Prologue

Scattered Pieces

A whole month had gone by since the final battle with Tartaros. An entire month since the Fairy Tail family disbanded. A month since Lucy last saw anyone from her beloved guild. She was the last one still in Magnolia. Everyone else had gone. They'd moved on... left her behind. Natsu and Happy hadn't even bothered to say a proper goodbye. All she had gotten from them was a lousy note. The next day, the guild disbanded and everyone left. Fairy Tail was no more. After Lucy got over the initial shock and heartbreak, anger filled her. She just sacrifice one of her zodiac keys to save everyone she cared about, and it felt like it was all for nothing. She gave up any chance of seeing Aquarius again to protect her family, and the next day, they'd all just left her anyway. Lucy was hurt and angry and part of her questioned whether the sacrifice was worth it.

Finally, after helping the people of Magnolia clean up the town and get back on their feet, Lucy had had enough. It had been a month and no one had bothered contacting her. Not once. So, she decided it was time to pack up and move on, too. Fairy Tail wasn't getting back together anytime soon. It was time.

After leaving her contact information with the mayor ( in case the town needed her help again) Lucy swung her bag over her shoulders and left Magnolia to begin a new journey. With no destination in mind, Lucy opted to walk and headed west, hoping to find a new start and leave her heartbreak in the past.

Before Lucy knew it, three months had passed. Every day, her heart reminded her of what she had done and she sank a little further into her despair. When she finally crossed beyond Fiore's borders three days ago, a certain sense of adventure filled her. She wasn't sure how to explain it, but now that she was out of Fiore, Lucy felt that something good was going to happen. It was like Fiore had held all of her pain and now that that kingdom was behind her, she was free. Well, sort of.

It was now late Autumn and the sun was setting. Lucy was about to call Virgo to help her set up camp for the night, when a twig snap loudly from a few yards away. Lucy froze and hid behind a tree as voices met her ears.

"Come on, Elizabeth" said an eager female voice. "Let's find some delicious ingredients for dinner."

"Lady Diane! Please, wait for me!" came the reply.

Lucy relaxed slightly. These voices didn't appear to pose a threat to her. So quietly, Lucy stepped out from behind her tree and into the small clearing, hoping to remain unnoticed. Unfortunately, that just wasn't in the cards.

Lucy just turned her back to pull out Virgo's key again when she ran into someone she hadn't noticed before.

"Why, hello," said the scantily clad, dark haired female before her. "And who might you be?"

Lucy took a step back in surprise and her boot crushed a twig. "Oh!" she gasped at the loud noise.

"What was that?" said the fairer voice.

"Don't worry," said the woman in front of Lucy. "No reason to be frightened. It seems we aren't alone in this little forest."

"Merlin?" questioned the first voice. "What did you find-" The voice cut off abruptly when the two women entered the little clearing. Lucy quietly observed the three women, trying to debate whether or not she was in any danger.

"Hello," said the woman with white hair and a kind face. She reminded Lucy of Mirajane. "We weren't expecting other people to be in the forest with us. What brings you here, Miss?"

Lucy hesitated for a moment. "Nothing special," she said. "I was just passing through and stopped to make camp for the night."

The white-haired woman looked at her with wide eyes and voiced her concern. "You're traveling all alone? That's dangerous!"

Lucy smiled slightly. "Don't worry about me. I've been traveling on my own for quite a while now. Besides, I'm tougher than I look."

"That sounds lonely..." said a brunette with pigtails.

Lucy looked away sadly. "It can be," she muttered.

"Oh, you poor thing! What's your name?"

"I'm Lucy," she said, shifting cautiously from one foot to the other.

"Nice to meet you, Lucy," said the girl with pigtails. "I'm Diane, and this is Elizabeth and Merlin!"

Lucy smiled politely at the three women. "It's a pleasure to meet you guys. I'm sorry if I surprised you. I was just looking for a place to set up camp, I didn't mean to startle anyone."

"That's all right," Diane giggled. "We just weren't expecting to run into anyone this far out."

"Where were you traveling to, Lucy?" Merlin questioned.

Lucy's shrugged. "No where in particular. Just exploring, really."

"Oh, that sounds exciting!" Diane smiled.

"I hope you're being careful," Elizabeth fussed. "It can be dangerous to travel alone."

Lucy chuckled. "I've been fine so far and it's been a few months now."

"Oh, my! That's so long to be all alone! Won't you please come with us? At least for the night?"

Lucy's eyes widened, shocked at such a kind gesture from a total stranger. "Oh, no! I couldn't do that! I don't want to be a bother-"

"It's not a bother!" Elizabeth insisted.

"Yeah, it's no big deal!" Diane chimed in. "It seems like it might rain tonight. Wouldn't want you to get caught in that and catch a cold."

"Please, join us. It would put our minds at ease knowing you are safe and cared for for the night. Besides, if the Captain finds out we let a young woman fend for herself all night in the woods, he'd have our heads." Merlin said with a faint smirk.

Lucy bit her lip in contemplation. Having company for the night was awfully tempting. "All right," she relented. "Just for tonight.'

After a short walk through the forest, the group of women soon found themselves facing a rather odd looking tavern. Lucy smiled. Despite its odd appearance and even stranger location, it looked homely and inviting.

"Welcome to the Boar Hat!" Diane exclaimed.

Lucy didn't know it then, but as she smiled up at that strange building, she'd just found her new home.

Hey guys! This is my first ever cross-over fic. I've been so tempted to write one and now I'm excited to try my hand at it. Try not to judge it too harshly, please. Let me know what you think and I can't wait to hear all your thoughts.Lots of love!~Andromeda