Chapter 1: Tragedy
Lucy could hear it. She could hear her voice saying, "No." And as much as she wanted to erase that fact, to go back in time and change it to yes, it wouldn't and couldn't happen. The voices echoed inside her head relentlessly, a haunting memory of what used to be.
She could hear Erza and Gray agreeing to go with him. Then, even Gildarts, Cana, and Romeo said they would travel with them. The Strauss siblings also volunteered, and there was no way Juvia was missing a chance to go with her soul mate. So then, Gajeel and Laxus and the Raijinshuu said they wouldn't lose, they'd go as well, and shove Natsu's wise-cracking jokes up his butt. The Exceeds wouldn't hang back, especially Carla, since Wendy was going as well. So a good nineteen people were deciding to go (if you counted the Exceeds which Happy insisted they did).
"I have to stay to read these runes," Lucy heard herself say. No, you don't. You can go, just go!
Lucy heard it all. She didn't need to be Cobra and have super special hearing to hear The Words. When Levy came home from her job with the rest of Shadowgear, they had broken out the bad news. Several mountains had collapsed in and….unfortunately, the team of nineteen Fairy Tail Wizards had not managed to escape. Perhaps Macao had suffered worst of all, hearing that his own son had died in the tragic event, and he had lain down on the wooden table for days, unable to eat or drink. Lucy, on the other hand, had withdrawn to her room to cry her heart out for days, weeks, months. Kinana had come on several occasions to try to pry her out, but the blonde kept it locked, not answering when the bartender knocked and called her name. Torn between despair and rage, Lucy had come so close to losing it.
They had survived Phantom Lord, the Tower of Heaven, the Raijinshuu incident, Oracion Seis, Edolas, Tenroujima, and Key of the Starry Skies together, and now, they were gone. No matter how hard she tried, Lucy had not been able to believe it for months, or bring herself to believe it anyways. And Natsu, oh goodness, what about Natsu? What about her feelings that she had suppressed for so long? What about those smiles?
"What am I supposed to do!?" she had screamed, throwing a pillow to the ground, "What am I supposed to do? Don't leave me you guys! Don't leave!"
She then collapsed in a sobbing heap and had picked up a picture of all of them together, "Who is supposed to be Fairy Tail's Strongest now?"
Finally, she'd turned and looked in a mirror. Her hair had been disheveled, her face tearstained, and her nose had been runny.
"You look pretty messed up."
Natsu's voice seemed to echo in her apartment, and Lucy almost smiled, until she remembered some more phrases.
"See ya, Lucy! Have fun with those runes of yours!"
"Fish money, here I come!"
Happy. It was hard to believe she would never see that blue cat again, or hear him roll his tongue to say, "He llllikes you!" …or see Carla totally reject him even though her feelings towards him were obvious. Lily's face swam out from the darkness, and Lucy cried in despair when she remembered his unexpected fear of thunder.
"…dearly beloved friends of Fairy Tail."
Lucy, suddenly snapped back into reality, realized it was raining, that she was dressed in black, and many tombstones were laid out right in front of her very eyes. That rush of memories – all painful – had completely zoned her out. The idea of being distracted at her friends' funeral sickened her. After all, even all their past enemies (including Oracion Seis who were on close surveillance) had been paying close attention. Legion had made it, and so had Crime Sociere (hiding stealthily). The Zentopia clergy and Archbishop had even come, and Lucy watched as everyone mourned for her beloved comrades.
"Anyone who has anything to say, now would be the time."
Every member of Fairy Tail came up, and even some ex-rivals. Master went first, Macao second, Wakaba third…
She went last, her eyes cast downward, a tremor in her voice.
"I'm Lucy Heartfilia, and in honor of these members – my friends – I have decided that I will become Fairy Tail's Strongest!"
