Hello, people! You all probably know me as BastLover, the writer of "The World of Fanfiction". While I'm stuck in bed, I decided to write a small story. For fun! I don't know if I'll continue, depends on you!

CHAPTER 1

x.X.x

Where there is love, there is life.

x.X.x

A blonde woman hovered over her daughter, Lucy Heartfilia. Lucy looked up and smiled at her mother. She jumped into her arms and started to laugh, giddy with joy. At that time, life was nearly perfect for young Lucy. Her father appreciated her when he had the time, she enjoyed her enormous mansion, and her mother...her sweet dear mother was alive. This all happened before Layla passed away. But even now, Layla could feel it clawing her insides. She winced dropping the seven year old.

Layla gasped. "Lucy, sweetie! Are you okay?" Lucy looked up at her smiling.

"I'm fine, Mama!" she cheered. At that time, she didn't know about the terrible fate that awaited her.

The next day, Layla called her child to her side. Lucy skipped towards her mother's room and when she saw the woman, she jumped into her arms.

"Mama! Why did you call me?" Lucy asked.

"You're here because I'm going to introduce you to my friends," Layla said smiling. Lucy noticed that her hand was heading toward a gold key that she carried around with her all the time. Her eyes sparkled, wondering what her mom was going to do next. Layla picked up her child and started to show her one golden key.

"You see this, Lucy?" Lucy nodded. "This is a key to a stellar spirit. These stellar spirits are your friends and my friends. They'll take good care of you when I give you one."

"Why would I need one, Mama?" Lucy asked.

"For protection," Layla said, "One day, Mama won't be here anymore and neither will Papa. You should use these to protect yourself and your close friends. It's called magic."

"That sounds amazing! Mama, maybe one day, I could fly you on my magic broom using my magic!" Lucy said.

"It's not that kind of magic, sweetie. This magic is used for fights and protection," her mother said. Lucy's eyes began to tear up.

"B-But, I don't want to fight anyone!" Lucy wailed.

"You'll need to fight people Lucy. Bad people might get you. You can use it not to fight, but to protect," Layla said, "And they're your friends! So take good care of them." Lucy stopped crying and stared at the golden keys.

"Well...can I see one of my friends?" Lucy asked. Layla brightened up and nodded. She took out the one that'd probably least scare her the most.

"Open, Gate of the Goat, Capricorn!" Layla said. And Lucy's eyes brightened as she saw a goat-man. She ran toward the surprised spirit.

"Master, why did you summon me?" Capricorn asked. He was busy eating when she called him.

"Lucy, this is Capricorn. Capricorn is one of your friends," Mrs. Heartfilia said.

"Goat-man!" she laughed.

"Master, I don't think this is-" Capricorn said.

"Shh! Let her have fun," Layla said. Capricorn reluctantly agreed, and lifted her up on his shoulders. Lucy cheered as Capricorn started to run. Layla started to cough though and Capricorn and Lucy stopped.

"Master!" Capricorn cried. Lucy blinked. She saw...red stuff coming out from her mouth? Lucy felt scared and started to run away. Into her father's office. At that time, Jude Heartfilia was a much more caring person. Lucy didn't want to see that ever again. Mr. Heartfilia took his child into his lap and began to do more paperwork. And Lucy fell asleep in her father's lap. And he didn't oblige.

The next time Lucy was scared to death was on her ninth birthday party. Her life was changing. Jude Heartfilia had less time with his daughter, which made him a bit cold-hearted at times. Lucy started to become afraid when he and Layla were fighting, but her mother always told her he was tired. She believed it at that time. Her mother was getting worse, though she didn't show it to her daughter. Lucy begun to notice small changes, how she would always catch her breath over a short period of time or stay in bed for the whole day. Lucy was a bit sad, but she still was happy. Her housemaids and servants gave her great company which she enjoyed.

During her party, she wasn't allowed to have any friends over, which was enforced by her father. Lucy was a bit saddened at this, but the butlers, maids, and servants were as fun as always. And to make it better, one maid had a child her age, so she could enjoy time with him and everyone else.

Her parents were watching her closely. Layla was sitting under the shade while Jude was sorting a few files. Layla noticed this and scolded him.

"Jude, you shouldn't work during Lucy's birthday," Layla said. Jude looked up and sighed.

"I guess you're right..." Jude said. He set down the papers and rushed out to his child. Lucy was surprised, but happy as well. And father and daughter started to run around in the giant yard. Layla went inside, which was the time that she and Capricorn made the pact to protect Lucy.

As soon as Layla sent foot outside, she saw Jude panting. She smiled.

"Had fun?" she asked.

"Y-yeah. I-I need to catch my breath...go play with her, will you?" Jude said. Layla saw little beads of sweat over him.

"You're not going to do paperwork?" Layla questioned.

"I doubt I even have the strength," Jude laughed. Layla laughed along with him.

"I trust you. And if you do, Scorpio is there guarding the room. Just in case," Layla said. They parted ways and Layla walked over to her daughter.

"Lucy!" she cried. Lucy looked up. She and Ms. Supetto were playing hide and seek, but she decided to run off to her mother instead.

"Mama! Let's play!" Lucy cried. And she and her daughter started to go out into the lake.

"Lucy...do you want to see more of your friends?" her mother said. Lucy remembered Capricorn and started to jump with joy. Of course she did, she replied. Now that they were at the lake, Layla took out Aquarius's key, praying that she didn't soak them up.

"Open! Gate of the Water Bearer! Aquarius!" Layla said, putting her key in the water. Lucy couldn't comprehend what she arose from the water. In her eyes it was a beautiful woman with flowing blue hair and with huge breasts and a cruel face. But what captured her attention the most was the sparkling blue tail.

"MERMAID!" Lucy cried.

"Master, who is this?" Aquarius said, losing the stern look on her face. It was replaced with a smile at the young Lucy.

"Lucy, meet Aquarius, another one of your friends!" Layla said.

"Master, I don't think you should use your energy like this. Capricorn has told you-"

"It's training for Lucy. She needs to learn when I'm gone," Layla said.

"But, Master! Capricorn has repeatedly told you that your magic power-"

"Forget what Capricorn says. As long as my daughter lives a successful life, so will I," Layla said.

"Mermaid Lady!" Lucy cheered, oblivious to the situation. Aquarius sighed. Layla could be so stubborn, but she agreed to it. Lucy jumped onto her back and cheered.

"I love stellar spirits!" Lucy cried.

"Of course you do," Layla said.

"You wanna ride?" Aquarius asked. Why was she happy? She hated when people jumped on her back, but Lucy was different. She had a strong tug of power inside her that made her comfortable. She loved power after all. Lucy smiled widely. Aquarius started to swim around the lake while the tired woman stood in the shade. As soon as Aquarius sat Lucy down, that surge of power disappeared.

'That girl's gonna be a strong mage,' she thought. Then she heard a cry from the left. Lucy was crying. And next to her was her fallen master. Aquarius started to fade away.

"Mermaid! Come back!" Lucy cried. No...not alone...Mama...help...

Then Aquarius came back, startled. No way. Did that girl have that much magical power to summon her back? How much energy does she have? Lucy turned around and the startled spirit. Aquarius didn't even remember that she hated her master because of her breasts. She didn't remember the date she was going to have with Scorpio. Hell, she didn't even remember that she was a spirit. And when she looked to the right she saw another spirit she didn't recognized as one of Layla's. In fact it was Leo.

"Leo! What are you doing here?" Aquarius cried. This was before he was outcasted from the Spirit World.

"I-I don't even know!" Leo said, looking around, "Where am I?"

"You're in the Hearfilia Konzern! Go help bring her and her child up into the mansion!" Leo looked over and saw the wailing child. The fallen mother. He picked up both of them and made his way up the hill. This gave Leo time to think. Who summoned him? Why was he summoned? How was he summoned? The celestial spirit mage didn't own his key, so how was he here? Even if she didn't have his key, she wouldn't have the strength to summon the strongest spirit.

But there was a strong power around him that wasn't coming from any of them, but the little girl. Leo could feel a surge of it which made him stronger by the minute. By the seconds.

"Shit..." Leo said, but shut his mouth. There was a child by him anyway.

When he reached the Konzern, he dropped the child and mother at the steps. He was starting to fade. The child's power seemed to be falling sharply. He rapped his knuckled on the door lady with the rest of his strength and then disappeared.

Ms. Supetto opened the door and screamed. That summoned the rest of the staff and the scared Jude Heartfilia. After the treatment, Layla was confined in the mansion until her illness was gone.

Lucy could never forget the look on her near-to-death mother that day.

It was nowhere near to that day.

It was the year x777 and a rainy one as well. Lucy stayed in her mother's room all day. A year had passed and her father didn't even look at her face. She run into her mother's room and start crying. Usually, she would set her in bed with her and fall asleep together. Today, though, Layla called her inside. She knew that now was the last time should would ever see her daughter's face.

"Lucy...I want you to take these," she said. She handed her gold keys to the surprised blonde.

"Mama? These are yours. Why would you want me to take them?" Lucy asked.

"Mama's going away," Layla sighed, "I can't take them with me, so I want you to take care of them for me."

"Mama! A-Are you going t-to-" Lucy said.

"It'll only be for a little while. You'll see me again one day. When you become big and strong and pretty. But for now, you're going to have to wait," Layla said. Lucy climbed into the small bed and hugged her mother, tears falling. Her mom can't leave now. Not now. No.

Layla closed her eyes. Lightning struck. And then she was gone.

Lucy paled. No...no...no...NO...NO...NO!

"MAMA!" she screamed. Ms. Supetto rushed in and saw the dead mage.

"Oh no..." Ms. Supetto sunk to her knees and begun to cry. That caught the attention of everyone in the Konzern.

The following day, everyone gathered outside into the courtyard of the Konzern to attend the funeral of Mrs. Layla Heartfilia. Everyone was there, including some people that Lucy didn't know. But she did know that she cried the most out of all of them. When her eyes became dry, her heart would continue to sob and then continue when her eyes began to tear. Lucy remembered everyone crying, but she also remembered a single person who didn't. Her father looked at the grave and then went back into the Konzern.

It was the start of torture. After that week, her father became so cold that he would send her out no matter how many times she tried. And it kept happening during those years.

Also during those years, her sensei taught her the ways of celestial spirit magic. This was part of her mother's will and she knew that her mother's spirit was in these keys and that her mother was in her hands. The last thing she ever did was give them to her and she might as well treasure it.

Lucy turned sixteen, with no party as she expected. It wasn't all that bad because it was time for her plan to come into action. As she packed her last pair of pants inside the case, she wondered where she would go next. She night join a guild, maybe. It could be Blue Pegasus...Lamia Scale...but, most of all, she wanted to join Fairy Tail.

She collapsed on her giant bed. She could meet that fire mage Salamander. Or she could meet the amazing Mirajane, always in front of the Weekly Sorcerer magazines. There was Erza Scarlet, known as Titania and there was also Laxus Dreyar, who is said to be the master's grandson. There was also Elfman Strauss. And Gray Fullbuster. And Cana Alberona. And that mysterious Mystogan. Lucy's heart pounded as she thought of all the things she could be.

She could be free.

Lucy never thought of that. Her freedom. All these years stuck inside the Konzern and now she had the ability to control her own life her own way. Her spirit was rejuvenated as she jumped out the side window.

She would become free.

x.X.x

I am no bird; and no net ensnares me: I am a free human being with an independent will.

x.X.x

Hope you enjoyed! -Arianna