I want to say thank you so much for the support! I'm sorry for the delay in an update, but here it is and I'm excited for it! I hope you enjoy this chapter!

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09| KINGDOM OF STELLA 

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It had been three and a half months since that day in Crocus, and two months since the due date of Lucy's contract. The blonde was aware that the reason they moved to the Kingdom of Stella was the single fact to keep her away from the others at the guild.

Yes she knew that the Guild, her pervious family, was now back together. Even if the brother's went through the trouble to hide it from her and lie saying maybe it would be a good idea for a fresh start for this next chapter of the upcoming year, they could only hide the tabloids from her for so long.

Loke had tried to convince her that this was her chance to finally leave, to be free and go back with her family, but at this point she didn't mind where she was at, she justed wanted to be left alone. The past year had gone by fast, a blur really but it went by and in that year Lucy was okay with who she was with. She came to terms with what they were, and despite their murderous intentions for some people and rudeness and slightly psychotic tendencies, she knew they had a sense of right and wrong deep down. That they had humanity and that they cared in their own ways, for her and Yui.

It was a bit unnerving for most of the men of the house when Lucy decided to stay in her room mostly, sometimes now lashing out when she was bothered. Somewhere the blonde had gained anger issues, but they knew it was a natural aggression that grew out of her own emotions, at least that was they were told by Reiji and Ruki, who had both spoken to Lucy on the side.

It was when Laito had bothered her that they saw a new streak of violence. He had suggested something to her, more likely something carnal, and it made the blonde grab the nearest thing, which happened to be a snow globe, and whirled it at the fedora wearing red head.

"You errotic asshole, go bother someone else!" Lucy snapped, her brown eyes hard with anger.

"Lucy." Shuu had touched her shoulder, and in that instance the female blonde had relaxed.

"So you've tamed her?" Laito snickered, his green eyes narrowing in visible distaste and displeasure at how close the two were.

Lucy shook, turning her head up in the air. "If being a tamer means having human decency, then yes, he has. Plus I like him more than I like you, pervert."

With that Lucy had spun on her heels, slamming the door of the parlor shut and Shu sighed. He looked over at Laito, and shook his head.

"Somethings different with her." Shuu pointed out the obvious.

It was then Yuma came in, blinking owlishly. He then glanced over his shoulder at the hallways, then over at the two brothers. "What the hell did you two idiots do to make her that mad?"

Laito shrugged, not really caring much that he managed to get on the blonde's bad side again. It wasn't anything new with her mood swings. He enjoyed getting a rise out of her, liked to get her blood pumping in her veins. That good girl act she had met them with was finally dwindling.

"I simply asked her if she would like it rough on the floor or against the wall later tonight since I'm feeling a bit needy." Laito simply said nonchalant, smirking when he heard the two low growls from his brother and half blood.

He didn't expect the fist to the face from Yuma, who moved faster than Shu had registered. Yet before Laito could fall to the floor from the impact, Yuma gripped the collar of his blazer and jerked him upright and got in his face.

"If you ever disrespect her in that way again, or ever touch a single blonde strand of her hair without her consent, I will kill you, you dirty pureblood." Yuma snarled out, shoving Laito back hard against the wall.

It had been the one and only time Shuu ever witness Yuma protecting Lucy in such brotherly manner, other than the night of the full moon, that her was reminded that they were kin. If Yuma was taking Lucy on as kin then the other Mukami's would as well and it was a headache waiting to happen. It was also problematic when it came to the time of wedding vows.

"I wonder what Melons and Pancake are doing in the kitchen." Ayato muttered, walking into the new parlor room where the others seemed to be. "She hasn't laughed like that in a while."

Kou looked up from his magazine, and sweat dropped. "Lucy and Yui were painting the kitchen after much convincing on Reiji's and Ruki's part thanks to Yui, but I'm sure the two got into a paint war."

"How are you sure about that?" Ayato asks, plopping down into a chair in the living room.

Kou merely pointed to the corner of the room, where a growl now sounded as it left the kitchen. Turning his head, Ayato snickered seeing Subaru covered in white paint.

"I think that might be your foundation color, albino." Yuma says with a smirk, earning another growl from Subaru and a snicker from Ayato, Laito and Kou.

"Watch it, half blood." Subaru snarled, eyes flashing in warning as he went to wipe the pain of his face.

"Don't wipe it off, it makes you look better. Hides those frown lines." Yuma smirked, popping a sugar cube into his mouth.

Subaru's fist clenched as he suppressed the urge to bash Yuma's face in. If he caused a commotion now, it would ruin the good mood Yui seemed to put Lucy in. He had seen his own mother go distant, and slowly but surely fall into a depression. He was also a constant reminder of his father and how he hurt his mother, so that didn't help her either.

When Lucy had started to keep to herself , it worried him honestly. Sure he didn't interact much with the blonde, but he wasn't completely heartless. She didn't cry anymore, and she didn't talk about her guild. It was like she finally just stopped caring about them. That or she became numb, and he wasn't sure which was worse.

Yui seemed to be the only one besides Kou to make her laugh, and he hated it. He hated how Kou could make her smile, and sure enough so did Shuu. Subaru had caught Shuu eavesdropping a few time, and it was the first time he had seen Shuu upset and jealous. Sure the blond would never admit it, but Subaru honestly believed his eldest brother felt something for the blonde. 

"Subaru!" Lucy called, running out of the kitchen and jumping on his back with a grin. "Run from Yui!" 

It was then he could smell the booze on Lucy, strong on her and he wrinkled his nose. How much had this woman drank? He wasn't sure, but the way her arms and legs wrapped around him was anywhere near decent and he grunted when her heel made contact with his groin. Dropping Lucy, the white tipped paint brush went flying, splattering the three vampires sitting and Subaru doubled over.

The laughter of Subaru's pain ceased, and the sound of two growls fell of deaf ears.

"Oi Melons!" Ayato snapped, frowning when Lucy let out a little whine of being dropped, tears in her brown eyes.

By now Yuma had stood up, not caring if he was splattered with white paint nor about Subaru's little accident. No, instead he kneeled next to Lucy and checked her over. He had smelled the booze the moment she stepped out of the kitchen, and it got him a little worried.

"Let's get you to bed." Yuma muttered, going to pick her up. 

"No." Lucy tried to push his arms aways, but to no avail. He scooped her up and cradled her in his arms. "Yuma, let me down."

Yuma only held her tighter, and  looked down at her. "No. What would your mother say if she saw you drunk?"

That got Lucy to be quiet, turning her head away and let Yuma carry her back up stairs. Mean while, Yui popped her head out with a nervous look looking at Kou, Laito, Ayato and Subaru. She was happy that Lucy was happy, even if it was temporary. 

"You let her get drunk?" Kou asks, tilting her head. "Where did she get the drink from?"

Yui sweat dropped, "She spilt liquor on her, but she was actually given a relaxing tea by Reiji to calm her nerves. It was something he asked her to try, and she did.

Ayato and Laito looked at each other and said deadpanned, "He gave her drugs."

Kou choked on air, eyes wide. "He would actually give her drugs?"

"It might have been some type of anti-depressants." Subaru suggested, because Lucy had at least come out of her room. 

Yui sighed, then looked at Kou. "Can you help me finish the kitchen since my war partner is gone?"

"War.. partner?" Kou asked.

"Well, painting partner." Yui corrected with a small smile.

Meanwhile upstairs, Yuma had laid Lucy in bed, even tucking her in. She was silent now, back turned away from Yuma. Recently he had been getting more memories, and he had actually found a letter that had been addressed to him. Where it came from, he didn't know but Ruki believed it could have been magic keeping it hidden from Lucy until he was here with her, and it made everything a lot more clear to him. 

Edgar,

I don't know if you will ever see this letter or if you will ever find your way home, but if you do manage to find your way back to Lucy, please keep her safe. She doesn't know the truth about your disappearance with your mother, and for that I am sorry. You were never supposed to be there with your mother and I. 

You see, Lucy was born to open the Eclipse Gate. Anna Heartfilia, our ancestor from four hundred years ago, opened the gate to send the dragon slayers through, and since that was in the past someone in the future had to open it. It would have killed her, Edgar, so your mother and I opened it instead. 

Unfortunately you came out of no where, and you and your mother suddenly disappeared the moment the dragon slayers emerged. My magic was drained completely leaving me with a magic draining disease, which means I will die soon. I hope then you and your mother will be back and stay with Lucy. I can't think of how lonely she would be with just her father.

If you ever come home and if you ever read this letter, please protect Lucy. Don't let her touch the Eclipse Gate, don't let her live an unhappy life. You used to always tell her you were her big brother,  and that you would make sure she was happy. Do not tell her the truth until the time is right and she needs to know, keep this letter a secret to yourself. 

I love you very much Edgar, and I hope you come home soon.

-Layla

At first Yuma wasn't sure what the hell a dragon slayer was, but then he remembered something Lucy had said about her guild. At least three of them were dragon slayers, meaning they came through that portal. Meaning they had been the reason her mother died. Right now, Lucy wouldn't be able to even handle news like that.

He then realized he had a promise to keep, and he had done a horrible job at keeping it. Sighing, he sat next to Lucy's form, who wouldn't turn to look at him. He didn't know how to do this, how to get her to talk or be all open. Hell, he didn't know how to be a brother to a sister, or a cousin whatever the hell they were. They were related, that's all he knew.

"Are you going to pout all day?" Yuma asks, wincing at his tone of voice.

"I'm not pouting, I just don't want to see your ugly face." Lucy muttered. "That might actually make me cry."

Yuma scowled at that, "Why you insolent-"

"Why are you acting like you care all of a sudden?" Lucy cuts him off. "You don't know my mother, so for you to think you have the right to mention her to me is out of line. Besides I'm not drunk."

Yuma ran a hand through his hair, grunting as he tried to think of something. He had nothing, but maybe it was time to just be truthful for most of the parts he could tell her. Looking over his shoulder, he huffed a little breath.

"Because I'm remembering bits and pieces. Of you being my cousin." Yuma admits. "It's bits and pieces, and I realize you need someone in your corner. I'm willing to try, Lucy, but you have to work with me here."

Lucy sat up, looking at Yuma with sad brown eyes. "I don't know how too. How can I be sure you won't leave me too?" She asks, pulling her blankets around her tighter.

It reminded Yuma of a scared little girl with the world on her shoulders. He was seeing the loneliness in her eyes now, even if the Sakamaki's cared for her somewhat, they couldn't sustain her human heart. Unless they were planning on turning her, which Yuma wasn't sure he felt about.

"I won't leave my only blood family behind." Yuma says softly, out of character. He reached out and pulled her into a hug, recalling one thing from Layla's letter. "I promise you little sister."

That seemed to set Lucy into a wave of new tears and she gripped his shirt, yet these tears seemed to be out of happiness.

"I missed you, big brother." Lucy whispered, hugging him tight and not wanting to let go. She was scared he'd disappear again.

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Three and a half months ago the Fairy Tail guild got back together, with the occasional few members missing that had to travel their way back after being informed of the news. It was like nothing had changed when they first got there. Of course the wounds from the Tartaros battle had healed, mostly, for everyone, but they lingered there still.

Somehow the members of Fairy Tail seemed to have grown and matured, holding a sense of wisdom and strength that wasn't there before. For a single moment it was all okay, everything was normal and it seemed like nothing could tear them down.

Nothing for a single question that contained three simple words.

"Where is Lucy?"

It was no surprise that Natsu had been the one to ask first, to take a notice of the missing blonde that brightened the guild up with her smile. She was the light of Fairy Tail, so where the hell was she at? Why wasn't she here with her family?

The questioned caught most of the other guild members attention, causing a little stir of realization and the mutter of an echo question Natsu had just asked. Erza glanced at Wendy and Gray, the only other two who knew of the truth, besides the two blue and white exceeds.

Yet in the background, Juvia sat watching the scene with a thoughtful expression. Jellal had brought her home, swearing her to say nothing of what she knew. Not until he understood everything himself, then they could tell the others. Her eyebrows scrunched in worry. What exactly was Lucy doing and where was she? Juvia hoped her love rival was okay and safe.

"We waited to tell any of you this until the guild was back together." Erza started, looking over at Makarov and Laxus, who were not informed either. Due to the fact Erza was highly positive the other Dragon Slayers, that being Gajeel and Natsu, would over hear and tell since the runes were not back up on the guildhall as of yet.

"Waited to tell us what?" Levy asks, a frown forming on her lips.

Erza took a deep breath, "I was unable to locate Lucy, as of now her location is unknown."

Just like that, the guild went to chaos faster than shit hitting the fan. Yells over yells on what was going on and what happened to Lucy, all meshed together. Yet Erza could only focus on Natsu, on how his hair shadowed his eyes and she tensed in anticipation.

"Silence!" Makarov yelled, an overgrown fist slamming on a nearby table. Silence followed the demand, and with that the old man looked over at Erza again. "Explain what you mean and tell what you know of this situation."

"When Laxus informed me that the guild was getting back together, I asked to tell Lucy myself. From what I understood before we parted ways, she was going to remain her in Magnolia in her home on Strawberry Street." Erza paused and took in a breath. "I went to her home, only to find out she left a month after we all did. Apparently it was too hard for her to remain here in town."

"Is that it?" Gajeel asked gruffly, raising an eyebrow. "She might have just moved further away than you anticipated and you're worrying for no reason."

"No." Gray cut in, shaking his head. "Lucy left behind the letters she wrote her mother, which were highly important to her. She also left behind things that she had, like photos of the guild and clothing."

"Things that she could have packed in the Celestial Realm with Virgo's help." Levy added, earning a nod.

"Maybe she just didn't want them anymore." Gajeel kept going, grunting after earning an elbow to his side from Levy that he wasn't expecting from the shrimp.

Erza sighed, "I wished it was that. I decided to follow the only lead on Lucy that lead me to Crocus."

"She wasn't there?" Cana asked this time, frowning as well.

"No." Erza stated bluntly. "This is what had me worried, knowing Lucy it isn't normal. She gotten a job at Sorcery Weekly as an Editor in training under the reporter Jason. She lived in Crocus in an apartment for about two weeks, and then she suddenly left. A month and a half later she left her job, and since then there had been no spotting of Lucy."

Juvia bit her lips, knowing she had seen Lucy not even a week and a half ago with some man. A man Jellal claimed to come from another world. It could mean Lucy was in danger, or maybe she was okay. Juvia wasn't sure. She had seen Lucy come out of that bar looking upset, and the way the man wrapped his arms around her and looked at her, it seemed like he loved her.

Yet Lucy stomped off and Jellal made her promise. It was hard, but Juvia bit her lip to keep herself quiet. She would give Jellal time, something told her he needed to figure out what was going on with that other man.

"Lucy just upped and left?" Levy asked, eyes wide. "Lucy had a dream to be a writer, and she had the chance?! She wouldn't just leave!"

"That's why we're worried." Wendy says softly. "We don't have a clue where she is, and we don't know what she went through in the Tartaros battle. We were all incapable of fighting, and when were woke up from that state, the Celestial King was there. What Lucy did, we don't know. What if she couldn't get past that battle?"

Natsu's fist were clentched, and slowly he raised his head to look right at Erza. "Why didn't you say anything sooner?! We could have already been out there looking for her! What if she's hurt!? What if she's all alone!?"

"Which is funny you would say." Gray snapped, his dark blue eyes narrowed on the fire dragon slayer. "You were the one who left her behind first, so don't get mad with the rest of us, fire breath."

"You wanna go, Ice Princess?" Natsu growled, first igniting.

Gray's body took a fighting stance, glaring Natsu down, "I've been waiting to kick your ass the moment I knew you left her all alone with nothing but a letter. WHo knew you knew how to read and write."

Natsu said nothing as he lunged towards Gray, throwing fiery punches as Gray used different ice makes. The other mages of the guild moved away, knowing that the two had to duke this out. The aggression of this battle was more than friendly fighting, it was out of actual anger.

The two fire and ice mages were sending each other flying against the walls and tables, colliding with bruising forces. Surprisingly they had eventually cancelled out their magic and were solely going hand to hand, colliding fists into cheeks and sides.

"She was sad!" Gray yelled, grabbing Natsu and shaking him. "She was sad and you left her! You were the one she trusted the most Natsu!"

"You don't think I know that!" Natsu yelled back, shoving Gray away and sending a punch his way that the ice mage dodged. "You left her too!"

Gray went to hit Natsu again, but this time Erza intervened by standing in the middle. "This isn't going to bring her back boys. It was all of our faults. We all left her, not just Natsu."

Gray was breathing deeply, refusing to look at Natsu due to his anger and Natsu only looked down because of his guilt. He left her behind, and she was sad. He left her alone and sad, doing nothing to make her smile that smile he missed.

Cana then called their attention, including the rest of the guild "While you two were throwing your hissy fit, I went ahead and did a card reading for Lucy."

Mira noticed Cana's frown, "What did her reading say?"

"The Hermit, The Chariot, and The Lovers." Cana says, looking up. She didn't understand it.

"Which means?" Mira poked for more information, slightly excited about the Lover card.

"The Hermit and Chariot card are reversed which means loneliness, isolation and losing your ways. That's for the Hermit, for The Chariot it means lack of control, lack of direction and aggression." Cana didn't like those two cards, they just didn't match Lucy at all. "The Lovers means partnerships, duality and union."

"Union?" Mira inquired, wondering if Lucy met someone.

Cana nodded. "These cards are telling me that Lucy is lost with a lack of control and direction. She's lost her way and she's angry. It's also telling me in her future she will have a unions, more than likely through marriage, and right now she seems to have new partnerships. With who, I don't know."

Natsu was quiet, not liking the sound of any of this at all.

No one did.

During those three months and a half months, everyone took missions and kept an eyes out for Lucy. No one found her but they wouldn't stop looking. They even put out missing posters around the towns they went on missions too, hoping someone would one day call and report a sighting of her, to give them a lead. To give them anything at this point.

It was still tense between Gray and Natsu, but the fire dragon slayer hadn't been the same the past few months since discovering Lucy was missing. He was quiet, taking solo missions, recently without Happy. Lisanna was worried for him, but he wouldn't even let her close anymore.

"He's worried and guilty." Happy admitted to her, missing Lucy as well.

Lisanna smiled sadly at Happy, pulling him against her chest in a hug. "She'll come home one of these days Happy. She just isn't ready yet." She tried her best to reassure him.

Levy was always trying to find her best friend. Even with Gajeels help, him muttering that something was rubbing him the wrong way about this. He did notice that Juvia was oddly quiet, and for a moment he wondered if she knew anything. Yet anytime he gotten close to her, she was quick to leave.

He and she both knew that he was the only one able to see through her, and Juvia knew something.

"Gray, Juvia, Erza, Natsu, Happy, Wendy, Carla, Gajeel, Lily and Levy- can you all come up for a moment?" Master Makarov called, and in no time the ones called were up in his off.

Most were hopeful for something on Lucy, maybe a lead but it was anything but that. Instead Master Makarov held a very serious facial expression, and they were prepared for bad news.

"I know you wanted something on Lucy, but as of right now her location is unknown. Instead I was given a mission for you from the King of Fiore himself." Makarov explains, taking a deep breath. "Which means I need each and everyone of you to be focused. This mission is a highly sensitive mission."

"What is this mission, Master?" Erza was the one to ask, understanding that this was of high importance that involved life or death.

"Natsu and his team were enlisted for the mission specifically, but I believe Juvia, Gajeel, Lily and Levy would help as well." Makarov says, looking them in the eyes.

"Your mission is to go to the Kingdom of Stella to retrieve the stolen staff called Dragon Cry."

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Gah so what where your thoughts on this chapter? I loved the Yuma and Lucy interactions, and I also loved writing the Fairy Tail part. I hope you did as well! If you have character interactions you'd like to see, please tell me who and I'll try my best!

Please please leave me a comment and a vote!