Hey! WonderBangx3 is back and this time I have a songfic! I was listening to a Korean song, 'Hello' by Huh Gak, who's a solo artist. I was inspired to write a one-shot after listening to the song a few times, and decided to write a NaLu fanfic! This is my first songfic and I hope that you enjoy it!
Natsu was glad that he was finally able to have some quality time alone from the guild with Lucy. They had been on missions the whole month, leaving them no time to themselves. Erza was finally lenient enough to give them one week off, and they were leaving again after.
He was confused though. Throughout the whole time they were on those missions, Lucy tried—or at least he thought so—to avoid him. She would try to pair with Gray or Erza or even Happy if they had to split into two. The thought of Lucy breaking up with him saddened him. Ever since they got together, it was the happiest for him. He was so sure that he didn't do anything wrong for Lucy to behave this way but then again, he was Natsu. Almost everything went wrong.
Natsu was determined to not let those thoughts get into his head again. This was the first time in a month that he got to spend time alone with his Lucy. Yes, his Lucy, and he wasn't ashamed of saying it.
As a slight gust of wind came, Lucy stood up, her hair blowing. She looked at Natsu with those beautiful chocolate-brown eyes that always made his heartbeat go faster. This time, he noticed they were filled with sadness and regret.
She dusted her skirt, getting rid of any grass, while giving him a sad smile. He, of course, was worried for what was going to happen next and jumped up, staring into her dreamy eyes. "What's wrong, Lucy?"
"Natsu… I just want you to know before I say anything that this was an especially hard decision to make. One of the hardest that I've ever made, I think," Lucy said, avoiding his eyes. His heart skipped a beat, worrying about what she was going to say next. "I-I need some time away from you and the guild."
Natsu's eyes widened and before Lucy could walk away from him, he caught her arm. "Why? What did I do?"
She said nothing; she just gave him a sad smile and gazed past him. Lucy slowly walked towards Natsu, giving him a hug and whispering a soft "I'll miss you" before walking back to her apartment.
For the first time, he cried. For the first time since he could recall, Natsu Dragneel, the powerful Salamander of Fairy Tail, cried. His tears slowly formed in his eyes and as they started spilling out, he slumped against the nearest tree. He couldn't believe that the first girl he had ever laid eyes on left, just like that.
"Why… Lucy?" he softly cried out.
We can't break up- It's too early for separation for us
You can't just leave me like this
There's so much that I didn't say yet
Please don't leave me like this
Mirajane sighed. It had only been two days since Natsu came back to the guild with puffy red eyes, announcing that Lucy left him and the guild. She must have had a reason to leave, she thought. But then again, no one knew what she was feeling inside but Natsu. And maybe even she didn't tell Natsu what she truly felt inside.
"I can't believe it's only been two days," Levy said, sliding into the chair beside the one Lucy always sat on. She gazed at the seat, as if it could connect her to her celestial mage friend. Her pale fingers ran over the chocolate stain that Lucy once made and never came off.
"He's a wreck."
Levy didn't have to ask Mirajane who she was talking about because everyone in the guild knew. Only two days gone and Natsu was acting like it was the end of the world. Really, she couldn't blame him. The best days of his life were with Lucy and it became even better when they were together. Her blond-haired friend just didn't seem like the type to break someone's heart and run off like that.
Natsu trudged towards the bar the two girls were at and he took a seat furthest from where Levy sat. She understood why though. Lucy's scent still lingered around that seat, and although it was faint, it always made Natsu go even more depressed than he already was. Mirajane immediately slid a glass of her own Bloody Caesar. He gazed at the reflection, looking at the disgusting person in that reflection. Is this how I am now? I, the Great Natsu Dragneel, the Salamander of Fairy Tail, have become a mess because of one girl?
Because it's you, I'm-
Because it was you, I-
I can't go on like this
The reason I live is only you
Please don't leave me
"Natsu!"
The salmon-haired boy stopped walking and turned around to find his Lucy running full-speed towards him. Yes, his Lucy. He wasn't afraid to call her his outside of the guild anymore and she wasn't ashamed of it either. After all, being the girlfriend of the Salamander was a thrill in her life. Natsu's eyes slowly came back to life and his smile spread across his face. Lucy heaved a great sigh of relief. It was great to have him being him again.
"Don't let those words get to you," Lucy whispered into his ears as they hugged. Gray can be such an idiot as times, she thought. "He just said those words in a moment where he didn't realize it. He never meant to say that to you, Natsu."
He lifted his head and cheekily grinned. "Thanks Luce."
Natsu didn't win against her again. How many times would he have to fight the Titania before he would able to beat her? It was driving him mad but at the same time, losing to Erza was just another excuse to challenge her again.
"Are you alright?" Lucy softly asked. Happy, who was also in the room, didn't hear, but Natsu heard. He looked up to see worry filled in her eyes. Never had he acted this way before after losing to the ex-quipping mage.
He nodded. "I feel bad for how I acted earlier to you Lucy." He looked into her eyes and kissed her forehead.
Lucy hugged him. "It's okay," she whispered so that only Natsu would hear her. "I still love you, no matter how you treat me."
I love you too, he thought as he gave Lucy a small peck on the lips.
...
Natsu looked at the window to Lucy's old apartment. Apparently, she had been planning to leave the guild for a long time. He found that out when he jumped into Lucy's room through the window to find himself getting slapped on the face and getting kicked out by a stranger. He tried to get a whiff of Lucy's vanilla scent, but no luck. The only places that her scent still lingered were at the guild and at his place.
You are my love, my love that I long for
You're the person that used to love me
Now I can't touch you but
Will you long for me as much as I long for you?
The person that I loved crazily, hello hello
Two months had passed since Lucy left.
Gray watched his long-time rival sit at the guild's window, doing nothing. Natsu was a total mess. He glanced at the red-head beside him, calmly eating her cake. He knew what was on her mind though. They were both thinking about the same things—Natsu and his current state. In their time at being the guild, they both had never seen their teammate act that way. It was just so not Natsu-like.
"Gray." He slightly jumped at the sound of Erza's soft, but firm voice. "I think it's time we go on a mission, with Natsu this time. Moping around the guild isn't going to do us anything and it won't do him any good either." She finished the last bits of her strawberry cake and walked up towards the request board.
When the ex-quipping mage got up from her seat, the ice mage put his attention on the fire dragon slayer. Two minutes later, the red-head slammed a thin, brown sheet of paper in front of him.
"That's our mission."
Gray looked at the request. A few days ago, a wandering mage arrived at our little town, looking for something known as the Curiation Seed. It is the only known cure for the rare sickness that develops in celestial and rune mages as they reach the age of 20. The only way to retrieve it is magic. No one in our town has magic and the mage is too weak to do anything. So we're requesting for a small group, maybe three or four mages, due to the rough climate changes around that seed, to recover that seed to heal our patient. Please hurry, because the mage doesn't have that much time left. He looked at their payment and widened his eyes. "500,000 jewels just to retrieve one little seed?"
Erza crossed her arms, nodding. "It sounds like a pretty easy task to do, if we don't destroy half of the town or something." She took up a sip from her strawberry juice and walked up to Natsu, who was still staring out the guild's window. "And hopefully, this mage hasn't succumbed to the sickness yet," she quietly added to herself.
Because I loved you, I'm-
Because I really loved you, I'm-
Suffering to the point of death, to the point of death
Can you see me dying and not alive?
Please come back to me
Natsu, Erza, Gray and Happy spotted a sign saying Zirus Town and they walked on ahead, eager to complete their first job in two months. If someone were to actually describe how Team Natsu, minus Lucy, looked like, it was as if two parents were walking with their disabled and depressed pink-haired boy, with a blue cat flying and talking around them.
"Natsu…" Happy started. Gray looked at him and shook his head. Natsu was too out of it to hear anything Happy was going to say, so why waste the poor Exceed's breath?
"Look." Erza stopped in her tracks and pointed an armor-covered arm in front of her. "Zirus Town."
"It looks…"
"Empty," Gray filled in for Happy. "It looks like an empty town, but not a ghost town. Why would a mage even travel here?"
"Don't forget Gray. It was because some special plant, Curiation Seed, grows somewhere around this village and that plant is the only cure to the mage's sickness." Erza glared at Gray, sending him into his salutation form.
"Yes, ma'am!"
...
"Are you three the mages that Fairy Tail sent? I'm Mr. Snorfly." The mayor the town was a little short, shorter than an average ten-year old boy. He was a bit chubby, with pudgy little fingers that held a cigar and a bald head. He had these thick-rimmed glasses that made Happy want to laugh at him and his cheeks were so rosy that the team thought he had blush on. His suit was white with no stains or whatsoever on it. It clearly told the mages that, despite it being 3pm in the afternoon, this mayor was short but a neat freak.
Team Natsu nodded. "Four mages, actually. I'm also a mage!" Happy exclaimed.
"I'm Erza." She stuck out her hand for the mayor to shake. After three seconds of no action, she quickly brought it to her side, embarrassed. Erza quickly introduced the other three members so that they could get on with the mission.
...
Lucy lay in her hospital bed. She stared at the white ceiling, and then looked around the white room. It made her sick. All her life, one thing listed on her top 10 list of things she hated was hospitals and their rooms, decorated so plainly. Then another thing she always hated was going to the doctor. But it wasn't like she could complain now. It was a matter of life or death, if those mages who accepted the job ever got here. She knew that they were from Fairy Tail, for the chief of the town informed her when Makarov called from the couldn't help but wonder who the mages were. Was it Natsu and them? Her eyes became blurry at the thought of Natsu.
There was a sudden poof! and Loke and Virgo suddenly appeared at the right of Lucy. She looked at them questioningly. She then spoke in such a weak and soft voice that the two stellar spirits had to lean in. "You're not using my magic, right?"
The two spirits shook their head. When they lifted their heads, Lucy saw the sadness in their eyes. Although Virgo seemed to always have a poker face on, Lucy knew what Virgo felt inside. Loke was her closest spirit so she seemed to always know what he was thinking. "Don't worry. The mages should be here soon."
...
"You see, the mage who arrived at our town was very sick at that time. Although she didn't show it, she purposely left everything and everyone precious to her," the mayor explained, cigar in one hand, the other making strange gestures.
"Why did he leave?" Natsu asked, a bit better now that he arrived at the location.
"The mage is a female, mind you." The mayor hesitated a bit before answering Natsu's question. "The mage said that the sickness was so strong that it could destroy those close to her."
The Fairy Tail mages stopped in their tracks. "Wait. Destroy them… how?" Erza asked softly, almost afraid for the answer.
"They could die a painful death. The person with the sickness dies peacefully, with no pain, but those close to her could die a very painful death that would make their close ones wish they never lived to see the death."
The group continued walking to the hospital in silence for a few minutes before Gray broke it. "So. This mage. Can you tell us any information we should know about her before going on with the job?"
Hesitatingly, the mayor stopped in his tracks, recalling the words that the mage spoke to him when he told her that other mages were coming.
...
"I was originally a Fairy Tail mage, Mr. Snorfly. And you know the reason why I had to leave the guild and the boy I loved so much that it still hurts today. So I'm pleading you that you will never reveal anything about me to them. I don't know which mages are coming but it's better to be safe than sorry, if… if he comes."
Mr. Snorfly looked at the girl before him. He was lost in so many ways. He was so confused as to what just came out of the mage's mouth and he slowly let it digest in himself. "So you're asking me to not tell them your name, your type of magic or any question that comes up relating to you?"
She nodded. "Please." She looked up at him and he saw tears forming around her eyes. The mayor knew that whatever happened to her in the past, it was none of her business.
"Alright."
...
"I-I'm sorry…" he trailed off, whispering. Only Natsu heard him.
"What happened?"
This time, the mayor spoke with a louder voice as they reached the patient's resting room, "She requested that I don't let any outsider, specifically Fairy Tail mages, know any information related to her. So I can't tell you her name, but I'm sure you'll figure it out. You're a smart bunch."
Team Natsu-minus-Lucy was stunned. "What do you mean, 'specifically Fairy Tail mages'?" Erza called out as Mr. Snorfly walked away.
"Do you think it's someone we know?" Happy muttered. Again, only Natsu heard him, making him sink back to a semi-depression. The thought of a Fairy Tail female mage only led him back to her.
You are my love, my love that I long for
You're the person that used to love me
Now I can't touch you but
Will you long for me as much as I long for you?
The person that I loved crazily
Lucy suddenly gasped. She took a few long gulps of air before calming down, making her two stellar spirits panic.
"What was that?" Loke and Virgo went to either side of Lucy and looked at their owner worriedly.
"Nothing; don't worry you two," Lucy said in a weak voice. She let her eyelids slowly flutter closed and a small smile spread across her face. "I have faith that those Fairy Tail mages will come."
The two spirits couldn't help but let their emotions get the best of them. It was their first time holding a contract with someone who actually cared about stellar spirits. It broke their heart to see their master in such a state.
...
Natsu blinked his eyes a couple of times. It might have been his imagination but he could have sworn that he just heard Lucy's voice. "Lucy…"
Erza, Gray and Happy all heard him. They exchanged glances with each other and then looked at the poor boy. Two months had gone by since she left and she was still all that was on his mind.
"I swear I just heard her voice," Natsu said, raising his head to reveal his dark eyes and black eye bags to his team mates.
"Th-that's not very possible!" Gray exclaimed. "What would someone like Lucy be doing in this hospital?"
"Unless she's…" Happy stopped, unable to continue his sentence.
Erza snapped them all back to reality. She hated that Lucy, one of the closest friends she had had in a long time, left just like that, but she and the rest of the team couldn't really do much. They weren't certain if the patient is actually Lucy or not, and even if it were her, she would be on death's door soonif they continued bickering like that.
She slowly turned the knob to open the door when Gray gasped softly. She followed his gaze to see what startled him and sure enough, there were two spirits that either belong or belonged to Lucy—Loke and Virgo.
...
"What will happen once you're… gone?" Loke hesitated to say that last word but he successfully got it out.
"The same that it always has been." Lucy gave a half-heartedly smile to two of her most precious spirits. "Our contracts will just be terminated and you'll all return to the Spirit World, waiting for another celestial mage to find your keys."
Virgo spoke up, "But I doubt they will treat us as well as you do, Princess."
"Probably not… But we can't help it, right?"
Loke stared at the ground. He refused to believe that his master, his beloved Lucy, the first owner to have ever cared about him and his 11 other spirit siblings, was going to be gone soon. He mentally slapped his forehead. Why couldn't the Fairy Tail mages, whoever they were, come faster? Lucy's life was depending on them!
...
The team slowly walked in the room, anxious to see if the person laying on the hospital bed was Lucy or another mysterious celestial mage who somehow had something against Fairy Tail. When they saw the speck of blond hair and the sadness and regret filled in Loke's eyes, they weren't that surprised to find out that it was Lucy, after all the hints they were given.
"Lucy…" Natsu started to walk towards the bed when Erza stopped him. She shook her head. Something interesting was going on and she wasn't about to ruin their chance of getting information.
Meanwhile, Virgo had this strange feeling in her head. She had been hearing these familiar voices since Loke asked Lucy that question, but she just couldn't put her finger on it. Who were they, and why were their voices so familiar?
She snapped her head around suddenly and widened her eyes at the sight of the four mages. As a spirit of her Princess, she knew pretty well what was going on in her Princess' life. And there, behind her, was the cause for her departure from the place she had come to call as home.
"Princess," Virgo softly said, so that only Loke and Lucy could hear her. "Those mages that accepted the request are here."
Lucy didn't say anything, but nod. The sickness was weakening her state and it was compelling her from speaking out.
"I'll take my leave here. Please be well, Princess." Virgo did her usual bow, this time not asking for a punishment, and vanished into thin air. Lucy turned to face Loke and put on her best, real smile that showed for Lucy Heartfilia was.
"Lucy…" Loke couldn't help but let a drop of tear escape from his eyes. Never in his life had he felt so sad about his owner dying. Sure, when Karen died he felt guilty, but not sad like that state.
Lucy felt guilty for making her spirits worry so much about her. She sensed people walking towards her and had a feeling that she knew who they were.
"I'll see you soon. Be it in the heaven or when you call me out to help you defeat a monster, I hope to see you soon." Loke pushed his glasses up before disappearing like Virgo. Lucy closed her eyes before turning her head to see the eyes of her first lover.
"Natsu…" Lucy let her eyes trail along the rest of the members who had come along. "Erza, Gray, Happy… How are you guys?" She thought of putting a fake smile on her face but she knew Natsu would see through it. The only thing he didn't see though during his time with her was her sickness. So instead she just did the most natural thing. She put her lips in a pinched, straight line and closed her eyes for a few seconds.
She expected Natsu to open his mouth and blurt out something totally Natsu-like. But no, she stood corrected. It was Erza who spoke up and Lucy couldn't help but wince at the sound of the unfamiliar tone in the red-head's voice. "Lucy. Are you the mage who needs the Curiation Seed to survive?"
Said girl gave a weak nod. "I-I don't think I'll need it soon…" She opened her eyes and instead of looking at Natsu, she looked straight into Erza's eyes. Erza mentally broke down after seeing her friend's state. "My… life is slipping… I can feel it…"
Natsu couldn't take it anymore. He turned around so that his Lucy wouldn't see his tears. "Don't worry Luce. You can make sure that we will definitely find this seed for you and cure you from that sickness." He turned around to get one quick glance from Lucy before turning around. The others sent Lucy a pitying look before following Natsu.
Lucy sighed. It was pointless for the team to go off like that, like she had said. But of course, the mages who accepted the job were from Fairy Tail. That meant that no matter the circumstances, they would go as far as sacrificing themselves for the life of another Fairy Tail mage. And to them, Lucy was still a Fairy Tail mage.
"I won't worry, Natsu. I trust you, and I will be waiting to see you in the skies…" Lucy slowly let her heavy eyelids close, breathing her last breath.
"I…have no…regrets."
If it was going to end like this
If this is really the end
I want to go back to the time when we didn't know each other
If it's too late, if it's too late
I think I'll finish myself because living is too hard
Natsu hurriedly ran back to the hospital, leaving the others chasing after him. He felt something when they were retrieving the cure and now he was worried. He should have thought more of it earlier but he was a fool. Now he was concerned if it related to Lucy. If anything happened to her, he definitely wouldn't forgive himself.
When he finally reached Lucy's room, he stopped to let the others catch up. Out of the blue, his state of semi-depression came back to haunt him. He refused to let it affect him as the others opened the door for him.
What they saw made them end up on the floor, guilty. The sight of their friend, of Lucy, saddened them. She had a small smile on her peaceful face, as if she was dreaming a happy dream. Her palms were opened and faced upwards. The golden and silver keys held in her right hand sparkled and glowed, as if the spirits wanted to come out into Earthland, but couldn't. Then one by one, the keys vanished into thin air. That's when they knew. For as long as they lived, they would never be able to see Lucy Heartfilia again.
If only they listened to their friend. If only they listened to the late celestial mage lying peacefully on the bed before them, they could have spent the last moments of her life with her.
The whole team just stayed on the ground for a few minutes, sobbing, crying, punching the floor, doing whatever they could to let the pain out. Natsu felt the guiltiest out of all them. He was the one who had been making his whole guild go in a similar state of depression like him. He was the one who refused to let Lucy talk them out from going to find that cure. He was the one who ran to retrieve the seed, instead of staying by her side.
The team returned to Magnolia, with Natsu carrying his late lover on his back. They entered the guild and was welcomed back like usual. The mages at Fairy Tail realized how awkward it was when Team Natsu didn't start cheering back with them. It was sort of expected, seeing as how Natsu and the others were in a similar depressed state before they left.
"Welcome back," Mirajane managed to squeak out. She noticed the person heaved on Natsu's back and dropped the plate she was holding, which caught everyone's attention. They looked to see what startled their usual cheerful barmaid and they all froze when they saw the figure on Natsu's back. It was a girl with blond hair, holding a ring where spirit keys used to belong. Gajeel and Wendy couldn't help but wince at the smell of the person. It reeked of vanilla and the smell of dead, rotten people.
"We found her on our mission." Erza was the first one to speak up. She and the other three looked up and Mirajane saw red, puffy eyes in each of the faces.
"So…she was the mage who was mentioned in that request, huh?" Makarov, who was sitting on the bar, let out a sigh. It hurt him deeply that one of his children was gone like that.
"What… was her sickness?"
"What happened?"
"Why is Lucy like that?"
Team Natsu was bombarded with many questions and it gave them a headache. Natsu gently put Lucy down on one of the tables, where the guild members would see her clearly and her peaceful smile.
"At least she died happily…" Levy couldn't help but let her tears roll down her cheeks when she saw her friend like that. Lucy was such a kind and caring person. She didn't deserve that kind of fate.
Gajeel felt a pang of sadness in his metal-like heart too. "Why did you bring her back?" he asked, even though he knew the answer.
"This is where her home is. If anything, she deserves to be held a proper funeral and to be buried in a proper grave, where all other Fairy Tail mages are buried." Natsu finally spoke up and they were all surprised. It was the first time that they heard his voice since Lucy left. He avoided everyone's eyes. He refused to look at anyone straight in the eyes because they would all just remind him of her. And the thought of Lucy just brought him back to his state of semi-depression.
...
A week had passed since they held the funeral for the deceased celestial mage. Everyone went back to their own things, or at least they tried to. They were all still affected by the death of the blonde, especially Natsu.
After her funeral, Natsu was in state even worse than his previous one. This time, it was full-on depression. Nothing the guild did or said cheered him and the scent of Lucy lingering around the guild just made him even more mentally unstable.
Natsu walked up to Lucy's grave with a bouquet of roses in one hand; a Swiss Army knife in the other. He traced the words engraved onto the stone. Here lies Lucy Heartfilia, the kind and cheerful celestial mage of Fairy Tail. We will miss her deeply and for as long as we live, we will never forget the things she did for us. For the first time in months, he smiled, which was actually a mini-smirk.
"Don't worry Lucy. I can't wait to meet you in heaven," Natsu slowly said while putting the knife in the most crucial organ of his body, his heart. "Because I have no regrets from loving you…"
If it was going to end like this
If this is really the end
I want to go back to the time when we didn't know each other
If it's too late, if it's too late
I think I'll finish myself because living is too hard
In less than five months, Fairy Tail lost two mages they loved deeply. The wound from losing the first mage never healed and the death of the second mage made them all break down. For months, no one saw a Fairy Tail mage outside from the guild.
In dedication to the two mages who had fought so bravely in all their missions and who loved their guild mates like family, they had their gravestones specially decorated. Every year, they would hold an anniversary, with people from all over Fiore Kingdom attending.
The mages of Fairy Tail refused to believe that the lives of their late friends ended the moment they stopped breathing. There was always a second chance for everything, and they believed that somewhere in the skies, where all their payers could be heard, the two mages were having the best times ever.
And lolol, if anyone is wondering, Bloody Caesar is indeed a real drink. Apparently it's this famous drink in Canada, sometimes made spicy. And since it's spicy, I decided it would fit Natsu since he's a fire mage... LOL I don't know.
Also, I like to choose the names of my places, objects and characters with meanings behind it. The word "curiation" is just a word I made up from "curatio", which is the Latin word for "healing". And also, the word "zirus" is just another word I made up from the name of the Egyptian god, Osiris. He's the god of the afterlife, underworld and the dead, so I picked his name. I probably should have picked Anubis instead but then it was harder to make a random town name from Anubis... And here I go, rambling about random things. I hope you enjoyed it!
~ Aimes
