~Lucy~

"What was that about?" I asked. I was as confused as I've ever been. I stared at the door that Jacin had disappeared behind. It'd scared me, honestly. One minute he was fine and the next he was gone.

"Jacin sometimes acts like that," Roawin replied.

"Is there any particular reason why?" Roawin stayed silent for a long time. He curled up next to me and hid his face. "Roawin?" I asked, willing my voice to be gentle and soft. I wanted to comfort him, though I didn't know why he had to be comforted.

"It's because of the day when everyone disappeared," he whimpered. That caught me off guard. Disappeared? I didn't want to further his suffering. I wondered if by 'disappeared' he meant died. I wondered whom it was that disappeared. I wondered if Jacin would come back or if he would be gone forever. My chest ached with worry and fear.

I shushed Roawin and let him fall asleep beside me. I tucked him in underneath of the same blankets that I was under. He clung to me as if he was afraid I was going to disappear too. I didn't know what Roawin and Jacin had gone through, but whatever it was it was definitely bad. That one word kept circling around my brain. Disappeared, disappeared, disappeared.

"Luce?" asked a voice. I looked up to see just enough of Natsu's head to make out his pink hair peeking from behind the doorway. I sighed.

"Come in, Natsu. Be quiet, though. Roawin is asleep," I whisper-yelled.

Natsu hesitantly stepped inside and gently shut the door behind him. He stared at his toes. Walking up to my bedside, he said, "I came here because…"

His voice trailed off. "Natsu, look at me," I said. He shyly looked up. "I'm not mad at you. I understand that you were just worried about me. Thanks for that."

His eyes lit up and he flashed me one of his trademark grins. Soon, however, his looked sobered up. "You're one of my best friends, and I don't like seeing you get hurt."

I smiled a little, "I know."

"And when I saw you lying here in the infirmary I just lost it."

"I know that, too."

"And I'm really sorry."

I reached out and took his hand, "I know." He squeezed my hand and I squeezed it back.

"Forgiven already? I was hoping that would last longer!" Gray said, pushing the door open violently so that it smacked against the wall. Natsu leapt forward and covered up his mouth, "Are you an idiot?"

"Aftimichiyuwudidit," Gray said, struggling to pry Natsu off of his face. I took that to mean 'last time I checked you were the idiot,' but I wasn't sure.

Natsu removed his hand and pointed to Roawin. Roawin, somehow, had managed to sleep through that debacle. I smiled and brushed some of Roawin's hair out of his eyes, mimicking his affectionate habit. Roawin grabbed onto my hand in his sleep and hugged it like a teddy bear.

"Oh, sorry," Gray said, plopping down on the foot of my bed, "Didn't see him there."

"Wait, if Roawin is here where's Jacin?" Natsu asked, sitting on the other side of my bed.

I frowned, "I have no idea. He just stormed out like a weirdo and left Roawin here with me."

"Is he coming back?" Natsu asked, "Because I hope he isn—"

Gray elbowed him in the rib cage and he doubled over, "If Roawin is here we know he'll come back. From what I've seen, he'd never leave his little brother for long."

"Thanks, Gray," I said. He'd eased my nerves with just a few words.

"Hey, I'm just telling it like it is," he said, standing up, "Anyway, I just wanted to check in on you…make sure you're ok."

"I'm completely fine. I feel normal," I said, shrugging. Roawin mumbled and gripped my arm tighter. I was starting to lose circulation, but that wasn't reason enough to ruin the moment; said moment was too adorable to ruin.

"Good. I'll get you a milkshake. Be right back, ok?" Gray said, heading for the door. I smiled.

"He thinks of everything," I said.

Natsu pouted, "I was about to do that."

"Sure you were…by the way, where's Erza?"

"She went on a job so that she could get your rent money. She said that you were low and then told us to stay and take care of you."

I sat up suddenly, "What?! Why did she do that? I feel horrible! I have to pay her back!"

"Lucy?" Roawin said. He was upright and rubbing his eyes.

"Roawin! I'm so sorry," I said, "I didn't mean to wake you up."

"It's ok. Where's my big brother?" he asked, looking around the room.

"Um…he went for a walk?" I said, "He'll be back soon." I didn't want to lie to him, but I didn't want to make him cry either. I knew that Jacin would be back, and that's all that mattered.

"Natsu, would you take Roawin to the hall so that he can meet the rest of the guild?" I asked, "I'll be right behind you."

"Alright, but you should stay in bed," he said, staring me down.

"Natsu! I've told you a million times that I'm fine! Stop worrying," I said as Natsu scooped Roawin up.

"I don't care what you say. You're staying in bed until tomorrow."
"You're being overprotective."

Natsu cracked a smile, "I know."

I glared at him, "Touché." My eyes followed him as he walked towards the door. He held Roawin with one strong arm and pried the door open with the other. He disappeared. Great, now that word is stuck in my head again. The worries sprung up all over again.

I stared at the ceiling, lacing my fingers together. I tried to stifle my worries by thinking about anything other than Jacin, but Jacin was always on my mind. I jumped out of my skin when I heard a knock on the window. It was dark out, so I couldn't see who it was. I watched the window as it slowly swung open. An eerie squeaking sound that I'd previously thought you only heard when you watched movie lacrima made my skin crawl. I stared into the darkness; my imagination ran wild and fabricated exactly what the horrid monster that emerged from that blackness would look like.

I held my breath and pressed my back against the wall anxiously. I flinched and squeaked simultaneously when the thing jumped into the room. I then proceeded to mentally slap myself repetitively under I figured I'd had enough. The thing standing on the ground was about six inches tall. A tiny flower popped off of the top of its stone head. It smiled at me and waved. When it leapt up onto my bed I realized that it was completely made out of stone and that moss was growing all over it. It waddled over to me and placed something on my lap. Within a few seconds it saluted me and disappeared once again into the night, the window squeaking again as it slammed shut.

I blinked a few times and then looked to my lap. It was a note. It looked like it was jotted down on a random piece of sorcerer weekly. Neat handwriting was printed over a ripped picture. I frowned when I realized that it was half of Mira's face. I turned to paper to the side so that I could read what was written on it.

Lucy, sorry I ran out like that.

Maybe I'll explain everything to you one day.

I hope you don't think I'm crazy.

I won't be back until tomorrow morning, early.

I'm sorry to ask this of you, but could you

please look after Roawin until then?

I hope you feel well. I've sent Othos.

He'll come later tonight.

Sorry that I can't tell you yet,

but please don't ask.

It's painful.

A tear slid down my cheek, but I didn't know why. I read the note over and over again, trying to understand every word. My mind whirled. It amazed me that a simple note could confuse me so much. I suppose, though, I wasn't really confused. Jacin and Roawin had a past. That's what I understood. Yet, at the same time, that's what I didn't understand.

"Luce, I've got your milk sha—" I looked up and saw Gray shut the door behind him. He walked forward and set the milk shake down on the small table beside my bed.

"What's wrong?" he asked. I instantly swiped the tears from my cheeks.

"I just don't know," I said, covering my face with my hands. I squeezed my eyes shut, trying to stifle my tears. It worked, for the most part. Gray wrapped his arms around me. I was grateful for the comfort.

"It has something to do with Jacin, doesn't it?" he asked.

I nodded against his chest, "How did you know."

"I've seen it before. You don't cry easily, Luce. When you do, you've got a good reason for it. Right now, I'm pretty sure I know what your reason it."

"What does that mean?" I asked, looking up at him. He smiled down at me and patted my head.

"It's because you're in love," he said. I stared at him and straightened my back.

"Love?"

"With Jacin. I can see it. You change when you're around him. You probably don't even know it yourself, but you do."

"I do?"

"You do. Now, drink your milk shake. It'll make you feel better. Then you should get some rest. Natsu probably leaked the fact that Erza took on a job for you. If you want to pay her back, like I know you will, then you should build up your strength."

"How do you know I want to pay her back?" I asked, trying to sound suspicious. I crossed my arms and eyed him as he stood up. He leaned down and kissed my forehead, "Because I know you, Luce." I stared after him as he left the room. Gray was a great friend. It was nice having someone like him to cheer me up and bring me milk shakes when I really needed it. He was that friend who was there when I needed a friend. Then again, so was the rest of the guild.

"Lucy Heartfilia," said a voice. I jumped again. It seemed that I'd been doing a lot of that tonight.

"Othos?" I asked, clutching Jacin's note so tightly that it crumpled into a ball.

"I came early," he said, his feet tapping down gently as he dismounted the windowsill.

"Why are you here? I know Jacin sent you, but why?" I asked.

He knelt beside the bed and bowed his head, "I apologize for my actions, but you must understand that I only acted as such so that I could better protect my wizard."

"Your wizard?"

"My friend," he said, correcting himself. He stood and looked down at me, "I hope I didn't cause you any pain."

"It's alright. Really. Is Jacin alright?" I asked. Of course, every time I spoke I ended up speaking about Jacin. I thought about what Gray said. Maybe I always thought about him because I was in love with him. It made sense. My heart did a little dance and Othos raised an eyebrow over his blindfold.

"Are you alright?" he asked.

"Uh…yeah," I said, clearing my throat.

Othos smiled and nodded, "Jacin is alright…for the most part. His life isn't in danger. That's what you should be concerned about."

"I shouldn't be concerned about his difficult past? I shouldn't be concerned about the pain that he's in…even if that pain isn't physical? Are you saying that I just shouldn't care?"

"It would be better for you. I know that you love him, but I love him also. Granted, it is in a different way, but it's still similar. I know things that you don't. I know everything about you, also. I know that loving him will only cause you pain."

"You know, do you?" I practically shouted, "What do you know?"

"Everything, Lucy Heartfilia. I know that your mother is dead. I know that your father is dead also. I know what he did to you after you ran away and ended up joining Fairy Tail. I know that you, Lucky Lucy, are in love with Jacin. Most of all, however, I know that Jacin will never love you in return."

I couldn't breath. My chest hurt. Othos had told me exactly what I'd never wanted to hear. So soon after learning my own feelings, Othos had shattered my heart. Those words hurt more than I'd have ever imagined.

"W-Why?" I stuttered, choking on my own tears.

"Because he loves another. He's hurting and has been ever since he was young. I doubt that you could heal his wounds. I doubt you. If I didn't I would tell you everything. I would let you speak with him. I would let you understand him, truly. But that doubt is still there. I don't mean to be harsh with you. I don't mean to hurt you. I am simply saying these words, which I know are painful for you, because I want to save you from further harm."

I took a deep, shaky breath. Tears still fell down my face, "I…"

Othos leaned forward and touched my face. I felt warmth spread through the side of my face, "I can feel that you're hurting. I'm sorry."

"Can you also tell how angry I am? How horrified I am that you would say that? Can you tell that I, out of all people, am determined to help Jacin? I won't let him suffer. Because I love him. I won't let it go on."

"You will only hurt him more, Lucy," he said, removing his hand.

"No…I'll help him. If you tell me the truth, I'll help him. I don't want him to hurt."

"I cannot tell you the truth. It is not my truth to tell."

"Then I'll find out for myself. Now that I know that he's hurt, I'll help him."
"He loves someone else."

"Then I'll find her and bring her back to him. I don't care how much I get hurt in the process. I will help Jacin."

"That's impossible."

"What is?"

"Enough. I've seen enough," he said, turning to leave again. His voice was gentle, "Perhaps I was wrong about you." I blinked and he was gone. I was left there lying in my bed with a thousand questions crushing what was left of my heart.

Othos has just left to apologize to Lucy. I'd told him to leave later, but he left anyway. He wasn't usually one to listen to me, so I wasn't surprised. I slumped down against the wall and sighed. I shoved my hands into my pockets and closed my eyes. I wasn't worried about Roawin. I knew that our new guild would take care of him no matter what. I'd sent that note to Lucy, though. I worried about that. I'd said too much. It would only raise more questions in her mind.

We'd agreed that we were going to go on a job together, too. I had to get back tomorrow. I couldn't just leave her hanging like that. She was probably that nicest girl I've ever met…or at least one of them. I felt guilty, though. I hadn't told her about anything. I couldn't. I was too afraid to do that. I was too afraid that she'd pity me. I didn't want pity. I didn't need it, either. Back home, after the incident, people stared at us with pity in their eyes. I didn't even know their names, and yet they pitied us. It was the very same pity that I didn't want to see in Lucy's eyes. Those brown eyes that reminded me so much of Abigail's…it hurt.

"Jacin," said Rouge. She was sitting on my shoulder. I raised my hand so that she could climb onto my palm. I set her down on the ground and watched her grow until she looked me right in the eye.

"Are you alright?" she asked, leaning her shoulder against mine.

"I'm ok. Just a little shaken up. I'm going back tomorrow, though."

"I know that it doesn't seem like it, but I really did like that girl. I'm glad you're not leaving Fairy Tail. It could be good for you to become friends with her…or more."

I shot her a glare, "Stop it, Rouge."

"I'm just saying. From what I saw, she was a great celestial wizard. She cared enough to try and find you and return us to you. She was kind. She could—"

"I said stop," I demanded. My voice was harsh and angry enough to silence Rouge. She shrunk back.

I sighed, "I'm sorry. I don't intend to ever love someone again. Not after Abigail."

"I understand. I just don't like seeing you like this. It makes me sad."

"I'm sorry."

"It's not your fault, Jacin. I just hope that one day you'll be able to leave your past behind you. I know that you won't forget it, and you shouldn't. I just don't want you to hurt anymore. I want you to be happy."

"It's strange for you to speak so highly of someone."

"You mean the girl? I know that. I just want you to know that she's a good person. She's a good wizard, too."

"Thanks, but I already knew that."

"Of course you did…it's not hard to see."

"No," I said, smiling a little to myself, "It's not." I'd managed to smile even when I was surrounded by the dark thoughts that were all about Abigail. I'd smiled. And it was because of Lucy. That strange, blonde girl that I'd met not that long ago had made me smile. I wanted to cry and laugh at the same time, but instead I just closed my eyes and let myself drift to sleep.

Thanks for reading and don't forget to leave me your review!

OC List:

Jacin - Lucy's dream guy. Two years older than Lucy. Celestial wizard with both platinum and silver keys. Some troubled past that led to his little brother and himself living on their own. Looking to join Fairy Tail.

Roawin - Jacin's little brother. Four years old. Bubble magic.

Abigail - A girl that Jacin loved and lost. (You'll find out more eventually)

Jacin's Spirits:

Rouge - Platinum celestial spirit. Able to change her size at will.

Fleure - Silver celestial spirit. Flower magic. Is fond of Roawin.

Agwo, Fuegia, Terro, and Cilo - The four elemental spirits, (silver keys).

Venra, Shiea, and Exxos - The three platinum key fox spirits.

Mayla and Diedos - The twins, platinum key.

Grentha - The Grim Reaper, platinum key.

Lupiyah - The Wolf-Woman, platinum key.

Gallego - The Gearmaster, platinum key.

Crossman - Also called Cross. Nice and strict. Platinum key.

Brezza - The Strong Woman, who is pretty scary, (well, Jacin thinks so). Platinum key.

Othos - The Blindman. Caused Lucy to faint. Is actually blind, but able to 'see the truth'. Can read memories and thoughts. Special to Jacin because Othos was his first spirit. Kept around Jacin's neck on a necklace. Platinum key.