Erased

By ashley-myth

Prologue

"If I never met you, I wouldn't like you. If I didn't like you, I wouldn't love you. If I didn't love you, I wouldn't miss you. But I did, I do, and I will."

"Natsu! Natsu!" She screamed out his name, looking wildly around the battleground for the familiar pink hair.

The faces of all her Nakama, bloody and broken, flashed at her, but not once did she spot his dark, loving eyes.

"Natsu!" She had to find him. She had to tell him before it happened. Before it was too late.

Tears fell down her cheeks as she scanned the now bloody field, her guildmates and friends fighting. Fighting for her.

One by one, they all gradually fell down, their eyes wide with shock and grief because they knew. They knew they couldn't win.

Lucy had always known, really. They had been greatly outnumbered, and knowing they hadn't stood a chance, Lucy tried to tell her Nakama to retreat and run away. But Fairy Tail's pride forced them to continue.

And so she made the decision that her Nakama would hate her for. But it was that decision that would save everyone. That would bring back Master and Mira and Erza and all the others who had also begun to die.

But she had to find him. She had to tell him.

Taking a deep breath as she opened her mouth wide, she screamed out his name as loud as she could. Ignoring her burning throat, Lucy glanced around once more, exchanging concerning looks with all of her dying friends.

She wanted to tell them all. To tell them that everything would be alright. But there was no time- she had to hurry!

Making a bee-line to the main fight, Lucy shoved through all the men and women, friends and foe alike, fighting for their lives. Her eyes caught the sight of a struggling Levy standing over a dead Gajeel. Tears poured from her eyes, as she hurriedly read out protective spells.

"Gajeel," Lucy heard Levy choke out, "I'll protect you. It's my turn now."

Tears once again cascaded from Lucy's bloodshot eyes. The urge to help Levy, to comfort her, was so great that she almost ran over there and killed the three bulky men surrounding her.

But she knew that she couldn't. The time was running out.

Natsu. She had to find Natsu.

Forcing herself to look away from her bestfriend, Lucy continued running, screaming his name over and over again.

A large drop of rain landed on the crown of her head, mixing with the blood that covered her entire body.

She looked up, terrified, as the rain grew much heavier. In a matter of seconds, it was a downpour, soaking her to the bone.

The first sign. She didn't have much longer.

Where was he? She couldn't see him. What if she couldn't find him? What it she was too late?

She shuddered, just the thought of not saying goodbye breaking her heart in half.

Just as she began to speed up into a sprint, a warm hand caught her wrist, and yanked her to a sudden stop. She whirled around, her heart pounding with adrenaline.

And then, chocolate eyes met onyx. "Natsu."

Tears spilled over onto his cheeks as he gently pulled her into his arms. She could practically feel the relief that he radiated, and she was almost positive he could feel the same.

"Lucy. Lucy, I'm so glad you're okay. I was so scared... Everyone... Everyone's dying."

She felt a pang in her heart. I'm so glad you're okay. If only he knew that she was anything but that.

She clutched onto his wet and bloody shirt desperately, sadness overwhelming her. In less than an hour, Fairy Tail would be just like it used to be.

Without her.

"Natsu," She sobbed, squeezing her eyes shut. "Natsu, I'm so sorry! I'm so, so sorry..."

He held her tighter, burying his face in the crook of her neck as he breathed in her scent. "I told you," he whispered mournfully, "None of this is your fault."

"I made the deal!" She blurted, biting her lip so hard it drew blood.

Instantly, Natsu froze, his muscles tensing. Pretending he had heard her wrong, he grunted, "What?"

"I'm sorry. I'm so sorry!" She wailed and as if the urgency in her voice made him believe, he fell to the ground slowly, dragging her onto his lap.

Shaking violently, Natsu could feel the tears streaming down his cheeks. "Lucy. How could you?" He chocked, "What... What are we going to do... without you?"

"I''m so sorry," She whispered sadly, embracing him as she hid her face in his chest. This was all her fault. But his grief wouldn't last long. He would be as cheerful as ever soon enough.

"... How long?" He demanded, and she could hear the stubbornness in his voice. He thought he could save her. He thought she wanted to be saved.

"Less than five minutes, I'm guessing," She sighed, knowing that he was wrong and that there was nothing that could be done.

But Fairy Tail was going to be safe, and that was all that mattered.

He let out another sob. "Oh God!"

She breathed out his name softly, soaking in his warmth. This would be the last time she would be held by him.

Hell, this would be that last time she was held period.

As if he heard the resignation in her voice, Natsu clutched onto her tightly. "No! NO! I won't let you disappear, Lucy. I won't."

She smiled sorrowfully, shaking her head in slight amusement. "I love you, Natsu. Thank you. For everything."

Taking her head in his large hands, he brought her face to his, kissing her lips one, two, three times. "Lucy," he murmured through his tears, "Lucy, Lucy, Lucy."

She let out a bitter laugh, knowing exactly what he was trying to do. "It won't work, Natsu."

"It will. It has to."

"It can't."

He wailed, leaning over her as he sobbed into her chest. "I'll save you, Lucy."

She stroked his unruly hair gently, her eyes glancing around at the fighting surrounding them. Her Nakama's bloody corpses covered the dark red grass.

Her Nakama... Were dead because of her.

But not for long. No, she would fix the damage that had been done. She would save them. She would save all of them.

Though, not without a cost. Nothing could ever be done without a cost.

"No," she said softly, "You won't."

"I swear I will."

She shook her head woefully. "You won't remember me."

He shakes with a mixture of insane laughter and grief. "How could I possible forget you? I'll always remember you, Lucy."

Suddenly, she felt her chest tighten considerably, both her heart and head aching painfully.

It was sign number two.

She inhaled deeply, covering up her pain. "How can you remember something that never existed, Natsu?"

He gripped her arms tightly, almost too tightly. "You did exist, Lucy! You are existing. You... Changed Fairy Tail. You changed me."

A large piece of her heart shattered at his words, and tears once again started to fall down her face. "I'm so sorry! I love you, Natsu. I love you so much."

"God," he moaned, slapping his chest with an annoyance. "I love you, too, Lucy. So much it hurts... My head. My heart. They're pounding. Please. Please don't leave me."

"It's because of our memories," she whispered, "They're dissolving."

His grip on her immediately tightened. "NO!" He roared, the fire within him yearning to be released. "NO, I won't let them . I'll remember you, Lucy! I'll save you! I swear I will."

The memories, all of their memories together, had already begun vanishing, however, starting with day number one.

The third and final step was starting.

Knowing what that meant, Lucy forced herself to look at her body, and even though she had been expecting her skin to be transparent, she gasped in shock anyway.

He leaned away from her slightly, hesitantly looking for why she had gasped, and at the sight of her see-through skin, fresh tears escaped his red eyes. "L-Lucy..."

Her heart throbbed painfully. "Natsu, if you do remember... me, please help them... rem-ember also... and don't... ever..."

Lucy never got to finish the words she knew were impossible though, for at that moment her lips had vanished along with most of her body.

"L-Lucy?" He whimpered. "Lucy, don't go..."

Her eyes fluttered shut briefly, and she knew this would be her last moment alive.

"LUCY!" He yelled, "LUCY, come back! Come back to me!"

She caught his eye, wishing to tell him how much she loved him, trying to convey her emotion telepathically.

"Lucy, please!" He sobbed, tears streaming down his cut up cheeks.

I'm so sorry, Natsu.

Lucy's vision began to falter, everything but Natsu's anguished face disappearing. She watched as his mouth formed words her ears could no longer hear.

You can't, Natsu. No one can save me.

If she had had a heart, Lucy knew it would be breaking, but for some reason... She couldn't feel her chest.

I love you, Natsu.

Big, dark spots started to cloud the only sight she had, until she was left completely blind.

Natsu.

Terrified, Lucy tried to reach out with her hand, only to realize her entire body was gone. She wasn't human anymore. She was just a lost soul, helpless and afraid.

She knew she wasn't with him anymore. She couldn't feel his presence or smell the scent of blood and death. The feeling of being alone suppressed her, the total emptiness surrounding her mind.

Lucy could feel hands, however, cold and lifeless fingers digging through her brain, searching for everything she held dear to her.

The last words that she had tried to tell Natsu echoed in her mind over and over again, dodging the hands and she clung to them as all her memories and feelings were torn from her one by one.

Don't ever stop loving me.

Well, that was weird, eh?

Haha, was it short? I can't really tell 'cause I'm using Text Edit. Which sucks, by the way.

Uhmm... I had something to say... But I totally just forgot.

Whatever.

I deleted all my other stories, guys! Most of them, anyway. Only the ones that had endings that didn't made sense.

See, I learned an important lesson recently. And now, Ima share that lesson with you. If you write a story, make sure that every character has a good reason for every action they make.

There. You're welcome. I just saved you a lot of grief. (:

Review?

xxx