After being chastised for burning his handprint into another table, Natsu sat down next to Lucy, shrugging one arm over her shoulders and keeping her tucked close against his chest. Mira was all too excited about the affectionate actions of the fire drakon, much to Lucy's chagrin. Even the Master paused to look over and chuckle at Natsu's actions.

"We were just talking about how Oracion Seis found the meeting place," Jura said, seemingly unperturbed by Natsu's sudden entrance into the conversation.

"It's disturbing how they managed to find that safe house, known only to the three guilds sent to meet there." Makarov stroked his mustache and grimaced. Jura nodded solemnly in agreement and even Hibiki paused his leering at Mira to shake his head.

"Rumor has it that their leader is of formidable intellect, and they have a drakon on their side who could have followed the magic signatures to find us," Jura said. Lucy frowned and leaned closer to Natsu, who growled and rubbed her shoulder with his hand in comfort.

"Natsu says my magic smells different from anything he's encountered, so maybe that has something to do with how they found us," Lucy said softly, cursing at herself internally for how much trouble she was causing everyone.

"There's another option none of us want to consider," Erza said, crossing her arms and pursing her lips. "We could have been betrayed, or someone in the Council could have been compromised."

The mood around the table darkened at her words. It was true, the most likely explanation for the ambush was a traitor hiding in their midst. Lucy didn't want to think that anyone in Fairy Tail could ever do something so evil, and if the rest of Blue Pegasus and Lamia Scale were like Jura and Lyon and everyone else, she didn't want to think anyone from their guilds could have committed treason either.

"It's possible, but I don't think that's the reason," Makarov said.

"Forget about why or how they found us, the only thing that matters is they did and what we're gonna do about it," Natsu said, flames curling in his mouth.

"Natsu does have a point." Erza conceded. "We can't change what's happened. We can only keep moving forward and figure out everything when we can."

Lucy nodded. She felt the tiniest flare of her magic burst inside of her, a sign of her recovery. She felt a warm flash of happiness spread through her as the trickle of her magic kept growing and growing with each passing second. Having such a restful and comforting evening last night really seemed to jumpstart her healing.

"We know they're after my magic, but we just don't know why," Lucy said dejectedly. She really was tired of being hunted for her stardust, but at least she had her guild, her family, at her side. "If Levy and I can squeeze in some time to do research while we talk to Crux and Capricorn, and maybe even Leo, we might be able to piece together a more definitive motivation."

Levy, who chose to sit across from Lucy and Natsu, nodded her agreement. "Lucy's right. If we can find out exactly what they're after, maybe we stand a better chance at stopping them."

"Right then. Lucy, you and Levy will work on looking into your magic and the Starchildren. Erza, Jura and I will reach out to the Council and Blue Pegasus and Lamia Scale to see if they have any new information on Oracion Seis's movements," Makarov said, staring at each of them as he went down the line with his tasks. "We stay in the guild for now, unless absolutely necessary. We don't want a repeat of yesterday's ambush. Unfortunately, until we have more information on our enemy's whereabouts, our paths are limited." Makarov brushed his mustache in thought, his brows furrowed in frustration.

"Don't worry, Master. We're Fairy Tail, there's nothing we can't do when we're working together," Mira said cheerfully. Lucy grinned, feeling rejuvenated at Mira's encouraging words and aura.

"You're right. Well, we'll part for now and reconvene in a few hours when we hopefully have more information and a better idea of what we're up against," Makarov concluded.

"Aye sir!" Natsu shouted, pumping his free fist in the air with enthusiasm. Even Erza cracked a smile before walking off with Jura and Hibiki, talking about how to communicate with their guilds using Lacrima crystals. Mira gave everyone a blindingly bright smile before grabbing her tray off the table and returning to work.

"Oh, where's Happy and Charle?" Lucy asked, finally realizing what was missing from their ensemble. She hadn't seen the Exceeds since they left for the alliance's meeting two days ago.

"They're scouting and flying between guilds, delivering messages and keeping an eye out. They'll be back later today," Natsu said. Lucy nodded, but a frown pulled at her lips. She missed the eager Exceed and his penchant for fish.

"Is that where you ran off to this morning?" She asked, turning to stare into Natsu's eyes, the arm that had been tucked against his side moving to wrap around his waist. He nodded, worry flashing in his dark eyes. Lucy nudged his shoulder with her head. "I'm sure they'll be fine. They're mages of Fairy Tail, after all."

Smiling, Natsu ducked his head and nodded. "You're damn right."

The two of them just stared into each other's eyes for a few moments, unaware of the watchful gazes of their guildmates. Levy was trying to hold back her giggles and Mira had stopped serving food and drink to stare at their display from behind the bar, Cana sitting with a barrel of beer perched on her knee, a knowing smile on the witch's face.

"Hey, you're glowing again," Natsu teased, a bright smile on his face as he lifted the hand from her shoulder to play with her shining locks of hair. Lucy gasped and grabbed some of her hair, staring at the glowing golden locks with a soft smile.

"Looks like my magic's coming back," she mused, tucking the hair back over her shoulder. Natsu just kept twirling her glowing hair in his hand, his smile only growing wider when Lucy tried to swat him away. He tugged hard enough to move her head and she cursed at him.

"Will you stop that! I'm not some toy for your amusement," she glowered, the light emanating from her hair only growing in intensity at her anger. The golden flecks of stardust in her brown eyes flashed and she tried again to sway his pestering hand away from her hair.

"Aw but Luce, I love when you turn into a human glowstick," Natsu said, pulling her back against his side and nuzzling his chin on the top of her head. Scowling, Lucy shook her head to get him off. Natsu puffed smoke in her face, laughing when she coughed and sputtered. Cursing, Lucy jumped from her seat and grabbed at the fire drakon, her scowl deepening when he slyly slid away from her grasp.

"Natsu Dragneel, so help me gods, get back here," she shouted, running after him as he darted around tables and hopped over chairs. Before she knew it, she was glowing again, her magic flashing brighter when Natsu teased her from across the room.

"Ugh! I am done with you," she said, huffing in frustration. She walked back to where Levy was seated, smiling in amusement at their antics, and dragged her friend with her down to the magical library in the guild's lower levels. She could hear Natsu call her name, but she chose to ignore him.

"Seems like you two are getting closer," Levy teased, laughing when Lucy's face turned bright red.

"It's not like that," the blonde sputtered, pushing open the heavy door leading into the library with a grunt.

The first time Levy brought her down to Fairy Tail's library, Lucy nearly cried in happiness. She'd never seen so many books in one place. The shelves towered impossibly high, the room its own magical pocket tucked in between the floors of the guild. Ladders lined the towering shelves and books had a habit of falling from their spots and floating around the room as they pleased. Even now, entering the great library for what had to be the hundredth time since she joined the guild, Lucy still felt a near overwhelming feeling of childlike wonder as she stared into the endless stream of bookshelves spanning in every direction.

Levy had already sorted through the massive collection, stacks of books related to Starchildren and the Celestial realm already stacked on one of the long worktables squeezed between the rows of shelves. Little light lacrimas began to shine as they entered the room, the lights flickering to life in rows upon rows, illuminating the vast space like falling dominoes.

"We sifted through a few of the piles while you were gone, and unfortunately didn't find anything new or relevant at all." Levy pushed one of the great stacks of heavy books across the top of the table with little effort. Sometimes Lucy forgot that Levy was a full blown demi-fae, her tiny body filled with incredible strength.

"I'll go ahead and summon Crux and Capricorn and see what advice they have," Lucy said, reaching for her keys as she spoke. Levy glanced at Lucy with concern, "Are you sure you'll be able to handle having two gates open for so long?"

"I've done it before, and since I'm not really exerting myself it should be fine." Lucy assured, quickly summoning Crux with a wave of her hand. The cross-shaped spirit appeared on the table, already snoozing away. She then summoned Capricorn, the spirit who knew the most about the intricacies of her magical abilities. She felt a slight drain on her magic when the Zodiac spirit appeared, but nothing she couldn't handle.

"Thanks for coming," Lucy said, smiling at her two companions. Capricorn bowed his head in greeting, his sunglasses reflecting the lacrima light. Lucy almost wanted to ask why he kept them on when they were indoors but chose to keep her questions to herself for now. She knew her spirits were…quirky.

"Levy and I were wondering if you could help us figure out what about my stardust interests dark wizards so much, and why this guild we're fighting wants it so bad," Lucy explained. Crux, who'd still been snoring away, suddenly sat up.

"Stardust, the magical energy from the soul of a star, can be used in almost any capacity due to it's close relationship to raw magic. Many use it to break curses or power great and terrible machines," The spirit said before promptly falling back asleep.

Frowning, Lucy took a seat at one of the chairs, grabbing a few books to sift through while she talked with her spirits.

"Crux is right," Capricorn said. "The applications for your type of magic are basically limitless, and many use the starlight to wreak havoc on the world."

"That sounds wonderful," Lucy muttered. She turned to Crux, and asked, "Crux, do you know the abilities of the Oracion Seis?"

The spirit snored for a few moments, and Levy seemed to grow more unsure of the spirit's attention. After another silent minutes, Crux sat up just as suddenly again. "The Oracion Seis posses a drakon of unknown abilities, and a mage who specializes in Celestial magic and possesses three golden keys. The other member's abilities are unknown."

Lucy gasped in shock, her hand dropping to the keys hanging from her belt loop. Even Levy looked surprised and Capricorn shook his head.

"How does a normal mage have the ability to summon Celesital Sprits?" Lucy asked incredulously.

"It can be done, with enough strength, but it is very rare for someone to summon a Zodiac when they do not have the power of a star in their blood. I'd assume she was given a dark power that allowed her to learn Celestial Spirit magic," Capricorn answered. Lucy frowned, upset that a dark mage possessed three spirits.

"I guess we'll have to deal with her ourselves," Luc said, feeling her keys warm in encouragement in her hand. "For now, we should focus on finding out what kind of machines are powered by my magic, that Crux mentioned."

"I'll start a search for chaos and dark magic machines. I know some were created by Zeref, so we should have some record of them in here somewhere," Levy said, walking to a large lacrima crystal near the entrance of the library. The lacrima glowed as Levy touched it, typing and swiping the crystal like a touchscreen.

"We'll start going through the books we already have, and I'll have Crux start a search as well," Lucy said. She quickly asked Crux a volley of questions on dark magic and heavenly magic, letting the spirit fall back into his snoring state as he searched, then had Capricorn sit with her to sift through the piles upon piles of books and check for accurate information.

Soon Levy dropped another great stack of books relating to dark magic powered machines on the table. Together the four of them kept sifting through the information they had, only to come up with little to nothing on Zeref's dark machines.

Hours passed, and Lucy barely felt the drain of keeping two gates open. In fact, her magic seemed happy to have something to channel into. Mira stopped by after the first few hours to bring a pitcher of water and some snacks to tide them over while they worked, updating them on the situation upstairs as well. According to Lamia Scale, they heard a rumor that Oracion Seis was camped out in the outskirts of Magnolia, as if waiting for Fairy Tail. Lucy's nerves only intensified at the news. She relayed what they found to Mira, asking her to relay the information to the other guilds in the hopes that someone knew more about what kind of chaotic purpose her magic would be used for.

They returned to work, compiling a list of possible uses for stardust, ranging from simple healing to immortality and to powering great demonic machines meant to carve apart the earth. With each passing moment Lucy's mood only darkened and soured, growing more despaired with each dark purpose her magic could be used for.

When they reached the seventh straight hour of reading, and Lucy's eyes hurt from the strain, she let her spirits return to the spirit world and groaned her frustrations. Levy glanced up from the book she was speeding through, her special glasses granting her the ability to read an entire book in mere moments.

"I don't know about you, but I'm getting hungry. Plus, I think it's almost time to meet up with everyone again," Lucy said, rubbing her growling stomach. Levy nodded her agreement, putting aside her glasses and the book with a deep sigh.

"We didn't learn as much as I hoped. None of the contraptions we found seemed to be strong enough or realistic enough for Oracion Seis to want to use, and we didn't find out much more about your magic either." Levy despaired. Sighing, Lucy linked her arm with Levy's and together they walked back up to the main tavern, the glowing lacrimas bobbing in the air blinking away as they left.

"I'm sure the others managed to create a good plan," Lucy said. Hunger pains stung her stomach and the slight drain of using too much magic pulled at her limbs. Hopefully, after eating a big meal, she would be right as rain again. While she did feel weakened from keeping two gates open simultaneously for so long, it was a new personal best for her. She never would have believed she was capable of such a feat even mere weeks ago when she could barely keep a golden gate open for a few hours. The training exercises Capricorn gave her were really paying off, and Lucy hoped she would be able to summon a Stardress sooner rather than later.

They entered the tavern with low hopes and disappointment. Today was the only day they had to truly investigate the Oracion Seis and their motivations, and Lucy and Levy came up with squat. When they made it to the bar, where Mira was cleaning a few glasses and Cana drinking while reading her cards, they nearly collapsed into their barstools.

"No luck?" Mira asked, giving the two girls sympathetic looks. Lucy nodded.

"There's too much to sift through and ninety-nine percent of it is all bullshit," Lucy said. Levy hummed her agreement, rubbing her tired eyes. Mira said something about getting them food, then disappeared into the kitchen, her sister Lisanna right behind her.

"Luce!" Natsu's voice called. Lucy spun in her seat, trying to hold back her grin as Natsu bounded over to her from where he'd been talking to Erza and Gray. Her annoyance with his childish behavior had evaporated after she first stepped foot in the library. She'd even found herself missing his warmth and his presence as she worked but knew if he was around they'd never get anything done.

"Erza kept me from goin' down to the library with you, told me you needed to focus," Natsu said with a pout, taking a seat at the free stool next to her and leaning his head on his hand, his elbow perched on the counter. Lucy smiled and reached over to ruffle his hair.

"It was good of her to do that, but it turns out it wouldn't have mattered. We found next to nothing in our research," Lucy said. Natsu grabbed her hand as it drew away from his pink locks and held it in his, his thumb rubbing the back of her hand.

"That sucks. Gramps didn't find out much either, besides whispered rumors that might not even be true," Natsu said. Lucy leaned her head onto his shoulder and groaned in frustration. "We know they have a drakon, some kind of poison magic, a speedster, and a Celestial mage but that's it."

"It isn't much to go on," Levy confessed, feeling the stress of their situation.

"Yea but we're Fairy Tail, we don't give up easy," Natsu chirped. Lucy smiled and lifted her head, noticing Natsu's quiet noise of protest. She squeezed his hand in assurance. She knew his possessive instincts acted up after she was injured, and after the state she was in yesterday she couldn't blame him for his clinginess. Hell, even she wanted to stay close to him after injuring him during her magical outburst.

"Aye sir!" Levy cheered, drawing a laugh from Natsu and Lucy. A moment later, Mira reappeared with a platter of various sandwiches and fries.

"I have plenty more in the back, so eat up!" Mira said brightly, placing the platter down on the counter in front of a delighted Natsu. His aura warmed as he stared at the delicious food and Lucy couldn't help but smile at her partner's glee.

She quickly darted in and grabbed a handful before Natsu began demolishing the platter of food. Handing Levy a couple sandwiches before they fell apart in her hands, scooting away from Natsu as food was thrown around as he ate. Levy picked a flying piece of cheese out of her hair with a grimace, so Lucy stood and dragged her friend over to a different table away from Natsu's mess. They ate in companionable silence, Lucy too wrapped up in her own thoughts about the dangers of her magic, Levy still thinking about the texts she'd read about Zeref and his deadly machines.

"Man, that flame-brain sure does make a mess," Gray said, appearing at the end of their table and sliding into the bench next to Lucy. He'd already lost his shirt to his stripping habit, but luckily still wore his pants. Lucy glanced around the hall, looking for a seething Juvia, but didn't see her menacing self anywhere. She briefly wondered where the obsessive water user could be during such a chaotic time in the guild.

"Tell me about it," Lucy said, glancing over at where Natsu was eating, scraps and bits of food scattered around him.

"Gramps says we should all meet in about an hour, he's waiting to hear back from the Council," Gray informed, reaching over to snag the last bite of Lucy's ham sandwich.

"Hey! Get your own," Lucy snapped, pulling her plate away from the thieving ice mage with a pout. Before she could say anything else, a ball of fire exploded against Gray's skull. Ash coated his dark hair and smeared across his face. His utterly bewildered face. Unable to help herself, Lucy burst into a fit of laughter at Gray's reaction.

Natsu, who'd moved from his spot at the bar, had stopped eating and was glaring at Gray from the other side of the table. Gray shot up from his seat, murder in his dark eyes as he returned Natsu's glare. Before they had a chance to even jump at each other and make the first swing, Erza intervened.

"I hope that wasn't a fireball I just saw, Natsu," Erza said darkly. The Valkyrie fixed Gray with a dark stare, as if daring him to take retaliation and cause a commotion. Gray sat down just as fast as he stood up, an overly cheerful grin on his face. Natsu paled and blurted his obvious excuses, darting over to Lucy and hiding behind her.

Natsu grabbed her arms and propped his chin on her shoulder, using her as a human shield should Erza decide to attack. Luckily for the fire drakon, Mira came by with a slice of strawberry cake, successfully distracting Erza from her wrath.

Sighing in relief, Natsu's arms slid down to her waist, then he lifted her, so he could slide underneath and pull her onto his lap. She squeaked in surprise at his action. Natsu just looped his arms around her and held him against his chest as he curled around her with a quiet rumbling purr. A faint blush flushed Lucy's cheeks as Levy and Gray stared at the affectionate drakon. "Natsu, what are you doin?"

He shrugged and glared at Gray from over her shoulder. Her heart felt like it was beating a mile a minute and she knew he could hear it and feel it against his chest. She was so surprised at how overly affectionate he was being that she almost didn't notice the way his hands shook slightly against her skin and how his own heartbeat matched hers in speed. Lucy felt a little satisfaction in knowing Natsu wasn't as confident about his actions as he pretended to be and that he had a vulnerable side.

"Stupid possessive drakons," Lucy muttered under her breath, drawing a low chuckle from her human blanket. She patted his hands, loosening one from her stomach to hold it, lacing their fingers together. Lucy knew she was being selfish with Natsu's attentions, when she knew they were just friends and that he was too dense to know about relationships. But with what they were facing and what she learned today from Crux, she figured she'd allow herself to be spoiled.

She just wasn't looking forward to the inevitable teasing she'd hear from Mira and Levy.

Speaking of Mira, the woman was practically exuding reckless glee while she unabashedly stared at Natsu and Lucy, a dangerous sparkle in her mischievous eyes. Natsu leaned into Lucy's neck, his purr growing in strength.

"Natsu, are you fucking purring?" Gray asked, looking all too pleased with himself for having noticed. All at once the purring stopped and Natsu tensed.

"Where's your pants, jackass?" Natsu shot back. Gray looked down and cursed, looking around the table to see where his pants had disappeared to. Lucy wondered how he could have removed them while still sitting down.

"Listen up brats!" Makarov shouted from where he stood on the bar, his voice echoing loudly in the room. All eyes turned to the short man, a tense silence descending in the air. "We've received word that the Oracion Seis have attacked a small village just outside of Magnolia. They're threatening the secrecy of the magic world, and the lives of innocents."

Lucy gasped and tightened her grip on Natsu's hand. He squeezed hers back.

"We move out now, with the Alliance from the three guilds. A small strike team familiar with their attack style is what will work best. We can't draw more attention to the situation from the humans. Get ready, you all leave in ten minutes." Makarov finished. The silence persisted, everyone feeling the danger and the stress of their circumstances. Lucy knew the others wished they could come fight too, but if the Oracion Seis were truly trying to expose magic, Makarov was right to send the same people out in response. As if sensing the fear in the room, Makarov sighed.

"We're Fairy Tail! We're family and these bastards are threatening one of our own and our way of life! Now get up off your asses and get to work!" Makarov shouted.

"Aye sir!" Natsu shouted. Soon the phrase was being repeated throughout the guild, everyone's mood lightening. Lucy leaned back against Natsu's chest, taking a moment to relish in his warmth and his presence. If they were going to battle, and face the full might of the dark guild, it would be dangerous, and people were likely to get injured again.

But that didn't change the fact that the Oracion Seis needed to be stopped.

I hope you all enjoyed the overindulgent fluff in this chapter! I know not a lot happened in this one, but next we begin the fight against the Oracion Seis and a few other exciting things ;)

I hope you enjoyed this chapter and don't forget to leave a review! I love hearing from y'all!