Ch. 8- The Aftermath

Fairy Tail © Hiro Mashima

Story and OCs © Me

At last, it was finally over: the war between Fairy Tail and Phantom Lord had ended. The Fairy Tail Guild celebrated their victory, even in spite of their ruined guildhall... because they knew that they were still together, and what's more, they had gotten Lucy back. It was truly a reason to celebrate.

Haru, now fully clothed again, sat on a crate as Cana finished tying bandages around her forehead and Erza had finished setting her right ankle in a brace. Blue Fang sat nearby with his injuries also patched up. That's when she heard the sound of footsteps approaching her, causing her to look up... and almost instantly, she gasped as a broad grin appeared on her face.

Her brother had returned... carrying Lucy on his back, the Celestial Spirit Wizard wearing a tired smile on her face, and not too far from them was Happy, laughing as if all was right with the world.

Haru sniffled as her eyes once again welled over with tears... but they were not tears of sorrow or defeat. These were genuine tears of joy and relief... because her new best friend had come back. Haru shot to her feet, her earlier pain forgotten as she ran over and threw her arms around Lucy, sobbing as she buried her face into her breasts.

"You're back!" she cried. "Lucy, you're back! I was almost starting to think I'd never see you, again!"

"Hi, Haru..." Lucy said as she hugged her back.

"I... I'm sorry!" Haru sobbed. "I'm so sorry, Lucy! If only I was stronger, then you wouldn't have had to sacrifice yourself for me!"

Lucy smiled as she held Haru in her arms while Natsu grinned, crossing his arms in triumph and Happy giggled... but then, Lucy's smile fell as she gazed upon the ruins of the guildhall.

"Well... they certainly made a mess of things, didn't they?"

Lucy turned to see Makarov approach, along with Elektra and Erza.

"Master..." Lucy muttered. "I... I'm so sorry."

"And just what are you apologizing for, my child?" asked Makarov. "You should be smiling, like the rest of us."

"Grandpa's right, Lucy," agreed Elektra. "We all fought hard... and we don't regret a thing."

"Yeah! You should really learn to cheer up, Lu!"

Lucy gasped as she turned to see Levy, Jet, and Droy approaching the scene. Jet had his neck in a brace and his right arm in a cast, and the same went for Droy's left leg, and Levy had some bandages around her forehead... but all three of them were smiling warmly as if nothing had even happened to them.

"You shouldn't be looking so glum," Levy said. "Not after everybody fought so hard!"

"Our guild may be in ruins," Droy said.

"But we can always rebuild, right?" asked Jet.

"Levy... Jet... Droy...!" Lucy whispered as tears of guilt formed in her eyes. "I'm so sorry...!"

"If anyone's sorry, it should be us," Levy said. "We're the ones who worried everyone."

"But... but this really is-" Lucy started.

"Stop it, already!" Haru interjected. "Stop saying it's your fault! Do you hear any of us blaming you for what happened, Lucy? Do you?!"

Lucy opened her mouth to speak... but once again, she was interrupted.

"Lucy," Makarov spoke. "Listen very carefully, my dear, because I will not repeat myself."

"...Okay..." Lucy nodded.

"Though we may not share everyone's feelings of happiness or sadness entirely, we do share them to some extent. That's what happens when you're in a guild. One person's happiness becomes everyone's happiness... one person's anger becomes everyone's anger... and one person's tears become everyone's tears. There's no reason for you to feel guilty... so don't cry. You should already know how much everyone here cares about you... so hold your head high, my dear... because you are a proud member of the Fairy Tail Family."

Lucy's eyes were welling over, by now... and after hearing that speech, she couldn't take it anymore. She realized now... just how far that the Fairy Tail Guild was willing to go for her sake. Everyone here... everyone loved and cared about her as if her background didn't matter.

That's when she remembered something that Haru told her sometime after they met.

"Everyone in Fairy Tail has a checkered past... but in the guild, it doesn't matter where you're from, who you are, or even what you might have done... because no one will think any less of you. You really are part of the family."

Upon remembering that... Lucy Heartfilia, the Celestial Spirit Wizard of Fairy Tail... broke down in tears of joy and gratitude.

"...That was beautiful, Grandpa," Elektra said as she stood beside her grandfather, leaning on her crutch.

"Yes, it was," Makarov concurred... before he began to shake with an overwhelming sense of dread. "What's not beautiful, though... is that we still started a fight with another guild. The Council is sure to be dropping down on our heads for this... we could even face jail time for this!" With that, it was his turn to break down in tears while Elektra groaned at her grandfather in annoyance.

"Oh, Grandpa..." she muttered.

~One Week Later~

After being interrogated by the Rune Knights and being found "almost innocent", things were slowly returning to normal. Phantom Lord had been disbanded after they were found guilty of instigating the war in the first place, but even so, Fairy Tail was given a warning. Should they ever attempt something like this again, they, too, would face disbandment.

Despite their protests, they agreed to these terms.

Right now, everyone had gathered at the construction site where the guildhall was being rebuilt. Everyone was busy carrying lumber that was made by Fairy Tail's resident Wood-Make Wizard, Laki Olietta, and others were bringing other necessary materials such as steel beams and stone bricks. Even Makarov was helping out, using his Giant Form to get to taller places. Mirajane even had plans to expand the guild... although her blueprints were a little... difficult to decipher.

However... Lucy still remained at her apartment.

"I wonder how Lucy is doing," Haru said as she carried some tools. "I hope she's okay."

"That other Dragon Slayer, Gajeel, beat her up pretty bad, right?" asked Happy. "Maybe she's still resting."

"...Maybe..." Haru muttered. "I just can't help but worry. I think she still blames herself for what happened, even though we told her we don't hold her responsible."

"Give her some time," said Mirajane. "She'll come around, eventually."

"...I hope so," Haru said, worriedly, but she was quickly distracted by a loud sound.

GRRROOOOOOOWWWWRRRLLLL~!

"Ah, man!" Natsu complained as he put his hands over his growling stomach. "I'm starvin'!"

"Aye," Happy agreed, raising his paw.

"When's our lunch break?" Gray asked as he sat down on some lumber.

"Ugh... boys..." Haru groaned. "Always thinking with their stomachs." She sighed in exasperation as she walked over to a nearby table, where some lunchboxes had been neatly stacked in a pyramid. "I guess it can't be helped."

As she grabbed the lunchboxes, though, she stopped as she noticed someone peeking her head out from around the corner: it was a girl with pale skin and blue hair that was curled up in rolls. She had deep blue eyes and she was wearing mink skin clothes... and the moment her eyes met Haru's, she gasped.

"...Oh, hey," Haru greeted, casually. "Uh... wait a second... who are you?"

Before she could answer her, the girl shrunk away, whimpering shyly.

"...Ooookay..." Haru muttered before she looked down at one of the lunchboxes... which had Gray's name on it.

TO GRAY

FROM YOUR SECRET ADMIRER

Haru blinked in surprise before she looked back at the blue-haired girl... before she smiled, knowingly. Then, she walked over and squat down beside her.

"Hey," she said, causing the girl to flinch. "I'm Haru Dragneel. What's your name?"

"J... Juvia... Juvia Lockser," Juvia answered, shyly.

"Hi, Juvia," Haru said before she looked down at the lunchbox. "Did you make this for Gray?"

"Yes," Juvia answered with a blush forming on her cheeks.

"That's so sweet," Haru said, "but... why don't you give it to him?"

"...I can't just show up and give it to him," Juvia replied. "I used to be a member of Phantom Lord... we were enemies."

"So?" Haru asked.

"...I don't think he'd want to see me," Juvia said, sadly, causing Haru's eyes to soften with sympathy.

"How about this?" Haru asked. "I'll give it to him for you."

"W-why would you want to do that?" Juvia asked. "Doesn't it seem strange for you to even be talking to me, a former enemy?"

"Eh, what's passed is passed," Haru shrugged, "and besides... you don't seem so bad to me." She then winked her eye at her. "Don't worry... I won't tell Gray that you made this for him, okay? It'll be our little secret."

Juvia gave a silent gasp of surprise while Haru walked away, carrying the lunchboxes with her.

"Okay, guys, here you go," Haru said as she handed them their lunches.

"Finally!" Natsu exclaimed as he took the extra-large one. "I thought my belly was gonna cave in!"

"Aye!" Happy chirped as he happily ate his raw fish.

"And here's yours, Gray," Haru said as she handed him the lunchbox that Juvia made for him.

"For me?" Gray asked as he took it. "From... my secret admirer? Huh... didn't think I even had one."

"That's a first," Natsu answered, his cheeks full to bursting with food while Gray opened the box, finding riceballs shaped like snowflakes, some fried eggs, steamed veggies, a few sandwiches, and some sausages.

"Whoa!" Gray exclaimed. "This actually looks really good!" He then took a bite. "Mmm... and it tastes good, too!"

"Whoa! Can I have some, then?!" Natsu asked as he reached out to grab it, only for the Ice-Make Wizard to pull it away.

"Forget it!" he shouted. "Get your own!"

"Oh, come on, don't be so stingy!" Natsu complained.

As the boys argued, Haru glanced over at Juvia, who smiled at her thankfully, causing the Beast Wizard to wink back at her.

"Natsu! Gray! Happy!" Erza shouted, wearing her construction uniform. "Who told you that you could have a lunch break?! Get back to work!"

"YES, MA'AM!" Natsu, Gray, and Happy cried as they hurriedly finished eating, then went back to carrying wood. As they did, Haru only chuckled and shook her head before she turned to leave... only to bump into Loke.

"Oof!" Haru grunted. "Oh, sorry about that, Loke!"

"It's okay," Loke replied... although, for some reason, he looked a bit haggard. His eyes and cheeks were a bit sunken in and his skin looked pale. Not just that, but he was shaking like a leaf and looking like he was about to fall over any second.

"Loke... you don't look so good," Haru said. "Have you been getting enough sleep?"

"I-it's fine," Loke replied before he held up a keyring full of kings: Lucy's Celestial Gate Keys, to be exact. "Umm... can you give these to Lucy, please?"

"Oh, that's right!" Haru realized. "Lucy accidentally dropped them when Gajeel captured her! Were you looking for them, Loke?"

"Yeah," Loke replied. "I guess this is what I get for being a gentleman..." He chuckled, tiredly. "Anyway, how is Lucy?"

"I dunno," Haru replied. "No one's seen her since what happened with the Rune Knights and all... I was actually getting ready to go see her. I'll be sure to give her these keys, too."

"Thanks, Haru," Loke said as Haru took the keys, then whistled.

"Blue Fang! Come!" she called out, and soon, Blue Fang was at her side as she climbed up onto his back. "Come on, boy! Let's go see Lucy!"

Blue Fang barked before he turned and ran off, heading for Strawberry Street.

XXX

"There... all packed..."

Lucy sighed as she grabbed her purse from her bed, then looked back at her desk, where she left the note that she just wrote.

"...I hate to do it," she said, "but it has to be done."

Suddenly, she heard a knock on her door, causing her to jump slightly in surprise.

"Lucy! It's me!"

Lucy smiled, knowing exactly who it was since she was the only one with any decency to actually knock first before entering. Soon, she opened the door, revealing Haru standing behind it.

"Hi, Haru," Lucy greeted.

"Hey, Lucy!" Haru greeted back. "I brought something for you~!" She then held up her Gate Keys. "Ta-dah! Loke found your Gate Keys!"

"Oh!" Lucy exclaimed as she took them and hugged them. "Thank goodness... I'm so sorry, you guys, I didn't mean to lose you."

"You really love your spirits, huh?" Haru asked with a warm smile.

"I don't know where I'd be without them," answered Lucy.

"So, how are you doing?" Haru asked before she noticed that she had her purse on her shoulder. "Oh! Are you getting ready to go to the guild?"

Lucy cast her eyes to the floor... and almost instantly Haru sensed that something was amiss.

"What's wrong, Lucy?" Haru asked.

"...I'm not going to the guild, Haru," Lucy answered. "I'm... I'm going back home."

"What?!" Haru questioned. "B-but Lucy, I thought we already established that you don't have to go home! You're part of our family, now!"

"Haru, you don't understand!" Lucy argued. "It's not that I don't wanna be here! Believe me, I wanna stay more than anything!"

"Then... then why are you leaving?" Haru asked, sadly.

"...This all started because I ran away from home without telling anybody where I was going," Lucy replied. "Well... it's time I stopped running." She then gave Haru a serious expression.

"It's time for me to confront my Father."

DUN-DUN-DUUUUUUUUUUN!

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