This is set after the Grand Magic Games. Fairy Tail won, but there was nothing with the Eclipse plan.
Summary: After the Grand Magic Games end on July 7th, x791, Lucy decides that she wants to visit her parents' graves. Of course, it is the fourteenth anniversary of her mother's death, and Lucy wants to lay flowers on her grave to thank her mother for teaching her about Celestial Spirit magic. The master is reluctant to let her go alone, since they beat the ruthless and dangerous Sabertooth in the GMG, so Laxus and the Raijinshuu volunteer to go with her, since Laxus, Freed, and Bixlow have 'business' in Alcalypha, where Lucy's parents are buried. But when they arrive, something terrible has happened, and Lucy finds a threatening note addressed to her. The threat follows her home. Who is following her with the intent to end the Heartfilia line, and why? She and her guild are determined to find out. (NatsuxLisanna, LaxusxLucy, GrayxJuvia. I have no guarantees that you'll see these pairings, but they are the ones I have in mind.)
I do not own Fairy Tail!
Chapter 1: Love and Lucky...Your Luck's Run Out
"Master?" the blonde girl called, as she timidly pushed the door to Fairy Tail's higher-ups' train compartment open. She saw in the compartment a short, older man, a woman with long white hair and blue eyes, a woman with long red hair, and a heavily muscled man with blonde hair and a lightning scar zigzagging over one eye. The master, Makarov, and the present S-class mages, Mirajane, Erza, and Laxus.
"Yes dear?" the master asked sleepily. He'd been dozing, and still half was.
"Um," Lucy began slowly, "today is July 7th, the anniversary of my mother's death, and I was wondering...can I get off the train when it stops in Alcalypha? To visit her grave...and...my father's."
The master looked wide awake now. "Lucy, I can't stop you from visiting your parents' graves, but I do not think it is wise, since Sabertooth is obviously angry about our winning the GMG..." He trailed off, hating the sad look in her eyes.
A certain blonde Dragon Slayer also hated the look. "I'll go with her, Gramps. Freed, Bixlow, and I have 'business in Alcalypha anyway, so we - myself and the Raijinshuu - were planning to get off there."
Lucy looked to him, surprised. Erza raised a threatening eyebrow, and Mira went into full blown matchmaker mode. While she imagined blonde babies with intimidating stormy blue eyes, and blonde babies with caring brown eyes, and Erza threatened to disembowel Laxus if something happened to Lucy, the Master nodded to both blondes.
"That is a good idea." he mused. "Laxus is S-class, and all those part of the Raijinshuu are close to being S-class, so you should be alright."
Lucy visibly brightened. "Hurry though, and get your stuff," Laxus said gruffly, embarrassed by Mira's going on and on about relationships. "We'll be there in a few minutes, and we'll take a later train back to Magnolia."
Lucy smiled happily. "I'll meet you in the station." she chirped, then vanished back into the train.
She zoomed back to her compartment with Natsu, Gray, Happy, Wendy, and Carla. Natsu was, as usual, passed out on the seat, Gray was asleep in his boxers next to the Dragon Slayer, and Wendy, Charla, and Happy were asleep in the seats across from them. As quietly as possible, Lucy grabbed her luggage just as the train slid to a stop.
She whispered a hurried, "Goodbye." before rushing to the train's exit. Laxus, Freed, Evergreen, and Bixlow were already on the platform, waiting. Lucy hopped off of the train, her feet and suitcase making a light 'thunk' noise as they hit the platform.
She smiled hesitantly at her companions. Evergreen smiled readily back, but the others looked...bored.
"Ever." Laxus said, making the 'Fairy Queen' turn to look at him. "You go with Lucy, okay? I'm sure that you and her star friends can protect the both of you adequately. So, we'll be going. Meet back here to catch the ten o'clock train. If you're not here, I will track you down."
He didn't realize he was looking at Lucy. With that, the three men turned to leave the station.
"Star friends?" Lucy asked, sounding offended. "They're Celestial Spirits, baka!" she called, but he didn't seem to hear. He did, of course, she knew, because of his Dragon Slayer hearing, but he decided to ignore her.
After they were out of the station, Bixlow burst into laughter and Freed smiled. Laxus scowled at them. "What's wrong with you?" he snapped.
Bixlow replied through his laughter, "Why don't you just tell Cosplay Queen you like her? You said, 'I'll track you down.' while looking straight at her. And, you blushed a little when you looked at her long enough to say that. It's a good thing she's so dense!" Laxus's cheeks were dusted with red. "Shut up." he mumbled.
Bixlow howled in laughter again. Freed even chuckled a little. "I think Bixlow may be right." the rune mage said, sounding amused. Bixlow's'babies' chattered in high pitched voices, flying around Laxus's head.
The lightning mage just kept scowling.
"And," Freed said. "What 'business' do we have in Alcalypha? As far as I know, we have no business her at all. What I think is this. You couldn't stand to see her upset, so you lied to the Master. Now, we all know that Lucy is good looking," - Laxus whipped his head around to stare at Freed, who held up his hands, "so you made us come with you because you thought we might make a move on her." Laxus was blushing full on, scowling at the ground to hide it.
Freed opened his mouth to speak again, but Laxus hit him in the back of the head, effectively shutting him up. Bixlow opened his mouth to laugh again, but was stilled by Laxus' glare.
"You liiiiike her..." Bixlow snickered softly.
WHAM.
"But Laxus," Freed whined, "Bixlow's too heavy for me to carry."
"So, Evergreen," Lucy asked, sounding curious. "What do the guys have to do in Alcalypha?" Evergreen shrugged. "Whatever it is, they didn't tell me. Guy stuff, I suppose." Lucy cocked her head in confusion. "Like...what?" she asked. Evergren shrugged again. "I don't know. There are a few bars in town, I think. And a...er, never mind. So, we're going to visit your parents' graves? Plural...both of them?"
Lucy's face became sad. "Yes." she said quietly. "My mother passed when I was ten. She was buried out front of my childhood home for a long time. When my father's business tanked, he used what money he could scrounge up to move her grave here. My father was the one who caused the Phantom incident. I only saw him once, and got on good terms with him, before we were trapped on Tenroujima for seven years. When we got back, the first thing I did was come to Alcalypha. He and my mother used to be part of the trade guild, Love and Lucky, here. That's how they got my name. The day they left, the sign lost the 'k' in Lucky. So they got Lucy. Anyway, when I got here, a woman told me that he'd died a few months before my return. He's buried next to my mother."
Evergreen became sympathetic. "I'm so sorry, Lucy. It sounds like you've had it rough when it comes to family."
Lucy laughed. "Yeah. Especially with what happened with Michelle. I was so excited. I thought she was really family. She was, in a way, but a doll isn't blood related to you, so it's not the same. I love Fairy Tail, and consider them a family, but I wish I had blood relatives left. It would be nice..."
Evergreen smiled sadly. "I still have parents, but they don't feel like they're really related to me. Fairy Tail - Laxus, Freed, and Bixlow, more than anyone else - feels like my blood family."
Lucy smiled. "I always wanted a big sister!"
Evergreen laughed and linked their arms. "I always wanted a little sister."
They arrived at a florist's soon, and Lucy bought a bouquet of white roses for her mother, and an assorted bouquet for her father. She and Evergreen chatted on the way to the cemetery. Lucy was surprised at how much they had in common.
They were still talking and laughing as they approached Lucy's parents' graves. Evergreen had pointed out a beautiful statue that was new to the cemetery, so that's where Lucy was looking as they neared her parents' resting place. Suddenly, Evergreen froze beside her.
"Huh?" Lucy said, looking immediately to her friend. "Ever? Evergreen? Something wrong?" Evergreen just looked at her in mortification. "Lucy..." she said. Slowly, she raised her arm and pointed.
Lucy looked. "NO!"
Laxus looked up in confusion, the shout ringing in his ears. It was familiar. "Lucy?" he said, aloud. The now-conscious Bixlow looked at him knowingly. "Having fantasies, are we?"
Laxus scowled. "No. I just heard what sounded like Lucy scream, 'No.' Freed looked at him, brow furrowed. "No? I wonder what she meant by that. If it was her."
"It was her," Laxus said, "I know-" He stopped. A desperate, anguished scream ripped through the air, faint to Freed and Bixlow, but horribly loud and gut-wrenching to Laxus.
The rune mage and the soul mage blinked. "I heard that." Bixlow said. Freed nodded. "It sounded...scared...sad...hurt." Laxus instantly whirled back around, facing the two of them. He sniffed the air for a moment.
"Come on." he said. "I want to find Ever and Blondie and make sure they're alright." He began to walk quickly, but his walk soon turned into a run, leaving Freed and Bixlow to do the best they could to catch up and keep up.
The lightning mage led them through the maze of streets that was Alcalypha's downtown. As they neared the outskirts of town, they spotted a good sized cemetery. Laxus just jumped the fence, Freed copying him and narrowly avoiding falling on his face, and Bixlow got his babies to lift him over.
Laxus slid to a stop, then started to walk. "So many scents." he grumbled. "Old ones, new ones..." His nose wrinkled. "So many flowers, perfumes, and soaps smells. Plus dead people."
Bixlow rolled his eyes. "So we'll find them the normal way. That's too hard for you, Laxus, so Freed and I will lead now."
Laxus growled. "Don't make me knock you out again." The two of them were still arguing and threatening each other as they rounded a corner and Freed stopped. They turned to look at him. "Freed?" Laxus asked.
Freed looked at Laxus, face white. He pointed. "I think I found out why Lucy was yelling."
(Lucy's POV)
I couldn't believe what I was seeing. Where my parents graves had been, there was only smashed stone, shattered marble, rotting wood, and a...bone.
I was aware only of giving a horrible cry as I stumbled to the graves. *This isn't them. It can't be.* I told myself. I fell to my knees in the rubble, far away from the bone. I slowly reached forward and picked up a piece of marble. Ingrabed on the chunk was 'Layla Hear-' This was part of my mother's headstone.
The next piece I picked up finished the last name. I fit the pieces back togeher, pressing them against one another so the crack disappeared. I felt anger, confusion, and anguish rising up in me. My parents' graves had been violated, and the only thing that remained of both of their remains was a single bone.
All of the beautiful jewelry, and the beautiful dress that my mother had been buried in were gone. My father's picture of our family that he'd been buried with was gone. Everything...
I felt myself begin to gasp for air. I felt as if something - someone - was on my chest, suffocating me. I nearly jumped out of my skin when something grabbed my shoulder. My head whipped around. It was Capricorn. I must have brought him through the gate when he sensed my pain. I quietly drew Aquarius and Cancer's keys from my belt. Capricorn came using his own magic, so I could call my mother's other previous spirits easily.
I called Aquarius first, using a small puddle near me. She didn't complain, only stared at where my mother's grave used to be, looking angry and melancholy at the same time. I called Cancer . His face was more than sad...it was probably like mine, anguished. Out of the three, Capricorn had the best poker face, Aquarius was good at hiding affection, and Cancer was an open book.
I saw Cancer wandering around the debris, looking at it. His love for his former master tugged at my heartstrings. Aquarius just stood and stared at the marble in my hands, the two halves pressed together. Capricorn stood and moved over a few feet, something catching his eye. He bent down and picked a piece of paper up. Whatever it was made him look upset. I was going to ask something, but I couldn't. I felt another hand on my shoulder, and I jumped again.
It was Evergreen.
I turned to look at her, the tears I'd been holding back spilling onto my cheeks. "W-who could've done this?" I whispered. She looked at me, face full of sympathy...pity. "I'm so sorry, Lucy."
"Sorry? Sorry won't bring back Layla and Jude's bodies!" Aquarius snapped, moving closer threateningly. "Aquarius." I snapped. She whipped her head around to look at me. "Quit. It wasn't...wasn't Evergreen's fault." Aquarius stared for a moment longer. "I'm going back to the spirit world." she said. And then she was gone.
A few minutes passed in silence.
A sudden noise yanked me out of the stupor I'd fallen into. It sounded like two men arguing loudly with each other. They were silent suddenly, and I knew why. They saw. Moving like it was agony, I turned my head to look at them. Three men.
Laxus. Bixlow. Freed.
Evergreen was on her feet instantly, rushing over to them and explaining. When she walked away, Capricorn came back over, paper clutched tightly in his hand. He crouched down in front of me, and handed me the paper. "Be careful, Lucy-sama." he whispered. He touched my forehead and then he and the distraught Cancer faded back into the Spirit World.
I gazed sightlessly at the spot where they'd been for a few minutes. Then, I glanced down at the paper. I felt whatever blood left in my face drain from it as I read. My hands started to tremble. Then my arms. Then, the rest of my body, until I fell back onto my butt, arms wrapped around my knees. I began to rock back and forth, slightly, unaware that I was doing so.
(Laxus POV)
She looked like crap. Pale, wide-eyed, afraid, angry. Anguished. And with what Ever described, I didn't blame the poor thing. The evidence was in front of my eyes. The shattered stone of vaults, the rotting coffins, and the marble of the headstones. Lucy held two marble pieces together, and with my sight, I saw that together they said, 'Layla Heartfilia.'
I then noticed that some of her...Celestial Spirits...were hanging around. One was wandering around the carnage, looking lost, and the other was looking at a piece of paper. As Ever babbled on to the other two, I watched as the goat-spirit kneeled in front of Lucy, giving her the paper. He touched her head, and the two spirits disappeared.
Lucy looked down at the paper. Her already pale face went whiter. She suddenly fell back on her butt, wrapping her arms around her knees and drawning them to her. I noticed a second later that she was rocking back and forth. I wasted no time with an explanation, I just rushed over to her.
I slid down beside her, grabbing her shoulder with one hand. I heard my team rushing over behind me. "Lucy." I said, as gently as possible. She looked up, and I started. Her eyes went quickly through about every negative emotion in about ten seconds. Most prominent to me was the terror, the anguish, and the nothingness.
"Lucy?" I asked again. Slowly, she raised her arm and held it outstretched towards me. In her hand, she held a piece of paper so tightly it began to crinkle. I reached out to take the paper, but Evergreen had to, quite literally, pry her fingers apart for me to get it.
Almost instantly, Lucy broke down in sobs. Ever knelt by the girl and hugged her close, so lucy bawled into her shoulder, whole body shuddering. Ever looked at me, then the paper, seeming to be asking what the paper said.
I opened it and smoothed it out. Bixlow, Freed (they'd been looking over my shoulder), and I all made a noise of shock at the same moment.
Oh god. Erza's going to kill me.
On the paper, in beautiful cursive was:
Your luck has run out, Lucy Heartfilia. I'm coming for you.
-A
Gomenesai! I'm such a horrible author . But, this story idea has been stuck in my head for so long, I had to get it out. Actually, I'm a little afraid to post this, because I don't know if I have the skills to do this story justice. Please review, telling me if you want it to continue. If I get enough comments about my horrible writing (I hope you don't put it that way) I'll ask if a more talented writer would like to take over the story and put it on their account. I'll delete this, if so. I would love to hear feedback from you guys, as well as ideas for future chapters!