1.
"Mommy? Are you okay now?"
Layla gently turned her head to the side, smiling lovingly at her precious daughter. Lucy sat beside her on the bed and laid down next to her, getting inside the blankets with her and hugged her tight. The blonde woman sighed happily, kissing the top of Lucy's head. The young one looked up at her, frowning the slightest bit.
"Please say yes…"
Layla stared back down at her. Lucy mumbled, "Mommy, I love you. Please be okay."
She hugged Lucy tighter, although the little girl knew she didn't have the strength to really hug her tight. So she hugged her tighter as well. She faced up at her mother.
"You won't believe what I did today!"
Layla raised a brow, smiling down at her. Lucy continued, "I-I was out in the garden and I found this really, really big cricket. It was HUGE!" She emphasized on the word huge, making Layla put on a laughing expression. "I got interested s-so I went to the library and asked Ms. Spetto for a book on crickets. She gave it to me and I read all day. I went back to the garden and the cricket was still there! So I took a net and caught it!
"It's in my room now. I wanna keep it for a while. Luckily, if you get okay soon, maybe you'll be able to see it! I named it Crickey." Lucy finished with a bright smile on her face.
Layla stared at her daughter for the longest time.
Lucy opened her eyes when she got no reaction from her mother still and gasped quietly. "Mommy, why is water coming out of your eyes?"
Layla only took what little strength she had left and hugged her most tightly. Lucy grinned in amazement. "This is great Mommy! You're getting stronger now! With this, I'm sure you'll be okay in no time."
The blonde then looked back down at her daughter and shook her head. Lucy cocked her head at her mother, not understanding the gesture.
"Does that mean it'll take a longer time?"
Layla was unsure of answering, but nodded her head anyway. Lucy let out a small 'oh'. "I see…well, I guess I'll let you rest now." She said as she slowly got up and jumped off the bed. She stood on her toes and kissed her beloved mother on the cheek, wondering to herself why it felt so damp. "I'll see you tomorrow, and hope you'll get better no matter what."
She skipped towards the door and looked back at her mother one last time.
"I love you. Goodbye, Mommy."
2.
"You annoying little brat! Opening my gate again?!"
Lucy looked down. Aquarius gaped and scowled, "Don't ignore me!"
Lucy entangled and disentangled her fingers as she resumed looking down, her bottom lip quivering. "I'm sorry…"
"You should be! I was on a date with my boyfriend!" Aquarius fumed, then looked down, "And are you seriously trying to put me inside this stupid thing again?!" She said as she floated above the tiny fish bowl below her.
The young Heartfilia continued what she was doing with her hands which irritated the celestial spirit. She bowed down and snapped a finger in front of the girl's eyes, her brown eyes growing wide as she was startled.
"Mind telling me why you called and interrupted me while I'm in the middle of something, again?" Aquarius inquired harshly, Lucy looking up at her with her hands entwined together shivering the slightest bit.
"I'm sorry Aquarius…"
"Answer me kid."
"I just wanted you here…"
Aquarius raised a brow. "And?"
Lucy looked to the side, her mouth in a thin straight line. Aquarius sighed. "That's all?"
She nodded slowly.
"Where's Jude?"
Lucy started looking down again, and Aquarius could hear her sniffing although she tried to keep it silent. "In his office…"
"You little brat, opening my gate up just because you want me here in a damn bowl." She stared intently as she talked at the little girl's blonde head as she kept her head down. Lucy played with her hands again.
"I…I like it when you're here…" Lucy mumbled silently. "When you're here, I don't feel lonely…"
"I'm not a toy, kid."
Lucy bowed her head down lower.
Aquarius watched her slightly shaking form, knowing how much it hopes she would stay.
After a while, she sighed and gently whacked her tail against Lucy's head and the little girl yelped in surprise. "Send me back kid."
Lucy looked up at her sadly. "Why?"
"…I'm sending my boyfriend home." Aquarius scratched the back of her neck, "I'm supposed to be paying this time, so I'll just send him back then pay real quick…" She looked back down at Lucy and raised a brow. "Why're ya lookin' at me like that?"
"Really Aquarius?!" Lucy beamed up at her, "I can call you back again?! Then we can play?!"
Aquarius eyed her again, then sighed. "Yes."
"Yehey!" Lucy cheered, jumping up and down in delight, Aquarius muttering something along the lines of 'annoying' under her breath.
Lucy ended her little dance and smiled, holding up her key. "I'll see you in 15 minutes Aquarius."
"Sure, kid." Aquarius sneered when she laughed at her, but couldn't hold back the slight smile crawling at the ends of her mouth.
Lucy grinned, then it slowly faded as Aquarius gate finally opened, sad that she'd leave even for just a while.
"Goodbye Aquarius…"
The mermaid ruffled up her hair. "See ya kid."
3.
You can do it Lucy.
"He'll…he'll take it right? I hope he will…" Lucy shook her head. "Alrighty! No doubts."
She smiled and gently opened the gigantic doors that led to Jude's study.
"…Daddy?" Lucy called out, poking her head inside. She saw Jude situated on his desk like always, his table drowning with paperwork. He didn't look up at her voice. Lucy, although slightly discouraged at the lack of acknowledgement stepped inside and walked until she was in front of him.
"Hey Daddy! Guess what?" Lucy chirped, her hands behind her back. Jude didn't bat an eye.
She brought out what she was hiding behind her back and with a bright smile on her face, presented it proudly to her father. "I made you a rice ball Daddy! And it has your face on it, see? Hahaha!"
When she received no response, she continued, "I made it especially for you Daddy…you know it's not good to work hard on an empty stomach!"
Jude, for the first time since Lucy had brought her presence, spoke in a firm tone, "I'm busy right now. Come back later."
"Oh…" Lucy felt a pang on her chest and looked down, disappointed. She eyed the rice ball on her hands, wondering what was so wrong with looking at it now, but she couldn't question what her father wants.
She stared at it a little more and looked up, smiling again.
She's not giving up just yet.
"Oh…oh well then I'll just leave it here in case you get hungry." Lucy said, enthusiastically settling the rice ball down on the desk. This caught Jude's attention, realizing that the rice ball stuck to one of his papers, his eyebrow twitching.
Lucy didn't notice this, and kept going, "Daddy, did you know? It's a special day today, it's…it's my—"
"Lucy!", Jude said in a raised voice, his hand swatting at the rice ball and it fell to the floor. Lucy jumped, startled, and she could feel her tears coming at any moment. "Don't you ever listen?! I told you I'm busy!"
"I'm sorry…" Lucy muttered quietly, but turned around and started walking.
She paused halfway to look back, hope lingering at the back of her head.
"Um, Daddy…?"
"Stop being such a pest!" Jude said, an irritated scowl on his face, "I don't want to eat your stupid rice ball!"
Lucy whimpered, Jude continued, "If I get hungry, I would call the chef. Now go study your business lessons and stop interrupting me when I'm working! You hear me?! NO MORE INTERRUPTIONS!"
By then Lucy had already ran out of the room, running down the carpet hallway with tears flooding from her sad brown eyes.
Whispering to herself, "Goodbye Daddy…it's my birthday."
4.
Lucy went over the things she has put on her luggage.
Money wasn't a problem, but she wasn't going to bring much. Just enough to get by and join a guild to her liking. A job shouldn't be hard to have with what she's already learned. Clothes, however, were tricky. Her closets no matter how big consisted of nothing but frilly dresses and disgustingly lacy gowns. Ms. Spetto was kind enough to make her clothes that befitted a commoner and didn't question it, although sadly she wasn't able to make too many.
Food would be better bought on the way, but Lucy decided to bring a little just in case there wouldn't be a town close by. A jug of water enough to last her a few days, her toiletries, her keys, and a sufficient amount of books. What else?
She thought long and hard, then snapped a finger. She went under her bed and found the small intricately designed box that held her letters. She smiled warmheartedly. "I'd never forget you Mom, ever."
Lucy placed it along with rest of her things and sealed it, locking it for good measure. She trudged towards her window and silently opened it, breathing in the midnight air.
So, this is it.
5.
Lucy looked around the small, empty inn room. Another unusual morning, another journey towards the unknown and another bed somewhere in the future to fall on at the end of the day. It wasn't that different from before, even when she already ran away except…
…except this time, it was different, because this time she wasn't gonna go on another class of mannerisms and etiquette with an annoying old lady, or spend another day in the library with nothing but hundreds of books at her disposal. Oh, she would still be the same old Lucy Heartfilia, and nothing would ever stop her from doing the things she loved and still become a lady all at the same time, just this time, she would become a woman of her own will and not the shallow, emotionally detached, and lifeless person her father wanted her to be.
She didn't say a word as she got up and relived her usual morning mantras, but she could feel the shift inside her as she slowly came to peace with the fact that what had up until now been the most defining part of her life was closed off to her and a brand new door was opening at it's place.
1.
Lucy stood among the insanely huge group of girls as the so-called "Salamander" made his leave, announcing an invitation to all that fell for his scheming fake charm to his party. She watched the trail of fire(or whatever the hell it was) slowly disperse in the sky, silently swearing at him inside her head.
A despicable human being. No, he's not worth considering to be a human. A pig, yeah. Definitely a pig. Those poor girls, falling for his fake charm like that.
Speaking of his fake charm…that boy. When he jumped in front of her vision, the spell got broken somehow and she was able to identify the banned piece of crap magic.
Feeling a surge of gratefulness, she looked around and immediately found him not so far away next to a blue cat(that is, for some reason, blue and is standing on two legs) and approached the strange guy.
"That wasn't Igneel, so who the hell was that guy?"
"Well, I don't know about you, but I'm pretty sure he's just some sort of jerk that's not worth your time."
The strange pink-haired boy and his blue cat turned their necks in her direction. Lucy's eyes met with his, unaware of all the dangers, adventures, love, and wonderful beginnings to come from right when she raised her arm, smiled, and waved.
"Hi! Thanks for saving me back there!"
So I hear this was like a trend the Five Times One Time thing, and I really really wanted to try it so I did. Inspired by a Criminal Minds fanfiction :)
Thoughts~ Reviews~ Pwease?
-K-