"Natsu, please. You don't have to do this on your own!" Lucy's eyes were wet, her voice shaking, though whether it was with fear or anger Natsu couldn't tell.

He clenched his fists to keep himself from shouting at her. She didn't deserve that. She didn't deserve the pain he had caused her or the pain he was sure to cause her in the future. He would understand if she was angry with him, would prefer it to having her worry again.

His heart pounded in his ears. The demon blood within him was fighting to take hold. It craved Zeref's head on a platter. Even now, with his lost memories restored, the magic that had revived him yearned to return to the one who had cast it. To extinguish the dark wizard's life and thus put out the flame of the dragon slayer.

He wasn't suicidal. He had no desire to rush to his death. He wanted to go on endless adventures with his friends. He wanted to stay with Happy and Lucy forever. But he couldn't do that while Zeref waged his war against Fairy Tail. And Natsu was the only one with the power to end it.

"Natsu." She gripped his arms tightly. "I know what you're thinking and I'm begging you not to." The tears were rolling steadily down her cheeks now. "We're a team, aren't we?" Her voice cracked.

He hated himself for being the cause of her tears. How could he make her understand? His own eyes were hot but he didn't let the tears fall. "This isn't a fight we can win as a team," he said more calmly than he felt, probably because he avoided looking her in the eye as he spoke.

Her face still bore cuts from her fight with the time witch. Seeing them made the demon power within him pulse. He couldn't stop picturing her lying lifeless and bloodied in that underground cell, her face drenched in blood. It didn't matter that it hadn't been hers. In that moment, he'd lost his humanity and the demon blood had taken over.

She grabbed his face and made him look at her. It sent a shock through his whole body. "Win or lose, we do it together. That's what it means to be a guild, isn't it? That's why we're the strongest team, right?"

Her face was so close. He could smell her perfume underneath all the blood and dirt and sweat. His heart beat faster. She was so confident. She wasn't afraid. She truly believed in him, that together they could win. He'd always loved that about her.

He placed his hands on her shoulders and gently pushed her away. "Luce, please. Don't look at me like that." Her lips were turned down, her eyes wide with surprise. "I can't protect you if you come with me."

She folded her arms across her ample bosom and furrowed her brow. "I keep telling you I'm not as helpless as I used to be. I can back you up while holding my own."

"I'm not doubting your strength," he answered. "I'm doubting mine."

"Natsu…"

He tightened his grip on her arms. "I don't know that I can beat Zeref as I am, and I can't control myself as E.N.D. either. If something were to happen to you again, I couldn't bear it."

Her arms dropped and she held her hands in front of her at her waist. "Nothing permanently damaging has happened to me," she whispered, but her gaze had drifted to the ground. Even she couldn't easily forget the night the dragons attacked and her future self had sacrificed herself to save her.

"No, but I thought I'd lost you earlier," he said. "I snapped. E.N.D. took over and I couldn't stop myself from killing all those soldiers in my path. I was even ready to kill Gray to get to Zeref." His eyes watered as he remembered how close he and his best friend had come to mutual destruction. "I can't watch you die again."

She reached up and took his hands off her shoulders, gripping them tight in hers. Gently, she placed them on her chest. He could feel her heart beating rapidly beneath them. "Feel that?" she said. "I'm still alive."

"Lucy."

She was smiling up at him. Her face was covered in dirt and blood and stained with tears that still made her big brown eyes glisten but her smile was as radiant as her beloved stars. That smile coupled with the beating of her heart under his hands quelled the demon power within him. "I want to be by your side, I want to go on more adventures with you!"

He wrapped his arms around her and hugged her tightly to him. Her gasp of surprise made him chuckle. "Alright you weirdo, you win." He felt her relax and embrace him in return. He frowned as they pulled apart. "There's a chance this could be our last adventure," he said somberly.

She squeezed his hands. "Then we better make it a good one."

He grinned. "If we survive this, I swear I'll never leave you alone again."

"We will. After all, you've got a whole year to make up to me." She smirked. A year. A lifetime. This one or the next. He would take her on as many adventures as he could. They didn't need to say it to know.

He nodded. "Alright, let's find Happy and get moving."

"Right!" she beamed. Hand in hand, they ran off on their final adventure.