7Flickering Lights
DISCLAIMER: I do not own a fairy tale. The characters used in my story, and the mentions of what is clean and the side story One Hundred Year Quest, all solely belong to Hiro Mashima. The plot titles two chapters and the title; the character of production and anything else in this fanfiction belongs to me and me alone. Please don't steal from me. I gave where credit was due. It's only fair that I get treated how I want to treat.
This chapter was beat viewed and edited my beta editor Ever flawless. I highly recommend her stories for anyone who likes what she did with the edits.
Chapter One: Tenacious Ways.
Her heeled feet smacked on the cobblestone of the main strip of Magnolia. The street lacrima's are on to light the way of a struggling passerby at night. Being twenty-three now. Her baby fat has finally proportioned out to make her look that much more of an adult. Her bright blond hair is longer reaching to the bottom of her calves. While her bangs reach the bottom of her chin. With the help of Cancer to have such beautiful hair now. As she continues on her way down the street, the trees rustle, and the sound made more of a beautiful symphony than anything on the planet. As if the trees are the first to say hello and welcomed her home. It makes her feel a sense of home the most.
The wind softly caresses her face while her hair flows in the direction it's blowing; which is blowing east. The tree above her is swaying side to side from the force of the wind. One of the leaves break away from the tree and falls down and lands on her head. With the new wind blowing it slowly takes the leaf with it and leaves behind her peace of mind. 'I've been away from the guild for four years now. I spent the two years of that time on the one-hundred years quest with team Natsu. While we spent the other two with Mavis on Tenryū Island, to learn to control my newfound abilities. What I've received on with the final battle on that one hundred year quest when I was in danger.' She talks to herself as though she knows someone is there with her. Her Celestial spirits have given her the ability to talk to them telepathically whenever she needs them with her.
Though she found Aquarius in a trap with Leo minor. That's not what is bothering her. It's how Lucy was captured by the celestial dragon slayer and was torture by him. She won't let anyone know. Goodness, even the mere thought she is trying to block it out still. It's one reason it has covered her eyes. To protect herself and to protect everyone else. Newfound walls that she didn't have before she has now. Walls she knows that have become barriers. It's truly the reason why she now covers her eyes. Her fear of harming others is the reason she took off the extra two years to train. Mavis has been there helping her get through her fear but she doesn't want to let go of that fear. Her fear of harming others is the reason she wants to stay as a mage. To help others. If she let her fear drive her away she would be nothing more than a failure. She never in her life wanted to seem weak. That isn't who Lucy Heartfilia is. "I am strong. I know this."
Looking at the night sky she recognizes that it's a new moon tonight. The stars are shimmering at this time of night. She uses them to guide her way to the guild. But while having them guide her way through the town she thinks of her time with her Nakama, and all the time they have been through with each other that helped make them stronger. She would never look at anyone in the guild and call them weak. She knows what it's like for strangers to walk up to her and tell her that her magic didn't make sense and all you can do with said magic is stand in the background and use said spirits as shields. She hated people saying things like that. It's why she would stand up for her guild and tell anyone that thought fairy tail was a weak guild was wrong and she would just keep in mind how to show others they are wrong along the way. She would get stronger and be the best she can be.
Said obstacles in the past that helped her Nakama she would say have helped her too. From losing her mother at a young age, running away from home, joining the fairy tail guild. Meeting everyone in Fairy Tail and going on quests with Team Natsu. No, she in her life would never in her lifetime take this back. She has learned so much with her friends and family that she would say that she was supposed to learn and get stronger with them.
Getting lost in her thoughts she finally looks down, she realizes she has made it back in front of the guild. She looks up at the dark sign that says Fairy Tail on it and takes a deep breath. Her hand hesitates to touch the door. She wonders aloud, "Will they remember me? Or have they forgotten me? I hope it's not that latter." She replies sheepishly to herself.
As she gathers the courage to push open the large door and the heaviest wood she remembers Mira talking about it. The wood is Hickery if she remembers correctly it was shipped from a long way to reach the Fairy Tail guild. She hears a loud squeaking noise from the old henges that connects the door to the frame the sound causes Lucy to flinch as it is a loud wail for oil. The tranquility of the night makes the sound louder than it should be. When the door finally opens all the way she can see the empty guild. The silence causes her to feel lonely at the abandoned guild.
She asks Horologium in her mind what time it is. He answers in her mind in his English accent: "It just turned 3:00 am Miss Lucy when you opened the guild doors." She nods silently to herself when she realizes everyone must have turned in ages ago. It makes her wonder if there was a Fairy Tail guild party. She smiles softly at the thought of everyone celebrating and having fun. She can't help but feel happy for everyone having a good time and being at peace when they can be. It gives her hope for the promise of tomorrow to see her Nakamas again.
She walks through the empty guildhall, seeing the empty chairs, she is feeling the need to whimper for not seeing her Nakamas in them. She knows they turned in for bed hours ago. But it doesn't stop the burning need to see a welcoming face of her Nakama. As she is walking her feet echo in the large corridor making it have an ambiance of loneliness. In her mind, she can see all of her friends in the places they would sit amongst the guild. More times she could count there was always a brawl when she walked through those heavy doors. One where all her friends would try to get her to fight with them. It's not that she wanted to share wonderful moments with them. It's just she didn't feel the need to fight with her friends. A single light from upstairs for the S-Class mages and the guild master draws her attention. Slowly, she walks toward those steps. "Please let someone I know be here."
As she walks up the stairs timidly that lead to the second story of the guild. She can't help but feel reluctant to be up here. She remembers Galuna Island and how Natsu pushed an S' Class quest on her with Happy. She smiles with nostalgia as she sees the light from the master's office already. The glow is as a beacon of light to the night. Like a lighthouse for ships that are coming in to shore. She makes her way to the already filled candlelit room in the master's office.
She is troubled by the papers Makarov has to sign. She finally raps on the door frame to get his attention. "I'm back master!" She shouts in the room's silence not before she plasters a big smile on her face.
Edited and Beta viewed by EverFlawless on 9-19-20