"So, what's our plan?" Lisanna asked, wrapping her arm around my neck. I let out a small snarl, shrugging her away as much as I could without being too obvious. But that did nothing. She held her ground, a little smile perched on her lips. How could she be happy at a time like this?

I glanced at the rest of the group. Gray had his head hung low, cold air radiating off of him. He knew what was wrong. He knew we had lost her again but there was no way he would actually admit to it. Erza was having a small talk with Happy, hushed voices carrying through the stale air. I could only pick up bits and pieces of the conversation, but it was nothing other than what I had expected: Lucy. Seems I wasn't the only one who was shaken over everything that had happened.

Lisanna laid her head on my shoulder, purring slightly. That was it. I started to stand, pushing the weight of her head along with her arms off of me.

"Lisanna. Now is not the time for this." I said, my voice growing cold as I glared at her. Her eyes softened and she shrunk back from me. Regret threatened to creep over me after seeing her reaction, but there were another time and place for that situation.

She crouched, hugging her knees. "You can't get over her, can you?" Her voice was barely louder than a whisper. I felt my chest tighten, my breathing become more forced. Did she have to do this right now? Couldn't we just wait until everything was resolved?

"No" I rasped, clenching my fists. My nails dug into the flesh of my balms, heat radiating off of them. This was not the time to lose it. No. I already lost it once, I just need to keep it together. Lucy is alive. Lucy is here.

"Why? Why her? You were both good friends but…" She went quiet as she went deeper into thought. She took a shaky breath, burrowing her head deeper into her knees. "Natsu…she isn't the Lucy we remember. She's changed. You saw that!" Anger rose within her, echoing through her voice. I flinched, taken aback by her own words. Her tone ripped through me and I just stood there, speechless. She looked up at me, eyes inflamed with something…rage….jealousy….agony. They burned a hole right through my empty shell. Tears glinted from her blue eyes. I had hurt her.

"Lisanna…" I started. She just shook her head, looking away from me. I saw the pain on her face, her features crumbling by the second. I let out a small sigh. "I'm sorry. I just thought…I thought she would remember me. She saw me and there was nothing there. I'm a stranger to her. Even after everything we've been through." The brutal truth kind of stung a little. She was just here, right in front of me. And yet I found myself looking at a complete stranger.

"I think you need to just give him some space Lisanna" Gray muttered, wandering over to stand next to me. "It's a little overwhelming for everyone, especially Natsu so just" He motioned his hands for Lisanna to calm down. Her glare migrated toward him but she shrunk back, seeming to agree with his terms.

Gray clamped a hand on my shoulder, giving a little squeeze. "We will get her back. For now, let's just focus on our next step. I think we need to send word to Makarov about everything." He said, his hand growing cold on my shoulder. I took a deep breath and nodded. I needed to make sure that my focus was solely on the situation.

"That is probably our best bet. We need to tell him who was behind all of this. I still can't believe it was Zeref and Achnologia" My tone grew sour as I remembered the bash between us. It had been a while since I had seen Zeref and let's just say that every time we meet it ends in a sour note. His magic always let a bad taste in my mouth. The darkness just seemed...rather familiar. Nonetheless, it was terrifying that he had his grasp on Lucy. She said she had to leave to finish something but I doubt it really included Zeref. I'm guessing that was a new addition to his plans. My stomach churned uneasily.

"Oh, and Gray, let's keep Lucy's ability something that isn't brought up. We don't need people trying to connect too many dots" I muttered, glancing over at my friend.

He just nodded, clapping me on the back once more before walking away. "I was planning on it," He yelled over his shoulder as he rejoined Erza and Happy. The blue cat was perched on a nearby tree branch. I'm guessing he wasn't taking this situation well either. I looked back towards Lisanna, and my gut sank. Had I really been treating her that badly?

"Lisanna," I said softly. Her head poked up from behind her knees and she just looked at me. The anger from before had been lost and her blue eyes seemed to turn gray. "I really am sorry" I add, letting my face fall.

"I am too," She said as she stood. "I'm more sorry than you can ever imagine" The disappointment was laced within her words, adding to the agony that lay within. She padded away softly, heading deeper into the forest and further away from the rest of the group.