CHAPTER 2:

FAIRY TAIL

Lucy looked at the façade of the Fairy Tail guild, a smile touching her lips. She was here, she was finally here. The massive, tiered building awaited her. Natsu and Happy seemed confident she could join, so she went along with it.

She soon entered, and as Natsu roared a greeting, Lucy immediately noticed, acting as a waitress, what had to be Mirajane Strauss. Natsu stormed over and punched one of the men greeting him, berating the man for giving him faulty information on Igneel's whereabouts. Which began something of a brawl.

It was hard for her to believe that she was here in Fairy Tail, at long last. Here she was, on the cusp of fulfilling her lifelong dream, and…

"Is Natsu back?!" yelled a dark-haired young man, wearing nothing but his boxers. "Okay, this time, we're going to finish it!"

"Gray, your clothes are AWOL. Again," said a woman sitting on a nearby table, wearing little more than trousers and a bra. As Gray realised and fled in shock, the woman sighed. "And this is why they say the men here have no class." She then took an entire barrel of what had to be alcohol and began guzzling it down.

A man Lucy recognised as Mirajane's brother, Elfman, went into the fray, only to be sent flying by Gray and Natsu. And then, Lucy saw a handsome young man with brownish-orange hair, wearing tinted glasses and wearing a jacket. She recognised him instantly as Loke, ranked as one of the top eligible wizarding bachelors by Weekly Sorcerer Magazine. He was flirting with a pair of women he had his arms draped around, but Lucy realised she could sense something from him, something she could only sense in person.

He's a Celestial Spirit, she thought. And a high-ranking one too. I'd need a Golden Gate Key to get him, but…oh. Oh. Well, at least I know where he is now. I'll have to tell Aries. And I'll have to find a way to tell him that I've persuaded the Celestial King to allow him back into the fold.

"I'm sorry, are you new here?"

The voice interrupted Lucy's thoughts, and she whirled to face Mirajane, who was smiling at her welcomingly. Resisting the urge to fangirl out, Lucy returned her smile, a little shakily, and nodded. "I'm Lucy Heartfilia. And you must be Mirajane Strauss. I admire your standing as a mage."

"Why, thank you," Mirajane said, though there was a faint lugubrious look to her eyes when Lucy said that.

Lucy indicated the brawl. "Should we stop them?"

"Oh, it happens all the time. It's best to let them get it out of their system. Besides…" Whatever Mirajane was going to say was interrupted when a bottle smashed into her head.

Lucy was on her, and cast a Cure on her. Mirajane blinked, before she said, "That's kind of you. But don't worry, I've been hit worse during one of these. Anyway, as I was saying, it's more fun to let this run its course."

"Scary, more like," Lucy said, before she dodged away from Gray, now completely naked, flying into a nearby table, Natsu triumphantly waving Gray's boxers in the air.

"Dammit!" Gray snapped, before turning sheepishly to Lucy. "Could you lend me your underpants?"

Lucy looked askance at him. "How about no?"

Loke then came along and gently escorted Lucy away. "How appalling, the indelicacy of such men? By the way, are you a model? You look like one?"

Just as it looked like half the guild were going to start using their magic, probably levelling the entire building, Lucy sighed in irritation, before she flung up her hands. "STOP!" Most of the belligerents suddenly froze in place thanks to the spell.

Loke and Mirajane, who weren't targeted, stared at Lucy, who smiled. "It's easy to win arguments this way, don't you think?"

"Impressive. Most impressive."

Lucy whirled at the deep voice, and was surprised to find, somehow, a massive, hulking form over them, looking intimidating as hell. Before she could do more than freeze in place, the hulking form shrank, until it became a diminutive old man, dressed not unlike a jester. "A new face, hmm? It's good to meet you. I'm Makarov, the Master of Fairy Tail. I've heard about the assistance you rendered to Natsu capturing Bora the Prominence. And that was like no magic I have seen before. I was going to scare them into stopping their fight, but it seems that you have your own means of doing so. Would you kindly restore them?"

"Okay. Dispel." She waved a hand, and as the fight threatened to begin anew, Makarov cleared his throat pointedly. With everyone's attention on him, Makarov leapt up onto the balcony overlooking the area. His showmanship was spoiled a little when he hit the railing somewhat painfully, but he rallied admirably.

"You idiots are at it, again! I've received more and more complaints from the Council! Gray! While your work in dealing with those smugglers was superlative, you were found stumbling around the town naked, resorting to stealing clothes from someone's clothesline. Elfman! Next time you're a bodyguard for a VIP, try not to attack him, even if he does insult your intelligence! Cana!" This was the woman drinking from the barrel earlier. "I think drinking fifteen full kegs of liquor at a certain tavern, is bad enough, but falsely claiming it as expenses and sending the bill to the Council is not going to cut it anymore!"

"So they found out?" Cara asked quietly.

"Loke," Makarov continued. "What possessed you to seduce Rage's granddaughter? He's a senior member of the Council. And that's without the damages bill a certain talent agency sent us. And Natsu…"

Natsu glared sullenly at Makarov, who continued. "You destroyed seven private homes in bringing down the Devon Bandit Clan! Tuly Village's historic clock tower is no more! Freesia's church is a wreck, and so too is part of Lupinus Castle and the observation deck at Nazuna Ravine! And that's without going into what happened at Hargeon! Alzack, Levy, Krov, Reedus, Warren, Bisca, and so on…all of you have done little but piss the Council off and have them complain to me!" Then, after a pause for dramatic effect, Makarov set the papers in his hand, presumably the complaints, on fire, before hurling them at Natsu, who promptly ate them.

"The Council can eat shit and die, for all I care!" Makarov snapped. "You listen here! Magic may be a power that goes beyond the bounds of reason, but it's still born from reason's womb itself. It's no miracle. Magic is born from the union between our internal energy, and that of the world itself. We pour our very hearts, minds and souls into that magic. And you can't advance your magic if you spent time worry about what some self-important idiots in an ivory tower thought! Follow the path you truly believe in to the end! THAT'S what it means to be a wizard of Fairy Tail!"

There was thunderous applause at that, and Lucy thought that, while she couldn't exactly abide the flippant attitude to collateral damage, she could get behind the sentiment involved. Maybe she had made the right choice after all…

Given the paperwork to join the guild, Lucy had an excuse to wander around until she came to Loke. He wasn't with any girls at the moment, just lounging around. "Hey, so it's the new girl. Nice magic skills you've got there," he said with a welcoming smile. "Need me to help you out with the paperwork?"

"Actually, I need your help with something else. Or rather, I have something I need to tell you. Something very vitally important to you."

Loke seemed like he was about to flirt with her, until he saw her face. He then looked down at her Gate Keys, and flinched. "You know, don't you?" he asked.

"I'm pretty sure I do. You're Leo, aren't you? And before you ask, I may be a Celestial Wizard, but I'm not out to make a contract with you. I know how the last one turned out, thanks to Aries," Lucy said.

"How could you possibly know that?" Loke asked in anger. "I don't see Aries' Gate Key there."

"The same reason I know you're a Celestial Spirit. I'm one myself." As he gaped at her, she added, quietly, "Well, something like a Celestial Spirit."

Loke peered at her, trying to discern the truth of what she claimed, before nodding. "I should have known. You do feel a bit like one…if you had a human body rather than a spiritual one. But…different, somehow."

"It's a long story. The short version is, well, I know this is a bit hard to believe, but I'm a reincarnation of someone from another world. A world where magical beings called Espers could be summoned forth to do battle like the Celestial Spirits. My father was one, but my mother was human. Something happened, something that tore me in two. My Esper half ended up passing through the Celestial Spirit World. And then, my soul was reborn into this body. The magic you saw me use on the others is magic from that world. I don't think Earthland has this."

Loke, after a moment, nodded. "It certainly felt very different."

"It is. Many Celestial Mages rely on their Celestial Spirits for attack and defence, but I'm a considerably well-rounded mage. Not as physical as some of these guys seem to be, but I'm pretty good. Anyway, I grew up speaking to the Celestial Spirits my mother left me, and eventually, I discovered that I could pass into the Celestial Spirit World."

"But no human can do that!" Loke protested.

"My soul isn't human, it's Esper," Lucy said. "What's more, I can talk to any Celestial Spirit I wish, as long as they aren't currently in this realm. I don't know where Virgo is at the moment, though someone told me she might be in the service of Duke Everlue. And I can even summon them, as long as they aren't currently summoned by someone else. That's how I knew about Karen. I spoke to Aries about it."

Loke stared at her. "You know about Karen?"

"Enough to know that she did you and Aries great wrongs. If I ever find the mage using Aries' Gate Key, I'm taking it for myself. She doesn't deserve to be treated like that, and neither do you. I've managed to persuade the Celestial Spirit King to rescind your exile. I know you probably won't believe me, but…"

"I'd believe Aries if she could tell me herself. Later…can you summon her so she can confirm it?"

"Yes, if she's not being used. I'm not going to demand that you work with me as a Celestial Spirit, Loke. That's up to you. I just thought I'd let you know."

After a moment, Loke nodded. "I appreciate it. Sorry, it's just that I've had bad experiences with Celestial Mages. But…is your story true? I mean, it's pretty unbelievable."

Lucy chuckled. "Yeah, it is, isn't it? But…it still happened. You don't have to believe me on that part. I think my mother was the only person I told, apart from my Celestial Spirits, and, well, she believed me, but I don't think anyone else would."

"Well, I hope, even if we don't make a contract, that we're good guildmates, Lucy," Loke said with a welcoming smile, a far cry from his earlier lecherous one.

"Anyone I should look out for? I mean, Natsu's pretty hotheaded. So's that Gray guy. What's his magic?"

"Ice Make. That thing with the clothes was due to the training his teacher put him through. And you've seen Makarov use Giant magic. The Strausses are experts at Take Over magic, though Mirajane doesn't really do missions anymore. It's not my story to tell. And there's a couple not here at the moment that you'd have to watch out for. Makarov's grandson, Laxus, who's a pretty arrogant snot, though he can back up his arrogance, and Erza Scarlet. She's stern and strict, and pretty much the disciplinarian of this Guild, not to mention a master of Requip magic."

"I see…"

Soon, under Loke's guidance (he seemed willing to give her the benefit of the doubt), she filled in the paperwork and gave it to Mirajane, who stamped the Fairy Tail emblem on her hand. Lucy smiled, peering at it. She was now officially a member of Fairy Tail.

Mirajane, as Lucy admired the new emblem, asked, "Now that I come to think of it, Lucy, what was that magic you used earlier?"

"Something I picked up. It's useful."

"I daresay it is," Makarov remarked, from where he was perched on the bar. "And Happy told me that you had a considerable rapport with your Celestial Spirit, Aquarius. Reputedly, she is somewhat…fractious with her summoners at times."

"We have an understanding. At the moment, she's going on vacation with her boyfriend Scorpio, so I'd better not get in the way unless it's an emergency," Lucy said with a shrug. "The truth is, I try not to treat them as tools. I had enough of that from my father."

"Jude Heartfilia?" Makarov asked, peering at her. "You've parted ways with him, then?"

"He's an idiot who considers his business more valuable than his daughter…though I overheard him considering plans to marry me off. I'd rather work for a living away from him than deal with that anymore. Though frankly, he's just cold and emotionally neglectful. He's not bad, just uncaring about my thoughts. Ever since my mother died, he sees the world in assets and liabilities. That being said, if he decides he wants me dragged back to him, I wouldn't be surprised if he hires another guild to do it. I know he's on speaking terms with Jose Porla."

"The Master of Phantom Lord," Mirajane mused.

Lucy nodded. "He's hired Phantom Lord to deal with threats to his business, including breaking strikes and scouring bandits who threatened the railways. He might think I was ignorant of that, but I see and hear a lot more than he thought. It's one of the reasons I chose to join Fairy Tail, actually. You guys are rivals with Phantom Lord, who'd hand me back over without a second thought. Plus, I don't like the look of Porla. Whereas you guys, despite the chaos you cause, you seem to do things right. Just wish Natsu didn't demolish all those buildings."

Makarov chuckled. "I like to think of it as keeping the building industry busy." He then looked up as a small, dark-haired boy with a miserable expression approached. "…Romeo? I know what you want to ask, and no, Macao isn't back yet. Watched kettles never boil, and a wizard's child should stay at home awaiting his father's safe return."

"But he said he'd be back in three days," Romeo sniffed. "It's now been a week…"

Lucy noticed that Natsu, who had been checking a job flyer at the nearby job board, was paying attention. "I believe Macao found work at Hakobe Mountain…" Makarov began, only for Romeo to interrupt.

"Then send someone after him! It's not that far away, and I'm worried!" Romeo protested.

"Have some more faith in your father, boy!" Makarov snapped. "This is a guild for strong wizards, not for crybabies! Go home now!"

Romeo, with a scream of anger, leapt up and smashed Makarov in the face, and scampered out in anger and fear. "Yeesh," Lucy remarked. "A bit harsh?"

"Actually, he's worried as well," Mirajane said.

"Of course I am," Makarov said, rubbing his face. "It's certainly not like Macao to be gone this long. He took a job dealing with Vulcans, I think."

There was a sudden crunch from the job board, and they saw that Natsu had punched the job flyer he'd been looking at into the board, forcing it into a crack he made. He then strode out. "Oh dear," Mirajane said. "I think Natsu is about to try and rescue Macao."

"Should we stop him?" Lucy asked.

"No. Natsu's like Romeo himself," Mirajane said. "Did he tell you about Igneel?"

"Only that he taught him Dragon Slayer magic," Lucy said.

"Well, it's more than that," Makarov said. "Igneel raised Natsu from a very young age. He educated him on writing, culture, and magic."

"Not social graces, though," Lucy remarked. "But we're talking an actual dragon, right? But didn't they disappear centuries ago? I mean, aside from Acnologia?"

Makarov nodded solemnly. "I still believe Natsu was raised by Igneel. There are too many points in his story that ring true. In any case, Igneel suddenly disappeared one day, and Natsu was left alone."

"And he's been searching for his father ever since," Mirajane finished. "We may be a happy bunch, Lucy, but all of Fairy Tail is living under a cloud to some degree or another, with painful pasts."

Lucy sighed quietly. Like it had been back home. Natsu put her in mind a little of Gau, the feral boy of the Veldt, abandoned by his father. And the rest of her friends from that time often had troubles. Locke was trying to revive his lover. Celes was betrayed by the very Empire she served, as was Leo, even if he didn't join the Returners in earnest. Cyan lost his family and the kingdom he guarded. Setzer gambled and adventured to forget his own lost love. And Terra…the girl she once was…she was born in a gilded cage, forced to kill for the Gestahl Empire at the orders of Kefka…

And that was before the end of the world, triggered by that insane clown.

Lucy decided that she would follow Natsu. Partly to prove herself to Fairy Tail, but also to ensure that this boy had some closure, one way or another…

CHAPTER 2 ANNOTATIONS:

So, Lucy's joined Fairy Tail, and is about to venture with Natsu to save Macao.

No numbered annotations this time.