Hey Minna! Yeah it's me! Back from the grave! I'm so sorry about the long wait. Writers' block can be a real bitch. But this chapter is longer that most, so hopefully that makes up for it!

Anyway, DISCLAIMER! I don't own Fairy Tail! All those rights go to Master Hiro Mashima! I only own this plot here! Enjoy!

Chapter 15

Loke's POV

I wandered the house to see where the young Master Dragneel's room was. Many gave me funny looks, but after five minutes of searching and asking around, I found his room. I knocked.

A few moments passed before I heard a, "Come in," from a very gentle and feminine voice.

When I entered, I saw Gray sitting on the bed with a beautiful woman, both of them hanging over a book. Gray looked rather frustrated, while the woman was giving him a reassuring look, pointing to something in the book. Gray shook his head.

"Natsu, can you come-"he looked up to me and stopped short, surprised. I gave a half smile and waved. The woman was also surprised, and also confused. She stood up from where she was, hands on her hips. I looked her up and down. God damn she was hot.

"Who are you?" she asked voice defensive. I forcefully looked her in the eye, blushing slightly.

"So sorry, miss. But I was sent here to talk to Gray," I replied. I looked to Gray, his surprise turning to confusion. He set the book down and stood up next to the woman.

"Who sent you?" she asked, stepping forward slightly in front of Gray…. A defensive stance, now that I take a closer look. That's weird.

"Young Master Dragneel. I have a private message from him." She narrowed her eyes, still holding her place.

"We're in the middle of a lesson. Can he wait?" she asked. I shook my head.

"He's in the middle of a something himself. It's urgent; between him and Natsu only." I crossed my arms, but kept my head lower than hers. I figured she must be a Mortu, so I need to stand my ground while still being respectful.

She pursued her lips and look at me for a long time. After a few moments she sighed. "I'll give you five minutes." Then she walked around me and out the door. I gave a sigh of relief and looked to Gray, who was still confused. I gave him a reassuring smile and crossed over to him and gave him a hug.

"Hey Gray, I heard about your little relationship," I said after pulling away. He stiffened.

"H-h-h-how?" he stuttered.

"I stowed away on Lucy's carriage here. I wanted to make sure your lover wouldn't hurt Lucy when she explained herself. But now that everything is settled, I wanted to talk to you about your situation. So we have about four minutes." I sat down and patted the seat next to me.

He only stared at me, still bewildered. I sighed, growing annoyed. "Natsu is on his way here with Lucy and she doesn't know I came along. In fact she didn't want me to come, so I need you to explain quickly, before they get here and before that woman comes back in."

He stared at me longer before sighing and sitting down. "Shortly after we got back was when things started getting a little more intense, I guess you could say. Not much to it. He told his dad, he freaked out, but after some persuasion, he's accepted our relationship-"

"And before you go on, that reminds me. Nice job by the way. Very well thought out," I interrupted. He gave me a confused look.

"What are you talking about?" he asked.

"Starting a relationship with young Master Dragneel, of course. Nice thinking. I guess we're more alike than I thought, although I do love Lucy."

He shook his head slightly. "What are you talking about?" he asked. I'm surprised he still hasn't caught on. I gave him a surprised look. "Starting a relationship with young Master Dragneel to help promote the rebellion. What else would I be talking about?"

He blink slowly a few times, letting what I said sink in. Then he shook his head. "What makes you think I'm using Natsu like that? For your information, I actually care about him. Yeah, it started out that way, but honestly, this is more of a relationship than a strategy in helping the rebellion. Don't start saying nonsense like that." He glared at me and I backed away, even more surprised.

"Well, that's good then. Sorry if I offended you, I just never thought you would do this; it's a bit of a surprise. But I'm happy for you, I guess. Well, um..." I looked away, not knowing what to say. That's when a knock sounded on the door and in walked Misaki. She had her hands on her hips, wearing a neutral expression.

"Your five minutes are up. I suggest you go back to your duties before you get in trouble with your Master," she said, opening the door wider for him. I gave him one final look, before turning around and walking out the door.

I ran around several corners, avoiding anyone I heard coming near. As I hid behind a bush, I finally heard some familiar voices that I know I didn't want to see me. I looked around the corridor as the slaves I was hiding from rounded the corner. If I stayed here, I would surely be seen, so I got to move now. I crawled away toward the corner, hearing the voices of Lucy and young Master Dragneel near the other side of the corridor.

Just as I was about to get away, I heard a, "Who are you?" I froze, hiding my head and face as footsteps came near me.

"Loke?" Lucy exclaimed, once she was right behind me. I laughed nervously.

"Hehe, hello Miss Lucy," I said, standing up. I turned around and saw their shocked expressions. I scratched the back of my head nervously, waiting for their ranting.

"Why are you here?" Lucy asked, once she got over her shock.

"You know I couldn't just sit at home, not knowing how young Master Dragneel was going to react! I'm sorry sir, but I really care about Lucy, and I didn't want you to do anything just because she called off the wedding for a slave."

He gave me a crooked smile. "No need to be so sorry. I also have a relationship with a slave. And I'm pretty sure you've made friends with him during my visit to the Heartfilia Plantation."

I gave a relieved smile, not telling them that I already know. But they seemed to pick up on that.

"How much of the conversation did you hear?" Lucy asked, her beautiful face contorting into a glare. I shied away.

""The entire thing," I confessed.

Awkward silence passed between us all. Young Master Dragneel shifted his wait uncomfortably as he glanced to Lucy's glare to my possibly fearful expression. He cleared his throat before he finally spoke.

"Well at least you know I'm not a violent person and I would never hurt Lucy and you hopefully understand the situation now. Maybe we can bring you to talk to Gray and-"

"I don't think that's necessary Natsu. I bet he already talked to him, since they made good friends the last time you visited. And now he was going to try and slip back into the carriage so that I wouldn't catch him and he wouldn't get in trouble," Lucy stated, still glaring at me. I gave a sheepish look, knowing everything she said was true. Natsu looked to her, bewildered. Then he smiled and laughed.

"Well ok then. Why don't you go back to the carriage then, if she's now mad at you and we'll go see Gray and his new tutor? How's that Lucy?" he asked, giving her a bright wide smile. She glared back at him, but after a few seconds, her features softened and she sighed.

"Alright. Go back to the carriage Loke. Let's go Natsu," she finally said, turning to the young Master Dragneel. He nodded in reply as he took her hand and walked back and around the corner. I stared after them for a few seconds before turning around myself to look for the entrance.

Natsu's POV

It was silent on the way to my room, with Lucy still looking annoyed all the way through. When we got my door, I did a quick knock before entering. I knew the tutor was still there, but I had no idea it was going to be, or what they would look like. What I saw now took me off guard completely.

There sat a beautiful woman in a too sexy outfit. Even Lucy looked surprised. She and Gray both looked up at the same time mildly surprised before finishing up a passage they were currently studying. My heart beat slightly faster, hurting just a bit as it did as I kept staring at the woman. When they finally looked up, I had gotten over my initial shock as did Lucy and we just stood there in silence. It was finally broken by the woman.

"I should probably introduce myself. I'm Misaki Yagami, the tutor for you and Gray," she greeted, shaking my hand firmly.

"I'm Natsu Dragneel, as you may have guessed and this is my ex-fiancée, Lucy Heartfilia," I replied, motioning to Lucy. They also shook hands.

"Nice to meet you. Well, Gray's session is done. I will be back tomorrow to do your learning session. For his practice, read this with him every night. I'll bring different books each time I come." She handed the book she was holding to me. I studied it for a moment, looking at the title. 'The Grim Brothers' Book of Fairy Tales.' I looked back up to her. She was now smiling, bright white teeth practically sparkling. I got a weird feeling in my stomach, and I did not like it one bit.

"Ok then, I guess I'll see you tomorrow," I finally said. She nodded and left. Silence engulfed us for a few moments.

"She seemed nice," Lucy commented after a few minutes. I nodded, staring at the book again before turning to Gray.

"How do you feel?" I asked.

"Tired. I had no idea reading was that hard," he replied immediately, smirking.

"Well you can't sleep yet. You need to meet Lucy. She's the girl I was supposed to marry and she wanted to meet you. So Lucy, Gray. Gray, Lucy."

Gray's smirked quickly turned to a respectful smile as he bowed low. Lucy, in turned, curtsied, smiling warmly.

"Pleasure to meet you," Lucy said.

"The pleasure is mine, ma'am," Gray replied, straightening back up. Not knowing what else to say, the room went silent once again.

"I was a little surprised when Natsu told me that he was also in a relationship, especially when he said it was you. How have you been with it?" Lucy asked.

"U-um well, I've been pretty good. Natsu has been great and I've been a lot better since he's taken me off the fields," Gray replied reluctantly.

"Speaking of which, how are the fields here?" Lucy asked curiously.

"What do you mean, miss?"

"I mean, are you treated badly? Are you being abused?" she asked intently, her kind expression changing to concern.

Surprised by this change of subject, he looked to me, not knowing what to say. I gave him an encouraging smile and nodded toward her. Just tell her the truth, I silently thought to him.

Swallowing, he explained the many hardships that he has endured, most of which I have not heard about. And my anger swelled up even higher with each story he told. All this blackmail and abuse was just outrageous. How could I have not known this! I clenched my jaw and balled my fists as I listened to how the little blue haired girl named Wendy was picked up by Midnight on horseback and thrown ten feet and how my new friend Lisanna was nearly choked to death by Angel with her whip. Then the really disgusting story came.

"There was also this one girl. Her name was Mary and she was only twelve at the time. Sweetest little girl you could ever meet and had the biggest heart and strongest will. A few years ago, she was sent to get water from the well for our water break. She didn't have a very big breakfast that morning, although I don't know why unfortunately. But she was very fatigued and was barely standing on her own two feet. She had a lot of trouble carrying the water. None of us were allowed to help her either. Cobra was following her, like he always does, and was whipping at her back. She fell a few times, but always got back on her feet. After the first few falls, Cobra finally got off his horse and started shouting in her face. Poor little girl tripped on her own two feet and accidently spilled the water she was carrying on him. I can't even describe how angry he was. First he just yelled at her, and then he began to beat her. After a few hits to the face, she got a whipping of thirty five lashes." My eyes widened to that. "We have very weak ointment and she got an infection because she and the medicine weren't strong enough. Midnight refused to call the doctor or the Master. She died within two days mainly because she got sick and was still forced to work." Gray went silent after that and I saw why. All the time he was telling the story, tears were streaming down his face. I looked over to Lucy and saw she was also crying. Even I felt the wetness of tears lingering on my face. We stayed silent, other than the crying and sniffing and Gray and occasionally Lucy. I stayed silent for the most part, but the anger inside me increased even more. I loathed the Authority, but what's worse is that I loathe myself and my father even more. How could we have not known about this? And did my father know about the little girl too? I just cannot believe I've been left in the dark for so long. I scooted over to Gray and brought him into my lap, crushing him to my chest. He cried even harder on me, staining my shirt, but I couldn't care less.

After what seemed like an eternity, I heard a rustle over to where Lucy was. Then she spoke. "Now I definitely have a larger purpose for the rebellion. I can't believe something like that happens. I didn't know it had gotten so serious." She sighed. "Gray, I have an interview tonight with the press and I was planning on bringing Natsu with me." Gray tensed slightly in my arms and I smiled. "How would you feel on accompanying us?" she asked genuinely.

Gray looked up from my chest, eyes red and puffy and very surprised. He blinked a few times before giving a small smile and nodding. I brought him closer to me and pressed my lips to his temple. Lucy blushed at that and smiled.

"Alright then. I'll send the details to your father and we'll meet tonight," Lucy declared, standing up. She came over to us and gave a kiss on both of our cheeks. "For now, I'll take my leave and let you guys be along." Her blush deepened as she said that. Then she turned around and walked out the door, calling for some servants to help her find the door. My face broke out into a smile as I crushed my lips to Grays, savoring his flavor as we took the next step to his freedom.

Yay!

Again, too lazy to do the raise your hand thing. SOoooooo, how'd you like it? I hope this makes up for the long wait. I know it can be irritating wait for a post to come up and I always felt bad looking at the paper but now knowing what to write next. (sigh) Well I got some ideas for next chapter, so hopefully the wait will not be as long. I hope you enjoyed the chapter! Comment, like and if there's anything I can do better, don't hesitate to say so! I don't like to proofread much, so really, all comments are excepted! And if you guys have any ideas, those would be accepted too! Because, really, I'm running out of them as most of my initial ideas are being fulfilled. Until next chapter, Scarlet out! Love y'all!

Review responses:

skrgrl13: He sorta fucked shit up, but luckily it was taken care of before Natsu could get involved, so it's all good! Hopefully you didn't burst into tears at this outcome!

theabridgedkuriboh: Must. Help. Punch. People.

AnimeFreakMania101: She's harmless, don't worry, despite how I described her ;) Although, something may NOT be right with her...you never know ;)

Pholas: Thank you so much, that means so much to me! I'm glad you were able to enjoy it! And sorry about the wait. I'm sure the tension was a little overwhelming. :)

Jam: No Problem, I know how exams can be! And thanks! Oh and no need to worry about Loke anymore ;) I'm a dramatic person, but I don't often keep things sad for long. :D

Crystalangel554: I would too! And this chapter should be longer! So I hope you liked it.

IvoryQueen: No cheating! I promise although I can't promise Natsu won't be jealous ;) And you're right, I meant to say a few days, but I guess I typed too fast to notice. I tend to do that sometimes and I hate going back to proofread, so that tends to happen. And Loke is wrong! All just needed to be explained and it was!

mangafan29: Chapter is here! And I hope so too ;)

ansjovisjj: Don't worry, I slack off too! ;) And Loke's thought process is now righted! :D

Etienne: Oh, merci monsieur! I'm glad I know a guy is into my story! And I would love to know this movie you saw! Maybe I could watch it! It sounds interesting! And I'm happy you like my story!

Blackened Ice: I'm sorry about the late update! I normally wouldn't do this if either my schedule wasn't clear or writers' block wasn't being a bitch! I wish I could update twice a week, or as often as I did in the beginning, but it's really difficult now that I'm starting to run dry on ideas :( But July is my free month. I have few things that'll get in the way and hopefully fans like you can help give me some ideas on what you want to see :) Again, I'm sorry about the wait! Hopefully next chapter will pop up soon :)