There is a sacredness in tears… They are the messengers of the overwhelming grief, of deep constitution and of unspeakable love.

—Washington Irving

Chapter One:

Farewell

The letter he left crushed her spirit more than the past week had.

Watching her home be destroyed by a formidable enemy, crawling from under the guild's rubble, fighting on her own at the feet of her barely-breathing comrades, sacrificing Aquarius for her future and the safety of her guild… none of it could compare to the feeling in her chest when she opened that piece of parchment to reveal the hurtful words contained within.

Lucy,

My dad made me realise something important. I need to live for today, and stand up for tomorrow. What happened with Tartaros made me see that I ain't as strong as I need to be. I couldn't protect Igneel from Acnologia and I couldn't protect my nakama.

Happy and I will go on a journey while training and we'll be back in a year or so. So take care of everybody, alright!

See ya, Lucy!

Natsu & Happy

The tears wouldn't stop flowing, no matter how hard she tried to push them back down. She hadn't realised just how dependant on him she was until he was gone—who would she go to when she needed to forget her past if not for a few moments? Whose arms would she fall into when she needed comfort? How would she keep the dark loneliness of her past at bay? He wasn't the only one that lost a father; they had all lost something to Tartaros. Each and every guild member lost their place in the guild, Gray had lost his own father for the second time as well, Wendy lost her innocence and a mother, Erza lost another layer of the armour wrapped around her volatile resilience, and Gajeel lost Metalicana.

He wasn't the only one.

What happened to being a team? What happened to that little promise of theirs? How dare he leave her alone like that? Her tears turned to wails, the wails to sobs, but it was all in vain. Natsu wasn't there anymore to grab her hand and pick her up off the dusty floor. It was just her, a broken key, an empty and cold apartment and a stupid letter. He wasn't the only one! Had he forgotten already, that it was more fun when they were together? How could he run away like that? Did her words from back then truly mean nothing to him?

Lucy allowed herself a few hours of tears before forcing herself to stand up. She had to be strong—if not for herself then her nakama. They all needed each other more than ever to stand up and smile again. Natsu's absence, however, would be a very large hole to fill—and Lucy wasn't entirely sure she could stand in his place with the same confidence she had once had.

She could only hope.

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.

.

The disbandment of Fairy Tail came as a shock to everyone.

Standing upon the ruined remnants of their guild, picking up the debris, they had been prepared to start again. Rebuild, recover, everything was going to be okay. Tartaros was over and the demons were gone. Admittedly, so was Natsu but Lucy had a sinking feeling his departure was for the best. He wouldn't have wanted to see this—the despair in her nakama, Makarov's steely eyes, their tattered guild banner.

Makarov's mind was set. There was no swaying him.

So, they left. Against all their instincts and the screaming voices demanding that they fight for their home, they picked up their belongings and left. Lucy was frozen still in place. Surely her nakama weren't just going to leave? What ever happened to 'never give up'? 'Nakama forever'?

The Fairy Hills girls were the first to leave. Without the funds from the guild, their homes were swiftly taken from them by the mayor of Magnolia. 'You know I don't want to do this,' he had said, 'but, maybe this is for the best. Wizards can travel anywhere they wish to but non-magic folk simply cannot. This way, you wizards can experience the world from outside a guild and the townsfolk can use your homes until theirs are rebuilt'.

They couldn't argue with that. After all, Fairy Tail weren't the only ones swept away by the crushing strength of Tartaros. Half the town was destroyed—Kardia Cathedral, most of their own homes, half the civilians' homes, the local businesses and, worst of all, their guild. Her nakama told her it could have been worse if not for her sacrifice. Without her resolve to save her friends, she never would have opened the gate to the Spirit King. Her sacrifice was the reason they could stand up again and fight.

How much was her sacrilege really worth though? Fairy Tail, the first place she had ever really belonged, was gone. Her friends were leaving on their own journeys of self-discovery and taking their own paths. Was Aquarius' key really worth this outcome? Probably, maybe, no, yes… Lucy wasn't sure of anything anymore.

In honour of Natsu's last request of her, she stayed in the ruined town for a few months. The people of Magnolia appreciated her efforts more than she ever believed they could—Lucy gave them strength, the will to keep moving when all the odds were stacked against them. Three months into the rebuilding of Magnolia, she was forced to leave. Lucy was out of money, there were no jobs and her savings had been crippled. With the thought of coming back one day held deep within her heart, she left like all the others before her.

.

.

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Crocus hadn't been what she expected it to be. Busy, bright, it was the complete opposite of Magnolia's calm and quiet bustle. She found a job working side-by-side with some of the best reporters in the country for a magazine focused on the wizarding world. The Weekly Sorcerer gave Lucy her purpose back, the opportunity to grow and become more than just a Fairy Tail wizard. She was working again, she lived in a beautiful home; Lucy should have been happy. After all, she was a lot better-off than she had ever been previously.

The guilt was what kept her feet dragging in the dust. Natsu left the day before the guild disbanded—Lucy could only assume that he didn't know. What if he returned to Magnolia, only to walk in to her empty and bare apartment? What would he think? Would the fear of abandonment crush him when he walked upon the dusty rubble of what used to be their home, the home they had not rebuilt for the first time since the founding of Fairy Tail? What if he never found her again?

In those moments, she would bitterly remind herself that it was Natsu's decision to leave—he hadn't bothered to consult any of them before leaving on a journey full of adventure and self-discovery. If anything, the burden of the guilt she beared should be his responsibility to carry. All he left was a short handwritten letter addressed to her on her coffee table and a promise to return in a year.

He also left her a request—to look after everyone in his absence. Working for Fiore's highest grossing wizarding world magazine helped her fulfil that selfish request of his. Through her connections with reporters all over the country, she managed to locate over half her guildmates and keep tabs on them. Levy, Gajeel and Lily were working for the Magic Council as officers. Gray and Juvia were living together humbly in a small town away from the worries of the outside world.

Erza took it upon herself to follow in Jellal's footsteps and wreak havoc upon the dark guild network. Wendy and Charle joined Lamia Scale and were taking the world by storm. Mirajane and Lisanna began to serve at a popular restaurant. Bisca and Alzack were happily raising their little family. Reedus was finally getting the recognition he deserved as a fine artist. Macao and Romeo taught fire magic to young mages only just learning how to stand on their own two feet in the world. Her nakama were all safe and happy.

They had moved on. Whether that was because they understood the true intentions behind Makarov's sudden decision to disband Fairy Tail, or because they comprehended the world outside the guild far better than she ever had, Lucy wouldn't know. She was ashamed for not reaching out to them—excuses such as 'would they still remember me?' and 'they've gone their own way' stopped her hand whenever she began to write a letter to any of her old friends. Instead she drowned herself in her work as a reporter and vigorous training with her spirits in order to expand her own horizons magically.

Lucy convinced herself to be happy, to smile so that the watchful eyes of the tabloids would see that she was still the same old Lucy. The same old Lucy who modelled on the side to being a full time Celestial Spirit wizard; the same old Lucy who was once part of the strongest team in the magical community. She went to work every day and scoured the continent for any rumours that could possibly help her pinpoint the whereabouts of her friends.

Nothing would ever turn up regarding Natsu and Happy, and she had to remind herself each and every day that the idiots were too stubborn to die. They were out there somewhere, looking up at the same sky and counting the same stars as her. However, nothing would ever ease the ache of his absence. He was still gone, and the fact tore holes in her heart every night when she crawled into an empty bed. In the morning, she would be 'just Lucy' again, not the Lucy who stared longingly at the night sky just beyond her reach.

This particular day had been no different. She woke up, dressed herself, packed her notebook and a pen and walked out the door like any other day. The Grand Magic Games were on again, which marked one year since she had realised the feelings she harboured towards her best friend. Clinging to his back like a desperate child, her tears seeping into the soiled material of his scarf, she became blindingly aware of just how much she needed him in her life. He chased away the ghosts of her past with a manic grin and a fist alight in flames, and she was immensely in his debt.

But he was gone now, Jason's careless words only cementing that fact: "You say Fairy Tail doesn't exist anymore, but that mark on your hand tells a different story."

Lucy closed up under his keen gaze. Jason was far more perceptive than she had ever fathomed before becoming closely acquainted with him. He, too, missed Fairy Tail; the magical world didn't have that same 'boom' without them. Jason believed the Games didn't have that same appeal without the presence of Lamia Scale, Sabertooth, Mermaid Heel or Blue Pegasus—and Lucy agreed wholeheartedly.

None of the guilds that fought beside Fairy Tail during the Eclipse Gate saga had come to compete in this year's Grand Magic Games. She often ventured a thought that it was because the disbandment of Fairy Tail came as a shock to everyone in the magic community. Though the previous members all still bore the mark of the guild that once was, nothing could quite take away the fact that Fairy Tail was gone forever.

So, when a cloaked man sauntered into the arena after Skull Millione were declared victors, Lucy couldn't help but to hope. How long had she yearned for the day he would come back? In her dreams, she would often see his smiling face looming over her as a warm arm wrapped around her shoulders. Was she a hypocrite for longing after him? Hadn't she, on more occasions than she'd like to admit, thrown both him and Happy outside her apartment when all they had wanted was her companionship?

The magic power levels of the stranger quickly squashed any dreams of hers and brought her mind back to the present. Friend or foe, this stranger was a threat to all the people of the arena. Most concerning was the fact that non-magic users outnumbered the wizards by hundreds. Years of reflex reactions caught up to Lucy and she briefly wondered the thought that, had it not been for all her time in the guild infamous for finding themselves in the middle of hostile situations, she would not have begun to instinctively evacuate the stands of people around her.

She and Jason tried to direct the frantic crowds as best they could but their attempts were brought to a surging halt when the entire arena lit up in fire. Her heart clogged in her throat, but she swallowed past the lump to gather all mages that could fight. An intruder was never good news.

When burning fire erupted from the palms of the cloaked man, Lucy's busy and calculating mind froze. She could almost taste the flames on the tip of her tongue, and smell the melancholy scent. Dragon fire. How many times had this very fire burned down the guild, her kitchen? How many outfits had these flames ruined? How many times had they lit her way in dark rooms and deserted forests? She could count on every part of her body all the times those gentle flames had warmed her on chilly nights in the middle of nowhere.

Only one thought surfaced in the mess of her mind: it was Natsu.

He was finally here, and so was Happy and they were laughing at the awe-struck expression on her face as her clothes practically melted away from her skin. Natsu's hair had grown out and his flames had increased in heat and intensity. The old team was finally back together after a solid year of being apart.

Or, so she had hoped.

After all, Natsu's face had never quite been so dream-like and the X792 Games had ended three months ago.

Lucy awoke with a startled gasp, hands flying to her thundering chest. It was all a dream, a stupid, innocent reflection of her troubles. She laughed without humour, shaking hands grasping at the glass of water on her night stand. The cool liquid wasn't able to quite drown the lump in her throat, nor was it able to warm her quivering insides.

"Damn it all," she hissed, raking a hand through her long hair. Lucy forced herself to stand and walk to the bathroom, where she splashed cool water on her face from the running faucet.

She couldn't recognise the girl in the mirror. There was nothing of the old Lucy in her expression—her lips had never once twisted in to a sad frown, and her eyes hadn't been this dull since she found out her father died. This Lucy was hardly Lucy at all, and she hated it. She hated feeling suspended in place with no real purpose. What was she really doing with her life? All she did was chase ghosts and pursue rumours on the breeze with grasping hands. She wasn't living, she was damn well existing.

How pathetic? Why was she letting herself be chained down by a boy whose whereabouts were completely unknown? He asked her to watch after everyone and she did, what else did he want? Did he just expect her to throw her own life away for his sake?

No.

She was done.

Lucy gripped the stone sink in her trembling hands, expression steely. She was going to live, dammit. She was going to travel and explore the continent high and low, she was going to train until her mind snapped but most important of all, she was going to be happy.

With that thought in mind, Lucy crawled back into her bed with the first true smile on her face in over a year.

Welcome to Two Pieces Take 2!

For returning readers the content from the previous version WILL BE USED, but quite a lot will be cut and edited to suit this new version of TP. I had planned to delete TP entirely and post it under a fresh slate but decided against it due to the fact that there a quite a lot of you following this story and not my account, so you wouldn't have been aware of the new TP. Oh, and welcome back!

For new readers hello and welcome!