So it's been forever since the last time I updated, but I'm finally back with chapter 21! Please R&R and I shall see you at the bottom of the page.

POV: Narrator, Lucy, Lucy

Disclaimer: I do not own Fairy Tail

"Dammit, what the hell is going on?" Gray fumes, throwing down the file onto the table before roughly threading his fingers through his raven hair in agitation, "This is the most we've had to hunt down in years, and how the hell do they just keep popping up out of nowhere?"

"You're telling me? I haven't had a decent nights rest since we got back from Balsam Village," Gajeel groans while pinching the bridge of his nose, dark heavy bruise-like bags staining under his dark piercing red eyes, "I still have nightmares from when we found Cana a few weeks back."

The others nod, looking as equally tired as the heavily pierced teen, each one holding a somber look on their exhausted faces. Day and night they've been up completing the mission they were hired to do. One that had been so simple and effortless they didn't have to think about it much, but now things are getting way out of hand and the endless hours of hunting have drained every last ounce of energy from each individual.

Dark amber, almost onyx, eyes look on over at each individual within the small room. They all keep their eyes down seeming to avoid his glare, but not out of shame for whimpering like tired children. No, they fear what lies beneath the impeccable folds of the folder sitting in the middle of the room, each holding back the same question that rings within each other's mind.

Sighing, Natsu sits up in his seat and looks on over at the only girl residing within the room full of males. The rain woman, as they've all gotten to nicknaming her, looks back at Natsu with a deep emotionless glare that could make even the bravest men cower in fear. She knows what he wants to ask but continues to stare unblinking at the pink haired teen.

"Who is it this time," he finally asks and everyone within the room tenses us, ready for the oncoming blow. Usually this was the easy part, finding out on who was next on their hit list, but things have started turning out for the worse once familiar faces began popping up on the impeccable files.

Juvia's eyes soften looking more poignant than usual as she looks down at her hands that lie neatly folded on her lap. The room is dead silent with not even the soft hum of the A/C running above their heads. It's so piercing that even Natsu's unusually sensitive ears start to hurt from the deafening silence. It's way worse than having a screaming child throwing a tantrum right next to his ear.

Finally, her eyes dart over toward one of the males sitting near the back of the room and his massive fists tighten anticipating her words, but also seem as if he wants to run out of the room humming a rhythm less tune while covering his ears with his hands. No one can blame him, if I wasn't so hell bent on finding out who it was now I'd probably follow him in that notion.

If only all of this would just stop.

"Say ah," Porlyusica says with a stern expression holding a Popsicle stick close to my mouth. I do as she says and open my mouth allowing her to see into my mouth. She places the wooden stick on my tongue searching with a skeptical look on her face. As she checks my tonsils, I stare up at her creased forehead until she removes the Popsicle stick and writes into her notepad silently, "How are your injuries, are they still hurting?" Porlyusica then asks while continuing to write in her notepad sounding a bit bored.

"Only a little," I mutter, "The gash on my shoulder still hurts from time to time and most of the bruises from my fall have disappeared." As I tell her this Mirajane walks into the room with a bright wide smile shining on her gorgeous face and I immediately feel myself perk up. Being alone in a room with an emotionless Porlyusica can really make the time drag on uncomfortably.

Porlyusica harrumphs before handing her notepad to Mirajane and then goes on to inspecting my bandages and the yellow-green bruises that still adorn my arms close to finally vanishing, "How are you doing Lucy?" Mira asks while Porlyusica works and I smile back at her feeling her happy aura rub off on me as I try not to move too much under Porlyusica's probing hands.

"I'm fine," I answer and her smile widens even more while Porlyusica rolls her eyes clearly uninterested with our small conversation as she probes my shoulder making me wince right where my cut is still bandaged up from when I fell a month ago at the Magnolia airport when I first arrived. I look down at Mirajane's feet and notice the trademark beige bandage wrapped around her ankle that just about everyone I know seems to wear around town. Her leg seems a bit swollen and I think I can just make out what seems to be a cut…

I cry out when Porlyusica touches the back of my head causing the two older women to jump in surprise. I give them an apologetic look as Porlyusica takes a closer inspection to my head, a worried look adorning her withered face, "You have a large bump on your head and a cut as well," she says while searching through my hair gently, "Something pretty hard should have caused this bump," Porlyusica mutters to herself under her breath.

"How did you hit yourself?" Mirajane asks, concern written all over her face and when I look at her I get a small flash from that night that I had watched Levy die and when I'm immediately ready to spill out everything that I've been holding in for the past two days, I notice Porlyusica slightly shake her head from the corner of my eye. The warning bells have begun to ring and my chest tightens and for some reason I get the urge to cry when I look into Mira's dark sapphire blue eyes.

"I-" I look from the pink haired woman to the white haired woman not knowing what to do, "I don't know," I answer sheepishly, "I woke up one morning and it was already there. Why, is it bad?" I then ask looking over at the pink haired elder unable to come with anything else.

She shakes her head muttering something under her breath while fixing her coat already heading toward the door, "You'll be fine, just take care not to touch it too harshly in case you've got a concussion. Ms. Strauss, prescribe her some pain killers and after that send Ms. Heartfelia on her way home," and without another word Porlyusica walks out of the room disappearing from view almost looking as if she were in a hurry.

We spend a few more minutes in the room as Mirajane finishes writing a few notes in her notepad and then fills out a small form that has the medication that I'll need for my wound. Once she finishes she waves for me to follow her and I gladly jump off the examining table hearing the crinkling of the paper under me shift as I land safely on my feet. I follow Mirajane down the hall watching her greet patients and staff alike asking each and everyone how they are doing. Ever person we pass gives her a wide smile, even those who have deep scowls on their faces, making me wonder how popular Mirajane is within the entire building.

Mira chatters away about her sister and brother and how she plans on taking them out on a trip to Crocus. I suggest some shops and restaurants to her and she gives me a grateful smile clearly remembering that I had come from Crocus.

I'm about to mention the large famous garden that lies around the capital's castle when a flash of blue catches the corner of my eye. I turn and notice both Juvia and Gray making their way down the hall toward a corner where Gajeel seems to be waiting for them. All three each have a hard expression on their faces seeming to be discontented with something unknown to my curious mind. Gray looks around before heading around the hall behind Juvia and Gajeel and when I look over his head I notice a sign that reads 'Morgue' in thick bold letters. A chill runs up my spine and before I'm even tempted to go and follow them Mira places a hand on my back leading me towards the waiting room continuing to chatter unknowingly.

Once we reach the waiting room she tells me when my next appointment will be and then with a final wave disappears around a corner from sight. Once again I'm tempted to go and follow the strange trio when I hear my name being called over the roar of patients and doctors bustling about the active room who all seem to be in a hurry. I look around finding a hand wave over the heads of a few patients/visitors and not soon after Loke is standing beside me already leading me out toward the parking lot.

"How'd it go?" he asks and I shake my head as we cross the street toward where his car is parked conveniently under the shade of a Magnolia tree, "Did they tell you anything new?"

"No," I sigh as he opens the passenger door for me like the gentleman he is and I give him a thankful smile, "I'm perfectly healthy," I say as I climb into the passenger seat watching as he closes the door lightly before walking all the way around the front of the car toward the driver's seat.

Loke starts up the car with a smile and checks all the mirrors before pulling on his seatbelt, "Well that's good," he says and then turns to look at me with a curious look emanating through his blue tinted sunglasses, "So where do you want to go?" he asks taking me off guard a bit.

"Don't you have work?" I ask a bit baffled. Usually he was busy with either college or work and since summer started he's been taking full time at the company he works at.

He chuckles, as if it were obvious, and when I look at him confused says, "I took the day off today so I could spend it with you," and then shifts the gear into reverse as he slowly starts backing out of the parking space, "I've been meaning to take you somewhere since I found that you were coming to stay in Magnolia, but with everything that's been going on I haven't had the chance until now,"

"What is it?" I eagerly ask causing him to chuckle and shake his head in amusement.

"You'll see," he says and without another word drives down the street making my head buzz with excitement on where he plans to take me.

I silently thank him for moving my thoughts away from the trio that were taking an adventure into the Morgue and the rest of my endless amount of worries.

"This place is amazing," I gasp as I take in the view before us.

The town of Magnolia lies before us in a picturesque view from where we stand at the top of a hill surrounded by and endless grove of Magnolia's famous Sakura trees. Down below the hill you can see just about all of the rooftops from each of the buildings within Magnolia all the way toward the neighboring mountains.

Fairy Tail Academy looms over most of the neighboring buildings being the second largest structure in all of Magnolia, right after Cardia Cathedral which sits neatly in the middle of town not too far from the school. As I look around I notice that this place isn't all that far away from Fairy Hills being around a fairly good walking distance away, yet it's still far enough from the city lights making it a perfect place to go star gazing.

"I'm glad you like it," Loke murmurs as he sits down in the soft lush grass discarding his expensive coat next to him on the ground. He pats the space next to him and I gladly oblige as I take a seat next to him while he wraps his arm around my shoulder.

Sitting like this, slowly watching the sunset waiting for the oncoming stars, reminds me of when we were younger. When there were extravagant parties or business get-togethers back at home and mother couldn't join me for our daily star gazing, I would drag Loke with me and we would both stay up on the roof of the Heartfelia mansion pointing out stars that we knew by heart. It had been so comfortable then, but now a sort of tense air lies between us as if an invisible rift had begun to form.

We sit in comfortable silence and the temperature begins to lightly drop as a light wind rustles the leaves of the nearby Sakura trees creating a glorious symphony. I lean my head onto Loke's shoulder and as I do so a thought pops into my head, I haven't felt the usual staring eyes all day since Loke picked me up this morning. Usually I can always feel that small pinprick of three pairs of eyes at the back of my head, but the minute I opened the door and Loke walked in that sensation completely disappeared. If this were true I'd probably never leave Loke's side.

"Lucy," Loke says after a long period of silence, by now the sun is inching even closer from disappearing casting an orange glow over all of Magnolia, "You've been talking to Natsu, haven't you," immediately I feel my blood run cold and all of my stress comes shooting back into me like a knife being stabbed into my back in painful twists. His arm tightens around my shoulder keeping me in place from moving away and with a small chuckle says, "It's alright Lucy, I won't tell Makarov or Laxus if it will make you feel any better."

I look up at him over my shoulder feeling a deep pang of guilt swell through me. Loke had been one of the many males in my family who had shown great discontent in me having anything to do with Natsu. Even now, though he looks calm and collected, I can clearly tell the deep discomfort and probable anger he must be holding in.

"How did you find out? No one other than Wendy knew," I confess and he only smiles a bittersweet smile while shaking his head.

"Call it intuition," he says looking on out at the setting sun, "I need you to promise me something though. Promise me that you'll be careful around him," he whispers while looking down at me. Through the orange glow that surrounds us I can see the worry etched deep within his eyes that are still covered with his sunglasses, "I don't want you to get hurt,"

"Hurt from what?" I ask, almost shouting it out in annoyance, "Everyone is always telling me to be careful and yet no one has once explained to me from what I need to be careful from." I look at him feeling everything that I've been holding in just burst like a breaking dam, "I've had enough of being told things that I can't do and so many people just keep on hiding secrets from me and it's driving me insane. Why is everyone so damn weird around here?"

Loke smiles a kind sad smile that doesn't fail to make my blood boil even more, "I'm sorry Princess," he whispers just as the sun disappears in the far off horizon, "But as much as I want to tell you everything I know, there are just some things you can't learn," he squeezes my shoulder while looking up at the star filled sky, "But I promise you that one day you'll learn the truth that lies within the borders of Magnolia,"

"Promise?"

"With the stars as my witness," after that we walked home in silence, neither willing to talk further of what had just happened.

Eventually we reach the door to my house and Loke takes my hand kissing the back of it before releasing me and turning to leave with a simple 'Good night Princess. I turn to open the door to the house when I notice a small slip of paper in my palm. I gingerly open it, surprised at what's written inside in immaculate handwriting feeling my heart stutter dramatically.

"Loke…" I call turning around, but said male is gone from sight. I look back down at the paper with a single thought running in my mind.

How did he know?

So this week has been uber stressful for me, which is why I haven't been able to update until now. I was also a bit stuck with this chapter, another reason why I'm updating this all late - super sorry about that - but now it's up and out of the way. If I finish the next chapter on time I promise I'll post it up either today or tomorrow, but we'll have to see how much free time I can find since today we're doing a little get together for my younger brother's sixteenth birthday.

Anywho, this month will be immensely hectic for me, since it is competition month for all marching bands, and I'll probably have like two free days to write, so please bear with me. I won't stop updating, in case that is what you all fear, because I will continue to update until this story is complete!

Shout outs

Thanks to all of my Fantastic Favorites...

- Ki05596

- Et Bellator

To my Fabulous Followers...

- Ki05596

- animebooknerd

- Et Bellator

And to my Fantabulous Reviewers...

richgirl555cub - Thank you, I'm glad you like it and I agree, Natsu is a F*** up.

animebooknerd - Yes, yes I did, and I'm glad you like the suspense.

MeGustaZeref - You were right! And perhaps memory erasing is part of the equation, or is it, but I guess we'll have to see.

Sara lovelymusic - Thank you and I'm sorry. I promise I'll do better.

Well that's all the shout outs for today.

If you are enjoying my story so far please follow, favorite, and review - remember, reviews are a writers candy - and if you have any questions or ideas you'd like to see put into this story you can also PM me and i'll gladly add it in the story.

Until next time my lovelies.