"I wish i could have five lives.
Then i could have been born in five different towns,
and eaten five lifetime's worth of food,
and had five different careers,
and...fallen in love with the same person, five times"

-Tite Kubo

September 3, X791

The cold rush of air blew her skirt and tipped her brim hat, and Lucy grimaced as she finally handed her ticket to the waiting hands of the man inside the booth. He greeted her a have a nice trip and she could only feel the whimper making its way from her throat to her mouth. She gulped it back and offered the kind man a small smile and a nod before making her way to the gathering crowds of Magnolia Station.

There's no going back now, Lucy told herself, squaring her shoulders and pulling her pink suitcase towards the open doors of the train. She stared at the small set of stairs and for a moment, she hesitated to step inside. If I do this, this means that I can never return anymore, she realized and it clawed at her. She could go back, go back and wait until everyone realize that they were all meant to be together forever, as a guild, as a family, in their own small home. Home is where she can laugh. Home is where Natsu and Happy pull pranks at her. She looked back at the entrance booth of the station, with the briefest hope that maybe Natsu and Happy were there to stop her from going, as everything was just a prank.

None. They were not there. Honestly, she'd rather have that this was the ultimate prank and she the ultimate idiot for falling for such obvious and stupid tactics. She'd rather be the laughingstock of the guild a million times than have the guild completely disband.

"Excuse me," announced an abrupt voice from her left. Lucy looked at the annoyed face of a woman, waiting in line. "Are you going to enter or not?" the annoyed woman fumed.

Lucy did not feel the energy to have a heated argument right now, so she upped and carried her bags inside, without a second glance at the complainant. Inside, the people were bustling and busying themselves putting their luggage in the upper compartment above the seat. She glanced at the crumpled piece of parchment for her booth and seat number. Number 143. Avoiding the bodies of the people in the cramped aisle, Lucy quickly made her way before the annoyed woman from before could catch up with her and start a new tirade.

140…

141…

142…

143. An empty booth. She didn't know if it was a good thing or a bad thing. Good thing is: she's alone with her thoughts. Bad thing is: she's alone again. She decided that it's a good thing to be alone.

Best to practice the solitude while I'm at it...

The engine roared to life and she heard the familiar hoot of the smokestack as it billows the smoke from the burning of the fuel.

That sounds brings so much memories. Memory of the time she first went on a mission with Natsu, Happy, Gray and Erza to chase after Erigor; or that time when she was sent with them as part of the Allied Forces against Oracion Seis; or those days where even if they destroy something and did not earn the reward, they would go home laughing and smiling. The train moved now, and Lucy saw the familiar places their team has frequented over the years:

The Camellia Café she visited with Erza for the famed Triple Chocolate Double Vanilla Layer Cake that cannot be bought by jewels, but must be won for finishing fifty other concoctions.

The glistening, crystal roof of the Winter Rose Gallery was also there. She remembered that time Gray invited her to see his ice sculptures. Oh, he was working part time to earn more money to pay for his rent, and she was the only guest he invited because Natsu would have melted his creations just to spite him, and Erza would just test the sharpness of her blade on the ice.

Lucy's eyes caught the sight of the Burning BBQ, the place where Natsu and Happy invited her and ordered 26 different kinds of barbeque, only to 'conveniently' forgot their wallets at home and have her 'conveniently' pay for almost 75,000 jewels worth of food. She swears that the lot cost more than her monthly rent.

A sob broke its way from her lips and Lucy dabbed at the tears gathering at the edge of her eyes. There is no point in crying now. She'd already wasted a whole week, grieving and crying herself to sleep. In the past week alone, she'd hauled herself at the huge crater that was her former guild and watch helplessly as the members have dwindled and left on their own. Erza…Gray…Wendy…they all left as soon as Natsu had gone missing. It was like watching a scene play in bleary eyes, and just like a black and white silent film, everything lost its color and seemed much, much quieter. Everything just went blank, silent and stale.

A brown maple leaf flew and stuck at her window. Autumn…Fall…Somehow, Lucy saw some sick and twisted poetic allusion in the falling of leaves. The leaves of the trees are just like us in the autumn, one by one, we fell from the tree called the guild of the fairy.

We're not that far yet. You may still go back, a tiny hopeful voice persisted inside her head, but she ignored it. She told the landlady that she will never come back again. Even if she were to return now, there's no place for her.

Good bye, Magnolia.

"Oi!" boomed a voice beside her, giving her a fright. She glanced at a tall figure from waist up and immediately registered who he was. Laxus. He was clad in his usual collared long sleeve shirt, blanketed by his coat and with bandages running along his arm. His bag slung over his right shoulder, his posture lax and his bored eyes stared right at her. Despite the overall laidback approach, his figure alone is imposing.

Lucy nodded, asking herself why her chest is suddenly pounding, posture rigid, and tongue receding. She offered a smile so as not to appear rude.

"May I?" he gestured to the empty seat in front of her. Lucy replied a meek yes as she observed how his arms tensed as he moved his arms to and fro. Immediately, he started towards the seat, and Lucy adjusted her knees in order for her not to collide with his legs and cause him further harm. Finally, he was able to sit in his place, luggage left in the aisle.

Inching towards the edge, Lucy took the handle and carefully brought the black suitcase towards the man. "Here."

"Uh, thanks," he mumbled as he took the handle from her. However, as he did so, his fingers brushed against the skin of Lucy's retreating fingers. The contact, though brief and minute, sent a familiar current in her skin. She looked at him but his head had already turned to the window.

That had been the end of their conversation. He kept silent, only staring at the blurring images outside the glass, his chin resting in his palms and his elbow resting at the arm rest of the seat. She supposed that the man intended to have an undisturbed journey, and that the silence for the past eleven minutes or so, was the comfortable silence. However, as the minutes continued to drag on, she felt that the man has something to say; to ask, the least. Lucy could tell because for the past few days, though she was depressed, at the very least she had been comfortable in the silence. Now, the silence is brought by something else.

Awkwardness.

Lucy felt that she could initiate at least a small talk for various reasons. One, she was considered to be the more perky between the two of them and Laxus may expect her to be more open and start a conversation. Two, Laxus may be too proud to even start a talk with someone he thinks beneath him. Those thoughts alone ticked something inside her. Hasn't both those reasoning works against her?

She'll show him.

But what do you say to a guy you…just…met? Lucy wondered. Well, it's not quite so much that they're completely strangers who met for the first time – that'd be preposterous since they have been guild mates for years – but this may be the first time that she ever had the chance of having a one on one conversation with the S-Class Mage.

"The weather's good," Lucy started, sounding more like she was asking a question rather than simply stating a fact.

"Yeah…" Laxus dragged on.

Rebuffed again from the polite and decent conversation she was offering, it suddenly dawned into her that they just might not be 'complete and total strangers, meeting for the very first time'. After all, they did have some sort of semblance to an interaction before; most of which from his part. Remember that one time he catcalled her 'big-bobbed newbie' or that time that he will only offer his help provided that she was to be his 'woman'? And there's also that one time he proudly announced that she was the 'princess' that was the cause of Phantom Lord's attack. And that one time he made use of her shoulders when she was turned into a statue – courtesy of Evergreen – as some sort of support to lean on.

Wasn't he just one charming, bloody scoundrel?

Well, she supposed she'd give him the benefit of the doubt and start counting his better points. According to Mira, Laxus is generally a good guy; a little on the perverted side, but, nonetheless, a fairly decent chap. However, a good eighty-nine percent of the guild would answer that despite appearing as silent, Laxus was quite impulsive. He was quick to resort to violence and is prone to attack rather than reason with others. On the plus side though, his impulsiveness is a testament of how he is passionate about the things that he values.

The Fairy Tail fighting festival was actually caused when he heard that people have begun to badmouth the name of their guild, so he made it a mission to only accept mages of high caliber and dispose of the weak. Lucy sighed. She is on the weak side. There is no contesting that. Laxus, winning or losing does not negate the situation right now. He might've lost and saw the proverbial light, but what it only managed was to prolong the inevitable. Speaking of which, they would have all lost – probably their lives – if Fairy Law does not function based on whom the caster's heart regards as true enemy.

Then that means Laxus considers them all as precious comrades?

Even her?

Certainly, that's big news! Not only was she on the weaker side, but she was only just a new member back then. Laxus does not have the time to actually know her at that point, so it only stands to reason that maybe, perhaps a bit, Fairy Law would have affected her.

Maybe she was dwelling a bit too hard on this matter. This is the same guy that actually avenged her defeat from the foul play caused by Raven Tail. Laxus actually blasted Flare with a high voltage Dragon's Roar for her; and although she knew that Flare was just a lost soul in the wrong guild, she cannot help but feel flattered that someone regarded in a highest pedestal would actually make an effort to avenge in her name.

"He liiikes you," Mira teased when she was visiting her in the infirmary. Despite the fact that Lucy knew that she stood no chance of ever being seen as a woman by Laxus, she cannot hide that fact that the little teasing brought a smile on her lips and a blush on her cheeks, and she did not bother to hide it nor deny it then. To be considered worthy of avenging by one of the most eligible bachelor in Fiore is an astounding feat in itself.

"Lucy?"

Lucy momentarily stilled, caught off-guard by his voice. He gave her a fright, though the reason was not near being surprised; rather, his voice reminded her of someone she knew years ago…someone masked, clad in black…a man from her past.

"How is your injury?" Lucy asked, steering away from the thought of her partner in that masquerade.

"Good," lowered the head of the man in front of her. Lucy sensed that subject was too sore for him and immediately thought of apologizing, but before she could, he spoke again. "I'm sorry," said Laxus, this time staring deeply into her eyes.

Lucy, once again found herself still, with shivers running down her spine, and questioning why was she suddenly feeling a deep sense of nostalgia. She felt her eyes tearing up and she sucked her breath to prevent them from falling. Maybe it was the way his eyes looked sincere that she missed home – any home she can thing of: in the mansion with her parents or in the guild with her friends.

"Why?" her voice barely a whisper and broken. Confused at her mouth's response and at the sudden apology she's receiving, she wondered what on Earthland is this man apologizing for. Is it his grandfather's disbandment of the guild? That's hardly a reason for him to go to such extent.

"For everything," he said with, again looking straight into her eyes.

Lucy looked back at him with the same intensity and asked, "Laxus-san, this might seem strange, but I fail to see the reason why you would apologize to me."

"The face you're making seems to say that you remember uh…unpleasant events between us," he confessed, scratching his cheek with his finger.

Ah, that. Lucy pursed her lips in embarrassment. Heat crept from her neck to her face. Am I blushing at being caught? "I…uh…sorry about that," she scratched the back of her head and averted her gaze from him. "Sorry," she repeated, this time in a lower tone.

"It's okay…" Laxus trailed off, looking back at the scenery outside. He cleared his throat and asked, "So where are you off to?"

"I…" Lucy quickly started in surprise but then found herself thinking, where could she go now? She lowered her eyes in embarrassment because she found nothing. She didn't think that far ahead. She just left without any plan. And she won't gain anything by lying to him. "I…ah…I don't know. You're off to train, right?" She quickly asked, changing the topic.

"It's the muscles, isn't it? It's too obvious just by looking at me," he barked good-naturedly but it lacks his usual bite.

Lucy smiled a bit. "Not really."

"Huh? Then what?" he raised his eyebrows at her.

"More like the attitude," she replied, easing herself into this casual conversation. Maybe, Laxus also hates feeling awkward. "Just like Natsu…" She trailed off and by the time she recognized whose name she just spoke, she sighed and quickly pursed her lips.

"What's this? Blondie loves Pinkie?" Lucy snapped her eyes towards him. She was about to retort a smart reply but she found him smirking. No, he was smiling at her, eyes gentle. He was only teasing her good-naturedly.

She smiled, a bit wider than the previous. "Thank you."

"For what?" he challenged. This time, he was smirking.

"For frying Flare, even though you didn't have to do that," Lucy offered, her tone teasing. She looked at him to find his eyes wide in recognition, mouth agape and cheeks flushed.

"What the!" He raised his voice, though not in that you're-dead way, but more of like you-were-not-supposed-to-know-that way. "Who told you?" he demanded.

"That's something for me to know and for you to find out," she quipped, and she finally found herself smiling like the time when everything is bliss. Maybe, somehow, with this bit of getting back to their usual selves, they can gain a little bit of normalcy, a normalcy that was their guild.

Minutes have passed since Blondie's show of coyness, and from then on, conversation faded. They've ran out of topics to talk about. Good for him since it's hard to look fine and talk at the same damn time. Damn the driver to hell! He got one job and he doesn't do very much damn well.

Gulp. He felt the bile rising from his throat. Damn, this motion crap to everlasting hell. And Little-Miss-Blondie is right in front of him, and damn it to hell if he so much puke his breakfast on the floor. He put his elbows on his thigh and put his palm on his face. This'll do fine. He'll sleep the drive away.

"You're sick, aren't you?" She dared speaking, like slapping him across his face.

"Huh?" He removed his hands from his face and feigned indifference. Damn, now I resort to this kind of foolishness. He paused for a moment and looked at her, sitting cross-legged and cross-armed in front of him. She was watching him with creased eyebrows.

"I said, it's the motion sickness," she pointed out, lips curving into a small smile. Well, at least she doesn't have the nerve to snort at him or she'll know her place. Briefly, he questioned himself on how this girl knew this one handicap. Then, it him. Ah, right, this girl hangs out with Dragon Slayers more than anyone in the guild. "It was Natsu," she answered for him, her somber eyes looking back at the window.

Just what the hell's with her? If her mood's just going to drop whenever she speaks that brat's name, she might as well stop it. Is she that of a masochist? So much for being pretty…And did she just lump him together with that ash brain?

"And does boyfriend sleep on your lap every time his knees go weak?" He chimed, inwardly grinning when she flinched. Apparently, he stuck not just a cord, but a wound. If you have nothing better to say, you might as well, shut it.

"No," she answered in a straight, non-committal tone, like she's done with this conversation and he's not worth of her time. Something inside him ticked.

"Then you wouldn't mind when I sleep on your lap," he offered suggestively, making sure that his tone carries a thick amount of innuendo.

"Then you admit you're weakness?" She countered, her tone laced with venom, and eyes narrowed in retaliation.

He grunted. She's a smartass; he'd give her that but there's no way he'll lose this verbal war. She already upped him when she didn't told him who told her about what he did to Flare (though that was probably that she-devil) so, this time, he'll destroy her.

"No," he cooed, leaning towards her and bringing his face on the side of her head. "Become my woman," he whispered, rather seductively in her ear. She stiffened.

He heard her sigh and he once again sat back on his chair. That should to teach her a lesson. She kept quiet and stared at him for a long minute. Maybe she's admitting her defeat. What a spineless girl.

Unlike Bunny Girl or that Princess, commented another voice inside his head. Now, where did that thought came from? That was like eight, nine years ago.

"Laxus-san, I hope you realize that I'm a proper lady and does not concern myself to such frivolous matters," she replied, eying him with a determined stare. He felt his hairs stood on end.

"W-What did you just say?" He was caught off-guard, not by her complete insolence, but by the hint of a completely different tone she just used. He'd heard her squeaked, whined and moaned before but those were all far cry to the tone she used just now. And it wasn't a tone she used within the guild, but it was a tone he was all too familiar with.

"I said, no," she bit back, like saying 'duh!'

"You sure do know a lot of strange words," he challenged, his lips curving into an amused smirk. It has been such a long time since he found someone capable of talking straight to his face. Not since he met that pompous princess. Well, he'll put this 'proper lady' into her 'proper place'.

"Well, there's this thing called thesaurus," she regained her smirk and he found himself unable to reply. Never mind that he can't come up with a comeback, never mind the fact that me might look like a gaping fish. What matters now was the slim chance that he finally found her...

No, he countered. There's no way. That princess can't be young right now as he was trapped within the stasis magic of The First. Come to think of it, he can't remember that brat's name, only the surname Heartfilia.

"Tch, whatever," he shrugged. Lucy's not a princess and that's that. There's no reason for him to lose his cool just because of a 'slim' chance. Maybe she just picked those words from Levy. That seems logical; more logical than her being a runaway princess. After all, she doesn't seem like the 'proper lady' she claimed herself to be. If one might observe her, she has this weird fetish in wearing weird, body-hugging and boob-flashing clothing and a shorter version of a mini skirt. Not that he complains, definitely not.

"Okay, Blondie. What's your surname?" It definitely sounds like that of the heiress.

She flinched as she quickly averted her eyes off of him, her face sweating. She kept silent for a second, looking as if she's deliberating something inside that blonde head of hers "Fi…Filia," she answered, suddenly squirming in place.

"Oh, I see. Okay," he nodded. She's probably an orphan. Fairy Tail was like that, an orphanage. His Gramps just has a knack of adopting street kids and claiming them as his own children.

What's with him and the sudden curiosity? Lucy thought, narrowing her eyes at him. Normally, he'd be all aloof and silent. The Laxus she knew was a towering hunk of intimidation. Wait, she backtracked. Did she just call him a hunk? Ooohhh…if Mrs. Spetto ever heard her say that, she'd be reprimanded for being a 'Slapper'.

In any case, the 'him' right now was back to his usual gait, eyes closed, arms crossed, a scowl in his face, and headphones in place. He's perhaps concentrating on keeping his motion sickness at bay.

Maybe he's investigating my background, crossed her mind. How dare him! She knew she should have kicked him in the face. She should be angry that he's prying on her privacy but, he's Laxus. The Laxus. That's already a reason enough for her to back down. True, she'd had a verbal spar with him just a short while ago but she was pissed beyond reason. Up until this day, she'd still cower at his presence.

She inched further away from him, burying her back on the cushion of the seat. That won't do. She's still cornered, so she moved towards the edge near the hallways. This way she can escape.

No, she must not be hasty. She first has to know why he's suddenly interested in her. Why was he asking for her surname? Perhaps he's out to get her. If he so much as to reveal her surname to the public, she will not get any job. After all, who would want to hire an heiress? Granted, there were times that her full name was announced several times like that one time during her fight against Flare but there was no one really paying attention or actively pursuing her.

Wait…if she cannot get a job, she'd be forced to return to the Konzern…but the Konzern is now a property of…Lucy's eyes bulged as she clamped her hand against her mouth to stop herself from gasping. Suddenly it dawned upon her. The Junelle Corporation! After all, what's the likelihood of Laxus and her sharing a booth, much less a train? Laxus is not just off to train his Magic. He's also off on a quest. She is his quest!

No, Lucy. You must not make a single sound, she chastised herself, putting her luggage in the hallways for her immediate escape. The train suddenly came to a halt. This might not be her original destination but bugger, she does not even have one! What's more important now was for her to escape him.

Quickly and as silently as she can, she stood up and walked towards the exit.

Maybe, this will really be a one solitary journey.

Lucy stared at the leaving train as it passed the archway towards its next destination. She stared agape down at her hands. They were trembling. Her entire body shook. Blood is ringing in her ears. What had she just done? She clamped her mouth with her hands as she stood rooted at her spot. She took quick breaths, now holding her hands tightly against her chest. She only confirmed Laxus' suspicions of her. Now, he will do everything in his power to uncover her hidden secret, that she is the runaway Heartfilia, betrothed to the only heir of Junelle Corporation. Her heart stopped at this realization.

There's a bounty upon her head, and an S-Class Mage is the hunter.

Although her father has managed to pay majority of their family's debt to buy back the Konzern, it is still undeniable that the remaining balance amounting to millions of jewels is still left unpaid with his death. Lucy blanched. Now that her father is gone, no one else would stop the Duke Sawarr from having her fulfill the former arrangement between their families—a marriage, a union, and the siring of an heir.

Then, how does Laxus fit into all of these? Of course, with the disbandment of Fairy Tail, everyone must immediately fend for themselves. It was just that she is the nearest and easiest job. She heard the loud thumping of her chest, and the blood ringing in her ears again. Her shoulders slumped as her hands fell to her side, finding its way to the metal handle of her suitcase. She gripped it tightly and bolted to a run with her breath hitched.

Her heels clacked and dug at the stone walkway, her eyes seeing only blurs of color. Is she crying? Perhaps. She didn't know.

Did people stop and stare at her blatant display of breakdown? She decided that she didn't care. What she has to do now was to get away from this place. Anywhere is fine. Anywhere away from this place is fine with her. She has to put as much distance away from him. Knowing Laxus, he probably figured that she left and was already making his merry way towards her. Her foot suddenly made an abrupt stop and she found herself flung into the air and skidded across the hard concrete ground.

She quickly sat up and only then did she regain her senses. People were watching her from a curious distance but put enough space between her. She heard her own sobs and she felt the wet sensation dripping down her cheeks.

She was crying.

She stood up and walked towards the strewn-away luggage near the bush. People parted, murmuring amongst themselves. She blocked them all out and gingerly lifted the handle. Her elbows cried in pain but she ignored it. Her left leg limped but she kept walking slowly. She sniffled and further bowed down her head, letting her messed hair block her face.

Anywhere away from this place was good enough for her.

"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 and Happy."

She hiccupped and wiped the ugly tears from her eyes with the back of her left arm. She sniffled. God, how awful must her face look right now. How can they do that? How can the leave her? It'd be lonely without them, she knew that, but what she's feeling right now was downright painful. Not only did her supposedly loyal nakamas left her, they'd done it with only a letter.

She stopped at the entrance of a park. Finding it empty and free of people, she limped towards a nearby bench. She sat and the pain from her legs shot upwards in her hips. Her elbow screeched and hissed in pain. There was an abrasion on her skin from when she crashed against the street. She looked at the ground and saw the falling and browning leaves. The wind blew cold and she found herself looking at the sky, clutching herself in a bruised embrace.

'Was I really nakama, Natsu? She wondered to herself. "Aren't you the one who spouted and bragged the importance of family and friends…" she whispered to no one, still staring at the now orange sky. "AREN'T YOU THE ONE WHO SAID THAT NO ONE SHOULD BE LEFT BEHIND!" she shouted in the roaring wind.

How could you do this, Natsu?

What's the sense of your words if you're not going to follow through them?

Your words are empty.

You're a hypocrite, Natsu!

"I will disband Fairy Tail. Go. Go where your beliefs and legs will take you. That's all there is," Master's final words rang in her. She cringed at the mental image: a wrecked guild, hollers and shouts of complaints from everyone and the one slicing statement that was the final judgment.

"FAIRY TAIL WILL DISBAND THIS VERY INSTANT! AND DON'T LET ME HEAR ANYONE OF YOU SPEAK OF THAT NAME ANYMORE!"

Lucy covered her ears with her hands. Stop. Please. No. She ground her teeth, biting back the sobs that threatened to escape her lips. This is exactly as that last time, that time when she ran away from home. She has nowhere to go. She has nowhere to stay. She's an orphan. She's all alone.

Or maybe this was the retribution, to compensate for her selfishness. After all, she was the one who always has the idea of running away. It had been her thing. She left her father and now Fairy Tail left her. It was poetic justice.

She envied Cana; at least she has a father. Maybe she was off to Gildarts-san at this very moment. She glanced back at the now-dark sky, thinking of her own father.

"Papa, I don't regret being part of Fairy Tail, but it's just that I can't stop thinking that if I have known that this would happen, will I come back to you? Maybe if I did, I won't lose everything that I hold dear. Maybe then, I'll still be able to get back all those seven years, maybe I could have helped you rebuild the Konzern. After all, it was my fault for its downfall. Maybe, even if it's just the two of us, we could have been a family again."

She noticed the spilling of tears on her cheeks and she tucked her legs over her chest and curled to herself, resting her forehead on her bleeding knees.

"Papa, have I chosen wrong?" her voice broke. "I've lost my new family. We disbanded. I've lost everything: Mama, you, those seven years, and now Fairy Tail."

Lucy sniffed, clutching herself tighter and raising her eyes a little just so it could look at the still empty lot and now dark place. Somehow, Papa, I question myself if I'm really as lucky as you have claimed me to be; because it seems that I only bring misfortune to anyone I consider a family.

Father, have I become a home wrecker?

And as if the dark skies empathized with her pain, it too broke in a sobbing rain.

Yet, in her anguish, she failed to notice that a Magic Circle has dimly lit the dark and wet streets and a small orb of swirling black energy has appeared and consumed her.

A/N: I guess I am back. I've made this a separate story since these are the only parts of the original story I managed to salvage from my broken laptop. Suffice to say, all ideas and finished parts of a chapter is now gone. That is why I must restart the story with another plot. *sighs*. I do not own Fairy Tail. Hiro Mashima does.