Open, Gate of the Star Child, Lucy (A NaLu Fanfiction)

Chapter 8 - Ava Goes MIA

[Unedited]

<>Lucy<>

All throughout the morning and through to the afternoon I was the center of attention. Swamped by person after person who hadn’t seen in me three years. I hugged and smiled and chatted and told my story a thousand times.

Lisanna came up to me and we talked together for a while. For the first time, I truly understood how she felt coming back from Edolas. Even though she’d really been alive the whole time, the feeling of when she’d returned to the Earthland Fairy Tail was as though she’d come back from the dead.

Erza visited me for a short while. She was smiling brightly through the happy tears in her eyes. I’d never seen her like that before, and I was touched by how deeply she cared. To add to that, she offered me a slice of her strawberry cake which she insisted I have even after I politely declined.

Master Makarov wanted to hear my story. He, Gray, Erza, Wendy, Juvia, Gajeel, Levy and Mira gathered around as I told them how my soul had been summoned by the Spirit King and I’d wished to stay with the spirits, hence my becoming the constellation of the Star Child. Afterwards I was bombarded with questions; What was living in the Spirit World like? Did I have my own key and who had it? What was it like to be summoned? What magic did I use now?

I answered each patiently. I endured more hugs and tears, but around mid afternoon, it all began to die down, my story having spread through just about every ear of the guild.

I stretched my hands above my head, feeling a kink in my shoulder pop. Being crushed under an entire wizard guild and then being forced to tell your tale over and over again was tiring.

‘How you doing?’ Natsu asked, slipping onto the stool beside me at the bar. Mira flicked him a drink of fire which he downed quickly.

I sighed, ‘Exhausted. ‘Though that could be me spending so much time in the human world.’

The pink haired dragon slayer’s face fell, ‘You’re not going to have to go back, are you?’

I bit my lip and turned away, ‘I will eventually. I can’t spend forever here. My magic will run out and I’ll die.’

Natsu was silent for a minute before he spoke in a quiet voice, ‘I don’t want you to die again.’

I turned back to him. His head was lowered and he shook in the slightest of movements. He was afraid, but not for his life. For mine. The gesture warmed me to the core.

‘I’m not going to die,’ I promised. I placed my hand on top of his. ‘Okay?’

He looked up and smiled, ‘Okay.’

‘Hey, Natsu?’ Lisanna shouted, walking over. ‘Have you seen Ava anywhere?’

Natsu grit his teeth and clenched his fists, ‘No, I haven’t. But when I do, she’s going to have to explain why she lied about Lucy.’

‘She’s got a lot to answer for,’ Lisanna agreed. ‘No one saw her leave the guild.’

I could feel the tension in the air; the anger building up inside Natsu and Lisanna. An image of Ava flashed in my mind. Her eyes full of anger and betrayal.

I like him, Lucy, can’t you tell!

‘Please, don’t blame her,’ I intervened. ‘She-she thought she was doing what was best. She’s really a good person.’

Natsu expression said he didn’t quite believe me, but the plea in my voice made him drop the subject. Lisanna followed suit but I could tell she wasn’t at all happy with it.