The two sat on a bench inside the station as they waited for the train with their teams to finally arrive.

Being there in the morning had proved to be useless. The weather was much worse than it had been when they were there at the start of the week, and the strong wind and rain had made it impossible to do anything outside. They'd decided it would be best to wait for everyone else to arrive before they headed towards the mayor's house for the details for the new job, since Makarov hadn't had many to give them.

The train arrived at the station just after noon. Erza and Laxus were the first to exit, with Freed and Evergreen just behind them before Gray, Wendy, and Happy followed. They had all gathered around the spot Bickslow and Lucy stood, all seemingly waiting and watching the carriage for the last member to arrive.

"I vote we just leave," Laxus mumbled.

"Natsu will be out soon," Erza said, and sure enough Natsu sluggishly crawled out from the carriage and along the platform towards the group.

"Why did it have to be so far away?" Natsu groaned as he collapsed onto the ground, still recovering from the motion sickness. Laxus could only smirk, pleased that his motion sickness wasn't as bad as the Dragon Slayer that lay before him.

The group made their way out of the station and stood just outside the main doors, all taking in the weather. Erza and Laxus led the two teams, with everyone else falling behind them with Wendy and Lucy supporting Natsu as he recovered from the nausea. Thankfully, there was a break in the rain, leaving just the strong wind and the chill of the air.

The town hall wasn't very far from the station so they were able to get inside before it started raining again, much to everyone's delight. The two teams had been escorted to a large room on the second floor with two black leather lounges in the middle, with a large oak desk sitting just behind them and in front of the tall windows.

The group had made themselves comfortable in the room as they waited for the mayor to appear. Erza stood by the end of one of the lounges with her arms folded while Laxus stood by the other lounge, with everyone else sitting down. Lucy found it just a little funny.

"Ah, you must be the mages from Fairy Tail. I apologise for keeping you waiting."

Everyone turned towards the door at the back of the room where the voice had come from. A small man about Levy's size, dressed in a bright orange suit, walked briskly through the doors and towards the desk.

Erza nodded. "I'm sorry, but we don't quite know all the details. We only know that you required urgent assistance and you were having issues with violent weather, but this was the earliest that everyone could be here."

The mayor stood up from the chair and walked over to a window, motioning for the group to follow him. "Ah, indeed. We have been the centre of a storm for the last week. Many townsfolk that reported hearing loud noises from the forest to the north, and when the clouds seem to clear there is something that resembles the eye of a cyclone," he explained. Everyone else peered out the windows surrounding him, and in the distance, they could just make out what the mayor described. "But without a wizard's guild or forces large enough to deal with anything more than a few petty criminals, we've had to call for assistance from outside towns. Fairy Tail were the only ones to respond, so I apologise for the distance you all had to travel."

"Distance is nothing. As long as we can help, that's all that matters," Freed said, the rest of the Raijinshuu nodding in agreement alongside him.

Before anyone could say anything else, Natsu was running towards the door with his arm raised. "Alright, let's go!"

"Aye, sir!" Happy cheered after him.

The group made their way through the town towards the northern forest. Carla and Happy had flown Wendy and Natsu ahead to see if they could spot anything, but they had yet to return to the rest of the group. Laxus and Erza once again led the group with everyone else falling behind them in silence.

The northern forest didn't have a trail, so when they arrived it was a matter of Erza leading them all in a single-file line while cutting away the thicker parts of the brush that seemed to cover almost the entire forest floor. Natsu and Wendy had returned before they all left the town and ventured into the forest together claiming that the rain was too heavy and it was hard to see anything through it.

They all made their way through the forest slowly. The sound of the branches and leaves snapping and crunching under their feet couldn't be heard over the heavy rain and thunder that seemed to get louder as they went deeper into the forest. The forest itself was dense, so they weren't getting as wet as they would have been were they out in the open, but the tall trees with the thick canopies seemed to block most of it so they would only get dripped on occasionally, the tiny droplets slowly making their way down the leaves of tall trees.

No one knew what to expect to find in that forest. Natsu had taken off after he had picked up on a scent, with Laxus following not far behind him but staying somewhat closer to the group. At some point, Natsu stopped still, and Laxus ran straight into him on the edge of the clearing. Everyone else slowly caught up and stopped in their tracks when they found what had the two mages frozen.

"What the hell is that?" Laxus asked .

In the middle of the clearing sat what could only be described as the largest bird that any of them had seen, and none of them were sure if it could still be classified as a bird rather than a bird-like beast. The creature sat with its dark grey wings wrapped around its body, as it appeared to be sleeping. The feathers on the bottom of the wings were a shade of light yellow. Despite it lying on the ground, it still looked to be the size of a small house.

Everyone had stepped onto the clearing slowly and quietly as to avoid disturbing the large beast. Wendy looked up at the sky above them, straining to see through the heavy rain. She noticed the light grey circle, surrounded by the almost black storm clouds that seemed to spiral out from right above them. "Is that what the mayor was talking about?" She shouted over the rain, pointing up to the sky.

Everyone looked up at what the young dragon slayer was pointing at, with Natsu suddenly running off in the direction of the creature. Natsu jumped into the air, shouting "Fire Dragon's Iron Fist!" as he landed on its head. The creature opened its eyes at the sudden sound and stood up, spreading its wings wide and hovering just above the ground. The screech it let loose was louder than anything any of them had ever heard, and the force from its wings was enough to have the trees on the edge of the clearing uprooted. Natsu was been sent flying off, and Happy was holding onto Lucy's leg to stop himself from being sent flying with the forceful wind the creature was generating.

"Open gate of the golden bull, Taurus!" Lucy shouted, struggling to stand her ground. Taurus appeared before her, swinging his axe around before running off towards the bird with everyone else. "Go for the wings so it can't fly away!"

Taurus was the first one to reach it, but was hit by what seemed to be a lightning strike that emanated from the bird's chest as soon as his axe was about to hit the beast. "I must go…" Taurus apologised weakly, crawling back towards his master on the ground before he returned to the Spirit world.

Erza immediately requipped to her Lightning Empress Armour as Laxus held out his arms, using his Thunder Bullets. The creature screeched again as Laxus hit one of its wings, with Erza apparently landing a hit on the other and forcing it to return to the ground with a weight that made the ground beneath their feet shake.

Natsu ran up from behind the beast again, landing a Fire Dragon's Roar to the back, while Gray used Ice Cannon to land a hit just below its right eye.

Being targeted on all sides, the creature couldn't use the lightning attack it had used on Taurus, with too many targets to focus on at once. Wendy used her Vernier enchantment, as well as Arms while maintaining a safe distance until the right time came.

Lucy called out Sagittarius for the long ranged attack as everyone shouted their spells. Erza requipped to her Black Wing Armour. Natsu began to focus his attacks on the back, and Gray switched between his Ice Cannon and his lance attack, with both of them proving to work.

The beast took a beating, but they all knew it wasn't going down without a fight. Despite having injured wings, Lucy could tell it was trying to take off for flight again by the way it moved its wings. She quickly pulled her whip from her belt, still holding onto Sagittarius's key in her other hand, and with a flick of her wrist, fleuve d'étoiles extended and she wrapped it around the end of the beast's left wing. Its screech was louder than before, and Lucy dug her feet into the ground to try and hold the wing in place. But she underestimated the strength the creature still had and was sent flying into the air and across the desecrated field, her back colliding the trunk of a tree and her whip uncoiling from around the wing and rolling across the ground.

Bickslow frowned as he watched her fly through the air. He saw Wendy rush over to her side and he quickly turned his attention back to the beast responsible. "Baryon Formation!" he shouted, his dolls aligning and spinning around as they started to glow a bright green. The beam hit the creature in the centre of the chest, managing to push it backwards and into the trees at the far end of the clearing as Bickslow held his hands in position. Natsu had been thrown forward as it had moved, and he picked himself up next to the others, taking just one moment to catch his breath and watch for the beast's next move.

Everyone's hands went to their ears as it made a screech louder than any of the others. The sound of heavy wings flapping was above them as it hovered in the air.

"Wendy!" Natsu shouted, deciding it was time to end it finally and give it everything he had.

The young Dragon Slayer nodded moved away from the injured blonde, getting far away enough that she'd still be safe. "Sky Dragon's Roar!" she shouted.

Natsu ran forward and into Wendy's roar, using the rotation and power from it to strengthen his own. "Lightning Flame Dragon's Iron Fist!" Natsu screamed as he came closer to the best, landing his punch on the top of the bird's head as it made its battle cry heard again. And everyone else took that as their opportunity to give it one last attack as well. Laxus used his own Lightning Dragon's Roar. Evergreen used her Fairy Machine Gun. Freed made use of his Destruction variant of Dark Écriture. And Gray with his Seven Slice Dance with the ice swords that extended from his forearms.

The combined attacks seemed to finish the creature off as it fell out of the sky and back to earth, the ground shaking beneath their feet once more and forming a shallow crater.

They all stood around the clearing, panting in the rain as they all tried to catch their breath. It had been a tough fight, even for some of Fairy Tail's best.

The clearing had almost doubled in size along with the amount of trees that had been uprooted from the beast's wings. Some were still smoking from lightning strikes, and the vibrant grass that had been there was scorched and muddy.

"So what exactly was that thing?" Evergreen asked as she pulled a twig from her hair.

"I remember reading something about a phoenix-like creature once – lacking the fire, of course – that has been known for causing violent storms in specific areas," Freed explained as he heaved himself up from the ground. "One hasn't been seen for nearly a century, though."

The group's thoughts were interrupted by Lucy's loud cry from one side of the clearing. Erza and Wendy were finally trying to get her up since she hadn't been able to move on her own since she'd fallen. Wendy could only heal so much, and while everything still hurt, Lucy was confident nothing was broken.

Gray and Natsu made their way over to help their fallen teammate. Bickslow had wanted to offer his own support, but Laxus had pulled him back as soon as he'd taken a single step. Instead, he just watched her team support her while he stood with his own.

"Do you think you can walk, or do you want to be carried?" Gray asked worriedly.

"I'll carry you, Luce!" Natsu offered.

"Let her answer, flame-brain," Gray said quickly, lifting his arm to erect a wall made of ice right in Natsu's path.

Natsu rubbed at his head as the ice melted quickly. "What was that for, ice-princess?"

"Guys, stop," Lucy sighed. Silence came in an instant. "I don't need to be carried. If Erza and Wendy can help me walk then I'll be okay."

Erza and Wendy stood on either side of the her as she walked slowly with their support, wincing in pain with each step. Natsu and Gray walked just before them, with the Raijinshuu and Laxus at the front. Right before they left, they all took note of how the storm had grown tame. Even the rain had lessened, and the menacing clouds above had started to disperse.

The walk through the forest back to the town was longer due to Lucy's injury, and Lucy felt guilty since she knew everyone was walking slower just for her own benefit. No one commented on it, but unknown to Lucy, they were tired enough that the slow journey was welcomed.

Bickslow had stopped worrying almost the second the beast had finally been defeated, and once the weather had started to improve. He should've known something about the storm hadn't been right when he'd been there before. Still, he couldn't help but turn around and look at Lucy quickly every so often. He could see that she was in pain from the expression on her face, and he wanted to help her but he knew he couldn't.

"She'll be fine," Laxus had said quietly, clapping him on the shoulder.

"I know."

The mayor had, unsurprisingly, been thankful for all their work, and they had each received a reward of a hundred thousand jewels.

Later in Lucy's room back at the hotel, she laid right in the middle of the bed, still in too much pain to do anything other than rest. Virgo had helped her get clean in the shower, and Wendy had bandaged up the small cuts she had on her arms afterwards. Lucy hadn't thought they needed bandages, but Wendy had insisted. Lucy hadn't been able to turn over her should to look at her back in the mirror after the shower, but she knew that it would be mottled purple and black, or if it wasn't already, it would be soon.

She heard a knock on the door and she exhaled through her nose. "Come in," she called. She figured it would be the rest of the team, and sure enough the door opened and they all piled into the room

"We come bearing gifts," Erza said, holding up the brown paper bag before gently placing it at Lucy's bedside.

Lucy sat up slowly as Natsu and Wendy piled onto the mattress, wincing slightly as she moved. She reached for the bag and opened it, smiling and humming contentedly when she realised it was still hot soup from the restaurant they'd just returned from. "Thanks, guys," she said softly.

"I'm sorry I can't help any more with the pain," Wendy apologised, frowned.

"It's fine, Wendy. I already feel better. You've done more than enough," she assured her. She took the spoon to take a small spoonful of the soup, and she couldn't help but moan a little. Breakfast had just been cereal downstairs, and that really hadn't been filling. "This is really good!"

"So. Who do you think has the most bandages on them. Natsu or Erza?" Gray asked.

"I win, of course!" Natsu decided, standing up on the bed proudly as Erza shook her head.

Lucy looked between the two. Natsu had one around his forehead, as well as on both of his arms and his entire torso, and even one ankle. Erza on the other hand had her left forearm bandaged, her elbow on her right arm, and one going around her thigh on her left leg. "I think Natsu does win this one," Lucy laughed.

Bickslow could hear the laughter through the surprisingly thin walls. That meant he could hear when the laughing stopped and turned to shouting after the sound of something crashing to the ground. No doubt Natsu had broken something, but Bickslow couldn't be sure, because he wasn't in there.

For the most part, he'd been sulking since returning to his room. He had wanted to go see how Lucy was doing, but of course he hadn't been able to do that while her team surrounded her.

He scowled and sighed as he pulled himself back off the bed. As much as he wanted to know how Lucy was doing, he didn't really want to put up with the ruckus that was coming from her room. So he went down the hall to find Laxus, letting him into his and Freed's room without knocking.

"Freed, get out," Bickslow said as politely as he could muster to the Runes mage in the corner of the room.

Freed only sighed and stood up from the chair with his book under his arm and left the room, mumbling something about Evergreen under his breath as the door closed. Bickslow didn't wait until the door had closed again before he joined Laxus on the small balcony.

"I take it this is about Blondie?" Laxus asked with a flat voice as he continued looking out over the gardens and pool, watching the ripples from the rain in the pool. The grey sky would occasionally light up with the odd lightning flash in the distance.

"You already know the answer to that question," Bickslow mumbled.

Couldn't help but grin slightly, turning to lean against the railing with his arms crossed again. "So? Talk. You know I'd rather listen than actually do the talking."

Bickslow sighed. Laxus was probably the only person he could talk to right about then, and he wasn't sure if that was a good thing or not. "I kissed her. Yesterday."

"Wait, what?" Laxus couldn't hide the shock on his face. He'd known Bickslow was into her, but he hadn't exactly expected Bickslow to act on his feelings, especially not when it had been enough trouble getting him to admit them to himself. "I told you to talk to her, not kiss her.

"And then we got sent here, and then she kissed me when we were on the train, and… And I kind of told her that I like her," he said quickly.

"And?"

"And… Then I kind of asked her out on a date later last night. And now I can't even go talk to her because of her stupid team, and I don't even know what I'm doing with any of this, but it just… It all kind of felt right, you know?" He didn't like being confused and second-guessing everything he did. And while it felt good to kiss her and ask her on a date, he wasn't sure if it was good.

"You? On a date? Have you even been on a date before?"

"Like you can talk…" Bickslow mumbled as he collapsed down into the wicker chair in the corner.

"You could try talking to Ever," Laxus suggested. "I'm sure she knows more about dates than Freed does, and I'm guessing you don't want to talk to Mira about it." Laxus could only imagine what Mira would do with that information, and it wasn't pretty.

Bickslow pushed himself up from the chair with a sigh. "Maybe," he agreed. "I should probably go find Freed to tell him he can come back to the room, too."

Evergreen's room was next door to where Laxus and Freed's twin room, and Bickslow just let himself into her room without knocking as well. It wasn't like he was walking in on much, with Evergreen only sitting on the bed and painting her nails, and Freed sitting in the corner quietly reading.

"Have you come to kick me out of this room too?" Freed said flatly as Bickslow entered the room.

"Nah, you can stay if you want," Bickslow said. "You just can't tell anyone what you hear." Freed was going to find out sooner or later if he didn't already know from Laxus or Evergreen, and Freed was the least likely out of all his friends to spill his secrets.

"You didn't get anyone pregnant, did you?"

Bickslow frowned as he sat down beside Evergreen on the bed. "No, Freed," he muttered, ignoring Evergreen's snickering at the comment before he turned her attention to her. "What exactly am I required to do on a date?"

Evergreen quickly looked up. "Is this who I think it is?" she asked. Bickslow nodded and she couldn't wipe the smug grin off her face if she'd tried. "Well, I don't know much about her, so I don't really know."

"You're no help at all. Now I have to talk to Mira when we get back."

"Who exactly are you talking about?" Freed asked with one eyebrow raised.

"Lucy," Evergreen answered quickly.

"Shut up," Bickslow mumbled.

"Lucy?" Freed questioned. Bickslow only sighed and fell back on the bed, crossing his arms under his head. "When did this happen?"

It's going to be a long night.