Hey, guys, I'm back! I am so sorry for the long wait, but I hope this chapter will make it up to you all. For everyone who followed, reviewed and faved this story, thank you so much, your reviews never fail to put a smile on my face.

P.S. : For any CoLu fans out there, do check out my entries for CoLu Week 2016 if you've got time. I'd love to have some feedback on them. :)

She woke up the next day to find maroon hair tickling her cheek. Lucy smiled softly and raised her hand to sift through her Guardian's hair, as he continued to snore peacefully next to her.

The moment her fingers touched his scalp, she felt him stiffen before relaxing into her touch. She raised a skeptical eyebrow. Was he still asleep? That was weird, the grumpy Guardian was usually a light sleeper. She continued to play with Cobra's hair until he finally opened a lazy eye to glare at her.

'It's considered weird to touch someone without their consent, kid,'

Lucy snorted. 'Don't act as if you don't like it. I know you've been awake the whole time,'

Cobra hummed, neither in agreement or in denial of her statement, before he stretched and sat up. 'So, aren't you supposed to be dragging me to that weird guild tomorrow?'

Lucy blinked. Realization dawned onto her and she scrambled out of her bed.

'It's tomorrow?'

Cobra rolled his amethyst eyes at his master. 'To think that you were the one excited about this,' he drawled as he watched his master fly around the room, stuffing their meager possessions into a bag. 'How could you not know when we're going to that freaky guild?'

The blonde Celestial Mage ignored her partner as she checked the entire room again, making sure that she didn't leave anything behind. God forbid her from leaving a clue for her father's trackers to find. They had barely escaped from those nasty bastards the last time they caught up to her and Cobra. Sure, she could have overpowered those weak wannabe mages easily, but she still didn't feel comfortable exposing herself to the magical world just yet. After all, the Heartfilia's are a strictly non-magical, normal, upper-class family with absolutely no connection to Celestial Magic, or so the world thinks. And Lucy would like to keep it that way until she joined a guild.

Being with a group of people is much safer than venturing out alone. Strength lies in numbers, Lucy, despite how strong you are, don't you ever forget that. Layla's voice echoed in her mind.

Lucy snapped out of her thoughts and concentrated on transporting their belongings to the spirit realm for storage. She held her right hand in front of her and pictured a small stream of celestial energy flowing from her core to her fingertips, and towards her traveling bags. Cobra continued watching her from his spot on the bed, observing her every move. In an instant, the bags were shrouded in a bright light and disappeared in a flash.

Lucy lowered her hand and let out a soft sigh.

'Not bad, considering the fact that you didn't say the enchantment out loud,' her dark companion remarked from the side. Lucy beamed at his subtle praise. 'However, the time taken to complete the transportation of your bags to the spirit realm was too slow and you have wasted more energy than necessary.'

The Celestial Mage slumped, and she groaned. 'Does that mean I'll be teleporting rocks again? You know how much Aquarius hates it when I suddenly teleport rocks into her territory,'

Cobra stood up and made for the door, a smirk one his lips. 'That's because you're not picturing where you're going to store those rocks properly. That is also exactly why you're going to be teleporting boulders instead of rocks today as well,'

'Why, just why did I appoint you as my Guardian again?'

'Because you love me. Now get going, kid or you'll be hauling trees around again,'

'Fifty-one.'

Grunt.

'Fifty-one.'

Grunt.

'Nope, it's still fifty-one if you don't stop borrowing Taurus' strength,'

'F-Fine.'

'Fifty-two...No, wait, make that fifty-one. Seriously, Lu, stop moaning. Just forty-nine more times of carrying a tree while doing squats and you'll be done!'

'I hate you,'

'Fifty-two. Stop talking, kid.'

Rocks of different sizes sailed past her head as she formed a barrier out of water in front of her upper torso. Sweat trickled down her face as she struggles to focus on the task on hand. Pouring her magic slowly yet steadily out of her body, Lucy pants slightly as she concentrates on maintaining her water barrier and teleporting as many rocks as possible to the Celestial Realm. All while trying to avoid sending any more rocks to a certain mermaid spirit's territory. (She doesn't think she's doing a good job on the last task, judging by how loud Aquarius was screaming in her ear.)

Cobra sits languidly on a boulder and sighs at the sight of his Master. 'We can stop if you want to,' he calls out while flinging multiple projectiles at the blonde mage with superhuman accuracy. 'We've been at this for half an hour already, Lu. I can practically hear Aquarius' screeching from here.' He receives a small grunt in response. The maroon-haired man shrugs and continues hurling rocks at his companion.

'And just where the hell did that fucking boulder come from, you jackass?'

'What a potty mouth you have, Miss Heartfilia!'

'All the better to rip your throat out with, dear Cobra!'

'Keep that up and I'll send a goddamn mountain your way, kid,'

Lucy crumpled to the ground, her muscles screaming in protest as she forces her body to stretch. Training was hard today, not to mention the fact that Cobra decided to ask both Capricorn and Taurus to train her again.

Capricorn alone was a nightmare. He would push her to her very limits while testing her intelligence all the while. Despite all that, Lucy loved training with him. Unlike Cobra who would train her physical and mental strength, Capricorn would give her a scenario in which she was being ambushed, attacked, kidnapped and so on. Considering her situation and the fact that she would be joining a mage guild, Capricorn's lessons were 'of utmost importance' - as how the goat spirit eloquently says it - as they gave her an idea of how an actual fight would go.

'You are ambushed by two mages in a dense forest. Cobra is an S-Class mage, specializing in Poison Magic as well as Soul-listening Magic while I'm a B-Class mage with Plant Magic from an enemy guild. What would you do?'

Lucy envisioned the imaginary surroundings, a plan forming in her head. Both Cobra and Capricorn slowly encircled her, blocking off any paths of escape. Lucy faced Cobra, ignoring her spirit while she summoned Taurus under her breath. In the blink of an eye, her destructive bull spirit appeared, charging at Capricorn with his ax held in front of him. 'He's a Plant Mage. Tension Max and Rampage combo. Overpower him and keep him distracted.' Lucy commanded mentally through her link with Taurus. 'Yes, ma'am!'

Looking at Cobra, she quickly reinforced her mental barriers. Taurus and Capricorn's battle was going fierce on the other side. Taurus was doing a good job of keeping Capricorn at bay. Despite the lack of 'plant magic' in the battle, the battle was quickly tilting to Taurus' favor. However, Lucy could tell that Cobra would be a bigger issue.

Her Guardian's lips curved into a malicious smile as he lunges at her, ruthlessly attacking her with blows and kicks that no normal mage could have been able to counter. Lucy huffs as she blocks a kick to her head.

Their fight goes on for seemingly hours as both parties are engaged in a brutal yet somehow elegant dance to the death. Neither side seemed to pause for breath as a flurry of physical - and occasionally mental - blows are exchanged. It was almost beautiful, in a way.

However, Capricorn noted that his mistress was spending more energy than he had expected. She looked as though she was struggling in her fight against Cobra. And not because of the lack of strength or skill on her part, no. Capricorn knew first-hand that Lucy was nearly if not just as powerful and tactful as her vicious guardian. Before he could ponder on the issue, he was suddenly forced into the ground as streaks of water magic wrapped around his torso tightly and anchored him to his spot, disabling his movements to allow Taurus to fully overpower the goat spirit.

Hearing the confusion and surprise in his 'partner's mind, Cobra made the mistake of glancing at Capricorn. The indistinct 'swish' sound of a pair of scissors caught his attention and made him swivel around to face the culprit standing behind him. Cobra's eyes widened as he realized the number of spirits Lucy had called upon when they were busy fighting. He turned to face his Master only to realize that her crab spirit had severed several nerves in his body, incapacitating him completely. A swift Lucy Kick to his back signaled the end of their spar, as he fell face-first onto the ground, unable to move a single muscle.

As soon as Cobra hit the ground, Lucy bid a quick 'thank you' to her spirits and rushed to her fallen partner, twin orbs of water magic in her hands as she borrowed the Celestial Water from Aquarius' lake. A few moments later, a soft sigh from Cobra told her that he was fine - well, as fine as a person who just got several nerves severed. She stood up and grinned brightly at her favorite Guardian, only to receive a pathetic groan in response.

'I can't believe I got beaten by a crab,' Cobra's voice snapped Lucy out of her daze. 'It doesn't mean you're better than me, though,'

The blonde let out a small smile as she continued to stretch her muscles, doing her best to ignore the ache in her limbs. 'But you've got to admit , I am getting better, aren't I?'

Cobra smirked. 'Physically, yes. But, magically? Not so much. You summoned two Zodiac spirits - one offensive and one defensive - and you powered their attacks without faltering for a good 30 minutes while fending off a skilled mage in hand-to-hand combat. But, that is to be expected, considering your magic capacity. What you could have improved at is controlling the amount of magic you're releasing. You summoned a Zodiac spirit without an enchantment and that cost you more energy than what was worth,'

Lucy opened her mouth to protest but was promptly cut off by another voice. 'Cobra is right, Lucy,' Capricorn interjected from her side, startling the young lady. 'Summoning a spirit without saying the proper enchantment is highly dangerous. We all know that you are more than capable of performing such a feat, but that is only when you are not distracted. You know very well the consequences of summoning a spirit without concentrating on opening the gate to the Celestial Realm,'

The mage sighed and nodded her head. 'One could get sucked into the vortex between realms if she does not open the proper gate to the intended realm. Yes, Capri, I know. But both you and Cobra have been training me in transporting objects to and fro the spirit world without using enchantments! Hell, I've been transporting dozens of rocks per minute to the Celestial Realm and back without a glitch, I don't see why I can't do the same for you guys -'

'That's where you're wrong, kid,' Cobra cut in, annoyance clear in his violet eyes. 'What are your spirits to you, Lu?'

Lucy glared at her partner. 'They're not 'what's -'

'Exactly. They're not 'what's, they're 'who's, am I right?'

The blonde nodded. 'Meaning, that your spirits are people, just like you. Would you so carelessly project a human to a foreign realm without a proper enchantment?'

'No! That would be -'

'Dangerous? Yes. Highly so. In fact, this human could be in risk of being sent to the wrong universe, if the spell-caster is not concentrated in his task of opening the right gate to the right world. Why would you risk sending your spirits to some alien realm if you won't do that to a fellow human?'

Lucy lowered her head in shame, her hand immediately going to her keys, caressing Cancer's key in guilt. I'm so sorry, Cancer. The crab spirit's key glowed softly in response, causing a small hum to pass through Lucy's fingers, silently comforting the distraught mage.

Capricorn nodded at Cobra's explanation and cleared his throat. 'Well, with all that aside, I must commend you for a job well done in handling both Cobra and I in your fight just now. Your combat skills have improved much in the past few months and your tactical skills are getting sharper as well. Choosing close-range combat when dealing with a Poison Mage and strengthening your mental barriers against Soul-listening Magic, then attacking said mage with Cancer...I must say you've grown a lot, Lucy. Layla would be proud.'

Lucy grinned at her spirit and gave him a small hug, surprising him. 'Thanks, Capri. I couldn't have done this without you, you old goat,' she mumbled into his suit, causing the goat spirit to chuckle and pat her head.

'Well, it is getting dark, and I have been out in the human world for far too long even with Cobra's help in sustaining my life force here. Until tomorrow, little one,'

'Goodbye, Capri. Have a good rest,' Lucy whispered to the spot where her spirit vanished in a small burst of golden sparkles.

Turning back to her dark-skinned companion, she yawned and moved to her tent which he had set up during her talk with Capricorn. 'Goodnight, Cobra, looks like today wore me out more than I thought,' she said as she passed by the snake Guardian, stopping to give him a small peck on his cheek before heading to her tent. 'Don't stay up too late, Erik.'

She didn't notice the fierce blush spreading across Cobra's face as she called him by his true name.

She also didn't notice the way he smiled as he touched the spot she kissed with his hand.

'Goodnight, Lu.' he whispered, as his master disappeared within the flaps of the tent.

The next day, after hours of traveling by train to the quaint little town of Magnolia, the two mages stood before the huge mahogany doors of one of the greatest guild in Fiore.

'You sure this is the place?'

'Yep, the guild name is on the top, see?'

'Are you sure?'

'Yeah, why?'

'Because I can hear nothing but screams coming from the inside of that building,'

'That's just 'cause your ears are more sensitive,'

'No, seriously, Lu, I can literally hear people begging for mercy from a freaking demon,'

'You're exaggerating,'

'Lu. Lucy. Oi, Heartfilia, where do you think you're going? You're actually going in? There's nothing but destruction and murder going on beyond those doors, Lu! LUCY!'

'...'

'Oh, you've gotta be fucking kiddin' me,'

So, whaddaya think? Love it, hate it, pass? Don't worry, I know this story seems to be progressing rather slowly, but on the bright side, you guys got to see Lucy in action! Plus, things are going to be speeding up now since they're at the guild already, so to those who can't wait for the grand entrace of our protagonists, do not fear, I swear I won't waste another few months writing a filler chapter. ;)

By the way, hohoho and a Merry Christmas to everyone! I am currently working on a Nalu one-shot for Christmas this year, so be on the lookout for it, m'kay? Remember to read, review, follow and fav, guys! Love y'all! Clary out.