Hello Everyone!

I've had a good amount of free time lately so I've been able to write up my stories more than usual. Which is good news for you guys and thank you for all the reviews. I love you guys thinking about what might happen in the story because some of the things you guys are thinking might happen, could very well happen. Not just because you guys said it but because a lot of you are reading my mind which is awesome! Thanks again guys and now let's get on with the chapter!

~wolvesfinalden

Fairy Tail: By Your Side

Chapter 9: The War's End

Lucy, Duke, Natsu, Happy, Loke, and Gajeel all headed for the master's hiding place. Gajeel took the lead as he led them to his now former master's lair. Duke stayed close behind him searching for a scent of the man that had been behind Lucy's capture.

Natsu stayed beside Lucy, while Loke and Happy brought up the rear. While they were heading for the guild's master, the group had run into a confused Erza and Gray. They saw Gajeel and was about to attack until they saw Duke standing behind him with no sign of aggression.

"What is the meaning of this?" Erza asked calmly.

Duke tilted his head at Erza then turned to see Lucy and Natsu catch up with them. Lucy patted her wolf on the head while Natsu answered Erza.

"He cut us a deal and is showing us where his master is located. I'm only doing this because after I fought him Duke showed no aggression to him. I don't think Duke would act like that if Gajeel wasn't telling the truth, right Luce?"

"Yeah, Duke can be a good judge of character. Gajeel must have shown him that he's not a threat to us anymore. Otherwise Duke would have ripped his head off by now."

Duke softly growled in agreement with his master. Had Gajeel given him any signs of threatening them any further, he wouldn't have hesitated to take him down himself.

"Alright then take us to your master then. Gray and I are going to accompany you as well." Erza said.

"Fine but hurry up." Gajeel said.

The iron dragon-slayer then hurried ahead while the others quickly followed behind.

As they made their way through the moving guild, Duke began to notice a powerful magic source up ahead. His fur began to prickle as they got closer, letting a growl escape his throat ever few steps. Until finally they reached the room of the guild master.

Gajeel stopped and held his arm straight out to signal for them all to stop behind him. Duke noticed but inched up closer to Gajeel, trying to get a good look at the man. He wasn't a very tall man, he may have been taller than Makarov, but that wasn't saying much.

Duke could sense the magical energy around him and started barking and growling at him. He didn't want this man touching his master again, let alone take her back to her father.

"Awe so the puppy came to play." The master sneered.

Duke just growled back, not daring to back down from him. Natsu came to stand next to Duke and Gajeel as they glared at the man together.

"So Gajeel, this is how you thank me? You would betray your own master, for this pathetic guild. I'm ashamed of you." The master said, acting as if he was offended.

Gajeel took no mind to his ex-master's comment.

"Yeah well the show their running is a lot better than ours. Besides I doubt your guild is going to last once the Magic Council gets word about what you've done." Gajeel said.

He then turned to Duke who was now looking over to Gajeel.

"Plus if this guy is going to give me a second chance, then I better take it and keep my word. I'd like to stay on his good side." Gajeel then smiled and looked over to the Phantom Lord master. "I'd be afraid if I were you."

"What could you mean by that!" the guild master yelled.

Duke then looked back to Lucy, who was now moving to Natsu and Gajeel. She stood by Natsu and Duke, she didn't return a look back to her wolf. Instead her gaze stayed on the man who had locked her up in a cell not that long ago. There was no way in hell she was going back. Oh no, she'd make him pay for what he had done to her friends.

Everything became silent until Lucy finally broke it. Her eyes remained glued to the Phantom Lord master and all he could see in her eyes was the hate she held for him.

"Duke," she began as she allowed her body to sync with Duke. She could feel her body heat up as her body was in full sync with Duke. "Attack!"

Without a second of hesitation the wolf lunged letting out a snarl and a bark. He ran at top speed at the master. There was no holding back, not for this low life. He lunged up in the air and in a moment there was an opening between them, enough for someone to shoot at him.

"Natsu! Gajeel! Now!" Lucy screamed.

For some reason Natsu automatically knew what his teammate wanted him to do. So without any questions he used his dragon roar along with Gajeel. Once it was sent flying at Duke and the guild master, Natsu began to panic wondering if Duke would be able to escape the iron and flames.

He looked to Lucy, who at the moment didn't show a sign of concern for her wolf's safety. Looking back to Duke he watched as the wolf had landed on the man's head and jumped out of the way of the attack, leaving him defenseless against them.

However that wasn't enough to take him out, he tried calling forth some of his guild members but at this point it was no use. He finally realized that Fairy Tail was beating them one by one, without a lot of trouble.

Erza then took her chance and lunged forward, sword in hand at him. He knocked her back but failed to see Duke lurking near them. The wolf took his chance and attacked him. The man punched Duke in the forehead, making him whimper as he backed away.

"Duke!" Natsu, Lucy, and Happy all yelled.

The master then picked Duke up by the scruff of his neck, thinking he had won. Lucy knew what she had to do. As Gray and Erza tried to attack the master, in order to let go of Duke, Lucy focused her own magic with Duke once more. She felt herself fuse with Duke, like they had done before on their last mission. Though this time it seemed to be more powerful, almost like Duke and Lucy became one, however the connection was weak.

Duke felt it as well and used his new found strength and attacked the guild master, making him let Duke go. Erza and Gray took the chance to attack him as well, Erza attacked with her sword, while Gray used his ice make magic, making a lance out of the ice and launching it at him.

Natsu felt left out so he charged in.

"Fire Dragon: Wing Attack!" he screamed as the flames came crashing down on top of the guild master.

Duke stood by Lucy now as they watched the fight. Duke looked up to Lucy, waiting for a command from her. With their magic sync being this strong they could hopefully finish off the man.

"You ready Duke?" she asked him.

The wolf nodded as he got ready beside her.

"Go! Heaven's Light!" Lucy yelled as she focused her magic to Duke.

The wolf held his head back as the magic gathered in his mouth. Finally he quickly launched it out, leaving a path of a bright, yellow light flying towards the Phantom Lord master. He didn't notice the attack until it was too late.

"Fire Dragon's Roar!" Natsu yelled.

The flames from his roar combined with Duke and Lucy's attack, the fire was swirling around the yellow light as it charged forth. It hit the man dead on, knocking him through the wall. Gray was close enough to see him fall down in front of their guild hall, where to his surprise, their own master was waiting.

"Guys look! It's Master Makarov!" Gray yelled at them.

All of them ran over to the hole in the wall, staring down to find their master standing in front of the now fallen Phantom Lord. Erza was over joyed to see him standing on his own two feet. While the others just cheered at the sight. Gajeel on the other hand just smirked, happy to see that their master was fine.

"Good work!" Master Makarov called up to them.

Duke looked down, wagging his tail as he let out a loud howl that echoed throughout the city of Magnolia signaling that Fairy Tail had been victorious.

Two days passed since the attack on Fairy Tail. Everything was going back to normal, the guild hall was being rebuilt, Gajeel and Juvia had been given places in Fairy Tail, seeing as they both formally apologized for the trouble they had caused. Not to mention Duke played a big part of their acceptance. Once Lucy and Natsu explained that Duke had noticed the change in both their characters and trusted them enough to be around Lucy, even the master had no right to object. Duke would never let any danger come close to Lucy, meaning that Gajeel and Juvia posed no threat to them any longer.

At the moment Lucy was sitting at home with Duke, both spending the day relaxing from their previous days' events. Erza, who was running the whole guild reconstruction, told her to go home and rest with Duke for the day. Lucy had to admit she was glad for that, she needed some rest and so did Duke. They were both covered in a few bruises but nothing major.

Lucy decided she was going to write another letter to her mother. She never really mentioned this to Natsu but she got into the habit of writing letters to her deceased mother. With her mother being gone she had fell into the habit of writing her letters, so she would still feel like she was talking to her, more so like a journal really.

Duke watched her write down the letter. He wasn't sure what she was writing but knew it was one of those letters she wrote for her mother. One of the workers at the mansion had suggested that she start doing it so she could still feel like she was in contact with her mother. A way to feel connected to her.

Duke then laid down next to her by the chair. He heard her mumble some of the words she wrote down. Things like, Natsu and Happy even the whole business with Phantom Lord. Duke didn't hear all of what she put in the letter but from what he had caught it was what had happened within the last few days.

Lucy on the other hand was lost in thought. As she stared down at the last sentence she wrote she realized exactly what she had to do.

'This won't all just stop in one day. It could happen again. I have to make sure that he doesn't go after Fairy Tail like that again.' She thought.

She turned her head and saw Duke sleeping on the floor beside her. He looked peaceful at the moment, which made her smile. She had finally made her decision.

'I will go home.'

Natsu and the others were making their way over to Lucy's apartment. She had been sent home earlier that day by Erza, saying she should get some rest with Duke. Natsu agreed for the most part but something was bugging him today. Something just didn't feel right to him and he couldn't figure out exactly what it was.

Happy went ahead and managed to reach the window to Lucy's bedroom. He slowly began to open it but then noticed that Duke was running around the apartment frantically. Happy had never seen his friend look like this so he tried to pry open the window faster but he couldn't do it.

Natsu noticed where Happy had gone and came up after him. He looked at Happy who was desperately trying to open the window. Natsu had never seen Happy this desperate before, so instead of opening it for him he decided to ask what exactly was on his mind.

"Happy why are you trying so hard to open the window. You could have just called me you know?" He told him.

"I know Natsu but Duke is acting weird in there. He's running all over the place and it doesn't look like Lucy is even home." Happy said to him.

Natsu looked at him funny, then looked inside and noticed what his cat had meant. Duke was restless and running around the apartment and with his sensitive ears, he could hear the wolf whimpering.

"Move over buddy." Natsu said.

Happy did as he was told and watched as Natsu opened the window.

As soon as Natsu opened the window, he caught Duke's attention. For a second the wolf just stared at the two in shock.

"Hey Duke, what's wrong? Where's Lucy at?" Natsu asked him.

Sadly Natsu didn't get an answer, or at least one he had expected. Right after he finished his question the wolf lunched up in the air and knocked Natsu over. He began to race down the building, landing on the ground. Duke didn't take any time to recover and made a mad dash away from the apartment.

"Duke! Hey where are you going!?" Natsu yelled frantically.

Erza and Gray finally walked in seeing Natsu and Happy still outside the window.

"You know there is a door. That's what you usually use to enter one's home." Erza said a little annoyed.

"Yeah flame-breath, it wouldn't kill ya to use the door. I'm sure Lucy would appreciate that." Gray remarked.

The two waited for some kind of reaction from the dragon-slayer but instead they got nothing. Natsu just stared at the direction Duke had disappeared. What could have made Duke act like that? He had never done that before. Not during the time Natsu knew him.

Happy flew inside the apartment and began to explain what had happened. Once Gray and Erza were up to speed they yelled over to Natsu to help them find some kind of a clue.

As they were all searching Natsu saw something on her desk. He read what was on the paper and his heart stopped in his chest as he read the words.

'I will go home.' It read.

"She can't go home!" Natsu yelled as he jumped out the window on the street.

He used his nose to track down the direction that Duke had disappeared. Happy quickly flew after Natsu leaving Gray and Erza to catch up. As Natsu ran he realized how much it all made sense now. Why Duke was acting so strange in her apartment. Why there was no sign of Lucy anywhere. Why Duke all of the sudden jumped out the window and ran off. Duke was trying to bring Lucy back, and Natsu was planning on doing the same.

Duke ran as fast as he could through the city of Magnolia. He made it past the train station and took the way he knew would lead back to the mansion. It may not be as fast as riding the train but with his speed, he was sure he'd make it there in good time.

The wolf refused to stop for anything along the way he was mid-way through the forest when he began to smell the familiar scent of flowers. He was close to their old home, the smell may have seemed welcoming to Duke but he knew better. This was no place of welcoming, not for him and Lucy anyway.

Lucy had just gotten off the train and was making her way through the path that would lead to her family's estate. She felt awful for leaving Duke behind like that but with her father threatening him, she wasn't going to take any chances. So she decided to leave on her own.

'Duke must be going crazy by now. I just hope he can calm down some before Natsu gets there. There's no doubt him and Happy will show up there later. If they did any time soon, she just hoped Duke calmed down and went to sleep.' She thought.

As she made her way through the estate, she finally came in front of her old home. She noticed some of the staff members outside and when she went to greet them, one of them had recognized her, making everyone run up to her. They couldn't believe she was back and Lucy couldn't blame them, she and Duke both left without even saying a word to anyone.

"Oh Miss Lucy you returned!" one called out.

"Oh Lucy, where is Duke? Surely he has to be with you?" another said.

"Duke isn't with me right now. He's back at our apartment. I had to leave him behind because of my father." Lucy admitted.

Lucy then noticed one of the maid's had come up to her with a message.

"Miss Lucy, your father has requested your presence in his office." She told her.

"Requests my presence?" she said.

'I see so he really hasn't changed one bit. I'm glad I left Duke back home now.' Alright I'll be there in a minute.

Lucy allowed some of the maids to help her inside and eventually got her into one of her old gowns. As Lucy looked at herself, she became more aware of why she left. This was just one of the many reasons.

Lucy left thanking them for their help and for the dress, she walked over to her father's office and opened the door. There standing at the window was her father, the last person on earth she had wanted to see.

"Father." She said dryly.

"Lucy, so you did come home after all. I was beginning to worry about you."

"Well I'm fine and Duke was a major part in that." Lucy said, making sure she stressed her wolf's name.

"You still have that dog around here?" he asked with a little anger in his voice.

"No he's back in Magnolia, where I know he's safe."

"Ah good, so the pest won't be a bother to me anymore. Good now on to business. I called you here because I have set up a marriage for you. This is important to ensure the success of my company. Once you are married you will need to produce an heir to the family, ensuring that our line will not disappear."

Lucy then shook her head at her father's requests.

"I think you are misunderstanding the reason I am here father." Lucy told him.

"Oh, then why are you here Lucy?" he asked her.

"I'm here to tell you I'm leaving, for good. I don't want any part of this life and I've had it with how you've been treating Duke! I don't think you realize exactly what you have done to me, what you have done to Duke. Everything you have done is what made us leave." She began as she glared at her father.

"I don't understand why you felt the need to get rid of him or why you hate him so much. Do you even realize that in getting rid of Duke, you are getting rid of the last thing I have of mom?! My only friend I've had in this living hell. He's been by my side from the very beginning and I know that if I hadn't have taken the precautions and made him stay at my apartment that he would be here even now!" as Lucy yelled that last sentenced the door busted open.

When the two turned to see what had caused it, they were both surprised at what they had saw. There standing in the doorway was a white wolf with brilliant gold eyes. His black collar with golden designs on it and his tag shown in the sun's light. Revealing his name on the collar.

'Duke'

The wolf walked over and stood between Lucy and her father. His fur was standing up and his ears were laid flat on his head as he growled. Lucy began to feel tears form in her eyes as she watched him. Even when she told him to stay home, knowing it was best for him, he had found his way back to her. How lucky she was to have such a loyal companion.

"You see what I mean father. I even locked him in my apartment and he still manages to come find me. This is what family does! Instead of thinking about yourself and this precious company of yours, think about someone else for a change!" she yelled.

"I've had enough of this life!"

Lucy then ripped the front part of her dress to show she was leaving this life behind. Duke stayed in position, not moving a single inch.

"As for Fairy Tail, if you ever try to pull a stunt like that again, don't think we'll come after you. They are my family as well and I will do anything to protect them. So this is goodbye father, I only wish you could one day finally see the errors of your way. Mom wanted what was best for me and she would want me to be happy."

Lucy then walked away with Duke behind her. She went to her old room and changed back into the clothes she had worn there and left the mansion again. Before she walked any further, she stopped at her mother's grave with Duke. They both stared at the grave and Duke began to rub up against Lucy, giving her comfort.

"This is what she would have wanted Duke." Lucy said to him.

She then leaned down and hugged Duke around the neck.

"I don't know how you managed to get out and I have a feeling Natsu may have been involved but I don't care. You are always there when I need you Duke, thank you." She whispered in to his ear.

Duke wagged his tail then pulled back and licked her face. She smiled and patted his head, she went to turn to walk home until she saw something in the distance. Duke perked up his ears as he heard voices call out his and Lucy's names.

"LUCY!"

Lucy looked closer and noticed exactly who it was. She was now really surprised and looked down at Duke.

"I have a feeling that this might have to deal with you." She said and giggled a little.

Duke titled his head sideways not quite understanding what she had meant but didn't have time to think too much about it. Natsu came running up to them but before he got there Happy flew up first and hugged Lucy around her chest, with tears in his eyes.

"What's wrong Happy?" Lucy asked him.

"Please don't leave Lucy! We don't want you to go!" Happy started yelling.

Duke then looked really puzzled at his friend's cries. He looked up to Lucy and she looked just as confused as he was. Natsu then came up and looked just as concerned as Happy.

"Luce you can't go back there. Not after what you told me what it was like there." He said frantically.

Lucy then heard Erza and Gray yelling the same thing as she began to realize what they were talking about she began to laugh, confusing the hell out of her freaked out friends.

"Guys I wasn't coming her to stay. I just needed to talk to my father and tell him that I'm not coming home. I just wanted to make sure he wouldn't pull something like what we went through with Phantom Lord again. Besides do you really think I would have left Duke behind if I was leaving for good?"

Duke looked up to Natsu who now looked relieved. He then put his hands behind his head.

"You're right but next time leave a clear note on your desk, instead of just saying you're going home. You had us all freaked out." Natsu said to her.

Lucy then apologized and got Happy to let go. The cat then went over to Duke and hugged him tightly and smiled.

"Good that means Duke and I can share more fish! Right Duke?" Happy said.

Duke nodded his head. The others began to walk off and Happy started to walk after them. Duke was about to catch up when he heard someone whisper his name. He turned around to find someone he had not seen in years.

"Duke, you have grown so much." The woman said to him.

Duke recognized her, it was Lucy's mother. He didn't understand why he could see her so he just waited for her to explain herself.

"You have a unique gift Duke. You can see spirits. I knew I'd find you here. I wanted to thank you for keeping my Lucy safe and sound. What my husband has done was wrong and I'm glad Lucy was strong and saw it through. You truly are a good boy Duke, I can't thank you enough for what you have done." Layla said as she walked up to Duke.

She laid her hand on his head and he just stared up at her in awe.

"Times will be tough Duke and your powers will be put to the test. You and Lucy's sync will grow stronger, the stronger your bond will become. The same will happen if you form a bond with someone important to Lucy. Keep those wizards close Duke. I'm sure that fire mage will be a powerful partner, don't you think." Layla said with a smile.

"I will see you soon Duke, take care of Lucy as always. I'll be watching over both of you." Layla said as her spirit disappeared.

Duke then turned to see the group didn't go too far. He quickly picked up his speed meeting up with Happy. He picked up the cat and placed him on his back. Then ran off ahead to Lucy and the others. They were on their way home.

That's it for this chapter! This was longer than normal, I just kept on writing and didn't realize how long it was until I finished. I hope you all enjoyed this chapter! If you like the story don't forget to fav/follow or leave a review. More to come soon! Thanks for reading and I will see you next time!

~wolvesfinalden