It's been a while since I've written a one shot, so I thought I might as well. I've wanted to do this one for sometime. I hope you all like it.

You see this, this means this story belongs to me, Flamefairyx777, and if you try to take it we will have a serious issue. The only thing I do not own is it's places and characters. All rights to that belong to Hiro Mashima.

Leaves crunched under the weight of Lucy's boots as she ran through the forest surrounding Magnolia. It was chilly outside because of the change in seasons and she was regretting not wearing a coat. However her mind was too fuzzy to really care about the temperature. She furiously rubbed at the tears building in her eyes.

I guess I am just a big crybaby, she thought, making the tears increase. Normally she wouldn't say such mean things about her own character, after all she was usually happy and confident about who she was and who she would become, however the situation had changed when she arrived at the guild that morning.

Nothing seemed out of the ordinary at the time. Lucy and her partner Natsu had made plans to tackle a job with her rent money due date coming up. She scolded herself for running behind and was jogging to the guild as fast as she could.

She smiled when the large Fairy Tail emblem came into view. She could hear the happy noises on the inside from where she stood. Lucy's pace slowed as she approached the door. As she held her hand out to grab the handle, she could hear someone mention her name.

"Hey, has anyone seen Luce today?" said the recognizable voice of her best friend and partner.

"Sorry Natsu, I don't think she's come in yet," she could hear Mirajane saying.

"She's probably just dolling herself up like usual," said Macao from a nearby table. Lucy had a strange feeling in her gut that told her to listen a little longer. Instead of going inside like her brain told her, she stuck around to the closest window. She peered in and could see Natsu standing over Macao and Wakaba's table.

Natsu rubbed his head in thought, "I guess you're right. I suppose I can wait a few more minutes before we head out on our mission." Macao and Wakaba turned to each other then back to Natsu

"Why don't you just head out on your own Natsu. You don't really need Lucy along do you?" questioned Wakaba.

"Of course I need Lucy," said Natsu, flabbergasted, "She's my partner, why wouldn't I take her?"

Macao scratched the back of his head, placing his mug on the tabletop, "Well, you do most of the work don't you? You are stronger than her and the missions you take require a lot of firepower."

"Most of the time she just tags along while you do all of the work and both of you lose money," finished Wakaba. The conversation had gathered more attention than needed. People were starting to gather round the table and voice their own thoughts.

"She can be sort of a crybaby at times."

"Not to mention loud. She complains quite a bit too about the missions."

"And she's really heavy to carry around all the time!" laughed Happy, "REALLY heavy!" everyone in the guildhall laughed along with the exceed, knowing very well that his comment was nothing more than a joke, however the Celestial Spirit mage outside was not laughing. Lucy stared down at the cobblestone ground under her feet. Her lower lip trembled as she tried to keep quiet.

Do they really think I'm weak? Do they really think I'm a nuisance? She asked herself. She felt terrible. All the people she thought were her family were saying such hurtful things about her. Did Natsu, her partner –or maybe someone who meant more than that- think of her that way too? She couldn't bear the thought.

Without thinking, Lucy bolted down the streets and towards the forest. She wanted to go right back home, but she knew Natsu would find her there, and the last thing she wanted to be was a burden to her nakama.

That's how she ended up halfway through the forest, trying to collect herself. Her depression and tiredness soon got the better of her and she couldn't walk anymore. She stumbled over to a fallen log and collapsed on its trunk. Lucy threw her hands over her eyes and sobbed quietly to herself. She didn't know what to do anymore. She could go back to the guild, but would she have the strength to face her nakama, or Natsu? Did he agree with the rest of them after what they told him? Her mind was so full of sadness and doubt that she didn't notice her magic energy was depleting.

A puff sound came from behind her as her magic decreased. She turned around slowly to find Loke and Virgo standing not far behind her. Loke held a face of sympathy while Virgo stared at her emotionlessly.

"W-What are you two doing here?" she was able to croak out. Loke walked over to where she sat and took a seat on the log beside her. He grasped his hands and turned to his master, "We sensed your distress and came as soon as we could."

"But why?" she asked.

"Because we're your friends Lucy. What are friends for?" As soon as the words left Loke's mouth Lucy started crying again. He jerked away in confusion, but Lucy latched onto his arm and started crying into his sleeve. She was so sad yet so happy to have two of her closest spirits there to help her.

Loke froze and turned to Virgo who simply shrugged. When Lucy was calm enough to speak she recounted the whole tale to her spirits who listened attentively. When she was done Loke was furious. He knew Fairy Tail didn't mean all they said in a mean way, however it still hurt his sensitive master.

"That doesn't sound like the Fairy Tail I know," he said. Lucy nodded sadly.

"I don't think they really meant in, but it still hurt."

"Would you like me to punish them princess?' Virgo asked from behind. Loke scolded her silently from over his shoulder. Lucy shook her head, whipping away some of her tears. Loke placed a comforting hand over his master's shoulder. Lucy turned to face him, her brown eyes soft with tears.

"Families aren't perfect Lucy. Sometimes they cross limits that they really shouldn't, but that doesn't change the fact that they still love you."

"Your guild will smile when you smile, cry when you cry, and laugh when you laugh, even if they think those things about you," said Virgo softly. Lucy pondered their words for a moment, letting them sink in. A moment later she smiled. She stood up from her spot on the log.

"You're right. I shouldn't let this bother me. I think stuff like that all the time, but that doesn't mean I love any of them any less," she declared.

"And I'm sure Natsu-sama doesn't think those things. He liiikes you after all," Virgo said smugly. Loke chuckled with her while Lucy sputtered incoherent statements denying it. With the air now back to normal and the atmosphere happy, the three friends smiled at each other, knowing everything would be okay.

That is, until a dart hit Lucy in the butt.

Lucy's eyes widened exponentially. She stumbled over her feet before crashing face first onto the ground.

"Lucy!" Loke yelled. He rushed to her side quickly and lifted her up against the log. He turned his attention to the woods where the dart came from. He sensed motion a few yards away going in the opposite direction.

"Virgo, after them!" Loke commanded. Virgo nodded and swiftly tunneled into the ground. The Lion spirit turned his attention back to his master. He pulled the dart out of her butt -his face a furious red the whole time- and examined it. It appeared to be nothing special but he had no way of knowing. Hesitantly, Loke pressed his head up against Lucy's chest. He gasped and yanked himself away.

No pulse.

He grabbed her wrist and tried feeling for it that way, however there was still nothing there. Loke's heart began to speed up at the possibility that his master was dead. He stood up from the ground and paced back and forth in thought. Anger coursed through his veins along with fright. What was he going to do if she died. What would he say to the spirits? What would he say to the guild?

What would he say to Natsu?

"I'm a dead man," Loke muttered through his hand that was placed over his mouth. If Natsu found out he would definitely not live to see another day. Though Loke always flirted with Lucy for fun he never made any real advances out of respect for Natsu's feelings, because everybody knew -except Lucy it seemed- that the Dragon Slayer was head-over-heels for her.

A moment later Loke could feel the familiar sensation of a tunnel forming under him. The Lion spirit stepped to the side just as Virgo came popping out of the ground with a shady looking man locked in her grip.

"I found the criminal Onii-san," stated Virgo, dropping the man on the floor. He quickly crawled away from Virgo, whimpering loudly. He hadn't noticed Loke yet and accidentally ran into his legs. He glanced up at the ginger who in a split second hoisted the man into the air and held him by the collar. The man shivered and cried as he stared at Loke's angered face.

"What was in that dart?" Loke said, venom leaking off his words. Sweat pooled off of the man's face and he trembled uncontrollably.

"A-A potion called T-The S-Sleeping Death," he replied. Loke's features distorted into one of pure rage. He shook the man around violently, earning a loud cry from him.

"Did you just kill my master?!" Loke demanded. The man didn't answer. Loke shook him harder, "DID YOU JUST KILL MY MASTER?!"

"I-I didn't I swear! It j-just puts people in a d-death like state! Please d-don't hurt me I was just planning on robbing her!"

Sighing loudly, Loke hit the man upside the head hard enough to knock him unconscious, "Virgo, punish him please." A creepy smile spread across Virgo's face. She cracked her knuckles loudly, "With pleasure."

While Virgo was busy tying the man up to back of a wild bear, Loke thought through the situation. The man said that Lucy was just in a death like sleep, meaning that eventually she would wake. The question was when.

"Punishment is done," said Virgo, walking up to her fellow spirit. She turned to Lucy who was still laying up against the log. Using her strength she picked up Lucy and cast Loke a glance.

"Onii-san, we should probably return Hime back to her guild. They might be able to help her."

Loke sighed, stroking a hand through his orange locks, "You're probably right. They would probably be able to help her better than we could. I'm just still mad at them for saying such hurtful things to her. If they saw her now then they would probably-"

Realization donned on the Lion spirit. If the mages at Fairy Tail found out that their hurtful comments were the reason she was attacked in the first place, then they would consider thinking twice before ever saying something hurtful to Lucy ever again. But he couldn't just tell them she was sleeping, they wouldn't feel bad. He had to make them feel terrible. He had to make them feel guilty.

An evil smile appeared on Loke's face.

"Onii-san?" Virgo questioned after the ginger had sat in silence for five minutes. He turned around to face Virgo, smiling brightly.

"Virgo, I just had a brilliant idea to get revenge on the guild."

Virgo blinked in confusion. Loke continued.

"How about instead of going to the guild and telling them Lucy is unconscious, we go to the guild and tell them that she is dead!"

"..."

"..."

"... Onii-san that is a horrible idea." Virgo said bluntly.

"Come on Virgo," said Loke in exasperation, "where's your sense of humor? We'll go to the guild, tell them Lucy was killed after she heard all those mean things about her, and they'll feel super upset and guilty. Afterwords we'll tell them the truth and then they can find a way to wake her up."

Virgo shook her head in disappointment, "Onii-san if we do this then we are no better than the guild mages who hurt our Hime. We should just tell them the truth." Loke smirked, throwing an arm over Virgo's shoulders.

"True, but if we don't tell them, when Lucy wakes up she will be extremely angry at us and probably, you know... punish us."

Virgo's blue eyes widened as large as dinner plates. A large smile stretched across her face. She looked over at Loke, jumping giddily up and down, "What are we waiting for! Let's go to Fairy Tail!" Loke and Virgo laughed manically in a comical way. Whether it was a good idea or not, they were going to go through with it 100%.

But what did 100% entail?

FAIRY TAIL

Natsu banged his head repeatedly against the bar counter. Beside him sat Gray who was trying hard to resist punching the Dragon Slayer in the face. He had been doing the same head banging for over ten minutes and since Erza was sitting only a couple feet away, Gray could not attack Natsu without risking bodily harm to himself. Instead he just sat there, trying to ignore Natsu to the best of his ability, and he was failing. The glass in his hand began to grow frosty and the liquid froze over.

"Natsu, how about instead of sulking like a five year old, you go out and actually LOOK for Lucy," Gray growled through gritted teeth. Natsu rested his chin on the counter, pouting childishly, "I already checked her house and she wasn't there." Mira walked up to him and placed a sympathetic hand on his shoulder.

"Maybe she just went out shopping and forgot to tell you," Mira said, but there wasn't a hint of confidence in her words. Even the barmaid had to admit that it was strange that Lucy hadn't come in yet. The other day Lucy was gushing about how excited she was to go on a mission with her best friend. It didn't make sense that she would just ditch.

"Yeah that's probably it Mira," said Macao from a few tables away, "She probably went out to go get herself some more clothes. Though with her whining attitude I doubt she'll find anything satisfying!" Macao and Wakaba laughed happily, banging their fists against the table. They jumped when they heard an even louder thump from the bar.

Everyone in the guild watched as Natsu stood up angrily from his seat and marched over to the two older men's table. He slammed his hands on the table which made them flinch.

"Don't you guys start that up again," Natsu growled, "I don't care if you're serious or just fooling around. Lucy is twice the mage either of you will ever be and even if she's a weirdo who cries often or complains she's still family, and she could send both of you flying to Hargeon with her "Lucy Kick." Macao and Wakaba remained silent. A couple hours ago they had started a whole conversation about Lucy's flaws but before it got too serious Natsu had put a stop to the whole thing. They could still remember the glare he gave them that almost made them wet their pants.

"We won't say anything else!" squeaked Wakaba, making a scout sign with his hands, "Scouts honor." Natsu nodded, seeming satisfied with their answer.

"Good. Now that that problem is solved I need a more important one fixed. Where's-"

The doors to the guild hall opened loudly, banging up against the wall. All eyes drifted to the two personages standing in the doorway engulfed by sunlight. Most of the mages recognized Loke almost immediately. His eyes were shielded by his glasses that reflected the sun's light. They couldn't see his expression well but they knew it wasn't a good one.

Behind him stood Virgo. She stared into the guildhall blankly, blinking twice. In her arms was the silhouette of what looked like a body, but the question that plagued everyone in the guildhall was who's body.

Loke took a few steps forward, followed by Virgo. When he stopped Virgo kept walking straight. Everyone tried to catch a glimpse of the body in her arms but couldn't because of the sun's blinding rays. Finally, Virgo stopped in the middle of the hall. She lowered herself down to her knees and gently placed the body on the floor for everyone to see. As the persons body became clearer, everyone's bodies tensed in terror.

"Lucy is dead," said Loke quietly.

The guild turned into a frenzy as everyone rushed to the side of the blonde mage. From the bar Mira covered her mouth to fight back her sobs. Gray had dropped his frozen glass and ran to his teammate. Erza threw her cake to the side and followed behind Gray.

Wendy wormed through the crowd and to her friend. She tried to fight back the tears as she checked Lucy's pulse in hopes that they were wrong. An uneasy gasp came from her mouth. Her head shot up to Loke and Virgo a few feet away. The two spirits dropped their heads in sadness.

"H-How did this happen?" asked Levy from the side. Her small body shook as she wondered how her dear friend could have suddenly passed. Gajeel had a hand on her shoulder to give her some form of little comfort. Loke's face fell to the floor.

"She heard what you all said about her this morning." He could actually hear the intake of breath from everyone in the room, "She ran into the forest and was attacked by a rogue mage. We tried to help her but it was too late. She's gone."

Erza glanced down at Wendy who was still looking over Lucy. Reluctantly, the Dragon Slayer lifted her head so everyone could see her thick tears. Wendy couldn't will herself to speak the truth, but everyone knew what she knew was true.

Lucy Heartfilia was dead. And it was all their fault.

"Lushi," Happy whimpered, grabbing her lifeless hand, "Please wake up. Please Lushi," the little exceed begged. Everyone sniffled, trying to fight back the tears and failing miserably.

Over the sound of the thousands of tears being shed there was the sound of footsteps. A couple people looked behind them to see what it was. Upon seeing who a path had been formed so that he could make it through the crowd to the body lying on the floor. Silence enveloped the guild as Natsu slowly made his way to Lucy's body. His eyes were covered by a shadow but they could see his lower lip trembling.

Wendy stood up to make room for the man. Loke and Virgo watched curiously as Natsu simply stood over the body, just staring at it. Natsu fell to his knees, still staring at the body of his partner. Everyone waited patiently to see what would happen. Natsu's frame shook slightly while he looked at the lifeless face of his partner. Her cheeks were still pink and he could almost feel the warmth coming from her body, but the one thing he wanted wasn't there.

And that was a heartbeat.

Suddenly, Natsu flung himself onto Lucy. He wailed loudly, unable to control his feelings. He wrapped his arms around her shoulders and hugged her close to him. Nobody stopped him when he started screaming her name over and over again, in fact it only made them feel worse. Nobody bothered trying to hide their tears anymore. People wailed and cried buckets of tears of regret. Loke and Virgo stood off to the side silently. If they hadn't known that Lucy was actually alive then there was no doubt in their minds that they too would be crying.

Natsu's wailing had died down to simple whimpers and shudders. He looked down at the peaceful face of his partner. Even when he knew she was dead she still looked as beautiful as always. The warm feeling in his heart that he always felt around her felt like it was burning. Like everyone else in the room his heart also felt regret. Not because he picked on his comrade.

But because he never told her how he felt.

Realizing that he no longer had a chance with her made his heart break in two. He felt so helpless and lost inside. All his hopes had vanished away with her.

No.

He wouldn't let it die. Not yet. He had never given up a fight and he wasn't going to give up now. A thought entered Natsu's mind that caused him to stop breathing. A possible idea to fix this. He didn't know if it would work, but Lucy had told him plenty of stories where miracles had happened, and Natsu needed a miracle.

Brushing away a strand of hair, Natsu leaned closer to Lucy's face. He closed his eyes slowly and tightened his hold on her shoulders. Everyone stared wide eyed at Natsu as he placed his lips over the blonde mages and kissed her. It didn't last very long, but it felt like an eternity to Natsu. When Natsu finally pulled away, he stared down at Lucy's calm face.

"I love you Lucy," he whispered softly. He sat there, holding her like a porcelain doll for a few seconds. His eyes dropped sadly at the lack of response he wanted. He tightened his grip on her shoulder, trying to hold back the oncoming tears.

When he heard it.

"I love you too."

Natsu's eyes shot back to Lucy's face and instead of meeting her closed eyes he was met with her warm, brown irises. The blonde smiled softly as if she had just woken up from a peaceful nights sleep. Everyone around her gasped in shock, completely unprepared for her sudden revival. Natsu didn't know what to say as Lucy stared back at him. Her first words echoed through his head and all of a sudden, he laughed.

Tears of joy fell from his eyes while he laughed merrily. He wrapped is arms around her small body and she did the same, laughing along with him. Cheering filled the guildhall louder than the crying just a couple minutes prior. Levy lunged onto Gajeel and almost hugged the life out of him. Happy flew around in circles over Natsu and Lucy's heads. Gray let out a sigh of relief as Erza wiped away her tears of joy.

Pulling away from each other, Natsu stared deeply into Lucy's eyes once more. Without warning, he pulled her into another kiss. Lucy blinked in surprise and confusion at first but melted in soon enough. The shouting and cheering grew louder as Natsu and Lucy stood, still kissing.

Off to the side stood a satisfied Loke and content Virgo.

"The Sleeping Death," said Virgo, "sounds like a fairy tale potion to me."

Loke smiled beside her, folding his arms over his chest, "Well it did give us a fairy tale ending." He glanced over to Virgo who smiled at him, "See, I told you my plan would work."

"Plan?"

Loke's smug expression dropped and he whorled around to face the guild. Everyone's eyes were on him and the maiden spirit. Natsu glared at the ginger, still holding Lucy close.

"You planned this?" he yelled in anger. Sweat formed above Loke's brow and he readjusted his glasses. Clearly he didn't think the end of his plan through well enough.

"W-Well not the part where she was shot by a sleeping dart and appeared dead but the part where you all assumed she was dead so you would feel bad for saying all those things about her."

"Of course we feel bad about it!" yelled Gray, "But wasn't this taking it too far?"

Loke pulled on the collar of his shirt, "Well in my defense we were going to tell you eventually."

"After watching you all suffer for a few more hours," Virgo added. Natsu growled lowly in rage. He removed his arms from Lucy and cracked his knuckles. The other mages in the room did similar things. Lucy took a step forward, pulling out her whip. To say she was furious with her spirits behavior was an understatement, and while she appreciated the gesture it was still too hardcore to let them escape unharmed.

"Loke. Virgo," she said.

"Yes Hime?" the spirits said in unison. Loke jumped into Virgo's arms as Lucy cracked the whip loudly.

"Punishment time."

I've waited so long to do this and I finally found the time. I noticed that most one-shots are around 1,000 words roughly and then I look at mine and they have about 4,000.

Oh well! I hope you all liked this story!