only five members that can participate?"

The man nodded. "Yep, we'll finally see who the secret two members are when they compete. Everyone is excited to see what all the members of Stellar Luna are capable of. Supposedly they have all the Zodiac keys in their possession, and they use types of Lost and foreign magic, but those are just rumors that have been passed around my shop…"

Natsu's eyes widened. "What?" He lowered his voice when he felt Happy stir in his sleep. "Where did they get those keys from? I thought they were already owned, and recently too, at least most of them anyway…"

The man looked surprised at Natsu's interest. "Well… I can't recall but… now that you mention it, I think they were owned by two different people at the last Grand Magic Games you guys competed in. I believe that one person had 10 and the other had 2, but now the Zodiac keys are with Stellar Luna. They might have defeated them and took the keys for themselves, what a frightening thought..."

Natsu's face turned grim at the possibility. He knew Lucy used to have the Zodiac keys, she was the person who had 10, and yet some sketchy guild that's only existed for a matter of months managed to get their hands on all of them? Did that mean… they'd done something to Lucy? They had to be strong for them to try to compete in the Grand Magic Games, and there was so much mystery around each of its members, could they have…?

The man continued. "Who knows with them. Some of the rumors about them say that they're all kind people, but others say they're monsters. It's one of the reasons we want to see more of them. They've taken down evil creatures, saved villages, and put wanted criminals in prison. Others say they've killed people and robbed them. What rumors are true, we don't know, but we're sure to find out during the Grand Magic Games. Of course, I'm still rooting for Fairy Tail, and so is my family. I have a son who wants to be a fire wizard like you one day, do you mind if I could have you sign something to give to him? He'd love to meet you someday."

Natsu smiled and wrote his name down on a piece of paper. "Thanks, I appreciate all the information. It'll be interesting to see this Stellar Luna guild in person, they sound tough."

The man smiled brightly at the autograph, placing it behind the counter and handing Natsu the tent. "The Games are going to be interesting this year, that's for sure. I'll be rooting for you with my son in the crowd!"

Natsu took the tent with the arm that wasn't holding Happy. "I appreciate that, we won't disappoint! Thanks for everything!"

The man spoke up one more time. "Oh, and you can take this blanket with you for your friend there, my wife sewed it for my son when he was little and heard about the cat's obsession with fish, but he doesn't use it anymore. If you'd like, you can give it to your friend there, if he still likes fish."

Natsu laughed when he saw the baby blue blanket patterned with dark blue fish. He accepted it and put it over Happy, who snuggled into it while he slept. "Thank you, he'll love it. Tell your family thank you for me, you've been very kind." He waved goodbye and exited the shop to head back to the fields of flowers outside the city; that would be the best place to stay for now.

While he walked back, his mind was racing. This new guild Stellar Luna had only six members, three of which stayed in their guild and never showed themselves. They had all the Zodiac keys in their possession, which meant they had something to do with Lucy. Had they done something to her and taken her keys, was she locked up in their guildhall hiding from the world, was she a member of this mysterious new guild, or had she been defeated and lost her keys to a group of formidable mages who gathered under the pretense of a guild? He wanted to run and find the guild right now and question every member, but he knew the only way they would be able to meet is if they made it into the Grand Magic Games.

Lucy cared about her Celestial Spirits deeply, he remembered her passion for her spirits was one not of a master and their servants, but rather a treasured bond between friends. She saw them as her friends and treated them as such, she'd never give them up without a fight and even after a fight, they would have to take her keys from her lifeless hands in order to separate her from them. No one was more suited to celestial magic than Lucy, with such a caring heart that she changed how celestial mages and their contracted spirits interacted.

If she hadn't lost her keys… could she be one of the runaway members who abandoned their old guild? It was the only other option, but then that will have meant she left with no intention of coming back to Fairy Tail. If she had joined a new guild and stayed away from her past for all these months, what did all this mean? Maybe Happy had been right… maybe she had made everyone forget her so she could escape and start a new life in a new guild. If that was the case… and she didn't want to be found… then what was he doing all this for? Even if he found her again, if she was competing against him in a few days, would she just pretend he didn't exist? Would she even let him find her?

Then again, she had to. If she was going to compete, she had to make herself known to everyone, including everyone in her past guild. No, if she wanted to be hidden from them, she wouldn't be in a guild that was competing in the Grand Magic Games. Which meant… the members of Stellar Luna had gotten Lucy's keys somehow, and he was going to find out whether they were going to answer him easily or if he had to fight for what happened to Lucy.

He stopped in the middle of the road surrounded by flowers that he and Happy had passed to get to Crocus… but there was something there that hadn't been there before. A large, black building stood in the middle of the flowers with a path that connected it to the road. It looked as though it had always been there, but Natsu knew for certain an hour ago it was not. It looked like any old building, even one that

He saw someone exit the building, three people to be exact. One was a tall man with dark skin, another was a small girl with brown hair, and the final was a girl with short hair that had each color of the rainbow in it. They walked to the middle of the path and stopped to look around, unaware of Natsu's presence about thirty feet from where they stood.

The man in the small group spoke. "We made great time getting here! Master's magic never ceases to amaze me, look how close we are to the city!"

The girl with brown hair nodded, smiling brightly. "Look at all these flowers, it's like one giant garden! I hope we didn't destroy any of them when the building was put here…"

The other girl answered her. "Of course we did, we're in the middle of a flower field, some had to have been ruined when he dropped the guild here. There's flowers covering every inch of this place."

Guild? This was a wizard guild hall? Natsu kept quiet, they hadn't noticed him standing in the road quite yet.

The girl pouted. "Jamie… I didn't want to think about that…"

The girl Jamie immediately put her hand on the other girl's shoulder apologetically. "Sorry Jess I'm just teasing. I'm sure that Master didn't mean to hurt any flowers."

"Yeah. Sorry, I'm just recovering from the journey… motion sickness breaks my brain and emotional control." Jess said placing a hand on her forehead.

"Some fresh air will help, let's go look around and get what the others asked us to pick up in the city. Plus, I think a nice bouquet of beautiful flowers will help our poor bed-ridden friend recover. She's been lying in her bed all day; I'm worried about her." The man said with a worried smile.

"Yeah she's gonna need some cheering up if she's supposed to show us around, even more so if she wants to compete with us." Jamie said kicking a rock that was on the ground.

Jess nodded weakly. "She's so sad she can't use the Zodiac keys; they just won't work for her. There's a lot of her mind. Do you really think some flowers would help, Antonio?"

The man nodded in response. "Just make sure they're pink."

Natsu remained still. So, the rumor about the keys was true? Whoever had them couldn't use them, what could that mean? They weren't a celestial mage? The spirits were still in contract with someone else? If these people claimed to have them, that would mean that they were…

"Hey you there! What are you doing loitering outside our guild hall?" The girl named Jamie glared when she noticed Natsu, running and jumping to stand in front of him. "How long have you been staring at us so creepily and eavesdropping?"

Natsu took offense immediately. "Huh? I ain't loitering, I'm walking down this road. The creepy one here is the building that randomly showed up out of nowhere and the people walking out of it threatening strangers!"

"Hey Jamie, stop that! He's just a traveler, look at his tent he's carrying!" Jess ran after them and pulled Jamie away from Natsu. She pushed Jamie behind her and bowed in apology towards Natsu. "Forgive her, she's very anxious around strangers and comes off as rude to others, but she's really very nice I promise."

"Hey, stop talking about me to strangers! You're too trusting of others Jess." Jamie scoffed and continued to glare at Natsu from behind Jess. "I had good reason to be suspicious, he was standing there listening to our conversation and watching us!"

Antonio came over and stood with them. "Can you blame him? Suddenly there's strangers in a strange building on a road where they didn't used to exist, he'd be crazy not to be curious. Once again, I apologize on the behalf of my friend here."

"So, who are you people, why did you bring your guild hall to the outskirts of Crocus?" Natsu asked, wary of the people before him.

Antonio answered him. "Oh pardon us, we're a guild here to participate in the Grand Magic Games and our master wanted to avoid staying in a hotel. We ended up bringing the guild hall with us and setting it up out here for the time being. We don't intend to leave it here forever of course, we're just here early to look around Crocus. Only a few of us have been here before, we wanted to explore before things got too busy."

"The city is already full of people even this late at night, lots of people show up early for the Games. Is this your first year participating?" Natsu questioned.

Jess laughed awkwardly. "You can tell? Yes this is our first Grand Magic Games as a guild and for most of us here it's the first one we've ever been to."

"Tch, you're saying that Crocus is already crawling with people even this late at night? Great. I was only going with you two so I could look around without crowds taking up all the space there. If what this guy says is true I'm going back inside, I'll keep everyone else company." Jamie turned to go back inside.

Jess whined. "Come on Jamie you promised us! You can get a red carpet and a horse while we look for a pot of gold!"

Jamie turned around and marched back to the group. "Why the hell did you bring that back up, I told you I don't need a pot of gold!"

Natsu's expression turned confused. What a strange lot of people, and that was coming from him.

"Jess maybe we should tone down the inside jokes around our new… acquaintance here, he must think we're crazy." Antonio laughed.

"You can read minds?" Natsu blurted out.

Jess laughed and said, "No no, you just looked very confused. Sorry about that."

Natsu smiled. "I can't really judge you guys. I've heard my friends and I are bad about that too. We have a reputation for being rowdy and carefree, you guys remind me of my friends."

"Hey pinkie, who are you anyway?" Jamie asked with her usual scornful tone of voice.

"Well rainbow-head that's a strange way of getting to know someone." Natsu responded with the same tone.

"Yes Jamie, be kinder. My name is Antonio, this here is Jamie and she is Jessica." Antonio bowed in greeting with one arm stretched behind him and the other against his stomach.

"Oh well I'm…" Natsu paused. If these people were who he thought they were, they were going to be his enemies in the Games and had something to do with Lucy. They seemed like good people, and he was planning to ask them questions anyway, why not get acquainted now?

Natsu smiled brightly. 'My name's Natsu, I'm a wizard too. I'm here for the Games too."

Antonio's mouth opened in surprise before he smiled again. "It's nice to meet you Natsu! Are you a competitor or here to watch?"

Natsu decided he'd keep the name of his guild to himself for the time being in case his theory was correct. "I'm here competing with my guild, but I came to Crocus early for personal reasons."

Jess's face fell. "Oh… so we're enemies then?"

"Nah only during the Games, anytime before or after we're just fellow wizards. Heck, I've got friends in a bunch of the guilds I'll be competing against in a few days, and we're friends as long as we're not in the ring." Natsu replied.

Jess smiled again. "Oh that's great to hear! I thought guilds were, I don't know, less forgiving when it came to competitions. I've only been in my own for a short while."

Natsu's eyebrows raised. They must be, they had to be who he was looking for!

"What guild are you representing, if you don't mind me asking." Natsu poses the question.

To his surprise it was Jamie who answered him. "Like she said, we're new, you've probably never heard of us unless you're from the region we're from. Why do you wanna know anyway?"

"It's not that big of a deal, you guys just seemed pretty cool, I was hoping to become friends with you." Natsu readjusted Happy in his arms.

"You want to be our friend? But you barely know us." Jess said with surprise.

"I can tell good people when I see them." Natsu assured them. He wasn't lying, he wanted to be their friend and they didn't seem to be corrupt people in any sort. They could help him.

"Well then, we'd love to become your friend Sir Natsu. As it happens, we have very few right now." Antonio said with a laugh. "Oh, and to answer your earlier question, we're a guild called Stellar Luna."

Natsu's eyes widened and his heart rate picked up. They were who he was looking for! "Believe it or not, I've heard of your guild actually. There's a lot of talk about you guys and how strong you are." In Natsu's arms, a breeze hit Happy which caused him to shudder from underneath his blanket.

Jess noticed this and looked in surprise. "Are you carrying something alive?"

Natsu looked down and saw how strange this must look to them. "Oh yeah, my friend is taking a nap right now, he must not have liked that breeze."

"Would the two of you like to come inside for a while? I know you have a tent and were planning to go elsewhere but we'd love to hear about your guild and your friends you spoke of earlier. We haven't met any other guilds before and only know a few stories from our other friends… would you mind telling us more? If that's not too forward of me to ask." Antonio rambled out.

"Well actually, I have some questions for you guys, so if you really wouldn't mind, being able to talk with you guys would really help." Natsu couldn't have asked for a greater opportunity, his answers were so close!

At the Same Time, With the Caster of the Obliterate Curse…

"No! How could this have happened, why now of all times when her heart was on the verge of breaking forever?" They can't meet or else everything will be ruined! He knows too much! If he can see her he'll break the curse on him and undo months of hard work; this will have all been for naught!" The caster coughed horrifically into the sleeve of their robe.

"What can I do to stop this? He'll be in the same building as her, they'll tell him everything! What can I do to keep them apart?" The man tried to think quickly, desperately searching threw his mind for any sort of way to keep Natsu and Lucy apart. Suddenly, he smirked and looked back at the lacrima as Natsu followed Antonio inside.

"There is one way, I just need to mess with his head a bit more, so what if it shortens my life span more than it already has, this curse should fix the problem for now until I can take care of everything personally."

. . .

"Hey this place is huge! It looks smaller on the outside, and less nice." Natsu admired the interior of the guild, trailing behind Jamie who walked with her hands behind her head, Jess who turned back to smile at him, and walking next to Antonio, who was very happy to have Natsu there.

"Yes, this is the work of our master! He's gone to sleep already, but you'll be able to meet him eventually. He's a very powerful wizard, both in magic and in knowledge. Besides the three of us and him, there are two others, but they're asleep right now. One of them has had a rough day, so we'll keep our voices down so she can rest." Antonio said as he directed Natsu to one of the booths in the guild.

The seats were made up of navy-blue wood with purple cushions, the walls on the inside of the building were painted royal purple to compliment the blue of the seats and the floor was made up of black and white tiles. There were candles lit all around the room, which was the dining hall connected to the kitchen. There were stairs leading to the second floor along with several hallways, meaning the place was even bigger than Natsu had thought.

Natsu sat down, gently placing Happy onto the table, who was wrapped in the blanket like a baby. Jamie, Jess, and Antonio sat on the opposite side of the booth, with Jess hugged between Jamie and Antonio. Jamie had chosen to sit by the exit so she could leave whenever she felt it was necessary.

"So… Mister Natsu, what exactly did you want to ask us?" Jess asked.

"Well… I've been looking for someone, and I thought you might know something about them. That's actually the reason I came here earlier than the rest of my guild, I was hoping to find some clues as to where they are. Maybe… even find them." Natsu said, turning his gaze downwards.

Jess watched him with a sad expression. "You must care for them greatly to go to such lengths to find them. Are they a member of your guild?"

"I don't know actually. I know that they were, but I don't know if they still are. It's a long story but I can explain if it'll help you understand who I'm looking for." Natsu answered.

Jamie had been staring at him the entire time they'd been talking, trying to think of why he seemed so familiar though they'd never met. Pink hair, named Natsu, keeps a cat for a companion, wears a scarf of scales… She looked at him harshly. "What guild did you say you were from?"

"Oh yeah, I guess I forgot to tell you. My name is Natsu Dragneel of the Fairy Tail guild, and this is Happy, my partner." Natsu gestured to his sleeping friend, who mumbled something in his sleep.

"He can talk?!" Jess exclaimed.

Suddenly, the three members of Stellar Luna all gasped. Antonio slowly asked, "Did- did you say you're from the Fairy Tail guild?"

Natsu looked surprised at their reaction. "Yeah, I'm in Fairy Tail, do you know of us or something?"

Antonio started to stumble over his words. "You're- you're- you're THAT Natsu?" Antonio's thought went wild. He was the one Lucy spoke of, the person she cherished so greatly, the one whose name she cried out in her sleep when she had nightmares… he was sitting right in front of him!

"You said you're looking for someone? Are they-" Antonio was cut off by a voice coming from the staircase.

"Guys…? I thought you were going into Crocus to look around. Who did you bring back with you-" The voice stopped, cut off when they gasped.

Leaning against the wall across the room was Lucy, whose mouth was open in complete shock at who was sat down in her guild hall with her friends. She had to be dreaming still, or going crazy, or something!

"N-Natsu?" She asked weakly, her heart beating so loud she could hear it in her head.

"Yeah?" He responded.

Lucy smiled immediately, running her way towards the table. It was him! He could hear her, see her! The man she wanted to see so badly was right in front of her again!

But when she finally stood right in front of him, he continued speaking. "Do I know you?"