A/N: Hello! I am so sorry that it took so long to update this! But as you all know, sometimes life gets in the way. Anyways, without any delay, the next chapter!
Disclaimer: Fairy Tail belongs to the one and only Hiro Mashima. Only the plot of this story belongs to me.
CHAPTER EIGHT - DISAPPEARANCE
Lucy looked around the guild hall from her place in the arms of a certain Dragon Slayer. Her precious family members were sprawled out everywhere on the floor. They all were wasted from the party held the previous night. So much so that they just dropped down from exhaustion one by one.
Lucy herself was no better. She danced with various members of the guild throughout the night, passed from one to another until she was passed to a certain pink haired man, who refused to pass her on.
My man. Lucy thought.
She looked up at the face of the man besides her, whose limps were tangled with her own. Natsu didn't let go of Lucy even for a minute after he danced with her. Always accompanying her whenever she was called out by someone. It almost seemed like he was afraid that she would just disappear if he turned around for a bit.
Lucy giggled at the thought as she slowly untangled herself from Natsu's grip and headed over to the bar. As she crossed the guild hall, she noticed the small rays of sunshine that was filtering through the huge windows.
The sun must have risen just a while ago. She thought.
Lucy made her way towards the bar, where an awfully cheerful Mira was cleaning a plate with a piece of cloth. She was humming the soft tune of a song Lucy vaguely recognized as Faded by Alan Walker.
"Lucy" Mira said as soon as she saw the Celestial Mage. "Would you like anything to drink? Maybe some breakfast?"
"Breakfast sounds lovely." Lucy replied, sitting on the stool besides the bar.
Lucy looked on as the Takeover Mage got busy with the pots and pans, hastily bringing her breakfast together. A comfortable silence had befallen them. Lucy finally felt at home, like she belonged somewhere. In fact, she had yet to thank the person responsible for the return of her memory.
"Mira." Lucy injected into the silence.
"Hmm."
"I just wanted to say thank you." Lucy said, a bit shy. "You organized this whole event just so that I could remember all of you. My family. And I am forever in your debt."
"Oh silly Lucy!" Mira replied, laughing heartily. "You are part of the family. It is the least I could do for family. You do not owe me anything. It is just my love for you. After all, just like Lisanna, I feel as if you are my younger sister."
Lucy was taken aback by this statement. She knew that the Strauss siblings were the definition of family. And to be accepted as a younger sister by Mira seemed a bit too much. Lucy wiped off a stray tear as Mira put her breakfast in front of her.
"Besides." Mira said, looking at Lucy with an naughty and playful glint in her eyes. "It was Natsu's love for you that made it possible for you to remember. I just knew that you both would be soulmates the minute he brought you to the guild."
"M-M-Mira!" Lucy exclaimed, blushing beet red at the thought as she scooped up a spoonful of creamy mashed potato.
However, Mira did not seem to hear Lucy's exclamation. Instead, she was staring at the ceiling with a dreamy expression on her face.
"I just could not wait for your wedding. You would look gorgeous in white and lots of lace. And your kids!" Mira squealed. "If it is a girl, she would have pink hair but would totally be drop dead gorgeous just like her mother!"
"Oh my god Mira!" Lucy exclaimed again. "Please stop. You are embarrassing me. Besides, I think Natsu's genes would be much stronger than mine. In fact, sometimes I think that I would just end up giving birth to a mini Natsu without any of my traits."
"I don't think so." A familiar voice said.
Lucy paled. She whipped to her right to find Natsu, standing next to her rubbing his eyes. She was so focused on Mira that she didn't even notice her Dragon Slayer standing right besides her.
"I think that they would look just as Mira described." Natsu continued, ignoring Lucy's horrified expression. "I can't wait to meet them."
He turned around towards Lucy, meeting her eyes and flashing her a toothy grin. "Say Lucy! Let's make some babies!"
Lucy turned as scarlet as Erza's hair. "N-N-Not y-yet y-you i-idiot" Lucy managed to stammer out.
"But I want one." Natsu said, pouting and crossing his arms.
"So sweet." Mira said, looking at the couple fondly as they continued to bicker.
A Few Hours Later - Lucy's Apartment
Lucy flopped down on the bed, burrowing under the covers and hugging one of her soft pillow. After bickering with her, Natsu went off to his house to get cleaned up. The other members of the guild had woken up and started tidying up the guild, restoring it to it's original state. Lucy had tried to help them with the task at hand, but almost all of the members had shooed her from the place. So, she made her way back to her apartment with the excuse that she should freshen up for the day.
However, in reality, something was bothering Lucy and she wanted to be alone so that she could let her thoughts wander. Ever since her memory returned, she caught herself pondering about the man in the cloak who had attacked her. Lucy couldn't help but get a familiar vibe whenever she thought of him. Now that she was not in immediate danger, she got the sense that his magic seemed familiar to her as well.
Lucy sighed, shifting her weight to the right side of her bed and looked out of the window overlooking Magnolia. The sky was a bright blue with small and fluffy clouds scattered here and there. A few birds were flying across the sky.
While she was staring at the sky, Lucy noticed wisps of black smoke rising high up the sky. She immediately got up and looked out of the window. The sight before her shook her to her very core.
While the window displayed just a fraction of the beautiful town of Magnolia, it was perfectly in line with a building which towered majestically above all of the other buildings in her town. Her guild. From which a funnel of black smoke rose steadily, tainting the beautiful blue sky.
Without a second thought, Lucy leaped out of her window, landing perfectly on the concrete pavement. She sprinted in the direction she knew by heart, occasionally avoiding the random strangers.
When Lucy reached her guild, there was not a single person in sight. Not even one of her guild mates. The building was crumbling down right in front of her eyes and the proud Fairy Tail flag on top of the guild was burning into ash.
Lucy took off running in the direction of a small pond in front of the guild, taking out a golden key as she ran.
"Open! Gate of the water bearer!" She chanted as she dipped the key into the pond. "Aquarius!"
A loud bell chime was heard as a beautiful mermaid came into existence in a flash of golden light. She had long light blue colored hair which reached up to her waist and a beautiful blue colored fish tail. She was wearing a blue colored bikini top and a tattoo of the Aquarius zodiac symbol graced her collarbones. The mermaid was also wearing light blue crystal earrings, a golden headband which held a single crystal water droplet delicately hanging from the center, in between her eyes. Her blue colored eyes which held no remorse was currently looking down at Lucy.
"Please Aquarius." Lucy begged, closing her eyes and hoping for once that her spirit would do the task at hand instead of bickering with her.
Lucy heard a roar of water and gingerly opened her eyes. She looked on as Aquarius released water out of her silver urn onto the the guild. Immediately, the burning stopped and the rising black smoke disappeared.
Aquarius turned towards Lucy and disappeared without a word. But as she disappeared, Lucy caught a hint of a small smile. Lucy smiled to herself, despite the situation, pleased for once that Aquarius did exactly as she was asked without any repercussions.
Lucy sprinted back towards the guild, looking around for anyone. "Master! Mira! Erza! Gray! Natsu! Happy!" She called out as she went. "Wendy! Carla! Cana! Lisanna!"
With caution, she stepped inside the building and looked around. There was not a single soul in sight. Afraid the building might collapse on her, Lucy hurried out of the building and stood on the road with her back towards the guild.
What could have happened here? Lucy thought. Fairy Tail has the most powerful mages in all of Fiore. And Master. He is a Saint. They all could not have been defeated that easily!
A shiver went through Lucy as she remembered the last time all of the members of her guild disappeared together. Instinctively, she looked up at the sky. An anima? She thought. But the sky looked clear and she did not sense any kind of magical disruption like when she did when the anima was activated a long time ago.
Suddenly, she heard the rustling of some bushes nearby. She bit back a scream as she rushed towards the other side of the road.
"Luce!"
The familiar nickname stopped her in her tracks. She turned around and rushed towards the voice, crashing into their waiting arms.
"N-N-Natsu!" Lucy's emotions finally became too much for her to handle. She stammered as tears fell down her cheeks. She buried herself in his arms, seeking the familiar warmth and comfort that makes up the very essence of her Dragon Slayer. "They are all gone!"
"Yeah! Disappeared without a trace. I can't even pick up a scent!" Natsu replied absentmindedly, holding his Lucy tighter as his eyes wandered around suspiciously at the sight before him.
A/N: And that's a wrap for now! :D Since I was unable to update for a long time, I thought I would compensate by releasing a longer chapter! I will try to update at least once every week from now on! Thanks for reading! Cheers!
~Lori
