From the Valleys to the Heavens Chapter 20: Take down? More like break down, a fairy tail fanfic

Fact: breaking your computer and losing a whole bunch of files does not gain you sympathy from your parents, only punishment.

Fact: Computers take a long time to fix.

Another fact: Parents are bitter, and seem to think that your time without a computer as it is being fixed is not enough and will take it off you.

Last fact: SunMoonKunoichi is very sorry for her lack of connection with anyone, as it is hard to do so without a computer.

Last last fact: I literally have no idea what to do with most of my stories.

Fact: This is called writers block.

Fact: I am very, very sorry. Hurting me will do nothing. On the other hand, this nearly has 200 reviews! Yay!

Warning: Lots of bloody deaths, some graphic descriptions, mentions of whoring and illegal shit, swearing and…well, a lot of darkness that doesn't really fit with the FT theme. Filler. Fluff.

Disclaimer: I highly doubt that Lucy in canon!FT is a secret assassin on the side of being a mage.

Third Person P.O.V.

It was just another lazy afternoon after a hard days' work in the guild of Shattered Bones. They had successfully looted a procession of travelling merchants earlier on in the day and the merchandise they had managed to steal was more than enough to tide them over for a few more weeks. It was a cause of celebration.

Merriment, plenty of alcohol and daring tales of what had gone down mere hours earlier were passed around the men inside the dingy barn remodelled into a dark guild's base with a feverish passion.

Laughter rocked the crumbling eaves above the men as they mockingly re-enacted the pleas of countless men, women and children they had harassed and murdered that day. The memories of the pain they had caused fuelled their wild movements, and many more drinks were passed out in swift rounds, all ordered by the content guildmaster in the centre of the room. The one who oozed pleasure from every one of his oily pores and grinned behind greasy drumsticks of cooked meat that he coddled to his overlapping chins.

Yep, that one right there. You can see him, right? Past the hustle and bustle of celebrating scum, and the mess they were causing with greasy foods and oily drinks that poisoned their bodies? The one who sat a rotted bench as if it were a throne, feeling blessed by every god and goddess at the moment?

He's going to die.

Oh, maybe not now, but very, very shortly. And it will be a beautifully ironic death by the calloused hands of one particular blonde-haired assassin.

Before that can happen, though, she's going to have to arrive and kill every other male here.

How about we get started?

All merriment and movement stopped when the dented doors to the barn were slammed open, letting the gusting wind that had frolicked outside in the sunshine just moments earlier come rushing in.

The howling winds added a sort of cinematic tenseness to the situation that was quickly being established. It played around the dangerously thick heels that peaked out of the long black cloak flapping about what could only be could a super-sexy goddess.

As the men belonging to the dark guild Shattered Bones came to terms with the newcomer in their midst, lecherous grins began to pull up their greasy mouths to reveal crooked teeth and slimy tongues. Because there was a blonde-haired beauty in their midst, and she was stunningly beautiful and seemingly carved from lovely and smooth marble.

Her eyes were hard flints pressed into the stone of her angular face, and her lips were a mocking attempt at soft, supple peach. She stood with confidence and seemingly without a care, back straight and hair swaying in the wind.

She was a goddess, and she was ripe for the taking.

(At least, in the minds of the criminal men pawing at her with their eyes.)

The first to speak was a man quite close to the girl with a rather unfortunate case of acne scars and protruding ears named Ralph. He liked to play the Harmonica, and found stacking rocks into interesting formations fun and innovative. He was also a blathering idiot who didn't know when to keep his mouth shut.

With bravado that would never be commended, and with eyebrows cocked in a way that he believed to be alluring, Ralph began to advance on the goddess in their midst. "Hey there, beautiful. What's a girl like you doing in a place like this?"

The man got his answer in the form of two black objects sliding out from the folds of the girls' cloaks long sleeves to drop into her hands in a comfortable and familiar way. Then, in a flash of movement that most of the gathered men nearly missed, the goddess raised her right hand up and shot a bolt of golden light right into Ralph's head.

He was dead before he hit the floor due to his (admittedly small) brain being cooked to the point of literally melting out of his ears, nose and mouth in the form of a sludge that could only very loosely be called pink, and could very much cause some of the men nearby to be sick.

Pandemonium broke out in the toughened criminals' ranks as the avenging goddess walked in with clicking heels to spread blood and boiled brains with every twitch of her weapons.

Some men attempted to crawl out of broken holes in the walls that they counted as windows, or even through warps of the wood. However, each and every one was punctured by a golden bolt of pure magic that had their limbs trembling helplessly, and their organs leaking out through broken and burnt flesh.

The smell was terrible, and some men were sick over their dirty and worn clothes as they attempted to escape this avenging goddess.

But the avenging goddesses eyes were still flint as she shot into their midst, not a single shot wasted. Her beauty was suddenly so terrible that many could not bear to look at her, and some began to cry when her fathomless depths locked onto their terrified eyes.

They were a murderous guild filled with great and horrible mages and…! And…! And—!

And they were mere men, and no one could ever truly be prepared for death to be brought right into their happiness. Many were mages, but the battles they had waged were with magics that weren't truly lethal, and the men and women who had tried to stop them did so without murderous intent. No one could ever truly be prepared for the sight of comrades faces frozen in soundless screams, one eye missing to be replaced with seared flesh and…

They were trying to fight back, they swore! The mages were rallying, firing bursts of their own magic at the murderous goddess in their midst in an attempt to vanquish her from their home base, their fortress of solitude.

Yet, the murderous goddess seemed to possess no bones as her body twisted and contorted in manners that could not possibly be humane. And the men would've thought she was a ghost haunting them and punishing them by the way their physical attacks seemed to slide past her if it weren't for the way her cloak was ripped and torn by their attempts.

She discarded it halfway through her murdering spree, thirty-odd men lying dead around her, and even the curves of her body were dangerous and screamed murder.

Someone had been lucky enough to knock one of the weapons from her hand – and cheers were crawling up of the survivors throats and hope was pushing their limbs onwards to victory – but the murderous goddess merely smoothly drew another from a strap from her back between the motion of ducking a flying tackle and pivoting to avoid a blast of flames.

Two shots were fired off by the time she stood back up, and both of her most recent attackers were dead with smoke curling from their heads and groins respectively – because she was feeling particularly vicious at the nearness of the flames, and this was no place for half-remembered flashbacks and fears never quite put to rest.

Suddenly, there was a snarling man in her face, and he was grappling at her hands, trying his best to grab her weapons from her. He was going very well, too, as his massive girth and rippling muscles were ten times stronger than her willowy limbs.

With a grunt, the man-with-the-muscles managed to wrench the weapons from the murderous goddesses' hands, tugging off the straps that connected them with her magic. He tossed them aside carelessly to be stomped on by vicious survivors, and turned with a wicked grin to the defenceless goddess whose flint eyes were sparking in anger.

Fury lit up her face in glowering arcs of fire, and her pearly white teeth peeked out from behind twisted lips. It was the first emotion the collected guild had seen on her face, and the man-with-the-muscles couldn't help but grin broadly because he was the one to take the power from this goddess and make her defenceless.

"Looks like I've caught myself a pretty little birdie," he rumbled out in deep baritones, bushy brow quirked in a mocking way. His fingers tightened around her wrists as he lifted her up above his head, the tips of her boots barely brushing the filthy floor as she hung limply. "Now what to do with her?"

There were a few calls begging for him to clip her wings and other such nonsense, but those boisterous shouts quickly turned to ones of shock and surprise as the defenceless goddess became the ridiculously flexible one.

Swinging back with absolutely no warning, the ridiculously flexible goddess launched her lower-half forwards and up. Lithe legs wrapped around a meaty neck, and the man-with-the-muscles gave one surprised gurgle and a half-hearted claw at the legs before they twisted and snapped his neck.

The girl spoke for the first time in the guilds memory, and even her voice was sweet and terrible as she landed with a crouch by the dead-man-with-the-muscles. "My name is not birdie, it's Lucy; not like you'll remember it in this life."

Far above the scene of death below, perched on one of the more solid eaves, Loke let out a low whistle of surprise as he watched his summoner quickly turn a situation dangerous to her health right back onto those that had temporarily threatened her. And he'd thought that she might've needed help on this mission; how wrong was he?

With barely a cursory glance back at the slumped body of the dead-man-with-the-muscles, Lucy straightened up from her crouch, flinty eyes sparking in anger. She completely ignored the guns slung at her hips, or even the spare on her back. Instead, she slowly and almost sensually drew two knives from her boots, the long lengths of steel gleaming in the air filtering from the cracks in the building.

The appearance of the decidedly mundane and almost weak weapons should've been a cause of hope of victory in the surviving men. But the way that she held them, with experience and familiarity even stronger than the ones seen with the guns, the men weren't going to press their luck any more.

The men that were left over – only a rough twenty or so – were much more wary than their ex-guildmates, and maybe a few brain cells smarter. Those brain cells and instincts were the cause of their survival so far, though, and it would make them much more of a challenge to Lucy.

But she knew that already, of course.

Joints creaked with clenched hands, and teeth grated in the stressful silence that broke out between the girl and her enemies. While Lucy stood there, arms by her side, waiting for the first attacker, the men that surrounded her in a loose circle shifted and wavered like leaves in the wind. They weren't too sure where to go from here, but they knew it was fight or die.

(A bit of a morose view on the situation, but at least they were speaking the truth to themselves.)

It was the hitch of one of the men's breathing that signalled the start of the second round. With a great bellow he went charging forwards, drawing on his magic to pool inky shadows around his hand before he tossed the appendage at Lucy's face.

It only took at twist of her body to dodge the clumsy attack, but Lucy's face was all serious as she swivelled to face her attacker. She took in the magic swirling around his hands, and bared her teeth in a savage grin. "I've versed a shadow-user before, not too long ago."

"Oh yeah?" the man replied, unsure of where this was going. "And how'd that work out for ya?"

"Not too good," Lucy replied easily, more than forthcoming with her beating at the hand of Kageyama. "But here's behind bars now, and the one time I visited him he cried like a girl in repentance, so I'd say that the end result was a victory in my favour, no?"

All she got was a scoff in answer and a bunch of shadows thrown her way. However, shadows weren't exactly a great match against light magic, the man quickly found out, as his attack was blasted away by a brilliant beam of light originating from above his head.

The shadow-user only managed to catch a glimpse of polished shoes and flapping tailcoats before Loke slammed his boots into face. The force from Loke's great drop from the ceiling resulted in the guy being knocked out instantly and caving into the ground with a horrendous thud as Loke used him as a landing pad to cushion his fall.

The man was dead before Loke carefully stepped off of him, a bleeding and swollen brain the cause of his rather anticlimactic death.

The spirit grimaced at the sight of blood leaking from several of the man's orifices, and the unclean feeling he got from knowing that a human beings life was now tainting his hands. However, he pushed those feelings aside for the time being; he could deal with such things later, because right now his summoner was in the middle of a battle and needed some help – even if she didn't want to admit it.

"Fancy a partner in this dance?" Loke asked Lucy casual as he began to roll the sleeves of his suit up, slender fingers twisting the fabric with ease. "I know you're usual one for solos, but I think you could use a little help in this moment."

A raised eyebrow was all he got from Lucy as she sent him a searching glance, but the slight nod and twitch of her lips let him know that she was perfectly fine with the situation.

As the duo turned to face the men surrounding them, Lucy hefting her knives in her hand and Loke merely lighting his clenched fists with his magic, several men nearly whimpered in fear. First a hot chick who turns out to be a stone cold murderer, and now this?

Several of the men were wishing they had stayed home that day like some of the other men had elected to do, but, of course, they didn't know that Lucy had already visited their houses and disposed of them in ways that showcased their ties to the illegal guild, but also covered her tracks.

She had a lot of practise in hiding her tracks, Loke had deduced as he waited for her outside each building, never hearing a single peep from the unfortunate men.

"Let's get this show on the road," Lucy muttered to Loke, breaking him from his thoughts right before the two sprang into action.

Almost instantly rounds of magic were being thrown around the room, everyone loosing themselves in the desperation of the moment. Shouts and screams broke through the loud bangs of exploding spells in random patterns, making many ears ring and some men cower beneath tables and chairs that hadn't been destroyed yet by some miracle.

In the middle of all of this, Lucy waded through dead bodies, body twisting and flipping to dodge the worst of the attacks. Every now and again she'd be knocked back by an unexpected physical assault from a member of the guild, soft grunts escaping her lips as she tried to orientate herself around thrown fists and swinging legs. She always managed to salvage herself, though, and turn her deadly knives onto her attacker in sprays of blood and flashes of steel.

Blood soaked the ground wherever she walked, and even the clothes she wore began to drip as she unflinchingly slit men's throats and wrists, or battered at them with bruising knuckles and dented boots.

It seemed like years that she continued like this, only catching glimpses of Loke as he knocked a guy out and tossed them her way to dispose of. Lucy respected his wishes to not bloody his hands at all, and took care of each and every man without a sound.

Because she knew that if she opened her mouth to speak, or to even try and form any sort of sound, a scream might claw its way up her throat and throw itself out into the air. Although her face was stone and her eyes were flint, her heart was still soft and bleeding as every man she cut down carved a piece of it out.

Killing was something she hated to do, but she understood that at times it was necessary. So she donned a mask set in stone, and did her job, because not many other people would, and she didn't like the thought of these men running rampart and killing innocents like they apparently had earlier on today.

So she kept her mouth shut and mask firmly on as she gutted the last of the men, holding back a shudder as her warm and wet entrails spilled onto her hands. If she didn't help to make Fiore a safer place, who would? Fairy Tail may defeat the bad guys and help save countless people, but how many times had their enemies merely escaped and come back for more? Too many, that's what, and Lucy was determined to stop it.

For the sake of her nakama and the soul she had unwillingly shoved from this body.

In the end, it was just her, Loke, dozens of dead bodies, and a trembling guildmaster trying to hide behind the unkempt bar, jowls wobbling as he sobbed.

This man was the vilest of the lot. Lucy had heard of him in her travels, of how he controlled several trafficking networks and smuggling affairs under different aliases. His work was well known in the underworld, and many were curious as just who the mastermind was behind all of the big heists and sales; Lucy included.

For many months she had searched for him on the side of her usual training and travelling, but she had only found dead ends and the occasional collapsing smuggling ring. She had cleaned up his messes as she hadn't known really what else to do, helping whores and prisoners find new homes and occupations so they could start new lives. The Magic Council had helped her keep tabs on each of the people she had saved, and she often kept in contact with some of them, both as an acquaintances and as a source of intel.

Until last night, when she'd received this mission, Lucy hadn't realised that they'd found the man behind all of the masks and murder.

"Rhondel Umaten," Lucy said simply as she skirted around the bar to peer down at the crouched form of the man, bloody knives in her hand and a serious Loke at her back. "I've been looking for you for a long time, you know?"

"I-I'm sorry," blubbered the man, thick lips wobbling with the motion. "I'll give you anything you want, just let me go!"

Unimpressed, Lucy continued to stare down the man. "That's what they all say. And do you want to know what I say in return?"

Lucy's impassive face swum in the reflection of Rhondel's muddy brown eyes as he shakenly asked why. He knew he wouldn't like the answer, he knew that he would be dead in a matter of seconds, having no magic to call his own nor any more men to protect him, but he'd like something before he left this world.

"You should've thought of that before you fucking killed innocents, asshole!" The sudden burst of emotion was all the warning Rhondel got before Lucy plunged her knives down to cleave his shaven head into two.

The blood sprayed from the cracked skull to splatter against Lucy's face, creating a dot-to-dot of murder on the blank canvas of her skin. Dazedly, the blonde removed her hands from the hilt of the knife captured by Rhondel's skull to swipe at her face, smearing the blood even more.

Behind her, Loke watched worriedly as his summoner heaved out a sigh and stared at the corpse in front of her. Just as he was about to speak up, she pivoted and marched past him, face set back into stone. "Our work is done here. I'll contact the Council to clean this up and to report the mission was accomplished. You can go, Loke, thank you for your help."

As much as Loke wanted to protest and demand to stay back, he was still weak from his many years of being in Earthland's poisonous air, and he knew that if he pushed at Lucy she may crumble into dust. He was also decidedly freaked out by the events that had transpired today, and wanted some time to mull over it all. So he merely nodded and said a quiet goodbye before disappearing off into the Spirit World, leaving Lucy behind with a bunch of dead bodies and their ghosts.

Sighing softly to herself, ignoring the way it sounded a bit like a sob at the end, Lucy began to potter around the decimated guild, gathering up the guns that were unbroken and the bloody knives she had tossed into people's bodies with a fleshy thud – one was stuck particularly deep into a man's chest cavity, and proved to be quite an awkward struggle to get out, Lucy offering her apologies to the body all the while.

When her presence had been cleansed from the room, Lucy made a second circuit of the room, fixing up the bodies so that they were at least a little bit comfortable. It was a ritual she always did after killing someone; blessing them as she crossed her heart, closing their eyes and laying them down into a comfortable position. Really, it was the least she could do for the men whose life had been stolen by her.

When that was all done and dusted, Lucy gathered up her bloody weapons in her ragged cloak to be cleaned later on, calmly walked outside to collect her bag from its hiding stash from a nearby tree, then wandered off to the nearest river to wash her weapons and cry her eyes out.

It was a process that would take a few hours, but that just meant that Lucy would be on schedule for the next part of her stressful day.

Juvia was sure that she was going to die.

Not only had Juvia's vacation to Akane Resort with her Gray-sama – cue swoon – had been interrupted, but Juvia had been tied up by a kitty-cosplayer with some magic-nullifying ropes, as well as having to sneak into some creepy tower and fight her way alongside Natsu-san, Happy-san and Gray-sama to try and find Erza-san!

Now, here Juvia was, separated from the rest of her group and forced to fight some sort of maniac with his guitar and creepy hair! Juvia was sure that she was going to die as the man had promised to make her his hell girl, as Juvia was no hell girl; Juvia was going to be removed, and if Juvia was removed, then there would be no more Juvia. Juvia would be sure as dead.

Juvia didn't want to die.

But Juvia swore that she would go out fighting, so Juvia had continued to throw any attack Juvia knew at the horrible man, blasting him with large bursts of water in the shape of whips and canes.

It was to no avail; the horrible man would merely suck all of Juvia's water up with his creepy hair, rendering Juvia useless.

There was nothing Juvia could do as she stared in horror at the horrible man who was advancing on Juvia, guitar at the ready and hair swinging wildly behind him. The horrible man cackled about dragging Juvia down to hell, fingers twitching to strum his guitar, moving in tempo with his madly swirling eyes.

Just as the horrible man was about to strum his guitar and make Juvia his hell girl, a great flashing light burst into being behind him, casting shadows onto his horrible face. Before he could turn and see the source of the light, a hand was swinging from the centre of the light, dragging a sword through the air behind it.

Juvia could only watch in shock and horror as the horrible man's head was cleaved neatly from his neck, the creepily moving hair stilling its movement for the first time as it was cut in half by the swing.

As the horrible man's body slumped to the ground with the eerie sound of wet leather sliding over concrete, Juvia got to see just who her saviour was. Her first thought was, quite obviously, Erza-san?

But no, it wasn't Erza-san. Instead, Juvia could only stare in shock at the person who was quite clearly Lucy-san, sword still poised in the air, blood dripping steadily off the blade to stain the puddles of water on the floor of the chamber they were in.

The blonde's eyes were dark as she looked at Juvia from beneath bloody eyelashes, her entire body softly coated in the bright substance. Her serious expression matched perfectly with the woman – Andromeda-san Juvia's mind helpfully suggested, having remember the description of the spirit from several of Natsu-san's and Gray-sama's stories – standing behind her, shackled hands perched on Lucy-san's tense shoulders in a distinctively protective manner.

Movement from Lucy-san drew Juvia's gaze away from the sadness held in Andromeda-san's deep blue depths and back to the blonde just in time to see the girl raise a bloody finger to her lips; she was shushing Juvia.

Before Juvia could ask for clarity, both Lucy-san and Andromeda-san disappeared in another golden flash, making Juvia's eyes water from the sight.

The silence in the chamber after Lucy-san's departure didn't match very well with the jumbled mess of thoughts trying to make themselves heard in Juvia's head. Juvia clutched at her head, trying to figure out just what to do.

But Juvia already knew what to do, and looking at the neatly severed head who was lolling its tongue at her and rolling its eyes, Juvia knew that she had to keep Juvia's mouth shut about Lucy-san's actions.

Just because Juvia was a Fairy Tail mage didn't mean that Juvia hadn't been a Phantom Lord mage; she knew about death and secrets. It was a game that Juvia was slightly good at, and could play tentatively.

Juvia also knew that Juvia knew nothing about death and secrets quite like Lucy-san did.

High up above the drama that had just transpired in a watery chamber, perched on a stone chair, Jellal attempted to choose what to feel about the sudden appearance of what he thought to be a disposed player and the permanent loss of one of his own pawns.

"Interesting," the man mumbled to himself as he picked up the golden key perched off to the side of his personalised chess board, having been discarded there when he believed that Fate's Fortunate was completely dealt with.

Rolling around the piece in his hands, Jellal let a smirk curl up his lips as he placed a quick kiss to the cool metal before placing back to the side where it belonged; in the shadows, never truly on anyone's chess board but their own. "Very interesting indeed, Celestial Maiden."

His laugh echoed hollowly throughout his tower as he picked up the guitar piece and crushed it in his hands, delighting in its destruction.

All the while, the golden key glinted softly in the shadows cast by the man, absolutely innocent looking.

The Magic Council was in a state of absolute crisis.

Not only had their headquarters been destroyed by that traitor Ultear, but it had turned out that Siegrain was also playing them to be the fool, having been in league with Ultear the entire time.

Most of the council was lucky enough to get out alive, and all they wanted right now was to hear some good news as they stood on the soft grass in front of what used to be their headquarters.

Almost on cue, a flash of light signalled the materialization of Lucy and her spirit Andromeda to the scene of destruction.

The blonde, clad in her usual battle gear with her bag slung over her shoulder, having destroyed her ruined and soiled assassination gear moments prior, didn't react much to the sight of the Magic Council's headquarters in the form of ruined rubble. Aside from the slight widening of her eyes, and the faint tremble of her lips, many of the Council would've believed that she had already known of the building's destruction.

Many still didn't believe that she hadn't known of the destruction wrought in front of them, and made their voices heard quite clearly.

"Where the hell have you been?" Michello demanded hotly, feline ears pricked up in rage. "Ultear just finished demolishing our headquarters and then you decide to show up! I thought you were hunting Ultear, so how is it that she managed to conveniently slip past you to attack us?"

With furrowed brows, Lucy dismissed Andromeda with a nod before turning to the enraged councilmember. "Michello-sama, I'm afraid that I don't quite understand your accusations. While I was indeed tasked with Ultear's capture, I thought that you understood that I first had to deal with the Phantom Lord incident and just then the demolition of the dark guild Shattered Bones. I do not wish to sound rude, but how was I able to go cross-country hunting for a highly-elusive woman while I was dealing with such fiascos?"

Several councilmembers spluttered at her words, making the girl tilt her head in confusion. "…I'm getting the feeling that something's very wrong here."

"Very wrong?" councilman Yuri bellowed out, showering specks of spittle across Lucy's face – who discreetly wiped it off with her sleeves, much to Yajima's amusement. "That's an understatement! There was no order for you to kill off the dark guild Shattered Bones; stop your excuses, child."

Ignoring the derogatory manner in which Yuri addressed her, Lucy's eyes flickered dangerously as she began to connect the dots. "…Siegrain. No, Jellal."

At hearing the name of the traitor, several scowls were shared amongst the group of mages gathered. Lucy kept her face blank as she studied their whispered conversations and arguments, paying special attention to Crawford – and the pleased glint that glimmered deep in his eyes depths.

"Heartifilia-san, can you tell us why you think that Siegrain was the cause of your…absence?" Belno asked, diverting Lucy's attention her and her wizened face crinkled in barely contained worry.

"Firstly," Lucy said shortly, not in the mood for niceties, "tell me why Shattered Bones was not dealt with earlier? I observed for merely a day and they were massacring innocent people left, right and centre!" Lucy's body shook with barely restrained rage, her eyes flashing with the heat of it. "How could you not have ordered me or, hell, even one of your legions to go and deal with them earlier?"

Yajima at least had the decency to look ashamed as he answered Lucy's heated questions. "Although we knew of Shattered Bones's existence, we did not wish to do anything with them yet as we were gaining information from them via a spy we had inserted into their guild. He was gaining information from Rhondel himself, and such information was incredibly valuable."

"More valuable than the lives of countless men and women?" Lucy asked, not bothering to conceal her disgust at the Magic Council's actions; who knew how ruthless they were? The series had never revealed just how far they were willing to go for their version of 'good.' "How many died in your quest for knowledge?"

"How many men just died by your hands?" Michello shot back, taking vindictive pleasure in the way Lucy flinched and shuddered, like she could still feel blood trickling down her back like sweat.

The countless deaths she had caused were still clamouring to be known at the back of her mind, and now they were fuelled by the fact that she had just killed an innocent man; maybe one of her colleagues from her countless missions with the Royal Army.

Bile rose in Lucy's throat, but she managed to swallow it down in order to press her points to the collected councilmembers. "Regardless of whatever information you gained from Rhondel, I hope your happy with yourselves now; your ignorance and arrogance has resulted in your fall, and you have not only killed off dozens of innocents, but also put my closest nakama in danger. They were stuck in the Tower of Heaven when you fired that bloody weapon; if they are injured, so help me…"

"Heartifilia," Yuri barked out, "enough of this insolence! Your murderous spree has resulted in the loss of our operative's life and the information he had gained. You are to stand down now and hand yourself into the Magic Council's custody!"

A sour look crossed Lucy's as she reached into the folds of her cloak to withdraw a stack of papers neatly bound together. She tossed the paper at Crawford's feet, murder in her eyes and in her steps as she turned and stalked away. But not before she called over her shoulder to the shocked Magic Council, as she withdrew Andromeda's key to unlock her gate.

"You're lucky I took the liberty of collecting all of Rhondel's paperwork before I came here to save your sorry asses; take it as my last job for you, and as repentance for the loss of one of your men. I quit – not like there is any Magic Council I can quit from, let alone be taken into improper custody of."

Her laugh echoed in the ex-Magic Councilmembers ears as she disappeared in a flash of golden light, free of her ties to them.

Crawford watched her go with a shadow across his face and regret in his heart; Tartarus could've used a mage of her calibre.

Exhaustion pulled at Lucy's eyes and limbs as she silently crept through the shadowed streets of the town Andromeda had kindly dropped her off at before asking not to be called anymore that day; she had her own business to attend to in the Spirit World and would not be available for some time.

This mission wasn't one of dire importance, as Makarov had said he could do it, but Lucy just wanted all of the backstory bullshit done before she could start the next arc of the story. So she was making this short side trip along the way before she could finally rest.

Oh gods, Lucy nearly drooled at the thought of her nice soft bed, and laying herself down on it beside Ryos to sleep for days on end. It had been well over an entire day since she'd been in Magnolia, let alone had a night's sleep, and she was at her breaking point. Especially with all of the voices shouting in the back of her mind, demanding that she feel the full guilt of her actions at the guild hours prior.

Hard to think it had only been a few hours since she massacred an entire guild of men. Lucy managed a dry laugh as she skittered down a side alley, slowly loosing herself in the maze of back alleys and streets; just like back in her old world.

It was only the faint tickle of magic at the edges of her senses that guided Lucy correctly through the streets lit by the setting sun. Although she had only been in its presence for a total of an hour or two, Lucy could easily distinguish the unique magic from the mass of Etherno that naturally formed in the air.

Of course, that could only be because she almost lived with two dragon slayers, and she now had a good grasp of their odd flavour of magic.

The pulse of magic was getting closer, and Lucy was getting more and more cautious. Her footsteps dramatically slowed as she approached the entrance of a significantly wider alleyway, her boots barely making a sound as she edged into the light of a flickering lamppost.

Apparently that was more than enough to gain the attention of the person she had been hunting for the past hour, their hunched form straightening slightly as it foraged through the mound of trash by its feet.

"My, my," the shadowed figure grated out as it picked up a crooked bar of rusted metal, running long fingers over the cool object. "What do I owe the pleasure of having the Celestial Maiden in my presence once more?"

Lucy could make out the shape of lips twisting up into a wicked grin right before they latched onto the metal bar, chewing roughly on the end with a sickening round of crunches. Her face remained unimpressed and stoic, however, as she stalked closer, not bothering to hide her presence anymore. "You owe me."

"Owe you what?" Gajeel cackled at her, taking great joy to examine her exhausted face – was that blood he could spot, speckled across her nose like a splash of freckles? – when he spun around to face her.

Unamused, Lucy paused a few metres from the dragon slayer to cross her arms across her hidden bust. Her bag swung softly on her shoulder, the guns hidden in it clinking softly. "Your life. What did you think I was talking about?"

His grin turning into a grimace, Gajeel turned his full attention onto the girl. The bar swung absently in his left hand, a subtle threat that barely fazed Lucy. His other hand scrubbed at his stubbly chin thoughtfully, a mocking gesture if there ever was one. "I owe you my life, huh? Nope, don't remember that conversation."

Suddenly, there was a sword at his neck, its edge pressing lightly against his Adam's apple in warning. "Maybe this will jog your memory," Lucy said shortly, a small measure of amusement laced neatly through her voice.

Unwillingly, a smirk crept across Gajeel's face as he held his hands up in mock-surrender. "I think I'm remembering something now, princess. Mostly you stabbing me in the back."

"Oh yeah," Lucy replied smoothly, hands barely wavering, "how's that going for you?"

"Painfully."

"I'd imagine."

"What're you here for, Maiden?"

"An offer."

"For me? You shouldn't have."

"Oh, I insist. And so does Master Makarov and the Magic Council. Especially that chick – what was her name again? Ah, of course: Belno-san."

At the mention of the only human being who had shown him compassion, Gajeel's entire body froze. His dark eyes bore into Lucy's, whose brow was cocked in unspoken challenge. Well?

Gajeel's eyes narrowed, and his unnaturally sharp canines poked over his bottom lip threateningly. "What's the offer already?"

The sword was retracted from his throat, and Lucy barely spared Gajeel a glance as sheathed it back in its usual place on her back. "You join Fairy Tail."

"…You've got to be kidding me."

"No, not at all," Lucy answered easily as she returned her attention back to Gajeel – oh how she enjoyed the emotions that chased each other around his face. "It's either that or jail for a whole bunch of years for beating up my guildmates, me, and destroying numerous property. Not even Belno-san can help you out there."

As if sensing the double-meaning to her words, Gajeel cocked his head to the side and peered at Lucy. "What'cha do now, princess?"

"You'll see what's happened soon enough. Earlier if you join Fairy Tail." Lucy watched as several emotions flicked across Gajeel's face – hope, fear, anger – before adding an extra titbit of information. "Juvia's already there if you're worried about friends."

A flash of relief crossed Gajeel's face before he covered up with his usual scowl. "I ain't worried about having no friends – I'm used to that crap. I'm more worried 'bout the fact that I beat the shit out of you and your little, pesky friends, and then demolished your guild."

"Buildings can be rebuilt, broken bones and skin can mend," Lucy said flippantly. "I already know my wounds have healed, alongside Levy-chan, Jet and Droy's; the three 'little, pesky friends' you were talking about."

Almost unnoticeably, Gajeel's eyes slid towards Lucy's face, taking note of her slightly crooked nose. They flicked away almost instantly, but not fast enough for Lucy not to see the guilt hidden in them.

A large part of Lucy softened at the vulnerable look in the normally gruff man's eyes. She was tired of games and masks; it was time for the real stuff.

"Hey," she said softly, stepping forwards to place a small hand on Gajeel's bare arm above his gloves. "It's all right. I'm alright. There's no hard feelings. I completely understand."

Stiffening at the sudden contact of warm and calloused hands touching his skin, and the close proximity of the opposite sex – she smelt like blood, iron and starlight; an odd combination to say the least – Gajeel jerked his arm roughly away from Lucy's grip, his defences slamming back down. "What'd you know, princess?"

"Contrary to many people's belief," Lucy said simply, not at all hurt by Gajeel's hasty retreat, "I have seen the wilder side of life. You actually wouldn't believe some of the things I've seen."

"Try me," Gajeel grunted out, words as sharp as the metals he loved to chew on.

Briefly, an amused spark bloomed into life in Lucy's dark eyes. "Ever seen a man shit himself after having his head chopped off? People's muscles completely relax after their killed, and apparently this man had been holding it in when I reached him."

A raspy chuckle escaped Gajeel's lips at her comment, and Lucy couldn't help but blush and look down at her feet in pleasure – making one of the most stoic characters of the show laugh? That was a massive accomplishment in her eyes.

Lucy let out a surprised gasp when a large gloved hand was slammed down on her head. She blushed all the way to the tips of her ears as Gajeel's unique laughter reached her ears, his hand busy ruffling her ponytail into a spiky mess. "You're not too bad, brat."

"I'll take that as a compliment," Lucy mumbled as she ducked away from Gajeel, embarrassment colouring her face a soft red in the sun's dying light. She was quick to compose herself, however, and quickly offered her hand up to Gajeel to distract him. "Do we have a deal?"

Swallowing his laughter, Gajeel stared seriously at the tiny appendage offered to him. The pros and cons flashed through his mind, and obviously he came to a rather quick decision as he nodded sharply to himself before taking Lucy's hand.

His own gloved hands swallowed her petite ones up easily, and Gajeel was careful to not break any bones as he pumped her arm up and down to seal the deal. "I'm in."

A genuine smile crossed Lucy's face as she disengaged from the handshake, her cheeks now pink from happiness. "Excellent! I expect to see you at the guild by tomorrow!"

When she turned to walk away without waiting for an answer, Gajeel was quick to snap an arm out to grab her shoulder and stop her. "Oi, oi. Where do you think you're going? It's just about night and I know Magnolia's a good four hours or more walk away; it'll be midnight by the time you reach there!"

"Who says I'm walking?' Lucy asked slyly, her smile still set in place.

"With that leg?" Gajeel asked, gesturing towards her left leg hidden beneath a spare cloak she had tossed on. "I highly doubt you're running."

Smile dropping from her face, Lucy shook off Gajeel's hand and drew herself further into the folds of her cloak. She had honestly thought that no one would notice the slight drag of her leg, the limb having been struck earlier on in the day by a hail of wood shrapnel from a rather pissed off Wood mage in Shattered Bones. Loke hadn't noticed, and neither had the Magic Council – although that may have been because they were too furious to notice much really – so Lucy must've been a bit lax in hiding her injuries from overconfidence.

Or, you know, Gajeel's hyper senses could've easily picked up the way she leant heavier on the other leg amongst other small signs.

"And?" Lucy asked a little hostilely now, drawing her cloak as tightly as possible across her chest. "What is it to you?"

Gajeel ran agitated fingers through his long hair, averting his eyes from the small girl in front of him. "Nothing. Just what the hell are you thinking you're going to do?"

Casting a quick glance at Gajeel's hastily schooled expression, Lucy chewed at her bottom lip in deliberation. "…Honestly, I was planning on just taking a nap in a tree and heading off in the morning."

"No cash?"

"No cash."

An awkward silence formed in the twilight air between them, both avoiding each other's gaze. Just as Lucy was going to simply take off, Gajeel gave a sharp jerk of his head and turned on his heel to stalk off in the opposite direction of the exit to his scrapheap.

Staring after him, Lucy raised her arms helplessly, bag making more clinking sounds. "…What the hell is that supposed to mean?"

Pausing, Gajeel shot her a flat look over his shoulder. "C'mon, idiot. I'm offering you shelter for the night. It's not much, but I've set up in an abandoned warehouse nearby; the roof's not too holey and I've got a fire pit."

Considering it for a moment, still slightly unsure about the man in front of her – the one who had beaten the crap out of her not so long ago – Lucy looked Gajeel up and done. Apparently she found what she was looking for, as she gave him a brittle smile and a nod. "I've slept in worse. Okay, Redfox, I'm game."

The moon was well into the depths of the sky by the time Lucy finally sat down and just…relaxed.

Well, relaxed as much as she could in an abandoned warehouse with only the company of a boy who had tried to kill her recently. It wasn't that she didn't trust Gajeel – Lucy had seen how amazing Gajeel had become in their care of Fairy Tail, and his kindness had shone through the more he was with them – but her own paranoia kept her on her toes.

But Lucy wanted to show Gajeel that she trusted him with her life. So she sat down with her back to him, dangling her legs out of a glassless window on the second storey.

Her back tingled with the warmth of the fire Gajeel had set up behind her, the sensation rather pleasant. Her body felt slightly better after she had eaten some stew offered by Gajeel and bandaged her wounds again. While she may have usually got Lyra to help her with her wounds, Lucy just couldn't deal with her beloved spirit's mothering and questioning at the time being. Instead, she had summoned Crux to help her, the spirit's nimble fingers and quiet personality a welcome relief.

Of course, Gajeel had mocked her for getting help from a weirdo, flying thing, but Lucy had ignored him for the most part. Just because they were going to be guildmates didn't mean they were friends.

Holding back a shiver, Lucy drew her knees up to her chest and wrapped her cloak around herself. Tiredness was dragging her eyes down and making her vision blur, but the blonde didn't want to fall asleep; then the nightmares would come, and Lucy was sure that there would be a whole flood of new faces and images to haunt her dreams.

"Go to sleep already. Princesses like you need your beauty sleep, right?" Gajeel's voice was gruff as he poked at the fire he had built up with a spare stick. The blonde's stiff presence at the corner of his vision, bathed in a waning moon's light creeped him out slightly. After settling herself down at her current post, she hadn't made a move to sleep, and that had irritated him; he wasn't going to sleep if she wasn't.

To her credit, Lucy didn't sound irritated at all when she replied with a short, "Can't."

"Why the hell not?"

"…Then I'll have to remember, and I'm not ready yet."

The tired and broken tremor that Lucy's voice held piqued Gajeel's attention, and he tilted his head towards her curiously. The thought had been nagging at him since he'd seen the girl and her haggard appearance, and he just needed to know. "Assassination mission?"

The dragon slayer had his fair share of assassination missions under his belt, his ex-Master being less than within the legal guild perimeters. Gajeel's ruthless attitude and superior skills had always meant that there were often requests for his skills when it came to killing off a few people here and there, and Jose had been more than happy to offer out his pet dragon's skills. Gajeel could've declined them, but his pride and the prospect of being paid well had won over his admittedly small amount of morals. So he knew the expression of someone who had just killed people quite well, and Lucy had the devastated look plastered all over her face.

A dry laugh erupted from Lucy's throat as she peered out into the night, the sound holding no humour. "Assassination mission? Hardly. More like a massacre."

Gajeel snorted. "That bad, huh?"

A brittle smile curled the ends of Lucy's lips. "I would normally say 'you have no idea,' but considering who I'm talking to, that'd be a stupid comment."

"Pretty much," Gajeel agreed, lifting up his stick to watch the tip burn. "So, how many was it?"

At this, Lucy's face fell flat once more, her eyes darkening. "…Well over thirty."

Gajeel choked and fumbled his stick. "T-Thirty? You gotta be pulling my leg!" Turning around, he glared over at Lucy's tense back. "How much backup did you have?"

"Only my spirit Leo, and even then he only joined halfway through to knock some men out. I killed them all…every single one of them." There was a hitch in Lucy's voice that Gajeel dutifully ignored, the slayer finally realising just how much crap the girl had gone through the entire day.

"…Sucks to be you," Gajeel finally said.

The anticlimactic comment cracked something in Lucy and she couldn't help but burst out in laughter. It was strained and Gajeel was sure he could hear some sobs mixed into it, but he couldn't help but chuckle alongside her, seeing the humour in the horrid situation.

Their laughter petered out after a few moments, and the only sound that was left was the crackle of the fire.

Even with his hyper senses, Gajeel almost didn't catch the soft words that barely slipped out from between Lucy's lips. "…Thanks, for everything."

Leaning back on his hands, stick discarded in the fire, Gajeel managed a smile. "Don't mention it, princess. Now hurry up and sleep, I don't want to hear you whining when we head to your dumb home town tomorrow."

Making sure that everything was in its place in her bag, Lucy stood up and slung it over her shoulder. The blonde wobbled slightly as the compartment she had been in for the past hour rocked underneath her feet, but quickly gained her balance.

Tucking a strand of hair that had fallen from her ponytail behind her ear, Lucy knelt down to nudge at her companions' slumped form in the seat opposite her. "Hey, time to wake up, sleepyhead. We're here."

With a snort, Gajeel woke up from his nap, his right eye creaking open to glare at Lucy. "Fucking finally. I thought you said this was a short train ride." The dragon slayer quickly uncrossed his arms and stood up, snagging his beat up rucksack containing his belongings from the seat beside him.

"An hour's pretty damn short," Lucy said over her shoulder as she opened the compartment door and stepped out in the carriage walkway. "Didn't get any motion sickness, did you?"

With a roll of his eyes, Gajeel followed the girl out to stand by the exit doors. "And why the hell would I?"

Lucy giggled slightly into her hands, the bags under her eyes seeming to disappear in her happiness. "Aw, no reason at all." The blonde laughed again like she knew something that Gajeel didn't.

"Shut it, Maiden," Gajeel said grumpily, watching the landscape outside the window begin to change from country to the quaint buildings typical to Magnolia.

The two stood in comfortable silence for a while, content to listen to their own thoughts as they waited for the train to enter the station. When it finally did, they were the first two to jump off.

Almost instantly, Gajeel nearly lost Lucy in the flocks of people bustling about the station. It was only the flash of golden hair he managed to spot just behind a swiftly moving family that notified him of her position.

Grumbling to himself, the dragon slayer picked up the pace and shoved his way through the crowd to make his way back to Lucy's side. "Why do you have to be so short?" he complained to the blonde grouchily when he fell into step beside her. "It's so damn hard to spot you."

"Do you want to hold hands to make sure you don't get lost?" Lucy asked sarcastically, eyes too busy scanning the crowd for gaps to squeeze through to look up at Gajeel. "Maybe I should get you one of those little kiddies' backpacks with the leash attached to it so I can walk you while I'm at it. The leash would be especially useful as it would mean I can tug you away from attacking other small humans."

"Fuck you," Gajeel snapped back, eyes narrowed in anger. "It's your own damn fault that you're so short."

"Could be shorter," Lucy said back pointedly as she made her way towards the exit that would let them out into Magnolia's streets. "And it's everyone else's faults for not getting out of my way."

Watching with a deadpan expression as the girl shuffled past a bunch of gossiping tourists with a bunch of apologies, Gajeel grumbled to himself once more before deciding to rectify the situation.

"We'll be here all damn day long," he said lowly as he snagged Lucy around the waist and tossed her, shrieking in surprise, up into the air. Easily catching the surprisingly light girl on one of his shoulders, Gajeel held her in place with one hand as the other shoved people out of the way.

"What the hell, Gajeel?" Lucy asked shrilly, legs kicking as she struggled to get off of her perch. "What are you doing?"

"Making us move quicker," Gajeel said in reply as he marched towards the exit. "Now stop squirming or I'll drop you on your head."

Wisely, Lucy stopped moving, a blush firmly in place across her cheeks. It wasn't that she didn't understand the logic of using Gajeel's intimidating face and physique to push their way through the crowd, it was just…How long had it been since she'd been picked up and carried around?

Natsu's stupid habit of hoisting her into a fireman carry so he could throw her in a fight didn't count, and neither did Elfman's rather endearing motion of picking her up to rock her in his arms whenever she was sad. This was an entirely different ballgame.

Not only did she barely know Gajeel, but this was such a casual – brotherly – form of contact that Lucy couldn't help but be flustered. She kept quiet until they were out of the station and the crowds, only murmuring a quick thank you as she slid off his shoulder.

Without another word, Lucy began walking down the street, prompting Gajeel to follow lest he get left behind. "What's the rush, short stack?"

"I have something that requires my attention before I return to the guild," Lucy said. "You can head on ahead to the guild by yourself; just ask for Makarov and you'll be fine. If anyone tries to attack you, just say that Lucy sent you. If they don't believe you, tell them that I've threatened to do to them what I did to Mickey."

"I'm not going to even ask," muttered Gajeel. "But what's so important you're not coming to your stinking guild already?"

Fluttering her eyelashes, Lucy coyly looked up at Gajeel. "You're not scared, are you? Awww, is big scary Gajeel-kun scared of being judged?"

"Shut up, before I knock you're pretty little teeth out."

"I do have rather pretty teeth, don't I?"

"Do you ever shut up?"

"Not particularly in your presence."

Gajeel scowled. "Prissy bitch. Hurry up and get lost then; I can't stand being in your presence much longer anyways."

Rolling her eyes, Lucy hoisted her bag further up her shoulder and began heading off to a side street. "Just head straight ahead and you'll see the guild soon; you can't get lost in Magnolia." Offering a lazy wave of her hand, Lucy turned the corner and began making her way towards her destination. "See you later, Gajeel."

Lucy P.O.V.

Knocking lightly on the door before me, I tried my hardest to fight down a yawn. Gods, I was so tired. Even after chatting with Gajeel last night I couldn't sleep. I had faked to, of course, to let Gajeel sleep as well, but I'm pretty sure he was just humouring me. He knew I wasn't asleep, the same way Natsu and Ryos always knew.

I quickly clamped down on another yawn as I could hear movements from behind the door; grumbling and things being slammed down. Someone wasn't happy. Although, considering who lived here, I wasn't surprised.

Abruptly, the door was opened, and I rocked back on my heels to avoid the stick being swung at my face. "Woah, woah! It's okay! I'm not an enemy!"

"Oh," sneered Porlyusica, "it's you." The broom she held in her hands didn't budge from its position in my face, and I couldn't help but shift uneasily on my feet; who knew what she could do with it.

"Uh, yeah," I started a little awkwardly. "It's me. Look, I'm really sorry for bothering you and—"

"I don't care," Porlyusica snapped out before trying to slam the door on me. Luckily, I just managed to wedge my foot into the door to stop it from fully shutting, but I couldn't help but wince at the squeezing sensation that managed to penetrate my boots.

Shoving my body forwards to stop Porlyusica from attempting to the slam the door on me once again, I quickly blurted out my reasons for coming into the gap between the door and its frame. "I want to know about Anima."

The pressure against my foot eased, and I could hear the interest and suspicion Porlyusica held for my comment in her voice as she spoke from behind the door. "Why do you want to know about Anima? How do you know about Anima?"

"The same way I know about everything else," I replied honestly. "Because I saw it in my world. However, it was never explained fully. You're the only person that I trust to ask; you're the only who would know about the Anima." When I got no answer, I put as much desperation in my voice as I could. "Please, Grandine. Not to be cliché or anything, but you're my only hope."

After a tense moment where I honestly thought I was going to get a slab of wood slammed into my face, there was a harsh sigh from the other side of the door right before it was jerked open.

I nearly fell through, but managed to catch myself before I looked like an even bigger fool in front of the wise woman.

A rather terrifying glare met me when I edged into the front room, Porlyusica apparently not very amused at my screw-ups. The woman slammed the door right behind me, and I couldn't help but jump slightly.

Why was she so terrifying?

"Hurry up and sit down," the woman barked at me, prodding my back with her broom. "Sit down there and don't touch anything. I'll throw you out of my house before you could even blink."

Nodding violently, I shuffled over to what Porlyusica apparently counted as a chair; a fucking tree log. It was as uncomfortable as it loowever

oked, and I struggled to find my balance on it. The 'chair' was one of two set either side of a roughly hewn table in what was considered the 'living room.' Of course, it could also count as the medical room as the bed I had stayed in last time I was here was pushed to the side of the wall, tables of herbs of salves crowding around it.

The entire place smelt fresh and crisp; like I was in an open field during the spring sun, rather than actually in the centre of a bloody tree. Talk about weird – and I'd seen men who flew with their damn sideburns.

"Don't expect me to offer you anything," Porlyusica said as she sat down opposite me, her back as rigid as her chair. "You're trespassing and lucky enough that I'm in a good mood."

Oh, man, what was her in a bad mood then?

Drudging up a polite smile, I folded my hands and placed them in my lap carefully. "I won't waste your time at all, Porlyusica-san. I'll get straight into it. I wish to know about Anima, as I hold hope that it may help me get home."

"Back to your own dimension?" Porlyusica asked with actual interest in her voice. Her mouth was still set into a thin line as she looked at me, and her brow was drawn in disapproval, but her eyes weren't quite so harsh. "How do you think Anima will help you with that?"

"Well," I said hesitantly, "is it not a device capable of spanning dimensions? You managed to cross from Edolas to Earthland, so why could I not be able to use it to go back to Earth?"

"Because, you foolish little girl," Porlyuscia suddenly snapped out, back to being cranky. "It is only calibrated between Earthland and Edolas. Faust does not know of your world, so how could he possibly calibrate yours into Anima?"

Chewing on my bottom lip, I mulled over these facts. Anxiety made itself known in a churn of my gut, and I couldn't help but bite down harder on my lip in wake of the sensation. "But there has to be someone who knows of my world; how else would I be sent here?"

"Perhaps it's just an anomaly," Porlyusica suggested. "You don't know if anyone sent you here."

"Actually," I said slowly, "I do. I met the Celestial Spirit King, and he informed me that someone, or something, more powerful than him sent me here."

"More powerful than him?" Porlyusica muttered, almost to herself. "There is nothing more powerful than someone of his calibre that I know of either than…"

"Zeref," I finished for her, having thought of this possibility before. "But he works in Death magic, not Space and Time."

Frowning to herself, Porlyusica laced her fingers together and stared down at them. "Space and Time? Maybe we are not looking for someone or something, but rather a plural entity."

I tilted my head in consideration. "A collaboration, then? Two powers working together for a single cause?"

"Or," Porlyusica met my gaze steadily, "the single most powerful Union Raid to have been ever made."

I could almost feel the blood drain from my face at the implications. "…So what you're saying is…Not only are we dealing with something more powerful than a being in charge of a pocket dimension filled with star beings, but we may be dealing with two of them working together in a massive spell to send one girl on some fucked up journey?"

Porlyusica's face was deathly serious as she held my gaze. "Anything is possible with magic. We just can't be for sure yet."

"Great!" I tossed my hands into the air in surrender before scrubbing at my face with them. "I still don't know what the hell sent me here, and you've got nothing on how Anima could possibly help me! This fucking sucks!"

"Quit your whining," Porylusica snapped out, "just be grateful you got dropped off in a world where you can make friends – especially with your disposition."

"Maybe so," I agreed reluctantly, the comment stinging slightly, "but it would have been good to have been dragged across n my own body. I mean, why this one out of all the bodies in Earthland? It makes no sense."

"Perhaps not now, but later things may come into clarity." Porlyusica tapped her nails against the wooden table for a moment before abruptly standing up. "There's nothing else I can offer you. Leave now."

Standing up, I politely inclined my head in thanks towards Porlyusica before making my way towards the door. The abrupt dismissal didn't bother me that just was how Porlyusica was. However…

Pausing, one hand grasping the doorknob, I looked over my shoulder to meet Porlyusica's gaze. "You sound like you know Faust, and that you know the inner workings of Anima…You were also the only one to be sent over here. I'm starting to think that your dealing with Anima were a little bit more personal than accidental."

Rather than yelling at me to get out like I believed she would, Porlyuscia held my gaze and gave me a short nod. "I was one of the few people assigned to work on Anima, alongside my friends. I was in charge of making sure all the formulas were right, and that the testing was safe. It was during one of our tests that…One of my friends were in danger, and I couldn't let that happen."

"And that caused you to be sent here," I said quietly, respectful of what she had lost.

Porlyusica averted her gaze from mine, pain evident in her pinched lips. "Better me than them. Although I had wanted to go back to see my friends, I couldn't help but realise that what we had been doing was so wrong. Faust was greedy, manipulative and corrupt. What was worst was that we were helping him. I couldn't let what happened to my world happen to this one, so I elected to stay and protect it."

"Thank you," I said sincerely, opening the door and stepping out. "But before I go…Those friends of yours…" I met her gaze once more, hardly daring to blink. "We're they…Igneel, Metallica, Skia—?"

"Get out!" Porlusica shouted at me, hands lunging for a jar of herbs beside her. "Out! Now!"

Wisely, I ducked outside and shut the door, hearing the jar shattering against it. A close one if there ever was one…

Casting one last look at the lonely home behind me, I marched forwards to pick my bag up from where it had been waiting outside. Then, I headed for home. I'd had enough drama to last me years.

Third Person P.O.V.

Wearily trudging up the last of the stairs to his and Lucy's apartment – an apartment to share with someone who cared for him! -, Ryos fished out the key Lucy had given him when he first moved in from his pocket and shoved it into the door roughly.

It had been two days since he'd seen any of Team Natsu (as Natsu had taken to calling him, Gray, Erza and Lucy, alongside Happy), let alone Lucy as he had been off on a mission when she had gone to the hot springs days before Team Natsu's departure. He was starting to get lonely.

Sure, Team Shadow Gear took care of him during the day, chatting with him and offering to take him on missions, but it wasn't the same as hanging out with Team Natsu.

Although Ryos had been initially terrified of Natsu – the crazy, flaming boy was overwhelming for most, but to Ryos this was the boy who had defeated Gajeel, which meant he was also struck with a large case of hero worship – the elder dragon slayer always managed to make him laugh and wasn't afraid to join in on 'children games' like the mages at Phantom Lord.

Even Gray, with his stripping habits and his rather cool exterior was fun to be around. He didn't mind answering Ryos's curious questions, and actually knew all sorts of cool things about the guild and its members, having been a part of it for years.

The way that Happy wound everyone up made Ryos laugh harder than he could remember. Jet and Droy did try very hard to make him smile and laugh – lest Levy-chan be disappointed with them or Lucy kick their ass – but it wasn't the same as the feline.

Ryos even preferred Erza's specific style of being a mother-hen over Mirajane's. The bartender was just too…overbearing, to say the least. Erza showered Ryos in sweets and often bought him small trinkets and even cool clothes. He'd actually taken to wearing the leather gloves she'd gotten him, liking the metal knuckle joints and the way they made him feel cooler – shallow, yes, but he was just a child, couldn't he have some fun?

Most of all, Ryos missed Lucy.

Initially, when Lucy had basically all but kidnapped Ryos, he had been understandably terrified. I mean, hello? A crazy blonde chick who just beat up a good portion of his guild came swinging out of nowhere to pick him up and run. Ryos was more than scared at the ideas of what could happen to him, but when he'd finally met his…well, kidnapper, he'd been – shocked, awed, in love – pleasantly surprised.

For all her carefully chosen comments and rather blank expressions at times, Lucy was a wonderful person.

Not once did she ever doubt what Ryos had said, instantly believing that he was a dragon slayer – and he was! He'd proved it to her! She always seemed to understand what he needed; whether it be space, comfort, fed certain types of foods, or to just be read to. Lucy had accepted Ryos, and had taken care of him when no one else would.

And Ryos loved her for it.

At first, it had been a small crush. Lucy was undeniably beautiful, and she had been like Ryos's knight-in-shining-armour. But that love had gently developed and matured, and Ryos could safely say that he felt a more family orientated connection towards Lucy.

It wasn't a motherly one, even though Lucy had a rather maternal attitude towards Ryos and she often cuddled him like a mother would to her son. No, Ryos could now easily say to himself that he viewed Lucy as a big sister. Someone to look up to in life.

Of course, he wouldn't say that to her – he was a big boy and he didn't want to embarrass her – but it was nice sometimes to indulge in his fantasies of him calling her nee-chan, and she calling him otōto back, rather than just Ryos-kun.

It was a silly childish dream, but one that Ryos held onto tightly at night when he was sleeping in the bed alone, no Lucy beside him to offer him warmth. It gave him hope, and he hated to come home every afternoon and not find Lucy there, waiting for him with a dinner already cooking. Lyra would be helping her out, or maybe Andromeda, the women humming and singing together as they worked.

As he opened the door, Ryos could almost smell the crumbed chicken sizzling in the pan, the foreign dish – schnitzel, Lucy had always told him, chicken schnitzel – being one of his favourites. He could also almost hear Lucy's humming, the soft tones audible even over the door closing with a slam behind him.

"I'm home," the boy said like he always did when he entered the apartment, not expecting an answer. He dropped his bag to the ground and kicked it down the corridor, giving him some space to sit down and tug off his shoes. There weren't many things Lucy was particularly picky about, but the girl couldn't stand people trekking through her home with their shoes on. Ryos wisely followed this rule to the T, not wishing to face the blonde's wrath.

"Welcome back."

At the sound of the familiar tone, Ryos scrambled upright, one shoe only half off. His wide-eyed face was slack with shock as he caught sight of Lucy leaning out from the kitchen, spatula in hand and a smile on her weathered face. He must've stood there for a lot longer than he thought, as Lucy's smile widened into a rather smug grin. "Hey there, Ryos-kun, aren't you going to say hi back?"

The sound of her voice again brought Ryos out of his paralysis, and the boy launched himself forwards with a shout of "You're back!"

Grinning, Lucy tossed the spatula onto the kitchen counter so that she could grab the flying boy with both hands. She hoisted him into the air, the boy squealing with delight as he nearly touched the ceiling. Catching his light frame easily, Lucy drew Ryos in for a hug, her arms securing him to her curvy frame. "Happy to see me?"

Ryos gave no reply, too busy burying his face into her unbound hair and breathing in the earthy scent that was all Lucy. He could catch traces of ointments, blood and bandages on her scent, but that was what she always smelt like after a mission, so Ryos wasn't too worried.

Chuckling to herself, Lucy clutched Ryos as tightly as she could, the boy wrapping his arms around her neck in reply. "I'm going to take that as a yes." The blonde wasn't willing to let the boy go just yet, and so she took the time to familiarise herself with his magical signature once more.

The small mass that filled up the boy's magic core was currently fluctuating rapidly, and Lucy hummed happily with the ecstatic sensation it gave off. Ryos was just as happy to see her as she was to see him.

After taking another moment or two to cuddle close, Lucy gently drew back from their hug to look Ryos in the eyes.

The boy didn't seem to want to leave his spot tucked in close, however, and let out a small whine as his face was tugged out from beneath Lucy's. "Nee-chan, sto—"

Realising what he'd just said, Ryos choked slightly before clamping his mouth shut. He stared up at Lucy with wide, terrified eyes for a moment, his shock mirrored in her own face.

Just as Ryos was thinking of wriggling out of Lucy's arms and running (far, far away where nobody would ever find him and his embarrassment), a massive smile just about split Lucy's face into two.

"You think of me as your nee-chan?" she said softly, almost afraid to break the fragile moment the two of them were having. "Really?" Without waiting for an answer, Lucy dropped an excited kiss onto Ryos's forehead, the sudden contact lighting the boy's senses on fire. "That's so cool! I've always wanted to be called nee-chan!"

Laughing to herself, Lucy drew Ryos back in for another cuddle, her cheek rubbing itself against Ryos's. "You can call me nee-chan any time you want, sweetheart!"

Hope starting to bubble up inside him, Ryos pressed himself as closely as he could to Lucy. "R-Really? You don't mind?"

Drawing her head back, Lucy looked Ryos in the eyes. She then leant forwards to press her forehead to his, their noses nudging each other. "I don't mind at all, Ryos. In fact, I would love it if you called me nee-chan. And if you want, I can call you otōto." At the shocked look on Ryos's face, the blonde was quick to tack on the next bit. "Only if you want, though. I can continue to call you Ryos-kun if you want."

Shyly, Ryos dropped his head to peer up at Lucy from beneath his lashes. "Y-You can call me either. I don't mind."

A relieved look bloomed across Lucy's face right before she dropped a quick kiss on Ryos's forehead again. "Whatever you say, otōto." The singular kiss quickly multiplied as Lucy took the opportunity to plant feathery light kisses all over Ryos's cheeks and forehead. The boy began to giggle madly in response, and Lucy took that as a prompt to squeeze him tightly and kiss him quicker.

The small moment ended when Lucy landed a derisive peck on Ryos's nose, the boy scrunching it up in response. "That tickles."

"Good," Lucy replied as she gently lowered the boy to the ground. "And you'd better go wash up now before I tickle you further, ne?" To illustrate her point, Lucy wiggled her fingers slightly and waved them towards Ryos.

The dragon slayer let out a shriek of surprise before darting off to the bathroom to wash his hands, narrowly dodging Lucy's hands in the process.

Shaking her head in fondness, Lucy quickly turned back to the chicken she was cooking in one of her old, beat up pans, lest it burn. "Don't forget to finish taking off your shoes before you sit down at the dinner table, or else there'll be no schnitzel for you!"

Ryos let out a shrill yelp of disapproval at that statement, and Lucy smiled when she could hear the boy struggling to take the articles of clothing off. "Not the schnitzel, nee-chan!"

The next morning, Lucy walked to the guild hand-in-hand with Ryos.

She still had bags under her eyes as she hadn't slept much again last night, bodies with melted brains haunting her dreams, and she still had a slight limp from her half-healed leg, but she was happy.

Happy enough to feel guilty at what she had to tell Ryos.

Before entering the guild, Lucy stopped Ryos and knelt down to see him eye-to-eye. She placed both hands on his shoulders to show him how serious this conversation was. Evidentially he understood, as the silly smile that had been on his face since the night before slipped off quickly. "What is it, nee-chan?"

Suppressing the happy shiver she got whenever she heard him call her that, Lucy licked her lips and began to explain. "I know you won't like this, otōto, but today there's going to be an ex-Phantom Lord mage in our guild.

"Juvia-san?" the boy asked curiously. "I've already met her here, nee-chan, and I'm fine with it. Juvia-san was never mean to me, so I have no problem with her being here. Don't worry about it at all."

"No, not Juvia, someone else," Lucy replied steadily. "I know you won't like him being there, but I was ordered by the Magic Council to initiate him into our guild so that he can be of use to the community."

Okay, that was a lie there, as Lucy had been the one to ask for Gajeel, but Ryos didn't have to know that.

"Who is it?' Ryos asked quietly, an inkling of who it might be growing in his mind.

"You already know, my clever little brother," Lucy said sadly. "But I promise you, Gajeel can do nothing to you here. If he ever does, tell me or one of the others and we'll kick some more sense into him."

When Ryos didn't look any happier at her comment, Lucy placed a gentle hand on his face, nudging him back up to look into her eyes. "I promise to you, otōto, that no harm will come to you as long as I'm around. This is a promise of a lifetime, I swear on the stars above. And you know…"

"Celestial mages don't go back on their word," Ryos finished for her with a soft smile. Lucy had often said the mantra to him when she was convincing him of something, and the blonde had never steered him wrong yet. He would trust his sister figure now, trust her with his life.

Lucy stood back up with a groan, her leg throbbing slightly. She waved off Ryos's concerns easily though, and offered her hand to him.

He took it, and allowed himself to be led into the guild.

Three days later, Ryos was starting to get used to Gajeel's presence in the guild.

Three days later and Lucy still hadn't told anyone else about her mission, despite Levy's and Mirajane's insistence that she tell them.

Three days later, Fairy Tail had begun to accept Gajeel, especially since they'd seen Levy forgive him and begin to hang around him with Lucy whenever the blonde was without her brotherly figure.

Three days later and Lucy still hadn't slept more than an hour at a time, haunted by dead bodies covering rooms and bloodied hands that couldn't be cleaned.

Three days later, Team Natsu arrived.

Three days later they told their story, helped Erza mourn Simon and told their story a few more times.

Three days later, Lucy had another nightmare.

Three days later, Natsu finally went and saw his partner alongside Happy.

Neither of the two cared that it was night, and that apparently Lucy went to bed earlier than most as she shared the bed with Ryos and didn't want to wake him by coming home late. They had just learnt that their partner was home, and they wanted to see her damn it!

So, like usual, they flew to Lucy's house and entered through her window, Natsu making sure to take his shoes off as he went.

However, unlike usually, Lucy didn't wake up at their arrival, the blonde too busy trapped inside her dreams to sense the two.

"Woah," Happy said as he hovered beside Natsu to stare down at Lucy's twitching form. "What's up with Lucy?"

The blonde wasn't holding onto Ryos like she normally was, which may have been the first sign – surprisingly, Lucy didn't pass up on a chance to cuddle as many had found out eventually. She was also twitching and shuddering, small cries escaping her throat as her arms lashed out at invisible assailants, barely missing Ryos at times. She murmured to herself a mantra of "no's," and scrunched her face up like she was about to cry – or something unpleasant was splashing against her face.

"Dunno," Natsu said, breathing in Lucy's natural scent – nature in every sense with a splash of iron – and watching her frantic movements. "I think she has a nightmare."

"Then wake her up," Happy prompted, his usual smiling face rather serious. "She doesn't look like she's having fun."

Nodding in agreement, face furrowed in thought, Natsu leant in close to poke at his partner's arm. "Luce…Hey, Luce, wake up. C'mon, weirdo, you're having a nightmare. C'mon, Luce. Wake up."

Just as Natsu thought he might have to take drastic action – namely picking her up and shaking her about to wake her up – Lucy's eyes shot open with a gasp. Her pupils were dilated as her mouth opened and closed wordlessly, almost looking like she was choking on air.

Wait, she was choking on air. Or, at least, she wasn't breathing.

Seeing this, Natsu was quick to give her a thump on the back which, indeed kick started her breathing, but also scared her into punching Natsu in the face with a shriek of "Get away! Don't touch me! I swear it wasn't me!"

"Natsu!" Happy cried out in shock, watching his best friend go toppling back onto the wooden floor with a curse and a thud. "Are you alright?"

"Natsu…?" came Ryos's confused murmur as he was awoken by the shouts and sudden movement right by him. "…What?"

"N-Natsu?!" Lucy stammered out, hands flying to her mouth as she pulled herself out of her nightmares. "Oh my God, I'm so sorry!" The blonde quickly scrambled out of bed, tossing the blankets onto a now very much awake Ryos. "I didn't realise…!"

"Hey," Natsu said as he got up off the ground, right hand rubbing at a red mark on his left cheek gingerly, "it's okay. You had no idea what you were doing, even if you were acting like a weirdo."

Blushing brightly as she realised what had happened, Lucy slipped out of her bed to approach Natsu, hands fluttering nervously in worry. "I'm so sorry, Natsu! I have no excuses for what I did."

"You could say it's because you're such a weirdo," Happy supplied helpfully, having calmed down as he realised his friend was alright. "That might work."

"Happy!" Lucy said rather unnecessarily in Natsu's opinion, tired face lighting up in surprise and happiness. "You're both back! Does that mean everyone else is too?"

"Everyone's back?" Ryos piqued up from behind Lucy, startling the blonde into whirling around. "Ryos, what are you doing up?"

The boy gave her a flat look. "I could hardly sleep through all the shouting, could I?"

Another wave of blood rushed to Lucy's face as she stammered out more apologies. "Oh, go back to bed, Ryos-kun, I don't want you tired in the morning."

"That's a great idea!" Natsu said excitedly, starting to feel the nausea and exhaustion that had occurred from eating the large amount of raw power in the Tower of Heaven again. "Let's all go to sleep!"

Rather than smiling and agreeing, or even outright denying like she normally would, Lucy cast a rather unsure glance towards the bed. Natsu could smell the sweat clinging to her skin, and could even hear her heart's pace elevate slightly; all signs of fear. But that was ridiculous, why would Lucy of all people be scared of a bed?

"Ne, Lucy," Happy said slowly, also picking up on the girl's unusual hesitation. "Are you alright?"

A sickly smile was quickly pasted onto the blonde's face, and both Happy and Natsu noted for the first time since they'd seen her again the bags under her eyes and the hollow look she cast towards everything. "Y-Yes, I'm quite alright, thank you. Why do you ask?"

"Because you look like crap," Natsu said bluntly. He then cocked his head to the side. "Have you been getting any sleep recently?"

Apparently he'd nailed the issue on the head as Lucy flinched slightly from the question. For her credit, she didn't deny anything, merely pressed her lips together and looked towards the ground.

At seeing this, Ryos's face creased into a frown. "I thought so. You've been looking worse and worse recently and been insisting that I get plenty of sleep, you hypocrite. It's from that stupid mission you went on recently, isn't it? "

"I don't want to talk about it," Lucy murmured softly, eyes glazed over as entrails spilled over bloodied hands flashed through her mind. "Especially not to you, otōto."

Pouting, Ryos crossed his arms and stared at Lucy's back that was directed firmly at him. "Is it because I'm a child or something? 'Cause you know that—"

"It's not just because you're a child," Lucy said tiredly, averting her gaze from Natsu's curious one. "It's for the same reason that I won't tell Natsu, or Happy, or most of the other guildmembers. You guys are just too innocent, and I like you too much to take it when your opinions change of me after hearing what happened in that bloody mission."

"Is this one of the situations you warned me of?" Natsu asked with uncharacteristic gentleness, not wanting to startle the girl into anything – namely, punching him in the face again. "One of those 'bad things'?"

Lucy licked her suddenly dry lips. "Worse. Way worse – and I really don't want to talk about it anymore, okay?" She crossed her arms across the night shirt that she wore, shivering slightly as she finally registered how cold her bare feet were against the floorboards of her apartment.

Apparently, this was all the prompting Natsu needed to pick her up, ignoring her protests all the while, and dump her on the bed beside Ryos.

Before Lucy could even think of escaping, Natsu was wrapping Lucy's fur blanket around the three of them, tucking the ends in so tightly that Lucy had no wriggle room. Natsu was nearly hanging off the bed since there wasn't much room, but he didn't mind too badly; he'd just lay on Lucy if he needed to. She wouldn't mind too much (he hoped).

"Hey," Lucy protested half-heartedly, a yawn working its way up her throat. "Not cool, man…"

"Nah," Natsu said with a wolfish grin as he winked at Ryos over Lucy's head, "I'm more like hot."

"Aye," Happy agreed as touched down in the small spot between Lucy and Natsu head, content to bunk there for the night.

A soft snort erupted out of Lucy's nose before she could stop it, but it quickly turned into a fully-fledged yawn that wracked her body and made Ryos giggle.

"C'mere you," Lucy said to the boy when she finished, managing to get an arm around him in their blanket burrito to bring his head onto her stomach. "Time to go back to bed."

"You as well," Natsu informed her right before dragging her closer so that her head was nestled right next to his, their hair tangling together in their proximity. "I'll chase away your nightmares tonight, okay? So get some sleep."

Sighing, Lucy let her eyes drift shut and relaxed. "I'm trusting you to, partner."

"Always," Natsu said before closing his eyes and drifting off alongside the other three inhabitants of the bed they were just about spilling off.

Three nights later, Lucy is sleeping through the night right beside her little brother, winged friend and the protector of her dreams. She is happy.

Ghfoyu4gIRBWGVNRgjfn.

I'm dead.

That took soooooo long to write, but I think it was worth it. So much FLUfh! Ughhhhhhh!

FYI, Lucy will not always refer to Ryos as otōto, as that's just so hard to writeon my laptop and I'm a lazy human being. Also, in the last chapter it had said the the council had given the messenger bird the package to give to Lucy, yet in this chapter it was said that Jellal had. This is because I'm making it so that jellal used those funky thought projections to make copies of the magic council to trick the bird and blah, blah, blah.

I'm just so tired right now. I'll reply to Pms and stuff in the morning when I'm actually awake and not falling asleep every five minutes.

Ciao friends.