Hey guys! I've finally finished ch. 9! I honestly couldn't believe it myself...
Anyway, WOW. I cannot believe I hit 100 follows.
That is crazy.
Totally amazeballs.
Thank you guys sooo much! I hope you enjoy the chapter!
Six months.
Lucy had been gone for six months.
Rubbing at the dark circles that had formed under her eyes, the scarlet-headed woman grabbed the handle of her wagon once again, the tower of suitcases trailing after her.
The streets were dark by now, and silently, she deposited her items back in her apartment at Fairy Hills, neatly sorting them back into their proper places.
Sighing, she grabbed a towel before summoning her armor away and stepping into her bathroom.
Giving a soft hiss as the cold tile made contact with the sore bottoms of her feet, she trotted towards the bathtub, ready to take a nice long bath after a month's long mission.
Warm water filled the bathtub, almost spilling over the edge, and she set her towel to the side, slowly setting herself into the tub.
Giving a nice long breath, she smoothed back her long hair, rubbing the heated liquid onto her arms.
After finding a particularly comfortable position, she settled down, her eyes and nose barely grazing the surface of the water.
Six months.
Pursing her lips, Erza could only think of her busty blonde headed team mate.
Bright and practically overflowing with a warmth that drew everybody to her, Lucy had been the ray of sunshine in Team Natsu.
Always positive, and willing to give up her life as a wealthy and highly respected Heartfilia, the celestial mage had been one-of-a-kind.
'We became conceited. We were spoiled by her kindness, and we took advantage of it.'
The water had gone from a soothing hot to barely warm now.
Shifting so the back of her head lay on the edge, she furrowed her eyebrows as she felt the same temperature that she'd felt a few minutes ago.
Her thoughts shifted to her younger guild mate once again, and she felt a hollow, cold feeling in her chest.
Ah... so that's what it was.
It was enough of this.
Standing up, the great titania washed her hair and scrubbed her body, the water from the bath draining away.
Turning off the water, she stepped out of the bathroom, her towel wrapped around her, another one being used to dry her hair.
Re-quipping into her pajamas, she sat down on her bed, covering her legs with the warm blanket.
She stretched out her arm to turn off the light on her nightstand, although the action was stopped halfway through.
A picture frame sat on the mini table, filled with a photo of five people and two cats.
A strange salmon haired lad with fire coming out of his mouth, a blue cat with wings on his head, a half naked man wearing a rosary on his chest, a little bluenette lass with a pure white cat in her arms, her own smiling self, and a girl with golden hair being pressed against her armored chest, laughing.
Turning the light off, she slipped under the covers, the photo held to her heart.
Six months.
A lone tear managed to make its way down her cheek as she dozed off.
Grimacing, Gray wiped the blood off the cut on his cheek, softly pressing a band-aid on top of the area.
Sighing, he stepped back, examining himself for any other injuries.
It'd been a little over six months now.
Zipping the first-aid kit closed, he gave a small scowl.
Now where was his shirt?
After attempting to find it for a couple minutes, he gave up, taking a seat on his couch.
He winced as he bumped his knee on the table corner, where a bruise had formed from his latest mission.
Taking care of injuries had always been Lucy's thing.
'She's not here anymore though, now is she?'
His gaze darkened at the thought, and he turned his head to the window, watching as leaves obscured his view of the sky.
It was Fall, and nowadays the weather matched his mood completely.
Dark, cold, and silent.
She had been the glue of the team, the person who'd brought them together.
And now they didn't even know where she resided.
Burying his face in his hands, the boy thought the same thing he did everyday.
'What if she never comes back? How did it come to this...? Why did this have to happen...?'
Gritting his teeth, he slammed a powerful fist onto the table, feeling frustration circulate through his body.
Warmth prickled at the back of his eyes, but he held it back.
Cold, like ice.
Although on the inside, he was hurt, longing for the girl he loved like a sister.
His fists shaking, Gray collapsed into the coach, sighing.
Six months.
Sitting on a bench in the park, Wendy stared at the sky.
A pout painted her face, and the bright brown of her eyes were now dull.
"Six months..."
No.
It'd been a little more than that.
217 days.
35 weeks.
Carla sat in her lap, frowning at the state the little girl was in.
"Carla..."
Her little furry head snapping to attention, said cat gave the bluenette her full and undivided attention.
"Yes, Wendy?"
Sighing, the girl began to softly stroke the exceed's head.
"Carla... will Lucy-nee ever come back? She must be so angry at us, though, having us treat her like that..."
Her head drooping, the female cat could only have the same thoughts.
"I...I don't know, Wendy..."
Looking at her, her lips began quivering, and soon enough, she was sobbing for seemed to be the billionth time since Lucy's absence.
Attempting to console the young girl, Carla rubbed her arms comfortingly.
"When is Lucy-nee coming back...?" Wendy sobbed out.
Carla didn't know how to reply.
Walking into the guild, Natsu couldn't feel the warm gush of air and sound of laughter as he used to.
Now it just seemed colder than it was beyond the guild doors.
Fairy Tail had simmered down- instead of the usual loudness, screaming, fights, and drinking, it was silent, except for the small talk and hollow laughter here and there.
Lucy's disappearance had affected them all.
Team Natsu was straining, each member becoming isolated, and taking on as many solo missions as they could manage.
Grabbing another mission from the board, he passed it to Mira, refusing to look her in the eyes.
Giving a sad smile, she softly took the crumpled paper and recorded it, passing it back to him.
Retrieving it, he once again refused to look her in the eyes.
If he did, would she be able to see how vulnerable he'd become?
How he'd practically broke when Lucy left?
How his insides had seemed to hollow out when he saw the blank canvas of her hand?
He refused to let her see how weak he'd become.
Walking out, he kept his head down, feeling the stares of his fellow guildmates.
Cana looked away, she could only imagine how alone Natsu was.
Passing through the doors, he blew out a sigh, watching how the smoke billowed from his mouth to the sky.
'Too much people.' he thought, and he turned into an alleyway, hoping for more space.
It'd already been more than six months.
Gritting his teeth, Natsu could feel tears appearing at the thought.
Lucy... she'd been his best friend, his partner, his other half...
"Loved her..." he whispered out.
"I loved her..."
Nobody answered, only the clouds could hear his words.
Suddenly, a chill passed over his chest.
Dodging away, and pressing against the wall, Natsu panted as he stared incredulously at the giant black blade glistened in the spot he just stood in.
On it was a bright blue ribbon, tattered and torn, although mostly intact.
Approaching it, Natsu could barely notice the quivering of his hands and legs.
Slowly, he reached out, and snatched the piece of cloth from where it was stuck between the floor and metal.
Giving it a sniff, terror seemed to paralyze him.
It was Lucy's ribbon.
For the first time in his life, the fire mage felt cold.
I hope that this chapter was good enough for you all, if it wasn't to your liking, please tell me your feedback in the review section so I can read it and improve on my mistakes.
I honestly can't predict when the next chapter is coming out, due to not much space in my schedule nowadays and a lot of problems in my life currently.
I just kind of want to get my life back on track and battle off the depression that just really seems to get the best of me these days.
But... let's hope I can get 150 follows next.
See you guys later!