Chapter 1: A New Beginning
Lucy stifled a yawn behind her hand as she drove down the highway. She was starting to regret tell her brother not to fly to Crocus to drive with her and Haru back to Magnolia. Driving for twelve hours straight wasn't the best idea she'd had, especially when she was already tired before beginning the long drive. But, Lucy reasoned, she'd done it before when leaving her hometown eight long years ago. In the very same blue pick-up she was in now no less. She was certainly capable of making the journey on her own, in a manner of speaking.
That, and Lucy didn't want to take Sting away from his pregnant wife, Yukino.
Her sister-in-law was less than two months away from her due date and fit to burst at this point. Lucy remembered when she was pregnant with Haru and how she hadn't wanted her husband away from her for more than a few hours at that point in her pregnancy. She had no intentions of putting Yukino through that either.
Glancing over at the seven year old boy sleeping in the passenger seat, Lucy smiled at the sight. Haru was just too cute when he was asleep, Lucy decided. His short, reddish-brown hair was stuck up on one side of his head where he'd pressed it into his favorite green pillow for the past eight and a half hours, giving him an odd sort of cow-lick look on half of his head. He had droll dribbling from the corner of his mouth into his pillow and every now and then his little nose would scrunch up and twitch in a way that always reminded Lucy of the time when he was a baby.
Watching him, Lucy wondered for the millionth time how her son would do living in a small town like Magnolia after growing up in a large city like Crocus. Haru wasn't as much of a city-boy as his father had been, that's for sure. Lucy had taken him to the park every day from the time he could crawl, and she insisted that their family take at least two, week-long camping trips every year. Both were always some of Haru's favorite activities growing up.
No. Being in the country wasn't what Lucy was worried about. It was the fact that they were moving to a new home when a part of theirs still felt like it was missing. As though Haru didn't have a hard enough time trying to deal with his father's death just over a year ago, now Lucy was all but forcing him to leave his only known home and friends too. It had to be a lot for any seven year old to handle.
But it's for the best, Lucy reminded herself.
After a year without…him…Lucy had decided they needed to leave Crocus. Their once lovely apartment no longer felt like a home with both Lucy and Haru feeling something very important was missing. The final straw had been when Lucy saw Haru's almost lost look as they walked around the city day after day.
No matter where they went, they were both reminded of all the times they shared when their family was…whole, for lack of a better word. But while Lucy was slowly starting to accept her dear husband's death, Haru couldn't. He seemed stuck in his own sadness and that wasn't what Lucy wanted. She wanted Haru to look back on the time with his father and smile and be happy, but he couldn't do that if he wasn't happy at all.
And so Lucy had decided that they would leave the city and start over, just the two of them. A new beginning was just what they needed. That way, Haru could make more happy memories without the weight of his father's ghost hanging over him. And maybe then he could remember his father with a smile instead of a frown. That was Lucy's hope anyway.
Lucy understood how scary it could be to move to a new place, she'd left her small hometown to move to the big city when she was just seventeen after all. But while Lucy had been all alone with no one to rely on, Haru would have her, not mention his favorite uncle and aunt, and soon-to-be cousin in Magnolia. He would be surrounded by family and he would know every day that he was loved. Lucy would make sure of it.
Placing a hand on the boy's back, Lucy absently rubbed small, soothing circles against his dragonized t-shirt while watching the empty highway. It was 5:48 in the morning, not much longer before the sun rose, when Lucy saw it. The same sign she'd often looked forward to seeing during her many family vacations as a child only this time in the opposite direction.
A bright grin spread over the blonde's face as she took the next exit. She knew just how to get their day started. With a little magic. _
Lucy parked the truck at the edge of the cliff and cut the engine just as the soft pinks in the sky were beginning to turn into deep oranges and yellows. The cliff overlooked Tenrou Lake and had a perfect view of the surrounding hills and island in the center of the water. With its amazing view of rising sun and night sky it was one of the favorite spots for the locals to come at any time of day. Thus it had been dubbed Fantasy Point for its almost fairy tale like feel. This early in the morning however, Lucy and Haru were the only ones there.
Leaning across the seat Lucy gently shook her son's shoulder. "Haru. Haru, sweetie. Wake up. I want to show you something."
The boy groaned and buried his face deeper into his pillow. "Five more minutes, mom."
Lucy smiled and gave him another, slightly harder shake. "Trust me; you won't want to miss this."
Haru huffed and pushed himself up in his seat, his head drooping to his chest and his eyes didn't open. Slipping out of the truck, Lucy quickly walked around and opened the passenger door to get her son. Haru kept his eyes closed as he yawned and grumbled about wanting to sleep more. Lucy unbuckled him and carefully lifted him from the truck.
"You're getting heavy," she said. Haru gave a tired chuckle as his head rested on her shoulder. "Am not," he mumbled.
Kicking the door shut, Lucy carried Haru over to the edge of the cliff where a wood fence lined its edge. She sat down at the fence and shifted the boy in her arms so he could look over the lake. Lucy poked his chubby cheek and whispered in his ear, "Open your eyes Haru."
Slowly the boy peeked open one deep brown eye, the same as his mother's, and gasped. The sight he was met with had his eyes flashing open and he sat upright in Lucy's lap, all signs of sleep gone. "Woah…"
Lucy smiled and rested her chin on top of Haru's head as they both watch the greatest sunrise they'd ever seen. As the sun slowly rose over the hills it sent rays of light cresting over the tree tops and down to the valley where the lake was. The heavy mist that rose from the water in swirling spirals was colored a soft orange from the sun's rays. Bits of crystal blue water was visible under the mist, glimmering and sparkling like the lake was dotted with bits of diamonds.
"What is this place?" Haru asked. His voice was barely above a whisper, as though he was afraid if he talked to loud the beauty would be gone.
"This is Tenrou Lake" Lucy whispered back. "I used to come here every year with your uncle and grandparents." She pointed to the center of the lake, "You see that island?"
Haru nodded. Of course he'd seen it. It was impossible not to. Rising from the mist like a beautiful oasis, the island looked like some far off fantasy world floating over the water. The massive tree that towered over all others in the island's center almost looked like a second island as it hovered over the small patch of land. With its extreme height and multicolored leaves it was like something from a fairy tale.
"That's Tenrou Island," Lucy said, hugging the small boy closer to her chest. "Legend says that it's the home of fairies and that they live in the leaves if the big rainbow sakura tree on the island."
Her arms tightened around Haru's waist as she leaned close to whisper in his ear. "They say if you look real close at dawn you can see the fairies wings shimmering in the branches."
Haru frowned and narrowed his eyes in concentration. At first he didn't see anything, but then the sun rose just a bit higher over the trees and he saw it. Hundreds of shimmering speckles suddenly glinted along the rainbow leaves, making the tree shine in a way that could only described as magical.
Haru gasped as he leaned forward to look through the fence, his fingers curling around the old wood. "I see them, mom. They're real just like you said."
Lucy smiled and ran her fingers through her son's hair when he leaned back into her arms. While her husband had always been practical, Lucy had believed there was true magic in the world from the time she was a young girl. To her, fairy tales weren't all fantasy and magic was just as common as science. It only had a better way of hiding. Everything had a bit of truth to it right?
The same stories about dragons and fairies her mother used to tell her were what she'd told Haru when he was younger, and just like her, he hadn't lost his belief in all things magical as he grew older. After his father had died, Lucy had feared Haru would lose that special wonder he'd long held, and for a while it looked like he had.
She released a small breath she hadn't realized she was holding when she saw wonder in his gaze.
"Magnolia is a place full of magic, Haru," she said in a low voice as he craned his head back to look at her. "It's all around, but that doesn't mean it's easy to see."
Haru frowned and Lucy ruffled his hair at the boy's confused expression. "You see Haru, the thing about magic is that you can only see it when your heart is pure. It's hidden so you have to look closely if you want to see it, but when you do…" Lucy trailed off and they both looked back the sunrise before them. "It fills you up and reminds you about where it comes from," Lucy said, her voice soft and light in the early morning air.
"Where's that mom?"
Lucy smiled and kissed the top of Haru's head. "Love, Haru. Magic takes on many different shapes and forms, so it looks different to everyone, but it all comes from love."
Haru blinked up at Lucy with wide eyes. Lucy ran her fingers through his hair before turning back to the lake. Haru watched his mother with wide eyes, curling up closer to her warmth and softness as the wind began to pick up. She had a small smile in her face as she watched the sunrise, her golden hair lifting from her shoulders where it had escaped from her bun as the wind swept over them.
"You'll see magic in Magnolia, Haru. I'm sure of it." She glanced at him from the corner of her eye, a faint smirk on her full lips. "You know, I used to search for elves in the forest and fish for sprits in the canals when I was younger."
Haru perked up at the mention of real elves and sprites. "Do you think there's a dragon there?" he asked.
"Maybe," she hummed and tickled his side. Haru laughed and squirmed in her lap until they both settled back to watch the sunrise. Small, identical smiles on their faces. "If there's a dragon out there I'll bet he's in Magnolia," Lucy said after a pause.
Haru turned in her arms until he was sitting in Lucy's lap with his legs dangling over hers and little feet still bare from the car ride brushing her hips. Haru looked up at Lucy with suck determination as he clenched his fists and squared his jaw stubbornly. Just like his father, Lucy thought with a fond smile.
"I promise I'll find the dragon, mom. I'll make sure my heart is pure and work really hard to see magic."
Lucy raised an eyebrow at him. "Oh?"
Haru nodded. "Yep. And when I find the dragon, I'll ask him for a wish."
Lucy shook her head and chuckled. "I'm not sure dragon's grant wishes, Haru."
"'Course they do! And I'll ask him for one."
"And what will you ask of this mighty dragon, my young hero?" Lucy inquired.
Haru's serious expression broke into a wide, toothy grin that had Lucy practically in tears over the now rare sight. It had been far too long since Haru had smiled like that, with genuine happiness in his eyes. "For our family to be together," he said.