"You ready Plue?" Lucy asked her little snow dog spirit. She got an excited 'puuun puun' in response. She took it as a yes, and pushed open the heavy wooden doors of her guild.
Lucy saw a crowd forming around the center of the guild, and decided to ignore it until she got her strawberry milkshake. Gray was sitting at the bar, a look of shock and regret appeared on his face when he saw Lucy sit next to him.
"What's wrong Gray?" She asks as she puts Plue down on the counter. He quickly shakes his head, any trace of his previous emotions gone.
"Nothing, Lucy." She shrugs her shoulders, and waves over a usually happy Mira, who also has the same face Gray had when he saw her.
"Is everything ok?" Lucy asks, suddenly worry fills her body and she feels anxious to hear the girls response. Mira also quickly wipes the look of off her delicate face.
"Yea everything's fine. Is there anything I can get you?"
"Umm yea, can I have a strawberry milkshake?" Lucy asks, gaining a quick nod from Mira. The girl rushes to make her drink, and Lucy mutters a small 'thank you' before drinking it.
A loud gasp sounds from the crowd, and this grabs Lucy's attention. "Lucy, don't." Gray says but it's too late. Lucy stands up, grabs her drink and pushes her way through the crowd.
Her heart stops.
Natsu is on one knee, a shiny ring in his hand, and happy tears fill Lisanna's eyes. Lucy's eyes widen, and her jaw drops.
Confusion fills Lucy's brain. Lucy and Natsu were dating. Natsu said he loved Lucy. Lucy said she loved Natsu. Natsu's proposing to Lisanna.
Tears fill her eyes, and she drops her drink. The glass shatters, creating a loud crash, the milkshake going everywhere. Everyone turns to her, shock filling their faces.
Two strong arms grab her shoulders, and pulls her out of the crowd. The light from outside the guild momentarily blinds her, and the fresh air feels good on her warm skin. But that doesn't matter right now.
She feels used. She feels betrayed. She feels unwanted. She feels unloved.
She let her tears burst from her eyes, causing her warm chocolate eyes to become red, and her face splotchy. She takes his heavy breaths, hiccupping, and couching.
The arms that grabbed her inside, once again surrounded her. But this time, in a hug.
"I'm so sorry Lucy, I should have pulled you out of there as soon as you walked in." Gray whispered, and Lucy wrapped her arms tightly around his neck.
"It's not.. your fault." She chokes out in a small voice.
His arms wrap even tighter around her small waist, and she sits there for a few minutes, remembering all the funny, happy, and loving moments her and Natsu shared. She became dizzy, the thought of him being too much for her.
"I..I can't do this." She sharply says, and pushes Gray away from her. She takes off running to the wood. She can hear Gray shouting her name, and she faintly hears him running after her. She only goes faster. Wanting to escape the pain she feels in her chest.
Seconds turn into minutes, and minutes turn into hours.
Before she knows it, it's dark out and she's lost. She looks around, seeing nothing she recognizes. She collapses onto the ground. Her chest burning, her face red, her eyes spilling uncontrollable tears.
"Why, Natsu?" She whimpers. She rakes her fingers through her hair, and tugs on it with frustration. She screams, and cries and groans. She lets all her anger out, in anyway possible.
Her cries halt when she hears the wrestling of the leaves. Her head snaps up, and she frantically looks around. Suddenly, she feels a dark aura surrounding her.
"Hello?" She meekly asks, pushing the hair out of her face.
A figure appears in front of her, and she freezes.
"Hello, Lucy." The dark voice chuckles, sending shivers down her spine.
"W-who are you?" She asks, hoping for it to be someone she recognizes.
The figure steps into the light, and her blood runs cold.
"I'm Zeref."
