Whilst Withering

Summary: Death would not let Lucy Heartfilia go. Really short angsty One-shot. Contains violence and character death.

Lucy was in pain.

Deep, crushing agony that binded her to her own personal hell. Her mind was fuzzy, she couldn't exactly recall what she had been doing.

Her head spun and her whole body ached and hurt. It hurt so bad. She tried to open her eyes, only to discover she couldn't see out of one. She placed one hand tentatively on what used to be her eye. It was gone. Replacing it, was the feel of mangled flesh and warm crimson blood flowing over her fingers as she tried to stifle it.

Surprisingly, her eye wasn't what hurt most. Her leg was bent at an odd angle, twisted and turned to the point that made it gruesomely painful to just look at. Examining her closer, you would also notice the knot on her left shoulder at her collar bone. Not a knot per say, more like a break. A broken bone, but it hadn't just broken in half, it had also broken through the skin where a small portion of it jutted out of her shoulder.

That wasn't what hurt most, either.

Her left arm was also a mess in and of itself. Several fingers were broken and long lines of blood drew their way down from her bicep to the tips of her fingers, it looked as though she had been clawed. Perhaps it was the same person or thing that clawed out her eye and left but a mangled hole.

At this point, Lucy couldn't tell what hurt the most.

She was also... hot... and not in a good way. Her face and right arm felt as though it were on fire (and truly it was) it was excruciating and unbearable as the flames licked the side of her face, almost tickling her- had she been completely numb to the touch (Which, alas, had yet to happen) Lucy had never hated fire. Heck, she practically lived with a guy like Natsu. But she had never been on the other end of the fire.

The last injury she received was a blow to her stomach. Simply to make sure that she was truly dead, a metal pole had been plunged into her stomach, which was mostly the cause to the blood pooling around her.

It was cruel really... she was still alive.

Oh how she wished for death to come and take her away already. How she longed for it, How she craved it.

Death was having one last laugh though, it laughed at Lucy's pitying and weak form and let her suffer.

And suffer she did.

"Luuuuucy~" Natsu sang, drawing his voice out and yelling to make himself heard, although it wasn't very necessary in the empty and hallow town. This town was creeping Natsu out, he never quite liked anything to be such a quiet as this.

"Lushy!" Happy called out from beside his partner, he didn't have to look at Natsu to know the fire mage was getting worried (Worried Natsu's were hard to come by, Lucy was one special girl)

They had received a mysterious job that directed them to this town, only to find it was empty. Dead and Empty, this town held no life in it. Which only made them more nervous and on edge especially when Lucy just disappeared. Upon arriving in this town, All four mages split up to find whoever must've sent the job only to come back to their meeting place... without lucy... and that was hours ago.

"Have you found anything?" Erza asked both Natsu and Happy as she and Gray approached them. Natsu shook his head dejectedly, even Gray looked more sullen than usual.

"I'm getting very worried. It's not like Lucy to simply disappear like that and... something about this place just sets me on edge" Erza glanced around rather nervously which only unsettled Gray and Natsu more. If Erza was abandoning her calm and firm composure in the place of nerves and worry, then they both figured they definitely had reason to be worried as well.

"I'm sure we'll find her" Really Gray? You don't sound sure.

"Does anyone smell smoke?" Natsu asked curiously sniffing the air around him. Gray gave him a strange look.

"You always smell like smoke, stupid!'

"No, Natsu's right" Erza said also looking around for the source, her eyes widened as she caught sight of the small pillar of smoke drifting off into the sky from the other side of town, she pointed "There!"

Natsu turned and froze, suddenly having a horrible sinking feeling weighing down on him.

"You... you don't think Lucy's in there... Do you?" His pleas were met with deaf ears, for both had already come to the same conclusion. Not a word was said as they all went sprinting towards the pillar that -as they got closer- seemed to be coming from what looked like a church.

Erza was the first to make it to the doors of the church. There was a fire building up throughout the church and already it was spreading fast. Erza pushed the large doors open (actually, she kicked them open) and was astonished at the state of the inside. Despite the fact the flames licked the walls of it, the inside was in ruins which was most certainly not from the fire. It looked like some sort of struggle took place inside (and indeed it had).

"Whoa" Gray said upon stepping inside. Both him and Erza looked around apprehensively (Seriously, is no one worried about the fact that the building was on fire and about collapse?).

Natsu was worried about the building actually, or maybe he was hungry because he opened his mouth wide, sucked in a huge breath and consumed the fire that enveloped most of the church, leaving nothing but the ugly look of burned charred wood marring the whole building.

Meanwhile, both Gray and Erza were looking around. They were both broken in their train of thinking what could have done this when Happy's anguished cry echoed through the vast church hall.

"Lucy!" All three mages halted in their tracks and looked for the source of the blue feline who was flying towards a figure that lay on the ground.

A figure with blond hair.

"Lucy" They all echoed Happy simultaneously and sprinted toward their fallen alley.

Only when they got close did they realized why Happy had spoken the way he did upon seeing Lucy. He had spoken with horror and with anguish. Which is indeed what they were all feeling right then.

(Ah no, Sorry. I'm getting ahead of myself- They felt the anguish and rage later, I'm quite sure)

Let's just say that their brains were unable to comprehend just exactly what their eyes were forcing them to see. They just couldn't rip their eyes away from the mutilated body of their best friend. Lucy's four favourite friends indeed felt nothing but disbelief as they tried to take into account the scene before them.

Lucy Heartfilia is the daughter of Jude and Layla Heartfilia-

Lucy's dead.

She is a very accomplished wizard, who currently resides in her home Fairy Ta-

Lucy is dead.

Her four best friends have journeyed near and far and she never left their side. Lucy is loyal. Lucy is strong. Lucy is-

She's dead. Lucy is Dead.

And she was dead. Very dead.

Ah wait, it was more along the lines of, Death had a tight grip on her.

Too tight to loosen, too tight to give her air and too tight to give her none. Death would not take Lucy yet, he would wait. Indeed, Death had heard his name being muttered countless times following the terms -unfair- and -cruel-.

Death did not think he was being cruel... was he?

After all, he was being quite gracious in letting this young teenage girl have the sparingly short moment with her friends before being ripped from their grasped and taken into an eternal sleep.

He just couldn't understand that both these things were indeed unfair and cruel. Lucy Heartfilia is a long way to peace and right now, all she wanted was peace. She did not care much about muttering a few last and barely coherent words.

Her friends knew, they knew what they meant to her and they knew how much she loved them.

And if they didn't she would just have to haunt them in the afterlife long enough for them to get the message.

Natsu was the first to react, he sank to the floor on his knees and threw his head back, screaming a heartbreaking and tortured scream that could probably be heard all throughout Fiore. That snapped the remained three out of whatever stunned trance they had been in. Tears coursed down the scarlet mage's cheeks. A half-sob, half-growl escaped Grays lips without his consent that only added to the heartbreaking sight of his own wet cheeks.

Happy had already been sobbing, he's never been really one to hold back on his tears and he found no reason he should. But to find his remaining friends around him joining him in his tear fest. It left him crushed, they were supposed to do something. They were supposed to fix her!

Erza slowly inched forward to lift Lucy carefully out of the rubble that buried her (mainly her legs) She did it so carefully, tenderly placing her hand under Lucy armpits and dragging her out as though she were a fragile porcelain doll (which for all purposes, she was). What she wasn't prepared for was the soft barely audible moan that fell out of Lucy's mouth. So soft that Erza was 99% sure she imagined it.

But the hall was silent, and Lucy was still alive.

Erza should have jumped for joy, she should have thanked the heavens that there was still a chance to save their dear friend.

But like I said, Death had a tight hold on Lucy Heartfilia. One that wasn't going to be broken.

Instead of relief, Erza felt nothing but despair and horror etch her face because she could see the bonds that held Lucy -not to this life- but to the afterlife. It already had her. And there was no hope.

How unfair... HOW CRUEL!

Erza's thought's spun in a vicious cycle, wondering (like every other tortured spirit out there) how death could be so cruel. Why didn't it just take her friend, there was no hope. There was nothing. Nothing but sparing her just a bit more pain. She's had enough.

Both boys sat beside Erza, who was kneeling next to the girl that continued to survive. Erza was sure Natsu would be on a rampage, tearing apart whoever did this limb for limb. But even Natsu understood, he had to be there in the dying moments of his weird best friend.

There would be time for rampage later. Erza and Gray would be more than happy to join Natsu in wearing the blood of their enemy.

Natsu reached forward and grasped Lucy's bloody hand, the one that was still placed limply over her right eye. He gently took the hand away from her eye flinching when nothing more than a gaping hole could be seen. He knew she was still alive, still suffering the cruel fate she was resigned to.

He only grasped her hand tighter.

Death was becoming annoyed, could they not say their goodbye's already so he could move on?

Natsu leaned forward and whispered into Lucy's ear. His voice came out cracked and broken beyond belief, much as his spirit was.

"Let go, Lucy... Let go" It hurt to say the words and he almost wanted to take them back. But no, his friend deserved to be relieved of her suffering at once.

Against all odds, Lucy struggled against Death himself... and opened her eyes (Oh well, her one eye that is... although to her it was as though opening the ghost of her right eye. One that could only view the world of death) and looked at her friends.

It was rare that someone get a chance for last words before their death but for some reason, Death was inclined to give it to this girl. As to how she could even manage it in her state, that was on her.

Her friends gasped lightly, the mix of feeling they felt were weighing down upon them and crushing their hearts. Lucy's mouth slowly opened, blood dribbled from the corner and trailed down her chin, which was shaking in the attempt to get her mouth to move, to form words.

Lucy had not wanted to say anything, just wanted to be left alone once and for all. But somewhere inside her she felt her friends spirits, and Natsu clasping her hand.

She had not wanted to say anything, but she would.

It was selfish of her. These words are ones that Lucy would be free of, but her friends would be burdened with for the rest of their lives. And so, Lucy spoke.

"I'm sorry" had not been the words she wanted to say, but she did. They fell out of her lips before she could stop them, and truly, she was sorry. Sorry that her friends had to see her like this, sorry that-while she would be free- her friends would be haunted. But mostly, sorry she let herself get defeated so easily.

All three of her friends choked, it was at that moment, too painful to breath. Too painful to live while their Lucy was dying. Natsu grip tightened on her hand, how sad that Lucy didn't even have the energy to flinch in pain when he moved her scarred bloody arm.

"Don't say that! We... We're... the ones that are sorry" Natsu was sobbing (let it be noted that Natsu had never been seen sobbing in his life) his voice was broken "We're sorry we couldn't save you!" Natsu screamed, tears flowing down his face like a waterfall and soaking Lucy's cheek.

Lucy wanted to smile. Instead, she closed her eyes for the last time, there was nothing left for her. She caught one last glimpse of her dear friends right before she submitted to the darkness, and finally... let go.

I would like to say that the sky cried for sweet Lucy, but it would be a lie. The sun continued to shine it's light on all.

Exept there were some the sun's light could not reach. Four broken friends sat in a church. Crying and sobbing and screaming in deaths ear. Bathed in their own darkeness, the sun could not shine light upon them.

People were enjoying the sun. And the perfectly green grass. I have heard the expression 'ignorance is bliss' but whether or not these people had known she was dead would not have made a difference in the world.

She was still dead.

And life would still go on.

Death knew that better than anybody.

Natsu was bathed in blood, he only saw the red blood-filled haze of his vision even long before he came to wear it. It had taken so long... so long to track down Lucy's murderer. But he did.

He did, and he made him pay. Natsu kept him alive twice as long as Lucy had lived after sustaining her fatal injuries, he wanted this man to know Lucy's pain, he wanted him to know her suffering. Natsu thought this would at least quench his thirst of revenge even if just for a while, but it did nothing of the sort.

Lucy was still gone, he knew she would be by the time he was done fufilling his revenge but it still... stung. No, it didn't just sting. It had been awile since Lucy left the world of the living and the memorys of that day still drew a hand into Natsu's chest and ripped his already broken heart out before stomping on it and burrowing it deep within ice. Where he could never get it back.

He was lost without Lucy. He was plunged into a world of darkness that only consisted of his hate for a man who was already dead by his hand. What more did he have to do?

Oddly enough, Natsu was okay in this strange world. He felt better in the dark than he did in the light now. Maybe because that light was not his light, his light died long ago.

Death collected the soul of yet another tortured spirit, one that had experienced agony and inflicted it. He gave him no last chance for speach, no last words. Death simply collected him and crushed him, even in the world of the dead... there was no place for filth.

Wow! I've been so angsty lately...

I blame this story on the fact that I re-read the book thief... again.

So of course I created my own figure of Death based off that but I think my Death is a little more... cold and unforgiving.

Brackets are usually put in place to provide additional context away from the story, but about the story itself (if that makes sense?) In this case, the author (Which is I, Lil-red) am the narrator and the brackets are my little additions to the story in an attempt to lighten the mood and/or darken it.

If that wasn't clear in the midst of the story... my sister said she didn't get it so...

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