Disclaimer: I don't own Fairy Tail v.v;

Fairy where are you going?
I'm holding, all the light on to your way;
(hikari zenbu atsumete)
this light will shine upon a brand new day!
(kimi no ashita terasu yo)

Desert Fairy
Chapter OO8;
Moonlit Lake

. . . .

"I am Erza Scarlet!"

The young dragon slayer let out a loud roar of fire as he practiced his entrance to the Magic Council. Chane bumped her forehead with her palm in a desperate attempt to hold back from lashing out at the boy, "Erza doesn't breath fire." She tried to remind him in exasperation. Oh, what was the use! Chane was vividly aware that Natsu would not listen to a word she had to say.

He was too fired up to listen to anyone, as he continued to shout verbal threats to the council, even though there was no way anyone could hear him from outside of the magic branch. Chane, of course, didn't bother to tell him this.

The flame spewing salamander was dressed in a blue skirt they had stolen from someone's drying laundry, followed by two wine barrels at both of his wrist, making it seem as though it were some cheap cosplay costume. Chane had even decided to help by breaking the end of a red mop they found perched against someone's door step, and balanced it on his head for makeshift red hair. Chane was way passed trying to reason with the boy, and instead decided to help by adding to his misery.

She had already decided to use Natsu as bait in order to slip passed the Rune Knights. She didn't feel too guilty about betraying the poor boy, considering his plan was sure to flop even without her help. Chane silently formed a plan in head; Natsu barges in and causes a riot in the court room while she snuck through the halls to quickly retrieve the Lullaby. Now that was a plan she could work with.

Completely oblivious to how idiotic he looked, Natsu fixed the mop-style wig on his head, heatedly shouting, "Are you ready?! Let's go show that stupid magic council who's boss!"

"Right after you!" Chane cheerfully replied as she watched the boy charge into through the doors.

Natsu barged through the doors relentlessly, startling the seated council members who sat in a section above Erza, who had been standing on a podium before them in handcuffs. She jumped from the sudden force, red locks of hair flying forward against her face as she heard the familiar voice of her companion from behind her, "I am the armor clad wizard you all have been looking for!"

He then proceeded to let out a roar of fire, "Just try and catch me! I dare you!"

Everyone remained silent, completely shocked by the boy's sudden appearance. Natsu's eye twitched in annoyance from the lack of a response, "I'm Erza, dammit!"

He let out another roar of fire, running around the room in a panic frenzy to capture their attentions. "Do you really think the stuff I've destroyed is more important then the guild masters lives?!"

Natsu finished off by pointing at them with a proud grin, believing he had done a good days worth of work. Erza let out a pathetic sigh, "I am so sorry."

"What are you doing Erza, there's no need to apologize to these council jerks-! I mean.. I AM ERZA!"

...

"Thanks Flame boy," Chane muttered indifferently, feeling no guilt as she was sure the pink haired boy would be handcuffed any moment now. The boy's part was done, and for all Chane was concerned; good riddance to him. These Fairy Tail wizards were beginning to become a pain in her ass, seeing as they managed to make her seemingly normal mission ten times more difficult. Emerald eyes scanned the room.

Empty. Next room.

She wandered down the halls in a quick, but silent haste as she checked door from door to see if any had occupied her flute. Coming up short handed, and reaching the last door in the hall, Chane sucked in a deep breath as she placed her hand on the door knob, preparing to open it..

Evil.. Her hand faltered only slightly, ..something behind this door, ...is incredibly dangerous.

If her instincts told her to flee, then the girl knew better then to doubt them. Taking a step back, Chane felt her heart begin to race as the door knob twisted from the other side, and then gently swung open.

Chane was surprised by how beautiful the black haired woman who emerged from the door had been. Her long hair swayed down to her waist, with bangs that parted directly across her forehead, framing her face perfectly. The woman looked amused as she peered down at Chane. "Oh?" A grin formed her red lips that made the girl feel at slight unease, "Well now, you sure are determined to complete your mission, aren't you?"

She slipped passed Chane without another word, leaving the door open for Chane to enter through. Frozen in her place, the choppy blue haired girl did all that she could to stop her hands from shaking. 'The evil energy.. it's gone.'

Questions later, for now- action! Chane dashed into the room quickly as though she were being chased by wild boars, and quickly shut the door behind her. Breathing heavily, her eyes settled on the transparent box that rested on a pedestal in the center of the room.

The Lullaby.

Feeling as though she were finally reunited with her long lost child, Chane quickly darted into the room. She hadn't bothered to check and see if there were any traps in the room due to her haste, and felt instantly relieved once she realized the room was trigger free.

Her biggest problem would be the seals around the Lullaby's container that prevented her from cracking it open. If the wrong person were to peel the seal, the entire flute would be destroyed in the progress. Chane furrowed her eyebrows together in concentration, what could she remember that would help her in a situation like this?

"Well if it isn't the little genius?"

Startled by the unannounced newcomer, Chane instantly withdrew from the flute as though it had just burned her flesh. Snapping around, her eyes narrowed as she saw the familiar blond. "Hatsuharu."

"Little Chane," He taunted, red orbs flashing with humor. "It seems to this Hatsuharu, you're just about set to return to Siam."

She faltered slightly at the name of her hometown. Siam.. Chane clenched her fist tightly as she recalled her previous encounter with the man. Experiments? "What is happening in Siam?" Chane finally demanded, gulping as she did so. "What has Ivan done?"

Hatsuharu shifted his gaze to the ceiling as he seemed to be pondering on his next action, and then adjusted his gaze back to the blue haired girl who gritted her teeth to refrain from attacking the man.

"Not Ivan."

"..Not?" Chane furrowed her eyebrows. Why must this man speak in riddles? Suddenly Chane felt an overwhelming surge of irritation rush through her body. After spending set amount of time with the overly energetic Natsu, Chane had no patience for Hatsuharu's games. "Can you give me a straight answer for once?"

The blond seemed taken back by her uncharacteristic retort. He raised an eyebrow at this, "You know, this Hatsuharu was told that your kind is supposed to be patient."

Chane froze. Her kind? What did this demon know of her? He silently dug into his pocket, then handed her a royal red envelope with gold lining that she recognized immediately. This was the same parchment she had seen Aspen hunched over throughout hours of the day, signing away at countless duties a princess was in charge of while her father was sick.

This was a message from Siam!

Immediately Chane snatched the red envelope from Hatsuharu's hands, resulting in a huff from him in the process. However the hell Hatsuharu knew about 'her kind', or how he managed to get a message from Siam; she didn't know. However, Chane didn't find her self worrying about this too much as she gently ran her fingers against the golden seal, preparing to slowly tear the envelope open.

She quickly halted once she heard voices from down the hall. Shoot! She had nearly forgotten she was currently on a mission. Snapping her head to Hatsuharu, Chane scowled once she realized the boy had already disappeared. Crap, she needed to get the flute!

Biting the tip of her thumb hard enough to draw blood, Chane quickly began to shakily scribble a summoning circle onto the ground. Lifting the case that held the Lullaby and placing it into the center of the circle, Chane felt the familiar numbing sensation burn through her bones as she winced in pain.

Two ghost-like hands began to form from the ground, blindly ripping the seals from the flute. They were pale with black nails that seemed to still be dripping with the black ink. Chane shut her eyes in order to avoid looking at the grotesque hand figures, for even after many years of practicing the ritual, the girl still couldn't help the fearful chills that ran down her spine from the sight. Once the act had been done, Chane grasped the flute from the ghastly spiritual hands and stomped on the circle, smearing it with her boot until it was just a smudge of blood.

Chane smiled in satisfactory as she quickly left the room, Lullaby tucked into her bag as she clutched at the envelope in the pocket.

Her business here was finally done.

...

"Natsu.." Erza hissed at Natsu, her eyes narrowed in two slits as she glowered at the pink haired boy. "Words can not describe how angry I am with you! That trial was just a formality!" The two Fairy Tail members were thrown into jail for the night, and the red headed S-Class mage was beyond pissed at her younger comrade. "They would have let me go!"

"How was I supposed to know?" Natsu grumbled, masking his embarrassment for irritation. "Who the hell makes these stupid rules anyways!"

"I can't believe you.." Erza hung her head, dizzy from exasperation mixed with anger and disbelief of her comrade. The two ceased their bickering as they heard the door open. Natsu and Erza exchanged confused looks, and Chane cautiously made her way into the dungeon. The blue haired girl let out a low whistle once she reached the cell that her two acquaintances were currently locked in. "Wow.. they got you guys good."

"You!" Natsu stood up, pointing at the girl in fury. "What the hell! You knew that this was all make believe, or whatever!"

Chane clicked her tongue in annoyance, rolling her eyes as she took a step away from the boy. "I told you to stop calling me 'you'."

Erza narrowed her eyes at the girl, "Chane.." She muttered dangerously. Chane instinctively took another step back, the hair on her neck rising as she realized the red head most likely knew the true reason why the girl had came to the magic council.

She whimpered slightly, "W-what!"

"Why didn't you stop Natsu?"

Chane let out a breath of relief as she realized that was all the red head was upset about. Perhaps she was giving Erza too much credit, the red head may be strong but when it came down to it, her brain was probably rotting like every other useless wizard.

Approaching the bars once again and gripping onto the cold rusty steel with her hands, Chane furrowed her eyebrows. "How am I supposed to control that.. thing?" She shot a disgusted look at Natsu, who sat back down grumpily. A rare tug formed on the corner or Erza's lips as she set her chin on the top of her knee's with a gentle look on her face. Chane took note on how surprisingly pretty Erza was, when she wasn't commanding her to do things. The blue haired girl felt her face flush slightly at the innocent look.

Erza smiled gently, "It's okay. You two meant well." She then clunked Natsu on the head with her fist, resulting in the boy to quickly clutch at his new rising bump.

Chane's face burned brighter red as she felt an alarming sense of pride well into her body, before quickly diminishing it. She didn't deserve Erza's praise because Chane hadn't actually came to retrieve Erza, but instead the flute Lullaby. She was sure if she told Erza this, the red haired disciplinarian would definitely go on another rampage.

Natsu stubbornly looked away from Erza, although Chane was sure the boy must have been slightly embarrassed by the praise as well. Erza looked up to Chane in confusion, "However, if the guards come back and see an additional person here, we'll all be sentenced to an even bigger consequence."

"Don't worry, I was just about to take my leave," Chane let go of the cells bars, feeling slightly rejected. She hadn't planned on staying with the two over night, however hearing Erza tell her she wouldn't be able to do so made her feel somewhat depressed. "I just came to say goodbye."

"Good riddance," Natsu scoffed from underneath his scarf, mumbling under his breath something about 'good for nothing' and 'only causes trouble'.

Both Erza and Chane ignored the pink haired boy, "Goodbye?" It was now Erza's turn to furrow her eyebrows in confusion. "Are you certain? I know a place where you can stay, and if you need money then you'll always be welcomed at F-"

Chane had heard enough. Turning her back to the two current inmates, Chane shook her head gently. "Thank you, Erza."

She couldn't stay at Fairy Tail. The thought made her grimace in disgust, why would she downgrade herself to a run down guild filled with drunken wizards when she had a beautiful home in Siam waiting for her? All she needed to do was take it back, and with the money she had received, that would be no problem.

Chane left the jail cell without another word to the wizards.

Sneaking out of the Magic Council branch was as simple as sneaking in, and Chane quickly found herself walking down the semi-empty streets of Magnolia. She let out a sigh, fishing into her pocket to retrieve the letter Hatsuharu had given her.

With shaking hands, Chane slowly began to trace the golden emblems with her finger. Finally, she began to gently prod the envelope apart, not wanting to damage the beautiful parchment that reminded her so much of home.

She sucked in a gasp as her eyes instantly recognized the familiar handwriting.

Dearest Chane,

I hope the past ten months haven't been too troublesome for you. I often found myself drowning in deep regret as I recall how effortlessly I allowed you to leave Siam, but I then have to remind myself that it was for a cause greater then the both of us.

I'm sure you've done great, and I believe without a doubt you will return to us with the full amount of payment.

Chane smiled gently as she felt a bubble of pride in her stomach. Aspen believed in her, and that had been what pushed her to work so hard towards her goal! She could almost imagine the bright smile Aspen will greet her with upon her return to Siam, and everyone will announce her as a hero!

That's why I can rightfully say I made the right choice in sending you. So, thank you, Chane, for not letting Siam down.

Siam is fine. Ivan has been civil with the citizens, and he even helped rebuild the church that had been destroyed during the second war. I think you may be confused about Hatsuharu.. scratch that, I know you are confused about his appearance. Well he's actually one of Ivan's men, so I don't think you should get too comfortable around him.

Hatsuharu was one of Ivan's men? Chane furrowed her eyebrows in confusion, that didn't seem right. Why would Hatsuharu, the demonic equivalent to a god of war, work with a man like Ivan? It wouldn't be the first time a human and demon have worked together, however Chane couldn't understand what Ivan had managed to pull in order to get a great demon on his side.

This made it even harder for her to see him as an ally! Chane was having the hardest time trying to believe Ivan, the man who charged headlong into her village; trespassing on sacred ground and causing casualties to civilians who tried to stop him and wrecking utter havoc, was helping Siam rebuild it's city.

But if Aspen said Ivan was not being a menace, then Chane had no reason to doubt her only friend. She felt a large weight lift from her shoulders as her heart dropped to her stomach due to relief.

..There's only so much details I can put in a letter. I ask for you not to return to Siam for the next thirty one days, for it would interfere with my research. On the thirtieth day, Hatsuharu shall appear and conjure a magic portal for you to return to Siam.. I explained how you would prefer to travel on foot, but Ivan insisted on this.

Stupid wizards are lazy, if you ask me.

Chane chuckled as she fought back the lump that was beginning to form in her throat. Although she felt all of the symptoms of one who was ready to break into tears, Chane knew no waterworks would come.

Of course, she was somewhat put off by Aspen's request for her to remain hiatus from her home town, but Chane decided her pink haired female friend had a reason for everything she did.

Stay safe. I already know you will, and you don't need the reminder.

Aspen

Chane let out a content sigh as she tucked the letter back into her pocket. The sun was beginning to set, and Chane couldn't help the long groan that erupted from her lips. Although she was beyond overjoyed at the good news of her village's well being, Chane couldn't help but feel depressed by having no home to return to for the next month.

"What do I do now?" She asked aloud to herself, brushing her fingers against her forehead as she felt the glassy ruby diamond that stuck to her forehead. Chane buried her hand into her pocket, pulling out the white parchment the old woman had given her. Peach Street. How was she supposed to get to Peach Street?!

Of course the rotten old lady couldn't leave directions to her home. Chane let out another groan.

...

The sun had now set, and Chane started off by retracing her steps until she found familiar parts of the city from her earlier raid with Natsu. Once she was on familiar grounds, Chane began to cut through twists and turns of the Magnolia's streets, only resulting in getting herself even more lost. Chane inwardly cursed, she wasn't used to such a big city!

She found herself missing the squishy soil of Siam's sand against her feet as she would run through the streets of the small town like it were the back of her hand. Siam was a small village with only 400 inhabitants, while Magnolia bordered somewhere along 60,000 citizens. Chane sucked in a deep breath as she bumped into another pedestrian, finding it hard to see in the dark.

After making another right turn and coming to a dead end, Chane felt herself slowly beginning to give up.

With only the moon to light the street sign, Chane squinted her eyes as she tried to read what the white print read. 'Pine Street'. Shit! Where the hell is Peach Street? Due to her frustration, Chane kicked the medal pole of the street sign, denting it from her stress. Shit! All she wanted was to return her mission reward and go back home.. but going home was no long an option for the girl.

Chane slid her back against the wall until she was sitting on the cold paved street. Head hung low, Chane let out a pitiful sigh. She didn't care if she looked like some random homeless person to the citizens; the bluenette was too busy moping about her new twist of fate.

"Look boss, I see a spy a little girl!"

Chane's emerald hues twitched in annoyance. There was no doubt the voices in front of her were addressing herself, considering how empty the streets had suddenly become. Chane lifted her fallen head to greet the group of men with annoyed stare.

She growled upon realizing she was surrounded. All Chane had wanted to do was sit by her lonesome and mope. She hadn't had a moment of peace in the past week, considering her full days had been occupied accompanying five Fairy Tail wizards plus their Master through the pits of Death Valley. Not to mention, upon their return to Magnolia; Erza had to get arrested! Chane was beginning to realize the Fairy Tail wizards brought a big baggage of trouble with them wherever they go.

So it made sense why Chane was thrilled to have a moment of peace.. until the group of no good thugs came to bother her. She placed a palm against her cheek in an irritated manner, "Don't fuck with me right now." She was not in the mood.

This resulted in a loud laugh of hysterics from the group of men. "'Don't fuck with me', she says!" One of the scruffy thugs doubled over from laughter. Chane felt her irritation reach it's peak as she hadn't the slightest clue what was so funny about her warning to them.

The pixie-cut blue haired girl had no idea if she'd be able to hold back while fighting against these men. She wasn't to keen on the idea of having a bounty on her head for murdering someone in Magnolia, especially since she would be stuck around here for the next thirty or so days. She let out an irritated sigh as the tallest man, whom she assumed was 'Boss', pulled out a switch blade.

Well, not fighting is no longer an option. As badly as Chane didn't want a bounty on her head for manslaughter, there was no way she would allow for someone to threaten her with a weapon and get away unscratched.

The man spat on the ground next to Chane, "Get up, bitch."

Disgusted, Chane slowly began to rise. "You're really pissing me the fuck off, you bastard."

More laughter sounded from the men, and the Boss approached her with his switch blade. "Empty your pockets."

Like hell she would. Chane clenched her hand into a fist, closing her eyes as she remembered the money she had received from Erza earlier. She stayed frozen to her spot, willing herself to not attack the man first. Maybe if she ignored them, they would go away, and her face won't be plastered on every guilds 'Wanted' board.

"You're shaking girly, you scared?" The men erupted into more laughter and the Boss waved the knife between Chane's eyes.

..Ignoring them wasn't working. Her patience had ran itself to the wire, and Chane snatched the bosses wrist, applying enough pressure to the vein for him to loosen his grip on the knife.

"Scared?" Chane's grin matched the wickedness that the man wore earlier, and she began to bend his wrist backward, hearing a satisfying 'snap'. "More like pissed off, you little fuckers."

He attempted to swing with his non-broken wrist, and Chane easily caught his punch, pinning his arm to his back as she forced him onto the ground. "I warned you guys."

"Don't just stand there!" The boss shouted, saliva spilling from his mouth. "Kill this bitch! Kill her now!"

And then, Chane found herself in the midst of a frenzy of punches. The four men charged at her, and Chane quickly found a pattern of ducking and dodging that resulted in the men not able to land a punch. She felt a knife scratch the side of her cheek and the warm blood dripped down to her chin. Chane wiped the wound with her bandages that were already on her arm, and looked down to see as the red stained white.

She smirked, "You'll have to do better then that."

Duck. Grab, flip.

Dodge.

"Ha!" Fist connecting with jaw, Chane watched in triumph as she took down the second man of the Five-Man crew. Three more to go! She looked up, two of the men were advancing towards her, one waving his knife dangerously while the other straightened his rope of chains. Where was the third?

Her question was answered by a hand tugging viciously at her darken blue locks. 'Ugh, he's pulling my hair!' She thought with great annoyance, 'What a little bitch move!'

"Well, this looks positively not boring!"

They were interrupted by a new voice, a girl if Chane heard correctly. The man tightened his grip around her hair, shoving her face into the cement as he turned to the new comer, "Run along girlie, if you know whats good for ya," The man holding Chane down spat on the ground next to her. "Ain't 'nuthin to see here."

'Yeah, except for a group of men brutally assaulting a young girl,' The so-called girl held hostage thought with annoyance. 'That girl better get out of here, I don't need any witnesses for what I'm going to do to these men.'

"That's where you're wrong," The girl said in a rather boastful tone. "Because it seems to me, there's plenty to see here! And boy does it look interesting. I think I'll join in on the fun!" Chane heard a sudden thud followed by a mans yelp, although she couldn't see for herself because she had a mouth full of cement.

Grabbing onto the mans elbow, Chane forced his body weight to the ground, flipping him over. Making sure to crack his skull onto the cement, Chane quickly jumped up to prepare to attack the next man, but was shocked to see that all four men currently laid unconscious on the ground.

The culprit was a rather attractive woman with a set of horns on either side of her head. She wore an animal print dress that matched her animal print knee-high shoes. Or rather, the young woman looked as though she were wearing knee-high slippers shaped as a bear's paws instead of shoes. Finally, she wore white gloves that were currently clenched into a fist as she raised her hand above her head in a victory pose.

"All right! That was way too much fun, right Pii-chan?"

She was accompanied by a flying blue bird who landed on her shoulder, cheerfully chirping in response, "Hai, they never stood a chance against Mickey Oni-Princess!" (1)** (check bottom!)

Chane sweatdropped. There was one thing she knew for sure; Magnolia was filled with weirdos.

Mickey faltered ever so slightly as she looked over in Chane's direction, "Although I guess you probably could of handled this without us, huh?"

The blue headed girl bashfully scratched the back of her head at the comment. After being over shined by Erza's strength for the past few days, Chane realized how good it felt to finally be recognized for her strength. She blushed modestly, "No it's okay.. I was in a bit of a pinch there, huh?"

'Let's ignore the fact that I was going to kill them about thirty seconds ago.'

The animal print covered girl placed her gloved hands on her waist, "Why are you wandering the streets on this side of town alone? Are you insane? Do you realize what time it is- huh? Do ya?!"

Chane inwardly sighed in annoyance as Mickey continued to scold her like a mother would a child. However, after relieving some much needed pent up stress on the thugs before, Chane no longer felt the urge to pick a fight. Instead, she silently waited until the young woman was done with her rampage, before answering her questions.

"I'm looking for Peach Street."

"Peach Street?" Mickey scrunched her face in confusion before shrugging her shoulders. "Never heard of it. Is that were you live?"

The blue headed girl shook her head, "Not quite. I'm making a delivery."

Mickey's face seemed to brighten as she grabbed onto Pii-chan, the blue bird with a yellow beak who wore a black witch hat. She used her forefinger to gently rub the birds head, "Pii-chan here can deliver anything you want! I'm sure he knows where Peach Street is!" The bird nodded his head in eager agreement.

Although it was tempting to simply give the burden of the flute to the blue bird and have him return with her reward, Chane couldn't find it in herself to give the innocent bird something as dangerous as the Lullaby. She wasn't that cruel.

Before she could respond, the two girls were startled by the familiar whistle of the Rune Knights. Mickey quickly ushered Chane to follow her, and the two girls quietly slipped from the scene.

After a few minutes of running, Mickey slowed her stride to a steady walk as both she and Chane walked against the paved road. Mickey released the bird from her grasp, and Pii-chan began to fly between the two girls heads.

"So? What about it, do you wanna use my Pii-chan?" Mickey smiled a dangerous smile, "Of course for a little bit of cash.."

"No thank you," Chane quickly denied, decided to stick to her earlier resolve. Mickey's face fell slightly, "Aw c'mon.. I really mean just a little bit of cash."

Chane found herself laughing gently at the girl, "No, that's not it. It's just something I'd prefer to do myself."

The girl seemed to nod her head in understanding, the two horns on either side of her head somehow managing to stay in place. Mickey crossed her arms against her chest, "Well that's boring. You should probably head on home, you won't get much done in the dark, and it's dangerous to roam the streets around this side of town alone."

Bashful once again, Chane shyly scratched the back of her head. "Hehe.. I'm not really staying anywhere at the moment so that's out the question."

Both Mickey and Pii-chan's eyes nearly bulged out of their head, "You're homeless?!" They both chirped with equal enthusiasm.

Chane twitched in annoyance, their words some-what striking home. Right now she didn't need the reminder of Aspen's command to not return to Siam. "Of course not!" She snapped, "Things are just.. complicated, right now."

Nothing seemed to be able to throw Mickey off for too long, for she clapped her hands together with stars in her eyes, "Oh! I know! If you come to the Karaoke Bar with me and Team Mega-Death, you can crash at my place afterwards!"

However, Chane could not find herself meeting Mickey's enthusiasm. The thought of 'crashing' at this girl- this stranger!'s house didn't sound as appealing to her. In fact, her original plan to find a decent looking tree with enough leaves to keep her warm for the night sounded much better then 'crashing' at Mickey's house. Now she needed to find a nice way to explain this to the former girl.

"It's fine, really," Chane stressed firmly. "The night is warm, there is no breeze, and I like counting the stars." She explained earnestly. Mickey looked somewhat taken aback, and she blinked her wide brown eyes in confusion.

"Is that right? Well.. Pii-chan, do you know any decent parks nearby for the girl to count the stars at?" Mickey said with a grin once she overcame her shock. She seemed amused as she said this, clearly not used to someone choosing counting stars over karaoke night. "One where she won't get bothered at."

"Hai!" Pii-chan chirped as he flapped his wings on Mickey's shoulder. "Miss, do you know where Lake Sciliora*** is?"

Lake Sciliora? Chane had never heard of it. She shook her head. Pii-chan then began to explain how it would be impossible to miss as long as she continued heading south until she reached the lake. Seemed easy enough. Chane bowed to the two before quickly darting south, not bothering to tell either her name. It was a bad habit that she seemed to have, meeting others while never introducing herself to them as a person.

She didn't ponder on it too much, instead letting her feet move as fast as they were able to at the thought of laying comfortably in a tree and looking up to the sky. Chane didn't realize how long her day had been until now.

Having gone the past four days without a wink of sleep, Chane could soon begin to feel her body shutting down on her. One good nights worth of rest would be enough to last her a while.

Lake Sciliora was beautiful to say in the least. The moon was up, reflecting against the blue water in a way that Chane found chillingly relaxing. Immediately she climbed into the first tree she saw, settling herself in the sturdy branch. The leaves tickled against her back, and she propped her ankle to her knee as she looked up to the sky inbetween the cracks of leaves.

Chane was sure she wouldn't get a wink of sleep tonight.

She had never been able to sleep when the sun was down. Not when she was outdoors, at least. The only place the girl had ever been able to truly lay her head down and get a good night of sleep was in the very place she was currently told not to return too.

Shit, she wasn't supposed to be thinking about that.

Chane let out a loud whine as she began to wiggle against her spot on the branch in frustration, moving her position so she would be able to kick the tree out of her anger. "What the hell is going on!"

Something didn't seem right, and it was bugging her relentlessly. Chane dug into her pocket to fish out the red envelope she had received from Hatsuharu once again. Chane tore it open, eyes darting across the page as she quickly reread the letter over and over to herself again.

..There's only so much details I can put in a letter. I ask for you not to return to Siam for the next thirty one days, for it would interfere with my research.

What was she researching? And why the hell was Ivan helping restore the town, when he caused the destruction in the first place? Chane furrowed her eyebrows, she was only coming up with more questions than answers and this irritated the girl greatly.

Her thoughts were cut off by loud arguing.

"I said no!" A mans voice, whom she's come to vaguely recognize, snapped from a distance.

"But Graaaay~!" Another familiar voice chimed. Chane's ears perked from the two sounds, straining her neck to peer at the two familiar Fairy Tail mages as they walked on the paved path towards the tree she was currently residing in.

Happy flew in a circle around Gray's black spiky locks, anime-style tears flowing from his face. "Natsu and Erza are both in jail! I don't wanna sleep by myself and Lucy already kicked me out!"

Gray huffed as the blue cat ranted, adjusting the plastic bags in his hands so he could hold them in a more comfortable manner. Chane strained her neck further to get a closer glimpse at the interesting scene.

The familiar ice wizard then proceeded to set down his bags, tugging at the blue jacket he wore. Chane noticed how he placed his palm against the tree to balance himself as he began to strip.

The young girl quickly locked her legs around the tree branch she had been sitting on, swinging backwards until she came face-to-face with an upside down Gray, startling him.

Gray threw his hands back in fear as he let out a loud shout from the sudden body that was falling from the tree, scowling at her in anger as he recognized that it was only just the girl whom had acquainted Erza.

It took the scowling male several seconds to catch his breath while Happy, having been scared nearly to death by Chane's appearance as well, clutched onto his pounding heart.

"Don't suddenly appear from strange places," Gray snapped at her, irritated with having been frightened by the smaller girl.

Chane stared at him blankly, still upside down. "Don't start stripping in random places." She berated in return.

Gray scowled, an angry vein popping on his head, "Wanna repeat yourself, brat?" He spoke dangerously slow, glowering at the girl. If there was one thing that annoyed the man more then anything, it was wrongfully being accused of being a pervert due to his habit. It's not like it was hit fault he had random urges to strip! (A/N: -rolls eyes-)

Ignoring the clearly annoyed ice make wizard, Chane turned her upside down attention to the flying cat. "Hello again, Happy."

"Aye! Chane!" He flew into her chest, giving her an awkward upside down hug. Chane use one hand to pry him off her, before climbing down from the tree. Gray picked up the grocery bags he had earlier dropped.

He shot her a dry look, "Do you hide in trees and eavesdrop in peoples conversations in your free time?"

Chane's eye twitched in annoyance. Was he picking a fight with her? "No. I was trying to get some rest when a rather annoying voice disturbed me."

Happy gasped in shock, before letting out another annoying wail. "Oh no! I'll be stuck sleeping in a tree with Chane tonight!"

The mentioned blue haired girl shot the cat a questioning look. Who the hell said he'd be sleeping with her tonight?

Gray raised an eyebrow as he watched the cat fly over to Chane's side, "You're sleeping up there?"

She shot him a look, as if asking him what else she would be doing in the tree.

The ice make wizard took that moment to examine the girl. Her eyes had dark bags underneath, while her face had scratches that he couldn't remember seeing there before. Gray furrowed his eyebrows together, "You look a mess."

Instinctively, Chane's hand shot to the wound on her cheek she had received earlier from the thug. She then shrugged her shoulders, "Some guys wanted to brawl."

This made the man furrow his eyebrows together more, while Happy continued to whine over their conversation. "Who would have thought?! Natsu and Erza locked up! What will Fairy Tail do without it's two strongest members?!"

Gray let out a grunt in disagreement, clearly offended by the cats words. Chane sighed, "It's only for the night, Happy."

"No way!" The cat cried in disbelief. Chane opened her mouth to retort, but froze. A sudden change in the air caught her attention, and instantly her heart began to beat faster.

She sucked in a gulp of air, "Do you feel that?"

Gray and Happy exchanged quizzical looks, confused by what got the girl so suddenly worked up. Happy sniffed the air, before his tail perked up. "It's going to rain!" He said cheerfully.

"It's going to rain," Chane repeated gently. She looked back the tree she had been residing in; there was no way that would protect her from the rain. No, now she would need to find a new place to take shelter at, maybe in an alley way or someones porch-?

The ice making wizard, who's jacket was now discarded subconsciously on the ground, began to walk once again down the path. "Well if you want shelter from the rain, you can come to my place."

Chane froze. Had he read her thoughts? Could he tell by her body motions how dreadful the thought of being in the rain was to her? Happy seemed completely oblivious to Chane's inner conflict as he perched onto Chane's shoulder, cheerfully calling out, "Yes! Hopefully Gray cleaned up because his house stinks!"

"Not you, cat." Gray snapped bluntly to the floating exceed, who fell anime style to the floor in exasperation. Gray continued trudging on, and Chane looked down to his discarded jacket. Was he just going to leave it there on the ground? What a wasteful man!

"Chane, you won't leave me will you?" Happy asked tearfully to the girl. Chane raised an eyebrow at the cat, before turning on her heel to rush after the retreating Gray.

No matter how wasteful or annoying the man was, anything was better then staying out in the rain. Chane made sure to wave goodbye to the pouting Happy before she caught up with the ice mage.

"Fine.. whatever.. I guess I'll just go to Mira's," Happy floated away dejectedly. "And she'll give me lots of fish, aye!"

Mickey and Pii-chan are actual members of Fairy Tail! If you're interested in Mickey, here's a few things about her that Hiro Mashima tells us in the cover of Fairy Tail (manga) Chapter 111: Her magic uses the bird "Pii-chan" who never leaves her side. Pii-chan is a magical bird, he can turn into a ball of flame, form a shield, deliver letters; all sorts of things. And he can talk! However, Miki prefers to go for direct hand-to-hand combat, so a lot of the time Pii-chan doesn't really get to do much but tag along.

She's the leader of the battle team "Young Megadeath". The other members of her team are afraid of her and have given her the nickname "Onihime" - "Demon Princess". The horns she wears (not as reluctantly as she'd have you believe) are a homage of sorts to this side of her character. (direct quote)

So there's some fun facts about Mickey and Pii-chan! (you can return to the story now if you haven't finished it yet)

If you want to see what Mickey looks like, just type in 'Mickey Chickentiger' (wow Hiro Mashima, Chickentiger? Really?) and you'll find her!

Second fun fact! Did you know, Lake Sciliora is an actual place in Magnolia? If you look at the Magnolia map (again, you can find this on google) there's an area somewhere behind the guild that's a huge lake. I'm pretty sure this is the lake where young Gray found young Erza crying alone at :x This is why writing Fairy Tail fanfiction is fun! There's so many places in the town that I want Chane to go to on her own n-n.

So... If you've seen the Fairy Hills Ova, then you know how Erza, Wendy, Juvia ect. live in Fairy Tail's girl dormitory. But get this, they never say anything about a boys! I've done some research and I haven't found a boys dorm, so I figure Gray will live somewhere where the rent is cheap. We never got to know much about where Gray lives (although we know Natsu and Happy live by themselves in a super SUPER messy house), so in the next chapter I'll be exploring the details Hiro Mashima has failed to inform us of. Hopefully everything turns out alright!

(do you realize all of this is happening in like the span of four days. Crazy sh** can happen in four days, man.)

Next chapter! Is Chane spending the night at Gray's house? o-O Will she ever return the flute Lullaby to the old lady? What's with Chane and rain?! O-O

xD One last thing, I appreciate all of the likes (Quotev) and Favorites/Alerts (fanfiction) that my story has received!

However.. I was considering giving up the story due to a lack of feedback. However, Eliana Steillson left me a comment (on Quotev) that made me pull my act together and at least finish this chapter.

Next chapter I have lots of fun things planned for Erza, Gray, and Chane as a group. A little bit of feedback, or even just hearts/favorites will probably make me update faster. n-n

-waves- Thanks for reading!