Finished - August 8, 2021

Word Count - 4973 

Music - Two Steps From Hell - Big Sky

Summary:
In a western universe, Natsu and Lucy return to Magnolia from a long job. However their reunion is cut short when someone for their past comes looking for revenge on Natsu. How will the Gang react when an enemy enters their home and seeks vengeance against one of their own?

**********************************

Hooves kicked up dirt as they traveled across the dusty landscape. High noon meant the heat of the day was already upon them. Two horses dashed towards the town of Magnolia.

Magnolia was the largest town for miles, a central hub for all the lone travelers. For such a wasteland, this city was equipped with all the modern necessities.

The city spanned a few miles and held its shared of homes, even a few second stories buildings! A few of these hot spots included a supply store, church, tailors and of course the saloon.

The saloon was by far the most popular place in Magnolia, Mira's Bar was the secret grouping place of the band Fairytail. Every major town held a gang, these gangs kept the town in check. Helping the people who lived there and journeying outside the city limits to gather more needed supplies.

Magnolia was home to Fairytail, a loyal and reputable gang that always helped its growing town. Two members of this Gang were coming home after a long job away. The two horses galloped steadily into the familiar buildings of Magnolia.

They pranced in perfect harmony with each other as they stopped just behind the Saloon. The back area of Mira's Bar was reserved for Gang members only.

"Its nice to be home." The female of the duo breathed in the familiarity of the place.

"Sure is, I can't wait to see how much it's changed." The male swung his leg over his saddle and dismounted his horse.

"We've only been gone a month. How much could have changed?" She giggled at his comment.

"Hey, things are constantly moving around here." He shrugged his shoulders and lead his horse to the water trough. "You never know what will happen next."

"Well I'm ready for some relaxation." The woman followed suit and slid off her horse.

The two Gang members; Natsu and Lucy were returning to Magnolia after being requested to chase out some bandits from Hargeon. They were partners in every way, they did absolutely everything together and worked amazing together. Of corse, all the time spent together had brought them closer in more ways than one. After years of partnerships, it was inevitable that they became more than just co-workers. Now they were each others strength and love.

Lucy finished tying her horse Plue to the banister and walked into the Saloon. Natsu fallowed directly behind her and they both sat at the bar.

"Welcome back!" A friendly voice greeted them.

"Hey Levy!" Lucy stood and hugged her best friend. Levy worked with Mira as a Saloon girl. Their jobs were mostly to help serve drinks and entertain the guests. Saloon girls were a way to get information, they were the eyes and ears of the Fairytail gang. Almost like spies they talk to the traveling strangers that came by for a drink. Saloon girls had to put up with drunken men and endless smart remarks. However they held their own heads up strong.

"How was the job?" She asked curiously.

"Too easy." Natsu laughed.

Lucy glared at his snarky comment. "It went really well, thankfully."

"Hey, it's not my fault the Bandits couldn't swim." Natsu raised his hands in defense.

"Swim?" Levy asked confused.

"Hargeon is a sea port and Natsu kinda burned down their ship...while they were all on it...while it was in the water."Lucy explained slowly.

"Sounds like Natsu." Laughed at their predicament.

Natsu simply crossed his arms in defiance and ordered a drink from Mira across the counter.

"Oh!" Levy seemed to remember something. "I know you just. got back, but can you help me with something?"

"Yeah, what do you need?" Lucy inquired.

"Just some help with these boxes, can you help me carry them to the back room."

"Sure." Lucy stretched her legs.

"While you do that, I am goin to feed Happy and Plue."

"Awe, thank you." Lucy gave his a quick kiss to show her appreciation.

"But I expect drinks waiting for us when I get back." He winked with a smile.

"Sounds great." Lucy smirked, giving his a last look as they parted ways.

Natsu walked out the back door and stroked Happy on his smooth nose. He didn't ignore Plue and gave him the same attention. After a quick pat he untied their leads and lead them towards the barn just behind the saloon. He slid open the large wooden door and carefully placed them into there correct pens. Closing the half doors he went to fetch some water and food.

Just being back in their home, Natsu could tell that both Plue and Happy were more relaxed. Quickly washing out their water containers we made sure they were clean before filling them with fresh water. Immediately after hooking them into place, the two horses started drinking.

While they drink their fill, Natsu fetched their food and hooked them on the other side of the wall for them to find after they had finished drinking.

Feeling satisfied stretched and examined the rest of the large barn. You could always tell which guild members were away; by seeing who's horses were there.

It looked like some of his close friends were there, because Gajeel's horse, Panther Lily.  Even Levy's horse, Paige were all present. However, it seemed that Wendy, Grey and Erza were all away on a mission. Which meant that Wendy's horse' Charlie was also gone. Much too Happy's disappointment.

Hiding amongst the stalls he found Gajeel feeding Pantherlily. Although it seemed that Gajeel had noticed him first.

"Finally decided to come back, huh." Gajeel smirked, attempting not hide his joy of Natsu's return.

"Hey. If you had a mission alone with Levy, wouldn't you stall too?" Natsu teased, knowing the relationship he had with Lucy's best friend.

"Darn straight." Gajeel punched Natsu's shoulder playfully.

**********************************

Meanwhile, Lucy had finished helping Levy with the storage room and was now seated at the bar. Her feet were very tired and thanked her for finally sitting down. As Lucy's body was settling, a friendly face noticed her sitting down.

"Lucy! You're back!" A large smile greeted Lucy.

"Hey Mira." Lucy matched her expression. "We just got back about an hour ago."

"Well its wonderful to have you both home, can I get you anything to drink?" The bartender side of her was showing.

"Of corse! Thank you." Lucy thanked her.

"The usual I presume?" She winked.

"Yes please, Natsu should be back in a few minutes. One for him too."

"Coming right up!" As Mira turned, her long white hair danced behind her.

Lucy sighed and took in the familiarity of it all, it was nice to be home. This building and these people were her place of comfort and peace. She could recharge her batteries and feel safe within these walls, with the people she loved.

Unfortunately her moment of peace ended when someone sat next to her. Someone she recognized, but never thought she would see in a place like this. Lucy tried to hide her expression of shock as the man stared at her.

"Hello darlin." Sting Eucliffe smirked and called her attention, for he hadn't recognized her yet. He must have mistaken her for a Saloon Girl, someone who was forced to interact with strange men. However, Lucy swallowed her pride and turned to him with a fake smile.

"Hello sir, what brings you to these parts?" Lucy cut straight to the chase, wanting the interact with this man to be as short as possible. For she knew he was a member of their rival Gang, Sabertooth. 

"I'm looking for a pink haired hooligan." His eyes squinted, looking around the room for Natsu.

"Pink hair, now that's quite strange." Lucy mentally prayed that Natsu would stay in the barn until she could convince Sting to leave.

"I know, he may look idiotic. But this man is dangerous." Sting warned her in a serious tone.

"Dangerous." Lucy copied his voice and nodded her head.

"He gave me this." Sting slashed his pointer finger across his right eyebrow, showing his tiny scar.

"Awe, you poor thing." Lucy tried to hold back her mocking tone.

Lucy remembered exactly when this had happened, it was true, Natsu had been the on to give Sting his scar. She was lucky that Sting didn't remember too much, because she was there too.

As the two blonde's were talking, Natsu and Gajeel walked in from the back door. Natsu's eyes immediately found Lucy sitting at the bar with Sting. His first instinct was to attack the threatening man sitting so incredibly close to his love.

However, Gajeel also caught on to the situation and held Natsu back before Sting could notice him. For he knew that if Sting saw Natsu, a battle would ensue. Therefore Gajeel pulled himself and Natsu down and hid behind a set of barrels.

"What is that monster doing here?" Natsu whispered, not taking his eyes off Lucy.

"I don't know. But he doesn't know that this is Fairytail's main hub. If he did, he wouldn't have come alone. We cant let him find out, or he will be back with many more." Gajeel warned.

"Why is he talking to her?" Natsu's eyebrows lifted in concern.

"How am I supposed to know?" Gajeel snapped back.

Natsu's eyes never left Lucy, he didn't want o miss and signal or sign of help. However it seemed like she was holding her own. Sting obviously thought Lucy was a random Saloon girl and didn't think twice about her being dangerous. Lucy played the role of a Saloon girl quite well, she was extremely patient and knew how to flirt from a distance.

Soon, Lucy's eyes scanned the room and they made eye contact. Finally. However because she was in the middle of a conversation and didn't want to draw attention to Natsu she pretended not to see him. But Natsu knew she saw him.

Lucy subtly pointed her fingers towards the back door from underneath the bar, therefore Sting would not be able to see her indication. She snuck a quick glance towards him, making sure he saw her fingers. She wanted him to flee, hide or run away. But he shook his head, he refused to leave.

Lucy took a deep breath in an attempt to calm her nerves. This was when Mira approached them cautiously and placed two drink upon the counter. Mira could read the situation and didn't say a word, knowing that this might be a way for Lucy to escape.

"Oh, you ordered us drinks? How kind." Sting smiled and reached out for Natsu's Fireball shot.

However, Lucy was faster and slid the small glass out of the way before Sting could touch it. "Sorry I got these for me and my friend."

It annoyed Natsu to be called a friend, but he knew it was smart of her not to say "boyfriend" in her situation.

"Your friend?" Sting pushed. "Where is your friend? Why would they leave you alone?"

Natsu could feel his fist tightening in anger at these words. But he was once again held back by Gajeel.

"They went to the bathroom." Lucy shrugged, trying not to show any signs of panic. "I think I'll go find them."

Lucy was about to stand up when Sting grabbed her and and pushed her back down in to her stool. "Who needs them, stay here with me."

Sting brought his face very close to Lucy and she could feel his hand trail up her thigh. She was incredibly uncomfortable and displeased with Sting's forceful attitude. She did everything in her power not to show the distain on her face. 

It took every once of restraint for Natsu to stay put. He wanted nothing more than to stop Sting's advance upon Lucy. Gajeel held Natsu's shoulder tightly, just in case Natsu lost control. But Natsu knew that if he intervened now, all Lucy's acting would be for nothing. 

Not wanting to make a scene, Lucy swat Sting's hand away and stood up quickly.

"Sorry Sir, but I really must be going." Lucy grabbed the two drinks and walked away, as she stood Lucy made serious eye contact with Natsu. Signaling him to meet her in the back room. With that she turned and left, two drinks in hand and disappeared into the storage room behind the bar.

Natsu watched as Sting huffed in annoyance and tapped his fingers against the bar. However, he couldn't be more grateful that Lucy wasn't near Sting anymore.

"Here." Gajeel grabbed a hat from nearby and covered Natsu noticeable hair. "Let's go."

The two men walked calmly across the Saloon, right passed Sting, behind the bar and into the same room Lucy had escaped to.

Gajeel closed the door behind then quietly, not wanting to draw attention to themselves. Inside the small room were the two girls. Levy still organizing boxes and Lucy holding two drinks.

The moment the men entered the room Natsu tackled Lucy into a bear hug.

"Natsu, Im fine." She reassured him, trying to keep their drinks from spilling.

"What is he doing here?" Natsu let her go and downed his fireball shot.

"He's looking for you." She answered.

"Me? Why?!"

"Why do you think?" Lucy gawked at his terrible memory.

"Either way, we cant let him see you Natsu." Gajeel added.

"You think I don't know that?" Natsu seemed frustrated.

"What should we do? We cant stay in here forever." Levy joined their conversation, it seemed Lucy had brought her up to speed before they got here.

**********************************

Sting was starting to get impatient. That blonde woman should be back by now, plus she took both drinks with her. Was there even a bathroom back there? He didn't trust her, but he wanted her. It wasn't every day you find someone as visually appealing as she.

He didn't get her name, but she looked very familiar to him. Yet he couldn't remember why he recognized her, this was why he decided to talk to her first.

Deciding he was finished waiting, he stood from the bar and walked towards the back door. However the Bartender blocked his path.

"Sorry Sir, this room is for employees only." She looked friendly and welcoming, however there was a presence behind her eyes that was very serious.

"I just want to use the restroom." Sting urged.

"There is no bathroom back here, if you need to relieve yourself, I suggest you use the public bathrooms on the other side of the building." The white haired woman smiled.

"No bathroom back there?" Sting's expression hardened.

The woman did not move from her anchored spot in front of the door. In the moment of silence Sting could hear voices coming from behind the door. He could decipher at least. Three different voices; one of the woman he was talking to at the bar and two males. For some reason this made him angry and his desire to go grew.

"Sorry miss, but I am going back there."

"I'm afraid I cant let you, this is my Bar and you must leave now." The woman's voice turned dark and menacing. However this did not scare him.

"I'm afraid I wasn't asking permission." Sting drew his revolver and pointed it at the Woman.

However she matched him and grabbed her own shotgun from under the bar counter. She pointed the large, menacing gun at his forehead.

"I will say this one more time. Get out of my bar." Her voice was low and serious.

Sting chuckled softly at his predicament and returned his gun to its holster. Holding his hands up in defeat he said. "Looks like I'm beat. You got me."

However, his withdrawal didn't make Mira drop her guard, or her weapon. Rightly so. Because at the speed of light, he re-drew his Revolver and shot straight forwards. However his gun did not shoot bullets, instead it created flash bangs. A bright light and loud sound exploded from the front of his pistol and disorientated the woman with just enough time to rush passed her and open the door.

Inside were four people, all crowded into the small room full of crates and boxes. They obviously heard Sting's flash bang and were all starring at him in the doorway. However, Stings eyes were drawn to two people in particular. 

The woman he was talking to at the bar and the man standing over her protectively. Sting recognized the person immediately. 

"Natsu Dragneel." He raised his more deadly fire arm against the pink haired man. 

However, Natsu did not flinch. He simply stood in front of his woman holding a stern expression. 

"Nice to see you again Sting." Natsu turned to face Sting head on, this way Lucy could reach his hidden holster in secret. 

Both Gajeel and Levy stayed frozen behind Natsu and Lucy, not wanting to risk the lives of their close comrades. therefor they watched from the sidelines, ready to step in whenever the situation called. 

"You humiliated me." Sting pushed his weapon closer to Natsu's chest. However, Natsu could feel Lucy's nimble fingers on the small of his back; working for the small pistol. 

"Plus, that woman toyed with me." Stings eyes glared over Natsu's shoulder at Lucy. Her gaze barely tall enough to see over Natsu's shoulders, even if her gaze faced Sting, her fingers never stopped their work. 

"Now you both can say goodbye." Sting rested his pistol directly on Natsu's forehead. 

Before anyone could move, Lucy finally used the pistol from Natsu's back and shot through the loose cloth of Natsu's sleeve. Her aim was perfect and hidden behind the fabric of Natsu's long sleeved shirt. However, her bullet was stopped by a type of shadow. 

All eyes focused on the shadow shielding Sting's torso in awe. 

"You. You witch!" Sting realize what had happened. "You tried to kill me!"

"Sorry?" Lucy squeaked from behind Natsu, however her tone was anything but apologetic.

But this did not explain the mysterious shadow that had miraculously saved Sting, fortunately the odd encounter removed Sting's gun from Natsu. Allowing the rest of the room to react properly. 

Levy and Gajeel drew their weapons and pointed them towards sting. Also Mira came to her senses and locked her Shotgun against the back of Sting's head. 

Lucy and Natsu joined in the rally and followed suit with their own weapons. 

Sting raised his hands up in defense, however his right hand still held his pistol. "That didn't work so well for you last time. Yet you still wanna try again?" His voice moved them. 

However in the moments he was stalling, he noticed the familiar brand of the Fairytail gang on each of them. Under normal circumstances, he should be afraid. Yet he chuckled and laughed.

This took everyone by surprise, he had no reason to laugh!

"It seems I've stumble upon Fairytail's hide out." Sting continued to grin. "A bar? How fitting."

Gajeel and Natsu made eye contact, what should they do know that Sting had realized the truth behind their saloon? They couldn't let him escape with this knowledge. Things just became much more serious.

However, it seemed that Mira was not so torn about her decision and she fired her large rifle directly into the back of Sting's head. But just as before, a strange dark force blocked Sting from any damage. 

"What the hell?!" Mira lowered her weapon in frustration.

"It seems my presence is needed." A mysterious voice caught the attention of everyone present.

All heads turned and saw a dark figure standing just behind Mira. A man with long dark black hair, dressed in a large poncho. His face barely seen from under his large hat. 

"Rouge. Finally finished with the rest of the room?" Sting greeted his fellow gang member. 

The dark haired man simply modded in response.

"The rest of the room?" Levy perked up and moved to see out the door. 

Sure enough, it seemed like this one person. Rouge. Had immobilized everyone in the entire saloon.  Every person was encapsulated inside a dark sphere and all eyes were upon their commotion. The only people left to fight were in the storage room. 

Natsu mentally cursed at their situation. Their upper hand was now gone, all their comrades injured and unable to fight. This one man was able to do it all single handedly. This Rough was not present when Natsu had fought with Sting in the past. Now he could see  not underestimate him or Sting. 

Rouge's magical ability reminded Natsu of his close friend; Grey's ability. Grey's bullets paralyzed his opponents upon impact, it was very useful when played on their side. However, Rouge's "shadows" seemed more like forcefields. His bullets created solid spaces where ever he aimed. 

However impressive they might be, they were still outnumbered. It was five against two and Fairytail was on their home turf. 

Sting was the first to make a move, shooting a flash bang into the shall zoom in hopes of disorienting his foes. However, Fairytail used this distraction to their advantage and rushed passed Sting, escaping the confining space. 

"Nice one." Rouge 'congratulated' his partner.

"Shut up!" Sting spun around quickly and started firing his pistol. 

However, Natsu, Lucy, Levy and Gajeel all hid themselves behind the bar counter as bullets whisked over their heads. 

Gajeel ripped off his over coat to reveal the various weapons displayed amongst his clothing. He meticulously decided which firearm to use, while Natsu and Levy both drew their weapons and fired upon the Sabertooth members. 

Each member of Fairytail held a special set of skills, by either mastering a miraculous weapon or using their skill set to their advantage. 

Levy used a small pistol that never ran out of ammo, therefor she never needed to reload or worry about missed shots. Gajeel took this as a challenge and covered himself head to tow with as much ammunition as possible. He was a walking arsenal. 

Natsu's main weapon was a dark bronze metal with a longer barrel. He enjoyed playing around with gun power and fire, so this lead him to develop his own bullets. He modified his special bullets to explode after being shot. This means his victims would not only be shot; but also internally combust. However, his aim could use some work. 

Unlike her partner, Lucy never missed. Her revolver was very special, passed down for generations. The golden plated revolver held twelve shots and locked on target. Her ammunition stayed loyal to her and even after use, they would fly back into place. Therefore, Lucy also never ran out of ammo, because she used the same bullets over and over again. 

However, Natsu noticed Lucy's lack of action. For she wasn't shooting at the foes before them, instead she stayed hidden behind the counter quietly. 

"Hey what are you doing?" He yelled over the loud commotion around them. Bright flashes of light mixed with Rouge's shots of shadow, creating a very loud and visually obstructing scene.

"Something is not right." Lucy held a finger to her chin in contemplation. "They haven't shot any of us, they haven't hurt anyone."

Natsu pulled himself down behind the bar to reason with her. "Hello, he had his pistol resting against my forehead!"

"And he could have shot you!" Lucy's tone rose. "But...he didn't. Something else is going on."

"Come on Luce, look what they did to the Saloon. To everyone!"

Lucy felt torn, she could tell something was off. But she didn't know what. Why would two high ranking members of Sabertooth go looking for Natsu, plus they happen to stumble across their headquarters? No, this was planned. But if it was planned, then why only bring two people to take down an entire Gang base?

"Help us Lucy." Natsu pleaded as he noticed all their bullets were being deflected by Rouge's shadow fields. They were getting closer. 

"But-" She started to protest again.

"Just shoot them." Natsu demanded.

"You want me to shoot?!" Lucy yelled back, angry with Natsu's demands. "Fine!"

Lucy swung her body around, pulling out her revolver, she shot just once. She guided her bullet around the shadow shields and directly to her target. Her golden bullet lodged itself straight into Rouge's left thigh. However, she was not aiming to kill. Instead she was simply aiming to stop the commotion. 

Rouge dropped to the ground and held his leg tightly, his expression held pain and shock. He hadn't been shot in a long time. Levy and Gajeel noticed the change of atmosphere as the dark shadows all disappeared and stopped their attacks. Instead they hopped over the counter for a closer encounter. 

Sting helped his partner and held his dangerous weapon still among at the four members in front of him. Lucy could see the frustration on Stings face, seeing his friend in pain. 

"You will all pay for this!" Sting yelled in more grievance than anger. Lucy's heart tightened, knowing that she was the one to shoot Rouge.

However intimidating, all four members of Fairytail stood their ground. Sting placed Rouge back on the ground and stood up ready to fight once more. Even studying alone, he was not swayed by the numbers against him. 

Just as guns were aimed a loud noise caught everyones attention, the saloon doors opened and sunlight lit up the crowded space. Standing in the doorway was a woman, arms opened both sides of the doors. White bobbed hair hugged her horrified expression. 

"What is going on here?!" Her shrill voiced boomed over the preposterous situation. 

Both Sabertooth boys frozen upon seeing her. They almost looked guilty and pointed to each other in blame. 

"Yukino?" Lucy stuttered softly. 

The woman heard her name and met Lucy's eyes. Her face softened upon seeing her. "Lucy, it's good to see you again."

"What's going on?" Gajeel whispered to Natsu, obviously very confused. He simply shrugged in response. 

"What are you doing here?" Lucy rushed past Sting and Rouge to meet her friend. 

"We came looking for you." Yukino gripped Lucy's hands. 

"We?" Lucy asked. 

"Yeah. " Yukino nodded and gestured to the two sniveling boys upon the Saloon floor. 

"Since when were you a member of Sabertooth?" Levy inquired, almost shocked. 

Both Natsu and Gajeel turned in shock and confusion and Levy also seemed to know this Yukino person. "You know her too?"

Levy ignored their question and joined Lucy's side by the Saloon doors. Thankfully Lucy took pity on them and answered. "Yukino is an old friend of mine."

Natsu seemed satisfied and took his place beside Lucy, if she trusted Yukino, the he had no reason to doubt her. 

"Why were you looking for us?" Levy asked. 

"Sabertooth wants to form an alliance with Fairytail." The woman smiled brightly.

"What?!" Gajeel's jaw dropped, as did the rest of Fairytail. 

However Natsu retaliated poorly. "You expect us to join forces with you? Fairytail will never accept your ways, the way you treat your fellow gang members is shameful. You can tell your Leader, Jiemma Orland, that we will never stoop to his level."

"Natsu!" Lucy held him back from almost attacking Yukino. 

Surprisingly, Yukino was not mad at Natsu's words. Instead, her face softened, looking almost sad. "It is true, Jiemma was a cruel Leader and humiliated everyone he thought 'beneath' him."

"Was?" Levy caught the one word cue. 

Yukino nodded slowly. "Sabertooth is no longer ruled by Jiemma Orland."

"Really?" Lucy looked about ready to hug Yukino in relief. 

"Then who is the new Leader?" Gajeel asked. 

"You've already met him." Yukino laughed. 

"Huh?" A collective sound of disbelief hushed over Fairytail as she gestured behind them. 

All eyes fell upon Sting and Rouge, an odd duo for certain, but powerful non-the-less. 

"No. Way." Natsu couldn't believe what he was hearing.

"Sting, Rouge and I went searching for you all, so that we could mend the patches in our past. Sabertooth is done fighting, done with silly, meaningless rivalries."

"Is that why you came here?"

"We were looking for Natsu because he is a high ranking member of Fairytail. Plus, pink is not a very common hair color." Yukino nodded again.

"Then why did you attack us?" Gajeel gauged, remembering their brawl only a moment ago. 

Rouge shrugged his shoulders and looked to his partner. "I was just following suit. Sting started it." 

"Then I guess that was my fault." Sting gulped, frustrated. "I was caught up in the moment." 

Once again all members of Fairytail's jaws dropped flabbergasted. All that fighting and shooting for nothing. 

"At least no one got hurt." Levy tried to lighten the mood. 

"Excuse me?!" Rouge lifted his fist in the air. 

"Sorry about that." Lucy apologized. 

"We'll have our physician look at your leg before you leave." Both girls helped the injured Sabertooth member to his feet and lead him away. 

Natsu and Sting made eye contact, both expressions hard and not trusting yet. Who could blame them? Enemies don't simply become friends over night. However, time would prove that both Sabertooth and Fairytail became great gangs in their own way. 

Both worked in harmony, even brought other gangs into their circle of peace and worked together. Gangs like Blue Pegasus, Mermaid Heel and Lamia Scale. Together these Gangs protected the surrounding cities and kept the peace for generations to come.