Attention, my Fairy Tail followers! I have returned with a new story!

Now, if many of you will recall 2015, it was what I called my "Year of Fairy Tail". That was the year I published all of my Fairy Tail fanfictions. In that year, I wrote my first "NaLu cliché, Lucy runs away" story that was actually published.

I reread it recently. It sucks. I think a large part of that suckiness is I relied too heavily on references to get me through the story and I was pretty lazy…

Now that I am actually a much better writer, I'm revisiting this cliché and making it better. Again, Ember and Iggy do not exist in this story. We got Nashi, baby!

Something else that is important to note is that I'm including two characters from the series I've never included before: Zeref and Mavis. They will have a huge role in the story and Nashi's development.

Enjoy!

The manor house was just as she remembered it: large, weather-beaten, neglected, and worn from the battle they'd had within its walls. Despite the years she'd hated there, it held so many memories; some good, some bad, but still memories. It would make a perfect place to live, far away from most other people. It definitely needed some work, but it would all be worth it once it was complete. However, she only had seven months to finish it. Eight months until she became a mother to a little boy or girl. She definitely couldn't do it on her own. She pulled her keys off her belt and found the right one.

"Open, Gate of the Maiden! Virgo!"

The pink-haired maid spirit appeared before her.

"Is it time for punishment, Princess?" she asked.

"No, Virgo," Lucy replied. "I need you to help me with a massive project. It's about the manor…" Virgo turned to look at the building, seemingly analyzing what she could do. "I want to fix it up, but we only have eight months to do it. After that…"

"You and Mister Natsu's baby will have arrived, correct?" Lucy stared at the Celestial Spirit.

"How did you know?"

"I can sense the child, growing inside you. They will be strong."

"How did you know the baby was Natsu's?"

"Who else could the baby belong to?" Lucy sighed and shook her head. "At any rate, I've suspected it for a while, now. I believe I am the only one."

"At any rate, will you help me fix up the house?"

"Certainly. I will repair the exterior and then immediately begin work on a nursery."

"I'll get started cleaning out some of the rooms. We can sell the furniture we don't need."

"Brilliant idea, Princess."

The two females worked for most of the day. Thanks to Virgo's excellent work ethic and magic powers, they made a lot of progress. Lucy managed to go through a lot of the furniture and pick the ones she wanted to get rid of. That night, Virgo returned to the Celestial Spirit World and Lucy slept in her old bedroom, which still had many things from her childhood inside. It was certainly strange being back in there after all those years…

The following morning, Lucy woke up and changed into one of her old outfits before eating some of the food she'd brought with her when she'd left Fairy Tail. By the time she finished, she felt fully refreshed and ready to continue her work.

That was before a certain Celestial Spirit decided to pay her a visit.

"Lucy."

She turned to see Loke with a worried expression on his face.

"Loke, I'm fine," she insisted, tucking a loose strand of hair behind her ear.

"No, you're not. You left Fairy Tail, the first real family you've ever had, and you're pregnant with your best friend's child. What happened?"

"I don't want to talk about it."

"Well, you have to. I'm not leaving until you tell me how this happened."

"Loke!"

"I'm dead serious. You're my master, and I hate seeing you unhappy. Now tell me what happened."

"O-okay. It all started with that big party we had, to celebrate Cana's birthday. Remember, the one where Natsu got in a drinking contest with Gildarts?"

"Oh, yeah. I had to help you carry him back to your… apartment… shit…"

"You know I'd been in love with him for ages, and he wanted me… it's my fault…"

"That explains the pregnancy, but not why you left the guild. It doesn't make sense."

"My reason for leaving the guild is because… well…"

"Lucy, you have to tell him," Levy urged her best friend.

"Levy, what if he rejects me and the baby?"

"He won't. I've known Natsu since we were children, and he wouldn't do that. Now go tell him!"

"Okay. I'm gonna do it!"

Lucy headed down to the guild hall, exceedingly confident and a little nervous, too. Why shouldn't she be? Mira was in her normal spot, wiping down the counter.

"Hi, Mira!"

"Oh, Lucy! Hi! It's been a while!"

"Is Natsu here yet?"

"He's in the storage room. Why?"

"I just need to talk to him."

"Go on ahead." Mira gave Lucy a suggestive wink. The blonde sighed and headed to the storage room. Before she saw Natsu, however, she heard him and Lisanna talking. Instinctively, she crouched behind some crates to avoid being seen.

"Why do we have to have this talk in the storage room?" she heard Natsu ask.

"Because I don't want anybody to overhear," Lisanna replied. "Natsu, I… I love you. I have ever since we were kids, and it took me forever to work up the courage to tell you!"

"Really?"

"Yeah. Now that you know, I was wondering if you'd like to be my boyfriend."

"Sure!" Lucy's heart stopped and dropped like a stone. She slipped out of the storage room and ran out of the guild hall. Mira noticed the Celestial Mage's quick departure.

"Lucy!" she called, but the blonde was already gone.

I can't stay in Magnolia, Lucy thought, running all the way to her apartment. He's happy with Lisanna. I can't ruin that because I made a stupid mistake. She grabbed a suitcase and stuffed some clothes and food inside. Once she was packed, she thought about where to go. Her family's manor was empty. It was a little rundown, but she could fix it up.

First, she needed to officially exit the guild.

"Are you certain?" Makarov asked, looking a little surprised.

"Positive. I want to leave Fairy Tail."

"All right, then. While I will not remove your guild mark entirely, I will fade it in the center so it's nothing but the outline. That way, you will always have a reminder of your time with us."

"Thank you, Master. I'll send one of my spirits with a message once I'm settled."

"Good luck, Lucy. Remember, you can always call Fairy Tail home."

"I will. Goodbye."

"And yesterday, I arrived here. Virgo and I spent most of the day fixing the place up." Loke could tell that while Lucy was happy to tell her story, she was trying hard not to burst into sobs.

"Lucy, I'm so sorry." The leader of the Zodiac took his master into a hug.

"It hurts, Loke. It hurts really badly."

"You'll be fine. You're one of the strongest masters I've ever had."

"Thank you."

"Now, as for this old place… let's get cracking on cleaning it up a bit more."

Virgo appeared just moments later of her own accord.

"I can continue working on the exterior, Princess," she informed Lucy. "That way, you and Big Brother Leo can do the furniture."

"Good plan, Virgo. Come on, Lucy. We've got work to do, okay?"

"Okay." Lucy went off to the room she'd left off in the day before. Virgo tapped Loke on the shoulder.

"Mister Natsu hurt Princess. Shall I go punish him?"

"He didn't realize what he did. And if anyone's going to beat the crap out of him, it's me."

"If you say so…"

The manor was completely restored within two months, all the unneeded furniture sold and a nursery set up next to Lucy's room. Loke spent more time with his pregnant master, ensuring that she was almost never alone while she was awake. Then, one day, Lucy had two very unexpected visitors…

Lucy finished folding a baby dress. Virgo had recently informed her that the baby was a girl, so she was going through her old baby clothes to pick out some cute outfits for the coming newborn. The one she'd just finished folding was hot pink with a strawberry stitched on the front.

"Ooh! That's cute!"

Lucy sat up with a start. There, sitting in one of the overstuffed armchairs Lucy had kept, was the First Master of Fairy Tail. Standing beside her was Zeref.

"M-Master Mavis! Zeref!" she stammered.

"No need to be so formal! You can just call me Mavis!"

"Okay, then, Mavis. What are you doing here?"

"First of all, checking on you! Second of all, trying out this really comfy chair! It feels like a cloud!" She sank down deeper.

"Be careful," Zeref warned her. "Don't get swallowed by the chair."

"Oh, you worry too much! I'll be fine!"

Lucy couldn't help but laugh.

"How'd you know where I was?" she asked.

"You sent those letters to Makarov that told him where you were, so we used that to find you!"

"Well, you must know why I left…"

"Yes, and while I can't say I approve, I know why you did it. It was the right decision at the time." Mavis smiled. "At any rate, we aren't going to let you be alone aside from your spirits. We'll be popping in every now and again to check on you so you don't get too lonely."

"Well… thank you. I appreciate it."

"And we won't tell anybody where you are." Suddenly, she sank even deeper into the chair and yelped. "HELP! I'M BEING SWALLOWED BY THE CHAIR!"

"Hold on," Zeref laughed, taking hold of Mavis's hand. He pulled her out without much effort. Lucy burst into giggles.

True to their word, Mavis and Zeref visited the manor at least once a week. They were good company when her spirits were and weren't around. For Lucy, Mavis was a good source of information about childbirth and its processes, mostly from the First Master having aided several creatures on Tenrou Island in giving birth and a few of Fairy Tail's female members, as well, despite the fact she'd never given birth herself. Needless to say, it was a rather strange time for the mother-to-be…

"You can do this, Lucy!"

The Celestial Mage gripped her spirit's hand as another spasm of pain rolled through her body.

"You're doing well!" Mavis assured Lucy. "The little one's almost ready to come out. On the count of three, I want you to push. One… two… three… push!"

Lucy screamed in pain as she pushed. It took two more attempts, but eventually, a baby's cry filled the air.

"Congratulations!" Mavis declared. "She's healthy!" She handed the newborn to Lucy, who had tears of joy and pride in her eyes.

"She's beautiful…"

"Princess, I need to clean the baby so we can wrap her in a blanket," Virgo said.

"Just a minute… I need to give her a name."

"What will you name her?" Mavis inquired. Zeref reentered the room (he had left once Lucy's labor began) and looked at his niece.

"I'm thinking… Nashi."

"Nashi?"

"The first part of Natsu's name and the second part of mine; that way, she has a bit of both of us wherever she goes."

"Cute!" Mavis squealed.

Virgo took Nashi and cleaned her before swaddling her in a blanket. Lucy held the tiny baby close to her.

I wish you could see her, Natsu, Zeref thought. You'd be so proud…

SIX YEARS LATER

"MAMA!"

Lucy looked up just in time for a little girl with bright pink hair to come barreling into her.

"Nashi!" she yelped.

"Uncle Zeref's being mean!" Nashi wailed.

"No, I'm not," the black-haired man protested. "All I did was suggest she slow down with her training instead of speeding through it."

"You know she's not going to slow down for a moment!" Lucy laughed.

"I know…"

"Nashi, baby, why don't you go play with your Auntie Mavis while I talk to Zeref?"

"Okay, Mama!" Nashi dried her tears and ran back out of the room. Zeref watched her go and turned to Lucy.

"She's a lot like him, you know," he commented.

"I know. They're so similar sometimes that it scares me."

"Have you told her anything about her father?" Lucy bit her lip and stared at the floor. "What are you going to do? She's going to ask questions."

"Yes, but I'm hoping not to deal with that for another few years."

"You don't have that long. She's already asked me at least a dozen times, and I don't doubt she's asking Mavis right now."

"Oh, Gods…" Lucy sat down in her chair.

"What are you going to tell her when she asks?"

"I'm going to tell her the truth. She deserves to know." He gave her a startled look. "What?!"

"That was… a rather unexpected answer. You've spent almost seven years hiding from him, and now you're going to tell the truth?"

"Only to Nashi. Natsu has Lisanna."

Zeref bit his lip. He couldn't bring himself to tell Lucy that in the time since she'd left, guilt over her disappearance had caused Lisanna to break up with Natsu. It wasn't just that, though; the former dark mage's brother had realized how he felt about Lucy and had been searching for her all over Fiore.

No. He definitely couldn't tell her.

"Good luck," he told the Celestial mage instead. "You know she'll want to know everything."

"Bye-bye, Nashi!" Mavis told her niece as she and Zeref prepared to return to Fairy Tail. "We'll see you soon!"

"Bye, Auntie Mavis!" Nashi called.

"Okay, Nashi," Lucy giggled. "It's time for bed."

"Okay, Mama…" Nashi headed up to her room and cuddled her favorite doll, Michelle. Lucy came in and tucked Nashi into bed. "Hey, Mama?"

"Yes, Nashi?" Lucy knew what was coming.

"What was my daddy like?"

Lucy took a deep breath and sighed.

"Your daddy was the most stubborn man I've ever met. He was dense, reckless, and destructive, with a bottomless appetite." Nashi giggled. "He was also one of the kindest people I ever met, and he cared about everyone in his life. Some more than others, but he always had them in his heart."

"Was he a wizard?"

"Yes, a Fire Dragon Slayer, like you. You have his pink hair and his smile, too."

"So… why isn't Daddy with us?"

"Your daddy fell in love with someone else when I was expecting you. I thought he'd be happier with her, so I left my guild and had you here. Your Uncle Zeref and Auntie Mavis showed up and started helping me with you."

"What guild were you in?"

"Fairy Tail." Lucy lifted up her right hand and showed her daughter the faded mark. "Your daddy's still a member."

"Did you love him?"

"Yes. So much that it hurt. And he loved me, just as a friend."

"Would he have loved me?"

"Nashi, he would've loved you so much that it would suffocate you. Good night, baby girl."

"Night, Mama."

Lucy turned out the light.

And that wraps up the first chapter! Sorry if it's a little all over the place. I wrote most of this in the car on the way to Universal Studios, so it was hard to think.

Next chapter will introduce the Grand Magic Games, which Lucy will write about for Sorcerers' Weekly. We'll also see the main plot set in motion and meet some other kids who are Nashi's age in Fairy Tail!

Until then, so long and thanks for all the fish!