A long, black whip lashed a couple of enemies on the ground, and unable to react, they fell unconscious upon hitting the ground. The owner of the weapon was a stunning blonde, who quickly after defeating her enemies continued with the rest. Lucy threw three men straight into a wall, hitting them hard, the whip quickly returned due to the movement. Erza, who was near the blonde, was in the middle of the whip's trajectory, but Lucy with a quick reaction made a movement in such way that her weapon avoided hitting her partner and bounced off the ground with a loud snap.
- That was a skillful movement Lucy, I'm impressed. - the scarlet haired girl flattered her blonde friend.
- Thanks Erza, although I almost hit you. - the celestial mage declared a little embarrassed.
- Don't worry, it wouldn't have done me much harm. – If the blonde didn't know the scarlet haired girl so well, she would think it was an indirect insult.
Mentally she decided that she would be more careful, the wounds caused by a whip were not at all pleasant, the celestial mage knew that from own experience. But in her mind, something didn't fit, it wasn't really like her to have a mistake of that kind, not with all the years of experience she had with her trusty weapon. She took a couple of seconds to carefully examine the black leather whip and discovered a fissure in the middle area of the length, this made her have less control over the trajectory of the blow. Lucy sighed, it was time to replace her old weapon, she had already considered replacing it, but she didn't want to get rid of the retractable property that Virgo gave her in addition to the memories and affection she had for her whip, so she had been stubborn about the idea of never using it again.
- That was all, wasn't it? - Gray pulled her out of her thoughts.
- Yes, now we will go to the client's house to collect the reward. - Erza declared.
- ¡Happy, Lucy! we will go to a restaurant to eat with the money we earned. - said Natsu.
- Aye sir.
Lucy began to walk with the team, the client's place of residence was located a few minutes away, but it could already be seen on top of a mountain, it was a large house or rather a mansion, white and surrounded by hundreds of flowers. To go up, there was a fixed and steep path but not too much that would be a problem.
- Lucy. - Erza spoke breaking the comfortable silence installed.
- Tell me. - Lucy thought it was strange that the scarlet haired girl started a topic of conversation of thin air. Wendy thought the same as she looked curiously at the older mage.
- I was wondering if you could let me look at your whip. Something intrigues me. - Erza answered seriously.
- Sure. - Lucy smiled and passed her weapon to the re-equipping mage. - I'm telling you that it's damaged and isn't in its best shape.
- Wow, that's bad Lucy-san, how did it break? - Wendy said.
- I'm not really sure, but I think it was when I threw a couple of bandits against a wall, it could have been something they had on top of them or just the wall. - Lucy answered thoughtfully.
While Erza was checking Lucy's whip, Gray and Natsu were fighting. The funny thing is that the re-equip mage ignored them completely because she was busy inspecting the celestial magician's weapon.
- Wow Lucy, it's a high-quality whip. My eyes didn't fail me, although I had never paid much attention to it. - Erza said with stars in her eyes. - it's a marvel of craftsmanship, it must have been made by someone with a lot of talent. Erza gave a few lashes assessing the weapon, although she accidentally hit Gray.
- ¡ERZAAA! Why only me? - Gray rubbed his sore side.
- HAHAHAHAHAHA, you deserved it ice cream-boy. - the pink haired boy laughed at his rival.
- Shut up, both of you. - the scarlet haired girl gave them a death glare.
- Aye sir. - both magicians hugged each other.
- I thought my training was perfect in all weapons. - Erza whispered to herself. - I must train more.
- Don't worry Erza, I'm sure your skills are fine, it must be because of the fissure. You just have to adjust the force you would normally use and the distance. - Lucy said trying to cheer her up.
- Lucy seems to know a lot. - said Charles, the sky dragon slayer nodded at the statement.
- It's true, besides you've always had a better handling than me. - declared Erza proud of the celestial magician.
- You flatter me Erza, although I think it's only because of the time I've been using a whip for combat, in any other weapon I would be no match for you. - Lucy clarified.
- It's true. - Erza returned her belongings to the celestial mage.
They had arrived at the client's mansion and stopped in front of the main door. A nice old lady greeted them and guided them inside the building, leaving them in the main hall. In a few minutes, the lord of the house would receive them, so the magicians waited.
- Natsu, don't touch anything. - Lucy warned the pink-haired man who along with Happy were dangerously handling a statue.
- Don't be boring, Lushii. - they both said in unison. Without paying much attention to her, they walked around the place, looking at everything they found in the vast room.
- These two never change. - the blonde sighed.
- It's true, they'll always be idiots. - Gray said as if it were a fact.
The client took a long time to show up, almost an hour, but Lucy mentally forgave him because he gave them the full reward despite the great damage they did in the city. Fortunately, during the waiting time, Natsu didn't manage to destroy anything in the house so there were no extra expenses to pay.
The problem was that it was already getting dark, the town where they were was extremely far from the city, so the train frequency was quite low. The last train was no longer an option for them. They would have to spend the night there and leave early in the morning, which meant looking for an inn that would accommodate the 5 mages and 2 exceeds.
- By any chance, do you know where there is an inn that can receive us? - the blonde asked the maid who was escorting them out.
- If you go three streets down, there is a good inn, but it could be expensive at this time, it is about to close.
- Thank you. - Lucy said goodbye to the maid.
As they crossed the courtyard of the mansion towards the main door, Lucy noticed that there was still daylight left. Perhaps it was not so late, that they could get rooms for a fair price. Approaching an area of the courtyard that they had not passed through before, they saw how a small 8-year-old boy was practicing with a bow and shooting unsuccessfully at a target 10 meters away. He was being instructed by an older man with gray hair, who was showing him how to place his hands correctly so that he could correct the precision when shooting. Lucy looked closely at the man because he seemed familiar, but she couldn't pinpoint where she knew him from or who he reminded her of. While the blonde was thinking, an arrow escaped from the boy and ended up at the wizards' feet. Without worrying, the blonde picked up the arrow and went to give it back.
- Thank you. - the boy told her.
While she smiled at the boy, she looked at the instructor. It was at that moment that the wizard realized that the man was her teacher from when she still lived in the Heartfilia mansion.
- Mr. Miranda? - Lucy raised her voice in surprise.
- Lucy-sama? - The old man answered, pale and with surprised eyes. - I can't believe you're here, the last thing I heard about you was that you had an accident and were presumed dead. You look as young as the last time I saw you.
He was referring to the Tenrou Island incident, the 7 lost years weighed on the heart of the celestial mage when she saw her teacher much older than she remembered.
- Yes, is a long story. Somehow, we managed to survive, and time did not pass for us, we were asleep for 7 years. - Lucy added.
The team approached curiously upon seeing the interaction and proceeded to listen to the conversation.
- That sounds like a hard story. You have grown a lot. - her gaze went to her guild tattoo- I am glad that you fulfilled your dream; to be a Fairy Tail mage, I have heard of you and your friends. You are just like Layla-sama. Tell me what brought you here to this small town.
- Hello. My name is Erza Scarlet. - she smiled kindly at the instructor. - Lucy is our partner, we are the mages who conducted the mission entrusted by the mayor.
Lucy smiled at her friend while the others looked curiously at the instructor in the same way that the child saw his instructor talk to the mages.
- Who is, Lucy-san? – Wendy asked.
- It's Mr. Miranda, one of the teachers I had when I still lived in the Heartfilia state. He was my teacher for many years.
- You made a real god job, I heard. I'm happy for you Lucy-sama. I would love to chat with you, youngsters, if you have time before you leave. But I must finish the young dono's class first. – added Mr. Miranda.
Natsu had a big smile on his face. It was noticeable that Lucy looked happy to meet an old acquaintance. The old man looked at Lucy with the same eyes that Igneel used to look at him, with a fatherly look. Inside he was glad that there was one more person in the world who appreciated Lucy as much as they did.
- We have to go look for an inn, there are no more trains to our city at this time. – said Gray. - We could come back after that.
- Don't you have anywhere to stay? You could stay at my house; my wife would be happy to receive Lucy sama and her friends.
- You don't have to, master, you've already done a lot for me. - the blonde protested.
- Don't worry, we've always remembered you with great affection, you were like a daughter to us, we'll be happy to receive you. I'll tell my wife so we can all have dinner together.
- Thank you very much, we'll accept your offer. - says Erza.
- Yeyy- food! - Natsu and Happy jumped for joy at the thought of free food.
The wizards watched the boy's class and even Erza offered at some points to support the lesson since she also had great skill in archery. The boy was incredibly happy to interact with the whole team, he liked wizards a lot, but there weren't any in the village, so they weren't very familiar to him. Lucy looked bittersweetly at the boy playing with Natsu and Gray after officially ending the session with Mr. Miranda, he reminded her a bit of herself, son of a wealthy family, taking lessons since he was young, she doubted there were many children his age in the village. At this time of the day, he should be playing, not training and having lessons. But that was the life of people, and sometimes you just had to accept it, she hoped that his future would be as different as her own had ended up being. She wouldn't change for anything everything she had lived since a certain dragon slayer took her to Fairy Tail.
Lucy's former teacher said goodbye to the boy, and they set off, he previously asked a servant of the mansion to notify his wife of the new visitors. The team and Mr. Miranda were talking loudly, especially when Erza found out that the old man was a weapons master since his teens and had been instilled in the art of most weapons. One of the many reasons why he was teaching archery to the mayor's son.
- Miranda? - Erza thought aloud. The name had sounded familiar to her when the blonde had introduced him, but she couldn't put her finger on where exactly. Suddenly she connected all the information, and a light bulb went off in her head. - You are Nikolas Miranda, a well-known weapons craftsman.
- Wow, I didn't know I were so well-known. - Mr. Miranda smiled at the mention of his fame.
The scarlet-haired girl was surprised, he was a person she had heard a lot about and she always wanted to see some weapon made by him. Just like a fangirl she got into a deep conversation with the old man about weapons and their creation. The rest of the team let them be since they were in their own world, although Gray and Lucy commented on one thing or another. Gray was not one to use weapons, he could do everything he needed with his ice and Lucy only used her whip, but both used to learn and talk with the scarlet haired mage of different weapons.
It took them about 20 minutes walking to get to the man's house and they found a large house with a white facade, which was not luxurious, but it looked like a good place to live. At the door a woman of about 50 years old was waiting for them, she had black hair and some gray strands, wrinkles in her eyes and some folds that denoted the number of times she had smiled in her life, she wore a smile that grew when she saw her husband arrive with the team of mages.
When they almost reached the door, the woman noticed Lucy and her smile grew even bigger. With watery eyes, she approached the celestial mage.
- Lucy-sama! You are so grown up and beautiful. - She hugged the celestial mage.
- Miss Miranda! - Lucy was excited to meet her, she was happy, the woman had been a great mother figure when she was little, when she didn't have her mother anymore.
- I remember when you were still just a little girl, so small and adorable. And look at you now with long hair, you have grown well and strong Lucy-sama.
They both hugged each other, and the lady examined her body as if she didn't believe she was really there, her gaze checking that the blonde was healthy, fed and without a scratch. It was a motherly look like someone who hasn't seen the puppy she raised a long time ago and can't believe the change.
- I'm finishing cooking dinner, come in and make yourselves at home, we can't miss the opportunity to meet Lucy-sama's friends.
The team and Mr. Miranda entered the house, the magicians were a little surprised by the interaction of the celestial mage and her old acquaintances, they had to admit that they didn't know much about the blonde's life when she still lived in her mansion.
Gray saw the scene in a bittersweet way, it had been years since he saw a maternal look that reminded him so much of the lack in his own personal life. But he was happy for Lucy, he knew that she had also lost her mother when she was young (and her father too, although not physically) and he was relieved that she had people who tried to fill the role as the guild did for him.
The lady invited the girls to take a bath while dinner was still being finished, the men could go later. Natsu and Gray offered to search for firewood when the couple mentioned that they had a lack of. So, everyone split up, the girls went to leave their things and take a well-deserved bath, Miss Miranda to the kitchen and the gentleman along with the wizards went to the forest located behind the house. Natsu and Gray didn't take long to cut down several trees, especially when competing with each other, leaving a lot of wood. The couple wouldn't have to worry about getting more for quite some time.
Returning inside, they headed to the kitchen following the smell of delicious food baking, Miss Miranda was still cooking so Gray offered to help. After so many years of living on his own he had acquired a decent skill in the kitchen.
Natsu and Happy, in their own world, decided to snoop around the house, finding the old man's workshop. It was a large workshop attached by a door located near the stairs, it was a place where he made and designed weapons, it was a mix of a blacksmith shop and a craft workshop. A large fire was lit that provided warmth and comfort in the cold, several weapons were hanging on the wall, failed prototypes gathered in a corner of the room, swords of all sizes and colors were seen, either with embedded jewels or quite simple with a smooth blade and handle. But what most caught the duo's attention was the number of whips present in one area, there were all sizes and colors, with spikes, without spikes, some even with a heart-shaped tip like the one used by the celestial mage.
Approaching a bookcase, they began to look at the things that the man had in the display case. They could see several framed photos and some simply piled up, in several photos children appeared at various stages of life, whether infants, adolescents or even adults, they were similar to the couple, Natsu thought they were surely their children. But what caught his attention the most were some photos that showed a little blonde girl.
A little girl of about 7 years old appeared smiling holding a small whip appropriate for her height, short blonde locks and bright chocolate eyes stood out on the childish face. It was undoubtedly Lucy. In another one, she was with Miss Miranda baking cookies, in the next one, the little girl was seen playing in a vast courtyard (probably in the Heartfilia mansion), in some she looked older, there was one in which a more teenage blonde appeared with several wounds and a dirty suit, but with a triumphant smile. Behind it was the phrase "Lucy after passing her whip mastery." Finally, there was a photo of Lucy 1 or 2 years younger than when Natsu met her, wearing a pink dress, accompanied by the two gentlemen, one on each side, she had a big smile on her face, but her eyes looked red and a little swollen as if she had cried with happiness and in her hands was an open gift box with a black whip inside, a whip that Natsu immediately recognized because it was very familiar to him, it was the weapon that his partner had been using since he met her in Hargeon.
- I'd never seen photos of Lucy as a child. - Happy commented looking at the images.
- Me neither, dude. – Natsu opened a photo album that he hadn't seen. – She was an unbelievably cute girl.
Inside the album, a photo caught his attention. It looked much older than the others. For a moment, he thought it was a current photo of Lucy, but that was impossible. They hadn't seen her in years. There was a woman with blonde hair tied up, big chocolate-colored eyes, and a soft smile, wearing an elegant dress and several jewels. It didn't take long for the pink-haired boy to understand that she was Lucy's mom.
- She's identical to Lucy. - the dragon slayer mentioned to Happy, showing him. He knew that Lucy looked like her mother, but he never imagined that they would be practically twins. It really was as if Lucy hadn't inherited any physical characteristics from her dad. The pink-haired boy laughed lightly at this thought.
- She looks the same, but with a different air. She could be Lucy, but Lucy is more like..., she's weirder – said Happy.
Natsu laughed at this. Happy was right. His celestial mage had a different air while her mother gave calm and elegance, Lucy was much more energetic, she was like a light that energizes you, it was as if she overflowed with joy and was a stubborn force of nature determined to do whatever she wants to do. Lucy was not silent calm, she was like the sea, she could not contain herself, she needed to be free and do what her nature demanded of her. Of course, for those who saw externally, she ended up being considered the calmest of the group, but her friends knew that once the celestial mage decided to do something or had a clear opinion on a subject, there was no one who could defeat the dedication and passion of the mage.
Natsu recognizes a small whip on the same shelf he was checking, it was one of the weapons that had belonged to little Lucy. He wanted to check everything. He was interested in seeing what his partner's childhood had been like.
- She was a very dedicated student. - a voice interrupted his snooping. Mr. Miranda. Natsu looked at him as if he had been caught doing something wrong, he was so engrossed in snooping around that he didn't notice his surroundings.
- She was only 7 years old when she decided to learn how to use the whip. She was a very stubborn girl, and her parents couldn't convince her to learn when she was older. Layla-sama loved Lucy-sama very much, she managed to convince Mr. Jude that it wasn't such a bad idea. - He approached the photos that Natsu had been looking at, looking fondly at a 7-year-old Lucy and Layla's portrait.
- She was so small but so stubborn and tenacious for her age, it was years of training with her. It didn't matter how much she got hurt or dirty, she was very excited every time she managed to get a new move or land a hit. - He began to take out a large box near where they were.
- That sounds exactly like Lucy - the pink haired man smiled.
- I made several models for her until I found what suited her, she trained many times every week for years. Even when her mother died and her father forbade her to train, she begged me to have hidden lessons, and I couldn't refuse. - The man's eyes showed a mix of sadness and nostalgia.
He showed the wizards all the whips he had made for her over the years and that were broken or slightly cracked, they were the sign of several years of training.
While Natsu were snooping around, Lucy, Wendy, Erza and Charles were in a large bathtub on the second floor of the house, relaxing briefly after a successful mission.
- Lucy-san? - the blue-haired girl suddenly said while showing a thoughtful smile.
- Tell me Wendy.
- Is it Mr. Miranda who taught you how to use your weapon? I say this only because I relate what they had been talking about with Erza-san.
The scarlet-haired girl looked at the blonde also waiting for an answer, she hadn't thought about it, but it made a lot of sense that it was like that considering all the information.
- That's right. - the blonde muttered. - He trained me since I was a child, he taught me everything I know about the use of the whip. He was even the one who gave me the whip I use.
Lucy smiled, it made her happy to think of the day her master and wife had given her precious weapon, it had been an excellent birthday present, one of the best she had ever had in her entire life.
- That explains a lot. Both your skills and the quality of the whip. You have been lucky to have found such a skilled master. - Erza commented.
- It's true Lucy-san, you are very good, it shows that you have trained since you were little.
- Wait, Lucy. Why don't you ask him to fix your weapon then? If he made it, it is possible that he can fix it. - Charles mentioned.
- Very right Charles, it is a clever idea Lucy-san. - Wendy supported.
- I hadn't thought of it, thank you, Charles. - Lucy gave the exceed a big smile.
Erza suddenly stared at the blonde thoughtfully. The celestial mage looked back at her with an intrigued look.
- I feel like we don't know much about your previous life Lucy. Anyway, I'm not pressuring you to tell us anything, we respect that there are things that are difficult to talk about. I just wanted to mention that it feels refreshing to know more about you and see facets that we haven't seen before, you've become a great mage Lucy and I'm sure these people have seen it clearly. - the scarlet haired girl hugged Lucy tightly.
- Thank you, Erza. - Lucy answered back while signaling Wendy to join the group hug now.
- The truth is that they were an important part of my childhood, unfortunately they had to leave long before I escaped, they could no longer live in the Heartfilia mansion because their youngest son was sick and needed treatment in the capital. - the blonde commented out of nowhere. - and I'm very happy to have met them again and for them to see how I've grown as a person and in my life that I love so much, as a celestial mage and as Lucy of Fairy Tail.
- Also, we managed to get free accommodation. A relief in the pocket never hurts. - The blonde winked at the others.
The other girls smiled at the blonde's expression and her excitement for saving money. They left the bathroom, got ready and headed to dinner.
Natsu and Happy were looking at a lot of memories that Mr. Miranda had from when he and his wife lived in the Heartfilia mansion. They heard many stories like when the blonde hurt herself for the first time with her own whip, when she did her first prank, when she tried to reach a book on a shelf with her whip and instead of getting the book she wanted she managed to knock down all the others and make a mess, even when she was younger she tried to blow out her birthday candles with her whip, covering all the servants with frosting. Natsu and Happy rejoiced listening to stories of a mischievous little Lucy, they would use it for their pranks and make fun of the mage.
- The only thing I regret is not being able to have done more for Lucy-sama. - suddenly the old man began to look sad and let out a deep sigh. - I wanted to prepare her for the outside world, i knew that one day she would end up going on adventures, i wanted her to be able to protect herself against others, but I couldn't do much. I'm not a magician and after Layla-sama passed away, there was no one who could teach Lucy-sama how to use her magic, I remember her frustration, but she never stopped trying to train even though she had to practically teach herself.
- But did you teach her how to use the whip or not old man? That's something important to her. - Natsu asked him with a slight smile.
- Yes, but I would have liked to teach her more, I always knew since I met Lucy-sama as little as she was that she would end up in dangerous situations, her soul has been adventurous since she was born, I'm very glad she ran away from home, although the reason she had to do it I'm very sorry. All these years I prayed that she was okay and that what I taught her could have helped her.
- You don't have to worry. Lucy is a strong mage. She doesn't hide behind her spirits and fights alongside them using her weapon. Thanks to you, Lucy can defend herself in our adventures, even I'm afraid of making her angry. If you hadn't taught her how to use the whip, believe me we would all be in big trouble. - Natsu pointed out with a smile.
- Lushi is strong both in her magic and her skill with the whip even before we met her and took her to Fairy Tail- added Happy as he flew through the workshop.
- Thank you for your words, it's good that Lucy-sama has such good friends like you.
Mr. Miranda smiled considering the words the magicians told him, he was proud of little Lucy, she had met kind people, who were obviously her family and loved her. Fairy Tail is a good guild, you must be happy Layla-sama, the old man thought mentally.
A voice echoed from the other side of the house, calling them to dinner. A delicious smell filled the room.
- Dinner is ready, let's eat young people.
- Aye!
They had a great and delicious dinner where the wizards could eat at ease and shared several of the adventures they had been on, also hearing about the couple's family and how each of the servants who had once taken care of Lucy was doing.
After dinner, everyone split up to help clean and wash the dishes. Lucy accompanied Mr. Miranda to take out the trash. The night was beautiful, being a small town, the light pollution was little, and the stars could be seen beautifully, feeling the energy coming from them Lucy felt happy and content.
- I've been thinking about it, I was showing your little whips to your pink friend. How has the whip we gave you been? - the gentleman asked his former disciple looking at the celestial mage's belt.
- That's what I wanted to tell you, master. While I was on today's mission, I found a fissure in the center, and it even causes me to change the direction of the bounce. If it's not too much to ask, could you fix it? - Lucy took out the whip tied to her belt and showed it to the old man, who examined it carefully.
- I'm not going to lie to you, I'll try to fix it, but I don't promise anything. It's quite damaged, anyway, it's years old so I'll see what I can do. I can always send you a new one by mail even if it took me a while to do so.
Lucy's face lit up completely at this comment, a new whip sounded spectacular and coming from someone as skilled as her master, it was the best weapon she could get. She would miss her old whip, but she could always keep it as a souvenir, it was a gift, one she held dear in her heart.
- Thank you very much! - she gave the man a big smile.
- Now go sleep with your friends, you must be tired, you must take care of your health Lucy-sama. - the old man sent her pointing towards the house.
- As worried as always, master. - The celestial mage finally went to sleep after a long day.
The team of magicians woke up early the next day, they needed to get to the station on time so they wouldn't miss their train and could get to their home in Magnolia. As they said goodbye to the couple who had welcomed them, they thanked them for the food and the place to sleep.
Mr. Miranda took out a box with Lucy's whip, it looked brand new. The blonde and the scarlet haired girl had their eyes full of stars as they examined the weapon. It was a beautiful craft, but Lucy realized that it wasn't exactly the whip she had before. It was an improvement, it kept the same style with the heart at the tip, but it had a better handle, and the length was slightly longer, more adapted to the centimeters she had grown in recent years.
- Thank you very much, it's beautiful, but how? - the celestial mage inquired. - I thought it couldn't be fixed.
- Yes, I couldn't fix it, so I made you a new one from one I was working on before. It's my hobby and I dare say it's one of my greatest crafts, I couldn't give Lucy-sama something of poor quality. – They could see the man's dark circles under his eyes as he spoke, he had probably stayed all night working to finish it on time.
Lucy took it in her hands and felt magic, it immediately transformed into Fleuve d'étoiles. Everyone looked at the whip with a surprised expression.
- How did you do it? This is celestial magic. – the blonde asked totally surprised.
- A pink-haired spirit of yours showed up in the middle of the night while I was doing it. We did it together with her, Virgo, I think it was her name. – the old man answered with a smile. – I must say that I found it brilliant, incredible what magic can do. Here is your old whip in any case. – he handed her a bag to keep her old weapon in.
- This is much more than I could have asked for, thank you very much, really. – Lucy said with tears in her eyes.
Observing the situation, her team decided to move forward a little to give them some space and Lucy could say goodbye properly.
- Layla-sama must be very proud of you Lucy-sama. Be happy and live with your head held high. All of us who have worked for you have always been proud of the person you are. - Miss Miranda commented with a proud mother's smile.
- I am proud of you Lucy-sama, you were a great student. I am happy that you achieved your dream and found a family. - the married couple hugged her.
- Thank you. You were an important part of my childhood, and I am the person I am today partly because of you. I will always be grateful for that. Every time I was able to defend myself and my friends it was partly thanks to you, master. Really, thank you very much for everything you taught me. - Lucy gave them a big smile.
Mr. Miranda's eyes filled with tears, and he tried to hide them.
- We don't want to delay you any longer, dear. Here, this is our address so you can write to us, we would like to know what is happening with you from time to time. - Miss Miranda handed him a piece of paper to keep. – If you could leave us your address, we would like to write to you too.
- Sure, I would be happy to keep in touch. Here you go. - she quickly wrote on a piece of paper and pencil that the woman gave her.
- Goodbye Lucy-sama. Be happy and take care. - said Mr. Miranda.
- Goodbye, I will write to you. I promise. - Lucy ran over to her team with a big smile.
Natsu's team walked away to the station while they waved at the married couple until they were no longer in sight.
- It was a good coincidence that we missed the train yesterday, wasn't it, Lucy? - Gray caressed her head.
- Yes, I am happy to have been able to see them again. - she answered embarrassed but incredibly happy. The blonde put her hand on her keys, feeling the magic of Virgo's key she replied back. Thank you, Virgo.
Natsu reflected on himself the big smile that the celestial mage had, he was happy for her and the amount of affection she had received in the last 24 hours. But he was even happier as he reached into his own pocket and felt the 3 photos he had managed to take. He hoped the couple would forgive him, Lucy really deserved to have a photo of her mother, he knew she didn't have any in her apartment. Besides, he wanted to show their children the celestial mage in her childhood one day, two less photos shouldn't hurt too much.
Three days later.
Mr. Miranda was tidying up his shelf, it had been left in disarray after the visit of the Fairy Tail mages. Looking at the photos he had, he noticed that 3 photos were missing, one of Layla-sama, one of Lucy-sama when she was 7 years old and the one where she appeared when she was given her whip on her birthday. He thought he knew who had stolen it. The young man must really love her a lot, he thought.
It was time for him to give the rest of the photos to whoever should have them. He would mail them to Lucy-sama with the address she left for them, hoping that her student's future family would have the chance to see the celestial mage in her childhood. He would send the photos and memories so that when they were no longer on this earth, Lucy's family could cherish them in their place.