Hey guys! I've got another chapter ready to go. Spent most of yesterday planning it, so I'm hoping it turns out good. Here ya go!

The Dark Fairy

Chapter 53

The world around him was different. There was no arena, no cheering crowds, no drunk idiot, and no furious Erza. But at the same time, Joshua knew he was still on Earthland. The planet had that distinct feeling to it. A feeling of deep connection to the living force, something that Joshua found was absent from other planets his visions had taken him to. He started up at the crystal clear sky, his hazel eyes taking in the sunny blue expanse as he lay in a grassy meadow.

"Wow!" Said a girl's voice nearby, "You're pretty powerful if your mind is capable of doing this on it's own."

Joshua blinked and bolted upright. His head whipped to the right and he saw the first master of the his guild staring back at him. Master Mavis was in her usual garb, a billowy white dress with wing like ornaments in her long blonde hair. Her girlish figure bowed to him as she stood barefoot in the grass. All worry left Joshua as he felt entirely safe in this area. Something that was very new for a vision. He ran his left hand over his face, feeling his soft palm over his eyes. His hand stopped sliding down his face and Joshua stared wide eyed at a flesh covered left hand.

"H-how?" he whispered, stunned that he wasn't staring at a gloved, mechanical hand.

"Good question." Mavis replied, "Perhaps it's because this isn't the dark side nor the in between. This place is purely of the light. Therefore, nothing artificial about you."

Joshua's eyes squeezed shut, "I shouldn't be here then." he looked over at the first master, "And how in the world are you here, in my vision?"

Mavis smiled warmly, "Well, how have you been able to have others in your visions?"

"Um…"

"The force works in mysterious ways young one." Joshua gasped as he heard a familiar voice behind him. Mavis waved at the figure walking up to them as Joshua turned around and stared wide eyed at a man wearing dark robes and an ancient Mandalorian mask, "Some things are not meant to be revealed to us, only taken as they are."

"Master Revan!" Joshua muttered.

"How's it going Rev!?" Mavis waved.

A bead of sweat formed on the side of Revan's head, "I hate that nickname."

Mavis stuck her tongue out at the taller man, "Well you're just a boring man then."

Joshua's gaze whipped back and forth between Mavis and Revan. He narrowed his eyes and looked utterly puzzled.

"How do you two know each other?"

"Through a mutual acquaintance." Revan replied.

"He was once a friend to you." Mavis noted.

"That was before he decided to destroy the temple, attempting to destroy me in the process." Revan crossed his arms, "Before he decided to finally give in to his dark desires."

Joshua's jaw clenched, "I assume you mean Zeref."

"Your assumptions are correct, Joshua." A new voice said softly.

A new figure entered the meadow. Joshua recognized the soothing voice almost immediately. He wanted to smile but he also knew that this newcomer would not approve of the path he had chosen.

"Old man Qui Gon." Joshua smiled before turning to his left and seeing the familiar Jedi Master calmly walking up to them, a ghostly blue tinge over his body. "How have you been?"

"Dead." Qui Gon replied with a wry smile, "And still better than you probably feel."

"Haha." Joshua said sarcastically. He then glanced around him, "So… I'm in a grassy meadow surrounded by ghosts. There are two explanations. A… this is a really strange vision. Or B, Bacchus accidentally killed me."

"Or C, you ate some death sticks." Mavis stated.

"I highly doubt that." Revan deadpanned.

"What's a death stick?" Joshua mumbled.

"It's situation A, young one." Qui Gon replied to Joshua.

Joshua sighed and nodded, "Then that means this is pretty important. Especially if all three of you decided to show up."

Mavis nodded then looked over at Qui Gon, "Do you want to explain Master Jedi?"

The oldest man nodded, "Joshua, there is a problem with the force. I'm sure you have felt it."

"Do you mean those blinding flashes I keep getting?" Joshua winced as he recalled the pain from them, "What the hell are those anyways?"

"A new hope." Qui Gon replied, "For the Jedi."

Joshua frowned, "Obi Wan mentioned something like that. I saw him in a vision a while ago on a desert world."

Qui Gon frowned, "The force even revealed you to him and he still wouldn't listen."

"What's wrong?" Mavis questioned.

"Obi Wan was a good man. Wise and powerful. But… he is possibly the most headstrong and… how do I put it?"

"Uptight?" Joshua suggested.

Qui Gon nodded, "Yes, uptight, and most by the book Jedi possible. He hears dark side of the force and immediately thinks Sith."

"I told you I should've gone and talked to him." Revan groaned.

"That wouldn't have done any good." Mavis shook her head, "He would've interpreted you as a threat. And therefore, he wouldn't have listened to you. Though I am surprised he ignored you Qui Gon and did not tell Luke about Earthland like he was supposed to."

"Why are you all referring to Obi Wan in the past tense?" Joshua questioned. He saw the downcast look on Qui Gon's face and knew the answer immediately, "He's dead isn't he?"

Qui Gon nodded, "The Emperor's apprentice defeated him."

Joshua closed his eyes and shook his head, "I'm sorry to hear that. Even if he was a stick in the mud, it's obvious he was a good person. But… that still doesn't explain what is going on. The light side of the force wouldn't have gone off like a solar flare with the death of Obi Wan. It all likelihood it would've darkened further."

Qui Gon nodded, "Dooku taught you well in the aspects of the force. You are correct, the force should've darkened, yet it didn't. The reason for that is Luke."

"The farm boy in one of my visions?" Joshua questioned.

Revan nodded, "He is the descendant of Anakin Skywalker."

Joshua's eyes narrowed and his fist tightened, "Skywalker… I know that name."

"How?" Qui Gon asked.

"The Jedi Temple, I had a vision of the slaughter there. The name that I heard was Skywalker, and he was the one carrying out the massacre." Joshua noted the expressions on all of their faces, confirming he was correct, "What is so important about the spawn of a murderer?"

"JOSHUA!" Mavis snapped.

"Peace Mavis." Revan raised a hand as the first master showed a rare flash of anger, "It is only a natural reaction." Revan looked back at Joshua, "What is so important is that the duty of the father has now passed to the son. Anakin Skywalker was prophesized by the Jedi to be the one to bring balance to the force. At first, this was interpreted to mean destroying the Sith.

That interpretation was incorrect. Balance cannot be achieved without two equal sides. Anakin was meant to be one half while a dark side user was meant to be the other. However, the Jedi council, in their infinite wisdom, failed the boy. So, the prophecy passed on to his descendant. Luke is meant to be the light side of the force."

Joshua reeled as he took in this information, "So that means… there has to be an opposite." he looked at all three ghosts, "So who is it?"

Mavis audibly sighed, "It's you. The force has chosen you."

Joshua's hazel eyes widened, "Eh?" he shook his head rapidly, "Now hold on! I don't plan on getting involved in some galactic, prophesy, space wizard thing! I want to protect my family, nothing more."

"It doesn't matter if you want to get involved or not." Qui Gon stated, "There is such a thing as destiny, Joshua. And destiny often times cannot be avoided."

"But how destiny is achieved can be controlled." Revan interjected, "Vader and Sidious will no doubt plan to turn Luke, delaying or perhaps even destroying the prophecy. The bright flashes of light in the force you have experienced are the results of his actions against the dark side and the sith. Primarily, his miraculous trench run to destroy a planet killer called The Death Star. Those flashes sear the dark side of the force, causing random effects. For you, it could cause pain, visions, even possibly put you in a comatose state if severe enough.

And that is the major problem we now face. Luke was taught by Obi Wan, and will no doubt be taught by another, that the Dark Side is evil and must be extinguished. Do you remember our conversation in the Sith temple on Earthland?"

Joshua nodded, "You were basically telling me that philosophies that are false are evil."

"Yes, but notice the word philosophies. Not natures, not sides of the force, but philosophies of the force." Revan replied, "The two sides of the force are neither good nor evil. They just are. How someone uses them, determines good and evil. Do the two have correlations between good and evil, absolutely. But that does not mean they cause good and evil. You are a prime case of that."

Joshua stared blankly at Revan, "Huh?"

"He means that you are a dark side user, yet you are not evil." Mavis explained simply, "I swear Rev, you get a little complex sometimes. Even I could barely follow you there for a moment."

"Sorry." Revan replied rubbed the back of his head.

"As we were saying," Qui Gon cleared his throat, "Luke most likely believes the dark side is inherently evil, and will no doubt attempt to extinguish it. That will not bring balance to the force. It will just cause a different imbalance than the one we have currently. Instead of the dark dominating, the light will instead."

"And bad things usually happen when the force is out of balance." Revan nodded.

"Such as?"

"Oh, nothing short of galaxy wide cataclysm." Revan replied.

"Oh… that's… not good." Joshua gulped.

"Luke is most likely aiming to destroy the dark side now. He believes the Sith are caused by the dark side, and therefore, both must be destroyed to prevent evil." Qui Gon continued, "We have tried to reach him, well… Revan and I. But he seems to not understand who or what we are."

"A product of his age." Revan grumbled.

"He's not too old!" Qui Gon snapped.

"You said that about the other Skywalker and guess how that turned out." Revan jabbed.

"Don't start this now boys." Mavis sweat dropped, "We have stuff to do."

Revan tore his eyes away from Qui Gon and back to Joshua, "So, we need you to reach him."

Joshua pointed at himself, "Me? But… you just said that he would probably try to kill me!"

"He's still in his infancy of force training." Revan replied, "He wouldn't be able to even touch you. If you can find a way to reach him, tell him of the need for balance, then crisis may be averted." Revan took a breath, "But, before you can do that, there is one small issue."

"That being?" Joshua asked.

"Zeref." Mavis replied, "He's a wildcard in all of this."

"Wildcard?"

"Zeref is the second apprentice of a Sith Lord named Darth Ramage." Revan explained, "They agreed to train each other. Ramage taught Zeref the ways of the Sith in exchange for knowledge on how Zeref became an immortal. Needless to say, Ramage's plan backfired spectacularly. The result was a Sith with both Earthland magic knowledge and knowledge of the Sith ways. A powerful and deadly combination."

"At one time, Zeref too recognized the need for balance." Mavis interjected, "That's why he withdrew from the world and exiled himself on Tenrou Island. He hoped that would help bring peace, to the universe and maybe himself. But… selfishness wins out in the end." Mavis stared at Joshua, "Zeref has one great desire… to die. He wishes for death, he desires the end. But he can never reach it. In his desperation to finally leave this mortal world, he has decided to provoke it. He is planning to launch a cataclysmic war, starting on Earthland and expanding from there.

This war has one goal, to find the one who can finally kill him. Zeref tried centuries ago to create his own demise through the use of Sith sorcery and Earthland alchemy. The results were the books of Zeref and the demonic creations they hold. But none of them gave him the result he craved. Now, he's looking outward for a solution. We cannot afford to allow him to leave the planet somehow. He must be contained here."

Revan nodded, "If he were to come across say, Darth Sidious, the ensuing battle would be one of the most traumatic the galaxy would ever see. Right now, their powers in the dark side are limited because neither are actually the true dark lord of the Sith. But once one kills the other, the dark side becomes fully available to them, and terrifying horrors will result."

"Because of Zeref." Qui Gon started, "The Dark side is still far more powerful than the light. If he lives on, balance will never be struck."

The long explanations finished and Joshua pondered the information that had flooded him all at once.

"What you are saying is, that I need to find a way to kill Zeref here… on Earthland?" Joshua crossed his arms.

Mavis cringed a little at the k word but then sighed, "I normally wouldn't condone killing any living creature. But to avoid the cataclysm that is sure to come from an imbalance, it must be done. Once that is completed and Zeref is no longer a threat, then you can commence the search for Luke Skywalker and attempt to bring balance to the force with him."

Revan and Qui Gon's images began to shimmer and fade.

"Oh great…" Joshua threw his hands up, "Now they go away with no explanations!"

"We are out of time Joshua." Qui Gon said as his voice began to go quiet.

"We will do the best we can on the other side, but we cannot do the biggest part. You will have to." Revan said. Just as he was about to fade away completely he looked at Mavis and Joshua, "May the force be with both of you."

The two masters were gone, leaving Joshua alone with Mavis. The teen looked over at the girlish first master.

"Why didn't' you disappear?"

"I figured you'd need more explanations."

Joshua cheered, "Finally, someone gets it!"

Mavis giggled, "Ask and I will give you my best answer."

Joshua sat down across from her, "Ok, so, how do I kill Zeref?"

"If I knew that I wouldn't have given you that mission." Mavis deadpanned.

Joshua groaned and bowed his head, "This isn't going to be easy is it?"

Mavis shook her head, "No it is not. There are many other variables in play that we cannot control too. Luke being one of them, and whether or not you are willing to help being another. For all we know, Luke could accidentally stumble on Earthland and through the entire plan into flux. Or you could choose to ignore our warnings."

Joshua sighed, "Let's hope that doesn't' happen." His head rose up again, "So, how in the world do you know about the force?"

Mavis smiled sheepishly, "Well… I guess…. You could say that I was Zeref's apprentice."

"WHA!"

"Yup, Zeref was the one who taught me magic. Naturally, he imparted some Sith sorcery into his training. When I was alive, I was able to use that to make some rather powerful illusions. That's also how I met Revan. Through my training in the force and magic, Revan would visit me in visions, much like how he occasionally does with you."

Joshua nodded, "That explains it I guess. But… how do you know so much about Zeref? I mean, he seems to be a pretty secretive person."

"Oh…" Mavis had a slight blush on her cheeks, "Not if you get to know him."

Joshua's left eye twitched, "You were in love with the guy weren't you?"

Mavis pinched her thumb and finger together, "Maybe a little."

Joshua fell backwards, shocked by her statement. He then sat up again and stared hard at Mavis, "So… why go against him if you have feelings for him?"

Mavis sighed, "Zeref has lost his way. He used to be a kind person, when I knew him at least. But… I don't know. Something changed on Tenrou Island when you all arrived for the S class exams. Something… triggered him. What that thing is, I don't know."

Joshua nodded, "He said something about destroying the sith and darkness. But, he is one of them isn't he?"

"Like I said, he desires to die." Mavis said, "That means that the Sith would be destroyed if he does die and the other Sith out there in the galaxy are defeated as well. As to why he would want to destroy darkness even though he honestly knows better, I can't say."

Joshua sighed, "Alright, one last question." he looked at Mavis, "What do I do if Zeref leaves or if Sidious comes here?"

The meadow began to shimmer and fade and Mavis began to become transparent. One word left her lips before blackness took over.

"Hide."

….

His eyelids slowly cracked open. Through the small slit in his vision, he saw the familiar wooden ceiling of the team's room in the Honey Bone Lodge. Joshua groaned and closed his eyes again before allowing them to open up completely. His whole body ached. When he attempted to sit up he felt some ribs shift and a slight crack ran up his spine. Joshua cringed and cried out before feeling a soft hand place itself on his bandaged chest.

"Just lie back down." Said Wendy's voice to him as he rested back against the fluffy pillow behind his head, "You shouldn't move. I don't want to have to reset the bones by hand."

Joshua gulped, "That would mean-"

Wendy laughed at him, "I'm kidding, I won't have to cut into you and do that. But, you won't be in as much pain if you would just stay still for a change." She placed her hands over his body and the warm green glow spread out over Joshua. He instantly felt a wave of warmth and comfort as Wendy's sky magic began to heal his broken bones.

"I lost huh?" Joshua asked.

Wendy nodded, "Brutally too."

"Damn." Joshua grumbled. His eyes then shot wide open and bulged out of his skull, "WAIT! That means that Erza is-" His body began to tremble and seat came out of his skin, "I'm dead!"

"Most likely." Wendy nodded, "She left to pay up on the bet just a couple hours ago."

"I'm so dead!" Joshua groaned, "No need to heal me Wendy. I'll be in a grave soon."

Wendy smacked his right shoulder, "Quit whining already. Erza wouldn't kill you."

"You'd be surprised by what she'd do if you set her mood off just right."

"Speaking from experience?"

"Mostly."

Wendy laughed under her breath, "Then I better heal you up as much as I can so you can attempt to run. Otherwise, you're a sitting duck here."

Joshua frowned at the blue haired girl, "You're enjoying this aren't you?"

"Every second." Wendy reached into a drawer in the table beside Joshua a pulled out a vial with green liquid in it, "This is what you get for being so reckless in battle. Flipping from balconies and stuff…"

"You gotta admit, that landing was pretty cool." Joshua smiled.

Wendy shook her head and gave him an exasperated grin, "Fine, it was a little cool." She snaked her hand behind his head and tilted him up. She then placed the vial with the green liquid to his lips, "Drink up, it'll help ease some of the pain."

Joshua drank the liquid and cringed, "That tastes awful."

"Then maybe think before you just charge into a fight." Wendy scolded, "Now rest. I'll let you know when Erza gets back."

Joshua sighed then nodded before resting his head back and letting everything that happened in his vision continue to soak in.

….

Erza stomped through the dark, cobblestone streets of Crocus. Metal boots clanked against the stone causing a dull metallic echo to sound off around her. Her fists were clenched tightly and her eyes showed that she was absolutely livid.

"Stupid Bacchus… pig… perv…. Drunk…. Asshole." Erza grumbled as she stormed down the shadowy streets.

"Sounds like you had an interesting night." said a muffled voice above Erza.

The redhead stopped in her tracks and looked up to see a man in concealing blue robes with a blue mask covering his face sitting on top of a stone archway near an alley. Erza frowned and crossed her arms over her chest as she stared up at the figure.

"You shouldn't be out and about… Mystogan." She replied.

"Eh… needed some fresh air. Can't stand being cooped up."

Erza laughed a little, "A fugitive who hates being confined to closed spaces. You wouldn't be very good at hiding from the authorities if they knew who you really were."

"True." Jellal nodded to her. "So what were you up to tonight?"

"You already know." Erza grumbled.

"So you actually did it! I didn't think you would." Jellal quietly exclaimed.

"I don't go back on a bet." Erza replied firmly, "A bet is a bet. And Joshua lost, so it had to be paid. But when I get back," Her fist tightened in front of her, "Joshua is dead!"

Jellal chuckled underneath his cowl and mask.

"What's so funny!?" Erza demanded.

"Nothing… nothing." Jellal breathed for a moment, "Joshua sure does know how to get under your skin doesn't he? I guess I shouldn't be surprised, he is your little brother after all." His eyes looked back down at Erza, "He is your little brother right?"

Erza caught what he meant by the question right away, "You think… you think that Joshua is not my brother? He's not blood related, but he is the closest family I have."

"Yes, that's true. But, has his perception of the relationship changed after seven years. I'm not only wondering this about your relationship with him, but his relationship with the guild as a whole." Jellal stated.

Erza's frown deepened, "What do you mean by that?"

Jellal sighed, "Did Joshua tell you our other reason Crime Sorciere met you all at the beach when you were training?"

Erza nodded, "He said something about a dark power at the games. Similar to Zeref. And Crime Sorciere had asked us to investigate." Erza's eyes widened, "You think… he is that power!"

Jellal closed his eyes, "It's not out of the realm of possibility."

"It is!" Erza exclaimed, "Joshua wouldn't follow Zeref!"

"I said the power was similar to Zeref. I never said it was Zeref." Jellal pointed out. The masked man jumped down from the archway to stand before Erza, "The power was similar in nature to Zeref, but from what Ultear explained to me, it wasn't exactly his. There was something off about it. It felt more chilling than Zeref's. Strangely, during this entire games we haven't sense that magic power at all, unlike in previous games where you could sense it outright if you searched hard enough." Jellal walked past Erza and stopped so that they were shoulder to shoulder, "In fact, the only time we have sense that magic power, is when Joshua was depriving Bacchus of oxygen."

Erza gulped, "Joshua went a little overboard, but he still lost."

"Regardless of the result or how it happened. It doesn't change the fact that those powers were exactly the same." Jellal replied quickly, "I'm not asking you to go after him or confront him. But keep an eye on him. I'm not one hundred percent sure myself. And I don't want to do anything until we are certain."

Erza grit her teeth, "You won't do anything because it is not him!"

Jellal stopped walking, "I really hope it isn't." And with that he disappeared into the night.

Erza exhaled and shook her head. Joshua couldn't be the one with the ominous magic power. Sure, when he gets angry or goes all out he tends to use dark magic, but he wouldn't allow himself to stoop to Zeref's level. Not in a million years. Plus, he didn't know about the grand magic games until this year. Or did he? Erza shook those thoughts out of her mind. She was convinced, Joshua was not the threat at the games. It wasn't possible. Jellal was just on a wild goose chase with that lead.

Erza sighed and continued the long walk back to the Honey Bone Lodge. Eventually she reached the correct street and saw the sign for the lodge illuminated by bright lamps down the road. Erza smiled as she was anxious to finally be back in the company of her friends. Particularly her female friends, Quatro Cerberus was almost all men. And they were smelly, dirty, and just… Erza shuddered. She never wanted to step foot in another building with that guild again. Before she could take another step forwards she heard a high pitched voice purr at her from the left.

"Erzie Werzie!" called the voice.

The red haired knight turned to see a woman wearing a very revealing black bikini outfit with a dark cloak and hood thrown over her shoulders and head. Erza was immediately on guard, could this be the mysterious power?

"Who are you?" Erza demanded as she requiped a sword in her right hand.

"Erza!" The woman grabbed the hood and threw it off her head. Her face was feline like with red markings on her cheeks. Her hair was messy and a light brown color and there seemed to be parts of it on her head that were shaped like cat ears. "You don't recognize me, nya!"

Erza's eyes widened and her sword arm fell, "M-milliana!"

The cat lunged at her and tightly embraced Erza.

"I missed you so much!" Milliana cried as she hugged Erza.

Tears streamed down both of their faces as they tightly embraced each other.

"I missed you too Milliana." Erza said quietly as she hugged her old friend.

The pair held each other for a few more moments before Milliana ended the hug.

"When I heard about Tenroujima, I-I was devastated." Milliana said to Erza, "So was Wally and Sho. We could hardly believe it. Heck, we didn't believe it. It wasn't until a few years later that we finally accepted it. But then, you all came back and… I was just so happy!"

"Believe me, I was happy too." Erza smiled, "I noticed you with Mermaid Heel, though I didn't recognize you."

"I know! I took your advice and joined a guild! And it has been wonderful Erza! I love it there!"

Erza smiled, "Good to hear."

"Plus, me and Kagura share a goal and it's good to have her help."

Erza remembered the woman Milliana just named. Kagura Mikazuchi, the strongest member of the Mermaid Heel guild. She was a woman similar in height and build to Erza although her attitude was altogether different. Erza was strict yet also fun loving. Kagura on the other hand seemed very serious and reserved. Maybe it was because she was in a battle with a member of Sabertooth during the games today. But Erza got the impression that that was how Kagura was all the time. The black haired woman seemed like someone who wouldn't get along well with Milliana.

"What goal is that?" Erza asked, curious to know.

A darkness filled Milliana's eyes, "We want to destroy Jellal of course."

Erza's heart jumped to her throat. To think that she just heard that come out of sweet Milliana's mouth was something that caught her completely off guard.

"W-why?"

"Why! Because he enslaved us Erza, you and me! And he tricked me, Wally, Sho, and Simon into trying to kill you! Then he killed… he killed Simon." Milliana saw Erza's shocked expression and her enthusiasm faded, "You don't agree."

Erza shook her head, "You shouldn't desire to kill someone Milliana. Not only is it wrong, it's not you. You are not that kind of person."

Milliana frowned, "I can be whatever kind of person I want to be!"

"Milliana-"

Milliana placed the hood back over her head, "I don't want to talk about it anymore Erza." The cat woman began to stride away but she stopped and glanced back at Erza, "See you in the games tomorrow."

Erza's face saddened as her old friend disappeared down the road.

Please, don't go down that path Milliana. Please don't.

Erza heard a loud crash come from the Honey Bone lodge down the road. The party was apparently in full swing as the window was once again shattered. This time it wasn't a piece of furniture that broke it. This time, it was Droy's body that shattered the window. Erza stopped and stared for a moment before she saw a rough hand with a black glove reach over and grab him.

"Gihi, you're not out of the brawl yet."

"WAAAAAH!"

Erza sighed, they were all already fighting. In an instant she put on her most intimidating face and shoved the door to the Honey Bone Lodge open. As soon as the door flew inwards the fighting stopped and everyone stared at Erza.

"Well… has everyone gotten it out of their systems?" Erza growled.

"A-aye sir!" Natsu and Gray said quickly as they let of each other and pretended to be best friends.

"Good." Erza glared at them all, "I'm not in the mood for shenanigans right now."

"Did Bacchus bend you over or something?" Gajeel quipped.

Erza's head slowly turned to look at the Iron dragon slayer. Instantly, Gajeel realized he made a grave error. Erza stormed over and in one blow, knocked the dragon slayer out.

"Wow…" Gray trembled, "She really isn't in a good mood."

"N-no kidding." Gulped Natsu.

Erza glared over at them, " .Joshua?"

Their arms instantly pointed upstairs.

"Thank you."

Erza stomped up the wooden steps and yanked the door to the corridor that led to the many bedrooms of the Honey Bone Lodge. She shut the door and turned to the team's room with a vengeful glint in her eye.

Time for some payback! She grinned.

Erza was about to shove the door open when she heard some laughter from the other side. She hesitated then opened the door just a crack. Inside she saw Joshua sleeping soundly in his bed. Sitting beside him, with her head resting beside him was a snoozing Wendy. Then she saw that Wendy's fingers were curled around Joshua's hand. At first a spark of anger lit up in Erza. But it quickly faded away when she saw the smiles on both of their faces. Erza's anger and lust for vengeance faded and she just watched them through the cracked doorway. A small smile formed on her lips.

Those two really have grown up haven't they? Erza sighed. She'd get her vengeance tomorrow. It was probably best to let Joshua rest. Just as she was about to turn away from the door Erza heard some more high pitched giggling in the room.

"They looooove each other." She heard a very familiar voice tease quietly.

"I sure hope not Happy." Said a much more sophisticated and unamused voice.

Erza frowned. Those two!

Erza burst through the door, startling both Joshua and Wendy awake. Erza stood in the doorway momentarily, her eyes glinting against the lamplight.

"ERZA! I'M SORRY!" Joshua cried out.

Erza ignored him and stomped towards the balcony. She then shoved two hands into the curtains. Joshua and Wendy heard some cries interrupted by Erza's iron grip. Erza yanked her hands out of the curtains and revealed two cats, one blue, the other white.

"Were you two spying on Joshua and Wendy?" Erza snarled.

"No sir we weren't!" Happy squealed.

"Oh give it up tomcat, we obviously were." Carla sighed.

Erza threw her arms back then launched the two cats out of the balcony.

"THIS ROOM IS FOR FAIRY TAIL TEAM A ONLY!" She roared as the two cats were launched through the air.

The door burst open and Natsu charged in with Lucy and Gray.

"I heard Happy. He was in danger! Where is he!?" Natsu bellowed before he noticed Erza's irritated look. Natsu's fist relaxed, "Oh, it's only you Erza."

"Who else would it be?" The red head replied as she finally relaxed and sat down in a chair next to her bed.

Lucy peaked back and forth in the room before poking her head out into the hall way.

"Alright, it's ok Yukino." Lucy whispered.

A new person entered the room. It was a young woman wearing a white tank top with teal straps and a teal miniskirt. The woman looked very melancholic as she quietly stepped into the room. As soon as she appeared, Erza's guard was back up as well as the frown.

"Who are you?" Natsu questioned.

"Um...my… my name is Yukino Agria." the woman with short white hair replied, "And, I came here to talk to Lucy in private. But she told me that you all don't keep secrets from each other and whatever she knew you all knew."

"You were the one who fought Kagura today." Erza observed.

"Who?" Joshua asked.

"Yes I am." Yukino bowed.

Erza, Natsu, and Gray frowned at the young woman.

"What does a member of Sabertooth want with us?" Gray asked as he narrowed his eyes.

"Not Sabertooth, just me." Erza saw some tears well up in Yukino's eyes, "I-I was kicked out of Sabertooth… for losing today."

"What!" Natsu exclaimed shocked.

"That's overly harsh." Erza frowned.

"Geez." Gray grumbled before he took a seat on his own mattress.

"I'm so sorry Yukino." Lucy gasped.

"It's ok." she said somberly, "That's why I'm here. As you know, I-I'm a celestial spirit wizard too." The white haired girl turned to Lucy, "Lucy, I have admired you since I was a little girl. And now I know… that… I am not worthy of my keys." Yukino held out her hand showing two golden keys, "You are. You are the greatest of the celestial spirit wizards. These keys belong to you."

Joshua for some reason felt darkness swirling around the last two keys. He grunted as he sat up and leaned against the headboard of his bed.

"Take it easy Joshua." Wendy scolded.

"I'm fine. I just want a better look."

Lucy looked longingly at the keys for a moment. This was her chance to have all twelve celestial spirits in her possession. Such a thing hadn't been accomplished in centuries.

"If you take the keys, then a gateway that changes the world will open." Yukino stated, "At least, that's what the legend of the keys says when they are all brought together under one wizard."

Lucy slowly nodded, never breaking her stare from the golden keys of Libra and Pisces, "I've heard the legend." Lucy's hand reached towards the keys. It hovered over Yukino's hand before resting on top, closing Yukino's hand around the two keys and pushing it back towards Yukino. Instantly, Joshua felt the darkness in the force disappear and the turmoil faded with it. A crossroads had been reached, and Lucy made the correct choice. Joshua nodded to himself. Lucy was truly a marvelous person.

Lucy looked up at Yukino with a reassuring smile, "But… I can't take your keys. They are not my spirits. They are yours. And you are obviously a very caring wizard. I could never separate a wizard from her spirits."

Yukino stared at Lucy in stunned awe as tears dripped down her young face.

"If you ever need a place to go Yukino, Fairy Tail is open to you." Lucy said with a smile.

Erza nodded, "Absolutely."

Yukino was on the verge of bawling, "Th-thank-k you so much." She said before gulping back the tears and bowing to all of them, "I will remember that."

The white haired woman looked back at the smiling faces of Fairy Tail A knowing she had chosen the right guild to come to for help. With her own lips curling into a small smile, she walked away. The team sat silently for a moment.

"Man…" Gray broke the silence, "I can't believe you passed up an opportunity like that Lucy."

"I don't care how good of an opportunity it was Gray." Lucy replied, "It wouldn't have been right."

You can say that again. Joshua thought, What is this legend though. A gateway that changes the world? He made a note to conduct some research later. It sounded like an interesting topic.

"Well, I think you made the right choice Lucy." Erza said with a smile, "You have really grown as a wizard."

"Ah, it was nothing." Lucy waved it off. She then yawned and stretched, "Well, I'm going to my room. I need my sleep before tomorrow. After all, Joshua is in no shape to compete, which means I am back in the games!"

Instead of cheers there was silence. Then Joshua bowed his head.

"We're doomed." he mumbled.

"THANKS FOR THE VOTE OF CONFIDENCE!" Lucy roared.

Natsu rose to his feet and strode towards the door before slamming it shut behind him. Lucy, Gray, and Wendy blinked.

"What was that all about?" Wendy wondered.

Joshua sighed and looked over at Erza, "You know what he's going to do right?"

Erza exhaled, "Unfortunately."

"What is he going to do?" Gray asked.

"Something reckless even by his standards." Joshua replied, "He's going to go teach Sabertooth a lesson."

"What!" Everyone but Erza and Joshua exclaimed.

"He'll get us disqualified!" Gray growled, "I'll go get him!"

"No… no." Erza rose, "I'll grab him." She stretched wearily before walking to the doors, "No rest for the weary." Her hand twisted the doorknob.

"Hey Erza."

The redhead looked back at Joshua.

"Take the long way would you." Joshua said.

Erza smirked, "You know, a nice long walk would do me some good. It'd be relaxing."

Joshua smirked back at her before she left.

"Why would you tell her to take the long way!?" Lucy exclaimed.

"Well… we can't let Sabertooth get off scot free after what they did to Yukino now can we?" Joshua grinned while Gray, Lucy, and Wendy began to realize what was going on. Joshua shifted back down onto his pillows and yawned, "Well, goodnight everyone."

Lucy was still wide awake because she was concerned about Natsu but she knew she had to get some rest too. The blonde quietly left the room while Gray flopped onto his own mattress.

"Hey Joshua, Wendy."

"Yeah Gray?" Wendy replied.

"No funny business."

"GET SOME CLOTHES ON ICE PERV!"

And chapter! Interesting stuff in this chapter. A lot of stuff being explained and a lot of exposition setting up some future chapters. What did you guys think of it all? Let me know. As always, I hope you all enjoyed! Have a nice day!