A/N: Hello all, Andromeda here. Okay, I've just recently gotten into Fairy Tail and I have completely fallen in love with it! So, with that out of the way, I just want to make it known that my stories are far from perfect and it may take me a while to update as I work two jobs and am in the mists of planning my wedding. I promise though, I have not abandoned any of my stories and I will update them as often as I can.

Now, for the disclaimer. I DO NOT OWN FAIRY TAIL OR ITS CHARACTERS! Hiro Mashima does. (Total genius, btw.)

I hope you enjoy this first chapter to my latest fic. I look forward to hearing from you lovely readers!

Renewed Light

Chapter 1

Bitter Farewell

Lucy hadn't told anyone that lately, she could feel her self-confidence wavering. It all started when that stupid potion turned her invisible. Ever since she heard the guild express some of their more – crude – thoughts about her, she's been slowly drawing further into herself. It's not like she really took their words to heart because she knew her Fairy Tail family loved her, but really, that's where it all began. Once everyone returned from saving the Spirit World, Lucy realized she was depressed. Though they might not have held any malice behind their words, it had still started the damage to her self-esteem. Of course, all the things that happened during the Grand Magic Games and with the Eclipse Gate hadn't helped matters. Then, after all that her spirits went through, Lucy couldn't help but feel like she was weak and useless. If she couldn't protect her spirits – those who trusted her the most – then what good was she?

Finally, she woke up one morning and decided that enough was enough. She was done with feeling weak and being depressed. It was high time she took matters into her own hands. A few days later, after setting all of her affairs in order, Lucy made one of the hardest decisions of her life. She decided to leave Fairy Tail. Not permanently, of course. Just to train, to get stronger. She couldn't leave for good. Fairy Tail meant everything to her and she would be lost without it.

Now all Lucy had to do was tell the Master… and her team. That thought caused her to falter in her steps as she made her way toward the guild like usual. Her friends were not going to take this well and it broke her heart to think of their reactions. But she refused to change her mind. This was something she absolutely needed to do.

So, with a deep breath, Lucy pushed the guild doors open and quickly ducked to avoid a chair as it sailed above her and out of the open door. Lucy chuckled and shook her head to herself as she quietly made her way to the second floor when she didn't spot Master Makarov anywhere.

Lucy hid her nervous tremble as she reached the top of the stairs and slowly made her way past Laxus and the rest of the Thunder Legion toward the Master's office. Lost in her thoughts, Lucy almost missed it when Evergreen called out to her.

"Are you all right, Lucy?" the Fairy mage asked. "You look like something's bothering you."

Lucy hesitated for a moment, frowning slightly before she gave the woman a small smile. "I'm fine, Evergreen," she said softly. "Just have something I need to discuss with the master." Lucy turned to address the rest of the group. "Do you guys know if he's in his office?"

Before anyone could answer however, Makarov himself appeared. "I'm right here, child. Did you need something?"

Lucy smiled down at the little old man. "Good morning, Master. I was hoping I could talk with you in private? I have something important I want to talk about."

Makarov frowned, slightly worried. "Of course, come with me." With a nod, Lucy followed the old man down the hall to his office, not noticing the curious stares that followed them from Laxus and his loyal team.

Laxus

'That's odd,' he thought. 'Blondie is usually like a damn ray of sunshine. Something's off. I wonder what's bothering her?' Shrugging if off, Laxus put is sound pods back on and looked out over the balcony. Not even two minutes later and Laxus is startled from his thoughts by his grandfather's shouts.

Lucy

"WHAT?" Makarov exclaimed. Lucy cringed and prayed that no dragon slayers had heard the master's shout. Little did she know that a certain lightning dragon slayer had ripped off his sound pods and was now listening to their every word.

"I'm sorry, Master," Lucy said, gently trying to pacify the man before he decided to squash her. "This is just something I feel like I have to do."

"But Lucy," he pleaded. "Surely you don't have to leave the guild to train?"

Lucy sighed and looked down at her hands as they rested in her lap. "I need to get stronger," she said sadly. "After everything that's happened… I can't keep putting it off. I need to strain. I have to get stronger."

Makarov's sigh matched her own. He couldn't bare the thought of one of his children leaving. "You don't have to quit Fairy Tail to get stronger, Lucy."

Lucy smiled softly and was about to speak when the door to the Master's office was flung open with nearly enough force to knock it off its hinges. Both Makarov and Lucy jumped in shock at the sudden intrusion. Turning in her seat, Lucy was stunned to see an angry looking Laxus in the doorway.

Laxus

Listening carefully to the conversation between his grandfather and Lucy, Laxus sat up in his chair and gripped his sound pods. Apparently Laxus wasn't the only one who heard the shout because his entire team was now looking down the hall curiously.

"What on Earthland is going on?" mused Evergreen.

"Laxus," Freed said with a furrowed brow. "What are they saying?" This question went ignored.

Laxus' eyes grew wide at his grandfather's next words. 'You don't have to quit Fairy Tail to get stronger, Lucy…' Before he even knew what he was doing, Laxus found himself storming down the hall, barely noticing the shocked faces and calls from his team. In less time than it took to blink, Laxus had thrown the office door open and stood before them in all his fury. It took everything he had to stop the lightning from rolling over his shoulders.

"You can't quit Fairy Tail, Blondie," he practically growled at the startled girl he now towered over.

Finding her voice, Lucy carefully addressed the dragon slayer. "Excuse me? I'm sorry, but I don't see how that's any of your business, Laxus."

Laxus narrowed his eyes, the intensity of his glair forcing Lucy to suppress a fearful shiver. "You're not leaving," he spat. "You can't."

Now Lucy narrowed her eyes at him and crossed her arms. "You don't control me, Sparky. You have no right to tell me what I can or cannot do."

Another growl escaped him as he drew himself up to his full height and turned to address his grandfather. "You can't let her do this, Gramps. You can't just let her quit the guild and abandon her family!"

Lucy snorted at his words. "Oh, please! Why do you even care, Laxus? It's not like my leaving will affect you in any way. Besides," Lucy said as she sat back in her chair, her face a stony determination. "IF you hadn't so rudely interrupted my private meeting – I can only assume you were eavesdropping – I was about to tell the Master that I don't want to quit the guild. Not permanently, anyway." As Laxus continued to fume at her attitude, a vague sense of curiosity and irritation began to fill him. "I only planned on being gone long enough to train."

A thick silence hung in the air for a moment before Makarov cleared his throat to ease the tension and ask his next question. "You don't want to leave us, Lucy?"

"Of course not," she answered calmly. "I just want to go train for a while."

Makarov nodded. "And how long do you think you'll be gone?"

Lucy shrugged. "I'm not sure. I plan on traveling some. I wouldn't expect to be gone more than a few months. But Loke did offer to help me train in the Spirit World. If I did decide to do that, I'd be gone longer."

"How much longer?" Laxus asked darkly, suspicion lacing his tone.

Lucy looked at him coldly for nearly a full minute before she replied. "Could be a few extra months. Could be a couple of years."

"Years?!" Laxus nearly roared. "Why the hell would you need to train for a couple of years?"

"I wouldn't," she said flatly. "Time flows faster in the Spirit World. One day there is three months here. If I was gone a full two years in Earthland time, I would only be there for eight days."

Frustrated, Laxus ran his hands through his hair. "So, what, you go off to train for a few years, leaving your family and your guild behind? You'd be okay with making everyone worry like that?"

Lucy frowned and stood up to face the giant-like man. With her fists balled up at her sides, Lucy took a deep breath before ripping into to older mage. "First of all," she began in a deadly hiss. "What I do with my life is none of your goddamn business. If I want to go off and train, I fucking will and there's nothing you, or anyone else, can do to stop me. I refuse to be controlled – that's why I ran away from home in the first place. Second, you have no idea why I've decided to do this. You haven't got a clue what I've been through. I need space and time away and you will fucking respect that." Lucy took a step toward the dragon slayer and roughly poked him in the chest. "And thirdly, how dare you suggest that I'm some heartless bitch who would just abandon everyone she loves and cared for! Fairy Tail in my home and all of you are my family. I finally found a place where I feel like I belong. I would never give that up without a fight. This wasn't an easy decision for me and I don't appreciate you thinking so little of me and making this harder."

Laxus blinked down at the smaller blonde, shock and something else (dread?) crossed his usually stiff face.

Lucy straightened up and adjusted her long-sleeve jacket before she turned to talk to Makarov once again. The old man looked at her with wide eyes and his mouth hanging open. He had never known anyone to speak to his grandson that way and get away with it.

"Now," she said calmly. "I'm sorry this is so sudden, Master. I hope you can forgive me but this is something I have to do." She hesitated. "After… after my last team mission ended… It's definitely time for me to train."

Laxus furrowed his brows at her words and Makarov spoke to her in a concerned tone. "What do you mean, child? What happened on your last job?"

Lucy stiffened and hung her head in shame. After a moment of two, Lucy decided it would be best to tell the master the truth. "Last week, we went on an S-Class mission with Erza," she said quietly as she avoided looking at the two men. "We were supposed to take out a small dark guild. We were told there were only ten members but when we got there, there were over thirty of them. They ambushed us. We were doing fine at first, then… I messed up. One of the mages could manipulate your thoughts. He tricked me into thinking I was fighting next to Gray when it was really him. He knocked me out when I turned away to go after someone else. I woke up in a nearby cave a few hours later. There were only three of them left but they still took me hostage.

"I… I couldn't move. They had me hanging from some chains and they'd taken my keys and put a spell on them so my spirits couldn't break through their gates."

Lucy sighed as she slowly made to remove her jacket to expose her backless top. "They tortured me for hours," she continued, her voice barely above a whisper as she turned to reveal her bruised and battered back. Laxus' eyes grew wide in horror and he went pale as a ghost. Makarov gasped and lifted a hand to his lips. "They used a cursed whip. I don't remember how many times they hit me. I was numb by the time they finished." Lucy flinched as she eased the jacket back onto her shoulders and turned to face them again. "When Natsu and the others finally found me, I could barely keep my eyes open. After it was all over… Gray carried me all the way back to Magnolia. I asked them not to tell anyone."

"Dear child," Makarov finally managed to say. "You have to go to Wend, immediately!"

Lucy sighed and looked down again. "I already did. It seems that the whip wasn't just cursed. It was dipped I poison, too. Wendy healed me the best she could."

There was a strained silence once again. Lucy shifted from one foot to another as she sighed and rubbed the back of her neck. She was still avoiding their eyes. "I'm tired of somehow always being the damsel in distress. It's time I find a way to overcome that. So, Master, if you don't mind, I'll be leaving now."

With tears in his eyes, Makarov nodded. Only hesitating for a moment, Lucy smiled sadly as she covered her pink guild mark with her opposite hand. She took a deep breath and focused her magic energy to remove the proud Fairy Tail symbol.

Laxus spoke, finally losing his temper again. "You can't do this, Blondie! Fairy Tail needs you!" I need you. "Have you even told your team about this? Stop this bull shit! If you really want to get stronger, I'll train you myself! You're not the only person this decision affects! Quit being selfish and-"

SMACK! A resounding slap echoed as a sharp sting formed on Laxus' right cheek. Surprised at the sudden assault, the hulking dragon slayer looked down at the fuming blonde who had just so boldly smacked him across the face. Lucy was shaking in anger and she put off a dark aura.

"How dare you call me selfish!" she said in a dangerously low voice. "I would do anything to protect my friends and family. I would die if it meant I could protect Fairy Tail! Hell, I have died before to save all of Fiore! So don't you ever call me selfish again, Laxus Dreyar!" Lucy turned on her heel to leave the office. "Thank you, Master Makarov," she said as she neared the door. "I'll do my best to keep in contact. Good bye."

Laxus finally recovered from the shock and dashed out of the office and to the second floor railing to look out over the rest of the guild hall.

"Laxus," Evergreen said attentively. "What's wrong?"

"Yeah, Boss," Bickslow chimed in. "What happened to your face?"

A flash of blonde hair caught Laxus' attention and he caught a glimpse of Lucy as she exited the guild. "Lucy," he said in answer. The Thunder Legion exchanged open-mouthed glances as their fearless leader pushed himself away from the railing and resumed his seat. The man was clearly pissed off and his team knew better than to pry. But after three hours of Laxus just sitting there, brooding, Freed finally decided to ask him what happened. The team sat in silence as he told them everything. By the time he finished, Evergreen was nearly in tears, Freed clenched his fist on the table in pain of Lucy's departure, and Bickslow sat forward I his chair with his elbows on his knees and his visor in his hands.

Evergreen spoke shakily as she fought her tears. "She… she'll come back… won't she?"

"Of course she will," Freed replied just as softly. "She said she would and Lucy always keeps her word."

Bickslow nodded in agreement with Freed while Laxus just took another swig of his beer. Laxus observed his closest friends as they looked on in sadness. Damn it, Blondie, he thought. The rest of the guild doesn't even know you're gone yet and you've already taken the light with you.