01| FAIRY TAIL
Wendy Marvell and her white exceed, Carla, were the first members of Fairy Tail Natsu and Happy had managed to find in their own personal mission to revive the Fairy Tail guild. The two had been part of Lamia Scale, who then pieced together what had happened when Natsu and Happy had left. She told them no one knew they had gone to train, that Lucy hadn't said anything when Master Makarov disband the guild.
"No one really knew why he did what he did, but at the same time no one argued his choice." Wendy had told him. "Everyone had suddenly went their separate ways, probably for the best to comprehend what happened in battle and sort out through their own losses."
It made sense, Natsu knew he didn't exactly have the right to judge or get completely upset because it was the same exact thing he did for the past year. He left without a word, just a note to his celestial mage and was gone. Telling Wendy about Happy and his plan to bring the guild back together, had made the sky dragon slayer a bit emotional about leaving the guild who took her in when she had no one else.
Yet after an emotional talk with her sky sister, Cheila, Wendy made the choice to go and help bring her family back together with Carla and said her temporary goodbyes to the members of Lamia Scale she had come to enjoy the presence of.
The four then embarked on a journey to find Lucy, who Wendy had the address of due to the fact they had sent letters back and forth every now and then. Only Wendy had admitted to the fact that Lucy hadn't responded back in a while and wasn't even sure if Lucy was even still at that address in the heart of Crocus.
Natsu and company were then led to an apartment complex that was empty. Getting into Lucy's new apartment had been easy enough, but both dragon slayers could tell it had been a while since Lucy had actually been in her own apartment with the lack of a strong scent. In fact, her sent was faded on the furniture and living area.
It hadn't kept the fire dragon slayer from snooping through Lucy's belongings to look for clue to where she could have possibly went, despite Wendy's attempts to stop him before she caved to help her fellow dragon slayer with Happy and Carla.
"Natsu." Wendy called from the room Natsu could tell had been Lucy's, it was the strongest point of the house that carried her faded scent.
Looking around the room, Natsu wasn't surprised to find it nearly immaculately clean. Even in Magnolia she had been nagging about how their team always made a mess and to clean up, although over time she gave up trying to make that happen when they were around. With how neat the bed was made and the layer of dust coating the furniture, it was clear Lucy had not been home for a while now.
Which unsettled both dragon slayers.
Shifting his onyx eyes towards where Wendy stood, his gaze fell onto the wall the air dragon slayer was looking over. Slowly his eyes widen, seeing the red lines and article clippings next to pictures of their guild members- even his own picture with Happy.
"She was tracking everyone she could from the guild." Carla spoke up, looking over the little sticky notes that littered the wall. "Latest sightings and what they were doing. They date back three months ago."
"Three months ago." Wendy muttered, letting her finger trace the picture of her and Carla marked down at Lamia Scale. "She put so much time in tracking us. Do you think she went to track more?"
Carla glanced at Wendy and then back at the wall, "No child, she got these notes from articles. Didn't you say Lucy mentioned she now worked for Sorcerer Weekly?"
Wendy nodded, recalling one of the few letters Lucy had sent that mentioned what it was she was now doing when Wendy asked if she would join another guild, like Sabertooth since Yukino was there and she was another celestial mage.
"I don't have the heart to join another guild, Wendy. I'm not judging or blaming you, because I'm sure others did as well to make ends meet for money. I just can't. Fairy Tail was my home, is my home where all my family is. No one will ever replace that, so I decided to chase my dream of being a writer and came to Crocus. Jason took me in under his wing as a editor in training after I tried to make my own ends meet with modeling. I like it here."
It was the last letter Lucy had sent, if Wendy could recall correctly. In that moment she read it, Wendy didn't realize how much emotion lacked from it. There was no passion behind those words Lucy written, and it made Wendy question how good of friend she was not seeing that Natsu wasn't with her sooner. Lucy never mentioned him once, nor anyone else.
"We should check with that weird reporter guy then." Natsu says, taking a step forward and taking in the words Lucy written next to his own picture with Happy. Unknown.
"The really energetic one?" Happy asked, flying net to Natsu.
"That's the one buddy!" Natsu grinned, taking off with Happy running down the street towards the office building the magazine was held in with Wendy and Carla running after them.
"Lucy?" Jason frowned and then shook his head at the four her barged in. "Lucy isn't missing. She's been keeping herself so busy that I'm afraid she'll work herself to death."
Usually Jason would be more excited to publish this story, getting in their faces but after working with Lucy and learning her secret grief after catching her crying one shift, he didn't have it in him. Instead he only wrote notes in a notepad to remember key points to publish in the future.
"I knew that was a thing." Natsu muttered, rubbing his chin.
Carla ignored the fire dragon slayer's comment and responded to Jason, "But that doesn't tell us where Lucy is."
"Honestly, I couldn't tell you. She volunteered to cover a story that would cause her to travel around the kingdom for at least six months, possibly eight." Jason informed them truthfully. "It was a position for a lead writer here, but she jumped at the job when the other worker fell through."
"Do you know when she'll be home?" Wendy asked the reporter, who was relatively calm for the first time.
Jason sighed and shook his head, "She just sent a letter that she was going on her next lead, and reassured she was fine. Also mentioned she should be home in about three to four months."
Jason knew the reason the blonde worked herself so hard was because she missed Fairy Tail and felt guilty about her sacrifice that Jason only told her made her a hero to them all ( information he came to know by accident and swore to keep to himself). She may have sacrificed a friend, and as wrong as it seemed she saved so many in return. No one would judge Lucy for her choice, but then again she had herself to be her worst enemy.
Wendy had let her shoulders drop in the disappointment she felt that it would be later rather than sooner when they would see Lucy again. Yet she understood that Lucy didn't know that they were trying to get the guild back together, so she kept herself busy working. Making a living just like how Carla and Wendy herself took job requests at Lamia Scale.
"I can tell her you were looking for her whenever she checks in next." Jason offered, seeing how the fire dragon slayer looked particularly upset at the news of Lucy's job. "Sometimes she surprises me with lacrima calls, but that doesn't happen very often."
Natsu perked up at this, because maybe if Lucy knew that the guild was going to get back together then she would come home right away. She would find them with her surprisingly good tracking skills and help rebuild their home and family.
"If she calls, you better tell her that Fairy Tail is back and stronger than ever." Natsu says, pointing at Jason.
"We haven't even gotten anything back together yet." Carla tsked, shaking her head at the pink haired idiot. "The last thing we should do is have Jason lie to Lucy about us being home and her coming back to what she left, which was nothing."
Natsu knew that Carla had a point, that maybe if Lucy did happen to call soon then Jason would tell her about their plans and then she would head home. Once she would return back home, which would probably be before them, she would see the destruction and abandonment she originally left.
It would only hurt her more.
"If she happens to call, I'll tell her you four stopped by with the mission to find everyone from your guild. I'll even update the status of your journey and will tell her you're up and running again or still working on it." Jason offers, knowing how important these people where to his friend.
As much as Jason knew Lucy had a passion for her work there at Sorcerer Weekly, she had more of a drive when it came to her guild and the missions with her team. Jason had even see her with Team Natsu back at the Fairy Tail guild, and knew her smile now a days was nowhere near as radiant as it had been during the guild days.
Yet Jason could only watch the four Fairy Tail members embark on their journey as they left through his doors, determined to track down those Lucy had carefully and skillfully tracked through her means here. Only then could Jason crack a smile as hope fluttered into his chest that maybe they would succeed and that Lucy would be back to where she and her heart truly belonged.
Good luck, you four. I can't wait for how this story ends.
It took Natsu, Carla, Happy, and Wendy all of two months to track everyone down that Lucy had tracked originally, and get them to help locate the others to bring back home. Some were found in places Natsu never thought they would be, like Levy and Gajeel with Lily working for the royal guard. Or Gray working under cover in a cult as a member, and Erza being in on it.
Yet the one thing that remained the same was the urge for everyone to return home. Erza had given Natsu that rare smile, telling him that despite them all needing a moment to breathe and readjust to life again, they all belonged with each other in the guild.
We're nakama, no matter what. Thank you Natsu, Wendy, Happy, Carla.
Makarov had passed the position of Guild Master to Laxus, who was more than ready to lead the guild and have his family back together. Makarov himself was proud of who Laxus was becoming, but wasn't surprised that Laxus was suddenly ready to be guild master. Maybe not ready for the future paper work, but he'd come a long way from the boy pretending to be a man to becoming a man who has experienced hardships.
Yet despite what they had been through the past year, mostly everyone was the same. Cana still drank her body weight and more, Mira was cheerful and outgoing, Gray still stripped and Juvia was still in love. Happy only wanted his fish and Carla still had her opinions. Erza was more mature, if possible, but somewhat a bit compassionate? Natsu wasn't sure, but even himself had changed for the better.
It had been a normal day in the guild, well as normal as it could be with them coming back together in an effort to heal wounds that still lingered. It was clear people matured and grew from the situation, taking life by the reigns and trying to live it to the fullest as possible. Life was short and unpredictable, which was proven right as the newly rebuild guild doors slammed open to reveal Arcadios.
"Arcadios?" Makarov questioned, standing from his seat to face the man who guarded the Princess under most occasions. "What brings you here?"
"A mission for your guild, or more so a few selected members." Arcadios announced, surprising most because a mission from a Holy Knight member was a high classed mission that was most likely dangerous, an d very rarely given.
"The whole guild is being tasked a mission?" Erza rose an eyebrow at Arcadios.
The older man didn't know how to break this news to one of the most destructive guilds. In all honesty it was only a matter of how much destruction would it bring than when, even if they were separated for a year. Anything that ever involved a member of their own guild turned them to seek blood, maybe not literally but they'd shed it if needed.
"You and Sabertooth have been tasked this mission by Princess Hisui herself, who's made it clear how delicate and private this mission really is." Arcadios tells Erza, fully entering the guild now as everyone began to tune in.
"Why would she pair us with Sabertooth for a mission?" Gray questioned, not meaning it in a bad way but wondering why that particular match up and what the mission was exactly.
"The mission would have been classified as an S-class job, but then new information revealed that this particular job would be more personal for both Sabertooth and Fairy Tail." Arcadios continued, trying to not word anything wrong. "Princess Hisui then decided it would be best the two guilds handled the now personal affairs, especially after all you've sacrificed for this kingdom."
"Yeah? How so is it personal to us and Sabertooth?" Gajeel questioned, not to sure if he was ready to face another life and death situation with his guild just yet when not everyone was fully healed mentally or emotionally. Which was the direction the damn man in front of him seemed to be going.
"Princess Hisui would like for both guilds to work together to locate the whereabouts of seven missing high profiled mages and people of status." Arcadios slowly revealed, ready to now rip the bandage off the wound.
"How is that personal to us?" Gray questioned, a new uneasiness settling in. Who the hell was missing that wasn't already counted for?
"Two of the seven missing mages are both Sting Effucile from Sabertooth, and your fellow guild mate, Lucy Heartfilia."
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