Gajeel made his way towards the guildhall. He walked down the street alone in the morning sun. The brightness bothered him. He put up a hand to shield his eyes. He had gotten drunk the night before, and while he enjoyed it at the time, he was now feeling the after effects, as is so common. He wasn't drowning his sorrows, nor was he celebrating anything. Sometimes a guy just wants to drink. But a guy also has to pay the price.

Regardless, Gajeel walked into the guild as usual, seeing the familiar faces. Of course, the one that stood out was Natsu, who was pacing about, looking restless. Natsu would occasionally glance at the job board. Gajeel wasn't surprised that Natsu would want to get out and do something. On some level, Gajeel sympathized. On the other hand, he also felt like he had a bone to pick with Natsu about a few things. He started walking over to Natsu, but noticed that he was now looking at something else. It was Romeo, Macao's son. The little boy, six going on seven, stood there, looking up at Natsu.

"Natsu." Romeo said.

"Hey, it's been a while." Natsu said, nonchalantly. "What's up?"

For a moment Romeo said nothing. He looked down at the ground, and seemed to be considering something. Then he looked back up and said, "Is it true?"

"Is what true?" Natsu said.

"I heard people talking. They said you helped the bad guys. You lived with them. They said people died and stuff, and you knew about it. Is it true? You're not a bad guy Natsu, right?"

Natsu stood there for a minute, tilting his head a little. "No. I mean, parts of that are true, but not all of it. It's complicated."

"What's complicated?" Romeo said. "Did you help them or not?"

"No, I… Look, you don't understand. Sometimes grown ups do things for their friends, even things they shouldn't. I'll explain it to you when you're older."

"But…" Romeo said. At this point Macao walked up.

"Romeo, are you bothering Natsu?" Macao asked.

"No, I was just asking him questions. But he's not making sense." Romeo sounded both confused and annoyed.

"Well, Natsu has been through a lot." Macao said. "It's complicated."

"That's what he said." Romeo said.

"Look, just give him some space right now. We'll talk about it later."

"…Fine." Romeo said. He didn't sound satisfied, but wandered off all the same. Macao watched him go, and then turned to Natsu.

"Sorry about that. You know how kids are."

"Its fine." Natsu said. "He's not the only one looking at me funny these days."

"Well, I know your hearts in the right place." Macao said. "I haven't forgotten how you saved my life."

"That was nothing." Natsu said distantly.

"Not to me it wasn't. Just know I'm in your corner."

"Thanks." Natsu said, still distant. He then started walking away. Macao watched him for a moment, and then walked off in a different direction.

Gajeel watched all of this from behind a pillar. He knew he was eavesdropping. He might have been curious to hear what Natsu would have to say after all this time, since he'd been pretty tight lipped about most things. As it turned out, Natsu said very little. Gajeel furrowed his brow. He was curious, but he decided that he wasn't so curious that he needed to talk to Natsu.

"Keep your secrets." He said. "They always come out sooner or later."

"That's usually true." Someone said next to him. Gajeel quickly turned. Standing next to him was Flare, looking in the same direction he was. And standing a little further back was Juvia. He hadn't noticed either of them come in. He must have been more distracted than he realized.

"What the hell are you doing here?" he said without thinking.

"I work here." Flare said without turning. "And live here too, I guess."

"We actually came by to look at the job board." Juvia said.

Gajeel snorted. "Good luck with that. Now that the excitement over Natsu and Lisanna is dying down, a lot of people are starting to look for work again. Not a lot left right now."

"I'm sure we'll find something." Juvia said.

"Is Natsu really popular here?" Flare said. "What's the deal with him and the kid, and the dad?"

"I guess Natsu was popular." Gajeel said, shrugging. "I don't really know Macao and his kid that well. Apparently Natsu helped him once, but I wasn't here for that. I know the kid looks up to him though. Maybe not anymore. Heh."

"That's sad." Juvia said. "I'm sure Natsu thought he was doing the right thing."

"I know how he feels." Flare said.

"You mean the kid, or Natsu?" Gajeel said.

"Maybe both." Flare said. "I was in Raven Tail, remember?" Gajeel waited to see if she would elaborate, but she left it at that.

"Hey, there's something I've been meaning to ask you." He said. He pointed at her, and said, "When are you going to get that removed?"

Flare lowered her eyes to where he was pointing, and then looked back up at him. "Staring at my boobs, Gajeel?"

"Shut up, I'm being serious." He said, a little annoyed. "Its kind of weird you still have that Raven Tail tattoo. I would've thought you'd get rid of it by now."

"But I'd feel naked without it." She said, clutching at her dress a little. Gajeel became more irritated at her refusal to take this seriously.

"I've been meaning to ask about that too." Juvia said. "I'm not saying you need to get a Fairy Tail tattoo, but walking around with a symbol for a dead guild and a former enemy of this one is… odd."

Flare stared blankly. "I haven't gotten around to it. I will. Soon."

"Soon, huh?" Gajeel said. He looked over at Juvia, but it seemed something else had caught her attention.

"I'll talk to you both later, I have to go now." Juvia said quietly. She walked off towards the front of the main hall. Gajeel peered over, and saw that she was walking towards Gray.

"Figures." He muttered.

Flare wasn't paying attention to whatever Juvia and Gray were doing. She seemed to be distracted adjusting her gloves, with a typically strange look on her face.

"So…" Gajeel said.

"Want to look for a job?" Flare suddenly blurted, smiling at him.

Sometimes, Gajeel couldn't decide if he found Flare's weirdness to be annoying, or oddly charming. Right then, he went with the latter. "Sure, why the hell not?" he said, and walked over with her to the job board.


Juvia watched Gray. He was standing with his hands on a table, leaning over it., head down. He looked like he was thinking about something serious. She didn't want to disturb him. However, it had been a while since she had last spoken to him. She missed it. She couldn't help but wonder if he missed it too. She felt she had to talk to him. Before even consciously deciding to, she already found herself walking over to him. She moved closer to him, seeing him with closed eyes, and tensed shoulders. Even when he was stressed or upset, she couldn't help but think how handsome and manly he looked.

Getting lost in thought, she found that she had walked right up next to him, less than a foot away. Gray opened his eyes and looked at her.

"Juvia… hi." He said in a hard to read tone.

"Hello Gray." She said back. "Um, it's been a while."

"Has it?" he said.

She felt slightly discouraged by this. He hadn't noticed?

"I guess it has been a little while since we spoke." He said. He stood straight, and fully turned to her, but still seemed a little distracted. "So, what's up?"

"I'd like to know how you're doing, how you've been." She said. "You seem like you're not in good spirits."

"Good spirits." He muttered. "Yeah well, Natsu is back, and I seem to be the only one who has a problem with that. The guy walks away from our guild after we just lost Erza, and the Laxus thing. He joins up with some weird death cult. They send a bunch of ghouls to attack our guild, and start taking over towns. Now he comes back with a part demon Lisanna, and wants to act like nothing happened."

"So, Natsu is the problem." She said.

"Not just him. Its… everything. It's all so screwed up." He shook his head, and then looked at her. "Anyway, what did you want to talk about?"

"Oh, well there was something." She said. "I know you've had a lot on your mind, and I've been busy working with a team."

"Yeah, its good that you've found a group. It's given you something constructive to focus on. You should stick with that."

"Oh." She said. What does he mean by that? She couldn't help wondering. Does he want me to continue spending time with them instead of him? Juvia had walked over ready to say something to Gray, but now she was less sure. I have to tell him how I feel. I know he rejected me before. But I've given him space. And if I tell him I love him, then maybe he'll know that he's not so alone. He can confide in me, and trust me. And love me.

"Juvia?" Gray said. Juvia suddenly realized she had spaced out.

"Uh, yes. Gray, there is something important I want to talk with you about. Something I've been meaning to say."

Gray put a hand to his head, running it through his hair. "Is it an emergency? I mean, can it wait until tomorrow? I'm not in a good mood, and feel like I need to cool off. I mean, if its really important, we can talk about it now." Gray said this last part in a way that suggested he'd rather not.

"Tomorrow?" she said. I really want to say it now. But I've waited this long, so one more day won't hurt. Then he'll finally be ready to listen to me.

"Yeah, sure." Gray said, still sounding distracted. "It's a date."

As Gray walked away, Juvia stood there, watching him go. It's a date? Did I hear that right? She suddenly felt elated. Just one more day, and then she would tell him how she feels, and he would as well. She couldn't wait.


Levy sat on the chair putting her shoes on. She wore her open toed shoes, as usual. They didn't have laces, but it still took a minute for her to put them on her feet. She was aware of Mystogan sitting nearby, still not fully dressed himself. For the moment she didn't look at him. Not because she didn't want to, but because she needed a few minutes to clear her head, and collect herself. She wondered what they would talk about now. She blushed a little. She felt kind of strange, but in a good way. At least, she thought it was good.

I can't believe we actually did that, she thought. I wasn't planning on it. Was he? I don't think so…

"So, Mystogan." Levy said, looking up at him. He had put most of his clothes on by this point. He looked at her intently. After a moment she rethought what she said, and said, "Jellal."

"Jellal?" he said.

"Yeah. I kind of feel like I should call you Jellal now. After what happened last night." She couldn't help blushing again. What is wrong with me? She thought.

"Do you regret it?" he asked. He looked at her earnestly.

Levy looked at him a moment, and slowly shook her head. "Not if you don't."

"I do not." He said, smiling slightly.

Levy breathed a sigh of relief internally. Truthfully, there was a part of her that still thought he might be gone in the morning, after all his talk of wanting to take off. She was glad he was still there. She felt a little better now. She finished with her shoes and stood up. "I'd like to stay and talk, but I need to get to the guild. My team is expecting me for a job today. I've been so busy with other stuff that I've been kind of neglecting actually earning a living. Hah hah." She chuckled nervously.

"We can talk on the way back, if you want." He said.

"Oh." She said. "I'd love that, but aren't you worried about being seen by people? Its broad daylight."

Mystogan appeared to consider a moment. "I could at least walk you part of the way, before you reach the busy part of town. That should be okay."

Levy smiled. "Well, okay then. Let's get our stuff and go."


Lisanna was up in her room, looking through an old cardboard box. The box had been brought up earlier by Mirajane. It contained some old things that belonged to Lisanna. Mementos, a few clothes, and some pictures. She didn't remember all of it. Mirajane had told her that some of the pictures had been taken by Lisanna herself, but a few were extras that Mirajane threw in, thinking Lisanna might like them. Lisanna sighed, sitting on the floor cross-legged while the sunlight from outside came in through the blinds over the window. She took out an old grey hoodie she wore sometimes. She wondered if it still fit her. She recalled that she didn't usually wear the hood, but it might be a good idea to now, given her current appearance.

She put it aside and looked through some more things. There was a round rock of some kind. She didn't remember if it had any significance, or if it was just a random rock. Sometimes it was hard for her to tell what might be important and what might be meaningless. She put that down and started looking through the pictures. There was one of the guild hall, the way it used to look. She forgot how small it was compared to the new version. She looked at another picture of Mirajane and Elfman, much younger. Lisanna guessed that she took the picture herself, since they were both posing in the picture, but Lisanna herself wasn't in it. Elfman looked like a bit of a dork, although Lisanna would never say that. Much more boy than man. Mirajane was in her she-devil phase, looked cocky as hell, and was wearing age-inappropriate clothes. Coming back and seeing how they had changed was a surprise, to say the least.

Lisanna suddenly noticed a beam of light shining down on her fingers. Her demonic fingers. Lisanna put the pictures down and looked at her hand. She realized how much she herself had changed. She would never be human again. She would never be…

There was a knock on the door. Lisanna was a little startled, but said, "Who is it?"

"Its me." Mirajane said on the other side of the door. "Can I come in? Or is this a bad time?"

Lisanna stood up, dusting herself off a little. "No, its fine. You can come in." Mirajane entered the room, but made sure to close the door behind her. They stood there for a moment, looking at each other from across the room.

"Hi." Mirajane said.

"Hey, what's up?" Lisanna said. Mirajane walked over towards Lisanna. Mirajane looked at the things on the floor Lisanna had been looking at.

"Going through the old stuff?" Mirajane said. "Find anything good?"

"Uh, yeah." Lisanna said uncertainly. "I can probably use the hoodie."

Mirajane smiled. "And what about the pictures? Ring any bells?"

"Sort of. I think I remember some of them." Lisanna said, sounding distracted.

"What's wrong?" Mirajane asked.

Lisanna glanced at her sister, and then looked away. "Nothing." She said.

Mirajane's expression became serious, yet still warm. "You don't have to talk if you don't want to. But I hope you know that you can trust me. If something is bothering you, then I'll do whatever I can for you. Even if it's just listening."

Lisanna still avoided looking at Mirajane. Lisanna suddenly felt something. She turned. Mirajane held her hand.

"I love you, Lisanna." Mirajane said. "And not just me. Remember that." Mirajane turned and walked away. But Lisanna held onto her hand. Mirajane turned and looked back. Without warning Lisanna hugged her. Lisanna held her sister close. Mirajane hugged her back. "Lisanna." she said.

"Mirajane…" Lisanna said. She stepped back a little. "Mirajane, I… I did bad things. I've killed. I've betrayed." Lisanna didn't cry, but she still said these things with an effort. She continued, giving a broad strokes account of everything that happened. Once she started, she felt compelled to keep going. Mirajane stood there listening without interruption. Lisanna let out what she had been thinking and feeling for a while, and still left out a lot. Eventually, Lisanna stopped talking, and just stood there, looking emotionally drained. Mirajane hugged her again.

"I'm sorry." Lisanna said. "I shouldn't have dumped all that on you."

"Remember what I told you?" Mirajane said. "You can tell me anything. There's nothing to be sorry for. I know you've been through a lot. But the worst of it is over now. You're home again. I know it won't be easy, but I'll be here for you, always. Elfman too."

Lisanna looked out the window, some of the light catching her face. "Do I deserve that? Do I deserve to be here, in Fairy Tail? Do I deserve to be…" Lisanna looked down. "Do I deserve to be with Natsu?"

"From what you've told me, it sounds like you did the best you could." Mirajane said. "You were confused, and isolated, and being manipulated. I wish I could have been there for you." Mirajane sighed. "As for Natsu: are you two in a relationship?" she asked. Lisanna shook her head. "Does he know how you feel about him?"

"I don't know." Lisanna said. "We kissed once. But I don't know what he thinks about that."

"If he kissed you, then I'm pretty sure he likes you." Mirajane smiled.

"But I don't know if he loves me." Lisanna said bluntly. She looked at Mirajane earnestly.

"Love?" Mirajane said. "You really are growing up. To be honest, I don't have much experience with romance, so I can't give a lot of advice there. All I can tell you is to tell him how you feel."

Lisanna moved over to the bed and sat down. She sat there for a moment, lost in thought. "Is it right to want to be with him?"

"Of course-" Mirajane started to say.

"Not just him." Lisanna said. "Everyone. Fairy Tail. Do I even belong here anymore? I mean… Look at me. Am I still Lisanna? I don't look the same. And my magic is different. I've done things I wouldn't have done in the past. Am I still me?" She picked up a picture off the floor. It was one of her with some small animals.

"Animals don't even like me anymore." She said. "Most of them. I'm not the same person, am I?" she looked longingly at the picture in her hand, looking back at a simpler time. While she did that, Mirajane picked up a few other pictures and sat down next to Lisanna. They sat beside each other in silence for a minute. The faint sound of conversation among other mages could be heard beneath them.

Eventually, Mirajane turned to Lisanna and held up the pictures. "Do you see these?"

Lisanna looked at the assorted photographs in Mirajane's hand. "Yeah, I looked at them." She said quietly.

"What about these?" Mirajane said, holding a couple specific ones up. They were pictures of the Strauss siblings together, as kids. Lisanna looked closely at them.

"Yeah, I remember." Lisanna said. "I can't believe that used to be me. I was so different."

"So was I, and so was Elfman." Mirajane said, pointing closely. "I'm nothing like I was back then. And Elfman has changed a lot too. We're basically totally different people. And those changes came from pain, and loss. We suffered, but we also learned, and grew."

Lisanna looked forward, contemplating Mirajane's words. "But what I've done…"

"We've all done things we regret." Mirajane continued. "I regret some of my actions. And Elfman always regretted that one day. And I'm sure Natsu has his regrets too. Our past is a part of us, but it doesn't have to define who we are now." Mirajane let that last part hang in the air. Lisanna sat there on the bed, thinking over everything Mirajane said. She gripped her knees with her fingers. She breathed in and out, slowly.

"I… need some time to think about things." Lisanna said.

"I understand." Mirajane said. "One more thing: don't be afraid to tell someone you love them."

Lisanna smiled impishly. "Advice from an amateur?"

"Advice from a sister." Mirajane smiled back. "I love you." With that, Mirajane got up and walked towards the door. She turned the knob and opened the door.

"Mira." Lisanna said. Mirajane turned. "I love you too." Lisanna finished.


Lucy stood at an open window, looking out. She leaned on the window sill with her elbows, looking down at the street below. It was another cool, breezy night. She liked this kind of weather. It made her feel good. She just wished she had someone to enjoy it with. Everyone seemed so preoccupied. The mages had been spending more time around the guild and less doing quests lately, due to everything going on. Most people were either focusing on the big problems, or were becoming more focused on personal relationships since they didn't have steady jobs to distract them as much. Maybe Lucy wouldn't mind that if she had a relationship of her own. Not necessarily romantic. At least someone to talk to.

Lucy sighed. She knew that Makarov was supposed to come back later that night, probably after everyone was asleep. Mirajane had said that master Makarov had some important things he wanted to talk about the following day. Lucy hoped the master had a plan for finally ending the big conflict going on. And maybe then, Lucy could finally get back to working regularly, and maybe even get a new team.

"Lucy." Someone said from behind. Lucy was startled and almost tripped out of the window. She grabbed onto the sides, and then turned around. Natsu stood in the doorway of the room. He looked a little more cleaned up since coming back, a little more like the Natsu Lucy last saw. At least superficially. He took a step further into the room. It was a small room, which didn't serve any particular purpose. There wasn't even an actual door. The view from the window was nice though.

"Natsu, hey." Lucy said, leaning back against the sill.

"It's been a while." He said.

"We saw each other this morning." Lucy said. Natsu cocked his head slightly. "That's not what you meant." Lucy said.

Natsu walked over to the window with her, and looked out. They were alone together for the first time since…

"How long has it been?" Natsu said.

"How long?" she said. After a moment, she understood what he meant. "At least half a year. Longer than that, actually. Time seems to pass differently these days."

Natsu nodded. "I know. It feels like it's been a really long time. But it hasn't."

"A lot has happened." She said.

"And there's more that's gonna happen." Natsu clenched his fist as he spoke.

Lucy smiled, but it was a sad smile. She looked down for a minute, deciding whether or not to ask him something. It was something that had been in the back of her mind for a long time. She had to know. "Natsu… I want to ask you something. Last year, on the night you left; if I had followed you, and asked you to stay, would you have? I know it sounds stupid, but its just something I've thought about. I guess I just want to know."

Natsu looked at her seriously. Almost the same way he looked at her on that night. "No. I wouldn't. I did what I thought I had to. For Erza, and… for all of us."

"Oh. But do you regret it?"

Natsu stood there and stared at nothing in particular. He was silent for a whole minute, which made Lucy uncomfortable. Finally, he said, "I regret some things." He didn't elaborate, and just left it at that.

"Okay then." Lucy didn't know what else to say. "Is that what you wanted to say?"

Natsu turned. "No. I mean… I just don't know what to do."

"About what?" Lucy asked.

"I want to fight the Shadow Kings, and Oracion Seis. And I will. I know what I'm going to do there. I'll make amends for whatever damage I've done."

"And I'll help however I can." She said. "Not that you can't fight yourself. I know you're really strong."

"Really strong…" Natsu said. He shook his head. "We'll talk about that some other time. There's something else I'm thinking about too. I can't clear my head, and I don't know what to do about it. I can't even go out and fight right now."

"What's the matter?" Lucy said.

Natsu sighed. "Ahh. I know how I feel about my enemies, and my friends. But this is different. I've never felt this before. I don't know what to do with it. Maybe you've felt it sometime."

"Felt what?" she asked.

"You ever feel distracted by someone? You can't stop thinking about them. And it makes you happy, but it also makes you feel crazy? And you don't know if it's right or wrong, but you just… want it. No, you need it. Do you know what I'm saying?"

Lucy felt a pain in her chest. She was pretty sure she knew what Natsu meant. She had felt it herself. But she had also noticed the direction of Natsu's gaze at times. He wasn't looking at her.

"Are you talking about Lisanna?" Lucy said in an almost whisper.

"…Yeah. Is it obvious?"

"Yeah, it is." Few in the guild were unaware of Natsu and Lisanna's mutual attraction to each other.

"I don't think she feels that way about me though." He said. "She doesn't want to talk to me lately. She stays in her room a lot. I don't know. Ah, I shouldn't be laying my problems on you. A real man would figure it out himself."

A real man? Lucy thought. She wondered if that was where Elfman got that from. She was momentarily distracted by the amusing thought, but then noticed Natsu turn and start to leave. Somehow, she felt compelled to say something.

"She said you kissed." Lucy said. Natsu turned around.

"Lisanna told you that?" he said. Lucy nodded. "Yeah, we did." He said. "Just once. It was probably just a heat of the moment thing though. I don't think it meant anything, not to her anyway." He looked unhappy as he said this.

Lucy could tell how much this was affecting Natsu. She wanted him to be happy. And Lisanna seemed like a nice person too. Lucy sighed deeply in her mind and heart.

"You're wrong." She said. "It meant a lot to her."

"How do you know?" he asked.

"She told me so. She also told me that she loves you." Lucy looked at the ground as she said this. She couldn't meet his gaze. She suddenly felt Natsu grab her shoulders, and looked up.

"You're sure?" he asked. Lucy nodded.

"Yeah, positive." Lucy stood there with Natsu holding her, his face close to hers. In the past she would have felt embarrassed and uncomfortable. Now, she still felt uncomfortable, but for different reasons. Natsu let go of her, and looked like he was having an internal struggle.

"I don't know what to do here." He said.

"You want to be with her." Lucy said. "And she wants to be with you. So, go to her. Tell her how you feel. You'll regret it if you don't."

Natsu looked at her. "Wow Lucy, you sound pretty wise about this stuff."

Lucy laughed humorlessly. "Believe me, its not wisdom." She said.

Natsu stood there for a moment, and closed his eyes. He nodded, and looked at Lucy again. "Okay, your right. I'll do it." He reached his hand out to Lucy, which she wasn't expecting. She thought maybe he was going to grab her again, but instead he took her hand. To be precise, he shook her hand.

"Thanks Lucy." He said. "You're a good friend." He smiled at her as he said it. Lucy felt a sharp pain in her chest.

"Don't mention it." She said. "What are… What are friends for?" Natsu nodded, and then turned and walked out of the room, presumably to go find Lisanna.

Lucy stood there alone in the room. She stood like that for a few minutes. She didn't feel sad, or happy, or angry. She just felt numb. "What are friends for?" she repeated.


Mirajane walked through the hall, having just gone on a break from her duties as a waitress. She had found someone to cover for her. She felt a little tired, even though it wasn't that late. She might go to bed early that night. In the meantime, she wanted to get something to eat for herself, and maybe talk with Elfman if he's around. Lisanna was off somewhere else, and probably wanted to be left alone.

She had gotten something to eat for herself from the bar, and was looking for a place to eat that was a little quieter. Not that she minded noise normally, but she had some things on her mind. Before she could find a spot, she saw Natsu. She stopped, wondering what he was doing now. He seemed to be looking for something. He turned and saw her, and immediately approached. I wonder what this is about? She thought.

"Hey, Mira." He said as he got close. Before she could respond he said, "Do you know where Lisanna is? I really want to see her, right now. It's important."

"Important? Gee, Natsu." Mirajane said. "I think Lisanna is busy with something. Can it wait?"

Natsu shook his head. "No. I mean, I don't want to wait, not anymore. Please, tell me where she is."

Mirajane could tell he was serious. She thought on it. "Lisanna… Let's see, she was going to do a few different things. She's been looking at stuff lately. I didn't want to interrupt her."

"I want to talk to her alone." He said. "Either you tell her I want to see her, or I'll go look for her myself."

Mirajane held up her hands. "Please don't do that. Lisanna hasn't been in a good place lately, and I don't know how she'd react."

"I have to see her." Natsu said undeterred. "Its important. I think its important for her too."

Mirajane smiled slightly, and then nodded. "Alright, fine. I'll tell her. What should I say?"

"Tell her to meet me somewhere. Somewhere private."

"Private…" Mirajane said, considering.

"We can talk in my room, or hers. That's private."

Mirajane considered this. "Yeah, that is private." She hesitated a moment. "Alright, you wait in your room, and I'll get her. But Natsu… Whatever you say to her, just be gentle."

Natsu looked bemused. "Yeah, okay. I will. I'll be waiting." He walked off back to his room. Mirajane decided that her evening plans would have to wait. This was more important. And more interesting. She just wondered how Lisanna would feel about it.


Lucy sat at the table with Cana, looking at the glass of beer. Lucy had little experience with drinking, only having tried it a couple times before. But on this night, she felt that getting drunk might be a good idea. She had sat down at a table alone, feeling unsociable that night. So far, she had only sipped her beer, unsure if she liked the taste. However, when Cana saw Lucy with the beer, she decided to join in. Lucy wasn't really surprised since Cana practically treated alcohol as a substitute for water. So far, Lucy had a hard time seeing what was so great about it, and voiced this opinion to Cana.

"You can't really experience beer with just a few sips." Cana said. "Try drinking a whole glass. And then a second, and a third."

"Let's just see if I can finish one." Lucy said. "And why does it always feel like you're trying to corrupt me?" She took a larger sip of the beer experimentally.

"Alcohol isn't corrupting, its soothing." Cana said, taking a larger gulp of her own drink. "Unless you're a mean drunk. I doubt you are."

Lucy chuckled nervously, unsure what to say. She took another sip of her drink.

"So, what's wrong?" Cana asked.

"Why do you think something's wrong?" Lucy said.

"Because you look really down, and you're drinking, which you never do."

"Hmmm." Lucy looked away, and made a face.

"If you don't want to talk about it then fine." Cana said. She finished off her beer, and went to get another one. While she was gone, Lucy decided to take a larger gulp of the beer like Cana had. It tasted bitter, but not exactly bad. After a minute Cana returned.

"So…" Cana said.

"Fine, its Natsu." Lucy said. "What else would it be?"

Cana took a swig of her drink. "I was actually going to ask if you want to try a different drink, but this sounds interesting. Go on, I want to hear the details."

Lucy looked down at the table, then back up at Cana again. "I'll tell you what happened. Might as well." Lucy explained the whole thing, including Natsu shaking her hand and thanking her before walking off. Lucy had finished the beer by the time she was finished.

"Oh. Ouch. Sorry." Cana said. Lucy had a hard time reading Cana's expression. She wasn't sure if it was pity, amusement, or secondhand embarrassment. Maybe all of those things. Cana quickly got up to get another drink for Lucy, and a larger drink for herself. When she returned, Lucy took another sip.

"So, that sucks." Cana said.

"Yeah well, I guess I can't complain too much." Lucy said, looking down at the glass while tracing the top with her finger. "I mean, its not exactly like I waited for him." She began thinking of something else in that moment.

"You mean Loke." Cana said. "If it makes you feel any better, I don't think things would have turned out differently if you had waited."

"That actually doesn't make me feel better, but thanks." Lucy looked at the table and sighed. "They were in Bosco together for months. I guess they got pretty close in that time."

Cana sat back in her chair and looked up at the ceiling. "Sorry things didn't work out. I think you two could have made a good couple." She looked back at Lucy. "Ah damnit, sorry, I shouldn't have said that."

Lucy shrugged, after taking another gulp of beer. "Its fine. I hope things work out for them. I want them to be happy. Really. Maybe in some other lifetime there could have been something between me and Natsu, but it just didn't turn out that way in this life."

"Well, that's a mature way of looking at it." Cana said. "Good for you."

"Thanks." Lucy said. "But sometimes being mature sucks." She took another drink.

"What about Loke? Maybe you could start actually dating him, instead of just, you know…"

Now Lucy sat back in her chair and folded her arms. "Even if I were interested in that, which I'm not sure that I am, I'm pretty sure he's not."

"He said that?" Cana asked.

"Not in so many words." Lucy said. "But he did say that he still wanted to… play the field."

"Boys will be boys." Cana said.

"Look who's talking." Lucy muttered.

"Hmm?"

"Nothing. Anyway, the point is, a one night stand is one thing, but if I'm going to date someone then it has to be exclusive. I'm not sharing."

"So then forget dating right now. Go have a one night stand."

"I'm pretty sure Loke is chasing someone else tonight." Lucy said.

"Then find someone else." Cana said, finishing off her drink. Lucy finished off her own drink. She had only had a couple beers, but it was still the most she had ever drank. Lucy smacked her lips together.

"You know, this stuff doesn't taste very good." Lucy said.

"People don't drink beer for the taste." Cana said. "So, what do you think of my plan?"

"Your plan? Find someone to sleep with? How is that supposed to help?"

"It could take your mind off you know who." Cana said playfully.

"Hmph." Lucy said, eyeing her empty beer glass. "I'm going to get another drink. Or food. I need something."

"Bring something back for me." Cana said. Lucy walked off, leaving Cana alone.

Lucy walked over to an area where a bunch of people were gathered. They were at a makeshift bar due to how busy it was that night. She sat down on a stool. There were a few other people there, including Macao, Gray, and Bisca. Lucy didn't pay that much attention to them, and looked at the different choices for food and drink. Not a lot of selection. Lucy was starting to feel a buzz though, so she didn't mind too much.

"What's a girl got to do to get some food around here?" Bisca said.

"Hold on, I'm coming." Someone said. Lucy looked, and was surprised to see Wakaba.

"Yeah, and I'll take another drink too." Gray said. He looked as though he'd had a few already.

"Yeah, hold your horses." Wakaba said. "Damnit I'm a guy, I'm not supposed to be a waitress." Lucy giggled out loud at this. Wakaba looked at her and pointed.

"You're a girl, why aren't you doing this?" he said. "Or you?" He now pointed to Bisca.

"I did it last time." Bisca said. "And Lucy… She's…" She looked at Lucy strangely.

"You been drinking Lucy?" Macao said.

"What makes you say that?" Lucy said.

"Your breath for one thing." He said.

Lucy held a hand to her mouth. "Rude." She said.

"Its okay, because you still look great." He said. "In fact, you look hotter than usual tonight." He glanced at her revealing skirt and top.

Lucy sat there, unsure how to respond. I look hot tonight?

"Isn't she a little young for you, Macao?" Gray said, holding a drink. "Ignore him, Lucy."

"I was just paying her a compliment." Macao said. "And I'm not even thirty."

As Lucy sat there, she thought about what Macao said. She also thought about what Cana had said. How she should find someone to sleep with. Someone other than Loke. I couldn't. Could I? she thought. She then thought about Natsu and Lisanna. What they might be saying to each other. What they might be doing. She didn't want to think about that. Again, the thought came: Could I?


A little while later, Lucy found her answer. She had gone down to the amusement area in the basement, and she didn't go alone. Lucy and her companion were the only two people down there at that moment. The amusement room hadn't gotten as much use lately, and currently the other mages were all either out on jobs or upstairs finding other ways to occupy their time. The guild had collectively decided that getting drunk was the thing to do. Lucy had found something else.

It wasn't planned. Lucy had just wanted to get another drink at the bar. She ended up getting into a conversation there. They were talking about something mundane. Then they decided to get away from the noise for a minute, and went downstairs together. And then, they started kissing. Lucy made the first move, but not with any serious intention of it going further than a quick kiss. It wasn't like with Loke, where she intended to sleep with him. It was just for fun. And yet, a quick kiss turned into making out. The man she was with was surprised by the kiss, and showed a second of hesitation, but then just went for it. As they kissed, he said her name. "Lucy."

Then, she said his name: "Gray." Lucy had never thought about Gray in this way before. Not seriously, anyway. She was aware that he was attractive, and had also seen him in a state of undress before, due to his tendency to strip. But doing anything sexual with him had never entered her mind, until now. She wasn't sure what he was thinking. She also wasn't sure that she wasn't going to regret this in the morning. But right now, she didn't care. Maybe the alcohol had something to do with that.

Lucy and Gray moved further into the room together, as the mages upstairs talked and drank, oblivious to what the two of them were doing.


Lisanna stood outside Natsu's room. Mirajane had found her and told her what Natsu had said. Even earlier that morning, Lisanna would have had to seriously think about seeing Natsu. But after thinking over what Mirajane said, Lisanna only took a second to decide. Natsu was waiting for her in there. She still wasn't entirely sure what she would say to him. But she wanted to hear what he had to say. And if she still decided that a relationship would be a bad idea… He deserved an explanation at least, even if it would hurt him. It would be better than leaving him wondering. How did he really feel though? She knew Natsu cared for her, but was he in love with her? She needed to hear it from him.

She breathed deeply, preparing herself for what might happen. Was it possible to get through this night without either of them getting hurt? She put her hand on the door and opened it. When she opened the door, she saw nobody there. She was a little confused by this.

"Hello?" she said. She walked into the room. She saw the bed Natsu slept on. It looked messy. Initially Natsu didn't even have a bed here. But Lisanna didn't feel right about having a bed herself when Natsu didn't. So, Mirajane and Elfman helped find an old bed that Natsu could use. It was perfectly usable, if a little worn. She hoped Natsu would be allowed to go back to his own house soon enough. She wasn't sure what she would do though.

She moved towards Natsu's bed and glanced around the room. It wasn't really decorated at all. Lisanna wondered if that was because Natsu wasn't planning to stay there long, or if he just didn't have much in the way of possessions. Happy could probably retrieve them from their house. There was a crate apparently being used as furniture, and oddly enough a coat rack. Does Natsu wear a lot of coats? She thought. Like her room there was also a single magic lantern giving the room a warm glow, helping to offset the size a little.

She suddenly felt a hand on her shoulder and spun around to the door. It was Natsu, but she still felt her heart beating fast.

"Hey, its me." He said. "Didn't mean to scare you."

"You didn't scare me." She said, feeling slightly embarrassed. "You just… caught me off guard. I thought you'd be in here."

"I actually started looking for you." He said. "I know I said to meet me here, but I got tired of waiting and walked around. But then I saw the door open."

"Yeah, speaking of that…" Lisanna walked over to the door and closed it. "I just thought we should have some privacy."

"Yeah, that sounds like a good idea." Natsu looked at Lisanna for a second, looking like he was deciding what to say. "I guess we have some things to talk about."

"Yeah." She said. "Can we sit?" she looked at the bed.

Natsu shrugged. "Sure, why not?" They both walked over to the bed. Lisanna sat down gently, gathering her thoughts. Natsu sat down next to her, his weight shifting the bed. He side eyed her. She looked away, feeling nervous.

"Natsu, there's something I need to say." She said quietly.

"There's something I need to say too." He said. "I've wanted to talk to you for a while now, I just didn't know what I would say when I did."

"Okay." Lisanna said, unsure how to respond. Natsu turned to look at her directly. Lisanna started to turn away again, but Natsu put his hand on her head, bringing her focus back to him.

"Lucy told me what you two talked about." He said.

"Oh." Lisanna said. "Well, I didn't exactly ask her to keep it a secret, but I don't know if I like that she told you. It was a private conversation." That might make this easier though.

"No, I'm glad she told me. Look Lisanna, you're wrong."

"I'm wrong? About what?"

"You're not a monster. You've changed a little, but you're still you. I know you regret some stuff, but I've done a hell of a lot worse than you."

Lisanna shook her head. "That's not true. You're not responsible for what's happened."

"Like hell I'm not." His words were blunt, but he spoke softly. "I let them loose. Even if I didn't know what they were doing, they still did it because of me. Sometimes I still wonder if I could have stopped them if I tried. Even just one of them."

"Natsu…" Lisanna put a hand on his shoulder. She could tell he wasn't finished.

"You know what the funny part is?" he said. "If I could go back and do it over again, I'd probably still do the same thing."

"Why?" she asked.

Natsu looked her straight in the eye. "Do you really need to ask that? Its you. I got you back. Erza is still gone, and that still tears me up inside. But you're here. So, I don't regret it."

Lisanna didn't know what to say. Was it right for him to say that? If she was in his place, would she say the same thing?

"But that doesn't mean I'm not going to take them down." He continued. "I don't know how. But somehow, I'll get them."

"We will." She said. She put her hand on his.

"Anyway, I don't want to talk about that anymore tonight." He said. "Tonight, you're all I care about."

"Oh." Lisanna was surprised by the sudden shift. And she certainly wasn't expecting that last sentence out of Natsu's mouth.

At this point, Natsu shifted on the bed and looked straight at her. He put his hand on hers. "There's one more thing I want to tell you. But before that, I need to ask you something: how do you feel about me? I just need to know."

Lisanna swallowed. She had prepared what she was going to say to him, but now she didn't know what to say. No. She knew what she wanted to say. But she also knew what she should to say. It wasn't just about how she felt. It was about what was right. She remembered what Mirajne said. But She still felt that she didn't deserve his love. It was the right thing. Wasn't it?

"Natsu, I…" she took a deep breath. "I need to tell you… I… I love you." She put a hand to her mouth. You weren't supposed to say that, idiot.

"I shouldn't have said that." She said.

Natsu smiled. "Hey, I'm glad you did. But you don't look too happy about it."

"But you deserve…" she said.

"I deserve you. I want you. That's all. I'm not embarrassed to say it."

Lisanna looked down, and felt tears coming. But she held them back. No, don't cry. You're a big girl now, act like it. Look him in the eyes. So she did. She looked at him with her blue human eye and her red demon eye.

"Natsu, I love you too." She said. He smiled, but she held up a hand. "I want to be with you. But the truth is, I don't deserve you. I think of the people I've hurt. How can I be happy after that? After what I've done. I don't think I deserve to be happy."

Now Natsu put his head down. He stayed like that for a minute. Then he slowly lifted his head. "If you don't deserve to be happy, then neither do I. So, we can be miserable together. Or we can try to be happy together. Either way. Just so long as we're together, that's what matters. Because Lisanna, you convinced me life's still worth living. Now, you can tell me to get lost if you want. I won't fight about it. But I just want to tell you that one thing from before: Lisanna, I love you. I want you to know that. You said you love me too. If you think that's still not good enough, I'm not going to fight about it. But I'll always love you."

Lisanna sat there for a long moment. There was still something telling her to say no. That this was somehow wrong. But hearing Natsu say what he just did made her happier than she had been in a long time. She felt herself smiling. Natsu smiled back. She sighed, and put a hand to his cheek. "Natsu, stay with me." I don't know if it's right or wrong. I do know I want to be happy.

She stopped thinking about all of the unpleasant things. Natsu leaned in to kiss her. She closed her eyes. She was ready. Their lips touched. She put her arms around him, and he did likewise. They kissed long and deep, but also softly. Then, they slowly eased down onto the bed. "I love you." She said one more time in his ear.


End Notes: I'm sure that the Lucy and Gray thing will be controversial. I'll just say upfront that it won't turn into a relationship, and there won't be a second time. Its something that happened when they were drunk. But that doesn't mean it won't have an effect on the story. I understand if people are still put off by it though.