The next morning, Natsu awoke with a clearer conscious and a very sore arm. One look in the mirror confirmed what he already knew; a deep purple bruise, right on the bone of his shoulder. Within the muted mauves and lavenders, a patterned line of deeper injury that Natsu figured were the straps of Lucy's sandal. He could almost make out her toes, too... maybe. It wasn't pretty, but didn't feel as bad as it looked. He'd had much worse. Slowly lifting his arm, Natsu winced as a dull pressure squeezed the damage in his shoulder to a pinch. With how stiff it was after a night of sleeping on it, his poor arm would go no higher than an inch shy of level. Natsu wasn't mad in the slightest—if anything, it was a testament to how strong Lucy was, that all of her hard work and training was paying off. He was proud.

"I thought bruises were manly," Lucy said, fastening an earring to her lobe. She stood behind him, meeting his gaze in the mirror. "So really, you should be thanking me."

Natsu hissed, slipping his arm into the sleeve of his coat. Any movement involving the shoulder, and his muscles would throb hotly. This was going to be a fun day.

"No, scars are manly," Natsu explained as he tossed his scarf around his neck with practiced ease. "Bruises are just bruises."

Lucy propped her elbow on his good shoulder, leaning on him as he tightened the belt around his waist.

"With that kind of thinking, it's no wonder all you guys are covered in scars." It did seem to be a recurring trait—one that was shared outside of the guild, as well. Sabertooth had their own share of scars. "Do boys think scars on girls are appealing?"

"It depends on the guy, really," Natsu replied. "Personally, I judge based on the story behind the scar."

"Seems like a pretty heavy double-standard if you ask me." Lucy puffed her cheek.

Natsu grinned, his finger poking into her face. Lucy spluttered, and he laughed as she chased him from the bathroom. Happy was waiting by the front door, rummaging through the contents of his knapsack. Through the walls, they could hear the wind moaning outside, creaking through the wood and the tree, rattling the window panes.

"Don't think about it too much, Lucy. Your scars are a badge of endurance, a sign that you're still alive." Natsu rubbed Lucy's arm. She seemed to take comfort in his words, even as her hand drifted low to her hip. He knew how she felt about her old wounds, the marks they left behind. "Besides, you'll still be beautiful no matter how many scars you get."

"Except maybe if she got a big one on her face." Happy chirped, tying off his pack around his neck. "There's really no coming back from that."

"Wow, thanks Happy,"

They rummaged around the house for a span of moments, preparing for the day and all that may or may not happen. Lucy watched Natsu, her mind drifting to unbidden theories. She had lied awake in the night thinking about the day before and the discussions with both Porlyusica and Natsu. This re-emergence of his curse was... unsettling. It wasn't unusual for a body to host more than one type of magic, but what did it mean to have curse and magic? Lucy remembered Tartarus, how the creatures, the structure, the very air and the thing beneath her feet that might have been alive felt off, disjointed from another reality only slightly separate from her own that had bled through her fears. That place had rejected her very being, warred against her existence and refused the make-up of her soul. To have that sick, choppy discomfort pulse through her veins, beat from her core... it would drive her mad. She couldn't begin to imagine what Natsu was feeling.

But, then, there were the separate-yet-aligned aspects of Natsu that he himself could hardly distinguish. Lucy knew it was something that went much deeper than she was willing to go lying there in the dark. What Natsu had tried to explain made sense... but it left her with a million more questions. If Natsu and E.N.D. were the same, why was there a difference in the first place? Where was the fracture, and why had it happened?

"Lucy?" Natsu's voice shook her out of her thoughts. "What's wrong?"

"Do you have a tummy ache?" Happy asked.

Lucy but her lip.

"Can you… still feel it?" She asked. "Is it still there?"

Natsu sighed, nodding like he had expected her to ask. His fingers rubbed his chest, no need to clarify what 'it' was. "It hasn't gotten better... hasn't gotten worse, either. It's... almost like a tickle. I think I'm already starting to get used to it."

Lucy frowned. "You haven't used your magic. Who knows what might happen when you do?"

"Lucy," Natsu started. Something hard and determined based in his gaze, a surety Lucy could feel in the hollow beneath her throat. "We're gonna figure this out—but there's nothing we can do about it right now, so we move on with our lives. Porlyusica and Laxus are working on something, too. As soon as we figure out what's going on and how to fix it, then we'll deal with it."

Lucy sighed. "Okay. You're right. No use in fretting over it now."

"I think it might be best if we try to avoid running into Gray today, though," Happy said.

"I agree," Lucy nodded. "We can't dismiss him completely, but I don't think it's a good idea to tell him what happened. He'll have questions that we can't answer."

"No talking to freezerburn all day?" Natsu smirked as he opened the door. "Sounds like a good day to me."

They stepped out into the day, snatched by a vicious wind that raked the warmth form their bodies and snapped their hair and clothes. The sky was devoid of clouds, though a slight haze seemed to hang in the atmosphere. The sun glared down with heatless light, rings of rainbows reflecting around it. They immediately recognized the signs; a storm was coming, and it was going to be a big one. They hurried to town, Happy clinging to Lucy's shoulder as he tried not to be swept away. When they reached the guild, Natsu quickly shut the doors behind them, relieved to finally not have the wind howling in his ears. Lucy messed with her hair, trying to restore it back to decency without much success.

"Lucy! Natsu!"

The sound of running footsteps, a chirpy giggle that chimed with the tones of old friends returned home. Lucy beamed, throwing her arms wide just in time to catch Levy, her small friend embracing her like an old, favorite blanket. They spun together in a circle as they laughed. Gajeel and Panther Lily weren't far behind, and as the dragon slayer raised a hand in salutation, something merry and free glinted from the sharp edge of his smile. Natsu smirked at Gajeel, kindred stories aligning once again.

Levy and Gajeel had taken a long sabbatical together after the war, to take a break from the guild and their duties in order to focus on themselves and each other. They were away for a few months, and though no one was really sure where they went and what they did, they promised that they would be back. They kept that promise, and on that day that they did return, neither of them were the same as when they had left.

Gajeel's hair was shorter, cut to a faded buzz. While it had lost him that wild look that he always prided, he now looked older and leaner, and perhaps a touch fiercer. Members of the guild were surprised by the change, to say the least, but not as surprised as they were by the brass inlays on his cheeks and collarbones. Specks of gold along the steep angles of his face and neck that glinted bright and new. He had simply shrugged and said "brass don't rust" and left it at that. Levy hadn't changed much, on first impression. Her ears were lined with piercings, a sizeable bar dangling from the end of her brow. Most believed Gajeel had pulled some kind of practical joke on her, a belief Levy quickly put to rest. It wasn't a choice of fashion, she explained—each stud and ring was pure steel and wrought iron. If Gajeel ever needed a power boost, she could give him her earrings to consume and conserve her own magic at the same time. It was clever, as with everything that Levy did.

But Levy hadn't come back the shy, meek girl that she was before. She was confident, poised, a sure strength riding on her shoulders. A resolve that she had been missing during the war had finally rooted itself within her. Gajeel had effectively died before her eyes, after all. She had been helpless, powerless to do anything but wail and beg and struggle fruitlessly in the face of his certain oblivion. She would carry those feelings with her for the rest of her life, and it wasn't hard to believe she would take the proper measures so that it never happened again.

"I'm so glad you're back," Lucy sang.

"Feels good to be back," Levy laughed. "The eastern region of Fiore is nothing but desert and dryness. Really makes a girl miss home."

"You catch those bandits in the Wastes?" Natsu snickered at Gajeel. The other dragon slayer shrugged.

"Kind of. Turned out those bandits were actually a bunch of vigilantes that were trying to save some endangered species of toad out there in the desert. They just had a backwards way of going about it," Gajeel said. "Levy and I set them straight."

"So does that mean you didn't get a reward?" Lucy asked Levy, a slight pout on her lips.

"Those guys weren't doing anything wrong, really," Levy scowled. "The person who issued the job just wanted them gone so he could go in and build some kind of 'desert spa resort' or whatever. Would have totally ruined the ecosystem."

"We actually trashed most of their construction equipment, in the end—and Gajeel ate the rest," Lily stated, sharing a wink with his companions. "Laxus might be getting a bill for that."

Natsu smiled widely. "That's the Fairy Tail way." He and Gajeel companionably bumped fists.

"What about you?" Levy asked Lucy. "Did you finish your job?"

Lucy tried not to flinch, quickly thinking of something to say. Natsu wisely kept silent. The fewer details, the better. "Yeah, we defeated the Leviathan. But we decided to give our reward money to somebody who needed it more than we did."

Levy smiled. "That's the Fairy Tail way, too. Either way, we're all broke in the end."

While the group shared a laugh, Lucy took the chance to glance around the guild hall. There was no sign of Gray or Juvia, but Wendy and Carla were there, seated at a table close to the bar. Her attention was given to Asuka and a pair of purple-haired, teal-eyed twins. Sonya and Byanka joined the guild about ten months ago. No one was sure where they came from – but it wasn't the first time that Fairy Tail had taken in young orphans from the streets. They possessed Fortune magic, similar to Cana's. Though it wasn't fully developed, with one touch they could see a person's past and future. They had the potential to be very powerful mages, so Laxus made sure that all the members of the guild helped them cultivate their magic safely and securely. As Lucy and her friends approached, the three little girls thanked Wendy and ran off giggling.

"What did you say to them?" Lucy asked, sitting beside her as everyone took their own seats.

"I was settling an argument for them. Asuka wanted to play princesses, Byanka wanted to be explorers, and Sonya wanted to play house." Wendy beamed as she watched the children run around the guild hall. "I said they should do all three. So now they're explorer-princesses with a kingdom to look after. I let them figure out the rest."

"It's almost like you're their big sister." Lucy smiled, bumping Wendy with her shoulder. It only seemed like yesterday when Lucy was helping Wendy in a sisterly kind of way, something Lucy had never had the chance to experience in the hollow, silent halls of her home. Now Wendy was all grown up, and doing her part to foster the next generation of Fairy Tail. Lucy couldn't be prouder.

"Where are Freed and Mirajane?" Lily asked, noticing that neither of the barkeeps were at their expected stations.

"They've been back in Laxus' office all morning," Carla replied, casting her gaze over her shoulder to the shut door. "I thought I heard something about Sabertooth."

"Not those guys again." Gajeel leaned back with a scowl, draping his arm along the bench behind Levy. "What did they do this time?"

"I haven't the faintest," Carla sighed with a shrug. "If we're lucky, then perhaps the master will tell us."

"With Sting, it could be anything," Natsu said with a mirthful smile.

The topic of conversation devolved into friendlier subjects from there. The wind outside howled and moaned, it's ghostly wails seeping through the wooden walls of the guild. Gusts of it would sneak inside and scatter throughout the hall whenever the door opened, chilling the air while sending the job requests on the board fluttering. The guild was quiet, and many of the members present seemed like they were still trying to wake up, despite the late morning hour. But the mood of the guild took a significant turn as Kinana finally showed up slightly before noon and stepped up as bartender while Mirajane and Freed were busy. With food and drink now available to them, the members regained their lively spirits once more.

It wasn't long before Gray and Juvia arrived at the guild.

Like everyone else, they arrived in a gust of wind. Even from across the hall, Lucy could see the darkness under Gray's eyes. Apparently, he hadn't slept well last night either. It left a sour taste in Lucy's mouth to know that they had worried him so. But if Gray's devil slayer power had truly reactivated, then it was for the best that he be left in the dark—for now. Gray's eyes immediately locked onto hers, his face setting into a frown. Juvia joined him as he crossed the guild toward their table. She seemed anxious, but not concerned.

As Gray and Juvia sat down at the table, neither of them spoke a word of greeting. Lucy could feel Natsu tense beside her, meeting Gray's dark gaze with his own. The other occupants at the table seemed to sense the tension, and eventually all conversation died away under a dark cloud of unease. Lucy and Juvia looked to each other, and a silent understanding passed between them.

"Can I buy you a drink, Natsu?" Gray asked.

"I'm not thirsty, thanks." Natsu deadpanned.

"Yes, we are." Lucy interjected. Natsu turned his gaze to her, uncertain. If this conversation was to be had, best not to do it in polite company. "I'd appreciate it, thank you, Gray."

She and Gray stood, Natsu and Juvia following suit after a moment's hesitation. Happy, though reluctant, hopped to his feet and followed. Lucy could feel their friends at the table staring after them as they walked away. "It's a little early for drinking, isn't it?" she hear Wendy say. And it was, but Lucy wasn't going to let convention stop her from trying to settle Gray's beast of suspicion.

They approached the bar, Gray leaning against the polished wood while Lucy took a seat. Natsu and Juvia hovered next to their partners, silent and waiting. Kinana, ever the dutiful servant, approached them with a smile. Gray ordered a round of drinks, and like he had promised, paid for them all. While Kinana prepared the drinks, Gray turned to them with exhaustion hanging from his jaw.

"Natsu, Lucy," Gray spoke evenly. "We need to talk."

Lucy gulped. What was the best way to go about this? In truth, Gray had every right to know about E.N.D.'s return. He was there three years ago when he first awakened, after all, paid the toll of battering it back into slumber with his blood and his spirit—just as she had. Perhaps even more so. If it weren't for Gray's track record of hastily jumping to drastic conclusions and painful solutions, Lucy would have felt better about telling him. She knew he was volatile when it came to Zeref and his books, though, with plenty of good reason. They weren't certain of anything yet, either, and Lucy didn't want Gray to start making assumptions.

"It's about yesterday." Gray ducked his chin. "I just have a couple questions for you."

Natsu responded before Lucy could think of anything to say.

"For the last time, Gray," he scowled. "I'm not asking you to be my best man."

Gray gaped at Natsu, his bluntness catching him off-guard. Juvia gasped, covering the surprise shaping her lips with her hand. Though he tried his best to hide it, Natsu's words had hit a soft spot in Gray. But he shook them off, gritting his teeth in frustration.

"What? No! This isn't about that!" Gray sputtered. "Listen, I could barely sleep last night, so I'm just gonna come out and say it—my devil slayer magic reawakened, and I think it has something to do with you. Do you have any idea why?"

"No," Natsu bit. But in that moment, Gray's magic wasn't the only thing acting strange. He could feel his etherious pressing against his heart, a frantic feeling that put him on edge. Maybe devil recognized devil slayer, and Natsu didn't like it. He tried to ignore it. "I have no idea what you're talking about."

"Don't play dumb with me." Gray stepped forward, pressing past Lucy for Natsu's space as the dragon slayer titled his chin back for confrontation. Happy and Lucy watched, desperately hoping they would somehow avoid an incident today. Juvia didn't say a word, ready to intervene in her own way if she needed to. Another gust of wind from the door opening washed over them, and Gray backed off, displaying an uncommon level of maturity. Kinana reappeared and set their drinks down on the bar, charming them all with a smile before departing once again. Shaking his head, Gray grabbed his glass—a shot of aquavit, of all things—and downed the alcohol in one gulp. Slamming it back to the bar with a sigh, Gray looked to Juvia.

"We talked about it last night," she said. "And we couldn't think of any other explanation. All we want is answers."

"Can't give you answers that we don't have," Natsu stated blandly, taking his own drink and tossing it all back just as Gray had.

"Gray, I don't know why that could have happened," Lucy said gently. It was half true, at least. But maybe she could get some answers of her own. "But do you really think it had anything to do with Natsu?"

"Look, I'm not trying to start anything," Gray said sincerely, his hands opening and inviting. "I've just had a bad feeling ever since yesterday. I just wanted to clear the air, maybe figure out what was going on before–"

"Before what, Gray?"

Gray nearly jumped out of what little remained of his wardrobe. He turned to the new voice, a hint of irritation but also delight clenched in his teeth. Erza stood relaxed and posed by the bar, an amused smile on her face, her arms crossed lightly over her hips. Natsu startled at the sight of her, somehow missing her arrival. How long had she been standing there?

"Hey, Erza" Gray said, lingering intensity on his tongue, shaking in his voice. "When did you get back?"

"Just now." Erza chuckled. "Really now, when are you two going to stop being scared of me? We're all S-class wizards now, which means we're equals."

"Who says we're scared?" Natsu quipped.

"Welcome back, Erza," Lucy piped up, welcoming the interruption. "How did your job go?"

Erza turned to the younger woman, a smirk on her lips. "Piece of cake, if I do say so myself."

Like Laxus, Erza had befallen victim to premature greyness, though her silver stood out much more in her scarlet locks. Her temples dripped with the pale strands, framing her face and bestowing upon her a wizened appearance and matronly countenance. But otherwise Erza was still good ol' Erza—kicking ass left and right with enough time to spare for her friends. She leaned onto the bar, the small plates of her new bronze scale armor clinking together as she did. The heart kreuz of black steel on her chest glinted in the light.

"We were having a private conversation, Erza," Gray mumbled. "It's rather important."

"Is that so?" Erza puckered her lips in thought as she looked the two men up and down. Both of them tensed under her assuming gaze. "Did you finally ask him to be your best man, Natsu? If so, tell him to shave that marmot off his face for the ceremony."

Both dragon slayer and ice wizard gawked at Erza, each of them feeling two different kinds of offense.

"That's not what we were talking about!" Gray exploded first. "And if you've got something to say about my facial hair then say it to my face."

"I will never ask this pervert to be my best man, and that's final!" Natsu suddenly rounded on Gray, shoving an angry finger in his face. "And no one likes your stupid beard."

"I like it," Juvia raised her hand in protest.

"You're just jealous because I can actually grow one." Gray spat.

Lucy sighed, letting the bickering continue over her head. Taking a sip of her own drink, Lucy welcomed the cold burn of the alcohol on her tongue. It was going to be a long day.

"Enough, you two," Erza snapped. Her hands shot up to grab the boys' heads, smashing them together like coconuts. Natsu and Gray reeled, dazed and staggering. Lucy saw Juvia gulp her own drink from the corner of her eye.

"And that's why they're still scared of her," Happy mumbled. She didn't disagree.

The conversation didn't get the chance to get back on track. The door to the Master's office opened, and as Laxus, Mirajane, and Freed stepped out, the guild hushed their conversations to watch. Their expression were grim, something hard and foreboding shadowing their brows. As Laxus stomped his way to the small wooden stage, he looked over the guild and all the eyes that stared up at him with questions and expectations. Mira wandered to the bar as Freed and the Master stood silently, waiting for all to quiet down and provide him with their undivided attention. It didn't take long—Laxus had a demanding presence and everyone knew he didn't like having his time wasted.

"I've got some bad news," Laxus spoke, his voice reverberating into the silent hall. In his tone, a hidden fury laced his words with needles. "Last night, just after sunset, Sabertooth was attacked."

The guild hall erupted into quiet murmurs and hurried whispers that piled atop each other to a dull roar. Lucy turned to Natsu, catching him looking back at her. They could see it in each other's eyes, the same silent worry and desperate hope that it wasn't another remnant of Zeref's books returned from its ashes. His fingers found hers, a touch of solace Lucy could feel in his heated pads. Freed demanded silence, and the hall faded to quiet again.

"There weren't any casualties," Laxus reported as he crossed his arms. "But they did sustain some heavy damage and many of their members were severely injured. Their own city is taking good care of them. Now, I'm sure you're all wondering how this could have happened. Given some… recent events, I can't help but feel like I should have seen this coming."

Natsu's grip tightened on Lucy's hand, a spike of fear driving though his chest like dark ice, thoughts racing through his head. The etherious, and the lost Books that hadn't burned when they were supposed to. His own fractured glass rattling and quivering against the thunderous possibilities of another demon surviving Zeref's plight.

"There's been a dark guild on the rise for some time now. I'm sure some of you have probably heard the rumors." Laxus huffed a sigh through his nose. "That guild is Ruby Manticore. It's the only known co-op wizard and mercenary guild in Fiore. They've been low profile from the start—but for some reason, they've come out of the shadows. This guild is not very big, so the fact that they had the gall to attack one of the strongest guilds in Fiore should speak for their own abilities."

More mumbles rose from the members of the guild, questions asked under breaths of uncertainty and doubt whether anybody knew anything about this unexpected threat. Indeed, some members had heard strange tales of the dark guild that was starting to gain a presence in the underground. Natsu and Lucy were relieved but wise not to show it—not another demon, or something else from a past best left forgotten. The feeling of apprehension towards this strange—and apparently powerful new enemy hung thick in the air. Laxus watched everyone with calculated eyes.

"With that said, since Sabertooth is our ally, we simply can't sit back with our thumbs up our butts and let Ruby Manticore do whatever they please." Laxus' tone darkened. "If their actions go unpunished, they might get it in their heads to attack another guild—and I don't want to take that chance of it being us. Therefore, on behalf of Sabertooth and all our other allied guilds, we are going to lay low the bastards that would dare think that they could harm our friends and not have hell to pay for it!"

Fairy Tail roared, the raised voice of every member sounding their agreement and need for justice. When war was waged on one guild, it was waged on them all.

"They might have seen the might and strength of the Tigers at Sabertooth, but their's is nothing compared to the reckoning that is coming for them." Laxus cast his eyes around the room, his confidence and compassion contaminating and intoxicating. "I will only send our most skilled wizards to take Ruby Manticore by surprise, and destroy them in one fell swoop. That'll put those dark guild wannabe's in their place. You know who you are, and you'll be representing the wrath of Fairy Tail and all our friends who have been affected by their actions. I know you won't let us down. If anybody wants to volunteer to join them, come talk to me. That is all!"

He did not need to specify who he meant—the one within the guild who had proven siege perilous in their own rights. Lucy and Natsu shared knowing gazes with Gray, Juvia, and Erza. Gajeel and Wendy also stood from their seats, nodding to Laxus. Gray watched Natsu, his own uncertainty burning in his gut like a hot coal. Natsu met his eyes, pine green clashing with abyss blue.

"I'm not done with you yet, Natsu." He spoke softly in the loudness so only Natsu and Lucy could hear him. "I'll get to the bottom of this."

Lucy couldn't tell if it was a threat or a promise. Either way, his words touched left a knot below her stomach. Natsu stiffened beside her, but before he could retort in any way, Laxus' booming voice rang out once more.

"Natsu, Lucy," He called, immediately picking them out from the crowd. "My office. Now."

If Gray hadn't been suspicious before, he certainly was now. Natsu and Gray glared at each other, a distrust and judgment hanging in the space between them. Taking his hand, Lucy guided Natsu away, toward the Master's office and away from whatever bed of dark intentions was growing between the two men. Happy hopped off of the bar to follow, casting a weary glance over his shoulder. She could feel their friend's eyes on their backs. Biting her lip, Lucy wondered just how long they could keep this up, and what would happen when their secret finally did come to light.

The possibility made her skin run cold.

A/N: Alright! Everybody's here which means it's time to get the ball rolling! I know this might open up a lot more questions, but I promise things will start falling into place eventually.

EDIT: This chapter was edited for content and style 5/23.

Thank you to those of you who voted on the poll! Do you like interactive stuff like that? I was thinking I would do more of those in the future.

Please let me know what you think of this chapter, even if it's just to tell me that it could be better (which I know, believe me). If this reaches 30 reviews, I'll post a double chapter - we're so close!

As always, read, review, and enjoy!