A dance.

The confusion in the stadium was only matched by the rampant cheering of Fairy Tail as the last moments of the final event was broadcast to them via Lacrima screen. The guild hugged and cheered, tears streaming from most of their eyes as they watched their missing star finally come back to them. And, of course, since they won the games for a second time in a row.

"What is this!? What is going on here!?" Chapati yelled in confusion, perfectly in tune with how the audience and the rest of the guilds thought. "Natsu Dragneel manages to catch the dancer, only for us to find out she was the only member of Fairy TaMil we couldn't find, Lucy Heartphilia!?"

"Blondie is Blondie? Is this a legal move?" Flare asked, head tilted to the side as she stared at the old man on the opposite side of the bench. "Pinky did catch her and all, but they obviously have a thing going."

"Hmm... From what I understand, she temporarily left the guild for a few months to train solo. If she hasn't been in contact with Makarov within a year, then this is a valid win," Yajima stated, turning to look at Makarov below for confirmation.

"The answer lies with Fairy Tail's master! So will this be another win for Fiore's strongest or not!?"

The crowd held their breath, eager to hear the answer from the miniature master. Even the wild celebrations of his guild members behind him dropped. Suddenly, the man's face split into a wide grin, and the arena once again burst into cheering.

"And there you have it! Fairy Tail wins for the second time!"

"Hold it!" Jenny yelled, tick marks on her crown of light blonde hair. "Whose word do we have to verify that he isn't lying!? For a title as grandour as that of 'Fiore's Strongest', it's not a matter of what one person says!"

"Jenny..." Mira said dangerously, passing Jessamyn to her fiancé in case things got ugly between the two models. "Are you calling us liars? After all, the guild reflects the master, right?"

The Blue Pegasus wizard gulped, but stood her ground, meeting Mira's deeper blue eyes head on. "I'm sorry Mira, but I'd rather be in a clean match then find out the Games were rigged. Besides," the Machina Soul Mage blushed, motioning towards the still on-going kiss on screen. "It's kind of hard to refute the evidence,"

"That is the power of Love!" Sherry called out from where Lamia Scale was, a hand placed dramatically over her forehead. "Lucy has finally discovered its power!"

"It must have been fated to be," Ren agreed with her, ignoring the venomous look Jenny sent his way. "Just like mine and Sherry's love!"

"No - it's like Grey-sama and I's!" Juvia protested the two, entwining her hand with her boyfriend's and holding them up as though it was a trophy. Grey just shook his head and sighed at her antics, but didn't protest.

"I don't care who! Just bring in someone who can settle my point!" Jenny huffed in frustration, giving her rival's guild a glare. Behind her, Hibiki attempted to make soothing jesters to calm his girlfriend.

Mira raised an eyebrow, a devious half smile painted on her lips. "Are you sure? You'll be happier if you didn't."

Jenny's brow twitched. "Yes, I'm sure. Now call the person in, Mira."

"Okay then..." The barmaid smirked, then much to the confusion of everyone but Erza, Cana, Wendy, and the Masters, turned to face the royal sitting area. "Would you mind talking to her, your highness?"

"W-what are you playing at Mira, the princess can't -" The Blue Pegasus mage protested.

"Sure," Hisui cut her off as the green haired girl appeared next to the white haired woman, nearly giving all the people in the arena and stands a heart attack. Obviously, it was a little bit unexpected when the princess of Fiore suddenly popped out of nowhere. Even more so, since none of the Mages in the ring had sensed her approach, and none of her guards had been aware she'd left the balcony.

The Royal Jade grinned, her expression eerily similar to Mira's. She looked at Jenny, and the blonde woman immediately stood straighter. "Jenny-san, Lucy came here, to Crocus, to train about eighteen months ago. Master Makarov sent her several jobs to complete during the first month, but soon they were just sent to my father and I instead. She has not been in contact with him since then. Your protest is understandable, but it is now disproven."

Jenny blinked once, then sighed. "Alright, fine. I'm not going to be the one to go against the word of the crown. You win this round, Mira. But don't think I still won't get revenge for that photoshoot, and this year's games."

Mira giggled. "So it seems. However don't forget I also beat you at getting a fiancé and having a child."

The blonde's eyebrow twitched, and she slowly craned her neck to stare at her boyfriend. Hibiki felt cold shivers shoot down his spine, but before he could slowly back away, Jenny seized him by the back of his shirt and dragged him out of the arena.

"Well, they're starting the celebrations early." Cana gwaffed dryly, before grimacing slightly as a sharp kick landed on her kidney. Bacchus was at her side immediately, much to her indignation and everyone else's surprise.

"You okay? The baby's fine?"

"I've told you not to worry! We're fine!"

"But you're due any day!"

"No shit! I'm the one who's carried the brat for nine months!"

"Which is why I'm asking you if you're feeling okay!"

"Yeah, but in the process you've given away our relationship to my father!" Cana pointed over her shoulder where her Gildarts was enveloped in a murderous aura. She was sure her boyfriend and soon-to-be fiancé would have face palmed at the self made slip up, but all he could do was gulp at menacing look in the Crash mage's face.

"So that's why she doesn't have a ring yet..." Flare mused, making the brunette woman jump as she recalled they were still in the middle of the arena.

"...and the whole country knows too. Nice."

Before Bacchus could say a reply, he was suddenly shot into the stadium wall behind him by one of Gildarts' kicks. He had exactly five more seconds to collect himself before the auburn haired man gave chase, much to Cana's exasperation.

"My dad does know that if he kills him, my kid won't have a father right?" She asked Wendy as the blue haired girl had come up to check on her.

"I think he is just trying to get some of his frustrations of his daughter being handed off to another man. And he now has an actual person to focus it on." The teen said, watching the expecting mother as she flinched and rubbed her stomach. "Are you ok, Cana-san? Do you need to sit down?"

"No...I'm fine." She winced as yet another kick hit her now tender kidney, and her eyes widened in horror as she felt the begining of something wet slide down her inner thigh. She looked at Wendy, who immediately realized what was going on and fretfully began herding the mother out of the arena.

"Please stand aside! She needs to get through now! Today is the day people! The hour is now!" The tiny blue haired girl snapped at her fellow guildmembers, all hesitancy foregone as her medical training and minor panic kicked in. She only paused once she reached the master, having just entrusted the brunette woman to Bisca to get to the nearest infirmary. She looked out at the now partially ruined stadium, then back at Makarov. "Please stop Gildarts-san from killing Bacchus-san. And when you do, please get both of them to the infirmary."

"Will do." The Titan mage replied simply as the sky dragon slayer gave a brisque nod and rushed after her patient. He looked over his shoulder at Mira, who was snickering at a blushing Erza as the redhead kept her eyes on the viewing screen. "Ladies, can you please let Laxus or one of the girls take the kids while you escort Gildarts and Bacchus to where Wendy and Cana are? I believe her labor has started."

The white haired barmaid squealed in excitement before handing Jessamyn off to Laxus, placing a kiss on his cheek as she did so. "Sure, master. Ooh, I can't wait to know what gender the baby is!"

"Yes, I have been rather curious too," Erza stated, quickly signaling over Levy and depositing her son in the script mage's surprised arms. "Hold him for a moment, please?"

The blue haired girl could only nod dumbly before the two women walked off to break up the fight. She hardly noticed when Gajeel strolled up besides her and Grey walked off saying something along the lines of 'stoping the flame-brain' before he 'did something inappropriate on public television.'

"Well... I guess we should get to the waiting room now," Levy stated awkwardly as Orion pulled her headband over her eyes.

The iron dragon slayer just stared blankly at her for several seconds before he shook his head. "Erm, yeah, sure. Let's go,"

"And that concludes this year's Daimatou Enbu! We hope to see you all again next year!"

That went perfectly as planned, Hisui though to herself in glee as she replayed the image of her best friend and sister of the road kissing the pink haired Salamander once more. They were so suited for each other, it was all kinds of rediculous that they hadn't gotten together sooner.

When Mira had pulled her to the side and whispered into her ear earlier, the royal jade had been all but bouncing in her seat with the news that Natsu, her sister's best friend and love of her life, returned all the feelings the celestial mage had for him. And thensome.

It had been all she could do not to blurt out what she knew just to see Lucy's face turn fifty shades of red and pink and stutter out every denial possible.

Maybe it was Lucy's lack of love growing up as a child, or some bad experience with dating somewhere down the line, but for some reason she hadn't been able to see just how much Natsu returned her feelings. No...it was more like she hadn't been able to make herself believe that there really was a person who loved her unconditionally.

That is, until the fire dragon slayer had gone and kissed her national television, although, Hisui was inclined to believe the rose haired man couldn't have cared less about that last part. She snorted in amusement, continuing along the corridor of the colosseum and towards the entrance where her carriage was waiting. Her guards had been relatively easy to slip by unnoticed, and by now they were probably running to Arcadios to try and find her.

The green haired heir could almost guarantee that after Cana's labor had finished and Fairy Tail had yet another reason to celebrate, there would be pleanty of moments where he would steal her away from everyone else and just revel in her being with them again. He was a dragon slayer after all; they were known to be possessive.

Hisui was loads happy for the blonde - everything she'd worked for was finally culminating, fitting together better than it would have two years ago when she left. But still, the princess couldn't help but feel a little bitter that her adventures with Lucy wouldn't be as unrestricted as before. That the one person who'd felt more like family than her father had gotten more action in their love life than she would probably get in the next seven years if Royal politicking had anything to say about it.

She shook her head, relaxing as she entered the late summer afternoon. She would see Lucy at the celebrations at the palace later, and she could gripe about her impending disaster of an arranged marriage then. Not to mention, make certain a Salamander didn't overstep his boundries with a particular Gyspy mage...

She would be sure to one hundred percent instill the wrath of her ancestors into him, no two ways about it. Hisui hummed in pleasure, enjoying the looks she imagined crossing the fire wizard's face as she chewed him out later.

"Hey,"

Hisui spun around, instantly falling into a defensive stance as the unexpected voice spoke up right freakin' behind her. Her eyebrows shot up as she clearly saw who it was.

"Nice greeting for a friend, Jade," Taj raised a brow, the corners of his lips tilting upward ever so slightly. His hair was just as disheveled as she remembered, his clothes equally so. But for the first time since she'd met him, he didn't have some little device being configured absentmindedly in his hands.

"Taj! How- why are you here!?" The royal jade gaped for a second, before throwing her arms around him in a hug which he returned after a second. Any other time, if a person as taciturn as Taj were to randomly recieve a hug from someone he'd known only for the better part of a week, Hisui was sure she'd be clocked in the jaw. But in that time they, her and Lucy and Arcadios, had been established as a part of the gypsy culture.

There was only so much the wandering peoples of Fiore could do against the bias their chosen way of life elected from common, sedantary folk, and it'd led to the unspoken rule that those of the road, no matter where they were from or where they were going, what tribe they were from or what God they worshipped, would try and take care of each other.

It was so different from the cutthroat ways of the court and politics she was raised on that as a little girl she had practically inhaled the stories her mother told her about the old ways of life. And why wouldn't she have jumped in head first when presented with the opritunity to live it?

It may not have been such a huge change in scenery for Lucy, but to Hisui it was...it was all she'd ever wanted. People who were loyal to her not for her position, the thing that set her apart from others, but because she was one of them, and they accepted her as she came.

Taj and Keren were no different, and just by having been on the road walking around wearing the clothes they did and acting the way they choose to for that one week had cemented a bond only those who had done the same thing would understand.

So yeah, as of that moment, she completely understood everything Lucy was feeling being back with her guild. It helped ease some of the bitterness Hisui'd felt earlier, especially since she was curtly residing the arms of the crush she thought she was never going to see again. And here she had been thinking her love life would be uneventful for the next seven years. They stepped apart, emeralds locked onto saphires.

"I happened to be in the area for something." The saffron haired man grimaced as though that something was both unpleasant yet necessary.

"Is Keren with you? The caravan?"

"Keren, yes. As for everyone else, I think they're somewhere in Seven by now. Something about Heart Kruez becoming a trending brand there."

Hisui raised an eyebrow. That was strange, for someone to suddenly leave a gypsy group they'd been with for the better part of eight years. She wanted to ask, find out why he had left them and why he was suddenly there in front of her, but she decided to hold her tongue. It was the least she could do to not pry into his life after he'd helped her through her own problems with Lucy.

"Oh, well what are you in town for?" She asked instead, since she was rather curious.

"What's behind me that just ended today, Jade?"

"Ah, the Games. Funny, you didn't seem like the kind of person who'd like watching wizards use magic to beat the snot out of each other."

"I'm not, but the person hosting and funding it is a different matter all together." He replied, gently poking her in the forehead. Hisui blushed, silently swearing her heart would explode if he really meant that the way she thought he did.

"I-I see." She bit out, and felt like slapping herself for the slight stutter. That had been drilled out of her by the time she'd learned to walk, and she'd be damned if a boy would be the one to render years of articulate conversations useless. She cleared her throat. "So...are you going to the celebrations in Mercutios?"

"Maybe."

"How is it 'maybe'? You're either going or you're not at this point,"

He smirked again, and Hisui felt a sudden surge of irritation at how tall he was compared to her. He shouldn't be allowed to look down on her with those crystalline blue eyes. "I guess you'll just have to wait and see."

He turned and walked off, leaving Hisui both parts annoyed and confused as to why he even showed up in the first place. If she saw him in tha palace, Natsu was most definitely not the only one who she would point her irate ancestors at.

Natsu was pretty sure the pain in his face was from smiling so much, since he'd pretty much gone the whole of Lucy's absence without so much as cracking a weary grin, but it could also have very well been from trying to slap himself earlier to see if he was once again dreaming.

He was very pleased to say he wasn't.

He was awake.

And Lucy was home, in his arms, where she belonged.

It had been a dazed blur after that bastard Grey had interrupted the two of them and then dragging them off into a crowded hallway in the arena's infirmary wing just as Erza and Mira strolled through holding Bacchus and Gildarts by the ear. Judging by the screams and curses flying out of the room the two S-class Mages were tossed into, Natsu could guess that Cana was in labor.

It didn't last anywhere as long as Mira or Erza's delivery (thirty-six and forty-five respectively. The Salamander was almost positive the barmaid had drawn hers out just for the sake of competing with the red head), but four and a half hour's of the entire guild standing crammed in the narrow hallway made it seem easily either three times as long or only mere minutes, especially since everyone had swarmed Lucy.

Natsu could understand wanting to be close to the blonde after her two years away, but Lucy was his damnit. It made him twitchy, waiting for everyone else to finish hugging her so that he could draw her back into his arms, especially since people like Levy didn't want to let her go again.

It had only been Lucy sending him patient looks and subtle, calming touches that he didn't try and pry everyone off of her, or clock old pervs like Wakaba for pointing out her outfit.

But finally, everyone had been sufficiently distracted by Wendy stepping out to announce their new member (a wailing little girl with her mother's hair and father's eyes going by the name of Mary), and he had snaked his arms around Lucy's waist and rested his chin on the top of her head with no plans of letting go anytime soon. All of their friends and family had already welcomed her back at least once, so they would have to deal with it.

Lucy hadn't protested, instead leaning her weight into his chest amidst the thrum of cheering and backslaps coming from their guild mates and friends. Then the private party had moved to the main one in Mercutios with all the other guilds before the pink haired man could blink, Lucy still at his side.

And despit little Mary being only an hour old, her mother brought her to the palace for the celebrations with Wendy's okay. Bacchus and Gildarts had barely taken a single breath to protest, before they had been instantly silenced by a new brunette mother's hormone fueled death glare.

None of the Fairy Tail members even bothered to change into more formal clothes, too pumped to get their party on as soon as they got through the castle doors and the rest of the participating guilds just rolled their eyes at the rambunctious lot and welcomed them with large amounts of alcohol and food.

Natsu was suddenly very glad that Lucy had had the time to reunite with everyone during Cana's labor. It gave him an opritunity to ask her the questions he wanted to without interruption. He knew the 'whys' and 'wheres' now, but what he needed to know how - how she could make him worry that much. How she could leave him after he'd already lost Igneel.

Thankfully, she seemed to understand what he wanted without him even having to say anything, slipping her delicate hand into his and walking them to a small alcove out of view from the rest of the party. It wasn't as greatly lighted as the ballroom and there was a marble vase holder that took up some of the little space available, but it was only the two of them now, and Natsu wasted no time in taking advantage of it.

He wheeled her around so that her chocolate brown eyes met with his dark hazel ones, already searching for answers. He found regret, regret for leaving or regret for coming back he didn't know but it made his stomach twist and his mouth go dry. Mixed with it was pain...and he realized she too was hurt by their separation in just as many ways as he had been, if not a bit more because of the isolation they had (unwittingly) subjected her to before hand.

Ice prick and everyone else was right; he was an idiot. But he was an idiot how was going to make amends. He'd already gotten a head start with that kiss earlier, too.

"I'm sorry." He said, watching her eyes widen. It was awkwardly silent for a moment, both of them refusing to look away. Lucy smiled, and Natsu felt a huge weight lift off his shoulders.

"Thank you; it's fine." Lucy said gently, and once again the awkwardness permiated the air like a bad smell.

Do something. Say something. Anything. Natsu thought desperately, trying to save his pitiful attempt to reconcile. Maybe that kiss from earlier hadn't been as helpful as he originally thought. Or maybe be had less of an idea when it came to Lucy and women in general than he thought.

"Well this is not what I imagined you two getting up to in a secluded back corner." Hisui stated from her seat on the marble table. The two fairy tail Mages jumped. "With how you two were acting earlier, I would have assumed you'd be all over each other."

Natsu and Lucy flushed scarlet, both startled at the sudden intrusion and embarrassed by what the princess had just said.

"Hisui, what are you doing here?" Lucy asked irritably, and Natsu internally raised an eyebrow at the callous way the normally polite and reserved Lucy spoke to their next ruler. But he guessed that spending the better part of two years together would probably drive away any customary politeness.

The royal jade just smirked at her blonde counterpart. "Making sure you two weren't getting up to much- and if you were, I'd have had a nice show."

"And when exactly did you assign yourself as my babysitter?"

"Hmm..." The green haired royal pretended to think. "When you got a boyfriend?"

"B-b-bo-boyfriend!?" Both Natsu and his celestial spirit crush/best friend stuttered, blushing even more.

Hisui raised a lazy eyebrow, her smirk looking suspiciously like that of a cat that ate the canary's would. "Oh please, you two can't deny it after how you went at each other earlier - it would just be stupid. You both obviously like each other, and you've both obviously missed each other. Just call it what it is and get over it already; everyone else in your guild has already done that and paired up. Besides, you're no longer love-sick teenagers. You're adults. No need to dance around each other's feelings. Not like you could hurt anymore than when you were apart."

What was Natsu suppose to say to that? It was true- he was twenty-one, the only batchler left in his guild (besides Romeo who was still too young and shy to think of getting with Wendy), and he loved Lucy. They got along better as partners than most of the other new couples did as couples, and they definitely had chemistry, if that kiss Hisui had pointed out meant anything...which it did, at least to Natsu.

And the pain of Lucy leaving without telling him had left a wound almost as deep as the one left when Igneel abandoned him; he could not possibly be hurt any worse than that except for (worst case scenario) Lucy dying. And he was never, ever going to let that happen on his watch.

Natsu bit the inside of his cheek, catching Lucy's gaze out of the corner of his eye. He was more willing to give it a shot - the question was, was Lucy?

He didn't have to worry though, because as soon as he made eye contact she blushed even harder and her demeanor changed from annoyed and confidant to almost shy and fidgety.

She tapped two fingers together anxiously, clearing her throat twice before speaking. Natsu found himself relaxing a bit - while he liked the new confidence Lucy seemed to exude, her acting like a shy schoolgirl made her seem more like the blonde he'd known before she left. "W-well...when you put it like that it makes perfect sense to get together. So...um..."

"Is there a particular reason why you are stalling, Lucy-san?" The gigantic guard captain - Arcade-nose, Natsu thought his name was - stated out of the blue, making both of the fairy tail mages jump again.

"Where did you come from!?" Natsu yelled, angry that the big dude had interrupted something potentially life-changing and gotten the jump on his advanced dragon slayer senses. Again.

"I have been here since Hisui-sama gave you we speech. You and Lucy-san were too busy mentally undressing the other and thinking passionate thoughts to notice." Arcade-nose said stately, as though what he just said had no affect on his dignity at all.

"We were not!" Natsu protested uselessly, as his partner's face went even redder if that was possible. He could almost swear that there was steam coming off her cheeks, but then again she wasn't a fire Mage so that wasn't possible. "And you interrupted something important!"

"And what would that be, Dragneel? It is not like it cannot wait another few seconds."

"Luce was gonna ask me out! Do you have any idea how long I've been waiting to get with her?" Natsu blew up, grabbing Arcadios (oh right; that was his name) by the front of his shirt with one fiery fist.

The guard captain didn't look the least bit peturbed, and instead held out one hand to the green haired woman sitting cross legged on the marble pillar.

"I believe I won - that counts as him asking her out." The guard captain smirked. His employer scowled as she dug into a little pouch at her side and fished out several jewel. Right then and there, Natsu cursed his idiotic tendencies to Tartarus and back- he'd been played.

"W-what- no I -"

"Enough with that already; this ball is your first date, now go enjoy it." Hisui instructed, leaping from her perch and linking the two Fairy Tail mages' hands before shoving them back out into the main ballroom.

Natsu was stunned. Ignoring the knowing glances be shot his way by practically everyone in the room, he turned to his blonde partner/ new girlfriend. "Is...she okay? Are you okay? With this?"

He wasn't expecting her to burst out laughing. "She's fine; Jade just likes to meddle in my love life. And yes Natsu, I am fine with being your girlfriend. I've, uh, kinda wanted the spot for a while now, so-"

Natsu had heard enough. He cut her off with his signature grin, tugging at their joined hands. "Enough already, you weirdo - let's dance already."

MERRY CHRISTMAS TO MY WONDERFUL, AMAZING, EXTRADORDINARY FOLLOWERS WHO CELEBRATE THIS HOLIDAY (to those who don't HAPPY HANUKA/KWANZA/ETC.)

This is short, I know, and I'm sorry if it's patchy in its quality. I had no idea how to move this forward from the last chapter, and whenever I thought like I could sit down I and write, I was either too sick to do so (had laryngitis for a week) or up to my neck in make-up work or studying for midterms...very glad those are over with XD.

So, happy holidays to everyone from me, and I will see you when I have the next chapter (which should come easier, but probably won't T-T).

Land because there is no possible way to write fast enough for the next chapter to be out next week, HAPPY NEW YEARS TOO! STAY SAFE AND ENJOY THR CELEBRATIONS!