Well, sorry for the delay, busy and such, but my break is finally here! So, yes, writing and updating as much as possible!

Warning: Slight gruesome theme in the beginning.

OoooO

The scent consumed the senses, it flooded him. Overpowering throughout his body, it was sweet and bitter. Red. Crimson and dreadful, it was stench now. Lively and beating, yet fading while –drip….

A pool of crimson around the barely breathing corpse. Guts were hanging out of the body discarded on its side. Carelessly tossed, eyes wide and red taunting the cheeks while a line flowed from its close lips. Horror of ripped hair that was softly placed in a pile, some scalp decorating the chunks as well. Pieces of flesh like globs, islands spread far and near the carcass, the soft thumping of its heart diminishing while at a certain angle the organ could be seen –it was visible.

Where to even step?

Where to breathe?

Where to live?

Death was very certain, and he could do nothing.

HOW COULD YOU!

Eyes wide and the voice shrieked in his ears. It rang with a force to make him curl his hands around his ears and his eyes could not stare at anything but the face. Innocence and terror, a piece, a chunk torn from that sight.

HOW COULD-

Body flung up while sweat caked his body, his breathing ragged and uneven. His crimson eyes glanced over to where she lay. Peacefully laying upon her side and she still in the same condition that he left her in. He sat at the edge of his bed and placed his head in his palms. He growled lowly before standing, need to splash cold water upon his face, calm his nerves.

He stare at his face, long for the moment and took in deep breaths. There was a silence in which he knew was for himself, for him to just think. Instinct led him to be so cautious with this situation, and was it for her? He peaked through the mirror to see the blonde still sleeping soundly on her bed.

Gajeel walked towards her and his hand gently touched her face, "Damn…" He turned away and stalked out of the room, slamming the door. His breathing ragged once more, he had to walk it all off, the trembling hands and loud mind of his.

XxxxX

The lights are dim, the cloud is thick, the words are soft…

Do you hear me?

Wait, stop.

Turn around. Look!

A forest. A hole. Green.

Brilliant colors flooding around. They surround, drown in them. DROWN In tHeM.

There is another path, look! Grey clouds, black smoke, white grounds… it's ruined.

What has happened?!

Wait, don't, stop.

Stop.

STOP!

In the end, it is futile.

Fluttering open, she moved. More like tried to. Her body ached, it trembled and she cringed before falling back feeling heavier than ever. She glanced to the side, forcing her head to move.

Empty bed.

Silence.

Where is he? Lucy cranked her neck to move in order to look at the room fully, see it as a whole. No sight of the Dragon Slayer or even a hint he was here, she knew he was coming back because she noticed some of his things and he really wasn't one to just ditch his thinks.

He must have thought she was extremely weak right now. Look at her, bruised and battered by some bandit. It was pathetic. Lisanna wouldn't have gotten herself captured. She wouldn't have gotten this beat up, she wouldn't have been so damn useless! Lucy felt her eyes burn while her throat forced down the lump that desperately wanted to escape. There, her arm flung to cover her eyes while she forced her emotions down.

Useless…

Can't even deal with a bandit….

Stupid…

Seriously?

"Shut up!"

Her body snapped, pain snagged at her gut, soon she curled up as a gasp fled her lips. Startled by her own movements she shut her eyes tightly, more voices called out at her, they taunted her, and they were vicious, poisonous. Thorns pricked at her skin, wings were plucked from her as she continued to listen to them. She stared hard at the mirror across the way, diagonal from her form, bandages around her arms, legs, few decorated her face.

Fingers placed upon her cheek, a wince.

Finally, they fell. Those glistening tears just dripped down her cheeks, so freely as her throat screamed. Her hands balled into fists, trembling whilst her strong determination to stand. The swing of her hips to force her legs over almost made her topple over, but she gripped the sheets tightly. Her vision blurry, the ground felt like it hurt her toes, but she ignored it. Pushing off without a thought, she stepped forward, her eyes still leaking and her throat ceasing fire (only to burn).

Then she threw up.

Bile. Sweet bile escaped her stomach and bit harshly at her throat, her body reflex made her just keel on her knees and hands to release it.

Disgraceful

Pitiful

Shameful

Insignificant

Worthless

Everything shook. Everything hurt. Everything was slipping from her grasp. She wasn't over it. She missed him. No, she missed her self-respect. She didn't care about him. Natsu was an idiot who made her cry and made her feel like shit. But she let herself get this far down the slope, she let herself down. She kept blaming Lisanna or Natsu or both for all of the hardship… she knew she was foolish for believing him, she knew that, but she was an idiot for letting it take her down completely. She was an idiot for let herself drown. Where did her confidence go? What happened? Everything seemed so wrong, surreal, fake.

This was her truth. The reason behind her self-hating. She truly disliked herself. She was her own downfall.

"But if you never try, you'll never know…

Just what you're worth."

There in on all fours above her bile as tears went streaming down her face, quietly, she started to feel this world disappear. In the silence of her aches, she simply let this weakness out.

XxxxX

Gajeel had carefully entered the room when the mixture of salt and vomit hit his nose hard. He gulped as his eyes averted straight ahead but down to collect himself again. His hand gripped the reward tightly as his other covered his nose, eyes now scanning to find the source. That's when he caught the glimpse of moving blonde hair.

Reward dropped, door slammed shut, feet in a rapid movement, his hands found her shoulders (gently) and straightened her up to prop her butt on her legs. "Bunny girl?!" he said, quickly, frantically, concern filled his words.

Her eyes red and puffy, chin covered in spit and some of her up-chuck which Gajeel realized one of his knees was in, but he didn't care. She was upset and sick and he was an idiot for leaving her behind. Hair covered some of her face and her head cocked to the side, a trembling hand touched his cheek and another sob broke this silence.

"Weak…"

Gajeel's studded brow raised up at her single word, "What?"

She pushed him away as she threw up a bit more and choked out the word again. "Weak." Wiping her mouth with the back of her hand, she then stated clearly, "Me."

Gajeel got the message and picked her up by her waist carefully (he minded her injuries), and carried her to the bathroom. He turned the water on and glared hard at her. "Call that maid spirit of yours or that damn lion," he told her as he check the temperature of the water. She simply stared at him, her cheeks flush, more visible in this better lighting.

He looked at her blank stare and poked her forehead, "Don't spouting nonsense, Bunny Girl. Y'er, not all there right now." He was slightly tempted to remove her clothes, but shook his head. "Now get one of your spirits to help you get y'er-self cleaned up."

Lucy looked down, spacing out. Her voice soon came out, "Why?"

"Huh?"

She looked up at him with a serious look, "Why did you want to go on a job with me?"

His hand landed on her shoulder, folded around it and his ruby eyes narrowed with an amount of thoughtfulness that she had seen in him since he sang when he joined the guild. "Because I owned you one." He then checked the water before speaking again, "Y'er stronger than ya know, it pisses me off that ya doubt y'er abilities so much. Don't fucking call y'er-self weak, you ain't."

His look made Lucy swallow whatever rebuttal she was preparing. He started to walk, a hand landed on her head briefly, "I ain't lying, Bunny Girl." Soon, much too soon, he closed the door.

Lucy's heart thumped loudly and some tears escaped. Those words were laced with honesty and it meant something to her –she wasn't all that weak… She needed her confidence back, she wanted it back.

OoooO

Welp, sorry for the wait again, but tell me what you think. This chapter ended up being more emotional than I thought it's be, but hey! I hope you like dit and stay tuned!