And they certainly did not. After travelling by boat for a couple of hours and seeing a girl standing on the ocean, Tenrou Island had been revealed to them. The small piece of land suddenly surfacing from below the ocean floor. The minute everyone aboard the ship saw the girl head towards the shore, they rushed after her since they believed that she was leading them to where everyone was. Haruhi and Tohru looked to each other, their hearts beating against their chests at the anxiety.
But when they had caught up with Jet, who had used his speed magic to try and catch up with the girl that lead them to the island, they all stared in utter shock to find Natsu's bandaged body under some rubble. They couldn't believe their eyes and with Natsu being there, the 2 brunettes immediately nodded to one another, looking to the wilderness behind them, a strange feeling befalling their senses. Trusting their instincts, they began to head deeper into the forest behind them.
"Hey, we're gonna see if the others are nearby!" Haruhi said, earning a nod from Bisca and Alzack.
"Let's all meet back here if we find anyone else!" Tohru called.
"Okay! We'll try to wake Natsu up while you girls do that!" Max replied.
And that's how the girls began running through the forest, calling out Lucy's and the others' names while trying to spot any other bodies around the forest. Natsu was there so it only made sense that everyone else was there too, right? The fact that Tenrou Island stood meant that the dragon's roar hadn't touched the mages and they had a feeling that it had to do with the glowing sphere that had surrounded the island when it resurfaced from the ocean.
"Haruhi!" Tohru shouted to her cousin, the former host looking at her cousin as she stood in utter shock.
Her body was shaking and her hands were covering her mouth as she held in tears. Haruhi went to her cousin's side as she looked where she stared and too froze, utterly paralyzed. Her eyes widened as she looked to the 3 bodies that were passed out in front of them. Colours of blue, white and blonde laid on the ground and the hope that the 2 brunettes held onto rushed through their bodies at the sight of their 3 friends. As they rushed to their side, tears spilled from their eyes.
As they got on their knees, they immediately began to shake the 3 girls, calling their names as they did so. "Lucy! Wendy! Carla!" They said in desperation.
It took a few moments but Wendy's eyes were the first to flutter open, then Carla and lastly Lucy. They blinked a couple of times before looking up to see Haruhi and Tohru's crying faces. "Wha... what happened?" Lucy whispered in a sleepy voice, the very sound of her speaking bringing the 2 non-mages to even more tears at their relief.
"Huh...? Did we fall asleep...?" Wendy asked as she yawned and rubbed her eyes.
Carla was the first out of the 3 to regain her energy and stared in shock at the familiar yet unfamiliar faces of Tohru and Haruhi. "What the-!?" She cried, getting up immediately and pointing at the 2 who were still crying. "What are you doing here!? What happened to you!?"
Wendy and Lucy soon sat up and took in the 2 cousins' appearance. Haruhi's hair now rested past the middle of her back, a little longer than Lucy's length and it was obvious that she was way more mature than the last time they had seen her. Tohru was similar, her features were that of an adult and her hair rested past her elbows and was tied into a single braid. If the 3 fairies didn't know any better, they would've thought the 2 to be strangers.
"Lucy... Wendy... Carla..." Tohru said in between sobs. "It's... It's really you... right?"
"No way..." Lucy said as she scooted over so that she sat directly in front of the 2 brunettes. "Haruhi? Tohru? Is that... really you?"
Without wasting another second, both girls pulled in the 3 fairies in a desperate hug. "We can't believe it! You guys are actually alive!" They cried in unison as Lucy, Wendy and Carla's eyes widened at their words.
"You don't know how much we've missed you guys! How much we thought of you after all this time!" Tohru cried.
"You guys are so young and haven't changed at all!" Haruhi added. "Wait 'til the others hear about this! It'll be great!"
After parting from the hug, Haruhi and Tohru's tears now drying up from the overwhelming relief and happiness. Lucy crossed her arms and raised an eyebrow. "Okay can one of you explain to us what's going on!?" She said, her attitude bringing back fond memories to the 2 girls. "What the heck are you guys doing here!?"
"Yeah and uh... not to be rude or anything but... you guys seem so much older now." Wendy remarked, making the 2 chuckle at their confusion. "I distinctly remember seeing Haruhi with shorter hair the last time we met."
"Besides, it looks like its midday right now." Carla noted. "So shouldn't the both of you be in school right now? What about the others? If you're here does that mean they are too?"
Haruhi couldn't help but laugh a bit with Carla's questions, making the 3 fairies look at her in confusion. "We graduated university a long time ago, Carla." She informed, much to Tohru's amusement at the 3 looking at her in shock.
"You can't blame them for not knowing, Haruhi." Tohru said with a smile. "7 years did pass since the last we saw them."
"Oh that makes sense!" Wendy replied, clapping her hands together. "7 years had passed already, huh?"
It was silent for a moment, the words that had been said slowly sinking in for their brains to comprehend. When it did, Lucy, Wendy and Carla looked at the 2 non-mages with shocked faces as their mouths hung wide open. "EXCUSE ME!? WHAT DO YOU MEAN 7 YEARS HAD PASSED SINCE YOU LAST SAW US!?"
And just like that, the others soon found them and the 2 brunettes promised that they would get an explanation after they all gathered everybody else that was on the island. Once everyone was found, Mavis had explained how she converted the bonds of the core members into magic power and how it helped cast one of the grand fairy spells: Fairy Sphere. Thus, protecting the fairies on the island and putting them in a suspended state in time from which they did not age.
Once that registered properly in the core members' minds, they had a minor freak out moment but they moved passed it quickly since they were just grateful to be alive, but they couldn't believe that everyone else they knew had thought them to be dead. Once Mavis disappeared, everyone boarded the ship and headed back to Magnolia as they were very eager to see everyone else at the guild. Max and Warren catching everyone up on the state of the guild since they were gone.
Once they arrived, those who remained at the guild to await the search team had their tearful reunion and Makarov explained everything about what Mavis had told them. Once all that was out of the way and everyone had finally settled down at the guild yet again, Lucy turned to the 2 brunettes that had accompanied the fairies in their search. She hadn't seen them or anyone else in 7 years so she was definitely excited to catch up with them especially.
"7 years is a long time." She began to say as the 3 of them sat down at a table. "I must've missed out on so many things."
"You definitely did." Haruhi said. "Though you also missed a lot of weddings while you were away."
"EH!? People got married while we were gone!?" The blonde cried, catching the attention of everyone in the guild.
"Huh? Who got married?" Gray asked, coming over.
"That would be us." Bisca said as she held hands with Alzack. "We were the first ones to get married after you guys vanished."
"You're married!?" Erza cried as she began to sulk. "No... How could you go off and get married without me there..."
"Me and Kyo got married too, actually!" Tohru said as a matter-of-factly, causing Lucy, Wendy, Juvia and Mira's mouths to drop to the ground.
"You married that cat, Tohru!?" Lucy cried, cursing at herself for having to miss the chance to tease Kyo like there was no tomorrow. "I can't believe it! I missed the greatest teasing opportunity ever!"
"He was pretty relieved about that part, to be honest with you." Tohru replied, sweatdropping at the girls' reactions.
"Hey, their marriage was way more expected than Yuki's, if you ask me." Haruhi said, shrugging.
"Hold up now!" Natsu shouted, not believing her words. "You're telling me that that pretty boy actually got married too!?"
"Oh yes actually!" Tohru replied. "Yuki's wife, Machi, is really nice and is a great person! She and Yuki just found out that she is 2 months pregnant not too long ago!"
"Yuki's gonna be a father!?" Mira shrieked, her matchmaker mode in full blast.
"Oh but you should be more excited for Haruhi, Lucy." Tohru said, making Haruhi smile softly at what her cousin was about to reveal. "She is your sister-in-law now, after all."
"Oh~? It's about time that brother of mine married and-" The younger Suoh immediately cut herself off, taking in Tohru's words as she looked to Haruhi. The brunette only smiling at her as she could only expect what would happen next. "No way... TAMAKI AND YOU GOT MARRIED!? WITHOUT ME!?"
Haruhi immediately covered her ears and laughed at the reaction, though half-heartedly. "Gheez Lucy, you're gonna break my hearing if you keep yelling like that."
"But-! Arghhhh! I can't believe this..." She said in a gloomy tone. But she recovered, knowing that it couldn't be helped with the situation and changed the topic. "By the way, I'm just curious but... why isn't my brother and the others here? I'd expect them to have come with you guys."
"Now that you mention it, Juvia would've expected Lucy's brother to be here." Juvia said, noticing the absence of the elder Suoh. The question causing the brunettes and those in Fairy Tail who stayed behind to tense up about the current mentality of Tamaki. "Is he so busy that he was unable to come?"
"Could it be that he's coming here at a later date?" Lisanna asked. "I'm assuming he took over the Suoh family business now that 7 years had passed, right?"
"Considering how he was when Bunny Girl went missing the last time, you'd think that he'd be the first one who would come to find her." Gajeel added. "He practically went insane that time."
"It is strange that only you 2 are here and not the others." Pantherlily agreed, crossing his arms.
"Is something wrong with him?" Lucy asked, a worrying feeling rising as she took notice of the non-mages' sullen expressions. "He knows that you came here to find me right?"
Haruhi clasped her hands together as she didn't bother hiding the sullen expression resting on her face. "Our wedding wasn't the happiest of weddings, Lucy..." She said. "We got married around the third or fourth year you guys vanished and we were hoping that we got some news about you guys before then but..."
"But?"
Haruhi sighed as Tohru placed a hand on her clasped ones, the 2 having sorrowful smiles on their face as they looked at the blonde celestial mage. "Your friends here were not the only ones who had thought you all to be dead..." She said, Lucy's eyes widening at the revelation. "Tamaki had taken everything in the worst way possible... he was broken for the longest time..."
"We were not sure of the possibilities of you guys being alive... so we came here in secret, making up excuses to come here without anyone else knowing." Tohru explained. "Because of that Lucy... everyone in Japan still believes you're dead."
It was Friday, 3 or 4 days after Haruhi and Tohru went on their little travelling trip with each other. Though it was perfectly normal for the 2 cousins to want to spend time with one another, he couldn't help but be sad and jealous about their relationship because it only reminded him of the absence of his own little sister. Sure, he had gotten better and went back to how he used to be 5 years ago but that didn't mean he still didn't cry when he thought of Lucy.
Luckily, Haruhi had sent word the day before that she and Tohru would be back that afternoon and would drop by Ouran since he was the new Chairperson. He couldn't wait to see his beloved wife and her cousin, but what he didn't expect was to see the rest of his former host mates in his office lounging about when he entered. And true to their personalities, even though 7 years had passed, none of their antics had changed a bit since their times in the abandoned music room.
Honey was much taller now, and like Momiji, he was now both cute and handsome. His hair remained in the same style and though he didn't have Usa-chan with him, he still ate his strawberry cake with the most innocent grin upon his face. Mori's looks stayed the same and he still carried himself with the same silent and stoic aura from high school. Like always, he stood behind Honey's chair, leaning against the window while his arms were crossed.
Kaoru was pretty much the same as well as Hikaru. Kaoru had begun to work at his father's software company while Hikaru began to learn under his mother about fashion designing. Both twins were still as close as ever, though Hikaru still kept his hair black, and were in their own little corner of Tamaki's office playing a video game. Whatever game they were playing had gotten them very focused and thus, they hadn't noticed the blonde boy enter the office.
Kyoya, same as ever, was typing something up in his laptop. After graduating university, he began to work under his brothers and had been given a director position under a certain department in the Ootori company. He still thought of business most of the time, helping his brothers discern which connections would give them the most benefit but would make sure to visit Tamaki often. Out of all the hosts, he was the one who kept in touch with Tamaki the most.
"What the-!? What are you all doing just lounging around my office!?" Tamaki shouted, pointing at all of them.
"Huh? Didn't Haruhi tell you, boss?" Kaoru asked, he and Hikaru looking up from their game. "She told all of us to come to the Academy since she and Tohru are coming back today."
"Huh? I wasn't told this!"
"What?" Honey asked, a look of confusion on his face. "But Haru-chan messaged all of us, telling us to make sure to be here before noon 'cause she missed us."
Before Tamaki could question further about what his wife was planning, a knock came from the other side of the office doors. When they were opened, the former hosts were surprised to see Yuki and Kyo coming inside. "Excuse the intrusion." Yuki said as he closed the door behind them after entering the office.
Yuki still kept the same pretty boy face even though he was already in his 20's. He was much more open than 7 years ago and remained calm and cool. Though every now and then, he and Kyo would have a spar for old times sake. Kyo was still the same as well, though it was obvious that he was much more mature now that he's married Tohru. He remained in very good shape, since he would help out at the dojo his master taught at. Both boys living peacefully at the main Sohma house with the rest of the former Zodiac members.
"Ah Yuki. Kyo. Nice to see you both here." Kyoya greeted. "What do we owe the pleasure?"
The 2 Sohmas looked at Kyoya with raised eyebrows. "You weren't informed of our visit?" Kyo asked. "Tohru was the one who told us to come here with the rest of you guys since she and that cousin of hers are coming back from Fiore."
"Why would she do that?" Hikaru asked.
"We're not sure, she didn't say." Yuki replied as she scratched the back of his head, wondering just what Kyo and Tamaki's wife were up to. "Though knowing those 2, it isn't anything we should really be worried about."
"That's fair." Tamaki said. "But still, we haven't gathered together like this unless it was during that time of year."
"It has been quite awhile since we've been here, hasn't it?" The silver haired Sohma asked. "We were temporary transfer students the last time we set foot in this school."
"Those were better times back then." Honey noted. "Everyday was quite the experience."
"More like hectic times if you ask me." Kyo said, thinking back to the constant teasing he received from a certain blonde haired mage. "I could never get a break whenever I was here."
"Aww~ c'mon Kyo-Kyo~!" Hikaru and Kaoru said in unison, putting their arms around him as they stood on either side of his body. "It wasn't all that bad, was it?"
"You guys better get off me before I kick the life out of you." He threatened, rolling his ball into a fist while irritated tick marks formed on his forehead.
Kyoya chuckled at the scene and smiled. "It seems that nothing has changed, huh?"
"You sound like Tohru when you say it like that, Kyoya." Yuki remarked, checking his watch to see that it was almost noon. "Though it seems that they're running a little late than what they told us."
"How is Machi-chan, Yu-chan?" Honey asked. "She's going to be 3 months pregnant soon, right?"
"Ah, yes she is." Yuki replied, taking an empty seat by Tamaki's desk where Honey ate. "She wanted to come with us here, but because of her being pregnant Hatori told her it was best that she wait at the main house."
"You must be excited, huh?" Kaoru asked.
Yuki just smiled softly, thinking about the son or daughter that Machi is going to give him. "Well I'm more nervous than excited, in all honesty. I'm not entirely sure if I'm even ready to be a father."
"I'm sure you'll do fine." Tamaki reassured, placing a hand on the silver haired man's shoulder. "Besides, I'm sure someone would be very excited for you and Machi to be taking this step."
It didn't take a genius to figure out who this someone Tamaki referring to. They all turned to the left wall of the office, a single picture frame had been bolted to the wall. Renge had gifted the picture to Tamaki around 6 years ago, it being a photo she had taken when they were all still in high school when Yuki and Kyo had joined the host club temporarily during their transfer to the school. It had been a candid shot, but it had all of them in the picture.
All of them were gathered around the couch, doing a variety of things from how hectic it looked. Though the main reason Tamaki had the photo bolted to the wall was because right in the center, sitting in the middle of the couch with Haruhi and Tohru laughing with her and with him standing above her, was Lucy in her Ouran uniform and the genuine smile plastered across her face about whatever was happening. It was the only picture that had all of them together; Lucy's 3rd family.
Everyone stayed silent for a moment. Though they didn't like to think of Lucy often because it made of all of them go into a depressed state, at times like these, thinking of her made them feel encouraged. It was when she came to Ouran that they were all able to gather together and become a bigger family than before and she soon became a vital part of the bond they shared, much like Tamaki according to Kaoru's little spell theory. Forgetting her was just something they couldn't do.
Besides, if they had purposely forgotten about her because of the pain, she would probably hate them because of her past experiences when someone had forgotten her. They knew better than that. They had all already come to terms that they shouldn't resent any of the memories they had with Lucy and that she will remain as someone who had become important to each of them. Whether the impact of her was even smaller than a grain of rice.
Thinking about that, Tamaki couldn't help to shed tears like he always did whenever he thought about his younger sister. Haruhi had helped comfort his sorrow all these years, but only because she was the only one who could bring him solace. But she wasn't there at the moment and all he could do was imagine Lucy being there with him in the office with everyone else. The way she laughed, teased and spoke still clear in his mind. It just goes to show just how much he treasured her as a sister.
However, everyone in the room were brought out of their thoughts when they could hear yelling from the hallways. "What is the meaning if all this racket!?" One of the female teachers, from what Tamaki recognized, demanded.
"Excuse me ma'am, but I am in a bit of a rush here." A familiar sounding voice replied.
"That is no excuse young lady!" The teacher replied with a scolding tone. "You don't seem to be a student here, so now I'm in the position to question you for your reasons of being here!"
"I have every right to be here, I'll have you know!"
The other males in the room looked to Tamaki, the chairperson sighing at whoever he was about to punish for disrespecting a teacher. The blonde man wiped away his tears and opened the doors as everyone followed him out to see what all the commotion was about. When they looked to where all the shouting was coming from, the female teacher was covering whoever they were scolding. But in the distance, everyone could see Haruhi and Tohru running from the other side of the corridor.
"Madame please wait!" Haruhi called, the female teacher immediately calming herself since Haruhi is her boss' wife.
"Oh Miss. Haruhi!" She said bowing. "I'm sorry that you had to hear my yelling but I-"
"No it's quite alright." Haruhi reassured, cutting the teacher off. "Just leave her to me, I'm taking her to see someone."
"Of course, Miss. Haruhi." She replied. "But I do have to ask... who is she?"
The former hosts and 2 Sohmas were confused by the teacher's question. The person she was scolding is a she? They had heard the teacher say that she doesn't seem to be a student, so what could some random person be doing in an academy such as Ouran? The teacher was still covering the girl she had been scolding, but Tamaki could see that whoever the girl was, Tohru had grabbed a hold of her arm before she could run away from them.
Before Haruhi could reply, she turned to Tohru, only to see that the brunette was trying to stop the other girl from getting away. "Hold on! You can't just barge in there! We have to explain what had happened and ease them into it!" She pleaded.
"Do you honestly expect me to sit back any longer!?" The familiar voice shouted back. Kyo would have gone over to whomever dared to scold his wife, but the voice that spoke was too familiar and it caused them all to freeze on the spot. "They think that I'm dead, Tohru! Would you sit back if everyone you know thinks you've been dead for 7 years!?"
"No but-"
Before Tohru could protest any longer, Haruhi looked behind the female teacher to see the former hosts and the 3 Sohmas standing outside Tamaki's office and judging by their expression, they had recognized the voice of the person that Tohru was desperately holding back. She sighed and now that their plan to ease everyone into the news, she decided with was better to get the waterworks out of the way since they were already listening in.
"Tamaki! Guys!" Haruhi called, catching Tohru and the girl she was holding onto off guard.
Before anything else could happen, the girl slipped out of Tohru's grip and a flash of blonde hair went by as Tamaki could feel someone hugging him. When he looked down, his eyes widened in absolute shock with a hint of fear as he watched the girl bury her face in his chest and could feel her tears soaking his white dress shirt. Everybody behind him also becoming shellshocked as they saw a familiar pink mark on the back of her right hand. A mark they only knew one person to have.
By this point, the class that the female teacher had been teaching peeked from their classroom door, surprised to see their so aloof and carefree chairperson frozen in shock at whomever had so shamelessly hugged him. The only audible sounds coming from the blonde girl. The girl bearing a strong resemblance of the sister whom the chairperson made sure to commemorate about on the same day every year. His beloved younger sister whom he had missed so dearly.
"I'm so sorry!" She cried in between her choking sobs. The males in complete utter shock at whatever this apparition before them is supposed to be. They certainly didn't think that their sorrow could lead to hallucinations, but clearly they thought wrong. "I didn't know that any of this could happen while I was away and I'm so sorry that I had left you and everyone else for so long!"
Tamaki, slowly regaining his sanity, broke the hug between him and the celestial mage. When they separated, the younger Suoh realized that his hands were shaking as he held both of her shoulders for dear life. He had to be staring at a ghost, there was no other way to explain it. Yet... he was afraid that if he had let go, she would suddenly fade away again. She tried to pull back her tears as she placed her right hand atop his hand that held her left shoulder, tightening her grip to reassure that she was indeed in front of him.
Lucy began to take in just how much he had changed like Haruhi and Tohru. He had gotten taller as she was now right at his collar bone when before she stood just above his shoulder. His hair was still the same blonde in the same hairstyle and his eyes remained the same ocean blue. The major difference, however, was how he carried himself in a much more mature manner. But Lucy could sense that his personality that she grew to know and love was all the same.
The elder Suoh, on the other hand, took in his sister's unchanged appearance. He couldn't help but try and engrave the image in his brain, still believing that the Lucy in front of him was only a hallucination. She was completely unscathed, save for a couple scratches on her face, and her body was warm. Her words echoing in his head, committing the sound to memory. She looked terribly exhausted from running through the school to look for him and still held the same brown eyes and blonde hair that he would always recognize.
His eyes softened, deciding to accept the hallucination for what it was and leaned down so that he could rest his head on her shoulder. The rest of the former hosts and 2 Sohmas gasping silently as Lucy's unchanged appearance came into their view. Like Tamaki, they had been convinced that she was an apparition because of how young and unchanging she looked. Lucy's eyes widening at how much the others had changed as she stared back at them in shock.
"They've all grown so much..." The celestial mage thought sadly, the fact that she had to accept that they had all grown up without her not settling too well with her stomach. "All that time we could have spent together... it's gone..."
"Tamaki?" Haruhi asked, placing a hand on her husband's shoulder. "...Are you okay?"
"Kyo?" Tohru asked as she placed a comforting hand on her husband's arm. "Is everything alright?"
Tamaki looked to his wife, who seemed to be worried for him and unbothered at Lucy's presence, and just let out an empty laugh from his mouth. He covered his eyes with his hand and Lucy could feel his tears falling on her shoulder. "Haruhi... I must be going insane..." He said in defeat. "Now... I'm hallucinating that Lucy's in front of me."
At those words, Lucy and Haruhi went from feeling sympathetic towards the male to thinking that he was an idiot. Though, they couldn't blame him regardless of how idiotic he sounded to them. "Tamaki..."
"Tohru... I think that guy's madness had finally spread to the rest of us." Kyo said, the others nodding in complete agreement. "I mean... you can't see her, right? We see Lucy right in front of us!"
The brunette immediately knew that he and the others thought that the Lucy in front of them isn't real and like Haruhi, decided that it was better for all the waterworks and shock to be released now. "Uhm... Kyo? That Lucy isn't fake..." She said, easing them into the idea as slowly as possible.
"Tohru... I know you're trying to make me feel better and all, but this is exactly how the thought of my mom haunted me." Kyo replied, wiping away his tears. "You don't have to lie, it's okay."
"No Kyo... listen-"
"I know I've said that sometimes I can see Lucy whenever I enter this place, but this is just getting too real." Hikaru said, shaking his head. The actions of everyone ticking Lucy off. "I must've missed her more than I thought."
Lucy gnashed her teeth in utter annoyance. As much as she couldn't blame them for thinking that she was a ghost or illusion or whatever they thought her to be, you'd think that all the crying and hugging and the fact that she was making skin contact with her own brother would be enough proof of her being there. Haruhi could sense Lucy's annoyance and immediately began to shoo the students and the female teacher back in their classroom.
"I think it's best that we all go back now." Yuki suggested.
"No guys! Listen!" Tohru called, making them all stop from going back in Tamaki's office. "You guys aren't hallucinating honest!"
"I can't believe you guys can't see the truth just by looking at her!" Haruhi scolded. "Me and Tohru went all the way to Fiore to find her and this is how you welcome her home! I thought you were smarter than that!"
"What...?" Kyoya asked, his eyes widening.
"Haruhi... what are you-"
Before Tamaki could finish his question, Lucy immediately pushed him away from her. The elder Suoh stumbling as he fell to the ground. The others surprised by what happened. She began to shake as her bangs hid away the tears streaming down her face. "I'm sorry..." She said softly as she fell to her knees and began to wipe away her tears with her hands. "I'm... so sorry..."
Haruhi and Tohru immediately rushed to the blonde's side, kneeling down next to her and tried to comfort her. "Lucy... it's okay... you don't have to apologize." Tohru said. "You don't have to be sorry."
The blonde girl choked out louder sobs, causing the former hosts and Sohmas to realize that the girl in front of them is indeed no hallucination. "But I do!" She cried. "I... I missed out on so much...! I left all of you... for 7 long years...! You all grew up... and got married... did everything! Without me!"
Everyone's eyes, except Tohru and Haruhi's, widened at Lucy's words. The Lucy that had haunted them in their dreams were all from the many memories they had with her. All she ever said were the things they had heard her say. But this Lucy, she was crying and apologizing for leaving them. Saying words that they only wished they could hear when they believed that she would appear out of nowhere to come home. And it was that thought that made them realize... she had come home.
"My word..." Kyoya said, the words coming out of his mouth breathlessly.
"No way... you mean... you're really..." Kaoru said in a soft tone, turning to Haruhi and Tohru. "You mean... she's really...?"
"How... How is this possible...?" Honey asked.
"They were saved by a magic spell." Tohru said, causing everyone to look at her. "Just before that dragon's blast had hit the island like we were told, a strong spell was casted and surrounded the island with a powerful barrier that made everyone on it go into a suspended state of sleep in which all time had froze."
"Excuse me!?" Mori asked, bewildered by the information.
"Because time had froze within the barrier, none of the Fairy Tail members that were on the island aged and it took 7 years for the spell to be lifted." Haruhi replied. "They were only found 2 days ago."
"How do you guys know all this!?" Kyo asked.
"Yes and why are you both the only ones who are unfazed by her being here!?" Yuki added.
Haruhi and Tohru only smiled at one another and placed their hands on either side of Lucy's shoulder. "When we told you and Tamaki that we were going on a trip, the truth is that was an excuse." Haruhi explained. "Macao had us go to Fairy Tail secretly because they were able to find out a lead as to where Tenrou Island is."
"They weren't sure that finding the island meant finding everyone else, so they only asked us just in case we didn't find anyone." Tohru continued, Lucy's tears drying up as she looked at them gratefully for explaining everything. "We went with the search team to look for the island and that's how we were able to find her."
"Excuse me?" All the males asked with disbelief evident in their hushed tones.
Lucy wiped the last of her tears away before smiling softly at everyone, nodding to confirm the truth they just heard. "It's thanks to them that I'm here..." She said. "Thanks to them... I've finally come back home..."
Once those words were said, Tamaki immediately got to his knees and tackled Lucy in a bone crushing hug. Both siblings clinging to one another as if making up for all that lost time. Even though Lucy felt as though she had just seen his her older brother around 3 days ago, Tamaki hadn't seen her for 7 whole years. And she knew that something like this is completely unheard of. Especially in this country that knew nothing of the potential magic had.
Tamaki had continued to whisper his thanks to whatever kami he should be thanking, his relief causing him to break into joyful tears. He was the first one who buried his hope of the chance his younger sister being alive. But as much as he knew he shouldn't have kept his hopes up, he kept that idea of Lucy coming back in the back of his head. How could he not? She was his powerful and magical little sister of all people. She had the power to create any miracle. And that went for the rest of Fairy Tail as well.
"Thank you..." He whispered as Lucy patted his back in comfort, further proving her presence in front of him. "Thank you so much for coming back... I had always hoped for as much..."
"Even though you thought I was gone... and I'm sure you and the others must've been so hurt... Haruhi and Tohru told me that you all couldn't bear the thought of even forgetting me..." She replied, burying her face in his shoulder. "I'm so proud and grateful that you stayed so strong after all these years."
Once they separated, Honey launched himself onto to the blonde girl while crying his eyes out at her return. Lucy was surprised by his change out of everyone else the most and how could she not? Honey was much taller now, practically the same height as her and seemed more of a man than the cute boy she once knew. But his soft personality stayed intact, making her proud of him for growing the way he did. A small smile forming on Mori's face at the wholesome scene as he greeted Lucy with a nod.
"It's really you, right!? You're not gonna leave again, right!?" Honey asked, the celestial mage nodding as she returned the hug.
"This time... I promise I will never disappear like that, ever again." She vowed, causing the former boy lolita to sob even louder.
After Honey, Yuki and Kyo knelt down next to the younger Suoh, greeting her with a brief hug. Their tears had already dried after Tamaki had his little welcome back session. So the 3 of them just smirked at each other, the orange haired Sohma placing a hand on her head while patting it. Clearly treating her as a kid since he was now 7 years older than her, which meant he had to treat him with respect. The action ticking Lucy off a bit.
"Welcome home again, Lucy." Yuki said with a chuckle. "I believe this is the second time I've had to say that."
"I did say no promises last time, didn't I?" She asked.
"You did." He replied. "But last time you disappeared for only half a year. This time you decided to disappear for 14 times longer."
"Hey! I don't make the rules for one of grand fairy spells." Lucy retorted, crossing her arms as Kyo just snickered at her reaction. The others happy at how nostalgic the scene itself was. "How was I supposed to know I'd be sleeping for 7 years?"
"At least I didn't have to deal with you during my wedding." Kyo said while chuckling. "I got 7 years on you now, kid."
"Oh really~? So I'm the kid, Kyo?" Lucy asked, a mischevious grin on her face. "Since I'm 7 years late, maybe I should make up for it huh? It seems that you forgot just how creative I can get."
Kyo immediately became quiet, stood back up and retreated to his wife, Tohru just giggling at the scene since it looked as though nothing had changed. Yuki soon following, nodding again towards the blonde. Kyoya had only smirked at the scene, figuring in his head about how the rest of their families would react to her return. Yuzuru was bound to faint upon hearing the news, his own family would probably be speechless, Honey's brother and father might just stop functioning and the Sohmas would probably go into panic.
Finally, the twins knelt down in front of Lucy, the both of them pulling her into a gentle hug between them. Kaoru still seemed the same to her but Hikaru seemed like he had grown so much. Before, both of them were so in sync with everything they have ever done together. But now, Lucy could sense the smallest difference in their aura. She looked at Hikaru's black hair in the corner of her eye and couldn't help but raise her hand and run her hand through his hair. Making the boy freeze.
"You kept your hair black..." She whispered as the 3 separated from one another.
The black haired twin blushed as he scratched the back of his neck sheepishly. "Yeah... I had been meaning to change it back, but it didn't feel right if you weren't here."
She looked back and forth between the Hitachiin twins and just smiled softly, both tilting their heads at her reason for doing so. "You both have grown so much... you're no longer those closed off twins that stayed together as one person." She said with a sense of pride. "You both have finally found you."
They blinked and laughed at her words, putting an arm around one another. "We may have found our own self, Lucy, but we can still go back to the good old days when we were still the shady twins." Kaoru said with a cheshire grin, earning a playful slap to the head from the blonde.
Lucy laughed at the idea while Tamaki, Yuki and Kyo shivering at the thought of having to deal with the twins' antics again. "You guys haven't changed."
"You're the one to talk." They both said in unison, making the entire group laugh at the irony.
They all gathered around the blonde again and got into one big group hug. The girls in the middle while the males surrounded them. Lucy could feel one more small tear fall from her eye and she couldn't help but produce the brightest smile she could muster. She had officially reunited with her family after 7 long years.
"...I'm home!"