The ground shook and heaved under their feet, the sky darkening from the rain clouds accumulating above.
The roar of a dragon could be heard as the mages worked together to finish the war once and for all.
And then, it was finished.
Lucy could barely smile through her tears, clutching her now missing right arm to her chest.
Her smile faded when she turned and saw Lissanna clutching onto Natsu, the fire mage giving the young Strauss a brilliant smile.
Her jaw clenched and her eyes went downcast at the scene.
Why?
They were supposed to be the two in love so why was it that he held Lissanna's importance over hers ever since the takeover mage had returned from Edolas?
Lucy's heart felt as if it was breaking as she saw the scene again, her eyes becoming misted over.
Why her?
She'd lost everything in this war.
The boy she'd thought she was in love with, her letters to her beloved mother, and… her guild mark.
The sign that showed proof that she was family.
The ground trembled violently and Lucy's eyes furrowed in confusion and caution.
What…?
And then she saw it.
The large piece of land they were on was cracking from the sheer weight of the now dead rock dragon's body mass.
The ground shook and vibrated and everybody rushed to the area of land that was unaffected.
Lucy whipped her head around and she saw Lissanna being carried by Natsu, princess-style, as he also ran for cover, his head buried in the snownette's neck, trying to reassure her.
Pain struck her heart so hard, the blonde thought she'd burst from the amount of emotions rushing through her.
He hadn't even looked back for her.
He hadn't even checked to see if she was safe.
He had chosen Lissanna over her, even when he'd claimed to have given his heart to her forever.
.
He'd abandoned her.
.
The hurt was too much and she fell to her knees, her legs finally giving out.
She clutched at her chest with the hand she had left and cried out in pain, tears streaming down her cheeks.
Why?
She had lost so much to this war, and yet… a battle was still raging…
Inside her soul.
The ground beneath her was cracking, but for some reason, she was unable to get up and move.
She was just so tired.
She couldn't bring herself to go on anymore.
Lucy slowly shook her head, more tears making their way down her bruised and dirty skin, her mouth hosting a bitter sweet smile.
Was this how love felt?
If so, she wanted her heart back so she could lock it away and not let anybody hurt her as bad as this.
But, it was impossible.
No matter how much she tried, she couldn't fall out of love with that dimwitted dragon slayer.
Her heart was gone.
And for some reason, he wouldn't give it back.
Her lip trembled and she tried to keep in her sobs.
She wished to be in her mother's arms so very badly.
To have the beautiful woman stroke her hair and sing her lullabies.
But she probably wouldn't be granted that, either.
God had probably cursed her with a destiny of never-ending misery.
Cracks raced across the ground, growing closer to her by each second.
Lucy's heart rate quickened and she tried to push herself up with her one arm.
It was no use though.
She was too weak.
Closer.
Closer.
Closer.
Rain started to tumble onto the field she was in, making the floor surrounding her muddy.
Her lip quivered as she desperately tried to get to her feet, her arm too exhausted to do anything.
Lucy's breath was coming out in pants as her mind went into a frenzy and shebegin doing anything so that she could get up and start running.
She could see chunks of the ground already breaking off and crashing into the water below.
Her eyes widened in horror and with a sudden burst of energy, she got off her knees and sprinted for her life.
Every step was painful and the girl's breath came out in short, painful pants.
The ground seemed to be getting rougher beneath her feet and she tried to speed up.
Her guildmates that had already reached safety hadn't even noticed she was missing, sprinting towards them in desperation.
They merely shed tears of relief together, Lissanna kissing Natsu on the cheek and telling him he was her hero.
He hadn't even seemed to even remember who Lucy was until Erza cried out, her voice laced with shock and panic.
"LUCY!"
Natsu whipped his head away from Lissanna and to the now collapsing area of the island, where a blonde haired girl was trying her best to make it to them.
His eyes widened and he immediately let go of Lissanna's hands, his eyes growing wider and wider as he watched her stumble over the cracks in the ground.
He was about to go to her when he felt a soft hand pull him back.
"LIssanna…?"
The take-over mage looked at him with wet eyes and grit her teeth.
"You can't, Natsu, it's too dangerous…!"
He wanted to stay.
Stay with Lissanna.
But not as much as he wanted to go to Lucy.
How could he have forgotten that in these past few months?
Sure, he liked Lissanna very much, but Lucy…
Lucy was something else.
Something he'd betrayed.
He took off as fast as he could for the celestial mage, the rain growing harder with each step he took.
He could hear the others following after him.
They were too late though.
The ground shook violently and a large crack spread towards Lucy.
She looked at it in horror before closing her eyes slowly and opening them again with a small yet sorrowful smile on her face.
Natsu's eyes widened to the point of bursting and he desperately screamed out her name as loud as he could.
"LUCY!"
Her head whipped up and he saw the once warm brown eyes had turned blank.
Almost as if she was empty inside.
Lucy's smile stayed, but her eyes scrunched up in heart searing pain at the sight of him.
Guilt flashed through his body and he suddenly felt as if he couldn't move.
Tears streamed down her cheeks and he saw her mouth a word.
"…Natsu…"
And then she fell.
The ground disappeared from beneath her and her slim body was captured by the wind.
Fairy Tail screamed out in horror, but Lucy gently closed her eyes, feeling the cool air caressing her battered body.
At least she got to experience what a family felt like.
And how love was so sweet yet so cruel.
She had some regrets, yes, but she'd throw them into the wind and have them washed away by the sea.
The Heartfilia opened her eyes for one last time, and she heard one specific voice call her name out in despair.
"Sayonara…"
And cold suddenly filled her body.
Her vision became cloudy and her body drifted downwards, slowly, and silently.
Chunks of earth fell down with her, but they didn't disrupt her silent descent.
Cries of anguish could be heard above, but, that, too, was also gone soon enough.
Lucy spread out her arms and let herself fall.
Everything was becoming dark, and she could no longer feel her body.
She felt light and empty.
She felt free.
Before the darkness took over, though, she remembered one thing that made her lips purse sadly and her eyes release teardrops.
.
"Ne, Natsu."
The two were lying together underneath a star lit sky, Lucy laying on Natsu's firm chest.
"Yeah, Luce?"
Lucy giggled at the vibrations that came with his words before she looked at him warmly.
He looked down at her, mimicking her smile.
Her brown eyes were sparkling and she snuggled even closer to him before whispering, "Whenever I fall, you'll be there to catch me right?"
Natsu's smile became even wider as he buried his face into her silky golden locks.
She smelled like strawberries and vanilla.
"Always, Lucy."
Her smile seemed to beat even the brightest stars that night, as they laid together in peace.
.
Lucy smiled sadly, her head heavy.
'Always, huh, Natsu?'
What a liar.
Gritting her teeth, the blonde mage saw a glimpse of pink from under the water.
Shaking her head slowly, a pained smile on her beautiful face, she gave a light chuckle.
Finally, she gave her final breath before letting her consciousness drift away.
.
Up on the land, Natsu struggled against Laxus's and Erza's grip, trying to go after Lucy.
Finally, he realized it was to no avail and instead sunk to his knees, sobbing.
Erza patted his shoulder hesitantly before turning her head and walking away, her armored hands shielding her pain stricken face.
The fire mage sat there for hours, listening to no one, even Lissanna.
Lucy was gone.
His body hunched as another fit of sobs wracked his body.
He had abandoned her.
.
Failed her.
.
His voice was strained and his eyes were blurry but when he looked up, he saw the vibrant yellow of the rising sun.
He let out a humorless chuckle.
It was the same shade as her hair.
"Always…"
Hope you guys enjoyed that! I was actually thinking about continuing it and making it more than a one-shot... tell me what you guys think in the reviews! Please do check out my other story, Golden Infinity, if you can! If you want to pm me, go for it! I'd love to chat with anybody! Bye for now then! ;)