22| HUMANITY

Loke never felt the type of fear and worry he had just experienced in his entire existence. Not with Karen, not with every situation he had been in with Fairy Tail or even when he saw Future Lucy die before his eyes.

No. This was something else entirely that he never wished to feel again. Sure Lucy has had her fair share of near death experiences, and he had been there to witness her future self's death, ut that was the life of a mage. He understood that, but this time he was forced to stay in the celestial world as he fretted over want was going on in Earthland the moment he felt a dip in Lucy's magical essence.

Feeling so utterly useless and unable to do anything was something Loke hated the most in the world, especially when it involved Lucy's wellbeing. He had seen the wolf attack her, and in that moment his gate automatically forced closed. He couldn't open his gate, not when Virgo grabbed his hand and shook her head at him with worry shinning in her blue eyes.

It might make her worse if we come out of our gates, even of our own violation. They are all being kept closed, and if we fight against that it will hurt Princess.

Seconds felt like minutes and minutes felt like hours as Lucy's life force slipped out of their finger tips. Loke had felt the strain of the contract that binded him to Lucy, along with all the other spirits with her. If that strain had continued it would have snapped and terminated their contacts, and Lucy would have been gone forever.

He had felt it, a weird sensation that coursed through his veins that felt like ice and fire all at the same time. It didn't hurt, more like a numbing that he couldn't make out. It was over as quick as it happened, but the one thing he felt was the overwhelming presence of Lucy. It was ask if nothing had happened, and for a moment Loke was relieved Wendy had gotten there in time. That was until he remembered Wendy was no where to be seen, and that something was off with Lucy.

There was a darkness he sensed that was never there before, not even when she went through her darkest times and lowest points. It wasn't a darkness he felt before in a fight like Tartaros. He only felt this darkness around Lucy when she was around Shuu, Yuma and the other. It was easy to ignore, but he felt it inside Lucy.

"They turned her." Aquarius had been the one to mutter looking up into the sky and placing down a mirror she used frequently to check on the blonde mage since the day her key was broken.

"What?" Loke whispered, low and surprised.

Aquarius looked over at the Lion spirit, emotions on full display for once. "I'm relieved the brat isn't dead."

Which was how they ended up in a very rare meeting with the twelve zodiacs, where ten of them were the concerned ones, and one very unsure Celestial King. The turning of Lucy Heartfilia ripped through the celestial realm, where everyone was left at a standstill of how to proceed.

"The question is what we do now that Lucy Heartfilia is a vampire. An immortal being who is an exception to time." Celestial King says, looking down to the twelve zodiacs. "Will it be fair to allow her to be a celestial mage still now that she is not human, or to strip her of her powers and keys?"

Loke couldn't even believe what he was hearing, that this was a conversation they were actually considering. This was Lucy, the very same woman who'd done so much and lost equal in what she gave. She never gained, not really. She was the light the darkness ate up, that moths were drawn to.

Aquarius, on the other hand was damn near furious. "The Heartfilia bloodline has been one of the most strongest and prominent celestial mage bloodline since the beginning of magic history, starting with Anna Heartfilia, to Layla, to Lucy and in every Heartfilia between since then."

"Miss Lucy has also been surpassing our expectations as a mage." Capricorn added, pushing his glasses up. "She's saved Loke from exile, saved us all from the Eclipse gate. She's made hard life choices costing Aquarius's key, but most of all she'd unlocked the ability to use star dresses- a first time any celestial mage has ever done this. It's possible Miss Lucy has room to grow even more if allowed to do so."

Loke couldn't shake his frown, "This is the last thing Lucy deserves. After everything she's done, how could you even consider this!? She didn't ask to be turned into something immortal. She never asked to be damn near killed. To take us away from her and strip her of her ability to call on us will be like taking a way a part of her identity."

"A majority of her identity." Aquarius tacked on. "It's the one thing she has left in connection to her mother, the one magic Layla taught her. She has always treated her spirits with love and respect, no matter how they treated her. When she had no one she had us, so to take her spirits away would most defiantly change her for the worst. Into the exact way you worry for right now."

Virgo couldn't help but stand from her seat, a rare flicker of emotion in her usually stoic eyes. Out of all her masters who've held her key, Lucy was by far the most kindest and best mage she's been in contract with. Every belief Lucy had was pure with her heart, especially for her spirits and key. To be treated as an equal was rare, and it was nice not being an object for power.

"Celestial magic is a dying magic, almost extinct now." Virgo reminded, staring up at the most powerful spirit in the realm. "If you strip Lucy of being a celestial mage then there will only be Yukino Agria and Princess Hisui."

The Celestial Spirit King looked at the twelve zodiacs that were sitting at the table, given that most of them were very passionate about Lucy Heartfilia's case. They had multiple good points, Lucy had given so much of herself in devotion to her spirits. She was one of the strongest celestial mages to be born, and even now he could feel her presence among the stars fiercer than ever.

The stars had accepted her.

The judgement had been made by fate itself.

As long as Lucy lived, so would celestial magic. Her new found immortality promised that, and it was the greatest promise someone could make to a celestial spirit. When Hisui and Yukino had children of their own, it was a fifty fifty chance of their offsprings being a celestial mage due to their father's possible heritage and magic type if a mage. Lucy's intended was not a mage, but another vampire.

"Fate has made it's choice." Celestial King spoke, eyes closing as a grin made it's way onto his face. "Lucy will continue to practice her magic, learn and grow with it. We don't know the possibilities she could reach."

Loke could only glance at Aquarius and Virgo, unsure what fate seemed to have in store. Fate was never nice to their beloved Lucy.

"Look Natsu!" Lucy's voice laced with excitement as she showed him her pink guild mark for the first time.

"Please protect the future."

Natsu Dragneel has never been good with change, and that was a fact even he knew himself. It wasn't because he didn't like change, it was solely because he feared it. That was something he would never admit to anyone, and it was his pride and that fear that probably cost him Lucy's friendship.

Scratch that, his stupidity of letting his emotions take over is what really cost their friendship. Yet he couldn't help it, not when it came to Lucy. She was everything to him, and he realized that a bit too late. No, he knew before he left her that stupid note and went away for a year. Only he had failed Igneel and felt like he would fail her as well.

If only he had taken her with him.

Irony was that him leaving was probably the reason why he continuously failed her now. If only he had stayed or took her with himself and Happy then she would have never met those stupid vampires, never would have gotten together with and never would have been put in danger.

Never been turned into a vampire.

It wasn't fair to blame her, and he knew that too. He knew that she didn't have the final say in the decision. That choice had been made by Erza, Gray and Mira for her- along with Ayato. That only pissed him off too, that they took that choice. Yet he knew that feeling of watching her die, bleeding out to her last breathe. He knew the helplessness of being able to do nothing about it.

Natsu knew how it felt to listen to Lucy's heart stop completely and witness her death.

It was something he only had too share with Wendy, Happy, Carla and Loke. Something no one else had to experience, and it was something he never wished on anyone. Yet he knew that the Sakamaki's hadn't been the best of people, even Lucy had said so herself.

"They'll kill him."

Those three words were something Natsu never thought he'd hear Lucy say, not with acceptance as if that was normal. When it came the Sakamaki's, that was her new normal and it scared the shit out of him. The Lucy he met after the year and a half apart was a lot more different than the Lucy he meet out of Hargeon Town. Where she smiled genuinely and was warm, to the girl he tried his hardest to protect.

"I thought after, that everything would be okay. I had received the ability to use star dresses from the Celestial King himself, and that we would go home as a family. Instead I got a stupid note from Natsu and Happy, and then the guild was disbanded and you all left."

Her brown eyes that were always so full of happiness, warmth and welcoming when he met her compared to when they met again. That night in Stella had been the first time he'd ever seen Lucy look so hurt, angry and in pain. He'd seen her cry, seen her bounce back quickly but that was something else entirely. She couldn't bounce back, she had given up Aquarius in exchange for their lives and yet he still managed to hurt her now after what she ore alone. The Lucy he'd know, part of her died when she broke the blue siren's key. Just how a part of him broke seeing Igneel die before him.

"You're right though, Erza." Lucy said softly. "I'm not Lucy of Fairy Tail, not entirely. She's a part of me, just like the heiress I was raised to be is a part of me, and just like how Shuu, his brothers and my cousin are a part of me. Fairy Tail will always be a home, and I love you all dearly, but my home is wherever Shuu is."

Natsu leaned his head back onto the wall he was sitting against, onyx eyes closing at all these memories of Lucy replaying over in his head. Two weeks he's barricaded himself in his home, only seeing Happy when the blue exceed came to check on him every other day knowing he needed space to clear his head.

To get his shit together and go apologize to Lucy, if she'd even see him. He was trying to figure out why Lucy Heartfilia made him act out in such a way he couldn't control, because the scary honest truth was that he couldn't bare to live without her. A life without Lucy was never one he wanted, and that even meant with another man.

He hated her being a vampire because that made her just like him. It would change their partnership, their friendship, hell- even their dynamic. Her first focus would be the stupid blonde vampire. She was going to spend the rest of her life with Shuu Sakamaki, and now their was nothing he could really do about it.

And that broke his heart.

Without his consent, Natsu felt his cheek get wet as a tear slipped past his waterline. He could never hate Lucy or what she was, because he knew no matter what Lucy had a good heart in her to a fault. She was good, and she struggled a lot more than she let on. And maybe that was his fault for never seeing how good she was at masking emotions. Most people believed she was a weak link in Fairy Tail, but the reality was that Lucy was one of the most intellectual and tactical members of the guild.

She was one of the strongest people he knew, and he just fucking knew she could face whatever life threw her way.

Even if that meant he was no longer in the picture in her life, and maybe he deserved that with his recent actions. All he seemed to really do was hurt her than protect her, and maybe that wasn't his spot to do so anymore. Maybe it was time to let her go from his grasp, because she was unattainable now it seemed.

A light knock brought Natsu out of his thoughts, but he made no move to get up to answer the door to his small living space. Eventually she would go away, since he could smell Lisanna right outside his door and yet he knew better. This girl was his childhood friend, someone who knew him just as well as Happy and Lucy.

"Natsu." Lisanna softly called opening his house door and scrunching her nose at the stiff and musty air. It was clear no one entered of left this house in a few days, but her blue eyes quickly found the pink haired dragon slayer looking more defeated than she ever seen him.

Without saying anything else she closed the door, moving to kneel in front of Natsu- who hadn't even bothered to look up at her. Gently, she ran a hand through his oily pink locks and kept her sigh to herself that came with seeing how he wasn't taking care of himself. She knew when she heard what Natsu had said to Lucy that he would beat himself over it, let that guilt eat at him.

Yet she also knew how in love with the celestial mage he really was, because she was the one he'd vent to her about. It was different, watching her very first best friend fall in love with someone else, but she was happy for them- for him. It had been beautiful coming back and seeing him happy, even with her absence. She watched as the two grew closer, moved in sync with each other. Lucy was Natsu's sun and moon, the stars leading him in the night sky back home in his darkest hours.

So naturally it broke her heart seeing Natsu looking defeated here in his own home, but she always knew his worst enemy was himself. No one was harder on Natsu then himself, always pushing to the limits and believing it was his duty to protect them all. That was never his burden to bare, but he bore it with pride only a Fairy Tail mage could.

"It's been two weeks. You have to come out eventually." She says, placing a hand over his on his knee. The silent tension only grew thicker.

"She hates me, doesn't she?" Vulnerable, he sounded lost and it only made Lisanna upset.

"No." Lisanna reassured, her thumb brushing against his skin. "She could never hate you Natsu. She loves you-"

"She loves him." He nearly hissed, voice cracking.

Lisanna gave a soft sigh, brushing his bangs from his eyes. "That doesn't mean she doesn't love you, even if it's a platonic love. She does care about you."

Natsu only gave a humorless laugh, "How can she care about me when I said she should have stayed dead? I deserve her to hate me for that. I was an asshole to her by leaving her-"

"You needed space then, and that was understandable. We all needed that space Natsu, even Lucy." Lisanna wasn't exactly sure how to trend this path, so she did so with caution. "This might be another one of those times where you need space to come to terms with everything and for Lucy to adjust. At the end of the day Natsu, she's still Lucy. You just have to believe in her the same way she's always believed in you."

"It's different this time." Natsu looked up at Lisanna, letting his walls down because he just needed to let it out. " I didn't believe in her. I hurt her, I left her. I walked away. How can she not hate me?"

"Because we're nakama." Lisanna answered without missing a beat, a gentle smile on her lips. "We fight, we say things we don't mean. Even if she's not human now, you still are partly. We say things and do things that we regret over time. You know you're in the wrong, and in time I know she'll come around."

"And if she doesn't?" Natsu inquired sadly, slumping back against the wall.

"You left to clear your head when Igneel died Natsu. Lucy was turned into a vampire, everything is new too her and heightened. It's our turn to step back and let her come to terms on her own time." Lisanna patted Natsu's knee.

"Everything will work itself out in time." Lisanna promised, standing and holding a hand out to help Natsu to his feet. "Now go shower, you smell. Then we'll get some food in ya, my treat."

Makarov Dreyer could bet his whole being that someone up in the heavens likes to mess shit up in his guild with his children. Peace never came and lasted too long within the guild walls, which made it all more precious and dangerous. It was like the calm before the storm, and that was exactly what he walked into when coming back from his meeting with Princess Hisui in Crocus.

The surprise he felt coming home to a destroyed guild hall again left him feeling devastated. This was supposed to be a safe for his children, his family and the minute he leaves they are forced to fight again. Only this time he found so much more blood pooling the guild hall floor, and fear struck him deep.

"What happened here?" Makarov muttered with exasperation, taking in all the glass shattered around the guild hall. Slowly his eyes were drawn to where Mirajane was kneeling with a bucket and wooden scrub- scrubbing vigorously at the floor with an aggression he hadn't seen in a while. Yet as soon as he took that in, he took that she was scrubbing blood from the floor.

"Master Makarov." Mirajane whispered softly, her blue eyes darting up to meet his own with tears in her eyes. It was then he feared the most, that someone in their beloved guild was gone. The apprehension only grew as Mira put the wooden scrubber down, fiddling with her bloodstained fingers.

"What happened to Lucy?" Came the small panicked voice from behind Makarov, who only belonged to Wendy. Behind Wendy was Gajeel and Juvia with Carla and Lily, the other dragon slayer frowning in concern.

"Why is Bunny Girl's blood all over? Who the hell attacked the guild?" Gajeel's voice lowly growled out, his anger burning bright in his ruby eyes at the damage around him. Even he knew with the amount of blood he was smelling in the room that Lucy couldn't survive. Was Levy okay? Who else was hurt?

Mira took in a deep breath, "We were attacked by wolves, but the only one majorly wounded was Lucy."

"She was the intended target." Gajeel corrected, earning a slow nod from Mira.

"There was so much blood. Mavis, it was all over." Mira muttered, looking down at the spot Lucy nearly died on. "She would have died. She would have died if we didn't do anything, if they didn't do anything to help her."

"They?" Lily repeated.

Mira looked at them one by one, "Shuu...he saved her. He didn't have a choice, she would have died."

It took a moment to process what Mira was saying, how she said it and what it was really meaning. It took a second, but they caught on to what she was saying quickly. The surprise was evident on each of their five faces.

"Shuu turned Lucy?" Makarov questioned gently, seeing that Mira was affected by seeing Lucy nearly die. It was similar to her experience with Lisanna's death before she was found in Edolas. To relive that, Makarov couldn't imagine the triggers Mira was experiencing.

"Yes." Mira confirmed, standing from her spot on the floor. "We know the truth of them, and we know the dangers of their secret. Yet he saved Lucy, and they fought along our sides when we were under attack. They are apart of this guild."

A silent confirmation their secret was safe. That the Sakamaki's and Mukami's were accepted fully into the guild.

Makarov nodded, "Yes, they are. Lucy has brought the best out in them and I can only hope they can do the same for her now. We must be her support system in this new challenging time for her, accept her for her like we always have."

Gajeel huffed, not very phased about needing to accept Lucy for being a vampire. He even knew it was a matter of time when she married Shuu, the family of vampires was her family too. Hell, even her blood related cousin was a vampire. No, accepting her for being a vampire wasn't an issue for him, shit- they could eventually spar. It was the idiots who dared come into his home, his guild and hurt his nakama that pissed him off.

"I'm sure Natsu wasn't okay with this. The idiot can't even understand his anger and hate he has for the Sakamaki's is because his inner dragon views them as a threat to either Lucy or his chances with Lucy." Gajeel grunted out, arms crossing.

Wendy frowned, "He missed his chance at that when he left her."

"We'll figure this out together." Makarov promised.

"How is she doing?" Erza was the first one to ask when seeing Reiji in the guild hall, seeing as the Sakamaki brothers had rarely been stopping by the guild in the last two weeks.

Reiji couldn't help but admire the loyalty that Fairy Tail truly had for Lucy, realizing that in trying times that is when they were their strongest. Growing up in his world, with his brothers with their mothers had been all the difference. They were isolated by hate for one another, cold and angry all the time. Instead of being united they were broken, but that was the price of being a vampire.

It was nature and instinct for a vampire to be cold and alone. They never sought out love from another actively, only a way to sustain the craving they had. The thirst for blood and the hunger for life. A way to fill that empty void, just for a moment before it faded away. It was only harder for half breeds to control, and that's what worried him the most.

"As good as she can be." Reiji offered as a reply, but it wasn't good enough and even he knew that. This humanity thing, fitting in and actually finding a home- it was all new to them as well. Having people to lean on for support, they never had that once in their life. It was all weird and comforting.

Lucy opened this door for them, she was their home. This place, Fairy Tail, was their home. As weird as it was, Reiji was happy with their new life. Where the pressure of their father was lessened but his past was haunting them. What Karl Heinz did, to both Kino and the Tsukinami brothers, was now knocking on their door and Lucy paid the price twice for that man's damn choices.

"Is she adjusting okay?" Makarov inquired, concern etched onto his face.

Ayato was the one to sigh next, seeing as he came into the guild hall to visit Yui. In the past two weeks Lucy's been holed up in her bedroom with Shuu as she adjusted, mostly sleeping and fighting instinct, Yui had been banned from visiting. Lucy didn't want Yui around, or anyone else with a heartbeat.

He wasn't sure what changed, but maybe it was the fact that Lucy hadn't really accepted turning someday once married to Shuu. That maybe waking up as a vampire shook her and Natsu's words only made that deep fear worse. Ayato didn't know, and the only ones who would know would be Shuu, Yuma and Lucy herself.

"She's trying to cope, to accept what she is. What Natsu said affected her more than she admits, and even I can see the fear in her eyes when she's able to smell blood." Ayato said, looking at Yui who looked back at him with sad eyes. It made him worry, and damn this human for making him care that she was worried.

"She's rejecting what she is?"

"For a newborn vampire, she's doing well." Kou spoke up, having been quiet since he sat at the bar to order a shake for Lucy when he came in a few minutes ago. He thought something familiar that she liked would be good for Lucy. "When I was turned I can remember the bloodlust, the intense burning in the throat that demanded to be quenched. There was a part of me that spoke, who didn't care for those I hurt and found joy in it. The vampire side of us half breeds, that side can be vicious, cold, heartless."

"Is it different for pure bloods?" Mira asked, her eyes flickering towards Ayato and Reiji. Even she could sense the difference in Kou and Ayato. "Is it different for you?"

"Yes." Reiji nodded, "We were born with these instincts and are able to control them. We feel, have emotions but being a vampire- it's instinct to push those down and be the dominant person. Power is everything, which is what our father believes. It's what we were taught."

"To be cold and heartless?" Gajeel raised an eyebrow.

"Yes." Ayato simply answered. "It's our nature, just like how you dragon slayers's nature is to mate and protect family. We aren't human and neither are you- not completely, so our instincts and nature are different to the rest of everyone else in this room."

Kou stood from his seat, "The best way I can describe it to you all is that when a human is turned into a vampire, the human mind, instinct and nature collides with the vampire mind, instinct and nature."

"Like how our dragon instincts and mind sometimes fight our human side." Wendy stated, earning a nod from the blonde vampire.

"No one can force Lucy to accept what she is. Even if she says she does and that she's okay with it emotionally doesn't mean she is mentally. Lucy has to come to that middle ground, where she is a vampire with all her original mindset and personality. She has to accept what her body needs in order to survive, to come to terms she's going to out live everyone in this room." Kou gave them a sad smile. "She's the same Lucy, but no matter how hard she tries to suppress it, there will be the urge for blood. The urge to hunt and to kill."

"She's still our Lucy no matter what." Mira confidently says, her blue eyes burning with a new determination. "We accept her for everything she is, what she is. I'll even turn a blind eye if needed."

"Mira!" Erza scolded, shaking her head. "She'll have to not hurt people."

Mira gave the red head a look, "We can't hover her, or supervise her Erza. The moment one of us makes her feel like she's a threat or we doubt her is the moment she will go back to hiding."

"We already have Natsu to thank for that." Gray muttered, crossing his arms. "But Mira's right, coddling will make it worse."

Reiji gave Mirajane a rare smile, "It's touching how much you care, but she'll come back when she's ready. The scents, sunlight, noises are all still new and overwhelming. She needs to find it in herself to trust herself before coming back. Lucy is the one setting the pace here."

"How long do you think it will take?" Wendy asks, already missing Lucy's presence in the guild. She didn't want to Lucy to be here but not actually be here again. She wished she could go and hug Lucy, to reassure the blonde celestial mage.

"Yuma says she's not fully accepting it yet, and that could be because she isn't sure herself how she feels about being a vampire." Kou complies, a small huff of hair leaving his lips. "The choice was taken away from her in a way it never should have been. It saved her from death, but I don't think she fully thought about what being a vampire feels like."

"It wasn't something she wanted to think about." Ayato corrected. "Not yet, but she knew eventually the choice was going to have to be made."

"Kino wants to destroy the vampire race, and so I found out about Project Zodiac. A project where I'm the Eve."

"Karl Heinz knew of this world's magic, and how the purest form of light and good was magic from the stars, my magic. He wanted obtain the power of this world, create a victorious species that balanced light and dark. To create a race of a child of the stars and a child of the night."

"They'll kill him."

Erza remembered the conversation with Lucy on the train, how she remained mostly calm about the situation. She could see the spark of worry in those brown eyes that once been so bright like starlight. Yet the not knowing the situation only agitated the equip mage even further.

"I want to know everything about Kino Sakamaki and who attacked the guild." Erza demanded, looking Reiji in the eyes with a look that left no room for argument.

"Yes, I'd like to know what the hell is really going on." Laxus's voice cut in, standing at the guild hall door. "Don't leave a single thing out either, because this time Lucy ain't here to save your asses."

Reiji, Kou and Ayato shared a look and knew that eventually they'd have to say the truth. If they knew about Kino being a Sakamaki then it was only time until Lucy came clean to everyone with what happened to the guild in full entirety.

"Kino Sakamaki is our illegitimate brother, one our father wanted nothing to do with and perhaps the one most like our father as well." Reiji tells, a look of reservation in his ruby eyes. "Kino grew up in hatred, and that hatred grew into vengeance. He hates us, but he hates our father Karlheinz even more."

"Where does Lucy come into this?" Levy asks, concerned fully that Lucy was in deep shit. Which she was but she wanted to help.

"Karlheinz enjoys his projects." Kou continued. "It started with the Adam and Eve project. The plan, according to Ruki, is s a human girl dubbed as Eve would have the heart of the demon lord's daughter. Eve's blood would choose an Adam who would be able to obtain the power to control the world, and their descendants would change the world."

Their eyes widen with the realization of where these people came from, what they were around. Yet the held no malice, so were they really that bad? Erza knew they weren't, and the fact that Lucy knew this information and said nothing? It hurt and stung Erza's heart that she didn't trust her with this news. Yet with how Natsu reacted, she could understand why Lucy kept it to herself.

"In order to create this race, decided to mix his blood with the blood of a First Blood woman." Ayato's mouth curled up into a scowl. "If this project is successful, the last stage of the experiment would be enacted: the destruction of the demon kind and the creation of a new race; one that felt and thought like mortal humans, but could use magic and the supernatural like the demon race."

"Karlheinz will dispose of any failed experiment himself, even if there his own sons." Reiji's eyes glanced up at Yui, who gave a small smile and a nod of encouragement. "Eve came to us, and you know her as Yui Komori."

Mira's eyes looked over at the human girl in surprise, because it was Yui. Super sweet and innocent Yui being caught up in all of this. Yet if she was still alive, either the experiment was still on going or their father just hadn't done a thing yet.

"On the other hand there was a second project we didn't know about, not until Kino attacked Lucy back in Stella." Kou says, leaving no room to ask questions that were burning on the tongues of the others. "We found out about Project Zodiac."

"Lucy." Gajeel says, leaning against the wall.

"Yes." Ayato confirmed. "According to Lucy, Kino revealed Karlheinz's true plans with her and Shuu- who she chose to marry due to a contracted forged by Karlheinz and her own father when she was a child."

"Her father sold her off." Laxus stated, earning a nod and then frowned in disgusted.

"It was only sheer fate Karlheinz found her after this guild disbanded. He would have found her eventually, guild or no guild." Reiji added, needing them to know the situation was never in their own control.

"Project Zodiac, what is that exactly?" Makarov inquired.

Ayato leaned back in his chair, "Karlheinz knew of this world's magic, and how the purest form of light and good was magic from the stars, celestial magic. When he meet Jude Heartfilia, he met Lucy as a child. He knew then what he wanted to do."

"Our father is a very selfish man that cares for nothing but his status and power. It's always been like that since we were children, and it only grew worse as time went y. He wanted to obtain the power of this world, create a victorious species that balanced light and dark. To create a race of a child of the stars and a child of the night." Reiji revealed, earning looks that all shared the same surprised, anger and defensiveness.

"A child of a celestial mage and a vampire." Kou confirmed, "We don't know how to deal with the situation yet. Only know Lucy will not be a pawn, none of us will allow it."

"Neither will we." Gray says, "Whatever happens, we want to be apart of it."

"We'll take the help." Ayato says without missing a beat.

"Now for who attacked the guild." Laxus's reminded.

"Carla and Shin Tsukinami, last two remaining members of the founders' bloodline- demons." Ayato starts the next explanation. "Those wolves were familiars controlled by them, and we believe it was to spite Karlheinz's plans. Karlheinz trapped them in the Demon World for several thousands of years without any means of getting out."

"However, because of the Lunar Eclipse that occurred in both Human and Demon world, Karlheinz's powers that kept the barrier around the castle they were trapped in weakened enough that more than likely Carla was able to escape the Demon World with Shin." Reiji concluded. "What they want we don't know but both Shuu and Yuma are ready to kill them."

"Kill?" Gajeel, Wendy and Laxus echoed.

"If they can even Lucy's side." Kou says with a soft chuckle. "Those two are mother hens right now making sure she eats."

It was then Fairy Tail realized they would probably have to form a plan to take care of what was going on because not even the Sakamaki's were too sure what to do exactly about the three problems that were not only threatening Lucy's wellbeing but their home.

"We'll help anyway we can." Laxus tells Reiji, a serious gleam in his eyes. "But we have to be kept in the loop. You have to trust us, because as weird as this shit is you're family to Lucy and that means your family to us. We protect our family."

Reiji could only nod.

It was dark all around her, not even a single light was lit nor was there a star twinkling in the sky. Yet everything she could see perfectly, as if the dark didn't matter. It was a weird feeling, being fast and strong. To be able to see and hear things she couldn't. Smell things she never thought she'd smell.

Yet she could feel the pulsating power of the moon overhead, the effects of it's moonlight something else entirely. The way it felt on her skin, sending elated shivers down her spine. Feeling completely at ease with being part of the night, because it was only natural. She was always one with the night, Celestial Mage wise or vampire.

She belonged in the shadows, praising the moon and stars.

"The night is yours, if you want it."

Lucy whipped around, surprised by the sudden voice and lack of footsteps for her sensitive hearing. Out of all the people she could expect, herself was not it. Yet this version her, it wasn't her at all. The other Lucy stood there with her blonde hair falling over her shoulders and past her waist in soft curls. Her attire consisted of short black dress with long sleeves that hung off her arms made of mesh. The one thing that stood out besides her pale skin was her glowing red eyes, along with the small trail of blood on the side of her lips.

"Who are you even supposed to be?" Lucy bit out her question roughly, not liking the smirk that formed on the other Lucy's lips.

"I'm you." She answered with a soft chuckle, tongue darting out to lick the blood from her skin with a satisfied hum. "Or at least the part you repress, reject and dismiss. The part of yourself you now truly fear."

Lucy's frown only deepened, "I don't understand."

This time a delighted laugh left the other Lucy's lip as she took a step forward. It reminded Lucy of a predator stalking their pray, leaving her at a loss on what to even expect. Yet as the other Lucy got closer, it was like looking into a mirror as realization dawned on the celestial mage.

"See, you are a smart girl." Other Lucy taunted, red eyes twinkling with mischief. "I am what you fear of becoming. What you fear to admit, that you, Lucy Heartfilia, are now a vampire. That you will outlive your friends and family. Outwit anyone who crosses you, though you were always able to do that."

Other Lucy took a step closer, her hand coming up to caress Lucy's face. She could smell the metallic scent of blood coming from her counterpart, crinkling her nose. It was clear now that this other Lucy was her repressed vampire side, her new side. It was her in vampiric conscious that was no doubtingly sadistic and uncaring like the Sakamaki's and Mukami's had been- the natural instinct for a vampire.

The part Natsu was said would change.

"He could never understand, that stupid dragon slayer." Other Lucy softly hissed, gaze hardening. "He depends on you, us, to need him. You no longer need no one. Not Natsu, the guild, the brothers. Not even your keys."

So far the other Lucy hadn't been wrong, she was scared of being a vampire. Not because she was scared of the brothers, no far from it. She was scared of hurting someone she loved and cared for if she lost control. She wasn't ready for the scents of people to be so strong, so tempting. It was why Yui could no longer visit, because Lucy would get so distraught with wanting to bite her.

There was no way she could handle the guild. Especially not when Natsu's words echoed in her head that they should have let her die. If he could never accept the brothers, then surely he would never accept her and find reason there to hate the brothers more. Could the guild even accept her fully?

"We nearly died because of the Sakamaki's, getting dragged into their family drama." Other Lucy was circling now, nails trailing on Lucy's skin. "A pawn in their game, like everyone else we come across. Jude, Fairy Tail, the Sakamaki's. A tool, is that what you will let us be?"

"We aren't a tool." Lucy muttered.

Other Lucy planted herself behind Lucy, hands gripping her shoulders and leaning towards her ear. "Th Eclipse Gate. Karl Heinz's Project Zodiac. Kino. Hell, even the reason we were attacked was to get back at the brothers because they care. You're a tool."

Lucy shook her head, "No..."

"You can't even deny it anymore." Other Lucy darkly humored, "We died for this kingdom, sacrificed. Cried, bleed, gave our all."

"What do you want?" Lucy snapped, turning to face the other version of herself.

Yet now the other version of herself was drenched in blood from mouth to toe. The red substance stained her lips and trailed down her neck in red smears. Her smirk never left as she licked her fingers clean as she could of blood, as if she was the cat who ate the canary with the grin on her face. Only Lucy's brown eyes were drawn to what was behind the other Lucy.

Bodies.

Erza, Gray, Juvia, Happy, Yui, Natsu. More from the guild and faces she's seen around town. Her stomach churned, sick seeing those she loved looking so lifeless.

"Give in."

Sorry for the delay in an update! School and work are crazyyyyy! I finally got this chapter up and going and it took time to figure out this chapter. I hope you all enjoyed it!

Like always, thank you for the support on this story! The love and support it gets always makes me happy and makes my day.

The song I listened to nearly on repeat was Still Doll - English cover by Lollia.

Please let me know what you thought of this chapter! Hope you enjoyed! :)))