Fairy Tail:

Feelings Old and New

Fairy Tail © Hiro Mashima

Story and OCs are mine

Summary- 3 days have passed since Lisanna's return from Edolas and everything in the Fairy Tail Guild has pretty much returned to normal. However, Natsu finds himself at a crossroads when he can't seem to decide if he has feelings for Lucy or if he still has feelings for his childhood friend.

Ch. 1- Another Day at the Guild

The rainstorm that had plagued Magnolia for the past few days had finally broken and everyone was thankful for the change in weather. Though it was still a bit chilly, at least no one had to worry about getting soaked for a long while, and with the storm now over, it meant people could finally get back to work. That was Lucy thought, the first thing that morning as she got ready for the day.

After all, the rent doesn't wait just because of bad weather.

Seeing as how it had been so cold as of late, Lucy figured a nice hot bath would help warm her up. She could feel every pore in her body open up as she lathered herself up with soap, then splashed some water over herself to rinse the suds away and repeat. After several rinse and repeat cycles, she pulled the plug, grabbed a towel, and began to dry herself off. However, as she stepped out into her bedroom to change…

"Hey, Luce!"

"AAAAH!"

The next thing the blonde wizard knew, she was running back to the bathroom while wrapping her towel around herself in an effort to keep her unexpected (though not all too surprising) visitor from seeing her naked body.

"Natsu Dragneel, how many times do I have to tell you that if you're going to be coming over, let me know that you're here BEFORE I walk out of the bathroom in my birthday suit!" Lucy yelled.

"Jeez, relax!" Natsu snarked as he sat on Lucy's bed. "Sheesh, you don't get this bent outta shape when Haru comes over!"

"That's because your sister has the sense to knock before she enters someone else's house!" Lucy argued while she gathered some clothes from her dresser drawer. "And also, she comes in through the door like normal people!"

"Hey, normal people come through the door, cool people use the window," said Natsu. "And if you don't want me comin' in through the window, why do you keep it unlocked, anyway?"

"What's the use?" Lucy asked as she went back into the bathroom to change. "You'd just melt the glass and unlock it from the inside, anyway! What are you even doing here, Natsu?"

"You wanted to get back to work, right?" Natsu asked. "I came to get you."

Lucy paused as she slipped on her shirt before she quietly snorted in amusement. She didn't think that Natsu was actually paying attention, but sometimes, it was easy for her to forget how in tune he was with her. If she wanted to go work, he'd just get up and pick out a job with her, no questions asked. Hell, he'd even rope the others into going, and oftentimes, he'd come and get her so that she would make it to the Guildhall in time to pick out the better-paying jobs, just like he was doing today.

It had been 3 days now since they had that adventure in the alternate world of Edolas. It was certainly a surprise when Lucy found that there wasn't just another version of her, but one that was the complete opposite of her personality. However, what was even more shocking to her was the fact that Lisanna Strauss, who was presumed dead for two years, turned out to be alive all this time and was living in that world as her alternate self… and all because she wanted to make the Edolas counterparts of her older siblings happy. Lucy had to admit, it was a sweet gesture, if not a little misguided, but since they knew all along that she wasn't their long-lost sister, she supposed there wasn't any real harm done.

There was even a big party at the guild to celebrate Lisanna's return, and Lucy never saw Mirajane and Elfman cry so hard. Elektra was in tears when she saw that one of her "children" came back to her, hugging her tightly and refusing to let her go as if she would disappear again. Even Makarov looked close to crying… and that was after it looked like he was about to have a heart attack from the shock. After everything settled down, though, he was more happy to have her back and welcomed Lisanna home without hesitation.

Although Makarov was a bit saddened to learn that Mystogan, who turned out to be the counterpart of Jellal Fernandes, chose to stay in Edolas in order to take his rightful place as its king, he knew that he would be fine. He was a Fairy Tail wizard, after all.

After a while, Lucy came back out, all dressed and hair brushed.

"About time," Natsu quipped. "I was almost gettin' ready to leave without ya."

"No, you weren't," Lucy replied with a smirk as she grabbed her bag and her Gate Keys. "You can't get rid of me, that easily, Natsu Dragneel."

"Ain't that the truth?" Natsu asked with a grin of his own.

Soon, they were headed out, heading toward the guild. As always, Lucy was walking along the edge of the canal with her arms spread out, humming a tune to herself as she went.

"You really shouldn't be walking along the edge like that, girlie! It's dangerous!" the usual passerby called out to her.

"I know!" Lucy replied.

"If ya know that walkin' along the edge is dangerous, why are ya doin' it, Luce?" Natsu asked as he casually had his hands behind his head.

"Oh, calm down, I'm always careful," Lucy replied. Of course, due to having her eyes shut, she yelped as she almost slipped off the edge, only for her hand to get grabbed before she could fall into the water.

"'Always careful,' huh?" Natsu said with a wry grin.

"Oh, haha, very funny," Lucy snarked as the Salamander pulled her onto solid ground. "Let's just go to the guild, already. I wanna hurry and get the good jobs."

"Whatever you say, O Graceful One," Natsu quipped, only for Lucy to lightly slap his arm, which caused him to snort and snicker.

XXX

The guildhall was just as lively and noisy as ever, maybe even more so, if that was possible. Everyone was sitting around, chatting, eating, drinking, and whatever else, just as they'd always done… but Lucy still loved it. To her, this place would always be her home… well, more like the people in it would be her home.

"Hey, guys!" Haru waved as she greeted her brother and her best friend (besides Blue Fang), who just entered through the double doors.

"Hey, sis!" Natsu greeted as Haru came and hugged him, then went to hug Lucy next.

"So, are we getting back to work, today?" asked Haru.

"Yep! We just gotta pick a job!" Lucy answered.

"Just don't let Natsu pick the last one," Gray spoke up as he sat at a nearby table with Cana and Juvia. "Last time, we got ran outta town because he set a clock tower on fire."

"I was aiming for the guy on the clock tower, Frosty!" Natsu spat.

"That doesn't mean you had to destroy the whole clock tower, Dragonbreath!" Gray argued.

"Oh, boy, here we go, again," Happy said as he sat at the bar, eating some raw fish that Mirajane put out for him.

"Who do you think you're callin' Dragonbreath, Streaker?!" Natsu questioned as he and Gray started butting heads, prompting Lucy to wisely head to the bar and stay clear out of the way.

"Streaker, am I?!" Gray questioned as he glared at the Fire Dragon Slayer. "Well, I hope you're hungry, Flame Brain, because I'm gonna make you eat those words!"

"Bring it on!" Natsu shouted, and with that, the brawl commenced.

"Oh, good grief," Carla muttered as she sat with Wendy and Erza at another table, the latter enjoying a whole strawberry cake to herself. "It's like those two never have anything better to do."

"I'm pretty used to it, by now, though," Wendy added. "Honestly, I'd be a bit worried if they didn't fight."

"Just as long as they don't break too much of anything," Erza spoke while she took a bite of her cake.

"Shouldn't it be 'as long as they don't break anything at all'?" asked Carla with an incredulous look.

"Never a dull moment, eh, Grandpa?" Elektra asked as she sat at the bar with her grandfather and Gildarts, the former holding a bottle of whiskey in his hands.

"I don't bother trying to stop them, anymore," Makarov muttered as he sat on the countertop before he prepared to take a nip of his whiskey, only for Elektra to snatch it out of his hand. "Wha- hey!"

"How much whiskey have you had, already?" asked Elektra with a scathing glare, causing the old man to grumble indignantly. "I thought so. Grandpa, you can only have so much to drink! You need to start taking it easy with the alcohol, do you understand?"

"Mira!" Makarov complained.

"She is right, Master," Mirajane agreed as Elektra handed her the bottle. "You have to watch it from now on, especially after what happened during the harvest festival."

"Looks like these girls have got you trained, eh, Master?" Gildarts asked with a snide grin.

"Very funny," Makarov said with a glare.

"Hey, watch it!" Gajeel shouted as Natsu and Gray bumped into him, making the Iron Dragon Slayer drop his plate of scrap parts that he had been munching on. Sitting next to him was Levy, and on the table was Panther Lily, the pantherine Exceed from Edolas and Gajeel's new "cat", holding a glass of kiwi juice in his paws.

"That's it!" Gajeel shouted as he stood up from the table. "You two are cruisin' for a bruisin', you hear?!" With that, he soon jumped in to join the brawl, forming a sizeable fight cloud, causing Haru to sigh as she rolled her eyes.

"Would it kill you guys to stop fighting for two seconds-" the Beast Wizard started, only to scream as Natsu was thrown into her, and Lucy yelped as she just barely managed to get out of the way in time.

"OOF!" Natsu cried before he sat up. "Gray! You're gonna pay for that!"

"Gajeel did it!" Gray argued, having been caught in a chokehold by the Iron Dragon Slayer. Nonetheless, Natsu growled as he charged back into the fray… and he wasn't alone.

"Okay, that does it!" Haru shouted before she soon disappeared into the comical brawl. "I'm gonna knock you boys into next week!"

"OW! Let go of my leg!" Natsu shouted.

"Is it always like this over here?" Panther Lily asked with a sweatdrop.

"Unfortunately, yes," Levy replied before she carefully picked him up and moved to another table, just as the four of them crashed into the one where she was sitting at. Somehow, the four brawling members had also ended up pulling Jet and Droy into the cloud, as well.

"OW! Hey!" Jet cried.

"Lemme go! I'm not part of this!" Droy shouted.

Levy sighed in relief as she found refuge sitting with Cana and Juvia, though she did feel bad for leaving her two childhood friends in the lurch like that. Speaking of Juvia, for some reason, she was sitting at the table, face-down with a comical rain cloud of gloom over her head.

"Uggggh…" she groaned. "Alas, and woe…"

"What's her problem?" Levy asked.

"Ever since Haru told her about the Gray from the other world," Cana began, "Juvia's been moping around, wishing she had met him."

"It's not fair," the dismayed Water Wizard griped. "I wish my sweet Gray was more straightforward with his feelings just like the Gray from the other world…!"

"You know, just because Gray doesn't say much to you, that doesn't mean there's no hope for you two," said Cana.

"You really think so?" Juvia asked, her eyes shimmering with hope.

"Trust me, Gray will come around, sooner or later," Cana replied as she took a swig of beer from her barrel.

"Cana…!" Juvia whimpered before she started to hug her, bawling literal rivers of tears. "Thank you so much! I can't believe how kind you are, my friend~!"

"Yeah, yeah, I know," Cana replied while gently patting her head.

"Oh, boy…" Levy muttered with a sweatdrop before she glanced over at the brawl, and somehow, it had grown even bigger, with Max, Warren, Macao, Wakaba, Reedus, and even Nab caught up in it!

"How did they all get in there?!" asked Lucy as she came to sit with the girls.

"You should know how it is by now, Lulu," Levy replied.

As the brawlers continued their little spat, they didn't realize that Natsu fired a stray fireball into the air… which effectively incinerated Erza's cake, causing Wendy and Carla to gasp in horror.

"Uh-oh…" Wendy muttered while the Requip Wizard quietly sat and stared at the pile of cinders on her plate that was once her cake, then she soon stood up as her eyes glowed a dangerous red.

"ENOUGH!"

At that booming voice, all fighting ceased as Erza loomed over them with her arms crossed and that usual stern glare that sent even grown men running for the hills.

"Er… Erza…!" Natsu squeaked in fright as he was caught in Gray's chokehold, the Ice Wizard looking just as nervous as he looked up at the redhead.

"Your senseless brawling has ruined my strawberry cake…!" she said with a snarl.

"Uh… well… see…!" Natsu stammered.

"It was totally Natsu's fault!" Gray cried.

"The way I see it," Erza began, "it's both your faults for being such violent fools!"

"And just like that, I'm out!" Haru exclaimed as she quickly pulled herself out of the brawl, followed by the others, who were not very eager to get caught in Titania's wrath. Even Gajeel was wise enough to stay out of her way as the Iron Dragon Slayer hurried back to Levy's side.

"3… 2… 1," Lucy counted down as she covered her eyes, and soon, there was the sound of a merciless walloping from Erza, followed by the pained screams of Natsu and Gray, prompting the others to wince as every hit landed. Before too long, the two were lying on the floor with huge bumps on their heads and comically bruised faces while Erza casually dusted her palms.

"Now are you two going to behave from now on?" she asked like the usual stern older sister type that she was.

"Yes, ma'am…" Natsu and Gray both moaned.

"Never fails, huh, Lulu?" asked Levy.

"Nope," Lucy replied. "Never fails." With a sigh, she stood up and went over to the request board to pick out a job. It was the reason why she came, after all. As she neared the board, she saw that there were several posters pinned up to the board, a bit more than usual, actually.

"Hmmm… let's see," Lucy muttered. "Pest control… no, not enough money. Umm… highway bandit patrol? Hmm… maybe, but I'll keep looking."

That's when Natsu, who had somehow instantly healed up from his initial beating at Erza's hands, walked up beside the Celestial Spirit Wizard.

"How about this one?" Natsu asked as he pulled one flier off the board.

MONSTER ELIMINATION!

NEED HELP FAST!
PLEASE COME TO SAYURI VILLAGE IF INTERESTED

REWARD: 300,000,000 J

(RECOMMENDED: PLEASE BE A TEAM OF WIZARDS)

"300 MILLION?!" Lucy questioned, her shout immediately turning heads. "HOT DAMN!"

"Wait, seriously?" asked Gray as he came over along with Haru and Wendy.

"Doesn't that sound like the kind of reward that S-Class jobs would give?" asked Haru.

"They must really be desperate, then," said Lucy. "Sounds like this monster must be really dangerous."

"In that case," Erza began, "I'll go along, just to be on the safe side."

"I'll go, too!" Wendy exclaimed while she held Carla in her arms.

"I suppose if Wendy wants to go, I don't see why I can't, either," the white Exceed added.

"Aye! Me, too!" Happy added.

"Well, what do you think, Luce?" Natsu asked with a grin.

"Well… I guess we could," Lucy said. "I mean, it's not like I'm going alone, right?"

"Great! Let's go get the Wolf Wagon ready!" Haru exclaimed.

"Yeah!" Natsu declared. "I'm fired up, now!"

As Team Natsu turned to head out, the team's namesake suddenly grunted as he bumped into someone, and as he stepped back, he gasped silently as he saw that it was none other than Lisanna Strauss, herself, along with her older brother, Elfman.

"Oh! Hi, Natsu!" Lisanna greeted.

"Oh, hey, Lisanna," Natsu greeted as he scratched the back of his head. "Man… it's been 3 days, but I'm still getting used to the fact that you're back."

Lisanna giggled, wearing that same smile that she had when she was just a little girl, and seeing it made Natsu give a bit of an awkward smile, not too different from the ones he would give her back when they played together while raising Happy. There was an odd fluttering sensation in his stomach as he looked at his old childhood friend, strangely familiar yet different. Something he couldn't really quite place.

"Uh… Natsu?" Lisanna asked.

"Huh?" Natsu muttered as he was brought back to reality. "Oh, right, sorry… so, how'd it go with Granny Porlyusica?"

"Oh, it went well!" Lisanna answered. "She said I was perfectly healthy!"

"Yeah… and then she chased me off with a broom for eavesdropping," Elfman muttered.

"Well, we'd love to shoot the breeze," Gray began, "but we gotta get goin'."

"Yeah! Off to Sayuri Village!" said Haru as she and the others prepared to leave.

"Oh, are you guys going on a job?" Lisanna asked. "Well, I have an idea: how about I go with you?"

Natsu stopped right in his tracks as he glanced back at the youngest Strauss sibling, who blinked at him in puzzlement.

"What?" she asked.

I know I said I would work on more One Piece, but dammit, I just couldn't help myself. And besides, it's not like there's a deadline or anything.

Anyway, this isn't gonna be one of those stories where Lucy is overly jealous of Lisanna, nor is Lisanna gonna be some clingy bitch who wants Lucy out of the picture. I hate that cliche so much.

Review, please!