A Lapse of Memory
Prologue

by Contrail

Disclaimer: Fairy Tail belongs to Hiro Mashima, and is being used without permission. No profit is being made from this story.

Juvia took a few moments to catch her breath as she carefully eyed the mage she had just defeated. The mission she had taken, to track down a mage that was responsible for a string of thefts across Fiore, had appeared to be a simple one at first. But the one responsible for the crimes, an oddly unremarkable looking woman named Lethe, had given Juvia a tougher fight than she'd expected once she'd caught up to her. Lethe's magic tampered with her memories, making Juvia forget what attack she was planning or where the other woman was located. She had had to resort to simply swamping the area around herself with a powerful wave of water traveling in all directions to finally bring Lethe down.

As Juvia approached the woman sprawled out on the now muddy ground, ready to encase her in a Water Lock so she could bring her into custody and finish the mission, Lethe's eyes slowly opened, looking up at her with bitterness. Lethe didn't make any move to continue the fight, though. She probably realized that even if she tried, she was too worn down at that point to win against Juvia. But when Juvia stretched out her hand to cast Water Lock, Lethe's mouth suddenly twisted into a mocking smirk. "You may have beaten me, but in exchange I'll take your memories of that which you hold most dear!"

Juvia felt a piercing pain in her head that sent her stumbling back a couple of steps before receding, leaving behind a vague feeling of having forgotten something, something important, but she couldn't put her finger on exactly what. Scowling down at Lethe, whose eyes were now glinting at her with malicious satisfaction at having achieved even this much revenge on the one who had successfully brought her down, Juvia quickly encased her in a globe of water. At least that way Lethe wouldn't be able to do anymore damage than she had already done.

She turned and started to make her way to the nearest town with her prisoner in tow, a troubled look lingering in her eyes. She wished to return to Fairy Tail as soon as possible, now. Hopefully her guild mates would be able to figure out just what Lethe had made her forget… and a way to restore her memory.

Author's Note: Because this prologue is really short, I'll be posting the first chapter right away. So onwards…!