Hi there~!
I hope you're all as excited as I am for this chapter!

Enjoy~!

The sky was painted in different colors: purples, blues, pinks, yellows, even a soft red. It awaited for the small humans beneath it to look up and smile at the glorious image of dusk, yet no one did. Below the sky was a small group of five walking towards a large building with a long flag showing the insignia of the most powerful guild known in the kingdom: Fairy Tail.

Their faces showed mixtures of emotions, none of which were happy. One person in particular didn't seem to hold any emotion, and the sky continued to change colors and watch the young man taking the lead towards the building. His hair was the same hue of pink the sky held, yet his eyes were as black as the dark colors starting to tint the sky, taking over the light. The moon was just beginning to take a peek, perhaps interested too, like the sky, of this man.

As he walked his companions only tried to keep up, yet wouldn't dare get too close. That is when the moon and sun finally crossed paths, both of them looking at each other and back down to the human below. The young man taking the lead marched forward into the building, holding everything but an emotion, had one purpose on that night: murderous intent.

Fairy Tail Headquarters - Conference Room

The room had just finished filling up when the five walked in: Natsu in the lead, Jellal and Erza flanking, and Romeo and Wendy taking the rear. Voices were hushed and bodies stopped moving, only turning to pay their attention to the five members with stoned faces. If any bystander would come across the Fairy Tail Headquarters, they'd probably think they were staring at FTU; the difference was minimal, yet the building held the same triumphant and proud aura that made students from around the kingdom come to that university. The building was a bright white, golden vines wrapping around the side walls and two large pillars at the front where the main doors were found. The doors themselves were about ten feet high, towering over all the people who opened them. On the right door was etched a message that every member knew by heart, "Those who enter will find a home and a family, those who exit without looking back will draw in darkness and us as your enemy." The floors were a white marble, draped with a blood red rug that directed each member to whatever path they chose to take. Hung on the walls were photographs of each and every member of Fairy Tail, only in the conference room and the Master's office held the pictures of the past and current Masters. The furniture was that of FTU's - a dark mahogany with gold and red found in small cushions or curtains.

If there was every a problem or perhaps an announcement as to who becomes the next S-Class fighter, the Conference Room was the place to go. Holding the same white marbled floors and matching white walls with splatters of red, gold, and black furniture and painting around, the conference room also held a key characteristic: in the middle of the room lay the insignia of Fairy Tail marked on the floor. The insignia couldn't be seen now, in fact muddy boots, torn sneakers and lacy sandals were stepping on it, fidgeting slightly at the sight of their Master standing at the podium; his face matching that of the five members who had just walked in. Makarov brought the microphone closer to his mouth, breathing in slowly to try and contain the anger that now boiled in his blood, "I am sorry to have called you all at such a late time, since we usually start meetings in the daylight." The Master looked around the crowd, noticing his children's confused faces and pouts at the fact that they had to be at the Conference Room so late. "I won't sugarcoat it," he breathed, "One of our own have been kidnapped."

"Kidnapped?"
"Who?"
"Who did it?"
"Are we missing anyone?"
"When did this happen?"

Natsu began walking forward, Erza making eye contact with Juvia and Gray who were already in the room, and Wendy spotting Levy and calling her to come over. As soon as the salmon-haired man reached the front of the room, to where his Master stood on the podium, he whistled to grab everyone's attention. Silence came quickly, his eyes darting around the room and finding himself looking into the blue eye's of Lisanna who was currently hugging a distraught Mira. She only stared at him, her question telepathically reaching his mind and him nodding as he spoke, "Lucy Heartfilia has been kidnapped."

"Lucy?"
"How?!"
"It can't be!"

"-And it was Sabertooth who did it." The crowd went wild at that point, feet stomping on the floor fists meeting palms, nostrils flaring, and emotions stirring.

"How could they take our family?"
"Let's beat them to a bloody pulp!"
"Poor Lucy!"

The physics major looked towards his fatherly figure, only for a minute showing an ounce of emotion in his eyes of hurt before letting the murderous intent come back. Makarov nodded as if understanding and brought his hand to cover the microphone, while the others in the crowd still ranted about Lucy. "Make sure you make the right choices," he spoke softly, "I too am as angry as you, even though our love for her may be different. Yet killing a man-" "There will be nothing left of him." He looked at Natsu, he himself feeling a bit uncomfortable with the anger coming from those onyx eyes, "Killing a man does not make you better. It makes you just about the same. It is fear that does the job." Inexperienced eyes met wise ones, yet the connection never went through; Natsu had an uncontrollable anger inside him, one that could not be kept at bay. "We leave here tomorrow, at dusk!" he yelled into the crowd, all of them looking up and nodding at his commands. "Romeo and Macao will be leading us to the headquarters where half of you will set camp. If the kidnapper decides to call in reinforcements, we will equally match theirs."

"Who's the guy who kidnapped Lucy?" Laxus asked, his voice toppling over the whispered conversations going through the room as Natsu laid out the plan. Natsu stared at his comrade, noticing him hugging a crying Lisanna in his arms. "Sting. Sting Eucliffe." Immediately more voices began screaming in the crowd, spitting on the ground to show their distaste for that man and others balling their fists and bringing them into the air signaling their intent to help. "No one will touch him!" Natsu growled, "No one but me." Makarov stared at his child, sadness appearing in his eyes. He had never seen him so angry, even when Lucy was beaten by Minerva unfairly. The Master only bowed his head as he faced the crowd from behind his podium, "Only half of us will leave, the others will stay here and guard our quarters in case a surprise attack might come." The crowd that was once cheering to go fight began to lower their voices whispering and wondering who their master would call forth to go on the mission.

"Obviously we know Natsu, Erza, and Gray will be going inside, with the help of Jellal and Juvia. Levy will join in but keep by the door, with Gajeel guarding; Eucliffe is a rich man and probably have some kind of alarm system that needs to be shut off. Romeo and Wendy will act as lookouts and will stand in between the perimeters of both the house and where we set camp," stopping to take a breath, Makarov saw his children's heads nod in agreement, waiting for more to be told. "Macao knows the terrain better than any of us, so you're obviously needed in this. Jet will be our message man: if you see things get ugly, run your ass towards our headquarters and sound the alarm. Droy, you have a way with nature no one else can understand - you'll be in charge of making traps in between the lookout post and our camp. Cana," Makarov paused and tried to contain his annoyance as he saw the tipsy woman yell out a 'WOO!', "We'll use your fortune telling skills to our advantage. Laxus and Elfman, brute force is necessary. Bisca and Alzack, I must ask of you two as well for lookouts, with your guns we can have a longer range of coverage. As for the rest of my children, please stay and guard our home."

Murmurs went through the room, some sighing loudly wishing that they could take part in this adventure. Freed complained about wanting to join in, only to have Mira start crying because he wanted to leave her; luckily Lisanna was there to pat her back, sniffling at the same time from crying. Bisca and Alzack were already calling Sherry to take care of their daughter, while Wakaba and Nab complained about never getting to do anything. The salmon-haired man kept looking around the crowd, a deadly aura revolving around him; he was picturing in his head the confrontation, seeing the blood, and finally hugging his would be wife.

Eucliffe Residence - Master Bedroom, 8 AM

He groaned in satisfaction as soft hands massage his back with oil, her fingers stretching out and touching all of his back. He could hear the strain on his bed springs as her knees dug into the mattress as she pressed her hands on his shoulders; he was rather tense, with all the stress that had been going on until now. Her breath tickled his neck and he immediately felt chills run down his spine as his eyes rolled in satisfaction. "You really are tense, Sting," she spoke softly, each words slipping from her mouth tickling his neck and making him groan louder. He brought his hand up to his shoulder, covering the young woman's hand in his, "That's enough, for now." Feeling her hand flinch even just for a second made his eyes roll in annoyance, "Yuki, you swear I'm going to hit you or something. You aren't a part of Sabertooth anymore and Jiemma is long gone… relax." He let go of his maid's hand and swung his legs towards the side of his bed, stretching out his bare torso and hearing his back crack. He turned his head towards Yukino (or as he liked to say, Yuki) and smiled softly at her, "Those hands of yours?" he pointed, "Are amazing."

Yukino blushed softly, looking to the side to let the few strands of light blue hair on her head cover her face, "Anytime… j-just ask." She began to get off the bed, stretching her body as her small feet touched the carpeted floor. This was how it always was with them; he'd asking for something small, like a massage or bringing her food or watching television together, and she'd do it willingly. Of course, the major crush she had for him was not seen - in fact she usually hid her face to not show her blushing. She was his maid and he was being a great friend; after the mishap at the last OGG tournament where Jiemma beat her and ripped away her ties to Sabertooth, she was alone and and had nothing to her name. Luckily Sting was there to catch her when she fell, but he just placed her as his worker - nothing more, nothing less. Humming softly as she dusted off invisible dust from her floral dress (Sting never made her wear a maid's outfit), she turned to her boss and brought a hand up as to wave goodbye. "Call me if you need me. I have to go help Jacque prepare breakfast."

The blonde man raised his eyebrows, "Oh yea, Lucy should be up already. In fact she should be starving... I didn't get her to eat anything last night. All she did was drink water like a mad woman." Yukino only felt her body tense, disgust from hearing what Sting was saying reaching her stomach, "You shouldn't have drugged her, Sting." She pouted, folding her arms across her chest and making her breast more prominent than usual. He stared momentarily at them, licking his lips before looking back up to her face and retorting, "Well it wasn't like I could've just asked he-" "Yes. You could have." The woman raised an eyebrow, "This isn't you, Sting. Last time I checked, unless you were fighting, you barely hurt a fly!" Sting stared at her then, a sad smile appearing on his face, "Yuki, I have to be with her. Even… even if I don't want to." His last words were barely a whisper, but Yukino had heard them well. She blushed once more, bringing her face to the side as she bit her lip, then maybe I have a chance.

"I'm losing this estate. In fact, I'll be homeless in less than two months," he said, stopping Yukino's train of thought and making her stare at him wide-eyed, "What?" she breathed. "You heard me," he spoke as he stood from his bed and passed her to open his wardrobe, "Pop's money is long gone, with him too. He died when I was a kid and only had enough Jewels to cover me until I was eighteen." His maid could only stay frozen in place, searching for answers, "But the missions that you take! You're S-Class, you can't tell me you don-" Sting raised a hand, making her fall silent, "Where do you think all the money has gone to? This mansion on it's own is well over one million Jewels a month! I have no money left for me. I need to either get rid of the home or…" he looked away from Yuki then, using the excuse of putting on his shirt to hide his embarrassment. "Or marry someone with money." Yukino finished, her head slowly coming down and her eyes looking at the brown carpet she vacuumed daily.

"Yuki…" he could see her sadness, the way she'd turn her face away from him to hide her blushes. Taking a few steps forward, he found himself inches away from her and placed both his hands on her shoulder, "Yuki, look at me." The small woman looked up, showing the tears that were forming in her eyes, "I'm over it," she breathed, "I will only wish the best for both of you." She stepped back, letting a stunned Sting's arms fall to his sides, "Y-Yu-" She turned and raised up her hand, waving like she usually did, "I have to go give Ms. Heartfilia her breakfast."

Eucliffe Residence - East Hall, Guest Bedroom 9:40 AM

The funny thing about being in a room she didn't recognize, was that she was apparently placed only a few feet away from what she guessed was Sting's bedroom. A full night had come and gone, and there was nothing happening: no weapons flying everywhere as Erza rampaged through the halls, no fists hitting walls and breaking bones as Gray rampaged around until he found Lucy, and definitely no walls breaking as her boyfriend ruined the house and somehow would catch everything on fire. She could move now, at least more than usual. Placing her hands firmly on the bed, she pushed her body upwards into a sitting position and instantly found herself sweating. It's only been one night? Why am I so weak? She still felt like she had cotton balls as tonsils and found it hard to swallow - even speaking was a hassle. Her eyesight was better though, in fact all her senses were working just fine. She was in a white bedroom: white floors, white furniture, and very thin white walls. In fact, they were thin enough to hear the conversation her kidnapper had with someone named Yukino. She heard that he was losing the estate, and thinking that with my money would help him stay rich? She bit her lip, excitement coursing through her still tired body - all she had to do was tell him the truth, tell him that she was dirt poor!

Yet there was something more to that conversation they were having, the female voice seemed hesitant, as if she was holding back something. The blonde girl didn't have time to overthink it; she could hear the doorknob from the bedroom jiggling and then making a 'click' noise. He locked me in, she thought, keeping that in mind as she turned her head towards the door. Who she was expecting did not come, instead it was a girl that she faintly knew: Yukino Aguria, and ex-member of Sabertooth for her poor performance at the last OGG tournament. Although her eyesight was fine, she still blinked a few times and squinted to make sure she wasn't hallucinating. Yukino only smiled softly, "You're seeing fine, the only thing that drug has in effect still is your motor skills." The young woman held in her hands a silver tray with a covered plate on top of it, she walked slowly towards Lucy as she took in her view: she was still naked under the covers. The said girl followed Yukino's eyesight and immediately squealed as she forced her hands to move towards the blankets and pull them up to her neck. Naked?! Since when have I been naked?!

Seeing her fidgeted, Yukino only clucked her tongue, "I was the one who took off your clothes Lucy, you were sweating out the fever the drug had given you. I have some dresses inside that wardrobe," she pointed towards the other side of the room, where a white wardrobe stood boringly, "but seeing as that you can't move… I'll open it up and you tell me which one you want." The blonde woman stared at her like she was an alien, Why are they acting so nice and normal? They're saying that I was drugged as if it was a casual manner! Setting the plate down next to the small nightstand beside the bed, Yukino walked casually towards the wardrobe and unlocked the latch holding the doors closed. Inside there were five dresses: a floral patterned one, a pale blue one, a gold-trimmed lace one, and a navy blue one that had tiny beads twinkling on it like stars. "Well?" Yukino said, bringing her hand forward to present the five, "I didn't have much dresses that would fit your size…" What the hell is that supposed to mean?! Lucy thought, narrowing her eyes at her as she frowned deeply.

Yukino only chuckled, "You know you can talk right? Like I said before, the drug is only affecting your motor skills now." Lucy gulped involuntarily and searched the room as if some huge monster would pop out any moment, or perhaps this woman would try to make her swallow another drug if she opened her mouth. Noticing the blonde girls suspicions, the blue-haired woman sighed, "Look, I know you're suspicious but as long as I'm here, Sting won't do anything stupid. In fact I'm really surprised he even did what he did but I guess - never mind," she waved off her thought and brought the conversation back towards the dresses, "Either you pick, or you stay naked." Lucy pouted, the woman had just reassured her nothing would happen, brought her food (her stomach had already started to hurt from eating nothing) and she was giving her clothes. She looked at the dresses, letting her eyes fall onto the dark navy one, "The stars," she croaked, her throat feeling dry. She brought her hand up, which still felt numb, and touched her throat as she cleared it.

"Stars?" Yukino questioned, and looked towards the dresses, her eyes finding the shiny beads on the navy blue dress, "Oh! Yes, this one's super cute!" She smiled and tiptoed up to reach the clothes hanger, pulling the dress out of the wardrobe and walking towards Lucy again. Without even asking, she placed the dress over Lucy's head and helped her put her arms through the straps, "Sorry I don't have a bra for you… you kind of won me in the breast battle," Yukino laughed and Lucy couldn't help but to have a silly smile come to her face. "Thank you," she whispered, her voice not as hoarse as before. She looked at Yukino then, her eyes pleading, "Please… help me escape." The maid pursed her lips, her eyebrows furrowing, "I wish I could, but Sting - Sting want's you." Lucy could tell something was off, she could tell how hard it was for Yukino to accept the fact that… he doesn't love her? Formulating a plan in her head, the blonde spoke cautiously, "I heard everything. About him losing money, and wanting someone rich." Yukino nodded sadly, "Yes, you're name is known across the kingdom. You are a very rich woman and can help keep the Eucliffe Residence alive."

"No, I can't," Lucy said, looking into the eyes of the woman she now knew had strong feeling for her kidnapper. "I don't think you have a choice," Yukino murmured, looking to the side and sighing, "Sting is as hard headed as it ge-" The blonde intervened, her voice finding strength, "I'm not who you think I am." Yukino flipped her head quickly to meet her eyes, "What do you mean?" The blonde looked at the maid with a saddened expression, "The Lucy Heartfilia, Princess of the Heartfilia throne, is dead."

Fairy Tail Headquarters - Training Room, Court 7 10 AM

The greatest thing about Fairy Tail's headquarters, was the massive training room it held towards the back of the already enormous castle. It was different from the rest of the royal-look the headquarters and the university itself had; instead of white, red, gold, and a few specks of black, the training room was just brown, black, and blood red. The ceiling was covered with flags, each representing every year that Fairy Tail was alive and running, with a symbol indicating the most important event of that year. In the middle of the floor, like many other rooms held, was the insignia, bleeding red. The floors were a polished wood, sneaker marks and wrestling mats were found throughout it, and the black walls were filled with white markings of hand prints from the chalk powder used by the fighters. It was a messy sort of main room, and it held ten courts separately inside it - bullet resistance glass let any member see what was going on inside the court, while the other three walls were black and marked as well with chalk.

A few members were currently in the main 'mess hall' as they'd call it, having duels with their friends or just working out by doing weights. Others had taken up training and preparing for the night mission inside the courts - lifting, running on treadmills, fighting with friends, and practicing their movements. One court in particular held only one member, who was currently pounding a punching bag filled with sand and rocks. Although every court was free to use by whomever, for some reason every member knew Court 7 was Natsu Dragneel's property if he was inside the Training Room by himself. Today was one of those days, yet instead of some members hanging around the outside of the court and watching his moves or wanting to ask if they could join (which he always said yes), everyone was staying well over two feet away from that room. His knuckles were beginning to hurt, his legs begging for rest each time he'd jump lightly around the court, sending a fist or an elbow or even a leg towards the already beaten punching bag. Sweat run down the side of his face, coming to the corner of his open mouth that was heaving as he kept his eyes strained on the dull black bag. He imagined Sting's face on the bag… once, twice, thrice… kick, punch, jab…

By now any other fighter would've fallen to the ground, either from dehydration or lack of energy, but Natsu was different - and he knew that as much as anyone else. There are all kinds of fighters - fighters with running skills, cunning skills, intelligence skills, survival skills, fortune skills, you name it. Yet those are all mortal skills; there are technique branches that only some will be lucky to have. As of now, there were two master techniques: The Dragon Arts and The Gods Art. In his lifetime, Natsu had met only two people who held the technique of the gods; he himself along with Gajeel and Wendy held the dragon technique - none of them mastered it yet, but all were stronger than most members in the guild. The Dragon Art gave Natsu the power to see more, smell more, and feel more; he was advanced in martial arts, and could pinpoint the seven deadly areas in the human body. Yet there was something strange about him as well - he could play with fire, and never get burned.

The facts were hazy but true, the man had never burnt himself while playing with fire, and his father who left him at a young age taught him the secrets that he was sworn only to keep to himself. Not even the Master of this guild knew the exact reason to this - like he didn't understand how Gajeel needed metal around him, or how Wendy would stop and breathe in the air deeper than any other member. Natsu stopped jumping around and let his body go still as he stared at the bag one last time, reaching his bloody hand down into his pocket and pulling out a lighter. "Don't you dare go ahead and flame that - it'll be the third one today and I will not be replacing it again." Natsu jumped lightly at the sound of the voice before relaxing as he saw who leaned into the doorway of the room: Gray. "Do you think I care?" Natsu said flatly, flinching at his own aggression. Gray stared at him, "I know you don't care," he walked into the court with already no shirt on, "But I also know this isn't like you. It's that barbaric side of you acting up," Fullbuster was inches away from Natsu, letting his finger touch his friend's chest where his heart beat.

The salmon haired man grimaced, looking to the side as he passed a hand through his hair, "Well what the hell am I supposed to do, huh?" He stared into his friends' eyes then, licking his lips as he exhaled through his nose annoyingly, "What if someone took Juvia from you? You don't know what the fuck is happening to her, and you can't do anything about it until hours later. You don't know if she'll be alive, if she's been abused... nothing. Then what, huh? Would you fucking just be having a dandy time?" His friend stood quietly, the only thing being heard were the strained chains holding the beaten bag swinging. "I'd rest," Gray said, and receive a confused look from his friend, "I'd rest and let my energy build up for the moment I'd see Juvia's captor. Then, and only then, will I treat him like you're treating that bag… maybe even worse." Natsu stared at him before looking down at his knuckles, which were already cut and crusted with blood. He knew even with Wendy's medical treatment, it would take a few hours for the swelling to subside and for the skin to heal. He exhaled once more, a sigh of defeat on his side, "You're… you're right." The Chemistry major grinned, "I think I should record that… since I barely get noticed for my excellent skills of intelligence." His best friend only rolled his eyes, "Don't push it, Fullbuster."

They smirked at each other, the half smiles not reaching their eyes - they were too busy feeling pain for one of their own being gone. Natsu passed Gray, feeling his friend's hand pat his back as he walked out of the court and through the doors exiting the Training Room. He would sleep until five, dreaming about ways to punch Sting and make him pay for his actions.

Eucliffe Residence - East Hall, Guest Bedroom 10:10 AM

The girls had been staring at each other for well over ten minutes. It's a lie, Yukino thought, Lucy Heartfilia is right before me, she isn't dead. "You're lying," she spoke out loud, her eyebrows furrowing, "Lucy, I'm not stupid. Neither is Sting for that matter." The blonde girl only smiled sadly, letting her eyes fall on her thin hands that were on her lap. They used to be so white and soft, always manicured and filled with bracelets and a few rings. Now she couldn't afford jewelry, instead of soft hands she had rough ones with scars of past fights encountered. "The Lucy Heartfilia," she spoke, her tone changing to that of an announcers, "heir to the Heartfilia riches, a beautiful addition to any wealthy man's life. Her soft blonde hair, her sparkling hazel eyes, the undeniable charm she holds… what man could resist?" the atmosphere became tense, Yukino's eyes watering as she began to understand what the girl was doing, "Property. That is what she was. A piggy bank, filled with promise of more money for my father as well as for whatever man that would get me. She wasn't a daughter, but a piece of furniture. One that would be used to sire more children of wealth, and then watch them become property as well."

The maid stayed quiet as she waited for the blonde to continue, "She knew by the age of sixteen that her life was useless and after her mother, her one and only anchor, passed… suicide was the only option. Of course, Lucy knew better than to end her life when she knew she could begin a new one if she tried. So in the dead of the night, she crept out of the horrid mansion that kept her prisoner and ran far, far away. She cut her ties to money, cut her ties to her old friends, and ran away thinking everyone in the past life was an enemy. Lucy Heartfilia, heir to the Heartfilia riches is dead," she repeated, nodding her head in certainty, "now standing before you is Lucy Heartfilia, heir to nothing but a poor life ahead, but filled with happiness in await for it." Yukino stared at her wide eyed, "I-Impossible," she stuttered, her eyes watery from Lucy's story, "you have a suite! And it's filled with drinks and electronics, and-and five rooms! That's not a poor life!" her stuttering turned frantic, what would happen is Lucy was right? This home Sting had… all his servants including her… where will she go? who will she be?

Noticing her anxiousness, Lucy only moved her head side to side, "My father came to his senses that I wasn't just property, but by that time he was already in his death bed. He told me he had always loved me, and to prove it, he gave me all that was left of his riches… which gave me enough to study at FTU and have a somewhere to live for those chunks of years. But that's it,I have nothing nothing," the blonde took her chance then, leaning in closer to Yukino, "which is why we should tell Sting… maybe he'll change his mind, maybe you two can start a life together." The maid stood up, taking a step back as her cheeks flared. Lucy looked at her oddly, "You can start a life with him, tell him how you feel." The blue-haried girl shook her head, "How did you know? Y-You've been asleep!" Lucy smiled sarcastically, "There's such thing as having thin walls and being able to hear conversations…"

They both looked at each other, annoyed expressions displaying on each of their faces. Lucy was the first to react, sighing and looking back down at her hands, "He's coming, you know." "Who?" Yukino asked, although she could already tell what the girl was going to say. "My boyfriend, Natsu," Lucy let the thought run in her head, "I can feel it, you know… his anger, his pain. He's not one to be taken lightly." Yukino's cheeks burned, "Neither is Sting. He won't go down without a fight." Lucy looked up at her, her body aching from all the moments she made, "Then I hope he's ready to die."

OHLORDY.
I hope you enjoyed the cliffhanger :)

-Nina