I poked at my food halfheartedly. Erza had stopped by to bring me a small basket of bread and fruit, but just looking at it made my stomach churn. It seemed bland, and it just seemed wrong to enjoy food at a time like this. Fairy Tail was getting even further away from the Capitol, Central Kingdom, and the government patrols. Pushing my food aside, I left the female quarters I had been sitting in after looking through some of Cana's meager belongings. After I exited the threshold of the quarters, I was immediately welcomed with the open sea's calming breeze. It drifted through my loose skirt and blouse, gently flowing past my hair. My bare feet brushed over the worn boards of the deck, and the sun warmed my skin, a deep contrast from the icy waters below. But all of these things felt wrong.

Because deep inside my heart, I knew that I could only feel them because someone else had given up the right to.

A slight chill ran down my back at the heart-wrenching thought. I immediately folded my arms across my chest to restrain spasms as my eyes landed on a familiar being with scarlet hair. "Erza!" I called her name, desperately needing a companion at the fearful moment. Her head turned towards my direction, setting down the rope she had been inspecting the moment her eyes landed on me. I could see her eyes trail down my body to the bloody wound on my leg, something I had temporarily forgotten during the whirlwind of the action. It was mostly healed now, in it's final stages of healing. I ignored her cautious glances and tucked a small portion of my hair behind my ear as another gust of wind blew past us.

"We need to talk," I told her, my expression stoic. I wanted answers, and I wanted them now. Cana wasn't the only mage aboard; that much I was certain of. What I wasn't certain of was exactly how many of the crew possessed magic abilities and what abilities they possessed. It was now impossible to deny that there was absolutely no usage of magic, I'd seen evidence of it ever since I climbed up the side of the ship.

"About what?" She questioned, resting one hand on the hilt of the sword that was sheathed by her side. I cautiously averted my gaze from her to our surroundings for a mere second before returning my eyes to hers.

"Everything," I whispered, unfolding my arms. "I need to know everything." She stayed silent for a moment, briefly glancing up towards Natsu's helm. After releasing a soft sigh, she looked at me once more.

"You've figured it out, haven't you?" Her eyes are solemn, almost sad. My heart wrenched in guilt, and a small part of me regretted bringing it up so thoughtlessly. But even so, I knew that I could not go on pretending not to see these things anymore.

"Well, no ordinary human can cast a spell like Fairy Glitter, can they?" My voice changed in pitch, jumping a whole octave at the mention of the sacred spell. Erza nodded her head and offered a small smile.

"Well, I'll go get Natsu. Why don't you start heading towards his quarters and wait for us? We should be there soon," she murmured, changing the topic for the purpose of lightening up the tense atmosphere. I nodded my head in agreement before slowly moving again, feeling the croaky, wooden boards beneath my feet. I climbed a set of stairs and went right to Natsu's room, not hesitating to plop myself down onto his bed.

I leaned my back against the wall and closed my eyes, allowing the gentle swaying of the ship lull me into a sleepy state while waiting for Erza and Natsu to arrive. Even when I heard the door creak open, I was not able to react right away, solely for the reason that I still felt somewhat drowsy. I picked up on a soft sigh from Erza.

"She looks like a sleeping angel," she said in a quiet voice. "That is the most relaxed I've ever seen her."

"She's been through hell; it's no wonder she has looked on edge recently," Natsu responded with a hint of guilt in his weary tone.

Erza hesitated before speaking once more. "Do you really think we should tell her?" Erza questioned as the door closed with a click.

"We will have to, eventually. I think it would be better now than later," I heard his stealthy footsteps stroll back and forth across the room, his combat boots making soothing clacks against the wood.

Erza sighed, "You know about the consequences about being honest about this more than anybody else, right? Last time we told someone about everything–"

"She wasn't part of the crew, and that was completely my mistake," Natsu snapped through clenched teeth.

"Lucy also isn't completely like us, and we would be putting her in even more danger if we tell her," Erza pleaded, almost in a voice that did not even seem like hers.

"Her father is Jude Heartfilia, Erz. And do you know who that makes her mother? Layla Heartfilia. A celestial spirit mage, and an extremely powerful one at that." A rapid shuffling of papers followed. "See?"

"Are you saying that Lucy also possesses magical abilities?" Erza murmured after a minute of silence.

"Her mother's death coincides with the date when the practice of magic was first banned." There were more noises of busy hands flipping documents. "It all makes sense when you look at it," he added.

"What should we tell her, then?" Erza questioned once more.

"Everything, just like she asked," Natsu said simply.

"Then you'd better prepare yourself to explain why we hid everything from her in the first place. If we are telling her everything all at once, you'd ought to explain why," Erza warned.

"I'll wait for her here to wake up. Go back to the routine inspections and tell Gray to take over the wheel. Levy can handle the directions, and she already knows where we are headed," Natsu informed her. After hesitant clacks of combat boots and sounds of the door opening and closing, I heard him sigh.

"You can stop pretending to be asleep, Luce," Natsu muttered. I peeked my eyes open to see him sitting in his chair facing me completely. "You heard all of that, right?" He asked softly, gazing at me with warmth and caution. I nodded slowly, feeling heat rise up to my neck.

"Then I really don't have much else to say now, do I?" He smiled sheepishly, slightly leaning forward. "Anyhow, what do you want to know first?"

"How did you know about my family?" I blurted obnoxiously. His chest rumbled as a soft chuckle escaped from his lips.

"Interesting first question," he smiled slightly. "I was raised by someone who knew your mother very well."

"And what are your magic abilities? They have something to do with fire, right? That's why you have that obsidian sword that channels fire magic." Words fell out of my lips naturally, almost as if they had been scripted.

"Yeah, I'm a Fire Dragon Slayer, so yes, my magic does have a lot to do with fire," he grinned. "But I can't explain how my abilities work. I'll have to show you the full extent of my magic some time soon." I bit my lip in slight disappointment and nodded.

"Is the whole crew made up of underground mages?" I tilted my head slightly and asked.

"Yes. Everyone here has some sort of magic ability," he nodded.

"What dangers does this information pose to me, exactly?" My voice was steady and low as I interrogated him.

"We can't ever say that you were unaware of the situation if we ever get caught. You will face the same punishments, the same enemies, the same so-called "crimes"..." His words trailed off to an undetectable series of mumbles. "You get the idea."

"So... the last person you told all this to who wasn't part of the crew was..." My words came to a stop when I realized that his usual, calm eyes were replaced with dark, stormy ones. I gasped when I read fury in his expression.

"She died. It was officially considered as an accident, but we suspect otherwise. We believe that someone tried to use her to worm us out. But that was a while ago, and I think we all have learned from past mistakes," he said while rising from his chair. "If you have any more questions, tell me. Now please, excuse me, I have to go be Captain of this ship."

And with that he left, the door closing rather roughly behind him.

• • •

Yo! What's up guys?! It's been a while hasn't it... Sorry about that. School has been a boa constrictor on my life, and it has about killed me at this point.

I'll be finished with school for the summer on May 19th, so until then please continue to be patient with me!

I hope this chapter provided some answers :3

Next chapter guarantees loads of action! So until then, bye!

-Kels [fluff queen]