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.
Natsu cocked his head to the side, squinting his eyes at the shirtless (though, Gray would later claim he had no idea how that came to be) Ice Mage.
"Eh?"
Gray groaned, hands going up to scratch his head. Tugging at his hair, Gray was irritated with himself just thinking about it. There had been so many signs, not just about Natsu liking Lucy but also for Lisanna and Natsu being strictly platonic. Gajeel was clearly astounded at how oblivious the Guild could be at times.
"Wait..." Pieces were clicking together and the gears were turning in Natsu's mind. "You don't mean..."
Gray nodded sullenly, flinching already. God, this was so embarrassing now that he was thinking about all the signs that very clearly stated that Natsu held nothing but brotherly affection for the youngest Strauss sibling.
"WHAT?!"
"Yeah."
"BUT ME AND LISANNA WOULD NEVER-"
"Uh huh."
"WHY WOULD YOU EVEN-"
"I DON'T EVEN KNOW!" Gray suddenly burst, trying not to succumb to the urge to hit something. "I mean if you looked, if you really looked at it you'd realize that there was no way in hell that you'd ever have liked Lisanna in that way but when you were little everyone just assumed- well the assumed when she came back you'd still-"
"Still?"
"Well we were all wrong about that too, if it's any consolation."
"Wait," Natsu stopped, trying to focus on one thought first. When it was clear that he was trying to fight through many different emotions and needed a moment, Gajeel intervened with a few questions of his own. One thing that Gajeel, and Natsu as well actually, was surprised about more than almost anything was the fact that: he'd never heard this rumor before. They were Dragon Slayers, for God's sake, with superior hearing. Whispers, secrets and gossip were something that, while they didn't usually indulge in, they were very aware of.
And the thing was, Gajeel would bet that Laxus, Wendy, or even Erik had never heard of the false information being passed around either. Mates were a sacred thing, and miscommunications that could lead to one losing a mate was something very serious. It was a sort of code, and honor-bound thing that just went without saying. They would help in any way they could because losing a mate was something that's a pain worse than death.
Funny, how all of them had been kept in the dark about this.
"How come none of the Dragon Slayers knew about this?"
Gray blinked.
Ah.
"Well... See, the rumor isn't talked about that much anymore, especially around certain members. We're very... careful. Only the people who've been around for a while know about it. New members wouldn't know. And even then, we don't really say anything anymore. And Erik's not really around enough to catch anything we could have thought around him. Most of the time, it'd just be you and Lisanna doing something, and a certain gesture or phrase could be interpreted romantically. Then looks would be exchanged, maybe a few knowing smiles, but... I dunno, I guess we figured it was good o be careful."
Gray paused before deciding whether or not Lucy would want him to continue.
"But we don't really do that anymore. Just in case... well, just in case Lucy saw."
Wait.
Huh?
Gray was suddenly fidgeting in his seat, wondering if Lucy could somehow come back and murder him from beyond the grave. Oh man... she would kill him if she could right now.
But then again, Lucy was... Lucy was dead. (Gray swallowed roughly, the death still too fresh an overwhelming for him to truly grasp at. Soon, maybe very soon in the future, but not yet.) Lucy's gone and Natsu deserved at least this much. He carried a burden far heavier than anyone else, and whether this would lighten the load, or make it worse, Gray didn't know. But...
Better from him than someone else.
"Lucy... Lucy was really sensitive about it," Gray finally said, after working up the nerve to speak.
Natsu and Gajeel were both silent, drinking in every word that escaped his lips.
"I mean, she didn't ever say anything about it. But you could tell. She just... Don't get me wrong, she loved Lisanna. She was one of the sisters that Lucy never had while she was growing up. But... Lucy loved you too, Natsu."
Gray didn't even pause, knowing that if he stopped he'd never get to finish the rest of this.
"Every time someone even mentioned it, Lucy's face would just fall and she looked... she just looked so sad. Mentioning it, or even being around while someone else mentioned it was like kicking a puppy. You'd just peek out of the corner of your eye, and you'd see her, looking so lost and miserable and just heartbroken. But then you'd turn to face her and she'd slap that smile of hers on and pretend like nothing happened."
Pause. Breathe. Continue.
"Eventually, we just stopped passing the looks around her period. Just in case she saw. But she knew. Because Lucy was always too smart for her own good."
Gray stood, looking down at Natsu. Eyes wide and hands trembling, he'd turned paper white in a matter of seconds. All because of Gray and his big mouth. Gray didn't regret it though. Natsu had deserved to know. Just as Lucy had deserved to know about Natsu. At least now, one of them had learned the truth.
"But she wanted you to be happy, Natsu. She wanted you to fall in love and have kids and make a future. Lucy was selfless. She died selflessly, because Lucy could never just stand and watch someone else suffer."
"Not unless it was herself," Gajeel said quietly. "Blondie would rather die than let someone harm one of us; one of Fairy Tail."
Natsu was just openly crying now, tears soundlessly streaming down his cheeks.
"And she ended up doing just that," Gray softly added.
Lucy would later look back at this moment and wonder why she was such an idiot.
Loke just kinda stared at her, glasses crooked on his pale face, which was of course twisted with horror.
Well, shit.
I suppose I could've phrased that better. I wanted to be a writer, for Mavis' sake.
No one moved.
Not.
An.
Inch.
Her smile frozen awkwardly on her face, Lucy wasn't quite sure how to progress from here.
Lucy had been trained for years on the estate how to handle certain situations. For diplomatic purposes of course. That sort of thing was important for business relations. Her father had been grooming her, she would realize later, to become a negotiator and pacifist as well as an ally. Assessing situations and seeing the best option was a skill she had developed rather well.
Her classes and lessons, however had not prepared her for a situation even slightly useful in this case.
Her resolve wavering for the slightest of moments, Lucy straightened her wings and knelt next to her beloved Lion. Reaching her hand out, Lucy looked radiant. Loke blinked up at her, and in any other situations, Lucy would've laughed at his expression.
Not this time though.
Sighing, Virgo rolled her eyes.
We're getting nowhere here.
"Hey," Lucy said, flashing that smile that was just so Lucy there wasn't any doubt that this was her. "Miss me?"
She half expected him to scramble away and continue staring at her like she was the subject of his worst nightmares. To say she was relieved when he didn't do either of those would be an understatement.
Aquarius, on the other hand, who had been slipping even before Lucy's sudden arrival, was about three seconds from losing her cool completely.
One.
Two.
Three.
Have you ever heard that saying? You know the one. Even the toughest guy is completely useless in any equation with either of these two elements: periods, and crying females. While it may be sexist, and a gender stereotype that has been proven to be false in many cases...
This was not one of those cases.
(Guess which element had every male in the vicinity panicking? I'll give you a hint; this one doesn't involve blood. Hormones, yes. Mother Nature rearing her ugly head as scheduled... not so much.)
And then Loke was clinging to her leg as if to make sure a) that she was real and b) she wouldn't just disappear if he looked away for a second. Aquarius still just had her lips slightly parted, and her eyes wide. Very, very wide.
Virgo sighed.
It was going to be a very long day.
Yukino stared at the ring of keys clasped in her fist, her knuckles white and her hand shaking.
Raising her eyes to meet the dark orbs peering intently, though not unkindly, into her own, Yukino swallowed roughly.
"I don't... I don't know, Rogue," she finally said. He nodded slowly, deep in thought, as if he'd ben expecting her answer.
"Honestly? I think... I mean, I don't think any of the teams are ready. Fairy Tail especially. For god's sake, we're all pretty rattled. It's not often that a Guild, especially one of Fiore's strongest, loses a member. I just... I never thought it was possible, you know?" Yukino said with a sigh. "Even Asuka, the little girl... We all just think they're invincible. Whenever they get hit hard enough for it to hurt them... They just hit back harder."
Leaning back, Yukino stared off at the waves slowly washing over the shore.
Sitting at a bench by the water, Yukino was glad that Rogue was there to keep her company.
Otherwise... well, she wasn't sure what she'd do.
She and Lucy had been pretty close. They'd send letters as often as they could between jobs; and met up at least once a month. Usually Yukino had gone to the Fairy Tail Guild Hall, so she could see everyone else in one trip. Even Levy, the blue haired girl, had become a great friend.
And then one day Dragon Slayers had come up in conversation.
Yukino relaxed on the bench, feeling the memories pulling at the corners of her mind. Sighing and leaning back, she succumbed, and let herself get swept away.
"What do you mean, 'mates?'" Yukino asked, her eyebrows rising with each syllable.
Sitting in a small restaurant maybe five minutes away from the Sabertooth Guild Hall, Levy, Lucy and Yukino were all huddled around the small circular table.
"Dragon Slayers are mated for life," Levy said, casting a nervous glance at Lucy, who had instantly gone very quite. "They find one person for the rest of their life, and that's pretty much it for them."
Yukino, feeling her heart deflate at this news, knowing her chances were slimming by the minute, slumped.
"Oh."
"And Dragon Slayers... they know. Who their mate is, I mean. Very early on, they'll be able to tell. Most of the time."
"...you like Natsu, don't you Lucy?" Yukino asked quietly. Lucy, not surprised that Yukino had been able to pick up on it so quickly, nodded. "So what's the problem?"
"Natsu already found his mate," Lucy admitted. "At least, from what I've seen and heard."
"Lucy... Are you sure-"
Yukino wasn't even sure how she'd feel in Lucy's shoes. To want something so bad, but all the while knowing it wasn't meant for you. And you'd just have to sacrifice it, if you really loved it enough. Ever hear that expression: if you really love something, let it go, if it's meant to be, it'll come back?
It was hard to imagine, the amount of strength it would take to give something up and have a broken heart on the sidelines.
"It's okay," Lucy reassured, though her aching heart told her otherwise. "I'll just... I'm working on it, alright?"
Yukino respectfully nodded, knowing that Lucy was probably in enough pain as it was. (Even though she didn't believe a single word she said.)
"And you, Yukino? You seem awfully interested in the whole 'mates' thing..." Levy said with a suggestive nudge to her elbow. Sighing, she uprighted herself in her chair.
"Yeah but... I think he likes someone else," Yukino answered.
"I'm sure that not true, Yukino. I'm sure-"
"I'm pretty sure Sting had a thing for Minerva," Yukino suddenly blurted. "Besides- you said he wouldn have known early on, right? We've known each other for years and..."
The table went silent.
And then both Lucy and Levy burst out laughing.
"Minerva? You gotta be kidding me, Yukino. Dear Mavis, I thought you were smarter than that," Levy said, still giggling. "I mean, I know they were rather close and all, but they aren't, they aren't mates," Levy struggled to get out as she panted for air."And Minerva's not even around anymore. Sting would be just a big ball of depression and emotions if she were his mate."
Yukino raised an eyebrow at the blue haired Script Mage, praying with every fiber of her being that Levy was telling the truth.
"Oh? And how would you know that? Seems to me you've done quite a bit of research on the subject..." It was Yukino's turn to trail off suggestively, prodding her with her elbow. Levy squeaked indignantly, her doe eyes bulging and spine stiffening. As is she'd been electrified, Levy jerked in her seat, jostling the entire freaking table.
"What?! No, no, I was just curious and I-"
"Save it," Yukino said with a laugh. "It's cute. I'm sure he'll appreciate the effort when he finds out."
"WHAT?! No, you can't tell him! I mean- er, I-"
"Don't sweat it Lev, you know we're just kidding," Lucy interjected with an easy smile. (Both her friends gave an internal sigh of relief when it was apparent that Lucy had returned to normal. It was unnerving, how quickly emotions could flit across her face and disappear. You never knew if you were seeing a mask that she'd put on, or the real deal.)
And later that very same day, when Yukino would hear Sting talking to his twin about him making a long-awaited move on his mate, she'd sink to the ground in tears, and finally understand how Lucy felt.
The crack in her heart was getting deeper and deeper by the day, Yukino had noted idly as she watched the clouds pass overhead. Rogue was watching her from the side idly, intrigued.
He was actually glad when a rather concerned Sting had come to him, practically begging him to keep and eye on Yukino. His blonde hair had been sticking up in many directions, as if he'd been running his hands through it over and over.
"Rogue, please, I need to ask a favor from you," Sting said as he sank down into his chair. Rogue waited, expectant. Sting was quiet for a little while.
"Please follow Yukino around," Sting suddenly blurted, wringing his hands. Rogue stifled the strangled laugh that threatened to escape his mouth by clearing his throat.
As Master, he was technically responsible for all the Guild Members, but Rogue had a sneaking suspicion that this went a little bit beyond that. (He found this rather amusing, to watch his 'twin' who had been so cool-headed all his life, finally become a nervous wreck. It was fucking hilarious.)
"I'm afraid I'm going to need a bit more context than that," Rogue finally managed, still trying to regain his composure, guffawing. Trying, and failing, to get it together, Rogue was snickering in a very un-Rogue-like manner. Wiping away a tear, Rogue turned to face his rather miffed best friend.
"I'm... I'm worried about her," Sting admitted. Finding this to be an acceptable answer, Rogue sighed and stood, nodding his head.
"Alright."
Turning on his heel to go find the Celestial Mage, Rogue was muttering under his breath.
"I swear if you're just living vicariously as her stalker through me-"
"I AM NOT!"
Rogue snickered once more, rather pleased at the strange looks Sting was receiving at his sudden outbusrt.
Ah. It was a good day indeed.
Aquarius did, in fact, have emotions. Quite a discovery to all those who knew her. (I'm just kidding.)
(Not really.)
If Loke had to pick which was more surprising, the fact that Lucy hadn't actually died won.
But not by much.
(Well, that might have been a bit of an exaggeration. But my point still stands.)
Loke, with tears in his eyes, tackled Lucy in a hug.
"Lucy!" he exclaimed, suddenly tackling her in a giant hug. "Lucy!"
And suddenly all her old Spirits were joining the hug, and Aquarius was swept up in the massive crowd. The current, so to speak, pushed her forward, and suddenly it was her and Lucy, or rather, Andromeda, face to face. The corner of her mouth just barely curving up to form some kind of resemblance to a smile, Aquarius, swung her arms out, capturing her head and enveloping it in a hug, which led to the rest of her body following suit.
"I missed you, little girl," Aquarius managed.
And so she had. Though, she wouldn't have to any longer.
In fact... perhaps they'd never have to say goodbye again.
Thank you so much. This was an amazing experience, and I really, really, am grateful to have been able to meet so many amazing people while working on this story. I know you were probably expecting a better ending from me, and were a little let down earlier when you read what my original plan was. And for that, I am so, so very sorry. I know I should have updated sooner, but I just... Well, it hardly matters now, does it?
Thank you, for reading Constellations by asian anonymous. It meant a lot to me.
-Pyro