This is in celebration of my recent graduation! Finally moving on to a new chapter in my life! So excited!

Anyway, the ending is pretty weak so I'm sorry about that. Hope you enjoy this chapter though! I think it gives better insight into some of the characters. Don't know what I'll put next though.

Please review! Till next time, guys!

Chapter 4

"As you all know, Celestial Zodiacs has come to us for refuge while they rest and recover from Phantom Lord's attack on their territory!" Makarov announced at breakfast in the Fairy Tail camp the next morning. The mess hall was packed full to accommodate Celestial Zodiacs as well, which added to the heat, but no one seemed to mind. "We are allies so I expect you all to treat them with respect and courtesy! Do not hesitate to help them if they ask for assistance! Extend every hospitality towards them! No not be afraid to make friends, for the closer our bonds are to each other, the better we will be at cooperating together!"

"Aye!" Fairy Tail bellowed back.

Sitting next to Makarov, Lucy looked amused. "Is this your version of a pep talk?" she asked once he sat back down, allowing for the breakfast feast to begin.

The old man chuckled. "It doesn't take much to get them stimulated and they're always eager to make new friends." He pointed at a nearby group. Three women from Celestial Zodiacs— identified by the different colored key-shaped guild mark tattooed on their skin— were making the acquaintances of several Fairy Tail members. "The mood in here has lightened considerably. They've haven't had action in weeks and now that you've come to us, some of them are keen to help you retake your territory, if only that they want some entertainment. Others take things to a more… well, I wouldn't say personal level, but they care more for your cause than you might think. They're very against injustice."

Lucy ate in silence for a few seconds, contemplating his words. "Your guild is far more passionate than I've expected."

"And yours isn't? I remembered the few times I've visited your old camp, it was as lively as mine. Have things changed after—" He broke off, but the words hung between them.

She refused to meet his eyes. "After my mother died, I took over the guild. I tried to keep things the way they were but… some things can never be replaced."

He examined her; her eyes were dry. "I never came to offer my condolences. I'm truly sorry for that."

Lucy shook her head and offered him a small smile. "It's fine. I understood you were busy with your guild. I believe Grimoire Heart was stirring up trouble at the time?"

"Yes. They've taken some of my children as ransom for water, but we defeated them soon enough."

"Children?" Her voice was surprised. "I never knew you had kids, Makarov."

"I regard all of my guild as my children," he said, sweeping an arm out over the hall. "Family is a focal point of Fairy Tail. We leave no one behind."

Lucy smiled again, but much more sadly. "I wish I had the same views as you do. I care deeply for my guild but… I wouldn't even call them friends, much less family." Loud shouting interrupted them and they turned to look at one of the tables.

A pink-haired boy was arguing with another boy, who was shirtless. They ranted and raged at each other for a few minutes before the pink-haired boy leapt at the other, prompting a fight. Around them, the surrounding tables began to cheer and more than one leapt to join in.

Lucy stood, ready to pull them apart and restore order, but Makarov's laugh stopped her. "Makarov?" she asked with surprise.

"It's good to see them fighting again," he said fondly, watching the crowd grow larger and larger. "It is their way of starting a party."

"A brawl?" she asked skeptically, glancing at the ever-increasing chaos. "But they would be getting injured and a fight exerts their energy. In this heat, it would cause them to become even more thirsty and—"

But her words died on her lips as she saw that the two boys who had originally started the fight had not snarls on their faces, but broad smiles. With a feeling of shock, she noticed people of her own guild joining in, hesitatingly at first but then with renewed vigor. And all throughout, not one person had an angry look on their face.

Instead, they were all having… fun.

"It's one of the greatest joys in my life," Makarov said and Lucy realized she had spoken aloud. "Seeing them so happy." He grinned as the pink-haired boy punched a muscle-bound man with white hair in the face. "I'd have to say that Natsu is the most enthusiastic, however."

"Natsu?" she asked, sitting back down to watch the fight.

"Natsu Dragneel. I've raised him since his foster father died in a border skirmish. He's quite popular among the guild, along with many others. For some reason, the rest of the guild consider him and his friends to be 'core' members of the guild." Makarov shrugged bemusedly. "We're all equals, but the rest seem to hold them atop a pedestal of some sort. Luckily the attention hasn't gotten to their heads…"

"Is that one Natsu?" she asked, pointing to the pink-haired boy.

"Yes. The redheaded woman next to him is Erza Scarlet. All fear and respect her to a degree that would beat even my authority. And to Natsu's left is Gray Fullbuster. He and Natsu are friends, though they keep up a small rivalry. The three of them are several of the most talented fighters I've ever seen. Your mother included."

Lucy's brows raised. "Interesting." A slight grin escaped her. "I'd like an opportunity to spar with them one day."

"Natsu would be delighted," Makarov said dryly and stood. "Alright you brats!" he roared. "Time for work!"

"Aw, come on Gramps!" Natsu called out. "The fun's just started!"

"That may be, but there's still work to be done," the old man snapped. "Now go!"

A few grumbles erupted here and there, but before long all the guild members were moving towards the doors, Celestial Zodiacs included.

"Natsu, Erza, Gray! Stay behind for a while!"

The three looked at each other for a quick second, but turned back around with Erza in the lead of their little trio. Around them, the crowds parted like fish without hesitation, a fact that Lucy took into notice. Her eyes calmly assessed them, knowing these were people of power and with people like them, it was best to be cautious first.

"What's up, Gramps?" Natsu asked casually as they walked up to the table.

In answer, Makarov gestured at Lucy. "I'm sure you three know who this is…?"

"Lucy Heartfilia." Erza gave her a slight bow. "It's very nice to meet you."

Lucy smiled in response and reached forward to shake her hand. "It's very nice to meet you as well. Erza Scarlet, am I right?"

"Yes. My companions are—"

"Hey Lucy!" Natsu interrupted. He bounded forward with a large grin, almost blinding Lucy in the sunniness of his gesture. "I'm Natsu Dragneel and this is Ice Prick—"

"Watch who you're calling Ice Prick," Gray snarled, shoving him aside. "I'm sorry, Miss Lucy. My name is Gray Fullbuster, not… Ice Prick."

"It's nice to meet all of you," she replied sincerely.

"I want you three to show her around, get her to be more comfortable with the area. Celestial Zodiacs would be staying here for a while and it's better if she has a better grasp of how things work here more than the rest of her guild," Makarov ordered.

"Okay!" Natsu said excitedly. "Come on, Lucy! There's a lot to see." He made as if to reach for her arm, but Erza snatched his hand away, shaking her head slightly. The warning was clear: do not be so familiar with her until she gives consent. "Oops, sorry."

Despite his audacious disregard for decorum and lack of tact, Lucy found herself smiling a little at his childish behavior. There was something charismatic about this boy that would make even the hardiest soldier grin and relax. But she refused to give in. No matter that Fairy Tail was so welcoming, she had to be on her guard in case something happened.

But she hid that guardedness now as she stood, "I'd be delighted to join you," she said. "Makarov, I will see you later. There are still things we have to discuss. Particularly Phantom Lord."

The two guild masters shared a meaningful glance before Lucy turned and followed her three guides out of the mess hall.

"So what haven't you seen yet?" Natsu asked as they emerged into the hot sunlight.

She thought for a while. "I guess… everything. I didn't exactly have the time to sightsee yesterday."

"Okay! That means we've got a lot to show you!"

"We should start with Gajeel's forge," Gray said. "That's always a good one."

"Hey, for once you've got a good idea, Panty Princess!"

"'For once'?! Wait… Panty Princess?!"

"Are they always like this?" Lucy murmured to Erza as the two strode away from the bickering boys.

"Always," Erza said with a little sigh.

Lucy looked back at them. Though their bantering seemed serious, there was a glint of humor in their eyes that horribly reminded her of a time long ago. There was a sharp ache in her gut and she quickly turned around, clenching her fist to calm herself down. It had been a while since she'd last remembered.

The fairies took no notice. Erza led Lucy down several paths between the clustered tents, explaining how the camp was organized as she did so. "We keep the unmarried men to one section and the unmarried women to another. Married couples and those with special circumstances are placed in the third sector. It's very simple and it works unless some people deliberately break the rules although we cannot deny couples their… urges." She blushed for a few minutes.

"It's similar back in our territory," Lucy said. "We don't have sectors, however, but we do have strict rules in place and no one dares to break those rules."

"How do you do it? Keep them in place?" Gray asked from where he walked, shirtless once again, behind her and Erza.

Lucy smiled blandly at him. "There's a reason I've been guild master since I was 13 and no one has usurped my authority, Gray. I'll let you think about that." She turned back around and the boy blinked with surprise.

"Goddamn, but she's tough," he muttered.

"I don't get it," Natsu said bluntly.

"From the way she put it, she obviously has her entire guild scared shitless of her or something."

"You got that right," someone said and the two boys turned to see Loke walking next to them. "Loke Celeste, Lucy's second-in-command."

"Loke," Lucy greeted without turning to look at him. "Where have you been?"

He winked at her back. "Around."

She let out a snort. "Should I speak to Aries about it?"

A look of fear and horror crossed his features. "Ah, no you don't have to do that. I was familiarizing myself with the place as well."

"Then you can join us," Erza said, glancing at him.

He winked at her. "I'm delighted to be in the company of such a beautiful lady."

"Enough, Loke, or I'll tell Aries," Lucy said.

"Right. Best behavior starting now."

Gray turned to him. "So what do you mean I got that right? They really are scared shitless?"

Loke let out a small laugh. "Lucy's not a tyrant, if that's what you're thinking. But she demands respect and obedience and if she doesn't get it, she beats it into them that it's what she wants and what she's going to get whether you like it or not. She tries to avoid violence as much as possible, but she's had to use that method when she first became guild master. No one took her seriously since she was so young when she took the position— 13, you know— so she had to work hard to earn her guild. Now everyone knows not to double cross her. Lucy can be… ruthless, if necessary."

"And you still trust her?" Gray asked doubtfully, looking at Lucy's back. "I mean, you know, after what you just told us…"

"With my life," Loke said. "She cares for all of us from the bottom of her heart, even if she doesn't show it at times." He sighed. "Let's just say she had to grow up too early. Not even I understand her completely and I'm her closest confidant."

"Is it cause her mom died?" Natsu asked, speaking up for the first time.

"That and… something else. We don't talk about it. It's even more of a sore subject for her than her mother." He looked nervous. "Let's catch up to them, alright?"

"Okay." The three caught up to the girls, who were still talking about the inner workings of the camp and how similar they were to Celestial Zodiacs' camp in Heartfilia Territory, although Lucy neglected to say much about her own camp.

As they walked, Lucy took further notice of her companions. She was used to reading people to gauge their reactions to her. Erza was polite and reserved, fit for dealing with a stranger. Gray was slightly aloof and rarely looked at her, but was friendly enough. Natsu, however… it baffled her that someone could be so cheerful in this world of theirs. He was friendly to the point that she should be suspicious of his motives, but he also held back in a way, as if examining her and trying to figure her out or as if he was in awe of her. It confused her, but then again she was doing the same to him.

"There's Gajeel's forge," Natsu said, pointing as they reached the edge of the camp. About forty yards out was a tent with the sides rolled up, forming a pavilion. Next to it was what appeared to be a furnace and a smattering of tools. A figure inside the pavilion was pounding away on something, the ringing clangs echoing to their ears even from so far away.

"What does he do?" Lucy asked, watching Gajeel.

"He takes scrap metal from around the territory and makes tools and other things to trade for supplies. Most of the time he buys wood and charcoal for his furnace and Laki and Reedus' workshops," Gray said. "Laki does a lot of woodwork for a lot of stuff and Reedus does artwork—"

But Lucy was no longer listening. Instead, her gaze was locked on a small girl walking out into the desert. The girl's short wavy blue locks were held back by an orange bandanna and she was carrying a water bottle as well as several rectangular objects in her arms.

"Are those… books?!" Lucy demanded, a jealous tone in her voice.

They all looked at her with surprise except for Loke, who smiled knowingly. "Uh, yeah. That's Levy McGarden. She has the largest collection— well, the only collection— of books in the whole camp," Gray said.

Without hesitation, Lucy followed after Levy.

Loke chuckled to himself and followed, though he lingered behind with the rest of the group.

As the young guild master approached, Levy slowed down and gazed at her curiously. Lucy pasted a bright smile on her face. "Hello, Levy McGarden, am I right?"

"Um, yes." The girl's big brown eyes were surprised. "And you are Lucy Heartfilia. How can I help you today?"

"Can I see those books?" Lucy asked, trying to keep the desperation from her voice.

Levy's eyes immediately brightened. "You can read?"

"My mother taught me years ago. I haven't had a chance to read my books in the past two years though."

"Oh but you can read!" Levy gushed. "I don't mean to be rude, but the rest of the people in this place except for a few are completely illiterate imbeciles!" Somewhere behind them Natsu and Gray shouted indignantly but the girls ignored them completely. "And the few who can read don't have time to talk about books."

"Well what do you have?" Lucy demanded.

"History books about the time before the drought, medical books for Wendy and her Healers in case they need anything, some biology texts and a dictionary— but what I really love are the fiction books. The romances and the action novels. Swordfights and princesses and white stallions…" Her eyes began to shine.

Lucy began to grin. "I like the one with the dragon who protects the princess while the prince comes to duel him for her."

Natsu perked up. "Dragons?"

They continued to ignore him and he pouted. "I like dragons."

"They're not real," Loke said.

"Igneel told me about them! He had a book too, but it disappeared after he was gone. Wonder where it went. I knew I had it…"

"Would you like to come to my tent?" Levy asked eagerly. "I've got a whole lot more you can read."

"Really?"

The two girls walked away, chattering to themselves.

Erza, Gray, Natsu, and Loke watched them go. "Should we still show her around?" Natsu wondered out loud.

"We might as well stick around till she's ready to leave," Gray said. "I mean, they're not going to stay in there forever, are they?"

Loke shrugged with good humor. "It's been a while since Lucy acted her age. I say let her have her fun." He followed the disappearing figures of the two girls.

The other three looked at each other, shrugged, and followed.