Fairy Tail: This Little Chickie

It's A Problem

Disclaimer: Fairy Tail® by Mashima Hiro

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Lucy slumped into the chair by her desk and sighed. After getting cleaned up and soaking in the bathtub for over an hour, she felt somewhat better, though the depression of losing so much money would weigh heavily in her heart for some time. She gently tapped her fingers against the desk and slowly glanced around her apartment, wondering why she was the only one in it; normally it would have at least Natsu seated in her kitchen. Even though he was quite ill, the blonde still thought her friend would have managed to drag himself to her sofa or simply collapse on her floor. She let her eyes drift some more before sighing again.

The worst part was that she had done exactly as Laxus had predicted. When he found out, she could just imagine how much fun he would have teasing her. Lucy was ashamed that she had lost such a large sum so quickly; she should have looked for it instead of going home, but she had been at the end of her rope. She was exhausted and filthy.

Lucy stood from her seat and moved to her bed, thinking that it was getting late; she was tired and needed rest. She could worry about what she would do about the loss of her fortune and the question of how she would pay her rent in the morning. Already dressed in her sleep clothes (since it was a warm night, her attire consisted of a tank top and underwear), she slid into her soft bed and let her body sink into the soft cushiony mattress. She closed her tired eyes and waited for sleep to claim her.

"Lucy! We found your money!" Happy yelled as he suddenly flew through her open window. Immediately Lucy was wide awake and sat up in a flash.

"Where? Where is it? Do you have it?" She asked grabbing the blue cat and staring at him with upmost seriousness.

"I found it, but there is a slight problem." He said frowning slightly.

"What is it? Where is my money?" Lucy blurted out and Happy leaned away as her grip on him tightened.

"You'll have to see for yourself." He said and the girl released him so she could get dressed. She slid pajama pants and a thin jacket over her sleepwear and pulled a pair of fuzzy slippers onto her feet. She grabbed her keys and ran from her apartment, the door swinging shut behind her.

"Where is it Happy?" Lucy questioned the moment her feet touched the road. The blue cat flew down from her window and circled her head as he responded.

"We have to hurry! Follow me!" Happy zipped through the air and down the street. The blond mage wasted no time chasing after him. She raced after the blue blur, her slippers slapping the stones under her feet and leaving an echo in her wake. She wondered how far it was until they reached their destination; what couldn't he just bring the money to her?

Lucy was getting tired and her side was starting to ach from sprinting across the town. Happy led her to the edge of town and toward an old, wood building that threatened to collapse with every slight breeze that met its walls. Around it was a rusted metal fence and gate and the lights were. Not that surprised that the money case had ended up so far from the guild (it had been Erza who'd hit it after all), Lucy was forced to squint through the darkness to make out the building now that the two members of Fairy Tail had left the range of Magnolia's streetlights and the building's lights weren't that bright.

"Magnolia Orphanage." Lucy read out loud when she was close enough to make out the large, dark letters painted on the sign above the gate. A feeling of dread filled her and she forced her legs to move faster despite the protest her muscles made.

"It's in there." Happy said cheerfully, though Lucy couldn't see why. Lucy stopped in front of the gate and leaned against it; her breathing was heavy and labored after running across Magnolia. Once she was able to breathe somewhat normally and her side didn't hurt so much, Lucy pushed the gate open and stepped onto the Orphanage's grounds. The lawn and flower garden around the building was obviously well cared for even if the house was old and in need of repair. As she approached the door she couldn't help but notice that someone was doing their best to keep the place clean and in working order, but no one could defeat time and the age of a house. The residents were obviously poor, which made Lucy's feeling of dread increase.