A/N: Some parts of this chapter reference Chapter 25 of the 100 Years Quest Manga, but there are no real spoilers. It was a kind of omake chapter, so there isn't much that can be spoiled anyway. Hope you enjoy!


Chapter Six

A sense of foreboding settled upon Gray. The ominous prickle at the back of his neck was all too familiar. He shuddered. It was coming. No. It was already here.

"Gray-sama!" The voice dripped with so much love that one could see hearts in the air that carried the sound.

Gray winced. "Hello Juvia."

The seven of them were clustered around a glowing crystal tablet, in the process of making their monthly call back to the guild. They jostled for space on the narrow bed, the only surface in their hotel room big enough to endeavour accommodating all of them. "Hm Mira, I thought you said Juvia was on a mission," Gray drawled sarcastically.

"Did I?" Mira cocked her head to the side, an innocent smile playing on her face. "Oh dear, I must have gotten the dates wrong." Cana, Macao and Wakaba smirked in the background.

Warren had rigged up an array of lacrimae around the guild and focused their signals onto a large monitor in the guildhall, allowing the questers to see all their nakama at once. The invention had proved crucial after their first call back home had ended in the destruction of Fairy Tail's only communication system. Too many wizards had crowded around the tiny orb, pushing and shoving. A brawl had broken out after a mistimed elbow had slammed into a face, the owners of both items indiscernible in the chaos. That attempt at communication had lasted all of five seconds.

"Gray-sama how could you leave Juvia behind? Juvia was so worried! Juvia tried to hire herself out as a bodyguard for you but Master declined the request," Juvia prattled on. Gray sweatdropped, tuned out the verbal blitz and hoped fervently that she would tire herself out eventually. He tried to ignore the heavy sense of shame that settled upon him every time he saw Juvia. He had failed to protect her, she had given her life for his. The burden of the responsibility he felt towards her was almost too much. "Huh?" Something at the back of the screen had caught his attention. His eyes narrowed in recognition. It couldn't be?

"Jellal?" Erza's surprised whisper cut through the clamour.

The crowd onscreen parted as the man strode forward. "Warren sent out a telepathic bulletin that you had called," he said.

"Telepathic bulletin? But that only goes out to Fairy Tail members." Her eyes widened. "Did you join the guild?"

"No, but I did," a female voice chimed in. A pink-haired woman stepped out from behind Jellal, the pink mark of Fairy Tail high on her left breast.

"Meredy!" Lucy exclaimed.

"Hi Lucy! Everyone!" Meredy waved at them shyly.

Mirajane explained, "After being pardoned by the Queen, Crime Sorcière disbanded. Meredy joined us a few weeks ago."

"I see," Erza nodded. But Jellal had not. And yet, he was in Magnolia. Why? 'Did he come looking for me?' she wondered idly. She shook her head, dismissing the thought. That was not his style.

"What happened to your eye?" he asked. Guilt shaded his expression. The eyepatch was a colourful explosion, a world away from the dingy white fabric that had blemished her face all those years ago, but the scars underneath were still the same. The memories that always hovered at the edge of his mind, that haunted him, slid now through the cracks in his defences.

"I got injured in battle," she replied. She tried to subdue the swell of hope that had risen in her chest upon seeing him, hoping it would take with it the stinging burn of heartache that had come with it. Anger, resentment, hope and love warred in her chest before being overpowered by another feeling: futility. She was suffocating under the burden of her tangled emotions. The despair in her eyes was mirrored in his. She found herself reaching towards the screen, her fingers moving to trace his face.

"Ice-prick, you're taking up too much space!" Natsu's voice brought her back to Earthland with a thump.

"I'm taking up too much space? I only have half a buttcheek on the bed as it is!"

She swallowed the lump in her throat. Her hand stopped inches from the screen, her fingers curling into a fist. Jellal remained out of reach.

"Cut it out you two!" Her punch sent them both flying clear across the room. Irritation sparked on her temple, sweeping away her other emotions. A glance at the lacrima showed that Jellal too had become distracted by Meredy.

The words between them went unsaid yet again.


"The quest is going well," Lucy said, "I wish I could tell you all about it!"

"Don't worry about it Lu-chan, even though my curiosity is killing me." Levy angled the lacrima higher, hoping to catch all the books on the shelf. "Can you see better now?"

"Yes. Sorry to make you do this, but I can't tell you what kind of books I need because that would break the rules of the quest."

"Maybe someday you can figure out how to circumvent the rules and write about it in a story," Levy said, her voice uncharacteristically sly for a moment before returning to her normal tone. "Besides, we might as well use the time productively. Romeo isn't back yet."

Romeo had been sent to fetch Porlyusica the moment the call had connected. Wendy had wanted to consult with her on Erza's injury. Lucy's fractured leg had already healed thanks to her magic, but her enchantments had proved ineffective on Erza. She had started experiencing dizzy spells, the frequency of which was increasing. The last few times the intensity had been so high that Erza had fainted. Team Natsu had been on their way to western Giltena the second time that had happened, so they stopped off at a nearby village to consult a physician.

Wendy was grateful that the huntsmen from Artemis Nock had insisted on giving the team their magical vehicle, despite Erza and Natsu's many protestations. "We owe it to you all. Our guild would have been forced to disband if not for you," they had said. Alexei had stood behind the others, apologetic and shamefaced. "Please accept it," he entreated Erza, "you almost died because of me. I know I do not deserve it, but please allow me the peace of mind of knowing I tried to make amends. It's not nearly enough to make up for what I did, but I need to start somewhere."

His sincerity had moved Erza. She acquiesced and accepted the gift, much to Natsu's chagrin. He had then tried to burn the vehicle and render it unusable, but one swift blow to the stomach by Erza had knocked him out cold. Wendy had been too afraid to say a word after that and had quietly resigned herself to a future of motion-sickness. Still, Giltena was vast and sparsely populated. The vehicle had proved its advantage when Erza had fainted the first time. Her condition had not been serious, but had they been on foot, there was no way they could have reached help in time.

When their search for a physician in the village turned out unfruitful, Wendy had elected to call home rather than take the four hour car ride to the next town. She hoped consulting with Porlyusica would not be considered outside help or else it would nullify their contract for the quest. Charle had convinced her that since Erza's artificial eye predated the quest, it would be OK. Wendy could only cross her fingers and pray she was right.

"Geehee, Lucy, I'm going to have to arrest you for taking up too much of my fiancée's time," Gajeel said, appearing on the lacrima's fluorescent screen.

"Your f-fiancée?"

"Oi you scrap iron bastard, if you want to arrest Lucy you'll have to go through me first!"

"Is that a challenge Salamander?"

The two dragon slayers bickered, their tempers rising. Finally Natsu unleashed a Fire Dragon Roar at the lacrima, Gajeel letting loose with an Iron Dragon Club at the same time.

"Solid Script: Rope!" Levy chanted onscreen, conjuring up a rope to restrain her husband-to-be. "Gajeel, you dummy!"

"Natsu no!" Lucy yelled simultaneously, tossing the communication lacrima out of harm's way. However, in her rush to save the expensive device she failed to protect herself. The flames licked up her torso, burning away her shirt and leaving her breasts exposed.

Natsu cocked his head to the side, his curious eyes raking over her body. "Say Lucy, how come you never wear a bra?"

"Eroi!" Happy smirked in the corner.

"Gyaah!" Lucy cried, covering her chest with her hands. "Don't look pervert!"

"It's just that you own a lot of fancy lingeri-" He was cut off as Lucy delivered a sharp kick to his face. The sound of Lucy's scolding blended with the exasperated exclamations of 'Dummy! Dummy! Dummy!' that were floating tinnily from the tablet.

"And so," Pantherlily continued explaining over the commotion, "Gajeel performed the song he wrote from Levy in front of everyone in the guildhall. She was traumatised by the performance and wouldn't speak to him." Erza, Charle, Gray and Wendy were nodding at the screen, their attention rapt. "So Gajeel snuck into her room at Fairy Hills and filled the room with flowers-"

"You bastard, don't tell them all that!" Gajeel yelled from the chair he was tied up in.

"And got down on one knee. He made me record the whole thing on lacrima-cam, you can see it when you come home."

"Wow, who knew Gajeel-san could be so romantic?" Wendy sighed romantically.

"Hmmph, if he hadn't upset her in the first place he wouldn't have had to propose." Charle's indictment was scathing per usual.

"Say Erza, isn't this similar to the plot of that book you lent me?" Gray asked.

"Ah yes, the resemblance to the Amatory Adventures of Amateur Amanda is indubitable," Erza concurred.

"What the hell kind of perverted books do you people read?"

"You're one to talk Lucy," Gray replied, nodding meaningfully at her current position. Lucy looked down to see that her skirt had ridden up to her waist, her creamy white thighs straddling Natsu's face and her hands still on her breasts to try and protect her modesty. Blood rushed to her face and she struggled to explain. "I-It's not what it looks like!"

Charle looked scandalised and hurried to cover Wendy's eyes, only to find that the poor girl had passed out. Erza was gaping at the two on the floor, totally agog. 'It almost looks like she's taking mental notes,' Gray thought. Erza looked up at him and he hastened to turn his thoughts to less risqué matters. From the frown on her face he was both convinced and terrified that she could read his mind.

Onscreen, Gajeel, Levy and Lily had gone blue with shock. Levy's head jerked from Lucy's well-endowed bosom to her meagre chest and back again. Lucy's mountains. Her flatlands. Lucy's button-bursters. Her literal buttons. Lucy's embonpoint. Her look-drawn-on. Lucy's breasts were spilling out of her palms, barely contained by her small hands. Levy gulped and brought her own hands up to encompass the paucity of hers. Her head turned to Gajeel, beating a staccato with its convulsive rhythm. A thin trail of blood leaked from his nostril and his eyes had rolled back in his head. "I can't do this anymore!" Anguished, she ran from the room.

Her words shook Gajeel out of his trance. "No, Shrimp! Wait up! Damn it!" He cursed and took off running after her. Romeo walked into the library just then and stumbled as he was almost pulled along by the Gajeel's slipstream.

"What's going on?" he enquired curiously.

Gray and Lily both dived towards their respective lacrimae, having concurrently decided that today was not the day for Romeo to have his sexual awakening. Gray rapidly stuck the tablet out of the window and began blathering, "Ah see here Romeo, this is what a street looks like in Giltena."

He almost missed Natsu's muffled voice coming from under Lucy. It was a good thing he did not, because had he not heard it for himself, he would have never believed Natsu had said the words, "I need a cold shower."


"I keep telling you I hate humans and yet you force me to come here, to a place filled with humans." The healer was looking as ferocious as ever.

"Sorry Gr-Porlyusica-san," Wendy replied. Even after two years her instinct was to call her Grandeeney, despite knowing that the woman hated it. "It's cheaper to call once and have a long call than to call two different devices. Most of the magical energy gets used up in establishing the link between the devices."

Porlyusica harrumphed. "Well then, what do you want?"

Wendy explained the events of the past few days, taking care not to let any details from the mission slip. Porlyusica's brow furrowed and her expression grew troubled. "Fainting spells you say? What does the eye look like?"

Wendy did not meet her eyes. "I-I didn't check." Erza had been sensitive about the injury and Wendy had not wanted to cause her more distress.

"Please don't blame her, it's my fault," Erza said, walking up to Wendy. "I am not easy to order about."

"You. Are you experiencing any pain? Any headaches?"

"A little, but it is nothing I can't handle."

Wendy was taken aback. Erza had not mentioned the headaches to her. Porlyusica sighed angrily. "This is why I hate humans." She pointed towards Wendy. "You should care less about feelings and instead focus on the treatment. And you," her gaze shifted to Erza, "don't be such a stoic. These minor things can be symptoms of something greater. You could have endangered yourself by not sharing this information.

"Wendy, I'm sure by now you have realised what is happening to her. Erza take off your eyepatch," Porlyusica ordered. Erza obediently untied the knot that was holding it in place. Annoyance shifted to concern. "It's worse than I thought," Porlyusica said.

Erza looked to Wendy. Upon seeing the worry on her face she requipped a mirror into her hand. She raised it to take a look at her face but a tiny fireball knocked it out of her hand. "Don't. You don't want to see this," Natsu said. Erza turned towards him when he spoke, allowing the others to catch a glimpse of her injury. Broken veins spidered through swollen purple skin, skin that stretched gruesomely over bone that seemed too big for it. The corners of her eyelids gaped, allowing glimpses of the hairline fractures in the skull around it. The lacrima was growing, absorbing the magical energy from Erza's body, and threatening to burst free.

Lucy let out a gasp of horror. An acrid swell of anxiety oozed low in Erza's gut. Her eyes met Gray's. The alarm she found there was enough. She turned to the communication lacrima. "What can be done?" she asked matter-of-factly.

"You need a wizard who specialises in lacrimae."

"And then wha-Argh!" Erza fell to the knees, one hand clamped over her bad eye. Pain stabbed through her skull, tugging her along in its wake to the very edge of consciousness. Erza struggled to breathe through the pain. "And then what?" she bit out through gritted teeth.

Wendy knelt beside her, her cool hand on Erza's fevered brow. She muttered some basic enchantments. Lucy ran for help.

"Don your most powerful armour girl," Porlyusica's voice directed from the tablet, "It should stop more of your magic from being absorbed by the lacrima. Wendy, you need to find a lacrima specialist post-haste and remove that thing from her eye socket. If it swells anymore, the consequences could be fatal."

Erza requipped into her Nakagami Armour. Between the weight of the armour and the pain coursing through her body, she did not have the strength to stand. "Erza," Happy mumbled worriedly.

"Happy, don't stand there staring. Help me pack. We have to leave at once," Charle instructed. The two Exceeds flitted about the room, gathering the team's belongings. Natsu and Gray moved to either side of Erza, helping her to stand.

Lucy burst back into the room. "Tekka," she panted, "we can find a lacrima specialist in the town of Tekka. It's six hours north of here."

Wendy turned back to the tablet as the others escorted Erza from the room. "Thank you, Porlyusica-san."

"Hmmph. I'll assume that she makes it unless I hear from you again." she replied aloofly. But then her voice softened for an instant. "I had better not hear from you again."


The ride to Tekka was tense. Wendy was out of commission due to her motion sickness, so Erza's care was left to Charle and Gray. Gray was using his ice magic to keep Erza's temperature down as fever assailed her body.

She hovered on the edge of consciousness, knowing that if she allowed herself to slip into sleep she might never wake again. The armour was soaking up her magic power, diverting it away from the lacrima but it was a precarious balance. If she wore her Nakagami Armour for too long it would drain all the magic from her body and leave her with Magic Deficiency Disease, if she took it off, the magic would flood into the lacrima, causing it to swell further. She struggled against the agony radiating from her skull. She could not think. She licked her dry lips, too weak to even ask for water. Charle dripped water between her lips, alert to even the subtle changes in Erza's body language. An idea fluttered in the back of Erza's mind, something to do with Gray and Devil Slayer magic. The threads of thought slipped out of her fingers before she could grasp them. She drifted untethered on a sea of black, dipping in and out of consciousness. The fight to stay afloat was taking all her willpower. The waves of oblivion were crashing over her, pushing her under, drowning her. She tried to focus her mind, kicking out mentally and breaking the surface of unconsciousness. In a flash of clarity she saw the image that had earlier tickled out of reach. Gray redirecting Silver's magic through his body. Maybe she could do the same with the lacrima. Maybe she could… The currents pulled her under again and the idea whirlpooled away. When she next broke the surface, all memory of it was gone. All memory of herself was gone. She had lost her sense of self, she could not remember who she was or what she was doing; only that she wanted to live. That she must not let herself be swept away. That she must fight.

Natsu leaned over the side of the vehicle, retching. He could sense Erza's strength dwindling. "Go faster Lucy," he mumbled in between dry heaves. "We can take it."

"Aye Sir!" Lucy replied, casting a glance at the dashboard. The automobile's propulsion lacrima was running low. She grabbed the SE Plug lying by the clutch and fit it to her wrist. She hoped her power would last until they reached Tekka. "Here goes nothing," she muttered and floored it.


Erza had been in surgery for three hours. Lucy snuggled up to Natsu, the varnished wood of the waiting room chairs unpeeling from her thighs with a pop as she resettled herself. "It will be OK," she whispered. He grunted in response, and wrapped his arms around her, pulling her in close. The arm of her chair jutted painfully into Lucy's ribs but she did not mind. She needed Natsu's warmth. It was reassuring. A constant in the shifting landscape around her. Her nakama had been injured before, but they always got better. Maybe she had taken that for granted. But here, in a foreign land where everything felt strange and new, uncertainty gripped her. She buried her nose into Natsu's chest, inhaling his familiar spicy scent. "It will be OK," she repeated, before falling into a fitful sleep.


The surgery lasted twelve hours. Unable to sit still and wait, Gray had wandered the streets of Tekka until the sun had come up, unconsciously discarding his clothes as he walked. He would have still been out there when Erza came out of surgery if the stares and whispers of the townspeople had not driven him indoors. Once he was back with the others, he had driven them to the verge of sanity with his restless pacing. Charle had finally ordered him to sit down. He was too on edge to not fidget. The anxiety tingled through his body, leaving his nerves jangling. He drummed an uneasy tattoo on his thigh, his eyes never leaving the door to the lacrima specialist's lab. Finally, the door opened and a tall woman in a long leather apron stepped out. Wendy exited the room right behind her.

"Well?" Charle asked.

Wendy's face broke out in a smile. She nodded at them all. Hushed cheering erupted in the waiting room, teammates rushing to embrace each other. Happy used the opportunity to give Charle a brief hug. She huffed in annoyance but did not shake him off. "I'll allow it this time, Tom-cat." Natsu and Gray clasped hands, grinning at each other in celebration.

"Thank you," Lucy said, bowing towards Wendy and the lacrima wizard.

"Um," Wendy tried to formulate a response, embarrassment tinting her cheeks red.

"We actually didn't do that much," the specialist stated, "It was the strangest thing. I've never seen anything like it before. The girl, though unconscious, started channelling the energy from the lacrima into her armour. It reduced in size and we were able to pop it right out." She held out her hand, the offensive article lying in the centre of her open palm. "Your friend here, then healed her fractures. The girl lost a lot of magical energy, so she should be asleep for a few days. Here, I'd hold onto this for a while if I were you." She tossed the shrunken lacrima to Lucy.

"Can we see her?" Happy asked. The specialist nodded and led the way.

The group crowded into the recovery room. Erza was already awake, sitting up in bed and wearing her Heart Kreuz Armour. The doctor stared at her, gobsmacked. "How? You shouldn't even have the energy to open your eyes right now!"

"As expected from Erza!" Natsu exclaimed.

Erza bowed her head. "I caused a lot of trouble, it seems. Especially to you, Wendy. I am sorry."

"Don't forget Gray and Lucy too!" Happy chimed in.

"I'm sorry. Sorry to make you all worry."

Gray walked over to the bed. "Don't say stupid things, idiot." The words were out of his mouth before he realised what was happening. His eyes widened in shock. Had he just called Erza an idiot? He braced himself for a blow but it never came. He dared to meet her eyes and found she was giving him a soft smile. Emboldened by her lack of irritation, he rapped her armoured shoulder and continued in an imperious tone, "Don't overexert yourself. Now, take this off and get some rest."

Her lips twisted as though she was holding back a laugh. "Don't push it."

Nevertheless, she did as he said, drawing the covers around her and falling into a heavy, dreamless sleep.


The whispers rustled through the town square. "Psst! Psst! Psst!" Groups of people had gathered on the edges of the plaza, staring at the group and talking amongst themselves. Some were even trying to surreptitiously take pictures with their lacrima cameras.

"What the hell is going on?" Lucy exclaimed, nearly tearing her hair out. She felt like a zoo animal, the way the townsfolk were gawping at her. They were sitting at an outdoor café, partaking of a light breakfast.

"Maybe it's your outfit," Natsu replied plainly.

"Wha-? What's wrong with my outfit! I paid two months' rent for it!"

"Hmm. Maybe people from Ishgar are not common here?" Erza wondered aloud, ignoring their bickering. She took another bite of her strawberry cake.

The crowd was growing bigger, but still keeping a distance from the group. The edges of the circle undulated, as though any minute one brave individual would venture forth and break the invisible dam, allowing the throng to flood in. The wind picked up for a minute, causing Erza's fringe to flutter up, revealing her bandaged eye to everyone. The whispers grew louder. Finally, a man stepped out of the crowd, walking toward them with a notepad and pen in hand.

"Huh?" Gray cocked his head in surprise. The man was trembling but the look in his eye was excited, fanatic even.

"Erkis-sama! Can I have your autograph?" He bowed low and offered Erza the notepad. Bemused by his actions, Erza instinctively reached for the offering. The crowd went wild. They surged forward, flocking around the group and demanding their attention.

"Glen-san! Glen-san! Over here! Kyaaa!"

"OH MY GOD IT REALLY IS NAKKU! MY ANGEL! WAIT TILL ALL MY FANCAM SUBSCRIBERS SEE THIS!"

"Wendeel-tan! Please do a kawaii heart pose!"

"Erkis-san is so cool!"

"W-wait! I'm not Erkis!"

"What the hell, how can you ask me to strip?!"

"Everyone! We have to get out of here!" Charle shouted.

The frenzied crowd swarmed over them, overzealous hands reaching and grabbing for the their shirts, arms, anything they could get a hold of. The group ducked down to the ground. Luckily, the crowd above them was too rowdy to notice. Crouching low, they began to run. Erza hesitated and looked longing towards her unfinished plate. A strong arm closed her around the waist and pulled her along. "Let's go Erza!" Gray commanded.

"B-but my cake!" Grief-stricken sobs racked her body as she was swiftly pulled out of the crowd.

They were nearly out of the mob when a hooded figure stepped into their path. "Hurry! This way!" it cried, before running into a side-street. Seeing no choice but to follow, the group ran after it. Someone at the edge of the crowd noticed the group's escape.

"Hey! They're getting away!"

The hooded figure led them through a maze of alleyways, the crazed townsfolk in hot pursuit. Eventually, the group took one turn too many, too fast for the others and lost their tail. "What's going on?" Natsu panted. "Who are you?"

The mysterious figure took a furtive look around its surrounding before throwing back its hood. Team Natsu's jaws dropped as they stared. A familiar-looking red haired girl stared back at them. She pushed her glasses up her face nervously.

"It's another Erza!" Happy exclaimed, his paw shaking as he pointed towards her.

"AAAAAH! There are two Erzas! What's this? Some kind of monster tournament? The world is going to end!"

"Won't shut up and can't calm down, that's our Natsu," Gray smirked.

Erza raised a hand to her chin and examined the other girl, disappearing from view and reappearing at her sides, back and front. She stopped, her nose almost to the fabric that strained across the other girl's ample chest. "The resemblance really is quite uncanny."

The girl blushed and reached a hand into her satchel, withdrawing some more cloaks. "Please put these on so that you won't be recognised. We have to get going."

The scratchy wool of the shapeless brown garment rasped as Lucy put it on. "Where are we going?"

"Why, to the guild of course!"


Two bronze fairies danced around a glittering mirrored ball; the statuettes revolving slowly over two splayed bronze hands, the long nails of which glittered in the midday sun. A wooden sign emblazoned with the words 'Fairy Nail' stood proudly below it.

"Welcome to the talent guild, Fairy Nail." The girl gestured towards herself. "My name is Erkis."

"Fairy Nail?" Lucy echoed, aghast.

"Talent guild?" Wendy asked.

"A guild of singers, models and of course, actors. You people bear a striking resemblance to some of the members of our guild, that's why you were mobbed before. You will be safe inside the guildhall."

"Cool!" Natsu looked excited. Lucy sweatdropped. "I've got a bad feeling about this," she mumbled.

Erkis gave them a quick tour of the guild. She pointed to a pink-haired man wearing a spangled spandex jumpsuit. "That's Nakku, our top star."

"It's me all of a sudden!" Natsu gawked as his doppelganger stood up and demanded his manager's presence. A busty blonde ran into the room, a notebook in hand.

"That's his manager Lucia," Erkis explained. Lucy watched in horror as the rock-star terrorised his manager, lambasting her over some mistake or the other.

"He's a pretty big asshole isn't he?" Gray grinned mischievously.

"Can you please not bully me so much?" Lucy hissed at a speechless Natsu.

"Ah! Gray's here too!" Wendy pointed towards a man in a stylish three piece suit.

"That's Glen, he's a pole dancer."

"Tch, how can he strip in front of people?" Gray's cheeks were pink.

"You're one to talk!" Lucy retorted.

"The act of displaying your naked body is just another form of art. Take a look at Juvina there," Erkis indicated a blue-haired woman wearing a low-cut bustle dress. "She is a topless dancer."

Gray clapped his hands to his cheeks. "Ju-bin!"

Lucy smacked a drooling Natsu across the back of his head. "Don't imagine it, you pervert!"

Erkis pointed towards a table at the back of the guildhall. "That there is Wendeel, a genius child actress and her best friend Charlotte, a famous idol." The two girls were the spitting images of Wendy and Charle's human form. "Ah, and here come their cats, Bappy and Vivi."

"I'm just a cat?!" Happy yelled angrily.

"Crazy," Natsu muttered.

"It's amazing how closely they all match," whispered Lucy.

"This is just like in Edolas, isn't it Gray-san?"

"Mira wasn't any different there either," Gray pondered, his gaze landing on the smiling silver-haired barmaid of Fairy Nail.

"So Erkis," Erza turned towards her lookalike, "what do you do?"

"I'm a stage actress."

"You must be really popular!" Happy said.

"The people in town were really excited to see you." Charle nodded her head in approval.

Erkis looked away self-consciously. "The truth is, I'm not quite there yet. This next role I have, I'm not quite sure how to express it."

Erza gave her a confident thumbs-up. "Let's talk it over. I have some knowledge of acting."

"HUH?" Gray and Lucy exchanged fearful looks, their minds travelling back to two unfortunate characters named Frederick and Yanderica. "You don't know anything," they muttered in unison.

"The role is of a young girl's first relationship, but I…" she broke off, embarrassed. "I don't have any experience of falling in love."

"Love?" Erza repeated dumbly.

The group were distracted by a loud noise. Across the room, Nakku had slammed his hand on the wall next to Lucia's head. "I said I don't want to perform at such a low-level festival! You're coming with me for a bit of punishment." He grabbed her by the hand and dragged her off. She did not resist, instead a smile broke out on her face.

"Grrr, I can't take him anymore," Lucy growled, having failed to notice the eager look on Lucia's face, "how dare he bully me like this!" She stormed off after the couple.

"Uh, um, y-you probably shouldn't," Erkis stammered.

Lucy returned seconds later, her cheeks and ears flaming red. "What happened, Lucy?" Natsu questioned worriedly, before his ears perked up. Was that-? The distinctive sounds of moaning drifted into his sensitive ears. "Oh yes, Nakku, yes. Right there. That feels so good." Blood rushed to his face and he suddenly found he could not meet Lucy's eyes.

Wendy clamped her hands to her ears, her face the picture of mortification. Gray looked at her in surprise. His normal, human ears had not picked up anything. "What's wrong?"

"Despite how it looks, they are..." Erkis floundered for a suitable word, "erm, intimate. It doesn't matter if they're in the guild, they still sometimes-"

"You don't have to finish that thought!" Lucy wailed.

"That's one aspect of a relationship. I understand that there are many aspects to it, love, companionship, trust, ahem… that." She raised her eyebrows meaningfully.

"But you've never experienced it yourself, so you don't really get it, right? We have a bit of time before we have to leave for our next destination, so if you don't mind we can talk a bit."

"Not like you've got much experience either…" Gray teased, but not loud enough for her to hear. He did value his life after all.

Lucy smirked deviously. "You don't either Gray."

"Neither do you, Lucy," Happy reminded her.

Charle puffed out an affable breath. "I guess all of us are unfamiliar with affairs of love."


The sun was beginning its descent toward the horizon when the group left Tekka, their automobile rumbling noisily over the landscape. Natsu ran his hands over the newly installed motion-sickness lacrima on the dashboard. "Woah, this invention is great! Thanks Erza!"

Erza smiled from her seat in the back. She had picked the item up from the doctor who had treated her. It had been expensive, but her depth perception was not at a hundred percent yet and it was unfair to let Lucy and Gray shoulder the burden of chauffeuring them around. "Do not thank me just yet, you're going to have to learn to drive."

"Oh nuts."

Lucy laughed from her place in the driver's seat. Spending the afternoon in the company of their doppelgangers had put her in mind of Edolas. Edo-Natsu had been a great driver. She wondered idly if Natsu would be the same. Somehow, she doubted it.

"The members of Fairy Nail are really interesting, aren't they?" Wendy said.

"Oh man, don't remind me." Lucy was still traumatised by the scene she had walked in on.

"Erza-san, what were you and Erkis talking about? You two were together the entire time."

"Oh just, love and other stuff." Erza tried to play off her embarrassment.

Gray met her eyes over Wendy's head. "Love huh?" he said knowingly.

The beginnings of a blush stole up her neck. Gray could always see right through her. She looked out the window at the fields rolling by, her hand creeping up to finger the bandage on her eye. "Yes," she whispered wistfully. "Love."


A/N 2: There is some real ecchi content in this chapter eh? Good thing I updated the rating a few chapters ago. Phew. Personally, I get pretty mad at fanservice but it's also impossible to write Fairy Tail without fan service. The characters demand it!

A/N 3: I need to learn to practise restraint while writing. We are 25k words in and only 1/6 of the keys have been collected. How long is this fic going to be? T_T. Thanks to the people who faved and followed. Please leave a review if you feel up to it!