So, this is a request from @ccrispy asking me to write a story for my favorite artwork of hers! And lemme tell you, it was so hard to choose one because ccrispy is my fav artist on tumblr so I love literally everything she posts lmao. BUT! I have to say that this one is my favorite because it literally made me CRY seeing it the first time! So, without further ado, here it is! :D
Also, I really wanted to post a link to her post but I can’t find it on my laptop for some reason. So I’m sorry if the pictures are out of scale or something! I’ll try to add another link using mobile after I post this!
Summary: Saying goodbye hurts, especially when it’s to one of your closest friends.
All that could be heard were the muffled sobs as the three walked to their destination. Nobody said a word, their throats tight and constricted from all of their crying. Their steps were slow, as if trying to postpone the inevitable, which in truth they might have subconsciously doing. They wanted to turn around. They wanted to go home and laugh, tease each other, and continue their never-ending adventure.
Not when Happy had a mission.
After the battle with Zeref and Acnologia, Lucy, Natsu, and Happy had found peace in their lives. They went on jobs together, messed up Lucy’s apartment together, and shared each day like it was their last. They had been through so much over the past couple of years, they very much needed the serenity.
Not long after, however, two strange people entered the guildhall. One was a girl with blonde hair, lighter than Lucy’s and not as golden. It fell in waves, a little bit past her shoulders. Her eyes were a beautiful shade of blue, similar to Mira’s. Next to her was a boy with black hair, not unlike Gray’s. His eyes were dark and slanted. There was a small bandage over his cheek.
Before anyone could speak, they both dropped to their knees and bowed.
“Please,” the girl spoke. Her voice was strained, cracking as if she had been crying recently. “We… We need your help.”
Everyone in the guild shared a look of concern. The one who spoke next was none other than Natsu, who had walked closer to the strange pair.
“Then you came to the right place!” he said, giving them a wide grin in hopes of lightening the mood. “Fairy Tail never backs down from a job!”
“What is it you need?” Erza chimed in.
“We need your help,” the strange girl answered, her gaze still glued to the floor. “Our world- or worlds, I should say- is in danger of destruction.”
“What do you mean by worlds? Who are you people?”
“My name is Rebecca, and this is Shiki. We come from a different planet in another dimension of space.”
“A different dimension of space?” Lucy repeated, her mouth opened wide. “Is this like Edolas again?”
“I don’t think so,” Makarov answered. “Edolas was another world, but it was connected to ours. If their world is in a different pocket of space, then it would be different entirely, is that correct?”
Rebecca nodded. “There are multiple universes. We come from the Sakura Cosmos. I know it may be hard to believe but-”
“After everything all of us have been through, there’s really not much that’s hard to believe,” Natsu interrupted, giving the girl a grin. “So, what do you need us to do? Head over there?”
“Well… it’s not that simple. We can only take one of you. Coming from different universes, our bodies are made up of different materials. Ours are made up of something called ether, while yours are made up of something foreign to us. In order to get here, one of our friends back home had to create these devices that are inserted into our bodies and converts our ether into what is known as magical power over here. The parts needed to make them are rare in our world, so he could only make enough to bring back one person.”
“Just one?” Lucy asked, a frown spreading over her face.
“Don’t worry, Lucy,” Natsu said, nudging the girl and flashing her a reassuring grin. “I’ll go. And I’ll be back before you know it.”
“Actually…” Rebecca started, biting her lower lip. “There’s a specific person that we came for.”
Rebecca glanced behind Natsu, pointing at the blue exceed behind him.
The cat’s eyes widened. Pointing at himself, he asked, “Me?”
“Yes. I used to have a companion like you,” Rebecca started, her voice cracking. Her eyes pricked with tears, but she blinked them back. Now wasn’t the time to cry. She had to save the world. “But, umm… He didn’t make it in our last battle.”
Lucy’s hands flew to her mouth. It was that bad over there? Sure, she’d had more than a few close calls with her friends, but she’d never had any of them actually die.
“You look and sound just like the Happy from my own world,” Rebecca said with a sad smile. “And in order to use my powers, I need Happy. We’re running low on fighters, I can’t be put on the sidelines now.”
“So Happy will help you use your powers?” Erza asked. “How?”
“Well, once we insert the conversion device into Happy, his body will have ether that is compatible with my own. He will be able to transform his body into my weapon. That is, if he chooses to come with us.”
Everyone turned towards the cat in question. He shrugged.
“Sure. Why not?” Happy said with a grin.
Shiki frowned, shaking his head. “You should take some time to think about it first.”
“Huh? Why? All I’m doing there is helping you win and then coming back, right?”
“It’s not that simple,” Rebecca said, her frown growing. “While having you around will help our efforts, it won’t change the tide of the battle overnight. It’s a long and dangerous journey. In fact… It could take up to years.”
“Years!?” Lucy repeated. “But… But Happy…”
Natsu’s eyes were wide, his stomach filled with dread. The thought of going without one of his best friends for so long made him sick. Happy had been there for him through everything. He was there to help look for Igneel, there when Igneel had died, and was there to help with Zeref. Happy was his partner in crime, his confidant.
Happy frowned, glancing up at Natsu. It was clear that the boy wasn’t processing the information well.
“I’m sorry,” Happy said, turning back towards Rebecca and Shiki. “I don’t think I can be away that long. This is my home, and all of my friends are here…”
Rebecca nodded, but she couldn’t fight the tears that slipped down her cheeks. Happy was her only hope, and while she understood completely, it was devasting to know that he wasn’t going to help.
“We understand,” Shiki said. “Thank you for hearing us out.” He picked Rebecca up from the floor and went to lead her out of the guild when Natsu spoke.
“Wait,” he said, swallowing thickly. He crouched in front of Happy, ruffling his fur. “Don’t worry about me, buddy.”
“But-!” the cat started, only to be interrupted.
“I’m not gonna force you to go or anything, but these people need your help. I’m not gonna selfishly keep you here either. We’re Fairy Tail wizards, we don’t give up on jobs that we accept, right?”
Happy nodded, tears welling in his eyes. “A-Aye…” Before he could get discouraged and change his mind, he turned back towards the two. “I’ll go with you.”
After that, they were given one last day to hang out together. Many tears were shed that night, knowing that it would be their last time seeing each other for a while. Still, they made the best they could out of it.
But now that the fateful day was upon them, their feet felt like bricks and sorrow was heavy in their hearts. As selfish as it was, they didn’t want to let Happy go. They wanted him to stay with the guild, laughing, eating fish, and trying to win Charle’s heart.
Reaching Hargeon, the place they were told to meet up with Rebecca and Shiki, their sorrow intensified. This was the place Natsu and Happy had met Lucy. It held wonderful memories for them, as it was the beginning of their adventure. Ironically, it was also the end of it as well.
Soon enough, they could make out Rebecca and Shiki standing by the pier. A large, metallic ship rested in the water behind them. It was clear it wasn’t an ordinary ship, but they didn’t care about that at the moment.
Reaching the pair, the trio started their goodbyes.
Lucy watched, her heart sinking in her chest as Natsu crouched beside Happy, scooping him into his arms in a tight hug, his hand cupping the back of the exceed’s head. Tears washed over his face and sunk into Happy’s fur. The two cried together, uncaring of who saw.
Lucy crouched beside them, poking the back of Happy’s head. Her eyes stung with tears and her throat was dry. She hadn’t been able to stop crying since yesterday. Still, she wanted to be strong for her friend.
Forcing a smile to her face, Lucy held her arms out in front of her. Happy choked back a sob, launching himself into her chest for a final hug. No longer able to hold it in any longer, Lucy broke down, her cries loud enough to gain the attention of people passing by. She wept and wept, expecting her tears to run out eventually, but they didn’t.
It seemed Happy wasn’t faring any better, his claws digging into her sides as he cried. How many times had they hugged like this before? It was too much to count.
Trying to regain control of herself, Lucy pulled away.
A shaky smile spread over her face. “Be good, okay? D-Don’t give these guys too much trouble.”
Happy nodded, burying his face into her chest again. They held onto each other for a few more minutes, but their time was short. Happy had to go soon, and Lucy knew that his next goodbye meant even more.
Gently carrying Happy, Lucy handed him to Natsu. Without saying a word, the boy held Happy close to his chest. He wanted to say goodbye, but he couldn’t speak. The words wouldn’t come to him and his throat felt like it was getting tighter by the second. He felt sick to his stomach, so sad that he thought he might throw up. The only other times he’d been this sad was when he saw Igneel die or when he thought Lucy had died.
Still, he needed to be optimistic. He knew Happy better than anyone, and if he continued to act like this, then Happy would change his mind. And even though a large part of Natsu wished he would, he knew that there were people that needed him. People were dying, even if he couldn’t see it happening with his own two eyes. The thought alone was to galvanize him to speak.
“It’s okay, buddy,” he started, his voice just above a whisper. It was hoarse, cracking under the pressure of his emotions. “I trust them.”
“A-Aye,” Happy replied, his voice muffled as his face was buried in Natsu’s scarf.
They stayed like that in silence, as if scared that their time together would end if one of them spoke. Knowing that their time together was coming to an end soon, Lucy hugged them both tightly.
“I love you, Happy,” she whispered, unable to speak any louder. “Be safe, got it? You make sure that you come back to us.”
“Aye,” Happy replied with a nod.
Natsu smoothed a hand over the cat’s head one more time before pulling away from the hug. He knew that he needed to be the one to act, for if he didn’t, nobody else would. He had to be strong.
“C'mon, buddy. It’s time for you to go. A new journey for you begins,” he said, wiping away his tears and smiling at his friend. His lips quivered, and the smile didn’t reach his eyes, but it was enough to reassure the cat that what he was doing was the right thing to do.
Shiki picked up Happy, admittedly feeling guilty for being the one to take him away from such a loving family. He loved making new friends, but doing it like this wasn’t satisfying. His heart broke for the three of them just watching them say goodbye.
“Don’t worry, we’ll take care of him,” Rebecca told Lucy, a smile on her face in hopes of cheering the other girl up.
Lucy gave a wet smile in return, tears streaming down her face. “I’m sure of that.”
Natsu swallowed thickly, ruffling his hand through Happy’s fur one more time. This was it. This was goodbye.
“So long, Happy,” he choked out. “I’ll see you soon.”
“Aye,” the exceed replied with a nod. “Soon.”
With that, Rebecca, Shiki, and Happy headed towards the ship, ready to start their new adventure.
The weight of Natsu’s emotions at the sight of Happy’s retreating form brought him crashing to his knees and clutching his scarf for support. His breathing was staggered, unable to be calmed even as Lucy wrapped her arms around him. Together, the two cried, knowing that their lives weren’t going to be the same without Happy there with them. The three of them were the original Team Natsu. Until Happy returned, there was always going to be a hole in their hearts.
But they had faith in their friend. Happy was a strong cat, stronger than he looked. They knew that he would help Rebecca and Shiki, just as he had helped them. Then, he would return.
“H-Happy!” Natsu cried out.
Happy turned around to find Natsu being held in Lucy’s arms. The boy’s body trembled as he brought a shaky hand into the air. Pointing his index finger and thumb out, he gave the cat Fairy Tail’s signature salute. Lucy smiled through her tears, raising her hand and doing the same.
For the first time that day, Happy smiled back at them, finally feeling ready to follow through with his decision. Raising his paw in the air, he mirrored their form. With that, he boarded the ship with the others, not turning around again to check on them. He knew that they were distraught. He was too. But he was going to see them again, he’d make sure of it.
Because even if they couldn’t find where he was, they would always be looking his way, just as he would with them.