Author's Note: Man, I don't know why, but this chapter was crazy hard to write -drags hands down face-. Not even for any particular reason, my Muse was just being a pain :P

In any case, thanks for being patient, what with there being no chapter last week! The FOB concert was AMAZING omg -can die happy now- Oh, and happy Fourth of July to all my fellow Americans! For you non-Americans...happy Saturday? lol

Make sure to drop a review if you enjoyed! They really do help me keep writing, like fuel for my muse, haha.

Oh! Also, if you guys enjoy the fanart I do for FT, there's been a couple new pieces added to my DeviantArt (Hakari-chan) as well as on the official One Wish tumblr blog (one-wish-fanfic). It's crossover fanart with Steven Universe XD I drew Lucy, Natsu, and Gray as crystal gems, because I'm fandom trash -coughs-


One Wish

Chapter 29: Story of our lives

As their master left to make the necessary arrangements, and spectators began to gradually disperse, a thought occurred to Natsu. He glanced around and spotted what he was looking for on the ground nearby, as several people stepped carefully around it. The blade he had taken from Erza during their fight still lay where he had dropped it when Lucy had jumped on his back a few moments before.

Picking it up, the former dragon slayer wiped the dust it had gathered off on his pants, and gave it a brief once over to make sure that his carelessness hadn't damaged the blade in any way. Relieved to find it unmarred, Natsu turned to Erza and offered it back to her, hilt first.

"Here, take it before someone trips over it and loses a foot," he teased with a grin as the red head banished her other blade, and accepted the one he offered her now.

Beside him, Lucy and Happy grimaced at the thought, though Erza herself seemed unperturbed. The requip mage regarded the sword thoughtfully for a moment. It was a short sword of simple, but superior make, it's handle wrapped in blood red leather with a pommel and guard of unadorned silver. She held it up to the light as she examined it, then conjured a sheath and belt to her free hand, into which she slid the blade home.

"Keep it," she said with a smile as she held the lot out to Natsu "I have a feeling it might come in handy. I'll teach you the proper way to wield it on the voyage over."

Natsu blinked at the red head in surprise, staring at the unexpected gift for a few seconds before reaching out and accepting it "What, seriously?"

Erza nodded firmly as she crossed her arms over her dented chest plate and said "It never hurts to have a little back-up. Lucy's got her whip, and now you've got a sword."

The rose haired man glanced at his girlfriend, and she gave him an encouraging smile. Any doubt she might have had about Natsu learning the proper way to wield a blade lasted all of half a second when she remembered how helpless she had felt all those times when her magic had run out, or she had been disarmed. The idea of him being able to defend himself regardless of the status of his magic was one that brought relief to a worry she hadn't realized she had been harboring until now.

"Take it, Natsu!" Happy said brightly "You always do like learning new ways to fight."

"Yeah, alright then," the slayer said with a laugh before buckling the belt and sheath at his hips, just below Lucy's keys. It's unfamiliar weight settled, he did a few quick exercises to accustom himself to it's presence on his body.

"How's it feel?" Lucy asked, her amusement obvious as she watched him.

"Weird, but not bad," Natsu said with a slight pursing of his lips before turning to their red haired friend and saying "Thanks, Erza."

"I hope you never have to use it, but I'll see that you learn how to in the mean time," the requip mage said with a somber smile as she patted her younger friend on the shoulder "Now, I'm off to the armorer to get this dent fixed," she added as she glanced down at her chest, and Lucy flinched sympathetically. Erza turned to her and said "See to it that he doesn't go swinging that thing around before we start his lessons. It's a weapon, not a toy."

"Yes ma'am," the blonde said with a laugh and a casual salute as Natsu rolled his eyes and Happy giggled.

The trio watched Erza go for a moment, before an ecstatic shout drew all of their attention from the red head's retreating figure.

"Lucy!" Mirajane called as she pushed her way through the crowd, looking breathless and flustered.

"Hey Mira, we were wondering if you were here or not," the former celestial mage said with a grin that was mirrored by her two companions.

"What? Where else would I be?" the older woman asked with a blink, before waving off her own inquiry and saying "That's not important! Did you three really just fight Erza?"

"You missed it?!" Natsu asked incredulously.

"I'm sorry! I was sleeping and no one woke me up!" Mirajane whined unhappily as she scowled back over her shoulder at Wendy and Cana, who apparently had caught the match, but neglected to wake their companion before doing so. The young bluenette had the good grace to look abashed, but Cana seemed un-bothered by the demon mage's wrath.

"I can't believe you actually managed to sleep through all the noise," Lucy remarked with a laugh, impressed, all things considered "You guys must have had one heck of a night!"

"Well, yes," the other woman admitted "But never mind my night, how was yours?" she asked with a grin that made Lucy flush.

"Uh, great! It was great," the blonde answered quickly, flashing Natsu a look that all but screamed 'help me'.

Stepping up to the plate with admirable quickness, the man said "Yeah, we-"

"Shh-shh! I want to hear it from Lucy!" Mirajane interrupted, flapping one hand impatiently at Natsu as she looped her arm through the former celestial mage's and proceeded to drag her off towards the table she and her companions had been sharing earlier "And don't skip the details!"

"Mira! Really, I-"

"Oooh no, Lucy," Cana said with a menacing grin as she stepped up on the girl's other side to keep her from fleeing "We helped you get ready yesterday, that means we get to hear about the results today!"

"It's only fair," Levy said with a nod as she appeared from the crowd, her hearing apparently repaired enough that she had made out the commotion her friends were making.

"Don't worry, Juvia will do her best to protect Lucy from them," the water mage reassured Natsu with a smile that was not at all reassuring as he and Happy were promptly left in the dust.

"Uh, thanks," Natsu said doubtfully as he watched the woman hurry off after her friends.

"Think we should go save her?" Happy asked hesitantly, doubtful they'd be able to manage such a herculean feat, but clearly willing to at least give it a try for Lucy's sake.

"Eh, leave 'em. She'll be fine," Gray said with a careless wave of a hand as he stepped up beside the abandoned pair.

Natsu turned to say something to the ice mage, before memory of his earlier words during the mission meeting came back and rang loudly in his ears. Instead, the dragon slayer narrowed his eyes at Gray, torn between cursing him out, and simply cutting the the chase and punching him in the face like he so clearly deserved.

"What's with that look?" the dark haired man asked, arching one brow as he looked at his friend and rival, arms crossed over his chest. He had found his shirt again at some point, and actually donned it for a change.

When Natsu didn't immediately answer, Happy said "You know what for! I can't believe the awful things you said about Natsu and Lucy earlier!"

"What, that?" the ice mage asked with a snort "I got you your chance to prove yourself to the master, didn't I? You don't have to get pissy about how I arranged it."

Natsu stared at the ice mage for a long minute as the pieces of the puzzle slid into place. White-hot rage was doused as quickly as it had flared. Apparently face smashing would have to be put on hold for another, more justified occasion.

"Yeah, well, you didn't have to be such a jack-ass about it," he said with a sniff.

"Yeah! Lucy almost singed my fur," Happy opined, glancing back over his shoulder in an attempt to check his tail for bare patches.

"Honestly I wasn't expecting her to be the one to say something," Gray admitted, rubbing the back of his head absently as he looked for the blonde. She and the other girls had disappeared from the main room, though, so she was nowhere to be seen "Your magic definitely seems to make her less hesitant about speaking her mind," he observed as he glanced at the other man speculatively.

"Think so?" Natsu remarked, lips pursed in thought as he stroked his chin "I guess you're right. I like it," he admitted after a moment, grinning widely.


That evening, as the trio began the walk home, Lucy heaved a long, tired sigh.

"What's wrong?" Happy asked from down by her knees as he walked at her side.

"Oh nothing, just tired is all," the blonde mused with a smile down at her little friend. It was true, too. She wasn't just tired physically, thanks to their fight earlier, but mentally too, after the hours long grilling she'd had at the hands of her over-eager friends.

"Me too," the exceed admitted as he struggled to hide a yawn behind one paw.

Taking pity on their much smaller companion, who had to walk at twice the rate they did thanks to his shorter legs, Lucy bent down and scooped him up into her arms "There," she said "Now at least one of us doesn't have to walk."

"Thanks, Lucy," the exceed beamed happily as he settled himself comfortably in the crook of her arm while Natsu snorted in amusement.

"No comments are needed from the peanut gallery if you're not offering to carry us," Lucy said with a sniff at her boyfriend even as she reached out and slipped her free hand into his.

The former slayer laughed, and the blonde stuck her tongue out at him. He waved off her teasing, though, and said "Why don't we just crash at your place tonight?"

Lucy paused, indecision tugging at her as she considered this option. On the one hand, there was still a chance that the assassins might come looking for her there again. On the other hand, between her and Natsu, surely they would be safe? Not to mention no one had spotted them since Yukino had been attacked (with the exception of the corpse Gajeel and Levy had found); for all they knew, they might not even be in the country any more.

Coming to a decision, Lucy nodded and said "Alright, why not? Not like we can't handle a few assassins between us," with a wry smile as they turned to follow the canal back to her apartment.

"Aye!" Happy agreed sleepily from his place in her arms while Natsu flashed her a grin.

When they arrived a few minutes later, and Lucy pulled out her keys to let them in, the woman was glad Natsu had made the suggestion. Her feet were practically dragging, and the sight of her soft, comfortable bed was enough to bring a blissful smile to her features when she pushed the door open and beheld it.

To her surprise, Natsu shoved past her, took a flying leap, and landed on the bed with a bounce that made the frame creak in protest.

"Damn I missed this!" he admitted as he rolled over and buried his face in her pillows.

Lucy laughed and gently placed a yawning Happy on the bed out of reach of Natsu's overjoyed flailing "Why don't you buy one of your own then?" she mused aloud as she smiled down at him.

The dragon slayer lifted his head to look at her and said "Not a whole lot of room at my place for one. It wasn't really something I thought of when I was building it," he admitted with a grimace.

"Yeah, Natsu's always slept in hammocks," Happy pointed out as he sagged back happily against a pillow.

"Never realized how great beds were until I tried yours out," the rose haired mage remarked.

"Better be careful, or I'm going to think you're only dating me for my furniture," Lucy teased as she turned and placed her purse on the nightstand, and headed off towards the bathroom.

"Hey, where are you going?" Natsu asked with a pout as he pushed himself up on one elbow and watched her go.

"I'm going to take a bath while I've got the opportunity," Lucy called back over her shoulder.

Sitting up eagerly and grinning, Natsu asked "Can I-"

"Nope!" his girlfriend cut him off, laughing as she snapped the door shut behind her and locked it.

The dragon slayer huffed in disappointment as he rolled over so he was seated on the edge of the mattress, feet on the carpeted floor and arms crossed over his chest.

"I don't think the both of you would fit in the tub anyways," Happy pointed out as he cracked one eye open to look at his friend.

"Could so!" Natsu objected "Have you seen how big that thing is? Not to mention we're both pretty flexible, so-"

Grabbing another pillow, the exceed covered his head with it as he shouted in a muffled voice "Whatever it is, I really don't need to know, Natsu!"

Natsu grinned and tugged his friend's tail, only to have it twitched irritably out of his grasp. Bored now that Lucy was in the tub and Happy was ignoring him, the dragon slayer got to his feet and paced around the apartment, pausing to inspect the repairs that had been made here and there as he went.

Reaching one wall in particular, Natsu noticed that Lucy's writing desk was crooked, no doubt shifted so the repairmen could reach behind it. Seeing no reason not to, the man lifted one end of the heavy, wooden piece of furniture, and dragged it back into place against the wall. When he dropped it back onto the carpet, though, the books that had been piled precariously on the desktop toppled and spilled to the ground.

Swearing under his breath, Natsu crouched and started gathering the leather bound books quickly, knowing his girlfriend would no doubt have his head if she discovered him with her precious belongings all over the floor. He had mistakenly dog-eared one of her books once, and proceeded to never do so again in the wake of her angry lecture and week-long banishment from her apartment.

"Oooh, Lucy's gonna get you, Natsu!" Happy snickered, having apparently pulled his head out from under his pillow at the noise his friend had made.

"Don't you dare tell her," the slayer hissed as he picked up another volume that had landed on it's spine and opened to a random page. The man paused mid-grab when one of the words on the page caught his eye.

Noticing the thoughtful frown on Natsu's face, the exceed crawled closer along the edge of the bed and asked "What is it?"

"This one...this one's got my name in it," the mage said, blinking up at the cat before looking back down to read the page in hopes of establishing context.

Hopping down and walking over to examine one of the other books Natsu had stacked on the floor for transfer back up to the desk, Happy asked "Is it her journal?"

"It's not really written like one," Natsu remarked thoughtfully as he continued to read:

Feeling returned, then. First came the sensation of wind as it pulled at me, and roared in my ears. I opened my eyes as I plummeted through the air, starry sky and earth alternating dizzyingly until I could no longer tell up from down.

A flash of pink caught my eye, and I was able to right myself midair to watch Natsu sprinting after me. For all I should have been terrified of the ground that was rapidly rushing up to meet me, all I could do was smile at the si-

"W-what are you doing?!"

Natsu and Happy both jumped guiltily as Lucy's voice rang out across the room.

Turning, the dragon slayer said "I was, uh...just picking them up! They fell when I moved your desk."

"I really don't think that picking them up requires getting comfortable and reading them!" the blonde objected as she stalked across the room and quickly picked up the stack of books and put them back on the desk, then turned and plucked the open one from Natsu's hands.

"Did you write all those, Lucy?" Happy asked curiously as his friend quickly got to his feet and stepped out of arm's reach.

Flushed and obviously upset, the woman ignored the question as she slid the journal Natsu had been reading back into it's designated spot, only to realize that they were all out of order. Though the books were not labeled in any way on the outside, most of them had different styles of spine, or colored leather that allowed the writer to differentiate between them at a glance.

Huffing irritably, Lucy started to reorganize the volumes before a tan, calloused hand caught her wrist and gently tugged her around to look at it's owner.

"I'm sorry, Luce, I didn't mean to pry," Natsu admitted with an apologetic grimace as his girlfriend scowled ferociously at him "One just fell open and I saw my name..."

Lucy stared up at him with narrowed eyes for a moment longer while the man squirmed in the face of her displeasure. Eventually, though, she relented with a sigh and said "It's fine. I guess I can't blame you..." before turning back to her work.

Watching her quietly for the moment and feeling he had narrowly dodged a bullet, Natsu asked "That book...you wrote it about the Infinity Clock?"

The blonde froze, then relaxed enough to nod.

"Yeah," she admitted.

"Have you written books about all of our adventures?" Happy asked with wide-eyed curiosity as he landed on the desk and noted just how many volumes had been placed in order before the one Natsu had been reading.

"P-pretty much," Lucy admitted shyly as she glanced between her two friends. Sliding the final book into place, she continued "I've been doing it since I first joined the guild."

"Seriously?" Natsu asked in surprise, gray eyes wide as he turned them to her collection on the desk. He knew she was always writing, and that she had a story she was working on, but he'd had no idea that their adventures together had been the subject. A feeling of wonder welled up within him as he regarded Lucy's collected works. So many volumes filled up with the story of their lives...

Without thinking, he asked "Can I read it?"

Lucy froze again, jaw clenching reflexively as she looked around at him in alarm, and Natsu realized that it was a question she had been dreading.

"No, Lucy should read it to us! Like a bedtime story!" Happy interjected as he leaped up onto the bed and proceeded to bounce about excitedly at the prospect.

"Yeah!" Natsu agreed enthusiastically, turning to grin at the exceed before jumping onto the bed as well to join in the bouncing, sending the pillows toppling to the floor and nearly tripping on the blankets.

"What? Come on, guys! You're going to break the bed!" Lucy objected, pulled from her shock by the boys' childish antics "And seriously, a bed time story? What are you, five?" she grumbled as she stooped and picked the pillows up off the carpet.

The dragon slayer and exceed stopped their bouncing and shared a brief look before Happy asked, eyes wide and lip trembling ominously "Pleeeaaase, Lucy? With sprinkles and a cherry on top?"

Beside him, Natsu dropped to his knees on the bed and clasped his hands before him as he did his best to mimic the exceed's best kicked puppy impersonation "Yeah, please?" he asked, voice dangerously close to a whine "I've never had a bed time story read to me before," he admitted as an afterthought, eyes turned up towards the ceiling as he tried to remember such a time, but got nothing.

Lucy stared at the pair incredulously. She had been all set to put her foot down, but surprisingly, it was Natsu's confession that made her hesitate.

Finally, she heaved a sigh and said "Oh alright, fine, you bunch of whiners!" Both boys let out a whoop of triumph and shared a smile before she cut in and said "Go get read for bed first, though."

Slayer and exceed both scrambled off the bed and made a run for the bathroom. While Lucy re-made the bed, she could hear them fighting over the sink and toothpaste, bringing a fond, if exasperated, smile to her face.

By the time her boys were done, the blonde was already settled under the blankets, her back resting against the head of the bed as she flipped idly through the volume she had selected.

"Ready?" she asked, clearly embarrassed by the task that lay before her, but apparently dedicated to seeing it through.

"Aye!" Happy said brightly as he landed on the blankets and proceeded to climb into her lap so he could rest his head against her stomach with the book directly in front of him. In the mean time, Natsu stripped down to his briefs and slid under the blankets, scooting over until his hip was pressed firmly up against Lucy's.

"Ready," he told his girlfriend with a cheeky smile as she gave them both a bewildered look at their clingy seating arrangements. To seal the deal, Natsu slid his arms around Lucy's shoulders and rested his cheek against her head while she wiggled a bit to get comfortable.

"You two are absolutely ridiculous," she grumped half-heartedly.

"This is how story time is supposed to be done, Lucy," Happy insisted as he settled back against her with a contented sigh.

Memories of bed time stories read with her own mother kept the blonde's mouth shut when she normally might have made a crack about the exceed being a story-time expert. She'd be lying if she tried to say that she had never clambered into Layla's lap the way Happy had into her's, or squished herself up against her side, Natsu style, when space wouldn't allow more.

"So, when are we reading from?" Natsu asked curiously as she opened to the first page, which was full of her neat, curling hand.

"I...thought we'd start at the beginning," Lucy said with a hesitant smile "I was telling the girls the story about how we met the yesterday, and I guess it made me a little nostalgic," she admitted.

"Ooh, yay!" Happy said in a little voice, tail twitching happily as Natsu turned slightly to brush a kiss against Lucy's temple.

"Well this should be interesting," he mused with a laugh as Lucy snorted.

Ignoring the comment, the blonde cleared her throat, and then began to read.

The day proved to be bright and sunny in Hargeon as I stepped outside of the inn and made my way down towards the only magic shop the little seaside town boasted...


The next morning found Lucy, Natsu, and Happy back at the guild, and once again crammed into the Master's office. The only good thing about this arrangement was that Levy, Wendy, Carla, and Juvia were not there, which left everyone else a little more room to spread out in.

"If we keep this up, I swear I'm going to turn claustrophobic," Gajeel grumbled under his breath to Lily.

"I don't know, it's not too bad," the exceed said as he looked around the room thoughtfully.

The iron dragon slayer snorted "That's because you're-" only to cut himself off when the smallest of smiles tugged at his companion's mouth "Oh shut up," he finished as he sat back and crossed his arms over his chest.

Seated nearby with Lucy and Natsu, Happy giggled and gave the other cat a thumbs up, which Lily returned on the sly.

"Alright, brats, simmer down," Makarov said from his seat at the head of the table, waiting until he had everyone's attention before continuing "I know we're not all here, but I'll fill Wendy and Juvia in later," the old mage glanced around the table briefly then said said "In the mean time, we're here to talk about this."

The wizard saint pulled a familiar dagger from his pocket and placed it on the table before him.

"That blade, it's the one I found in Lucy's apartment, isn't it?" Lily asked, standing on the table so he could get a better view.

The familiar, eerie black dagger lay on the table, glinting dully in the light of the room. The blade was hidden by a rough leather sheath, but it was still unmistakable.

In his seat beside Lucy, Natsu's eyes went wide, and then narrowed dangerously as a frown settled across his features and he asked "Did your 'specialist' figure out who it belongs to?"

Makarov arched one bushy eyebrow at the former dragon slayer "No. Beyond that it is most definitely of Telmaran make, there's nothing else to distinguish who was using it," he explained "He did, however, establish that this blade wasn't just poisoned, it carries a spell on it as well."

Lucy blinked in surprise at this news. As though the fact that someone was trying to kill her wasn't bad enough, but now there was some sort of secondary function for the blade?

"What kind of spell?" she asked.

"As far as we can tell, it appears to absorb the magic of whoever it kills," the Master said after a moment of silence.

Lucy winced and beside her, Natsu went rigid. As Happy slunk down into the blonde's lap, Gray spoke up.

"So, someone went after Lucy with the intent to steal her magic, and her keys...doesn't this confirm Hisui's theory about the gate?"

"It's true," Lucy agreed grimly as she stroked Happy's head reassuringly "The Eclipse gate didn't just need the keys to be opened, it needed a Celestial Spirit mage to use them."

"Plus a crap-ton of magical power to run it," Gajeel added.

In the thoughtful silence that followed, Erza shifted, and then finally spoke "Are we sure it's a good idea to bring Natsu with us? We could be walking right into a trap."

Lucy shared an uneasy look with the red head before the man beside her cut in "You're not leaving me behind, so don't fucking bother to suggest it," he said with a growl. Before anyone could object, he continued, saying "Besides, they would need all twelve keys, wouldn't they? So even if they managed to off me, and take Lucy's keys, they'd still be two shy."

"Yukino's keys," Lily murmured thoughtfully as he rubbed his chin "They'd be safely here regardless, an ocean away..." he glanced up at their master and suggested "While we're away, and maybe until all of this resolved, perhaps we should offer some of our own members to help protect Yukino."

"Sting won't thank you for that," Lucy said.

"No, but he's not a complete idiot either," Natsu said "He'd come around to the idea. He knows Sabertooth isn't the only one with a stake in her and the keys' safety."

Makarov sighed and waved a tired hand "Fine, you're still on the mission, Natsu."

The rose haired mage grinned broadly, a hint of steel in his smile as Erza spoke "Still, assuming that this gate in Telmare works the same as the Eclipse Gate...where is the King planning to get so much power? Surely the Princess would have heard if he were hosting some sort of game, or similar event, to collect magic the way she did. It's not an easy thing to hide."

"No, it's not," Makarov agreed, pinching the bridge of his nose as he lapsed into thought for a minute, the mages around him doing the same. Finally, he lifted his head once more and said "I believe it is safe to say that King Edmund is attempting to use Telmare's gate to come to Fiore, as the Princess suggested. Our mission remains much the same, though. I want you to go over there and collect information, try to establish what sort of power source he plans to use to open the gate, or if such a thing is even necessary."

The group nodded their agreement, expressions ranging from thoughtful, to eager, to worried, depending on the mage.

"However," the Master continued, smacking his hand loudly on the table, making them jump "You are not to interfere, do you understand me?" he asked, glaring around the table at his errant children "Unless he is somehow on the verge of opening that gate, you do not interfere."

"But," Natsu began, brow furrowed as he leaned forward to argue.

"No 'buts', brat!" the Master bellowed, effectively silencing the former slayer, though Natsu did not look pleased.

"This is politics now, got it? Things could go badly for Fiore if it was discovered that Hisui sent a force of mages to interfere in another country without a very good reason. Spying is one thing, every country spies on it's neighbors," the man said with a flippant waive of his hand that effectively communicated his disdain for this practice "But sending in a strike force to interfere is something else entirely. That's something that the international community won't turn a blind eye to."

The wizard saint glared around the table to drive his point home, staring each member of the team down until they bowed to his will. Natsu held out the longest, but eventually, even he was forced to agree.

"Fine," he growled unhappily and slouched back in his seat as Lucy smiled at him sympathetically.

"Good," Makarov said as he relaxed slightly "Now, your ship leaves at seven in the morning two days from now. Make sure you pack everything you need, but try to travel light," he said.

All eyes were inexorably drawn to Erza, who blinked and said "What?"


Author's Note: Thanks for reading! We are now back to our usual once a week update schedule! Please make sure to leave a review if you enjoyed! Even if I don't reply, I read every single one, and they all mean so much to me, and really help me keep writing! So, really, reviewing is in your own best interest, haha!