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What Makes Us

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We'll always stick together, and we'll always be there for our family.

We have to.

Because that is who we are. That is what makes us Fairy Tail.

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Chapter One

In Which the Silence is Broken

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There was an ominous feeling over the guild.

It was inexplicable - there was just this feeling weighing down on everyone's minds, taking up their thoughts. It was the sense that something was very, very wrong.

Something sinister was afoot, and every single person in Fairy Tail knew it.

Lucy absentmindedly stirred a glass of water with her straw. Beside her, Levy pored over her book. Natsu and Gray sat quietly across from one another, for once not arguing. Erza busied herself with polishing sword after sword from her collection. At the table in the far corner, Gajeel picked at a plate of food, with Pantherlily beside him. And everyone else in the guild was much the same: quiet, and not really doing anything at all.

No one broke the silence.

It was, see, that sort of silence that was just deafening, ringing in your ears and blocking out everything else. It was a heavy weight that pressed down on your shoulders. It clouded your thoughts and put you on edge.

And no one could bring themselves to say a word; to penetrate the thick, heavy cloud that had settled upon them.

Lucy sighed to herself as she continued to stir her drink. She watched the ice cubes swirl around, and around, and around.

She hated this. This awful feeling - perhaps as if something or someone were about to attack them at any moment - just wouldn't go away. And though she hadn't a clue where it came from, or if it was anything more than a fluke, she knew that the guild shouldn't be like this.

It should never be like this.

And since everyone else seemed content to sit around and mope, well, then it looked like she'd have to be the one do something about it.

With a loud bang, Lucy stood up from her seat at the bar. Well, the sudden sound wasn't so much loud as the guild was quiet - but whatever the case, it sounded loud. And it sure got her some attention from her guildmates, alright.

So, feeling that odd prickling sensation of having several pairs of eyes on her, Lucy stood up, strode over to the request board, and proceeded to peruse it for a few seconds. The blond quickly snatched a job and then walked over to Natsu's table, grabbing him by the arm and hoisting him up.

"C'mon, Flame Brain," she said with a grunt. "We're going on a job."

Natsu looked up at her, startled. "But Lucy..."

"But what?" she snapped in return, startling him with her harsh tone. "But you don't want to? But you'd rather just sit here and be depressed all day, like everyone else? 'Cause if that's what you want, well, be my guest. I need to pay my rent, anyway." And with that, Lucy stalked out of the guild, scowling.

She paused at the door, turning around to glare at the rest of the guild. "If anyone wants to join me, go right on ahead," she said sharply. "This mopey attitude is getting old. I mean, come on" - she showed a small hint of a smile, here - "we're Fairy Tail, aren't we? Stop being a bunch of Debbie Downers!"

And then she was gone, leaving the rest of the guild in a sort of stunned silence. It was different than the silence of before, though - not nearly as heavy and depressing.

"W-wait a second!" Natsu called suddenly. "I'm coming, too!" And he stumbled out of the guild hall after the blond mage, with Happy right behind him.

"Aye, sir!" the blue cat agreed.

And then the guild was left in a bit of a stupor.

The silence didn't last much longer after that, though. Erza stood, stretching, yawning slightly. She tucked her sword into her belt.

"It has been awhile... we should probably should go out on a job, yes... Gray!" the red-haired mage barked. "Let's go. We're following them."

Gray blinked up at her, ready to protest, but he saw the glare on her face and ducked his head. With a short groan, he pushed himself to his feet. "Fine."

Wendy frowned to herself. "Charle, should we go too? It's our team, right? I think we should..."

The White Exceed only shrugged. "If you want to, child. I don't have much against it."

Wendy grinned. "Great, then let's go!"

And then all four of them headed out.

But this time, the guild was not left quiet. Lucy had broken through the heavy silence, and now, across the guild, a few conversations had begun. The mood was lightening. Smiles and laughter began to show. Things were starting to look brighter already.

Mirajane was pleased when people started calling for beer and food. Things were back to normal so quickly, it was hard to believe.

But then, as Lucy had said, they were Fairy Tail, after all.

"Can't let that Salamander beat me," Gajeel grunted, standing up. "C'mon, Lily. We need some trainin', anyhow, you an' I both." The Exceed nodded and diligently followed Gajeel over to the request board, where Levy and her team were currently standing.

"How about this one?" she suggested.

"I dunno," Jet said dubiously.

"Seems kinda tough..." Droy mused.

"Yeah, and we don't want you getting hurt, Levy," Jet added.

"Maybe we should take an easy one." Droy frowned as he continued to scan the board. Levy frowned, obviously displeased at their reactions. It looked like a fine job to her.

"Jeez," Gajeel muttered. "Yer smotherin' her, both of ya. Let the Bookworm go on a tough job or two one in awhile. She's a shrimp, sure, but she ain't no pushover."

This, of course, was vehemently argued by both Jet and Droy - on several points. First they told Gajeel why he was wrong, and that they needed to protect her. Then they protested that they weren't smothering. Then they accused him of being rude by using demeaning nicknames for Levy.

Meanwhile, Levy kind of stood there, glancing between the men.

"Um," she piped up. "Gajeel, I think this job might be more suited for you, anyway." She held up the request that Jet and Droy had denied, and Gajeel peered at it. Then he grinned.

"Gihihi," he laughed. "Well, looks like yer right, but it sounds more like somethin' you and I could do better together, eh, Bookworm?"

Levy blushed and looked away. "W-Well, maybe..."

"WE WANNA GO TO!" came the cry from Jet and Droy. Gajeel groaned. Levy's face turned a deeper shade of pink.

"U-um," she stammered. "W-well, it seems more suited for just two wizards... so..."

Gajeel grinned. He gave Pantherlily a small shove in the direction of Jet and Droy. "Go on. Ya take a job with 'em two. Shrimp and I can handle this one" - he held up the sheet - "an' you can protect 'em idjits if they get 'emselves in ta anythin' over their heads."

Lily nodded, smirking. "Sounds fine, Gajeel."

And before either Jet or Droy could protest, Gajeel and Levy were gone.

The two resorted to glowering at Pantherlily, who only smirked.

"We're not taking you on a a job with us," Jet said stubbornly.

"Right," Droy agreed. "We're strong enough on our own."

"Too bad," Lily said, continuing to smirk. "I'm following you, like it or not." It would be good training, after all. And it could be fun, considering how annoyed they looked at the idea. His smirk widened.

The two glared at him, snatched a request, and walked off, muttering. Partnering trailer behind them, glancing back at the guild as they left.

It certainly seemed at least a little livelier, and the horrible, depressing aura from before had lifted.

A genuine smile replaced his smirk. That Lucy was certainly something else.

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"Where is the boy?"

"Which one, idiot? There are two."

"Oh, I'm clearly speaking of the one with the fire. You silly goose, I'm not the idiot here!"

"Why, you - !"

"QUIET!"

The two leather-clad figures stopped arguing immediately, staring up at the new arrival with wide eyes.

Of the two who had been arguing, the first was a girl of about twenty-four years, with fair skin and long strawberry blond hair in several small braids. Her eyes were a deep reddish-brown, and she wore pink makeup that seemed to make her whole face sparkle. She was, indeed, beautiful, and she gave off a sweet and innocent aura. Any man would swoon at the sight of her.

The man, about thirty years old, had darker, more wrinkled skin and a tough-looking face. He was huge and muscular, and stood a good two feet taller than the average person. He seemed to wear a permanent scowl, and his dark green eyes were small and close together. His nose was rather large, but not quite ugly. His dark brown hair was cropped close to his head, barely a centimeter tall.

And, lastly, the man who had arrived. He had a graceful air about him. His hair was long and of a soft silvery-blue color, trailing down to his shoulders. His eyes were bright blue and seemed to jump around the room every second, with a kind of life that made you excited just looking at them. His face bore almost no emotion, but his eyes always seemed somewhat excited.

"Quiet, the both of you," he scolded, his forehead wrinkling. "Where is the lacrima, then?"

They stepped aside to reveal the small crystalline ball. The man's fingers danced across its surface, and a magic screen glowed above them, giving them the perfect view of a certain pink-haired dragonslayer, his flying cat, and his blond partner.

"Ah," he said with a light chuckle. "Mr. Dragneel, do enjoy yourself while you've still a chance. Because your happiness, I'm afraid, won't last much longer at all."

His chuckle became derisive, a mad sort of cackling; and it was then that one thing became very clear: this man was insane.

And that was perhaps the scariest thing about him. More frightening than his unquenchable thirst for power, his insatiable desire for control, was the fact that he was insane, and thus knew no boundaries when it came to getting what he desired.

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"Lucy - hey, wait up!"

"Aye, Lucy! You're going too fast!"

"Oi, Happy - how about you carry me?"

"Aye, sir! Good idea!"

That was how Natsu and Happy came to catch up to Lucy, though she was now at a full sprint. She realized they'd caught up and sighed, defeated; she quickly slowed down to a walk, and Happy dropped Natsu beside her.

"Hey, Luce, what's the matter?" Natsu asked, concerned.

Lucy cast him an accusing glare. "I don't know. Maybe it's the fact that you don't seem to want to do anything but sit around and mope like an idiot, and the whole guild is doing just that and it's totally stupid because there's no reason for it!"

As she spoke, her voice rose, and Natsu shrank back.

"Whoa - sorry, Lucy," Natsu said sheepishly. "I mean, none of us really meant to act like that. It's just that feeling, y'know?"

Lucy sighed heavily, letting down her guard. "Yeah," she mumbled. "I know. I think everyone felt it. I just..." She looked up helplessly at Natsu's face. "I just don't get it! There's nothing really wrong, is there? So what's this weird feeling we all seem to have?"

Natsu shrugged; he knew as much as she did. Actually, no. He probably knew less.

Lucy groaned, hanging her head in defeat. "It's annoying."

"Aye," Happy agreed with a small sigh.

They walked in silence for several moments more.

"So... anyway..." Natsu said after awhile, trying to strike up friendly chatter like they usually had. "Where are we headed, exactly?"

Lucy glanced at the paper in her hands. "We need to be in Hargeon Town by tonight, apparently."

"What?!" Natsu cried, incredulous. "That's impossible! We can't walk that far by tonight!"

Lucy smirked. "Well, yeah. That's why we're taking the train, dummy."

Natsu turned green. "Oh, no..."

"Oh, yes!" Lucy laughed, grabbing Natsu's hand and pulling him towards the station. "C'mon, both of you!"

"Aye, sir!"

"Noooooooooo..."

And off they went, mostly pretty happy for the time being. It was supposed to be an ordinary mission.

Except...

...that mission did not turn out like it was supposed to.

Not at all.

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"Where'd they go?"

"Let's check the station..."

"Charle, can you go on ahead and look?"

"Of course."

"Thank you!"

"Jeez, how'd they get so far, so quickly?"

"Come on, both of you - we mustn't dawdle!"

"Y-yes, Erza..."

"Yeah, fine..."

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"So, who are we sending?" the bulky, dark-skinned man asked impatiently.

The man with the silver blue hair, who was clearly the one in charge, smiled softly. "Oh," he said loftily, "I was considering going myself. I'd take you t ok, as well, of course."

The strawberry blond clapped her hands excitedly. "Ooh, it sounds like quite a lot of fun, yes!" she giggled. "Mightn't we go now?"

"Not just yet," the leader replied with a swift shake of his head. "A few things I must take care of first, of course. You two, ready your weapons - we'll be going shortly."

The two nodded their consent, and the silvery-haired man left.

They had quite the task ahead of them - oh, and what a fun one it would be, too. Quite a fun job indeed.

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So, just another idea that's been festering in my head for awhile. It could go nowhere. If I don't get bored with it, and if I'm not too ridiculously busy, I'll keep updating.

Anyway... hope you likey! :3