Team Natsu was falling apart.

It didn't come to a surprise to the blonde Celestial Mage. She figured something this great couldn't last forever. Everyone was going their separate ways. She noticed it as soon as Natsu and Lisanna announced their relationship to the Guild. Natsu had told Lucy that he wanted to be partners with Lisanna after their relationship was out in the open, and Lucy respected that. She understood his urge to be with his girlfriend and mate-to-be, so she held no ill-will towards the Fire Dragon Slayer.

Than Juvia and Gray got together. Lucy saw that coming as well. Gray may be a fool for his inner feelings, but she knew that he wouldn't leave Juvia hanging for much longer. Lucy knew that Gray held the same feelings for Juvia, he just didn't know how to express himself with words. He was more of a man of action then words. It helped that the blonde bombshell of Fairy Tail knew her friend well.

After that, Erza started taking more "solo" missions, but Lucy knew she was going out to meet with a certain blue-haired Heavenly Body Mage. Erza told her that she had been in love with Jellal ever since they had been children, and that love only grew since than and didn't dwindle. She had also told Lucy that she had taken solo jobs before just to meet with the blue-haired mage, so Lucy knew that those solo missions were just to go out and visit her beloved, which was fine as well. She knew how Erza must feel and accepted that as well.

Though Lucy couldn't help but feel a little bit lonely. She missed her team. Could they even be considered a team anymore? They barely did any jobs as a team. Lucy usually went solo, or she went with Wendy. They didn't break into her apartment anymore, which she was grateful for, but she did miss their presence. At first she hated how her team always invaded her privacy, but now she sort of missed having them around.

She missed Gray and Natsu's bantering. Missed the way that Erza would slam their heads together, or just growl their name in a murderous voice to get them to shut up. She missed Happy's teasing, even if they made her feel self-conscious. She knew that what most of what the stupid cat says wasn't true, but she couldn't help it. She was sure most girls were self-conscious about their image.

Lucy wanted to show off how much stronger she had gotten over the past year. She had trained and trained all year long so that she could earn her spot on Team Natsu. No matter how many times they all told her she was strong enough to be on the team, she always felt out of place. They were all out of her league, and she wanted to show them that she belonged there. So she trained almost constantly with Capricorn. She got her magic levels up, learned new spells, learned Star Dress. It was a feat for a Celestial Mage such as herself. Even her mother hadn't gone past the Star Dress stage, as Capricorn had told her. She could perform Urano Metria with ease now.

Now after all that hard work of proving herself to be on the strongest team in the Guild, they were drifting apart. She felt a little deflated. How could a girl not? All of her best friends were going their other ways and leaving her behind.

At least, that's what it felt like. She felt her heart shattering into a million pieces as she watched her friends go out without her. As if she was just a piece of paper that could be thrown away. Which, she knew that wasn't true. She knew she was being spiteful, and that they weren't entitled to staying with her. It was why she kept to herself more. Sure, she still hung out with Wendy and Levy. She talked to Mira whenever she was at the bar.

She didn't go out of her way to talk to people anymore.

What was the point if they were just going to leave her in the end?

It was why she kept herself so closed off. She still talked to Mira and Levy, and she sometimes chatted with Gajeel when he was sitting at their table but she didn't want to get closer to anyone else. Everyone else that she ever got close to always went their separate ways from her. She didn't want to go through all that trouble in getting to know someone, just to have them walk out of her life like everyone else did.

Even if she didn't want to be alone.

Lucy sighed as she took a few sips from her milkshake, glancing around the Guild. She felt her heart shattering into a million pieces every day. It just got worse and worse, and it started when she had to sacrifice Aquarius to save her friends. The Guild still didn't know about that, and she hoped that it stayed that way. She didn't want them feeling guilty over something they couldn't have changed anyways. No matter what her Spirit friends said, it was still her fault that she had to sacrifice her friend in any way. If she had been stronger, if she had been quicker than it could have been avoided.

However, you can't change the past. No matter how much you dwell on the situation. No matter how much you want to.

Things happen for a reason. Lucy has to believe that everything that has happened thus far, will change for the better.

That she will get her own happy ever after.

So yeah, this happened. I really like it, and I rewrote the ending like three different times to make sure that it flowed correctly. This is going to be a FreLu, BixLu or a LaLu - it just depends on where my fingers take me, or I might make a poll at the end if I can't figure out who I want her to end with. It'll probably end up being a LaLu because I just ADORE that ship, but we'll see what happens when it writes itself.

I needed something else to write, and I was going to work on "Coping Mechanism", my RoLu that I have planned but this story took over and demanded to be written, so here we are. I hope you enjoyed this little introduction of sorts! Leave a review, favorite/follow if you liked it. :) Coping Mechanism may still come because I have this nack for writing multiple things at a time, or just going back and forth between them so that I don't loose my muse.

This wasn't even the other fanfic that I wanted to write, lol. I had another idea planned and wanted to write that, but things change I suppose. Nothing I can do to change that. Sorry about my babbling, but yeah. XD

~yorusorra

P.S. This may get a title change. This was just the first thing that came to mind when I was working on the fanfic. :)