"And that about sums it up," Lucy finished, throat parched after speaking for so long without end. Natsu was at her side, his head resting in her lap as he slumbered peacefully. Her hand tangled in his hair, golden pendant dragging through the pink strands. A faint snore escaped every so often, but the quiet made her wonder if he snored so loudly just to be obnoxious. She wouldn't be surprised if that were the case.

Across the room, the same dark green haired man they had met many months ago listened to Lucy's words with rapt attention. It was hard to believe everything she said while still keeping up with the story, but he found he could believe anything if it was this group who had done it. He leaned back in his armchair, digesting the tale as he let his gaze wander over the others.

Wendy and another young girl, who he belatedly remembered was actually Carla, sat on a nearby couch, the pair whispering and not even realizing that Happy was scooting increasingly closer. Gray stared out the window at the setting sun, watching different trains pull up and leave the station at varying intervals. And Erza sat at attention by an open window, reveling the spring breeze brushing her hair across her shoulders.

Lennox's clear gaze took them all in for another long minute, Lucy shifting slightly as she waited for him to speak. It didn't take too long.

Lennox cleared his throat, clasping his hands together with a smile of wonder and awe. "Truly, I cannot begin to express how incredibly thankful both I and the people of my country are that you have finally succeeded in this task my father first laid out many years prior. I never thought I'd see the day I could breathe easily and listen to children run happily through the streets of this town. We are forever indebted to you, Fairy Tail."

"We didn't do this for praise," Erza said, smoothing the blue skirt draped across her thighs.

"Yeah, we did it for a reward!" Happy crowed, springing up from the couch and letting his wings spread behind him.

Erza glared at the Exceed. "No, we did it because it was the right thing to do."

"I thought we did it because Natsu wanted to beat Gildarts in something." Wendy's brows furrowed slightly as she glanced at her dozing friend.

Gray snorted. "Please. Natsu couldn't have done it without our help, so does that really mean he beat Gildarts?"

"Even though it was our team that beat him, I still technically beat him because I was on that winning team." Natsu sat up with a groan, already missing the comforting touch of Lucy's hand in his hair.

"That technicality better be a part of the boast you're planning for when we see him again," Lucy said as she stretched her legs out, muscles on the verge of cramping after providing her boyfriend of two weeks with a pillow for so long.

"But that just makes it sound dumb," he argued back.

"I believe we've gotten off topic," Erza ground out, shooting daggers from her eyes at every one of her teammates. They cowered under her gaze, mouths snapping shut for fear of what she would do otherwise. She turned back to the older man with a sincere apology.

Lennox chuckled, admiring the camaraderie between the seven. "It's quite alright. I enjoy the laughter you have brought to this land. Actually, you bring up a good point."

"That I'm stronger than Gildarts?" Natsu asked hopefully, wincing when Lucy elbowed him in the side.

Lennox shook his head, still smiling gently. "No, no. Frankly, I don't believe anyone here could be a proper judge of that. No, I was speaking of your reward." No one dared breathe. Lennox seemed aware that he had their complete attention, and his smile widened a fraction. "Of course, I wish we could provide you with a pile of riches and a parade and three wishes, but…" He trailed off, not quite sure how to phrase the next part.

"Your country has suffered a lot over the past century," Lucy supplied, "and your treasury isn't what it was. Hey, don't worry, we get it. I'm always broke."

He nodded his thanks. "Thank you. That is the situation; so much money and resources have been spent in order to help our people that I cannot give you the thanks you deserve. Fear not, however, for you'll still receive a reward for all of your hard work and time."

From the side table by his chair, he retrieved a sheath of paper which he handed to the nearest mage. Gray took it and thumbed through the sheets, eyes scanning the pages in search of something important. His gaze finally snagged on something, and a nudge from Erza prompted him to read the words aloud.

"For their accomplishments and crucial roles in freeing the country of Benos from the oppression of ethernano, the Fiorians Gray Fullbuster, Erza Scarlet, whatever all of our names are listed, anyway, the Fiorians shall be reward with a sum of fif-" He paused, swallowing and glancing at Lennox. "This number right?" At a nod from the Benosian, Gray swallowed again and continued reading, skin a few shades paler. "A sum of fifty million jewels each. The remaining 150 million jewels shall be granted to the Fairy Tail guild in recognition for their deeds for the world and for the excellence of their wizards. A total of 500 million jewels shall be given to Fairy Tail and its members for completion of the 100-Year Quest."

Silence reigned instantaneously, heavy and oppressive as the team from Fairy Tail let those words sink in. Then there was complete and utter chaos.

"Holy shit," Wendy breathed, barely noticing when Carla smacked her arm at the curse.

"I'll never have to pay rent again!" Lucy clasped her hands to her heart, eyes glittering.

Erza agreed, mind darting between all of the armors and weapons she could buy with that amount of money.

Natsu and Happy were busy drooling over the multitude of food they were going to eat with their newfound riches, each shouting out their favorite dishes in increasing volume.

And Gray sat silently, not quite able to process what he had read aloud. And, as usual, his thoughts turned to Juvia. Maybe I can get her something nice after being away for so long. I hope she's not too worried… Well, her imagination probably ran wild the second I didn't call her. Shit, we need to get back soon.

Lennox sat with a smile, sipping from a fresh cup of tea while the seven wizards reacted to the news differently. He was glad that the reward he had decided on was well-received. There was no real way he could ever thank these wizards for what they had done. But he was glad he had found a way to start.

Finally, Lucy turned to Lennox. "Thank you. I, I don't know what else to say." She laughed, her fingers interlacing with Natsu's.

Lennox shook his head. "It is I who should be thanking you. Your words warm my heart, however." The wizards grinned, offering up their own words of thanks and praise. Lennox flushed happily, waving them away. "Hush. Enough now. You have your reward. It will be waiting for you onboard a ship in Moci, the port town your boat remains in, and that ship will accompany you on your return to Ishgar. Now go. I've paid for a train to take you to port as fast as possible. You've been away from home for a long time as it is."

"It's already been a year," Lucy mused, Natsu's thumb tracing the smooth expanse of her palm and the ridges of her knuckles. "I wonder how much has changed."

"You won't know until you arrive," Lennox pushed gently, not wanting to be rude but also not wishing for the wizards to miss their train. "Go on now. That train is supposed to leave by the end of the hour, and it's almost a quarter to."

The Fairy Tail mages rose to their feet, thanking Lennox once more and wishing him well. Then they rushed through the streets of the town, ready to finally leave Benos behind them and brave the journey through Coracre. Anything if it meant they were one step closer to home.

XXX

The week on the train passed in a blur. Wendy and Natsu were actually able to enjoy the journey this time, and they did their best to have as much fun as they could. All seven laughed and drank and ate, and it wasn't uncommon to find them asleep until noon and partying until two in the morning. The other passengers on the train weren't quite sure how to handle these strangers, so it was good that they tended to remain in their compartments.

Yet they still caused trouble. At least twice, Erza, Gray, Wendy, and the Exceeds piled into one of the compartments and left Lucy and Natsu in the other, teasing them and claiming they needed some alone time. Lucy always ended up flushed and unable to really look at anyone else the rest of the night, while Natsu grinned and pulled her closer. As the week passed, they seemed to grow more confident and comfortable in their relationship of nearly a month. They must have, since Wendy caught sight of the mark on Lucy's neck that the blonde did a poor job of concealing.

Finally they arrived back in Moci, travel-worn and tired but anxious to get on the boat. With all of their newfound riches, they renting a room for the night at the best hotel in the town, its window presenting gorgeous views of the ocean and the ships bobbing up and down in their moorings.

That was where Lucy found herself now. She sighed, sitting on the edge of the hotel bed and staring at the keys in her hands. The nine golden keys glinted in the fading light, the five silver keys shining just as brightly beside them. The muffled sounds of Natsu's shower filled her ears, blocked out occasionally by the crashing waves just a few hundred feet from their room.

Conflicted, Lucy pushed herself to her feet and moved to the window. If she squinted, she could see Wendy and Happy running along the beach, laughing and splashing through the waves. She knew Carla was nearby as well, likely standing near Erza and Gray as they relaxed, enjoying the last rays of the sun before the start of their long voyage tomorrow. And that was the heart of her problem.

Her brown eyes slid over to the docks, catching on the large ship still moored in the harbor these many months later. Tomorrow they would be stepping on that boat for at least a month, and then they would be back home. There was nothing more Lucy wanted than to be back in Magnolia, back with her guild and friends. But…

She sighed again, resting her forehead against the window. "What should I do?" She whispered, tightening her grip around her ring of keys. A quick flash of light emanated from Loki's key, and she chuckled in response.

Several minutes later, Natsu emerged from the bathroom. His pajama pants clung to his legs and his scarf to his bare chest with leftover moisture, his salmon hair stuck up every which way. He paused in the doorway, taking in the sight of Lucy framed in the window, the fading light turning her hair to gold. He watched her for several long moments, taking in all he had loved for so many years in silence: the way her brow crinkled as she thought, the way her hair fell over her shoulders, the way the depth of her eyes shifted depending on her mood, the way the smell of citrus always clung to her, the way she moved when she knew he was looking. Her necklace shone at her chest, and he was glad for its presence. If he couldn't see it, it typically meant it had slipped between her breasts, and there was nothing more distracting than that thought.

"What are you thinking about?" He asked, crossing the room to slide his arms around her waist, hands locking over her navel. She leaned back against him, eyes still dancing between the landscape outside and the keys in her hands.

"Nothing," she murmured. But her blood pulsed rapidly beneath his touch, and he knew.

"Something's bothering you," he muttered into her ear, sending a shudder down her spine. He grinned slightly before resting his head on her shoulder. "Come on, what's up?"

Lucy sighed, not letting herself become too distracted by the press of his body flush against hers. It wasn't working too well. Especially when he turned his head and pressed his lips to the empty space behind her ear. She inhaled sharply, eyes fluttering shut and all attention narrowing in on that hot touch against her neck. "It's kinda hard to answer you when you start doing things like that," she stammered out, not doing anything to disentangle herself from the cage of his arms.

His grin widened. He nipped gently at the soft skin before pulling away enough that he could look her in the eyes. "Better?"

She laughed breathlessly while nodding once. Then something in her eyes shifted. Natsu paid closer attention then.

"I'm staying here," she whispered, searching deep in his eyes for the disappointment or hurt she feared she would see.

Natsu frowned, not quite understanding what she was getting at. "I know you're staying here. It's our room."

Lucy shook her head, letting her eyes close and her head fall against his chest. "No, Natsu," she said into his scarf, "I'm staying here. In Coracre."

Natsu was agape, mind working faster than it ever had before, certainly faster than it was ever supposed to go. "You… what? No, you, you can't stay here! You love Fairy Tail! Why would you want to leave it?"

Lucy stared into the scaled material of his scarf and was shocked to feel tears start to burn their way out of her eyes. She sniffed hard, burying her face in the soft material. "No, I don't… that's to say, I'm not leaving Fairy Tail. I just… I'm not ready to go back yet. There's still something I need to do here."

"What? What's going on, Luce?"

She sighed, letting him pull her even tighter against his warm body. "I thought I felt it when we first got to Coracre, but I wasn't sure. And then, once we got our magic back… I don't know, it took a bit to really hit me, but I'm positive." She sniffed, pulling away enough that she could smile up at him through bright eyes. He found it hard to frown when she looked at him like that. "Aquarius's key is somewhere on this continent. I don't know if it's in Benos or Coracre or even another country altogether, but it's definitely here."

"That's great news, by why does that mean you have to stay here? Can't we go back home and then go looking for the fishlady's key?"

"Because it takes at least a month to get here by boat, and that's only one way. By the time we get back to Magnolia, we're never going to want to come out all this way again. This is my one chance to find Aquarius's key. It's what I owe her after… after what I did during the fight with Tartarus." Lucy grew still, her mind lost in the past.

"So why's that such a big deal? Why didn't you mention it to everyone at dinner? No one's going to be bothered by spending a few more months here."

Lucy pulled away then, stepping enough to the side that his arms no longer encircled her. "No, I don't want to force everyone to stay for me. I'll tell them in the morning, and then all of you will go back to Magnolia without me."

"Lucy!" Natsu's frown deepened, and he searched her glistening eyes for an answer. "We would never leave you behind! What kind of friends would we be if we did that?"

"But what kind of friend would I be if I forced all of you to stay here, miles from home, with no idea when we can finally go home? I can't do that to you, to any of you. It's all Gray's been able to think about since we got on that train. No, this is my mission; she's my friend. I promise you, I'll be okay. But I have to do this now, or I'll never find her again. And I would never be able to forgive myself."

"Luce…" Natsu's eyes followed her as she turned once more to the window, forehead pressing against the glass.

"Natsu, all of you mean the world to me. But I have to do this. This isn't a fight you can win."

"I don't want to win anything. I want you to say why you aren't letting any of us join you."

"I told you why."

"No, you really didn't. None of us care about being here for a few more months if it means that our team can stay together. So what's the real problem?" His face was racked with confusion, and he desperately tried to figure out if there was anything he had said wrong, or anything that could possibly be the cause for how weird Lucy was being.

"I already told y-"

"No you didn't!" Natsu shot back once more, starting to get frustrated. "Lucy, come on, just-"

"I'm tired of being helpless!" The words finally spilled out of her, breaking through the tension in the room. Natsu stopped with his mouth open, staring at the side of Lucy's face. Her eyes were closed and her hands trembled with what he at first thought was fear or sorrow, but what he quickly realized was anger. She took several deep breaths, eyes still squeezed shut.

"I know that I'm a strong wizard," she started, opening her eyes and staring at the restless ocean. "I'm not going to deny that. I've grown a lot from the girl I used to be. But that doesn't change the fact that without my keys, I can't do anything. I'm useless. Weak."

"You can still fight with your whip or fancy outfits," Natsu argued, still not seeing where she was coming from.

Lucy sighed, shaking her head slightly. "What about when there's no magic? When I don't have my whip? It happened only a few weeks ago at Grimstone; it happened in Edolas; it happened when Phantom Lord attacked. And even when I have my keys and my magic, there have still been dozens of times where I've needed to be saved by someone else. You, Gray, Erza, Wendy, Happy, Loki, Virgo, Aquarius, Cana, Mira, Juvia." Her voice rose with each new name before breaking, leaving her extremely close to the verge of crying. Natsu shifted closer to her, ready to cross the foot of space and wrap Lucy in his arms at the first sign of tears.

"I've won fights, but more often than not someone else has to rescue me. I wouldn't be here otherwise; I would've been defeated years ago because I'm just not strong enough. And I hate being the weakest link in the team." She held up a hand to hold off Natsu's interjection. "It's true Natsu. Even if you don't want to admit it. I'm not as strong as the rest of you, especially when I don't have my keys.'

"Lucy…" he murmured even as he reached out to place a hand against her elbow. "Wasn't that the whole point of taking on that group of bandits by yourself? Wasn't that to prove that you're strong and don't need to be rescued?"

She shook her head again, turning to face him while forcing down tears. "Well yeah, but, I dunno." She huffed, throat burning as she struggled to get out the words in her head. "I just… I need to prove that I can do this," she repeated. She sniffed, wrapping her arms around herself. That was enough for him.

Natsu pulled her close by her elbow, wrapping her in his arms once more. She resisted only for a second until she braced her head against his torso, breath shuddering as she struggled not to cry.

"What's really bothering you?" He asked, voice barely above a whisper. "You know you're strong. You know you're talented and beautiful and brave. You proved yourself two weeks ago. You prove yourself every day. So what's wrong? You can talk to me, Luce. You always can."

She sobbed once, biting her tongue to hold back the tears. Then she gave in, clutching him tighter and letting her fears tumble out. "I'm worried I'm not enough for you," she gasped, salty tears soaking into his scarf.

Natsu froze, hands stilling in the circles they had been rubbing over her back. "What?"

She sniffed, pressing herself against his body and refraining from speaking again.

"Oh Lucy." He pressed his lips to her forehead before pulling her face up. Then he pressed their brows together, his eyes locking with hers. "You are more than enough to me. You are everything. How could you ever doubt that?"

"I know," she whispered, unable to pull away. "But I can't help but think. You're Natsu Dragneel. You're practically the most important man in Ishgar. And I'm-"

"You're the woman responsible for trapping Acnologia," Natsu interceded. Then he smiled, wondering if she could feel the love and warmth radiating from him. "And you're the woman I fell for a long time ago. I don't care what anyone else thinks. All I care about is you."

Lucy laughed brokenly, but already she could feel her spirits rising. "How long is a long time?"

A smile graced her face as he shifted awkwardly, eyes darting away. "Er, a long time?"

She snorted, allowing him to pull her back into his arms. She sighed, closing her eyes and resting her head on his chest once more. "We'll be coming back to that question later. But… thank you." He grinned, pressing another kiss to the top of her head.

"Yeah, yeah, I'm great. Now come on. Let's get some sleep. You obviously need it if you're letting that kind of self-doubt get to you."

Lucy smiled up at her boyfriend, letting the warmth in his eyes wash away all of her fears and doubts. "You're probably right. It's not like me to think I'm not the best in the room."

He tipped his head back and laughed before leading her to the bed, grateful for the long night ahead where she would be in his arms. In the morning, they would tell their friends about the change in plans. He doubted they would care too much, although he figured Gray might be a little annoyed about the delay. But it wouldn't be much of a problem. They might be spending another few months in this place, but at least they'd be together. Just like always.

Watch out world. Here came Fairy Tail's strongest team.

So the story never ends, does it? Here ends the 100 Year Quest Arc. I hope you all enjoyed the last 43 chapters as much as I did, and I hope you look forward to the next arc like I do. It's gonna be really good in my opinion :) Things are changing, and you'll see what I mean right away next week. Hope you all can wait!