FATE
Summary: Fate brought them together and Fate gave them happiness. But Fate just had to be cruel and take the girl away, seperating them. Still, the girl comes back. How will she survive against the game of Fate?
Main Pairing: StiCy
Rating: T for SafeT and Character Death
Genre: Romance, Drama, Humor, Hurt/Comfort

DISCLAIMER: If I owned Fairy Tail, Lucy wouldn't wear really skimpy clothes O.O No offense, Mashima-sensei.

GAH! I'm sooooo sorry I'm late (again)! I didn't know that on this weekend I would be so busy T_T Please don't kill me! I just hope that this long chapter could satisfy your disappointment with me?

*sigh* Alright, since someone (you know who you are :D) requested for some KaCy moments (KazexLucy), I put in some ;)

There's also another notice at the end. Don't miss it! Oh, and I kinda rushed this, so I apologize for any mistakes. I'll edit it from time to time, though!

Anyway, read on, read on~! English is just my second language!

Chapter 8: Encounter Part 1
"I would give anything, except for my fellow nakama, to see her again. Safe and sound."

Previously in Fate...

"Welcome to the Guardians, Lucy."

"Lucino... Bernhart? Is that okay?"

"What the hell is wrong with me!?"

"I can't."

"You have already fallen for her, Kaze."

"It's like I'm in love with someone I don't even know, never met, nor even remember."

"I hope we could meet soon."

Galdmiore Train Station, Fiore
December X791

As their train arrived in the station, Team Accord quickly scurried inside and sat on an empty compartment. Lucy sat across from Anna beside the window. Coral sat down beside her with Kaze on the other side. Beside Anna sat Vulcano, who was glaring at Kaze (who, in turn, was smirking). Rain sat beside him directly across from his twin brother Kaze.

"Where's our next mission, Anna?" Lucy asked.

Anna looked up from the package she was examining in her hands.

"Magnolia," Anna answered simply. Lucy nodded knowingly and turned her attention to the once-again-arguing Kaze and Vulcano, scolding them for making noise.

Anna looked out the window and looked back on what Master Sakura told her a few hours ago.

"Anna, come here for a sec," Master Sakura called said wizard, who was sitting on a table with her team eating her favorite ube cake. Nodding respectfully, Anna stood up and walked to where her guild master sat on a small table near the bar.

Sitting across from her, she inquired, "What is it, Lady Sakura?" Sakura set aside her tea and propped her elbows on the table. "Could you and your team do me a favor?" she asked. Without any hesitation, Anna nodded. "Of course."

Sakura smiled and took out a brown package. "I'd like you to take this to Master Makarov of Fairy Tail. I forgot to give this back to him in a previous local guild master's meeting." She handed the package to Anna. "It's a mission straight from me. I'll offer a reward, too, of course."

Anna's eyes widened at the slightest and she shook her head. "But, Lady Sakura－" Sakura waved her off and stood up. "It's okay. I insist," she smiled and motioned her to go back to her team. "You guys should go now. I don't want Makarov to wait for much longer."

Reluctantly, Anna stood up, nodded to the Master, and turned to her team. Halfway there, though, she glanced back at the Master. She didn't know if it was just her imagination, but she could have sworn she saw Master Sakura's expression change into a very serious one.

Ignoring it, Anna continued to her team and told them about the mission.

"－na. Anna!" Snapping out of her thoughts, Anna faced Lucy. "What is it?" she asked. Lucy studied her suspiciously and quietly before speaking. "Can you help me shut this two up?" she said as she pointed to Kaze and Vulcano who were bickering beside them. Anna nodded and turned to the two. She glared at them fiercely, complete with a dark ominous aura.

Sensing murderous intent towards them, Kaze and Vulcano simultaneously turned to the source of it... and shrunk back in fear.

- Please stand by for a moment as Kaze and Vulcano are being punished. -

"When will you two learn to act properly?!" Anna reprimanded the two injured mages knelt down on the floor and who had their hands cuffed by crystal. She huffed and 'tch'-ed in annoyance before sitting down on her seat. "And why can't you act as normal human beings for once?" she grumbled.

"Simply because they aren't," Coral snickered. Lucy covered her mouth with her hand to suppress her giggle. Kaze and Vulcano both glared at the both of them. However, they weren't the least bit affected by it. Rain merely shook his head slightly in annoyance.

"So how's the training with Shante going?" Anna asked Lucy.

"Hmmmm... It's fine. She's a fun mentor," she replied, beaming. Anna smiled back before asking another question, "So you already know what magic you use?"

Lucy nodded. "Yeah. She found out when she asked me to meditate. After she and Master observed me, they somehow concluded that I am a Celestial Wizard. I don't know how they did it, though," she explained. "But currently, I'm a Celestial Wizard with no keys at all," she huffed.

Anna chuckled. "That's all right. You'll manage somehow," she encouraged. Lucy smiled at her and nodded.

"Hey, Anna!" Kaze called.

"Could you at least take this thing off?" Vulcano followed.

Sighing, Anna gazed out the window and ignored the complaints of her two "prisoners". That look the Lady had a while ago... What was in her mind? she thought.

At the same time, Lucy looked at Anna and noticed her deep in thought. She raised an eyebrow. What's gotten into her?

"Finally!" Kaze ran out of the train just as it arrived in Magnolia. The rest of his team left the train after him. Vulcano snickered. "You're such a kid," he remarked and was replied by a gust of wind that threw him sidewards to a wall, creating a huge crack in the process.

Kaze smirked smugly and wiped his hands, satisfied with his work.

SMACK!

"Oww! What was that for!?" he winced as he rubbed his poor head. He glared at Lucy who, apparently, was the one who chopped him on the head.

Lucy glared back. "Act normal for once, idiot!"

"Who's the idiot!?"

"Who else!?"

"Why of course, you!"

"No! YOU!"

"You!"

"I said, you!"

"And I said－"

A deep cough interrupted their argument (and prevented Kaze from retorting AGAIN). They turned their heads to Anna, who stood in front of them. She was gazing at the both of them intently, while smirking.

"Sorry to interrupt your lover's quarrel, but－"

"HEY!"

Anna glared at the both of them, as if saying 'You dare interrupt me!?'. Kaze and Anna immediately sealed their mouths shut. She coughed once again and continued, "Since I assume we still have a lot of free time on our hands, I guess I could allow all of you to tour Magnolia for a bit."

The rest of her team's mouth opened in surprise, except Rain who kept his emotionless face. The girls' eyes sparkled.

"We'll meet in front of Fairy Tail's Guild Building by 4PM. You guys can eat wherever you'd like. Do not be late. I repeat, do NOT be late. Is that clear?" she thundered as she gazed at them intensely. Everyone, including Vulcano who got back in time to hear her announcement, gulped and nodded. She nodded, satisfied. "I suggest you guys go out in groups, so as not to lose each other. That is all. You may go," she waved her hand at them, signaling them to go. In response, her team immediately ran out of the train station excitedly.

Anna watched them head out and smiled to herself. "Those guys..." she muttered to herself. Sighing, she headed out of the train station as well.

"Let's go there! There! And there!" Lucy happily chattered as she pointed to a boutique, a shoe store, and a bookstore.

Kaze paled. "No way in hell will I go to any of those places!" he protested. Then he pointed to a random restaurant. "Let's go there instead!"

Lucy scoffed and folded her arms in annoyance. "Hmph, as if. Why are you such a pig?" she spat.

"Who are you calling a 'pig'!?" Kaze retorted in annoyance.

"There's no other pig here other than you!"

"Tch. Say whatever you want, Brownie."

A tick mark appeared on Lucy's forehead and she raised a hand to hit him on the back.

SMACK

"What the hell!?"

"That's for calling me 'Brownie'!"

Kaze's eyebrow twitched and he raised a fist and punched the top of Lucy's head.

BONK

"Ouch! Why you－"

"Oi, oi. You two..." Rain sighed in frustration. How the hell did I get myself into this mess!? he thought. He looked at the squabbling duo in front of him. I just had to get stuck with this two.

"Why do you even call me 'Brownie', anyway?" Lucy inquired as she rubbed her sore head. Kaze shrugged in response. "Lucino's too long. And I can't call you 'Blondie' because you aren't blonde anymore," he replied nonchalantly. Lucy raised an eyebrow. Kaze noticed her questioning look. "What? You want me to change how I call you?" he asked. She nodded in reply. Kaze thought about it a moment before making his mind. "How about... Luce?"

"Huh?" was Lucy's reply. "Well, I can't think of any other name to call you. And the name's short and easy." Lucy fell silent. "Wait, you don't like it? How much more picky can you be?" Kaze grumbled.

Lucy shook her head. "That's not it. The moment I heard that name, I felt all warm and fuzzy inside," she said. At her words, Kaze smirked. "What's with the look?" she asked with suspicion.

Kaze shrugged. "Nothing," he replied. "Don't 'nothing' me!" the girl hissed in annoyance. "What else should I say, Luce?" he teased as he leaned his face closer to hers.

Lucy blushed and looked away. The warmth and fuzziness she felt awhile ago came back.

Kaze smirked and straightened up. He fell silent as he studied Lucy's blushing face.

A cough brought the two back to their senses. They both faced the somehow forgotten Rain, who was emitting a dark aura. Rain twitched. "So since you two are done bickering, shall we go? And before you two could start arguing again, we're just going to walk around for now," he said. The look he gave the two made them gulp and they followed him without hesitation.

The walk was silent, because both Kaze and Lucy were too scared to say anything and Rain was pissed.

Wow, Rain could be really scary when angered. Note to self, NEVER make him angry again, Lucy thought. Hmph, it's all that idiot's fault anyway. I'm happy that he won't call me 'Brownie' anymore. And what's with the Luce? Why does it seem so familiar? And what's all this warm and fuzzy feelings welling up inside me? Why am I feeling like this? Why－

Lucy's musing was interrupted when she bumped into someone and fell backwards on her butt.

"Ah-! Sorry," the person apologized. Rubbing her bottom, Lucy looked up and saw a spiky-haired, handsome strawberry blonde male wearing azure-tinted sunglasses. He was wearing a hooded green coat with a wide collar and prominent spiky, brownish white fur trimming lining the hood over his light red shirt, and black pants.

Lucy blushed unconsciously. Apparently, the man noticed this and smiled, rather teasingly. He held his hand in front of her and flirtatiously winked. "I shouldn't let a beautiful young woman like you stay on the ground like that."

Lucy blushed more and shyly accepted his hand as he helped her up. On making contact with his hand, she felt some sort of familiar sensation. Eh? What's this feeling? she thought.

"Oi, Luce, what's with you?" Kaze interrupted her thoughts. He and Rain stood next to them, almost forgotten from the recent scene.

Upon hearing the name 'Luce', the man gaped. "L-Luce?" he stammered. Lucy and the twins looked at him cluelessly. "Yeah, that's the nickname I gave her," Kaze said as he put both of his hands behind his head. "Why?"

The man slowly shook his head after regaining his composure. "N-nothing." He then turned around to walk away, but was stopped when Lucy grabbed the hem of his coat's sleeve.

"U-umm, are you a Celestial Spirit?" she asked while staring through his tinted sunglasses.

The man's eyes widened. "W-what...?" Kaze and Rain stared at Lucy, absolutely clueless at what she was talking about.

"W-well, it was just a feeling... I feel like I know you," Lucy explained. The man trembled slightly and opened his mouth. Nothing came out at first, but he managed to say, "W-who are you?"

Kaze and Rain exchanged knowing glances before nodding. With his magic, Kaze activated a thin wind barrier that should prevent anyone from the vicinity from eavesdropping. Rain proceeded to tell the man everything they knew of until now.

To everyone's surprise, the man's expression gradually softened and tears welled up in his eyes. Quickly, he enveloped Lucy in a tight embrace. "Y-You're alive... I can't believe you're alive, Lucy..." he croaked. The twins smiled and let them savor their small reunion. Slowly, Lucy returned the hug. "Y-Yeah... But I'm sorry I can't remember much, Leo-san..." Loke let go of his former master and held her at arms length.

He smiled. "It's all right, Princess. And just call me Loke. But why do I have to keep it a secret from Fairy Tail?" he asked her. Lucy turned to her two companions and Kaze turned to Rain. Rain raised an eyebrow at his brother, who narrowed his eyes. These idiots are so...

Rain sighed in defeat. "Not just from Fairy Tail. From everyone else. Master was the one who said it, so don't ask any questions 'cause I'm sure she has her own reasons," he said monotonously. Lucy and Kaze sweatdropped, while Loke reluctantly gave in.

"Then, Princess," Loke reached for his pocket and brought out a small brown pouch. He gently grabbed Lucy's hand and placed the pouch on it. "Would you mind being our master, again?" he asked with a smile. Lucy beamed and gladly accepting the offer.

Loke nodded, then a golden light enveloped him. "I'll see you later when you call us for a contract," he smiled and winked as he disappeared in a flash.

As soon as he had gone, Lucy opened the pouch and stared in awe at the golden and silver keys inside. I got all this keys...! And just like that, too! The Celestial Mage smiled happily as she opened her satchel and put in the pouch. "Let's get going," Kaze said. She nodded and followed the twins without complaining, since she was too happy to think of arguing with Kaze right now.

"I'd like 3 ube cakes, sir."

Anna stood inside of one of Magnolia's pastry shops. She chose the one closest to Fairy Tail so that it wouldn't take her a lot of time to go there. She looked around the small yet comfy shop. Business seemed to be thriving today, for the shop was almost full. She spotted only one free table, but there was another customer seated there. The redhead was happily indulging on her strawberry cheesecake.

"Here are your ube cakes, madam." The Crystal Maiden quickly turned to face the clerk and gladly recieved her cake, not forgetting to utter her grateful thank you. She made her way carefully through the small group of customers and to the table she spotted earlier. She grabbed the only other seat and sat across the redhead.

Carefully, she placed her plate of ube cakes down and took a seat. The redhead didn't even look up at her. Anna inwardly sweatdropped, but maintained her gracefully noble air. She raised her fork and sliced a small piece from her cake. Smiling at her 'table-mate', she decided to make her presence known.

"Hello." Nice one, Anna, she sarcastically thought.

The redhead looked up and glared at her. But upon realizing that she wasn't there to steal her cake, her glare disappeared and was replaced by a smile. "Hi," she greeted. Then she brought out her hand and held it in front of her. "I'm Erza Scarlet. A Fairy Tail mage," she introduced. Anna was taken aback for a second before she gladly took the redhead's armored hand in hers in a handshake. "Anna Crystalline. A Guardian mage," she said.

Erza smiled as she took another piece of her cake and gulped it down. She faced the lilac-haired woman. "So what brings you here in Magnolia?" she asked. Anna looked up at her, already halfway through eating her cake. She swallowed before answering, "We came here to deliver a package to your Master, Makarov-san, from our Master. My teammates are touring the city, right now. I could just hope they aren't causing any mischief."

The Titania chuckled before eating another piece of her cake. "What package was it?" she curiously asked after swallowing. Anna thought for a bit before shaking her head slightly. "I don't know. I just know that it was something she forgot to return in the recent guild master's meeting," she replied. The redhead nodded knowingly before focusing again on eating her cake.

An awkward silence enveloped the two before Anna decided to break it. "Do you usually come here to eat?" she asked. She noticed the redhead slow down her eating. Curious, she looked up from her second cake at Erza.

The redhead shook her head slightly. "Not really. In truth, it has been quite some time ever since I've been here. Before, I used to come here and spoil myself with the cakes they have," she chuckled, but Anna sensed a small amount of sadness from the sound. "It all changed when she died two months ago. Ever since then, I've been an emotional wreck. I hardly even touched cake, which, I belive, was quite a feat," she continued.

Anna's eyes widened ever so slightly. Two months ago? That was the time we found Lucy! Could she have known Lucy? Gulping inwardly, she bravely said, "Do you know someone named Lucy Heartfilia?" The redhead almost dropped her fork in surprise and stared at Anna with shock and confusion etched on her face.

Gulping, Erza nodded. "Yes. She was the one who...," she paused, a sob threatening to escape from her throat. "She was the one who d-died... back then." Anna dropped her fork and waved a hand rather frantically in front of her, which was quite uncharacteristic of her. "I'm sorry, I didn't mean to－" She was interrupted when Erza shook her head again.

A small smile made its way on the redhead's face. "It's all right," she said. Then, she looked straight at Anna. "Will you listen to me? I feel like I have to let this out..." she asked. Anna nodded, not knowing how she should react. Erza set the cutleries she was holding gently on the table. She propped both of her elbows on the table and rested her chin on the back of her hands. Closing her eyes, she heaved out a sigh.

"Lucy was a very precious nakama. Her joining the guild was one of the best things that has ever happened to us. She partly saved us from the depression of another one of our nakama's death. Her smiles lit up our hearts, reaching even the darkest corners." A small tear trickled down her cheek and Anna couldn't do anything but gaze at her empathically. "On that day two months ago, I couldn't do anything but watch her die. I can't help but hate myself. Not only me, but my friends were helpless, too. If only we were stronger... If only I was stronger... If only..." she sighed sadly and wiped another stray tear.

"But what we were feeling was nothing compared to what her lover was feeling," she continued as more tears trickled down her cheeks. "Out of every one of us, he took it the hardest. The image of him crying on Lucy's coffin on the day of her funeral is still clear in our memory. Often times, he wouldn't come to the guild. A single mention about Lucy would make him go berserk.

"Although time has passed, and we were starting to recover ever so slowly, we knew deep inside that we can never go back to the way it was before. Lucy has touched our lives, our hearts, and left a fingerprint that would never heal. This may sound selfish, but..." she paused and breathed a sorrowful sigh. "I would give anything, except for my fellow nakama, to see her again. Safe and sound. And I'm sure everyone feels the same," she finished. Erza kept her head low, with tears making its way down her face.

Anna had her mouth slightly open, and she was glad the redhead couldn't see her like this. Narrowing her eyes, she regained her composure. Lucy had so many loved ones in her previous life. The best thing to do in this situation is simply return Lucy to them. She opened her mouth to voice her thoughts, but nothing came out. No, she thought. She can't do this. Although she wanted to, this was Lady Sakura's job. Plus, even they have grown fond of the Celestial Spirit Mage.

With slightly shaky hands, Erza wiped the tears that were threatening to fall, faced her newfound friend, and smiled a sad smile. "I'm sorry if I took up much of your time," she sincerely apologized. Anna merely shook her head slightly and smiled. "It's alright. I understand. Actually, I feel honored that you confided in me," she said. A small pang of guilt pierced her chest, but she decided to ignore it. For now.

Erza nodded. "Thank you." Then she proceeded to eat her cake, with Anna shortly following suit. A comfortable silence enveloped the two as they ate their respective favorite cakes.

Vulcano sighed frustratedly. "Coral..." he grumbled.

Coral faced him with a huge innocent smile decorating her doll-like face. "What is it, Vulcano~?" she sweetly asked.

Again, Vulcano sighed. "You do know where we are, don't you?" he asked, though it came out more as a sarcastic comment.

The blue-haired girl kept her big smile on. "Nope~," she oh-so-innocently said that it took a LOT of Vulcano's self-control to not slap that freaky (at least, for him) smile off her face.

He heaved another frustrated sigh before he slumped down on a park bench. He and Coral were enjoying themselves in Magnolia before Coral suddenly took off to a random direction. Of course, following Anna's orders of sticking close to his "group partner", he took off after her, only to find out that it was just another one of Coral's pranks.

Damn her, Vulcano grumbled in his thoughts. After a lot of wandering around trying to find the way to Fairy Tail, they decided to take a rest in Magnolia Park. He watched Coral play with the butterflies that fluttered here and there. Why do I feel like a father taking care of his daughter?

He was about to call to Coral when two loud voices interrupted him.

"Shut the hell up, flamehead!"

"Why should I, perverted popsicle!?"

"What did you say, charcoal!?"

"Perverted popsicle!"

"Ashbrain!"

Wait, 'ashbrain'!? Vulcano quickly turned to his left and saw two boys his age fighting. And one was only wearing his boxers. He smirked. There's actually someone else that is being called 'ashbrain', huh?

"What's with the creepy look, Vulcano?" said a sickly sweet voice. He glared at Coral in the corner of his eyes and kept his eyes on the brawl.

Coral followed his gaze and gasped. He ran towards Vulcano and shook his shoulders. "What are you－!?" "Don't tell me you're GAY, Vulcano!?" she exclaimed.

Vulcano gaped at her. Some people near them stared at them in surprise. Even the two teenagers that were fighting awhile ago stopped mid-punch and faced them. The Flame Alchemist clenched his teeth in annoyance and placed one of his hand on Coral's shoulders. In one squeeze of his hand and a burst of magic power, he actually burned Coral.

"Kyah!" Flailing her arms and applying some of her water magic, Coral managed to put out the fire. What was left of it was just a slight singe at the shoulder part. She pouted at Vulcano. "You didn't have to do that, you know? I liked this dress," she muttered.

The flame-user rolled his eyes and scoffed. "It's just the sleeve anyway. Plus, you just HAD to ask...that," he retorted. He hated it when people questioned his manliness. In the corner of his eye, he saw the two teenagers that he was observing awhile ago walk towards them.

The salmon-haired one spoke up. "You've got nice flames there!" he commented. Vulcano merely smirked at him while the guy's raven-haired companion rolled his eyes.

"There you are, Salamander," said another voice. They all turned to their right and saw three people coming their way. One was a tall and muscular young man with long spiky black hair and multiple piercings and studs. Another was a petite young, teenage girl with blue hair. And the last one was a small girl with long dark blue hair.

"Gajeel! Levy! Wendy! What are you guys doing here?" the salmon-haired one called out to them with a huge grin. The three of them walked over to them with smiles on their faces. Upon noticing the two strangers, they smiled (Gajeel just stared) at them.

"Oh, we didn't introduce ourselves! I'm Natsu Dragneel," the same "flamehead" said.

"Gray Fullbuster," said the raven-haired one.

"My name is Wendy Marvell. It's nice to meet you," the dark blue haired little girl said meekly.

"I'm Levy McGarden," the other petite girl introduced.

"Gajeel Redfox," said the one with multiple piercings. Vulcano and Coral nodded through all the introductions.

Vulcano pointed to himself, "I'm Vulcano Emberlei," then to Coral, "And this is Coral Aquamarine." Said girl pouted before complaining again. "Mou~ I could introduce myself, too, you know!" Everyone just laughed or snickered at her childish behavior. Gradually, they started talking casually.

Until Natsu said something.

"Haaaah... You act almost like Luce, you know, Coral?" he grumbled. Then realization dawned on him on what he just blurted and his cheery expression turned grim. The Guardians stared in confusion as their newfound friends sulked at the mention of 'Luce'.

"Lucy-san..." Wendy muttered as she started sniffing.

The Guardians' eyes widened. Lucy?! They know Lucy?!, they simultaneously thought. Suddenly feeling awkward, they looked at the sun and noticed that it was nearing the tree canopy. Slowly, they stood up. "W-we're sorry, but we forgot we have to go somewhere," Vulcano nervously said.

Levy looked up at them apologetically. With watery eyes, she nodded. "Un. It was nice talking to you," she said. The both of them nodded and made their way out of the park.

Once out, they looked at each other, their eyes conveying the same thought.

"What was that all about?"

Lucy ran around the streets of Magnolia, frantically searching the place. She panicked inwardly. Where the hell are they?! she thought. Just a while ago, she was heading out of a restaurant with Kaze and Rain (apparently, Kaze won the argument) and the next thing she knew, they were gone. She was alone.

As she searched the streets, she didn't notice someone in front of her, bumped into that someone, and fell on her butt again. She inwardly scolded herself. What the... Do you enjoy bumping people these days, Lucy? Rubbing her sore bottom, she looked up to apologize to the man (she thought) she bumped.

"I'm sor－" she stopped and stared at the man with wide eyes. Lighter blonde hair than mine... he's... He's the one from my memories!

Said man raised an eyebrow at her. "What are you staring at, girly?" he questioned. Lucy's eyebrow twitched and she stood up abruptly, surprising the man. She glared at him and folded her arms. "You're supposed to apologize to people you bumped into. Not saying 'What are you staring at?' to them!" she lectured. The man simply brushed it off and ignored her, which made Lucy twitch again.

He was about to make his leave when he heard something.

"Ah! There you are, Luce!"

He stopped in his tracks and turned around. He saw two dark blue-haired young men run to the girl. Now it was his turn to stare.

Lucy felt someone's stare and faced the man whom she bumped into. She raised an eyebrow and smiled slyly. "What are you staring at, Blondie?" she teased. Ha! Right back at you, young man! she inwardly praised herself.

The man inwardly winced at the nickname 'Blondie' but remained silent. "L-Luce?" he stuttered. Another man walked up to him from behind and eyed them curiously.

Kaze looked back and forth from the man to Lucy until a sudden thought came to him. Aw, crap! he panicked. Anna's order from the day Lucy woke up resounded in his mind.

"Never give out any clues about Lucino's real identity to anyone from outside the guild. Is that clear?"

He cringed at the glare he recieved on that moment. Then in a almost-desperate attempt, he stepped between the two. "Oi, earth to Brownie. Oi!" he called to the caramel-haired Lucy. The girl twitched and glared at him. He sweatdropped as he felt the man's stare from behind him.

"What? You never said I should call you Luce all the time, didn't you? It was just a nickname I came up with to annoy you, anyway. Lucino's too long." With that, he felt the intensity of the stare lower down. He inwardly sighed in relief. Looking behind him, he saw the man and his companion exchange looks of doubt. He gulped.

"Anyway, let's go," he suggested. He grabbed Lucy's wrists and dragged her out of the scene, with Rain following behind, unsure of what just happened.

When they turned a corner and away from the two men, he let go of Lucy's wrists and heaved out a sigh. Lucy looked at him questioningly before an angry thought came to mind. "What was that you said about the 'Luce' nickname? That it was just to annoy me?" she asked in a menacing tone.

"Wait! It was just a way to get us out of the situation! If they start to have doubts over your identity," he started explaining, whispering the 'identity' word. "Then Anna will kill me! Literally kill me!" he panicked.

Lucy sighed and shrugged. "Fine, it's okay. I understand. Thank you, by the way," she smiled, not noticing the blush that appeared on Kaze's cheeks for a mere second. "Though, I doubt Anna would do that," she added.

Kaze shrugged. "Anyway, let's go before we get there late," he said, walking away with his hands behind his head. Rain and Lucy looked at each other before shrugging and following after him.

"What are you staring at, Sting?" the black-haired companion of the stranger Lucy bumped into, inquired.

Said man snapped out of thoughts and turned to his partner. "It's nothing, Rogue. Just..." he glanced at the direction the Guardians had left. "Did you see that?" he asked.

Rogue raised an eyebrow in question. "What do you mean?"

"I'm positive I saw Leo's key in her satchel," Sting said. He ruffled his hair with his hand before sighing. "Nevermind. It's none of my business, anyway." He turned and walked to the opposite direction. Rogue stared at his back for a while before sighing and catching up with the pace of his partner.

Anna stood in front of the doors of the Fairy Tail building. In her peripheral vision, she saw her teammates running towards her. She smiled as they reached her, panting for breath.

"Are we late?" Kaze asked as he looked up at her.

Anna shook her head. "Just on time. Let's go now. We wouldn't want to make Master Makarov wait any longer, would we?" Then she turned on her heel towards the entrance, not bothering to hear their replies. And she didn't have to, for her teammates quickly complied and followed after her.

Later that day
In Makarov's Office

Master Makarov scanned the papers that were inside the package he recieved from the Guardians. He furrowed his eyebrows, deep in thought.

On the papers was Lucy Heartfilia's data. The elderly master remembered that the young master of the Guardians wanted to investigate a bit about her and asked to borrow the data. Of course, he had to be cautious. That's why he only lent the data that were not so personal.

He rubbed his temples with one hand. Why was he even stressed about this?

Sighing, he organized the papers and set them on the table.

What does Master Sakura know about Lucy? How did she know her?

Next time on Fate...

"I have an important announcement to make for all of you," Master Sakura announced to her guildmates gathered in the hall.

"This would most likely surprise you all, but I have decided..."

(A/N)

I know, right? What a short preview -_-

I don't know if I did a good job on that scene in the cake shop (with Erza)... Please tell me your opinions on it. It will help me quite a lot :).

NOTICE!: I'm going on a one-week vacation on Tuesday. And after that, am heading straight to school -_- So that means... I'LL MISS YOU GUYS T_T The next update would be, maybe... 2-3 weeks from now :(

- ~ (^_-) ~ -

Someone... Please suggest to me a good StiCy, RoLu, JeLu, or GraLu fic~! Otherwise, I might end up LOVING Bleach's HitsuHina instead! T_T I just can't get enough of that couple...! Or... maybe you guys could suggest a good HitsuHina fic, too? Hehe.. ^_^" *rubs neck awkwadly*

And about Chapter 333 *SPOILER* WOOOH! EPIC! XD *END OF SPOILER* Haha. Lol. I didn't want to lengthen this note more ;P

Any comments? Suggestions? Violent reactions? PM me or leave it in your review. :D ...Wait, ignore the violent reactions part O.O Though, I accept constructive criticism as long as it's not rude.

*Sigh* Looks like I wouldn't be able to reach Chapter 10 before going to school, huh? -_-

Anyway... Don't forget to leave a review~! I am in need of them, people~ The more, the merrier! ^_^

Ciaossu~ Don't forget to vote on my profile poll~!

GUEST REVIEW RESPONSES:
ninjapanda: Aww, thanks! :D Yeah, I'm planning to post it when I get farther into Fate... XD You're so right! I made Kaze ALMOST identical to Sting! But as idiotic as Natsu, too ;P Thank you for reading and reviewing~! ^_^