Re-written 10/17/22

Happy Saturday lovelies!

Some light fluff and heavy stuff ahead. New arc starts next chapter.

20

-The Visitor-

The morning sun was just beginning to peak over the rooftops of Magnolia's market street, and despite the early hour, the street was already busy with people getting a head start on errands. Mira ran her hands over her upper arms, noting the chill that seemed to confirm the true beginning of autumn, she would have to remember her jacket next time she ventured out.

It had already been a few days since the Harvest Festival, and it appeared the majority of Fairy Tail's members were still in the holiday spirit, if the rapid daily consumption of the guild's food and booze were any indication. It was due to her rambunctious friends' abnormally high alcohol tolerances and practically bottomless stomachs that Mira had recently found herself making daily trips to the market... Though she didn't really mind. It made her happy to see them all so carefree after a few challenging months, and it was a good excuse to get away from the guild for an hour or so.

Makarov had left in her charge when he left for Era the previous day, and he was expecting to be gone for the week. Between her usual tasks or managing the bar and guild requests, and the Master's seemingly endless list of other administrative duties, Mira had her hands quite full. She knew the elderly man was being stretched quite thin with Yajima's request for help in reforming the Council though, so she was quick to volunteer her help. Honestly it made her feel better knowing Fairy Tail's own master was part of the process of addressing some of the Council's biggest flaws. She never wanted to have to wonder if a dark mage had infiltrated their governing body again, too much damage could be done to all mages' way of life. Of course, given the capabilities of magics like mind control and transformation, securing the Council was easier said than done.

Mira thought back to the conflicted emotions on Erza's face the morning Makarov had spoken to both of them; that reminded her that reformation wasn't the only thing the Master hoped to accomplish during his trip. He had promised Erza to get more information on the first of Jellal's upcoming trials and provide testimonial on the former Wizard Saint's behalf. Natsu had successfully burnt away the demonic possession that had been controlling him, so it could be argued that the man the NMC now held in custody wasn't really the man responsible for all the pain and suffering that had been caused. Mira didn't know how she felt about that, harbouring her own darkness beneath her sweet demeanour made her feel like she should empathize with him, but at the same time it made her numb to his plight. She'd never succumbed to her own darkness. He had. And it had caused such wide-spread suffering. Why should she forgive him for any of that, or more importantly, what he did to her friends?

Erza seemed to hold those same reservations, despite wanting to see him again.

"Miraaa, slow down would you? Tripping isn't mannly!"

The loud, and rather childish whining, brought her back to the present moment. Mira glanced back over her shoulder at her brother, noticing he'd fallen quite far behind her while she was lost in thought. He lumbered toward her on swaying steps as he juggled a large number of bags. Mira blew out an exacerbated breath, "If you'd just let me help carry some of-"

Not suprisingly, she didn't get the entire sentence out before he interrupted. "You work hard enough Mira, a real man wouldn't let his sister carry even more burden!"

"Suit yourself," she said dryly, though she couldn't help the smile that formed at the sweet sentiment. She stopped in front of a liquor store and procured two large barrels of wine, and checked them off her list. "Well, that's the last of it," she told him, glancing warily between the wine and the load he was already managing poorly. She knew he was going to insist on trying to add the barrels under arms somehow, along with everything else... But arguing with him was pointless, so she figured she'd just help when he inevitably tripped and dropped everything.

Though he refused any help, it wasn't long before Elfman began groaning about how much further they had to walk. Mira had been humouring his childishness until she caught sight of a familiar pair of blonde and pink heads ahead of them. Happy was lounging on top of Natsu's travel pack as he and Lucy strolled along the street homeward. It was only now that Mira recalled that Lucy and the Twin Dragons were due back at the guild from their recent mission today. Clearly all the extra work was causing her to slip. Still, Mira was surprised to see them back so early in the day; Natsu was known for sleeping in the last day of a mission, so his team rarely showed up before noon at the earliest.

Smiling, she skipped ahead to catch up with them, leaving her brother with the barrels of wine and his resulting complaints.

"Natsu! Lucy!" Her call prompted the pair addressed to pause and turn, scanning the streets until they spotted her. "Good morning!" Mira chirped happily as she reached them.

"Oh hey Mira," they both greeted. "How have you been?" Lucy asked as her eyes flicked by her as Elfman caught up. Mira was unsurprised to see that her stubborn brother had succeeded in jamming the pair of barrels under his arms which were still adorned with numerous bags of supplies.

"I'm wonderful, how did your mission go?"

Lucy flashed her guild-marked hand in a thumbs up. "Piece of cake," she announced, "that's rent down for another month." Natsu chuckled at her enthusiasm and left the girls to their conversation in favour of taunting Elfman. The boys immediately began bickering but Lucy wasn't really paying them much attention.

"Didn't Haru go with you?" Mira asked her. The corner of Lucy's lips quirked upward, smug understanding painting her expression. She would have teased her friend but Natsu cut in before she could take advantage of the rare opportunity.

"Yeah he did. We left Shiratsume really early, so we stopped for breakfast..." Mira wasn't sure what that had to do with his absent partner, until Natsu gestured to the little café just up the street where Haru stood chatting with a waitress. "Haru attracted attention, but what else is new?"

Mira's eyes narrowed at her pink-haired friend, she'd wondered on occasion, if he was actually as oblivious to other's romantic inclinations, as he pretended to be. The mischievous glint in his eye right now, told her he was anything but oblivious, and his choice of words had been entirely intentional. She couldn't prevent the subtle twitch of her lip at his comment, and apparently it didn't escape the blonde's attention either.

Whatever.

She had other more pressing matters to see to.

Mira's head swivelled to the café. Begrudgingly, she'd admit the waitress was beautiful. With pale blonde curls cascading over lightly sun-kissed skin and a feminine figure that was only emphasized by the flowing skirts of her uniform. The girl's allure couldn't be denied. Mira watched as the waitress placed her hand on Haru's shoulder, and slid it down his upper arm, leaned in flirtatiously. She still held her empty tray in the other as she raised that arm up under her chest to enhance her bust. A challenge, one that Mira gladly welcomed.

'Two can play at that game…'

Mira turned bright, sparkling eyes back to her guildmates. "I think I'll go say hi," she told them as she strutted off toward the café. Elfman shouted out a string of curses and proceeded to put all the supplies down, growling irritably as he watched his sister approach the Water Slayer.

Mira listened in for a couple minutes, standing only a few paces away, glaring at the annoying flirtatious girl currently hanging off of Haru.

"Wasn't the Harvest Festival so fun Haru? I really wish I'd had someone special to spend it with though, you know?"

"Uh, yeah, holidays are always better when you share it with someone..." he replied simply.

"Did you spend it with someone special?" she asked, leaning into bat her eyelashes up at him. "You know, if we'd spent it together, I could have shown you an unforgettable night," she continued in a sultry tone without giving him the chance to respond to her question.

"That so?" he asked, his lip twitching with the effort of maintaining a polite smile.

Taking that as the perfect cue, Mira closed the gap. Looping her arms around Haru's neck, she made sure to press her breasts firmly into his back and felt a surge of satisfaction when he took in a sharp breath. "Haru, I missed you!" she sang.

The water mage attempted to meet her eye, but the long strands of hair framing her face made that impossible. Mira's attention was solely fixed on the waitress he'd been chatting with anyway. "Haru spent the Harvest Festival with me Hun, and we did have an unforgettable time," she declared smugly, letting her implications hang between them. The waitress blinked in astonishment at the interruption, from Sorcerer's Weekly's most popular model no less.

"Mira? What are you doing here?"

Mira turned her attention to the water mage for a brief moment. Now his cheeks were slightly pink and he looked just a little more uncomfortable than he had a moment before. Flustered, she hoped, by whatever thoughts her comment might have conjured in his head. "Oh, you know, just getting some supplies for the guild, but my brother is having a terribly hard time carrying everything," she told him before eyeing the girl again. "Good thing I've found a strong man to help me out..."

Slipping her arms from around Haru's neck, Mira twirled around him, placing herself directly between him and the waitress. Then, sure the girl was watching, she trailed a couple fingers up over the ridges of the Dragon Slayer's abs, between his pecs and hooked them into the collar of his shirt. She began tugging him away from the cafe, throwing an innocent look over her shoulder at the waitress who'd remained silent as she processed the interruption. "You don't mind, do you?" Mira asked the other girl.

Finally snapping out of her stupor, the waitress sputtered some irritated objections. Mira gently shoved Haru forward in the direction of their waiting comrades and despite his obvious bewilderment, he did take the escape she'd presented with a visible level of relief.

Mira leaned into the other girl conspiratorially as he retreated. "Don't worry Hun, you wouldn't know how to pleasure a dragon anyway..." she whispered.

With that, she flipped her hair back over her shoulder and sauntered away with an extra sway in her hips, feeling very pleased with herself.

. . .

Normally, scenes such as this would have Natsu fidgeting with the impatience that often flared up inside him, but right now, there were so many interesting facets to consider.

The growing smirk on Lucy's face showed she was as insightful as ever when reading other people. She'd been convinced there was something going on between Haru and Mira since the Harvest Festival, and this development surely gave more confirmation. It would be impossible to convince his favourite blonde that she was crazy now, not that he intended to deter her, he just enjoyed the look on her face when he told her she was crazy. It was adorable!

The confused look on Haru's face as he approached them proved that his partner remained completely oblivious, despite what Natsu thought was a pretty obvious show from their resident white-haired beauty. Though, Natsu still couldn't decide if Mira really did harbour feelings beyond her strong friendship with the Water Slayer. She was probably his hardest friend to get a read on. It was the warring personalities. The sweet, motherly girl paired with the unpredictable demoness she tried so hard to keep hidden.

Natsu made a show of crossing his arms and tapping his foot impatiently now that Mira had finished her battle of feminine wiles with the waitress. Beside him, Elfman appeared to be seething over the entire event. There was one hulk of a man who, despite priding himself on brawn over brain, wasn't entirely oblivious. Specifically when it came to matters of his sister. As soon as Haru was close enough, the beast mage jabbed an accusatory finger in his face, "It isn't manly to hit on my sister!" he shouted.

The water mage looked immediately taken aback, entirely confused by Elfman's seemingly unprovoked outburst. He raised an eyebrow questioningly as he caught Natsu's eye but Natsu just shrugged back. Haru's confusion slowly washed away to suspicion as he watched him, ignoring Elfman's ramblings. "What..." he muttered.

"What, what?" Natsu asked amusedly.

"What exactly has you so amused?"

Shrugging one shoulder with a widening grin, Natsu said, "I don't know what you're talking about, Haru."

Haru's mouth opened to further retort but it was that moment that Mira rejoined them with a dazzling smile that silenced him. "Well, shall we go home?" she asked, temporarily pacifying her brother. The group chorused an agreement and the Twin Dragons helped Elfman gather some of the supplies that were spread around their group.

As soon as they were ready, Happy leapt off Natsu's pack, his wings appearing in a burst of pearly white feathers. A couple flaps quickly carried him a few meters ahead of them. "Come on slowpokes! I'm hungry!" he called as the group followed.

Lucy skipped up next to him, and leaned in against his shoulder, nodding her head in Haru's direction. "Is obliviousness a common trait in dragon slayers as well?" she asked mirthfully.

Natsu raised an eyebrow in response. He had seldom met anyone better at understanding the vast majority of people with a mere passing glance, but apparently she hadn't suspected that he knew more than he let on. "What are you going on about Loonie?" he asked, playing along.

"Just that I think Haru may be more oblivious than you, and that, is saying something."

Natsu paused in his stride, watching the blonde in wonder as she continued ahead. 'She really is incredible,' he thought. It had only taken Lucy a few short months in Fairy Tail to figure Haru out, it had taken Natsu a couple years to be certain of his suspicions. Natsu knew exactly how his partner felt about the white-haired model, much to Haru's immense displeasure. It was part of the reason Natsu enjoyed testing Mira's own unknown feelings for the Water Slayer. Not to mention it was solid revenge for all the times she'd messed with him. But regardless of his efforts revealing Mira's occasional episodes of jealousy, he still couldn't be certain about her, because teasing men was practically one of her favourite pastimes.

Lucy doubled back to loop her arm through his, and gave him a wink. "I'll tell you later," she said.

. . .

The streets were busier now as more people ventured out to begin their days. Haru adjusted the weight of the bags he was carrying, watching as his pink-haired friend ran behind Happy, playfully racing the blue cat back to the Guild. The rambunctious pair were already far ahead. Lucy and Mira both walked to his right, chatting contentedly as they all made their way home and Elfman, who'd still insisted on carrying both barrels and multiple bags, attempted to keep pace on clumsy steps.

It was a pretty typical scene for them. Haru was just considering a nice afternoon swim until Natsu came to an abrupt stop ahead, had him pausing his internal planning. The pink-haired head swivelled back and forth, eyes and nose searching for something unknown. Elfman and the girls noticed just a second later, and they all paused, exchanging confused glances. Haru was already following his fellow slayer's example, scanning the crowded street with enhanced sight, focusing on the shadowed alleys as he sniffed at the air for any odd scents. He noticed nothing.

The girls were staring at him, eyes flicking between him and Natsu in search of answers. What had caught his attention Haru wondered. Lucy got impatient first though, she closed the gap and gently placed her hand on the Fire Slayer's shoulder, trying not to startle him further. "Natsu?" she asked, "everything okay?" Natsu's eyes were wide, his cheeks a touch paler than normal, his jaw slack in confusion.

"...Natsu?" Haru repeated as he joined Lucy with Mira and Elfman on his heels.

It was only then that Natsu's attention visibly snapped back to Haru and their friends spread around him. His onyx eyes still remained a little distant though, and Haru wondered where his mind was at now, it certainly wasn't with them. Natsu chewed on his lip absently, a sign he was mulling over an appropriate response. "I... don't really know. Just caught a familiar scent, but—" he cut himself off and ran a hand through his already messy hair in agitation. "Nah, it's fine, don't worry about it. I was mistaken anyway."

The water mage quirked an eyebrow when Natsu dropped his gaze back to the cobbled streets again. He kicked a loose stone before he turned and continued to move ahead without noticing if his comrades were following or not. Haru watched him go, only Happy still trailed the pink-haired man, the rest of them watched their unusually subdued friend move further away from them.

Haru shifted his gaze over to Lucy who was watching with a look of concern. "Come on, let's go…" he trailed off uncertainly, patting her shoulder as he moved to continue their walk. The tops of the guildhall were just poking over the roofs of the townhomes that lined the streets and the sun was climbing higher as the morning hours drew to a close.

When the four rounded the last street, they found Natsu standing outside the guildhall staring at the doors in consideration. Happy was on the ground by his feet, staring up at him. The fire mage cocked his head toward them as they approached, and the sustained distance in his eyes worried Haru more. "Uh, I'm going to head home for a bit..." Natsu told them, barely even managing to focus on them as he spoke. He stepped forward to hand the bags he was holding to Lucy, who accepted them without pressing him for information. He nodded gratefully, thanking her before pivoting and leaving.

"Real MEN talk about their feelings!" Elfman bellowed after him. Natsu just threw a wave over his shoulder without looking back, or retorting. "Huh, what's with him?" the takeover mage grumbled.

Shaking his head dismissively, Haru resolved to leave it alone and ask him what was going on later. For now, he turned to lead the way into the guild and over to the pantry room behind the bar. Mira unlocked the door and gestured the others in to drop the supplies. Lucy helped them unpack everything and tasked herself with divided the produce amongst the available baskets before heading for the door. "I'm going to go find Natsu," she told them.

Mira's mouth opened, presumably to recommend giving their friend some space, but Haru stopped her and nodded in understanding at Lucy. If anyone could help Natsu deal with whatever was suddenly bothering him, it was Lucy. So with the groceries all put away, the four exited the pantry together and the blonde waved goodbye to them as she left the guild to find Natsu and Happy.

Magnolia Outskirts

The forest edging Magnolia was fairly overgrown, offering the seclusion the Twin Dragons enjoyed so much, when they weren't at the guild anyway. Even Natsu had told her the privacy was a relief when he just needed some head space... Not that Lucy had ever seen a reason he'd want one, he always seemed to rely on Fairy Tail when he was upset.

Had she ever really seen him upset?

Maybe whatever had gotten to him earlier would prove to be exactly why he liked knowing he had a place to escape to, away from the bustle of guild life. The concern and confusion she felt sat like a rock in Lucy's stomach. She tried to focus on following the worn path that led the way to the modest cabin the guys called home, stepping over gnarled roots and ducking under branches. The odd lance of sunlight pierced the dense canopy, but for the most part, the trees stole what little sun light the day offered.

It was strange. Natsu had been fine all morning. Teasing Elfman and Haru and hanging off her while whispering various suggestive comments in her ear when their friends weren't paying them any mind. Then he'd abruptly stopped and spun on his heel, searching for something unseen. She had been surprised by the look on his face, what was that? Fear? Hurt?

Why? What had happened? What sent him spiralling so quickly?

The tree line began to thin out and she walked out into the large training ground that the guys had cleared years before, the ground now well worn from years of sparring and destructive attacks. Ahead of her, Natsu was pounding away on a large boulder without magic enhanced attacks, she stayed back a small distance, just observing as he threw strikes at the rock as though it had personally offended him. He was so focused. No... Lucy rethought that, he was completely unfocused. He was just going through the motions absentmindedly. For all his dragon senses, he still hadn't noticed her arrival, even now that she stood mere meters away.

Natsu launched a particularly powerful kick that sent a tremor through the boulder, and a large crack followed. The target of his frustrations split in two, and the Fire Slayer froze. Then he stumbled back a couple steps as though stunned by his own strength before collapsing to his hands and knees. With a hand raised to her lips, Lucy ventured closer, pulled in by a desperation to help him. She could see his body shaking slightly even at the distance.

"Natsu…"

His name was a bare whisper. One that was nearly silent to her own ears despite being the one to speak it, but he sat up stock straight immediately. His head whipped around to come face to face with her and his eyes widened when he realized she was right behind him now. Lucy's breath hitched. He was crying? Lucy had never seen him cry. It seemed so out of place on one as carefree and constantly optimistic as Natsu, but the lines of moisture streaking through the dirt on his cheeks was unmistakable. Natsu swiped his hands across his face furiously, his cheeks flushing in embarrassment as he whipped back around to avoid her eyes.

Shaking off her surprise, she closed the rest of the distance between them and sunk to her knees beside him. Lucy leaned against his body and dropped her head to his shoulder. She said nothing, it had been like this since he'd pulled her along to join Fairy Tail, they had enough of a connection to know when to talk and when to offer silent support.

Beside her, he let out a shaky breath and wrapped his arm up around her shoulders before turning to press his lips to her temple. He still didn't offer any explanation, and she still didn't ask. After what felt to Lucy like an eternity of sitting under a heavy silence, she shifted under his embrace and took his hand in hers. "Hey," she said as muted green eyes found hers, "why don't I make us some lunch, I imagine you worked up an appetite training like that."

. . .

"Thanks Luce," Natsu said quietly.

He was going to let her do just that, he actually was hungry... But when she stood, he reflexively snagged her wrist and pulled her back down and into his lap. He searched her eyes, and undeniable relief filtered through everything else when he didn't find pity, even though she'd seen his tears. It wasn't like he wasn't confident in himself; everyone knew that he was a little on the cocky side, and generally he wore his emotions openly… Still, he prided himself in being strong, for Lucy especially, and it had sent a strange feeling through him when she'd found him in a particularly vulnerable moment. Natsu combed his fingers through her hair, tucking the loose strands behind her ear as his other hand trailed up her back to draw her to him. He slotted his lips over hers. After a moment indulging in the blonde, he found himself pressing her back into the ground and laying his weight over her as he deepened the kiss and trailed a hand down her side to her upper thigh.

She moaned briefly at his touch, but then planted her hand on the center of his chest and pressed him away gently. He looked at her in mild confusion, knowing she'd catch the touch of hurt flickering through his eyes. Of course she would. The palm gently tracing over his jaw as she sat up again confirmed it. "You're just trying to distract yourself from whatever is eating at you Natsu," she told him. He felt the slight sting of shame at the statement, dropping his eyes to avoid hers. They were too knowing sometimes. She was right of course; he felt her lips again, a fleeting kiss before she was on her feet and pulling him up with her.

The fire mage allowed his incredible (mind reading) girlfriend to guide him back to his house, presumably to make lunch, even if there were other things he'd prefer to be doing. Lucy walked into the house, a smile pulling at her lips as her eyes raked over the new additions to the Fire Slayer's memory board. She always took a moment to look at it when she was over... It made him happy in a strange way. He knew the pride he felt in his collection of memories would be considered overly sentimental or even childish to some, but Lucy didn't see it that way.

He glanced over her shoulder, appreciating the board's contents with her. The most recent addition, a goofy team photo of Dragon Soul on the boat ride back from the Tower of Heaven. Mira had managed to snap the candid shot just after Natsu had run across the ship's deck to wrap his arms around Lucy's waist and hoist her into the air, she wore a ridiculous grin, mid laugh even as she flailed in his grip. Happy was clinging to the his head, wings spread, grinning down at her, and Haru was behind them arms wide, clearly worrying that they'd both go tumbling back and hurt themselves. Gray was dodging Lucy's kicks and yelling something at the fire mage, and Erza watched over all of them with a fond smile of her own. Mira had a good eye; it was their team's dynamic perfectly captured at a brief moment in time.

"It's my favourite photo," Natsu supplied casually as he wandered off to the kitchen, "do you want some tea Lucy?"

He popped a kettle on the stove, pulling out a supply of green tea and a couple mugs upon hearing her chirp in the affirmative. Lucy joined him and popped her head into the fridge to see what was available to turn into something edible for lunch. Natsu wasn't sure she'd find much, he and Haru didn't spend much time at home, so their food supplies rarely allowed variety. She pulled some chicken from the fridge, and gave it an experimental sniff before tossing it on the counter along with a couple tomatoes.

Natsu chuckled a little as he poured the tea, "Don't worry... It's still good," he assured.

She eyed him skeptically, probably wondering at his standards in comparison to hers, but didn't comment. "Do you have any bread? There's not much but we could make some super simple sandwiches."

Without answering verbally, he passed her a steaming mug and smiled as he slowly leaned in toward her. Just as her eyes dropped to his lips, predicting a kiss, he reached around her to snag a cutting board and a loaf of bread and offered her a wink as he held the bread up. Lucy raised a brow in amusement, returning the smirk he now wore. He needed that. It felt normal, not the slight awkwardness that hung over him, he just didn't know what to say quite yet. He knew she'd ask at some point, inevitably, even if she was giving him some emotional space for the moment.

He didn't want to burden her. Lucy had been through enough in the short months that she'd been a part of Fairy Tail. So the awkwardness returned. They prepared their sandwiches in silence before taking their plates and their tea to the table to eat. Halfway through the meal Lucy finally broke the silence. "Natsu, what happened today?"

There it was.

He wasn't ready.

Natsu was chewing a large mouthful, the bread was a little on the stale side, but it was decent enough. It wasn't a meal worthy of Lucy though. He'd have to take her for a proper dinner for putting up with himself, and the slim pickings in his kitchen. Her eyes were boring into him as she waited patiently. Swallowing, he put the remainder of his food on the plate. Pondering how to explain the seemingly unwarranted response that had been triggered in him today. Whatever he'd picked up on, was just familiar enough to send him reeling. Even if it was impossible, the scent had been enough to mess with his head.

How could he tell Lucy any of it? They'd only just gotten together, they hadn't even talked about their own feelings yet. Whatever the feelings were, they were just as confusing.

'You love her.'

Fucking Jude.

He supposed he and Lucy had always been better at expressing themselves through their actions, when it came to their growing feelings toward each other, but actions were not going to get him out of this conversation. Natsu reached across the table for her hand, gave it a squeeze and her warm brown eyes remained on him with all the support in the world.

Fairy Tail

"And you shoulda seen the look on her face!" The blue cat peeled off in fits of laughter, holding his sides as he rolled around on the bar top. Happy had retreated back to the guild, albeit a little hesitantly, when Natsu had asked him for some time alone. Currently he was enthralled in conversation with Erza, Mira and Haru. "When Mira took Haru away, I thought the waitress was going to claw her eyes out!"

"Happy!" Haru growled, driving the cat down into the counter by his scruff. "Don't listen to him Erza… Happy has an overactive imagination. Right Mira?" The bar maid just giggled behind a delicate hand, not bothering to confirm or deny anything and Haru rolled his eyes. Perfect.

Erza's eyes were large and cat-like in her fascination with the story, her eyes darting between her two friends, even her strawberry cake sat temporarily forgotten. Erza had always been amused by Mira's antics... Gossip, teasing and general mischief. She'd told Haru at one point that it reminded her that the old Mira was still in there. Haru had yet to figure out what that meant exactly.

Happy squirmed and escaped Haru's grasp, jumping into the air as he sang out his trademark, "She loooooooves him!"

Haru felt the heat in his cheeks immediately. Damn cat! The water mage launched to his feet and snagged Happy by the tail, ripping him out of the air and right into a head lock. He whispered grumbled threats to Happy's fish through clenched teeth until the cat escaped again, leaping away to hide behind the white-haired barmaid.

"Miiiiira! Haru's being mean to meee!"

"Seems that you might have deserved that one Happy," Mira chimed back earning more of the cat's crocodile tears.

Across the hall, the large guild doors opened and Mira looked up to greet whoever was entering. Haru peeked over his shoulder to see if the blonde had coaxed Natsu back to the hall yet, but the person in the doorway was obscured by a billowy cloak.

"Who's that?" Happy mumbled as he bounced back to Haru, curiosity causing him to forget their squabble. The water mage shrugged the shoulder Happy had draped himself over to observe the newcomer and shared a curious glance with the girls. Mira was the first to make a move, wandering out from behind the bar to cross the guild hall. She tilted her head and offered a hand and a cheery greeting to the visitor.

A pale, feminine hand accepted her hand and returned the greeting. Nothing out of the ordinary for a busy guild like Fairy Tail, but Mira froze in her place, and Haru heard her sharp inhale from across the hall. He slid off his bar stool, picking up on a suddenly tense energy and stood ready to intervene if something was actually wrong. A single word fell from Mira's lips and did nothing to soothe his confusion.

"Lisanna—"

Twin Dragons' Home

Meanwhile, Natsu and Lucy had shifted to the porch outside and were watching the dark clouds roll into overwhelm the small patches of blue sky. 'Seems appropriate,' Natsu thought with a bitter internal laugh. He tightened the grip he had on Lucy's hand between his own in his lap.

"Okay. I—um. I really don't know what to say... How to start," he said with a nervous laugh, his eyes staying on the overcast sky to avoid returning the blonde's gaze.

"Take your time."

"Earlier, I thought I smelled Lisanna—I was sure, I smelled her, but I know that's not possible." He'd expected Lucy to tense or peel away a bit, but she just shifted to bury her forehead in his shoulder, wrapping her arms around him in a display of comfort. Natsu had told her about Lisanna's death months back, when he was talking through his experience with Midnight's magic after a particularly bad nightmare one night. Lucy knew that Lisanna had been one of his closest friends, the first to truly accept him at the guild, that she had stuck up for him when no believed him about Igneel. She knew that he missed her every Gods' damned day and that he still felt like a failure who should have been able to protect her.

What he hadn't told her…

Natsu sucked in a breath, and brought a hand to grip her forearm. "Lisanna wasn't just my best friend," he started hesitantly. His heart threatened to hammer out of his chest at the inevitable admission. "There was a time when I truly thought I'd marry her one day, she had even asked." With a laugh that came out choked, he fisted his hands into his pant legs to stop them from shaking and made himself meet her beautiful brown eyes. They always offered him comfort, even now. "Lisanna was my first love."

Fairy Tail

"—Lisanna."

The name had fallen as a breathless word. Without enhanced hearing, there's no way Haru would have picked up on it. Lisanna though? There's no way he'd heard that right. Haru had heard that story from Natsu, Mira's younger sister had lost her life the same year that he'd met the Fire Slayer.

Haru pushed the unease he was feeling down and was about to join the white-haired mage to offer whatever support he could, when she turned and began leading the cloaked woman over to the bar. Back to himself and Erza. Mira had a supportive hand between the mystery woman's shoulder blades as she guided their path. Before they reached the bar though, the woman suddenly froze and jolted back with a startled gasp. Haru and Erza exchanged a calculating look and Mira tipped her head to try to catch the visitor's eyes. "Hey, what's wrong? You're safe here."

"Sorry, I didn't expect—" the girl cut off, still not moving from her spot. Her voice had come out pinched and uncomfortable, and her unease was chipping away at Haru's now fragile calm very quickly. Reaching up, the girl pulled the large hood off her head revealing a bob of white hair and bright blue eyes that rivaled Mira's own.

Loud sounds of surprise ripped out of Erza and Happy, and the blue cat immediately began bawling as he leapt from the counter toward the woman, "Lisanna!"

For the second time that day, Haru reflexively grabbed the cat by the tail and dragged him back into his arms, ignoring his sounds of protest. His eyes trailed over to Erza's frozen form, Mira's ghostly pale face. Clearly, this woman was doing a bang-up job of impersonating Lisanna to be getting these responses. But after Lucy's kidnapping, Haru knew how near flawless a copy could be.

"You can't be Lisanna," Haru stated bluntly, feeling a wave of guilt at the hurt look that painted Mira's expression immediately. It wasn't really his place to say anything, he'd never even met Lisanna, but he knew how important she'd been to his Fairy Tail family. Mira and Natsu especially… And there was no way he'd let some imposter close enough to hurt them. Wordlessly, he moved forward, guiding Mira away from the girl and behind him. Haru could tell Mira knew this couldn't possibly be her sister, but it had hurt her to hear him say it anyway. "Who are you?" he spat.

"I am Lisanna," she started with conviction, and Haru felt Mira tighten the grip she had on his shoulder. "However, I am not Earthland's Lisanna."

Okay, no one saw that coming. All of Haru's companions wore the same openly gawking look he knew covered his face. That finally broke Erza from her trance as well, and she came up to stand beside him to talk to the impossible girl. The redhead's presence had Lisanna flinching back again. Their visitor nearly tripped over the edge of a bench that was directly behind her, barely catching the table edge to regain her balance. Her wide blue eyes flew between Erza and himself in what looked like panic.

What the hell is with this girl?!

A snap of irritation finally broke that fragile calm Haru had been clinging to.

"What?!" he bit out harshly before he could stop himself. Taking in the fear beneath the girl's expression Haru sighed in irritation, as much with himself as with the girl in front of him. He tried again, adopting a softer tone, "why are you so jumpy, and what do you mean: 'you're not Earthland's Lisanna?'"

Lisanna as she claimed to be, let her lips part as she trained her eyes on his. Those blue hues hardening. "Haru and Erza…"

"Uh… yeah," Haru responded flatly, turning to share a quirked eyebrow with his redheaded teammate. It was normal for outsiders to know Erza's name, she appeared in Sorcerer's Weekly frequently. It wasn't so normal for people to know his.

Just who in the hell was this girl?

"The King's dogs, the thieves of Edolas' magic, and hunters of the dragon slayers," she listed as though it were rehearsed propaganda shared about freely. The Fairy Tail mages eyed one another as the unnerving energy around them climbed. Lisanna's eyes met Haru's again with a new level of unbridled hatred. "Haru and Erza Knightwalker."

A/N. Aww. Poor Natsu and Lucy just get together and I throw them a giant ass curve ball. Anyyyway, we all know where we're headed next!

Oh, my goodness, I can't believe we are 20 chapters in. Big thanks to you all sticking it out to this milestone and continuing on this journey with me!

Shout outs to suzaanoelofse01, valerioux and FireShifter for reviewing last chapter! You rock!

See you all Wednesday!

R&R.

xx Loka Muse