"Natsu!" We had arrived at the surface, but he wasn't moving or worse, he wasn't breathing. "Wake up!" Don't do this to me. I beg you. Please.. don't leave me. I couldn't help myself, holding he's body close to mine. I looked down at Natsu's face and he's lips wore a blue color. With my hand, stroke I away the hair cowering he's eyes.
"Look!" Levy pointed towards a ship approaching us. "It's coming this way! We looked around us, as we were in the middle of nowhere. there was no place we could hide, only back down where we came from. Levy's eyes kept switching from me to the approaching ship. "We have to go. There's nothing more we can do. They might help him."
"I'm not leaving him!"
"But Lucy-san?"
"No!" I had come this far now, so there was no way I were going to give up now. So we could only wait. The ship began to stop before us.
"Lucy!" That's when I heard it, familiar voices shouting my name.
"Gray! Gajeel! Tears streamed down my cheeks, as I saw Gray wave he's arms towards us. Gajeel came swiftly with rope, tossing them over board.
"His not breathing!" My voice cracked as I spoke, saying the truth out loud. That's when reality hit me again.
"Tie him up! Quickly!" Before I knew it had Both Levy and Juvia grabbed Natsu out of my arms, tying him up. With the rope tied around him, pulled them him up. When they got him aboard, laid Gajeel him gently on the deck. I tried to pay attention on what were going on, but I couldn't hear or see what they were doing properly. Gajeel used he's arms to press on Natsu's chest it looked like. I felt useless, only able to watch him from a far. Gajeel kept on going for a while, but nothing happened.
Why wasn't he waking up, this couldn't be. He had to wake up. Gajeel suddenly stopped, shaking he's head. No, it couldn't be true.
Gray pushed him aside and lifted both of he's hands up high, before he punched Natsu in the stomach with all that he got.
General POV
Natsu instantly began coughing up water, feeling relived from the water leaving he's lungs. When he got back to his senses, realized Natsu that he had lost the tail he was given. "What in the.." Looking around himself, to see Gray and Gajeel smiling relived at him.
"We thought you was dead."
"Dead?"
"Yes, she saved you.
"Lucy! Did he take her!?"
"Calm down Natsu, you need to relax." Trying to get him to lay down.
"Natsu!" The sound of Lucy's voice, made Natsu jump back on his feet. Making he's way to the fence, tossing himself over the edge. Natsu stopped in midair, as he were held back by he's friends.
"Lucy! You are alright!" Happy to see her, splashing around in the water.
"I am the one who should have been worried about you!" With a more serious tone in her voice.
"How did you-"
"Juvia helped us escape, she found out that Dan had taken me prisoner." Reaching her hand out to her pother blue haired friend. She looked confused over at Juvia, who did not pay attention at all. She starred up at the boat with big round eyes. "Juvia?"
"Are you alright Juvia?" Whispered Levy into her ear, so the guys wouldn't see.
"Juvia is in love!" Gray heard her loud voice, knowing it was for him. She were starring at him after all.
"I think you got an admirer" Laughed Natsu, as he looked over at his friend. Gray looked slightly embarrassed there he stood, watching the blue haired beauty. Natsu swiftly turned he's attention, back at Lucy, who swam underneath him. "Come up on deck, so you can dry yourself up! So you can become a human again." Lucy's smile faded away.
"I-I can't." But he didn't listen to what she were saying. Natsu grabbed the rope they had just used to pull him up, tossing it back into the water. She swam further away from the ship in front of her. "You don''t understand.. I can't."
"Grab it." Refusing to listening to her.
"I'm a mermaid! For good, Natsu! I can not turn back anymore. I'm a mermaid forever.."
"What do you mean!?"
"I fulfilled the spell-" With a swift move, were guards holding around the three girls. Guards they just shortly had thought they had escaped from.
"She found her one true love." Dan came slowly up from the water in front of them. "Me."
"You." The anger built up inside of Natsu, as he watched the merman approach Lucy. Gently stroking her face. "Don't touch her!" He had to restrain himself, not to jump off the boat.
"She is my one true love, so why wouldn't I be allowed to touch her?" Natsu was speechless. How could this man be her one and only? "You see prince Dragneel of the earth land. There is no future for mermaids and humans. In fact, I think we need to punish for this kind of behavior." Dan reached a hand behind he's back, pulling out a knife. The guard holding Lucy let her go, but before she could escape, had Dan a firm hold on her body. Gently placing the cold blade on her throat.
"NO!" In fear were Natsu about to leap off over the fence and out in the water.
"I wouldn't do that if I were you." Dan glared at the pink haired male, who froze as he spoke. He pressed the blade harder against her skin, making her gasp in terror
"Lu-chan!" Levy managed to bite the guard holding her, making it able for her to speak. "You won't get away with this!" Screaming it out loud, with tears streaming down her face.
"Don't worry Levy-chan, everything is going to be just fine." Trying to keep a smile on her face, while she could feel blood sliding down her neck. Dan looked down at Lucy, who tried her best to act calm, something he wasn't satisfied with. A part of him wanted her to scream, scream for her life.
"Is it?" There was something dark in he's voice, something Lucy never had heard before. "What is the fun in that?"
"What?" Lucy looked terrified up at him, as she felt every muscle in he's body, tighten his grip on her.
"I do not want a happy ending," Afraid for her life, tried Lucy to escape Dan's hold on her. With her fin splashing around in the water underneath them. But the water became more intense, not because of Lucy's doing, something completely different. Thousands of bubbles float up to the surface. "What are you doing!?"Not able to hold Lucy back. The water became to strong for them to move, as it were separating them. Natsu jumped over board the ship, in that instant Dan lost the grip on Lucy. He tried to make his way over to her, but the stream in the water were to strong for him.
"Traitor." All of them could hear the cold dark voice coming from the water, as it were crawling under your skin.
Suddenly Juvia felt the hands holding her disappeared. She looked over at Levy who were still captured by the other guard. Then suddenly he were pulled down underwater. The two girls looked confused at each other, before they moved their gaze at the last guard.
"Traitor." He looked down below him, before he were dragged down. "This was never a part of the deal." Dan looked unsettling around him, as he knew exactly who it was. With big eyes, looked the merman underneath him with terror in he's eyes. With a swift movement from a wave approaching him, slammed it into his body. When you finally could see him again, had a black spear pierced through he's chest. The water were finally still, only Dan's bloody cough, moved the surface. He looked over into Lucy's eyes, only few feet away from the dying merman. Her scream carried over the water.
Dan suddenly moved, as he were trying to pull the spear out. The bloody water crawled closer and closer to Lucy's own fin. Horrified of the sight in front of her. Dan failed, with not enough strength left, loosing his concussion, falling further down on the spear. She froze as she watched the merman die before her, covering her with his blood. The spear gave after and broke, sinking to the bottom of the ocean, taking Dan with it. The water let him fall down, as it were it's doing.
"Dan.." The words sounded faint when she said her name out loud. The man who had torture her, held her captive and separated her from her loved ones, from Natsu.. was gone..
"Lucy.." Natsu were right behind her now. Both Levy and Juvia had already been dragged up on the ship, afraid over what who might lurk around in the water underneath them. Lucy looked behind her, to see her beloved and her friends who were safe and sound. "Take my hand." She tried to reach for he's hand, but she couldn't. The water had begun to disturb the surface once more.
"I can't!" Reaching her arm out, wanting to touch Natsu's. Instead were the water pulling them down. A dark shadow, moved towards them in a rapid speed. "Natsu!" She could feel he's hand, wrap around her arm, pulling her close. As she could feel him close, were they hit by a reef underneath them, rising up from the darkest depths of the ocean.
She could see Natsu underneath her, rolling down the reef until he stopped, knocking he's head. When it finally stopped, looked Lucy around her, to see herself looking down on Natsu's large ship. The reef were standing high up in the sky. Lucy waited for him to move, but he didn't.
"Natsu!" Pulling herself closer to the edge. Tears streamed down her face, as she could see the color of his head, slowly turned red. "NO!"
"There, there." She jumped at the touch of another mans hand. The voice were familiar to her. With big eyes looked Lucy at the man before her, the man she knew all to well.
"Zeref." He smiled at her, while he still patted her on the back awkwardly.
Lucy POV
Zeref. I looked at him, how could this be? Even he had two legs now, standing in front of me. Trying to set the pieces together, glared Zeref at me.
"You remember me. Just because you got your humanity, doesn't mean that you have forgotten me yet." He leaned over me, while he wiped away blood, sliding down my neck. It had only been a few days since I've seen him, but still, it felt like a whole lifetime. And I won't forget Dan's words. Zeref had lied to me. I was never intended to stay a human, only to be trapped in a mermaid form.
"You knew that I would never be able to stay a human, yet you tricked me." He looked intrigued, wanting to hear what I had to say. "Dan told me everything. That you did this, all to help him. So why did you kill him?"
"Not at all, you see, I knew who you were the minute you walked in to my cave. Princess Heartfilia, the princess who refused to marry any man, until your father arranged your future. And there you were, standing on my doorstep, all according to the plan."
"Plan? There is no way that you-"
"The shark lead you to me. It was he's job to lure you. Had this been he's plan all along? To do what? Was I just a little piece of the puzzle, what were he really up to? "You got what you wanted, did you not? You got the legs you so kindly asked."
"You promised me until I found my one true love, that I would keep my legs, but Dan was not it!" Looking behind me, only to see Natsu had not moved an inch, lying there lifeless.
"But you of all mermaids should know that, humans and mermaids can never be together." Zeref stroke he's fingers between my hair, gently taking it towards his face. With closed eyes, breathed Zeref in heavily the smell of my hair.
"Why are you doing this?" The sound of my words, were like if I snapped him out of something. "Let us go."
"I can not let you go." I could hear the others shouting from the boat in the distance. "You two are just too much alike." Was I reminding him of someone?
"At least, let them go, you can have me! Just let them go.." Zeref burst out in a terrifying laughter, startling
"Want you!? There is no way that I want you!" With anger in Zeref's eyes, tightened he the grip around my hair. "You look so much like her, but you are not her. You are not my Mavis." Who is he talking about, who is this Mavis!? "I can't live without her, she's my one true love." Zeref let go off me, dropping he's face down to the ground. Zeref's words made my actually feel something for him, I actually had compassion for him.
"If Mavis and I are alike, why would you hurt me?" I couldn't see he's face between Zeref's black hair, but it looked like he wiped away a tear, falling down he's cheek. "What happened to Mavis?" Placing a hand gently on Zeref's cold cheek, comforting.
"Mavis cursed me, so I can never leave the ocean and walk on the earthland." He paused before he continued to talk, holding my warm hand, closer to his face. "She left me alone in the sea, forever I shall be alone."
"Then let me help you find her." Zeref met my gaze, with a weak smile.
"He found her."
"We can bring her here-" With the sweetest laugh, cut Zeref me off.
"He already did." Mavis is here? How could she? I looked confused at Zeref, who knew more then I did. "Mavis.." Saying her name with a tender voice. "Is dead."
"I'm sorry."
"True love is rare. It only happens every few centuries. I have waited so long for this moment. A strong enough love that can help me meet Mavis once more. Her soul rests on the earthland, a punishment for my sins. The punishment is also eternal life, a life without your one true love." What had he done to deserve this? I could feel his tears, sliding down my fingertips. "An ancient spell over my kind, says that we can never love and the sentence was death. So a death kiss killed my Mavis." Zeref throw himself on me, embracing me. "Only true love can bring her back. That's why I need you."
"What can I do?"
"You brought Natsu to this moment, Natsu who carries Mavis magic." It all came to me, everything he had done was to get to this moment. That's why he needed Natsu and I, because we would do anything for each other. We would do what others would not. We were like Zeref. He still tries to get back to Mavis, he's beloved.
"Only Mavis can kill you, that's why you are doing this?" Zeref buried he's face down in my shoulder. Now I knew why he needed me. Only Natsu could kill him, that's why he needed me, I were the one who were going to make it happen.
"I'm sorry Lucy Heartfilia." I couldn't help but just melt into Zeref's cold embrace, knowing this is it."I'm so sorry!" I felt he's cold finger wrap around my neck, squeezing harder and harder. I tried not to struggle, but I grabbed a hold of his fingers, as he lifted me of the ground. My eyes met Zeref's warm eyes, not able to stop crying. "Forgive me." With a last desperate motion, breathed I my last breath.
"LUCY!" I closed my eyes, as I could hear Natsu's voice fade away. Feeling the darkness devours me.
I forgive you, Zeref.
Well Ello!
I'm so sorry, just so that's said right away. I've been super busy, not that's a good excuse. My boyfriend and I are going to buy an apartment, so i have been really busy in that front. Starting an independent life is hard, i tell you! but enough of that.
Chapter 9! It's been a long road and we are close to the end! Only the last and 10th chapter remains. I have already written it by hand, so all that it takes is to get it onto the computer.. sadly, that takes it time.
Thank you for sticking to the story, you have my word. I will always finish my stories. Have a nice day!
Hope you like it and tell me what you think, leave a review or PM me!
