PREVIOUSLY ON THE TIME OF MAN
"Juvia is touched!" Juvia exclaimed with her heart eyes, looking at Y/N in the real world.
"Hey guys, we brought food!" Mira said behind her were Cana, Silvia and Elfman.
"Huh?" Mira stopped as she stared at the bento box, and Y/N said, "Honey.....who gave you that bento?" asked Mira with a dangerous smile.
"Think you might know her already, considering your chat with Cana," Y/N said matter-of-factly.
"Ah," Cana sighed, "You do realize what this means, right?" asked Cana, staring at Y/N with a pout.
"Well, I'm not there yet," Y/N said with a sigh, looking at the box, "But at least she's making an effort; it's all up to her now to make the first appearance."
PRESENT TIME
~Third Person POV~
"Silvia, Nashi, Erza, Y/N," came Loke's voice; they stopped eating their lunch and turned around to see Loke holding Lucy's key pouch, "Could you give these to Lucy for me? They're her keys."
"I was wondering why you hadn't been around lately!" retorted Silvia.
"You were looking for these the whole time?" asked Nashi.
"Are you okay? You look pale..." Happy asked.
"Thanks," Loke replied, "I'm fine."
"Whew, being a gentleman is tough," Loke murmured.
Y/N raised an eyebrow in response, "Really?" he asked.
"Lucy doesn't seem to be here," Erza said as she looked around, "Maybe she still hurts too much to be up and about."
"We could go pay her a visit then," Y/N shrugged.
"You should come too, Loke," Nashi said with a smile.
"I'll pass," Loke said, "I'm no good around celestial wizards."
"Really? Even though this is Lucy we're talking about?" asked Nashi with a frown.
"Nashi," Erza chidded, "Everyone has strengths and weaknesses; Don't pry too much."
The rest watched as Loke walked away with a depressed mood.
~ TEN MINUTES LATER~
LUCY'S APARTMENT
"Lucy!" Happy exclaimed as he pushed the door open to Lucy's apartment.
"How ya doing?!" asked Nashi with a massive smile behind Happy.
"Don't go just bursting through the door! Knock first!!" Silvia exclaimed as she followed them in.
Y/N and Erza sigh in response.
"At least we got rid of their bad habit of going through the window and the walls," Erza shook her head with a smile.
"Yeah, there's that," Y/N also retorted with a smile.
The group looked around the modest brick-layered apartment with a single king bed next to a dining table with four chairs.
Two windows faced the Magnolia River.
Below one window was a desk and chair; books and writing equipment were stored on it. Opposite the desk was a fireplace, and in the middle were two bookshelves with various personal items like a plant, photo frames and a flower pot. Above the bookshelf were two paintings.
The bookshelves were flanked by two doors with green curtains touching the floor, presumably leading to the kitchen and bathroom.
"Huh?" asked Nashi
"Normally...." Silvia murmured.
"MY PLACE!" exclaimed Happy, wearing a cartoon Lucy mask.
"....is what would happen, but..." Erza said with a sigh, looking around.
'Am I the only one questioning where that Lucy faceplate came from?!' Y/N sweatdropped.
"The bath, huh?" Silvia asked, looking at the bathroom entrance intently, "....is the cliche waiting for me, so..." She moved towards the bathroom.
"I'm sorry, but...!" she exclaimed as she opened the curtain.
"She's not here," Nashi said, shaking her head with a deadpan face while in the tub. The steam rushed onto Silvia's face because of the water sizzling in the tub.
"That was fast!" Silvia exclaimed, "Why are you in it?!"
"It looks like she left," Erza retorted, wearing a towel around her body and hair while holding a small wooden tub with toiletries.
"And what are you here for?!" Silvia asked.
"Are we looking for Lucy or invading her private space?" Y/N asked while scratching his head. He walked towards the desk with the writing equipment and books.
He noticed a note with an ink box on top of it.
"There's a note," Y/N said, picking up the note that read 'I will go home -Lucy'. "She says she's going home...."
"WH-WHY?!" the other four exclaimed as they rushed towards Y/N. As they ran towards Y/N, Happy accidentally knocked off a small chest. The chest dropped open, and a single letter with a wax seal dropped out.
"What's that?" Y/N asked, looking back to see Happy holding up a single letter. He took it and read it aloud, "Mom, I finally managed to join Fairy Tail, the guild I wanted to join since I learned magic from you. Today, I met someone named Erza. She's cool and pretty."
They all turned to look at Erza, who blushed and looked away.
"This letter is to her mom," Nashi said, "But why didn't she mail this? Was she in a rush?"
"Isn't the more important question, Why did she return home?" asked Silvia.
~WITH LUCY~
Lucy was on a train, wearing a white top with a navy blue pencil skirt, stockings, and white heels. Her signature pink purse was on the next seat.
She was looking out the window with a melancholy expression.
'I wonder what Mom would do in this situation,' she thought, looking at the mountains sweeping past her. 'Would she do the same as what I'm doing now?'
~FLASHBACK~
"Look! I made a rice ball with your face on it, Daddy!" came a tiny voice resembling Lucy; she looked much younger. A single pigtail on the right side, with a pink dress and a blue ribbon around her neck. She had thigh-high socks and sneakers on her legs.
"I made it for you!" she exclaimed, looking up at her father. Jude Heartfilia is a relatively tall middle-aged man with black eyes, slicked-back blond hair, a matching, extremely trim moustache, and a reasonably firm, square jaw. The man's hair is kept tidy, and he wears a relatively expensive, tailored brown suit.
At the moment, he was busy working on a desk, papers scattered around his desk and a quill in his right hand.
"Eat it so you can do good at work!" She exclaimed with a smile on her face. She handed her father a rice ball with two eyes, eyebrows, and a smiley face made with seaweed.
"I'm working," Jude replied in his deep voice without looking up from the desk, "Come back later."
"Okay..." Lucy replied with a sad face, looking down at the riceball.
"I'll leave it here, then!" She continued with a smile, placing the rice ball on his desk. "You can eat it later!" with a smile.
"Guess what? Guess what? Today is..." Lucy began but was interrupted, "Eh?!" She closed her eyes and flinched back as the rice ball was thrown to the ground behind her.
"Did you not hear me?!" asked Jude angrily; he stood up and stared at Lucy.
"I-I'm sorry..." Lucy whimpered. She was trying to hold her emotions in as she turned around and walked towards her rice ball. She stopped for a moment and turned slightly, "U-Umm..."
"You're being a pest, Lucy!" interrupted Jude angrily, "Our house chef can prepare my food! If you have time to waste like this, study about leadership instead! Do I make myself clear? Then leave!" He continued while pointing at the door.
Ignoring the fact that he left his daughter in tears, she picked up her broken rice ball and ran out of the room crying.
'Today is...' She thought,' Today is my birthday...' her voice echoed as she ran out of the room towards the hall.
However, unfortunately, she did not hear the loud voice of a slap coming from Jude's room.
~FLASHBACK ENDS~
Lucy was now standing on a hill that looked down on the Heartfillia Konzern. Her expression showed concern as she looked around the Konzern.
"Home, huh?" Lucy said as she looked around the Konzern, walking towards the mansion.
The Konzern's headquarters was the Heartfilia Residence, a large mansion housing Jude Heartfilia and his family. The building sat on a vast, grassy plain, crossed by a series of roads, with some buildings being placed here and there near them.
The Heartfilia Residence appears to consist of two separate buildings, placed near a group of smaller constructions and linked together by a garden, with the front one acting as an entry of sort for the one sitting behind it. Only this first building has been clearly shown: it seems to consist of a primary structure flanked by two minor wings protruding upwards, creating a square space before the entrance itself, which sits in the centre of the facade, is flanked by two slender cylindrical towers with pointed tiled roofs, their walls adorned by elongated, hollow windows with arched tops.
Two balconies appear to sit one above the other between such towers, topping the main door, and sitting on the highest one's summit is another, more prominent and rectangular tower, sporting a high, pyramid-shaped tiled roof held up by pillars, which, on its top part, bears more, smaller pillars, holding up the tiled spire topping the whole structure. The roof of the central section is similarly tiled and pitched, but the windows adorning its front walls are shown to be rectangular and sport glasses.
While the wing right from the entrance hasn't been adequately shown, it is likely similar to the one sitting to the left: this seems to be split into two parts, with the one adjacent to the main structure possessing features identical to it, sporting rectangular windows and being topped by a pitched tiled roof; the one to the latter's right, however, is noticeably shorter in height, bears a large, decorative double door, occupying most of its outermost face, and two towers adorning the top of the very same face, being covered in many small arrowslits and growing larger near their top part, ending in pyramid-shaped tiled roofs.
The buildings sit in a built-up area which is large enough for Team Natsu to mistake it for a city: leading to the structure is a well-kept road which, some meters before its entrance, crosses with one more street, forming an in whose centre is a fountain, possessing a circular pool and emitting water from a slender structure in its central part; flanking the roads converging here are well-kept bushes, and similarly well-kept hedges are located among the buildings present in the area.
"Miss Supetto!" Lucy called out to a woman busy brushing the brick pavement leading to the Heartfillia mansion.
Supetto is a short, middle-aged woman with a square-shaped face. She has long, dark purple hair tied in a ponytail behind her head and black eyes.
Being a maid, her attire is that of the profession. She wears a long, green dress with pink-coloured sleeves, golden edges, more oversized cuffs, an apron tied around her waist, a small mantle covering her shoulders, and simple shoes. In addition, she also has a classical maid hat on her head.
Supetto stopped her action and looked up, her eyes widening in shock. Tears formed around her eyes, her body shivering. Suddenly, she started bawling.
"Miss Lucy?!" she exclaimed, "Ribbon! Aed! Bero! Tama! Knell! Ted! Miss Lucy is here! This calls for a celebration! INFORM THE MISTRESS!!" her voice echoed.
They heard the sound of many steps rushing towards their position; the main door burst open as a beautiful, mature woman. She had soft brown eyes, long blonde hair, which she usually wore in a bun, and a lacy baby pink band with ruffles on its edges, which rested on her hair with her flicks and strands of hair framing her face.
Many women followed her, and men rushed out to greet Lucy. There were women in maids' clothes, men wearing armour, some men wearing mages' robes and some chefs.
"Lucy!?" the woman was the spitting image of Lucy but older; her voice matched Lucy's as well, but a bit deeper.
"Mom!" Lucy exclaimed as she rushed towards her mother, Layla Heartfillia. Both hugged each other very tightly, and Lucy started crying when she felt her mother's arms around her body.
"I'm so glad you're all right!" Layla said; she pulled back and held her daughter's face in her hand. "Have you been eating well? You look so weak! Where have you been living? Do you know how worried I was? Why didn't you send more letters every week?!" Tears dropped down her cheeks; Lucy also could not hold back her tears as she started crying.
"I-I've been fine, Mom," said Lucy, sniffing. "I've been so busy with the move and settling into Magnolia that I've had less time."
"Miss Lucy, new textbooks from the east have arrived!" exclaimed a short man with distinctive blue hair, a moustache and a goatee, being particular in the fact that they are very flat, with his haircut bearing a resemblance to an overturned, open book, living up to his profession as a librarian. His eyes are hidden by a large pair of round glasses, with the lenses covered by many concentric circles. He wears a yellow sweatshirt-like cloth with a hood and dark pants.
"Of course, Ribbon," Lucy said with a smile, looking around as many caretakers and servants surrounded her.
"You're all grown up! You probably had a fling or two, right?" asked a short man. He dons a typical cook outfit: a white shirt closed by two large buttons, its sleeves rolled up, an apron tied around his waist, and a cook's hat. In the manga, he also dons striped pants, which are portrayed as plain in the anime, reaching down below his knees and paired with simple shoes.
"Aed!" Lucy exclaimed as she blushed, hiding in her mother's shoulder as Layla chuckled and caressed her head.
Aed is a small man with a seemingly shaved head, mostly seen with his eyes closed or maybe half-closed. His most distinctive feature is his large, round nose, which is visibly darker on the front, as if it were burnt, possibly referencing Aed's cooking profession. He seems to have rather hairy arms.
"I'm so glad to see you again!" Supetto said as her small stature hugged Lucy.
"I hope you have not been neglecting your Celestial Mage studies," came the voice of a short, elderly man with grey hair and a moustache. He has a long nose and ears with similarly long lobes. His eyes are always seen closed, or at least half-closed, and on the right side of his face is a dark birthmark composed of several small spots, one near the other. He appears to be often shaking, possibly due to his advanced age.
"Of course, I have not, Mister Bero! The new guild has been helping me greatly with my studies and training," she retorted.
Bero wore a typical fictional mage or a scholar, consisting of a simple, long blue robe and a pink mage hat decorated with a yellow heart on the front.
"Oooh! I heard that you joined Fairy Tail! I'm so happy for you, Lucy!" She exclaimed as she kissed her forehead. Lucy blushed slightly, "Have you made any friends? What about a boyfriend? Have you fallen in love? Is he your type? Is he kind and gentle? I hope you're not in a toxic relationship."
Lucy blushed more and more with the further questions her mother asked.
"I have met a few close friends. I'm also on one of the strongest teams in the guild!" Lucy exclaimed excitedly, with a light blush. "As for the rest, no, not yet, at least," Lucy murmured, hiding her face in her mother's shoulder.
"Oh my, Miss Lucy is in love!" one of the caretakers exclaimed.
"Oh, I wonder how he looks?" another asked.
"Is he hot and handsome?" another asked.
'Everyone's still the same!' Lucy thought as she looked around.
"Mistress! The master asks for Miss Lucy's presence in the study!" exclaimed a maid.
Everyone stopped talking and looked down at the pavement except for Layla and Lucy.
Both looked at each other, Layla sighed in response, and she shook her head.
'His runaway daughter is finally home, and all he can do is "ask for my presence", huh?' Lucy thought.
"I see he hasn't changed either," Lucy said to her mom, who sighed again.
"You know how stubborn that idiot is," Layla said with a smile, "Come, let's meet this stubborn fool." She held Lucy's hand and took her into the mansion.
~ENTERING JUDE OFFICE ~
Layla and Lucy were now standing before Jude Heartfillia's office door. Lucy has changed into a pink formal party dress, reaching her feet, with a light magenta underskirt paired with magenta heels beneath the dress. She had a pink lace chocker with a maroon ribbon around it. Her hair was in a bun with a pink hair band.
"I'd forgotten," Lucy said as she looked down on her dress, "This is how I used to dress when I was here..."
"Oh, honey," Layla looked at Lucy with a sad face, "As much as it pained me, I always wished I could change your father's ways. If only I had a stronger hand when you were growing up, then maybe you wouldn't have dealt with all of this."
"Mom, no!" Lucy exclaimed with a frown, "This has nothing to do with you. You were sick for so long, you had to recover! You couldn't have expected him to turn out that way."
"I don't know, Lucy," Layla sighed, "But I still feel I could've done something differently." She knocked on the door and pushed it open.
"It's me, Lucy," said Lucy, "I've returned, Father."
"Enter," said Jude, standing in front of his desk facing the window with his hands clasped behind his back. He turned around, "So you've finally come back, Lucy."
"Jude," Layla said with a frown, "Is this how you speak to your daughter?" Lucy had a sad expression after hearing his response.
'I've been gone for so long, and that's all he can say?' Lucy thought.
"I apologize for running away from home without saying anything to you," Lucy muttered the last bit.
"This was a surprisingly wise decision, coming from you," Jude retorted, "Had you remained in that guild, I would have been forced to use my money and power to destroy it."
Layla tapped Lucy's shoulder, whispering, "Say it, you can do it."
"Father! I only came back to clarify my resolve to you," Lucy said, trying to regain her confidence, "Yes, I was wrong to leave without saying anything to you. I ran away. However, you look at it. So I came here to tell you exactly how I feel before I leave again!"
"L-Lucy.." Jude muttered as his eyes widened.
"I'm going to follow my path! You don't get to decide when I get married!" Lucy continued with a frown, slowly getting her confidence back.
"Oh!" she pointed her index finger at him, "Don't you ever mess with Fairy Tail again! If you go after Fairy Tail again, I--and everyone in the guild will consider you our enemy!" she continued as she tore off the upper part of formal dress, revealing the underdress that was covering most of her torso beside her shoulders.
"If you hadn't stooped so low, maybe we could've sat down and talked things over," she continued, "But it's too late now. You've hurt my friends too much. I need a place that will see me not as "Lucky" Lucy Heartfillia but as just plain old Lucy. Fairy Tail is another family to me. A much more warmhearted family than what I have with you. I've only been here briefly, but it pains me to leave this house again with Mom here."
"You have my full support, Lucy," Layla smiled at her, "I am so proud of what you've become. Do what you feel is best for you. Go to your room and prepare. We will have supper, and then you can be on your way. I have some sense to talk into this one." She held Lucy's hand with tears in her eyes while glaring at Jude as she said the last part.
Lucy nodded and looked at her father. She started walking towards the door.
"L-Lucy, wa-" "No! You and I have some talking to do, mister; I've let you have too much free reign," Layla interrupted Jude, giving him the stink eye.
----
A/N: Huh? Layla is alive?! Hmmmm....wonder why......only I know why. Hehe :D
Okay, this part is done; we can move on to the next arc. There will be a little filler, and we'll pick it up.
Please let me know your thoughts on the chapter and stuff!
Peace!
~TheWidowMaker