A Lonely Christmas
*All characters and some quotes belong to the creator, Hiro Mashima*
*Italics - characters are thinking or reading a letter*
A week before Christmas
It was a normal day in the guild. Cana was drinking her usual gallon, Mira was cooking, Gray was stripping, Erza was sitting at the bar eating her strawberry cake, and Natsu was busy eating a feast of hot spicy foods.
The guild doors opened with a creak and everyone turned towards the door. A young blonde walked through the guild, towards her favorite bar stool. "Mira, can I have a strawberry milkshake please?"
"Of course, Lucy!" The white-haired wizard went to the back and grabbed Lucy her favorite milkshake. She set it down in front of the blonde as she grabbed a straw and started drinking away.
Natsu walked up to Lucy from behind and sat down next to her. "Yo, Luce! How was the job?" The pinkette asked. The blonde turned to Natsu and smiled while holding a peace sign, with a confident look on her face.
"It was easier than expected. Those robbers were too weak, I didn't even have to bring out Loke to finish them off. I really only had to use my whip." Lucy winked at Natsu as she took another soothing sip of strawberry milkshake.
"Hey, I was wondering, what are your plans for next week?" Natsu asked with his usual toothy grin.
"Why do you ask?"
"It's Christmas, I wondered if you were doing anything?" Lucy stopped drinking her shake, her eyes beginning to shadow in despair.
"What's wrong, Luce?" Natsu was worried for the blonde, believing he said something to upset her. Lucy stood up from her stool and began to walk out of the guild.
"I think I'm gonna head home…I'll see you guys later." Lucy slowly walked out of the guild. Natsu got confused on why she was acting so upset. The pinkette tried to follow the blonde but was stopped by a book-loving blunette.
"Levy…" The blunette shakes her head side-to-side.
"I think it's best if you leave her alone right now. This time of year hurts her the most." Levy looked down as if she was about to cry.
"Why would Christmas hurt her?"
"Natsu. This is the first Christmas Lucy is going to spend without her mother, her father, Aquarius. She's alone this year…" Natsu's eyes widened in shock as he realized that he had forgotten all the losses she's been through. The pinkette slowly walks to a table in the guild, a gloomy aura surrounding him. He sat down, in deep thought.
With Lucy
Lucy takes her key and opens the door to her apartment, a painful feeling taking over her. She sets down her purse and falls onto her bed with a sigh. The blonde turns over and rests on her stomach. A shimmer appears in the corner of her eye, revealing a picture. Lucy walks over to her desk and touches the picture.
The picture is one from long ago. A beautiful young woman with blonde hair, adorned in a pink dress, standing beside a young man with blonde hair, adorned in a brown suit, both standing behind a large red chair with a golden outline. Sitting in the throne, a young girl, holding a doll, smiling with the gleam of joy reflecting in her eyes. It was a picture of her family.
Memories start flooding her mind, as tears drip from her eyes.
It's Lucy's 8th birthday, and all the servants decorated the castle-like mansion to perfection. They were gathered outside, enjoying a buffet style lunch. After eating a fancy lunch filled with various types of food, it was time for the gift-giving.
Layla presented her gift first. Lucy joyfully unwrapped the box and found a small doll, wearing a blue and white frilled dress. Lucy was ecstatic as her eyes filled with sparkles. She was so fond of the doll, she even said that it was her sister.
"Thank you so much, mommy!"
"Your very welcome, my little Lucy…" A smile appeared on her face as she bent down and pat Lucy on her head. Lucy gleamed with happiness.
Mama…
The scene changes. Lucy enters her apartment after being stuck on Tenrou Island for 7 years, due to First Master's spell, Fairy Sphere. The sun dimly lit the room. 6 gift boxes piled on the table, each with a different pattern, but all adorned with the tag, "To Dear Daughter, Happy Birthday, From PAPA".
"He did remember." Lucy mumbles as her heart skipped a beat with sadness.
"There is one more that came this morning…" Lucy looked at the bed and found a small box. The blonde walked over to the box and opened the letter. She began to read…
To my beloved daughter, Happy Birthday. Even if I say that I wonder if you'll ever read this letter some day. It's been a long time since I heard that you vanished along with your friends. I was incredibly worried, but I kept believing. You resemble Layla so much… You really were a "blessed" child. So I kept on believing that you had to be okay and that we'd be able to meet again.
I'm getting ready to finalize some big business negotiations in the west. I'm always busy, but every day is a fulfilling day. I think of you and Layla every day. Your mine and Layla's pride. All I want is that you live strong down whatever path you believe in.
I hope I can see you again soon.
Lucy shivered…
Lucy, I have always loved you.
The blonde couldn't hold it anymore. Tears streamed down her face in a constant flow, never ceasing.
Papa…
The scene changes. Lucy is in the middle of her battle with Jackal. Aquarius appeared, pushing water in a never-ending flow towards Jackal, sending him flying the opposite direction. The demon manages to push through sometimes but is only pushed back further.
"Listen to me, Lucy. Any Celestial Spirit Wizard who can summon three spirits at once can do this. Summon the Celestial Spirit King!"
"Celestial Spirit King…But…I don't have his key."
"There is no physical key for the Celestial Spirit King. But his gate can be opened with a special kind of key. Summoning with a price. By destroying one of the gold keys, you can open the Celestial Spirit King's gate just once."
Lucy's eyes widen in shock. "Destroy…a gold key…"
"And not just any key will do. If the bond between master and Celestial Spirit isn't strong the gate won't open."
"I CAN'T DO THAT! YOUR ALL MY DEAR FRIENDS, AND I COULDN'T BEAR TO LOSE ANY…"
"Destroy my key…" Lucy's voice choked as she heard those words from her friend. "I'm not sure if the degree of trust is required there, but we've known each other for a long time, so it should pass muster."
"What are you saying!"
"Do it to save your friends!"
"Your one of my friends to Aquarius! I can't sacrifice one friend to save the others. There must be some other way! I won't give up!"
"There is no other way!"
"NO! I WON'T DO IT!"
"Destroying my key doesn't mean I'll die. It just means…we'll never be able to see each other again."
"I couldn't stand that!"
"For me, it's more like good riddance. In the first place, I was your mother's spirit. But when she died, I was passed on to you. I was so disappointed. You were nothing like her. But you are her daughter, so I endured it. All these years…I've hated you."
"You can hate me…I don't care! I LOVE YOU AQUARIUS! YOU WERE MY FIRST FRIEND!"
"What's important, memories? The keys?! A feeling of guilt! NO! It's the power to save your friends. DO IT! DESTROY ME KEY! Your the only one who can do it!"
"I…love you Aquarius…"
"Do it…LUCY!" Aquarius's key glowed as Lucy held it high in her hand.
There's a burning in my chest…Even though I hate this little girl… Memories flood through Aquarius's mind as she disappears.
"OPEN!"
I can't… I can't stop these feelings… Lucy…
"OPEN! GATE OF THE CELESTIAL SPIRIT KING!"
You've done more for me than you know… Thank you. The last smile, appearing on her face as Aquarius disappears in a gleam of golden light.
Aquarius…
Present
Lucy falls to her knees, an ocean of tears streaming across her cheeks. Her hands creating shadows of depression on her face. I miss you…
At the Guild
Mira walks over to Natsu, who is still sitting at the same table as this morning. "Natsu, do you want anything from the bar?"
"…"
"Hey, Natsu? Are you listening to me?!" Erza and Gray notice the commotion and head over.
"Mira, what's wrong?"
"I've been trying to see if Natsu wants anything from the bar to eat, but I've gotten no response no matter what I do! He seems to be in deep thought."
Gray breaks into laughter. "HAHAHAHA! Flame brains in deep thought. Now that'll be the day." Natsu jumps up from his seat, startling the three mages. A grin smeared his face.
"I've got it!" The guild goes silent, wondering why Natsu just screamed.
"What's going on Natsu?" The requip-mage asks.
"Well, ever since that thing with Luce this morning, I've been trying to think of a way to make Luce cheerful again, so I thought we should throw a Christmas Party for her." Everyone nods at his idea.
"Ok, but how are ya gonna keep bunny-girl away from the guild while we decorate the guild?" Gajeel wondered
Natsu grins. "Don't worry about that. I already have the perfect plan!" The guild agrees and begins to plan for next week.
Christmas Day
Lucy wakes up in her apartment and gets ready for the day. It's just another day… The blonde slowly rose from her bed, walking to the bathroom to take a bath. "I wonder if I should do anything today. Maybe I could go to the guild to get a head start on next month's rent." Lucy sighs as she gets dressed for the day.
She decides to go the guild and makes her way down the street, passing by the shops, restaurants, and cafes. She looks inside one of the cafe windows and sees a family eating together, smiling and laughing. This scene causes a sharp pain in her heart, as she imagines her own family.
The blonde keeps walking and eventually hears a familiar voice calling her name. She looks up to find Natsu running towards her.
"Yo, Luce? Where ya headed?" The pinkette asked.
"I'm headed to the guild. I was thinking I could get a head start on next month's rent." Natsu jumped when he heard her say, guild.
"Uh…let's not go to the guild now." this confused Lucy.
"Why not?"
"Because…because…because I want to hang out with you!"
"Can't we just do that at the guild?"
"No!" This startled Lucy. Natsu noticed that he yelled 'no' in her face, and tried to figure out how to respond. "I want to…hang out with you in Magnolia! Not at the guild. I want a change of pace!"
"Okay? So where do you want to go?" Lucy noticed Natsu grinning and got a little frightened. Usually, when Natsu grins, something bad is gonna happen. Just as she thought that Natsu grabbed her hand and dragged her away. "Hold on! Where are you taking me!"
"Just wait and see! Trust me, you'll love it!"
With the Guild before Natsu left
Everyone is preparing for the Christmas Party for Lucy. They had formed a very detailed plan on how they are going to distract Lucy, and who's going with him.
"Ok here's the plan…" Erza started off. "Natsu's going to take Lucy to places to stall her while we decorate the place. Happy will be watching Natsu and Lucy to inform us when they are coming back. Levy, Gray, you will be following them to make sure everything goes according to plan. Everyone ready?"
"Let's go!"
"Operation, make Lucy happy with Christmas Party is a go!"
At the Lake
Natsu lets go of Lucy's hand and the blonde breathes heavily. "Hold on…where…exactly…did you…take me…"
"Look!" Lucy looked up and found they were at a lake. Her eyes widened in excitement and joy.
"Amazing! This reminds me of the time I went ice-skating with my friends back then! I wish I could do it again. But it looks like the lake hasn't frozen over yet." Lucy began to have a depressed expression on her face. This worried Natsu.
Damn! I thought the lake would be frozen by now! What do I do now! Natsu catches a glimpse of Gray and Levy hiding behind a tree. He grins. "Hey, Luce. What's that over there?"
"Hm?" Lucy looks towards one of the trees in the background. Natsu gave a thumbs up to Gray and Levy.
Gray whispered. "Ice-make…Freeze!" The entire lake froze in an instant as Gray's magic hit the lake. "Your turn."
"Right." Levy brings out a pair of skates and sets them down in front of the tree. "This is for you, Lu-chan!" They give a thumbs up to Natsu telling them that they were ready.
"Natsu! I don't see any- HUH!" Lucy turned back around and noticed the lake frozen over. "How did this happen! I look away for a second and the entire lake is frozen!"
"I don't know, but it looks like we can skate now!" Lucy turned her attention towards Natsu and saw that he held two pairs of skates in his hand, one for each of them. Lucy smiled and took the skates. She put them on with joy and skated away onto the lake.
"You ready, Natsu!"
"I'm not sure about this."
"C'mon, you'll be fine. I'll help you." Natsu took his first step and slipped as soon as he tried to take another. Lucy giggled while Natsu glared at her.
"Stop laughing!"
"Hahahaha…sorry…Here." Lucy held out her hand and pulled Natsu up. She held onto the pinkette to make sure he didn't fall again. Although, whenever Lucy let go of him, Natsu fell. After a few hours of skating, they both get really tired.
"That was so much fun! Thanks, Natsu!"
"No problem! Hey, wanna go to the shopping center?"
"Sure!"
At the shopping center
Natsu and Lucy walked down the streets admiring the decorations throughout the town. "It's beautiful. Everything is shimmering!"
"Your right about that." Natsu notices a certain store. "Wait here Luce, I'll be right back."
"Where are you going?"
"I need to get something."
"Alright…" Lucy watched as Natsu entered one of the stores. "What would he need though?" Lucy waited a couple of minutes until she saw Natsu walk out of the store with a box in hand. "So, what'd you get?"
Natsu held out the box to Lucy. The spirit mage seemed confused. "For me?!" Natsu nodded.
"Merry Christmas!" Natsu grinned as the blonde accepted his gift. "Well, open it!" Lucy took off the lid and jumped with excitement as she noticed the item that was inside.
"I can't believe you got me this key! How did you get enough to buy it?"
"I knew you wanted it, so I decided to save up my money and buy it for you." Lucy jumped and hugged Natsu with great joy. This caused Natsu to blush a little at the contact. "Okay, y-you c-c-can get off me now…" Lucy realizes what she had just done.
"I-I'm sorry…" They paused for a few moments, both faces flushing red. Levy stood behind a lamp post with Gray and squealed at the scene
"Looks like Flame brains got himself a crush!"
"Just need to add one more thing to make this scene even better. Solid Script…Snow!" White, fluffy droplets started to fall from the sky.
Lucy looked up at the sky and noticed the snow. "Ah! It's snowing! Yay! It's a White Christmas!" Lucy held out her hands trying to catch one of the many snowflakes slowly falling from the sky.
Thanks, Levy… "C'mon, there's still a few more places we should go today. Let's go to the next area!"
"And where would that be."
"It's a surprise. And in order for it be a complete surprise…" Natsu tied a piece of cloth around Lucy's eyes, blindfolding her.
"Natsu! Why in Fiore would you blindfold me!"
"It's fine. Just don't let go of my hand." Natsu pulls Lucy for a while until Lucy begins to hear some strange sounds.
At secret location
Where are we?! I'm hearing screaming coming from inside. What is he doing…
Lucy felt herself being pulled onto something. As soon as they were both settled, Natsu took off her blindfold. "Take a look." Lucy opened her eyes and was in complete surprise.
"W-We're on… the Ferris wheel!"
"Before you said that you wanted to go on it since you never got the chance to."
"This is amazing!" Natsu smiled as he saw his favorite guildmate looking joyful again. The pinkette glanced at Happy who was following them, telling him that he can tell the guild they should be there soon. Happy got the message and flew off.
After at least 2 rotations, Natsu and Lucy got off the ride and exited the park. "Luce, there's just one more place I want to show you. Come with me." Natsu held out his hand, Lucy taking hold, as Natsu began to run towards the guild.
At the guild
The guild just finished decorating as Happy flew inside. "Guys! They're on their way!"
"Places, everyone!" The guild rushed to their spots and turned off the lights. The guild doors opened with a small creak.
"Why is the guild so dark?" The blonde walks inside, confused on why all the lights are off. Suddenly, the lights turn on, confetti is shot everywhere, the guild standing in front of her with their hands in the air. Lucy was startled.
"MERRY CHRISTMAS, LUCY!"
"W-W-What's going on…" Levy came up to Lucy.
"Well, since you were feeling down, the guild decided to throw you a Christmas party to help cheer you up. In fact, this was all Natsu's idea." Levy looked over Lucy's shoulder to see Natsu walking in. Lucy turned around.
"Is that true, Natsu?"
Embarrassed, Natsu spoke with a stutter."Well, I-I just wanted to see your smile again. The guild isn't the same when your feeling down. It's like we lost our light. I thought doing this would he-" The pinkette was interrupted as the blonde ran up to him and grasped him in a hug.
"Thank you…this is just what I needed." Natsu's face turns bright red, causing Gray to laugh.
"HAHAHAHA! Look! He's embarrassed! HAHAHA!" Natsu glares at the ice-mage, ready to pick a fight.
"WHAT'D YA SAY ICE-PICK!"
"You heard me!"
"Wanna go!"
"LET'S!"
Natsu rushed over to Gray and immediately started throwing punches and kicks.
"Erza…aren't you going to stop them?"
"It's Christmas. I'll let them have at it just this on-AAAHH!" Erza rushed over as she saw her strawberry caked being crushed by Natsu and Gray. "On second thought…THEY DON'T DESERVE TO LIVE!' Erza soon joins the fight as well as the rest of the guild.
Lucy watches as the commotion escalates. Seeing this scene, causes Lucy to drop on the floor and laugh. She holds her stomach as tears start forming as laughter fills the halls. This stops the entire brawl. The guild stops and looks at Lucy who is hardly breathing because of her laughter.
"I'm…HAHAHA…sorry…hehehe…" Lucy finally stops laughing and gains control of herself. "I apologize for the way I've been acting the past few days."
Erza walks up to Lucy and puts her hand on her shoulder. "There's no need for you to apologize. It's only natural for you to be sad when one's family disappears."
Makarov enters the guild hall and jumps onto the railing. "Alright brats!" Gathering everyone's attention, Makarov continues. "I have only one thing to say to you children!" Silence filled the guild. "LET'S PARTY FAIRY TAIL STYLE!" Everyone cheers.
Later that night
Lucy groggily wakes up, wondering what happened. As she sat up from her spot on the floor, she notices the entire guild knocked out. Looks like they succeeded in partying Fairy Tail Style… The blonde walked outside of the guild, catching the attention of a certain member. The spirit mage sat on the grass, looking up at the moon standing high in the sky, surrounded by thousands of tiny twinkling lights.
As she stargazes at the constellations, she finds the one that is most dear to her. Aquarius… The young blonde smiles as teardrops start to form on her face. She hears footsteps behind her, slowly approaching. "Is this seat taken?" She looked up to find Natsu standing behind her. She silently nods, and Natsu sits down next to Lucy, both now staring at the starry sky above them.
"Nee Natsu…"
"Hm?"
"This is kinda hard for me to open up, but I feel like I can be open with you."
"Okay, what do you want to tell me?"
Lucy sighs as she looks up at Aquarius's constellation. "After my father died, I had all my spirits to help me recover. Then we had the fight with Tartaros, and I lost one of my best spirits, my first friend, and it just broke me. I didn't know what I would do. I had no one left to turn to. I was trapped in my emotions."
"Luce…"
"Before I had my spirits, I was always alone in this world, even when my father was alive I was alone. And now...I'm alone again..." Lucy felt an arm wrap around her wait. A slight tug pulled her to the pinkette's side. Lucy's head lays down on Natsu's shoulder, a slightly shocked expression on her face.
"Luce, your not alone." Lucy looks up and sees Natsu staring back at her. "Fairy Tail is your family, your spirits are your family, I'm your family. And I will never let you be alone or feel lonely again. That I promise you!"
Lucy tears up and cries on Natsu. "Thank you, Natsu…for everything…"