Alternate Future One-shot
Couples: Natsu and Lucy, mentioned Jellal and Erza, mentioned Gray and Juvia, mentioned Elfman and Evergreen, mentioned Happy and Charle
A/N You know when future Lucy comes to warn Team Natsu and tell them of the future, I got disappointed cos 1: Natsu dies, and 2: NaLu doesn't become canon!
So, I had the theory maybe she wasn't telling them everything…
I watched from the window, staring at them sleeping peacefully. Wendy cuddled up cutely with Charle, Erza asleep - surprisingly without showing any signs of her dream, Gray half-naked with the sheets sprawled all over the place, Juvia sleeping next to him with a light blush, Natsu snoring quietly on the bed opposite me. –Or should I say, the present, unsuspecting, innocent, not-beat-up-by-Minerva-or-Flare-yet me.
Yes.
I had come from the future using the Eclipse gate.
I sighed, knowing the next day would be painful, and I wished ever so badly I could help.
Rushing past the few people in the streets of the night, I ran from Jellal. I knew it was him from his distinct magical presence; he had spotted me. How did he though? I was conspicuous enough, staying low in the crowd. I suddenly realised my presence was different to what it usually was – probably since there are two of me we can't both have the same presence.
Boy, he and Crime Sorciere sure were persistent. Jellal had chased after me after the fights today again! How could I be meant to complete this quest if I have a blue-headed lover of Erza chasing me, thinking I was Zeref or some evil demon?! Honestly…
Well, at least Fairy Tail was starting to actually gain points today.
By the time it came to the day I was tortured cruelly be Minerva, my heart almost broke. Two losses, both dirty play. I managed to hold my tears in, and instead gritted my teeth (and maybe sacred the living daylights out of the people around me in the audience).
I thought back to the time Wendy and Porlyusica were nursing me and Elfman, which is what they must be doing now with the present me. Of course, Charle would be watching Elfman and Evergreen cuddling on the beds disapprovingly whilst Wendy tried to calm us all down and Porlyusica was dangerously close to losing her temper due to us 'awful human beings'.
Around this time, Natsu must have gone to encourage me, and I remembered his kind words with an ache deep in my body; why did he have to do that?! It just makes what happened worse… If only you'd lived another day, even another few seconds or minutes would've been good enough.
Then came the battle of the four dragons. I took it all in with awe, and maybe a light blush on my face due to Natsu's courage and ferocity in the fight. I hadn't seen this battle, but I was glad that this version of me, doomed to die soon, would; it certainly made me giggle the way Natsu and Gajeel argued unprofessionally even during one of the biggest fights in their lives, unlike Sting and Rogue, who definitely lived up to the name of the Twin Dragons, who kept it cool and relied on each other a bit more than they maybe should.
But then there were also times when my heart seemed to be caught in my throat, beating painfully. The thing worst was when Sting and Rogue entered Dragon Force and downed the fire dragon and the iron dragon… Though never in history could they down those two for long. They rose and – another laugh from me – Natsu idiotically and stubbornly decided he could take them down on their own, consequently pushing Gajeel into a mine cart to roll through the undergrounds with motion sickness – the devious little Salamander.
And he did just that, barely left with a scratch when they both combined their powers into an all-out attack as he countered with all the anger at their guild hurting me. When the battle ended, I saw him on the screen, victorious, handsome as ever. I knew at this point we were all cheering back with Wendy and the others, but I still cried. Tears kept staining the stone floor, however hard I tried to hold them in.
This was probably one of his last moments of glory.
The time came when I escaped to the palace under the cover of a cloak and the jet sky of night, decorated by the sparkle of the stars. I knew my friends Mira, Wendy, Charle, Happy and Natsu would be soon on their way to save the present me, but it would all be a waste of effort by tomorrow.
I had to get there, it was the reason I suffered reliving these same torturing memories.
By the time I arrived, I already heard shouts and screams and the presence of a certain fired-up mage hit me. I simply ran towards the chaos, and when I found them, the guards had gone running. I knew very well that they'd be suspicious of me at first, but Natsu and Wendy's noses I knew wouldn't let me down.
"Who're you?" Mira shot defensively, making me reminisce the times when she used that voice – now it all seemed so distant. The present me added, "You another guard or something?"
"Wait a minute – Natsu! She…" Wendy trailed off, staring at me in bewilderment.
"L-Lucy?!" Natsu stuttered – of course it would be hard for anyone to believe.
"Yeah, what is it?" The present me asked, a little confused. I sighed and gripped the edges of my hood with my delicate fingers, and slowly, so slowly, pulled my hood down.
Everyone gasped as I looked up, feeling strangely guilty. I spoke before they could start asking strange questions, "Yes, I'm Lucy, the same Lucy. I've come from the future to warn you of a terrible fate that is bound to occur unless you destroy the eclipse gate Yukino, Arcadius and the princess Hisui believe will bring peace to the world… No, it won't! I've seen the awful future, and trust me, from any perspective, it will ruin the world!" I started crying, and all of a sudden Natsu was there, comforting me.
His head against mine, I made him promise he'd save the future. He did.
I thought back to the events of the near future after they asked me what exactly it was like; should I tell them? Yes… But not everything, certainly.
T
he Eclipse gate had opened, intended to be used for good, but instead, all hell broke loose upon Crocus, the dragons from five centuries ago being unleashed upon the world, and not enough Dragon Slayers around to get rid of them. Natsu fought bravely when I got injured, protecting me with all his might. I told him to leave me and run, but it was no good. Hours later, we were leaning on each other, struggling to walk, the flames and debris stinging our eyes. I was on the brink of crying, but couldn't waste the energy. More dragons came, a whole group of dozens.
Foreboding overcame me like an ocean wave.
We were dead.
All of us, the world, may as well be dead. That wasn't even the lot of them, and they just kept swimming in the air through the gate, a perpetual nightmare. The dragons came at us, and my friend barely had enough time to help me dodge the breath of intense fire from the reptile. Its eyes burned with a hatred for humans and a lust for their blood – I certainly would have gone crazy in that world if I hadn't travelled back in time. Gazing at Natsu with a faraway gaze, I watched as he shooed the dragon away, fresh wounds on various parts of his body. I shed a single tear as I collapsed into his arms, having given up all hope.
I wailed like a pitiful child, "Natsu… we can't go on like this; if I don't die then you will, and then we'll all die, the dragons, too, will turn on each other as they did those centuries ago! …Natsu, please, I don't want my life, your life, everyone's life to end like this! I-" Something closed my mouth, but it wasn't a hand or a cloth or anything like that.
It was soft, and I reacted to it.
We were kissing – in the middle of all this chaos we were kissing.
I couldn't decide whether it was romantic, ironic, or hopeless. Probably all three in this terrible curse called life. I almost expected it to go much further than an innocent kiss when a hissing roar echoed through the infernal air, causing me to remember that we weren't winning the GMG and acting as normal friends who had a crush on each other back at the inn, probably with Natsu and Gray commencing another fight, Erza knocking them out, Wendy nursing them to health, Juvia swooning over Gray's unconscious and half-naked body, Happy trying to give Charle the grand present of a cod whilst she complained that life in Fairy Tail was ridiculous and a bad influence for her young partner, Laxus grumbled about something again, Mira tried to cheer everyone up, Elfman and Evergreen denied their love once again, Jellal having one last night with them…
No, I was broken from the kiss when the dragon clawed the ground, its black-and-red scales glinting menacingly along with its blood-stained fangs. Natsu turned to face me with a solemn expression I'd never seen before, only ever on Erza when we were in a pickle and her orders were vital to be followed.
"
Lucy, I need you to go back to the Eclipse gate as fast as you can and go back in time one week or so, and warn us about this mess. You have to go now, please." I stared at him, too stunned to know what to reply, I could only slightly turn, ready to run for the Eclipse gate, more clear blue trickling down my cheeks; I felt a whisper next to my ear, "Farewell," I immediately turned and screamed for him to come back, but he was gone, nowhere to be seen, the dragon now screeching in the distance inside a crevice in the ground made by a massive dragon. I hoped that instead of wings, I would see a pink head. I saw wings. The dragon had won, which meant I needed to save him, but to save him I needed to go back in time.
By the time I reached the Eclipse gate, I forced Yukino to let me use it as the dragons had finally stopped crawling through it. She told me it wasn't safe, and that I may not survive.
I didn't care and told her that, her attitude changing as she prodded some buttons and pulled a lever, the gate's colour changing from a bloody crimson to a spiritual white, "Your mission is to save the world and warn us all about this, whatever you have to do to stop it, even if you must kill me and my companions."
As she spoke, her white hair trembled, the blue rose in it torn and scabby, and she sniffed, doing her best not to show her sadness as a tear rolled from each eye. I gave her a melancholy look, and I could tell she knew what it was, as I saw her then wear the same look.
"Sting and Rogue?"
"Just Sting, Rogue insists that there was no time for him to make it and he just…"
"-I promise, for everyone, that I'll solve this." We nodded at each other as I stepped into the portal.
As I did I heard a tearing sound and a scream from Yukino, then a scrape of claws and a low growl, and then silence, and then the sound of crickets in the night, and the lights of crocus beaming down on me.
"I promise…"
I told them everything in a basic way, leaving out most of the details like what happened between me and Natsu and me and Yukino – after all, Wendy was here.
I landed on the ground with a thump. Whatever happens, the present me, the real Lucy, must survive. As long as she survives, the world should be safe. Everything was a blur, but I could tell everyone in the room was shocked, especially future Rogue. Happy was crying next to me, begging me not to leave him, I tried to weakly convince him that I wasn't leaving and the real Lucy was still here, her crying along with him. I could sense Wendy doing the same, Charle and Mira in shock, and Natsu trembling with hatred.
I told them to promise me again that they'd save the world, but my dying words were: "Natsu… I wish we… could've had more… adventures… together."
And my right hand dropped – my right hand with no pink FT mark.
However, I died smiling.
I smiled for two good reasons. 1: I knew the real me would live longer, and fulfil her destiny with Natsu. 2: That future Rogue was gonna get so badly beat up… You better watch out, my foe, because the salamander is out for revenge.
…I think those dragons have turned me into a sadist.
A/N Wow... I used to be so good at writing - 2000+ words?! That's a record for me! usually I'm a slacker and write about 1000 words.
Oh, and if there are some mistakes in here with what happens in the series, 1: I wrote this ages ago, so blame the past me, 2: IT'S FICTION!
(Srsly, ppl have no imagination these days...)
