Chapter 6. The Battle of Fire and Sword, with a Side of Council Deception

A/N: Man, I was so surprised by how many followers and favorites I have as an author and the story received after chapter 5. Thank you for your appreciation of my work. I've been doing my best to hint all the things that shaped Lucy into who she is today, and it's nice to see so many of you enjoy it so much. I've invested a lot of brains into this chapter, so enjoy and please review.

Flashback scene is loosely based on RWBY's Weiss Character Short. Don't own that or any part of Fairy Tail.

…

It was a beautiful night, the stars and moon shining eerily from above. Taking a deep breath, Lucy turned around to face the dark-blue glass field, clutching her rapier securely in her hand as she walked determinedly forward. She pays no heed to the brisk wind blowing against her blonde hair as she continued walking until she was at the center of the field. Closing her eyes to steady herself, the minute she heard the tell-tale sound of her opponents appearing, her eyes snapped open, a fierce fire in her gaze.

She was dressed in a black and white, long-sleeved dress with heeled sandals of the same color. Her hair was down, framed around her shoulders, a mark of double blades on her right palm.

Turning as she heard something come towards her, she turned to see a shadowy beast headed towards her. Moving quickly, the blonde thrust her arm forward, her sword piercing its head and disbursing the creature. In her peripheral vision, she could see two more pacing to her left. Just as another pounced on her, she quickly backflipped away, rushing forward to behead the first and then the second monster.

Even as the creatures were defeated, she could still hear more forming around her. Dodging as one swiped at her with massive claws, Lucy jumped up on one's head, soaring high over them to land over by the edge of the field. Closing her eyes in concentration, the rapier glowed blue all of a sudden. Making a broad swipe at the attackers, a blue blast was flung at the creatures, effectively destroying a large number.

Never letting her guard down, the celestial wizard's eyes narrowed as she watched more creatures form around her, all hostile and ready to attack her. Holding her sword at the side of her head, Lucy moved forward slashing as many monsters as she could while also gracefully dodging and jumping over them. When she saw them attempt to corner her, she lifted her sword and smashed it into the ground, a massive tremor created and taking out the other shadow monsters.

Panting slightly, Lucy stood up and waited for the next attack. This fight was almost too easy, and she was right. Suddenly, she felt something smash into her, throwing her back onto her face and knocking her sword away. Getting up and quickly running for it, Lucy was hit back again until she was pushed to the center, far away from her rapier.

Looking for a way out and finding none, the blonde got into a weak fighting stance, looking anxiously around as she waited for one of the creatures to lung at her. Soon, one knocked her down, screaming in her face. Moving her hands up to keep its teeth away from her, Lucy tried desperately to focus and use her magic against it. But she couldn't.

Seeing more shadow creature hurtling towards her and knowing more was to come, just as they moved to kill her, Lucy screamed out, "Stop!"

Just like that, they all disappearing, leaving Lucy alone on the glass field. Moving to her knees and keeping her head bowed, the blonde fought hard not to flinch as she heard hard and slow steps walked and stop in front of her.

"Pathetic." A rough, male voice commented, the harsh sound of her rapier hitting the floor keeping the celestial wizard in her tense and slightly submissive stance. "Do you think we're playing here? This mission is life or death, and if you continue to be weak like this, you're going to be killed. It's everyone for themselves as far as this objective is concerned, and no one will be there to save you if you insist on remaining helpless and worth nothing."

"Yes, sir." Came Lucy's soft voice, facing the floor in clear defeat. "I'll do better."

"You'd better." The man's voice turned ominous as he slowly walked away. "Next time, we go until you're actually bleeding. Not a moment sooner. We can't afford anymore disappoints. Remember, any person I deem a liability… will be cut off."

Lucy held her breath until she couldn't hear him anymore, then she sighed deeply, shagging lower to the ground as shame filled her stomach. Ignoring the eyes she knew were watching her, the blonde stayed in her position, not relaxing her back until the spectator had finally left.

…

"Mistress! Mistress!" The masked grunted made his way into his leader's sacred sanctuary, kneeling all the way to the ground as he calmly said, "Mistress, we found the girl. We thought she was dead, but we've just heard the news that she's alive."

In front of him, hidden mostly in the shadows and standing in front of a window overlooking the city, a tall figure stood. "I assume you are referring to Miss Lucy Heartfilia?"

"Yes. Not only does the traitor live, but she has joined another guild. Fairy Tail."

The silhouetted figure nodded to herself, still facing away from the grunt. "So, Lucy Heartfilia survived. And is now making a new life in Magnolia. This will not do. Send an assembled squadron as soon as possible, but don't make any moves against her just yet. I want her back alive."

…

Lucy gave a deep sigh as she approached her house, glad to see her comfortable abode after traveling for a full three days, with a few sides stops for resting. There was also that village they had stumbled upon when their hunger had been too much, so they had all tried to eat monsters. The look on Natsu and Gray's face had been hilarious, both boys looking as though they just ate from a toilet. Only Erza and herself had seemed to find the food acceptable, although the red-haired teen had recounted that she had the same sentiment towards the food as the boys had had. Personally, Plue and the blonde had eaten far worse meals, so the bite of monster soup she had made had been bearable.

By the time they had gotten back, it was rooted in the night, and everyone had looked like they needed a good sleep on an actual bed. Lucy excluded, of course. She and her little white fox were just as restful as any other day. However, it would still be nice to rest on the bed she had bought with her money.

Just as she was entering the house, she could feel Loke trying to telepathically communicate with her. Quickly emptying her mind and letting his voice in, she waited for his message. Loke would never talk like this unless it was important somehow.

"Hello, Loke. What do you need? Is something wrong?"

"Not at all, Angel. Virgo has asked that I inform you that's she strong enough to come into the Earthland dimension and make a contract with you!"

"Wonderful!" Lucy said out loud, knowing Loke could hear her. "Then let's get to it." Setting Plue down and grabbing Virgo's key, she twirled it into the air and made a swiping motion with it. "Open, Gate of the Maiden: Virgo!"

A golden light spread throughout the forest, lighting the night around her. When it was subdued, Lucy saw a skinny, pink-haired lady in a maid costume standing in front of her. The blonde noted that she also had shackles and chains on her arms and looked very innocent.

"Hello, Mistress Light," Virgo greeted her, bowing low before she looked up with an absent smile on her face. "I'm so happy to be in your services."

"The feeling is more than mutual, Virgo. Also, it isn't necessary to call me mistress. Just Lucy is fine." The blonde answered.

There was a moment when the celestial spirit pursed her lips in thought as she rolled over what she had said in her head. "How about Princess? Is Princess acceptable, Princess?"

Lucy sighed, yet she couldn't help but smile at her new spirit. She was quite a character. Plue couldn't stop shooting her a look of dark suspicion. "Okay, Princess is fine. Though, I can't help but wonder what happened to your other look?"

"Oh, that's just something I do for my summoner. Depending on what they consider appealing in appearance, I use my magic to shape myself into that very image. Do you not approve?"

Lucy gave a slow head shake, a smile still on her face. "No, you look beautiful. Now, is there anything you have any concerns about being contracted to me?"

"No, Princess, although I would so love it if you could punish me every now and then," Virgo asked casually. Lucy sweat-dropped at that. "Oh, is that so? I'll… think about it."

The pink-haired girl bowed to her again, her smile much warmer. "I look forward to working with you, Princess." And then she vanished in a burst of light. Lucy gave a short laugh at the maiden's attitude and Plue's disgusted expression as she moved to pick him up.

"Oh, come on, grumpy fur. She's nice. Give her a chance. I guarantee you'll like her more than you liked Aquarius." Laughing at Plue's expression now, they moved inside to get a good night's sleep.

…

Siegrain smirked to himself as the other council members formed a circle with him. After weeks of listening to the fools talk about troublesome guilds like Fairy Tail, mainly since they had found out that the mage Lucy Heartfilia had joined them, a meeting was now being called concerning the recent news about Lullaby and the dark guilds that continued to grow.

"The Eisenwald guild may have been defeated, but that a small victory on a much larger scale." The one-eyed geezer said, holding up Lullaby in his left hand. Adjacent to him, the blue-haired man could hear various members agreeing and making a suggestion. When one or two members had commented about the acquisition, Siegrain made sure to speak up with his signature smirk on his face.

"Whatever the case, although they are generally a thorn in our side, Fairy Tail proved to be quite useful in this situation." Ever his accomplice, Ultear chimed in as well. "They took down an entire guild with just a team of wizards. Quite an impressive feat, wouldn't you say?" Here, there was an eruption of arguments all around, mostly to deny any credit to Fairy Tail.

"Was Lucy Heartfilia present for this mission?" A random council member asked, evoking sudden silence in the room. Ultear glance once again at the paper in her hand. "My sources tell me that she, along with Erza Scarlet, Natsu Dragneel and Gray Fullbuster, were the ones who stopped that beast that was sent to destroy the guild masters." And then another round of arguing was started, most of the members cursing Makarov's feat in convincing the blonde to join the most destructive and troublesome guild and refusing to bring her to them as well.

Siegrain spoke up again. "That's the reality of the situation, so you may as well accept it. In the end, the guild masters lived because of these wizards, and none of us had to give up our positions to save face."

Org spoke up just as the blue-haired man was being scolded for his harsh words. "Enough of this arguing! Fairy Tail's helpfulness concerning this matter and every other will always be overshadowed by their recklessness and complete disregard for the destruction they cause. And it seems they're now encouraging this kind of behavior from Lucy Heartfilia as well. Who knows what kind of damage will come from it."

"Then why not take this opportunity to discuss the matter with them? Kill two birds with one stone while we're at it." Siegrain suggested, a crueler smirk appearing on his face this time.

…

Dear Mom and Dad,

I'm now back from a big adventure against Eisenwald. They had a plan to use a demon flute to kill the guild masters as retribution for the injustice they've suffered. Of course, my new team and I stopped them, and no one was seriously hurt. Most of the Eisenwald members have been arrested, except Erigor, but I'm not worried about that, so you shouldn't either. Also, the attack against the guild masters made big news, and now it seems as though everyone knows about our victory against the dark guild and the demon. Although the attention isn't such a big deal to me, I'm amazed to find I actually enjoy being on a team with Gray and Erza. Gray is an ice wizard whose somewhat stoic but still very much a good friend and teammate. Erza, while a little bossy, is healthy and beautiful. I enjoy my time with them, and I know I can trust them to fight for me, especially Natsu. The guild itself is full of vibrant and loyal people, and I sincerely love being a part of them. Please don't worry you two, I will be fine now no matter what.

Love,

Your Lucy

P.S. Don't worry about my secret. If and/or when they do find out, I promise things will turn out okay.

Lucy sighed as she finished her letter, carefully folding it up and placing it in the elegant envelope she had on standby. Setting it in its place in her drawer, Lucy leaned slightly back in her chair, wondering out loud what she should do for the day.

It had been about three days since they've returned from their adventure against Lullaby, and things have been pretty quiet. The blonde hadn't seen Natsu once in that time, so she could only assume he was busy doing his own ideas. Plue was lightly resting on the couch, ready for her to finish so they could start the day.

Just as Lucy decided to do some grocery shopping, she heard someone talking to her from behind. "Wow, nice place you got here. Did you really build all this yourself?" The blonde turned to see Gray Fullbuster lounging on the love seat, dressed only in his underwear.

Smiling somewhat apologetically, Lucy replied, "Gray, while I accept you've come to visit me, and I appreciate that as a friend, I must establish my right of ownership and privacy by punishing you for the intrusion."

"Wait, what—" The black-haired teenager was abruptly interrupted as Lucy kicked him in the stomach. Hard. "Ow! Hey, could you let me explain things before you start attacking me?"

"I'm sorry, Gray, but my spirits and Plue say I should be more assertive with people regarding my living space. If I didn't take care of things, they would." The blonde cheerfully explained. Gray grumbled for a few minutes. "Nice leg strength. Anyway, I was here to remind you of what today was. I figured, with all that happened, you forgot."

"Forgot about what?"

Gray let out a long-suffering sigh. "Don't you remember Natsu's other condition? If he went on the mission with Erza, he gets another chance to fight her again when we're done. Well, we're done, so now the rematch can happen."

Lucy gasp quietly to herself. "Oh, I forgot about that. Let's go now." And then the three of the occupants of the house were out of there.

…

They made it through the crowd gathered in front of the guild hall, seeing Erza and Natsu facing each other with serious expressions on their faces. All around members and various onlookers cheered and screamed for the opponent they were rooting for, making noise throughout the streets of Magnolia.

"Wow, everyone sure seems excited this is happening," Lucy noted with wonder while Plue looked interested for once, probably because one of the people he pointedly despised was about to battle.

"Oh, hi Lucy. I didn't think you'd make it." Mirajane greeted at the blonde's left, ignoring her brother grumbling about the fight and manhood. "And yes, this rematch is heavily anticipated."

"Kick Flamebrain's ass, Erza! Mop the floor with him." Gray yelled gleefully from Lucy's right side, a smirk on his face at a remake of the fight from last time which had ultimately ended with Natsu losing badly.

"But won't this fight possibly break up the strongest team in Fairy Tail? Isn't anyone worried about that possibility?" Lucy inquired as bets placed all around her. Gray gave an uncharacteristic snort at that. "What, strongest team? Which idiot told you that nonsense?"

Lucy pointed to Mirajane who then started crying quite profoundly, making the ice wizard (who had somehow lost his shirt again!) begin frantically apologizing for his cold words.

The blonde turned her focus back to the two mages, mainly Natsu. She had only known the fire dragon wizard for a short while, but she could already tell that he was determined like no one else she had ever known. Once he had a mission in mind, he fought with everything he had to succeed and usually accomplished the tasks he set for himself. If this had been an enemy of theirs, Lucy would have had no doubt he would win that fight. However, from what she had seen of Erza, the scarlet warrior was deadly and robust and didn't seem like someone who could be taken down by ordinary means. This was undoubtedly going to be an interesting fight despite what the outcome would be.

"Hey there, Angel." Lucy turned to see Loke adjacent from her, striking a casual pose against the wall of the guild with one finger against his sunglasses. "I don't suppose I should be surprised you're here."

"Loke. I didn't think you were coming to watch the fight. I honestly thought you wouldn't care much for it." Lucy cheerfully explained as Plue moved from in her arms to nestle in her bag.

"Like I'd miss a fight like this. Even if we haven't been here long, I can already tell it'll be worth watching. I don't think I need to ask who you're counting on to win, do I?"

"Am I truly so predictable?"

"No. I just recognize the look in your eyes as the one you get when you think of him. You know he'll probably lose this battle, right?"

"That doesn't really matter to me, Loke. As his fellow teammate and friend, I will always support Natsu and his endeavors."

With that, the blonde turned her focus back to the oncoming match and yelled, "Go, Natsu! I believe in you." The pink-haired boy turned his head sideways to flash a confident and fanged smile in her direction, practically vibrating as he turned back to the other combatant, who was now sporting an outfit of black and red with pigtails.

Laughing as she saw Happy shamelessly betting against Natsu, Lucy turned her attention back to the fight once she noticed the Master suddenly appear and shout for round one of the matches to begin. The fight was a blur, the two mages moving faster than most of the audience could keep up with. Lucy acknowledged with each blow exchanged and blocked that Erza had the advantage so far. It seemed the flame empress armor indeed did make things harder for Natsu. However, the blonde had also seen Natsu at a disadvantage before and still win, so she still continued to cheer for him as the fight proceeded.

After a few moves involving swinging swords and bursts of fire, the two members jumped a few feet away from each other, pressing glares on their faces as they paused the match for a moment. Lucy could sense that both fighters were looking to end things in their next move, watching with bated breath along with the other members as launched themselves at each other, flames flaring dangerously as they moved towards each other with lightning speed.

However, before the final blow could be struck, a loud clap resonated throughout the street, causing the wizards and people all around to collectively freeze. They all turned to see a giant anthropomorphic frog in official-looking uniform standing little ways away, a platoon of Rune Knights following after her.

"This fight is over, Fairy Tail! Cease and desist at once. The Magic Council has sent me on their behalf to make an arrest."

"Wait, what?!" Gray screamed with righteous indignation. "Why the heck is the magic council arresting anyone here?" Other spectators were grumbling and protesting to the same tune. Ignoring the negative feedback, the frog proceeded to read from a prominent and majestic scroll.

"As a result of the Eisenwald incident, a member of the Fairy Tail guild has been charged with several counts of criminal property damage. For the destruction of the Clover Assembly Hall, and the majority of the wildlife around it, I've been charged to arrest one Lucy Heartfilia. Will the mage by the name of Lucy Heartfilia please step forward?" The frog gestured to the Rune Knights, two moving forward with magical binding cuffs and the others holding their staffs out in preparation for a fight.

"Huh?! You're arresting who for WHAT?! No way in hell!" Natsu yelled, moving in front of Lucy while the other members of the guild spoke in outrage and support of Natsu's stance.

Loke made his way to stand by her, quietly whispering into her ear, "Say the word, and we'll be gone. You don't have to do this."

For Lucy, however, the news that she was being arrested for something came as no surprise to her. Since her conversation with the Master about her feelings for the magic council, she had suspected they would resort to drastic measures to gain an audience with her. Or, more realistically, to force her to meet with them at last. She could see from Makarov's shocked and disapproving face that he hadn't realized they would take such actions. Despite the circumstance she was in now, she couldn't help but appreciate the third master's acceptance of her wishes. With all that in mind, she subtly shook her head at Loke, who gave a small huff in irritation but stepped back.

Placing a hand on Natsu's shoulder, Lucy gave a reassuring smile at the dragon slayer's concerned face before she turned to a stunned Mirajane, delicately putting Plue in her arms. He didn't protest, for he knew when it was time to be compliance, even if he didn't like it. "Please look after Plue for me, Mirajane. I'm sure this will be sorted out shortly." With that she walked forward past Natsu and Erza, stopping in front of the frog with a stoic look on her face.

"I'm here."

The Knights moved forward instantly, bounding her hands in magic-sealing cuffs. Then they lead her to the carriage, moving her to the back and getting themselves to the front. All the stunned members of the guild could only watch with quiet fury and sadness as the blonde was steadily lead away.

Natsu, in particular, was very upset, watching his new friend get taken away while clenching his fists at his side. Ain't no way I'm letting Lucy be arrested. NO WAY!

…

Around the guild, everyone was sitting about, brooding and pondering to themselves. The council has always had it in for Fairy Tail, mostly due to the constant destruction they caused all over Fiore, but this had been the very first time any of them had been arrested. And the newest member too! It didn't seem right or fair, but they could think of nothing to ameliorate the situation.

Erza and Gray, in particular, found it all so strange. After all, they too had been present and active at the battle by Clover Assembly Hall, causing a few bits of destruction in the fight with a demon. So why was it only the bubbly blonde the council was taking in? Why was Lucy the one they chose to blame for it? Mirajane was at the bar, watching as the blonde's white fox laid flat on the counter, a sad and anxious expression on his face (or the equivalent of those emotions on an animal's face). The white-haired mage wasn't sure if Lucy was the one to save her sister, but she could at least say the girl was a friendly and wonderful person with a lot of people who cared for her. If there was a way to help her now, she knew everyone would jump at the chance.

Natsu was currently trapped under a glass cup on the counter, having been turned into a pink salamander somehow, demanding freedom. "Come on, guys. Let me out of here already!" He screamed, flailing his arms frantically.

Mira shot him a stern look in response. "Natsu, calm down, please. Besides, if we let you out, you'll just go after Lucy and probably make things worse for her."

Ignoring Natsu's yells to refute the white-haired girl's statement, Gray spoke up, voice flat, "Even if any of us wanted to go help her, it's not like any of us could face off with the council. Despite the fact that we were saving lives when we used our magic to destroy the property, if the council deems us guilty, then we're guilty. And I guess they thought of Lucy that way, for some reason. They won't give a second thought to anything we say in her defense."

As everyone started grumbling to themselves and each other about how none of what happened made any sense, the members were shocked when Makarov suddenly spoke up, "Mirajane, be a dear and let Natsu out would you?"

Everyone turned to see that Natsu suddenly grew quiet, sweatdropping from within his little glass prison. Makarov questioned, "What's the matter? I thought you wanted out of there? Why so quiet now, Natsu?"

Rather than give the captive a chance to reply, the third master sent a light blast in his direction. A puff of smoke appeared in the room, eventually billowing out to show… Macao!

"Sorry, guys." He said, a sheepish smile on his face as he stood up and scratched the back of his head. "I owe Natsu and Lucy. He wanted my help sneaking away and I gave it to him."

"Are you nuts?! That pink-haired idiot will just make things worse!" Gray yelled, looking as though he was seconds away from strangling the man. "We must go now and stop him," Erza added, already headed for the door.

"Calm down, everyone. Unfortunately, we have no other choice but to wait until the council makes their decision." Makarov stated darkly, leaving everyone quiet and full of anxious thoughts.

…

Meanwhile, at the National Council Fiore Branch, Lucy followed after the frog as she led her to the council. The blonde was the picture of calm, seeming unworried about what was awaiting her. And she truly wasn't, as she already suspected what she was being brought in for and was already mentally preparing herself for what was to come.

When they were halfway down the white-pillared hallway, she stopped as she saw a blue-haired man with a red tattoo around his eye leaning against one of the pillars in front of her. He turned his head to face her, expression deceiving calm and slightly smug as he smiled at her. "Well, well. Lucy Heartfilia, I presume?"

The frog kneeled down, head to the floor as the man in front of her walked towards her. Lucy stared up at him defiantly. "And who, may I ask, are you? A member of the council, I presume?"

"Guilty as charged, little Lucy. I am Siegrain. It's nice to finally see you face-to-face. We've been so eager to meet you."

"So this is a farce? Orchestrated by the council to finally see who I am. Typical of you all, abusing your power to get what you want." Lucy scorned as she turned her head to the floor, expression clenched and angry. Siegrain laughed softly, looking even more amused as he walked till he was behind her.

"I see you've heard of us. You probably already know I'm not really here, neither are any of the other wrinkle-faced members. We're projections from Era, so you have no need to worry about much. We didn't think it necessary to personally attend to such a small matter. And believe or not, this wasn't about power. Blame has to go somewhere you know, and we may as well kill two birds with one stone by finally meeting the girl we've heard so much about." The man explained, voice full of malice as he stated the fact.

"Yes, I forgot. The matters concerning the people of Fiore are below you all. All that matters is what you want." Lucy scoffed coolly.

"Temper, temper. I can see making you a scapegoat won't be easy." Siegrain noted as he moved in front of her, turning around to address her one more time. "Well, I must join the other council members now. See you soon, Lucy Heartfilia." And then he disappeared right before her eyes.

The frog looked back up and faced her, looking significantly astonished. "Master Siegrain doesn't generally come down to personally address anyone. You must be quite special," she croaked. Lucy simply bowed her head and kept moving, face blank.

Soon, she was led to a large room where she could see seven people seated above and staring down at her. At their sides were two Rune Knights, weapons out and at the ready should such action be necessary. Which the blonde knew it wasn't, seeing as no one up there was really resent to address her. Even more visual abuse of their power, she thought sourly.

"Thank you, Rune Knights and Frog Assistant. You may leave us now." While hesitant, the addressed worker left the room, leaving Lucy alone with the council. There was silence for a few moments when the two sides carefully scrutinized each other. The blonde wasn't worried even with her magic constricted, as she knew there was nothing these people could do to hurt her.

Eventually, an elderly and short man spoke up, sounding genuinely amused despite the current situation. "Hello there, little missy. You must be Lucy Heartfilia, it's nice to finally meet you. I am—"

Lucy cut him off, voice strong and cold, "—Councilman Yajima. Yes, I know who all of you are. At least, most of you. Belno, Michello, Org, Chairman Crawford… and Siegrain." She shot a glare at the blue-haired man, who was still smirking at her before she turned her brown eyes to the black-haired woman sitting by him.

The lady gave a gentle smile at her. "I am Councilwoman Ultear. I see you've heard of us, and yet, we only have a few rumors for information about you. It seems as though Master Makarov of Fairy Tail has been deliberately hiding you from us."

"Master Makarov was simply respecting my wishes. Believe it or not, I was not looking forward to parading myself for a bunch of power-hungry officials who feels as though they have any right to declare what's right or wrong." The blonde stated, resentment saturating her voice. She could feel the uneasiness coming from the members at her attitude.

"I see you're not particularly fond of the magic council. That's understandable. In fact, I don't think there's one wizard in Fiore that doesn't hate us." Ultear declared, understanding crossing her face. Lucy wasn't sure whether it was genuine or not. It seemed more like a careful performance, but the blonde could just be letting her bias could her judgment.

"However, these baseless accusations are neither here or there. We have called you here to get to know you and find out what's so special about you, some honor from you would be more appropriate. I suggest you have a more professional tone when addressing us!" Michello yelled out, probably trying to look more significant despite his small size.

"I'll speak how I want. Unless you're suggesting that I curtsy, in which case I'll have to decline. Sorry," The celestial wizard spoke, fake regret in her tone.

The one named Org stood up, looking frustrated, "I don't know who you think you are, girl, but don't think just because we have a personal interest in you or that you've joined the most destructive and law-breaking guild in the country that you can say anything you want! You will treat us with respect or we will make you."

Lucy could feel her anger building at the man's audacity. Who was he or any of these bigwigs to tell her how she was meant to feel. She could feel the air crackle and darken around her as she felt the bits of her magic go free despite the magic-sealing cuffs still on her hands.

"You don't control me, Councilman, so I suggest you put the notion that you ever could out of your heads," she said darkly, a small part of her enjoying the various expressions of anxiety on the council members' faces as they started to realize they may not know who they were dealing with.

"Is… is that?!" Crawford whispered, looking horrified down at Lucy as they felt the magic coming from her. "It can't be!"

Meanwhile, the celestial wizard worked to bring herself back to neutral levels, unwilling to let these officials have the satisfaction of making her so mad, she lost control. She took a deep breath, clearing her head of her anger. Before long, her expression was neutral again, although remnants of her anger still remained.

"Alright, how about we calm down?" Belno spoke up in an almost grandmotherly-tone. Lucy could feel her anger lessen more at the councilwoman's nurturing attitude. "This isn't meant to be a shouting contest. Now that we've officially met the woman, and we've established that further questions will get us nowhere, how about we proceed to the trail, shall we?"

Shaking off the phenomenal circumstances just then, Org spoke up in a loud and slightly raspy voice, "Very well. Lucy Heartfilia, you stand before the council to charges stemming from the incident concerning Lullaby and the guild Eisenwald, resulting in the destruction of numerous properties. For these eleven counts of damage, where numerous eyewitnesses reported seeing a blonde woman, we find you—"

Just then, the wall around her blew up, shocking her out of her angry completely. She turned to see Natsu, wearing a blonde wig that barely covered his pink hair and a white dress over his regular clothes. "Hey, you idiots of the council, it's me, Lucy Heartfilia! I'm the celestial wizard you're looking for, look how powerful I am!"

And then the dragon slayer began breathing fire all over the place. Lucy could see the council members were shocked and thoroughly confused as they stared down at Natsu and all the destruction being caused. The blonde could only stare at the poorly-disguised boy with open-mouthed shock before she broke and started laughing quite hysterically.

…

Well, at least the cell is big, thought Lucy as she looked through the bars to stare at the stone hallway. The two of them had been arrested and thrown in jail, probably for the night, and Natsu was in front of her, screaming at the council to get them out.

"Hey, let us out of here, you bigwig bastards!" The dragon slayer yelled viciously. The blonde gave a little smile of amusement before she turned to face Natsu with a serious expression on her face and questions on her lips. "Natsu, what were you thinking? Why would you come here and try to pass yourself off as me?"

"Come on, Lucy, stop asking weird questions already! I did it so you wouldn't be arrested. It's not your fault all those properties were destroyed." The pink-haired teen replied. The blonde blinked at the boy with clear astonishment on her face.

"But this isn't real, Natsu. This is just a farce the council used to finally meet me face-to-face. Most likely, they would have declared me guilty and then sent me home without any real repercussions for the incident with Lullaby. There was no need for you to try to break me out." The celestial wizard seemed confused, unable to work out why the dragon slayer would do what he did.

"What're talking about, Luce? Even if this is all a fake thing, if any of my friends are ever in trouble, I'll always be there. That includes you, you weirdo." Here Natsu poked her nose, a grin full of teeth on his face.

Lucy could only blink a couple of times before a warm look appeared on her face. "I've never had that before."

"What? Friends?"

"Oh, no, I've had those before. I just never had ones who I could always count on to be there. Friends who will always be there when I need them." The blonde commented, lowering her face till her bangs hid her eyes, a small smile still on her face despite the sad remembrance in her voice.

The dragon slayer studied her for a moment before he said loudly, pride evident in his voice. "Well, now you have Fairy Tail. So you'll always know what it's like to have friends like that."

The blonde couldn't help the small giggle that left her mouth as she contemplated how wonderful her life was now. Thank you, Natsu Dragneel. Thank you.

…

Natsu studied his yellow-haired friend as she slept on the floor, just by his crossed knees. After hours of thinking up good pranks to pull (with Gray in mind) and another hour of making shadow puppets, the girl had yawned and announced she would sleep for a while. After a happy goodnight, she had just laid down on the stone beneath them, peacefully slumbering the day away.

She was weird. That was like irrefutable fact. But the more he learned about her, the more he couldn't help but want her in his life even more. She was cheerful, compassionate and tough. Despite all the strangeness the members of Fairy Tail had, the blonde's seem to take the cake.

However, the pink-haired teen also noticed the little hints that showed Lucy's life wasn't all that happy or easy. Her casual remark on her past friends. The way she had attacked him and Happy when she had thought them to be intruders. The coldness on her face when she talked of the magic council. As though those jerks had let her down in a big way. The mysteries concerning her seem to grow bigger and bigger.

And yet, despite the unknown that surrounded the blonde, he couldn't and wouldn't abandon her. She was his friend and fellow team member now. And nothing would ever change that.

…

The next morning found the two jailed members of Fairy Tail released with nothing more than a slap on the wrist. Lucy laughed as Natsu made sure to mock the rune knights to their faces.

Once the two of them made it back to the guild, she immediately embraced her furry friend while explaining to all the shocked and surprised members what had actually transpired. While she was conversing with Levy to assure the blue-haired girl of her well-being, Natsu had eagerly attempted to restart his match with Erza. Unfortunately, the older woman instantly ended the fight with a quick and powerful bonk on the head, rendering the dragon slayer unconscious.

It was while the blond was laughing at the pink-haired boy's antics with Gray (although the ice wizard's laugh had been more mocking) that she felt the presence of a powerful sleeping spell attempting to take effect. It took a bit of concentration but she was able to fight it off. Plue growled at the attempt, easily resisting the magic too. The other members weren't so lucky.

Watching as all her new friends fell asleep wherever they were, Lucy turned anxiously to the third master, the only other person she noticed the spell wasn't putting to sleep. "Master, I think we're under attack!" She turned to the entrance, putting Plue down and getting ready to fight.

The man seemed surprised but then began a small chuckle under his breath. "Well, well. You continue to surprise me, Lucy. You can even resist this magic, huh?"

The blonde, thoroughly confused by the Master's casual attitude, slowly lowered her arms. "Are we not under attack?"

"No, nothing like that. Mystogan just doesn't like anyone in the guild to see his face. He's self-conscious like that." A few moments later, the sound of footsteps could be heard. Soon, a man covered from head to toe in dark clothing entered the guild. He had multiple staffs on his back and one in his hand, all with powerful magic emitting from them. The blonde could sense the one he was holding to be putting everyone to sleep. The hooded man stopped abruptly once he noticed she was still awake and staring at him. Or perhaps he was wary of Plue, who was looking absolutely livid on the counter.

"It's fine, Mystogan. This is our newest member, Lucy Heartfilia and her little friend, Plue." Makarov introduced while visibly trying not to fall asleep.

Not sure if she trusted the man in front of her, but willing to give him the benefit of doubt if he was a member, Lucy smiled her signature closed-eye smile. "Hello. It's nice to meet you."

Nodding back at her, the man replied, "The pleasure is mine." Then he was moving, walking to the request board, grabbing one and then moving out of the guild as quickly as he could without running. Not long after his footsteps faded away, the guild members awoke again, most of them groggy and annoyed.

"Ugh, Mystogan again?" One of Levy's friends (she couldn't remember their names) groaned as he sat up on the table.

"Why does he always do that?" Another member (one of the glasses-wearing one's) asked out loud in an almost whining voice.

"Erza, why does Mystogan choose to put everyone to sleep? Surely his face couldn't be that horrific, could it?" Lucy asked the scarlet-haired girl.

"No one knows for sure why he insists on keeping his appearance a secret. All we really know is that he's one of the strongest members of Fairy Tail and that only the Master has seen his face. He makes sure to cast the spell so no one else could see it whenever he comes back to take another job." The warrior answered with just a hint of irritation in her voice.

"All true except one thing. I've seen his face as well. It's important that the rest of you respect his privacy" Everyone looked up to see a blond man leaning against the railing up the stairs. A cocky smile was on his face as he towered over them. Lucy recognized him. He was that man she had always seen lurking in the background with a brooding glare and the strong magic that made her hair frizz up a little. She had always smiled at him when he looked in her direction, but he only shot her annoyed and speculating glances.

Suddenly Natsu was up fist out and challenging smirk on his face. "Hey, Laxus. Me and you, let's fight now!"

An arrogant laugh spilled from the man's mouth. "If you couldn't beat the redhead, you'll have no chance of beating me, pinky. Might as well stop now while your dignity is still intact." Laxus taunted. Lucy could help but notice how Erza stiffened fiercely at that, an angry expression on her face.

Not to be deterred, Natsu came rushing towards the male blond on the second level. But, just as he made it to the stairs, a massive fist landed on his back and crushed him to the floor. "You're not allowed on the second floor, Natsu. Not yet, at least." Was the only thing the master said, prompting another mocking laugh from Laxus.

"Well, the old man has spoken, pinky. Probably made him grumpy with all the yelling." He taunted, ignoring the dragon slayer's fuming as he turned to address the remaining members. "The most powerful member of the guild isn't some creepy guy who refuses to show his face or some armor-obsessed redhead with anger issues. It's me, and don't any of you amateurs forget it."

Laxus turned to go back to his seat on the second floor, stopping just for a moment to shoot a leer at Lucy. The blonde barely stopped herself from flinching back at the knowing expression. Like he knew exactly what she was hiding. He couldn't have found out. No one knows about it, how could he? She watched as Laxus disappeared, a little shaken and decided then and there to be more wary of the man. After all, it seems not every member of this guild had a heart of gold.

…

When the day finally came to an end, Lucy cheerfully walked home, Plue trailing after her with his tail held high. Despite the few negative things that happened that day, she did truly enjoy being in the guild and seeing everyone get so peeved on her behalf. It just showed her how much they cared for her, despite her having joined them recently. Maybe she had finally found a place she could call home. Found people she could trust with her secrets.

She thought of Natsu, who had gone after her and attempted to take any possible punishment she would have had for her. How he confidently declared he would never abandon her, that he and all of Fairy Tail would be there if she needed them. That's all she had ever wanted, and now that she had it, she wasn't sure what to do.

No one here knew the truth about her or Plue. Would it be right to stay in the guild and call herself a member when she was keeping such heavy knowledge from her guildmates? Natsu and the rest of the team had seen a hint of her true power, just chose only to ask after her wellbeing. Perhaps they sensed she wasn't ready to share just yet. Or maybe they really didn't care as long as she was okay.

She wasn't sure how to proceed, whether she should reveal her history to them or not. Would they turn on her once they knew? They didn't seem like the type of people to do so, but she had been wrong before. And what of Plue, her faithful and furry friend? Would they still be friendly once they found out about his origin?

Forcing herself to move on from such dark thoughts, the blonde gave a deep sigh as she saw her house up ahead. This wasn't a pressing issue right now. At the moment, she was happy and things were okay despite what she was keeping from them. Better to leave it that way for now.

Decision made, Lucy opened the door to her room, fully intending to get to reading some books she had acquired recently. Just as she sensed a familiar set of magic, she found herself greeted by the sight of Natsu and Happy, doing sit-ups and lifting weights on her bed.

"Welcome home," The dragon slayer groaned as he continued working out without a shirt on. Lucy absently noted how fit he was before she shot him an apologetic smile and said in a sing-song voice, "Natsu, while I enjoy seeing you, I'm afraid I'll have to assert my authority as the owner of the home by punishing you for coming in with my permission."

Then she kicked him squarely in the chest. After she set her stuff and Plue down, who seemed greatly amused by the sight of the pink-haired boy groaning on the floor, she cheerfully asked, "What are you two doing here?"

"We're a team now, Lucy. So if we wanna be better teammates, we got to train like one!" The dragon slayer exclaimed like it was the most obvious thing in the world. Happy flew over, holding a pink dumbbell with his tail, exclaiming, "Aye, sir! We even got the pink ones because you're a girl, Lucy."

The blonde could only shake her head and give a small laugh before she began working out as well. Occasionally, Natsu would yell things about beating Laxus and Erza and getting stronger. Plue kept one eye open to her progress, lying on her bed passively.

Suddenly, the dragon slayer stopped, his voice serious as he got to his feet. "This team is ready for the big time. So, I've decided it's time we went on our first real mission together." He handed Lucy a flyer with the biggest grin on his face.

While the blonde was studying it, Happy gleefully added, "It's a job request to help a cursed island. We got this one with you in mind, Lucy, because beside seven million jewels, you also get a golden key. You can get another person to make appear."

"Really," Lucy asked softly, reading the words on the paper. Slightly confused by the big s on it, she turned back to the two boys. "What does the 's' mean?"

"Uh, well," The dragon slayer replied, sharing a slightly panicked look with his blue cat before he shot her another big grin, albeit a little forced, "Oh, that just means it's a secret mission. So, uh… you can't tell the others and we have to finish it soon so they don't come after us."

It took a liar to recognize a lie. And Natsu was lying, quite poorly in fact. On the other hand, the blonde was sure he had his reasons. If Natsu was attempting to prove himself by completing work he probably not allowed to do, most likely because he wasn't at the proper skill level or something, Lucy would do all she could to aid the dragon slayer on this dangerous venture. After all, he was her friend.

"Okay, then!" She said cheerfully, grabbing her bag and Plue and looking excitedly at her two teammates. "What are we waiting for?"

…

Finally, the sixth chapter comes out. So, so sorry it took a while for me to write this out, I know a lot of people were following this story, but I couldn't neglect the ones I have to update either. Please accept this long chapter as my thanks for your patience. Now, things are getting mysterious, aren't they? Secret agendas and fights brewing. Who knows what will happen next? Well, like I said before, I will not give up on any of my stories, so the next chapter will be out as soon as possible. Until then, favorite, follow and review. Have a nice day!