A/N: 'Ello, minna! I'm back with another chapter! :D A big thank you to Lucyheartfilla, Nexyjo, Guest, aprildragonfire16, Guest, ElodieKumari94, 4EverETRNL, xXxSatasixXx, KawaiiOdango, TivaNaluKick4evs and Fairyhearts and El for your reviews on the last chapter! I loved seeing your predictions for this chapter! I hope I don't disappoint anyone... o.O Thank you to Annie Blackheart XD, Aya-chin, 9, TheBeastHunter, Soccergirl15, FairyTail5, preciousjewel101 and alinekiryuu for favoriting and/or following! You guys all rock!

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Chapter Ten – To Join Or Not To Join

I gasped and leapt to my feet, my gaze flying towards the figure leaning against the doorframe. Natsu's spiky pink hair was falling into his eyes, and a strange little smile was flirting around his lips. He pushed off of the doorframe and slowly began to walk toward me, his hands stuffed in the pockets of his black pants. Today, he wore a black dress shirt that was untucked in the back and left unbuttoned for the top and bottom two buttons. The sleeves were rolled up to his elbows, and his white tie was loosened around his neck.

"How long have you played?" he asked in a casual tone, slowly closing the distance between us.

I regarded him warily, not sure whether I should run or stay to talk. There's really no reason to run, I told myself. I have nothing to hide or be ashamed of. "Since I was three."

Natsu raised his eyebrows and whistled lowly, clearly impressed. By now he had reached the stage, and came to a stop, looking up at me with a grin. "It shows. What was that song?"

I relaxed a little, allowing myself to slowly sink back onto the bench. "Just something I made up right now." I shrugged, trying to keep my tone as light as possible so as not to let on about my inner turmoil. Strangely, having Natsu here added to the peace that playing the piano had brought.

Natsu ducked his head and mounted the steps. "It's beautiful," he murmured, coming to a stop behind the piano. He folded his arms on top of the piano's box and leaned forward, peering down into my eyes. "And sad."

I shifted my gaze away from him, fiddling nervously with the hem of my shirt. I could feel Natsu's stare on me, but I continued to ignore him, pretending that the piano keys were suddenly very interesting.

I heard Natsu shift, and flicked my gaze up to him briefly to see that he had leaned closer. "Could it have something to do with…this?" he asked softly.

My head snapped up as I heard the rustle of paper, and my eyes widened in shock when I saw the crumpled ball of paper resting in the upturned palm of his hand. Blood was smeared across one side of it. I instinctively reached to snatch it away, but Natsu quickly used his other hand to grab mine and flip it palm-up. I grunted and tried to yank my hand out of his grasp, but he was stronger and determined to keep my hand in place. Suddenly, one of my movements tweaked the wounds in my palm, and I gasped as I glanced at my hand with a flinch. Four bloody crescents stared back at me, lined up all in a row. My struggles ceased as I realized that Natsu had grabbed this hand deliberately. When I risked a peek at him, I saw him gazing down at my palm with a dark expression. This time, he let me pull my hand away, and I quickly tucked it securely in my lap.

"How did you get that?" I asked in a low voice, casting my eyes down.

"I saw it fall out of your pocket when you stood up at the end of class."

I closed my eyes in defeat, regret filling me. I suddenly felt weary and bogged down by the weight of my emotions. All I wanted was to be made lighter, but I didn't know how. I couldn't play the piano all the time, after all. Natsu seemed to sense the change that had come over me, for I heard the faint rustling of his clothes as he moved around the piano. The bench creaked softly as he sat down beside me, and I felt his warmth pressing against my body as his arm and leg brushed against mine. It wasn't until I felt his hand squeezing my knee that I opened my eyes and looked at him. His eyes were soft and understanding, and his mouth…was just a few inches from my own mouth. I felt my breath coming faster, and made a conscious effort to keep my body relaxed. "Did you read it?" I asked emotionlessly, schooling my features to keep from showing any of my turbulent feelings.

His silence was answer enough. But then he said softly, "My father abused me when I was a child." My eyes snapped to his, my heart lurching in my chest. Why was he telling me this? "I never knew my mom," he continued. "One day, my dad up and left, to who knows where. I still have no idea what became of him. After he disappeared, I was left to wander aimlessly through the forest near our house. It was there that my adoptive father, Igneel, found me. These eleven years that I've been with him have been the best of my life." A fierce smile lit his face as he spoke of his adoptive father. I couldn't suppress the small smile that curled my own lips; it was obvious that Natsu loved Igneel.

After a moment of sitting in companionable silence, I realized that he had told me his story as a way of apology. The realization made something warm flutter in my stomach. He had intruded on one of my secrets, so in return, he had given me one of his. Gratitude and awe filled me; how could such a considerate person exist in my life? I would keep his secret until the day I died, if that's what he wanted.

On a sudden and different note, he asked, "So, can you also play the keyboard?"

Confused at the sudden change in topic, I nodded slowly. "I can. Why?" No sooner were the words out of my mouth than I recalled something that Levy had said to me shortly after my arrival. And suddenly, I knew exactly why Natsu had asked if I could play the keyboard.

"Will you join Fairy Tail as our keyboardist?"

There it was. The million-dollar question. I had to look away from the intensity and hopefulness of his gaze. Looking off to the side, I bit my lip. This couldn't be happening. Part of me desperately wanted to say yes, but I knew that my father would never approve. If he were to ever find out…. "Natsu…."

"Don't worry, the teachers are all understanding here," he said quickly. "They would give you some slack for potential bad grades, and grade them on a curve."

And that was also one of my concerns. If my grades were to start slipping…well, I'd be back in the Magnolia School for Girls faster than I could say no. "I'm sure that's the case, but—"

"I'd make sure that Gray and Loke stay off your back," he offered smoothly. "Of course, you would also get your full share of the profit."

If only money was a problem, this would be so much simpler. I sighed, melancholy creeping over me again. "I don't know…."

Natsu lowered his voice as he forced me to look him in the eyes and said, "Is it your father?" His fingers were gentle on my jaw as he nonetheless held my face firmly in place, not letting me avoid his gaze.

My grimace said it all.

"I see," Natsu sighed, releasing my face. He turned away and tapped his foot absentmindedly against the floor. "I don't know everything that's going on with your family, but I can promise you that the band and I will always support you, no matter what."

I looked up at his face, gazing wistfully off into the distance, and had the sudden urge to grab his shoulders and say, "Screw my father, I'm going to do what I want to." However, I merely sat there in silence, wishing for the millionth time that things were different.

"We have a concert this Friday."

I looked up at Natsu, confused by the sudden topic change yet again. "Uh, congratulations."

Natsu smiled affectionately and ruffled my hair. I gaped at him in dismay, my hands going to my hair to repair the damage. "Why don't you come to the concert, and then you can make up your mind after that. That way you can have some time to think about it and make a decision carefully. And Lucy…" he said, turning to face me, "promise me that you'll make a decision that you won't regret."

My hands stilled, and I met his intense gaze full-on. A decision that I won't regret…. "Fine. I accept."

Natsu nodded with a slight smile on his face. "For you," he whispered in my ear, slipping a glossy strip of paper into my hand. Goosebumps appeared on my skin as his breath fanned across my ear and neck, and I suppressed a shiver.

I opened my mouth to say something, but he was already gone, descending the stage steps and strolling toward the door with his hands in his pockets. He never did give me back the letter from my father, I realized with surprise. I closed my mouth with a soft exhalation of breath, a smile tugging at the corners of my mouth. Sheesh…that guy. Shaking my head, I looked down at the slip of paper in my hand. It was a ticket to their next concert, to be held in a neighboring town.

I sighed, sliding the ticket carefully into my wallet. I guess I have no choice but to go to the concert now. I only hope that it helps me make the correct decision, whatever it might be.

\(*o*)/

By the time Friday night rolled around, I was no closer to making a decision than before. Logically, I knew that I couldn't accept a part in the band. And yet, my heart kept hoping that there would be some way for me to be able to join. It didn't help that a certain someone had told his bandmates about my keyboard-playing, so they'd been on me about it all week. Erza, especially, had been making a big deal about it.

"Keyboardists and drummers are both a dying breed, and seriously underappreciated. We have to stick together, ne, Lucy?" Throughout the week, she'd been spouting nonsense like that, trying to convince me that I would, in effect, be betraying her if I didn't join.

Still, I couldn't see how this would work out if I wanted to be allowed to stay in Fairy Academy. And so, Friday night found me on my way to the concert, determined to decline their offer once and for all. I was sitting in the back of the Camaro, nervously tugging on my black leather mini shorts. My shimmery white halter top only came halfway down my stomach, exposing the lower half. My hair was pulled up into two messy pigtails on either side of my head, and I had applied a little heavier makeup than usual. If the house staff thought it weird that I was going to more concerts than before, they kept it to themselves. Well, except for Aquarius, of course, who had been just as nosy and bossy as ever. In fact, she had been so nosy that after primping me for the concert, she had proclaimed herself my chaperone for the night. Thus, she was the one driving me tonight, and intended to stick with me the whole night. I didn't know whether this would be a comfort or a nightmare.

When we pulled up to the address printed on the ticket, Aquarius circled around until she found a place to park. This time, the concert would not be held in a formal concert hall. As we approached the building it was to be held in, I noticed that it just appeared to be a grubby old store that had long since gone out of business. There were no windows, and the door was a big, iron, industrial-looking thing. Graffiti was scattered across the brick wall, and I exchanged glances with my blue-haired maid. Yep, this place looked pretty sketchy. Onward we go. We fell in with the flow of people passing through the door, and were surprised by the interior. It appeared to be some kind of underground club, judging from the neon-lit stairs that immediately led down into a spacious room.

As soon as we came out at the bottom of the steps, I looked around and saw that there were already a good number of people gathered. Across the open floor was the stage, which was currently dark and unoccupied. The room was lit only by neon light fixtures running along the walls and ceiling, casting an eerie glow over everything.

Mustering my strength, I grabbed Aquarius's arm and said, "Let's go." We shouldered our way through the crowd until we finally emerged at the front of the stage, panting and dripping sweat.

"This reminds me of my teenage days," Aquarius said with a sparkle in her eyes. "Except I was cool enough to have boys to go to concerts with."

I stuck my tongue out at her. "Not necessary, Aquarius," I protested indignantly. "And I do have guy friends."

"Oh, that's right. Those boys from school who were over the other week." Her smile turned predatory as she nudged me. "So, which one do you like?"

I gaped at her incredulously. "I…How…What makes you think that I like any of them?" I sputtered, not knowing if I should be outraged or amused.

"Are you saying you don't?" she asked with a significant look at me.

I thought about it for a second. And then decided that I didn't want to think about it anymore, especially when the smiling face of a certain pink-haired boy kept popping into my mind. "Yep, that's exactly what I'm saying." I could decide if it was true later, after all.

Aquarius snorted, obviously not believing me. Thankfully, she didn't get a chance to poke any holes in my claim, because the spotlights above the stage suddenly clicked on, eliciting earsplitting screams from the fangirls. The neon lights on the walls and ceiling dimmed, replaced by glowing circles on the floor. We looked up at the stage, where the members of Fairy Tail were stepping into the spotlights with confident grins on their faces.

Aquarius grabbed my arm in a vice-like grip, and I turned to her with an annoyed frown. "What's the matter?"

"Th-those are the kids from your school," she stuttered, her eyes as wide as saucers. "The ones who were in our house."

"Um. Yes, those would be the same people." Maybe I should have told her about that before she volunteered to come to this concert with me….

"They're…they're famous idols?" she asked incredulously, a half-crazed look on her face.

"Apparently." I grinned guiltily at her, hoping she wouldn't freak out.

"And you didn't tell me?!"

Oh no, here it comes.

"Ladies and gents, thank you all for coming out to support us this evening!" Loke shouted into a microphone. Immediately, a chorus of fanscreams went up, along with cries of "Loke-sama, marry me!" or "Loke, I love you!"

Yeah, right.

"Ooh, he looks so much hotter with a guitar in his hands…" Aquarius continued, a glazed, adoring look in her eyes.

I resisted the urge to smack my forehead with my palm. "Not you too, Aquarius," I moaned into my hands as I dragged them down my face. However, I had to acknowledge that her newfound admiration for the guy had come at a pretty handy time, as it had saved me an earful.

"My Scorpio is still hotter though," she sniffed proudly, though her eyes retained their glazed look.

There will be no end to it, I thought wearily. Remind me again why I let her come with me.

The band started playing, and Aquarius got right into the beat, quickly picking up the words as the other fans sang along. I could've sworn she was enjoying herself more than I was! I refocused on the band, trying to relax enough to get into it. The song they were playing was the one they had performed for me on the roof several weeks ago, and I smiled to myself as I recalled how into the music they had been. It made me happy just to watch them. My heart nearly stopped beating when, halfway through the song, Natsu looked directly at me and winked at me. He knew I was right here, I thought breathlessly. Unfortunately, every other fangirl in my vicinity started screaming, thinking that the wink had been for them. Yeah right, bitches. He's mine. I blinked in surprise at the ferocity of my thoughts. Since when did I get so possessive? And of Natsu, of all people? I shook my head to clear it, writing it off as the atmosphere being damaging to my health. Inside, though, I was still a little shaken up.

The next few songs were pretty upbeat and energetic, and I found myself loosening up more. However, the next song up was even more lively, right off the bat. The crowd started cheering loudly, and I could only guess that this was one of their more popular songs. I started to bob my head in time to the beat, but then a familiar voice suddenly cut me short.

"Woohoo! Yeah! I love this song! Those are my students, you know."

I turned my head slowly and haltingly toward the short old man suddenly standing next to me. Oh gosh, it is. It's really Headmaster Makarov. Thankfully, he hasn't noticed me yet. I grimaced and inched my way over, until I was on the other side of Aquarius. Unfortunately, the principal of my school turned to my maid shortly after and started raving about how fantastic they were. I prayed with all my might that Aquarius would take pity on me and not tell him that I was there with her. What's he even doing here, anyways?! He's way too old to be going to concerts still!

Somehow, the night ended with no further mishaps. Fairy Tail was the only band playing there tonight, so the concert ended sooner than the last one I'd gone to. As the members made their final bows and exited the stage, I watched them go with a longing in my chest. I wanted to be a part of that. I wanted to experience the thrill of being up there on the stage with them, and seeing all the adoring fans there to support us. I wanted there to be an 'us'. And I knew I would regret it if I allowed my fears to hold me back from fulfilling my dreams.

"Well, fuck me, but aren't they just the greatest thing since sliced bread!" Aquarius raved as we made our way to the car. I had to roll my eyes at her choice of comparisons, but at least she seemed excited about them. I was pretty sure the fanservice might have had something to do with it... She seemed to really enjoy it when Natsu licked Gray's neck and Gray kissed Loke's stomach where it was exposed by his half-buttoned dress shirt. "And to think, you're actually friends with them!" she gushed.

As the cool night air swirled past me, a thought suddenly occurred to me. I nearly tripped over my own feet in my sudden excitement as I leapt forward to link arms with Aquarius. "Say…Aquarius?"

"Hmm?" she hummed dreamily.

"Would you be interested in meeting them again?" I asked slyly.

"Hell yes! When are they coming over again?"

"Just one second," I soothed, holding my hand up to signal for her to slow down. "I have a proposition for you…."

Aquarius peered down her nose at me, a grudgingly interested gleam in her blue eyes. "Go on."

I knew I had her. I had to suppress the giddy squeal that threatened to bubble up, and instead focused on looking as innocent as possible. "Natsu, the lead singer, actually came to me earlier this week…and asked me if I wanted to join their band as their keyboardist. I told him I would think about it, and I need to have my answer by tonight."

Aquarius grew somber. "Miss Lucy, you know your father would never agree to that," she said gently, a regretful gleam in her eyes.

"I know. And that is why I want you to make it our little secret. Together, we could come up with an excuse for my absences when I'm out with the band, and no one else would ever have to know. You saw the principal tonight; I would never have to worry about grades if I joined the band. And what's more…I would have unlimited access to the boys. I'm sure if you did me this favor, I could think of some way to repay you…." I glanced at her slyly out of the corners of my eyes, a devious quirk to my lips. If Aquarius went along with this, I could join the band without fear.

After a moment, Aquarius finally sighed. "Oh, alright." She tried to sound irritated, but I could tell that she was secretly enjoying this little arrangement. So maybe it turned out to be a good thing that she came along. "But you have to promise to let me sit in on one of your practices, or whatever it is you do."

I couldn't hold back my elation anymore, and I threw my arms around her shoulders, grinning like a maniac. "I promise! Thank you, Aquarius! I knew you were my favorite for a reason." I winked at her as I pulled back, and she harrumphed as she stalked up to the car and opened my door for me.

Yes. I can do this! Everyone, watch out; here comes Lucy, the fifth member of Fairy Tail!

Did you guys like that little face \(*o*)/ that I made as the divider between time periods? XD That's how I look when I see hot guys playing music onstage... ;D Lol anyways, leave a review on this chapter, guys! :D And don't forget to favorite and follow if you haven't done so already! :) Any predictions for what's going to happen next? Any thoughts on what happened in this chapter? ;) Let me know them all in a review! Have a nice day, everyone! Or night, if you live in the same quadrant of the globe as me. :D