If you had thought that the outcome would be as simple as the story told, one would be played as a fool. A code cracked does not meant the secret has been figured out. A solution to a hypothesis doesn't mean that the theory is truly correct. You must have countless tests and results in order for your desired outcome to come to fruition. It is not so simple to just 'figure something out'. Because any wrong action could lead to misfortune.
That is where our main leads have come as of now. Face to face with Akito Sohma, the one who had taken Lucy from them and the one who had tortured Aya for no apparent reason... or so it had appeared. Aya was locked away yet again, her deal with Akito broken because Tohru, Yuki and Kyo would not leave her alone. Not to mention the supposed host club members and Fairy Tail mages, whatever they were, that are with them too.
She watched them from her hidden room. Unable to be heard or be sensed from as it was a secret room within Akito's floors. It was a room in between walls and floors. Only Akito could get inside. She could barely hear the muffled sounds on the other side, but she could see the somehow familiar faces of people she did not really know. And somehow, seeing each of their distinct features made her heart hurt all the more.
Why? Why did it have to come to this? Lucy...
When Happy had come back with Levy, Makarov, Erza, Gray, Wendy, Carla, Lisanna, Mira, Juvia, Gajeel and Pantherlily, Natsu's eyes lit up with pure excitement. "You guys made it! Finally!" He shouted with glee.
"Sorry, me and Carla were searching any bookstores for books on deciphering codes." Wendy apologized.
"Happy insisted that we all go here at the same time and that we get Master last." Pantherlily added.
"So why's Happy saying that you were able to figure out the code, Natsu?" Lisanna asked. I mean, who could blame her, Natsu is pretty dense and not that smart so it would only make sense to question him just in case.
"Yeah, I mean not to be rude but, a code is not so simple..." Levy added.
"Hey!? I'm not that stupid! But anyway, hear me out." Natsu said, grabbing that paper that had the code with blotches of ink covering some of the letters. "So basically, me and Happy were looking around at the notes and stuff but then his wing knocked over the ink and-"
"What!?" Erza shouted in anger, requipping a sword in her hand and pointing it at him. The blue cat, in question, gulping down air in nervousness. "Happy! That was our research! Don't tell me you ruined all our notes!"
"Natsu! You said I wouldn't get in trouble!" Happy whined, his fur in a frenzy.
"Hold your horses, Erza." Makarov said, the scarlet haired mage lowering her sword reluctantly. "Let's see what Natsu has to say."
"Whew... thanks gramps." Natsu said as he showed the page that had Lucy's rearranged name. The girls gasped as they saw that half of the letters in Lucy's name had been covered in black ink and the boys only mentally prayed for Natsu's safety on Mavis' grave as he is still a fellow guild member.
"Natsu... whatever you're trying to say it better be good." Mira said in a demonic voice.
"We've been trying to figure out that code for almost 3 days now I hope you have a good explanation of how this could be good." Juvia added.
"No look! Just take it in!" Natsu protested, making sure that they were looking at the code. "Don't you guys see!? It's Aya! Aya is the answer to the code! It spells it out see!"
At that moment, everyone stopped moving and took a moment to take in what exactly Natsu was saying. They stared at the messed up piece of paper for what felt like eternity. Keeping in mind what the dragon slayer had said, they soon realized what Natsu was getting at. Surprisingly, because let's be real here, they didn't expect him to be the one to crack the code so easily and with such an easy tactic.
The letters prior to the ink spilling had been rearranged as such: AUYAELIFLRITCH. But because of the ink, it now read as: A/YA/LI/L/IT/H. Putting the letters together, it read: AYALILITH. Aya Lilith.
"What is this? What could that mean?" Gajeel asked. "You telling us that this Aya chick has something to do with Lucy or something?"
"I was thinking it, but then I thought something way better than just Aya having a relation to Luce." Natsu explained.
"You're not saying that she could possibly be Lucy, now are you?" Carla asked sarcastically, shrugging as she shook her head. But when they were only met with Natsu's genuine grin, they immediately sweatdropped. Thinking that what the dragon slayer was thinking is beyond absurd.
"You are thinking that, aren't you Flame Head!?" Gray shouted.
"Watch it stripper! Just think about it!" Natsu protested yet again, gesturing toward the looping vision. "The code popped up when the orb that was inside the doll Lucy surrounded itself with another shell. If this Aya lady is the hint, wouldn't it make sense to think that Aya is this plain doll on the vision?"
Levy pondered over it for a minute and had to admit that what the pink haired boy is suggesting is not as far fetched as it sounds. If anything, it made the most sense and was the most clear thing of a clue or lead they had with their research alone. As crazy as it sounds... it made the most sense. And Levy was willing to try anything in order to redeem herself from forgetting Lucy the way she did. She did not want to give up.
"I say you go for it." Levy and Makarov said in unison.
"Huh?" Everyone asked.
"It makes the most sense." Levy admitted, Natsu cheering at how smart he was for cracking the code. "It's not as far fetched as it seems. If Aya is Lucy, something must've happened to her to go by that name. Which also explains why the book cannot produce information on Lucy's whereabouts because she's Aya."
"Aya has also been taken captive by Akito. She has no idea why she was taken nor why she would be a cause for rebellion. Yuki and Kyo had mentioned that people with magic running through their veins do not affect those with their curse and since Akito's the "god", that could lead him to believe rebellion is a possibility for them." Makarov explained.
"If that's the case, then why did Tohru say she threatened Yuki?" Lisanna asked. "Wouldn't she have warned him instead?"
The next day, Tohru had already informed the Sohmas and the hosts her plan. When hearing her hypothesis, they agreed with it immediately and agreed to find Aya that day to make sure. Hoping with all their hearts that Aya possibly being Lucy was true and that they have finally found their friend again. And the fact that Aya may be Lucy would explain why they could not find her was because she was hidden in Akito's room the entire time.
However, just because they had hope, that didn't mean they were careless. Though they felt confident about Aya being Lucy, they did not have enough proof. So in order to avoid any failure, they decided to carry out their plan on the rooftop in private once final classes were done. Just in case luck was not on their side. Hikaru and Kaoru being in charge to knock Aya out so they can take her to Shigure's house for questioning about Lucy.
So just like that, everyone went about their day normally. The hosts were with Shigure, finally delivering the envelope that Kyoya had passed down to them. They were all seated in Shigure's office, the envelope on his desk. Though, the elder Sohma was hesitant to open the envelope. After all, this is an insanely rich high school heir he's dealing with. One who is very manipulative, might he add.
"And you're sure that these are not documents suing me, are they?" He asked.
"As much as we'd love to sue you." Kaoru started to say.
"Lucy would probably hate us if we let Kyoya do that." Hikaru finished. "Lucy's way too nice to actually wish misfortune upon someone anyway."
"She'd rather sue someone because they did wrong on someone close to her if anything." Haruhi added. "She's generous that way but we don't know how long that can go."
"That's why we're holding back until we find her." Kaoru said. "She'll decide what to do with you."
"She may be the boss' sister - and believe us the boss is insanely rich as it is." Hikaru explained shrugging, earning an annoyed look from Haruhi and Shigure. "But she's also the sole heir of the Heartfilia family. The daughter to 2 major money powerhouses ever known."
Shigure's eyes widened at the sound of who exactly Lucy was. "T-That girl is a-a HEARTFILIA!?" He screamed. "As in the Princess Heartfilia!?"
"Of course, no one other than the Host Club and the Suoh family knows of that information. But we had to make an exception for you. Because clearly this Akito person needs to know who he's dealing with." Haruhi replied.
At those words, Shigure began to break in cold sweat. He hadn't known Lucy to be the Heartfilia Princess that even the Sohma family knows not to mess with. Regardless of the fact that the Heartfilia business, that was run by Jude Heartfilia, had reached complete bankruptcy, everyone knew that Lucy herself has a net worth to surpass the business all together. All for the sole fact she's a Heartfilia alone.
But because they were stationed in Fiore, not one of the Sohams had known what the Heartfilia family had looked like and certainly knew nothing of Lucy being the half child to Jude as well. That alone sent a shiver up his spine. If Akito was found out of Lucy's condition and she was found to have been tortured by him, the media and authorities would not hesitate to take him away. Sohma house would be in shambles all because of one girl.
"Does Tohru, Yuki and Kyo know?" He asked, to which the hosts just shook their heads.
"No one needs to know Lucy is a Heartfilia for many reasons." Hikaru said. "She was first born a Suoh, Suoh-Heartfilia if you will. But if word got out that a Heartfilia has attended Ouran Academy and was kidnapped by someone in your town, people will come after you and we want to avoid that as much as possible."
Shigure sighed while pinching the bridge of his nose. "Very well, let's see what that rich emo boy wants from me."
Shigure proceeded to open the envelope, the piles of papers that were neatly stacked on one another having revealed themselves. First thing he did was sigh in total relief, none of the papers seemed to be a lawsuit. The main reason being there was a definite lack of dollar signs. However, upon further inspection, Shigure realized that the papers had little to no writing. But he knew exactly what he was looking at.
The 3 hosts tilted their heads in curiosity as the elder Sohma's eyebrows raised. Then he spread each of the sheets out, revealing several diagrams of a large property. The Sohma house property to be exact. Blueprint upon diagrams upon sketches upon renderings sprawled across Shigure's desk, the hosts' eyes widening at each sheet of paper. Every single surface seemed to be of a specific part of the home, one Shigure instantly recognized.
"These are different images of Akito's room." The elder man stated.
"What?" Haruhi asked.
"But I don't understand... how did that friend of yours get such detailed images of the house?"
"That's Kyoya-senpai for you." Kaoru said, leaning back slightly as he placed his hands behind his head. "When we learned from Levy that there was a secret room in Sohma house, he was constantly on the phone and his laptop."
"Excuse me?" Shigure asked.
"From the looks of it, it seems one of Kyoya's people is residing in Sohma house and was able to gather all these images of Akito's room." Hikaru added. "It's amazing that they were able to get the interior blueprints as well too."
"Wait, back up... what secret room?"
"Not surprising that the others didn't tell you." Haruhi said, shrugging before resting her head on her right palm. "We have reason to believe that Akito is hiding Lucy in a hidden room next to his. Not only that, he has also kept a girl named Aya Lilith hidden in Sohma house for quite some time as well."
"Aya Lilith?" Shigure asked. "The new girl in Yuki, Kyo and Tohru's school?"
The 3 hosts nodded and Hikaru's eyes narrowed. "She seems to despise your family, however, she was also able to identify me by name without having to introduce myself and not even confusing me with Kaoru. We think that she may have a connection to Lucy... in fact, we think she may even be Lucy."
"And if she is Lucy, how are you to prove that?"
"Don't worry about it, we have a talent for coming up with very brilliant accidental plans." Kaoru said with a scheming smirk.
Aya was beyond anxious. In fact, she was terrified. Everything from the previous day was still bothering her. How she knew Hikaru's name, even now she was still sure that that was most definitely his name. She was currently late to school, having missed her first period already in fear that the Ouran students would be around the school with the Sohmas and Tohru again.
She had been contemplating everything she knew since she woke up at Sohma house. Akito had told her that because of her, a girl named Lucy had disappeared from the world. That because she merely existed, Lucy was eradicated and so, not even having met her, Aya unconsciously went to this so called Lucy for advice. As such, she felt as if she knew Lucy. But at the same time, all this while, she had a feeling Akito was lying to her.
But not for the reason she thought now. All this time, Aya had thought that Lucy was not eradicated because of her. Rather, she believed that Akito made Lucy disappear for his own separate reason. As such, Aya made it her mission to find out what that reason was and get revenge for both her and Lucy. She had a feeling that Lucy was not truly gone, just hidden. Where, however, she did not know.
But because of the arrival of the hosts, Aya began to question everything. She knew nothing of her life before she awoke in the secret chamber within Akito's room. Akito had claimed that it was due to amnesia, but the pink haired girl began to believe it was something more than that. She never knew what Lucy looked like, Akito refused to show the girl that she had apparently ruined. But what Hikaru said troubled her.
He had called her Lucy. When she had overheard the conversation between the hosts, Sohmas, fairies and Tohru, Aya had no idea who was on the other side, nor did she really want to know. But they had sounded so confident that Lucy is indeed alive and if that was the case, Aya wanted to find her and apologize for everything. They all had thought Lucy to be hidden in Sohma house, but even the pink haired teen couldn't find a single clue as to where.
"Why does my heart pull away from the school...?" Aya thought, looking beyond the town. "Is something calling me?"
"Are you completely sure that this is normal Gajeel?" Tamaki asked the iron dragon slayer all the while looking at a motion Natsu, who was hunched over the window of the helicopter with a green face.
"Believe me, it's common for Salamander there to be weak as a fly when on a vehicle." Gajeel stated. "Apparently it's been like that for him since he was a kid. I don't know if it's a dragon slayer thing though since me and Wendy aren't like that whenever we're on a train."
"Ah~! Don't worry Natsu~." Happy said, gently patting the back of the fire dragon slayer. "We're almost there, we just gotta wait another hour."
"Man... why couldn't Luce's pilot be the one to fly the helicopter." Natsu whined in between groans. "His motion sickness pills saved my life.."
The remaining Host Club members, Team Natsu, Gajeel, Lily, Wendy, Carla and Juvia, were currently on a helicopter heading for Yuki, Kyo and Tohru's school. After getting the green light for their hypothesis, the Fairy Tail mages immediately got on a plane via Lucy's pilot to Japan. Much to Natsu's pleasure as the pilot gave him another motion sickness pill. Something Gajeel and Gray were not too happy about.
When they arrived at Ouran, the first thing they did was head to the Host Club. Luckily, the club hadn't opened for business and to say that the hosts were surprised by their unannounced arrival is a bit of an understatement. But they were glad to see their friends and allies. Allies being Team Natsu since the hosts still haven't fully forgiven them about the 'ignoring Lucy' thing. They only tolerated Team Natsu because they were helping with the search.
Lisanna, Wendy, Juvia and Carla immediately gave the basic run down of the vision and code that the magic book had given them and their thoughts on what it all can mean. Juvia had even brought the book with her to show them just how cryptic the vision was. Much to the hosts amazement. Tamaki freaking out for a minute when he saw the porcelain Lucy doll break before breathing again when he saw the plain shell form around the ball of light.
As they were explaining the details, Kyoya took in all the facts and added it to the knowledge they already had about Aya and everything else. He had to admit, thanking that he had knowledge of magic now, all their evidence so far as well as their theory was not as far-fetched as it seemed. If anything, it seemed almost perfect. Except for the one question everyone still did not understand: Why did she threaten Yuki then?
Tamaki then decided that they would follow Haruhi and the Hitachiin twins to Tohru's school and meet up with them to come up with a plan that would reveal if Lucy was really connected to Aya more than they had originally thought. Without a second minute wasted, a helicopter landed at the academy and the hosts left a sign saying that club activities will be closed down until further notice, much to every female student's displeasure.
"Well in any case, are you completely sure that Lucy is indeed connected to this Aya girl?" Kyoya asked, his arms and legs crossed with his usual bland expression on his face. "The logic is there, but I still do not understand why Lucy would pretend that she doesn't know Yuki or the others if she is Aya."
"Maybe that Akito guy threatened her before letting her out." Lisanna suggested. "He does seem pretty adamant about not letting the cursed members of his family go."
"If that's the case, shouldn't we tell Haru-chan and the others what you found out?" Honey asked.
"Juvia believes it's not necessary yet." Juvia replied. "We can tell them when we get there, at least then we can make a plan up with all our options on the table."
"Besides, if Aya is Lucy in disguise, then it wouldn't make sense for her spirits' contracts to eradicated." Wendy pointed out. "As Loke said, a contract is attached to the mage's mind and soul. So something must have happened to one of them for the link to be broken."
"Would that mean the spirits would feel a sort of link if we get close to Lucy?" Tamaki asked.
"Possibly?" Gray replied, although sounded as a question. "Or there would not be a connection at all. Until we figure out what's really going on here."
"For now, we should just group up with the others." Erza said. "We should have a better understanding of what's going on once we see this Aya girl for ourselves."
It was strange. Classes had already ended but Aya had yet to be confronted about the previous day's incident. If anything, Tohru and the other Sohmas were acting as if nothing had happened yesterday. She found it odd, very odd. There were no signs of those Ouran students either, which made her more or less relieved that she didn't have to deal with bombarding questions regarding how she knew the peach haired boy's name.
She had arrived to the rooftop to get some air, something she needed to clear her head. For some reason she felt so at peace at the moment. She felt like Akito wasn't there, the Sohmas weren't around to ruin her life, the Ouran students weren't there giving her a headache. Just her and the sky. She just wished it would continue on that way. She didn't like how limited the day seemed... and unfortunately she was right.
Aya heard the rooftop door open and close and her head popped up. When she turned around, she got into a defensive stance and was surprised to see Kyo in front of her. "So this is where you were." He plainly said.
"What's it matter to you where I am?" She immediately asked, her eyes narrowed.
The orange haired boy scoffed and looked at her as if she was crazy. "You seriously have some nerve. It's really pissing me off how you made an enemy on us based on a misunderstanding."
The girl in front of him was immediately offended and pointed at him accusingly. "Me!? Misunderstand!?" She asked, a sarcastic laugh coming from her mouth. "Please! You all are just like him, doing his dirty work. No matter how much I screamed you all passed by without so much as a thought. I saw it happen every single time!"
"What are you going on about?" Kyo asked, an eyebrow raised. "News flash! Not one Sohma knew you existed except for Akito! We all had no idea you were in our house until recently!"
"What?" Aya asked, her voice lowering back to normal level, taken aback.
"That room where Akito apparently placed you all this time, we have no idea where it is, nor how it's hidden." Kyo explained. "But you wouldn't know that, would you? Because you've been jumping to conclusions without any proof!"
At this point, you could tell Aya was fuming with anger. She was tired beyond compare. About Lucy, the Sohmas and the Ouran students from the previous day. It all gave her a massive headache, one she desperately wanted to get rid of. "I didn't ask to be this way y'know!" She blurted, her face turning red and tears forming in the corner of her eye.
That caught Kyo, the 3 hosts, the rest of the Sohma students and Tohru off guard. Yes, they had been hidden on the roof within the shadows since Kyo entered the space. Taking note all of Aya's actions before the real test began. This was only the beginning. It was Kyo's job to rile her up, so that when she least expects it, they would test their theory out in a fool proof way. But what she said, made them intrigued.
But the orange haired boy went along anyway, wanting to see what she had to say. "Well that ain't my problem now, isn't it!? You say what you want but we both know that without proof, you have no way of knowing the truth!"
"You Sohmas just keep on ruining my life!" Aya yelled, tears going down her fair face. "All I do is wake up, not knowing who I am or why I'm there and then Akito tells me that because of me I killed Lucy! I don't even know a Lucy!"
At those words, the hidden Sohmas eyes widened. She didn't know who she was? Or why she was in Sohma house in the first place? You probably guessed as well, yes. They all figured now that whoever Aya was, whether it be Lucy or not, her memories had been wiped clean on Akito's orders. Which would explain that no matter how hard they tried, they couldn't reach Hatori. Because Hatori knew the truth... and Akito did everything to hide it.
It was then that Yuki looked at Hikaru and Kaoru, the 3 nodding to one another. Kyo noticed this too and knew that it was time to do the test. Almost immediately, he went and grabbed Aya by the shoulders, to which the pink haired teen tried to pry him off and resist. Absolutely afraid of what he might do. But for some reason, he only kept pushing her back and just before he let go, Kaoru lightly pushed the girl forward. Making her bump into Kyo's chest.
And like they had thought... nothing happened.
All their eyes widened and they knew right then and there that Aya was not who she thought she was. Because Aya was most definitely their precious friend: Lucy Heartfilia. Lucy Suoh.
When Aya recovered from shock, she immediately pushed Kyo off of her, panting as she did so. The others then making their presence known, shocking her even more. When she met eyes with Yuki and Hikaru, she felt a strike go across her head and it hurt like lightning. But she refused to look weak in front of them. For some reason, she felt that she couldn't look weak in front of any of them and she had no idea why.
"What are-"
"Lucy." Hikaru said, cutting her off. "Lucy... that's you, isn't it?"
Aya took a step back, she was scared. Beyond terrified. Yet for some reason, her heart was calm. Her mind was going everywhere. A hurricane of thoughts was passing through her mind like broken shards of glass in a tornado. It hurt... it hurt like hell. Her tears wouldn't stop and she didn't know how to address any one of the people there. She was scared. She was calm. It made no sense in the slightest.
"S-Stop it... Hi-Hikaru, whatever you and the other are doing... stop it..." Aya begged.
"I can't stop Lucy... not when any of this makes no sense." Hikaru replied, walking towards her, the girl's body refusing to move away. "Why do you keep saying your name is Aya? Your brother is worried sick for you and so are our friends. We miss you Lucy... why do you keep pretending?"
The pink haired girl shook her head like crazy, her breathing uneven because of her crying. "I-I'm not pretending... I don't know how I know your name.. or even why I'm so sure that it's your name... I'm not Lucy.." She said, clutching her shirt where her heart laid. "Tell me... why is my heart so calm around you? Why... why does my mind reject you...?"
"You are Lucy, Aya." Tohru said, her and Haruhi walking up to the pink haired girl. Aya herself, not flinching away from them. "Akito... he took your memories away and made you think that you are Aya Lilith."
Aya looked at the 2 brunettes who stood at both of her sides. "But why? For what purpose?"
"Because we are unable to transform when held by you." Momiji said, earning a confused look from Aya. To which he immediately hugged Haruhi and transformed into a bunny.
Aya gasped, a very familiar yet blurred scene appearing in her head. "Momiji, are you insane!? What if other people see you!? You'll get in trouble won't you?" Once the words came out of her mouth, she slapped it shut. The words naturally came out of her and just like with Hikaru, she had never truly known his name since they never exchanged greetings.
"See?" Haru said, his arms crossed. "If a person of the opposite sex hugs us Sohmas, we would transform into the animals of the Chinese zodiac. But Kyo didn't transform with you."
"That's 'cause you, Lucy, are a celestial spirit mage from Fiore and because you have magic, their curse does not apply to you." Kaoru added.
Flashes of her beloved spirits suddenly came through her head. Aya groaned at the pain but she didn't push them away like the other memories. She felt warmth in her heart. She wanted to see who they were. Names appeared in her head and her eyes widened at the remembrance of her family. Loke. Virgo. Aquarius. Plue. Horologium. Crux. She missed them. She wanted to see them. Her celestial spirits.
"My spirits... I... I remember them... I don't remember you... but them..." She said softly, but loud enough for them to hear. "Please... where are they!? Where are my spirits!?"
Meanwhile, the hosts and the fairies had finally arrived at Tohru, Yuki and Kyo's school and just as they were getting off the helicopter, Natsu kissing the ground in happiness, Tamaki's pocket began to glow. Wendy noticed this and pointed to his pocket, the older Suoh taking out Lucy's keys, only to see that they were the source of the light. Their eyes widened and they could suddenly hear several of Lucy's spirits scream out in between their world and the spirit world.
Our bond! Our contract! We can feel Lucy's power!
Where is she!? Where is Princess!?
Tamaki's eyes widened and the 3 dragon slayers immediately smelled the air around them. If Loke and the other spirits felt Lucy's presence, it only meant she was close by. And it also meant that that what Natsu said might really be the truth. That Aya is most definitely Lucy. That something happened to her mind or soul to sever the contract with her spirits. It was time to bring Lucy home.
It was then that Natsu stopped moving and immediately looked towards the rooftop. "She's here! Lucy's here! She's on the roof and from what I can tell, the others are too!"
Before anyone could take action, Tamaki went to run to his sister. Her celestial keys glowing brighter the closer he got. He was so close... and he wasn't going to let her slip from his hands again. "LUCY!"
"LUCY!"
Aya heard Tamaki's yell and was about to open the rooftop door to see before she heard several thumps on the floor. When she turned around she saw everyone on the ground unconscious and immediately went to help them. Until she felt something prick her neck and reached to see a small tranquilizer blo dart in her hand. Her eyes widened and she turned her head weakly, the side effects taking over her quickly.
To her utmost fear, she saw Akito and Hatori standing before her. Hatori with a regretful look and Akito with a chesire grin along his face.
"Well look what we have here... it seems you have broken our deal, Aya..." Akito said, her vision soon fading as she too fell to the ground. "Or should I say...
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
Lucy."