Lucy leaned against a crumbling brick wall, her black hooded cloak casting a shadow down until all you could make out were her rosy lips and tiny chin, the surefire sign of a woman. She was seated on a piece of wall that, like the rest of this desolate city, had fallen years before she was born. There were plans to tear it down and make a new city, but those were forgotten once other areas proved to be more...desirable.
You and I are one and the same, she thought bleakly. The only difference is you have no shame in showing yourself. Showing the people whose families once lived in you just how far you are ruined...and I could never look my loved ones in the eyes again.
Despite what Lulu had thought, Lucy always entertained ideas of returning to the guild. Growing stronger during the years may not have been her goal, but it did happen and she was proud. She wanted to return to those she still called family and reconcile with Natsu...introduce him to Lulu and hope he accepts her, even if he had Lisanna.
But whenever she decided that soon, they would pack up and head home to Magnolia, fear pounced on her and tore her to shreds. What if they despise me for abandoning them? What if they refuse to see me or Lulu? What if Natsu tries to get back at me and takes Lulu?
An unnecessary amount of 'what if' questions that she would decide were best left unanswered. Even if she drank up every new story of the pyromaniac Salamander crushing an enemy or fearsome war goddess Titania wiping out an entire guild of bandits.
Or of the beautiful water mage Juvia replenishing a dying ecosystems water supply?
...Of Iron Dragon Slayer Gajeel somehow stopping a runaway train with just his hands?
Lucy would still rather just imagine their happiness of her imaginary return than face the chance of rebuke. "Lucy," a familiar voice woke her from her thoughts and she turned to see Loke leaning against the wall. He had not changed, really, aside from wearing his wedding band indefinitely (like a good married lion).
"You're back early...I guess the job is done...?" Loke smirked, pushing his glasses back.
"Of course...I don't understand why you went after such small fries, though. They didn't know anything?" Lucy smiled.
"Did you do what I asked?" The lion spirit simply pointed and Lucy glanced up to see a trio of men, suspended from a decaying tree in three unnaturally perfect ballet positions. "They aren't..."
"Of course they aren't. We are Fairy Tail Mages, after all. They'll just have a lot of broken bones and...probably nightmares for the rest of their natural born lives. But seriously, they were so low down the ladder that they didn't even know Lulu was kidnapped." Lucy nodded.
"I know...which makes them the perfect example. No one cares enough to try and get back at us for it because those three are not worth spit. But, this will send out a message. One that might just scare them enough for me to smell them." Lucy got up and brushed off her cloak, "let's go. We have a train to catch."
If Lulu had ever experienced a time where she questioned all of Fairy Tail's sanity, this was definitely it. Currently, she was in the more rockier, desert region near Magnolia, hiding underneath a kind of rocky cave. And she hid from Gajeel and Natsu, whom had been blasting her with multiple attacks in an attempt to train her to defend herself. Evangeline fared just fine, battling it out with the two senior dragon slayers with attacks of her own.
Lulu had run for the hills as soon as it started.
She never had considered fighting to have such a hold on the guild, fights breaking out frequently. She had considered asking the Master why, but Natsu had said he was off meeting the other guild masters. Wendy had told her that it was best if she learned a few moves, so she could defend herself from enemy guilds. Levy even offered to help her train in a more, calm manner.
Lulu just couldn't see it, though. She had never done anything to harm someone. The meer thought of cracking someone else's bone or breaking their skin made Lulu shudder.
Apparently, that kind of thought was foreign to the Fairy Tail Guild, even bookworm Levy.
Already, Erza had drilled fifteen different ways of how to kick a person's ribs into her head.
"Gotcha!" Lulu shrieked when she saw the onslaught of fire headed her way and sucked it in. Then she dodged the metal pillars thrown her way and took off. "Lulu, you can't just dodge all the time! Come on, throw an attack already!" Natsu was getting fed up.
Lulu had practically screamed at him that she had no clue how to fight. Even Lucy knew how to defend herself when they first met. So why avoid teaching their daughter? He glanced over at Gajeel, who was trading blows with Evangeline. It was obvious that he was only using less than half his speed and strength, AND was avoiding her face, but Evangeline was proceeding much better than Lulu.
How could he help Lulu up to that level?
"Okay, Lu. Let's try something else." At the sound of his agitation, Lulu poked her head from behind a fixture some twenty meters away. When had she even gotten there? "You can come closer. We're gonna try showing you how to punch." Lulu had tears in her eyes.
"But, Papa, I don't like fighting."
"Fighting is a part of life...even Levy can fight...kinda."
"Leave my wife out of this," Gajeel walked up, carrying a struggling Eve.
"Lemme go, Old Man!"
"Okay...now I'm gonna show you a fist. Make sure to your thumb is on the outside of your fist, between the first and second knuckles on your fingers, or it will break." He made a fist and showed her. Lulu tried to emulate, but her thumb was too low. He gently pushed it up. "Like that. Now, do what I do." As soon as Natsu said that, he thrust his fist towards Gajeel's left cheek. The Iron Dragon Slayer dodged and glowered at him. Lulu did the same to Eve, but stopped long before she came too close to ger friend's cheek.
"Slow, but we can work on speed later. You need to line yer rm up with yer shoulder," Gajeel pushee her arm up. "If someone tries to jab at yer chin from the side you're punching from, yer shoulder will block it." Gajeel thought, "now you and Eve spar. I want you to practice yer punches and reaction times." Natsu grinned.
"Then we'll break for lunch." Lulu and Eve cheered before going off a little ways and going at it. Already, Natsu could see Lulu was getting a bit better...a little. Looks like she did better with actual instruction.
"Looks like yer hope ain't lost yet," Gajeel said, leaning against a large rock. Natsu hopped on top of said rock and nodded, visibly relieved. As much as he wanted Lulu to stay with him forever, he knew she'd be gone before he knew it. The thought unsettled him.
Lulu...gone.
Going on her first mission.
Going on her first date.
Moving out.
Going on her first S-Class Mission.
He couldn't be there to hold her hand and shield her from danger. And, if he had to go off on how Seraph and Eve react to their own fathers' overprotective natures, she wouldn't let him for long.
It was a truly sobering and depressing thought, but Natsu knew better than most that kids grew up fast. Especially if their parents' are mages.
"Any clue why Bunny Girl didn't teach her to defend herself?" Natsu shook his head.
"No clue. Luce knows better than anyone that people can be dangerous."
"Maybe Lucy-san didn't plan on letting Lulu-chan out of her sight." Wendy's voice traveled from above the air and the two older dragon slayers looked up to see their female counterpart floating above them. All three Exceeds, plus Angel, were with her. She floated down and smiled, "I came to see how her training was coming along."
"Slowly. We just got over three hours of hiding and dodging."
"...Well, it won't matter in the long run. As long as she can defend herself to a point, that should be enough," Pantherlily commented. "Anyway, we came to talk to you about something. We found it in a small village about thirty miles east." Happy floated up, holding a poster. There was a picture of Lulu, wearing a checkered dress and smiling. Above it read MISSING in bold letters. Below it said:
Name: Lulu Heartifilia
Age: 9
D.O.B: 09/22/X784
Height: 5"0
Weight: 110 lbs
Eye Color: Brown
Hair Color: Strawberry Blonde
The rest went into details of where she was last seen and to contact the local authorities with any information. Natsu's face paled. He read it over and over before gulping. He looked over at his daughter, blissfully unaware of how hard her mother was searching. Carla cleared her throat, "listen. As a parent, I understand how ecstatic you are to see your daughter. However, imagine how frantic Lucy must be right now. I'm a mother and I cannot imagine how much pain she must be in. She has to be worried sick."
Natsu nodded, his hands shaking. He felt like a jerk. All this time he had been focused on proving he was a good father, he didn't even think of how worried Lucy must be. He loved Lucy. How could he forget this?
"Natsu..." He looked at Happy, "I think we should let Lucy know where she is. This wasn't the only thing we found out." He stared at them. Wendy decided to say it.
"...There was a...report of three bandits bring suspended from a tree...in ballet positions...their legs and arms were broken."
"What's that got to do with Bunny Girl and the half pint?" Apparently Lulu is now Half Pint.
"People have been saying it's a warning. Lucy-san is looking for the kidnappers." So it was possible that Lucy did that? Or maybe her spirits? Well, you can only get stronger over the years, really. Natsu looked back at Lulu, who was now resting with Eve, laughing at some silly joke.
But what if Lucy didn't want to be with him anymore? What if she took Lulu and disappeared again? Natsu was sure he would die from the heartbreak.
The others watched him, awaiting an answer. They knew it was the right thing to do, telling Lucy. But they were conflicted. If Natsu was rejected and Lulu taken, could they all handle that pain? He finally said, in a strained voice, "okay...let's do it..."
