MAIN HOUSE

Master's Chamber...

Lucy was sleeping soundly on the bed, the white sheet covering her figure.

As she lay there unconscious, Gildarts was putting his stethoscope back in his black briefcase.

He was standing just at the foot of the bed, with the Don next to him.

"She just suddenly had a headache again this afternoon." Natsu spoke quietly, staring at her face.

The doctor just followed his gaze.

He was silent for a moment.

Both of them were.

"Her system...isn't responding very well to the medicine anymore, am I correct?"

Gildarts turned to him. He could see the agony beyond the Don's eyes as he stared at his wife.

"The Lady has been taking the stabilizers for 4 years now." He answered, "We both know it isn't curing her...it's only-"

"Prolonging her life." Natsu finished for him.

The older one just sighed.

He felt bad that he couldn't do anything about it.

"Everyone thinks the reason behind Lucy's unstable health is caused by her miscarriage. They think the loss of the child has affected her health." He said.

The Head was silent.

"But they don't know the truth. Only you, me, and that dead bastard Invel knows," Gildarts slightly gritted his teeth at the mention of that traitor's name.

"You don't have to carry this pain on your own."

He was still silent.

"You have to tell them about this."

This time, Natsu shifted his head and looked at him. His eyes without a single sign of warmth, it was just dark.

"Say a word to anyone about my wife, and I will kill you."

Gildarts stared back. He knew he shouldn't meddle with Natsu's decisions. He also knew that the Lady wasn't the only one suffering. The Don was, too.

But there was no point in changing Natsu's mind about this matter. Clearly, he would die if he tried convincing him even more.

"What about the heir?" his thoughts went to the child. "If something happens to Lucy, would you still hide the truth from him?"

Short silence came again.

"He's strong," he answered with a stern face. "Lucas will not be weakened by anything and neither will he ask questions."

"Still, no matter how much you two are alike, he's only a boy, Natsu."

It sounded like he was lecturing him. And Natsu found that insulting.

"He is MY son," his voice sounded cold. "I know him better than anyone. And when I say he will get through anything, then he will."

Again, arguing with him was pointless.

"Alright," Gildarts let it go and just agreed.

Lucy's faint breathing was the only thing heard in the atmosphere.

She looked like she wasn't battling internally at all.

"How long?"

The Head suddenly spoke.

Gildarts continued to look at him, as if asking what he meant.

"For how long will she stay with me?" he spelled out. His voice turning quiet.

And it was for a minute before he could give him the answer.

"As long as her heart can take it."

All Natsu could do was close his eyes as he breathed deeply.

Gildarts sensed he wanted to be alone. So he made a move to give him what he needed.

"It's late. I better go. Send my regards to Cana for me."

With this, he bowed his head and went straight towards the door, leaving the Don by himself.

He just stood there,

Thinking about why he ever trusted that silver-haired scheming traitor.

About why he ever let that bastard get inside his Household.

And a final thought crossed his mind.

Why?

Why did Wendy have to die?

If she were alive, then everything would be much easier.

Not being able to take it for long, he got out of the room as well.

He needed a drink.

A damn couple of bottles if that's what it took for him to go to sleep.

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Lucas watched just by the corridor as his father went out of the Master's chamber.

The boy knew that Gildarts and him were inside, discussing important stuff.

Earlier in the afternoon, Lucas had noticed Lucy's condition the instant they left the company.

And although he was worried, he did not show it.

He walked towards the room, slowly opening one side of the large double doors.

There she was, sleeping.

He quietly shut the door behind him, taking steps to her side of the bed.

Lucas touched her hand, slowly holding it.

He placed a gentle kiss on her fare-colored skin. 

That's when he noticed her eyelashes slowly flutter open, blinking tiredly as she did so.

He smiled sweetly at her.

"Mother."

"Hey..." she said in a whisper, "It's night already isn't it?"

Lucy noted that she had slept for quite a while since they returned.

He nodded.

"You should get some rest too, sweetie."

Lucas slightly shook his head.

"Don't worry about me," he said, "I can handle myself."

She didn't doubt him. She knew he was independently capable.

But as a mother, it was in her heart to always want to care for him no differently than when he was still a baby.

"I told your father about what happened at school this afternoon." She told him.

The moment they stopped over the company, he already had a feeling that his mother was furious about what happened.

"I know," he sighed. "But you didn't have to."

"Why not?"

He hesitated for a second, but answered anyway.

"He would think that I still need to be guarded. I want him to trust that I can take care of myself."

Growing up in their environment and with Natsu's genes dancing in his entire being, it was no surprise that he would want to prove himself. To prove that he was like his father. To prove that he was also superior.

But he really didn't have to, everyone already knew how skilled he was in everything. Considering that he was still in his young age.

She understood how he felt.

"Lucas, your father and I know that you are very much reliable. You're a smart boy," she spoke smiling. "But as your parents, it is our duty to protect you. We don't want anyone to hurt you. You understand, don't you?"

He stared deeply into her eyes.

"Yes, mother."

"Good. Very good."

Remembering that it was already late at night, she scanned the room and noticed that Natsu wasn't there.

Her eyes went back to Lucas.

"Speaking of your father, where is he?"

"He was here a few minutes ago."

Lucy let out a grunt.

"He could have woken me up if he wanted to." She slightly sulked.

Lucas chuckled at how his mother was being unreasonable.

"You were sound asleep, he didn't want to disturb you."

"Oh?" she thought about it, a smile slowly crept up her face,

"You're right. That's something he would do."

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EUCLIFFE'S RESTAURANT

The sun wasn't out that day.

Dull clouds made it impossible for its sunshine to touch the earth. It wasn't raining either, but it looked like the day was in a gloomy mood.

Laxus, together with the people he lead, scattered outside of the diner. They were all over the area.

Each of them were armed and equipped with these little gadgets placed just by their ears, for communication purposes.

They were already there before their own Don and the Americans arrived. As chief of security, it was Laxus' responsibility to scout the area first.

And as he and the others guarded the outside, Natsu and the American Head were already discussing inside.

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The two Heads of the 1st and 2nd rank Families sat face to face with each other.

Both comfortably sitting on a brown leather chair fit for someone superior.

A square glass table was between them. It was the only thing dividing the Families.

Rogue had his staff prepare the venue days before the meeting. Of course, he had the place closed for that day. Besides, no costumer would dare to get closer towards a heavily guarded building.

It wasn't just the Dons inside though, they both had their own bodyguards in there as well.

Gray was the one pouring the champagne on the wine glasses of the two men. 

"I must say, Japanese security is really something," the American Head spoke, his attention on the man sitting in front of him.

He had neat blonde hair, blue eyes, and a confident smirk that could almost pass as an imitation of Natsu's very own.

And he was known as Joseph Andelman.

Both of them looked the same in terms of their age. And both of them were good-looking. Compared to Natsu's pitch black suit, the American wore all white.

"Well, nothing can go wrong if one is prepared. Am I right, Mr. Andelman?" Zeref was the one who answered, standing behind his brother's chair. And he had his usual smile when he said this.

Gray, Erza, and Zeref were the ones accompanying the Don. There were three of them, whereas the American brought two of his own: all blondes as well.

"Mmm," Andelman hummed in agreement. "I am much honored that you granted me this request of meeting you personally, Dragneel."

Natsu continued to stare at the man, as he always did right from the beginning. His legs crossed and arms rested on the sides of the leather chair.

"The Lady Heartfilia, I guess she's busy and can't make it here today?"

Natsu just tapped a finger on the armchair.

So that's it? All this man wanted to talk about was his wife?

"Oh well," Andelman sounded disappointed. "You see, I brought my own woman along. She's at the comfort room at the moment. It would be nice if she had someone to talk to-"

"Is this it?" Natsu interrupted him, his voice with a trace of irritation. "Is this all you wanted to discuss that you flew from your territory and came here in Japan?"

The blonde flinched for a second.

So the rumors were true then, the Head of the Japanese Family was really an impatient person after all. He just confirmed it.

He straightened up on his chair. strands of his blonde hair hanging on his forehead. 

"Right. Let's get to the point," he started with a smirk forming on his thin lips, "You are aware of the power held by the Japanese and the Americans, right?"

Natsu continued to stare blankly. Something as obvious as that didn't need to be asked.

"Individually, we are strong Families...but, what if we merge the Dragneel and Andelman? We will have unlimited supremacy. Nothing will stand in our way. "

As Natsu looked at him with the same emotion, Erza and the others knew that the American only wanted one thing: power. He was greedy for it.

A low chuckle sounded in the air.

It was Natsu, he was somehow amused at the suggestion.

"And you're planning to achieve this...with an arranged marriage, did I get it right?" he said.

Andelman's smirk was still there. 

"Yes," he answered. "You have an heir, I have a daughter. Think about it, Dragneel."

Listening to their conversation, Erza felt her blood boil with his proposal. How could he just give away his daughter like a tool?

It was common in the mafia to have arranged marriages. It was a struggle for power and dominance. But the thought of it still angered the redhead.

"And what makes you think I will agree to this?" Natsu challenged, still smirking. "Even if I reject this offer, my Family will still remain superior."

What he said was true.

But still, Andelman wanted to take chances.

"You don't have to give me an answer right now," he persisted. "I will wait until you realize that the power you have at this moment will be amplified if you agree to this alliance."

The Japanese Head still had that smirk on his lips, showing off that he was a proud man. That he didn't need alliances to keep his Family on top.

Just then, a sound of heels walking towards them got all of their attention.

"Ah! You're finally here, honey," Andelman grinned as he stood up to meet his wife.

She was wearing a blue summer hat. It was large enough that it got in the way and covered half of her face.

Andelman presented her to Dragneel. It was an act of formality.

"This is my wife that I told you about," the blonde spoke with a proud smile.

Natsu just sat there, staring at the woman before him.

And when she lifted her hands and took off her hat, that was when the smirk of the salmonpink-haired Don disappeared...and his onyx orbs became as narrow as they could ever be.

          
It wasn't just him.

Zeref, Gray, and Erza had evident surprise written in their eyes as well.

"Head of the Japanese, Dragneel. It is an honor to meet you," she spoke with an unfamiliar voice.

It was a voice that didn't match the appearance of her face.

The woman was smiling at them as if nothing was wrong.

And Erza just couldn't help but whisper quietly,

"...The Lady?"