Author's Note:

Hello everyone!

So this is my first ever fanfiction and I am very intent on finishing this. However, this is also edited from the original that I have posted. The plot is still the same though I had tried to make the scenarios and timelines clearer.

Hope you guys would enjoy reading this! ^_^

Disclaimer: I do not own the Fairy Tail characters, they all belong to awesome Hiro Mashima. :)

LUCY'S POV

Tenroujima had and would always be a memorable experience for the guild. No matter what happens, I don't think it would ever be forgotten, not after the suffering that all of us had endured. Those of us who had been in the island had faced a life-and-death situation, and despite that coming with the job of being wizards, it would never make the experience any less frightening.

We battled Grimoire Heart along with the second master of our very own guild and while we believed in our bonds of friendship, it didn't change the fact that our opponent was strong. Strong enough to defeat Master Makarov. And we had a chance of losing. A large chance. Hours of battle and what felt like endless amounts of magic was spent, we nearly lost all hope, but we came through. We emerged victorious like we always had. And we celebrated. But we never accounted for the fact that our victory would be short-lived. For after a hard-fought battle, another had begun just as quickly. We battled with the Dragon of Destruction, Acnologia. All of us in Tenrou Island that day, all twenty-one of us, could have lost our lives. We were not the only ones who suffered though. Those left behind suffered just as much as any of us who were in the island, if not more. Seven years for them seemed like mere hours for us, and that was what they had to endure. Seven years was a long time, and for how they were treating me right now, I could hardly blame any of them for their unconscious treatment towards me.

The joyous first night of our return, it was not a time where we all would come to realize our losses. In fact, I have only realized mine after three weeks. It started gradually. Fairy Tail would never consciously do this to family because it was our family, I knew that, but that didn't make it any less painful.

With Laxus' return to the guild, everyone rejoiced. Although some were hesitant of it, the joy that was seen in the Thunder Legion's face was enough to have any doubts in his return. They had each other. And they were happy. The news of Cana and Gildart's relationship was a shock but everybody celebrated for the deeper bond that they now share. The Strauss' siblings brought back light to the guild, particularly Mira's presence and constant stay at the bar as she resumed her regular position of being the guild's barmaid. Team Shadow Gear didn't fail with their big welcome to Levy, and despite Gajeel's still intimidating presence, it was no doubt that he was also missed within the group, and of course he had to bring his best friend, Juvia. Team Natsu was welcomed greatly as well, with our team being one of the biggest powerhouses after all. Each exceed stayed with their partners if not staying together. However, as the days passed, things went downhill for me.

It's already been three weeks since our return to the guild and needless to say, the guild was still in a festive mood. You wouldn't think that we could do this with the current state of not only our guild hall, but also our lack of finances. But, what was three weeks compared to those seven years of endurance? But for me, those three weeks have been the most agonizing time. Partying, festivities, free liquor, I wish they would all just stop. That we could go back to doing missions, back to when I could feel that I mattered within the guild. That I mattered within the team. I know I shouldn't be feeling this, but with my father's apparent death, Team Natsu and Fairy Tail was all I had, but now even they seemed to slowly be ebbing away from me.

Two weeks were spent being ignored. They weren't doing it consciously, I know, but that never made it any less painful than it is. Among all the guild members, it was only Levy and Wendy who seemed to notice my presence. After all, Levy was my best friend and my fellow bookworm while Wendy was the little sister I never had. Well, Gajeel also talked to me from time to time, but I knew that it was mostly because he frequently hung around the Script mage. However, the two bluenettes had gone on a mission with the whole of Team Shadow Gear and it was just plain awkward being alone with the Iron Dragon Slayer. He was good company, he really was, but I knew he didn't like socializing as much as I did, and besides, I'm pretty sure he would much rather roughhouse with certain people or have a discussion with Lily.

Two weeks were spent without a stripping Gray near me. He was the big brother I never had, but now it was as if I really did not have him in the first place. We always used to talk, our conversations ranging from Juvia to the whole of Team Natsu, but after coming back from Tenrou, he gradually floated away from me. I had no clue what I did to make our relationship this way. Things were going fine between us, even between me and Juvia, so I knew not why he started to ignore me. Every single day was the same; he would come to the guild, talk to Cana or Mira, try to avoid Juvia, brawl with Natsu and eventually stay with Lisanna.

Two weeks, Erza never bothered me. She was my sister figure and one of my best friends. She used to spend girl time with me. The redhead might look tough, but she was also a female like me. We would spend time chatting about her and Jellal and how she missed the guy, or we would spend time shopping though she already has a great deal of clothes. Some other time, we would just spend the day eating her favorite strawberry cake. But now, Erza spends the whole day with Gray, Natsu and Lisanna. I knew how much loved spending time with the boys, after all, they were an almost inseparable trio, but now that the white-haired mage was back, it seemed as if the trio was never a trio to begin with. The minimal acknowledgment she gave me hurt even though I tried to come to her. I had never thought that being brushed aside could hurt this much.

And those two weeks were the most painful for me because not once, not ever did Natsu turn my way. Every single day he lived was with Lisanna. I would arrive at the guild he was already with her and I would leave that they were together. That guy never even dropped by or barged in my apartment. At first I thought that I would be very contented and happy to have my privacy, but I missed him. I longed for him. I knew that if he was with me, then perhaps, the nightmares from Tenrou wouldn't come. If he was with me, the loneliness that I feel with the loss of my dad would lessen. But that was a selfish wish, but a wish nonetheless. Every night, I kept the window unlocked. Even the door! Every night, I wished that he would enter my apartment and lay with me in bed like he always did. And then I'd wake up every morning to be disappointed. I'd wake up in tears and yet, somehow, I try to find the hope that at least once that day, I would see him grin at me and hear his deep yet childish voice. Hear him say, "Hiya Luce!" But in those two weeks, never did it happen. I missed Natsu and for the first time I since I met him, I seriously wished he wasn't so dense. So he could notice my feelings for him. So he would know that I was in love with him.

It took me a few days to come to a realization, a conclusion, and a decision. Whatever you want to call it. After such agonizing days of loneliness, I came to realize that one of us was a replacement for the other. But knowing Lisanna and Natsu's history, I knew I was the replacement. It came late. But I knew that now. There was barely any breathing time to realize in between the events from Edolas and the S-Class Exams after all, but now, it was all clear in my mind. Natsu was drawn to her, and the rest of the team was drawn to Natsu. I was but a replacement for the mage who came back from the dead. It was the truth that I came to, and knowing that fact was painful. It made stepping into the guild more painful. It made everything seem more lonely, more agonizing. And yet, like the foolish girl I was, I tried to hold on. Hold on to the hope that this was not true, but as time passed by, I realized that it was but a fool's hope indeed. Each passing day of sitting right beside their table and not being acknowledged, I decided that it was time for me to move on. No matter how painful it would be, because holding on would be much more painful. I needed to move on like everyone did. Like Team Natsu did.

It was a bright and sunny Saturday. Slowly, things were returning to normal. Or as normal as they could possibly be with the current state of things. I, on the other hand, was looking on the request board. My rent was not going to pay itself and I was pretty intent on getting it paid. Scanning the board all over, I finally found the perfect job. My brown eyes lit in excitement as I took the job request and headed over to the master's makeshift office to get his permission. It wasn't a very hard job. It was to take out some bandits who kept on ambushing people in the forest near the town of Lundama, which was located three towns north of Magnolia. The reward was pretty good too considering that the price was 80000J. It was enough for me and since I'd be going solo, I wouldn't have to worry about property damage. Although, there lingered a thought in the back of my head that having him around would be a fun experience even though it was likely that I would not get even a quarter of the reward. I quickly shook my head though, realizing that I was going deep down again. That couldn't happen, I had to move on. And thinking about him right now was not the best way to do so.

The walk to the makeshift office had been incredibly short considering the guild's size, but even during that time, it was hard to keep my thoughts from wandering too far. Hopefully, the mission would be of help to this big step I had decided to take. As soon as I had reached the outside of the office, I knocked once on the door. I waited a few moments, but no answer. I knocked again, only to be greeted with the same results. By the third time, I was already getting impatient and I had already increased the force I used on the door, which at the very least had gotten me results, though certainly not what I was expecting. There, standing at the doorway, was Laxus Dreyar. A pissed Laxus Dreyar. His blonde hair was disarrayed, his eyes, despite his glare, were red and droopy, and he looked like he was holding back a yawn as he scratched the back of his head walking into the office. "What do you want, Blondie?" he asked his voice clearly indicating his negative mood while he smugly sat on the master's chair. I gaped at him for a few seconds before regaining my composure and following him inside, glaring at him for the childish nickname he had given me. "You're blond too, idiot. Where's the master?" I asked him as I tried to keep my voice calm while he raised an eyebrow at my earlier retort before shifting into a more comfortable posture in his seat. "He's in the regular meeting with Macao and Mira, while I fill it for both of them. Now, what do you want?" he repeat his question with more irritation present in his voice as he seemed eager to send me out of the room. Probably to get another nap.

In all honesty, it had been surprising that the master had forgiven Laxus so soon after the events of Fantasia. However, it wasn't at the same time. Because we are Fairy Tail and we are family. And family forgives its members. And that's probably why despite what he did and the hesitancy of some people, he was welcomed with smiles. And besides, everybody deserves a second chance and he was getting used to the swing of things by taking everything nice and slow in spite of his tough exterior and surely, that was a good thing. Though that didn't mean that he should continue being a jerk. As an answer to his question, I handed him the job request while he examined it closely while writing it down into the guild's logbook. "When are you guys leaving?" he asked, not even looking throughout his scribbling. "Excuse me?" I replied in confusion and he finally looked up at me, raising an eyebrow in expectation. "When are you and your team leaving? I gotta call the client to tell 'em when you're arriving," he explained and I finally understood what he meant. He thought I was going with Team Natsu and I only smiled sadly at the wishful thought. "I'm going solo and I'll be leaving as soon as it's approved," I answered though he merely looked at me for a few moments, his expression not letting me have an inkling as to what was going inside his head. "This is a team mission, Blondie. Ask someone to come with you cause it's gonna be dangerous and I'd rather not have my head be on a silver platter courtesy of the demon and the old man," he said though it could be seen that his eyes were dancing with amusement as a smirk graced his features. It could only be said that I instantly fumed at his words, though I kept my cool. "I can handle myself just fine and if you need a team, then I have my spirits with me. We are a team. Or is the great Laxus Dreyar going soft and is actually worrying over me or getting scared of Mira?" I said with a smirk that equaled his though it only seemed to fuel his amusement more than before. "Don't flatter yourself, Blondie. Here ya go. I'll tell the old man about your mission when they get back," he said as he handed me back the flyer. "Thanks, Laxus," and with that said and done, I left the office, waving my hand at the dragon slayer.

As soon as I was out and heading downstairs to the guild hall, my eyes had begun their unconscious search. It had been a habit. An instinct. A movement that had been so natural for me that I had barely registered what I was doing before it was too late. I was supposed to be moving on, and yet here I am, still trying to keep my hopes up. I had searched for his mop of pink hair and I found it. He was sitting with the youngest Strauss, as expected, his arm around her shoulders as they talked freely with each other and with the rest of Team Natsu less myself. No. This was probably the real Team Natsu to begin with. I was replacement and seeing them now, it was obvious. I had no right to barge in them. I had no right to force myself on them, and I doubt that I would even have the strength to do so. I knew not how long I stared at them with yearning and pain, but when I realized that I was digging myself a deeper hole than what I was already in, I started to walk away. I started walking towards the guild doors with my head held high despite the tears that were starting to prick my eyes and the long strides that showed how much I wanted to escape. And yet I could not help it. As soon as I got out, I turned back and took a glance. One final glance at the team I longed for and the man I loved. And with that, I left for my first solo mission.

Well, that's it for now! ^_^

Any thoughts on Lucy? Well, feel free to share all you want! A little review would be a big help!

Next chapter is on more POVs. :)