Disclaimer: I don't own Fairy Tail or any of the characters
Author Note: Hey everyone! Sorry this Summer was really busy for me and I've been on vacation for most of the time so I couldn't find time to write but I am so excited to release this new chapter. I hope you enjoy it, please leave a review, your guy's feedback makes my day :)
Sorry for any mistakes, I'll edit the chapter as I catch them.

Paradise

Laxus woke up to the harsh sun rays shining in his eyes. He moaned and pulled a pillow over his head to protect himself, it felt like someone was slamming a frozen sledgehammer on his head. Slowly but surely, he took the pillow off of his head and sat down on the side of the bed, holding his aching head in his hands. Laxus groaned loudly and slowly opened his eyes. As he inhaled through his nose, the sweet smell of vanilla filled his senses and he instantly recognized it. 'Blondie was here? what happened last night?' Laxus thought and tried to remember the events of last night but couldn't.

"Blondie." Laxus called quietly and looked at the other side of the bed, expecting the blonde to be sleeping but found nothing.

"Blondie." Laxus said louder and instantly regretted it. The dragon slayer moaned in pain just as the door to his room opened and Lucy walked in holding a bottle of pills. She rolled her eyes at the bent over Laxus and filled a cup with water from the sink and walked over to Laxus, handing the cup to him. She opened the bottle and gave him three small pills, he nodded graciously and quickly popped the pills into his mouth and downed them with the water.

"What happened last night? Did we... you know..." Laxus gestured casually at her and then him.

Lucy cocked her head to the side, confused at what the other blonde was talking about and then suddenly her face erupted into a bright red blush. "No you pervert!" She shrieked causing Laxus to recoil from her and hold his hands up to his ears.

"Stop yelling!" Laxus ironically roared back and continued in a quiet whisper-like voice "It was just a guess, calm down besides I know I'd remember if we got together." Laxus smirked and Lucy gaped at the dragon slayer but instead of retorting she started to walk out of the room but before she left she made sure to flip Laxus off and stick out her tongue.

"You're a lot less of an asshole when you're drunk! Thanks for everything and hopefully I'll never see you again, bye Sparky." Lucy slammed the door behind her and exited the hotel, not knowing where she was going but as long as she was away from Laxus she would be happy.

"Sparky?" Laxus said, wondering where that ridiculous name came from and then suddenly memories of the night before flashed into his head. "Oh God, I'm a fucking idiot! Sparky?! Really?" Laxus asked himself and flopped down onto his bed.

'I'm never gonna drink that much again...' Laxus promised himself.

Lucy

Lucy was still fuming as she walked aimlessly around the town until she arrived at a small cafe. She decided to get something to eat and as she sat down at the small table, Loke materialized on the other side of the table and sat down.

"Good morning, Princess." Loke greeted and when he saw how upset Lucy was he became extremely concerned. "What's wrong? Are you okay?"

Lucy sighed loudly and ran her hands through her hair "I'm fine, Laxus is just an ass."

Loke chuckled at that "Duh."

Lucy rolled her eyes as the waitress walked up to her table and asked what they wanted. Lucy ordered strawberry waffles and orange juice and Loke ordered coffee. The waitress quickly returned with their drinks and promised Lucy's food would be out soon.

Loke took a sip of his coffee and suddenly remembered the news he had for Lucy "I have great news for you, Lucy!" Loke exclaimed and reached into his jacket pocket, retrieving three familiar silver keys.

"Oh yeah, what ended up happening to Vulpecula and her friends?" Lucy asked and was surprised when Loke placed the silver keys in front of her.

"They're yours." Loke said and grinned at Lucy's shocked face.

"What?! Why?" Lucy asked as she picked up the keys on the table and examined them.

"Well Vul, Corvus, and Hercules were sent to the Celestial Spirit King so he could decide what would happen to them now that they didn't have a master. At first the King was going to send them to three random locations and let fate decide who finds them but Vul instantly rejected that idea and told the King that she wanted stay with her friends and she wanted you as her master." Loke explained.

"It was that easy to convince him?" Lucy asked incredulously.

Loke shrugged and smirked slightly "Vulpecula can be very convincing when she wants to."

"This is amazing Loke! I can't wait to meet all of them." Lucy beamed and added the three keys to her key chain.

Loke reached across the table and squeezed Lucy's hand "You're a star Lucy and we spirits are drawn to your bright, beautiful light. I know these past days have been hard on you but remember, your spirits will always be there for you." Loke promised.

"T-thanks Loke." Lucy smiled back at her spirit.

A few minutes later, Lucy's food arrived and when she finished, Loke paid for her meal since her purse was still gone with most of her money. The blonde and her spirit walked towards the train station that they had arrived in. "So where are we going next?" Loke asked as they read over a train schedule.

"How about...Paradise Village, that's the soonest time." Lucy suggested, the train was boarding in a half hour.

Loke grinned at the mention of the village and lightly blushed "I remember Paradise. It's on the outskirts of Fiore known for it's top notch hot springs. I have a lot of great memories there." Loke reminisced and Lucy shook her head at the spirit's lecherous grin.

"I could use a nice dip in a hot spring, let's go." Lucy said.

Loke bought a train ticket for Lucy and while they were waiting Lucy decided to summon her new spirits and make contracts with them. Loke agreed that it was a good idea and they went to a secluded place.

"So who's up first?" Loke asked and Lucy pulled out a fox-eared key. Loke smiled and nodded in approval "Good idea, Vul is gonna be so happy."

"I connect myself to the Celestial Spirit Realm and call upon Vulpecula whom resides in the palace of the fox, open thy gates!" Lucy chanted, hey eyes slightly glowing and the key floated out of her hand and unlocked a door that appeared in front of Lucy and Loke. The fox spirit emerged as the door, bathed in golden light.

Vulpecula was now wearing brown long boots with fur lining the top, tan short shorts, a leather belt, a midriff top, and orange fur cuffs adorned her wrists. Her tail seemed to have grown since last night and her eyes weren't covered by glasses this time, they were blood red with a hint of pink in them, they seemed to draw Lucy in and Lucy felt the strange urge to serve the woman in front of her.

Vul's bushy ears perked up when she saw Lucy and she ran up to Lucy. "Oh my God, Lucy! I'm so glad you're my master now!" Vulpecula squealed and hugged Lucy with a surprising amount of strength for a small woman.

"H-hey Vul, I'm glad you chose me too but I want you to know that I'm not you're master, I'm your friend." Lucy declared and smiled at the orange haired woman.

Vul's eyes teared up and she separated from Lucy and quickly wiped any tears away "Of course, we're going to be best friends and you can call me anytime for any reason, bye Lu, bye Loke." Vul waved and dissipated into a golden light.

"What kind of magic does Vul use?" Lucy asked.

"Vulpecula's a master of deception, seduction, and manipulation. She has the ability to charm people into her personal servants if she wants if they look her in her eyes when her magic is activated." Loke explained and shook his head fondly "She gets in a lot of trouble with her powers."

Lucy nodded her head and filed away the information for later. She retrieved the next "key", it was more of miniature silver sword than a key. Loke narrowed his eyes at it "Be careful with this one Lucy." He warned and Lucy raised her eyebrow.

"Why? Are they dangerous?" Lucy asked.

Loke sighed "In a way..." He answered lamely and Lucy took a deep breath before summoning the hero. She preformed the chant and the gate opened to reveal a handsome tan young man. Lucy blushed when the light died down completely, Hercules was only wearing a gladiator skirt and sandals so most of his toned chiseled body was on display. He had a face that seemed to be sculpted from marble, eyes like molten gold, and short brown hair. A beaten up sword with chunks missing from it hung at his side.

The spirit knelt in front of Lucy and kissed her hand "Hello my Princess, it is with great honor that I should serve you for eternity."

Before Lucy could respond to the very forward gesture, Loke put an arm around Lucy and pulled her away from Hercules. "Back away Hercules." Loke growled and the Hero looked up at Loke with an amused smirk on his face.

"Oh my old friend Loke! You know, I've slain lions much bigger than you." Hercules threatened in a friendly tone.

Loke laughed humorlessly and adjusted the rings on his fingers "Is that so? Then tell me why the last time we fought, the Lion won?" His fists started to glow and he pounded them together.

Hercules drew his sword, it suddenly turned into a polished long sword with a golden hilt, and inscribed on the sword was it's name written in an ancient language. "I've been looking forward to this day for a long time, bring it kitty." Hercules taunted and before the two men clashed, Lucy forced herself between them.

"Stop it you two!" Lucy ordered and glared at the two spirits until they put down their weapons. "Hercules, what times can I call you?" Lucy asked abruptly and the spirit told her.

"Thank you Hercules, I can't wait to get to know you and spend more time with you as my friend." Lucy smiled and faintly heard Loke growling in the background.

"I look forward to that too, my Princess." Hercules bowed and disappeared in a flash of light.

Lucy sighed "Well I guess I can't summon you guys together ever..." Lucy muttered and Loke snorted.

"If he wasn't such an ass, we could work together." Loke said.

"I think you're just jealous." Lucy teased and Loke blushed.

Loke scoffed and folded his arms across his chest "I'd never be jealous of a idiotic, arrogant prick like him. Don't summon him without me there, okay?"

Lucy decided to let it go but found it cute how protective Loke was being. "Anyways how does Hercules' fight?" Lucy asked

"He's a master swordsman, skilled in storm magic, and did I mention he was an ass?" Loke asked sarcastically.

"You're going to have to tell me why you guys hate each other later." Lucy said and took out the last key, a silver key molded into a scythe. "I connect myself to the Celestial Spirit Realm and call upon Corvus who resides in the palace of the Crow, open thy gates!" This time a black gate appeared and when it opened, black smoke poured out. Corvus walked out in the same outfit as last night, the black mist pooling around his feet. He was casually playing with wicked scythe, twirling it and throwing it up into the air and catching it.

"Hello Master." He said in a monotone voice and Lucy greeted him back.

"Please call me Lucy instead of Master, I'm your friend and you're not my tool." Lucy explained her philosophy wholeheartedly and Corvus smiled at her, revealing razor sharp teeth.

"I'm going to like you...Lucy, I can only be summoned on Mondays, Thursdays, Saturdays, and Sundays."

Lucy nodded and suddenly Corvus swung his scythe at Lucy, stopping inches away from her neck. Loke reacted immediately, raising his fists to attack Corvus but Lucy held up her hand and gave Loke a meaningful look. The blonde remained calm and looked back at the crow "I can't wait to work together." Lucy smiled with the scythe poised to take her head off.

Corvus laughed and withdrew his scythe "Me too, Lucy." The black mist rose and wrapped around all of Corvus' body, when it dissipated, he was gone.

Lucy dropped to the ground and took deep breaths "He's...intense." Lucy gasped.

Loke helped Lucy up "Yeah, not much is known about him but he is definitely one of the more dangerous spirits. At least he likes you." Loke chirped.

"I don't want to see what he does to people he doesn't like..." Lucy said as they walked back to the train station. The train was now boarding and Loke went back to the Spirit Realm to give Lucy some alone time.

The blonde settled into her booth and suddenly felt the strain of summoning the three new spirits and making contracts with them. She yawned and closed her eyes, deciding to take a nap to rest her body. Just as she was about to go to sleep, she faintly heard the sound of someone sliding into the seat across from her.

"Hey Blondie, long time no see." A deep voice rumbled and Lucy's eyes shot open. All of her drowsiness was suddenly gone.

"Laxus!" Lucy exclaimed. Across from her, Laxus was staring at her with an amused look on her face, next to him was a large beaten up backpack. He was wearing a sleeveless black muscle shirt, white jeans, and his signature fur cloak. "What are you doing here?!"

Laxus shrugged "It was time to leave Gardenia and this was the train that was leaving the soonest. It's just happy coincidence that my favorite Blondie happened to have the same idea."

Lucy gaped at Laxus, trying to form a sentence but couldn't 'Damn him! Him and his stupid smirk!' Lucy thought angrily and massaged her temples to calm down. "What happened to your hangover?" She asked, wishing the dragon slayer was still immobilized in his hotel room.

"I'm a dragon slayer, we heal quick." Laxus answered and smiled at the look on Lucy's face.

"Why me?" Lucy lamented and laid her head on the table separating them.

"Stop being over dramatic, you know you like me." Laxus said and Lucy glared up at him. Laxus leaned in closer to Lucy so there was only a few inches of space between them "So why did you leave Fairy Tail, Blondie?" He asked in a whisper.

Lucy narrowed her eyes and instead of backing away, she got closer to Laxus, their lips almost touching "None of your business, Sparky." Lucy whispered and smirked when Laxus retreated and sat back up.

"It's Laxus, not Sparky." The dragon slayer growled.

"I'll stop calling you Sparky when you stop calling me Blondie."

"I'll stop calling you Blondie when you tell me why you left Fairy Tail." Laxus retorted.

"Fine" Lucy agreed for some reason and told Laxus the abbreviated story of why she left Fairy Tail. While she was telling the story, Laxus remained quiet and when she finished he didn't talk for a minute.

"I'm confused, you left Fairy Tail because Lisanna, who is back from the dead, got hurt on a mission? How is that your fault?" Laxus asked.

"You don't understand, it was all my fault! I couldn't do anything against that demon and that dagger was meant for me, not Lisanna. She got hurt because of my incompetence." Lucy exploded. The guilt weighing her down was becoming unbearable.

Laxus sighed exaggeratedly "That's complete bullshit, Blondie. Everyone messes up."

Lucy hung her head so her hair covered her face "But because of me, so many people have been hurt. Ever since I joined Fairy Tail my friends and family have fought for me because i couldn't fight for myself. I'm weak and I don't want to be the reason someone gets hurt ever again."Lucy said.

"A long time ago I would've agreed with you. I believed Gramps was being idiotic to let weaklings join the guild, especially you. When I heard the guild was destroyed because a rich girl wanted to rebel against her father, I was furious. But when I started the Battle of Fairy Tail, I was defeated by the same weaklings I hated so much. You proved me wrong, Blondie, you aren't weak." Laxus reached out and lifted Lucy's head so she was looking at him. "No one blames you for what happened."

Lucy laughed sarcastically as she wiped away the tears threatening to spill from her eyes "That's not what Natsu thinks, he hates me now. He couldn't even stand the sight of me so I left Team Natsu."

"No way that dumbass hates you, you guys are practically married." Laxus said incredulously.

"Natsu was furious when he saw that his precious Lisanna was hurt because of me. I guess I was just a replacement." Lucy spat bitterly, a little surprised at her sudden outburst.

"You're a lot of things Blondie but you are definitely not a replacement for Lisanna. You two are totally different, for example your boobs are way bigger." Laxus smirked.

"You're disgusting." Lucy said even though there was a hint of a smile on her face.

"Just trying to lighten the mood." Laxus joked.

The train started to move and Laxus' eyes widened as he was hit with a sudden wave of nausea. "Oh no..." He murmured as he lowered his head while holding his stomach.

Lucy realized what was happening and smiled mischievously "You get sick on moving vehicles too? That's hilarious, the great Laxus Dreyar beaten by a train. If only I had a camera right now!" Lucy chuckled and Laxus glared at her darkly.

"I'll get you back for this Blondie." Laxus growled and Lucy stuck her tongue out at him.

"That would be more threatening if you weren't about to puke." Lucy teased and before Laxus could respond, a sudden jolt from the train shut him up and caused him to curl up. "You should sleep it off Sparky." Lucy suggested and Laxus just groaned at her and laid his head on the table. Without thinking about it, Lucy started to play with Laxus' surprisingly soft blonde hair, lightly massaging his head making him groan in a pleased tone which Lucy took as a thanks. Eventually, after a few minutes of playing with his hair, the lightning dragon slayer fell asleep, snoring softly.

Lucy giggled softly and continued to mess with his hair and watch the scenery flash by before falling asleep herself.

Fairy Tail

"We're back!" Natsu announced Team Natsu's arrival while kicking open the guild doors as always. Everyone yelled back their greetings to Team Natsu as they walked up to the bar where Mira was making drinks.

"Hey Mira." Lisanna greeted her sister and they exchanged a hug over the counter.

"Lisanna! I'm so glad you're back. I was worried about you, you really shouldn't have gone on a mission so soon. Are you okay?" Mira fretted over her baby sister, making she was okay.

"I'm fine Mira, don't worry. It was just a few bandits that we had to take care of." Lisanna gently batted away her sister's hands.

"Yeah and as long as I'm here, Lisanna won't get hurt again." Natsu promised and put his arm over the take over mage's shoulders.

Lisanna blushed lightly "Thanks Natsu."

Mira frowned slightly at the exchange between Natsu and Lisanna. Of course she wanted her sister to be happy but she also knew that another one of her friends would be hurt if Natsu and Lisanna got together. 'Lucy would be devastated...speaking of Lucy...'

"Hey have you guys seen Lucy recently, she came in yesterday morning to see Master and then left suddenly."

"No we haven't talked to her in a while." Happy said, beginning to worry about Lucy "She's probably been wondering where we are."

"Let's ask Master." Gray suggested and as soon as they started to walk upstairs to Makarov's office, the guild master came down the stairs, brushed past Team Natsu, and jumped up onto the bar counter. He immediately grabbed a mug of beer and downed it all in one gulp.

"Hey Master, do you know where Lucy is?" Happy asked and Makarov shook his head grimly.

"No I don't." Makarov snapped uncharacteristically.

Erza exchanged a look with Mira at Makarov's strange behavior and decided to press him more "What were you guys talking about yesterday?"

Makarov sighed and rubbed his hand across his face as he stood up "Can I have everyone's attention please." He commanded in a loud voice and waited until the entire guild was silent "It is with great remorse that I have to announce that we have lost a fellow guild mate, our friend and great member of this family..." Makarov took a deep breath before he continued "Lucy Heartfilia has left Fairy Tail."

For what seemed like an eternity the guild was in shock and no one spoke. Finally, Natsu broke the silence "No." He whispered and abruptly ran out of the guild.

"Natsu!" Happy exclaimed and flew after the pink haired dragon slayer.

As soon as the silence was broken, a cacophony of questions, exclamations, and cries sounded throughout the guild.

"She regrets not being able to say goodbye to everyone but she knew she wouldn't be able to leave if she had to face all of you. She loves everyone dearly but she had to leave." Makarov spoke for Lucy over the yelling, hoping to comfort some of the guild members.

"This can't be." Erza whispered, grabbing onto the counter for support.

"No way." Gray muttered, tears slowly rolling down his cheeks without him realizing it.

Sitting at a table in the corner of the guild, Levy stared shocked at the book she was reading "Lucy..."

Natsu

Natsu sprinted through the streets of Magnolia, running as fast as he could to the apartment he had spent countless hours in with his partner. 'No, no, no.' Natsu chanted in his head not believing that Lucy would leave him like that, without even saying goodbye. Instead of using the door he jumped through her window like he always did.

He expected to find a surprised Lucy who would yell at him to stop coming into her apartment uninvited. All the yelling would be worth it though because eventually she would stop and smile at him while calling him an idiot. Natsu loved when she smiled at him, her eyes sparkling with mischief and affection.

However, instead of finding Lucy in her warm, homey apartment, he was met with a bare room, void of furniture, books, clothes, decorations, and most importantly Lucy. He called her name a few times, raising his voice each time until he was screaming for her. "Please Lucy!" Natsu yelled as he checked all the rooms of the apartment and meeting the same emptiness. The only thing that was left were multiple enveloped on the kitchen counter, all with different names decorating the front in Lucy's handwriting.

Natsu's letter was on top so he quickly ripped it open, hoping that Lucy was just playing some sick joke and she had moved to another apartment. Natsu began reading the letter, his heart sinking more every line.

Dear Natsu, I guess by now you've realized that I've left Fairy Tail and Magnolia.
I want you to know that making the decision to leave and actually doing it has been the hardest things I've ever had to do.
Leaving behind Fairy Tail, all my friends, family, the memories that I've made, and especially leaving behind you is something I never thought I would do but I've realized something, you guys don't need me anymore.
Ever since I've joined Fairy tail, you have sacrificed so much for me because I couldn't defend myself and I want to thank you for that. But last week, on that mission, Lisanna almost died and I couldn't do anything. You were right Natsu, it was my fault. I'm weak, plain and simple.
I understand if you're still mad at me, I'd understand if you hate me and you don't care if I'm gone but I just want you to know that you saved me from my old life and gave me a new one.
Forming Team Natsu with you and going on all those missions together was the most amazing moments of my life and I'll always hold them dear in my heart but it's time to move on for me.
I love you Natsu Dragneel and I hope you'll be happy with Lisanna
Love, Lucy Heartfilia

Unconsciously Natsu had activated his magic and the edged of the paper was burning. His grip on the paper loosened and it floated down to the barren floor. It finally hit him, Lucy was gone, his best friend, his partner, his family, who fought by his side, cried with him, and laughed with him was gone. The dam that was stopping his tears broke suddenly and hot tears streamed from his eyes and wet the floor beneath him as he collapsed onto his knees. Soon the crying became full sobbing, Natsu felt like the little kid who had been abandoned by Igneel again.

Happy floated into the apartment, finding Natsu curled in a ball, crying hysterically and swooped down to comfort his friend. "Lushy..."

Lucy and Laxus

The two blondes woke up from the train's piercing whistle announcing that they had reached their destination. Lucy groggily rubbed the sleep from her eyes and Laxus yawned loudly and stretched.

"Morning Blondie." Laxus grinned at her.

"It's night Sparky." Lucy stated and got up to leave "Well it's been fun but it's time to part ways."

Laxus shook his head as he got up too and slung his backpack over his shoulder "You can't get rid of me that easily, we can walk around the village, get dinner, go to the hot springs, and then share a hotel room again." Laxus winked at her suggestively and Lucy shook her head.

"In your dreams." Lucy retorted as they exited the train.

Laxus whispered the next part directly into Lucy's ear, causing her to shiver involuntarily "No in my dreams, we would go straight to the hotel room."

"P-pervert!" Lucy exclaimed and tried to kick Laxus in the crotch but he caught her leg before she made contact.

"Nice try Blondie."Laxus said and Lucy promptly flipped him off. As they walked out of the train station, a familiar cloaked figure bumped shoulders with Lucy while walking past her. "Oh sorry." Lucy hastily apologized and caught a glimpse of the stranger's eyes as they walked past. 'Those eyes!' Lucy instantly recognized the beautiful reflective silver but before she could grab her savior, the crowd had separated them.

"We have to find that person!" Lucy exclaimed and rushed through the crowd, keeping the cloaked person in her sights.

"Wait Blondie." Laxus called behind her, pushing past people and trying to catch up to Lucy.

Finally, they broke through the worst part of the crowd, and Lucy's target was a block ahead of them. They took a sharp right and Lucy panicked when she lost sight of them. Laxus caught up to her and asked what was wrong with her "That's the person who saved me from Zeref's demon!" Lucy revealed and Laxus nodded, understanding why Lucy was so frantic to catch up tot them

The pair ran after the mage for a few blocks, weaving in and out of alleyways and streets, never catching up the mystery person even though they were walking and the blondes were running. Eventually, Laxus and Lucy found themselves in an underpopulated part of the town, the only building ahead was a run down hot spring entrance building.

"Okay enough of this!" Laxus exasperated, stating to spark and glow yellow and in an instant he was next to the cloaked person. Just as he reached out to grab them, a golden chain shot up from the ground behind Laxus and wrapped around his wrist and retracted, taking Laxus down with it. The dragon slayer landed on his butt hard and the cloaked figure walked into the hot springs entrance building without looking back once.

Lucy ran up to Laxus who cursed as he got up "What the hell was that?" Laxus grumbled.

"She did the same thing to Barbatos in that cave." Lucy said and grabbed Laxus' hand as she ran up to the building. "Come on she went in here." Lucy chirped.

Laxus and Lucy entered the building and were surprised to find that the inside did not match the outside at all. Instead of being run down and ruined by inattention, it was beautifully decorated and looked like a first class hot spring. Behind a desk, a gorgeous middle aged lady in a white kimono decorated with pink flowers and a red sash was reading a book. She had lush white hair that was held up in a messy bun and her eyes were hidden by a pair of shaded glasses.

As soon as the two blondes entered the lobby, she closed her book and stood up to greet her guests. "Hello." She greeted the couple with a soothing, calm voice. "Are you interested in the hot springs?" She asked and smiled, showing off her pearly whites.

Lucy stepped up to the desk "No actually we were wondering where the person who just came in here went."

The lady cocked her head to the side "No one has come in today except you." She said in a confused tone and Lucy exchanged a look with Laxus behind her.

"We were sure someone in a cloak came in here."

The woman smiled cordially and shook her head "I'm sorry, no one but you two and me are here."

Lucy sighed and thanked the woman for her hospitality and was about to leave but the woman called after them "Wait, I highly suggest our hot springs, I offer five class facilities and many people leave here feeling rejuvenated and full of energy."

Laxus shrugged at Lucy "Might as well, we aren't going to find that your mystery person and you smell like you haven't bathed in a while." Laxus teased and Lucy narrowed her eyes at him, not falling for his taunts.

"You're right, I could use a relaxing dip in a hot spring." Lucy said and jumped slightly when she turned around to find the white haired woman behind her.

"That's wonderful! You and your boyfriend will enjoy it very much, follow me." The woman started to walk down a hallway to the left before Lucy could tell her Laxus wasn't her boyfriend.

"Let's go babe." Laxus wrapped his arm around Lucy's hip and pulled her along with him.

"Stop it you ass!" Lucy hissed and wriggled out of Laxus' grip.

The woman stopped when the hallway split into two and pointed to the right "This way for woman..." She pointed to the left "And this way for men." She instructed and Laxus and Lucy split up.

Before the woman went back to her desk Lucy stopped her "How much does it cost, I'd be happy to pay you right now or later."

The woman laid her hand on Lucy's shoulder and Lucy suddenly felt a powerful aura emanating from her "Don't worry Lucy it's free." She smiled and took her hand off Lucy's shoulder. Lucy didn't realize but she had been holding her breath when the woman had her hand on Lucy's shoulder.

She took a deep breath and started to walk off to the changing room but she suddenly realized something 'How did she know my name?!' She asked herself 'Laxus must've said it right? I don't remember him calling me anything other than Blondie though...' Lucy shook her head, dispelling any weird thoughts 'I need this hot spring more than I thought, I'm becoming paranoid.'

Lucy put her clothes in a small locker and entered the hot springs area in a small towel that stopped at her mid thigh. The hot springs were outdoors and were beautiful. Flowers and other vegetation grew around the hot springs, adding to the natural look. Steam rose from the crystal clear water and blanketed the area in a thick mist. Lucy was ecstatic at having this amazing hot springs all to herself and quickly shed her towel and practically jumped into the water. Lucy sighed contently as she relaxed and felt the water work at her sore muscles.

The blonde closed her eyes and didn't notice the muscular figure listening to music on the other side of the hot spring. "Hey Blondie." At the sound of the deep voice, Lucy's eyes rocketed open and she shrieked while attempting to cover her body.

"L-Laxus! What are you doing here! I knew you were a sick pervert!" Lucy screamed and Laxus rolled his eyes at her. Lucy's blush from the hot water deepened as she took in Laxus' upper body, 'Why does he have to be so muscular?' Lucy thought to herself as she examined the tattoo decorating his left pec.

"This is a co-ed hot springs, I'm allowed to be here." Laxus informed and rose from his seated position. Lucy squeaked and covered her eyes as more of Laxus' body was revealed, thankfully the water went up to his hips. "You know that innocent act is getting old, Blondie." Lucy could hear the smirk in his voice and felt the familiar feeling of wanting to smack it off his face build inside of her.

"Look the other way, I'm getting my towel!" Lucy yelled at him and he held up his hands in surrender.

"Okay, Blondie but I'm gonna get you to let loose someday." Laxus promised and turned around. Lucy opened her eyes cautiously and was relieved to see Laxus' back facing her. She stared at the muscular canvas for a minute before shaking her head and scolding herself for being so easily distracted.

Just as she started to climb out of the water, she felt a burning sensation spread throughout her body. It was if an inferno was raging inside of her. She yelped in pain and fell back into the water as the pain got worse. Black dots danced across her vision and she felt herself start to lose consciousness from the pain. The blonde vaguely heard Laxus call for her and saw the woman who ran the hot spring standing over the water with a smile on her face. Lucy tried to talk but all that came out was another scream from the pain shooting through her body.

Right before she blacked out, she saw the woman become enveloped in a white light and transfor. She was now wearing a white wrap dress with gold trim that stopped a few inches above her knees, her hair had grown much longer and reached the floor, the glasses she was wearing were gone, her eyes stared back at Lucy and the blonde felt entranced by the pure silver pools, and she had what seemed like angel wings stemming from her back. Lucy felt Laxus' arms wrap around her and the last thing she was the angel-like woman wave at her with an amused smile on her face.


Post Author Note: Hope you all liked this chapter! I don't know if I'm gonna have Laxus and Lucy end up together buts they're relationship and banter is really fun to write and I hope you have just as much fun reading it. I also really like writing the Fairy Tail moments with Team Natsu, Lucy's departure will affect Fairy Tail greatly, especially Natsu and I can't wait to explore that more.

I'm very excited to write the next chapter because it will advance the plot a lot more and that means Lucy becoming a badass sooner lol. Hopefully, I'll have it out soon but if I don't please be patient, I won't abandon this story

Oh and thanks to everyone who has reviewed, followed, and favorited this story, every time I get a notification, I get so excited and happy! Keep leaving reviews for me, they're very appreciated.

Have an amazing day!