Disclaimer: I don't own Fairy Tail.

After breaking through the final tree, we've finally arrived. Just below a cliff watching over it, was a beautiful city. Though it was midnight, tiny specks of light shone—blinking like a fire in the cold. If have to talk about ideal cities, Magnolia is as close as it gets. Even from here, I could make out cheers spawning from drunken stupor. Buildings were spreading out like a mountain, all but one exemption. By the side of a lake, was Magnolia's pride and joy, its beacon of rowdiness and activity; Fairy Tail. The fact that it was acting as a lighthouse in the dead of night shows the guild isn't sleeping. This town would be our home for the next while.

"What do you think?" I looked at Meredy. However, everyone else would just see a red-head girl looking at Magnolia with her blue eyes in expectation. I tucked my own red locks behind my ears, "hello? Rachael?" I shook Meredy's shoulders.

"It's lovely…" I then turned to Jellal, now showing off black hair and brown eyes. Hiding his signature mark, was a scar that slashed across his eye. While cliché, it was the best that we could do.

"I don't think it's a mistake to come here now is it Mark?"

"Let's just go greet our landlord." He replied, and it was a heavy one, filled with weariness from my remarks and travelling.

"You're right, you do that, I'll talk to the guild master. Rachael, what do you want to do?"

"I'll go with sis." I grinned and handed Jellal my luggage, Meredy followed suit.

"Smart choice."

"I hate you two." Jellal groaned. He slugged Meredy's bags over his shoulders and sandwiched mine under his arm.

"Good luck with that, I'm pretty sure I didn't pack anything too heavy in there." I took Meredy by the hand and went the opposite direction of where Jellal was walking.

Now that I think about it, this will be the first time that I've ever step foot inside the Fairy Tail building. I've interacted with its members on a semi-regular basis, but never been inside the heart of their organisation. Seeing it up close really does give off a different vibe from pictures. We past the arc that hoist the guild mark proudly and was faced with a red-brown door. Looking up will find a large tower that raised a flag sporting the guild colours. Muffed cheering and laughter boomed from inside. Which does raise the question; when does this guild sleep? I'll find that out pretty soon.

"Ready?" I asked Meredy.

"Go ahead." I push the door slightly. Surprisingly, a door of that size swung with ease. Possibly because it needed to, or the rough treatment will break the door. I'll admit, from the sound, I thought I was going to walk into a party, or a chaotic typhoon fuelled by alcohol. Reality was a lot less boisterous, with only around twenty people creating the atmosphere. Gathered in groups of four, tables were occupied—but they still weren't that far apart from each group. The bar was where most people hammered mugs and slammed wood. Behind it, Mirajane was busy pouring was seemed to be beer into a large mug. Her white hair was tied into a ponytail that whipped around each time someone shouted a request.

"Hello," the one greeting us was Lisanna, sweat beading on her forehead as she tucked away a serving tray under her arm "it's quite late for guests, are you two travellers?"

"Something like that, we're planning to stay here for a while." I responded.

"Great! How can we help? Are you looking for a place to stay for the time being? I can recommend a few places. If its just the two of you, you can stay at Fairy Hills until you find a new place to move into. The rent can be a bit much."

"Actually, we already have a place to stay." I smiled at her energy, "would it be too much trouble for you to lead us to Master Makarov?" Then Lisanna looked slightly wary of us.

"Master never holds meeting this late at night, did make plans with him?"

"Not…exactly, we're indebted to him, so since we're staying here, we want to give our thanks as soon as possible."

"Well," Lisanna's eyes squinted, "I'll take you to him, if he doesn't recognise you…we'll give you two a chance to explain." Each step we followed Lisanna means less time to find a way out of the mess I made, but still, we advanced, making sure to keep a good distance in-case I have something to tell Meredy. I'm really getting rusty. Meredy tapped on my shoulders and whispered in my ears.

"What do we do now?"

"We'll just have to hand him the notes the moment we talk to him, I don't want to—" I spotted a pink surprise in midst of brown and black hair. It was hidden before, but now that we're closer to the bar, I could make out a confident smile and a sharp jawline. His laughter should have been a dead giveaway that Natsu was here, even if I don't have a supernatural sense of hearing. "I think I have an idea." I whispered back. I was planning on tapping his shoulders once we got close enough. However, his head turned; our eyes met; I waved; his nose twitched. His smile widened and glowed like the sun as he waved back; I motioned him over but placed a finger over my lips, hopefully he won't tell Lisanna who I really am.

"Yo! You should have told me you were coming!"

"Natsu? You know these two?" Instantly, all animosity left Lisanna and the sunshine girl from before came back.

"Yeah, we met when I was on a job, we had lunch together too." In a stroke of luck someone called for another round of drinks. "If that's the case, can you take them to Master for me?"

"Sure." Once Lisanna left, sighs escaped our lips. "What's wrong?"

"Nothing," I replied, "Thanks for not telling her who we really are."

"Why?" So he didn't see my tells.

"Just when I thought your brain improved somewhat, you're still to same muscle-head."

"Hey!"

"More importantly, can you take us to the Master? We have important things to tell him."

"Got it, but don't think I'll forget this."

"If you did, it'll just prove my point." For the first few seconds of our guide being switched, a lovely pout was added, teasing him is always great fun.

A few steps later, Natsu shouted, "hey gramps, some people want to talk with you."

"Hmmm?" Someone grumbled behind a wall of backs. "Natsu huh? Someone wants to talk with me? This late at night?" A mug was crashed against a table and I finally could see Fairy Tail's Guild Master. A small bag hugged his reddening eyes—never in focus—possibly from the long day of dealing with this rowdy bunch. His cheeks were red, the shade you get from wandering in winter exposed. Instead of cold, it was alcohol blowing his senses away. Other than that, nothing much changed about him the last I saw him, his small stature is as comical as always and veil of kindness was ever present. He stared at us for a second, and glint flash across his eye.

I pulled out Jellal's notes and handed it to him, "please give this a read first." He hummed a little tune as he read the paper, swinging his legs along with the beat. That all stopped. Every trace of alcohol was flushed out, a sober, angry Guild Master sat—slightly crumpling the paper. He leaked a small amount of magic, then it vanished.

"Come to my office." He hopped off his seat and led us to a dark brown door. "Natsu, don't you dare eavesdrop, or I'll have Erza personally teach you manners again."

"Aye!" Natsu squealed.

The Guild Master's office was cramped, most of the space was taken by book shelves. Paired with a larger than average work desk and two chairs for guests to sit equates to a dusty and tightening room. His desk was littered with letters—separated into two piles; ones that were carefully bound with string; ones randomly tossed.

"Have a seat," Makarov said, jumping behind his desk, to a chair that's too big for him. We dusted off the wooden chairs and followed along with his words. "It's safe for you two to take off your disguise."

"I'm surprised you can see through it." I was the first to take off the spell, then Meredy undid hers.

"We do take pride in this spell." Meredy added.

"I've lived a long life," he smiled wryly, "also, no two people would want to talk with me at this time without a good reason. Still, I wouldn't have expected you two. This means Jellal is here too?"

"He's taking care of our housing."

"I still haven't had the chance to thank you three for making my children grow stronger."

"It was a fair trade," I cut in, "we didn't do anything that deserves thanks."

"Nevertheless, this is a good time for us to return the favor. How truth worthy is this information?"

"Jellal never went wrong with things like this." The Guild Master nodded. Then turned back to the papers.

"Honestly, they have a disturbing plan. Guilds are a huge part of fighting crime. Some are even prevented by our presences alone. To come after us means…"

"They want to throw the kingdom into chaos. Once people know Fairy Tail can be taken down, others will follow."

"It isn't so much that we are taken down, it's the morale that comes with it. There are talented people that walks the wrong path."

"I know, we know…we know that better than anyone…but that's enough of that," the Guild Master nodded, "for now, we need more information, who exactly are these people? Where is their headquarters? When will their plan be executed? We know too little. For now, we want help with investigating." Makarov rapped his knuckle on the desk with his eyes closed, groaned before opening his eyes again. It's understandable, Fairy Tail is famous for being destructive, finding someone that isn't a time-bomb like Natsu for intel gathering is difficult.

"In that case, I think Levy would be great for the job. I'll have Mira go with her just in case." There wasn't any problem in his suggestion, Mirajane is strong enough as a bodyguard, Levy's utility is vital for jobs like this. "I'll have a talk with them tomorrow, Levy isn't here right now."

"Then we'll come back tomorrow, Jellal is coming too, he already has some idea on where to start. One more thing, please keep this a secret from the other members, if you must, only inform the reasonable ones." If what I heard about the short-tempered members of this guild is true, telling the entire building would create too big of an impact to gather intel discreetly, the last thing we want is a bunch of angry barbarians running around the lands, interrogating any suspicious people they come across.

"I'll do that, for now, why don't you two tell me your names, your disguises."

"I'm Skye Doyle, she's Rachael Doyle. And Jellal is Mark Kenning."

"We'll save the rest for later, you two must be tired from travelling."

"Is coming in at around nine too early?" Though I would prefer arriving earlier than that, I had to keep in mind of the guild opening time and the time that each member arrives.

"No, Levy generally comes in around that time, and Mira always arrives early."

"Even though she's still working outside now?" The Guild Master chuckles.

"Today was especially lively, we had a new group of people joining us."

"We'll see you tomorrow then, don't get hungover now." I grabbed into the door handle and pushed.

"I've been drinking longer than you've been alive, I have everything under control." I swung the door open.

Now this is more like a normal guild, the number of people were cut in half, even then, some of the remaining people were currently pasted out on tables. Lisanna and Mirajane were wiping the furniture silently. In general, the guild was a nice place, it was nothing like the one I used to be a part of, it really gave the feeling of family. Warm, gentle, much like a campfire. Leaving felt odd, I didn't want to, I simply wanted to enjoy this feeling for a bit longer. The door was two steps away. In front of it, was Natsu, dimples shining brightly.

"Since you two just came here, do you want me to show you around the city?" A tempting offer, we didn't really know our way around the city, we don't even know where the market is. I almost instinctively accepted his offer, a wall got in the way.

"That'll depend on how tomorrow goes."

"Sweet!" His smile brightened, "We'll start after lunch."

"I just said that I might not come with you."

"Who cares? If you're free, I'll show you around yeah?"

"That's right but—"

"See ya tomorrow then!" It really was hard to argue with a bundle of excitement and joy, there was a twinkle in his eyes. Really, was a troublesome person. But I'm sure that's why people gather around him, and I'm no exception.

With the brightest star losing its luster, the city as well, became much tamer. At last, could I make out crickets, bird, all other nocturnal sounds. They crept up and got louder at we walked along a well-lit road. We couldn't use house lights as guides anymore, most of them just yielded hazy, black silhouettes. Streetlights, were still as reliable as ever.

"Fairy Tail is much more different." Meredy commented. Though she was looking at the cobblestone, she was peering into her past, one that I brought her into.

"Of course, our goals were unlike theirs. It still is. All they want to do is adventure, stay as one big family. We, are tied to a mission, to our responsibilities. We do have something in common, much like how they don't know when their adventure will end, we don't know when this chain will be cut."

"What will you do…once it is?" Meredy looked at me, her brilliant eyes were slightly moist. She should really stop being so hopeful.

"I suppose, I'll enjoy what I've been missing for all these years. Perhaps joining a legal guild would be nice. The chances of that happening is…"

"We can always hope right?"

"I suppose."

We came to a place that matches the address Jellal gave me. A simple, yet luxurious house stood. From the faint light coming from it, I could make out black rooftiles cresting white walls, no other decorations were present save the windows and flower troughs flanking a black door from both sides.

"How did Jellal find a place like this? And for an affordable price to boot!" Meredy too, was twinkling in excitement, to my words, reason took over and she looked around.

"Perhaps this is what cheap houses looks like in the city? Also, we've been living in crappy houses this entire time, so maybe this is the norm for many people."

"Maybe," while her explanations helped somewhat, there was still one thing pressing in my head, "this can't be very cheap to build, and seeing that Fairy Tail is the biggest spotlight here, making expensive houses doesn't make much sense."

"We can just ask Jellal right?" Truer words couldn't have been said as I press a door bell and waited. The black door opened, behind it, was Jellal in comfortable white t-shirt and sweatpants. His hair was covered with a towel, hiding his eyes. A usual poker face masked a refreshed expression, you can tell since his guard was down.

"What took you two so long? No, come inside first." He ushered us inside; he pulled away his towel, revealing his blue hair. So that's why he was in a hurry. I couldn't see much of the house, walking inside the door showed a small room—wood planks were a nice touch—walking ahead would lead to a black door, next to the door, was a staircase. I couldn't wait to fully explore this house. "So, how did the talks go?"

"Fairy Tail is willing to help us."

"That's good," a pause later, "do you want to talk about this later? After you two showered?"

"That sounds great." I answered, his words made me conscious of my clothes sticking to my skin, the dirt in my hair.

"Go up to stairs and take a right turn, the room in the back is the bathroom. Next to it is the master's room, there's a bathroom in there too. Your bags are in there too."

"We'll be back in about ten minutes, fifteen if we get too caught up in relaxing." I pushed Meredy up a flight of wooden stairs. A corridor extended from left to right, two rooms squeezed the stairwell, opposite of that, was the two rooms Jellal mentioned. We found our bags on a queen-sized bed; blue carpet sunk to our feet like quality wool; nightstands on both sides of the bed. And that's it. Just a door left which must go to the bathroom. Meredy quickly grabbed a towel and a change of clothes.

"I'll go shower in the other one, Ul can enjoy herself here." Without giving me a chance to reply, Meredy was already gone.

Ever since my life has turned from finding Zeref to finding villains, I found myself cherishing the finer, more slow parts of life. It was hard to turn away from hot water running down your skin, or vapor clouding your vision, stripping away a major part of your input. Maybe, this is what peace is like. This, is when I let my guard down.

A burning city robbed me of my breathing, it scorched my throat with burning flesh. I wasn't sure which I'm in until I saw something fluttering in the wind. The flag of Fairy Tail—burning—plummeted to the ground and gathered dirt. Houses reduced to rubble in a chain reaction. Screams—cries for help pierced fanning flames. They rang in my head, stabbed my brains like thorns around flesh. Beyond the heatwave distorting everything, a war was raging on. Fairy Tail with only revenge. Though they were gaining ground against black shadows, it was apparent: we lost. Cleaning this mess up would turn up nothing would bittersweet defeat. That's right…where Meredy!?

I fought against the pain in my limbs, my depleted magic and broke into a sprint. Under burning pillars, next to the wounded—that's where I found her. Her pink hair was stained in blood. Standing in one second, laying in the other. I ran even harder. Please, let her be alright! I knelt next to her. She's still warm, but that could be a trick of the fire.

"Ul…please protect them." Was that a sign of life? I don't know. Or were those her last words? "Ul!" I was back in a bathroom, breathing hard and hugging myself. It's so cold, freezing. My pounding heart filtered all pitter-patter that should have been there. "Ul?" My eyes pinpointed to the sound source. It was Meredy. I lashed out and hugged her—she's warm, so very warm. I was certain of its source. "It happened again didn't it?" Her voice, it was filled with life.

"Thanks goodness you're alive…"

"Why wouldn't I be?" She finally hugged back, ran her fingers down my hair. "Do you remember when I had a nightmare back when I was a child? You said to talk about it and the nightmare won't come true." I took a deep breath, swallowed a mouthful of ash and spoke.

"I found you…lying on the ground, I, I didn't know if you were dying or not."

"So we failed?" I clutched harder, I didn't want to say it, I wanted to just shut the dream out, bury it deeper than the other ones I had. "What kind of stupid dream is that? There's no way we can fail."

"How long have I been here?"

"Fifteen minutes has past since we've started," Meredy smiled, "even when you're having a nightmare, your body still knows when to break out of it."

"You did that, not me."

"Well, let's get out, you're going to break your impression of being punctual all the time."

"I can…afford to be late from time to time." I looped my arm from Meredy's shoulders, to her waist. "Have you gotten fatter?"

Thanks for reading!

Ayy, finally an update that is reasonable! I've been getting back into the groove of writing. Still trying to work out the problems I find with my own writing—haven't really found a breakthrough yet. I wonder if this story is starting to slow down, you can argue that this is proper build up, but, I don't know. I have the most experience in writing short stories. And it 100% shows. All my previous stories are like a bunch of one-shots that happen to exist in the same timeline. You know, cool scenes and ideas that I thought out and turned to reality. I have yet to write a story that only has one big problem that the characters work their way through.

I mean, even in terms of a love story, I'm using these 'arcs' as an excuse for a love story to happen. The romance isn't the highlight. And I believe most of you are after the romance. Which may explain why this story(and my previous one) is in the dumps. All I can say is sorry for my ineptitude, I'm trying to improve—stress on trying.

Oh right, are you guys fine with this pace? Yes, that was what I wanted to ask in those two paragraphs. Also, is the outline of Ultear and Meredy's characters finally starting to show? For example their way of speak, the way they act, or is everything still flat? I'm really trying to nail this, character's personalities are one on the most important part of stories after all, I need to get this down.

Why am I rambling so much this chapter? Well, I don't know, maybe the many chapters where I held back finally came back to bite me in the butt. Or that not much people reads these things, so I decided this a place for me to vent. I will say that one of the cooler things about these online stories is that you can easily see what the writer is feeling at the time since I'm sure most of us will just publish a chapter after writing it instead of re-writing it until perfect—which is what I should do. But hey, if that's the case, I might as well finish this story then publish it in drips. But I won't learn as much that way and won't give me the pressure to write more, you guys have no idea how much you help me with this.

Anyway, its a bit late, but I hope you all have had great Easter holidays and, have a nice day!