Summary: It's been 4 years since Lucy's death. The guild has returned to their rowdy ways, but what happens if a small 6 year old girl, that looks and acts like Lucy comes to join! Wait. Her name is Lucy? Sequel to 'What She Was'
Rated: K+
Genres: Humor, Family, Friendship, Hurt/Comfort
A/N: Okay... I'll start off by saying that I'm so sorry. Like, seriously. I really need to work on my promises. But hey! Slow updates are better than none at all right? I could be one of those authors that leave you hanging at a critical part of the story forever until the end of time. Excuse? Well, for starters I was in the hospital for a while due to excessive head damage. Yeah, jumping off a 20 (or so) foot rock into a shallow part of the reef was not exactly my best idea.
I've still got some irritating stitches, but I should be fine. But 151 reviews?! Hey, woah! Where the hell did that come from?! You guys are too much! XD
And just to prove how much your reviews and fav's and follows mean to me, I shall add a dollop of NaLu in there, and the next chapter, maybe some GraLu. Not so extreme though, cause like I said, PEDO to the PHILE.
"Hey!" Gray and Erza were both slammed directly into the the two surrounding walls as the flurry of spiky pink hair zoomed past them, not even bothering a second glance. "WATCH IT ASH-BRAIN!" Gray yells after him, fully prepared to just run after him and give him a piece of his mind. But Erza grabbed him by the collar and dragged him inside of the familiar apartment.
"What the hell Er-" He was cut off abruptly when he landed in the room, right in front of a confused, slightly horrified little Lucy, who was clutching Happy like a life-line. He blinked wildly, eyes darting around the room for a minute before all the memories hit him with full force. "T-this... its..-"
"Lucy's apartment." Erza says sharply, though her eyes soft and hurt as she looked around.
"How- but- I though they evicted it!"
Erza looks thoughtful for a bit, "I guess the landlady just couldn't stand to try and sell the place."
"All her stuff is still in here." Gray says softly, not daring to leave his spot on the floor. His red-headed companion although, slowly made her way around the room, before stopping at the desk where the picture was.
She bites her lip, reaching forward to touch the frame, then directly snakes her hand back. It was so cold... so unlike the warmth she was used to.
Suddenly she feels small hands tugging at her skirt, she looks down to see Lucy's wide, chocolate brown orbs, brimming with tears and filled with confusion. Happy looked up at her too, only his were of worried eyes, so unfitting with a name like Happy. "D-did I do anything wrong? Why was Natsu-nii crying?"
It was silent, Gray not even trying to make a crack about Natsu, because everybody knew Natsu took Lucy's death the hardest, even harder than Lisanna's death most say, because Natsu was actually there at the time, because everybody was sure she was dead.
"You didn't do anything Lucy-chan." Erza croaks after a moment of tense silence. "Now come on, let's go back to the guild." There was too much memories in here.
Natsu watched dazed at the river lazily going down stream next to his small cottage. Never before had he felt such an overwhelming, suffocating feeling before. Like he had the wind knocked out of him but he was still standing. It felt worse than the pain he endured throughout the battles he had fought, mostly because this was a mental battle in itself.
He felt like such a baby, breaking down in tears like that just because of some apartment. But he and Lucy were extremely close, to the point where if anybody even hurt one little, itty-bitty, piece of her, whether physically or mentally, he would inure them severely in a snap.
Why Lucy was so precious to him? Why wouldn't she be?
She was the reason Natsu had fully regained his head after Lisanna's "death", she was his best friend, and for her to be just ripped away from him like that was just so heart-breaking. And her birthday was coming up, he was planning to give her a dragon plushie, the one still stored deep in his cottage.
A little voice inside his head was nagging at him slightly, "It's because you loved her." He ignored it, he couldn't have been in love with Lucy, it was just so unbelievable!
"OI! Fire-breath!"
Natsu blinked, craning his head slightly to peer at the owner of the voice. It was Gray, of course. Who else would call him that ridiculous nickname. Natsu doesn't say anything (woah, too OOC), and just turns back to the river.
"Look, I know your upset but you don't ignore me like that Scale's." Gray says indignantly, plopping down next to him and shoving him slightly.
Natsu laughs a bit then quiets down (what am I doing? Stahp it brain. Stahp.), and the two just sit in silence for a while, only the sounds of nature taking it's place surrounding them.
"You know I was the one who paid for Lucy's apartment." Natsu says hoarsely after a few moments. "But I didn't dare go inside."
Gray doesn't reply immediately, he picked some grass and threw it into the river instead.
"I guess I was just being a wuss. I mean, being scared of some stupid apartment." Natsu laughs bitterly, a sound so befitting of the Dragon-slayer.
"Your being an idiot, that's what you are." Gray murmurs, and Natsu sends him a look, but he doesn't stop. "Being scared to go into Lucy's apartment after she died, that doesn't sound like being a wuss. I was scared to go in there, Erza was, Gramps, everyone. And since you took the biggest emotional blow, if you weren't scared then you'd be some heartless bastard who doesn't deserve to be called her best friend."
Natsu looks astonished, before turning to the water, obviously in deep thought (BRAIN. STAHP.). Then he turns to Gray and cracks a grin. "Thanks alot Snow-man, who just so happened to lose his shirt." Gray winces and looks down, Natsu wasn't lying this time, and he scrambles around to find his tee.
As Natsu gets up and heads towards cottage, he hears Gray yell after him. "Ya know, now that Lucy-chan is here, it isn't quite as lonely!"
Natsu could only grin again, as he burst into his house, in search of a certain plushie.
Lucy bit her lip worried, turning away from the rather amusing sight of the twins dangling from one of the ceiling ledges to avoid being pierced by Erza's weapons, due to the fact that just a few moments ago they had made her cake fall helplessly down onto the ground due to their mischievous antics.
She was really worried about her two favorite (shh, don't tell the others!) onii-san's, Natsu had sped off somewhere and Gray went to go look for him, and Lucy was a worry-wart.
She bites back another round of tears as she looks helplessly onto the clock. Then suddenly, the members of Fairy Tale heard a rather loud argument entering the guild with showy entrance.
"-ICE STRIPPER!"
"Oh shut up lava-brain! Anyone with half a brain would know she likes dogs better!"
"She likes Dragons snowman! Watch! I'll prove it to ya!"
Lucy sighs in relief as Gray and Natsu walk into the guild, in a heated debate, while Natsu had something in his hand. Lucy couldn't really see it clearly due to the fact Natsu was swinging his arm around for hand gestures.
The blonde hopped off the table she was on and runs into the two, hugging Natsu's leg and looking up at him. "Natsu-nii! Where did you go?!" She pouts, looking very much like a child.
Natsu grins and bends down to her height, and even when crouching still a bit taller than her, hugging the item in his hand to his chest. "Nowhere important Lucy, but I've got something for you!" Lucy looks at him curiously as he hands out a stuffed dragon.
Red, and maroon, with fluffy scales and beady black eyes. His tail extending and wings at either side of its body.
"Happy late birthday Luce."
THE SHORTNESS! I- I DON'T EVEN. But I'm really into this now, patience with the next chapter though? Please?
And I know it's selfish of me to ask, but fan-art anybody? You can draw a scene that had happened in this story already, or you can just draw little Lucy being adored by the members Lol. Just a random request, don't need to fulfill it, review or PM me if you want to!
Now, hope you enjoyed the short chapter, the OOC was really getting to me though. I'll try harder next time.
Review please!