A/N

Hi you can call me Ant, but I've never done anything like this before. So I hope you find it strange if i ask you to put me through the ringer. We'll call it the accelerated learning plan! Any advice or critiques is welcome. This is kind of an idea I had floating around in my head for a while. After reading a bunch of other fanfics I had to get it out because of how moved I was by these incredible people with their amazing writing. Over time I hope to clue into this story some of their names or references to their works as my way of honoring them. I hope you enjoy it as much as I have writing it. I try to stay a few chapters ahead of the current release, as my own way of making sure I have something to upload ASAP. As an avid reader I know what it's like to be on edge waiting for a story haha. That said, Fairy Tail is owned by Hiro Mashima. I look forward to some feedback, brutal or otherwise. If you want to be brutal don't hold back, that's how we learn quickly :) This is just a quick prologue as to what leads up to the following events. I'm also trying to keep them..not so much as "in character" as I believe i'd like to capture the spirit of their characters. Anyway, enjoy!

Silence of the Dragon

Our story begins on what was a calm evening in Magnolia Town. Lucy is enjoying a relaxing bath after a tough mission. Natsu, unaware of the fact that Lucy moved her bed away from the window and placed a nightstand by it to teach him to use the door. Natsu climbs in through the window and accidentally breaks something valuable...

Lucy sighs as she climbs out of a much needed bath. Team Natsu's last mission apprehending some bandits around Clover Town went a little more difficult than what was led on from the posting at the guild. Nonetheless, they got the job done. However, half the Jewel rewards went to repairs as per usual, no thanks to Natsu's recklessness. "Honestly, our mission load could be cut in half if we could retain all of our Jewels!" Lucy thought to herself. "We only got 80,000 Jewels because Natsu went overboard again and burnt down part of a village home!" She continues as she shakes a fist with tears water-falling down her face comedically. She wraps a towel around her body, and puts her hair up in one to dry, when suddenly...

CRACKKKK! BANG!

Already figuring Natsu climbed through her window and tripped on the nightstand she walked out of the bathroom to survey the damage. Immediately her eyes gravitate toward Natsu, face down on the floor with a hand off to the side, the other shaking up in the air, and one leg bent upward shaking as well. "This guy seriously needs to take a hint" Lucy laughs inwardly. After smiling at his predicament for a moment she decides to speak up while simultaneously contemplating a Lucy Kick back out of the same window he came in from. Walking toward him she yells out, "Natsu, how many times have I told you to use the door!?" She looks around for a second, "And where's Happy?"

Natsu recovers and looks up smiling-and sweat dropping at her while chuckling out, "Sorry Lucy! I didn't know ya put something here, and Happy wanted to get some fish from Mira back at the guild. Um..I think I landed on something." He sits up and grabs an old framed picture he was laying on. His eyes widen immediately as he realizes, and before he could finish a thought or say a word Lucy snatches the photo from his hand. Her eyes widen and her pupils dilate as she puts one hand to her cover her mouth, while tears start welling up.

Natsu, unsure how to react to this, attempts to coax some words into her. "L-Lucy I-" "Natsu.." Lucy breathes out, cutting him off. "This is the last thing I was able to salvage out of my parents home before the repossession." Tears start to flow out as she stares down at a frame-cracked picture of a family portrait including her deceased parents, and a young Lucy. "I can't believe you'd be so careless as to break something irreplaceable like this!" She erupts as sadness turns to anger. All of the frustration over losing jewels, and replacing priceless town and family memorabilia started seeping out as the breaking of this portrait was the final straw.

"Lu-" Natsu began as he's immediately cut off by a raging Lucy as he cowers in the same fashion that Erza could make him if he were to accidentally burn her cake (which he has). "This...all of this needs to stop! We can't keep losing Jewels because of you breaking things all of time! I can't buy back this portrait of my mom and dad! You've got to be good for more than destroying things!" she seethes out. Natsu, having heard the very statement that's been something of an insecurity of his, that he couldn't handle something delicate, or that people would only see him as a monster that breaks things, hits home as he stares at a weeping Lucy. He get's up goes in her direction in an attempt to console her but she turns away and hugs the portrait to herself crying.

Natsu, battling an inner turmoil while processing this entire situation get's overloaded, and not knowing how to handle this situation, decides it would be best to leave. "I'll..i'll go" He says with a downed look, as he climbs back out of the window. "Lucy...i'm sorry." Lucy, not hearing such a sad toned apology from him before turns around to say something to him, but he was already gone. Lucy, winding down her emotions from the situation closes her window and cleans up before climbing into bed.

The next morning Lucy get's ready to head to the guild. She didn't expect to see her two partners first thing in the morning considering what just happened the night before. She figured she'd catch them at the guild and forgive Natsu as usual. "He did apologize" She thought to herself as she walks out the door and turns to lock it. "Besides, I couldn't stay mad at him anyways! After all.." Lucy thinks with a slight blush. "He-"

"LUSHEEEEEEEEE!" Happy yells as he flies at her with tears in his eyes. "Happy? W-whats wrong!?" Lucy says as she catches Happy in a hug. "It's terrible Lushee! I woke up this morning and Natsu was missing! I found this letter next to me!" Happy cries out. "It's okay Happy" She replies, while rubbing his head trying to calm him down. "Let's see what the letter says" She looks at the front of it. "Happy" she reads. "Okay..." She continues to glance down at it's contents. "Nice handwriting as usual" She muses to herself while sweat-dropping.

Happy, i'm sure ya brought this to Lucy, but I haft'a do a different kinda training. I'll be back when i'm all better.

Lucy, please look after Happy. I'm sorry.

-N

"Natsu..." Lucy breathes out while tears start flowing. Hugging Happy tightly she yells out the only thing that comes to mind.

"YOU IDIOT!"