Chapter 3 is up. I don't own Fairy Tail etc.

Natsu heaved on the platform. Never again, what had possessed him to take the train? Faster or not, there was no way he was getting on that thing again, they were walking home. The Mayor of Hargeon wasn't too pleased to see him, he remembered the last time they were there. But Natsu promised faithfully not to damage the port town and information was given about the vague whereabouts of the pirate's hideout. The job wasn't as satisfying as Natsu had hoped. He could smell the pirates a mile away and there wasn't even a decent mage among them so a good fight was out of the question. He did have fun destroying their ship – a little too much fun as some wayward debris managed to hit a church or something. But to Natsu that was MINIMAL damage. The mayor still docked 50% of the reward and threatened Natsu never to darken his doorway again.

Happy grumbled about the fish he could have bought all the way out of town. Natsu remained silent as they walked, he was thinking about Lucy. There had been a moment in the pirate cove amid his destruction he had smelt the faint waft of almonds and cocoa butter on the breeze. He was sure it was just his imagination but it had been enough to bring Lucy back into his mind.

The sun was setting so they decided to take the coast road. High above Hargeon the wind blew westward bringing with it the rich smell of the sea. As the sun got lower, they left Hargeon behind and they could hear the waves crashing against the cliff face below. The direction of the wing changed and suddenly, Natsu could smell it again, the unmistakable scent of Lucy Heartfilia. He unconsciously quickened his pace over the next rise. It had to be her but what was she doing here?

xXxXx

It was time. She had spent her last day in peace. Her mind, which had been a raging storm of hurt and loss that morning, was now calm and resolute. One step was all it took to leave the pain and exhaustion behind. She carefully unhooked her keys and silently said goodbye to each one. She did not want them to go to the depths with her. Lucy took out the Magipost box she had purchased on her way through Hargeon and placed her keys it gently before sealing it up and carefully writing Master Marakov's name and the guild hall address. She wrote the necessary magic symbols and as her pen lifted on the final symbol it vanished. Goodbye my friends, she thought sadly.

Lucy stood up and took one last look at the sky, the stars were coming out. Her eyes cast heavenward, she stepped forward. A single tear fell from her eye as she plummeted towards the waves and the rocks below. Just before she was cast into oblivion, she could have sworn she heard Natsu's voice calling her name.

xXxXx

It had all happened so quickly, he'd been so struck by her beauty. There on the cliff, looking out at the blue beyond, the wind making her hair into a golden halo around her head in the dying light. He hadn't seen how close he was to the edge. As he opened his mouth to call her, he saw her back straighten resolutely as she looked up into the twilight sky before stepping forward and vanishing from sight.

Something more like and incoherent scream than her name escaped from his lips as he jarred himself forward, running as fast as he ever had in his life. He vaguely heard Happy shouting somewhere – his head filled with crashing white noise. Without a pause he leapt over the precipice, just in time to see Lucy vanish beneath the waves.

"LUCY!" he screamed. Happy's tail was around his waist slowing his descent. "Let me go! Happy!" he trashed, swinging at the blue exceed in his distress. Happy was so shocked, he dropped him. Natsu felt the ice-cold water hit him but he didn't care. He dived – once, twice, but nothing. The water was too stirred up for him to see anything. The current was strong at it was all he could do to stop himself being smashed upon the rocks. In his grief and desperation, he cast a silent prayer to the only person he thought would listen, please Mrs Heartfilia, please don't take her away from me, not yet, I need her. The salt of his tears mixed with the sea as he dived again, deeper than before. This time he was unlucky, the current swept him into a jagged rock making a nasty gash on his arm. As he flailed for a moment in pain, he felt something soft brush his thigh. On instinct he grabbed what turned out to be a wrist. Lucy! He dragged her towards him, kicking his legs as hard as he could until they broke the surface. Lucy was limp and cold in his arms.

"Happy!" he called as he struggled to keep them afloat. Happy was hovering above the water a few metres away, whipping round at the sound of Natsu's voice. "Happy take her! I can get up on my own."

"Aye!" Happy carefully wrapped his tail around Lucy, even partially submerged he could tell she wasn't in good shape. He flew up quickly, blinking away the tears that blurred his vision. He heard a roar and the hiss of steam before Natsu shot past them, up and over the cliff with a thump.

"Luuucy." Groaned Natsu as Happy placed her gently on the ground. He staggered over, collapsing to his knees next to her unmoving body. "Lucy! Luce!" He shook her, she was ice to the touch and her lips were blue.

"Natsu, she's not breathing." Wailed Happy.

"No! C'mon Luce, please!" Tears were forming in his eyes as reality started to hit. "Please Lucy, don't leave me." He crushed her to his chest, "please, I need you, please don't leave me." He heard a hoarse cough over his should, it was the most beautiful sound. He quickly put her down as she heaved up sea water. "Luce?" he stroked her face as the coughs died away. Her eyelids fluttered.

"Natsu?" she slowly focused on him, "Natsu?"

"Luce."

He was shocked when she started to cry, "Noooooo, why did you save me?" Natsu felt like he'd been punched in the gut as she sobbed. "Mom." Was the last thing she whispered before passing out again.

Natsu didn't move. She didn't want to be saved? She had stepped off the ledge on purpose? Why? What had happened to her? He gazed at her, she seemed so small and broken. There was blood seeping out of a wound in her stomach and bruises were already starting to form. He had known something was off, but this? Why hadn't she come to talk to him? Natsu took some deep breaths. Now wasn't the time for these thoughts. As if in a dream, he patched her up as best he could and picked her up. She was still freezing so he warmed his body up a few degrees. When had she gotten so thin? It was like carrying a child. Happy was still crying beside him.

"N-natsu, is Lucy going to be o-ok?" he sniffed. Natsu couldn't answer. He still couldn't believe that Lucy, his Lucy, would do something like this. He was still reeling from the terror of watching her die before his eyes, well almost anyway. The years of his life had stretched out ahead of him without Lucy by his side. He felt her shallow breaths on his chest and he pushed all the feelings down.

"C'mon Happy, we need to hurry. Lucy needs a doctor."

AN: So I decided Natsu probably wouldn't know CPR. He would just get bloody lucky when he crushed her and dislodge some water. Read and review please.