Fairy Tail 1. Chapter 1

I do not own Fairy Tail.

I do own the OC, and my idea of the other keys. I hope you enjoy the story.

Lucy sighed, she and the rest of Team Natsu had gotten home earlier that day. She was exhausted, they had blown up the town hall and she had to do the all the talking. The Mayor was furious, and he took it out on Lucy. On top of that, she had noticed that whenever Lisanna was near Natsu, he would act distantly towards her. Levy had noticed it first, and was the one to point it out. She sighed again, she needed to take a walk to clear her mind of the feeling of frustration. She slipped a pair of shoes on, and made her way out of her apartment and onto the walkway. She waved away the warnings that she could fall into the canal, and let her feet take her to her destination.

Lucy found herself at the edge of the Magnolia forest, looking down a small, winding dirt path. She felt the wind behind her, pushing her down the path. She let her feet lead the way, and before she knew it she was at a waterfall that had turned gold. The sun was setting and it would be night soon, however she wasn't afraid, she had her trusty keys attached to her waist. Her hand instinctively brushed against Loke's key. She felt it hum with his energy, as if the key were speaking to her directly. At this point, the sun had set and the moon was rising and the waterfall was a beautiful glassy blue. She looked into the pool below the water fall and saw a black item at the bottom of the pool.

"I wonder what that could be, it wasn't there when I looked last time" she said. Her curiosity was getting the better of her, and soon Lucy found herself looking around to see that she was alone. She carefully removed her clothes and dove into the clear pool. She swam to the bottom of the pool and felt her hands grasp around the object. It felt oddly familiar in her hand as she made her way back to the surface and gasped the fresh air that had been deprived of her in the water.

"Wha… what is this? Its a key?" She stammered out. It was completely black, and it was highly polished. It had 2 horns that came up from the base of the handle and curved up to the top, and set into the handle was a navy blue stone. The stone had an eye with a purple gem as the iris. As the clouds flitted over the moon, Lucy swore she almost saw the eye wink at her. She held the key in her hand and stared at it for what seemed like hours, wondering if the eye really had winked. Then, suddenly she put it in her satchel and clothed her self. She found herself back at her her apartment door. Blinking slowly, she realized how long she'd been out of her apartment. It was midnight already, and Lucy was even more tired that when she had left. She had more on her mind than she did when she left for her walk. Lucy slowly climbed into her bed and fell asleep the moment her head hit the pillow.

Morning came all too soon for Lucy as the sunlight seemed to pierce through her eyelid directly into her eye. She sat up slowly and rubbed her eyes and climbed out of bed.

"Yes, today is a new day!" She exclaimed. Lucy turned the shower on and stepped into the warm stream. She loved showers, she could feel the warm water relaxing her stiff muscles. She quickly finished her shower and picked out some stylish clothes. She wanted to head to the guild, she was craving Mira's strawberry milkshake. Lucy pushed the door open to see Natsu sitting at a table eating breakfast. It was early for him to be up but she waved at him, he didn't seem to notice her, but she shrugged it off.

"Hey Mira!" Lucy said at the bar.

"Hey Lucy, will it be the usual today?" Said Mira.

"Yes please!" She said.

As Lucy sipped her milkshake, the guild started to fill up. Cana sauntered in and waved at her before plopping down on a table and starting to drink. Levy came in a few minutes later and started to talk to Lucy.

"Hey Lu-chan! Have you gotten a new chapter out yet?" she asked, a look of hope in her eyes.

Expecting this to be Levy's first question, Lucy grinned and handed Levy a copy of her most recent chapter.

"Levy, how is it that I know what you're going to ask me before you ask it?" Lucy giggled.

"Lu-chan! We are best friends, thats how."

Both girls were giggling happily as they continued to talk about Lucy's story. Gajeel entered and went to his corner with Levy. Lucy saw this and started teasing Levy about it.

"C'mon Levy! When is he going to ask you out?"

"Lucy! Not so loud, you know how he has super hearing" Levy said urgently, looking around to see if anyone else had heard.

"Levy, don't worry about it. I'm sure he likes you, why else would he sit in your corner with you?" Lucy emphasized the last word for impact and giggled.

At this point, the guild was almost complete filled up, Cana was still drinking and reading fortunes. Erza was sitting happily, eating cake, next to an oddly still Natsu. Happy was nowhere to be seen. Gray had just walked in and waved at Lucy. The Raijinshuu were sitting at their table chatting about who knows what. Lisanna sauntered in and sat a little too closely to Natsu for Lucy's liking.

Lucy turned to Levy and hissed "Do you see that? Look at her, if she gets any closer to him she'll be in his lap!"

Ever since Mira suggested that Natsu liked her, Lucy couldn't help herself. She fell for him, and she knew he was her first love. What she didn't know was how Natsu felt about her.

Levy sighed "Lu-chan, you can't let it get to you. She's been all over him since she came back. You don't know how Natsu feels"

Lucy sighed in response and eyed them suspiciously. She saw Lisanna lean in and whisper something in his ear. This made her heart shatter as she saw him lean in closer to her. Lucy saw the look in Lisanna's eyes and it made her very uneasy. However, Erza stood up and went to get more cake. Natsu also stood up at this point, and made his way over to Lucy. She saw him coming over and started to greet him.

"Oh hi Nats-"

*Slap*

Well, thats my first chapter. Please let me know what you think

\- Paname


	2. Chapter 2

Quick author's note. I'd love to say thank you to those who reviewed It really means a lot to me, this is my first story. I love critique, but be nice about it.

Disclaimer: I don't own Fairy Tail, but the OC is mine.

Chapter 2:

Lucy flew backwards a few feet and landed on her hands and knees, completely winded. She felt tears sting the corner of her eyes as the entire guild hall went silent. All eyes were on her and Natsu. Lucy could feel them staring, and it was an extremely uncomfortable feeling. She wished that just for a moment they would look at something other than her.

"Natsu what was- " Lucy started, but was interrupted again by Natsu.

"You're weak and so are your spirits," he spat.

She looked at him, and saw some strange sort of disconnect in his eyes. A flicker of something, and Lucy hoped it was doubt or regret. The next second it was gone, and a horrified Lucy saw that Natsu had ignited his fists. This wasn't some prank or even a sick joke. It was real, and Lucy pinched herself on the off chance that it was all a nightmare. She saw the familiar glint in his eyes, the look of determination and anger that he usually reserved for enemies. At this point, Erza found her voice. She looked furious.

"Natsu, what do you think you're doing?!" she yelled at him; it was evident that she was angry that he had just hurt Lucy. Erza loved Lucy like a little sister, and she knew that Lucy's strength was not physical. Her strength lay in her heart of gold, and that inspired her spirits to be stronger than they appeared to be.

Just as she finished her sentence Natsu lunged at Lucy; he had ignored Erza completely, and the entire guild stood frozen in shock. Even Laxus and Master were staring, wide eyed and distraught. Lucy barely dodged his attack and tripped over a fallen chair. She whipped what she thought was Loke's key out as she was falling. Her eyes widened as she saw not one, but two keys in her hand: Loke's and the one she found in the bottom of the water fall. The black key. As she was falling, she saw the purple eye give a wink. She had almost forgotten about it. Lucy braced herself for a rough landing and clamped her eyes shut; however, she felt two arms catch her just in time. She opened her eyes as she was being pulled to her feet and saw a familiar tie against a white dress shirt. It was Loke. She gave him an appreciative look, and he smiled calmly at her.

"Why did you attack Lucy, Natsu?" Loke's eyes narrowed in rage as he asked his question.

"Because she is weak and so are you," came Natsu's answer. Loke froze for an instant in shock; partly because of what Natsu had said, and even more so because he had said it with his usual cheerful smile. He looked at the guild and saw that their eyes had become glassy. He recognized it as mass paralysis, but it was weak spell. Loke could see them struggling against it. Just as he was about to ask Natsu another question, he saw what Lucy had in her hand. He saw it glowing black and knew that she was about to summon the spirit. At that moment, a small moonlike orb appeared in front of Lucy, hung in the air for a split second, and then shattered into countless pieces. A young woman pushed her way out of the fragments, and bowed to Lucy.

She was a little shorter than Loke; she had long black hair with silver streaks in it and side bangs that hid her right eye. She almost looked human, however it was clear to Lucy and the rest of the guild that she was definitely not. Her uncovered eye was a deep shade of purple and had a snake-like slit for a pupil. This girl eyed Lucy for a nano-second before understanding the situation perfectly; she turned to Natsu. He froze. He knew that what was in front of him was dangerous. She was holding a massive sword in her right hand, and had jet black plate armor strapped to her body. Her armor was made of the same shiny obsidian material of her key. She promptly picked Natsu up by the shirt and threw him directly into Lisanna, knocking both of them over. She walked calmly over to both of them, leaning closely down to Natsu's face and said words to him that no one but he and Lisanna could hear. Then, with the same calm attitude, she walked over to Lucy.

"Hello Lucy, I'm terribly sorry about not greeting you first, however, Pinkie over there seemed… threatening," she smiled genuinely at Lucy, who simply gulped.

Suddenly there was a flurry of noise. The paralysis had broken when Natsu crashed into Lisanna, and the moment the shock wore off everyone had started yelling at Natsu; accusations such as "What the hell was that for?" and "I thought you were all about nakama; how could you attack Lucy like that?" flew about the room. A brawl had broken out in the guild, and almost everything was being destroyed. Laxus and Master stared wide eyed at Lucy and this girl, both knowing that they had witnessed something only a handful ever had. While they were bombarding Natsu with questions, Lucy took the time to turn to Loke and thank him and talk to her new "spirit" as well.

"So… umm… who… w-whats your name?" Lucy managed to sputter out as she guided the girl over to her and Levy's table. Loke stood protectively so that the current rage-infused brawl wouldn't harm Lucy.

The girl sat and stared at Lucy long and hard before answering. "I am Nanami, one of the three black keys."

Lucy paused for a moment, realizing that she needed to know everything about Nanami. So she asked as politely as she could, "Nanami, please tell me what kind of spirit you are and what kind of magic you use, as well as what days you're free to be summoned." This question made it clear to Nanami that Lucy though she was a Celestial Spirit.

The look on Nanami's face was a mixture between amusement and shock. With a sigh, Nanami began to explain who, and what, she was to Lucy.

"Lucy, I need to explain one very important thing." Lucy nodded for Nanami to go on as she ducked a mug that flew across the room; the guild was still clearly in complete and utter chaos.

"I am not a spirit, Lucy. I am half human, half demon." Lucy just looked at Nanami with her mouth slightly agape for a second before closing it just as abruptly. "Prove it," she said unexpectedly.

Nanami let out an uninhibited laugh and looked at Lucy as she pulled back the bangs covering her right eye. It was pure black; there was no pupil or iris. Nanami let her hair fall back over her black eye and studied Lucy with her deep purple one. Only two other people had ever found her Key in her entire existence, and both were terrified when they saw her eye. What took Nanami by surprise was that Lucy was not scared at all. She looked concerned, and Nanami was beginning to understand why Lucy was so loved by her spirits.

"So… Nanami, how do you travel between this world and… your world?" Lucy asked tentatively. She wasn't quite sure where Nanami lived, and did not want to anger her.

Before Nanami could answer, there was a loud shout. "Brats! Thats enough. Natsu, in my office. NOW." Lucy looked over to see Master glaring furiously at the boy, while Laxus looked at Lucy very curiously. Shaking her head, Lucy looked back at Nanami, who seemed to be amused by the goings on in the guild.

"Lucy, I do not travel between worlds. My key simply summons me to your exact location. You can send me back to where I came from with a simple forced gate closure. To answer your question about my magic, I am capable of hand to hand combat, I know how to use daggers and swords and the like. Being half demon allows me to use the magic of the night. Lucy, it is important for you to understand that my magic is limited. I may be half demon, but I am also half human. I have weaknesses, especially against light magic. Please keep this in mind when summoning me." Nanami finished, leaving Lucy sitting there with her mouth making an "O" shape. This made Nanami giggle, something she hadn't done in a very long time.

At this point, Lucy started rubbing the bridge of her nose with her fingers. It was a lot of information to take in at once; however, she was glad Nanami explained what she sure was only the top layer of her story. Loke had gone back into the spirit world during her conversation with Nanami, and Lucy felt vulnerable as she saw Natsu emerging from Master Makarov's office.

Nanami leaned in close to Lucy and told her not to worry. This seemed to sooth Lucy's nerves as she watched Natsu come closer; both women stood from their seats. Nanami put a protective hand on Lucy's shoulder. Any ideas Lucy might have had about any sort of romantic relationship with the boy were gone. The only feelings left were sadness, betrayal, and anger.

Natsu stood in front of Lucy, his eyes showing the same sincerity that they usually did. But before he had a chance to speak, she cut him off.

"What made you think it was okay to insult and attack me like that?" She glared at him.

He still stood there, completely stunned by her anger. Never before had she been this angry with him, and in his discomfort, he made the ultimate mistake.

"C'mon Luce, I was just joking; there's no need to take it so seriously." The moment the words left his mouth, the look on Lucy's face made it clear to him that he had just made the situation worse. He shifted his eyes away from her and looked towards a corner of the guild. Lucy saw that his eyes held sadness in them, but she followed his gaze to the corner of the guild. He was staring at Lisanna. This truly was the last straw for Lucy.

Without saying another word to him, Lucy brushed past him and made her way to the bar with Nanami following her. She needed another strawberry milkshake and to just think about what had just happened. She needed to figure out what to do with Nanami. She needed to pay her rent, and she seriously needed to stay away from Natsu. Mira came over to Lucy and gave her a big hug, whispering an apology and comforting words in her ear. It made Lucy smile to know that Mira cared about her. She ordered her favorite from Mira and turned to Nanami.

"Do you have a place to stay?" She asked her anxiously.

"You don't have to worry about that, Lucy. I live behind the waterfall where you found my key," she said. Noticing the slightly confused look on the blonde's face Nanami sighed and told the younger woman that she'd show her some time. It was at that moment that something occurred to Lucy.

"Are you in a guild? If you're not, would you like to join Fairy Tail?"

Lucy thought she had made her newest companion angry when she saw the line form between her eyebrows, but was relieved when Nanami spoke.

"I'd like to, but I don't know if your guild master is ok with my… ah… heritage."

Laxus, who was still on the upper floor, had been eavesdropping. He knew his grandfather would have no problem letting the other girl join. What was really getting to him was how Lucy had found her key, and how much power she was hiding to be able to summon her. He plopped down into a chair with a sigh and put his feet up on the table. What Natsu did was going to cause trouble in the guild, and he knew it. Laxus had never seen his grandfather so angry with the boy. He could still hear him grumbling about disrespectful behavior in his office. He sighed as he saw the two women make their way to the Master's office, knowing that the welcoming of a new member meant another party and more destruction.


	3. Chapter 3

*quietly sits in someone else's storage room and grows mushrooms* So this chapter was harder for me to write, and I am sorry for the delay. I have a feeling my next chapter will be easier to write. Also, a quick thank you to my reviewers, I really do appreciate it. I am also open to any ideas and if I use them I will give the idea giver credit.

I don't own anything but the OC.

It had been a long night, and Lucy just wanted to throw in the towel. Nanami had, of course, had a party to celebrate her joining the guild. The guild had partied for most of the day and long into the night. By the time the sun had set, the party had already worn on Lucy's nerves and her patience had been tried time and time again by the glares sent to her by Lisanna. It had confused Lucy the entire night, despite Lisanna's obvious attraction to Natsu, she and Lucy had become good friends. They remained good friends until a few days ago when Lisanna and Natsu had returned from a mission. Thats when things changed.

Thinking of these events caused Lucy to get up from her spot on the couch and pace around her room, anxiously running her hand through her hair. She was on the verge of tears for the umpteenth time since she had given up on sleep. She stubbornly bit back her tears and tried to continue her pacing. She suddenly stopped and felt her face with her delicate hands, feeling the salty moisture on her cheeks. Lucy felt her knees tremble and then collapse under her, and vaguely registered that Loke had showed up in a flash. Loke knelt down next to Lucy and wrapped his arms around her shoulders.

"Princess…" Loke began timidly. Which earned him a half mumbled, half muffled groan from Lucy. He sighed quietly, and picked his princess up and brought her to the couch where he sat her up. Loke knelt down in front of Lucy and stared into her sad eyes and took in a deep breath before he spoke.

"Lucy. Tell me, who hurt you to make you cry like this? I don't mean Natsu," Loke paused to give Lucy a deep stare. "you and I both know that there is something deeper going on here. You are keeping something deep inside your heart and I can see it in your eyes." He finished his side of what he thought would be either a conversation in which Lucy became angry with him and used a forced gate closure on him, or in which she shut down completely. What he did not expect was for Lucy to tear up again, a look of pain lancing through her chocolate brown eyes. She quietly dabbed at her eyes with the corner of her sleeve, inhaled deeply and then exhaled softly.

"It began when Mamma died… My father became increasingly withdrawn and would not speak to me. We were very rich, so he didn't let me go to school with the other children. I was tutored by the best, and I was not permitted to make any mistakes. I still remember the first time I didn't get 100% correct on a certain assignment from my least favorite tutor." Lucy shuddered with the unpleasant memory that came to her, but she pushed on with her story to a wide eyed Loke. "I remember it clearly, my father bursting into the room. He was brandishing the report paper in his hands, and he was yelling about how I would be a failure if I couldn't write a proper 'e'. He said it looked too much like an 'i' and then he came over to me and slapped me across my face as hard as he could. This happened for my entire childhood, Loke. I was a daily fear of mine until I ran away."

Loke was angry, and Lucy could tell. He was shaking with rage, but his eyes held nothing but sadness for her. He understood now why she was a mess after Natsu had done earlier in the day, and he understood how much strength Lucy had to hold all of this in. She had kept up her appearance during Nanami's welcome brawl, he was sure, and had never shown her true feelings to her new companion. He sighed inwardly and then looked at her again, feeling through their connection just how vulnerable she felt.

"Lucy, I'm so sorry. I wish I could have protected you from your father, and from Natsu. Is there anything I can do?" Loke asked the last question, once again expecting Lucy to decline and say that she was fine and didn't need him to do anything. He was once again surprised by her answer, his eyes widening at her response.

"A lock, on your window? Why? I'm so confused…" Loke trailed off, eyebrows furrowed.

"Believe me, Loke, Natsu used to jump into my room through the window and crawl into my bed. It drove me mad and I want to sleep well tonight." Lucy sighed, and put her head in her hands and continued. "I don't want to have to worry about whether he'll try to come in and harm me while I'm sleeping. I no longer trust that boy." She finished, and began to massage her temples.

It was at this point that Loke was looking around Lucy's small apartment, noticing which areas needed to be locked up. His eyes swept across the room from her bedroom window and as his eyes made their way across the room, they landed on Lucy's keyring. He blinked, and when he looked at her keyring again, he was slightly perturbed at what he saw. He was now staring at Lucy's new key, and she had started to notice his silent stare-down with her hip.

"Loke, why are you staring at my hip?" Lucy demanded in a tone that suggested annoyance at the spirit's behavior. This question caught Loke's attention and he looked up at Lucy.

"Princess. I would like to speak to your newest key. I need to know something from you first. Has it ever seemed that the eye on the physical key could move or blink?" Lucy's eyes widened and a look of realization dawned on her face. She slowly nodded, eyes still wide, and pulled out Nanami's polished black key. Lucy stared at the key with slight unease and great curiosity. She then held the key tightly by the handle, and began to pull the magic that required summoning but faltered. She was unsure of the incantation to call out her newest acquaintance.

"I… umm… well… Nanami, come out please." Lucy said, unsure of whether her spirit would answer. She was pleased when Nanami's orb came into the room and shattered, summoning her in front of Lucy. Nanami's appearance caused Lucy to giggle, and Loke to stare. She was wearing a silvery nightgown that fell to her knees and lit up the room like a full moon. Her hair was slightly tangled, but her bangs still hid her black eye perfectly.

"Hello, Lucy. What can I do for you at this time of night?" She asked, while looking curiously at Loke. He looked at her over his blue glasses and almost glared at her. Before Lucy could respond, Loke had already begun to speak.

"Your key moves on its own. Why? Why does the eye move?" Loke questioned, giving Nanami a look of deep mistrust. Lucy simply looked at Loke, completely dumfounded at his behavior. Never before had she seen him so protective, however she did not like how he was questioning another one of her spirits. They were supposed to be allies or friends, and if they were not friends, they should be friendly enough to work together in battle. Loke did not see any of this in Nanami, and that troubled her. Lucy stood up quickly and cleared her throat.

"Loke, I would like to speak with Nanami. Please return to the spirit world." "But Princess." He tried to interject, but Lucy would have none of it. Loke sighed and shimmered out back to the spirit world.

"Nanami, I am deeply upset with Loke's behavior. However I would like to answers to the questions he asked, I know its getting late but I need to know more information. This is just so much for me to handle, and I've been on the edge of a nervous breakdown since this morning. I'm tired, angry, hurt, and so confused." Lucy felt tears prick the edge of her eyes again but pushed on. "I need to know everything, Nanami. How is it that I found your key, how is it that you came out to protect me from Natsu. How… everything that has happened so far. I need the whole story, no matter how long it takes to explain." Lucy finished her rant of confusion, and a feeling of relief swept over her. Lucy then looked at Nanami and offered her a seat on the couch, knowing it would probably be a long night of explanations.


	4. Chapter 4

Hi readers, I'm sorry for not updating. My well of inspiration was almost dry for a while. A quick thanks to my reviewers, I really do appreciate it.

Chapter 4

Lucy sat on her couch next to Nanami, who was about to explain _everything_ to her. She sipped her tea and decided she wanted to ask the same question that Loke had. Lucy set down her tea, and Nanami followed suit.

"I would like to know why the eye in your key moves, I'd like to know how you knew to come out when you did earlier when Natsu attacked me. I'd like to know why you're summoned with a small orb thing that shatters. I want to know what the incantation is to summon you." Lucy's eyebrows were pressed together, and she looked like she was focusing very hard on what to ask next. "Nanami, I know my celestial spirits return back to the spirit world when wounded, what happens to you? Is it possible for you to die?" The last questions Lucy asked almost made Nanami drop her cup of tea. She delicately set her cup down on the matching saucer and gave Lucy a look with one eyebrow raised. No one had asked her such simple, yet powerful questions.

"Lucy, has Loke ever opened his own gate when you were in deep trouble?" Lucy nodded silently. "That is because of his contract to you. He is able to feel your emotional or physical suffering. That is how they eye on my key works. It can see, and if I so choose to, I can use it to see as if it were my own eye. That being said, it is against our contract for me to spy on you." Nanami stopped for a moment to let this information sink in for Lucy. Nanami looked at Lucy with questioning eyes; Lucy nodded her head for Nanami to continue. "As for being summoned, all you need to do is call out my name and I'll be there. The small moon signifies my type of magic, it is silvery and dark. I am also more powerful at night, or when I am in shadow. To answer your final question so far, yes I can die. It takes me being fully human, and that is not something I ever do." Nanami finished her explanations for the questions Lucy had asked. She knew there would be more questions, especially because of the look on Lucy's face. Her eyes were wide and her mouth slightly open in shock and in awe.

"So… So you… ok. I see." Lucy tried to drink from her empty cup of tea, found that it was empty, and set it back down on the matching saucer. "So… fully human? Does this imply that you can look less human than you do right now? What happens when you become less human?" Finished her round of questions rather agitatedly and tried to take another sip from her still empty cup. Remembering that her cup was empty, she put it back on the saucer and decided that rubbing the bridge of her delicate nose was the better course of action.

"Lucy, take a deep breath. I know this is over whelming to you, especially with today's events. Why don't I explain what I think are the vital bits of information to you?" Nanami looked at Lucy as she sighed heavily and nodded her head in consent. Seeing this, Nanami relaxed into the backrest of the Lucy's small sofa and began her story.

"I am a very unique individual, there are only two others that are half human-half demon like I am. I, unfortunately know nothing about one key. The other one is my older brother who I have not seen in a very long time. He's my polar opposite, and he uses sun magic." Nanami stops for a moment, rubbing her eye lids with her thumb and forefinger while mumbling something that sounded suspiciously like "and he's a royal pain in the ass" before continuing on with her explanation. "No one has been able to contract both of us at the same time, due to the highly unusual requirements of our contracts. My brother works best with a partner who's nature is to be dark and less than kind. Someone who isn't pure and kind, like you. That is precisely how we came into a contract together. It is in my nature to be logical, and cold. It is your kindness and heart of gold that allows me to be summoned into this world. My brother is the exact opposite, and he therefore needs someone who isn't that to balance his powers." Nanami finished off explaining why she and Lucy had a contract. This left Lucy sitting on the couch with her mouth wide open. Nanami looked over at Lucy, gauging what she understood through her body language before continuing on with the explanation of her demon half. "I also can use different levels of my demonic powers, and yes I can look way less human than I do now. I prefer to use my Lunar Magic though, seeing as it is extraordinarily taxing on you for me to use my demon magic."

"I… ok. I understand. Without my instinct to care for others and protect those I love, you'd be uncaring and potentially harmful. Will you be able to use your other magic if I get stronger? I'd also like to know why and how you became a Key." Lucy asked, genuinely curious and not the least bit afraid.

Nanami yawned and began to answer. "Sure, but these are my last questions for the night. It's getting late, and I need to secure your apartment because Loke didn't. In short, Lucy thats exactly it. I cannot be contracted to my brother, who would balance my indifference to other's suffering. That is also why I became a Key, the Spirit King foresaw great chaos and destruct with our existence. So he turned us into Keys until a Celestial Mage came along that would compliment our instincts. Lucy, my demonic side is something I use as a last resort, but if you are truly curious I will give you a small taste of it when I feel you are ready." Nanami said, as she lifted her weight to her feet and stretched her shoulders. "I now need to go put a Lunar Lock on all entries to your apartment. Its a nifty spell I wrote, I'll teach it to you once we start training. The locks will break when you wake up so that you can leave your apartment."

Lucy, once again, gave her new companion a look of shock. She then stood up from the couch and retrieved the cups that once held tea. "Nanami… May I come and watch you cast the spell once I'm done putting the dishes in the sink?"

Nanami glanced over her shoulder at Lucy and answered in the affirmative while giving her a small smile. While Lucy quickly disposed of the dishes and began to hurry back to the bathroom, Nanami was inspecting the window. Lucy came in just as Nanami finished her examination of the window.

"Hi Lucy, come and watch this. I'll show you first and then I'll explain on your bedroom window." Nanami said as she focused a small amount of magic into her hand and onto the lock of her bathroom window. Lucy looked closely as a small planet came out of Nanami's hand and flew to the lock. It turned into what appeared to be a silvery fluid on contact and the substance seeped into the crack between the window and wall. Lucy watched this happen with a look of excitement on her face. Nanami's magic was beautiful, elegant, and she couldn't wait to see more. Nanami's movement towards the bathroom door brought Lucy out of her reverie. Lucy quickly followed and began to voice her thoughts on Nanami's magic. "That was beyond beautiful, I had no idea that Lunar Magic looked like that. I've actually only heard of it because of the ancient books I decode with my friend, Levy."

"You know Lucy, I think this is the first time any of my contractors have known about the existence of my magic. I'd be happy to teach you as much as you'd like. I'll start your training with teaching you the lock spell on your kitchen window." Nanami said, smiling slightly. She had never had a contract with someone as kind as Lucy, and she was beginning to feel the effects of her kindness with each passing minute. It would make explaining to Lucy the bond that would form between the two way easier. Most Celestial Mages thought of their spirits as tools at worst, and as comrades at best. What Nanami thought was that she'd have to break the news to Lucy, not the other way around. As they were making their way to the bedroom window, Lucy spoke up and said words that made Nanami stop in her tracks. "Nanami, I just wanted to let you know that I hope you and Loke can work out your differences. I don't like it when my family fights." Lucy then flashed one of her brilliant smiles and made her way to the window. _This girl is remarkable, no wonder her Lion spirit was so defensive of her. _ Nanami thought as she followed her into the room and to the next window.

Lucy listened carefully as Nanami began to explain the basics of the spell to her. "This is the weaker form of the spell, and in combat it is used to restrict movement. To properly use this on an inanimate object, imagine the light that a full moon casts on a valley at the height its time in the sky. This is the hardest step, you need to harness that light and pull it into your core, and after that you need to let the moonlight permeate the magic flowing to your hand. The next step is fairly easy, all you need to do is form the magic into a ball and gently send it towards the object." Nanami was an excellent teacher thus far, and Lucy watched closely to be sure she picked up every little detail she could. While she was explaining the steps, Nanami would show Lucy the steps with her magic. After that, Lucy's bedroom window was fully locked and it was time to move on to the kitchen window.

Lucy stood in front of her kitchen window with her eyes closed, imagining the silky white light that was effortlessly falling onto the landscape. She started to pull the light into her body, and felt the difficulty of the task. Lucy didn't stop, she was determined to complete this and sucked the last of the moonlight into her very being. Nanami was watching from the kitchen table with her chin resting delicately on her intertwined hands. She had an eyebrow raised and a very impressed look on her face. Nanami watched as Lucy formed a beautiful silver orb in her hand and saw her look of joy as she opened her eyes. Then she pushed the orb a little too enthusiastically at her kitchen window and saw the silver light-liquid splash into the space between the wall and the window. The look on her face was priceless, as Nanami burst into a light delicate laugh that quickly became a full on belly laugh that hurt.

"I think I may have over-done it." Lucy said in a dejected tone; disappointment etched into her face.

"Lucy, you did better than those who I've seen so much as attempt this spell for their first time. Not only that, but when you pulled the moonlight into your body, you pulled in enough to almost permanently infuse it into your body. Training you to use Lunar Magic will be way easier than I thought. The only issue is that you probably won't be able to open that window for a good few weeks." Nanami said, pride easily detectable in her voice, and a look of excitement barely visible on her covered face. "Go get some rest, I'll finish up blocking any entrance to your place. It's almost 2 am and I want to see if your guild has a place to train tomorrow." Lucy nodded and thanked Nanami before quickly slipping into some soft pjs and crashing onto her bed, falling asleep the second her body sunk into the deep mattress.

When Lucy woke the next morning, she groggily peeked at her bedside clock and saw that it was 7:30. It was later than she had hoped. She quickly rushed out of her bed and into the shower, remembering the events of last night. She relished her hot shower as she thought of what the day might bring, she was excited to see what Nanami would teach her. She shampooed her scalp and felt the warm water work its wonders on her tired body. As she was conditioning the rest of her silky hair, Lucy began to wonder what had gotten into Natsu for the first time since his violent episode towards her. She felt the salty moisture begin to pool in her brown orbs, but she held it back. She would not be undone by this, and she would not give him the satisfaction of knowing that he caused her to fear. Lucy finished her shower and wrapped herself into a soft pink bathrobe. She looked around her bathroom for a few minutes while she located her favorite face cream.

Lucy entered the guild in stretchy yoga shorts and a loose, light lavender cotton tee shirt. As soon as she entered she saw Mira look up and give her a sunny smile and wave.

"Good morning Mira, how are you this morning?" Lucy asks as she plops herself onto a bar stool. She smiled graciously at Mira as she set down Lucy's favorite smoothie.

"I'm doing well, thank you for asking. I am slightly worried though; I know yesterday was hard for you." Mira sighed at the look on Lucy's face. Her brows were furrowed and she looked slightly upset.

"I've honestly had better days, Mira. That being said, do you know what might've caused Natsu to go off on me like that?" Lucy sighed as she saw Mira sadly shake her head back in forth. Lucy thanked Mira for the smoothie as she was grabbing the Jewels to pay for it. As she was doing so she caught a glimpse of Nanami's key and remembered to ask Mira about the training arena. "Oh hey Mira, is anyone using the outdoor training area? Nanami and I were going to do some spell work."

Mira responded with a slightly surprised look on her face, it was the first time Lucy had asked. "Erza is in there right now, but she'll be done in 15 minutes or so. I can reserve the next hour for you if you'd like." After seeing Lucy nod her head, Mira smiled and turned to jot Lucy's name down on the board.

"Hey Mira," Lucy piped up. "Is it ok if I go watch Erza?" Mira turned back to Lucy, a little wide eyed.

"Lucy… yes just be careful, weapons have been known fly off-course when she's training. I've had a few close calls with Erza." Mira almost, _almost_ regretted telling Lucy about Erza's occasional stray weapon situations. She, however, couldn't help but giggle at the look on Lucy's face.

"I think I'll pass then, I'd rather not take any chances. I really don't want to be beheaded right before my first day of training." Lucy said while giggling slightly. Mira just smiled and looked to the person who was calling her for an order. Lucy took this time to call Nanami out, seeing as Erza would be done in a few minutes. She also thought this would be a good moment to experiment a little with summoning. She began to reach out with her magic and do the bare minimum. _Come out, Nanami_. This was a test to see if Lucy could summon her without doing anything but calling. No result. Lucy then gently placed her fingertips on Nanami's key and silently called out to her. To her surprise, Lucy saw the moon that meant Nanami's arrival plant itself on the stool next to her. Soon enough, Nanami was sitting at the bar next to Lucy. She was eyeing her with interest whilst yawning.

"Good morning, Nanami. Are you ready to train for an hour?" Lucy said kindly with a smile that made the room just a little bit brighter.

Nanami smirked a little bit, but gave Lucy an honest reply. "Of course I am. I'm very glad that you've called and are taking this seriously." Lucy's eyes twinkled with delight and was about to respond when she was distracted by the back door to the guild as it opened to reveal Erza coming into the room.

"Good morning Erza." Lucy said cheerfully as she waved her redheaded friend over.

"Ah Lucy! Good morning to you. Are you the person who is using the training grounds after me?" Erza said while smiling to both Lucy and Nanami.

Nanami responded while introducing herself to Erza; the two seemed to be getting along well as they began to discuss different types of weapons. Lucy, however, noticed that it was time for them to get into the arena, and departed with Nanami. Unbeknownst to all 3 women, their conversation had been overheard by a certain dragon slayer.

As Lucy an Nanami made their way to training, the former couldn't help but feel something on her back. Lucy looked over her shoulder to see if anyone was watching her, but saw no one. She brushed it off and followed Nanami to the training grounds to begin what would be a very tiring hour.


	5. Chapter 5

Hi, a quick thanks to my readers and reviewers, I LOVE reviews. If anyone has any ideas, do PM me.

I don't own Fairy Tail. Nanami was my idea.

Chapter 5

Lucy was panting heavily as a bead of sweat dripped off her nose. She and Nanami had been training for about 40 minutes, and Lucy had become faster and more efficient at casting Colle De La Lune. It was harder than she had expected, and her magic levels were running a bit low. Lucy, however, would not give up using the spell until her hour was over. When Nanami had asked her if she wanted to end early or having a five minute break; Lucy had responded by furrowing her brows, shaking her head vigorously, and had kept on practicing.

The dragon slayer who was watching them almost smiled when he saw her response. He had to keep himself tucked in the shadows, which was not an easy feat considering his physique. He watched Lucy as she practiced her spell over and over until the magic seemed to glide almost effortlessly from her hands. He was impressed that she'd gotten so used to the spell so quickly in only an hour. He was startled out of his slight trance when Lucy and Nanami started talking and walking towards the exit. He sighed heavily, knowing that secretly watching Lucy would become part of his daily life until the whole Natsu situation had been worked out. He eyed the training grounds wearily, searching for any danger that may be lurking out of a normal human's sight. After one last visual sweep of the grounds, he set off after the two women back into the guild.

Lucy and Nanami were talking about Lucy's progress with her first spell, and which one she might learn next. More questions about Nanami's magic began to flood her mind and she began to walk mindlessly behind Nanami. Finally forming the questions in her head, Lucy stopped and looked up at Nanami's retreating back. Quickly realizing Nanami would soon be in the now loud guild, Lucy started to open her mouth to call to her to ask her to wait up. At that very moment, Nanami whipped around and looked Lucy dead in the eyes and said. "I know exactly which spell to teach you next." Lucy gave her a slightly perplexed look, but she just smiled at Lucy and walked into the guild.

The days went by in a blur, and before Lucy knew it, she and Nanami had been training for a week. Lucy had progressed in speed and accuracy with Colle De La Lune, and Nanami had taught her how to communicate telepathically with each of her spirits. This particular early morning was sunny, and Lucy was happily talking to Plue. She had found that her little spirit had helped her keep her mind off the changes in the guild. Not only had Natsu been giving her the evil eye, but Lisanna had been sauntering up to her asking when she'd quite the guild. This occurred multiple times a day, and Lucy was getting very tired of it.

As Lucy approached the guild hall, she gently brushed her fingers over Loke and Nanami's keys, telling them to be prepared for anything. Pushing the doors open with both her hands; Lucy was greeted by a smiling Mira, and a mostly empty guild hall.

"Good morning Lucy, the arena is ready for you whenever you want, no one has booked it for another few hours." Mira cheerful said while waving her over.

Lucy made her way to the bar and plopped down on a barstool while summoning Nanami. "Thanks Mira, can I have my usual with some protein powder added in?" Lucy then looked over to Nanami and asked her if she wanted anything. Nanami yawned and shook her head, still waking up. Mira placed Lucy's smoothie on the bar, and while Lucy thanked her, the guild doors opened and a few members came in.

"Lu-chan!" Was the first thing Lucy heard before feeling the arms of her best friend wrap around her torso. She looked down at her blue haired best friend and smiled. Throughout the whole ordeal with Natsu last week and the subtle changes in the guild, Levy had remained true to Lucy.

"Good morning Levy-chan!" Lucy greeted happily, while Nanami just lazily waved. "Would you like to see me train with Nanami today?" Lucy saw her friends eyes grow to the size of saucers, and a huge smile break out onto the smaller woman's face. Nanami, who had almost woken up completely, and had an idea.

"Hey Mira, has anyone taken the time after Lucy in the training area?" She asked, hoping that it would be free. Mira twirled around to face Nanami. She smiled and told her that arena was free for 2 hours. This made Nanami very happy, seeing as the only people Lucy could train against or with had been her spirits. Nanami turned to address Levy, unfortunately having to interrupt the two women's conversation about books.

"Levy, would you like to do a joint training session with Lucy and I? That way you two can spar a little, and you can get a chance to see the magic that I've been able to teach Lucy." Levy agreed instantly, but looked a little nervous as she signed her name up on the board during the time right after Lucy's. The three women started discussing magic and how Levy could improve her Solid Script and which books the guild's library held that might be of use to them.

The dragon slayer who had been watching Lucy train for the past week inwardly groaned. He'd have to spend twice as long today as he usually did watching the young blonde woman train. He got up from his table in a dark corner; the bench making a scraping sound against the worn wooden floor, causing Mira to look up and ask him if he wanted something. Laxus shook his head, and said something about having to deal with paperwork with the Master. At this point, Lucy had looked over and noticed that he looked grumpier than usual. She shook her head, and went back to talking to her two friends about spells and magic. Levy would play an integral part of Lucy learning this new spell. When the smaller woman looked slightly startled at the proposal, Nanami laughed and told Levy that no harm would come to her. They were too busy to notice the frustrated dragon slayer storm into his grandfather's office.

Laxus sat down in one of chairs the sat across from his grandfather's desk and unceremoniously put his feet up on the corner of the desk. His grandfather eyed him for a moment and then went back to doing his paper work. Knowing the question that his grandson was about to ask, he spoke before Laxus could verbalize his complaints.

"Yes, Laxus. You will watch both women for a full two hours, and please do not get caught. If they find out you've spied on them even once, their trust in you will shrink." Master Makarov said, not looking up from his paper work to see the look on Laxus' face. Laxus groaned in frustration and looked at his watch; he had 10 minutes before those 2 started training. He looked up from his watch and met his grandfather's eyes, and he saw that they held worry for the beloved celestial mage. Laxus decided to take the bait. "What is it, gramps?" He asked gruffly.

"There have been several reports of female mages going missing from major guilds, only to have them returned with completely different personalities. I received a message from Lamia Scale informing me that Sherry has been acting completely out of character since she returned from a mission some not too long ago. I fear that Lucy may be the next target, please keep close watch on her… even though I know you do anyway." Makarov added the last bit to tease his grandson. He was not blind, and could see his attraction to the younger blonde woman. Laxus stiffly stood from his seat, and made his way out of the office, mumbling something about meddling family and how his gramps should mind his own damn business. This only made Master Makarov smile pervertedly.

Laxus quietly made his way to the arena without being noticed by the three young women and found an adequate hiding spot. He hating hiding like some criminal, it made him feel guilty of something. A small voice in the back of his head starting berating him. _You are guilty, how could you watch her day after day and deny your feelings? _Laxus growled at that little voice; he knew exactly what is was, and he planned to ignore it every time it decided to bother him. He remembered his grandfather informing him about the dragon's voice that he would hear in his head from time to time. He pinched the bridge of his nose and concentrated on his surroundings, making sure that the 3 women who had just entered the area were safe.

Lucy, Levy and Nanami had just entered the training area. Nanami was describing the game to the two younger women, the rules and area in which they'd be playing. This particular part of the arena had outcroppings of rocks and bushes in between. There were plenty of great hiding places for Levy. She was still apprehensive about Lucy finding her with a spell, however Lucy gave her a hug and wished her luck. Lucy then whipped around and looked to Nanami for instructions on how to cast the spell.

"The first thing you need to do is gather as much lunar light from your field as you can. Once again draw it into your body, allowing it to penetrate your very core. Once you have completed that, push it through your body and to your feet, at this point, it should ripple out and travel across the ground." Lucy watched very carefully as Nanami demonstrated, and was quite excited to see a small ripple of liquid moonlight ripple around her feet, as if she were standing on a lake filled with the substance. "This is what it should look like. Once you get really good at it you can control how far it goes, who it detects. When you've completely mastered it, you can even add Colle De La Lune in and snare enemies while detecting them." Nanami finished off explaining the newest spell, as she watched Lucy's own small but significant ripples around her feet. Seeing that Lucy was ready to play, she yelled out to Levy to prepare herself, because Lucy was going to come find her.

The game had been going on for about 45 minutes, and all three women were giggling at the funny things that had happened. At one point Lucy had successfully casted the spell while tripping, and had found Levy. Not because of the spell, Lucy had fallen into the bush that had been temporarily hiding Levy. This had caused the fourth and hidden person to smile softly, immediately followed by a glower of disapproval to adorn his face. He heard that voice bubbling up from deep inside his core. _You know, if you stopped denying how you felt, you might actually have a chance. _At this he just sighed, and continued secretly keeping watch, but the voice wouldn't let up. _You know what she is, and what would happen if you allowed yourself to travel down that road. _By now, Laxus had completely lost all focus on his surroundings and was busy trying to shut up that pesky inner dragon. It was only until he felt a surge of magic near him that he looked around just in time to see a mass of silver fluid flying towards him. He tried to slip away, but it was too late.

He sat there against a tree, almost entirely immobilized with a very beautiful blonde woman towering above him. She looked beyond livid. Besides her was an anxious looking Levy, and a highly amused spirit.


	6. Chapter 6

A HUGE thank you to all of my readers and reviewers (I love you, reviewers) who are patient enough to put up with my terrible update times.

I own zero of the Fairy Tail anything, Nanami is my idea.

Chapter 6.

Lucy stood above a sitting Laxus, with her arms crossed and an eye brow raised. To say she was furious was a grave understatement; she was tired of being pitied and looked down upon. While Lucy's rage grew, Nanami's mouth twitched into a smirk that told a silent story of how hilarious she found Laxus' predicament. This small change was not disregarded by the man, which caused him to glare while shifting his gaze to the third woman standing next to Lucy. She saw this, and made her even angrier. The seconds ticked by as the tension between all four people grew and grew, until Lucy could no longer contain her blatant outrage.

"Laxus, why are you here?" She ground out, her eyes narrowed and her hands balled into shaking fists.

It was in this moment that Laxus had a profound realization; the task that his grandfather had assigned to him was well-meaning, but insulting to Lucy and her capabilities. One glance into her eyes told that his realization was indeed correct, and that watching Lucy and subsequently being caught had broken any trust she may have had in him. Laxus was not a stupid man, and while he hated to admit that he was wrong due to an immense ego and a great deal of pride, he also knew that unless he fixed this mistake, Lucy might forever mistrust him the way she now mistrusted Natsu. _You cannot afford to lose that sliver of trust. If you do, you will lose any chance of true happiness. _Laxus almost rolled his eyes at this, but held back the action. He also held back his pride because of what he knew he had to do.

Standing from his slightly awkward sitting position, he angrily dusted his clothing of teeny debris. Sighing heavily, he began to speak. "Lucy, I don't doubt you or your ability to take care of yourself." Laxus saw her eyes go wide with surprise and her entire face release her rage. She was completely stunned by what Laxus had just said to her, and for a moment completely forgot why she was angry with the handsome mage. _Focus Lucy, you can ogle him later on. Right now you need to find out why he was spying. _Sighing, Lucy turned to Nanami and Levy.

"Nanami, can you teach Levy some things to help with her solid script magic?" Nanami nodded knowingly and turned to Levy, who smiled and started walking away from the two blondes.

Lucy eyed the two women walking towards a patch of grass to sit and think up new spells for Levy before turning her attention back to Laxus. She kept her eyes on his, slightly terrified, yet completely determined to stare him down for as long as he would stare at her. Their staring contest continued for at least a minute before Laxus cleared his throat. _Victory is mine! _ Lucy giggled inside her own head, which was accompanied by a slight smirk that disappeared as soon as it came. Laxus caught this passing expression and pissed him off. _Oh, she thinks she won this little thing?_

"Laxus, why were you watching us?" Lucy asked this, knowing that her patience was running out, and quickly. She did not trust that Laxus was telling her the whole story, or any part of the story. _He is not getting out of here without explaining this to me. I am so done with being handled with kid cloves_.

Laxus could tell that Lucy was becoming less angry, and more upset as time went by. He knew that he'd have to keep watching her as his grandfather had asked him to do, however he couldn't do it secretly. Laxus sighed heavily, ran a hand through his hair, and eyed Lucy with a look that almost made her blush. Almost.

"Alright."

"What do you mean, alright? You can't just say 'alright' to me after lurking in the shadows and watching me train." Lucy was once again mad. She watched as Laxus adjusted his coat over his shoulders and began to walk back to his watching place.

"After you're done training, come to Gramps' office. I guess I'll have to explain, and I still need to keep an eye out on you." He said, running a hand over his scarred eye.

Lucy didn't understand this man, one moment he was genuinely mature and kind as he expressed confidence in her, the next moment he was back being arrogant and cocky. This aggravated Lucy, and she turned on her heel to head back to Nanami and Levy. As she did this, she looked over her shoulder at his wide back and yelled "FINE, but you stay out in the open. I don't trust you not to do anything perverted." This made him burst out into laughter.

While Lucy and Laxus had their mini-showdown, Nanami and Levy were pretending to think of new spells. Both women were giggling because of what Nanami had explained to Levy. It was something akin to a mage version of The Talk, and a conversation she would be having with Lucy after training. Due to mages having a magic container, and sometimes second origin, their bodies were different than non-mage humans. This change in their bodies created a chance for them to have a partner that compliments them almost perfectly. At this point, Levy's face was turning a light pink and she was giggling. She was by no means stupid, and had quickly put two and two together.

By the time Lucy and Laxus had finished glaring and verbally snapping at each other, Nanami and Levy were in gales of laughter. Hearing Lucy's final words to Laxus caused the two to laugh even harder. Lucy now stood over the her two friends, confusing written all over her face.

"Just what is so funny? Have I done something, is something wrong with my clothing?" Lucy said, all while checking her body to make sure everything was in place.

"No, nothing is wrong Lu-chan. You look great today." Levy giggled out, smiling warmly at her best friend. Levy could tell by the look on her face that Lucy did not completely buy her teeny white lie.

"Oh ok then, have you and Nanami found any good spell ideas?" Levy looked thorough excited at this question, and her gaze fell upon Nanami, who supplied an answer.

"I have a book back behind my waterfall that will be great for her." Lucy smiled at her, happy to be by her spirit's side again.

Levy looked between the two women and it dawned on her, how did Lucy keep Nanami's gate open for so long. It seemed that the two women were around each other more often than Lucy's other spirits. She looked on as the two women were discussing spells and which one Nanami would consider teaching Lucy, and whether Lucy could potentially create her own spells. When Levy found a break in their conversation, she decided to ask the question that had been bouncing around her naturally inquisitive mind.

"Nanami," Levy began somewhat timidly, "why is it that Lucy can keep your gate open for so long without it exhausting her magic?"

"Well, thats a bit complicated. Lets just say that I cannot be summoned by someone who is not of pure heart. That person is not always a mage, there my key is naturally easy to summon. Not only that but as a half human, I can come out and be in this world using very little of my own magic." At this, Levy's mouth opened slightly, and her lightning quick mind comprehended exactly what Nanami had said.

"Well, thanks to Laxus" Lucy pointedly glared in the man's direction, "We have very little time left to train in this arena, what do you suppose we do?"

Nanami smiled a devilish smile, leaned in conspiratorially, and whispered. "Well… We could make him work a little bit. Plus his lightning would be great to test our reflexes. Lucy, if you're ok with this, I'd like to summon my armor, this will use some of your magic power." Seeing Lucy nod, Nanami's eyes gleamed and she went on. "I'd also like to work with another one of your spirits, will you please contact Virgo and let her know what the plan is once I tell you?" Lucy and Levy both now were giggling.

All three women leaned in and whispered quietly about their plans for thirty seconds, before springing into action. The look on Laxus' face was beyond priceless, and it took the trio a great deal of self control not to fall to their knees due to silent laughter.

A quick Author's Note! I'm contemplating writing a little short all about Nanami, because I feel like she's a complicated enough character that I can't just explain her entire existence in this story without it becoming Nanami Centric. So, I'd love it if you'd tell me in your reviews if you'd like a little mini story on her background.


	7. Chapter 7

Wowee! Chapter 7. As always, a huge thank you to all my reviewers. I have a poll going, and I'd love it if you could pop over to my profile and vote. If your choice isn't on the poll PM me and chances are I will add it to the poll.

Also, I own almost nothing. Nanami was my idea, thats pretty much it.

Chapter 7:

Levy had created an on command sinkhole underneath Laxus, Nanami had quickly frozen him him place, Lucy had extended her Fleuve D'étoiles and had sunk Laxus even deeper into the sinkhole.

Laxus sat there, completely stunned by the trick that had just been played on him, and he wondered who would have come up with it. Levy was clever and smart, but didn't seem the type to play a trick on anyone. Lucy was also smart, but generally lived by the golden rule. Nanami, on the other hand seemed to be mischievous in a harmless way. His eyes narrowed but he was brought out of his thoughts by a hand being extended towards him. Quickly assessing the situation, Laxus glanced for a moment at Nanami.

Nanami looked down at Laxus, who had been eying Lucy's hand suspiciously. _Go on, grab her hand. You'll realize sooner than later that you are her match. Go on, boy. _Laxus looked from Nanami to Lucy's hand and back. Finally, he brushed his coat off again, thinking to himself about how grateful he was that his coat seemed to wholly reject physical contact with dirt. Standing, he noticed the time and brushed arrogantly past the three women, accidentally bumping his forearm into Lucy's bare arm. Nanami smiled lightly and wondered how she'd explain magic lure that most if not all mages feel. _I wonder how they'll show it. _

Training ended uneventfully, and Lucy waved goodbye to Levy as she made her way out of the guild with Nanami happily in tow. Laxus was on his way up to his grandfather's office, glaring at none other than the Half Demon who was happily trailing after Lucy. _She looks like a damned cat that swallowed a canary. _The moment Laxus turned his back on the departing duo, Nanami looked up and smiled happily at his broad, retreating back.

Nanami was truly happy, she had a mistress who was wonderful and brought true kindness into her heart for the first time, ever. She was devoted and would do anything to further Lucy's happiness. Of course, she did not expect her true peace bringer to not know about the magic lure. Most young mages who lived in mage families were told about the lure along with the birds and bees, which made it a naturally awkward conversation. Nanami was brought out of her thoughts on the lure when she heard Lucy utter a curse, a mild curse, but a curse none the less.

"Shit." Nanami raised an eyebrow in slight shock.

"Excuse me?" Nanami didn't know how else to react, she had spent enough time with Lucy to know that swearing wasn't her style.

"He's just so… inconsiderate! I hold my hand out to help him up, then he _ignores_ my hand, and then he bumps into me and doesn't even apologize!" Lucy was upset by this, Nanami could tell that much.

"Well, what else bothers you about him? That can't be all if you're this upset over something life that, it isn't like you to hold onto something like that. The last time I saw you get this whipped up over something was when you told me about your old team completely destroying a town." Nanami leaned back into the couch at Lucy's apartment and waited for an entire list of faults about the lightning mage.

"He's just so arrogant, he thinks he's so sexy. I mean, he is… " Yup, thats most certainly the lure, Nanami inwardly smiled. " - But that isn't the point! He is so disrespectful towards women, I've seen him openly stare at a Cana's butt as she was walking away!" _Thats not good, I had hoped he would be respectful of a woman's body. _"Thats not all-" Nanami raised both her eyebrows so high that they almost disappeared into her hairline. "My father once hired another guild to attack Fairy Tail and bring me back to his estate. Laxus refused to help unless I 'became his woman'. Mira got so angry that she smashed the communication lacrima." Nanami was rubbing the bridge of her nose with her thumb and forefinger, hoping that there wasn't more to this story. "And then he tried to take over the guild, and he had Mira, Juvia, Levy, Bisca, Cana, Erza and I turned into stone."

This was the man whom Lucy felt the lure towards, and who probably felt the lure towards her. "Well, he certainly has a lot to apologize for, and he most certainly needs to make up for his past behavior with you." _This is going to make explaining the magical lure to her much harder. _

"Well, he kind of has. A lot has happened and he has redeemed himself to an extent. I still don't like him, but I do respect him for his power." Lucy said, smiling slightly.

"If he hadn't done such disrespectful things, this conversation would go so much smoother." Nanami sighed, earning a very confused look from Lucy. Nanami looked back, giving Lucy a look that said 'yes, I have more to explaining to do'. Lucy then plopped down on her couch next to Nanami and waited for her to start talking.

"Mages generally have one true partner, and when they find said partner, they begin to feel a pull towards them. This pull includes you, and because you didn't grow up in a family of mages, you weren't informed of it. Non-mage humans call this 'love at first sight'." Nanami said, waiting for it to fully hit Lucy. She looked over and saw Lucy massaging her temples. Lucy was a smart woman, and Nanami knew that she'd figure out exactly what had just beed said. Nanami almost cringed.

"You have _got_ to be kidding me."

"I wish I was." Nanami said, running her hand through her hair.

The two women sat in silence for a while, thinking about how unfair it was for Lucy to be feeling the lure towards Laxus of all people. Lucy had her head in her hands, and Nanami was unconsciously rubbing the bridge of her nose. Suddenly, Lucy stood up and disappeared into her kitchen, returning with 2 beers in hand. She silently handed one to Nanami and began to drink hers.

Laxus stared at his empty glass. He wasn't one to drink alone, but today was different and he had to call Freed to his house. He was dreading his arrival, the conversation they would have and the inevitable smirk on the rune mage's face. He looked at the bottle of Talisker to his left and wondered whether he could take another glass of it. Yup. He was halfway through his newest glass of whiskey before Freed walked in.

"And what, pray tell, would cause you to drink at such an early hour?" Freed asked, slightly disturbed at his friend's early drinking. Laxus only glared in response.

"I need to know one thing, Freed."

"Hm" Was his only response. _He's probably drunk, and will be asking me something completely redundant or nonsensical. _

"What did the lure feel like with Mira?" Laxus mumbled, furious with himself that he had to ask Freed, of all people. He immediately regretted his decision when he saw Freed drop his glass of water on the floor.

"It was quiet tug at first, but then it became an insatiable need and only one name filled my mind-" Freed was off in his own world now, talking about the magnificence of the pull of mages. Explaining in great detail that it was when a person's magic felt irresistibly attracted to another person's magic. _Just_ _great. _

"So, is it safe to assume that your consumption of alcohol at this current moment is due to you finally feeling it?" Freed's question jolted Laxus out of his speech induced slumber. He only grunted as a response, and Freed took it to mean the worst.

"Oh no, is it Bickslow? Or maybe its Ever!" Despite his vast intellectual capabilities, Freed could be very dense. Laxus just downed the last of his drink and poured another. Much to Laxus' annoyance, Freed started naming the different women in the guild.

"Cana, Erza, perhaps Levy," Laxus took another swallow of his drink. "Juvia, or Lucy?" Laxus tried to pretend her name didn't get to him, he really did. Freed noticed, and dropped his glass for the second time.

"Freed, stop breaking my glasses." He really didn't feel like entertaining Freed's questions.

"For god's sake. Freed, I do not plan to act on this. Tell anyone, and I will fry you." Freed sighed and began to pick up the pieces of the glasses he'd destroyed.

"Suit yourself, however you will find yourself going crazy. I have things I need to do, don't drink yourself to death." With a wry smile, Freed left Laxus' house and made his way to his own.


	8. Chapter 8

Hello readers! I hope you enjoy this chapter, as usual please review.

I do not own Fairy Tail, but Nanami was my idea.

Chapter 8:

Lucy had sent Nanami home for the day and planned on taking the rest of the day to read and write. She knew Levy would be anxious to read more of her chapter and was excited to know what the small woman thought of her planned plot twist. Lucy had wanted to have a day of peace and quiet where she could relax and drink tea. She had wanted an afternoon where she would be completely and utterly left alone. Her encounter with Laxus had her head spinning with confusion, and she didn't understand how that little amount of physical contact could effect her so much. She wondered if it had made him feel the same heat in his stomach, and the same pounding in his chest. Lucy would have happily continued to ponder over her newfound curiosity for Laxus, but some poor soul decided that this was the opportune moment to knock loudly and jarringly against her door.

Lucy furiously slammed down the book she had been pretending to read and begrudgingly sat up from her position at her desk, all while grumbling about idiots who can't give her a moment of rest. She made her way to her door, and wrenched it open not caring who might be on the other side.

"For God's sweet sake in the morning, is it impossible to-" She cut herself off when she realized it was Laxus who had knocked on her door. Lucy eyed him suspiciously; what reason could he have to be knocking on her door? She quickly realized that she was glaring at Laxus who, more likely than not, had a reason to be at her apartment, and decided that taking the diplomatic approach would be for the best. "Excuse me, what can I do for you today?"

Laxus was amused at Lucy's sudden change in demeanor; she was fierce and honest one moment, and polite the next. Not only that, but the way her she had looked when she had flung the door open had made him pause and appreciate her physical beauty. He noticed how her eyes were brown with golden flecks and that they were the most mesmerizing eyes he'd ever seen. She was a woman who had garnered a great deal of guild's respect, and who held high standards for herself. At this point Laxus realized that he had been standing in Lucy's front door for entirely too long, thinking about the things about her that he liked. When did he start doing mushy shit like that? _What the fuck is wrong with me? All I need to do is tell her and leave, but I'm standing here like a moron thinking about her eyes._

"Gramps told me I could fill you in." He said abruptly, startling Lucy slightly. In the few seconds that Laxus had taken to admire her, Lucy had gone off into her own little world, thinking about him. He was gorgeous and strong; that was undeniable, but something nagged at the edge of Lucy's mind. It was something she couldn't quite put her finger on, and it bothered her.

"Come in then, would you like something to drink?" She asked politely, slightly annoyed at his short explanation as to why he was at her place as she stepped aside to let him in.

"No thanks, I don't intend to stay long." Came is curt reply, making Lucy scowl in disapproval. Laxus was being awfully rude and disrespectful towards her, and she did not appreciate it one bit. Lucy closed the door and swiftly turned around to face him.

"Well, what do you have to tell me?" She snapped, no longer caring for her diplomatic front and the lessons she had been taught as an heiress. Laxus was leaning against the kitchen wall, glaring at her. Lucy glared right back. _I will not let him win this._

"Mages have been disappearing, only to reappear with a different personality. It has always happened on missions, so far Sherry from Lamia Scale and Jenny from Blue Pegasus have been affected. Both tried to attack what other female guild members with magic other than their own." Laxus said, seemingly bored and annoyed that he had to explain it all to Lucy.

"Lisanna…" Lucy breathed out, realization dawning upon her as she made the discovery as to what had happened with Lisanna and Natsu.

"Huh?" Said Laxus dumbly, not fully understanding the puzzle pieces that Lucy had put together while he was explaining the situation to her. Lucy was already several steps ahead of Laxus, and was currently ignoring him and calling out a spirit. She started to talk to a floating cross, telling him the information that Laxus had just given her and was asking him to see if he could find any information on it. Lucy whirled around to face Laxus and tell him her plans, all annoyance with his rude behavior gone from her mind.

"We need to go back to the guild and I need to talk to Master, this also seems like its effecting women only and I need to explain my theory to him." Lucy said in a rush, distractedly putting on two different shoes. Laxus just stood there completely dumfounded by her intellectual capability and how quickly she had put things together, yet somehow she couldn't put on matching shoes. She was a complete enigma to him and had his mind reeling.

"Lucy, your shoes aren't matching." Laxus said calmly, now wanting more than anything to be out of her intoxicating and charming presence. Lucy quickly righted her shoe situation and gave him a quick "thank you" as she darted around her apartment looking for her preferred belt to hold her keyring. Quickly locating the item she strapped it on and then unceremoniously pushed Laxus out of her apartment. Lucy locked the door with her house key and then skirted around Laxus' massive form and hopped down the staircase that lead to the street, calling for him to hurry up.

Lucy set off at a brisk pace towards the guild, vaguely registering the booming sound of Laxus morphing into lightning and disappearing off the street. She broke into a run, anxiety reaching a new high since she had realized the importance of what she had just been told. Levy was strong and smart, but Lucy was afraid that she'd be out on a mission and be taken. Lucy knew that Levy had become her rock in the past few weeks since the incident with Natsu, and she could not bear to think of what her life would be like without the small woman as her best friend. She arrived at the guild and burst through the front doors, as she quickly scanned the guild for a small wild tangle of blue hair. Her heart sank as she realized that Levy was not in the guild, and that Jet and Droy were also missing.

"Took you long enough." Came a gruff voice from her right, glancing up confirmed that it was indeed Laxus who had spoken. Lucy just sighed as she made her way up to the second floor office, knowing that she had to put up with Laxus' rude behavior for a little while longer while she spoke to the master. She reached the door and knocked firmly before opening the door to see Master Makarov behind his desk, a pile of paperwork to his left to be sorted and signed.

"Lucy my child, to what do I owe the pleasure?" Makarov asked kindly, mildly amused by his grandson's presence, who had a look of false boredom spread across his face. Makarov knew Laxus well enough to know that he was thoroughly intrigued by the young celestial mage.

"Master, I need to speak to you about the events that have happened to certain female guild members." Makarov's face grew serious and he nodded for Lucy to continue. "I believe that Lisanna was the most recent victim. I remember distinctly that she and Natsu went on a mission together a while back; this is when her behavior towards me changed drastically, along with Natsu." Lucy finished off, looking Master in the eye determinedly.

"Well done, you are most likely correct in that assumption, Lucy. What would make Natsu-" He was cut off by a poof of smoke and Lucy's cross spirit appearing in the office.

"Princess, I have come back with the information you requested. There are two options for the behavior of these mages, and neither is good news. As you know there are two other keys that accompany your newest spirit, Nanami. In short it is either one, and is more likely the unknown key. The records of this mystery key show that it's behavior is that of control and has been behind several Coup d'État throughout the ages. We must proceed with caution." Lucy nodded in understanding while considering what her next step should be, while Master and Laxus watched the scene unfold with great curiosity and reverence towards Lucy's swift and thorough actions.


	9. Chapter 9

I am sorry for this not coming together sooner than I though it would. I've been having a little bit of writer's block, and have been struggling with inspiration. That being said, I think I have a good idea of where I want this to go. Also a HUGE 'thank you' to all of my reviewers, you guys really are the best.

Disclaimer, I do not own FT, but Nanami was my idea!

Chapter 9:

Lucy whipped around and stormed out of the office leaving Master and Laxus still sitting there, stunned by her sudden and unannounced departure. Makarov looked at his grandson and saw a light smile playing across his slightly amused features. He knew that look well, not from his grandson, but from other mages in the guild who had experienced the tug of love.

"You should go after her, Laxus. She needs to be kept safe." Master spoke up to the younger man. Laxus turned to look at his grandfather, a look of incredulity clearly showing on his handsome face.

"Gramps, are you kidding me?" He said, exasperated by his grandfather's inability to understand why it would be insulting to Lucy. He sighed, rubbing the bridge of his nose with his forefinger and thumb, Laxus tried to ignore the conversation he could hear Lucy having with Gajeel and the feeling of envy that he did not care for. The sound of Lucy's panicked voice made him pay attention to their conversation more intently.

"What do you mean you haven't seen Levy?!" Lucy's voice came out slightly shrill and was laced with thinly veiled anxiety, and her pain was obvious to Laxus. He glared at the still open door to his grandfather's office, just what had Lucy done to him? Laxus heard Lucy book out of guild, and decided that it'd be best to follow her. There was a chance that her best friend was missing, and that could make her feel very abandoned. He could not bare to see her go through that alone.

Laxus quickly followed Lucy out of the guild, ignoring the strange looks he got from the guild and the suspicious look he got from Mira. He quickly slipped out the front doors and to where he knew Fairy Hills was located, where Levy lived. Laxus quickly made his way up the grassy hill towards the entrance where he saw Lucy's blonde tresses swaying as she bolted into the dormitory. Laxus saw a flash of golden light that signaled Lucy summoning a spirit; a pink haired maid exited the dormitory moments afterwards, she passed him without so much as a word and quickly made her way towards town.

Laxus rushed into the building and listened intently for Lucy's running feet, and the gentle scent of linden and lily of the valley. He bolted up the stairs, finding Lucy somehow being the only thing on his mind, and rounded a corner to see Levy's room. It was completely filled with books, and Laxus could hear Lucy shouting for her small blue haired friend. The desperation in her voice caused Laxus emotional pain for the second time that day, and he was beginning to wonder if Freed had been right. He inwardly growled at the though. _That smug bastard, I hate it when he's right. _

"No! Levy, please tell me you're here. Levy!" Lucy's frantic voice shook through the small apartment, her voice cracking with the effort to suppress her tears. Lucy came flying out of Levy's small place on the verge of a complete breakdown when she saw Laxus. Lucy brought her shoulders back, the quickly tucked her hair behind an ear, and hardened her face.

"Levy is not here. I believe she is missing." She said, in a tone that clearly demonstrated a great deal of control on her part. This made her voice steely, cold, and created an illusion of Lucy seeming angry. She began to walk towards the end of the hallway, but as she passed Laxus, she found that her exit was blocked by the hulking man. Lucy looked up to glare at him, but found that she couldn't, especially with the pained expression on his face. Lucy felt her hardened facade begin to crack. Not only was she losing control, but she was about to be a puddle in front of the very man to whom she was extraordinarily attracted. A mere moment of looking into his stormy eyes brought her facade shattering around her, and tears began to slip down her delicate face.

The next thing Lucy knew, she felt a large hand gently cross her shoulders and pull her into a warm chest. It was Laxus' chest, and Lucy had never felt so comfortable. She found that her hands had found their way onto his muscled back, and she held onto him with everything that she had. This seemingly small gesture did not go unnoticed by Laxus, who brought his other arm around her waist and pulled her comparatively small body into his. It was heaven for him, and despite his harsh outward nature, Laxus knew that the woman he held in his arms made his heart ache for more. His self control slipped and he nuzzled his nose into her neck and found that he did not want to let go. Lucy felt Laxus pull her body in even closer to his, and once she felt him nuzzle her, Lucy let go and grabbed onto the back of his shirt and held onto him with all her might.

Laxus felt Lucy relax in his arms and could tell that she had stopped crying. This situation is exactly what he had expected, and was glad that he had been the one to hold her. He couldn't help himself groan in disappointment when Lucy pulled away to dry her eyes; her body had felt so perfect pressed up against his, and Laxus wanted a chance to hold her again more than anything. Freed had been right, and Laxus knew it was futile to try and prevent himself from falling for the Celestial Mage. Her small voice broke his inner musings and he looked over at Lucy.

"We need to go tell Gajeel and Master; I need to call out Nanami and ask her what she knows, and Laxus," Lucy's large brown eyes looked right at him. "Thank you." It was obvious to Laxus that Lucy was still hurting from her friend being missing. Lucy had both hands massaging her temple, and from the few encounters he'd had with Lucy, Laxus knew that she had a plan brewing in her brilliant mind. A fond smile caressed Laxus' lips, and he was grateful that fate, the lure, or whatever string had attached his heart to Lucy's, had brought them together. She was beautiful, brilliant, and most of all accepting; if Laxus had one fear, it would be rejection from the person he wanted to be with.

"Laxus, we're running low on time. We need to find Levy and find out what is going on with this other key." Lucy said, determination flitting across her face, quickly replace with worry for her friend.

"C'mere, I can get us to the guild quickly." Laxus said in a slight gruff voice, beckoning Lucy over to his side. She looked curiously up at Laxus, who simply grinned at her; he had always loved his lightning travel. He sneakily wrapped his arms around Lucy's waist and smirked. "Hold on tight, we're going into the clouds." She had a moment to grab onto his torso before they were off into the sky. It was an incredible feeling; zipping through the sky and feeling one with the clouds. It ended all too soon for Lucy's liking, and she found herself at the back of the guild, in a small grove of trees.

"When this is all solved, you have to take me traveling with your lightning again, Laxus." Lucy said, smiling up at the large mage. Laxus smirked and leaned down and whispered in Lucy's ear. "I'll take you with my lightning any time you want." He inwardly grinned in victory when he saw the blush appear on Lucy's face. _Did he mean what I thought he meant?_

Lucy mentally rid herself of the incredibly pleasant thoughts of her and Laxus in bed together and grabbed her black key and called out "Nanami, I need to speak with you, and I need your help with something." The telltale sign of the half human's arrival appeared in front of the two mages.

"Hello Lucy, how can I help you today?" She said, her silky smooth voice reverberating through the small wooded area.

"Nanami, I need you to come with me to the Master's office. We need information on your brother's key, and what his powers are." Lucy said gently, implying in her tone of voice that she knew it might be a sensitive subject for her friend.

"Of course, I will follow you into the guild." Nanami said, interest evident in her tone as she followed the two into the guild and up to Makarov's office. Once they arrived, Laxus opened the door and found his Grandfather signing paper work, muttering sullenly about the destructiveness of his children.

"Oi gramps, we're back." The old man looked up from his paper work and smiled gently at the three in his office.

"What have you discovered since we last spoke, Lucy?" He said kindly, genuinely curious about what they might have discovered. Lucy turned to Nanami, and smiled gently. "Go ahead and please tell us what you know of your brother's abilities." Nanami nodded and began to explain.

"My brother predominantly uses foresight; because light is his element, he is able to see the future of those whom he has had recent contact, he can also blind enemies at will. He is quite skilled with a spear and can also create illusions. The only people he's been able to contract to are those of a darker nature, it is the only way he can control the mania of being light affiliated; just the same as I am with Lucy. She is able to bring light to the deep darkness that is my element." Nanami said with great authority and knowledge, understanding the situation through the distress of her master.

Just as Nanami finished explaining her brother's abilities to the group, Virgo popped out of nowhere looking unusually serious. The maid spirit shook her head sadly, and said "Princess, I searched every library in Magnolia and I have not seen your friend. I did however find a magical abnormality at the edge of the forest."

"An abnormality of what sort and in what area of the forest?" Lucy asked, curiosity getting the better of her despite the tense situation.

"It was a brief blip of dark magic, and it was located in the western area of the forest edge. That is all I know, Hime." With that, the Virgo returned to spirit world leaving the remaining mages to mull over the newest piece of information.

"It's probably a trap, why else would there be dark magic floating around?" Laxus confidently said, obviously concerned by the newest turn of events.

"Yes, but what if there's important information there? It could be a trap, but it could also be one we may have to step in." Lucy said thoughtfully. "We also have to consider how big of a risk it is." Master furrowed his brows at the idea that he may need to have some of his children purposefully walk into a trap.

"Nanami, could you maybe investigate? I know your magic is somewhat related to darkness." Lucy asked hopefully, and Nanami was about to agree when Laxus cut in.

"Lucy wait she's half human, isn't it possible for her to also get enchanted?" Lucy's eyes widened for a fraction of a second before confusion took over her face.

"Laxus, how did you know that Nanami was half human?" She gave him a suspicious look.

"Uh, Bickslow told me." Laxus said slightly too quickly, when in reality he had not been told by his teammate. This knowledge of her spirit's heritage was something that Laxus just _knew_, and he didn't know how he knew. He glanced over at Lucy, who was still giving him the 'I'm-not-buying-it' look and wondered whether or not it was part of the effects of the lure. Laxus dimly registered that his grandfather was saying something, but was far too preoccupied with what sounded like whimpering coming from the guild entrance. He listened more intently and heard Levy speaking, but it sounded harsh and dominant. She was clearly harming at least 2 people, and she seemed to be enjoying it.

Levy burst through the guild doors with her two teammates and oldest friends on leashes, and she was laughing cruelly. Jet and Droy did not seem to enjoy being tethered and yanked around by the neck.

"You better do as I say, or else I'll have to punish you." Levy spat out, clearly furious with her teammates. Lisanna happened to be in the guild the first time since the incident with Natsu, and laughed sadistically and offered to help Levy. She got up from her seat, and Natsu blindly followed Lisanna, his fire magic swirling around his hands. The two chained to Levy tried to cower away from the destructive mage, but she jerked their leashes hard enough to get them onto their knees. Just as Natsu was about to punch Jet in the face a huge wave of silver liquid radiated out into the guild, freezing everyone in place.


	10. Chapter 10

Hello readers, I felt like my previous chapter just needed an immediate follow up, so here you go. I felt like I needed to adress Erza in this story, because I love the friendship she and Lucy have. I know it may seem like I've twisted this story into a pretzel, but I have plans!

As per usual, the standard disclaimer applies.

Chapter 10:

Lucy swung herself over the balcony of the second floor and landed gracefully behind the bar, Nanami following her quickly preparing for battle. Lucy's heart nearly broke in two when she saw Levy struggling against her magical restraints, glaring angrily and her best friend.

"Let me go, bitch!" She ground out furiously, spitting at Lucy who deftly dodged the projectile disrespect. Her face portrayed no emotions, and her eyes were calm and determined. Lucy looked over to Nanami and nodded, giving her consent to restrain them. She quickly drew silvery threads from the ends of the digits on her right hand and wove them around Levy's wrists behind her back. Nanami then quickly pinched a nerve at the back of her neck and she fell into the older woman's arms. Lucy looked over to Gajeel and nodded; the black haired man understood her, and swiftly got up from his place and followed Nanami into the infirmary. Lucy turned around to stare at Lisanna and Natsu, her gaze becoming hardened.

"I don't know whether or not you understand the severity of your actions, however I will say this, you both hurt me deeply and I am very angry." After she was done talking, Lisanna burst into laughter clearly amused by what Lucy had just said. This threw her over the edge, and her anger finally showed on her face. Her fury began to swirl around her, taking form as her magic building around her. Soon, thin ribbons of gold began to swirl around her, not long after silver joined the fray. Lucy then released her magic, and the ribbons wound tightly around the two remaining offenders. Nanami had seen the whole scene, and was floored by Lucy's power. Lucy however, was searching throughout the guild for a slightly wild tangle of red hair, and a sigh of relief almost escaping her soft lips when she found her. She quickly made her way over to where she saw her friend.

"Erza, is everything okay with you?" Lucy called out tentatively, now thoroughly mistrustful of the people she once knew to be friends. Erza's eyes met hers, and Lucy saw in her eyes the same old strength and reliability that they had always held. Erza pushed her way through the crowd that had formed and enveloped Lucy in a strong hug. She grabbed Erza's shoulders and looked her dead in the eye.

"Are you sure you're ok?" Lucy asked. She was obviously worried that Erza had been enchanted as well, and Lucy knew she'd go postal if Erza was taken as well. Erza put her armored hand on Lucy's shoulder and smiled.

"No matter what Lucy, I have your back. We are sisters, and always will be." She said, confidence clearly showing in her voice. Lucy's eyes teared over, and she caved into Erza's armored chest once again. On the second floor, Laxus and Master watched the scenes unfold.

"Laxus, why did you not go down and help Lucy?" Master asked, slightly upset at his grandson's lack of traditional respect. He thought he had raised Laxus to be better than that.

"Gramps, tell me what help would I have been? She didn't ask for my help, and she didn't need it. It would be an act of disrespect on my part if I assumed she didn't know exactly what she was doing." He nearly smirked in victory as he saw his grandfather's face. His eyes were slightly wider than usual, and realization dawned up his face. Laxus turned away and started striding down the stairs into the now calmed down guild and sat heavily down at the bar. Mira knew what he wanted, and set down a can of his favorite beer.

"So, Freed and I had a discussion the other day," Mira trailed off, giving Laxus a knowing look. "and you followed Lucy pretty quickly out of the guild this morning." She finished suggestively, but Laxus merely rolled his eyes. Over the years, the two S-Class mages had become unlikely friends, and Laxus had _almost_ been supportive of her and Freed's somewhat secret relationship. Laxus was currently mulling over what he had heard his grandfather say as he descended the stairs. _He'll make an excellent guild master some day. _ The words rang through Laxus' head, and he smirked as he took a swig of his beer.

"So, did anything happen?" Mira asked in a rather nosy tone, earning a look from Laxus stating that he clearly would not be talking about it. "Fine, I'll find out either way." She huffed and tended to other guild customers, while Laxus found Lucy's unmistakable blonde head of hair. She was sitting to the side of the guild at a small table with Erza, smiling in a way she hadn't in a very long time. Both women were giggling about something, and Lucy leaned in to whisper something in Erza's ear.

"He _hugged_ me Erza, it was like being held by a muscle bound god." She giggled, Erza blushed significantly, and then leaned in closer and whispered to Lucy. "I know exactly what you're talking about, its like that when Jellal visits. The best part his his chest." Lucy covered her mouth and giggled even harder. This is what she had needed, girl time with Erza. She had spent so much time seriously training with Nanami and talking about books with Levy. Lucy and Erza had always gotten along well, and had formed a sister relationship over her time in Fairy Tail. Lucy took a sip from her slightly spiked drink, courtesy of Mira.

"Oh c'mon Erza, we both know you're doing more than just hugging." Lucy said, winking at her friend and watching her face go pink. Erza took a sip of her drink, which had also been spiked and continued on.

"Well yes, we also do that. You know how some men say size doesn't matter?" Lucy nodded and rolled her eyes. "It does, size so matters for some women." She filled in, while Erza nodded in agreement.

"Well, Jellal is not lacking in that department. The other night he threw my legs over his shoulders." Lucy groaned and nodded her approval.

"I love that position, especially when a guy grabs your waist. Unfortunately, the few men I've been with have been small." Lucy complained, and Erza frowned.

"Lucy, just how small are we talking?" Lucy raised both her eyebrows at Erza and frowned in disappointment. The sad truth was that they had been teeny, and Lucy had been too kind to tell them no. She felt that she couldn't back out, even though she had wanted to. She looked at Erza and held up her thumb and forefinger a few inches and smirked at the incredulous look on her friend's face. Both women burst out laughing and Lucy nearly toppled out of her chair.

"You're kidding me! Lucy guys don't come that small!" Erza said a little too loudly, and a few guild members gave them odd looks. Both women shrugged it off and continued to giggle.

"Well, hopefully things are better from here on out." Erza said, winking at her friend before both started to laugh harder. Laxus had heard enough and was grinning into his can of beer. He was grateful that Lucy had not been expecting for him to not enjoy himself, and he hadn't expected Lucy to not enjoy herself either. He took another large gulp of beer.

"Do you think Laxus is big?" He almost spat his beer out, they were gloriously shameless. He knew he was well above average, but that question caught him completely off guard. He decided he didn't want to hear anymore of their conversation, and popped his soundpod over his ears to shut out what they were saying. He finished his beer and made his way back up to his grandfather's office, he knew that they would have to act soon and that Lucy's much needed time with Erza would need to be cut short.

"So Laxus, what do you think of this?" His grandfather questioned, clearly interested in Laxus' opinion. This was a test, and the old man watched his grandson carefully.

"We'll need to form two teams, one to investigate the magic, and the other to keep a sharp lookout in case there are any mages closing in. We'll also need to consider the guild, and make sure that there are strong members to keep it safe." His grandfather gave a nod of approval and with that Laxus was up and out of the office. He looked over at Freed, and nodded his head. He immediately jumped into action, collecting the rest of his team while Laxus made his way to Lucy's table. Both women seemed to be wrapped up in their conversation.

"I need someone who respects me, and thats something that sometimes scares me. I have these feelings, but I know he can be entirely irreverent in regards to somethings." His eyebrows knitted together at this, and Lucy continued on. "I'm worried that if things actually happened he wouldn't respect my voice and my needs the way I would his." Laxus leaned against the wall and listened.

"I'd need to know that he'd respect me completely before I'd let myself fall freely. I know that if that does happen that things won't be easy all the time, but I have my own needs as well, I can't be with someone who wont open up to me." It was at this point that Erza saw Laxus and nodded her head. She knew that Lucy would have eventually either made it completely obvious that she was talking about Laxus, or he'd figure it out through some accidental detail that she might mention. Erza was grateful that she had seen Laxus before this happened

"Hello Laxus, is there any reason you're here?" She asked respectfully, however she seemed agitated that her conversation with Lucy had been interrupted. Lucy also turned around and smiled gently at Laxus, who's lip twitched slightly and finally curled upwards into a small smile.

"We're meeting upstairs in gramps' office and discussing plans for the mission in the west forest. I thought you'd want to be involved." He said, knowing that Lucy had every right to choose whether or not she want in on this. She nodded and quickly stood up from her seat and looked over at Erza.

"Sorry this is going to cut in on our conversation, but once this is all over we are going to have a girls night where we drink plenty and giggle about, ah, things." Lucy said apologetically, hoping that Erza would understand.

"I will also join in on this mission, it is of the utmost importance that our guild is kept safe and that our members are returned to who they originally were." Erza stood from her chair, the wooden legs scraping against the flood of the guild. The three made their way to the second floor office, as other members slowly left their tables and followed suit.

Ten minutes later Lucy, Erza, the Raijunshuu, Laxus, Mira, and Gajeel all sat in Master's office, and it had become very cramped. Laxus, Bickslow, Freed and Gajeel all leaned up against the wall, while Lucy sat in Erza's lap next to Mira on the short couch looking at Evergreen sitting in the chair across from the Master. He sat at his desk thinking on the situation, and how to begin.

"Master, may I make a suggestion?" Her question broke the silence, and the Master smiled gently at his child.

"I think we need to have 2 smaller guard groups, there could be multiple groups if this is a trap. I also think that Juvia would be a great lookout for the guild defense group." Lucy finished off, she had been thinking a lot about how she'd handle this situation, and the safest way to go about this risky business.

"That is an excellent idea, Lucy." Came a new voice from next to her, causing Lucy to jump at the unexpectedly close proximity to Mavis. She smiled at the First Master, and uttered a thank you. "I am glad the guild has a brilliant tactician in it once again." Lucy looked at Mavis and nodded confidently.

"Does anyone else have any suggestions?" Mira asked assertively, eying all the mages in the room.

"I believe we should balance the teams to make sure they each have a mage who's strength is another's weakness." Freed spoke up, his idea earning him nods of agreement.

"I'll stay back, I need to watch over Lisanna anyway. Gajeel, would you be willing to watch over Levy?" Mira suggested to the Iron Slayer who nodded and grunted his consent. Master cleared his throat purposefully, and the other occupants of the room turned their attention to him.

"Twilight is drawing near, and this is when you will depart for the forest. You know your teams best, I trust that you are capable of creating efficient squads of two. Mirajane, please go explain the situation to Juvia, we will need her assistance the moment they leave." The mages quickly began talking amongst one another, deciding who will go where.

"Erza, I need you to be watching my back. Is there anyone you think you'd work well with?" Erza nodded solemnly and looked over to Bickslow, who recognized the signal and made is way over, passing Evergreen and Freed disagreeing on what strategy to use.

"Erza, we teaming up?" He asked nonchalantly.

"Yes, we are. I am capable of handling many situations in combat. However I very much like having someone who can use abilities from afar to be my partner." Bickslow grinned confidently and led the requip mage into a corner to discuss strategies.

Lucy quickly flicked her eyes up to the Lightning Slayer, curious as to how he'd be reacting to being paired up to her. She was shocked to see that Laxus was no longer leaning against the wall, but that he had made his way across the room to the chair opposite his grandfather. He had his left elbow resting on his knee, his head in his left hand and was looking at her.

"We're teamed up together. I know you can handle yourself in the battlefield, but I like being up close and personal with my enemies. If we do have an encounter with hostile mages, I'd like to be able to do that. Plus your radiating uh, thing is really helpful to me when it comes to some of my abilities." Lucy could not help but agree wholeheartedly with Laxus, and be slightly excited by the possibility of seeing his muscles in action.

"That works fine for me, that isn't exactly my fighting style either. What I'll be doing is having Nanami accompany us on our way in; we need to be quiet and blend in with the shadows. I'll try to analyze any left over trace of dark magic in the area, but she'll do a much better job of it than I will. She's also the first spirit I'd call out in a situation such as this in an emergency." Laxus gave her a small smile, and then turned his deep sea eyes to the window. The sun was clearly almost set, and that meant they'd be leaving in a few short minutes.

"Brats! It is time; good luck, and be as safe as possible. I will have Wendy on standby for your return should you need it." With that, the 6 mages departed from his office in their teams and began the hopefully quick trip to the edge of the western forest. The two guild masters watching them go with mixed emotions.


	11. Chapter 11

Well, here's another chapter. I hope you enjoy it, I'm hoping to start wrapping up this story and start on another. I've re-opened my poll for that very reason.

I also can't believe I've written my 11th chapter!

I own almost nothing, but Nanami my OC.

Chapter 11

They crept quickly and quietly through the edge of town, Nanami taking up the rear to make sure no one ambushed them. They could see the edge of the seemingly innocent forest up ahead, and became cautious around the edge of town. They quickly and safely navigated through the rest of Magnolia Outskirts and gave each other one last look before quietly creeping into the forest. Everything seemed dark and menacing, even the shadows of the trees looked liked gnarled and deformed beings.

Lucy reached out with her magic to sense Nanami, she could barely see her own feet, let alone her companion. She silently sighed in relief when she felt her faithful friend's magic flicker back at her. Lucy quietly reached her hand out to touch Laxus' arm, a silent assurance that she was not alone. Her hand gently reached his forearm and she immediately felt a surge of warmth flood her veins. She looked up at the sky, and could see a sliver of silver light filtering down to some of the leaves above. It was in this moment that Lucy fully appreciated the beauty of the moon. She hoped that the others were safe and had not fallen into enemy hands.

Laxus stopped abruptly, bringing his arm out to stop Lucy who was staring up at the sky. She stumbled against Laxus' arm and he quickly grabbed her around her torso, preventing her from landing face first in the dirt. She blinked for a moment realizing that she was not eating moss, and quietly thanked Laxus. He looked at her out of the corner of his eye, wondering silently why she had been staring at a dark canopy of leaves during a potentially dangerous mission.

"Nanami," She breathed out, her call almost unheard. "What are those?" Laxus almost rolled his eyes, but he held himself back; so far Lucy had only surprised him with her wit and capability to plan ahead. Nanami grinned with pure glee spread across her unusual features.

"I am assuming you can also see it, Lucy." Her voice was a whisper, but held the same giddiness that showed across her features. "It has been a long time since I have been partnered with someone who has been able to see the physical form of the Lunar Energy that I taught you to absorb." Lucy's eyes were wide with fascination and for a moment she forgot of her mission.

Laxus was enjoying watching Lucy and Nanami interact, but there was a feeling tugging at the back of his mind. They needed to finish this up and regroup with the others. They were suspiciously quiet, and the hairs on the back of his neck stood on end. Laxus gently shook Lucy's shoulder to get her attention.

"Lucy we need to focus, something's off. I can't sense where the others are." Laxus' words were true, and Lucy looked around the clearing for any hint of magic. She saw a flash of purple, signaling that runes had been used.

"Laxus, you're right. I think Freed is in trouble, I saw a flash of purple." Lucy said, she was worried for her friends. She looked around to check that everyone in her group was ok. Nanami was using her magic, sending silvery threads from her finger tips that crawled through the grass like white snakes. Laxus was looking off in a certain direction, his eyes squinted trying to see what he sensed.

"Shit," Came his growl of a curse "We're trapped. Nanami, what do you about the situation so far?" He swiftly turned to Lucy's spirit, who looked to Lucy who nodded.

"Runes, most likely placed by one of the Rune Knights of the council. My magic can't even get out of the runes." Lucy's mouth formed a thin line, this was getting far too grim for her liking.

"Can you try to go back to your place? Also can anyone give off a little light, I need to see you both." Nanami shook her head at both questions. She was planning on staying with Lucy until they were securely in their jail cell. Lucy looked over at Laxus who started shooting off bits of electricity, he looked pissed beyond belief.

"Well, now the only thing we can do is wait." Lucy said, trying to think of why the council would want to take them into custody for doing nothing. Fairy Tail had been extra cautious when doing missions to not destroy things since the last mission Lucy had done with her team. It didn't add up, why would the council leak dark magic in an area, and why would the Rune Knights want to capture them? Did this have anything to do with Nanami, or was it information that she might know? She decided to communicate her thoughts to her team mates.

"Something isn't right, why would the Rune Knights be after us?" Laxus asked agitatedly, something felt off to him, too. He ran his hand through his hair and a bit more electricity was generated in the process. To Lucy, he looked like a god with his strong features and the scar over his eye.

"I'm not sure, something must be going on at the council. Maybe an internal struggle or something." Laxus supplied halfheartedly, he seemed more interested in figuring out what type of runes were surrounding the trio. Lucy suddenly stiffened, and reached out to find Laxus, something clearly was coming and she could feel it. Purple runes started lighting up and circling in closer and closer to the group.

Lucy grabbed a hand and felt thin, dexterous fingers react and realized she'd found Nanami in the near dark. She reached out her right hand, towards the yellow of Laxus' lightning and grabbed his hand. She felt comforted by his large calloused fingers holding her delicate ones, and held onto his hand until the runes stopped moving. They were trapped in a runeprison the size of her bathroom, and were looking cautiously around for who wrote them.

Lahar stepped out from behind a tree with a few Rune Knights besides him and a jail cart behind them. Lucy was furious, they were trying to arrest them when they were innocent.

"What do you want, Lahar?" She spat out, her tempter getting the better of her. Lahar looked unperturbed by Lucy's rage, but Laxus looked like he was about to have a laughing fit. He'd seen many sides to the Celestial mage, but the rage she presented was something he had not seen since she had caught him spying on her training with Nanami.

"You are under arrest for attempting to overthrow the Magic Council," Lahar gestured for the cart to be brought into the rune prison. "Please come quietly, I will fill you in on the your hearing and potential sentencing on our way." All three mages glanced at each other before cautiously stepping into the wagon only for Lahar to follow them. He quickly shut the door behind them and wrote runes to keep them from escaping.

"Listen closely, I will say this only once. There is a dark force driving the Magic Council. It is controlling many members and it has multiple eyes in the major guilds." Lucy's eyes widened and she nudged Laxus, who nodded in acknowledgment as Lahar continued speaking. "I will be bringing you in under a false arrest, it is up to you and your spirit to figure this out. Good Luck."

With that, Lahar slipped out of the temporary jail section of the cart and into the passenger seat. Nanami looked troubled, Laxus looked very angry and Lucy looked terrified. She relaxed when she felt Laxus' heavy arm fall over her shoulders.

"What are we going to do?" Lucy whispered, hoping the other two would have some genius idea because for once in her life, she was completely blank on any sort of master plan.

"We'll be alright, we are all capable mages. Lucy you haven't been training for nothing and I've seen you improve greatly over the past month and a half." Came Laxus' deep rumble of a voice, and Lucy felt safe and reassured. She looked over to Nanami, who had suddenly fallen asleep against the wall of the carriage and was snoring lightly. Lucy sighed and realized that now would probably be the last opportunity she'd have to talk to Laxus directly about whatever it was she felt, magically induced or not. She took a few calming breaths before tamping down her nerves.

"Hey uh, Laxus?" He opened the eye closest to Lucy and grunted, she bravely went on. "Have you ever experienced the uhm, pull?" She saw Laxus roll his eyes and grin.

"You're gonna beat around the bush with this, aren't you?" He asked, his grin widening causing her to huff indignantly.

"Fine, I tire of playing silly games with you Laxus. You either feel the lure towards me or you don't, but I'm done with your confusing attitude." Lucy's little outburst had left Laxus surprised and very pleased. He contemplated her subversive choice she had laid out for him, she was sharp as ever and extremely perceptive.

"Well Missy, you've given me quite the ultimatum-" He was smirking as he said this, but Lucy was not fooled by his front or his act.

"Laxus. Please be honest with me." Lucy's voice cut smoothly across his and left no room for any nonsense. She looked him dead in the eye, hoping that he'd understand how she felt and that every fiber of her being was being called to him, but silence reigned in the carriage bumping long the road and Lucy had wished she hadn't brought up the subject that would make sharing a cell with the man potentially awkward.

Laxus sat there completely dumfounded; Lucy was incredible, she had just told him exactly what she wanted and had told him off at the same time. He sat there in shock for what seemed like an eternity; she was a force of nature, she was smart, bold and beautiful, of course he was interested in her. Did he want her as his life partner was the question at hand though, and Laxus didn't know if he was prepared to give up his bachelor lifestyle. Laxus had his brow furrowed and was stroking his chin when he noticed Lucy quickly get up and stumble towards Nanami, who was sound asleep. She let out a long yawn and curled up next to her spirit who half woke, mumbling something about Lucy being freezing. He leaned his back against the wall of the carriage and feigned sleep, choosing this moment to think about what he wanted.

Lucy leaned into Nanami, and felt her wrap and arm around her shoulder like an older sister. Her spirits had always been family, and Nanami was no exception. She burrowed her face into her shoulder and let her eyes get droopy; she let her breathing even out and tried to get her body to sleep. She would not dwell upon a man who didn't want her, she would respect his choice and his feelings. She would not pout or cry over this. She was a grown ass woman, and lure be damned, she would find a way to be happy in her life without Laxus. She wiggled in closer to her spirit, who was very warm and comforting, and slowly drifted off to sleep.


	12. Chapter 12

Whew! So I know this story is on haitus, but I am still updating it. I didn't have inspiration, so I didn't write, but then I got an idea and now you can read it. I love the reviews I get; they mean so much to me, so please do leave some.

I own nothing but Nanami... and the plot.

Chapter 12:

Nanami woke suddenly as the wheeled cart bumped along; something in her mind felt off, as if a switch had been flicked. Lucy was still curled up and asleep, her head resting on one of Nanami's thighs, and her brows were creased as if she were concentrating. Nanami leaned back on the bench and began to filter through her magic; she found nothing wrong in that area, but the nagging feeling remained. She continued to analyze her thoughts and found an old darkness in the back of her conscious that shouldn't be there. She tentatively sunk deeper into her meditative state and tentatively poked at the contract between her and Lucy, and at first everything seemed normal. She felt the threads that connected them, kindness, empathy, sympathy and joy all seemed to be stronger than ever, but the most important connection seemed to be fraying. The thread representing love was smaller than others, and seemed to weaken in front of her very eyes.

Nanami stretched her shoulders as she came out of depths of her own mind, and listened to Laxus' breathing pattern. He was asleep, and Nanami had to take this chance to talk to Lucy before the effects of the weakened thread got worse. She gently shook the blonde's shoulder and saw her eyes flutter open.

"_We need to talk," _ A silvery thread slipped from Nanami's mouth and wound its way around Lucy's ear. A spark of joy flitted from Lucy to Nanami at this, and it made the latter smile. _"Just focus your words on my ear, and start the feeling in your throat."_

"_How's this?" _Lucy's voice carried as another silken thread to Nanami's ear. She gave an affirmative nod. _"What's going on? Why the secrecy?" _

"_Laxus can't hear this, its girl talk." _Nanami said, the thread pulsating as she spoke. She saw Lucy's face harden and her eyes dart to the man sleeping in the corner.

"_I see," _Lucy paused, as if her voice was stuck, but continued on. _"Is it possible for the Lure to affect only one person? I tried to talk to Laxus earlier, I'm not sure it went well."_

Nanami's eyebrows raised, a mixture of shock and pride on her face. Lucy truly was something else. _"No, its not possible. Laxus might be scared, I overheard that barmaid in the guild gossiping about his … reputation." _

Lucy looked like she had just swallowed a lemon. Her telltale stress signals were becoming obvious as she rubbed the bridge of her nose. _"He's an idiot if that's the case, I wish I didn't have to deal with this shit from him." _Lucy heard Nanami's giggle in her ear and smiled slightly. Her chest still ached from Laxus' apparent rejection, and Lucy hoped that her conversation with him earlier wouldn't make her mission at the Council Headquarters harder.

"_Listen, I know it hurts, but you can't cut yourself off like this. I'm already feeling you shut down emotionally, and it'll make me become unstable." _ Nanami's voice rang clear in Lucy's ear, and the younger woman nodded solemnly. She understood that Nanami needed all of her emotional light, and she'd try her best to keep her spirit in the clear.

The cart came to a skidding halt, and the three prisoners were flung into the front wall of the makeshift holding cell. Nanami curridly cut off their conversation as Laxus woke up after hitting the wall and swearing loudly. The padlocked door swung open, revealing Lahar and his few trusted men standing guard. He gestured for them to exit the vehicle quickly, and they tentatively made their way towards him. He was holding three pairs of cuffs, and he quickly slapped a pair on Lucy. While he was messing with the settings, he leaned in and whispered in her ear.

"Your cell won't be locked, get out when the time is right." He repeated his actions with Laxus and Nanami, both giving him knowing looks. Lahar turned to his men and nodded, signaling to take them to their holding cells. Each prisoner had a guard to walk them to their cell, Nanami's seemed to be physically closer to her than the other two. Lucy watched carefully at Nanami's stony face; she was unable to gather any information out of her expression, this caused her to sight unhappily. She noticed Laxus give her an unreadable look, but as soon as Lucy looked at him, he looked away.

They arrived after a short walk, and were quickly shoved one by one into the cell. The man who had guided Nanami did everything he could to keep giving her information without seeming suspicious.

Nanami quickly settled and began to talk, her magic once again working its way towards Lucy's ear. _"Lucy, the guards helping Lahar are going on patrol in 5 minutes. We have until then to make a plan." _Lucy nodded for her to go on with her plan, while Laxus gave them both a perplexed look. _"We're going to not tell Laxus the whole plan, we'll have to make him trust us on this. I don't trust that we're can't be heard." _

_"He'll enjoy that." _Lucy gave a snarky comment, but Nanami only smiled and continued on. _"We'll sneak out, and you two will follow me. We'll have 15 minutes to get to our destination, which is the head councilman's office." _

Nanami stood up and brushed off her non-combat clothes, while nodding to the other two occupants of the cell. Lucy quickly got to her feet and gestured at Laxus to follow, who wearily got to his feet.

"The fuck was that?" He sounded pissed, and Lucy inwardly cringed at his temper. Nanami, however, turned her head and gave Laxus an unreadable expression.

"Lucy might explain it to you when we're out of this mess, until then please follow her lead." Lucy nodded in agreement, and smiled placatingly at Laxus, who grumbled about not being filled in. Both women rolled their eyes and ignored his comment.

Lucy looked over Nanami's shoulder as she cupped her hands and filled them with moonlight. The power then formed the head of a small snake, and the rest of its body slithered up and out of her hands onto the floor. Nanami once again smiled at Lucy's appreciation for their shared magic. She had always loved the way the silvery magic bended to every single one of Nanami's commands, and Lucy wondered what it would take to become that good.

"Now, we follow the snake." Was all that Nanami said in a soft whisper. The crept along the dark dungeon prison, up countless flights of stairs into a deserted hall way. Lucy's hair was standing on end as they walked steadily on. They had almost reached the end of the corridor when the door opened and a guard walked out. Their eyes met and for a moment Lucy thought their expedition was over, but then the guard smiled and winked, before walking by them as if nothing had happened.

Nanami's trusty snake lead them on until they were in front of a door that was ajar; the silver serpent slithered up the side of it and peered into the room from the top of the door, while its tail grew longer and slithered up into Nanami's hidden eye. She paused for a moment, the snakes head turning from side to side as she inspected the room. Once she was sure she had gathered all the information, the snake was sucked back into Nanami's body through her eye. As this happened, the armor that she had worn when Lucy first summoned her had returned to her body. Her face had hardened and Lucy feared the worst. What if she could not get her friends back, what if the Levy she knew was gone forever?

"_Lucy, I need your permission to use my other magic. You'll feel a great strain on your magic reservers, but I think you can handle it. We're going to storm the room, I'll need you to root every living being in there to the ground."_ Lucy opened her mouth to respond, but thought better of using magic just to talk and gave her a thumbs up instead. She turned to Laxus and made direct eye contact before gesturing to him, then to herself, then to Nanami, and finally to the door. When he nodded his understanding, she brought her fingers together so that each digit touched its partner of the opposite hand, and she quickly expanded the space between them, mimicking an explosion. Lucy hoped he'd understand, and found herself relieved when Laxus' face broke out into an excited grin.

Nanami gently laid a now armored hand on Lucy's arm, and held up her other hand. She counted down with her fingers, 5, 4, 3, 2, 1 and quickly opened the office door. Lucy did indeed feel a great drop in her magic, but she focused everything on rooting the man with his back to the group. Was he the only one there, or had they been given false information? The man turned to look at the unusual team, and at the glimpse of an eye he seemed perfectly normal. Lucy looked him dead in the eyes for a moment, and stumbled back in shock. Seeing a person with three eyes was incredibly jarring, and Lucy almost lost her sense of control and calm. But no, she kept herself in check, she was Lucy; the Celestial Spirit Wizard, a mage of Fairy Tail, and she was incredibly intelligent. She would not let a third eye freak her out.

She watched as Nanami quickly pulled out the 3rd eye, and the head councilman fainted on the floor. Lucy let go of her spell, and quickly looked around the room for any clues as to what had caused this strange scenario. She wanted nothing more than to return her friends back to the way there were meant to be; she couldn't imagine a Levy who wasn't her best friend.

"Nanami, just... what the hell was that?" She looked over to her spirit and was surprised to see her looking into the removed eye. The most surprising part was that she had 6 fingers on each hand, and large horns protruding from her forehead that wrapped up around the rest of her head like a crown.

"This, is the third key." She tossed the eyeball into the air and caught it with an armored hand. "I'm just as confused about it as you are, though."

"Crux," Was all that Lucy said, and the old cross poofed into existence before them. He showed clear signs of surprise when Nanami, now in her more humanoid form, showed him the organ. Crux looked towards his princess and nodded solmly before returning to the spirit world. Lucy turned to Laxus, who had been searching the bookshelves of the room. Lucy felt her chest clench painfully, but pushed it aside, it was not the time to feel heartbroken over a man who couldn't give her a direct and honest answer.

"Laxus, have you found anything?" Lucy asked while she peaked around a curtain, and froze at what she saw. Laxus' "no" meant nothing to her. There behind the small curtain was a whole other room, and it made Lucy's heart shatter. Her family was there, but they weren't all there. It all made sense to Lucy at that moment, to see the souls of her friend's replaced with the dark desire of the one who the eye had controlled. Nanami controlled darkness, her brother controlled light, but the final key could control the souls of those it desired. It could rip out a soul, and replace it with another.

"Nanami, what is this?" Her whisper barely reached Laxus' ears, and both came rushing in. Lucy gripped her spirits arm, and fought back the tears that threatened to spill from her brown eyes. She felt Nanami grip her hand and gently pull her into the room while Laxus guarded the door, no longer grumbling.

"I can send them back to my home behind the waterfall, they'll be safe there and we can figure out how to return their souls to them when this is done." Lucy nodded and began to gently pick up the one she knew to be Levy, and cradled it against her chest before cautiously handing it to Nanami. One by one, the orbs disappeared, and when they had finished their task, Nanami pulled out the eye she had kept in her pocket.

"Now, its time to find out what you're doing in the council." She said, as Lucy follwed her out of the hidden room.


	13. Update!

Okay, I know a lot of you are going to be really excited about this update notification. I am SO sorry that it isn't a new chapter.

Black Keys and Darkness in the Mountains are on hiatus right now. They were my first 2 stories I ever wrote, and right now I have no inspiration for either of them. I just started writing them with no plan on where they were going. I'm going to need to map out their story lines before I can start again on these two stories. I really enjoy writing, and I want to make sure that I get the stories right. That's why they haven't been updated in a while.

Again, I'm really sorry. I haven't forgotten about these stories (far from it), they're just on the back burner for now.

\- Paname


	14. Chapter 14

Okay guys. I've got a new chapter here, but I realized that I still don't have inspiration for this story. Please review, it helps me a lot. If you have any ideas for this, please feel free to PM me.

I don't own the story, but Nanami is my creation.

As the three mages made their way further into the Council Headquarters, Lucy felt an uncomfortable prick in the back of her mind. A horrible question came to her mind, what if the third eye could see them, and had alerted the whole council to their presence? A creeping dread filled her to the brim, and Lucy swallowed hard in an attempt to push down the feeling. She shyly looked over her shoulder at Laxus, and attempted to get his attention. A quick poke did the trick and Laxus' scowling face was looking directly at her, and Lucy glared right back.

"Keep an eye out for any extra movement," She began to whisper, as his face softened for a brief moment. "something fishy is going on." A nod was all she needed to be assured, and a slim hand reached out from Nanami and gave her own a quick squeeze. Lucy felt herself relax a bit, at least her team was reliable.

Hours seemed to pass by in a blur, as they crept along the endless corridors of the council building. Lucy couldn't seem to shake the feeling of something being very wrong, and was running through options in her head about what could be happening. Was it possible that someone was creating one long hallway to confuse them? That was an unlikely option, however Lucy thought it was still possible for it to be true.

"Nanami, I know it sounds crazy, but is there a mage who's capable of creating a never ending hall?" Lucy's voice was only a whisper, but Nanami had heard her loud and clear. Faster than Lucy or Laxus could see, Nanami had summoned her armor and had her sword in hand. For a brief moment nothing happened, but then everything around them shattered like glass.

Nanami had parried an oncoming attack and simultaneously shattered an illusion. Lucy took in the scene with wide eyes, but her gaping was cut short when alarms went off throughout the building. The council knew they were here, and that meant nothing but trouble. She turned to Nanami, her friend holding a tight grip on her sword that was crossing blades with an axe.

The person Nanami was fighting could only be described as her opposite. He had light blonde hair, blue eyes, and wore armor that looked to be made of diamond. Lucy assumed this being was her brother. The mage behind him was very old, and his face twisted with rage and hatred. She focused her magic into Nanami, giving her the essence she needed to win this battle.

Hordes of Rune Knights stormed the hall, and Laxus found himself blasting them away. It was a boring task, but as he watched Lucy and Nanami fight their enemy, he noticed just how determined both women were on winning. It was a trait Lucy must've picked up from her team. The ferocity in Lucy's face reminded Laxus of exactly who Lucy was, and how important it was for her to win this on her own. He kept on putting up a bored front that the Rune Knights could not penetrate.

Lucy hoped that this fight wouldn't be the end of her time as a free mage. If they got caught, they'd actually go to jail, and Lucy was very sure she did not want that. She watched as Nanami gained what seemed to be substantial ground over her brother, and then watched as he returned to the fight with more strength than ever. Nanami would be knocked back, and Lucy would focus more magic to her friend to give her more strength and energy.

Over an hour later, the battle between Nanami and her brother seemed to rage on without an end in sight. For her part, Nanami seemed focused on her fight. What Lucy didn't know was that Nanami wanted to make her proud. She wanted to win more than anything else. Lucy watched, her magic draining out of her body steadily. She thought long and hard as to how Nanami could win, and get the upper hand. The problem was her brother's armor, and that no matter how many times they clashed, it did not chip or scratch.

She felt weak, her body was sweating, but Lucy kept her mind hard at work. She was running out of time and magic. Laxus was running out of Rune Knights to blast into oblivion, what would he do once he beat them all? His lightning seemed to flash throughout the whole hall, and Lucy wondered vaguely what it was doing to the structure of the building. Her eyes were getting heavy, and Lucy wondered what happened when you mixed diamonds and lightning. She tried to shake her head and regain some sense, but it just made her dizzy.

Lucy forced her eyes open, her magic was running dangerously low, she needed someone else's magic.

"Oh." That was all that Lucy said when she realized what she needed. An element that she didn't have. "Laxus, I need your lightning." Her voice was hoarse and her throat dry. She feared he wouldn't hear her, that she'd lose consciousness before she could transfer his magic to Nanami's sword. But she felt him, his arm wrap around her waist. Lucy wanted to sleep, her magic draining to dangerously low levels.

"Lucy, you have to keep your eyes open." Laxus urged, this was no time to sleep. He needed Lucy to be awake. They needed to finish the fight, and return to the others. Lucy needed Wendy's care, and the souls of their lost guild members needed returning.

Lucy forced her eyes open, but her eyes refused to focus, everything was blurry. She pulled herself up to Laxus' height, and steadied herself with her hands on his shoulder.

"Oi, don't strain your-" But Lucy cut him off. She had to, it was the only way to get his lightning into her body. She cursed this method of transferal, but assumed that Laxus would prefer a kiss to Lucy forcibly biting him hard enough to break skin. Lucy tasted it on his lips, she knew it'd be enough to absorb his magic. The clattering noise of Nanami's fight was enough to keep Lucy aware of what she needed to do. Laxus' 'The fuck was that?' went ignored by Lucy, as she let her forehead fall onto his shoulder and grit her teeth.

Pain shot through her as she forced Laxus' lightning into her magical container, and a moment later, a smash could be heard as Nanami broke through her brother's armor, and sent him flying into his master.

The collision killed the old man who had been controlling Artemis, and he stumbled as his contract broke. So did Lucy, and she completely lost consciousness. Nanami dissipated into nothing, and Artemis retracted into a ball of light. When the light faded, a white key with a blue eye in the handle hung in the air. Laxus picked Lucy up, walked over to get the white key, and placed it in Lucy's pouch below her keychain.

Laxus had done what he could to teleport he and Lucy out of the Magic Council's building, and he was now carrying her as he walked through the woods. Era was in an obscure part of Fiore, and he'd have to walk and teleport to Hargeon before he could get on a train. The physical aspect of it wasn't bad at all, he was a strong man, and Lucy was very light. The issue was that Lucy needed medical care, and that was a long way away, and teleporting took a great deal of his magic.

It took Laxus another hour before he could use his lightning to teleport, but when he did, he found he was capable of getting within two miles of Hargeon. A satisfied smirk landed on his face, and he started off at a brisk walk. The train station would be open in a few short minutes, and he planned on getting the first train out of the station.

Sitting on a bench with a passed out Lucy in his lap was by far, the weirdest experience he'd had in a long time. No matter, Laxus just glared at passers by if they gave him any funny looks. He was now in no mood to deal with any nonsense, as Lucy's breathing had gotten lighter. Not by a noticeable amount, but it was enough for his heightened senses to pick up, and it set Laxus' teeth on edge.

They were finally on the train, and it seemed to take eons for the train to leave the station, but it did, and the hour or so ride could not be over soon enough. He hated being on the train, and he hated the fact that slowly but surely, Lucy's heartbeat and breathing were getting weaker.

The train pulled into the station, and Laxus did not have the patience nor time to deal with the exit line, so he opened the compartment window, and hopped out, holding Lucy over his shoulder.

The sprint to the guild was not something he enjoyed, but it was necessary. He burst through the guild doors, startling Mira enough for her to drop her mug of coffee. Laxus was grateful that it was early morning, and the guild was empty save for an exhausted Mira, his grandfather, and a few of the older members. Gildarts was around, had seen Laxus carrying a very pale Lucy, and had taken up the responsibility of waking Wendy.

Both mages rushed through the door less than 5 minutes later, and Gildarts guided Wendy into the infirmary where Lucy lay. Wendy started working immediately, and stabilized Lucy as fast as she could. It took Wendy another 30 minutes of intensive care for Lucy to be in the clear, but she straightened her back and a confidence smile graced her young features.

"Laxus, she should be okay. She may need some more rest, but I think Lucy-nee will be awake within the hour." Wendy's confident little voice reached Laxus, and a part of him relaxed. He knew, however, that he wasn't in the clear. He had messed up in the caravan, and that he needed to give Lucy an honest apology. Annoyance seeped from every pore, Laxus hated being wrong, but his logical mind wouldn't let it go.

Wendy yawned, and made her way to the bed next to Lucy's and curled up under the blanket. She needed a nap after the work she did, and it was earlier than Wendy liked to wake. Her eyes drifted shut, and she was taken into the land of sweet dreams.

Lucy woke with a gasp, panic coursing through her blood stream like a drug. She scanned the room, taking in the appearance, and slowly began to calm. The infirmary, she was at least safe. Her keys were on the nightstand next to her, and Nanami's key was still in it's place. Lucy looked to her left, and saw a tangle of blue hair peeping out from under the covers of the next bed. The infirmary door creaked open, and Lucy's head snapped in that direction.

"Easy, it's just me." Laxus' somewhat irate voice carried through the spacious room. Lucy had been so busy with just trying to survive that the incident in the carriage had been momentarily forgotten. It now came back to her full force, and Lucy clenched her jaw and blinked her eyes. She would not cry in front of him, she wouldn't let him know how much it hurt.

Laxus could smell a slight amount of salt from Lucy, and knew it wasn't just sweat. No matter, he sat down on the side of Lucy's infirmary bed. He gave Lucy a peculiar look that she didn't understand.

"You know, you were right." Laxus said grumpily. Lucy gaped at him, but he continued talking. "We are connected by the lure, but I have no plans of just leaping into a relationship just because of it." The glared that Lucy leveled at him was intense, he was digging himself into a big hole. Laxus either didn't notice, or ignored her look, because he kept on talking. "That said, you are a brave and capable mage that I'd like to get to know better." Lucy made a silent "Oh" face. She understood now.

She had wanted Laxus because of the Lure, but had learned to appreciate him while they spent time together. Laxus didn't care about magical pairings, he wanted to know who Lucy was. That was a show of his character, and Lucy found she respected it.

"So, when I'm out of here…" Lucy trailed off, her idea hanging in the air between them. Laxus eyed Lucy, a smirk working its way into his features. Lucy couldn't help but blush when he did this; she found him so very attractive, and she wanted some sort of physical contact.

"Yeah, when Wendy gives you the go ahead, I'll take you out for lunch." Laxus was grinning now, and Lucy mirrored him with her own happy smile. Laxus leaned into her, and roughly brushed his rough lips against Lucy's cheek. His breath brushed against Lucy's ear, and she shivered. She grabbed onto the front of Laxus' shirt with one hand, and onto his shoulder with the other. Their faces were very close together, and Laxus was giving her a look that promised pleasure.

Wendy wiggled in her bed, signaling that she was beginning to wake. Both Laxus and Lucy turned to look at the bed with the little slayer, the heat between them had vanished. Lucy let her grip on Laxus go, and he got up from his seat on her bed.

"I'll see you later, Lucy." His eyes seemed to light up with little sparks of electricity that danced through the blue of his irises. Lucy gave him a look that clearly read 'this isn't over.' and the satisfied smile that Laxus exhibited excited her.

Lucy lay back into the slightly mushed pillow of the infirmary bed, and waited for Wendy to wake. It didn't take her long, and Lucy watched her sleepily rub her eyes.

"How are you feeling, Lucy-nee?" Wendy asked, as she sat up from her position in bed.

"Well, I'm restless. My magic feels very low still, but my body feels full of energy." Wendy listened and nodded along as Lucy spoke. She then hopped off the bed and made her way towards Lucy.

"Okay, I'm going to make sure you're stable and in good health, then you can go and get breakfast and take care of things. Please don't use magic for the next few days though. It will make you go into shock and it could kill you." Wendy explained patiently, and began to test Lucy's organs with her magic. It took her about five minutes, and Wendy sat back on her heels when she was done.

"You seem okay, Lucy. Take it easy though, get lots of rest, and be careful with yourself." Lucy sighed with relief, and began to get out of bed. She tested the strength of her legs, but quickly found that she was stable and capable of moving. Lucy was careful, but she was hungry, and so she went as quickly as she could to Mira.

Mira exited the back room to see a smiling Lucy sitting at the bar. She handed Lucy a plate of bacon, sausage, fresh fruit and a smoothie.

"Laxus order this for you. It was quite nice of him…" Mira said, smiling knowingly at Lucy.

"It's so yummy. Thank you Mira." Lucy said between mouthfuls. She let herself enjoy this, the peace of food, rest, and Mira. Lucy thought of Laxus, and the most recent development between the two of them. It was obviously nothing serious, but it was a start. She didn't let her mind wander to the place of work and how to restore the souls of her loved ones. She just let herself relax in the moment.

Lucy walked to her home, excited to have a shower and get into clean clothes. She padded her way down the familiar streets, find comfort in the cobblestones under her feet. She missed her home, and her bed, her clothes and her bathtub. She watched her apartment building come closer and closer with each step, and she found she was quickening her pace until Lucy nearly landed on her doorstep.

"Lucy!" The shout was quickly followed by a hug, and Lucy found herself surrounded by Erza's strong arms.

"Erza, I should've known you'd be in my house." Lucy smiled at her red haired friend, who continued to hug her tightly.

"You're okay, I'm so glad you're safe." Erza had let Lucy go, and was now checking her for injury. Lucy smiled and led Erza over to her kitchen table.

"So Erza, I have a date today, and I need to take a bath and get ready. Want to help?" Erza beamed when Lucy suggested they spend the rest of the morning together.

"Okay, so it's who I think it is, right?" When Lucy nodded, Erza's face gained a devilish grin, and Lucy mirrored it.

Lucy started to fill the tub, and put salts and essential oils in the water as it began to fill the big basin. Meanwhile Erza started pulling clothes out of her closet and setting aside the ones she thought were the best. Lucy came out of the bathroom, and plopped onto her bed.

"Hey Erza, what do you think he's like… you know, in a relationship?" Lucy asked, and Erza plopped down next to Lucy.

"I'm not sure, Lucy. You'll get to find out though." Erza said, smiling over at her best friend. Lucy turned her head to look at Erza, and a smile graced her young face. She would indeed be getting to know Laxus, and she'd begin that discovery in a few short hours when they went to lunch.


End file.
