Past, Present, No Future
By: Shigure Hakuya
It's now midnight and Lucy is still wide awake. The poor child can't sleep because of insomnia; though in reality, she's an adult.
The summoning and the fight between her and Titania really took a toll in her magic reserves. She needs to train more.
As usual, Lucy felt weak.
She still feel the consequences of summoning using her Nature Magic and also summoning two silver keys. Her feet felt like there's lead on it. She cannot move nor talk, but her mind is now wandering in thoughts. How can she finish her training when there's many obstacles in the way? She needs too much time to decide what she needs to do in the future. She mustn't space out always because time passes fast in this timeline.
After all, she is just a paradox. Her existence itself in this world is just a paradox.
Without any time to waste she decided to do something even though her body rejects moving. Her own feet led her to the library without the other maids noticing. Hopefully, she will find something inside that will make her elated right now. She's bored as hell.
Tapping her own little fingers in the shelves, she decided to pick a novel this time. Her eyes wandered at the catchy cover and just the word itself, the title of this novel is "Catchy". She headed to a small chair, made a flower lamp using her magic and started reading the book.
As she reads, time passes. Her eyes are fully focused at the story. Any distractions are a no for her as it reached dawn...
Lucy can't take it anymore. She needs to be out of this prison. She needs to be away from her demon father as much as she can. She wants out.
So that leads her to packing her own things.
At first, she is hesitating since leaving the konzern also means that she won't ever see the maids in the mansion, the only ones who care for her. But the madness won't stop Lucy as long as she's still here. The memories of her mother are laying around and she can't stand it.
While packing, Lucy finally remembered something that she forgot to take.
A smile crept to her face as she ran through the hallways and finally, she stumbled at where her destination is. The attic room beside the supply room. She opened the door and saw dust as she cough out the dirt.
By coincidence or not, the sunlight rays pointed itself at a portrait ahead. A torn photo of the formerly happy family of Heartfilia. Maybe, if Lucy didn't stumble upon this timeline, maybe the original Lucy is still innocent and clueless at what happening at the future.
That thought made her smile grimly, despite of her childish appearance. There are so many mysteries at why she was sent in this timeline. Why did that Celestial Warrior sent her here? If that Celestial Warrior is really true, then why that Warrior didn't appear before her right now? That Warrior didn't told Lucy what Lucy must do or what she must do. All that Warrior gave to Lucy was this child form and different timeline, not clues or anything that is related to her former life.
Celestial Warrior thoughts aside, Lucy went towards the portrait and saw her main objective.
She's still the same.
Lucy grabbed the blue dress gently and gave it an obsevation with a faint smile in her lips. Though it has been covered in dust, its caramel brown hair still didn't changed. The smile on its lips still didn't waver as time passed upon it.
"...I haven't seen you for a while, Michelle." Lucy said with a gentle voice. Lucy brushed her fingers upon Michelle's hair and started to hum. The tone is sweet and mellow but full of sadness. Lucy exited the room and went back to her own room with Michelle in her arms. The earlier grim Lucy turned into a serene Lucy. Moody, as we say.
'...Even if fate shall wait in the way... We belong...'
The day ended with Lucy leaving the konzern, leaving a letter on her table.
Even though Lucy planned where she's going, it is still a pain in how she's going to do in the journey. She has two choices, either travel by feet by save money or travel by train but that will leave her penniless. Even though rejected by her little body, she decided to travel by her own feet. Also, she can save her money by that.
Lucy wondered if this what her friends felt when they were still a kid at her last life. Did they felt despair in not knowing where to go? Did they have their own self to take care of?
Of course, Lucy isn't thinking of anything that will lead her to go back but she can't stop thinking where to go. After leaving the train and arriving in the city of Crocus, since Lucy decided to stop by here, Lucy planned to have a sightseeing around. After all, nobody would notice her as a lost child since Lucy is already ten years old.
While Lucy is in a rather isolated area, Lucy thought that she's hearing some shouts in a dark alley. Rushed by her own emotions, Lucy lightened the alley with her Nature Magic. Her eyes widened upon seeing whose that voice came from.
"Hey, let go off her!" Lucy angrily shouted at the man holding the princess of Fiore. Yes, who Lucy saw was Hisui E. Fiore that looks like Lucy's own age. The man just looked at Lucy from head to feet and chuckled.
"Hah? What did you say, little child?" The man looked like he is drunk and out of his mind. Lucy should have dashed towards the man but the man is holding Hisui with a knife in his hand. As a safety precaution, Lucy decided to plant her Nature Magic and sent the roots directly below the man. Unknown to him, Lucy already did this before reaching the alley.
"I said, let go of the Princess. Do you understand?" This time, Lucy's voice was a murderous one as she smiled innocently. This ticked of the man as he let go of the struggling Hisui and dashed towards Lucy. Lucy just chuckled as she started to walk step by step towards them.
"My fortune today said that I must go to somewhere isolated and be prepared in anything I do. Also, it is said that Pisces will have a very little problem to have while in a journey. *chuckle* Guess that my predictions are right, huh?" Lucy said in a rather deep tone that made her look like her former self, minus the hourglass figure. The man just let out a cry and dashed towards the weaponless Lucy.
Hisui cannot take this anymore as she ran and called for help.
Meanwhile, the man suddenly thrust his knife but it is stopped by Lucy's own hand. Without effort, she snapped the sharp edge with a rather eerie smile. The man just looked at his snapped weapon as he fell on his butt, eyes widening.
"Hey old man, what would you do to the Princess if I didn't came?" Lucy said to him as she threw the snapped part of the knife. She now formed a sharp whip with thorns by her magic as she slowly raised her arms, ready to whip the man. The man just kept sitting there, too horrified to even move an inch. His gazed at Lucy's own eyes as he saw something that made him shiver in fear.
As Hisui ran towards the populated part of the town to look for help, she finally saw someone and went to the person.
"Hey, lady, please help me! My friend! S-she's currently fighting an old man and she's still my age! Please help her! She might get hurt!" The lady she asked for help get the message as both of them ran towards the dark alley. There, they saw that Lucy is currently holding something. Both of them can't saw what Lucy's holding but Hisui swore to herself that the thing Lucy's holding some kind of a whip. As a light appeared in that alley.
"H-hey, what you're do-..." The lady with Hisui said as both of them stopped on their tracks, eyes widening at what they saw.
Lucy is unconscious with a whip in her hand. But Lucy is not standing but being held by someone that time. A lady with long blue hair and blue mermaid tail is currently holding the unconscious child as both of them disappeared in gold light, leaving the unconscious old man lying on the floor with a long gash on his chest.
"What is happening...?" Hisui muttered as she saw what has conspired this day, leaving her insomniac in those later days.
Lucy can't see anything but red. Blood? It must be.
She can't move but she swore to herself that she is not in that alley. She felt herself floating as she mustered her strength to open her eyes.
Upon opening her tired eyes, she saw stars. The sky seems like in a purplish hue with red at the horizon.
Where is she?
As Lucy wandered her eyes, she finally saw where she is. The horizon ahead says it all, with the grass below her. She just chuckled as her gaze fell upon the tall building at the west.
"Fairy Tail, huh?"
To be continued...
A/N: Hisui in this story is just the same age as Lucy since this timeline is different from the one Lucy came from. Also, Michelle is being left by Lucy in the attic, just like the one when Lucy's mother died but this time, Lucy left Michelle when she's still the former Lucy. This means that the original Lucy from the current timeline left Michelle when she's still very young for unknown reasons.