Lucy spends two days in the Celestial Spirit World with her friends, grieving the loss of Melody and Rhythm. When she comes back to Earthland, six months have passed.
Rain tapped on the windows as thunder gently rolled outside. The Fairy Tail guild hall seemed especially quiet that afternoon. A tension hung in the air as the wizards who were there sat quietly in their seats. Everyone could sense the change in energy. However, they weren't sure what caused it.
A bright stroke of lightning illuminated the inside, before a loud crack of thunder raged outside.
Mirajane leaned against the back bar, taking in the atmosphere around her. It's been six months since Lucy's contract was finished. Master Makarov even tried to contact the original client several times. However, he was never able to get in touch with him. Many people around the guild hall were worried about what happened to their friend. As far as many of the members knew, she was still on a job.
The she-demon knew the wizards started to believe something bad has happened to the Celestial Mage. Hell, even MIra thought it once or twice. No one has informed the team, or any of Lucy's close friends that her job was completed. Mirajane began to wonder if or when the Master would send someone to look for her.
"Hey Mira!"
Levy hopped into a bar stool, leaning against the counter. The Script Mage's face was adorned with a nose ring, eyebrow piercing on the left side, and several different piercings on her ears. The bluenette's hair even had a metallic sheen to it. After her job with Gajeel several months ago, Levy and the Iron Dragon Slayer decided to finally take their relationship to the next level. The couple completed the Unity Ritual, which ended up giving the young woman a power boost, as well as the appearance change.
"What's got you thinking so hard this afternoon?" The script mage inquired. Mirajane was standing behind the bar, clearly thinking about something important.
"Huh?" The she-demon jumped slightly at Levy's voice. Mira took an extra few seconds to glance at the mage in front of her. It still caught several people off guard seeing the piercings on her features. "Sorry Levy, I was daydreaming."
"You're thinking about Lu again, aren't you?" The script mage sighed as she leaned her head against her hand. "I miss her so much. I can't believe she's been gone for almost a year."
"It is a little hard to believe." Exhaling her deep breath, Mirajane began to walk around the back bar. "Have you had any contact?" The she-demon questioned.
Levy shook her head, a deep sigh escaping her lips. She kept her one letter a secret, not knowing if it would compromise her mission. "I just have this feeling that something's wrong, ya know? I feel like Natsu's getting that vibe as well."
"That would explain his erratic behavior lately." The she-demon nodded. "That spitfire has been driving everyone crazy."
"Lately? It's been six months." Levy rolled her eyes. "I think that was the last time I remember a semi-normal Natsu."
"He's just getting anxious about blondie being gone." Gajeel's voice came from the other side of the bar. He walked towards the two women speaking, sitting next to his partner.
"Oh don't be like that." Levy giggled as she leaned her head on the Dragon Slayer's shoulder. "You'd be acting the same way if I was gone on a job for this long."
"Tch." Gajeel scoffed as he chuckled. "Don't push your luck, shrimp." Wrapping his arm around Levy's shoulder, he gave her a kiss on the head.
"She missed the S-Class Trials last year." The bluenette sighed. "I'm hoping she'll be home for the deadline this time around."
This year, there were multiple wizards that were able to move on and claim the title of S-Class. Gajeel and Levy were two of them, along with Natsu and Gray. Each of them found the burial sight of their First Master at the same time.
"The next trial is in a couple of months. Maybe Lucy will be here!" Mira smiled.
Both doors of the guild hall opened slowly. Everyone's conversation ceased the moment they noticed the golden blonde haired wizard enter Fairy Tail. While he was still a member, it was very rare that he actually made it to the guild hall these days.
His disheveled golden locks were hanging in his face, hiding the sad look on the Lion's face.
"LOKI?!" Several people yelled throughout the main hall.
The script mage ran towards him immediately. "Loki! Is Lucy okay?!"
"Have you seen her?" Mirajane questioned.
"Is there any way you can contact her?" Canna asked from the end of the bar worriedly.
The lion's eyes widened, backing up towards the exit with his hands up. He wasn't prepared for how many people rushed him with questions. "Well, a lot has happened in the last couple of days."
"Couple of days? Where has Lucy been for the last six months?" Mira glared.
"Hasn't she been on her mission?" Canna piped up once more.
"Time in the Celestial World moves a lot faster than it does here…I-uh actually came to see-"
"LOOOKKKIIII" A ball of fire burst through the guild hall. The Dragon Slayer looked as if he hadn't slept in months. Natsu panted as he ran towards the spirit, nearly tripping over his own feet. "WHERE IS SHE?!"
"Natsu, please calm down-" The Lion stated calmly, knowing how worked up his friend must be. However, he was cut off.
"HOW CAN I?!" The Dragon Slayer all but screamed.
"Natsuu!" Happy rushed in behind his best friend. "You ran so fast! What's going on?
At this point, Gajeel had enough of Salamander's loud antics. Black Steele comes up behind Natsu and smacks him in the head, effectively knocking him out for the time being.
"What the hell?!" Levy yelled at her partner.
"Oh no!" The blue cat rushed to his best friend's side. "Natsu! Are you okay?!"
"I was getting annoyed with all that screaming. I wasn't going to wait to hear what happened to Lucy through all of that racket." Gajeel rolled his eyes before looking towards Loki. "Is she back from her job?"
The Lion was hesitant to answer. "Is there somewhere we could go that's a little more private?"
"Hey! We all care about Lucy!" Wakaba piped up.
"Yeah! She's a member of our family." Makao nodded.
"Loki. My office. Now." The Master's voice could be heard booming across the guild hall. He turned on his heel, quickly walking back into the darkness of the second floor.
The group looked between each other with shocked expressions. The Lion glanced between the other four standing next to him. All of them were waiting for him to walk up the stairs. Leo took a deep breath, making his way towards the second floor. His heart was pounding with each step he took.
It didn't take the rest of them too long to rush up the stairs to Makarov's office, leaving the fire Dragon Slayer on the floor of the guild hall. Mira, Gajeel, Levy, and Canna stood next to the door, their ears nearly pressed all the way against the wood.
As Makarov took a seat, he gestured for Leo to sit as well. It took him a moment to compose himself. The Master of Fairy Tail was overcome with several emotions when he saw Loki in the guild hall. "Do we need to send out a party?" The group looked between each other with shocked expressions. Not wanting to make him wait, they all rush up the stairs and into Makarov's office.
"No Gramps." The Lion assured. "Lucy is back in Magnolia. Virgo and I took her home, and she's still there with her."
"Is she alright? You look distraught." Makarov observed Leo's disheveled features. It looked as though he hadn't slept in months.
Unsure of how to start this conversation, Loki glanced down at the floor. He began taking interest in his shoes more than what to say. "A lot happened on the mission, Gramps."
"Please elaborate."
"Lucy was undercover for several weeks. For the most part, I didn't think it was necessary. However, she complied. While she was at the facility, she became close with a co-worker and her boyfriend. Melody had a rare medical condition that wasn't treatable with medicine or magic. Rhythm was unknowingly living with the person that stole the equipment. Dico, the dark guild member, was creating a medication for Rhythm's girlfriend."
"Do you think he secretly knew what was going on?" Makarov raised a brow.
"I'm sure. However, because he was helping them with the cost of her meds, I think they looked past it."
"After Lucy completed her mission, her new friend Melody invited her to a going away party that got ambushed by several people with weapons.."
"What?!" Mira gasped. Everyone pulled her away from the door, putting a mouth over her hand.
The two wizards turn around, looking towards the door. "Lucy isn't physically injured." Leo reassured after a few moments. "Rhythm and Melody lost their lives at the house. During her mission to find out who stole the lab equipment, she became very close to those two individuals. In addition to this, Lucy was working closely with someone in the Grimoire Heart guild. He's the one behind the Drip stuff that's been going around. Lucy thought the man was using it as a means to gain a name for himself within the guild. She didn't realize this until the last few weeks of her mission. Once she relayed the information to her client, he decided to take matters into his own hands…"
Eyes widening, the Master couldn't believe what he was hearing. The older wizard had so many questions that he wasn't sure they had answers to. "Do you think he is the one behind the ambush?" Gramps asked one of the first that came to him.
"It crossed my mind." Leo nodded. "The fact that no one was home except the people who weren't directly responsible, raised a red flag for me. Never being a fan of her client is causing me to not think objectively. I just know she's experiencing a very hefty loss right now."
The Lion began choking on his own words, getting emotional over his best friend. "I asked her if she wanted to go to Fairy Tail and see her friends, but she didn't want to make anyone sad with her own mood. I've never seen her like this."
"Our doors are always open when she feels ready to come home." Makarov gave Loki a sad smile. "I can understand that it's going to take some time to grieve for her friends. Please, send our regards. In the meantime… We'll need to plan our next steps in dealing with Grimoire Heart. The fact that they're harming non-magical beings is reprehensible."
"I agree. What do you suggest we do, sir?" Loki questioned.
"Poor Lucy…" Mira whispered from the other side of the door .
Levy's lower lip jutted out, wanting to comfort her best friend in her time of need. "Well… We probably should give her some time alone. She's been through so much."
"HOW DARE YOU GUYS JUST LEAVE ME DOWN THERE." The fire Dragon Slayer's voice could be heard as he came running up the stairs. He saw the three standing outside Makarov's office door. "WHERE'S LOKI?!"
Gajeel walked up to the Salamander, raising his fist in the air. "Keep it quiet, ash for brains!" The Iron Dragon Slayer whispered harshly. "We're trying to listen."
Suddenly, Makarov's office door opened, both wizards looking at the group outside. The Master of the Guild took a deep breath, exhaling it slowly. "You all might as well get in here." Gramps waved them inside.
"Where's Lucy?!" Natsu desperately ran into the room, glancing at the Celestial Spirit. "Please Loki, I haven't been able to sleep… I can't take this anymore. If you don't tell me, I'm going to-"
"She's at home, resting." The Lion took one glance at the Dragon Slayer and knew he wasn't well. "Natsu.. If you go-"
Before the Celestial Spirit could finish his sentence, Salamander was out of sight.
"Natsu! Wait!" Mira and Levy yelled after him, making steps to follow. However, they were stopped by Makarov's voice.
"Let him go." Gramps spoke quietly. "I think the only person who can help Lucy in her time of need, is Natsu." The Master had a grim look on his face.
"There's gotta be something we can do!" Mira yelled.
"Yeah, I don't want to just sit here while there's people out there that hurt my best friend." Levy agreed.
"While Natsu makes sure our dear friend is alright, I have an important job for the five of you. Gajeel, I want you to find Pantherlilly. He will be an asset to the team as well..." Gramps trailed off, lost in thought as he began putting a plan together.
Everyone looked at Master Makarov in shocked silence. The Guildmaster glanced around the room at his fellow wizards. "...And it's not going to be an easy one."
"I want you to gather in the large meeting room first thing Monday morning. I will be assigning duties then."
"What do you need me to do, Master?" Happy questioned.
"I need you to go find Wendy and Carla. Please tell them I'd like to see them in my office as soon as possible." Makarov gave the blue cat a smile.