A/N: So I've been talking about posting a Fairy Tail fanfiction for a while, and here it is. I hope to regularly update this story, but my life is kinda chaotic, so I probably won't have the chance. Just bear with me, please, and tell me what you think of this. Enjoy!

...

It was a beautiful night over the Heartfilia estate. The moon shone above, highlighting the buildings and plant life in an eerily white glow. While the outside gave off an illusion of a perfectly peaceful atmosphere, the happenings inside the mansion overlooking the estate told of the true tense and frantic nature.

Six-year-old Lucy Heartfilia was scared. As in, severely terrified and not at all sure of what was going on. One of her small hands were held tightly by her mother, were was roughly dragging her to an unknown location, seemingly unaware of how often her fast pace was causing her child to constantly trip.

She'd had previously been asleep, put to bed less than two hours ago. Then, she'd been abruptly awoken, her mom whispering for her to quickly dress and follow her to meet her daddy somewhere. She'd heard a small commotion downstairs, but when she inquired of it, her mom remained silent and continued to slip a simple white dress and brown boots on her. Then they had simply walked briskly to their destination, her feeble questions met with silence. Before long, they were outside, where she could see her father standing under the cover of a giant apple tree.

"Daddy!" Lucy exclaimed loudly before she was harshly shushed by her mom, who took a moment to look around, as though something was watching and listening for them. Then she pulled both herself and her daughter into the shadow of the tree. She pushed Lucy forward, so that she stood between her parents and spoke.

"How along are they, Jude?" She asked softly. Lucy was shocked to her an edge of panic in her mom's voice.

"They'll be upon us any moment now, Layla! We won't make it out undetected if we travel together. And we can't just leave Ms. Spetto and the other servants." Her dad's voice was gruff and ladled with sadness, so unlike his usual tone of lightheartedness and joy.

"Mommy, Daddy... w-what's going on? Are we going somewhere?" Lucy asked in a small, timid voice, afraid of her parents' mysterious nature, but more curious about what was happening at the moment. Why did her parents sound so scared? What was this talk of leaving? Lucy loved her home and her family, which included all the servants and workers there and she knew her parents were happy with it too. Why would they leave? Plus, the noises coming from the mansion were growing louder, till she could distinctly hear the sounds of shouting, but couldn't distinguish what was being said.

She watched, feeling dread and alarm, as her parents looked at each other, her mom seemingly pleading, while her dad just seemed... resolute. Like a decision had been long since made and there was nothing else to be done. After a solid minute of their staring contest, her mom sharply looked away, eyes hidden underneath her bangs. Her dad gave a deep sigh, then moved around to the other side of tree. Lucy made to follow him, but her mom's tight grip on her shoulders kept her in place.

Lucy looked up to see her mom's brown eyes looking back at her, with tears quickly welling up. Lucy gave a small gasp, ready to inquire about her mom's depressed status, but her mom turned her around and spoke before she could ask a single question.

"Lucy, do you remember that story I aways told you? About what happened the day you were born?" Lucy nodded, made silent by her mom's quiet tone. "And do you remember what you and mommy are, yes?" Lucy gave another short nod as she hesitantly answered.

"We're celestial wizards. We have the power to make many friends who we can call on whether we're in trouble or whether we just want to see them, as long as we have their keys. Celestial spirits are our friends." Her mom nodded, closing her eyes for a moment, before reaching down her waist to grab her key ring. "And you recognize these keys?" Layla asked softly.

Lucy nodded, excitement overtaking her reaction to the tense air. "Yeah, they're mommy's friends, Aquarius, Capricorn and Cancer. And you'll be friends, forever and ever!" Lucy smiled happily as she waited for her mom to confirm her statement.

"I'm sorry, Lucy." Her mom answered so quietly Lucy almost didn't hear her voice. "But after today, they won't be my friends anymore." Lucy went blank, not sure what her mother meant by that.

"Mommy, I don't-" Lucy stopped when she saw her dad coming back, holding a big black cloth over his shoulder and holding a rectangular brown bag with a long, thin strap in his hand. He put the bag down and turned to them.

"Lucy, come here, please." Her dad said, voice firm and leaving no room for any arguments. Taking one last look at her mom, who seemed to be trembling in sadness now, she walked the short distance to her dad. Up close, she could see the cloth was actually a hooded cloak and she watched as her dad crouched down to spread it out and fasten it around her. She stood there obediently as her father hid her outfit in the fold of the cloak and pulled the wide hood over her head.

From the corner of her eyes, she watched as he mom picked up the bag and hugged it to her chest, like it was her most prized possession. Her shaking had gotten worse. She started as her dad quietly moved from in front of her and moved next to her mom, placing one hand on her shoulder and wrapping the other one around her waist. Her lean his forehead against hers and Lucy watched as they closed their eyes in unison, seeming as though the end was near.

"Mommy, Daddy," Lucy inquired timidly, sounding more than a little afraid, "I don't understand what's going on." She watched as her parents separated a few seconds later, grave looks on their faces as they turned to her.

"Lucy, you're a very special girl. When you were born-" Layla's voice broke then, and after swallowing for a moment, she continued her explanation, "-when you were born, mommy had made a decision for you. A very horrible decision, in hinge sight, but it was for a very good reason. Now, this choice I made for you is coming back to haunt us." Her mom finished, sounding absolute, like she was pronouncing her own death sentence.

"Mommy, what-" Lucy started saying, but her father cut in before she could question anything.

"You're not like other people, Lucy. You were given a gift, a gift some very bad people have searched for a very long time. They've hurt people and done many horrible things to obtain this gift, but have never succeeded."

Her mommy started where he stopped, "We had hoped to protect you from this life, hope to give you as normal and wonderful life as we could. We truly thought we could protect you from that evil. But we couldn't and for that I'm sorry."

"W... What choice are you-" Lucy attempted to ask, but stopped when she saw the raging fire in her mom's eyes, seeming as a black stain on her mom's otherwise gentle face.

"I made a decision to save you, Lucy. And you must know that no matter what will happen to us next, know that I will never regret giving you a chance to live. No matter what, I would neither change nor curse my decision, because it gave me you, Lucy." At this, her mom's face and voice gentled as she reached up to touch her daughther's cheek. "I will never regret." She repeated softly as she caressed her little girl's cheek. Lucy, despite being more confused with each word coming out of her mom's mouth, couldn't help but close her eyes and lean into her mom's hand, taking comfort from it's warmth and softness.

"Lucy," Her dad said after a little while, "You have to leave us today." At this, Lucy's eyes snapped opened and she jerked slightly, removing her mother's hand in the process. "W-What?!" She exclaimed, turning first to her father, than back to her mother, waiting for one of them to laugh or refute the statement just made. But her parents only looked at her, eternal sadness shining in their eyes as they watched her reaction. "Daddy, what-"

"We wish there was another way, Lucy." Her mother said mutely, "Truly, we do. But those people, they're looking for you and when find out you're not here... they won't like that."

"This has to be goodbye, Lucy, because it's the only way we can protect you." Her father interjected, kneeling down until they were exactly face to face, a gentle smile on his face. "It's a choice we're making, so please don't be sad. It's for the best." He took a moment to squeeze her shoulders and then stood back up again, taking a few steps away from her, making him close to her home. Her former home now.

This, all of this sudden farewell and talk of choices, were truly scaring Lucy. Why were her parents telling her to leave? Why weren't they coming with her? If this was all for the best, why did this all seem so sad, like this was more than just a goodbye till someday? Why did this all feel so final? Lucy felt tears falling from her face as her mom moved her into the forest surrounding their property, the last image she saw being her father running to the mansion. When they were well within the cover of plant-life, her mom knelt in front of her, a reassuring grin on her face as she fastened the bag around her daughter.

"I know you're confused right now, and have so many questions you want answered, but there's just no time right now. Just know everything you'll need is in this bag and that this has to happen. You need to be brave now, Lucy. And always know that we love you and did everything we could to keep you safe." At this, her mom took off the silver locket she'd always worn as far as Lucy knew, and put it around her daughter's neck before hugging her tightly. Lucy angled her head towards her mother's neck and held her as tight as she could, breathing in her mom's soothing scent of cotton and daisies. After a long moment, Lucy felt her mom push her away.

"Don't follow," was the last thing she heard her mom say, before she ran back in the direction of the house. Lucy stood there for a long while, still unsure of what had happened or what was going on. Then, she heard it. The sound of horrible screaming and pleading tones coming from the direction of her home. She could see flashes of green and yellow light and could hear the distinct sound of something roaring.

Lucy decided to see what was going on, despite her mother's final words. Running as fast as she could with boots on, she managed to stumble her way to the edge of the forest, seeing the buildings of the estate. As she moved to leave the forest, there was a sudden sound of a big bang as well as a strong blast of wind that blew her and some debris back, knocking her against a nearby tree.

Then, Lucy knew no more.

...

When she finally woke up, it was still dark. The first thing she noticed was the pain flaring throughout her body. The second was that everything was quiet, almost eerily quiet. She could feel that parts of her body were held down by pieces of bark and drywall, effectively holding down her left arm and leg. She tried lifting up her head and flinched as she felt a sharp pain at the back of her head.

Trying desperately to ignore it so she could focus on her current predicament, she slowly pushed away the wood surrounding her, as well as shielding her from sight. After what felt like hours, she managed to climb out of the wreckage, finding she was a little further in the forest than she previously remembered.

What was she doing here..?

And then she remembered her parents' words and the sounds of utter panic. Gasping, she began running back to her home, when a furry hand with a tuxedo sleeve stopped her. Looking up, she found herself looking at the faces of both celestial spirits, Capricorn and Aquarius.

"Miss. Lucy, you mustn't go back that way," he said gravely, sad emotions hidden behind his sunglasses.

"Capricorn, something happened at the house. Mommy and Daddy were there, I-" She began to say, before Aquarius angrily cut in.

"Maybe you're feigning deafness, kid, so how about you read my lips. There's nothing here for you. You heard your mom, you have to go." She said angrily. Lucy flinched, more confused than ever.

"I-I, I mean that... there might be... " Lucy stammered as she tried to give an intelligent answer in the face of Aquarius's ire. Capricorn took pity on her and intercepted the conversation.

"Miss. Lucy, your mother gave me this letter in the event that she couldn't be here to explain things to you. I believe you should read it now. It may answer some questions." The goat spirit held out a medium-sized white envelope to the young celestial mage. Lucy hesitantly accepted, but still questioned, "But I don't understand, why can't I just ask my mommy to explain things. Why-" At this Aquarius growled, infuriation emitting through her very being.

"Don't you get it, you stupid brat!" She yelled, shocking Lucy into silence as she fearfully listened to the mermaid. "Your "mommy and daddy" are gone! They took you away from the house to protect you and gave their lives up for you. THEY. ARE. GONE!"

Lucy trembled int the wake of this revelation, feeling a cold, hard feeling settle in her chest as she struggled to keep breathing. Her panting began to quicken, leaving her lightheaded and partially numb. She felt disbelief and denial cloud her thoughts as she desperately tried to hold it together.

"No... NO! You're lying. My parents-"

"Your parents gave their lives to same you from the darkness that walks along this earth. They knew what the results would be and took many actions to ensure your safety and wellbeing. I'm sorry, Miss. Lucy, they truly are gone." Capricorn confirmed solemnly, sounding a century old as he delivered the news. Lucy could only shake her hand, refusing to accept the truth, refusing to believe this was really happening.

"You're wrong... YOU'RE WRONG!" She exclaimed as she broke away from Capricorn's hold and ran forward, determined to see her home and her parents. Needing to see the spirits were wrong, that it was all a lie. Ignoring Aquarius's and Capricorn's cries, she pushed aside the last of the wreckage blocking her view and looked to see... an absolute mess.

Where her house used to be was now a mess of dirt and boards. Little patches of fire were spread throughout the area, with only a few spaces clear of debris. As far as Lucy could tell, there was no one around, nor were there evidence of anyone ever living here.

Still refusing to except what was right in front of her, Lucy slowly looked around, looking for someone she knew, anything that had been salvaged. Any of the servants she considered members of her family, her actual family members. Anyone. After a few hours of turning over boards of wood and looking under every rock, Lucy still found nothing.

"No... NO! Mommy! Daddy! WHERE ARE YOU!?" She cried, agony coursing through her as there was still no reply, still no indication of life. It was like everyone she'd ever loved were gone. For good. She dropped to her knees as fat tears trailed aimlessly down her cheeks, feeling as though the world had ended. Or, more accurately, her world.

As she wallowed in despair, she felt the presence of two being coming near her. Without looking up, she could tell it was Aquarius and Capricorn. The only people, besides Cancer, she had left.

"Miss. Lucy," Capricorn said, voice graver than ever as he spoke, "I'm so sorry." And it was than, after that sincere apology, that it finally clicked for Lucy that this was it. She had lost everything. And it was than that she let loose a loud, grief-riddled scream.

...

5 years later...

Lisanna had thought of many ways she could die, having grown up mostly on the run due to people's ignorance, than having the opportunity to go on life-threatening missions. But she'd honestly never figured it would be because of her older brother.

She dazely looked up at her big sister as she worked over her, fiercely attempting to save her. She could dimly hear Elfman in the background, lamenting his undisciplined state's actions. She chose to refocus on her sister who was switching between muttering over her and pleading with her to hold on.

But she couldn't. Lisanna could feel herself slipping away. Like something was sucking her into another direction and she couldn't stop it. She could only watch as her sister disappeared from her vision, and all she saw was a mass of green and black swirling around her. She could feel herself floating through the mass, a burning on her arm where her guild mark was. She closed her eyes as she tried to bare the intense sensations.

If this was what the afterlife, she wasn't very impressed. All around her was nothing but the dark color and sound of winds roaring past her. She didn't understand what was happening or what had become of her siblings. She'd always thought they'd be together forever, but it seems as though fate had other plans.

And then suddenly, Lisanna felt something roughly grab her arm. Her eyes snapped open to see a pale hand holding her wrist. She looked up to see the owner and gasped.

A figure, made anonymous by the black cloak she wore, floated in front of her, keeping her anchored in this mysterious vortex. She couldn't see any other distinguishing features on the person, for the cloak hid her well.

"W-Who..? Who are you? Where are we? What's going on?" she exclaimed, scared of this situation and now the intent of this faceless stranger. The stranger gave no answer, but simply tighten their grip on her. Lisanna watched, astounded, as the figure began glowing a golden color, like the shade of the sun. She covered her eyes as the glow became too much for her eyes.

And then, the sound of the wind was gone. Hesitant, she opened her eyes to see... her home. The guildhall, Fairy Tail, in front of her, exactly like the last time she saw it. Only, the lights were on due to it being nighttime, but the last she checked it had been early afternoon.

But the time didn't matter, the point was she was home! She turned back to the stranger, who stood in front of her, only about a head taller. She didn't know why she saved her or even how to thank her for bringing her home.

"I-I... I mean-" Then suddenly Lisanna heard a commotion in the guild. Natsu, she told herself with a smile. Then Natsu suddenly appeared in the doorway, looking hopeful, like the sun came out for the first time in years.

"Lisanna?" He asked, looking like he was seconds away from crying. Then he noticed the hooded person next to her and his demeanor changed becoming defensive and gruff.

"Get away from my friend!" He yelled, running towards them, fist raised in the air as he prepared to attack.

"Natsu, NO! Don't-" But then the hooded stranger sprang into action. The last thing Lisanna saw was a flash of silver and then he or she... was gone. Like they've never were there.

"Wait!" She yelled, futilely trying to chase after her mysterious rescuer. She never got to thank her or find out who she was. "Wait," she whispered, regretful she never got to have the kindness reciprocated, to this stranger who'd brought her back to her family and friends.

...

A few miles away, a blond-haired girl stood in the forest behind the guild watching the white-haired girl while her mermaid friend lectured her.

"What the HELL were you thinking?! Do you not understand how much damage you could have caused yourself had you FAILED this task?!" Aquarius fumed, furious beyond measure that her summoner would take such a risk. "Oh, when we find a place to stay, I'll drown you three times so you'll think twice before committing such a stupid, reckless-"

But the golden-haired girl wasn't listening. All she could see was the white-haired girl, this "Lisanna", being surrounded by the other white-haired children she'd seen with her before. The older girl especially was hold her tight, tears visible even from here. And the little girl hiding in the trees couldn't help but smile at such a heartwarming view of a loving family.

...

6 years after...

"I have a special assignment for you, Natsu," Makarov declared. Natsu sat in front of him, pouting at the current circumstances.

He'd been in the middle of a fight with Ice-brain when he'd accidentally burned the sign off one of the nearby buildings. And while Gray got to work on the sigh as punishment, Gramps had said he had an important mission for him, which Natsu interpreted as BORING!

He thought about sneaking out a window when a giant fist bopped him on the head. "Pay attention, brat, because this is important!" Master yelled, as he retracted his hand and went back to pacing, deciding how to explain this while Natsu rubbed his pounding head.

"The magic council has requested that all guilds be on the lookout for a certain mage. They've asked that we find her and keep her safe for the time being." Natsu scoffed in the wake of this explanation. "What makes this random person so special anyway? They destroy more things than us?" Natsu asked, sounding completely disinterested.

"No, Natsu" Makarov answered gravely, "it's because she is target of many dark guilds. There's even been talk that the dark wizard, Zeref, is after her." This got Natsu's attention completely. The whole guild had been given a rundown of who Zeref was and all the demons he's created. He was pretty sure Erza had mentioned something about one of them...

"I'm entrusting you on this task, Natsu. Find this girl and bring her back as quickly as you can. I don't need to tell you that it's of upmost importance, considering who is itching to find her. The last sighting of this girl was near Hargeon, around the forest to the west."

"You can count on me, Gramps!" He shouted happily, ready to start his new adventure. "What's her name, anyway?"

"Her name," Makarov replied, " is Lucy Heartfilia."

...

Interested? I hope this is something people enjoy and like my ideas, which I hope was unpretentious or redundant. Tell me what you think or your guesses about what Layla did to save Lucy when she was born. ?