• Prologue •

He left her without even giving her a proper farewell. She thought she knew him well but damn, she's wrong. If he want to leave to train without her, he should at least come to see her in person and bid goodbye instead of leaving a letter.

One by one, they left and parted ways, leaving her alone in an abandoned guild hall trying to cope with her best friend's sudden departure. Erza and Gray? They just disappeared one day, not even leaving a note for their departure to inform her, much worse than what Natsu did. Team Natsu no longer exist.

With the thought of no one else to turn to, she want to cry and curse all them for leaving her when she needed them the most. She just sacrificed the most important person that connects her to her mother for them, she sacrificed a friend, a companion and partner, a family . . . yet no one seem to notice the pain that causes her.

She no longer know what to do, where to go, and who to turn to. She don't have anything to hold to, she no longer have an anchor and a shoulder to lean on. She don't know if there's still a reason to live in this cruel and unfair world. There's nothing left, they're all gone.

She close her eyes and fight back the urge to cry, letting the cool breeze of the ocean embrace her. She tried to calm herself down but it only worsen when a sob escaped her lips. She immediately cover her mouth with her hand and wipe the tears she didn't even realized streaming.

She open her eyes and welcomed by the sight of a large amount of water. Yes, the ocean. She immediately look away and avoid the thing that mostly remind her about a certain royalty blue mermaid. But even if she avoid every single thing that reminds her of her, the image of Aquarius never seem to leave her mind. It's an understatement if she says she miss her.

I'd rather be thrown and splash away by a large amount of water every time I summon her than losing her. I'd rather see her angry at me than not seeing her at all.

If having a boyfriend is a requirement like Aquarius used to tell her, she'll find one as soon as possible if it takes having Aquarius back. No matter what the cost is, she'll do anything for Aquarius.

" You're so pretty "

Her thought were cut off, immediately snapping her back to reality. She look down and saw a . . . . frog?

" You're a frog? " Lucy asked, said more of a statement as she stare at the creature with wide eyes, thinking where in the world a talking frog can be found.

" Frosch things so too " The frog raised its hand and smile warmly at Lucy.

Frosch? That name seems strangely familiar, but she can't put a finger on where she heard that name before.

She flick her fingers in realisation but before she can even question the frog, her eyes shot towards the people screaming, shouting and yelling at the top of their lungs as they ran around the ship like madmans.

Her eyes widen in shock and horror when her eyes found the big raging fire in the ship. The fire spread around the ship faster than expected. She was frozen in her spot that she can't even think properly and what to do. She felt the frog, no, the exceed walk and hide behind her legs, clinging onto her for its dear life.

" Frosch! " Her eyes caught a glimpse of a running pitch black haired man running towards them despite the thickness of the smoke.

Rogue Cheney

She cough and felt the exceed run towards it's companion and hug him. She was about to run and help the people when she felt a hand hold her wrist.

" Go with . . . Frosch, Lucy-san. He'll fly you . . . away from here " Stuttering in almost a whisper, Lucy barely heard what Rogue said. With his pale skin, paler than normal and having a hard time to properly speak, she understand the mage's situation and remembered that he's a dragon slayer and also suffer in Motion Sickness.

She shook her head and forcefully grab her wrist from him, " No, I'll stay and help here, I'm a Mage after all "

Despite Rogue's countless protests, she ran away and start helping people to get out the burning ship. She reach for Scorpio's key and Aries before summoning them.

" Do what you must, put out the fire before it spread badly and burn the whole ship " Without wasting any time, the spirits nod and left. Lucy ran around and start helping those in need. She stopped in her tracks and stare at her bare hands, she close her eyes for a second before reopening it once again and shook her hair.

She might have gained Aquarius' magic ability but she know she can't control it, not yet. It's too strong that every time she use it, her heart, loneliness and sorrow will join forces at a time and use themselves against her and take over her mind and control her. Using Aquarius' magic is like losing herself, in other words, she's not herself whenever she use it, it's like she's meeting another of herself who's under control of her own emotions. But at the same time, it take all of her magic to activate Aquarius' magic within her, her magic is immediately drained out of her as quickly as she activate her water ability.

Then the fastest four seconds in her life happen before her eyes.

It happened so fast that it barely register in her mind. One moment, she heard Scorpio and Aries telling her that the fire was seem from a mage that their magic against it was no use to put it out. The second moment, she saw a burnt wood falling down at her. The third moment, she was crying out for help but it seems that she's the only one left in the ship. And what happened next was all blurred. She a loud fast ticking of what seems a bomb and the ship exploded into pieces, throwing her in the ocean. She barely even feel the water enveloping her. She felt herself getting deeper and deeper in the water and her eyes seeing nothing but only a glimpse of light from above, leaving her no hope.

This is it

She know it's her end, she's going to die without anyone knowing, she's going to die without anyone remembering her. She know one day she's going to die and her last wish was to be buried beside her parents, but it looks like her body will not be even found but instead will lie in the deepest trench of the ocean. She smile and bring her hand in her collarbone where Aquarius' Zodiac tattoo lies. It looks like she's going to be part of the ocean.

Just when she's about to close her eyes and accept her tragic fate, she saw a pair of crimson eyes and someone looping their arm around her waist.

" Hey there . . . "

That voice

She froze in her spot and felt her blood drained from her body. She clenched her fists and felt tears prickling in her eyes. She slowly turn around and found the least person she wish to see.

" Natsu . . . "

A thousand questions build up inside her, have the urge to ask them and want the answers all at once but the moment his name escaped her lips for the first time in three months since he left, her lips are seemingly sealed all of a sudden.

He show her a warm grin and wave at her with his left hand and rub the back of his neck with his right one. She want to run away and wish to never see him again after he left her broken and trying to cope with the lost of her spirit, she want to punch him, beat the hell out of him and curse him over and over again— but at the same time, she want to run towards him and lock herself in his arms, she want to cry and tell him how much she had missed him.

Soon, she regain the strength to move her frozen feet and run towards him but it shocked her that she just passed through him. A tear escaped her right eye as she turn around and found Natsu no longer standing there but . . . Aquarius.

" Tch. I've been away all this months and yet you still haven't got yourself a boyfriend? You're such a hopeless romantic little brat "

Those words lighten her frozen heart, brought a smile in her lips and sparkled her emotionless orbs. Her attitude still hadn't change throughout these months, she's still the mermaid that never fails to scold her for not having a boyfriend. She's still the Aquarius she knew all her life and love with all her heart.

She run towards the mermaid and successfully engaged the latter in a hug, holding her in her arms and not wanting to let go anymore. She just want to stay like this forever.

" Do you know how much it pained me for not seeing you? I missed you " She felt a pair of hands in her shoulder and push her lightly.

Her eyes widen and clasped both of her hands in her mouth and felt tears streaming down through her rosy cheeks.

" Mother "

The lady in front of her, rather Layla, smile at her and stroke her hair. Lucy watch her with delight as the lady that she idolized and loved with all her life and heart and thought she would never see again stood in front her and hold her.

" Wake up, Lucy "

She felt a stinging pain in her temple and soreness through her body. She put herself in a sitting position and groan lightly as she massage her swollen temple.

She look around and start looking for the persons that she just encountered but all she could see are trees. She found a stream of water and raise her hand, taking control over it. Her brown orbs lighten for a second before they turn crystal blue as she sway her hand at different directions and watch with burning fire in eyes as the water obey under her commands and hit everything in reach. She blast the trees with big tidal waves, surprisingly crushing it to pieces. Her eyes rage with mix emotions— anger, sorrow, fury, sadness, loneliness and . . . pity for herself. She pity herself and she admit it. She didn't do anything wrong, she didn't harm not even a fly, she didn't do anything to deserve what kind of punishment and pain she's feeling right now.

She can't think properly, she didn't know what's she's doing but she's letting anger that's been flaring but locked inside her chest for a long time to control her.

Suddenly, she felt her whole body froze and her hands falling on her both sides. Her eyes returned to it's original hazel brown orbs and tears building up. They took over her again.

Why can't I control Aquarius' magic, or rather, mine? Am I not strong and worthy enough to control it?

She look up at the sky and watch the setting sun with teary eyes but took all of her strength to hold them back. Crying are for weak person. She already admitted she's weak but if holding tears is the first step of getting stronger, she'll do whatever it takes to hold back every damn tear. She felt her magic draining out of her and her body falling onto the ground, but before darkness devour her completely, she caught glimpse of a running man with pitch black her shouting her name.

" Lucy! "

• End of Chapter 1 •

Author's Note :

Hi there. Hope you like the first chapter of Taming Shadows. I would really like to know what you're thinking or opinions about this story. If there are any grammar errors and wrong spellings, forgive me because after all English is just my second language. Feel free to leave comments, that would be lovely, it'll keep me inspired and to continue writing.

Anyway, I have another story, written before this one, check it out in case you're interested— it's a Mystogan x Lucy story (Myslu). The title is Lost and Betrothed.

Here's the link : https/m./s/12448727/1/

~LadyAvaRushi