(A/N) And here we go, the first arc that actually matters.

Well, the first part of it at least.

On a side note, this story hasn't been doing as well as I expected it to. That's not to say it's being discontinued, cuz I'm absolutely writing this for the sole reason that I want to, but I'd love to hear your feedback on what you like about the story or what you feel might have otherwise turned you away. Part of my asking is due to wanting to write the most enjoyable story I can and the rest is because I'm an unashamed attention whore.

Regardless, I do hope you enjoy the chapter.

xxxxxxx

A beautiful red-haired woman sat cross-legged, a cocktail in one hand and a fork twirled in the other. An appetizing desert was placed in front of her, though her attention was paid elsewhere.

"You doing alright there, lassie?" asked the rough-looking bartender in what was more likely an attempt to woo her than an actual curiosity towards the wellbeing of her person. It wasn't common that such a seemingly pure woman stepped foot in his establishment.

In fact, she clashed horribly with the environment.

Where the other patrons were fourty-year-old grimy men playing darts with beers in hand, the lady sat prim and proper in her white blouse, enjoying an aperitif at her own pace.

"Hm? I'm fine, thank you," she answered politely. Despite her reply, however, she made no effort to give him her attention.

She was still eavesdropping, after all.

"So what does Erigor want you to do with that thing, anyway? I heard him call it a 'demon flute' or something, but what can one little musical instrument do?" another man asked his companion, making no effort to be subtle whatsoever.

"No clue," answered the said companion simply, idly tossing around a funny-looking flute. "It was a major pain in the ass to get, though, so I really hope it's important."

"I'll bet it is," assured the other. "If we're supposed to meet up with those guys, then this is serious business… Say, Kageyama, do you really think this is a good idea? The ones we're teaming up with are dangerous."

The man with the flute scoffed. "And Eisenwald isn't?"

"You know what I mean."

"Tch. Yeah… But what do you want me to do about it? If our ace says we're working with them, then I'm not about to argue."

A grunt. "Let's just go. It would be bad to keep them waiting."

The pair got up from their seats and left abruptly.

Her distractions now gone, the red-haired woman took her time finishing the rest of her strawberry cheesecake.

A few minutes later, she placed a few jewels on the bar and left as well. Her gait was unhurried as if she hadn't anywhere to be. Once outside, she picked up the luggage that she couldn't bring in with her.

Everyone in the immediate vicinity stopped to stare at her, and whatever image she had garnered as a "prim and proper" woman had been quickly discarded.

With nary a grunt of exertion, the six-meter-long monster horn was picked up off the ground in front of the saloon's property and hoisted onto her shoulder. She carried it as easily as one would a handbag.

In the same instant, her outfit glowed with magical energy. One at a time, the articles were replaced by matching pieces or armor.

"Eisenwald is next, then."

xxxxxxx

Natsu yawned, face in hand as he watched Elfman and Lisanna play some sort of card game with Mirajane from across the counter. Happy was mimicking his boredom, though not successfully as his mind lusted after the juicy fish that Mira had put in the oven for him.

"When's the Master supposed to be back again? I was planning on heading out," Natsu spoke to no one in particular.

"I don't know. A few days, maybe?" answered Elfman without looking up from his hand. "I can't remember if the council meeting was supposed to be today or tomorrow."

"Today," corrected Lisanna as she picked up another card from the deck.

Lucy, who sat on the other side of Natsu, raised her hand as if she were in a classroom. "Sorry, but what's this 'council meeting' thing, anyway? I heard you guys talk about it all day, but I haven't caught on yet."

Mirajane jumped on the opportunity, throwing her cards messily onto the playing field. Ignoring the indignant cries of her siblings, she took out a strange marker from under the counter.

"You see, Lucy, wizard guilds aren't technically independent entities. They operate under the Magic Council, who in turn organizes monthly meetings between Guild Masters in each province in order to receive regular updates on the status of each respective guild." As she spoke, she drew out a branch diagram in midair to help Lucy visualize what she was saying. "During this time, the master leaves it entirely up to either Lisanna or myself to run things around here. That includes managing job flow and generally keeping everyone out of trouble."

"Yeah, except that I can't take any jobs without the old man saying so. I'm pretty much stuck here until he gets back," added Natsu with a pout. It really sucked to have such a tight leash, sometimes.

"Where do you want to go, anyway?" inquired Lucy. "You don't really seem like the type of guy to chase after money."

"I'm looking for a book," he responded easily.

"A… book?" she parroted.

"Yeah."

"Like, with pages and words and stuff?"

He shrugged, which only served to confuse her further.

"Don't worry about turbo-tard here," butted in Gray, who took the empty seat beside her. "He's always on the hunt for one thing or another, so you won't be seeing him around too often anyway."

"Yeah," agreed Loke as he joined the conversation. "You and I can–"

He took a pointed glance at the gate keys attached to her hip and turned around.

"N-never mind!" he stuttered, walking away.

Lucy blinked. That was weird.

"They do have the right idea, as stupid as they are," stated Mira without a shred of remorse. "You're still new, so you should definitely join a team regularly for missions. Gray's got nothing better to do most of the time, so he's probably the guy to go with."

"Hey!" shouted the S-class wizard. "You make it sound like I'm some sort of bum!"

Lisanna smirked. "Why, do you have prior commitments?"

He tisked, but didn't start an argument. "I guess there's no problem if she tags along until she gets used to how things work."

"Atta boy," encouraged Elfman as he slapped the smaller man on the back.

Lucy didn't look too sure. "Is that really okay? I mean, you're an S-class mage, right? Doesn't that mean you have important duties to take care of or something?"

Natsu gave her a thumbs up. "Normally you'd be right, but we actually got a bunch of strong members! If Gray suddenly kicked the bucket one day, no one would know or care, 'cuz Fairy Tail has a lot of S-class mages to pick up the slack."

Gray narrowed his eyes dangerously. "You startin' a–"

Cana smacked him over the head as she walked by to get to the cellar. "Down, boy."

Lucy looked around. "Like who?" she asked, choosing to ignore the short-lived spat.

Mirajane's eyes widened. "Come to think of it, Gray and I are the only S-class mages you've met so far, right? The others are all on missions, but you'll be seeing them eventually. Erza's coming back soon, so you'll probably get the chance to meet her properly first."

Natsu smiled. "Is she? I can't wait!"

"She's his childhood friend," offered Lisanna for context.

Lucy tried to picture what the childhood friend of someone like Natsu would be like and had to hold back a laugh. "Really?"

Gray, ever the instigator, had to add, "She puts up with him, more like."

Natsu narrowed his eyes but didn't say anything.

"Okay~" chimed Lisanna as she physically pushed the two men away from each other. "Why don't you two get out of here and cool your heads.

Neither argued and took off in two opposite directions

"Hn. See ya."

"Later, guys!"

Despite having to be forcefully separated, they both acted as if they left of their own volition.

Once she felt they were far enough, Lucy grumbled, "They were really taking shots at each other, huh? I almost prefer the awkward silence."

Mirajane smiled sadly. "No, I would say that them arguing is a good sign. It means they can stomach talking to each other, at the very least."

The blonde frowned. "Happy, you said no one knows why they don't get along, right?"

It was Elfman who answered her with a forlorn look, "Not exactly. We can't say for sure, but we all have a pretty good idea of what started it."

xxxxxxx

A much younger Natsu and Gray looked on nervously from the sidelines as Erza and Mira started a brawl right on top of the table they were eating at.

Again.

"Your opinion doesn't mean shit, tin-can! I'm S-class now, and you. Are. Not."

"Grr…" growled the redhead through gritted teeth. "Like that matters any! You took Natsu as your partner for the trials, so that doesn't count!"

The white-haired girl's lips turned upwards. "Oh? Jealous you didn't think of it first?"

"I did, you bitch! Then you blackmailed him, saying that you'd starve him for a month if he didn't team up with you!"

The she-devil tapped her finger against her chin. "I did, didn't I? I guess I should make it up to him."

They all looked at her as she walked up the stairs to the top floor with her head held high. Taking less than a moment, she grabbed a listing from the exclusive job board and jumped off the rails to land in front of the jittery pink-haired boy.

Holding the S-class job out in front of her, she asked, "Wanna come and hunt a super-powerful monster with me? It'll make us a lot of money, too!"

Natsu's eyes sparkled but he looked away. "Is that… really okay for us to take?"

She grinned. "Of course it is!"

She jumped onto the table with her arms outstretched. "See this guys? I'm an S-class mage now! We'll take whichever job we want!"

Mirajane said it with great pride. Her words were just as self-assertive as they were boastful.

Makarov was quick to burst her bubble. "Not so fast, young lady. You may have passed the test, but quests of that sort still need to be approved by me. If you want to go, then you must take two more strong guildmembers with you."

Annoyance flashed across the newly-christened S-class mage's face. If she didn't want any of the adults to rain on her parade, then…

She glared heatedly at a smirking Erza.

The white-haired girl crossed her arms. "Fine! Erza, Gray, you two are coming with us."

Gray jumped. "Wha– Hold on! I never said–"

He was ignored. A smug Erza dragged him along by the waist of his shorts.

He'd lost his shirt, apparently.

After saying farewell to their friends, the four were off with excited chatter and cheer.

From his seat at the bar, Macao looked to the Guild Master wearily. "Are you sure they'll be fine?"

Makarov waved his hand dismissively. "Don't worry about them, lad. The monster isn't anything they won't be able to handle. Erza is about as strong as young Mira herself, and Gray is growing into quite the competent wizard. That's all without mentioning that Natsu's tagging along, too."

The middle-aged man sighed. "I suppose. I just have a bad feeling."

xxxxxxx

The Fairy Tail guild hall was dead silent as four bodies entered. It had been a little over a week since the group left on their quest, though their appearance made it seem as if they hadn't seen civilization in months.

Erza trembled. Her head was kept down and she wouldn't let go of her arm.

Mirajane was quiet. That alone said the most. Her every movement was subdued, and she did little else than stare ahead.

Natsu walked behind them, almost as if he were afraid of being too close to the others.

Gray's hands were clenched tightly into fists. There was a mix of fear and anger in his eyes as he wouldn't let them stray from Natsu.

There was nothing but worry directed their way. The other kids wanted nothing more than to run up to them and ask if everything was okay, but they knew that was a stupid question. Even a certain blond-haired boy couldn't properly hide his feelings.

The older guild members were in the same boat. Few of them had ever been on such a dangerous mission, so they could only assume the worst.

Makarov was the first to act. He ushered them into his office. Nothing was heard from them for the rest of the evening.

xxxxxxx

"They've hated each other's guts ever since, but I guess it's more of a one-sided thing. I don't think Natsu actually hates Gray," finished Elfman.

The blonde girl bit her lower lip. "Mira-san, why–"

The woman in question immediately turned away. It was an obvious refusal on her part to divulge any information.

Lisanna shook her head. "It's no use. None of them have ever talked about it since. The only person that knows is Master Makarov, and Natsu's still in the dog house as a result."

"Wha– but that must have been years ago!" exclaimed the celestial spirit mage. "Is that why he isn't allowed to be an S-class wizard?"

"You're pretty forgetful, aren't you Lucy?" stated Happy innocently. "Didn't I tell you? Being strong isn't enough. Natsu may be one of the strongest wizards in the country, but he has a habit of making bad situations worse. If Master made him an S-class, then disaster would follow him into the worst places possible."

"It's not his fault, Lucy. You have to understand that. As long as he has someone looking out for him, everything is fine," stressed Mirajane in a seldom-heard serious tone.

"Aye, sir!" added the one who looked out for the man the most.

Lucy thought back to her encounters with the pink-haired mage. He was blunt, and a little silly sometimes, but… he was kind, if nothing else.

"Mhm!" she nodded with a tiny smile. She would take their word for it, though she didn't quite understand the full scope of what they were saying.

The front doors burst open.

"She's back!" yelled a frantic Loke. "Erza's back! Quick, we gotta fix–"

"Fix what, Loke?" asked an imposing figure from behind.

In an instant, the whole guild was a flurry of motion. Happy hid his fish under his stool, Cana and Sho dumped their poker chips off the table, Millianna and Levy crumpled up the erotic magazines they were looking through, Wakaba stuffed his pipe into his coat pocket, and everyone generally tried to seem like they were having the least fun possible.

The newcomer stood still in the middle of the hall with a humongous monster horn held easily in hand. He or she was dressed in a full-body suit of armor that must have weighed a ton. It was an intricate thing reminiscent of some sort of dragon, what with the scaled plates and horned helmet.

Arms crossed, the newcomer spoke, "Where's Natsu?"

The man in question ran up to the scary person with a huge smile on his face. He wrapped his arms around the suit of armour in what was probably supposed to be a hug.

"Erza! I'm glad to see you!"

Lucy, shocked, turned to Lisanna. "That's Natsu's childhood friend?"

"Hey, tin-can!" yelled an unusually agitated Mirajane, "Show some manners and take off the mini-fortress when you're indoors!"

A flash of light enveloped Erza's body, the brightness forcing Lucy to look away. When she could see again, what she saw was–

Eh?

There was no longer an imposing set of armor in Natsu's arms. In its place stood a gorgeous red-haired woman dressed in a charming white blouse and a matching blue skirt. She blushed and pushed Natsu away.

She coughed. "My apologies, I should have changed before coming in. Moving on, what are you doing right now, Natsu? This is important."

The fire mage was confused. "Me? Waiting for the old man to get back, I guess."

The redhead frowned. "Unfortunate. I would have gone by myself if I knew that you couldn't come."

Natsu tilted his head. "What? You're gonna need to explain that one a little better."

He was ignored.

"Gray!" she yelled, getting the attention of the black-haired man on the other side of the room.

"Yeah?"

"Are you busy?"

"Well, I was thinking that I should take some jobs with our new guildmember."

"Excellent. We're leaving in an hour. Be at the station by three, and not a minute later," she demanded, completely ignoring what he was about to say.

He sweatdropped. "Oi."

Pleased with herself, the woman nodded. She made her way to the bar and sat right in front of a scowling Mirajane. "Cake, please."

The usually ever-smiling barmaid flipped Erza the finger, causing Lucy to gasp.

"Bite me."

Despite her harsh words, she still went into the kitchen and came back with a slice of strawberry cake.

"Natsu. Sit."

Despite the authoritarian way Erza had phrased it, Natsu sat down next to her easily as if she had asked him to do so amicably. "What's up?"

"Have you ever heard of Eisenwald's Erigor?"

"Maybe. Is it a type of food?"

"No."

"Then no."

"He's the ace of a dark guild," she explained. "I overheard some Eisenwald members in a bar talking about his plot to use something they called 'a demon flute'."

Natsu grimaced. "You don't think..."

"It's always a possibility. I should also mention that they appear to be working with an unknown third party."

Mirajane, who overheard them speak, knew what had to be done. She brought out a communications Lacrima.

xxxxxxx

Makarov Dreyar sat back in his chair with a dopey grin on his face, relishing the buzz from his third pint of beer. "Say, Bob, have I told you about our new guild member? You wouldn't believe the rack on this girl!"

Bob, a bald crossdressing man, snickered into his hand. "Oh, Macky~ You perv!"

Another man wearing shades and a spike-covered witch hat frowned. "You should really be mindful about what you say, you know."

The three of them gathered around a single table in the large banquet hall. All around them, distinguished wizards –other guild masters– kept to their own social circles despite the event serving as a means for them to network and keep the Magic Council up to date on their current state of operation.

Guilds may have been run by the kingdom, but only a fool would think that any of the Masters took their rank on the totem pole that seriously. Even the representative sent by the council knew this, as he waited out the whole event without bothering to interfere.

Things worked just fine as they were, most would say.

Though not much reporting was being done, it didn't mean that no information was being exchanged at all. At the current instance, three friends who happened to be among the most respected mages in Fiore took the opportunity to share current happenings within their guild.

Master Bob, of Blue Pegasus.

Master Goldmine, of Cuatro Cerberus.

Master Makarov, of Fairy Tail.

The council representative approached their table, forcing them to sober up. The representative, a strange anthropomorphic amphibian, placed a Lacrima at the center of their table.

"For Makarov Dreyar," was all he said before leaving.

Makarov raised an eyebrow. "Hm?"

The three Masters looked at the communications Lacrima, seeing the serious expression of Fairy Tail's own Mirajane Strauss.

Her Guild Master was slow to match her tone.

"See? See?" he pointed at her unashamedly. "Isn't Mira just a darling? We get her all to ourselves, you know!"

"Master," she interrupted. "This is serious."

The stupid look on his face disappeared in an instant. "One would think, considering that you're calling me at a meeting instead of sending a letter. What's wrong?"

"Erza thinks something big is going on with a dark guild. She needs Natsu to go with her."

Silence.

"Natsu?"

"Yes."

"Erza needs Natsu?" he clarified a second time.

"Yes, Master."

His face grew pale. "How urgent would this happen to be?"

"Erza wants to leave within the hour."

He gulped.

The sheer destructive power between the two of them was enough to make him wet his pants. It was one thing when he let the boy go on a quest with Mira –it was a simple little thing, after all– but if Erza of all people was saying that she needed him to take care of something as serious as a dark guild?

Things could get messy.

He sighed. "I trust the girl's judgment. Tell them I give my consent as long as they promise to exercise caution."

He needed to believe that the girl would be enough to take Natsu's reins if needed.

"Excellent! I'll tell them. I'm sure Erza will feel a lot better knowing that she'll have both Gray and Natsu as support."

The connection cut.

The man processed what she had said.

He turned white as a sheet, and his lips sunk into his face.

Oh no.

"I might have made a mistake," whimpered Makarov, dropping his head into his hands.

"My, my," commented Bob nervously.

Goldmine kept his mouth shut, momentarily forgetting how to speak.

The Ice Troll, Gray Fullbuster. An ice specialist with magic so powerful that it can drop temperatures to below what a human being can withstand.

The Titania, Erza Scarlet. A Requip mage said to have mastered every weapon known to man.

The Salamander, Natsu Dragneel. A user of one of the most powerful Lost Magics ever recorded.

Their unfortunate Guild Master may have unwittingly formed one of the strongest and most destructive wizard teams in Fiore.

xxxxxxx

Natsu's eye twitched once he and an armour-clad Erza made it to the station. So that's what he was forgetting.

Gray stared back at him with equal frustration. "Shouldn't you be back at the guild, flame-brain?"

"Why is he still coming?" whispered Natsu to the redhead.

She completely ignored their whining. "There's been a change of plans! Master has consented to Natsu coming with us."

The Ice Make mage scratched the back of his head. "… You don't need us here, then?"

Natsu noticed that Lucy was with Gray. "Lucy's tagging along too?"

The older woman sighed and rubbed her temples, though with her armour it looked more like she was trying to polish her helmet with her hands. "Gray is coming because I asked him to. Lucy is coming because this is a good learning experience for beginners. Natsu is coming because the Master said he could. Is that understood?"

All three gave dull nods. Even Lucy was starting to understand there was no arguing with this hard-headed lady.

The train didn't take much longer to arrive. Once they took their seats, Gray immediately asked, "What are we doing, anyway?"

Nothing could be seen through the helmet, but the redhead stilled in a way that implied she had realized that she completely forgot to tell them. She coughed, then took out a map from her carry-on luggage. "Alright. This is the guildhall that we're raiding."

Lucy looked like she swallowed a lemon. What part of this seemed like it would be a good learning experience!?