A Precious Memory

Chapter 1: Treasure seeker


Fairy Tail was always a noisy and boisterous guild. No other guild could match it in all Fiore. People all over knew of Fairy Tail. After its notorious climb back on top, it was only right that people would once again pay homage for their return as the number one guild. Although there were rough times in getting there, Fairy Tail always managed to defeat the odds and proved their place in this world—thus restoring it back to its former glory.

But for Lucy, Fairy Tail was something so much more to her. Granted, Lucy initially wanted to join Fairy Tail because of its indisputable reputation—she had learned that Fairy Tail wasn't just about its brand or name but its guild members. Here, she had found friends, family, and most importantly her soul mate—who'd one day become her husband. She was forever indebted to this lively guild for giving her the happiness she had longed for her whole life.

However, in this exact moment, Lucy was close to losing her mind. Naked men, manly taunts, useless bar fights, unrequited love rants, injuries caused by said fights—she was cursing herself for ever wanting to join such a rowdy and reckless guild. Her sigh escaped her as she looked up at Mirajane for comfort.

"What's up Lucy? Feeling down?" Mirajane passed her a drink.

Lucy gladly gulped it down with no question about what she had given her.

"That drink, my dear, wasn't meant to be chugged." Mira eyed suspiciously as she took the empty glass back.

"I feel… irritable today and I don't know why. Maybe I need to go on a mission but Natsu keeps fooling around as usual." She sighed heavily. "I married a fool." She dropped her head on the bar counter.

"Aww. Trouble in paradise? It's a little too early for regrets." Mira teased.

"Ha-ha Mira. You are so funny." Lucy mumbled under her arms. She lifted her face so that Mira could hear her properly. "We're older now, you'd expect him to mature but here he is; same old same old as if he was 19 years old again."

"Is this stemming from him not satisfying you in bed? Still a boy in bed?" Mira teased more.

This only caused Lucy to turn bright pink at the direction of this current conversation. "No-no-no… he's amazing in bed—like a beast even." She slapped her mouth shut at her confession.

"Hahahaha… so what's the problem Lucy?"

"I guess he still acts immature… I don't know… maybe it's my hormones since it's the time of the month." Her eyes were avoiding Mira's stare.

"You know I heard something that a customer told me a while ago. He said and I quote, 'Women marry men hoping they would change, while men marry women hoping they would stay the same.'" Mira shrugged.

"Ahh…" Lucy contemplated on this for a while so Mira left her alone.

Maybe it was time for Lucy to try to understand him better rather than try to idealize how she wants her husband to become. But right now she started to feel the effects of that drink Mira gave her earlier. Her eyes went wide as the room started to spin. She could barely hold on to the counter and she knew she was down for the count. But she had never felt the wooden floor beneath her, instead she felt like she was hovering above ground like she was floating. She tossed her arms to the side as if she was swimming or flying—her mind couldn't tell the difference anyway. For some reason she had instantaneous bursts of laughs every couple of minutes and her body did it involuntarily. Whatever this drink was, it was sure damn strong. This drink got Lucy high on a whole different level.

Meanwhile—outside of Lucy's hallucinogenic state, Natsu was holding his wife as she flung her arms wildly around like a fish out of water. Was she dying? Natsu hit panic mode. His eyes glared at Mira and even let out a deep growl.

"Mira what did you give her?" He gritted his teeth.

"Oh Natsu you're over-reacting. She chugged an alcoholic drink instead of sipping it slowly. She'll be fine by tomorrow. Just take her home to rest." She smiled back unaffected by his dark aura.


By the time Lucy gained consciousness, she was at home in bed. An arm wrapped around her abdomen and her back was pressed against a warm bare chest. Her eyes flickered at the soft snores her husband was making and then she slowly turned around to face him. As soon as she laid her eyes on his face, her hand involuntarily brushed his cheek as if everything was in sync. A small curl on his lips replaced his snores. She pushed herself up a little so that she can kiss him on the forehead but an acute sharp pain stung her head—dropping her body immediately back to bed. He woke up instantly.

"Ugghh… what happened last night…" She mumbled.

"Hmm? You really don't remember huh." His brows furrowed. He got up and got her a drink. "Here drink this, Mira told me to give it to you once you wake up." He pulled her up slowly so that she'd be able to sit up and drink properly.

She silently obeyed, there was no point of protesting in her horrible-sorry state anyway. But maybe she shouldn't be trusting in Mira's drinks since the first one put her in this predicament. Too late, she had already swallowed the liquid in the cup that Natsu held. She couldn't even tell if the bad odor was coming from the drink itself or from her own mouth.

After the drink settled in her stomach, she felt a hundred times better. But once she looked at her partner, he was quite the opposite. It had looked like he had fought ten Stings and burned down a village.

"What happened to you?" She reached out to trace the most recent scars on his arm.

"You happened." He deadpanned.

Her eyes opened wide. Did she turn into Lucy Ashley or something worse? How did she even manage to put him in that condition?

"First… I'm sorry and how did I do that to you though?" She looked at her small fists as if they were gold. Although it was a horrible feeling to feel, but she couldn't help feeling accomplished—to bruise a dragon slayer and survive—ego boost times ten.

"You didn't physically injure me. It was the wall you decided to run right into. It was also the bridge you decided to jump off of. Lastly, it was the roof you tried to roll on." Each time he mentioned a different place he pointed to a different part of his body where said injury took place.

"Oh I'm so sorry Natsu… I can't believe you protected me through it all." She hugged him tightly.

"Yeah I'll always protect you. I'm your cushion for the wall, bridge, and roof." He grinned at her.

She kissed him lightly but he held onto her. Then she slowly moved on top of him without breaking a kiss. Her legs saddling him, he deepened the kiss but he couldn't hide the hiss that he let out once his back hit the backboard.

"Oh you're still in pain. You need to rest Natsu." She patted his chest.

"I'll ask Wendy to heal me. No problem." He placed her back into the same position prior to his unmanly cry.

"No Natsu. I'm still on my period anyway. Let's get to the guild and look for Wendy. Plus I need a job and don't make up any more excuses. It's almost been a week since we took a job." She hopped off his lap and headed to the washroom.

Natsu couldn't take his eyes off of his wife as she hypnotized him with her hips. He sighed inwardly knowing that she wouldn't let him do anything until her week was over. But what the hell—he charged straight into the washroom despite her eep-ing protests.


Finally Team Natsu had gathered and picked a job. Erza and Gray came back from their other mission just in time for Natsu to bombard them with another quest. Happy obviously tagged along since he was Natsu's sidekick. The request was a straight forward one: capture and retrieve. They were to locate a thief who steals people's most treasured and beloved things, then submit him to authorities where he will face charges for his crimes. Of course Erza was eager to do this mission—she was the straight shooter in the group. Gray had agreed since the reward was big.

Once they reached the client's home, who happened to be the latest victim of the Treasure Seeker—people started calling him that after all his infamous schemes, Erza and Lucy were the ones to talk to the client since Natsu and Gray were too informal.

"We are from Fairy Tail. I'm Erza and this is Lucy." She signaled to Lucy.

Lucy bowed slightly. "So can you tell us more about this thief?"

"Uh yeah… he uses something that paralyzes you then he stares into your eyes to figure out what is the most important thing in your life." He shivered at the thought.

Both Natsu and Gray were kind of creeped out about how this thief does his business. But it didn't affect Erza.

"Do you mind telling us what he had stolen from you?" She prompted.

"He stole my family's heirloom. It was a vase that was passed down from generation to generation. Inside it there are letters of each generation of my family. You see it's just our tradition to write a simple letter detailing each member of the family. It's sort of like our family tree in a vase. I don't see how this would be of any value to anyone else but us." He sighed. "The vase is replaceable but our letters are not…" He shuffled uncomfortably in his seat. His wife, who sat next to him, placed her hand on his as her sign of support and strength. Lucy noticed and smiled sweetly. She wanted to be like that with Natsu when she gets older.

"But um, did he use any magic against you?" Lucy asked.

"I don't know what it was but I was paralyzed and I didn't see any magic. He just stood in front of me and my body was frozen. His eyes were blank but his smirk was unforgettable. Somewhat twisted and dark about the way his lips moved. His voice also was very odd and very unique. If I were to hear it again—without a doubt I'd know it'd be him."

"Anything else you want to add in?" Erza was taking in all the information that the client was saying.

"Don't look into his eyes… it's like he stares into your very soul. It's creepy. He's also obsessed with collecting stuff—he didn't say it out loud but the way he wanted what you wanted—it was like he loved the feeling of taking it away and leaving you with nothing." He shrugged.

"Ayyyee… that's really creepy." Happy cuddled against Lucy's chest.

"How many other victims are in this village?"

"Three other families. But we heard of rumors a month ago about a notorious thief two towns over. However we didn't expect the thief to come to this village. As you can see, we aren't relatively a rich place to be in so we thought of nothing from those rumors."

"Hmm then why so many more victims in this village than the other town.." Lucy thought to herself.

"Okay thank you for your time. We'll do a thorough investigation. If you can, list the other families who have been robbed. We also would like to know what had happened to them." Erza asked.

The older man wrote down the other names of the families and their addresses. They quickly thanked him and headed out towards the inn they were staying in.

"So what should we do now?" Natsu asked as he put his hands behind his head.

Erza opened the door to their room and signaled for them to go inside. She closed the door quickly.

"We are to question the other families about what had transpired between them and the thief. Also take note of what was stolen." She paused to think. "But most importantly, take into account that this thief is very stealthy and he can creep up on you guys at any second. Although, I do have a feeling that this certain type of criminal stalks its victims before he steals their valuables. Most all thieves have that mentality. They figure out the victim's routine, also acknowledging what the victim spends most of his/her time doing. Granted, they choose the most opportune moment to strike. I doubt none of these incidents were at random."

"Okay so we better get to these families fast if we are to figure out a pattern." Gray added.

Natsu and Lucy nodded.

"Gray, go to this family," Erza handed him the paper with the victim's name and address on it. "Natsu, you go to this family." She also gave another to Natsu. "And this one is for you and Happy." She gave the last paper to Lucy.

"I'll go check the places that those people were attacked. Or places that look like a good place to attack. Be back here before night time since the thief only attacks at night. It's best if we moved as a group during the night."

All members agreed and each headed out to their respective location.


After Lucy interviewed her family, it was very similar to the older man's story. The elder lady felt as if she was paralyzed and he stared into her eyes to find out what she had treasured the most. The item that the thief had stolen was her handkerchief. It was something she had sewed for her husband who had passed away years ago. It was absolutely at zero valuable to anyone else. Just like that man's family vase. Why steal something that cannot be sold on the black market? Why steal it in the first place?

Lucy kept trying to make sense of it all but this thief doesn't steal for the money. Happy walked beside her trying to figure out what she was thinking about.

"Luccyyy, are you okay? You're doing weird faces."

"Eh? Sorry Happy I'm trying to figure out this guy." She sighed, the mission was simple capture the criminal and bring him back to the authorities. But finding out his patterns to find him was difficult. What if the thief skipped town already?

"Lucy it's getting dark we should get back to the inn." Happy nudged her.

"Oh yeah where was it again?" Was she lost?

She looked up at the sky, the sun was setting and so she started to think of which way to go. As soon as she turned a corner she heard a woman's scream. Automatically, Lucy ran straight to it. She didn't think twice about it. She stopped at an abandoned house near the edge of the village. Small whimpers escaped the house. Both Lucy and Happy quietly crept to one of the windows to see what was inside.

"Happy can you see anything?" She whispered.

"Yeah… come over to this window." He said in a hushed tone.

Lucy crawled to where Happy pointed to and she saw a figure dressed in almost a ninja type uniform and a woman on her knees staring into her assailant's eyes. The woman's body was frigid as if she was stuck. She can see the sweat drop down from her face.

"I'm kinda shocked that you were able to scream under my paralysis. But I guess I'm stronger. Now let's take a look at what you treasure most." He pressed his thumb on her forehead and the rest of his fingers lay at the fringe of her hair while his other hand was pressed against her sternum.

"Oh? You're daughter huh. I haven't collected a child yet. It'll do." The mother's eyes went wide as she tried her best to fight it but as soon as he left her, her body went limp and she dropped.

Lucy frantically looked to see where the daughter was and the thief was approaching a worn out sofa. She heard muffled sniffles and she just knew what she had to do. "Happy take the daughter first and if you can manage the mother too, take them both. I'll distract him we have to hurry." Happy nodded as he zoomed into the room picking up the girl. He caught the thief by surprise.

"Huh what the hell." He yelled. "Give me back that girl!"

He was about to chase after her until Lucy kicked him square in the chest and he flew back next to the unconscious mother.

"Who are you?" He asked as he unmasked his face.

Lucy stared at his twisted smile and his dark eyes. He looked crazy, almost like a crazy hoarder.

"Open the gate to the Lion, I summon Loki!" She yelled. A bright light flashed and Loki appeared next to her.

"Knock him out." She ordered.

"Yes my love." Loki launched himself at the man but he was fast. He dodged his attack and countered him with a jab to his gut. Loki dropped to the ground for a second. But that second was too precious to waste because once he got up; he had seen the mad man choking his master.

"Lucccyyy! He yelled.

"Nah-ah-ah." He said through his teeth. "I'll snap her neck if you move." He warned.

Lucy stood still, she didn't know if she was frozen by fear or by his strange magic. She tried to call out one of her other spirits but it didn't work.

"Let's put back your cat shall we."

"Noooo!" Loki screamed before his gate was forced closed.

"Hmmm you're a smart woman." He let go of Lucy and she dropped to her knees. Then her body involuntarily faced him with her knees stuck to the floor.

"How are you doing this?" She was trying to move but she couldn't.

"I know how to manipulate things." He smiled his detestable smile.

"Why are you still in this town?" She wanted to buy some time by feeding his ego. All villains love to talk about themselves. It was just in their nature to sing a monologue. She only needed a couple of minutes before Natsu rescues her anyway; he always does one way or another.

"This place has so much to offer." He snickered. "You mistake me for a regular thief." His voice was unique, it was sinister and almost snake like. As if all his words were poisoned with greed and jealousy. "The people here are different. Their treasures aren't in silver or gold. Their valuables aren't measured by money. It's what drew me to them." His eyes never strayed away from her face. He licked his lips as he pulled his face closer to hers. "I want whatever they cherish…" He whispered. Then he pulled away to continue his monologue.

"Did you know, I'm originally a collector by nature? I have this repulsive need to have everything… it is quite sickening to know how extreme I would go just to claim it. I can't escape it." He looked like he was mentally tortured. "These people put so much value in things I have never had. I want to take it so I can feel the same."

"No… you take it away so that you can feel better about yourself. You're happy to see them in despair. You feed off of their pain you immoral bastard!" She yelled. "You were about to take a child away from her mother? What kind of person would break a family apart just to satisfy your need of collecting?" Her blood was boiling. She felt as if his hold on her was weakening.

"Open the door to the goat. I summon Caprico." She yelled.

"Lucy-sama!" He was by her side.

"Tsk." The thief kissed his lips. "I should have kept your mouth shut."

"You will not disrespect Lucy-sama. I'll put you back in place." He launched his attack.

Lucy started to feel his grip loosen and she was free from his spell. Unfortunately it took a lot of magic to summon Capricorn through the type of hold Lucy was in. She only hoped that Natsu would pop in as usual.

Almost like clockwork, Natsu flew in yelling Happy Max speed. He soared through the already damaged room and charged straight into the enemy. Happy flew straight to Lucy and he was about to fly her out until she stopped him.

"What Lucy, we need to get you to safety. Erza and Gray are on their way here." Happy stressed.

"No take the woman out of here. I can't leave Natsu." She gave the exceed a reassuring smile. Happy couldn't change her mind especially if it had something to do with Natsu. He agreed hesitantly as he picked up the woman and led her to where her daughter was.

Lucy had run out of magic so Capricorn unwillingly went back to the Spirit world. It was just Natsu against that guy. Suddenly she saw Natsu drop to the floor. Her instinct was to run to him but then once she was a foot away her body froze again.

"You are a sly, sly, sly woman!" He entertained himself. "You were brilliant—surprising me at all times. But enough games woman. Let me look into your soul."

Without hesitation he took the same position he did on that other woman. His eyes pierced through hers and took a look into her mind.

"Interesting… hmm well you see he treasures you the most." He grimaced. "You treasure him the most. Boring. But he can't live without you but for you… you'll be able to live without him." He was talking to her but he knew she couldn't respond back.

Lucy started to panic; she didn't want him to take away Natsu. He is the most important person in her life. She will not let him take him away from her.

"…Because being with him was enough. So…" He thought of what he can do. "Since the most important thing to you is your husband. I'll take him away—not physically take him away. But I want your memory of him." His evil laugh rumbled from his chest. "I'd never done that before…" He snickered.

Her mind was screaming. What did he mean he was going to take away her memory of him? What will happen if she can't even remember her own husband? No, no, no… she kept repeating those words. Not Natsu—she can't forget all he's done for her. She can't forget their travels together. She can't forget the love between them. She can't forget… him.

All of sudden she was back staring at this crazy man's face. His eyes grew darker and his contorted smile plastered on his face. Then instantly her mind went blank.


A/N: So I had this idea for a story for a while. But I wanted to wait until I was done finishing my other stories. Unfortunately it has been gnawing at my brain so I wrote the first chapter. Just a little warning though, I won't be able to update this story until I finished the other ones, SORRY! I don't mean to be a tease but I'll get back to this when I'm done True Love's Kiss and Crossroads (hopefully).

Anyway hope you enjoyed the first chapter as much as I enjoyed writing it lol (: Feel free to follow/subscribe/review. Thanks!