A/N: 173 Followers and 125 Favs, thank you everyone! And also thank you for over a hundred reviews!

I'm sorry for chapters being consciously late, but I've got so much school work to do right now and I'm slightly stressed, but I'll still update, don't worry. If they're a little late, I apologize, but I have work to do.

So thank you for the reviews and support, Bentears, clumzybeans, and Alaina Kuski! Also to Guest, (thank you, I'll take that as a compliment~), cocopuff123, Daddys little crazy bitch, and coolanime14! Thank you, Dark Shining Light, (I'm trying to keep them in character, but thank you, that means a lot! I can clearly imagine that happening!). Thank you, and I'm looking forward to it, Wolf123! Rose's Shadow, you were spot on! Yep, the Celestial Spirit is a she, and the reason Lucy's magic was drained was because you need a looot of energy for this Spirit, the reason why will be explained soon! I love Porlyuica too! Thanks for answering my question, we kinda have the same thing going on, and I agree, music helps!

Thank you to everyone for the support!

The Road to Recovery

"Lucy…"

The name of the girl came out in a saddened, hesitant tone as Happy spoke, concern evident in his eyes.

Team Natsu stood close by Lucy's bed where she rested far from peacefully underneath her blankets in Porlyusica's home, deep in the woods on the outskirts of Magnolia. The cottage was far away from humanity, something the healer desired to be a fair distance from. The woman with a self-proclaimed hatred of humans had glared at them with distaste upon their arrival, yet grudgingly allowed them to stay, knowing well enough they'd be stubborn on leaving their Nakama's side. Seeing the blonde-haired girl collapse as she did had instilled a great deal of worry within the Fairy Tail wizards, their initial reaction being to keep her within sight at all times. They were keeping close watch on her distressed features, unsure of what else they could do.

A positive, small, but a positive none the less out of this ordeal was that their Celestial Mage had not gained an unnatural tinge about her. This was unlike Master Makarov, who had turned a pale green after suffering from the Metsu spell cast upon him several months back. Other than that, Lucy was suffering just as much as their Guild Master had been, in obvious discomfort. It could have even been described as anguish, judging by her pained countenance. Happy sat beside the girl, paws resting on the pillow supporting her head as he watched her. The golden Key responsible for this entire experience was closed tightly in one of Erza's hands in fury at their uselessness, her arms tightly crossed, though she was careful not to crush the object in her grasp. It'd break Lucy's heart if it was damaged in the slightest, for this precious item was part of the mystery surrounding the message the late Layla Heartfilia had left for her daughter.

"So what's she doing?" Natsu asked, breaking the short silence that had fallen upon them. He turned, peering quizzically at the healer across the room, narrowing his eyes as he observed her work silently. He crinkled his nose at the stench of whatever substances she was combining. They certainly didn't seem like something that would aid Lucy's condition, the smell was implying they'd do something else, maybe even worsen her condition. Grey shook his head as if reading the Dragon Slayer's thoughts just by watching his deadly stare at the apparent "medicine" or whatever it was in the process of its creation. Porlyusica said nothing at Natsu's words, but frowned at hearing them before she resumed ignoring the humans that she desperately wanted to leave.

"She's making another batch of one of her Magic solutions." Erza explained. "It's the same medicine she gave to Master Makarov when he was in this situation. It restores Magic Power."

"Oh..." Natsu mumbled, folding his arms as he looked back to Lucy, a soft frown gracing his features. "Will Lucy be alright soon?"

"Tsk." Porlyusica muttered under her breath, sending a sharp glare at the Dragon Slayer, who seemed unfazed by the action. "The girl had a severe drain in Magical Power, boy, I expect you should know as a wizard how that drastically affects health." It was as if she were patronising him, her tone far from polite. "If you hadn't gotten her here sooner, she'd be on her deathbed. However, that could change at any given moment." She added carelessly, not wavering once, as if the topic of death was one that did not affect her. Fury burst through the patient's close friends' veins. The woman's words angered the group to no ends, yet the two elder wizards knew if they only argued with this woman, it would help Lucy in no possible way.

"Then why the hell aren't you making your stupid potion faster?!" blurted Natsu, charging towards the healer before Grey and Erza both yanked him backwards. He strained against them, while his comrades held him back silently, listening to the woman's words with serious expressions. Natsu, however, was just intent of giving this lady a piece of his mind. He wouldn't let her get away with speaking in such a manner about his precious friend. How dare she speak of Lucy dying like it was nothing? How dare she? "Can't you hurry up or something?!" He demanded.

"It takes time, stupid human." Porlyusica grumbled, focusing her attention back to her solution.

Natsu was practically snarling at her response, muscles tensing, itching for a fight. No one was allowed to speak about someone important to him like that. Grey rolled his eyes. If the 'Ash brain' wanted to blow off some steam, it'd be better if it wasn't directed at the woman they needed to look after their friend. "Drop it, Natsu." Erza warned. "Calm down this instant, or you'll be the one needing a healer." She loosened her grip slightly when he stopped struggling, yet her hands remained curled tightly around his arms in case of another outburst.

Grey mimicked her actions, watching his rival with a careful eye. "Don't do anything stupid, dumbass." He muttered. "You want Lucy to get better or what?" His words caused the pink-haired wizard to grind his teeth together, Erza and the Ice Mage taking that as a cue to let him go and allow him time to cool off.

Natsu grumbled "stupid old hag" angrily under his breath with a glare in Porlyusica's direction, clenching his fists. He sent one glance towards Lucy, baring his teeth before stomping outside. Happy followed after him with a longing glance at Lucy, hesitant to leave her side. The door slammed shut behind them and their comrades watched the exceed fly after the Dragon Slayer storming further into the woods.

If anything, the Medicinal Advisor of Fairy Tail seemed pleased at Natsu's sudden departure. She's probably glad for his absence since that means there's one less human to deal with, Grey mused. He turned to look at the elderly woman as she continued to work. This feels like it's going to be a long day.

LINE BREAK

"Stupid old granny, thinkin' she can act like that just 'cause she helped Gramps once or twice." Natsu's lips were curved into a frown, eyes dark with fury as he muttered angrily under his breath as he tore through the forest. His temper had always been short, but as of recent, everything had seemed to tick him off more easily, more frequently. The elderly woman's heartless comments weren't the only things fuelling the fire of his anger. This entire thing revolving around the Gate Key Lucy stumbled across, along with the ancient book and the letter written in foreign runes, all of it was so confusing. Why would someone write a letter in a language the receiver couldn't understand? It was completely frustrating, for the fact that Lucy was frustrated and that made him in turn feel the same way. Everyone else believed that she was cool and collected at the moment, but no one could read a certain Celestial Mage like he could.

That was just their bond, how they worked. He could sense whenever she was feeling a certain way and vice versa. They just clicked in a way no one else in the Guild did.

That was how he knew how badly these mysteries surrounding Layla Heartfilia tore her up inside.

They hadn't spoken about it, throughout his years at the Guild, Erza had warned him that talking to a girl about something that could upset them was something dangerous to do. It was a sensitive topic, so if he wanted to discuss it with his partner, he'd have to be…considerate. But there were so many things he needed to talk with her about and all of them settled into the category of "dangerous emotional ground", as he liked to call it. And Natsu wasn't necessarily good at feelings or speaking about them at all...but…

Everything had gone downhill after Lucy's solo mission. That's where all this anger routed from. His anger had begun growing when he learnt about what that Dark Guild had done to so many innocent people. It turned into a fury as he found out the torment the Dragon Slayer Erin had gone through because of them. It then changed into a storm of blinding range when Lucy had been so badly injured as a result of fighting against them…and then she'd developed a fear of fire. Her apparent phobia hadn't been a problem so far, except for that small scene in the Guild, but other than that, he hadn't used his Magic whenever she was near. He still had no clue on how he could fight without scaring her.

Why was everything so strange now?

Lisanna was back. His childhood friend was back from the dead. He should have been happy these past few weeks, in fact he had been. Ecstatic, even, upon her return. The celebrations lasted for an entire week before Master Makarov said they were spending too much money on booze and streamers. The youngest Strauss had only been back for almost three weeks, but the spirits at Fairy Tail were still sky-high. Now thinking about it, he'd barely seen Lucy during that period in time at all, if he had caught a glimpse of blonde hair there. He'd spent most of the celebration spending time with Lisanna. She'd come back from the dead, after all, it wasn't a crime to catch up on things.

Natsu shook his head as his thoughts returned to the event that had occurred less than an hour ago. He'd really appreciate it if this whole mystery was solved quickly so Lucy wouldn't get hurt again.

"Natsu…" Happy mumbled as he finally caught up with the Dragon Slayer, who had stopped walking to angrily stare at the ground as he lost himself in his thoughts. "Will Lucy be alright?"

"She better be." Natsu hissed, turning to scowl in the direction of the elderly woman's treehouse with a certain aggression. "If that old lady doesn't help her…"

He didn't finish the sentence as he headed further into the expanse of trees to let out his anger through his flaming fists.

The threat was still hanging in the air.

Happy knew that.

LINE BREAK

Soft, gentle murmurings surrounded her in the haze provided from her Magic depletion. Strange strings of words and phrases sounded close, belonging to voices she did not know and could not place. They blended in within one another in a tornado of untranslatable speech. Lucy felt an aching in her head and in her bones, unsure as to why, though. The residue of what felt like ice encasing her left a numbness throughout her form, but the Celestial Mage was left in the dark. Why am I so cold? Why can't I move? Her questions remained unanswered, her memory not all quite there as she struggled to open her eyes. Such simple tasks had never been so difficult as of recent, had they? Her fingers slowly twitched, and that was the restraint of the girl's movement. Nothing else seemed to respond to her commands, her limbs remaining still and stiff. Her fingers twitched again in an attempt to gain more mobility of her hand, her fingertips brushing against something that felt solid, yet crumbled slightly at her touch. Dirt. She was laying on the ground in some strange state on the verge of unconsciousness, she believed. Unless she was dreaming once again, having one of the unexplainable visions once more.

"…starting…all right…too much…body to bear…she…"

Her eyes finally fluttered open, most likely at her surprise for finally grasping onto some faint words.

"…couldn't even…her….could...we're…"

Then she stared upwards in complete surprise. The lights and stars of the familiar realm sparkled about her, yet they seemed strange. There were there, but not quite completely, fading in and out of existence every few heartbeats. There was a certain transparency to the world around her, and as it flashed and faded, the place her contracted spirits resided came a little clearer. It seemed as if Earthland was still attempting to connect with the Celestial Spirit Realm, even trying to merge the two dimensions together in the way they combined whenever a Spirit's Gate was opened. Three shadows towered over her, their images distorted as the dimensions continued to fade in and out. Are…are they talking about me? She wondered in disbelief. Who are they? Why am I here? What even is 'here'? She strained to look around more of her surroundings. Some kind of place in-between Earthland and The Celestial Spirit Realm? She wasn't sure, narrowing her eyes as she tried to get a better glimpse of those above her.

"…-ecome more aware…Luc-…-filia…is…name?"

She squinted before the pain in her head intensified and she closed her eyes with a grimace.

"…her…-phecy…only that-"

"…can't be…she isn't…like the pro-…believe…"

"…worried…she…Heartfilia…-igh? She…"

They are talking about me! She screamed in her mind, aggravated that her vocals seemed not to work when she attempted to use them. This was a crucial time, and yet she could not ask a single thing. One of those voices was ever so familiar, but she couldn't place where from. Her fingers curled into a fist and she smiled faintly as she began to regain her mobility.

"…too soon…that…she mustn't…"

Too soon for what? What are they talking about? Lucy cursed internally as she couldn't help but continuously question over and over again.

"You…look….she's…-akening…don't you…."

"We're…reveal…slowly…aren't we?"

"…see…deeper she searches the closer she'll be…"

That was the closest thing to a complete sentence she could hear before everything was still. The soft voices slowly changed into the gentle murmurs once again. She no longer had a chance of understanding anything else in this strange conversation.

If she had gained anything from that, it would be more questions and even less answers.

LINE BREAK

"Would you mind telling me how she got into this position?"

Erza and Grey exchanged glances at the sudden question before answering.

"She was trying to open a Gate to the Celestial Spirit Realm." The Ice Mage informed. "It completely backfired and she just...collapsed."

"Her Magic Power was drained the instant she completed the standard chant for summoning a Celestial Spirit." Added the scarlet-haired wizard as she shook her head. "The connection between the Celestial Spirit Realm and Earthland was obviously too unstable and unbalanced for her to-"

"But Lucy said nothing like that normally happens." Grey interrupted.

"Then that makes this a peculiar case." Erza replied. "What we don't know is why this happened the way it did. Lucy's Magic Power was drained within seconds, but I'm unsure as to why it didn't do so in the beginning when she started attempting to open the Spirit's gate."

Silence was the given response as Grey didn't have a clue himself either. Their gazes shifted to rest on the slumbering Celestial Mage, notably on her strained expression as perspiration beaded on her forehead.

"I have no knowledge on how Celestial Magic works, myself, so I'm of no help in that regard." Porlyusica said. "Whatever the case, she'll still recover." She lifted a bowl of steaming, shimmering liquid that sparkled in the light as she moved towards her patient. "Wake her, it's time for her to have another dose." She said to Erza, who stood closer by her friend's side. The Weapon Mistress nodded, leaning towards the bed and delicately grasping Lucy's shoulder, whispering her name to gently awaken her.

A soft moan left Lucy's lips as she peered through her lashes, hesitant to widen her eyes completely as pain continued to reside within her head, a dull, constant aching. Her vision blurred slightly as she carefully parted her lids, yet soon the image of the S-Class Mage beside her came into focus. "Erza?" she asked sleepily. Erza smiled at her, smoothing her hair in an almost motherly fashion as the healer approached the magically drained girl.

"I'll need you to sit up." Porlyusica said, adding a few last herbs to the batch. She watched while Grey and Erza slowly eased Lucy upright before she transferred the Magical solution into her patient's hands. Lucy hesitantly gazed downwards at it before lifting the bowl to her lips, tilting it upwards. She took a few moments to drink the entire thing, but was advised to not leave a single drop behind. The Celestial Mage did as she was told, soon lying back down and snuggling under the blankets for some more much-needed rest.

Natsu and Happy had chosen this moment to return, standing in the doorway as the Medical Adviser turned to glare at the group of them.

"Now that everyone is here, you can all leave now." She hissed, her words certainly not a suggestion.

"Uh…" Grey scratched the back of his head, looking to Lucy. "We just-"

"I'm not going to murder her in her sleep, you stupid humans!" Porlyusica lifted her broom into her hands, glaring at the group menacingly at their hesitation to exit. "Now get out of my house!" she chased them out, running after them while Happy shouted "every exceed for themselves" before soaring high into the afternoon air. The Fairy Tail Mages dispersed, leaving one another behind as they tried to evade the elderly woman's wrath.

Sooner, rather than later, they were left alone and found each other again, reluctantly journeying back home.

"I think it'll be a couple of days." The Ice Mage said as they walked. "Mira said that's how long it took Gramps to recover when I asked."

"But that scenario was a different case altogether." Erza reminded. "However, on a lighter note, Master Makarov said Fairy Tail is about to welcome a new member soon. This afternoon, in fact, according to my memory. He may already be there by the time we arrive."

"Who?" Grey asked. "I didn't hear about any new recruits."

"Aye!" agreed Happy.

Natsu remained silent, believing he knew who this new member was going to be. The thought left a smile on his face.

"He had nowhere else to go, so Master Makarov offered him a place at Fairy Tail." Erza said simply. "He was the boy Natsu found, but we only saw him briefly. I'm not sure of what his name is, though."

"Erin." Natsu grinned. "Erin Magnar."

.

..

…

A/N: Out of curiosity, have you read a novel and then had the prequel published at a later date? That's happened with a few works of literature for me before. As research, would you prefer to read the prequel of a work of fiction first, or not?