Chapter Ten: Stage Three, the Bargain

A/N: I'll be honest, I drank way too much this week and I'm surprised I was able to finish editing this. Update: Didn't update when I was planning on it, looked at it the next day and decided to change.

"We can't tell anyone yet." Ultear says again as they reach the hotel.

"Yes, I know. That was mutually decided, Ul-dear." Natsu says with an eye roll as they go up to the man behind the counter. "Excuse me, sir, did a group of mages happen to come in here? Could we get the number to their room?"

"Name?" The man asks as he eyes the two up and down. If there's a flicker of fear in his eyes, the couple doesn't notice.

"Natsu. But Lucy, or would it be Erza?" The man nods before telling them the room number so they can be on their way. Perhaps he's breaking some important rule, but the duo reminds him too much of the mages that had come in that he's too terrified to remember any rule.

"Might as well list everyone in the party." Ultear says with a smile, mocking Natsu and his indecisiveness. They don't really stumble through the halls, they are too dignified for that, however they do accept the support of each other and the surrounding walls. They pass the room, take a moment to notice, laugh at their stupidity, then double back and rap a few short knocks on the door. They wait, praying it isn't too late and they haven't all fallen into a deep sleep, and right before Ultear knocks again they hear the sound of someone behind the door. Lucy opens the door, remnants of mascara lightly smear around her tired eyes as she rubs them. And they don't want to point out how much of a wreck her hair is, knowing just how self-conscious she can be about her appearance.

"Oh, its you guys." She says and stifles a yawn. She eyes the two of them, going back and forth and sees the excitement hidden in their eyes. "Come on. You came last so you're stuck with the floor." She says and lets them in. They see the cramped space and sigh at the pitiful makeshift bed their friends offhandedly made for them.

"Thank you." Ultear says and Natsu flashes a grin.

"Yeah, yeah. Night." She says through a yawn and plops back onto her bed, careful to avoid Wendy.

"Goodnight Luce." Natsu says before turning to Ultear and motioning to the bed. In a smooth movement, Natsu lays down and Ultear lays on his right, both curled up against each other for warmth and comfort. Natsu places a kiss on the top of her head and she nuzzles further into him. "Ul-dear-"

"She's fine." She says softly and looks up to him with one dark eye. "Don't worry. Jellal and Meredy can be scary when it comes to her protection." She then smiles and he just nods his head. "And remember, we would have felt if anything did happen." She says softly and the pinkette stays silent for a moment. In a silent chuckle, he places another kiss on the top of her head.

The next day, Ultear and Natsu find themselves the last of the group to wake up. The two of them had exhausted themselves by staying up so late, that combined with skipping three months and a night away from responsibilities.

"Wake up." Gray says as he nudges the pinkette with his foot. The group had known of how deep Natsu can sleep, however Ultear seems to be just as deep of a sleeper. Probably a trait she adopted from sleeping with Natsu. "Wake the hell up. You've been asleep for long enough, even I'm awake."

"You'd think with enhanced hearing he would be a light sleeper." Lucy says with a reminiscent smile. After one kick harder than Gray means, Natsu finally wakes up. His eyes flutter open but before he even fully adjusts, a small flame comes out of his mouth alongside a yawn. The flames appear in a hiss and licks at his lips. It delicately brushes Ultear's skin and the others realize they had yet to see Natsu use his magic. They can feel the flames heat and see a tint of red rather than orange as he yawns.

"Oh. Mornin'." he says as he blinks. He then looks to Ultear and pokes her cheek. "Wakey wakey." He says sleepily and Ultear blinks a few times to clear out the sleep.

"How the hell did that work?" Gray then says as they recall the effort they put into waking them.

"They're weird." Lucy says as if that is an explanation, and they laugh as Natsu and Ultear just stare at them in confusion.

"I feel like we missed something." Natsu then says and Ultear just looks at him with a laugh.

"We have run into a dilemma." Erza then says and they all look to her. "We have indeed lost our three months. We have only a week until the Games."

"Any suggestions? You're familiar with the games, are we ready?" Lucy asks and Natsu shrugs.

"They do whatever they want. It's more for amusement." Ultear says and Natsu nods along with her. "With your container, you should be fine. A little warm-up and you'll be used to the boost." Although their calm mood comforts Erza, she's the only one.

"Don't worry." Natsu adds as Ultear rests her chin on his shoulder. "Let's just enjoy the week, I say."

"This isn't some sort of honeymoon for you two, this is a training trip so we don't make a fool out of Fairy Tail." Gray comments and the pinkettes smile drops slightly.

"I thought we were over this." Natsu says and Gray frowns.

"I don't want to waste what time we have." He doesn't want to admit any weakness to the pinkette while in front of the girls, but he doesn't feel ready. After watching Erza have her ass handed to her by Natsu, there's no way he's prepared.

"This is not like you, Gray." Erza then says and looks to him. "Do not be intimidated by the new times. You are still strong, and we will not lose."

"Erza's right. We won't lose." Wendy adds with a determined smile.

"Really, we can't lose." Lucy then says and they all smile. "So I actually agree with Natsu. Do we wanna go anywhere else?" She tries to seem more confident in her words but decides she will just be confident in Natsu. He obviously knows something she doesn't, so she'll trust that.

"Let's go to the beach." Erza says with a smile. "I got a new swimsuit I would like to try." They all then nod in agreement, believing that the beach is the best option for relaxation. They leave as soon as they are ready to and find themselves on the earliest train to the nearest beach with the fewest people and the best waters. Surprisingly, the beach was easy to find and the train leaves at a decent time.

"I feel weird not training." Lucy admits as she stands on the beach in her bikini, towel under her arm still rolled up.

"Didn't you want to come here?" Wendy asks as she digs her toes into the warm sand.

"Yeah, but it's still weird. They all can go without training, but I don't know if I can." She then looks to the keys tied securely to her belt. She pulls out the golden key of the lion and he comes out after the brief sound of a bell, already dressed for a day at the beach.

"Yes, Lucy? Need someone to help you put on sunscreen?"

"No, Loke." The blond rolls her eyes as she spreads out her towel. "I'm just working on my stamina and you're the one that drains the most."

"I will take that as a compliment." He says as he sits on the sand beside her. "Actually, the Spirit King felt bad about stealing all of your time. So he gave me a few gifts for you guys." The lion spirit then pulls out a bag and looks to the blond. "Yours is not as physical as the others." He says with a playboy wink but Lucy is unaffected. "Wow, so cold." The words sound hurt but his tone is more bland, too used to the treatment. "Here, Wendy." Loke passes the girl a small box. She looks at it for a moment before opening the small white jewelry box. Inside she finds a necklace, as she expected, except it seems to have a small blue scale on it. It shimmers when it catches the light, almost as if it were glowing. "You can't heal yourself, however if you put your healing magic into this, it can heal you. But it only gets one use before it needs recharged." Leo explains and Wendy puts the necklace on with Carla's help.

"Thank you." She says as she admires the blue scale. "Can I use this during the games?"

"I don't see why not. It's still your magic. And it could count as your armor." He says with a friendly wink and she smiles at him.

"Thanks, again."

"No problem." He then turns to look for his next target. Erza is nearby, laying in the sun for all the world to see, shades on her face so they can't tell whether or not she's awake. "Hey, Erza!" Leo shouts for her as he heads her way, bag in hand. After a moment, she turns to look at him and pushes her shades down so she can see him clearly.

"Hey, Loke." She greets and sits up to better greet him. "What brings you here."

"Lucy's training. But I do have something for you." He hands her a box from bag and she takes no time in opening it.

"A sword?" She questions as she looks at the steel sword, the handle mostly blue with the end being a gold that wraps around a part of the blue. She gives it a few experimental swings before noticing Leo is not done.

"It's from the Spirit Realm." She raises her brow at the obvious statement and Leo then remembers her impatience and the pain it brought him when he was in the guild. "Which means it can harness some of that power. It can bend time."

"How?"

"Put your magic into it." He states simply and she does just that. The sand nearby her gets caught in her field of magic and floats a little of the ground but she pays it no mind. She can see Loke moving slower than he should be and smirks. Upon cancelling her magic, she just smiles and nods to the Spirit.

"Thank you."

"You're welcome." He nods back to her before turning to look out at the sea. Gray seems to be just coming out of it. Leo walks closer to the water but not so close as to ruin his clothing.

"Where's my gift?" Gray says jokingly. His hair is still soaked with salt water and droops in his eyes, but he ignores it in favor of his friend. "How long has it been for you?"

"Not long at all, sadly. I could go longer without seeing your ugly mug." Leo says with a smile and Gray crosses his arms expectantly. "Alright, alright, you're a little selfish." He holds out a carefully wrapped gift and as Gray grabs it he feels that it's soft. He raises his brow at Leo before fully taking it in his arms. Gray rips it open and sees a blue fabric, as dark as the sky when night falls. Unfolding it, it seems to be a long sleeve shirt Gray assumes will perfectly fit him.

"You are aware that I tend to lose my clothing, right?" Gray asks as he stretches the fabric. It feels cooler to the touch than he thought it would.

"We all know that, Gray. And we are all annoyed by it." He shares a well known fact within the Spirit Realm and Gray snickers before putting the shirt on. It's tight but doable, and he puts a thin film of ice around his torso to understand just why he would receive clothing. He can feel the cool ice as if he weren't wearing anything at all. "It fortifies your ice." Leo explains and Gray curls his arm, ice bending with him as it always does. "Please don't lose it."

"I won't. Thank you." Leo nods before turning to get a better view of the entire beach.

"Where's Natsu? And Ultear?" Gray then takes a turn to look as well and he can't spot either of them.

"I don't know, but I worry about what you might run in to if you find them." They both then laugh, knowing full well the many things the couple may be doing. Then, from the line of trees at the edge of the beach, the couple comes out hand in hand. They're smiling which makes the two boys send each other a knowing smirk. They seem deep in conversation, Ultear's orb resting under her arm.

"See ya." Leo then heads towards the two who are completely absorbed with the other. If Leo didn't know better, he'd think the two were still in the golden zone honeymoon phase where everything is pleasant in a relationship. He holds the small box in his hand, sure that this gift is probably one of the best he has handed out today.

"She'll be mad when we get back." Natsu says with a small huff.

"That's what we get for missing them. Poor Jellal, she probably dragged him around as punishment." Ultear comments with a laugh. Natsu sniffs the air and notices the new scent before Leo has the time to make himself known. The pinkette turns to look at the male, Ultear's head turning right in time with his.

"Loke!" He flashes a bright grin that Leo can't help but mirror.

"Hey Natsu, long time no see."

"Yeah, especially for you." They meet halfway and Leo holds the box out. The duo look at it for a second then Ultear flicks her eyes to the spirits face.

"What's this?"

"A gift, to help make up for the lost time." He says and Natsu takes the small box. He opens it to see two rings inside and Leo doesn't miss the immediate look they send each other. "The Spirit King kinda did it as a joke." He admits with a smile. "He decided to propose for you guys, so you get matching engagement rings. There's a link in them that keeps you connected." Natsu takes one and Ultear the other, and the rings fit perfectly. They're golden with a blue vine like design swirling around the entire thing. On Ultear's, a beautiful teal blue pearl rests on top, cradled by a rose gold flower. Natsu's ring is similar, however his gem is an aquamarine pearl held in place by a rose gold dragon wrapped protectively around it. As soon as both rings are on, the two can feel the connection form between them like static warming the air. Although Leo can't feel it, he can see the connection begin in the shifted stance the two take to be closer together. "Lift the bottom." He then says and together the two obey him, beneath they find a small bracelet. This one is also golden with the vine design, however on the top it has three white pearls in a line. A rose gold dragon twists its way around the pearls before resting its head on top of the middle pearl, and the middle pearl is slightly raised as it is held with its own rose gold flower. "That's for your daughter." he says and the two look at him, their thankfulness shining in their eyes.

"This is too much." Ultear says, unsure of if they can even return the gifts.

"Really, Leo, you ought to steal another month for this." The pinkette adds and Leo just laughs.

"This is a gift all of Lucy's spirits wanted to give you, Natsu." Leo admits and Ultear looks to the pinkette.

"Thanks, Loke."

"It's Leo." He corrects and Natsu rolls his eyes at his own forgetfulness.

"Sorry, yeah, Leo." The Spirit then nods before heading back to Lucy. Ultear looks down at the bracelet and admires it. Oddly, the gold with the rose gold works well for the jewelry.

"That worked perfectly for us." Natsu admits and Ultear places the bracelet on her own wrist for safe keeping. "How the hell are we gonna top this?"

"We'll figure it out." She says and they share a short kiss. "Come on." She then grabs his hands and leads them further onto the beach. They can see that they weren't the only ones to receive gifts. Gray and Erza had decided to spar to test out the gifts. Of course, Erza is easily beating Gray with her time-bending sword, however Gray's ice armor is nothing to joke about as it takes a few swings before it cracks. Leo steals Lucy away and leads her into the woods, obviously wanting to give the mage her gift in private. Wendy hardly notices the blond leave as she is too absorbed in putting as much magic in her necklace as she can.

"We're gonna win this year." Natsu says with a smirk, absentmindedly running his thumb on the ring.

"I never doubted it." She says and kisses his cheek before heading towards Gray and Erza. Natsu decides to go to Wendy as Carla is coaxing the girl into stopping. Even from his distance he can tell that she is slowly exhausting herself.

"Now this is becoming irresponsible of you." Carla scolds the girl but she ignores her.

"She's right, Wen." Natsu says and startles the poor girl into stuttering her magic output to a halt. She looks to Natsu, sweat on her brow not just from the heat.

"I want to be stronger." She says and he can see the determination shining in her eyes.

"You sell yourself short." He says and sits at the edge of the towel. "You are strong." She looks down at her hands and Natsu can practically read her mind. "Not physically, not as strong as Erza or me, and you don't have our magical stamina, but we're different from you. I need all the stamina I can get. The fire used to burn up my magic faster than I could use it." He admits and she looks up at him in disbelief. "Erza had to be strong. You're strong, just in the way you need to be. And you're stubborn enough that your weaknesses aren't really weaknesses. Don't sell yourself short by comparing yourself to us." He says with a smile and she returns it but with a more timid touch.

"Thanks, Natsu."

"No problem." A large boom then shakes the ground and immediately Natsu is standing, searching for the source. "Luce?" He sniffs the air and can see the explosion happened in the same direction she had gone. "Lucy!" He races for the woods, the others hot on his tail. They break into a clearing but notice right away that it has been altered by the explosion. Dirt is still settling when the arrive, and in the middle Lucy is sitting. She is half awake and blinking tiredly at the five new people. Natsu sniffs the air while the others look for a threat, but none of them find a thing.

"Are you okay?" Wendy asks as she heads into the shallow crater to check on Lucy. The blond smiles at the bluette and nods.

"What was that?" Erza asks, two swords in hand and on high alert.

"A new spell." Lucy explains and Gray helps her to stand.

"Was that Leo's gift for you?" Wendy asks, recalling the spirit's vague wording. Lucy nods mutely and they all sigh in relief. "You need to rest." Wendy commands and Lucy does not even want to object, far too exhausted to do anything but sleep. Ultear looks around the crater, impressed by whatever the blond had done.

"Whatever it was, I don't want to face it." Ultear admits and Natsu nods alongside her.

"She's come really far." The pinkette adds as he reflects on their first encounter. When she was at the whim of her spirits and defenseless without them. When she would get captured left and right and her insecurities kept her locked in a place of little growth. "She'll become a great mage."

"She already is one." Ultear says as she nudges Natsu's side with her elbow. "I'm going swimming."

"Okay." She heads off, following the trail of the rest of the group. Natsu stays for a moment to look at the crater. He walks to where Lucy had been before looking around and he notices a hole that created a path in the trees. It didn't destroy the ground, but it shows that the attack wasn't just a radius that meant more for defense or large groups, but also an offensive attack that obliterated what it was aimed at.

When Natsu heads back to the beach, everyone is already there and they all went into the water, splashing each other to release the tension the scare had caused. After a moment, Natsu decides to head to the cabin they are staying in. Inside, he finds Lucy immobile on one of the beds. He can tell that she's not quite asleep but on the verge of consciousness.

"You're strong." He says softly as he sits on the neighboring bed. "You were strong before you had that spell. Only a strong mage could control something like that." She cracks a small smile and Natsu raises a brow at her.

"Am I strong enough for you to stay?"

"What?" He leans back, confused by the seemingly random question.

"If I become strong enough, will you stay? If, if I can beat you." She opens her eyes, the puppy dog brown looking at him with more intensity that her exhausted frame should allow. "Or, if Sonya doesn't have to go into hiding. Or if I can get Ultear to join Fairy Tail. Would you stay?"

"Lucy, I haven't even decided-"

"Yes, you have." She cuts him off and takes a moment to sit up on the bed. Natsu notices her wince but knows she's too stubborn to stop even if he told her to. "You'll do what you have to for Sonya and Ultear." She says as she is fully up. "But what can I do to make you stay? I'll do anything." She then furrows her brows in concentration and her lips draw a firm line. "You're staying if I have any say in it."

"Luce, you need to rest."

"If I beat you, will you stay?"

"I'm not gonna promise something like that." She shakes her head and looks him dead in the eye.

"If I become strong enough. If I beat you. Will that be enough?"

"You are plenty strong, Luce."

"Stop saying that." Her harsh words cause him to pause and look at her. She takes in a ragged breath before exhaling slowly. "I'm going to become strong. Stronger, strong enough. Then you can't leave." She decides all for herself, a set goal in mind that Natsu can't change even if he tries. He knows she's tired, and although she is stubborn she is equally as smart.

"Whatever you say, Luce." He then nods, positive that when her thoughts clear she will understand how futile her strength is in his decision. He trusts her to change her mind. But he also fears that if she is clearer in the mind then he thinks she is, she will not change her mind. He just hopes she doesn't take his temporary truce as him agreeing to her terms. Knowing her, she would twist his words like that if he isn't careful about his wording.

A/N: It's shorter than some of the other more recent chapters. But we're getting to the main event! Thank you all so very much for everything my lovely pack! Til next time, see ya!