what is love?

Storge

Storge- the love between parents and children.

All she ever wanted was to be loved the way she was loved before her mother left this world back when the Heartfilia Kozern was filled with happiness and love. When the halls were filled with laughter and the sounds of footsteps chasing her through the maze of their home. She yearned for the bed time stories her mother told her, the soft raise and fall of her voice, lulling her in to the sweet grasp of sleep. From the time of her birth to the tender age of six when her mother passed, Layla taught her about the magic that she possesses.

She misses the nights where her father and mother would take her out to the gardens and would teach her the constellations she would soon grow to have a more personal connection with. Out of all the constellations in the night sky , Aquarius was her favorite; though she thought the pretty mermaid hated her. Especially after the years after her mother’s passing, especially during bath times.

“Play with other kids your age, brat.” Aquarius would  snap at her, the vein in her head throbbed in irritation at the small child's antics. Lucy's laughter would die, and her eyes filled with unshed tears. Never wanting to seem weak in front of the spirit.

“I cant…I’m an only child. There are no other children to play with.” Lucy’s lower lip trembled as she fought not to cry. Feeling awkward, the mermaid just sighed and patted Lucy's head. It didn’t take long for the blonde child's attention to fall on the mermaid’s tail. It was then and there, the mermaid became like a surrogate mother to her and would allow Lucy to summon her during her bath times. As long as she would never again summon her in a fish bowl, a fish bowl of all things. Lucy's backside was red for days after that. Though, it was better than being summoned in a toilet. Thankfully Lucy was at least smart enough not to try that.
 
“You will do as you are told!” her father roared in anger, his face flushed red with indignation of his daughter talking back to him. Lucy stood on the other side of his desk in his office. The one room in the whole Konzern that Lucy hated. Once, it was her solace, hiding under his desk while he worked. Popping out to try to scare him. He would always pretend to be scared, laughing in relief to find out it was just his daughter and not some scary monster.

“I am not some possession to be bought at an auction to the highest bidder!” Lucy knew better than to talk back to him, but her pride and anger took hold of her.

SMACK.

The sound of her father's hand connecting with her cheek rang out in the room. Lucy staring in disbelief at her father as her finger tips brushed the offending flesh.

He had once been her hero; the man who was suppose to shield her from the cruelty and monsters of the world. Now here he was, trying to sell her in to an arranged marriage to one of his sleazy business partners, or to their sons. She didn’t care which it was this time. She looked at him, her eyes as dull and emotionless as she felt inside every day she staid in the Kozern.

“No, I would rather cut off my own hand than be in a loveless marriage to suit your needs.” Lucy whispered, her hands clenching in to fists at her sides. All she ever wanted, was to be seen by him, to be loved by him like he did before Layla passed. Once she died, he had changed. Became someone that Lucy didn’t recognize, became the very monster she had feared that had made their home in her closet or under her bed.

“You have no choice, you never did.” He turned his back to her, effectively dismissing her as he stared out the window in to the expanse of their gardens. Lucy left his office, and in that moment decided that she would give herself the one thing that he kept trying to take away, and that was her own choices. Running to her room; she grabbed her keys, her traveling pack, and all the money she saved from her allowances. This would be the night that she would say goodbye to the Kozern, say goodbye to the life she was groomed to since the day of her birth, and said goodbye to the man who was suppose to be her father. She ran. She ran as far and as fast as she could.

Storge, she had found, was some times not with the family that is your blood, but some times in the family you create as your own. Like the one she created in Fairy Tail, the guild take took her in as one of their own with no questions asked. Erza, who was one of her closest friends besides Levi. Gray, who she had come to love as an older brother. And Natsu was, well Natsu. He was her partner in crime, and her biggest supporter in the guild, it was here in the chaos of the guild hall she learned the meaning of Storge.

Lucy sighed as she pushed away from her writing desk, stretching her arms above her head and looked down at the paper laid out before her. Writing it all out had helped some, the ache in her heart. It had only been a month since her nakama had left her behind, since Fairy Tail disbanded. She touched the broken key that hung on her neck, it didn’t hurt her as much as it had after she sacrificed Aquarius, her oldest and dearest friend. Not since Leo explained that she did nothing wrong and Aquarius knew the costs of breaking her key.

“She is not gone forever, Princess. You will just have to wait until her key reappears again.” Leo comforted her for weeks after it had happened, pulling her out from the chasm of loathing and depression. Even though that Lucy knew it was the only way to save everyone she had come to love and admire, it did nothing to take the pain away.

“You will have to move on, get stronger, and live. The way you are meant to.” If it wasn’t for her Lion, Lucy wouldn’t know where she would be. So that is what she did, she moved on and lived. She started to travel, becoming an independent mage who helped where ever she could. Moving from town to town, her adventures took her to new and old places. Reminiscing of times past as she traveled via train, boat or carriage. What she didn’t expect was to run in to some unlikely people.

It was in Crocus when she ran in to the reformed criminals that made up the independent guild of Crime Sorcière. Jella was the first to greet the celestial mage with open arms.

“It had been far too long Lucy.” Jella smiled softly at her. Lucy gave him her own smile. Though it was never too long to see the blue haired mage when Erza was any where close by.

“It has.” She responded, she looked over his shoulder at the 7 others following behind him. Her eyes traveling from one person to the next.

“I see you are still traveling as well.” Lucy laughed. Jella merely nodded. It was hard to settle down any one place after you have been practically branded criminals, even if you have been reformed and pardoned from the pass crimes.

“Yeah, no one wants to let criminals in their ranks.” Meredy and Sorano were next to approach the blonde. Lucy hugged them in turn, even if they had once been at odds, Lucy was never one to hold a grudge. Especially towards any female mages.

“Well, they are missing out.” Lucy patted Meredy's shoulder in comfort. After hours passed as the group caught up, it was well on the way to being dusk outside after they parted ways. For the first time in a long time, Lucy was happy.