DISCLAIMER: I do not own Fairy Tail. Only The Guardians and this story's plotline. c:

*not edited/proofread*

Chapter 13: Happy Birthday
"Please."

Previously in Fate...

The Games had started. The Guardians enter in rank two. Lucy and Sting see each other again, but only share short eye contact. Anna wins the first challenge.

- ~ ~ ~ -
Domus Flau, Crocus City, Fiore
July 1, X792

Kaze pounded the railing twice, taking out his frustration on it. "William, come on! Take this battle seriously!" he shouted. "You could have finished this earlier!" Though, his shouts only blended with the infinite others within the arena.

Lucy sighed as she massaged her forehead in exasperation. She rested a hand on his left shoulder, stealing away his attention for a moment. "It's hopeless, Kaze," she said as she looked at him.

Shante, who stood on Kaze's other side, shook her head and chuckled. "That's just how he is. He rarely takes these things seriously."

The Storm Guardian clutched the railing and trembled, his frustration once again getting a hold of him. After a few seconds, he let out a long breath, letting his body sag in defeat. There was a low chuckle, and the three of them turned to face Anna behind them.

"He'll be fine," she said while leaning on the gray, stone wall.

Kaze raised a finger. "We know he'll be fine," he pointed out. "But it's been ten minutes into the battle and all he's been doing is dodging all those ice animals. How can we win?" The cheers and shouts resounded louder all of a sudden, and Kaze glanced down to see William destroying three ice tigers with a huge polearm. "Well that's new."

The Ace beside him sighed. "Kaze, your impatience will someday be your downfall, I swear." She gave him a long, hard stare. "It's not like we're losing, anyway. We're in first place now, and even if we lose this - which I doubt - our place wouldn't change. There's no need to rush."

Kaze turned away and grumbled words under his breath. The girls on both sides smacked him hard on the back. He yelled in pain and fell on his knees, wincing as he nursed his back. He glared at the both of them. "What was that for?!"

"'What if this loss will cost us our victory,' you say?" Shante smiled at him. Her sweet tone made him flinch.

"I can't believe you are thinking we'll lose," Lucy spat, her eyes sending daggers to him.

"O-" Kaze gulped. "Okay. No negative thinking. I get it. Sorry."

The two girls nodded simultaneously before turning to the battle. Once he felt the hostile aura melting away, he sighed in relief. He stood up and stretched his back, the pain of the previous smack gone. Kaze walked to his previous spot between the girls again, placed his elbow on the railing, and then rested his chin on his palm.

Lucy gazed at him in the corner of her eyes. Satisfied that he seemed to be concentrating on the game and not anymore frustrated at William's efforts - or lack thereof - she looked at the battle at hand.

William was up against Lyon Vastia of Lamia Scale. The latter mage, though strong, should've been no match for William. If only William actually took this seriously, Lucy thought before sighing. Looking around, she deduced that a good number of the audience lost their interest. William and Lyon were like playing a game of tag - with Lyon and his ice creations doing the chasing and William doing the avoiding.

Lucy continued gazing at the battle, not even bothering to draw predictions on the participants' movements or even who the victor will be. Her eyes stared at William who stood emotionlessly before the three beasts lunging towards him. The girl sighed. And then he'll just dodge－

William's lips, almost intangible, moved to form inaudible words. A magic circle lit up below William's feet. Intricate circular patterns shone on his arms. As the three beasts pounced forward, their frigid fangs bared, two gigantic flaming fists crashed into them. Icy shards burst outwards and melted into the ground.

The Guardian mage stood in place, unmoved. The gigantic fists, which extended from William's own, merged into black, iron-clad, hammers. He moved his gaze to Lyon. The latter smirked, before gathering his fists together. William lowered his stance, and with one step - one single movement - he reappeared in front of the ice mage, crouched down and his arms poised behind him.

Loud cheers and shouts filled the air as the arena returned to life. Just as Lyon's lips formed the words to his next spell, William brought down the left hammer. A loud smash reverberated through the ground.

Beside her, Lucy watched in newly-restored excitement as her teammates grinned and cheered. She returned her gaze to the battle, expecting the emcee to announce their victory.

However, blue-white ice crept up the hammer, and coldness seeped out from under the magical iron mass. William moved his left arm up to lift the hammer, only for the weapon to crack and break under the extreme cold. He looked down towards where the ice mage should be, and moved his remaining weapon above Lyon to bring down his final hit.

Lyon, bruised and dirty, brought his fists together and called out, "Ice Make: Dragon!" A light blue magic circle appeared above him, and a huge ice dragon charged out, ramming into the iron hammer. Its fangs bit into the iron, and ice seeped into the mass.

William muttered more words under his breath. Immediately, purple flames engulfed the iron hammer. The dragon shrieked and moved away. Its frozen tail moved forward to lash at William.

The Guardian mage brought up his other hand forward as fast, silent words escaped his lips. A maroon magic circle appeared around his wrist, before shooting out towards the dragon's tail. Purple flames danced in its path, before merging with the magic circle to form a blazing wall.

Another incantation left his mouth, and his flaming hammer transformed into a sword. With one slash, William cut through the dragon, destroying it. He opened his fists and the weapon and wall dissipated, freeing both of his arms.

He turned his head to the side to see Lyon in position. Noticing Lyon's fists move once again, he lowered his stance and dashed towards him. Clenching and unclenching his left fist, William muttered another incantation. As he appeared right in front of the ice mage, purple flames engulfed his fist.

－A loud alarm rung throughout the arena. William stopped in his stance, his fist poised near Lyon's gut.

"It's a draw!" the emcee shouted. The whole arena replied with cheers.

William straightened himself and looked at Lyon. The latter smiled and brought up his hand for a handshake, only to be ignored. With a small nod, Willliam turned around and walked away towards the Guardians' balcony. Lyon shrugged and returned to his own team.

Lucy, along with the rest of her team - sans Anna, immediately greeted William upon his return. Kaze clapped his back and Shante brought her hand up for a hand-five. They, except for the brunette mage, disregarded the emcee's announcing of the next battle.

"Blue Pegasus' Eve Thylm versus Fairy Tail's Gray Fullbuster!"

Upon hearing Fairy Tail, Lucy turned around. Her gaze flitted towards Gray as he walked towards the center of the field. Her ears blocked out the emcee's comments and the arena's cheers as images danced through her vision.

Gray's shaking back as he sat in front of the giant, frozen Deliora.

"Gray... You're crying?"

"No, I wasn't!"

Amongst the fleeting images of an island, a monster, and strange, unfamiliar mages, another person stood out - one that looked like Lyon. No, he is Lyon.

Her confusion brought her back to reality. Looking to her left, she studied Lyon Vastia, baffled questions crossing her mind.

I'm supposed to know him, too? Even though he isn't from Fairy Tail? How is he related to Gray?

Just... What is the meaning of all these images?

A snap cut her reverie. Beside her, Shante eyed her curiously, though there was a slight hint of recognition in her eyes. "What's wrong?"

Lucy waved her question off. "It's nothing. I just got lost in thought."

"Heh," Shante drawled. She rested her arm on the railing and leaned forward. She glanced at the starting battle, then at Lucy. "I recommend talking to Master about those thoughts, or even me, if you want."

Lucy froze, shock embedded on her features. Her eyes gazed at Shante in disbelief as the latter smiled.

Shante turned her head to face Lucy as she continued, "I don't know what kind of memories have been triggered today, whether they're important or not, but I'm sure Sakura would appreciate being confided to." She raised her left hand and gently held Lucy's right shoulder. A kind, understanding smile grazed her lips. "She wants to help you figure out yourself - slowly, so you won't be overwhelmed. We don't want to force you, but at the same time, you shouldn't keep these to yourself. We're here to help."

A warm feeling coursed within Lucy, and she returned the smile with her own. Nodding, she turned her gaze to the battle, at Gray, at Fairy Tail, before returning to the girl beside her. "Okay. I'll remember that. Thank you."

Shante nodded and removed her hand from Lucy's shoulder. "How about resting your mind for a while? Maybe get some water for us five?"

Lucy's eyes flitted between Shante, the others, and the battle. She mulled over the thought, before shrugging and nodding. "Alright."

The Guardian Ace smiled, before transferring her focus to the battle.

Lucy studied her other teammates - Kaze was grinning as he talked to William; William only responded with nods and silence; Anna stood beside them, eyes focused on the battle. She glanced towards her guild among the audience, finding Sakura in the center, talking to Amy.

We're here to help.

Lucy smiled and moved towards the balcony entrance to look for refreshments. Thank you.

The water and juice she held in her arms swished with her every step. Lucy grumbled as she held the bottles in her arms. She wasn't sure how much she should bring, but thinking of Kaze, she decided to ask for extra helpings. She should have specified the measurements beforehand.

As she neared her team's balcony, their voices - aside from William's of course - reached her ears.

"Why are you comparing her with Rozzi?" Kaze said. Rozzi?

She heard Anna's voice next. "Master Sakura thinks their situations may be similar."

"You mean the amnesia?"

"But the two are different, though. Rozzi's case was..." Shante trailed off.

"They're different people with different histories. That's what I believe. And I－"

"Who are you guys talking about?" Lucy piped up, though her voice was slightly disgruntled with the amount of weight she held in her arms. Her question interrupted Anna, and made the others stiffen. William walked up to the brunette and took some of the bottles off her arms, bringing them with him. She mumbled thanks before walking towards her place beside Shante. "Who's Rozzi?"

Shante smiled at her and took three bottles from her grasp. "A member you haven't met," she answered.

Still confused, Lucy stared at her. "But why were we being compared?"

Shante shook her head and patted Lucy's back. "It's nothing special. Just forget it," she assured.

She couldn't meet Lucy's eyes.

Lucy doubted that it was 'nothing special', but decided to shrug it off.

While she was gone, two battles had finished and the current one was the fourth. Her gaze landed on the female mage brandishing magical cards as she fought against another female in a cat costume. The dark brown insignia on the card-wielder's stomach took Lucy's attention.

Without her sensing, her right hand twitched.

Fairy Tail, huh.

As she walked through the busy night life of Crocus, Lucy glanced up to the stars and sighed in content. The night was young and the air buzzed with excitement. Her team was pretty bummed out after moving down from first to second place, but that fueled them more. After all, it's more exciting if it's more challenging.

Lucy looked down in front of her, eyeing the few plants decorating the streets and path towards the park. For the third time that night, she wondered why the guild was so intent on keeping her out of the inn. In her hands, she held the list of things Anna told her to do before she enters. The list included, but was not limited to: take a walk around the whole city, talk to townspeople, and buy a few things she wanted from stores. The words 'do not eat' was written and underlined in red ink. Her eyebrows scrunched up in thought, and her eyes narrowed in accusation. Is this a prank?

The girl looked up from the paper and noticed she was near the park. At this time of night, everyone was in the busy parts of the city, which meant there was hardly anyone in the vicinity. Since her feet were starting to ache, Lucy decided it wouldn't hurt anyone if she were to rest. She walked towards the wide park surrounded by a thin line of trees and decorated with shrubbery and flower bushes. In a clearing in the middle stood a pristine white fountain. Dirt paths and benches ladened the areas around it.

Lucy stepped into one of the dirt paths leading to the fountain, but stopped as she caught sight of a man standing ten meters or so from wouldbe staying out under the stars all by themselves? Well, aside from her, that is. Letting curiosity get the better of her, Lucy crept closer in order to recognize the man. A soft, almost whispered voice almost knocked her off balance.

"Happy birthday, Luce."

She froze. The place was deserted, save for that one person. There was no other source it could have originated from, she was sure of it. This time, it wasn't any of the strange thoughts plaguing her mind. It wasn't only a voice in her head. This time, it's real.

She gulped, before slowly creeping closer. As she saw a tear trickle down the person's left cheek, for a second she doubted what she's seeing. But then she realized with a jolt, as she carefully examined the person's messy hair, chiseled jaw, and broad shoulders, that her eyes weren't betraying her. And she realized too that she was a second too late to notice a small, nearby bush. The moment her foot made contact and the bush rustled, she sent desperate prayers to the stars and the Celestial King chanting 'He did not hear that', 'Please, please prove me wrong', and 'It is not him. Gosh, please.'

But even a tiny rustle would never escape his enhanced sense.

He jerked his head towards her direction.

She froze. Her breath hitched in her throat.

Shit. No. You?

Lucy stared at him, aghast. Her mouth widened in her surprise, and she didn't care if she looked like a stupid fish out of water. "Erm, um. I－ er, hi?" was the most intelligent response she can manage. A normal human wouldn't be able to hear her high-pitched squeak, but unfortunately this guy wasn't human.

Unlike her slack-jawed and ungraceful reaction, Sting wiped his stray tear and stood straight and tall with confidence - as if he wasn't seen crying ten seconds ago. He eyed Lucy with a mixture of annoyance, confusion, hurt, and embarrassment.

"What are you doing here?" he questioned. His tone was sharp and defensive, making the girl flinch. Sting didn't care about scaring her. Or at least he didn't show it.

"Erm. Um." For the love of all stars above, form an actual sentence, damn it. "Er, Sting, right?" She cursed herself in her mind.

Sting's gaze darkened, already close to glaring at her. He didn't answer.

Lucy looked at the bench nearby, then to the grass - lovely grass, then to the stars - please save me. "Erm." She looked back down and squirmed. "What are you doing here?"

If there was anyone watching, the scene would have looked like a starry night rendezvous. Only a weird one. After all, the guy was around eight feet or so away from her. And she's sure she looked like she was about to pee herself. So really, she wished no one was around.

"What are you doing here?" Sting repeated, this time much more demanding.

Lucy gulped and felt her toes curl inwards. "I..." she started."I was out on a walk. To...you know, stargaze. Isn't the night sky just amazing?" She chuckled awkwardly. Even while blabbering, Lucy already felt like slapping herself.

After a few moments of silence, Lucy looked up to see Sting walking over to the bench. She doesn't know if she should feel relieved that he didn't question her any further or insulted that he walked out on her. Thank goodness, anyway, she thought to herself as she let out a breath she didn't know she was holding. Her gaze wandered over to the blonde man already sitting not so far from her, his eyes blank as he gazed up at the stars.

As she studied him - she swore it wasn't in a creepy way - she can't help but compare his current mood to the one from this morning. She recalled his annoying smirks and loud, boastful voice. She recalled his neatly styled blonde hair and glimmering eyes.

Then with a jolt, she realized that she was witnessing a rare sight. This was Sting Eucliffe. The real, genuine Sting Eucliffe.

Contrary to his countenance last time she saw him, his aura had made a drastic change. The proud and confident way he carried himself disappeared, replaced by this vulnerability. His handsome features - it pained her to admit that - replaced by his tears and sullen eyes. His supposed-to-be-perfect hair replaced by his now messy one, which he probably ran his hand through in his frustration.

She stood conflicted in her place, her heart hammering louder and louder in her chest. She squirmed and shifted around, unsure whether to sit beside him or leave. As he glanced at her, lowered his head, and hid his face, she can't help but feel all her previous annoyance at him slowly wither away.

"Get out and leave me alone," he growled in a low voice, his tone dripping with both pain and aggravation.

She froze, willing herself to ignore the surging pain inside her at his words. She opened her mouth, hoping to say something at least borderline comforting.

"Please."

One word, said with so much more pain than annoyance, made her speechless. Lucy gulped and lowered her gaze to the ground. She nodded her head, before remembering that he couldn't see such an action. Finally able to move herself from her frozen state, she turned and walked down the path she had followed going in.

As she neared the park's boundaries, she glanced behind her at Sting's crestfallen form. She almost stopped in place again, but she forced herself to turn away and leave. Her legs were starting to ache from the amount of walking she'd done in just this night. So much for the rest she wanted.

Shaking her head, she headed for Hibiscus Inn, throwing away all thoughts about the weird list Anna gave her. But what replaced these thoughts was Sting - his face, his words, his sudden change.

Lucy sighed, muttering and wondering what exactly made Sting so bipolar.

It took her another half hour before she glimpsed Hibiscus Inn's bright flowery sign. A relieved breath escaped her lips. She trudged towards the door, quickening her steps. She wanted nothing else but to lay down and sleep the rest of her night away.

She pushed open the door, anticipating the smell of alcohol, bread, and sweat and the loud voices of her guildmates.

"Happy birthday!"

The loud shouts and cheers that welcomed her instead stunned her in her place. Lucy stammered out short confused sounds even she cannot understand.

Everyone's laughter echoed throughout the inn, out the open door, and into the night. Anna and Kaze walked towards her, a bright grin on Kaze's and an amused smile on Anna's face.

"Wait, guys, what's going on?" Confused, Lucy's gaze flittered from one teammate to the other. They arrived at a center table and Kaze sat Lucy down on the only chair. The brunette's eyes widened upon seeing the galore of pastries and cuisines laid out in front of her. A feeling she couldn't place crept up her spine. "It's my birthday?!"

Kaze rolled his eyes. "Well yeah, if it wasn't that obvious."

Anna punched his gut. Behind him, Vulcano snickered.

"B-but, how did-? I mean..." Lucy glanced at her guildmates, her gaze looking for her Master. "I don't even know about it myself."

"I found out about it." The woman she was looking for emerged from the kitchen, flour dusted on her apron and some on her face. She carried with her hands a big, two-layered chocolate and vanilla cake. A bright smile shone on her face.

Her stomach was growling, but the confusion on Lucy's face grew even more. "Huh? How?"

Master Sakura giggled and shrugged. "That's a secret." She walked to the table and put down the huge delicacy. At that, the guild once again cheered and made their way towards the center. Lucy stared at them in confusion and elatedness, before a thought struck her. If it's my birthday...

－"Happy birthday, Luce."

Lucy shivered. No, no. I'm being paranoid again, she told herself. She rubbed her elbows and then reached for her plate. T-there are plenty other girls out there with the same nickname as I have anyway.

"What's wrong?" Kaze asked from beside her, his hazel eyes eyeing her with curiousity.

She shook her head and reached for chicken and a slice of cake. "It's nothing."

...Right?

.chapter end.

Next time on Fate...

Lucy made her way out of her team's balcony, her mind set on talking to Master Sakura. So many thoughts plagued her mind, and she wanted nothing else but to clear her head. Set her mind at rest. Relax. Focus.

She closed her eyes, took a deep breath, then opened them once more. She was met with stone hallways, and to her left and right, even more of them.

No way.

Lucy sighed and clutched her head. Focusing on the cheers, she tried to pinpoint the right direction she had to go to. Turning a corner, she bumped into someone.

She looked up, and her brown eyes met last night's piercing blue.

(A/N)

More and more encounters! Muahahaha.

...Then again, I really should update more. Now, I want to finish this story so I can move on to another project. *Sigh*.

Don't forget to leave a vote or some thoughts! I'd love to hear what you think. :)

- jyllian