Sweet Starry Shadows

A Change

Sweet Starry Shadows

Chapter 9: A Change

Confused and in utter shock, Lucy slowly turned her head to look at Sakura in bewilderment. "What's going on?" she questioned before quickly snapping her head down to look at her glowing palms.

Sakura opening and closing her mouth, she called for Ace and Yuuto to come to her side straight away. "Ace. Yuuto," she said with power where both horse-sized wolves came bolting towards their direction. Both shifting into their human forms, they stood beside their master with panicked expressions. "Alpha!" they said in sync before turning to look down to Lucy's body.

They had thought that something dangerous had happened and were on guard just in case something was going to happen to them which may put their master in a dangerous situation.

Before long, Ace sighed in relief where he chuckled and then looked to his master. "Alpha, she's just gaining a new spell," he explained where Lucy quickly pushed herself up to look at him. "Then why am I glowing?" she cried out as she was still in panic where Yuuto chuckled.

"Don't you feel something surging inside of you?" he questioned where Lucy turned her head to look at him in confusion. "Something?" she inquired.

Ace nodding, he walked to stand closer to Sakura with a toothy grin. "A connection perhaps?" he hinted where she placed a hand over her heart to only feel a sense of a comfortable presence inside of her.

With her eyes closed, she somewhat found herself smiling to the warm feeling inside of her body. It was like she knew what it was, but, she didn't at the same time. 

This sensation was warm and not too powerful in which she would feel overpowered and uncomfortable. This so-called feeling was like a light. It was like it was someone hugging her.

Suddenly, she saw a figure in her mind and she immediately looked over to Sakura in confusion and awe. "Loke?" she whispered where Sakura then widened her eyes to show that she just noticed something.

The crimson opening her mouth, she was about to say something until she heard rustling from the side. Closing her mouth to only snap her head to the direction of the noise, Ace and Yuuto got into position as she bellowed a question. "Who's there in our territory?!" she boomed. 

Her eyes observing and on high alert, she snarled when three figures came walking out of the bushes with large potato sacks in their backs. "Why are you here, thieves?" she questioned in a low voice.

"Oh, there's girls here! Sick man," the skinniest of the three chimed as he dropped his sack down onto the ground. Rolling his shoulders, he gestured them to come over to him, ignoring the fact that Lucy was still glowing but only fainter.

Sakura shifting her weight to one side, she smirked. "I'm sorry but don't you get the message from my tone? Piss off and get off our territory," she retorted before a ball of water came flying to her direction.

Shifting her weight to the other side where she closed her eyes and listened to the ball fly pass her, she slowly opened her eyes to grin at the person that had tried to attack her. "So, you use water... A great choice in an element I say, but you're so pathetic," she said before her eyes began to glow red. "So, you want to play? I'll give you some fun," she chuckled before taking a step forward her spirits following behind her with growls following.

Looking over her shoulder, she smiled at Lucy. "You, my friend, are going to be one step closer to your goal of becoming a better you. Lucy, you're in the process of getting your Star Dress," she stated before turning her head to another direction with a scowl.

Lucy turning her head to look to the same direction that had attracted the girl's attention, she strained her ears to listen. There in the distance, hidden by the thick vegetation, were loud noises of shuffling and branches breaking. There were more coming, and Sakura wasn't enjoying the trespassing.

"Try to connect with Loke's power. Grasp onto your bond and connections with each other. Do whatever you can to connect with his magic. Lucy, you're almost there. Get Star Dress! It's the best thing to show them all how wrong they were!" Sakura said before she grabbed one of the man's fist that was coming straight to her face.

With a snarl, Ace and Yuuto punched the man in the face at the same time as each other where Sakura let go of him with a frown on her face. "You criminals never know when to stop taking away other people's prized possessions," she whispered before charging towards the three with the other two behind.

The blonde being left behind, she looked down to her glowing body again and closed her eyes. "Right, if I can finish getting the Star Dress, then I'll be able to help her," she reminded herself before taking in a slow and steady breath.

"Lucy!" she heard where she opened her eyes. Finding herself not at the fields with Sakura fighting nearby, she found herself standing on a planet with stars and other planets floating around her. In front of her stood Loke, and she forced herself to smile when he was smiling to her honestly.

"So, you're going to be able to use Star Dress..." he hummed. Nodding, she looked at him and tipped her head to the side. "How come you appeared in my mind?" she inquired.

Loke smirking, he crossed his arms over his chest and nodded his head. "Ah, that's because we have a special bond that no one else has with you," he explained where she tipped her head to the other side in confusion. "A bond?" she repeated where he nodded again before sparkles were seen twinkling around him.

"That means we're fates like destined ones," he cheered before Virgo appeared in between them. 

"Hime, what he was meant to say was that you're now getting stronger magic-wise since your stamina and energy is increasing. You're now able to use Star Dress, but that must mean fighting with a stronger mindset and goal," she explained where Lucy nodded, now understanding why she's now standing here and not back at where she was before. "Hime... We know how much you've been beating yourself over Natsu. He's not worth your time if he's not going to pay attention, nor have the decency to hear you out," she continued.

The blonde sighing, she nodded her head as she placed a hand on her head. She felt the world spin under her feet as she thought back to those times in which they would smile and laugh along with her while they grew old together.

She knew that relationships change over periods of time. For Fairy Tail, she wasn't expecting that expectation to actually happen since they were so close to each other within the heart and mind.

Ever since that all happened, she really couldn't trust people that well while she's on the streets. She would always force herself to laugh and smile at the people around her, making them all believe that she was alright while she was shattering inside.

The bonds that were once there with Fairy Tail were no more. She didn't want to be with them for some reason.

"Allowing you to trust again would allow you to be able to use Star Dress. Allowing you to be accepting again would open new paths for you like before. To get Star Dress, you must be able to change back to how you were. You were almost there into getting it until that all happened in the past," Loke stated where she took a step back.

"Isn't trusting you all enough? Why do I need to smile when I'm actually hurting inside?" she questioned before hugging herself with tears forming in the corner of her eyes. "Their existence... Knowing that they're all out there somewhere makes me want to just hide my face away from their sights. They didn't care about me at all!" she cried out before Loke and Virgo's figures disappeared before appearing again.

Virgo placing her hands in front of her lap, she shook her head. "What's actually making you cry hime-sama?" she asked where the blonde looked at her with widened eyes. "What's making me cry? Virgo, you know that he's the one making me cry," she replied.

Loke gave her a sad smile. "Aren't you hurting yourself too? Even though you're still in heartbreak and traumatised by the past, you're far away from them, aren't you?" he asked before stretching his back. "We found ourselves a place that we're now calling home. There are people like Sakura just waiting to meet you out there... I know it's hard to smile with all of these memories, but we could always move on believing what we believe in," he said.

"Hime-sama... A change is needed to get Star Dress."

She looked at them and sighed. "I don't look forward to the future. I don't think I can be who I was then," she said after a long silence.

Loke smiling, he nodded his head. "Why don't you look forward to the future for us with us. Lucy... We're not asking you to be the same. We just want you to hope for the best and be positive again. We want you to express yourself more and be energetic," he clarified before looking over to Virgo and back over to her. "We just want you to be determined and proud of who you are. Lucy Heartfilia, the Happy-Go-Lucky child..." he whispered.

Lucy widening her eyes, she took a few steps back and wavered. "Happy-Go-Lucky Lucy Heartfilia," she quoted before memories of her smiling and laughing came flying into her mind.

Those memories of her wanting to be acknowledged by her father. The memories of her mother's passing where everyone mourned for her death. The memories of her travelling... The memories of her fighting and being proud of who she was - Pride... Determination... Purity... Happiness and bravery.

She whimpered before more memories came flooding into her mind.

The pain of open rejection. Running away after being fed up by them not trusting her. The memories of her crying those long nights in which Sakura would always worriedly pat her head and whisper soothing words to her ear. The memories of her burning away her manuscripts in a dark and empty living room. The memories of her crying. The memories of her spirits sadly watching her during her training. The memories of Sakura holding back her tears and turning away before looking back with a sad smile.

Those memories made her heart ache as her eyes began to sting. Covering her mouth, she slowly dropped to her knees and looked down to the ground in shock.

She thought that she was the only one hurting. She was being selfish and wasn't considering that her pain and actions were hurting others that were around her too.

She began to see future hopes flashing right in front of her eyes. All the wishes and dreams that she had wanted to happen when she was with them in past... The happiness on everyone's faces. The smiles and tears that the guild would share together as a family. Winning the Grand Magic Games again without any problems this time. The hugs and cheers when she and he would announce that they're finally dating.

Dating... Romance...

No, those weren't her hopes and dreams no more.

The images that were flashing in her mind all halted and began to crack.

That's right. They're no longer in her life. They all didn't care for her since they all jumped in conclusions without listening to reasons.

The cracks getting larger, they all shattered and broke apart. The blonde not knowing, but she began to glow brighter as Loke and Virgo smiled as they watched over her.

"Those are not my hopes and dreams of the future..." she whispered before looking up with tear-stained cheeks. Looking down to her hands, she looked at the back of them to see no Fairy Tail insignia binding her to their lives. "I shouldn't be worrying about them but me," she continued where suddenly new images flashed into her mind. "I've been hurting myself and the people close to me for so long too. I'm sorry... I'm so sorry," she whispered before new tears replaced the old.

She now finally realised it, and she wasn't going to be that person again. She left to become a better her, and Star Dress was making her realise her mistakes.