Chapter 4: The jewel of Mcguffin 1/3

I dont own Bleach of fairy tail. Those belong respectively too Tite Kubo and Shounen jump and Hiro Mashima and Weekly shounen magazine. This is just for fun!

Please let us know what you think in a review. It would mean a lot!

Night had fallen upon the town of Magnolia, the majority of its inhabitants resting peacefully at home. However there was one particular individual who was incapable of any slumber. Her name was Lucy Heartfilia and, despite the busy day she had experienced, she was far too excited to allow herself to drift into the state of sleep. For her it had been a long day, being brought to the Fairy Tail guild by Natsu Dragneel, then glimpsing the kind of controlled chaos that resided there. Then she had been interviewed by the master, Makarov, before receiving her own official branding. Then had the morning hours led to a rescue operation of all things, Lucy accompanying Natsu to Mount Hakobe to save a fellow wizard, Macao Conbolt. That in turn had led to Lucy being witness to a friendly scuffle between Fairy Tail wizards, Natsu and a lady calling herself Bambietta Basterbine. Lucy had been enthralled by the spectacle that had ensued at the mountain's base, completely taken in by the display of powers by both combatants. It had been at that very moment that the Celestial wizard had realized that she had a long way to go within the guild.

With Macao returned safely to both the guild hall and his waiting son, Romeo, only half a day had passed. Lucy had used the remaining hours of daylight for apartment hunting, intent on using the remaining jewel that she had in her possession to get a roof over her head. The young lady had used the majority of it in her journey, but she had possessed just enough for at least one month's rent. It was a charming apartment, well worth the seventy thousand jewel. Yet now, despite having that luxury afforded to her, Lucy was simply walking the streets of Magnolia, far too caught up in the bliss of truly being a Fairy Tail wizard to get any rest. Every now and then she would simply look up into the night sky, the darkness pierced by the light of the stars above.

The wizard stopped then, allowing herself a moment to enjoy the beauty of the night, a wide smile overtaking her. "I really am a Fairy Tail wiz-"

That was when Lucy heard the most horrendous of sounds. It echoed between the buildings around her and down the street, almost as if it was the roar of an unseen monster. The young lady forced her gaze down then, reaching for one of her magical Celestial Keys on instinct. However she stopped when she took notice of the originator of the sound.

Down the road could Lucy see someone on a bench parallel to the sidewalk, one that lay close to the canal that ran through Magnolia. From it did another sound issue forth, the Celestial wizard at last recognizing it as a snore now that she was prepared to hear it. Lucy breathed a sigh of relief then, putting the key back into her pocket and continuing to move forward. "The poor guy mustn't have a place to stay. Did he get into a fight with his wife or something?"

As Lucy continued to walk, she kept her eyes focused on the sleeping stranger. Yet as she grew closer she could some traces of familiarity. Finally did Lucy stop then, looking down at the bench and its occupant. Despite the deep snoring, it was clearly not a man. Dressed all in white, the woman was sprawled out on the bench, a cape underneath her. In one hand a cap was held tightly, the arm hanging off the side of the bench while the other hand lightly scratching at her stomach as yet another snore was issued.

"Bambi?"

The sleeping woman did not respond, at least not with words. She whimpered slightly before moving in her sleep. The Quincy rolled on to her side, her legs curling up towards her chest as she wrapped her free arm around them. Lucy simply continued to watch her then, wondering just what she should do. She knew she could not simply leave a fellow Fairy Tail wizard to sleep out here in the open air, yet at the same time did she have any right to intrude upon someone's personal affairs?

In the end Lucy's kind heart pushed her towards the first option. She leaned over slightly and placed a hand on Bambietta's shoulder, rocking it slightly. "Hey, Bambi, are you all right?"

The Quincy began to grumble then, her eyes slowly beginning to open. "No, Your Majesty, I don't want to babysit Gremmy for another week..." Then did Bambietta's eyes shift into focus and look up towards the one who had awakened her. The Quincy robbed her optics with her hand then, trying to wipe away any lingering effects of her deep sleep. "Lucy?"

"Hey, I thought I heard that you were staying at Levy's until you found a place of your own," Lucy said, remembering what the blue haired mage had said to her earlier in the day. "You can't tell me that this bench is more comfy and cozy then Fairy Hills." Lucy suddenly got all excited again, a wild expression on her face. "Oh, if I had the jewel for one of those places I'd be set for life!"

"Aren't you an excitable one," Bambietta commented as she sat up then. "Suppose we do have that in common, even if I'm not all that hyper when I just wake up." The Quincy stretched out her arms then, a low yawn escaping her. "Yeah, I spent the night at Levy's and both she and Mirajane were willing to sneak me in to Fairy Hills again since I didn't get the time to go out on a well-paying mission today," Bambietta's voice grew low then, as if she did not want to admit to what was coming next, "but I kind of lied to them both."

"Huh?"

"I kind of told Levy that I was staying with Mira so I wouldn't be too much of a bother to her and then I told Mira that I was going to stick with Levy for now."

"But... but..." Lucy stammered. "Fairy Hills?"

"I guess I didn't want to be too much of a bother to either of them," Bambietta continued, "so I kind of fibbed so that they wouldn't worry about me."

"Well clearly they had good reason to worry!" Lucy suddenly shouted as she reached out and grabbed Bambietta by one of her hands. "Come on, you're staying at my place tonight!"

"Wait a minute!" Bambietta shouted as Lucy all but dragged her out of and away from the bench. "I can survive just fine on my own! It isn't that cold and if any lecherous jerk tries to mess with me... Oh, I can handle myself! Heck, I already dumped that Loke guy in the canal when he woke me up. Though now that I think about it, he probably had his heart in the right place. Oops."

"Don't be like that!" Lucy said as she turned to face her fellow guild mate. "It's a big apartment," the Celestial wizard then paused for a moment, becoming a little withdrawn and shy, "besides, I get the feeling that I might need a little help with the rent in the future..."

"Oh," was all Bambietta said slyly. "So it's not just an altruistic motivation you've got, huh?"

"No, no," Lucy stammered. "It's just, well, you need a place to stay and we could help each other out, right?"

Bambietta placed a hand against her neck, cringing as she tried to work the stiffness out of it. The Quincy had to admit that sleeping on a bench had hardly been the best idea she had had in a while. "I suppose you've got a point. Though I hope you're right about the place being big enough for the two of us."

"Oh, I think it'll do," Lucy exclaimed as she held her hands behind her back and continued to walk beside Bambietta. "Though until we can afford a new bed, I guess you could use the sofa. Its fluffy and spacious. I hope that won't be too uncomfortable."

Bambietta said nothing, simply raising an eyebrow. Lucy was quick to notice it, glancing back towards the bench they had all but left behind. "Oh yeah, I guess you have dealt with worse."

Bambietta grinned then, trying to appear as cheerful as she could. "A big fluffy sofa's just fine. Probably won't be as comfy as Levy's bed, but it will do."

"Wait, Levy gave up her bed to you that night?" Lucy began to panic a slight bit then. "Maybe I'm already a bad host then. You take the bed! I'll sleep on the sofa."

"Whoa, whoa, calm down," Bambietta pleased, waving her hands in front of her. "It's not like that. Levy and I shared the bed, that's all."

Now it was Lucy's turn to raise an eyebrow in response to something Bambietta had said, the Quincy quickly realizing what she had just inferred. "Okay, I don't think I can be that accommodating a host."

"Oh no!" Bambietta sternly pointed at Lucy, an angry expression adorning her face. "Don't you dare be getting the wrong idea! That's so not what I was trying to imply! She didn't have a couch or a chair or anything. Just bookcases as far as the eye could see-"

"Bambi and Levy, sitting in a tree-"

"Okay, that's it!" Bambietta threw her hands up in the air and began to walk away from Lucy. "Back to the bench I go!"

"Bambi, I was just kidding."

The Quincy stopped, breathed deeply, then turned to face Lucy once more. "Look, if this simply pity, I don't want any of it. I'll be fine on my own, all right? I don't have any use for the sympathy of others."

Bambietta turned away from Lucy again, though this time did the Quincy not stop in her tracks. She felt it then, a slight bit of remorse for how she was acting, but she knew to keep pushing forward regardless. She wanted friends, yes, but genuine ones, not simply camaraderie born out of necessity. She knew well how much that could backfire in the long run.

Lucy, to her credit, did not take the situation lying down. She walked up to Bambietta then, gently placing a hand on her shoulder. "Okay, so I get the feeling you've had a rough time of it."

"You have no idea."

Lucy did not stop. "But I'm not doing this out of pity, all right? I just thought... maybe we could be friends."

Bambietta glanced at her shoulder, her eyes gazing down at the Fairy Tail emblem that adorned Lucy's hand. The Quincy remembered it well then, how excited the woman had been when she realized that they had the mark on the opposing hands. Bambietta closed her eyes for a minute then, trying to reign herself in. She knew Lucy meant well, that much was obvious.

"I'm sorry, all right?" the Quincy said. "Yes, I've had a real rough time of it. And I... I want to be friends but... the last time I truly opened up my heart to others it ended badly."

"Bambi..."

"I guess someone like me would have trust issues now." The Quincy turned to face Lucy then, a half-hearted attempt to smile on her face. "Maybe that's why this guild is so hard for me to understand. But... I'm trying my best."

Lucy glanced at Bambietta, knowing that what she was feeling for the woman was exactly what she did not want. Pity. The Celestial wizard could not help herself, however, and moved in close as they walked forward. She turned her head slightly, her eyes looking towards Bambietta's own.

"That's the most anyone can do, right?" Lucy asked softly. She then turned her gaze back forward again. "Anyway, my place should be right around this corner."

Bambietta and Lucy slipped around the row of houses until at last the Celestial wizard could see her own. She ran forward then, her youthful enthusiasm something Bambietta knew she would simply have to get used to in time.

"Come on! I can't wait to show you the place! I swear, it was a steal!"

Then Quincy shrugged her shoulders then and quickened her pace to join Lucy, the Celestial wizard unlocking the door as she approached. She opened it to the mall hall of the apartment complex and once more ran towards the door that would take both herself and the Quincy to her room. Once that entrance was opened did Bambietta peer inside. It was larger than she had expected that much was certain, and just as Lucy had promised there was a couch in the main room.

"Well," the Quincy said as she and Lucy entered, "it's certainly more spacious than what Levy has. Maybe it's the lack of bookcases..."

"I think I was just lucky that it came almost fully furnished," Lucy said as she glanced around the room again, still trying to get over how well her day had gone. "Though maybe we could afford a bunk bed if you wanted. Oh, that'd be so much fun!"

"Yeah, one big, happy slumber party, am I right?" Bambietta glanced around a bit, taking note of the fireplace in the room. She had to admit that it did trump the room she had for herself back at Silver Cross Fortress. That had been spacious but rather cold and alien in its design, just as His Majesty had required. This, however, was much more cozy in appearance.

The Quincy felt it then, her eyelids dropping slightly, sleep calling out to her. The battle with Natsu had tired her out quite a bit, her energy levels not quite what they had used to be, and was precisely why she had not taken any job requests upon her return to the guild hall. She simply wanted to sleep, nothing more.

"Oh, a slumber party," Lucy said, clasping her hands together. "You, me, Levy and Mira-"

Lucy heard it then, the thump of someone dropping behind her. She turned quick and could see that Bambietta had already curled up on the sofa, her back against the cushions and her head resting on the armrest. The Quincy had not even taken off her cloak or hat, let alone her boots.

The Celestial wizard knew that the Quincy was no doubt tired but she had hoped to get her a pillow before it came down to this. Perhaps a blanket as well. "Pretty tuckered out, huh?"

"Fighting a Dragon Slayer will do that to a person, yeah." Bambietta yawned then, her eyes closing for a moment. "It's been a long day..."

"That was pretty incredible," Lucy said as she turned towards her bed and took off one of the blankets and the second pillow. She began to move back towards Bambietta and the sofa then. "I mean, you two were amazing!"

"I lost," was all Bambietta replied with as she forced herself to sit up and accept the pillow from Lucy. She placed it against the armrest, then began to undo her cloak, letting it rest atop the back of the sofa. Her cap joined it next, then the Quincy kicked off her boots. Only then did Bambietta lie down once more, closing her eyes. "It was pathetic."

Lucy was unsure what to say then. "Don't be so hard on yourself. Natsu is pretty well known around the kingdom of Fiore. They don't call him Salamander for nothing. Besides, I thought you were pretty cool out there. A little scary, but cool."

"I used to be so much greater," Bambietta sighed, feeling Lucy draping a blanket over her from the shoulders down, "but things have changed so much."

Lucy stepped back a bit, looking down at Bambietta. "We're both new to Fairy Tail, so maybe we can look out for each other..."

"Just because I lost to that Salamander kid," Bambietta replied, "doesn't mean I need help."

Lucy scowled a little bit but she restrained herself. "That's not what I meant and I think you know it. I mean, if you want to talk about anything that's bothering you, I'm here."

Bambietta was all but ready to shake her head but she too showed restraint. She had spoken to some extent on the matter with Levy but that did not necessarily mean she wanted to repeat the situation again. As far as Bambietta was concerned, she had only broached the matter because it had simply been her first night in a new world that she had been lost in. Betrayed and abused, perhaps exiled forever to a realm not her own, forcibly returned to a living state; it had been too much for her to process in such a short amount of time. The Quincyunderstood that now and the portion of her that was trying so hard to view Fairy Tail as nothing more than a means to an end was screaming at her, demanding that she not bare her heart even the slightest to yet another person. Yet another part, buried within, was craving to open her soul to another and another. It was the same feeling that the Quincy had felt years ago, the same yearning that left her opening her heart to others. Yet in the end all they had done was tear it away from her in the end.

It frustrated Bambietta then, one question running across the Quincy's thoughts over and over again. What was it with these Fairy Tail wizards wanting to know everyone else's problems? No one in the Vandenreich had been all that concerned with others, not even Bambietta herself. That had been the way it was, nothing more. Yet here they all wanted to get close, to understand her. It wore on the Quincy, yet still she could not help but appreciate it. The contradiction weighed heavily upon her soul then and in response Bambietta could not speak to Lucy.

"You don't have to if you don't want to." Lucy

"First Levy, now you," Bambietta sighed. "At least the Dragon Slayer and his kitty cat weren't so nosey. Well I can be a little snoopy as well. I actually have a question for you." Bambietta was quick to change the subject, the Quincy losing any desire to bare her soul further.

Lucy had not expected a question in return, but the Celestial wizard could sense Bambietta's sudden disinterest in speaking of herself. She let it go then, unwilling to press a potentially painful memory for the fellow Fairy Tail wizard she wished to befriend. "Oh, what is it?"

"Why did you want to join Fairy Tail so bad? Why were you so excited when they made you a member?"

Some may have considered taking a moment to think over a valid response, but in this particular situation Lucy was not the type for such an activity. She knew the answer well, it having resided in her heart for years to come. "Because it's simply the best guild in Fiore!"

Bambietta watched Lucy then, noting the wide smile on her face. "It's as simple as that, huh? I'm guessing you're quite the Fairy Tail fan girl?"

"No, no, it's nothing like that. Well," Lucy continued, suddenly glancing away, "yeah, I guess I kind of am."

"Well, a girl's got to have a hobby." Bambietta glanced towards Lucy then, her eyes fluttering for a moment, the Quincy trying desperately to fight her need to sleep. "So Fairy Tail's kind of a big deal, huh?"

"Kind of a big deal?" Lucy couldn't help but laugh just a little. "That's an understatement. They're one of the most well-known guilds in all of Fiore! Maybe the most well-known! Sorcerer's Magazine is always reporting about Fairy Tail! Though usually due to the devastation they cause... but Mirajane has been their cover girl more times than I can count!"

"Well, whatever makes her happy," Bambietta said softly. "So it really is a big deal in this wor- around these parts."

"Oh, you're not from Fiore?"

"Not..." Bambietta yawned again. "Not at all..."

The Quincy's lips smacked together then, her mind drifting into sleep once more. She tried to fight it, curious to speak with Lucy more, but it was to no avail.

"I guess I should let you get some rest." Lucy yawned a bit then as well, Bambietta's sleepy nature becoming contagious. "I guess I could use some sleep as well..."

Bambietta opened one eye slightly then, watching as Lucy ruffled through one of her dresser drawers and disappeared into an adjacent room. The Quincy shut her eye once more, her thoughts drifting into slumber. Yet as she felt herself succumb to sleep once more she could not help herself and smiled slightly.

She was a stranger in a strange land and did not know the specifics of the world she called home now. In the end she had felt elated upon her first successful mission but that joy had faded when she had found herself not the top dog of her new group, not even close. Yet now that she had heard of this world's opinion of Fairy Tail through Lucy she could find some solace in her place here.

"I'm not... the best..." Bambietta said softly as she began to finally allow herself to sleep. "But... I'm at least... part of the best... That's..."

Her sentence never reached its conclusion, Bambietta at last asleep once more.

Lucy began to change into her choice of sleepwear, her bare feet momentarily standing on the cold tiles of the bathroom floor. It was in that moment she wished she had had a spare set of pajamas to offer Bambietta but she had been travelling light ever since leaving home.

Home. Yes, that was a word that tore at Lucy's heart. However, as far as she was concerned, the old adage was true. Home was where the heart was, and the place she had grown up had lost its heart long, long ago.

Full dressed for bed, Lucy stared into a mirror as she went to retrieve a toothbrush. The Celestial wizard had to wonder then, if she had been selfish to walk away from her old life? No, she told herself in response. It was a house, not a home, and it was a cold, dark and repressive place in the end. Already had she experienced more love and friendship in Fairy Tail than she had back there in the last several years.

Yet then did the mage stop brushing her teeth for a moment, glancing hesitantly towards the door. She had to wonder then, what sort of misery her new roommate had been subjected to. She could not fault the Quincy for remaining elusive on the subject, yet still was Lucy curious.

Then, as if to break the solemn mood almost entirely, a loud snore echoed across the apartment, so loud that Lucy could hear it clearly even in the other room and behind a closed door. Lucy giggled slightly, bringing a closed hand up to her mouth as if to try and stop herself. She knew then that Bambietta's little habit would take some getting used to, yes, but she was willing to make the effort.

The Celestial wizard then stepped forth into the main room once more and began to move towards her bed. She stopped then, the sound of Bambietta's voice distracting her.

"Please... Don't do it..." Confused, Lucy turned to face the Quincy, thinking she was speaking directly to her. She saw it clearly, however, Bambietta still fast asleep. Yet the woman was talking slowly in her sleep, her body twitching slightly. "Please, Gigi... Don't..."

Lucy felt something stir within herself, the pity that Bambietta made clear she loathed. Yet the wizard could not help herself, watching as tears began to dampen the Quincy's face. Lucy grabbed hold of a tissue from the box by her bed and moved close, gently touching Bambietta's face to free her from the clear signs of sorrow.

"Huh? What?" Bambietta suddenly began to awaken, staring at Lucy while the mage continued to dot her face with a tissue. "What are you doing?"

"I'm just trying to help a friend," Lucy said, her heart skipping a beat. The look in Bambietta's misty eyes was not a particularly friendly one, leaving a shiver to run up the wizard's back. Still did she press forward. "You seemed to be having a bad dream."

Bambietta said nothing, simply cursing herself with her own thoughts. Having already lost to a Dragon Slayer in front of this woman, she had worked doubly hard to show strength of character instead. Yet now her tired state, born out of the losing battle against Natsu, had betrayed her entirely. Lucy had seen Bambietta in a moment of weakness, the Quincy not entirely sure what had transpired during her slumber. Yet still did she have an inkling.

The Quincy sighed then, the time for holding it in entirely clearly over. "I'm really not one to swap sob stories, well... not usually, but I'll say this much. I had friends in... another guild and they betrayed my trust. Really, really betrayed my trust."

Lucy could see it then, a blank expression etching itself across Bambietta's face, as if the woman was lost in a moment out of time. The Quincy said nothing for a moment, her breathing for the briefest of seconds rattled. Lucy noticed it quite clearly then, Bambietta's lower lip trembling slightly.

Then quite suddenly did the Quincy bite down on her lower lip, as if to spite whatever past memories had been dug up in her mind's eye. "Now I'm here," she said, composed once more, "looking to find my place in the world."

"Oh." Lucy did not know what to say. "That's-"

Bambietta grew irritated with herself once more, her anger at baring her heart and soul to another, even if just a little, threatening to overwhelm her. "I need to get back to sleep. It's been a long day."

Lucy watched as Bambietta forcefully shut her eyes, the woman trying to either feign sleep or truly achieve it she did not know. Lucy stepped away then, once more moving back to her bed. She slipped underneath the covers and lay on her side, her back to Bambietta.

The way she had spoken, the way she had referred to past friends, it had possessed a flittering amounts of rage and bitterness, her words poisoned by the dark emotions. Lucy's body began to curl up against itself, once more the wizard feeling she was selfish. She had considered hers a life worth running from, but it seemed that her new friend had experienced something potentially far worse.

"Thank you."

Lucy heard it then, the sound of Bambietta speaking from across the room. It had been unexpected but not unwelcome. The Celestial wizard smiled, wonder if she was referring to simply wiping away or tears or perhaps something else. Whatever the case was, Lucy began to respond "Your wel-"

Then was she cut off, Bambietta's snoring once more in full force. Lucy chuckled slightly and began to drift into sleep despite the noise.

As always was the Fairy Tail guild hall busy. Wizards as far as the eye could see, some of them simply relaxing after a particularly stressful mission, others trying to psyche themselves up for one, yet others still simply hanging out with their friends. Levy McGarden, however, was simply on her own, her head all but buried in a book as she was want to do. The chaos around her was something she was simply used to, a necessary element of the guild she called her family yet one she was able to block out when the need arose.

"Good morning, Fairy Tail!"

That was when a certain factor she was not entirely used to broke her concentration. The mage glanced up from the book and towards the source of the interruption. Standing in the now open doorway of the hall was one Bambietta Basterbine, the woman wearing what Levy could only describe as the craziest, most disturbingly happy smile she had seen since Natsu had visited the guild an hour earlier. Behind the Quincy was the latest member of Fairy Tail, Lucy Heartfilia, and she was clearly just as taken aback by Bambietta's entrance as Levy had been. The Celestial wizard was simply staring wide eyed in shock, clearly not having expected the entrance.

"Hey, this is not a test!" Bambietta continued to shout as she entered the establishment. "This is everybody's favorite Quincy making the scene, yeah! Time to take a mission, earn some money, make some noise! Probably some rock and roll, yeah!"

Levy, much as everyone else, simply stared blankly as Bambietta marched right over to the job request board, the Quincy clearly not noticing just how much of a ruckus she was making, even by Fairy Tail standards. Though Levy did take notice of Loke's reaction. The young man was clearly keeping his distance, perhaps even backing up several feet. Levy was unsure what that was about but she kept her focus back on Bambietta. The Quincy was simply beginning to simply look over the board, trying to find a task that suited her interests. Lucy was quick to catch up them, looking over Bambietta's shoulder.

"Find anything good yet?"

Levy sighed and placed her reading material down, making sure to leave a bookmark in place. She walked over then as well, remembering that she had agreed to go out on a mission with Bambietta to help with her expenses. Just because the previous day had been thrown into chaos with the rescue of Macao did not mean she would go back on her word. "Hey, how are you two doing?"

"Oh, just fine!" Lucy exclaimed, turning to face Levy. "We just had a little sleepover last night and worked out an arrangement."

"Wait, what?" Levy was confused then and tapped Bambietta on the shoulder. "I thought you said you were staying at Mirajane's?"