So, like, I have no recollection of ever deleting this, but apparently I did, and I don't even remember why, cause to me it's really good. So sorry for all of you guys who remember this story and followed/favorited it.

"Some of us think holding on makes us strong; but sometimes it is letting go."

~Hermann Hesse

Letting go was the hardest part. It always was. It always will... Because no matter how much she wanted to go back and change what had happened, she couldn't. And it was agony. The never ending questions of: "Why wasn't I stronger?" or "Why did it have to be like this?" or "What is she doing now?" and "Why wasn't it me? I was ready... so Why?" Of course none of her questions were answered. Why would they be? If no one had the answers how could the questions be answered?

And, she was... ready to die for her friends. She had been scared, of course, but that was just her brain trying to get her out of the fight, but she had been ready to die. She would have been able to see her parents and her little cousin. So there was good in dying. But, that's not what happened. She didn't die, but she felt like she did. Having broke her spirit's key and never being able to see her again... That made her feel like she was dying. And now, with the mark on her body, it served as a constant reminder that she had failed her oldest friend.

Aquarius...

You're a holiday

A glass of ocean slipping down my throat

And landed on my hopes, I'm dreaming

Off the maps no hidden grids, I'm fleeing

I worship you like holy days

Lying on my back, seeing clouds and rays

Drinking lime and bitter from my lemonade

White horses merry time won't do

Lucy woke with a sudden jolt; her eyes snapping open as sun filtered in through her tent. She sat up, groaning at the light pounding that started in her head.

"That is the last time I drink after battle," She grumbled, pulling her knee up to her chest so that she could rest her arm on it.

"You said that the last time, Princess." Loke said, chuckling at his master's pain. "Come on, Lucy, it's time for breakfast and then more training for you." Lucy peeked at the Lion from her fingers and rubbed her eyes.

"You said that the last time, Princess, he said." Lucy mocked, as she grabbed her bag and pulled out a pair of short, tight, spandex shorts and a black sports bra (No one was there so she didn't have to hide). "You have training to do, he said. I've been training for three years, Loke. By now, I have no idea why I'm still out here." The Spirit regarded Lucy with an understanding, but pointed look.

"Cause you're scared. You feel like you're not ready or strong enough to go back, nevermind the fact that in these three years of training, you have not only collected the rest of the Zodiacs, but also some of the rarest keys to ever exist, inherited an 'Unknown' type of water magic and you have two more powerful Celestial Spells- one of which allows you to wield the King's Sword." He replied, running a hand through his unruly hair as he avoided his changing master. Out of the corner of his eye, he glimpsed the curling tattoo on her chest- and the several on her back- making him wish that she didn't cover up, despite the pain it caused her to look at it and when her shirt went down, he sighed.

"It's not that I'm scared." She commented, getting up and stretching, before leaving the tent and stretching. "It's moreso the fact that if I see certain people, I'm liable to pound the ever living shit out of them and bury them with flesh eating insects like the pharaohs of old." With a crack of her neck, she sat down in front of the roaring fire as Virgo passed her a steaming plate of eggs, meat, toast, and cut fruit- the latter of course being chilled.

"Princess-sama, Capricorn will not be able to come out today, but he told me to tell you that you should and I quote, "Meditate or I will make Lyra play that song on repeat for ten hours, while you're meditating for half the day.'" Virgo smiled as her mistress' eye twitched and her body shivered.

"That sadist." Lucy mumbled as she took a bite of her toast, nearly groaning at the deliciousness of it (that and she was just really hungry since she didn't eat last night).

Loke snorted and accepted another plate from Virgo. "Thanks, Vee. While, he may be a sadist Lucy, he is right. You can't not meditate, especially w-"

"'Without any limiters on, which we should get, cause you don't have any in the Spirit Realm and blah, b-blah, b-blah.' I know, Loke, but meditating gets boring after a while. Can't I just take one day off?" Lucy asked, as Virgo paced a cup of coffee with cream in front of her.

"Not a chance, Princess. Meditate or use all your magic and we both know that the latter of the two isn't happening because, you'd be out for a couple days, which means we wouldn't be able to take care of you. Even I can't hold my gate open for severe amounts of time." The blonde nodded her head at Loke and he chuckled again, rubbing her back supportingly.

"It's okay, without Capricorn here, you won't have to do it for as long. And I'm sure Virgo can keep it to herself that you won't be doing it for as long as he makes you." He gave a pointed look to his sister, who mimed zipping her lips.

Lucy sighed again and put her half eaten food aside (saving it for after her meditation) and relaxed her body. Her mind and heart slowed down as she blocked out her surroundings, focusing on her breathing. In and out, Lucy, just like last time. In and out and in and out and in and out...And In...

Do you remember the holiday

Slipped away

Time and place

I definately remember

lying on my back and seeing

clouds and rays

we're dreaming

the feelings rule

forever we're young

pages unsung

"Jellal, we've been walking for hours, can't we take a break?" A pink-haired woman asked, looking at the bluenette with something akin to annoyance. Seriously, I mean, if you're going to go meet up with Red then you should have the common fucking decency to tell us. She thought, glaring at the mage's back.

"We're not meeting up with Hammer Time, so you can calm your tits, Demon." Cobra replied, crossing his arms and frowning. Meredy growled and attempted to punch the slayer. Key Word: Attempted. Which means she failed. Horribly.

"We're not meeting up with Erza." Jellal answered. "I did rounds this morning and felt… A pulse." Five out of the seven mages, the sixth being Macbeth who was asleep, stared at the bluenette with dead expressions.

"Like your own pulse, Tramp Stamp, or a magical pulse?" Cobra asked, as he tilted his head to the side and glared at Jellal.

Tramp Stamp, Cobra, really? Can't you come up with something original? Jellal thought as he levelled his own glare at the maroon haired man.

Cobra smiled. "Cocktrough Pocket Pussy." He said simply. The bluenette wrinkled his nose as Sorano laughed and Meredy choked on her own spit.

"Right well, back to the business at hand." Jellal replied, looking in the direction of where he had been walking. "¼ of a mile from here is a source of magic. That's where the pulse is coming from. Now, either Gildarts Clive is somewhere in the vicinity or we are about to come across a very powerful talisman."

Sorano nodded her head and asked, "Do you know if it's a dark relic?"

"No, right now it's indistinguishable from the rest of the forest." Jellal said, confused. His brow wrinkled as he closed his eyes and focused on the feel of the energy. Wha-whup, wha-whup, wha-whup, wha-whup. "It feels almost as if it's being pushed into the earth." He opened his eyes and gestured for them to keep going. "Come on, it's starting to get faster."

Wha-whup-wha-whup-wha-whup… "Fuck, you weren't kidding, were you?" Cobra said as the bass-y toned pulses assaulted his hearing. "Shits fuckng loud."

"Just keep your ears open," Sorano said, hiding a devious smile.

"Oh, ha ha." Cobra deadpanned, and for a second thought about breaking the rule of killing his teammates. It was oddly intriguing.

"Well, I could have said keep your eyes open, but you only have one, you One Eye Fannyball!" Sorano replied, haughtily.

"Go fuck a cactus, you Desert Snatch!" Cobra replied with just as much venom.

"Oh go shove a-" "Wait, shut up!" Cobra interrupted as a different sound filtered through his hearing.

"You can't tell me to-"

"Shh-" He said, gesturing at her as he grabbed onto the back of Jellal's cloak and pulled the bluenette behind him. Cobra stepped quietly and carefully as he approached a high bush, that formed a wall of sorts. Behind it, was the sound that had berated his ears, cutting through the buzzing of magic with a thunderous melody. It was a soul.

Cobra pushed aside a part of the foliage and looked into what he assumed was a clearing of sorts. And right in the middle, was a series of spheres- each a different size and color- circling around a blonde girl.

"Oh, you've got to be shitting me!" He stage-whispered, in order to not alert the blonde Celestial Mage.

"What is it?" Jellal said, pushing his way past Meredy to join the slayer. He peered in the gap and felt his jaw drop. "How the hell? This can't be possible."

"Who is it?" Meredy asked, trying to see around the two men.

"What is it?" Sorano echoed, looking down at her nails. Jellal straightened and unclasped his cloak as he cleared his throat.

"Sawyer, I need you to secure the perimeter, just in case Salamander happens to show up or is nearby. Richard-"

"Oh Yeah!" The blocked face man said, smiling.

Jellal paused, his hand still up and pointing at him. "You do you, Richard, you do you." The blue haired man turned to Cobra and Sorano. "Cobra, no maiming. Sorano, calm yourself. Meredy, you're fine and Midnight is still asleep. We all good?"

They all nodded. "Yeah, we're ready. Now are you going to tell us who is out there, or are we just going to have to find out?" Sorano said, crossing her arms over her abundant chest, her eyebrow cocked.

Jellal smiled slightly. "Let's just say that we're about to meet an old associate of

I feel that you remember

dreaming of a past that couldn't last

but now we're changing, refraining

I think it is the, know that it's the

I think it is the bad, bad blood

i think it is the, know that it's the

i think it is the bad, bad blood

Do you remember the riding, the passion

the falling over, tripping on ice

sharing advice, taking it twice

but let us not forget

silent day, stripped away

time and place

oh, you choose not to remember

fly away, counting days

i'm hiding from you

"Keep going, Lucy. Ten more and then you need to solidify them. After that you can break for lunch." A voice said, catching the group's attention.

Lucy Mother Fucking Heartfilia! Sorano screamed in her mind, her eyes widening as the blonde came into view. Luckily, though, her back was to them.

Cobra chuckled. "She's not going to bite, in anything, she might kick you though." Jellal shushed them and glared.

"Will you two shut up?!" He said, not looking away from the powerful orbs. Curious, oh curious.

Loke turned around suddenly, as a branch snapped and was surprised to see the Crime Sorciere members step through Lucy's barrier, all looking at the blonde in either shock or timid awe. Both emotions he was very familiar with, when it came to Lucy- like her sacrificing her life for him or her devotion to Fairy Tail- those always put wonder in him. And like now, when she was exercising her magic, it shocked him to the core at the amount of power his Master had. It was probably why the Celestial King gave her the last three Zodiac keys.

Cobra raised an eyebrow at the spirit. The Celstial King? "Yo, Thunder Thighs, who's the Celestial King?" He asked, looking at the white haired mage, who was cowering slightly under the gaze of the Spirit. Her head popped up at his question though, her eyes widening even more, if it was possible.

"He's the king the Spirit Realm." Sorano said, "Why do you ask?" Cobra's eyebrows shot up and he turned back to the blonde.

"Really? Hmm." He replied, vaguely. "Interesting." The wha-whup sound was getting louder, causing him to wince slightly and shake his head. "Seriously fucking loud."

Jellal snorted and walked over to Loke, shaking the Celestial Spirit's hand. "Leo, it's good to see you again."

The man pushed up his glasses and smirked. "It's Loke, Jellal. I haven't been Leo since Karen and those are days I wish to leave in the past. I assume that you felt my Master's magic?" He asked, cocking an eyebrow.

"Yes, I did. I thought it was a magical talisman of some sort, but it seems I was wrong." He looked the blonde woman. "It was just a very strong mage with a very unique source of magic." Loke saw the small admiring smile Jellal had on his face and smirked.

"So, Kitty-Cat, what's up with Tig Ol' Bitties, over there?" Cobra asked, coming up to join the two. "Why is she out here all alone?"

Loke opened his mouth to speak, when a cracking sound broke through the air. They turned to see Lucy standing there, glaring at Cobra, her new whip (courtesy of Virgo) out and glowing. Her jaw was clenched slightly and a smug snarl curled her full lips.

"What- did you just call me?" She asked, brown eyes lighting up with magical power. She looked like sexy hellion ready to fuck shit up. Cobra raised an eyebrow and smirked, amused.

"Tig Ol' Bitties, cause in case you haven't noticed, you've got some serious chestage." He replied, crossing his arms as he watched Lucy coil hr hwip and send it back to the Celestial plane. Thinking that he was in the clear, he looked back at Loke, only to feel something crash into him and send him forty feet from where he was at.

The group's jaw dropped, save Loke, as they watched their comrade sail through the air and into the woods. When they turned back to Lucy, she was sitting down with a plate of food in her hand and several more around her.

"Come on, sit down. You can join me for lunch and explain why you're here."