Everything begins with a thought, a single idea. And it's that idea and actions of the owner that leads to the future of that individual. Unfortunately, Natsu had an idea, an idea that wasn't thought out- and idea that wasn't well planned. It was that idea that caused Lucy's demise. No one could have prevented it from happening, all but one; Natsu Dragneel. His actions could have prevented Lucy's demise, but alas he could not save her in time. He watched as The Black Dragon, Arcnologia, fell from the sky, its wings tucking back towards its black, round scales, as it plummeted, mouth opening as its eyes narrowed at its victim; Lucy Heartphilia.
Natsu's eyes widened in disbelief, his jaw falling open as he screamed out her name, his legs moving in a blur as he sped towards her; his hand pressed against the bleeding laceration on his ribcage. "LUCY!" He panted, his mind telling him to keep running, faster and faster.
Don't you dare stop!
The dragon slayer proceeded, shaking his head as he looked up at the darkened sky, the shadow of Arcnologia's body falling across the debris covered earth below as he grew closer to the ground.
No, no, no! He continued, his thoughts plagued by the obvious aftermath of the collision; that's if he hit her. No. He wouldn't hit her. Natsu wouldn't let him. He wouldn't let his nakama down. He couldn't let his nakama down. Ten, nine, eight feet away. He was almost there. He took his eyes off target for only a moment, but that moment was long enough to prove fatal for Lucy.
The Celestial Spirit Mage lifted her head, eyes wide and filled with tears as her gaze met Natsu's; her body hunched over as she held her stomach, her knees bruised.
"N-Natsu..." She whispered, fear clear in her eyes. He shook his head, eyes focused on her bruised and terrified form as he reached out his hand. "NO!" The world moved in slow motion, Natsu's pace dramatically slowing, his heart pounding in his ears as everything suddenly stopped.
The shadow fell. Arcnologia fell. Natsu fell.
A blood curdling scream filled the surrounding landscape as Arcnologia's body hit the earth. Natsu screamed out her name, vision blinded with tears as he quickly moved his arm over his eyes, a cloud of dust sweeping across the landscape, whipping into his skin. Silence fell across the land, the dust cloud settling as the echoing scream also came to an end. The various members of the guild lifted their heads, their ears ringing from the aftermath of the scream.
With a roar, Arcnologia lifted his scaled head, eyes lifted to the heavens as he opened his mouth. His wings spread out once more as his mouth closed, breathing slow and deep as his head turned, eyes focused on the thick layer of blood covering the underside of his stomach. His mouth broke out into a reptilian grin as his head raised once more, eyes closing as he let out a bellowing screech into the air. In the fraction of a second his wings slapped against the side of his body, causing a thudding sound as he took flight, eyes focused forward as he grew higher and higher, soon disappearing into the darkening sky; the dust cloud returning from the breeze that his wings caused.
When the dust cloud finally settled, Natsu lifted his head, eyes wide as he looked down at the darkened patch a few feet before him. His bottom lip trembled as he rose to his feet, his body noticeably trembling as he put a foot forward, his chest heaving as a tear slid down his bruised cheek. "L-Lucy..." His head shook slowly as he began to progress forward, arms powering him forward through the last few feet as he threw himself onto the floor, hands and knees becoming slathered in the thick crimson blood before him. His eyes continued to fill with the salty liquid as he hit his fists against the debris covered earth, lifting his head to the sky as he let out a roar.
Gray pressed a hand to his head as Juvia slipped her arm around his waist, trying to support the Ice-make Mage as they slowly moved forward, feet stumbling across the broken building debris around them, small, sharp hisses of pain leaving Gray's lips as he winced. "Gray-sama, was that...?" She stopped her sentence, eyes filling with tears as Gray continued to look forward, eyes wide and fearful as he slowly pushed himself forward past the final broken building, eyes looking out at the destruction before him. "G-Gray..." Juvia whispered, her bottom lip trembling as she gently tugged on his arm. The two mages looked before them, eyes focused on Natsu, his mouth wide open as tears gushed down his cheeks, dripping down his jaw and falling onto the fabric of his clothes as he slowly boxed his head; fingertips trailing across the blood underneath him.
"Natsu!" Gray called, his voice sharp. He heard a hysterical sound in return, his head turning back to Juvia as he nodded once. "N-no.." Her face turned blank as she looked up at him, tears rolling down her cheeks as Gray pulled her forward, trying to ignore the burning pain in his body as he moved from Juvia's grasp and ran towards his fellow guild member. Once he finally reached Natsu, Gray's eyes scanned the pool of blood, his head shaking slowly. "W-what happened?" Natsu pressed a bloodied palm to his face, letting out a cry as he whispered. "Lucy."
Gray fell to his knees, face blank as he stared down at the blood, fists clenched as he ducked his head, allowing a tear to escape him. Lucy was gone, and no one knew where she was.
Okay, so this was a really short first chapter. I had more to add to it but I accidentally deleted it a while ago when I wasn't paying attention. (Wow, go me.) Anyway, I hope you enjoyed this chapter.