Time.

It flies like an arrow.

-L-H-

Age: 11

Lucy runs through the halls of the Heartfilia Manor, Rushii softly scolding her in her mind for her to slow down but she didn't pay heed. She let out a small giggle as she hopped onto the railings of her spiraling staircase, sliding down as she kicked her feet in the air. Today was a rare break from her private tutoring, a day where she can head outside and do whatever she wants!

It didn't matter that it was back to studying despite it being the weekend tomorrow.

She ran towards the garden in the middle of the home and immediately grabbed one of the watering cans, nodding and waving at the help that was already tending the plant life. She saluted playfully as she zoomed past Michael, who was looking exasperately at her speed but nodded in greeting anyways.

They had installed a small pond towards the back of the garden, much to Lucy's insistence and delight. She had wanted to take an active roll in keeping her mother's memory alive, and decided that tackling and taking care of the garden was the route she was going to go.

She glanced up suddenly, eyes squinting a bit as she took a look at the big window that was peering over the garden. The sun was shining in her eyes, so she held a hand up to protect them, yet it didn't her from seeing that the blinds to the window of her Father's office was closed as usual.

In the past, Lucy probably would have felt some type of way.

Now, she just let out a small sigh and moved on.

"He's not going to magically appear out here, you know." Rushii didn't say unkindly. It was just a matter of fact. Jude Heartfilia was an enigma now and it was best to not waste time wondering about what their father could be doing, when life goes on as always.

Lucy hummed, "I know. I just…thought it'd be nice to see him."

"Wasting energy on people who don't care about you will only drag you down in the long run." Rushii simply stated and Lucy rolled her eyes at her Nee-san, who was a little depressing sometimes. She understood what she was trying to convey, but seriously, it wasn't that serious at the moment!

"Guess I should try and get rid of you then, huh?" Lucy teased.

"Cheeky brat."

Lucy just grinned as she watered the plants, taking her time to snip any dead leaves that she finds on the stems. It was nice, a fun hobby that she liked to take care of. She definitely doesn't know much about flowers, but she learned from the gardeners how to take care of Dandelions. That was all that mattered, really.

"Do you have her key with you?"

That's right! Today was a special day after all.

She was going to summon Aquarius!

"Of course, I do! I'm a responsible kid, Nee-san."

"Is that right? Well, that's really odd, because I remembered that just last week, you used your blow dryer while running water to brush your teeth and got elec—"

Lucy flushed red at the reminder of the small electrocution shook she had from the incident and stammered loudly, "Okay, okay!"

It drew the attention of some of the gardeners who looked over questionably but Lucy just waved them off with tinted cheeks of embarrassment and sulked into her body as she crouched down to cover her face. She let out a high pitched groan, "Ah, seriously?! That was so embarrassing—they totally think I'm crazy and that I talk to myself."

"Technically, you do."

" So not funny, Nee-san." Lucy grumbled as she fished her pocket for the other key, which happened to be to the water bearer. Rushii looked on silently through Lucy's eyes, taking in the sight of her old friend's key. It's been two years since she let Lucy summon Cancer's key off of her instruction. These were Golden Zodiac keys after all, when Rushii was in her late teens, she had stamina built up to withstand the strain of mana.

But with Lucy's young body, who would have known the side-effects of drawing out such power. Rushii had too much to lose in an effort to try to speed up the process of gaining power and hurting Lucy in the process, the catastrophe plagued her moments whenever the silence was too loud. She will do what has to be done with the time she's been given.

Lucy has been making excellent progress with strengthening her bond with Cancer. He even pops up every now and then without being summoned, which had shocked Rushii initially. She doesn't remember if he's ever done that with her before, other than to cut her hair. Seeing Cancer's interactions with Lucy has made Rushii really reflect on how she had used her spirits, or perhaps they merely adapted to the style of their summoner.

Rushii used to care much about her looks and friends. Thus, the Spirits reflected that energy for the most part, even in battle.

When she watches Lucy talk with Cancer and how she treats them with a kindness that went even before Rushii's. She asks them about their day, how they were feeling, what they did in the Spirit World even.

Rushii was kind and cared for her spirits as well.

But did she take in the time and consideration that Lucy was doing, with her lone spirit?

She couldn't recall so.

One would probably think that this would cause Rushii to fall into a self-debricative state of wishing she had treated her spirits better. This was not the case, however. She had treated her spirits with care, they were an extended family to her in many ways. Their relationship in her lifetime worked, it was relative to her.

This wasn't her lifetime for it has past, she reasoned.

It didn't mean that she didn't have regrets, she had many.

But how Rushii loved her spirits wasn't one of them.

"Open the Gate of the Water Bearer, Aquarius!"

A familiar, golden light shone brightly, filling the entire garden as Lucy smiled in awe. Cancer forced open his gate and sat down quietly next to Lucy, who glanced at him in small shock. Her eyes lit up at the site of the Spirit, which brings a tiny smile to his face. When was the last time a Celestial Spirit Mage had smiled at him, not because he was performing a duty, but because he was merely there?

In all of his eons that he has lived, his mind draws a blank.

Not even the legendary Anna made him feel the need to protect this girl with his spiritual life.

" Ugh . What the hell is this?" A strong female voice grumbled as she stepped out of the gate, into the pond of small fish. She was large and the pond barely big enough for her to fit her lower body inside, but she was forced to make due. With flowing blue hair, and a circlet that gleamed on her forehead, Aquarius the Water Bearer propped her elbow up on the piece of land that was on the side of the pond, with her massive water jug sitting in the water.

Lucy looked at her with her mouth wide open in awe, and Aquarius furrowed a brow as she looked at the child.

"Did you summon me, kid?"

Lucy puffed up her chest and nodded, "I did!"

Aquarius fell silent as she peered over towards Cancer, who was snipping at plants idely behind the small girl as he sat near her. A quick flash of her eyes signaled that he hadn't been summoned, but came out on his own free will. Aquarius raised an eyebrow and snorted,

"Is that the crab, I see? I didn't think I'd see you ever step out of that damn hotbox salon."

Lucy blinked in confusion at her words, but Rushii let out a massive choked breath at Aquarius's words. Lucy whipped her head between as the two spirits seemed to clash politely, to an extent.

"Nee-san, what's a hotbox?"

"D-Don't worry about it, Lucy. It's nothing that is legal, I can guarantee." Rushii choked out as she tried to regain her bearings, not sure whether to gape in disbelief or laugh her tail off. She didn't even know spirits could get high, or the fact that they talked to each other often in the Spirit Realm.

Cancer snipped a stem with a small pang of aggression, "Excuse you- ebi, but not all of us are compliant with sitting around in water, moping about how much they miss their boyfriend. One would think that with an aura like yourself, you'd be more… independent-ebi. "

Aquarius's eye twitched. "And suddenly, I remember why I avoided your nonchalant ass. You never fail to piss me off, Cancer."

Cancer gave her a cool smile, "A divine beauty like yourself, thinking about me- ebi ? I am truly flattered. Stop by the salon sometime, I'll give you a trim."

"You're not touching my hair, crab."

"Pity. I suggested my offer for a reason."

Aquarius levitated her urn and pointed the mouth of it at Cancer, who looked at her with a small, but devious smirk. Lucy saw and felt that raw power that was generated in the urn, eyes widening as she scrambled to get up and throw herself in front of Cancer, with her arms spread out wide.

"H-Hey! Don't hurt Cancer, he was just trying to be nice!" Lucy pouted at Aquarius, who looked down at the girl, as if she finally noticed her presence. She decided to float her body into the air, rising to her full height as she floated before the girl. Lucy looked up as Aquarius stared down at her with a weight in her eyes, taking in the sight of the beautiful blue mermaid as the sun basked behind her.

"You're so pretty." Lucy whispered in wonder, and Aquarius didn't say anything as she looked down at the girl. It would seem to others that she didn't react at all, but Cancer has known her long enough to see the subtle softness of her eyes as she looked at the young Heartfilia. He hid a smile himself at the sight, because he completely understood.

Lucy's raw enthusiasm and genuine energy is something that was so…refreshing.

"So you're the Celestial Spirit Mage that summoned me," She reiterated from before. The change in position made Aquarius look even more domineering than initially had, but Lucy wasn't scared.

"That's right." She nodded firmly.

Aquarius hummed, leaning in to look directly into Lucy's eyes as she narrowed her ice blue ones, "And who is that, inside of you?"

Lucy swallowed but was prepared for that question too. Rushii had already told her about her suspicious, and it seemed like she was correct once again. "Her name is Rushii, and she's someone that I really care about that lives inside of my head!"

Aquarius just sweatdropped at the answer and shook her head in dismay as she muttered, "I guess there's always a cost for geniuses. The kid has a voice inside of her head, of course she does!"

She waved her hand dismissively in the end, "Whatever, I don't care that much. If you want to make a contract with me, let's just get this shit over with."

Aquarius had already peered into the spirit of Rushii inside of Lucy, and determined that she wasn't going to be harmful to her mage anyways. She was just curious to see if Lucy was going to lie to her or not. She didn't, obviously. She told the truth in such a blatant way, it was almost alarming.

A change of pace, Lucy Heartfilia was shaping to be.

"You'll make a contract with me?" Lucy beamed, and suddenly Aquarius had to pause at the sight of joy on her voice, feeling at a loss. Who the hell gets this happy over summoning and making a contract with a spirit? That was the whole point of them meeting in the first place.

This girl was something else.

And her smile , it was too strong.

She hated it.

Aquarius scowled and her urn activated, spurting water towards Cancer and Lucy as they both let out various noises of shock as soft jet-streams of water hit them, getting them wet. Cancer just huffed out a small irritated sigh while Lucy shrieked, that turned into bright laughter once the water began to be manipulated around her, lifting her up into the air.

And then she started to fly .

"She really likes you," Rushii smiled softly at the sight of Aquarius's scowl and the feeling of joy that Lucy was experiencing as she flew with the help of water. Lucy let out another laugh as she spun in the air, feeling the cool liquid soothe her skin on a hot day like it was today.

"You think so?"

"I know so."

Lucy smiled and mentally sat down next to Rushii, who had her torn cloak draped over her as she sat against a wall. The scenery has changed over the years, Rushii's room as Lucy likes to call it. What had started off as a field of flowers that was surrounded by a sea of grey has now turned into a place that was slowly beginning to resemble an apartment, from what Lucy could tell.

It felt warm, like it was home.

"When did you first meet Aquarius, Nee-san?" Lucy asked curiously.

Rushii let out a dry chuckle, "Well, I don't think we started off on the right foot, which is why I told you that she liked you. I know from experience what true irritation looks like on Aquarius."

"What did you do?!"

"...I used to summon her in fishbowls."

Lucy laughed the entire day at the thought.

-L-H-

Fate.

Lucy likes to think that it's like a super lucky, ever-lasting bingo card, sometimes.

-L-H-

Age: 14

She's not entirely sure where she is, or how she got here.

She's gone celestial key fishing before, but this time was with a small restraint in her determination to find more at local shops or even in the middle of the woods. Rushii challenged her to use her mana sensory abilities to locate them, which was light-work for her now after training her ability for about five years now.

Lucy naturally does it on her own now, doesn't even know if it ever turns off at this point.

"Do you feel it?" Rushii asked as she crossed her arms, sitting in the chair inside of her half-finished apartment. She had her arms crossed as she looked through Lucy's eyes, in the middle of vast fields of windmills and…cows? Lucy was confused as to why she felt a strong energy in this setting, but trusted Rushii's instructions.

Rushii let out a small smile at what they were on their way to find. It was reassuring that some things didn't change, and that she was able to rescue Taurus's key from the elements.

"I do. It's radiating an energy that reminds me of pure strength, if that makes sense," Lucy rambled aloud. "Loyalty."

"You're getting better at describing signatures."

"Only 'cause I have a great teacher." Rushii rolled her eyes, she didn't teach her a damn thing. This was all of Lucy's hardwork that she put in, really. She was just there for emotional support, and the occasional guidance if the Eclipse Gate allowed her so.

"He feels close."

Lucy looked around in the greenery, feeling the key to be very near. Rushii was allowed to say "he", which intrigues Lucy a bit. She wondered if he'd be like Cancer, calm and collected with a splash of mischeviousness. Or maybe he was rough around the edges like Aquarius, never failing to let out a snarky remark that had compliments laced within it at times.

"...I'm going to give you a fair warning right now. This key's personality…isn't the best," Rushii spoke hesitantly, wondering how Lucy would react to Taurus's pervert persona, if everything was the same. Rushii remembered him lusting over her body in her lifetime, and wondered if he'd do the same to the minor that was about to summon him once they found his key. Rushii felt a cold wash over, and she prepared to take over Lucy's body to knock some sense into Taurus if he tried to pull some gross shit.

Perhaps she was blind to tolerate it in her past life, seeing how Taurus never touched her without permission.

Things have changed however.

"If I see something I don't like, I'm going to take over for a moment," Rushii said ominously, and Lucy found herself really curious about this key now, as she nodded in agreement. Nee-san knew her spirits the best anyways, she knows what to expect initially.

She trusts her wholeheartedly.

Eventually, she had found the key on one of the fences in the meadow, and repeated the words that Rushii spoke to her in her mind,

"Open the Gate of the Golden Bull, Taurus !"

A bright light shone as a giant figure bulldozed his way into the meadows with a loud roar, that shook Lucy's concentration as she flinched in shock. Rushii let out a wave of confusion inside of her as they watched a giant bull-man appear before Lucy, towering her with crossed arms over his massive chest. His septum gold piercing gleamed in the daylight as a stern face greeted Lucy, who cranked her neck up to the maximum just to take in his entire look.

He was a muscular black and white cow that resembled a man's body, with a cowbell choker on his neck and a pair of black shorts. Rushii noted that his shorts didn't resemble a speedo in this form, but furrowed her eyes at the Taurus that was before her.

On his back was a massive axe that looked like it took the body of the spirit before her in order to even be lifted up. Lucy's jaw dropped slightly.

"Holy cow."

Literally.

Taurus suddenly let out a bright, booming grin as he laughed at Lucy's ironic pun, "Ah! A young summoner! How glorious!"

He then moved at a fast pace that surprised Lucy as he seemed to be inspecting Lucy's body in different angles. Lucy just blinked in shock as she tried to keep up with his movements, whipping her head back and forth. Rushii's brow furrowed even more in disgust as she stood up with a hard glint in her eye, ready to take over at a moment's notice.

"What glorious muscles you have, mage!" He ended up saying with heart eyes as he held his hands on his hips, appearing before Lucy once more. Lucy and Rushii fell over in shock at his words, not expecting that at all.

Lucy pushed the soft skin of her bicep and blinked in disbelief, "Me? Muscles?"

"Of course! You have the body type and mass to achieve greatness! Especially the natural build of your pectorals and glutes!"

"Is that just a fancy way of being a fucking pervert?" Rushii flashed her eyes as she took control of Lucy's body, glaring at Taurus with such a ferocious stare that it made him pause as he shook his head.

"Having healthy glutes can help reduce back pain and have a stronger balance as you go into battle. Working out your pectorals can help your breathing exercises, helping the human body take in more oxygen, thus working out is more beneficial." Taurus paused before letting out a smaller, more mature grin on his face,

"So you don't have to worry, other spirit. No one will touch my summoner until her body reaches maximum calisthetic efficiency. I won't allow it! We shall conquer and show true strength!"

Lucy just sputtered out a laugh as Rushii looked onto Taurus with such an insane amount of disbelief that she wondered if she was dreaming. This was the third time that her spirits have surprised her, as she lived as Rushii. She had already relinquished control back to Lucy, as she stumbled into her half-built apartment in the mental world, crashing into the wall as her thoughts rambled.

Has she been using her spirits wrong the entire time?

Or…does the summoner's aura and personality impact the type of personality that the spirit adapts to as they are bounded to them? That was a growing theory that Rushii was generating the more she met with her golden spirits one by one.

'If that was the case' , Rushii stared dully at the floor before her, 'then what did that say about me, back then?'

Meanwhile Lucy was jumping up and down in joy as Taurus boasted about power, letting out a shriek when he unsheathed his axe and slashed it in the air with grace, breaking through the ground and leaving a deep laceration.

-L-H-

Everyone ages, it's inevitable.

But growing up only truly begins to happen when you start having things you look back on and wish you could change.

Perhaps Lucy hasn't reached that point yet.

But at the ripe age of 27, technically (despite not physically aging), Rushii has observed some startling revelations of herself, or the person that she could've been. Was this another timeline that she made all the right decisions? It was unfair to herself for her to think that, because she was by herself when she was still in her universe.

The Lucy in this one was different because of her influence.

'Oh, what the power of kindness and love can do to a child' , Rushii thought softly as she sipped some tea inside of her fully built apartment in Lucy's mind now. She like to think that she could still taste the mint in her favorite tea, as she sipped it. It doesn't work like that, however, but the routine, the process is what makes her feel a little bit more sane.

She's spent the last ten years living inside her younger self's mind after all.

-L-H-

Age: 17

"That looks cute." Rushii commented as Lucy shopped through a local store in a town called Hargeon. She finally had the courage to start living her own life on her own, leaving behind Michael and the Heartfilia Manor. It was a tearful exchange, as she has grown to love and care for Michael as another father figure. Lucy lifted up the shirt and held it against her body as she posed slightly in the mirror,

"Hmm, I think so too. Stop tempting me to spend money though, Nee-san. I'll go broke at this rate, before we even find an apartment."

Temptation still gripped Lucy tightly as she ended up buying the cute shirt, carrying the bag outside once she left the shop. She winced slightly at the amount of money she spent on it, but patted her cheeks to give her courage as she set her sights at going apartment shopping.

Some girls were squealing and laughing as she rushed past Lucy, almost crashing into her, but Lucy was lucky enough to have good balance over the years and took a step back just in time. She looked at them curiously as they seemed to have made their way over to a growing circle that was over by the main pavilion.

"What the-?" Lucy murmured as her feet decided to carry her over there, too intrigued not to.

"Oh my god, it's Salamander! It's really him!"

"He's even handsomer than the rumors , OMG!"

The girls screeched in adoration and Lucy winced slightly before narrowing her eyes as she decided to activate her magic sensory. Years of experience with the skill has it up in a second, feeling a weird energy surrounding her. The main source of the mana seemed to have come from this Salamander man, but why did the girls surrounding her have it too?

"That is not Salamander," Rushii harshly warned out as she heaved violently, shortly after saying the words, feeling the Eclipsle Gate's hold on her. She let out a soft groan of pain as she clenched her fists in her chair, and Lucy let out a small pang of worry, her attention wavering.

"Stop trying to tell me the future, we've already talked about this! I don't like seeing you hurt, Nee-san."

"Stop worrying about me and focus! If you're not prepared, you'll fall for it!" Rushii coughed out.

"Don't forget why I'm here in the first place."

Right.

To prevent a massive catastrophe from happening, Lucy remembered. She's never forgotten that, in fact. But for now, there are pressing matters that are more concerning as she felt a foreign feeling attempt to latch onto her as her concentration slipped in her magic sensing. If Nee-san hadn't warned her, who knows what would've happened.

Rushii looked down at the small droplets of blood that littered her hand and closed it promptly as she forced herself to move outside of her home, into the gray abyss that was left. She closed her eyes and placed her hands on the ground, summoning her energy to defelt the oncoming manipulative mana of the false-Salamander.

Her eyes snapped open as she croaked out, "I'm protecting you from his magic, so keep your eyes open."

Lucy's eyes narrowed as she began to make her way through the crowd to take a good look at the mastermind of this suspicious situation, her hand already on her waist to summon of her spirits, when she bumped into a muscular figure that pulsed with a familiar magical signature.

A campfire , she briefly thought, before her eyes widened. The teenage boy that stood before her was accompanied by a flying blue cat(?) that had surprised Lucy, but a look at his hair had signaled what Lucy had a feeling to be true.

Salmon pink.

It was the boy from the forest!

"Oi, that's supposed to be Salamander?" He cocked his head as he turned to speak with the cat beside him, who shrugged. "Aye! I got no idea, Natsu. You're the one who wanted to follow to see what was going on."

Natsu.

"Natsu." Rushii's voice cracked sorrowfully at seeing him after all of these years.

"Natsu." Lucy breathed out in shock and a bright smiled donned her face as she briefly felt the effects of the mysterious Salamander's magic disappear thanks to Natsu's bump and Rushii's defensive efforts.

Natsu turned around in surprise at the sound of his name, standing tall in front of Lucy. He furrowed his brow slightly as he turned to looked at her before his eyes widened in pure shock and a soft look settled deep into his eyes, so far back that Lucy was sure that the average person wouldn't have been able to see it.

Yet, she remembered, it has always been easy to read him.

"Who is this busty blonde?" The cat commented bluntly, but Natsu didn't pay him any mind as he let out a growing, beautiful grin at the sight of Lucy.

"It's-It's you!" Natsu breathed out. His eyes flashed with what looked like relief and an even smaller pulse of hurt that Lucy felt sad about seeing, wondering what had happened for him to react like that. "I've waited for you-for years ," He finished quietly. Perhaps he doesn't remember her name, since it's been a long time. But he'll never forget the brown eyed and blonde girl he had met for a moment and helped change such a large aspect of his life with a quick, but caring scold. It was thanks to her help, and others, that he's become a proud Fairytail member after all.

He had always wanted the chance to return the sentiment, looking at the big doors of the guild every once in a while, nowadays to see her walk in.

She never came though, which Natsu understood but felt a bit sad about it.

And yet, here she was.

Suddenly, he felt the strong urge to tell her that he never broke their promise.

Lucy sucked in a breath. That's right . He had said to come visit, and she never did. That had been years ago, she never genuinely thought that she'd see him again-but now she was able to make her own decisions about her life. She lifted a hand onto his arm, like she had down all those years ago, and gave a soft smile.

"I apologize, Natsu. But I'm here now…so let's get some food and talk, yeah? My treat!"

Natsu let out a cheer to that and grabbed her hand without a second thought to take them away from the crowed. As the trio ended up leaving the scene with the faux-Salamander staring at them, as they made their way to a nearby restaurant to catch up. He licked his lips at the sight of Lucy but narrowed his eyes into a dark scowl at the sudden appearance of Natsu and Happy.

[ Enter the Macao Arc ]