A/N: (sorry, I have no idea.)
Summary: A five year war ruined the mages of the world, killing many and draining almost all of them.
DISCLAIMER: I do not own Fairy Tail.
Published on: November 7, 2014
Words: 1,550
"Come on. ." She mumbled, laying her head on the desk.
It was 2 am, or so it seemed like it. She had broke her clock.
"You can do it." Slowly, she got up. It was dim in the room, one candle being the only light source in the room. All over the floor were bottles, of water and alcohol.
It took a few minutes before she dragged herself to the bed and fell on it.
Shouts and clashes could be heard outside.
The war had taken a toll everywhere, mages stressed themselves and their magic. Her team was chosen for an important battle, and she. .
"Stop it, Lucy, stop it." She shook her head while looking up at the cracking ceiling. This wasn't Magnolia anymore, this was some town that took her in months ago. Maybe a year ago.
Lucy pulled the thin blanket over her, and shut her eyes tight. "Please no more dreams." She whispered to herself.
She woke up the same way she did every time she went to bed. Screaming and sweating. Before, Natsu would comfort her. Or anyone that managed to get into her home. However, this wasn't home.
There was thumping from the floor beneath, they did this every time she screamed. At first, they use to ask if she was okay. But now it was a warning for whether she can stay or not.
"Gomen!" And Lucy fell back onto the single pillow.
It was quiet now, just her uneasy breaths being heard.
"Oh, guys," she muttered, closing her eyes. Tears began to fall out, the moment she opened them slightly. "I miss you so much." Lucy turned face onto the pillow, clenching it with her hands. "Please come, I want to go home."
Another body on the ground, another John Doe.
"Man, the war's about over but these bodies are fresh." He groaned, pinching his nose. His strong sense of smell wasn't always in handy.
"About over, not quite yet, Natsu."
"Okay, Erza, but we practically won."
Erza lightly tapped a body on the floor with her toes and then squinted her eyes. The dead person had blonde hair, with opened eyes. Their eyes were a foggy brown, and blood dripped out of their mouth. All of a sudden, Erza's face begun to soften and she couldn't look away.
"Stop looking at the body like that. It's not her." The tone in his voice made Erza look away immediately.
It wasn't that she wasn't "in charge" anymore, there were just certain things she knew not to get into around Natsu.
Gray stepped out of a ruined home with a frown on his face.
"No survivors."
"Any supplies to bring back?" Erza asked, walking over to him.
Gray nodded his head. "A couple of jewels, and some clean bread." He gave them out evenly to Natsu and Erza.
They ate it quickly, they haven't ate in almost a day.
"Alright, this town doesn't have much. No found survivors, are there any towns near by? Ones that haven't been completely destroyed?" Natsu questioned, picking up a key he found on the floor. Carefully wiping the blood off it, and placing it into his pocket.
Erza glanced at the small map in her head then nodded.
"Adeline, which is just straight ahead of us. It would probably be a three hour walk." She told them, starting to walk already.
The two other boys followed.
Only one thing was on Natsu's mind, but Erza and Gray suppressed it in theirs.
"Do you think we'll find her in this town?"
Gray glared at him, and Erza gotten much more quieter.
"You told me not to look at that body like that, but you bring this up?" She hissed.
Natsu frowned. "You brought it up negatively, I am bringing it up with positivity."
"But don't you get it?! You're bringing your own hopes up! And do you know what comes with expectations and hope? Disappointment, every fucking time."
Gray halted in his steps. He would usually stay silent during these times. Not because he didn't think it was important, he thought it was very important. He missed her just as much as they did, however, Gray never wanted to face it. Bring himself up to these points, not until now.
"Can you all stop? What happened to you Erza? Fairy Tail is about always looking up, even when you're on your knees."
"Don't you dare say Fairy Tail."
The war ended up putting Master Makarov in a coma, and killed many friends. Erza's family, Natsu's family, Fairy Tail begun to fall apart. Now they were all scattered, working as search groups and in soup kitchens, and so on. All their magic was scarce, since they never had enough rest when using it.
"Sorry, but Erza! This isn't you. Yes, you can be quite cold and rough but you know that isn't all you. You know yourself better than this bitterness does, so don't let it get to you." Gray said.
Erza took a deep breath. "Thank you." She recollected her thoughts. This wasn't the first time this occurred.
They started to walk again, the town behind them being slowly forgotten.
No such thing as waking up after nightmares for Lucy. She has been up.
There was a limit of water use in the day, so she brushed her teeth and showered every couple of days, she hated that. Lucy felt filthy and how she felt didn't compare to when her team went mud sliding once.
Soft knocks were heard from the main door while she changed, "Lucy! Want to come eat breakfast with me?"
"Uh, yeah! Okay, I'll be out soon, Yua."
Yua was the only girl that actually talked to Lucy, and was a drained out mage just as much as Lucy was. Except Yua was an S-Class mage.
Even with Lucy rushing, it took 10 minutes before she actually finished. Once she was done, she rushed out and met up with Yua outside the apartment.
"How'd you sleep, Lucy?"
"It was alright, I managed to get two hours or so. How about you?"
Yua tapped her lips and then snapped her fingers. Her face brightened up, she really was beautiful. Lucy could never get over her appearance, Yua had greenish-gray eyes, and short black hair. Also, her personality was just enchanting.
"I didn't sleep either, but that's because I was drawing all night! Ah, you should see it." She told Lucy, a big smile on her face.
"Maybe one day. Once your home is manageable." Lucy responded, giggling.
The town was very small, so they smelled coffee beans quickly. It wasn't a grand place, nor even a decent diner. The place was a small old house with a few small tables and a lady that offered whatever she had for whatever the costumers had.
When the two entered, they were greeted warmly.
"Want a waffle, you two? On me!" An old man with a pipe exclaimed.
Yua waved her hands, and kindly declined it. Lucy thanked him.
Once they got seated in the corner, a waitress skipped over to them.
"Why is everyone so cheerful, Saturn?" Lucy inquired, noticing the smiles everywhere. The atmosphere was different this day, even though many people still had bags under their eyes and unbrushed hair. Everyone was laughing, and joking, and eating as if there was no tomorrow.
The waitress giggled, took down their usual and scurried away.
Lucy gave a stern look to Yua, which she returned.
"Maybe more supplies came in? Or maybe Maka is making her special breakfast!" Yua responded, clapping her hands quickly, clearly excited now.
Out of no where Maka came to them, her gray hair tied up with a floral bow. "Both. And haven't you heard?"
They both glanced at each other, and gave an embarrassed expression. They were clueless.
Maka realized this and jumped up.
"We won the war! Five years and those demon bastards have finally given up." She informed them.
Lucy was surprised, and couldn't utter a thing. A handful of questions flashed through her head, mainly about Fairy Tail.
Yua's lips cornered up immediately. She was an independent mage before the war, and during it, but she still had a family, who often wrote to her.
However while the war still raged, the only transportation for Yua was foot, and she barely had any energy left.
"That's so great, wow, wow!" Yua leaped in her seat, Maka clapping her hands. The people there started to dance too.
"All breakfast is free! Serving my special right now." Maka said, rushing away into the kitchen.
Eventually, Yua calmed down and she grinned in her seat.
"Aren't you happy?" She asked Lucy.
Lucy looked up and smiled at Yua, of course she was. "Happiest I've ever been."
A/N: Hope you enjoyed it!