Traveling With a Lonely Immortal

NOTE: Thank you Midknightwalker for proofreading this first bit! :)

DISCLAIMER: I do not own Fairy Tail, Hiro Mashima does.


The mansion of the Heartfilias was cold and void of laughter. Where it was once a place full of music and joy, the house had lapsed into darkness, grieving for the mother that had fallen ill, a step away from death. Every well-known doctor had already came to visit, but none could heal her. It was a curse that was upon her—a curse that only the greatest mage could lift.

But the greatest mage was nowhere to be found. To be exact, no one knew where Zeref was. He was good at hiding and no one dared to search for him. Even those loyal to the Heartfilias couldn't bear to risk their lives to ask him for a cure. Except for one.

Beside the bed where Layla Heartfilia lied, sat her daughter Lucy. She had just turned fifteen this year and she was looking more and more like her mother each day.

"Mom?" she whispered, bringing a hand to brush away the strands of hair from Layla's face. "Are you awake?"

"Yes, Lucy?"

She bit her lip. "When will you get better?"

"I…" Layla paused, eyes clouding with anguish. "Soon, sweetheart. Soon."

Lucy frowned. She didn't tell her that she didn't believe her, but she bid her mother goodnight and left the room. Her heartbeat picked up and she was on edge. She knew her mother would never get better. She heard her father tell that to the head maid. Truthfully, she could see it herself.

Death. It was written all over Layla's face. It was looming over her like a shadow, sucking away at her soul and leaving none of it behind. She didn't have much time left. A year, at most. Maybe even less.

Breathing heavy, Lucy turned to her room. She knew how to heal her, she just didn't know where to find him. But if there was one thing Lucy had that everyone else didn't, that was courage. She was going to find Zeref and ask him to heal her mother. Even if she had to beg, she will. She would do anything.

Her mind set, she packed her things before she could change her mind. She brought only little—a map, money, her keys, her whip, two sets of clothing, toiletries and her mother's necklace.

She was fifteen. But she was braver than everyone else she knew.

And this was how their story began.

It was warm in Magnolia, something she did not predict. Sweating in her coat and pants, she stopped by an inn to rest for the night. It was only two days ago when she left home. So far, she wasn't caught yet. She was wondering if she had made the right decision, but then again, they couldn't stop her now.

She stripped off her coat and sweater. The weather was too warm for her choice of clothing, and she had never been outside the Heartfilia Konzern so she didn't know what it would be like outside. Wiping away the sweat on her neck and temples, she took her purse and headed out to shop for summer clothing.

The town was nice. She liked the river crossing in between the buildings, and she found herself walking on the edge. The people were polite and kind, offering her directions when she was getting lost. If she wasn't on a quest to search for Zeref, maybe she would even stay here. There was a guild here that she would love to join—Fairy Tail. It was the strongest guild in Fiore. Perhaps, if the circumstances were different, she would be a mage there.

Smiling sadly to herself, she shook her head. It wasn't the time to think about the "what ifs". She had to find Zeref and save her mother.

Lucy found a cozy little shop that sold clothes at a cheap price. She bought herself one shirt, a tank top, a mini skirt and shorts. She didn't know if this would all fit in her tiny bag, so she also made the decision to buy a bigger one. It fit her back, and it didn't seem too heavy.

Content with her cart, she paid for everything and left to return to her inn. On her way out, she bumped into a pink-haired boy and a blue cat.

"Ow," she groaned, rubbing her butt where she had fallen.

"Sorry 'bout that!"

She looked up and squinted her eyes, trying to get a better look at the boy that was offering his hand to her. She took it and he pulled her up.

"Hey, you look new!" he said, grinning. "I'm Natsu, and this is my cat, Happy!"

The cat spun in the air. It had wings. "Aye sir!"

"Lucy," she muttered, looking at Happy while she picked up her belongings.

"What? Did you say your name's Luigi?" Natsu asked, blinking wildly. "Nice to meet you, Luigi!"

Lucy's eye twitched and she swallowed thickly, thinking that she should leave now. "Sure… I have to go now."

"Aw, come on! We just met, how about buying me lunch?"

"No thanks."

"Please?"

"I'm broke," she lied, walking away from the duo hurriedly. She couldn't be distracted, she had limited money and she couldn't waste them on some… some pink-haired weirdo.

Natsu huffed and crossed his arms. "Fine then! See you around, Luigi!"

Lucy didn't say anything in return, but in her head, she thought she may have said something nice if she had the time to. Maybe.

She heard from one of the dark guilds that Zeref had been spotted in Bosco, so that was her next destination after Clover Town. It was proving hard to travel via train all the time, so at the moment, she was taking jobs to save up for a Magical Vehicle—a four wheel vehicle, to be exact. It was going to save a lot of money and time.

Home was so faraway now. Lucy admitted that sometimes she felt lonely, traveling alone. But the thought of going home, her mother welcoming her with open arms, gave her hope and motivation to continue. She didn't know if she could actually find Zeref. She didn't really think this through. However, if the gods were with her and if the heavens loved her as much as they loved her mother, then maybe they would help her reach him.

"You seem to be at the beginning of a long journey, young lady."

Startled, Lucy turned to an old woman who sat outside a bakery. She was looking at her and her eyes were full of things she could not name.

Nervous, the girl could only smile. "Yes, I am."

"I hope you reach your goal," the old woman grunted, scratching her knee. "The path you are walking on isn't easy."

Lucy felt sadness engulf her and she nodded, patting the woman on her shoulder and giving her a cinnamon bun. "I know," she whispered.

"You can have my four-wheeler."

She withdrew her arm, surprised. "P-Pardon?" Receiving no response, she could only gape at the old lady. "A-Are you sure, ma'am? I mean… I could pay for it, if you want."

"Nonsense," the woman barked, rolling her eyes. "That was my son's, when he was still alive. The thing only troubles me so you should have it."

Lucy's eyes softened and she smiled, close to tears. "Thank you…"

"Sophie."

She nodded. "Thank you, Sophie-san. I'm Lucy."

"You should visit me when your journey ends," Sophie suggested, grunting as she tried to stand. "Now, I have some place I have to go. Good luck, Lucy. I hope you remain safe."

"I will, Sophie-san. And thank you."

Midi was a small country, located on a peninsula south of Minstrel. She was told that there was a dark guild here that had been trying to contact Zeref for months and nearly succeeded. She wanted to see if it was the real thing or they were just dupes.

Lucy munched on a sandwich as she walked in the streets. The country was poor, but the people didn't seem to care about that fact. There were children running on the sidewalks and the elderly were being escorted across the street. She could say she liked it better here than the last town that she went to. Everyone was just so rude there.

Sighing, she kicked a stone off the road.

"Where are you, Zeref?" she muttered, more to herself than anyone else.

Bosco was so long ago—a month, perhaps? Or maybe even more. She wasn't doing a very good job at keeping track of time, because it made her homesick. But she knew that it was ages ago. It was a horrible country, slave trade still a trend and dark guilds everywhere. Zeref could no longer be found there when she arrived, and she was directed to the mountains of Bosco, where the ruins of an ancient dark guild remained. She had sensed a lot of dark magic. If Zeref was there, he didn't make his presence known.

A traveler told her back in Oshibana that he could perhaps be in Tenrou Island. Thinking about it, maybe she should have checked out the island first before heading east. Too late now though. She was too far away from Fiore to turn back. She could only hope that Zeref wasn't there.

Moreover, Lucy was mildly shocked that some of the people she asked weren't surprised that she was searching for the dark mage. Some did shame her, calling her a disgrace to mages and telling her that it was a waste of time. Whereas there were others who merely gave her the knowledge that they had and didn't ask questions.

She decided that she liked those kinds of people.

Arriving at her destination, Lucy eyed the towering building of The Novae. It looked active, and she could hear boisterous laughter inside. But judging from the area and the amount of dark energy present, she could only close her eyes and walk away.

Another dupe, another long journey back to Stella. She could go through Desierto to get to Bellum, but the SE Plug wouldn't really work well there. She would have to drive back up north and then head east.

Lucy bit the inside of her cheek and pushed a hand through her hair. It was going to be a long ride to reach Minstrel, so she should probably get some rest tonight and leave at the break of dawn.

Yeah, she should do just that.

"Zeref? No, he hasn't been here since what, a hundred years ago?" the man said thoughtfully before bursting into laughter. "Don't play around, kid. Zeref isn't a joke."

Lucy narrowed her eyes, hand unconsciously moving to grip her whip. "I know that."

"Good, then don't involve yourself with the guy. I bet you wouldn't even last a second in his presence," the man snorted, waving her away with his hand.

"If I defeat you in a battle, will you tell me then?"

The man paused halfway into drinking, holding the bottle as he raised a brow at her. "Huh? Are you challenging me to a duel?" he said slowly, his face showing mocking disbelief.

"I see you're deaf," she said calmly. "Yes, I'm challenging you to a duel."

"You little bitch!" The man wiped his mouth with the back of his head and smirked. "You must be out of your mind, taking me on. I'm the second best in my guild, y'know."

Lucy tied her hair into a pony tail and readied herself, sliding into a stance. "As long as you aren't the best," she mused, smiling when he turned to her, eyes flashing with rage.

"You'll regret saying that!"

A blast of wind pushed her bangs back and she blinked, surprised. "Wah, that's cold," she stammered, glad that she chose to wear pants today. She grabbed her whip and slapped it against the floor. "Let's see if you can dance."

She decided to strike his leg first, and he jumped away to dodge. Just what she wanted. She flicked her wrist and the whip wrapped around his arm. Bracing herself, she spun her arm around and threw him towards a building. He landed with a heavy groan and she stumbled back, wiping away the sudden sweat that formed on her forehead.

"You're heavy," she commented, gritting her teeth.

"Air strike!"

"Oops!" Lucy yelped, jumping out of the way. The surge of wind left a cut on the floor and she swallowed nervously—she had to make sure none of his attacks hit her.

"You'll pay for that!" he snarled, cracking his knuckles as he started to send a wild barrage of punches. She blocked each and every one with her forearms, wincing at the pain. She wasn't good with hand-to-hand combat.

She gripped one of his arms with both of her hands and sent a kick to his abdomen. "Lucy kick!"

The man grunted, eyes bulging as he coughed violently. Lucy jumped a few feet back. She couldn't afford to waste any of her energy on this man. She had to end this duel now.

"Gate of the Maiden, I open thee!" she hurriedly commanded, raising the gold key and ramming it down. "Virgo!"

A flash of light engulfed them and Virgo appeared, pink hair flapping in the wind and her hand over her chest. She bowed to Lucy. "Princess, should I be punished?"

"No, no," Lucy panted, pointing at the man who was now walking towards her. "Defeat him for me, please."

"Will do."

Sitting on the curb with the defeated man by her feet, Lucy huffed and dismissed Virgo. She was extremely lucky to have gotten her from that guy—who was it again? Ah, Everlue. She shuddered at the thought of him. How lucky was she to have stumbled upon another key while she was traveling? A bit, apparently.

She poked the guy with her foot. "You owe me answers, old man."

"Shut up," he grunted. "I'm not old."

"Sure."

He sighed and tried to adjust himself into a sitting position, wincing all the way. He was in bad shape and Lucy promised to pay for his hospital bill if he gave her directions to Zeref.

"Look, I don't know why you're looking for that guy, but I'm telling you, he's bad news," he said, taking a cigarette out from his pocket and lighting it. He blew out a cloud of smoke and stared out into the distance.

Lucy groaned in frustration. "Tell me something I don't already know."

"Are you sure you want to find him?" he asked, frowning.

"Why do you suddenly care?" she retorted, jumping to her feet. She was panicking. "I need to find Zeref to save my mother, alright? If you don't know where he is then you've wasted my time."

She turned around, ready to walk away when he suddenly called her. "Wait, I do have some information about him."

She looked over her shoulder and stared at him, bleakness pooling in her eyes. "What?"

"You won't find him in this country, that's for sure," the man said, shaking his head. "But try Sin, I heard it's a free country. Anyone can enter and exit as they please, dark mage or not. If there's one place he might be at, that's my guess. But if not, take a boat and go to Enca."

"Are you sure about that?"

He rolled his eyes, puffing out another cloud of smoke. "No one really knows where Zeref is, kid," he stated as a matter of fact. "But from what I've heard, he doesn't really stay close to where civilization is. So try looking for him in forests and mountains. Pass by the Pergrande Kingdom first, because a lot of people there might know where he is."

"But… that's a hard country to enter."

The man looked at her in incredulity. "And you're looking for Zeref! I wonder which of the two is harder, hmm?"

Lucy glared at him. "Fine, I'll enter Pergrande. I'll even drop by the King and say hi," she muttered, taking out her map and grimacing. It was going to take forever to get there.

"Don't be stupid, kid." The man snuffed out his cigarette on the road and crossed his legs. "You'll never find him."

"Oh really?" she mumbled, staring at the sky with a determined glint in her eyes. "Try me."

Lucy watched the sunset with a disinterested look. She had seen the same scene for months now, and it was a bit tiring, watching it alone. Her travels were lengthy and she repeated her clothes every day, stopping occasionally at inns to sleep in. But she was getting there—Bellum turned out to be worth the visit. And that man was nicer than she thought.

Pergrande Kingdom was the biggest country in Ishgar. She didn't know much about it. She did know that it was a rich kingdom, full of wealth and good people. It was also known as the trading capital of the continent.

She could feel her magic draining and she took out a vial of pills. She popped one in her mouth, her magic slowly returning.

Rubbing her eyes, she tried to concentrate on sending a steady stream of magic into the SE Plug. It was tiring but it was proving to be a better choice than traveling by train all the time. She had plenty of money and she was even ahead of schedule.

Ever since she began this journey, she hadn't made any friends, apart from Sophie and a cat that stayed with her in Stella. She was only fifteen, but she felt older somehow. Like maybe, she was wasting away her life, all for a chance to meet Zeref.

She hoped he would show up. Because if he didn't, she might lose her way back home.

"Why are you looking for him, child?"

Lucy looked up at the King of Pergrande, and for a moment, she forgot why. Why was she looking for Zeref?

"I…" she trailed off, lowering her head. "My mother's sick. They said he's the only one who can lift the curse that was placed on her."

"Dear, you may be walking into something you cannot walk out from," the Queen said worriedly, her light pink braids tumbling over her shoulders as she fell back to her seat. She seemed exhausted.

"I know that," Lucy clarified, clenching her fists. "I know that. But being scared won't help me, so I beg you, if you don't know where he is or if you can't help me, just say so. I don't have much time left."

The two rulers looked at each other, discussing something through soft voices before directing their attention back to her. The King cleared his throat. "We do know where he might be."

Lucy's eyes widened, her heart almost stopping. "W-What? But I thought… I thought no one knows where he actually is?"

"No one does," the Queen affirmed, nodding. "However, he has been trying very hard to do something lately, so his presence is stronger than ever. He was last felt at Enca, but if you travel a bit further than that, there's a little island where he might be residing for the time being."

"A-And you're sure of this?"

The Queen smiled sadly. "As sure as we could ever be, dear. Zeref is a terrifyingly dangerous mage. If you aren't too careful, you may never be able to tell him what you ask of him."

Lucy couldn't believe it. A solid trail, and it was just so close! She was mentally thanking every man that she had passed on the way here.

She gave the two rulers a deep bow. "Thank you very much! You don't know how grateful I am. Do you need anything? Money? Or…"

"No, no!" the King rushed, waving his hands frantically in the air. "We aren't like that!"

"He's right." The Queen sighed, her forehead creasing in worry. "Your safe return is all that we ask from you, Lucy-san."

They were right, Enca was brimming with dark magic. She could feel it wherever she went. Though, they were also correct about Zeref no longer staying here. Although the area was packed with all sorts of mages, dark and light all alike, she couldn't feel him yet. She was certain she would know if he was nearby.

Because she knew that he wasn't in Enca anymore, she immediately rented a boat to the next island. It was small, and strangely enough, no one wanted to escort her there. Instead they taught her how to work the boat and left her to herself. Thankfully, it was powered by an SE Plug.

The ocean was quiet and there was only an occasional gust of wind that greeted her. The next island, which she decided she would call as Lucia (since it may as well be her last chance), looked dark from the distance. Gray clouds hovered above the trees and the forest looked ominous from her viewpoint.

Still, she didn't feel any fright. She was only feeling excited that he may actually be there. That finally, her journey was going to end.

Docking the boat, she stepped onto the sand and stood in front of the looming trees. She swallowed hard.

"Here goes nothing."

Walking into the dark abyss, she held a small lacrima to illuminate the path. There weren't any animals, so far. Actually, there wasn't any sign of life at all. Now that she got a better look at her surroundings, the plants were wilted and everything was dead. The island smelled of rotting flesh and death.

She covered her nose with an arm and ventured deeper into the island.

"Zeref!" she called out, trying her best not to muffle her voice. "I know you're there!"

Silence.

Lucy mentally reached out to her keys for reassurance and they glowed for only a moment before the light dimmed. She sucked in a deep breath. "Zeref! Please, I need your help!"

There was a rustling to her right and she stepped back, startled.

"H-Hello?"

Once again, a deafening silence answered her.

She was only fifteen, she reminded herself. She was only fifteen, but she was braver than most of the people that she knew. This was nothing.

"Zeref?" she called out, her knees beginning to tremble from fear. The presence of dark magic here was absurd. It was almost suffocating, how thick it was. She was getting cold feet.

"I'm not here to kill you or anything like that," she said carefully, close to tears. She was so close. He had to be here. He should be.

"I just need your help," she begged, blinking away the water in her eyes. They slipped down her cheeks and she hiccupped, suddenly feeling very small. Suddenly feeling like she was truly fifteen, young and alone.

"Please…"

There was another rustling from in front of her and she looked up, sniffing. She was crying so hard she had to catch her breath.

"W-Who's there?" she questioned in a wavering voice, her tears slurring her words.

A person stepped out of the shadows and suddenly the island was no longer dark. The clouds parted and filled the area with light, illuminating the mage that stood before her. He looked as young as she was, with midnight hair and sad eyes that she couldn't look away from.

"You were calling?"

Lucy's eyes widened and she stumbled backwards, blood pounding in her ears.

"Z-Zeref?"


There are two kanjis in this first part, if you didn't notice.

- travel

- hope

A/N: This is a one-shot that will be divided into two or three parts, since it might be too long of a read if I just smash it into one. This is for that anon who asked for a Zeref and Lucy story, so here you go! :) The places I used are actually real, if you look at the map of Ishgar. Well, they're as real as they can get! There weren't any solid information about what the countries were like, so that's the only part where they begin to separate from the FTverse. I hope you still liked it though :) Stay tuned to the next part!

"Moonlight drowns out all but the brightest stars." — J.R.R. Tolkien

Byee! -Anne :D


- Please support/read my other stories: Celebrity Issues, Nyctophilia, The Devil and the Assassin, Fragile, Life's Challenges, Forgotten Memories, Queen of Stars, A Love That Lasts Forever and Going Against The Current.