Disclaimer: I do not own either Fairy Tail or the Xeno game series...But one day, I will! Hiro Mashima owns Fairy Tail and Namco and the game creators (Too many to list) own the Xeno game franchise!
Notes: Okay, so I know a lot of you have no clue what Xenosaga or even Xeno gears is. A brief breakdown according to my mind. As before I ask that if you don't know the games, please go and Google them. I have found that you can actually watch all the cutscenes from Xenosaga Episodes...if you have a lot of free time.
After entering my apartment and shutting my door, I just leaned against it in silence as I cried. So many things were running through my mind, and I felt that when it finished, I would be an empty, barren waste. Not once did I think that wanting some personal time to myself would be a problem for my teammates. But no, instead, I felt insulted by the one person on my team I saw as my best friend and brother.
Pushing away from the door, I wiped my eyes with the back of my arm once more. I began to shuffle around my room to get things ready. Feeling listless and slightly restless, I pulled out my small suitcase and started to fill it with the items and clothes I would be taking with me. It wasn't too much since it would only be for a week or less, though something in the back of my mind was already telling me that my vacation would be interrupted before even three days had come to pass.
That brought a small, if not slightly pained, smile to my lips. There was no denying I was the weakest member of my team, which caused them to worry about me a lot. So I knew that when it happened, I would be angry, then forgive them like always. With a shake of my head, I placed the last of my clothes in the suitcase, before zipping it partially shut. I'd still have to put in my bathroom necessities after my nightly shower. With a small grunt, I lifted it from my bed, sitting it carefully on the floor next to my couch.
Giving a sad look around my small, humble apartment, I walked into the kitchenette to get something to drink. I was lucky to have any orange juice left, so it immediately went into my glass. Once done pouring my drink, I threw the empty container into the trash and went back to the main living area. Sitting at my desk without thinking about it, I placed the full glass to the side before reaching up for a blank sheet of paper and my pen. I needed to write a letter to my parents about everything that had been going on in the last week or so, as well as what I was planning to do.
It was sometime later when I finally finished the letter. Sitting back, I stretched my arms above my head, feeling the stiff muscles roll and pop. I took in a deep breath and held it for a few seconds, then slowly let it out as I lowered my arms. All that stiffness just melted away, leaving my shoulders a bit softer and more comfortable to move, and I looked down at the four pages of the letter I had just finished writing with a small smile on my lips. Reaching over and opening a side drawer, I pulled out a small cream-colored envelope that would hold the letter to my parents.
Carefully I started to fold the pages into a small square before sliding it into the envelope and sealing it. I stared at it for a few seconds before getting up and going to my bookshelf, where a little wooden box sat. It held all the other letters I'd written before, and this one would be joining them. Once it was secured back into place on the shelf, I looked around my home, feeling a bit lonely since no one had tried to visit, making me wonder if my outburst had done irreparable damage.
Giving my head one more shake, I decided to slip into a hot shower to help me relax; then, I'd finish up my packing and eat something before bed. Liking my plan of battle, I walked into my bathroom with a small hop in my step. The faint smell of my favorite shampoo still lingered in the air, making me inhale the fragrance of jasmine and peach. Already my mind was telling me that I was relaxing and would be lucid before bedtime. So without hesitating, I quickly started the shower before divesting myself of my clothes to hop under the deliciously hot spray of water.
Not wanting to be up to late, I did my best to limit the amount of time in the shower from my usual hour to roughly twenty-five minutes. Pouting a bit as I finished rinsing my body wash from my skin, I turned off the water and stepped out. Drawing in a quick hissing breath at how chilly my bathroom felt compared to the hot steaminess of the shower stall, I swiftly grabbed a towel and began to dry myself so that I wouldn't catch a cold. That would certainly put a major damper on my plans.
Once dried off enough to slip into some nightclothes, I paused to look at myself in the steam-covered mirror. Making out my hazy form, I felt a small laugh crawl up from my chest and out through my mouth. It sounded hollow even to me. Even with the limited ability to see what I looked like in the reflective surface, I could tell that I had huge purple-black bags under my eyes, which seemed to be droopy, due to my eyelids not even opening all the way. Giving a pig-like snort, I flipped the towel over my head and vigorously rubbed my hair dry.
Satisfied with getting most of my hair dry, I let the towel drop to the floor, before snagging my hairbrush and two ponytail ties off the sink counter. Starting with the ends of my hair, I brushed through my hair as I turned and walked out of my bathroom, silently counting each stroke to myself. A soft rapping upon my apartment door drew my attention away as I walked over, curious as to who it could be at this time of the evening. Feeling a bit cautious, I reached out and turned the doorknob, jerking the door open to reveal the back of a head that was covered in vibrant, red hair.
I blinked a few times as the person turned to look down at me. I stepped back from the doorway to allow her entrance, a small smile curving the corners of my mouth as I spoke, "Good evening Erza, won't you please come in?"
As I watched her come in, I felt a bit of trepidation started to fill me, as the thought of her trying to talk me out of my vacation alone ran through my head. "Thank you, Lucy. I hope you are calmed down after what happened earlier," she said, making her way over to my couch to sit down, crossing her legs at the ankle as a proper lady should.
Closing my door, I made sure that my eyes never left her as she stared back at me. I eventually walked towards her, my mouth moving before I could think, "If you are here to talk me out of going, then no offense, you would be wasting your breath and both of our time." My voice was both calm and neutral.
Sitting down across from her on a chair at my table, I saw her eyes widen slightly at what I just said, making her frown a bit as her brow was pulled into a small crease between her eyes. With a slight shake of her head, a bit of my tension faded away. Though there was still something in me that just didn't trust her intentions at being here, especially after I had my little 'episode' at the guild, but at the same time, I was also glad that she was here right now.
"Lucy, I promise you I am not here to talk you out of going or even trying to use force to make your stay. I completely approve of your needing time alone to understand all of this and focus on yourself and well-being. What I want to know is about the dream, that is, if you are willing to tell me any more of it. A part of me hurts that you didn't trust me to tell me about it, but instead chose Mira, though she is fairly well versed in some of that stuff, with love always on her brain," Erza whispered, her emotions flickering in the doe brown depths of her eyes.
Feeling myself flinch just a little bit at her words, I let out a breath I wasn't aware that I had been holding. "Thank you for not trying to stop me. Also, I'm sorry that I didn't tell you first, but I hadn't even thought of telling anyone. Mira just caught me at the right moment, since I had gone to the guild that day extra early after waking up from this dream. Now, if you will keep it a secret, I will tell you about it," I said, letting my head hang a bit in shame at hurting her and thinking bad.
Silence prevailed for a few minutes before I heard Erza's booted footsteps coming closer. When they stopped before me, I looked up to see her staring down at me. In the next second, she was on her knees and hugging me close to her body. I stiffened only for the briefest of seconds before I relaxed and hugged her back, letting a soft giggle escaped my lips. She was like the big sister I'd never had, and I couldn't for the life of me ever be mad, upset, or keep anything from her, not when she got that child-like interest and amusement in her eyes.
"Okay, Erza. Thank you. I feel a bit better now, and I'm sorry to have upset you. Would you like some tea and slightly frozen strawberry rhubarb pie while I tell you about the dream?" I asked with a bit of a teasing tone to my voice.
Her head turned to look me directly in the face with a broad, foppish, eager grin on her lips. "Yes, please. That would be most delightful."
Unable to keep from it, I burst out laughing as she released me from the hug and scooted away to stand up. Once she had given me enough space, I too stood and made my way towards my kitchenette, my laughter shaking my whole body, causing the rest of my tension to flee. Swiftly, I made the tea and dished up three slices of the pie onto two plates, making sure that Erza had two large slices, knowing her appetite for sweets involving strawberries.
Once I was back in my living space with the food placed before Erza, I sat next to her, watching her dig into the pie excitedly. "Well, to start, I was having this dream for a while before I told Mirajane about it. I am walking along a beach at either sunrise or sunset. I look up into the sky to see something falling towards the land. My eyes follow its trajectory, and I realize that whatever this object is, it will land further down on the beach. So I continue to walk, then as it gets closer to the beach, I first start to jog then outright run towards it." My voice was soft, sounding distant as I recalled the dream to Erza.
Stopping at that point, I take a bit of my slice of pie, savoring the sweet tanginess before swallowing it. Then taking my cup up from the coffee table, I gave the hot liquid a few quick puffs of breath before taking my first sip of the lemon and chamomile tea, allowing the pleasant fragrance to waft around me. Noting that there were no other sounds, I let my eyes take a quick peek at Erza, who was now just sitting beside me, watching me with the intent on her face, not eating her pie. Knowing instinctively that she wanted to hear more of the dream, I let out a soft sigh and put my cup back down.
Staring at the cup for a few more seconds, I eventually found myself speaking again, my voice soft and distant once more. "As I run towards where the object would land, I feel a tightening in my chest, some feeling that whatever it is, I have to be the first person to find it. The excitement welling up inside me only spurs me to run faster and faster, until I feel as if I am laboring for air. After some time, there is a loud rumbling, with the ground shaking under my feet as bright white light flares up from where the object crash lands, just as I reach the area. In my dream, I blink my eyes a few times, until the light fades away to a small floating oval. Around the small crater, there are beautiful white feathers, with more falling from the glowing object before me. Hesitating a bit, I reach out a hand to touch whatever the thing is. Shock and amazement are what register as what I feel is soft like the feathers floating around me, if not softer. But when I try to see what I am touching, I always wake up, breathing heavily as if I am not to find out what I am touching. See my issue now?"
Once more, there was silence in my apartment, but it was soon broken as Erza spoke up her voice full amazement. "I can sorta see why that is an issue, on many levels, Lucy. You are curious, frustrated, exhausted, and troubled from this recurring dream. But if I may ask you, why are you choosing to go to that particular beach for your vacation. Does the one in your dream resemble that beach somehow?"
Her question was a legit and innocent one, but it caused me to pause as I leaned forward to pick up my cup of tea. I blinked my eyes at the cup owlishly a few times before a smile spread across my lips. Sitting back suddenly and looking at Erza, I just shook my head in amazement. Without thinking or realizing why I choose to go there, she had after just hearing about the dream.
With a wry chuckle, I looked at her for a few more seconds, as she patiently waited for my response. "I guess so. And to make it cornier, I chose that place without thinking about it or realizing it. This time I at least know that I won't be going to the spirit world without warning." My voice came out full of entertainment that was echoed in her eyes as she seemed amazed.
"But Erza, I want you to promise me that you won't let that pink-haired idiot follow me. His words hurt me very badly that he thinks I always need to be protected, as I am unable to do it myself."
I got a slow but gentle nod of her head as she finished eating the last of her two pie slices. Taking a quick peek at my clock, I could see it was almost nine-thirty pm. Not feeling very hungry still, I offered her the plate, which she gladly took and began to tuck into. Watching her eat desserts never failed to amaze me in the least, because it always vanished in a matter of seconds.
"I promise to try my best Lucy to keep him from going. As for Gray, he is apprehensive about you and hurt by your actions, but more upset with Natsu for what he said to you. Now don't get me wrong, we all know that you're the weakest member of our team, but your strength doesn't come from anything physical. You are strong mentally and emotionally, and that is the strength that you are always giving to us on missions, especially when things get destroyed. So I want you to go and enjoy your vacation, sort this out, and find the meaning of what it is trying to tell you. It does sound rather important. As for tomorrow, I will have the guys take a mission with me, so that there is less chance of them disturbing you, okay?" she said with a smile on her face as she swallowed the last bite of pie, then down the whole cup of tea.
Leaning back into my couch, I watched her while mulling over her words in my head. She was trying to be helpful and fair to not only me but to Gray as well. I understood that she had come alone to let me know how I had hurt my teammates by my choice of actions, but telling me without actually saying it, that they accept my decision. Closing my eyes, as tears began to burn, and I struggled to blink them away. When I opened them again, Erza had already stood up and was putting both cup and plate onto the coffee table.
Giving me a playful wink, she walked to my front door, only pausing long enough to open it as she spoke, "Get some sleep, Lucy. You have a long and busy day tomorrow." Her words made me realize that I was tired, as I heard the door to my apartment, click shut quietly.
Standing up from my couch, I looked at my door for a few minutes more, then gathered up all the dishes, taking them to my kitchenette and putting them in the sink. I ran some warm water over the plates with one hand while using the other to put dish soap on my sponge, and in a matter of minutes, I had them all washed up and in the strainer, drying. Satisfied with it all, I made my way to the bathroom and gathered up my shower supplies, dumping them in a small carry bag. Once the carry bag was zipped up, I made my way to the suitcase by my bed and knelt to shove it in the partially zipped bag, before finally closing it all the way.
With a soft, melancholy sigh, I stood up and crawled onto my bed. I looked out my window at night that bathed Magnolia in its dark cloak, allowing the buildings to light up like small treasures, and I latched my window, before using a padlock to make sure it was completely inaccessible, short of brute force, which would tell me who let themselves in without permission. Done with my small task, I let my body flop onto the top of my pink and white comforter, before squirming around to get under it and drift off to dreamland, where my dream would be waiting for me.
TBC!