Hello, everyone! So, I have an apology to make for last week. I was out of town three times in two weeks, and got a sinus infection on top of that. The writing just wasn't happening with all of that going on. But I'm back! We're only three chapters, including this one, away from the end, and then I'll potentially looking for new things to write! Any ideas, shoot em at me! Can't promise I'll use them, but I always like talking possibilities. But I've kept you from the chapter long enough. Enjoy!


Lucy hummed lightly, resting her cheek on Natsu's shoulder as he walked them through the woods. Natsu hitched her up on his back slightly, making her squeak. She lifted up her head, ready to scold him, before a thought hit her.

"Natsu?"

"Yeah Lucy?" he turned his head slightly, so that she could see the curve of his cheek, offset by his sharp nose.

"Back at Fairy Tail, when we were, um… well, you know, before they..."

"When we were rolling around on that hill?"

She smacked him. "Don't be so crude! But yes. You mentioned something about radio silence," she leaned her chin back down on his back, looking past him and into the dark trees. "But I sent you letters. You didn't get them?"

He shook his head and she could hear the frown in his voice. "Nah. And I do check my mail. Well, I guess Mira checks it for me. She gives me anything that comes in. Can't imagine her holding one back."

Lucy hummed thoughtfully. "I wonder what happened. We'll have to ask her when we get back to the group."

"Definitely. Speaking of, we're here!" Natsu made to walk out of the trees, but Lucy tugged sharply on his hair to stop him. It was her desired response, but when he put her down he turned and suddenly she found herself backed into the rough trunk of an oak tree, caged by his strong arms. He bent, hot breath whispering over her heated skin.

"Luce… if you're gonna do something like that, you better be ready to handle the consequences," he murmured, eyes glittering in the murky dawn. She could see the edge of one sharp fang peeking out of his smirk, and her breath caught. Without thinking, she reached up on her toes and kissed him, darting her tongue out to play with the sharpened canine.

Natsu groaned lowly, crushing her back against the trunk, running his hands up her sides. His tail fought its way free of his pants, curling itself around one slender wrist as she let her hands drift over his back. Lucy gasped, breaking free, and Natsu coughed awkwardly, loosening his newest appendage.

"Sorry 'bout that," he muttered, bringing the tip of his tail in front of his face. Lucy giggled as he went cross eyed trying to follow as it swayed and twitched. It seemed he had an easier time controlling it when he wasn't thinking about it too hard. Personally, she was hoping it would stay forever. She could definitely get used to it.

But right now they had things to do, no matter how enticing that tail was. She could hear cheering and laughter from inside the fort, so it was clear the battle had been won, and they really needed to go check in with the guild. Wrapping her hand around Natsu's, she tugged him toward the courtyard, heedless of his attempts to tuck his tail back into his pants.

Stepping through the broken gates, Lucy started to look for the Master, only to be tugged off balance as Natsu was slammed to the ground by a speeding ball of blue fur. "Natsu!" Happy wailed, clinging to his foster father's chest. "You're ok! You're here! Everyone said you were fine and to give you and Lucy some 'time' for something or other but I was so worried about you and―"

"Happy! C'mon, buddy, it's ok! I'm here now. I'm sorry we weren't back sooner," Natsu scratched Happy in between the ears, fluffing his fur. Happy looked up at him, big eyes watering with emotion. "But where did you go, Natsu?"

"Yeah, Natsu. Where did you go?" they turned to see Cana, chortling, downing a flask. Natsu went bright red as Lucy tried unsuccessfully to melt into the ground.

"We, um, we were, well, we, um…" horrified, Lucy watched as Natsu's tail wiggled its way out of his pants, seeming to twitch and flail in time with his awkward hemming and hawing. She ran up to stand behind him, stepping on it so Cana wouldn't see it over his shoulder. Natsu let out an unmanly yelp.

"We were chasing a rogue Underlord mage!" she said firmly. "Had to make sure no one would get away."

"Oh," Cana drawled, raising a brow, "how… thorough of you," she sauntered away, before pausing and calling back loudly. "Are you sure you weren't chasing tail, Lucy? We won't judge you!"

Lucy squeaked, hands flying up to cover her face as Cana laughed, walking off. Carefully she lifted her foot off of Natsu. His tail lifted up, curling around her ankle. It seemed almost forlorn and Lucy felt bad for stepping on it. Especially since it had done them no good at all. She glared at Cana's back as she offered Natsu a hand up.

"C'mon. Let's go have Master have a look at that, at least." Natsu blanched, but nodded gamely. As they crossed the courtyard, mercifully cleared of Underlords now locked in their own dungeon, they were greeted with friendly hoots and hollers.

"So where'd you two run off to? Nevermind, we don't want to know!"

"Lucy, you're blushing! Or is that just a first degree burn Natsu gave you?"

"Assflame, you look like you have a literal ass flame!"

At that last one, Natsu charged at Gray, and in a moment half of Fairy Tail had been pulled in to the celebratory brawl, heedless of the battle they'd just fought. Lucy shook her head, but she couldn't hold in a laugh when Natsu's tail snuck up and flicked Gray right in the nose. Their friends were insane but she wouldn't have it any other way. Letting her partner work off some steam, she headed over to her pack. She needed a bra.

After the fight was broken up, courtesy of Erza, they reconvened with the Master. They were joined by the rest of Team Natsu and Team Ceartas. Master held up Natsu's tail, chortling, "I'm not going to ask how you got this, brat, but it seems to be a physical manifestation of your magic. I can feel its signature," he narrowed his eyes over it for a moment before pronouncing, "seems to me it'll take care of itself. Probably around sunrise or some time tomorrow. But it may well be a normal part of your Dragon Force now."

Natsu grinned, "Cool! I'll have the most badass Dragon Force, then!"

Something drew Lucy's eyes over to the shadowed wall near the group. She made out Gajeel, staring hard at Natsu, then his own butt, then Natsu, then back to his rear. She tried valiantly to hold in her giggles. She had a feeling the two Slayers would be having an awkward conversation soon.

Turning her attention back to the conversation, she met Master's smile. "Well, children, it seems that your job has been fulfilled. The Magic Council has been contacted by Rai and myself and your reward will arrive within the week."

Lucy squealed eagerly. She could go home! Take a bath! Pay her rent for a few months! Of course she'd still go on missions… she hesitated, looking at the two teams before her. They were both her teams now, in a way. Then Natsu wrapped a firm arm (and tail) around her waist and Lona sent her a wink, and she relaxed. Her home was with Team Natsu. But she knew she would never say no to an occasional side adventure with Ceartas.

Master dismissed them all with an order to get some rest, and she bedded down for the night by Levy's campfire, promising to tell her friend absolutely everything when they got home. They were joined by Wendy and soon followed by Natsu and Happy. Gajeel grudgingly joined them a few minutes later, strategically placing himself in between Levy and the rest of Team Shadowgear. Levy didn't seem to mind. The day finally catching up to everyone, the group quickly settled down after Natsu made a round of the campsite, eating up all the fires.

Lucy was tucked snugly into her sleeping bag when he came back, and she yelped as one side was mercilessly opened up to the cold air. His toned body slid in behind hers not even a second after, a barrier against the morning's chill. He wrapped a firm arm around her waist.

"Shush, Luce, I don't have a sleeping bag. I was kidnapped, remember? It was terrible. Lemme sleep with you," he breathed in her ear. She laced her fingers around his and pillowed her head on his other arm as her response. She could feel his smile in her hair as she fell back asleep.


Much later into the day Fairy Tail woke up in time to meet the Rune Knights, there to take control of the prisoners and shut down the Underlords, hopefully for good. Everyone knew that another power player would fight their way to the top, sooner or later, but for today they could go home and celebrate.

The journey back seemed much faster than the one to the fortress. Natsu did indeed lose his tail the next morning, to Lucy's chagrin. Even sadder, they hadn't found the chance to sneak away from the group on the three day journey back. Certainly not for lack of trying, especially on Natsu's part.

Happy, Carla, and Lily had flown ahead to warn their guildmates left behind that the rescue mission had been a success. They returned to the marching column on the last day of their travels to announce a massive party was being prepared. Everyone stepped up their pace, eager to finally be back.

Stepping into the guild was a wonderful feeling. Lucy took a minute to just stand in the doorway and soak up the joy of coming home. She opened her eyes to see Happy a mere two inches away, staring at her intensely.

"Auggh! Happy! Don't do that!"

The cat chuckled evilly. "Sorry, Lucy," he said innocently, "I was just passing on a message from Natsu! He says to meet him at his house in half an hour."

Lucy blinked, looking around. Natsu had vanished. Was he preparing a surprise? That was uncharacteristically sweet of him. Lucy smiled fondly, then headed over to the bar where Mira had already set up shop. She had time for a milkshake.


Natsu headed up the hill to his house, note in hand. When he'd walked in, he'd been pulled to the side by Happy and handed a missive from Lisanna. She'd wanted him to come to his house to talk. She'd said it was urgent and private. He'd looked for Lucy, but Happy assured him he would go find her. So up the path Natsu went.

He entered his clearing, smiling a little at his ramshackle little hut. He and Happy would have to fix it up if he was going to convince Lucy to move in… Natsu stopped a moment, shocked by the suddenness of the thought, then shook his head and shelved it for later. He was distracted, though, as he crossed to the door, and so a tripwire he would normally have seen eluded him.

As soon as he stepped on it, he heard a twang from across the clearing. He turned, seeking the origin of the sound, only to be completely encased in an orange gel that dropped onto him from the tree above. Sputtering in shock and outrage, Natsu twisted and choked, trying to burn his way out. The gel didn't seem to care about his flames, though. He could only move in slow motion, limbs hampered by the sheer volume and viscosity of the liquid. Still, he reached the edge of his bell shaped, gelatinous prison, only to encounter a hard shell around the outside edges. Shit. He was starting to get dizzy from lack of air. Spreading his fingers over the shell, he closed his eyes and pushed as hard as he could.

"Breathe, Natsu. It won't hurt you."

Opening his eyes, he saw Lisanna, standing just outside his improvised cell. She lifted one hand and placed it opposite his own. "Breathe, Natsu. I promise, it'll be ok."

He had to suck in a breath anyway or he would pass out. The gel filling his mouth was gross and he gagged, but found he could inhale without issue. Once he'd taken a few huge breaths and gotten used to the feeling, he looked back at Lisanna. She'd called him here and put him in a cage? What the hell? Staring at her, he realized she was a mess. Hair disheveled, bags around her red rimmed eyes. What was going on?

Her hand was still lined up with his. She sighed, staring at him for a long moment. "Why?" he tried to ask, but it seemed that while he could breathe in his prison, speech was another matter. But she saw his lips move and understood anyway. Stepping away, she twisted her hands in front of her, looking to the ground.

"I'm sorry, Natsu. I―I didn't want this. But I had to do something! And nothing else was working and she has you fooled and pulled in and I couldn't let her hurt you again―" her words tumbled over one another, almost too fast for him to catch. He saw how she drew one arm across her body to scratch at the skin of the other, too hard. She stopped abruptly and took a deep breath. Her eyes flashed back to his.

"You're confused. I know. I should―I should start at the beginning. But what's the beginning? Where did we really start, Natsu? Was it when we were kids? Is it right now? Or maybe before we were even born?" she shook her head.

"Ever since I came back, everything has been different. My family treats me like glass. My friends confuse me because I don't know which version is which anymore! There's magic everywhere. I can feel it all around… it's like being thrown into a lake after being stranded in the desert for years. Except it's not a lake, it's an ocean, and I'm drowning."

Her eyes burned into him, and with a horrible jolt Natsu recognized that sharp edge which he'd seen in the Memory Mage and in Malleolus. Somehow, somewhere along the line, his oldest friend had dropped off the ledge and into madness.

"I thought coming back would be wonderful! I thought it would feel like home, like I belonged! But nothing is the same," she stressed, "nothing except… except you." As she spoke, her voice slowed and her eyes softened. "You were the same brash Natsu. Still careless, ferocious. Still my best friend. I thought―I don't know what I thought. But you anchored me to this world again."

Her eyes darkened again and the madness was back. "But it wasn't the same, was it, Natsu? She was there. She's always there! And you go to her, like a moth to the flame! Don't you know you'll get burned!? I had to protect you!" she was pacing now, waving her arms, tugging at her hair.

"She left you, and you still chased after her like a dog! Even when you thought she wasn't writing!" she reached into her jacket, pulling out a small packet of papers which she threw to the ground. Natsu recognized the handwriting instantly. Lucy's missing letters. The ones that had caused such confusion and hurt between him and Lucy.

"Honeyed words and false promises. Lies, lies, lies. She just wanted to keep you on her hook. Something she could come back to after her adventures without you. And you were happy to stay there!" Lisanna whirled, tears gathering in her eyes. "Why is it her, Natsu? It was always me! It was me before I went to another world and you found someone else."

She sank to her knees, and Natsu slowly followed suit, flattening a hand against the shell once more. His heart was breaking for his friend. How could he not have noticed? They'd all assumed she would slide right back into their lives like nothing had changed. But to her, of course it would be a confusing, parallel mess. She'd been pulled into an alternate dimension, accepted she would never return, and then suddenly been pulled back 'home' to a guild that had been rebuilt by members that had grown and changed in the two years she'd been gone. Was it any wonder she'd fallen into insanity, with everyone acting as though she should be happy and secure in her homecoming?

His eyes fell to the letters. He could understand Lisanna's rage and pain. Hell, he could understand why she'd trapped him in a bubble. If he were the only target of her madness, he'd get it. But Lucy was innocent. Whatever fantasies Lisanna had constructed weren't true. However pure her intentions might be ― she'd said something about protecting him? ― he couldn't let her hurt Lucy. She had to understand that she was living in a delusion! But trapped in his bubble, he couldn't speak or fight.

Lisanna's head snapped up, looking toward the edge of the clearing. "She should be here any minute," she murmured. Natsu's heart rate picked up, panicked. Lisanna had trapped him thoroughly. What had she planned for Lucy? She looked at him and smiled, a mad grin, too wide, showing too many teeth.

"Happy told me all about how she snared you. She has him under her spell, too, but that was easier. I told him I would help you set up a surprise for her. For a fish he delivered my messages. And it's the truth. You don't see it yet, but she's only using you. She'll only hurt you. She already has. You saved me when I came back to this world, Natsu," she whispered, "and even though you replaced me, I still want to save you in return."

She stood up and faced the clearing, leaving Natsu to pound on his prison desperately. He tried to shout, but only let out a large bubble which rose agonizingly slowly to the top. Any fire he conjured was snuffed out before it could burn. He was helpless to warn Lucy, to stop Lisanna. Why hadn't he seen this sooner? Why hadn't anyone? They could have stopped this. And now Lucy was caught in the crossfire.

Lisanna rolled her shoulders, pulling her transformation out of the core of her magic, her maddened psychosis bringing clarity to everything. The ocean let her steal a few single breaths before stealing her away again, and black feathers coated her body and her fingers lengthened into razor sharp talons. She felt her very bones shimmer and change, making her lighter and faster. She heard Lucy's steps come up the path, and a moment later the blonde stepped into the clearing, looking around curiously.

Lisanna didn't give her a chance to orient herself as she crossed the ground in three swift strides. She lifted a claw. Once this was over, everything could be normal again. Once she'd taken care of Lucy, she could be happy again. She could finally escape from the clutches of the ocean trying to drown her; she could breathe again. If Lucy was the sacrifice for her release, then she could do it. It was all so simple, wasn't it? Wasn't it?

She didn't hesitate as she slashed and severed her freedom into the woman before her.


Another cliffhanger! Hooray!

On a serious note, I see a lot of stories about Lucy being replaced when Lisanna comes back to the guild. I can't help but think that it would be the other way around, that Lisanna would feel as though she's been the one forgotten about. In the anime, she bounces back almost immediately, although she seems shocked and traumatized as she watches the world she's built a new home in be ripped apart by war and then is literally pulled out of Edolas Mira's arms, to watch that Mira and Elfman fall to the ground sobbing after giving her what must be the saddest blessing ever. And now she's back in a guild that (at least in this story), treats her as though she's never been gone. Nice on the surface, but she has been gone. For years. And to ignore and bury that trauma to try and meet the happy expectations of her family and guild could, in an absolute worst case scenario, end up with the madness she's experiencing, where she ends up latching obsessively onto Natsu and believing that Lucy must be removed as an enemy. My goal is not for anyone to hate Lisanna-what she's doing is super not ok, but she needs help instead of hate. A lot of help. Very quickly, since she's actively slashing at Lucy with talons.

On that cheery note, a massive thank you to my beta, Lady Lutka! She's currently working on a multipart NaLu fanfic that looks amazing! Should be coming out soonish, so keep an eye on those latest releases!

Author shoutouts this week:

Sam Le Faie: I really enjoyed'A Second Chance,' and I hope you all will, too, if you haven't seen it before.

NotJustAnyFanGrl: A lot of fun shorties exploring different NaLu scenarios. If you need a quick, fun read over lunch, this author is for you.

I will see you all next week for the long anticipated, Lisanna-Lucy showdown!