A/N: Guys, sorry if I didn't update the story last weekend. I've been busy and it's just so hard to write when you have other things in mind. I apologize too for the delay on this chapter. I hope the contents will do the story justice. Thank you for still sticking with me. Even though my updates are irregular. I promise I'll do my best to update every weekend. But for this week this is all I got. Enjoy!


CHAPTER IX

"Moment of Truth"

Lucy's P.O.V:

"Cough everything up or you'll never hear anything from me ever again." I threatened her while turning the TV off. It's about time I hear her explanation about this thing that almost turned my world upside down. No, that's not right. This thing really turned my world upside down.

I told myself that I should consider the fact that from the day we first met, she had never pushed me to tell her everything that she needs to know about me. She just simply waited for me to tell her those things on my own, in my own pace. I told myself that I should probably return the favor now.

I heard her sigh on the other line.

"Yeah Lu, I'll tell you everything. I just don't know where to start." She said then sighed again. I wonder what's keeping her from telling me the entire truth. Honestly, I'm starting to get a little upset despite the things that I told myself earlier about being considerate. She's my best friend. She should know by now that I can be trusted.

Well, she's now on the process of telling me, right? So I really shouldn't be complaining anymore.

"How about you start from the very beginning, Levy. I need to understand everything." I stated, not even bothering to hide the displeasure in my voice.

"You already know that he's one of my childhood friends Lu." She said. "Well… All of them actually."

"WHAT!?" I suddenly sat up. "ALL OF THEM!?"

Oh my god. I didn't expect this.

"Oww Lu." I heard her complain. "No shouting." And I just can image her wincing at the screech of my voice. Surely this girl doesn't think I'm exaggerating my reaction, right?

"S-sorry Lev." I apologize to her. "I…I just can't believe it." I said, stuttering a bit, clearly shocked with what I just heard. "Y-you mean you knew them since childhood and you've been friends with them since then?" I asked her incredulously.

"Technically, yes." She replied casually. "We all grew up together. Well, except for Jellal cause he had to move away sometime when we were kids. He only went back here again after high school." She explained nonchalantly.

"Whoa…" I leaned back to my couch and tried to process this information. "Y-You're… Wait—" I said, stopping midsentence when a thought occurred to me. "Why haven't I heard of this before, huh Lev? I've met some of your childhood friends but I didn't recall them ever mentioning about the guys of Fairy Tail. Come to think of it, all of them actually didn't say a word about this. Don't you all trust me? I'm your friend you know." I told her, slightly hurt which what I truly felt that time.

Keep it together Lucy. You need to be more understanding about this. I'm sure Levy has the perfect reason why she needed to hide this from you. It's not like you never did this kind of thing yourself before. I reminded myself all the things that had to be reminded.

"Yes you're my bestfriend Lu and I do trust you. It's just that—" She sighed. "I made a promise and I want to honor that. Without their consent you can't just expect me to say something like this out of the blue right?"

I felt myself frown at her words. I rose from my seat and started pacing around the living room just to keep my emotions in place. This conversation is clearly upsetting me, but I'm trying real hard not to be.

"How about when I asked you about that guitar-playing guy, who's apparently Natsu Dragneel? Why didn't you tell me then?" I asked calmly. "All you said was that he's your friend. You're childhood friend." She could've told me back then but she chose not to. The thought of it made my heart clench, but I still willed myself to listen to her explanation.

"I already told you Lu, I made a promise. We all made a promise. That knowing them personally should be a secret. They said that it's for our own good, of course. They just wanted to protect us from the media and fans alike. We understood that. And we, their childhood friends, agreed that we should protect their personal lives too just like how they protected ours, so all of us swore to keep it to ourselves Lu." She explained. "Even from our new friends."

Her last sentence made me stop on my tracks. Never, in my stay here in Magnolia, especially when I'm with Levy, had I ever felt myself as an outsider. Just this once. And it took all my will power not to snap at her.

"Like me." I said a few seconds later after I had properly checked my emotions in place.

I just stood still for a moment and waited for an answer but I figured I wouldn't get anything judging from her lack of response. So I continued.

"I know you had your reasons Lev and I'm not judging you for that. It's just that… I just can't imagine that you, of all people, would hide something like this from me." I said to her while I start pacing around the living room again. "You know—" I sighed. "I just wish that you could've trusted me more. And I'm not saying this because I'm an avid fan of Fairy Tail, but because I'm your friend Lev. You're bestfriend."

"Oh Lu." She said guiltily. "I'm sorry. I know I had skipped some details when you asked me about Natsu, but I never did lie to you about who he is to me. I just can't reveal instantly that Natsu Dragneel was in my café right?" She said softly. "You know I would never lie to you. I just didn't want things to get awkward and I wanted to respect their decision to keep their private lives a secret. I hope you understand Lu."

I stopped pacing around and let myself sink in the couch again.

"Yeah, I guess." I sighed. "Like I said, I know you have your reasons. I'm just a little hurt, you know. That's all."

"Luuuu… I'm really sorry. I know you better than anyone else here and I should've trusted you." She said, her voice quite strained with guilt and I can't help but feel guilty too for giving her a hard time. I know she had perfectly good reasons why she had kept something like this a secret from me. I do understand. It's not like it's not practically understandable. But I can't help but feel a little bit hurt. Well, at least, she's willing to tell me everything I need to know and let me in now. And I'm thankful for that.

I sighed again.

"I understand Lev." I assured her. "But from now on, no more secrets, alright?" I said. The tension, that we didn't actually know was there, broke. And we both breathed out a long sigh.

"Yeah Lu." she agreed. "No more secrets."

"Promise?"

"Promise."

"Bestfriends?"

"Bestfriends." She answered and we both fell into a fit of giggles. It's good to know everything's okay between us. I can't bear to lose my bestfriend. This whole drama thing is kinda absurd anyway.

"Well…" I started. "I should say, that really surprised me Lev." I said to her light-heartedly now. "I still can't believe it. Especially the part when they played the song. Oh my god Lev, I can't even explain how I felt. My words. Those few sentences that I wrote on his notebook. I can't believe he actually liked it. Enough for him to include them in his song."

"Yeah, about that... I read it and I could say, you really outdid yourself on that Lu. What were you thinking when you wrote that? And it's not like you always do that on random notebooks. What made you do it?" she asked.

"Uhm… well… I was… I was planning on returning that to him through you but I guess my curiosity got the better of me." I replied, which was the truth. "And… when I read that unfinished song, it just hit me Lev. You know." I sighed.

"Yeah, I know you and your writer side. You're not going to let that opportunity to write pass by. But I didn't say it was a bad thing Lu. You heard him, right? You helped him quite a lot on finishing his song." She reasoned. "And that's a good thing."

Well, she's technically right. He did mention that I helped him. And playing that tonight was their way of thanking me.

"I still can't believe it Lev."

"If you couldn't get over that, I think you wouldn't even handle what Natsu was actually planning at first." She said then laughed.

"What!? What plan? And this was actually their plan? Not yours? And you had nothing to do with this?" I asked her dubiously.

"Well, a little." She admitted, laughing a little. "This was Jellal's plan actually."

I raised an eyebrow when she mentioned the name of the blue-haired guitarist.

"Jellal? Jellal Fernandez? Why?"

"You see, he was with Natsu when he went back at the café to look for his notebook." She said. "He was quite impressed with your words Lu. It was great timing that they have an interview today so he suggested to play that song tonight on the show to thank you for picking up Natsu's notebook and more importantly for unconsciously helping him on his song which helped them too cause, you know, they're currently writing their album and they needed a few more songs." She explained a matter-of-factly.

"You mean that song is going to be on their next album?" I asked, a little anxiously.

"I'm pretty sure that what they'd played on that show was one of their new songs, of course it's going to be on their new album!" She said exasperatedly but still laughed at me.

"Oh my god." I breathed. "I didn't expect this Lev, seriously. I didn't even know what I was thinking when I wrote those, I just wanted to make the guy feel that he's not alone in this, not that I know what he's thinking. I didn't even know he's Natsu Dragneel!" I added. "And now—"

"And now they all want to meet you Lu." She declared out of the blue.

"Yeah. Now they all—WHAT!?" I was going to agree with her but her words suddenly hit me. Did I hear her right?

"Yes Lu, it's true." She stated like she knew what I was thinking. "They all want to meet you. Especially Natsu."

Oh my god.

Somebody punch me right now.

"H-he does? Uhm, I mean they do?" I asked timidly. "But I thought…" I trailed off. I was gonna say that I thought they don't want others to meddle with their personal lives. But I restrained myself.

"Oh shush Lu. I know what you're thinking. It's okay. They really don't mind. And it's their idea not mine." She reassured me but I'm still a little hesitant because of what she'd said awhile ago.

But it's not like I pushed myself towards them. Levy knows that. It's partially not my fault that I wrote on an unknown guy's notebook. It's not my fault that that guy was actually my favorite band's vocalist. It's not my fault that he loved what I had written. And it's definitely not my fault that he and his bandmates wanted to meet me.

"But…" I hesitated. I don't even know whether I'm actually contradicting myself or Levy.

"Lu... They just want to meet you." She said softly. "The one who wrote those lines."

I sighed.

"Isn't it a little embarrassing Lev.?" I asked worriedly, thinking of what those guys would think of me.

"What? Of course not. Why would you be embarrassed? They're the ones who said they wanted to meet you in person, Lu." She stated casually, like meeting them isn't such a big deal.

"Yeah, but... You know, they're Fairy Tail." I mumbled. "Fairy Tail Lev. They're one of the most sought out band here in Fiore. How do you expect me to act when I meet them?" I said frustratedly then sighed.

"Don't you think I already knew that Lu?" She asked. "Yeah sure they're a popular band and all, but you should always bear this in mind, they're just regular guys before all this... uhm… fame… and they still are, Lu." She said softly, which made a lot of sense.

"You don't need to do anything. Just be yourself. You know you're amazing. And if you don't, then, I'll say it right now. You're amazing Lu!" She exclaimed which made me giggle. "So why hesitate in meeting those dorks? They're just average guys. They're the ones who should be embarrassed by their—uhhh… never mind. Bottom line is… They. Want. To. Meet. You." She stated confidently. More confidently than me who should be jumping up and down for joy right now. Why am I even hesitating? Why am I even making a big deal out of this? Is it because they're Fairy Tail? Sure they're Fairy Tail but it's just a simple meet up. Levy's right. They are just average guys.

Hot average guys. I told myself.

I groaned.

What am I going to do? I don't want to be rude and decline, saying I don't want to meet up with them cause, just cause? That's just absurd. They're my favorite band as of now for god's sake. Who wouldn't want to meet them in person?

"Alright Lev." I said after minutes of contemplating and debating whether I will push through this.

"Yay! I'll tell them immediately that you said yes and how you made me beg for it." She said jokingly.

"Levyyyy…"

"Okay, okay. You know I'm only joking, right?" She said light-heartedly.

"So when and where do they want us to meet up?" I asked her.

"Don't worry they already told me the place. And about the date, I told them you'll be the one to set that up so there's no pressure on your part." I heard the excitement in her voice but I couldn't help but be mortified by what she had said.

"You what!?" I asked, completely horrified. She told them that I would be the one to decide when to meet them. Oh. My. God. Why would she do that? The last thing I wanted was for them to think that I'm a selfish, egotistic person.

"What? Why? What's wrong with that?"

"No, there's nothing wrong with that." I retorted sarcastically before sighing. I lost count as to how many times I had sighed today. Now I feel like I'm the VIP instead of them.

"There's nothing wrong with it Lu. They understand." She justified just to make me feel a bit relieved.

"You're unbelievable." I said to her exasperatedly as I rub my temple in my vain attempt to ease the ache that's been slowly taking over my head for the past few seconds.

"Luuuu… I thought we've already established the fact that they're just four average guys that wanted to meet and thank you." She stated questioningly which made me silent for awhile. I don't even want to answer her. I just want to disappear right now.

"Sooo…" She said eagerly after a few seconds of silence. "When do you wanna meet them?" I rolled my eyes as I heard the obvious excitement on her voice, her emotions surprisingly turned 180 degrees on the matter.

"Wooow, I feel like such an important person." I said to her sarcastically while still rubbing my temple.

I just heard her sigh loudly on the phone.

"Just tell me Lu." She said in exasperation.

"'kay, might as well get this over with." I breathed before I lowered my hand on my lap and then sighed. "How 'bout tomorrow lunch?" I suggested and heard her hum on the other line.

"I guess that'll work. I could close the café or just leave it to Juvia for an hour." She stated casually, but the hint of excitement in her voice was still there. "I still need to ask the guys after this call if they have any plans for tomorrow but I'm pretty sure, even if they have, they would probably cancel it just to meet up with you." She happily added.

"It's a good thing you're coming with me Lev. I don't think I can even muster enough courage to face those guys alone." I admitted defeatedly.

"Well, duhhh? As if I would let you meet them alone. I know you have the tendency to pass out as soon you lay your eyes on them. But don't worry Lu, I would be there to catch you just in case." She said teasingly which made my face heat up in embarrassment.

"As if Levy!" I shouted defensively.

"You know I was only teasing you Lu." She chuckled. "But seriously, I think we need to hang up for now. I also want to call the guys to inform them." She stated.

"Oh, alright then, I'll see you tomorrow Lev."

"Yeah, I'll see you tomorrow Lu. Byee!" She said cheerfully before hanging up, leaving me alone with my thoughts again.

I released a rather long sigh.

Well, Lucy, you still have time to back out. You know that, right? My inner voice reminded me but I dismissed it immediately with a shake of my head. I can't and I won't do that. Not to my bestfriend.

"I'm not gonna chicken out and embarrass Levy to her friends. I won't be able to forgive myself if I were to do that." I said to myself as I rose from my seat.

I shook my head for the second time and tried to clear my head again.

Maybe a nice shower would help me calm my nerves. I thought to myself while I strode towards the bathroom, shredding my clothes once I was inside.

I was right. The shower did the trick and I was beginning to feel a bit more calmed as I brushed my fingers through my wet locks, massaging my scalp for a bit. My mind began drifting to the things that happened today, Fairy Tail's interview, their song, and Levy's connection to them. Despite all my mixed emotions regarding this matter, my inner fan girl self told me to just suck it all up and go meet them.

I know it was all too much to take in, but for some reason, I was starting to feel less and less agitated as the water ran down across my body. It was like a soothing therapy for me, clearing all the negative and unnecessary things that ran though my head. And now, I am, in all honesty, a little thrilled at the thought of meeting the guys of Fairy Tail.

I'm meeting them tomorrow. I thought to myself as I stare at the tiled floor across my feet, a smile slowly creeping up my face.

"I'm meeting them tomorrow."


"Lev." I said to her as we walked inside a building that was surprisingly ordinary and plain. "Is this really the place?" I asked her after eyeing the place around, noticing that she had nodded towards the guard, so I did the same.

"Yes Lu. I'm sure." She replied to me without any trace of annoyance, in spite of the fact that I was bugging her all the way here. We were both really nervous, to be honest. I don't even know what she was nervous about. They're her friends, unlike me.

"They told me that we should wait at the lounge." She stated. "But I guess we're not doing that after all. Erza!" She shouted a second later that made me slightly jump and look curiously at the person she was yelling at.

There across the hall stood what I would call a very stunning woman. She was wearing a knee-high boots, a white blouse and a blue skirt which was both plain but looked immaculate on her. Her red hair that would shame the red rose fell straight past her shoulders. Her fringe slightly covered her right eye, but you could still see the depth in it.

She immediately smiled as recognition dawned on her face. She made her way towards us and we did the same, meeting her half way and I was kinda speechless and stunned when we got to her. She's even more beautiful up close. She hugged Levy for a moment before releasing her.

"Levy." She said affectionately then smiled. "I'm glad you made it. I've been waiting for you." She told her before focusing her attention to me. "Is this her?" She asked Levy, but her knowing eyes never left me.

"Yes. This is Lucy, Erza." She waved a hand at my direction. "And Lucy, this is Erza." She said waving a hand at her too.

This woman, who was called Erza, gave me a sweet smile and stretched her hands out to me.

"I'm Erza, Erza Scarlet." She said formally.

I smiled at her too and took her hands in mine to shake it.

"I'm Lucy, Lucy Heartfilia." I said to her, and I somewhat cringed when I told her my last name, slightly praying that she won't recognize it. But to my disappointment, her eyebrows shot up and her look got more intense. Gone was the smile that made her more beautiful, replaced by an intense and calculating look. And I know for a moment there that she did recognize it. But to my surprise, she didn't bring it up or even question me further. She just smiled at me again, knowingly, before letting go of my hand.

"Well, it's nice to meet you Lucy. Levy here has told me so much about you."

"She did?" I asked her dubiously while glancing at my blue-haired friend.

"Yes, of course Lu." Levy answered. "You see, Erza is Fairy Tail's manager."

My eyes widen a bit at this new information and then looked back at Erza, who was nodding at Levy's statement.

"Unfortunately." Erza stated and then chuckled darkly. "But let's not get into that."

She waved her hand in a gesture to follow her and we all started to walk through the hall, us trailing behind her.

"I was actually told to meet both of you at the lounge." She started. "Unfortunately, those guys are kinda running late today and they asked me to accommodate you for the meantime."

She opened a door then jerked her head towards it, telling us both to go inside. And as I followed Levy, I quietly eyed the room. It was actually larger than I expected. There's a coffee table that was surrounded by couches of different sizes, gadgets, instruments and all sorts of music related things were neatly placed at one corner, a fixed glass wall which you can view another room full of instruments and a door that led to it. The room and the things inside it were really impressive, but what had really gotten my attention was the gorgeous grand piano that was perched on a low platform slightly above the carpeted floor. I can feel it call out to me, begging for me to play it, but Erza's voice made me snap out of my reverie.

"I hope you don't mind staying in this room for awhile. I just need to make a few calls outside. Sit and make yourselves comfortable." She said, her right hand waving over the couches. Her voice was filled with confidence and authority that I failed to notice awhile ago. And it clearly dawned on me why she was their manager.

She gave us a nod and a smile and excused herself before walking out of the door.

"Levy." I called as I walked towards her. "Uhm…" I trailed off and looked appreciatively at the room, my eyes falling over the grand piano again. "Is this place owned by Fairy Tail?"

"Yes Lu. This is actually their studio." She stated a matter-of-factly as she plopped on one of the sofas.

"Wow." I breathed, taking the spot next to her. "I never thought that one day I would actually set foot in here."

"Can you pinch me?" I grinned at her.

"What!?" Levy laughed. "You're being ridiculous Lu."

"Just confirming whether I'm actually dreaming or not." I stated then we both laughed from the absurdity of it.

"You know—" She said but stopped midsentence when her phone suddenly rang. She just looked at the phone questioningly then back at me then shrugged before finally answering it.

"Yes?" She asked with her brows furrowed. But as soon as the person from the other line answered, those same brows suddenly shot up.

"Oh! It's—What?" She asked in disbelief, startling me when she stood up all of a sudden. "Right now?"

She turned to look at me then mouthed the words "wait for me here" while she held her hand in front of her, implying that I should just wait here. But before I could even question her actions, she was already out the door, leaving me all alone in, what she had said was Fairy Tail's studio. I didn't even bother to run after her. I just decided to do what she had told me and wait for her to come back. Actually, I let her leave because there's something I really want to try.

I stared at the door for a second. And when I was sure enough that no one was actually going to barge right in here, I sauntered deliberately towards the grand piano, letting my fingers glide through its smooth texture. It's been so long since I had actually played a piano and I know my skills might be rusty now, but I can't help but to try and test this out. So I slowly sat on the stool then carefully lifted its covers. I started to move my fingers leisurely along the keys, testing it if it's in proper condition.

Well, duhh? You're in their practice room, so of course all their instruments are in proper condition. I thought to myself smugly then snorted.

I started to glide my fingers again over the keys, but this time, I was now actually playing the first part of a particular song. I was surprised that I still know how to, but it doesn't matter now. I closed my eyes, and just bathed in the music I was playing. And as I played one of my favorite songs, I couldn't stop my mind from thinking about the time when I was just a kid and still trying to learn how to play the piano.

Mommy! Mommy!

My 6 year-old self pulled my mom's sleeves a couple of times, making her fingers stop and hover slightly above the keys. She turned to look at me affectionately and smiled.

What is it sweetheart?

Why do you close your eyes when you play the piano? How will you see the keys if you close your eyes?

My mom chuckled before lifting me to her lap.

You see, Lucy dear, when you really know the song and the instrument by heart, it doesn't matter whether you play it with your eyes closed or open. 'Cause this— she placed her hand over my heart—will be the one to guide you through it. Even if you mess it up or got lost, don't let it bother you. Pick up where you left off and let this—she pointed at my heart again, lightly tapping it—guide you. You'll see.

I don't get it.

My mom chuckled once again before resuming her playing with me on her lap, but opting for a much more childish song.

You will, one day.

My mind went back to the song I was currently playing, a smile slowly playing at my lips.

I now know what you meant mom, about my heart guiding me. You we're not just talking about the piano that time but so much more.

I was so into playing that I didn't notice that I had actually started singing. I was surprised by it but it was a pleasant surprise. I had neglected singing ever since my mother had passed away. I would just occasionally hum along to some songs but I never did sing my heart out again.

I frowned but still didn't open my eyes. I wonder what is it that had made me sing again.

My dad really hated my singing merely because it reminded him so much of my mother. Actually, he hated whatever it is that I do. Even my dream to become an author and to publish my very own book. He hated it, saying that it's just a waste of time and money. So I just chose to…

No. I told myself while slightly shaking my head. I refuse to plague my mind with this kind of memory from my dad. All I want to do now is to bathe in the happy memories of my mother.

So I let myself get lost in the music again, oblivious to the onyx eyes that were carefully and curiously watching me from across the room.