It was sunset before Lucy was finally able to return to the cottage. She picked her way down the hill, heavy shadows residing beneath her eyes after her previous night's adventure and keeping Loke out on her own ability for most of the day. She'd whispered questions to him on occasion about what had happened regarding her mother's bargain and had found out it was mainly as the Dullahan had said: no one had known that she was the star that had been stolen from the sky above, not even the Spirit King.

"It makes sense, though it makes me wonder who started calling you the Lost Star," Loke had commented before disappearing backwards through a Portal, vanishing back into whatever realm he and the celestial spirits called home. Not that he'd given much more information regarding the matter surrounding Layla's bargain with the Wild Hunt.

Lucy ran a hand down her face. What had started out as a simple run to check out a cursed area and visit Levy and Gajeel had turned into an information overload and Natsu committing a crime.

She sank back, back, back, checking on her partner again. He was outside of Crocus now, wandering, and Lucy got the feeling it'd still be a little while She'd barely made it a few feet towards the cottage before Gray was flying from it, eyes blazing.

"What the actual hell, Lucy?!" barked Gray, and she cringed.

"Before you start ranting," Lucy grumbled, "I'm angry, too. I don't know what he did, but it's not something good."

"You don't know what he did?" Yukino ducked around him, looking a little kinder than Gray. In fact, she was smiling faintly, looking more relieved than anything, as if she'd been worried for Lucy. Lucy was pleased to know that it was only Gray that seemed angry as Rogue and Wendy came out, too, Wendy hoisting Charle into her arms and beaming when she saw Happy at Lucy's ankles.

"No, I got summoned by the Dullahan and was out in the forest all night," admitted Lucy. When even Gray stopped being annoyed to gape at her, she waved them off. "I'll tell you all about it later, but...but can you tell me what the Council people claimed they were here for? Natsu's vanished into thin air. I don't know where he is. I tried to track him a little, but came up empty."

"Are you serious?! That bastard," seethed Gray.

Wendy frowned at Gray. Lucy blinked, and then looked to Wendy for an explanation. She smiled weakly and said, "Um, the Council showed up and said that the home of a Councilman burned down last night. He said it was Natsu's fire that did it. You know Natsu's flames, they...they are rather easy to recognize."

Lucy stared at Wendy for a few moments and then threw her hands in the air. "Why the hell would he burn the house of a singular Councilman down?" she muttered, frustrated. Rogue and Yukino exchanged simple shrugs, neither knowing what to think. "And another good question...why would they think to come look around here?"

"My guild said nothing about you coming to visit," said Rogue immediately, puzzled, "and you didn't Portal here, so I'm not entirely sure...maybe Sting submitted a report stating that we requested your help and they assumed you'd stay here?"

"That could be it," murmured Yukino firmly. "It's protocol, as a guildmaster."

"However they found out, it doesn't matter now." Lucy swiped her fingers over her eyes, exhausted. "I need to sleep, and we'll head out tomorrow for the Archives. It should be safe from the Council's people there, and Natsu will come looking regardless of where we are. Gray, are you and Wendy coming?"

"I said I was," declared Wendy firmly. "I want to see Gajeel."

"Guess I'll tag along. I don't want to get found by Councilmen again," grumbled the agitated Gray. "And I want to hear what the hell Natsu was thinking when we track him down, 'cause he better have a damn good excuse for Makarov and Gildarts when we get home. Makarov could boot him from the guild for this." He paused. "Scratch that, Makarov might do it. He's caused Makarov a lot of headache lately."

Lucy merely sighed, "Makarov? He's caused me a lot of headaches."


"Do either of you know the way to the Archives?" Lucy asked as she waved over her shoulder at the disappearing forms of Yukino and Rogue. She knew they were still curious and rather nosey about the fact that she'd been summoned by the Dullahan, but she'd said nothing. She didn't want them knowing. She'd considered telling Gray, but Wendy was there, too, and she didn't want to pile such things on the young dragon's shoulders.

Even if Wendy is technically older than me, thought Lucy to herself.

"Kinda," said Gray. "I've never been there, but the second we enter the territory, Gajeel will know and come find us. Besides, you said Natsu was going to come find us, right? He knows the way."

Lucy nodded, secretly hoping that Natsu showed up sooner rather than later. She was worried, and angry, and desperately wanted to know just what the hell her partner had been thinking when he'd burned that house down. Simply because she knew that he'd done it. He could deny it, and she'd know he'd be lying. She'd seen it herself, through his eyes, and if he lied to her…

Loke's key at her hip suddenly burned, and she gathered Salutem's reins in one hand, checking the ring of keys with care. They were safe, so why was he burning? It wasn't a bad burn, she supposed, as if he was making her aware of something…

Lucy frowned and shrugged to herself. Loke would explain later, she was sure.

She played with the amulet at her throat as they meandered west, occasionally chatting about something or another. No longer quite as angry with Lucy in particular, Gray willingly filled her in about some bonus information she'd never known regarding a variety of mythics, starting with the Wild Hunt. As they traveled, Lucy kept an eye out for Natsu, noting that he crept closer with every mile, as if heading at an angle to meet them further on.

Lucy sank back, touching the smug pride that still radiated from her partner. In response, there was a fierce flicker of flame that wrapped around her, talons dragging over her soul as if to reassure her. Normally, she would have found his fierce affection to be comforting, but now… she didn't find it very reassuring at all. In fact, she kind of hoped that it had nothing to do with what he'd done.

They stopped mid-afternoon to rest, and it was during that small period of time in which Natsu decided to rejoin them. Lucy had been seated with Wendy beside a creek, enjoying the bubbling sound, when Happy suddenly perked up and bounded off. Lucy exchanged a worried look with Wendy and then scrambled to her feet and jogged after the familiar. She raced past Gray, who'd been checking over their mounts. Gray called after her, but Lucy ignored him and instead continued trailing after Happy.

Somehow, she wasn't surprised when she found Happy scrambling up to perch on the shoulders of one unharmed Natsu Dragneel. His eyes were nearly glowing with that smug pride he'd been exuding for over a day now, and when his onyx eyes slid to Lucy, she didn't smile in greeting.

Instead, she said sharply, "What the hell did you do?"

Natsu narrowed his eyes a fraction, a flash of temper flickering over his features. The smug pride vanished, replaced with wary agitation as he casually slid his hand up Thanatos's neck and said coldly, "I settled a grudge."

Lucy gawked at him, unable to believe what she was hearing. She'd been with her partner for two years, and never had she believed he'd do such a thing. Sure, she'd heard and seen that Natsu was notorious for his grudges. He'd held one against Igneel for nearly twenty years, after all, even if he didn't remember what had sparked the argument that had resulted in such a grudge. But in the two years she'd been in this time, not once had Natsu ever "settled" a grudge in such a way.

"Natsu," she rasped, horrified, "what kind of grudge means you have the right to burn a building to the ground? In Crocus? You're a...a demon. Not an arsonist!"

Natsu's answer was a cold grin, all sharp, jagged teeth.

It wasn't a smile he'd ever given her. He'd given such smiles to the likes of Hades, to Mard Greer, to Ultear when the time goddess had held a knife to Lucy's throat. It was a smile that spoke of danger and fury and rage and hatred unlike any that any mortal creature could wield. It wasn't unlike the smile he'd worn when they'd faced down Mard Greer, when he'd let himself become the monster he hated so much just to get them out of a bad situation.

"He was the Councilman who hired the mercenaries at the beginning of the year," he purred. "He was the reason that I burned an entire village to the ground and you had to open a Portal that nearly killed you. He attacked two members of a guildmaster's council, and got away without punishment. So, I punished him. His life's work was in that house. I burned it down, and he got to sit there and watch as his life's work went up in smoke, and then I left the letter Juvia found in the pocket of one of those mercenaries in the Council's meeting chamber while they were all distracted by the fire. When they find it in the morning, it will be seen by every Council member, and he will be charged with treason against the guilds, and Makarov will likely be put in charge of his punishment. And do you know who Makarov tends to put in charge of punishments like this?" His grin widened with cruel delight. "Mira."

Lucy found that she was speechless.

For nine months, he'd remembered the name on that letter. How he'd kept it for that long, especially with what had happened in the Pergrande Kingdom, Lucy didn't know. Not once had he ever brought the matter up to her, ever mentioned that it was something they should look into further. For six weeks, as they'd traveled to this part of Fiore, he'd kept it all quiet. He'd planned without a word to anyone - not even to her.

And that, she realized, was what hurt her the most. Not that he'd done what he'd done, because she'd known for ages that he was the Demon King, that Natsu reacted differently to such matters than others tended to, but because he'd simply not thought of asking her for her opinion.

But...what right did she have to demand such a thing? She, who hid the biggest secret of all from her partner?

She, who hid the fact that he did this very same thing on such a larger scale, that he was remembered throughout history for being worse than a monster?

Lucy closed her mouth. Her hands trembled the words almost spilling from her mouth. Natsu cocked his head in a positively predatory manner, judging her emotions with care as she sorted through the caution and guilt and misery and horror. His gaze narrowed further with interest before he demanded, "What happened?"

She blinked, eyes a little bleary from simply staring at him without blinking. "What?"

"The night before last. You were shocked and worried. And some other stuff." He sauntered over, Thanatos following without hesitation. Lucy tried not to feel guiltier the closer he got. "What happened?"

It took her a moment to remember what he was talking about, and when she did, she sputtered and said, "Oh! The Dullahan wanted to speak with me."

It was Natsu's turn to gawk at her. "What?"

Lucy waved him off, glancing over her shoulder. She was sure the others were either waiting on her or coming at any moment, and she didn't want to spill the news when there were other ears around them. "I'll tell you later, but in all seriousness…" She straightened her shoulders, met his gaze, and said, "Natsu, you can't do something like that again. At least...not without warning us first. The Council immediately came after us at Yukino's. I was lucky; I hadn't gotten back yet from meeting with the Dullahan. You could have put the others in danger, even if unintentionally. As it is, you've probably made more paperwork at the very least for someone. You're going to be chewed out by Gray when he figures out you're back, too." She searched his gaze intently, waiting to hear his response.

Natsu scowled, and the look of frustration confused her until he growled, "I don't know why you're so freaked out. I didn't kill anyone."

Lucy sighed heavily. "Natsu, that's...that's not what I'm talking about and you know it." She shook her head. "Come on, we can discuss everything later, when we're at the Archives and it's safe. Gray mentioned that sometimes, big and nasty mythics are attracted to the Wild Hunt, and I don't want to be in the area if another wendigo decides to show up."

Natsu grunted, looking as if he wasn't too excited about everything, but nodded and began heading in the direction of the others. He said nothing, and Lucy wondered if he was angry with her. Not that he had any right to be, she thought to herself with a scowl. He was the one who'd ditched them to go burn a house down.

Still…

She knew that his reasoning was damn good. His actions hadn't been uncalled for, with what the Councilman had done to them. Gray bore the scars of those chains around his throat, and even Wendy hadn't been able to fix them. Natsu, himself, even bore a hint of a reminder around his eyes.

Those chains weren't something to mess around with, and the Councilman had sold them out to Mard Greer. He'd deserved to have what had happened happen.

The pair returned to where Lucy had left the other two, Natsu leading Thanatos and ensuring that he was careful not to let the hungry mount get too close to Lucy. When Lucy glanced back at Thanatos, he lifted his lips to show rather sharp teeth. She made sure to stick closer to Natsu after that, and the demon threw Thanatos a warning look, daring him to get too close.

As much as he liked Thanatos, he liked Lucy more.


Lucy kicked her feet, head tilted back to watch the stars high in the night sky. She furrowed her brow lightly as she looked at them intently, wondering if she could technically call them siblings. She was, after all, supposedly one of them.

A heavy body suddenly dropped to the dead grass beside her. Lucy didn't need to look to know who it was. The smell of smoke would have been enough if not for the curl of delight in her gut when he was settled beside her - his delight. Happy slid into her lap, too, completing it all.

Natsu was in a good mood, she mused, letting herself fall back into what Natsu felt. He was content and happy, still proud. He was even feeling a flicker of fondness for the pair that were sleeping comfortably behind them, neither of which had been angry with him for what he'd done to the Councilman's house. In fact, after he'd told them, Gray had thanked him quietly; Wendy had merely smiled at him with her sharp little dragon teeth.

Lucy forgot sometimes, she realized as she yawned quietly and leaned lightly into Natsu's arm, that the others were mythics, too. They were mythical creatures she'd never thought existed in her own time, with different laws and ethics and morals.

And, Lucy realized with a startled blink, she was, too.

She was a fallen star, just like Anna Heartfilia, her ancestor. For her entire life, she'd thought she was human. Even after falling into this time, she'd thought herself human...but she wasn't. She was as much a mythic as the others, and she wasn't sure how she felt about that just yet.

After a long moment, she took a shaken breath and said softly, "I'm not human."

Natsu glanced at her, onyx eyes sharp with interest. "Huh?" he said, furrowing his brow, and Lucy smiled faintly at his befuddled response. Natsu rocked forward a little, bracing his elbows on his knees. "What do you mean?"

"The Dullahan," breathed Lucy, tipping her head back again to look skyward. "It summoned me to warn me about something. And while it was giving the warning, it told me that I was a fallen star, like Anna and Jellal. Sort of." She made a face. "I guess Layla couldn't have children, so Loke bargained with the Wild Hunt on her behalf, and the Wild Hunt stole a star from the sky without the stars themselves knowing, and-"

"Wait," interrupted Natsu, cutting her off without hesitation. "Layla bargained with the Wild Hunt?" Lucy nodded and Natsu swore softly. "That must be what killed her the night she died."

"I don't think so," Lucy disagreed. She glanced at him. "The way the Dullahan was speaking...Natsu, it said that the Wild Hunt basically hands the bargain to the Fates, and they choose how the bargain is called in. The Wild Hunt has no control over what kills the person who made the bargain."

Natsu narrowed his eyes and rumbled softly, smoke drifting from his nose. "You didn't bargain with 'em, right?"

"Why would I-" Lucy broke off, realizing what he meant. He worried she'd bargained with the Wild Hunt to save the Eclipse Gate and Crocus to stop what was going to happen. As insulted as she was, she supposed it wouldn't have been a bad idea. It had simply never occurred to her. "No! No. I didn't bargain with the Wild Hunt. I don't think the Dullahan would have let me." She recalled the tapestry the Fates had held up and shivered. "Besides, its warning was that the Fates have decided what's going to happen and that 'what has been woven will come to be.'" She faltered at that and Natsu snorted.

"Maybe," he muttered, stretching his legs out and leaning back. "Doesn't matter if the Fates made up their mind. I'll decide what does or doesn't happen."

Lucy bit her lip hard, every nerve in her body urging her to tell him. Because he could decide what did or didn't happen. She swallowed thickly, frustrated with herself. All she had to do was tell him one simple thing. Well, perhaps not so simple, but...still.

He bumped her with his elbow, narrowing his eyes pointedly. "Lucy?"

"Sorry," she said hoarsely.

She was sorry for so many things.

And Natsu didn't even know about them.

A gentle hand suddenly touched her head and Lucy went stock still when she realized Natsu hadn't moved. Natsu, of course, snapped his head around with flames spilling from his lips. He snarled, ready to attack first and ask questions later, but came up short when he recognized who it was. "Loke," he snapped. "How about you tell us you're there first?"

Loke smirked playfully before startling Lucy further by fondly ruffling her hair and sliding down to sit beside them. The celestial spirit took a deep breath and then informed them, "When you return to Magnolia from this visit to the Archives, I will conduct my test."

Silence fell, and the pair stared at him in shock. Lucy's fingers tangled nervously in Happy's fur and Natsu rumbled quietly for a moment. "You will?" breathed Lucy, relieved that they'd be getting further in their quest.

"Don't sound so excited," he said seriously, leveling Lucy with a shockingly cold glare. He looked less like the Loke they'd come to know as of late, and more like the Leo who'd stood at Mard Greer's side. "I've told you before. No one's passed my test, and it was what tore apart Layla and Igneel enough that Layla perished. It will only be your own faults if it does the same to you."

Lucy's stomach churned at the idea, and she was a little surprised when Natsu's fingers suddenly slid into hers. She gripped them tightly, perhaps even tighter than necessary. "We can do it," she said confidently.

Loke didn't look convinced, merely said, "I hope so," and vanished again, tipping himself into a Portal that appeared behind him. When he'd gone, Natsu surprised Lucy further by leaning in and touching his forehead to the side of her head. She flushed, his breath hot on her ear.

"We'll be fine," he practically purred. "We survived Acnologia, right?"

Lucy nodded slowly and said softly back, "I suppose. Come on," she added, "we should go back to the others...Gray will probably start hunting us down soon." She flashed her partner a crooked smile, glancing at him out of the corner of her eye. He merely pouted slightly.

The pout vanished when she rolled her eyes and freed her hand in favor of sliding it along his cheek, winding her fingers in his pink hair. She turned her head and lightly touched her mouth to his, kissing him softly. He purred again, responding by seizing her head between his hands and crushing closer in a fiercer kiss than she'd planned. That blazing, searing warmth flooded her, and Lucy couldn't figure out who it belonged to - nor did she care.

She pulled back with a gasp, needing to breathe - only to find herself suddenly yanking him back to her, her fingers fisted in his scarf. Natsu made a sound akin to a croon.

They would survive all of it, Lucy told herself as he playfully pulled away to exhale smoke in her face. They had to. Lucy wouldn't allow anything else.


Some cute stuff combined with just a kind of calm chapter!

Wasn't sure I'd update again today. I'm getting close to the end of my completed stash (school's taken away my writing time along with my wonderful pup), and ended up wrecking my shoulder by getting thrown from a horse two days ago. But it's better, so here you go. :)

Thanks to reviewers (rao hyuga 18, stranger1999, Kedo, Meow Orbit, Kaisha, Bookwork129, madaraswife, Lavendermoonrose, Kinza, Uchida Akira, nerdalertwarning, polinar, valerioux, Lodemai04, BeautifulSamurai, Alera33, Guest #1, EraticMind, BetaDreamer, SheWhoLeavesCrappyReviews, itsxoi, Sele de la Luna, PersephoneQOTU, and Lissuin!) as well as those who favorited and followed!