**A/N: Hey! Surprised? i am but then i really don't want to do homework. i forgot to mention last time in case any of you were unsure but the countries mentioned are featured on the map of earthland, so check it out if you want to get an idea of the layout. before we begin, a quick reminder that FAIRY TAIL and its universe are HIRO MASHIMA's but the story is my own. i won't keep you in suspense so on to the story!**

The Secret of Fiore: Lucy's Slumber

Chapter 7.5 The Storm

"Lucy…" came Natsu's soft voice. He tugged softly on her hand to lead her back into the ballroom. Lucy looked at him and stared into his eyes. She saw something in his dark eyes, she could not say what, that tugged at her sparking her confidence and slowly caused her to decide to turn around.

"I present Lady Lucy Heartfilia," the gentleman continued. "I, on behalf of the Duke and Duchess, invite her to speak a word of introduction on this fine, magnificent eve of her birthday." The gentleman bowed at the waist and patiently waited for Lucy to approach.

Lucy took a deep breath and walked out onto the balcony with her head held high and her hand gripping Natsu's for support. Lucy turned to the gentleman and with a nod of her head dismissed him saying, "Thank you." The gentleman nodded and exited the doors behind Lucy, closing them behind him. Lucy wasn't quite ready to let go of Natsu's hand but she knew that her status demanded it of her. So, she reluctantly let go of his hand and softly stepped up the railing of the balcony. She determinedly took little note as Natsu quietly made his way back down the stairs towards the group.

"I am Lady Lucy Heartfilia and I would like to take this moment to thank you all for coming." Lucy dipped into a deep curtsy and then rose to continue. "I am the only daughter of the House of Heartfilia and on this day, I am ten years of age. I came to suspect that my identity was being kept secret," she said turning towards her parents, "but I always suspected even more that my parents always had my best interests at heart." She curtsied again in thanks and Layla began to cry even more. "If you would oblige me to share a little about myself, I would be grateful. Currently, I am a student at the Magnolia Academy and a proud member of the Magnolia Spars. My mentor is the healer, Porlyusica and I have learned a great deal from her. I have also made wonderful friends at the Academy, and I ask that they can forgive me for keeping my identity a secret. I sincerely hope that we can continue to be good friends." Lucy curtsied even deeper than she originally had and calmly waited for her friends to speak.

"Lucy…" Erza whispered.

"First, the twenty guys she beat up and now she wants us to believe she's a lady," grumbled Laxus.

"Laxus!" warned Makarov.

"Hey, you were there in the forest with us that one night when we fought off that crazy wild bear and that band of escaped prisoners. Lucy is the one that saved your ass, remember?" shouted Gray in Lucy's defense.

"Juvia thought that was supposed to be a secret," Juvia quietly commented.

"Yeah, you idiot, it's supposed to be a secret! Nice job!" yelled Natsu slapping Gray over the head.

"You kids went into the forest!" seethed Makarov.

"Oh yeah? Well, if you weren't such a hot head we wouldn't have gone in the first place!" argued Gray getting into Natsu's face.

"What's that, droopy-eyes?" countered Natsu.

"We have the same eyes, squinty-eyes!" sneered Gray.

Lucy looked up in alarm. She couldn't believe that Natsu and Gray would pick a fight with each other here of all places. What are they thinking! Wait a minute…

"Natsu! Gray!" reprimanded Erza.

Meanwhile, Cana had stomped her way over to her father and proceeded to kick him in the shin. Gildarts yelped in surprise at the strength of his little girl's kick. Cana looked up at him and pointed a finger at him. "You knew this entire time, didn't you?" she accused. "If you ever keep a secret from me again, I swear!" she snarled letting her threat hang in the air. "Mother!" she said heatedly as she turned to nod at her mother before stomping away to rejoin her friends who had just begun to argue.

Cana was still annoyed but relatively disinterested in their fight until Natsu and Gray bumped into her causing her to spill her drink all over her dress. Cana turned at them and glared. "Why you, low life, good for nothing…." Cana started before attempting to punch Gray in the face. Gray ducked just in time for Cana to instead land her punch on Juvia.

"Cana! Why would you hit Juvia in the face?" she cried. Then her face twisted into one of anger as she launched herself at Cana. The two began to roll around on the floor, a rare sight for Lucy to see.

Lucy quickly cut in before the fight could progress any further. She ran down the stairs towards her friends shouting, "Hey! Why don't we go and cut the cake? We should hurry before…"

"Yes, yes," Mirajane cut in, "we should hurry before Erza finds the cake and eats it all."

Where did she come from? Lucy wondered having not noticed her friend earlier.

"What did you say, you snob?" Erza snarled.

"Oh, you heard me, stubborn girl," Mirajane shot back sweetly though glaring daggers at Erza.

"Clearly, you have had far too much influence on sweet Mira," commented Scarlet as she watched the scene unfold.

"She speaks only the truth, if Erza gets her gluttonous habits from you!" Layla said softly from behind her midnight blue fan.

"Why, you…" started Scarlet.

"Now, now…let's not forget our place, ladies," soothed Cornelia waving her pale yellow silk fan at them.

Gildarts sighed and absently brushed some hair out of his face, and Walker watched both scenes unfold with amusement. Makarov was still seething about the discovery of his students' night time adventures and was giving Laxus an ear full as he was supposed to be the oldest. Layla and Scarlet were quietly bickering, while Jude had gone red and a protruding vein on his forehead seemed as if it was going to pop any second as he could not stop thinking about Lucy's ease with the boy. Porlyusica was growing annoyed as she was quietly arguing with Igneel about his adopted son's fiery nature.

At the top of stairs, the doors had reopened to reveal a large bell. A maid stepped out from behind the bell and hit it three times to produce a noise loud enough to get everyone's attention. The maid disappeared and in her place the butler appeared.

Clearing his throat he announced, "Dinner is served."

The double doors leading into the dining room were opened and delicious aromas began to fill the ballroom. Everyone became more quiet and composed as they headed into the dining room. Gray and Natsu were still at each other's throats until Erza hit them both over the head, and Lucy dragged Natsu one way while Juvia dragged Gray another way.

"Well, gentleman, shall we excuse ourselves?" invited Jude.

"I do not think I could possibly eat another bite," exclaimed Gildarts.

"Then, ladies, we take our leave," said Jude with a bow prompting the other men to follow suit.

"My, my, I was going to have us take tea in the garden but it would seem that my idea has been stolen from me," said Layla as she watched Lucy and her friends rush outside.

"I am truly amazed that our children would happen to become friends," commented Cornelia.

"As am I, since my time with you was so short, yet my youngest son seems to have found his way into your circle," Ur said softly.

"You are worried, as any mother would be; birth mother or not," Layla said resting a hand on Ur's shoulder.

"Sorry I am late," Ur apologized.

Layla shook her head. "Nothing to apologize for; I am simply happy that you came."

"Always in time for the meal, Ur," teased Scarlet. Ur had burst through the doors, much to Gray's embarrassment, just after everyone had been seated and the meal was about to served.

"I like to make an entrance," Ur responded playfully. "I had an excellent teacher."

"Where are Ultear and Lyon?" inquired Cornelia.

Ur's face fell. "My daughter is…" she cleared her throat. "She is on a mission and I was not given any detail. Lyon is as always much too caught up in his training so he decided to stay with some friends."

Cornelia's eyes filled with sympathy. "None of us will have the chance to say good bye, Ur. At least they will be conveniently out of the way."

The women were quiet for a moment as the weight of coming events filled their thoughts.

"Curious way to introduce Lucy properly, Layla. Jude's idea you said?" Ur's voice came softly having become uncomfortable in the silence.

"Yes, I suspect it had influence from a certain meddling woman. It's possible that the decision was last minute much like…" she said not quite finishing her sentence.

"If her companion's words are any indication, then I would say your suspicions are correct," confirmed Ur.

"I worry the children are not ready. Lucy could not possible be ready yet," said Cornelia.

"What about you, Layla? Are you ready?" asked Scarlet.

Layla sighed and looked towards the doors that the children had went running through. "No, but I have no choice but to take action. None of us do."

"Lucy, can I have a word?" Erza asked tugging Lucy gently by the hand into a corner of the garden.

"Of course, what's wrong?"

"I must apologize," Erza said seriously.

Lucy looked at the girl with confusion. "For what?"

"You are the daughter of such an important family, yet I failed to treat you as such."

Lucy laughed. "Don't be silly! It's not like you knew, Erza. Besides, you were the first person I met at the Academy."

"I should have known and I should not have let you engage in such dangerous behavior."

"Erza…"

Erza put up a hand to stop her. "I hope that you will forgive me. While I am sure you had your reasons, if you ever keep a secret from me again I will kill you myself," Erza threatened.

Lucy panicked taking in the threatening look in Erza's eyes. She was amazed that the girl could change so quickly, and in fear that Erza would carry out her threat presently she said, "You know? It was actually Mira's idea to keep it a secret."

"Mira!" Erza spun and went to chase after Mirajane who was busy trying to entertain Laxus.

Lucy laughed feeling only slightly guilty for using Mirajane as a scapegoat. She was about to head over to join the rest of the group when a voice called out to her.

"Oh, Natsu! What are you doing over here? Were you eavesdropping? Lucy asked accusingly.

Natsu laughed. "Not at all. I saw Erza walk away so I thought I'd catch your attention before someone else did."

"Hmm…if you say so," Lucy said disbelievingly.

"You know, no one is mad at you or anything and nothing has changed," he said looking into her eyes. "The good thing about the Academy is that the House you're born into doesn't really mean much; we're all the same there."

"Thank you, Natsu. I just feel bad that I didn't get to reveal it myself. It was so sudden!" Lucy shook her head. "I have no idea what my parents were thinking!" she laughed.

The pair looked away from each other and looked towards the center of the garden to see their friends playing tag. Except instead of a light touch, the boys practically shoved each other into the ground and the girls were trying to lift the other's dress when they weren't looking. A long but comfortable silence passed between the two before Lucy decided to break it.

"Hey, come here!" Lucy said grabbing Natsu by the hand and pulling him around the hedges of the garden.

"What? Where are we going?" Natsu demanded.

Lucy kept running until she was sure that they could not be seen or heard by the others before falling to the grass and pulling Natsu down with her.

"What's wrong with you?"

Lucy blushed and looked away from him. "Um say…do you remember that story I told you about the boy who didn't want to grow up?" Natsu nodded. "Well, do you remember what a thimble is?"

"Uh…I think so…why?"

"Well um…has a…um…has a girl ever given you one before?" she rushed.

"Given me what?"

"A thimble!" Lucy snapped.

Natsu thought for a moment. "Hmm…I don't think so. Nope, no girl has given me a thimble."

Lucy turned to give him a skeptical look. "Really?"

"Yeah," he laughed, "I think I would remember if a girl gave me a thimble, Lucy."

Lucy eyes widened in relief and then her cheeks turned pink. "I was worried I missed my chance."

"What?" Natsu said confused as he studied her.

"I have to be the first!" Lucy quickly placed two hands on either side of Natsu's face, and then she gave him a quick kiss on the mouth, then put two fingers to her lips and ran off pink in the face to join her friends.

Natsu was dumbstruck for a moment, not quite sure what had just happened. He didn't know how to feel about thimbles.

Late in the evening….

Layla walked into her daughter's room about an hour before sunset with a task to complete. She was early, but she wanted some time to sit with her daughter. Opening the door into Lucy's bedroom, Layla let out a quiet "oh!" of surprise at the sight that greeted her. This was now the third time that such a sight had been witnessed by her eyes. She wondered vaguely if this would become an annual habit, but then sobered as she realized that it was not possible.

Lucy was resting beneath a light sheet, her deep sleep evident by her even breathing. Next to her, Natsu lay in a strangely wild position with one arm protectively over Lucy's body snoring a little loud with his mouth open. As if sensing an intruder, he immediately closed his mouth and ceased his snoring to roll over on his side to more protectively hold Lucy in his arm. Lucy moved just enough to roll into his embrace so Natsu could hold her close to his warm body. The first time Layla had seen this she had cried softly and a smile only warmed her features when she spotted a necklace around Lucy's neck. The second time she had laughed at the black and blue that Lucy had probably given him as she had not noticed any scars during their secret dinner. Jude had been out of town and Layla had been dying to invite the boy to a nice meal so that she could talk to him and get to know better the boy she knew was meant for daughter. This time she felt grateful to him and just smiled sadly at the heartwarming scene.

Layla made her way carefully to the bedside and sat quietly on the floor. She watched her two greatest joys in life sleep together and said a silent prayer for them. She continued to watch over them until she sensed the coming arrival of sunrise. Just like the other times, she spoke to Natsu first.

"Any other mother would probably have a fit seeing her daughter in bed with a boy. But, even if you were older, I would be simply delighted. I am so happy that my daughter has found happiness in her life. I am blessed to have become familiar with the boy that has stolen my daughter's heart. I would have been proud to call you my son one day, although I have always thought this of you since the first time I saw you two together in the garden. Fate is very powerful but I do not believe it to be the strongest power. I know not what my mother told you that day to scare you away, but I was so afraid you would not return before…before this day. It's okay to be afraid, little one, as long as you keep your eyes open. In the darkness, there is always light." Layla lifted her arm to rest a hand on Natsu's cheek. "You are both proof of this." She kissed him lightly on the forehead while keeping her hand on his cheek to cast a weak sleeping spell. "It's just for a little while so that I can take care of something."

A tear fell from her eye as she braced herself to begin her task. "I should have so much to say to you, Lucy, but I cannot find the words. I am truly glad that you managed to find yourself despite everything that we put you through. I hope that you will be able to do so again. I trust that Natsu will take care of you, but you must also take care of him. You are my lucky star and I love you more than anything. I hope that one day you learn the truth and gain understanding. I humbly ask that you find it in your heart to forgive me…" Layla had to stop for she could no longer hold back her tears. It was too difficult. She had to control herself if she wanted to successfully do this one last thing for her daughter.

She kissed Lucy on the forehead as she had kissed Natsu. She wiped away her tears and prayed for strength. She placed two fingers on Lucy's mouth, then she placed a kiss on her forehead, one on her chest over heart, one on her left cheek, one on her right cheek, and finally she removed her fingers to lightly place a kiss on Lucy's lips. She pressed those same fingers to her own lips and rested her palm on Lucy's stomach.

"I love you," Layla whispered.

"Scarlet, she made this choice on her own," said her husband.

"I know, but it simply is not fair. If this was a different time, we could do something to help her…" Scarlet said softly.

"You know that is not true. The same thing happened last time, only much sooner. I think the brevity of her life is her fate. If we can carry out this mission, then maybe we can have a happier ending for…others."

"It won't matter, Walker. We won't be here to see it for ourselves. Why are we so painfully human?"

"That was the deal, remember?"

Scarlet and her husband Walker were standing guard in the woods surrounding the Heartfilia mansion waiting for a signal. They had a few others working under them who would be aiding them in their mission. The couple and their men were the only ones who had secretly stayed behind after Lucy's birthday celebration while the other adults had their own initiatives to take carry out.

"The sun is beginning to rise…"

"Sir!" panted a man who had come running up to them.

"Why aren't you at your post?" Scarlet demanded harshly.

"One of the scouts said he spotted some strange movement around the house. Their movements are pretty stealthy, but we think a commotion was caused to attract our attention on purpose."

"A commotion?"

"Yes, someone broke in through the windows leading into the servants' quarters but then all was quiet."

"What! Did someone follow them? That could have been it!" yelled Scarlet.

"Darling, relax!"

"Well, that's the thing. We did but no one was there," the man lamely explained.

"Impos—"

Boom!

"What on earth was that?" Walker put to no one in particular as he looked around.

"Do you smell smoke?" Scarlet asked.

The man quickly climbed up a tree to look around. "I think—Is that a fire?"

"A fire?" Walker said, his worry clear in his voice.

Soon shouts were heard in the distance confirming the man's suspicion.

"Should we move in, Sir?"

"No! We have to wait for the signal. It's the most important thing right now." Walked ordered.

"Do you think she will even be able to give us the signal?" Scarlet asked with worry in her voice.

As soon as the words left her mouth, the signal arrived. An incredibly bright golden light came from the direction of the manor, and Scarlet's eyes went immediately up to the location of Lucy's room.

Layla must have just cast the spell. I promise you, dear friend, I will do everything I can on this day to ensure your efforts will not be wasted.

The light was too blinding for the enemy and would stun them for some time, which is when the knights and their scouts would be making their move.

"There it is! Let's go!" cried Walker.

"I'll head towards the girl's room just in case. The enemy might be up to something, so I will go up on my own. Remember the heart of the plan but move as needed," Scarlet ordered.

"Yes!" the man did a quick salute before sprinting off back into the forest.

"Scarlet, you cannot save her," warned Walker.

"I know, but I will be damned if I let anything happen to those kids."

"Lucy, Lucy! Wake up! Come on, please, get up!" Natsu huffed as tried desperately to make his way through the hallways of the great mansion.

Natsu took a quick look over his shoulder and saw that not only were the two assassins still chasing him but it seemed as if Lucy was still sound asleep. Quickly, Natsu scanned the area for a place to hide but he was still clueless as to the layout of the oversized home and hoped that either Lucy would awaken or someone would come to save them. It turned out that both would happen at the same time.

"Stop where you are!" yelled a raspy voice from out of nowhere.

Natsu stopped upon hearing the man's voice unsure who the man was talking to. That's when Lucy decided to wake up. She stretched out her arms over her heard and emitted little sounds of awakening in her sleepy state. She rubbed at her eyes and asked, "What's going on?"

"It's about time you woke up!" Natsu snapped letting Lucy down so she could stand on her own.

The assassins had caught up to them and were getting ready to attack when the raspy voiced man jumped over the kids to intercept his attack.

"I don't think so!" he cried.

Natsu grabbed Lucy's hand and said, "Come on, while they aren't focused on us!" He ran around the corner the man had come from still trying to find a place to rest. "Lucy, where should we go? We need a safe place to hide."

Lucy sniffed at the air as she ran. "Is that smoke?"

"I'll explain if you point the way," he shouted over his shoulder.

Lucy was slow to grasp his meaning but then gradually came to her senses. "Turn at that statue and behind the heavy curtain is a small empty room."

Natsu followed Lucy's directions, grateful that no one had followed them and pulled her into the empty room. The two sat down as soon as they were inside, and Natsu huffed and puffed as he tried to catch his breath.

"Natsu…is my home…" Lucy started.

Natsu looked in the direction of her voice unable to see her in the darkness. "While you were sleeping, I heard some strange noises and then I could smell the smoke. The place is on fire but I don't know how bad it is. Those guys chasing us seemed like they were after you. I was trying to go outside because of the fire when they pounced on us. It was like they knew we would be there."

"Why would they be after me?"

"Well, you are a pretty important person, Lucy. Maybe your family is involved in something."

Lucy shook her head violently. "No, unless one of the maids said something which I doubt, no one should even know who I am. I certainly do not believe that my parents would invite strange persons to my birthday party either."

Natsu was not buying it. "Lucy, I am telling you they knew exactly who you were and they wanted to…well, you know…"

Lucy's head fell in shock and sadness.

"We need to get out of this house. I am sure there are others from all the noise I've been hearing. Do you know another way out?"

Lucy thought for a moment. "I suppose the best way would be to go towards the ballroom so that we can go out to the gardens."

"No way! There are too many windows; someone would spot us."

"Should we hide somewhere else then?"

"The house is burning down, remember?" Natsu groaned in frustration. "Fine, let's try and make our way to the gardens. Just keep thinking of other ways in case that way is blocked." Natsu stood up to leave and so did Lucy but stopped moving when she thought of something.

"If we do run into uh...trouble then how would we defend ourselves? I guess you would be fine, but what about me?"

"Oh yeah, I grabbed this from your room on our way out," Natsu said reaching into his pockets for something. He produced a rather short sword, or one may call it a too long dagger. "You should be able to use this, right? Erza taught you, didn't she?"

Lucy took the weapon from Natsu and felt along the handle and then fingered the blade. She stepped towards the heavy curtain to shed some light on the handle. "Isn't this…"

"Lucy, why was this hidden in your nightstand?" Natsu asked slightly teasing and slightly irritated that she would hide a weapon in your room.

Lucy turned on him in surprise. "What? I didn't put that in my room!"

"Lucy…"

"Natsu, you know I would not do that and I wouldn't lie to you either."

Natsu was about to respond when the curtain was torn down to fully reveal them.

"Found you brat!" snarled a masked man.

"Great, another assassin. I won't let you go this time!"

Natsu ran the short distance to the man and landed a hard punch on his stomach before he spun and kicked him in the jewels causing the man to doubly double over.

Natsu glared at the man and grabbed Lucy's hand. "Let's go."

Lucy took hold of his hand a little frightened by Natsu's attitude.

They had just arrived at the great hall leading to the western side of the mansion where the ballroom was located. Natsu held Lucy back for a moment as he scanned for activity. He noticed that the smell of smoke was fainter here and figured it was safe for them to move forward.

"We just have to get to the double doors in the next room and we will be at the path leading to...Ah!" Lucy screamed.

Natsu shielded Lucy with his own body as the glass of the floor to ceiling window came crashing inward. Natsu looked up to see what caused the glass to break only to catch a fire arrow come flying through and land on the object sitting on the floor. He wanted to run forward but instead he grit his teeth and rushed with Lucy back the way they came. Just as he tucked them into a safe corner, the object exploded into a ball of fire that began to make its way through out the hall. Seconds later, more fiery objects came flying through the windows to quickly spread the fire.

"Do you think they knew?" asked Lucy frightened.

"No, I think they are really determined to burn this house and everyone in it to the ground. But I won't let them have you," Natsu said seriously almost daring anyone to try.

They ran into more assassins but both Natsu and Lucy were able to handle them well on their own. Natsu attacked with his fists first and Lucy covertly slashed at their legs to give them thin slices on their leg that would burn. If that did not work, she would reluctantly cut a deep gash on their ankles and once had to slit a man's throat. Natsu hated that Lucy had to go through this but he was glad that she could handle herself and was able to stand so tall. He wanted to so badly to get out of this mess so that he could comfort her and give her a piece of his mind about her fighting, but no end seemed near as they continued to battle their way through the mansion.

"Natsu! See that window there?" Lucy called over her shoulder.

Natsu looked around to see what she was talking about and an idea popped into his head. The next guy that tried to attack them, he lured closer to the window hoping another would follow them. When the two were close enough, Natsu jump-kicked one guy out of the window and then ran to shove the other guy slightly over to the side of where the previous guy had fallen through to make sure the hole would be good enough for them to go through.

"Come on!"

Lucy looked at him in disbelief. "Natsu…we could have just pushed it out."

Natsu shrugged his shoulders and picked up Lucy to carry her outside to which she vehemently protested. They started making their way towards the woods when a scene ahead of them caught their attention. A much larger group of masked assassins were fighting a small troop of similarly dressed people. The pair turned around to escape the scene before they were noticed when a figure landed gracefully before them. Natsu pushed Lucy behind him in preparation to defend her.

"There you kids are! I've been looking everywhere for you!" exclaimed the figure.

Natsu apparently took this as a threat and prepared to strike, but Lucy stopped him before he could. She thought she recognized the voice; however, she was not too confident in her guess and instead inquired as to the identity of this person. "Reveal yourself," she demanded.

The figure did not act immediately but then let out an amused grunting noise and removed the helmet. Long bright red hair was released from its confinement to fall gracefully around the figure. She smiled at the children and said, "Convinced?"

"Scarlet!" Lucy cried running to her initially to wrap her arms around her but she stopped herself feeling that it was inappropriate and settled for reaching out a hand to the woman's own.

"Who?" Natsu asked in confusion.

Lucy rolled her eyes at him. "Erza's mom!"

"Oh," Natsu said as he finally settled his stance. He pointed a finger behind him to indicate the fight still going on behind them. "Are they with you?"

"Yes, the ones who are outnumbered but not outmatched," she responded to Natsu's confusion. "I had sent a few to fetch you, but they seemed to have encountered some difficulty."

"Oh," Lucy blushed, "so many people have been chasing after us, and we never thought any of them could be there to help us. I'm so sorry."

Scarlet laughed heartily. "No worries. Now let's go and get you two moving. Things are not progressing as we had thought so it's important that the two of you get as far away as possible.

"What do you mean?" Lucy asked trying to understand the meaning of her words.

"Nothing, let's go," she responded realizing she had said too much.

Scarlet led them around back to their original destination. She had brought them to another side of the garden outside of the hedges since the other side was facing the manor and large windows. She paused and made a swift clean slice with her enormous sword.

Lucy noticed this and asked, "You don't use dual blades?"

Scarlet smiled softly, "No, Erza gets that from Walker. She is very much her father's daughter."

Lucy shifted uncomfortably not quite sure what to say. A fleeting thought came to her as to Erza's whereabouts and well-being. She was about to ask about this, but Natsu spoke first.

"What are you doing here? Where are we supposed to go?"

Natsu's words and a loud explosion from the direction of the manor snapped Scarlet back to her sense. Lucy squeaked in horror. "My mother! She is probably still in there."

Scarlet looked towards the manor and fought to conceal her emotions. "Layla is tough just like you." She turned back to study the children before indicating with a nod of her head the path through the garden that would lead them to the edge of the forest. "Listen to me: you two have to run as fast as you can towards the forest. Once you're under cover, Natsu you have to lead Lucy through towards the main road. Don't venture onto it though; just find a place to hide until someone comes for you. If something else happens before then, try to use your wits." Scarlet frowned not sure how quickly Natsu would be able to react in such a situation. She hoped his strong determination to protect Lucy would be enough. "Natsu, you have already found your strength even if you don't know it and you would be surprised to learn that bravery can from the same place."

Natsu stared at her and then rolled his eyes. "I don't think we have time for riddles."

"Hey! Over here! I think that's the girl," a man called not too far away from them.

Scarlet turned towards the voice. "Hurry! Get out of here."

Lucy and Natsu made to run towards the safety of the trees, but Lucy stopped and turned back to Scarlet. She held out the dagger to Scarlet. "This is yours," she whispered.

Scarlet took a quick glance to see what the girl was holding. She felt a tight pain in her chest as she took in the dagger in Lucy's hands. The scabbard was a fine white leather with no markings; the handle was a strangely pure white ivory shaped like an upside leaf which had two stems curving to the side with a black rose insignia engraved at the tip; the blade was made of a rare metal not found in Fiore that shined silver in the sunlight. The blade also had words and symbols engraved that the young girl had probably not had time to read. Lucy may not have known what that dagger meant, but Scarlet knew all too well and it broke her heart.

"Keep it. You'll need something to fight with. Now go, get out of here!" she shouted. As Lucy ran off with Natsu, Scarlet quietly whispered to herself, "I am so sorry, Lucky Star."

The children ran as fast their legs could carry them, fatigue far from their minds but felt by their bodies. Lucy tripped over a branch and fell forward causing Natsu to stop for a second thinking that someone had gotten to her. "Are you okay?" he asked.

"Yeah, I'm fine." When Lucy tried to stand, she winced in pain and fell into Natsu's arms.

"What did you do?"

"Um…"

"Lucy!"

"I may have…twisted my ankle a bit," she confessed.

Natsu rolled his eyes. Trust now for Lucy's clumsiness to take effect. He kneeled down and waited. "Come on, get on; we have to get out of here," he said, his voice frustrated.

Lucy struggled with herself for a moment feeling guilty for the situation. She swallowed, took a deep breath and climbed onto his back wrapping her arms tightly around his neck. She felt calm at the closeness of their bodies; an experience she had a few times before but still could not become used to.

Natsu got up to start making his way through the many trees. "You ate too much last night, Lucy," he grunted. In response, Lucy bit his neck. "Ouch!"

"Let's go!" was all Lucy said.

They ran through the forest with no encounters but the pair was still tense at the possibility of being attacked. Natsu stopped and knelt to place Lucy gently on the grass. He sprinted off to check the area, and quickly returned to her side. "I don't want to get too close to the main road in case someone spots us. By the way…"

"What is it?" Lucy looked up at him with concern, worried about what he might say.

"When this is over, I think you need to have a talk with Erza."

Lucy cocked her head in confusion. "About what?"

"About how you two won't be fighting together anymore," he said eyeing Lucy's dagger. "And how there is no way you're going out with us to the forest anymore."

She chuckled. "Don't be silly. If I hadn't, I wouldn't have been of any help today. Who knows what could have happened!"

"Exactly! I'd rather you hid behind me; I don't want you getting so close to stuff like that. I taught you all the defense you'll ever need to know and that's good enough. You have no need of weapons, Lucy," he seethed.

Lucy looked at him, appalled at what he was saying. "Natsu, just who are you to even decide something like that? I like not feeling so helpless for a change! I know I'm not great but at least I can take care of myself unlike before."

"You don't need to!" he yelled at her.

"And why not!" she hollered back at him.

"Because…" Natsu stammered, his frustration getting the best of him. He turned away from her and punched at the nearest tree.

"I'm waiting," Lucy pushed not caring about his mood.

Natsu let out a sigh and wiped his wild hair back from his face. "Forget it," he mumbled.

"What?" she asked not hearing him.

"I said forget it!" he snapped.

Lucy rolled her eyes in exasperation. "Child…" she muttered under her breath. Lucy tried to get up but quickly remembered her injured ankle. Instead, she crossed her arms and huffed at him. "Natsu, you had better explain yourself right now."

"Or what?" he taunted. Lucy expected him to keep arguing with her, but instead he made his way over to her and sat down next to her. He seemed to contemplate something before turning to look her in the eyes. He stared into her deep brown eyes while placing his hands on her shoulders. "You never have to worry about that stuff, Lucy. I'm always going to be right next to you; I'll always be there to take care of you. Always."

"That's impossible, you idiot," she scoffed turning away from his intense gaze.

"Hey! Always you and me, remember?" he said taking her chin in his hand and forcing her to look at him.

Lucy stared back into his dark eyes, and she fell into his embrace. "You and me always," she whispered. For some reason, Lucy was suddenly overwhelmed with a bad feeling; she felt in her heart that they were really saying goodbye even though there was no reason for her to think that.

Natsu held her close, also unknowingly overwhelmed with the same feelings that Lucy had. It angered him which caused him to shift his position which in turn caused Lucy to fall into his lap. She had fallen asleep much to his surprise. He guessed the excitement of the morning had been too much for her and made her pass out the moment she relaxed. He adjusted her so that she could sleep more comfortably and so that he could look at her face. He brushed her blonde hair out of her eyes and just watched her sleep for a while. "You're mine, Lucy; I'm not about to let someone else take you away from me," he said with a ferocity and sincerity that shook him for a moment. The unconscious feeling of possession he felt towards her popped at random times, but he did not think much of it. She was his, simple as that.

"There you are," came a deep voice.

Natsu perked up at the sound of the voice. He tensed, angry with himself for not hearing him approach and annoyed that he had let his guard down. "Who are you?"

"Relax, boy. I am here for the girl. Hand her over, and I won't harm you," the man answered.

That made Natsu tense up even more. Clearly, this was not the man that Scarlet said would find them. "What if I say no?"

A silent motion that Natsu completely missed caused four black figures to come out from the trees surrounding the pair. The figures appeared unarmed and apparently not interested in sharing a single part of their body that would give away their identity as they were completely covered from head to toe in black, even their eyes were covered which caused Natsu to fleetingly wonder how they could see.

"The answer is still no," he snarled at the man.

"Natsu, I don't want to fight you," he answered.

Natsu eyes widened at the sound of his name. "How do you…"

"Natsu, what's going on?" Lucy asked in a terrified voice.

He cursed himself having almost forgotten that she was with him asleep, or rather recently awakened. "Stay put, Lucy. I'll take care of these guys and then we're out of here."

The man deeply sighed at these words. "Natsu…this does not have to be difficult."

"How does he know your name?" she asked in frightened surprise.

"I have no idea, but listen…" he knelt to grab her hand and tightly squeezed it. "Just be strong, okay?"

"What?" Lucy mumbled in confusion.

Natsu quickly picked her up and ran in between the two figures to his right catching them by surprise. Lucy gripped him hard, almost choking him until she realized it and tried to relax her grip but her fear would not allow her. He ignored the feeling and continued to run. He heard the man order the figures after them and tried desperately to think of where to hide.

A figure appeared directly in front of him cutting off his path and Lucy screamed. He made to turn around but another figure was standing there waiting. This time they had short knives in their hands ready to attack if necessary.

"Natsu, just hand her over."

"I don't think so, old man."

"So be it." He snapped his fingers and the two fingers made quick slices at him causing Natsu to lose his balance and Lucy to fall hard onto the ground in an awkward manner that caused her ankle to burn with pain.

"Lucy!" Natsu shouted. He made to reach for her but one of the figures kicked him back onto the ground and away from Lucy.

"Natsu!" Lucy screamed.

Natsu opened his eyes and got up to move back towards Lucy. He would protect her no matter what. Lucy's eyes widened and she shouted in warning, "Look out!"

He was too slow as one of the other figures appeared besides him and punched him square in the face. He quickly shook it off used to such blows when he was fighting with the other boys. He scrambled to make for Lucy, when something horrifying caught his eye. The man who had found them scooped Lucy up and tossed her over his shoulder and slowly began to walk away from him.

"Natsu!"

"No!" he called out in horror.

Lucy shook her head and looked up at him, large tears flowing freely from her eyes as she tried to kick and fight her way out of the man's grip. He did not even have to tighten his hold as her efforts were weak. She pounded the man's back, and looked at Natsu again. "Natsu! Help me!" she begged.

Natsu fought for control as he tried to move towards her but found he could not. He realized two of the figures were holding him down, but somehow he quickly made his out of their grasp. "Lucy!" he cried, his own hot tears falling from his eyes.

"Natsu! Natsu! Natsu! Please! Save me!" she wailed as she continued to fight in vain.

Natsu ran with all his might to try and save her, frustrated at how slow the man was moving as if he were taunting Natsu. "Lucy!" Someone kicked at him from the side, but he got up and kept moving. "No! Give her back, you bastard!"

The man continued to walk slowly away from him back towards the main road. He paused for a moment to turn around and stare at him. "It didn't have to be this way, Natsu!"

"Let me go!" Lucy yelled, tears still laced in her voice. "Natsu!" Lucy cried again.

The man looked over his shoulder at her. He placed her on the ground and Lucy immediately tried to run back to Natsu. The man had other plans, however; he hit hard over the head causing her to fall with a thud to the ground. "Forgive me," he apologized. He nodded towards the four figures and picked her up with ease and proceeded towards the road.

"Lucy!" Natsu looked after them pale with shock before his rage overcame him. It took too long, however, as three of the figures put away their daggers; only one of them stood with a long thick blade, frozen in a position symbolizing he was waiting for something. Natsu charged at him with a roar, and the figure waited until just the right time to deal a quick, clean slice on his neck before pounding him to the ground. Natsu's hand shot up to his injury as everything faded to black. Even though it was quiet, he could still hear Lucy crying his name and he could still see her face wet with tears, her cheeks red with the effort of yelling to him.

"Lucy…" he whispered before his body gave out and collapsed onto the ground.

The four figures watched the boy lay motionless on the ground as blood flowed from his wound. They communicated silently among each other before separately disappearing into the trees. One figure looked back at him, seeming to consider the boy's condition. Mavis warned you that you would not always be together. It didn't have to end like this, stupid boy. These were the figure's last thoughts before turning away to follow the other into the deep forest.

Alone in the growing brightness of the morning, Natsu lay alone, blood still flowing from his open wound on his neck. Lucy's screams echoed around his still figure as the sun continued its rise into the deep blue sky.

A girl with long blonde hair to her waist flowing freely in the morning breeze, stood on top of a cliff staring out into the horizon. She wore a simple yellow dress with a plain white apron; she had been wearing a matching yellow bonnet but had removed it to feel the wind in her hair. She closed her eyes as she felt the air dance around her and she clasped her hands in front of her as if to pray. Her yellow dress fluttered in the wind as the girl enjoyed the morning's arrival. She barely flinched as she heard steps approach her.

"I thought I might find you here," a voice said softly.

The breeze seemed to carry the soft words to the girl's ears. She did not respond right away; slowly she lowered her hands and opened her eyes to look up at the sun for a moment. She smiled up into its warmth before turning around to share her bright smile with the person behind her. She replaced her bonnet that she had placed into a basket sitting next to her and picking up her basket, said over her shoulder. "I was about to return, you know."

He looked at her not quite returning the smile but returning the warmth. "People need you or have you forgotten?"

She waved a hand as if to wave away his words. "I would never!" she giggled playfully.

"Let's head back."

"Okay, just a moment," she said turning back to stare out into the distance. She knew she was not looking at anything but she could feel her gaze being returned. In fact, in the distance the girl was looking at, a boy hidden beneath his traveling cloak had just pulled his hood back so that he could better look out before him. His angry, serious dark eyes observed the scene with emptiness. He replaced his hood immediately when he heard someone call out to him.

Both the boy and the girl turned away from their positions at the same time; the girl throwing one last wistful thought into the air and the boy continuing to dwell in his fury.

**A/N: OMYGOSH! what the flip is going on? if you know the answer, then i didn't do my job. if you haven't noticed, you're not supposed to understand what the adults talk about..ever! this marks the end of Book One: Lucy's Slumber and the next chapter will be the first of book two. ugh lame you have to wait at least another week before i post that up. dont worry i have most of it mapped out already so should be on time. i think there was a consensus that i should continue the story here, so i will do so. i am trying to think desperately of anything you should know...but can't think of anything. um yes some questions will be answered right away in the next book. thanks so super much for follow me so far, and i hope that you continue to follow my story to discover the Secret of Fiore 3