Throne

Chapter Two

Lucy knew that she couldn't barge straight into Sabertooth's guild hall, she would have to lay low for a while, especially since Rogue had seen her the day prior, and was probably suspicious of her behavior. She stopped by a market to buy a copy of the newspaper as well as a few snacks and made her way to the Honeybone motel.
She arrived in her room and jumped onto the bed, opening the paper and a bag of chips. She looked at the homes for rent section religiously, trying to find an affordable home. She took the pen from her bag and circled the top contenders, suddenly feeling a wave of loneliness.
"Oh! I haven't even talked to my spirits in a while!" She realized, "They don't know that I left!" Lucy panicked. She summoned Plue to keep her company, trying to find the right way to tell her friends, specifically Loke, who was also a member of Fairy Tail.
"Plue, what should I do?!" She asked, pulling her hair. The shivery spirit shook his head. Just as Lucy was about to scream in frustration, Loke appeared on his own jurisdiction. Lucy scrambled to the back of the bed in fear, before realizing it was Loke. She noticed tears in his eyes.
"L-Loke?" She called, approaching her crying friend.
"How could you?" Loke asked.
"I was gonna tell you! I—" She was cut off by Loke as he pulled her into a tight hug.
"Not about Fairy Tail! You could have told us you were suffering, you could have told me!" He sobbed, soaking Lucy's shoulder in tears. She stroked his back before letting out a few of her own tears.
"Sorry, Loke! I'm so sorry."  She cried.
"From now on we get through this together." He said, drying his tears and squeezing Lucy tighter. Lucy nodded into his shoulder before backing away.
After ruling out which homes were not suitable for Lucy, she and Loke decided on a rundown cabin, on the outskirts of Crocus. It was completely abandoned and the grass in the yard grew wild, but rent was dirt cheap, and Lucy couldn't ask for a more secluded getaway.
The duo spent countless hours cleaning the interior of the dusty cabin and tamed the yard, even adding some flowers to liven it up. Inside the cabin was a large kitchen, leading into the living room. Down the hall was a bathroom, and two bedrooms, a master and the guestroom. After they finished cleaning, Loke hung up a sign "Celestial Cabin" above the door, a nice touch to their new home. They fell asleep on the patio, leaning against the wall and eachother.
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A few weeks passed since Natsu and his team saw Lucy. They finally went to visit her in her home, fearing that she was sick again.
"Lucy!" Natsu and Happy called in unison as they barged through the window, Erza and Gray going through the door. They met up in her bedroom, which was practically empty. The blankets were gone from her bed, her papers and books she had been writing disappeared too.
"Her scent is stale... It's like she hasn't been here in forever!" Natsu exclaimed, worried about his close friend.
"Hey! Check this out!" Gray called, beckoning his friends over to the desk. Aside from a thick layer of accumulating dust, a letter was laid on the desk. Erza hastily lifted it, sending dust flying into her team's faces. Erza read the letter aloud,
"Dear Natsu, Gray, Happy, Erza: By the time you read this letter, I'll be long gone. I'm sorry you guys were always protecting me. I'm sorry I was so weak. And most importantly, I'm sorr for always dragging our team down. I know you never said it, but I'm positive you've all thought it. Please do not look for me, please don't worry. I'm going to learn how to fight for myself, and maybe I'll come back. Tell Master and the rest of our guild friends that I'm sorry and they'll be better off without me in their lives." Erza finished reading the letter, sniffling. Happy was crying hysterically, tears dripping down his blue face. Gray and Erza looked down, grieving silently. Natsu, however, seemed to be angry.
            "Like Hell I'm not gonna find her!" He shouted, snatching the letter and turning it to ash. "Lucy was our friend, our family and we ain't gonna laze around while she goes off on her own." Natsu shouted, his eyes were wet with tears as he screamed. Erza's arm was frozen in the air, reaching for the letter that Natsu burnt in front of her own eyes.
            "For once, I agree with Natsu." Gray said solemnly. Erza nodded in approval.
            "Then what are we waiting for?" Erza asked, quickly regaining her composure. "Lets go get our Lucy."
            "Aye, sir!" Happy cheered through his stream of tears.
Team Natsu reported back to the guild, a grim look on their faces. "Natsu, what's wrong? Is Lucy okay?" Wendy asked, a look of worry on her face. The team explained the situation, assuring the other members that they would find Lucy. While they ate lunch, they thought up a plan.
"Where should we go first?" Natsu asked, expectantly staring at Erza and Gray. Both of his friends had blank stares.
"Hell, I don't know." Gray replied harshly, crossing his arms defensively.
"How about Crocus? When we were there for the Grand Magic Games, Lucy said she would love to live there." Erza suggested. With hers being the only probable suggestion, they decided to go to Crocus, rushing to the train station without finishing their meal.
"Four tickets to Crocus, please." Erza requested sternly, passing money to the man behind the counter.
"Sorry, ma'am, but the Crocus line from Magnolia is delayed until next month because of a break in the track from weather conditions." The man explained, pushing the Jewel back towards Erza.
"What?!" Erza shouted, raising her arms to fight.
           "Erza, calm down, it's not this guy's fault." Gray said, holding back the hotheaded mage. She calmed down, but not before cursing the young man out and stomping away in a fit.
          "Now what?" Happy asked, his hopes plummeting.
          "We travel on foot." Erza said, determined to find their lost friend.
           "But think of how much time that'll take," Gray pointed out, "She probably would have left Crocus by the time we're barely half way there." He reasoned. Erza nodded, accepting his theory.
           "Then we better run." Natsu retorted. "This could be our only opportunity for months!" He whined.
After much arguing, the friends had come to the conclusion to rent a wagon pulled by two horses. Wendy tagged along after she had heard that Lucy was gone and was also essential to ensure that Natsu could stand the long ride.
Many days came and went, the team only stopping for food and the occasional bathroom break. The journey was grueling, Natsu and the others fueled themselves purely on caffeine and a worried rage.
Finally after twelve days, they reached the elegant city of Crocus, the golden sign glimmering in the early day sun. Eagerly, Natsu leapt from the wagon and bounded to the local guild, Sabertooth.
"Where is Lucy?!" He demanded, carelessly barging into the elaborately decorated guild hall.
"Natsu?" The newly instated guild leader, Sting, called, getting up from his seat at the bar counter. Without a second thought, Natsu punched the blonde dragon slayer in the jaw. "What the hell!?" Sting shouted, holding his gloved hand to his face.
"Sorry, Sting. Natsu's been on edge for a few days now." Erza apologized, Gray holding the hot headed mage back. "But, if you did happen to do something to our Lucy, I will end you." Erza warned, her facial expression darkening as she glared at the young master.
"Lucy is missing!" Wendy added, seeing Sting's confused daze.
"What happened to her?!" Sting asked, sensing the urgent atmosphere.
"Lucy was acting pretty strange after our last job, and she only came to the guild once. When we went to see if everything was alright, she was gone and she just left a note." Gray explained, elaborating on Wendy's announcement.
"What makes you guys think she came here, though?" Sting asked, crossing his arms.
"Because, we just-" Natsu said before being cut off.
"Because, Lucy really liked Crocus when we were here for the Grand Magic Games." Wendy interrupted, her voice drenched in worry.
"Well, I can tell you honestly that we haven't seen her in Crocus at all." Sting promised. "But we can try to help you." He offered.
"How?" Erza questioned.
"Rogue! Come tell Natsu and the others what you saw." He commanded, calling his dark haired friend over.
"In Azalea." Rogue said, locking eyes with Natsu. "Lucy was boarding the train to Crocus, but something was off." He explained.
"What was off?!" Erza asked, her voice frantic with worry.
"Her hand," Rogue said, "The Fairy Tail mark was gone."