A/N: 97 Follows and 53 Favs, what?! Almost 100 followers yay!

Thank you toCoolanime14and here's your update!QueenOfBlackCats11588, you're amazing, thank you! If this is the best thing in the world then I shall never stop updating! ;) thanks!Rizuki Dhan, thanks, I'm starting to get good at writing fighting scenes so if you like them, stick around since there's a lot of fight scenes to come!Bentears*joins happy dance alongside you* haha.Starfire, thaaaank youuuu, I have given you what you have asked for as best as I can! And I'm bringing the fallen star thing in on the next chapter, which will be on Friday, so you only have to wait a few days! And you're welcome, by the way.Fairy Flame Key, thank you and here you go!Blossom-channn, thank you and another thank you for telling me that! I think I remember reading an incorrect translation that said "Nakamara" and it must've stuck with me, but thanks for letting me know!Lilpumpkingirl, you'll have to see whether you guess is correct or not but I think you know what the answer is! ;) and you're welcome, I've always thought Lucy's magic would be better for bigger battles. And I'd rather have this story showing Lucy's growth of confidence and independence. Lastly toRose's Shadow, thanks so much as well, and if you want, I'll update on upcoming Celestial events since they're (Constellations and whatnot) going to play a part inFalling Starsas well.

Everlasting Guilt in the face of Triumph

Even though Gemini and Capricorn had done an outstanding job on tying up the members of Razor Fang, the group of Fairy Tail Mages had tied extra binds around the still unconscious men, as they'd been supplied with Magic-Blocking ropes which could cancel Magic being used by whoever was bound. After doing so, and talking in amazement about Lucy's success, they found their way out of the forest fortunately without getting lost. Once the wizards had emerged, they found were greeted by Loke leaning against the gate leading into Starlight, arms folded, gaze pointed at the ground.

"Loke!" Grey exclaimed in surprise at the Celestial Spirit. "What are you doing here?" He asked.

Loke straightened up, dusting down his suit. "I was waiting for you lot to arrive," He shrugged. "I'm guessing you've done something with the guys from Razor Fang?" He raised an eyebrow at Erza who nodded.

"We were supplied with Magic constricting binds." She explained, pulling her cart to a halt. "So even if they wake up before the Council members arrive, they won't be able to use any Magic to escape or get anywhere." She informed before smiling then. "Thank you for taking care of Lucy while we haven't been here," She said in a grateful tone. "We're in your debt." At her words, Loke let out a sour laugh which caused the Requip Mage's expression to change into one of confusion.

"I wish I could tell you I took extremely good care of her and that she's perfectly fine," He sighed, shaking his head. "There was this one Mage that kept having a thing of trying to attack her." His features showed anger as he recalled. "I should've killed that bastard." He let out an exasperated sigh and turned. "Follow me. I'll take you to where Lucy's been staying for the past couple of days." He beckoned for them to come forward, and they did.

Natsu walked to his side, almost seeming to glare at his Nakama as they walked side by side throughout Starlight. "Who was this guy?" He inquired.

The Lion glanced at the Dragon Slayer and then moved his gaze back to the street they were walking down. "I didn't catch his name or anything, but he could use his Magic to create explosions out of nothing." This caused everyone to exchange glances at the mention. Loke hadn't seemed to notice them, and continued. "He was relentless, trying to take her out. Last night…" he cringed at the memory. "Mavis, I should've killed him!"

"Is Lucy alright?" was Mira's question, her expression showing worry at her Nakama's anger.

Loke was unsure how to answer that, looking conflicted as he turned his attention to her. "For now, she is." He muttered.

Natsu's eyes seemed to narrow at this. "What did he do to Lucy?" He asked slowly, his tone dark.

Loke exhaled heavily and decided it'd be best to tell them rather than in front of his Key owner. "Lucy and Virgo were out last night," He began, recalling on what Virgo had told him when he'd visited her to check on her health. "Until late. Lucy had summoned Virgo for a few hours so her Magic Energy was naturally low. They were searching for Razor Fang's base in the woods for the entire afternoon and evening but couldn't find it anywhere." He pointed to the forest and Erza and Mira looked back towards it at his words, still listening intently, waiting for him to continue. "They were travelling back towards Starlight, where we are," he lifted his arms in the air to prove his point as he gestured around the town. "But they were ambushed and Virgo saved Lucy's life by sacrificing herself in the process. Luckily, all Celestial Spirits are immortal and Virgo was merely sent back to the Spirit Realm to heal, yet Lucy saw her get blown apart and was effected by that a lot." He shoved his hands in his pockets, kicking a pebble across the ground as he walked. "She was aware of her low Magic Energy but fought anyway and somehow managed to summon Taurus and Capricorn. I sensed she was in danger so I came to help, yet I wasn't there when she needed me most…" the Lion cursed at himself, roughly smashing the same, helpless pebble across the street in anger before he stopped, trying to compose himself. "And I call myself a loyal Lion…" he sneered bitterly.

The others stopped beside him, Mira resting her hand on her shoulder to comfort him. "You can't always be there to save people, whether they own your Gate Key or not, Loke." She reminded him gently. "I'm positive Lucy wouldn't blame you for anything, and she's fine now, right?" She squeezed his shoulder.

Loke offered a forced smile as they began walking again. "I still should've been there," He said, shaking his head. "If Horologium hadn't been in Automatic Danger Response Mode, we could've lost her, but he was there in time to save her from another ambush while Taurus, Capricorn and I weren't by her side." At this, the others brightened up slightly. "But he was blasted apart while Lucy was inside him, and she was left alone with that bastard explosion-caster." Now the good mood had vanished once again. "I found her just in time…he had one hand holding her head in place by her hair…" Grey's face went pale as he realised what he meant a few moments before the others did. "…and another against her cheek…he was going to blow her head to pieces…" the Lion explained. "If I was a second later I would've seen her die."

"Lucy…" Mira whispered sadly, looking distraught at the simple thought of what could've happened if the Celestial Spirit hadn't been there. Natsu looked like he was in deep thought, his features showing a seriousness as he too was thinking alike to the Take-Over Mage. He folded his arms, seeming to glare at the ground with fury boiling through his veins at this so-called Explosions Master. Erza and Grey exchanged a glance, though neither wanted to speak. They understood now that Lucy had not come from the battle with mere physical wounds. Happy looked distressed from his place in Mira's arms, cuddling closer to her for comfort.

"You've got to be careful around her, just for a bit." Loke murmured quietly, causing everyone to lift their heads. "She's been off ever since that whole ordeal happened…she's still got scarring where…" he lifted his own hand to his cheek so they understood what he had meant. Natsu and Grey were scowling at this.

"One of those bastards was him, then." The Ice Mage said. "Back with the other Razor Fang guys…" His eyes darkened as he thought of the damage done to his friend by the all-male Guild.

Loke nodded. "She's a bit jumpy, so don't go crushing her in any sudden hugs." He teased with a wink, causing a few faint smiles to form. "Ah, here we are." He looked to one of the guards posted in front of the castle who began to escort them inside while his friends gaped at the estate.

"Lucy's been staying in a friggin' castle?!" Natsu shouted, causing Mira and Erza to smack him in the head in unison, demanding for him to be quiet.

LINE BREAK

"She's probably still asleep," Loke warned as he gently pushed the door open. They quietly shuffled inside, noticing that he was correct, and she was still sleeping. She was resting on her side, facing her friends as they moved towards her bed, taking in her appearance. Both of her arms had been extensively wrapped again, to her Spirit's displeasure at the sight of her injury, and scars and burns still marred her cheeks, namely the left side of her face. A bandage had been placed over her forehead where the scarring could still be seen underneath the white. The blankets on her bed had been brought up to her waist, so the others couldn't see the extensive bruising and burns painting her legs. This was a stroke of luck, Loke mused, as her friends were already furious enough at her appearance. Their fury intensified as Lucy winced in her sleep, grasping her side. Her shirt shifted slightly, showing a glimpse of her bandaged torso. Natsu was clenching his fists, seeming to glare at every bit of bandaging, as Grey gritted his teeth, folding his arms as he tried to look everywhere but his injured comrade. Mira looked worried, even sad, while Erza remained serious, yet looked concerned. They said nothing, none of them knowing exactly what they could say besides declaring the murder of all Razor Fang members that fought against her. Lucy's pained expression seemed to fade as she nuzzled her face against her pillow, seeming more comfortable now that the pained had eased from her side. "Uh…do you guys wanna speak with her?" Loke asked after a while, feeling slightly uncomfortable at the group of five intensely staring in silence at the slumbering blonde. Erza looked up and nodded, agreeing on behalf of the rest of them. "Alright." He moved towards the bed, crouching down beside it so he was at eye level with his Key owner. He gently grasped her shoulder, shaking her. "Hey, Lucy," he said softly.

Lucy scrunched up her face, hiding it in her pillow. "Go away, Loke…I wanna sleep…" she responded, her voice muffled.

He chuckled at this. "If you sleep too much, you won't be able to sleep tonight~!" He sang.

"Well I'm tired and I was told that I'll heal faster if I sleep more." The Stellar Mage huffed.

Erza and Mira watched with fond smiles at this, while the boys simply smirked. They seemed happier now that she was awake. "Erza, Mira, Grey, Natsu and Happy want to see you." Loke sighed as a final attempt.

She lifted her head, rubbing at her eyes before opening them to look at her team mates waiting patiently at her bedside. Her cheeks flushed red at this and she quickly brought her hand up to her left cheek, hiding the scars that she wasn't aware they'd already seen. "Hey, why are you guys here?" she asked, looking confused.

"Master Makarov asked us to come," Mira answered. "We were sent to round up the members of that Dark Guild, but you finished the job before we could get a chance!" Her tone was teasing, but it was easy to see that she was exceptionally proud of the younger girl. "You took them all out by yourself, Lucy! That's amazing! I can't believe it!" She cheered, clapping her hands together, beaming with pride.

Lucy looked down at her lap, blushing at the compliment as her friends continued.

"Didn't know you had it in you, Lucy." Grey chuckled, patting her head in an affectionate way, grinning at her. "But yeah, that's pretty impressive. Wait till we tell everyone back at Fairy Tail about it." He lifted his hand and took a step back as Erza moved forward.

She instantly bowed at the younger Mage, much to everyone's surprise as she made a pained expression. "I apologize for ever doubting your abilities before, Lucy, you're much stronger than we've ever given you credit for!" the Weapon Mistress cried, causing Lucy to shift back a bit from the girl as she moved her intense gaze onto her. "Please punch me!" the red-haired woman begged.

"Uh…" the Celestial Mage looked to her friends for help, who simply shrugged with quizzical expressions. "I don't want to punch you, E-Erza…" she laughed quietly. "It's alright…" she was cut off as Erza leaned over the bed, face inches from hers.

"It's not alright, Lucy. This is a tremendous achievement and we're extremely proud of your efforts and I assure you Master Makarov will be as well." She nodded, straightening up again. "When we return to Magnolia, we're treating you to dinner. Maybe several." She stated before smiling. "I'm proud of you, Lucy."

Lucy had never received this much praise all her seventeen years of living, especially not all at once. She wasn't used to it at all, and could almost cry at her team mates being so proud of her, grinning at her, congratulating her like this. Natsu then sat down on the bed in the space she'd provided from jumping away from the scarlet-haired Mage, grinning at the blonde. "Awesome job!" he lifted his hand in the air, motioning for her to high-five it. Once she'd done so, he wrapped an arm around her shoulders. "Can't believe you managed that, Luce, it's just…" he paused, searching for the right word. "…damn awesome, if anything!" He didn't really know how to explain how impressed he was, he'd never been good with words, that was for certain.

But Lucy knew what he meant and smiled. "Thanks guys," she said, bashfully looking away. Natsu's smile vanished though, when she dropped her hand and he had a better look at her wounded cheek. He brought his own hand up, leaning closer to inspect the burns marring the left side of her face. She noticed what he was doing and knew he'd get mad if she'd protested, but did so anyway. "I'm fine, Natsu," she sighed. "Its noth–" she halted her assurances with a wince. "Ah, Natsu, that hurts!" she hissed through her teeth as he ever so lightly grazed his fingertips over the marks.

He jolted and pulled his hand back, not meaning to harm her. "Sorry, Lucy." He muttered, abruptly jumping off of the bed and walking out of the room. Happy, who had been silent this entire time, followed after him. She looked slightly hurt as they left, the door swinging shut behind them.

"Did…did I do something wrong?" she asked softly.

Immediately her friends shook their heads, and Erza sat down where the Dragon Slayer had previously. "He just doesn't know how to react other than feeling guilty. He feels like he's to blame for your injuries, Lucy, that's all." The Requip Mage explained. "In fact, we all do. Although you brought down the Razor Fang members, I believe…" she exchanged knowing glances with her comrades. "…I believe we all feel guilt for not arriving sooner. We might've had a chance at helping you, maybe allowing you to leave battle with less…" her words trailed off as she simply gestured to the heavy amounts of bandaging covering the younger girl's skin to prove her point.

"Oh…" was all Lucy could say. She looked away from her friends, stifling a yawn as she did so.

"Hey, it's fine, Lucy." Mira assured, moving to the other side of the patient's bed so she could gently embrace the girl. "I hope you realise when you're recovered, we're going to give you the biggest group hug ever and carry you back to the Guild on our shoulders." She said, winking.

The Stellar Mage laughed at that, but Erza simply raised an eyebrow. "Don't think we're joking, Lucy." She said with a chuckle. "Celebrations will defiantly be in order, don't worry. But for now, we'll let you get some rest." She patted the blonde's head and Mira unwrapped her arms from the girl. Grey slapped her hand in a high-five and Loke kissed her hand before they each left the room in a single file line. Snuggling back under the blankets, Lucy inhaled sharply as she grazed her side against the mattress, wincing. She shuffled around a bit, more carefully this time, leaning her head back against her pillow as she stared up at the ceiling above her.

It was that moment that her gaze was caught by something ever so dim but eye catching. Like a soft orb of light, almost like a comet with a trail of stardust following behind it, she saw a star fall from the heavens. So small but ever so beautiful as time slowed down as it descended upon the earth. It glimmered shiningly and as it hit the ground that was when an overwhelming amount of energy coursed through her veins and her eyes rolled into the back of her head at the entirety of it."Urano Metria!"

She needed to find that star, or whatever it was, no matter her injuries. Although Loke, Natsu and Erza would murder her if they caught her out of bed in her state. And then after that Mira and Grey would murder her ghost. Happy would probably mock the remains of her after that before asking for fish. Sighing in defeat, Lucy rubbed her eyes, contemplating on what she could do. Sleep would help make her mind clearer when she awoke, and maybe that's when she could really sort these things out. One thing she knew for certain was that she wasn't leaving the Kingdom of Constellar until she found that fallen star and retrieved it.

LINE BREAK

Closing the door behind him, as he was the last one out, Grey followed after his friends as they left the castle to find Natsu outside, Happy keeping quiet at his feet. Erza spoke up first, walking over to her childhood friend, resting a hand on his shoulder as he kept his gaze averted from meeting hers. "Natsu, don't beat yourself up about this." She said. "As much as any of us like to disagree, it wasn't our or your fault that Lucy is injured." The Requip Mage assured.

Natsu sighed, exasperated. "If we'd gotten here sooner, maybe we…we could've…" he let out a frustrated groan. "We're a team, after all…I…I shouldn't have left her behind…" He muttered. Erza turned back and shared a knowing look with Grey. That'swhat this was mainly about, the fact that Natsu and Happy had left without her and that was the main reason she'd had to take on this mission solo. If they'd listened to her, they would've gone with her on this mission and she would've had a less chance of getting hurt with Natsu's instincts to always protect her and his team mates from harm.

Erza squeezed his shoulder reassuringly. "She wouldn't blame you, Natsu." She assured. Natsu didn't respond, but Happy replied with a short "Aye…"Sending the conversation was over, the Take-Over Mage decided to speak.

"We might as well give Master a status report," Mira dug her hand into her bag and pulled out her Calling Card, pressing on it to activate it, hoping it'd break the tension between the group. Grey nodded in agreement while Erza moved away from her pink-haired comrade. "Hello?" Mira chimed. "Master Makarov, are you there?" she waited patiently for a few moments before the Guild Master responded, much to their delight.

"Mira, how's the mission proceeding so far?" Makarov asked.

The white-haired Mage laughed softly before answering. "Absolutely perfect, Master." She giggled. "They're all tied up and I think the Council would have them all on a train headed far away from here." Grey nodded in agreement at her words.

"Really?" the Master was in shock and that's when Loke came forward.

"Lucy took them all down!" He said, suddenly seeming eager to boast about his Key Owner's achievement. The Lion reached forward and swiped the Calling Card from Mira's hand. "She was amazing, Gramps!" He cried, beaming with an overwhelming sense of pride for the blonde-haired Mage. "She had Gemini, Taurus, Scorpio, Sagittarius, Cancer and Capricorn out all at once and even though she had low Magic Energy, she took all of that Guild out in one shot!" He was grinning from ear to ear as he re-told the story. "The entire Guild at once! A single hit! It was amazing, you guys should've been there…" He said as Mira took the Card back.

"We can confirm that, Master," Mira giggled as Loke continued to go on about the fight in the background. "They were all unconscious before we got there. Erza's already planning the celebration cake she's going to buy for Lucy when we get back to Fairy Tail." She turned to look at the Requip Mage, who nodded, counting the number of strawberries she'd order on each finger.

"Really?!" If they could've seen Makarov, they would've witnessed him staring at the Card in awe before responding.

"Yep, we were all there." Grey chimed in. "Damn, we didn't know she was capable of that." He shook his head. "The celebration party is gonna be huge, isn't it?" He laughed.

"She'll be rich for this." Makarov chuckled. "The Council had issued a high reward for their capture, and I bet she'll still get a hefty reward for completing such a job." He said. "We'll all be sure to express how proud we are," at this, the group cracked a few grins.

"You bet." Grey replied.

"Then I'll see you all back at the Guild sometime soon, then!" Makarov cheered. He said his goodbyes before Mira tucked the Calling Card away again.

"What about Lucy?" Happy suddenly piped up, still seeming saddened from Lucy's state. "Will she be good enough for all the train rides?" He asked. As Natsu turned slightly green, his team mates looked at each other, considering the answer to his question.

"That's right, we'll have to walk a bit in-between stops..." Grey murmured.

"Maybe we should allow her to recover a little more…" mumbled Mira thoughtfully. "We can wait a few days, right?" she glanced at Erza, asking for confirmation.

The Requip Mage nodded, folding her arms. "We'll wait as long as she needs. Even until she's fully recovered, if we have to. If she wants to leave beforehand, I'm sure we'll be there for her in case her injuries cause her any distress." Dusting off her hands, she turned back towards the entrance to the castle, where another escort was patiently waiting. "Shall we go back?" she asked the team.

Loke scratched the back of his neck. "If it's alright with you, I think you guys can take it from here." The Spirit said. "Look after her, alright?" with a parting wave, he disappeared in a rain of golden light, and the remaining members of the group disappeared back inside.

LINE BREAK

Lucy sucked in a breath through her teeth, grasping Laura's hand as she helped the girl from her bed and to her feet. "Ugh…" she groaned, her features strained as pain shot through her bones. "I don't remember them hurting this much…" she gave the nurse a grateful look as she was gifted with a pair of crutches to aid her walking.

"They'll mend faster if you start using them," Laura informed as she gestured to her legs, slowly walking beside the Stellar Mage, a hand on her back to help her along. "You didn't even take a break, did you, dear?" She scolded softly as she steered the girl from the room and down the halls. "You should've rested a bit before charging out there again. Two days in a row that gentlemen of yours had to carry you in while you were unconscious." She shook her head and sighed as Lucy kept her gaze focused on what was ahead of her, yet struggle was clear in her movements.

Natsu was leading the group back towards the room when they stopped short, seeing Lucy limp past them with the nurse by her side. They hadn't noticed them, simply continuing to walk. After exchanging confused glances, Grey quietly asked the escort where they were headed. "Miss Heartfilia's bones will mend faster if she is active." He informed sniffily. "I shall take you to where they are headed." With a nod, they began following after the women, who continued to talk, oblivious.

"How long do you think it'll be till I can move properly again?" Lucy asked with a wince.

Laura sighed. "I'm not sure, dear. But I'd recommend you stay away from fire or any heat what so ever."

At this, Lucy and Natsu both stopped short. "Fire?" she repeated quietly.

Laura nodded slowly. "According to your friend, you were almost killed because of those explosions and you were severely burned. You seemed quite traumatised while we were tending to you…" at this, Lucy scoffed and began walking again.

"It was a near-death experience, I was a little shaken up." She said. "I'm not going to develop an irrational fear of fire or anything." She assured. At this, Natsu let out a silent sigh of relief.

Laura didn't look convinced. "Whatever you say, Miss Heartfilia." She shrugged.

The group followed them as Laura led Lucy, who was struggling with the effort, onto a large balcony, decked out with cushioned loveseats and chairs. The seventeen-year-old was helped to rest in one of the chairs as Laura fluffed the cushions for her to lean back against. "Thank you, Laura." Lucy said with gratefulness. The woman simply nodded and noticed her fellow colleague bring her patient's friends onto the balcony as well. Lucy brightened up at the sight of them. "Hey guys!" she greeted cheerily, determined to make it seem like she wasn't in agonising pain at that current moment. Erza and Mira took a seat either side of her while the boys retreated to the loveseat directly across from them. Laura and the group's escort moved away to have their own conversation and allow them privacy, the nurse taking the blonde's crutches for her as they were seated.

"How are you feeling?" Mira inquired, resting a hand on the younger girl's shoulder comfortingly.

Lucy smiled faintly. "I'm fine," she said. "Just a bit bruised and…burned I guess…but I'll be fine. I am fine." Her assurances seemed slightly rehearsed and her words rolling off her tongue a bit too quickly. She averted her gaze, pretending as if her friends were staring at her with the most concerned looks she'd ever seen. "I've been given pills…somany pills as pain relievers, you have no idea." She giggled, trying to lighten the mood. "I haven't taken many yet, though. All in moderation, I guess. But anyway, how are you guys? Bet Natsu didn't enjoy the six hour journey," her tone was teasing as she smiled at him, but he looked away, causing hurt to flash briefly in her eyes.

Grey and Erza glared at the Dragon Slayer for this, while Mira hugged her gently. "I really am fine, Natsu…" she said in a small, quiet voice. He scoffed at this, causing Erza to rise from her seat.

"Natsu…" she warned. "I won't have you disrespecting our Nakama and hurting her feelings in front of me!" She lifted her hand and summoned a sword by her side, causing Lucy to shoot forward far too quickly.

"Erza-" her sentence was stopped short as she let out a sharp cry of pain, clutching her side as she dropped to her knees.

"Lucy!" Happy, Mira and Grey rushed to her aid, pulling her up again as she grimaced. Laura heard the cry and ran towards her patient herself, gently easing the girl to her feet.

"I said not to overwork yourself, Lucy," she scolded, but Lucy couldn't hear her. Tears were in her eyes and that's when her friends realised how truly great she had been at masking her pain from them. Natsu and Erza were watching, looking horrified as the Stellar Mage fell down again, letting out shaky breaths in agony. "Jerome!" Laura called to the escort who nodded and the two worked to bring her to her feet once more. The group of Fairy Tail Mages stood back, simply watching as if they'd been frozen. "Can you stand, Lucy?" the nurse asked.

Lucy shook her head and let out a weak "No."which followed by a short sob. Jerome carefully lifted her, acting as if she were made of porcelain as he rested her back onto the loveseat. Laura dug her hand into her pocket and pulled out a bottle of medication for her patient. She pressed a few pills into Lucy's hand, who quickly swallowed them, barely hearing the reassurances of the woman as she spoke.

"The pain relievers will kick in soon," she promised. "Do you need to go back to bed?" she rubbed the blonde's back as she shook her head. "We'll just give you some space to breathe for a bit." She and Jerome moved the Mages further down the expanse of the balcony, giving Lucy a few moments to compose herself as her shoulders trembled.

Once they were out of earshot from the girl, Erza spoke up. "How bad is her condition?" she asked. "Truly? As her close friends, I assure you we'd rather not receive a sugar-coated response." She said. Laura sighed, looking at the shaking girl before tuning her attention back to the Requip Mage.

"She'll need a few days at the very least to recover. Having sudden movements like that are bad for her health, as you've just seen." Laura sighed, massaging her temple. "She's great at masking pain, she seems to not want you to worry, but she's been in agony ever since she arrived. That well-dressed friend of hers said she was thrown against a number of trees and slammed against the ground from the force of many explosion-based attacks. I'm surprised she hadn't broken anything, but she's defiantly in pain. If she starts taking her medication, I predict she'll be able to travel after she rests for a bit more. Her recovery rates are quite quick though, I assure you. She'll be fine pretty quickly." At her words, the Stellar Mage's friends brightened up slightly.

"So she'll be fine in a few days?" Grey checked. Laura nodded and everyone sighed in relief. She spared a glance to the Celestial Wizard and moved back towards her, noticing she had calmed down.

"Sorry about that," were the first words she blurted out as they came near.

"It's okay," Mira assured. "Nothing's your fault, Lucy. But maybe you should get back to bed. Rest is essential for recovery, you know." She said with a wink that cheered Lucy up slightly.

"Yeah, I guess." She let out a soft sigh. "Can…can you help me up?" she looked ashamed of asking, but Mira simply smiled.

"Of course I can, Lucy!" she grasped Lucy's hands, happy that the medication had kicked in as this time no pain was shown in her features.

"I'll probably be able to walk again tomorrow if all the medication is as good as this." She joked, gratefully accepting the crutches from the nurse.

"You're welcome to stay in the room across the hall from Miss Heartfilia's." Jerome said to the Mages. "The King and Queen have allowed it." He beckoned them to follow him as Lucy and Laura moved ahead of them.

LINE BREAK

As soon as they were left alone in a large room stacked with a large double bed for each of them, Mira, Happy and Grey looked around, observing the room in awe. Erza allowed herself a moment to do the same before she moved, slamming her armoured fist into Natsu's face and sending him flying into the wall, causing the paintings to rattle at the impact. She marched over to him, grabbed the front of his vest with both hands, and smacked him against the carpet before tossing him against another wall.

"Erza, what are you doing?" Mira demanded as Happy cried out Natsu's name, rushing to his aid.

"Don't help him up." The Weapon Mistress commanded, causing the exceed to shrink back in fear. "You really think I'll just let you treat Lucy like that?" Her eyes darkened tremendously as she glared at the Dragon Slayer. "Of all people, I expect you to be the last to ignore her when she's speaking to you, Natsu. Is that how we treat our Nakama now?!" This time, Grey held Mira back from doing anything, reminding her that he deserved it as Natsu was flung across the room once again. "She's hurt, you bastard! She pushed herself for your expense! She was crying because of the pain she was in, but she was hiding it from us so she wouldn't worry us, especially you!" Erza was ready to completely lose it when Natsu sat up, coughing and wheezing.

"I'm sorry, okay?" he cried. "I just…I don't know how to react to this! I know I'm being an ass, you don't have to tell me!" He snapped.

The Titania took a slow, deep breath to calm herself. "Fine." She hissed. "You're lucky that Lucy's sleeping across the hallway and that we are guests here or I would've thrown you through the wall. You're going to apologize to Lucy tomorrow for everything from leaving her behind to your actions today, and that is an order." She commanded. Happy shivered at her tone. With a firm nod to dismiss the conversation, each member of the group retreated to their own bed, except for Happy, who simply shared with the pink-haired eighteen-year-old.

A silence ensured then as they stared up at the ceiling, each of them lost in their own thoughts that always seemed to drift back to their blonde-haired friend.

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..

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A/N: These chapters are starting to get longer the more we go along. That's like three chapters in a row with over five thousand words, yay!