Day 2: Betrayal
"Hey, Natsu?"
"Yeah Luce?"
"I just wanted to say thank you, for everything."
"That's random, is something wrong?"
"No, it's just that…"
"Spit it out, ya know you can't lie to me."
"You trust me, right?"
"Of course, you're my partner."
"Good, because there's something I have to do tomorrow."
"Oh? Ya need help with it?"
"No, no, but, i'm just…warning you, because you're going to hate me after I do it. So just know that it needs to be done, and trust me, one last time."
"What do you mean one last time? What are you planning Luce?"
"I'm sorry Natsu, just know that I don't want to do it, but I don't really have a choice anymore."
"Luce, what are you talking about? You're making me nervous. Lucy? Lucy! Come back!"
Lucy entered the guild hall, and took a deep breath. Natsu was already here, she'd made sure of it. She'd stopped by his house earlier to be sure, and he hadn't been home.
Everything was going according to plan.
She made her way through Fairy Tail, walking towards Mira, like she did every day.
"Hi Lucy!" Mira greeted happily. But when Lucy got closer, Mira's cheery smile faltered.
"Lucy, is something wrong?" She asked cautiously. Mira even took a step back.
Lucy knew why. She expected a mage as strong as Mira to sense the dark magic Lucy carried in her pocket. Her hand reached into her pocket slowly, as she smiled back at Mira.
"Of course Mira, everything's fine." Lucy said with a grin.
She opened the small bag in her pocket, and threw a handful of sleeping powder into the guild hall air.
Mages dropped like flies. Falling into a deep slumber that was almost impossible to wake from without a very strong healer.
Even Mira was affected by it. She groaned as she slumped against the bar.
"Lucy…why?" She muttered, as her eyelids fluttered shut.
"What the hell is going on, Lucy?" A voice demanded an explanation. She turned to face the only four mages still standing, unaffected by the sleeping spell.
It was Gray who had spoken, his eyes full of anger and confusion, his fists clenched and ready for a fight, but his stance hesitant, clearly not wanting to hurt Lucy.
Next to him, was Erza, a sword already in her hand, she looked about the same as Gray, her eyes full of distrust, but not hate. Not yet. She too, was ready for a fight, but clearly more ready to put down her sword and listen to an explanation.
Next to Erza, was Wendy. The small blue haired mage was a step behind Erza, nervous. Unlike the others, Wendy wasn't even preparing herself for a fight. She didn't look angry or confused or expectant of an explanation. Wendy just looked scared.
Lucy didn't know if she would be able to hurt the little dragon slayer.
And if Lucy couldn't bring herself to hurt Wendy, she had no idea how she was going to deal with Natsu.
He stood next to Wendy, his eye's filled with hurt. Usually, Natsu was the quickest to anger. He was always the first to jump into action and pummel any threat to their guild. But not this time. His arms hung limp at his sides. His fists weren't clenched, his fire nowhere to be found. His eyes looked Lucy up and down, as if trying to find any sign that it wasn't the real her, that she was possessed or being controlled or acting against her will.
There were no signs to be found.
All of this was, of course, also part of the plan. She had needed mages awake to witness her actions. But it couldn't have been just any mages, so Lucy had the potion made specially, so it wouldn't affect those four specifically.
Lucy had needed the mages that trusted her most to watch her betray them all.
"Lucy, explain yourself. Why do I sense dark magic in the air? Do you intend to hurt your own nakama?" Erza interrogated.
Lucy had expected this. She shot Erza a vile, twisted smile, then promptly dropped to her knees.
"Lucy?" Natsu asked, concern in his voice. Lucy ignored the twist in her heart. Even as she was trying to hurt them, Natsu was worried for her. Lucy looked back up and her friends, giving them her best pain-filled look. She'd been practicing her acting for this very moment.
"Please…" Lucy rasped, "help…they're…controlling me…I'm sorry, I don't want…to hurt…" Lucy cut herself off with a scream, then crumpled to the floor.
"Lucy!" Natsu cried, trying to run to her, but Erza put an arm out to stop him.
"I'll handle this Natsu, something isn't right here." Erza muttered.
As expected, she's the smart one. Lucy thought from her place on the floor.
"The hell are you talking about? Clearly Lucy's being used! We have to help her!" Natsu cried angrily.
"Don't lie to yourself, Natsu." Gray deadpanned. "Even I can feel there's something not right about this whole situation."
"I don't want to believe Lucy would hurt us intentionally." Wendy whispered quietly.
Natsu gave Wendy a sad smile. "Obviously, she wouldn't." He ruffled her hair. "Lucy loves us."
I do love you, that's why I'm doing this. Lucy thought, as she felt that twisting pain in her chest again.
"Well, she's unconscious now, so we can take her to the infirmary, and keep an eye on her until she wakes up." Erza decided, carefully picking up Lucy's limp form.
Lucy knew she had to act now, while they were still hesitant to hurt her. So from Erza's arms, she began focusing her magic. Lucy had been forced to learned requip in a very short time. She wasn't very good at it, she was only able to summon small weapons, but that was all she needed.
She had their trust, and that was her most powerful weapon of all.
"Requip" Lucy whispered.
Of course Natsu heard it, his dragon senses had always been a pain to work around. But Lucy knew he wouldn't get to her on time.
Lucy felt the weight of the poison-coated dagger as it appeared in her hand.
"Erza! Look out!" Natsu shouted, but it was too late. Lucy swung the dagger up, stabbing it into Erza's bicep. It wasn't a fatal wound, but that hadn't been the goal. The poison on the blade wasn't fatal either, but it spread fast.
It knocked Erza unconscious in ten seconds flat.
Lucy continued her attack while the others were still in shock.
She jumped to her feet, throwing the dagger with terrifying accuracy. It got Gray right in the thigh. He hissed in pain, glaring at Lucy.
This time, his eyes held the hate Lucy had needed to see.
She ignored how much it hurt to be on the receiving end of those hate filled eyes.
Gray hit the floor, and Lucy moved on.
She heard Wendy roar, and quickly slid to avoid the huge gust of wind coming straight for her. Lucy ran past Gray's unconscious form, mercilessly ripping the dagger from his thigh as she passed. She continued ducking and dodging until Wendy was in reach.
But in the end, Lucy couldn't bring herself to use the knife on the little girl.
She was thirteen, for God's sake.
But Lucy had to do something.
She settled for a well aimed kick to the stomach. Not enough to truly do damage, but enough to send the dragon slayer flying. Wendy collided with a table, and promptly went limp.
Now, Lucy prepared herself for the angry screams. She got ready for burning heat and a barrage of fury-filled flames, but none came.
Confused, she searched the room, shocked when her eye's landed on Natsu standing in the exact same place he had been when all of this started.
She tried to give him a hateful look, but she couldn't keep her act up any longer. Lucy crumpled. The dagger clattered to the ground. Lucy held her head in her hands as the tears finally came.
"I'm sorry!" She sobbed, "I'm so sorry! I never wanted to do any of this!"
Cautiously, Natsu approached.
"Hey, Luce, it's me. Are you back now? Are you Lucy again?" He asked nervously.
Angry at herself, she glared up at Natsu.
"I was never being controlled. I was lying. It was all an act, Natsu." She snapped.
Natsu gave her a sad smile. "I know. That doesn't mean you were normal Lucy, though."
Lucy's eyes widened in shock. "You knew I was faking it the whole time?"
"Well yeah, that's why I didn't attack ya, silly." Natsu sat down next to Lucy.
"How? How did you know?" Lucy asked.
Natsu laughed. "You didn't smell weird. Well, any weirder than normal."
Lucy elbowed him in the side. He shrugged it off and continued explaining.
"If you were possessed or under someone else's control, I would've smelled the different magic on ya." He paused, to glance over at Wendy, who was still unconscious. "Wendy probably knew too."
"I'm sorry Natsu." Lucy whispered.
"It's okay Luce, we can fix it. Just please tell me why you-" Natsu froze in horror as he turned back to look at the blonde, only to find her pressing her dagger to his throat.
"Lucy…" He gasped.
Lucy's eyes we're full of hatred, and it hurt Natsu, who was unsure of what he had done so wrong.
Little did he know, the hatred in Lucy's eyes was directed at herself.
The tears came back as Lucy held the dagger to Natsu's throat, she hated that she had to do this, but it was the only way.
She needed them to hate her.
She needed him to hate her.
"I'm sorry Natsu." She repeated.
"Lucy! Come on!" Natsu let out a nervous laugh. He tried to back away from her, only to have her jump on him, pinning him to the floor. Her hands trembled as she pressed the cold metal to Natsu's hot flesh.
Natsu began to grow nervous, unsure if he could talk his way out of this one. He refused to hurt Lucy, but Lucy certainly didn't seem opposed to hurting him.
It hurt, Natsu realized. It hurt in a way different then when he took a blow during battle. This was his nakama, his partner, his Lucy holding a knife to his throat of her own will. The betrayal stung, it twisted his stomach and his heart around in ways he had never felt before. It left a bad taste in his mouth. He didn't understand, he needed to understand.
"Why, Luce?" He asked, his voice growing louder with every word. "Why are you doing this? There must be a reason! Whatever happened, we can fix it. We'll work it out, together. Like we always have!"
"We can't Natsu!" Lucy shouted back, her voice filled with anguish and pain.
How badly Natsu wished he could take all her pain away, erase that hurt from her voice.
"There is something I need to do alone, and I can't have you and the others chasing after me. So I need you to hate me!" Lucy shouted. "I just betrayed you Natsu, I beat up all of our nakama, and I'm holding a poisonous dagger to your throat! I could kill you at any moment, so why are you still looking at me like that!" Lucy pushed the knife into his skin a little more, drawing the slightest bit of blood.
Still Natsu continued to look at her in that way that made her stomach flip. Like a hurt puppy, his eyes wide. That look that made her sure he would never lay a hand on her. A look full of love, the opposite of what Lucy wanted.
"You want me to hate you?" Natsu gave a soft laugh, "I could never hate you Luce, we're partners."
"I could kill you right now, I've already drawn blood." Lucy growled.
"You have drawn blood, and I guess you could kill me." Natsu said with a smile.
"Why are you smiling!" Lucy screamed in frustration. "Hate me, dammit!"
"No." Natsu stated simply.
"No?" Lucy yelled back.
"No, I refuse to hate you."
"Why?" Lucy asked, her voice growing softer against her will. She had a dagger to his throat, and still, Natsu was the same old, childish Natsu she'd always known.
"Because I love you, Lucy."
Lucy dropped the knife in shock.
"I love you too, Natsu." She responded, almost instinctively.
Natsu took his chance. He placed his hand on the back of Lucy's head, and pulled her in for a kiss. He shut his eyes tight, revelling in the feeling of Lucy's soft lips against his own, and praying that this snapped her out of whatever mental torment was causing her to believe betrayal was her only option.
But then, with their lips connected, Natsu remembered the conversation he'd had with Lucy the night before.
"You trust me, right?"
"Of course, you're my partner."
"Good, because there's something I have to do tomorrow."
"Oh? Ya need help with it?"
"No, no, but, i'm just…warning you, because you're going to hate me after I do it. So just know that it needs to be done, and trust me, one last time."
She had asked him to trust her. She had sworn that it needed to be done.
And Natsu did trust her. He trusted Lucy with his life.
So when he felt her arm reaching for the dagger, he said nothing, and made no move to stop it.
When their lips finally separated, Lucy was crying again.
"I really am sorry Natsu." She said.
Natsu couldn't help but cry out as pain shot through his shoulder, he turned his head, his face paling as he saw Lucy had stabbed him.
Sure, he had felt her pick up the dagger, but he didn't think she would actually stab him. He had trusted her.
And she had used it against him.
Natsu knew he should hate her for it, but as his gaze traveled from the knife, to her white knuckles that gripped it, up her arm, to land on her face, as he looked into her brown eyes, still the only thing he could feel for the girl was love.
"I still love you, Lucy." He rasped, his vision beginning to blur as the poison set it. Man, that was strong stuff if it was taking him out this fast.
"I love you too Natsu." Lucy smiled sadly, "That's why I have to do this."
Lucy twisted the knife in his shoulder, and Natsu screamed as his vision faded to black.
