"Get out!" He roared. She stumbled backwards and turned, running as fast as she could. The tears were streaming down her face like a broken faucet. She didn't even have time to grab her things or say goodbye. She just ran until her feet blistered. The sun had gone long ago and was replaced by dark storm clouds. Rain began to pour over the city. She still didn't stop. She couldn't feel the cold wind whipping her or the droplets of freezing water anymore. Her tears were lost in the rest of the storm as she did the only thing she could do. Run.

"Is she going to be okay?"

"Shut up dumbass! You'll wake her up!"

"God, Ice Princess. I was just worried about my BEST FRIEND."

"Whatever, Ash for Brains."

"What did you just call me?"

Lucy forced her heavy eyelids to open. She couldn't feel anything in her body. She couldn't even move. The two voices she had heard earlier had silenced. Her vision was blurry, but she could make out the colors of her friends' hair.

"Lu-Chan!"

That was Levy. It had to be. Levy's voice sounded hoarse, as if she had been yelling or crying.

"Oi, so Bunny Girl finally decided to wake up."

Gajeel. Definitely Gajeel.

Tons of other familiar voices had become clear to her, so she knew that she was with her family. Fairy Tail.

"Hang in there Luce."

Ah. There it was. Lucy's favorite voice. Natsu's voice. What had happened to her? Obviously her body was refusing to work but everyone seemed so worried. Even Natsu's voice had softened when he talked to her.

She finally managed to croak out a few words after a long time of trying. "What… happened?"

She could feel peoples' grip on her arm or leg tighten. She could hear muffled crying. For a few moments, Lucy just stayed in this state. Confused, scared, sad, but still relived to know that she was in fact, alive.

Mira broke the silence. "You were fighting a very strong monster because you were the last person standing. You defeated it, but it left a… a-" She took a sharp breath. "It left a terrible wound down your entire torso. You passed out after a while. Wendy managed to heal some of your injuries, but what's left is still enough to possibly kill you."

Lucy just lay there and slowly took in this information. She could feel tears well up in her eyes. A single drop rolled down her cheek. It was the first thing she was able to totally feel. The rest of the group around her began to cry. Even Erza. She let out a slow exhale and began to shut her eyes again.

"No! Don't leave yet!"

Lucy snapped her eyes open.

"Mom? Dad?"

The guild members that hadn't begun crying yet did.

"Sweet Lucy. Stay and live. You can't die yet. You have to stay strong okay baby?"

Lucy managed a nod and softly wished her mother and father a last goodbye.

Natsu took a deep breath and began to drag himself to…who knows where he was going. Cana, Levy, and Mira had kicked him out of the infirmary. They told him that he needed to "get some fresh air" and "take some time alone" because he was "too worried" about Lucy. Suddenly, he found himself standing in the middle of Lucy's house. It still smelled of her. He plopped onto her bed and curled up in the comforter despite the warm climate. He hadn't been able to fall asleep for a while because he was very worried about his best friend. But when he was in her room, surrounded by her scent, he felt his eyelids droop. He slowly fell asleep to the soft hum of the wind coming through Lucy's window.

3 days later

"Ready Lucy?" Gray asked her. She made her head nod.

"Okay. One, Two, Three!" He said as he helped her up. Lucy wobbled and she cried out in pain.

Gray winced. "Are you okay?"

Lucy just bit her lip so none of her screams could pass through. She took a shaky step and bit her lip so hard it began to bleed. Gray helped her ease out of the room and into the hall. Each step she took, she began to feel less pain.

"Easy," Gray told her as the continued to walk.

Lucy let out a breath. "Can we go to the guild hall?"

Gray hesitated. "Are you really feeling up to it?"

She smiled weakly. "Yeah."

So he helped her walk out of the infirmary and they started the journey back to Fairy Tail.

"Not so fast," called a sharp voice. Gray recognized it as Porlyusica. "The girl cannot go there on foot!"

Grey froze. "How will she get there then? I don't know if she can ride in any vehicles yet."

"That is her decision young man," The old woman snapped.

Lucy's knees buckled and she fell to the ground in defeat. Gray ran to help her up.

"Vehicle please."

A while later

"Look! Someone's coming!"

"It's Gray!"

The ice mage stopped the cart and disconnected the SE plug. He then went into the back to help Lucy out. Everyone gasped when they saw her. She had grown much stronger while healing, so she could partially stand on her own. The crowd of people grew as they made way for the girl who survived. Lucy was blushing from all of the attention. She wasn't usually at the center of everything. She entered the guild hall and stood at the doorway. Everything grew quiet. Mouths opened and shut in disbelief. Was this the girl they had seen only a few days ago, crying and trying to stay alive? All that you could hear was the tap, tap of their shoes.

"Hi... guys."