A knock sounded at the door to Lucy's dorm room. She looked around at the empty room in dismay, it was Saturday and the students could do whatever they please, as long as it was on the grounds. Levy had chosen to leave her alone, and since Natsu still hadn't talked to her since the Halloween disaster three weeks ago, she was alone. Company would be nice however, and she hopped up quickly, swinging the door open.

"Hello!" She said cheerily, before a blob of pink blocked her vision of the hallway. Natsu was standing in front of her, his hands in his pockets and his expression confused. "Natsu?" She questioned.

"We need to talk." He said simply, turning around, and heading back down the hallway. He knew she would follow. She quickly pulled on her shoes and hopped out the door, excitement spreading in her stomach. He wanted to talk with her.

"I was thinking the same thing- we could go to the river-"

"No." Natsu said abruptly. "I want to go into the forest, where no one can walk in on us."

The forest was the thick band of trees on the north side of the school, separated by a wall thicker than any of the other sides. They were absolutely prohibited from venturing inside of it, but everyone did at some point. There was a weak spot in the stone, a small tunnel like hole big enough for a medium size person to fit through. It used to be Lucy and Natsu's special place when they were dating, walking among the quiet trees, simply being with one another. The fact he wanted to go there was very promising.

"Alright." She said, trying not to sound surprised, following him out into the grounds. She soon wished she had brought a jacket, her light sweater drifting slightly in the breeze, bringing Goosebumps to her arms. Natsu didn't look back as he stalked through crowds of students, not being very discrete on their sneaking out.

The tunnel, as far as they knew, was only known by students. It was hidden by a clump of bushes, dense enough that even in the winter their brown branches hid the entrance. Natsu roughly pushed past them, the spiny branches catching at his clothes. Lucy followed him, more carefully; looking around to make sure no one had seen them.

They walked for quite a while, once they were amongst the quiet trees, father than they ever had before. She wondered if they would be able to find their way back when Natsu finally stopped.

"What is it?" She asked, her voice peaking in curiosity.

"Luce, I'm going to request to have a partner change." He said abruptly, his onyx eyes meeting her brown ones for the first time in so long as he turned around. Lucy felt shivers run up and down her spine at the feeling of his gaze; it was what had made her fall in love with him from the start. Her Mother used to tell her that eyes were the windows to the soul, and she was now a firm believer of that. Natsu's eyes were so reflective, and for the first time in a long time, she couldn't tell what he was feeling beneath all the intricate layers of emotions.

"Why?" She asked, her voice dipping into a hurt tone for a moment, but she kept her expression neutral.

"I did some thinking." He confessed, and she didn't let her surprise at him using his brain cross her features, even if it was a bit of a shocker. "I realized I wasn't angry at you for what happened, I was angry at myself."

"What does that have to do with partners? " She asked softly, "And Natsu it was my fault-"

"No it wasn't." He cut her off before she could offer an explanation, his voice hard. "It's me that can't be fixed. You tried your best Luce," He offered her a crooked smile, "But it's like a car. When the price is more than the car is worth, you got to kick it to the curb." Lucy felt tears prickle her eyes, but didn't get the chance to say something before he spoke again. "What I'm trying to say is I don't want you to try anymore. You deserve someone who can… trust you. Who can be there for you throughout the good and the bad. I'm not that person."

"Natsu-" She tried to say, but it came out a pathetic squeak. This was worse, far worse than their fight last June, then his ignorance of her all year. It hurt more because Natsu was smiling at her, a genuine smile, like he was doing her a favor instead of breaking her heart into a thousand shards, which punctured her inner organs and tore at her brain until she felt like a torn mess.

"I believe you can find that person Luce- Lucy." He promised, and the fact that he correct his nickname for her, as if it signified their relationship hurt even more. "But- Let's go back to being best friends kay?" He asked, "I want to be able to look at you properly again."

"Sure!" Lucy said, masking her voice so it sounded happy again, not like she was breaking apart inside or anything.

"Gray!" A desperate voice filled his ears, but he didn't turn around. As much as he loved her, he didn't turn around. He could picture her perfectly though, a slim spot in the darkness, her arms wrapped protectively around Lyon and Ultear, trying to prevent them from following him also. The screams rang through the streets, gunshots ringing, and bombs exploding. The town was dying. "Come back! You don't stand a chance!"

"I have to do this!" He screamed in reply, and he didn't turn around. Oh, how he wished he turned around.

"Gray, wake up!" A shout erupted in his ears, and Gray sat up with a start, cold sweat drenching his body and tears in his eyes. Someone was shaking his shoulders, and scarlet hair obscured his vision. He sat up immediately, his eyes wild.

"Mom?" he asked, before he remembered. She had black hair. Erza looked at him with that brown eye of hers, and he blushed furiously. She had found him in the worst time possible, in the worst situation he could possibly be in. Besides, he smelled bad. Not that he cared what she thought of his smell of course. That would signify actually caring about what she thought of him and of course he didn't! Psh.

"Are you okay?" Erza asked, standing up. She wasn't looking at him in sympathy, or pity, but with a fierce braveness that somehow made him feel okay. He only then noticed that she smelled like strawberries now.

"Yeah, I'm fine." He ground out, throwing back his covers, trying to fight off a blush. "Bad dream."

"Oh, okay." Erza nodded, and looked sheepishly around at the room.

"Why are you here?" He asked her, his eyebrows narrowing. She blushed, and picked at the hem of her sweater before replying.

"The Master sent me to get you… well Mira said he wanted to see you, and that I should get you." She quickly explained, the words coming out in a heated rush.

"The Master?" He asked, because he had never seen the man before, it looked like no one had. Erza nodded nervously.

"Alright then. Can't you leave? I'm going to change." He explained.

"Yeah!" She said, "I was just… leaving." She then promptly ran into the closed door. "That's a door." She said, and he almost smiled when she left the room. Erza not acting like herself was pretty damn funny. Not that he paid enough attention to her to notice how she normally acts.

Trying not to focus on his nightmare, which always echoed in his head around this time of year, he quickly changed. He kept trying to distract himself with different things, such as the color red, what argument he should start with Natsu next, what he was going to teach Wendy about art, the advice he would give Lucy about Natsu. Strawberry cheesecake, one eye, and it wasn't helping because for whatever reason his mind kept drifting.

"Please, I'm beggin' you!"

He shook his head, his eyes meeting their reflection in the mirror propped above Natsu's bed. In those eyes he could almost see her form, her reassuring smile as she turned back to look at him.

"Please don't cry."

He quickly exited the room, slamming the door behind him and stalking down the hallway, trying to remember how to get to the headmasters office. Mira had shown him on the first day of school, and he was intending on getting there without any help, seeing Erza had left… probably for her own room.

"Gray?" A sweet voice asked him, and when he turned around Mirajane began to walk towards him. "I'm to pass on a message from the Master."

"Why doesn't he tell me himself?"

"The Master has always been rather withdrawn." Mira said, "Anyways, it appears Natsu and Lucy have snuck off into the woods again. He would like you to collect them."

"Why can't he send someone else?"

"I don't know." Mira smiled, "There's an exit just beyond the tall oak tree, it's a secret tunnel the Master just barely found out about. Please?" She widened her blue eyes, "I don't want to have to send Erza."

Gray shuddered. He may be on okay terms with the redhead, but it didn't mean he wanted Natsu and Lucy to suffer her wrath like he had done so many times already this year.

"Alright, I'll go." He agreed quickly, stuffing his hands into his pockets.

"I found you two!" Gray exclaimed, placing one hand on each Natsu and Lucy's shoulders. The two guilty parties gave a start and looked up at him fright.

"Hello Gray-" Lucy said nervously, darting away from his grip. "What can I help you with today?" She shiftily avoided his gaze.

"You could come back to the school, so I can get some good points with Mira." He said, raising one eyebrow. The blonde's nervous expression only increased, her fingers picking at the edge of her sweater. He almost wanted to laugh that getting her in trouble could do that to someone… although if possible he was going to angle this so it was al Natsu's fault.

"Oh shut it Ice Brain. Like you're actually gonna do that." Natsu made a face at him, and Gray's eyebrows drew together. Oh he hated that stupid jackass. All he did was get on his nerves- and then Gray wanted to smile (if he still did such things) because he had something over Natsu now.

"I would be treating me with some respect!" He said loudly, "I mean, your fate rests in my hands." He waved his hands around.

"Please let us go." Lucy begged, widening her big brown eyes, a pout appearing on her lips. "C'mon Gray…." So she was trying to manipulate him.

"Don't even-" he began.

"People!" A gasp sounded from behind them, all three of them whirled around, various expressions of surprise escaping from their lips. The voice belonged to a small thin man with an untidy mop of black hair and pinched, unhealthy skin. His clothes were torn, his hands shaking as he extended his arms towards them. "You have to help me."

"Who are you?" Natsu spoke up, stepping in front of Lucy and pushing her gently behind him. Gray stepped up as well, but mostly because he was curious as to why this man was wandering the forest at this time of day.

"My name is Bobo." The man explained, "I come from a village, through the trees." He gestured behind him, to where the trees were so thick you couldn't possibly see between their trunks.

"What do you need help with?" Gray asked, his eyebrows narrowing.

"My town… is being enslaved by a man." The man said quickly, "You have to help, I just escaped." He was clutching a stich in his side, his face, Gray could now see, was drenched in sweat.

"What is the man's name?" Lucy inquired, her face nearly pressed against Natsu's shoulder as she stepped up, although he noted that the pink haired boy didn't seem to push away her attention.

"Deliora." The man panted, "Please- you have to help." Time went still as the name passed through the man's lips, and it did cartwheels in Gray's mind.

"Deliora was the one who attacked your home town. He was the one who enslaved me- caused so much pain. He's the reason for the darkness in your heart."

He stepped forward, gripping the man's shirt with his fist and lifting him up by the collar, his navy eyes narrowing, for a moment his strength progressed what was normal capacity for him, anger swelling in his stomach.

"Where is it?" He demanded, his voice hard.

"Gray!" Lucy exclaimed, probably because of his actions, but he ignored her. She surely didn't understand that this was bigger than whatever he did, then her and Natsu's petty problems.

"Up in the trees ahead, on a island in the lake…" The man began, and Gray released him, and turned to the trees ahead of him, his heart beating in his ears. "But I'm the only person who can take you there!" the man said before Gray could run off, "I'm the only one." He repeated.

"Then do your job, and take us there." Gray spat, and Lucy looked at him in horror.

"Gray, what's gotten into you-" She began, but Natsu cut her off by placing a hand on the blonde's shoulder.

"Does this have something to do with why you're at the school?" He inquired, for once not ending the comment with an insult.

Gray simply nodded, and pushed past them all in the direction the man had indicated. Natsu soon followed, and Lucy darted after him. The man, looked up at the little sky you could see between the leaves of the trees.

"Forgive me." He whispered towards some unknown being, "But this has to happen."

"You're the Master?!" The shocked words came tumbling out of Erza's mouth before she could stop them, and she soon clapped her hand over her mouth, realizing that while he didn't look the part, he was still the person determining most of her life. The man scoffed at her reaction.

"Well I am in this big office aren't I?" He asked, holding his arms out as if to gesture at the richness of the room.

"Yes, I suppose so sir." Erza bowed her head respectively. For whatever reason, the man was bothered by her easy submission; he was visibly clenching his fists as he spoke next.

"Listen, Erza, I have a favor to ask of you." He turned around to his expensive oak desk, running his finger against the fancy plaque with his name carved upon it. His brown eyes didn't leave the surface grainy surface, such as he didn't want to look at Erza and see the weakness she had come to be.

"Anything Master."

"Please," He turned to her again, smoothing back his blonde hair with a tan hand, "Call me Laxus."

"Alright, Laxus. I'll do whatever task you assign me to do."

"I need you to go after three kids who seem to think they can just ditch the school whenever they want. Their names are Natsu, Lucy and Gray." He said, not bothering to mention that he'd already sent Gray after them originally. He had gotten the written instructions from Lis this morning, detailed plans about what their enemy was planning to do. "They should be around this part of the forest." He handed her a map. "Erza I hope I can trust you with this."

"You most certainly can Master."

Erza exited the room, her scarlet hair trailing behind her. He didn't even bother to correct her, it made sense that after the incident she addressed him with respect.

"Relax." Came a sweet voice, and Mira placed a cup of tea in his hand… although he wished It was a good mug of beer. "I'll go take care of announcements." She sashayed out of the office, and he looked after her. Just another thing that's changed.

WHY IS LAXUS THE MASTER? I'm not really sure myself yet… but all will be revealed!

Okay, if you want a song that basically explains this fic (and everything planned for it) That song is totally Into The Fire by Thirteen Senses

Sorry this chappie was…. Bleh. I had extreme issues with how to get them onto the island and rewrote it in like ten different ways, some that didn't even make any sense.

Leave a review… or do really whatever you want I don't mind.