**A/N: hey all :) this was probably the hardest chapter that i had to write. i must have erased it and started it over fresh about three or four times; i spent roughly 6 days on this chapter. sthis is the most subtly important chapter in all of part one so i probably tried too hard and i was trying to squeeze quite a bit of plot in here. honestly i want to spend a bunch more time on this but i want to make more progress before classes start up again. thanks as always to those who continue to follow and to those who take the time to read my story.

Book One: Lucy's Awakening

CHAPTER 6: The Calm

Papa, please, let him go!

How could you ask that of me after all that this monster has done?

I can fix this; I can save this world! Please, papa, let me make it right!

No, I have waited too long as it is. I must end this now…

Papa…papa…NO!

A great blinding flash of light and then…

"Lucy!" three voices chorused with relief.

Lucy awoke with a sudden start unsure of her surroundings; her breathing was heavy as the feelings in her dreams were still with her. She sensed a welcoming warmth around her and realized that Mirajane was hugging her close. Lucy relaxed into the familiar and loving embrace as she tried to calm herself. She took in the large white painted, plain room with two rows of beds with a small, yellow plaid curtained window between every other bed; she also noticed the abundance of flowers and herbs resting either in large pots resting on the wooden floor or in small pots resting on small wooden side tables. She peaked up at a window and noticed that the sun was no longer in the sky as it had been when she arrived and wondered how long she had been asleep. Suddenly, she pushed Mirajane away as memories came rushing towards her.

"Mira! What happened to the man? Is he hurt?" Lucy asked in a rush.

Mirajane smiled calmly at her and gently petting her head explained, "The man is fine, Lucy. He is a little beaten but he will recover; someone came to take him where he could receive better care."

Lucy brows furrowed at this news with apparent discomfort. "By whom? How are you so certain he is under good care, Mira?"

The sound of a slight cough brought Lucy's attention around to a red-haired girl sitting on a chair to Lucy's right. Lucy studied her and frowned, not quite recalling the identity of the person, which the girl seemed to understand.

"You may not recall me since we met during the heat of battle. My name is Erza; I assisted you during your battle. I can personally assure the care and safety of Ben, the man you saved, as my people have seen to him."

Lucy relaxed her features but only slightly as she was still not reassured. "While I am sure you are a good person since you helped me, how do I know I can trust you?"

"Ben used to be a personal servant of mine. He was a formidable swordsman in his youth, but due to a tragic incident he lay down his swords at an early age. I am not certain how he came to serve my family, as it is not my business, but during his time with us he has taught me patience and elegance in the ways of weaponry, as well as the grace and compassion needed of a warrior. He is very special to me, Lucy." Erza said all of this with a very serious and somewhat grave look on her face. It was as if she blamed herself for the entire occurrence although she had done nothing wrong.

"Lucy," Mirajane said softly with a hint of chiding that only Lucy would catch, "Erza is the daughter of the House of Scarlet, she is most trustworthy. You recall the Dark Knight and the White Knight from the stories, right?"

Lucy looked over to Mirajane with confusion but catching her pointed look feigned recognition of these titles. Later, after some deep thought, Lucy would recall these two heroes, and although certain it had been from no story, she had no idea from where she had heard the names.

"Of course! My sincerest apologies for questioning you in such a rude manner and for not recognizing your identity immediately," Lucy apologized with a slight bowing of her head.

Erza was slightly overwhelmed with the, in her opinion, overly formal apology offered by this stranger. Erza nodded and said in acceptance, "There is no need for apology. I should thank you for helping him."

Lucy nodded at her and gave a soft smile before asking another question that had been pestering her. "Who was that nobleman anyway? What right did he have to hurt that pea— I mean Ben."

Mirajane responded, "It turns out he is a merchant, a very wealthy and prominent one at that. He is the Duke of Everlue."

Lucy fished around in her memory to see if she could find that name somewhere. She did recall reading her father's paperwork one day from her window when he was leaving for a trip; he had been referring to a list of people that he had to visit during his journey and she vaguely remembered seeing that name on the list. "A merchant… I know of someone who will certainly help in the conviction and punishment of this man. My pa—" Lucy paused, having caught herself barely in time from revealing her true identity. Erza gave her a look at the pause, but Lucy continued. "My patron is also a merchant and I am certain he would be most interested."

"Oh? Who is that?" Erza inquired in surprise.

"Jude Heartfilia?" Lucy answered with some uncertainty. She had no idea of her father's exact position and she was worried that she had named some insignificant person. She hoped the wealth exuded by her family's estate was an indication of her family's status.

"Oh!" Erza exclaimed. "Jude Heartfilia? You mean, the leader of the merchant and trade guilds? Why, he serves the Queen of Fiore directly on her council. I had no idea you were all from such a respected House," Erza practically gushed in excitement. "I am so honored! Please, forgive me! No wonder you speak so well for such a young person!"

Lucy was a little surprised by Erza's reaction and was greatly relieved that her family was as prominent as she hoped. My family serves the queen? I had no idea! Lucy thought to herself. Mirajane was a little startled herself for even she did not know that the family serviced the queen, but she was aware of Jude's prominent status in the mercantile world.

"What do you mean about my speech?" Lucy asked Erza.

"Your tone is very formal and, almost regal even, more that of a noble woman than that of a peasant child; but now that I know who your master is, it make sense that such a man would accept no less from his servants." Lucy grimaced having completely forgotten her new identity as Mirajane's cousin, a peasant not a girl of prominence. She was unaware of how to speak to others and thankfully Erza had just washed away any need to falter or worry about her speech. "You know," Erza continued, "I had wondered why you would stop to help someone like him."

"What do you mean?"

"Well, you exhibited great skill during the battle for someone of your age and small size and your dress seems highly made, so I assumed you were someone like me. Many people of our status do not help those below them, especially if it appears that a noble is simply reprimanding his servant. It would be considered a rather trivial matter."

Lucy grabbed Erza's hand that she had just rested on the bed. "A person in need is no trivial matter. Status means little in my book," Lucy said with serious ferocity.

Mirajane was about to intervene when the banging sound of a door that was being forcefully pushed open rang in her ears. Mirajane turned around in surprise and Erza screamed in pain and fought her way out of Lucy's grasp and fell from her chair to the floor.

"You two get out of her now! Go find Makarov immediately!" Porlyusica ordered.

"But—"Mirajane began to refuse the order with confusion, as did Erza.

A shrill wail pierced through the air which prompted Mirajane and Erza to cover their ears in vain as they searched for the source; once they saw that it was coming from Lucy's tiny form, their eyes widened in shock and disbelief before they quickly ran out of the room to find the headmaster, closing the door behind them.

"What is happening?" Makarov shouted over the noise. He had popped! into the room as soon as the two girls left and took a battle stance in preparation for any necessary actions.

"If I knew, I would not have called you. I am trying to cast a shield around the room but I can barely form it without knowing what I am trying to keep in. It almost feels as if some other force is inhibiting the formation…"

"Perhaps the wards we already have in place will help prevent—"

He stopped at the sound of a dark and sinister laugh. Porlyusica and Makarov, who had had their eyes closed as they tried to assess the situation, quickly shot open their eyes to focus on Lucy. Her small figure was hunched over and her face was twisted with a dark, sinister look which did not fit her frail but friendly features. Her mouth was formed into an evil smile which emitted a low wicked chortle. Her skin was extremely pale and radiated a soft glow; her hair was now the color of a dull ashen honey; her dead eyes were empty yet they were glowing a very soft tan. Clearly, this was not Lucy Heartfilia.

"Well, I was wondering how serious the little princess was about this but…." the dead eyes focused in on Porlyusica, "working with the likes of you, she must be quite serious." Again, the wicked laugh resounded in the air.

"State your purpose!" Makarov demanded.

The dead eyes zeroed in on Makarov and for a moment it seemed as if no response would be heard. "My, my…it's been awhile hasn't it?"

"Not long enough," Makarov retorted. "What do you want?" He made a slice with his hand in the air sending a wave of energy towards Lucy.

Lucy's arm shot out straight forward, reflecting the attack and she shook her head at the spell. "Relax, I am not here to fight…not yet!" The empty, dead eyes began to glow brighter and the smile grew even darker. "I sensed this one's energy; I thought this was the form Mavis was hiding in, but I am mistaken. She's been hiding from me, silly girl. So, deliver a message for me to her…"

Suddenly, amid a thunderous boom and pure white sparkling mist, three figures appeared. The two tall figures on either side wore long dark cloaks to conceal their form, but one could make out the glowing light of their eyes. They remained still in a very relaxed position standing an arm's length from the smaller figure in the center. The one in the center wore a long pink dress that fit snugly on the small, slim figure before slightly flaring out into a loose skirt; her long, gleaming golden tresses were flowing wildly and her luminescent glittering skin shone brightly even in the well lit room. Her eyes were burning so brilliantly that they were a fierce fiery white.

"Why not deliver the message yourself?" a childish but very powerful voice demanded.

Another sinister laugh rang softly in the now quiet room. "Mavis! I am surprised that you would show yourself before me! I thought you would continue to cower away and hide in your little hole." Lucy's figure paused and then her face lit up in realization. "You favor this one! Humans are such weak pathetic creatures; did you heal this one? She shares your essence, weak little thing though she is, Mavis, for someone like you to take notice."

Mavis's face flickered for a moment in shocked horror, not at the voice's insinuations but rather it was because the person's identity was not the one she had expected to confront. It was too quick for anyone else to notice, and she refused to let her fear show to anyone. "What is it that you want?"

"Come now, Mavis, it has been so long since we have seen each other. Show a little love, won't you?" the voice sneered.

In response, Mavis began to glow impossibly brighter seemingly in preparation for an attack. "Speak now, before you lose your chance."

"You bluff. You would not hurt one you favor. It is still her disgustingly pathetic human self; but I am sure you knew that. Run around and hide while you can, dear one. Now that I know you are in fact here, I can take further action. We will play together, Mavis, not now but quite soon. Unless…"

"I will not give in to you!" Mavis yelled shooting a beam of yellow light at Lucy's figure.

"Mavis!" Makarov yelled. "What are you doing?"

Lucy's frail figure collapsed onto the bed, but not before one last evil word came from her mouth: DEATH.

Mavis quietly settled herself, gradually returning to normal before even bothering to think of a response. Apparently, Makarov did not need one; he moved on quickly but not before Porlyusica beat him to it.

"Mavis, this event changes your story. What's going on?"

Mavis turned away in shame. "I do not know."

"Your kind has a tendency towards mischief. Is this how little you care?" Porlyusica accused.

Mavis turned around in fury. "I said I do not know! I assure you, I am surprised as you are. That person… He deflected me yet he said he did not know if I was here. I went to the estate first feeling the burst of energy there, but then I felt the shock of a spell and I knew that I was misled. I sent my companions here immediately ahead of me as I made sure it was safe. They should be about finished with their defenses outside. Of course, these two are here to protect me. " Mavis relaxed a little as the events began to settle in her mind. "I do not want to think of what would have happened if I was even a moment later than I already was, Porlyusica. Believe me!"

The hermit healer made a humph! in response and began to make her way over to Lucy to administer necessary healing. While Mavis had been speaking, the companions she spoke of had all appeared in the room silently one by one, only settling after quickly assessing the situation.

"It is true. We were all in a meeting to discuss certain matters, when we all felt the sudden energy wave. This person must have incredible powers to misguide even us," aided one of the companions.

A softer female voice added, "You should have seen them both when they realized the error."

"Before I forget, we have already altered and taken care of people's memories of today. The students and everyone in the city are sound asleep. It will be as if this never happened. It is a little early, but it will help to ensure the effectiveness of the alteration. No one was harmed." A female companion wearing dark blue backslapped the man in red over the head for interrupting the flow of the conversation and silently communicated with him that he would pay for it later. Makarov was relieved at the news and Mavis acted as if he had not spoken.

"There was only a very slight attack I think to blind the people there and to keep them there. It took time to get out," came yet another voice.

"If the person knew to block the estate, then why come here? I find it hard to believe that he "sensed" Mavis's presence here. There must be something more," Makarov queried aloud.

"It was drawn by the emotion and power this girl emanated earlier. Time was taken to ensure an in and out, but I do not think it was a lie that no other harm would be committed. If anything, once he took over her, he probably realized that he could not kill her." Porlyusica said all of this very calmly and in a very matter-of-fact manner, unmoved by anything else that was being said by the others. She continued to pass her hands over Lucy who was glowing slightly per Porlyusica's care. "Do you always travel with such a large group, Mavis?" she asked in a pointed but teasing manner.

Mavis stuck out her tongue in response.

"The energy we all felt was very strong. We would not leave the Queen's side," said one of the more serious companions evidently missing the joke.

"Of course, this means I must assign someone here after all," Mavis said.

"You mean other than your little spy Lyra?" Porlyusica pointed out.

Mavis childishly stomped her foot and argued, "I have to keep an eye on her somehow."

"You and your games," Porlyusica accused. "There is no need for extra people here. It would be safer to not alter any plans. Besides, he said he would not be doing anything anytime soon."

"You believed him?" she cried in disbelief.

Porlyusica made no response, so Makarov continued the discussion. "I think that we are safe for now. Also, we can safely assume that the only reason why he was even able to take over her that way is because we began the healing process. We cannot remove that magic."

Mavis was slightly surprised by his assertion as she had not thought of this herself. She was disturbed that she would be breaking her promise to both Layla and Natsu. In her new life, Mavis simply could not accept this. She noticed that everyone, her companions, Makarov, and even Porlyusica were deep in thought about this new problem. She felt touched but only for a moment because she could not allow herself to have such feelings.

"I suppose," one of the companions began, "we could remove the magic and contain it in something else. It would not change the nature of it but…"

"Transfer the magic?" Makarov said playing around with the idea. "A very dangerous idea... A powerful object of some sort would be best with a few other spells to keep it contained yet still effective towards Lucy and Lucy only."

"She could never remove it, or she would die in a short amount of time if not immediately," Porlyusica added in her usual serious tone.

"Jewelry, then? Girls, even young ones, like jewelry." Makarov suggested thoughtfully.

"Young ones lose everything," Porlyusica chided.

Everyone was quiet as they tried to think of a suitable solution. Transferring the magic or rather its essence would be the best idea as Lucy could be healed but the part of the spell that protected her would still be active. Mavis was annoyed that she had not offered any opinion and was feeling rather small. I still have to mend my sweet granddaughter's broken heart; her emotions simply cannot bounce around that way. I would have thought Igneel's son to be much stronger, but he is just a child I suppose. Still, he should not have been so easily scared off; what a coward! Her face then lit up with mischief and excitement as she thought of a way to knock out two birds with one stone.

"Jewelry is the best idea, Makarov. We can also fix the other issue caused by Igneel's son." At this, her companions silently snorted for they knew Mavis was ignoring the guilt of her actions. She sent a slight spark on all of them as she felt them laughing at her. "I propose that Igneel's boy make a bracelet for her…"

"A bracelet is not possible, my Queen," said one of the female companions. "If it cannot be removed, it would be difficult for obvious reasons."

"Yes, of course," Mavis inwardly slapped herself for her error and made a note to herself to punish the companion who made her appear so foolish. "A necklace will be made by the boy for Lucy. He can make the chain and Igneel will use his own magic to make the pendant. All of us will work together to ensure the absolute quality of the charm before allowing it to be given to the boy."

"Mavis, that could take some time, don't you think?" Makarov spoke softly, slightly afraid that Mavis would also attack him for speaking in slight opposition.

"The timing will be perfect. She should be safe for the time being and the curse will not bring her further harm or interfere with her days. I can probably cast a small charm to help Lucy improve a little so that she can comfortably live her life here in Magnolia. It should take perhaps two months or so, which makes the timing of little issue. The boy needs a little while more to finish his training and the perfect timing for this event to take place would be closer to Lucy's birthday. A very romantic idea, don't you think? It will have been months since the pair was separated; the moment and the gift must be absolutely perfect and most sincere. A birthday reunion in the season of summer will be an excellent setting; preferably, one in the evening so that the stars may witness and bless them."

Of course, taking immediate action leaving little room for error or interference would be the best option, but no one wanted to argue with Mavis or her plans. Porlyusica would wait until later to put in her personal snub, but in the mean time she remained disinterested in the Queen's affairs.

"Mavis, I thought you liked my son?" said Igneel who had suddenly appeared out of nowhere.

Mavis was not surprised by his appearance as she had been calling to him silently. Everyone else, however, save for Porlyusica who was simply annoyed at yet another body popping up in her space, was incredibly surprised at the arrival of the old man.

"Igneel, it's about time you showed up. That boy of yours, where is he?"

"He is safely resting. I think he felt this occurrence slightly in his sleep. It's why I am here."

Mavis perked up and actually clapped her hands in delight. "Already they have such a strong connection! You will help me make the charm won't you? If we take it a step further, it can be a most useful item for later."

"Yeah….I guess," the old man grumbled annoyed that she was right and that he actually did care about the well-being of the boy.

"Excellent! Now, before I take my leave, there are other pressing matters to discuss!" Mavis declared to everyone in the room feeling much better about the situation; she had asserted herself and put herself in control.

Porlyusica could not take it anymore as yet another small group of people appeared in the room. "Get out!" she screamed.

Mavis giggled with utter joy at the hermit's irritation but obligingly moved the group to another part of the Academy. Before effortlessly transporting everyone, she tossed one last loving look at her granddaughter feeling that it may be her last chance and cast a silent spell on her.

One week later…

Lucy sat up in her bed and stretched her arms above her. Her first week in Magnolia had been most eventful, although she could not remember much about the first day. She had received a letter expressing great thanks for her assistance in helping Ben, as well as a letter from home that her mother was very proud of her and had personally seen to handling the merchant. Lucy felt much more relived now that her mother was taking care of it, and was excited to become the friend of a family as prominent as her own. She still felt guilty for lying but she had a feeling that Erza would understand when the time came to reveal the truth.

Lucy was glad to make a new friend, a girl at that, to help her forget the pain she had left behind at home. The two had discovered that not only would they be sharing a room together but they would also have a few classes together, although Erza was two years older than her but Erza claimed that academics was not her strong point. Together they went to the bookstore and other shops to purchase school supplies, as well as new clothing before the new term started. Erza also took the time to show Lucy around Magnolia, with which Lucy quickly fell in love particularly the river that ran through the town. Lucy noted that Erza and Mirajane did not appear to like the other's company but she never questioned it and simply divided her time between her new and old friends. Elfman was still very busy training so he did not have too much free time to spend with the girls, but he gladly prepared a meal for them at the end of the day.

Lucy was truly happy and had very high hopes for the start of her new life. Still, in her heart and too close to the front of her mind, she could not help but think of him. At night, under the light of the moon, she began keeping a notebook where she wrote short notes to him and kept it hidden inside of her trunk that contained the other notebooks filled with her writings. Every night before going to bed, she prayed for his safety and wished for his return.

The first day of school…

Everyone stared at the instructor with captivated faces. It was the first day of school and Lucy's had been going pretty well as she easily fit into Erza's already established group of friends. She had expected to begin her specialty courses on the first day but apparently that did not begin until the second week of school to allow for adjustment and club activities during the first week. Lucy and Erza were currently in their last class of the day, Music.

The instructor was playing a large harp with a dark blue wooden body and golden silk strings. All of the students were first struck by her beauty; the girls loved her beautiful waist length, curly strawberry-blonde hair and the boys—well they were boys and the instructor was a cute girl. She wore a simple light blue cotton dress that fell just above her small cream-colored ankles and wore plain black slippers. Instead of speaking to introduce herself, the woman had proceeded to play the harp and after some time she began to sing. Later, the students would discuss the song and each one would claim to have heard different lyrics. Both Erza and Lucy heard a song about new beginnings and friendships and the pair had held hands while tears silently fell from their eyes.

The woman played the final notes of the song, and paused for a moment before promptly playing a few soft notes as she spoke in a light singsong voice. "Thank you all for listening. It is how I say 'welcome' and 'hello'. This season we will explore the history of the music of Fiore, and perhaps cultivate your musical talents. I will sing for you once a month, no more, no less." The woman stopped playing and delicately rose from her seat. She bowed slightly at the waist and said, "My name is Ms. Rira. I hope you enjoyed your first day!" She straightened her posture and smiled brightly at the students, who were still under the enchantment of the song.

Then, all of the students got up from their seats and clapped very loudly, shouting various sentiments about the song and about Rira. Rira blushed at their praise and enjoyed the sounds for a few minutes before insisting that they leave to enjoy the rest of their day.

"Wow! That was amazing, wasn't it Erza?" Lucy gushed.

"Yes, it was a very beautiful song. Didn't you feel like she was speaking directly to us?"

"I did! It's too bad we only have music in the spring. It seems like an amazing class."

"Hey, Lucy, Erza! Come join us for some dessert," shouted a girl from down the hall.

Erza perked up and her cheeks reddened at the thought of eating a delicious treat from the school's bakery. Lucy chuckled to herself and pulled Erza towards the group of girls so they could make their way to the treats. At the bakery, the five girls decided to share a small chocolate cake after Lucy strongly objected to the strawberry cake.

"Lucy," said the girl who had called to them, "you never told us what you are studying!"

Lucy blushed as she was somewhat embarrassed about her specialty. "I am studying herbs; in particular their healing properties," she whispered.

The girls paused with their forks halfway to their mouths and stared at Lucy as if she had grown two heads. Lucy blushed even more profusely and waited for the jokes to come. They never did.

"Wow!"

"That's amazing!"

Lucy looked up in shock at this praise. "It is?" she asked uncertain.

"Porlyusica is almost impossible to please. I hear she is very picky about who she accepts into her program. Was the exam hard?"

Lucy studied the girl called Levy wondering if she was teasing her somehow. "No, I was sent a text with some pictures and I had to fill in some information. It was pretty simple."

One of the other girls shot up from her seat and banged her hands on the table causing everyone around them to look at their table. "You filled out Porlyusica's entire text on herbs?" she shouted.

"Evergreen…calm down, please. Everyone is looking at us," Levy urged.

Evergreen took her seat and excused herself for drawing attention. Everyone was still staring at their table but their eyes were focused on Lucy, who was now very uncomfortable.

"You never cease to amaze me, Lucy," Erza spoke with a mouthful of cake. "You are skilled in combat and an expert with herbs."

Around them people were mumbling with excitement at Erza's pronouncement. A few were pointing at Lucy and others made their way to the table to listen in to the conversation.

Lucy wished she could disappear at that moment. "I am neither of those."

"You fought off those men brilliantly!" Erza argued.

"No one has fully completed the Green Book," put in Levy.

"I heard that you are the first to both fully and correctly complete it," chimed in Evergreen.

"Juvia does not sense the aura of a healer on you, but your scent is overwhelmingly botanical. You are small but Juvia saw you fighting those men; your nimble movements were the ones of a skilled fighter. Yes," she nodded in confirmation, "Juvia acknowledges your expertise in healing and combat."

Lucy's skin was burning from embarrassment. They talk as if I fought them on my own! What is wrong with these people?

"Oh!" one of the members crowd shouted. "She's the one who fought off those thugs who were trying to hurt that old guy."

"Our Scarlet knight said that girl is as good as her!" At this, Erza glowed with pride and Lucy's embarrassment faded into disbelief.

"She's the first to match Porlyusica!" another voice shouted.

"Juvia just dubbed her elite!" a group of three declared.

Shouts of recognition and praise rang through the air as the girls sitting with Lucy nodded in encouragement. Every word simply amazed Lucy as it became more and more twisted. After a few moments, she let it go and began to smile and did her best to accept the ridiculous spectacle. As all of this was happening, Makarov was listening in horror to the words the students were shouting. He now realized the company that Lucy was keeping and had a pretty good idea who else the girl would quickly befriend and had wild fantasies about the troubles that would occur with the arrival of his new student. Gildarts watched on with pleasure until he saw a girl named Cana make her way over and utter the words:

"Lucy, my cards revealed that you and I are going to be great friends! You have to introduce to me to all of the boys you know!"

Gildarts fainted on the spot.

Later that evening…

"Lucy, do you think you will join any clubs?" Erza inquired.

Lucy took a moment to consider her response. It was fairly late in the evening as Erza had went to train on her own, while Lucy spent time with Mirajane whose room was on the floor above hers. Lucy was still surprised that her parents had not arranged for the two of them to share a room together, but Mirajane had explained that they really wanted Lucy to have a new life. Now, Lucy and Erza were lying down in bed on their sides huddled beneath their covers talking about nothing in particular. Lucy was slightly surprised by Erza's question but she should have expected it; as much as Lucy did want to join a club she was not sure if she could handle it in her still fragile state.

"Well, you know I think I will need time to adjust to the school. It is only my first year and all."

Erza shot up in her bed and said excitedly, "Oh! I know the perfect club for you to join—mine!"

Lucy made a face as she was still not quite used to the strange personalities of Magnolia Academy. "No, Erza…"

"Your skills will become rusty if you don't practice a lot," Erza lectured as if Lucy had not spoken, "Is the whip your specialty? I can use any weapon but I have never used that one before. I am sure Gildarts will know how!"

"Really, Erza, I have no idea how to fight," Lucy argued. She remembered the few skills that Natsu had taught her but she refused to think of anything to do with him.

"Hand to hand combat is the most important, of course. We could use someone of your expertise."

Lucy felt that there was no point in trying to argue with the girl but still she tried again. "Listen, Erza, I don't know—"

"Okay!" Erza gushed with excitement. "It's decided! Tomorrow I introduce you to my circle."

Lucy had a bad feeling about this.

The following day...

"Hey! Look, Scarlet's finally decided to join us."

"Who is that with her?"

"Isn't that the one that fought off that huge gang of bandits?"

"Yeah, yeah, I remember now; she fought off like ten thugs before defeating their leader."

"Wow!"

Thankfully, Lucy could not hear any of this chatter as Erza had been talking nonstop since their last class ended and they made their way over to a courtyard. The area was larger than Lucy had expected with a variety of weapons everywhere and tables with drinks and snacks; Lucy wondered where the protective gear was hiding.

"Yo! Erza, who's your friend?" called a slender boy with spiky jet black hair and serious dark blue eyes.

"Gray, you idiot, that's the girl who beat up those pirates in town!" called another boy with short green hair. "Pay attention!"

"Oh? I thought it was ninja assassins or something," Gray responded seriously.

Lucy was about to correct this absurdity when Erza corrected them herself. "Gray, Freed, I was there myself. I can assure you that it was a former knight of the Queen's and she fought only about ten or twenty of the man's bodyguards who happened to be trained killers."

Lucy just stood there with her mouth open dumbfounded at how her encounter became more and more exaggerated. She half listened to the "oohs" and "aahs" of the other club members when suddenly a shadow appeared over her.

"She seems kind of small to fight off twenty ninja pirates. You're making it up, girlie." The voice belonged to a seemingly much older boy with loose spiky blond hair that was blowing in a sudden gust of wind.

"Laxus!" called a voice a little too sweetly. "Remember me?"

Everyone looked behind Laxus to see Mirajane standing directly behind him. Where did she come from? was everyone's shared thought. In response to Mirajane's question, Laxus stared her down for a moment before grunting and walking away.

"Mira!" Lucy shouted with excitement. "What are you doing here?" Lucy noted Mirajane's appearance with some surprise for she wore fitted shorts and a loose tee that slightly revealed her belly button when she moved.

The other boys cringed at Lucy's friendly and familiar tone with the girl. They began whispering amongst themselves:

"Hey…"

"Isn't that Sitri?"

"You mean, the Summer Demon?"

"Lucy's greeting her…"

"They must be friends, right?"

"If they are, the stories must be fake!"

"Yeah, it was probably more like a hundred guys!"

And on and on it went as the boys continued their wild fantasies.

"Lucy! I heard you were joining Magnolia's Spars, I decided that I would join, too. My brother will probably join as well."

"'Spars is an interesting name for a club," Lucy commented.

"The girls didn't like Fight Club even though that's what we do," Laxus said.

"We do not 'fight', we practice our skills. That's called 'sparring', Laxus," corrected Erza.

"Are we going to start or what?" Laxus asked.

"Gildarts and Rob aren't here yet," answered Gray.

"We don't need that old man," a different boy said.

"Hey! That old man is my father," Cana said angrily while punching him in the face.

"Why you—" the boy began getting ready to attack back. Before he could do or say anything, a large man with a grave expression had lifted him up off his feet and tossed him way off to the side into the bushes.

"He is no longer welcome here!" Gildarts declared.

"Daddy!" Cana squealed running into his open arms.

"So, we have two new recruits. This here is Lucy and Mirajane; Lucy you may recall as the one who beat up those assassins…"

"See, I told you so," Gray whispered nudging Freed.

Lucy cringed. Even the teachers encourage this!

"…and Mirajane some of you may remember from the open summer training offered here at the Academy," Gildarts continued.

This caught Lucy by surprise as she had no idea that Mirajane had ever left the estate, let alone to go off fighting. Lucy continued to listen to Gildarts as curiosity burned at her; she had never actually learned what Mirajane would be studying at the Academy.

"So, who wants to be the first to take on our two new fearsome fighters?" he asked the group.

The boys all looked away apparently fascinated by whatever their feet were touching in the grass. Evergreen and Juvia were paired off to the side practicing breathing exercises, while Levy and Cana were huddled around a considerable amount of papers and books that Lucy had no idea where they had gotten it from since she was sure it was not there before. Lucy was a little surprised that no one would want to fight such a tiny girl such as herself but then she recalled the stories circulating around the Academy about her. She was really puzzled as to why no one wanted to fight Mirajane…

Erza sneered: "Oh ho! I thought you were too much of a princess to fight, Mira."

"My, my, I am amazed that any snacks remain for the others, glutton," Mirajane said sweetly.

"Should we pick up where we left off then?"

"Ah, I seem to recall we never finished our fight."

Now Erza glared at Mirajane who instantly changed her expression to match Erza's glare.

"Bony, navel showing floozy…"

"Stubborn scummy wench…"

The two girls charged at each other with their bare hands and Lucy gasped.

"I am going make you cry!" came Erza's battle cry.

"Not before I take you down!" came Mirajane's battle cry.

Lucy watched the pair in astonishment. She could not believe how serious the pair fought with their fists and their words; she shrieked in terror when they somehow found swords which were then quickly tossed aside in favor of fighting with their bare hands.

"Teacher! Shouldn't we stop them?" Lucy asked horrified at the scene.

Gildarts glanced over at the two girls seemingly unfazed by their actions. "Hmm… It's been some time since they have seen each other. They must have missed each other a great deal."

"I—I see…" Lucy said not quite understanding his explanation. Lucy looked around at the others who were "practicing" and decided everyone was distracted enough for her to reveal the truth to Gildarts. "Um…teacher…"

Gildarts glanced down at Lucy. "What's wrong? Need some clothes?" he asked noting her knee length, simple brown dress.

"What?" Lucy asked in confusion. "Oh, no, that's not it."

"You sure?" he asked not quite convinced.

"Yes! Really, I have shorts on," she clarified lifting up her dress and then quickly pulling it back down when she realized what she was doing. Gildarts laughed at her behavior. "I wanted to ask you something."

"Ask away."

"Well, you see… I don't actually know how to use any weapons and I have no idea how to fight like that," she explained as she pointed over at Mirajane and Erza.

"I am sure your parents wouldn't want you fighting like that anyway." Lucy gave him a pointed look. "Okay, okay, I understand. We can start with some defensive training. You're quick on your feet so I bet I can teach you a few things to take advantage of that."

Lucy looked away upon hearing this. It was the same thing that Natsu had said and she was certain it would be the same techniques which she had no desire to acknowledge. "I don't want to."

"Oh?" Gildarts said skeptically. "Why not?"

"I don't want to," she repeated.

Gildarts studied her for a moment. "Hey, Rob, can you come here for a moment?" he called.

Lucy examined the man called Rob as he made his way over. He seemed much older than any of the other instructors at the Academy that she had met, but she recalled that Headmaster Makarov and Nurse Porlyusica were also older than the other staff. Although she had not officially began her studies, Lucy had already spent a few hours with a very demanding Porlyusica on her own as it turned out that Lucy was the only person in her field, and while she felt that the woman was a little stiff she came to see that the nurse was actually a very caring and gentle person.

"So, what do you think, Rob?" queried Gildarts after explaining Lucy's situation.

"Every girl should learn defensive movements, but she can clearly handle herself," he said while studying Lucy's stature. "Perhaps a little more about weapons… How do you feel about daggers, Lucy?"

Lucy was not sure how she felt about handling knives. "What about whips?" she asked recalling Erza's compliments on the skill she exhibited that she could not quite recall.

"Whips?" asked Rob. "But I heard that you fought off a bunch of bandits with a whip your first day here."

"It was twenty pirates, Rob. Don't you listen to the grapevine?" Gildarts admonished.

"Oh, of course," Rob laughed. "The ninjas, yes, I heard about that."

Lucy rolled her eyes. "It was my first time actually using a whip but I have never been trained or anything. I want to learn how to use those. That man had a leather whip, but I remember reading in a book about different metal whips. Can I learn about one of those? Or maybe each one?"

The two men looked at each other before looking back at the tiny skinny girl who wanted to learn how to use a fierce metal weapon. They glanced around at the other students using weapons that would be considered too dangerous for kids outside of the Academy, and then at the ongoing fight between Mirajane and Erza, who kept grabbing at any weapons they could get their hands on; the fight had gotten very serious yet neither of them had a scratch unlike the rowdy group of boys. They thought about how the headmaster would feel about Lucy's request and shrugged their shoulders.

"Sure, why not?" Gildarts said.

"I see no harm in your choice of weapon," chimed in Rob.

"You have to promise to study the defensive techniques with someone at some point," Gildarts warned.

"No, absolutely not," Lucy responded.

"Well, then let's get started!" exclaimed Rob ecstatically.

**A/N: so what do you think? i realize that this chapter is the longest one by far and it was not well written. ugh i am not even sure how i feel about it and i keep thinking i forgot something but i cannot remember what it is. the next chapter should be a bit shorter as i wrap up part one of the story and try to make it lighthearted. i hope to have it up by the weekend. okay, so come on, how sad are you that natsu wasn't in this chapter hmm?**