FATE
Summary: Fate brought them together and Fate gave them happiness. But Fate just had to be cruel and take the girl away, seperating them. Still, the girl comes back. How will she survive against the game of Fate?
Main Pairing: StiCy
Rating: T for SafeT and Character Death
Genre: Romance, Drama, Humor, Hurt/Comfort

O.O Shucks, how long has it been? A month? Two or more? Long time no see..? T^T Sorry! As stated in the previous chapter, I went on a vacation and school started so... yeah -_- .

Putting that aside, go on and read this long chapter! ^_^ English is just my second language!

...please put those pitchforks down.

Chapter 9: Choices and Decisions
"It's about Lucy."

Previously in Fate...

"You have already fallen for her, Kaze."

"I hope we could meet soon."

"Would you mind being our master, again?"

"Do you know someone named Lucy Heartfilia?"

"Lucy has touched our lives, our hearts, and left a fingerprint that would never heal."

"I would give anything, except for my fellow nakama, to see her again. Safe and sound."

"Nevermind. It's none of my business, anyway."

"What does Master Sakura know about Lucy? How did she know her?"

- ~ ~ ~ -
In the Train Heading to Galdmiore, Fiore
December X791

"Mou~! Vulcanoo~!"

Vulcano grumbled in annoyance. "What's wrong with you, Coral!?" he let out.

Coral pouted and waved her arms around. "Why did you have to burn this dress?"

Vulcano felt a vein pop. Literally. "Like. I. Said. I DIDN'T BURN YOUR DRESS! It's just the freaking sleeve!"

"That's just the same thing!"

"No. It's. Not!"

"Is too!"

"Is not!"

"Is too!"

"OH WILL YOU TWO JUST SHUT UP!?"

BONK

Vulcano and Coral lay on the ground - out cold, with bumps on their heads. Anna ruffled her hair a bit before huffing out a deep sigh.

"That should do it," she muttered before sitting back down on her seat and looking out the window. A small uncomfortable feeling grew in her stomach and she knitted her eyebrows together, trying to find out why she's feeling so uneasy and unstable. The feeling was similar to the time before they found Lucy... Is it that same feeling that something big was about to happen?

A soft giggle brought her back to reality. She moved her stare to the blonde in front of her. Lucy sat beside Coral, who was enthusiastically telling stories about their fellow guild mates, and Lucy found the stories funny. Kaze was snoring away beside Coral (maybe he ate too much). Beside Anna, Rain listened silently to Vulcano's continuous grumbling.

Anna wondered what Coral was talking about when said prankster glanced her way and laughed out loud. She raised an eyebrow at the two giggling girls.

Lucy stifled her giggles with her hand, but her efforts turned out to be in vain. She wasn't able to contain it much longer and she laughed out loud, with Coral joining in the chorus.

Anna's mouth twitched and she growled, "What is it?"

"I-It's nothing... (laugh)... It's just... I told L-Lucino-c-chan... about t-that time w-when you t-talked in your s-sleep..." Coral managed to say between giggles.

The Crystal Maiden raised an eyebrow. "What are you talking about?" she questioned.

Lucy let out another giggle before starting to explain (between muffled laughter). "S-She told me that you said you had a crush on... On Vulcano-" She stopped to breathe. "And that you w-wanted to h-hug him... That t-time... It was your birthday, and he gave you 10 coupons for ube (yam) cakes... And you wanted to hug him so bad..." Lucy couldn't take it any more and she broke down in laughter.

Anna blushed a soft pink shade and she glanced embarrasedly towards Vulcano. Fortunately, he was too busy grumbling to notice. She stammered, "T-that was a long time ago!"

After a small fit of giggles, Coral commented, "And you even hugged Dory-chan and acted like she was actually him!" Her comment was followed by another set of laughter and giggles. The sound was so loud that Anna can't help but wonder how and why Kaze hasn't woken up, yet.

Wait. She hugged Dory and acted as if she was Vulcano?! No one ever told her that! Did that actually happen?

"I never thought you had that side of you, Anna!" Lucy laughed.

Upon realization, Anna blushed a deep shade of red and in a bright purple flash, Lucy and Coral were both encased in purple crystal.

Kaze woke up with a start and upon seeing the crystal and the red-faced Anna, he paled. He must have thought that the Crystal Maiden had gone insane and is going to turn them all into purple crystal. His breath hitched when Anna turned and crept nearer to him.

"Did you hear?" she thundered as she glared down at him.

He gulped. "W-what?"

"DID YOU HEAR WHAT THEY SAID?" she boomed louder.

He started sweating. "W-what are you talking about?" he stammered.

FLASH

And now he is trapped in purple crystal.

"Oi, Anna, what's gotten into you?" the Flame Alchemist, who apparently chose the wrong time to stop grumbling, asked.

Anna blushed, then paled. She fumbled with words and was about to reply when they heard the train whistle. The announcer's voice rang throughout the cabin.

"We are now approaching Galdmiore Station. I repeat, we are now approaching Galdmiore Station."

Anna stood straight and quickly reached for her belongings, acting as if nothing happened. She hastily removed the crystallization effect on Kaze, Coral, and Lucy, and then left the cabin.

Vulcano stared in disbelief at her retreating figure before sighing. He reached for his belongings, stood up, and headed for the exit. He looked back at his comrades who were already preparing.

"Hurry up!"

While the group left the train and the train station, a shadow figure emerged from the shadows, unnoticed. As it cast its eyes on the group, it grinned menacingly.

Just wait, Mistress... It will soon be ours...

At the Guild

The guild doors burst open and all heads turned to Team Accord as said team entered the guild hall. Master Sakura smiled at them as they walked towards her.

"Sorry if we took so long," Anna apologized. Master Sakura shook her head slightly. "It's alright. And you came at the right time, actually. I was about to give an announcement."

Team Accord wore confused looks on their faces as the Master stepped up the stairs and looked down at her guildmates. She coughed loud enough to gain their attention before saying, "I've gathered all of you here because I have to make an urgent announcement." The hall hushed and fell silent, listening attentively to the words of their guild master.

"Anyway, I've decided that..." she paused, glancing sidewards at Team Accord. Anna noticed that and the strange feeling she felt in the train a while ago came back. The whole room was filled with silence, anticipating the next words of the Guardian Master.

.

"We would join this year's Grand Magic Games."

Still silence... Then a loud-

"EH?! SERIOUSLY?!"

Anna's eyes widened. This was very unexpected. Ever since the guild has been founded 3 years ago, they have never joined the Games.

Ever.

So why so sudden? Inside, she somehow expected the announcement to involve Lucy, but she was wrong. I'll just wait and see who'll be the chosen six, she decided.

Master Sakura raised a hand, signaling her guild members to keep quiet. And they did so.

"The participants are as follows: Shante Gil Adreical."

Shante's jaw dropped as she gaped at the Master, and the whole guild threw her shouts of congratulatory praise and good luck. She sighed. "Why me, of all people?" she muttered. "Can't it just be someone else?" Sadly, no one heard her.

"William Vincent Athlasia."

A young man with royal purple hair wearing a plain white shirt with a black jacket and dark blue jeans was leaning on a column, near the back of the hall. When he heard his name, he stared at the Master, probably waiting for her to admit that she was just joking. But unfortunately, she wasn't. The guild showered him with praise, to which he wasn't used to. In the corner of his eye, he saw Shante waving at him. He faced her and smiled as she shouted a sincere "Good luck!" to him. Good luck to you, too, he inwardly said.

"Lucino Bernhart."

Lucy's eyes widened. Like Shante, she gaped at Master, ignoring the loud praises given to her. Why is she included? She knows very well that there are a lot more Guardians that are far stronger than her. But why was she chosen?!

Kaze tousled her hair, treating her like a child. "Hahaha! Good luck to you, Luce!"

Lucy blushed in embarrassment, but didn't say anything.

"Kaze Mundred."

Kaze stopped tousling Lucy's hair and snapped his head to Master Sakura. "WHAT?!" he exclaimed. The other guild members clapped and cheered for him, but he ignored them.

He stomped towards Master. "What's the meaning of this?!" he demanded.

Master Sakura sighed and glared sharply at Kaze, making him shrink. "Go back to your place, Kaze. I know what I'm doing," she hissed.

Slightly panicking, Kaze nodded and quickly went back to his place. Once there, Lucy laughed at him. "Good luck to you too, then, Kaze!"

Said young man turned to Lucy and smiled. The smile disappeared seconds later, though, and it's a good thing (for him) that Lucy didn't notice.

Anna sighed in relief. I guess I won't be-

"Anna Crystalline."

...called. Anna sighed once again, but this time for a different reason. Several shouts and claps filled the air, and she could hear a nearby Guardian say, "That's not a surprise."

Anna saw the Master on top of the stairs, smiling down at her. She couldn't help but force out a smile, silently hoping that everything would go well. Well... I'll just go with the flow...

"And for the team's reserve, Coral Aquamarine."

"Ehhh?!" Coral exclaimed in shock. The whole guild laughed at her reaction; even Master Sakura giggled and Anna chuckled.

"Why~?!" she wailed.

Master beamed at her. "Don't worry, Coral. You can make it just fine."

Coral pouted and crocodile tears made its way down her cheeks. "Noooo~! I don't want to go~!" she whined. The guild laughed at her antics and practically ignored her complaints as she sunk down on her chair and whined endlessly.

Master clapped her hands to gain the guild's attention. All eyes turned to her. "We all know that the Games would start at July 1, and currently it's still December. So, the remaining 7 months will be used for preparation. I want us to pass the prelims and make it to the top 5 - at least. So do your best, you six!" she gladly proclaimed and the guild bustled with cheers and loud acclamation.

As the guild continued their celebration and usual chit-chatter, Anna made her way to the Master, who was sitting on her special couch near the bar. "Milady," she started.

Master Sakura looked up from her tea at Anna. Smiling gently, she set her teacup down on its small platter on her lap. "What is it, Anna?" she asked sweetly. "Are you surprised that you're part of the team?"

"Honestly, yes," Anna admitted. "But I'm not here to talk about that."

"Ah, then is it about your mission? As for the mission, don't worry. I'll have your reward ready on time."

"Regarding the mission, Lady Sakura, there's something that I want to tell you. Something I found out during our time in Magnolia," Anna said.

For a split second, a startled look crossed the Master's eyes. Could it be... "Is it about the package?" she carefully asked.

Anna was bewildered. "Huh?"

"Did you see the contents of the package?"

Anna shook her head slowly, as if confused as to why the Master's asking all that. "No, it isn't about that," she replied.

Master Sakura was visibly startled. She shook her head. Guess I was wrong, she told herself. I shouldn't jump to conclusions so fast. "Then...?" she inquired.

Anna paused, probably deciding whether or not to say what she wanted to say. After a few moments, she made her choice.

"It's about Lucy."

Master Sakura's eyes showed slight knowing and interest and she sipped her tea and motioned for Anna to continue.

Looking at the Master's curious eyes, Anna closed her eyes, replaying the scene at the cake shop. The memory of Erza Scarlet's crying face sent a flood of guilt all over her. It will be all right... she assured herself and relayed everything that was said.

"It all changed when she died two months ago."

"Her joining the guild was one of the best things that has ever happened to us."

"Her smiles lit up our hearts, reaching even the darkest corners."

"If only we were stronger... If only I was stronger... If only..."

"Out of every one of us, he took it the hardest."

"Although time has passed, and we were starting to recover ever so slowly, we knew deep inside that we can never go back to the way it was before."

"I would give anything, except for my fellow nakama, to see her again. Safe and sound. And I'm sure everyone feels the same."

Master Sakura stared at the contents of her cup of tea, as if it had something interesting. She narrowed her eyes, digesting the information she had just acquired. Erza's words had deep meaning, and it made her feel at fault. She shifted her gaze to Anna, who was looking intently at her, expecting a reaction of some sort. Sakura searched Anna's eyes looking for something. Guilt, to be specific. And there it was. There was a tinge of guilt in Anna's lilac eyes and Sakura was certain she felt guilty.

But who wouldn't? All this time, Lucy's friends were suffering, while here they were, enjoying life with Lucy Heartfilia a.k.a. Lucino Bernhart. It seemed like they were the reason behind the Fairy Tail wizards' grief. They were the ones who kept away the happiness and joy that were supposed to be present when Lucy had come back from the dead. And they were the ones that prohibited the spreading of the news of Lucy's comeback, preventing all people who knew her from knowing she's alive and as free-spirited as ever.

"Lady Sakura?" Anna's deep voice resounded in her ears and took her out from her silent reverie.

Sakura shifted to a comfortable position and her eyes left Anna and cast its stare on the red carpet at their feet. She sighed audibly. "I think I know where you're getting at," she started.

Silence. Sakura took a glance at Anna, who kept her silence, listening to her. She somewhat knew the answer the Crystal Maiden was looking for, but... "Before anything else, I'd like to say something else, too."

Master Sakura stood up and walked to the stairs at the left of the bar counter, leading up to the second floor balcony. She motioned for Anna to follow suit.

Upon arriving on the balcony, she scanned the horizon and breathed in the fresh air. The sun was setting, and its rays shone on their faces, as if to soothe them. The moon had appeared a bit earlier today, looking down at them with its taunting eyes, as if to torment them and blame them for everything that had transpired over the course of two months.

"What was it you wanted to say, Lady Sakura?" It was Anna's turn to ask.

"I'm sure you're wondering..." Sakura turned around to face Anna. "About the real reason why I entered the guild in the Games."

Anna's eyes widened with surprise, and Sakura took this as a cue for her to continue.

Sakura started with a question. "I'm sure you remember that night on Coral's birthday, right?" She glanced at Anna, who was listening intently on her every word.

"Remember when we asked her if she liked Kaze?"

Anna nodded.

"And when she said the words, and I quote: 'It's like I'm in love with someone I don't even know, never met, nor even remember.' Those words caught my interest and I decided to ask her about it after the party."

The Crystal Maiden was silent, but Sakura need not to know if she was listening or not.

"And so, after the party, I went up and looked for her. I didn't expect her to be on one of the small balconies, much less singing..."

*Flashback*

Master Sakura's POV

"Ne Amy, have you seen Lucino?" I asked the pink-haired bartender who was wiping the wine glasses. She turned towards me, nodded, and pointed upstairs.

"I saw her head up the stairs. Guess she's tired already and was heading to bed," she said.

I nodded at her. "Thanks."

"Don't mention it."

Climbing up the stairs, I drowned out the sounds of the guild partying and their loud cheers, and focused on looking for Lucy. A few moments later, I heard a pleasant sound. Recognizing it was Lucy's voice, I silently but swiftly shuffled to the source of the voice, and found her on a small balcony near her room, gazing at the stars while singing.

Now that I was nearer, I recognized the song and its lyrics.

"Hitorikiri de aruiteru no? Sonna kakkou ja samui deshou. Gomen ne mou, koe wo kakeru koto sae dekinai kedo..."

"Am I supposed to walk through life all by myself? But that would be too lonely, right? I can't even say sorry, if only my voice could reach you..." was what the first line said. My eyes widened slightly as I realized that she was singing one of the songs I loved to sing myself...

"Kanashimi no oto ga garandou no mune ni kodama shiteta. Obieta watashi wa, ie wo sagashi aruku maigo no you datta ne."

"The sound of sorrow was resonating in my empty heart. I was afraid, so I started to search for the place where I belong, like a lost child..."

"Hidamari no you na, kimi no tonari. Atatakai nemuri ni ochite yuketa. Tatta hito toki no yasuragi wo. Kimi ga kuretanda yo, tsutaetai yo－arigatou tte."

"If I'm next to you, I feel the sun shining on me. And I could have a warm nap anytime. Only one moment of peace would suffice for me. And as you gave it to me, I always wanted to tell you - how thankful I am."

My eyes softened as I caught on the message of the song, the message Lucy was voicing out. A strange sensation filled my whole being, and I could have sworn I could have melted into the ground with plain guilt. I might not know who Lucy was singing to, not that she knows who it was, but I still felt bad for her. She doesn't know what her life was about, who she really was apart from her name, who her family was, who her friends was, and how she'll remember all those. And I, her Master, had nearly neglected it.

I was too caught up in my thoughts that I didn't hear her words and only caught on the last bit:

"I hope we could meet soon."

That was it. I felt my heart and being drop like all her burdens have been dumped on me. The guilt struck me. Here we were, keeping her in the guild and preventing her real identity to be known. It's a way of keeping her safe, I'd say, but who knows? Does Lucy actually appreciate that gesture?

I heard Lucy mutter a soft "Good night". I decided I could talk to her some other time and turned on my heels, shuffling down the hall to my room.

Entering my bedroom, I plopped down on the soft mattresses, ignoring the open door to the balcony and the cool breeze blowing in.

*End of Flashback*

Master Sakura's POV

"It's my duty, as the Guild Master, to protect and care for the wellbeing of my guild. Lucy's wish is to find out who she was and reunite with her old friends, her real family, her real life. Taking that thought into heart and mind, I decided to take the initiative and help grant her wish."

"...the package?" Anna asked with a hint of realization.

I nodded. "5 days after that, there was a local guild master's meeting. As we were about to close, I mentioned Lucy's name, checking to see what their reactions would be like." I paused to see how Anna would react, but her eyes bore no meaning, only intent to listen on what I had to say.

"Master Makarov had the most noticeable reaction. The rest only had sad and sympathetic looks on their faces, but he had his eyebrows crinkled, his eyes watery, and was staring at me with suspicion," I continued. "Slightly stunned by their reactions, I gently smiled at them and said, 'It's nothing.' They believed me and left, all except for Master Makarov.

"He stayed behind to talk to me, asking me how I knew about her. I didn't reveal anything to him, and only calmly replied that I had just heard about what happened to her. He bought that, and I took it as a chance to ask him more. So I asked him if I could get a copy of her personal data. How straightforward of me, don't you think so?"

*Flashback*

"Why?"

I want to know more about Lucy, was what I thought. "Just... I just want to know something."

"...and that is?"

"I'm sorry, but I can't say," I lied. Makarov eyed me from eye to toe, probably suspicious about my intentions... But I promise it isn't anything bad!

Seconds ticked by, then minutes... It seemed forever to me and I could feel beads of nervous sweat trickling down my face as Master Makarov opened his mouth to speak.

"All right. I'll have it prepared... Please stay put for a while." Master Makarov briskly turned on his heels and headed out the door as I stupidly stood in my place with a gaping mouth. Who would've thought it would work? I thought I would sound too suspicious for my own good!

Well, I guess fate is a little on my side this time...

*End.

"From the data I've gathered, Lucy was actually a rich, runaway heiress and a talented Celestial mage. She was a precious Fairy Tail mage, too. From that, I decided it would be nice if Lucy would get to 'know' her past life. Based on what I have observed, her memory won't return unless she has met certain people that relate to an important event of her life or unless the people aren't that important to her," I explained.

Anna nodded knowingly as she listened through everything that I had relayed. "So that's why you've entered us in the Games..."

I nodded. "Yes."

"I see." Anna smiled. "Then I'll support you with all I've got, Milady."

I sighed in relief and offered a warm smile. "Thank you, Anna."

Paradise
December X791

A tall man garbed all in white - Father, sat on his extravagant arm chair, calmly sipping his tea. Another man garbed similarly in white sat across him, also sipping his own tea. The two sat in comfortable silence until Father decided to break it.

"How is she?" he said.

Gabriel set his teacup down gently on the table between them. "Still the same. She has met her old friends already, but they didn't notice anything."

"Well, that's to be expected," Father nodded knowingly.

"...And there's a strange entity tracking them down..." Gabriel mused as he recalled a few recent happenings.

There was a short pause. "...Still nothing new," was Father's reply.

Gabriel eyed the Father carefully, as if knowing something, then sighed softly. "Father..."

"Yes?"

"How about her memories?" asked the Angel of the Lake.

Father sat up straight and looked behind him, to the garden of his royal mansion. His eyes softened and emanated a warm glow.

"...Time will wait and time will come. Be patient, Gabriel. As horrible as Fate can be, it will find a way to fix its own problem."

(A/N)

- (^.-) ~ -

"And you even hugged Dory-chan and acted like she was actually him!"

- Dory is one of their guildmates. More about her (and what her real name is) would be revealed in one of my future stories! XD (As well as the truth behind Anna's crush)

"We are now approaching Galdmiore Station. I repeat, we are now approaching Galdmiore Station."

- I am super sorry if this statement sounded... weird. I haven't ridden in a train for a long time and I've forgotten what the announcer says :(.

- (^.-) ~ -

PLEASE READ!

I am super super super super soooooooorry! T^T I don't have to say why... I guess you all would know. I think some of you are thinking 'Why do you update so late!?' or 'Why are you so slow!?' right now... So I'm SORRY! T_T

But now I'll let you all know that I'm busy with school nowadays:

I was VERY busy during August... September, I was busier... And now this month, I'm afraid it's much MORE HECTIC! T^T I actually have a lot to study, but I decided to finish this and post it as soon as possible!

(But, good news! Our semestral break is also in this month XD I have time to be here! _)

So do you guys see the problem? T_T But even so, I'm still trying hard to work on my stories! But please... learn to bear with me? T^T

Thank you for reading this!

- (^.-) ~ -

QUESTION~!

Can anyone help me and tell me the score distribution for the Games? Like how many points first place gets, then second, then third, and so on... I know about the Battle portion already, I only need to know about the Competition portion :)

So Sakura was the one who heard Lucy on Chapter 7, huh? :D Who did you guys think it was?

Any comments? Suggestions? Violent reactions? PM me or leave it in your review. :D ...Wait O.o Huh? No violence, please.

Another thing, I'm sorry if I haven't published the story 'Life as a Guardian' (focuses on Lucy's life/stay with the Guardians), yet. T^T I really hate having no time (and inspiration) to write!

RANDOM: Listening to Fairy Tail OSTS and Themes make me miss Fairy Tail so much~! T^T I'm lagging also behind with the manga... I'm still in Chapter 338 right now... (The Stardust Essence made me cry! T^T Oh Gray!)

FAIRY TAIL ANIME CONTINUES THIS MONTH! XD I'M SO EXCITED!

...that's what I want to think...

EXTREME ULTRA LATE GUEST REVIEW RESPONSES:
hina: I'm just so evil that way ;P Kidding~! LoL XD Thank you for reviewing~!
ninjapanda: Hmm? What creeped you out O.o? YEAH! I love HitsuxHina! And now I'm having trouble~! StiCy or HitsuHina? Or BOTH! GAH! *coughs and sighs* Yep. Natsu's an idiot, no doubt. :D Thank you for reviewing and supporting my story~! XD
Bob the builder/laura (?): Thank you~! :) I hope you'll enjoy this story more!
stingxlucy fan: Thank you~! XD I am continuing this... I'm just slow...
kkchocola: Here is the update :) Thank you for the support _. I'm sorry if I didn't grant your wish, but I hope you'll look forward to later events~!

I'll be replying to the member reviews when I have the time! :) Thank you!

And please check out my newest story/one-shot: A Special Birthday. ^_^ Thank you and please leave a review!