Author's Notes: Elfheim143 astutely mentioned Jason from Sorcerer Weekly way back when they reviewed the first chapter. He was, in fact, my first choice for the reporter with the really hideous shirt, but I think this chapter will tell you why I didn't end up using him. Jason's a bit flakey, but seems to be a nice guy. Bad-shirt dude, on the other hand, is… not so nice.
This chapter also starts to dig into the lingering issues between our fair protagonists. Hopefully I haven't dragged this out too far.
Writing Aquarius' innuendo was really fun. It just seemed to fit since she's always bugging Lucy about not having a guy in her life, and if Lucy ever 'sort of' had a man Aquarius might try to shove her in the right direction (through wildly inappropriate comments, apparently). Hopefully it doesn't seem out of character.
Disclaimer: I don't own anything to do with Fairy Tail. If I did, we'd all be drowning in main pairing shipper feels all the time. The only things that are mine are the song Starlight and the annoying, unnamed reporter guy. Reporter guy is available for loan, but please don't steal the song.
Shout-out!: To my beta reader axlorg89.

CHAPTER 5: POKER FACES

August 2, X793

"I just want to thank you again for doing this interview. It's a real honor!" Coco reached across to adjust the audio recorder again where it sat on the small round table in front of her. The girl was obviously nervous.

"Don't mention it," Cana said breezily. "Just do me a favor and don't shout while we do this, 'kay?" She massaged her temples and yawned hugely.

The journalist sat up with a concerned look. "Oh, are you feeling alright? We could reschedule if you need to."

Mirajane hid her smile behind a fine boned hand. "Don't worry about Cana. She's just got a bit of a self inflicted headache. She'll be fine. Besides, we promised, and everyone in Fairy Tail is a big fan of your music journal."

"Really?" Coco managed to look both bashful and proud at the same time. "That's so great to hear. I'll try to keep my voice down." Smiling she flipped open her notebook and read the first question. "Mirajane, I understand that you and your siblings were orphaned at a young age. Has music played a part in helping you stay and grow together?"

"Hmmm. I would say so," she nodded. "I started singing in the elementary school choir and Lisanna picked up an instrument as soon as she was old enough to take lessons. Elfman… Well, he's not really very musically inclined," the eldest Strauss chuckled. "But he's always helped out in other ways. It was really hard when we were on our own, but music gave us something we could do as a family."

"It's so nice that you can all have that together," Coco's smile looked almost watery for a second before she cleared her throat. "Would you mind me asking where you got the nickname 'she-devil'? You just seem so nice!"

Laughing, Mirajane said, "Oh dear! I think it has more to do with my unruly youth. I'm afraid I was a bit of a terror in those days."

"Ah, that makes more sense. Cana, do you think you inherited any of your talent from your family?"

"Oh, God, no!" the brunette barked out a laugh and then winced at her own volume. "Mom couldn't hold a tune, and Gildarts sounds like a dying buffalo. He's pretty much tone deaf."

Cocking her head, the journalist asked, "Does he work with the band to be closer to you? You two only really learned about each other a few years ago according to what I know."

"Well, uh, I guess so… He's always trying to make me do shi- er, stuff with him. It can be a pain, but… I guess it's nice to know he's there when I need him." Cana shifted in her seat, uncomfortable with revealing her personal feelings. "It's still better than when we didn't know each other."

"That really is wonderful." Coco nodded, making a note on her pad. "You also started a business together, and your artisan liquors have really taken off in popularity. Do you enjoy being an entrepreneur?"

Shrugging, the backup singer answered, "Eh. The extra dough is nice. But mostly I just like the product we make." She grinned cheekily. "I wouldn't support it if I wouldn't drink it."

"Here's one for both of you! What's the most important thing about being in Fairy Tail to you?"

Humming, Mira tipped her head from side to side as she thought for a moment, chin between her index finger and thumb. "Well, I guess I'd say the friendships I've made. It means so much to me to find a place where my siblings and I can fit in. Fairy Tail is more like family than anything. Even after all the bright lights and applause have faded, we still have each other."

Sighing, Cana leaned her forearms on her thighs. "See? I should've gone first. Anything I say after that is just going to sound bad. But I guess I like getting to go all kinds of places and meet people. It's a lot of fun to put on a good show and make them cheer."

"I think that's a great answer!" Coco said supportively. She glanced down at her notebook to reference the next question and chewed the inside of her cheek dubiously. "Um… This next one… It's not really… My editor wrote this down, but you don't have to answer it."

Mirajane smiled reassuringly. "You don't need to be concerned. I promise that we've gotten all sorts of really awful personal questions in the past, so this can't be anything worse."

Taking a deep breath the journalist rushed out the query, "We were really hoping you could tell us who Lucy is…"

The other two women exchanged a look wavering between amusement and exasperation. They'd been expecting it. "Wellll," Mira stalled, "That's a bit complicated…"

Cana raised a hand to take over, feeling confident despite her pounding head. "It's not the big deal everyone is making out of it. She's just… an old friend of his. Nothing more. It's pretty disappointing, but that's the best answer anyone can give you."

The chair next to her creaked as her white haired bandmate leaned back, frowning slightly. Mira decided the best thing to do was not contradict the hungover brunette. "Yes, I'm sure it's not as exciting as everyone hoped."

"An old friend," Coco confirmed. "Well, I think that's very sweet. And hopefully it will mean everyone can stop bothering you all about it. Now, my next question is…"

Later, as Cana slumped over the communal table back at the hotel suite nursing a beer, she muttered, "An old friend. It sure sounded good in my head."

"Well," Mira rubbed her back sympathetically. "It might work out. An old friend isn't as interesting as an old flame, after all. And getting an answer of some kind might shut them up for a while."

"Ugh. True. I just hope…" Cana sat up, taking a greedy pull from the bottle in her hand before continuing. "I mean, I don't think it's likely.. but if someone got it into their head, it wouldn't be really hard to dig into Natsu's past. He practically spent every waking hour with Lucy during high school."

The She-Devil sighed, knowing her friend was right. "Still, that was a long time ago, and they'd have to get into old records. What kind of person would be desperate enough to dig that deep?"

"Some sleaze-ball, muckraking reporter," Cana answered her.

"Er… I guess it's possible… But Coco works for a legitimate music journal. I think we're safe." Mira paused before adding, "I hope."

"They couldn't have picked a better spot," Aquarius snickered, arms crossed under her abundant bosom.

"It does seem rather well placed," Loke chimed in even as he tried to smother a smile behind his hand. It only made his words come out slightly muffled.

Lucy glowered out of the enormous picture window in her office, leaning back into her leather chair. The brightly colored banner advertising Fairy Tail's upcoming charity concert rippled down the side of the opposite skyscraper. "Does it have to be so… big?"

"Heh. I bet that's not what you said when Natsu stayed over at your place that night." Aquarius looked positively lecherous, making Lucy gasp in surprise and embarrassment. Letting out a brief burst of a laugh, Loke hastily turned away. His eyes were watering from suppressing his mirth.

"For your information, absolutely nothing happened!" Lucy spun her chair back around and cursed when she banged her shin against the desk in her rush. "Nothing at all!"

The blue haired female spirit kept grinning. "And that doesn't sound like you're protesting too much at all."

Capricorn cleared his throat to summon everyone's attention to himself. "As entertaining as I'm sure you're finding this, there are more pressing matters. I heard back about the director's latest vote."

Lucy sat up straight from where she had been rubbing at her bruised leg. "You mean the one where they were deciding whether to fire me or not?" Her mouth twisted into a bitter smile. "It sure would be nice to walk into a board meeting and not have everyone question my intelligence or call me 'little girl.'" At least it's helping me grow a thick skin. She refused to let those greedy old bastards see her cry. Maybe if they hadn't always attributed her past successes to her father, they wouldn't be so disinclined to trust her judgement now.

Tilting his head in reluctant affirmation, the goat spirit said, "Yes, but there is good news. Whoever our mystery shareholder is apparently voted in your favor."

Sighing in relief, the blond CEO visibly relaxed. "Guess I can keep calling myself 'Lucky Lucy' for another day."

"I think it's too soon to let down our guard. We have no idea how long this… person will be willing to let things stand as they are. And some faceless representative isn't going to sway the opinions of the rest of the board the way Junelle does." Capricorn stroked his beard, missing the way Loke averted his gaze with a knowing smile.

Lucy nodded, determination pulling her features into a grim set. "I know. That's why I think we need to be willing to make a big gamble on something new to get the company going again."

"You've got something in mind?" Loke asked, interest piqued.

"Uh. Sort of..." The woman drew the last word out to indicate her hesitance.

"We can't afford to delay, I'm afraid," Capricorn warned. He hated to push his employer any harder than she already pushed herself, but things were getting desperate.

Turning her head to look out the window over her shoulder, Lucy gnawed on her lip. "Um. I might have one idea, but…"

"Out with it," Aquarius ordered. "Even if it's stupid, at least it's an idea."

"Well," Lucy started, "I was going through the company's detailed asset list, and I noticed there's one branch that hasn't really had any investments in a long time. Actually, it's been pretty well neglected since Mom died."

"Go on," the goat spirit prompted when their boss paused.

She slowly stood, licking her lips, and then turned to face the window again. "Music is pretty big business in Magnolia, and Heartfilia Music used to be an important part of that." She raised her hand to point at the garish banner that had been the focus of their attention previously. "I think we should resurrect it."

The three spirits looked to one another, intrigued. "Huh. That's actually a lot better than what I thought you'd come up with," Aquarius conceded.

Loke nodded decisively. "I think it's worth a roll of the dice. We still have a few good names signed to the label, and with a decent influx of cash and advertising I bet we could get more." He angled his head towards the window. "Maybe one in particular."

"Ah, yes!" Aquarius brightened. "I had heard that their contract with their current record label was almost up. It wouldn't be hard for us to start courting them." She grinned slyly. "You've already got an in with them anyway."

You can do it, Lucy! I'll be right beside you - always.

"I…" Lucy swallowed thickly. Could I…? No… It's just been too long… It wouldn't be right to ask now. "I think that might be setting the bar a bit high right out of the gate. Why don't we start with Lamia Scale or Blue Pegasus?"

The water spirit pulled a sour face. "Seriously? Ugh. If that's what you want to do." Aquarius waved her hand disdainfully.

"It's a solid place to start," Capricorn said. "I can get started on the preparations. Make a list of what we'll need to do and an estimate of how much money we'll need to do it."

Loke studied Lucy's jittery expression with a sigh. He was honestly disappointed she was still afraid to ask for help, but there was nothing to be done about it right now. "We still need to get the board to sign off on the shift in resources this is going to take. Your money alone won't be enough."

"Yeah," the blonde acknowledged, posture sagging. She suddenly looked drained and apprehensive. "I don't really have a lot of confidence that they'll even go for it. We don't exactly have any allies right now… We might have to go it alone."

Shaking his head, the leonine spirit disagreed. "We've got more than you think, Lucy. You just… need to hold out your hand to them."

He was a bit startled when the woman spun away, hiding her eyes with her hand in a brief, shaky gesture. "I… don't think it's a good idea. You can't always count on someone to be there even if they say they will. It's not wise to depend on anyone else for something so critical."

Loke was silent for a moment, face grim. "... Alright. We'll do it your way. There's plenty of work to do regardless." He turned to Capricorn and Aquarius, giving them each a tight nod. "Let's get started building an ironclad presentation. We'll show them that this is their best shot at making the company lucrative again."

"Right," Aquarius said, smile fierce. "Make them feel like fools for even thinking of refusing. It'll be just like that thing with the high speed rail when she had investors fighting over who would be the first to give us their money."

The goat agreed. "We shall convince them this deserves their full support. We will not fail."

The leader of the zodiac allowed himself a self-satisfied smirk, but let it slip when he turned to catch Lucy's reaction. Instead of the determination he had hoped to see, she stared listlessly at the gently fluttering Fairy Tail banner. He had rarely seen her so uncertain… or so alone.

Lucy plodded down the flight of stairs to the fifth floor of the HK&R building. She carried her high heeled shoes in her hand, looking exhausted and utterly disgusted. "Seriously? The elevators just freakin' broke down?"

Behind her, Loke sighed. "It's been a pretty brutal day, I'll give you that."

"I guess it is what it is. They better have this fixed by tomorrow, though. It just looks bad not to have working elevators in a building this size," the woman groused.

Finally making it to the ground floor, Lucy groaned and wiggled her toes. She almost didn't want to put her shoes back on after that workout but going home barefoot wasn't an option. Stepping carefully back into her heels, she smiled gratefully at Loke when he held open the fire door that led out of the stairwell.

At this time of evening, the lobby was entirely empty other than two security guards. The men both grinned brightly when they saw her. "Hi, Miss Lucy! Stayed late again?" one said while the other piped up with, "Bad news about the elevators. You be careful now."

"Thanks, guys!" Lucy mustered up a warm smile for them. It wouldn't be fair not to, no matter how she felt. They always wished her well on her way home from work. "Have a good night!"

Exiting out into the stuffy garage, the young woman stopped short when she saw Sagittarius looking antsy next to the dark company car. Behind her Loke raised a questioning brow to the archer. "Uh, bad news, M'lady. It seems the car may be in need of some repairs," Sagittarius said with a hasty salute.

"Are you serious?!" Lucy groaned in frustration. She barely restrained herself from tossing her handbag on the ground, but resisted the childish act with gritted teeth. This day just keeps getting better.

The horse costumed spirit flinched and shifted from foot to foot. Loke frowned, locking gazes with his fellow zodiac member. The two stared, one with an intense questioning look and the other seemly attempting to communicate something to his superior by force of will alone. "I'm terribly sorry, M'lady. Please forgive me…"

"No, no, please don't apologize." Lucy was oblivious to their silent exchange, grinding the heel of her hand into her eye socket in frustration and weariness. "It's not your fault. These things happen. I can just take the bus."

"Or I can give you a lift."

Lucy stumbled as she wrenched around at the sound of the familiar voice. Tipping forward, she ended up mashed against Natsu's sturdy chest. "Wha…?" the woman blurted.

"Easy there!" The star gently righted her, letting his searing hands linger on her upper arms. "No need to be in that much of a hurry. I'm not leaving without you."

Blushing brightly, Lucy couldn't help but think how his thousand-watt smile seemed to chase her exhaustion to the farthest corners of her being. "That's… I… What are you…?"

Sagittarius caught Loke's eye again and inclined his head slightly towards the two with a soft smile. "Ah," was all the lion could say. Somehow he doubted that the car was really going to need any work to get it going again. The boy could be persuasive when he wanted to.

"Don't worry, Horse-guy, Loke. I'll make sure she gets home safe." Natsu gave them both a thumbs up before seizing Lucy's hand and tugging her after him.

"H-Hey! I didn't agree to this!" the woman protested as they came closer to a rather battered looking motorcycle. "You can't just make decisions for me."

He laughed, finally letting go of her hand to pick up a helmet from the back of the bike. It had a bright, fire breathing dragon painted on the side. "Nah, if you didn't want to come, you would've hit me." He tossed the helmet to her, making Lucy scrabble to catch it before it hit the ground. "This'll be fun. I'll take you to dinner! My treat, this time."

Natsu then jammed his own flame designed helmet over his spiky locks before mounting the motorcycle. It started with an impressive growl. "C'mon, Luce. Let's ride!"

The blonde sighed and tentatively put on her borrowed headgear before joining him on the bike. "You better take me some place nice. This has been one hell of a day." She wrapped her arms around his middle, refusing to revel in the insanely toned abs she could feel under his shirt.

"Hey, like I'd take you just anyplace? You can hold on tighter than that." He put his hands over hers and tugged them. "There ya go. No good if you fall off."

Blushing furiously, she found herself nearly flat against his back. Lucy could feel his radiating body heat all down her front. Right down to her - No. NO. Keep it together, girl.

She was pulled out of her less than pure thoughts when they suddenly lurched forward and sped out of the garage. Clutching him close, the blonde tried not to mind the way he languorously weaved in and out of traffic, muscles bunching and shifting as he directed the motorcycle.

It wasn't until they began to slow down later that she noticed the familiar surroundings. "Hey, this is…" They pulled to a stop outside a brightly lit restaurant. The huge, neon lit letters across the top spelled 'Magnolia Diner,' though the 'g' was dark. They still haven't fixed that?

Natsu dismounted and secured his helmet before giving her a hand down off the bike and taking her headgear. "Told ya I'd take you someplace nice. Best fries in the city."

I know you don't like eating that fancy food all the time. Let's go some place fun!

Lucy hesitated, staring up at the building. Then she cast a heart-stopping smile at him over her shoulder. "I seem to remember it being their shakes that were the best. I'm starved!"

Heading inside and taking a seat at one of the worn booths, the two deliberated on their order. Natsu complained that 'one-of-everything' was a legitimate choice, but the blonde managed to talk him into a more civilized amount of food. Their meals arrived quickly, and the Salamander paused to practically stick his nose into his french fries. His eyes flickered close in bliss, and Lucy laughed delightedly at the fuss he made.

They bantered back and forth while feasting, but Natsu seemed to miss how her joy dimmed each time he brought up some piece of their past. "And then Erza socked him one, right in the face! It was exactly like that time we were doing the play in high school, and that senior mouthed off to her. Remember that?" he snickered, enjoying the memory.

"Yeah, I remember. She… hasn't changed much, has she?" Lucy listlessly stirred the remainder of her chocolate milkshake with the straw.

"Nope! Pretty sure she'll be like that till the day she dies. Not sure how Jellal handles it. Erza's pretty stubborn." Stuffing the last few french fries from his plate into his mouth, the frontman chewed noisily. "Nobody's really changed. Well, we're older, sure. And I guess we've all grown too, but everybody's still themselves."

The young CEO sucked down the last of her sweet drink before starting to slowly turn the empty glass between her hands for a moment. Her smile had died down to the barest upturn of her lips, and she traced her index finger up the side of the plastic cup through the condensation that beaded on it. "It's… It's good that they haven't forgotten who they are. I've heard it can be tough when you're so famous."

"Nah! That'll never happen to Fairy Tail. If we start to forget, we have each other to remind us." He grinned at her, seemingly oblivious to the waning good mood. "We'll always help each other out." The woman flinched and tried to cover it by ducking her head.

When no response came, Natsu cleared his throat. Just ask her! Cowboy up, man. "So… I was thinking… It's been fun hanging out together, right?"

Lucy's head came back up, and she studied his face. "... Yeah, it has."

"So… The thing is… I was thinking… that maybe… That is, if you're interested -"

She frowned at his uncharacteristic hemming and hawing. It wasn't like Natsu to beat around the bush. In fact it was downright unnerving. "Go on."

His words suddenly tumbled out in a rush. "Maybe you'd like to have dinner together?"

The woman stared at him blankly, and Natsu felt the overwhelming compulsion to explain himself. "I mean, we're having dinner right now, so obviously we can have dinner together. But I meant more like… a date. As us. Not all weird and in disguise."

Her face fell, and she sighed through her nose. "That's very flattering." He perked up for a moment, leaning forward in anticipation. "But… I don't think it's a good idea. I'm not sure we're a good idea right now."

"Oh," was his simple response, then he forced a slightly too high pitched laugh out. "It's no big. I just thought it might be fun."

"Natsu…"

"But hey! I've got an idea!" He slapped a hand on the table, trying hard to cover how much her rejection had dug in under his ribs. "We could go to the studio tomorrow! Everyone's dying to see you."

Lucy sighed again and rubbed her brow with a drink chilled hand. "I really can't… There's just so much to do."

"C'mon! You can find a few hours, right?"

"I'm in the middle of getting a really important presentation together. I don't think I can find the time or handle the distraction," she said, sounding weary.

"Seriously?" Scowling, Natsu drew back from her like she'd said something disgusting. "I mean, I get that maybe… we have stuff to work out. That's fine. I can handle it. But don't take it out on the others!"

The blonde looked positively indignant, shoving her empty glass away. "That's not it at all! I'm just really busy."

"Too busy for your friends?" he sneered. "Your job is that much more important than them? You think those suits in the boardroom care as much about you as they do?"

Lucy glanced around nervously as his voice started to rise. The diner was mostly empty at this time of night, but she really didn't want to attract attention to their rapidly escalating argument. "Oh, believe me, I have no illusions about that. Just… don't be so loud -"

"Or is this about your dad?" Her head whipped back to stare right into his furious dark eyes. "It's just like before. He snaps his fingers and you drop everything. Forget about your dreams." Natsu clenched his fists on top of the table. "Forget about your friends! Forget about -"

But what about us?! What about the plans we made?! Are you just giving up on everyone when you worked so hard?

"Don't!" she pleaded, eyes starting to burn. "That wasn't why -"

Natsu couldn't seem to stem the tide of frustration, muscles tense all through his shoulders and neck. "He's dead! And you're still following along with what he wants even though it makes you unhappy. I couldn't stand seeing you do this to yourself before, and I can't now! You have to know that we're the ones that actually lo- What are you doing?"

Across from him, Lucy was desperately trying to type on the screen of her cellphone with shaking hands. She sucked in slow deep breaths, trying to keep her tears at bay. "C-calling a cab."

Squeezing his eyes shut, Natsu nearly choked on the lump buried up under his larynx. He swallowed and the knot simply descended to ache in his chest. Damn it, you idiot. You made her cry. You're the worst.

Reaching out, he laid a gentle hand over her trembling ones. "No. I… It's okay." His voice was soft, all traces of ire safely squashed. "I'll take you home."

Neither said a word as he paid for their meal or as they drove down the dim, nearly abandoned streets. Her grip on him was tentative as if she was afraid to cling tightly. The silence felt like an iron bar wedged between them, unyielding and heavy. It wasn't until Lucy had dismounted in front of her tall, glass fronted building that they shared a whispered farewell.

Crawling into his own bed several hours later, Natsu stared unblinking into the gloom. He had ended up driving around aimlessly for some time after, hunting for peace of mind. Unfortunately, it stubbornly remained hidden. "Hey, Happy?"

"Yeah, Natsu?" the little blue exceed replied, curled up next to the pink head.

"Do you think… Lucy ever felt the same about me as I did about her? Maybe it's just been too long... Maybe I waited too long."

Happy wasn't one for over thinking his actions, much like his human best friend. But right at that moment, he very carefully considered his words. "I think she still cares about you. You were really great friends. That doesn't go away easily."

"I just don't get why she's acting like this," Natsu huffed. His energy was entirely spent. "Maybe it's time for a Lucy break. If I give her some space, she might come around, right?" Even the thought of letting her go again was gnawing a gaping hole in his heart.

But his question was greeted with silence. Happy really had no answer for him.

August 16, X793

Loke ducked around another corner, watching as the throng of fans and eager journalists were stopped by Gildarts' imposing frame. The lion had gotten lucky when Clive was momentarily distracted by a pretty girl making eyes at him. That one lapse had let him nimbly slip by.

It was far quieter deeper into the area reserved for the band and it's staff. Fairy Tail's charity concert had been a predictable success, and the stage side of the venue was absolutely swarming with people. The front rows were taken up by the well heeled wealthy who had paid obscene amounts for their tickets just to be seen by their peers, but there had been an encouraging number of people from all walks of life sitting in the other seats. There was no doubt the band had dragged in a large haul to support Magnolia's music education programs.

He, however, was not here for the show. Just a certain pink haired trouble maker.

Stepping into a doorway, Loke blended in with the shadows as Vijeeter, Jet and Max passed through the hall. The cart of sound equipment they were dragging rattled against the tiled floor, making a headache inducing clamor that slowly faded away. He leaned carefully past the threshold to confirm they were gone before treading out again.

And spun right into the immovable barrel chest of Elfman Strauss.

The white haired man frowned down at him, and Loke wasn't surprised he'd earned the nickname 'Beast Arm.' It wouldn't take much of an imagination to picture the towering giant as a fanged monster. "This area is off limits to anyone except staff and members of the band. You'll have to -" Recognition quickly lit his face along with surprise. "Loke? Is that you?"

"Ah hah hah," the spirit strained in a laugh. "Yeah, how's it going?"

The middle Strauss sibling grinned, showing off his teeth. "Hey! It's been forever! Good to see you. But… what in the world are you doing back here?"

"Well," he drawled. "Funny story… I'm actually trying to hunt down Natsu. He should be done soon, right?"

"Oh, yeah!" Glancing at his watch, Elfman confirmed. "I was heading out to help Gildarts reign in the crowd. Normally I wouldn't allow this, but since it's you… Why don't you go wait in the dressing room? You should be able to catch up with Natsu there." He jerked a thumb over his shoulder to indicate one of the rooms down the hallway.

Loke favored him with a rakish smile. "Much obliged, old friend."

He almost laughed when he spotted the cliche gold star on the door with 'Fairy Tail' painted in sloppy black letters. Most likely Asuka's handy work. Inside there were a few dishes of candy and one large one of more spicy snacks. It was fairly obvious who that was for.

He didn't have to wait long.

"What was with you out there?" Gray's voice echoed down the passage outside. "Actually, what's been with you all week? You were distracted."

"It's nothin'," Natsu responded, sounding carefully buoyant. "I just got caught up in things. No big."

"No big?! You almost set Wendy's hair on fire, flamebrain!"

"At least I kept my pants on, iceprick!"

"Oh, it is so -" Gray was in the process of pushing up his sleeve and shaking a fist when he spotted Loke lounging in a chair. "- on?"

The rose haired singer's surprise was written over his whole body. "Loke? What're you doing here?" He frowned, suddenly serious. "Is Lucy okay? Did something happen?"

Standing, Loke smoothed his hands over his pitch black suit. "She's not injured, but she is the reason I'm here. Gray, would you mind if I spoke to Natsu alone?"

"Yeah, sure…" Even though he seemed apprehensive, the brunette bassist backed out of the room and shut the door as he went.

The two men stared at each other for a solid minute before Loke broke the silence. "You need to talk to Lucy."

"Hey, man, I've been talking to her. She's the one who doesn't want to hear me out." The Salamander shrugged, doing his best to be unaffected.

"You need to tell her." Stepping closer, the zodiac spirit lowered his voice. "I know you're the one who bought those shares in the company."

Natsu stiffened. "Wha -"

"Don't even try to deny it." Loke's face was etched in severe lines. "I was against telling her, so she doesn't know. But that was because I think you need to be the one to tell her. You're not doing her any good by hiding your involvement."

Shaking his head, the star crossed his arms. He looked like a petulant child, but wasn't intimidated by the spirit. "She's too busy with her work to have time for her friends, so why should I -"

"You ass!" Loke snarled, jabbing a finger into the man's chest. "Becauses she needs you! She's alone and miserable, and that stupid song of yours keeps making her cry every time she hears it! There's a very real possibility that she might lose everything even though she's been working herself into the ground."

Natsu's posture deflated immediately, stubbornness caving in the face of Lucy's plight. "Is it really that bad?"

Nodding, the spirit's fury faded just a bit. "Your visits made her happier than she's been in I don't know how long. But they also caused her pain. It's not easy for her to deal with her feelings."

With a grimace, the pink haired frontman turned in a tight circle. Then he faced Loke again, rubbing the back of his head in consternation. "What am I supposed to do here? She doesn't trust me enough to let me help."

"Oh, and why would that be, I wonder?" the lion said, voice laced with sarcasm. "You of all people shouldn't be surprised after what happened." Natsu hissed through his teeth, but Loke continued. "She reached out to you, but you did nothing. Now you're shocked Lucy's having trouble letting you back in? You broke her heart, Natsu. You need to apologize and tell her how you feel, or you'll lose her for good!"

Tense as a guitar string, Natsu said nothing, his lips pressed together in a thin, pale line. The lion spirit waited expectantly, but was greeted by a stone wall of silence. Shaking his head, Loke let out a grunt of disgust. "Fine. You're so damned bullheaded, but you'll only have yourself to blame."

He strode past the pink haired man and wrenched the door open. "If you can't help her, then let her go. I'm not willing to watch you drag her down because you're trying to pretend you did nothing wrong."

Natsu didn't start breathing again until the black clad zodiac spirit was out of sight. He ran the back of his shaking hand over his mouth and forced his jaw to unclench. Distant voices carried down the hall, and he walked out of the room on unsteady legs. Nausea roiled in his stomach like he'd just spent an entire day on the bus.

"Mr. Dragneel!" The loud noise made Natsu start, and he spun to face it. Standing there was a familiar man in a hideously printed shirt with a press pass pinned to it. "Great show! I just have a few questions for you."

Groaning, the Salamander abruptly recalled having rescheduled an interview with the journalist. He scrubbed at his face. "Look, I'm really sorry to do this, but I can't right now…"

"This won't take long!" the man urged. "There's just a few things I'd like to confirm."

"I can't. This just isn't a good time, okay? So please -"

"Lucy Heartfilia."

Natsu stopped short, staring at the paisley clad interloper with a stunned expression. "Wha… What?" he managed to stutter.

The reporter smiled crookedly with a quiet chuckle. "She's your Lucy, isn't she? It seems the two of you were very close friends when you were younger - 'joined at the hip' was the phrase used - and then all of the sudden, no contact at all. It makes me wonder what could have possibly happened."

Backing away, Natsu shook his head numbly. He held up his right hand as if it could block the feelings that were suffocating him. "I don't… I don't want to talk about this. Just let it go."

The man's smirk became a shark like grin. "That's fine. I understand. I'll just have to ask her about it, then. After all, it might even be more interesting considering the rumors she's about to lose her company. How tragic! First her father dies, now she's not able to live up to - Urk!"

Seizing the man by the front of his awful shirt, Natsu lifted and slammed him against the wall. He leaned in so close the journalist could feel the heat streaming off his body, but it was the unnervingly sharp teeth bared at him that made the man swallowed convulsively. "If you go anywhere near her, I will kill you."

Feet dangling so his toes just barely scraped the ground, the reporter stared down into void black pupils constricted in rage. "You can't… I have every right -"

Natsu banged the man against the wall hard enough to make his neck snap back and his head collide roughly with the plaster. "You don't have any right to cause her more pain! You can say whatever you want about me, but I will not let you hurt her. Do you understand me?!" The voice that came out of the star's mouth was so guttural and inhuman, the journalist could only squeak out his fear.

"Natsu, let go of him!" Elfman grabbed one of the enraged singer's forearms, trying to pull him back.

Gajeel wrapped powerful arms around his middle and lifted. "Let go! You don't want to do this!"

"The fuck I don't!" Natsu struggled, but lost his grip on the paisley fabric, leaving the reporter to slide down the wall in boneless terror. The frontman snarled when Gajeel bodily hauled him away with the middle Strauss' assistance. "Get off me!"

"Calm the hell down, and we will!" the pierced drummer snapped, finally beginning to relax his grasp. He waited until the pink haired rocker went still and silent to fully release him. "I know those guys are bastards, but you can't lose control like that." He laughed humorlessly. "And this is me saying it."

Elfman peered into Natsu's eyes, trying to gauge his mood. "You okay now?" Nostrils flaring and fists clenched, the Salamander still looked ready to start a fight. Instead, he shook his head and spun to walk away.

"Hey!" Gajeel grabbed at his shoulder, and Natsu shrugged violently to get him off. "Fine!" The brunette held up his hands, irritated. "Do want you want."

Natsu stalked down the hall, brain completely shut down from fury. He couldn't even see straight he was so angry. He only pulled up short when a flying, blue furball nearly smacked into his face. The blood pounding in his ears was so loud he hadn't even heard the exceed repeatedly calling his name.

"Natsuuu!" Happy was breathing hard and waved a sheaf of papers in his face. "You need to see this! Laki says it's super important, and you need to read it right now!"

Snatching the pages from the cat with a bit more force than he intended, Natsu sent a small apologetic look at his friend. He glared at the words at first, but it quickly shifted into a frown and then awe.

"No way!" Clutching the papers in both hands, Nastu looked up at Happy with a wide eyed expression of profound excitement. "Happy! This is… This is it! You're the best!" The star took off like a shot, sandals slapping against the floor in his haste.

"Where are you going?" the feline asked, using a burst of speed to catch up.

"I gotta talk to Gramps pronto! I know what to do!" he cackled, vanishing around a corner. "I know what to do!" His mad laughter echoed even after he'd disappeared from view.

Gajeel crossed his studded arms over his chest, staring after the maniac. "Does anyone know what the fuck that was about?" The white haired giant next to him only shook his head slowly.

Nearby, Mirajane leaned over the journalist slumped on the ground. She quickly tucked a lock of long, pale hair behind her ear. "I'm so sorry about all of this. You're not hurt are you?"

Erza bent at the waist beside the singer, hands resting on her knees. "Please forgive his terrible behavior. I'm sure you don't need to report this to anyone."

The man thought that maybe his day wasn't going to be so bad after all, with two beauties beaming so winningly at him. Hell, he could even see down the white haired one's low cut shirt. Which was when he became aware of the powerful aura of malice surrounding the stunning ladies.

The She-Devil smiled in a way that was not at all reassuring. How could anyone that gorgeous have so many teeth? "Yes, there's no need to go telling anyone about this, is there?" Too many teeth...

"And no need to go bothering poor Lucy Heartfilia, either. You'll be perfectly satisfied with the exclusive press copy that Freed is going to write up for you." The redhead leaned in so her forehead was nearly touching his, and he shrank back as far as the wall behind him allowed. "Won't you?" Terror had him utterly in it's grip.

"Yes! That will be great! I'm so… lucky!" The man nearly fainted and was actually relieved when the hulking form of Elfman carted him out.