Disclaimer: I do not own Fairy Tail, its characters, its universe or its contents. That privilege goes to Hiro Mashima.
Author's Note: I would like to thank my beta, davros fan, for helping me proofread a category that he was not familiar with. I hope I've written it fairly, and that the emotions conveyed reach you. Please read and review if you have anything to say!
Arc: A year after the Tartaros arc, a slight continuation off the end of Fairy Tail 2 anime.
Home Sweet Home by ValkyrieAce
Outside the Fairy Tail Guild,
It had been a year since Fairy Tail disbanded, and she was feeling extremely nervous. No, nervous didn't cover it. She was exuding a sense of dread. Wringing her hands, she realized, did nothing to calm the fear that the guild would disband once more, and leave her alone with shattered hopes and broken trust.
"What do I do? What do I do?" Lucy mumbled, frantically. They wouldn't leave her alone again like that, would they? She breathed in deeply and felt along her belt for her keys, desperately needing the familiarity. Her keys shone in her hand, reminding her that she would never be alone as long as she had her celestial friends by her side. She stood tall and, feeling brave, she walked towards the entrance.
Standing in front of the door, she fondly remembered the first time she walked into Fairy Tail. She remembered noting how vibrant the first guild hall was, and how surprised to see the members express themselves so fully. Almost like they were in their own fairy tale, living out their dreams unconditionally. She got to meet famous people, like Mirajane Strauss, her favourite pin-up model in Sorcerer Weekly. She even watched the brawl Natsu started eagerly, interested in the workings of their magic.
That fantasy ended as soon as Gray came over to ask for her underwear, of course.
She smiled sadly. They've been through a lot in the past few years, and all the members of Fairy Tail had left the guild scarred. Natsu had lost Igneel. Gray had lost his father for the second time in his life. Erza had to deal with the physical backlash of being detached from her five primary senses. Wendy had lost Grandine. And she... She had lost the first friend she ever had, Aquarius.
Natsu and Happy leaving without her was the last straw, and it had sent her spiraling into depression. It took a long serious talk with all of her spirits to finally pull her out of the state. Soon enough, both she and the spirits recovered. The new experiences she had made as an apprentice writer for Jason only paved a new path for her future, one that she had always dreamed of. By juggling training, the apprenticeship, and her research into the location of other members of Fairy Tail, she was becoming stronger in mind, body and magical stamina.
But she had been waiting and wondering. Wondering if she crossed paths with a Fairy Tail mage at a particular city. She pondered on what they might be doing since they went their separate ways. Were they working hard to get stronger? Were they exploring one of their dreams? Did any of the members join another guild?
She had missed them deeply.
Their return was unexpected, but it was freeing to see them for the first time at the Grand Magic Games. 'They are back,' she'd thought then, 'Natsu and Happy are back!' Their insistence to rebuild the guild allowed her to truly be happy, something she knew she hadn't been during Fairy Tail's disbandment. There were things that never changed but it made their future better. Natsu's positive outlook in life had definitely not changed. She had hoped for him to be less destructive, but when it came to Natsu and Happy, you take what you can get.
With that thought in mind and tears in her eyes, Lucy smiled and pushed on the doors of the guild. The bustling of the guild ceased, and everyone looked towards the entrance of the guild.
"I'm home, everyone!" Lucy yelled with a watery smile, her feet shuffling around uncertainly.
Combined cries of "Hello, Lucy!", "Welcome back, Lucy!", and "How are you doing, Lucy?" echoed around the room. But she could tell that all the members had truly come back to reunite under Fairy Tail. Their true home.
'Natsu, Gray, Erza, Wendy, Levy, Gajeel, Juvia, Master Makarov, Laxus and the Raijinshuu, Mirajane, Lisanna, Elfman, Kinana... Everyone...' Lucy thought happily, 'even people from Sabertooth, Lamia Scale, and Crime Sorciere are here!'
She stifled a sob with shaking hands, and launched herself at Levy, catching her in a bear hug. Flustered, Levy hugged her back calmly, smoothing Lucy's hair as she had done before. Though she was ecstatic, Lucy's tears fell onto Levy's shoulder silently.
"We missed you too, Bunny Girl," exclaimed Gajeel with his customary laugh, "Gihi!"
It didn't matter what the pain in the past had felt like. She was ready to let it all go. The mages of Fairy Tail were starting another adventure. And she was not going to miss a single detail for as long as she lived.
'I found my way to Fairy Tail again, Mama, Papa!' Lucy thought, elated.
These feelings of happiness only lasted until Gray asked for her underwear again, completely in the nude.
"Home sweet home!" Lucy laughed.
Fin