Yup… another fanfic. Yup, I haven't finished Tactics's next chapter. But seriously, I'm too obsessed with Fairy Tail, I just have to write this.

THIS IS SET AFTER THE GRAND MAGIC GAMES, THEREFORE, THE WHOLE ORDEAL WITH FUTURE LUCY AND FUTURE ROGUE HAPPENED. IT'S SHORTLY AFTER THE GUILD'S RETURN TO MAGNOLIA.

Enjoy!

She shouldn't be crying. She had already seen it coming. The day it happened was the start of the countdown for this. She was just hoping it would take longer, or even had a sliver of faith that it wouldn't happen. But the odds were not in her favor.

Wiping the back of her hand over her wet eyes, Lucy got up from the ground, travelling suitcase packed to the brim and an attempted determination shining in her glassy eyes. It was around sunset, the bright orange light gleaming through her window and reflecting the sparkling clean room. Lucy had taken the chance to wipe the dust and impurities, as a favor for the landlady.

She liked to think she was leaving a very treasured home and wanted to rembember it as such.

Lucy eyed the bed with squinted eyes, surpressing a sob. The pink duvet. Pink. She shook her head, clearing her throat and slapping her cheek gently. She did not want her mind to go over there. It would be much too painful and she knew it.

"Are you sure you want to do this?"

Lucy looked up, meeting the distressed looking Loke. His eyes were narrowed sadly behind his tinted shades, and his mouth was pressed in a firm line. The blonde nodded vigorously.

"I have to. Not just because of her… because I know I need to get stronger," she replied, and the attempt to make her voice come out strong was visible. Loke seemed to be debating the answer with himself for a moment, and she didn't blame him. He was worried.

After all, she was leaving Fairy Tail, the guild that had supported her as family for so long.

And saying it wasn't painful was a very grave lie.

"But you are leaving so many people. What about your family?" Loke insisted, and lowered his voice to a whisper, "What about Natsu?"

Lucy froze at the name, and he felt bad for bringing the Dragon Slayer up. He knew what she felt for Natsu, she was his master and closest friend of the human world. But he had to reason with her about her decision.

"… He'll be fine. He has Lisanna."

Loke flinched. Lisanna. Loke never really knew that girl, but he didn't intend to anymore. Knowing what the Take Over mage was to Natsu, he didn't even want to make eye contact with the one she thought would be replacing her.

"You do realize he's going to figure it out soon, don't you?" he retorted. "He always barges in uninvited and when he sees you're not here…"

Lucy shook her head, making him trail that sentence.

"He's going on a mission with Erza, Gray, Mira and Lisanna," she lied, and her grip on her suitcase seemed tighter. "It's quite dangerous, that's why they didn't want me to go. They won't be back for… probably three months."

She still remembered. How he'd barely said anything when she spoke up, and just kept talking to Lisanna like she wasn't there. Like she didn't even exist. Lucy felt her eyes burn again at the memory, but she inhaled sharply to push away the tears. She would not cry. This was her decision.

Plus, I don't want any more headaches, she thought.

"He'll notice when he comes back, then," Loke kept on saying. "He'll be miserable!"

"He'll be fine, Loke," Lucy said, getting impatient. "I thought you wanted to help."

"I do!" he exclaimed. The Lion Spirit then gritted his teeth, and sighed in frustration, whispering, "I just… you're leaving Fairy Tail. I know we'll come back, but… it feels wrong."

To his surprise, Lucy had her arms wrapped around his back in a tight hug.

"I know. It feels wrong to me too. I just have to do this… I have to get away for some to think and to get stronger."

Her voice was soft and trying to be friendly, but he knew she was suffering on the inside. However, it was her decision, and deciding to become stronger just made him prouder of her than he'd ever been before.

"Alright," he said, and smiled, folding his arms around her. They tightened the embrace for a moment, before letting go. Despite the remaining tears and watery eyes, Lucy's smile was unwavering and truthful.

"I'll make my Spirits proud by becoming stronger, and I'll make myself proud as well."

Loke smiled. With that said, he grabbed her other suitcase, and they both walked out of the apartment, heading for Magnolia's train station.

"Where are we headed?"

Lucy lifted her head from the back of the seat, rubbing her heavy brown eyes. It was pitch black outside, around one in the morning, and she had been sleeping in the train until Loke's deep voice acted like an alarm clock. Remembering his question, she sighed.

"I'm not sure," she admitted, and brought the blanket around her to her neck. "I think Crocus. I know that I have to get away from Magnolia, but I need supplies. I need to find libraries of any sorts to check out more about Celestial magic."

"Are you going to obtain any more Celestial keys?" Loke asked.

"Probably… I saved up money for this little escape, but I didn't really ponder on that."

That would be a problem. Lucy grimaced, and turned her head to stare at the window. The night was so dark that she couldn't make out any sorts of shapes, like a black curtain draped over the glass.

"We already agreed I'd be helping you with hand-to-hand combat and such, but about your magic…" Loke trailed, sighing lightly, "I'm just as clueless as you. The only Celestial magic I'm familiar with is Spirit Summoning, nothing else."

"Do you think there is something else in Celestial magic, other than what I'm capable of?"

Loke frowned, leaning back on the seat. He'd talked it out with his fellow Spirits, but only Capricorn seemed to have some knowledge. He said he was not an expert on the matter, but there were other types of Celestial magic, other than Spirits. He just didn't know them.

"There is, Capricorn told me so," he said. "He doesn't know much, though."

"Well, I guess I have to find out."

They merged in silence afterwards, and Lucy was easily slipping back into dreamland—Loke could visibly see and sense it. She was both frustrated and stressed, burning out her brain as she worked out ideas in her mind, but she was clearly tired.

"Lucy, go back to sleep," Loke said, gently. "You can worry about that tomorrow, at the capital."

Puffing out her cheeks rather cutely, Lucy nodded, and closed her eyes. The redhead Spirit crossed his arms over his chest, eyeing the falling asleep blonde with worry dancing in his eyes. He remembered when she called him, broken down in tears and clutching to his chest as she sobbed violently. Loke was beyond shocked, but upon hearing her side of the story, that shock slowly dissipated—only to be replaced by anger.

Turns out, Natsu and the others had been ignoring her for three months. At first, they were only paying less attention to her, Natsu coming by her house less frequently. But as the days went by, she found herself sitting at the bar far away from Team Natsu, which now seemed have replaced her with Lisanna. Lucy always watched them, eyes heavy and threatning to spill her bottled up tears. At some time, Natsu stopped visiting and talking to her altogether, and the whole guild acted as if she was invisible. Feeling rejected and heartbroken, Lucy decided to leave. Master Makarov was crestfallen with her decision, but after pointless arguments, he allowed her to leave—but only temporarily. Lucy agreed with him though, knowing that she'd be coming back eventually. Without so much as a goodbye, Lucy Heartfilia quit Fairy Tail, in hopes of improving her magic and fighting skills.

Loke obviously supported her in that decision, but he didn't fail to point out that it would take months, nearly a year, and it would be extremely tiring and difficult. If she worked hard and gave it all in the training, she'd be twice—maybe thrice, depending on how things would turn out—as powerful in possibly seven months. But combat training would be tough, and her magic would take long to become more powerful.

The Leo then smirked. It was Lucy. She was fierce and brave, beautiful and the most powerful Celestial mage that he'd ever seen. She'd become stronger in no time and he knew it.

Now, what would he do about Natsu? That was the main question in his mind. He was absolutely pissed and disappointed with the Fire mage for breaking his Mistress's heart, but if he went back and punched his teeth out, Lucy would be mad. After all, she loved the fool and she couldn't bring herself to hate him, despise his careless behavior towards her. But he still would make him pay for the emotional damage inflicted on Lucy.

Hadn't she already suffered enough? Losing her mother—her only source of love—and falling at the mercy of Jude Heartfilia, the heartless father she had to cope with, and living a dull and loveless childhood. And when she finds love and a family, they turn their backs on her?

"Give me a break," Loke muttered, bitterly, while glancing at the ceiling. "Find another toy to play with."

As expected, no answer. Not that he wanted one. Lucy was strong and she'd find a way out of this predicament. She'd overcome the sadness and she'd take training seriously. Heck, Natsu and the others might regret their actions and apologize. Either way, Lucy wouldn't let herself get beat by something like this and he knew it.

Loke ended up staying for four hours, watching over the blonde. She was a silent sleeper, only moving around ever so slightly and never making too much of a fuss. He felt a smile stretch in his lips. At least she was at peace when she slept. At least.

The hours then began to take effect on him, and he knew he had to get back. Sighing at the lack of magic, Loke stood up from the seat, ready to go back to the Spirit Realm. However, before he left, a puff of smoke burst in his right, and he met blank blue eyes with a hint of worry.

"Virgo," he whispered. The pinkette bowed slowly, eyeing Lucy by the corner of her eyes.

"I see you have ran out of magic and I am here to replace you on watching princess," Virgo replied, emotionlessly as per usual. Though, Loke felt a tinge of distress in her words.

"Thank you, Virgo. Make sure she's not lonely," he said, and then crossed his arms. "No, scratch that. We'll all make sure she's never lonely again and that she always wakes up to a friendly face."

Virgo didn't say anything, opting by merely nodding. Loke took the cue, and left the human world in a swirl of magic. She sat down on the cushioned seat next to the blonde, watching her sleeping face. She might be a little blank and not have as many feelings like the other spirits, but she worried about her master and would show it. She even came to the human world using her own magic and not wasting a single drop of her Mistress's. The blonde was enough overwhelmed as it was.

Lucy stirred, and Virgo placed a gentle hand on her forehead. Checking for colds and flus was always essencial, especially since it was January. When seeing her temperature was not changed, the maid retreated her hand and kept watching her. Her Mistress was in pain and she was aware of it. In fact, all of her spirits were. They could feel her every fiber screaming in agony and crying in regret and sorrow. And, regardless of each other's personality—Aquarius mainly—they suffered with her and blamed themselves for not being able to help her.

Another round of hours went by, Virgo always keeping an eye on her. The darkness that had covered the streets for the night was slowly fading as dawn began to reach its peak. Just as a beam of light intruded the inside of the train, Lucy's eyes began to flicker, and slowly opened, as she calmly woke. At Virgo's intense stare however, she jolted in her seat.

"Virgo!" she hissed, surprised. She half expected Loke to be there.

"My apologies princess, you seem quite startled," Virgo said. "Should I be punished?"

Lucy slumped her shoulders, pursing her lips and shaking her head slowly. Why did her spirits have so many weird personalities? Oh right. Because she was weird.

"Sheesh, you're so weird, Lucy!"

Lucy froze. She couldn't form any coherent thoughts as the picture of a bright grin and fathomless onyx eyes assaulted her memories, her heart going a mile an hour. Virgo seemed to notice her uneasiness, but before she could take measure, the blonde mage gritted her teeth and jumped off the seat like a spring.

"Help me with my luggage," she hissed, in a cracked tone. Virgo showed no hesitation in obeying, though she still felt the anger and sadness seeping through her master. Yet, she let her vent out her grief alone, by grasping the handle of the suitcase harshly and stomping all the way to the departure exit.

"Attention, everyone, we will be arriving the Capital shortly. Please wait patiently and thank you for traveling with us."

Lucy sighed, leaning against the wall as Virgo came up with her other suitcase. Why did he keep popping into her head? She was trying to forget about him and her brain was not helping. Why did she have to constantly remember how his black eyes were so deep and his grin seemed to brighten the world? How his pink hair was bristly yet soft to the touch, how mature and handsome he got when in a fight, how…

Stop! Lucy scolded herself mentally, You will not think about him! You will not think about him!

She'd been having those internal battles for a month now, and she hated them. Because, if she had them, she'd think of Natsu, and she promised herself to forget about him.

He loves Lisanna and there's nothing I can do about it. I was her replacement until she came back. I was only Natsu's best friend, while Lisanna was his long lost love.

Lucy felt a pang in her heart when those words echoed in her head. She didn't want to be just his best friend, she wanted more. But she couldn't have it, so she dealt with that. There was nothing she could do about it.

"Attention, everyone. We have arrived at Crocus. Please remember to bring all of your luggage and thank you for travelling with us."

Lucy gestured at Virgo to follow her through the gates of the exit, setting foot on the station as if it was the greatest sacrifice of all mankind. She heard several people follow her out and head for their business, the train slowly beginning to leave the station. Lucy eyed her surroundings. Plenty of people were framing her picture, the noise and different kinds of scents filling her in as she wandered away from the place. Virgo followed her quietly, the only sound shared between them being the gentle roll of the wheels her pink suitcase provided. She seemed slightly gloomy, and the maid kept silent.

After fifteen minutes of walking, Lucy and Virgo were in front of the apartment she had seen in the newspaper, back in Magnolia. It was much bigger than her old one in Strawberry Street, even if the rent was 90,000 jewels. Due to being in the capital, all houses and flats were large and spacious, consequently more expensive, but Lucy absolutely fell in love with her new home when she first laid eyes on it.

"Why you look at that!" the blonde breathed, with a trembling Plue nestled in her arms as she gawked at the bright colors decorating the room.

The apartment was mostly of white marble floor and pale brown walls, with some windows that covered the walls from ceilling to floor. The living room had a large white couch and a plain, beige brown rug that lead to a sizeable bookshelf of a black color, two lamps dangling off the ceilling and a dark one next to a one person couch. Lucy grinned, sliding her bare feet on the slippery floor to stop in front of the shelf. She'd be able of collecting countless books. That'd leave Levy jealous.

Lucy's grin fell a little at the bluenette's name, and to regain her enthusiasm, she jumped over the glassy coffee table in the middle of the living room to explore the other corners of the apartment. The bathroom was also appealing and clean looking, with light brown walls and the same floor as the rest of the flat, and a very nice looking bathtub. Separated from the living room by only half a wall of glass, was the kitchen. It was small, though modern and bright like the rest of the place, with only three gray counters and matching cupboards.

"I never knew there were such modern houses," Lucy commented. Her chin was in the air, her brown eyes staring at the square lamp that covered most of the kitchen ceilling. Virgo allowed herself a small smile at her master's happiness.

"I'm grateful for you, princess," she said. Lucy smiled at her briefly, before hopping all the way to her supposed bedroom.

Despite her mattress being the same—Loke brought it through the Spirit world—Lucy was thrilled over the size of her bedroom. It was so much wider than her old one, with a thick window just over the head of where Lucy pictured the bed. At the moment, in that wooden floor and white walled room, only her mattress decorated her space.

Lucy turned to Virgo, letting Plue jump out of her arms to nuzzle her legs.

"I was thinking… I'm going to change my style a bit," she said. Virgo nodded, taking in her current attire, the one she always wore. Blonde pigtails with strands falling in front of her face and blue and white clothes.

"You are requesting my opinion, or is it my assistance?"

"Well… some of both. But I also thought that I want to change my bedroom too. It used to be all pink and girly, now I feel I should make it less childish," the blonde explained, petting Plue absent mindedly.

"I can help you find a new wardrobe style," Virgo said, her smile a little warmer. Lucy nodded, and to the maid's surprise, she wrapped her arms around her in a hug.

"Thank you. Thank you all for being here, helping me, supporting me," she whispered. Virgo nodded her head.

"It is our duty, princess. And besides, we are all your friends."

Lucy bit her lip, feeling tears pool in her eyes. She nodded her head repeatedly with a huge smile, and wiped her face with a sniffle.

"Okay, enough crying," she said, and slid out of the door. Not seconds later, she was back, carrying her pair of suitcases and looking at Virgo expectantly. "Will you go shopping with me for new furniture?"

The spirit maid smiled.

Around eleven o'clock at night, Lucy was taking in the delightful sight of her furnished apartment. She and Virgo had gone shopping for countless things, such including necessary objects for her kitchen—a fridge, an oven, a coffee maker (a rather nice one), a microwave and a pale rug to just give it a touch of fashion. For the living room, a few pillows for the couch, and she had unpacked all of her books and settled them in her new generous sized bookshelf. The bathroom earned some bottles for soap and her toothbrush, and she took the chance to buy comfy towels.

Now, for her bedroom. She purchased a wardrobe of wood, disposing of her previous one due to being smaller, a white bedside table with a cute lamp coming along—white with a pattern of black lilies—a different bed, the mattress framed by white, with a matching duvet and three pillows, two of them just for decoration, and another rug, big to the point of brushing against the opposite wall. Needless to say, Lucy was quite satisfied with the changes.

"Now, I'm getting rid of these."

True to her words, in front of the bathroom mirror, Lucy yanked the ribbons that held her pigtails, letting her golden locks fall to her shoulders. She wanted to look more mature, but at the same time she wanted to look stylish. What kind of hairdo would provide that?

A ponytail was too simple. Pigtails were out of question. Loose hair was too boring.

"Lucy-sama?" Cancer said. "Allow me, ebi."

After the work of the Crab's sophisticated hands, Lucy's eyes sparkled with awe at the marvelous work of a loose side braid, making her look more mature and beautiful. She let her fingers touch the blonde locks to her left, her mouth so tight in a grin that her cheeks hurt.

"Thank you so much, Cancer! But I can't just call you every morning, can you teach me how to do this braid?"

"With pleasure, ebi."

Lucy learned that a side braid was just like a normal braid, the only difference being that she had to turn her hair to a side and braid it with softer fingers for that loose feeling. She thanked Cancer once again, allowing him to go back to the Spirit world. Clad in only her underwear, she began checking her wardrobe for the new outfit she chose.

Wanting a less childish look but with a touch of a stray fashion, Lucy decided to make a brown leather jacket and matching combat boots as her trademark accessories, along with a white dress shirt and tight jeans—yet the latter two could vary. She kept her heart earrings and her belt though. The earrings gave off her real age and besides, she liked them; the belt was an obligatory accessory, due to her keys and whip. She would never discard those.

"At least keep your cheerful character. That's your trademark, Lucy."

Lucy spun on the heels of her new boots, coming face to face with Loke. As reply, she gave him her usual wide smile, and he mirrored her.

"I like the new style, though," he said, raising his eyebrows and nodding his head slowly, approvingly. "Suits you more. It shows your bravery and determination, yet with the earrings, the belt and the necklace," he gestured towards the the pink, heart shaped necklace she had purchased, "it shows you're also girly and gentle. It's nice."

"Thank you, Loke," Lucy said, and pulled at the zipper of her jacket with a grin. "That's exactly what I wanted."

The Lion grinned as well, and pulled her into a hug. Lucy let her shoulders slump, and sighed, hugging her closest spirit just as hard. His scent was soothing and enough to calm her, as he rocked them back and forth around the room.

"Thanks, Loke. You know, for being here. For your support," Lucy muttered, against his shoulder. He just hugged her tighter.

"There's nothing to thank me for, Lucy. You are my friend and I will help you, no matter what."

She nodded, before sniffling and stepping away from his chest with a hand over her nose. Through the small tears, she smiled at Loke.

"You can go back, you know. Besides, I want some time to myself…" she said, crossing her arms over her chest. He nodded.

"Don't hesitate to call me if you ever need me, be it for fighting or for a shoulder to cry on," he promised, before disappearing in a puff of light.

Lucy frowned her lips, tiptoeing for the large window over her bed. It was so long that it went from the left wall to the right one, and she liked it. Tired brown eyes studied the dark landscape through the glass, taking in the tall buildings and lamps on the streets. It was nothing like Magnolia. There was no green in sight, no forests, no river across the window, no pink haired idiots grinning at her from below her with a paper slip of a mission in his hand.

She stepped back from the window, breathing in slowly. She couldn't forget about him. She couldn't forget about Natsu Dragneel or how she felt about him, and she knew it.

"For the time being," she muttered to herself, and closed her eyes. "For the time being, I can't get him out of my mind. But maybe time will help."

Maybe time would help her move on. Maybe.

So, what'd you think of the first chapter? I know I put Lucy through a lot of changes here, but that's being realistic too. People actually do that to get over the past.

If you're interested in how I described her house, here are the links to similar stuff (without the spacing):

Living room – cdn . home – designing wp – content / uploads / 2012 / 08 /3-Modern – apartment – layout . jpg

Kitchen – www . mydecorideas wp – content / uploads / 2014 / 02 / kitchen -design – with – island . jpg

Bathroom - photos / Bathroom – Remodeling – 4 . jpg

Bedroom - bedroomkitchen wp – content / uploads / 2013 / 10 / interior – design – ideas – bedroom – 524 . jpg

Remember, I said similar, not that they're the same. Review please! Or I'll tell Natsu about Lucy leaving… and that you were the one that made her leave…