A/N: This chapter is a bit longer. The length of each chapter depends on each arc, and whether there are some scenes I want to rewrite or add into or not.

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The few days following the Eisenwald mission passed by with some interesting incidents. Natsu was so eager for the fight she promised him and to be honest so was she. It had been a while since both of them went all out on each other, just because there was no reason to do so. Now, the opportunity presented itself, and Erza would not let it go to waste.

She knew Natsu had gotten stronger since when they were kids. She didn't know between the two of them, when push came to shove, who would be the one to come out victorious. People had always praised her to be the strongest mage of Fairy Tail but Erza still thought that was a huge exaggeration. The Salamander in front of her was not to be underestimated.

But the fight was broken up by a messenger of the Council, there to arrest her for all their destruction at Clover apparently. Erza wasn't worried too much, she knew all of that was just a cover. The Council needed someone to blame and she was chosen as their scapegoat due to her high public profile. As long as she cooperated with them, Fairy Tail would surely be let go with a slap on the wrist.

What she wasn't prepared for, was seeing Jellal again.

A ghost of a haunted past.

She had no idea he was among the Ten Saint Wizards since she had never been summoned by the Council before and the identities of them were kept more or less a secret. He looked so different from whom she remembered, and yet still the same.

For a moment Erza could feel her heart stop beating. He is here. He is alive. Jellal. The Tower of Heaven. Zeref. Grandpa Rob.

Betrayal. Destruction. Death.

She was not sure how to process this information, but she knew this was neither the time nor the place. There would be time for her to think about it later. Right now, she needed all her energy to focus on dealing with the Council's bureaucratic problems.

Then Natsu broke down the walls in a ridiculous attempt of disguise and there was nothing Erza could do but scold her annoying little brother for his stupidity, no matter how much his action warmed her heart.

The thought of Jellal didn't leave her mind, not even when she decided to take a solo mission afterward just to avoid thinking about it.

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Imagine her surprise, when she came back from her job just two days later, to find out Natsu and Happy had gone on an S-class mission without clearance or permission from the Master. The Galuna Island one nonetheless.

Lucy was nowhere to be found, and Gray also seemed to have disappeared while searching for them. So everyone just assumed they were with Natsu on the way to the island, all together. Whether willingly or by force, Erza didn't know.

Natsu, she expected. He had always been impulsive and a troublesome rule breaker. Gray, a little surprising but still comprehensible. He was extremely competitive and irrational with everything when it came to the flame-brain idiot.

But Lucy. Erza expected better from Lucy. The girl seemed like such a level-headed person back when they had their first mission together. She just didn't have that challenging-authority, thorn-in-Erza's-ass vibe like those two imbeciles.

Baka! Erza gritted her teeth. She couldn't believe Natsu had been a bad influence on Lucy already.

She took her eyes off them for two seconds, and they went ahead and pulled a stunt like this. The audacity! The nerves! Just wait until she got her hands on their pretty little necks. She would snap them in half like twigs if something didn't kill them on the island first!

Her anger didn't subdue, not even when she was on a boat leaving Hargeon harbor towards Galuna Island. The Curse of Galuna Island was an extremely dangerous mission, all S-class missions were, and those idiots did not have any idea what they were up against. Erza frowned, trying to map out the shape of the island from afar, fists shaking in anger and apprehension.

Please, do not let anything happen to them. A silent prayer.

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Coincidently, the first rascal she caught was Lucy. The blonde looked so terrified (as she should be) when she recognized it was Erza who saved her from the giant flying rat.

"Lucy, do you know why I'm here?" Because it was Lucy, Erza was willing to give her a chance to explain herself.

"To... to... bring us back... right?" At Erza's glare, Lucy's body started to shake uncontrollably until her knees just completely gave out. And that was when Erza heard Happy's voice.

Two down, two to go. "Where is Natsu?"

"Please, hear me out first." Lucy begged, "We are sorry we did this without permission, but this island is in danger! A person is trying to revive a monster sealed inside a huge block of ice. That is why the villagers are not who they are now. No matter what, their lives are at risk." Her tone got softer at the end. "We want to save this island, by any means necessary."

"I don't care." Erza ignored the blonde's protests. "You didn't get it, Lucy. You guys betrayed Master. You thought I would let you get away with it that easily?" A shining sword appeared out of thin air. "Now, I will not ask again, where are Natsu and Gray?"

The walk to the village was silent, save for their footsteps and the occasional clinking of her armor. Or at least it was, until Lucy decided to speak up again.

"Erza, I'm sorry, truly. For breaking the guild's rules, and for making you come all the way here just to pick us up. And thank you for saving my life earlier." Her tone was sincere, no longer had that edge of fearfulness like it did on the beach before.

"You are welcome for that last part. But sorry won't get you out of trouble you know." Erza sighed, feeling a bit tired after being angry for almost a whole day. At least Lucy was unharmed, so she could breathe a little bit easier now. "I want you to remember that the rules exist for a reason. S-class missions are very dangerous and only mages that have surpassed a certain level of power can complete them without getting hurt in the process. You guys are not prepared for this mission yet, Lucy."

The blonde lowered her head, feeling sufficiently chastised. Erza imagined if Lucy had dog ears, they would certainly be dropping now.

"Well, at least you are not that angry with me anymore. That was terrifying." The Celestial mage mumbled under her breath.

"Everyone was worried about you guys. Master. Mira. Me." Erza said, trying to not give away too much in her voice. "That is why I was so angry with you, you know. You intentionally put yourself in danger beyond your ability to defend yourself. And it makes me anxious to think that I won't be able to reach you in time."

The redhead didn't understand the look in Lucy's eyes when she turned her head and chocolate met brown. It's a mixture of wonder, which she had seen often enough, and a hint of something else, something that she didn't know how to describe. Yet.

She decided to let it go, for now, certain it was not something bad. And as long as it's not bad, she would have time to figure it out later.

"You're right, Erza. I am sorry for making you, and everyone, worried." Finally, Lucy whispered back, her small voice carried away in the silent canvas of the night, its gentle caress wrapped around Erza in a comforting embrace.

At least Lucy was alright. At least she got here just in time.

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Gray didn't budge. Natsu didn't budge. And Erza had no choice but to follow the merry band of mischief around while delaying their punishments for when they all got back to the guild.

Erza wouldn't admit it, but she had gotten intrigued as well. And besides, they all got to know an important part of Gray's backstory before he joined Fairy Tail, back when he was just a little boy learning ice magic from a wonderful teacher. And that Lyon guy seemed decent as well, albeit a little bit stubborn at holding a grudge.

She was waiting to see if any of her friends had figured out how to break the curse of the island yet, but apparently not, so Erza took it upon herself to break the dome covering the village while Natsu enthusiastically cheered her on.

Erza smiled, secretly pleased to see Natsu so excited to help her destroy the Moon while Lucy and Gray just stood there with disbelief written all over their faces. After the fight they had had, a little fun and humor would be good for everyone.

They were still teenagers, after all.

It all turned out well in the end. Gray got to have closure for one of his childhood traumas. Lucy gained a new Celestial key. And Natsu, Erza could only hope he learned something about how to use his brain to solve problems, especially curses, and not just default to his fists every time an obstacle came their way.

The only reason Erza allowed Lucy to have that new Celestial key as part of the reward was because she knew how rare it was. There were only twelve of them in the world, so each of them must be very important to any Celestial mage. Lucy should not be an exception to that.

Erza was curious about what kinds of punishment the Master would give the four troublemakers when they got back. Little did she know she would be sucked into that Change Ring mess with them and almost winded up as a cat for the rest of her life. She had never been so grateful for Levy to be a part of Fairy Tail like in that moment.

It was not Fairy Tail if some kind of mishap didn't happen once in a while, truly.

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A/N: Votes and comments are welcome!