Hi guys!!! It's been a while hasn't it??? I changed my updating date to Sunday....I'm not going to update every mid-week which is Wednesday....instead, I made it a two chapter update every end of the week!! Sorry guys but this is all to help me save time and energy in posting and updating because I'm only using a public computer to update...I had to walk down our mountain to go to the nearest town just to find a free computer shop...sorry guys...please enjoy this...I dedicate this chapter to AniKa_13......

♥LucyAshleyHeartfilia♥

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“A challenge”, Lucy replied.

“A challenge?”, Erza and the others were confused.

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An hour ago…..

“What?!”, Natsu angrily shouted. “Are you kidding me?! I won’t agree to this!”

“Surely. That’s why we are ordering you, not requesting you”, the Mayor said.

“The Council shares the same sentiments on this”

“And I’m saying I decline. I’m not going to take her as my partner! I already have Happy and Lucy on my team, I don’t want any addition, besides, she’s not a member of Fairy Tail”, Natsu pointed to Elizabeth.

“Aye!”, Happy agreed.

“So I have to be a member then?”, Elizabeth said.

“Apparently, I can’t allow that”, Master Makarov joined in. “Only wizards are permitted to join as to what the Council has instructed”

“If I know any better you are all against my marriage with him”, Elizabeth angrily looked at Master Makarov.

“Parents should support their child’s decisions. As a parent I can’t allow my child to be taken too lightly”, Master Makarov replied with a smile.

“Alright. Mayor-san, looks like we have no other choice but to do ‘it’”, Elizabeth slyly smiled at him.

“Makarov-san. Sorry, but if you will not comply with her request, I have no other choice but to close down your guild. The Council gave us permissions and with just a “go” from her means we will disband your guild from the list of official guilds in the Ballam Alliance. That would mean we will remove your authority as one of the ten wizard saints and your membership as one of the Local Guild Master League”, the Mayor said.

“In order to keep balance in the Ballam Alliance and the threat, we have to do as she told us”, the Council representative said.

“WHAT! YOU CAN’T JUST DO THAT!”, Natsu was furious, he was steaming off in his head with fire building up in his mouth and veins almost popping out his head.

“So it has come down to this?”, Master Makarov eyed Elizabeth angrily. “I can’t believe the Mayor, even the Council will be manipulated with her influence alone. What exactly are you plotting?”

“I told you, I want him as my husband”, Elizabeth said with a sinister smile. Natsu was really angry.

“I don’t think that’s the only thing you want to achieve”, Master Makarov stated. He saw through her.

“If that’s what you want, I’ll surrender”, Natsu glumly said. Happy and Master Makarov looked at him with disbelief. Elizabeth smiled as the Mayor was sweating hard beside her. The Council representative averted his eyes but deep inside, he can’t say he disagrees. Reina was just standing watch from behind them with worry.

“Natsu….”, Happy sympathized his partner.

“But!”, Natsu looked at her with intense seriousness. “Keep your hands off Fairy Tail!”

“Of course. I have no intention of getting involved with them anyway”, Elizabeth said.

“You invoked a war against Fairy Tail my dear”, Master Makarov just mumbled softly, only Natsu was able to hear it.

“Then I’ll discuss our wedding plan tomorrow. Come to my hotel at exactly 9 in the morning. Don’t be late now, my future husband”, with a slight pat on his shoulder, Elizabeth, the Mayor, the Council delegate and Reina left from Fairy Tail grounds.

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The next day….

“Master, is it true that Natsu agreed to be wed with that wealthy girl from Callimar because of our guild being threatened to be disbanded?”, Gray asked. The others were confronting him as well.

“So that explains why that idiot isn’t here”, Gajeel said.

“Natsu is being a man”, Elfman said.

“He hasn’t got a choice. That boy loves Fairy Tail so he sacrificed himself for our home”, Master Makarov sadly said.

“And you allowed it? Master, we can fight them if we have to”, Max reasoned out.

“This isn’t a usual brawl that we can fight over. Natsu knows it too that’s why it resulted to this”, Laxus interjected to silence the guild. “Do you really think Grandpa will let that idiot just go off on his own like that?”

“Master!”, Erza and the other girls entered the guild by banging up the doors.

“Erza? Mira and the others too”, Macao apprehended.

“You heard about it as well huh? From Happy?”, Gray asked.

“Aye!”, Happy said.

“Eh? Wasn’t Lucy-san with you?”, Wendy noticed Lucy’s absence.

“About that…Master, Lucy was…”, Lisanna started.

“She went to fetch Natsu”, Mirajane finished and smiled.

“WHAT!!!!!”, the guild shouted in surprise.

“Lucy said she found a way to help us all and Natsu so she went there to do it”, Levy explained.

“What will she do?”, Wakaba asked.

“She’s going to challenge Elizabeth in a love fight”, Cana winked at them.

“EH!!!!”, the guild gasped yet again. Wendy and Romeo were blushing.

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“So, Natsu-sama, what do you think?”, Elizabeth asked seductively while showing off her wedding dress.

“…..”, Natsu just shrugged.

“You shouldn’t show your wedding dress to your future husband before the actual day because it might get jinxed you know”, Lucy appeared on the door. Natsu and Elizabeth turned with a shock expression.

“Lucy?”, Natsu was surprised, that’s for sure.

“How did you get in here?”, Elizabeth looked at her angrily.

“I had some help”, Lucy showed her Virgo’s key. “Sorry if I left a hole on the ground. I don’t want to cause a ruckus”, Lucy said. “Natsu…”, her eyebrows arched at him.

“Yes?”, Natsu looked at her nervously.

“Idiot!”, Lucy sighed. “Elizabeth…”, she looked at her seriously. “Why don’t we finish this already? It’s me you are really after right? I knew your intentions from the start. It won’t do you any good if you chase after him. He will cause you more troubles than happiness”, Lucy said.

“Oh? You knew all along? You really are smart. That’s why I never really liked you”, she said.

“Likewise”, Lucy replied.

“But, you can’t be so sure that I’m just using him”, Elizabeth said, glancing at Natsu again.

“It’s obvious. Why else would you target Fairy Tail? Since we were kids, you loathed me to the point that you will do everything to prove your worth over me. I never really understood you before but now that you engrossed my family with our issues, I will not just stand by and watch”, Lucy replied. “Let’s be fair Elizabeth. You can’t use money and your influence all the time”

“Who says I fight fair?!”, Elizabeth gestured her hands. Reina was already behind Lucy and she doesn’t have the time to react. Her body stopped moving like before.

“Lucy!”, Natsu shouted out. “What did you do?”, he growled.

“Don’t move”, Reina reached a knife on Lucy’s throat.

“Natsu…don’t”, Lucy managed to speak.

“You! We made a deal! You said you will never lay a hand on Fairy Tail! That includes her!”, Natsu roared.

“The deal is off now that she came into the picture”, Elizabeth said.

“You just invoked a war against Fairy Tail”, Natsu angrily repeated what Master Makarov told her the night before.

“Even better!”, Elizabeth did something that made the room flood with her escorts. Natsu was incapacitated instantly.

“Natsu!”, Lucy squirmed. “Elizabeth!”

“I hate wizards! I will make sure your guild will be crushed to the ground. You will be married to me in three days and as for you”, Elizabeth angrily said while holding Lucy’s chin. “I’ll make you feel the humiliation you’ve made me feel all these years”

“What?! What humiliation are you talking about? I never did anything to humiliate you? It’s your own fault why you can’t meet the expectations you set for yourself”, Lucy shot back. “Don’t involve Natsu in this! My friends has nothing to do with you and I!”, she growled.

“But Lucy-chan, without involving anyone, it will never be interesting would it? You remember don’t you? I swore that day to take everything from you”, she said.

“Using dirty tricks, what’s your aim? If it’s about me leaving you you’re being pathetic!”, she threatened. “Don’t lay a hand on my family! I will make sure you’ll pay if you hurt anyone from them”, she glared.

“Family huh? Such heavy words for you Lucy-chan. So tell me, if you’re so serious about that threat, why did Uncle Jude die without you by his side? Your doll sister as well”, she ignited a fire inside Lucy. Lucy was furious with what she said. Natsu was furiously angry, he fully knows how sensitive that topic was to Lucy and yet Elizabeth said it like it means nothing at all. Her escorts surrounded her protectively. Lucy stiffened again. She was sweating so hard and looks like she was choking because of Reina.

“Reina….if you keep…doing this…you know….what will happen right? Stop…..do you…really want…to end up like….HER?”, Lucy panted as she force herself to whisper to Reina. Reina was taken aback and sweating hard because of what she’s doing. She stopped but Lucy remained unmoving.

Natsu struggled free from the ones holding him. Elizabeth was shocked at his power. He lurched his way to Lucy and shove Reina away from her. He put Lucy behind him when he realized her state, his face full of anger as well.

“Why you!”, he rumbled. Lucy was frozen stiff behind him.

She smiled evilly at Lucy who was behind Natsu’s defensive pose. Reina was in front of her with her other escorts. “Interesting”

“Ah Lucy!”, Natsu tried to get a hold of Lucy before she collapsed to the ground. Lucy was breathing so hard. “What happened?”

“I…”, she panted, holding her neck. “I’m alright. Don’t worry”, she said. “I just….”

“What?”, he asked.

“Pathetic. Natsu-sama, we still haven’t finished talking about our marriage”, Elizabeth was really igniting something from the two.

“YOU!!!”, Natsu was about to burst into flames but Lucy stopped him by holding his arm. She gathered all the breath she needs to calm her uneasy heartbeat.

“So this is it? I kept quiet for your sake but now that it has come down to this? I don’t have any other choice. Sorry Reina, looks like it’s already over. Elizabeth, what do you say we use a challenge to settle everything? We don’t have to hold back anymore. Since it came to this, a war is inevitable. Fairy Tail will raise their hands against you for sure. Whether you order the Council or everyone to disband Fairy Tail, they will never let you win. I already told you, there are some things you can never buy or have with money or influence. What is there to fear? You have many wizards working for you. Against Fairy Tail and me, surely you got us outnumbered right?”, Lucy smirked tiredly.

“Are you threatening me? Saying things like that, aren’t you involving your guild with our issues already?”, Elizabeth mocked.

“Who said anything about involving them? I’m just stating a fact that may happen if you don’t remove your hands off our guild. I am telling you to have a fair fight with me, in three days time, Magnolia will have a festival. They will create a game for everyone to participate. There’s an item to be retrieved and delivered and the details will be given during the event. You can use every magical items you want in order to win but we have to abide the rules. What do you say? Fair and square. If I win you leave Fairy Tail and Natsu alone. If you win, do everything you want including me, to be fair, you won’t use your influence with the upcoming challenge; you will not speak or ask the Mayor about anything. Both of us has to be clueless about it understand?”, Lucy challenged with ragged panting.

“Lucy? Are you…”, Natsu was shut-off by the expression he saw from her.

“Good. I’ll be fair just this once since you’re the one who asked me so desperately. A challenge with you sounds interesting. I will leave you all alone for three days. I will never do anything about this festival. I will behave for three days. Make sure you won’t regret this Lucy-chan”, Elizabeth smirked.

“Oh you can count on that”, Lucy said weakly. It seems her breathing was ragged and catching.

“Alright. Natsu-sama, you may leave for now. I will see you all in three days time. Prepare for the worse”, she threatened. Natsu looked at her angrily as he helped Lucy up and retreated to come back to the guild.