Nora walked with her arm resting on her bag, her fist closed around one of the straps, and she gave a small smile as she listened to her newfound friends chatter about the job they were only just returning from.

The Huntress would still not refer to them as her team.

Best not to jinx it.

"That was a great job!" Natsu proclaimed, beaming.

Happy nodded in agreement with the Dragon-Slayer as he flitted above. "The client was really generous, too!"

"And you have me to thank for making such quick work of it," Gray reminded them, his hands stuffed in his pockets.

Nora glanced at Lucy and rolled her eyes, smirking, and both Lucy and one of her spirits—Plue, the 'little dog' companion spirit which Lucy carried in her arms and who honestly reminded Nora more of a snowman with limbs and paws than a dog—looked at her in mutual exasperation.

"What are you talking about?!" Natsu demanded, looking at the ice-mage in frustration. "You just butt-in without asking!"

"I thought it'd be too much for you guys to handle," Gray said smoothly, failing to conceal a smirk.

Natsu immediately got up in his face. "Want me to show you if it's too much or not?!"

"That doesn't even make sense!" Gray protested, looking just as riled up as he prepared to lunge at the Dragon-Slayer.

"Boys, boys—quiet down, please. Nap-time'll start soon, and you can sleep away the cranky," Nora remarked dryly, causing Lucy to giggle.

Gray and Natsu both froze, flushing in the face, and Erza dropped the lead for her cart and stepped between them, placing a hand on each of their chins and pushing them apart. "Enough playing!" She looked at Gray. "Put on some clothes!"

"Huh." Nora blinked, noticing that Gray was just in his shorts and bandages. "I'm not gonna lie, I'm impressed. I didn't even notice."

Lucy squinted. "Me neither." The blonde shook her head, then she sighed and smiled nervously as she stepped forward. "I'm sorry to interrupt, but…" She held up her flyer. "I had originally planned to do this job by myself. Why did you all come along?"

"Isn't that obvious?" Natsu questioned her, placing his hands on his hips.

Lucy blinked. "Obvious?"

"It's 'cause we're the strongest team in Fairy Tail!" Natsu grinned, holding a thumb up.

Gray smirked. "There you have it."

"Hm." Erza merely smiled.

There was that word again.

Team.

Nora looked at Lucy. "... I'm gonna be real. The budget's low this month and Mira asked me to make sure you guys didn't break anything too expensive." The orange-haired girl crossed her arms, grinning. "But I probably would've tagged along, anyway. You guys still owe me a me-dedicated job, after all—so I'm hounding you until then."

"... Well, okay!" Lucy's face lit up as she hugged Plue close and beamed.

"Between me, Happy, Erza, and Underwear, we can pull off any job at all!" Natsu proclaimed proudly. Nora cleared her throat and gestured to Lucy with a sharp jerk of her head. "Oh, yeah! You're pretty strong too, Valky!"

Nora face-palmed and groaned as Gray commented about being called 'Underwear', and Erza crossed her arms. "Yes. We make a most reassuring team."

"Aye!" Happy agreed, raising a paw.

Lucy was—understandably—furious. "What about me?!"

"We're just teasing!" Natsu laughed as the group began walking again. "Don't cry, Oopy!"

"I'm not crying!" Lucy insisted, refusing to look at the Dragon-Slayer. "And I'm not 'Oopy'!"

"My apologies," Erza said, frowning. "I let myself get carried away. I hurt an ally. I will never feel at ease until I make amends… For now, could you please hit me?"

Lucy looked back, blinking. "I'm not sure if it's okay to make a joke or not?"

"Yeah, no." Nora shook her head, her eyes a little wide and an eyebrow raised. "She's being serious… Hey, Erza—buddy? You're in a safe place. Who hurt you?"

Before Erza could choose a response, the group suddenly became aware of the eyes and whispers around them.

All about, the citizens of Magnolia were watching and murmuring.

"Everyone's staring at us for some reason," Gray noted as they kept moving.

Happy shuddered in the air, landing on Nora's right shoulder and curling his tail around her collar. "I get a bad feeling about this."

"Hm." Nora frowned as she reached up and tousled the fur on the blue cat's head, her eyes narrowing. "Me, too."

"They're afraid," Erza realized, then she looked forward and gasped. "What? The guild doesn't look right…"

The rest of the group halted, and Nora raised a hand to form a visor above her eyes and squinted before her eyes widened. "Oh."

"What?" Natsu looked at her, his eyes wide. "Is something happening?!"

"Something happened…" Nora lowered her hand and looked at her friends, stunned. "We need to get there, now!"

Nora took off running with Happy clinging onto her, and Erza dropped the lead for her belongings so that she, Natsu, Gray, and Lucy could follow behind the orange-haired Huntress.

"Nora's getting scary, again..!" Happy whined, but he still held on tight.

Nora made her way through the streets, going up the hill and taking the shortcuts she had memorized until she arrived before the guild-hall, and she froze before it.

…

"We all have to go, now!"

"We're not… leaving..!"

…

Nora took a sharp breath, closing her eyes as she forced the ruins of Beacon out of her brain.

'Not the same, not the same, not the same…' She opened her eyes and looked up at the guild hall and the several massive, iron cylinders which had been forced through the building's roof and walls. They glinted in the sunlight.

"Our guild!" Natsu growled as he arrived and slid to a stop, looking absolutely furious.

The others arrived as well and halted, staring up at the ruined structure. Happy and Lucy gasped, and Gray just froze up where he stood.

Erza's expression was grave. "What on earth happened?"

"Phantom," a soft voice replied, and everyone besides Natsu looked back. Mirajane stood there with a forlorn expression, one hand clasped to her chest as her body trembled.

"Mira." Nora made her way over as Happy leapt off of her shoulder, frowning as she took the white-haired woman's hands. "Are you alright? Are you hurt?"

"I'm fine," Mirajane assured her quietly. "Just rattled, I suppose."

"What did you say?" Natsu looked back, his teeth bared in a scowl. "Did you say Phantom?"

"It's frustrating to admit, but they got us good," Mirajane said, giving a strained smile as she pulled her hands away and stepped back. "Come on. The others are all still here."

Mirajane led the group down into the basement beneath the ruined guild-hall.

Nora could feel the agitation, bitterness, and grief in the air like it was a fog.

"Yo!" A flush-faced Makarov greeted from a storeroom countertop, a mug of ale in his hand as he grinned at them. "Welcome back!"

Nora sighed. "And… he's drunk."

"We have just returned," Erza said with the patience Nora lacked.

"Gramps!" Natsu's eyes narrowed as he raised a fist and clenched it. "How can you be so carefree?!"

"How was it, Lucy?" Makarov drawled, like he had not even heard Natsu speak. "Did the job go well?"

"Uh…" Lucy seemed hesitant to respond to the inebriated man. "Yes…"

"Master." Erza's eyes narrowed. "Do you understand the current situation?"

"The guild's been demolished!" Natsu insisted, gesturing back over his shoulder.

"Now, now!" Makarov waved their concerns off with a drunken laugh. "It's hardly worth fussing over!" The rest of the group reacted in shock, but Nora was seeing red. "Phantom, huh? Is that the best those fools can do?"

"Is this the best you can do?" Nora demanded, and Makarov blinked. "Your guild needs a master right now, not a giggling drunk." The girl crossed her arms, fuming, then she freed one arm and gestured around the room. "Can't you see that, or is this really your first instinct when a big problem shows up?"

"Hmph." Makarov set his mug down and nudged it with his hand, wrinkling his nose. "Big problem is relative, Miss Valkyrie… Don't know what Phantom was so happy about, attacking an empty guild-hall like that."

"Empty?" Erza asked, frowning.

Mirajane looked down. "They apparently attacked at night."

"Then, no one was hurt?" Erza looked relieved. "I guess that's one thing to be thankful for."

"There's no point in fretting about people who can only do sneak attacks!" Makarov pressed, picking his mug up again and grinning. "Forget about them!"

Nora bared her teeth and slammed her fist down on the table, getting up in Makarov's face. "Those are the people you worry MOST about! Can't you see that?!" Her eyes narrowed. "What if this was just a warning shot, the clouds gathering before the storm breaks?!"

"Miss Valkyrie-"

"We missed all of the signs back home! You might be missing them, now—and if you don't shape up and start trying to figure this out, this could get worse!" Nora was seething. "I mean, haven't you been thinking about it at all?! Why attack here, now, like this?! Why come at night when they knew no one was home?!" She could feel her fist shaking over the tabletop. "It's a tactic!

Maybe they wanted to decrease morale, maybe they want us to think they're cowards and see if we'll lower our guard, maybe this is them telling us that they can hit us at home whenever they want and we can't stop them!" Nora went back to that night when Qrow had just quit and passed-out on the steps of the Cotta-Arc house. "Did you even think of that, or just start guzzling booze?!"

Nora's body was shaking by the time she was done shouting, and a hand gently grabbed her shoulder and pulled her back. She looked back, still fuming, to see Natsu glowering at the master of Fairy Tail as well.

"Nora's right," he insisted. "I can't agree with what you've said. Igneel taught me not to trust anything that can sneak not to."

Makarov blinked blearily. "Huh…"

The master looked around the guild-hall, and Nora noticed that people were staring at her. The young Huntress blinked, then she looked down awkwardly, only to find another hand resting on her other shoulder.

"We should mount an investigation." Erza gave Nora's shoulder a gentle squeeze. "Find out if this was one of their usual one-off attacks or a part of something bigger. Phantom has never been this bold before, and I don't like it." The knight's face turned grim. "With your permission, this team will go and-"

"Enough of this subject," Makarov said, sitting up straight and setting his ale down. "We'll handle our job requests down here until things are fixed upstairs."

"This is no time for work!" Natsu shouted, removing his hand from Nora's shoulder and facing Makarov with clenched fists.

"Natsu!" Makarov blinked blearily at the angry Dragon-Slayer, still clearly disoriented. "That's enough out of you!"

The old wizard stretched out his hand and went to swing it at what appeared to be Lucy, but Nora activated Magnhild's hammer-form and slammed the flexible limb to the ground before it could land, her eyes narrowed.

Lucy squeaked and backed away as Makarov yelped, and Nora raised an eyebrow. "Poor, drunk excuse for a master says what?"

"What?" Makarov winced, then he sighed and shook his head. "Apologies."

Nora lifted her hammer and hefted it, glaring down at the intoxicated old man. "Next time, I'm keeping it."

"... Gotta go! Nature calls!" Makarov suddenly sprung to his feet and ran off, and Nora let out a low growl as she watched him go.

"Wow, you really get aggressive around drunk people," Gray mused, and Nora blinked before looking up at him. "It's a wonder you haven't killed Cana."

"I have practice." Nora sighed, putting her hammer away, then she crossed her arms and scowled at the floorboards. "And Cana would never try anything like that. Perverted old-" She blinked as she noticed Lucy folding her hands and bowing her head. "Hm?"

"Thank you!"

"Oh, uh…" Nora reached up and rubbed the back of her neck, nodding. "Yeah, sure. Don't mention it." She lowered her hand, giving a small smile and shrugging. "Where I come from, doing that is grounds for getting your face smashed-in. A big chunk of our warriors seem to be women, so-..." Nora shook her head. "Yeah... Misogynists and perverts can kinda… beware."

"Then, how come you haven't killed Gray?" A gesture from Natsu towards the ice-mage had the other boy fuming. "Stripping pervert."

Gray growled. "Why, you little-!"

"Hm!" Mirajane raised her hand to her mouth to stifle a giggle, then she looked at Nora with a fond smile. "It's really nice to know that Erza and I won't have to be the only ones keeping the master in line anymore!"

"Can I help?" Natsu asked eagerly, stepping forward and looking between his two eldest teammates and Mirajane.

Nora looked at the boy fondly. "I adore you. Yes, you can help."

"Awesome! I have a free pass to fight drunk Gramps like Erza, Mirajane, and Nora!" Natsu pumped a fist as Gray shook his head and smiled and Lucy just looked at him with a fond but exasperated grin, then the pink-haired boy frowned and lowered his hand, looking down at the floor. "... How can Gramps be so calm about this?"

"Natsu, the master feels just as frustrated as you do," Mirajane chided him. "But the council forbids physical conflict between guilds."

"But they started it!" Natsu shouted, throwing his hands up in frustration.

Mirajane sighed. "That isn't the issue."

"What, so..?" Nora's eyes narrowed. "They can hit you whenever they want, but you're not allowed to hit back?" Mirajane nodded glumly, and Nora huffed. "That's-..."

"If that is what the master wants…" Erza spoke up hesitantly, her eyes cast down to the floor with frustration brewing within. "Then, so be it."

"But it's not right!" Nora insisted, her fists clenching, and Erza looked at her. "You were with me a few minutes ago! There's got to be more to this!"

Erza sighed, shaking her head. "Sometimes, people are just cruel for the sake of cruelty. This very well could be just a one-off, malicious prank taken further than before."

"And if it isn't?" Nora asked, frowning. "What if something else happens and someone ends up hurt? Erza, we can't ignore this."

"We can't disobey our master." Erza crossed her arms, closing her eyes.

Nora's aqua eyes narrowed. "Even when he's drunk?! You can't tell me you trust his judgement, right now!"

"Nora!" Erza looked up, her eyes narrowed. "I won't have you saying such things."

"... Why?" Nora asked the knight quietly, raising an eyebrow. "Because you don't want to hear it or you wish you were the one saying it? There's a difference between being loyal and being a doormat, Erza, and you've never been a doormat... so what are you doing?"

A pin could have been heard dropping.

Erza looked genuinely taken aback. "Nora, I-"

"I'm not going to watch you all hang just around here, waiting like sitting ducks for things to get worse," Nora insisted, stepping past the knight and walking towards the stairs. "I'm gonna do some digging and try to find out why this happened. Maybe then, anyone who is willing to actually do something about it before people get hurt can help me."

"Nora!" Erza's fists clenched as she stepped forward, and the orange-haired girl looked back with a frown. "You-... You received a direct order from the master! This matter is closed!"

"... No," Nora said quietly. "It's not." The Huntress looked back with a glare. "I'm not letting it close."

"You are a member of Fairy Tail," Erza protested. "You obey the master."

Nora gritted her teeth. "You're a member of Fairy Tail too, and you've been here a whole lot longer than I have, but you and Mira stand up to the master when he's copping feels—so why can't you do it when he's putting everyone on the line?" The Huntress turned back to face the knight. "The last time I blindly took an order from a drunk, he led us into an ambush and my friend got impaled with burning glass. She got better, but still: not a good night."

"Nora..." Erza seemed conflicted again even as her fury did not ebb. "The rules here are different than they were in your homeland. You can't just-"

Nora huffed out a laugh. "Rules?" Her eyes narrowed. "When lives are at stake, the rules can change—but what you know is right and wrong can't change, not ever. I'm going to keep at this because that's what's right, Erza, because that's my job." She gestured to her neck. "You wanted to know who set the trap? Guy by the name of General James Ironwood. I was working for him until he decided to leave thousands of people to die... and when he did that, I broke the rules. I said 'no'."

Erza's eyes widened. "Nora..." She frowned, then she sighed. "So... you were a rebel?"

"I was doing my job," Nora insisted. "My friends and I, my team—we were doing our job..." She looked away. "Some other friends of ours, they stayed with the general... and they said that they were doing it out of loyalty, and following their orders. We had to fight them, to hurt each other when we could have been stopping Ironwood and fighting the bad guys... because they couldn't accept that, sometimes, orders are wrong." The Huntress glanced back at Erza. "So… yeah.

I think I'm just gonna file what Master Mak's been saying underneath 'impaired judgment' and do what my friends would have done, do what I always would have done and will do... I'm gonna do what I think is right instead of just doing what I've been told to do." Nora turned back to face the rest of the guild, shrugging her shoulders and holding her arms up from her sides as she raised her eyebrows. "Thought that was the idea, Fairy Tail, but maybe I missed the fine print."

With that, Nora turned and vanished up the stairs, leaving her comrades in shocked silence.

Once Nora was gone, Mirajane watched warily as Natsu looked at Erza, then at the stairs, then back at Erza, then back at the stairs.

"... Can I be Nora when I grow up, please?" He finally asked, his eyes alight.

Lucy was paralyzed in terror. "What was she thinking..?" She glanced at Erza, swallowing thickly. "Please, stay calm..."

Erza's eyes were wide as she gazed at the stairs, her expression otherwise a hollow mask.

"... She was thinking like a Fairy Tail wizard," Gray decided, frowning. "And she's one of our rookies."

"That's because she's a real man," Elfman grumbled, crossing his arms. "No one thinks we should just be sitting here and doing nothing. This whole thing stinks."

Happy frowned. "Nora was scary..." He landed on a table and curled his tail around his paws. "Does she always get like that when she's scared?"

"Hm." Mirajane glanced down at the little cat, then she sighed and crossed her arms. "She worries me... but her heart is always in the right place."

"Sounds like it," Loke agreed. "I'd heard she had been up against some commanding officer before, but he was actually her boss at one point and she turned on him to save all those people?" He gave a small smile, looking down. "She's a wild one, that's for sure."

Erza had bowed her head, her eyes narrowing and her fists clenching at her sides. "Following orders... when they are wrong..."

"Half the shit she says, I have to be like 'I'll drink to that'," Cana joked, raising a bottle and trying to lighten spirits.

Laki glanced at her. "You would imbibe for any occasion."

"Hey!"

"I don't know where we got Valkyrie, but we should see if they can loan us fifty more," Macao remarked. "Maybe Phantom would tuck tail. She may not have a lot as far as power goes, but she's got spirit and she makes pink look scary."

"I make pink look scary!" Natsu protested, then he pointed at Lucy. "And so does her gorilla."

Lucy sighed, closing her eyes and smiling in embarrassment. "For the last time, Virgo isn't a gorilla."

"You alright, Big Sis?" Elfman asked, and Mirajane jumped a bit as she was jolted from a daze before she looked up, finding her younger brother standing beside her. "It doesn't look like Erza's gonna be hunting Nora for sport, any time soon. I think we're okay."

"Hm." Mirajane looked down, crossing her arms. "I know. I just... worry."

"I know," Elfman told her. "But you worry me. I mean... the other day, when you leapt into the ring-"

Mirajane closed her eyes. "I know. That was careless, and Nora clearly had it-" She took a deep breath. "But I was just standing there... and she was just standing there... and I saw her, that night when we brought her inside..." She bit her lower lip, and then she let it go. "A-And then, I was kneeling on the ground... just as helpless... and she was standing there..."

"I know." Elfman pulled Mirajane into a one-armed hug, tucking his elder sister against his side. "You were very brave, Mirajane, trying to protect her like that... but you could've gotten hurt, y'know?"

"I know." Mirajane opened her eyes, wiping them with her arm. "And Nora just ended up standing there anyway... It all happened so fast, before I even knew it, and she was there and she was smiling and asking if I was alright... She's not the same, none of it is the same, so why am I reminded of-..? Of-..?"

"I am, too," Elfman confessed, and Mirajane looked up at her brother. "And honestly, if you hadn't done what you did... I probably would have. I don't like it, how she keeps getting pushed into using that power." He looked away. "We both saw... Lisanna... when Nora was about to be hit. You've just... always been faster, even when you didn't plan to be."

"Hm." Mirajane looked down, then she wrapped her arm around her brother's back to return the one-armed hug. "I suppose that some things don't ever change, hm?"

"Heh." Elfman closed his eyes and bowed his head, grinning tiredly. "I guess not, Big Sis."

"Master," a voice spoke, and the Strauss siblings looked up. Erza's expression was near-blank as she faced Makarov, who has just shuffled back into the room while gripping the hand Nora had smashed. "... We have the necessary potions." The knight's eyes narrowed. "Retrieve them... and sober-up."

Makarov blinked. "Huh?"

"You heard me." Erza marched over and glared down at the master of Fairy Tail. "Look at you, inebriated and acting like a child when those you call your children require guidance." The knight took a deep breath. "If you will not lead this guild, then I will... Sober-up, or stop handing down commands when your mind is so compromised. You are not helping anyone in your condition, and I will not allow you to bring harm."

That hush returned as all eyes widened, the rest of the inhabitants of the guild-hall staring at Erza in awe.

The knight did not back down as Makarov regarded her in confusion. "Erza?"

"Master," Erza replied curtly. "I shall not repeat myself. The ultimatum has been served..." Her expression darkened. "What is your decision? Will you get your priorities straight or get out of the way?"

Mirajane raised a hand to her mouth, astonished, then she watched Makarov's face fall into an expression of guilt and began to smile.

If only Nora had been able to see the power her words could hold... Maybe she would not fret so much about magic.

Nora looked at the iron cylinders piercing the guild hall, her eyes narrowed as she carefully ran her hand down the metal.

"Okay…" She murmured under her breath, coming to the end of the one she was examining and kneeling before it. She noticed the faintest etching of a glyph still visible in the metal and smirked. "Gotcha." Nora sat down cross-legged in the rubble and drew her notebook, and she began sketching-out the glyph. "If I show her, I bet Levy can figure you out easily enough. Once we know what kind of wizard you are, we'll probably be able to figure out which member of Phantom attacked-"

"And possibly discover his motives," a voice mused, and Nora looked back at its source with narrowed eyes. "So that we can decide if he will strike us again." Makarov stood there with a glass of some strange substance in one hand, his other hand wrapped-up with an ice-pack. "A very clever strategy, Miss Valkyrie."

"Hm." Nora looked back at the glyph and kept sketching it. "Someone has to be using their brain. I might not be good at it, but it looks like I'll have to be good enough."

"I see." Makarov walked over and grabbed Nora's wrist, but she tore her hand away and glared at him. He held up his drink, sighing. "A concoction provided by an old friend. I'm sobering up... I'll deliver my personal apologies to Lucy as soon as I'm done apologizing to you." At that, Nora blinked in surprise, and Makarov gestured to her hand. "It will be difficult to draw such a complex symbol while your hands are shaking so, Miss Valkyrie."

"Huh?" Nora looked down at her hands, and she noticed how they were trembling.

Makarov sighed, then he looked up at Nora with a frown. "I should have realized, my child, how much this would affect you. I'm… so sorry, for my behavior." Nora looked up at him, and she could see the shame in the old man's eyes and face. "The world you come from is beyond this old man's imagination. Here, the Magic Council keeps inter-guild conflicts at bay and death-... Death in battle is uncommon… but you've been fighting for your life all your life, haven't you?" Nora slowly nodded, and Makarov sighed again. "... How old?"

"... I faced my first Grimm when I was six," Nora admitted, then she shrugged. "I think. I wasn't really in a place where I'd be able to check a calendar." She looked down. "It was a fluke, really. I really should have died, that day."

'And that might have been the idea, when she left me...' Nora thought, then she shook her head. 'Stop it.'

"Um." Nora swallowed thickly. "Cra~zy Thursday… But I've been fighting ever since. It got worse in the last three years."

Makarov nodded. "The war."

"It was pretty much all sneaking, all secret," Nora said softly. "Panic summoned the Grimm. We were on our own." She closed her eyes and bowed her head, letting her bangs fall to hang in her face. "We eventually told everyone the truth to try and bring them together, but… it didn't work out like we planned." Nora looked at Makarov, frowning. "But don't you see? Beacon, Haven, Atlas… It all happened because we lowered our guard, and they came out of the shadows and hit us hard." The girl shook her head. "I can't let it happen again."

"I know," Makarov told her gently. "And I won't let it happen, Miss Valkyrie." He reached up and patted her arm twice before standing. "Tonight, I'm having everyone stay in a selected house as a group. No one will be alone in their home after dark." The master looked at her, smiling. "I know you stay in the dorms, but I would ask that you go with Erza, Gray, Happy, and Natsu to stay with Lucy. Make sure they don't break anything." He snorted, then he calmed. "Is that agreeable, my dear girl?"

"... Yeah." Nora smiled, nodding.

Makarov chuckled, turning away. "Good." He glanced back over his shoulder. "By the way, these columns... They are the work of a Phantom mage known as Gajeel Redfox, but I would advise that you steer clear of him." His eyes narrowed. "He is incredibly dangerous, and he has an appetite for metal."

"Appetite?" Nora blinked, then she glanced at her weapon and armored bands before looking up at Makarov and nodding. "Yeah, okay. Message received."

Makarov hummed, smiling warmly. "Now, go and get some rest. You've just come back from a job, and you already challenged your master and She Who Knows No Mercy. It's been a busy day, Miss Valkyrie."

"Heh." Nora stood up, putting her notebook away. "Yeah… I guess it has."

The young Huntress walked out of the Fairy Tail guild-hall side-by-side with the master, feeling a bit lighter.

/\

Based on Lucy's reaction when she entered her apartment, Makarov had failed to mention the sleeping arrangements to her when he delivered his apology. Nora just sat back and listened with crossed-arms and a grin as all was explained, shaking her head.

The Huntress really adored these magical dorks.

Nora stayed still, sitting in a corner and watching with a raised eyebrow as Lucy frantically tried to defend her apartment from invasions of privacy and liberties being taken. Honestly, the girl could have never survived a dorm.

"Huh?" Lucy blinked, finally seeming to notice Nora after Erza had dragged Natsu and Gray into the bathroom. "Oh. I didn't even notice you were here, Nora."

"Master Mak sent me to-"

"Minimize damage?"

"Yeah. Sorry, but they were just snooping and not breaking anything, so I kinda just sat back and watched the chaos."

"Hm." Lucy smiled softly. "I suppose we should be thankful for the little things." She raised an eyebrow. "Why are you on the floor? Natsu seems to prefer hard surfaces, but I can find you a chair to sit on if-"

"I'm fine," Nora assured her. "I'm used to hard surfaces, so don't sweat it."

Lucy sat down in front of Nora, humming. "You talk about your home a lot, but I still don't really know too much about it or you. So..." She tilted her head. "Why are you used to hard surfaces, Nora? They can't be comfortable."

"I did a LOT of camping," Nora replied, deciding to leave it at that.

Gray and Natsu screeched as they escaped the bathroom and hid behind Lucy, and Erza peeked out after them in annoyance before merely shrugging. "Fine, then. I guess that I just get to go first."

After Erza and Lucy had bathed, Nora sat back as Erza explained more of the situation with Phantom Lord to Lucy, listening carefully.

According to Erza, war with Phantom Lord had to be avoided because it would mean the mutual destruction of both wizard guilds. Phantom Lord possessed greater numbers, their Master Jose was a 'Wizard Saint' like Master Makarov and thus of a similar power level, and they possessed four S-Class wizards known as the Element Four as well as their very own Dragon-Slayer: the Iron Dragon-Slayer, Black Steel Gajeel.

It was this Gajeel who had supposedly attacked the Fairy Tail guild hall, Erza told the others, and Nora glanced over at Natsu with a frown. She tried to imagine an evil version of that pink-haired boy that ate metal and shot it from his hands, and she shook her head and sighed.

Trying to imagine a kid like Natsu being evil hurt her head, so she gave up… but that couldn't mean she couldn't have some fun.

"So… you're saying that a metal-head Natsu going through his emo phase and swallowing spare change attacked an empty building?" Nora asked, raising an eyebrow. "Wow. Tremble in fear before 'Black Steel Gajeel'."

Gray actually wheezed, and Erza huffed out a soft laugh before recomposing herself. "Nora, please: we're being serious. He's very threatening, and we must be very careful."

"... Who even comes up with names like that, anyway?" Nora went on, then she forced herself to go cross-eyed. "Yeah, Black Steel Gajeel! That's what they call me! Let me just take a bite out of my tin can sandwich!"

Natsu had lightened up and started to snicker, which made Nora smile.

"Hm." Erza smiled, shaking her head. "I do suppose it is funny to imagine someone eating metal all day."

"... Goat," Nora said just as Lucy took a sip of some tea, and the blonde spat the drink out everywhere, her eyes wide.

Gray, Natsu, and Happy howled with laughter as Lucy whined and Erza raised a hand to her mouth to conceal a smile.

Nora sat back and crossed her arms, sighing quietly in content.

Yeah, she was in trouble. These magical dorks had grown on her, and it felt like home when she was with them... like she had a team...

But she still could not use that word.

Team.

Nora sighed as she wrapped a pink bathrobe around her body and tied it shut. Unlike other members of the group, she actually asked for Lucy's permission before doing anything in her apartment and got some flower-scented soap and the use of a robe out of the deal.

Nora brushed her short, sopping orange hair out in front of the foggy mirror and smiled lightly as she placed her clip back into the wet tresses, then she closed her eyes. It really had been a long... life, really. But maybe now, things could get a little better.

"Pardon," a voice spoke, and Nora yelped before spinning and throwing a punch which the intruder caught with their hand. All the same, the punch moved the hand back and pressed it against the wall, and Erza regarded this—likely having used this as another opportunity to gage strength—before looking at Nora with a glint in her eyes. "You truly are quite strong, aren't you?"

"Erza?" Nora blinked, then she deadpanned. "I guess it would be pointless to ask at this point if you believe in privacy."

"Hm." Erza produced a light grin. "I've only just come in. You seemed to lose yourself at just the wrong time." Nora sighed, pulling her fist back, and Erza crossed her arms. "I wanted to speak to you alone, about earlier?"

"Hm?" Nora blinked, then she winced. "Oh… Right. I smacked the master around, snapped at him, and snapped at you in front of the whole guild… That's an Erza yikes, right?"

Erza hummed, then she crossed her arms and looked down. "... Nora, if I am being honest, I do not know what to think of you. Your arrival is a mystery, as is your behavior." The knight looked up. "You don't look it, but you act as though the veteran of truly terrible things… You watch over everyone, like you expect the monsters of their nightmares to come alive and sweep them off in the night." Nora blinked, then she looked away. "... You were right, today.

Our master was out of line in more ways than one, and he realized that in a large part because you were willing to stand up to him and... reminded me that I should always be willing to do the same. You were right, there-..." Erza took a deep breath. "There is a difference between loyalty and blind obedience... I must always remember to do what is right, not simply what I am told. If I always just did as I was told, then... nothing will have changed."

"Erza?" Nora questioned her, a little concerned.

Erza blinked, then she hummed and looked away. "Apologies." She looked back at Nora. "... I fall into old habits sometimes, being at the guild. I don't know where it comes from, just... sitting back and taking the master's orders, even when they are wrong as they were today. I should have continued to protest. You... shouldn't have had to remind me." She nodded. "You have my thanks, for what you said—not my ire."

"Oh." Nora blinked again, then she hummed and looked away. "Gonna be honest, I... can't picture you taking orders from anyone, Erza. Today was... pretty weird."

"You would be surprised." Erza's voice was soft. "And I was quite surprised. I have been trying to pinpoint your previous occupation, but... I never imagined a soldier, let alone one who rebelled."

Nora huffed out a weak laugh. "I wasn't really a soldier-soldier, it was... more of a partnership, I guess?" She frowned. "We were working with a team of Ironwood's specialists, the guys who reported directly to him. We were their trainees, and... we left, when his priorities changed."

"Hm." Erza seemed pensive. "That was very noble of you, Nora. Your conviction is a powerful thing, and... understanding that... I realize now why you are so determined to see us through this. You are odd, but you have a strong sense of honor and justice which I feel was forged in fire."

"Hm." Nora looked up at Erza, shaking her head and giving a weak grin. "You really don't know the half of it."

Erza just looked at Nora, then she reached up with an odd amount of care and hesitantly moved a bit of the robe aside so that she could see more of the electrical scars dancing across Nora's chest and collar. "I don't, do I?" Erza moved the robe back, then she raised a hand to her eye. "This is false." Nora blinked, surprised. "I lost the real one years ago." The knight looked away. "I was protecting a friend."

"... So was I," Nora reminded the knight, pulling the robe down a bit to show her scars again, and Erza looked back at her with an unreadable expression.

Then, the knight produced a warm smile. "It appears we have come to understand each other a bit better as comrades today, Nora."

"Yeah," the Huntress agreed, smiling back as she raised her robe again. "I guess so."

/\/\/\/\

The next morning, a horrified Magnolia citizen who knew that Lucy was a member of Fairy Tail came to the door and the group found themselves being led to the South Gate Park.

At the center of the park stood a massive tree, where three battered figures had been pinned to the bark as though crucified.

"Pardon us. Please, let us through," Erza instructed as the group made their way through the crowd of civilians. "We're guild-members."

Nora gripped her satchel, having recognized the blue shock of hair worn by the center figure and taken a sharp breath just as Lucy, Happy, and Gray had gasped. Erza, though wide-eyed, kept herself composed.

Natsu looked ready to burn the world to ash as he gazed at the mark painted on Levy's stomach; the blue-haired girl was hung between her two teammates, and all of them were unconscious with their clothes in tatters.

"Levy!" Lucy cried out.

Gray stepped forward. "Jet! Droy!"

None of them responded.

"Phantom!" Natsu seethed, his fists clenched at his sides as a shadow fell over his face.

The message had been received.

"You were right, Nora," Erza murmured, and the Huntress closed her eyes. "I don't know how, but you were absolutely right… This is only the beginning."

…

:This is not a tragedy. This was not an accident.:

…

Nora opened her eyes as she took a shuddering breath, and a hand grabbed her shoulder. She looked back, seeing Erza eyeing her with no small amount of concern, and Nora just bit her lower lip and shook her head.

Erza just looked at her for another moment, then she nodded without saying a word. She seemed to understand the wordless plea.

The knight dropped her hand back to her side as gasps rang out behind the group, and Nora heard soft footsteps behind them as Erza took her own deep breath. "Master…"

"... Having our pub demolished was one thing," Makarov said quietly, his eyes resting upon the forms of the three young wizards in the tree as Nora looked down at him. He was wearing a white and golden coat with a blue emblem on the back, and his staff was gripped in his hand. "But no one can remain quiet after seeing their children's blood!" Makarov clenched his fist, and his staff shattered into splinters as his eyes narrowed and a powerful golden light surrounded his body. "This means war!"

Nora cringed, then she closed her eyes and took a deep breath before opening them again and frowning.

She was the one who pushed for action to be taken. Now, she was getting what she asked for... at much too high a cost.

/\

It was quiet as everyone prepared for the attack on Phantom Lord.

Nora had gone to the multiplication mage Makarov had recommended to get her ammunition and Dust multiplied, so her purse was well-stocked and Magnhild was prepped with enough firepower to take down a couple of Death-Stalkers with little problem.

"Ready to kick some tail for Fairy Tail, Valky?" Natsu asked, grinning as he watched Nora place her weapon on her back.

The Huntress looked up at the Fire Dragon-Slayer with a light grin. "Don't know. You gonna save anyone for me?" She winked. "Do me a solid, one pinkie to another?"

"Who told you about that?!" Natsu asked, instinctively raising a hand to his hair. "I make pink scary!"

Nora blinked. "Wait, what? I was just talking about how you've got the pink hair and I've got the pink name and-" She raised an eyebrow. "Scary?"

"You didn't hear that." Natsu pointed at Nora threateningly, and she snorted. "Valky!"

"Just teasing!" Nora chirped, then she giggled as Natsu crossed his arms and huffed. "Hey, come on: I'll make it up to you!" Nora drew one of her fire-Dust crystals and held it up, grinning. "Wanna get fired-up before the big fight?"

Natsu glanced at her, an eyebrow raised. "... Maybe."

When Nora bobbed her eyebrows up and down a few times, Natsu snickered, then he exhaled and—as Nora pumped her aura into the crystal and caused it to ignite—quickly inhaled to take in the fire before it could cause any damage.

The pink-haired boy grinned, patting his stomach. "Thanks for the meal!" He opened his eyes and looked at the Huntress, smiling. "And just for... y'know... keeping it all together and keeping folks from getting low, I guess. Glad you're here."

"Me, too," Nora said, crossing her arms and smiling back.

Natsu tilted his head. "You, uh... You've been in a war before, right?" When Nora hesitantly nodded, Natsu frowned. "Any advice?"

"... Don't go off on your own," Nora replied, and Natsu blinked. "Always have someone else with you. We keep each other safe, okay?"

"Yeah." Natsu nodded, frowning. "I getcha, Valky." He held up a hand, and Nora clasped it. "You be careful, okay? Stay close to everyone."

Nora grinned. "Gotta follow my own advice, right?"

"Heh." Natsu grinned back. "Right." He released her hand. "Besides, we're teammates now! We gotta stick together!"

Nora smiled for him, she did. She had to, because she could not bring herself to take the light from his eyes or the smile from his face before they marched off to war.

Still, her stomach twisted itself into knots.

Team.

"Miss Valkyrie, a word," a voice spoke, and Nora looked back with a raised eyebrow. Makarov was standing a small distance away, and Nora waved to Natsu before she quickly turned and walked over to face Fairy Tail's master. "My girl… I want you to stay here with Lucy and watch over Team Shadow Gear while the rest of us go to Oak Town."

"What?" Nora blinked, then her eyes narrowed slightly. "Why?"

"One of your guild-mates has expressed some concern," Makarov admitted. "And knowing your history, I agree. I feel it is too soon to throw you back into a war."

"I fought on Galuna Island," Nora reminded him, gesturing to where she knew Erza and Gray were getting ready to go. Natsu had gone over to join them. "And I've been fighting ever since—just ask them, they can vouch for me! I can do this!"

"Perhaps," Makarov agreed. "But you told us to fear those who sneak." Nora blinked. "Miss Valkyrie, I need you here—watching over Lucy and our injured friends." He raised an eyebrow. "Can I depend on your strength as a Huntress to see them through until I return?"

"... Alright," Nora relented, nodding, then she crossed her arms and huffed. "But tell Erza that I'm gonna have to talk to her about all this once she gets back."

"Erza?" Makarov asked, and Nora looked down at him in confusion. "It was actually Mirajane who suggested this."

"Mira?" Nora blinked, then she looked over at where Erza was again. The knight looked over at her, an eyebrow raised, and Nora looked down at Makarov again. "Oh." Her expression softened. "Hm... Should've figured. Good ol' Mira."

"Hm." Makarov shook his head. "If Erza knew what you had been through, Miss Valkyrie, I doubt she would worry as Mirajane and I do. That girl is made of stronger things, forged in fire and pain… If she knew, I have no doubts that she would only respect you all the more for how you endured, and—if you insisted that you were ready to her as you do to me—she would likely not hesitate to toss you back into the fire to see if you would shine."

With that, the master of Fairy Tail left Nora standing there as he turned and walked off to join the others in their preparations for battle.

The Huntress glanced over at Natsu, Gray, and Erza again, reaching up with one hand to rub the opposite arm, and they looked over and noticed her expression.

Nora quickly smiled again, hoping that there was no strain in her face... not before they went off to fight in a war and left her behind.

/\

Nora sat across the room from Lucy at the Magnolia Hospital, her arms crossed as she kept her eyes and ears open. She had chosen a spot from which she could watch the door, the window, and the four wizards with care.

"Jet… Droy… Levy…" Lucy murmured as she watched over the wounded team, then she looked out the window and at the guild hall. "Phantom really does horrible things." Her eyes narrowed and filled with tears as her fists clenched in her lap. "They're… unforgivable."

"Kinda makes you wonder what choices the people made and what lives they lived to end up in that guild," Nora noted, and Lucy looked over at her in surprise. "Because they are still that, you know? People?" She looked up at Lucy. "If you refer to it as a single thing, Phantom, it'll become easy for you to imagine some big monster that the others have gone to slay or something… rather than a bunch of people who have gone down a really bad road."

"Huh." Lucy blinked, then she looked down with a frown. "I guess you're right." She looked at Nora again. "Have you ever seen something like this before, then? I mean-..."

"Before Fairy Tail?" Nora looked up. "Yeah, I think so." She looked down. "The... city... I was attending school in, Vale, was attacked to raise tensions between some of the big powers back home. Then, a friend of mine, Penny, was... really hurt." The Huntress raised her eyes to look at Lucy again, frowning. "What happened next… They called it the Battle of Beacon, and a lot of people were hurt or killed. My friend Blake was stabbed, my friend Yang lost her arm, my partner Ren and I both got some broken ribs, and our friend Ruby was sent into a coma… and our other friend, Pyrrha, died."

Lucy's eyes widened. "Nora…"

"Yeah." The Huntress looked down, then she closed her eyes. "Pyrrha was-..." She opened her eyes again. "Hm… Pyrrha was a bit like Erza, I guess? She had earned the reputation of 'the Invincible Girl'—and boy, we believed it. She was our strongest teammate, and it wasn't hard to see why." Nora chuckled softly. "I was stronger and Ren was faster and more agile, and Jaune had the strategy… but Pyrrha had the skill, and she was like lightning in a fight.

I mean, you didn't even see her coming until she was gone and you were in the dust." The Huntress looked up, grinning. "She had the ability to control magnetism, so any metal was vulnerable to this girl. Seriously, how do you even fight that?" Her face fell. "Well… I guess it's if you fight with glass." She looked away. "The battle was mostly over, but... two of my teammate were missing, and... only one ever came back. Pyrrha went down with the school."

"... I'm sorry, Nora." Lucy shook her head, her expression forlorn.

Nora sighed, folding her hands in her lap. "It's been a few years, but… I still miss her. She was the first real friend I ever had who was -well- a girl, and she took so much in stride." The orange-haired girl closed her eyes. "She was kind and patient and forgiving, a little shy and awkward and she didn't always know her own strength. She cared about everyone, and she was brave, loyal, and willing to risk it all if it meant doing what she felt was right…

She was incredible, and I hope I'm doing right by her." Nora opened her eyes and looked up at Lucy. "... The bad guys who took her away were sneaky, and they got into our school and our city and-... And just when we thought we were safe, they struck." The young Huntress shook her head. "That's why I couldn't stand the idea of it happening again… but I still lowered my guard, didn't I? I let the bad things happen, even though I knew better."

"You couldn't have stopped this," Lucy insisted, frowning. "You're only human, Nora, and you already do so much." She folded her hands, then she sighed. "Not like me. I think that the others actually respect you."

"You're joking, right?" Nora raised an eyebrow, and Lucy blinked. "Lu, I couldn't dream of doing half of the things you can do. For one thing, I can't figure out how you're accurate with a whip—I would probably take my eye out." Lucy gave a quiet laugh. "Also, summoning spirits? That's incredible, Lucy!"

"Hm." Lucy gave a small smile. "You really think so?"

"Duh!" Nora leaned forward, her eyes wide. "Spirits from another world?! That's amazing!" She pointed at the celestial-mage. "And you still owe me an explanation, y'know? Don't think I forgot!"

"Ha!" Lucy clapped her hands over her mouth, beaming, then she lowered her hands and nodded. "Okay... What do you want to know?"

Nora's eyes shone. "Everything."

"Really?" Lucy seemed uncertain, then she drew her key-ring. "Well... the keys are divided into two classes: silver and gold. The silver-key Celestial Spirits I have contracted so far are the Little Dog Plue, the Compass Pyxis, the Clock Horologium, the Harp Lyra, and the Southern Cross Crux." She showed Nora each key as she spoke. "The gold keys—the Zodiac keys—are much more rare and powerful, as there are only twelve of them in the whole world.

I'm lucky enough to have contracted the Water-Bearer Aquarius, the Golden Bull Taurus, the Giant Crab Cancer, the Maiden Virgo, and now..." She patted one of her pockets, smiling fondly. "The Archer Sagittarius. When I summon a spirit for the first time, we work out our contracts—our terms, you know? When I can summon them, what our working relationship will be like, what each of us will expect of the other and stuff like that."

"So... one spirit might tell you that you can only summon them on Thursdays," Nora offered, waving her hand a bit as she tried to find the right words. "And you might say, 'okay, but when I do summon you, I'm in serious trouble—so make sure that you-'-..?"

Lucy nodded, grinning. "Yes, that's how it is. And my spirits will remain contracted to me until I either break the contract or pass away, at which point they will return to the Celestial Spirit World until a new contract is formed."

"Huh." Nora nodded in understanding. "That's really cool, Lucy. What all can your spirits do?"

"Oh!" Lucy started going through her ring, practically glowing. "You've seen that Plue is a companion, that Horologium can offer time and shelter, and that Lyra reads hearts for her music, and you can probably guess what Pyxis does." The two girls giggled, then Lucy held up a key. "Grampa Crux here is good at finding information. I can ask him questions, and he'll look for the answers for me using his magic. His specialty is Celestial Spirits and their contract-holders."

Nora leaned forward, intrigued. "Cool." Kinda like the Relic of Knowledge; not as perfect, but able to come around and help out more-often. "So, are most silver-key spirits are better at helping you out with with utility jobs while gold-key spirits are your fighters?"

"There are silver-key spirits that fight," Lucy informed Nora. "But as far as my contracts are concerned, my Zodiac keys are my best bet in battle." She held one up, beaming. "This is Aquarius, and she was my first. She can only be summoned from water, but her power makes up for that drawback. She can create and control water to wash my enemies away, though... she does have a bad habit of getting me caught up in the tide."

"Heh." Nora grinned. "So, what? Do you carry a water-bottle around so that you can call her whenever?"

Lucy blinked. "... Huh?"

Nora blinked. "Do you... carry a water-bottle around... so that you can call her whenever? You said you need water, right?"

"... I need to start carrying a water-bottle around," Lucy said softly, her face flushing.

Nora nodded, doing her best not to laugh. "Yeah, that's a good idea."

Both girls giggled, then Lucy shook her head. "Oh, thank God you're the only one here. Natsu, Happy, and Gray would have never let me live that one down..."

"Yep, but every time you use that water-bottle, you're just gonna remember how I didn't tell anyone and just think..." Nora smiled deviously. "I could have."

"Nora!" Lucy complained through laughter, and Nora snorted. "Okay, next spirit!" She held up another key. "This is Taurus. He's physically the strongest, and he carries a massive axe with him. He's my best when it comes to prolonged combat, though... he can be easily distracted, and he's a bit of a flirt."

Nora's eyebrow shot up. "Ohhhkay?"

"Quit it." Lucy rolled her eyes, then she held up her next key. "This is Cancer, and he carries a pair of scissors. He's incredibly fast, he can cut through pretty much anything, and he likes to win through public humiliation." She reached up and ran a hand through her blonde locks, grinning. "But his skills with hair can be used for good."

Nora snickered. "I'll take your word for it."

"This is Virgo." Lucy held up the next key. "You might've caught a glimpse of her and her work back on Galuna Island. She's very strong and good at digging, so she's good for getting people out of bad situations and setting traps." She looked away, laughing awkwardly. "She just has a... weird sense of humor, and she's -well- kind of a... masochist." She looked back at Nora, raising her hands. "But very kind, very sweet!"

Nora chuckled. "Lucy, all of your spirits sound great. I can tell you're good friends."

"Huh?" Lucy blinked, then she lowered her hands and beamed. "Hm. Thanks, Nora. I... really appreciate you listening to all of this, like you're... really interested."

"That's 'cause I am," Nora insisted. "Lucy, back where I'm from, very few people used magic. Here in Fiore, everything is so new to me and amazing—and seriously, what you do is incredible!" She held her hands up. "You have FIVE out of the ONLY TWELVE Zodiac keys in the whole world?! You've gotta be -like- the COOLEST celestial-mage EVER!"

Lucy's face flushed crimson, then she bowed her head as she put her keys away before looking up at Nora with a sheepish grin. "You really think that?"

"Duh!" Nora exclaimed, then she yelped as she was knocked out of her chair when Lucy darted over and tackled her in a hug. "Oh, so that's how it feels..!" Nora sighed, closing her eyes, then she giggled and hugged Lucy back. "Hm!"

"Heh!" Lucy pulled away and kneeled on the ground, helping Nora sit up. "Sorry! It's just... a really nice change!"

"Guess so!" Nora joked, then she stood and offered two hands which Lucy accepted, the Huntress helping the celestial-mage to her feet.

Lucy looked down at Nora, grinning. "I'm really glad you're on the team, Nora. You just have this... way with people, like you can always find a way to understand."

"I've been around," Nora said, shrugging. "You see a lot, learn a lot, smash a lot with a big hammer-"

Lucy snorted. "Never change." Her expression softened as she glanced back at Levy, Jet, and Droy. "Hm... Team Shadow Gear will be waking up, soon. I think I'm gonna go get some groceries, so I can cook up some non-hospital-food for them... and anyone else who gets hurt..."

"Not alone, you're not," Nora decided, placing her hands on her hips.

"I can take care of myself," Lucy reminded the Huntress, then she gestured to their injured guild-mates. "And someone needs to watch after them."

"... No." Nora shook her head. "If Phantom wanted them dead, they would have killed them and hung bodies in the tree. Besides, attacking a hospital? The authorities wouldn't be able to brush that off." Nora would have to ask Mirajane about what shape the authorities even took, in Fiore. "We go together." When Lucy still seemed hesitant, Nora sighed. "Please?"

"Hm." Lucy glanced down, then she looked up at Nora with a light smile and nodded. "Okay. We can carry more if there's two of us, anyway."

"Thank you." Nora grinned, then she winked. "I'm actually a decent cook, anyway—and low-budget, too. I can show you a thing or two."

Lucy laughed. "Alright! Sounds like a plan!"

/\

Lucy and Nora walked down the street together some time later, each of them with a bag of groceries in their arms.

"So, you can actually make your own noodles?" Lucy was asking the Huntress, awed. "You don't just use a box or packet?"

"Only when money's real short," Nora told her. "Ren never liked pre-made noodles much, and he's the one who taught me this stuff."

"Hm!" Lucy nudged Nora, grinning. "Hey, look! I'm learning more about you, just like that!" She tilted her head. "Ren... You mentioned him, earlier. Your partner, right?"

"Yep," Nora replied quietly, looking away with an awkward grin. "He and I, we were friends since we were seven and he... just sort found me, when I needed him most. Since then, we only ever really had each other until we made it to school. And even then... Ren was special."

"Sounds like something out of a fairytale," Lucy mused, then she smiled excitedly. "Ooh! Was it?" She blinked, then she became confused. "And... where is he?" Before Nora could even try to address that, it suddenly began pouring rain, and Lucy looked up at the sky. "What? Raining with the sun out?"

Nora shrugged, looking up as well. "Just means there'll be a rainbow."

"You're not at all bothered?" Lucy asked, regarding the orange-haired girl with a raised eyebrow.

Nora looked at her companion with a grin. "I love storms."

"You're weird," Lucy said, but she started to smile. Then, the two heard footsteps and looked forward to see a peculiar figure approaching in the empty street. "Huh? Who are you?!

"Drip, drop," the blue-haired woman remarked, her clothes blue as well and her dull blue eyes staring straight forward. "Yes. Juvia is a rain woman. Drip, drop."

"Huh?" Lucy blinked, confused.

Nora raised an eyebrow. "Hm."

"What kind of women are you?" The woman asked them, not halting her stride.

Nora hesitated, then she placed a hand on her bag. "I'm… more of a storm woman, I guess. Always loved thunder and lightning."

"Hm." The blue-haired woman nodded in acceptance of this answer. "Hello, little storm woman. Drip, drop."

"Who are you?" Lucy questioned the stranger as she curled around the groceries, alarmed.

The rain woman—Juvia—merely walked past without answering. "Drip, drop."

"She said her name was Juvia and that she was a rain woman," Nora reminded her friend, who looked at her in annoyance. "What? I can pay attention sometimes."

Lucy huffed, then she looked after the stranger with a frown. "What was that about?"

"That was enjoyable," Juvia said without looking back, putting up a pink umbrella covered in hearts. "Take care."

Nora waved. "You too, Juvia!"

"What's your deal?!" Lucy asked, aggravated.

Nora looked at Lucy with a raised eyebrow, frowning. "Haven't you ever met an introvert, before? They can be awkward. Cut her a break, okay?"

"Non, non, non! Non, non, non!" A voice suddenly began chanting, and Juvia halted in her tracks and looked back. Lucy and Nora looked forward and watched as the cobblestone before them warped and changed, allowing a figure to seemingly rise from it. "Non, non, non, non, non, non, non!" A with green hair in a brown suit formed from the stone, and he smiled as he raised a hand to his heart and held the other out in a dramatic salute of greeting. "Bonjour, with a three-three-seven non!"

"... Bonjour?" Nora raised an eyebrow.

Lucy cringed. "Another weirdo?"

"Rude," Nora remarked, then she drew Magnhild from her purse and activated its hammer form, gripping her weapon. "But mysterious wizards showing up out of nowhere is exactly why I didn't let you come out alone."

"Okay, fine!" Lucy moved closer to Nora and dropped the groceries, placing her hand on her whip. "Lesson learned!"

"Lady Juvia!" The man regarded the blue-haired woman and tutted. "You know better than to neglect your work!"

"Monsieur Sol," Juvia said, her tone without any emotion.

The man moved over to Juvia, his legs still melded to the ground, and he adjusted his eyepiece as he looked between Nora and Lucy before settling on the blonde. "My monocle is whispering to me that this mademoiselle before us is our lovely cible."

"Oh, my." Juvia blinked, her expression unchanged. "It was her?"

"Cible." Lucy seemed to recognize whatever language Sol was using. "Target?"

Nora raised her hammer and stepped between Lucy and the wizards, her eyes narrowed. "Hey, Lu? You got any friends willing to lend a hand?"

"Huh?" Lucy blinked, then her eyes narrowed and she nodded. "Right, I-"

"Pardon my late introduction." Sol bowed, and Lucy paused in grabbing her keys. "My name is Sol. I am one of the Element Four." He smiled politely. "I am also known as Sol of the Great Earth. You may call me Monsieur Sol."

"Element Four?" Lucy stepped back, her eyes narrowing. "Phantom!"

Nora gritted her teeth.

The street was covered in water, so charging herself up in any way might end up hurting Lucy.

How was she supposed to be any help against fighting an S-Class wizard, especially when Lucy was not using her keys?!

"That's right!" Sol commended the startled celestial-mage. "The Phantom Lord has sent us to collect you."

"Not happening," Nora insisted, her eyes narrowed as Lucy glared as well. "She's not going anywhere with you."

Sol went on as if no reactions had been made, gesturing to his companion. "This is the Rain Woman, another member of the Element Four. She is known as Juvia of the Great Sea."

"You attacked Levy!" Lucy finally went to draw her keys. "How dare you?!"

Water suddenly surrounded Lucy's body, trapping her, and Nora's eyes widened. "Lucy!"

The Huntress went to reach in and grab her friend out of the water, but a powerful jet suddenly burst from the sphere of liquid and sent Nora slamming into a wall with enough force to crack it. The Huntress fell into a seated position, her pink aura crackling around her as she groaned, then she looked up with wide eyes.

"No, no, no!" Sol insisted as Lucy pounded on the sphere from within but failed to break out. "I wish to clear up your misunderstanding with three no's! It was Sir Gajeel who destroyed the guild and attacked Miss Levy, though I guess that doesn't change the fact that this was the entire guild's decision."

"What is this..?" Lucy managed to speak from inside the water, and Nora stood up and gripped Magnhild again. "Let me out!"

"Juvia's Water Lock cannot be broken," Juvia explained, her hands raised, and Lucy's eyes slowly closed. "Don't worry. Juvia will not kill you because Juvia's duty is to take you back, Lady Lucy Heartfilia."

Nora blinked, suddenly realizing that—before that moment—she had not known Lucy's last name. That was weird.

Then, the Huntress narrowed her eyes as she tried to think. If the Water Lock could not break, hurting Juvia before the spell was lifted could mean drowning Lucy.

"You can pay attention, little storm woman," Juvia mused, lowering her hand, and the water fell to the ground with Lucy being left lying unconscious on the cobblestone. Her keys laid forgotten inside a puddle. "What will you do, now? Drip, drop."

Nora gripped her hammer. "I'm not letting you take her."

"Hm." Juvia tilted her head. "Juvia never asked you to let her."

"Sounds like I'm fighting two S-Class wizards, then," Nora decided, adjusting her stance.

Juvia righted her head. "That is unwise."

"Tch." Nora smirked, shrugging as she got ready to lunge. "I never said I was smart, especially when I'm protecting my friend. Don't try to accuse me of it."

"No, no, no! No, no, no!" Sol shook his head. "I cut this off with six no's! We have wasted too much time, already!" Sol raised his hand, and Nora blinked as a golden-brown glyph appeared beneath her feet. "Au revoir!"

Nora leapt free of the glyph just before several waves of stone could come crashing upon her, the girl landing on the pavement before the two wizards with a glare. She swung her hammer, but it passed right through Juvia's body as if she was made of water.

"Wait, what?!" Nora's eyes widened, then she helped as a blast of water knocked her back and onto the ground and a whip of water tore Magnhild away and threw it against a wall.

Nora looked up, her eyes wide, as Juvia lowered her hand. "As I said before, unwise."

"I-..." Nora looked back at where Lucy laid unconscious, then she stood and raised her fists, her eyes narrowed. "As I said before, don't accuse me of being smart when I'm protecting my friend."

...

"We have to get out there.

Be strong... and hit stuff."

...

Nora froze, her eyes widening as her breath caught.

The ground suddenly opened up and swallowed Nora, closing above her head.

The last thing the Huntress saw before it all went dark was a curious glint in Juvia's eyes.

/\

It was all dark.

"Nora!"

So dark…

She couldn't breathe…

"Oh, geez. Nora!"

Brighter…

Hands under her arms, pulling her up and out…

"Nora? Come on, wake up!

NORA!"

Nora woke with a gasp, her eyes snapping open, and she saw a blur of green and orange above her as she took shaking breaths.

"Oh, thank the stars," a familiar voice managed, and blur rested against her forehead. "It's okay, you're okay… You're okay…"

"... Loke?" Nora murmured, blinking a few times, and her vision started to clear.

"Heh." The boy sat up a bit and straightened his fight glasses, grinning even though his eyes looked a little glassy. "Hey, goddess."

"What happened? Where-..?" Nora blinked, then her eyes widened. "Lucy. Two of the Element Four attacked us, a-and they took her!" Nora went to get up and cringed, falling back into the ring-mage's hold. "Ah…"

"You're pretty beat-up, but still in good shape for being buried alive," Loke informed her, then his eyes narrowed. "We know about Lucy already, and we think Natsu's going after her. I came looking for you, and I found her keys hanging off of your hammer."

"Huh?" Nora blinked, then she looked up. "... Oh, my gods."

Magnhild stood above where Loke knelt with Nora held in his arms, its base planted into the dirt.

Lucy's key-ring hung from it.

"Yeah," Loke said softly. "A good thing I'm the only one who found this… Imagine what it would do the others, finding that Phantom put one of us in a damn grave." The boy's eyes narrowed. "I'm ready to bury them myself, between what they did to Gramps, taking Lucy, and now this—and I consider myself calm."

"Wait, Gramps?" Nora blinked, then she grew worried. "Did something happen to Master Mak?"

Loke's face fell. "His magical power was drained. Porlyusica is caring for him, now."

"Porlyusica?" Nora raised an eyebrow.

"A healer in the East Forest," Loke explained, carefully helping Nora to her feet. He kept one of her arms wrapped around the orange-haired girl as he retrieved the keys and stuffed them into his pocket, and Nora retrieved Magnhild with some clumsiness and placed it into her bag so that Loke would not feel the weight while he was helping her. "Okay, now. We're going to get moving. I'm getting you home, Nora."

"Okay," Nora mumbled as he wrapped his other arm around her waist, and they started moving. "I guess I should apologize for getting all of this dirt on your clothes, huh?"

"Hm." Loke shook his head. "Nah. What's a little dirt between friends, goddess?"

"Heh." Nora smirked, closing her eyes. "Nothing, I guess."

"... Just hang on," Loke said quietly, holding her a bit closer. "It's gonna be okay."

/\

When Loke and Nora arrived back at the guild hall, Nora blinked upon seeing the cylinders removed and the holes boarded-up.

"Uh… How long was I buried?" The Huntress wondered, raising an eyebrow.

Loke smirked tiredly as he began helping her down the stairs and into the basement. "It's 793 and the king is a gourd."

"Haha." Nora rolled her eyes, then she frowned as they arrived and she saw the state of everyone in the guild. Most of them were nursing injuries, some worse than others. "Oh, geez."

"Yeah." Loke nodded. "After the master went down, we got hit pretty hard." He glanced over at her. "Got any goddess smiles for us, Nora Valkyrie? We could use them."

"Maybe after a shower," Nora told him, giving a tired grin. "Or when the first person asks me about my dirt-nap. Whichever comes first. We'll see how it goes, okay?"

"Seems fair, to me." Loke gave a weak chuckle, then he looked up and noticed Erza and Gray walking over, their eyes wide. "Hey, guys. She got beat-up pretty bad when Lucy got taken, but she's still cracking jokes."

"Nora would be cracking jokes on her deathbed. It's not really reassuring regarding her health," Gray insisted, looking at the orange-haired girl with concern. "What happened?"

"Two of the Element Four," Nora admitted. "It was the earth guy and the water girl, Sol and Juvia. Juvia got Lucy, and then they both kinda got me." She shook her head. "I'm sorry, guys. I tried, but I couldn't-"

"Nora, no one would expect you to defeat two of the Element Four by yourself," Erza said, her eyes narrowed. "You're lucky to be alive." Nora looked up, frowning, and Erza sighed before placing a hand on her shoulder. "We're lucky that you're alive… How are your injuries?"

"Mostly psychological." Nora produced a weak smirk. "Wasn't looking to add to the collection, but I'll live."

"Hm." Erza gave a small smile, lightly shaking her head. "We need to clean you up." She held her hands out. "Come on." Carefully, Loke shifted Nora into Erza's hold, and the knight looked at the Huntress with a grin. "You will have to tell me how the fight went."

"Yay…"

Nora sighed, closing her eyes and leaning back in the tub.

Erza had sealed-off the guild-hall's largest bathroom, and the knight took it upon herself to see to -well- everything.

"Zero boundaries," the Huntress mused, feeling a sponge rub up and down her aching arm.

Erza chuckled quietly, lowering Nora's arm back into the water and wringing the sponge out. "I thought that the bubbles were enough for a sufficient compromise. I assure you, I cannot see anything which you would feel uncomfortable with me seeing." Her expression softened a bit. "I can see that you are in poor condition, and I notice your breathing is peculiar."

"Yeah." Nora nodded, opening her eyes to look up at the knight. "... Loke didn't think it would be smart for the whole guild to know, but… Sol kinda made a grave for me in the middle of the street." Erza blinked, surprised. "He buried me alive, put my hammer up to mark the spot… I don't think he expected anyone to find me in time, or maybe he expected more than one person to find me. I don't really know."

"... Buried alive," Erza repeated, then she picked up a pitcher and began rinsing the dirt from Nora's hair. "They must pay for this."

Nora closed her eyes, shaking her head. "Other than making me really hope I'm cremated when I'm dead, they didn't hurt me much. I'll be okay, eventually." She sighed softly. "Just worry about Lucy… They took her, something about her last name. I'm not from Fiore, so I wouldn't really know what it meant."

"What was it?"

"Heartfilia."

"Heartfilia?" Erza paused, and Nora opened her eyes again. For once, the knight looked genuinely surprised. "That is one of the wealthiest families in all of Fiore."

"... Shoot." Nora gave a weak smile. "Sounds like Lucy pulled a Weiss." Erza raised an eyebrow, and the Huntress huffed out a laugh. "A friend of mine, Weiss, was a runaway heiress. After she left home, she got captured by bandits for ransom and my other friend Yang eventually helped her get out." At that, Erza nodded in understanding and lifted the pitcher again. "... It did help that the bandit leader was Yang's mom, and that Yang was really mad at her."

"Hm." Erza shook her head, smiling. "You have the strangest stories."

"Yeah," Nora agreed quietly. "But Yang was a lot like Natsu, and guess where Loke said that guy's headed?" Erza hummed. "... Is it just me, or does he have a thing for her and he's just too innocent to realize it's a thing?"

"It's not just you. There's a betting pool."

"Nice."

Nora blinked, surprised, as she gazed at herself in the mirror.

"When you said that you had clothes for me to use, Erza, this… wasn't what I expected," the girl admitted, then she smirked. "It's a whole lot better. I look awesome!"

"Hm." Erza rested her arm on Nora's shoulder and leaned on her, smiling with some pride. "The potions are aiding in your recovery?"

"Fit as a fiddle," Nora assured the knight, bumping her chest twice with her fist before resting her fist on her hips. Her airways were cleared and she could breathe again, which really made the Huntress marvel at even the simplest of Fiore's magic. "And really..." She looked up at Erza. "Thanks."

Nora was wearing a pink hoodie-vest over a blue and white t-shirt and a pair of white leggings beneath a white denim vest with silver fasteners at the collar and a black shirt with slits over either leg to allow for more mobility. The blue sleeves and the white collar of the t-shirt were just barely exposed, and the lest sleeve was rolled-up to leave her baby-blue Fairy Tail mark proudly exposed.

Around her waist, there was a baby-blue sash with a short tail off of her right hip which reminded her of the one worn by Pyrrha and then Jaune. The sash, the hood... they reminded her of her teammates, and they and the clip seemed to keep the JPR with their lingering N. Erza had taken the liberty of washing her clip and drying it while Nora dried her hair, so it was in its rightful place.

The sash was held in place by a brown belt fastened by a silver, heart-shaped buckle. Over the elbow-high black fingerless-gloves on her hands and the knee-high black boots with metal soles on her feet, Nora wore a brand new set of vambraces and greaves fastened into place by brown straps. Her usual armored-bands were set in place over her white leggings and white fabric bands on her arms.

Nora had shifted the magnetic holster from beneath her usual attire to go beneath this outfit, so Magnhild rested on her back and her purse rested at her side. There were things about this outfit that made Nora's chest ache and it was definitely different—but it was a good different, a new different, a 'starting over, but not forgetting where you came from and who you loved' sort of different that made Nora smile.

Still, it was difficult to imagine Erza in these clothes.

"I figured it might help calm your nerves better than anything you had from the others," Erza explained, then she hummed. "And... I had yet to contribute, so I took the liberty after it was explained to me that you could only wear certain colors due to your culture and I noticed certain features in the attire you wore to feel most-comfortable."

"What?" Nora looked up at the knight, her eyes wide.

Erza grinned. "I'm not allowing you to borrow this attire, Nora. It's yours." She watched as Nora looked down at the clothes in disbelief. "Is it still to your liking?"

"Yeah, but... Erza, I can't accept this." Nora looked up at her friend, frowning. "What did it cost? I can pay you back."

"If it protects you just once in battle, I will consider every jewel well-spent. Please, keep in mind that I am an S-Class wizard and that such things will not diminish my savings in a way that should concern you," Erza said gently, and Nora looked down at the armor again with a worried expression. "It does not carry nearly the same level of enchantment as many of my own armors, but...

I did have one type of protection magic placed, just for you—one that you may now be familiar with, through me" Erza placed her hand on the bracers. "The enchantment held on the Lightning Empress armor... They will not stop you from wielding your lightning magic, Nora, but... should you become frightened by electricity, you need only raise the bracers or greaves to your defense."

"Huh?" Nora felt her entire body tense.

"This armor will dispel any and all electrical magic which you may encounter," Erza elaborated, then she deadpanned. "But do NOT use that as an excuse to 'ding-dong ditch' Laxus, do you understand? It only works if the electricity strikes the plates."

"... I thought you wanted me to get over my fear," Nora said softly, glancing at Erza with a frown.

Erza blinked, then she sighed. "After our match, I-... I realized I misjudged you." She shook her head. "You're scared, Nora... but you truly do not allow fear to halt you." She gave a small, soft smile. "And... I realized that I was being unfair. It is my duty to make you stronger, but... it is also my duty to stand by you when you are afraid, not be the cause for your fear." She placed a hand on Nora's shoulder. "I did not buy you a full suit of this armor because I know you are courageous as well as strong...

And I know you will only ever use it when you need it." The knight's face fell as she reached up and carefully brushed her fingers over Nora's scars, noticing how the Huntress tensed at the touch on instinct. "You were hurt once, Nora, and you would have been alone to heal from that hurt if not for Fairy Tail. The thought of that angers and saddens and frightens me, to be entirely honest... With this armor, I hope I can begin to show you that such a thing will never befall you again. You are one of us."

Nora just looked at Erza for a moment, then she took a deep breath and bounced twice before leaping up and hugging the other girl. She felt Erza tense, likely in surprise, then the knight wrapped her arms around the Huntress and hugged her back.

"I'm sorry for freezing," Nora whispered. "And no offense to Happy, but... I'm really glad you're not stuck as a cat."

Erza let out a soft laugh, pulling away and smiling down at Nora. "As am I." She rested her hand on one of Nora's armored-bands, the one which bore her emblem. "Hm. I was waiting to give you the armor until after the job we are going to choose for you, but I decided that this would be for the best." She nodded. "I know that such an experience can be rattling. My armor helps me, and I thought it might help my teammate."

Nora tensed, then her smile returned. "Thank you, Erza."

"Of course." Erza nodded again, though she seemed to be watching Nora carefully. "We're comrades, teammates." When Nora tensed again. Erza's eyebrow raised. "What is it?"

"... Before I joined the guild, I lost a lot of people," Nora admitted quietly, looking down with a frown. "I was on a team... and I lost them." She looked up at Erza again. "It's why they're not around anymore... I'm all that's left of -well- everyone I ever knew."

Erza blinked, then her face fell. "Nora..."

"My team... was called Team JNPR," Nora went on. "It was made when I was seventeen, and... it was me, my best friend Lie Ren, our leader Jaune Arc, and... our strongest, Pyrrha Nikos." She closed her eyes. "And Erza, you're not exactly like her and I know the difference, but you're still... so much like her... and she was the first one I lost." She took a deep breath. "And I guess… part of the reason why I'm kinda slow on the uptake of... being on a team again... is that I'm scared that I'll let another team down." When all was silent, her shoulders slumped. "No armor for that, huh?"

"Nora." A pair of hands rested on her shoulders, and Nora looked up and met Erza's eyes. "You cannot allow fear to control your life. If past losses define your future, you'll isolate yourself—and I will not watch that happen to you, and I know I am not the only one."

"I know," Nora insisted, her voice soft. "I know all of the things I should be doing and feeling. I know I should be moving on and growing and opening up, but… I keep getting reminders of what I lost, and… you're right. You were right, all along." The Huntress shrugged. "I said it once, I'll say it again... I'm scared."

"... The first step to conquering fear is admitting it is there," Erza spoke. "But you must not stop at that first step, Nora. Do not stop with admitting you are afraid, or you will be caught in that fear and accept your fate. You must take it while you have made it tangible and strike back, defeat it!"

Nora just looked at Erza, then she looked down. "Hm."

"And you will not be alone," Erza pressed, squeezing Nora's shoulders. "Whether or not you are ready to be my teammate, you are my comrade—and I will always be here for you." When Nora looked up, giving a small smile as she rested one of her hands on one of Erza's, the knight smiled back. "There you are, Nora Valkyrie."

Nora found Lucy sitting on a crate in the corner of the guild-hall with Gray, Elfman, Happy, and Natsu watching over her.

Gray and Elfman stood at a short distance while Happy stood by Lucy's feet, but Natsu stood with his back against a wall and his arms crossed as he kept the whole room in his narrow-eyed sights, as if daring anything to draw near.

When Nora approached, giving a wave and a tired smile, the pink-haired boy's expression softened a bit. "Valky?"

"Huh?" Lucy looked up, her eyes widening as they found the Huntress. "Nora?!"

"Hey, Lucy," Nora greeted, then she frowned and reached up with one hand to rub the opposite arm. "Hey, I-... I'm so sorry, about what happened. I should have been able to stop those guys, but I thought you'd get hurt if I used any electricity and my hammer just passed right through-"

"You're okay!" Lucy shot to her feet and ran over, pulling Nora into a tight hug. "Oh, thank God... Master Jose, h-he said that the girl with me got-... That you-..."

Nora blinked, then she closed her eyes and hugged Lucy back. "I'm okay, Lu. Erza patched me up." She pulled away and smiled at the blonde. "I'm just glad you're okay. Kick some Phantom tail on the way out?"

"Well... not tail..." Lucy glanced away awkwardly, then she looked up at Nora and gave a small smirk before winking. "It looks like they can add 'took down a Wizard Saint with a single kick' to my rumors, and I'll have nothing to say about it."

Nora's jaw dropped, then she laughed. "That's AMAZING!" She hugged Lucy again. "So proud of you..!"

Lucy laughed with the Huntress, calming when Nora pulled away but still grinning, and Nora glanced back to see that Gray and Elfman had gone bug-eyed while Natsu and Happy seemed confused.

"Wait, where did she kick him?" Natsu asked, perplexed, then he clenched his fists. "If it takes down a Wizard Saint in one hit, you better tell me!"

"Trust me, you don't wanna know," Nora advised him, raising a hand, then she broke down into giggles again.

When Nora calmed herself, she noticed that Lucy had returned to sit on her crate again, and the blonde seemed troubled. She crossed her legs and fidgeted with her hands, her brown eyes not straying from her shifting fingers.

"What's the matter?" Gray asked her. "Still feeling uneasy?"

"... No. It isn't that," Lucy admitted softly, bowing her head. "It's just… I'm sorry."

"Well, it's the destiny of rich daughters to be targeted by people," Elfman remarked, his arms crossed, then he closed his eyes. "And men are duty-bound to protect them."

Gray looked back at him, annoyed. "Don't say things like that!"

"But I'm really surprised," Happy said, frowning up at the girl from the floor. "Why did you hide the truth, Lucy?"

"It wasn't that I was hiding it," Lucy insisted, frowning. "I was a runaway, so I just never really wanted to talk about it." She looked down, her eyes narrowed in thought. "He didn't show any interest in his daughter being gone for a year, but now—suddenly—he wants to drag me back…

My father went to such terrible lengths to take me back…" She closed her eyes as frustration boiled over. "He's the worst!" Lucy took a deep breath, then she opened her eyes, casting her gaze down. "Still… it was my running away that caused all of this, right? It's my fault."

"That's not true," Elfman disagreed. "Your dad's the one to blame."

"You idiot," Gray remarked dryly.

Elfman blinked, then he panicked. "Oh! I mean, Phantom is!"

"I never thought my selfish actions would cause you all so much trouble," Lucy whispered, looking around the room at all of the injured wizards filling the guild-hall. "I'm really sorry… This would all end if I went home, wouldn't it?"

"I don't know about that," Natsu replied, letting his arms fall to his sides as he stepped out to face the girl, then he grinned. "I just can't see you being called 'Lady'. Laughing in this filthy pub and freaking out while on an adventure… That's the Lucy I know." He grew serious. "You said you want to stay here, right?

Why would you return to somewhere you don't want to be?" Lucy gasped softly, then she looked up at Natsu with wide eyes. "You're Lucy of Fairy Tail." The Dragon-Slayer gestured to the mass of wizards beind him with his thumb, smiling down at the celestial-mage. "This is where you belong."

Nora actually clapped.

Lucy bit her lower lip, starting to sniffle as tears started to race down her face, and Gray shifted uncomfortably and tugged his hair. "Don't cry. It ain't like you."

"That's right." Elfman was actually shaking like he was scared of the crying girl. "Men are weak against tears!"

"That's what we like to call toxic emotional repression, buddy," Nora commented, placing a hand on her hip as she glanced up at Elfman. "You just gotta cry it out, sometimes! Nothing wrong with that."

"I can't help it!" Lucy wept, covering her face with her hands.

Nora looked over at the younger girl, then she sighed and closed her eyes before opening them and walking over to the celestial-mage.

"... Lu?" Nora asked softly, placing a hand on the blonde's shoulder, and the girl sniffled before looking up at her. "... I had this friend who was a bit like you." Lucy blinked, and Nora gave a small smile. "She even wrote about it. She just wrote songs instead of books."

Lucy blinked again. "Songs?"

"Yeah," Nora nodded. "I'd try, but I'd probably butcher-" She saw the eager look in Lucy's eyes, then she sighed. "Oh, alright…" She looked back at Elfman, Gray, Happy, and Natsu in annoyance. "You tell anyone about this, and you wake up with clown hair. Full rainbow." She pointed at Natsu and Happy. "You might not live at Fairy Hills, but I can and will find you."

Gray and Natsu nodded, and Elfman crossed his arms. "Singing is manly."

"Okay…" Nora raised an eyebrow, then she sat down on the crate next to Lucy and folded her hands. "Well, um… There's one I might not completely destroy. Just... keep in mind that her voice was higher, and... better." The Huntress took a deep breath, then she closed her eyes. "...

Who am I to complain?

My life's been spared so much pain.

Born with all that I need,

My comforts all guaranteed.

So, what's the problem?

What's keeping me

From moving forward?

It's hard to see…

I should be free now,

I should be fine—

But the life I fought for

Still isn't mine…" Nora opened her eyes, fidgeting a bit but not halting the song. "

Some believe in fairy stories

And the ghosts that they can't see.

I know that I could do so much

If I could just believe in me.

Mirror, mirror—

Tell me something:

Can I stop my fall..?" The Huntress closed her eyes and bowed her head. "

Years of scorn will leave you cold.

'Forget your dreams do what you're told'.

When disapproval's all you're shown,

The safest place becomes alone.

And isolation's

The price you pay,

And every friendship

Is pushed away…" Nora bit her lower lip, then she opened her eyes and looked over at Lucy with a small smile, finding that the blonde was staring at her with wide and teary eyes. "

But bit by bit now,

A step each day—

I'm slowly starting

To find my way…" At that, Lucy gasped softly, and Nora grinned and shrugged. "

Some believe in fairy stories

And the ghosts that they can't see.

I know that I could do so much

If I could just believe in me.

Mirror, mirror—

I'll tell you something:

I think I might change it all…"

"Nora…" Lucy raised her hands to her mouth, then she closed her eyes. "Thank you."

"Told you I'd butcher it," Nora remarked, then she laughed softly as Lucy hugged her before closing her eyes and hugging back. "Hm."

After Lucy had settled down, Nora decided to go and check on things with Mirajane, who had decided to reach out to the guild's absent S-Class wizards in Makarov's stead.

The bartender had assigned Cana to use her cards to try and locate the more-elusive of the two, but the card-mage had no luck.

"It's no use!" Cana cast her cards aside. "I can't tell where Mystogan is."

Mirajane sighed. "I see. That's too bad."

"If they're after Lucy, they'll attack again," Cana said, grabbing a bottle. "We have a lot of injured people." She raised the bottle to her lips. "This doesn't look good."

"Hey." Nora grabbed Cana's wrist, frowning, and the card-mage looked up at her. "A Phantom attack could happen at any time. We need you at the top of your game, okay?"

"Huh?" Cana blinked, then she sighed and lowered her bottle. "Right…"

Mirajane turned to her communications lacrima and the figure within. "The master is seriously hurt, and we can't locate Mystogan… You're our only hope now, Laxus."

The lightning-mage raised an eyebrow, seeming perturbed by the idea. :Huh?:

"Please, come back," Mirajane pleaded. "Fairy Tail is in a crisis."

Instead of doing anything even remotely helpful, Laxus burst out laughing and raised a hand to his forehead. :It serves that pathetic old geezer right!: He lowered his hand and looked at Mirajane with a cruel smirk. :It's not my problem. Deal with it yourselves.:

"Hold on, Laxus!" Cana snapped, pointing at the lacrima, and Nora stood.

:It's true, though,: Laxus insisted, waving the card-mage off. :The old man started this war. Why should I have to clean up his mess?:

"They're going after Lucy," Mirajane pressed as Nora's vision started to redden. "One of us."

:Who's that?: Laxus asked, then he blinked. :Oh, you mean one of the newcomers? The blonde one?: He smirked. :Tell her I'll consider helping her if she'll be my woman.:

That did it.

"Oh, go jump in a lake—you overgrown bug-zapper," Nora said bluntly, stepping forward and clenching her fists as her eyes narrowed, and Laxus's eyes widened as Mirajane and Cana's jaws dropped. "She's seventeen, you creep—and her jerk-wad dad ordered the destruction of your home and crucifixion of three of your guild-mates at the hands of this guild's long-time rivals.

Your grandfather got his magical power forcibly drained from his body in a surprise-attack long before we knew this was about Lucy, while he was avenging this place and Levy, Jet, and Droy." The Huntress crossed her arms. "We only just learned about this whole thing with Lucy, but I don't see anyone besides you asking her for anything—let alone that, you misogynist pig."

Mirajane raised a hand to her mouth, and Cana dropped her bottle.

Laxus gaped. :Now, hold on-!:

"Everyone else just wants to keep her safe, to keep everyone safe," Nora told him, then she scoffed. "Whatever. The real Fairy Tail wizards can handle this, and you can go to Hell." She gave a condescending grin, squinting. "They're probably missing your delightful company down there anyway, Laxatives."

All was silent for a few moments, then Cana whooped while she stood up and raised a new bottle, grinning madly as she clasped her free hand on Nora's shoulder and nodded. "Oh, yeah! Get 'im, girl!"

"Hm." Nora smirked, then she looked back at the lacrima with a raised eyebrow and saw Laxus staring at her. "Oh. You're still here?" The Huntress snorted, walking over to the lacrima and leaning forward. "About to order a side of arrogance with the sexism, ask to be made master of Fairy Tail too when you get the terrified seventeen year-old while you're on the roll of the century?" The lacrima went dark, and Nora huffed out a laugh. "Yeah, that's right. If he'd gone and cried on the lacrima, we would have seen his eyeliner run."

Cana actually wheezed. "Stop. You killed him, you don't have to bury the body and dance on the grave…"

"I can't believe it," Mirajane murmured, shaking her head as her eyes started to tear up. "Is he really a member of Fairy Tail?" She turned her back on the darkened lacrima. "If he won't fight, then I will!"

"Don't be silly!" Cana protested immediately, her eyes narrowing.

Mirajane closed her eyes. "My staying here didn't stop Lucy from being kidnapped!"

"No." Cana grabbed Mirajane's arm. "You'll only get in the way as you are now… even if you are a former S-Class wizard."

Mirajane opened her eyes and looked up at Cana through tears.

"Mira-" Just then, the entire guild hall shook, and Nora looked up with wide eyes. "What the-?"

"OUTSIDE!" Alzack shouted from the stairs, his eyes wide and panic in his face.

Nora blinked as she watched everyone start running up the stairs and out of the guild hall, then her eyes narrowed. She retrieved Magnhild from her back, keeping the weapon in its grenade-launcher form, then she ran up the stairs with the rest of her guild.

Outside was… horrible.

Coming across the lake and towards the guild hall was a massive castle which appeared to have been lifted up from its very foundation by several massive, spidery metal legs which had allowed it to walk to Magnolia.

"... Oh, you have got to be kidding me," Nora whispered, her eyes wide.

Natsu ran up and stood beside her, his eyes just as wide. "What the Hell?!"

"Their guild is walking!" Happy cried.

Loke blinked. "Phantom?"

"Wh-What are we going to do?!" Wakaba managed, horrified.

"... Break it's legs?" Nora offered, and several of the wizards looked at her. "What? They're in the air above the water. Break the legs, let 'em fall. Sink the guild hall. Done."

Gray slowly blinked. "... I can't believe that you finally snuck leg-breaking into a valid plan. You are actually the worst."

"Hm." Nora grinned. "I try." She looked forward at the walking guild. "Tch. But seriously, bringing their whole base to us? Isn't that a big overki-?"

…

Dark, crimson clouds formed around Atlas as lightning flashed.

Something massive roared from within the storm, drawing nearer.

…

Nora felt something touch her leg and looked down, and she blinked upon seeing that Happy was looking at her worriedly.

"You went pale and quiet, Nora."

"... Sorry," Nora said softly, looking back at the walking guild-hall. "I'm fine."

Erza shook her head, her eyes wide and her shoulders shaking. "I didn't predict this…" That was obvious enough from the pink bath-towel she was wearing. "This is how they attack us?"

The castle set down, sending out a tidal wave, and Nora closed her eyes.

Behind her eyelids, she still saw the waves of black liquid pouring from the Monstro's mouth and spawning Grimm to fill Atlas with monsters.

"Of course, it is," Nora replied, and Erza looked back at her in alarm. The orange-haired girl opened her eyes. "It's a perfect tactic. By bringing everything they need—their housing, their supplies, their forces—to us when we're in the middle of a crisis, they're ensuring their comfort and protection while we're left scrambling in a damaged guild-hall full of wounded with only one of our active S-Class wizards on-site."

"Nora." Erza turned back to her, stunned. "You understand these tactics?"

"Yeah." Nora nodded. "They're the same ones that were used to attack my people." She took a deep breath. "Speaking from experience… they're pretty effective."

A wall in the front of the fortress lowered, and a massive, telescopic cannon extended to point right at the Fairy Tail guild hall. Blue, purple, and black energy swirled to form a sphere at the cannon's end which rapidly grew.

"This is bad!" Erza swiped her hand, her eyes wide as she looked at the rest of the guild members. "Everyone, TAKE COVER!"

The S-Class knight suddenly ran forward, and Mirajane's eyes widened as she stepped forward. "Erza!"

"What do you plan to do?!" Macao demanded, but he received no answer.

Erza requipped into a heavy set of silver and blue armor as she arrived at the edge of the cliff, one complete with two massive shields. "I won't let you touch the guild!"

"It's the Adamantine Armor!" Happy announced, his eyes narrowed.

Bisca stepped forward. "She doesn't intend to actually block it, does she?!"

"I don't care how much crazy defensive power that armor gives you!" Alzack shouted.

Wakaba nodded, glaring. "Don't do it, Erza! You'll die!"

"Erza, we can rebuild a stupid guild-hall!" Nora snapped, her eyes narrowing. "You can't replace a person!"

…

A swish of red hair lined with a glint of bronze and emerald, complemented by a crimson sash tied around her waist…

"Where's she going?"

…

Nora froze, but Loke grabbed her arm.

"Nora, take cover!" He insisted, crouching and pulling her towards the ground.

"GET DOWN!" Erza ordered, bracing herself before the cannon.

As Gray held him back, Natsu struggled and reached out. "ERZA!"

"Natsu!" Gray tried, gritting his teeth. "All we can do is believe in Erza, now!"

The cannon fired, and Erza slammed her shields together, conjuring a massive glyph which caught the surging beam of energy.

"ERZA!" Natsu screamed as everyone else took cover or recoiled, but the deed was done.

Erza struggled as the energy tried to force her back, her shield and armor gradually crumbling before it shattered and the knight was launched back and into the air.

The glyph dissolved just as the last of the energy was expended. Erza had just managed to block the powerful attack, but she clearly would not be able to do so again.

Erza hit the ground as her casual attire reformed under the fragmented remains of her armor, and she rolled across the dirt roughly before finally sliding to a stop.

Before the place where the knight had just been standing, there was a massive hole in the ground from the beam, and Macao was the first who managed a reaction to all of this. "Wh-Whoa… She stopped it…"

"She saved our butts, as usual," Elfman agreed, slowly relaxing.

Nora's eyes narrowed as she stood up. "Yeah, okay! Cool! Now, let's help her!" The Huntress ran over just as the rest of Erza's armor vanished into sparks, and she kneeled beside the knight and started to look her over. "Crap…"

"Erza!" Natsu was suddenly there, kneeling beside Erza as well and reaching out for his friend. "Hang in there!"

"I don't think she's hurt too badly, unless I'm missing some magic thing," Nora admitted, looking up at the Fire Dragon-Slayer. "She's just wiped out."

:Makarov, and now Erza as well,: a voice drawled as though through a loudspeaker, and everyone looked to the fortress. :Both are now out of commission.: Nora saw Erza's fists clench. :You no longer have a chance for victory. Hand over Lucy Heartfilia, right now.:

…

:Hello, Penny. I'm worried for your safety. Tell me where you are and I'll have you picked up right away.:

…

Nora's eyes narrowed.

"You want us to treat our friend like an object and hand her over to you?" She seethed. "Not happening!"

"Not on your life!" Alzack agreed.

"Are we a guild that hands over our friends?!" Bisca snapped. "I don't think so!"

Macao's good eye narrowed as he agreed: "Lucy is one of us!"

All around, shouts of agreement rang out, but the voice growled. :Hand her over!:

…

:Penny, wherever you and your friends are, I need you all to listen. I know how much Mantle means to you, so I'm going to give you a choice.

You can bring yourself to Atlas Academy and do your duty, help me save as much of Atlas as I can, and Mantle will be left to fend for itself.

Or... you can watch as I destroy it.:

…

Nora pulled her hand away from Erza and stood up, her free hand clenching into a fist while she gripped Magnhild tighter.

"You wish!" The Huntress spat.

Erza pushed herself up a bit, screaming out: "We'd rather die than sell out our friends!"

A great cheer went up with members of Fairy Tail raising their fists, and Nora found herself raising her hammer in solidarity.

"Our answer will never change!" Natsu snarled at the fortress. "No matter what! WE WILL KICK YOUR ASS!"

:Then, you'll get a second, extra-large helping of Jupiter!: The voice shouted. :Quiver in fear for the fifteen minutes it takes to charge!:

"... Gee." Nora deadpanned. "Thanks for telling us exactly how long we have to get in there and sabotage the thing."

As others fretted over the fact that Erza could not block another shot, Natsu looked over at Nora and blinked in surprise. "Sabotage?"

"Yeah." Nora looked at him, resting a hand on her hip. "My friend Ruby ran a similar mission in Argus, albeit with a smaller weapon. We go down the barrel to the power source while it's recharging and take it out before it can fire again." Not an exact rendition of the strategy to take out Cordovan's mech, but it would hopefully get the message across. "In and out, lightning-fast."

"Oh." Natsu blinked again, then he grinned deviously. "Sounds like a plan!"

"Might even wreck the whole thing, if we're lucky." Nora looked up at the fortress. "Or at least cripple it and give us some time before he sends out his-" Dozens of dark shapes started pouring from the fortress and flying towards the members of Fairy Tail, and Nora blinked before her eyes narrowed. "Oh, come on."

:Stare into the pits of Hell, Fairy Tail! You have only two choices left: be destroyed by my troops or be blown away by Jupiter!:

"Yeah, no." Nora deadpanned up at the fortress, rolling her shoulders back. "We're just gonna break your toy. How about that?"

"I can't believe this!" Macao shouted, infuriated. "He plans on blowing-up his own allies?!"

"It's just a bluff!" Wakaba insisted. "They won't shoot!"

"No, they're shooting," Cana disagreed. "That's Jose's magic, Shade. They're not human, they're phantom soldiers that Jose created." She looked towards the fortress, her eyes narrowed. "We have to do something about Jupiter…"

"I'll bust it to pieces!" Natsu declared, smacking one palm with the opposite fist. "Fifteen minutes, right? Let me at it!" Cana nodded, and Natsu turned and ran towards the cliff. "Happy!"

"Aye, sir!" Happy swooped in and picked Natsu up, taking off.

Nora's eyes narrowed. "Remember what I said! Down the barrel, go for the power-source!"

The Huntress suddenly shifted Magnhild into its grenade-launcher form and dropped onto one knee, taking aim at the floating figures. She took a deep breath and closed one eye, then she fired a grenade and sent five of the figures up in a puff of bright-pink smoke.

Happy and Natsu were able to make it through, and the Dragon-Slayer looked back at Nora with a nod.

Nora nodded back, then she sighed and lowered her weapon. "Be safe."

"Elfman!" Gray shouted, running past the kneeling girl. "We're going in, too!"

"Alright!" The white-haired man agreed, his eyes narrowed.

Nora blinked, then she stood up and placed her weapon at her back. "Oh, no—you don't! No one gets to go and storm any more evil fortresses without me!"

"Nora!" A hand grabbed the orange-haired girl's wrist, and she looked back to see Mirajane looking at her with wide eyes and a worried expression. "You can't! You're not ready!"

"Our enemies won't wait for ready, Mira! They never will!" Nora insisted, pulling her wrist away and glaring at the older girl. "And I'm not sitting back! Not this time!"

Mirajane seemed uncertain. "But-"

"Just help Erza and Lucy." Nora turned away, frowning. "I'll make sure that they all get back safe... Be careful, Mira."

With that, the Huntress girl ran to catch up with Gray and Elfman.

Okay, this one took a fair bit.

In my defense, life happens. XD

I wanted to kick the Phantom Lord Arc with a bang, and I think I managed to do a pretty good job of that.

We've got a continuation of Nora's dealing with her uneasiness regarding teams, and what better place to do that in than a crisis?

We also have Nora pulling an 'Ironwood's office' on us and just not giving a damn when people tell her she should obey orders just because they come from a figure of authority, especially when she believes they endanger others and they come from a drunk. This in-turn inspires Erza to take a stand which I really felt she should have taken there, but also give a valid reason why she wouldn't have to Nora. Sorry, I just really like that bit—and I liked having Natsu stand beside Nora as well.

This was a good chapter for Nora interacting with other members of the guild.

We got Makarov checking himself again, recognizing that he's dealing with a whole different ball-game with this girl from another world and her traumas—and we get a Missing Scene(TM) where he's actually apologetic for his behavior, expressing shame after he understands that he was in the wrong. He nd Nora get to talk through some of her issues, and he comes to grasp more of Nora's troubles and understand why she would react in such a way to his behavior.

I sorta took some inspiration from how jumpy Nora would be around Qrow when he was drunk, especially in Volume 5, and it occurs to me that—given the context of her having negligent parents—Nora may be uncomfortable around people who are intoxicated or negligent. We get this in Volume 5 and Volume 7 in Ironwood's office, and I brought it here with some of Nora's unease around Cana and now Makarov.

We got Nora and Lucy doing some serious bonding, with Nora being genuinely fascinated by the idea of the Celestial Spirits and Lucy just being happy to finally have someone genuinely interested in her magic, then we get Nora being able to offer comfort to her because of what she knew from Weiss.

Nora: At least you don't have to kill things to be able to summon them.

Lucy: What?

Nora: What.

*elsewhere*

Loke: I don't know why, but I suddenly feel unsafe.

We got Nora looking at Natsu, who is usually bright and happy and innocent if a bit too eager to fight (might remind her of someone), becoming livid and on-edge in the wake of the Phantom Lord attack and in the eleventh hour before Fairy Tail marches off to war, and she does what she can for him. I never knew I needed this relationship, but here we are with Good Big Sister Nora looking after this kid because someone has to even if he could totally wipe the floor with her with a flick of his wrist.

We got Elfman and Mirajane talking about what went down in the last chapter and how they look at Nora, and Mirajane trying to deal with how protective she can be over her friend from Remnant. Nora's become more than a little bit agitated by this, even though she knows that Mirajane only ever means well and that she is out of her league. We have Nora running off to look after Gray, Natsu, Happy, and Elfman despite Mirajane's protests, which is... fun. But we also have Nora stepping in during the Laxus call.

Oh, the Laxus call.

Laxus eventually develops into one of my favorite Fairy Tail characters—if not my favorite Fairy Tail characters, but there's no denying that he acts like a jackass pre-redemption arc. As you can see, Nora was having none of that shit and he was more than a little taken aback by what she had to say about his behavior. Getting called-out by someone fourteen-inches shorter than him and covered in electrical scars was definitely not on that Lightning Dragon-Slayer's to-do list, but "surprise, surprise"! XD

Cana being a legend, as always.

Loke being a fantastic friend, because I really needed this chaotic, otherworldly, orange-haired, secretive duo in my life.

Happy being an absolute gem and looking out for our girl when she gets lost in her head.

Now, let's see... Who am I forgetting..?

Ah, of course!

Erza.

The Nora and Erza friendship was another thing I didn't know I needed but just sort of happened, but I have ZERO regrets! Erza supporting Nora when she stood up to Makarov, Nora pushing Fairy Tail but especially Erza to do the same even after they have been given a direct order, Erza standing for what she believes is right against orders and coming clean to Nora about there being something in her past which makes that difficult hand-in-hand with her strong loyalty, Erza looking after Nora in more than a few ways throughout the chapter as she snaps Nora out of her memories and takes it upon herself to help Nora recover from Juvia and Sol's attack, THE ARMOR, and Erza figuring out that Nora should not be pushed more than she must be as she accepts Nora's hesitance to become a "team" due to past traumas.

I adore this. Sorry. XD

(By the way, this is not "goodbye" to Nora's V7-8 attire. I'm just giving her more to work with, kinda like the V2 alternates for Team RWBY.)

We also have Nora interacting with Juvia for the first time, which I thought was fun. Nora not being able to hit Juvia with her hammer was just another push towards Nora getting to that "yeah, I really need to up my game" mentality with some real conviction.

I also threw in some more fun with Nora's backstory, having her think about her mom.

The bit where Nora sings with Lucy was just based on a personal thought of mine; Nora is shown to love music to the point where she would spend some of what would have to be her and Ren's extremely limited funds on customized headphones, and she's also one of the three main characters we ever see singing (Weiss and Jaune being the other two). Weiss is shown to be an extraordinary singer, while Jaune—despite being an excellent guitarist—has his singing played for laughs.

Nora's second instance of singing is a bit shrill and comedic, but her first actually sounds good. I always thought that she might be one of those kids who is secretly very good at singing and talented with music, but joke-sings in public because they do not want that kind of attention. Nora sees herself as the "dumb jokes" girl, so she left singing to Weiss and let Jaune be the JNPR musical talent. I kinda hinted at this in the last chapter, but it was this chapter where Nora hesitantly let that side of her show.

New world, new Nora. She's gradually finding herself in a place where people don't have set expectations for her, so she's stretching her legs a bit and testing the waters to see how far she will be able to go.

All in all, I think this was a strong start. Here's hoping I can keep that momentum up!

I own nothing. Please read, review, check out my other stories, etc. Thanks! :)

P.S.: Before I see it in my comments, I am aware that goats do not actually eat tin-cans and that it's just a common myth. It's a joke. XD