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Disclaimer: FT belongs to Mashima Hiro-sensei.

Beneath The Southern Cross

Chapter X – Love And Guilt

She was waking up, she could feel it, but she didn't want to open her eyes just yet. There was someone next to her, she could feel the person's warmth and the perfume… it felt so familiar! But, as much as she wanted to remember to whom it belong, she just couldn't. There seemed to be a mist clouding her mind, the same mist that made her heart feels so empty.

Suddenly, she felt a hand caressing her hair on a soothing way. It felt so nice… Until the nausea hit her stomach again.

"I'm sorry, but can you stop it, please?" she asked, opening her eyes slowly.

She saw the man – the same man that had visited her some time ago – retreating his hand carefully.

"I'm sorry." He said.

"No, it's okay." Lucy said, blushing a little. "It's just that… I'm feeling a bit sick."

Nodding, he just sat more straight on his chair. Lucy felt the nausea go away, but she brought her hand to her belly, nonetheless, and tears formed once again on her eyes.

"Are you okay?" he asked, seeing the tears running through her cheeks. He wanted to wipe them away, but he couldn't touch her, not when she felt sick every time he did.

"It's just that… I didn't even know, but…"

"Wendy-chan told me." he said, letting her know she had no need to explain the situation.

She just kept crying, thinking about the baby that she didn't even had the time to call her own. Shouldn't she be worrying about who was the father? Her conscious told her "no", and although she couldn't understand, she didn't argue.

Pressing her hands to her stomach, her mind wandered back to the moment on the shower. She had said a name. A name from someone she really needed to be by her side at that awful moment. What was it…?

Looking on the clear blue eyes of the man sat beside her, she asked:

"You're Sting, aren't you?"

Sting couldn't let himself feel hopeful, but this knowledge did nothing to contain the advances of the feeling on his heart.

"That's right, I'm Sting."

"Why do I feel like I should know who you are?"

He opened a small bitter smile to her.

"You know me, Lucy. You just don't remember right now."

She just kept staring at him, as if trying very hard to remember something, anything.

"It's okay." He said. "You shouldn't tire yourself. You need to rest. Are you hungry? I can make something for you."

She nodded and Sting got up from the chair by her bed.

"Sting." She called, before he could exit the room. "Why are you being so nice to me?"

He looked at her but then back at the door in front of him.

"You might not remember me, Lucy, but I remember you."

"No, no, no, no, NO!" Levy shouted, throwing away a ridiculously heavy book.

"Hey, take it easy, bookworm." Gajeel told her, deflecting the flying books. "You'll feel guilty tomorrow for ruining those things."

She knew he was right, but right now she just couldn't bring herself to care. It was her fault Lucy was in such a situation. It was her fault she lost the baby she didn't even know to be bearing. It was her fault for being the one that made Natsu mark her.

"Don't you see, Gajeel? I have to find the solution! Actually, I should have found you days ago!"

"You've searched through all of those books. The answer is not here." He told her.

"Gajeel-san is right, Levy-san, maybe you should change of library."

Gajeel puffed and whispered something like "of course I'm right", but Levy wasn't listening to him. She needed a solution and she needed it right away.

"I'm going to Porlyusica-san."

"Why?" Gajeel asked with a raised eyebrow.

"She has lots of books there, plus she is the Edolas version of Wendy's mother, the dragon Grandine. Maybe she has something on her shelves."

"Okay." Gajeel agreed, reluctantly. "But you're not going alone."

"Porlyusica-san doesn't like visits, Gajeel, you know that."

"But you're not going alone." He repeated, this time stressing every word.

"You can't go, Gajeel." Levy sighed. "You're not discreet enough."

"And what the hell is that supposed to mean?!"

"I'm taking Rogue-san."

Gajeel straightened his eyes to her.

"Over. My. Dead. Body."

"Come on, don't be so unreasonable. You stay and help Erza and Lisanna go through these books again. Teach them how I do it. Can you do this for Lu-chan, please?"

Gajeel cursed. It was hard saying no to her when he could see the water gathering on the corner of her exquisite eyes.

"FINE! But after you find the damn cure for a Dragon Slayer's mark you'll have to make it up to me. Big time."

Nodding, Levy jumped to him, hugging her boyfriend.

"Thank you, Gajeel." She kissed his cheek and went to the door of the library.

"Come on, Rogue-san, what are you waiting for?"

Lisanna took the kettle from the fire and poured the hot water in a mug with a tea bag. With a heavy sigh, she got the mug and gave it to Natsu, who was sitting on her couch, staring fixatedly at nothing.

"Here." She took him from his transfixed state, handing him the hot tea.

"Thank you."

She tried to smile to him, but it was quite hard to do so when he seemed so depressed. It wasn't natural to see Natsu like that. He was never really sad, and when he did get sad, it didn't last that long.

"Levy will find a way." She said, letting her faith on their nakama pour out of her words.

Natsu only nodded. He trusted Levy, but he also knew it was a matter the Script Mage would probably never find a solution for.

"I ruined her life." He whispered so lowly Lisanna only heard it because she was sitting right next to him.

"You didn't, Natsu. It's no one's fault. You saved her life. Would you be happier if you had let her die?"

"Of course not. But I should have helped her before she got hurt. It's what I've always done, Lisanna. I've been protecting her since I brought her to the guild, but on the last job… I failed her."

"I'm quite sure she doesn't think that way, Natsu." She assured him, gently placing her hand on his arm.

"What if she never remembers him, Lisanna?"

He was truly worried, she could see it for the way his eyebrows were furrowed close together.

"But didn't you say she said his name before fainting?"

He only nodded.

"Lucy once told me that her mother believed that the original magic, the one that originated all kinds of magic, was not exactly a spell, but a feeling. Layla Heartfilia believed love was the most powerful magic of all if she was right, Natsu, Lucy can undo the mark by herself."

Lisanna saw a glimpse of hope passing through his warm eyes, however, it soon disappeared.

"I don't know, Lisanna. Igneel always told me the mark was something very final. Once done, there was no undoing it."

"Do you love her, Natsu?" It was something she never really wanted to ask him. She thought she knew the answer, but hearing it from his voice was something quite different.

"Of course I do. But not the way she loves Sting."

Lisanna let out a breath she didn't even notice she was holding.

"Then, maybe, the magic is not as strong as it should be if you really thought she was your mate."

He sighed, staring at his reflexion on the tea. He really wanted to solve everything, but it was the first time in his life he felt so powerless. He was the responsible for all that mess. It was his fault that Lucy didn't remember Sting. It was his fault she had lost the child she hadn't even noticed she was bearing.

Lisanna desperately wanted to help him. Her heart was broken from seeing him in such a state. It was wrong in so many levels… Getting closer to him, she hugged him.

Natsu was taken by surprise by her act. However, somehow, it seemed to make perfect sense. It seemed right like nothing else felt on those last past days.

He hugged her back, closing his eyes while placing his chin on the top of her head. Inhaling deeply, he could smell the floral hints of her perfume.

"Everything will be fine, Natsu." She whispered. "You'll see. Levy will find a solution, I'm sure of it."

"I want to believe it, Lisanna, I really do. But it's quite a hard thing to do when your memories keep telling you it's a final thing."

"We're Fairy Tail, Natsu. We never give up."

And that was what really woke him. She was right, of course she was. They had done the impossible before – several times, actually. They survived Acnologia, they won the Daimatou Enbu, so many things! It wouldn't be different now. It just couldn't.

"Thank you, Lisanna."

Rogue didn't think it would happen, but it didn't take him by surprise to see her asleep, with her head resting on the pages of an open book, her blue hear spreading around the hard cover. Approaching her quietly, he undid the clasp of his cape and placed it on top of her.

"You care about her." Porlyusica said as he stepped back from where Levy was.

Getting no answer from him except for a blank stare, Porlyusica let out a silent chuckle.

"What is about those girls and Dragon Slayers?" seeing his eyes didn't change, she got serious once again. She was done telling those annoying fairies she didn't like humans, so, for now, she would just take them in and pray for the visit to be quick. "It's very noble of you, Rogue."

"That's nothing noble about it. I'm just helping Sting. It's absurd to see him the way he is now."

"Then, your nobility is doubled, young Dragon Slayer."

Rogue felt like rolling his eyes. Those fairies were just annoying with all their sentimental behaviour. However, he just had to admit the petite Script Mage had something about her that draw his attention. Too bad she already was Gajeel's girl.

"You think she will be able to find anything?" he asked, after letting a long silence spread between them.

Porlyusica shrugged.

"I can't know that. I do have some books here in languages I can't read. Makarov told me this girl can read practically any language in the world. If there's someone who can find a cure for a Dragon Slayer's mark, this one is this pretty girl that now is too tired to read another word."

"She thinks it's her fault. Because it was her who told Natsu a mark could save Lucy-san's life."

Porlyusica laughed lightly.

"Typical Fairy Tail behaviour. If you go to Natsu Dragneel now, he is probably giving himself the hardest time of his life for causing such a trouble to one of his beloved nakama."

Rogue couldn't help but to marvel at all that situation. Yes, of course it was ridiculously awful, however, he had never seen before this level of commitment. He had thought the same when Natsu Dragneel broke in to Sabertooth's rooms just to complain about the way Yukino was treated by the previous master. Fairy Tail was truly a family.

Suddenly, he caught himself wishing Sabertooth would turn into something similar. He knew they would never achieve Fairy Tail's level, but just 1/5 would be enough for him.

He lost his train of thought, though, when a loud knock came from the door. He watched as Porlyusica's eyes widened in surprise.

"Mystogan?" she asked. The man at the door gave her a meaningful look and nodded. "What are you doing here?"

"I found this book. I can't read it, but I think Levy-san can."

Porlyusica took the hard covered book on her hands. There was a beautifully well painted dragon on the front.

"Rogue, wake up Levy, please."