Disclaimer: I (unfortunately) do NOT own Fairy Tail or any of the characters. I only am responsible for the (albeit poorly written and devised) plot.

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She remembered Natsu's face staring down at her, horrified, as she felt herself plummeting down. Smiling in a trance-like, dazed sort of phase, Lucy didn't realize until it was too late.

Natsu.

NATSU.

But before Lucy could open her mouth to scream his name one last time-

Her body hit the bottom.

Lucy's eyes shot open.

And she immediately closed them.

Shit, it's bright.

It made sense, after being submerged in darkness for who knows how long, that her eyes would have to adjust. That didn't, however, justify the unusual amount detail that rushed at her head inch a short time. Lucy moaned, disoriented.

Huh. That was weird.

"Princess!" She heard a familiar cry.

Virgo.

Lucy sat up slowly, surprised to find that she felt... absolutely fine. Great, even.

She turned her head, to the side, cracking her neck and yawning. Blinking rapidly, she lifted a hand comb her hair back. But something caught her eye.

Lucy screamed.

Her right hand...

Was blank.

One unexpected downside of the whole thing, that no one had remembered until after the funeral, was Lucy's keys.

Her Celestial Spirits.

It was heartbreaking, to know that they hadn't even informed them of Lucy's passing in time for the ceremony. But how could they have? There was no way to summon them; not without another Celestial Wizard. And Yukino had been on a mission with Sting and Rogue at the time, so that counted her out.

And then, there was the matter of how the contracts would be changed.

When Yukino arrived at the Fairy Tail guild, having received the horrific news upon returning to her own guild, she came in flanked by Sting and Rogue on either side. The whole way there, she'd been jittery, stuck in a phase of denial. Lucy, her friend, couldn't have died. No. Impossible.

But then the news had been confirmed by Master Makarov himself, and Yukino had broken down immediately. Her hopeful demeanor cracking and shattering in an instant. Of course, Sting had been there to try and pick up the pieces, but he too had been rattled. (Yes, I ship Sting/Yukino. Deal with it.) Since he'd met them, the members of Fairy Tail, (all of them, not just Lucy), they'd always seemed... untouchable. Sure, sometimes they got into really, really bad situations, but... To have one of them die?

For real?

It came as a shock to both the twin Dragon Slayers. With shaky hands from both girls, Erza handed Yukino Lucy's key ring. Which resulted in a whole new wave of sadness, from Sabertooth and Fairy Tail members alike.

Still puffy-eyed and sniffling, Yukino chose one very specific key, and held it out with a trembling hand.

"Open. Gate of the Lion."

...And that when it really began to go downhill.

Loke materialized with his back to his key, eyes trained on Gray's, of all people, tear-stained face.

"Hey gu- Gray, what the hell?" Loke began to approach, when with a quick glance to the side, he spotted Natsu's face.

His resemblance to a skeleton was uncanny.

Loke spun on his heel, ready to start demanding answers.

"Lucy, what the fuck is going o-"

His expression fizzled out completely, once he saw the girl holding his key, who also looked like she was trying to to crumple in on herself, was most definitely not Lucy. Yukino, with tears streaming down her face, nearly dropped the shiny gold trinket. Sting rushed in to catch her, once he saw her knees buckling.

"No..." Yukino whispered, all faith drained from her voice. "No, I shouldn't have been able to call you out." She shook her head, not willing to believe it. "Another Celestial wizard can't summon a Spirit that's not theirs even with their key unless-" she hiccuped, a sob racking her chest.

"-unless the Spirit's previous contract has been broken."

It took Loke a few seconds for that to sink in. It took another minute or two for him to fully understand what she was getting at.

"Lucy... Where's Lucy?!"

Head whipping around frantically, Loke searched the room for the familiar blonde.

It was all in vain. She was nowhere to be seen. Surprisingly, Natsu had been the one to interrupt his futile search.

"She's dead," Natsu spoke, his voice raspy after not having used it for so long.

"Lucy's dead."

Hysterical, Lucy quickly blinked, hoping her eyesore playing tricks on her. Continuing to stare at her hand, her breath was coming in short bursts.

"My- my guild mark," Lucy stammered. "Where is it? Where did it go?"

"Princess," Virgo said slowly. "Please, breathe."

Lucy complied, eyes still wild and wide.

"Your guild mark is gone because well... Technically speaking, you aren't a member of Fairy Tail anymore."

"Excuse me?!"

"Princess... you died."

"...huh?"

Suddenly the strange dream all made sense. Except, it wasn't a dream. It was a memory.

"...I fell off a cliff, didn't I?" Lucy asked hesitantly, knowing full well that she was right, before Virgo even responded. Flashes of the event were coming back to her rapidly, all piecing together to form a conclusion.

"Oh. So I'm dead?" Lucy asked, tilting her head to the side. "Huh. Man, this is not what I thought heaven would look like," Lucy mused, turning her head to get a better look around. Iridescent walkways were surrounded by floating crystal formations. What looked like stars glowed brightly in the distance. She currently sat in a grand structure that resembled an amphitheater.

"No, Princess, you are certainly not in heaven. You're just in the Spirit World."

"Oh..." Lucy suddenly bolted upright. "What the hell am I doing in the Spirit World? And if I'm dead, what happened to you? To all my Spirits? What about our contracts? Ohmygod, have you found new keepers for your keys? I'm so sorry for-"

"Only you could be apologizing for dying," Virgo said, her rarely seen, dry sense of humor making an appearance. "Yes, our contracts were all dissolved, but we were all passed on to your good friend-"

Lucy thought it over, before realizing there was only one person who her keys could have possibly gone to.

"Oh, Yukino! That's great, she's an amazing person, who really cares about her Spirits!"

"-and you aren't dead," Virgo interrupted Lucy's epiphany.

"You're a Spirit."

Yukino stared down at the keys that now were hers. It was like a slap in the face looking at Lucy's keys-

Not Lucy's keys. Not anymore. My keys, Yukino mentally corrected herself. She found herself slipping up more often now, accidentally forgetting the Spirits were technically hers now. But in her heart, she knew, just as well as everybody did, that they weren't truly her Spirits. They were Lucy's.

Sighing, Yukino banged her head down onto the table. Moaning, she proceeded to repeat the action twice more.

Two weeks. Two measly weeks.

"You do know that you'll end up bruising your forehead like that?" A voice came from behind her. Not even looking up, Yukino knew who it was.

"Ah. Rogue." She heard his gentle footsteps as he approached. He took a seat next to her. "To what do I owe the pleasure of your company?" Once, he would have chuckled and then made an effort to humor her. But not since... Yeah. And certainly, not now, with everything going on.

"It'll be so strange," Yukino whispered, knowing Rogue would be able to hear it just fine. Though, she was talking more to herself than anything else. "Not having her there for it this year. It won't feel the same." Yukino gulped in air before continuing. "I know last year things went horribly for her, and we're partly to blame. But still-"

"It won't really be Fairy Tail without her. I understand."

Yukino raised her head to give him a grateful look. She was appreciative for his words, and her eyes showed it.

"... Well, no use standing around, is there?" Yukino asked after a few moments of comfortable silence, her voice considerably lighter. She stood, holding out a hand to pull Rogue off the wooden bench. He took it, and as usual, was surprised by the strength the Celestial mage possessed. It was hard to keeping mind that this pretty, innocent-appearing girl had once been trained in the military.

"Two weeks," Yukino said absentmindedly. "Will Fairy Tail even be ready in two weeks?"

"I doubt it," Rogue replied honestly after thinking it over. "All of Fairy Tail's old fighting spirit seems to have vanished. They still take on and accomplish extraordinary feats. But from what I've heard, and this rumor I happen to believe is true, their driving force seems to be sorrow. Sometimes anger, or trying to achieve retribution for Lucy. I don't know how I feel about fighting them, even if it is a friendly match. It just all seems... wrong."

"But then again, they always have been rather good at avenging their comrades. And especially Luc-" Rogue tripped over the name, wincing. "Dammit," he swore. "It's had to grasp, even now. That she's gone."

"I still can't believe they even entered this year," Yukino admitted, .

"Well, at least the Grand Magic Games will finally give them something to devote their energy to."

"...Me?!" Lucy squeaked in disbelief. "A Spirit?"

"Why yes," a booming voice came form behind them. "It appears that is the situation."

Virgo's calm composure faltered for a second. Which was extraordinary and inexplicable on its own, but more importantly, Lucy managed to follow the quick changes in her facial expression.

Virgo bowed deeply, and Lucy didn't quite understand before turning around herself.

The Celestial Spirit King.

"Oh!" Lucy yelped, remembering her manners. When she instinctively went to give a deep curtsy (like ones she'd learned to do impeccably with her private tutors as a young child), Lucy noticed what she was wearing and her bafflement only grew.

Rising from her show of respect, Lucy cleared her throat.

"So umm, your... Majesty?" Lucy asked, not sure exactly what to address him as. He chuckled, crossing his arms of his chest.

"What, no 'Stache-Face' this time?" he asked, his voice laced with humor. Remembering her first encounter with the overwhelmingly powerful being, Lucy blushed. When she opened her mouth to stammer out an apology, he simply let out a laugh.

"I'm just playing with you," he said, still chuckling. "No hard feelings, eh?"

Nervously, Lucy glanced over at Virgo for guidance. Virgo shrugged, clearly not in her element.

"So, uh, your Highness, can I ask you something?"

"Of course."

"Well I was just wondering... why exactly am I a Spirit?"

"Because of your service to your Spirits, I would guess," he answered. Lucy's eyebrows rose.

"You would guess? You mean, this wasn't your doing?"

"No, it isn't, though I do agree with whatever forced allowed this to be so."

"Why me though?" Lucy pressed. "There have been other Celestial Wizards before me. They died, and they passed on. What makes me so special? Other Celestial Wizards have cared about their Spirits before."

"Yes, that might be so. But take it from me, I have never met another mage that went to such great lengths for their Spirits. Like your efforts that kept your dear friend Leo alive. You would rather die than not do everything in your power to keep your Spirits safe. But I am also led to believe you were given this opportunity because, well... you deserve a second chance."

"But..." Lucy took a moment to look down again. She had to admit, it was... nothing short of perfect. However... "What the hell is this getup?"

It was a Greek inspired dress, Lucy was fairly certain. White fabric fell to her ankles, and was slit up the sides of both legs, making it surprisingly easy to move around. (Which led her to believe that fighting in it wouldn't be much of a challenge either. That is, as long as she didn't trip over the skirt.) With a golden belt worn higher than her hips, and matching gold bands around her biceps, Lucy looked like royalty from another era.

Lifting the white fabric just a bit, she saw she wore sandals laced halfway up her calf. Placed on her head (though, she didn't know it just yet), was a laurel, dotted with tiny white flowers.

"You have taken on a role that has been vacant for quite some time. Andromeda, the princess of Ethiopia. I assume you've heard the legend?"

Lucy nodded.

"The story of the princess Andromeda, who was to be sacrificed to a giant sea serpent to appease the gods. She was chained to a rock on the coast, left to die. The hero, Perseus, happened to be passing by on his winged sandals after killing the gorgon medusa. Using his sword and shield, he defeated the monster, and took Andromeda's hand in marriage," Lucy recounted the story, reciting it almost word for word from her mythology lesson.

"Well, like many legends, this one contains some truth. Though," he tapped his shin, thinking deeply. "I do believe somewhere along the line the roles were switched, and a mistake was made. Andromeda was the hero, with the sword and shield, who flew in to save the day."

An amused glimmer came to the King's eyes then, and it made Lucy nervous.

"Though, you'll notice that your wings aren't on your shoes."

Lucy, looking down to confirm what she already knew, saw that indeed, her shoes were lacking wings.

Then where...?

Her eyes widened with realization.

Oh.

Her lips stretched back, revealing teeth as she broke out into a wicked grin.

"Oh, that is cool."

Craning her neck to look behind her, Lucy found them folded up against her back.

Her very own wings.

And then she remembered. Out of nowhere, it hit her like a ton of bricks.

"The Guild!" She cried, horrified that she hadn't realized sooner. "My friends! Ohmygod, if I'm dead, then... How will I ever see them again?" Lucy was wringing her hands, panic spreading like wildfire though her nerves. "My team! What about them? Oh god, I was on a job with them at the time, are they all okay? Did they... Did they make it?" Virgo nodded, and Lucy sighed with relief.

"Good," her smiled faltered once more. "But... Natsu..." she looked up at the king. "Will I ever see him again?"

"Well, that I can't be sure about. It's all up to your new 'master,' so to speak. In other words, if your key holder allows it."

"...speaking of which, who is the holder of my key now?" Lucy asked. She turned to Virgo. "I assume my keys," Lucy stopped, the fact that her Spirits were not longer, well, her Spirits just hitting her. "I mean, your keys were passed on to..."

Virgo nodded, answering Lucy's question.

"Well alright then. And does this mean my key also...?" Virgo nodded once more.

"Awesome."

Following the broad strides of the King, Lucy found it wasn't hard to keep up.

Flying really made distances seem a lot smaller.

Lucy looped around several times, whooping with joy at the sensation of finally, actually flying. Her wings made strong, powerful strokes, propelling her body as she twisted and turned in the air. Testing her control, Lucy stopped in midair, and suddenly dropped to the ground, landing softly on her toes.

Virgo almost smiled, the corners of her eyes even crinkling.

While Virgo usually didn't show much emotion, today had been an exception.

Loke had just brought the news of Lucy's death a few hours ago. (Remember, time is a lot faster in the Spirit World). To say they'd taken it hard was an understatement. They're been utterly devastated. For many of them, especially Loke and Aries, they'd never had a contract with a Celestial Mage who treated them as real people. Friends, even. Sure, from what Lucy had told them... back when she was alive, Yukino was a kind 'master' as well. But... it just wasn't the same.

Aquarius and Loke seemed to be taking it the hardest. Loke, the person who Lucy had once risked her own life to save, was full of anger that had nowhere to go. Translation: he was full of rage, and was not to be bothered. Aquarius, on the other hand, was quite the opposite. She was silent.

Aquarius.

Silent.

Two words which should never have been used in the same sentence, had somehow become a reality.

Which was how the other Spirits knew that things were not looking good. When the 'big three' so to speak (Aquarius, Loke, and Virgo) had no more faith in a situation, that's when... Things weren't looking so good. Things were bad. Really bad.

The future looked pretty bleak as of late, and no one was sure if things would ever really be okay again. Their grief was so... raw and painful, that it began to eat them up inside, and would probably wear them all away until nothing was left.

That's what Virgo had been thinking. That's how Virgo had felt.

Until she felt the great burst of energy just suddenly appear out of nowhere. The disturbance sent her senses into red alert immediately, and Virgo was on her feet faster than a human eye could register. Nearly tripping over herself in her haste to focus on something other than her mourning, Virgo was racing through the deserted pathways. While not all the Spirits had a personal connection to Lucy (hell, some of them hadn't even ever met her), it was a very serious thing for a Celestial Wizard to pass away, especially while still holding contracts with Spirits at the time.

Everyone mourned.

Everyone.

Even the King kept his head bowed in respect for the strong-willed girl he'd encountered on several occasions.

That being said, it wasn't hard to navigate through a crowd... Seeing as it was nonexistent.

In the Spirit World, each Spirit had a... house of some sort. A designated place that really was theirs, and held a familiarity that put them at ease. The structure paired with each Spirit was technically where they lived (they had to be somewhere when they weren't being summoned, right?), an area that was home to them.

Imagine Virgo's surprise when a giant Colosseum came into view.

Virgo skidded to a stop, staring in bewilderment at the huge structure that had most definitely not been there earlier that day.

And then imagine her entering the giant structure, to find a newborn Spirit laid out in the very center of the floor. Not a single hair out of place, the figure was unmoving, and their lips just barely curved up into a smile. Almost as if they were having a good dream.

Which was ironic, seeing as a) that was most definitely not the case and b) this was slowly becoming a living nightmare for Virgo.

And then her eyes, which had been focused on the sleeping figure's mouth, slid upwards to take in the rest of the face.

"Princess!"

What do you think of it?

-Pyro