Disclaimer: I do not own the characters, nor anything else associated with Fairy Tail. I only own the plot of the following story (and prequel) and my OCs who help move the story along. (Of course, some of the ideas for my OCs come from research on certain things, or if I found nothing on that, I created it for the sole purpose of this fanfic.)

Author's Note: Another chapter! It took me a few days with this one. I hope to have another chapter up in the next two weeks. I'll be on vacation for a week starting Saturday so I'm not sure how much time I'll actually have to work on this. I love hearing what you all have to say! I also don't mind critiques. If you find some inconsistencies, let me know. I can't guarantee that they will all be fixed, but I will do my best to solve the problem! And I already know who the key is going to be, but who do you think the key is? I hope you guys enjoy this chapter! Please R&R!

Chapter 6: A New Friend?

Grey clouds drowned out the normally blue skies. Lucy had seen the clouds over the horizon the morning before she found the key, but they had approached too quickly. After her tears had dried, the rain began to fall, giving her no chance to call on the celestial spirit. She had rushed back to the house, only to find Vesper there. That was a sight for sore eyes. What was worse was that he had brought someone with him. How long he would be staying there, she didn't care to know.

Lucy sighed as she glanced out the window for the fourth day now, finally enjoying some peace and quiet. "Their" guest had been meandering around the house now for days. When he attempted to talk to her, she had quickly walked by, avoiding him. She would find the housekeeper and talk with her for hours on end. Even before the man arrived, Lucy would find herself helping with things around the house when Vesper was out. Lorani hadn't minded it and it helped to pass the time. Today, Lorani had the day off, so no housework would be done, causing her to constantly wish for blues skies so she could go outside and greet the spirit.

She was jolted out of her thoughts when she felt a tap on her shoulder. She turned around to Vesper standing with the guest behind him.

"I want to formally introduce you to our guest, Ryuuji Fujimoto, considering you've been avoiding both me and him since I have returned." Vesper stepped to the side, to let Lucy .

"Nice to meet you, Fujimoto," Lucy responded, formally.

"You can just call me Ryuuji. Fujimoto is my father."

Lucy nodded slightly, before turning back to look outside. Losing herself in her daydreams was going to be harder now. She decided to watch their reflection in the window.

Vesper looked at Ryuuji then back at Lucy. "You can at least talk with our guest for a few moments. He will be staying with us for some time, so at least be cordial." Vesper addressed Ryuuji next. "I will be in the study if you need me. Lorani is out for the day, so we all have to fend for dinner ourselves."

Ryuuji nodded at him, then Vesper took off up the stairs to the second floor. He stood there for a moment, awkwardly looking at Lucy. Then he turned at sat in one of the chairs, opening a book he had been holding.

Lucy hadn't noticed the book before. She looked him up and down. He donned a pair of khaki shorts, a blue vest, and glasses. His orange hair fell slightly into his face, a complete mess. The book he held had a brown cover, with a title she couldn't make out clearly. She turned around on the window seat to face him. Looking him over again, she cautiously began to talk, "Uhm…. What are you reading?"

He didn't seem to notice at first. Lucy thought he hadn't heard her. "Uhm…. Ryuuji…."

He closed the book. "Sorry. I had to finish that last paragraph. Now what were you asking?"

"What's the book about?" Lucy stood up, walking towards him.

He held up the book. "It's a study of magic and how it's affected the kingdom."

"Do you mind?" Lucy slightly put her hand out as if she wanted to take the book.

Ryuuji handed the book over to her. She looked at it slowly, not able to read any of the writing. "What language is this?"

Ryuuji studied Lucy for a moment before responding. "You're not from anywhere near here are you?"

Lucy shook her head. "No. I'm not from this country."

"It's the native language of Pergrande."

"Oh, I guess it's very common then?" Lucy turned the book over in her hands.

"Only written. You'll rarely hear it unless you find some remote region in the mountains."

Lucy smiled. "I have a friend who would extremely interested in this kind of thing. She loves to study ancient languages and the like." She handed the book back to him. "Do you mind telling me about that book sometime?"

He smiled. "Sure. Anytime you'd like. Did Vez not tell you I'd be staying here for a few months?"

Lucy shook her head. "I'm not exactly on good terms with him..."

"Really?" His smile faded away. "The way he made it sound, you guys are an item."

She began to stare blankly out the window. He was breaching into uncomfortable territory. Lucy had been attempting to forget those memories, but they flooded back into her mind. She did not want to remember them at all. Not one thing. "He may say as he pleases," she said, her voice very flat. As she stood up, she said, "I have a few things I need to take care of."

He looked up, his eyebrows raised in surprise by her sudden change of mood. "Alright. I'll talk to you later then." His eyes followed her out of the room.

She sprinted up the stairs and ran towards her bedroom, locking the door behind her as she entered. She walked over to her bed, landing face first in the pillows. She wanted to scream, but that would do no good. She could remember those times that Vesper had attempted to taken advantage of her before their arrival here. They burned in the back of her mind.

She lay in bed, drifting off to sleep as she heard a door creak open. Light footsteps padded their way towards her bed, followed by a slight movement of a person sitting down behind her. She rolled over onto her back to get a better view of the person. Partially dreaming, she thought she saw Natsu, leaning towards her, kissing her, but as soon as she felt that hand running up her thigh, she had known it wasn't him. Natsu would have been warm, if not burning hot. This hand was cold to the touch.

She jolted up, knocking Vesper back. As he attempted to advance again, she moved away from him. "Stay away from me." He grabbed her wrist, causing her to slap him with her other hand. When he didn't let go, she dug her nails into his arm, causing him to pull away.

"You bitch." He grabbed his arm, which had begun to bleed. He staggered out of the room, obviously drunk. Lucy followed him to the door, locking it after it shut. She walked back to the bed and collapsed, sighing with relief, yet one thought stuck in her mind. What if he had been sober?

Lucy shuddered. She rolled onto her side, hugging a pillow. She wanted nothing but to see Natsu's smiling face, telling her that Fairy Tail was waiting for her. They were all waiting for her and hopefully attempting to find her by now.

Completely forgetting about the key, she began to drift off to sleep, dreaming of Fairy Tail and the giant celebration they would have when she was finally home.