Sorry this is a little later in the day than usual! I went to Ohio with my roommate and we stayed with her family over the weekend. It was fun! Exhausting, but fun. And I'm uploading this while I have the chance because I just got back now and I still have homework and laundry to do... UGH.

Special shout out to XxShadowDrangonSlayerxX for being the 1,750th reviewer! Also, special thanks to my beta, MsTeaN! And on another note, special shout out to EVERYONE! Adherence is now the MOST-REVIEWED Fairy Tail fanfiction on ! I just don't even know what to say! Thank you is all I can manage...and maybe I can tell you that things are gonna start looking up from this chapter on.

Oh! And hope you like post sexy-time GaLe stuff! Sorry, no lemons though /:

Read on!

Adherence

o0o

The Finding

Gajeel pitched forward at last, the last of the strength in his stocky, powerful arms finally giving out beneath him, and collapsed on top of Levy. She sighed one last time beneath him, little body shuddering as she buried her button nose in the crook where his beefy neck met his shoulders. Her hands were still trapped in his, completely engulfed by his huge palms and tapered fingers. Like this, she felt completely overwhelmed and smothered, and his dark, smoky hair acted like a curtain that blocked out the morning light…but Levy supposed that she didn't at all mind. It was kind of nice.

…Even if Gajeel weighed a ton and was practically squeezing the life out of her. She swore she could feel her ribcage constricting from the extra weight. In a throaty, cracked whisper, she said, "Gajeel…"

He seemed to understand what she wanted and with a grunt, rolled the both of them over so that his broad back sank into the mattress. Levy squeaked, trying to find her purchase as she scrambled atop his muscled, sinewy chest. She eventually settled with her petit breasts pushing into his washboard abdomen, her slim legs tangling with his thick ones, and her head resting on his chest just above his slowly-beating heart.

She loved listening to his heart. It confirmed for her that he was very much alive and well. And she could tell that he was especially alive and well when his heart beat so slowly and rhythmically like it was now—like his body was slowing down and taking its time to enjoy every sensation.

She sighed. This right here was her favorite part of the day now—the part where she and Gajeel had just finished their morning routine and were simply laying there in bed, doing nothing, saying nothing, and thinking nothing.

A rumbling snort—Gajeel's version of a chuckle—vibrated through the thick chest underneath her and straight into her own body. "Comfortable yet, Midget?" he groused, peeling open a single red eye to peer down at her as she lay prone on his chest.

Levy lifted her head and puffed blue bedhead-hair out of her tawny eyes before fixing him with a languid stare. "Mmm…" she mumbled as she lay back down again, snuggling into his chest pointedly.

Her hands were promptly released, and she was about to protest the action, but then his own came to rest lightly on her bare hips, thumbs kneading into her soft, pale flesh. Though his hands were calloused, and slightly gruff, Levy couldn't say that she didn't enjoy the feeling of his hot palms on her skin. The way he touched her…well, the only proper word to describe it would be tender.

And imagine that—Gajeel, tender.

No one at the guild would ever guess. And the thought made her giggle lightly. She alone had the privilege of seeing him act so wonderfully out of character.

"Oi," her mate, as he insisted she address him, muttered, "what's so funny?"

As always, he hated being left out of the joke. "Mmm, nothing. Nothing at all. Just thinking that I like having this side of you all to myself." She brought her arms in from where they'd been, just around either side of his head, and ran her hands softly up his fit, hairless chest.

It was weird.

She'd thought that grown men were supposed to be coarse and hairy, and had prepared herself for it…but, Gajeel was completely hairless on his chest. And she had to wonder… Did he shave it? Or was it naturally like that? She didn't mind either way, but it was something that she definitely had to ask him about later. Because it would make just one more thing that only she knew about him—and again, the thought of knowing something so personal and private thrilled her.

Levy really hoped she wasn't becoming possessive or anything…

As if he was reading her thoughts, Gajeel hummed, "Who knew the bookworm could get possessive," and watched with pleased eyes and a grin as she promptly flushed beat red up to the roots of her sky-blue hair.

"I'm not getting possessive," she defended in a huff, using her tiny fingers to pinch the taut, tan, leathery skin of his left pectoral.

Gajeel didn't even flinch. Instead, he grinned wider, sharp teeth flashing in the morning light. "Hah? Then what, exactly, is going on in that head of yers?" he asked in a low tone. One of his hands drifted from her small, but shapely, hips and trailed up her spine, running up and down the gentle curve to her back in the way he knew she couldn't resist.

Like a cat, Levy arched into his touch. He knew she loved having her back touched like that, the cheat. "Nothing," she stressed the word and refused to toss her head back when he kept circling the sweet spot on her back.

She lost, however, and leaned her head back just an inch with a pleased sigh. And that was when Gajeel struck—he leaned upwards and nipped her on the column of her throat, teeth grazing her skin and dragging across it. Red streak-marks followed in the wake of his teeth. "Nothing at all?" he muttered against her neck.

Above him, Levy shivered, and blurted, "Do you shave?"

Gajeel stopped abruptly, leaned back into the pillows and the mattress, and blinked at his mate a few times. She wanted to know…whether or not he shaved?

"The hell kinda question is that?" he found himself snarking.

The solid script mage flushed again, cheeks pinking a considerable amount, before she squirmed on top of him and eventually sat up—much to Gajeel's inadvertent pleasure. Her body was perfect; slim waist, tiny breasts and all, and she didn't seem the least bit ashamed of her nakedness; though that had taken a few days to iron out of her in the beginning.

In a voice as small as her size, she mumbled, "Well, I just was curious, you know? I mean, I heard that fully grown men had hair all over, but you don't have any on your chest, so I just…"

Her curiosity had always gotten the better of her, even as a child.

He snorted, fighting the urge to laugh at her. She wouldn't know it, but she was damn adorable when she was all pink in the face, looking down at her hands when she spoke. "I don't shave," he told her after a moment's pause.

Her soft, tangled, blue hair bounced when she looked back up at him, surprised. "You don't?"

"Nah," he said. "Being hairless is a dragonslayer thing, I think. Ain't got any on my arms or legs either." As if trying to prove himself, he lifted up a thick, hefty arm and folded it across his chest so that she could observe.

Levy leaned forward again, touching his forearm with new interest and awe. "You really don't… I don't think I ever noticed that before." Her fingers danced over his forearm, circling the studs he'd had put there so many years ago. And as her small fingers continued to trace circles around his studs, her brow furrowed. "Is Natsu the same way?" she asked, letting her curiosity get the better of her…again.

Underneath her slight weight, Gajeel stiffened and let a rumbling growl echo in the room. He hated it when she mentioned other males when they were having private time. And he knew that she found it a little annoying, but he just couldn't help himself. The last thing he wanted was to be seeing her like this—naked, flushed, and sitting on his hips—and then have some other man's name come from her mouth.

Maybe it was the instinct talking, or whatever.

Levy seemed to catch her mistake. "Sorry," she apologized with a small smile.

Gajeel closed his cat-like eyes and breathed deeply, chest easily rising even with a small body sitting on top of it. "S'okay, still getting used to this mating thing, too." And he'd have to get used to it pretty quickly, too, if he ever wanted things to go smoothly. Once a dragonslayer mated, it was a done deal. Nothing he could do about it now—unless Levy happened to die, and he'd kill himself first before he ever let that have even a remote possibility of occurring.

Old age would be the only thing to separate them if he had anything to say about it.

Ah, hell, he was turning into some kind of sap, wasn't he? Dammit, the shrimp was turning him all soft—she probably knew it too, the conniving little bookworm.

Shaking his head, he said, "S'far as I know. I don't typically stare at Salamander when he's naked, ya know."

"I'd hope not," Levy laughed. But the look didn't last long, and her smile slowly melted into a grimace, and finally a frown that made her eyebrows pull down over downcast, autumn-sunset-colored eyes. "Do you think he's okay? Natsu, I mean," she mumbled, concern blaring.

Gajeel really had to force himself to not sigh, and instead used both gruff hands to pull her down to his chest again. His chin bumped the top of her head as she settled, one of his hands rubbing the small of her back—this time, though, the action was one of comfort and not of sultriness. "Somethin' tells me he's fine. He ain't the type to go out and get himself killed for no damn reason."

"But he does have a reason," Levy countered against her better judgment. "Lu-chan. You know how he is when it has anything to do with Lu-chan… I'm really worried about him, Gajeel." She lifted her head to stare at him with blatant uneasiness in her too-big eyes.

And though he was so much bigger than she was, and though he knew full well that he could flip her over and cage her at any time he so wished, Gajeel felt inexplicably trapped. When she looked at him like that…dammit, how could he resist? It was that desperately anxious look of hers that always got the better of him, made his outer wall crumble just a little bit.

Damn, he really was turning into a sap.

"Look, I'm telling ya, Shorty, he'll be fine. He ain't gonna get himself killed, because he knows he's still got shit to work out with Blondie. He ain't gonna die before that. And if he tries, then I'll just drag his sorry ass back here and bolt him to a fucking chair." He almost winced at his own coarse language, because he realized that when he spoke like a Neanderthal, people tended to perceive him as annoyed. The last thing he wanted was for Levy to think that he was annoyed with her for being so concerned for their nakama. "Ah, look…" he muttered, mustering up to an apology when she didn't say anything at first.

But, she stopped him with a simple, "Thank you…" and a soft smile that made his heart do this funny flutter-jump-kick thing.

Sap, an inner part of him hissed.

He brushed it off briskly, rolling his eyes at himself. "No problem, Shrimp."

Satisfied, Levy snuggled back into Gajeel's thick, muscled chest and exhaled. The first time she'd done that—the snuggling into his chest bit—he'd been a little disconcerted. Said his chest couldn't be too comfortable; what, with all the hard muscle and all. She'd laughed at him, which had made him scowl at her, but she hadn't been able to help herself. Gajeel Redfox, when he wasn't busy being a muscle-head and smashing holes in walls, was like a mother hen to her. Worried whether she was comfortable or not, if she needed a drink, if she'd been getting enough sleep, if she needed first aid treatment after slipping on the bathroom tiles…

Truth was, his chest really was kind of hard. But she didn't care about that at all. What she really cared about was that she was able to be so close to him—close enough to hear his heart beat slowly and steadily through his ribcage. A lot of people didn't have that privilege, to be able to be so close to the person they loved with all their heart.

Like Lucy…

Just thinking about her friend made Levy unconsciously squeeze Gajeel's neck tighter, fingers tangling in his unruly, thick charcoal-colored hair. She was really lucky. Really, really lucky. She had everything she could have ever wanted—and then some. The only thing she was worried about was her best friend…

o0o

"Seriously, I can't believe him. Telling me to go home like that? Ordering me? Just who," Lucy huffed, removing her wet laundry from the laundry machine, "does he think," she threw the clothes into the dryer, "he is?" she shouted as she slammed the door shut and mashed the poor start button mercilessly with her thumb. "When I see him again, oh…"

Juvia, watching her blonde friend with trepidation, cleared her throat. "Um, Lucy-san, Juvia doesn't think it's such a good idea to be so…angry," the water mage said hesitantly and blinked when Lucy rounded on her heel, brown eyes flaring.

"So angry? Oh, I'm not angry, I'm beside myself with rage," she seethed, snatching a clean, pink shirt and shaking it out with a glare. Her livid stare could have burned a hole straight through the innocent material—which would've been a shame, because it was a cute shirt. For a maternity shirt, anyway. "And the only things I have to take my fury out on are these stupid clothes." Placing the folded pink shirt into her shirt pile, Lucy snagged a pair of stretchy maternity pants—which were, much to her rage, comfortable as all hell. She'd even thought about wearing them after the baby was born…

"U-um," Juvia stuttered, watching Lucy snap the pants a second time, "perhaps Lucy-san should take a break? Juvia made a snack—pickles and soy sauce."

While the snack made her mouth water—pickles and soy sauce were actually really good together, salty and sour and all—Lucy shook her head fervently. It'd been a week since the whole "go home" incident, and she still needed to vent about it. She'd gone through the stage of denial, then anger, then more denial, and now she was back to anger. After today, she'd told herself that she wasn't going to vent anymore; just silently fume until Natsu decided to show his face again, and then boom. She'd give him what for.

"Thanks, Juvia, but I need to focus on my laundry. Because of someone doing something stupid, I haven't be able to do any for the past—ouch," Lucy stopped herself and winced, anger fizzling out as she dropped the pants and reached down to rub her swollen stomach right where a sharp zing of pain had appeared. "Hey, little man, what was that for?" she asked as her hand felt around her abdomen.

"Something wrong, Lucy-san?" asked Juvia, her light voice rising in oncoming panic. The poor water mage had been so on edge lately, thinking that Lucy was going to go into labor at any given moment even though the girl still had a good month to go.

"No, no…" The celestial mage shook her head slowly, hand still feeling around before cradling the under-swell of her basketball-sized stomach. "He just startled me, kicks pretty hard sometimes."

Only, it hadn't exactly felt like a kick. More like a pulling-sensation, or yanking. But, Lucy couldn't be too sure of what it actually was—she'd never been pregnant before, and the baby was about as predictable as Erza's mood swings. More than likely, he was connecting with her and letting out little frustrations of his own, too.

It made her smile to think about it that way.

"Anyway, as I was saying," Lucy squatted down to pick up the stretchy pants again, reaching, "I haven't been able to do any laundry for the past week, so—ow." Again, the blonde promptly dropped the pants like they were live snakes, using a hand to steady herself on the floor in case she fell over. She'd done that before—only, Juvia had been close enough to catch her. "Okay, that one hurt." Her face contorted from the mild crest of pain.

"Lucy-san!" Juvia exclaimed. The bluenette hurried over, trepidation heavy about her figure as she held out both hands to her friend, who grabbed on gratefully. "Please, let Juvia do the laundry. Go sit down and rest—the pickles and soy sauce are on the counter," she instructed like a stern mother and nodded to the kitchen.

As she was pulled up, Lucy sighed and said her thanks. Maybe Juvia was right—maybe she'd had enough action for one day. Inducing early labor by stressing out was nowhere in Lucy's plans for the next few weeks. So, as much as it pained her, she slumped out to the kitchen, where her pickles and soy sauce awaited on the counter, and patted her stomach comfortingly. She swiped the food, muttering under her breath.

"Want some food?" she mumbled, and sat down on the couch, a pickle in one hand and a dish of soy sauce in the other. Picking up a pickle and dabbing the end of it in the little soy sauce dish, she bit into it with relish.

Like always, it tasted heavenly. The amount of salt made her mouth tingle the way spices did, almost in the same way those spicy cheese-fries had when she'd actually gone out on a date with Natsu. Though, now that she was looking back on it in hindsight, she didn't know if she could really call it a date… They'd just gone out to eat, nothing special… And there was no way Natsu had thought of it like a date. She honestly wondered if he even knew how a date was supposed to work. He probably didn't, knowing him and his handicapped romantic side.

…And she was thinking about him. Again.

Frustrated, Lucy bit into her pickle with a little more force than was necessary. Stupid Natsu and his stupid ideas.

"Your daddy's a real idiot sometimes, ne?" she whispered, slowly rubbing her stomach again.

In response, she felt something push against her palm. A foot, it felt like.

"Your mommy is, too," Lucy said in a hushed tone, running her fingers over the indentations of the little, tiny foot. It was almost as long as her pinky; so tiny, but so powerful. "Ne, Juvia?" the mother-to-be called, picking her head up and letting her sauce-soaked pickle dangle from one hand. "What do you think I should do?"

The sound of stumbling met Lucy's ears, like the water mage had dumped a load of clothes onto the floor. The celestial spirit mage's suspicions were confirmed when Juvia poked her head out of the laundry room door, eyes bright and pale cheeks flushed with her hands clasped in front of her huge chest. "Lucy-san is asking for Juvia's opinion?" she murmured excitedly, voice sounding more like a squeak than anything else.

The thing about Juvia was, while she craved Gray's attentions and whatnot, she really just wanted to be needed and appreciated by other people in general. Gray more than everyone else, but, still, having people ask her for help usually sent her over the moon. Because that was what she wanted, to be needed; she desired more than anything to help the people who had helped her so greatly.

Lucy smiled brightly in encouragement.

Juvia beamed back, saying with flushed cheeks, "Juvia thinks that Lucy-san should sit down and talk to Natsu-san before doing anything rash. Natsu-san may have good reasons for being so...unreasonable."

"Hmm…" the blonde hummed and let her eyes fall to her stomach and her pickle. "You really think he has his reasons? I mean, if he does, then, they better be really, really good reasons… And I might not be able to talk to him, since apparently he doesn't want to see me anymore."

Juvia appeared to consider this for a moment. "When Natsu-san gets back then maybe – "

"Gets back?" Lucy interrupted. Her brown eyes narrowed to slits when the water mage paled and her plump lips pursed into a line so thin it was hard to tell where her upper lip ended and her lower lip started. "Gets back from where?"

A nervous cough racked Juvia's frame, and she shifted on her feet awkwardly. Blue eyes roamed the room, landing on nothing in particular, when she stuttered, "Ah, um, Juvia has a lot of laundry to do, so…" The bluenette scampered off, disappearing into the laundry room again, feeling the cold sweat starting to drip down her slim back.

Mavis, Galahad had told her not to say anything to Lucy. Why was she such a blabber mouth?

Lucy jumped to her feet, calling after her friend, and leaving behind her midday snack. If the soy sauce spilled on the couch she would have to hit something, though—soy sauce was damn expensive, never mind the couch. "Juvia? Juvia! Where is Natsu? Did he disappear again?" Her bare feet slapping unkindly against the wooden floorboards, the celestial spirit mage stormed into the laundry room and made to corner her friend-turned-bodyguard. "Juvia," Lucy said again, which made the poor water mage drop a pair of socks.

And then, she started babbling rapidly. "Juvia is so sorry, Juvia wasn't supposed to say anything – "

"Say anything about what?" questioned Lucy as she bridged her arms across her chest.

Juvia looked as guilty as ever when she began to poke her fingers together. The action spoke of anxiety and uneasiness, and the bluenette let it show even more clearly when she started gnawing on her bottom lip. Lucy didn't think she'd ever seen the girl look more nervous, or guilty. "About…Natsu-san's mission…" Juvia's voice was soft, almost too soft.

Lucy, however, heard it perfectly. "A mission," she repeated, testing the word out on her tongue. "He's gone on a mission. Why am I not surprised? What is it this time, an escort? Or maybe just acting as some extra muscle? Mavis knows he's got more muscles than he does brains," she muttered.

Juvia flinched from the sour words, as though they'd been directed towards her—which they hadn't been, of course. But, that guilty look on her face just seemed to worsen the longer she kept quiet. And she kept chewing on her lower lip, to the point that Lucy thought it was going to split and start bleeding. Finally, the water mage whispered something in a rush, her hands squeezing together until her knuckles were pasty-white.

Lucy jerked. Maybe she'd heard incorrectly… Yeah. That had to be it, because there was no way she'd just heard that. "…What? He's…what?"

"Natsu-san has…" Juvia inhaled deeply. The Master and Gray-sama would have to forgive her. "Natsu-san has set off to find the Belladonna."

o0o

"Oi, you smell that, Happy?" Natsu asked, voice hushed, as both he and his Exceed raced through the forest grounds, following an invisible trail. Their footfalls fell silently, padding harshly, but mutedly, against the earthy ground.

The flying cat at his shoulder nodded. "Aye, sir. It's stronger now, a lot stronger," Happy confirmed.

While Happy was an animal, and therefore had a keen sense of smell, Natsu's ability to catch scents in the air rivaled that of a bred tracking hound's. It was almost scary how the dragonslayer could pick out the smell of food from halfway across a bustling town.

Though, it really didn't bother Happy so much—he was used to Natsu and his rash behavior. Natsu was an excitable, eccentric, and overzealous person by nature, so it made sense that everything he did—including scenting and fighting and eating—was over the top, on the broad end of the spectrum. His stamina, too, was blaringly extreme on any normal day. And this was not, Happy knew, a normal day by any means. With one of his nakama in danger, Natsu's vigor had been multiplied so infinitely that he'd skipped dinner a few days before. And this morning, he'd skipped breakfast; said he needed all the time he had and that he could eat any other time he wanted.

Which, naturally, worried the Exceed to no end. This was so out of character for Natsu—unbelievably so. It was...it would be like if Happy actually wanted to bathe, and naturally, as he was indeed a feline, Happy loathed soaking in the tub. Swimming, he didn't mind; diving for fish, he didn't mind either. Bath time, however, was a problem.

But, the blue cat did make himself bathe at least once a week…because Charle hated it when he smelled bad. That was the only reason Happy ever took a bath.

And, now that he was thinking about it…he kind of understood Natsu's position. The flying feline supposed that it was actually pretty normal for one to do things that weren't normal in order to please someone else they held dear.

…If that made any sense at all, he thought confusedly.

Maybe that was why Natsu had actually turned down food not once, but twice. Once, Happy supposed, could have been passed off as a fluke of sorts. But, twice? That made it no fluke; that made it look purposeful.

Well, there was really only one way to find out what was running through his partner's head. "Ne, Natsu?" Happy hummed, fluttering up next to the dragonslayer as he edged his way around a particularly tangled-looking bush. "You turned down breakfast this morning…and dinner a few days ago. Are you okay?"

"What?" Natsu asked, fixing Happy with a strangely befuddled look. "Of course I'm okay. Why?"

Happy frowned and said seriously, "You never skip out on food. Are you sick or something?" He paused then, eyes lowering. "Or, maybe, you caught Lucy's weirdness…?"

"Oi, oi, there's no way that could happen," the young adult snorted, though which inquiry he was referring to was unclear. And he didn't elaborate on it either, leaving Happy wondering as he slowly lost some ground and fell a little bit further behind to think. Natsu noticed, of course, and craned his neck over one of his shoulders to check on his comrade. The contemplative expression on the cat's face gave Natsu pause—Happy had never really been one for deep thinking, after all—and, like his partner, slowed to a mild walk and then eventually stopped. "Oi, Happy…" he murmured.

"Aye?" The cat looked up and found surprise in the fact that Natsu had actually stopped walking. They'd had yet to take a break today since Natsu constantly feared that their only lead would somehow, for some reason, up and evaporate.

And, to the Exceed's utter astonishment, Natsu had a faint blush on his cheeks and he appeared…embarrassed. Or guilty—on Natsu's face, the expressions sometimes looked the same. Or, maybe, it was both. "Look…ah," Natsu inhaled deeply, "I haven't exactly…told you everything yet. Now that I'm thinking about it, you should've been the first one to know since you're my partner and stuff…"

"Know what? That you liiiiike Lucy?" Happy snickered, obviously joking as usual.

But, just like a week prior, Natsu didn't so much as splutter or cough or attempt to deny the accusation. In fact, all the dragonslayer did was slouch his shoulders and stuff his gruff, battle-worn hands into his trousers and glare, with a red face, down at the mossy forest floor. That was not a look of denial—at least, not one that Happy had seen so far. It looked more like a man who was being vaguely accepting…

"Er, I guess it's something like that, yeah…" Natsu answered after a prolonged pause. He scuffed his sandal, kicking an innocent pebble out of his path, and then flung his head up to stare at the canopied trees above them. Right now, he honestly wished he could be seeing the sky—maybe he wouldn't feel so constricted that way. "Lucy's always been important to me, you know. But…I don't know when it happened, or how, really… I just… The idea of separating from her, letting some other man have her… It makes me feel like I have those annoying fire ants crawling all over my body." His firm upper lip lifted, sharp teeth making their appearance—it was like a snarl, and that was a look that Happy had become accustomed to seeing.

And Happy could relate. He hated, utterly loathed it, when other men hung all over Charle; even Pantherlily, who was their friend.

He snorted then. "I realized that I'm a selfish person, Happy. I don't share well when it comes to Lucy," obviously, he was referring to Galahad, "and when she's in danger, I feel as though I have to do everything I can to keep her safe. Her safety comes before everything…" murmured the dragonslayer in a tone so heartfelt and genuine that the blue Exceed hovered over and braced his soft, furry paws on the hardness of his friend's shoulder, right above his guild mark.

It was a gesture of understanding and acceptance.

Natsu released a sigh of relief, shoulders sagging. The smile that lit his face afterward was languid and easy, like he'd just let go of a large burden. "Thanks, Happy. You understand me, right?"

"Of course!" The blue cat nodded exuberantly. "If anyone tried to hurt Charle…" he trailed off threateningly, letting his unusually hard tone hang in the air as a sort of common ground between the two of them. But it didn't last long. A teasing smile spread across the Exceed's face within the span of a few seconds and he purred out, "So you do liiiiike Lucy?" while his tail flicked back and forth playfully.

The dragonslayer jolted, pulled back from his companion with a pink face that set his own hair to shame, and jabbed a finger. A spluttering sound came from his mouth. That was the reaction that Happy was used to. "O-oi! So what if I do?" he snapped back, clearly embarrassed.

Happy lifted a single paw to his mouth and giggled into it. "I knew it."

"Yeah, well, apparently so did a lot of other people," Natsu grumbled as he crossed his arms.

The fact that some of his guild mates had known, even before Natsu himself, was a bit disconcerting to say in the least. But, the past was the past. Right now, he had to look forward to the future, had to protect it.

Happy smiled. "Let's go protect Lucy, ne?" Because that was why they were doing this—for Lucy, to keep her safe.

Natsu, grinning back at his companion with a flush of pink on his cheeks, nodded and held up a fist. "Alright! Let's go, Happy!"

Before they could take another step, however, the trees above them quivered and the leaves began to shake. Greenery fell like rain, and mixing with the green were various other colors. Birds, Natsu realized after squinting. They flew off in a flurry, squawking and hollering in alarm and surprise as they beat their wings frantically. Hordes of birds disappeared, and in their wake, they left nothing but eerie silence as the leaves continued to fall silently. Not even the sound of the common frog met Natsu's sharp ears, no crickets, or other animals either. There was simply…nothing.

"Ne, what's going on?" Happy asked as he looked around.

"I don't – " But, then, a familiar scent swamped Natsu's nose and his narrowed eyes widened in surprise. Head swinging left and right, the dragonslayer swept the grounds, searching for the imminent danger. He found nothing, however, and that fact left him more than a little tense.

The bastard was here. Somewhere.

"Natsu?"

"I…smell him, Happy."

The Exceed looked confused when he cocked his small head to the side. "Who?"

"Him," Natsu emphasized. The bastard who had attacked Lucy.

A low sound echoed throughout the forest, and as it steadily grew louder and louder, both Natsu and Happy were able to place a name to the sound—laughter. Mad cackling, to be more precise. "Oh? You know me?" a new, dark and amused voice hummed.

The dragonslayer tensed. For the voice had not come from his right, his left, or from behind him. It had come from above, in the trees. His neck snapped upwards, and there, he finally caught a glimpse of the man who had dared to put his hands on Lucy.

He, the bastard, was crouched on a thick branch like a primate, hands gripping the tree and keeping him in place. Dressed from head to toe in black, form-fitting leather, he almost looked like a bird himself. Gangly, thin, but lithe and fast and nimble. And though half his face was hidden by a plain, smooth, black mask, piercing blue eyes stared out like liquid lightning. Dark hair—and whether it was brown or black, Natsu couldn't tell and he didn't really damn well care—was tied back slickly into a long ponytail, the ends flying with the gentle breeze.

This was the enemy.

"Oi," Natsu growled up. "Was it you who hurt Lucy?" Though, he didn't need verbal clarification. This scent, pungent and sour and unique, was all the confirmation that he needed.

"Lucy?" The bastard's head lolled to the side, visible lips pursing in thought. "The Heartfilia girl? Oh, her. I remember her. I liked her. She was really pretty." Then, those pale, thin lips fell into a pout of sorts. Or was it a frown? Natsu didn't know. "You must be Natsu, then. Dentanus said you would be coming—I was expecting you to be here days ago, you know. For someone who's supposed to be powerful, you're pretty slow," he snorted.

Dentanus… The name was unfamiliar to Natsu, though that didn't surprise him as much. He'd never been one for remembering names—hell, it had taken him a whole week to get Lucy's right, and now he didn't know if he'd ever be able to forget her name. But, that was beside the point right now. "You're a member of the Belladonna, aren't you?"

Again, the bastard's frown lifted into almost a smile, revealing sharp, razor-like teeth. Like a child who was very pleased with their pet. "So you know of us? That makes me happy."

"Why did you attack Lucy? Why her out of everyone else? What was your motive?"

On the tree branch, the bastard shrugged his thin shoulders and shook his head. His shark-teeth glinted. "Heh, you're really not all that bright, are you? Thought you would have figured it out by now… Dentanus has a bone to pick with you, Natsu Dragneel…" And the black-clad stranger tossed his head back to resume his cackling, like a wild hyena.

The sound sent chills down Natsu's spine.

Natsu is finally getting close to some answers... Meanwhile, Gajeel and Levy's relationship is progressing nicely! Next time! Chapter 39: The Scrapple

KUDOS TO ALL WHO REVIEWED: Redest Crimson, Animeraaww, Kira, eliamarie101, Angel Yang92, shadowhunter314, TheCookieMonster77, Pink Angel Feathers, The Keeper of Worlds, Animefun17, Pikaskye, luv-chan, KHLostEmpress, Riketsia, DD42, hundefrau, Unspokenheard, mrs zala, Atari, KawaiiOdango, Rainbows-and-Rainclouds, Elphaba818, NAWlex, LovingmyOTP's, NeverMakesSense, nessa, Professor Nebilim, silentPacifist, Catwho, SunsetRika, Celtika82, JadeAnime, xXShadowDragonSLayerXx, DeathBerryHime, ZeldaWithAShotgun, prettykitty280, Sinares, raydark182, OtakuFangurl, DarkBlack X, Danny Phantom Fan1, Aquamarine2002

Kira: While I would wholeheartedly LOVE to take your English test for you, sadly, I am stuck in my dorm room until the next time my roommate wants to take a road trip home, or my parents come get me... I am, unfortunately, without a car. It sucks big time. So, I'm stuck here. Studying. Math. Ugh. But, you should be fine anyway. Your English is very good!

ONCE AGAIN, YA'LL ARE LOVELY AND SO AMAZING AND IT'S BECAUSE OF YOU GUYS THAT ADHERENCE NOW HOLDS THE TITLE OF FAIRY TAIL FANFICTION'S MOST REVIEWED!