Hey y'all!

Sorry it took so long. I was well on my way on continuing the story from last chapter on. Unfortunately, the trio's adventures in looking for the keys heavily detracted from the story plot, so I decided to scrap the chapter and partial ones I wrote and settle for a time-skip instead. Lucy and Laxus' adventures will be hinted at throughout the rest of the story, however, so either way, you guys will have a feel for what Lucy, Laxus, and Eltanin did in the time they were together.

Sorry if you guys were expecting and excited to read the trio's adventures, but sometimes, things just don't work out as I hope. :( Thank you so much for understanding.

Warning: like last time, this is a very exposition-heavy chapter. I won't blame you if you're confused after reading this.

P.S. To 19vanelkc: I'm so glad you caught the SPN reference! I'm a bit disappointed no one else got the others, but oh well :D The fact you caught the Winchester brothers' iconic routine makes my day!

"NATSU DRAGNEEL!" The shout reverberated across the guild, silencing all conversations as heads turned to the resident Fire Dragon Slayer. The man himself flinched, releasing Gray from his arm lock, and timidly looked up at the balcony, where a fuming Makarov stood.

"Yes, Gramps?" he asked.

Apparently, that was the wrong thing to say, as not soon after a giant hand came crashing down on the pink-haired male, anyone around the dragon slayer scrambling to get out of the way. Natsu hung limply from Makarov's grasp, unconscious. Angered, Makarov violently shook his fist, jolting Natsu awake. The dragon slayer cowered at Makarov's furious look. "WHAT HAVE YOU DONE TO MY OFFICE?" Makarov boomed.

"I fixed it, just like you asked!"

Makarov's eyebrow twitched dangerously. He dropped Natsu in a huff, and the dragon slayer landed oh-so-gracefully in a shapeless heap. "Come to my office," he thundered.

Natsu winced, rubbing his bruised shoulder and arm. Sending a snickering Gray a glare, he slowly stood, limping up to Makarov's office. There, Makarov stood, his arms crossed. "Well?" the old man demanded, gesturing wildly around his office.

Natsu took one look at the several stacks of papers he had made around the office and shrugged. "What about it? It looks neat to me."

Makarov flushed red before grabbing sheets of paper from the stack nearest him and read, "'Finances in October', 'Missions Taken in June,' 'Council Meeting Log'?! Natsu, you call this neat? They're all completely unrelated to each other! You messed up the papers on my desk! You ruined what little order I had in this office!"

Natsu held up his hands. "I'm sorry!" he whined. "I thought they were already organized and that you wanted me to organize them like that!"

Makarov's face, if it were even possible, turned a deep shade of royal purple. "Natsu…"

"Okay, okay!" the dragon slayer said, dodging the communication lacrima sent towards his way. "Why didn't you ask anyone else to do it instead?"

"Like who?" Makarov snapped.

"Erza?"

"Council meeting. For the destruction you caused in Mountain Village."

"Levy?"

"She's getting married, Natsu."

"Lisanna?"

"Helping out her very pregnant sister."

Natsu huffed, Makarov's caustic tone going over his head. "Well, why not just call in Laxus? It's his job isn't it?"

Makarov sent him a withering look. "I told you, he's on a year-long mission. It's why I asked you to help in the first place, Natsu."

Natsu pouted, put out at the disappointed tone in Makarov's voice. "Sorry," he mumbled, unable to meet Makarov's eyes, opting instead to stare at the pristine floors of the master's office.

Seeing the dragon slayer's despondent disposition, Makarov sighed, rubbing his face with his hand. Perhaps he had been a bit sharper than he'd normally be to Natsu, but after receiving a particularly worrying report from Laxus, Makarov had been on edge since then. Seeing his office in such a state of disarray was certainly no help either. "Next time, try not to mess up the papers," Makarov said.

Natsu looked up in alarm. "Next time?" he squeaked out.

Makarov nodded sharply, shuffling through the miscellaneous stack of papers on his desk that Natsu otherwise left alone (though why the dragon slayer did, Makarov would never know nor ever care to know). "Well, maybe not," he amended, now speeding through a column of papers nearest his desk. "Laxus might come back soon hopefully…" he said absently under his breath, squinting at a paper that was dated six years ago.

Unfortunately for the Master, Natsu caught what he had said. "What?" Natsu perked up. Laxus was coming back? "He's coming back?" he asked excitedly, his previous morose stance immediately jumping up in excitement.

Makarov froze; he had not meant to reveal that little tidbit. "What do you mean?" Makarov said serenely, moving on to the farthest stack of papers away from Natsu.

Natsu glared at the elderly man. "I heard you!" he said excitedly. "Laxus is coming back, isn't he?" He grinned, pumping his fist in the air. "Yoshi!" he shouted. "I won't have to do anymore jobs for you!"

Makarov rubbed his nose in irritation. "Just go, Natsu," he said, fed up with the dragon slayer.

Natsu flashed another bright smile, bounding out of the office in a much happier mood than when he had entered.

Mira was the first to notice. Curious, she called Natsu's name, beckoning him to come closer at the bar. "Hey, Mira," Natsu chirped. "Hey, Lis." The smaller Take Over mage greeted him back, her voice muffled by the stack of boxes she was carrying to the storage room.

Mira smiled, wringing the towel in her hands over the sink. "I hope Master didn't go too hard on you," she said, giggling. "But I guess it didn't really seem to bother you, ne?" She poured a drink she knew Natsu liked in a glass mug and handed it to the dragon slayer.

Natsu snorted, gladly taking the mug from Mira. "Nah," he said proudly, his chest puffing up. "Master doesn't scare me."

Mira decided not to comment on the fact that just fifteen minutes ago, he had been a cowering, spineless mess before the Master. "Mm-hm," she hummed, continuing her work. "What did Master say?"

Natsu sipped his drink, shoulders raising. "Nothing much," he said before slamming the mug back at the bar, his eyes wide in excitement. Mira jumped, whirling around to glare at the slayer, her hand on her chest. "Oh!" he said loudly, eyes brightening as he remembered something important. "Laxus is coming back!"

Lisanna bounded up next to her sister, looking at Natsu curiously. "Is he really?" she asked, looking around for her boyfriend. "Does Bickslow know about this? He doesn't say much, but I'm pretty sure he misses Laxus-san."

Natsu shook his head. "Nah, I don't think anyone really knows about it."

"Well, it's nice that he'll be back, nonetheless," Mira said. "It's been, what, a year?"

"I'm just glad I won't have to help out Gramps anymore," Natsu said. He shivered, thinking back to the impossible tasks Makarov would give him and the constant reprimanding he would get from Makarov whenever he completed them. No matter how hard he worked, it seemed that nothing could satisfy the Master.

"I wonder why he's been gone for an entire year though," Lisanna said, her eyebrows furrowed. "He rarely ever goes on missions since Master always asks him to help out with paperwork."

"That's true," Mira muttered, stopping in her tracks and exchanging looks with her younger sister.

"The fact that Master would allow him to leave and have this idiot take over—"

"Hey!" Natsu cried, offended. "Lisanna!"

"—is pretty suspicious," Lisanna continued, as if Natsu hadn't interjected. She rubbed her chin thoughtfully. "I wonder what the mission is for Laxus to have left his duties for an entire year."

"And most of all, why would Master allow him to do so?" Mira added.

"Whatever the case," Natsu cut in, "it's givin' me a headache."

Lisanna sighed, shaking her head. "Everything gives you a headache, Nat," she said dryly. Natsu grumbled into his mug, and Lisanna began to organize the bar, Mira wiping the last of the dust away from the now-slick table.

Natsu watched them, admiring the two sisters' easy teamwork. Ever since Mira began to show, Lisanna had taken it upon herself to help her sister in her duties so she wouldn't strain herself. Freed, the proud and neurotic father and husband to Mirajane Justine nee Strauss, was grateful for her help, but Natsu always caught him watching his wife work, alert and ready to pounce in the slightest form of danger, more times than he could count.

The dragon slayer sighed despondently into his cup. So much had changed ever since Lucy left. Mira marrying Freed and getting pregnant was just one of them. Two years had come and changed everything he knew, himself included, and yet every now and then, he'd find himself thinking about her.

How was she doing?

What was she doing?

Where was she?

Why did she leave?

Did she miss him, too?

The others must have noticed his moping, as no one else bothered Natsu much from then on, even Gray. As much as he enjoyed tormenting Natsu, the Ice Demon Slayer understood the hothead's feelings. Though, Gray thought, he wasn't sure if Natsu knew just what those feelings were exactly. Shaking his head at Natsu's often-oblivious nature, Gray simply passed the pouting dragon slayer and walked towards Juvia, wrapping an arm around her shoulders. He smiled softly as her entire face turned a bright red.

God, he loved surprising her sometimes.

"G-Gray," Juvia stuttered, her blush not going away. Years with the Ice Make mage helped her drop the formality with Gray, and yet she never once was able to shed her nervous response to Gray's presence. "Juvia thought you were on a mission."

"I was," he said, smiling, holding up a bag of jewels proudly. "And it was a success."

Juvia broke out in a warm smile. "Juvia is glad," she said softly and pressed a gentle kiss on his lips.

"Oh-ho-ho!" a voice tittered from behind them, and the two lovebirds pulled apart. "Finally you give me proof that you two really are dating!"

"Mira!" Gray huffed, crossing his arms in irritation. Why did the She-Devil have to interrupt their moment, dammit!

Mira giggled, setting down a plateful of fries in front of Juvia. "Sorry," she said rather un-apologetically. "Just doing my duties, you know?" Gray grumbled in response, and Juvia and Mira exchanged amused looks. "I'm glad you guys are going out, though," Mira said before leaning in conspiratorially. "It's been a long relationship in the making."

"I know," Gray said, wrapping his arm around Juvia, kissing her tenderly on her forehead. It had taken a while, but once Juvia eased up on her obsession with Gray, it gave him the needed space to evaluate his feelings with Juvia and see her for who she truly was.

'An amazing person I'm so lucky to have,' he thought sappily, his eyes softening as he stared at Juvia with lovestruck eyes.

Mira smiled. "It's good," she repeated before her smile saddened. "Some people have to wait, while others don't know when it will come back." She gestured to Natsu.

Sensing that Mira wanted to talk to them about something, Juvia took a seat, inviting the white-haired beauty to sit across her and Gray. "Juvia has noticed that Natsu-san is much sadder," she said, glancing briefly at Natsu himself.

"Right," Gray agreed. "Ever since Lucy left."

The trio didn't say anything for a while. Like Natsu, they missed the blonde's presence in the guild more times than they could count. For Gray, it was weird not seeing the blonde he considered as a sister and her brilliant smile. For Juvia, it was weird not having Lucy talk to her in the mornings. For Mira, it was weird not having Lucy's laugh tinkling across the guild hall. For them, it was normal for people to leave and exit their lives permanently; but for them, Lucy was an exception.

She was nakama, and they missed her.

"You know," Mira said after a while, "I overheard Master talking to someone a couple months back. Looking back on it, I think it may have been Lucy."

Juvia's and Gray's head snapped to Mira, their eyes wide. "What do you mean, Mira-san?" Juvia asked, leaning forward. At the sharp look from the former barmaid, Juvia amended, "Mira."

"I didn't hear much of what was being said," Mira said. "But I definitely heard Master's voice and a woman responding. I think they were discussing a mission of some sort." She sighed. "I didn't hear much of it," Mira said, annoyed with herself. "I got distracted when you and Natsu began to fight." She glared at Gray, who flushed under her dark gaze.

"He's annoying," Gray grumbled, taking a sip of Juvia's drink. "Can you blame me for wanting to punch his face in?"

Mira ignored him. "But you know what's really suspicious?" Mira took a quick look at her sister, who was busy tending the bar. "Lisanna, Natsu, and I were actually discussing this earlier. About Laxus and his mission."

Gray and Juvia looked at each other. "Laxus-san has been gone for a year," Juvia agreed slowly.

"It is pretty weird that he took a year-long mission," Gray added. "Do you know what his mission was, Mira? Or is," he corrected himself, as Laxus was still out completing that mission.

"That's the thing," Mira said. "I think the Master was the one who approved it."

"What?" Gray and Juvia gasped, gaping at her.

"But why?" Juvia asked. "Doesn't Master need Laxus-san for, well, basically everything?"

"Exactly," Mira said, nodding. "He does. Even little errands that the old man could do himself he has Laxus do them. Why would Master allow Laxus to go on a year-long mission when he has his own duties here?" She tapped her chin thoughtfully. "I think the reason why may be in the fact that he also took smaller missions for three months before finally going on the year-long one."

Understanding dawned in Gray's eyes before he leaned back. "Ah. Right. I remember. It started after Master chewed us out for destroying an entire village. Laxus fried mine and Natsu's asses because he had to go to the Council to pardon our actions." He shivered from the memory. Laxus and his lightning were no joke. His entire body still hurt from the lightning Laxus sent his way.

Mira giggled along with Juvia. Seeing Gray and Natsu with their hair smoking from Laxus' lightning and the glazed sheen in their eyes was a sight the two would never forget. "Right," Mira said. "That errand itself shouldn't have taken a long time, but it took Laxus two weeks to come back from it. From then on, he began to go on missions, ranging from three days to an entire week. All of which were approved from Master." She saw Gray's confused look and sighed. "My point is, I think whatever Laxus was doing in those little missions was something a bit bigger."

"Like a guise?" Juvia asked, confused. "Are you suggesting that Master had Laxus doing missions for him?"

"Exactly!" Mira said. "And I think I know why." She leaned closer. "Have you guys heard about the Black Sun?"

Gray and Juvia exchanged glances. "Yes," Juvia said, nodding. "A dark guild."

"They're pretty new, though," Gray added, "and nothing malicious has been traced back to them, except maybe for a few thefts here and there. They mostly just keep to themselves though."

"They're most likely in the Council's watchlist. It is a dark guild, after all," said Juvia. "But probably not high up in the list, either. Like Gray said, they haven't caused much trouble."

"Wait, do you think Master has Laxus tracking Black Sun?" Gray said, bewildered. "But why? They've existed for, like, two years, but they haven't really done anything other than take a few jobs no other legal guilds would take!"

Mira huffed. "How am I supposed to know?" she snapped. "It's just a suspicion, okay?" Gray quietened, slowly holding his hands up in a placating manner. "Look, I think this all traces back to Lucy."

Gray's mouth dropped. "But how?" he stressed, getting riled up from the tension of not knowing.

"I'm getting there!" Mira shot Gray a glare. "Black Sun was established two years ago— more specifically, a month after Lucy left Fairy Tail. Then, Celestial Spirit mages began to disappear after the Black Sun was listed as a dark guild. Finally, the woman Master was talking to—who I'm pretty sure is Lucy— mentioned tracking down the Black Sun."

She gave the couple a serious stare. "I think Laxus and Lucy are working together to bring down Black Sun. I know you said that nothing really bad has been connected back to that guild, but for goodness sake's Gray, it's a dark guild. What else did you expect? It's suspicious in and of itself that it hasn't tried to make a reputation of itself!"

"But the pieces don't fit," said Gray. "Lucy left before Black Sun was a thing, so she couldn't have meant to chase after them."

Mira scowled, getting annoyed at Gray's slow thinking. "That's the thing!" she hissed. "Yukino's death, the first of several other Celestial Mages who began to disappear, was probably because of the Black Sun. Just because they weren't in the public eye doesn't mean they didn't exist then!"

"So then why did Lucy leave? To mourn Yukino-san, wasn't it? She hadn't known anything about Black Sun then, right?" Gray asked, frustrated. He opened his mouth to say more when Makarov flew down the stairs, capturing the attention of several guild members.

Mira looked up. "Master?" she called, confused and worried about the urgency in his movements. "What is it?"

"They need help," he said breathlessly before his face hardened, barking out, "Wendy, Gajeel, Levy, Natsu, Gray, Juvia— to my office, now." Gray and Juvia looked at each other, eyes wide, before jumping up and dashing to the Master's office, leaving Mira to stare worriedly after them.

The six guild members gathered into Makarov's office, murmuring amongst themselves. The Master followed them not long after, slamming the door behind him. "Thank you for coming in here as quickly as possible," he said briskly. "I will explain everything later, but first, let me call Erza and Jellal." Makarov began to set up a lacrima connection, the others watching his stiff but quick movements.

"I thought Erza was meeting with the Council," Natsu whispered not too softly.

"Jellal's part of the Council, you dumb fuck," Gray hissed in response. Honestly, how did he not figure out that that was the excuse Erza always used to visit Jellal in her free time?

Two metal hands knocked the two argumentative friends' heads against each other. Gajeel glared at the two murderously. "Behave," he growled, not amused by their antics.

Makarov sat back, done with his work and waiting for the lacrima to connect. He gave Gajeel an appreciative look. "Thank you," he said just as the lacrima screen burst into life.

Erza was looking at the group curiously, her red hair glinting from the sun. She shifted the lacrima so she could see them properly. "Master?" she asked. "What is it?"

"Erza, is Jellal there?"

Erza sputtered and were the situation not as solemn as it was now, the others would have laughed at her reaction. The mighty Titania blushed a brighter shade of red than her hair before nodding sheepishly. "He is," she said, and a muffled voice greeting them confirmed her words. Not soon after, Jellal's face popped up in the screen, and he sent them a sheepish smile and wave.

"Good." The Master nodded tersely, turning to address everyone in the room. "Listen up. I'm sure you're all confused, and for waiting so patiently for me to explain, thank you." Makarov settled on his chair, face perturbed. "As you all know, Laxus has been busy with a mission for a year. Long story short, I'm the one who sent him in this mission."

"I knew it!" Natsu said. "Mira and Lis were right!"

Makarov gave the dragon slayer a withering glare. "Anyways, I received two disturbing calls from him, which is why I'm calling you all here today."

"You need us for a mission," Gray said, his eyebrows furrowing.

"Exactly," Makarov said gravely. "An emergency rescue mission with a team who could complete retrievals as quickly as possible.

"I need you all to retrieve Laxus and Lucy from Black Sun."

Minor edits made: 20 Oct 2019

Estimated Word Count: 3100+

Again, I understand if you guys are confused. There's a lot to digest in this chapter so I made a short timeline of the important parts for you guys.

Timeline:

15 September X795: Lucy leaves Fairy Tail. Physical/mental age: 20-21

15-26 September X795: Lucy and Minerva embark on mission. Minerva helps Lucy w/ physical training

26 September: Meets Eltanin and Draco. Leaves for the Garden of Hesperides to train

27 September X795: In search of keys with Eltanin. No time passed on Earthland. Physical age: 20-21. Mental age: 26

January X796: Laxus joins Lucy and Eltanin. Goes back and forth between Fairy Tail and hunt for keys as "missions"

Late March X796: Laxus leaves duo temporarily [reason(s) why will be hinted at]

Early May X796: Comes back and helps Lucy and Eltanin again. More permanent fixture; does not travel back and forth btwn Fairy Tail and duo

Late August X797: This chapter

Mind you, this is a partial AU, in that the events regarding Zeref have mostly happened, but are not as devastating. This is a fanfic, and the background is not really important in this particular story. Open mind guys, open mind. Also, if you have any questions (which I don't blame you at all for having. This chapter had a lot of exposition) feel free to PM me; if you are a guest, leave your questions in a review and I'll try to answer it by the next chapter in an author's note.