Team Natsu headed up the stairs to Makarov's office and knocked on the door. A faint 'come in' could be heard from the other side and Erza opened the door. On one side of Makarov's desk were several stacks of paperwork, presumably from the Magic Council, that haven't been touched or reviewed from the looks of it. One the other side, a communication lacrima that Makarov just stared at with a serious stare.
"Master?" Lisanna asked.
"What is it?" He asked grumpily, sighing and looking away from the communication lacrima to face Team Natsu.
"Gramps, there's something up with our guild." Gray spoke up.
"What? Is there a fight going on again?" Makarov asked. "Please tell me nothing serious got damage, that we have to pay to rebuild again."
"It's much worse. There's absolutely nothing going on." Erza informed. "Almost like the guild, is normal."
At those words, Makarov couldn't believe that his guild was being normal. He leaned back on his chair as his thoughts drifted back to the blonde girl he had let go. He looked back to the communication lacrima and still no signal. It had been almost day since Lucy left and still no word from her. He was getting worried and if she didn't contact him before nightfall, then he will personally contact her first.
Makarov knew Lucy is strong. Ever since she formed a new team with Gajeel and the others, her magical strength had grown and her so was her wit. He could trust that Lucy wouldn't put herself in danger and there was definitely no way that any of her celestial spirits would just allow something to happen to her. But because he thought about that, Makarov thought back to what Lucy had told him the previous night.
"If they were all really my nakama, my family, would they really take this long to remember me and the others?"
"Please let me do this, Master. I just...need time to sort out my feelings."
"Natsu's ignored me for months. He, and the rest of the guild, can ignore me a little longer."
"When or if Natsu and the others notice I'm gone... whatever you do, do not tell them anything."
"Lucy... please hurry and send word to me soon." Makarov thought.
As Makarov stayed silent thinking, Natsu had caught different scents in the room. Mostly the smell of salt, which the dragon slayer knew was the definitive smell of tears. Mixed in with all the strong scents was the faint smell of strawberry and vanilla. Natsu couldn't put his finger on it, but he knew the scent was familiar. He tried to remember, but being the dense guy he is, it wasn't as clear as he'd like it to be.
"Master? Did Mira come in here earlier?" Lisanna asked.
"Yes. Why?" Makarov asked, coming out of his trance.
"Mira seemed really out of it after she came down earlier." The takeover mage explained. "Do you know why? I want to be able to cheer her up, is all."
"Someone else was in here." Natsu interrupted. "Actually, a lot more people were in here and by what I can tell, some were crying."
"Someone was crying up here?" Happy asked, looking at Makarov to say something.
When Makarov heard that, he sighed sadly. Of course Natsu would smell the overbearing scent of the tear Wendy, Mira and Juvia produced when they heard the news of Lucy's departure. But like he had promised to Lucy, Makarov had to keep his mouth shut and turn them away from the topic. He knew that Team Natsu, excluding Lisanna, forgot about Wendy and the others as well so he decided to just kick them out.
"If you want to find out what's wrong with Mira, Lisanna, just go ask her. I'm sure she will open up to you." He finally said. "As for who else was here, that is none of your concern. It's a private matter."
"Forgive me for prying Master, but what kind of private matter?" Erza asked. "Did something happen to one of our members? Does the Magic Council need anything?"
"I suggest that you not pry on it longer, Erza." Makarov replied, knowing that he might take out his anger on them if they continue. "This type of thing is something that I, myself, have to gain permission in order to tell you."
"What kind of matter is so important that you need permission, Gramps?" Gray asked again.
"All I can say to you is that everybody, except Mira, myself and a few others, has pushed someone away from Fairy Tail." Makarov said. "And if you do find out about the truth of this matter, I can no longer protect you from the wrath you shall face. That is all."
Then, they were forcefully dismissed. Team Natsu had decided to do a mission, to get their minds off it for the meantime and headed out of the guild. At that moment, Wendy and the others returned from their mission. Gajeel still had a foul look on his face and the 2 teams just passed by each other. However, because Happy was too busy looking at his fish snack and Wendy was talking with Juvia while carrying Carla, the dragon slayer and 2 exceeds collided and fell.
"Ow... my fish..." Happy said sadly. But when he looked up and saw Carla and Wendy on the ground, he immediately went on his feet to see if they were okay. "Wendy! Carla! Are you alright? I'm sorry I bumped into you."
But instead of receiving the usual flustered smile of Wendy and Carla's scolding, Happy got no reply from either female. Juvia helped Wendy up and the dragon slayer picked up Carla hastily. Ignoring Happy's existence and just walked away with dreary looks. The blue exceed couldn't understand what happened or why they would do that, but he didn't have time to think as Natsu and the others called for him to hurry up.
As the day went on and it soon turned night, Makarov had stayed at the guild to do the paperwork that he neglected to do earlier in the morning. Gajeel and the others had already left the guild for the night and Team Natsu would be returning from their mission anytime soon. Mira was still in the bar, serving for anyone who was still in the guild, mainly Cana who was drinking her night away as usual.
But all of a sudden, the communication lacrima began to blink and Makarov wasted no time in answering it. When he did, the old master sighed in utter relief when he saw the face of the person on the other side. Lucy was waving with a smile on her face, on of the most genuine smiles Makarov had seen on the girl in the longest time. He could tell right then and there that Lucy was already getting the healing she needed.
"Lucy child, for a moment I thought you were not going to contact me." Makarov joked, with a smile.
"I'm sorry, Master." Lucy apologized, sheepishly. "I've had a busy day meeting new people, settling in, paperwork for this academy I'm attending and all."
"You're attending an academy, Lucy?" He asked, slightly surprised.
"Oh yes, that's right." Lucy said, realizing that she hadn't quite informed Makarov of the true story of where she's staying. "You see, Master, I haven't quite gotten permission to tell you were my exact whereabouts are, but I can tell you my true heritage."
"You're true heritage, you say?"
"I was never really a Heartfilia by blood. I'm only a Heartfilia because my mother remarried to Jude after divorcing with my birth father on good terms." Lucy started, making Makarov shocked at the revelation. "My true name is Lucy Suoh and my mother was forced into a marriage by my birth father's family."
With that, Lucy began to explain how Yuzuru fell in love with another woman when still engaged with Layla and the entire story between her and Tamaki being siblings. Makarov was beyond surprised at hearing that Lucy had another family elsewhere and that she had a half-brother. Now that she's living with her brother, Makarov understood why Lucy would be going to an academy and he was grateful that Yuzuru welcomed Lucy whole-heartedly.
"And how is staying there so far, Lucy?" Makarov asked.
"Master, it's amazing here. I wish you could see it." Lucy said with much excitement. "I already made new friends that my brother introduced to me and I can already tell that I'm going to enjoy staying here."
"That is very relieving to hear, Lucy." He said.
"I have to go now Master, I start class tomorrow." Lucy sadly announced, which Makarov nodded in understanding. "Please tell Mira and the others that I'm now settled in and that I'm feeling much better, so they don't have to worry."
"Of course, goodnight Lucy." Makarov said waving before the communication lacrima lost connection.
Meanwhile, down the streets of Magnolia, Team Natsu had just eaten dinner at a nearby restaurant and are now heading back towards the guild hall. However, they had lost the reward since they destroyed some property and they were still bothered by the events from earlier in Makarov's office. Happy, on the other hand, was still trying to figure out why Wendy and Carla greet him or acknowledge his presence.
"Master was acting strange." Erza noted. "He seemed very uptight."
"You're right. I wonder what kind of private matter Master is dealing with." Lisanna said. "He might have told Mira about it and that's what made her sad."
"Ah, who knows. Let him be." Gray said. "When Master is ready to talk about it, he'll talk about it."
Just then, the group began to pass by Lucy's apartment. There was a sign on the front door saying; Apartment for sale. Natsu looked at the window that led to Lucy's room and saw that the lights were off, which was unusual for Lucy since she would still be awake around that hour. Natsu then got the idea of; if Lucy was already sleeping, he and Happy could draw on her face to prank her.
"Hey! We haven't seen Luce lately. Why don't we give her a visit?" The dragon slayer suggested.
Lisanna was surprised at the mention of Lucy come out of Natsu's mouth and she knew that when Lucy sees that he finally remembers her, the blonde's usual gloomy mood will finally go away. Lisanna hadn't talked to Lucy in awhile either so the situation was just perfect. "Sure! Let's go!"
Natsu, Gray and Happy entered by going through the window while Lisanna and Erza realized that the door was left unlocked. The 5 of them entered the room to see that not only was the room dark, making Erza turn on the lights, but everything that was in the apartment prior to Lucy's departure was gone. Her bed, closet, pictures, vanity, dishes and all her food. The apartment was completely empty.
"What happened?" Happy asked. "Why is the apartment empty and... where's Lucy?"
"Who's in here!?" Lucy's Landlady shouted, entering the room.
"It's Lucy's scary Landlady..." Gray thought, backing away to not face the woman's wrath.
"I'm sorry for the intrusion but..." Lisanna apologized, speaking up. "Lucy Heartfilia, a celestial mage lives here. Where are her things and do you know where she could be at the moment?"
"You're friends of Lucy?" The Landlady asked, with wide eyes. She crossed her arms and shook her head. "Well I was hoping one of her friends would come and tell me the reason myself."
"Reason? What reason?" Gray asked.
The Landlady looked at the 4 mages and exceed with a raised eyebrow. "What? Did she not tell you?" The woman asked, to which the mages shook their heads in confusion. "Lucy came to me last night out of nowhere to give me her apartment key."
"Gave you her key? Which means...?" Happy trailed off, afraid to hear the answer.
"The girl moved out of here last night... and she told me that she was moving far away from Magnolia."
Back in Japan, the next day had arrived and it was already the afternoon. Tohru, Yuki and Kyo had arrived to Ouran Academy to have a look around of the school like Lucy did. Tohru was in her uniform, wearing the yellow dress and dark shoes. Kyo and Yuki were wearing their uniform too, Yuki's jacket was buttoned up and his tie was made neatly thanks to Tohru's help. Kyo, on the other hand, his jacket was unbuttoned and his tie was tied more loosely.
"We're really here!" Tohru said happily.
"When you said this place was for rich kids, you weren't kidding!" Kyo said looking at the prestigious school, his eyes looking like they were going to come out of their sockets.
"Amazing." Yuki managed to say, seeing students of all kinds of status walking through the halls.
They were amazed by the diversity of the students. By terms of appearance, it was obvious that most were definitely Japanese, but the way they act and the various groups around the school is amazing. Some girls were eating in the gardens, guys were playing soccer on the field and a mix of both were playing kick the can elsewhere. The entire academy was basically many times larger than their school.
"Tohru?" A voice asked.
The girl in question recognized the voice and smiled as she turned around. Yuki and Kyo raising an eyebrow in confusion. Behind the 3 friends was Haruhi, Lucy and Tamaki. The latter group were just heading to the club room, which Tamaki delayed when he decided to help some second years with some kind of project for 30 minutes. Much to Lucy's and Haruhi's annoyance, since they didn't want to deal with Kyoya at the moment.
"Haruhi?" She asked.
"Tohru! It's really you! It's been too long!" Haruhi said smiling and spreading her arms so that the 2 could hug.
"Who the hell is he?" Kyo wondered, not recalling a time when Tohru mentioned someone named Haruhi.
"Haruhi!" Tohru said, running and hugging Haruhi tightly.
"Miss Honda?" Yuki asked. "You know this boy?"
"Boy!?" Tohru asked feeling offended.
At the mention of 'boy', Tamaki was about to not make Tohru say anything out loud. But because Lucy could guess how Tamaki would react, and Haruhi already knowing how the blonde is, the 2 held Tamaki from doing anything to Tohru. Much to the older Suoh's displeasure, saying that not only did 'his little girl' betrayed him but also his younger sister. Which made the 2 girls shake their heads.
"Haruhi is female!" Tohru said.
Tamaki froze, to which Haruhi nodded to Lucy and let go of the blonde boy. The younger Suoh patting the poor guy on the back as he sulked. "Tohru. You might wanna keep your voice down. People here think I'm a guy. Except for my friends." Haruhi explained.
"Oh okay." Tohru agreed understanding, much to Kyo and Yuki's confusion but they didn't question it.
"Anyway Senpai, Lucy. This is Tohru." Haruhi introduced. "Tohru. This is Tamaki Suoh and his younger sister Lucy Suoh."
"Nice to meet you Tohru." Tamaki and Lucy said, bowing slightly.
"Nice to meet you too. These 2 are my friends; Yuki and Kyo Sohma." Tohru introduced.
"Hey." Kyo said.
"Pleasure meeting you." Yuki said.
"The pleasure is ours." Lucy said, giving the 2 boys a smile. "So anyway, what brings you to Ouran?"
"Well, seeing as you're wearing our school uniforms." Tamaki noted, raising an eyebrow. "Are you transferring?"
"Ah yes, only for a month or so." Yuki replied.
"What's your relationship with Tohru anyway?" Kyo asked Haruhi.
"Me and and Haruhi are cousins!" Tohru said, linking arms with Haruhi as the latter laughed awkwardly.
"Excuse me!?" Tamaki asked shouting. "You're my little girl's cousin!?"
"Little... girl?" Tohru asked, but Haruhi and Lucy just shook their heads in response.
Later on, Tohru, Yuki and Kyo visited the host club. It was completely filled with girls from different classes and Kyo and Yuki were surprised with the amount of girls the Hosts' tended to. Lucy was there too, however, she just sat in her own little corner drinking tea and eating cake that Honey gave her earlier. When Tamaki saw the 3 entered, he welcomed and introduced them to the rest of the Host Club and the girls immediately went to talk to Yuki and Kyo.
He was surprised that the 2 boys got so much attention from the girls that it was almost like the club had 2 new hosts. Yuki was labelled as the second Tamaki and a Prince type while Kyo became the first bad boy type. Yuki was too nice to send the girl away, while Kyo kind of just tried to run away. Tohru was worried that they might transform but relaxed after a few minutes of nothing happening. She went to eat cake with Lucy afterwards and Haruhi would check on them every now and then.
"Hey Lucy?" Tohru asked, as the 2 girls sat beside each other on one of the free couches and away from all the squealing girls so they could hear each other through all the noise.
"Yeah?" Lucy replied.
"What is that pouch you have around your waist?" Tohru asked curiously, pointing at the belt strapped around her waist to hold her celestial key pouch. "No one else wears that around the school so I just got curious."
The blonde looked down at the pouch and smiled as she took it off from her belt. She was grateful that when she went to Yuzuru earlier that day to ask permission to keep her celestial keys on her. Yuzuru had already known of Lucy's magical ability from Layla and he understood that Lucy saw the keys as family. Her new teachers would still call her out on the dress code, Lucy made it clear that she received approval. It also helped that she was in the same class as Hikaru, Kaoru and Haruhi.
"They're a special treasure from my homeland, Fiore." Lucy answered, opening the pouch to let the gold and silver keys shine in the light. "Have a look at them."
The celestial mage handed the key ring to Tohru, the brunette holding the keys with much care and her eyes sparkling at the magical item. "They're so pretty, but what are they for?"
At that moment, Haruhi went to check up on the 2 girls again. The host had just finished her last guest for the hour and went to refill Lucy and Tohru's cup of tea. "Whoa! What have you got there, Tohru?" She asked, sitting down beside the other brunette and looking at Lucy's keys.
"They're trinkets from Lucy's homeland, Fiore." Tohru explained. "Lucy was just about to tell me what they're for."
"Well, considering that the boys are not entirely ready for to know..." Lucy said, before nodding with her decision. "I'll show you, but don't tell anyone about what you're going to see. Tamaki doesn't even know about this yet."
"You haven't shown Tamaki-senpai, Lucy?" Haruhi asked, slightly surprised to which Lucy shook her head in response.
"Please show us!" Tohru asked with lights in her eyes.
The blonde giggled at the girl's excitement and nodded, taking the keys from Tohru's hand. Lucy looked around them and luckily, there was no one looking and it was far too loud for them to hear the chant. So she grabbed Loke's key, needing to talk to him anyway and held the key out in front of her. The blonde closed her eyes as a soft golden aura formed around her, Haruhi and Tohru's eyes widening at what was happening in front of them.
"Open! Gate of the Lion! Loke!" Lucy chanted as golden glow, that no one else in the room besides them 3 noticed, appeared in front of her.
The 2 cousins squinted their eyes, since the light was somewhat bright, and what they saw before them was unbelievable. As the light faded, a person materialized and appeared with a bow. Lucy tried to hold in her laughter as she could see the utter shock on Haruhi and Tohru's faces. Loke, himself, adjusting his tie and glasses completely not taking in where he was or why he was summoned.
"It's been awhile since you called me out into the field, Lucy." He greeted.
Lucy laughed and shook her head. "No Loke, I didn't call you out here to fight." She clarified. "I wanted to introduce you to my new friends. Haruhi, Tohru. This is Leo the Lion, the constellation and is the leader of the celestial Zodiac. Though, I just call him Loke. Sometimes he appears on his own when I don't summon him."
"Pleasure to meet the 2 of you." Loke said, bowing like a prince.
"Oh wow..." Tohru said amazed and speechless.
"So you're able to summon people who are celestial bodies!?" Haruhi asked, very intrigued. "You can use magic!?"
"That's right. In Fiore, only 10% of our population can use magic of different kinds and we are referred as mages. Usually, mages would join a mages guild to do work for others." Lucy explained. "I am a celestial spirit mage. I can summon celestial spirits with the use of my keys and the gold keys are only one of a kind for the celestial zodiac."
"That's just amazing!" Tohru exclaimed. "So that means you know more people who can use magic!?"
"That's right." Lucy replied, nodding.
As Loke noticed the unusual surroundings, he looked at Lucy and realized that she was wearing something completely opposite of her usual attire. "Hey Lucy... where are we?" Loke asked. "And... what are you wearing?"
At those words, Lucy tensed up and looked down sadly. Much to the worry of Haruhi and Tohru. "Oh right... you don't know yet..." She mumbled, but was still clear for Loke, Haruhi and Tohru to hear.
Loke raised an eyebrow looked down to see Lucy's guild mark was no longer visible on the back of her right hand. "Your guild mark..." He said. "Did you...?"
Lucy just got up from her position and stood up to look out the window. As she did so, Yuki and Kyo walked up to the small group to check up on Tohru. The 2 males finally finished talking to the female students for awhile. They were about to enter the conversation, but they stopped. Feeling the tension coming off Lucy and Loke. Yuki tilted his head towards Tohru, to which the girl just shook her head.
"Hey, who the heck are you?" Kyo asked bluntly, making Loke turn around and look annoyed.
"I'll deal with you later, I'm kind of busy." The lion spirit said, wanting to hear Lucy's reasons at the moment and not caring if he sounded rude or not.
Before Kyo could do anything, Yuki held him back. Haruhi and Tohru walking away from the scene, knowing that whatever Lucy and Loke had to talk about that ti had to be done in private until Lucy was ready to tell them if she wanted to. Lucy watched at the corner of her as they left the scene and mentally thanked them for the privacy. Then she began to fiddle with the hem of her uniform's skirt.
"I... left Fairy Tail, Loke." Lucy revealed. "I had to leave... I couldn't stay there knowing that a lot of them don't remember me..."
"Lucy... we've been over this. They are bound to remember soon, you just have to-"
"Loke please just drop it... please." Lucy said, her voice sounding fragile as if about to break down and cry. "Right now... my role in Fairy Tail... is over." She started shaking and Loke knew that Lucy needed time and so he sighed and left it alone. The blonde taking Loke's silence as a sign and sighed in relief.
"Hey buddy! Come over here!" Kyo shouted, making Lucy and Loke turn around and break from their serious trance.
"Calm down Kyo!" Tohru said. "Let them have their space!"
"You stupid cat." Yuki added, still holding onto Kyo. "You shouldn't be demanding fights here of all places."
With Yuki's comment out, Kyo snapped and he immediately broke free to look at Yuki with fire in his eyes. "You wanna go ya, damn rat!?" The orange headed cat shouted. "If it's a fight you're looking for, you got it!"
"I said to calm down, but you just got more riled up." Yuki sighed, facepalming.
"Whoa. Those 2 are like Natsu and Gray, huh?" Loke commented, looking at Lucy.
The celestial mage looked at the 2 argue with Tohru and Haruhi in the middle. It reminded her of when Natsu and Gray would fight while she, Erza and Wendy would try to calm them down so that no damages would be inflicted on the guild. The memory itself making her laugh a little bit. Those were one of Lucy's happiest times at the guild, despite her constant complaints. But it was all in the past now.
"Yeah, you're right." Lucy agreed as she grabbed something from her skirt pocket. In her hand were 2 letters. One for Wendy and the others, since she finally got permission from Yuzuru to allow them to visit Lucy, and the other for the guild if they remembered her. "Hey Loke?"
"Yes. What is it?" Loke asked.
"Give this to Master." Lucy said handing the letters to him. "One's written to Gajeel, Lily, Mira, Juvia, Wendy and Carla. The other is for the guild if they decide to remember me."
"And if they do remember you and they want answers... what should I do?" Loke asked.
Lucy didn't reply for a second, taking in the happy environment that she now lived in. With her resolve in check, she gave the lion spirit the most genuine smile Loke hadn't seen in the longest time and placed a hand on his shoulder. "Just ignore them. It's far too late now... I'm done with them." Lucy replied.
With those words, Loke nodded and placed the letters in his jacket pocket. Then, disappeared to Fairy Tail.