CHAPTER SIX

A NEW ROUTE

Waking up held nothing comforting for Natsu, if anything it made his frustration consume him until his mind was an anxious mess. The hunt for Lucy produced nothing, and the research done in the books only helped fuel his fear. They were able to narrow down their suspects to the one and only Jonathon Barsoni, someone Natsu now wished he burned to ash when he had the chance.

His magic was deadly, deadly enough that Natsu would have died had Wendy not been there to nurse him back from the brink of eternal sleep. Enough that it left wizards suffering in agony until their dying breath, burning their skin from the inside out. It was a slow and painful death that left the corpses molten and decayed.

They knew Natsu and Lucy had faced this man, alone. His magic is what nearly sent Natsu into the after realm, leaving his back an open oozing wound.

There's no way Lucy wasn't affected, and that scared the shit out of him.

Levy had assured him as she tried to hold back her sobs, that Lucy was fine. She would have gotten help. She's not stubborn enough to deny medical attention, and her spirits aren't naive enough to let her avoid it either.

But no one really knew. Whether she was okay or if she was huddled into herself begging for the pain to stop. Jonathon Barsoni's magic is a lost, forbidden magic that even the history books can't give them all of the details. Without knowing exactly how his magic was used on Lucy, they can only assume based on what they know. It was most likely slow acting, which meant she would have had enough time to get help if she had any sense to do so.

Natsu had left the guild hall for the first time since he woke up. He couldn't handle them telling him everything was fine, couldn't handle the lies. He couldn't look Gray in the face without wanting to punch his teeth in. He couldn't watch Wendy break down into tears or listen to Gajeel telling him to man up. Erza's voice began to feel like poison in his ears, her firm but soft words of encouragement and orders filtering through his mind only to anger him further.

He needed space, needed to think about what this meant. He needed to realize he was helplessly lost and had nothing to bring him to the love of his life.

That was another revelation that seemed to hit him from behind, and god damn did love do some harsh things to your mind in a time of crisis. He found himself thinking back with regret, why hadn't he told her how much she meant to him when he had the chance? Why didn't he hold her hand or hug her from behind? Why wasn't he there for her when she was fighting five powerful wizards on her own?

He slept fitfully that night, his mind plagued with nightmares and raging fears.

The morning wasn't any better. The chirping birds seemed to mock him in his misery, and the empty house screamed at him for his failures. He should be breaking through Lucy's window, scaring the daylights out of her and dragging her on a new job to pay her rent. Happy should be soaring above him as the winds drag him towards their destination. Gray and Erza should be tagging along to form their insanely powerful team that made every job 10 times more fun. They should be laughing, smiling, joking around…

But instead Natsu is grasping at his hair and he leans against his bedroom door, cursing the world and everyone in it for dragging the love of his life away from him.

He had planned on avoiding the guild today, because he was on the edge of insanity and if he had to hear another word of pity or hopeful ignorance he was going to explode. He knew things looked bleak, that Lucy was probably suffering right now, and he couldn't stand to hear people trying to convince him that she was fine.

She was anything but fine and they all knew it.

His morning was planned to involve an in depth walk around Magnolia and heavy interrogation of Lucy's landlord. Then he would scout the outskirts of town and see if he can pick up any scents that seemed off. Maybe he could visit some of the sketchy wagon shops hidden in the woods that wizards usually avoided, he could try to find an unsavory form of magic item that could help him find her.

He knew it was highly illegal and bound to land him in prison, but he was beginning to feel helpless, and with the possibility of Lucy dying because he was too late… He was willing to take the risk.

The only things stopping him from doing it was Lucy's good nature and the fact that Fairy Tail would suffer the backlash if his choice was made public.

But god was it tempting.

There was a pounding knock on his door, causing Natsu to nearly rip his hair out in frustration as he sat against his living room wall, "Natsu!" It was Erza, with her booming authority that Natsu usually wouldn't dare disobey, but he's feeling just a bit defiant right now, "You need to open the door this instant! It's important!"

"Important?" His voice came out sharp and breathy, as if he was trying to suck in enough energy to fuel the anger that was simmering to a boil, "If it's not about Lucy, I don't wanna hear it, Erza."

"Open this door or I'll be forced to demolish it."

With an agitated groan, he relented. When he swung open the door with a bit too much force, Erza's wide eyes met his fierce gaze. The red head was clutching a large envelope in her hands enough to crease the white stationary with her grip. He was heaving heavy breathes, which Natsu had a hard time believing was from running the measly 3 miles from the guild because Erza has always been the peak of fitness.

"Why do you look like you ran a marathon?" Natsu lowered his voice down, straining to keep his temper at bay, "You don't sound this out of breath from just running."

Erza avoided the questions, instead shoving the envelope into Natsu's chest, "Open this."

"Erza, what the fu-" He began before Erza interrupted him with a growl.

"Just open it Natsu!"

The dragon slayer shot her a glare, but still turned over the heavy envelope in his hands.

To: Fairy Tail

From: Aphrosilia Burclire

The seal had already been opened, which gave Natsu easy access to the contents laying within. He peered inside and was surprised to find the reason for the heavyweight being a large amount of jewel settled at the bottom of the envelope.

"Money?" Natsu asked in confusion before noticing the white slip of paper folded beside it. He pulled out the paper, setting the package of money to lean against his doorframe. He glanced at Erza, hoping to find something to explain her silence but she was only staring at him with an unreadable expression. She nodded ahead, encouraging him to read the words hidden behind the folded paper.

Dear Team Natsu,

I hope you find yourself doing well. I wish to inform you that the job in Carbume that had yet to be completed has been taken care of. I have sent an equal portion of the reward for Gray, Erza, Wendy, Carla, Happy, and Natsu in compensation for your part in the quest. You will find your earning in the envelope, please be sure to split it as you desire. Take care.

Lucy Heartfilia

"She's alive," Natsu rasped, tears of relief threatening to spill past the rims of his eyelids, "She's alive and well enough to finish that job."

"She had to have faced Jonathon Barsoni again," Erza speculated, "And she probably did it on her own. That takes skill."

"She's strong," Natsu reminded as he wiped his eyes, "And she has her spirits, she's not alone."

"You're right," She nodded, "I'm sure we're safe to assume she was either unaffected by his magic or that she found reprieve by visiting a healer of sorts. You were right to have faith in her."

"I still need to find her," Natsu stressed as he delicately held the note between his fingers, "We need to fix this."

"Look at the envelope again," Erza offered. Natsu eyed her curiously for a moment, trying to process what the red head was insinuating, until his eyes widened in realization. He snatched the envelope from the ground and quickly flipped it over to the side to see the return address:

Carbume, Fiore

"I have an address," He whispered in disbelief, slowly raising his head to see Erza looking at him expectantly, "I have a clue."

"If you leave right now, you might be able to catch her, or atleast find out where she went," Erza urged with a soft voice usually reserved for intimate moments, "Go, bring her home."

She didn't have to tell him twice.

The next stop for Lucy was Crocus, a rather large town that Lucy usually associated with Fairy Tail, with their win at the Grand Magic Games having been broadcasted from these very streets. She hadn't been more grateful for her and Loke's disguises until she was walking side by side with the townspeople who would more than likely recognize them instantly had they looked like their normal selves. There were still advertisements, posters, and window signs using Fairy Tail as a way to promote themselves.

Natsu's face was plastered all over the place, some restaurants bragging that he ate there and some even boasting about how he had ruined a table that they kept to put on display. It was simultaneously hilarious and heartbreaking to see his smiling face on a cardboard cut out next to charred furniture.

She avoided the landmarks that brought her a large bout of nostalgia, like the arena that the town seemed to worship, the town circle, the castle gardens, or the hotel they had stayed in during their competition. It caused more pain than a happiness for reminiscing.

Loke had accompanied her as usual, trying his best to offer an uplifting conversation. He carefully danced around anything related to the guild, which she felt slightly guilty for, but her appreciation for him overpowered it.

They had arrived in the afternoon, sometime around 2, and immediately set out to find some supplies and a magic shop. Loke was in charge of purchasing a refill for their first aid kit and some water and more substantial food. Stephanie's pastries were amazing, but they also needed nutrients.

Lucy had headed towards one of the large magic shops, which wasn't hard to find at all considering the town used magic like an everyday necessity. It was one of the largests ones she's ever entered, immediately being overwhelmed with all the choices of magical education they had to offer.

She had spoken to Loke during their adventure about her idea to learn some spells outside of Celestial Magic. He was surprisingly extremely supportive, even giving her some suggestions. She debated between learning more incantations, some type of elemental magic, or even script magic like Levy. Incantations were always a safe bet, and script magic could be useful in certain situations, but elemental magic was something that took time and dedication. While she could definitely pick it up fast and practice hard, it would take years before she would be on-par with the other elemental wizards her age.

So that left the decision up to her, and she was inclined to continue learning incantations, but as she was scouring the books, she noticed a section of tombs covering The Art of Rune Casting. She knew better than anymore just how lethal a good rune spell could tip a battle in your favor. She experienced it first hand when Laxus and The Thunder Legion declared war on Fairy Tail just a few months into her joining the guild. Freed's runes were a devastation, and any team would benefit from having that type of magic under your belt.

She left the shop carrying two books: The Beginners Collection on Ruin Casting and A Collection of Celestial Incantations.

Her and Loke met back up shortly after, both packed up with their purchases. He approached her with a nonchalant and a toned down attitude, much different from his usual flirtatiousness, to avoid bringing any attention to themselves. He steered her away from the busy streets, choosing to stay by the edge of the crowds. Lucy followed blindly as Loke led the way.

"I talked to Aquarius," Loke forced out in a hushed tone, keeping his gaze in front of him as they dodged the people going the opposite way "She wants to talk to you."

Lucy stiffened, but tried to keep her face neutral,"You did?"

"Yeah, she was pulling on my connection to the spirit realm all morning, I checked in after you went to the magic shop to see what she wanted."

Lucy nodded with a grim smile, she knew this was going to happen eventually, and there was no point delaying the inevitable, "Okay, we'll have to find a secure place. With water."

Loke uttered an agreement, "There's probably a few ponds or small lakes further in the forest, we can go there."

Lucy mumbled her acceptance, allowing the lion spirit to guide them towards the edge of town. Her pouch of keys jingled in by her hip, which only reminded her of what she was about to do. She was going to be summoning Aquarius, her most stubborn spirit who's emotional state was comparable to a hurricane on her good days.

It was something she had been avoiding for a while. Obviously it was an immature, childish decision on her part. One that might make her already ruthless spirit despise her even more than she already did. But she couldn't bring herself to face the powerful zodiac key.

Aquarius was something of a role model to Lucy growing up, and the brunette could already see the disappointment and disgust she'll find on the spirit's face. But Lucy deserved every insult she may hurrell her way, for being useless to her team. For being too weak to carry her weight. For selfishly leaving behind her family and being too scared to return. She was a disgrace of a wizard, because not only was she currently running away from her guild because of her own failures, but she was also neglecting her spirit because she was too cowardly to face her.

She was a sorry excuse for a human, let alone a wizard and key holder.

The tree line came into view rather quickly, and luckily Loke hadn't been expecting Lucy to keep up any conversation. Her internal thoughts were beating down her calm aura, and she knew Loke could sense it if the grimace he was sporting said anything. But he remained silent, allowing her time to prepare herself for the upcoming confrontation.

They delved deeper into the forest until the bustling town was a distant murmur and the tree tops began shading their path. They wandered aimlessly until an open body of water could be seen between the bases of the trees. It was about a mile away, if Lucy could estimate, but she found herself rooted to the ground. Loke paused a few feet ahead of her, turning to offer Lucy a concerned look.

"I can't do this, Loke," Lucy didn't look him in the eyes, instead her gaze was glued to the glistening water beckoning them closer to her doom. Her chest was pounding into her brain, warning her of exactly how bad an idea it was to be here. There was a shiver wracking her body and jolting her bones. She tried to pull her long sleeves over her fingers to offer herself some kind of comfort, but nothing was easing her trembling limbs or her roaring heart.

She couldn't do this.

"Yes you can," Loke said softly, appearing closer than Lucy remembered him being seconds ago, "I think this is going to go better than you think it is."

"No," Lucy choked out, her sight never wavering from the light bouncing on the water, "She hates me. She's going to demand I terminate our contract, or just kill me herself here and now. I know I deserve it but… I can't. I just can't."

A fog settled over her eyes, blurring the forest enough to force her to blink away the tears that began to fall over her cheeks. Wasn't it selfish? To force Aquarius to stay in the spirit realm just so she couldn't leave? So she couldn't tell Lucy she was a worthless human being undeserving of her service? It would be heartbreaking, devastatingly awful for Lucy first spirit to leave her after so many years together. And it was terribly selfish of her to try to prevent it for as long as possible.

They always had a rocky relationship, but this is going to be a breaking point.

"Lucy, please stop thinking whatever you're thinking," Loke pleaded, trying to gather her attention from the nightmare she was imagining in her mind, "I know you're scared, but I promise you everything is going to be okay. She's not mad at you."

"Not mad?" Lucy mumbled, "That impossible, do you even hear yourself? I don't think I've ever spoken to her without a hint of irritation in her voice."

Loke paled at her statement, but continued either way, "Yeah, she's difficult. But I think you'll be surprised this time. Please, trust me. She needs to talk to you."

Trust.

She did trust in her spirits, just like she expected to earn their trust back. Trust was such a major role in their magical relationship, in their friendship. It was the backbone of her entire magical existence. Celestial magic was constructed off of trust and used it to create meaningful bonds. Without it, every mission would be a gamble, whether a spirit would actually come through the gate when summoned or if they would come to your aid without being called just to protect you. Without knowing if you're actually able to defend yourself or not because your celestial keys decided to be finicky today could result in the worst case scenario

So she needed to woman-up so to speak. She knew Loke wouldn't put her in danger, and this isn't something she can ignore. It was her responsibility as a Celestial Wizard and has been since she got her first key to take care of her spirits. Avoiding one because of her own cowardice was cruel of her.

"I trust you," Lucy stated firmly, finally giving a meaningful look to the lion spirit who softened his concern, "I need to do this."

Loke nodded, turning back towards the water, "I can stay if you want, but I think it might be better to have this talk privately."

She was still terrified, but she was also determined to do what she needed to, "It's okay, if I need you I'll summon you."

Loke side eyed her, noticing her still shaking hands and fidgeting fingers. Her bottom lip was red as she bit down on it between her teeth and she looked like she was beginning to nervously sweat. But she was no longer crying, she was doing this. He knew the look in her eye, the stubbornness that he both loved and hated.

"Okay, but as soon as you guys are done I'll come back out."

Lucy accepted, and Loke disappeared with a flash of light, leaving Lucy alone for the first time since she departed from Magnolia. It felt strange, like a layer of protection was stripped from her in an instant. She had become accustomed to Loke's constant presence, and she was growing increasingly uncomfortable with the emptiness.

She decided very quickly that she hated the feeling of being alone, and her mind was begging her to bring Loke back to her side. To fill the space he left. She felt like a child, begging for her father to comfort her after her mom passed. But she had a task, and she needed to take care of it before anything else. She began running towards the water, if only so she could summon Aquarius faster so she won't be alone any longer.

As she grew closer, she noticed the glint from earlier was present again, except it wasn't caused by the light reflecting itself off the dancing waters. As she passed the trees to arrive at the edge of the pond, Aquarius was already there, waiting for Lucy hovering above the water. Her blue hair hung graciously over her body, cascading like waves towards the waters below.

Lucy hadn't seen her in quite some time, months maybe? She only ever called her out if necessary, and lately her missions haven't had an open source of water she could use. So the sight of her spirit having passed through the gate, and waiting for her without being summoned, was confusing.

"You're already here?" Lucy raised her gaze to meet the spirit.

She was expecting to see a snarl emanating hatred. Maybe a dark aura of discontent or a horrifying shriek of anger. But she was met with the same pouty face and criss-crossed arms Aquarius was known for, but with a hint of fear in her posture.

It was bewildering.

"Well, you don't need to waste your magic power just after getting it back. I'm strong enough to hold my form here for the time being," The spirit offered, stubbornly refusing to make eye contact with the brunette, "What did you do to your hair?"

It wasn't asked nicely, but it seemed more like an awkward exchange than one of disgust. They were like immature school girls seeing each other for the first time since one had betrayed the other and now had to face their friend.

Was this seriously the same Aquarius that had threatened to drown her for summoning her in a cup?

"Um, I cut it," Lucy pulled at the ends of her hair, suddenly self conscious over the locks she hadn't cared about since she left. It wasn't abnormal for this particular spirit to insult her fashion choice or hair care but she didn't necessarily have a choice in this change. It was either change her entire appearance or be recognized in every town.

"It doesn't look too bad."

At that, Lucy had to shake her head. Clear out the gunk causing the words to filter through her brain because did Aquarius seriously just compliment her?

"Uh," Lucy began, letting the awkward air linger between them.

She couldn't even call this interaction menacing or threatening, or even a danger to her mental health like she had been expecting. Aquarius was being abnormally nice, or attempting to be. It was weird.

"Okay this is so weird," Aquarius finally snapped, dropping her kind facade to look at Lucy with a determined glare, "I'm sorry, okay?"

Lucy had to take some time to reboot her entire existence, because, "What?"

Aquarius growled in annoyance before letting her words flow from her mouth without a second thought, "I'm sorry I stopped the other spirits from helping without your summons. If I let them travel to earth land without you calling them you wouldn't be in this situation right now."

"You're… sorry?"

Lucy felt her previously whirling thoughts halt, frozen in time as she tried to process the sudden shift. The Aquarius in front of her resembled nothing of her usual animosity and vibrant temper. This was an entirely foreign picture that Lucy hadn't even expected to come from her, and it was leaving her cluelessly frightened.

"Aquarius," Lucy blinked a few times, trying to force her words to surface but her muddle brain could only present flustered thoughts, "You… you can't just… "

The anxiety was bubbling in her chest and the meager amount of food she fed herself, courtesy of Stephanie, threatened to invade her esophagus. She felt utterly lost, and embarrassed beyond belief that she was making such a fool of herself, but she didn't understand. This just didn't compute. Because Aquarius was supposed to hate her.

She was supposed to make mean comments about her brown hair, and belittle her for letting Loke take care of her like a toddler. She was supposed to make fun of her for finally picking an outfit that covered more of her body and ridicule her inability to defend herself. She was supposed to demand to be lifted of her contract because Lucy almost killed Natsu and Aquarius had just been waiting for an excuse to leave the worthless wizard she'd been contracted to since childhood.

"God, do you have to freak out so bad every time I do something nice," The spirit huffed, bringing Lucy to shock herself back into awareness.

Though her worries were very much still present, she forced herself to push back her struggles to take in the spirit's defensive posture and twitching lips as she continued to refuse to look Lucy's way. Lucy cleared her throat and offered a small apology, though her heart wouldn't calm down and her skin was clammy with sweat.

"Don't apologize to me," Aquarius grimaced at the pond she had summoned herself upon, feeling more vulnerable than she had in years, "I should have let Loke or Scorpio or any of your spirits intervene last week. I shouldn't have held them back and made you handle it alone."

"But, you were right. I should have been able to do it alone," She tried to defend the mermaid, but was quickly silenced with glare that seems far more comforting than it should have.

At least it was normal.

"Shut up, will you? What happened isn't your fault, okay?" She said with a bitter tone, but it didn't seem to be pointed towards Lucy, "It's awful, what happened in that forest. And I thought I was doing the right thing. Tough love, right? I wanted you to push yourself, summon some more spirits or use an incantation when you were in a tough spot. I didn't want anyone to damage your self esteem by coming to rescue you when you could still do it on your own."

She gulped down a strain in her voice, eyebrows pinched in despair and she remembered that night in the spirit realm. How distraught Loke and Virgo had been, demanding that she let them through. How Aries had tried to calm down Loke with tears shining in her eyes. Cancer and Scorpio arguing over ignoring Aquarius's word and leaving anyway. The aching hole that was carved in her heart that she knew was coming from her wizard, the pain she hadn't experienced since Lucy's mother died.

It was a harsh call, one she regretted now and every moment after the train ride back to Magnolia. The spirits had all forgiven her, many of them understanding her reasoning. But as the wound in her chest grew in size along with Lucy's own heart break, she couldn't ignore that the pulsing agony was affecting her more than the others.

It was her guilt that made it so unbearable.

But she needed the brat to actually let her apologize before she can let herself begin to heal. So that Lucy can begin to heal.

"I know now that I shouldn't be, like, back-seat-wizarding or something," Aquarius mumbled, "That wasn't my decision to make. I thought I was helping you but I think I just made everything a hell of a lot worse."

She didn't mention how she thought Natsu's almost-death was also her fault. How she thought that if Virgo had dumped the Jonathon guy in a ditch and Scorpio buried him alive then Natsu would never have been hit and Lucy could have healed back at Fairy Tail and never ventured off across Fiore in hopes of being better.

She figured if she had said anything, it would open up a larger can of worms than Aquarius was equipped to deal with. She wasn't sure how Loke had managed to stay by Lucy's side all this time without breaking or screaming in despair over the pain she was sharing with them. How he was able to crack a joke, and a smile without the immense guilt pulling him down. How he could ignore the desire to scream some sense into the poor state his wizard was in order to save her from herself.

Aquarius had never been soft, and had a hard time with sensitive subjects, but she didn't want to mess up with Lucy. She's been her wizard for well over 10 long, annoying years. But those years weren't awful, in fact they were filled with more interesting stories than any others in her lifetime. She loved Lucy, even if she wouldn't admit it. And she wanted her safe, healthy, and happy. She entrusted that job to Loke, and hoped to the Celestial God that Natsu shows up eventually or that the Lion Spirit can get Lucy to go back to him.

And whenever that happens, she along with the rest of the Zodiac will be having a stern conversation with Gray.

"I know you don't want me to make excuses," Lucy was timid, something Aquarius hadn't seen on her face in so long, "but I really don't blame you. I… I understand why you did what you did. And I'm going to get stronger so that next time you won't have to suffer because I can't do my job. But if it makes you feel better, then I forgive you."

Aquarius had to force herself to hold back her groan of irritation, because this girl really didn't get that it wasn't her fault she couldn't defeat a murderer on her own. But she repressed the growing exasperation in favor of preserving the small amount of recovery Loke had been able to achieve with her. If Aquarius made any sort of backtrack on her journey to self acceptance, then Loke was sure to have a few words with her.

Instead of trying to fight with the wizard, she relented her argument. There was no winning with someone who was dead set on destroying themselves from the inside out. Loke was doing all he could to help her, but she had it pounded into her head that she was the one in the wrong. She wouldn't hinder Loke's progress by fighting with the girl and worsening her mental state, but her aching heart was still an ever growing concern.

"Are you sure you want to do this?"

She asked it softly, almost too quiet to hear, but the brunette had been waiting for the words to pass her lips.

"I'm sure," Lucy whispered back, "I need to get stronger."

Aquarius was expecting it, but it didn't make the pain any less bearable.

"Alright," She continued with a nod, "So long as you take care of yourself."

"I will," She looked the spirit in the eye this time, trying as hard as she could to show her determination.

"Then I'll be okay," Aquarius said, letting the glow begin to cover her limbs, "I'll send Loke back," Then she added on just before leaving, "Be careful, Lucy."

Then she was alone again, with the water rippling with little waves after having been distrubed by Aquarius's disappearance. She stumbled back, landing on the dirt with a grunt. The forest was silent, but still seemed deafening loud to Lucy. It was only a few moments of loneliness before Loke was crouched in front of her again with the soft yellow light receding from his body.

"You okay?" He asked as he helped her to a stand.

Lucy nodded as she steadied herself, "Yeah just… don't leave again?"

It was hypocritical of her to say, considering she had been begging him to go back to the spirit world previously, but she was too scared to send him back now. He was a constant in life right now, and she really didn't want to lose him again.

Luckily, Loke didn't comment on her sudden fear of being alone, and agreed quickly, "Of course, I'll stay as long as you want."

"Thank you," Lucy breathed out in relief.

When both of them had resituated themselves, they decided to set up camp near the pond. Their newly acquired tent was set up with their belongings stacked up nicely to the side. A fire was made and they decided to roast some hotdogs they purchased in town with their reward money.

"So," Loke asked as he chewed in a piece of meat, "What magic did you decide on?"

"Oh!" Lucy exclaimed, looking extremely happy considering how somber she'd been the past week, and it brought an intense bout of excitement and relief to the spirit to see Lucy happy about something, "I got two books. One on incantations and one on rune magic."

"Runes magic can be really helpful," Loke pointed out as he added some more sticks and leaves to the fire, "Setting up a few protection runes or some hidden traps are very useful for a celestial wizard. That was a smart one Lucy."

Lucy beamed at the praise, obviously proud of her findings, and Loke would kill anymore who dared wipe that smile off her face. He just wished it would remain.

When Natsu arrives at Carbume, he is not expected to be paraded around town by grateful townspeople and shoved into the mayor's office to be personally thanked for saving the locals from a most horrific and gruesome death. He was given handshakes and personal recounts of gratitude and endless offers of free food.

Valcona had been plaguing this town for years, making every dark corner a beacon of fear and the forest a forbidden territory. The community had adapted to a way of living that wasn't really living at all in fear of losing themselves or a loved one to a greedy wizard.

"Thank you, Fairy Tail," An elderly woman had cried, clutching onto Natsu's backpack as she fell to the ground, "Thank you, thank you, thank you! You saved us!"

Except it didn't feel like a victory. Carbume was safe, but Lucy was gone.

"Say, Mr. Mayor," Natsu asked after finally working his way out of the people crowding him in awe and marching straight into the mayor's office, "Have you seen the wizard who finished this job? She's blonde, a Celestial Wizard, has keys and stuff?"

"Hmm, I'm not entirely sure. I could only properly see one of the two," The mayor responded, but didn't appear too worked up over the misunderstanding, "The young man was a ginger, but not blonde."

"Loke," Natsu whispered to himself.

But if there wasn't a blonde, then who was the other person? Another spirit maybe?

"Who was the other person?"

"Oh a young lady, but she covered most of her face and her hair was a bit too short for me too see."

Could that be Virgo? Her hair was pretty short, but why cover her face? She had always been rather loud and boisterous, he couldn't imagine her trying to avoid drawing attention to herself on purpose. It was most likely Aries; she was shy enough to cover her face and her sticking by Loke wasn't uncommon.

"Why do you ask? Is everything okay with your companions?" The mayor, an elderly gentleman with grayed hair and a worn out pair of glasses, eyed Natsu with worry, "People tell me Fairy Tail isn't suffering at the hands of Valcona even after saving us from our doom?"

Natsu isn't sure what to say, isn't sure he wants to tell this man all the horror and misery he and the guild have suffered together. It was a personal pain, one that no other can understand because Lucy is special to him. Her leaving… it was tearing him apart. No one else experienced her soft voice as she consoled him during tough times, her stern commands when he and Gray went overboard on missions, her excitement at having enough money for rent and the satisfaction at saving a troubled town from destruction.

There were sides of Lucy that Natsu got to see which he had taken for granted, because he figured they would always be there. That the tender moments would never cease to exist only in his memories.

"Young man," The mayor tried again, taking a seat at this desk as he motioned for Natsu to join him, "I cannot read your mind, but I offer my condolences to whatever troubles you. If our town is what has caused this heartache, I apologize and offer any assistance you may need."

The man was calm, friendly, and he reminded him so much of Master Makarov. His eyes wrinkled in the corners and his smile was grim with unease. He rested his hands on his knees, giving Natsu time to settle himself in the cozy office.

"My friend," The dragon slayer took a deep breath, "She was on my team. Some stuff happened the first time we were here and I almost died. She got hurt too but she left before she could get help and now I'm trying to find her. I think she was the one who finished the job, she did it on her own."

The man hummed in response, taking a moment to look over Natsu's very healthy body with fond eyes, "You look to be in good shape for having had a tango with death."

The younger gulped down his guilt, even though he couldn't really say it was his fault that he had been healed back to perfect health while Lucy was forced to suffer on her own, "My guild helped me. I guess no one knew she was hurt too."

The mayor leaned back in his chair, "I understand my boy, I'm glad you are safe from harm. I hope your companion is the same. Though if I may offer, I have a sense of where she may have visited during her stay in our village."

Natsu's head shot up, hope radiating off his body, "Really? You do? Please tell me."

He stood at the same time as the mayor while the older turned towards his desk to shuffle through some drawers. He pulled out a blank paper, being sure to write out a rather long letter before securing it in an envelope and handing it to the confused dragon slayer.

"There's a medic in the forest named Aphrosilia, she's the best in the field around here. If your friend was injured and asked around for help, she most likely ended up there at some point. I recommend checking there for some answers."

The familiar name wasn't missed by the dragon slayer, it was the same name on the letter Lucy sent home. It wasn't a fake name after all, it was a real name of a real person living here who had seen, and spoken, to Lucy. Natsu was shaking with anticipation, ready to bolt through the door but forced himself to remain calm and collected for the time being as he emptied out a slurry of gratitudes, "but this letter," He added with his hand raised the envelope between them, "What do I do with it?"

"Ah that," The mayor tsked, "That's a last case scenario. If Miss Aphrosilia gives you any trouble, just hand that letter to her and instruct her to read. It's only a formal request directly from me."

Natsu pocketed the letter, giving the old man a grin, "Thanks Mister, I appreciate it."

"It's not a problem young man. I hope you find your friend soon."

And then Natsu left, with another "thank you" thrown over his shoulder. He bolted down the streets towards the edge of town where he had been instructed would be a cabin housing the village's only medic.

Natsu was less than graceful with his sporadic knocks upon the oak door. The cabin hadn't been too much of a hassle to find, especially with the entire towns insistence to repay him for Fairy Tail's aid in defeating the dark guild that had its claim on the town for years, but by the time he had landed in front of the door his patience was practically nonexistent. He forced down his irritation, urging his facial expression to dwindle into something that resembled polite-but-also-in-a-hurry. It wouldn't do him any good if he was a raging asshole who needed to get out of this town now and track down the missing celestial mage.

The door swung open mid-knock, causing Natsu to come within centimeter of knocking straight into this woman's glasses. He stumbled back a foot in order to avoid punching the lady in the face with a grunt of surprise and found himself falling onto the wooden porch with a loud thump.

Natsu groaned in frustration, but stood himself up with a quick brush over his pants before leveling the woman with a neutral expression.

"Hey, sorry I almost punched you," Natsu spat out an apology without much thought before attempting to jump into the reason for his visit, but his words were swallowed up in the insanely loud girlish shriek coming from the body in front of him.

Aphrosilia had her fists bunched up beside her face that was increasingly growing redder with the strain her smile was bringing her cheeks, "You're Natsu Dragneel!" The lady proclaimed with a shake of her arms in excitement, "The Salamander! Fairy Tail's Fire Dragon Slayer! The guy who beat the twin dragon slayers! Oh my god I can't believe I got to meet you!"

"Uh," Natsu blinked at her awkwardly before forcing a small smile on his face. It wasn't his first time running into a Fairy Tail fangirl, "Yeah… that's me."

"No duh!" She jumped closer to him with a dangerous spark in her eyes, "I've seen your face enough times to know for sure. I can't believe you're at my cabin!" Aphrosilia beamed at him for a moment, but her amazement began to dwindle by the second as the shine in her eyes were fluttered away. Natsu tilted his head at her as her demeanor changed so drastically, until she barely resembled the figure he had seen moments ago.

"Well," She coughed lightly, it seemed like the mood change wasn't only noticed by Natsu, "What brings the famous Natsu Dragneel to my work place? Do you need treatment?"

She seemed too young to be a full fledged doctor to Natsu, but then again he seemed too young to have faced off against Zero on his own. Wendy seemed too young to have helped him save Earth Land and Gray seemed too young to have faced Deliora twice and lived to tell the tale.

Who was he to judge someone by their age?

"Have you seen another Fairy Tail wizard around?" Natsu asked, subtly scenting the area for any signs of his missing friend, "Celestial wizard, blonde, might have a Zodiac Spirit with her? You'd probably recognize her as Lucy Heartfilia if you're familiar with our guild."

As Natsu dropped Lucy's name, he noticed the doctor's body stiffened, and he could practically hear her heart beating through her chest. Aphrosilia refused to make eye contact, choosing instead to appreciate the pine trees that whistled with the wind passing through. She clasped her hands behind her back and rocked on her heels as she contemplated her response, "Oh, um nope! Don't think I have!"

"Oh?" Natsu quirked an eyebrow. He knew he shouldn't make rash decisions, but his gut was telling him something was wrong. He could tell Lucy was here, if not from the letter itself then from the way Aphrosilia seemed to shift side to side in front of him after screaming in excitement only a moment ago. Yet he had no proof other than the envelope, and he felt like he was going to need a bit more evidence before the girl was going to tell him what he came here for, "Are you sure? I heard she might have been here."

"Nope!" She answered too fast, which only anchored Natsu's suspicion.

Natsu leaned to the side, taking in the inside of the cabin which was lit up with warm candles and hanging lights, "If you don't mind, could I take a look inside?"

"Inside?" Aphrosilia questioned, glanced behind her before shrugging her shoulders, "Um, sure. Come in."

The doctor took a step back, allowing the dragon slayer to enter her cabin, which was just as cozy inside as it looked from the outside. The warmth was exactly the type of thing Natsu enjoyed, and it instantly relaxed him. The seating area was filled with cushioned chairs and various wooden sculptures, and the wooden paneling was etched with designs across the walls. It was homey, and he could imagine the entire town found this cabin to be a wonderful place to recover from any sickness or injury in.

"Can I get you anything?" Aphrosilia appeared beside him, wringing her hand anxiously. She looked very different from how she acted when he first arrived. Timid, nervous, scared, and if Natsu wasn't on a time crunch to find Lucy he might've taken more time to ease her into the conversation he wanted to have. But he was in fact running out of time and didn't have any to spare, "Oh I'm Aphrosilia by the way, I don't think I introduced myself."

Natsu smiled at her, pretending he hadn't already known who she was since the beginning, "Hi Aphrosilia, I'm Natsu Dragneel. But I guess you already knew that."

"Yeah," She gave an airy laugh, swaying on her feet as she spoke, "I'm a pretty big fan of Fairy Tail."

"That's pretty cool! I'm a fan of Fairy Tail too!" Natsu said with as much enthusiasm as he could muster, "My guild is my family and my home. They mean everything to me, and they're all really talented."

He had chosen those words on purpose, hoping it would strike a nerve with the doctor. He charged his tone with as much sincerity and intensity as he could. He needed her to understand that Lucy was important, to him and the guild. If Lucy really did show up here, and judging by the girls actions she did, Natsu would need her cooperation with as little difficulty as possible. Trying to get the opposition to work with him was never his strong suit, negotiations were usually something he messed up.

But he could speak from the heart, using his own experiences to connect with others. He was good at turning someone's intentions from evil to good, so long as his voice was heard from the depths of his soul. And judging by Aphrosilias hyperactive eye movements and subconscious lip biting, a lot of thinking was going on inside her head.

Maybe if he kept her talking, and got her comfortable, she would drop the pretending and tell him the truth. Or he could work her into a corner and force her to reveal it to him.

"So, you're a fan of Fairy Tail? Who's your favorite wizard?" Natsu had asked it innocently, but the fear that radiated off of Aphrosilia's body had surprised him. It was a sudden reaction, but that told him he was going in the right direction. So long as she doesn't kick him out.

"Oh!" She gave a panicked chuckled, "You know, probably Titania or MiraJane. Really any of the girls!"

She returned to chewing on her lip, pointedly ignoring Natsu's gaze. He smirked at her.

He would bet 20,000 jewel her favorite was actually Lucy, but was too afraid to bring her up in the conversation again.

"Oh really?" Natsu mused with a light tone, "Erza's cool, but totally scary. And Mira is great until you piss her off. You really don't want to be on either of their bad sides. But I have to say my favorite is Lucy."

Natsu listened closely for the hitch in her breath, which came as soon as he spoke Lucy's name. The doctor had wide eyes boring into the wooden floors, barely containing her shaking muscles and twitching fingers. She didn't respond, only swallowed down her nerves as Natsu continued.

"You know she's just really strong, and super funny and smart. She knows what she's doing, and she's really good at it," Natsu began rambling, and he knew he was probably talking too much, but he couldn't help the avalanche of words tumbling out of his mouth, "She's important to us, to me. And I really want to find her. I need to find her. I need to bring her back and tell her how important she is to us… and to me. I really miss her."

His voice cracked at the end against his desires. His chest constricts against him as the pain reinvigorates in his soul, and he finds himself fighting against the angry tears again. Aphrosilia was finally looking at him again, with distressed eyes. He stared, probably looking close to a wounded animal, but the hopelessness he was feeling wouldn't allow him to keep up the nonchalant carefree attitude anymore.

He couldn't hide the hurt, fear, and pain he was feeling. And he really hoped the doctor could see it too.

"Please Aphrosilia," He whispered, hoping his voice didn't betray him again, "I know she was here. Her scent is faint, but strong enough for me to smell. She sent us a letter with your name on the envelope, I have the words written in her handwriting. Please just tell me where she went."

They were each silent for a few moments, aside from Natsu's heavy breathing that seemed all too loud in the tiny cabin.

"I can't," She responded with her own teary sniffle, "I promised to protect her."

Natsu sighed, dropping his head to his chest and running shaky fingers through his hair, "You don't need to protect her from me. I'm not going to hurt her."

"You might not," she mumbled, "But someone from your guild did."

"So she told you?" Natsu shot his head up again, hopeful the doctor would provide him with some insight into Lucy's mind frame, "Please tell me what she said."

It was one thing to know Lucy was probably injured physically, but her mental pain was as much of a mystery to him as it was in the beginning. He knew bits and pieces that he could put together in his head, but he yearned to talk to her. To hear her fears and insecurities to try his best to fix them.

The doctor bit her lip again, looking away from Natsu , "She made me swear to keep her secret."

Natsu was getting ready to drop to the floor and beg if it would get this lady to tell him what he came here for, when he remembered the letter he had pocketed early in the day. He quickly pulled out the envelope before shoving into Aphrosilia's space, "Read this."

"What?" She squawked as she took the letter into her hand.

"It's from the mayor, he said if you needed any convincing to deliver this to you," He pushed the envelope closer to her, which she reluctantly grabbed.

She tore the flap off, keeping a cautious eye on Natsu as she pulled the paper out. Natsu hadn't had the chance to read it, so as the doctors facial expressions gradually shifted into something more panicked than before, he found himself wondering what could have possibly been written. After reading, Aphrosilia huffed in annoyance. Her fingers clenched around the paper creating a plethora of creases before throwing the papers to the ground and turning away from the dragon slayer with her hand rubbing over her face.

"Well that seemed intense," Natsu commented to the girls back, "I'm not sure what the old man said but if it made you react like that then I'm sure it must have been…"

He didn't know how to end his sentence, because the mayor seemed much too kind to write anything cruel. Yet the doctor was acting like her life was threatened. It worried him, because no matter how much he wanted to find Lucy, he didn't want to hurt others in the process. There's been enough hurt to last him the rest of his life.

"The mayor," Aphrosilia voiced through clenched teeth without turning back around, "is my grandfather. Apparently I have no choice but to share what I know with you."

While he was glad that the mayor's letter seemed to persuade the girl, he still felt guilty for being part of the cause for the distress she was going through, "I appreciate you telling me, because I do need to know, but if he's threatening you…"

"Oh no!" She shouted, turning to face Natsu with teary eyes, "He would never… He loves me, and I love him. He just wants to help you find Lucy. It's just… I would be betraying her trust."

Natsu nodded, "I understand, but I promise you that if you tell me where she went I'm going to help her. I'm not going to let anyone hurt her, physically or emotionally. She'll understand and forgive you, it's the type of person she is."

Aprhosilia stepped closer, pointing towards the chairs decorating her waiting room and instructing Natsu to join her. Once they were both seated, Aphrosilia clasped her hands together, her thumb picking at her nails as she recounted her experience with the missing Fairy Tail wizard, "She came to my cabin a few days ago. She was very sick, affected by one of the dark guild wizards attacks," Not just any dark wizard, the infamous Jonathon Barsoni that was responsible for an uncountable amount of murders in the area for selfish gain, Natsu had become quite acquainted with his history, "She said it happened a week prior, and I was surprised she was still still speaking, let alone walking around. The magic was ruthless, it makes even just existing painful."

It was something Natsu had suspected, that Lucy was probably suffering alone, but hearing the news from a medical professional made his heart ache. It didn't ease anything in his mind, even if she might not be in pain anymore, because she had to endure it for so long without her friends to help her.

"It was a magic draining attack, one than made it impossible for her to regenerate her magic energy or use her keys. She was accompanied by Leo the Lion, but he called himself Loke," Aphrosilia grew a soft smile as she remembered the spirit, being too entranced by meeting not only the hero of her childhood but the leader of the Zodiac as well, "I'm not sure how he was able to be there if she couldn't use magic though. I hadn't thought to ask at the time."

"He probably summoned himself," Natsu filled in for her, "They tend to do that from time to time."

"Oh?" The doctor perked up, entering a more work favorable demeanor as she gave a quizzical look towards the dragon slayer, "I know a bit about celestial keys, but I didn't know the keys could summon themselves."

"Yeah, I mean I don't know how it works either," Natsu admitted, "That's something I'd have to ask Lucy later. But I've seen them do it before. It's pretty painful for them to be in the human world for too long. I don't know how long is 'too long' though either."

"Well I can assure you Loke, or Leo, didn't seem to be in pain. So they must have a system."

"Of course Loke had a plan," Natsu smirked, "He's not the leader of the Zodiac for nothing! He's a playboy but he's still smart. And Lucy's a genius, she's one of the best in Fairy Tail."

"I don't doubt it," the doctor chimed in, and Natsu was relieved to see her a bit more relaxed. While he needed this information, he didn't want to make the one person who's seen Lucy hate him for demanding it.

"So, I was saying," She continued, but rather than looking forlorn and concerned, she adorned a more professional aura with medical terminology, "Her skin was inflamed all over, which I treated with a topical cream. It would have taken time for her to gather her magic strength again but I assume it probably hadn't taken longer than a day," the doctor swallowed, twitching her eyes from different points in the floor as she thought through her next sentence, "She told me about… what happened. At first she tried to hide that she was from Fairy Tail, but I caught on pretty fast. She said something about how she almost killed you and that someone on your mission was right about her."

The mission, although may have ended in success, also caused so much turmoil. Lucy had believed she killed him, and that it was her weakness that caused it. As much as Gray may feel bad for his actions, Natsu couldn't forgive him quite yet. Not until he had Lucy by his side again. Until his best friend was safe and happy, Gray would have to wait.

"Whoever said that to her… she's very hurt by it. She's taking it hard."

Natsu sighed, "He knows he was wrong, and he's going to spend a long time making up for it. I won't let it happen again."

"Promise me," Her voice was suddenly very stern, demanding Natsu to look her in the eye. When he did she saw anger, but also determination, "She was a mess Natsu Dragneel, and I may have only just met her but I care for her. You better promise me this won't happen again."

He wasted no time with his answer, there wasn't anything to think about. He had been saying it since he found out about Lucy leaving, that he would work his ass off until he found her. That he would chase her across Fiore and then some just to make sure she's safe. He would move mountains and catch stars if it would put a smile on her face, because that's what she deserves.

"I promise."

Aphrosilia relaxed, accepted his declaration. She took off her glasses, whipping the bridge of her nose carefully before giving Natsu exactly what he came here for, "She's headed to Crocus. I'm not sure what for, but her goal is to get stronger. So check magic shops or any other training related places you can think of. Question the locals. Hopefully you'll find her before she leaves."

I AM SO SORRY THIS TOO SO LONG. I have had the WORST case of writers block ever. This chapter felt like such a chore to write and I really hope it doesn't show D: I don't know why it was so hard for me to write this but I finally did it! I'm going to try to make sure the next chapter doesn't take as long to come out. Let me know what you think!

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