Sorry that I've been having some compy trouble guys! I've been working on what i can before it shuts it's self down on me. Fortunately I have been able to work on the chapters in the old fashion manner so I'm just transferring my notes ^-^ There will only be 15 chapters in this fic, then 'The Wings of the Black Dragon' will begin. *squeal* Any who, I know you guys are dying to see what wonderful training Laxus has cooked up for Natsu. Oh and Lucy's training for Wendy! All the back story on Lucy is finished by the way so it's pretty much action action action from here on in! Thank you all for your continued support! heheheh.

::Disclaimer:: I don't own FT but the OC's are totally mine! . Don't steal my poor little Vulpi! I need him as Lucy's punching bag! *Evil grin*

Chapter 13

The hike to the northern mountain was almost training enough, in my opinion, but Laxus insisted that I was being a big baby. Well yea, I didn't want to be subjected to getting ELECTROCUTED every five minutes, if that made me a baby than I will admit (to myself) that I'm being a baby. Some how Laxus managed to find so many ways to torture me during our 'training' time. Laxus was always a sadistic bastard, but some of these were just inhuman.

The roaring in my ears made it difficult to know when the next shock was coming. My above average hearing gave me an advantage most of the time, but this was definitely not one of those times, it had honestly become a weakness, and Laxus was exploiting it to the fullest. I kept my eyes closed tight, as I condensed my magic, trying to listen for any movement on Laxus's side of our training ground. I was still sending controlled amounts of supper heated air out around me to maintain the flow of the river. Again the fact that Laxus was a sadistic Bastard popped into my head, he had dragged me up into the mountains and proceeding to tell me I had to melt a frozen river from the bottom of a waterfall, and keep it flowing during the training. I'm a fire mage, water is sort of a weakness in my book, so being told that I had to be submerged during my training instantly put my mood in a downward spiral. On the first day I sat myself on a large boulder and sent out a blast of flames, this got me a rush of FREEZING cold water, pouring down on my head, completely extinguishing my flames. Laxus was more than amused, I saw him literally roll around in the snow laughing so hard it brought tears from his eyes.

I wanted so badly to wipe the smirk off his face when I was finally able to get out from under the pounding falls. He was truly enjoying the fact that my 'wife' gave him permission to do what ever he deemed necessary to accomplish my training. So far this included electrocution, water boarding (on a massive scale) and magic sapping (using more magic than needed for a technique, results in quick depletion of a mage's magical stores) and there were still two weeks left for him to come up with more.

Yes I was being a baby.

My skin started to prickle before I felt the pain. I took a deep breath, careful not to swallow the freezing water as I drew in Laxus's attack. I kept my mind focused on concentrating his magic, keeping it separate from my own. I learned in the first couple of days that mixing was what made me sick when ingesting none fire magics. It had only taken me a few more days to get the gist of keeping them separate. My magic had a warm and kind of fuzzy feeling, where as Laxus's magic was sharp and sort of vibrated, this knowledge was how I was able to figure out how to keep them apart.

I opened my eyes, knowing this time that I had done it properly. Laxus folded his arms across his chest, "How's that feel?" he continued to observe me, I remained seated, his voice was muffled by the water pounding around my ears, but I could still make it out.

"I get it. I completely understand now. Being calm makes it easier to control power that isn't originally my own. Once I mastered my emotions the rest became a cake walk!" I smirked at the look of pride crossing his eyes. I myself was pleased with the progress I had made. I released a blast of lightening fuzed fire into the air, the magic took on an orange hue once combine, cracking loudly before it dissipated. I stretched my legs out, raising my arms above my head, today had been a good day, maybe we could head home now that I had this mastered. I could get away from this torture for a while and eat some real food. My mouth watered at the thought of Mira-jane's cooking, a big plate of flame pasta, with a LARGE glass of fire whiskey, my eyes watered at the thought of such a beautiful meal.

"Now we just need to work on the voltage you can absorb!" Laxus pounded a fist into his open palm, excitement replacing the pride in his eyes. I couldn't help the shiver that ran down my spine at the thought of a high voltage hitting me with WATER as a conductor... SADISTIC BASTARD!

"Come on two more laps!" Lucy called over her shoulder. Training under Lucy proved to be more intense than anyone had believed possible. The original group of women had spent the first three days running laps around Magnolia, none stop, for three days. Secretly the woman plotted to kill their evil over lord who used to be Lucy, but Wendy protested, effectively foiling Cana's plot. During those first few days on lookers gather in the clearing to watch the group pass, some even joined as they passed. Now that the whole guild knew what was going on, many people felt they too needed to get stronger, and Lucy seemed to be the person to ask for help.

On the third day Lucy stopped in the clearing and positioned herself on her favorite boulder, motioning for her training mates to take a seat.

"I only have a month to teach you all the basics. I wish I could spend the whole year getting you all ready, but I have other business to attend to, so we will start with a useful phrase to keep in mind. The power of magic is directly linked to the users heart and soul, our emotions are what make us strong, but they can also make us weak." Lucy smiled at her friends softly before continuing. "To use your powers at their full potential you must posses a sound body, a strong heart as well as soul. I can tell that your hearts and souls are exactly were they need to be, but you are all lacking a physical balance you will need to use all the potential power that you house. This training will be intense, I'm here to provide the tools you will need to delve into yourselves, but I promise it will be worth every ounce of energy you put into it. Once I am finished with you, it will be easy to master any spell, or to heighten any skill you already posses. " Lucy's words stirred emotions of excitement in the crowd.

Each day Lucy added something new to the training schedule, running, push-ups, even hand to hand combat. She called out several spirits to help as the number of mages increased by the day.

"One more, you can do this!" Lucy was the type of teacher that would get down in the dirt with her students, she never stood to the side. As a true commander Lucy stood on the front line, her troops willing and eager to follow her commands. Wendy and Levy were at the front of the pack, only trailing a few paces behind Lucy as they came into the clearing. "That's it! See how much easier that was, and you aren't even out of breath today!" Lucy smiled brightly putting one had on each of their shoulders. "We will split off into groups, the same as yesterday, find your partners!" She hollered, taking to her favorite boulder. Levy, Lissanna, Wendy, and Cana came to sit in front of Lucy who had her eyes closed. The women took lead by example and closed their eyes.

"Concentrate on your magic, feel how deep within your body it lies. Become familiar with how it feels to you, memorize it's texture, temperature, and pressure." Lucy herself took her time feeling out her own magic as she lead the others in an exercise she had learned in another life. "Now pull it to the surface, don't release it till I give you the command." Wind began to swirl around the area, the glow of magic surrounded the women. "Now slowly release it a little at a time." Lucy opened her eyes to observe her friends. She was very pleased at how quickly they had gotten to this point. Soon they would be strong enough to stand against anything.

"Master, how long do you think it will take them to get to the Dragon King's Lair? I know Lucy told you were it was." Mira's voice was filled with concern, her bubbly and airy persona had vanished over the course of events, leaving a fretting Mira-jane in the joyful barmaids place. Her eyes betrayed how often she cried over the ordeal that was to come. She chewed her bottom lip as she cleaned a mug waiting for his reply.

"The entrance is far to the north, it will take them at least a month just to reach their destination by foot." Makarov took a deep sip from his mug. "They will be gone for at least two and a half months, possibly more." His expression was sullen, in all honesty he wanted to go with Lucy and the others but his grandchildren both agreed that it was best for him to stay behind to take charge of the guild while he was still the master. 'Damn brats.' Makarov continued to say to himself, but he was truly proud of how strong each of them had become, not just in their magical potential, but as human beings.

"I miss them" Happy sighed poking at the fish Mira had placed in front of the furry mage. Mira smiled sadly as she patted his head.

"I miss them too, Happy" Her eyes filled with tears, but she blinked them back. "They will be back from training today though, so lets have a celebration, we can dress up the guild if you want." Happy looked up with wet eyes, his bottom lip quivering slightly. Mira gave Happy her best reserve smile ruffling his fur for encouragement.

"Aye, we should make it big." A shy smile spread across Happy's face as he stood up on the bar. "It's been much to quiet lately." Mira nodded in agreement. The guild had practically been empty during the couples absence, since many of the guilds members had ventured off to join Lucy's training team. Mira was surprised when Master Makarov took the time to explain the situation to the whole guild. Many members had been shocked into complete silence, where others took off towards the training ground intent on watching Lucy at work.

"You don't have enough time to do anything big." Gajeel slumped into a seat near where the Master sat on the bar. "They are already on their way here." Happy and Mira turned to the iron dragon slayer with excited smiles. "Flame boy will get here first."

**Natsu's POV**

A familiar scent filled my nose as we made our way through the dense forest. "We're getting close." I smiled back at Laxus who was still taking his time, trying on occasions to catch me off guard, but I could sense his attacks before they were finished now. We walked quietly for the most part, keeping our pace even and steady. I concentrated on the smells of Magnolia, my training had given me a much keener nose than I had before, and I could already pick out my favorite smells. "Mira's cooking." My mouth watered at the thought of real food. "Man that smells good."

Subconsciously I picked up the pace, my stomach growling to encourage me on. We were only a few mile off, I could have been there in ten minutes if I ran, but somewhere I knew that if I tired Laxus would drag me back off to the wilderness for more 'meditating' to teach me how to control my impulses. As it was Laxus was watching me like a hawk, stating silently vigilant from a meter behind me. The thought of getting hit by his lightening before getting dragged of was enough of a deterrent to keep my pace at a quick walk.

Laxus kept his mouth shut even when we got to the guild. I didn't care any more though, "We're back!" I pushed the door open slowly the sweet scent of home flooding my senses. It didn't take me long to get to the bar, I wrapped my arms around Happy who had already started to cry. "I missed you buddy!" We broke apart when Mira set a very large plate of food in front of me. I delved in, it felt like I hadn't eaten in weeks!

**Normal POV**

The guild doors opened abruptly. "WE'RE BACK GRAMPA!" Lucy's voice rang out, followed by giggling from her team. The four woman behind her covered their mouths trying to hide their amusement.

"Lu-chan is acting more like Natsu everyday!" Lucy turned around to stare at her bookworm friend, Levy yelped when Lucy smacked her lightly on the head as a present for her comment.

"I am still me, just well, I get excited easier. Don't tease me!" Levy apologized rubbing the bump on her head. The other three giggled louder before a glare from Lucy silenced them as well.

Lucy and the others walked in, freeing the Guild door which suddenly filled with more people. Natsu and Laxus allowed a surprised gasp to escape at the same time, they saw a majority of the guild pass through the doors just behind the blonde woman. They exchanged a surprised glance before laughing loudly. Lucy smirked as she made her way over to the bar, taking a seat next to her husband.

"So Laxus, Mira are you still up for an exhibition match?" Laxus regarded his cousin with a wary eye. Mira stopped dead in her tracks, eyes wide.

"Damn, we just got back, Lucy. Give me at least a day to sleep it off before you pick a fight." Laxus crossed his arms over his chest. Lucy surveyed him with a critical eyes, scoffing.

"You're in one piece, and Erza is ready to go." Lucy turned to Mira with an inviting smile. "And poor Mira looks bored." Mira's face blanched at the comment, in all honesty she didn't want to fight Lucy at all.

"We have more important things to deal with." Makarov interrupted. "You should all take some time to relax and rest before you head north."

Lucy sighed as she propped her elbows up on the bar. She turned her head to her grand father with a bored expression. "I can just use a spirit box to get there you know." Makarov rolled his eyes as his granddaughter.

"You need to take the long way my dear, you know the extra work will serve your companions as extra training." Lucy let off a sigh.

"But that is so much work." Levy giggled at Lucy's words from her spot next to Gajeel. "We can take the train as far north as Clover town, but we have to walk the rest of the way from there." Lucy stretched her arms above her head. Natsu didn't comment as he accepted his fourth plate of food from Mira with a goofy grin.

"Just remember this is a mission, Lu-chan!" Levy said with a giggle. "I'm excited, we get to escort royalty as our first mission as a colony." Levy beamed with pride. This brought a smile to every face within ear shot.

"And we will be accompanying you as well Lucy." Vulpi commented from his perch on the table directly behind Lucy's back. "As your protectors, we will stay here as long as you need us." Vulpi gave his Cheshire grin, which always made Lucy smile back. Natsu finally stopped eating and turned to the fox spirit.

"Your 'service' will not be required." Natsu growled lowly. Vulpi's smile faded as Natsu glared at him eyes narrowed dangerously. "It would be smart to remember that Lucy is MY wife, and that if you continue to piss me off I can and will send you back to the Celestial realm." Vulpi's ears laid flat against his head as the pressure in the room became suffocating. Natsu's hand glowed with flames as he stood up from his chair.

"Enough" Lucy placed her hand on Natsu's shoulder, with a comforting smile. She pushed back the fabric of her shirt to show him the mark as a reminder that he didn't ever need to feel jealous, because she would never ever have anyone else but him. He let the flames die away and wrapped his arms around Lucy's waist instead. "You guys have already been here for a month straight, I want you to go back and rest up." Lucy kept her voice even, without room for questions.

"Yes, Lucy." Vulpi said with a sad expression on his face before disappearing. Lupus and Lynx ran over to hug Lucy before they returned home as well. Leaving Loke.

"I think you hurt the foxes feelings." Loke adjusted his glasses, a small smile playing across his lips. "Before I go, just promise that you will call us if you get in trouble. None of like to watch on the sidelines when we could be by our master's side helping." Lucy smiled sweetly with a nodded promise. Loke turned his attention to Natsu. "I'll remind the fox to lay off. But as much as I hate to admit it, he is a lot like you when it comes to the people he likes. Even if the feelings aren't mutual. Trust me, I've been dealing with the stupid fox for centuries." Loke left it at that. Natsu tightened his grip on his wife's waist, releasing an nearly inaudible growl towards the place where his friend had just been.

"I'm tired Lucy, lets go home. Come on Happy."

Several days went by, Lucy and Natsu weren't seen at the guild as they had been separated from the other for a whole month once again. Makarov sat on the bar observing the change in atmosphere, the group would be leaving tomorrow, and everyone knew that things would change when returned. The thought of his grand children leaving again put strain on the old man's heart. Some where deep down he knew that his time in this world had to come to an end at some point, it was selfish to think this way, but he hoped that his time came before that of his beloved brats. The heart ache from burying one of them would surely put this old man in the ground himself.

The doors to the guild opened revealing the dragon colony. They made their way as a single body across the guild to where Makarov sat. "Tomorrow is the day Grampa." Lucy's eyes betrayed her unease, Makarov could see a tinge of red puffiness that were tells of crying recently. She took the seat in front of him, laying her head on the bar. Makarov stroked her hair affectionately.

"Everything is going to be fine." He tried to convince himself as much as his grandchild. "You are strong enough to hand the situation." The others filled the other seats at the bar.

"Lucy, you must never forget to believe in your own power. You are a Dreyer after all, you have a lineage to be proud of, and some day you will get the chance to pass it on to the next generation. Hold your head high, child. As a Master of Fairytail it is your duty to hold strong for those who look up to you." Lucy looked up with wet eyes, at the smile of her grandfather, he was filled with pride and encouragement.

"Once I get back I'll be a Master, but for right now it's you who we look up to Grampa." Lucy smiled at him just as warmly, before wiping at her eyes. "Don't worry, I promise to do my best."

Lucy turned to look around the guild. "I need to speak with the mages of Blue Pegasus and Lamia Scales." There were scraping sounds as the guests of Fairytail made their way to stand in front of Lucy. "It's been a pleasure working with you. I need you to head back to your guilds and update your masters on everything that has happened and everything that is to come. I say we have roughly a year before they attack. Let your master's know that I need an answer with in four months time." Lucy stood strong in front of the older mages, voice steady as she gave her last command. They agreed and began to leave the guild to collect their things.

"Lets make a pact." Gajeel held a mug out, the other mages raised their eyebrows in his direction. Mira handed them all their own mugs. "We will fight together no matter how dangerous the situation gets. No one gets left behind." Lucy's eyes teared up as she raised her mug in the air. "We live as a family and we die as one!" Gajeel's protective nature was coming to the surface as he wrapped Levy in a tight embrace.

"We can do this so long as we stand together." Wendy placed her small hand on the bar forcefully.

"That's what family is." Natsu said with a bright smile. They raised their glasses with a cheer and drank to a successful mission. Makarov watched on as his children readied themselves for the most dangerous adventure they had ever embarked on.

A/N: Of to the mountains again! haha Laxus is a sadist! let me know what you thought!