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Five years. It had been five years. Five years since the Systar System and Apocalypseburg united. Five years since peace was made. Five years since Emmet died- no disappeared. He disappeared. He didn't die. No body was ever found.
He was still out there. He had to be.
At least that's what Lucy used to think. They all used to. She remembered when they all went searching for Emmet. It was the only thing they focused on. They had to get their friend back. He went to save them, so they'll go to the same for him.
Batman gave up first. It had only been two weeks in. It wasn't mostly his fault, however, he had his new kingly duties to attend to. He still gave up, and told the others it was a lost cause. Emmet was gone. They weren't going to find him.
Metalbeard was next. He couldn't stay in space any longer. It was only a month in. He told her Emmet couldn't survive being stuck in space for that long. If they kept searching they would only find his remains.
Benny left after Metalbeard. He lasted longer, it had been five months. He loved space, but the search had been taking its toll. He couldn't do it anymore. He said he had to move on, he couldn't keep believing Emmet was still out there. It had been too long.
Unikitty lasted the most out of her closest friends. She stayed for a whole year. A whole year, but she couldn't stay. When Unikitty lost all hope, she should've gone with her. She still kept pushing forward. She had to, she had to find Emmet.
She came back from one of her trips one time. They had built a statue to memorialize Emmet. Bronze, with little silver strips for the safety tape. The face was exactly how she remembered it. His name engraved onto the bottom. Wasn't that nice?
No. No it wasn't he wasn't dead.
They invited her to the funeral. She refused to show up.
Year two was when things got really tough. Two years he had been gone. Not a single clue to his whereabouts were found. Lucy was really desperate. She needed to find something, anything. A sign. Please let there be a sign. She looked through the asteroid field again and again. There had to be something else. There had to be a clue. He was out there somewhere.
He wasn't dead, she knew he wasn't dead.
They all told her it was hopeless. She was living in a fantasy, a dream. They were all wrong. She spent so much time out in space. Constantly looking in the same spots, constantly asking travelers if they had seen anything. Nothing ever came up. She would find him. She had to find him. She was going to find him.
Year three was when she found herself going out less and less. What was the point? She hadn't found anything in three years. What would she find now? Instead of finding herself in space she found herself wandering. There was no destination, but she always found herself ending up in the same place. The statue. She started to bring flowers. She started to talk to the statue. It brought her comfort, to feel some sort of connection to him.
He might be dead. He could be dead.
Hopefully when he came back he wouldn't mind the flowers she planted for him. He would've thought it was beautiful. No. He would think it's beautiful.
Year four was the worst one. She finally stopped her space travels altogether at year four. They had all moved on, and she was just starting to realize the horrific reality. She used to look at the stars in wonder. Now she refused to ever look up. It was only a reminder. A very painful reminder. She used to look up at the stars with him. Now there they held his final resting place. Wherever that was.
Lucy hoped that wherever Emmet was he was at peace.
He might've been alive. He could've been alive.
But he wasn't.
Year five was when she moved on. Not fully. She would never fully move on, but she now accepted what had happened. Emmet was gone. She was never going to see him again, but at least she still has the memories of him. She got to meet him. He got to be a part of her life.
The grass shook softly in the wind. Multiple vibrant flowers consisting of whites, yellows, pinks, and purples scattered the landscape. His statue stood on the top of the hill. Lucy looked down at the potted plant in her hands. It wasn't a flower like all of the others she brought before. It resembled a plant Emmet used to have. It resembled Planty.
It wasn't the original Planty. It never would be. Planty was gone, just like Emmet. Her steps were hesitant as she walked up the hill.
He wasn't alive. Lucy knew he wasn't.
Lucy sat the plant down next to the pedestal. Her fingers dragged across the engraved letters. Emmet himself may have been gone, but his memory was alive. His memory would be alive for possibly many years to come. Her memory of him would forever be alive for as long as she lived. Did she wish things were different? Always. She always would.
She wished that she could go back in time, and tell Emmet how amazing he is. She wished she never took Emmet for granted. She wished she could've saved Emmet before it was too late. She wished she could hear his voice again, and to hold his hand. She wished he was here with her, and not with a statue that resembled him. She wished she could've said goodbye.
But wishing for something to happen would never make it true. No matter how painful the truth was there was no changing it. She could think of all of the what ifs but nothing would change. All she could do now is move forward. It's what Emmet would've wanted for her.
She'd always miss him, but as her life went on the pain would slowly become less and less. It would never go away, it never does. But one day she'd look back on Emmet and his impact on her life with fondness and not sadness. The memories would fill her with happiness instead of sorrow. That day was not today. Lucy looked up to the statue's face. Her vision was blurry as the tears rolled down her face. She choked on a sob, and dropped to her knees.
Five years. It had been five years. To everyone else it was a celebration. The day peace was made. To Lucy it would only ever be a reminder. A cruel reminder that her special best friend never made it to the Systar System. That he was only a faint memory of the past.
That Emmet Brickowski was dead. He was never coming back.